Life’s little mishaps September 12, 2007

Something strange happened to me today, and I found myself shocked and a little upset. With Boppa being in the hospital and everything that has gone on with my family, the fact that I got engaged on Saturday has not been at the forefront of my priority list. Am I happy about it? Thrilled. But is it the most important thing at this particular time? Definitely not because Boppa is the most important. There will come a time in the near future when this commitment finds itself at the top of my list, but for right now my mind is on things other than planning a wedding.

 Because of all this, I have not really had the time to update many of my friends on this exciting piece of news. Of course I told my family, but for the most part I have let others find out either from this blog or from Facebook, where you will notice my “relationship status” has changed to “engaged.” I figured there would be time to celebrate this with friends later as I begin to let everyone know on my own time. Unfortunately, this plan backfired today. In an e-mail to a friend, I briefly let her know the good news. She replied with a “Congratulations!” that was quickly followed with a somewhat sarcastic remark about how I told her five days after it happened and in an afterthought of an e-mail, no less. I understand how she might have felt hurt that I didn’t tell her sooner. But considering the circumstances that have been occurring, of which everyone important to me is well aware (including her as I consider her a very important part of my life!), I would like to think that people would understand if they don’t hear the news immediately.

 I pray everyone is considerate to the situation with my Boppa, and I promise you all that I don’t mean to hurt you in any way by not keeping you in the loop. Today’s mishap has deeply troubled me, and I’m really not sure what to think or how to react.

An Update on Life September 9, 2007

I’m in Phoenix right now. It’s funny–I was here just several short weeks ago, and even yesterday morning I had no clue that in less than 24 hours I’d wind up right back in the desert. It’s funny how things work out. Boppa is back in the hospital, which is the reason for my coming, and we’re really praying hard that we’ll be able to get him out soon.

Meanwhile, there has at least been one good distraction to all this mess! Yesterday, about six hours before I boarded the plane, Jake and I were laying in bed talking. It had been an awful day so far. I had to do work-related activities on a Saturday morning, I heard that Boppa was back in the hospital, and in my flustered state I locked my keys in the car for the first time in about three years.. while at a gas station.. and 30 minutes from home. Anyway, Jake had rescued me, and after we got home we went to make a valliant attempt at a nap. It didn’t happen for me though, as while we were having some pillow talk he said four little words that changed my life: “Will you marry me?” OF COURSE I said yes! And my ring is beautiful.

I’ll try to update as best I can in the next few days. Everyone hang in there.

My Week In A Nutshell September 7, 2007

Need-to-know information:
I work as a film promoter. This means I set advance screenings of movies, send out free movie passes, get ads put in newspapers, on TV, on radio, etc. to give away passes to these screenings. I also send out passes to local businesses. I have the world’s coolest and bestest supervisor, and a great co-worker as well who can get the job done well.

Now.. my lovely, wonderful week. Thanks, work.

1. Monday: (evening) Forget to plug in cell phone.
2. Tuesday: (morning) Realize the cell phone mistake. Shrug it off.
3. Tuesday: (late afternoon) Call theatre about screening tonight. Stoner kid says the movie is there and being set up.
4. Tuesday: (leaving work) Cell phone dies. Take it home, plug it in.
5. Tuesday: (evening) Phone, unbeknownst to Katie, decides not to ring. Too tired from low battery all day.
6. Tuesday: (evening) Same time, people frantically trying to call. Theatre does NOT have movie. Kid lied.
7. Tuesday: (evening) Phone finally rings. Katie freaks.
8. Tuesday: (evening) Situation finally taken care of after an hour and a half on the phone with various people.
9. Wednesday: (morning) Mentally exhausted, can hardly get out of bed.
10. Wednesday: (afternoon) Clients keep hounding.. can’t get away! Aaaaahh!
11. Thursday: (morning) Co-worker has to go to press screening. His car won’t start.
12. Thursday: (morning) Supervisor jumps co-worker’s car. He leaves.
13. Thursday: (late morning) Dial into co-worker’s conference call. Half hour later, finally hang up because it never happened!
14. Thursday: (afternoon) Co-worker’s second conference call missed because he’s still at screening. Katie’s at lunch. Oops.
15. Thursday: (afternoon) Take my own conference call.. 20 minutes late because of technical difficulties.
16. Thursday: (afternoon) Co-worker calls. “Can you come pick me up at the mall? I’m stuck.” Leave to get co-worker.
17. Thursday: (afternoon) On the way back to office, get flipped off by some little kid in the back of a schoolbus.
18. Thursday: (afternoon) Something else catastrophic involving a lot of work in a couple weeks. Uh oh!
19. Thursday: (early evening) Drive co-worker back to mall. Go into Sears, help him buy ratchet set.
20. Thursday: (early evening) Help co-worker change a car battery. Takes over an hour.
>>non work related: burn chicken, almost set home on fire. Definitely smoke boyfriend out of home for 20 minutes. Oops.<<
21. Friday: (morning) I don’t want to go into it.
22. Friday: (morning) Still can’t find people to help out with promotional stunt on Saturday. Rawr.
23. Friday: (afternoon) Realize an ad with incorrect information ran. Everyone hears about it! EVERYONE!
24. Friday: (afternoon) Open box, finding World’s Worst Promo Item Ever. Seriously, who wants a car air freshener that smells like dirty jock strap?
25. Friday: (evening) Leaves the office, knowing that work will be invading Friday evening and Saturday morning. Ugh.

