As part of my preparation for this trip, I did a little research on clothing. Of course I wanted to be comfortable, but also? I didn’t want to look too much like an American.
Now I realize a few things right away: Any French person would peg me as a Yank at 20 paces, the same way I learned to spot French people when they all swarmed Detroit in the last decade, click-click-clicking their cameras at the ruin porn. But I thought that maybe, if I didn’t cross certain lines, I could at least not stick out like some dipshit. No baseball caps, no fanny packs, you know the drill. So I hit the web, googling “how do French people dress” and packed accordingly.
I had sneakers, not big chunky gym sneakers, but cute, close-cut Italian sneakers, much more fashionable than something you’d wear to work out in. I brought only one set of leggings, which I wear exclusively indoors. Because everything I read indicated that French women would never wear Nikes, and leggings on the street? Non!
I don’t need to tell you how much of this advice was utter bullshit, do I? Everybody — and I mean all ages, both genders, tiny tots to grandparents, are wearing American-style athletic shoes on the street. My Italian sneaks not only aren’t working, but with so much walking, my feet swell as the day progresses, and they’re virtually crippling. I haven’t worn them since day three, when I limped into a Nike store and paid too much for a pair of running shoes, which I wore out of the store. My feet had expanded a half size in mid-afternoon, so there’s the literal rub. The waitress at the restaurant we lunched at today was wearing a leather miniskirt, white cotton sweater, patterned tights and black Adidas.
And leggings are everywhere. Hey, these girls have cute little fannies, and why not wear something that shows them off?
Not that they don’t have that je ne sais quoi. There’s something about the way they can throw together a pair of jeans and a plain white T-shirt and just look fabulous, in a way that no non-fashion model American can pull off. (The men look great, too. I see way more suits here than in Detroit, although hardly any neckties.) It has to do with the accessories, but also the scarves.
Man, the scarves. It’s funny, because the scarves are how I learned to spot the French in Detroit. It could be 80-plus degrees, killer humidity, but you’d see these folks hanging around town taking pictures, in Euro-style eyeglass frames and always, always a scarf. Maybe draped a little loosely, but still — on the neck when someone with my body composition and internal thermostat would have instantly drenched it with sweat. How. Do they DO IT.
The weather has been fine so far, 70s dipping into the 50s at night, but the first day the high was just below 70, people were out in lightweight puffer jackets and scarves. The humidity is pretty high, and when I walk, even casually stroll, in weather like that, I need a jacket and scarf like I need a pair of stilettos. I don’t even wear my good scarves until it gets pretty chilly, because the last thing you want to do with silk is sweat all over it. But here there seems to be no such rule. Today was fine and sunny, in the mid-60s, and we were strolling on the Viaduc du Something-or-Other, i.e. the Paris Highline, I in a very light sweater I didn’t really need, and Alan in long sleeves. A teenage boy quickstepped past us, dressed how I would expect — jeans, a T-shirt with some band name on it, and a red knit scarf wrapped tightly around his neck.
It must be a national garment or something, like the way Eastern European grandmas swaddle babies in enough wool to cook them like pigs in a blanket, and in July no less.
I packed four scarves, tried wearing one on a couple of days, but always took it off after an hour outdoors. I wore one the night we went to the string quartet, and had to keep pulling it away from my neck for fear of ruining it. I think my bloodline is way too German for this place.
Next, I think I’d like to write a little about the pass sanitaire. Which we should have in the U.S., but don’t, because freedom. Au revoir!
Dorothy said on September 28, 2021 at 1:55 pm
As a knitter, I have far too many scarves. Or shawls as the patterns are labeled. I don’t need anymore pairs of handknit socks but I have scads of skeins of sock yarn. So what to make instead? Why a shawl of course! (My idea of a shawl is something very large. I don’t have any large shawls. They are all pretty compact and made from about 375-450 yards of yarn.) Since the yarn is lightweight (sock yarn) they aren’t too heavy to wear. But would I wear one when it’s in the 70’s? Hell to the no. But I packed a couple two years ago for Ireland and Scotland in September and they were very handy to have. Plus I had one on needles for knitting anytime I was sitting down and not eating. I love knitting while traveling. I feel like I’m scooping up the flavor of the city/country/town wherever I’m knitting and then I have that memory forever when I wear it.
