“I don’t think I can keep up with Jess any more,” Jackie said, and we all looked at her in amazement.
I had to admit that her unmanaged hair and showing of dark circles under fading eye concealer made her look way more tired than the usual, peppy Jackie. It is just that she always went out and lived in the fast lane. For her to say she couldn’t keep up with someone was like saying that the Pope had turned Baptist.
“He goes out all night, every night,” she said, “and party’s hard each time. I mean it isn’t like we just go to a sit-down bar or out to eat one night and then a club the next. No, it is go out and eat, another bar for drinks, then the club to dance, maybe another club for a change of crowd. On, and on, and on. It is exhausting!”
“I can imagine,” I said.
“And then I have to be on my feet all day for work,” Jackie said, throwing her arms up and leaning back on the brown leather sofa. “I can literally feel and see my arms and hands shaking as I am icing a cake. I just know I am going to be like ‘sorry your cake is crooked, I got plastered last night and no sleep’. That will be great for business.”
“Then end it with him,” Holly said. “You’ve been with him past the usual expiration date anyway.”
“But I really like him.” Jackie said, poking at the blueberries in her pancakes.
“You like him?” I asked her. “Or you like the glamour that surrounds him?”
“Exactly what I was thinking,” Kim said. “It is hard to pass up a rich guy, who is hot, everyone likes, and more so, everyone wants to be with.”
Jess was the son of mega real-estate guru Nolan Pearce. He was now a partner in his father’s business, and to say the least he never had to ask what something cost before buying it. His new Jaguar and Armani wardrobe, for example.
“I have to admit,” Jackie smiled, “it is kind of fun to watch the heads turn. But I just don’t need to see them turn until 3 a.m. every night.”
“I don’t know how you do it,” Kate said. “I would be a walking zombie. That is until I collapsed, and then I would just be a zombie.”
“I know!” Jackie exclaimed. “That is just how I feel, like a zombie. I seriously went to the bathroom stall at work yesterday afternoon, laid my head on the toilet paper holder, and took like a fifteen minute nap. Thank goodness someone came in and used the hand dryer; otherwise I don’t know when I would have woken up.”
“If it is going to bring down your work then you really need to tell him that you can’t party that hard anymore,” I said. “If he sees it as weakness then he’s a dumb ass. I mean not everyone has a daddy that can make everything right with his checkbook.”
“No, kidding,” Holly said, “but wouldn’t it be nice.”
“Maybe he wouldn’t mind slowing down either,” Kim said, putting more syrup on her pancakes. “You have a pretty good night-life reputation yourself. Maybe he doesn’t want you to think he is a boring pansy and is mainly doing it so you think he is a good time.”
“I haven’t thought about that,” Jackie said. “You may be right. I mean he sounds like death when I talk to him during his lunch break. Maybe he wouldn’t mind slowing down. Geez, this is making me sound like an old has-been.”
“Then what does that make us all?” I asked her, jokingly. “We must be unbearably boring.”
“Oh, shut up,” Jackie said to me. “You know what I mean.”
“So are you going to see him tonight?” Holly asked.
“Yeah, he is coming to my place after this,” she said. “I told him I’d call when we got done. I think I am going to tell him to pick up a movie on his way and we’ll just stay in and watch it. I’m anxious to see what his reaction will be.”
“And what if he says ‘hell no, we need to go out’?” Holly asked.
“Then I will be honest and say ‘movie or nothing, take it or leave it,’” Jackie said.
That night Jackie enjoyed a movie and box of Milk Duds…..by herself.
Lex’s Blueberry Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 heaping teaspoon sugar
2 eggs
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 cup blueberries, rinsed and drained
Cooking spray
Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix. In small bowl, whisk eggs and add to dry mix. Add milk and stir until smooth. Fold in blueberries. Heat a griddle pan and use cooking spray before pouring batter so it doesn’t stick. Flip once each side browns. Serve with butter, peanut butter and favorite syrups.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Fights and Frito Salad
“Well Brian and I had another fight last night,” Kim said as she stabbed at her lettuce with a silver fork. “It seems like that is all we do since he got this new job. I never see him during the week since our schedules clash, and on the weekends all he does is sleep or golf with his boys.”
“Sounds like you need to do some major communication work,” Kate told her.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kim said, pouting. “I always tell him how I feel.”
I laughed a little, earning a scary look from Kim. “What was that for?” She sneered at me.
“Oh, come on, Kim,” I said, “you are the worlds worst at not telling Brian what is bugging you while acting mad and bitchy to him. You expect him to figure it out like a game of Clue.”
“She’s right,” Jackie said, backing me up. “You need to be completely honest with him. Let him know that you are feeling neglected and want to spend more time with him.”
“I have told him that,” Kim said. “That’s why we fight all the time. I tell him he never wants to hang out with me any more. He tells me he does but his work is crazy right now and on the weekends he just wants to relax and have fun. Blah, blah, blah.”
“Sounds like he is seeing another woman,” Holly said, shoveling a huge fork-full of salad in her mouth.
“Shut up, Holly,” Jackie said. “He is not.”
“Geez, loosen up,” Holly shot back. “I was just kidding. You know he will finally break-down and propose someday. Just give him an ultimatum. At least two date nights a week or no sex. That ‘no sex’ always gets a guy’s attention.”
“I don’t want to force him to do something he doesn’t want to,” Kim said, “and as for that ‘no sex’ part, it hasn’t seemed to bother him lately. It has been two weeks, and I swear I am craving it more than he is. It sucks.”
“Oh, honey, just wait,” Kate said, laughing, “the fights will get worse and the sex will get better. Just make amends at the end of each fight and make the ‘make up’ worth it. You have to play the system. Hell, sometimes I now start fights with Jon just to make up. I know I am going to lose the battle before I even start it, but actually we both win in the end.”
