9-Foot Rims and Slimming Mirrors

My brother, M, his wife D and their 1 year old boy H, planned to visit my mom in Vegas, so BRKVW, DJ and I decided to join them there. You know, killing, two birds, one stone,--that whole thing. It would be the first time we meet the newest one to planet earth; H.

I had forgotten how ‘lump’ like one year olds are. They don’t kiss or hug back. H’s mom was pretty neurotic with regard to what ‘time’ the kid might be on with jet lag and when his nap should be, and when he has to be eating, and then napping again, etc. You get the picture. I felt sorry for H. So little and learning early on to be on someone else’s schedule. Someone else’s idea of when he is sleepy, and hungry, growing up with a perfectionist, control freak mother. Sigh.

My mother got us tickets to see ‘KA’ the new Cirque du Soleil show. She offered to baby-sit H to make this happen. As you may recall from my other posts, I am not a big fan of Cirque. I always feel like I’m lost in a bad French dream. Not so with ‘KA’. It was great because it had a beginning, middle and end. The sets, the costumes, the stage that moves around 360’ all made for a very good show. We all enjoyed it.

My family

The Boy and his Ray Bans...

My brother is a natural joker. This trip though, it seemed to be toned down. I realize that there were some heavy work issues, but still. He just didn’t laugh and joke as much as he used to. I’m sad for him. D, the wife, slyly put him down. All her stories were about how he didn’t do something or got the wrong thing at the store. Rarely did I hear her praise or support him. Disappointing. Will she be full-blown bitter, very fast? I hope not.

We made a field trip to Target one day, in-between H’s morning and evening naps… cause we are ALL now bound to the kids’ schedule… and there, I found it! The book I have wanted to read for a long time. It is called the Dogs of Babel.

It is the story of a man who comes home one day to find his wife dead. It is ruled an accident, but he is tormented by the thought that it might have been suicide. The only witness, their dog. He now becomes obsessed with teaching his dog to speak. To tell him what happened.

I remember having read the description years ago and becoming thoroughly intrigued. How does a story like that play itself out? I had searched Amazon for it a while back, but not remembering the title didn’t help. And here it was, in my hands. I made it mine. Verdict: The book is good. I liked that it did not have a ‘rushed’ ending as with so many ‘first time novelists’.

I read another book after that, [for summer is about reading] called the Lovely Bones and I can’t recommend that. It is a downer. Well written, but a downer.

Anyway, back to Vegas. We just came for the weekend, so on Monday morning, we said our good byes. On the way home we stopped at an RV Fair. That was fun, going into all the different types of RV’s. The really big ones, that I used to remember as ‘Winnebago’s’ are now called Coaches and are more like buses. They are so huge/long that from the drivers seat, most of them have a monitor showing the four cameras at every corner. You know, to help you park and make sure you don’t inadvertently run someone over.

These all come with a side canopy to pull out for shade. But the top of the lines have what is called ‘outdoor entertainment center’. A storage compartment opens up to reveal a TV and a game console! Pull out some plastic white lawn chairs and you are set. We asked why would someone watch tv outside? It didn’t make sense to us. I guess we are not their target market.

Apparently, the best woodwork, as there is a lot of hand-scrolled woodwork on the interiors; are made by the Amish. No kidding. We were in one. Yes the woodwork was better, but for all intent and purposes, it looked like the rest. Could I tell the Amish did it? Nope. But I guess it makes for a good story.

All in all, it was a happy, mellow, family time. My brother did make one good comment. He said the world would be a better place with 9-foot rims and slimming mirrors. 9-foot rims, because he noticed that when he took a break from work and played some basketball out back, he would basically think, work out his problems, things to do, etc, while playing basketball. When the rims were set to 9-feet, he noticed that he would come back from his break extra confident and happy from making soo many shots. And slimming mirrors… well that would be for the women of the world. <wink>

M and his boy, H

Look what I can do!


