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5 Minutes for Mom is at it again! Enter here and you may win a Dyson vacuum cleaner-if I don't win it first. My entry was #539, so I'm not counting on it or anything. But 'you can't win if you don't enter' has always been my philosophy.
It's been rainy this week with a few scattered tornados. I'm used to driving in the nasty rain and wasn't thinking much about it en route to meet my sister at her kids' daycare except for: I hope the pizza is at Grandma's by the time we get back. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a loud screeching on the radio that told me there was a possible tornado right next to 'podunk town's little airport.' (The same airport where I tell people to turn to find my house.) Nieces' daycare is nowhere near my house, so only the house was in danger-or so I thought. (My kids were at Grandma's.) Then, they extended the warning from my house to Moore taking in Noble as well. This provided the potential for tornados in any place that I planned to be for the rest of the evening. Lovely.
I met sister and put some of the nieces in my car to drive back to grandma's house. About halfway there in the sheeting rain, a voice on the radio told us to abandon our cars and trailers and seek shelter in the nearest ditch NOW! I did what any lifelong Okie would do with such a warning, I looked right and left to see if there were any funnel clouds and finding none, I continued on to my destination. (Like I was going to drown in a ditch in the pouring rain.) We arrived just in time for them to blow the sirens, and we got inside just in time to hear Gary England cancel all tornado warnings for our area. Welcome to the schizophrenic weather that IS springtime in Oklahoma. In that spirit, here is a 'borrowed' post that I've been coveting for a few days now:
AKA Monty stole this from Sleeping Mommy and I stole it (with permission) from her, though Chaz beat me to the punch by posting it yesterday. If you have ever lived in Oklahoma this game will make perfect sense to you. In fact, if you've ever even visited Oklahoma in the spring or summer, it will make perfect sense to you.
(And yes, I realize that I no longer drink, but this is funny. Take it with the humor I intended when I posted it.)
Have fun!
GARY ENGLAND DRINKING GAME
(I left SleepingMommy's comments in parentheses because they made me giggle)(and I strongly suggest that you stock the liquor cabinet or invest in a keg before starting the game)
*Pregame
*1. Everyone selects a storm chaser other than Val Castor.
(Monty sez: I choose Hank when I just want a little buzz. He doesn't get as much action)
(Melessa sez: Gary uses other storm chasers besides Val Castor?)
(Val lives in Stillwater and Gary talks to him CONSTANTLY.)
Every time Gary talks to your storm chaser, you take one drink.
Take two drinks every time we see footage from your storm chaser.
Take four drinks if your storm chaser says “tornado on the ground.”
2. Everyone selects a county other than Pottawatomie County.
(Because we are always hearing about Pottawatomie County.)
Every time Gary mentions your county, you take one drink.
Take two drinks every time we see footage from your county.
Take four drinks if a tornado touches down in your county.
*One drink
*1. Take one drink every time Gary says the following:
“Hook echo” | “Updraft” | “Metro” | “Doppler radar” | “Wall cloud” |”Ranger 9″ | “Underground” | “Mobile home”
2. When Gary gives a list of counties, take one drink for every county in the list.
(Oklahoma has 77 counties but somehow they all get mentioned at some point.)
3. Take one drink every time Gary interrupts a program.
Take one drink if Gary says “You’re not missing any of [program name].” (This is a major concern!)
Take one drink when Gary says “We’ll keep you advised.” (Like we had any doubt that you wouldn’t.)
*Two drinks
*1. Take two drinks every time Gary says the following:
“Baseball-sized hail” | “Waterloo Road” | “Pottawatomie County” | “Deer Creek High School” (How many times has that high school been hit anyway?!?)
2. Take two drinks every time Gary mentions the following towns:
Altus | Burns Flat | Dill City | Gotebo | Hydro | Lookeba | Meeker | Mulhall | Oktaha | Olustee | Shattuck | Slaughterville | Tryon | Vici |Waukomis | Wayne (or Payne) | Weleetka | Wetumkah (The only one that is even slightly big is Altus.)
3. Take two drinks every time Gary talks to Val Castor. (Now we are gonna get really drunk!)
*Three drinks
*1. Take three drinks if we see footage from Val Castor.
2. Take three drinks if we see footage from Pottawatomie County.
3. Take three drinks if Gary mentions the following:
“Immediate tornado precautions” | “National Weather Service” | “Mesocyclone” | “Portable Radio” | “Take shelter” | “Tornado warning in effect until …”
*Four drinks
*1. Take four drinks if Ranger 9 must land to refuel. (Notice it doesn’t say when it lands to take cover, we don’t land our aircraft in a tornado around here, we fly AROUND them.)
2. Take four drinks if Gary issues his own tornado warning, not recognized by the NWS (He’s a renegade that way) or says the following:
“Will someone please answer that phone?” (He takes this stuff seriously damn it, answer the phone.) or “Do you see the power flashes?”
3. Take four drinks if a shirt-less tornado victim is interviewed. (Redneck land, yo. There is a reason I get dressed and put on shoes when a storm is in the vicinity.)
*Finish your drink
*1. Finish your drink if someone uses the word tornado as a verb or if Gary mentions the cross streets nearest to you.
2. If Gary says “We’ve lost Val,” pour a little out for your homies and finish your drink. (Poor Val…)
If THAT won't get you drunk, it can't be done.
Appropriately, this one is in honor of my friend Lanie's Birthday!
1. Lanie and I met when we were 15 and 13 respectively. Yet somehow, she has just turned 21 again and I will be 35 in May.
2. We belonged to the same club in high school and took a lot of weekend trips. We almost always had a share a bed on these because Lanie kicked a lot and I was the only one who could sleep through it. (Though I woke up with bruises.)
3. If it weren't for Lanie, I never would have visited (or heard of) Canadian, TX. How else would I have ever tried lime ices, Ma Beasley doughnuts, Miss Wallsy's rum cake, or ever known about cow pie BINGO? ("But Mom, what if someone slips the cow some Ex-Lax and EVERYBODY wins!" giggle, giggle. Boy, I'll bet hearing that over and over never got old from Norman to Canadian and back. Sorry Mom.)
4. Lanie and I have kissed three of the same boys. Two named John and one named Cris.
5. The only time my relationship with Jerk Boy was ever even close to fun was when she dated Jerk Boy's best friend one summer. Lots of double dates meant less time alone with the creep. Not coincidentally, Jerk Boy's best friend is was one of those three boys mentioned above. (Oh, and there was always that "date" she had with Jerk Boyfriend while I was in Italy. In his dreams...and her worst nightmare. Don't worry, it never happened.)
6. I can live happily without any of those dumb boys, but I can't imagine my life without Lanie in it.
7. Lanie once taught me the difference between Tampax and OB, and I'm still a little grossed out by it. (But SOMEBODY had to tell me.)
8. Lanie is super-smart, she's getting her PhD in Physiology and has done most of her research in neural physiology. All I know for sure is that she does a lot of surgery on rats. Unlike me, Lanie has known for a long time what she wants to be when she grows up, and she's almost reached her goal. Go Lanie!
9. Any stereotypical group of girls has a dingy blonde, a wisecraking brunette, and a hot redhead. Lanie is definitely the hot red-head and we love her for it!
10. Lanie runs marathons. She ran the 5K Race for the Cure in about 1/4 of the time it took Chris and I to finish. (Of course, she ran for just about the whole race and Chris and I were done running after about a block-and we would have quit before that but we were both too winded to say "let's stop running" loud enough for the other one to hear it.) I've forgotten her fastest 5K time, but if she wants to share that with me in my comments section I'll share it here.
