Gigi's Ramblings

The NEW, the IT, the TOTALLY MUST HAVE RIGHT NOW thing (that can't be found ANYWHERE! Not in stores, not on television and not EVEN on the internet)! Get yours TODAY!

2012-02-10T19:25:00.000-05:00

Have you heard about this?

Apparently, it is an "AWESOME product" that you will "totally fall in love with" (my friend's words). It also appears that it is more precious than gold and that everyone else decided that they must have it too.....since I've been on the hunt for this product (which she claims, "isn't really microdermabrasion" - then what is it??) for TWO weeks with no luck!

I have searched EVERY store in a thirty mile radius (no exaggeration.....). I have scoured the 'Net looking for it. Every where I have looked all I have found was the words "Out of stock" over and over and over again. Even on the actual Neutrogena website.

(Why yes, I DO tend to go on obsessive hunts when I get a bee in my bonnet about something; why do you ask? And since we are asking questions.....have you seen any black suede, lace up, wedged booties anywhere? I can't seem to find the exact ones that I'm looking for either......)

Is this product THAT good? Is it SO amazing that the manufacturer can't even keep themselves stocked?

According to my friend, yes; it IS that good. That remains to be seen, as I haven't tried it yet.

She also mentioned that it, and the refills, had disappeared from the shelves for a long time for a while and had only recently reappeared.

(I'm wondering WHY she's waited so long to tell ME about this product in the first place?! I'm thinking that, since we are the same age, she is trying to get a head start on de-aging herself before bringing me in on the secret; hmph!) (Which just goes to show you how much I love you - I'm telling you about this amazing, more precious than gold, product before I EVEN try it!)

So, just HOW did I get my hands on this precious piece of product, you ask?

Today, in a desperate last bid to find it, I went to an out of the way drugstore on the almost-but-not-quite iffy side of town during my lunch hour. When I arrived, I reminded myself to look for it while gathering other necessary items.

I strolled down the facial care aisle (after checking to make sure the store had "my" preferred brand of wine - why yes, we DO have standards; why do you ask?) with no expectations and then.....lo and behold! (The angels began to sing) There IT was!

The mythical product that only a select few seemed to possess! I snatched up the LAST ONE and bolted toward the checkout.

Whereupon, I was met by an elderly gentleman (who apparently is a fixture in this particular store) who graciously offered to let me get ahead of him in line because, as he said, "I'm in no hurry to get anywhere." I thanked him profusely. Apparently, this was enough to make him think that I was ready for a bit of conversation while we waited. And normally? Normally, I would have been fine with having an idle chat with him as we waited for the oh-so-slow line to move.

But this conversation? Was not one I really wanted to have with an elderly stranger - or anyone really.

He said, "Oh what a week!"

I said, "Hmmm?"

He replied, "I've never had one like it."

I said, "Oh?"

He said, "Yeah, I've been constipated all week! Never experienced anything like it."

I raised my eyebrows as he continued, "Never live to be seventy-three; it ain't no fun."

Needless to say, I was totally floored, flummoxed and flustered. I thought about tossing out the standard, "Well, it beats the alternative" rejoinder - but somehow it just didn't seem fitting. It was my turn to answer - but how DO you respond to either one of those comments?

At that moment, I heard another clerk say, "I'll take the next person in line!" - I immediately threw my new best friend a smile and took off and I heard him turn to the next person and say, "Go ahead, I'm in no hurry....oh what a week....."

As I gleefully headed back to the office it dawned on me.....everything else that was on my list? Totally forgotten. Oh well, I've got all day tomorrow

****
I have not been compensated in anyway for this non-review of a product. All the toil, labor and gas-money that went into searching for it (plus the totally random conversation) were all mine.

****

It's about three hours later (yes, I really did type all that above and not publish it yet; it's called "editing, editing, editing - bored. Go have a glass of wine; wash the face and come back to the post.") and I just tried the AMAZING, YOU GOTTA HAVE IT, MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD product.

While I cannot honestly say that I look any younger after using it (yet)- but oh my hell! It IS an amazing product - it feels so good on your face as you are using it and my skin felt SO soft afterward!

Now the TRUE test will be if my ancient, ever so sensitive skin doesn't break out in some sort of hideous reaction - then? Then, Neutrogena can send me a life-time supply of the refills and I will sing their praises forever. In the meantime? Get yours TODAY because supplies are limited....SEVERELY limited! Trust me on that one.

Aren't doctors supposed to be older than twelve?

2012-02-07T19:45:00.000-05:00

So I finally broke down and went to the doctor today (nothing serious, I might add). But, I'd been putting it off for months (I know, I KNOW! BAD Gigi!).

Because the last time I went I was informed that the woman I usually see was leaving. In fact, it was her last week there. I was lucky I'd scheduled the appointment when I did - otherwise I would have missed her completely.

News of her leaving devastated me. I'd been seeing her for approximately fourteen years. FOURTEEN YEARS! I had a rapport with this woman - a relationship, if you will.

Had she just moved to another practice, I would have told her to pack my very thick file into her black bag and I would have moved along with her. But, alas, she went to work for a private company - so short of me quitting my job and somehow figuring out a way to get hired on at that company, I was without a doctor.

Not technically, of course, since the other doctors at the practice would be more than willing to poke and prod me. But they aren't her. They don't know me - inside and out. They don't know my family by name. They don't know that Man-Child is set to graduate this May. They don't know that Hubby has been out of work. They don't know anything about me - other than words written in the file - which are just words, that I am sure are written in Doctorese and don't convey all that went behind those words. Basically, they don't know anything about ME.

And this left me feeling nervous. So, I stuck my head in the sand. You know, like ALL normal and rational people do.

So I've had this minor issue - for months and months now (apparently, if the truth be told, this has been an issue for longer than I initially thought as I was informed today I hadn't been in for over a year! Yikes! That tells me how easily it is for me to ignore things that I TOTALLY don't want to deal with.....) and finally I got the courage to make the appointment - with a totally new person. As in new to me and the practice, she's only been at the practice for about two weeks (and, oh my God, is she YOUNG!).

She seemed competent. She seemed nice. She's not the woman my other one was - but I think she will do. And? I won't be so quick to blow off those minor things now. One because it is NEVER a good idea to wait when you have an issue (if I'd gone earlier - I could have been saved a lot of aggravation) and two, because I've met her. And she's not so bad - but she is so YOUNG! It's gonna take some getting used to; having a doctor that is younger than me - aren't they all supposed to be older and wiser? Maybe I'll ask her to don a gray wig and some glasses next time; I'm sure she won't mind (or immediately order a psychiatric evaluation; because that's TOTALLY a rational request.....right?).

Dear Blogger.....where is MY bling? (or....the one where I post a blatant cry for help in hopes that SOMEONE at Blogger is listening)

2012-01-30T20:28:00.000-05:00

So first you throw this no more Google Friends thing at us (which I am NOT happy about; a fact which you have obviously ignored) and now apparently, you have a nifty new feature. It's called threaded commenting....or something like that.

I first noticed it on Sunday over at Jerry's blog, Gently Said, and I wanted it. Immediately. Never mind the fact that I often don't play with my new features once they are out of the box. I wanted it. I NEEDED it.

I figured THIS would be the solution to those that comment but don't have their email connected (OR their blog linked - seriously? HOW do you expect to gain traffic if you don't at least have your profile linked? Am I right? Some of you are WordPressinians and your system is different. To you I give a pass (just barely), but to the Blogger users? You better have a darn good reason, dammit *stamps foot* to NOT have your blog linked - I can *almost* understand the email thing, but the lack of blog-linkage is inexcusable) so I can't respond unless I coerce or bribe them into giving me their email so I can bypass the whole noreply-comment@blogger.com thing.

So I fired off an email to Jerry with a list of ~~demands~~ questions about it. And waited. When he replied, I was downcast, but not deterred.

He informed me that this was a new Blogger feature and that one day it was *just there.* WHAT?! It wasn't *just there* for me! So I did a little digging. Do this, change that and viola! THERE should be your threaded comments.....except they weren't.

I got nothing. I am not happy, Blogger. I WANT the shiny, new features (whether I utilize them or not) to "bling" my blog.

I read something about how this shiny, new feature may not work with "custom" templates....but, but, I DON'T have a custom template (insert whiny voice)! Ever since my custom template got hacked I've stayed true to YOU; I've only used your Blogger-blessed template....so where is my shiny, new feature, huh? What's a girl got to do to get this feature? I've been ALL OVER the web looking for a solution (okay, okay, not ALL OVER the web, but I HAVE looked) and I got nothing. So come on, Blogger, help a girl out....fix my problem and I'll love you forever, I promise.

And friends? If any of you have a solution, I'll love YOU even more....especially if it doesn't involve html....or you can explain it in Gigi-ese....which basically means do it for me, pretty please.

Things I've Never Done (or....The post that took three days to craft; oh my hell, these things are hard!)

2012-01-27T20:28:00.000-05:00

I blatantly stole this idea from Julie....but to be fair, I told her I would probably steal it....so technically it ISN'T stealing....even though she stole it from someone else, who stole it from someone else and so on....so maybe it is stealing....kinda, sorta, in a way....but not in a way that makes me liable....I think.

I also could have stolen most of her list (since we are so much alike) but I figured that would be going too far.....so without further ado here is my list.

I'm *cough, cough* 29 years old (oh, be quiet. And NO, I will NOT produce my birth certificate to prove it; you are just going to have to trust me!) and these are the things I've never done

1. I've never worn my wedding dress (I bought it....I just never wore it. What can I say? Meddlesome mother, obstinate daughter. That pretty much sums it up.)

2. I've never been out of the country...ever. Not even to Mexico - which was *right* there when I lived in Texas - but I do have this on my "bucket" list because there are so many places I want to go. And my husband? Well, he can suck it because I don't need him as a traveling companion.

3. I have never been to Disney (I know!) but considering my husband I may never get there unless I arrange a "girls only" trip with my girlfriends (IF I ever have any extra money again and yes, you can all denigrate him now for being a stick in the mud).

4. I have never been on a cruise (again, I know! And yes, once again this is all hubby's fault. Hmmm, I'm sensing a theme emerging....)

5. I have never read War and Peace. And have no desire to - it looks extremely boring and heavy.

6. I have never owned an animal. Seems like a lot of work to me and believe me, the two animals I live with are more than enough work to keep me occupied (although....we did have that fish - the one that had apparently lived forever before it was given to Man-Child...wherein it promptly died after someone over-fed it. Man-Child should be thanking his lucky stars that he is still alive).

7. I have never not been a reader (except maybe before I could, you know, actually read). I love reading. I love to lose myself in a good story. And I love the fact that my son loves to read. I may actually be *that* person that will buy books for children as a gift to encourage reading (although to be truthful, I do usually buy them a "real" gift too - you know, so they don't think of me as *that* person.....)

(holy cow! This list thing is harder than I thought!)

8. I have never been able to see clearly. Apparently, before it was discovered that I am blind as a bat, I walked around in a daze running into things. I've worn glasses/contacts FOREVER and would consider Lasik except I looked the procedure up on the web (damn my insatiable need to read!) and scared myself silly. So I figure I'll be wearing contacts forever. In fact, I think I will put it in my will that the mortician put my contacts in when I "go" so that I can see what is what on the other side.

9. I have never met a blog friend in real life. This is also on my "bucket" list and totally do-able, I think (look out Julie, I'm figuring you will be my easiest "meet" since surely I'll be able to make it home for a visit before I die).

10. I've never had surgery (thank God! Oh wait! Does oral surgery count? I'm thinking "no" since they sent me home right after - which totally freaked Hubby out. Apparently, they handed me over to him as I was still coming down from the anesthesia and he was afraid I'd keel over on his watch; what with the twitching and drooling and all).

11. I've never had a (diagnosed) broken bone (although, I suspect that my brother broke my tail bone when we were kids - but it seemed to have fixed itself; except when I occasionally have odd twinges. When that happens I TOTALLY curse my brother).

12. I've never had anything waxed (sounds really painful!).

13. I've never had to potty-train a girl.....

(yes, I'm reaching now)

14. I've never had Cheerwine. I don't care if it does have the word "wine" in the name - it's not something that appeals to me. And no, I don't care if it IS a locally distributed soda - it still does not appeal.

15. I've never had coleslaw on a barbecue sandwich or hamburger (we discovered this little gem after being here for about two days - ICK). I'm sorry....coleslaw grosses me out. Also, apologies to my Texas readers - I know that you consider barbecue to be beef. But here it is pork, apparently with coleslaw ON it (I know! ICK!). I can never remember which kind we have here - but I think it is the Lexington style and it is quite tasty.....if you don't put coleslaw on it (which I discovered after about 14 years of living here).

16. I have never watched an episode of the Kardashians or the Real Housewives of Where-ever. Nope, not once.

17. I have never been arrested (again, thank God! Although....there was that one time when a girlfriend and I snuck out to meet some guys and we were "detained" because we fit the description of two girls that were with some guys who robbed a convenience store....which, as it turns out, were the very same guys we were supposed to be meeting - hey, don't judge, I never said I made SMART choices when I was in high school. I waited until I was older for that).

18. I have never sent a child off to college (but it appears that I will be crossing this one off the list quite soon, as Man-Child has been accepted to every school he applied to....someone hold me as I sob uncontrollably and laugh with joy for him at the same time.)

19. I have never gone to college (technically - sure I've taken a few classes, or I may have attended a Defensive Driving class at the local college [to get out of a ticket...*cough, cough*] - but that doesn't count). But I'm thinking I may have to enroll....in the same school as Man-Child.....what?! It could be classified as bonding, right?

20. I have never not finished a book I was reading...no matter how terrible (oh wait....there was that one, it was so bad I can't even remember the name or what it was about, so that one doesn't count).

21. I have never been in a real photo-shoot....I'm thinking those family portrait-type things don't count....right?

22. I have never been on television; although Man-Child and Hubby have appeared in a televised "snippet" once; while I stood off to the side and pretended I didn't know them, so I wouldn't accidentally get sucked in.

(can this get any harder?! Holy cow, there is a MILLION things I've never done. Why am I drawing a blank here?)

23. I have never been good at math. When confronted with any type of math problem, no matter how simplistic, I freeze up. Literally. Man-Child finds it quite humorous. I can still recall, with much clarity, sitting at the table, sobbing, as my father tried his damnedest to patiently help me with my 3rd grade math homework. Obviously, it never sunk in. Which begs the question, just who will be working on the finance-part of this going-to-college-deal? Not me, obviously! But after watching Hubby freak out over it last night, I'm thinking Man-Child might be the best choice for doing that....and our taxes. What could go wrong with having a 17 year old as our "financial" adviser?

24. I have never been happy about waking up to an alarm clock (but really? Has any of us? Granted, these days I "automatically" get up early - but I place the blame squarely on the alarm clock for having "trained" my body to do that).

25. I have never been a morning person. Despite the fact that I tend to get up early now, I am NOT a person to talk to in the morning. I need, at the bare minimum, at least a cup and a half of coffee before I am willing to deal with whatever you have to say to me; even if it is just "good morning". Which explains why my alarm clock is set to go off so early.....so I can get caffeinated enough to deal with whatever the day has to throw at me; which lately? Really? I need more coffee.

26. I have never loved dealing with laundry. Any aspect of it (I know you are all nodding in agreement - because the truth of the matter is this - laundry sucks). Laundry is one of those chores that has to be done but no matter how many times you do it, it is NEVER done! Every single time you think, "THERE! It is DONE!" That is when you will notice that it has started piling up in the basket....AGAIN. It is a never ending cycle....literally.

27. I have never seen a blue corn moon (just what in the hell is that anyway? I guess I need to Google it).

28. And the last thing that I've never done - finished a list in its entirety. Why? Because, apparently these things are too damn hard....and pretty much endless....kinda like laundry.

Guess what today is?

2012-01-19T19:41:00.000-05:00

My twenty-first wedding anniversary.

Guess who forgot - completely and totally?

Nope.

Not hubby.

That would be me. The VERY bad wife.

*sigh* Apparently, this will be my MO for the year. So far, I've forgotten, not one but TWO of my very good friend's birthdays. And now this. The shame, the shame.

This kind of behavior from a woman who, not so very long ago, could recite - in order - every birthday or event to be celebrated for the entire year. I hang my head in shame. I've GOT to pull it together.

I could say that my life is soooo hectic and chaotic that I simply can't remember EVERYTHING. But, in truth? It's not. Lately, it's been rather quiet.

Maybe my mind is just in chaos? Yeah, I think that is what I'll go with....I've had far too much on my mind to remember it all.

But just in case it doesn't cut it in the excuse department, someone PLEASE remind me that I have an important birthday of (another) dear friend to remember next month.....if I could only recall the day....

Dammit. It IS going to be a year of missed events.

*sigh*

A "grown-up" post, of sorts, where I give you my point of view....which, as usual, has me riding the fence

2012-01-18T19:03:00.000-05:00

My thoughts on SOPA/PIPA.....

Obviously, I haven’t read the legislation so I can’t comment on whether or not I believe the language is too broad or not (it should be noted, that on this topic - as on most others - I only know enough to be dangerous. You've been warned).

But the purpose and intent behind this bill is a noble one.

To stop copyright infringement – mainly targeting illegal downloading of movies and music – which doesn’t seem like a big deal….if you are the recipient of the “free” (illegal) content. But to the owner of that content, it IS a big deal.

Think about it this way; say you are cruising about on the Internet and come across a website where someone has taken your words – the very ones you slaved over – and is making money off your content…..and you, the author, are not only NOT receiving royalties; you are also not receiving credit….for YOUR work. Or, you find a photograph that you have taken - posted elsewhere without your permission….again, you aren’t receiving credit or cash for YOUR work. Now, I ask you, is that fair? Of course, it isn’t.

That, my friends, is piracy. And that is wrong; very wrong.

Obviously, most bloggers have a problem with people taking our work; since most of us have some type of language on our blogs telling people not to steal our stuff. I should note here, that most of us don't mind if we are linked to another blog, mainly because at least we are getting credit for the words we wrote (not to mention any possible traffic that comes our way), but we DO mind when someone just takes what we wrote as their own.

Am I against censorship? Yes, of course, I am. Is this bill headed toward censorship? I don’t know. Possibly. I know that as it stands, if this were to pass, as is, theoretically a piece of mine could be blocked from the internet in the United States if I include a link to say, a YouTube video and that source contains copyrighted content.

Am I against piracy? Yes. Without a doubt, I am. And whether it’s an amended version of this bill, or a complete new one, something needs to be done about the rampant piracy on the internet.

Google and all the other tech companies that are complaining have a point – to a degree. There shouldn’t be a total lockdown, but at the same time website owners need to take responsibility for what is on their site. If they receive a complaint, they need to take it seriously.

Some currently do take it seriously when they are contacted and informed that there is illegal content on their site and remove the offending content immediately. Others? Not so much. Their attitude is, “Well, I can’t control what users do” and some even go so far as to put language to that effect in their Terms of Service. And that is where the problem really lies.

If it is your website, you really do need to take responsibility. Period.

Piracy is a problem….a big problem – and not just for Hollywood, it is also a problem for companies large and small, it is a problem for photographers, writers (that includes bloggers) and anyone else who works hard to craft their “product.”

So far, this article at the Huffington Post seems to offer the clearest answer to what this means to the blogger (that is you and me).

The creation of the internet has enabled us to freely share information and communicate with people worldwide. That shouldn't stop. But the piracy does.

So somehow, we have to find that middle ground.

****

Since I've written this, I've read accounts that say these most likely will not pass as our lawmakers have heard us loud and clear....but, dammit, I've slaved over these words - so I'm posting them anyway.

Back to the regularly scheduled and discombobulated posts tomorrow....or maybe the next day.....or maybe next week.....or....oh hell, who knows when (we all know how sporadic I've been lately).

****
And if the formatting is off kilter - it's all Blogger's fault. Every time I preview it, the formatting is different. So Blogger? Get your stuff together....because seriously? I like my formatting to work properly....thank you.

How to make yourself look like a blithering idiot to the IT department....and your bosses.

2012-01-12T20:26:00.000-05:00

Let me explain....

Technically, I work for three and one half lawyers (the half one is a lawyer - but he's at the very bottom of the totem pole and rarely asks for anything). As I work for three and one half people, I have access to all their calendars to keep them on track....theoretically....especially since one particular lawyer sometimes doesn't share the information in his head with me OR his calendar; but that's a story for another day.

My company has recently upgraded all of our systems and as a result, our calendaring system is quite different from the way it had been for YEARS.....as in the last ten....give or take a decade or so.

It has been taking some getting used to while looking at them.

Today, I was asked by Lawyer #1 to schedule a meeting. So I looked at his calendar and saw that the whole day he was asking about was completely free. So I booked the meeting. Good. All is right with the world.

Now, generally, I book all meetings through MY calendar so that I can get alarms about the meetings so I can gently remind the one or two lawyers that might "forget" where they are supposed to go. For whatever reason, I booked this particular appointment through his calendar.

A few minutes later, I went into my calendar and noticed that there was already a meeting scheduled for that particular time on MY calendar FOR him at the same time as the meeting I'd just scheduled. So I clicked over to his calendar to see where I'd missed it. That meeting wasn't on the calendar - only the one I'd just booked was.

