Out Of Town Company

We have out of town company. John and Ron are at a business conference at Post Oak Lodge, a beautiful rustic place to stay. Ron's wife, Karen is staying with me and playing. Today I took her to my water aerobics class, her first such experience. The women in my family are all fans of water exercise and we love a chance to introduce others to it. She had a great time. Not-Lucille was very funny. She teased Karen about her amazing figure (any 20 year old would pay to have it, and some actually have) and told her about all the stuff to eat at the Fair this weekend that would wreck her figure. Pork sandwiches and fried everything was her picks. She won't get to the Fair this weekend, since her 50th High School reunion is on Saturday, and her diet doesn't end until after that. Will Roger's High - how Oklahoma is that? Another one of the women who I don't know the name of, but who has the best daughter in law who sometimes comes with her, had Emerald Green nail polish today. She actually changes her polish color everyday - sometimes matching it to the local sports team - necessitating three different colors. And just in case I haven't been boring enough, I'll add that Carol brought me her DVDs of State Fair and Oklahoma, The Musical for viewing before the Fair experience and that Karen and Carol have talked me into taking the Zumba class tomorrow. I love my life!

BookSmart Tulsa - Early October Events

BookSmart Tulsa puts on such terrific event. Here are two that I won't be able to get to:
An Afternoon with Bestselling Author Chris Bohjalian
Sunday, October 9 at 2:00pm
Location: Central Library
An Evening with Daniel Woodrell, author of "Winter's Bone"
Thursday, October 6 at 7:00pm
Location: Circle Cinema

Germaphobia?

Germaphobia? OK, that's probably not a real word, but we all know what it implies. I don't understand people who can't turn a page without spiting on their finger. Two instances of it today. One - I went to the library to check out a book that I read in Seattle to see why I thought the author said something to the effect that if he wasn't writing the book, he would never have attended a wrestling match. I might have the author wrong, (being wrong is something I actually enjoy, as it makes me a little more human and it's a good way of learning something new); I might be remembering it wrong, (being confused is something I don't like and it can derail me for hours as I worry about all sorts of mental defects that might come with aging); or I might not have applied my usual filter for Frenchness, (also known as negativity), and have ignored all the positive wrestling references in favor of remembering just this one negative one. The last one is the most likely. My sisters, cousins, and I have discussed this problem, since it's not just a problem of learned attitude, it is carried in a weighted vocabulary that we just take for granted since we were raised with it. Slender = skinny, statuesque = gawky, etc - go to brain and over-ride with positive words. It's a lot of work! For all those people in America who wish they were French, we would trade in a heartbeat. And we're only half. So anyway, back to the germs. If I had a compromised immune system, I wouldn't use library books because of the people who lick the pages. (In the long run, that's what they're doing.)
Second incidence - Hobby Lobby clerk licked her finger to count the papers I was buying. I had 5, but really only needed 4. So I handed her back the top, most licked one and had her ring up 4. I could tell from her expression that she didn't have a clue. The papers are a brown metallic that I am going to turn into trees for my witches to crash into on my Halloween cards. I'll have to take a picture when I'm done. They will say "Girl's Night Out". This will be for my arachnophobic friends. I really prefer the witches stuck in a big spider web, with the sentiment, "It's Going To Be One Of Those Days".

Everybody's Talking About The Fair

Everyone I run into has been talking about the Fair starting this weekend. Who is performing which weekend, what livestock, rides, crafts, etc will be there, what days they are going. I think it is a Big Deal in Tulsa. I think I will go this weekend. I think I will rent Oklahoma, The Musical, and the movie - State Fair with Shirley Jones in preparation. And listen to some Brooks and Dunn. I plan on having low enough standards that I will be guaranteed to not be disappointed. Think I'm making too much of this?

What's a Deal Breaker?

