Author: Jen Rios

Big Brother Does NOT Disappoint!!!

I am so grateful that Big Brother knows my soul and today he did not disappoint! I remember Bono playing a green guitar when when my brother, Steve, and I saw them in 2006. I watched the whole video when it showed up in my YouTube feed and I’m not even ashamed to say that I cried! This song is definitely one of my top five faves!!!:

Black

Yesterday morning, (well, actually it was almost afternoon) when my Mom came into my room to get me out of bed, I was still kind of still sleeping. My face was away from the doorway and I was laying on my left cheek with my hair spread out behind me on my pillow. My Mom pulled my covers off and told me that, “You’re hair is really black!” Normally, I do not talk in the morning (even if it was almost afternoon) but as I rolled over for her to put my shoes on, I told her that I had noticed that and asked if it was because I have not been in the sun for months.

I noticed that my hair was darker the last time my Mom took a picture of its length now that I have been sheltering in place with her for so long. I usually get subtle light brown highlights from being in the sun. Don’t pay attention to the split ends but I kind of want to see how long it will get! Just so you know, moments after this picture was taken, I put my hair in a fold/over (or is it fold-under) ponytail and put a hat on.

Once my Mom took the picture, I noticed that my hair was a lot darker than it normally is. What do you think?

Also, looking at all of the pictures (which may or may not be out of order) I guess it looks the same. I don’t know. But the fact that my Mom said that my hair looked black, gives me a perfect segue to post this video because I ABSOLUTELY love this song!:

And by the way, I will NEVER show you my one eyebrow or my furry face until it is gone!

“A Little Something”

I texted Sean this afternoon and asked him to pick up a prescription for me from the local CVS because it was ready. He came to drop it off in the mailbox after work and shoveled the snow.

I heard him on the porch and called him. He told me that he was shoveling and there was a little something in the mailbox for me with my prescription. I told him that I was kind of excited! He told me that it wasn’t a big deal and was just a little something but some thing I had said that I wanted.

My Mom opened the door to get the stuff out of the mailbox. This was the, “Little Something”;

I texted Sean pictures of this commercial and told him that I wanted to try it out months ago. When I talked to him on the phone, he said that it was something small but something that I had wanted for a while. After I was finished with it, I texted him that it was:

“DELICIOUS!!! THANK YOU!!! 💜💜💜

He told me that I had wanted it but he had not seen it at any stores but while he was picking up my prescription, it was there and he had to get it!

NICE! I think it was an excellent, “Little something.”

Cheeseheads

I remember ordering Cheeseheads on NFLshop.com one year during the playoffs.

The Packers were eliminated before I was able to wear it. I but them for Sean and me to wear in our house during the playoffs. I figured that I would save the Cheeseheads for the following year seeing that the Packers were eliminated.

I was talking with my Mom recently because I was thinking about getting them from the basement to wear because the only team I want to go for was the Packers. She recalled coming here one time when Sean must’ve been 12 and we were watching the Packers play and we were both wearing our Cheeseheads.


She recalled coming into the house and seeing us wearing, “Those ridiculous hats.” Now that they are eliminated from the playoffs again this year, looks like I will have to wait another year to bring them up from the basement

I have been living in my memories for a while now but I remember watching the game with Sean wearing our Cheeseheads and I would repeat Aaron Rogers’,’ “Green 19” throughout the game. I also remember that I bought Sean Packers sweatpants for Christmas when he was 12 I think. I had visions of buying him another pair of sweatpants this year if they made it to the Super Bowl. I don’t have money for that anyway so. it seems that it is just as well.

“Green 19”

I told Larry Foote years ago at Barwis that I was a Lions fan and a postseason Packers fan when we discussed his Super Bowl versus the Packers. Because of finding out about Matthew Stafford yesterday, I am just sad!

I checked the score on my phone and saw that the Packers were losing and I was glad that I was not watching the game. But then, I checked the score again and Rogers was making it a game! I decided to watch the last quarter. I didn’t even have to wear my eyepatch because I can just wear my glasses instead.

I was so happy to hear Aaron Rodgers say, “Green 19” like I have heard him say that for so long! I just love it! I think I would be more of a Packers fan if they were not in our division.

I am at a loss right now because I am not sure if I am still a Lions fan or if I have always just been a Matthew Stafford fan. I have the off-season to think about this and I don’t know what I am going to do.