Footwear – ugh. I bought a pair of expensive Merrells from DSW online before we left. Size 10. They were just a skosh too tight on me. Did I send them back before we left for our trip? Uhmmm, no. Did I wear them in Ireland? Maybe once but after that they were a pain in the ass to drag around in my luggage. Heavy and uncomfortable and clunky. They’re still in my closet. Anyone who wears 9 or 9.5 size want them and doesn’t mind driving to Dayton to get them? I’ll leave them in the box on my porch!
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David C said on September 28, 2021 at 2:09 pm
When an American goes to Europe and knows for sure they’re not an ugly American, they should probably dress as American as possible. It’s good PR for the home team and we need good PR.
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JodiP said on September 28, 2021 at 2:29 pm
Item 1: Fanny packs are back: https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-fanny-packs.html
Item 2: I have loved, loved scarves since my high school German club trip in 1983. I am wearing one right now because it’s a touch chilly in my office. It is 76 outside. the oldest one I have is about 30 years old, silk, and florally gorgeous. I bought 3 or 4 scarves on my trip to Florence in 2019. Not all the long flowing type; I have smaller ones that basically function like a necklace.
Item 3: Great shoes are…great! Dorothy and Nancy, I feel for you. How miserable. I have fashion sneakers that I wear going out (got a white pair from Primark while in Boston) but have been breaking in a new pair of Keen’s for Ireland. I bought the same model last year and wore them out with all my walking, and just ordered another of the same style.
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Jenine said on September 28, 2021 at 2:42 pm
I spent a few months in Paris after my undergrad degree was done. I went to all the free museum days and gained weight and had a wonderful time. The French think that their health resides in the neck, I think that’s the root explanation for the scarves. Protegez la gorge – protect your throat.
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Suzanne said on September 28, 2021 at 2:45 pm
I have way more scarves than I need, and I don’t think I wear them well at all, but dang, do I love a pretty scarf! I wish I was better at figuring out what to do with them, though. People who wear them well always look so chic!
I bought a pair of dress shoes to match a navy blue dress I bought for a wedding and then realized that I had no shoes to match. I got them on mega-sale at wonderful Roberts Shoes in Fort Wayne. They are so comfy that I went online and ordered a black pair. Once they come, I am donating every other pair of black dress shoes to charity. At age 63, comfort is much more important than looks.
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Scout said on September 28, 2021 at 2:51 pm
I researched wardrobe too before we went to Paris and observed the same, that the information I got was probably created by a 20 something fashion major who really had no clue. I still have and wear often (but not in hot weather) the scarves I bought in Paris in 2006. We bought them for 5 euros each from a street vendor. My only advice would be to NOT buy a beret unless you don’t plan to wear it until you return to the states.
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SusanG said on September 28, 2021 at 3:28 pm
Last time I went to Paris, I bought the bullshit about clothes. By Day 3 my Ecco’s were caput. I sprung a hundred Euros for a pair of Vejas (French running shoes) at Monoprix. Got a pair one size larger than normal, my feet ached and there was so much more to see.
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nancy said on September 28, 2021 at 3:34 pm
Oh, the tourists in berets are hilarious. For some reason the most popular color is red, which makes the wearer look like a walking bottle of Tylenol.
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Beobachter said on September 28, 2021 at 3:42 pm
FWIW, I wear a Fanny pack every dang day in Z-town. Just too practical. Holds phone, wallet, public transportation passes, sun glasses, spare face mask, headphones (for podcasts), pen, keys, gum, emergency fold up grocery sack, and, if I’m hiking/biking, a clip on water bottle.
