KISS, The Rock Group

David H. loved KISS, was a huge fan, carried drum sticks around with him everywhere. David and his best friend, Craig, would wear their faces painted once a month fashioned after Gene Simmons and Peter Criss. The girls loved those two boys and they were always a topic during the "cool" circle group time.

That same Spring that Sonia had decided on her mission she told me that David H. liked me. My hair was finally growing out of the Dorothy Hamil and I was catching up as to what music was hip. KISS was high on the list of most favorite bands thanks to "Beth I hear you calling". Craig and David wanted us to meet them after school one day so David could ask me to "go with him." Once again innocent Jen was in shock. "But Sonia I ride the Bus home and my mom calls at 3:30 to make sure I made it." "So what" was Sonia's response, "everyone thinks David is cute and he likes YOU!" Peer pressure is a mighty force mixed with the excitement of a cute boy saying he likes you. I was totally intoxicated and let my friend talk me into meeting with David. Sonia and I developed a plan whereby we would convince our mothers that I would go home with Sonia after school on Friday, go skating and spend the night at her house. That would leave us free to meet the boys after school, on the play ground, inside the big tractor tires.

I was incredibly nervous, enough to puke up lunch if I had eaten lunch that day. I don't think I said two words to anyone, but it seemed that our entire class knew we were meeting the boys after school and they were trying to get me to talk about it.

David likend himself after Peter Criss, however, he was more like Gene Simmons and I was about to find out how so in that tire. Being one of the original lachkey kids, I had my house key around my neck. So when stepping into the tire it swung down as we all had to hunch over. This was the closest I had ever been to a boy other than my Dad and I was about to pass out. David told me how cute I was and asked me "will you go with me?" All I could do was smile and said shyly YES. I knew it was coming but no one could have prepared me for what happened next.

The Bases

Kissing, why are they talking about kissing? What the heck is being frenched, oh god don't ask me, DON'T ASK ME! Mr. Codria saved me and told the girls it was time to break into our math groups. After this encounter I was in shock, confused and totally bewildered at the meanings behind the terms frenching and being felt up.

At the age of ten my parents were still the center of my universe. I did the only thing I could, being the curious type and one who cannot keep her mouth shut. It was at the dinner table when I blurted out "I need to know the bases!" My parents glanced at eachother with a strained perplexed look that clearly read our daughter is losing her mind. My Mom proceeds to ask why on earth I am asking about softball and basics I already know. My ten year old mind is trying to come up with an excuse. I made the decision to tell my parents about the discussion the girls had earlier that day. "Oh Boy" says my dad and he leaves the table. That is the night I had my first real sexual talk with my Mom. I learned what french kissing was all about and that boys actually like to feel your boobs. I distinctly remember being appalled and then saying "you mean dad touches your boobs??!!" At that point my Mom bursts out laughing and I can hear my Dad downstairs again saying "Oh Boy!" Mom gets me giggling and admits she had no clue what the bases actually were but began a discussion with me regarding what she knew. Going to bed that night I felt more knowledgeable and ready to face the girls. But was I really ready to face future questioning about if I had ever been kissed?

As the school year moved forward and the seasons were changing so was I. I was starting to leave my dolls behind and really noticing what boys were all about. I was going to the roller rink, the movies and having a great time with my new best friend. The cool circle group still discussed boys on a regular basis and how far everyone had gotten. I had escaped scrutiny until one Spring morning. My friend Sonia asked me straight out if I had ever kissed a boy. I think my ears were the color of blood but I answered honestly. Afterall, this was the only real friend I had made so far and felt safe. It was a wise choice, Sonia was a good friend and did not laugh or make fun of me. She only decided to make it her mission to see that I got my first kiss and protect me from the perceived cool crowd.

Thought excersise

I stole this from somewhere...been meaning to post it for awhile.

You can travel backward in time and relive any three days (3 opportunities @ 1 day per -- not necessarily a single three day stretch, although that's OK if you want) in earth's history.

You will be impervious to harm and invisible to the participants. You can't change history. Also, you can never disclose or otherwise use anything you learn for financial gain (e.g. your motives should not be financial or personal gain -- rather curiosity, aestheticism, seeing your wife's sister in the shower when she was 17, etc., etc.)

