Thursday Thirteen - Round 7

Thirteen Thoughts on Participating in NaBloPoMo

1. It was fun!

2. Sometimes it was really hard to come up with something to blog about. (Not that I don't have a zillion things running through my head at any given minute - they're just not all blog appropriate.)

3. I found some really cool fellow bloggers that I might not have found otherwise.

4. It gave me something to look forward to every day.

5. It caused me to really think about posting something other than just crap. Of course, some days, that's all I had in me.

6. It gave Stacie and I something to talk about every day. (Not that we don't have enough other stuff to talk about (LOL) but there were days when we were both struggling for subjects to write about and we'd bounce ideas off one another.)

7. It gave me a reason to hound Liss and get her blogging butt in gear! (Love ya girl!!)

8. It made me remember just how much I enjoy writing.

9. It got me taking pictures again - something I'd kinda stopped doing for awhile. Knowing I could post them and blog about the activities was great (especially since I've not been scrapping in so long).

10. I think it was a great way to unite the blogger community.

11. It made the month go by really quickly. (Not sure if that's such a good thing, but...)

12. It seemed to have gotten people (like me) to be more active in posting.

13. Today is the last day. Thanks for reading all month!

genius

One day while scrolling through the NaBloPoMo Randomizer, I came upon Lesley's blog. Her posts were entertaining, and since she was participating in NaBloPoMo, I knew there'd be something new to read every day. So I bookmarked her.

Anyway, Lesley is a genius! Well, her last post (at least) was genius. LOL Go now and read it, and then come back.

Are you back now? Good. So let me tell you what I did.

I had a large peanut butter jar brimming with extra change. Like Lesley, I'm not much into digging out exact change when buying stuff. So, all the excess just got dumped into the jar. (Wesley has one too, but I didn't think it'd be too cool to run off with it too!) Anyway, I grabbed the jar on my way out to run to Target and planned on hitting up Albertson's on my way back home.

I am now the proud owner of a $12.34 Starbuck's gift card!! WOOHOO!!!

Not as much as Lesley got, but hey - like she said - it's free money. And now, free coffee!

Thanks girl for the awesome tip!!

are you forking kidding me?

We are on a 2 hour delay for school again. WTF???

The roads are clear.

There wasn't any snow last night.

Yet here we sit... waiting.

They say another dump is headed our way tonight so I'm sure we won't have school tomorrow. At all. And then Friday is a no school day for some sort of recertification bullshit.

What a wasted week.

what's the speed of a meme?

Okay, just stumbled on this one and thought I'd participate. So follow the instructions below. C'mon... you know you want to!

A scientific experiment by Scott Eric Kaufman:

1. 
   Write a post linking to this one in which you explain the experiment. (All blogs count, be they TypePad, Blogger, MySpace, Facebook, &c.)
2. 
   Ask your readers to do the same. Beg them. Relate sob stories about poor graduate students in desperate circumstances. Imply I'm one of them. (Do whatever you have to. If that fails, try whatever it takes.)
3. 
   Ping Techorati.

snow... school closure... work status... and whatever else

Snow

Well the snow really packed a punch to Western Washington last night! We didn't get but a couple of inches way down here, but Seattle was reported to have gotten 15". Insane! The Seahawks even played the Packers, at home, in the snow last night... and Won!! Woohoo!! Supposedly we're in for more on Wednesday night, so we'll see. Could be a week of sledding, snowball fights, and snowman building here.

School Closure

Today the school closed for the day. And guess what? They called it at 6:44am and actually USED the emergency phone tree that I was bitching about yesterday. LOL The public schools, however, after calling a school closure changed their minds and called a delay. Some of the neighbor kids parents let them stay home and have a snow day. Cool!

Work Status

I'm out again. This is getting ridiculous! So everyone keep your eyes peeled for me. There's got to be someone out there willing to hire me. Right?

Whatever Else

Don't think I really have anything else to say, but didn't want to disappoint by not including something in this category since I put it in the title. Hope everyone had a good day!

snow... if you can even call it that

Winter in Western Washington is truly predictable - even if you aren't a weather forecaster. Rain. Rain. More rain. And, on occassion, a little snow. (See picture at left for the definition of little.) As you see, that's exactly what we woke up to this morning. A LITTLE snow... if you can even call it that.

On went the TV. No reports of closures or delays in our school district. Surfed through all the closure/delay lists on-line. Nope. None reported in our school district.

So, I called the school. No answer. And do you think in this day of modern technology such as VOICEMAIL there might possibly have been a recorded outgoing message about whether or not there was school today? NO. OF COURSE NOT! That would be too simple!!!

But wait... there's more.

