Happy (belated) Memorial Day

Get it?  Red, white and blue?
I'm all about the desserts.

I know this is a late post, but let me catch you up, briefly.

Saturday, sleeping in.  Morning walk.  To breakfast.  Then to the pet store for raw food and better kibble for the kitties.  Then carpooling with Steve, Stephanie and Isabella to Tacoma for our friend Morgan's "soft opening" of his new cafe.  Go Morgan!

And Saturday night, blah.

Sunday, cleaning.  Power walk to the farmer's market with Stephanie.  Briefly lose Stephanie and freak out.  Open houses with Stephanie.  Grocery shopping.  Miles over.  Kids retreat, grown ups watch Brothers.

A note about this movie - holy crap.  What a freakin' amazing film.  And the little girl who plays Isabelle steals the show.  Highly, highly recommended.  But you only need to watch it once.  Whew.

Monday, big breakfast.  Crepes, berries and bacon.  Yum.  Then Kayleigh wanted to make cookies.

A note about Kayleigh and her cookies - this girl is not deterred.  If I have to do more than throw shit in a bowl and mix it up, I don't make the cookies. Too difficult.  Too much effort.  But Kayleigh picks out a recipe that looks yummy and without bothering to read the entire instructions, declares these are the cookies we are making!

Then we start and as we read the instructions, we see the dough needs to chill for two hours.  D'oh!  That is not a step you can skip.  I learned that during Cookie Fiasco 2006.  Okay, so we chill the dough.  Then you roll the dough in to balls, make a dent in them, bake them, the pour the melted caramels and whipping cream into the dents.

Wait.  We have to melt caramels with whipping cream?  Have you ever tried to manage melted caramels?  Pain in the tushy.

But totally worth it.

Those cookies are amazing. 

Then Lydia came over, I made homemade lasagna, and we watched some Buffys (Buffies?).

And then, some Tom cuddling.

A happy long weekend, indeed.

Random Thoughts

For some reason, rolling my jeans up so that some ankle shows instantly makes any outfit a summer outfit. Even if I’m still wearing my hoodie and sneakers.

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How hard is it to raise your hand and wave as a thank you when I let you in front of me?

I don’t have to let these people in front of me every morning. I could be a bitch like most everyone is to me and speed up so they can’t get in front of me. Because you just KNOW that if I do that I will make to work much faster than that jackass who wanted in front of me.

Come on, people. I’m just as cranky as you are about having to drive to work every morning. But be a sport and show me a simple sign of gratitude with your little hand in the air. It will make me smile and I’d do the same for you.

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I laughed out loud when I saw this:

And then thought, damn I need a haircut.
It’s too long. I want it shorter.

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I also laughed out loud when I saw this:

And then I thought, damn, I’m fat.

I have gained a noticeable amount of weight in the last year. Happiness and all, I guess. Gotta work on that.  Not the happiness part.  But the constant celebration of my much deserved happiness.  However, that doesn't really seem fair, now does?  I worked hard for this happiness!  I should be able to celebrate with sweets and alcohol!  All the freakin' time!

Sigh.

Maybe a kickboxing class?

Maybe not shoveling Napoleon ice cream, birthday cake, chocolate of all varieties, work doughnuts and my newest love, fried bananas into my face 11 months out of the year?

Yes, how about we start there?

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A large number of my friends are pregnant right now. Therefore, I am not drinking the water. Period.

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We’re coming up on a long weekend. And believe it or not, Todd and I have one firm plan down on the calendar. And even that is kind of flexible.

I’m not complaining. Really. Just reveling in the fact. That’s all.

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I have “I wanna go home to the Armadillo…..” stuck in my head.

If you live in Texas, you know the song.

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I get to sleep in three days in a row. 
I am giddy.

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And finally, a new want:

From Staples.  They have them in pink, too.  My new laptop needs a cushy home when I travel.

Because you know I do that so much now.

Weekend Update - The Productive and the Lazy

Friday night, we were Kayleighless, but we still ordered pizza and watched the animated Justice League, and then An Education. An Education is a wonderful movie that I'd never heard of.  I love surprises like that.  I highly recommend it.

On Saturday, as mentioned on Mighty Tidy, we spent the afternoon at Ann and Doug's, organizing.  Tyler went with us and played video games all day, while Kayleigh was with Lydia.  So everyone was happy.

Once home, we watched a few episodes of Dexter.  That's a neat show.  Dexter is a serial killer, but he only kills bad people.  And he conveniently works for the police department, so he knows who the bad guys are.  Twisted?  Yes.  But it makes for good TV.

And then Todd's head cold really kicked into high gear, so he pretty much passed out while I waited up on Kayleigh.

I think yesterday wore me out completely because I slept until 11am (after getting up at 8am to feed the cats) and didn't get out of my jammies all day.  Todd feels like absolute crap today, so he Kayleigh and I have laid around in the living room watching TV and cuddling with the kitties.  We did shower this evening, and I ran out to pick up some take out, but other than that, I have been extremely unproductive.  Blah.

Here's hoping I can muster some energy this week to do the chores I should have done today.  And if I don't, oh well.  Life goes on.

I can't decide if this new blasé attitude is a good thing or not...

I Think My iPod is Dying and My Heart is Going to Explode

Those two statements are not related.

But I am very sad about my iPod. I got it in 2006, and I hear the Nanos only last about four years, so it makes sense that it’s time to replace it. I have a 4GB right now, so I’m thinking I may upgrade to a 16GB. Those hold 4000 songs. Wow.

And yes, I consider my iPod a necessity. That’s all I listen to in my car, and at work, and when I jog.

BWHAHAHA

I don’t jog.

But I walk semi-briskly, so the iPod comes in handy for that, as well.

And regarding my exploding heart, CB begged me, BEGGED me to go to Starbucks with her this morning. And since I’m insecure and will give into peer pressure just so people will like me, I went. I had already finished my one (big tumbler) cup of coffee and really didn’t need anything else, but how to do you go to a coffee shop and NOT get coffee? I asked her if she thought my heart would explode if I got a big ass latte and she assured me I would be fine.

I am seriously doubting her right now.

Happy Friday!

Quick Weekend Update

We haven't had a weekend this jam packed full of goodness in months!

After Aloha Friday, my hubby picked me up from work and we headed to Jamie's new pad for an Art Walk Cocktail (couple of) hour(s).  It was lovely.  And there was lovely champagne.

We got home in time to still order pizza and watch Avatar.  Tyler and I hadn't seen it yet.  It was okay.  Kind of like FernGully on steroids.  It's the same story - big bad bulldozers come in and tear up the beautiful forest.  Poo.  There were interesting aspects of the story.  But I don't need to see it again.

Saturday, we were up bright and early to be picked up by Steve and Stephanie for the University District Street Fair.  Steve's old band played at 10am and then Thornton Creek played at noon.  At the SAME stage.  Which meant we didn't have to leave the comfort of our little corner.  Love it!  That's the only way to do the street fairs.  I can't handle the crowds.  All of the Millers were there, even Steve's mom.  Everyone hugged everyone, and at one point, I said to Todd "Little did you know, when you married me, you got the Marshes AND the Millers!"  I'm so glad he likes them and they like him.

And after the street fair, back home to finish up the yard work that Tyler started (he was off with Miles, downtown, seeing Iron Man 2).  And boy howdy, it was hot.  After mowing some edges, weed eating, trying to edge, sweeping up and then moving planters, I was just done. 

Oh, but the fun's not over yet!!

After cleaning myself up and tidying up and running to the grocery store, Lydia arrived, then Miles and Tyler got home, then Steve and Steph came back over for dinner and to watch Hedwig and the Angry Inch.  Steph hadn't seen it.  EVERYONE needs to see that movie.

And then, exhaustion and bed.

Sunday!  Off to Bellingham to celebrate May birthdays!

