Barry Manilow is In My Closet

When we were all at the Manilow concert last week, I bought a nice black scoop-necked pullover with Manilow written across the front of it in blue rhinestones. I was so tired after we got home that I just put it with some clothes that needed to be ironed... then off we went the next morning to St. Thomas.

After catching up with laundry this afternoon, I ironed my blouses, and the new Manilow top. Fits like a dream, the rhinestone Manilow sparkles beautifully... and hopefully, we will have another Manilow concert in Houston so I can wear it. Of course, I won't be waiting for a Manilow concert to wear it for the first time. I should wear that top the next time we see our friends B & P.... B doesn't understand my fascination with Barry, and he's always making Barry jokes. I keep telling him that God is going to get him for that. I assured him that if there is a God, then surely God must be a Manilow fan, but he doesn't believe me. (Oh, ye of little faith...)

It is raining in Houston, it is raining right now in Clear Lake, and it's been raining just about every day since last week. Lots of little towns north of Houston are flooded and people have evacuated their homes. The temperature here is warm, so the rain is creating a lot of humidity. Gracie hates walking in the rain, Rusty and AngelBoy miss going out in the backyard when it rains. Heaven forbid AngelBoy should get his dainty little paws wet. When the grass is wet, he will tip-toe across the yard. After a rain, we get puddles here and there on the lawn. When AngelBoy's paw dips into one of those puddles, he'll stand there and shake out his paw before taking another step. Takes a while to get across the yard that way, but he's a patient cat in his own way.

I called my husband tonight. Long distance to St. Thomas, so I tried to keep it short and not go into too many details that can wait till he gets home on Wednesday night. I did, however, tell him that we missed the most important town of Charlotte Amalie during our stay in St. Thomas. All those jewelry stores that we didn't see! All the little boutiques that we missed! The government buildings! The "99 Steps!" (Which I know nothing about, but the picture on the postcard that I found in the airport gift shop looked impressive.)

My husband told me that he walked around that port town yesterday after he checked into the hotel which is hosting his conference. (While I was there, we were on the other side of the island.) He said the shops weren't very impressive, and the jewelry stores looked "cheap." I resisted the urge to remind him what happened to Pinocchio.

I spent two agonizing hours in our local grocery store this morning. You would think that they were giving food away for free in there. I guess no matter where you live, all the supermarkets get nuts just before a holiday. And, what makes it even worse--- all the cell phones. Too many women walking around that supermarket trying to steer a shopping cart with one hand while holding a cell phone in the other hand. And if they're not bumping into you with their cart, then they're standing next to you while you're trying to find the low-sodium cream of mushroom soup, and you have to hear all about their brother-in-law who isn't working because his car was repossessed because he lost his job at the chemical plant because he stays out too late at the beer garden on Highway 3 so he over-sleeps five days out of six.

Give me a blessed break. Isn't grocery shopping enough of a pain without having to listen to everyone's soap operas while you're searching the aisles for fixings for a holiday dinner? Listen up, people--- we all got along with cell phones for years and years! They supposed to be a convenience, not an appendage!!!! And the rest of the world doesn't have to hear every blessed word that you're saying while you're balancing that silly thing between your ear and your shoulder. (And so ends my gripe of the day.)

Oprah had her "Favorite Things" show today. Her audience was filled with teachers from every state in the union. The teachers thought they were in her audience to discuss education. But after Oprah came out on the stage, all the Christmas decorations were brought in and of course the audience went wild. Crying, shaking, trembling, jumping, nearly fainting in their seats. My sister called me from NY about ten minutes before the show started, to remind me not to forget to watch it. Because of the hour's time difference, she was nearly at the end of the show up there, and she couldn't believe the things Oprah was giving out.

Now if you're going to go to an Oprah show, the "Favorite Things" taping is the ticket to get. Amazing amount of stuff today... flat-screen TVs, washer/dryers, lap-top computers, cashmere sweaters and shawls, quilted jackets, key lime cakes, bubble bath, bed linens, and a big office supply store gave every teacher in her audience a $500 gift certificate for school supplies.

You would think that in a country like ours which is rich enough to pay billions of dollars to basketball and baseball players, teachers wouldn't have to be buying school supplies out of their own poorly-paid pockets.

And speaking of basketball players.... while we were in St. Thomas, we heard about the players who went up into the seats and started fighting with some fans who threw beer onto the court while the game was going on. The players have now been suspended without pay, for the rest of the season. And they're trying to get that decision over-turned. Again... give me a blessed break.
If anyone in this country is grossly over-paid, it's sports figures. Pick any sport, and they're all making way too much money.

So that's been about the day. I guess I'm all caught up here. Laundry is all done, folded, ironed and put away. (Until my husband gets home with his suitcase.) Everything is unpacked, mail is sorted out, bills are paid. Christmas packages are by the back door and will go to the post office tomorrow. My new Manilow blouse is hanging up in my closet, my new Manilow keychain is holding my car keys. In my mind's eye, I can still see the blue waters of Megan's Bay in St. Thomas, and I can see the blue of Barry's eyes as he smiled down at us in the front row last week.

The front row! All is indeed right in this little corner of the world.