what was it I was just saying?

What was that I was saying the other day? Something about not having anything to write about? Uh... yeah. You'd think I'd learn my lesson about posting stuff like that. But noooo! I had to go and open that can of worms. Didn't I?

First, thanks to all of you who not only read my whining but actually left me comments and suggestions. You gave me the warm fuzzies because frankly I figured ya'll probaby gave up on me and got tired of coming over here to see nothing new. You like me! You really like me!!

Anyway, as my life goes, whenever I lay things out on the line, like saying there was nothing worth writing about, all sorts of things just start gelling. Take yesterday for example. During my lunch break not one but two blog worthy stories came up during conversations with co-workers. I was really excited to come home, get the normal shit of the day done, and plunk myself down in front of the computer to write. Except life had other plans for me. So these two stories and using some of the suggestions from my adoring fans will have to wait for another day. Today I tell you about my Friday night adventure at home.

It started off as a typical Friday evening - leave work, drive home through the massive downpour that decided to come down right in the middle of rush hour causing traffic to back up for miles in both directions of the Interstate, pick up the kiddo, hang with him for awhile, then yak on the phone with my girl Stace. Sounds boring enough, eh? Well don't run off yet. This is where it gets good. Or bad. It all depends on how you look at it.

If I'm not roaming around the house doing laundry or cleaning up the kitchen I'm usually pacing between the garage and the living room when I'm talking on the phone. I hang outside smoking then retreat to the quiet of the living room for awhile so I don't have to listen to the teevee and play noises. Anyway, last night I was sitting on the sofa in the living room. It runs the length of the long wall and faces the wall of the front door entry with the actual front door to the left. As we're yakking about whatever something caught my eye - the trim around the front door. From my position on the sofa something looked amiss. Like the trim, or the door, was warped or something. And no I wasn't drunk. I was only on my first beer.

I stood up and walked to the door for closer inspection and as I approached I realized that the entire door frame where the chain lock is attached and draped over to the front door was pulled out from the wall. WTF? Completely off the wall. So far off the wall that the tiny little nails used to hold it up had about a quarter inch between the ends of them and the backside of the trim. At this point I interrupt whatever Stace is saying and tell her what I'm looking at. It completely baffled me because 1) my parents were just here for a week so there was always someone around the house during the entire day and night and if they'd had any mishaps with the front door they not only would have told me, but would have made sure it was fixed better than it'd been before they left to go back home, 2) we rarely ever use the front door since I park the car in the garage and we just come in through the laundry room, and 3) with a dog like my Jake, someone would have to really want in bad to go through the trouble of trying to get past him.

With no damage to the door, inside or out, and the door being double locked (deadbolt and all), and the chain still attached to both the trim and the door, it was baffling. Besides me, there are only three others who have a key to the house - my parents (previously exhonerated), my neighbor who was watching my kiddo all week before and after summer camp, and my ex (long story why, and not something I'll discuss here). So I asked WJ if they (him, the neighbor, the neighbor's kids, or any or all of the above) had tried to get into the house at all during the day while I was at work. Nope. Wasn't them. So that left only two other options. The ex, or someone who somehow got a key to my house or knows how to pick a lock AND relock the door when they're done.

At this point Stace suggests that I call the police. I debated on this one for two reasons. First, I hate calling the police because you always have to call the 911 number and then explain that's it's not "really" an emergency as emergencies are classified but that you really do need to talk to someone or you wouldn't have called them in the first place. I wish they had a non-emergency number for situations like this. And second, I'd already been home for like 2 hours when I'd discovered this and being that I was fine, WJ was fine, and nothing seemed to be missing from the house it seemed a little strange to get the police involved. Despite my reservations I called them. And you know what? They showed up maybe 5 minutes later. Impressive.

So now that this post has gotten way longer than I ever intended it to be, here's how the rest of it played out. The officer listened to my story, took pics, and said he was going to call my ex to see if he'd tried to get into the house for some reason. If he had, I was told I should explain the "rules" to him about entering the house univited, and if that didn't work, I should file a restraining order. Uh, yeah! If he says he didn't, it was suggested I have the locks changed and I would be assigned a case number as a victim of potential break-in.

