Monty Python, The Beatles, & Me

Extracts from my diary about my Las Vegas trip

6-30-08
I am in Vegas right now! Been here for a few days already and will be leaving in two days' evening.
The day we arrived (well, night) it was around ..10 PM.. or so (Vegas time, not Miami.) and while the partying was just getting started, we were so tired. We went to our room, ordered lots of room service and basically turned in, exhausted. The next day, Saturday, my Mom and I visited the Secret Garden & Dolphins (there is a baby dolphin name Sgt. Pepper) with lions, leopards, and tigers- even 5 baby cubs that were from the same litter from Florida; however no one knew where in Florida. The garden belongs to Siegfried and Roy-this Mirage hotel was where they usually perform but ever since Siegfried got mulled by a tiger, they don't perform so basically the Cirque du Soleil & the Beatles LOVE took over. After we went back to our room to chill out and took a nap, we got ready to go to the Wynn hotel to see Monty Python's Spamalot which I paid for. It was written by Eric Idle with the approval from Michael Palin, Terry Jones & Gilliam, and John Cleese; it was also a winner of some Tony awards. Spamalot is a bit of a parody of the Holy Grail movie (I love that movie!) with new stuff, songs, and a little reference here and there from the series like the fish slapping dance, a line from the Lumberjack song, Spam, and Always Look at the Bright Side of Life from Life of Brian movie. The show was starred by John O'Hurley; it was VERY FUNNY!!!! I laughed so hard- it was great! So glad and worth it to see. Missed it when they were down in Miami earlier this year. My mom wants to buy the soundtrack which is pretty much available. Before the show, we passed the time of gambling- I played what I played at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino- the Wheel of Fortune slots- I didn't do the one with one bar, I suck on that! I did pretty well considering. After the show, we went back to the Mirage Hotel and gambled some more. My mom went to do Blackjack while I hogged the I Dream of Jeannie slot machine which carried Barbara Eden's voice. I did pretty poorly at first even to the point where I only had one credit and then all of the sudden it went to 6,000 credits (which is about $300). $100 is 2,000 credits. But did I quit then? No! I kept going like a true gambler. Eventually though, it was almost ..3 AM.. and I was starting to nod off to sleep so I quit- I got $120 and went back to the hotel room. My mom was already asleep.

The following day (yesterday) was day one of Beatles' fest. In the morning, while I was sleeping, my mom went down to the pool for 45 minutes to an hour when she returned, got ready for the day. Had breakfast at the Roasted Bean and made our way to the Beatles' fest area. We were pretty early so we hung out, talking to other Beatle fans and finally got our wristbands but it didn't open for another 30 minutes, so hung out some more until the doors opened. I made a beeline for Pattie Boyd's room where her Photos were on display on one side of the room as well as Photos with her and George and her modeling as well as some outfits that she wore in the '60's. Pattie wasn't there yet but her art manager was and the person who was selling some of Pattie's merchandise was there. The art manager promised to call Pattie to find out where she was (fixing her hair…just like Eric's Wonderful Tonight song!) so I looked around while waiting. I just wanted to get this over with! I already had my long-waited questions set but prayed that I wouldn't say something stupid, like who was better in bed- George or Eric? However I knew she wouldn't answer that. I think it is fair to say that she loved them both but needless to say that George was the love of her life (hey, she said so!). She came in and as she was walking by me, I complimented on her outfit- she said "Thank you" very politely and I was like "Oh My God! She saw me, she heard me, AND she spoke to me!!!" Pattie Boyd, who has seen George Harrison naked, spoke to me!!! I had already bought a few things as well as having my little notebook (which provides some past autographs from 2005's Super Soap Weekend and 2006's Beatlesfest) I got from Mariska Hargitay's site some years back (unfortunately they don't sell it anymore, just a little hand-size notebook). I had made a special page just for her to sign in but in order for that to happen, I had to pay $25! Stupid idea I think, but I didn't say anything. I was just happy that she would sign it. I was the second person to do the meet-greet thing, even took a picture of Sandy (the woman in front of me, also a members of some Pattie Yahoo Groups that I belong to) with Pattie. I was nervous like you would never believe, my hands were shaking. Then it was my turn. She signed 3 things for me- my autograph/scrapbook, a picture, and a collage-y poster of hers that I had gotten just a few minutes prior to her arrival. I spelled out my name for her and then asked my long-waited questions. I asked if she and Maureen ever made peace after what happened (Maureen and George had a brief affair) before Maureen died: Pattie said yes- I am glad at that. Then I asked if she and Cynthia are still friends: they are but they haven't spoken recently (hey, maybe it'll inspire Pattie to ring Cynthia up for a chat!). She said that Cynthia lived in ..Isle of Man.. but I corrected her- she now lives in Spain! Damn aren't I bad to correct her! But it's the truth….I asked if she read "John", Cynthia's own book. Pattie answered that she started to read it but hadn't finished as she got busy with other things. I told her that Cynthia wrote very nice things about her and Pattie seemed pleased about it. While she was signing my notebook, I complimented on the photo of her and George that she took herself with the roses in the background- very beautiful and she echoed me. I left her room (also got a picture with her- my arm was around her! She had her arm around me!) and left. Man I'm such a nerd, a giddy nerd. I felt such an "OMG!!!! feeling. I called Cindy right away and told her what just happened before hanging up to go into the flea market to have my wallet drained with lots of goodies.

