Cami – Real&Random

January 23, 2020January 23, 2020

The Dusty, Yet Coveted Disclosure – Cami Gaglioti

We tend to live in our own psyche. We’re our worst enemy when it comes to the expectations, the doubt, the truth, the inadequacy. It just sucks. So what do we do? We keep things in order, keep busy, calm the lecturing voice in our head. Why is it when something lays heavy on the heart, we’re less apt to disclose to those closest to us? Read more...

October 14, 2016August 13, 2018

About Friends … in honor of Carol

By Cami Beiter - October 14, 2016---

When we were young rambunctious teenage girls, sleepovers consisted of staying up past the new episode of Fantasy Island. We slumbered in sleeping bags bought from the Sears catalog that and waited weeks for. We gossiped about idiot boys, slutty girls, evil parents. We snuck a few shots of Jack Daniels from behind the bar and, even though it burned and tasted disgusting, you lied to show off your bad ass self. Cigarettes were stolen from mom’s purses and collected like playing cards, only to be handed out after Mr. Roarke waved good-bye to his guests in their polyester wardrobes. You laughed at each other’s personalities while embracing individuality. Everything good was happening before your eyes, yet you had no idea what forever, cherished memories you were creating. Breakfast was likely prepared by a helicopter mom wearing a matching robe and slippers. Or even better, we found a stash of forbidden sugar cereals stacked in the pantry. It was heaven. Things we normally didn’t do, or weren’t allowed to do at home, were suddenly there for the picking. We were a handful of Eve’s in her garden.

Things haven’t changed Read more...

August 4, 2014August 4, 2014

Poop Drops

I love walking my old, two-pooper lab. Carrying it around for those long walks really stink. How about a place to dump it?
If you live in a small New England town, with a sleepy Main Street lined with old houses and tree-lined sidewalks on both sides, you’re lucky enough to enjoy the simple luxury of accessibility. People from all over town, and even outside the downtown area, bring friends to stroll up and down these beautiful tree-lined paths. These friends may have two legs or four as main streets are perfectly suited for dog-walking.
I have a Black Lab, Tuff. He’s a two-poop walker. It’s a proper form of etiquette to pick up after your pet. Yet, the humorously awkward portion of the walk, is having to carry Tuff’s dangling load for the remainder of the walk. I often witness others in the same predicament. I particularly find the most enjoyment watching the masculine types, walking tiny lap dogs...poop bag tied to the leash. That’s love! Yes, it is embarrassing, and not particularly hygiene free...especially if the four legged companion has experienced digestive issues. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had random poop drops or trash receptacles up Read more...

July 29, 2014July 29, 2014

The Power of the Page

I’m not embarrassed. I’ll be the first to admit it... I’ll take a year to finish a sleepy novel. Granted, I usually have three to four books rotating on a regular basis, dog-eared-pages waiting in turn. I’ve always felt the need to be “reading something.”
Yet, on occasion, we come across a book that grabs us, handicaps us, makes us sit in the uncomfortable chair in the kitchen. The kind of book where the dishes collect in the sink. Lunch is forgotten. We stay in our stretchy pajamas, ignore our hair and don’t make the trip upstairs to brush our teeth. The flower beds we plan to weed, remain overgrown. The porch still needs to be swept, errands still need to be run.
The kind of book that when neighbors pop over and gaze at our hobo-style appearance we say: “Yeah...I look like hell, but I’m reading a great book...can’t put it down.”
What’s wonderful about confessing to such indulgence is the understanding and appreciative nod as well as a sparked interest into what material would have such an affect as to forget to shower.
“Must be good...what book?” they inquire.
And although it doesn’t happen very often, reading something Read more...

June 24, 2014

West Hartford Has Some Tasty Balls

By Cami Beiter ~~~~~ When I get a hankerin’ for something tasty, I’ll often go to great lengths to get it. I’ll squeeze in an “errand” 15 miles out of the way to taste the best sub in town, bribe a kid or friend to accompany me to satisfy my disgusting coffee addiction or chicken burrito fetish. I’ve perfected the art of scheduled to-do’s around my favorite geographical must-have-foodies.

Here’s my newest “addiction:”

On Mother’s Day, my family and I enjoyed an early dinner on Farmington Ave. in West Hartford. It was a beautiful day; people walking about, sun was shining, shaded outdoor dining. After our meal, I stumbled upon my latest must-stop-when-in-West-Hartford-food-pitstop. It’s a small shop called, Tea Break, a well lit, clean, modern place located at 944 Farmington Ave.
This is not your ordinary tea house. It serves the trendy new Taiwanese "Bubble Tea." Curious to try it out, I ordered a Strawberry Ice Blended with Lychee (clear tropical fruit tastes like a gummy bear) De CoCo. I had them add some bubble balls, marble-sized pearls of chewy tapioca, for good measure. What the hell, balls through a straw is something I’ve Read more...

