Caray, Caray!

So, I had to spend the entire day yesterday on an outing to a Naval base. Holy interminable red tape. I spent more than an hour just waiting for permission to take a camera to the secure submarine-repair drydock, during which I read an entire issue of Federal Computer Week magazine, which is exactly as enthralling as it sounds. Not to mention the long waits for everything else.

On the plus side, it was a really beautiful naval base and seemed more like a national park when we were outside. And the baby-faced kids with machine guns guarding everything were super friendly.

In other great news, it is sunny today! I only wore a sweater, instead of a sweater AND a jacket!

So what's up with the rest of you all? Did all the people and animals recover?
 

Julia,

Thanks for throwing open the doors of Club Gancho for us. I don't mind having days like you had yesterday as long as I have something suitable to read. Federal Computer Week would not have been my first choice, however.

A quick cat update. Jack seems back to normal. He has not killed anything yet, but he has gone hunting. The corticosteroids they gave him has given him a ravenous appetite. He's usually a picky, light eater, but he's even going after Bonnie Belle's food... not that she minds.

Carlos
 

Now that is friendship! Nobody better go after MY food.

Wish I had some funny stories. Instead, just learned two more friends (one guy, one gal) are going through divorces and financial crises after many years of marriage. Just feeling bad and "muy desanimada".

I remember reading that most people worry about losing their jobs rather than their marriages, but until unemployment reaches over 51%, we're worrying about the wrong stuff!
 

Whoops. Guess I was kinda of a ghoul in my posting. Sorry. You guys are my therapy group though.
 

What I meant by "no ghouls" was no trolls complaining about other people's discussions of recipes and launching personal attacks and whatnot. Of course you are welcome to share what's got you out of sorts, Judy!

I myself just found out last week that two of my old friends from college have also divorced. I never would have predicted it in their case; I guess you just never really know what other people's personal lives are like.
 

Is anyone else watching Camaleones? Probably just me, since it's on at 3:00. I really like it. In yesterday's episode, a pill-bottle mixup led to a nasty vain lady (same actress who played Santiago's ex-wife in Tontas; can't remember her name) taking pills which caused catalepsia, rather than the anti-wrinkle snake oil she intended!
 

Thanks sweet lady. Divorce involves a lot of emotional and financial carnage. Both my siblings have been through divorces (plus innumerable friends whose husband opted for younger versions) so I've seen a lot of suffering. And wish it could be avoided.
 

Maybe Jeff is, Julia. I've seen the ads of course, and the hairstyles are unreal!
 

It's almost worth watching just for the hair and clothes. Even the school uniforms are wild!
 

The school uniforms belong in a naughty schoolgirl "blue movie". Somebody's fantasies are being fulfilled with this one, fer sure.
 

Hello Club Gancho! I'm sorry I've been missing this past weeks. I've been traveling alot for personal reasons that need to be resolved soon. I had my first airplane scare a few days ago when I was flying from Guadalajara and the pilot announced we had to go back because of technical problems but he was having a hard time landing and for a while it felt like we were about to fall and crash. People were very scared, one lady fainted.

Julia: I liked your experience with a the naval base. It's not something that everybody gets the chance to see. I envy you for having to wear a sweater, today is one of those days here that I wish I could spent in a pool full of cold water.

I've watched parts of Camaleones but Belinda used to bug me too much. Her face makes me think of a rat now after her surgery.

Yes the uniforms are strange. At least they are more covered than in Rebelde. I think the last teen novela with realistic wardrobe was clase 406, although the girls wore the skirts like minis there but that actually happens in some public schools in areas of lower income. There's little control over the skirts and girls tend to wear them extremely tight and short.

Carlos: I'm glad Jack is doing fine. Nice of Bonnie Belle to share her food.

Judy: I'm sorry about your friends. Divorce is not that common here (in my area of the country) but I wonder if some of the couples I've seen here would benefit from it sometimes. A couple of my mom's friends at least needs to go to therapy or something, even their kids keep telling them to separate.

Jarocha
 

Jarocha, so glad you checked in....and so glad your plane landed safely!

Question: Maggie on Mi Pecado, noted that people never said "good-bye" on the phone. They answered with "bueno", but then just hung up so she hasn't learned the proper way to sign off. What do you say?
 

Hello Gancho-ites! Julia, we have been enjoying some fantastic weather (low humidity, 70s) the last few days, after some really nasty days (high heat, high humidity, thunderstorms) last week. This weather reminds my of the West Coast...(sometimes I miss it).

