Family, Friends, Life, Things I Want to Remember

things i want to remember – part 26

Kari

i don’t want to lose track of the random thoughts swirling in my mind, so i’ve been jotting them down in the notes section of my phone. i’m sharing them in the hope that they resonate with you, too.

if this is your first visit, welcome! you can find the other parts of this series right here.

1- did any of you have high fevers as a kid that made you delirious? i did- more than once.

2- i hate grocery shopping. i do most of mine online.

3- if i’m being honest, ferris bueller is kind of a dick.

4- for those who don’t know, i worked at kohl’s for over 12 years. my dad worked for komatsu international for over 30 years, but for a couple of holiday seasons, he picked up a job at kohl’s—just for fun.

we worked in different departments, but we had the same shifts so we could ride in together and take breaks together. he was well-loved there for so many reasons, and those were some of the best work days i’ve ever had.

here’s what ai thinks my friend and i would have looked like as solid gold dancers. 💜🤣

5- my childhood best friend and i wanted to be solid gold dancers when we grew up.

6- in 2020, i took a free course from yale university on contact tracing.

7- i think squirrels are adorable, especially when they stand on their hind legs. but they are still rodents—just one bushy tail away from being a rat.

why does my brain do this? it’s just like the whole stink bug thing. i hate spiders, but i have no problem with stink bugs, and they’re essentially just six legs shy of a spider!

8- in her most recent post, engie was asking how many library books we currently have checked out. it made me realize that i’ve continually had a book checked out from the library since 2020. this is huge for me, as before then, i wasn’t really a big reader.

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76 thoughts on “things i want to remember – part 26”

  2. I buy things online like a mustard that isn’t sold here, but is from a NYC deli. Amazon has it. A friend introduced it to us and I’m hooked. I also bought reams of paper yesterday because I can’t stand going into Office Max. Also vitamins. I had high fevers from getting chicken pox twice that made me delirious. Nobody is supposed to get chicken pox twice, but I did.

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  4. I really, really love grocery shopping. I loved shopping with my kids and toddlers and we always had old folks smiling at us because the kids were just talking away and enjoying themselves. I go almost every day and I pretend I’m like a French woman out to market… this is 1,000% true. I know I’m the exception here!

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    1. I actually loved it when the kids were small, too. They loved going. Maybe I should drag them along with me… Anna turns 25 tomorrow and lives 45 minutes away. I’m sure she won’t mind. 😆

      OMG, this is making me laugh! So, the best friend I mention in this post? She and I took French together in high school. Well, we thought it would be fun to go places where nobody knew us and start speaking French like we were from France. We lived in rural central Ohio and were positively bored with white America, so we wanted to spice up life a little. Also, we didn’t actually speak French—we knew like 10 words. So it was French babble. OMG, I’m so glad you made this comment because it made me remember this! 💜🤣

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  5. I had high fevers with chicken pox at 15yrs old. Twice, I acted odd then passed out – having out of body experiences each time.

    I worked a temp job with my dad for awhile – assistant to his boss. Almost no one knew we were related. I later learned he’d been horribly worried about my performance reflecting negatively on him – but I was outstanding at that job.

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      1. Yes, working for my dad’s boss, and a few feet away from him, was really good. When people figured out I was his kid, a couple young women made a big deal about their flirting with my old dad being innocent. I laughed… my dad shared everything and everyone in my family l knew they were just having fun with him.

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  6. Ha! Ha! I also wanted to be a Solid Gold Dancer! Just think, we could have known each other in our “dancing careers”! I love that photo – AI is questionable, but that was a fun use for it!

    I love your fun list, Kari!

    I

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  7. I used to get awful fevers. I remember my parents torturing me with ice baths (lukewarm, but to the fevered body…)

    Agreed. Ferris Bueller was the kind of kid I disliked when I was in high school.

    I forgot about the Solid Gold dancers. Loved them.

    What’s your opinion on scorpions? They’re also arachnids.

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  8. I actually enjoy grocery shopping (except for oblivious shoppers). I have to pick out my own produce and meat AND check for expiration dates on canned goods. I agree that Ferris was a dick, but a lovable one. I watched Solid Gold every week! Was it on Sunday nights? That’s my memory.

