AnneLyze

“Bye Mom, love you”, and with a quick hug and a wave he was gone. Sam, my oldest son, was off to SUNY Buffalo for his senior year. Five hours later, I got a text saying that he had arrived safely. I missed him for a couple of hours and then I got over it after picking up all his discarded, forgotten items and the dirty dishes he left lying around. No tears this year, just peace in knowing he is doing what he wants and needs to do. The next time I will see him will be at Thanksgiving. I hope he calls sometime before then. The first year he went to college he got all new stuff, sheets, towels, and clothes; everything he could possibly use or want. I spent hours making him a quilt for his bed, and at the last minute before leaving, he grabbed his scummy old comforter from childhood. I later found out he used the quilt at picnics and concerts. When we visited him freshman year over Columbus Day weekend, he was using the Clorox wipes container as a way to hold the window open, ...

“I want a summer job”. Five words I never thought I would hear out of my youngest son. But thanks to my efforts in getting all the paperwork in on time, he worked for the city this summer. I’d heard from plenty of parents that the city jobs were about showing up, standing around and do nothing, but I still thought it would be good for him to get out of the house and away from video games. He was assigned to Youth Organics, a group I’d never heard of in an area I wasn’t thrilled with, but every Monday through Thursday he’d go off to work on his bike. In the past Ben has been a quitter about doing things he didn’t like, and it was an attitude I hoped wouldn’t show up this summer, but this was the first time money was the goal and that seemed to be the key. At almost 15, he needed to learn about working and being responsible. Okay, so maybe he didn’t learn about working hard, but he did go to work every day. Complain all you want about Albany and Mayor Jennings, and I do, but thi...

I spent two hours last Thursday completely immersed in a guilty pleasure and I do it every four weeks. So what was it? I read the latest “People”, “In Touch”, “Life and Style” and “Star” magazines cover to cover. It’s my favorite part of my monthly visit to my hair dresser. Once a month I get my hair trimmed and every other month I get my hair returned to its natural color. As I sat there crowned in foils and in my plastic cape, I catch up with the lives of the rich and famous, and movie, TV, and reality stars. Sue, my hair dresser, has already discussed the trashy periodicals with at least twenty clients before me, so she has a knowledge base to discuss it with some form of authority. With an assumed right earned by age and our average Jane salary, style and mentality, we gleefully discuss plastic surgery, clothes, relationships and bodies of all those featured in the magazines. At least 50% of the people featured, I don’t recognize, a sure sign of higher intelligence or age....