Can you guess what happened? Here, let me give you a hint. Sometime between the two birthday parties we have to go to this weekend and all the usual laundry, house cleaning, etc. that is always on the schedule, I now have to either go to one of the big box home improvement stores to buy new locks and try to figure out how in the hell to install them, or I'll be calling a locksmith.

This really wasn't the sort of interesting blog worthy writing I was looking for, but hey. Whatever works, eh?

warning: whining ahead

I've read on several blogs in the past couple of weeks people posting about other bloggers who waste time blogging about how they have nothing to blog about. Let this serve as your warning.

IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ MY WHINING ABOUT HAVING NOTHING TO BLOG ABOUT...

STOP READING NOW!!!

Okay, for those (if any) that are still reading, pull up a seat and listen to me whine. I don't know why it's so hard some days to actually sit down and write something. It's been almost two weeks since I've said anything out here. Maybe it's because ever since I went back to work and spend virtually the entire day sitting in front of a computer I have absolutely no desire to come home and park my ass in front of another one? Or it could be that it's summer and there's so much more to do to keep the house and yards up so I'm spending more time outside instead of feeling my brain rotting staring at the monitor? And then there's been the yearly visitation from The Rents that's kept me doing other stuff and having to socialize, whether I wanted to or not. Whatever the case, they all add up to the same result. No blogging.

Yet, even if I had (or made) the time to blog these days, what in the hell would I say? I don't want to talk about my job because frankly, it'd be boring. I can't talk about certain issues I'm currently dealing with because it wouldn't be prudent. And since I live a pretty mundane existence of work, kid time, house shit, yard work, and whatever other crap comes my way that doesn't leave much to say.

So, maybe if I ask all of you to give me something to write about it will get the mojo moving in my brain again. Go ahead. Make a suggestion. Ask me a question. Anything will do. Just get me writing again, dammit. It's been too long.

he said, she said

Here's some of my favorite quotes from the past week. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

"He's just a big, whiney bitch."
Then they deserve one another.

"I have to poop!"
From "things you don't want to hear when having sex".

"If we all waited until we weren't busy to chat with friends, we'd never have friends!!!"
Possibly. Unless your friends are just as busy as you are.

"ABBA - not just a band"
Seen on a local church reader board, and a favorite in honor of Neil.

"Don't let your past dictate who you are, but let it be a part of who you become."
I'm working on it!

"No, I'm not in that room. My children needed something."
In response to me pointing out why a supplier's invoice was blocked for payment after they called ME in a panic.

"I'll have a medium chocolate coffee with caramel on it."
When what she really wanted was a grande mocha latte with caramel drizzle but decided to hold up the line of at least 12 people while the barista figured out what the hell she was ordering.

What's your favorite quote of the week?

salt & pepper

I don't know much about politics. I don't talk politics. I don't read about politics. I don't watch political debates on teevee. Some would say I prefer to have my head in the sand, but, honestly, it just bores the crap out of me. Apparently only until I get recruited to campaign that is.

Somehow, despite my distaste for the bullshit of listening to people fluff their egos by embellishing their accomplishments, make false promises that they not only don't intend to keep but most likely couldn't keep even if they wanted, I found myself on a campaign team - read as a witch hunt clan - for one of the candidates running for our school board. The election having been postponed for two weeks after the school endured a flu epidemic and closed early for the Memorial Day weekend was finally held this past Thursday.

A little history about the past board: Can you say Old Boy's Club? The only thing they ever did was say "no" to any and every idea for change that was proposed. Topics that were supposed to be on monthly meeting agendas conveniently fell off the schedule. Questions that were asked were met with the standard "We'll look into that" and never followed up. When personal contact was attempted throughout the school year, parents were berated with such statements as "I'm a very busy man. I don't have time to sit in front of my email answering questions from everyone." WTH?

The board has six seats that serve out three year terms - two of which came open this year. There were four candidates running. Actually there were five up until the morning of the election, but one of the chickenshit candidates backed out at the last minute.

Let's meet the candidates:

Mr. P (incumbent) - Decorated military career. Academic career. No children at the school. Delusional thinking that there's nothing to worry about when enrollment drops over 25% in one year. Attempts to answer questions by repeating his ego fluff then wonders why the voters are staring at him like he's just spouted like Vesuvius.