I saw and met with Nancy Lee Andrews who dated Ringo from 1974-1980 who was very kind. I had a wrong impression of her- thinking she was a bitch for breaking up Ringo and Maureen but I no longer think that. She was really lovely, really friendly. Besides, Ringo didn't want to be married anymore and live in Los Angeles- I believe he loved Maureen but something changed, perhaps her affair with George? It seemed complicated yet understandable in a way. I got Nancy's book "A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll" and a free photo (of Ringo, dressed, in a bathtub).

Then I met Deborah Chesner, a photographer who was friends with Maureen in the 1970s and has a book "Everyone I Shot is Dead". I bought it with a picture as well and asked, of course; about Maureen- I loved the photos of Maureen with her children at Friar Park in 1977. She was very hands on, as was Ringo (according to Nancy). Deborah also revealed (well, more so today at her discussion in the video room) that when he had surgery on his intestines, he stayed with Maureen to recover- of course not in a romantic way. Deborah recognized their bond, wondered why they ever broke up. It was very obvious that Ringo and Maureen still loved each other, caring for one another, loyal, trusting- Ringo was even at her bedside when she died back in 1994 and from my understanding he was very devastated by her death. I think he still misses her in a way, which is really sweet.

Afterwards I went to see Billy J. Kramer, who, unfortunately, I was not very impressed by. This lady who was sitting next to him was telling another about what Billy's real name is and it was John who inserted J in his stage name as it sounded better. I chimed in, saying that it was for Julian, John marking the birth of his son, but Billy didn't know until later (he didn't like the name but Brian agreed it sounded better and Billy did respect Brian's word for it). I asked Billy if he had met Julian (no) while he signed my book and then took a big bite of his meaty sandwich- so I got no picture- which I am not really bothered by it. I get that he was hungry but geez dude. I will say that later during the conversation with Martin Lewis, he praised Brian who was a great manager and should be in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, deserving his credit.

I heard (well saw) Pattie's conversation- starting a bit of her childhood, to modeling, getting the part in "A Hard Day's Night" (even said her one like "Prisoners!") and dating George, and that was it for the day. Found Mom, went to our room for a quickie relax moment before getting dinner and seeing LOVE- what a great show! Awesome! Worth it! Then I went back to I Dream of Jeannie, hoping to have some luck again but it ended up pretty bad! My pride was so bruised- I found my mom playing Blackjack, telling her about it. Got some cokes and chips to go to my room and ordered pizza from room service to nurse my pride and swear off gambling for the rest of the time. Before the pizza came, Mom came in with the similar blues and I shared my pizza.

