Chickens, Hens, and a Birthday

When you have a birthday approaching (it was yesterday), you tend to reflect on things. Things you have done, things yet to be completed, things that should have happened differently, and of course things that might have been.

So in my place of solace - the grocery store - I pondered why I don't cook more recipes that I grew-up on or at least cook like my mom and grandma did. Then it hit me....why don't I buy a whole chicken and cut it up and fry it??? I/we always seem to let the Colonel do the fried chicken for our family, but not anymore. I have decided that I am going to buy a whole chicken and have some old fashion fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy. Sounds simple enough, I mean my mom always bought a whole chicken and my grandma would have never thought of buying chicken that was already fried. First, go find the lard. Yup, I said "Lard", it's the only thing my grandma would cook with. Found the lard (I went with the small container). Next, Poultry. So there I stand in front of the chicken case staring at pre-cut chicken and whole chickens. Frankly, they all look the same. It is here that I seriously consider backing out of the whole fried chicken thing. So I turn to the lady next to me who is handling the poultry as if she knew what she was doing and I said, "My birthday is coming up and I think that I want to purchase a chicken, cut it up and fry it the way my grandma and my mom did it. Any suggestions?" With her head cocked to the side, she looked at me with that "At your age, you have got to be kidding - you have never fried a chicken" look and I finished her thought for her, "Yup, never have done it and now I want to." As I continued, "So are there any difference between these chickens? And Hi, my name is Donna. I met a stranger a day and write about it." She responded with, "Hi, I'm Tina and no these are not all the same." She showed me that some of the birds we were looking at were actually hens. "Hens take longer to cook, but are more flavorful. You want to use the hens for soups and stews so you can get the most flavor. Use the chicken for frying." And then Tina turned and pointed to the monogram on her sleeve. It read, "Garland ISD Food Service." I laughed and said, "Well, I am pretty sure you know what you are talking about." Tina nodded and went on to tell me that I shouldn't cut up the entire chicken; instead, I should cut it down the middle, squeeze fresh lemon over it, sprinkle with herbs and bake for about 45 minutes. She told me it would be perfect and I wouldn't have to deal with the grease. Well there you go. Tina and I picked out a chicken for me to take home (enough to feed 4) and I thanked Tina for her help as well as the poultry lesson. I also told her that I would fry this chicken and the next time I would bake it.

Tina strolled off and with my whole chicken nestled in my cart, I quickly went to the frozen food aisle and threw a bag of frozen chicken breasts into my cart. I needed to make sure that I had a back-up plan if the chicken has to get tossed into the trash. I will take before and after pictures of my chicken. Wish me luck.

Rice-a-Roni, Richard Branson, and My iPhone

We all have heard about the Apple engineer (Gray Powell who I will refer to as iPhone dude) who took the new iPhone 4 to a German Beer Garden and left it there....publicity stunt or "I can't believe this guy is on our payroll?!?!?"

I am guessing that a guy wanted to impress his date, drank too much beer, got too much lovin' doing the chicken dance and strolled out without his coolness ticket (the iPhone4). You know everyone at Apple now knows him and if he is still employed - you know that when he walks by...they all just stop and stare at him and you only hear the sounds of crickets. As a former HR manager if iPhone dude hasn't already been fired, they are watching him like a hawk and documenting everything he does (even how many times he goes to the bathroom...don't laugh...it happens and oh the stories I could tell). But here is the real kicker in all of this, Lufthansa Airlines has made a public offer to the iPhone dude for a complimentary Business Class ticket to Munich - they took notice of his passion of German Arts and Culture and told him that he could check out the Bavarian Beer Garden Lounge in the Lufthansa terminal and continue where he left off. I wish that Southwest Airlines still had their, "Wanna Get Away" campaign.....featuring an iPhone dude look-alike would have been a slam dunk. What a shame, it would have been a golden campaign.

I am not the iPhone dude, but I am the "Hi, my name is Donna" woman and I am gonna a throw caution to the wind and provide some win-win situations from my vantage point:

1. I left my heart in San Francisco - c'mon Rice-A-Roni....a ticket to the City by the Bay for me and a companion...I am sure that I will find my heart somewhere down on the wharf or on a cable car.

2. I left a pineapple in my trunk once...found it once I smelled it - are you listening Dole...a ticket to Hawaii for a fresh pineapple and I promise I will stop praising the benefits of coconuts...mahalo.