Do you remember my previous posts about the school's Emergency Phone Tree which I am the lead on? The one we are supposed to USE in case of an emergency or OTHER late breaking, IMPORTANT information that needs to be passed on to every family at the school. Yeah, that one. Was it used this morning? Umm... lemme think. That would be a big fat NO bird coming in for a landing. (Thanks for that extremely appropriate phrase Stacie!)

Now, an hour and a half after waking up and monitoring the news, I bundle my kid up like he's going out in a snowstorm and we pile into the car. And before even leaving the driveway I ask him to "please be quiet and not ask me to look at this and that and whatever he deems important for me to see at the exact moment" because the roads are probably going to be icy and I need to pay attention to the stupid people who don't know how to drive in this weather. We back out. Heading to school. Sliding around like a drunken penquin on the black ice that WAS NOT covered by any of the handful of snowflakes that had fallen to earth.

Then we get to the main road. And the traffic (heading the opposite direction) is backed up and not moving. Apparently a snowflake landed on someone's windshield and obscured their vision leaving them impaired for driving. I make a mental note to myself. Self (I say!). Do not drive home from school in your usual direction. And while I'm trying to plan my route back to the house WJ is suffering from a severe case of diarrhea of the mouth and yelling "Look at that Mom! Did you see it? That was cool!!" Umm... NO! I did NOT see whatever it was you're yelling about since I am trying to make sure that I don't ram into the back of this forking SUV that is driving slower than molasses. Sheesh!

Finally, after our trecherous 10 minute drive, we arrive at school. And the damn thing is locked up tighter than Fort Knox! Just forking great.

But wait. There's more. Oh yes there is!

Arriving back home I check to see if by any chance the school had called to start the phone tree. Of course not. But one of the other mom's who's part of the tree had called wondering if we were going to actually USE the phone tree. "Yeah! Notsomuch" I tell her. So again I go back to monitoring the news and checking the closure/delay lists on websites. And FINALLY, more than two and a half hours after starting this whole process and being forced to register as a member at one of the news websites just so I can read the closure/delay list, I see it.

Holy Family
Delayed start: 2 hrs

In theory, it didn't really have to be this difficult.

iTunes shuffle game

Stacie posted this last night and I couldn't resist playing! Very fun!!

* Put your iTunes/Winamp/WMP on shuffle.
* Use the song title as the answer to the question.
* NO CHEATING

1. How does the world see me? Everybody's Fool (Evanescence)
*Appropos considering how I keep getting the wool pulled over my eyes! Guess I need to be a little less trusting?

2. Will I have a happy life? Disappear (R.E.M.)
*Is this a sign? Hmmm.

3. What do my friends really think of me? Don't (Jewel)
*They don't think of me? Sheesh! Not sure if this is good or not.

4. Do people secretly lust after me? What Would You Say? (Dave Matthews)
*Isn't it inappropriate to answer a question with a question?

5. How can I make myself happy? Wash My Hands (Meredith Brooks)
*And this is going to help me how??

6. What should I do with my life? Twisted Logic (Coldplay)
*I'm pretty sure my life is twisted enough at this point. A little logic might help here!

7. Will I ever have children? American Baby (Dave Matthews)
*Yes... yes he is! All American.

8. What is some good advice for me? Small Town Trap (Eve 6)
*LOL Is that what I'm stuck in? How about giving me some advice on how to get out??

9. How will I be remembered? The Captain (Kasey Chambers)
*As opposed to the Cruise Director? or the weather girl? LOL

10. What is my signature dancing song? Sounds Like A Melody (Alphaville)
*Yeah, I pretty much dance to anything that has a melody.

11. What do I think my current theme song is? Spiderwebs (No Doubt)
*"Oh its all your fault... No matter who calls I gotta screen my phone calls. Its all your fault. No matter matter matter who calls I screen my phone calls. Im walking into spiderwebs. Leave a message and Ill call you back." Sounds very familiar! LOL

12. What does everyone else think my current theme song is? Not Coming Home (Maroon 5)
*Indeed.

13. What song will play at my funeral? Somebody Else's Song (Lifehouse)
*LMAO!!!! Great! Maybe it's really somebody else's funeral too!!

14. What type of women/men do I like? Frail (Smashing Pumpkins)
*Uh... notsomuch! I've had enough of taking care of frail men in my life. I'm ready for someone who can take care of me now.

15. What is my day going to be like? Call and Answer (Barenaked Ladies)
*Yeah, that's pretty much right. Phone calls. Messages. Call backs.

