Odd Moment Today

In follow-up to my prior post, I lost my aunt just a week ago. A strange yet comforting thing took place today.

I had a busy day at work, including a day trip to Columbus and back. I left our downtown Cincinnati office with a coworker around lunchtime. There are two elevators standing opposite each other in my building. One had doors wide open and although we tried to go down a level, the doors wouldn't close...they were stuck open. We walked across to the other elevator as its doors opened. The next ten seconds were my 'Aunt P moment'...

Our office elevators never had music. This was the first time I'd ever heard anything in the elevators for our listening enjoyment. The song playing was an obscure favorite of mine from an old TV show, Twin Peaks. I'd just been talking to my family about that show in the past month or two (it was popular among weird high school kids with bad hair in '90-'91). I told my friend and co-worker, Jen, that I loved this song and hadn't heard it in a while...that's when it hit me that it might be my Aunt P pressing 'play' from above.

I looked up the song tonight and I couldn't believe the title - 'Love Theme Farewell', by Angelo Badalamenti & David Lynch. It wasn't even the main theme, which is obscure enough on its own! I'm planning to check in with the building operations folks to see if there is a song list somewhere to verify that I'm not crazy.

So...I had to document these special ten seconds of my day, even if it was just a strange coincidence. And if the elevator people confirm that I'm not completely nuts, I expect some Everly Brothers soon, Aunt P.

Warning: Introspective Stuff Enclosed

**This will be an unusual post, I must warn you reader-types. An unexpected death in the family leaves my emotions raw, and my fingertips have a broadband connection to my emotional database.**

I received news on Monday night that my dear Aunt Peggy passed away the prior night very suddenly. Hence, this entry's 'emploration' will be much more inward- than outward-focused.

Readers who have lost loved ones might understand how the short-term grieving process works. It's new to me. This week, I experienced a Monday night of shock, sobbing, horrific images in my mind and near-panic. I spent my Tuesday crying and taking Advil for the resulting sinus headaches. I went to work on Wednesday and Thursday and actually felt okay. I was busy. I didn't receive a lot of inquiries about the situation, and I managed through two solid days nearly tear-free. This led to a certain overconfidence on my part that collapsed readily this morning as I hit the Piqua city limits. Near-panic set in again as we drove up to the church, and I realized that the event was not 'really real' to me until I felt the grief of my family, relatives, and my aunt's friends and co-workers. I cried a lot but it was an important and necessary bout.

Following the service, my extended family headed back to my Aunt Sandy's house. We'd received condolences and stories from Aunt P's friends and co-workers. We'd felt the kindness of friends who set up lunch for us and discreetly excused themselves for our privacy. We'd overcome panic-laden situations to be there for ourselves and others. We spent several hours talking, recalling stories and reconnecting as a family. Aunt P would have loved it, and I have a feeling that she was there in spirit.

We lived life today in all its despair, delight and distraction.

Thursday NFL Football...Love It & Hate It

I am a big NFL football fan and manage two fantasy football teams. This is my first year playing fantasy football, actually...I adore it. I have one team in a girls league at work and another with my dad, uncles, cousins, etc. In both leagues, my team name is the Fluffy Bunnies.

First of all, I can't take credit for the team name. My brother, Brian, came up with this long ago. In my humble opinion, I think this name is brilliant. Who expects the Fluffy Bunnies to rip them apart? Even if it's the killer bunny from Monty Python (see Exhibit A), can he really take on Peyton Manning or Donovan McNabb?

Well, that doesn't much concern me, because Peyton and Donovan are Fluffy Bunnies at the helms of my two teams. A Manning girl at heart, I picked Eli over Ben - even though Ben is a fellow Miamian! Jay and Trent are my other backups.

Now that I've gushed about the Bunnies, I'll get to my point...I love watching NFL football, so I love a Thursday game (since I have DVR to record The Office). This game is as good as Monday Night - it's primetime without other NFL games to compete...if it's on TV. Last Thursday I was pumped to watch a great matchup and it wasn't on! I hate that it was limited to the recap on ESPN.

I tend to keep track of deadlines, so I'm a fan of the Thursday lineup deadline nowadays. I hope that a few competitor fantasy footballers will fall prey to the Thursday deadline...and the Fluffy Bunnies.

Let's emplore the topic of newspaper ad inserts...

I was perusing the Cincinnati Enquirer last Sunday. I usually snuggle in with coffee, set the paper on the couch beside me and start sorting into sections that I either read or ignore. Of those that I read, I sort into my level of interest. I read the ones that are least interesting first and save the best for last. (I do this same thing with Lucky Charms cereal, ending up with lots of marshmallows floating in pastel milk by the end of breakfast. Yummers.)

The ad inserts are always a favorite of mine. I don't know if it's because I think I might find good coupons (which can later be found balled up in the bottom of most of my purses), or because I work in advertising, or because these ads have lots more colorful pictures than the other parts of the paper.

I usually skip the toy store ads since I don't have any lucky kids to buy for this year. This Sunday I found myself leafing through an insert and I was suddenly in toyland. Normally I'd gasp and grab the next insert, but this one pulled me in. No, I wasn't intrigued by the great bargains they offered...I was cracking up. I doubt that anyone without a warped mind such as mine would have felt the same way, but I had to do things to this ad.......bad things.

I hope that you enjoy this page as much as I did. I have to recognize that none of these toys involve electricity and all have a definite 'classic' message coming through...but I couldn't help poking fun when I saw the photos (and pricetags) at the store which shall remain nameless... :-)