I find it both amusing and interesting that people are reading my thoughts and that they are now commenting on them. Amusing because I don't know many of those people and interesting because I do know many of them. I received a message from someone in Russia, RUSSIA for crying out loud who just wanted to let me know that she thought that I was "funny" and that she likes to read about my kids and my life. Global communication has taken on a whole new meaning for a mom who blogs...
I was thinking about the lottery today, well, about what it would have been like to win that huge jackpot and I let myself imagine the possibilities if I won that kind of money. After about 10 minutes I had to stop because my heart was racing and my palms were sweating and since I don't even buy lottery tickets, I guess the whole exercise is futile. But sometimes it's fun to think about all of the nonsensical and entertaining things that could be done with a ridiculous amount of money. We went to see a movie last week, the 5 of us and, you do the math, but after, we agreed that an outing like that was going to have to be reserved for special occasions only. Seriously, almost a hundred bucks? It makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it. And I love going to the movies, but it has now moved into the realm of "once in awhile" treats, like Dodger games and Kings games and the theater. I love plays by the way and I love the LA Phil and I love to go to productions and sporting events and I would definitely use some of my new found fortune to do some of those activities. Even running events are costing more. $108 for a 1/2 marathon? I might have to just go down to the beach and run my own, well, me and Rosh. Forget the medals and the shirts and the 2,999 other people. I'm going to have to go rogue on this one. So, this notion makes me think about what else "entertains" me these days versus what used to and, sadly, how much it cost.
Museums... fantastic. The Getty, free admission right? Yep, but oh, um, $15 to park? What the fuck is that? Better carpool on that one. And Disneyland... forget it, definitely not the happiest place on earth unless you are a kid and you aren't paying for anything. And concerts, I love concerts, but talk about forking over half a paycheck. And going out to dinner, okay I'm just going to stop now. Depressing. I thought back to the stuff that we used to do as teenagers, when we were dating, when we had very little money and surprisingly, I smiled as I began to remember.
We used to go dancing and although there was a cover charge and sometimes a drink charge, you could stay at a club for hours on end so the charges were appropriate for how much time we got to spend at a place. We spent days, weeks, months down at the beach, skating, reading, drinking (again, not as costly during the afternoons); I remember getting so drunk one time that I rode my bike right off the strand and onto the sand. I don't quite remember how I made it back... We went to high school sporting events and parties that only required a keg and however much liquor people could borrow, buy or steal I guess. We took ice blocks up to the golf course in PV and rode down the hills. We hopped the fence at the drive in and sat between the cars and illegally watched free movies; sometimes, when we were younger, we'd take eggs and throw them at the screen so that they dripped down and left these huge marks and then we'd crack up when the movie came on and the screen was laden with yolk marks. When we were teenagers we'd throw people in the trunks and in the backseats of cars and we'd sneak in to the drivein. We'd sit out on people's lawns on warm days and listen to music, talking, sometimes drinking(notice a theme here?) We'd bike ride everywhere and we'd play strip poker which is always good clean fun and most of the time, free. We'd grab tennis rackets and head to the high schools, playing for hours and sometimes we'd bowl, in the afternoon. Maybe it's a question of tastes changing; now we like to do things that require more money and, ultimately, coupons... but it's nice to do things that are reminiscent of those times when 5 bucks could buy you a a whole day's worth of fun...
Girls night out is a fun activity that sometimes costs a lot, but that one is very worth it, just for the laughter alone. Playing indoor soccer can be costly, but also an activity that releases those precious endorphins and, a whole lot of anger and frustration at the same time. Gardening and watering in the yard while wearing a huge hat is also an activity that doesn't demand much nor does pulling weeds or shooting hoops or feeding the ducks at Wilderness park. Making brownies, coloring, reading or painting my toenails are activities that entertain me at a discount price.
I guess it's because we need more stimulation as we get older or grow up, yes, I set myself up for that one so go ahead and laugh or think what you will for a second, okay, done? But, if I'm going to be entertained to the point where I forget about the annoyances and frustrations of my everyday existence like the fact that I'm home with two sick kids today (help me) then it better be something that I'm looking forward to doing and that can keep my attention for longer than the two seconds that the four year old allows me to be out of his sight line. Is it bad to say that I look forward to the days when Ty goes to preschool... hell no it isn't. It makes me, probably for the first time, completely normal. I love to play Scrabble and do crossword puzzles, I like to play cards (for money) and I love to sit in Ty's little pool on hot days. OH and water balloons, I love to fill up and throw water balloon, yes, at my children...
So, any ideas on how to entertain me? I'm open for suggestions. All I can say is that, please make it semi cheap and please let it be something that doesn't involve a complicated set of rules or some prerequisite of which I have no knowledge, like beer pong. And, if it involves alcohol and music, hey, all the better. Or being naked? Hmmm... just wanted to see if you were still paying attention. Hi Russia girl!
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