    Kohl’s . . . I used to love that store when it first opened and I’m sure I did a post about it back then. Now, I hate it. I’ve seen the same sweater and yoga pants there that I’ve bought a decade ago! I mean, WTH? But the worst part for me was trying to pay their charge card online. I had no issues for a few years, then all of a sudden, it wouldn’t let me log on. I finally wrote a nasty note on the bill that I mailed in and someone called me and it took that person about an hour to get it working. (BTW, I found people online with my same issue).

    Fast forward to today, and I got their new Capital One Kohl’s charge card and I’ve tried numerous times to activate it (thinking I might need to go to Kohl’s sometime) and it just says the account doesn’t exist, even though I’m typing it in right from the new card. Then I got an email reminder to activate it with a link and the link just sent me to Capital One, with nothing on the screen about Kohl’s activation. I’ve given up and will just shred the cards!

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    1. I got the new Kohls card, too. I activated it by phone and it worked right away. Try calling the number on the sticker that’s on the card!

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    2. Oblivious shoppers are exactly why I hate grocery shopping. 🤣

      A loveable dick, yes! We should totally write movie captions.

      I don’t remember what night Solid Gold was on, but I do remember my friend and I hated Marilyn McCoo for some reason. We used to call her Marilyn McCoo-Coo.

      I hate it too. It’s overpriced, and the sales aren’t even that great. They have cute stuff, but it’s just too expensive compared to other places. I think Kohl’s has always tried to be the less expensive department store, competing with Macy’s. But Macy’s has better sales than Kohl’s.

      Why does the universe not want you to have a credit card??

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  9. Ferris is totally a dick! But I’ve always thought that, and I loved that movie anyway. Like the Solid Gold dancers, it makes me feel so nostalgic for people and places that have passed from my life. I mean, I was young, so lots of things were hard and I felt uncomfortable in my own skin most of the time. Things were definitely worse in some ways, but so much better in others. I still had my grandparents, and my extended family was still close. I honestly wouldn’t want to be in my teens or 20s again, or live with the misogyny/racism/ableism/etc so ingrained in our culture we couldn’t even see it, but–big ol’ cliche here–how I wish I could’ve known then what I know now, so I would have appreciated what I had. I try to keep that lesson front and center now. Sometimes when I’m with my kids I stop and soak in everything about who we are now. I know I’ll miss all of this someday, too. If I’m lucky.

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    1. I think that’s the appeal of the movie—he’s a jerk, but it’s still funny. He’s not my favorite character, though. My favorite character is the school secretary.

      Omg, big yes to everything you said here. I was just telling Mike this morning that I wish I could go back to the 80s for a few days as my healed self. We can only do what we can with the information we have now. Just be a good human, right? Do what you know is good, and cause no harm to others. My mantra lately is, “One day at a time, live in the moment.”

      I’ve been dealing with really bad neck pain for 10 days now. I finally went to urgent care today, and it doesn’t look serious, but the PA mentioned all the medications I’m on to prevent migraines. I sat with that for about 30 minutes, feeling a little shame, a little sad, and a little worried about all the meds I need to stay pain-free—and yet here I am, still in pain. But then I realized I’d rather be on preventatives that might shorten my life a little so my day-to-day is better, than be on nothing and be a miserable fuck every day. So maybe this is my new mantra.

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      1. You, and my mother, and I are all having new neck pain. My mother’s doctor has told her to unplug from the news more, but she can’t do it! And I, after a 6-day reprieve, am back in migraine land. My neck pain left, but now it is back with the headache. There are new hitches and clickings in my neck that I never had before January. All we can do is what we can do with what we know today, and I agree with you about all your mantras. Your last sentence made me laugh out loud. YES–let’s choose whatever option is NOT being a miserable fuck every day! I’m working on healing my nervous system, but in the meantime, I’m gonna take my meds. And I’m taking more than the recommended dose when I need to. My chronic pain doctor who gets that the cause is my nervous system gave me permission. She said that the pain and my fear of it is more damaging than the meds are. And I believe her. (Which is why I can write this message right now.) Sending you love and solidarity. (Also, the school secretary is always the best. In real life and movies.)