3. Never had a Brazilian wax - are you listening Rio de Janeiro Board of Tourism....a ticket to Rio for a "brazilian" in Brazil.....it makes sense to me. I will sing "The Girl from Ipanema" the entire time.....seu bom.

4. I dressed up as the Chiquita Banana woman once.....Namaste (hello),

India (producers 16.8 million metric tons of bananas) I am natural to visit and as a double bonus I love Indian food. AND the most favorite name of an employee I hired is Indumathi Visvanath (She is great.  Say her name fast three time and it will become your favorite too).

5. G'day mate.....I am from the land Oz (Kansas) and it only seems natural that I should to the Land Down Under (everyone sing along) also know as Oz....I have tried Vegemite - not a big fan, but I am a big Banjo Paterson who penned Waltzing Matilda and we have a didgeridoo at our house. "There' no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home." "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...Oi, Oi, Oi." It make sense to me.

Lufthansa did it. Southwest, American, Richard Branson, et al - think about the partner opportunities you are missing.....I have my iphone - call me.

Hello,it's Monday

I need to tell you about Peggy who I met; however, I have the the flu or something close to it since Saturday evening....don't panic - I am sure I will be up and writing full force tomorrow.

Butter, Doll Face, and Ralphie from The Christmas Story

Everything is better with butter. Right?!?! Absolutely!!!

So with that thought in mind - Trish, Lexy, Grayson and myself went to Legacy Books in Plano to meet the one and only Paula Deen. The book signing event was scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm so Trish and I thought we should get there about 5:00pm to ensure a good spot in line. Well, maybe 4:00pm would have been a better idea....Dallas does love Paula Deen. The line began upstairs where we were fortunate to be, but once the upstairs filled up with two very choreographed weaving lines - the others were kept downstairs where there lines wound in and around the stack of books. There were young, old, women, men (who get extra points for being there), and even a Great Pyrenees - it's true - everybody and their dog loves Paula Deen.

At 6:03pm, we hear, "Hi Y'all" followed by her trademark laugh which is met with resounding applause. Gray and Lexy scooted over closer to take photos of Paula while Trish and I held our places in line. After she took her place at the table, the line moved quickly (okay - I really having nothing to compare it to but it must have been the good company I was with and the anticipation) and before you know it we see Paula's husband, Michael. Michael is graciously taking photos with those who asked - and we asked. First the girls had their photo taken with him and then Trish and I had are photo taken with him. And there she was...and we quickly wondered if she would have butter perfume on. I don't think she did, but wouldn't that have been great!!! She is just a beautiful as she is on television. Gray was just ahead of me and as she got in front of Paula; Paula said, "Hi there, Doll Face." And Gray said, "Hi" as she had her cell phone in her right hand taking photos and the digital camera in the left snapping photos. As Gray was snapping photos, I met Brandon Branch who co-wrote the book with her and I extended my hand and broke into my spiel, "Hi, my name is Donna..." I was shaking hands with Brandon and explaining to him that I meet a new stranger everyday and write about it. He said, "Well, we are no longer strangers." And about that quick, I was in front of Paula. Her eyes are just a beautiful in person as they are on television and then I fumbled out, "I understand that you had a Grandma Paul. My name is Donna Paul." And she tells me, "I was named after my Grandma and Grandpa Paul." I quickly told her that I meet a stranger a day and I write about them and that I was going to write about her and Brandon. And she said, "Oh my, you do? Do you publish it?" And I was being hurried off by the bookstore minder - it was like a scene straight from A Christmas Story when Ralphie doesn't tell Santa that he wants the Red Ryder BB Gun and gets pushed down the slide; stops and climbs back up...well that was me.....I shucked and jived around the bookstore minder and squeaked out, "I do - I use blogspot." And just that quick, we were done seeing Paula. Gray and I bid Trish and Lexy good-bye and told them to have a great weekend.

Gray and I then turn our sights on getting to the volleyball game. Once in the car, Gray changes into her uniform - we have 30 minutes to cross Plano and to the gym. We made with 10 minutes to spare. Whew. The Lady Blue Rays won 2 out of 3.

And Paula Deen if you are reading this, Doll Face played great tonight. We (meaning me) even yelled from the stands, "C'mon Doll Face, win this one for Paula!!!"

