Decided to re-open this blog. Using it to communicate with my Spanish speaking friends in Peru...blogs will be in Espanol for a while - Thank you ;-)

Friday, January 23, 2009

A few thoughts after Vacations


Blogging is getting tougher to get to and farther in between these days. Sometimes I wonder if this has to do with having more things to do outside the Internet community or my priorities have changed. I know I'm an unorthodox tgirl, maybe I don't feel a sense of community due to some differences. Someone wrote to me and had figured out my absence was due to the fact I had gone "stealth". LOL I'm unorthodox remember? I do not flinch when they call me sir or dude, I don't think I'm entitled to be called ma'am. I'm not sure where this is going, but not following the operator's manual is normal for me.
I thought an update was necessary though, because I tend to forget things. Many personal situations have occurred, and blogs also give me the chance to look back and think a little bit more about them. So, before going back to Fallout, Neopets, Runescape and Mousehunt (geez I've become a geek :-P), here's a few thoughts...

Like getting a new car, for instance. I was really frustrated when the firemen ordered my leaky van to get towed to the pound because it was a fire hazard to the public. Not only was G upset at me but I had all these dark clouds forming in my head because I was again without a vehicle, and now I was like 20 miles away from work. Public transportation in Florida is a joke, so that was not a solution. With some luck and my family's help, I managed to get a new car. But it did not come quite easy. It came with a standard transmission, you know, a "stick". Embarrassingly, I must admit I never learned to drive stick. Yup, at my age... anyways, my main excuse has been the fact that Dad back in the days was very abusive, and quick to beat his kids if they frustrated him. To make a long story short, after a terrifying first driving lesson with dad, I gave up and swore to just use Peru's public transportation, which still is abundant and cheap- better than Florida's I think.
But here I was in 2008 with the keys to a car I stalled continously. I was kinds scared when G offered to teach me in his fast Subaru. First, I didn't want to break anything and second, I was apprehensive. I still carry that stigma of someone beating me over stalling. The lessons went ok, but the person who really took one afternoon to teach me was my mom's new husband. I must explain how impressed I was. He is someone who eats, breathes and sleeps World of Warcraft. He will usually not have dinner with us cuz he is doing a quest or raiding some enemy camp. He didn't even get away from his PC for Christmas, yeah HARDCORE. But I felt very honored when he left his PC that Sunday afternoon and taught me the basics. I have been driving the car for several weeks now. I'm not quite the expert but I manage to stall less every day.

Cold in January

I had the chance to visit my kids in Arizona, a couple of weeks ago. It is such a relief to see them, talk to them, hug them and tickle them :-P I always think that when the days at work get longer and my temper grows shorter, then it is time to visit my kids again. Even though, it's more excitement than relaxation, my vacations with them tend to re-energize me. I got the chance to help my little one with his homework, something I have been promising myself for a looong time. I was relieved I didn't react like my dad, I was very patient. What's more important, my older son contributed, which surprised me, due to his highly antagonistic stance to Nicky. Of course, we also had tons of fun. We walked the Strip in Vegas, we climbed to the top of the Stratosphere, we visited Lake Havasu were they fed the pigeons by the London Bridge and we hang out in Laughlin, which is a Casino/Hotel enclave just across the border from Arizona. With a rental car we drove across 3 states: California, Nevada and Arizona, well the gas was cheap a couple of weeks ago.
I was pleasantly surprised with the tolerance level of the residents of Arizona. Everywhere we went ( including Vegas) attendants and people in general did not stare or look confused when they were addressing me. Many used Ma'am to address me, but they didn't look flustered when my kids piped in a 'Dad,look here!' Nor did they correct themselves, after they read my name on the debit card. I think their acceptance level is quite higher than in Florida, were people still stare at me. I was quite upset the day I left for vacation. I went to the office to turn in my paperwork before heading to the airport. I had my hair loose, a tight pair of jeans and a not so quite loose tee. I guess they're used to see me with a ponytail, Dickies and a loose Polo. The warehouse manager didn't recognize me and we both laughed. But what bothered me was that one of the girls grabbed another one and pointed to me and started giggling. Now, I usually do not let that bother me, but in this instance, I must admit it made me feel self conscious. Nevertheless, when I got to the airport, the first thing TSA called me was, "this way Ma'am' LOL
When my boys lived in Michigan, I knew i would never go back to live there, but now that they live in Arizona, the chances of moving close to them has increased. I feel like I'd be quite at ease living over there.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Always nice to see a blog from you girl. Having a lot of stuff to do away from the internet sounds great!
You go girl! Just keep is posted now and then because we love hearing from you.

If you and Glenn could move to AZ and have jobs waiting I'd say go for it. A lot fewer bugs in AZ.

After a while you'll get so used to people calling you ma'am you won't even realize things changed. You'll just continue to be the real you. Very cool!

Keri Renault said...

Great to read your updates, Laura! I'm not much of a conformist myself. It would seem odd to begin now just to try to "fit in" with society's vision of what being female is all about.

Gosh, I haven't driven stick in a LONG time, but I did learn in a VW van. That clunker would die all winter long!! My Dad was also a bit of a tyrant. (Okay, that's an understatement, but I can relate with your feelings and flashbacks).

Our move to Maryland was one of the best things I've done in years--other than transition. It forced me to think and live outside the box of my comfort zone. Besides that, everything is new to us and that's really cool.

I love your free spirit, sis. You're beautiful in every way and grounded in your own life. That's what counts. Enjoy the ride wherever it takes you. Oh, and stay in touch amiga:)

Vulnavia Morbius said...

After my last car died, I vowed that I would never own another automatic transition. I've been very happy with the car I bought, and I'm not afraid of the repair bill if I need a new clutch.

I'm glad to hear that you had such a good time on vacation. Every time you talk about your kids, you light up. It's fun to see. As for getting ma'am-ed, based on your recent pictures, I don't see how you can pass as a man anymore. Really.

Take care.
Christianne

genevieve said...

Hi, Laura! Great to hear from you. Sounds like your life is full. Sorry about the car troubles but you gained skill in learning to use a stick. I've yet to do that. Very happy to hear you visited your sons. Moving to AZ sounds great.

I have been asked out for dates and proposed to once. I enjoy being called ma'am and I'm sure it makes you feel good. Take care.

Le visage d'avril said...

I had a friend tech me how to shift way back when. The clutch on the Ford rental I had in France allowed me to stall it a few times

@dr.morbius Automatic Transition? Loves it!

You look wonderful!