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      2. I hate that the three of us are all dealing with neck pain! What is going on?? And you’ve got migraines again? I’m so sorry, friend.

        The pain and the fear are more damaging. Your doctor is right! I used to try to save my meds as a last resort, but why was I doing that? I’m living in the moment now, realizing that in this moment, I want to be pain-free, and I deserve to be pain-free. I’m so glad you’re coming around to this realization too. Thank goodness for chronic pain doctors.

        And yes, thank goodness for school secretaries! 💜

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  10. I only have 2 books checked out currently from our library but I typically have more than that out! How sweet that you have those memories of working with your dad.

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  11. I like squirrels in theory but know they can be destructive so not a fan per se. I like to grocery shop in person, but have used the delivery service in a pinch. The Solid Gold Dancers! Oh man, there’s a flashback.

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    1. Destruction seems to be a common theme I’m hearing about squirrels. I haven’t experienced it personally, but now that I’ve said it, I hope I don’t have to find out firsthand!

      I will say, though, that I do enjoy picking out my own produce. But I’ve been really lucky with the shoppers at my local store—they’ve been pretty good.

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  12. “5- my childhood best friend and i wanted to be solid gold dancers when we grew up.”

    OMG, me too, Kari! In fact, I bought myself a gold sequin vest at Chess King and would put it on when no one was home, blast music, and dance around the living room; while pretending that I was Tony Fields! Lol!

    And as you know, I love squirrels too. They are the cutest little things! I enjoy feeding them peanuts in the park and watching their mouths chew REALLY fast.

    You were in retail too? Why am I not surprised? I started in retail when I was in early 20s. And I’ve got to say, I still enjoy it.

    FUN post, my friend! Have a faaaaaaaaaabulous week!

    X

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    1. Chess King! OMG, let’s head to Chess King, grab some outfits, and pretend we’re Solid Gold dancers! Ugh, why can’t it be 1980 again? I love this so much because I can picture you in your outfit, dancing away!

      They are so adorable! I love watching them run all over the yard, and when my dogs try to chase them, I’m rooting for the squirrel every time. I always give the squirrel a head start. They have nests in our trees, so it makes me feel honored that they chose our yard to call home.

      YES! I also worked at Banana Republic and Old Navy! I love that you still enjoy it!

      Have a wonderful week as well, my friend! 😘💜

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  14. FERRIS BUELLER IS KIND OF A DICK! He totally bullies Cam! He wrecks Cam’s dad’s car! He is a big baby who manipulates his parents AND I HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT THAT, the son who can do no wrong while the daughter is reviled. I HAVE FEELINGSSSSSS

    I actually really like grocery shopping! I find it kind of zen. Also I almost always end up in conversation with someone and as Nora Ephron’s mother said, everything is copy.

    I probably had fevers but I don’t remember, so they couldn’t have been too bad. I always had a cold, though, and I blame that on my mom’s super heavy smoking and my nail biting habit.

    I am a little embarrassed to admit this but there was a time when I wanted to be a Barker’s Beauty.

    Squirrels are cute but they are destructive little bastards. Barkley caught one once, and you know what, I didn’t feel bad about it. It was probably the best day of Barkley’s life.

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    1. THANK YOU! He is such a bad friend, a bad boyfriend, and a terrible son and brother. I HAVE FEELINGS TOO!!

      I feel like I could actually start to like grocery shopping if I had some tips from others. I like where this is going…

      My parents also smoked (in the home and car) because they didn’t know better. Sigh. I had lots of upper respiratory issues growing up.

      OMG! SO DID I!! No shame. Ever. This was our childhood.

      Good for Barkley! Buddy and Biscuits are very jealous.

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  15. I never had a fever high enough to make me delirious! At least, not that I remember (from childhood). My youngest son did when he was a toddler. It was super scary. I called the pediatrician twice and he kept giving me advice and told me I didn’t need to take him to the ER – which freaked me out even more, because I felt he needed to go.

    Can you believe I’ve never watched Ferris Bueller?!