In the back of my head, I vaguely remembered this particular lawyer complaining that his computer and his Blackberry weren't synching and that appointments weren't showing up on one or the other. The reason I say vaguely is because, for once, he didn't get me involved and dealt with it himself.

So my first thought was that something was up with his computer again (as a result of clicking on those virus-laden links maybe?!). So I did what any rational, sane human being would do - I called the Help Desk.

In a panic.....because ESPECIALLY with this lawyer, I need to be on top of that calendar.

I informed them that something was very, very, VERY wrong and that some of this lawyer's appointments weren't showing up on my screen. This needed to be fixed ASAP!

She asked exactly what I was looking for and told me she'd get one of the techs to look into it and call me back. Meanwhile, I began frantically re-scheduling the less important meeting.

Eventually she called me back.

Only to inform me that the reason I couldn't see the appointment was because I'd scheduled it for the following Friday......and that I was looking at THIS Friday's calendar.

And THAT is how I have now become the laughingstock of the IT department....and made one of my bosses think I'd completely lost my mind for randomly re-scheduling meetings for no good reason.

I'm thinking I need a vacation already.

The Help (oh my, is this was a hard one to read/see/review)

2012-01-10T20:07:00.000-05:00

My newest addition to Books I Love Enough to Tell You About is The Help by Katheryn Stockett.

What can I say? I LOVED this book - in fact there is a neck and neck tie between it and 11/22/63 (which seriously? You NEED to read! Man-Child is currently reading it and loving every single minute of it - so I am getting to enjoy it all over again by discussing it with him) going on right now since I honestly can't say which I loved more; although I love each for different reasons. So maybe it's like having more than one kid? You love them equally but differently? Since I only have the one child I can't attest that that is actually how it works; but that's what I've heard.....at least that's what my mom used to tell me when pressed as to which kid she loved more (it was me, I KNOW it).

I saw the movie awhile back (remember?) and mentioned that I REALLY needed to see it again. Well, I never really got around to it. Or to reading the book, for that matter.

So when Christmas rolled around and Hubby started ~~hounding~~ asking me what I wanted, I mentioned the only thing that I could think of which was the book (and the movie). And bless his little heart, he came through (and then some).

I am now the proud owner of both the book and the movie. I made him sit and watch the movie with me the other day and he actually enjoyed the movie (and was as repulsed and offended as I was about parts of it. In fact, he kept mentioning it the next day - it really disturbed him) so much I even tweeted/facebooked it....

See what kind of action you are missing out if you don't tweet or Facebook with me?
Exciting, I KNOW!

This is a hard book/movie to watch/read/review. It is not just a "regular chick flick/lit" - when I say it rips your heart out - it really does.

Besides showing what bitches some women can be - it tears back a veil and shows you how EVIL some people are at their core. It is a heartbreaking - yet uplifting - story. It shows you that although people may come from different backgrounds - different races even - that in the grand scheme of things we are women (or men) and as the author mentioned "Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought." (the author's quote of her favorite line in the book).

This story - told mainly from the perspective of the maids of white women in the 60's - shows you the true strength of friendship and what can happen when you take that bold step. It reminds you that we can accomplish so much more when we band together. It reminds you that despite the claim, women really ARE the stronger sex....despite a few evil bitches that are trying to spoil the batch (you know...rotten apple spoils the barrel analogy? Am I making any sense here?)

I just finished this book last night and told my husband, with tears in my eyes, that it was the BEST Christmas present EVER. Too which, he responded with......

"Good. It cost enough."

Damn him!

It WAS worth it. And just for that - I'm going to make him watch the movie again!

Pity Party? Party of one? Now seating, Pity Party?

2012-01-03T19:54:00.000-05:00

Yup, that might be me.

Today was my first day back at work....after being off for 19 days.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I was ready to go back. I mean.....really? Nineteen whole days home....with both Hubby and Man-Child.....(well, technically, it was only about 13 1/2 days with Man-Child .... but still!).

But I'm thinking the "Powers That Be" should have eased us back in. You know, had us come in around 10:00 am and leave around 3:00 pm; with a two hour lunch in between.

But no. We were thrown back into our old routines (and to the wolves, some of us were); without any preparation.

And this is (probably) what had me awake at 3:30 am. I think I was afraid I'd miss the alarm clock.

Or it was Hubby creeping into bed so very, very late (I don't blame him. He's been extremely stressed and he doesn't sleep well on a good day, never mind when he's stressed).

I tried and tried - in vain, I might add - to go back to sleep...to no avail. Finally around 4:30 am I gave up and got up.

I felt fine - for a while. And then "it" began to hit.

The tiredness; despite the copious amounts of coffee that had been consumed.

Despite the fact that it wasn't even light out yet or that I hadn't even got dressed. From that point on, I knew it would be a long day.

But.... OY VEY! I had no idea what I was in for (although past lengthy vacations should have clued me in - except, apparently, vacations are like childbirth in that you supposedly forget)?

When I finally got to work this morning; by desk was COVERED in paper and random boxes. And by COVERED I mean COVERED. There wasn't an inch of desktop to be seen.

Then I booted up the old computer.....OH MY HELL! My email had EXPLODED! And? Apparently, each and every one was URGENT!!!

Including the virus-loaded one that my Big Boss forwarded to me - the one he couldn't open or respond to.....(has he learned NOTHING from me in the past year that I've been working for him?!); which was immediately followed by one from our friendly IT folks warning us NOT to open any emails from xyz.com.

*sigh*

Happy New Year. I don't care that it's not even 8:00 pm; I'm going to bed.

What happened on Wednesday

2012-01-01T11:31:00.000-05:00

Yes, I realize that Wednesday was four days ago but I've been....erm....."busy."

I've been reading (A LOT) and working on a 1,000 piece puzzle, which I must admit I tend to get a teensy bit obsessed with finishing one once I've started (and I just finished the damn thing yesterday and wouldn't you know it; a piece is missing!) and since I haven't exactly had any time to myself or privacy since both guys have been under my feet Every. Single. Minute. I haven't found the time to blog. I've written several in my mind (and immediately forgot about them) - does that count?

But, finally I have a few minutes AND an exciting story to share. Well, I guess exciting is not the right word....more like...harrowing. Yes, that's a more apt description.

On Wednesday, I'd had enough. I needed to get out of the house and the guys needed to get out of the house. We were all kind of bored and I determined that we needed a family activity. So I decided we should go bowling.

Hubby and I were having fun - Man-Child? Well, let's just say he was being "moody" and because he wasn't "winning" he was getting "moodier" by the minute. I was seriously considering lobbing a bowling ball at his head to show him that things could be worse. Funny, how his mood changed instantly upon receiving a phone call. A phone call that was an invitation to go play soccer at an indoor field - thus relieving him of spending any more time with his loving parents. We decided to let him go; after we finished up the game. He was practically giddy as he hurled the ball down the lane on his last turns. It's also funny, how much his game improved as his mood did....

It was determined that we would meet his friend at the school parking lot - since MC obviously takes after me and has the inability to tell you where to go if he hasn't actually driven there himself - and that his friend would drive him home after the game. With that task accomplished, Hubby and I prepared to head home.

Hubby had asked me to drive us home in his behemoth truck. Let me be clear - I don't like driving the behemoth truck. My car is a little Toyota. Me and that Toyota are perfectly sized for each other. That truck and I? Not so much.

At any rate, I climbed into the driver's seat (seriously, I have to climb) and pulled the seat up as far as it would go and with me looking like a little old lady peering through the steering wheel, we took off. With me afraid that I was going to clip every car we passed (on both sides) with the side mirrors. Seriously, this truck takes up the whole lane it resides in.

As we merged onto the interstate and picked up speed, I observed a police car sitting on the shoulder - so I checked my speed and was assured that I hadn't been speeding; but as we passed the police car, I automatically checked my rearview mirror (as those of us who may have been guilty of speeding tend to do) to make sure he wasn't coming after me anyway.

When I looked, I didn't see that particular police car - but I saw a whole cadre of them in the distance and closing in - I briefly wondered if it was some sort of procession - but before I could begin to articulate this occurrence to Hubby I noticed a white car shoot past me on the right (on the SHOULDER of the road) and FLY down the road; weaving in and out of traffic. At that point, Hubby realized what was going on and told me to pull over.

As I did, I noticed that the shoulder was made up of "rumble strips" and had a hard time keeping the truck under control - which makes me wonder how that little car had been able to keep it under control going at speeds that surely exceeded 90 miles per hour.

About the time I pulled over and came to a stop, five or six police cars whooshed by us in hot pursuit.

We just sat there with our jaws on the floor. Had that little car lost control - as it careened over the rumble strips doing well over 90 while it was passing us by mere inches we would have been toast - as would they. We also took a moment to be grateful that MC and his friends weren't on the highway - the indoor field they were headed to was just down the street from the school.

Upon arriving home, we checked the news stations and the internet to see what had happened. Because surely, we figured, there had been a major collision - because just a few miles ahead - the bypass and the interstate merge becoming six lanes of traffic. We found nothing. We checked and checked all evening and never heard a word.

Late that night, Hubby found an article that referenced it. Apparently, there was a pair of armed robbers in that car and they were fleeing.

It wasn't until yesterday that we finally got the whole story. The police called the chase off, right around where the merge is because of concerns about the high speed of the chase and the thickening traffic.

They did find the individuals later in the day and they have all been arrested, thank God. It constantly amazes me how some people have absolutely no regard for others and their safety. But then these particular people obviously have no regard for anything other than themselves.

On another note - Happy New Year to you all. I appreciate each and every one of you - you have all made my life richer in so many ways. I wish nothing but the best for you in the coming days.

11/22/63.....you might want to take a week off to read this one

2011-12-22T17:39:00.000-05:00

11/22/63 is the newest creation of the genius that is Stephen King. This 842 page (well, 849 if you count the Afterword) novel is without a doubt one of the best books he has ever written.

I had planned on buying the book for Man-Child for Christmas...but was worried that I wouldn't be able to stop myself from reading it first. Then Carol recently did a review on this book and basically told me to quit wasting time and go get it and read it NOW. And I'm glad I did. I devoured this book. And am ready to go back and read it again. It is that good. I promise.

I can't go into too much detail without giving away a lot, but basically a diner-owner finds what he calls a "rabbit hole" in his pantry. This "rabbit hole" is a gateway to the past; to Tuesday, September 9, 1958 to be exact. And every time you visit - no matter how long you stay - when you return you've only been gone two minutes; even if you'd been gone for years.

Eventually, the diner owner fixates on the idea that if he can stop John F. Kennedy's assassination that the future will be a much better place. Unfortunately, he falls gravely ill and cannot complete his mission. So he brings in a much younger man in hopes that he can change the future; negating Vietnam, the assassination of Martin Luther King and other atrocities that have since occurred.

This novel focuses mainly on this man's travels and experiences while living in the past. It also details the "butterfly effect" in ways that I'd never thought about before.

If you are looking for a good book to immerse yourself in over the holidays - pick up this one. You will not be disappointed. Pinkie swear.

Aren't you glad I'm exhausted from having lunch with two toddlers? Because otherwise this post would be even longer! (or....the Christmas edition!)

2011-12-20T20:04:00.000-05:00

I was going to type this all up yesterday when I was full of energy and stamina. But then the inexplicable happened. Our main computer's (laptop) keyboard quietly died.

It died without warning or fanfare. One minute I was happily clicking away. Then I stepped away to do some "baking" (more on that in a minute) and when I stepped back twenty minutes later to look up another recipe it wasn't working anymore. I may have cried. I know I cursed (long and loud). And not just for selfish reasons (i.e., blogging, etc) either.

I knew that Man-Child was due home at any minute and would need to work on his 2,000 word paper that was due by midnight tonight - and that he was only half way through. Luckily, the mouse still worked so I was able to pull the paper over to my Notebook and he was able to work on it for several hours last night (cursing the whole while, I'm sure, since he and Hubby hate to use the Notebook - saying it's too small for their hands).

At any rate, while I was sleeping Hubby pulled off a miracle (I know, right?! Him? A techy-genius?). He looked through the Help section and read that if he did a System Restore he might be able to fix it. And he did. (I guess that means I should buy him another Christmas present) Although, I am now looking at that computer with suspicion (mainly because I know what it's been through) and am counting on it to die completely and totally any day now. But the main thing is, it works. And Man-Child was able to continue to work on his paper (completing it and getting it turned in around 3:30 pm - a full eight and a half hours before it was due - another miracle) on the "big" computer.

Anyway, on to the real purpose of the post.....remember when I told you how Grinch-y I'd been feeling? And how Julie pulled me out of it? And then she ~~demanded~~ asked that I post lots and lots of pictures of Christmas preparations, etc. to document that I was actually in the throes of "the spirit?"

Well, on Sunday, I got all bake-y (no, not BAKED - bake-y. You know, in the mood to bake?) and made TWO batches of cookies. White chocolate chip (because I forgot to buy regular chocolate chips) and peanut butter. Sorry, no pictures - I don't know what happened, but I totally forgot to take any (sorry, no recipes either. But they are pretty basic; you can either Google them or ask me and [eventually] I'll send them on).

Around 6:00 pm on Sunday, instead of putting on my pajamas and calling it a day, I picked up my camera and made sure it was set to "night picture" mode and took off down the road. We have this one neighborhood in town that has the MOST amazing Christmas tree-balls. It used to be only one house that did them, but then the paper did a human interest story on them and now they are everywhere. And in that particular neighborhood especially. The paper even runs a yearly "how to" on how to create your own.

At any rate, in this particular neighborhood the effect is unbelievable. You just stand at one end of the street and are struck with awe and child-like wonder at how beautiful is is. And I? I was determined to catch this on film (well, not really film. In digital format would be the more proper terminology). Nevermind the fact that I am NOT a photographer and I do NOT know what I'm doing.

In fact, I'm actually surprised I wasn't confronted or arrested while taking these pictures. Especially since the "night picture" mode has a REALLY bright flash - which I did not realize until taking the first picture or two - which may or may not have blinded a few drivers going by. Turns out this is a REALLY busy neighborhood on a Sunday night....sorry to all those blinded drivers!

This guy was a rebel and went with lines instead of balls

This is in a different, quieter neighborhood - but no tree balls -what you see in the sky is actually a street light.

Since I'm not a photographer, I don't think these photos will generate the awe that I felt when standing under them. So I'll promise you this - if you come visit me during this (or any other) Christmas season, I will take you to this neighborhood and you can experience it yourself. It truly is magical and brings back that child-like belief that anything is possible.

Yesterday, I REALLY got bake-y. Except there was no "real" baking involved. I may or may not have posted these recipes before (hey, I'm not looking for them right now, I'm kinda busy) but I will post (or re-post) them now because they are super easy, super delicious and when you give them to people they will swoon over them and love you forever. I promise.

First up, I decided to make Almond Bark. This is without a doubt my number one requested recipe. Especially at Christmas, as that is the ONLY time I will make it. Even though it's OH so easy. All you need is three ingredients. 6 squares (1 pkg) of semi-sweet chocolate, 6 squares (1 pkg) of white chocolate and 1 cup toasted almonds.

First, I usually "toast" the almonds by putting them in a skillet and swishing them around until they are cooked and kind of crispy.

Go ahead and toast some extra - because they are really yummy even not surrounded in chocolate!

Then, I microwave the chocolate (in separate bowls and one at time)

on high for about two minutes or until almost melted

Keep a close eye on it - you do NOT want the chocolate to burn!

stirring halfway through the heating time. Stir until completely melted.

Add in the almonds (that you haven't eaten) to each bowl of chocolate and stir. Then alternately spoon melted chocolate onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet.

Swirl chocolates together with a knife to marbelize. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.

Break into pieces.

Then I decided it was time for my infamous fudge. Now, I can only assume that this stuff is as awesome as everyone tells me because I can't eat it; it's far too sweet for me (sorry only one picture, mainly because they look exactly like the ones above).

All you need for this is 2 packages (8 squares each) of semi-sweet chocolate, one 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Of course, you can add nuts if you like. I don't add them.

Again, microwave the chocolate and milk (per directions above - surprisingly even with all the extra chocolate in the bowl, it still takes about the same amount of time). Stir the chocolate until completely melted. Add vanilla (and nuts, if you prefer) and stir. Start moving quickly because that chocolate starts to set pretty quickly. Spread into a foil line 8-inch pan. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. And cut into squares.

Hubby got involved in the cutting of the squares. One because he was afraid I'd
cut my fingers off and two, because he was ready for me to get out of "his damn kitchen."

While the fudge and the almond bark was setting up, I decided to re-create Spaghetti Westerner's Oreo Balls (or truffles, or whatever). Rather than bore you with all the details here, I will just tell you to go to her place (again, no pictures because they would look EXACTLY like the ones at her place - plus my hands were pretty gooey).

I have since been informed that these are "KEEPERS" (even though I have yet to add the pretty white chocolate squiggles).

I'm also here to tell you that when she calls the mixture a "horrid brown goo" she is NOT kidding. It is a gelatinous mess that you are NOT going to want to stick your hands into. Make sure that someone else is home to turn on the faucet for you....just a word to the wise.

My next task in the business of Christmas spirit is to deliver all these goodies to the intended recipients....before the Man-Child gets his paws into them and I have to start all over again from scratch......

So there you go, Julie. Lots of pictures. And my apologies to Momma - because I didn't edit a one of them.

I am envisioning a hobbling in the near future.....

2011-12-16T20:42:00.000-05:00

Remember way back when I was complaining about my husband last year? (Oh hush - I don't complain about him ALL the time. But just to refresh your memory, I'm talking about when I was complaining about the pantry door and his concern with the canned goods getting hot.)

Well, today I am going to complain on a variation of the pantry door.

This man of mine; he moves things. All.The.Time. And I'm not even talking about his penchant for hiding things...again this time.

Currently, I have two complaints - and they do not involve the pantry door. Apparently, at this time of year, it's cool enough in there for the canned goods and other various sundries.

My first complaint concerns the kitchen trashcan.

He loves to shove it right up against the cabinet. There is no need for the trashcan to sit tight against the cabinet. What happens after it sits up tight against the cabinet is that paint on the cabinet begins to wear after the trashcan lid has been opened over and over again......ask me how I know? Apparently, this is not of concern to him (of course).

So we go through the same dance again and again and again.

I move it an inch away from the cabinet and he shoves it back.

It's not like we need that extra inch to navigate around the kitchen. It's not like that extra inch is going to cause every movement in the kitchen to grind to a sudden halt. *sigh*

He also has the annoying habit of moving the rugs, decorative items AND, more importantly, the furniture.

Between you and me; it is driving me crazy.

Just last night, I called to his attention the fact that the couch had been moved......again.

Why?!

I put the couch in a certain spot for a reason. After all this time, he should know that everything I do, I do for a reason. Obviously, after over 20 years of marriage, this has Not.Sunk.In.

Now granted, the couch had only been moved an inch or two - but it was an inch or two off. It was NOT in the right place. It was too far away from the end table and too close to the door. I'm sure you see the issue - even if he did not. Apparently, this observation was way over his head.

Because do you know what that man (the one I actually married!) had the absolute NERVE to say after I asked my very innocent question??

Guess? Go ahead. You'll never get it (unless you happened to see a certain tweet last night)...

He told me that I reminded him of Kathy Bates' character in Misery. When I stared at him with total incomprehension because....ummm, really?!

(spoiler alert!)

By my recollection I have NEVER saved someone's life, kept them prisoner while nursing them back to health, forced them to write a book to my specifications and, most importantly, I have NEVER hobbled anyone....yet.

But according to him I am "obsessive" about the furniture.

Umm, yeah...if the couch is too far away from the end table for you to reach or it's blocking a working door - then yeah....I might be a tad obsessive.

If the truth be told, I don't think I'm "obsessive" - I think it's more along the lines of he doesn't have vision. In other words - he can't envision the "what-if's" in life.

If you are used to the couch being in it's proper spot then when you reach over to put your glass on the end table and it isn't there - then you have a mess. If the couch should be partially blocking the door then how the hell do expect to get into the room?

See? It's easy...I am a visionary and he is not.

And currently, I can envision that I am one inch of a moved couch away from hobbling......

So....I've been a bit Grinch-y this year....

2011-12-13T21:42:00.000-05:00

I admit it.

As much as I generally love the Christmas season, this year I've not been "feeling it."

I admit....I even had thoughts about NOT putting up the tree....

I finally did. In under thirty minutes. And you can tell...

Usually, the tree takes at least an hour and a half or a lot more.

That was IT.

That WAS my contribution to Christmas (well....other than being in charge of buying, wrapping and shipping the gifts and whatever else "needed" to be done....of which, I grumbled about QUITE a bit - just ask Hubby).

But then Julie reminded me...quite inadvertently via email (she certainly didn't realize it, until I responded and this post, of course), that this is Man-Child's LAST "real" Christmas at home. Needless to say, that got the old mind rolling.

And possibly a few tears rolling, as well.....but we won't talk about that just now, shall we? He won't leave me until August....right?!

So as of NOW - this house will be FILLED with Christmas spirit, even if it kills me. There will be decorations and goodies baked (anyone need any goodies? I will probably bake more than I should....I always do...) and whatever else is Christmas-y.