The next day (today) we both got up pretty late, ordered room service for breakfast, getting ready for another round of Beatles' fest. Of course I spent a lot of money as I did the other day like a mad woman. Got Mark Hudson's autograph and picture (very kind man- he had worked with Ringo and is the Uncle to Kate Hudson) and pretty much mosey-posey around. Saw Deborah's presentation and then Jorie's which was after in the video room and quickly went to the main ballroom to listen to Pattie's second conversation- mostly about taking pictures, and the meditation experience. Donovan later snuck up behind her, surprising her and they posed on the stage- it had been 40 years since they all went to India. Later on, I went back to her room to see her film she had on and spoke to her merchandise man (I found out that she was going to see LOVE for the first time that same day, the 10 PM show) and then struck a conversation with one of the security men about songs written for Pattie including For You Blue which is a great song. He wasn't sure about it so…I asked Pattie myself. She said yes and I asked about I Need You which was in the "Help!" movie but she doesn't really recall the song- I kinda joked (& meant it too) of digging into it and listening to it which she agreed about with a chuckle. Amazingly enough, I was feeling casual around Pattie unlike yesterday where I was shaking around all sorts of emotions! Then I spoke to another 'fest security who was really REALLY!!! CUTE! Oh lordy lordy lordy (paging Jack Tripper from Three's Company) But he lives in Vegas as I live in ....Miami.... so that is a pretty downer deal! Crap. Had dinner at the Odna and had a convo with a couple next to us before going back to our room.

Tomorrow is our final day here in Vegas before we leave back to Florida- it is also the last day of the 'fest but for us it'll be more like a half-a-day. I will be able to see Pattie's final part of her conversation with Martin Lewis. I miss home, I miss Snowball and Missy.

7-3-08
Well at this time I am on the plane headed to Ft. Lauderdale to go home. They have a stupid rule for the first row of coach- purses and bags go in the top shelf thing. What the hell is that all about? Who was the person who came up with that rule? Maybe some uptight paranoid idiot with a strong voice who threaten to boycott. That is normally the reason.

Anyway, Tuesday (the first of July) was the last day of the fest and we kept it short as we thought that we were leaving that night. We saw Pattie talk mostly the era of the '60's to be in London, her time with Photography which she is doing these days. They kept it in the time she was with George rather then expanding with Eric Clapton: reason being that, well, Eric was not a Beatle! She revealed also their favorite films to watch at home (she was the one to put the film in it's projector) and singing Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe" with George singing Sonny's part and Pattie singing Cher's- however they never met them. Also, of course it is pretty known about the love of Monty Python series and also loved to watch Laugh In. As for comedians, Billy Donnelly (did I spell that right?) was their favorite. She talked about home movies that while they were in Hawaii (actually Tahiti) John and George filmed a little movie wearing Cynthia and Pattie's wigs- she has no idea where the film is today! That would be awesome to see! I hope it is in tact- perhaps Cynthia, or Olivia, or Yoko has it…ha, maybe Yoko destroyed it as she seems to enjoy erasing John's pre-Yoko life.

Before Pattie's chat, Mom and I went to the Discussion room where I took place for a round of trivia with Joe Johnson (who I've met previously twice) and Tony Perkins (who've I met previously once). I was runner up by answering two questions (Beatles' second Ed Sullivan appearance whereabouts and their last public performance together but I was out-done by a man who was too quick to raise his hand! Well just as well since we already have the Grand prize: The McCartney Years on DVD.

Afterwards, Mom and I went to the flea market to meet-and-greet- not buy more stuff as we had already packed. I did get a picture with Billy J. Kramer before he binged into another meaty sandwich. My mom also met Mark Hudson and Nancy Lee Andrews. I stuck around with Nancy for a few minutes, wanting to get a few things straight: mainly her relationship with Maureen. Well she did not break them up as they already were estranged however she was named as a cause for Ringo & Maureen's divorce because Ringo asked her to- to protect his children so they wouldn't hate their mother and 'Uncle' George. Eventually they did find out many years later but at the time they were very young. Maureen did like Nancy- she was nice and caring to her children and were friends up until Maureen died with an occasional lunch. In fact, not long after Ringo got together with Barbara, Maureen tried to find Nancy a husband! Holy cow! I asked her about Cynthia; recently, Nancy went out with her and May Pang, having a great time in New York.