Converted to that the first time I was in Europe, 1975 (then it was a man purse).
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alex said on September 28, 2021 at 4:23 pm
Jodi, I’m a fan of Keen’s as well, have multiple pairs that seem to be lasting forever.
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Sherri said on September 28, 2021 at 5:40 pm
Can anyone explain to me why it is that Senate Democrats are the only people on the planet who think the filibuster promotes bipartisanship and that it’s possible to shame the Republicans into anything?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/28/mcconnell-debt-limit-democrats-reconciliation/
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Heather said on September 28, 2021 at 5:55 pm
When I was a personal stylist I sometimes had clients who were going to Paris and wanted clothes to fit in. My best advice: don’t do this. Stick to basics like nice jeans, white shirt, cashmere sweaters, etc.; make sure they are good quality; and add some accessories, such as yes, a scarf. Et voila.
It really all is in the fit though. Things like boxy T-shirts and shapeless jeans will have you pegged in no time.
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Deborah said on September 28, 2021 at 8:47 pm
I love scarves too. I bought a few light weight ones when we were in France a couple of years ago in July, wore them everywhere. Then when we were there in December after that I bought some wool ones at a shop in Viaduc du Arts (Paris Highline) and a knit wool one somewhere else, I forget where. I love the way the French fasten their scarves around their necks, it’s different than the ways we do it here, and I always screw it up.
The first time I ever went to Paris I ruined my feet, I had the wrong type of footwear for walking everywhere. I learned the next time and since. Comfy inserts make a big difference.
I finished another Elizabeth Strout book, “The Burgess Boys”, now I’m waiting for the latest one that comes out in late October that I pre-ordered.
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Ann said on September 28, 2021 at 10:15 pm
I’ve never been able to wear scarves. I think I got scared off during the era when women, or at least women lawyers, wore blouses that had ties at the neckline with our suits. Someone remarked somewhere that they looked like we were wearing dead mice around our necks and I was never able to get that image out of my mind.
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Dexter Friend said on September 29, 2021 at 1:06 am
My only scarf, ever. https://images.app.goo.gl/Fm5GT9hqYzTEKH5z9
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Dorothy said on September 29, 2021 at 5:51 am
Deborah I have a reminder on my calendar about that book release to be sure I order it from my niece’s store, Avid, in Athens GA.
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Deborah said on September 29, 2021 at 7:24 am
Meanwhile until I get the new Strout book I’m starting Mary Trump’s “The Reckoning” and I have Jennifer Rubin’s “Resistance, How Women Saved Democracy from Donald Trump”, ready to go too. I’m not sure I can read both of those books in a row though.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 29, 2021 at 8:20 am
So ties are gone in Paris as well? I was curious about that. In court, they’re still minimum wear (no jeans & ties on men for hearings or any proceedings before the bench), but around courthouse square, if you see a guy in a tie, you know they’re heading inside for a hearing next.
At the funeral home, it’s me and the guy holding the door. No one wears them except the very, very old and preachers who are old enough to feel uneasy not wearing a tie to do a service.
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ROGirl said on September 29, 2021 at 8:45 am
I used to wear scarves at the office, but I don’t like them around my neck now, and I have an office job in a manufacturing facility (jeans and sneakers). Scarves under a coat are OK because they keep me warm.
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Mark P said on September 29, 2021 at 8:54 am
The last time I wore a scarf was the last time I rode a motorcycle in cold weather, and that was a long, long time ago. It was entirely functional; the wind finds every little opening at your neck on a motorcycle at highway speed.
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Suzanne said on September 29, 2021 at 8:55 am
I spent way too much time yesterday looking at scarf tying videos. One said never to buy a scarf because you liked it but always buy a scarf to match something you own. I have failed miserably at that!
