Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Ants have six legs, Aunts have two!

The time has come, as I always knew it would, when I’d get a chance to be the kewl Auntie and open my home to a kid who’s taking the first steps toward independence.  My nephew Patrick, 18 and ready to start a life on his own, should be in LA tonight or tomorrow (depending on how much fun he and his Road Trip buddy are having in Vegas with another kewl Auntie and Uncle!).

He wants to go to school, he wants to work, he wants to try his luck at acting… he’s 18 - he wants it all while not knowing WHAT he wants.  That’s what being 18 is all about!  I was there, albeit in a time when there were no cell phones, no CDs, no console games, no PCs (Jesus H. Christ, I’m OLD!).  I made lots of mistakes between then and now and have paid the consequences, and if I can help ANY kid (or adult for that matter) not to travel the wrong path - if I can save them a heartache or a drama or two - I can leave this life knowing I made a difference.

I’m very excited, and a little scared… just like Pat, I’d guess.  But Dame Fortune has smiled upon me and I have a husband and daughter who don’t mind (well, most of the time anyway) my being the safe harbor for damned near any family member who needs a place to stay while they get their shit together.  I lived a rather nomadic life before I became a mom and wife, and there were times when I had to rely upon the generosity of friends and family in order to get back on my feet, and I feel it’s only right that I repay the favor by helping someone else out. 

It’ll be SO good to see Pat, all grown up and ready to become a man; and to have Rob do his Uncle-ly duty and show him the ropes.  And in my heart I can’t help but hope that perhaps Pat’s being here will do his mom some good; motivate her, heal her, do something that’ll bring her around and out of the craziness her life is now.  I love my sister, but she’s persona non grata around here right now.  Maybe spending some time with her son will give her an opportunity to redeem herself and earn Rob’s trust again.  I forgive quite easily, but Rob’s not so quick to forget; and in a way, I suppose I’m glad for his protection of my heart.  He loves his wife enough not to let her set herself up to be hurt or embroiled in drama.

That’s the first of the House Rules we’ll be going over with Patrick:  NO DRAMA!  Secondly, you MUST register and VOTE!

Oh to be 18 again… nah, it’s just good to be the Auntie!

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Still hot a quarter century later!

Yesterday we went to Ikea, primarily so I could check out their cabinets, mirrors and fixtures for the guest bathroom update that we so desperately need to finish.  I got some ideas, and ended up buying a few things for the house that we needed anyway.

We were just coming upon the area of the showroom with bedroom furniture, and while I was looking at a wall-bracket TV mounting thingy, Rob pokes me in the side any signals me to look over to my left across the aisle.  Who’s over there checking out beds with his wife and daughter? ERIK ESTRADA!  I looked over but didn’t catch his eye or anything, and went on about my business; Rob, however, did happen to make eye contact, and simply gave him a quick little salute in acknowledgement… encounters with celebrities are a fairly common occurrence around these parts, and it’s rather uncool to do anything that’ll draw attention to a famous person when they’re out doing “regular people” things like shopping - no matter HOW big a fan you might be.

Though I didn’t really get more than a momentary glimpse or two of him in Ikea, the thought that struck me immediately was that it wasn’t just a TV trick that made Erik Estrada look just as sexy and handsome to me today as he did when I was a pre-teen!  And it’s not just the fact that I’ve had a thing for Latinos since Guy Williams, Desi Arnaz and Cesar Romero made a little girl swoon in the early 60s, either, heh.

After finishing our shopping at Ikea and in the mall, we were eating on the patio at a restaurant directly across from the store, and Erik walked past us going down to get his car.  My back was to him as he approached, but Rob was facing him and Erik apparently recognized him (most people do, he’s kinda hard to miss!) because he waved and then smiled at both of us as he continued into the parking garage.  Since he was literally less than 3 feet from my face, I got an even closer look than I had in the store; and the guy is definitely still muy guapo after all these years.  CALIENTE, si!