You can't always get what you want!

Well, it's the last day of 2009.

I could tell you that it has been a great year for me, that I have prospered financially, that all is well, but I refuse to lie.

That's right.

See, I am thrilled this year is over. Good bye 2009! It has been a real effort to see the silver lining in a lot of  trials crap that has been tossed my way.

But let's not go there. Instead let's just recap the last day of 2009.

Dawn breaks. Head aches.

8:00 am Daughter and her boyfriend luckily get the opportunity to drive out of town and go to a real mall. Fun for them. And I am genuinely happy. For them.

10:00 am Oldest son packed and ready to go to Atlanta for a long weekend with friends. Fun for him. And again I am genuinely happy. For him.

11:00 am Perhaps noticing my lack of desire to get dressed and go to our lovely (yes, I am being sarcastic) supermarket, my husband attempts to cheer me up by asking me to go to one of the few eating establishments we are priveledged to have for dinner tonight. I perk up. A little.

11:30 am  Laundry to fold. Head ache worsens.

11:35 am  BC powder consumed.

1:30 pm  I decide to resurrect my mood and my body and go to the supermarket, which is not really that super. Honest.

2:00 pm Dressed for success I head to Harvey's. (Harvey would roll over in his grave if he saw this store)

2:15 pm While cruising through the produce department I am appalled, as always. The choice. The quality. The lack of it, that is. I decide to maneuver around the wilted cabbage and bypass the browning broccoli and grab a few brown bananas, surrendering my health, risking the onset of scurvy, all the time wondering why fresh fruits and vegetables can't make it to this town.

2:30 pm Daughter interrupts my shopping adventure with a text message.

Daughter: R u cooking tonight?

Me: Dad and I are going to eat out.

Daughter: mind if we join you? we will pay for ours.

Me: That's fine. (shocked)

Daughter: OK...we are leaving the mall now. We will be home in 2 hours.

Me: Great! 

3:00 pm Wondering what happened to bag boys? The poor cashier had to check and pack my groceries. And I had to restrain myself from popping the rude customer behind me while she openly discussed her sex life on her cell phone in line and proceeded to run into my heels twice with her Harvey's (less than) Super rmarket buggy!

3:45 pm Headaches worsens. Determining a stomach ulcer would be a relief compared to this migraine, I decide to consume my second BC powder in less than four hours.

3:50 pm  Unloading the groceries, I drop an entire container of half-and-half that I am planning to use to make for our traditional Banana Pudding for New Year's Day dessert. Yes, I said a bad word. But the dog is happy. I also drop a bag of M&Ms leftover from 2004 while cleaning out pantry as I put the groceries up. Not a good day for mulit-tasking. Dog is happy again. He loves chocolate.

4:00 pm Hot bath.

7:00 pm  Middle son, wife and baby come over. I play with baby. Headache lessens.

8:00 pm Obviously oblivious of the time, daughter and boyfriend finally roll in. She has to show me what she bought and she has to change into one of the new outfits. He decides to change into something he bought. They are adorable.

8:30 pm We invite middle son and family to go with us to eat.

8 :35 pm Baby needs to be bathed and changed. Tick Tock.

8:45 pm Husband says he will pass out if we don't leave soon. But first, he has to check the score of the game. It's the last quarter. Middle son, husband and daughter's boyfriend watch the last quarter of the game.
Headache returns.

9:00 pm Arrive at restaurant. We scan the restaurant and prematurely count ourselves lucky that the crowd has already ate and left.

9:05 pm  Hostess missing. Standing in line behind eight unhappy people.

9:15 pm Hostess returns, seats two and disappears.

9:30 pm  Hostess returns, seats four and disappears again.

9:45 pm Hungry husband politley asks magical hostess why is there such a wait when ther are so many tables empty.

9:45 pm Magical hostess gets snappy.

9:46 pm Husband decides we will eat elsewhere.

10:00 pm We arrive at 2nd choice restaurant.

10:01 pm Happy Hostess says we are closed.


10:00 pm I scream in parking lot. It doesn't help my headache.

10:15 pm Arrive at 3rd choice restaurant and discover, yes, it is closing, too. Use better judgement and decide to refrain from screaming.

10:30 pm  Decide to get a burger at Wendy's.

10:35 pm  Standing in line overhear unhappy cook say, I'm outta here. I ain't cooking no more damn burgers.

10:40 pm  Manager appears and states burgers will be cooked.  Notice unhappy cook leaves.

10:45 pm Woman in restaurant chokes. Her attentive husband comes to her aid.

10:46 pm  I see food and it's not mine.

10:50 pm  French fries arrive but no burgers yet.

11:00 pm  Mmmm...more french fries and finally....yes, burgers. And free nuggets.

11:30 pm  Back at home. Wondering. Hoping. Begging. 2010 will have to be better than this.

11:40 pm  Turn on the radio. The Stones are singing You can't always get what you want....


11:45 pm  Hot bath.

12:00 midnight I scream...Happy New Year. 


12:35 am  Realize....I got what I needed. Another year. Another chance. Another breath. And some nice brown bananas for the banana pudding.