We hung out Todd's whole family for the afternoon, and had awesome ribs and chicken and potato salad and then homemade ice cream with strawberries and angel food cake.  Yeah, baby.  And once home...um... I really can't remember.  We had tortellini, I remember that part.

And then Monday.  Tyler's 16th birthday.  And Todd gave himself a concussion.

It was an eventful day.

Aloha Friday, Indeed!

Well, the cube looks fantastic!

And my co-workers’ cube looks fantastic! Oh, they put on a good show about being annoyed, but I think they like it. People are coming by to see what all the hubbub is about. We’re a quite a hit.  I even covered up the Polynesian guy's nipples.  Because I didn't think that would be appropriate for work.

I have on a very summery dress and it’s supposed to hit 70 degrees today and FINALLY it feels like summer.

Happy Friday!

I Am Oozing With Spirit

It's 5pm and I'm still at work.
But I'm done working.

Now I'm decorating.  Tomorrow is Aloha Friday.  We get to wear Hawaiian shirts.  Yippee.
But you know Rae-rae can't stop with Hawaiian shirts.  Oh no.

I have three grass table skirts.  And mini candle tiki torches.  And tiki cups.  And leis.  And palm tree lights.  And a cardboard Polynesian guy.  Hawt.

Mr. Cranky Non-Decorating Co-Worker will be ELATED to discover that I have decorated his cube, too!  Somehow I ended up with a 30 foot green grass skirt in my arsenal.  It fits along three walls of the uber cube he shares with Matabulor (herein known as Kermit - he's a green dude).  Fantastic.

I will bring my camera tomorrow and take photos.
You will be pleased.

Weekend Update

It  was a beautiful weekend here in Seattle.  Blue skies, 60 degrees, slight breeze.  If it was 10 degrees warmer, it would have been just perfect.

Friday night, the hubby and I attended the premiere of Star Trek Phoenix.  It was far from glamorous.  I should just leave it at that.  But Trish and Dan came too, so it was good to see them.  And afterwards, we walked down to the Icon Grill and had some cocktails.  So, a good night indeed.

Saturday, I got up and had breakfast with Stephanie down at Alki Cafe.

Love Alki Cafe.  Afterwards we went to get a mani and a pedi.  Well, I got the mani, she got the pedi.  She goes to a place in the Junction that's super cheap.  My mani was a mere $10.  And it's actually pretty good.  The paint hasn't even chipped yet.  I may have to go back there.  At $10, I can afford to actually maintain my nails.  Huh.

After Steph and I split, I went home to start cleaning for Todd's Rock Band Birthday gathering.  Then there was a store run, then preparing food.  Then time for guests.

And Steve came over.  Quite the shindig.  I think Mother's Day weekend was just a bad weekend to plan a party.  So next year, we'll celebrate the weekend before Mother's Day.

But we had fun with Steve.

And Sunday was Iron Man 2.  Woohoo!

But first, it was Mother's Day.  Todd gave me a lovely card and a cute pad of paper in pretty green tin, and Kayleigh gave me a card that said "Only a mother as fabulous as you could have a daughter as fabulous as me."  I told Todd, I may have had some help with her fabulousness.

Now, the movie.  I have to say, Iron Man is one of my very favorite movies.  Robert Downey Jr is just so good and the chemistry everyone has is so good and the writing is very quick and funny.  I just love it.  And Iron Man 2 was just as good.  I was sad when it was over (except I had to pee really, really bad so it was actually good that it ended when it did.  Or we would have had a problem).

After Iron Man 2 was lunch at Mama's Mexican Kitchen (yummy!) and then back home to bask in the sunshine for two hours and read my book.  I also chatted with our neighbor for a bit and got to see inside her house.  Always fun.

And later, some TV and kitty time.  They are the cutest putties ever.

Except one of the putties has been peeing on the bathroom rug.  I finally washed the rugs on Saturday, and about 10 minutes after I put it back down on the bathroom floor, there was a pee spot.  I think the static electricity startled one of them, and they accidentally peed.  So we washed the rug again, and again, about 10 minutes after putting it back down, there was another pee spot.  Same place.  So I'm guessing maybe the same one smelled the pee (even though the rug was clean) and peed there again.

Sound feasible?  Any thoughts?

In any event, it's a good thing they're cute, huh?

Random Thoughts

Or, I Hate Blogger.

No, I don’t hate Blogger. It just bugs me. Actually, it embarrasses me because it is one of the easiest blogger sites to use and I yet I still can’t do it without screwing up and deleting a very long and funny post when I try to insert a picture.

Sigh.

So, I have to retype the whole damn thing. I don’t know if I can recreate the funny.

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Yesterday, we went out to Pegasus for Todd’s birthday. We were going to be good and cook dinner, but we forgot to lay out the strip steak and we were tired so we took that as a sign to go out.

We came home to eat the cakes that Kayleigh and I had made the night before. Two cakes. Because the birthday boy likes the coconut icing that you put on German chocolate cakes, but the kids don’t. So, two cakes.

And notice my creativity there. I had bought a 4 candle and a 2 candle, but when I went to put them on the cake, the 2 was broken. So I used two single candles. Yes, there’s math involved, but it wasn’t too painful.

Get it? Too? 2?

I’m so funny.

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This weekend is Todd’s birthday celebrations, Rock Band gathering Saturday night and Iron Man 2 at the Cinerama on Sunday, followed by a late lunch at Mama’s Mexican Kitchen.

However, when planning this a month ago, I failed to remember that Sunday is Mother’s Day. So it looks like I’ll be staring at Robert Downey Jr for Mother’s Day. Which ain’t so bad.

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You know what I like to do to really depress myself?

Look at million dollar homes on Windermere.com.

But then I make myself feel better by critiquing them. Pink walls? Who told them that was a good idea?

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I no longer wear my nose ring.

Well, I can’t actually get my nose ring in now.

I took it out because of all the sinus issues and it was just getting in the way, and I just ended up leaving it out. When I tried to put it back in a few days ago, I couldn’t. The hole has closed up. And I’m okay with that.

It’s much easier to blow my nose now.

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Tonight Todd and I are attending the Star Trek Phoenix premiere. Some local people that Todd knows have done a fan film, so we have to go hobnob. And I get to be arm candy on the big Director’s arm.

It’s all very glamorous.

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And now, I’ll leave you with a picture of Tom, which I have titled:

Exactly When Will You Be Petting Me?

How Many Fingers Am I Holding Up?

Yesterday started out as a very relaxing, productive day. I slept in until 9:30am, and awoke to coffee and cinnamon rolls. The girls and Tyler had left for church (I kid you not. They were stalking a boy). Then Ron came over and he and Todd went out to the cottage (I’ve decided I don’t like the term “shack”) to work on some stuff.

So I found myself alone. In my own house. Gasp.

I turned on the radio and started going through my box of books. I sifted through some other boxes, and then started some laundry. Ron left, so Todd came in and started helping with the sorting. Then I decided I needed to scoop the litter box since Elvis has no clue how to cover his poop, even though he scratches at the walls of the litter box for 10 minutes.

And it was here that my day so abruptly turned sour.

I was bent over, pouring more litter into the litter box, and when I stood up, my head went directly into the underside of the white cabinet hanging on the wall.

And, oh my gawd, I swear I saw stars.

I yelled and Todd came running and he checked for blood, but I hadn’t caught the corner – just the flat bottom. So, no blood. But one helluva sore spot.

The rest of day, I was a little off. A bit dizzy, a bit of a headache, a bit fuzzy. And while we were sitting eating dinner, the neck and back ache started. I think I just jammed or jarred my entire back. I laid on ice the rest of the night and took some Advil before bed.

Today isn’t too bad. My back is still sore between my shoulder blades, but at least my head doesn’t hurt and I’m not really dizzy.

I can only imagine how productive I could have been had it not been for the bonk.

Dammit.