11. Lanie is from Louisiana and every year on her birthday she treats us to homemade Cajun food. We call it Laniefest and for the past two years it has come with a party t-shirt. Good times!
12. If it weren't for Lanie reminding us about Civic Center tickets, the ballet, and Lyric shows; we would be completely uncultured (and we wouldn't get together nearly as often.)
13. Lanie has an awesome fiancee. Not only do we all love him, but he bought Lanie a gorgeous ring worthy of anything she ever described in our teen years AND a house that looks a lot like Tara. Their wedding is in December and I can't think of a better match.
Congratulations and Happy 21st Birthday (again) LOL! Love ya!
During the summer of that infamous Kevin Costner movie, my friends and I used to run around spouting dialogue to each other. Not that anything specific comes to mind right now, but we were teens enamored with the newest summer blockbuster. I missed Robin Hood on Sunday and am getting caught up on the latest episode right now. And I have a new quote:
"We do not believe in harming man nor beast. Vermin, on the other hand..."
-BBC America's Robin Hood
After my fun with 'vermin' over the last month, I found this very funny. But seriously, why can't I remember any of the good lines from the movie? Probably because I'm trying too hard. Now I'm off to IMDB to look them up...(Edited to add: IMDB didn't disappoint. How could I have forgotten these gems. Though the squire and his dying horse quote always did make me roll my eyes a little.)
And yes, I spent all day today reading stuff for my first comp exam question...my brain is on the verge of exploding and I'm taking a little break right now.
The comp exam arrived this morning. I will be taking it over the next two weeks. I doubt I will be able to completely refrain from blogging, but it will likely be sporadic. Is it wrong that one of the questions (a good one) made me laugh out loud. Not only is it obvious which committee member wrote it, but what that person couldn't have known is how very timely a question it is. Either way, between field trip season, comp exams, and four children; I'm likely to be pretty scarce until the exam is finished.
I'm at home today pacing back and forth in front of my Inbox and waiting for my Comp Exam to arrive in it. Notwithstanding all my other hard work the past four years, this one test will determine whether or not I get my Master's Degree. The pressure is on...However, whether I pass or fail, I realized last week that I'm finally a graduate of a different school. And I thought I would brag about it while I wait.
Back in the summer of 1991, I attended my first "with alcohol" party. It was not at college, as one would expect, but at a friend's house in the middle of nowhere. I managed to get blitzed on two wine coolers and one beer. (Somewhere my Irish ancestors are shaking their heads in shame.) For the first time since a bitter break-up a few weeks earlier, I felt great! So great that I wanted to call the ex and tell him what I thought of him. It was after midnight, so I was discouraged from doing that and instead I told everyone at the party. Then, I started two-stepping with Fergie (not Stacy, she was still on Kids Inc. back then) until an equally drunk R started beating the stereo and screaming "no more Garth!" Fergie quit dancing with me, and went off to have a drunken fight over the talents of the aforementioned Mr. Brooks. I was dragged to a chair by Chris and D the 2nd. (During the first of many of our "just friends" phases.) After Fergie and R lost interest in their fight, Fergie thought it would be a good idea to walk counter-clockwise underneath the ceiling fan while running his hand through the blades. That resulted in another drunken argument between him and the party's host whose parents were on a cruise and were not supposed to know about the 4th of July festivities. (Note to self: Dave and I shall take no cruises over the 4th of July when our kids are teenagers.) Then, the people responsible for bonfire and the fireworks were also getting a little tipsy (something they had previously agreed not to do). So, Chris and D the 2nd decided to get me and Fergie (and the fireworks) out of the drunk people's reach and head for a safer place: the Denny's on I-240. They had separate cars, and in my vulnerable condition, Chris thought it best that I rode with her.
On the long drive with Chris from "the middle of nowhere" to Denny's, I had a lot to say. I told her how much I hated my ex for breaking my heart and the ex before him for being an abusive jerk. I suspect that I also made some TMI comments about both of them as um..."men" and while I don't remember what I said, I'm sure it was all true. In classic drunken form, I punctuated every other sentence with how much I loved her, Fergie, our pal John, and everyone else in our little circle. She had some pretty good laughs at my expense, but we also had a serious talk about how I needed to make better decisions in my personal life. That I needed to break away from my mom and her patterns and go to "the Christina school of self-esteem." ('Betcha thought I didn't remember any of that-didn't ya, Chris?)
It took many, many years; but as Chris and I have talked the past two weekends-I think I've finally arrived. In the last couple of weeks, there have been some situations where I could have allowed myself to be shamed into feeling bad, or worse, sucked into someone else's personal drama. I discussed these things with Chris and the conversations went something like this:
Chris-Oh you do not need to get sucked into THAT again
Me-I know, and I told them straight up that I wouldn't be involved
Chris-Good for you!
Me-And THEN she said...
Chris-Well I hope that you said...
Me-I did! And then there was this really annoying thing...
Chris-You should have said this...
Me-Well, I said this instead...
Chris-Even better
So you see Chris, I WAS paying attention (even if I couldn't read the menu when we got to Denny's) and over time I think I've finally gradutated from "The Christina School of Self-Esteem" and while I really want this Master's Degree, I think the really important lessons have already been learned.
Reading-
New Testament: John-In the spirit of climbing back into the spiritual saddle, I resumed my NT reading this week.
Little Children by Tom Perrota-I could never find this movie in theatres and it doesn't come out on DVD until May. So, I found the book used at Hastings and spent less than I would have on a movie ticket. You've gotta like that! I thought I was getting more chick lit for my collection, but this was REAL lit. I could sit in an English class and go on for hours about this book. A few observations from it are that I liked the fact that they didn't present affairs as solutions to unhappy marriages. I was afraid that they would. I liked that almost all the characters had something in them that made you feel for them. (I never bonded with Richard, though.) I tried not to like Kathy, but the girl got her heart broken in college by a short, curly-haired boy who she could talk to for hours. How could I not love her? (Some of you will get why I would have a soft spot because of that and one of you will gloat that I actually admitted it. Oh well...I also called you "short.") As the LDS mom never invited to do joy school, I could certainly relate to Sarah at Rayburn school, but I hope the "mean girl" mentality Perrota portrayed was exaggerated. I may not mesh very well with most other Mormon moms, I may not think I fit in, but I do feel that we mommies ultimately do support each other when push comes to shove. I can't imagine the jr. high antics portrayed in the book happening in my own life and I would hope that Sarah and Mary Ann have a new understanding in their lives after the book's conclusion. (LOVED that last scene, really loved it.)
I will admit that it was hard to read about Sarah or Ron McGorvey without picturing the Oscar-nominated actors who portrayed them and while I'm still eager to see the movie, I don't think it's something I want to own, just to watch once. And I can imagine that those actors will shine in their respective roles.
Watching-
I hope Gilmore Girls wasn't new this week because if it was, I missed it. Ditto for Veronica Mars, but I think that's still being pre-empted by that other stupid thing. (I won't name it, I don't want searches for it bringing people here.)
Robin Hood-I'm still enjoying it. I do worry that they're solving all the mysteries and putting forth all the plot twists a little early. Are they only planning one or two seasons? Oh well, it's a good show and I'm along for the ride so far.
Grey's Anatomy-I really wish I had seen last week's episode. I liked this one, it was cute. Christina and Burke at the end were my favorite. I feel very bad for Callie and I'm not liking the George/Izzy thing at all.
Rome-Last week's episode was SO good, I can't believe tonight is the last one ever. Even with all the historical manipulation (and downright distortion) I've been really impressed with this show and I'm sad to see it go.
