A Big, Giant Thank You & A $20 Donation to Your Nonprofit

You have been the biggest, baddest troopers and I thank you for that. I love it that you--a thoughtful, witty reader--come to Gropius and visit me here. And with everything going on in your life, I'm even more grateful for your time and your comments.

For whatever reason, I decided to take up the NaPoBloMo challenge of blogging everyday in April on the "Big" prompt. The fact that anyone is still reading Gropius at this point is amazing.  And so, on the 30th day of the month, here's a promise:

I, Gropius, solomnly swear to never ever EVER use the word "big" again.

I thank you for putting up with the boring posts, the fat stretches made to keep within the theme, and the irritated rants about puppy mills and sign defying boaters.  You took the time to give me your well-considered perspectives on photos; tough decisions; commercials, movies and singers I like that you thought sucked; and anything I could cram into another day of survival.

I appreciate you in a big way. Oops...

Really, you guys rock.

Using a random number generator, I'm giving a $20 donation to the nonprofit of one commenter's choice. Just leave a comment including the nonprofit you choose, why you're passionate about its mission and the website of the nonprofit. I'll let you know who the winner is on Monday.
Enjoy your weekend and thanks for reading Gropius.

Big Blooms

Ah yes, I know. You're sick of my flower photos. As Husband will say after a trip, "Great. More pictures of leaves and stuff."

But I thought the blooming hibiscuses were just too lovely not to post.

Big Surprise: Thanks for Listening, Honda

Thanks to all those who commiserated with my pain over a $1,000 bill at Honda recently.

I answered a standard follow up e-mail from the Honda service department about my dissatisfaction paying so much for a bizarre replacement--the now famous rear upper control arm.

Wish I had time to create a logo for the rear upper control arm...I'm picturing something that looks like a behind with an Rosie the Riveter arm coming out of it.

Anyway, I'd be a bad girl if I didn't share with you a big surprise today. I received an e-mail back from the maintenance manager who took the time to investigate and try to remedy the situation. Because of her efforts, Honda is able to get me a refund for the replacement. Are you KIDDING? Wow, someone who follows up and gets somewhere with it. Can't say how much I appreciate that. Although it's not really a third of the total bill, I can handle this. I'm grateful she took the time and I wanted to set the record straight on Gropius.

Sadly, excellent customer service is often a surprise. Even so, cheers to them! Other big surpises today:

1. D-Man is suspended for a fight again. Same situation--some kid hit the crap out of him in the school hallway and he fought back. To be continued...
2. I'm winning the lottery tonight. I just feel it.

Big Headed Fools

I'm over people with big heads. And God knows, there are enough of them in this world.

Yes, we know that most of them are just trying to compensate for small appendages or insecurities, but it gets annoying.  I'm sure you agree that having a big ego is way different than having confidence.
Suzicate had a great conversation about this recently on the Water Witch's Daughter.

Confidence is that inner knowing which allows you to move forward, believing that you're something special, but no more special than any other human being. A big head, on the other hand, screams out "I deserve to be served first," or "Get out of my way, you underlings," or "I am sooo much more intelligent that all others living and breathing on planet Earth. And all of those who have ever lived and breathed on the planet."

Where do I encounter these people?  I see them in politics. (What's new, right Gropius?)  I see them at flashy fundraising events. And I encounter them in professional situations where they behave without integrity or thanklessly demand that their emergency "need" becomes mine--not caring about my schedule, priorities or timing.

I think most people--maybe more than we realize--are good at heart, genuinely care about others, and think they're no better or worse than the next woman. But every now and then, the ones with big heads announce their presence at unexpected times and fill me with a sense of disgust.  I know I should feel compassion for them, but most of the time, it's hard because I know they make life difficult for others.

Here is what's interesting. Eastern religions tell us that ego is just as much about the person who believes he/she is less than deserving as it is about the big headed fools walking around. Why? It's still the ego that's at risk when we fear failure itself or fear looking badly in front of others.

Now those are things I can identify with to a greater degree. So I am just as much of a big-headed fool as the next person.  It's all about constant self improvement, yes?  No matter how critical I am of the BS in the outer world, an internal focus always reigns me back in to my own shortcomings.

Hoping my own big head can take a long walk on a short pier.

Making Your Mark with Big Pranks

For whatever reason, most adults do not enjoy---or find acceptable---even the most thoughtfully crafted, well-meaning prank. That's unfortunate. I often dream about how to creatively get a surprise out of someone without actually causing any harm.

It's just so easy to imagine how nice a steaming pile of excrement might look in a certain locale. Or how funny an anonymous e-mail containing some speck of racy information could be to a certain deserving individual.

...Hmmm, maybe those aren’t pranks but something else more sinister?

It's all about how you brand it, right? Not so with me. I always got busted for anything. The little mischievous behavior I engaged in, I got called out for. It just works that way with some people…and for whatever reason, that includes me. Call it instant karma.