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basset said on September 29, 2021 at 10:11 am
I’m with Dexter, my only scarf is one very similar to this: https://picclick.co.uk/Leyton-Orient-Football-Supporters-Scarf-363196493164.html#&gid=1&pid=1
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Julie Robinson said on September 29, 2021 at 12:07 pm
When I became a crone, the back of my neck started being cold all the time and scarves became my best friend. I left most of them behind when we came to Orlando and right now even the thought of an extra layer makes me hot.
I have been wondering how we dress in public would change post-Covid. I got so used to wearing yoga pants that putting a scarf on felt like I was dressing up. Hah!
But I’ll go to my grave mourning ties and I’m surprised that Parisian men have ditched them.
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Deborah said on September 29, 2021 at 2:50 pm
My husband hasn’t worn ties for ages even when he’s dressed up in a nice suit and shirt. He just buttons his white shirts all the way up, that is when he actually wears a white shirt. For a while there he wore those shirts with band collars but he doesn’t wear those anymore.
We hardly ever get dressed up anymore. I have a few nice things that I like but nowhere to wear them. Maybe once a year we get dressed up, if even that often.
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Deborah said on September 29, 2021 at 5:12 pm
On Michigan Ave they often decorate the planters between the sidewalk and the street. Sometimes they have an orchestrated display up and down the street of a series of animal statues like cows or dogs that various organizations decorate. The cows were very well done many years ago, they were in reference to Mrs. O’Learys cow and the Chicago Fire. However, right now they have a puzzling display on Mich Ave between Chicago and Superior only, not down the whole Ave. We can’t figure out what it’s supposed to be and it’s very poorly executed. There seem to be fabric wrapped tubs of some sort, some look like wrapped beer kegs maybe (?) then on the fabric various motifs are plastered on them, like playing cards or whatever. Maybe they were put together by elementary school children or something. In any case they could have benefitted from better supervision. Does anyone know what this is about?
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alex said on September 30, 2021 at 8:15 am
“Hi Trashelle…
Mind if I call you Trash?”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/kristi-noem-affair-allegations-lewandowski/2021/09/29/859ad8da-2154-11ec-9309-b743b79abc59_story.html
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ROGirl said on September 30, 2021 at 8:39 am
Alex, I saw that name yesterday and had to look her up!
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Deborah said on September 30, 2021 at 8:57 am
Oh my gosh, there really is a person named Trashelle. I thought you were referring to Noem, until I read the article. And she’s a big Republican donor too. Honestly you can’t make these things up.
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Suzanne said on September 30, 2021 at 9:25 am
If I am not mistaken, S Dakota’s attorney general is the guy who ran over a man, killed him, drove away, went back the next day to look for the body, claimed he thought he’d hit a deer even though, if I recall, the man’s cell phone ended up in the car.
South Dakota. Come for the scenery; stay for the trash(elle) sex and lies.
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Deborah said on September 30, 2021 at 9:29 am
Ok so now I’m reading on Twitter that her name is Trishelle and the Post got it wrong. Who knows?
Also, it’s even worse Suzanne, I read the man’s glasses ended up in the AG’s car. Which means his face went through the windshield. Horrors.
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Suzanne said on September 30, 2021 at 9:49 am
Deborah, maybe it was the man’s glasses. Either way, it was something that deer don’t have and the fact that it ended up in his vehicle means the man hit the windshield so there is no way he didn’t know. Did the AG face any real consequences? No.
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LAMary said on September 30, 2021 at 10:25 am
I interviewed someone named Trashelle. She wasn’t hired. I don’t think it was the same Trashelle. This one was applying for a job in the call center of a chain of eye surgery clinics.
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susan said on September 30, 2021 at 10:35 am
Don’t forget Trashelle’s last name, Odom. One could work with that combo.
I’m so weary of this cheap novella.
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LAMary said on September 30, 2021 at 11:02 am
Had to check my old emails. We also had an applicant named Trashay. The all time winner of bad names was a guy named Phat Ho. I know I’ve mentioned this poor soul here before.