Battlestar Galactica-They said that the two episodes after Starbuck's "death" would be a little underwhelming and they were right. Maybe tonight will be better.
In My Netflix Queue-
Eragon-I made Natalie read the book first and we bought the movie as a reward for finishing it. We watched it in the home theatre room Thurs. night (guilt from the list, I guess). It was a lot cuter than I thought it would be. I bought Natalie the second book, but I haven't given it to her yet. She was at a Girl Scout camp-out all weekend and I knew she would read instead of participate. (She just got back and seemed to have a lot of fun.)
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones-Actually, the first three movies were all on HBO last night, but I only sat through all of this one. We missed Phantom Menace and I was out later in the evening for Revenge of the Sith. For some reason, this one is my favorite of the newer trilogy. Mostly for the death stick exchange between Obi-Wan and the dumb kid in the bar. I can't get over how well Ewan McGregor channels Sir Alec Guiness in this particular installment. Good stuff.
Professional Development
I went to a conference at The Cowboy National Western Heritage Museum for most of last week. It was about digitizing your archives. I'll spare the details except to say that it's frustrating to go to such a thing and get such great ideas for the collections/archives at The Job when the reality is that it's not a priority to those who hold the purse-strings there. At least I got some good training from it, met some peers, and found out that all museum boards are reluctant to fund archives no matter what the size of the museum. And now I'll start pronouncing my job correctly too. (It's AR-ka-vist rather than ar-KY-vist, how embarrassing!) It was nice to spend break time and lunch time wandering around a different museum.
Out and About
This weekend was Lanie's birthday or "Laniefest" as it's been named. Each year Lanie and her mom fix amazing amounts of Cajun food and celebrate her special day in style. Only Lanie could get away with throwing herself a birthday party that comes with event t-shirts (t-shirts that accidently named last night "Lanifest"), and we all love it and look forward to it every year. (And props to Lanie and her mom for the incredible amount of work that goes into it.) All most of us talked about last night was the big bachelorette party cruise coming up Labor Day weekend, it is gonna be fun! It was nice to have an evening with the girls after all the long days at the seminar. Happy Birthday Lanie!
There is yet another meme floating around the blog-o-sphere that I can't resist. I've seen it most recently at Carmen and Chantal's blogs and when two people in my blogroll post the same meme in a week, I'm just going to take that as a sign that I need to play along too. This one is to pick seven songs from your iPod (or mp3 player) that really speak to you right now. I like this meme because I not only get to use my iPod, but I get to choose which songs I share. (Of course, earlier memes have already exposed my proclivities for Weird Al and the Xanadu soundtrack so what's left to hide?)
1. "Listen" Beyonce-As I move away from life as an at-home mom and begin a career with faltering steps, I feel very unsupported by my husband. This song describes it perfectly.
2. "Love Rescue Me"-U2-One of my all-time favorite U2 songs. It does a good job of describing those faith-wavering moments I have from time to time.
3. "Cherry Bomb"-John Mellencamp-In my case, 17 HAS (almost) turned 35. I knew when I was 15 and this song was released that I would always like it. And I was right.
4. "The Best of Times"-Styx-This is a fairly recent download, but I like it. It's sentimental and yet reminds me of nothing. That's a good thing.
5. All of my ABBA songs-I would have just listed them, but I've got more than 7 on the iPod.
6. "She"-Elvis Costello-I think this song may be why I love the movie Notting Hill so much. It's that good (the song and the movie).
7. "Mystery of Love" Nick Kelly-Another good one, notwithstanding the subtle f-bomb dropped quietly in the middle of the song.
Today, Angela challenged us to post something from 2004 like she did. This is one of my all-time favorite posts, even though it's not listed with some of the others on the right. Enjoy!
I helped Natalie clean her room tonight. Well, I think it went a bit beyond helping. First, we went to Wal-Mart so she could exchange a duplicate Christmas gift (one of the hazards of being born December 15th) and I could stock up on plastic storage containers for all the junk our well-meaning family and friends heap on the kids every December. She came home with a new Fisher Price Sweet Shoppe and I got three of those plastic shoeboxes with the snap-on lids.
While she entertained herself in the living room, I cleaned out her Barbie box. It's actually a toy box, but since she has far more Barbies and accessories than real toys, we switched to a small Tupperware box for toys years ago. Natalie is only 6, so the 'years ago' comment is really telling about how beloved Barbie is around here. At first I thought it was cute and played right along with her, but in the past couple of years I've come to resent Barbie. I thought it was because I had become more sensitive to women's issues and the substantial 'threat' Barbie posed to my daughter's idea of true feminism. It turns out I was wrong. I don't hate Barbie because she's thin, well-endowed, and usually dressed in skimpy, frilly pink outfits. I hate Barbie because she has a nicer house, car, and wardrobe than I will ever possess. How annoying! If anything, Dave (my husband) should envy Ken, the male to female ratio in our Barbie box is currently 4:1. But, Dave seems to think that what Ken really wants are more Ken's, based on the looks of him. (What do I know? Based on most of the boys I just LUV'd in high school, I have no gaydar whatsoever.) When I pointed out Barbie's posh existence in our home and at our expense, Dave tried to make me feel better by comparing her to Paris Hilton. I'm not sure how that was supposed to help, but I can tell he was trying.
While cleaning and organizing I made a few amusing observations and some gruesome discoveries:
1) Three years have been tough on Barbie's Cottage. Originally purchased for three year old Natalie, it has now lost all the breakfast nook furniture, one of the bunkbeds, and the bathtub/twin bed/entertainment center is on its last legs (it folds in and out of the wall to make these transformations). Her desk chair was squashed when I stepped on it recently, and the bird bath broke off the outside years ago.
2) Pregnant Midge has abandoned her life of maternal bliss for life in the fast lane. I found both her pregnant belly (it attaches and detaches magnetically-shouldn't we all be so lucky?) and the small baby you can tuck inside at the bottom of the toy box. Midge was found in Natalie's closet in a slinky evening gown. Oh well, haven't all us mommys just felt like escaping at one time or another?
3) Inexplicably, I found two Ken legs, but no body to go with them. I'm not sure what to make of that.
4) Finally, I found that Nutcracker Barbie's head had been permanently severed. So, I did what all mom's do. I put her clothes on another naked Barbie and had Dave throw her out while Natalie wasn't looking. He was worried she might notice, but I told him I've been doing this for years without incident. He admired my spunk. Then I found another naked Barbie and took great pleasure in dressing her in one of Midge's cast-off maternity dresses and some tennis shoes. Welcome to MY world, Barbie!
So, having emptied out the box, making what repairs I could to the house and travel train (I told you, Barbie lives well here), I organized Barbie, Ken, Kelly, Tommy, and Baby Krissy's clothes and accessories into the three shoeboxes and found a place for the two newest additions "My Scene" Barbie and Ellis. "My Scene" Barbie has much been much ridiculed among us moms from an online parenting group because she doesn't seem to have any clothes that cover her midriff. However, the ones Natalie received for her birthday (from my sister no less, the original family author of "My girls will never own Barbies") aren't so bad. Their clothes cover them, they have a more realistic body shape, and are somewhat cuter than the original doll. At least that's my opinion. They are better than Bratz dolls by far. Natalie received two of those this year too. (From my OTHER sister-grr). They aren't much different from Barbie except that they don't have feet! EWW! You just stick their ankles into different pairs of shoes. Creepy! Barbie's feet may not be realistic, but at least she has them. ("My Scene" Barbie also has flatter feet-just an aside) I think fear alone of those Bratz becoming favorites encouraged me to make Barbie and her stuff more accessible to Natalie. Although in fairness, I did organize the Bratz clothes and make a place for them in the box too.
