I got nothin'

I got nothin' new. My life is the same. I'm working, still trying to get my lungs back to full capacity, and trying to relax after cleaning for three days. Last night I relaxed so much I fell asleep on the couch at 7:00 and intermittently from then until I went to bed at 9:30. Guess it stands to reason I would wake up at 4:30! I've got a chocolate-chip cheesecake in the oven now so I'll have to stay up at least until 10:45. I should sleep good.

My latest thing to make me feel more human, normal, and well-raised is watching snips of the Real Housewives of New York City. I thought the OC ones were bitches, and I liked to make fun of them. But they were bleach blonde airhead bitches who encouraged fakiness and, let's face it, acting stupid and showing skin to get what they want. The NYC ones are fakey in a pretentious kind of "I'm this and you're not" way. I'll give them a point for valuing education but then I give them negative points for saying that the only real way to get it is in pretentious schools. And all the while they teach their children it's all about money, who has it, who flaunts it, and who's trying to get it. And also while cat-fighting and gossiping about THE most stupid stuff.

These women give women a bad name.

Gotta admit though, I love picking them apart. They are all so unreal, I feel pretty real and down to earth. Guess that makes me a gossipy bitch too.

The show reminded me of the time I met my cousin's husband. I took a trip to Alabama with my neighbor and stayed with my aunt. My cousins lived nearby and we visited one of them one day. I had never met my cousin's husband because he had vowed never to step foot in my midwestern state. I'm not sure what Alabama has that we don't, but whatever. This guy had been called Bob all of his life until he decided one day that he was to be called Robert. Okay, that's not so bad, but he was well into adulthood when he decided that.

He was an absolutely mousey looking guy who looked like I could snap him in two. He also looked like the guy who was the class nerd who never got over it. His face and voice were pinched. His smile, when it made an appearance, looked like it hurt his face. He ran a business that his father had started, although I think he was originally a teacher. Apparently it made some good money as they lived very nicely. They made sure I saw the wine cooler type refrigerator that they inexplicably put in the living room. They had jars of sand from all of the beaches they visited lined up across their mantle. The jars were labled. There were lots of them.

We were visiting and they were telling me about trips they took, a boarding school their oldest attended, and other things I needed to know in order to truly be impressed. The problem was, I could not have been more unimpressed. When they talked about their oldest going to an exclusive boarding school (tuition $30,000 annually - he actually told me that) all I could think about was the younger son who had not lived up to expectations and was attending school locally. When they talked about taking all of these trips and cruises, I wondered if the kids felt left out.

It was one of those rare occasions when you instantly dislike someone. I was relishing it.

Then they got out the photo albums to show me pictures of the beaches and oceans and castles and whatever else the heck they traveled to see. In one was a photo of a guy, drop-dead handsome, salt and pepper hair, tanned and in a swimsuit on the beach. Like a dang model! He had a smile a mile wide and the look of someone who loves life and life loves him. I think I said something like "Who's THAT guy!" like you would when you see someone who is darn nice to look at.

Turns out it was Robert's brother. You could have knocked me over. I believe I actually said "You're KIDDING!" like it was beyond believable that this Adonis could be related to the marsupial-like guy in the room. I got the feeling that I wasn't the first person to react that way. I can't remember his name but I think they said he was a teacher. I remember thinking that said it all. And then I felt a little sorry for Robert.