addendum.

it hasn’t been all work and no play with dad coming to help me get settled in my new ‘hood. everyday we have gone on a little trip. today was no different. after our morning of hanging the mirrors above my chest of drawers–twice actually since i wasn’t satisfied with take 1–we headed over to hollywood to eat at the much touted pink’s hotdogs.

i perused the menu online before leaving home to make sure they sold other alternatives to their infamous hotdogs, being that i am not a big fan.
another first for us both.

then it was on to target, best buy (these conveniently located adjacent to one another), and the car wash.

the way home took us right past the beverly hills sign so we had to pull a tourist and get a pic with the sign.


chalk that down as another first for us both as well.

first time adventures.

dad came into town to get me settled after the big furniture move from alabama. even though his task still is unfinished, our time together has been filled with several first time adventures.
first time bookshelf builders…without a hammer (kind of).

first time to pinkberry…for dad. was unsure of the result from someone who had never had soured–or tart–yogurt.

first time pecan pumpkin filled pancakes…yum!

first time lunch at the farm…and free farmio as well.

first time shopping around beverly hills and the grove…against dad’s wishes.

first time at the laundrymat.

first times are always better shared…shared with someone you love.

making progress.

so what the movers came 48 hours early?
so what they showed up 24 hours prior to dad’s arrival?
so what?

i had thought i was doing a good job on this unpacking business…
until my whole life from alabama appeared in my new apartment.
furniture…an actual bed that remains on the floor both day and night.
couch. oversized chair. tables–end tables, bed side tables, calling tables, you name it tables. chests–for the bed room, for the coffee table, for the tv stand. pillows, and as you may see later i like myself some pillows. and more boxes.

yesterday was spent unpacking boxes and putting stuff into place–my stuff, my stuff that i have been divorced from for 3 years now. arranging and re-arranging…my kitchen, furniture, furniture again.
“margit, which way were we going to try it next? the couch along which wall?” let me add that i have some terrific friends.
margit who simply came over to watch the game–no need to declare which, that would be a given–but ended up offering numerous furniture configurations from which to choose.
louis who was called in when margit and i were done. he came for his visual finesse but ending up staying and just talking with us about life.

which is what i’m doing…establishing a new life for myself.
and i might add, i am making progress.

beware.

don’t think so…
maybe i should hang a red flag outside–beware of the tide!

change of plans.

i had it all planned out.
bookcase delivered from ikea tomorrow between 8am and noon. will put it together while espn’in it. put the few boxes of books on it…to get rid of more boxes before move #2. go through the piles to get better organized…and to get rid of the clutter before dad’s arrival. clean up a little…the floor for starters. take down the rigged shelving in my bedroom. and that is just what i can recall off the top of my head. a working at home day with plans galore. until…

plans change.
i have a message from my moving representative’s assistant. the movers will be here tomorrow. 8am. and she has some questions about parking.
new plans.
new questions.
new issues.
tomorrow, well that is much sooner than monday 8am. plans by the wayside. simultaneously deliveries. no place to park. no permit. no blocked-off space.
new worries.
new stress.
new things to work out.
and i hope it all works out…

have you seen mine?

i’m getting ready for the big sec match-up tomorrow when bama travels to athens to take on the bulldogs. and even more so after usc lost to oregon state last night in a not-sold-out stadium. really?
really…they lost to oregon state?
really…how can you not sell out a stadium when highly touted #1 usc comes to town?
really…why would you not go to the game when usc had come to the home turf before and been humiliated?
really?

well, back to the point. i can’t wait.
i can’t wait for tomorrow and the match-up.
i can’t wait for game day…think i will espn it all day long tomorrow.
i can’t wait to see how the tide will handle knowshon moreno. from the sounds of javier arenas, they don’t seem fazed. check him out. and check out some of his.
a few weeks ago after knowshon showed off his track abilities, i wrote a post entitled “knowshon knows” but i just have to wonder…
does knowshon know the tide?

just another day.

i walked to the beverly hills store today to do some work for the new store…
get louis organized,
set up group interviews,
meet the assistant manager.
you know, office work.
but it was refreshing.
refreshing to be around the future team.
refreshing to be in an atmosphere that exudes excitement, innovation, newness with much anticipation.
refreshing to be there.