Saturday Night with the Downings

After a semi productive day that was finely balanced between loafing around and running errands, we made spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread for dinner. Kayleigh's friend Lydia is over for the night and brought Dawn of the Dead, so we decided to actually eat dinner at the table before watching the zombies getting their heads blown up.

I was pleasantly surprised. It's actually a good horror movie. Not just gory. Despite the fact that I was wrapped up in Todd's arm the whole time. And, of course, the kids loved it.

After the movie, we broke out dessert.


I forget who makes them, but we found these cute little premade graham cracker crusts in a tin, six to a package. So we made some chocolate pudding and some vanilla pudding and topped if off with half of a strawberry. Yummy poo, let me tell ya.

After dessert, we watched Fanboys again, to cleanse our pallet after the gore. It's a very funny movie.

And then the girls said "What are we going to do now?" which spurred me to be a cool mom and build a fort.



It's a simple fort. I'm out of practice.

And now, bedtime. And tomorrow?
Nada. Absolutely nothing.

Yeah, let's see how long THAT lasts.

I'm Down In A Hole

I have Gillian’s Welch’s song “Miner’s Refrain” stuck in my head. Actually, just the “I’m down in a hole” part. I couldn’t even remember what the song was, I had to Google the line.

I’m blue today. It took herculean effort to get out of bed this morning – albeit, late and with Tom laying on my head - and I still haven’t snapped out of it.

I don’t get this way much anymore. Either I’m very happy with my life, I’m keeping busy enough that I don’t have time to get this way, or the pretty pink pills are actually working. However, nothing seems to be working today. I don’t know how it long will last, or what will make it better. I just know that I don’t like this feeling.

I just want to sleep until it goes away.

Yes, I am kitteh kitteh.

Yes, I am.

Tom Time

Or, kitteh got back!

Also, notice the dawn simulator on my nightstand. Big ass bright light, and I can STILL sleep through it. I am awesome.

Flirtini Hell

So, I got a little overzealous with the flirtinis. My new medicated system ain't used to the flirtinis. And I was reminded of that at midnight last night.

Shoot me.

I guess I'm just not that young 34 year old I was last month. Can't do the party thing on a random Tuesday night.

Sigh.

It's hell gettin' old.

Weekend Update

Gavin came over for Friday night movies and pizza. He brought over Repo! The Genetic Opera. The only thing that made me sit down to watch this movie was the fact that it had Anthony Stewart Head (Giles from Buffy) and Paris Hilton in it. It was sick, but good. And Paris has found her calling as a selfish, vain, singing tramp. She was great.

Then Gavin and Todd did some brotherly bonding and watched the Red Dwarf movie while I curled up in the bedroom and reconciled the checking accounts. Fun stuff.

Saturday, Todd and I were up and out early to get coffee and do a little shopping. I needed vacuum cleaner and bags and there is one store that sells them (or I could order them from Amazon, but I like going into the vacuum cleaner store and oogling the new vacuums).

Then back home to be domestic. I think I cleaned. Oh, and we did a big grocery shopping trip. That’s right.

Then dinner, then a movie. Tyler was sleeping and Kayleigh had a friend over and Zadra her cousin was visiting for a while, so the girls holed up in K’s room to be girls, and Todd and I watched Humpday.

Excellent movie. And almost entirely improvised. The director gave them the gist of the scene and the actors talked. It was very natural and very funny.

And then, bed.

Sunday, we woke up relatively early to make pancakes and bacon. And on a whim, I called Stephanie and Steve to see if they wanted to come over for breakfast. They weren’t home, so I left a message, but a few minutes later, Steph called back and asked, “Is the offer still good?!”

So, they came over for coffee and pancakes and just hung out for a couple of hours. The men talked about the wireless set up and Todd’s broken guitar and Steph and I went out to the cottage to start organizing the storage room. When they had to leave, Todd joined me, and we were most productive. We moved things from the house out there, and some things back into the house. We’re still just trying to figure out what things we’ll need to access semi-regularly and what things can be packed back into a corner.

However, we now have more crap in the dining room than we did before Sunday. How did that happen?

Anywho, we brought ourselves to a halt early and made a Target run for some supplies. And new shower liners for the claw foot tub. This time we got linen liners. Now I can just wash them when they start to get yucky, rather than throwing them away and buying new ones. The shower looks like it has actual curtains now! I don’t think we need to get decorative curtains. I think the liners are fine. Simple.


We still need to paint that white splotch behind the shower. One day.

That evening, Todd made the best dinner yet. Pork chops.

Before you start with me, mother, these were not the kind of pork chops you used to make for dad. Those were tiny. And dry. And crispy. I liked the ones with the bones, the ones before the tiny ones. But these that Todd made were big and plump and he used molasses or brown sugar or something and good gawd, they were yummy.

We also had baked potatoes (which are great if you load them up with sour cream, cheese and bacon bits. Which I did. Twice. Because once you eat the top layer off, you just got potato. And that bores me.) and green beans. Home cookin’! In my own home!

Because my husband cooked.
I’m a bad wife.

While we ate, we watched Mrs. Brown. Great movie. Dame Judi Dench as Queen Victoria and Billy Connolly as one of her personal servants. They are both such incredible actors, you’re just sucked in and right there with them.

And then, bed.
Ahhhh…..

And this evening, I am having flirtinis and sushi with Jamie, whom I haven't seen for a few months. Funny how life kind of gets away from you sometimes. I am very much looking forward to talking about shoes and undies while having 'tinis. Yum.

SAVE THE DOGGIES!

I have accidentally created a problem for myself.

I saw this story and video on Komo4 this morning, and just about teared up. A German Shepherd leads police to a house fire through winding country roads.

I LOVE THE DOGGIES. LOVE ‘EM.

When they’re not biting me.

(Yes. A 100lb chow. When I was 14. And I have the scars to prove it.)

Anywho, after seeing this story, I tortured myself by going over to craigslist (we love craigslist!) and looking for a German Shepherd. Because our little 940 square feet main house, with four people and two spastic cats just isn’t full enough!

Listed in the Pets section of craigslist was an posting for the Northwest German Shepherd Rescue (that's where these pictured doggies are from).

Oh, kill me now. Such pretty puppies. And some of them are older, which is just heartbreaking. I want an older dog who just wants to lay at me feet and take slow walks around the block. I don’t have the energy for a young, active dog, but I’d love to take care of an older one. Give him a home to just curl up in.

I emailed mom and told her she and dad needed a couple of these for their three acres. She said Goober is already enough responsibility. She can’t just pick up and take off because the damn cat won’t eat dry food – only nice, fancy stuff – so he needs to be fed while they’re gone.

(Well, whose fault is that, mother?)

So, I can’t adopt the doggies. And mom and dad can’t adopt the doggies.

Can you adopt the doggies? The poor doggies need homes!

Please?! THINK OF THE DOGGIES!

Birthday Vacation

We were uber productive yesterday!

We we made a quick run down to Southcenter (after some bigass lattes), then back home to get the cottage cleaned up and ready for Gordon and Heather, who were coming up for Heather's surprise birthday trip. We put the rug down, crammed everything in the storage room, stocked the kitchen with teas and dishes, and set up the little basket with the lotions and soaps in the bathroom. By 4:30pm we were all done, and got cleaned up and ready for dinner.

We had a splendid dinner at Wild Ginger, then saw Florence and the Machine at the Showbox. It was an all ages show, so Kayleigh joined us and stated afterward, "That was the best concert EVER!" And this is the girl who saw the Police as her very first concert. Quite a statement.

Florence has the pipes:



And the stage presence:



She's tiny and 24 years old. I hate her.
But I love her.

This morning, we got up and went to brunch with Gordon and Heather, who met us at the Florence show, down at the Alki Cafe. Afterwards, they went off to do their own thing, and Todd and I first hit the Seattle Schools enrollment center, then headed on to Crate and Barrel to spend some gift cards. We ended up with new, matching white bowls and a couple of lovely wine racks to go in the new barmoire.