Well we started to leave, got a taxi to go to the airport however my mom got our dates mixed up! We were to leave the following day (Wednesday)…I knew that! I KNEW that we were to arrive the same day as the Ringo Starr concert in Ft. Lauderdale but my Mom was convinced that we were leaving day…honestly! Part of me thought that was funny and to gloat but I was pissed off- I had to carry around heavy freakin' bags around!! So we went back to the Mirage hotel to check back in, got in another different hotel room which the bed was MUCH better previously and also, what the hell am I going to do the rest of the day before heading out to the airport? Well went back to gambling and yep, my bad luck continued- I lost…I lost quite a bit of money and that did NOT make me happy. Son of a bitch! So I went to the Beatles LOVE area, plopped on the floor, making sure I was not in the way, and played with my cell phone while singing along Beatle tunes. Then I decided to drink my bottled Coke that had been in my purse most of the day and well, it exploded! Could my day get any worst? (Actually it did but I am not going to tell you- figure it out!). Finally some hours later, grouchy me and my happy Mom (who won some money in Blackjack) went to the airport and some hours later, after security checks and all that wonderful process, boarded our flight back home to which we arrived in the early hours of the morning. Got home, got my car out of the garage, Snowball and Missy hid from us- well Snowball I did see but she didn't want to deal with us- she was mad for leaving them alone. Went on the computer to chat with S-giraffe who was miserable during my absence and then crashed on my bed before my Mom woke me up to get ready for the Ringo concert!

What better way to end the Beatley vacation? To see an actual Beatle! He played What Goes On and Oh My, My, which two songs he rarely ever plays in concert. Also Billy Squier was there playing Stroke (but not Everybody Wants You which I like) and heard a few familiar songs from the other All Starr band. We all got to yell out Happy Birthday to Ringo who I think was touched by that (his birthday is July 7).

Well that's the end of my exciting vacation. Worth to take! Wish I could take home that cute security guard though…too bad I didn't get him to marry me ha ha! Well hey, we were in Vegas with hundreds of quickie wedding chapels…hee hee couldn't resist! Oh well…well anyway he liked heavy music, like the Pantera kind of stuff while I'll go as far as Motley Crue could take me.

P.S. I'm pissed off- ALL of my photos of Pattie, including the one with me and her did not come out at all...damn it...well I guess I'll scan in the items that she signed for me- at least it's still proof that I have met her...I'm still pissed off about it.

