yeah, it's been awhile!

I've been pinged by a few of you asking "Are you ever going to blog again?"

Well, it's not an original excuse, but it's the truth. I've been busy! Truly busy. Not too busy to keep reading everything all of you are writing about, and occasionally comment. Just too busy to give blogging any real thought.

I've noticed a few of you doing a meme that was started by Avitable, and that I found over at Kapgar's. Maybe this will get my juices flowing to start writing again since I really miss it.

Here's my take on things...

My favorite age: 40 – truly the best year of my life… so far!

My best friend: Stacie and Groove – sometimes they both know more about me than I know about me.

My celebrity crush: Sean Connery – yummy!

My defining characteristic: I’m told it’s my blue eyes.

My most evil moment: Do you think I’d honestly put that in writing? Those who were with me know, and they’ll never tell either.

My favorite food: That’s a hard one. If I had to pick only one I’d say enchiladas, but any and all pasta comes in close second.

My grossest injury: The bloodiest was when I sliced the tip of my finger off while shaving potatoes on a mandolin, but I think the bruise on my ass from slipping off the stairs going out my back door was the ugliest.

My biggest hatred: People who whine, ask for advice and then never do anything to help themselves.

My most illegal activity: I plead the 5th on this one.

My need for justice: What goes around, comes around.

My most knowledgeable field: Having fun!

My life's goal: To quote an unknown author, "Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference."

My mother's influence: Being inquisitive.

My nerdiest point: Having the clothes in my closet sorted and grouped by color.

My oldest memory: Coming home from my Grandmother’s house on Thanksgiving when I was 5 and finding that someone had broken in and turned the house “upside down” taking stuff. Didn’t sleep right for months.

My perfect date: Date? What’s that?

My unanswered question: Why with the power of the Death Star do we not have a tray that is fucking dry?

My random fact: I haven’t been on an airplane in over 4 years.

My stupidest decision: Quitting college to work full-time after getting my Associates degree.

My favorite television show: Survivor. Season premiere is tomorrow!

My style of underwear: VS thongs.

My favorite vegetable: Corn – any form – and tomatoes.

My weakest trait: I’m with Kevin on this one. Delegating tasks. I like to be in control.

My X-men power: I know nothing about X-men, so I had to look this one up. I’ll go with telekinesis like Jean Grey.

My strongest yearning: To live happy.

My moment of Zen: Relaxing with friends.

when the working day is done, oh girls... they wanna have fun

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!

he's done it again

Matt Harding, aka Dancing Matt, has done it again. He recently released his 2008 Dancing video which, in my opinion, is the best one yet. Check it out!



So now that his 2008 tour is over, Where The Hell is Matt?

F is for...

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!

surprise packages

I love getting presents! Especially surprise presents that come in the mail. There's nothing better than opening the mailbox to find a key to one of the bigger lock boxes and know you didn't order something, yet there's a box waiting for you. The kind that contain something personal - a luxury just for me. I had one of those surprise packages waiting for me yesterday. (I'm sure it was actually there on Thursday, but since I completely had the DAY FROM HELL that day, I never bothered to stop and check for mail.)

When we FINALLY got home last night after making countless stops to pick things up on the way home - trust me, DO NOT plan errand running on a Friday evening - I grabbed the mail, and my surprise package, unloaded the car, put everything away, checked email, and got on the phone. Never even opened the box. Yeah, I'm weird like that.

Around 8:30pm my mother calls. "Did you get the box I sent, or did the USPS lose it?"

I told her it was here but I hadn't opened it yet. She couldn't understand what in hell I was waiting for. Frankly, neither could I, but as I mentioned, I'm weird like that. So she pushes and says "Go open it now." {sigh} If I must.

Sometimes my mom's pushing and prodding drives me crazy but was I ever happy she pushed me to open the box. Take a look what was inside.....

My mom ROCKS!!! Buh-bye my old friends, you've been replaced.

slip slidin' away

I have no idea if this is actually going to post correctly or not. If it does, yay me! If not, a little later today I'll find somewhere to host the video and repost this.

