Five on Friday: Funiculi, Funicula!

I suggest cuing up this opera song for reading this post. Like me, you've probably heard this one before, it's one of those songs that's been used in commercials for Italian food and in cartoons.  And maybe like me, you'll not have realized that they are singing about FUNICULARS, which are a growing obsession of mine.

What is a funicular? Also known by a more boring name (an inclined plane) it's sort of a sideways elevator that goes up and down a steep hill. I encountered my first on a trip to Puerto Rico a decade ago. We were staying at a hotel that was on a hill top while the beach was at the bottom.  We were told to take the funicular down and had no idea what that meant. We saw it for ourselves and began calling it a Wonka-vator.

I hadn't been on another one until last year in Quebec, but on this year's road trip we got to go on THREE! It's become sort of a challenge now, to go on as many as I can.

So for today's late Five on Friday list, I present to you each of the five funiculars I've been on.

1. The Wonka-vator. Nothing particularly charming about it but as my first, it will always be special.

2. Quebec. Charming because it's in French and all.

3. Pittsburgh, on the way up: all the charm of an antique railroad car (because it sort of is. Just . . . sideways.) Look at that lantern hanging from the ceiling! Squeal!

4. Pittsburgh, on the way down: this car was divided into three sections. I didn't get a good picture to explain what I mean, so here's a random picture from the Internet:

5. Lastly, one I was really excited about: a VEHICULAR one in Johnstown, PA. Naturally I prefer the word "funicular" in all cases, but when it's a vehicular one, it really should be called a funicular, right? A vehicular funicular? Oh well. Our brand new mega-van, Overkill Jones, seemed like it would fit but they didn't want to take the chance on its weight. We understood and just stood for the ride up and down. They called the little room on the right the "chicken room" for anyone not brave enough to stand by the gate and watch. My oldest son started out there but then even he realized it wasn't that scary and joined the rest of us by the gate.

We're already scheming for next year's road trip in Overkill Jones and hitting another funicular. I'll be singing opera until then . . .

Five on Friday: Forty-Eight is Forty-Great!

 It was somebody's birthday yesterday.

Me, it was me.

I'm actually writing this post a few days early (!!) since I'll be taking a girls' trip with a friend, her daughters and my youngest daughter to go see my oldest kids  alleged adults at college. We've got some great meals, museum trips and of course a funicular ride planned. All great birthday outings in my book!

I frequently have partial Five on Friday lists waiting for their fourth or fifth item in the queue, so I took a peek to see if any could be whipped into shape for this week's post. Oh--here's one on ways I've felt old lately, so that'd be PERFECT for my birthday week! (Note: sure, this is a bit of a recurring theme but of course now I can laugh at this post from eight years ago--not a spring chicken at forty? Ha! Sure I was! Also: Eight years ago? Have I really been doing this for that long?)

Anyway, here's what's making me feel like a cranky old lady lately. (Though to be clear, I am perfectly pleased with my age this year because even numbers are superior and additionally, EIGHT IS GREAT!)

But I digress. Here's my list:

1. As a weirdo who used to always wish I'd need glasses for the accessorizing aspect, I'm actually fine with needing drug store cheaters. But rocking this look, well . . .  this just felt like a real (aging) milestone.

2. I recently found myself shopping for clothes and found myself saying things like "don't they have any goddamn cardigans with buttons anymore?" and "Jesus Christ, is this just how they make all jeans now?"

3. Those things (& more!) were said out loud. In public. Also some of them might be more aptly described as being "bitterly muttered" out loud. In public.

4. If you're wondering where I was shopping for my hot new look it was Marshalls. Yes, Marshalls, the discount retail fashion mecca.

5. On Easter Sunday, my Uncle made one of my dreams come true: he finally let me borrow some old home movies so I could convert them from VHS and watch them. There's a circa 1983 (?) Smurf movie I wrote, starred in and directed that I'd really like to see.

I was surprised to learn that a few of them had already been converted to DVD so when I got home I was able to watch them. Not the Smurf movie, sadly, but maybe even better: holiday scenes from Babci's house. It's just the family talking in the crowded living room, laughing, opening gifts, asking who wants a little ice cream? It was comforting, familiar but with the passage of time somehow a little foreign, too. I felt like Scrooge being transported back to witness scenes of Christmas past. 

I got a little emotional watching it, not just for the loved ones lost but maybe more so for seeing myself as a child! It occurred to me--I don't think I've ever seen video of myself so young!

I immediately realized how alien that concept--never seen a video of myself so young--is to my kids, who have instantaneously seen video of themselves their entire lives. So what started out as a lovely, nostalgic and slightly bittersweet moment quickly turned into, "Wow, I'm old."

But I'm an even number again! So all is right in the world. Cheers.

Five on Friday: Who's Spoiled Now?

1. Somebodies around here have a kitchen stocked with homemade chicken pot pie, soup and muffins.

2. Some other bodies have homemade chicken pot pie, soup and muffins all packed up and ready to be hand delivered to them.

3. The college students will be receiving some requested items from home that Mom had to dig through drawers, closets and even a bin in the storage space known as the "closet-closet" to find. (*Bonus: a certain bff from home will also be getting some things thanks to some double-Mom power action!)

It's a closet . . . inside a closet!

4. A birthday-this-weekend girl  young woman is going to be spoiled with presents from home and fun outings and shopping planned with Mom.

5. "Why are you going to Pittsburgh all by yourself?"

    "Um. . . because I want to!"

Maybe I'll even go on a funicular ride! I'll sing the entire time.

. . . and I cannot find the words to express how filled with joy and gratitude I am in anticipation of this upcoming weekend. How lucky am I that both of my college students go to the same school? And that I can take a day off from work and a couple of days off from all the stress I've felt at home recently trying to coordinate and keep up with entirely too many commitments, to spend five hours in a car alone, two (two!!!) nights in a nice hotel in a city I love so that I can spend time with two people that I made, adore and miss . . . and I get to celebrate my daughter's 21st (!!!!!!!!) birthday with her with by going to a flea market, her favorite vintage shops AND 21+ over Bingo night! 

And those outings were all her choices, believe it or not, because she is so my daughter.

So who's spoiled now? (Answer: me. I think it might be me.)