i went to lunch down the street with louis and steve…3 of the 4 managers of 618.
the farm of beverly hills. i don’t know…maybe you’ve heard of it. i had, but had never been.
enjoyed my pear brie sandwich on raisin bread with a side of sweet potato fries. yummy…
enjoyed my conversation with the team.
enjoyed being out in my new ‘hood.
enjoyed seeing tom arnold in his led zepplin shirt as we were leaving. louis turned to me and informed me who he was…of course i didn’t know but thought he looked familiar.
just everyday people out for lunch.
just everyday in beverly hills.
just another day in my new life on the westside.

anticipation.

can’t wait…

willingness.

we do these body prayers at church quite often…prayers involving various parts of the body. sometimes it’s just the hands, sometimes it’s just controlling breathing in and breathing out, sometimes it’s the entire body. like last night…and the ragdoll pose.
entire body bent over.
head down,
eyes closed,
arms extended towards the ground,
allowing the legs to adjust to the weight.

it is an act of willingness.
a means to allow it all–all the stress, all the tension, all the weight–to simply roll off the back, down the arms to the ground.
and it did just that.
a conscious choice to let it go, not to hold on–seeing how there’s no possible way to refrain in this pose–and to remain.
remain for who knows how long. becoming tired, not sure when it will end…
but remaining.
despite the discomfort.
despite the ability to fight it.
despite the tired muscles.
despite…despite it all actually.
just simply being willing…
willing to let go.
willing to give it up.
willing to give up control.
willing to surrender.
willing to have faith.
willing to trust.
willing to trust something outside myself.
something higher, something greater.

of course, this prayer was precisely what i had needed…needed for the day and needed for the entire past–and i’m sure present–week.
needed to let go of control…control of things which i have no control.
needed to let go of my faith in only myself…that i am my sole caretaker, that no one else truly cares.
needed to let go of my lack of trust…trusting that others do know what’s best even when i don’t see it the same, that others do have a valid viewpoint even when it differs from my own.

and when i stood upright,
i stood a little more relaxed…a lot more relaxed actually.
i had a sense of release…and relief.
i felt less tense…as if all the weight i had been carrying had simply fallen off.

interestingly enough,
i was able to park in the unoccupied parking space last night–barely, but i made it work.
i received a phone call this morning needing my services to help out now as i have the extra time.

all the weight…gone.
all the stress…relieved.
all the tense feelings…washed away.
all the intense emotions…no more.
all the trust and faith in others…restored.

why explain?

it’s just a way of life.
it’s just something we do.
i can’t explain it; i’m just from the south.
and not just the south…the deep south.
tradition.
legend.
it’s just the way it is.

in the deep south, football is not just a game, it’s a religion.
~spoken by an abc sportscaster on the first week of college football.

it’s true.
but it’s not just football, it’s college football…which is why he went on to say,

the SEC…some of the finest football in the nation.

i think this was proven today.
alabama dominating the hogs…any doubt about glen coffee taking care of business?
do i even need to mention how knowshon moreno lept over–literally–a pac10 powerhouse, or used-to-be?
the nail-bitter of an ending, having to watch until the clock ran out to see lsu defeat auburn by 5 in the final minutes of the game.

“i hear in georgia it’s all about football,” my neighbor said as she stuck her head in my doorway tonight as i had the game on. “yeah,” the only words i could come up with as explanation. “it’s just like that in the south–the deep south, that is,” i went on to explain. as if that offered any explanation at all.
kind of like the one i gave the ups man when he came to my open door to deliver a package a few days ago. seeing i had the tv on espn, he surprisingly asked, “you like espn?” “yeah. i’m from the south. we watch and talk football year round.”

i’m beginning to see a pattern here. i just don’t quite know how to explain it…or maybe i can’t. it is like being from a foreign country where others just don’t get it. they don’t get your ways. they don’t get why you are into what you are into. they don’t understand that everyone–well, almost everyone–is like that “back home.” they aren’t part of the same culture…
a culture beyond explanation.
a culture centered on religion…
of god,
of football,
or both.