Pollen, Puffy Eyes, and Iceland

I am typing quickly as I am in between symptoms - yup - fighting horrible allergies. Today's symptoms are swollen eyes...yes, both eyes have been swelling on and off all day. I have used allergy medicine, eye drops, laying with my eyes closed, and now ice......it is a terribly horrible look. I look like I could be an extra in a Cheech and Chong movie without the munchies side-effect. I can only thank the good lord that I don't live in down wind from the Icelandic volcano. If the ash can ground airplanes - can you imagine what kind of allergies symptoms that will bring the people down wind??? It will produce beautiful sunsets; however, for the poor saps with allergies - they won't be able to see those beautiful red sunsets. UGH.....everyday the pollen counts are off the charts - I am just not sure how much more we (I) can take.

To my fellow sufferer's - this has been one of the worst allergy seasons in recent memory and I feel your pain and when will this end. Can I get an AMEN!?!

To those of you who don't sneeze, drip, blow, cough, rub, scratch, and are spore-free; I hear Iceland is a nice place to visit this year.

QVC, Coca Cola, and Mad Dog 20/20

I am going to admit this - right here and right now - I am watching Ken Paves on QVC and he is hawking Hairdo by Ken Paves & Jessica Simpson. I have actually stopped writing my stranger blog to write this blog. Back to QVC and Ken........I was flipping through the channels trying to find something to watch and fascinated by short to long hair, no bangs to bangs and flat crowns to voluminous crowns. I am 39 minutes into it and I am still watching. I am digging the headband fall, but not loving the 10" Bump Up the Pony. This "hair"can be washed, curled, flat-ironed, hair sprayed....omg....I think I might be falling in love with synthetic hair.

Okay, so let's talk about fake hair for a minute.....it seems that we (society) are quick to accept that female celebrities (maybe even some males like Nicholas Cage and John Travolta) change their hairstyles for award shows, red carpet events, or roles and we even accept that normal (non-star) African-American or Black (your choice) women wear fake hair all the time. BUT put fake hair on a Caucasian or White (your choice) woman and all hell breaks loose.....like wearing white after Labor Day, like not removing your hat during the National Anthem, like a woman showing up at the Kentucky Derby without a hat, and like when Coca Cola changed its recipe a couple years back - yup - all major hell break loose moments. Why is that???? For the love of Pete, Kate Gosselin made the cover of People magazine when she got extensions...really?!?!? I know plenty women who would love to be able to grow out short without having to deal with it or have short hair one day and then the next have long hair without the worry of some back biting comment made by "friends or colleagues" in either the bathroom or break room.

I am seriously considering ordering the headband fall just to see what if it is as good as it looked in TV. I could be the poster child for everyday Caucasian or White (your choice) women to enter the fake hair arena. Hhhmmm....maybe one day it will be as common as Egg Nog at Christmas or Fireworks at the 4th of July or Mad Dog 20/20 with Tacos. Okay, maybe not the last one.....but you get what I am saying.

Brookshire's, Bag Boys and a Bone (for the dog)

The kids did not have school on Monday so we (me, the kids, the dog, and one of Gray's friends) decided to go to the lake house and hang out for a couple of days. There is something about getting away from the "city" and going about 2 hours East to rural. I am really a rural girl at heart and you know what they say, "You can take the girl out of Kansas, but you can not take the Kansas out of the girl." So true, so true. When we go, it always seems that we need to go into town and this time was no different. List in hand, Mason and I are off to Mt. Pleasant to pay a visit to Brookshire's. If you haven't guessed by now, I love to go grocery shopping and the adventure is even better when it is in a small town. Of course the minute we walk in, the high school girls who are cashiers all turn and look at Mason (6'1'', less than 2% body fat). You know they are thinking....there's a new boy in town (yup, please feel free to sing along). Lettuce - check, milk - check, cinnamon rolls - check, cheese - check, chips - check and off to the check-out. And this is when I meet Krysten. Cute, perky, local girl who is definitely checking out more than just my groceries (she was definitely scanning him up and down). She tells me, "That will be $37.06 (full disclosure - we had a few impulse purchases.....Bone for the dog and Little Debbie Nutty Bars)." And I say, "Waahoo - what a bargain, I should have bought more." And Krysten looks up and says to me, "Did you just say Waahoo?" I say cautiously "Y e s, I did, why?" "I have never heard that word before," she said. Me - "Really???" Krysten - "Really." (Then I think to, myself, "Okay, well it is kinda of an old word and I don't use it that often, but it is 2010. Is it that strange of a word?") "Hi, my name is Donna......" Then it hits me like a load of bricks....she is engaging me in conversation in hopes that Mason will jump in and participate. No such luck Krysten - Mason is a man of few words and a conversation at the grocery in Mt. Pleasant is definitely not on his radar. Groceries bagged and I get ready to push the cart out and I am practically accosted by the bag boy. Yeah, you heard me right - bag boy. The bag boys still take your groceries to your car in Mt. Pleasant and they take their job seriously - this is old school baby.