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Deborah said on September 30, 2021 at 11:38 am
My mother’s maiden name was Heine (yes pronounced hiney). But the worst one I heard was a woman who’s name was pronounced fat-chick, but spelled completely differently, Eastern European or something.
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Sherri said on September 30, 2021 at 12:41 pm
The SD AG story: https://www.npr.org/2021/08/27/1031638625/jason-ravnsborg-south-dakota-deadly-crash
He just settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the victim’s widow, but has no intention of stepping down.
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Deborah said on September 30, 2021 at 6:50 pm
Trashelle has kept me going all day. I don’t care if it’s her real name or not. A Trump donor should have that name. And Trashay would come a close second.
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Dexter Friend said on October 1, 2021 at 2:58 am
Terdell Sands and Terdell Middleton , old football players. “C’mere you little turd-ell !”
Fuchs is a rather common name. In the army there was a guy named that and he said his name was pronounced “Fox”. Of course, in formation, he was was addressed as “Fucks”. There was an old baseballer who pronounced it “Fewks”.
Young “Fucks” got so mad one day he went after another trainee who was ridiculing his name. The drill sergeant set up a fight for Friday night…someone procured old beat boxing gloves from the day room and the sergeants walked away and the two trainees went at it until one of them dropped, knocked the hell into la-la land. After the first volley of hits I walked away. This had become a fight between the Kentucky boys and the Indiana boys…the Michigan boys were not involved, but I had learned that along the KY-IN border, there was a rivalry between boys that transcended sports and involved which side of the river one lived on. This was at Fort Knox, Kentucky. “Fucks” was a Kentucky boy…he bloodied the Indiana boy to a pulp.
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ROGirl said on October 1, 2021 at 5:12 am
I was disappointed to learn that Ima Hogg, the daughter of a Texas governor, didn’t really have a sister named Ura.
https://www.austintexas.gov/blog/ima-hogg
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David C said on October 1, 2021 at 7:05 am
Trashelle’s parents’ first choice of Garbagina was rejected for being too out there.
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LAMary said on October 1, 2021 at 5:01 pm
I did hire Trashay but she only lasted a couple of weeks. The call center was a tough place.
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Deborah said on October 1, 2021 at 5:23 pm
I finished the Mary Trump book, “The Reckoning”. It was short, easy reading, well written as in basically good sentences. But it was lacking in substance. Sometimes she made wild claims about politics without back up. I thought it was going to be about the ptsd that we’re facing as a result of her uncle and Covid. It touches on that but mainly it’s about race. It describes the atrocities that slaves were put through on their passage here after being torn from their villages etc, how horribly they were treated while working and being owned by monstrously cruel masters. And then how ineffective reconstruction was and how horribly blacks have been treated to this day. All of that is true and it’s good to be reminded of it and how something needs to be done to reckon with all of that as the overarching trauma our country continues to face. It lacked deep diving and maybe that’s ok. Maybe we white folks need an overview reminder from time to time, that there’s an enourmous problem now and has been for hundreds and hundreds of years, race is our collective trauma, not simply put but her book tried, I’ll give her that.
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alex said on October 1, 2021 at 6:28 pm
So the school anti-mask movement is a masquerade:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/10/01/masks-schools-koch-money/
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Sherri said on October 2, 2021 at 12:06 am
It’s fascinating to me that in the current battle in Congress, progressives are trying to push for things that will actually help ordinary people, while Manchin and Sinema are fighting for no one can say what exactly, other than it’s too much, and yet there’s no shortage of hippie-punching going on in the pundit class. It has to be the fault of the left, no matter what they’re doing, the “centrists” must be keeping us from the danger of those radicals!!!!
It’s never too much when it’s bailing out corporations, or farmers, or defense contractors. Just when it’s the people Dems supposedly have neglected.
