7-31-09
I wish I knew how to relax.
Yesterday was Furlough, which meant I had the day off to do as I pleased. I packed, I dinked around on Facebook, and then when I determined shopping was no longer an option, I figured I could catch up on some of my shows or hell, even just nap. I knew I would be out late last night and then tonight would be a long day, so why not rest, right?
So I would sit down, turn on My Life on the D List, and even though I love the hell out of that show, I couldn’t sit for more than 10 minutes at a time.
It of course didn’t help that my street was busy yesterday. Normally my street has next to no activity. Yesterday, we had cops show up to tow a stolen car, and another neighbor taken away in an ambulance. Good times!
My evening plans consisted of dinner with Conner. I was supposed to see him last week, but with the car adventure, I flaked. Luckily, I was able to meet up with him yesterday. I had not seen his house, which is positively gorgeous. I was tempted to never leave because it was so freaking pretty. I told Ken that when we win the lottery, we may need to have an architect go to Conner’s house and then just recreate it on some other lot.
Dinner was not bad. I ordered something he suggested based on his memory of what I enjoy. It worked out well, so this was cool. After dinner, we headed back to his house, for the highlight of the evening, which was shopping in the attic.
His attic has become a land of tons of clothing from all of his female friends of varying shapes and sizes. He has actual clothing racks (which I realize I neglected to take pictures of, so I so need to go back!) and those little plastic rings that say sizing so that some day he can sort it out even more accurate. For now, he does have it sorted by dresses, skirts, etc. There were even shoes, despite all being too small for my boats.
I brought donations for this brilliant project. Basically, he is like Goodwill. You bring the clothing that you don’t like or fit into anymore, and he allows other friends to then pick through those. It is a giant clothing exchange! He has a full length mirror available, and seriously, if he ever wanted to make this a real store, it so had the perfect feel.
I was a little skeptical that there would be anything there that would fit me, but I was pleasantly surprised. I came home with a bag the same size as what I took. Skirts, dresses, and a pair of Mommy Cat jammie pants. All very awesome!
It was surreal, since I am not accustomed to that much attention when I am “shopping”. I also am not accustomed to walking around half nekkid. But in all fairness, I have known Conner for close to 20 years now, and he has seen me hundreds of times in various stages of undress. So if anything, his ogling me was actually nice. It is always a cool ego boost to have a guy tell you that you are gorgeous, even when you are sweating profusely due to the heat of the attic.
He took several pictures of me with his fancy new camera, so I also felt like some kind of celebrity. He had the camera on full paparazzi mode, so even as I was sitting, chit chatting with him, he had the camera on me. I didn’t mind. How often am I in front of the camera? I would say just about never!
I didn’t stay too late, mostly because I knew my next few days would be jam packed. I got home around 9:30, so this was all kinds of good.
At one point, he asked me what I was doing August 18th. I said that I would be celebrating my son’s 3rd birthday. He said that this was a shame since he had a ticket for me if I would like, to go see Depeche Mode. I was shocked that I didn’t really even consider going. I mean, let’s face it, he is 3 and not having cake on the actual day wouldn’t really affect him. I also was planning on party for Dax on the 22nd, so in reality, I am covered. I just couldn’t do it. I may need to use that as guilt later if Dax get uppity in a few years. Mommy turned down DM for you!
My afternoon is busy. When I get home, I need to do the last bit of packing, which consists of the boys’ backpacks. I need to pack them to only have their couple of toys and maybe a book. I also need to gather bathroom items. Of course, this is after I take a shower and do my hair for the banquet. I need to get all dolled up, make some dinner for the boys, and then Ken and Chelsea will be there a little after 5, at which point Ken will be showering, and then getting all dolled up. I will introduce the boys to Chelsea and showing her around so she knows how to entertain them for about an hour, since we are leaving a little before 6, and they go to bed around 7:30. I am a little nervous about that whole thing, since really, they have not been babysat for some time. Carol watched them once or twice, but they were little. They didn’t have the same kind of attitude they can cop these days. I am pretty sure all will be well. The boys will listen to Chelsea, so we are probably in the clear.
The banquet is nerve wracking, too. I don’t know any of the people there. Ok, sure I know some of Tammy’s family, but not well. This isn’t my congregation. Plus, this will be the first time speaking to the man I helped write a book about. I have to say, I am terrified! I know he is lovely if only because I know Tammy would never gush about anyone who wasn’t wonderful. I just hope they don’t expect to much from me! I don’t know that I am quite as lovely. Especially with the not so much of the belief in god thing. But I think it should be ok. Tammy did warn me that in the very beginning, she is doing the introductions and welcome speech, which is where I will be called up front and introduced to the whole crowd. Like 200 people! YIE!! They all have heard my name, and know that I helped with the book, and will see my name on the book they all got at the door, but really, I was a ghost writer at first on this, and now, I am an actual person. It is scary. Tammy told me I could say something if I wanted, but seriously, that is pushing it. She knows I am shy, so I luckily only have to smile and wave. Let’s hope I don’t pass out.
The banquet goes to 11. I don’t know if that is how long before Pastor is done or if that is the get out of this hotel time. I am anxious to see him preach and speak as he has been described as a very charismatic speaker. I would also like to duck out as early as possible, only because I have to get up at like 4 in the morning. Plus, I don’t like leaving the boys too long. They will be asleep, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Also, if there is anything wrong, she can call us, and let’s face it, no one would fault us if we needed to get back to our children. But I will suck it up in terms of not bailing just because I am nervous.
I think I will curl my hair up a bit. I am wearing my pin stripe ballgown. I was tempted to wear this black dress I got in the attic last night, but I think I will go with the other only because there are less places to wear that. It also will keep more in check with my normal style of clothing. I will take some pics of how we look. It isn’t all that often that Ken has to suit up.
I think I need to go to the doc when I get back and have them take out my tonsils. The only problem with this? I would have to go to the hospital. Does it count if it is just a procedure that I probably don’t have to stay overnight?
Ok, I just looked up online the symptom of a tight throat. It figures. It could be anxiety related. It makes sense since this last week or so where I have noticed it, I have been stressed, and it seems to get worse when I start to panic about it. I am still thinking I may need to go to the doc. I should not have anxiety attacks as often as I get them. As much as I am not thrilled about it, I am wondering if I need some medication for this. Something mild, really. It might help me out. I freak out about things at the drop of a hat, and if things like a tight throat or anxiety attacks sometimes keep me awake, this can’t be good. Even right now, as I write this, I start to have an attack. I am telling you, anything triggers it, even ways to fix it. Although a lot of it is me wondering what is going on with me since a self diagnosis isn’t good enough.
Ken agrees that it totally must be anxiety. Especially with the accumulation of a lot of it happening in the next 24 hours. He said that I will probably be better when the seat belt light turns off. So in 24 hours or less, I will be fine. He did suggest, though, that I go home at lunch so that I can make sure I am prepared so I don’t stress as much. I may do this.
Apparently my next show to watch is West Wing. I had been kicking myself for many years for having missed that train. I blame my mother who when I mentioned I missed the first episode, she told me it had in fact sucked. Several weeks later, she asks me, “Did you see West Wing?!?” in this excited tone. I looked at her, all annoyed, and told her no, that based on her recommendation, I opted to not get on board with the show. Turns out, she was way off base. Sigh. It is a show by the same awesome mind that gave me Studio 60, and I was deeply in love with that show (and one of the cast members who also is on West Wing). Netflix will allow me to go ahead and watch this show, which I think would be a great deal of fun. Plus, if it blows by my own opinion, I can send it back without thinking twice about it.
Why do people who come to your desk assume that if you are not there, that it must mean you are out for the day? Can’t I use the bathroom anymore?
YAY!
Conner just emailed me to tell me the DM show is actually the 16th of August, not the 18th. So I may still get to see them after all! I just mailed him back and told him that if the offer is still on the table that I would love to go. Woo hoo!
I am freaking starving! I am considering eating earlier than normal. It isn’t like I have a real schedule. I tend to eat around 11, but that I think stems from back when I was on a regiment that had me eating every 3 hours. Now, though, I don’t have that snack, so in reality, I ate at 5:30 and it is now 10:40. Sure, I could probably wait the 20 minutes. Or, I could eat now if only because getting up would actually wake me up!
I managed to wait until 10:57. YAY!
I have not decided if I am staying or not. It is 11:45 right now, and I am pretty much caught up on my work, so I don’t have to be here. I have made a to do list, and yes, there is a bit to do, but not sure if I need to leave. I have been busy and I now notice that my throat was fine. Of course, now that I am thinking about it, it is tight again. Well, I may bolt at 12:30. We will see.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
crazy busy
7-29-09
Yesterday was crazy busy at work. That is month end for you. Reports pretty much all day, and then when I was done I had to catch up on email and still do my statements. I think I finally was winding down around 2.
My day was far from over, though. I got home and started cleaning house. I cleaned the kitchen, and then the boys’ rooms and then got started on all of the laundry and packing. I pulled out clothing for the boys and got them all packed. I then proceeded to get my own packing done. I still have a load of laundry in the dryer to put away, and a couple of other things that I forgot to put in the bags, but truly, I am mostly done. I hate the last minute items. I have to pack their backpacks pretty much as we walk out the door. I will probably pack them Friday afternoon, less the “friends”. Not too bad, when you get right down to it. Plus, knowing the boys, they will be holding Popper and blanket that morning, so I can pretty much shove everything else in there.
On my way home from work today, I am going to swing by the K-Mart to look to see if they can help me in my new sandal quest. I also think I may go by the Sketchers since they are having a sandal sale. I don’t anticipate finding anything there that will be worth the price, but K-Mart may have something. And as crazy as this sounds, I have even contemplated going to Wal-Mart. I hate them, but I am desperate.
I got to bed after 10 last night, so I am actually quite glad I have tomorrow off. It means I can probably put together the rest of the packing and even rest a bit. Get this, I may actually take a nap! What I have to resist is the urge to keep one or both of the boys. I just hate it when they get all weepy when I walk them across the street. But if I want to get anything done, and not ignore the boys, it is best if they go to Maria’s where they can run and play.
Bobby got freaked out last night when he thought he saw a ghost. So I calmly explained to him after looking around for a good plan, that Cat in the Hat (his stuffed animal) would not allow ghosts as it was in his contract for there to be no ghosts. I remembered back to the movie the boys have seen a billion times where Cat signs a giant contract, so I asked Bobby if he remembered him signing a contract and told him that since it was signed, no ghosts were allowed or Cat would leave. Bobby thought about it for a minute, and then accepted this with no further discussion. I also distracted him with the book I was going to read, but he doesn’t tend to let things go unless he is ok. I guess having kids doesn’t just sharpen your reflexes, it also sharpens your quick wit!
I have a training session this afternoon which I am not looking forward to. It isn’t that it is hard, it is just that it is with a couple people who will ask stupid questions. I am not great in class settings. Give me the program and give me a 2 minute overview and let me figure it out on my own and I am good. I don’t like other people’s paces. The only good thing with this is that it will essentially kill the rest of my afternoon. So this is a good thing.
I know it shouldn’t bother me since let’s face it, I am dinking around writing blogs and reading Wikipedia all day, but sometimes when I see such blatant rule breaking, I just find it to be tacky. Especially when it is by someone who does barely any work ever. Maryann actually pulls up to the front of our building, runs in to clock in, then goes and parks her car in the lot. She thinks this means she is on time. No, it means you are on the clock for sometimes 30 minutes before you even get to your desk. She stops and chats with everyone on the way from her car to her desk. At least when I am here, not doing work, I still answer calls and emails instantly and take care of business at a quick pace. She is on the phone all day with her sister, friends, mother and her numbers go up!
I know, don’t judge, and I will try not to. It just bugs me.
Oh! So I explained to Ken that for my 35th birthday for sure there will be a gala of some sort. Basically a prom, but I wasn’t sure what to call it. I told him to get planning or else I will end up throwing a giant hissy fit, so he told me to give him a list of invites. Yay! I realize it is rude of me to demand a prom of my husband, but in all fairness, I have had nothing big for my birthday in years and years. It usually is just a day. Sure, I will end up planning it myself, but I want it to be presented by him. Yes, I am being selfish.
Falling asleep.
I want to get a camera that is permanently on me while I am with the kids. Dax keeps breaking out in to these random dances that are nothing short of fantastic because of the wild carefree nature of them. By the time I get the camera, he would have stopped, plus, he gets all quiet when the camera is on. Shoot, I tried to get Ken to come see him dance and the kid stopped the second he saw Daddy. I just want this memory forever!
I am wearing my new Capri pants that I got, and they are quite comfy. I am pleased.
I really really really really really really really really really want to see Funny People.
Something smells yummy in here. It almost smells like someone is baking something. We don’t have an oven! Damn you good smelling comfort food.
I think I have more freckles than I used to on my arm. That can’t be good, right? None of them look gross, and they are all flat and standard color. Maybe the sunshine brought them out.
The day has started to drag, and it is only 9! Not good.
I have my phone in my pocket today. My t-shirt is a higher cut, so it is more of a bitch to get it out. Plus, I have good pockets today with my rockin new pants, so I thought I would give it a go. It feels odd having this bulge in my pants and not my shirt. Boy, that could be turned dirty and wrong in so many ways.
I just got crazy busy. Of course, because I rock, I have been semi put in charge of this system that is used to transmit invoices to certain customers. I don’t have any of these customers, but our programmer, my friend, told me that she didn’t want to deal with it, therefore, I am kind of in charge. Neat, but a pain at the same time.
Oh, and last note. If a t-shirt says it is tagless, and in fact there is no tag on the back of your neck, and yet they still insist on putting a tag on the side, is that really tagless or tagmoved?
I am in uber help everyone out with stuff mode today. People keep asking me questions. I don’t mind, but it is funny. I just wish I had the title.
Yesterday was crazy busy at work. That is month end for you. Reports pretty much all day, and then when I was done I had to catch up on email and still do my statements. I think I finally was winding down around 2.
My day was far from over, though. I got home and started cleaning house. I cleaned the kitchen, and then the boys’ rooms and then got started on all of the laundry and packing. I pulled out clothing for the boys and got them all packed. I then proceeded to get my own packing done. I still have a load of laundry in the dryer to put away, and a couple of other things that I forgot to put in the bags, but truly, I am mostly done. I hate the last minute items. I have to pack their backpacks pretty much as we walk out the door. I will probably pack them Friday afternoon, less the “friends”. Not too bad, when you get right down to it. Plus, knowing the boys, they will be holding Popper and blanket that morning, so I can pretty much shove everything else in there.
On my way home from work today, I am going to swing by the K-Mart to look to see if they can help me in my new sandal quest. I also think I may go by the Sketchers since they are having a sandal sale. I don’t anticipate finding anything there that will be worth the price, but K-Mart may have something. And as crazy as this sounds, I have even contemplated going to Wal-Mart. I hate them, but I am desperate.
I got to bed after 10 last night, so I am actually quite glad I have tomorrow off. It means I can probably put together the rest of the packing and even rest a bit. Get this, I may actually take a nap! What I have to resist is the urge to keep one or both of the boys. I just hate it when they get all weepy when I walk them across the street. But if I want to get anything done, and not ignore the boys, it is best if they go to Maria’s where they can run and play.
Bobby got freaked out last night when he thought he saw a ghost. So I calmly explained to him after looking around for a good plan, that Cat in the Hat (his stuffed animal) would not allow ghosts as it was in his contract for there to be no ghosts. I remembered back to the movie the boys have seen a billion times where Cat signs a giant contract, so I asked Bobby if he remembered him signing a contract and told him that since it was signed, no ghosts were allowed or Cat would leave. Bobby thought about it for a minute, and then accepted this with no further discussion. I also distracted him with the book I was going to read, but he doesn’t tend to let things go unless he is ok. I guess having kids doesn’t just sharpen your reflexes, it also sharpens your quick wit!
I have a training session this afternoon which I am not looking forward to. It isn’t that it is hard, it is just that it is with a couple people who will ask stupid questions. I am not great in class settings. Give me the program and give me a 2 minute overview and let me figure it out on my own and I am good. I don’t like other people’s paces. The only good thing with this is that it will essentially kill the rest of my afternoon. So this is a good thing.
I know it shouldn’t bother me since let’s face it, I am dinking around writing blogs and reading Wikipedia all day, but sometimes when I see such blatant rule breaking, I just find it to be tacky. Especially when it is by someone who does barely any work ever. Maryann actually pulls up to the front of our building, runs in to clock in, then goes and parks her car in the lot. She thinks this means she is on time. No, it means you are on the clock for sometimes 30 minutes before you even get to your desk. She stops and chats with everyone on the way from her car to her desk. At least when I am here, not doing work, I still answer calls and emails instantly and take care of business at a quick pace. She is on the phone all day with her sister, friends, mother and her numbers go up!
I know, don’t judge, and I will try not to. It just bugs me.
Oh! So I explained to Ken that for my 35th birthday for sure there will be a gala of some sort. Basically a prom, but I wasn’t sure what to call it. I told him to get planning or else I will end up throwing a giant hissy fit, so he told me to give him a list of invites. Yay! I realize it is rude of me to demand a prom of my husband, but in all fairness, I have had nothing big for my birthday in years and years. It usually is just a day. Sure, I will end up planning it myself, but I want it to be presented by him. Yes, I am being selfish.
Falling asleep.
I want to get a camera that is permanently on me while I am with the kids. Dax keeps breaking out in to these random dances that are nothing short of fantastic because of the wild carefree nature of them. By the time I get the camera, he would have stopped, plus, he gets all quiet when the camera is on. Shoot, I tried to get Ken to come see him dance and the kid stopped the second he saw Daddy. I just want this memory forever!
I am wearing my new Capri pants that I got, and they are quite comfy. I am pleased.
I really really really really really really really really really want to see Funny People.
Something smells yummy in here. It almost smells like someone is baking something. We don’t have an oven! Damn you good smelling comfort food.
I think I have more freckles than I used to on my arm. That can’t be good, right? None of them look gross, and they are all flat and standard color. Maybe the sunshine brought them out.
The day has started to drag, and it is only 9! Not good.
I have my phone in my pocket today. My t-shirt is a higher cut, so it is more of a bitch to get it out. Plus, I have good pockets today with my rockin new pants, so I thought I would give it a go. It feels odd having this bulge in my pants and not my shirt. Boy, that could be turned dirty and wrong in so many ways.
I just got crazy busy. Of course, because I rock, I have been semi put in charge of this system that is used to transmit invoices to certain customers. I don’t have any of these customers, but our programmer, my friend, told me that she didn’t want to deal with it, therefore, I am kind of in charge. Neat, but a pain at the same time.