Elvis, George, and Me

Originally written in 2004

On May 15th, Saturday, my Grandmother, my Mom, and I started our road trip, first stop to sleep the night: Tallahassee (Florida- since I live in Miami). We got there in early evening and found our way to the hotel with our reserverations. The next day, we went around Tallahassee because about 20 years ago, we actually lived there for a year and my Mom and Grandmother were trying to find where we lived, however we found that they tore down the apartment building and made it a home community. We made our way to Birmingham, Alabama and spent the night. The next day, we made our way to Memphis in order to explore Graceland where Elvis Presley lived. My Grandmother thought that it would be a great idea to do so since it was on our way. We do like Elvis, we may not be major fans of his, but we appreciate his music and what he has done for music- so seeing Graceland was a treat. We didn't exactly went there when we arrived, it was already near evening and we needed to find our hotel. After finding the hotel, we went someplace to eat. The next day- Graceland! We were there for 4 hours, we weren't allowed upstairs because Elvis had never let anyone upstairs unless you live there or you were called up there. So Lisa (his daughter) decided to continue the tradition and the upstairs is closed. However I can't help but wonder if anyone has ever snuck up? I realize while touring the house was that he was real- well, I knew that he existed but on some level, I thought more of a fantasy kind of way. I don't know if that makes sense or not, but that's how I felt while walking in his house. After the house, we went to view his many many cars, had lunch, went to an another little museum of his life- all his old school report cards, some clothes, Elvis and Priscilla's wedding outfits, Lisa's old nursery furniture...and there was even a little showcase of the Beatles! My Mom and I got shirts and keychains, and I got some postcards, little keepsakes and proof that I actually went to Graceland. We didn't take any pictures of inside of the house because my Mom misread the letter saying that there was no flash photography, thinking that there was no photography allowed. Well, the next day, we pulled over before we left and I took picture of the house the best I could, the gate, some little diddies, and my Mom took a picture of the street sign, Elvis Presley Boulveard (I can't spell that)- so we kinda made up for that. Oh! Before we hit Memphis, we were in Tupelo, Mississippi, where Elvis was born. We didn't go into the house but I did manage to take a picture of the house. Anyway, back on track of the story: later, after Graceland, we explored Memphis, finding Beale St. which seemed to be a popular street in Memphis. After we arrived at the hotel with our dinner, we watched Larry King and it was there when we learned the sad news of Tony Randall from the Odd Couple. Early next day, we headed out of Memphis (after we took some shots of Graceland) and made our way to Benton, Illinois where in 1963 Beatle George Harrison was the first Beatle to arrive in the US to visit his sister, Louise. Since then, Louise, who doesn't live in the house anymore yet lives nearby, saved the house from construction into a parking lot and convert it to a Bed & Breakfast Inn called A Hard Day's Nite. She doesn't own it thought, 3 couples do- I met 3 of the people out of six and they were very kind. My Mom and I were in awe! Screw dinner and getting settled in- we wanted to explore and explore we did! There was a room of a mini- musuem of the Beatles...the same room where in 1963, George and his brother Peter slept. Louise had a couch there that she had in her New York apartment in the mid-60s where George sat and slept whenever he visited her when in town- however there's a ribbon across it- you can not sit on it. There was also a BOAC bag that the airlines have given to the Beatles that George left behind. My Mom and I playfully tug-of-war it and I checked to see if there was any "secret" pockets in the bag in case George forgot anything! There was none. Later on, my Grandmother dragged us out of the house and took us to Barnes & Noble and dinner. The next morning, after breakfast made by two of the six owners, my Grandmother left to do some laundry. My Mom and I asked the couple, Jim and Daryl about the couch and they allowed us to sit on it! Jim told us that they did meet the Beatles and even attended a concert- invited by themselves. Later on, Jim and Daryl saw Ringo perform, but they weren't invited- which was okay by them. My mom and I sat on the couch for about 15 minutes, just in a daze. I wanted to take the couch with me back home! We decided to get off of it since my Grandmother didn't want us to be on there (even tho we got permission) so shhhhhh! I took pictures around the house, trying to include everything in. My Grandmother came back and we went out for lunch, searching for birthday presents for my cousin (who's birthday was yesterday) and saw a movie, Laws of Attraction which was pretty good. The next morning, we were all eatting breakfast when out of the blue, someone I didn't expect (neither did my Mom or Grandmother) walked into the front door and Jim and Daryl chimed "Hi Lou!"...Louise Harrison, George's sister! I couldn't believe my eyes. The car was already packed and loaded, with the camera, and my mom was telling me to rush out to get it, but Lou said no- she looked awful (no she didn't). So we decided to respect that and didn't take a picture with her. Instead she came in with a bunch of photos of her and gave each of us an autograph. She even sat down, had some hot tea and chat with us. My mom and I didn't exactly ambushed her with questions- we were just numb, but we did ask a few- mostly of which date was George actually born, the 24th or 25th...She confirmed it- the 25th. February 25, 1943, 10 minutes after midnight. It was a nice chat, she was very nice, sweet about coming in the morning and visiting us. Jim said that the day before, he called her up and told her about my Mom and me being Beatle fans and she came. After about 15 minutes of some stories (not just about George, but herself too) my Grandmother told us that it was time to go. Lou gave all three of us a tight hug (which I couldn't really breathe- but I didn't care) and my Mom and I got some little keepsakes of shirts.  The three of us hit the road- stayed the night in Atlanta, Georgia, and came back home on Saturday night.

Forgetful Music

Originally written on December 19, 2005

Don't you hate it when you hear a good song on the radio or hear it on a movie and you think "I know that song!" but you just don't know who does it? You search high and low in your brain but nothing? Then you look into your cd, record collection and wonder if you have it or not and there's also hoping that it will turn up on the radio and pray that the DJ will say the name of the song and who it is. Or when you are talking to somebody and you tell them about it and you try to do the lyrics or the tune of the song and it doesn't come out right and that someone will look at you funny and think that you belong in another galaxy (a look I've gotten many times before). I can recall that two times, and I found out since then of who and what and that I have it- Feeling Stronger Everyday by Chicago and Jungle Love by the Steve Miller Band. Great songs...now try this one, you know the band's name but you have absolutely no idea if you heard the music or not

Ghost Sucker

Originally posted on January 1, 2006

I'm a big sucker for ghost stories- I will watching any documentary of ghosts- especially on the History, Travel channels. I'm hooked on this show that's on the Biography channel, Ghostly Encounters: Dead Famous where a skeptic and a sentensive search for celebrity ghosts. I guess I am a skeptic myself- I'll believe it when I see it for myself; but I do believe that if more than just someone encounters one, especially the same one- like Resurrection Mary in Chicago, Anne Boyelyn in the Tower of London, Mrytle Planation...I would like to go to the Bed & Breakfast of Lizzie Borden's house- it's said to be haunted by her father and stepmother (some say it's Lizzie, but Lizzie hated the house- why would she go there?). I should just go on a ghost tour- all over, USA and England. But of course I don't wanna go by myself- any volunteers?