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Sherri said on October 2, 2021 at 12:19 am
And why is there hippie-punching? Because the progressives didn’t back down. I may not always agree with Pramila Jayapal, but she understands how power works.
https://prospect.org/infrastructure/building-back-america/progressive-caucus-wields-power/
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Dexter Friend said on October 2, 2021 at 1:23 am
Sinema has no good reason for being in Congress. Her behavior is disgusting.
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Suzanne said on October 2, 2021 at 7:04 am
I think Sinema was elected because the person she ran against was a complete whack job who was too crazy for even right leaning voters, if memory serves me correctly. McCain’s term was finished out by someone who had been in Congress but who didn’t want to run for the office and then Republicans candidate who ran in the next election was so bad, Sinema was the lesser of 2 evils.
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LAMary said on October 2, 2021 at 11:00 am
I agree, Suzanne. The person she ran against was too weird for Arizona politics. Sinema annoys the shit out of me. She and Manchin are loving their moment of power.
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Heather said on October 2, 2021 at 1:23 pm
There was a girl with the last name Slutzky at my high school, and I know another woman whose last name is Butt. People can’t help their last names but I do wonder about the thought process behind Trashelle, etc.
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LAMary said on October 2, 2021 at 2:18 pm
There was a family named Slutzky in my home town. Two of the girls were in high school same time I was. My maiden name is fairy weird but there were enough us in the clan to diffuse the ridicule. When I used to rep imported food I called on restaurants and hotels and the Spanish speaking guys in the kitchens used to call me Senorita Peccando.
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Julie Robinson said on October 2, 2021 at 3:45 pm
My birth name was Pigott, and I can personally attest to the misery of having such a name. Especially if one runs toward chunkiness for a good part of one’s youth.
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Deborah said on October 2, 2021 at 4:57 pm
Julie, mine was Puckett, one letter away from shame.
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alex said on October 2, 2021 at 5:39 pm
A high school friend’s mother would refer to me as “Karchner,” mostly behind my back, but eventually I caught on and asked my friend what was up with that.
Her mother worked in the court clerk’s office where people went for name changes. My friend told me that her mom’s favorite workplace story was about a family that changed their name to Karchner. They were tired of taking crap from people for having the name Fagg.
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Julie Robinson said on October 2, 2021 at 5:59 pm
That’s kind of harsh, Alex.
Tomorrow many churches will offer blessings of the animals in commemoration of St. Francis, and our daughter’s will be too. But this year they’re taking it one step further, with four kittens from a local cat rescue also in attendance. The hope is that someone there will be looking to adopt, and will fall in love and fill out paperwork.
But not me. Four animals are giving me horrible allergy problems and I am wheezing every night when I lay down. I saw my new doctor yesterday and he is switching my allergy meds, but also prescribing Singulair. Does anyone here take it? I read the list of side effects, all 17 of them, and they’re all about mental health issues, ranging from irritability to suicidal thoughts. Scary stuff. I’ve decided not to take it right away but just to try the new antihistamine for a week first.
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David C said on October 2, 2021 at 6:27 pm
My sister uses Singulair but she has full blown asthma. Using it for allergies seems like killing a fly with an elephant gun. I’m no doctor though. For my allergies I use generic Allegra one year and generic Xyzal the next. I found using one all time didn’t work long term and switching off helped me a lot. I also use generic Flonase when things are really bad but if I use it for more than a week I get a bloody nose.
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Julie Robinson said on October 2, 2021 at 7:33 pm
My history includes pneumonia and asthma, and the wheezing scares me, because I remember not being able to get a deep breath. But I didn’t know Singulair was for asthma before he prescribed it. I’ve been using Allegra and occasional Flonase and he switched me to Xyzal and daily Flonase.
I dunno, I didn’t warm to the guy but told myself I don’t have to love my doctor. That side effect list, though, yikes.
