Notes from the Red Bird House

Sam pulled into a truck stop on the outskirts of Lexington. She was hungry and needed a plan. The day has slipped away at break-neck pace, but there was still more to do. Given that she didn’t want to stay in Lexington any longer than she had to, Sam needed a new lead and needed it quick. The clock on the dash said 3:40. She figured she had until roughly 5:00 if she was going to go through formal channels at the University. Damn, Malin, Sam thought again for the 10,000th time since she’d ended their conversation. Why did Malin always distract her? She had things to do, plans to make, and here she was with a little more than an hour before the day was totally shot. Sam stood in front of the drink cooler and thought about her options. A Monster Rehab and a protein bar? Or the McDonalds next door? Realizing that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast, Sam decided on a Double Cheeseburger meal and an extra hamburger for Kate. She carried the bag of food back to the SUV and opened the back ha...

Sam did the quick math in her head. It was just after 2:00 in the afternoon. If the drive went as Mapquest said it would, she’d arrive in Lexington around 4:00. She assumed that all the University offices would close at 5:00. That wasn’t much time for doing research. Sam didn’t know her way around Lexington, much less her way around the University. Finding the Alumni office, parking, and then someone willing to help seemed like a daunting task with only an hour to play with. Holly could help her, but Holly wasn’t going to help her. Sam resolved that Holly would never know she was in Lexington unless one of two things happened, (1) She ran into her or (2) She needed her help to move the search forward. “Lexington!?! You’re on the way to Lexington? As in Kentucky?”, Malin exclaimed when Sam told her where she was. “It’s really not that far. Cincinnati is almost in Kentucky anyway.” Sam went on to tell her friend what she had discovered at Evelyn Campbell’s house and what she had ...

I think I've officially come out as a non-dater. People don't get it. I promise you they don't. You there reading this are probably a bit dubious. Do people really not date? I mean single people. Attractive single people. Yes. I can tell you with the greatest confidence that there are people who simply choose not to date. Ok, so maybe I can't say 'people' but I can say 'person'. I know one person who doesn't date - me. This didn't just happen yesterday. I'm not fresh from a nasty break-up and even nastier stint on The Break Up Diet. I haven't gotten a tattoo since February 2009. I'm sane and happy. My heart is not broken. And I haven't had a date in more than two years. In the beginning it really wasn't a choice per se. No one was asking, myself included, so I didn't date. I had crushes and people I thought I might like to date, but nothing ever materialized into reality. Dating just wasn't a priority and truthfully ...

“You look like you could use a drink,” Evelyn said as Sam followed her to the kitchen. “Unfortunately, all I have is sweet tea and water.” She continued with a laugh, trying to lighten Sam’s mood.   “Just water, please, Ma’am,” Sam said as she sat down hard at the kitchen table. Evelyn knew that she had dropped a bomb on Sam. In the last two minutes, Sam had learned a lot. Or at the very least, she had assumed a lot. So, R.G and J.T. were girls. In truth, this took Evelyn by surprise. She could only guess what it had done to Sam. Her mother was J.T. Of course, the plus sign and the heart could have been drawn out of innocence. The 1950s were an innocent time. Girls didn’t think of each other in a romantic sense. Today kids used the term ‘BFF’ maybe that’s what the girls meant. Or maybe not. Evelyn was sure that the ‘maybe not’ was what was eating at Sam. Sam pulled out her iPhone and pressed the appropriate buttons to send a picture of her discovery to Malin. She needed p...

I spent the last three days at the BNP Paribas Open (aka Indian Wells). Even though I grew up in Southern California and the tournament has been huge for veritably forever, this was my first trip. It will not be my last. I truly couldn't imagine having a better time. When I arrived on the scene Tuesday morning at 9:30am, I was a novice. I got up to speed pretty quickly, but I've made a short list (in the form of one of my Top Ten Lists) of  'take-aways' that I'll try to remember for next year. ** The weather was hotter than normal so some items may not apply every year ** 1. When in the EZ Bake Oven that is Stadium 1, remember to cover your knees and your elbows. Don't ask, just do. P.S. The seats can get really, really, really hot. Sit carefully. 2. Buy tickets on the West side of the stadium for all Day Sessions. As the sun tracks across the sky, shade will arrive. Shade is good. Reference #1 above. 3. Watching tennis from the end-zone is best. No ...

I'm mostly worried about reality. 'Worried' may not be the correct word, but I'm certainly not looking forward to it. In two days I'll get on a plane and return to my life, my real life - the one with school, work, a sore elbow, dogs that need walking, alarms that need setting and bills that need paying. I like that life, I do. Well, sort of. Let me explain. Part of it I like because I really like it. The other part I like because I have no choice but to like it. It goes back to what my mom said once upon a time (in reference to snow in Michigan). 'You can either like it or like it.' Hmmm... I guess I'll like it. This break has been good. And bad. I've spent time with family, hung out with friends, watched some fabulous tennis, gotten sun burnt, and managed to forget most of my life back home. I think I can honestly say (sorry to my friends, co-workers, and classmates in Austin) that if given the choice I would never go back. Not to any of it. Not ...