entertainment

just a girl

Back when Niel and I were engaged, the Notting Hill movie soundtrack was one of very few CDs I owned. Since we were going budget-style on our wedding, we supplied all the music for the big event. Consequently, many of the songs from Notting Hill were played at our reception.

One night, months before our wedding, Niel and I drove to town to use the ATM. As usual, Notting Hill was in the CD player. In Harrismith, they pretty much roll up the streets at 5:00, so town was fairly empty. As Niel waited in the car while I walked up to the ATM machine, he opened the car windows and blared 98°'s I Do (Cherish You) from the soundtrack. We both laughed really hard as he belted out the words.

Needless to say, our first dance together at our wedding was to that song.

Notting Hill was on TV yesterday while we were holed up inside our rental house at the lake (it was freezing outside!). I hadn’t seen it in years but it still made me laugh. And my favorite part, as always, was when Julia Roberts walks back in to the travel book shop towards the end of the movie and says, “I’m just a girl standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.”

I looked over at Niel and my eyes whispered the very same thing to him.

jabberwacky: medical malpractice

Ready to Jabberwacky?

  • Post the first word or phrase that comes to mind when you read the word above yours.
  • You can challenge a commenter to explain the connection in their brain when they wrote their word. (If you know your word choice won’t make sense to others, please take time to explain it.)
  • I'm writing an extra bullet point of jibberish to see if anyone even bothers to read the instructions anymore!
  • The last word when I close comments will be the starter word next time.


Alrighty then!

Starter phrase: medical malpractice (thanks to Tam)

lady in waiting

So i'm sitting at the Department of Motor Vehicles to renew my driver's license. Now I don't know if all DMVs are set up the same way, but in New York after waiting in line at counter #1 just to state the purpose of your visit, you're given a ticket that basically numbers you in the queue. (I can say queue. I live in South Africa where British English rules. Long live the Queen!)

Then you move to the waiting area which is nothing more than rows of benches. Up on the wall is a big digital screen that displays ticket numbers and directs people to the appropriate counters for assistance. Every time the digital screen changes, a short bell sounds. Everyone looks up, every time it dings, even though the wait is always ungodly long.

So here I am, sitting on a bench at the DMV, ticket in hand.

Twenty or so minutes have already gone by and not only has my patience worn thin, but so has my attention span. Or maybe it's my sanity.

The digital screen changes.

The bell sounds.

I hold up my ticket, jump out of my seat, and shout, "Bingo!"

It's not even my turn. I sit back down with a proud yet embarrassed smile on my face. Around me, people begin to clap. And cheer. Someone on the bench behind me leans forward and pats me on the shoulder.

Who says a visit to the Department of Motor Vehicles needs to be boring?