Oh, and last note. If a t-shirt says it is tagless, and in fact there is no tag on the back of your neck, and yet they still insist on putting a tag on the side, is that really tagless or tagmoved?
I am in uber help everyone out with stuff mode today. People keep asking me questions. I don’t mind, but it is funny. I just wish I had the title.
Monday, July 27, 2009
visit
7-27-09
Big week for us. Ken’s last week of camp, which means long days of trying to get everything packed up. I need to work hard on keeping the house in order and get us packed for the trip. We also have a banquet Friday night for Pastor, which we are special guests at. Busy!
The weekend was really good. Saturday we rushed around in the morning to get the house in order as the de la Pena’s were coming over. They got there early afternoon, and we visited with them until close to 8. We were having a great time, so much so that I was shocked that it was past the boy’s bedtime and I didn’t notice.
We had put them down for a nap before they got there, and of course Bobby finally fell asleep maybe 10 minutes before they showed up. In hind sight, we should have either gotten him up then, or just let him sleep. Instead, we woke him up when we were close to eating, which resulted in a good hour of him not wanting to really talk to anyone. He didn’t want to come outside to play, he was crying at the drop of a hat, and was just totally out of sorts.
Dax was uncharacteristically friendly, so this was nice. I am pretty sure our loud boys were slightly overwhelming for Megan, who was pretty quiet. She had a few issues, but it wasn’t bad, and thankfully I had brownies that seemed to make her happy at various times.
Sunday I actually went out shopping. By myself! I know! I needed jeans for this weekend, so since the boys were watching Star Wars, I left Ken with them. I set out much too early. I clearly don’t do malls as much as I used to as I had not known that stores don’t open till 11. Lame! I got there at 10, so I jetted over to Target to see what was good.
I found myself still shopping as though I had kids in tow. I felt rushed, despite there being no reason for it. Heck, later when I was heading home, Ken actually told me to take my time as he wanted to get the boys in nap time before I arrived. It would have been good had I just looked at Target and enjoyed myself a bit more.
I only picked up some hair dye, and then went over to pick up dog food. By that time, it was close to 11, so I headed back to the mall. I sat on a bench in a mall filled with other people all doing the same thing. We were waiting for the stores to open. I wandered a bit, coming across this disturbing kid’s “ride” that I actually want to bring the kids back for just to see what the hell it does. It was big stuffed animals on roller skates, and lots of giant extension cords that reminded me of the one used in Back to the Future. $3 a ride, I am so needing to go.
As they started opening stores (of course the one I needed to go into took the longest) I was amused at which location required a security guard. He wasn’t part of the jewelry store or Old Navy. He was at the Gymboree clothing store. I thought this was odd and funny at first, but then thought about it. Seriously, if there is any set of customers that is scarier, I have not seen them. Mom’s, especially with screaming kids at their ankles, are probably prone to bigger screaming matches with sales personnel then someone calmly purchasing a $300 watch. This was not a theft issue. This was to protect the customer service reps from psycho moms!
My course of action in shopping for pants was to try on multiple things. I had not really done power shopping in a while. The thing I wanted the most was a pair of jeans. The ones I have currently are tattered or two small for my fat ass, so I needed a paid that I can wear to work and out and they don’t look too fancy and not too casual. Pretty basic, really. They didn’t have a huge selection. I had remembered them having more, but it might be the wrong time of the year with a good chunk of their clothing being fall dresses. I grabbed the pair with the right size and cut, and hoped for the best. They fit, except that I had not realized I grabbed long instead of regular. In all fairness, long normally isn’t an issue, but these, once on, had pant legs that could have doubled as shoes. The good news was that all I needed to do was exchange them out for a regular. I had my jeans!
They had a buy one get one 50 % off in the entire store, so I looked at other pants. I grabbed several kinds, and was happy to find a cute pair of black pants that will go with a good chunk of my existing wardrobe.
I was not happy with the pricing. Pretty much everything in there was $50. I know, not bad since the quality is there. These jeans, unless I get crazy in them, should last a good 10 years if not more. But still, it is outrageous. It was really tough since I had seen a pair of the best shoes ever at Target for $35 that I couldn’t warrant buying because of how much they were. They were black sparkly Converse. I love them so. Maybe in a few weeks.
I also found the best dress ever. It was this cool bright red, kind of knit, kind of t-shirt like, that even though I didn’t try it on, I know would have looked awesome on me. It was so me. The problem? I couldn’t warrant purchasing a bright red dress with the hair color I have. I just bought more of the deep auburn, and I am afraid it would look wrong. I might go back once my hair is freshly dyed and try it on to see if it works. Hell, maybe I will feel like spending some cash in a few weeks and will go get my dress and shoes.
Yet another reason I need a Wii. Beatles Rock Band-coming on Wii. Toy Story game coming soon-Wii. Punch Out-Wii. Dude. Screw the shoes.
I am quite frustrated at the lack of decent sandals out there. I looked at Target and at Payless, and aside from the awesomely bad pair of hot pink leopard print platform wedges (I took a pic and will need to upload) , there are no shoes I could warrant buying. All of them had heals too high, not enough straps, too many straps, and some looked like costume pieces from Gladiator. What the hell? I just need a simple pair of black open toed sandals that I can wear everywhere. And I don’t want toe thong. Yes, that seems to be the only readily available cute sandal. The problem? I don’t do toe thong if I can help it. I find it uncomfortable and my feet tense up trying to keep them on. I have some, and I know that if I just practiced, I bet it would be fine, but I don’t want them to be fine. I don’t want to break in my feet. I just want to put them on and be happy. Is that too much to ask? Oh, and I don’t want to spend $4000 dollars on them! I went to I think it was showbuy.com and found a couple pair that looked ok, until I saw that they were $200. No joke. What the hell??? I have considered going over to Sketchers since the one pair I love so much is from them. But even so, I know they will be like $50. Why is that the default price for things these days?
OH!! I had a dream about this, and I am sure someone has already come up with this idea, but seriously, someone needs to do it. MySpace is teens, Facebook, well, everyone else. My not kidspace? It would be geared to kids 8 to 14 and it would be kid friendly, would not allow anything racy, advertisers would be kid stuff, the sites on there would have homework help or things like that. Schools could have their own pages there to allow for help on things. It would be great! So many possibilities. Parents would have full access, but there could be diary functions to keep them out. Just a thought.
I had been debating on taking my furlough day on Thursday, and I have opted to go ahead and take it. I think with cleaning house and packing and maybe even just some napping (I am going to be wiped out after travel) it will be good to really get stuff in order. I have enough vacation for 4 days next week, so I don’t have to come in until Friday. I think that works. Plus, if I take Thursday off, I can dye my hair that day, do the rest of the laundry and go out looking for kid’s magazines. Not sure where I will get those, but I am sure I can find some place.
I am sleepy today. I had horrible heartburn last night and I couldn’t get comfortable. The cats were restless, and when I got up to get some milk, despite my best efforts to not wake up Ken, he heard me open the cupboard and jumped up in a panic. Then, this morning, only a few minutes before I had to get up, the pitter pat that I had mistaken for cat pitter pat was actually Bobby. Ken got up, went to look in his room which was open, turned the corner and next thing I know there is a child running through my bedroom. Don’t know what was up, but I am sure Ken was none too thrilled.
It is a slow Monday. It is the day before my reports and Tammy is out today. On top of that, Jenni called out sick which means less emails from her. How will I stay awake? LOL!
I am nervous about flying. Especially with the two boys. I know it will be fine, but it makes me freaked.
It is nice to be able to wear eye makeup again.
Ouch! I just cleaned under my finger nail too far. How do I keep hurting myself?
Would anyone read a year in the life of me? I am tossing around ideas in my head since I can easily see writing about some kid stuff, fat stuff, work stuff, etc etc. I have not come up with the angle yet, so give me some time.
It was funny. When we were visiting with Ed and his family, I felt really bad that I didn’t know him better. Here was a guy that I had dated, albeit only for like a month in 1989, but I have known him for 20 years. I have hung out with him with various sets of friends. I have made out with him a couple times in my between Greg and Ken period. Yet he told me a couple things I didn’t know, and it was funny since you think I would have known these things. And, I will say, he is a really cool guy. He has a super happy household, he is funny, down to earth and hopefully they can be our friends for another 20 years, and maybe I can get to know them better
I have been tossing around ideas for a book to read. Ken has suggested I read the Sandman series having never done so. I also am feeling intrigued enough to read the first Twilight book to see what all the fuss is about. I really just want to re-read Time Traveler’s wife, but I can do that anytime.
This afternoon is going to be slow and boring. I am not looking forward to it. I am already sleepy eyed.
Big week for us. Ken’s last week of camp, which means long days of trying to get everything packed up. I need to work hard on keeping the house in order and get us packed for the trip. We also have a banquet Friday night for Pastor, which we are special guests at. Busy!
The weekend was really good. Saturday we rushed around in the morning to get the house in order as the de la Pena’s were coming over. They got there early afternoon, and we visited with them until close to 8. We were having a great time, so much so that I was shocked that it was past the boy’s bedtime and I didn’t notice.
We had put them down for a nap before they got there, and of course Bobby finally fell asleep maybe 10 minutes before they showed up. In hind sight, we should have either gotten him up then, or just let him sleep. Instead, we woke him up when we were close to eating, which resulted in a good hour of him not wanting to really talk to anyone. He didn’t want to come outside to play, he was crying at the drop of a hat, and was just totally out of sorts.
Dax was uncharacteristically friendly, so this was nice. I am pretty sure our loud boys were slightly overwhelming for Megan, who was pretty quiet. She had a few issues, but it wasn’t bad, and thankfully I had brownies that seemed to make her happy at various times.
Sunday I actually went out shopping. By myself! I know! I needed jeans for this weekend, so since the boys were watching Star Wars, I left Ken with them. I set out much too early. I clearly don’t do malls as much as I used to as I had not known that stores don’t open till 11. Lame! I got there at 10, so I jetted over to Target to see what was good.
I found myself still shopping as though I had kids in tow. I felt rushed, despite there being no reason for it. Heck, later when I was heading home, Ken actually told me to take my time as he wanted to get the boys in nap time before I arrived. It would have been good had I just looked at Target and enjoyed myself a bit more.
I only picked up some hair dye, and then went over to pick up dog food. By that time, it was close to 11, so I headed back to the mall. I sat on a bench in a mall filled with other people all doing the same thing. We were waiting for the stores to open. I wandered a bit, coming across this disturbing kid’s “ride” that I actually want to bring the kids back for just to see what the hell it does. It was big stuffed animals on roller skates, and lots of giant extension cords that reminded me of the one used in Back to the Future. $3 a ride, I am so needing to go.
As they started opening stores (of course the one I needed to go into took the longest) I was amused at which location required a security guard. He wasn’t part of the jewelry store or Old Navy. He was at the Gymboree clothing store. I thought this was odd and funny at first, but then thought about it. Seriously, if there is any set of customers that is scarier, I have not seen them. Mom’s, especially with screaming kids at their ankles, are probably prone to bigger screaming matches with sales personnel then someone calmly purchasing a $300 watch. This was not a theft issue. This was to protect the customer service reps from psycho moms!
My course of action in shopping for pants was to try on multiple things. I had not really done power shopping in a while. The thing I wanted the most was a pair of jeans. The ones I have currently are tattered or two small for my fat ass, so I needed a paid that I can wear to work and out and they don’t look too fancy and not too casual. Pretty basic, really. They didn’t have a huge selection. I had remembered them having more, but it might be the wrong time of the year with a good chunk of their clothing being fall dresses. I grabbed the pair with the right size and cut, and hoped for the best. They fit, except that I had not realized I grabbed long instead of regular. In all fairness, long normally isn’t an issue, but these, once on, had pant legs that could have doubled as shoes. The good news was that all I needed to do was exchange them out for a regular. I had my jeans!
They had a buy one get one 50 % off in the entire store, so I looked at other pants. I grabbed several kinds, and was happy to find a cute pair of black pants that will go with a good chunk of my existing wardrobe.
I was not happy with the pricing. Pretty much everything in there was $50. I know, not bad since the quality is there. These jeans, unless I get crazy in them, should last a good 10 years if not more. But still, it is outrageous. It was really tough since I had seen a pair of the best shoes ever at Target for $35 that I couldn’t warrant buying because of how much they were. They were black sparkly Converse. I love them so. Maybe in a few weeks.
I also found the best dress ever. It was this cool bright red, kind of knit, kind of t-shirt like, that even though I didn’t try it on, I know would have looked awesome on me. It was so me. The problem? I couldn’t warrant purchasing a bright red dress with the hair color I have. I just bought more of the deep auburn, and I am afraid it would look wrong. I might go back once my hair is freshly dyed and try it on to see if it works. Hell, maybe I will feel like spending some cash in a few weeks and will go get my dress and shoes.
Yet another reason I need a Wii. Beatles Rock Band-coming on Wii. Toy Story game coming soon-Wii. Punch Out-Wii. Dude. Screw the shoes.
I am quite frustrated at the lack of decent sandals out there. I looked at Target and at Payless, and aside from the awesomely bad pair of hot pink leopard print platform wedges (I took a pic and will need to upload) , there are no shoes I could warrant buying. All of them had heals too high, not enough straps, too many straps, and some looked like costume pieces from Gladiator. What the hell? I just need a simple pair of black open toed sandals that I can wear everywhere. And I don’t want toe thong. Yes, that seems to be the only readily available cute sandal. The problem? I don’t do toe thong if I can help it. I find it uncomfortable and my feet tense up trying to keep them on. I have some, and I know that if I just practiced, I bet it would be fine, but I don’t want them to be fine. I don’t want to break in my feet. I just want to put them on and be happy. Is that too much to ask? Oh, and I don’t want to spend $4000 dollars on them! I went to I think it was showbuy.com and found a couple pair that looked ok, until I saw that they were $200. No joke. What the hell??? I have considered going over to Sketchers since the one pair I love so much is from them. But even so, I know they will be like $50. Why is that the default price for things these days?
OH!! I had a dream about this, and I am sure someone has already come up with this idea, but seriously, someone needs to do it. MySpace is teens, Facebook, well, everyone else. My not kidspace? It would be geared to kids 8 to 14 and it would be kid friendly, would not allow anything racy, advertisers would be kid stuff, the sites on there would have homework help or things like that. Schools could have their own pages there to allow for help on things. It would be great! So many possibilities. Parents would have full access, but there could be diary functions to keep them out. Just a thought.
I had been debating on taking my furlough day on Thursday, and I have opted to go ahead and take it. I think with cleaning house and packing and maybe even just some napping (I am going to be wiped out after travel) it will be good to really get stuff in order. I have enough vacation for 4 days next week, so I don’t have to come in until Friday. I think that works. Plus, if I take Thursday off, I can dye my hair that day, do the rest of the laundry and go out looking for kid’s magazines. Not sure where I will get those, but I am sure I can find some place.
I am sleepy today. I had horrible heartburn last night and I couldn’t get comfortable. The cats were restless, and when I got up to get some milk, despite my best efforts to not wake up Ken, he heard me open the cupboard and jumped up in a panic. Then, this morning, only a few minutes before I had to get up, the pitter pat that I had mistaken for cat pitter pat was actually Bobby. Ken got up, went to look in his room which was open, turned the corner and next thing I know there is a child running through my bedroom. Don’t know what was up, but I am sure Ken was none too thrilled.
It is a slow Monday. It is the day before my reports and Tammy is out today. On top of that, Jenni called out sick which means less emails from her. How will I stay awake? LOL!
I am nervous about flying. Especially with the two boys. I know it will be fine, but it makes me freaked.
It is nice to be able to wear eye makeup again.
Ouch! I just cleaned under my finger nail too far. How do I keep hurting myself?
Would anyone read a year in the life of me? I am tossing around ideas in my head since I can easily see writing about some kid stuff, fat stuff, work stuff, etc etc. I have not come up with the angle yet, so give me some time.
It was funny. When we were visiting with Ed and his family, I felt really bad that I didn’t know him better. Here was a guy that I had dated, albeit only for like a month in 1989, but I have known him for 20 years. I have hung out with him with various sets of friends. I have made out with him a couple times in my between Greg and Ken period. Yet he told me a couple things I didn’t know, and it was funny since you think I would have known these things. And, I will say, he is a really cool guy. He has a super happy household, he is funny, down to earth and hopefully they can be our friends for another 20 years, and maybe I can get to know them better
I have been tossing around ideas for a book to read. Ken has suggested I read the Sandman series having never done so. I also am feeling intrigued enough to read the first Twilight book to see what all the fuss is about. I really just want to re-read Time Traveler’s wife, but I can do that anytime.
This afternoon is going to be slow and boring. I am not looking forward to it. I am already sleepy eyed.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Race (Tammy told me to post this one)
7-24-09
Your house is broken into, you call the police. Your car is stolen, you call the police. Someone steals your wallet, you call the police. Your neighbor is being too loud, you call the police. When there is a crime, and even sometimes when there isn’t, the police are called in to help. These men and women chose a profession in which not only are they helping people in their community, but they are also putting their lives on the line every day. You can’t really say that about most jobs. I am pretty sure accountants don’t have to worry about someone in the shadows pulling a weapon on them. Unless of course they have dealings in government, but that is a whole different situation.
These high stress situations that they have put themselves are needed in order to keep the peace. Without them there would be an indescribable amount of crime and problems in our towns. Law would be decided by the people, which let’s face it, is not what any of us want. People would run amok and would shoot first and ask questions later. So it is comforting to know that we have these officers there to help us sort out the bad from the good.
In this last week, though, there was an incident that once again, made the country question our law enforcement. A Harvard law professor was returning home from a trip and was having difficulty with his key. He ended up punching in the door a bit, which made a neighbor take notice. So they called the cops for a possible breaking and entering. One loan officer arrived on the scene, and when it was all said and done, the professor was in cuffs being taken downtown for disorderly conduct. You wonder what was said, what caused the owner of the house to be taken into custody for breaking in to his own house. The public certainly is ready to speculate.
The professor? He is black.
The cop? He is white.
Their stories differ slightly, boiling down to the officer probably being a little more aggressive due to the professor being angered for being investigated after he said he showed his identification. Note that he wasn’t arrested for breaking and entering. He was arrested for disorderly conduct, which means this man was pretty out of control.
Was his conduct just? Was this professor, who has now shouted it from rooftops to everyone who will listen, targeted because he is a black man? Was the white police officer reacting to his suspect differently because he was black, and therefore was less convinced of there being no suspicious circumstances?
My actual question, though, is should any of this color matter?