16. Will I ever have love again? You Won't Be Mine (Matchbox Twenty)
*Who? Is this a sign?

17. What type of sex life do I have? Better Than Me (Hinder)
*Um... okay! That's not saying much now is it?

18. What song would be the title of my own porno movie? In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel)
*What???

getting it in holiday gear, and other random stuff

So I finished reading yet another book - Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. Wow! Let me just tell you this one took me awhile to get into. But it came highly recommended, so I kept reading. And once I got about 80 pages into it I just couldn't put it down. I read (shamelessly!) ALL day yesterday. Picked up the book at noon and read until my eyes were blurry at 11pm. (Well, I did stop for a little bit here and there to run to Rite Aid, putz on the computer a bit, and then make a beer and pizza run. But other than that, I just read.) If you haven't read it yet, put it on your list. It's awesome! The DaVinci Code is definitely on my must read list now. And I will read it before I see the movie. In fact, not sure I will see the movie since I've mostly been disappointed with movie adaptations of really good books. We'll see.

Speaking of movies, I rented The Break-Up last night. Anyone seen it? Haven't watched it yet (reading), so I'll probably put it on tonight since it's due back tomorrow. Besides, it's a good night to curl up under a warm blanket with popcorn and a movie. It's DAMN cold! They say snow's on the way. Sure feels like it. But again, we'll see.

And speaking of snow, I decided today was the day to get off my ass and out of the house (literally) to get the outdoor lights put up. It was now or never I figured, and they're done. Some of you know I HATE ladders. It's not the height. It isn't even the going up. It's the coming back down. And, needless to say, I don't do roofs. So I compromised - braving the ladder - and put the lights up around the garage door, on the eaves around the front of the house, and on the bushes flanking the bay window of the living room. (Would post of picture but it's not dark enough to turn them on and take one yet.) Wesley will be very surprised when he gets home since I don't normally put too many lights outside (did I mention my fear of ladders?). Oh, and we can't forget the deer. Two of them outside the bay window. Anyway, a lot of the neighborhood was doing the same thing, so now it's really beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Now we just need the snow!

the day after

Completely lazy day today. Maybe I'm feeling the aftermath of the overindulgence of turkey and stuff? LOL

Really, just waiting on WJ to be picked up. Didn't go out to the Black Friday sales this morning, but plan on heading over to Rite Aid to pick up more lights. One can never have enough lights! Then probably do a bit of reading. And relaxing.

Other than that, it's just the day after.

Thursday Thirteen - Round 6

So it's Thanksgiving Day again! Where does the year go? I swear it was just summer, yet here we are again in the midst of the holiday fuss and rush. Sheesh!

Even though I'm in a very bitter mood right now, it is that time of year to be thoughtful and thankful. And maybe it will do me some good to really think about all I have to be thankful for. At least I can hope it will. So, here goes...

Thirteen Things I Am Thankful For

I am always and ever so thankful for WJ... he is one awesome kid!

I am thankful for my parents... even when we don't see eye to eye.

I am thankful for good friends... I don't think I need to name them here. Hopefully they already know how amazing, inspiring, supportive and incredible they are!

I am thankful for my health... yeah, I know, it sounds cliche. But really I am!

I am thankful for still having a roof over my head... and one that doesn't seem to be leaking anymore.

I am thankful for music... as it makes me smile, makes me cry, and often expresses my deepest thoughts and feeling when I can't seem to find the right words.

I am thankful for Jake... yes, my dog! He is my security and my companion while also being a pain in my ass.

I am thankful for my independent nature... without it I would have crumbled.

I am thankful for technology... without it, I would be cut off from most all of the friends I hang with daily. And my hand would definitely have cramps in it.

I am thankful for my Barnes & Noble membership card... it not only saves me money on my book addiction, it saves me money on my Starbuck's fix as well.

I am thankful for meeting new people... I have at least 4 new people I've met in the past year that I now call friends.

I am thankful for my freedom of speech... I can choose what or what not to talk about, and what forum(s) I choose to communicate.

I am thankful for life... through all it's ups and downs, challenges and rewards, ironies and coincidences, I am thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

back to ground zero

Once again, I am unemployed.

And pissed.

And emotional.

And not very good company.

That's it.

holiday tag

There's nothing interesting to blog about today, so I'm gonna just put up a meme. And I'm tagging a few people while I'm at it: Stacie, Liss, Jessica, and Sara. Now don't disappoint me girls!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Egg nog. Preferably a Grande Non-fat Egg Nog Latter from Bux.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa doesn't have time to wrap presents. Sheesh! Everyone knows that.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
White. White. Oh, and did I mention white?

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Notsomuch.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
I usually start the weekend after Thanksgiving. But sometimes it takes me a week or so to get everything up.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Pennsylvania Red Cabbage (Let me know if you want the recipe. Yum!)