I've already ~~ordered~~ asked Hubby to find the outside lights....despite the fact that they are hidden somewhere in here....

Why yes....that IS my garage...AFTER Hubby "cleaned" it.....*sigh* Yes, the lights are buried somewhere in the back.

He looked at me like I was crazy. I informed him that it was MC's last year home and we NEEDED to do it. Kind of like when I ~~ordered~~ informed him that we needed to do it for our two month old.....seventeen short years ago.....

Don't worry. I did tell him he could do it tomorrow. I wasn't seriously expecting him to go out at 9:00 pm and deal with it (although....wouldn't it be awesome if he did???). Come on, people! I'm crazy...but not THAT crazy!

So as of tomorrow Christmas is ON here in Gigi-land. Whether they like it or not.

****
So thank you, Julie! You TOTALLY saved Christmas for the Gigi-household...even if you didn't know it.

What can I say about today.....ummm, it was crazy?

2011-12-12T21:07:00.000-05:00

Today was one of those INSANE days from start to finish. You know, the ones that only seem to happen at the end of the year when everyone is trying to cram everything in and get it all done before the holidays and the vacations start.

Yeah....that.

Add in the fact that I was off last Friday and plan to be off this Friday (until the first of the new year) and then you get the level of craziness that today was.

Also throw in the fact that it was a Monday (which is always a dicey day - always. It never fails, Mondays are ALWAYS insane).

Needless to say, I was happy to see the back-end of this day. Until I arrived home.

Where the madness then continued.

Upon walking into the garage (which is basically our family's main entrance) I discovered that the Christmas present I had ordered online for Hubby had arrived.

In it's original packaging.

In case you didn't catch that, let me reiterate.

The microwave I'd ordered for my husband, as a Christmas present (because ours died) arrived. IN IT'S ORIGINAL PACKAGING.

Despite the fact that I'd clicked the "it's a gift" button. It was now obvious, that the surprise was no longer a surprise.

Although he and Man-Child had figured if they left it in the garage I might somehow believe that Hubby had never seen it. Even though it was two steps from the door....you know, the MAIN door we use to enter our house.

Needless to say, I entered the house with less than merry words.

Despite the fact that I clicked the "it's a gift" button - can you explain to me, in a way that might make any kind of sense, just why in the hell a company would send a package - in it's original packaging - with pictures and a description all over it to be left at someone's front door? Isn't that just like BEGGING someone to steal said package?

Luckily, Hubby was home when the package arrived. But heeding the warning that Man-Child had given him about the possibility of a package arriving and not looking at it or opening it - he didn't answer the door. He figured the delivery-person would leave the package at the front door (as they normally would).

Instead, he informed me, he heard a door opening and closing. So he went to investigate.

Apparently, our delivery-person realized that the microwave (IN IT'S ORIGINAL PACKAGING) would most likely be swiped off our front porch; and so went looking for a place to "hide" the package. In his/her endeavors, they discovered the side garage door to be unlocked and placed the package there for safe keeping.

So now Hubby's surprise has been ruined. But I can say he is very happy with his gift.

I can also say UPS is awesome for "hiding" the gift. They went above and beyond. And as for the "company?" I can honestly say, I will most likely never order from you again.....especially if you don't respond to the email complaint I sent tonight.

Okay Google, sure it might be for selfish reasons on the surface, but really I'm looking out for your best interests in the long run (or Don't Take Away Google Friend Connect....I'm begging you!)

2011-12-08T19:15:00.000-05:00

I was going to post about work (mainly about a certain individual - a pompous, sure-he-is-always-right, stick-his-nose-into-everybody-else's-business-because-he-know's-best, windbag who most likely raised my normally low blood pressure to dizzying heights yesterday) but instead decided to go with a Public Service Announcement.

Because really? I'm sure you'd rather read about my rant with Google/Blogger (they ARE one and the same, you know) than about the pompous, sure-he-is-always-right, stick-his-nose-into-everybody-else's-business-because-he-know's-best, windbag who has the uncanny ability to make murderous feelings arise in your very soul as you are listening to him pontificating on how he is RIGHT. And then being smug when he is cut down to size by someone else. And then realizing that he is so arrogant that he didn't even REALIZE that he was being cut! *sigh*

Anyway...

I've been hearing whispers (and seen it posted on a couple of blogs) that our beloved Google/Blogger is doing away with the Google Friend Connect widget.

This makes me very unhappy. According to what I've read, they are closing it down because it wasn't as successful as they'd like.....ummm, Google? It works for me. I like it. I like it a LOT. It's simple. It makes following other blogs (even those that aren't Blogger blogs) easy.

Am I being paranoid or are you doing this to me just to make my life even more complicated? Because seriously? I do NOT need anymore complications in my life right now.

I want to be able to jump on to the Blogger dashboard - read all the blogs I follow and not have to go through some kind of different, crazy system to do so.

I don't do "readers" or "feeds" or whatever. I don't WANT to get blog posts in my email. My email is crowded enough, thank you very much - didn't you read my post about email? Seriously? Are you TRYING to drive me crazy?

I get that you are pushing your Google + product - but to shut down something that I think a MAJORITY of your Blogger users utilize? That seems foolish to me.

Yes, I'll adapt if you shut it down in March...but I won't like it. And I have a feeling that a lot of the Blogger users out there won't care for it either.

Listen to your users, Google. Don't turn into FaceBook and just start doing things arbitrarily and on a whim. While it seems to be working for FaceBook at the moment, eventually it will start to push users to a different platform.

Just as what you are doing will cause a lot of users to begin to contemplate jumping ship.

Tread carefully, Google.....don't say you haven't been warned.

And in the meantime? In the meantime, I shall be putting all my favorite non-blogger urls into my Microsoft OneNote for safe keeping until I can explore my options.

And if I were you, my dear friends - even if you are non-Blogger users, I'd start looking at the various options too, because odds are good that some of your followers use this widget and when it goes - they will disappear. No longer will they receive your lovely posts automatically if they haven't come up with a way to find you. Because I don't know about you, but as much as I love you all, I don't have your urls memorized.....yet.

I'm having his privileges revoked - permanently

2011-12-05T21:10:00.000-05:00

How long has the Internet been around and accessible to us ordinary lay-people? What - about 15-20 years?

And in that time, how often have we been warned about clicking on links? About viruses, etc? I don't know about y'all, but just about every time I turn around our IT department is sending out emails telling us not to click on any links from xyz.com and to "be aware". Just about every day on the news there is a story about a scam or a new virus. The warnings are EVERYWHERE.

Yes, yes, I realize that over-exposure leads to turning a deaf ear/blind eye occasionally. Kind of like when you stick that PostIt note on your monitor to remind you to make that appointment to get your hair cut. After you've looked at it for the third or fourth time it just kind of *disappears* into the background and you don't "see" it anymore.

But after 15-20 years of warnings? Don't you think it would kind of begin to sink in? Just a little? I know that I look at a lot of links with suspicion; even if they are from a friend I've known for more than twenty years! But then, I've been burned before. So that does tend to lead to suspicion; well that, and my overactive imagination.

So today, the Big Boss calls me in - he needs help with his computer. As I walk in and ask him what's up, he informs me that he needs to print this attachment in an email - and proceeds to explain that it's from the Post Office and that he needs to print it so he can pick up a package (I should interject here and point out that this is the same person who needs to be reminded often that he cannot open a spreadsheet in Word and expect to make changes to it - which pretty much explains why I'm being asked to help print an attachment).

I asked - as his finger was hovering over the mouse button - if he was expecting anything. He said no, not that he knew of.

As I was asking how the post office would even have his email address; and before I could stop him - he clicked the link. He responded with "good question."

And then full-blown panic ensued. Yup, it was official - he'd opened up one can of "kill my computer dead immediately." There was no immediate save. IT had to be called in to perform the last rites and prepare it for burial.

And THIS is why I'm going to request that IT permanently take away his computer.

***
No bosses were harmed during the events that occurred today. Only his computer. And I only poke fun because I like him. And because sometimes - sometimes he just hands me blog fodder on a silver platter!

*****
Sorry folks, comment moderation is back on. And will be until the Internet figures out a way to make people play nice.

Okay, NOW we can mention the "C" word....I guess

2011-12-04T18:15:00.000-05:00

Here we are folks; it's December. You know what that means.....Christmas is right around the corner! Yikes!

Never mind the fact that you aren't "feeling" it right now (and by "you" I mean me!). I've had my head stuck in the sand for far too long and now it's time to rally around and "git 'er done."

At the very least I was going to get the tree up this weekend. Maybe not decorated, but at least up. Ummm, yeah. That didn't happen.

I am patting myself on the back though for getting the majority of my shopping done. Which, I might add, is a minor miracle considering that usually I begin my Christmas lists in October (or earlier) but since I've been walking around with my head stuck in the sand (I know - it doesn't make sense, just go with it) I have put off any thoughts of Christmas; and as such, nothing has been done. And then Thanksgiving struck and the reality came crashing down. So, at least I'm headed in the right direction now.

Is it me? Or does it seem like this year has flown by especially fast? I mean I could swear that it was only April last week....

With any luck, I'll actually get the tree up and decorated next week...maybe that will get the old Christmas spirit flowing....which would be nice. It's awfully exhausting being Grinch-like. I really need some of that Whoville vibe going on over here; any idea where I can get some of that?

Now, if I could just figure out what to get The Man Who Needs Nothing (aka Hubby)...

How's your Christmas prep going?

Gigi's Bitchfest (that kinda has a nice ring to it - maybe I should make THAT the title of this blog)

2011-12-01T19:25:00.000-05:00

Just so you know, I am completely and totally aggravated with every single person in this house - with the exception of me.

We all know that I have been the one in charge of keeping up with the deadlines regarding school, college applications and whatever the hell else needs to be kept up with. And I have. And I've done a damn fine job of it too, if I do say so myself (which apparently I must, because no one else around here seems to appreciate all I do).

All I asked for today was two LITTLE things to be done. One thing from each of them. That's not asking too much, is it? Apparently, it is.

I asked Man-Child to follow up regarding the damn reference letters he needed because the deadline was TODAY. Those reference letters made the difference in whether or not he would be considered for a scholarship with one school. And, need I remind you, we could certainly use any and all scholarship money that we can get our grubby, little paws on?

I told him to email them to me immediately once he received them. He did not. Bye-bye possible scholarship money!

I asked Hubby to look for a suitable baby/toddler picture for the Senior Ad in the yearbook. This deadline is tomorrow - otherwise the price will jump significantly from the already not-so-insignificant price to an absolutely exorbitant price. I also informed him that the ones on the computer are NOT appropriate that he would need to look through the actual albums.

Did he? No, he did not. Bye-bye lower rate! And to be truthful? At this point in time I'm seriously considering not even buying the damn ad at all!

After he realized that I was upset - he sat down at the computer to find pictures...... CLEARLY he did not listen to me the first time around (see above). I told him to forget it.

I am so fed up with these two at this point. It seems like I am the only one who seems to give a damn whether or not these things get done!

I pointed out to Hubby earlier (before he neglected to do the ONE freaking thing I asked) that it would seem that I am the one applying for college since I seem to be the one doing it all.

At this stage in the game, I don't know why I expect anything different out of either one of them. They are both selfish and lazy. And, apparently, expect ME to be the one to get it all done. I know I've pulled it off time and time again. But now?

Now, I am overwhelmed, exhausted, trying to fight off a cold and all I ask is for a little bit of assistance and, occasionally some appreciation and I'm not getting it. And, did I mention that I am OVERWHELMED?

I have too much on my plate to deal with - physically, mentally and emotionally. I don't have the time or the patience to deal with their incompetence. Right now, life IS hard!

And, as I type, they are wondering why I am hiding away from them?!? Seriously?

It's because if I have to look at either one of them right now I will probably either start crying or screaming. Neither of which they want.

No, they want quiet, efficient me to just "fix" it. I'm tired of being the one who "fixes" and "does" - someone else needs to take over for a little while.

Because right now? Now, I just can't deal.

I stole this topic completely and totally....I admit that up front.

2011-11-30T20:08:00.000-05:00

Every day that I'm at work, I download and listen to a podcast of the Bob & Sheri Show; which is a syndicated morning radio show that used to air here EONS ago and, for whatever reason, the "powers that be" decided that this wasn't a prime market (even though we are right down the road from where they broadcast) and took them off the air here (yeah, I'm still not happy about that). Usually, I don't care for morning "drive time" shows because they usually irritate the hell out of me. But this show? This show, I love.

And although, I'm still aggravated (what? 10 years later?) that they aren't broadcast here anymore, I do enjoy listening to the podcasts because now I get to hear the show in its entirety.

Anyway...onto the purpose of this post. They have a segment in the show where they pose a topic and have callers call in with their stories or thoughts. It's sometimes hilarious and sometimes quite sad. Sometimes the topic is shallow and funny (such as What Did You Blow Up With Fireworks [or something like that] and sometimes it's a really deep topic. Such as the one today.

Today the topic was based on a quote that Sheri had read from Friedrich Nietzche (yeah, I know..... She's really smart and deep and all that [and funny!]. I could have lied and told you all that it was a quote *I* had read - but we'd all know better) which read (ahem)

"It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages."

Needless to say, this spawned quite few calls. Which got me to wondering, is it true? According to some of the calls, it isn't; but according to the majority of the calls it is. So what say you?

Do you have to be " best friends" with your partner - and do everything together to have a good marriage? Or, as an article I just read this afternoon suggests (which I CANNOT find ANYWHERE - so if you read the article and can point me to it you get extra brownie points!), are you better off being separate entities who have your own pursuits and hobbies?

Discuss.

My Black Friday Adventure

2011-11-28T21:04:00.000-05:00

Since you've all asked.....yes. I DID venture out on Black Friday.

But I did not witness the chaos and mayhem that has been documented in the news....pepper spraying, shootings, stepping over a man as he lay dying.

(Seriously? What IS the world coming to when people will ignore someone who is dying - just to get a deal?! I'm sorry, no deal is worth ignoring someone who is in need of immediate medical assistance. Get with the program, people. If that was YOUR parent, spouse, child, friend - how would you feel knowing that people stepped over the person you loved just to find that $2 waffle maker? And? Just as an FYI - no one WANTS to receive that stupid waffle maker anyway; it just takes up precious cabinet space.)

*climbing down from soap box now....as I'm sure none of you would do such a horrendous thing, so there is no sense in preaching to the choir, as it were.*

Anyway....yes, I ventured out. But, it wasn't early. I went out around 10:00 am. Under the pretext of needing to check out a sale on a particular item. Well....it wasn't really a pretext because I did want to see if the particular item was what I thought it was.

So basically my Black Friday adventure started with me leaving the house and tweeting, "I'm free!!!" and driving to the store; walking into the store; discovering that the item I was looking for was, in fact, crap (as I'd suspected; so maybe it WAS a pretext after all?) and going back to my car.

Where I then spent another thirty minutes or so reading and responding to emails via my phone. Some of which may have not made sense. Because I was typing on the phone....in a hurry. Because I was feeling that not being home, where my family and "guests" were waiting was rude

(I typed guests in quotes only because they ARE family - so technically, not "guests" but yet...they are...I'm sure you know what I mean).

And upon arriving home, discovering that no one had yet to get dressed. It was the theme of the day, apparently. One of us actually went up to bed having never removed the pajamas she had got up in that morning....(and it wasn't me; because I don't leave the house in my pajamas - unless I'm going to get the paper at the end of the drive) which pretty much tells you what kind of very slow and very long day was had at my house on Friday.

So to sum it all up. My Black Friday adventure consisted of me, sitting in my car, checking email.

Don't you wish you could live the exciting life that I lead?

A Thanksgiving post

2011-11-24T19:38:00.000-05:00

It's Thanksgiving. I suppose I should post something about thankfulness, etc.

But truly? It's been a long day (or two - since surely you have to count the "prep" that goes into Thanksgiving....even if you aren't the cook). So right about now, I'm merely thankful that it's almost over.

Yes, yes. There is plenty I have to be thankful for (and I am); but right now, I'm just too tired to enumerate them. Besides, the list would probably read like all the others you have already read - friends, family, etc.

My current thoughts are centered on Black Friday.....THE shopping day of the season. Usually, I don't bother with it. Mainly, because the crowds and noise irritate and because I know that as Christmas draws closer the deals will probably mount. Besides, Cyber Monday is more my style lately (i.e., meaning that the older I get the less patience I have with the general public).

But with the prospect of having guests until Saturday, I'm figuring I may need to escape for a bit. I find myself wondering just how bad it could possibly be early tomorrow morning? Say 7:00-ish? (Because even I am not desperate enough to get up at 4:00 am! or earlier!)

What about you? Are you going to be joining in the frenzy for the deals? Or just to escape for a bit of "alone" time?

****
But seriously, I hope you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you know that I have counted each and every one of you as a blessing this year.

Hi. My name is Gigi and I have a problem.....

2011-11-20T20:02:00.000-05:00

Emails have been on my mind A LOT these past few days.

I currently have three separate accounts. One for work, a personal one and one for my blog/shopping.

It sounds insane, but it's not. I have it all under control. Or so I thought.

A few years ago, my company forced me to submit to a quota system; a system whereby they limit the amount of email I can hang onto. Anything that I thought should be saved should be sent to a "record retention" system. Let me say up front; this particular system sucks. It is widely known throughout the company that if you save something to the system you will NEVER be able to find it again.

And thus, as with most stupid company policies, many of us have found ways to circumvent the process. Whether it be by printing the email (yeah - so much for the "paperless" office of the future) or by saving the emails as .pdfs on our hard drives.

I complained, in passing, to a person I know in IT about this once and was promptly informed that *I* had held the company record for "email hoarding" prior to the implementation of the new system.

I was a bit shocked. I mean really? Doesn't everyone feel the need to save important emails - such as the one ~~Jane sent to Jack about their "lunch" - and accidentally sent it to everyone?~~ that gives all the details of how the Smith case was handled?

At any rate, my work email is now kept scrupulously clean - as I print and .pdf emails religiously and promptly hit delete. (Yes, this "system" has now increased my work load regarding email).

But the reason I've been thinking about email lately has nothing to do with work email (no, I'm on vacation; no thoughts of work are allowed) is because I actually sat down and logged into one of my personal accounts yesterday.

I rarely actually get to "see" the whole inbox because usually I deal with email via my beloved Blackberry; so I was floored to note that I had almost over 1,800 emails in the inbox alone - at that was with me deleting all the spam as it came in via the phone.

As Hubby was sleeping on the couch and Man-Child was out and about for the evening and I had nothing better to do I began to go through them. It was a tedious process to say the least.

But in the end I deleted approximately 1,746 emails and "filed" the rest in appropriately labeled folders. Needless to say, I felt like I'd accomplished a major something - even if it was an "invisible" something.

I briefly thought about the other account and decided it was time for bed...until this morning.

This morning I ventured over to the other account and discovered that it's true. I DO have a problem. I AM an email hoarder.

I need help.

Through the Years

2011-11-18T18:08:00.055-05:00

Yeah, I know. I haven't done a "real" post (you know, one in which I ramble on and on) in a while (quit cheering).

But I've been busy. Yeah, yeah, I know I've used that one before - but this time it's true!

Besides, I entered a giveaway last month. I NEVER enter those. Because I never win or it's usually something that I really don't need or want.

But Summer hosted a Shutterfly giveaway at her blog, Le Musings of Moi. And well, I HAD to enter. One because I had just been at their website (which I LOVE) beginning to put together a photobook for my dad and my mother-in-law for Christmas and two, because it's Shutterfly!

So I entered....and I won a $25 credit! So, armed with that news I've been busy over there working on the book. And tonight? I think I've finished it.

I'm sharing a modified version here for you. I hope you enjoy it. And thanks again, Summer! I would have made and bought two books anyway - but because of you, I'm getting two fabulous Christmas presents practically free and that means a lot!

Oh, and by the way, I'm also using you as my extra set of eyes; please let me know if you see anything odd or not quite right. I'm hoping to finalize and buy in the next few days.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Create your own custom photo books at Shutterfly.com.

*Other than winning the random giveaway at Summer's blog, I have not been compensated in anyway. I just wanted to thank Summer publicly and show off my "little" guy; who is not so little anymore despite my strong objections about that. *sigh*

How do you go from this to that overnight??

2011-11-15T20:39:00.000-05:00

Seriously?

It was only yesterday he was this small.....

And discovering just HOW much fun toilet paper can be!*

So really? How do you go from *this*

Yeah....he looks SO contrite here.

To *this* OVERNIGHT?

Why yes, that IS the standard "Senior" shot. So shoot me. I *do* like the classics.

SERIOUSLY?!

Look at him! He's definitely NOT as interested in toilet paper here.

I'm thinking that the space/time continuum surely has a defect....because there is NO way this happens overnight. NO WAY!

This kind of transformation takes years and years and years! And I swear to you, he's only been in our lives for such a short time.

Too short to let him go. Too short to send him out into the world. All alone. Without having us here to cushion any hard lumps he might take. Without us here to make sure he eats properly. Far too short to ensure that he can take care of himself.

So yeah. I'm still looking around for my baby boy....surely he's around here somewhere......maybe hidden under the toilet paper....