So, having all the clothes and accessories grouped together and in their own places, maybe Barbie and I will get along better. In addition to her posh life on my dime and her questionable example as a role model, I'm pretty sure my biggest problem with her is stepping on all of her accessories with my bare feet and having to clean up the monumental mess that happens every time Natalie can't find a particular outfit or other Barbie gadget. Once I finished cleaning, (and safely disposed of the 'body' of Nutcracker Barbie) I called Natalie in and showed her the new and improved Barbie box. She didn't seem to impressed, but maybe she will have more fun playing with Barbie now that she can find all of her gear. Who knows, maybe I will find my inner child and reconnect with Barbie myself, or at least convince Midge to give up her life of debauchery and come back to Alan, Ryan, and baby Isabella. Just don't ask me to put shoes on the Bratz dolls.
Thirteen Things I Don't Do As Often as I Should:
1. Floss
2. Make the bed
3. Play with my kids
4. Enjoy our cool home theater room
5. Go for a run
6. Yoga
7. Study my scriptures
8. Return phone calls and emails
9. Scrapbook
10. Dishes
11. Laundry
12. Read for fun
13. Stop and smell the roses (And no, I don't sleep in them either.)
I survived Day 1 of the seminar. Apparently, I was paying attention in all those online classes these last few years. The material is new, but not particularly confusing or difficult. In fact, I had a good time today and am looking forward to tomorrow. Dare I say I just might have found what I'm good at? No, I don't dare. God has a pretty good track record of taking away whatever He knows makes me happy. OK, it may not actually be God who does that. But it sure feels like it sometimes. (Don't worry, I'll spare you all the laundry list. But it's long and depressing and ends with losing my sweet MIL just as I began to love her and before my kids were old enough to know her and leaving just my mother behind to make sure I'm stuck dealing with her with no relief for the rest of my life. Not that I'm bitter...) At least I'm enjoying life right now. I guess we can't ask for more than that. But I sure hope I get to spend at least part of my life something I'm good at and enjoy. I don't think that's too much to want. At least, I hope it isn't.
Hello! The post you are reading was typed late Tuesday night. As you read it on Wednesday, I will be sitting in an archivist seminar hoping to fool the 16 other museum archivists into believing that I know what I'm doing. (At least the seminar will be new training for everyone, that levels the playing field just a bit for me.) Because I won't be home until late, I'm going with a cute meme that I've seen all over the blog-o-sphere in the last week. The rule of this meme is simple, answer each thing on the list with no more and no less than three words:
01. Where is your cell phone? I don't know
02. Boyfriend/girlfriend? one dear husband
03. Hair? most often blonde
04. Your mother? is a nut
05. Your father? loves her anyway (is her enabler?)
06. Your favorite item(s)? latop, iPod, pillowtop
07. Your dream last night? I don't remember
08. Your favorite drink? cherry Diet Coke
09. Your dream guy/girl? sense of humor
10. The room you are in? messy living room
11. Your fear? losing my kids
12. What do you want to be in 10 years? in a career
13. Who did you hang out with last night? just the kids
14. What are you not? happy right now
15. Are you in love? wish I knew
16. One of your wish list items? full time housekeeper
17. What time is it? almost dinner time
18. The last thing you did? start the crockpot
19. What are you wearing? old Muppet t-shirt
20. Your favorite book? pick just one?
21. The last thing you ate? Baked Lays chips
22. Your life? much still unwritten
23. Your mood? a little anxious
24. Your friends? also my family
25. What are you thinking about right now? the seminar tomorrow
26. Your car? red Dodge Durango
27. What are you doing at this moment? three word meme
28. Your summer? cool humid rainy
29. Your relationship status? married with kids
30. What is on your TV screen? nothing right now
31. When is the last time you laughed? I don't remember
32. Last time you cried? late last night
33. School? Done in May!
That's all! Please join me in praying that I don't look like a big, fat fraud tomorrow...
In the last week, I've mentioned a couple of times that last weekend's Civic Center show du jour was The Man of La Mancha. I also mentioned that I wasn't sure I would like it. I gave appropriate blame to the puzzling TNT movie starring John Lithgow and Bob Hoskins (no one was more surprised than me that I didn't like it), but in my last entry I failed to cite the even earlier annoyance of listening to Sra. K babble about on and on in her best Texican about Don Quixote in my senior year Spanish II class. (Pardon me while I insert an aside to my friend Chris: "Fuego! Fuego!" And did you just about die laughing when that was one of the first words uttered when the show started? Me too. That's why I didn't make eye contact with you.) Anyway, I also noted that I liked the show. It's no Les Mis (though they had some similar themes), but it was an enjoyable evening. While I joke about the whole theme being summed up with "Don't tell crazy people that they aren't what they think they are or they'll die," I actually did enjoy the messages that the show presented.
I think I was most struck with the transformation of Aldonsa/Dulcinea. In a small way, I could relate to it. I've beaten my trauma teen years like a dead horse in previous posts on this blog, so I will try to be succinct in the re-cap. I was an idealistic girl who got tangled up with the worst kind of boy at the age of 16. By the time we got through our very complicated break-up, I found myself very jaded and disillusioned. I didn't think there was anyone left in this world who was high-minded or who could see me for anything more than what I had been to my ex-boyfriend (or the boyfriend that followed, for that matter). But I had friends and some of those friends really were knights-albeit in torn jeans rather than shining armor. When reviewing the play, I did mention that they DeMolay jokes abounded. Then, it occurred to me that not everyone who reads this blog is familiar with the organization. To learn more, click here. In short, it was a boys' club for ages 12-21 who took their name from a martyred Templar Knight by the name of Jacques DeMolay. Needless to say, their teachings centered a lot around chivalry, decency, and many other good principles that seem to be falling by the wayside these days (and those days too).
I'm not going to say these boys were perfect. (The first time I got drunk was at one of their parties.) But they were good people. Most of them were honest (the occasional brain cancer story aside), they treated me well, they made me laugh, and in the end; they restored my faith in men as a gender (though I retain the right to judge each one of them individually). Some of the happiest days of my life were spent from 1991-1994 hanging out at each other's houses, bowling (badly), playing spades, going to dances, or watching Beavis and Butthead, SNL re-runs, Duckman, and The Simpsons. I thought I was just having fun, what I was really doing was healing. While a few romances waxed and waned (and have also been beaten to death here already) throughout the years, what I remember most of all was just the simple enjoyment of being able to laugh and have a good time and to really let my guard down without fear of reprisals later. Something I wouldn't have believed possible only a few years earlier. While I haven't read Don Quixote (and am not likely to thanks to Sra. Kincaid), at the end of The Man of La Mancha we see Dulcinea as a believer, notwithstanding the hardships she suffered for it. Someone who is now going to go forth and do something different with her life. (And if she went back to whoring and hating, please don't tell me. I like my ending much better.) In 1994, I graduated college and left for 18 months in Italy. That was one of the best things I ever did for myself, and I'm quite sure I wouldn't have believed in myself enough to do it without the love and support of my girlfriends and those "knights" that we met along the way. (Not to mention all my familiarity with "boy" culture and behavior made me a really big hit with most of the 19 year-old Elders I knew in Italy.) They are still my heroes, ALL of them. (No matter what my aunts like to tell me about them behind their backs.)