This professor is an educated man. Let’s face it, he teaches at Harvard so he is probably not a complete idiot. He has to consider that he was in fact, breaking into his house. His neighbor, concerned for his well being, contacted the authorities in order to make sure nothing bad was going down. Even if this cop was the biggest ass on the beat, is it a good idea to get all worked up while it is just you and him? We seem to have come to a point in our society where we no longer respect authority in the form of law enforcement.
Even if I were to believe his description of what went down, I don’t think that making a huge fuss with no witnesses was his finest move. Who are we as a society going to believe? A man with a temper, or a cop?
And yet, as I write that, I find myself saddened by the actual answer. We never seem to believe the cop anymore. There have been so many corrupt cops with the horrible attitude and really are just bullies with a badge that have been highlighted not only in shows like the Shield but on the front page of our newspapers and the top story on the local news. If someone says a copy roughed them up, it must be true, and it must mean the cop was out of line. Have we forgotten what the police has to go through on a daily basis?
On top of all of this, we have to recognize the golden ticket known as the race card.
I think that racism is appalling. In this day and age, have we not figured out yet that we are all idiots equally, no matter what shade we are? Trust me. I know white idiots, black idiots, Asian idiots, and idiots who are mixed races. People act the fool so often, it is almost impossible to pin it to one race anymore.
I also know that even though it is not nearly as prominent as it was even just 30 years ago, it is still out there. In place of the rampant race based hate, we now have hate for 1000 sub sections of diversity. If you are gay, a woman, retarded, old, young, foreign, or any other number of differences you will find some kind of discrimination in your lifetime.
I am white. I am a woman. I have experienced discrimination when I was 19 in the form of ageism. I was purposely overlooked for a position because of how young I was. In high school, I wanted to go out for the baseball team. But did you know you could not try out because baseball is for boys, and softball is for girls. I was disappointed, but I can safely say I didn’t call for a press conference. In fact, I complained to my friends, but left it at that. It was a shame that this is how it was.
Ironically, that same year I was passed over for the position I was accused of racism by a black coworker. In retail, as a manager you often don’t have the time for formalities when it comes to relaying information to a subordinate. It is quick paced, and when something needs to be done quickly, often orders are barked over a crowd, such as the instructions I gave to this gentleman.
I shouted for him to come up to get on his register due to the increasing line. He obliged, but later when the crowd had died down, he took me aside and chastised me for having not approached him, addressed him by name, and asked him nicely to essentially do his job. He told me he understood that I didn’t like black people and even told another manager (who is a friend of mine) that I discriminated against people of color.
I have to say, that may have been one of the most difficult things to deal with as a white person. I had not treated him any different because of his color. I can safely say I was annoyed with him when he wasn’t proactive in his position and that he needed a reminder despite the line to the back of the store. But never in a million years would I be rude to him because he and I don’t look alike.
The race card was in full effect, and it scared me to death. Would people believe my side? Would I be assumed forever as this punk kid who also was racist?
Luckily for me, I only had to worry about the store staff on this one. Jesse Jackson wasn’t calling for me to turn in my Blockbuster uniform because I was some kind of a disgrace to the profession of video rental. Rallies with me burned in epitaph didn’t fill the streets of Manhattan Beach.
What did occur was a general concern over every time racism was yelled.
I know I was innocent of any wrong doing. I am certainly not saying that every person who has been accused this behavior was innocent. Not everything that you see that results in the mistreatment of another person of a different color some form of racism. Sometimes it is really just raining, and the sky isn’t falling. Unfortunately, there are a lot of chickens running around assuming the former.
We want to explain why people are asses by giving it a fancy label. You hate your neighbor because he is black. You hate your mayor because he is gay. Sometimes the hate is just that, hate, and it doesn’t make sense. And sometimes, there isn’t hate at all, just a miscommunication that causes people to get all worked up. My employee didn’t understand that his job was fast paced and assumed that I would grant a different kind of respect. I assumed that my employee knew the rigors of the job because he had worked at another store prior to ours. We didn’t communicate correctly, but it didn’t mean that I hated him because he was black. It didn’t mean he hated me because I was young and in the position he wanted. It was just a disagreement that didn’t need that label.
Going back to this cop and the professor, I honestly think that although both parties were idiots, there was no real wrong doing. The police officer was doing his job by investigating a possibly burglary. He wasn’t called out because the suspect was black. He was called out because it looked wrong. When he asked the professor to come out of his home to essentially finish this up, the professor was angry, assuming a flashing of his driver’s license would prove he was who he said he was, and there was no reason to continue to waste time when it was, wait for it, a misunderstanding. The cop perhaps acted poorly by taking the anger personally, but really, wouldn’t you be a little concerned at someone screaming and carrying on? If everyone had stayed calm, acted rationally, I think that nothing would have come from this.
Yes, it is important to be aware of the jerks out there that do still feel that anyone who isn’t a white male is a lesser human being. There is part of me that thinks they should be somehow surgically altered, ala Robert Downey’s Jr’s character in Tropic Thunder so that they would have to spend the rest of their lives as a black man. It is one thing to walk in another man’s shoes, but how about their skin to make them really appreciate things.
But in the future, before we assume that every interaction with a white person dealing with a black person must include a white sheet and rope in their pickup, let’s really listen to the facts. Let’s see if maybe it was miscommunication, before we run them out of town. I can guarantee that the black community would want the same consideration if they had been the cop and the professor was white, and the professor called on the press to get support.
Once again, as I wrote that last paragraph I was sad to have to refer to a community by color. Perhaps none of this would ever be a problem if communities were not classified by the prominent characteristics of the members, but instead we had a rainbow community that didn’t look at things in terms of black or white, but in terms of right and wrong. In a perfect world, I suppose, but we have to keep trying, since if we are truly looking for that rainbow community, I guarantee the pot of gold at the other side is so worth the wait.
Your house is broken into, you call the police. Your car is stolen, you call the police. Someone steals your wallet, you call the police. Your neighbor is being too loud, you call the police. When there is a crime, and even sometimes when there isn’t, the police are called in to help. These men and women chose a profession in which not only are they helping people in their community, but they are also putting their lives on the line every day. You can’t really say that about most jobs. I am pretty sure accountants don’t have to worry about someone in the shadows pulling a weapon on them. Unless of course they have dealings in government, but that is a whole different situation.
These high stress situations that they have put themselves are needed in order to keep the peace. Without them there would be an indescribable amount of crime and problems in our towns. Law would be decided by the people, which let’s face it, is not what any of us want. People would run amok and would shoot first and ask questions later. So it is comforting to know that we have these officers there to help us sort out the bad from the good.
In this last week, though, there was an incident that once again, made the country question our law enforcement. A Harvard law professor was returning home from a trip and was having difficulty with his key. He ended up punching in the door a bit, which made a neighbor take notice. So they called the cops for a possible breaking and entering. One loan officer arrived on the scene, and when it was all said and done, the professor was in cuffs being taken downtown for disorderly conduct. You wonder what was said, what caused the owner of the house to be taken into custody for breaking in to his own house. The public certainly is ready to speculate.
The professor? He is black.
The cop? He is white.
Their stories differ slightly, boiling down to the officer probably being a little more aggressive due to the professor being angered for being investigated after he said he showed his identification. Note that he wasn’t arrested for breaking and entering. He was arrested for disorderly conduct, which means this man was pretty out of control.
Was his conduct just? Was this professor, who has now shouted it from rooftops to everyone who will listen, targeted because he is a black man? Was the white police officer reacting to his suspect differently because he was black, and therefore was less convinced of there being no suspicious circumstances?
My actual question, though, is should any of this color matter?
This professor is an educated man. Let’s face it, he teaches at Harvard so he is probably not a complete idiot. He has to consider that he was in fact, breaking into his house. His neighbor, concerned for his well being, contacted the authorities in order to make sure nothing bad was going down. Even if this cop was the biggest ass on the beat, is it a good idea to get all worked up while it is just you and him? We seem to have come to a point in our society where we no longer respect authority in the form of law enforcement.
Even if I were to believe his description of what went down, I don’t think that making a huge fuss with no witnesses was his finest move. Who are we as a society going to believe? A man with a temper, or a cop?
And yet, as I write that, I find myself saddened by the actual answer. We never seem to believe the cop anymore. There have been so many corrupt cops with the horrible attitude and really are just bullies with a badge that have been highlighted not only in shows like the Shield but on the front page of our newspapers and the top story on the local news. If someone says a copy roughed them up, it must be true, and it must mean the cop was out of line. Have we forgotten what the police has to go through on a daily basis?
On top of all of this, we have to recognize the golden ticket known as the race card.
I think that racism is appalling. In this day and age, have we not figured out yet that we are all idiots equally, no matter what shade we are? Trust me. I know white idiots, black idiots, Asian idiots, and idiots who are mixed races. People act the fool so often, it is almost impossible to pin it to one race anymore.
I also know that even though it is not nearly as prominent as it was even just 30 years ago, it is still out there. In place of the rampant race based hate, we now have hate for 1000 sub sections of diversity. If you are gay, a woman, retarded, old, young, foreign, or any other number of differences you will find some kind of discrimination in your lifetime.
I am white. I am a woman. I have experienced discrimination when I was 19 in the form of ageism. I was purposely overlooked for a position because of how young I was. In high school, I wanted to go out for the baseball team. But did you know you could not try out because baseball is for boys, and softball is for girls. I was disappointed, but I can safely say I didn’t call for a press conference. In fact, I complained to my friends, but left it at that. It was a shame that this is how it was.
Ironically, that same year I was passed over for the position I was accused of racism by a black coworker. In retail, as a manager you often don’t have the time for formalities when it comes to relaying information to a subordinate. It is quick paced, and when something needs to be done quickly, often orders are barked over a crowd, such as the instructions I gave to this gentleman.
I shouted for him to come up to get on his register due to the increasing line. He obliged, but later when the crowd had died down, he took me aside and chastised me for having not approached him, addressed him by name, and asked him nicely to essentially do his job. He told me he understood that I didn’t like black people and even told another manager (who is a friend of mine) that I discriminated against people of color.
I have to say, that may have been one of the most difficult things to deal with as a white person. I had not treated him any different because of his color. I can safely say I was annoyed with him when he wasn’t proactive in his position and that he needed a reminder despite the line to the back of the store. But never in a million years would I be rude to him because he and I don’t look alike.
The race card was in full effect, and it scared me to death. Would people believe my side? Would I be assumed forever as this punk kid who also was racist?
Luckily for me, I only had to worry about the store staff on this one. Jesse Jackson wasn’t calling for me to turn in my Blockbuster uniform because I was some kind of a disgrace to the profession of video rental. Rallies with me burned in epitaph didn’t fill the streets of Manhattan Beach.
What did occur was a general concern over every time racism was yelled.
I know I was innocent of any wrong doing. I am certainly not saying that every person who has been accused this behavior was innocent. Not everything that you see that results in the mistreatment of another person of a different color some form of racism. Sometimes it is really just raining, and the sky isn’t falling. Unfortunately, there are a lot of chickens running around assuming the former.
We want to explain why people are asses by giving it a fancy label. You hate your neighbor because he is black. You hate your mayor because he is gay. Sometimes the hate is just that, hate, and it doesn’t make sense. And sometimes, there isn’t hate at all, just a miscommunication that causes people to get all worked up. My employee didn’t understand that his job was fast paced and assumed that I would grant a different kind of respect. I assumed that my employee knew the rigors of the job because he had worked at another store prior to ours. We didn’t communicate correctly, but it didn’t mean that I hated him because he was black. It didn’t mean he hated me because I was young and in the position he wanted. It was just a disagreement that didn’t need that label.
Going back to this cop and the professor, I honestly think that although both parties were idiots, there was no real wrong doing. The police officer was doing his job by investigating a possibly burglary. He wasn’t called out because the suspect was black. He was called out because it looked wrong. When he asked the professor to come out of his home to essentially finish this up, the professor was angry, assuming a flashing of his driver’s license would prove he was who he said he was, and there was no reason to continue to waste time when it was, wait for it, a misunderstanding. The cop perhaps acted poorly by taking the anger personally, but really, wouldn’t you be a little concerned at someone screaming and carrying on? If everyone had stayed calm, acted rationally, I think that nothing would have come from this.
Yes, it is important to be aware of the jerks out there that do still feel that anyone who isn’t a white male is a lesser human being. There is part of me that thinks they should be somehow surgically altered, ala Robert Downey’s Jr’s character in Tropic Thunder so that they would have to spend the rest of their lives as a black man. It is one thing to walk in another man’s shoes, but how about their skin to make them really appreciate things.
But in the future, before we assume that every interaction with a white person dealing with a black person must include a white sheet and rope in their pickup, let’s really listen to the facts. Let’s see if maybe it was miscommunication, before we run them out of town. I can guarantee that the black community would want the same consideration if they had been the cop and the professor was white, and the professor called on the press to get support.
Once again, as I wrote that last paragraph I was sad to have to refer to a community by color. Perhaps none of this would ever be a problem if communities were not classified by the prominent characteristics of the members, but instead we had a rainbow community that didn’t look at things in terms of black or white, but in terms of right and wrong. In a perfect world, I suppose, but we have to keep trying, since if we are truly looking for that rainbow community, I guarantee the pot of gold at the other side is so worth the wait.
Soap
7-24-09
Holy crap I am tired. I had some freaky bad dreams last night. I don’t remember their full content, but I know Beth was in the dreams. I also was hot one second, and cold the next. It was all kinds of uncomfortable.
I was particularly annoyed when I realized it was Friday and not Saturday. Oh well, hopefully I can sleep in a bit tomorrow.
Tonight is busy busy. Need to clean house, clean backyard up a bit, go by the store, and probably other various things. I am going to my folks this afternoon, but I am going earlier than normal. They are going on their cruise tomorrow, and with all of my errands I have, I want to get in their visit as soon as I can. They will not see the boys again until the 7th. So my mom needs to really get her fix.
Dax was feeling witty yesterday. At one point he comes up to me and says, “thank you sir.” I say this to them all the time, so I corrected him and I said, “no, sweetie, I am ma’am” He then, without missing a beat says, “No, you are Mom!” LOL!
He also came across Bobby’s belt, drapes it across his body and says to me all proud and says, “Look Mommy, I am Chewbacca!” So proud.
We watched the Muppet Show and I have to say I am a little bummed that they were more excited by C3P0 than Kermit (it was an episode with Mark Hamill), but at least they enjoyed it.
I spent a quick 20 minutes skimming through the 2 discs of Soap to verify my suspicion that it is actually the 3rd disc of that season that I need. There is an episode where there is a 10 minute sequence with two of the characters that has cracked my mom and I up for years. She had it on VHS, but it has since been lost I think, so instead of buying the whole season, I can Netflix it, make a copy of that episode, and then have it forever.
It has been years since I watched Soap. I don’t know if I watched it as a 5 year old, or if I watched it in syndication after it aired. I remember thinking that a lot of it was quite funny, but honestly, I don’t remember a lot of it. As I skimmed through the show, I forgot how taboo it was with certain topics. Some are pretty basic for today’s standards, and really, not even “bad” anymore. White guy dating a black girl. Gay guy raising a child by himself. Crazy guy who uses his ventriloquist dummy as a way to lash out with his pent up anger. Oh, wait, that is still odd, but these days it would be less odd, I think. But this was done in the 70’s, and let’s face it, it was risqué at the time. They also had this high school student dating a teacher, in pretty graphic detail. I would imagine even by today’s standards, there would be groups that would protest that. Sure, the whole show was supposed to be like a soap opera, just a bit more over the top, but it was pretty amazing what they got away with.
What I had not remembered was the alien sequence. Yes, you read that right. Burt, one of the main characters, is abducted by aliens, and replaced with alien Burt (who ends up knocking up Burt’s wife, which is a whole other thing). I didn’t watch it, but I did stop occasionally to see if I was missing anything interesting. There was some kind of time travel and oddness that made me wonder if this was Soap jumping the shark. It was wacky.
I do kind of have a desire to watch the show from the beginning now. I don’t know that it will happen anytime soon, but it might be interesting at some point. The characters still seem appealing, and I was intrigued enough to watch it with older eyes. Billy Crystal at the very least is compelling enough to watch as the gay son raising his daughter that came from a friend who seduced him, left, came back and said he was a father, and then left the kid in his care. Part of one of the episodes I watched had what appeared to be some form of child services coming over because of a complaint that was based on him being a homosexual raising a child. It was interesting and well acted, especially by Crystal. At one point the Child Services guy does ask him, “Are you a practicing homosexual?” to which Crystal’s character replies, “I don’t need to practice, I am quite good at it”. Brilliant, really. I know I have heard it since, yet I wonder if it originated from Soap.
If I knew Ken would enjoy it, I would subject him to watching all 4 seasons. Perhaps I will at the very least make him watch the sequence I am looking for (once I get my next Netflix delivery) and watch him look at me in disbelief when I am on the floor laughing over something that probably deserves at the most a smile or chuckle. If he is also laughing, then I guess I will be changing my Netflix queue!
I was going to write a piece on the arrest and subsequent dropping of charges on the black Harvard professor and the charges of racism on a white cop who was the arresting officer. I don’t know that I can do the topic justice after reading several blogs this morning covering the topic. I still may just for the hell of it, figuring how bad can it be?
I think for the first time, I want the game Rock Band. I want the new Beatles one coming out on 9-9-09. I don’t know what game system it is part of, or even how to play it, but for those of you looking for a great Christmas present for me? You now know.
Have I mentioned these eye drops feel like acid? Holy fuck this hurts, and now in both eyes???? OUCH!
I have given up on my bangs being uniform and have parted them as they have requested. Demanded is more like it by being so stubborn with every attempt to style. I could probably trim them and make them behave, but for now this will work. The only real problem is the way my bangs want to site somewhat covers up my semi good eye and profiles my bad one. Oh well. Luckily both are getting better due to the acid drops.
I should probably prep for reports.
I saw the preview for Time Traveler’s Wife last night. OMG. I actually think they did the book justice. I have a desire to re-read the book. It may be one of those movies I need to get a sitter for so I can see it in the theatre. I may just need to fly up to Jenni’s for the weekend so we can see it. LOL! That might be a bit drastic. Actually, if Chelsea works out this coming Friday, I may need to tap her in general for more events. My folks work better only because they are free, but sometimes if it is late, it is easier to have them in their own beds. Although, my mom has been jonzing to have Bobby at the very least stay at their house. With them both sleeping well at night, it may need to happen soon. Maybe the weekend of the 7th they can watch them that Friday night and we can pick them up Saturday.
I wrote a piece of racism. It isn’t great, just mostly thoughts that would need to be redone. Kind of like a brainstorming session of free writing. Not sure if I will post it or not.