With the bag boy in tow, we head to the car. Mason sums up his take of the adventure in a slightly condescending tone, "Coming to Brookshire's, must be the family thing to do - I have so many families coming here together. Why? And did you see the riding lawn mower for sale near the soda aisle" My reply? "Well, it is late Sunday afternoon in a small town. That's the way it used to be it in the Little Apple. Aunt Sondra and I always seemed to be with Nana Jan when she went to Dutch Maid or Dillons (if we were lucky - Dillons - they had all the cute bag boys). Aww -those were the days."

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, they were selling fresh green beans in Glad Ziploc bags - as if they were just picked from someones garden. Mason shuddered at the fact and said, I am sure that's not up to safety standards.....Ziploc bags? Are you kidding me?" I just smiled and thought, You're right. You would never see that in Dallas. Mt Pleasant for sure and maybe in the Little Apple, but that's just the way we roll...old school baby!!!

Orange Hair, Green Beard and Lady Blue Rays

When you see someone with orangish/red hair and a green beard wearing chartreuse tie-dye socks with Crocs, you know that you have to officially meet them. I know image conjures up visions of leprechaun's , but I am pretty sure he isn't one. This was the case at Gray's last volleyball game. I had actually seen him last season with the orangish/red hair wearing brown tie dye socks, but never took the time to meet him so as our game was over I waited to meet him. After he was finished turning in the team roster, I ran over to mid-court and said, "Hi, my name is Donna...." I continued my spiel and shortly I was shaking hands with Roy. I asked him if he was a full-time coach and he told me, "No, I do this for my daughters - I have four of them." He colors his hair and beard for the team - the team rubs his hair for luck. This year, his team is wearing chartreuse shirts hence the chartreuse tie dye socks (which I have to admit are better than last year's brown tie dye. The brown tie-dye socks from a distance looked a bit poo). Roy told me that I could stay and watch their games, and we could talk more later. I declined - I didn't want him to think this was a creative pick-up line.

How did the Lady Blue Rays fare? We won the second game, we are now tied for 1st.

Socks, Shrimp, and Shotgun Shells

Credit Cards. It never fails, but every time I go to purchase something I get asked if I want to apply for a credit card. I can appreciate the store's need to generate extra revenue, but why ask me when I am ready to check out? Wouldn't it make more sense to ask me when I am walking into the store when my hands are free and I haven't started my shopping experience? Because when I am ready to checkout - I am ready to go...period. To confirm, I have gotten away from using credit cards and these days I only use a debit card - if we don't have the money then we don't get it (which is a far cry from my habits of youth).

So it went when I met Andrea. I had unloaded my cart and was making small talk (chipper young girl with a sweet smile, about a year out of high school, and wanting a new car) when she turned to me and asked me, "Did I ask you if you wanted to open up a credit card with us?" I answered, "No, you didn't." She said, "Well I am not sure why anyone would want one. I think they charge like 27% interest and hardly anyone ever qualifies for one. I mean, you would probably qualify, but most people don't. But we have to ask." I am gonna guess the last part of her spiel was not in the corporate hand book.

So let me get this right.......my ice cream is melting and you want me to stop and fill out a form for a credit card? I am confident I would have had ice cream soup and my milk would have turned to yogurt if I would have stopped to fill out an application. I think my mouth was hanging open and I guess lucky for her I wasn't a "secret shopper." Because a secret shopper would have had her reprimanded before I loaded my groceries in my car. I understand that some stores offer the lay-away process for Christmas gifts and seasonal items, but a charge card for Wal-Mart? Why??? Think about how long it would take for you to pay off a steak if you charged it. By the time it was paid off; I would have cooked the steak, consumed the steak, digested and pooed the steak, eaten about 165 different meals consisting of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And probably fit a seven day vacation before the steak was paid off. Good lord, for the that price I could purchase my own cow, feed it, and have it butchered. So I turn to Andrea and say, "Thanks for the offer, but I think I will pass." And with a hint of sarcasm I added, "But what a nice offer."

