Free Germs

voice messages from mom:

Hi Melodie-
I just wanted to remind you that with all the epidemics you have to be careful when going to parties to not put you hands in the snack mixes..unless it is piping hot soup. you never know who is touching those things. i don't eat samples from the grocery store anymore. sometimes we want free food, but instead we get free germs. even at church i take the bread from the very end of the sacrement tray. of course, god will bless the sacrement, but still should be careful.

Hi Melodie-
I just wanted to remind you that when we travel to california this time we have to be really careful with safety. In the chinese radio, oh wait..no..NPR there was this story about a little girl and everything was fine and then she got in a car accident. its like a tree when it is healthy and then its limbs are broken but it continues to live.

grandchildren, finally

mom: alexa! i'm calling to congratulate you!
me: oh, why?
mom: ducky and aussie had a baby!
me: DID they? i did not realize what they were doing behind my back.
mom: YES! i am taking care of it. they asked me to.
me: oh that's very kind of you, thank you.
mom: yes. do you want to name it?
me: sure
mom: i think i will name it "aishah."
me: aishah? how do you know that name? do you know someone with that name?
mom: nooo! it's how you spelled your name in your last email: a-e-l-x-a
me: oh that does not spell aishah.
mom: no? then how do you spell aishah?
me: a-i-s-h-a-h
mom: hah? you're so smart. a-s-i--
me: a-i-s--
mom: a-e-s-h-i--
me: a-i-s-h--
mom: why don't i just name it "ai-easter" since easter just passed?
me: that's ugly.
mom: yeah, that's ugly.