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child:
Well, I wasn't really a child. More like a teenager. It was the year my Mom and I flew to NYC and I got to see the tree at Rockefeller Center and the Macy's window displays.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
One of the older kids on the block (the bully) told me and my friend "there's no such thing as Santa". I think we were 6 or 7? I went to my Mom and asked the dreaded question. Her reply was, "Are you sure you want to know the answer to that?" I shook my head no, and walked away. By the next year, I was back asking the same question again. And this time got my answer.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
We've always had the tradition of opening just one gift on Christmas Eve. And it's usually a new pair of jammies.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
From top to bottom.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Bring it on!

12. Can you ice skate?
I used to. Now I'd probably break my ankle trying.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Absolutely! And it's still in my parent's attic. A hand crafted, built without a kit, three-story Victorian dollhouse made and decorated by both my parents.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Seeing the sparkle and joy in WJ's eyes.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Pumpkin pie.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Christmas morning breakfast.

17. What tops your tree?
An awful looking gold star that is the most precious item on the tree because WJ picked it out saying "that's the most beautiful star I've ever seen".

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Definitely giving. I'm really bad at receiving.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
White Christmas

20. Candy Canes
Only for decorating with.

i need to take my kid to vegas

I swear, WJ is one lucky kid!

He wins most of the time at cards and games.

He won all those items from the carnival this past summer.

And today he won an NFL poster from the Scholastic Book Fair.

I could use some of that luck. Maybe I should rub his stomach?

the fix

I'm almost afraid to say it out loud.

I think I got my roof leak fixed. Shhh! Don't say it too loud.

Just another one of those home repair issues that's haunted me over the past couple of weeks. Water falling through the recessed light fixture above the kitchen sink. Well, not directly above the kitchen sink. That would be too easy. And I have mentioned I can never do anything simply? It was falling just on the edge of the sink, towards the counter top. Can't balance a bowl or pitcher there very easily to catch said falling water unless you pad it with towels first.

Anyway, yesterday I headed over to Lowe's and picked up a can of Great Stuff. And from what I can tell with the wind and rain we had this morning - this stuff really is great! Went over to borrow a neigbor's ladder since mine is too short, and the conversation went something like this.

Me: "Hey! Can I borrow your ladder?

Neighbor: "Sure you can! Uh...why?

Me: "I need to fix my roof."

Neighbor: "Why?"

Me: "Cuz I've got a leak."

Neighbor: "Umm... where exactly is this leak."

Of course I had to go into the whole explanation of where the leak was, how it got to be a leak, and what I was going to do to fix it. The short version of that story is the back side of the house takes all the weather. And the flashing on the little roof of the bay window in my kitchen wasn't cut right, leaving an exposed area. When the wind blows the rain horizontally (the way it was doing last week and again this morning) rain water goes in and then finding it's lowest point, come waterfalling out of my kitchen light.

He grabbed his ladder and followed me over. Neither of us was particularly excited about having to get up on the ladder, but he climbed up there, took a look, then proceded to squirt the Great Stuff into the exposed opening. This stuff is really cool. It's this yellow foam stuff that expands when it gets into a crevace then cures and hardens.

So it's done. For now.

No leak.

Keep your fingers crossed.

a saturday affair

Saturday's always seem to be here one minute and gone the next. Seriously. In the blink of an eye, they're gone. Today was no different than any other Saturday, really. Except that instead of waiting until Sunday to scramble around trying to get things done I actually tried to accomplish some of the items on my massive 'to do' list.

Done today:

30 minutes of Wesley reading
check deposit at the bank
lunch out with the kiddo
trip to Lowes for roof fix
roof leak fixed (I hope... we'll see when it rains again!)
burned out outdoor lights replaced
dishwasher emptied
pots and pans washed
kitchen cleaned
2 loads laundry
read a few chapters of Angels & Demons
played catch with the kiddo
dinner for kiddo
and...
making my 18th consecutive post for NaBloPoMo

Yeah, I know. Stupid post. But had to come up with something. Maybe tomorrow will bring something more inspiring.

in theory

Apparently (not to be confused with frankly) I can't do anything simply! I always have to take the tough road. Most times it all works out okay though. But sometimes there's a few bumps in the road.

When I was in school, if given a book report, research assignment, speech or any other task I could procrastinate on, I would. It didn't matter how much time the teacher gave us to get the assignment done, I always waited until two days (or the night before) to start working on it. I'd pull my hair out trying to get things done and somehow always managed. And always got an A. It would have probably been much simpler to start when the assignment was first given, but I figured I had so much time to work on it I'd get to it... later.

Even having WJ wasn't a simple task. Not to imply that childbirth is generally in any way simple, but transverse breech. Ouch!