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LAMary said on October 2, 2021 at 11:17 pm
I just got a new doctor and I’m not thrilled. I’ve had four doctors in the last twenty years. One moved his office too far away, another changed medical groups so my insurance no longer worked for her. The third retired after I had seen him twice. This new one is so so. I went in to get a check up required before my cataract surgery and she ordered a long list of tests including a colonoscopy. I just want to be able to see well enough to drive. My depth perception is so messed up by being essentially blind in one eye that I have to feel where the coffee cup is so I don’t pour coffee all over the counter. I also just started a new job and I’d rather not have take a lot of days off for colonoscopy, stress tests, mammograms etc. right after I’ve started. I don’t need to know all that stuff before it’s ok to get a damn cataract procedure. The eye doctor said that after the cataract surgery I would only need glasses for reading. Let me get there then I’ll do all that other shit.
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Dave said on October 2, 2021 at 11:20 pm
Julie, you’re making a large effort to live with all of your family, I have dander allergies and believe if I had to live with even one cat, it would kill me. Our little Bichon we had never bothered me with all of her thick fur because it was more like hair and she didn’t shed. However, if I petted her and scratched her, all the things you do with a favored pet, I had to wash my hands thoroughly before I made any mistakes like touching my face.
I couldn’t do what you’re doing, something would have to change.
In only twelve more days, we’re leaving Florida and going back to Indiana, not Fort Wayne but north of Indy. We’ve tired of living so far from family and would rather do winter than do without family. That, the pandemic, and our steadily advancing age made us decide to do it.
All of this talk about doctors, ugh, we both hate the thought of finding new doctors. We really like our doctor here and don’t relish leaving him. We’ve done pretty well with an eye doctor, too, after trying a couple of different ones. Oh, and insurance, how do you decide? Yikes.
The lady who bought our home here has the last name of Crabb. I’m guessing she’s had a few cracks passed her way growing up.
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Dexter Friend said on October 3, 2021 at 1:39 am
Jeez…all I have had to endure is my middle name, Milton. Milton Berle was big when I was a kid and just one kid, my basketball teammate Mikey, always did and always will call me “Uncle Miltie”. My last name draws attention, almost always pleasantly. “That’s a nice friendly name .” (ha ha follows)
Once I called the XM station I listen to daily to stick up for Ringo Starr’s ability to play drums. Yeah, Paul played the kit on “Back in the USSR”, but jeez, just ask Dave Grohl and other great drummers…anyway, I pissed off the show’s host, and he took my real name and started in on how I used a phony name because “nobody is named Friend!” and he called me a dumb ass ham and egger. So I haven’t called back in 9 years, but I still listen every day. In my first lit class at IU in Fort Wayne Prof. Dale Iwataki made big deal out of my name, along with 5 other kids who had names famous in English literature…can’t remember their names anymore, of course mine was correlated to John Milton.
Once I made fun of a kid when I was 9. His last name was Sheets, a rather common name. I thought it was funny to call him “Shits”. He had a brilliant comeback…”You’re….you’re….your last name is fuck!” Brilliant. Dumb shit kid anyway. Ha ha.
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Deborah said on October 3, 2021 at 2:32 am
LAMary, get that cataract surgery soon, you’ll be so glad you did.
Julie, my husband’s cat allergies got worse and worse over time. When our cats had died after 15 and 17 years he finally got relief but it took a while, he was too bonded to get rid of them before that. I feel for you.
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LAMary said on October 3, 2021 at 12:22 pm
I’ve been trying to get cataract surgery for a year. First there was a Medicare supplemental insurance screw up that delayed my coverage going into effect until last July, then having switched insurance companies because they screwed up I had to find new doctors, get appointments (not easy during the pandemic) and now get every damn medical test done before the primary care doc oks me for outpatient eye surgery. Do they really need a liver screen for eye surgery? Colonoscopy?.Bone density? It’s the primary care doc holding things up. I’m so freaking stir crazy from not being able to drive and really tired of being dependent on people for rides, errands.
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