Holy crap I am tired. I had some freaky bad dreams last night. I don’t remember their full content, but I know Beth was in the dreams. I also was hot one second, and cold the next. It was all kinds of uncomfortable.
I was particularly annoyed when I realized it was Friday and not Saturday. Oh well, hopefully I can sleep in a bit tomorrow.
Tonight is busy busy. Need to clean house, clean backyard up a bit, go by the store, and probably other various things. I am going to my folks this afternoon, but I am going earlier than normal. They are going on their cruise tomorrow, and with all of my errands I have, I want to get in their visit as soon as I can. They will not see the boys again until the 7th. So my mom needs to really get her fix.
Dax was feeling witty yesterday. At one point he comes up to me and says, “thank you sir.” I say this to them all the time, so I corrected him and I said, “no, sweetie, I am ma’am” He then, without missing a beat says, “No, you are Mom!” LOL!
He also came across Bobby’s belt, drapes it across his body and says to me all proud and says, “Look Mommy, I am Chewbacca!” So proud.
We watched the Muppet Show and I have to say I am a little bummed that they were more excited by C3P0 than Kermit (it was an episode with Mark Hamill), but at least they enjoyed it.
I spent a quick 20 minutes skimming through the 2 discs of Soap to verify my suspicion that it is actually the 3rd disc of that season that I need. There is an episode where there is a 10 minute sequence with two of the characters that has cracked my mom and I up for years. She had it on VHS, but it has since been lost I think, so instead of buying the whole season, I can Netflix it, make a copy of that episode, and then have it forever.
It has been years since I watched Soap. I don’t know if I watched it as a 5 year old, or if I watched it in syndication after it aired. I remember thinking that a lot of it was quite funny, but honestly, I don’t remember a lot of it. As I skimmed through the show, I forgot how taboo it was with certain topics. Some are pretty basic for today’s standards, and really, not even “bad” anymore. White guy dating a black girl. Gay guy raising a child by himself. Crazy guy who uses his ventriloquist dummy as a way to lash out with his pent up anger. Oh, wait, that is still odd, but these days it would be less odd, I think. But this was done in the 70’s, and let’s face it, it was risqué at the time. They also had this high school student dating a teacher, in pretty graphic detail. I would imagine even by today’s standards, there would be groups that would protest that. Sure, the whole show was supposed to be like a soap opera, just a bit more over the top, but it was pretty amazing what they got away with.
What I had not remembered was the alien sequence. Yes, you read that right. Burt, one of the main characters, is abducted by aliens, and replaced with alien Burt (who ends up knocking up Burt’s wife, which is a whole other thing). I didn’t watch it, but I did stop occasionally to see if I was missing anything interesting. There was some kind of time travel and oddness that made me wonder if this was Soap jumping the shark. It was wacky.
I do kind of have a desire to watch the show from the beginning now. I don’t know that it will happen anytime soon, but it might be interesting at some point. The characters still seem appealing, and I was intrigued enough to watch it with older eyes. Billy Crystal at the very least is compelling enough to watch as the gay son raising his daughter that came from a friend who seduced him, left, came back and said he was a father, and then left the kid in his care. Part of one of the episodes I watched had what appeared to be some form of child services coming over because of a complaint that was based on him being a homosexual raising a child. It was interesting and well acted, especially by Crystal. At one point the Child Services guy does ask him, “Are you a practicing homosexual?” to which Crystal’s character replies, “I don’t need to practice, I am quite good at it”. Brilliant, really. I know I have heard it since, yet I wonder if it originated from Soap.
If I knew Ken would enjoy it, I would subject him to watching all 4 seasons. Perhaps I will at the very least make him watch the sequence I am looking for (once I get my next Netflix delivery) and watch him look at me in disbelief when I am on the floor laughing over something that probably deserves at the most a smile or chuckle. If he is also laughing, then I guess I will be changing my Netflix queue!
I was going to write a piece on the arrest and subsequent dropping of charges on the black Harvard professor and the charges of racism on a white cop who was the arresting officer. I don’t know that I can do the topic justice after reading several blogs this morning covering the topic. I still may just for the hell of it, figuring how bad can it be?
I think for the first time, I want the game Rock Band. I want the new Beatles one coming out on 9-9-09. I don’t know what game system it is part of, or even how to play it, but for those of you looking for a great Christmas present for me? You now know.
Have I mentioned these eye drops feel like acid? Holy fuck this hurts, and now in both eyes???? OUCH!
I have given up on my bangs being uniform and have parted them as they have requested. Demanded is more like it by being so stubborn with every attempt to style. I could probably trim them and make them behave, but for now this will work. The only real problem is the way my bangs want to site somewhat covers up my semi good eye and profiles my bad one. Oh well. Luckily both are getting better due to the acid drops.
I should probably prep for reports.
I saw the preview for Time Traveler’s Wife last night. OMG. I actually think they did the book justice. I have a desire to re-read the book. It may be one of those movies I need to get a sitter for so I can see it in the theatre. I may just need to fly up to Jenni’s for the weekend so we can see it. LOL! That might be a bit drastic. Actually, if Chelsea works out this coming Friday, I may need to tap her in general for more events. My folks work better only because they are free, but sometimes if it is late, it is easier to have them in their own beds. Although, my mom has been jonzing to have Bobby at the very least stay at their house. With them both sleeping well at night, it may need to happen soon. Maybe the weekend of the 7th they can watch them that Friday night and we can pick them up Saturday.
I wrote a piece of racism. It isn’t great, just mostly thoughts that would need to be redone. Kind of like a brainstorming session of free writing. Not sure if I will post it or not.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
too hot!
7-23-09
I slacked hard yesterday. I got home early with the intention of working on the house. It was too fucking hot. I did, however, get the car stuff taken care of. I went down to the mechanic and paid the bill and then while waiting for the AAA guy, I started the process of cleaning out Barnum.
I had brought along 2 trash bags. One for keep, one for trash. I got through the bulk of the car, but there is still things like the drawer under the seat which had some of my CD’s, and the beach toys in the back of the car. Although, really, most everything is in neat boxes or bags, and ready to come out.
I also repacked my fancy diaper bag with all the provisions that has been scattered through the car and put it in my van. I also put all the grocery bags in one of the bags and also moved that to the van. I was quick to also put my mommy cat hanging from the rear view on to the new car. Even though I spent only maybe 20 minutes of bagging, and I wasn’t tired or anything, I noticed the quantity of sweat dripping down on my head. It looked like some kind of bad special effects. It was awful since it was getting in my eyes and it was just distracting. Of course, it was like 95 degrees out, and I was working inside a dark colored car that had been out in the sun and there was no air flow. I found myself appreciating my new white car since even after having been in the sun all day, you got in and it wasn’t sweltering. It might help, too, that there is more air to heat up so it takes longer. LOL!
As I started the pack up process, I did get a little choked up at the idea of getting rid of the car I first brought my babies home in. This was truly our first real family car. Of course, we now have a roomier family car, but it is still crazy to think.
The car got home and from there I picked up the boys. I had given them the choice of going in the pool, or going by Daddy’s work to see the Star Wars Lego. The plan was then modified to include both. We went o Daddy’s work and the boys enjoyed seeing all the different Star Wars kits. Bobby especially liked getting up close to all of them.
When we got home, we had some dinner and then the whole family got in the pool. It was so nice. Super warm, but not too warm. Good cool down for the day.
We did have some issues yesterday, though. This would be thanks to Monarch.
Monarch has been testy the last week or so. Not sure if it is heat related, or he is just cranky, but he has been going after all of the other cats more than normal, taking swipes at us when we walk by (always claws in) and just being a pill. He still is uber affectionate and sweet, but he can be so damn annoying with this streak of mean. Well, yesterday, before we headed to Ken’s work, Bobby was playing with Monarch. Bobby sometimes can get a little rough, but normally Monarch loves the crap out of Bobby. I don’t know what took place, I did hear the scream.
I came running to find Bobby in hysterics indicating that Monarch had scratched him. There was no evidence on him that actual claws hit skin, but I know that it is reasonable to assume he hit Bobby, even if it was just his paw. It spooked Bobby something awful. I had to put Monarch in a “Time Out” to show Bobby that hitting is wrong. I assumed this would be the extent of it since lord knows, Bobby had gotten way worse treatment from the cats in the past. Pixel once scratched his face up pretty good.
We got home from the class and Bobby stood in the entry way, refusing to come in further because Monarch was on the desk. Dax and I walked past Monarch, who hardly looked up, with no problem. Bobby started screaming, sweating, freaking out to levels I have never seen before. He would not walk past him. Finally, Monarch moved, and Bobby, no joke, sprinted to his room to put his backpack away. He was scared to death. Every time Monarch would come in the same room, he would make sure he was up high or no longer in said room. It was ridiculous. Look, understand irrational fear. I have it in boatloads, but this was above and beyond anything I had seen. I decided that he just fell off the horse, and he needed to get back on.
I picked up Monarch, who was so happy to be getting attention, and brought him towards a shivering Bobby, demanding that he pet the cat. The first couple times, he ran off screaming. Then he finally reached out and scritched Monarch, who luckily purred a bit as if he recognized he had screwed up with his best bud.
Bobby still was unconvinced that they were past this issue. Bobby asked me several times to put Monarch in another time out, despite him having done nothing to deserve it at this point. Bobby was at the dinner table, and could not bring himself to come outside to go in the pool (which he wanted to do more than anything) because Monarch was by the front door. Mind you, this was not in Bobby’s path at all, but he just couldn’t do it.
Finally he did manage to get outside, and when he was in his room after, getting ready for bed, I brought the cat in his room and placed him on his bed. Bobby was nervous at first, but seemed to recognize this as a peace offering since Monarch promptly rolled over on his back, begging for belly scratching. He was still not 100% by bed time, but we may have made some progress.
He seemed out of sorts, anyway. He got up at one point right after we put him to bed and he asked me where his blanket was. I told him it was in his room in his backpack, so he ran in to get it, came back out to tell us he had found it, but that he needed help with his covers. We told him to try doing it on his own, to which he pouted and cried. He sulked back into his room, not closing his door, yelling from his bed that he didn’t want to close his door. He claimed he was scared and came back out. We kept arguing with him when finally I stood up with such force that he ran. Ken said he has never seen Bobby run so fast in his life. He watched him dive into bed on the monitor, and I closed the door behind him without us even making eye contact. Clearly, we pissed off Mama. Ken went in a smidge later and explained that he needed to quit the whining, and good news is, kid was asleep in like 15 minutes, so clearly a little tough love was the answer.
Ken informed me that a babysitter is not a problem as he has a girl that works for him that is quite trustworthy and in need of some money that can handle it. I am sure the boys will be fine, as they have met her several times in the past. I should be able to feed them before we leave and then really, all she needs to do is Jammie them, put them in bed and read them a story. Pretty simple. She can let them play outside, too, when we leave, that way they get tired out. I don’t anticipate being out too late, as Tammy has told me it isn’t an all night affair.
I need to make my list for packing, and perhaps on Sunday I will go and find a pair of jeans. I think Torrid has a 50% of clearance sale this weekend. I think we could probably go to the Del Amo mall, where there is a Lane Bryant (maybe look at some bras, too?) and Ken could take the kids to the Disney store and the bear store, and really, just entertain them a bit. Or I can go by myself and get some stuff tried on quickly. We will see.
Lugging the car seats on the shuttle to the airport is going to be a pain. I assume we will drive there, park in one of the big lots, catch the shuttle to the terminal. I am hoping to keep the luggage to a minimum. Maybe 2 bags at the most. But to have two kids, two car seats, and two bags (plus Ken’s computer bag, and the boys will have their backpacks) that will be a bit of crap. The backpacks apparently will be the boys’ one carry on. I am taking nothing but my little wallet/purse since I don’t want a bunch of crap. Ken will have his computer bag on the plane. We check everything else. I guess it is only awkward for like 30 minutes.
It has been busy this morning, yet the time is dragging. I have a mellow day when I get home, so perhaps this is why. I have nothing pressing, nothing crazy going on for the first time in weeks, and the day drags. LOL!
My one excitement for the day was a bird rescue. This fledgling has decided that going under our front screen door is fun. She did it twice last week, and managed to get back out when I approached to open the screen for her. I had to close the door! Those times, she did not attract the attention of our feline population. Yesterday, she was not as quiet.
I saw out of the corner of my eye, Ittles going after something that started flapping. I realized it was our little bird, and I got Ittles away. I tried to open the screen, but the bird flew past me towards the back door. She got caught on the screen, so I figured this was good. I could get her while she was on that. Instead, she was so faking it, and went up to the windowsill.
I took the butterfly net and managed to coax her down to the top of the cat’s water bottle, and then carefully got the bird in the net. I then took her back out front to release her. No injuries to her or me! Poor little bird. Our porch has become such a local bird hangout, we now get cool exotic looking varieties I had not seen in the neighborhood before. One yesterday was this cool yellow and orange that, despite my lack of enthusiasm normally for birds, I was actually kind of jazzed to see it.
I don’t think I will be joining a bird watching group anytime soon, but it is cool to see all these birds so comfy with us there on the porch. I need to take some pics. The hummingbirds don’t mind when we sit on the porch, or even are out there watering. The sparrow looking birds are pretty brave, too, especially since they had their nests there. The more colorful ones are much larger, yet don’t seem quite as brave yet. It would be cool to set up Monarch’s camera on the bird feeder to take pics from time to time to see who shows up to feed.
BTW-what evolutionary purpose is it to have little kid fingernails so fucking sharp? Did mother nature think they would need to claw their way out of some kind of scary thicket? Last night, Dax was uncomfortable in the pool now that we had it up to capacity in terms of depth. So various times while out there, he was clinging to me. I can safely say even if he had let go, his little claws would still be in my skin and he would not float away. Babies have those sharp little nails, too. That is why they sell those little oven mitts you Velcro onto their hands to keep them from bloodying their faces with the Edward Scissorhands they are born with. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had scratch marks in my uterus directly after they were birthed. I know, I do keep them trimmed, but they seem to sprout like crazy within only a few days of the last trimming. I just don’t understand how something sharp exists on people that we are a little leery of allowing access to butter knives.
The boss is in full psycho mode today. He has not harassed me yet. Then again, I put him in his place pretty early this morning. Yesterday after I left, he opted to put poor Tammy through hell over this one order that was going to be paid with a wire. He wanted her to search high and low for this money. This morning, I come in and see the 13 emails concerning the order, and I send one quick email to the customer, who confirmed in 15 minutes that there is no wire, and that he is paying with a check, which has not been mailed yet. Why is it that the boss couldn’t just email the customer? This is a customer he has had no problems emailing 50 times before this point. Plus, the unit has been ready for a month and the customer just has not given us money. Why is it a pressing priority yesterday between 1 and 2 PM, when no money was even in route?!??!
Michael Jackson has a secret love child? Ok, I have a question, have celebrities gotten weirder, or have they just gotten worse at covering it up. Yes, I know we have reported it more extensively, but is that really what it is? Or has everyone just gotten all the more eccentric?
I slacked hard yesterday. I got home early with the intention of working on the house. It was too fucking hot. I did, however, get the car stuff taken care of. I went down to the mechanic and paid the bill and then while waiting for the AAA guy, I started the process of cleaning out Barnum.
I had brought along 2 trash bags. One for keep, one for trash. I got through the bulk of the car, but there is still things like the drawer under the seat which had some of my CD’s, and the beach toys in the back of the car. Although, really, most everything is in neat boxes or bags, and ready to come out.
I also repacked my fancy diaper bag with all the provisions that has been scattered through the car and put it in my van. I also put all the grocery bags in one of the bags and also moved that to the van. I was quick to also put my mommy cat hanging from the rear view on to the new car. Even though I spent only maybe 20 minutes of bagging, and I wasn’t tired or anything, I noticed the quantity of sweat dripping down on my head. It looked like some kind of bad special effects. It was awful since it was getting in my eyes and it was just distracting. Of course, it was like 95 degrees out, and I was working inside a dark colored car that had been out in the sun and there was no air flow. I found myself appreciating my new white car since even after having been in the sun all day, you got in and it wasn’t sweltering. It might help, too, that there is more air to heat up so it takes longer. LOL!
As I started the pack up process, I did get a little choked up at the idea of getting rid of the car I first brought my babies home in. This was truly our first real family car. Of course, we now have a roomier family car, but it is still crazy to think.
The car got home and from there I picked up the boys. I had given them the choice of going in the pool, or going by Daddy’s work to see the Star Wars Lego. The plan was then modified to include both. We went o Daddy’s work and the boys enjoyed seeing all the different Star Wars kits. Bobby especially liked getting up close to all of them.
When we got home, we had some dinner and then the whole family got in the pool. It was so nice. Super warm, but not too warm. Good cool down for the day.
We did have some issues yesterday, though. This would be thanks to Monarch.
Monarch has been testy the last week or so. Not sure if it is heat related, or he is just cranky, but he has been going after all of the other cats more than normal, taking swipes at us when we walk by (always claws in) and just being a pill. He still is uber affectionate and sweet, but he can be so damn annoying with this streak of mean. Well, yesterday, before we headed to Ken’s work, Bobby was playing with Monarch. Bobby sometimes can get a little rough, but normally Monarch loves the crap out of Bobby. I don’t know what took place, I did hear the scream.
I came running to find Bobby in hysterics indicating that Monarch had scratched him. There was no evidence on him that actual claws hit skin, but I know that it is reasonable to assume he hit Bobby, even if it was just his paw. It spooked Bobby something awful. I had to put Monarch in a “Time Out” to show Bobby that hitting is wrong. I assumed this would be the extent of it since lord knows, Bobby had gotten way worse treatment from the cats in the past. Pixel once scratched his face up pretty good.
We got home from the class and Bobby stood in the entry way, refusing to come in further because Monarch was on the desk. Dax and I walked past Monarch, who hardly looked up, with no problem. Bobby started screaming, sweating, freaking out to levels I have never seen before. He would not walk past him. Finally, Monarch moved, and Bobby, no joke, sprinted to his room to put his backpack away. He was scared to death. Every time Monarch would come in the same room, he would make sure he was up high or no longer in said room. It was ridiculous. Look, understand irrational fear. I have it in boatloads, but this was above and beyond anything I had seen. I decided that he just fell off the horse, and he needed to get back on.
I picked up Monarch, who was so happy to be getting attention, and brought him towards a shivering Bobby, demanding that he pet the cat. The first couple times, he ran off screaming. Then he finally reached out and scritched Monarch, who luckily purred a bit as if he recognized he had screwed up with his best bud.