*Fun fact: I had those first two pictures enlarged and located in my "public" bathroom for all the world to see; because I love them so. And yeah, they will be the first thing to greet you when you come to visit and "have to visit the facilities" because I'm sure they will make you smile as much as they make me smile.

Jeez, where DOES the time go?

2011-11-08T21:02:00.000-05:00

Just realized, it's been a *few* days since I last posted....but who's counting? And if you are? Stop it. I have enough pressure going on as it is, I don't need you adding to it!

I've been around; reading your blogs, tweets, etc. but seem to have lost any mojo regarding my blog. That may have something to do with the time/season change (and seriously??!!! How the heck is it November already? Why just yesterday, it was April 1st....and Christmas was sooooo far away).

Now that it's too cold to secrete myself on the back porch, I find myself sharing the dining room table with one or the other of the testosterone filled beings that live in this house...and I must say, "they" stifle any "creativity" I might be feeling with their loudness and total "there-ness" all the time.

And then there is the fact that it is completely dark by 6:00 pm.....which pretty much means I'm ready for bed by 8:00 pm. I FORCE myself to stay awake (at least until 9:00 pm; I do have some standards, ya know) but between the stifling (and very loud!) influence of "those people" and the exhaustion, I just can't be bothered to do more than read and comment occasionally.

But today, I felt compelled to post (no matter how lame it might be) because when I arrived home, I was greeted with the news that Man-Child has been accepted into one of the colleges he's applied to (granted, it's not one of his "favorites" but still...).

Although, he acted oh-so cool about it, I knew he was excited.

Despite his blase attitude about the whole thing, I know this boy. I know him to his very core. And this boy? He has some anxiety. And I know he is worried about not getting accepted anywhere.

Silly boy. His grades are good. He will graduate from a GREAT high school. A school that could technically be considered a college prep school. He wrote some killer essays. He's got lots of community service and extra-curricular activities on his resume. I don't know why he is so worried. (Yes, I do....he comes by it honestly. One, or more, of his parents might suffer from the same anxiety....I blame his father. Completely and totally. Yup, without a doubt it's all his father's fault - we all know how HE is!)

But he is worried. In fact, right after I tweeted about my jubilation at finishing applications last week, he then immediately threw out three more schools that he thought he should apply to. And then threw out a few more. Clearly, he is in the mindset that he should throw as many applications as possible out there, in hopes that one would stick.

Now one has stuck. And, as of yet, he has yet to receive a rejection. So right now? Now, he is riding tall.

And he should. He has worked hard these past few years (we won't talk about middle school or even 9th grade, shall we?), and he has EARNED this; he deserves it. Hopefully, he'll begin to see it and quit feeling so anxious.

Which then rounds out the conversation.....how did he grow up SO fast? How is it that we are facing COLLEGE APPLICATIONS already? Seriously? It was just last year that I walked him into his first day of kindergarten; wasn't it?

Hubby and I were just discussing this very fact this morning.....after he woke both of us at 5:00 am.

Back in the day, when he was just a little guy, he used to wake up at un-godly hours every morning. And despite us telling him he needed to stay in bed until the sun came up, he would wander into our room (while the sun was still sleeping) and put his face right up next to his dad's and would "whisper"

"Daddy? Daddy? I ongwy! I ongwy! I want waffles!" "Daddy! GET up!"

This morning?

This morning, he BANGED his way into our room, LOOMED over our bed and said,

"Dad? DAD! Get up! I need to be at the polling center by 6:30!"*

Again, using his "inside voice."

Apparently, he still hasn't learned to whisper. *sigh*

Some things never change.

*He was volunteering for one of the local candidates running for office for extra credit; which is the only explanation for him not being dragged by his feet out of bed before the sun came up. What I want to know? Just who do I see about *my* extra credit for getting up so darn early?

Reading between the lines (OR It would have been easier to just WRITE the darn post rather than trying to "cheat" my way through with pictures

2011-11-02T20:02:00.000-04:00

If you don't follow me on Twitter, I don't blame you one iota. Seriously. I mean, honestly? I wouldn't follow me!

I'm NEVER posting anything over there, unless I'm chasing down @lgalaviz (because she consistently leaves comments that NEED a response and that's the only way I can reach her) or Kathryn (because she defected from a Blackberry to Apple Country) or a host of other people. And usually what I do tweet about is of no interest to anyone but me.

Unless, that is, you have the ability to read between the lines.....i.e., the following....

This particular tweet tells you that I had insomnia on Sunday night. This tweet also tells you that I have NEVER experienced insomnia before. It freaked me out on SO many levels. In fact, it affected me in such a manner that I was actually AFRAID to go to bed Monday night; for fear that I wouldn't be able to sleep. Me. The one that pretty much falls asleep immediately and, woe to the one who wakes me up from my slumber. Also, woe to the one who encounters me immediately upon waking. I need a good hour or so and a few cups of coffee before I am fit to deal with the general population. FYI, I ended up sleeping fine. And hopefully, will never experience that again (you can hear Hubby in the background saying "Amen!" Apparently, he claims, my insomnia also kept HIM up; although I do recall hearing him snore that night.....)

And then there was this one

This one CLEARLY explains that I was fighting Man-Child over the principle of "if you don't try then (OF COURSE) you won't win". And that I'm a great mom, naturally.

The following tells you that we are both easily distracted....

And it was all because of this....

He got bored and started filling in the state abbreviations on this college solicitation brochure; which of course reminded me of 5th grade when he had to learn all the state capitals; which resulted in me asking him if he remembered them - which then led us into a game of me calling out the states and him trying to remember the capitals. It was fun while it lasted. And he did a pretty good job at recalling most of them; he may get into a good school after all.

This was CLEARLY a moment that had to be tweeted - for posterity. There is no reading between the lines here.

After a couple hours of this obviously ~~I had better things to do~~ we needed a break.....

And this one is pretty obvious....

It pretty much tells you that if I don't sit down and write that post I was thinking of right then (or at least get it started) then it is GONE! My brain is full of holes, I tell ya! I lose lots of great posts every single day because of those darn holes.

This morning brought this tweet...

Which clearly says ~~I must be demented~~ that I am cherishing every moment I have with this boy before he ~~leaves me for good~~ heals and that I ~~have completely lost it~~ am enjoying babying him one last time

The poor lamb can't quite walk, much less drive, with this monstrosity on

Yeah, I KNOW the picture is blurry - but I have to SNEAK these pictures people!

And they said that this WAS the short brace! Yikes. Hate to see the long one!

Just WHO do I talk to about that?

2011-10-28T23:18:00.000-04:00

I seem to recall at the beginning of 2011, I stated that THIS was going to be a great year. I thought I'd blogged about it, but apparently not (which seems to be normal for me. If I thought about it then surely I've blogged about it? But it turns out that usually, I've just thought about it and never blogged about it).

But I do remember saying that. That this year would be FAR better than last.

Well guess what? It hasn't been.

This year has been full of stuff. Icky stuff. I'm sure there has been some good stuff - and if I thought about it hard enough I could think of it - but by and large, the majority of the stuff has been icky.

It's been far worse than 2010. In 2010, my husband lost his job. That was bad, and still is, but that was NOTHING compared to this year.

So far this year -

* My husband STILL doesn't have a job
* My dad had to have major surgery - and I couldn't be there for him
* My cousin was killed - and I couldn't be there for my aunt
* My son was injured in football
* My son has had more car accidents than anyone person should be allowed to have
* Another cousin died
* My co-worker's wife died unexpectedly
* I've been dealing with a friend and her divorce-that-will-never-come-to-fruition (which doesn't SOUND like a big deal, but they are close-enough-to-be-family friends - so yeah, it's been ugly for all of us)
* Other miscellaneous and random crap

and, as of tonight?

* My son has injured his OTHER knee in the last regular game of the season; on Senior night. The night where Senior's and their parents are recognized.

As of now, we are hoping that it's no worse than the other injury. But, the fact that he came home with even an even BIGGER brace AND crutches doesn't seem to bode well. We will, hopefully, know more tomorrow.

Apparently, we are going to play-off's (how, I do not know. We've only won 2 games this year) and now it appears, he is done. No more playing this year.

I watched as they loaded him into the John Deere Gator-thingymabob to drive him back down to the field to watch the rest of the game. He looked at me and started to cry. He pulled his hoodie up so no one could see.

It broke my heart. Seriously.

You have no idea. It took everything in me not to start crying - BUT I did sob on the way home. And I have continued to cry sporadically ever since.

That boy has played his heart out this season. He has worked so hard and come so far. And it's NOT fair!

And don't tell me life isn't fair. I KNOW it's not. See the above list. But come on already! What did this kid ever do to deserve this much, this year?

So tell me - just WHO do I need to talk to about rectifying this? Because dammit, NEXT year had better be a FANTABULOUS year or else....

If not for me - then at least for him. Because he? HE deserves it.

Wanna laugh? Read through the boring post to the bottom. Believe me.

2011-10-24T19:44:00.000-04:00

Today I was on vacation (get used to that sentence - I have approximately a bazillion vacation days that I need to use before the end of the year) and had just ONE ambition.

To clean out the printer cabinet (aka where-hubby-hides-stuff). That was it. It wasn't a huge ambition but it was an ambition. Something I've sorely been lacking lately.

When I went to bed last night, I told Man-Child that he would need to get himself up in the morning. Because I planned to sleep in and then get to work on that little-bitty goal.

And then my eyes popped open at 5:00 am (yeah, I KNOW!). After determining that more sleep was futile, I stumbled downstairs to start the coffee.

After drinking coffee, catching up on what you all had been doing while I was sleeping, and slowly coming to life I looked at the printer cabinet.

And then decided it would be cruel of me to open it and begin going through all the stuff that Hubby had squirreled away in there - because I was sure that the commotion of me exclaiming loudly, "SO THAT'S WHERE THOSE PICTURES HAVE BEEN!" would wake my slumbering giants far too early.

So I looked around, drumming my fingers. What to do? Quietly. It was still too early for the paper to have come (and if it WAS down at the end of my VERY long driveway, I wasn't about to go tripping around in the dark looking for it) when it dawned on me....

College stuff! Man-Child had FINALLY completed most (notice, not all) of the essays that one particular school required. I decided to get a head start on that. You can imagine my dismay when I opened up the application to begin pasting in the work he had slaved over only to discover that what they were looking for was a bit different than what he had produced. *sigh*

So, I put that one aside, and pulled out another application - this one he had written out, but never got around to sending. Well, apparently, that worked in our favor. The school had called the other night and gave us a special "code" so that when we applied we wouldn't have to pay the application fee. So I proceeded to fill in the online application using exactly what he'd written (I know, I know - I SHOULD be making him do this stuff - but seriously? If I nag him any more over anything else - one of our heads is going to explode - and it would probably be mine) and, let me tell you, hitting that send button? It was amazing!

That load on my shoulders felt just a tad lighter.

Giddy with a sense of accomplishment (something I haven't felt in quite some time), I moved on. We still needed to send SAT scores to schools. So I forwarded the information for the two schools we've already applied for.

(Here's the lowdown for those of you with rising Seniors - when your child takes the SAT, you are given the opportunity to send the scores to four schools for free...but only IF you send them immediately. Mine took the SAT twice at the end of his Junior Year, before even knowing WHERE he wanted to apply. Plus I didn't know this next bit of info. If you wait to send the scores when you are ready - you will be charged $10.50 per school. You're welcome.)

Now, on a near high, I moved on to the NCAA eligibility website. If your child wants to play sports in college you have to do this part (at least here on the East Coast. I don't know what the requirements are elsewhere). We had partially completed this - but got stuck on the ordering transcript part. So, I tackled it. And finished it. The only problem? Somehow they seem to have messed up my order - instead of asking the school for MC's transcript - they are asking them for mine! Which will be damn near impossible to get since I didn't go to school there. I then fired off an email to the help desk and am anxiously awaiting a response.

(Also? FYI. If your child wants to play sports in college - most schools have a Recruiting page that you are required to fill out. Find it.)

Then the boys got up and the hustle-bustle of the morning began. Eventually, I got MC out the door and on his way. Hubby, I worked around. Now it was time to tackle that printing cabinet.

Which I did, in short order. Finding, among other things, the football team photos that I had ordered EONS ago.

Hubby, bless him. When he "cleans" the house for me that means he hides everything. Apparently, these photos (that I had JUST sent an email to the coach about) got "put away" during a cleaning spree, before I was able to register their existence*.

Sometime during my foray into the printer cabinet, Hubby decided it was best to make himself scarce. Which turned out to be a blessing. Because once I conquered the printer cabinet, I moved on to cleaning out other drawers into which he has been known to "hide" things. I was totally on an organizing HIGH.

Instead of boring you (even more) with the details, suffice it to say that I went on and cleaned out a total of SIX drawers today and completed a load (can you say 6 months or more) of filing. Including stops to run to the bank, have some papers notarized, eat lunch and pick up some essentials.

My sense of accomplishment today is at an ALL TIME HIGH.

I cannot lay the blame for all of this chaos at Hubby's feet (though I REALLY want to!). I have been VERY slack in this past year or so. I know that I have been hiding from everything....paperwork, the house, friends, and everything else. There's really no excuse.

Hubby may hide/hoard things - but if I had been on top of things - it never would have reached the level of chaos that it had. Bless him, he did what he thought best while trying to help me.

But that load that has been weighing me down - it feels SO much lighter now! I feel like I can breathe again.

In the past year or so, I've even quit penning my "lists." You know, those things that used to keep me semi-sane? But even without the lists, the number to "to-do's" and "need to-do's" have been piling up in my head; adding to the stress that I already have.

Eliminating some of those things has eased my mind much more than I would have thought possible. I think I need to start penning some more lists. Just to get them out of my mind, onto to paper, done and crossed out. So that I can let my brain worry about other things.

So what is on my agenda for the next vacation day? THAT closet. The one where Hubby hides the BIGGER stuff.

*A very funny side-note. Those pictures that I thought I found? They were from last year. How do I know? Man-Child JUST walked in the door with this year's pictures. Even funnier? I've got one of those old photos sitting on my desk at work - staring at me ALL day, EVERY day. Even better? A new guy just asked me about that picture last week. And I told him it was a year old... yeah.....so NOW you have a VERY clear picture of how chaotic my life and my brain has been. Feel better about yourself? You should.

You're welcome.

Yo-yo blogging.....that WAS the original title to this post...then, somehow, it all took a very dark turn.

2011-10-18T20:29:00.000-04:00

Yup, that seems to be me - a yo-yo blogger. Some days I'm all up in here and then there are days where I'm not.

I'm not going to worry, I figure it's normal. We are all regular people with sometimes busy, sometimes boring lives. And sometimes? Sometimes there is just NOTHING to blog about.

If I have something to say, then you will find a post from me. If not, then....well...then you won't.

OR you will get something completely random...just because I feel like I *should* say something just to remind you that I'm still alive and have something to contribute...kinda like today, actually.

Which reminds me....this is actually one of my fears...

As most of you know, this is a fairly anonymous blog....I mean Hubby and Man-Child know (kinda, sorta - but more in the vein of they heard me mention it, but it hasn't broke through to the conscious-level of their knowing and comprehension yet) but no one else does.

And even at that, I don't think either one of them have actually found their way over here...much less figured out how to hack into the account to post an update on me. (They are practically useless, I tell you! I mean, really?! Am I the ONLY one in this house who can figure out just what the others have been up to online? Sheesh!)

Which begs the question....how will YOU know if something horrific has happened to me??!! (Just go with the macabre thought process - it IS almost Halloween, after all! I'm ALLOWED to be macabre around Halloween. In fact, it's practically a law!)

I have made some VERY good friends here in the past two years. VERY good friends. People with whom I email privately back and forth on a regular basis...you know what I mean. People who would take you in at a moments notice if you showed up at their back door. People who really care when you are going through a high or low period. People who know exactly what you are feeling when you post something and have wise words to help you through it. Yeah. Those people.

It would not be fair to them (or, really, any of you who randomly pop in) to just NOT know about the horrific accident. Or whatever may happen that will take me away from blogging for an extended period of time or... forever.

Obviously, I am going to have to come up with a contingency plan so you all won't think I've fallen off the face of the earth one day. Because, as we all know, there is always a "one day" waiting for us (hopefully far, Far, FAR down the road...because, dammit, I've still got so much I need to do!).

I'll have to work on that tomorrow....at work. Because this? THIS is important - work, not so much.

******
Obviously, when I sat down to type I was picturing this going in a VERY different direction. But as you know from the previous post....the words just flow from my brain to my fingers....and then I edit.

And speaking of the previous post, you guys? You guys are the BEST for my little ego. Thank you. xo

Apparently, I've lost my damn mind (or it's a vlog; I KNOW a vlog! From ME! The last person you'd EVER expect to put herself out there!)

2011-10-10T20:05:00.000-04:00

I've done it. I've finally caved and have done a vlog*.

Yes, ME.

Sometimes, I even surprise myself.

Will I do it again? Who knows. It was kinda fun...but next time around, I need to be better prepared. And less fidget-y (that's probably because I was trying HARD not to have my hands flying around the screen, because - according to everyone I know - I'm usually very ANIMATED when I talk; i.e., I "talk" with my hands). And have a better hair/makeup artist.....

And, obviously, I need a script.

*to be completely honest, I dithered on and on and on for days about whether to even post it. But in the end decided, what the heck. Now let's see how many people un-follow after finding out that I don't "sound" in real life, like I "sound" when I write.....yes. I'm insane. No need to mention it; I already know. *sigh*

Detours (or exceptionally deep thoughts for a Sunday evening)

2011-10-09T20:18:00.000-04:00

Just a week or so ago, we had to travel to an "away" game to watch Man-Child play football. For the record, most of our away games are, at best, almost 45 minutes to 1 hour away in little towns that are off our radar.

At any rate, during our journey we hit an unexpected detour.

As you can imagine, this was disconcerting. First, because we weren't expecting it and second, we had a "plan" and a "timetable." We wanted to be at the field for the kick-off. And with this unexpected turn of events, we weren't sure we'd make it to our destination in time.

Today it struck me. Life is full of detours; looking back I've experienced quite a few. Some of which has turned out great for me; others - not so much. And obviously, I'm currently travelling a detour right now; one that I do NOT want to be on; but nevertheless - here I am.

We all like to think we have our lives at least sort of mapped out. We kinda know what we are doing and kinda have an idea of where we'd like to end up.

And then, BAM! You reach the exit you wanted to take and realize that you have to go another way. A different way. Down a path you've never been. And that there isn't a choice in the matter.

And although, that first sign assures you that you are heading in the right direction; you are still apprehensive. Mainly because, as with all detours, once you start down the new road the directional signs seem to disappear.

But you keep driving - because what else can you do?

And eventually, another sign pops up to remind you that you are on the right road - thusly reassured, you keep driving. And hope against hope that this new and unfamiliar road will get you back on track.

I know that I'm not the only one travelling along a detoured route right now. Many of us are. Sure our detours are all different and unique to us; but they are detours nonetheless. And detours are sometimes scary.

I know this one is. We've been on this journey for well over a year. And it has come at a most inconvenient time - this year is one that I already know will be an emotional rollercoaster - so the added drama really isn't needed.

But as with all detours - they are never convenient or expected. And all you can do is to continue to drive - and eventually, you will arrive somewhere.

It may not be the place you first thought you'd be - but maybe it's where you are meant to be and you will find peace with that.

As for me? I know that I am continuing to drive. Eventually, we will find out where we are meant to be.

How to make a Big Boy's birthday celebration special

2011-10-03T19:30:00.000-04:00

I know I said I wasn't going to get all mushy, gushy over Man-Child's 17th birthday.....and I didn't then.

But let's talk about the aftermath.

First of all, you have to remember that I've had years and years and years of party planning for the little guy. What kind of theme? What kind of cake? What kind of gift? Who to invite? The venue? The decorations?

And on and on and on.

Then he got to be a "big" kid; but still the parties/events were a big to do around here.

Last year, it was a rather subdued event and I felt horrible about it.

So THIS was the year to make it all right again; finances be damned!

I asked and I asked. Over and over again; what did he want to do? What was the one "special" thing he wanted.

All to no avail.

I know this kid. Celebrations of any kind are to be treated BIG! That's the way he was raised.

But he was also raised to be empathetic to others - and he knows that we are in a bind. So I knew that he wasn't going to ask for anything simply because he didn't want to put any guilt on us by asking for something we couldn't possibly provide right now.

I took last Friday off for the express purpose of dealing with birthday stuff. When Friday dawned, I still had no clear idea of what to do for him. It was making me crazy to the point of tears.

At one point, I had an epiphany. In a random conversation earlier in the week, he'd mentioned a concert he would love to see - so I jumped online and saw that the tickets were super cheap. As my finger was hovering over the "Buy Now" button I mentioned the gift to Hubby. Ever practical man that he is, he asked when the concert was going to be held. I replied on Friday, October 14th! I was so excited, because THIS was a gift he would want and wouldn't have too wait to long to enjoy it.

Hubby immediately burst my bubble with the reminder that Friday nights are currently reserved for football. I was crushed. But I knew he was right - even though this was something Man-Child really, really wanted he would NOT skip a game just to go to a concert.