Please & Thank You

Originally written on March 21, 2006

In Ellen Degeneres: Here and Now DVD, she said "I wouldn't mind hearing more Please and Thank Yous" and she got an applause. She's right. Please and Thank You are very much appreciated! Admittedly, I was never really one of those that would say Thank You after I receive something. It drove my grandmother nuts and she tried for so many years to drill those pleastantries into my head. Now, I try to make sure I say those things because I've learned that they are appreciated and actually can make you feel good.

Recently I sent over some CDs that my grandmother made and I did not receive one thank you email. This is a couple of months ago and I don't know if she has gotten them? Are they lost in the mail? Did she get them but decided that they were rubbish and threw them away? (uhhh...can send them back you know, my address WAS on the package...) I mean, not even an acknowledgment "I got the cds, Thank you". I'm not expecting a 30 page letter, just a simple sentence with a few less words. That is not a waste of an email. I mean, it cost a fortune to have them send overseas! I could've spent the money on something else, like gas for my car, or a new cd, or something selfish for me.

Now I know why my grandmother bugged the hell out of me to say Please and Thank You, and from that I thank her. It's appreciative and makes a person feel so good!

PeTA vs. Steve Irwin

Originally written on September 13, 2006

I was watching the news about Steve Irwin and how there's a possibility of revenge against stingrays as one killed him with their barb piercing to his heart (very sad indeed, but for the stingray, I believe it was their self-defense) and Peta found a new way to piss me off. Usually I don't really care too much- I'm glad that there's a charity to defend Animal rights; I don't like cruelty to animals either...anyway, I sent Peta a little email:
I saw in one of the newscast about Steve Irwin and about how Peta doesn't approve of his shows and believes that it's danger to the kids. Obviously you don't do much digging in your research. If you have noticed at all photos and footage of Steve and Terri Irwin's zoo of how little kids are placing flowers then you will see that they don't have any fright. Of "provoking" an animal, such as a crocodile- let me ask you something: without Steve's abilities and if he wasn't ever on the air, then how would we know how to defend ourselves? Do you know? Have you ever faced that for yourselves? Maybe you missed the news that in Florida, three women were killed by alligators. Steve didn't harm the animal, he never killed any of them- in fact it upset him to know that they were killed to make belts and shoes- you should give him that credit. Of course, I'm not surprised either of the fact he died by an animal (I am more surprised that it wasn't a crocodile). I thought Steve's documentaries were very educational, especially as I live near the Everglades and lakes were alligators and crocidiles are known to swim around.
That's about that for Steve Irwin. Sure he was over-the-top enthusiastic, but my golly, he was interesting to watch. I think that attitude had people watch him in amazement and like him. I confess, I didn't really watch the show religiously because I was either watching something else or doing something else or didn't know it's schedule was. I suppose I can say the same thing about John Ritter: know who he was, liked him, but wasn't into him as a faithful viewer. My heart goes out to Terri, Bindi, and Bob.

Now Peta...like I said, I'm glad that there's a group to speak for the animals but they have done things that I thought of were too far. I don't appreciate them forcing videos or whatever it is up the noses. Fine, voice your disapprovements, have a conversation with the person who you are up against but that should be it. At least the person would know that there's another option. You can't force someone not to wear fur or be a vegetarian. Let it be THEIR decision. I'm not a vegetarian- I do eat meat as I do eat my fruits and vegetables, if I want to be a vegetarian, then I will be on my own time and my own decision, nobody else's. That's the way it should be.

Another thing that had me pissed off about Peta- they had plans to make cats vegetarians. As a cat owner of two, here's a news flash you CAN'T get cats to be a vegetarian!!!! You can change a dog's diet easy, but cats are way too stubborn, that's for sure. What if you did think you succeeded? But then you let your cat go outside- guess what the cat's going to do? Chase a lizard, play with it, eat the insides of it. I should know- I have found enough dead lizards. You can't change that ever- no matter how hard you try, no matter where you start them as a baby kitten, they are bound to find an insect or a mouse and use them as their food source.