Bobby still was unconvinced that they were past this issue. Bobby asked me several times to put Monarch in another time out, despite him having done nothing to deserve it at this point. Bobby was at the dinner table, and could not bring himself to come outside to go in the pool (which he wanted to do more than anything) because Monarch was by the front door. Mind you, this was not in Bobby’s path at all, but he just couldn’t do it.
Finally he did manage to get outside, and when he was in his room after, getting ready for bed, I brought the cat in his room and placed him on his bed. Bobby was nervous at first, but seemed to recognize this as a peace offering since Monarch promptly rolled over on his back, begging for belly scratching. He was still not 100% by bed time, but we may have made some progress.
He seemed out of sorts, anyway. He got up at one point right after we put him to bed and he asked me where his blanket was. I told him it was in his room in his backpack, so he ran in to get it, came back out to tell us he had found it, but that he needed help with his covers. We told him to try doing it on his own, to which he pouted and cried. He sulked back into his room, not closing his door, yelling from his bed that he didn’t want to close his door. He claimed he was scared and came back out. We kept arguing with him when finally I stood up with such force that he ran. Ken said he has never seen Bobby run so fast in his life. He watched him dive into bed on the monitor, and I closed the door behind him without us even making eye contact. Clearly, we pissed off Mama. Ken went in a smidge later and explained that he needed to quit the whining, and good news is, kid was asleep in like 15 minutes, so clearly a little tough love was the answer.
Ken informed me that a babysitter is not a problem as he has a girl that works for him that is quite trustworthy and in need of some money that can handle it. I am sure the boys will be fine, as they have met her several times in the past. I should be able to feed them before we leave and then really, all she needs to do is Jammie them, put them in bed and read them a story. Pretty simple. She can let them play outside, too, when we leave, that way they get tired out. I don’t anticipate being out too late, as Tammy has told me it isn’t an all night affair.
I need to make my list for packing, and perhaps on Sunday I will go and find a pair of jeans. I think Torrid has a 50% of clearance sale this weekend. I think we could probably go to the Del Amo mall, where there is a Lane Bryant (maybe look at some bras, too?) and Ken could take the kids to the Disney store and the bear store, and really, just entertain them a bit. Or I can go by myself and get some stuff tried on quickly. We will see.
Lugging the car seats on the shuttle to the airport is going to be a pain. I assume we will drive there, park in one of the big lots, catch the shuttle to the terminal. I am hoping to keep the luggage to a minimum. Maybe 2 bags at the most. But to have two kids, two car seats, and two bags (plus Ken’s computer bag, and the boys will have their backpacks) that will be a bit of crap. The backpacks apparently will be the boys’ one carry on. I am taking nothing but my little wallet/purse since I don’t want a bunch of crap. Ken will have his computer bag on the plane. We check everything else. I guess it is only awkward for like 30 minutes.
It has been busy this morning, yet the time is dragging. I have a mellow day when I get home, so perhaps this is why. I have nothing pressing, nothing crazy going on for the first time in weeks, and the day drags. LOL!
My one excitement for the day was a bird rescue. This fledgling has decided that going under our front screen door is fun. She did it twice last week, and managed to get back out when I approached to open the screen for her. I had to close the door! Those times, she did not attract the attention of our feline population. Yesterday, she was not as quiet.
I saw out of the corner of my eye, Ittles going after something that started flapping. I realized it was our little bird, and I got Ittles away. I tried to open the screen, but the bird flew past me towards the back door. She got caught on the screen, so I figured this was good. I could get her while she was on that. Instead, she was so faking it, and went up to the windowsill.
I took the butterfly net and managed to coax her down to the top of the cat’s water bottle, and then carefully got the bird in the net. I then took her back out front to release her. No injuries to her or me! Poor little bird. Our porch has become such a local bird hangout, we now get cool exotic looking varieties I had not seen in the neighborhood before. One yesterday was this cool yellow and orange that, despite my lack of enthusiasm normally for birds, I was actually kind of jazzed to see it.
I don’t think I will be joining a bird watching group anytime soon, but it is cool to see all these birds so comfy with us there on the porch. I need to take some pics. The hummingbirds don’t mind when we sit on the porch, or even are out there watering. The sparrow looking birds are pretty brave, too, especially since they had their nests there. The more colorful ones are much larger, yet don’t seem quite as brave yet. It would be cool to set up Monarch’s camera on the bird feeder to take pics from time to time to see who shows up to feed.
BTW-what evolutionary purpose is it to have little kid fingernails so fucking sharp? Did mother nature think they would need to claw their way out of some kind of scary thicket? Last night, Dax was uncomfortable in the pool now that we had it up to capacity in terms of depth. So various times while out there, he was clinging to me. I can safely say even if he had let go, his little claws would still be in my skin and he would not float away. Babies have those sharp little nails, too. That is why they sell those little oven mitts you Velcro onto their hands to keep them from bloodying their faces with the Edward Scissorhands they are born with. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had scratch marks in my uterus directly after they were birthed. I know, I do keep them trimmed, but they seem to sprout like crazy within only a few days of the last trimming. I just don’t understand how something sharp exists on people that we are a little leery of allowing access to butter knives.
The boss is in full psycho mode today. He has not harassed me yet. Then again, I put him in his place pretty early this morning. Yesterday after I left, he opted to put poor Tammy through hell over this one order that was going to be paid with a wire. He wanted her to search high and low for this money. This morning, I come in and see the 13 emails concerning the order, and I send one quick email to the customer, who confirmed in 15 minutes that there is no wire, and that he is paying with a check, which has not been mailed yet. Why is it that the boss couldn’t just email the customer? This is a customer he has had no problems emailing 50 times before this point. Plus, the unit has been ready for a month and the customer just has not given us money. Why is it a pressing priority yesterday between 1 and 2 PM, when no money was even in route?!??!
Michael Jackson has a secret love child? Ok, I have a question, have celebrities gotten weirder, or have they just gotten worse at covering it up. Yes, I know we have reported it more extensively, but is that really what it is? Or has everyone just gotten all the more eccentric?
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
car stuff is coming to an end
7-22-09
I don’t know what show it was, or why it existed, but it all screams wrong. I turned on the tv, it was on the SciFi channel (I know it is now Scyfy or some shit like that, but bottom line, it is still geek tv). The show was some super flamboyant black gay guy interviewing WWE wrestlers? Huh?
They are talking about movies that most of your friends and everyone thinks are hysterical and you think are not that great. It is always interesting to hear these. Borat was one, which I agree 100%. I was so bored, I turned it off. They just mentioned Napoleon Dynamite. Ken and I watched that and were so confused as to why this was so well liked. It was awful. Someone called with Office Space, which I can understand. If you never worked in an evil office, it would be hard to relate.
New eye drops. It stings like acid. Un cool on every level. The good news is my eye actually looks better this morning. Not great, but it is less gross than it was.
I need to get my PT back because I have a bunch of crap in there I want to get out. My grocery bags, my headset for my phone, and the diaper stuff. Perhaps we can make arrangements to have it towed today. If I need to leave early to facilitate that, I am up for that. I am so tired, still. With my eye, and even my knee, I just can’t sleep. Yes, the heat is a factor, too, but not as much.
My folks liked the car. They would have liked to see us get something cheaper, but that is the parental way to say they worry about us and want to make sure we don’t spend more than we have. The boys got to drive in it for the first time yesterday, and seemed to have a lot of fun. Bobby is insistent on getting out on Dax’s side, which also happens to be the door I can open with the button. Luckily with it being a van, he can get past Dax really easy. Plus, he is able to unbuckle now, and almost buckle himself, which means very shortly I won’t have to buckle him in myself! It is amazing how exciting that is.
I actually relaxed a bit last night. I sat down, legs up, ice pack on my knee, glass of wine in my hand, and watched the Soup. It was nice. Tonight I won’t be able to do that as I really need to finish the cleaning of the house. Although, I am considering getting the kids in the pool when I pick them up. Might be a good way to cool off.
If it is possible, the eye drops hurt even worse. I just put my 3rd set in, and holy crap, it is truly this horrible stinging burning sensation that is painful on every level. I have 2 more sets I do today. I guess you do 2 drops every 3 to 4 hours. I am going with 3, hoping that will get the maximum amount of meds in my eye. This does mean, however, that I am done for the day at 1:30 since you are only to do 4 sets. I suppose I could push everything back, but my first one I like to do at 4:30 since my eye is at its cleanest. Just out of the shower so it really hits everything. Not likely that any of this is true, but I am running with it.
I just went in the bathroom here and it stinks. It smells like mold and this horrible musty nasty smell. Fun. I come out to find a stink like rotten egg. I complain loudly about it to Tammy, and Maryann points out she is eating a hard boiled egg. I told her that wasn’t what I smelled, but I am pretty sure it is. So gross. I felt bad saying her breakfast made me ill.
I have next Thursday off for furlough. I keep debating on taking it since I will be out the next week. I could use the day to pack since I will be busy Friday night, but we will see.
I just ruffled feathers. Our warranty department just sent an email to Fred and he subsequently forwarded it to my department indicating that we are sending too many requests for info on warranty claims for our customers. What the fuck? So I emailed everyone back saying that this is bullshit, but of course much more eloquently. So far, two of my coworkers who read this agree with me. The boss has not seen it as of yet, so we will see where this goes. I think this will inspire a long overdue meeting. I just don’t like it when other departments use our department as a dumping ground. One of the complaints from them was that we don’t get the claim number for them. Look, if my customer says they have a claim they are waiting for credit on, and they don’t have the number, warranty should look it up. Plus, if the customer has questions about the validity of the amount, then they should call the customer back. Not me!!
I just printed out examples of the slackerness that is warranty. I then declared, “Bring it”. I am such a goob.
I am all excited. I have the whole department now excited about my email. All of them are a little annoyed that our managers were not backing us, and that I had to send an email, but I am ok with being the voice. I have done it before. This time, I don’t anticipate too much backlash.
Ok, I just made arrangements to take care of the PT. I am going over to the auto shop to pay the bill, and AAA will meet me there between 2 and 2:15 to pick up my car. Then they will take it to the house where I can then proceed to do the unload process. I hope the AAA guy can push it in the driveway pretty far back. I am sure he can, but I just would hate to have to do it. Luckily, my old car doesn’t have too much in it, really. I hope to get it unloaded quickly. I may be able to do some of the organization while I wait for AAA. Perhaps if I get there early enough, I can get out the things that go in my new car, and bag up the other stuff that goes in the trash or outside. There is probably more than I realize.
I now want to personalize my van. I need a cd holder for the couple of cd’s I listen to. I know, I have an iPod but I don’t always drag that out. I need to put my Hello Kitty on the rear view. And of course, as silly as this probably is, my KROQ sticker. It is tradition.
I may leave at noon. I can go home, work on the house, get a bunch of stuff done before heading over to the car place at like 1:30. I have to leave her early either way, so might as well make it worth while.
This customer I am on hold with has hold music that is the music from the carousel at Disneyland. I feel like spinning in my chair as I wait to get the full effect.
I think I have cramps, just nothing to show for it.
Now I feel bad. Ken sends me a text saying, “what new Lego was I excited about” and I have no idea!!!
Not to alarm anyone, but I have had these random cramps for a couple days. Just now, wave of nausea. Mind you, I am also hungry. Seriously, if I didn’t know any better, I would say I was pregnant. In all fairness, the IUD has a .08% fail rate the first year, but I wonder if that factors in sex every day. I doubt I am, but I have to make sure I understand all symptoms of pregnancy since with the IUD, you eventually have like no periods, so unless you pee on the stick every month, you really don’t know if you are late. I don’t think I am, but I like to be a hypochondriac.
I don’t know what show it was, or why it existed, but it all screams wrong. I turned on the tv, it was on the SciFi channel (I know it is now Scyfy or some shit like that, but bottom line, it is still geek tv). The show was some super flamboyant black gay guy interviewing WWE wrestlers? Huh?
They are talking about movies that most of your friends and everyone thinks are hysterical and you think are not that great. It is always interesting to hear these. Borat was one, which I agree 100%. I was so bored, I turned it off. They just mentioned Napoleon Dynamite. Ken and I watched that and were so confused as to why this was so well liked. It was awful. Someone called with Office Space, which I can understand. If you never worked in an evil office, it would be hard to relate.
New eye drops. It stings like acid. Un cool on every level. The good news is my eye actually looks better this morning. Not great, but it is less gross than it was.
I need to get my PT back because I have a bunch of crap in there I want to get out. My grocery bags, my headset for my phone, and the diaper stuff. Perhaps we can make arrangements to have it towed today. If I need to leave early to facilitate that, I am up for that. I am so tired, still. With my eye, and even my knee, I just can’t sleep. Yes, the heat is a factor, too, but not as much.
My folks liked the car. They would have liked to see us get something cheaper, but that is the parental way to say they worry about us and want to make sure we don’t spend more than we have. The boys got to drive in it for the first time yesterday, and seemed to have a lot of fun. Bobby is insistent on getting out on Dax’s side, which also happens to be the door I can open with the button. Luckily with it being a van, he can get past Dax really easy. Plus, he is able to unbuckle now, and almost buckle himself, which means very shortly I won’t have to buckle him in myself! It is amazing how exciting that is.
I actually relaxed a bit last night. I sat down, legs up, ice pack on my knee, glass of wine in my hand, and watched the Soup. It was nice. Tonight I won’t be able to do that as I really need to finish the cleaning of the house. Although, I am considering getting the kids in the pool when I pick them up. Might be a good way to cool off.
If it is possible, the eye drops hurt even worse. I just put my 3rd set in, and holy crap, it is truly this horrible stinging burning sensation that is painful on every level. I have 2 more sets I do today. I guess you do 2 drops every 3 to 4 hours. I am going with 3, hoping that will get the maximum amount of meds in my eye. This does mean, however, that I am done for the day at 1:30 since you are only to do 4 sets. I suppose I could push everything back, but my first one I like to do at 4:30 since my eye is at its cleanest. Just out of the shower so it really hits everything. Not likely that any of this is true, but I am running with it.
I just went in the bathroom here and it stinks. It smells like mold and this horrible musty nasty smell. Fun. I come out to find a stink like rotten egg. I complain loudly about it to Tammy, and Maryann points out she is eating a hard boiled egg. I told her that wasn’t what I smelled, but I am pretty sure it is. So gross. I felt bad saying her breakfast made me ill.
I have next Thursday off for furlough. I keep debating on taking it since I will be out the next week. I could use the day to pack since I will be busy Friday night, but we will see.
I just ruffled feathers. Our warranty department just sent an email to Fred and he subsequently forwarded it to my department indicating that we are sending too many requests for info on warranty claims for our customers. What the fuck? So I emailed everyone back saying that this is bullshit, but of course much more eloquently. So far, two of my coworkers who read this agree with me. The boss has not seen it as of yet, so we will see where this goes. I think this will inspire a long overdue meeting. I just don’t like it when other departments use our department as a dumping ground. One of the complaints from them was that we don’t get the claim number for them. Look, if my customer says they have a claim they are waiting for credit on, and they don’t have the number, warranty should look it up. Plus, if the customer has questions about the validity of the amount, then they should call the customer back. Not me!!
I just printed out examples of the slackerness that is warranty. I then declared, “Bring it”. I am such a goob.
I am all excited. I have the whole department now excited about my email. All of them are a little annoyed that our managers were not backing us, and that I had to send an email, but I am ok with being the voice. I have done it before. This time, I don’t anticipate too much backlash.
Ok, I just made arrangements to take care of the PT. I am going over to the auto shop to pay the bill, and AAA will meet me there between 2 and 2:15 to pick up my car. Then they will take it to the house where I can then proceed to do the unload process. I hope the AAA guy can push it in the driveway pretty far back. I am sure he can, but I just would hate to have to do it. Luckily, my old car doesn’t have too much in it, really. I hope to get it unloaded quickly. I may be able to do some of the organization while I wait for AAA. Perhaps if I get there early enough, I can get out the things that go in my new car, and bag up the other stuff that goes in the trash or outside. There is probably more than I realize.
I now want to personalize my van. I need a cd holder for the couple of cd’s I listen to. I know, I have an iPod but I don’t always drag that out. I need to put my Hello Kitty on the rear view. And of course, as silly as this probably is, my KROQ sticker. It is tradition.
I may leave at noon. I can go home, work on the house, get a bunch of stuff done before heading over to the car place at like 1:30. I have to leave her early either way, so might as well make it worth while.
This customer I am on hold with has hold music that is the music from the carousel at Disneyland. I feel like spinning in my chair as I wait to get the full effect.
I think I have cramps, just nothing to show for it.
Now I feel bad. Ken sends me a text saying, “what new Lego was I excited about” and I have no idea!!!
Not to alarm anyone, but I have had these random cramps for a couple days. Just now, wave of nausea. Mind you, I am also hungry. Seriously, if I didn’t know any better, I would say I was pregnant. In all fairness, the IUD has a .08% fail rate the first year, but I wonder if that factors in sex every day. I doubt I am, but I have to make sure I understand all symptoms of pregnancy since with the IUD, you eventually have like no periods, so unless you pee on the stick every month, you really don’t know if you are late. I don’t think I am, but I like to be a hypochondriac.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
headlines
7-21-09
DAMMIT!!!!!
I had written this whole journal, and as I was saving, it crashed.
So because I don’t feel like re-writing all of it, here are so bullet points:
I burned my finger so now there is a giant blister on my finger.
I put moldy cheese on my burrito.
Dax almost got crushed by my car’s automatic door, but there is actually an excellent feature that allows you to push it back open with little effort.
My smog check took an hour and change instead of 30 minutes.
I have now seen Madagascar 2’s beginning and ending like 4 times.
The boys whined a lot last night.
My eye looks better in some ways, the same in others. It isn’t as closed, but it is still red. It doesn’t hurt as much.
I burst into tears after Dax smashed into me. This was not long after my burn and moldy cheese.
My street is closed today.
I have car seats in my car.
I am seriously considering throwing in the towel today.
I tried an eye patch this morning but it fought with me too much so I gave up.
Wow, journals would be super boring if I always did this.
Or they would be interesting since there is no background on anything.
I am the proud author of a published book.
Mommy Cat, or any variation is not available for personalized plates.
My tummy hurts.
The shoes I am wearing have no support whatsoever and I am not sure there is any point in them aside from being cute.
Ants suck.
My car has a radio volume control on the steering wheel.
Chatting with the Brenan sibs in Farmtown cracks me up.
I want to go to beauty school to learn how to do different hair styles.
Seth Green and Breckin Meyer are funny!
It is too fucking hot.
There is part of me that wants to cut Bobby’s hair if only to keep it out of his eyes and cut down on tangle. But man, a huge part of me keeps it long to bug my dad.
Am I that good or are people here that dumb?