After spending the majority of the day between tears and determination to find the perfect gift, we decided cash was the way to go.

I was heartbroken. How could this possibly be a great birthday with nothing planned and no awesome gift waiting to be opened?

Saturday came - a bright and beautiful day, albeit a cold one (which was a shock - it's usually not this cold this early in the season!). Man-Child spent the day with us. Hubby took him out to play pool for a bit (one of Man-Child's favorite pastimes) and for a little "guy" time. When they came home, I harassed MC about what he wanted to do for dinner.

He finally picked a restaurant where we went and had a great time and a wonderful meal.

Upon arriving home, he ate the dessert I had made and declared it perfect. And then went out to spend the evening with friends. (Just because I thought it was HILARIOUS, I want to share this.....his buddies bought him a cake for his birthday. But they didn't have any candles so they decided to light matches and just stick them into the cake. Apparently, they didn't have any clue about how just quickly matches burn! The image alone still makes me laugh! Boys!)

But I went to bed with a heavy heart, somehow feeling that I had failed to make this birthday "special" enough for him. I was especially sad because I knew that this would be our last birthday under one roof.

On Sunday, we had the "friends-that-are-so-close-they-should-be-family" over for lunch and cake. MC has known most of these people for the majority of his life. He doesn't get to see them as often anymore since they've moved, we've moved, certain family circumstances have changed and the fact that he is a teenager and has his own life now.

A good time was had by all, with a few hiccups along the way (which I may or may not address at some point. For now, we'll just leave it with the fact that there was "surprise" guest). And, I must note that one of the "younger" set (he's about 4) was convinced that Man-Child was turning 70 and not 17 - which caused much hilarity for the rest of us.

As I was headed to bed last night - still feeling a little sad - Man-Child pulled me over and gave me a big hug. And then thanked me for making his birthday weekend so special.

And I admit. I cried when I got upstairs.

And I admit. I might still be crying now.

He's SEVENTEEN!!!! (how did THAT happen????)

2011-10-01T22:17:00.000-04:00

My very first thought this morning was that it is Man-Child's 17th birthday. One of the later thoughts included one that went something like this, "Crap! I should have started earlier and came up with a brilliant and loving tribute to the last seventeen years to post!"

But, I didn't. I suppose I could go that route now, but to be honest, that might make me weepy. I'm done with weepy. These past few days have been good days and I aim to keep them that way, thankyouverymuch.

So instead of a mushy, gushy birthday post you get this instead - a post that is overloaded with pictures and a recipe.

First, I hunted and hunted and hunted for a picture of me and the newborn. Guess what? I don't have any pictures of me with a newborn! No pictures of baby and me bonding in the hospital. NOT ONE!

Then, as now, if I wasn't behind the camera then pictures usually weren't being taken. So this was the first picture I came across of the two of us. When he was ten days old already. I can only assume my mother took this picture since I'm in it.

Hmmmm, not the most flattering photo for either of us.....we were both MUCH cuter; I promise!

Then I got busy. I asked and asked and asked Man-Child what he wanted to do for his birthday. What he wanted. I got nothing in return.

Finally this morning he asked for a dessert that I made several years ago....ONCE. Apparently, he loved it so much he's been pining for it ever since. He's asked me a couple of times lately, for various events, to make it. But he couldn't remember exactly what was in it and I couldn't find it.

But the birthday-gods must have been smiling on me this morning; because I found the long lost recipe. He looked it over and said that it "sounded" like this might be THE ONE. So I set about making this birthday treat. Along with a cake for tomorrow (when we will have our friends-who-are-so-close-they-should-be-family over to celebrate).

This has to be the easiest dessert EVER to make. Here are the only ingredients you need

Ooops! I left the milk out!

It's called Graham Cracker Eclair Cake. I do not remember where I found this recipe. But, apparently, it's quite memorable.

Ingredients
15 honey graham crackers, broken in half (30 squares or so), divided
1 1/2 cups milk
1 pkg (4-serving size) Jello Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
1 tub (8 oz) whipped topping, thawed
1 cup chocolate ready-to-spread frosting

Arrange 10 of the graham squares, overlapping slightly, in the bottom of an 8 inch square baking pan, set aside

Obviously, I didn't read the "overlapping" part!

Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with a wire whisk for 2 minutes, or until well blended. Let stand 5 minutes until thickened.

Anyone else singing Michael Jackson's "Just Beat It?" No? Just me then.

Gently stir in whipped topping with wire whisk until well blended.

Still singing.....

Spread half the pudding mixture over graham crackers in the pan....

I'm done singing now, you can un-cover your ears.

Top with 10 more of the graham squares and remaining pudding mixture. Cover with the remaining graham squares. Refrigerate at least 3 hours. Spread with chocolate frosting just before serving.

While I was doing all this the boys (Man-Child and Hubby) decided to go out and play pool and do "guy stuff."

After they came home, Hubby succumbed to an allergy-medication induced nap (I forgot to get a picture!) while Man-Child surfed the 'Net while simultaneously exchanging dinner possibilities with me.

Once we'd determined where we would dine we headed out to an upscale Chinese restaurant.....and no, it's not P.F. Chang's (although we love them too! I think this one is only local, so I need to keep it under wraps - sorry! But if you come visit me, I promise I will take you there!).

M-C, preparing to chow down. Yeah, he dressed up. Can you tell?

After a wonderful dinner we headed home. Where M-C immediately began pestering me about dessert. Seriously?? How could he even begin to think about eating more food?

So, I finished off the dessert.

It's not the prettiest thing - but apparently, it's amazing!

We stuck some candles in it (so what if it's not a cake?) and sang Happy Birthday....

I could only find TWO candles! Gah! I've GOT to get organized! What is happening to me??

Took a couple of pictures to remember the occasion....

Man-Child & Hubby

Julie, add this one to THE collection.....

Then he tucked into the dessert.....

And it was EXACTLY like he remembered.....

So he ate it all in short order.....

And then asked for MORE!!!!!

And, according to him, it was a GREAT birthday.....before he headed to hang out with his friends.

Me? I agree. It WAS a great day!

Flummoxed....or if GMAC is looking for a spokesperson, I'm available...

2011-09-27T21:15:00.000-04:00

Just last year, I did a post about how it has been PROVEN that many of us suck as drivers. You can read it here, if you are so inclined.

Today, just reinforced my belief. Today, on the FRONT page of our local newspaper was the beginning of a full article* - with a picture diagram - about "WHAT to do when you encounter a flashing yellow arrow!"

(I expect that it will be THE lead story on tonight's local news!)

Seriously. Here's the picture taken from the paper.

Seriously?!

Apparently, the majority of us do not have lick of common sense; so they had to print a "How-To" guide. ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE PAPER (like there isn't more important things to dominate the front page of the paper? Like war, the economy, famine, a fabulous sale on shoes.....?).

The article went on to point out that the flashing yellow arrow is new to the area and that, apparently, people are confused. Scratch that. They aren't confused. They are "flummoxed." (Don't you just love that word? It's very telling; isn't it?)

Seriously?!

A spokesperson from the local transportation department says that there have been "many" calls by "flummoxed" drivers. Drivers who have told him "I went online and looked at my driver's manual and it doesn't say anything about them."

Seriously?!

Even I, not the brightest bulb in the box, quickly sized up the situation the first time I was presented with the flashing yellow arrow and determined that I should proceed with caution, yielding to oncoming traffic and pedestrians.

Really, just how hard is this?

Green means go. Yellow means slow down. Red means stop. And flashing yellow means proceed with caution.

Basic.

Very, very basic.

But a flashing yellow arrow is cause for wide-spread panic?

Seriously?!

Do we really need an article on the FRONT PAGE of the paper telling us this?

(Obviously we do. Especially, since there are also cutesy signs all over the place in town telling us to "Move to the Right for Emergency Lights." Signs, which I might add, are pretty much ignored by the general population. And, I must say, it pretty much "flummoxes" the general population when those of us who DO KNOW what those emergency lights/sirens mean and we DO pull over ..)

But apparently, the good folks of this little city are "flummoxed" by the very idea of a flashing yellow arrow!

But, I'm really not too terribly surprised. Especially after I checked out GMAC's website for this year's statistics for the states with the worst drivers (which, by the way, is backwards. They post the list from Best to Worst; rather than the other way around. I suppose they are trying to spare the Worst's feelings; or something).

Today alone I have encountered many people who are unaware of the purpose of their turn signals; people who are in a turn-only lane who decide to go straight (and cut me off, while NOT using a turn signal to let me know that "Oops! I messed up and am in the wrong lane; please forgive me and let me over!") and countless others who are obviously "flummoxed" by the basic rules of the road.

Frankly, I'm more surprised to discover that we (as a state) have actually IMPROVED (by a hair) over last year. This year we rank as the 16th state with the worst drivers. Go us! We moved OFF the "15th Worst Driver's" list! (But dear, fellow North Carolinian's, we are STILL in the top 20 - boo!)

Keep it up, North Carolina. At this rate, the majority of us will know how to drive by the year 2048!

And, for the record? I'm a good driver; a VERY good driver.....despite what you may hear from my husband...he lies.

* I'd post a link, but this is an anonymous blog and the article would blow my cover....or at least, my exact location.....

Also? Totally NOT a sponsored post....but if GMAC would like for me to be a spokesperson for how NOT to drive....I'm TOTALLY available!

He's BACK (and dammit, I need to get my stuff in order already because this is getting ridiculous)

2011-09-26T19:41:00.000-04:00

In an effort to write a post that was upbeat (and not one whining about the humidity and what it's doing to my hair or how the gray, yucky days having been sucking the very essence out of my soul or other depressing, soul-sucking things) I was going to post about how today was the first day Man-Child was able to get back on the field. And how HAPPY that made him. See?

He's also all sweaty, stinky & gross again!

And then I was going to post the few pictures I managed to get of him while he was stuck on the sidelines. And tell you about how it killed me to see him there - knowing just how badly he wanted to be on that field with his buddies (even though a *tiny* part of me was glad - because I knew he was safe and could keep an eye on him. Unlike when he is in the middle of a massive pile of kids on the field...).

But I couldn't find them! Anywhere! Even though I JUST downloaded some of those damn things not five minutes ago!

I was really starting to get frustrated. So, I just started typing and hoping against hope that *maybe* once I started typing I'd stumble across them....and that if not, well. Then you'd just get whatever you got.

But sure enough, I finally did find them (well, I found these - which was the first batch I was looking for; but then I downloaded a different batch and those have fallen down a rabbit hole somewhere - never to be seen again) when I hit the UPLOAD button.... (which still doesn't answer the question, why can't I see them from the library?) (and really? Did any of that even make any sense? If not, pretend it did. Because it all makes sense to me.)

Down, but not out. Offering encouragement & advice from the sidelines

So, the moral to this post is this...organize your damn digital files already!

(oh, that exhortation was meant for ME, not you. You, I'm sure, already have your pictures all neatly organized and labelled. And not haphazardly dropped everywhere between two different computers and your phone. Nope, not you. But me? Well.......that would be a different story. And yeah, I'll get RIGHT on that organizing thing soon...I promise.....)

Senior Parent Night (or OH MY HELL! Really?!)

2011-09-20T19:31:00.000-04:00

I know, I KNOW. I've been rather quiet lately. But I've got a GREAT excuse.....

I've been a tad stressed.

I've been writing posts left and right though....and deleting every one. I figure just because I'm in a funk that doesn't mean that I have to share the despair; because I'm awesome like that. You are welcome.

There has been lots going on in Gigi-land; none of it productive though.

Last week (was it only last week?) we had Senior Parent night. This is where the guidance counselors come in and tell us all about what is expected during the Senior Year. The deadlines; the "Must Do's;" the cost, etc.

But apparently, they don't tell us everything since there is another "mandatory" meeting in another month or so. I guess they didn't want to overwhelm us all in one shot.

Too late.

I'm already overwhelmed. And if I don't get my head around everything before the next meeting, I have a feeling that by then I'll feel like I'm drowning even more so than I already do.

One mom, who has been through this before, noticed the look of pure panic on my face and told me to relax. That it will all get done.

Ummmm, yeah. Right. I did notice that she didn't offer to do any of the stuff....or pay for it for me though. So we'll see.

Here's the deal, I knew Man-Child's Senior Year would be a big deal; both for us and him. I KNEW that going in.

What I didn't know was that I would need to take out a second mortgage and a sabbatical from my job in order to get it all done and paid for....only to then turn around and start shelling out cash for college next year.

*sigh*

So currently, you can find me knee-deep in paperwork, with a BIG glass of wine nearby, while trying to figure out how to rob Peter to pay Paul and how to keep my wits about me enough to actually do the job that I am paid to do on a daily basis.

****
And just for the record; Man-Child is doing fine. Although he's VERY anxious to get back out on the field; especially since we just lost one of our major players for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury. So far this year, we are racking up lots of injuries; it doesn't bode well. But he has a doctor's appointment on Friday; and hopefully, they will clear him to play next week. And hopefully, his mother won't have any more scares seeing her "baby" lying on the field in pain. She's got too much other stuff to deal with right now.

An update on Man-Child (and a PSA; seriously)

2011-09-13T21:27:00.000-04:00

As I was perusing FaceBook - which is a rare occurrence for me (especially of late), I came across a couple of pictures and realized.....I kind of left y'all hanging as far as Man-Child's injury goes.

Ooops! Sorry about that!

But seriously?? YOU should have reminded me of this! (Why yes; I AM making this your fault! How very astute of you to notice)

At any rate, as you can tell from the following photos....he may be down; but he is NOT out!

The VERY astute of you will notice that he is not wearing pads and is not in uniform.....which is to say ALL of you immediately noticed this....

But he IS at the game (which is a round trip total of 4 HOURS away! See the previous link) and he is NOT on crutches nor does he seem impaired in any way.

Which is a GOOD thing!

After a full weekend of suffering and worrying; we FINALLY got to see the orthopedic doctor (go figure; they usually have Saturday hours but, with our luck, they were closed last Saturday because the parking lot was being re-paved that day)....(if we didn't have bad luck; we'd have no luck at all!) only to discover he has a tiny tear in his MCL (jeez, I hope I got that right!).

Which basically means - no surgery. No permanent damage.

But the only "fix" is to "rest" it....to the tune of 2-4 weeks; according to the orthopedic doctor we met with yesterday. Which, with our recent schedule (considering all the re-schedules to the ONE game - again see previous link - this game has been re-scheduled/cancelled at LEAST three times!) means possibly 5 games (and; if you know high school football; then you know that could be a significant amount of time to be out) that he will be sitting on the sidelines.

But considering the alternative? I'm not complaining. AT ALL!

Especially, considering we recently (I mean VERY recently) had a local (and I mean VERY local) player die.

The gossip was that he had a concussion that he refused to admit to - because he didn't want to sit out for requisite 10 days.

But according to the news (the real news; not the gossip) was that he was in pain (what kind, we don't know) and rather than admitting to the pain he chose to hide it.

And then chose to self-medicate - from his parent's medicine cabinet.

As a result, he accidentally over-dosed. Another bright future snuffed out - far, FAR before his time.

According to everything I've read recently; today kids aren't dying from the stuff they can get on the street.

No.

Today, they are dying from stuff they are finding (and sharing) in their parent's medicine cabinets.

Seriously. If you've got stuff in your medicine cabinet that you don't need - get rid of it. And if you need it - lock it up.

And talk to your children about the importance of 1) the dangers of prescription drugs and 2) the importance of not hiding (or self-medicating) an injury.

You have to remember that kids think they are invincible.

And kids who are athletes - REALLY think they are invincible.

This child was hurt on a Friday....he was gone by the next Wednesday....and his parents didn't have a clue.

United We Stand

2011-09-11T19:38:00.000-04:00

I remember.

And I pray for us all.

After eight (or so) years of it; complacency sets in...

2011-09-10T22:42:00.000-04:00

I posted once, long ago, about being a football mom.

About seeing the fears realized on the field. And breathing a sigh of relief, while offering up prayers, that it wasn't MY kid out there hurt.

As I've mentioned many, many times before; this is a football household. The guys in this house live and breathe football. For them it isn't a fall sport - it is a year round sport. One that is watched relentlessly during the season and talked about exhaustively for the rest of the year.

Honestly, I'm actually kind of surprised neither one of them has discovered the allure of fantasy football yet....but grateful at the same time.

Our season actually started a couple of weeks ago. We had a game, in intense heat at a VERY uncomfortable field, but then - we were stalled. We had a "bye" week. Which basically means we had a week off.

Then we had the game (that was 2 HOURS AWAY) that was cancelled because of lightening. Twice. Once after we'd already driven out there and the second as we were preparing to drive out there.

And, which,if you are interested, has been re-scheduled for Monday. Let's see what Mother Nature has to dish out on Monday. At this point, I'm expecting a freak snow storm. I seriously don't think we are meant to play this team.

After that, the season began in earnest. Last night was the first home game.

We got to the field early. We found good seats; right at the 50 yard line; and high up enough that I could see over the players on the sidelines. After I was settled in, Hubby abandoned me; as he always does. Apparently, all my questions irritate him.

And then I began to hear the talk around me. How they hoped no one was injured; especially considering we had three games in less than a week due to the multiple re-schedules of the previous game; and how this is such a new team since most of the team graduated last year...this kind of talk brings out the superstitious in me.

We had the opening prayer and the National Anthem and then the game began.

Have I mentioned that Man-Child was voted in as a captain of the team this year? It's a very big honor. So I watched with pride as my boy strode out there with his co-captains to do the coin toss.

I also wept discreetly at the National Anthem; considering the team and the school had decided to honor the victims and the heroes of 9/11 at this game, I was extra weepy.

The boys lined up - prepared to do battle. The first play of the game was underway. For your information, it is very hard to keep an eye on the ball and your child in the huddled mass on the field.

The play was over and there was MY son laying on the field.

At first I thought he was just mad because he messed up his block. He blocks the other guys from getting to our quarterback (See! I HAVE learned a few things in all these years. This is why I don't worry as much about him. Since he never carries the ball, huge boys aren't looking to tackle and maim him...technically, it's his job to tackle and maim OTHER boys; and yes, I worry about those boys too!). So, when I saw him on the field, pounding his fists, I wasn't too worried.

But then he didn't get up.

Then I got a little worried.

But figured it was just a cramp. All the boys suffer from cramps when they play in the heat.

And then the trainer went out. She tried to stretch his muscles. She tried massaging the muscle. Nothing.

Then, in horror, I watched as she assisted my boy off the field.

My only child. My little guy!!

Needless to say, my heart was in my throat - threatening to choke the life out of me.

I fought my way out of the stands to find Hubby at the fence. He had no idea what had happened either.

Neither one of us had seen what had actually happened when all the boys surged forward. We waited, with our eyes glued onto our boy, completely ignoring the game that went relentlessly on after Man-Child had left the field; because as you know, the show must go on.

Finally, one of the coaches called us over. We met the trainer and she informed us that she didn't think it was serious; but it was hard to tell with all his pads. The doctor was with him and she walked us over to where they were.

After a quick examination, the doctor told us it was difficult to tell what was going on with the pads in place, but he didn't think it was serious. Man-Child tried to wave us off the field; because surely 1) us being there meant it was bad or 2) how embarrassing is it to have your parents on the sidelines?

But the doctor wanted us there to reassure us.

At this point, Man-Child had tears rolling down his face. He was SO angry that he'd hurt himself and that he was in pain.

The doctor told us he'd take Man-Child to the locker room and give him a thorough examination and let us know what was going on.

So we waited - it was agonizing. We kept our eyes on the locker room door and not the field.

Finally he came out and told us that he thought it could be a knee sprain or possibly some torn cartilage, but probably nothing major. But he couldn't tell us for sure until he x-rayed the knee....on MONDAY!

My boy was devastated; he couldn't finish out the game and (for now) it is unsure how long he will be out this season...two weeks? Four weeks? No one knows.

Me? Well, I am completely torn up about the fact that he's been injured (in the eight or so years that he's been playing he's never suffered more than a bruise or two and once had the wind knocked out of him-and this is MY baby that we are talking about) and it kills me to know that his might possibly be the last year he'll ever get to play the sport that he loves so much (if he doesn't get a chance in college, this is it) and that he might be out for 2-4 weeks; which is basically the whole season.

I am also eternally grateful that the injury wasn't worse; because it easily could have been...

Who says that internet friendships aren't real?

2011-09-08T20:49:00.000-04:00

Once or twice, a LONG time ago, Gretchen over at Texan Mama, posted about being afraid of beef. Somehow this stuck in my mind. (Probably, because I LOVE beef! If I could eat it for every meal, I'd be good. What can I say? I AM from Texas after all!)

Not much else sticks in my mind. Seriously.

Ask me what happened at this time last year. I will look at you like you are crazy. Ask me what was great about the summer? No response. Ask me about the big things that might have happened last week. Blank stare. Ask me what I had for breakfast this morning. No clue.

Because that kind of minutia? Not important.