A few other mishaps fell into there somewhere, but man. What a stinking week.

A special thanks to you.. September 7, 2007

To everyone who has read the first two entries of this blog (mainly the second): Thank you! I am so grateful to know there are people like you all (or y’all as we say in these here parts) who care so deeply about my family and what Boppa has been going through. From talking to other members of the family and hearing from them, I know that it is the prayers and encouragement that keep us all afloat. We couldn’t do it without you! I feel so blessed to know that there are people out there who care about what others have to go through, and I thank God that He has given our family friends such as yourselves.

So here’s to you!

Boppa the Hero September 5, 2007

It has been a difficult and tumultuous last few months for my family. The most frustrating aspect of this is that the time has flown by, when for all intent and purpose I wish it would slow down.

A couple months ago–and I’ll save you all the details–we discovered my grandpa (aka Boppa) was suffering from sarcoma that had hit a particularly vital bone. While at no point did anyone even consider this situation to be a good one, we had a lot of hope at first that this was a small setback that could be corrected with the typical surgery followed by a few rounds of radiation. Wrong. Surgery was impossible, save for physically removing the bone and placing Boppa in a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. Other treatment options? We watched them fly out the window, one by one, day by day.

About three weeks ago we all were, agreeably, at our lowest point in the Hope Spectrum. But then something amazing happened: It seemed that the University of Washington had a new type of radiation, and it could be a good fit for Boppa’s condition! His doctors faxed his information to Seattle on a Friday, and then we had to wait for the call telling us whether or not this was something that could maybe happen. I happened to be visiting Grandma and Boppa a few days after this grain of possibility tumbled into our lives, and I got to experience with them the anxious waiting, the mind-numbing concentration as we silently (and in some cases, very verbally) willed the phone to ring, with the caller ID displaying the blessed number from Washington state. There was that initial jump followed by a tense silence that followed each ring of the phone, and the strong desire to kick something whenever the caller ID told us it was someone else. But, with all things we wait impatiently for, this too eventually did happen (and on my birthday, no less)! Of course, Boppa was outside when the event occurred and we had to scurry around the place trying to find him. He finally came in, and while he and Grandma disappeared into the study Jake and I rocked back and forth, holding our breaths, our minds screaming silent last-minute prayers to God to please make Boppa Seattle-bound.

An eternity (or two minutes) later, Grandma came out of the study and told us the verdict: They would fly out to Seattle in several days. The announcement stunned us–could it finally have happened that we received good news? Grandma and I hugged, and the waterworks came with a vengeance! I called Mom with the good news, and I think she spent a good half the day crying too. We celebrated that night and enjoyed the feeling of a large anvil being lifted from our backs and minds.

To me, the simple name “Seattle” has now embodied my dreams and my prayers for a miracle, or at least continued good news. Unfortunately, our path to the mecca of healing has been slow-going. Pain, despite not being the “official” problem, has hindered Boppa from the start. I’m not with him and Grandma right now (thanks real life, real job, real world..), but how I wish I were! We all wish we were there to try in our own ways to add some kind of comfort to the situation. I know each day brings more and more pain to Boppa while we wait for treatments to start next week, and it breaks my heart a little bit every time I think about it. Boppa has always been a rock in my life, a brave man who provided well for his family. My family is one full of love, and Boppa is its heart. I can remember being a small child and being asked to draw my daddy in preschool and elementary school. Not having a daddy at that time (in fact, I didn’t get an “official” daddy until I was of the legal age), I always drew my Boppa instead. I remember drawing a picture of him in his workshop in his basement, where he always seemed at home. I  also remember drawing him on a big green blob that was supposed to be a golf course (I’ve never been the most artistic person in the world, so sue me). Again, he always seemed more at home than ever on big green blobs.