I know I must ask that last question a lot, but honestly, it sometimes amazes me the things that some people don’t know and yet I do. Is it a combo of their ignorance and just the comfort of knowing that they don’t have to remember since I will? Or are they just flat out stupid?
Beth sent me a friend request through Classmates last month (I only got the notice in the email yesterday). LOL!!!
I think it goes without saying what I did with said request?
I got busy for a little while. That was nice. Then I noticed what time it was and I slowed down.
LM for the doc. Perhaps he can just call in a better prescription.
I have a strong desire to see Can’t Buy Me Love and Reality Bites.
I think my boob likes to mess with me. Every now and again, it seems to vibrate, as if my phone is going off. Then when I look at my phone, no call.
I need a box that I can put in the back of my car that will hold all my grocery bags. That way they are neat. Then I need to redo my fancy diaper bag (that is still in the PT) to be prepared for any kid emergency. Pull Ups, underwear, spare pants, spare shirts, fruit snacks, cookies, wipes, and maybe a new toy for each of them, like Happy Meal Toys.
My goal is to keep my car super clean. It will hard with kids, but I will try.
I want to go get it washed. Perhaps on my way home on Friday from my folks.
I need to clean for the de la Pena’s visit on Saturday.
I still don’t have a babysitter for the 31st.
DAMMIT!!!!!
I had written this whole journal, and as I was saving, it crashed.
So because I don’t feel like re-writing all of it, here are so bullet points:
I burned my finger so now there is a giant blister on my finger.
I put moldy cheese on my burrito.
Dax almost got crushed by my car’s automatic door, but there is actually an excellent feature that allows you to push it back open with little effort.
My smog check took an hour and change instead of 30 minutes.
I have now seen Madagascar 2’s beginning and ending like 4 times.
The boys whined a lot last night.
My eye looks better in some ways, the same in others. It isn’t as closed, but it is still red. It doesn’t hurt as much.
I burst into tears after Dax smashed into me. This was not long after my burn and moldy cheese.
My street is closed today.
I have car seats in my car.
I am seriously considering throwing in the towel today.
I tried an eye patch this morning but it fought with me too much so I gave up.
Wow, journals would be super boring if I always did this.
Or they would be interesting since there is no background on anything.
I am the proud author of a published book.
Mommy Cat, or any variation is not available for personalized plates.
My tummy hurts.
The shoes I am wearing have no support whatsoever and I am not sure there is any point in them aside from being cute.
Ants suck.
My car has a radio volume control on the steering wheel.
Chatting with the Brenan sibs in Farmtown cracks me up.
I want to go to beauty school to learn how to do different hair styles.
Seth Green and Breckin Meyer are funny!
It is too fucking hot.
There is part of me that wants to cut Bobby’s hair if only to keep it out of his eyes and cut down on tangle. But man, a huge part of me keeps it long to bug my dad.
Am I that good or are people here that dumb?
I know I must ask that last question a lot, but honestly, it sometimes amazes me the things that some people don’t know and yet I do. Is it a combo of their ignorance and just the comfort of knowing that they don’t have to remember since I will? Or are they just flat out stupid?
Beth sent me a friend request through Classmates last month (I only got the notice in the email yesterday). LOL!!!
I think it goes without saying what I did with said request?
I got busy for a little while. That was nice. Then I noticed what time it was and I slowed down.
LM for the doc. Perhaps he can just call in a better prescription.
I have a strong desire to see Can’t Buy Me Love and Reality Bites.
I think my boob likes to mess with me. Every now and again, it seems to vibrate, as if my phone is going off. Then when I look at my phone, no call.
I need a box that I can put in the back of my car that will hold all my grocery bags. That way they are neat. Then I need to redo my fancy diaper bag (that is still in the PT) to be prepared for any kid emergency. Pull Ups, underwear, spare pants, spare shirts, fruit snacks, cookies, wipes, and maybe a new toy for each of them, like Happy Meal Toys.
My goal is to keep my car super clean. It will hard with kids, but I will try.
I want to go get it washed. Perhaps on my way home on Friday from my folks.
I need to clean for the de la Pena’s visit on Saturday.
I still don’t have a babysitter for the 31st.
Monday, July 20, 2009
cars
7-20-09
Where do I start?????
Let’s start with my eye. My right eye is infected. I went to the doc and he gave me some drops which I would have hoped would have made it even a little better by today, but quite honestly, I have not seen much improvement. It is still red, oozy and puffy. It also goes through periods where is feels like I have something in my eye. Ouch! It is really sucky, too, since I will be on the computer today, and truly, I have one eye. I know a headache is imminent.
My Friday afternoon was hectic, but good. I left work at noon so that I could run by the PT and look for some warranty paperwork, get down to the doctor for my eye, get to the car rental place to return the car, and then walk home. When I got home, I cleaned the kitchen and took a shower, and went to get the boys. I was going to clean more thoroughly, but I gave up. The reason for the cleaning? I mean aside from the house needed cleaning. Stephanie was coming over with Sabrina, and we were leaving Ken in charge of the munchkins while we went out for dinner!
We determined this was our first outing sans kids with one another, which is funny, really. We went to Acapulco, and had some drinks and grub. There margaritas are pretty weak sauce. I had a big ol raspberry one, and didn’t even get a buzz. I switched to Morgans and Coke and was much happier. We talked and laughed for a few hours, exchanging stories. It was fantastic! I had so much fun! This may turn into a tradition, since her hubby had poker night, which is what helped to inspire the outing. Ken said Sabrina was easy. The funniest thing about her is you just can’t hear her! We are used to our screaming banshees, so anyone who talks at normal levels is whispering, and she actually whispers! When we got back, Dax had already gone to bed (he really is much more scheduled that Bobby) and Bobby and Sabrina were watching Lazy Town. Kids were happy, Ken didn’t look frazzled, and everything was good!
Saturday morning, kids slept in to 7! It was so nice. And when they came in to our room, they were both so dang cute. So we got up, and over the day got most of the laundry done, cleaned the boys’ rooms, cleaned up the desk, kitchen, living room, re did the pool, went to Target, went to Lowe’s, and set Ken’s kits for his birthday party on Sunday. Busy day. The kids splashed in the pool a lot while it was refilled, so that tired them out.It meant they crashed out really easily. Especially since we also took them out for Cold Stone. Matt had given me a $25 gift card for my birthday, so I thought ice cream was in order. We all got a treat, and I got a pack of ice cream cupcakes for another time, and it cost $24.75. Woo hoo!
Sunday morning was bowling and then after we went to Don Jose’s with my folks. YUM!!
We had the boys nap and got them up around 1 so we could go to Ken’s birthday party. Ken dropped us off at my folks. The kids played and had a lot of fun. Then Ken came and got me so we could go look at cars without the boys having to be bored. We went to a couple of dealers, but we also stopped at this place, Gulliver’s car sales, that is basically a consignment lot. We had seen several vehicles that were in our price range and in decent condition. So the plan was to go either tonight or tomorrow once we took care of loan stuff.
We picked up the boys and headed over to see about renting a car for today. Our local Enterprise was closed, so we went to the airport location. Did you know that a $30 car at our local one costs like $80 at the airport due to airport taxes and stuff??? Makes you want to get a bus when you get a rental after your plane ride to a car rental site out of the airport! So we opted not to rent with the plan for Ken to drive me to work, then come get me at 1, so I could drive him back to work and then come back to work and then go get him later. Not fun, but for one day it wasn’t a big deal.
On the way home, Ken pointed out we could go by the car place and see what kind of numbers we needed for the bank info. So we headed over, ended up test driving my car, and 2 and a half hours later, I was driving my new car home. It was not bad with the kids. We had picked them up some food, and in the car place there was a kids area. So they ate, played, and even watched a bit of Madagascar on their tv there. It was perfect! They didn’t want to leave! That is how much fun they were having. They had a crap load of toys and a toddler slide, so the boys enjoyed rolling the cars down it for like an hour. One of the toys was this Ronald McDonald on a tricycle. It was clearly some Happy Meal toy. Dax feel deeply in love with it. He didn’t want to let it go. Without his or anyone else’s knowledge, I took said toy. It is in my new car so that I can present it to him later. Criminal are cool mom? You tell me?
The car is nice. It is a 2000 Toyota Sienna. It is white, and even has one of those automatic side doors. The seats don’t fold into the floor, but they are easily removable. It was owned by a smoker, as there is a small cigarette burn in the drivers seat. There is a small dent in the back, but it looks good other than that. It only had one owner before, and not gobs of mileage considering it is almost 10 years old. It is pretty. Today after work I need to take it back to them and get it smogged, and then I think I will drive by the old car to pick up the car seats. I want those installed right away. Then maybe we can go to the “elmo” car wash. This would be the car wash that the boys like because I told them the red things washing the car was actually Elmos. The car just needed a nice once over. I also want to put in air freshener so it smells more like what I like. It smells, well, too new. LOL!
As for the PT, at this point I think we need to have it towed home. We are still going to look for the warranty paperwork because if this repair is covered, we could get the car fixed and either sell it, or keep it as a backup. If it isn’t covered, we are going to need to get rid of it, which may mean selling it whole, selling parts like the fairly new tires, or just who knows. Either way, I think that towing it now so I can clean it out at my house as opposed to the shop would be better. But regardless of when it is towed, car seats needed ASAP. I need them for tomorrow so I can go to my folk’s house. Plus just in general, it is nice to have the car ready to go.
My street is closed tomorrow, so I have to park on the next block, which kind of sucks, especially since I am leaving before it is dry. I guess they start at 6 in the morning, and won’t be done till 6 at night. So Ken will also have to park down the street, but tonight since he leaves at 8. Luckily I can get home probably after it is done, same with Ken, but what a pain!
I am supposed to go to Conner’s tonight, and was really looking forward to it, but due to car stuff, I don’t see it happening. I have to break the news to him. I feel bad since I keep flaking, but this time, there is good reason!
MaryAnn just saw my eye and said it looks worse! Not good. I will try to go tomorrow. Either that or I might put a patch on it to see if that helps.
I also seemed to injure my knee. I twisted it and it hurts. I iced it last night, but it still is sore. Bleah.
On a sad note, I found out yesterday that my Uncle Bill passed away. I don’t know a lot of details. They were light with details with Grammie because they said since she wasn’t next of kin, she wasn’t allowed the info. Lame. My cousin, Billy Jay, is in Iraq, so the info I guess went to his wife. Billy Jay is now on his way back from Iraq. Sean is in a lot of shock. Understandably. Even though Bill was in poor health, are you ever prepared for your dad dying? My mom is doing ok. She is less upset than with Robbie. I still see her tear up from that. With Billy, she seems at peace with it. Either that or she just hasn’t processed it. I know they were not as close, but to lose two or your sibs and a father in the span of 5 years, it has got to be tough. The last time I think I saw Billy, sadly, was when we spread Robbie’s ashes. Seems a shame the next time I see him will also be in the form of ashes. My family isn’t exactly prompt when it comes to burials. I think we did the tree for Grandaddy almost a year later, and Robbie took like 6 months. Of course, it could go quicker due to the fact that Billy Jay may need to get back to Iraq. Although, I don’t think he should go back. Dude is 32, 3 kids at home he has spent maybe 6 months with, already was severely injured once and his dad just died. I say you have spent your time, you can stay home now.
I won’t know any details for a couple days at best. I may email Grammie to send my condolences. My folks leave Saturday for a week, and then I am gone for almost a week. I hope I don’t miss a gathering, but it is certainly possible.
Ken starts Star Wars week this morning. What this means is he is swamped. This is the most popular class they do, and it has like a million kids. He will undoubtedly be late all week, and wiped out. Of course, he also loves Star Wars week, so it is fun even though it is tiring. I may take the kids down there one of the days, as Bobby would love to see it. Maybe Thursday.
I am not going by to get the car seats now. Ken pointed out the PT may be back today, so no reason to go to the trouble of getting them. Plus, Ken said he will just put the car seats from his car in my car for now.
When I go get smogged, I need them to look at the belts that sound loose. Nothing bad, but maybe they will either replace them real quick or just something simple like WD-40 is needed. I will be late picking up the boys, but things happen.
My bangs really are styled wrong. They seem to be covering my good eye while letting my bad eye shine through. Kind of backwards!
It has been determined that Larry Wilcox can wake me up. I was super wiped out, already asleep while Ken watched M*A*S*H. I love to hear the sounds of my beloved BJ Hunnicutt as I drift off. But this particular episode happens to have a small part for Officer Jon Baker! Ken was going to wake me, but no need. I actually kind of shot up when I heard his voice. I am glad Ken was there to witness this because seriously, who else would believe that I woke up to Larry Wilcox?
I have sitting next to me a copy of a book I helped write!! My name is on the cover and everything! I know I helped on a lot of it, but man, this book is thick! I had no idea that I helped that much. Granted, a lot of it is tributes and things like that, but still, the fact that I have words published, wow, that is crazy. Tammy said I can have a few extra copies, too, so I am going to get 5 or 6 I figure. Ken gets a copy at the door for the banquet (I don’t get another one there as I have that copy now), so I will have a few to give to folks. I don’t know if anyone really wants a copy, but a few to have on hand is a good plan.
My stomach hurts weird. Don’t know what that is about.
Sure enough, I also now have a headache. It is from my eye, this is for sure.
Where do I start?????
Let’s start with my eye. My right eye is infected. I went to the doc and he gave me some drops which I would have hoped would have made it even a little better by today, but quite honestly, I have not seen much improvement. It is still red, oozy and puffy. It also goes through periods where is feels like I have something in my eye. Ouch! It is really sucky, too, since I will be on the computer today, and truly, I have one eye. I know a headache is imminent.
My Friday afternoon was hectic, but good. I left work at noon so that I could run by the PT and look for some warranty paperwork, get down to the doctor for my eye, get to the car rental place to return the car, and then walk home. When I got home, I cleaned the kitchen and took a shower, and went to get the boys. I was going to clean more thoroughly, but I gave up. The reason for the cleaning? I mean aside from the house needed cleaning. Stephanie was coming over with Sabrina, and we were leaving Ken in charge of the munchkins while we went out for dinner!
We determined this was our first outing sans kids with one another, which is funny, really. We went to Acapulco, and had some drinks and grub. There margaritas are pretty weak sauce. I had a big ol raspberry one, and didn’t even get a buzz. I switched to Morgans and Coke and was much happier. We talked and laughed for a few hours, exchanging stories. It was fantastic! I had so much fun! This may turn into a tradition, since her hubby had poker night, which is what helped to inspire the outing. Ken said Sabrina was easy. The funniest thing about her is you just can’t hear her! We are used to our screaming banshees, so anyone who talks at normal levels is whispering, and she actually whispers! When we got back, Dax had already gone to bed (he really is much more scheduled that Bobby) and Bobby and Sabrina were watching Lazy Town. Kids were happy, Ken didn’t look frazzled, and everything was good!
Saturday morning, kids slept in to 7! It was so nice. And when they came in to our room, they were both so dang cute. So we got up, and over the day got most of the laundry done, cleaned the boys’ rooms, cleaned up the desk, kitchen, living room, re did the pool, went to Target, went to Lowe’s, and set Ken’s kits for his birthday party on Sunday. Busy day. The kids splashed in the pool a lot while it was refilled, so that tired them out.It meant they crashed out really easily. Especially since we also took them out for Cold Stone. Matt had given me a $25 gift card for my birthday, so I thought ice cream was in order. We all got a treat, and I got a pack of ice cream cupcakes for another time, and it cost $24.75. Woo hoo!
Sunday morning was bowling and then after we went to Don Jose’s with my folks. YUM!!
We had the boys nap and got them up around 1 so we could go to Ken’s birthday party. Ken dropped us off at my folks. The kids played and had a lot of fun. Then Ken came and got me so we could go look at cars without the boys having to be bored. We went to a couple of dealers, but we also stopped at this place, Gulliver’s car sales, that is basically a consignment lot. We had seen several vehicles that were in our price range and in decent condition. So the plan was to go either tonight or tomorrow once we took care of loan stuff.
We picked up the boys and headed over to see about renting a car for today. Our local Enterprise was closed, so we went to the airport location. Did you know that a $30 car at our local one costs like $80 at the airport due to airport taxes and stuff??? Makes you want to get a bus when you get a rental after your plane ride to a car rental site out of the airport! So we opted not to rent with the plan for Ken to drive me to work, then come get me at 1, so I could drive him back to work and then come back to work and then go get him later. Not fun, but for one day it wasn’t a big deal.
On the way home, Ken pointed out we could go by the car place and see what kind of numbers we needed for the bank info. So we headed over, ended up test driving my car, and 2 and a half hours later, I was driving my new car home. It was not bad with the kids. We had picked them up some food, and in the car place there was a kids area. So they ate, played, and even watched a bit of Madagascar on their tv there. It was perfect! They didn’t want to leave! That is how much fun they were having. They had a crap load of toys and a toddler slide, so the boys enjoyed rolling the cars down it for like an hour. One of the toys was this Ronald McDonald on a tricycle. It was clearly some Happy Meal toy. Dax feel deeply in love with it. He didn’t want to let it go. Without his or anyone else’s knowledge, I took said toy. It is in my new car so that I can present it to him later. Criminal are cool mom? You tell me?
The car is nice. It is a 2000 Toyota Sienna. It is white, and even has one of those automatic side doors. The seats don’t fold into the floor, but they are easily removable. It was owned by a smoker, as there is a small cigarette burn in the drivers seat. There is a small dent in the back, but it looks good other than that. It only had one owner before, and not gobs of mileage considering it is almost 10 years old. It is pretty. Today after work I need to take it back to them and get it smogged, and then I think I will drive by the old car to pick up the car seats. I want those installed right away. Then maybe we can go to the “elmo” car wash. This would be the car wash that the boys like because I told them the red things washing the car was actually Elmos. The car just needed a nice once over. I also want to put in air freshener so it smells more like what I like. It smells, well, too new. LOL!
As for the PT, at this point I think we need to have it towed home. We are still going to look for the warranty paperwork because if this repair is covered, we could get the car fixed and either sell it, or keep it as a backup. If it isn’t covered, we are going to need to get rid of it, which may mean selling it whole, selling parts like the fairly new tires, or just who knows. Either way, I think that towing it now so I can clean it out at my house as opposed to the shop would be better. But regardless of when it is towed, car seats needed ASAP. I need them for tomorrow so I can go to my folk’s house. Plus just in general, it is nice to have the car ready to go.
My street is closed tomorrow, so I have to park on the next block, which kind of sucks, especially since I am leaving before it is dry. I guess they start at 6 in the morning, and won’t be done till 6 at night. So Ken will also have to park down the street, but tonight since he leaves at 8. Luckily I can get home probably after it is done, same with Ken, but what a pain!