Last night at dinner, the men went to the back to smoke cigars and Pam and I stayed at the table and had dessert - a most excellent bread pudding. Pam is a pretty blonde woman who has no idea how very smart she is. I met her daughter at the airport once, and over Bloody Marys we both agreed this to be one of her quirks, but that it doesn't detract from her total likability (for lack of a better word). Pam was talking about what some women put up with. Her boyfriend loves one of her dogs and doesn't really care for the other one. I mentioned that I hate my husband not wearing a wedding ring. I know that the image of his friend's bloody, destroyed digit (from the wedding ring somehow interacting with a power tool) right before our wedding was quite compelling to him. And he hasn't worn any kind of ring since his friend's accident. But just because lightning can strike is no reason to stay out of the rain. However, our complaints (almost too big a word for a discussion of the quirks common to the adult male) are nothing compared to what other women put up with.
I keep trying to write about the situation that brought us to that topic, but every time I try, I can't get it anonymous enough. So just trust me - there are some bad husbands/boyfriends out there and they can still find unique (but not illegal) ways to treat woman badly.

Dinner Out at Smoke On Cherry

Had an amazing dinner tonight. And the best two things about it - someone else cooked it and we were with good friends while eating it. Actually three best things, I need to add Abby, the fabulous Bartender/Waitperson at Smoke On Cherry who suggested the best stuff on the menu to order. Plus, she brought me a taste of the Grits that only came with the Scallops, since I'd never had Grits before. (I had vowed to eat Grits the next time I went out to eat anyplace that had Grits on the menu, but really wanted a steak.) These Grits were wonderful, kind of like Polenta without the pretense, like a Hominey Rissotto. They were loaded with bacon and cheddar cheese. I got the Fried Egg Salad, which had Frissee lettuce, bacon, and a perfectly fried egg. At least it looked perfect when I first saw it - you get to see what it looked like after I had eaten half of it. As usual, I was more interesting in eating than getting a good picture. That screen that the adorable Abby is holding has the dessert menu on it. Pretty good idea.

Oh Kohl's, Didn't You Know?

I'll bet when they started working with Jennifer Lopez and her husband, Kohl's thought how lucky they were to snag both of them to create a fashion line for their stores. But when you drive by the Tulsa Kohl's and see the posters for JLo over one set of door, and the poster for Marc Anthony over the other set of door, both collections debuting on the same weekend, it's just sad. Next time I'll park on go in. Wish I knew where the Kmart is, so I could check out Sofia Vergara's stuff. So much cheap fashion, so little time.

What are Their Names & The Case for Grey Hair

When I walked into Line Dancing Class on Monday, there was a new, very beautiful woman learning the steps. (Which was nice, since I was a little late and it meant that I hadn't missed anything.) She had short, gleaming grey hair. It was perfect. It made her blue eyes seem even more blue. But wait - I knew those eyes. It was Linda from morning water aeorbics class. How on earth could it be the same woman. Just a little blow drying and make-up really made a difference. The next time I saw her, I asked her what the secret to her hair was. She uses shampoo specially created for grey hair, but she credits the new grey hair mousse she just discovered with kicking it up another notch.
What is really different about my water aeorbics class, is how hard it is to remember all the names. Just this morning, one of my favorite people came wearing the halter top leopard print suit (which she matches with a leopard patterned medic alert bracelet) that gives me an opportunity to call her by a name - Wilma Flintstone. No, that's not her actual name, but everyone else just calls her, "not Lucille", since the teacher always used to call her "Lucille" and that is also not her name. (By the way, Lucille also has beautiful grey hair, which she never gets wet somehow, so she looks just the same in the pool or out.) Arggggg!

Crickets?

All this week, my garage has sounded like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. Never sounded like this back in Seattle. Finally found out why - it's the cricket invasion. They are all over this place. The showers at the Y are another favorite cricket spot. At least it's not something poisonous. Like the dead scorpion I found - it was almost 3 inches long and looked like a Barbie sized lobster. I have a picture, but won't upset the delicate flowers of womanhood who read my spots by posting it. (You know who you are!)