Mr. L (our candidate) - Businessman with 14 years customer service management experience. One child in attendance, two more to be enrolled in the coming years. Well spoken. Forward thinking. Nailed each and every question with complete answers.

Mrs. S (our other candidate) - Single parent of one student. Previous high school teacher. Current state worker. Direct. Focused. Problem solver. Oh, and by the way... female.

Mr. B - Asshole extraordinaire! Husband to staff member. Grandfather to student involved in previous scandal. All questions are responded to with a joke, a story, or "Let me ask you a question". That is until he decides it's past his bedtime at 8pm and calls for the questioning to stop and the votes to be cast. Refuses to respond to any additional questions for the next half hour.

At 8:30pm the votes were cast, tallied (by yours truly, the principal, and two current board members) and the results are announced. Mrs. S and Mr. P win the election. Hmm! Maybe I should start referring to them as Mrs. Salt and Mr. Pepper? That pretty much describes their personalities - complete opposites.

It's complete bullshit that Mr. Pepper was reelected! How people can sit and watch the inactions of the current board and feel they've done a single thing to make the school better, then vote to have one of the main opposers to change reelected is beyond me? Now that's what I call having your head in the sand.

Mrs. Salt has a hard job awaiting her. Not only is she the only female, she's the first female in a decade and will be up against the OBC. The clan will be there to support her. Whether that'll be enough, only time will tell.

Mr. B can kiss my ass!

Poor Mr. L, who put an enormous amount of time and energy into his campaign. Well, there's always next year when another seat will be up.

And people think I know nothing about politics. Ha!

3 out of 5 friends agree

Happiness is something I struggle with daily. Not that I'm an unhappy person most of the time, but there are days, or events, that get me down. Mostly it's frustration and the feeling of being out of control, not really depression, that cause me to either rant and rave uncontrollably, clam up entirely, or physically shut down.

I truly have a lot to happy about, and have constant reminders and reinforcement. Some things that make me happy are:

• my son
• music
• friends
• working
• being able to pay the bills without worrying if I have enough money
• knowing that I'm putting money back into my unemployment account should I need it in the future
• my health, and the health of family and friends
• beer
• good food
• my house
• my computer

With all these happy things surrounding me you'd think I'd be bouncing off the walls with excitement. Notsomuch. Fortunately I've got friends - 3 out of 5 that agree - whatever makes me happy is good.

Now if I can just convince myself.

a mish mash of streaming thoughts

I've done a lot of blog reading over the past few days, and as you can see, haven't done a lick of writing. I get caught up in the circle of thinking about all the stuff I could write about - a flu epidemic closing the school, the yearly visit from my longest childhood friend, updates on the neighborhood drama with the evil spawn child - but it all seems so "ho hum" and "zzzzzzz" compared to the writings of my personal blogging favorites. So, I sit here feeling guilty that I haven't written anything in almost a week.

Just look at some of the stuff people are writing about this week.

Sizzle and Stacie and Karl spent some time in the land of the blues this week. It kills me when I see such awesome people struggling and there's nothing I can do to help. We all have our own demons to fight, and sometimes it seems they're winning the game. I know because I fight with mine on a daily basis. Sometimes I just want to throw in the towel, let them all win. Then I get pissed and say "Eff you!! This is MY life and I'm not gonna let you get in the way!" But I never write about it. Even during times of struggle these people write. They write about what they're going through. What they'd like to change. What they're doing (or not doing) about moving forward. Why is that so difficult for me?

Then there's Tim and Kyra writing about parenting - what it means to be a parent, and how some parents seem to just not give a damn. I could write volumes on these subjects, talking about my own messed up experiences of being a single parent and trying to do everything right. I could go on and on about kids in the neighborhood, kids we encounter at stores and restaurants, and kids at school who's parents have seemingly taken a hiatus from parenting, allowing these kids to rule the roost. And sometimes I do write about these things, but they always seem to be rants and raves and bitches and whines rather than anything meaningful.