I am supposed to go to Conner’s tonight, and was really looking forward to it, but due to car stuff, I don’t see it happening. I have to break the news to him. I feel bad since I keep flaking, but this time, there is good reason!
MaryAnn just saw my eye and said it looks worse! Not good. I will try to go tomorrow. Either that or I might put a patch on it to see if that helps.
I also seemed to injure my knee. I twisted it and it hurts. I iced it last night, but it still is sore. Bleah.
On a sad note, I found out yesterday that my Uncle Bill passed away. I don’t know a lot of details. They were light with details with Grammie because they said since she wasn’t next of kin, she wasn’t allowed the info. Lame. My cousin, Billy Jay, is in Iraq, so the info I guess went to his wife. Billy Jay is now on his way back from Iraq. Sean is in a lot of shock. Understandably. Even though Bill was in poor health, are you ever prepared for your dad dying? My mom is doing ok. She is less upset than with Robbie. I still see her tear up from that. With Billy, she seems at peace with it. Either that or she just hasn’t processed it. I know they were not as close, but to lose two or your sibs and a father in the span of 5 years, it has got to be tough. The last time I think I saw Billy, sadly, was when we spread Robbie’s ashes. Seems a shame the next time I see him will also be in the form of ashes. My family isn’t exactly prompt when it comes to burials. I think we did the tree for Grandaddy almost a year later, and Robbie took like 6 months. Of course, it could go quicker due to the fact that Billy Jay may need to get back to Iraq. Although, I don’t think he should go back. Dude is 32, 3 kids at home he has spent maybe 6 months with, already was severely injured once and his dad just died. I say you have spent your time, you can stay home now.
I won’t know any details for a couple days at best. I may email Grammie to send my condolences. My folks leave Saturday for a week, and then I am gone for almost a week. I hope I don’t miss a gathering, but it is certainly possible.
Ken starts Star Wars week this morning. What this means is he is swamped. This is the most popular class they do, and it has like a million kids. He will undoubtedly be late all week, and wiped out. Of course, he also loves Star Wars week, so it is fun even though it is tiring. I may take the kids down there one of the days, as Bobby would love to see it. Maybe Thursday.
I am not going by to get the car seats now. Ken pointed out the PT may be back today, so no reason to go to the trouble of getting them. Plus, Ken said he will just put the car seats from his car in my car for now.
When I go get smogged, I need them to look at the belts that sound loose. Nothing bad, but maybe they will either replace them real quick or just something simple like WD-40 is needed. I will be late picking up the boys, but things happen.
My bangs really are styled wrong. They seem to be covering my good eye while letting my bad eye shine through. Kind of backwards!
It has been determined that Larry Wilcox can wake me up. I was super wiped out, already asleep while Ken watched M*A*S*H. I love to hear the sounds of my beloved BJ Hunnicutt as I drift off. But this particular episode happens to have a small part for Officer Jon Baker! Ken was going to wake me, but no need. I actually kind of shot up when I heard his voice. I am glad Ken was there to witness this because seriously, who else would believe that I woke up to Larry Wilcox?
I have sitting next to me a copy of a book I helped write!! My name is on the cover and everything! I know I helped on a lot of it, but man, this book is thick! I had no idea that I helped that much. Granted, a lot of it is tributes and things like that, but still, the fact that I have words published, wow, that is crazy. Tammy said I can have a few extra copies, too, so I am going to get 5 or 6 I figure. Ken gets a copy at the door for the banquet (I don’t get another one there as I have that copy now), so I will have a few to give to folks. I don’t know if anyone really wants a copy, but a few to have on hand is a good plan.
My stomach hurts weird. Don’t know what that is about.
Sure enough, I also now have a headache. It is from my eye, this is for sure.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Early blog-heading out
7-17-09
What an afternoon.
The plan was to go to the beach. I had the car loaded, kids picked up early, and was heading to my bank before going down towards Redondo Pier. I was on Del Amo, heading up this small incline when all of the sudden, my car just died. I had no power whatsoever, and there were cars behind me. I quickly turned on the hazards and breaked as hard as I could since it took a lot to make the car stop completely. Crap.
What amazed me was that once the small swarm of traffic went around me, and I was stick there, hazards on, that cars that approached after actually honked at me! As if I didn’t know I was in the way. Sheesh. Plus, it was super easy to get around me.
It was at this point that I freaked.
I couldn’t start the car, and I kept yelling, “Shit! Go car go!” which did in fact results in Bobby repeating a few hundred times, “shit shit shit shit shit shit shit”, and Dax going, “go car go car go car go car!” Awesome.
I couldn’t go forward, and there would be no way for me to push the car on a hill. Luckily, there was parking on this street. But I was in the second lane. I had to do this just right. I put the car in neutral and waited until there was a lull in traffic (which luckily was every 30 seconds or so) and cranked my wheel (power steering, it turns out, sucks when it doesn’t work properly) and coasted backwards down the street. I had to pass a couple of parked cars, and luckily there just happened to be one spot that required no pulling forward to be in it properly. When I finally came to a stop, my hands were shaking so bad it took a minute to text Ken.
I texted Ken and Stephanie. Both showed up at the same time. Ken had gotten a battery thinking that was all it was. He also considered it to be maybe the alternator. My fear was transmission since the car stopped the exact same way my old Temp did when her transmission gave out. Ken said that it didn’t appear to be that, so thank goodness. The bad news, though was that Ken couldn’t determine the problem. His guess was that the computer (there is a computer in my car???) that does the timing was bad. Time for a tow truck.
Now by now, the boys were out of the car, playing with Sabrina on the grassy area next to the car. It actually was probably the best possible place to break down. Big area for the kids to play, not gobs of traffic, and despite scaring this shit out of me going backwards with no power, I realize that had I been on flat ground on perhaps another road, it would have been a bitch to get out of the way. My car was in the shade and there was a spot for Ken to park in front of me. All in all, it could have been worse.
Ken called for the tow truck and Stephanie, the kids and I walked up towards my bank. It gave the kids an adventure, and it still gave us all an outing, even though it wasn’t the beach.
We stopped at Babies R Us since Sabrina had to potty. Couldn’t have been a better place for a kid to need to pee since they have one of the most kid friendly bathrooms ever. Even a small sink! Bobby was fascinated with the paper towel dispenser, and this nice lady actually asked Bobby if he wanted to crank it for her paper towel. Bobby was shy for a second, and I told him to go ahead and he was all excited.
We had to run out there because Ken needed to give me the truck keys since he went with the tow truck and my car. We then headed towards the bank. It is a much longer walk when you are walking with kids not in a stroller. But it wasn’t bad. The kids were all so great the whole time. The boys spend a good chunk of the time showing off for Sabrina, who seemed to love the attention. I felt bad for Stephanie because she did carry her for a chunk of time. On the plus side for her, though, Sabrina ways next to nothing compared to my brute boys, and Stephanie is in way better shape than me so I was super jealous at the ease in which she could do that.
On the way back from bank, we stopped at Penguins frozen yogurt to get the kids some yumminess. It was a sweet, sticky mess that everyone enjoyed. All around goodness.
We walked back to the cars, the kids all hopped up on sugar and happy and I will say, for having my car break down, it was a good day!
I got home with thoughts that I was going to end up missing work today since I had no car. But Ken had gone and got me a rental. Yay! For all we know, my car won’t be ready till next week, so a rental makes sense. I do realize that today we need to go to the car place, whether or not the car is ready, and get the car seats out. If I have a rental for a few days, I need to be able to transport children.
This evening will be fun. Stephanie is coming over and Ken is going to watch the kids for a couple of hours while she and I go out. Happy hour at some bar, maybe even the local Acapulco where we can get chips and salsa too. Not sure yet, but we will figure something out. She has had a lot of stress with the new house/old house stuff and work, and really, it will be quite good for me to get out sans kids if even only for a couple of hours.
The only other big issue for today is my eye.
Last night it felt like I had something in my eye. It was hurting and so I got some of the eye drops to help it out. They helped enough that I could sleep. I woke up with my eye sealed shut with goo. Eww. Plus, my eye feels like someone socked me in it, and it keeps watering and is all red. Fun. This means I am sans makeup for the day. Plus, my eye looks awful. I expected someone to notice by now, but the only two people I have seen face to face have been guys, and as stereotypical as it sounds, they really just won’t notice.
My eye all watery like this makes it hard to see things. Specifically the computer screen and things I need to read. I can see general stuff, so driving isn’t a problem. I may have to bust out my glasses just to give my good eye a boost. I keep drying the tears, but they keep coming back so I give up for a while.
I always freak out when my left arm hurts a bit. I am sure a heart attack is looming. Never mind that my right arm hurts a bit, as does most of my body just from walking a bunch, and still not recovered from being a mom to two strapping young boys. Logic doesn’t keep me from the mini panic attack, which oddly enough feels enough like a heart attack that I freak more.
My mom is all bummed that I am not bringing the boys over today. She likes to get her fix. She will see them twice on Sunday, and then twice next week and then will be without them until the 7th of August, so it will be 2 whole weeks without them. I know, that seems like not a big deal, but you don’t understand how much my mom adores them.
Ken has Star Wars week next week, which means he will be a wreck. I actually feel a little guilty about bailing on him Monday night to go see Conner, but perhaps on Friday night, I can send him out with the guys or something to blow off some steam.
Crap! I realize we still don’t have a sitter for the 31st!!
I actually like the fact that I am sore from walking. It feels like I did a good workout.
Bobby kept pouting about us not going to the beach. I do feel bad. I didn’t tell them about the beach until I picked them up. I even considered not telling them until we got there, but I ended up telling them, thinking that would speed up the process to get out of Maria’s. When the car died, I told them I was sorry but we could not go to the beach. Bobby says, “Wait! I have an idea. Daddy can come get us and we can go in his car!” He is really just too damn cute.
Luckily, I had provisions. I had cookies, juice, new toys they had not seen, and had I not had multiple rescuers, I even had sandwiches for them. And actually, the idea occurred to me while we were hiking to the bank, that had it been something where I had to wait until Ken got off work to come get us after his class and we were stranded until 5, it would have been fine since we could have walked to McDonald’s, which really wasn’t too much farther than the bank. Boys could have played, I could have fed them and it would have worked out just fine. Like I said, my car died in probably one of the best spots aside from my own driveway.
The new Harry Potter movie is screaming at me. I don’t want to see it, mostly because it is not the book. I love the books. But they take things out and change things and overall, I just can’t get on board with the changes.
Just heard from Ken. My car is not well. He had a massive coronary, essentially. There was some timing belt issue, and valves are broke. There is a pretty real possibility that the car’s repairs are more than the car is worth. I am going to go by and see if there is any warranty on it (we may have gotten the extended warranty on it when we got it in January of 2005 and if it does cover this, yay!) in the glove box, and if not, then we may be saying goodbye to Barnum. It does mean there is a distinct possibility of using the 401K money I had mentioned towards another car. However, that may take some time, so it means I may need a rental until that time. We have decided to turn it in today since I don’t need a car this weekend, and that saves us $60. I wonder if there is a cheaper rental. Anyway, it means I am probably soon to no longer be a PT Cruiser driver. It is funny, I had just been thinking that really, my car is just fine for what we use it for.
Ok, I made an appt-it is at 2. I am going to leave at noon, go by the car place first, then head over to the doc early. Hopefully I will be done no later than 3, then I can head home, drop off the car on the way, then walk from the rental place. Lucky for us, it is only a few blocks up the street. Then I can clean the kitchen and do a once over on the house so it isn’t a complete disaster for when Stephanie and Sabrina come. Maybe I will end up having a patch for the night, so I may need to change into my pirate shirt for happy hour.
So of course now that I know I am leaving in a few hours, my day will drag.
Of course, I just overheard the boss say something about a meeting. I was about to freak that I can’t miss a meeting, but I realize with 2 people out today, it isn’t a big deal since he won’t have it until everyone is here. I didn’t tell him I am leaving yet. I am just going to email him at noon when he goes to lunch. I don’t need him getting stupid.
What an afternoon.
The plan was to go to the beach. I had the car loaded, kids picked up early, and was heading to my bank before going down towards Redondo Pier. I was on Del Amo, heading up this small incline when all of the sudden, my car just died. I had no power whatsoever, and there were cars behind me. I quickly turned on the hazards and breaked as hard as I could since it took a lot to make the car stop completely. Crap.
What amazed me was that once the small swarm of traffic went around me, and I was stick there, hazards on, that cars that approached after actually honked at me! As if I didn’t know I was in the way. Sheesh. Plus, it was super easy to get around me.
It was at this point that I freaked.
I couldn’t start the car, and I kept yelling, “Shit! Go car go!” which did in fact results in Bobby repeating a few hundred times, “shit shit shit shit shit shit shit”, and Dax going, “go car go car go car go car!” Awesome.
I couldn’t go forward, and there would be no way for me to push the car on a hill. Luckily, there was parking on this street. But I was in the second lane. I had to do this just right. I put the car in neutral and waited until there was a lull in traffic (which luckily was every 30 seconds or so) and cranked my wheel (power steering, it turns out, sucks when it doesn’t work properly) and coasted backwards down the street. I had to pass a couple of parked cars, and luckily there just happened to be one spot that required no pulling forward to be in it properly. When I finally came to a stop, my hands were shaking so bad it took a minute to text Ken.
I texted Ken and Stephanie. Both showed up at the same time. Ken had gotten a battery thinking that was all it was. He also considered it to be maybe the alternator. My fear was transmission since the car stopped the exact same way my old Temp did when her transmission gave out. Ken said that it didn’t appear to be that, so thank goodness. The bad news, though was that Ken couldn’t determine the problem. His guess was that the computer (there is a computer in my car???) that does the timing was bad. Time for a tow truck.
Now by now, the boys were out of the car, playing with Sabrina on the grassy area next to the car. It actually was probably the best possible place to break down. Big area for the kids to play, not gobs of traffic, and despite scaring this shit out of me going backwards with no power, I realize that had I been on flat ground on perhaps another road, it would have been a bitch to get out of the way. My car was in the shade and there was a spot for Ken to park in front of me. All in all, it could have been worse.
Ken called for the tow truck and Stephanie, the kids and I walked up towards my bank. It gave the kids an adventure, and it still gave us all an outing, even though it wasn’t the beach.
We stopped at Babies R Us since Sabrina had to potty. Couldn’t have been a better place for a kid to need to pee since they have one of the most kid friendly bathrooms ever. Even a small sink! Bobby was fascinated with the paper towel dispenser, and this nice lady actually asked Bobby if he wanted to crank it for her paper towel. Bobby was shy for a second, and I told him to go ahead and he was all excited.
We had to run out there because Ken needed to give me the truck keys since he went with the tow truck and my car. We then headed towards the bank. It is a much longer walk when you are walking with kids not in a stroller. But it wasn’t bad. The kids were all so great the whole time. The boys spend a good chunk of the time showing off for Sabrina, who seemed to love the attention. I felt bad for Stephanie because she did carry her for a chunk of time. On the plus side for her, though, Sabrina ways next to nothing compared to my brute boys, and Stephanie is in way better shape than me so I was super jealous at the ease in which she could do that.
On the way back from bank, we stopped at Penguins frozen yogurt to get the kids some yumminess. It was a sweet, sticky mess that everyone enjoyed. All around goodness.
We walked back to the cars, the kids all hopped up on sugar and happy and I will say, for having my car break down, it was a good day!
I got home with thoughts that I was going to end up missing work today since I had no car. But Ken had gone and got me a rental. Yay! For all we know, my car won’t be ready till next week, so a rental makes sense. I do realize that today we need to go to the car place, whether or not the car is ready, and get the car seats out. If I have a rental for a few days, I need to be able to transport children.
This evening will be fun. Stephanie is coming over and Ken is going to watch the kids for a couple of hours while she and I go out. Happy hour at some bar, maybe even the local Acapulco where we can get chips and salsa too. Not sure yet, but we will figure something out. She has had a lot of stress with the new house/old house stuff and work, and really, it will be quite good for me to get out sans kids if even only for a couple of hours.
The only other big issue for today is my eye.
Last night it felt like I had something in my eye. It was hurting and so I got some of the eye drops to help it out. They helped enough that I could sleep. I woke up with my eye sealed shut with goo. Eww. Plus, my eye feels like someone socked me in it, and it keeps watering and is all red. Fun. This means I am sans makeup for the day. Plus, my eye looks awful. I expected someone to notice by now, but the only two people I have seen face to face have been guys, and as stereotypical as it sounds, they really just won’t notice.
My eye all watery like this makes it hard to see things. Specifically the computer screen and things I need to read. I can see general stuff, so driving isn’t a problem. I may have to bust out my glasses just to give my good eye a boost. I keep drying the tears, but they keep coming back so I give up for a while.
I always freak out when my left arm hurts a bit. I am sure a heart attack is looming. Never mind that my right arm hurts a bit, as does most of my body just from walking a bunch, and still not recovered from being a mom to two strapping young boys. Logic doesn’t keep me from the mini panic attack, which oddly enough feels enough like a heart attack that I freak more.
My mom is all bummed that I am not bringing the boys over today. She likes to get her fix. She will see them twice on Sunday, and then twice next week and then will be without them until the 7th of August, so it will be 2 whole weeks without them. I know, that seems like not a big deal, but you don’t understand how much my mom adores them.
Ken has Star Wars week next week, which means he will be a wreck. I actually feel a little guilty about bailing on him Monday night to go see Conner, but perhaps on Friday night, I can send him out with the guys or something to blow off some steam.
Crap! I realize we still don’t have a sitter for the 31st!!
I actually like the fact that I am sore from walking. It feels like I did a good workout.
Bobby kept pouting about us not going to the beach. I do feel bad. I didn’t tell them about the beach until I picked them up. I even considered not telling them until we got there, but I ended up telling them, thinking that would speed up the process to get out of Maria’s. When the car died, I told them I was sorry but we could not go to the beach. Bobby says, “Wait! I have an idea. Daddy can come get us and we can go in his car!” He is really just too damn cute.
Luckily, I had provisions. I had cookies, juice, new toys they had not seen, and had I not had multiple rescuers, I even had sandwiches for them. And actually, the idea occurred to me while we were hiking to the bank, that had it been something where I had to wait until Ken got off work to come get us after his class and we were stranded until 5, it would have been fine since we could have walked to McDonald’s, which really wasn’t too much farther than the bank. Boys could have played, I could have fed them and it would have worked out just fine. Like I said, my car died in probably one of the best spots aside from my own driveway.
The new Harry Potter movie is screaming at me. I don’t want to see it, mostly because it is not the book. I love the books. But they take things out and change things and overall, I just can’t get on board with the changes.