This is our snow day today. Not much snow, but enough to get in a little sledding. I'm also going to update my Flickr site with the few pics I took. With any luck we'll get more tonight and be able to repeat today's (no school, no work) fun. Enjoy!

lovin' in the blogiverse

Tomorrow is Blog Crush Day. What's that you ask? I'll tell you.

The brainchild (or children in this case) of Blog Crush Day are Sizzle and Sandra and it's a day created as a way for bloggers to reveal their secret adoration for a fellow blogger.

I've spent the past week trying to narrow down my blog crush from the many super fantasic bloggers in the blogiverse and still haven't figured out who it is. I guess you'll just have to come back tomorrow to find out. *wink* And if you haven't figured out who your blog crush is yet, get on it. The clock's a tickin'!

fire and blood

I ran across this over at Groove's blog and just had to run it for myself. Besides, the coat of arms is just too cool to not share.

Your Score: House Targaryen

63% Dominant, 81% Extroverted, 81% Trustworthy

Ancient. Noble. Passionate to the point of insanity. Transcending lesser beings, you are of House Targaryen.

You are a dominant personality—in fact, you are the most dominant of all eight house types. You will not suffer yourself to be ignored. You will not suffer yourself to be ruled. The phrase "I will not suffer myself to _____!" was practically made for you. You are willful, arrogant, and exceedingly dangerous to screw with. With a temper like yours, anyone stupid enough to saunter into your line of fire won’t soon forget their mistake.

You are also extroverted, which means that everyone in the world knows exactly what your intentions are. Unlike your cohorts (who hide behind smiles and courtesies and court politics), you think of it as your birthright to come riding in on an enormous dragon, breathing fire and fucking your siblings. Hey, what you lack in subtlty, you make up in style!

Finally, you are trustworthy. Your absurd amounts of power and borderline psychosis are not used unjustly. Unlike many, your general aims are just and true. You we bred for rule, and the fact that you cannot rest until you are doing so is not your fault. If you make up your mind, it becomes reality. Never one for empty threats or vainglorious lies, you can only speak the truth. And the truth is "fire and blood."

Representative characters include: Daenerys Stormborn, Rhaegar Targaryen, and Viserys Targaryen

Similar Houses: Baratheon, Lannister,and Tully

Opposite House: Frey

When playing the game of thrones, you play it to the death.

they're back! the carnie adventures continue

It's that time of the year again. County fair time, that is. This year, however, was pretty uneventful compared to some of the freaks we encountered last year. Oh, we still saw plenty of them, just didn't have to listen to / talk to any of them. Unless you count the carnies.

Carnies are truly what makes a fair memorable for me. Apparently one felt the same way about me since each time we'd go to ride the ferris wheel he'd try to engage me in conversation by starting of with, "Ah, I see you're back again, fine lady." We had the wristbands, so we just kept making the circuit around and around and around the ride area.

Speaking of around and around, I have apparently become maladjusted to rides that move very quickly in a circular pattern. During one ride (can't remember the name of it) I nearly lost it until I realized if I closed my eyes (go figure!?) it made my spinning stop. The little man almost lost it on the Spider but held it together when I suggested he try the closing-the-eyes trick. Worked for him on there. So, we were relegated to the rides that either went in very slow circles (the merry-go-round and the ferris wheel) or those that took your breath away (the drop tower). Oh yeah! I made the kiddo go with me on that one. I thought he was gonna pee his pants. Best ride there by far.

We toured the animal pens, craft halls, and vendor exhibits, listened to a little bit of various musicans (but the rock 'n roll the carnies were blasting was by far the best music there), ate burgers and fries and ice cream (not all at the same time), and pretended to drive a city bulldozer and mower.

At the end of the long, hot day we got ourselves some tattoos. While WJ went for the football with flames, I opted for a little "peace" to be brought into my life. It was a hard call cuz "tranquility" was looking like a pretty good choice too.

A good time was had by all, and we bid the fair - along with its carnies, and freaks, and indigestion producing food, and make-you-want-to-lose-it rides - adieu for another year.

wednesday wrap-up (is there even a version anymore?)

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!

Cheers!!

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!