Of course, I've lost touch with most of them between marriages, moves, families, and all the other grown-up stuff that happens by the time you turn 35. But the occasional phone call, family funeral, and oddly my sisters' insistence on a MySpace page for me have provided me with a few glimpses of who they grew up to be. And in the end, I know I was right about them all along. They were knights. I thank them for all they did for me 'once upon a time' and I applaud the men they have turned out to be. So, whether you lurk here, get each and every nice post I write about you hand-delivered to your email Inbox (Sir John), or you never will see this; I just want you all to know that I'm grateful to all of you and that each of you is, in your own way, still a knight no matter what. (And Chris,Lanie, Jen, and Wendy; I don't mean to snub you all here-but you get props all the time. I thought I should be nice to the boys too. At least this once.)
And finally, in one more aside to one of those lurking knights, you should email me sometime. My life is an open blog (sorry, couldn't resist), but I have no clue what's up with you and I'm tired of asking Sir John. In fact, I refuse to do that anymore. I'm getting a little too old to play he said/she said, dontcha think?
Reading-
Are you kidding? My boss gave me an archivist catalog and some preservation brochures and that's about all I had time for last week.
Watching-
Why did NO ONE tell me Grey's Anatomy would be new this week? Dave downloaded for me, put it on a flash drive, and promptly lost it. Someday I'll get to watch it.
Gilmore Girls-I watched the road trip episode from last week. I've waited the whole series for Emily to sit down with Rory and Lorelai for one of their movie nights and it made me smile. Just because I can't ever get a happy ending with my mom doesn't mean that Lorelai and Emily shouldn't have theirs.
In My Netflix Queue-
Am I still subscribed? I guess so. I'm still paying them.
We had company on Saturday and watched The Muppet Movie. Always good entertaiment (if you're me, I guess.)
Out and About-
Me, Dave and the usual season-ticket holding crew went out Friday night and saw The Man of La Mancha. After really disliking a TV movie version starring John Lithgow a few years ago, I was worried about this. It turned out to be a good show. Chris and I decided that its message was "If someone thinks they are a knight, don't tell them they aren't. The shock might kill them. (More about that tomorrow if I get a chance to write it.)
Saturday was spent at work in the morning and hanging out with some of my favorite teenagers later that afternoon and evening.
Sunday I had the choice between going to church or going over to Lanie's house so one of her friends could cut my hair. All things considered, I went with the haircut. It looks good. ;>)~ Don't worry, no one has run me off for good. It was just nice to take a break.
Under its original owner, you could post TT's as late as Saturday. I'm not sure if that's still true, but I will try it anyway.
13 Good Things that Happened This Week (I do enough whining, so I thought I should end the week on a positive note.):
1. My daughter's shining eyes when she heard me stand up for her to another adult and the way we've gotten along every day since then. (I used to long for my mom to stand up for me, so I'm glad I could do that for her.)
2. Attending 2 baptisms this week and really getting a lot spiritually from both of them.
3. Neither Dave nor I ever caught head lice from the kids, though I've had a strong case of imaginary ones much to the amusement/chagrin of both my husband and the school secretary who have been nice enough to check me every time I have begged them to do so. And the kids have been clear for several days too.
4. We went to the Deep Fork Grill for lunch at work on Thursday. Their fondue was the prize-winner at our recent Fancy Party and in gratitude the chef sent out a couple of appetizers with his compliments while we ate. That's never happened to me in my life (and is not likely to again unless it's in conjunction with my job) and it was pretty cool.
5. I worked with some really good school groups this week and the highlight was when a little girl threw her arms around me and said "even if this place didn't have a gift shop, it would still be my favorite museum!" (I wonder, is it too late to get that printed on the brochures.)
6. We all went to see Man of La Mancha last night. (There were many DeMolay jokes flying between me, Chris, and Lanie; of course.) Our dinner was at La Luna which means I've now eaten there twice in one month. Yum!
7. Along those lines, I was smart enough to eat lightly for the rest of the day both times I went out this week. And the result is another 2 lbs. gone.
8. I got to work at the school store on Friday (I've missed that since I started working).
9. Caroline was perfectly good when she got her tooth filled at the dentist. She's a little trooper.
10. I got my first paycheck in the last 10 years or so.
11. I got a phone call from someone I hadn't spoken with in ages (Anita)!
12. I got about half of the candy sale money recorded and deposited-I even sold a few candy bars to the bank teller! And people even made separate donations beyond just purchasing candy. Bless them!
13. Today, I got to go sit on the sidelines and watch another production crew in action at work. This time for a Teddy Roosevelt documentary-did you know Oklahoma has its own T.R. actor? I didn't either. It made for a nice morning.
There's a lot on my plate these days, so I got up this morning and deleted everything posted prior to 6:45 a.m. yesterday without reading it. (I can't compartmentalize like things like Dave and we had a field trip group again today.) Unfortunately, everything I blog also comes to my Inbox. That much I deleted with only a partial reading (this is where my adult ADD comes in handy). Because I feel the need again to defend the honor of my 9 year-old who was already humiliated beyond belief by some of her classmates BEFORE yesterday, I'm going to clarify that she was not "an extreme case." In Cleveland County all students are required to be inspected by either their pediatrician or the county health dept. before returning to school. From the NPS website:
"Head Lice - Student must be treated with a special preparation for killing
head lice (available over-the-counter) and progress made on removing all of
the nits. Student is to be cleared by the Cleveland County Health
Department or their health care provider"
And just to prove I'm not pulling this out of thin air, here is a link to the aforementioned page. And that's all I have to say about that ever again.
But to say that I completely separated myself from yesterday isn't quite accurate. I spent any part of the day today (that I wasn't busy teaching) in serious debate over walking out of church for good. Not just because of yesterday, but because my life over the last 15 years has not been easy and parts of it have been decidedly unpleasant. Anyone who belongs to a part-member family can relate to the 'being-pulled-in-half' feeling that goes on for pretty much the rest of your life. There is enough tension at home and among my extended family over religion as it is, I can't handle any further tension at church. And that's what I have to look forward to now for at least a good month. I will admit that this is due in part (about half) to my own actions, but not completely. And yet, I'll wind up with 100% of the blame and shoulder it because that is the story of my life. And it's a story I'm frankly a little tired of. I can't fight the battle at home and at church simultaneously for much longer, and it's definitely still waged in both places. Even when yesterday's incident blows over, there's always going to be something I screw up or do wrong; and I'm always going to be judged harshly for whatever it is. And I can't deal with that anymore. I just...can't.
I'm well-familiar with talks about choosing to be offended, "unto whom much is given, much is required" and all the other things church members like to quote to each other when one of them is sure she just won't be able to "endure to the end." But the thing is, I'm not angry. Not anymore. I'm just...tired. Too tired to take crap from my family about being Mormon and at the same time take crap from the members about not being perfect, it's TOO MUCH. If I were angry, I might have more energy to power through this. But it's not anger that I'm feeling; it's discouragement and exhaustion and lonlieness. Maybe I'm really not cut out for the Celestial Kingdom, maybe I'm just to much of an earthly gal.
And yet, just when I thought I had firmly decided just to let go and salvage whatever relationship I might have left with my non-member family sans the whole church issue; I got a phone call. There was a 15 year-old girl being baptized tonight, making her the only member in her family. One of the other girls and her brother (both of whom I ADORE) wanted a ride to the church. Could I take them? Of course I could. As I drove around in circles trying to find their house, I reflected on the many lessons I have taught since I was called to YW, of the testimony I have born to those girls in the past year, and I thought about how sad they would be if I turned my back on all of that. I realized I had no right to do that to them. That I love them enough to keep moving forward. That I've been in that 15 year-old's shoes for 15 years myself and she just might need me. We arrived too late to witness the baptism, but in plenty of time for them to ask me to give her the welcome to Young Women's. I did so happily and sincerely. It was a good thing. After the service, she hugged me in the ladies room and said "I just feel so good I can't even describe it!" And in a flash, I remembered just about every moment I had ever felt the same way in church. And I'm staying. ("Do you hear that New York?! The frog is staying!" Sorry, couldn't resist) I may be tired, discouraged, misquoted, and hanging in by my toenails, but I'm hanging in just the same.
