7-Quick Takes

1.  What is with older nieces and nephews referring to me and Mr. Pete as “Pete and Ellie,” or “Pete and Elena?”  Not Uncle Pete, or Aunt Ellie?  Is this a millennial thing? We’re all over 21 and so now we’re on a first-name basis?

It’s a little jarring. Last week I received birthday greetings from a niece who called me, “Ellie.” One of my son’s friends referred to me as “Elena” instead of “Mrs. LaVictoire. I can still remember changing many of their diapers, wiping their sticky fingers, or watching them cry over some silly injustice at family get-togethers. We are not peers. And we won’t be equals unless they  change my diaper, or wipe my sticky fingers, or help me get the last pudding cup at the nursing home.

I call that incentive to remain independent in my old age.

Lauren Mitchell via Flickr, licensed cc. 

2.  When Mr. Pete and I moved to Ohio, one of the first things I did upon moving into our apartment was to call and get our utilities turned on. I was promptly told that they would not turn on the electric or gas unless I personally came downtown with a deposit worth a couple of hundred dollars.

A little scared at the prospect of spending our first days in an apartment without heat or light, I called Mr. Pete at work. He was able to call both utility companies and get our services on over the phone, without even giving a credit card number!  I was incensed.

2.  Calvin and Sarah closed on their first home yesterday. They are so excited!!

So Sarah called to get the utilities turned on for today and the gas and electric people told her that it couldn’t be done without some sort of payment ahead of time, and certainly it could not be done by today!

Calvin remembered me telling the story of my adventures with the utility company 30 years ago. He  made the call to the utility companies himself and got the lights and gas on for today.

Some things never change despite the passage of time, or geography!

They move in today!

3.  Gabe is also trying to buy a house!  It turns out that paying a monthly mortgage would be easier on his budget than paying rent. Trying to get pre-qualified though is tricky.

I’ve been a seller for the past couple of years, but I had forgotten that being a buyer can be stressful too!

4.  I can’t keep up with the vocabulary changes I see every week. And what really kills me, is that other folks throw these words and phrases around as if they have always used them!

Language changes a lot faster than it did in the past, probably because of the internet and social media,but I’ll bet the Urban Dictionary people even have a hard time keeping up.

I have been following the Laci Green Saga on Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter, and heard the term “Red Pilled.”  I had no idea what that was. To my surprise and delight, Mr. Pete knew immediately because he was a fan of The Matrix.   So in this instance, it took 17 years for the term to fully enter the vernacular.

Of course, Gaslight is a 70 year old movie and now “gaslighting” is a very popular term!

5.  Earlier this month I succumbed to some sales pitch and bought a course for Noah that was supposed to help me be successful in applying for scholarships. I thought if he could get at least a $500 scholarship, that would pay for the course. Anything else would help him actually pay for his tuition.

So far I have been kicking myself for putting out that money because he has yet to apply for a single scholarship…

The one valuable piece of information I did get from the program is that those scholarships that say you just have to enter, but don’t have to write an essay – aren’t worth your time. It’s better to actually put the effort into writing an essay.

We’ll see how it goes.

6.  Izzy’s party is a little over a month away. She is designing her own centerpieces – this is what she’s working on!

Last year she painted mason jars black and added ribbons and a picture for Noah’s graduation party.

This year – she’s going with rhinestones!

7.  I just found out that I need to have a head shot taken for publicity for the concert I am doing in April. I don’t have one and I don’t think there is enough time to get a professional picture (nor do I want to incur that kind of cost – I shot all my kids’ graduation pictures after all!). So Ilooked for some inspiration for some poses, but age appropriate.

Maybe something like this.

but I think I might feel more comfortable with something like this:

Courtis Perry via Flickr,  licensed cc

Here’s the one I liked – Mr. Pete took the shot.