Apparently, you CAN go home again....

....but only after 30 years. Well, ok, I've only been gone for 7 years, and I've been back back a lot; however, I always spend my visits with family, and rarely get the opportunity to see old friends.

This weekend was graduation partypalooza, with two nephew parties to attend. Added to that was a fundraiser / mini-reunion with about 50 high school classmates...yeah, my voice was left out of my carryon! Actually, there were about 25-30 former classmates with assorted spouses/friends/partners added on.... We were remembering a friend who passed away in November - he was my date for our Homecoming dance :-/ - and raising some funds for his wife and kids.

I had almost a visceral reaction as the plane landed - I was worried about family issues at the graduations and worried about not measuring up, somehow, at the reunion...

But it was good!

We are all a bit wrinkly, with various amounts of pounds, hair and baggage...but it was great to see everyone - no old crap brought up, just memories. No talk about careers, no trying to outdo each other, no judgment....just food and adult beverages and laughter.

Mom.....Mom is another story. For another post. For what I think will be a lot of posts, as we move into a world of making lifestyle adjustments to preserve her independence, but make sure that she's safe and cared for....sigh.

Life transitions. Maybe I'll change my blog title. But - I'll be swimming into a lot of unknowns soon and trying to find purchase on a a sandbar where the tides of life will be shifting.

I don't need no stinkin' batches

Dear Mr. Joke Email Forwarder:

(Who happens to be a long-time good friend of mine, with whom I worked for many years, prior to leaving my home state).  He's a good guy...nice. Niiiiice.  But I have to wonder what he's doing with his time and his computer.

And before I have a mild rant, I just need to put out this caveat.

I enjoy funny emails and good jokes.  I love reading my "Run Scamper" blogs (look on the right side of the blog...ok, scroll down, scrollscroll - there! See them?) and seeing all the great videos and pictures and jokes that you great blogsters CHOOSE to put on your blog.  Yes, you choose.  And then - I can choose whether I simply read your words or also access the videos, etc.  Ok?  Really - love them.  It's all about choice.

But you, Mr. Email Forwarder - you keep sending me batches of emails with big downloads and videos and jokes that I don't really actually, ummmm...want to read.  Batches at a time.  And they keep plugging my email, so I have to delete and delete in order to send out any real email.  Like emails about my life, my friends and family, thoughtful NICE emails.

Here's a thought - if you need to put a note at the top of your email that says - "I know that I probably shouldn't send this, but I just thought it was funny..." maybe you should rethink hitting that send button!  My friends would describe me as liberal, so if I cringe when I read some of his emails - it's not pretty....

Why don't I just block him as a sender?  Because every so often he slips in a decent message, and he's been a good friend for a very long time.  And I wonder if I'm getting old or cranky or my Spanx are too tight because I'm complaining about 'emailers these days..'

Sighhhhhhhhhhhh.....