In about 20 years, I will tell you all about how you single-handedly saved Sister G and her little family today. Until then, let me just say 'thanks.'
Love you,
Sister G
Since I have no clever household hints to share with anyone on this Works-For-Me Wednesday, I'm going to make a list of what would work for me if wishes were horses and all of that (and I will spare the sweet readers of Rocks In My Dryer the results of my whining, I'm only sorry my loyal readers can't say the same).
1. A housekeeper who loved to clean the hard water soap scum off of our toilets and showers. The only thing that works is a pumice stone, and Wal-Mart doesn't sell the kind with long handles for immersing in the toilet which means...eww! This same housekeeper should also enjoy running that intermediate load of dishes that never seems to happen during the day but would help me stay on top of things in the kitchen. He or she should also want to fold and put away my laundry, Dave's laundry, and Elisa's laundry; but not Natalie, Tristan or Caroline's-how else will they learn?
And finally, she will have to be much more ruthless than I am about throwing out toys and extra papers-or less of a procrastinator when it comes to shredding the important stuff. Yeah, that would pretty much work for me.
2. A car that never needed oil changes (because I never remember) and seated about two more kids comfortably. (I don't want any more kids, but I like being the carpool mom and I can think of two more kids that would benefit if I could fit them and their booster seats into my car.) Oh, and throw in a self-refilling gas tank too.
3. Kids that didn't cry/whine/fight while Mom is trying to blog. (Like they are doing RIGHT NOW! Stop it!)
4. Kids that pick up after themselves (though that would eliminate the first thing on my list).
5. A potty-training tutor for Elisa since I'm not home during the day to work with her and Daddy is terrified to tackle it himself. (And I don't mean that in a bad way, I was terrified to train Natalie when he was overseas so I feel his pain.)
6. Two "free" hours that don't "count" in real-world time for reading, writing, or other enjoyable activities. (I think they could manage that on Star Trek somehow-maybe I should just ask for a holideck. I'm sure I spelled that wrong, but you get the idea.)
7. A cat door that I could trust not to let the possums and raccoons inside the house too. (I'm worried my cats would tear off those special collars-or that the other animals would beat my cats up and steal them off their broken little bodies.)
8. A way to scare those aformentioned possums and raccoons OFF my driveway besides chasing them with my car. (Honking, shouting, stomping, and running at them only make them laugh.)
9. A free pass for Southwest Airlines-they fly everywhere I like to travel.
10. Enough money to finance travel and accomodations for get-togethers with all my friends who live far away or for all the online groups I belong to finally meet each other.
11. I'd settle for a day off with no other committments? Please?
12. A partridge in a pear tree. (Actually, that wouldn't work for me at all, I just couldn't resist adding it once I realized this was going to be a list of 12.)
This week is so busy that when I pulled up in my driveway this afternoon, I half-expected to see myself simultaneously exiting my front door only stopping long enough to tell me "I made the doughnuts" before hopping into my vacated front seat and driving off. It didn't happen today, but it's still pretty early in the week.
I managed to grocery shop this afternoon so I've got no excuses not to plan my menu. If it looks familiar, it's because I'm using a lot from Menus 4 Moms this week. I'm actually using next week's menu because that's the most recent addition to my Inbox.
Monday-Turkey cutlets, crescent rolls, peas, and cranberry sauce (a deviation from this week's M4M menu)
Tuesday-Breakfast for dinner (inspired by M4M, but I'm making my favorite Jiffy mix pancakes instead)
Wednesday-Crockpot lasagna (M4M recipe)
Thursday-Oven-fried chicken (ditto)
Friday-Whatever Pizza Shuttle delivers to Grandma's
Saturday-Cookout-Dave's in charge
Sunday-Likely a bean pot roast-I'm not 100% decided.
For more good recipes, check out Laura's blog!
This week's "Week In Review" post has been pre-empted by the fact that I've done no significant reading, movie, or tv watching this week. This week's Gilmore Girls is recorded but unwatched, Grey's was a re-run, and Veronica Mars was a no-show. Netflix must hate me. I used to be so prompt with my returns and now...
The kids did see that new Barbie movie on Saturday and I thank Nickelodeon for airing it so that I don't have to buy it. I did watch BSG last week and do any of us really think we've seen the last of Starbuck? I thought not. I did want to slap Dee's face there at the end of the last episode. I thought she looked just a little smug underneath that sad/shocked expression. But that was probably just me projecting again. I will be watching that again later tonight. I also just finished the second episode of BBC's Robin Hood. I wouldn't go so far as to concur with People's 'Star Wars in Sherwood Forest' assessment, but I do like it. And I'm way more in love with this Robin Hood than I ever was with Kevin Costner. (I'm still pretty fond of Cary Elwes, though.) I'm actually feeling pretty spiritual today and I might just have to do a church-y type post in a little while. I just wanted to explain this week's Week In Review, or rather, the lack thereof.
"This morning I had to get dressed up and wait on people at a luncheon but it wasn't too bad 'cause then I got to go out for lunch with Lanie and Chris. We sat on the patio and cars honked at us. It was cool! Then we went to the Mall and I bought some totally rad stuff to fix my hair with, Chris and Lanie bought jewelry. Then we looked at some clothes at Dillard's and The Gap and checked out the new stuff at Bath and Body Works. Since there was a party and a dance tonight, we couldn't stay out too late because we had to get ready. I guess that's all I did today. Goodnight."
It's funny. I could have written this 20 years ago...or, you know, right now. And that's one of the few cool things about staying in your own home town instead of moving someplace else when you grow up. I didn't plan on spending the rest of my life here. Thanks for making it worth my while. I had fun today. I hope you both did too.
The full-time staff at The Job had CPR training today. While it's certainly been awhile since I was certified, I saw it as a good opportunity for some quality time at home. (The last time I took that class, it was at an R.S. sister's home in Tucson. Only Anne and I showed up for the class and she was reluctant to demonstrate choking manuevers on me because I was barely pregnant with Natalie.) The problem is, I never WAS home today.
First, I took the kids to school and spent half and hour collecting candy money in the office. Then, I dropped by the spring kids' consignment sale and made myself all sad by looking at all the cute baby stuff and realizing that I will never again have a use for any of that in my home. (Not that I really want to...endings are just sad.) To cheer myself up, I went to Wal-Mart for the new People magazine and to buy bottled waters because we re-opened the school store today. So, I raced back from Wal-Mart to the school because if you don't fire up the popcorn machine by 10:45, it isn't ready in time for the kids at 11:10. I'm proud to say I worked all three hours without burning a single batch of popcorn OR eating a lot of junk. I bought some hummus dip and carrot sticks at Wal-Mart and stuck to those. Once the store was closed down and cleaned up, I had to make my afternoon plea for kids to turn in candy money. By then, all I could do was wait 20 minutes in the car for the kids to get done with school. I took my two little car-poolers home and no sooner did we leave their driveway than the gas light beeped on my dashboard. One trip to 7/11 and $50 some-odd dollars later, I decided just to take the kids to grandma's without bothering to go home.