So what three days do you pick? You have only 60 seconds to decide. Begin.

Tagged by GK

7 things I plan to do before I die:

-See my children into adulthood (that being careers, signficant others, grandchildren, good/happy lives)
-Travel to Hungary and make contact with any realtives still alive
-Travel to Hawaii for a 2nd honeymoon
-Learn to play an instrument
- play golf
-drive a race car
-beat my husband at Stratego

7 things I can do:

-speed read
-talk like an acutioneer
-cook like my grandmothers
-make my children feel love
-catch a 90 mile per hour pitched baseball
-multi task
-day dream


7 things I cannot do:

-run
-sing
-stand on my head
-play piano
-eat tomatos
-watch horros movies
-spit

7 things that attract me to another person:

-beautiful eyes
-good sense of humor
-kissable lips
-ability to listen
-ability to have empathy and understanding
-love of children
-adventursome

7 things I say most often:

-good gravy
-shit
-I am going to count to 5!
-oh please
-woo hoo
-how are you and mean it
-shit (I know but 7 is a hard number)

7 celebrity crushes:

-Billy Joe Armstrong
-Johnny Resnick
-Will Smith
-Jon Bon Jovi
-David Cassidy
-Vince Vaughn
-Scott Baio

I would do the tag thing but it appears almost everyone else has performed this little task, however, EmRugBurn does not get off the hook so easy...update girl!

First Kiss

I was just a child when I had my first kiss and so innocent. Many of us were they same way, a chaste kiss to the cheek or quick peck on the lips is usually the way a first kiss occurs. In the life of Jen, not so.

In the fourth grade I lived in the main City School District here. I was blissfully innocent in regard to boys. Oh sure they chased us and we played Charlie's Angels, but we never went beyond "oh Billy Joe is soooo cute!" By the fourth grade most of us were starting to wear training bras and a few girls had the all out snap in the back bra. We knew our bodies were changing but did not go beyond giggling about little girl things. I was still into the Muppets and Kermit the Frog at that point in my life.

Then we moved. My father switched from the EPA to Rockwell International and my parents felt it was time we moved to the suburbs and into a bigger home. The transition was difficult for me and it did not help that my mom decided this was the time to cut my hair ala Dorothy Hamill. Starting fifth grade and the first two weeks of school were hard. Hard is such an understatement for a pubescent ten year old girl. I was behind academically and, it became obvious to me, socially as well. These kids seemed to be light years beyond my knowledge about everything, music, boys, homework. I was finally befriended by Sonia and other girls came around to me once they learned I played softball.

One afternoon, during free time, five of us girls were sitting on the carpeted bean bag "cool" area. I was tragically unhip and was only beginning to understand what "cool" was. I was still new to all that was around me and to these girl's social circle. I remember Lisa distinctly stating "lets talk about the bases!" I was excited and thought "finally, something I know about, softball and baseball."

I sent my baby off!

Today was my boy's first day of Pre-School. He will be attending this P-S on Tuesdays and Thursdays a full day. We picked out his outfit, packed his backpack, hugged and kissed his sister as she was catching the bus and off we went.

I was all smiles and excitement for my baby. He is a shy boy and does not like large crowds with lots of noise. Little prince surprised me upon entering the school. The lady at the front desk said his name and greeted prince with a warm hello. Prince responded back with a big HI and a wave. The lady smiled and said how wonderful he is not shy. Mommy was delighted and a bit relieved!

Prince's neighbor boy friend "Sammie" will also be attending Pre-School on the same days as him. Thank the stars that Sammie was already in the gym and had started P-S last week! We greeted Prince's teachers and they showed us the classrooms the preschoolers would be using. Sammie went along and was the tour guide extraordinre. Several other little boys had come to say hello to little Prince and he was well on his way to making new friends.

Once we returned to the gym I announced to Prince that it was time Mommy went to work. I asked him for our ritual goodbye "kissy and huggies". I bent down and he whispered "just huggies Mommy."