This afternoon, Todd got the stemware racks in and the barmoire set up, while I went off to get a birthday manicure. And this evening, Tyler went off to a movie with Miles and to stay the night so Todd, Kayleigh and I watched New Moon and mocked it the whole way through. Fantastic.

And then, poopedness. It's time for bed.

But tomorrow is a special birthday guitar night at Steve and Stephanie's!

I must wear my tiara.

Happy Birthday To Me!

My sweetie pie woke me up this morning with a card and a gift certificate to Head to Toe (he helped my folks too, who also sent me a gift certificate from there).

Then my buddy CB texted to say happy birthday and that she would pick me up. Well, okay fine. We made a quick trip to Metropolitan Market, where she made me pick out a cake and then a flower. She said, "Just act like you're not with me.....which cake do you want?" She's so sweet.

And my co-worked who hates decorating baked me chocolate chip cookies. And then CB and I went out to lunch. A good day, indeed.

Nothing much went on this evening. Except I get the next two days off. And since we're going out to dinner and a show tomorrow, we're just staying in and going to bed early tonight.

That's never a bad thing.

Weekend Update – HGTV Edition

I had the best weekend.

Aside from Friday night, when I had a tender spot on my back, right at my spine, that felt like a severe bruise but there was no bruise, and a sore spot on my stomach wall that had me checking myself for a hernia, and a headache that just made me want to hole up in a dark room.

But I persevered and we went over to Trish and Dan’s for movie night. This movie night, however, was research. We watched Ogre and Ice Spiders. They were both very bad Syfy “horror” movies with horrible acting and atrocious special effects. But Dan and Todd, being directors, writers and producers wanted to dissect these things for educational purposes, so we sat and laughed and mocked them until the bitter end.

The movies. Not Dan and Todd.

Home, then bed.

On Saturday, we were up bright and early to begin the cottage (cosmetic) renovation. Though, Todd has taken to calling the cottage “The Shack” so from henceforth, that is how it will be referenced.

We made a numbered errand list, then ran around getting paint (tannish), supplies (Goodwill! Who knew?!) and lunch (Mickey D’s – a special treat). Then, it was time to work.

We got three fourths of the living room/front room painted (two coats! Hands, OW!), and even had a visit from Mr. Sparky’s to write up a bid for the rewire. That won’t be happening any time soon, but it is inevitable.

Saturday night, we had tacos and watched a Buffy episode. But then it was too late for a movie, so we watched our rough disk of wedding pictures that Ron had just delivered on the big TV. Kayleigh had a friend over, so she drew my portrait while we sat around. It was a fun night.

Sunday, up early, but not as early because Saturday kicked our ass. We got the remaining portion of the living room painted, then got the boxes down out of the attic and the six tool boxes out of the pantry and moved them into the storage room. Todd spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking his office and I started organizing the storage room (and consolidating the six toolboxes). We now have some dishes for the kitchen, the shower curtain is up, and there are magnets on the fridge. It’s beginning to look homey.

We’ll wait to paint the kitchen. It’s white (instead of mint green, like the living room) so it’s just fine for now. But eventually, it will be a nice warm gold.

Sunday night, we slacked and had hot dogs for dinner, while we watched a little more Buffy, then I got my second wind and polished up our armoire that we got out of storage, which will soon become our barmoire. Of course, we’ll take pics when it’s finished. We also got my big mirror and a framed print hung up in the new bar corner, which means we’re just about done with that area.

Then at 9pm, my back said “Absolutely no more!” so I did my paraffin dip on my hands, showered and curled up for some laptop time and reading, while Todd got in some Champions with his buds. It’s funny, “reading time” to Tom means curling up on my neck and falling asleep, so that was a nice way to end the day.

And then I woke up late today. Slept right through the dawn simulator, and I forgot to ask Todd to set his alarm last night.

I’m taking Thursday (hopefully) and Friday (definitely) off, so I just need to make it through three days. And today is halfway over already!

The Evolution of an Organizing Junkie

I've gotten (another) wild hair and started a second blog.

Mighty Tidy.

Some of you may recognize this name - it was my cleaning business years ago. But I thought it would be a good title for a blog about organizing and cleaning and all things neurotic. Like me!

I'll still blog here about family stuff and stupid stuff and shoes, but I wanted to have a focus blog, as well. And it's something else for you to read at work!

Enjoy!

Miner's Prayer

When the whistle blows each morning
And I walk down in that cold, dark mine
I say a prayer to my dear Savior
Please let me see the sunshine one more time

When oh when will it be over
When will I lay these burdens down
And when I die, dear Lord in heaven
Please take my soul from 'neath that cold dark ground

I still grieve for my poor brother
And I still hear my dear old mother cry
When late that night they came and told her
He'd lost his life down in the Big Shoal Mine

When oh when will it be over
When will I lay these burdens down
And when I die, dear Lord in heaven
Please take my soul from 'neath that cold dark ground

I have no shame, I feel no sorrow
If on this earth not much I own
I have the love of my sweet children
An old plow mule, a shovel and a hoe

When oh when will it be over
When will I lay these burdens down
And when I die, dear Lord in heaven
Please take my soul from 'neath that cold dark ground

Yeah, when I die, dear Lord in heaven
Please take my soul from 'neath that cold dark ground

Exhausting Weekend Update

We are now two storage units and $200 lighter a month! Or would $200 be “heavier”? In any event, can I get a woohoo!?

Our tenant moved out of the cottage last week, so Saturday the hubby and I, along with help from Michael and Tim, rented a U-Haul and emptied the two storage units we had, on of which since July. It was four hours of heavy lifting and grunting and sneezing, but oh so worth it.

Now we have a cottage full stuff that needs organized! And we’ll need to paint! And we bought curtain rods so we’ll need to buy curtains! Oh, and get it rewired! And get the posts underneath leveled! And replace the roof that had a leak and now has a sagging bulge sutured with painters tape! And we get to replace the shower, bathroom vanity, stove, kitchen cabinets and heaters!

In other words, we have a new project.

Which means Rae-rae is a happy girl!!

After doddling until late Sunday morning (because we were sore from Saturday) we finally got cleaned up and ready to head out to shop for some basics. And in the midst of getting ready, I found $275 worth of gift cards in the bottom of my underwear drawer! I thought I had lost these! I was writing thank you notes, and feeling so guilty because I would never get to use these beautiful cards.

But, luckily, our laundry situation got so bad that the cards emerged from their hiding place. It was then I remembered that I had put the cards there before we left for our honeymoon. To keep them safe. Ha!

Our new found shopping energy was squashed, however; Target, Staples, and Goodwill were closed for Easter. Thank goodness for Bed Bath and Beyond and Home Depot. We were still able to get some basic items for the cottage – new padlock for the front door, shower curtain liner, hotpot, garment rack for costumes.

And after a quick lunch, we dove in. I organized the back storage room, Todd put on the new front door knob and deadbolt. Kayleigh even came out and sorted through her nine bags of stuffed animals (NINE GARBAGE BAGS OF STUFFED ANIMALS – do not buy her any more stuffed animals) into a keep pile and a give-a-way pile.

I haven’t mentioned the kids until now because they had been at Norwescon since Thursday morning. Well, they came home Thursday night, went straight to bed, then went back Friday and stayed the night with Gavin and Michelle in their hotel room. We finally saw them Saturday night, and we had some quality family time with fried bananas, the X Files movie and some mother daughter bonding while Kayleigh braided and pinned up my hair.


They were scheduled to go back Sunday, but Tyler never woke up (until that afternoon) and Kayleigh actually seemed relieved Todd said Gavin couldn’t come get them. I think three 10 hour days of volunteering at a con was enough. They did good.

And to celebrate our child free Friday night, Todd and I had dinner at Chandler’s, thanks to some Christmas gift cards from Doug and Ann, then came home to watch Men Who Stare at Goats, and make out on the couch. Gasp!