Tonight was Cousin J's birthday and I wanted to get him a present. Once my mom and grandmother were there to help him with my kids, I left to do just that. I also picked up some pizza while I was out, just like I told my mom I would. I got back to grandma's only to find that they had ordered some and had it delivered already. Nice.(Mom is like that) Fortunately, there was lots of company tonight and it got eaten anyway. I had to live in the middle of the party to help set up for a geneology conference tomorrow ("Land Run" themed, of course), but made it back in plenty of time for cake. (I wish I could say I skipped it, but I didn't. At least the rest of my day was spent eating well.) Both of my sister's brought their computers and we had a little LAN party going on in an obscure corner of grandma's house. From there, I listened to Aunt M raving to Natalie about all the healthy benefits of drinking coffee-she was trying hard to push my buttons, but I didn't let it happen. (Much to the disappointment of my mom.) I was having too much fun with my sisters. Besides, you aren't going to convince a 9 year-old to like coffee no matter where she goes to church.
The gift-opening provided the usual entertainment of mom only getting half of what she meant to give him into the package. (An all-time low of ONE sock and an empty envelope where the card should have been, plus a super-fancy shaving kit missing some of it's accessories. Quintessential Mom...) On Caroline's recommendation, I picked out some "freaky and evil" things because "that's what Cousin J loves." However, since I don't share his love of all things gory, I improvised. I got him a Blockbuster gift card so he can pick out his own scary movies, then went to the Dollar store for some tacky fun. I grabbed a package of gummy rat-shaped candy (I'd call that freaky and evil) then as I considered a very ugly piggy bank with the words "kiss me" on the side, I was nearly accosted by an elderly lady who saw it and liked it and was very agitated that I had it when it was the LAST ONE! Oh yeah, I got it for him. Knowing he had deprived a grumpy old lady of her tacky knick-knack was the icing on his birthday cake.
Finally, I realized at about 10 p.m. that I was starting to feel dead on my feet. I gathered up the kids, but not without a party balloon popping and much fighting over goodies in their treat bags. (Cousin J spoils them rotten...but you've gotta love him for loving them that much.) The good news is that all the whining and fighting must have exhasted them, because they were all asleep within 30 minutes of returning home. And since I've got to put in guest appearances at the aforementioned conference, a late lunch with my friends, and a youth dance tomorrow-I had best be sleeping myself. Not much of a day off, I guess, but does a mom ever really get one?
First of all, I'm so grateful to the two wonderful ladies who took on Thursday Thirteen so it didn't have to "retire." You can visit them and all the other Thursday Thirteeners here!
I named this blog "But I digress" out of my tendencies to ramble for hours about nothing. But looking back, I think there are many other titles that would have suited that same purpose. Some of these I actually considered, others I just made up off the top of my head until I had 13 of them.
Thirteen Alternate Titles for this Blog:
1. Much Ado about Nothing (much like Seinfeld, this blog rarely has a point)
2. Shades of Grey (representative of my political views-I can't pick a side on ANYTHING.)
3. Odd-Woman Out (Pretty much how I've felt my whole life. I'm learning to embrace it.)
4. "...full of sound and fury signifying nothing." (According to my husband, anyway.)
5. It's Cheaper than Therapy (it IS)
6. Gregg Digressions, formerly known as Lawson's Lair (A play on the was my friend Chris and I once planned to answer the phone if we ever became roommates.)
7. Diary of a Mad PTA President (self-explanatory)
8. Endless Blather (well...)
9. Four Kids Are Gonna Cause my Funeral (a play on the movie)
10. Mi Vida Loca (that one is definitely taken)
11. Eh Allora? Uno. (Italian joke)
12. Caught Between a Blog and a Hard Place (that one kind of refers to how I feel stuck between two worlds-see my B4B: Between post)
13. Please Read My Blog! (No really, please do!)
So...the nit-picking, it's still ongoing...and so is the PTA candy sale. That means I have to go to the school whether the kids can or not. I've tried all week not to be late for work, and every day I've been ambushed by a teacher or student or situation and STILL not arrived until around 9:15. Everyone at work (me included) was a little on edge today and I promised our YW president that I would be in charge of Mutual tonight (our church youth activity) which meant that I had to go tonight, like it or not.
As it turned out, the later part of my day did go a little better than I thought it would. I got some laundry and dishes done. I combed everyone's hair and found that only one child still has any nits left. And so, I drove to church this evening feeling less stress than I had all week. The activity went all right and I was feeling pretty good about myself and my ability to work part-time, run the PTA, raise four kids, and help out when the YW president was away. I guess my head was getting a little big, but it was immediately brought back to its rightful size when I heard one of the girls say: "Sister G, you had better come here." I went into the Men's Room to find my two year-old naked and standing on top of the the entire roll of paper towels that she must have pulled one by one from the dispenser on the wall. Her clothes and soggy diaper were strewn across the floor. And where was I when she did all of this? Standing around patting myself on the back for being so on top of things in my life. It was one of my finest moments in parenting, no doubt. I could have cried, but I chose to laugh...and to point it out to both of her Nursery teachers who were there as well as the Branch President. The branch where we attend church is small and rural. She will NEVER live this down. I think I'm going to survive the rest of the week just fine.
My kids were all sent home today with head lice. All I've done since 4 p.m. is wash sheets, wash hair, and wish that I had more than one son whose badly buzzed hair may look bad right now; but will be one less head to worry about during the next two weeks of literal "nit-picking" that lie ahead of me. I feel so bad for them that I've let them all camp out here on the floor tonight. They've also been allowed to watch endless Pokemon and play Gameboy on a weeknight. They had Sonic for dinner and I got myself a Sonic Sunrise to drink while wishing mightily for some "real" ingredients to go in it. (Granted, it's been about 15 years since I've had any tequila and, if memory serves, that didn't work out too well for me back then either.)
So far, I've had to tell all their teachers, be checked myself by the school secretary (I'm bug-free/nit-free thank you very much), tell the parents of the two kids who carpool with us (long-time friends of the family), buy that "special shampoo at Wal-Mart," and get my Dad to come and help me use that shampoo on the two little girls so they didn't get it in their eyes while jumping around in protest. This means that my mom knows and that the rest of my family will soon find out too. Oh, and using the clippers on Tristan? Not fun. The end result? Not pretty. It's a good thing I passed on beauty school. Tomorrow will bring more laundry, more vacuuming, and more combing and picking than any one mom or three little girls should have to put up with. I've done this before, I know what's involved, and it all pretty much sucks. But what's REALLY making me mad is that two weeks ago Dave found the lice in Tristan's (and ONLY Tristan's) hair and I said "Cool! Just clip his head and we're good to go." Of course, because I told him to do it, he refused and swore up and down that he got them all out. Did I really believe it? No. But I really wanted to...I was still writing my paper at the time and trying to get everything ready both for graduation and The Big Event at work. I knew he would blow off everything I told him to do to take care of the problem, but I trusted him anyway because I HAD to. Over the years, I've learned better than to do that, but just once I'd like to be able to ask my husband to take care of something and actually have him do it. But now, as usual, the mess has multiplied by four and I'm going to have to handle it all by myself.
Lanie, Chris, Wendy-instead of hanging out at my house this weekend, how would you feel about The Mont and a movie? I could really go for some time away from this house accompanied by a swirl and some queso. I promise I'll bring a note from the health dept. declaring my head a lice-free zone if that's what it takes to get out of here for a few hours.
Reading
gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson-I finished this just a few hours ago. It *may* have been better than Between, Georgia, but because I can hear Nonny Frett reminding me that her book was one of the few bits of recognition I've ever received for my writing, and because I don't want to mess with Arlene Fleet either (especially when she's got an empty tequila bottle); I'll call it a draw and say I loved them both. (Chris and Lanie-you want to borrow these. Really.)