    I remember you worked at Kohls, but I didn’t know that your dad worked there with you! That is so cool. <3

    I don’t mind grocery shopping at all. In fact, I kinda like it. Especially at Woodmans. I guess because it’s right up the street and the place is so big, it’s not a cramped grocery store (unless I have to run in on a weekend). It’s also an easy way to get my steps in since I’ve been pretty lazy this winter. Oh – and I’m picky about my produce. I wouldn’t want anyone else picking it out for me, ha ha.

    I think squirrels (and chipmunks) are adorable, but yeah, they’re rodents. And they’re destructive.

    Right now I have four library books checked out.

    Love you!

    xoxo

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    1. Anna had a really high fever when she was one and a half, so they got her in to the pediatrician. I remember my dad went with me to that visit. I only remember because he never got to go to appointments since he was still working at the time. My ex-husband couldn’t get off work, and my dad happened to be over visiting that day, so he went with me. We were so worried about Anna… she was fine, but she was my first child, and high fevers are SO scary! I was up all night with her, putting cold cloths on her.

      I can’t believe you’ve never watched Ferris! I feel like you need to now so I can get your thoughts on it.

      Yep! Only during the holiday season. But it was really cool.

      I love that you love it. My mom loves it too. I always loved going with her when I was little, but I think it became a chore as an adult. Budgets and all. It wasn’t fun anymore.

      I have so many library books checked out now! I just went yesterday, so I’m happy!

      Love you! 😘💜

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      1. OK, I will have to watch Ferris!

        Went grocery shopping at TJ’s today and holy moly, with Tim now living here, our grocery bill has skyrocketed.

        Returned 3 of my 4 library books today too, and purposely did not go in to look, lol. I have so many books here of my own that I need to be reading right now.

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      2. I bet! Even one person makes a huge difference in groceries. Plus, everything is so expensive now.

        I am so guilty of this! I currently have four really good library books sitting on my table, and I have more waiting at the library today. I guarantee that when I go to pick them up, I’ll end up browsing the new book shelves too. 🤣

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  16. I actually dreamed of being a squirrel once, and that I was looking at a rat feeling like I was so much more important because of my beautiful tail. LOL I’m really not kidding. SMH

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  18. Ferris Bueller and Solid Gold. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I haven’t thought of either in a long time. And yeah, Ferris was kind of a dick. I thought that the actor who played Cameron would have been type casted big time after that role. He ended up having a decent career. Last Ferris comment – I never knew it was a John Hugh’s film…

    Very cool you and your dad worked together. That must have been fun.

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  19. I love these random thoughts! I don’t like grocery shopping either but when I send my husband, even with a list, it never turns out well..lol. Although Kohl’s is not a store I shop, it sounds pretty cool to have worked with your Dad! I love it!

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    1. I agree with the husband and the list—though he goes off the list quite a bit too. The kids always loved that. 🤣💜

      It’s not a store I shop at anymore either! I had my fill. 🤣

      It was fun to go to work with him. He said he loved watching me do what I do best, which was a pretty cool thing to hear from my dad. 💜

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  20. My bestie also loves squirrels and always talks about getting a pet squirrel. Ha. Rats with tails indeed. Coach used to have seizures when he had a high fever as a youngster which prompted me to put Lad in a bathtub whenever his fever was high as a little guy. Fortunately none of mine ever seized due to high fevers. I STILL remember hallucinating while sleeping over at my grandma’s house due to a high fever. I was sharing a bed with my cousin and she was getting mad at me for talking about how I kept seeing the dog fly across the room. Remember that feeling like it was yesterday. Ick. Love the Kohls memories with your dad. Of course they all loved him there. Solid gold dancers – that made me chuckle.

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    1. Seizures with fever sound so scary. I’ve heard of them before, but I can’t imagine experiencing that with a child. Fever dreams can be unsettling too. That image of the dog flying across the room did make me laugh, though.

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  22. Both out of body experiences were cool. For the 2nd one, I was brushing my teeth when I passed out. My conscience remained upright and watched, from behind, as I feel into the sink. Then I zoomed into myself and woke up.

