Category: Fambly


What the hell?

Filed Under: Fambly by Julie — 8 Comments
March 27, 2007

As I mentioned in one of those short things I was passing off as posts, my Uncle Norm had a birthday yesterday. I have never been able to keep the ages of my uncles and aunts straight, so I called my mom and asked how old he was turning. She thought a minute and said “49. He was born in 1958.” I was officially gobsmacked. Wait, what? Back that truck up…he’s only 49? Why did I think he was so much older than that? That means he’s younger than Rick. Younger than my friend Eugene. Only a year older than my friend Tony. I don’t consider any of them old.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that I was born when Norm was at college, but until yesterday, I always thought of him as older than he was. I guess that’s because I’ve known him since I was tiny, so he’s always seemed older than he actually is. He was left in charge of us when we were kids, maybe that’s why my perspective is skewed. Although that time he fed us all chocolate frosted toast for breakfast when we were little suddenly makes sense. As does the time when we were in London and he completely forgot kids need to eat on a schedule and so I didn’t get lunch until 4 one afternoon. Let’s see, I was 11, that means he was 30. Yep, that explains it. How many times have I said that I can’t remember to feed myself, let alone a kid?

Genetics: explaining our red hair, our mutual love of history, our complete lack of common sense when it comes to food and children, and our finding stupid pet tricks and fart noises completely hillarious…

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Happy birthday

Filed Under: Fambly, Random Insanity by Julie — 2 Comments
March 26, 2007

It’s my Uncle Norm’s birthday today.  I looked carefully through the Hallmark e-cards before selecting the perfect one to send him.  It had a video of a monkey making farting noises with its armpit.  How awesome is that?

He just emailed me to let me know how much he loved it.

In some ways, he and I are so much alike.

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Feh.

Filed Under: Assorted Ailments, Fambly, Rick by Julie — 12 Comments
March 13, 2007

I ended up with a (mostly) mild case of the flu yesterday and into today. I’m feeling better at this point, but boy was I glad I’d gotten all my work done ahead of schedule before leaving the office on Friday.

Thank you all for your good thoughts, prayers, etc. Rick is up at his brother’s place now going through things, and I’m probably going to join him for the weekend. I might end up with a new (new to me at least, he’s 25) cat out of this, but we’re not sure yet. Many things are still up in the air.

I’m going to put the antibiotics in my ear for my ear infection and then go lie on the couch and wtch Stargate SG-1. I leave you with one of the many many many reasons we love YouTube around here, Billy Joel’s “Keeping the Faith” video. That guy with the whiteman fro in the pink shirt holding the video camera at the beginning? That’s my boyfriend. When he was about 30. And I was…um, 6. Or maybe 7.

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speechless

Filed Under: Fambly, Rick, Shorty by Julie — 19 Comments
March 9, 2007

I may be a bit scarce in the days to come. Someone I love is going through something awful, and while I can’t say what it is yet (not everyone has been notified and the last thing I want is for the people this affects to find out on this blog), just know that I’m going to be keeping close to home and family for the next little while. If I’ve told you about it, I’d appreciate you keeping mum on here until I put up a more detailed post.

ETA: Rick’s told the kids now, so I can post.  Rick’s younger brother, Jeffrey, is dead.  He apparently died peacefully in his sleep, which is good, but things are a little off-kilter for everyone at the moment and I’m not really sure what’s going to be happening for the next week or so.  I’m just going to do my best to be there for Rick and the rest of his family.

Sloth, ESC, and Aimee, thanks especially for your support yesterday.  It meant so much to have you three to talk to.

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Oopie doopie, we have fun!

Filed Under: Assorted Ailments, Fambly by Julie — 15 Comments
March 5, 2007

I wanted a day off this week, but I didn’t want it this way.

Talking with Mom today, I told her that my jaw was starting to ache a bit, and could that possibly be because of the ear thing that I’ve been dealing with in a “wait and see” kinda way?  Mom said yes, it could well be, and I should just suck it up and go to the doctor because who knows, there could be an infection involved at this point.

Yippee.

So Wednesday I’m taking the day off because the only appointment I could get with Dr. Jed was at 12:15.  If I get done early, I’ll come into work afterwards, but Dr. Jed, he is popular, so I doubt that will happen.

And today I take Joe to the vet because he needs his little thyroid levels checked out.  Man, we are just having all kinds of fun at Chez Julz, aren’t we?

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Hard Candy Christmas

Filed Under: Fambly, Rick, Technobabble by Julie — 7 Comments
December 26, 2006

There were supposed to be Christmas pictures here. Really. Pictures of New York City at Christmas, pictures of all the mafioso houses decorated in Dyker Heights, pictures of how my neighbor’s house looks like Christmas threw up on it, all that stuff. But you have to forgive me. Because Mom gave me an 80 GB iPod for Christmas, which is only compatible with my PC, not my laptop. The laptop had all the songs for my iPod mini loaded on it. The PC had jack loaded on it. Thus, my computer can obviously only be used to do iTunes related stuff, not to upload photos to Flickr.