And the hits keep happening

I am usually one that can buck up and keep going. But as the title of this post indicates my family gets hit again. My mom takes care of my 93 year old granny. Granny fell this weekend and broke her pelvis and cut her head open (30 stitches). It happened at 6:30 a.m. while she was getting out of bed. My mom had a hell of time getting her up off the floor and the bleeding stopped.

My mom has a sister that leaves in the same city as me. She has not been down to check on my mom and granny. My frustration is through the roof but my mother has asked me to hold back and just help in getting the arrangements in place for my granny to return to the nursing home here. Granny spent last winter (Sept through April) at this wonderful nursing home but wanted to return home for the summer.

I am having a difficult time dealing with my emotions. That helplessness is creeping back in today, I feel selfish and just want to break down and scream. Or just eat a pint of ice cream. I hate being an adult!

Katrina Timeline

From Wheezus!
http://thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline

On the lighter side of things

1.What is the most adventurous thing you have ever done to your hair?
I had to cut it in high school really short. I hated my Senior pics and you can tell by the look on my face. I always had long hair except when my mom made me get the Dorothy Hamill cut and then the high school fiasco. That is why I don't stray too far from what I like.

2.Who gave you your name, and how did they choose it? My parents could not decide so they put three sets of names in a hat and pulled one. Hence I became a Jen.

3.What gives you the creeps? Spiders...ewww....*shudder*

4.What relative do you most resemble in personality? This is a tough one. I would say my mom and my godmother/auntie. I am becoming too much like my mom in my parenting skills and I need to work on that a bit. There is quite a bit a disagree with when it comes to how she disciplined me in childhood and what sometimes I catch myself doing with my kids. My auntie and I shared a lot of the same beliefs and she was my 2nd mom. I got my temper from her and it seems she and my mom shared the same sense of humor. I got that from both.

5.How did you come up with the name of your blog? Does it mean anything, or is it nonsense? *giggles* This started as a place for me to come and moan about how I felt ignored and that no one listened to me. I literally talk to myself frequently and thought this would be a place just for me to get out some emotions. It quickly became something more and I am glad for that. I have met some great people and I am able to continue online friendships through this blog. Plus I can be a huge DAW sometimes so that is a bonus. I think I should rename this thing "Laughing at Myself" which I tend to do a lot.

Life and Katrina

I have been a blog ho this week. I have visited many blogs and read many different opinions about the Hurricane relief effort. I am saddened and angry about the whole situation and hate the feeling of helplessness that has engulfed my life in the last two weeks. I watched the destruction while sitting next to my mother's hospital bed for four days. I listened to Doctors, Nurses and all other manner of hospital employees despair over the situation in our Gulf region. Collections were being taken up immediately and from my Mom's hospital bed she wrote a check. "We do what we can Jenny and keep moving forward".

Ah she called me "Jenny". That does not happen often, mostly when she is scared, worried or upset. That is my little girl name and it bothered me that my mom was truly scared. So I have bottled up my helplessness, put on the stern face of an adult, and am moving forward. We can't change what happened last week only make things better today and for the future.

Give what support you can and speak out to make things better. We need to be a strong nation, united in how we approach the future. I am impressed and amazed at the outpouring of concern shown in so many blogs. It gives me hope and assured me that I am not helpless, either in my personal life or in my community.

Heart Attack

My mom had a heart attack on Monday. She is doing well and is now resting comfortably at home. She is one of the luckiest woman I know. She had one blocked artery and had a heart cath and stint put in. There is no damage to her heart muscle or other arteries. Needless to say this has been a stressful week and I need some rest myself.

I am back at work and will be glad to read some of my favorite blogs. My friends here are extremely entertaining and continue to lift my spirits when I feel down. If I don't say it enough thank you all for sharing so much of yourself.

P.S. My mom and I have a quirky sense of humor when it comes to stressful situations. So Monday night while I was on the phone with my mom and the squad was just arriving she said "Don't kill yourself to get down here Mario!" Only my mom would remind me about that, and it was such a huge coincidence that I had written out the Mario story here that I had the chance to laugh at a moment when I was very frightened.