I got to spend all day Friday with some great kids in their first 1-3 years of college- some of my organization's alumni. They'll be working with the high school students we put through summer college workshops. It was really neat to spend the day with young people who have already accomplished so much, are the first in their families to go to college, and are so eager to give back (although many would say they haven't "arrived" yet). They are also really fun. :) We played lots of ice breaker games, ate pizza and candy (ah to have the matabolism of a 19 year old again!), and had some great discussions on life goals. Really inspiring.

Judy- the divorce train hasn't started rolling yet with my friends. They're all in the baby phase and yet another friend announced she's pregnant this weekend. The week before another had a baby, and yet another is expecting in the next two weeks. I can't keep track of all the baby names anymore! :)
 

Hi Vivi. I hope the divorce train never stops rolling. But the years with young children do put a strain on a marriage. You have less fun, less sex, and a lot more responsability. And then when the kids are adolescents and really putting you through the wringer is another tough time! Keep them in your prayers, m'dear. They will need it as they raise their families.
 

Another late post for me but I'm happy to catch up with you all in club Gancho. Thanks for posting this link, Julia. I'm well and enjoying swimmer in the outdoor pool.

Julia - the Naval base sounds interesting depsite the red tape and the magazine. Glad the weather is cooperating.

Carlos - It's great to hear that Jack is doing better.

Judy - Sorry to hear about the divorce train. The bright note is that your friends have someone like you to talk to during this difficult time.

Jarocha - glad you landed safely and hope things get resolved quickly and pleasantly. We've missed you!

Vivi- It is inspiring being around motivated young people. What a nice day.
 

Julia and Vivi, you both always have such interesting stories. Thanks for sharing.

Glad Jack is back Carlos. Better a healthy appetite than none. God bless Bonnie Bell for sharing.

Judy, so sorry about your friends' divorces. Always painful, but the break up of long term partnerships/marriages particularly so. They are fortunate though to have you as a friend and am sure you are of immeasurable comfort.

Jarocha, glad you are back safe and sound. Traveling is difficult enough - you must have had quite a scare.

Karen, glad you are enjoying some swimming and good weather.

Hub came home after quite a few weeks away. Although he spent most of the time trying to catch up on sleep, it was nice to have him home, however briefly.

Diana
 

Jarocha, that plane trip sounds terrifying. I would have been a nervous wreck. Good thing it turned out okay.

Someone certainly put a lot of effort into designing those Camaleones uniforms, but the bunchy skirts look like they'd be uncomfortable to sit on all day. I guess it's just as well that those kids are hardly ever in class actually learning stuff. Valentina's punked-out prefect uniform really cracks me up, though...sleeveless to show her tattooed skinny arms, and wearing just the collar of the white shirt.
 

Julia, thanks so much for posting club gancho this week.

Camaleones sounds kind of interesting. I'll try to remember to check it out. The only TN I'm watching right now is STuD and even then mostly fast forwarding until my boyfriend Fernando Colungo shows up.

Carlos, great news about Jack the cat! I had to laugh visualing him pilfering Bonne Belle's food while she patiently allowed him to dine at her table.

Jarocha, what a stressful experience you had! You discuss it so matter-of-factly. I would be completely freaked out at the very least.

This week I did something that is perhaps stupid or perhaps smart, I'm not sure yet. I tendered my resignation at work and I don't even have another job. I was supposed to sail to Oahu and then fly home and back to work while Tom and the rest of the crew brought the boat back home. Well, in the past two weeks I have had two friends die unexpectedly. These people were very good at the carpe diem thing and living their dreams. I realized the last thing I wanted to do was to come back to my stressful job and miss the return trip so I seized the day and gave my 2 weeks notice! Gah!!! I feel great about my decision, although I wonder if I am a stupendous dumbass. Eh...whatever.

I flew up to Portland on Tuesday to watch my godson graduate from high school. I can't believe how he has grown. He wears a size 14 shoe!! I can fit both my feet in one of his shoes. Unfortunately I was up there only the one day. I LOVE to visit Portland and would have liked more time.

It's great to hear from you all.
 

Good morning Sylvia,

You're my new hero. Your voyage to Hawaii sounds absolutely marvelous and extending it (at the expense of your job) to make the return trip... well, good for you pretty lady.

So far this summer is starting off pretty well here. As usual, it's hot and sunny, but we've had enough rain to keep things pretty and green. There's a field that we pass each day that is planted in alfalfa and it is so beautiful. The wind blows through it and it looks like a calm green sea with gently undulating waves. Wild flowers are blooming all around us, our backyard abounds with birds and bugs, and each evening the frogs serenade us happily.