A Little Tribute to My Grandmother

On November 15, 2006, I read the following at her memorial service...She died five days before on November 10- 8 days shy of her 71st birthday.

I wrote an essay in high school when we were asked to do a paper on someone in our life and wrote about my grandmother. After I read it to her, she loved it and even had it framed. Now I'm using it as my inspiration and guideline dedicated to my grandmother.

She was the kind of person who gets you mesmerized in her true and make-believe stories, took me to the horse races, taught me sewing, and played the piano by ear, and was honest to my personal, and sometimes nosy, questions.

Like any person, she does have her own faults but they were always quickly overlooked. One story that had happened was when I was a toddler and we were living in Tallahassee at the time and my mom, who loved my little curls, told grandma that "do no cut her hair" (as we know, she always loved doing something with hairdos) and then she left for college for the day. Well, needless to say, my grandmother didn't listen and cut my hair- only except it didn't look right. So she took me to the see the hairdresser and got me a cute outfit and matching hat- realizing what she has done and hoping to hide it! We were home in time when my mom came home and of course she said "aw cute outfit" and took off the hat and was horrified to what she had saw. She was angry at her mother, who was completely understandable…oh, and my mom did forgive her in a few days!

My grandmother also had a wicked sense of humor that has passed down to us. I remember when I decided to spend the weekend at home during college and she picked me up- and out of the whim decided to visit my Aunt Nette. She told me to call her up, but omit the fact that we were going to visit her. So while talking to my Aunt, I made it sound like I was still in college and just calling to chat. Whenever I wanted to hang up when it got to that "time to go" time, my grandmother kept signaling me to keep on going, so I did. We managed to get to my aunt's house and still talking to her on the phone, we knocked on her door. She told me that she has to go because there was someone at the door and after we hung up, she opened the door and the look on her face was priceless- shocked and happy and we got her!

A few years ago, my grandmother took my mom and I on a road trip to see Elvis Presley's home Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee and to Benton, Illinois to spend a few nights at a house where George Harrison once stayed with his sister before the Beatles first came to America- knowing that my mom and I would absolutely love the experience as we are both major Beatles fans. The last day we were in Benton, Illinois and having breakfast there on the day we left to go back home, we were all in for an exciting shock- George's sister walked into the house because she was told by our hosts that we were big Beatles fans and she came by to see us. My mom's and my eyes widen and our jaws dropped- we couldn't believe it. My grandmother seeing our reactions, spoke up greeting her and we all got into this conversation, mostly about the Beatles of course, but it felt like we knew her (which, in a way, my mom and I did). Then I asked a casual question, a question that concerned me yet a question that gave my grandmother the hoots throughout the trip and to the end of her life when I asked Louise "How's Harry and Peter", her and George's two brothers. My mom said later that if I hadn't said that, she would've asked that question, but no matter what, it just cracked her up. It was funny a few times but eventually it did get on my nerves! I was asking out of concern as I felt that that Beatles were like my extended family (my mom feels the same way).

She also played the piano by ear since the discovery of her talent when she was 18 months old. She played with a flow and always got never ending requests thrown in by my Mom and me. Making 5 records in the past with her recordings and I take credit of doing three covers of her c.ds.

One thing I know for sure is that my grandmother loved her children- Jane, Jeannette, and Pete. She took so much pride to the fact that they were so close and got along so well and a bonus pride that her seven grandchildren were close as well- despite the 13 years age difference between me to Monica and Robby. In a way, I believe she took that credit herself, knowing that she loves her brothers and sister- I remember her telling me that her mother always told her children to stick together, no matter what. She would tell me stories about her mother Jeannette- of whom she named my Aunt after, the name that I was given to as well.

Grandma, now that you are gone in person, but you are not gone in spirit and in my heart. I will miss you and love you but I do know that you are now with the Lord and reunited with your parents and probably talking a mouthful already to John and George of what big fans my mom and I are of theirs.  I also know that you will be looking down at us, smiling or shaking your head at whatever decisions we come across yet looking forward to the day we will all be reunited.