Growing up, I was always amazed at how our asinine neighbors got away with bloody murder. One day they ran around the house and coated every external doorknob with Vaseline. You obviously didn't see the slime coating until you’re reached for it. And sadly, we opened more than one door before conducting a full environmental scan. (Think about it…you’re just so angry after the first one, you run the next with such a mad eagerness to get inside you do it again. I'm sure you could hear "Goddamn it!" several miles away.)

On another occasion, the oldest and most physically unattractive of the three boys (who was in high school at the time) came to the door offering a plate of crackers to my mother. They were filled with a mysterious paste--toothpaste to be exact. Did we try one? HELLO. Of course not. it was just a little too suspicious. I did give the boy credit. It was probably all he could do to arrive with a serious expression of heartfelt kindness.

To this day one of the few things I regret in life is not carrying out a full fledged assault on those boys. The good side of that is that all 4 of us--the 3 neighbors and me--are still alive now. And tomorrow is another day--another chance, if you will. A chance for a big prank, nearly twenty years later.

Big Win

I'll preface this post by admitting that for most of my life I a.) hated sports, both playing and watching them; b.) suck at playing any sport; and c.) knew about 2 professional athletes by name.

For whatever reason, that all changed the year the Tampa Bay Rays made it to the World Series. I just clung on to them---the players are all young, (seemingly) wholesome, so eager to win, and extremely likeable. Husband even has a man crush on one of them. So I learned all of their names, the funny little things each of them does while pitching or hitting, and I started loving the game of baseball. It helped tremendously that the Rays team has a strong commitment to community service and actively raises money for and participates in charitable service all over our bay area.

Going to baseball games has become an activity everyone in the fam can enjoy.  Last night we had a blast at our first game of the season, and the boys made us proud with a 9-3 win.

Aren't they adorable? From left: Evan Longoria, Jason Bartlett, Ben Zobrist and Carlos Pena
Oh yes, they also kick serious behind out on the field.

Loved watching catcher Jaso enjoy an interview after the game...especially when he was decked with a ginormous whipped creme pie.

When they win, the Tropicana Dome is lit up orange as a signal of victory.

Here's a shot of that from the inside, while we enjoyed an awesome post-game show from legendary rocker John Fogerty.

And yes, he TOTALLY rocked. He's turning 65 this week, and who would know? His voice, his energy and mastery of the guitar were all impressive in this live show beyond what I could have imagined. He sang basically every Creedence Clearwater Revival hit, left us all wanting more and knowing we witnessed someone who deserved the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame designation for his band in 1993.


Guess what D-Man was doing during much of the game and the show afterward...

Good grief, someone save me.

A Big List of OTHER Things I Could Have Done With $1,000

$941.00 to be exact. Tell me, is it reasonable to pay that much for maintenance on a Honda that's only 3 years old with 50,000 miles? After you've just paid $350 less than 2 months ago for a scheduled service that was mainly supposed to include a thorough check-up on everything?

I went in yesterday to settle a troubling noise coming from the back tire area. In addition to learning that some thing called a rear upper controlled arm had come unscrewed, off track or whatever (I'm really smart about cars, as you can see), I learned that "oh by the way, you need a new battery, new front brakes, new tires (which I've already replaced once), new wipers, etc. etc.

So instead of bitching about it, which is soooo boring to read, let me take a moment to thank Honda.

Honda, thank you so much. I've really been dying to spend $1,000, and I can't think of any way I'd like to drop it more than right there with you.

But if you weren't so thoughtful to take away the choice for me, which made my life a heck of a lot easier, I'd like to list a few other things that I could have dumped it on:

1. Toping the list off would of course be any number of weekend trips. I'll put Arizona first, where dearest friend just relocated. I could totally get in to the desert. The enormity and beauty of the Grand Canyon is impressive. Like a rusty sunset. Aging over tens of thousands of years never looked so good on anyone.
2. I could soooo spend $1,000 on a single donation to any number of nonprofits that I haven't supported in the past but would like to. It's impressive how far our local organizations can make any financial contribution go--they use it to accomplish missions that serve chidren, places, wildlife so dear to us.
3. A new native plant garden for the yard. We don't use pesticides or fertilizers in our yard--they're very bad news for the health of the bay here in Sarsasota/ Bradenton. We also have some great native plants that attract birdies and wildlife. Once established, they require very little care, water or other resources. I'd love to grow that garden more than what we do a couple hundred dollars at a time every now and then.
4. Advanced camera.
5. Season tickets to the Rays for the fam.
6. New oil paint and water color supplies.
7. Any choice of about 10,000 home improvement projects.

I'll spare you the long list of additional choices.  With so many decisions to make, I'm so grateful Honda chipped in to make it all work out.

What would you do with $1,000 outside of your standard budget to randomly spend on anything?