Let Them Eat Cake

When I was in my late twenties, I made a birthday cake for my very disciplined, (and not in the nasty way you are thinking), soon to be husband. It was a terrific cake, but it was his cake and as he ate just one piece a night, an amazing thing happened. It started to grow mold. This was a complete surprise to me. I thought it was a factor of the high sugar content that kept cake from molding - rather like Lifesaver candy. But the reality was that I had two older brothers and two younger brothers, all of whom grew to well over 6 feet tall, who devoured every cake I ever made within 2 hours. When I was no longer living in the same state as they were, I had an open door policy to all my friends to come and eat whenever I cooked. So, as a true adult, I now know that cake will mold, lasagna will mold, and banana bread will mold - but it's a sadder world when you let that happen. - You do know that old Marie Antoinette got a bad rap for that let them eat cake comment. She wasn't that removed from reality. She just didn't care. (It's a remark that lost a lot in the translation.)
And on the subject of Banana Bread-type stuff, tonight at Stamp Club, the hostess (we all take turns) brought three different homemade quiches for dinner, with cold Chai tea with milk, (ever thought of chilling a Chai Latte?), and terrific banana muffins. Yep, you guessed it, the muffins were from the bakery at one of the larger Walmarts in Tulsa. It's just one surprise after another living here.

Severe Weather Tonight

Have I mentioned how impressed I am with the Weather Reporting here in Oklahoma? Well, I am. They put these maps on the TV and you can watch the storms come your way on the screen. When you look out the window, you see exactly what they say is coming your way. Cool! I just wish I could get a picture of the storm.
John was in Alaska all week - just got home today at 4 - and I actually had a great week anyway. I went bowling and to lunch with the Water Aerobics ladies on Friday. We went to a fancy Tea Room in my favorite small town, Claremore. Now, I am not a food snob - I would love to be able to buy only organically produced food, (except rice, of course) - but if I'm at a party where someone has melted Velveta and put in a can of Rotel (newly discovered Tulsa food item), I will dip tortilla chips with the best of them. That being said, for Heaven's sake, you don't make Chicken Enchiladas with canned Cream of Mushroom Soup and charge $10 for it. So is my complaint that the dish should have tasted better or been less expensive? I'll let you decide. (Here's a hint - Even though I love to cook, I love love love having someone else cook for me.)

Czech Soda

I'm pretty sure only my family (the Kolafa's) will enjoy this picture. And even then, it's a stretch.

Prague

What a beautiful city! Prague was the most interesting place I have ever been. These are just a few pictures, but they really show how old the buildings are.

Missoni For Target on Ebay

I went to the Owasso (a Tulsa suburb) Target yesterday after water aeorbics and tried on some of the Missoni stuff that debuted that morning. I found a nice sweater and scarf that went together and looked good on. The sweater was $50 and the scarf was $25. Seems like a good buy for Missoni, but actually kind of high for Target's version. Some unidentified fibers (never an indication of quality), inexact sizing, and other issues that you needed to see in person to decide if you wanted to spend this kind of money. There were three other sweaters that I tried on and kept in my cart for 20 minutes while deciding if my desire for a Missoni sweater would make wearing the lesser quality Target version with the itchy purple scarf OK. But I decided on just the one, the blue with brown, with the scarf that wasn't itchy. I would have bought the Tote bag, but it was just too cheap looking even for $35. How did they get the pictures to look so good? When I went back to pick up the shelled pistachos I forgot in the morning, someone had just returned this black sweater from another store, so I grabbed it. It was labeled Medium, and was way larger than any medium Target sweater I have ever bought (probably why it got returned).

That was my Target Missoni experience. If you went to the Tulsa Super Target, your experience would have been much different. Because some Ebay seller grabbed up THOUSANDS of dollars of Missoni merchandise before you even got a chance to touch it. And now it's on Ebay for lots more than she paid for it and way more than it is worth. You can't try it on and you can't return it to her. What we should all do is ignore Ebay and when she can't sell all this stuff, she will be returning it to Target where we can buy it for Target's prices. Or not. At least it's not hot.

LPGA Auction

They had a neat little auction of Golf memorabilia at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Rogers, Arkansas, where lots of the golfers (and us) were staying for the Tournament. They had pictures of famous golfers with autographs and I'll bet you know where this is going. Yes, the only one with Tiger Woods in it got Zero bids - not a single person wanted anything to do with this picture, even though it also had Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in it. No one who came to watch female golfers wanted to spend money on something related to Tiger. I was so proud! I often worry about the state of Sisterhood in this country - what with Rachel Uchitel and Monica Lewinsky actually making money after running after men they knew were married, instead of - well you think of something you would rather have had happen to them. Just saying.