Lest we blame everything on Mom, we should take into account that Rick got me a Bose sound dock and a $50 iTunes gift card for Christmas, so he is equally to blame. Especially since he also took me to the Big Apple Circus yesterday, and so I wasn’t near a computer for two solid days. Rick is now also suffering from the tech time-suck as he figures out the iPod nano I bought him for Christmas (which he has just declared to be the best Christmas present he’s ever gotten – thank you, first freelancing check!). It’s been a hard Christmas here, people. A very hard Christmas. Hope yours were just as hard.

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Feh.

Filed Under: Da Cats, Daily Grind, Fambly by Julie — 8 Comments
November 13, 2006


Piney ~ Lake Hill, NY

I’ve had another insane weekend of getting up early, seeing people for long enough to have a good time but not nearly long enough for my liking, jetsetting around, seeing the Piss Crusader, and coming home in a funk. And the rest of the week is a lot of running: tonight a reading to go to and then staying with Rick, tomorrow night laundry and a trip to the grocery store, Wednesday night Stitch n Bitch, Thursday night the second half of my Yoga Fundamentals workshop and Friday night heave a huge sigh of relief that I have actually survived a week like that on top of being up early both days this weekend.

I got to see my half-brother this weekend: the main reason I went back to Pittsburgh less than a week after my last visit. Big Brother and I haven’t seen each other in about seven years, and since he was going to be in the Burgh cleaning out his mother’s house (she died back in September) and Mom could book me a cheap flight, away I went. We got to spend several hours together, and he took me on the family tour of Sewickley, where our Dad’s family is from. Because Dad died before I was two and everyone on that side of the family is so much older than me (Big Brother is 28 years older than me), I’ve never really hung out with all of them or learned the family history of that side as well as I know that of my mom’s family. We had a great visit and I was glad to see him and get a chance to talk family and politics.

I also got to hang out with Mom and the Piss Crusader long enough to realize how much I miss them both. Mom and I talk on the phone most days (including a marathon call yesterday afternoon as she gave me the play-by-play on the Steelers game that none of my local networks were playing), but before last weekend I hadn’t seen her since March. The Piss Crusader and I can’t talk on the phone, and while he’s getting along fine at Mom’s place now, boy was he happy to see me. He flopped for ten minutes straight and then kept jumping up on my to get petted and held. He also spent Saturday night glued to my side as we slept as per his usual habit.

All of this and returning to a grey and overcast Brooklyn put Julie in a bad mood yesterday, as did listening to Joe cry for Jesse all afternoon, night, and this morning because he could smell Jesse on my jacket but I was mean and didn’t bring Jess back with me. I haven’t completely emerged from the funk even yet. Feh, I say. Just feh.

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Queen of Shopping

Filed Under: Fambly, Shorty by Julie — 9 Comments
May 4, 2006

Calvin Klein jeans with embroidered and silk screened dragon on left leg: Originally $80, on sale for $32.50.

Nike Women’s Impax: Originally $79.99, on sale for $59.99

1 Tankini from Gap: originally $54.00, on sale for $20.00

2 tank tops and three pairs of socks from Old Navy: $24.50

3 pairs of capris, 1 sleeveless shirt, and 1 necklace from New York & Company:  Originally something like $125, after Buy One, Get One Sale, Half-Off on Jewelry Sale, and a 25% off coupon, $60.00

1 pair of Tevas and 3 more pairs of socks from Champs: Originally $100, free gifts from Mom.

Original cost of everything listed above: $463.49

Total amount I actually spent for everything listed above: $196.99

I rock.  So does Mom.

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Dragon Attack

Filed Under: Daily Grind, Fambly, Reviews by Julie — Comments Off
March 13, 2006

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Railroad turnaround, Hudson River

Busy weekend at my place. I knew it was going to be pretty hectic since Mom was coming in for a few days and we had plans for most of that time, but Friday night another spanner was thrown into the works.

I was half-asleep at about 10:30 (shut up, I didn’t get much sleep last week) when I got a phone call. I checked Caller ID, didn’t recognize it, but picked up anyway. It’s a good thing I did, because it was my high school band director calling to say that he and his wife were in Manhattan for the weekend, and did I have any time to come see them? Let me pause here to say that this man was my favorite teacher ever, and his wife is just as sweet as he is. How many teachers would let you call them Dadoo (after a gag in an Animaniacs cartoon)? And yes, he still refers to himself as Dadoo. I managed to meet up with them Saturday morning, and we had such a great time that we’ve planned on meeting up again when I’m in Pittsburgh in November. I love it when you are such good friends with people that you can fall into conversation with them as if it’s only been days since you saw them instead of years.