And Hilly is always diving deep into her psyche in one way or other, sometimes hitting issues head on, other times circling the wagons of generalities. Either way she writes what she wants, how she wants, and says what's on her mind in a deep, yet entertaining way. My psyche is in constant need of a deep cleaning (much like my house), but I don't go there.

Sometimes I think I have something to say, something beyond the mish mash of streaming thoughts that lead nowhere. So I write. Then I delete. And on rare occassions I consider pulling the plug, so to speak. But today I leave my whirling thoughts and appreciation for my fellow bloggers. Writers really.

two years and still going

I can't believe it's been two years since I first started blogging. Ok, let me rephrase that. I can't believe it's been two years since my troublemaking friend Stacie started me blogging. I was reluctant, to say the least, and made every excuse in the book as to why I didn't want to blog. But the more time passed, and the more I wrote, the more I enjoyed having an outlet for my rants, a place to share pics of the kiddo.

Looking back with the knowledge that we can only gain by moving forward in life, this blog started at just the right time for me - on the heels of my divorce and suddendly finding myself single again after 9 years. Once again proving to me there are no coincidences. Thank you, my friend!

I've met a lot of great bloggers in the past couple of years, many I call my friends. They've helped me to grow as a writer, look at life a little differently than I might normally see it, laugh, cry, and ask "WTF?". And I've grown and changed and travelled down the road of finding the me that I used to be, and looking forward to the me that's yet to develop. All in all, it's been a great journey! A journey that will continue on for as long as I have something to say. That pretty much leaves it wide open there, eh?

take me out to the ballgame

There's nothing like spending a Sunday afternoon at the ballpark with friends. The food. The crowds. The game. Oh, and don't forget the rain. Thankfully, we were under the overhang so the typical Pacific Northwest spatter didn't bother us at all until the bottom of the 8th when they had to call the game since the real wet stuff had started falling around the top of the 7th. It was still a great day.

The Tacoma Rainiers were playing the Tucson Sidewinders and finally broke their losing streak winning 4-3. And because I know how much you all enjoy useless facts, here's one for you - the Rainiers are owned by Nick Lachey. No. He wasn't at the game. Or if he was, we didn't see him. But the kids had a blast when Rhubarb, the reindeer mascot, made his way up to our seats and autographed their baseballs.

The food was pretty darn good too, though a little pricey. We stuck with burgers and fries. I opted to save my money and not spend the whopping $6 for one domestic beer when I knew I could buy between six and twelve for that price at the store. Guess I'm just a cheap date.

I'm pretty sure we'll be heading back up there again throughout the summer, only next time we'll be getting the 1st or 3rd base seats instead of behind homeplate so we can actually catch some of the balls, shirts and whatever else they're pitching into the crowd and not be blocked by the net.

Batter up!

my week in bullets

I've thought about bullets a lot this week. Being shot down. Being the shooter. Trying to catch you all up with my week in bullets. So, here we are. The highlights (and lowlights) of the week.

Neighborly Drama - The evil spawn is up to no good again. This time I got the clear picture after he smacked another neighbor kid upside the head - twice. I finally went down the street to talk to victim's mother, and boy did I get an earful! Not only did I hear about all the crap evil spawn's done to victim, I witnessed a pissing match between Mrs. A and victim's grandmother (a fiesty hispanic woman who ain't taking evil spawn's shit no mo). I know evil spawn is ADHD, and I'm sympathetic to any child living with that. What I'm not sympathetic to is the slacker parent who sets the spawn free to reek havoc and then pisses and moans when she's told evil spawn's behavior will not be tolerated. Get off your lazy butt and control your spawn!

When Trains Collide - Generally speaking my commute to The Winnebago isn't all that bad. Drive across town, pop on the Interstate, and a couple exits later I'm off. This is assuming that two trains don't derail effing up the backroad traffic detouring it down the mountian and dumping it at the tiny little intersection in the basin where the onramp I use is. I'm pretty sure I was on time at least once this week. Of course being on a modified work schedule for the next couple of weeks has its advantages.

The Winnebago - Training is done and I'm in the pits. Seriously. Digging out from under all the crap that rolled downhill from two people ago. My trainer has been trying to dig out for the past 14 months and still isn't done. Now it's my turn to pick up a shovel. And this is all the back end cleanup, not counting the new stuff that comes in every day. I am in email hell. Within 5 minutes I can have upwards of 20-30 new messages in my inbox. And that's not counting the 20 or so that fill up my home email waiting for attention when I get home.