BUT, when it comes to my friends and loved ones? Well, then I remember ALL kinds of random stuff. Like the fact that Gretchen is afraid of beef. Or that Julie is obsessed over having the right picture for her (in the very far future) funeral (to be fair, I'm kind of obsessed about which picture Hubby will use for my obituary in the paper. Yes, I'm morbid. Or "forward thinking". Whichever you prefer. Either way, it is OBVIOUS to me that I will HAVE to plan my own demise down to the last damn detail and leave it somewhere where HE can find it!). Or that Looking Fab At Any Age just ADORES leopard prints. Or that Kathryn LOVES her Cloudy (which to be honest, I'm still not quite sure what that is, but I'm convinced it's NOT chardonnay). Or that Daddy Scratches is filled with all kinds of angst; which he shouldn't be. Or that The Bloggess and The Best Self-Help T Shirt Catalog Ever is overly paranoid about the Zombie Apocalypse. Or that this "in real life" friend likes her pillows to be firm. Or that this other friend, prefers dangle-y earrings over hoops. Or that Man-Child prefers his orange juice to have no pulp. Or that Hubby prefers calf-length socks over ankle socks. Or that....oh hell. Forget it. This list could go on forever.

So, when I was perusing a magazine today and came across an article that explains all about the different cuts of meat of the beef variety and what to do with them (stuff I'd normally skip right over to get to the shoes!) I had to stop what I was doing and go find the article online. So I could send it to Gretchen. (What?! It is SO not stalking. It was being helpful! Just ask her; she'll back me up! )

And by her reply, it once again struck me. Despite our differences; despite the distance - we have found friends. True friends. Ones that you wish lived right down the street. Truly. You want them "right" there. Where you could just drop in to say hi. Or give them a recipe. Or a hint as to where the best shoes can be found. Where you could hug them as needed.

And that yes, despite all the foibles and ickiness that the internet has to offer (can you say FaceBook?), it is still a wondrous thing.

And knowing that if I want to send a random article to a friend (thousands of miles away; that I've never officially met) that is wonderful.

And knowing that another friend (thousands of miles away; that I've never officially met) can send me all kinds of links to funny stuff, thoughtful stuff or even just pictures of shoes that I might like. Well that, my friends, is priceless.

These Things Hidden

2011-09-06T19:16:00.000-04:00

Remember how I told you all that yesterday I was going to as little as humanly possible (after posting that ridiculously long post)?

Well, I may have lied a little bit. I did get the car cleaned out (it SERIOUSLY needed it - this was brought to my attention after being shoved into the backseat for a ridiculously long time on Friday night); I finished some laundry and did a little paperwork.....

What?! A woman's work is never done!

But after all that I did absolutely nothing but read. I read Heather Gudenkauf's These Hidden Things straight through. Non-stop.

Seriously. This book was too good to put down. The twists, the turns, the plot thickening....it was wonderful. And, from what I understand, it was only her second novel. I'm thinking there will be much more from this writer.

The book starts out with a young woman being released from prison. Before heading off to prison as a teenager - for a heinous crime - she was "the" golden girl of her town. The exceptional student. The five-sport athlete. This girl had everything going for her. And lost it all one dark night.

This story follows what happens after her release. It is told in different narratives. From Allison's point of view, her sister's and few other key characters. The sister's are harboring a dark and painful secret.

The last few chapters will grip you and when you close the book, you will want to immediately flip back to page one to start it over again.

I'm thinking this would make one hell of a movie - are you listening Hollywood? They say all the good ideas have already been used and that's why there are so many remakes. I'm thinking maybe they need to start reading a bit more. There are still good ideas out there and it's usually found in a book.

Whew! What a weekend! (or, I'm glad that's over!)

2011-09-05T11:00:00.000-04:00

Fair warning - it's a long one; so go grab a cup of coffee or something before we get started.

Being the ever resourceful girl that I am, when I realized it was Labor Day weekend I scheduled an extra day off on Thursday. My company is kind enough to give us both the Friday before as well as Labor Day Monday off, so by taking Thursday I gave myself a really long weekend. Thank goodness I did.

But now I'm thinking I should have also taken tomorrow off - in order to recuperate.

Thursday wasn't too bad, all things considered. The only items on the agenda were to finally find my husband a suit (remember this has been a priority for a while now, as well as a bone of contention), look for a pair of shoes for my dress for the wedding and meet some friends for a movie.

We found the suit in pretty short order; funny how once I get involved things seem to actually get accomplished. And, since we had each taken our cars so I could continue on with looking for shoes and meeting my friends, I sent him on his way. And I proceeded to look for shoes. I didn't find what I was looking for but....I did find these. Aren't they pretty?

As I mentioned on Twitter - I HAD to get them as they were such a steal and they looked lonely. So I brought them home with me. They seem happy in their new home.

Anyway, then I drove over to the theater to meet up with friends. We went to see The Help. I loved this movie (I definitely need to read the book!) but I think I need to go see it again simply because one of my friends is a chatterbox. Well, to be fair, she didn't chat through the whole movie but I could hear her making whispered comments to my other friend who was sitting in the middle. It distracted me, plus although I love these two friends they aren't the kind that you can sob openly at a movie with. I need to go with a different friend and we will both sob uncontrollably together.

Friday found me once again searching for the perfect pair of shoes for the wedding. I found myself driving all over the place (I really should have kept that in mind since I knew what was in store for me). Nothing. So, I came home to meet up with Hubby. Where we then began the two hour drive to Man-Child's football game. Through a wicked storm. The whole time Hubby was worrying about whether or not they would play and commenting on how irritated he would be if they didn't.

As I'm sure you've guessed (or know, if you read my tweets) the game was cancelled. So we got to get right back in the car for the journey home. Basically, a four hour round trip for no reason. They've re-scheduled the game for Tuesday. Because I'm crazy like that I am actually considering taking off a little early tomorrow to try and make the game. Yes, I'm insane, I know that. Especially considering there is talk of more storms tomorrow....

We didn't get home until after 11:00 pm. I finally got to bed around midnight. Which wouldn't have been bad except for the fact that I had to set the alarm for 5:00 am because on Saturday, Man-Child and I were scheduled to go on a college visit. The college is a good three hours away.

This particular college did a GREAT job at selling themselves. Our day consisted of an introduction to the school followed by a "meet and greet" with some of the faculty. This was great has Man-Child was able to talk to one of the football coaches. After the meet and greet we took a tour of the campus; which was gorgeous. We were then treated to a very nice lunch and were given complimentary tickets for their season-opening football game.

It was a great experience - although I thought we might die from heat exhaustion before it was all over. As you can see, Man-Child really enjoyed the game.

Until the game was called on account of lightening.

After the college visit, we stopped and had dinner with my step-daughter. Since we were so close we had to see her. Then we hopped back in the car and began the three hour drive home. Needless to say, I was beyond exhausted by the time we walked in the door around 9:30 pm. As you can imagine, I fell into bed and (surprise, surprise) slept for over nine hours! I can't even remember the last time I did that!

Sunday morning dawned with a list a mile long of things that needed to be accomplished before attending the Wedding of the Century. There was laundry to be done, shirts that needed to be ironed, toes to be polished and shoes to be found.

When pressed for time, I found the perfect way to get those toes dry. It's multitasking at it's finest. Paint the toes, put on a pair of flip flops and head for the door. Get in the car and set the air conditioning on high and set the controls as so...

And the a/c will then proceed to dry your pedicure as you continue your search for the perfect pair of shoes.

Luckily, I found a pair that would work at the first stop....they weren't exactly what I had in mind, but they would do.

After returning home in triumph, we proceeded to get ready for the wedding. As you can see, we clean up okay.

In retrospect, I probably should have worn my hair down, but I'm glad I didn't simply because it was so hot! It was nice to not have it on my neck and the humidity would have ruined it anyway.

The wedding ceremony was beautiful and the reception was stunning. I wish I'd thought to take more pictures. But I didn't. I did capture this though

It was fun to see the boss being man-handled by the crowd.

Today's agenda is to do as little as humanly possible (with the exception of writing this ridiculously long post). But, you know.....

I really should clean out my car; finish the laundry; take care of some paperwork; clean the bathrooms.....

It's amazing what changes a year (or seven or eight) will bring.....

2011-08-30T21:30:00.000-04:00

As I sit here and type this I am in shock.

Literally.

I am remembering way, way, way back when my little guy (still only 4!) started kindergarten (he barely made the cut off date. We only sent him because we felt he was "ready" and figured we could always hold him back if it turned out he wasn't. I mean, seriously, it's kindergarten).

Turns out this child of mine takes after his mom; because he EXCELLED in school. Truly. The only issues we ever had was his "exuberance" and his penchant for SHOUTING out the answers (although that, obviously came from his father. Because I never did those things!).

Seriously. These were the only issues the teachers ever brought up in our meetings.

Then came 5th grade. What happened, I don't know. (I still blame his father) But all of a sudden, this "super-star" became an "okay" student.

Don't get me wrong. He passed everything. But never put in any effort. Ever.

As in he wouldn't turn in his homework. He'd DO the homework; but never turn it in. He'd do a project - but it would always be at the last minute and it would be the most slapdash thing you'd ever seen (even with me giving direction at midnight - I admit, some of these projects I was ashamed to say I had a hand in. And I must point out, had I known about these projects previously we sure as hell wouldn't have been doing them at midnight!); but somehow would pull an okay grade (this really made me crazy!).

Drove me INSANE!

We talked about it. We punished. We begged. We were at a loss. We had no idea of what it would take to get through to this kid. How to impress upon him the importance of doing well in school.

Nothing changed.

We knew he could do better if he'd just "apply" himself. But he wouldn't.

Now, we aren't the type of parents that insist on all A's every single time - OR ELSE. All we ever asked was for him to do his best. And clearly, he wasn't.

I despaired (and blamed his father - because surely this had something to do with HIS genetic makeup).

But then Man-Child hit high school. And life, clearly, wasn't the same anymore.

We struggled through his freshman year. But the struggle wasn't as strenuous.

His sophomore year - a bit better. A little better planning, homework was getting turned in - eventually.

His junior year MUCH better. Awesome planning. All homework turned in. Albeit, some of it still done at the last minute; or late - but the frequency of this was much less than the previous year.

But so far this year (knock wood)? His senior year - is off to a stellar start. Especially considering he just made me sit down and listen (for the better part of an hour) to his "plan" for his first project. Including all the supplies he would need to complete said project.

The project that still has some time to go before it is finished.

All is right with the world again. Because CLEARLY (despite the slight deviation) he takes after ME.

I always knew it.

Guess what I made???

2011-08-29T20:58:00.000-04:00

Any guesses?

It all began, because I was bound and determined to make sure this boy of mine was eating a good breakfast in the mornings; and besides....he needs a little nurturing now to "remind" him to come home and visit me EVERY. SINGLE. WEEKEND next year when he goes off to college.

We all know, I DON'T cook. Period. Sure, I can bake but that is TOTALLY different from actual cooking.

Anyway.....up until last year breakfast (lunch and dinner) have been Hubby's domain. I stayed out of it.

Well, after the situation last year things have been in kind of a tailspin and breakfast, especially during the week, kind of became a catch-as-catch-can situation during the school year.

Which basically meant that Man-Child was eating crap or going to a fast food joint and eating more crap. Now don't get me wrong. I don't mind crap every once in a while; in fact I even enjoy it on occasion. But a growing boy needs to start his day out with a decent meal most of the time.

So, at the advent of this school year (which began last Tuesday) I have been making him breakfast during the week. The only problem? My skills are very basic. Which pretty much means eggs (scrambled); pancakes (which takes too much time usually) or cereal.

Since Man-Child isn't a huge fan of eggs you can imagine his disappointment when he came downstairs this morning to find me making....eggs. Again.

(What? They are quick. They are easy. And they are full of protein!)

After some discussion over said eggs of other things he might like for breakfast (not many of which included protein by the way. So any suggestions?) I came away with a few "do-able" for me ideas.

He likes cereal. Okay. He likes oatmeal; especially apples and cinnamon. Or maple syrup and brown sugar. Okay. He likes granola and yogurt. And fruit. He likes fruit. Okay. He likes bacon. Okay. He likes link sausages. Okay. And he likes pancakes, waffles, any kind of muffin, banana bread, and basically any pastry you can name. Okay! I can do all that easy enough. I also did some Google searching to see what I might come up with.

Then I hit the grocery store. But holy cow is granola expensive!! So I did some more Googling.

And came away with this recipe. Not only is it super-easy to make it is really inexpensive! I think I spent about $3.00 bucks for a HUGE can of rolled oats - the rest of the ingredients were in my pantry.

The recipe claims to make ten cups. But I don't know.....

That looks like an awful lot of granola! Hopefully, it freezes well...otherwise we will be sprinkling on it on everything!

Then I had a nibble (burning my fingers because it was still hot) and OH MY! Is it yummy! I might add just a *touch* more sugar and vanilla next time - but otherwise? Perfect!

And? I have MORE than enough rolled oats left over to attempt homemade oatmeal. Watch out, hubby! There is a new cook in our kitchen.

Apparently, I've become TOO much of a hermit....

2011-08-28T21:12:00.000-04:00

As you know, I've pretty much been a hermit this past year or so.....what can I say? I've been...a bit preoccupied, you might say....

Well, one crafty girlfriend had the nerve to have her son's birthday party today. She knew I wouldn't deny her son! How dare she give birth two years ago today to the cutest little guy ever (besides Man-Child, of course).

When we walked into the house, she grabbed me into a tight embrace and then pulled me into the nearest bathroom. Where she hugged me tight. She wouldn't let go and began to cry.

Which, of course, made me cry. (Fabulous entrance into a party wouldn't you say, with tear-swollen eyes? Luckily, the honoree didn't notice; as he was too busy bouncing off the walls from the excitement of it all).

Between that welcome; another comment recently made from another dear friend and Man-Child's constant checking on me tonight during the party, I'm thinking I might need to venture out into the world a bit more.

Apparently, people are beginning to worry.

*I* think I'm okay. And you think I'm okay (right?? You do think I'm okay? If you don't, please don't say so aloud - because seriously? I don't need to worry about anything else just now. Tell me later that you were worried - after everything else is squared away. THEN? Then, I can deal with it; but not now.) So what are they so worried about?

I'm fine. Really.

Now, how to let them know that I'm really okay.....

Attorneys vs. Accountants; Miscellaneous Stuff; Bloggers and Lurkers....

2011-08-26T20:52:00.000-04:00

Dear Big Boss.....

If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, you CANNOT open an Excel spreadsheet in Word and then expect to make changes to it!

I realize that you are a "lawyer" and not an "accountant" but I would think after about the third or fourth time (in a month) of me telling you this - it would begin to sink in. I mean, you passed "the Bar" and all, so you should have some sense about you.....right?!

My next step? Putting a HUGE post it note on your monitor that says "If it's from Accounting - open in Excel."

Your servant,
Me

******

Dear School Athletic Director:

I realize that we must play other teams within our "conference/division level" (what THAT means, I have no idea), but are you seriously telling me that the only teams in our "conference/division level" within the state are located (at a minimum) at least an hour away?! Somehow, I seriously doubt it.

Sincerely (as I gear up for a round-trip FOUR hour drive to and from next week's game)
A Parent

******

Dear Fellow Bloggers:

Use YOUR voice, please. I beg you!

Don't try to use someone else's voice. It doesn't work. It comes across that you are trying too hard and that you aren't being sincere.

Sure, the person you may be trying to emulate is insanely popular (seriously; are we in high school here?), but it doesn't translate if it's not YOU.

As our mothers always told us; be YOURSELF and you will be loved for who you are.

Love,
Me (who would much rather hear YOUR voice)

******

Dear Lurkers:

I see you!

Yes, I do!

I don't usually call you out (because sometimes, I've been known to lurk too). But come on out. Say what you have to say - agree or disagree (just be nice about it) and you will be welcomed into the group.

I promise.

Love,
Gigi

******
Letters of Intent is hosted by Julie. Go visit, link up. She's fabulous. I swear.

The end of life as I know it.....

2011-08-22T21:16:00.000-04:00

The alarm clock is set for extra early tomorrow (what? I KNOW I already get up at a ridiculously early hour; I *need* that extra time to set aside as ME time in the morning; so I don't bite the head off anyone who actually speaks to me in the morning - trust me on this one; just ask Hubby)....

(why yes, I do realize that the time showing on the clock ISN'T ridiculously early....do you know how hard it is to press the button to show what time the alarm will go off AND hold the phone steady to take a picture of it at the same time is? No? It's HARD! And yes, I know it's blurry.....again, I'm using a PHONE to take the picture! Besides, it's a digital clock and we all know that digital numbers are NOTORIOUSLY hard to take a picture of . . . since they blink and all...)

The coffee maker is ready to go - with a couple extra cups thrown in (to make up for the EXTRA early time that the alarm will wake me up.)...

Again, with the blurriness! I KNOW! It's a PHONE, people! Sheesh! What do you expect?

So what does all this signify?

The end of summer.

The end of it all.

The end of the quiet mornings where I can have my coffee in peace; left alone to catch up on blogs, read the paper and do whatever it is I want in TOTAL silence.

Ahhh, how I relish the silence of those quiet mornings.....

No. It's all over. Tomorrow is the first day of school.

The first day of trying to wake up a grouchy kid (who, incidentally decided it would be a good idea to go out the night before the first day - using the "but MOM! The Giants are playing! And you KNOW we don't get those games here!" excuse. Fine. I let him go with the stipulation that he had to be home by 10:00 pm. You and I both know that whether or not he goes out; he STILL won't be asleep before midnight or later anyway).

The first day of "I forgot! I need lunch money!" or "I forgot! I need you to fill out this field trip form!" or "I forgot! Can you help me format this 15 page paper - that is due TODAY - this morning?"

The first day - of the LAST year - of having him home to drive me insane in the early morning hours.

Ya know? After looking at it like that....I'm gonna miss those early morning moments of insanity....

Letters of Intent

2011-08-19T06:01:00.000-04:00

Every week Julie hosts Letters of Intent. And every week I plan to join (and follow the links). And every week I fail. But NOT this week. This week, I'm actually ready. So here we go!

Dear Hubby:

I'm always right. After twenty years of marriage you should know this by now. Accept it and move on. Then your life won't be so hard and mine will be just a *tad* less stressful.

And you also should know by now that if MY life is less stressful then it stands to reason that yours will be too.

Lots of love,
Your VERY Stressed Wife (quit adding to it already!)

Dear Lady at Jersey Mike's:

There is a protocol here; especially at lunch-time during the work week. I understand that you might not "get" said protocol so my advice to you is this....if you don't "get" the protocol then get OUT of line and watch and see how it's done before you decide to jump in. It's really not difficult and I think once you see it done once or twice you will be ready for it.

First you walk up to the counter. They ask what you want. You reply. You move to the left. When it's your turn, they ask you how you want your sandwich. You respond and move to the left. When it's your turn, you pay, take your sandwich, etc. and (this is important) get the hell out of the way!

You do NOT walk up and just stand there and ignore the nice kid behind the counter while you proceed to chat with whomever it is you've just met/run into - because when you do he will then ask the next person what they want; which would be me. You cannot then - keeping your place in line - order what you want and then FAIL to move to the left while continuing your chat. This screws up the whole process.

Once you FINALLY realize that you must move to the left to tell them how you want the sandwich don't forget to then again move to the left to pay. This leaves frustrated customers behind you - you know customers that actually only have a limited amount of time for lunch since they work and don't have the luxury of taking their time during the lunch hour.

Once you again FINALLY realize that you must move to the left to pay - do not answer your cell phone. Again, it leaves VERY frustrated customers behind you (again, that would be ME!) as you attempt to talk to the person on the other end of the phone and the cashier at the same time all while fumbling around trying to find your "frequent customer card" (really??? Apparently, you aren't a frequent customer since you don't know the PROTOCOL!) and your debit card.

If you'd just follow the protocol (which is very much like the Soup Nazi, I know) all of our lives would be much easier and I wouldn't have the urge to throttle you.

Signed,
A VERY aggravated and hungry woman.

How come I'M doing homework and school hasn't even started yet? Or...if you have any ideas; I'm all ears

2011-08-17T18:39:00.000-04:00

So, Man-Child has dutifully read at least one of his required summer reading books (and enjoyed it-bonus!).

But now, he tells me that he has to craft a two to three page paper - which is due at the start of school on Tuesday (remember this part, it's critical) and called me today to tell me that he was working on the paper (YAY! He's actually given himself almost a week head start - usually he waits until the night before) and wanted my help (what can I say? Papers are my "thing," and he knows that. Not to brag, but back in the day, I was actually able to skim a book, for a friend - because of course I did all my projects early, give her a synopsis and help her craft a paper that would net an A).

The topic of the paper is what he learned from the book about the relationship between social justice and the media.

Wha...?!?!

Now, this usually might not present a problem - but with a topic like this I will have had to actually read said book before I can even BEGIN to point him in the right direction for this paper.

So if I seem to be missing for the next few days; I'm sure you'll understand....because even though I'm not in school anymore, it seems I'll be doing some homework. Reading all 343 pages of this in the next three days or so....

I'm only up to Page 66 - so obviously, I've got some reading to do....but in the meantime, if anyone has any ideas for this paper; I'm listening.

Hello??

Anybody??

*sigh* At least he didn't leave it to the very last minute this time.

Really?! THIS is what you pay me for?