Sean has been trying to cheer me up by saying that Stafford may go to the Saints and that would be a good thing! I am just at a loss right now and I can’t even be a postseason Packers fan anymore… Super Bowl was a holiday for me and Sean and this year being sheltered in place and seeing who is going to play, I just don’t know if I’m feeling it…

High-Five

In the 38 years I have been living, I don’t normally high-five my Mom. However, now that she is my full-time caregiver and we have been sheltered in place together since March 2020, we pray, listen to music, laugh, and talk about a lot of things every single day as she is assisting me to get ready for the day.

We laughed a lot today after we prayed and before we listened to music and it reminded me of our conversation from a couple weeks ago. I have heard this story numerous times but I really like to hear it. My Mom will tell the story and it always makes me laugh because this was back in March of 1982. My birthday. My Mom went into labor with me and she and my Dad were in the hospital room. She has told me that the intake nurse was gathering her information about how many children my Mom had. She asked my Mom my oldest brother’s name and his father. My Mom told her and then she asked my second oldest brother’s name and his father. My Mom listed all four of my brothers and my Dad is also their Dad.

The intake nurse was in disbelief and she called three or four other floor nurses to hear what my Mom had just said and asked her again. They all could not believe it and this was back in 1982.

A couple weeks ago, she was telling me that story again and I told her that in 1982, it was common place to have just one, “Baby daddy.” After she was finished telling the story and we talked about it. I told her that I had just one, “Baby daddy” because I only have one child.

Uncharacteristically, she told me that she also has just one “Baby daddy.” I began to laugh and put my hand up not really thinking that she would high-five me but she high-fived me. We both laughed a lot.

I remember when this song came out so many years ago and I think it’s kind of funny still:

Me and Bobby McGee

Janice Joplin videos have been showing up in my Facebook feed and I don’t mind it at all! The first one to show up was yesterday and it was, “Piece of my Heart” and today, I saw, “Me and Bobby McGee.”

I immediately was reminded of a conversation a had with a former colleague that had to be about 10 years ago now. Somehow, we were talking about music and I think I mentioned this song to her. My memory of this occasion is a bit hazy but she gave me a burned CD to listen to while I drove to my acupuncture appointment. She didn’t even tell me who was singing but I took it and loved this version of this song.

When I reviewed this song the next morning to her, she told me it was sung by Jennifer Love Hewitt. I have since misplaced this CD but I can always search it on YouTube which I did! I REALLY dig this cover!!!:

“What’s Up, Four Eyes?!”

First and foremost, I want to say that as an adult and the youngest of five children, I 100% know that ALL of my brothers love me!!!

I am not going to lie, however, growing up, that love was NOT always apparent to me! I have lived through much torment at the hands of my older brothers! I don’t want to belabor that fact but, whether it was getting my name written on my bald head as a baby, My head being wrapped in masking tape when I was young, being pushed and causing me to flip over the couch and land on the carpet while I stood with my thigh and knee on the arm while I watch TV in the living room, or even me having to give one of them a left hook to the eye when I warned him if he continued to bother me that that would happen!

But, now that we are all adults (AND I am the only one of us still in our 30s!) I am confident that they all love me and I love all of them!!!

With that being said, I have discovered that when I am watching TV or using my phone, I need to wear my glasses. The prism helps me to see more clearly. Well, yesterday, my brother, Dave, was on a FaceTime call with my Mom and she turned the camera toward me to show my brother that I started wearing glasses again. He did not waste any time once he saw me, he asked, “What’s up, Four Eyes?!” We both began to laugh and he let me know that he had no problem flipping me over the couch which made us laugh even more!!!

Late Night Addendum to “A Prism…”

So my eyes were a bit wonky and while writing my blog post, my phone had a glitch and it was lost twice so I had to re-speak my writing into my phone. Now, I am still rocking an iPhone 7s and it works for me. I don’t have money to get a new phone anyway but sometimes it gets glitchy because it is so many years old. As I am laying in bed not really sleeping yet, I reread my blog post I wrote earlier to edit it. I am extremely embarrassed that there were so many errors! For that I apologize profusely!!!

One thing I did notice was that a picture I tried to insert into my post didn’t let me and I think that’s because I over-cropped it. This is the picture I wanted to insert and my previous blog post:

Karen is standing in the front row and is the second person from the left. She is wearing the blue blouse and checkered skirt with penny loafers. She chose to wear her regular glasses (I think) and put her reading glasses? around her neck. I haven’t read this book for 30 years but I think that’s how I remember it.

I haven’t worn glasses in so long but I specifically remember this book normalizing wearing glasses and I liked it because by that time, I had glasses!

And, sorry about the errors! I truly AM embarrassed!