Yes, we know how to live it up.

Peace Love and Fireworks

I don't much care for 4th of July fireworks, except for the ones my brother sets off in the cornfield in West Virginia, as he's cursing under his breath, with a lit cigarette dangling from his lips.

The big production here, that happens at over Lake Union, is a little too loud and they go on a little too long and it's normally pretty chilly by the time they start and I'm just ready to go to bed. I've gone to Gas Works Park a few times and watched them, but that was enough. I'm good now.

Well, this year the fireworks were cancelled. Washington Mutual was the sponsor for eight years after they went under, the company who puts on the display couldn't find a sponsor. No one was willing to foot the bill - $500,000. And people were upset. Because, apparently, they actually like the fireworks.

So Tom Douglas and Dave Ross challenged local business to pledge money, to keep the fireworks going. And whadya know? A day later, the $500,000 goal was reached.

Starbucks and Microsoft were a huge driving force, each pledging $125,000. And Nordstrom donated $25,000 and Renton Concrete Recyclers donated $2,000 and a woman named Heidi donated $1,500. You can see the whole list here.

I am tickled.

No, I don't care if the fireworks happen or not, but I'm tickled that those people who do love the fireworks (and have the money) stepped up to ensure they happen. They didn't sit by bitching and moaning about there's not going to be any fireworks, and that just sucks and why doesn't someone do something?!

They made it happen. A bunch of people and businesses came together, gave some money and now they get their fireworks.

I think that's beautiful.

I won't get to see these lovefest fireworks because we'll be in West Virginia on the 4th, but I'm happy for my fellow Seattlites. You guys rock.

LATTELATTECAKELATTE

As if getting a 16oz latte with CB at 2pm wasn’t bad enough she then comes over to my cube with a BIGASS piece of white cake with lots and lots of frosting and says “You should go get some!” knowing that I have absolutely no willpower in the afternoon and will do anything for a sugar or caffeine rush just get until 4pm so of course I go and get a piece of cake out of the kitchen but getting a piece isn’t enough I have to get a CORNER PIECE (more frosting) and one with the big purple flower on it (even more frosting) and now I’ve finished my latte AND my piece of frosting and oh my gawd my eyes are buzzing in their sockets and my teeth are sore and my tummy hurts but MAN ALIVE I am chipper and I fear for Todd when I get home because inevitably I will crash from this fiasco.

B R E A T H E

I think I need water.

Random Thoughts

The inside of my nose is so sore, I can’t even wear my nose ring. And that’s okay. I think it may be time to phase it out (shut up, mom). I’ve had it for 10 years. I think I got my money’s worth.

Wait. I didn’t pay for it. A girlfriend did. As my birthday present.

So, yeah. I may be over it.

**********

For those of you who aren’t on Facebook, my car was “broken into” over the weekend. Well, I accidentally left it unlocked, so there was no “breaking”. They just went through my glove box, went through my console. That’s about it. Took my bigass black Chevron $10 sunglasses. Big deal. They may have taken my good sunglasses, too. I can’t find them. But that’s nothing new.

Anyway, there was really nothing else to take. I’d brought my cd case into the house a few weeks ago because I listen to my iPod all the time now. And I’m not stupid enough to leave my iPod in the car. Or anything else for that matter. So, while it’s a little creepy, it ain’t no big thang. I’m just glad there’s no damage.

**********

Dawn simulator update – a waste of money.

I am completely sleeping through the bright light in my face now. Todd has started setting his alarm again for 6:35am and that’s pretty much what I’m waking up to.

But the simulator makes for a nice, soft nightlight, so after about 20 years, I’ll have gotten my money’s worth.

**********

I got my blood panel results. Everything is normal. Except my “good” cholesterol. It’s very low. How does that happen? What exactly does your “good” cholesterol do?

I was telling Kim-n-Tim this a couple of weeks ago, and Tim had the same problem. Low good cholesterol. And his doctor suggested alcohol (I love his doctor!) and almonds. So, I’ve started having a small glass of wine every few days (and sometimes tequila….ahem…) and I have almonds at work now.

But my thyroid was normal, so that made my therapist happy. And I’m taking iron regularly now so we can rule out any physical conditions that would cause me to be fatigued. Must all be mental. Good thing I’m in therapy.

**********

Our buddy Kyle and his girlfriend came over for dinner last night. I, of course, made my veggie enchiladas. And of course, they were impressed. But I told Kyle, next time he comes over for dinner, Todd will have to cook because I have already cooked my two impressive meals for him – the enchiladas and the coconut basmati rice with gingered greens.

I’m out.

But Todd! He made fried bananas for dessert (because you gotta love a theme dinner!) They were freakin’ incredible. I’ve never had fried bananas before, but they were super easy (dip the bananas in pancake batter and fry, top with cinnamon and vanilla ice cream) and super yummy.

I love my husband. He is an amazing cook. He whips up fried rice when we have nothing else in the house, and he made this cheesy pasta dish last week that fantastic – with cream cheese! Who knew!

And since I love to clean, we have a very balanced system.

**********

Tyler (and Kayleigh) got a wild hair yesterday and completely purged and cleaned his room. And if I’m telling you that it’s clean, you know it’s clean. Holy crap. He moved his bed, took out a couple of bags of garbage, a bag of Goodwill donations, did some laundry and actually put sheets on his bed.

Todd emailed me and asked me to check to see if hell was freezing over where I was.

**********

I kneed Todd in the butt the other night. In my sleep.

I turned over onto my stomach (which is bad for my back, I know) and cranked my left knee up and WHAM, my knee went right into is ass. Guess I was a little closer to him than I thought.

I immediately woke up and sputtered, very sleepily, “Sorry….sorry…”, then promptly fell back asleep.

We have all kinds of night time stories.

**********

Why don’t people at work understand that when you finish washing dishes with the sponge you MUST rinse all of the soap out of the sponge? ALL OF IT? Why is this so hard? Wasn’t this something we were all taught growing up? If you don’t get all of the soap out, the sponge goes bad so much quicker. JUST RINSE IT OUT!

**********

And lastly, boots:

(For the Mrs. Clause in you. I may have to save up for these....)

(For the Scotsman (or Scotswoman) in you.)

Sigh. I love boots.

I Am Not A Number!

So, I filled out our census. Or, as I called it a few days ago, in my half asleep state, the concensus.

Anywho, I was all gung ho to be counted as an American! Land of the free, bitches! USA! USA!

I started reading the directions aloud to the family. Todd was sitting at his computer, Kayleigh was at the dinner table drawing the Seattle skyline and Tyler was in the leather chair playing Super Mario on the DS. All the while, the cats were body slamming each other in the middle of the room. We are an all American family.

The very first question was:

"How many people were living or staying in this house, apartment, or mobile home on April 1, 2010?"

I stopped, blinked a couple of times, then read it again.
And the kids started laughing.

How many people "were" living here on April 1, 2010? Um. I don't know. I'm very confused. "Were" is past tense of "are". But April 1, 2010 hasn't happened yet.

Was the original plan to mail these out AFTER April 1, 2010?

So I underlined the word "were" and put a question mark beside it.
Then I wrote the number 4.

On to the people in the household.

The names are easy. Except for mine. I still haven't legally changed my name (any of it), so I have to put "Brenda R." which just feels weird. And I'm still a Marsh, for another month. I'll get around to going downtown and getting the documents to change it.

Where was I?

Ah, names. Easy. Then comes birthdays. I always choke on Todd's. 19....3... And then he yells at me. I've got the kids' birthdays memorized. They're very proud. Then I'm asked if anyone is Hispanic, Latino or Spanish. I want to check Latino for Todd, but he says no.