So I think I've mentioned there are several (well, more than several) things around the house that need to be fixed. Most of them, in theory, should be simple. Should be. Maybe it's just me.

A few weeks ago I had a new kitchen faucet installed. The old one was really worn out and had terrible water pressure. The new one was designed differently than the old. My bad for not paying closer attention when buying the damn thing. Anyway, the old one had a separate spray nozzle, but it was located right on the base of the actual faucet. This new one was not. It was supposed to come up through a different hole in the back part of the sink - a hole that I didn't have. I honestly don't even use the spray nozzle all that much, so I didn't bother with it. Just wrapped the hose around the pipes under the sink and left it. It was fine, and I had a new faucet. Well, have I mentioned I can't seem to do anything simply?

The only other hole in the back of the sink is the dishwasher drain tube. In order to bring the spray nozzle up to be used, the tube had to be moved. Should be easy enough, right? Of course. In theory, as long as the tube was still going in an upward direction and higher than the pipes it was draining into it should work perfectly fine. And it would have. If only I'd remembered to put the cap over the top of the tube forcing the water to go back down the other tube to drain out of the dishwasher.

Instead, the cap sat on the kitchen counter.

The diswasher washed.

And then it drained.

All over the kitchen floor, pouring out from the cabinet under the sink, coming out from underneath the faucet all over the kitchen counter.

One cap, four towels and a phone call later things were in order again.

Thursday Thirteen - Round 5

Not feeling all that creative this week, but know I have a ton of shit to get done. So, I give you...

Thirteen Things I Need to Do to Get Ready for Christmas

1. Finish shopping (off to a good start, so must not fall behind)
2. Get the tree up DONE
3. Put up the outside lights DONE
4. Check for lighted lawn decorations at Walmart DONE
5. Write Christmas letter (this is a big maybe!)
6. Address Christmas cards
7. Buy stamps to mail said Christmas cards DONE
8. Remember to pick up wreaths on Dec 1st DONE
9. Decorate the living room/family room DONE
10. Wrap presents
11. Mail presents
12. Buy teacher gift
13. Mentally prepare for WJ being gone the weekend before Christmas through Christmas day

redo

You might remember a couple of weeks ago I went a little crazy and completely changed my hair color? Not ever having my hair colored, only bleached, I really didn't know what to expect. But when the first week went by and I was noticing a dramatic difference in the shade, I was shocked. Every day it seemed to be getting lighter and lighter. I started thinking I was just imagining things. Like maybe I was just getting used to it being darker and so it didn't look so dark anymore because of it?

By yesterday (just shy of two weeks later) I was totally convinced that it was lightening. And can I tell you how pissed I was? Very. So, I called up the salon where I had it done, but my stylist wasn't in. Another stylist who answered the phone asked if there as anything she could do and I told her my frustation. And what does she tell me? "Oh, that's normal." Say what? NORMAL??? I. Don't. Think. So.

Knowing that my stylist would be in today between 2:00 and 6:00pm, I headed out in the hurricane that's blowing through (again!) and went in to confront her. She was shocked. She said she thought it might fade a little (well, actually she knew it would fade a little) but with as dark as we made it, it definitely shouldn't be looking like this. She confirmed it wasn't a semi-permanent but did say that with the shades of red in the color that might have contributed to the fading.

And then she called a redo! So, I have to wait two weeks to get in, but she's doing a redo. And I didn't even have to yell, cry, stomp my feet, or throw a tantrum.

proliferating like bunnies

You all know how much I love my daily Bux run. Right?

Living here in the Pacific Northwest, there are so many freakin' places to get a quick java fix. Starbucks. Cutters Point. Batdorf & Bronson. And the ever growing number of drive-up coffee huts adorning every parking lot. Safeway and Barnes & Noble have Starbucks in them so you can shop and get your fix at the same time. Borders has their coffee bar too. Even Lowes has a stand just outside their front door. They are literally all within walking distance of each other. And this is down here - in the sticks - where I live. Go up to Seattle. You can stand on a street corner and turn a 360 and guess what you'll see? Coffee places. At least 3 or 4 in one city block. They're proliferating like bunnies!

How do they do it? How is it financially feasible to have so many coffee places so close to each other and still make a profit? And it's not just the competitors that are near to each other. It's the same company.

Example: Walk into Safeway or Fred Meyer and the Starbucks stand is just inside the front door. Or, walk two stores down in the same stripmall and you can go to a Starbucks store. There's at least three of these set-ups I know about just here in Lacey.

And it's not just Starbucks either. Look at Subway and Jiffy Lube. Not necessarily in walking distance of the next one, but certainly within a mile or two. Why? Can you honestly tell me that they are all profitable? I mean really. It's crazy.