Wait...maybe I should reconsider....it's not often that you can get a credit card where you can purchase socks, shrimp, and shotgun shells under one roof.

Under the Weather

It 's Thursday and I didn't forget about writing, but today I have been under the weather and I've have sleeping most of the day. So I will write twice tomorrow....sleep well and sweet dreams.

Urban Legend, Speed Channel, and Febreze

When you hear a story told time and time again, you get to the point when you don't know if it is truth or urban legend. The same could be said for Ramblin' Rose. I had heard stories from Mason and stories from Chris when he did a ride along with the Rowlett Police so when Chris pulled up in front of Ramblin' Rose, I will admit that I was nervous. As I sat in the car surveying the joint and trying to muster up the nerve to go in, I noticed that there is a historical marker on the outside of the building. I am not sure how and why, but it does have historical designation - so it can't be that bad - right?!? Chris asked me, "Do you want me to come in with you?" I said, "No, I can do it." And as luck would have it - a car pulled up and I decided I would wait and walk in with whoever got out of the car. I got out and waited. From the car appears a woman and I go up and start walking with her. "Hi, my name is Donna," I extend my and I am shaking hands with Shirley. Shirley holds the door for me, lets me go in first (ugh, I really wanted to follow her in, but no such luck), and I officially cross the threshold into Ramblin' Rose. I have to squint for my eyes to adjust and Shirley quickly finds a bar stool at the end of the bar. I am instantly odd man out and I have 10 sets of eyes staring at me. So I tell them, "I'm with Shirley." And that seems to break the chill. The first person that speaks to me is Debora. We shake hands; I tell her my New Year's resolution and that I write about the people I get to meet. Debora works there on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tuesday sounds like a hoppin' night because it is $2 beer (bottles) and $2 burger night (cheese is extra). According to Debora, Friday night the "kids" come in and the rest of the time it is a familiar group. I said to Debora, "If kinda feels like Cheers. Where everybody knows your name." Debora says, "Exactly." Just then the bartender asks me for my id and I tell her, "I'm not here to drink. I am here to meet people and to write an article." Debora kinda waves her off and we are back to conversation. Ramblin' Rose opened in 1992, Tuesday night and Thursday night is shuffleboard night. They have a karaoke night, they have pool tables, they have a big screen that comes down from the ceiling when they watch football games, they sell pitchers, and Debora is not a beer girl. I then notice that there are dollar bills signed and stapled to the ceiling and pillars around the bar so I ask Debora about the meaning. She says, "They have been here every since I have." This when I meet Kathy Lee who is sitting to the left of Debora at the bar. Kathy Lee tells me that is started in 2000, 2001 when a regular named Betty Lou passed away from cancer. Someone wrote a message on a dollar bill to honor Betty Lou and it was stapled to the ceiling. Now just about any kind of message (I saw bachelorette party references, love notes and R.I.P) appears on the bills (I saw ones, fives and a ten) stapled to the ceiling and the pillars around the bar. About this time a gentleman leaves the bathroom and heads for the door and everyone tells Bill goodbye. Even I gave holler out to Bill as he leaves. Back to my conversation with Kathy Lee, she tells me that they only serve chips with the burger - no fries. Her actual word were to the effect of "F the fries...that's what Debora says." Debora quickly jumps in and says, "That's what Kathy Lee says." We all laugh - I am loving this place. Shirley moves down to the empty bar stool on the other side of Debora and we continue talking about the bar. I turn to Debora and I say, "You gotta love a place that has the Speed Channel on showing the Barrett Jackson auction." Debora is impressed and then asks if I am a NASCAR fan and I tell her,"Yes." Debora turns to Kathy Lee and says, "She is going to fit in here just like a glove." High fives all around and I am high fivin' back. Did I mention that I am loving this place?!?!? Unfortunately all good things have to end and I tell everyone that I have to leave. I tell Debora, Kathy Lee, and Shirley that I will be back and I will bring my husband with me the next time. I shake hands with them and I again tell them good bye. When I get to the door, I turn, wave and I hear a couple voices say, "Take care Donna. Come back soon." And I holler back, "Oh, I will!!"