And then comes race. My options are:

• White
• Black, African Am., or Negro
• American Indian or Alaska Native

I don't have a "Black, African American or Negro" friend to ask right now (Oh! Gary!), but don't those terms all mean the same thing? Todd brings up a good point; not all Africans are American but then why would they be filling out the census? Is the government just counting residents, not citizens?

And didn't the word "negro" go away a while ago? I've read that having this word on the census caused a quite a stink with some people, but the older generation still consider themselves "negro" (even wrote it in on the last census) and the younger generation doesn't identify with "African American". So, now there are options.

But if you're going to get all technical with the African American, why not go with "Caucasian", rather than "White"? (Actually, I want to write in "Caucasoid". I like that word. Makes me sound like an alien.)

This baffles me. This whole thing baffles me.

But I filled out our census. And it made for good conversation this evening with my family. Maybe that was the goal. Get the family talking and bonding, and making fun of the government.
Yes, I'm sure that was the whole point.

Weekend (ACHOO) Update

Oh my gawd, when will the sneezing STOP?!

My (long) weekend started Thursday morning, when I came out of the bedroom, bundled up in my robe at 7am. My nose was completely clogged up, my head was throbbing and I hadn't gotten much sleep because I just can't sleep when I have to breathe through my mouth.

Todd looked at me and said, "You should call in."

I can't remember the last time I called in sick. For me. Maybe a year? I should go back and read my blog. Pinpoint it.

Anyway, I debated for a good bit, then called in. Then went back to bed. And I slept until 11am.

I got up ate a bagel, then curled up on the couch with Todd for a "long lunch" and The Hurt Locker. Which I actually liked, believe it or not. I usually avoid war movies. If any of the cast is in fatigues, I don't watch it. Why subject myself to that when it's already happening in the real world? I want love and happy and fluffy kitties.

But I liked The Hurt Locker. The banter between the guys was very entertaining, and you can't help but really like the main character. Adrenaline junkie that he is.

After the movie, I laid back down and sneezed and coughed and watched TV while I snoozed.

We had dinner, and then there was more snoozing and more sneezing and coughing, and then good Thursday night TV and then bed. Although, not much sleep.

Friday morning, it was just as bad. I finally made the decision to call in, then went back to bed.

And I was awakened at 8:30am by Sir Pukes Alot, as he fell out of the window above the bed and clawed my forehead on his way down. I have a very nice scratch now. Very nice.

Back to sleep until 11:30am. And then some iTunes hell, and then more napping. And then your standard Friday night - pizza and a movie. The feature was X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

And I LOVED THIS MOVIE. Todd was shocked. Pleasantly shocked.

After Wolverine, the kids went back down to Tyler's room to continue a game they were playing, so Todd and I popped in a grown up movie (I was going to say "adult movie" but that might give you the wrong impression of us. Shame on you). Our pick was Quills. In reading the description of the move, you'd think it would be a dry English sex fest. But no! Very witty, very sweet, not much sex. Despite what the pictures on IMDB indicate.

And after Quills, bed.

Saturday! Something shook loose Saturday, let me tell ya. I was up at 8:30am and full of energy! Todd was getting ready to head off to a production meeting, so I wanted to get out and about while it was early since I was apparently cured! I called Stephanie to see if she needed to go to Target. She didn't, but she did need to go grocery shopping.

So I said, "Great! I'll meet you at the grocery store at 9:30!"

Steph - "Is Todd going to be okay with you going grocery shopping without him?"

Me - "Oh, I'm not going to shop. I'm just going to drink my coffee and talk to you while YOU shop."

Steph - "You are SO SWEET!"

So Steph and I got in some bonding time.

Then I went by Barnes and Noble to pick up a couple of cheap books (since there won't be any new Sookie books or Jen books until May), then on to Target to spend a $50 gift card that Hyundai sent me (two new shirts and a gray cardigan) and get some household stuff, then I grabbed a happy meal at McDonald's, then went home and since Todd was still gone, I cleaned the kitchen and started some laundry and called mom and talked her ear off and then Todd got home so we took a walk and looked at houses and bought Tootsie Rolls from some kids in a yard, then went grocery shopping then we got home and made tacos for dinner and we watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (loved it) and then WHEW, we went to bed.

And I woke up Sunday sneezing my fool head off. FOR THE LOVE OF PUPPIES. I was lured into wellness on Saturday, then kicked in the gut bright and early Sunday morning. Todd made it better with breakfast (biscuits, gravy and bacon) and Parenthood on cable.

I may have also decided that margaritas would be the best remedy for my massive sneezing fits. And then I may have tried on my wedding dress (still fits!)

By the end of the day, my throat hurt, my head hurt, my lungs hurt. Ack! So after dinner and Buffy, Todd and I curled up and crashed. The kids stayed up, as this week is spring break, but Daddy had to put the fun to a stop around 1:30am.

I remember when dad used to get up at midnight during the summers and holler at me to GET MY ASS TO BED.

Totally get it now. Yep.

I'm very much looking forward to a good night's sleep.

Pray for me.

Weekend Update

Friday was a happy day at work, albeit, there was some drama with CB which enabled us to leave at 3:30pm. I love carpooling. Don’t worry, all is fine.

Movie of the night – Starship Troopers. Quick note about this movie – I was forced to watch this when I was dating someone who was a complete ass. I didn’t want to see this movie, and I didn’t watch most of the movie. So when Todd kept suggesting it, I was just flat out uninterested. But I caved on Friday. I figured, if Todd likes it, it must be okay. And it was. And we now have a new quote – “MEDIC!”

I had one glass of wine. Oh, yes I did.

Saturday, we were off to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. My job has this nifty perk – you can buy movie tickets for $6. Fantastic. I will utilize this more in the future. Alice was good. Seven out of 10 stars.

Afterwards, we drop Kayleigh off at an overnight, then walk down to the Junction for some Japanese dinner. And a truffle (or two) from Husky Deli.

Back home to watch Inglourious Basterds. It was just eh. Todd summed up the problem very clearly Tarantino likes his own writing. So he makes the characters talk and talk and talk and talk for no reason, other than to let Tarantino hear his own dialogue. However, Brad Pitt’s accent alone was worth sitting through this movie. Fantastic.

And then, bed.

Sunday began with a lazy, lazy morning and waffles for breakfast, with cheap, crappy syrup. There are certain things you just don’t want to skimp on. Syrup is one of them. We’re splurging for Log Cabin on our next shopping trip. Well, as “splurging” as can be with $5 syrup.

During breakfast, we watched Will & Grace. I love, love, love Will & Grace. I miss it a bunch. So very funny.

At this point, we kept meaning to get cleaned up and start the day, but we got sucked into The Karate Kid. How long has it been since you’ve seen that movie? It’s still great. “Wax on, wax off…”

Okay, now we get cleaned up. Then Todd plays Champions, and I go get Kayleigh from her overnight. Then I come home, pop in Dirty Dancing (don’t judge me) and clean out the file cabinet. Productive. Kayleigh joins me for the movie, as she hasn’t seen it yet. Blasphemy!!

And before you know it, it’s dinner time. Roast chicken from QFC, french fries, salad and bread. And of course, Buffy. We’re midway through Season 5 now. Cruising right along.

After that, clean up, do some admin work on the laptop, then sweet, sweet bed.

Good gawd, I love going to bed. It’s sad really. I just feel like once I’m in bed, I have no responsibility whatsoever until 6:30 the next morning. I just wrap up in Todd’s arm (whether he likes it or not) and curl up with my knees to my chest, and just breathe until I’m zonked out.

Ahhh.

I can’t wait to go home and take a nap.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Actually, I don't own any green. So, I'm in black from head to toe.
Except for my silver and green shamrock earrings.

That counts, right?

While I'd like to go to the Celtic Swell and drink a pint (of wine), it won't happen. One, remember that whole not drinking thing right now? And two, Todd tells me there's no way we could even cram ourselves in the the Swell. Bummer.