Just heard from Ken. My car is not well. He had a massive coronary, essentially. There was some timing belt issue, and valves are broke. There is a pretty real possibility that the car’s repairs are more than the car is worth. I am going to go by and see if there is any warranty on it (we may have gotten the extended warranty on it when we got it in January of 2005 and if it does cover this, yay!) in the glove box, and if not, then we may be saying goodbye to Barnum. It does mean there is a distinct possibility of using the 401K money I had mentioned towards another car. However, that may take some time, so it means I may need a rental until that time. We have decided to turn it in today since I don’t need a car this weekend, and that saves us $60. I wonder if there is a cheaper rental. Anyway, it means I am probably soon to no longer be a PT Cruiser driver. It is funny, I had just been thinking that really, my car is just fine for what we use it for.
Ok, I made an appt-it is at 2. I am going to leave at noon, go by the car place first, then head over to the doc early. Hopefully I will be done no later than 3, then I can head home, drop off the car on the way, then walk from the rental place. Lucky for us, it is only a few blocks up the street. Then I can clean the kitchen and do a once over on the house so it isn’t a complete disaster for when Stephanie and Sabrina come. Maybe I will end up having a patch for the night, so I may need to change into my pirate shirt for happy hour.
So of course now that I know I am leaving in a few hours, my day will drag.
Of course, I just overheard the boss say something about a meeting. I was about to freak that I can’t miss a meeting, but I realize with 2 people out today, it isn’t a big deal since he won’t have it until everyone is here. I didn’t tell him I am leaving yet. I am just going to email him at noon when he goes to lunch. I don’t need him getting stupid.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Super Short
7-16-09
Can’t, keep, eyes, open. Seriously, it is crazy how tired I just got. I was fine like 30 minutes ago. I think I need to get up and walk to the restroom. That always helps. I wish I drank coffee. I wish I had some change so I could get a soda.
Yesterday afternoon produced two outings for me. On Monday I am visiting with Conner at his newish place that I have yet to see. The following Saturday, a couple of the de la Pena’s will be coming to the house to hang out. Very cool. Today the plan is still beach time with Stephanie and Sabrina. Should be a great outing!
Ok, walking around a bit helped me wake up, even if only for a second. I think just sitting in front of the computer makes me sleepy.
It is a total Wiki day.
I was slightly inspired to write a piece after listening to Imagine yesterday. Something about the lyrics brought out not only the cynical side in me, but a slightly more positive side as well, and I am considering delving into what would happen if Lennon’s words were brought to life. It will take some thought, but it is coming soon.
I have been mostly zoned out all morning. I have been utilizing my email shrinks, though, so that has been fun. I don’t tend to play patient as much.
I have a raging headache, which I will blame on my stupidity. I tried chewing the bad gum again. Of course, it may be all in my head, so I don’t know. I am also starving, trying to be good and not eat until 11, which is in 30 minutes. I may not make it.
That is cool. MaryAnn just told me she could totally see the red still in my hair and said it looked pretty. No prompting, either. So maybe my hair was just being lame yesterday.
I think I want to go to a make up counter and have them do my makeup all light and fluffy so I can see how it is done.
My head still hurts, but food has helped. In a few minutes I can clock out and officially zone during lunch. Woo hoo!
Can’t, keep, eyes, open. Seriously, it is crazy how tired I just got. I was fine like 30 minutes ago. I think I need to get up and walk to the restroom. That always helps. I wish I drank coffee. I wish I had some change so I could get a soda.
Yesterday afternoon produced two outings for me. On Monday I am visiting with Conner at his newish place that I have yet to see. The following Saturday, a couple of the de la Pena’s will be coming to the house to hang out. Very cool. Today the plan is still beach time with Stephanie and Sabrina. Should be a great outing!
Ok, walking around a bit helped me wake up, even if only for a second. I think just sitting in front of the computer makes me sleepy.
It is a total Wiki day.
I was slightly inspired to write a piece after listening to Imagine yesterday. Something about the lyrics brought out not only the cynical side in me, but a slightly more positive side as well, and I am considering delving into what would happen if Lennon’s words were brought to life. It will take some thought, but it is coming soon.
I have been mostly zoned out all morning. I have been utilizing my email shrinks, though, so that has been fun. I don’t tend to play patient as much.
I have a raging headache, which I will blame on my stupidity. I tried chewing the bad gum again. Of course, it may be all in my head, so I don’t know. I am also starving, trying to be good and not eat until 11, which is in 30 minutes. I may not make it.
That is cool. MaryAnn just told me she could totally see the red still in my hair and said it looked pretty. No prompting, either. So maybe my hair was just being lame yesterday.
I think I want to go to a make up counter and have them do my makeup all light and fluffy so I can see how it is done.
My head still hurts, but food has helped. In a few minutes I can clock out and officially zone during lunch. Woo hoo!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
the standard
7-15-09
It is going to be a long day.
Tammy is out the rest of the week, and even though I don’t spend all day chatting with her, she is good company even when we are both immersed in our work day. We are each others second set of eyes when an account looks screwy and a way to let off steam when the boss is being annoying. Plus, we can chit chat about just about every topic under the sun. It is quite lonely when you are in the corner by yourself.
For the longest time I struggled to get the red OUT of my hair. Now, when I have decided to be an unnatural red head for a while, it is impossible to keep it in. I don’t wash my hair like I used to, hoping that it will preserve the chemicals I had scrubbed into my hair a week ago. Yet as I look in the mirror this morning, despite the slight red undertones, the vibrant, fun red I had chosen is long gone. I know that being out in the sun doesn’t help. It undoubtedly fades it quicker. I may have chosen the wrong time of the year to sport the red I was looking for. I was hoping that my hair would be rocking for my trip in a couple weeks. I may get one of the non permanent ones to do a touch up right before. Less harsh, and it will give the color a nice boost.
My mission is clear this afternoon when I get home, the house needs some TLC. The clutter has reached epic proportions, especially in the bedroom. One of the main problems in there is that there is a lot of stuff blocking our window, which I would like to clear since it would allow more air flow. It has been hot, and I think any help would be good. The other big one is our desk in the living room. The pile of paperwork that needs to be gone through has grown, and I want to try to organize it quickly to make every neat again. Plus, when the onslaught of ants everywhere (they are in the tub!!) I want to give them no excuse to be there. Aside from the scouts, there are some definite trails in random places that I have found no food evidence. They invaded a week ago when they targeted our tank of crickets in Bobby’s room. Luckily they didn’t kill Leonard, which was shocking since he was next to his food source. We move Leonard and got more crickets, who were again slaughtered in a massacre. Leonard now resides in the kitchen. But the damage was done. Ants are everywhere. I have sprayed this god awful smelling stuff that is safe for critters and kids, but even though it seems to work temporarily, they just regroup and come back twice as hard. I did a pretty good cleaning of kitchen targets, so now I need to do the rest of the house. I may be able to do a lot of the bedroom cleaning while the boys play out back, too, so that will be all around good.
As much as I appreciate that the quantity of water I drink in the morning forces me to get up to pee a whole lot, there are times in which I wish I had a catheter.
My back is killing me. I think the heat has caused me to toss and turn so much at night that I have been sleeping in odd positions. One of those is sleeping on my stomach, which I never understand how I get there. It isn’t comfortable. My boobs get in my way and really are just a pain in the ass for sleep. If only they were detachable.
I am debating on sending out statements today. It is a bit of work, which is good since it kills time, but more specifically, it means I touched base with them. The boss wants more phone calls, but I just don’t see the point when most of the time you just leave a message, or the call turns into several calls that get you no closer to payment, it takes tons of time, and in that amount of time I could have emailed 15 people and had 12 responses.
Aaarrrgggghhh!! I hate our warranty department! I just don’t understand how they are so behind on processing claims. In addition to that, they don’t seem to grasp that some customers are not going to pay on their account until they get their credits. I have one who has quite a bit of past due, and now she is holding payment until warranty comes in. I tell this to warranty who just replies with, “we will process it when we can, just note the account that credits are due”. As if this is going to make the account look better????
I am happy to report that my morning has picked up a smidge. I was able to get one customer of my portfolio, and another may be removed shortly, which is awesome! These are my problem accounts that really need to be turned over to an attorney, and they finally are.
I need to remember to take home some boxes. One of my projects that keeps sticking its tongue out at me is the book shelves that need to be cleared and removed. I have a couple other large items I am considering moving, like the cat tree and exercise bike that is just in the way at this point since I am not using it. I just need to get things under control. I know it won’t be perfect, but lets face it, if I don’t try I will just go batty.
It is going to be a long day.
Tammy is out the rest of the week, and even though I don’t spend all day chatting with her, she is good company even when we are both immersed in our work day. We are each others second set of eyes when an account looks screwy and a way to let off steam when the boss is being annoying. Plus, we can chit chat about just about every topic under the sun. It is quite lonely when you are in the corner by yourself.
For the longest time I struggled to get the red OUT of my hair. Now, when I have decided to be an unnatural red head for a while, it is impossible to keep it in. I don’t wash my hair like I used to, hoping that it will preserve the chemicals I had scrubbed into my hair a week ago. Yet as I look in the mirror this morning, despite the slight red undertones, the vibrant, fun red I had chosen is long gone. I know that being out in the sun doesn’t help. It undoubtedly fades it quicker. I may have chosen the wrong time of the year to sport the red I was looking for. I was hoping that my hair would be rocking for my trip in a couple weeks. I may get one of the non permanent ones to do a touch up right before. Less harsh, and it will give the color a nice boost.
My mission is clear this afternoon when I get home, the house needs some TLC. The clutter has reached epic proportions, especially in the bedroom. One of the main problems in there is that there is a lot of stuff blocking our window, which I would like to clear since it would allow more air flow. It has been hot, and I think any help would be good. The other big one is our desk in the living room. The pile of paperwork that needs to be gone through has grown, and I want to try to organize it quickly to make every neat again. Plus, when the onslaught of ants everywhere (they are in the tub!!) I want to give them no excuse to be there. Aside from the scouts, there are some definite trails in random places that I have found no food evidence. They invaded a week ago when they targeted our tank of crickets in Bobby’s room. Luckily they didn’t kill Leonard, which was shocking since he was next to his food source. We move Leonard and got more crickets, who were again slaughtered in a massacre. Leonard now resides in the kitchen. But the damage was done. Ants are everywhere. I have sprayed this god awful smelling stuff that is safe for critters and kids, but even though it seems to work temporarily, they just regroup and come back twice as hard. I did a pretty good cleaning of kitchen targets, so now I need to do the rest of the house. I may be able to do a lot of the bedroom cleaning while the boys play out back, too, so that will be all around good.
As much as I appreciate that the quantity of water I drink in the morning forces me to get up to pee a whole lot, there are times in which I wish I had a catheter.
My back is killing me. I think the heat has caused me to toss and turn so much at night that I have been sleeping in odd positions. One of those is sleeping on my stomach, which I never understand how I get there. It isn’t comfortable. My boobs get in my way and really are just a pain in the ass for sleep. If only they were detachable.
I am debating on sending out statements today. It is a bit of work, which is good since it kills time, but more specifically, it means I touched base with them. The boss wants more phone calls, but I just don’t see the point when most of the time you just leave a message, or the call turns into several calls that get you no closer to payment, it takes tons of time, and in that amount of time I could have emailed 15 people and had 12 responses.
Aaarrrgggghhh!! I hate our warranty department! I just don’t understand how they are so behind on processing claims. In addition to that, they don’t seem to grasp that some customers are not going to pay on their account until they get their credits. I have one who has quite a bit of past due, and now she is holding payment until warranty comes in. I tell this to warranty who just replies with, “we will process it when we can, just note the account that credits are due”. As if this is going to make the account look better????
I am happy to report that my morning has picked up a smidge. I was able to get one customer of my portfolio, and another may be removed shortly, which is awesome! These are my problem accounts that really need to be turned over to an attorney, and they finally are.
I need to remember to take home some boxes. One of my projects that keeps sticking its tongue out at me is the book shelves that need to be cleared and removed. I have a couple other large items I am considering moving, like the cat tree and exercise bike that is just in the way at this point since I am not using it. I just need to get things under control. I know it won’t be perfect, but lets face it, if I don’t try I will just go batty.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Not as long, I promise
7-14-09
I did not expect to write today. Especially since I gabbed on for what seemed like 18 pages (front and back) yesterday. I also didn’t think I would be done with reports so soon. I also didn’t do all of them. Since there is a 4 day delay in reporting for mid month, and since they are not for anything other than just a quick snap shot for us to see how we are doing, I have been systematically eliminating reports that I don’t think the boss will miss. Hell, last month I didn’t do any! But I figured I could do a few and be ok. Look, if he insists on them, I will do them, but the department is so overwhelmed with reports showing every balance in 5 different ways, I just didn’t see why we needed more. Fact of the matter is, the invoices that are past due need to be paid. The boss wants us to harass customers who have large invoices coming due to pay early. Not rocket science.
Last night we went to Costco. I think I failed since I don’t believe I picked up enough of the quick to cook food. I didn’t linger in frozen foods long enough. Oh well. I know we got a lot of good stuff, and it means with our grocery run Sunday, we are stocked again with food. Yay!
The boys love Costco. Even though we do require them to stay in the cart due to how much traffic is in there with a bunch of idiots and larger than normal carts, they know that Costco is the land of samples. Truly, my boys. Dax has not been nearly as excited about the samples as Bobby and I. Our first sample was a fudge pop that was the no fat variety. Bobby wolfed his down in no time. Dax was having none of it. Dax was pissed about a pasta dish not being ready, but I honestly think he would have passed on that. He wasn’t even all that thrilled about the yogurt drink. Then we came upon the frozen cappuccino. Apparently you just freeze and serve. Bobby grabbed one, and I pointed out that he probably would not like it. I was right, and he and I both were unimpressed with the drink. Dax, on the other hand, not only drank all of his, but finished off Bobby’s as well! The best part was the super chatty he got. He was wired!! 2 year old on caffeine, man, that is entertainment. Ken said he was chirpy all the way home (we had two cars). The best part? He crashed and slept all night! No, wait, the best part was when Ken asked him if he was done and he pretty much growled at him. Wow. Do not take away coffee from this kid. Don’t worry, I won’t make this part of his diet, but it does explain his taste buds. He never has been excited about just straight forward candy. But the bitter might be more appealing to him.
We are going to the beach on Thursday afternoon with Stephanie. Should be fun. Probably not too crowded, either, since we will go in the afternoon at 3:30, and a lot of folks might be heading home at that point. I just hope the boys understand I am not daddy and I will not be taking them out to the giant waves. But I think they will manage to have a good time in just the front part of the surf. I am thinking sand toys are in order, too. Should be good. I am really looking forward to it. Plus, they love the hell out of Sabrina. They keep asking when she is coming back to the house.
Our pool needs to be drained and reset. With all of our splashing around, and the fact that the pool was uneven to begin with, it has shifted significantly. One side is like 8 inches deeper than the other. Not good. We are hoping to reuse as much of the water as possible by using our pump and multiple kiddie pools that we can store the water in before we put it back. Should be an adventure for sure.
My bangs are begging me to cut them off today.
I got to hear Bobby use the phrase, “my heart will cry” yesterday. We passed the Adventure Plex in Manhattan Beach and he wanted to know what it was. I explained and we both decided we should go some time. He then tells me, “Mom, if we don’t go, my heart will cry and that would be bad.” Wow. Kid sure knows drama!
I did not expect to write today. Especially since I gabbed on for what seemed like 18 pages (front and back) yesterday. I also didn’t think I would be done with reports so soon. I also didn’t do all of them. Since there is a 4 day delay in reporting for mid month, and since they are not for anything other than just a quick snap shot for us to see how we are doing, I have been systematically eliminating reports that I don’t think the boss will miss. Hell, last month I didn’t do any! But I figured I could do a few and be ok. Look, if he insists on them, I will do them, but the department is so overwhelmed with reports showing every balance in 5 different ways, I just didn’t see why we needed more. Fact of the matter is, the invoices that are past due need to be paid. The boss wants us to harass customers who have large invoices coming due to pay early. Not rocket science.
Last night we went to Costco. I think I failed since I don’t believe I picked up enough of the quick to cook food. I didn’t linger in frozen foods long enough. Oh well. I know we got a lot of good stuff, and it means with our grocery run Sunday, we are stocked again with food. Yay!
The boys love Costco. Even though we do require them to stay in the cart due to how much traffic is in there with a bunch of idiots and larger than normal carts, they know that Costco is the land of samples. Truly, my boys. Dax has not been nearly as excited about the samples as Bobby and I. Our first sample was a fudge pop that was the no fat variety. Bobby wolfed his down in no time. Dax was having none of it. Dax was pissed about a pasta dish not being ready, but I honestly think he would have passed on that. He wasn’t even all that thrilled about the yogurt drink. Then we came upon the frozen cappuccino. Apparently you just freeze and serve. Bobby grabbed one, and I pointed out that he probably would not like it. I was right, and he and I both were unimpressed with the drink. Dax, on the other hand, not only drank all of his, but finished off Bobby’s as well! The best part was the super chatty he got. He was wired!! 2 year old on caffeine, man, that is entertainment. Ken said he was chirpy all the way home (we had two cars). The best part? He crashed and slept all night! No, wait, the best part was when Ken asked him if he was done and he pretty much growled at him. Wow. Do not take away coffee from this kid. Don’t worry, I won’t make this part of his diet, but it does explain his taste buds. He never has been excited about just straight forward candy. But the bitter might be more appealing to him.
We are going to the beach on Thursday afternoon with Stephanie. Should be fun. Probably not too crowded, either, since we will go in the afternoon at 3:30, and a lot of folks might be heading home at that point. I just hope the boys understand I am not daddy and I will not be taking them out to the giant waves. But I think they will manage to have a good time in just the front part of the surf. I am thinking sand toys are in order, too. Should be good. I am really looking forward to it. Plus, they love the hell out of Sabrina. They keep asking when she is coming back to the house.
Our pool needs to be drained and reset. With all of our splashing around, and the fact that the pool was uneven to begin with, it has shifted significantly. One side is like 8 inches deeper than the other. Not good. We are hoping to reuse as much of the water as possible by using our pump and multiple kiddie pools that we can store the water in before we put it back. Should be an adventure for sure.
My bangs are begging me to cut them off today.
I got to hear Bobby use the phrase, “my heart will cry” yesterday. We passed the Adventure Plex in Manhattan Beach and he wanted to know what it was. I explained and we both decided we should go some time. He then tells me, “Mom, if we don’t go, my heart will cry and that would be bad.” Wow. Kid sure knows drama!
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