2011-08-11T21:52:00.000-04:00

Whew.....

That's all I can say after today. That, and thank goodness I have taken tomorrow off. Because I seriously don't think I could face another day of ridiculousness this week.

When I decided to take on the Big Guy and add him to my roster of attorneys, after my dear friend abandoned me for the joys of retirement, I figured it would increase my work load a tad; which would be a good thing; but never in my wildest imaginations did I figure that my days would be filled with stuff like this.

Here are just some of the ridiculous situations I was expected to deal with today....

First up, just as the Big Guy has gone into a BIG meeting at 10:00 am; a meeting that took an Act of Congress to get together, I get a call from downstairs that his guests were here.....my question was "WHAT guests?!" (*sigh* there isn't enough coffee in the world.)

Being the super-efficient woman that I am, I grabbed the first person I saw headed that way and asked him to hand Big Guy a note. And then waited for the Big Guy himself to pop out of the conference room. Which he did (he's so predictable sometimes).

He then asked me why they were here since HE "re-scheduled" them to 11:00 am. (How the hell should *I* know why they are here? I had nothing to do with this meeting at all; in fact, I didn't even KNOW about it). He then asked me to tell them to come back or re-schedule or something. Fine.

But, I ask you, just how do you politely tell someone - "Hey, Goofball - you are an hour early, (OR....he forgot to tell you that he re-scheduled). Go away and come back in an hour"? I tried and tried but just couldn't figure out a nice way to say it. Instead, I apologized profusely and told them he was in a meeting that he couldn't get out of that was running long and offered to re-schedule. They did not seem too happy.

In the meantime, a HUGE box was delivered for the Big Guy. I asked the mailroom guy to "pretty please" put it in his office; thinking I'd deal with it after I dealt with these guys. And I promptly forgot about it - because really? In my world - out of sight; out of mind.

When he came out of said "Act of Congress" meeting he asked me if they were coming back, I said no. I told him what I had said and why, which he thought that was funny. Yeah, it was hilarious! And then he told me not to worry about it, that he'd take care of it.....can someone please tell me why I see a repeat of this scenario in the very near future?

After walking back to his office he called me to ask me what was in the big box. Oops!

Turns out it was a big, fancy coffee maker. Little did I know that this big, fancy coffee maker was going to become the focal point of my day.

"What is this? Why is he sending me this? I can't accept this!" (something to do with "ethics" and "gift policies"). "Call his assistant and see why he sent this! Is it for the Company? What's this all about?" And then promptly closets himself in another meeting - which interestingly enough is another meeting I know nothing about and seems to have been scheduled for 11:00 am.....

So then the fun begins.

I call the (other) beleaguered assistant to find out the purpose of this coffee maker only to discover that apparently my Big Guy had a conversation with her Big Guy about the "possibility" of our company switching the Executive Coffee (yes, they get special coffee) and her Big Guy decided to gift the Company (i.e., the Executives) with a new coffee maker so they could "transition."

Whereupon explaining all this to Big Guy he was befuddled. And claimed that "they" must have had this conversation "when he wasn't there....."

Which then lead to a myriad of other "issues."

Over a freakin' coffee maker.

In all, I would say I spent a good portion of my day dealing with a coffee maker and wayward appointments. Seriously?!

Luckily, my other attorneys' don't need this much attention.

So yeah, NOW I can see why she decided to retire.....

I suppose I should give her a call and remind her of the joys of office life.

How it came to be that I was making banana bread at an extremely early hour....OR...Proof positive that I am going....well, bananas

2011-08-10T18:47:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I got up (at my usual un-godly hour) and made not one, but TWO, loaves of banana bread, instead of following my usual routine of coffee, blog-reading and newspaper (in that order, thank you very much). Why, you ask? Good question.

But the answer to that all started two weeks ago....

(hmmm, I'm beginning to sense a theme here....every post lately seems to have a back-story. Maybe I should post more often just so you are all up to date on the mundaness of my life....)

Anyway, two weeks ago a work-friend had a get together at his home to celebrate another's promotion. He asked that we provide a side dish. I decided, at the last minute, of course, to bring banana pudding*. I figured, it's fairly quick; it's easy; it would be cool (because dear God, in heaven! It has been HOT here - so hot, that I'm fairly certain that, somehow, I've been transported back to Texas!) and because I had the majority of the ingredients, except for the bananas.

Surprisingly, I don't have a recipe on hand for banana pudding, so I looked one up on the Internet. There are many, many various ways to make said pudding but I knew the basic ingredients and that there is an easy way to do it. So I found a recipe that fit the criteria. But, I was a bit confounded as the recipe as it called for fourteen (yes, you read that right, FOURTEEN!) bananas!

Being the stickler I am for following directions (quit laughing!) I trotted off to buy fourteen bananas. I figured this quick and easy recipe wasn't going to be as inexpensive as I'd hoped; especially considering I only needed the ONE ingredient - but, what the hey, I was committed (upon retrospect, maybe I should BE committed).

Nevermind the fact that I picked up a few other items (yes, I know I was only there to get one item - obviously I am a multi-tasker) while at the grocery store, even so, I clearly remember that the sign said that the bananas were $0.69 a pound. So, despite the fact that I am not a math genius (I still question the multiplication tables on a daily basis), I was a bit puzzled when I got home, looked at the receipt and realized that somehow these fourteen bananas (which surely weigh much more than a pound) only cost me $0.29. I was stumped.

But I let it go, because 1) I didn't have the time to think about it and 2) it was some kind of complicated math problem and I didn't want to go there.

At any rate, as I began to assemble the banana pudding it TOTALLY became clear to me that I wouldn't need all fourteen bananas.....so I left about six or seven of them out (yeah, see how much a stickler I am about rules?).

According to all that partook of said (HUGE) banana pudding, it was DELISH.

Anyway....that leads us back to me, being up at an un-godly hour, making two loaves of banana bread yesterday morning....

Seeing as we had quite a few of (by now VERY) ripe bananas left, Mr. Sweet-tooth (aka Man-Child) began badgering me to bake something. Throwing around guilt-inducing phrases such as "You NEVER bake for ME anymore" and "Don't you realize I'LL be going off to COLLEGE soon and you won't have ANYONE to appreciate your mad skills in baking anymore." (what can I say? He learned from a pro.)

So, eventually, of course, I caved and promised to make him banana bread. And proceeded to put it off. Over and over. Until finally the guilt kicked in....and I knew if I didn't make the bread the bananas would get too ripe and would have to be thrown out (mainly because they'd be so gross I wouldn't want to touch them).

But the night before I was too tired - so, stupidly figured I'd make it in the morning (conveniently forgetting, in my exhausted stupor, that banana bread is a little bit more involved than, say, banana pudding).

And then, promptly forgot about it. Until yesterday morning, when in the middle of my normal routine I remembered. And then realized that I had far too many overripe bananas for one loaf. *sigh*

Well, in for a penny - in for a pound; as I believe the saying goes.

And THAT is how it came to be that I was up at a crazy, early hour making two loaves of banana bread.

At least the recipients (Man-Child and the office) were grateful, especially once they realized it was still warm from the oven.

*Thank heaven for the look-back ability (due to History) otherwise I may have NEVER found this recipe again; see! I'm NOT crazy, it really does say you need FOURTEEN bananas. Go ahead, try it. And you only need about six bananas or so, if I'm remembering correctly. Apparently, it's REALLY good.

Mulling over office politics.....and sucking you into it, by default

2011-08-09T19:06:00.000-04:00

After a conversation with Hubby last night, I've been wondering....

First, since I try to stay away from office gossip here, a bit of background - the Big Guy in my department is getting married. This really isn't news to anyone, we've seen it coming. And, as you may remember, he has recently become one that I actually report to (even though it's all been shrouded in mystery and is hush-hush - because GOD-FORBID should anyone speak it aloud-you know, now that I think about it, I don't think even HR knows....). Granted, I reported to him before, technically, in a distant sort of fashion - as in my bosses reported to him - but now, he has been gathered into the fold, you might say, and now I report to many; including him directly (actually, they report to me, they just don't know it yet).

So anyway....we knew he was getting married. And we were happy for him - because if he is happy - then, by default, don't we benefit in some way??

When the "Save the Date" cards went out we all kind of knew we were invited; because, otherwise, why else would we have received them? To taunt us? But no one really discussed it - because it was MONTHS away and (heaven forbid!) what if you DID discuss it with someone and they hadn't received the "Save the Date" card?

As a quick aside - don't you love the idea of "Save the Date" cards? It gives you so much time to plan! Theoretically, speaking....as I haven't even BEGUN to figure out what I'm going to wear to this thing!

This weekend, we all received the OFFICIAL invitations. Needless to say, it was the buzz among the peons in the office this morning.

One woman came to me and asked if I was going. I responded that I was going, of course - (I didn't tell her this but, yeah, I'm going; because: One - he thought enough of me to actually INVITE me to a very intimate and personal ceremony; Two - because there will be an open bar (I KID! I KID!) Three - he is my BOSS and he actually thought enough of ME to INVITE me [and Hubby, but not Man-Child, odd I think, as he isn't small and would like to meet some of the people I work with] to this very intimate and personal ceremony and Four - did I mention the food that is going to be served is AMAZING? Hello?!) So, yes, I'm definitely going.

She then informed me that So-N-So and so-n-so weren't planning to attend. My mind was kind of blown at that point. I understand that So-N-So and so-n-so have had their "issues" with the Big Guy in the past. I get it; I do. But seriously? I then informed this woman that she HAD to attend - in no uncertain terms (mainly because I do need a friend to hang out with at this shindig! Besides Hubby, that is, because he will wander off. I know him). She agreed, uncertainly. So uncertainly, in fact, that I'll be surprised if she shows up. But, upon further reflection, knowing her, she'll show up out of obligation and guilt.

As I was explaining this all to Hubby (it's intricate, I know. But somehow, he followed it all) he was flabbergasted that they weren't attending.

It seems to me that, if you are on the "outs" with the boss, it would behoove you to show up at a personal event (you know, one that I won't be doing an expense report for) that he invites you to as it seems that he is "trying" to extend an olive branch and that he would like you would take it. What really strikes me though, especially with these two, is that they are smart, professional women who have been around the "corporate block" a time or two don't realize this.

Yes, there is a time to "stand your ground" and then there is a time to be gracious (I mean, seriously? You should see this menu and the venue!). And, personally, I feel they are being a bit petty. Is it just me?

To be fair, I haven't gone into all the "issues" that surround this situation, and I know emotions run high, but still....it's this guy's WEDDING day! And he has invited us to join in his joy. So, putting the menu (and open bar - I KID! I will NOT get drunk at my boss' wedding - what do you guys take me for? An idiot?) aside, wouldn't you want to celebrate the happiness of another? But on the other hand, I haven't been treated the way they claim to have been treated.

So what do you think? Should they put aside their differences and attend? Or should they hold their "moral" high ground and not attend?

Let me throw THIS in the mix, one of the ladies in question actually lives about an hour and a half away (possibly two hours considering the venue). So her? Her, I can almost see not accepting - just on distance alone.

So tell me, what say you, Blogland?

Because if I don't remember it...it never happened, right?

2011-08-07T19:26:00.000-04:00

We had some people over yesterday. And, as people sometimes do, we reminisced a bit. We were talking and laughing....when Hubby pipes up with this, "Hey! Do you remember when So-n-So came to dinner?"

I responded with a no. Because I certainly do NOT remember So-n-So; much less the fact that he came to dinner at our house.

Hubby persisted, "Of COURSE you do! Remember? We talked about this and that?!"

Me: "No."

Hubby kept on; supplying details of the conversation, what was served, etc.....so SURE that I'd remember.....

Eventually, he gave up and remarked in frustration, "Just HOW do you forget a whole PERSON!? A whole body; hair and teeth and everything!"

Easily, apparently.

In my defense, IF the alleged dinner actually took place where and when Hubby claims - then Man-Child would have been old enough to remember this guy (AND his wife - so, obviously, I've forgotten TWO persons!) and he doesn't.

So to my thinking, this dinner never happened and Hubby is delusional.

OR.....somehow I have passed along my faulty memory to my child....

Nope, I'm going with Hubby being delusional. It works for me.

A Simplistic View of Things....Or.....Only YOU, Corporate America (and everywhere else), can fix this economy - so DO something already!

2011-08-05T06:18:00.000-04:00

I take a simplistic view of things. I know this about myself...and I'm okay with it. Generally, this view lets me cut through crap and make decisions. It makes life easier for me; and believe me, I'm all about keeping things simple.

If your arm hurts when you do that; then just don't do that and voila; it won't hurt anymore. See? Easy-peasy. Physician, heal thyself and move on.

So coming at this whole economic "situation" with this simplistic view it is clear to me what needs to happen.

You, Corporate America (and everywhere else, for that matter), need to quit being greedy and start hiring people. Period.

It is my understanding that you are currently raking in record-breaking profits. Good for you. As CEO's, and upper-level management, you are making loads of money. Your checking account is fat and you are doing fine. Again, good for you.

Yes, you worked hard to get where you are (most of you, anyway) so you deserve it; to a degree. I don't begrudge you that; but......(well, you knew there HAD to be a "but" in there somewhere), in my simplistic view, I am seeing where you are squeezing the employees you have. Making them wear two, three or sometimes four different hats - doing more than what they were hired to do; knowing that they are fearful that if they complain they would be out the door. With no other options - since no one is hiring. You see the vicious cycle and are capitalizing on it; for shame!

Yes, I understand, that companies need to be lean, mean, fighting machines in order to stay in business. There shouldn't be waste - be it of materials or man-hours.

But the level to which you are squeezing the nickel - so to speak - is insane. And possibly, quite un-patriotic. Yes, I said it. YOU are not doing the country any favors. And, I think, your mother would be ashamed at your antics.

In order to kick start the economy, again through my simplistic view, is to inspire the consumers to buy. And how do you do that exactly? Well, first off, the consumers need to feel safe and secure. Oh, and this is BIG..... have a job. Once consumers have these two, little things then? Then, they will spend.

If they don't feel secure in their jobs - or can't find one - then what do they do? They sit on whatever money they do have and don't spend it - or cry when they have to spend it. That means they aren't buying YOUR products or services, unless absolutely necessary. And even at that, they are NOT happy about it.

So, I say to you, Corporate America (and everywhere else), unfreeze the hiring holds that you have in place and start relieving some of your over-worked staff. Believe me, your current staff and the new hires will appreciate it more than you know and morale and productivity will reflect it.

Only YOU, Corporate America (and everywhere else), can fix this economy. And might I suggest that you get started on that pretty quick?

*****
FYI, this post is not a rant against the company I work for - no, quite the contrary. The company I work for is a good one and has continued to hire, as necessary, during this dark period. This post was completely inspired by a conversation that I had with a friend yesterday.

And yes, I really do have a very simplistic view of the world. I'm not an economist; nor do I have a business degree; nor am I learned "thinker" but it just seems to me that this is a big part of the problem.

Oh....and before I forget, you can TOTALLY blame this post on Carol. Since she's the one who TOLD me to hit "publish" in the first place.....

Those Bleeping kids......or bad parenting...depends on how you look at it.

2011-08-02T18:55:00.000-04:00

Just when you think everything is fine and all is (semi) well in your little world.....

THEN your child doesn't come home when you expect him to.

Oh sure, as you sit on the back porch crafting a snarky post about your neighbor (and your husband) you "think" you hear him pull in the driveway and enter the house.

You *assume* he went immediately upstairs to take one of his EXTREMELY long showers....because, you know, he's been out in the heat of the day with full pads on practicing for football.....because isn't that what you would do after a grueling day in the heat?

Then your hubby comes home and says to you, "Where is Man-Child?" And you, blithefully reply, "He's in the shower." Even though you never actually laid eyes on the child...because you were, you know, busy.

To which Hubby then replies in a panic, "NO! HE'S NOT!!!! THE CAR ISN'T HERE!!! HE'S BEEN GONE SINCE 3:30 PM!"

Which, of course, you respond with freaking out....since it's now almost 9:00 pm....and OH MY HELL! WHERE *IS* HE???? And totally remembering the wreck on the back roads in the middle of nowhere.

And so begins the phone calls and the texts. And, a short bout of freaking out via Twitter....

To which, the responsible child - who doesn't answer texts or phone calls (at least from his parents) while he is driving, doesn't respond.

Which then leads to the parents calling a fellow football-parent in a panic to ask if their son is home yet, because "OMG! MINE ISN'T!"

Only to receive the response that practice is until 8:00 pm now that it's "REAL" practice and not "TRAINING" and that he's probably on his way home. Which definitely leads to a "bit" of relief...

Which reminds you.....didn't you call this same parent last year....with the same issue?

And then darned if he doesn't walk in the door - full of attitude - because "duh! Didn't you read the schedule? And did you REALLY just call So-N-So's mom AGAIN about this?"

And you thank God again because, apparently, you are an idiot.

And to think...this post was supposed to be about my nail polish...OR be nice to your neighbors, you never know, one of them might be a blogger

2011-08-01T20:27:00.000-04:00

I was going to put up a post about my nail polish. And how, for some crazy reason, whenever I use this particular color it "bubbles." According to Google, it could be anything....from the way I shake the bottle (apparently, you should "roll" it and not shake it) to the heat and humidity factor (really??? Who knew that applying polish could get so "technical??" And really??? That is seriously bad news for those of us that live in the South!) but on the plus side - it WILL stay on and not chip or wear easily (thank you Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear! Other than the occasional bubble, I love this product*).

But then my neighbor pulled his goofy lawnmower out of his "Pod" and my thoughts drifted away from nail polish, as I watched him, in his goofy little outfit that he reserves for mowing (seriously....if I could figure out a way to capture him on camera without him realizing it....), to the fact that he absolutely refuses to mow "this" little patch of grass (which to be fair, so does my Hubby.....do I sense some passive/aggressive behavior between neighbors?).

Can you see it? Along with the wood piled up that he doesn't need because he's got a gas fireplace....

Because in his mind....that is "our" patch of grass. Despite the fact, that his raggedy old trampoline (which no one uses) is right next to it.

Which, by the way, is technically on our property (as is his fire pit - which is behind those trees)

All of which, brings me to this point....be nice to those people moving in next door to you....you never know if you might become embroiled in a lawn-mowing stand-off and/or blog fodder.

Which also reminds me.....we really need to get the surveyor out here to straighten out where that property line lies so we can begin to plan to put in a fence. Because, really? I'm tired of looking at that patch of grass....and that trampoline.

* Full disclosure.....I was not paid, or in any way compensated, to endorse this product. It's my own personal opinion.

The Epitome of Lazy = Teenage Boy

2011-07-28T19:22:00.000-04:00

We all know teenage boys are the epitome of lazy but this? This takes the cake.

Look at what I found in the backseat of my car this morning.....

A dart board. With darts still embedded in it. It looks a tad familiar. Hmmm...where could that have come from?

Well, let's re-create the timeline, shall we?

Yesterday evening, after football practice, Man-Child informs me that he would like to meet up with his friends (someone please tell me how this boy had the energy to go OUT after practicing in this heat!?) at a local sports bar/restaurant place that he and friends like to hang out at and ~~ogle women~~ play pool. I was fine with this - as long as he didn't ~~hook up with some wild woman-predator~~ come home too late.

Being the FABULOUS mother I am ~~because I was in for the night and wouldn't be needing it anyway~~ - I offered to lend him my car since the temperature has been hovering around 100 degrees and his air conditioner has decided to quit working (gee....do you think that the fact that the a/c has quit working has anything at all to do with the fact that he quite recently treated his car as if he were in demolition derby? [Speaking of which, thanks to my Twitter-peeps who so readily supplied the word "demolition" when my brain up and died earlier today! Which reminds me, have you seen the newest study which says that Google is changing the way, and what exactly, our brains remember, which is, basically, only stuff we can't find online? Very interesting! And, just so you know, this is now my go-to excuse when I can't remember something as easy as the word "demolition."]).

So, off he goes, with a kiss and reminders to 1) to be home at a reasonable hour 2) not wreck my car 3) no drinking or drugs and 4) no sex. (See? I AM a good mother!)

Needless to say, I was quite puzzled when I went out to leave for work this morning and found this

in my backseat; because I knew that I hadn't put it there. So I did what any modern mother would do.

I texted him from the driveway.

I figured if I didn't do it right then and there I'd forget to ask about it (much like I did when I realized my Amy Winehouse cd was missing last weekend - both guys claim they do not have it; but since it's not in my car I feel sure that one of them stole it - even if they won't admit to it).

Surprisingly, the boy actually answered my text as I was pulling into work. I had figured it would be noon before I heard from him; as that has been his usual time to wake up so far this summer; but, apparently, today he decided to get up early and go to the morning football practice.

And finally, the reason for the title of this post....

He figured if the guys wanted to go to this other sports bar/restaurant they like to go to where they ~~ogle women~~ play darts he would want his own darts. BUT he didn't feel like pulling all (what? Four, five, six; at the most) of them out. Instead, he just took the whole damn board; because that was "easier."

*sigh*

It's things like this that is turning me into a grouchy old lady before my time.....and most likely ticking off the Breast Cancer Awareness crowd to no end

2011-07-27T20:57:00.000-04:00

The other day, I received a bill for a recent mammogram. I was more than a little surprised, because usually, I don't receive bills for healthcare as the doctor's office always files the claim for me.