Elections - Most of the home email is related to the election. No, not the Presidential election. The BOD election at school. Somehow I was drafted to be a campaign manager for two new candidates vying for the two open spots on the BOD. The change is seriously needed, but with only two spots open and six total BOD members, it's not even enough to tie the voting at this point. What really needs to happen is ousting the administration. Then again, I'm not totally invested in this like others are since I've decided I'm tired of paying for the priviledge of an effed up administration and would rather have one for free. The kiddo's headed to public school next year.

Final Note - Thanks to all of you for your supportive messages on my last post. It will probably be quite awhile before I'll be able to say much more on the subject I was alluding to, but wanted you to know I have an army of support now and am confident things will work out. So no more thinking of bullets. And no more bullets to write about right now.

Enjoy your weekend!

just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water

I knew going back to work would put a damper on my blogging, telephone convos, keeping tabs on friends, etc. That was something I was prepared for, having done it once before. What I was NOT prepared for was the drama that reared it's effing ugly head this weekend.
*Editing to clarify the drama has nothing to do with work. It's personal life crap.

I can't go into any details here because I don't want it used as evidence against me. Just wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive, haven't forgotten you, and try to get around to at least a couple of your blogs every day.

my brain hurts

I'm home and freakin' EXHAUSTED. Mentally, of course.

The first day was full of all sorts of training - online and in person. This is the first job I've ever been to where I have the distinct advantage of having the person leaving the position sitting there training me. I'll have it down by the end of the week, I'm sure, but like I told Groove when he came to "check up on the lass" I'm taking it slow. Why show them what I can do right away? If I learned nothing else from my first stint at The Winnebago, it's bide your time.

Ran into at least a dozen people I knew (some I kept in contact with) from the last go around and got the "Woohoo! You're back!!" and "Look what the cat dragged in." Lots of hugs. Lots of "We'll have to catch up." Oddly enough it was almost like going to a high school reunion, or what I imagine them to be like since I've never actually gone to any of my high school reunions before.

All in all it was a good day. Though I am a little disappointed in Dan for not giving me my first day hugs.

And now it's time to crack open another cold one, put my feet up, and unwind. I just hope I sleep like the dead tonight or I'm gonna be one tired girl tomorrow.

today's the big day

I'm up at the butt crack of dawn after having slept maybe 4 hours last night. I've been running on nervous, excited energy for the past week, and my sleep schedule's been forked up. My friend Cathy told me I've been "talking fast" all week too. And aside from all that, there's been so much else going on in my little world I haven't even known what to do with it all.

But today's the big day! Back to the ratrace. I've polished my running shoes and am ready to go. Well, after I get a shower and a bit more caffeine in me, that is.

movies, teevee, and the start of another new me

This is the end. No. Not of refusing to blog -- though things might slow down over here a little bit in the days to come. Here, have a kleenex. I know you were getting all watery eyed there cuz you love me so much. It's the last day of the last weekend of the last 10 months of going from employed to unemployed to just plain jobless after draining my unemployment account thus falling off the headcount entirely to heading back to the ratrace of the employed world. I can't wait!

Tuesday is my first day back to work after my excrutiatingly long hiatus and I'm returning to none other than the same corporate computer giant (which will from this day forward be referred to as "The Winnebago") I left 10 months ago. I'm sure there will be assorted pleas for my sanity, bitching about stoopidity, and maybe a few sighs of relief to keep you entertained during round two.

Last week was insane with trying to get a ton of shit done before the big day. How is it that I could be not working for 10 months and still not be caught up with everything around here? But this weekend's been about just hanging out, enjoying the simple things in life, and relishing in the fact that I'll now be able to pay my bills without looking over my shoulder to see if someone's coming after me.

And because I'm crazy and like to pack my schedule fuller than it should be, I've taken on another new venture and joined the gang at Snackie Teevee. I figure since I'm already watching enough teevee to choke a goat (but I have a coopin for the goat!) I'd might as well dish about what I'm watching. The fun part is I'm in the company of some other great blog writers and don't feel the pressure of holding down the fort all by my little self. Not that I consider myself a great blog writer or anything. Especially when comparing myself to them. Anyway, go check it out.

We're also gearing up for pirates around here! In case you don't already know, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End opens on Friday, May 25th. So last night we watched The Curse of the Black Pearl, and next weekend will be Dead Man's Chest. Both rewatches for me, but first watches for the kiddo. Enjoy the trailer, but keep your drool to a minimum as I can't afford to be replacing keyboards or anything.

who knew small animals didn't enjoy being stapled together

Seems it's never a dull day in the neighborhood anymore.

One of the nuisances of living in a developing suburban neighborhood is the disturbance of the wildlife and their habitat. As they keep building around us, the animals keep coming closer, and getting tamer. These buggers are so tame they actually stare you down, daring you to try something so they can come after you.

Today, these two decide to try to wrangle with my 100 plus pound dog but decided taking the high road into the trees was a better idea.

(Click on the pictures to enlarge.)

See what I mean about staring ya down?

And if one pair of eyes boring a hole through you isn't bad enough, how about two?

After 'bout 30 minutes, they came down and regrouped...

...then tried to get on the neighbor's roof.

on a mission

Date of Mission: 05/03/07

Name of Mission: Operation No More Shit (ONMS)


Mission Goal: Return shit to offender without being seen


Background:

On Tuesday, May 2, 2007, shit was discovered on sidewalk crossing driveway of complainant's home. Previous sightings of shit in the same general locale, matching in description, were sighted on Friday, March 30.


Suspects:

Duke. The neighbor dog of the complainant.

Evidence:

Shit collected by the complainant matching in size and description to that sighted on previous complaint.








Action Required to Complete Mission Goal:


Deliver said shit to neighbor's front doorstep in the dark of night.









[Update: Mission complete. Bag deposited on hood of trunk. As of this morning, bag has fallen over and shit has fallen out onto the trunk and bumper. Mission successful.]

alphabet soup

I'm elated. I'm stressed. I'm happy. I'm tipsy. What does all this add up to? Saying a bunch and nothing at all. So I'm filling the page with this meme that Sizzle tagged me for.

A - Available or Single? Single.

B - Best Friend? So I've been told.

C - Cake or Pie? No thanks. I like the me I've shrunk down to.

D - Drink of Choice? Coffee. Propel. Beer. Whiskey.

E - Essential Item(s)? Computer. Phone. iPod. Secret Embrace bras.

F - Favorite Color? Black. (Yes, I'm aware it's not a color. Whatever.)

G - Gummi Bears or Worms? Again, no thanks.

H - Hometown? Sunnyvale, CA

I - Indulgence? Starbucks. iTunes. Tanning. Getting my hair done.

J - January or February? January.

K - Kids? Yes. Just 1.

L - Life is incomplete without… Friends.

M - Marriage Date A distant memory.

N - Number of Siblings Nada.

O - Oranges or Apples? Apples. Fuji or Granny Smith.

P - Phobias/Fears Spiders. Horror movies.

Q - Favorite Quote: “Some people are like Slinkies. Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.” -Unknown

R - Reasons to Smile? My son. I have a job. I am loved.

S - Season? Definitely Fall.

T - Tag Three Liss, Stacie, Dan

U - Unknown Fact About Me: Basically, I'm a pretty boring person. Hmm. Okay. I once had a water baloon fight with Lindsey Buckingham. Now, if that doesn't age me. Sheesh.

V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals? Where's the beef?

W - Worst habits? Smoking. Cussing. Emotional binge eating.

X - X-rays or Ultrasounds? Neither. I hate hospitals.

Y - Your Favorite Foods Ice cream. Pasta. Cheeseburgers. Bagels.

Z - Zodiac Aries.

hi! how's it going?

So, apparently this is a day of blogger silence in memory of the victims at Virginia Tech. While I feel badly for what happened, the victims and their families, I apologize. I just can't be silent.

I HAVE A JOB!!!

You may now return you to your moment of silence.

think think think... ouch!

For some odd reason my L'il Sis Jessica has bestowed the "Thinking Blogger Award" on me. She says, "I love Lisa’s blog for many reasons, but mostly because she’s smart, witty, honest, and not afraid to cuss like a sailor in public." Aw, thanks Sis! Really, I think she just wants to make my head hurt while I try to actually think of something to say instead of just opening my head and letting my brain spill out all over the place.



So, now it's time for me to pass the award on. This is the thinking part, so consider yourselves warned - this will hurt. But what's a little fun without a little pain, right? Okay. Without further ado, and in no particular order, I am happy to pass the "Thinking Blogger Award" on to:

{forking madness over here}: Okay. You all knew this one was coming. No. I'm not giving Stacie this award because she's "my girl" (even though that'd be as good a reason as any). I'm giving her this award because she truly makes me think, each and every day. Sometimes her life gets a bit hectic, and her blog doesn't always reflect her deepest thinking self. But that's the way life goes. I know she's always thinking even if she doesn't show it.

Sizzle Says: One of my new friends, Sizzle, tells it like it is. Whether it's spilling her guts about self awareness or laughing at her klutzy self, every day is a good read and enlightening for me. Besides, we practically share a birthday, so I had to pick her!

Home on the Fringe: I started reading this blog back during the NaBloPoMo craze. Kristin and John are the tag team writers for this blog -- Kristin does more of the writing and John speaks volumes through his photography. It's deep. It's funny. A definite must read.

patron saint of smartmouths: Another NaBloPoMo find, Lesley Girl runs the gammut on her blog. An avid knitter and former clergy student, she spreads happiness, opinions, and foolishness across the blogoverse. I know how much she hates ads on peoples blogs, so let's see what she thinks of awards!

evil, silly n stoopid: Yeah, I know. Another big surprise. Really, even though it's like pulling teeth to get him to blog once in a blue moon, Groove's another deep thinker. So much in fact it keeps him awake at night. Maybe if he blogged more frequently he'd get more sleep!

There are tons of other bloggers I'd give this award to, many who've already received it. But since I had to narrow it down to 5, there ya have it. Now I need to go take something for my throbbing head. Thanks a bunch, L'il Sis!

The rules behind this Thinking Blogger Thing are as follows:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog).

anyone got a step ladder?

While catching up on my blog surfing I came across a post from L.A. Daddy about a "height predictor" he found at an online parenting site. Of course being the total dork that I am, I filled in all the required fields and clicked the predict button.

Your boy will likely be 6 feet, 4 inches at age 18.

Holy kraut!

I'd always suspected eventually I'd be looking up at my son but never thought I'd need a crane to do so. Makes sense if you look at my side of the height gene. There's some pretty tall people in my lineage. Not on his father's side so much though. Yeah, his father's half-brother (same mother, different father) is freakishly tall compared to the rest of the family, so maybe one of those freaky genes carried through.

Only time will tell. In the meantime, guess I'd better take him more seriously when he says he wants to be a professional basketball player.

the sound of silence

I've spent the day by myself, in the deafening silence. Good Lord is it ever quiet here! Stacie hit the "windy city" (literally) almost two hours ago and should be arriving in the "armpit" in a few minutes. The kiddo is staying one more night at his dad's. And I sit alone.

I miss you, my friend!!

What an incredibly awesome birthday weekend this has been! The best in decades. Seriously! I can say that since I've now lived through four of them. LOL You can check out some of the fun on my Flickr site. Can't put anything too incriminating up there though, cuz what happens in WA stays in WA.

I do, however, want to show you this.

He had it done the day before my birthday. Isn't this cool? It's an original from the tat artist. I so wanted one of these to wear for my next 40 years (no, not Groove tattooed across my upper back - something else) but couldn't figure out what I wanted to have, so haven't done anything yet. If ya have any ideas, lemme know cuz I'm definitely gonna go get me one.

Anyway, the party's over and it's back to reality. Tomorrow is yet another interview with yet another (yes, this makes about six) state agency. We'll see.

Alrighty, gotta run and help keep my girl awake on her hour and a half drive home from the airport after getting only about an hour and half of sleep last night. Oh, and I'm still trying to catch up on my blog reading/commenting, so if you haven't heard from me yet, keep your panties on. I'll be there as soon as I can.

Ciao!