At the Ramblin' Rose, I debunked the urban legend that it is scary and unwelcoming. The truth about the Ramblin' Rose - it is a smokey (I did have to febreze myself before I could start dinner) honky - tonk - not your Urban Cowboy honky - tonk, but a plain and simple Texas honky - tonk.

A Skipping, Singing Spider-Man at the Supermarket

I was cruising down the frozen food aisle when I saw him out of the corner of my eye. Donned in a red shirt, brown hair, tan pants, happy birthday hat - he went skipping by muttering something about it being his birthday. I smiled as he passed, but when he turned and came skipping back my direction, I knew that I had to meet him. With his mother close by, I bent down and asked him the obvious, "Is today your birthday?" "It's my natural birthday," he said. I am wondering if this is some new age reference that I am unaware of and as I am pondering - his mom says, "Today is your birthday." So with that established, I stuck out my hand and said, "Hi, my name is Donna." He said, "My name is Isaac." I was thinking that he might be five but I said, "So are you 12 today?" He laughed and said, "No." Then held up six fingers. Isaac tells me, "My birthday party is this weekend." I say to Isaac, "Cool, are you having camels and marshmallows at your party?" "No, I am having a Spider-man party," he said. And at the same time, Issac and I both strike the Spidey throwing web pose in the frozen food aisle. His mom laughs. I turn to her and tell her that I meet a stranger a day and write about it. She asks me the name of my blog and I tell her. "Oh, that is a cute name," she says. And then Isaac comes right up next to me and asks if I am going to write about him and I tell him "Yes." Then in a perfectly poised six year old voice he says, "OK, this is what you need to write......you need to write that I am having my party this weekend, I got a black and brown BB gun today and I am cute." I almost fell to the ground laughing and his mom quickly interjects, "And modest too." Since my ice cream were starting to melt, I told Isaac that I need to go, but that I hoped he had a great birthday and a great party. I wished his mother a great night and good-bye.

"Happy Birthday to you; Happy Birthday to you; Happy Birthday dear IISSAA-AACC; Happy Birthday to you!" OR "Spiderman, Spiderman, Does whatever a spider can." There are some birthday's that I've been like Isaac (my 11th , 16th, 18th, my 21st, and 30th) and there are others that I have barely acknowledged. After meeting Isaac, I have decided that this year I am going to be like Isaac. Happy, skipping, and I am most definitely going to wear a hat.

A Body Pillow, Gudrun, and Man in a Trunk

When you see a man in a trunk - you know there is a story, but more about that in a few minutes. The forecast for today was suppose to be showers all day (I think it rained for maybe 30 minutes) so Gray and I decided that we would go out early this morning - we needed to buy a birthday present for Gray to take to Abbey's birthday party. After I suggested a purse, a shirt or two, and lounge wear; we decided on a body pillow with a zebra cover. We also bought a cool picture frame for her. So with a body pillow the size of Gray, picture frame and giant gift bag - we head to the checkout. The clerk asked me about the weather and I told her that I parked close and hoped that the rain shower had passed over. She bagged our items; I extended my hand and gave her my spiel, "Hi, my name is Donna...." and soon enough I was shaking hands with Linda. Blond with glasses, Linda was very friendly and perky. And I think if I would have asked her if she liked her job - I do believe she would have said yes and I would have believed her. I had noticed the lady behind us in line - the size of her groceries caught my eyes. Very small bag of new potatoes, a small amount of what looked to be thinly sliced prosciutto, small package of imported country cheese. I immediately thought of my European friends who go to the market daily to purchase only what they need for that day. I knew had to meet her. So when I finished with Linda, I turned and extended my hand to the woman behind me. She had heard my talking to Linda and when I went to shake her hand she told me her name, "Grudwein." Her accent was heavier than I guess I had anticipated so I repeated what I thought I heard, "Grudwein?" "No," she said. And again she repeated it, "Gudrun. Like good and run. Gudrun." "Gudrun, it is nice to meet you." I ask, "Is the accent Eastern European?" "No, German near Holland." I nod in agreement, but I know as soon as I get home that I need to look a map. I again tell her that I was glad to have met her and she says, "Tell me your name again - I want to tell my friend about you." "Donna and this is my daughter Grayson," I said. The other people in line were either put out that I was holding up the line or that I wasn't taking the time to meet them as well. So I wished Linda and Gudrun a good day and good bye.