Speaking of Subway, why don't they have a drive-thru? Now before you start giving me flak, I am not one of those lazy ass people who expects to get into the warmth and comfort of my car and not have to get out to take care of all my stops for the day. But sometimes it'd just be so much easier to be able to just drive-thru and pick up what ya need.

Example: Stacie and Liss went to Subway today. They had Piper with them. Sleeping. Now they have a choice. One stays in the car with the sleeping Princess (no, Liss... not you!) while the other goes in to get food. OR Both go in taking the littlest peanut with them, hence waking her.

If there'd been a drive-thru, no decision required. See what I mean?

On that note, I think it's time for my Bux run.

monday madness

It's gonna be a long week!

After goofing around with my girls - Stacie and Liss - last night, I settled in front of the TV to watch Desparate Housewives. Towards the end, I sensed (but not heard) something in the hallway and looked over completely startled seeing WJ wandering toward me. At first I thought he was sleepwalking again. But, no. He was wide awake. Well, maybe not wide awake. But lucid enough to tell me he couldn't sleep. I let him sit with me for a little bit, then took him back up to bed. Shortly after 10:00pm, I heard him up again. WTH? Poor kid just couldn't sleep last night. So, I shut everything down, went upstairs, and stuck him in bed with me. (No. I never, ever do that unless he's really sick and I feel like I need to keep an eye on him.) He fell asleep almost immediately, but it was a fitful sleep - tossing, turning, wiggling. Needless to say, I wasn't sleeping because of it. Around 11:30pm the winds were so high I thought the roof was going to blow right off the house, or at the very least, the tree in my backyard neighbor's yard was going to fall over and come crashing through my bedroom ceiling. And I still wasn't sleeping. I took WJ back to his bed, climbed under the covers and was out within seconds. Not sure what the sleeping problem was, but at least we both finally got some.

So, I mentioned it's gonna be a long week, didn't I? Yep. Well, as if early release last Thursday, followed by no school on Friday wasn't enough, this week is early release all week long. Conference week. Why on earth they need an entire week for conferences is beyond me? (I'll save you my diatribe on early release/holiday/vacation closures for the rest of the year!) When I was a kid, we didn't have time off for conferences. They were scheduled in the late afternoons and evenings. Just like mine for WJ. My parent-teacher conference isn't even until 3:30pm this afternoon, so why must I pick up my son at 11:00am every day this week? And, to top it off, his dad is leaving tomorrow for a conference and will be gone the entire week.

It's only Monday, but I have a bad feeling about this week. Did I mention it's gonna be a long one?

'tis the season

Have you been out shopping recently? Just barely into the middle of November and every store in town is fully decked out with holiday garb. Starbuck's has their holiday cups, sleeves, gift cards, and specialty drinks. Even the city has started to put up their holiday decor. Christmas carols (yes... Christmas! not holiday... I'm not politically correct and I don't care) are blaring from every speaker. And stores are holding pre-holiday sales right and left. Sheesh! I like Christmas as much as the next guy, but why do they have to start things up so early?

I started my Christmas shopping a couple weeks ago. Yep! Very early for me this year. WJ found a Seahawks helmet he just *had to have* and since he was with me, I had to go back the next day to pick it up. Then Thursday night while at Best Buy I picked up the Cars DVD. So, two down. Need to head back to Costco this week and get a set of Star Wars light sabers. He's been wanting some since his birthday (after asking his Aunt for some when she called to see what he wanted and then sent some stupid Star Wars transformer thingies he never plays with). So not too shabby a start. Already know what I'm getting my parents too. Just need to get out there and get them. At this rate, I'll be done before the end of the month. Yay me!

I guess it'll be time to get out all the Christmas decorations soon too. When is too early to decorate the house? Seems like most years I wait until after Thanksgiving and then feel like I've gone through all the set-up for such a short enjoyment time. Maybe I'll get everything out this next week while WJ has hald-days at school so he can help. Besides... I want us to enjoy them together sooner since WJ won't be here this Christmas. (Not going into that torrent of emotions right now though.)

Mmm... off to finish enjoying my Starbucks Eggnog Latte.

saturday sass

How is it after 2pm already? And where did the past 48 hours go?

Every time I get a long weekend with WJ gone, I make all sorts of plans (in my head). But mostly things just take on a form of their own and move on a different time continuum. I always have so many things I want to do, start, accomplish. And there should definitely be enough time for all of them. In theory.

Instead I sit here finishing my morning coffee and breakfast at almost 2:30pm.

now that's more like it

Grande non-fat peppermint mocha in hand. Mmmm!!! Flood stock refreshed. Tunes playing. Candles lit.