However, the Seattle Fireman Pipes and Drums will be down there tonight, so I'd love to go hear them. I do love me some bagpipes.

But knowing me, I'll be in my jammies at 8pm, and laying in bed, cuddling with my honey and watching Modern Family at 9pm. Because I am old and lame and married and a mom.

Oh, I joke.

If I were single I'd be doing the same thing. Except without the honey. So I would be sad and depressed and well, yes, probably drinking.

I guess then, technically, I'd still be celebrating St. Patrick's Day. More so than I will be tonight.

My head hurts....

Weekend Update – ECC Edition

This weekend was the Emerald City Comicon, a festival for geeks of all kinds! And their significant others. The primary focus is comic books, but it branches into movies, role playing games and zombies. Gotta have zombies. Here are some pics from the Seattle PI.

On Saturday, we went for just a few hours, to see Todd’s friends and schmooze a little. You know how we love to schmooze.

That evening, we took a break from the geek fest and went over to Steve and Stephanie’s to hang out with them and Kim-n-Tim. And it was discovered that I am not able to drink AT ALL on the new pretty, now pink, pills.

My doctor changed my prescription since it seemed that the pretty purple pills weren’t doing a damn bit of good. Now, we’re back to the same pink pills I took in 2007. I never had a drink while I was on those. Not a sip (except at Christmas, while at my folks’ - supervised).

Now, while on the pretty purple pills, I would have maybe one glass of wine on Friday night and one glass on Saturday. Never really more than that. And everything was fine. But Saturday night, I was worn out and not paying attention, so I had three (small) glasses of wine. And boy howdy, I felt like I’d drank two bottles. I was flapping my gums to Steve and Stephanie, even after it occurred to me that I was talking way too much. And my fears were confirmed on Sunday morning when Todd gently suggested I maybe don’t drink in mixed company while taking these things. Of course I felt horrible, so I agreed. Gonna have to go cold turkey.

Later that morning, we headed back to ECC, where Todd was filming the Kirby Krackle concert. We were all cool and important with our Press badges so we got into the concert room early to set up and chat with other cool and important people.

Side note: my favorite song right now is “Can I Watch You?” by KK. Kyle himself describes this song best: "a song that is from the perspective of MARVEL Comics character "The Watcher" the the all knowing, all-seeing Celestial. But hey, just because you're 3 stories high with a big baby head and a wear a toga don't mean that you can't gets yours, right? RIGHT!? If Uatu is gonna sing a song to his boo, why shouldn't it be in the form of a 70's love jam over sexy ass guitar and a slutty solo? Slutty indeed. Oh Watcher, you crazy baby...you crazy.”

I finally had a chance to listen to their new album on Friday, and when “Can I Watch You?” came on, I started shakin’ my groove thang in my chair, with a white man’s overbite, while I ordered pipette tips and antibodies. Awww yeah.

I told Kyle about my new found love for this song and asked if it was on the set list for Sunday. He said it was the hardest song to sing, but he may have to work it in now. And he did – it was the encore. I feel special.


Anyway, KK was awesome, as usual, but the big news was that Joe Quesada, Editor in Chief of Marvel comics, was in attendance and actually played a few songs with them. Think about it – you’ve got a band that plays songs about comic book characters and superheroes. You grew up loving these guys. Now you write songs and sing about them. Then the Editor in Chief of THE comic book publisher says to a big crowd that your band is the most awesomest and then sings your songs on stage.

How freakin’ amazing is that?!

The kids went with us and had a great time. They’re huge KK fans. Kayleigh brought a friend and they roamed around like teenagers and looked for some guys from their school. Tyler and his friend took the bus in by themselves and wandered around as well, but we all met back up at the KK show. So, it was kind of like a family outing.

By the time we got home last night, Todd and I were spent. We snoozed for a bit, then made some dinner and watched Up in the Air with George Clooney. FANTASTIC movie. Just wonderful.

And then!

We watched the raw video of our wedding.

Todd’s friend, Dan, videotaped the wedding on two different cameras, one of which was Todd’s. When Todd got out his camera on Sunday to get it ready to tape KK, he found two videotapes labeled “Todd’s Wedding 11/7/09” Dan had put the tapes back in, I’m guessing, after copying them so he’s have footage to work with and edit.

The first tape was from the camera set up on the balcony, that showed only the stage. The second tape was extra footage that Dan shot (upstairs while I was getting ready, exterior shots of the building, people signing rocks) and then the footage from down by the stage that also showed our readings and the guests. It was so cool to see all the things that were going on while I was upstairs. And it made me and Todd all mushy and giddy.

So, that was a nice topper to the weekend.

And BAM! Here we are at Monday.

I am very much looking forward to this weekend. We don't have a dang thing going on. Can you believe it?! We do, however, have a couple of World Market gift cards to spend, so there may be shopping. Maybe.

What a Crappy, Crappy Day

Corey Haim died and I had to get blood taken first thing this morning.

Why does the Universe hate me so!?

I had posters of Corey Haim on my walls for years when I was in middle school. Corey and New Kids on the Block (don’t judge me) and Corey Feldman and Johnny Depp.

I’d probably still have Johnny Depp posters on the wall if my husband would let me.

Anywho, Todd broke the news to me first thing this morning, and I was floored. Not really surprised; Corey had been an addict for a long time. But we had just been talking with Val and Doug at dinner Saturday about our teenage crushes, and I mention Corey Haim. So sad.

And I got blood taken today (and had to have an extra person hold me down – I was not doing well this morning) because my primary doctor and my therapist wanted to check my thyroid and my iron levels and all that good stuff to try to figure out why I’m exhausted all the freakin’ time. Am I just crashing from a year of constant go go go? Do I have an imbalance? Am I depressed? Is sitting at a computer for eight hours a day draining me?

Who knows. I’m just sick of it. And I think I completely slept through my dawn simulator this morning. I was up at 3am trying to suck air through my nose (because I cannot fall asleep breathing through my mouth), which woke Todd up and I’m sure annoyed him, so he got me some Sudafed even though I tried to be stoic and say “No, no. I’ll be fine.” I finally got a clear nostril and fell back asleep around 4am and when I finally opened my eyes, it was 6:45am.

Crap.

I don’t even know if the thing lit up, but if it did, I missed it. Maybe I should set Todd’s alarm as well, just as a back up.

Onward...

Dawn Simulator Update

I’ve been using my dawn simulator alarm clock for a few weeks now. It starts lighting up at 6:00am and by 6:15 (my actual “get up” time…supposedly), it’s at it’s brightest. I’m finding that I’m starting to open my eyes around 6:05 or 6:08am. I’m guessing that’s the light that’s getting through my eyelids.

I’m still able to snooze through the bright phase. The first few mornings, I got up at 6:20 and 6:25. But then one morning, there was just no motivation. None. Bright light or not, I’m sleepin’.

Then the real defect of this device showed itself. At 6:30am, the just light went out completely. Back to dark.

And so I slept until 6:50am.

You know what this as taught me? If I can withstand that pesky light for 15 minutes, it will go out and I go back to sleep!

But I’m trying, really. Now, at about 6:20am or so, I reach over and turn on my bedside lamp. Then when the dawn simulator goes off, there’s still light in the room. See? I’m making an effort.

I can’t say that the simulator makes a huge difference in my attitude and mood when waking up. It is nice to gradually wake up, without having a jarring radio station or buzzer come on. I’m still grouchy and I still bitch about having to even wake up at all, but at least it’s a gradual thing now. So, that’s something.

It does have a nifty feature, where, if in the middle of the night, I need to see to get a Sudafed or my water, I can push the “+” button a couple of times and just a smidge of light comes on. Enough for me to see, but not enough to wake Todd.

And now that the sun is coming up earlier, I have some natural light to help the process, too. Oh, and the time changes this weekend! I had forgotten. That will be even better.

So, to sum up – the dawn simulator makes waking up a bit more natural, but it won’t cure your bitchiness.