Thanks to everyone for your good wishes for Jack. He's back to normal and doesn't seem to mind that one of his forelegs is shaved (for the IV) and that there's a large bare patch shaved on his chest (for the echocardiogram). He's strutting around with that same self-assured arrogance so typical of cats.

I hope that everyone has a great weekend and that those of you that we haven't heard from this week will check in.

Carlos
 

Well, howdy all. La Dona Emilia's off on a road trip w/ her best girlfriend, that is to say, Mikey is without adult supervision for a couple of days.

Julia, where were you? Whidbey Island? It would have been delicious irony if the copy of FCS you read had an article trashing the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet. Re the babies they let in the military these days, you're right. Every time I have to go on any of the bases around here, all I see is children. And they get younger with each passing year.

Hmm... short skirt school girl outfits? Maybe the guys should check out the Camaleones show. Carlos? Hombre? Jeff? I mean, I'm sure there's artistic merit and an engaging storyline.

Jarocha, any idea what happened with your airplane? That stuff still interests me.

Judy, as an antidote to the divorce train, my son just put up some photos of their wedding trip to Provence on Facebook. You can probably see them through me.

Vivi, how's the weather up in DC now? It's STINKIN' hot and steamy down here in Tidewater now.

Sylvia!! You are my hero, too!! Congratulations. I can imagine how you feel. I'm ready to hang it up, too. My grandfather died at 65, my dad at 67 and I'll be 63 in a few months. Tick, tick, tick...

Carlos, glad to hear of Jack's recovery and that Bonnie Belle is being kind to the little fellow.
 

Hi, all!

Mike, my great-grandfather died at the age of 65. My grandfather died at the age of 70. So my father was really worried. But guess what? Saturday he celebrated his 88th birthday, and he's doing just fine. So you may have quite a few years to go.

But of course things can end at any time, and Sylvia, I think you were very smart to quit your stressful job. I'm jealous! Have a great time on your sailing adventure, and then find a job that's fun. I have complete faith that you'll find something great.

About the divorces, I don't have much personal experience with this (although this weekend, my wife and I did have a rather animated "discusión" - don't you love it how an argument in Spanish is a discusión? - about whose fault it is that the swimming pool is more green than blue). But I think divorces are on the whole, better than constant fighting. And hopefully, after a divorce, one can find a new friend.

I'm not watching Camaleónes (not enough hours in the day), but I do like the shows with schoolgirls in uniforms, having enjoyed Rebelde, Sin Senos No Hay Paraíso, Somos Tú y Yo, and Besos Robados, all of which had them. Does that make me bad? No, of course I'm just working on my Spanish, and teenaged girls use a lot of slang, so I'm keeping current, and um...., Okay I'm guilty!

It's been hot and humid in Baltimore, but we did get the pool opened, and it's really not my fault that it's sort of green-blue. I mean, that's a pretty color, isn't it? :)
 

Mike, I was at Bangor base, on the Hood Canal. We did get to take the ferry to get there, and I love going on the ferry. Plus we saw some of the guard sea lions! I'm still not quite sure what the sea lions do when they find an intruder, but I'm sure it's just as well there were no security breaches while we were there.

Sylvia, I'm muy jealous. I say if you feel great about quitting, just go with it and don't look back. I'm looking forward to reports on the sailing trip!

HdM, probably if you're having a discusión about the pool, you should just get in the pool and lounge on floaties until you cool off. Blue-green sounds like a lovely color for a pool.
 

Dear Gancholandians:

Judy: I am so sorry to hear about your friends' divorces. This has been happening to David (hubby) and I as well. It is so hard to be a friend to a couple going through this trauma. Everyone is twitchy and way sensitive, it is hard to know what to say or how to help your friends and the whole thing just feels terrible.Ugggh.

Sylvia: I send my sincere condolences for your loss. Losing two friends in a short period of time is VERY hard. I think your move to come back from your sailing trip to a fresh start sounds just perfect. Congratulations on your courage and good luck and TAKE CARE on the sailing trip. How long does it take to get to Hawaii? Don't forget we have a date for the Accordion Festival when you get back!

Carlos: so glad about Jack. What are you and the lovely Linda doing for fun this summer?

Jarocha: O my goodness, that was a close call! I used to commute to London from San Francisco (yes, commute—I spent three weeks a month in Europe) and I once has a period where I had 3 close shaves (one was a "near-miss"; Mike you will know what that means) in a 10 day period. The last one was going to conference in Hawaii and I thought I was going to take a ship home or just move there if necessary. I developed such an aversion to flying that I had to take a Klonopin/Xanax combo before every flight, which left me something of a drooling idiot when I arrived at my destination. I actually had to go through behavioral therapy to get rid of my phobia. It works though! I am no longer phobic, although flying is not my favorite thing to do by a long shot.