All good now.

fork around friday

I have a shitload of stuff I need to get done. But it's Friday. So guess what? It's not getting done. I've decided to fork around instead.

Day started with little Miss Stacie waking my ass at 0830. Thanks chica! Has it been 5 minutes yet???

After a pot of coffee, blog chasing and forking around on the phone and IM, I warmed up. This put me after 1100. Trying to figure out WTH to blog about and getting useless suggestions from my evil duo, more forking around, and needing food I decided it's too late to do anything but fork around and babble about nothing so I can fulfill my NaBloPoMo requirement for the day.

Blasted wind and rain are back again. And, NO, the damn vent isn't blocked. But the towels are down to catch the steady stream of water I'm sure is forthcoming.

On the playlist right now:
All the Same - Sick Puppies
Anything But Ordinary - Avril Lavigne
Lips of an Angel - Hinder
Ever the Same - Rob Thomas
You Get Me - Michelle Branch
Only One - Lifehouse
Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton
Fix You - Coldplay

Need to head to Safeway to stock up on the essentials in preparation for the flood. Got pizza and ice cream. Oh, and cheesecake filling. Yum!! Beer and wine at the top of the list. (Groove, get the ark!)

Enough random blather for now. Maybe some drunkin forking blather later... if you're lucky!

Thursday Thirteen - Round 4

Thirteen of My Favorite Movies
(in no particular order)

1. Thelma & Louise
2. Braveheart
3. Remember the Titans
4. The Sound of Music
5. Nine 1/2 Weeks
6. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
7. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
8. Dances with Wolves
9. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
10. Field of Dreams
11. Ladyhawke
12. First Knight
13. Willow

black friday

Are you one of those crazies that goes shopping on Black Friday to save a few bucks? Me... Not. So. Much.

My mom keeps sending me sale announcements for notebooks that are going to be sold on the dreaded day. (Yes, I'm looking for a notebook.) And I know if I really want to get a great deal on one, I'd get my sorry butt out there with the throngs of other crazies. But is it really worth it? Besides, this is my year to have WJ on Thanksgiving (he goes to his dad for Christmas this year - my first Christmas without him - an entirely separate post that will be forthcoming) and I just can't see dragging him out of his warm bed to join me in the madness and mayhem.

Then again... I'm a cheapass! And, if I can save a few bucks and get something I really want...

What am I saying? Someone. Anyone. Talk some sense into me.

anyone up for the Bahamas?

I seriously need a vacation! A real vacation too. Not going to see family. Not even going to visit friends. I'm talking about going somewhere sunny and warm, with sprawling beaches, crystal blue waters, and HOT scantily clad waiters delivering umbrella capped drinks. Thats. What. I. Need.

Yesterday was completely insane. It started with yet another visit to the dentist for WJ (3rd in two months - kid's got cavities galore). What should have been an easy fix was met with fear and tears. Not surprising after the last two visits. Funny thing about going to this dentist is it's the hygenist that does all the *yucky* stuff. So WJ really *likes* the dentist... just not the poor hygenist. Then it was off to school for him, and home for me to try to recruit the last of the volunteers needed for our school Emergency Call Tree System. Between working on that, talking on the phone, and getting the kitchen cleaned up I was ready for a nap. But no! There's more.

After picking up WJ and coming home to what I thought was going to be a quiet night, as I'm talking on the phone with a friend, the neighbor's 13 year old son comes over and tells me, "My Dad needs you to call him." So I get off the phone, call the dad, and find him in a panic. He's stuck in traffic (and trying to get around flooded streets) and his kids are stranded at daycare. So, I tell another friend that I'm IMing with *I gotta go!* and we jump in the car to rescue the kids. Think I'm done? Nope. There's. More.

Now it's going on 6:00pm, I call the friend I was IMing, make WJ some dinner, and sit down to relax. In the middle of dinner WJ tells me his mouth is sore. He says it hurts to open, so I figured it was just from having his jaw held open for so long at the dentist. He finishes his dinner (after I cut it in small pieces so he doesn't have to open is mouth so big) and when he's done I look at him. His bottom lip is huge! We're talking *someone who wants to have Botox injections is very jealous of him right now* huge. So, again, we jump in the car, this time heading for the Safeway pharmacy. The pharmacist recommends either Oragel or Benedryl, so I take the Oragel and head home. (After stopping at Bux to pick up a grande non-fat pumpkin spice latte with light whip.)

Now I've got two voicemail messages, make my return calls, gel up the kid, then sit to read with him before bedtime. I come back downstairs to find two friends IMing me, chat with them for awhile, and now it's 9:00pm. How. The. Hell. Is. It. Nine? I say goodnight, eat some dinner (yes, at 9:00pm - when else did I have time?), then plop in front of the tube. Back to IM and surfing a bit later, and at 11:30pm my head flops on the pillow and I'm out.