Ladies Playing Golf

The LPGA Tournament in Portland. Oregon was always one of my favorite events of the year. It was just 3 hours from Seattle and even though I'm not that into sports, this was always fun. What a pleasant surprise to find out that there is one in Rogers, Arkansas, which is just 2 hours from Tulsa. So here we are, in Rogers, for the weekend.
Across from our hotel is a neat shopping area. I went into a very upscale boutique to browse this afternoon. Imagine my surprise when I was offered a very French looking Macaron. But unfortunately, for me, it was coffee flavored. I have often said that Seattle just wasn't "my place", but my intense dislike of coffee and everything coffee flavored is even more evidence of it. Too bad, but if it had been pistacho, I would have had to buy a scarf or something. Easy to say, when it didn't happen. A few door down from this boutique was a terrific Scrapbook store. Wasn't expecting that. Time to get working on Halloween cards.

Why I Need A New Wardrobe

My husband can dress the same (making adjustments for comfort in different weather) and fit in almost anywhere. Women stick out like the proverbial sore thumb if they are over 600 miles from their home base. I think there are bigger differences longitudinally, than latitudinal, since the refraction of the light waves from the sun make a big difference in how we perceive color, specifically brightness. The closer we get to the equator, the brighter woman dress, but bring back that Guatemalan fabric to Seattle, and you will look freakish in it. Trying to wear my Seattle clothes in Tulsa is ridiculous. Except for jeans, which seem to be universal. Or at least that my excuse.

I Guess I'm Not Too Old To Sleep In Airport Chairs

I had a great night in the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. I didn't worry about anyone stealing my stuff, since I travel with a light pink child's size backpack, which makes the casual thief think I am a Granny watching it for a child and that there is nothing valuable in it. And there really isn't anything valuable in it, but my trip would be a lot less fun it I lost my toothbrush and reading material, plus the breakable souvenir teabag holders. This time, I had my good camera in it, which meant I couldn't take it out and get any pictures, in order to preserve the illusion of having nothing valuable. With Passport, boarding passes, and credit cards in my money belt, I stretched out under my coat and slept for hours.
This section of the Schiphol Airport is amazing - it is after you go through Passport control, which means you must be leaving the European Union. There are lots of different sections including a Mini Museum with 10 fabulous painting that can take you an hour to study properly; a library with books to borrow in lots of different languages including Korean, English, and Russian; a piano area; stylistic open rooms with TV's; and lots of places to eat and shop. Did you forget to get your Tulip bulbs? And if I wasn't so worried about my camera getting taken, I would have had pictures to post. But luckily the very observant Terri notice this post from Ruby Slipper Journeys.

Sometimes Too Much Knowledge is a Bad Thing

Well, here I am at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport sleeping in one of their very comfortable chairs. Am I trying to pretend I'm a teenager again, backpacking my way around? Nope - I did the adult thing and checked into the Hotel at the International Departures Gates. It was over 100 Euros, but I was OK with that. I walked in and sat in the chair, turned on BBC - Coronation Street, of course, and fell fast asleep sitting straight up for 3 hours. Woke up and went into the bathroom, lifted the lid and found that the maid been very negligent....very, very negligent, and that the last person in that room had been a pig. Because I was a Hotel Maid in the Summers at South Lake Tahoe, where I finished High School, I know that the dirty toilet was probably just the tip of the iceberg. (Now, there's an image.) So, since they had no other rooms left, I got a refund, (we'll see if I ever get that credit!), and went to check out my other options like the "Yotel". On my way, I had lunch courtesy of the first hotel, since they were so embarrassed. (10 Euros worth - very generous.) After looking around for a couple of hours, the chairs won. It's just a 23 hour layover, courtesy of Hurricane Irene's rebooking fiasco, and there's only about 10 hours left. After all the walking in Prague, I can use the rest!