Kitchen remodeling is continuing apace with the countertops being installed today. I can't wait for my life to settle down a bit.

Next week is my annual silence retreat (10 days), where I will spend a week in a former nunnery not speaking, just meditating, listening and praying. It is a beautiful facility, with a lovely enclosed garden and tiny, simple rooms. It is one of my favorite times of the year. After the last few months, parents, moving, remodeling, etc. I really need the break and the perspective it provides.

Vivi: So great to hear from you. Your work sounds wonderful.

Karen: Nice to see your post.

Julia, alright, I am looking for an issue of Federal Computer Week magazine. It sounds like it may be a cure for my insomnia. Hope your weather improves in Seattle. Our's here in Petaluma (my little town) has been lovely. Today is supposed to be in the 80's, clear with an afternoon breeze. By this time of year we often have cloud cover and the beginning of "June Gloom", a California Coastal affliction in the summertime.

I won't be writing next week but I hope to hear more from everybody as this week progresses.

con un abrazo,

Elna June
 

Camaleones isn't on for the next few weeks because of the World Cup, but when it returns I hope I'll find someone to discuss it with me! That makes things much more fun.
 

EJ, ten days of silence. Wow! That would probably help in a lot of situations. There's no way you can put your foot in your mouth (unless that's a possible yoga position). Just kidding, I honestly would love to do something like that, but can't really do it with my current work schedule.

BTW, I'm watching Perro Amor and Muñecas de la Mafia. Is anyone else watching these?
 

Hombre:

Oh my gosh you are too funny! No way to put my foot in my mouth, indeed! hahhahahaha...No, but there are ways to embarrass oneself, for sure. Although my group is Buddhist, we retreat in a Catholic facility that is open to all traditions.

A few years ago one of our visiting teachers was an Indian born, ethnic Tibetan who was raised in England. As he came around a corner in the nunnery, his robe got caught in a closing door and half the skirt was torn off. His exclamation of "Oh, shite"..could be heard all around the courtyard. As we all looked up to see the Lama with half a red skirt over his cargo shorts, the resident Catholic nun came out the door from which he had just exited, a merry smile on her lips and in her eyes and silently handed the lama the remaining half of his torn off skirt. He burst into laughter and bowed at the nun. The courtyard echoed with sound of all of our laughter but nary a word was exchanged.

With a grin...

EJ
 

Elna June,

Your mention of your silent retreat reminded me of our favorite naco's short career as a monk in the monastery. I hope you a little better at the contemplative life than he was. I can't imagine an hour without speaking... 10 days?... yeah... sure.

Speaking of divorce, over the years a number of the couples in my practice have gotten divorces. Oddly, usually both tend to stick with me as their Dr. We have a rule against exes fighting in the waiting room. Amazingly, everyone gets along and its not unusual for ex-couples to carry on warm conversations as they wait to be seen. I is very sad for me, however, to see couples whom I've delivered babies for sharing that most intimate event with them, splitting up. For me, it is my most vivid memory of them, so it is difficult for me to picture these happiest of couples breaking up. On the other hand, they are the ones who put up with each other day after day, year after year. Still, as for Judy, for me it is very sad as well.

Carlos
 

Julia, so you were in Maine, then? What a great place for weather this time of year!

Elna June, ten days, no talk. Cool. That would kill some people.
 

Bangor, Washington. Maine would probably have been more exciting, but a much longer trip than just a ferry ride. Although maybe I would have thought to pack my own reading material and not been stuck with Federal Computer Week.

We were stunned that, in this day and age when paper magazines are being axed right and left, there is a WEEKLY about government computer issues.

I think I could go ten days without speaking pretty easily. I probably wouldn't think of anything to say in that much time.
 

Mike and Julia:

It's always easy to spot the first timers at a silence retreat. They are the ones who will use any excuse to make eye contact and bump into you.

The first time was hard for me too. But now, as Julia says, I know that I really DON'T have anything new to say. hahahaha It cracks me up when I think about how seriously I used to take myself.

As to silence killing people, another friend of mine likes to wear a t-shirt to retreats that says. "Silence kills." Alas, all my nearest and dearest have sick senses of humor.

EJ
 

EJ, your retreat sounds fascinating. I've never heard of such a thing except in TV and the movies. I guess I never actually REALLY thought such places existed.

Off topic, believe it or not I posted Club Gancho today. Since "Silence Kills" (shoulda been one of Beto's shirts) feel free to stop by share your plans, if any, for the summer. Napping and doin' nuthin' also count as plans in my book.