Oh, and did I mention I'm PMSing right now?

I. Seriously. Need. A. Vacation!

send a boat... and a paddle too

Another day of RAIN, RAIN and... did I mention... RAIN!! Our ball fields now look like lakes, with water almost up to the knees of the kids out playing in it. The roads are flooding. And my bay window roof is leaking... again. Ugh!

Finished the 4th Undead series book yesterday. So now the waiting begins until December for the 5th one to come out in paperback.

On a good note, after I assemble the binders for the ECTS (Emergency Call Tree System) I'll be done with my mandatory volunteer time* for the school year. That'll take about an hour. Yay! Now to get busy on planning the technology event I've been hired to plan.

*mandatory - obligatory; voluntary - given freely; without compulsion: hence... OXYMORON

books & stuff

I finally got my hands on Undead and Unappreciated on Thursday, but didn't really get much time to read until yesterday. Done! Again. These books are just so addicting. Really. I also picked up Undead and Unreturnable and immediately started it. I'm sure it'll be done by the end of the day, which is kinda sad because the 5th in the series - Undead and Unpoplular - doesn't come out in paperback until December and I'm just way too cheap to buy a hardcover.

As I think I mentioned before, it's not like I don't have a bunch of other books to read. In fact, I have four other books in various stages of unread that I can go back to - The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, Angels & Demons by Dan Brown, The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D., and The Celestine Prophecy: An Experential Guide by James Redfield. Plus, I'm still waiting on the latest Stephanie Plum book (Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich) to come out in paperback, and have been casually looking for The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton. So, never a shortage of reading material... just never enough hours. And, with some of the books I'm reading, I have to be in a certain mindset to really absorb the info. At least I'm not the only one who's like this! When Stacie and I talked about all the books we were each reading, I think her last active read count was up to 14. Yikes!

In other news (which there really isn't that much of!) it absolutely DUMPED rain ALL day yesterday! I swear I thought I was going to need a boat. We went out to a birthday party for a little girl in WJ's class in the early afternoon, and by the time we headed home 2.5 hours later the roads were flooding, our new soccer and baseball fields looked like ponds, and it was still coming down. It was insane! I don't know when it stopped since I headed to bed early (well, early for me) but so far this morning, no rain. It's really nice to see the sun trying to peek out.

Today will just be the usual Sunday - laundry, house cleaning, football, vegging out and reading. Oh, and making phone calls to other school parents trying to finish up this stupid volunteer project I agreed to do. Ugh! Guess I'd better get a move-on.

is anybody out there?

Okay, let me just say this is NOT a plea for comments or anything! That would sound whiney... and I certainly wouldn't want to be accused of doing that. Pfffft!!!

But seriously. I know there are three of you who read my blog updates. How? Because you leave me comments. Of course sometimes they're just taunts, or evil thoughts. But whatever! At least I know you've been here.

But after agreeing to join Stacie in the NaBloPoMo posting frenzy, I'm seriously wondering if it's even worth it? I mean most of the stuff I post about YOU already know! I'm sure there are lurkers out there reading, but since my posts have become mostly gibberish, I'm thinking it may be time to "move on". (Speaking of which... I'm still debating on moving over to WordPress. Seems to be a lot more user friendly, from what I can tell.)

Anyway, just wondering.

But not whining!

could be

"Why is it raining, Mom?"

"Because it's that time of year again," I answer.

"You know why I think it's raining?" WJ asks.

"No... why?"

"Because we live in Washington. It always rains in Washington. You know... WASHington. Wash. Rain."

{insert eye roll here}

old & new

So, I've been wanting to do this for a long, long time now! Don't know that you can see the difference very well here, but I'm no longer a blonde. LOL On the left... the old me. On the right... the NEW me!

(If you click on the pics to enlarge them, you can really see the difference in color.)

Thursday Thirteen - Round 3

Thirteen Countries I've Visited

1. UK
2. Austria
3. Luxembourg
4. The Netherlands
5. Germany
6. France
7. Italy
8. Spain
9. Belgium
10. Mexico
11. Switzerland
12. Cyprus
13. US

how the hell is it november already?

Holy kraut! (as Stacie would say) WJ brought in a HUGE haul of candy last night. I think with it being so cold, and not as many kids out, people were giving out handfuls instead of one piece at a time. (I know we were! But, then again, I just wanted to stop having to get up to answer the door.) We went around our loop with some neighbors, then I pawned him off and retreated back to the warmth of the house to push as much candy as I could. By 7:45 the streets were empty and our candy was gone. Yay!

( Was finally able to post a pic!)