    The 1st one: My mom was applying anti-itch meds. I kept repeating, “It’s so cold!”, even though it was actually room temp. Next thing I know, I’m at the back of our hallway and watch myself run out of my room, past “me”, and down the hall. I saw, still at the end of the hall, my feet get tangled in my nightgown and my body falling to the floor. As I hit the floor, I was on my body again, telling my VERY freaked out parents how I had tripped.

    The 2 episodes were a day or 2 apart. It’s never happened again.

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    1. Whoa, this is so cool! I mean, did you die?? That wouldn’t have been cool… or did you disassociate? Man, stuff like this fascinates me.

      When I was little and had a fever, I would always have the same dream about a little girl living in a tiny house. As she grew, the house stayed the same size, and she started outgrowing it. The dream always unsettled me, but I only had it when I was sick—never when I was healthy. I haven’t had it as an adult.

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      1. I can’t explain what happened.there was no sense of temp death. I theorized it was an obscene fever, but there was never indication of that either. It was interesting and I’m bummed that I never repeated it. I passed out other times but had no out of body, I usually just woke up extreme refreshed (hard reboot!).

        As a kid/teen, I had a recurrent nightmare about running through a maze of gigantic spools of thread that were swaying, hanging from an unseen ceiling in some kind of massive warehouse. As an adult, I found out my sister had the same recurring nightmare. Weird!!

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  23. I love that story about your dad! He sounds like a great person overall, but particularly great at being a dad. Love hearing your stories about him 💗

    The Solid Gold Dancers! Omg! I don’t remember the show at all but I can still remember part of the theme song 🤣

    What supernatural power do theme songs hold that they stick for so long? Pretty sure I can recite the Family Ties theme song word for word & I barely watched the show (tho I do credit it for teaching me what S.C.U.B.A. stands for!).

    Also the image of you and your friend as Solid Gold Dancers is all kinds of fabulous! Totally worthy of being on your Senior Page in the HS Yearbook 😅

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    1. Great at being a dad, yes. He really was. I love telling stories about him, so it makes me happy that you love hearing them. 💜

      That is so funny that you know theme songs! I love theme songs too! If I heard the Family Ties song, I’d definitely sing along! Same goes for commercial jingles! I can’t stop laughing about you learning SCUBA from Family Ties. The randomness of that is just too good. I needed that laugh.

      Man, why don’t we just follow our dreams instead of doing what society/school tells us to? We also wanted to move to Colorado and be ski instructors. She didn’t even ski! 🤣🤣

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      1. Keep the dad stories coming! ❤️

        I love that! Do you think in another timeline, you’re living the Ski Instructor Lifestyle & skiing the slopes? 😁

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  24. I absolutely agree with you about grocery shopping and Ferris Bueller. I am so grateful that Himself has not only kicked me out of the kitchen, but does all the shopping and menu planning. He still likes me to shop with him (mostly to reach stuff that are on the low shelves to save his tall self from having to bend down that far!)

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  25. I would imagine that time of working with your dad was magical!

    Occasionally, I’ll recall running into my dad in our town, or seeing him walking down the road as I drove by; what I wouldn’t give to have that happen again.

    Solid Gold Dancers. I’d forgotten about them! Dream job. :)

    I can’t grocery shop online, but I’d love to be wealthy enough to justify someone doing all my grocery shopping for me! 😂

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    1. It was so magical, and I knew it was while it was happening—which is pretty amazing, honestly! Normally, I don’t have that kind of foresight. 🤣

      Oh, don’t I understand that, my friend. 😘

      Dream job, for sure!

      I’d love to have a full-time grocery shopper—and a masseuse! 😊

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  26. I shop at Aldi and there is no online version. I am usually in and out.

    Never heard of Solid Gold dancers. But I wanted to be an Arabesque when I was little (they are a German trio). I still remember my dad playing their album on vinyl. Ah the memories…

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    1. I love Aldi, especially their produce section! What’s funny is that I never usually have a problem with the person picking my produce—this time, though, I ended up with all rotten apples. Guess there’s a life lesson in that. 🤣

      Oh, I love your memory! 💜

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