Mom got in Saturday afternoon, and we booked our trip to the Mall of America for next month, then went out to dinner with Rick and the girls. Anyone who is the least bit squeamish should not come to dinner with us at a seafood place, since we started by making our crab claws talk and ended with using crab legs as raptor claws to torment each other. Obviously this was a really laid-back seafood place – we have better manners at fancy restaurants.

Yesterday Mom and I went shopping at the grocery store and then moved on to Target. After I had blown sufficient money we came home and cooked a quick dinner before going to see Queen + Paul Rodgers at Nassau Coliseum. This concert was even better than the one in October. We had managed to score floor seats, 9 rows back from the stage, 8 seats over from the runway, so I had a very clear view the entire time. It seems like they’re getting more and more used to playing as a band and are having a really great time on stage. They did play the new song that Paul, Brian, and Roger wrote together, “Take Love,” and to my astonishment played “Dragon Attack” from The Game. I don’t think they’ve played that song on tour since 1980, and it was a defining moment for the audience: the real Queen fans went crazy and were singing along, the not-fanatic Queen fans were all looking at each other like “What the hell is this?”. A fantastic night, all around, and Brian looking none the worse for his recent accidents on stage (he took a header into the piano trap at the Atlanta show, apparently). I love these guys, and would happily go see them again.

Tonight, a night off, and tomorrow Rick is taking us to see Spamalot. Apparently Queen + Paul saw it Saturday night and just loved it, Brian was still raving about it last night and worked it into part of the act when he said he was “not dead yet!”. Can’t wait.

Oh, and pictures to follow as soon as I format them. I snuck the old camera in, so out of 90 pictures only 20-some weren’t blurred, but I’m happy with those 20-some. Hopefully I’ll have them up on Flickr by the end of the week.

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Another time

Filed Under: Fambly, In Da Hood, Story Time by Julie — Comments Off
February 27, 2006

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Light and dust (and maybe wishbones) ~McSorley’s Ale House, NYC

Rick and I stopped in at McSorley’s last night. McSorley’s is the oldest tavern in New York City. That is, the oldest one in continual operation as a tavern – I think they’re at 152 years and counting. And if you look at the picture above, it’s obvious they haven’t dusted in that entire 152 years. This is probably because women weren’t allowed into the place until 1970, and there wasn’t a ladies room put in until 1986. McSorley’s is a place where time seems to stand still. The tables are older than Rick, the potbellied stove is older than my grandmother, and the only thing to drink in the place is McSorley’s Ale, which is served in pairs. No fancy-ass drinks here, the only choice you get is “light or dark,” and by light they don’t mean reduced calorie beer; they mean lighter in color than the pitch-black dark beer. The walls are covered with memorabilia that my camera refused to shoot. Even cameras respect a place where Abraham Lincoln supposedly drank after delivering his famous Cooper Union speech a few blocks away. I like the place a lot, even though years seem to go by between my visits. Last night’s trip reminded me of a man who always reminded me of another era (and who spent a fair amount of time in bars): my Uncle Tut.

Tut was 82 when his cancer caught up with him last week, and no, his real name was not Tut. It was Charles. But back in the days when drinking was a sign of manhood and alcoholism could be joked about, he earned a reputation for getting “drunk as old King Tut.” That was well before I was born, and I never knew him as anything other than Uncle Tut.

Tut was a good guy, full of stories. One of my favorites was about his tattoo. He got it during his stint in the service in World War II: a picture of a mermaid with “Julie” emblazoned under it. Unfortunately, my aunt’s name was Ruth, not Julie, and I wouldn’t be born for another 30 years. The last time I saw Tut, he told me that he “knew Frank [my father] was going to have a daughter and name her Julie.” Obviously that’s why my name was on his bicep.

My best Tut story was one that someone else told, though. My mom and I went to a Barenaked Ladies concert when I was in college, and in the middle of it the guys went on a riff about their time in Pittsburgh. One complained he didn’t realize the Pittsburgh phone book had listings for places 30 miles away – he had gone for a haircut that afternoon and ended up in Sewickley. After the haircut, he had apparently gone sightseeing and ended up in a bar “with an old guy that was telling me about the wonders of Sewickley.” My mom and I looked at each other and laughed; there was only one old guy who would spend time in bars telling young people about the “wonders” of Sewickley, and that was Tut.

I didn’t make it home for Tut’s funeral. I was sorry for that because in our family the viewing at the funeral home turns into a kind of wake with everyone telling stories. My cousins would have gotten a kick out of hearing how my uncle met some Barenaked Ladies one afternoon.

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