Watching
Gilmore Girls-I bit the bullet yesterday and watched all three episodes. It was worth sitting through both the break-up episode and the drunken-Emily-reminding-me-so-much-of-my-mom episode to see that last episode. Mrs. Kim is finally herself and not a caricature anymore. Phew. Also, there was lots of Babette and Miss Patty in all those episodes which makes all things right in my world. Of course, I'm still hoping for Logan to drop off a cliff and Rory to walk off in the sunset with cuteDean. But, none of the pairings on this show ever work out like I want them to and I'm always OK with it in the end. (And cuteDean is just a tad busy with Supernatural these days.)
Veronica Mars-I forgot to express my sadness (and surprise at that sadness) at losing Sheriff Lamb a few epsiodes ago. He was an arrogant jerk, but he came through for Meg's little sister back in the day. I also thought there was more to his story-and there may have been. My money is on the actor getting a better offer elsewhere. Oh well...So, we've solved Dean O'Dell's murder and we're done with any mysteries requiring more than one or two weeks to solve. We'll see how that works. (But my guess is that it will be a lot like every other episode that solved a short mystery sans the "bigger picture" subplot.)
Robin Hood-The BBC America channel is airing a new series based on our favorite English outlaw. Last night was the Pilot (which will air again on Wednesday) and I was fairly impressed with it. It's on Saturdays which are notoriously busy for me (as are Wednesdays) so we'll see if I become a regular viewer. But at least the actor HAS the appropriate accent and we're spared the Costner flair for melodrama. And he didn't cut his own hand with a knife pledging to make things right when he saw what happened to Locksley-I hated that part in the movie! Alas, there is no Alan Rickman or Mel Brooks soundtrack, but nothing's perfect. So far, it looks promising.
Extracurricular Activities-
Friday night game night was really fun! Both my sisters were there, wine flowed pretty liberally into everyone's glass but mine, and nothing mom threw in my face managed to get to me. (Also, Gran D and Cousin J laughed when I did my mom imitation. Not that it improved mom's mood any when they did that.) After a long week, I almost wasn't going to go. I'm glad I did. Aside from a couple of good games of Apples to Apples, Selena also set me up a MySpace page (Yes, I know I'm probably too old but my page has Kermit on it and plays "Rainbow Connection!" Like I'm going to walk away from that!) Then, during one of our games, Matt J (a friend of our family since he was four and his mom was my Camp Fire leader) popped up online on my sister's laptop and we all chatted with him while we played cards. He's still in the National Guard unit that Dave left a few years ago. Since his first deployment to Bosnia with Dave, the unit has been to Iraq and is now in Afghanistan. I'm glad Dave got out when he did and will breathe much easier when Matt is home safely. So it was nice to know that for those few minutes he was safe and sound and definitely still the Matt that we all know and love.
Church wound up being very good today too. Lots of babies were blessed, a new family was baptized yesterday and confirmed today, AND a mother of 9 kids who I really admire pulled me aside just to tell me what a good mama I was to my children. After Tristan's parent/teacher conference Thursday evening, I really needed to hear that. And coming from her, it meant that much more. I really love our itty-bitty branch even if the building is about to burst at the seams.
| You Are Kermit |
 Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know. You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems. Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green. Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies! |
Many years ago, I used to get quite a kick out of watching Duckman. One of my favorite episodes was one called "About Face" when Duckman had to call poison control and fell in love with the voice at the other end of the line, finding out later that she was really ugly and still wanting to be with her. (A big step out of character for Duckman, as those of you who watch it would know.) In the end, she gets a makeover and ditches him to enjoy her new found beauty. Remind me again why I loved that show so much? But, I digress...
This post by Shannon at Rocks in my Dryer reminded me of the three calls I've made to poison control as a mother. I have to admit that Duckman was right to love that voice on the phone. All of my phone calls were handled graciously without making me feel in the least like I was a bad parent-even though they had obviously caught me in some less-than-finer moments. My first and third calls were even answered by the same man. (His name was "Windy" and you just don't forget a man by that name.)
Without further ado, I give you my best recollections of those three encounters:
Call #1 (Natalie)
Windy: Poison control, how can I help you?
Me: I THINK MY 2 YEAR-OLD JUST DRANK PRESCRIPTION COUGH SYRUP!! I CAN'T FIND THE IPECAC AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!! AAAHHH!
Windy: Is there any on her mouth?
Me: (whining) Nooo...it's all over her hands and her shirt. She must have been playing in it. I don't know why. She hates it and won't take it most of the time.
Windy: But do you see any on her mouth?
Me: (feeling soothed by Windy's calm voice) No, but I can't find the puddle of it anywhere either. She HAS to have swallowed it.
Windy: Ma'am if it's on her hands and shirt but not her mouth, chances are good that she's just poured it out somewhere you haven't looked yet. Why don't you look for the puddle, and I'll call you back in half an hour.
Sure enough, I found it in her toy kitchen sink. She hadn't consumed a drop and considering the fact that I had to hold her down to get her to take half a teaspoon of it, I'm not sure why I thought she drank it in the first place. Windy called me back as promised and was very kind about the whole incident.
Call #2 (Tristan)
Nice lady at Poison Control: Poison control, how can I help you?
Me: My two year-old son just handed me an unwrapped dishwasher tablet and it's missing a sliver and I can't find it anywhere on the floor...and...and.. I THINK HE ATE IT!! I asked him if he did, and he said yes. But now he's saying yes to everything my husband asks him if he ate, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO BELIEVE!!
*in the background*
Dave: (holding up a bottle of Dawn) Tristan, did you eat this?
Tristan: Yup!
Dave: (holding up a can of Pledge stored in a locked cabinet) Tristan, did you eat this?
Tristan: Yup!
Me: AAHHH!!!
Nice lady at Poison Control: Ma'am, I'm not sure if he actually did eat the piece of dishwasher tablet, but can you tell me what brand it was.
Me: Electrasol
Nice lady at Poison Control: OK, why don't you give him some white bread and Kool-Aid. If he ate the tablet sliver, this will wrap around it and help him digest it. DO NOT give him Ipecac and watch him for nausea or drowsiness. But, I think he will be OK. All right?
Sure enough, we never found that sliver (in his diaper or elsewhere) and to this day he thinks Kool-Aid and white bread for a snack solve all the world's problems. And I started keeping prescription meds of all kinds up in my bathroom and the cleansers all in a cabinet above the washer.
Call #3 (Caroline-do you see a pattern here?)
Windy: Poison Control, this is Windy, how can I help you.
Me: (wanting to sob in relief when I knew who it was) Yes, my two year-old daughter has poured out all my Chromium Picolinate tablets and she was chewing some up and putting some back in the bottle when I found her. (sounds of Caroline howling in the background) All my other vitamins have a child-proof lid! I don't know why these didn't!
Windy: (chuckling) And you just took them away from her, didn't you? I can hear her. Do you know how many she's consumed?
Me: (inadvertantly echoing what she was saying when I found her) One, two, fwee, fo', FI'...
Windy: Excuse me?
Me: Well, she put about five back in the bottle, I pulled three out of her mouth, and they were all over the floor too.
Windy: Well, let me look it up...OK, you want to give her lots of liquid and watch for nausea or drowsiness. Call us if there's any change. OK?
And, of course, she was fine too. You will note that there are no calls for Elisa. While I certainly hope it stays that way, I'm not dumb enough to say my poison control phone calls are finished completely. Not yet. And if I do have to call, I sure hope Windy still works there. (And I'll bet he's handsome in person too.)
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