I Guess You Just had to be There!

I have returned!! My wonderful visit with my even more wonderful sister zipped by in the wink of an eye. I can’t believe I left to see her a whole week ago today. Our last couple of days together were as much fun as the first few, and as usual, we spent much of it laughing and rolling on the floor. Here’s a typical scene: We were having lunch at another fabulous salad place; it was a pretty big restaurant but the tables were rather close together. Sue, as usual, started laughing hysterically over something, and her laughter is naturally contagious (to everyone but the grouchy old couple sitting next to us, that is, who looked as if they hadn’t smiled since at least 1940). They got up rather abruptly and moved across the room. Later that same day we found ourselves at an internet cafe in a bookstore, and Sue brought over a book she had found with a list of some very funny things you can do to annoy your co-workers. She started reading them to us, and forget the funny things she was saying … it was just the way she said them, that had us rolling on the floor in hysterics. But then, the guy next to us got up and moved. “Was it something we said?” I asked her, which sent us reeling again! I guess you had to be there … but it really WAS funny. On my last day, we stayed up for 24 hours straight, watching DVDs of a TV show I had never heard of called The Office. This is my nephew Ryan’s favorite show, and he wanted me to see it, warning me first that it is either something one loves or one hates … there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground on this one. Well, we were watching it on Sue’s 54” HD TV, and she was beside me, and we laughed so hard that there were many times we literally couldn’t breathe. The scary thing was that we got addicted to it and watched every episode of the first 3 seasons without coming up for air! (a pretty tall order for someone like me who doesn’t watch any TV). I have now re-charged my laughing quota batteries until the next time we are together. Coming home was a stark reality adjustment from the humor and the 80 degree temperatures I left in West Palm Beach with my sister. First of all, I had to go through security at the airport … always a challenge for me, terrorist look-alike that I am. Ever since 9/11, I have NEVER been able to go through airport security without having ALL my carry-on luggage rifled through by Homeland Security. I’m even talking about small make-up pouches and all the little bags I have inside them. EVERYTHING is scrutinized, and they always use some sort of magic wand on me to detect dangerous weapons I might be concealing. But this time it was different. I’m talking about a full body search!!! Now, I’m a 55-year old, middle aged conservative-looking white woman wearing a gold cross, with some slightly distinguished looking gray streaks starting to appear in my hair, and I think this is a bit excessive, but I dealt with it on the way down to Florida with grace. But then it happened on the way back as well. TWICE, in fact! (I accidentally went out of the secure area and had to repeat the process, and so, of course, did they). So here’s my advice of the day for you: Security People don’t have much of a sense of humor, so remember that. As the security lady was patting down my back and shoulders, I said to her, “Ahhh, a little bit higher and to the left please!” I thought it was funny, but my advice is that I wouldn’t recommend that as a response if it happens to you! Well, I did finally make it home, only to find the snowy view above. Oh, my, I’m not in Kansas anymore, Toto! (That’s an inside joke for my sister, Sue, if she ever reads this). Before I went to bed last night, I tried to get my family to watch the pilot episode of The Office, which I bought on my way back home. Chris, Zia and Josh said they couldn’t stand it and they wouldn’t watch it with me. I had more of a chance with Dana, because he had never heard of it, but then he fell asleep about 15 minutes in. He'd wake, then doze on and off for the next 3 shows. The magic was apparently gone. Oh well, as I said, I'm not in 'Kansas' anymore, and I guess you'd just have to be there to know just how much fun I had with my sister!