Boppa, get back to that big green blob. It’s where you belong.

My hero is a good man, and when I graduated from college he gave me the best advice anyone has ever offered: “If you think you’re having a bad day today, just remember that one year from now you’ll be even more stressed out, and you won’t remember what you were stressing about today.” So true. My hero is Boppa.

Prayers, please for my Boppa. And prayers that Seattle can get Boppa back to his big green blob.

The tale of Gingerfeathers September 4, 2007

Hi friends, and welcome to my humble first attempt at an official (i.e. non-Livejournal or MySpace) blog. I’d like to first extend a hearty “thank you” to Ron, who was instrumental in helping me figure this out, and ultimately, making it work out. Ron, you’re the best, and I owe you one.

 As the first post, I thought I would delve a little bit into the history of the name “Gingerfeathers,” since I’m sure a lot of people see the name and go, “What the [insert expletive of choice] is that name?” In fact, it’s a name I’ve used for various log-ins online, but there’s a little bit more to it than that. Obviously.. right?

So here’s the deal. A whopping estimated 95% or more of you have not seen or heard of the movie Top Hat, made in 1935 and starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Aha.. Ginger! There’s the first half of this not-so-tantalizing mystery. For those who know me or have read up on various (MySpace, Facebook) websites, I love the Fred and Ginger movies. While most people in our society cannot stomach the thought of black and white film, let alone black and white musicals made in the 1930s (hush your gag reflex.. I hear it!), I adore them. At least these ones. There’s something so wonderful about a simple plot that would make any filmmaker in today’s world laugh out loud at the thought of putting such absurdities on film. And who can not appreciate the dancing? It’s simply phenomenal. Gene Kelly was correct in his quote: “If Fred Astaire is the Cary Grant of Dance, I’m the Marlon Brando.” Okay, so Fred Astaire wasn’t quite the hottie Mr. Kelly was, but his tap shoes made up for any lack of sex appeal he might have had. On film, you can believe that a gorgeous, young Ginger Rogers could fall in love with a skinny, balding, nerdy old crooner when he serenades her with “The Way You Look Tonight.” I love it, and I cannot get enough of the delight I feel when watching these films.

However, it’s time to meander back to the story. There’s a popular myth about a particular scene in Top Hat when Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are dancing while Fred sings, “Cheek to Cheek.” When Fred’s song is over, the two break into an absolutely gorgeous dance as the orchestra plays on grandly. Out of all the movies I have ever seen, I do believe that this particular scene is one of the most beautiful moments in cinematic history. It’s truly a spectacle, and despite being in black and white, there’s still something so vivid and breathtaking about it. The simplicity, along with the very lengthy shots (commonplace in Fred and Ginger movies to showcase the dancing–fewer shots means, “Holy crap.. they just did that whole thing from start to finish flawlessly? Dang!”) just add to the effect. But one of the best parts of this scene is Ginger’s dress: It’s made with what looks to be about 50 pounds of ostrich feathers (aha, see? Feathers!), and its movements (along with its sheer volume) practically make it a third partner in this dance. Anyway, supposedly there had been some discussions before the shooting of this scene as to whether or not Ginger should wear the dress. The boys (namely Fred and the director, Mark Sandrich) felt the dress would be too big and wouldn’t work well on camera, and the girls (mainly Ginger and her mother) thought it’d be great. Ultimately, girls won (yay!), and the dress was worn. Things went along great until this big dance sequence. The first spin happened, and next thing you know feathers are flying everywhere. In his autobiography, Fred Astaire later commented that it looked as though a chicken had been attacked by a coyote. Was it really that bad? I’m not sure (in Ginger’s autobiography, she claims it was not the huge debacle it was made out to be in cinema lore). Nevertheless, the dress stopped shedding just enough so that the scene could be filmed (and if you look closely, you can still see some stray feathers flying off and floating around on the floor), and it was amazing. After this incident, Fred gave Ginger a little gold feather charm and the nickname “Feathers.”

And there is the bland, probably boring, story of Gingerfeathers. It’s my little homage to a moment in the golden era of Hollywood that makes me smile. I only wish I had been there to see the real thing–I’m sure it was a good time!

 With that, here are a few photos so you might have at least some clue as to what I’m talking about.

 

 Until next time, enjoy.