June 11, 2005	9-Foot Rims and Slimming Mirrors My brother, M, his wife D and their 1 year old boy H, planned to visit my mom in Vegas, so BRKVW, DJ and I decided to join them there. You know, killing, two birds, one stone,--that whole thing. It would be the first time we meet the newest one to planet earth; H. I had forgotten how ‘lump’ like one year olds are. They don’t kiss or hug back. H’s mom was pretty neurotic with regard to what ‘time’ the kid might be on with jet lag and when his nap should be, and when he has to be eating, and then napping again, etc. You get the picture. I felt sorry for H. So little and learning early on to be on someone else’s schedule. Someone else’s idea of when he is sleepy, and hungry, growing up with a perfectionist, control freak mother. Sigh. My mother got us tickets to see ‘KA’ the new Cirque du Soleil show. She offered to baby-sit H to make this happen. As you may recall from my other posts, I am not a big fan of Cirque. I always feel like I’m lost in a bad French dream. Not so with ‘KA’. It was great because it had a beginning, middle and end. The sets, the costumes, the stage that moves around 360’ all made for a very good show. We all enjoyed it. My family The Boy and his Ray Bans... My brother is a natural joker. This trip though, it seemed to be toned down. I realize that there were some heavy work issues, but still. He just didn’t laugh and joke as much as he used to. I’m sad for him. D, the wife, slyly put him down. All her stories were about how he didn’t do something or got the wrong thing at the store. Rarely did I hear her praise or support him. Disappointing. Will she be full-blown bitter, very fast? I hope not. We made a field trip to Target one day, in-between H’s morning and evening naps… cause we are ALL now bound to the kids’ schedule… and there, I found it! The book I have wanted to read for a long time. It is called the Dogs of Babel. It is the story of a man who comes home one day to find his wife dead. It is ruled an accident, but he is tormented by the thought that it might have been suicide. The only witness, their dog. He now becomes obsessed with teaching his dog to speak. To tell him what happened. I remember having read the description years ago and becoming thoroughly intrigued. How does a story like that play itself out? I had searched Amazon for it a while back, but not remembering the title didn’t help. And here it was, in my hands. I made it mine. Verdict: The book is good. I liked that it did not have a ‘rushed’ ending as with so many ‘first time novelists’. I read another book after that, [for summer is about reading] called the Lovely Bones and I can’t recommend that. It is a downer. Well written, but a downer. Anyway, back to Vegas. We just came for the weekend, so on Monday morning, we said our good byes. On the way home we stopped at an RV Fair. That was fun, going into all the different types of RV’s. The really big ones, that I used to remember as ‘Winnebago’s’ are now called Coaches and are more like buses. They are so huge/long that from the drivers seat, most of them have a monitor showing the four cameras at every corner. You know, to help you park and make sure you don’t inadvertently run someone over. These all come with a side canopy to pull out for shade. But the top of the lines have what is called ‘outdoor entertainment center’. A storage compartment opens up to reveal a TV and a game console! Pull out some plastic white lawn chairs and you are set. We asked why would someone watch tv outside? It didn’t make sense to us. I guess we are not their target market. Apparently, the best woodwork, as there is a lot of hand-scrolled woodwork on the interiors; are made by the Amish. No kidding. We were in one. Yes the woodwork was better, but for all intent and purposes, it looked like the rest. Could I tell the Amish did it? Nope. But I guess it makes for a good story. All in all, it was a happy, mellow, family time. My brother did make one good comment. He said the world would be a better place with 9-foot rims and slimming mirrors. 9-foot rims, because he noticed that when he took a break from work and played some basketball out back, he would basically think, work out his problems, things to do, etc, while playing basketball. When the rims were set to 9-feet, he noticed that he would come back from his break extra confident and happy from making soo many shots. And slimming mirrors… well that would be for the women of the world. <wink> M and his boy, H Look what I can do!
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