Lucky for us - no rain when we left the store, but as we got to our car I think that I see a girl talking to a man in the trunk of a car. We load the bags into the back seat of the car and I tell Gray, "There is a story there...I should go meet the man in the trunk." And being the good sport that she is she says, "Oh yeah, let's go do it." Well that is all the prompting that I need. And sure enough as we get closer - there is a guy (looks to be about high school age) laying in the trunk of the car and the girl (also probably in high school) is talking to him. She looks at me and he looks up at me and all I can say is, "There has to be a story here. Can I ask why are you in the trunk?" He says, "I just wanted to be in the trunk." "Did you ride over here in the trunk?" I asked. He laughed and said "No" like I was an idiot to suggest something so bizarre. And I thought to myself, I am talking to a dude in a trunk and he thinks I am the oddball?!?!? He continued with, "I wanted to get in the trunk and see if she would close it." At this point I decided that I should introduce myself, "Hi my name is Donna..." I turned and shook hands with Megan and then I shook hands with Neal who was still in the trunk. So I turn back to Megan and ask her, "Why didn't you close the trunk?" She said, "I was afraid that he wouldn't be able to get out." Huh? And this is when Neal piped up and said, "Well, I do have the keys in my hand." Hhhmmm....okay.....that might have bothered me a little bit too. And with Neal making no movements to get out of the trunk, Gray and I tell them good bye and I wished them a good day. As Gray and I got into the car, she turned to me and said, "That was weird." I agreed.

And as we drove away, I looked in my rear view mirror and noticed that the trunk was closed. Is that what they mean by junk in the trunk????

Hair Color and the Jetsons

I am typically a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) kinda gal when it comes to my hair. But once or twice a year I do go and have it professionally done - usually when I am going from winter color to summer color or when going from a long cut to a short cut. As an early birthday present my mom paid for me to have "some highlights" put into my hair....which is really just the stepping off point for me to take over. Off to see Tracey@Vida's Salon. She understands that I cut (okay, hack and saw) my hair and even gives me color tips so when I DIY the dye - I won't turn my hair too red (been there) or too orange (been there too). Over the winter I decided that since almost everyone in Dallas was blond I would go for a color closer to my real color of brunette. A couple of things I found out about being brunette:

1. It does make my blue eyes brighter;

2. Brown on brown color doesn't turn too brassy;

3. Gray hair shows up a helluva lot more;

4. When your kids tell you that your hair is really gray and you really should do something to cover it up;

5. It is time to go back to being blond (it's easier to hide the grays).

The only thing that I have not been able to master at the DYI level is highlighting with foils - this how I ended up in Tracey's chair. The highlighting process goes something like this: Donna folds foil and hands to Tracey; Tracey places foil; she paints on the color on sectioned hair; folds over the foil; flip completed foil out of the way; repeat. Somewhere between folding and flipping foil, a sales representative appears wanting Tracey to try some new product. In the chair with nowhere to go and looking like something straight from the Jetsons (the episode when Judy goes the Jet Screamer concert), I listen patiently to the conversation of product composition, cost, samples, and availability when I extend my hand to the stranger and introduce myself. "Hi, my name is Donna" and I continue with my spiel. I don't think that she realized that I was talking to her until Tracey stepped in and told her that I write about people that I meet. Only then did she extend her hand and she said, "My name is Stephanie." "Well, it is nice to meet you Stephanie," I said. Somewhat unimpressed, she turned back to Tracey leaving her a price list and business card (I think). And with Stephanie's departure, we went back to my hair. Foils done, under the hair dryer, foils out, wash hair, cut hair, dry and style.....two hours I am done and out the door. I don't see Tracey that often but I never walk away disappointed.

The home experience is somewhat different color comes in a box, no foils, it only takes 45 minutes, and the final color is somewhat of a crap shoot. My friends and family can attest to the fact that I have been everything from orange (which required professional help to correct), to cinnamon, to blond, to mahogany, to brown. But at home I can sing; "Meet George Jetson; His Boy Elroy; Daughter Judy; Jane his Wife." Followed by "Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah".