The past month has been a complete beeyotch, workwise. I spend nine to twelve hours a day working, most of those hours in meetings, and then trying frantically to catch up with all the work that didn't get done during the aforementioned snooze sessions. By the time the weekend rolls around I'm faced with mountains of household chores that need done, a yard turning into a jungle, and a little man that wants to suck up as much time with his "old, fun" mommy as he can.
One of the yearly requirements for all employees of The Winnebago is to complete a series of mandatory training. They make it very convenient for us by providing the classes on-line so we can do them whenever, and wherever, we find the time. Time is the one thing I don't have nearly enough of, so... Do you see the problem here?
The other day management sends us a gentle reminder to complete our classes that reads something like this:
"...if not already completed, please work on the mandatory training. I find taking them during boring meetings kills two birds with one stone."
Uh, okay. So what you're saying is we shouldn't need to pay attention in the meeting therefore nullifying our need for attending in the first place? Okay, yeah!
For the record, I won't be getting to any of those "mandatory trainings" anytime soon. In fact next week, I won't be getting to very much work at all. I am taking a few hours off (I say hours cuz I'll still be monitoring email periodically and attending required meetings) to spend some much needed girl time with her majesty. She'll be here in two days. W00t!!
We've kept the schedule pretty open at this point but I can assure you there will be a lot of Rock Band/Guitar Hero playing, beer drinking, movie watching, pool playing, yakking, smoking, visiting the carnies, eating, shopping and otherwise girlish fun for 5 straight days. Because when the working day is done, oh girls... they wanna have fun. Oh girls, just wanna have fun!
It's been a holiday weekend full of fun, friends, food, fireworks, Rock Band frenzy and film! A much needed break from the chaos of working life, to be sure.
Friday afternoon just before we headed across the street to our friends' for a BBQ, I asked the little man if he wanted to bring his new Guitar Hero III with us. It was one of the games he got for his birthday and hadn't tried out yet, so we scooped up the unopened box, our food, bevvies, camera and whatever else we needed and headed across. After some yummy snacks (while the ribs, yum, were cooking) the kids went and set up the game.
While having fun, it's kinda hard to play Guitar Hero III with only one guitar and three kids. I headed back to the house to retrieve the guitar from Rock Band in hopes it would be compatible. Not. So. Much. After dinner, diappointed that the guitars weren't working together, I asked the son to help me grab the remainder of Rock Band. (I'd been told the guitar from Guitar Hero worked with Rock Band - still not sure why it doesn't work in the reverse?).
Even the adults got in on it!
(You'll have to pretend there's a video here since Blogger was being a beeyotch and wouldn't load it.)
We finally found the perfect mix of talents for our band - friends' son on lead guitar, little man on bass, me on the drums, and friends' daughter singing. We played and played for hours until it finally got dark enough to head outside for the fire works (if you could really call them that considering our city banned all fireworks a few years ago). Sorry for the crappy pics but my camera was out of battery so I had to use my Blackberry.
Saturday afternoon the little man and I finally went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I have to say though it wasn't one of my favorite of the bunch, it was still good and I'm happy we saw it on the big screen rather than waiting for the DVD.
When we got home there was a voicemail from our friends inviting us over for pie. We'd discovered the pie we tried to eat the night before was still raw in the middle despite it supposedly being a fully cooked, ready to eat pie from Safeway. But in true Safeway fashion, when they returned the pie yesterday, they were given a new one (with apologies) and this time it was fully cooked and yummo! After pie and ice cream I asked if anyone was up for another round "road trip" (aka round of Rock Band) and we headed back to our house for more frenzy.
Our band name... The Goofballs!
Hope you've all had a safe and fun holiday weekend!
I'm surely no fashion queen but I've always had a pretty good eye for color. At one time I actually took a few classes while entertaining the idea of become an Interior Designer. If you looked at my home, or my wardrobe, now you'd laugh at the thought but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to make ends meet.
Anywho, back to my fashion sense - or lack there of.
I stopped over to see Groove today despite being days behind on work due to spending the first part of the week training someone on a chunk of my job that I'll be losing (yay!) and check out his new map. We sat there shootin' the shit, when this conversation started.
Groove: "Your socks don't match." (match in the sense of the rest of my clothing, not that I was wearing two different socks) Me: "Sure they do." Groove: staring at me but silently giving me the whatever Me: "There's pink on my shoes and my pants and shirt are blue." Groove: "Uh huh"
We truly have a very lackadaisical dress code at work; so lackadaisical in fact I wouldn't even call it a "dress code". Pretty much whatever goes. We often laugh about the shit we wear to work and our extremely lacking creativity wardrobes, but dang it if I didn't match today. Here's your whatever. Phfffft!
Now follow me here, and you be the judge. I was wearing a pair of blue jeans, a long sleeved light blue tee with a short sleeved brown tee over it, and a white hoodie layering the set of tees. Have I mentioned it's freakin' cold in our office? On my feet I had my totally comfy and cute little brown Converse sneakers and my apparently not matching socks. The socks are pink, blue and white striped - one of the pairs of cute socks I was given by The Girls since they got tired of seeing me in my boring plain white socks all the time. The white went with my hoodie, the blue my long sleeved tee and jeans, and the pink not only tied in with the pink accents on my totally comfy and cute little brown Converse sneakers but added that splash of color every ensemble must have.
Now tell me, does that not match? Does that not sound cute? Okay, yes, I know I was dressed like a teeny bopper and would have gotten carded to buy booze or smokes, but dammit; it matched.
I honestly cannot believe how freakin' long it took me to do this meme. This was real dedication folks. I totally deserve brownie points (or, better yet, brownies) for completing this one. Thanks to Bill, here's my Crazy 8's.
8 Things I’m Passionate About
1. The Little Man – I never knew I could love someone so much until my little man came along. Oh, there are moments when I don't like him very much - like when he decides he's going to lie to me - but I do, and always will, love him from the bottom of my heart. 2. True Friends – True friends are hard to find, and even harder to keep. But once you're in my circle it takes a hell of a lot to pushed out. 3. Cooking – I love to cook! New recipes. Tried and true favorites. Experimenting with different ingredients. Though I don't get the opportunity to cook as much as I like anymore, it still ranks up there. Just don't ask me to wash the dishes! 4. Reading – Getting lost in a good book on a wet and dreary day while huddled under the covers sipping a cup of hot coffee or tea is one of the best stress relievers I know. 5. Photography – Though I'm certainly not the best photographer, I truly enjoy taking pictures. But most of all, I like looking back at the memories. 6. Writing – Besides blog writing (if you can even call that writing in the true sense of the word) I've tinkered with writing journals, poetry, and short stories. And, no, you can't see any of it. 7. Talking – Whether in person, on the phone, IM, or email I love to talk. And I wonder why the little man often has diarrhea of the mouth!? Uh huh. 8. Scrapbooking – Another passion I haven't taken much time (read as none) for lately, but one day I hope to get back into the swing of things and catch up with it again.
8 Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
1. See the little man graduate from college – He'll be the very first in the entire family to do so. 2. Travel to Egypt – I've always been fascinated with ancient Egyptian history and would love to see the pyramids before they're lost forever. 3. Take the little man to Disneyland – It really is the most magical place on earth! 4. Drive a race car – Speed. The faster the better. One thing my Uncle and I always talked about was driving a race car. He's gone now, but I'd love to make it a reality myself. 5. Learn to play the drums – Doesn't that sound like fun? 6. Take a photography class. 7. Go on a cruise – preferably a Disney cruise. 8. Visit Stacie and Liss in Maryland!!!
8 Things I Say Often:
1. Sweetpea – The little man’s nickname. 2. NMP – Not My Problem 3. WTF!?! 4. Apparently – Cuz that Lee family sure does get around! 5. Goodnight. Sweet Dreams. I love you! – The bedtime ritual. 6. Stoopid – Covers a wide range of people and subjects. 7. Dumas – I seem to encounter many. 8. Stop licking!! – What can I say? I have a dog who thinks he’s a cat.
8 Books I’ve read recently: (for this one I’m defining recently as the last 8 books I’ve read – some aren’t so recent)
1. Bergdorff Blondes by Plum Sykes 2. Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich 3. The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield (this was my 2nd reading) 4. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown 5. Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson 6. Undead and Unemployed by Mary Janice Davidson 7. Undead and Unappreciated by Mary Janice Davidson 8. Undead and Unreturnable by Mary Janice Davidson
8 Songs I Could Listen To Over And Over:
1. Crazy by Aerosmith
2. More Than a Feeling by Boston
3. Tomorrow by Avril Lavigne
4. Over You by Daughtry
5. Take It To the Limit by The Eagles
6. Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day
7. Look What You’ve Done by Jet
8. All the Same by Sick Puppies
8 Things That Attract Me To My Best Friends:
1. They’re just as evil and crazy as me 2. They like to talk, but more important they’ll listen to me 3. They tell it like it is 4. Even when I don’t want to hear it 5. They always have good advice 6. They know how to have a good time 7. They accept me despite my flaws 8. They think I’m hawt
It's time for another installment of the Sunday Seven - seven items that don't necessarily say enough by themselves.
1. The week went by like a flash and the evenings even faster. Monday night was the first "open" BOD meeting of the school year, and since they were discussing the budget I really wanted to be there. In hindsight I'm not sure why I thought they'd actually have one ready. I mean really, it's only the beginning of November and school's been in session for only two months, so what's the rush. Sheesh! Of course Wednesday night was Halloween and all the hoopla associated with it. Then Friday night the little man's social calendar kicked into high gear with the first of two birthday parties for the week - this one back at our local skating rink. Today's party is at Rat Hell, but I'll keep that one for a separate post of its own. And then, of course, the NaBloPoMo madness ensued. (See #2)
2. Despite Tim's total lack of confidence in me (phffft!) I've somehow managed to keep blogging every day of the month, so far. Yeah, I know! We're only on day 4, but whatever. I'm doing it. Which is more than I can say for some of the others who signed up for it. I found the NaBloPoMo randomizer and installed it on my sidebar (see it sitting over there?), so yesterday I started running it and checking out different blogs I may not have known about before. WTF? Some people haven't even started posting, some are linked to "private" blogs where you have to request access (uh, notsomuch!), and others have already given up. Losers. But getting past those, there's a few I've found enjoyment, and more importantly entertainment, in reading so I've listed them out in their own section on my sidebar (look over to the left again). I'm sure I'll keep adding more as the month goes on and, as my list grows longer, so does my feedreader.
3. Speaking of Tim (aka LA Daddy), LA Family have now welcomed the newest member of the family - LA Baby - to the wide world of wackiness. Congrats my friend! I look forward to meeting her some day, but don't get your hopes up that it'll be the day you celebrate the big 4-0!
4. Also on the celebration bandwaggon is my Super Sweet 'n Sassy Snackie who's celebrating her youthful 36 today. Make your way on over and cover her with birthday kisses. MUAH!!!
5. Friday I had other sorts of kisses in mind. Those would be of the *kiss my ass* variety. Now before I start my bitching about work, let me just make one thing clear - I love that I have a job. I'm just notsomuch in love with my job anymore. Somehow in the past two months my responsibilites have shifted so much that what they really hired me to do is now falling third on my priorities list. Why? Well, that's because they keep going through reorgs and reshuffles and downsizing and whatever other term you want to use for walking around with their heads stuck up their ass and not being able to see what the real problem is even though it's staring them right in the face. The real problem is there's not enough people to do all the work that needs to be done, yet they keep disposing of them. I am now carrying a workload of one and three-quarters persons, and before you all think I'm just complaining that they're overworking me, let me clarify. It's not the "load" that bothers me, it's how it's structured. All three main responsibilites I have are, for the most part, totally unrelated to the others. This makes it very difficult to pay full attention to any one of them, let alone the fact that I've got customers - both internal and external - screaming at me and begging me to "be expedient". Um, last time I checked I was just one person. Maybe I need to clone myself? But what good would that do? They'd still only pay one measly little salary for me. I almost walked on Friday. But I didn't. And tomorrow I'll drag my tired ass back into the firey pits of hell for another week.
6. I started my Christmas shopping. Afterall, there's only 50 shopping days left until the big day. LOL But that's not the reason I started shopping. We went to Target to pick up the kiddo's new glasses and I got a little distracted by the $1 bins. Everything's just a buck, so how can you not buy stuff. Seriously though, with giving little gifts to teachers, neighbors, and friends at work, stocking up on the inexpensive goodies as I see them is the best way to go. As it gets closer to the holiday I might tell you what I got, and what I'm doing with it.
7. And finally, even with the time change (you didn't forget that, did you?), I'm seriously behind schedule with all the crap that must get done today. But before I wish you a Super Sunday, here's a few topics you can look forward to reading (or avoiding) in the coming weeks, not necessarily in this order.
The summer ended, school began, and life started moving forward even faster than it already had been. Most days it seems our lives are on fast forward, with days full of more activities than we really want, and not enough downtime in between, which would explain my lack of blog writing, reading and commenting.
With that said, and only a few minutes to spare before my hamster wheel starts rolling again for the night, here's a random list of some of our activities and events over the past couple of weeks.
1. First Day of Second Grade - The little man started 2nd grade. 2nd grade, my God!! Where does the time go? He was thrilled to be back in school and came home the first day saying how much he "really" likes his teacher. When asked what he likes so much about her he replied, "She doesn't yell at us." I laughed and reminded him, "It is only the first day of school, buddy. And if you guys treat Miss M like you treated Mrs. T last year, I'm sure she'll be yelling at you too before the end of the school year."
2. PKD Walk - On Sunday, September 16th we walked a 6k with some friends from work for the PKD Foundation. Thank you so much to those of you who donated money to support this very worthwhile cause! It was a cold and grey day, but we had fun nonetheless and raised a little over $400 for the foundation. Don't we look hawt in our oversized (and overpriced) PKD shirts!?! If you want to see more pics you can cruise on over to my Picasa site and check 'em out.
3. Teevee - So the kiddo and I were total BB8 whores this season. Didn't miss a single episode. And were we happy when my man Dick won. Woohoo!! Now we're on to Survivor China. So far my favorite is James, but there's only been one episode so I'm not totally married to that idea yet. Then again, I did pick Dick from the first episode and stuck with him all the way, so whythefucknot. I'm picking James to win Survivor.
4. Party Weekend(s) - It was party central starting last Friday. Two friends from work celebrated birthdays (one turned the big five oh!), then we had the Welcome Back picnic at school on Saturday, and a birthday party for one of WJ's classmates at Skateland on Sunday. I can't tell you the last time I was on a pair of skates but I strapped them puppies on and had a total blast. Even came in second in a race for the 9 and older crowd. (The 9 year old won. On a pair of blades. Damn! I knew I shoulda gone with those.) This coming Saturday we'll be officially celebrating all the September birthdays at Girls Night "In", and the following weekend we have a baby shower to go to. Talk about a packed social calendar.
So that's the highlights. I won't bore you with the details of the drama in my life, the ever increasing workload, or the school committees I've somehow found myself on. I promise to try to catch up on all the posts I've missed reading as soon as I can.
One of my good friends at work (and her daughter) live with PKD. Do you know what that is? I didn't until I met her. Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) affects 600,000 Americans and 12.5 million children and adults, worldwide. There is no treatment or cure, but there is hope.
Last week she told the BFI's (as we jokingly refer to our group of girls at work) that there was a walk for PKD coming up on September 16th in Seattle and asked if we'd like to form a team and walk together. Of course we all said yes. She also said she didn't expect any of us to do any fund raising or anything, just knowing we would walk with her and her daughter was enough. There's just no way I can't at least put it out there. So, I officially joined the team last night and set my goal at $250.00.
If you're interested in sponsoring me you can visit my personal page at the PKD website, or email me and I'll send you some information. And if you can't afford to sponsor, or just don't want to, please think of us on the 16th as we walk around Lake Washington in Seattle.
Anyone of you wonderful people looking to move? I'm looking for some new neighbors and I'd like to hand pick the best of them. I sat and watched my property value decrease last night, which may or may not be a good thing, but that's a whole other story.
I know you remember my letter to Mrs. A. If not, click here and catch up. Well the animals were uncaged again last night. Actually, they've been uncaged for the past two or three nights, but last night evil spawn child was up to his old nastiness. Hitting. And hitting a girl nonetheless. Oh yeah. Screaming in his whiney tone and then hitting another neighbor girl not once, but three times. She hit him back (hehe). But the madness didn't stop there. The fight was over who was going to drive this. That's right, a Barbie jeep. And guess who this jeep belonged to? Yup, the neighbor girl who was getting hit.
And where was Mrs. A during this outburst. She was pulling weeds in her front yard. The one time she is actually out there to witness the insanity and she does nothing. Acted as if she couldn't hear or see any of what was going on. Even when the neighbor girl told her evil spawn was hitting she just told him to sit down. That lasted all of 30 seconds when he jumped up to follow the girls into the house. Did she call him back outside? Give him a timeout? Lecture him about hitting? Of course she didn't.
But wait, there's more.
Some thirty minutes or so later all the same kids, and the same jeep, are now down at the back end of the loop we live on. In the jeep. In the middle of the road. With a pickup truck coming around the loop one way, and a minivan coming the other. And what do they do? Just sit/stand there and make the cars figure out how to get around them. Can you guess who was driving?
At that point my good neighbor was out mowing his lawn. He sees the cars, hears the kids, stops the mower and just stares down the road. Then he looks across the street at me. We both shake our heads and then have this short little conversation.
Me: "Well, I'm glad to see your daughter isn't down the street with the stoopids!" Him: "No way!" Me: "Yeah, cuz it's always smart for a plastic toy car to take on a pickup and minivan in the middle of the road." Him: "When you don't have any parental guidance, what do you expect!?"
Oh, by the way, Mrs. A was still in her front yard weeding while we were yelling across the street having this conversation. She didn't even look up. I swear I think the doctor must have prescribed meds for the evil spawn, and instead of giving them to him, she's taking them herself.
But wait, there's still more.
For the past few weeks, the neighbors behind my nextdoor neighbors have decided it's okay to sit out on their patio between the hours of midnight at 2am smoking, talking, laughing, squealing and basically making too much noise. That combined with the little pug they have being chained up in the backyard barking and crying to come in at 3am has made for some not so good sleeping nights as of late.
Last night I was wiped. I actually went to bed before 10pm for the first time in weeks and was sound asleep when what do my sleepy ears hear? The noisemakers. At 1am. Normally I just shut my windows and turn on the ceiling fan to drown out the noise, but last night was so muggy there was no way I was closing myself in. So, I sat up and hollered "Shut up!"
At first they quieted down, immediately. But, of course, now I was wide awake, so I decided to get up and pee. No sooner had I gotten back into bed they're at it again, only this time louder. The exchange went something like this.
Me: "Shut up!" (more loudly this time than the first) Them: "No! You shut up." Me: "Some of us have to get up at 5am and don't appreciate being woken in the middle of the night." Them: "Then shut your window." Me: "Hell no! STFU or go inside." Them: "Fuck you." Me: "Whatever. Consider this your warning that I'm calling the cops." Them: "Go ahead bitch."
With that I was more than wide awake. But they were quiet. And I assume they must have thought about it more and decided they probably didn't want the cops coming over cuz they got up, quickly put their butts out, and scrambled inside. Me? I lay down, tossed and turned for half an hour, then went downstairs to smoke a butt of my own. I think I finally fell back to sleep a little after 2am.
Won't you please? Won't you please? Please won't you be my neighbor?
TUN (Totally Unrelated Note): Guess what today is? It's PARTY time!!! That's right, in less than 12 hours the party's starting when I pick up Stace at the airport. Woo hoo!!! I am so looking forward to having her here. Don't know what's on tap for the weekend yet, but maybe we'll make a little noise. Hehe!
It's been ages since I've done a Wednesday Wrap-up and since today I'm off work and I've actually had time to catch up on reading and commenting on all my favorite blogs, I thought I'd do a quick wrap-up before getting my lazy butt in gear for the festivities of the afternoon.
The Birthday Circuit - Bad, I know, but I didn't even post a birthday message to my main squeeze. Happy Birthday Kiddo!! The kiddo brought in his 7th year with a birthday bash at one of the local bowling alleys. And that was just the start to almost a week of birthday celebrating. His actual birthday (the 26th - same as Dan's) was spent dining at his favorite restaurant, The Mayan, and playing with his hot new PlayStation, courtesy of his grandparents. Then last weekend was spent attending two birthday parties for friends. I swear he's got more of a social life than me!
Break-in(g) News! - I am now the proud owner of a new set of front door locks. Thanks to my awesome neighbor who came over on Sunday to help me get the crazy thing installed, I'm resting a little bit easier now. I'll always wonder who was trying to get in, for what reason, and when, but with all my neighbors on alert, the 100+ pound furry protection system I own, and the sparkling new jewels adorning my front door I'm not worrying about it. Not too much at least.
(Not) Flying Under the Radar - My second round at The Winnebago has been educational, frustrating, enjoyable, and as of Monday, rewarding. I know I haven't really talked at all about my new job, so suffice it to say I've embarked upon a new career. The world of procurement. I've done my fair share of purchasing through all my previous careers, but this has been a new game entirely for me. One thing I vowed to myself when starting this job was to maintain a certain amount of restraint. By that I mean not get in there and give more than 100% right from the start. That was a hard decision to make for me because I'm one of those people who feels that if you're not performing the best you can, then you aren't doing what you should be doing. Last time that got me nowhere fast (unless you count heading out the door 3 months before my contract was due to expire). Anyway, I've been holding back. Attempting to fly under the radar. And obviously not doing a very good job of it either. During our biweekly staff meeting on Monday afternoon I was presented with a Customer Recognition Award. Not one but three of my customers sent beaming emails to my manager about me. Ugh! I truly hate being in the spotlight, but what I hate even more is that I can't even get myself to just do what needs to be done and stop trying to fix everything that's broken. Ah well! At least I got a teeny tiny little bonus out of it.
BBQ Fever - We're off to the neighbor's for a BBQ this afternoon. No. The evil spawn won't be there. They're gone on vacation and the neighborhood's been a peaceful haven ever since. This is the party crowd getting together. Last Saturday night we sat around drinking, and talking, and drinking for hours while the kids ran around the neighborhood. All without incident. What fun! And today should be more of the same. It's gonna be damned HOT but with the help of the sprinklers and a new slip-n-slide, not to mention the A/C coursing through the neighbor's house, we shouldn't have to put up with too many sweat beads in our eyes. Now I've got to get off my ass and get my fruit platter put together, dig out my chip bowls, and get this place picked up before the good times begin. I hope all of you are off enjoying some holiday fun today!
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.
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.
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).
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.
What a great day yesterday! Thanks to all of you sent me birthday wishes through phone, computer or in person. It truly was a fabulous (yes, Groove, I did just use that word) day!!
So lemme back up to Wednesday night when we first picked up Stacie. Amazingly enough her flight made it on time. As we stood in baggage claim watching people come down the escalator, WJ kept saying "I think I see her" and then "Nope, that's not her!". (Remember, this was our first time seeing each other in person.) But as soon as we saw her coming down, Wesley took off running and barely let her get off the escalator, giving her a big hug, followed by me. I had my camera with me, but in all the excitement, didn't even think to pull it out and take any pics. It's too bad we didn't have a third person just standing there capturing the moment, but whatcha gonna do? We made it home by around 10:30pm and tried to get settled since Stace's body clock was three hours ahead and WJ had to go to school the next day.
Now back to yesterday. Stace went with me to drop WJ at school and we made our first Bux run of the trip. LOL Then it was time for beautifying ourselves for the day - easy for her with all that natural beauty she's got. Around 11:30am Groove showed up and we all headed out to lunch at this little place downtown called Tugboat Annie's. With a little food and lots of beer in us, we yaked and laughed and basically did what we normally do when we're on the phone together, except this time we were sitting across the table from each other. Groove dropped us back at the house just in time to go get the kiddo from school.
After letting him play with some of his friends for awhile, and introducing Stace to some of the people she hears me talking about all the time from the school, we made our way home to kick back a bit before going to dinner. She brought this crazy "hairy ball" thing for WJ, and the three of us got a little silly with it playing hot potato, making it into a hat, and pulling it over various other body parts.
Everyone was getting hungy, and the beer was wearing off, so we headed off to the Mayan for dinner. Their food is yummo!! And, of course, they serve so much we had to bring half of it home. Stace took a few goofy shots of WJ and I which is great since we rarely get any shots together. Then it was back home and time for vegging out.
Not sure what the plan is for today yet. Any ideas for us?
Tomorrow I will turn “two twenties” as I like to call it. This is the first milestone birthday I’ve actually looked forward to since turning 21. Looking back at the last 20 years, despite major life changes (both good and bad), I can see just how much I’ve changed, grown, and finally learned to accept myself and all my idiosyncrasies.
My early twenties were spent in and out of school, trying to decide “what I wanted to be when I grew up”. I still haven’t quite figured that one out, but I’ve tried my hand at a variety of things over the years – catering, administrative support, event management, consulting. One of my major regrets is not completing my degree. With only 18 credit hours left to complete, you’d think I would have found a way to do so, but I haven’t. I keep telling myself “Someday I’ll finish”, but that someday just never seems to come. There are a million reasons why I never finished – most I don’t want to discuss here – and I have grown to accept my failure and continue to move forward despite it.
The first 29 years of my life were spent living in California. My parents, in fact, still live in the same house I grew up in. Being the wild and crazy, rebellious woman I was at that time, I met someone on-line and moved to Arizona. It was a new adventure for me, living in another state for the first time in my life, and one that (later) became a real introspective discovery.
The year after moving to Arizona, I married the man I moved for, and we began our life as husband and wife. Little did I know then how many curve balls would be thrown my way in the future. After a miscarriage early in marriage, there was a shift – one that I didn’t see then, but have spent countless hours working through in the past few years. Then, in 2000, we were blessed with the birth of our son. It was then I truly realized what “love at first sight” was. I never knew it was possible to love someone so much, without reservation. Unfortunately, it came with a hefty price – the continued distancing in my relationship with my husband.
In April 2001, through the powers of the military relocation demands, we ended up here, in Washington. A place I felt comfortable having visited countless times growing up. A place I knew would be a place to start “anew”. Only I didn’t know the whole world would be starting anew along side me on September 11th. My husband was deployed to the Middle East just 15 days before the attacks, and I was left to fly solo with a one year old toddler. It was preparation I would need for the future.
He returned the following year, and exactly a year and a day after his return, he was deployed again. After another safe return, the shift had grown to epic proportions. We were no longer a family, as family should be. We were no longer husband and wife, as partners. We were simply two individuals living different lives in the same existence. I am still uncertain whether this shift was a continuation of the shift from the early years of our marriage, or whether the perils of war were too much for us to sustain, but we didn’t sustain – and it ended.
In April 2004, ironically exactly 3 years ago today, I found myself faced with being a single parent, without more than an Associates degree, and not having worked out of the home for four years. It was the most painful, scary time of my life, feeling completely lost and alone. The one thing that was both a curse and a blessing was my son. Though I would never, ever even remotely consider him a curse, the simple fact of having him to care for and worry about prevented me from just picking up and moving on with my life without having to take his well being into consideration. But, without him, I would never be the same person I am today – stronger, wiser, more attentive.
I firmly believe that all things in life happen for a reason. It has taken me years to truly embrace that idea, but with the love and support of many friends and family, I do. Without my ex, I wouldn’t have my wonderful son. Without my son, I likely wouldn’t have met my dear friend Stacie. Without being forced to find work, I wouldn’t have met Groove, or any of the other people I still keep in contact with from my last job. And without all of these changes, both good and bad, I would not be the same woman I’ve become in my “two twenties”.
A few month's ago, I met Elizabeth over at Table for Five. It was her 40th birthday, and feeling a kinship with my 'two 20's' just around the corner (April 19th), I posted a "Happy Birthday" message to her. Since then, we've traded emails and commented on each other's blogs. She also helped me get started with the PPP program. She's an amazing woman. If you don't believe me, check out her site and read her "100 Things About Me".
Earlier in the week, she announced the "Elizabeth thinks I ROCK!" award. And yesterday, she gave one to me! Heehee!! My first blog award. Really I think it's Elizabeth who rocks, but if she wants to think I rock too, I'll proudly display my award. Thanks girl! You made my day!!
While you're looking at the sidebar admiring my new award, check out the countdown clock. Only 3 more days until Stacie gets here!!! Holy crow that time went by fast! I am SO freakin' psyched!! That also means only 4 more days till the "BIG 4-0" for me. Afterall, that's the reason I finally got her to come out here after practically begging for the past 2 years. For those of you who don't already know, Stace and I have been friends for the past four years -- but we've never had the opportunity to meet in person before this. For real. We've been through hell and back, together, with various hurdles in our lives. We've talked for hours on end over IM and on the phone. But this is the first time in four years that we'll be sitting in the same room dishin' it.
We pretty much don't have any plans except for making several Starbuck's runs and going out to lunch with Groove on my birthday. So, in the spirit of Sizzle and Karl's recent visit, I'm gonna jump on their idea of taking pics and open it up to ya'll -- tell me where you'd like to have pics of Stacie while she's hangin' here with me?
Yes. We actually went to the movies this weekend. Without the usual cajoling even. Why? Well, because WJ's friend who he wanted to have a playdate with this long weekend---no school last Friday and today---wanted to see TMNT. Not exactly on my list of recent releases to see, but I have to say it was pretty good.
Being the old fart that I am, I don't remember the original turtles much. Hell, that was 20 years ago and I was in college already. But I do remember the craze they caused with the kids. Every other kid on the block just had to be a TMNT for Halloween that year. I'm sure there'll be a similar wave a panic this year as parents knock each other over trying to get that last Leo or Raph costume because their kid just has to be one of the cool turtles or their life will simply come to an end and they'll die of embarassment.
Anyway, we met up with one of WJ's little friends and his mom, paid way too much for popcorn, and snuck our water in under his coat cuz I flat out refuse to pay $3.00 for a freakin' bottle of water. We put the boys in the two seats in front of us so they could yap and we could visit without having to talk over the top of them.
And the movie was actually entertaining. I am just amazed at the animation. It was this cross between regular cartoon animation, anime, and total reality. Seriously cool! Of course the storyline is the typical good vs. evil, so no surprises there. All in all, it was good. The kids had fun. And I didn't have to drag the boy kicking and screaming.
Did you see any movies this weekend? What's the last one you saw?
Don't worry. I'm not going to launch into singing The Rainbow Connection, Singing in the Rain, or Somewhere Over the Rainbow. And, really, this post has nothing to do with rain whatsoever. But since I brought it up, can I just say I'm really done. Done. As in truly ready for the sun to shine. All day. Every day.
Anyway, I digress. Do you remember I mentioned something about my dishwasher having issues? So, for awhile there I was putting a pie tin under the area the water was leaking off of, and it worked fine. When the technician came to fix my dryer last week, I asked about the dishwasher and he told me "buy a new one" because the cost of fixing the old one would be more. I figured I'd just run the old one until it died. Until Saturday. The leak, obviously getting worse, wasn't contained by the pie tin anymore and water flooded out all over my kitchen floor. Once again I was on the hunt for another appliance I can't afford to buy.
As if this wasn't bad enough I'd just come from having my oil changed to be told that my transmission fluid and power steering fluid were both showing extreme discoloration and burning. WTF? My car only has 37,800 miles on it and was in for the required 30,000 mile check to keep with the warranty. During that check, both of these fluids were supposed to be inspected and/or replaced. Well apparently my Ford dealer DIDN'T do that cuz there's no way in hell it could look as nasty as it does now in only 7,800 miles. So guess where I get to go tomorrow? The stupid Ford dealer. I'm gonna give them the big ass WTF in person and they'd better not give me any bull back or I might have to pull out the can of whoop ass.
Enter my rainbow connection. Not on the car. For the dishwasher. I was telling my friend C about my appliance disasters when she said, "Oh no! It's too bad I didn't know before. N & T (other friends of ours) just redid their kitchen and got all new appliances. But I'm sure their old ones are gone by now." We talked about other options and I told her I was planning on heading out later in the afternoon to hit the major four in our area--Costco, Best Buy, Home Depot and Lowes--after I finished my house cleaning. Before I even had the chance to finish, or leave the house, she called back.
C: "Stop shopping. I've got your dishwasher problem solved." Me: "I haven't even left yet. What?" C: "I just got off the phone with N and they still have their old dishwasher. You can have it for free!" Me: Beaming from ear to ear "OMG!! Are you serious?" C: "Yes!" Me: "OMG!!! OMG!! OMG!!!" C: "I'll help you pick it up since I have the truck, so the only thing you'll have to worry about is the installation." Me: Still beaming "OMG!! You rock!!!" C: "So come for poker tonight and arrange everything with N." Me: "Of course. OMG! You can't see me but my cheeks are hurting cuz I can't stop smiling." C: "I know. I hear it in your voice."
The crazy thing is C and I lost touch for awhile there for reasons that are irrelevant to this story. But I truly believe there are no coincidences in life. And this is one of those moments that confirms it for me. Oh! And in case this wasn't enough. Our other friend D has offered to install it for me. When he told me last night he said, "Why pay someone to do something friends can do for you for free."
OMG! Can I tell you how happy I am to have a computer that works. A quiet computer that works, even. No longer will you have to listen to me bitch and moan about it shutting down, freezing, or otherwise being a total PITA.
Hmm... guess I'll have to find something else to bitch and whine about now!
Okay, back to finishing my customizing and setting up.
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