I think that should be the tagline.

Random Thoughts

I think someone tried to break into my car on Tuesday.

I carpool with CB most days and we meet up at the Park and Ride parking lot under a bridge. A ton of cars park there, and we’ve never seen any damage to any. CB said she’d feel safe leaving her car there, so I wasn’t really worried.

On Tuesday, she dropped me off after work and drove away. I walked to my car and discovered my keyless entry didn’t work. My battery was dead. Huh. I called my hubby (after calling Hyundai’s roadside assistance, which is worthless) and he came down to jump start the car. As soon as there was a charge, my alarm starting going off. Yes, that could just be the power surge, but what I wonder what caused my battery to drain? Maybe my alarm going off for hours and hours?

The real eye opener was the next morning when I drove down there, there was shattered glass a few spots down from where I usually park. CB left her car that day; I’ll do the driving. If she wants to drive, I’ll drive all the way to her house and park there. No more parking under the bridge.

**********

Did you hear that Hummer has to close down?

This makes me very, very happy. I say HAHA, Arnold! Is there really a valid reason why anyone would ever need one of these things? Especially in the city!

Stupid. Thirteen miles per gallon!! Unbelievable.

And they take up valuable parking spots because they are too wide and spill over into neighboring spots. So there.

**********

I am sick of heartburn. SICK OF IT. Everything gives me heartburn these days.

And it’s not wine, so ha ha. I have maybe 1 glass of wine a week now (thank you pretty purple pills).

**********

I’m also sick of sneezing. Could be allergies (trees are in bloom, office is musty), could be the cold that we all seem to be passing around, could be my itty bitty sinuses.

[*burp* – chocolate. It was the chocolate that gave me heartburn. Dammit!]

Whatever it is, I’m sick of it.

And now my ear hurts.

**********

I love my kitty but Sir Pukes Alot chose to vomit on the bed the other morning. And while I didn’t know it until I was in the car on my way to work, also on my sweater that happened to be laying on the bed. Not a lot of icky, but enough icky to make me catch a whiff of it every now and then as I sat at my desk.

I now keep the bed clear of clothing.

**********

I have a huge ugly pimple on my chin, right in the crease.
It’s high school all over again.

**********

That’s all I got.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Spriiiinng

The bunnies are out!!


Poor Parsnip Pete. He just can't compete with The Professor.

And I think these are new this year. I've never seen Baby Binks.


Cute, no?
Just like me.

Weekend Update

Despite a Friday therapy session with Tyler’s counselor, this weekend was damn near perfect.

It began by arriving home after said therapy session to presents from my hubby – Gummy Bear vitamins (shut up – multivitamins make me nauseous), iron pills and a bottle of wine. My man must really love me.

That night was pizza and a movie. Although, I just had a Pag’s salad (and one glass of wine). Wasn’t in a pizza mood. We watched Troy.

Very.Good.Movie.

Brad Pitt as Achilles. Lots o fighting. A little lovin’.

I liked it.

And after the movie, bed.

Saturday, I actually woke up early (8:30am) so I called mom and we chatted for about an hour. Well, she bitched about the snow for about an hour. It’s just unreal. And if you look at the 10 day forecast for that area, it’s all more snow. When will it stop?

After chatting, I wanted breakfast from Easy Street, so the hubby and I walked down to the Junction. But the line for a table, and even the counter was way too freakin’ long, and Rae-rae had hit a code red, so there was no time to waste. After hitting a couple of other spots that either didn’t have what I wanted or were too expensive (Rae-rae is very high maintenance once she’s hit a code red. HUNGRY.) we ended up at Uptown Espresso. We had a nice little table by the window and good coffee and some kind of frilly, sun dried tomato scone and all was right with the world again.

And we ended up walking about 1.5 miles, so we burned calories, too!

Once home, Kayleigh and I made a Target run. I needed more hooks for our closet (it’s the year of the hook, I tell ya!) and Kayleigh needed a straightener and some headbands. We picked up some other essentials, then headed back home to start being productive.

But first, a quick stop by Steve and Stephanie’s to say hi. They’ve been out of town, and I’ve missed them terribly and I hadn’t seen Isabella since before Christmas! We had a nice 15 minute visit, then we were on our way.

Back at home, I was muy productive. I cleaned the bathroom from top to bottom (even used a toothbrush on the baseboards) then moved into the bedroom. And then….the closet.

Todd had put my hooks up, so I hung up as much as I could, just to get it off the floor. And now…wala!

My tension just melts away when I have a clean space. Even if it's just the closet.

By then it was time to get pretty and go to the annual Chinese New Year party. This is the year of the tiger, so there was all kinds of tiger trivia and other games. The night ended with each team doing a magic show (tigers = Siegfried and Roy = Las Vegas = magic show….see?) and being judged.

Todd’s team attempted to make one woman disappear! All the while, Todd danced around and flung himself around the living room with the flaming hoola hoop in his hands. He was very committed.

My team attempted to levitate one of our team members. However, since we were judged on showmanship, crowd response and then actual magic, we chose to really play up the showmanship aspect…seeing as how we had three women and one man on our team.

We came in second. The first place team actually did some magic. I think they should have been disqualified.

We didn’t get home until after midnight, so we crashed as soon as we walked in the door.

And then Sunday! Beautiful sunny day!
(sorry mom.)

Our neighbors Dave and Greg came over for brunch. I made a dutch baby. They were impressed.

They filled us in on our new neighborhood. Like, how the house next door to us, which is absolutely incredible, was a drug house when they first moved here. It was a little one bedroom, one bath, with appliances on the porch and cars in the yard. Someone bought it when the mother who lived there died, and fixed it up, and resold it for $250,000 more a mere six months later.

I love good stories like that.

After brunch, I got in my grubbies, stood up on the bed and cleaned the window in our bedroom. Which was covered in mold.

I hadn’t paid much attention to it – it’s small, high above our bed, and has sheers over it. But when I looked out Saturday morning to see where the rhythmic dripping was coming from, I noticed all the black fuzzy stuff. So that’s why Todd and I get stuffy as soon as we lay down at night!

Come to find, the window just pops right out! So I sprayed a bleach and water mixture in every nook and cranny, and used a toothbrush to get into the really tight spots. I put the window back in and was very proud of myself for such a thorough job.

Then I looked down at the bed.

Note to self – lay down an old sheet when spraying a bleach mixture. Our sheets are now polka dotted. Very hip.

I don’t care that my black yoga pants have splotches on them.

So, with the window mold free, and my closet all tidy, and Todd playing some dinging game on the computer, I curled up under a blanket on the couch and read for an hour.

Heaven.

(That night, I remembered we STILL haven’t gotten all of our thank you cards out, so of course I felt guilty for reading when I could have gotten some of those written up. But oh well. By April! April 1st is my deadline. I mean it!)

There was dinner and movie that evening, but the movie (about the Zodiac serial killer) was not working for me so I cleaned up the dinner dishes, took a bath, read some more (chose to think it was too late to work on thank you cards) then went to bed.

And this morning, my head is completely stuffed up and my ear hurts. Allergies? The beginning of a cold? Who knows. Things are starting to bloom here, so it wouldn’t surprise me if it were allergies already.

But I don’t want to take my loratadine because I’m already taking the pretty purple pills, iron, Gummy Bear vitamins and my…ahem…No Baby Pills. I’m afraid to throw one more in the mix! My system will explode, I’m sure of it.

To add insult to injury, Sir Pukes Alot barfed on the bed this morning while I was getting ready for work. I thought my pink sweater that was laying near him escaped unscathed, but no. And I did not realize it until I was in the car on the way to work.

Fantastic.

But now, after a very long Monday, I’m sitting up in bed (with a freshly washed bedspread. Thank you, hubby), working from my laptop, enjoying a cup of Tension Tamer tea.

Life don’t look so bad.