May 28, 2014July 16, 2014

Teaching Kids That Sacrifice Is The Real Meaning of Memorial Day

By Cami Beiter ~~~~~ As I sit thinking about Memorial Day and its meaning, I continue to think about it’s perception on the younger generation. If we don’t emphasize and stress the importance of the sacrifices our service members have made (or making), how will they come to appreciate the luxury of their freedom?
Reminding them to thank a soldier or thinking about grandpa and his war time duty, isn’t enough. To them, it’s like telling them to clean their room. If they aren’t truly vested with a clear understanding, they won’t appreciate the message.
What they need to understand is sacrifice, something we typically think nothing of on any given day. But talk to a veteran or a family affected by war and you will find a story.
During WWII, my grandfather was a U.S. Army Paratrooper serving in Europe and member of the Office Of Strategic Services (O.S.S). For nearly four years, he had virtually no written communication with my grandmother. She would frequently receive a typed letter from a war office in Washington D.C., saying he was alive but whereabouts classified.
My father missed my brother’s first birthday while on his first tour in Vietnam. Read more...

April 28, 2014

Evolution Of The Butt

By Cami Beiter - As a teenager, I coveted the occasional cigarette with a select few, a very small circle. Most of my friends played sports. If our dirty little secret (and occasional habit) were discovered, coaches and parents, would have something say about it. We snuck a drag here and there...whether it was at a forbidden kegger, the late night concert or sitting on a friend’s deck after school.

My high school had a designated smoking section. I’m not sure how it worked, or was monitored. I can’t imagine sending a note into school: “My child has permission to smoke in the designated area, stink like an ashtray and blow smoke rings with fellow classmates.” Those who frequented the smoking section were forever deemed a, “bleacher creature.” My friends considered it social suicide to be seen on that area of campus. Dudes sported Ozzy Osbourne T’s with ripped sleeves, big hair, acid washed jeans...while other creatures of the bleachers, the fashion requirement was black, black and more black. If my friends and I wanted to sneak a drag, we did what most girls did...smoked in the girls bathroom. We walked in, dead-bolted the lock to the main door, and lit up. God, Read more...

March 24, 2014

Wet dogs, blue rats and TAB

By Cami Beiter

You have to see (and maybe smell) it to believe it. A pungent, expired retail facility that’s been transformed into the dog food mecca and soda establishment of Hampden County Massachusetts.

Our aging Black Lab, Tuff, has some newly discovered food allergies and is now on a special diet. Intrigued by the pet store/soda shop combination, I headed out to locate his new kibble prescription.

I walked into Dave’s Soda & Pet City in Agawam not knowing what to expect. I’d heard stories, but nothing prepared me for the real life experience.

Once inside the I grabbed a rusty cart with a shaky and bumpy wheel. A wad of aged gum embedded on one wheel caused an annoying, thump...thump...thump... with each rotation and it followed me around like a persistent mosquito on a summer afternoon.

I looked around, feeling like a fish out of water. I focused on the neon decals on black walls and then scanned the vast aisles of pooch supplies. The rear of the store was a large open area... bringing to mind an 80‘s roller rink or video arcade. Interrupting the Blue Oyster Colt instrumental, the loud speaker called for an employee to empty the overflowing Read more...

March 10, 2014

Saturday Sushi With a Side of Screens

Family mealtime took a hit this weekend and R&R took note.

By Cami Beiter

This weekend called for a Saturday afternoon Real & Random lunch meeting. Wendy was feeling fishy so we headed to Meadow, a yummy sushi restaurant in Simsbury. Welcomed by a friendly hostess, an invitingly warm room and a busy chef rolling Maki we made our way to a window table. It was early for the lunch crowd so for the first 30 minutes we shared the place with only a few other patrons.

Ahhh, the peaceful retreat of a nice restaurant. We settled in.

“Da, Da, Da, Da, DORA!”

The restaurant instrumental was drowned out by an annoyingly familiar tune.

Like dogs hearing a whistle we sat up and gave each other a quizzical look.

The television in the restaurant bar wasn’t on. And if it were, I sincerely doubt Dora The Explorer (an educational animated series) would be the choice of programming. I looked over my shoulder, searching for the source. In the corner table sat a young couple, doting over their four-year old and his enormous iPad. What’s this? A restaurant of patrons must sit and listen to their child’s animated preference?

And although I tried to ignore Read more...