“Damn, you’re good,” Jackie said, looking at Kate with admiration. “You really have that whole relationship, married thing figured out don’t you.”
“Never,” Kate laughed. “I don’t think anyone does or ever will, and I don’t want too. It would take too much fun out of it. The surprises, unknowns, and conflicts are what tests a relationship and makes it stronger. Just like this, Kim, I know you may not realize it now, but this little episode is really a great thing for you and Bryan. It will make you closer in the end.”
“Well I wish it would hurry up and be over,” Kim said with a sigh. “Right now it feels like we are on completely different pages.”
“Maybe you are right now,” I told her. “You can’t be side-by-side on all issues all the time. Your different views and interests are what will broaden each others way of thinking and outlook on things. Right now, Brian is focused on work and you are focused on your relationship. Sometime down the line, like when your recitals come along, you may be focused on work and he’ll want to spend every free moment with you. It has happened in the past, you know.”
“Yeah, your right, I guess,” Kim said. “It just sucks right now and I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Back off,” Holly said, “I promise, the moment you back off from it, he’ll want to be with you more. Mainly because you won’t be bitching him out.”
“True,” Jackie said, shaking her fork in Holly’s direction. “Guys hate nagging. Quit nagging and you’ll get laid.”
“Well, if anyone knows how to get laid it is you, Jackie,” Kim said, finally breaking a smile and lightening up.
“That’s right,” Jackie said, “and you don’t hear me complaining about anything.”
Kate’s Frito Salad
1 lb. lean hamburger meat
1 head iceberg lettuce chopped up
1 can Ranch Style Beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup diced tomatoes
½ cup diced green bell pepper
2-3 cups Frito Chips
1 small bottle Catalina salad dressing
Brown hamburger meat, salt and pepper to taste, drain. Put chopped lettuce in large bowl, add meat, beans, cheese, and veggies. Toss until well blended. Add Fritos and toss. Add the Catalina dressing right before serving so chips don’t get soggy.
“Sounds like you need to do some major communication work,” Kate told her.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kim said, pouting. “I always tell him how I feel.”
I laughed a little, earning a scary look from Kim. “What was that for?” She sneered at me.
“Oh, come on, Kim,” I said, “you are the worlds worst at not telling Brian what is bugging you while acting mad and bitchy to him. You expect him to figure it out like a game of Clue.”
“She’s right,” Jackie said, backing me up. “You need to be completely honest with him. Let him know that you are feeling neglected and want to spend more time with him.”
“I have told him that,” Kim said. “That’s why we fight all the time. I tell him he never wants to hang out with me any more. He tells me he does but his work is crazy right now and on the weekends he just wants to relax and have fun. Blah, blah, blah.”
“Sounds like he is seeing another woman,” Holly said, shoveling a huge fork-full of salad in her mouth.
“Shut up, Holly,” Jackie said. “He is not.”
“Geez, loosen up,” Holly shot back. “I was just kidding. You know he will finally break-down and propose someday. Just give him an ultimatum. At least two date nights a week or no sex. That ‘no sex’ always gets a guy’s attention.”
“I don’t want to force him to do something he doesn’t want to,” Kim said, “and as for that ‘no sex’ part, it hasn’t seemed to bother him lately. It has been two weeks, and I swear I am craving it more than he is. It sucks.”
“Oh, honey, just wait,” Kate said, laughing, “the fights will get worse and the sex will get better. Just make amends at the end of each fight and make the ‘make up’ worth it. You have to play the system. Hell, sometimes I now start fights with Jon just to make up. I know I am going to lose the battle before I even start it, but actually we both win in the end.”
“Damn, you’re good,” Jackie said, looking at Kate with admiration. “You really have that whole relationship, married thing figured out don’t you.”
“Never,” Kate laughed. “I don’t think anyone does or ever will, and I don’t want too. It would take too much fun out of it. The surprises, unknowns, and conflicts are what tests a relationship and makes it stronger. Just like this, Kim, I know you may not realize it now, but this little episode is really a great thing for you and Bryan. It will make you closer in the end.”
“Well I wish it would hurry up and be over,” Kim said with a sigh. “Right now it feels like we are on completely different pages.”
“Maybe you are right now,” I told her. “You can’t be side-by-side on all issues all the time. Your different views and interests are what will broaden each others way of thinking and outlook on things. Right now, Brian is focused on work and you are focused on your relationship. Sometime down the line, like when your recitals come along, you may be focused on work and he’ll want to spend every free moment with you. It has happened in the past, you know.”
“Yeah, your right, I guess,” Kim said. “It just sucks right now and I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Back off,” Holly said, “I promise, the moment you back off from it, he’ll want to be with you more. Mainly because you won’t be bitching him out.”
“True,” Jackie said, shaking her fork in Holly’s direction. “Guys hate nagging. Quit nagging and you’ll get laid.”
“Well, if anyone knows how to get laid it is you, Jackie,” Kim said, finally breaking a smile and lightening up.
“That’s right,” Jackie said, “and you don’t hear me complaining about anything.”
Kate’s Frito Salad
1 lb. lean hamburger meat
1 head iceberg lettuce chopped up
1 can Ranch Style Beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup diced tomatoes
½ cup diced green bell pepper
2-3 cups Frito Chips
1 small bottle Catalina salad dressing
Brown hamburger meat, salt and pepper to taste, drain. Put chopped lettuce in large bowl, add meat, beans, cheese, and veggies. Toss until well blended. Add Fritos and toss. Add the Catalina dressing right before serving so chips don’t get soggy.
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