So I made some sort of joke to Hubby along the lines of if they want to get payment out of me then they'll have to repossess these things.

The very next day, I received my Explanation of Benefits (which is usually a letter telling me what the insurance company has paid for, etc. - basically a receipt). Upon opening it, I discovered that they had denied my claim for the yearly mammogram....

To the tune of $257.00!

Needless to say, I was not too happy. But figured there HAD to be some kind of mistake. Because, my coverage includes PREVENTATIVE care-which is a fancy way of saying "we check you out to keep you from getting sick on us and forcing us to pay even more money for you". For the past 10 years (yes, I've been here for 10 years - go figure!) it always has.

I figured a quick call to the insurance company the next day would clear everything up and between us all; the doctor's office and myself at least, we'd all be happy and well, the insurance company? They would be out $257.00. What the hell. I'm paying into the insurance, aren't I? They are getting my money no matter what - in the hopes that I don't NEED their coverage for anything significant.

After my "quick" call to the insurance company yesterday (which, of course, was NOT so quick - thanks to the invention of "voice activated menus" which NEVER hears what you are saying properly. Which, of course, leads to you yelling your private business into the phone for everyone to hear) I was in tears.

Apparently, without our knowledge, the coverage now only includes a bi-annual mammogram for women of a certain age. Over 50? Great! THEN they will cover yearly testing.

WTF?!?!?

It is apparent that no one has informed my doctor's office of this significant change - since they are the ones that sent the letter nagging me to get in. Nor did they inform the insurance department that also sends nagging letters to remind us of appointments we'd rather not do - but deem a necessity - as I seem to recall getting one from them telling me to go in. Nor did they properly inform the employees of this company of this SIGNIFICANT change to our coverage - since not one person I have talked to about this knew anything about it.

Lucky for the few I told about this change - at least they won't get dinged unexpectedly.

For years (basically for as long as I can remember), we have been told the importance of getting a yearly mammogram after the age of 40. Period.

It has been ingrained into our very souls that "early detection" is the key to survival.

Now? Now apparently, they would prefer that we get sick before we get diagnosed.

And that? Well, that disgusts me even more than the thought of handing over $257.00.

****
And, yes. I AM aware that lately this blog has turned into a huge "bitch-fest." With any luck, things will change soon and I will go back to my regularly (HA! Yeah, right. As if anything about me can be considered "regular") scheduled ramblings about nothing.

Sometimes You Just Can't Find the Words You Need

2011-07-25T19:11:00.000-04:00

Exactly what do you say in a condolence card?

Especially one that needs to go to a very special aunt who has lost her son in a horrific way?

How do you tell her that you feel the pain she is feeling? Not on her level, of course. Unless you have experienced that particular pain you cannot possibly even begin to imagine how she feels.

My cousin was killed approximately two weeks ago. I just found out about it less than a week ago. I don't think I have still completely processed it. I have a feeling that whomever was ultimately responsible will not walk away with a "murder" charge - but with one of those lesser charges like manslaughter or something equally irrelevant.

The end result is that he is gone. At 38. At the hands of someone else.

And that my dear aunt; the one who has told me consistently that I am really her daughter and that my mother stole me from her at birth, is broken.

Completely and totally broken.

I can't even begin to imagine.

The very thought of having Man-Child taken from me - in any way, violent or not - takes my breath away and leaves me sick and shaken.

And so I sit, speechless for once, unable to express my sorrow to her. Unable to soothe the pain she must be feeling. Unable to be with her and hold her in this time of immense need. To know that her son is gone. Forever.

His life; taken by another. To know that his last day on this earth was such a difficult and violent one. To have it played out, in detail, over and over again on the news and in the ethernet.

I look at the pictures of his life of late and can only remember the blond curls and the little grin that he had when he was a little guy and I cry. For the family broken. The life left unlived. The young daughter, and other family, left behind - who must, somehow, pick up the pieces and go on; without him.

And once again, I lift my pen to paper to try and express my immense sorrow. To try and soothe her. And again, I fail.

Ironing IS a dangerous business.....

2011-07-21T19:39:00.000-04:00

I've said it all along and no one would listen to me. After THIS important PSA maybe someone will hear the message and stand with me as I call for a ban on ironing forevermore......

*****
Thank you all for your words, thoughts, prayers and well wishes when I had my most recent melt-down. Your support means more to me than you will ever know. xx

The State of Gigi...and a book review, of sorts

2011-07-18T20:04:00.000-04:00

I should be posting about some of the fabulous books I've just read; like What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz or Mothers & Other Liars by Amy Bourett.....both of which were FABULOUS by the the way - or that other one that I read and can't quite remember the name of....it was quite funny though.

But I'm not posting about the books I've read. Mainly, because I've already returned them to the library and don't have them around for reference (hence, why I'm leaving off the name for that other one) and because I've got too much other stuff floating around in my mind and, truth be told, only read to keep from obsessively thinking/worrying for a bit - and it worked, for a moment. But I will add them to the Books I Love tab - even without the reviews - simply because I really did enjoy them and hope you will too. Except for the one I forgot. That one will have to languish alone on a bookshelf until I come across it again. And I will come across it again. Eventually. I always seem to.

No, lately I've been more and more in total meltdown, panic mode.

That is the real reason I've been avoiding my friends (and possibly, a lot of you, too) (I would also totally avoid my guys too, if I could - but dammit, they are ALWAYS here!). I wrote about it here - oh wait, never-mind. I never posted that.....obviously, because I was in total meltdown, panic mode.

See, those darling girls of mine want to go out and celebrate. They want to have fun, spend some time together and celebrate me. Sounds wonderful; doesn't it?

But me? I'm not in that place right now. Right now, I'm in a dark place. A place where I don't want to go out and have fun, celebrate.

Needless to say, the girls are getting a *tad* aggravated with me at this point. I don't blame them. But then, due to some horrific news from far-away family (that I'm still trying to process so I can't/won't go into details now) to add on to everything else that is worrying me, I have been given an instant pass. For the moment. But these girls? They won't let up. I know them too well....

I'm tired, y'all. Very, very tired. And frozen. Frozen from the fear and the panic.

You know how "they" say, "don't sweat the small stuff?" Well, I have to wonder exactly what IS considered small? Because lately, it seems like all the stuff I am facing isn't small. It's GINORMOUS!

So in conclusion, to this very ramble-y post that does nothing but tell you about great books and the state of my mind....

Keep my dad in your thoughts and prayers as he is headed for surgery early, early tomorrow morning. And I can't be there - because I'm here. And that, of course, worries me.

You only think you know...

2011-07-12T21:15:00.000-04:00

Today, a friend and I were chatting about our kids. You know, as mothers tend to do.

When she suddenly blurted out that she wished she was in my shoes.

(Ummm... no not really. What with the whole friends going through a divorce, the dad facing heart surgery - and me trying to figure out how to convince him to come here [a whole 'nother story], the unemployment....the list goes on)

She was talking about the fact that at this time next year I will be preparing to send my baby, my ONLY CHILD, off to college.

At first I was incredulous - because she had recently just saw her oldest son off to Iraq (or was it Afghanistan? I forget. Either way, to a dangerous place).

As she went on and on about how quiet my house would be; how clean it would be (obviously she forgot about Hubby); how I could do anything I wanted - the list went on forever - it dawned on me....

She has two younger children; one who will just be entering high school this year and another in middle school.

She is still smack-dab in the middle of parenting. She is far, far, FAR removed from the empty-nest syndrome.

She has yet to actually realize that one day she will look up from her pile of laundry and be hit; face first; with that OMG! moment when she discovers - it's just going to be "us"! You know, the people we used to be.

Which then brings to mind the questions.....

What are we going to do without driving this one somewhere and back again because the other parent flaked out? What will we do without having to nag someone to do their homework, their class project, to put their dishes in the dishwasher and, DAMMIT!, pick up your socks! What will we do at night without having one of us wait up for him to come home - safe and sober? How will we react without having some kind of teenage drama going on ALL THE TIME?

How will we survive in a house that doesn't have that constant "buzz" that it seems to have when he's in it?

What will we have to TALK about once the last (or only) child is gone from the house?

There are many more questions that float in your brain - many, many more - as you try to prepare to wrap your mind around the fact that the one (or third, or fifth, or whatever - it doesn't matter - your LAST) core being that made you into a little family - instead of a couple - is leaving. Perhaps forever.

And she? Well, she's just not there yet.

But when she is, I'll be ready to hold her as she cries.

Sssshh!

2011-07-09T21:41:00.000-04:00

Do you hear that??

That infernal pinging and ringing from phone calls, emails, and texts coming from the Blackberry? It's been going on all darn day.

DON'T answer it!

Why? Because I'm hiding.

Yes, I'm hiding from lovely friends with good intentions.

If the truth were to be told, I've been hiding from the majority of them for months now....

Actually, it is a constant source of amazement to me that I haven't been hiding (too much, I don't think) from you. Sure, I've pulled back a bit and don't tell you everything that is on my mind....but for the most part, you know where I'm at; what a state my mind has been in lately.

The few times I've run into them, the lovely friends with good intentions, they've seen the "happy, everything is ok", Gigi. La-la-la-la.

And just how do you make these lovely friends with good intentions understand that you don't want to come out and play? Or celebrate. Because right this very minute, as far as you ("you" being me for the remainder of this post-lest you [no, YOU] get confused) are concerned this isn't the time to go play. There is nothing to celebrate. You have far too much to worry about for that kind of fluff.

Then the guilt begins to kick in - because ya know? They DO have good intentions.....but still.....

So what do you do? You begin to seriously contemplate "accidentally" dropping the phone into the toilet.

You know...so you can be totally incommunicado.....darn it! Sssh! It's going off again!

He's still available to the first one willing to take him.....

2011-07-01T20:52:00.000-04:00

We are a board game family.....and by that I mean Man-Child and I are board game lovers. Hubby? Well, apparently, he grew up in a disadvantaged family.

And by that I mean he wasn't taught the appreciation of a good board game.

One of our favorites is Scrabble.

I first taught the child to play before he was really even old enough - I think he was still learning "sight words" at the time....

My reasoning was that he would learn to spell, garner a good vocabulary and it might help with his math skills; plus it was something to do in "that" hour right before bedtime.

Some of those early games were painful. As a small child he didn't take losing gracefully. And I had to learn to rein in my competitiveness and try to "teach" while playing.

Over the years it has evolved into a cut-throat game.....as only Scrabble can.

As evidenced by one of my Tweets last night....

Along with the accompanying picture. Notice that he's really concentrating....that's because I trounced him but good a few nights ago.

We were only about six moves in. I had crappy letters, but was holding my own; I was sure that I would make a sweeping victory before the game was over.....

And then?

He pounced....

Note his glee

As you will note from the following tweets - it wasn't pretty....

As you can imagine, the game was over at that point. There was no recovering from a blow that crushing.

Then the crowing and taunting began.....

Which was followed with him sucking up and telling me that he learned from the best - yeah, it's too late now, buddy. I've already listed you on eBay.

The killer word? Well, I'm glad you asked. Because although I was in total shock, I am STILL a mom and HAD to record the moment for posterity....it's like a law or something.....

Even so, if you are willing to take him and feed him - he's all yours. Especially considering he is refusing to remove the board and "the" word.

Ignore, please. Just pass on by. Don't read. It's just a rant.

2011-06-29T21:12:00.000-04:00

I've been going through a super organization-craze at work lately. Couldn't figure out what lead me to start one project that then blossomed into a HUGE, ARE YOU CRAZY FOR EVER STARTING THIS project! I figure when it's finally done, at least life at work will be easier.

But on the drive home, I realized....ever since Hubby lost his job I've put EVERYTHING on hold at the house. I've quit making lists, quit organizing, quit planning for the next project and, at this point, almost quit hoping and dreaming...the reality is that nothing has been done (outside of the basics) since "that" day.

Apparently, my mind couldn't take this idleness anymore and decided to "nest" at work instead.

The reality is, at this point - despite my moaning about going, I'd much rather be at work (sans the people and the phones) than at home. It's easier. And if I could just get rid of the people and the phones, it would be quieter.

At work, there is no pressure. I know why I'm there and what I should be doing.

At home? Not so much. At home there are subtle pressures. Don't talk about this, tiptoe around that, is that REALLY a necessary purchase? Should we do this or that? Is it time for an oil change AGAIN? Do you think we could wait for a couple more thousand miles?

I know I shouldn't be complaining because there are folks in much more dire straits than we are; people who are dealing with losses much bigger.

But, as we ease into the fourteenth month of unemployment, despair is beginning to seep in - I'm finding it harder and harder to look for the silver lining. And then I think....if I'm feeling like this - what must HE be feeling?

And then, I start to notice that Man-Child is beginning to freak out over *every little thing* and my heart breaks. Because he shouldn't be having to worry about the things he is worrying about.

We've tried hard to walk a fine line - preaching economics while not worrying him - apparently, we failed.

According to all reports I've read - North Carolina is lagging when it comes to the "Recovery" (which is a joke - I've seen no signs of a REAL recovery) and that if we were to just up and move Hubby could find something "lickety-split" (yeah, right). The thing is, even IF he could find something somewhere else - would it be at a salary that would warrant me leaving my job? No. I am lucky. I know I am. I work for a great company with great benefits. To leave this job would be suicide. Can I find Hubby a job at my company? No. Against policy to have spouses working here - even if they are in two different locations that never coincide with one another.

Besides, Man-Child is starting his Senior year. Really? It would be HUGELY detrimental to pull him out of his school now.

So no, moving, at this point, is not an option.

The point of all this? There isn't one. I just needed an outlet. Usually, I try to stay away from the doom and gloom, but today? Today, I needed to vent.

And a ray of sunshine - if you have that, feel free to comment. I need something to brighten my day. As an alternative, if you happen to know the lottery numbers for tonight......feel free to share.

As a footnote - when I started this blog, it was an experiment. A way to just get all of "it" out of my system. As blogs will do, it found people. And as people came, I found that I began to censor myself even more than when I was starting out - even though this is an anonymous blog. Why? Because I began to get to know you all - I began to see the issues that some of you face - many of which are FAR bigger than mine. And then? Then, I began to feel selfish if I whined or complained too much. So, for tonight, let me whine and complain. No comments are necessary. I know that for the majority of you, your thoughts and prayers are with us - I just really, really needed to get these thoughts out somehow....

AND? The fact that I am rationalizing and agonizing over hitting "publish" for a post on a blog - which is, arguably, supposed to be about me and what I am thinking/feeling.....well, that just shows you the depth of my insanity. Hmmm, am now thinking, I should just probably stop typing....I feel like the more I say, the crazier I sound. Anyway, thank you for listening! xo

My tongue STILL hurts from biting it so hard.

2011-06-27T20:27:00.000-04:00

Okay, I may be tired of being a grown up.....but I AM a grown up (or, at least, put on a good imitation of one; occasionally....) and a DAMN good friend.

Why?

Because I just let a man into my house that I swore would NEVER darken my door again. NEVER. As far as I am concerned, he is dead to me.

Why yes, I HAVE been known to hold a grudge - why do you ask?

This is the man I told you about a while ago. Yes, click over and see what he did to put me in a state, I'll wait.

Are you back? Are you sufficiently outraged?

Good, then we are on the same page.

Apparently, Mr. X is back in town to "visit with his children that he loves SO very much." And while he's here has agreed to sign some papers to let his (hopefully, soon to be EX) wife have power of attorney over a few things - including the house; which she is STILL trying to save without any financial support from him; all of which require being witnessed by a notary.

I am a notary (one of the many "perks" of working in a legal department).

She asked me to notarize a few papers while he was here. Bless her, for most of the papers, she took him to a local bank and paid to have them notarized - thus, saving me from the agony of restraining myself for any length of time in his presence.

But there were a few that involved other people whose schedules weren't that flexible and needed to be done after hours.

So for her, my dear friend, I welcomed most of them in and took care of business.

I'm sure I'll hear about how "frosty" I was later - but, in my mind? He's lucky he walked out of here alive, much less without having his ears blistered from the things I wanted to say.

Lesson learned? You will do just about anything for a good friend. Another lesson learned? If you are a notary - keep it to yourself.

Now you see why I never tell you anything important-it takes too much time and energy

2011-06-24T20:19:00.000-04:00

You know, every once in a while I want to tell you about some of the family drama going on (no, not my immediate, little family; they are always fair game - but stuff that goes on in the bigger family) and then I think, "But if I tell them this then I'll have to explain that and that and that and that and THAT." And so on and so on and so on.....

And then I get tired and decide to leave well enough alone. Because as one friend once said to me - "Wait. Let me write this all down so I can get it straight" as I was trying to explain a particularly difficult and complex situation.

Yup, that's me. The one with a majorly dysfunctional family. As the same friend also mentioned - if I ever get it all down onto paper I will have a major best-seller and/or soap opera on my hands. Unfortunately, my brain doesn't remember a majority of it and, since I neglected to actually keep a record of it all, it's mostly gone.

At any rate, my father has to have a bypass. I got the news on Saturday. Yup, the day before Father's Day. Fun. THAT makes for lighthearted conversation on Father's Day - let me tell you.

He, of course, acts like it's no big deal and he will be home in two days.

Yes, with the miracles of modern medicine, a bypass probably isn't that big of a deal anymore, especially considering that MD Anderson is right there and it's totally possible he will be home in two days....but the thing is...he isn't going to his home. And, it's MY Dad and not just a statistic.

Apparently, his wife (who has a very severe lung disease and needs to be on oxygen treatments constantly) has kicked him out.

He, of course, acts like this isn't a big deal either. I mean really? At the age of 70 or so - who HAS this kind of drama?? I'm thinking if I hit my 70's, my life better pretty darn routine without any hiccups like that coming along out of nowhere.

From what I've been told - which is precious little - he is staying with his daughter and son-law. And, according to him (and the daughter in-law) she is in a snit and because she isn't getting enough oxygen to her brain is a tad unreasonable right now and has reached a point where she can't care for him anymore; which is funny because I thought he was caring for her at this point.

And, of course, no one bothered to tell me any of this while it was happening. No, they wait until I call my dad (at his house) to wish him a happy birthday a month or so ago. Whereupon I am informed that he no longer lives there and will NEVER live there again. Another fun conversation.

Anyway, back to the present. Dad acts like everything is fine - the bypass is no big deal - and to not even think about trying to come. THEN my son gets a message from the daughter in-law on FaceBook. Since he isn't as locked down as I am, he was the only one she was able to find.

She is asking him to see if there is any way I CAN come.

Apparently, the week of the surgery coincides with their son's wedding. And, if I can't come, can I contact my brother (who fell of the face of the earth - at least when it comes to me - when my mother died 12 years ago-see why this gets complicated?) and see if he can help. Because, apparently, even though he lives "down the road a piece" (Texas-speak for about 15-20 minutes away) no one can seem to reach him.

This, of course, throws me into a total panic. Because, with our situation at the moment, there is no way in hell that I can get to Texas and just how in the hell am I supposed to contact my brother (who, according to Dad - the only person with any contact with him AT ALL - has moved and his phone has been disconnected)?

I turn to the all-mighty power that is the Internet. Namely, FaceBook. Despite the fact that his name is a very common one, I am able to run him down fairly quickly. I sent him a private message and waited.

I finally got a response that he would "take care of it" (but really?? Can I trust him to "take care of it"? I've trusted him to do so before with miserable results). So we shall see. Maybe age has graced him with some responsibility....which somehow, I doubt.

Now to the reason for this post. FaceBook continues to irritate me. Yes, yes....it has supposedly helped in an emergency-situation but do you know what I read on long lost brother's page?

"Just got a message from my sister I haven't talked to in 12 years...."

And tell me, brother-dear, just WHOSE fault is it that we haven't talked in 12 years???!!!! I know, I know. I shouldn't jump the gun. But I HAVE left the door open. I have sent him a Christmas card every damn year - WITH our current address and everything. Sometimes I even include phone numbers and email addresses. Never a word. In fact, it turns out that the address I was sending the cards to WASN'T EVEN HIS! It was our cousin's though - so, at least the card was getting passed on. But he couldn't even be bothered to tell me what his correct address might be.

The only news I get about him is from Dad - who would hear from him once in a blue moon. And, in fact, the last time I was home, he KNEW I was there but never once came by - despite the fact that he lived "down the road a piece." In fact, from what Dad was telling me, he saw my brother MAYBE once a year, if that. The man has distanced himself from his whole family.

But despite the urge, I didn't say a word about it. I kept it civil. I gave him my email and cell number and told him to keep me updated. Will that happen? We shall see.

And this is why you only get bits and pieces. Because if I had to go into this much detail (still leaving out major bits, I know) just to tell you my dad needs surgery, can you only imagine what it must be like to be living it? And there's the fact that it took me a week to compose this post (a WEEK! It never takes this long!). Now? Now, I'm exhausted. And I need a drink. *sigh*

I'm tired of being a grown-up.....

2011-06-20T21:35:00.000-04:00

I'm ready to go back to being a kid again.

I'm tired of worrying and stewing over money, jobs (or lack thereof), the child, the child's driving, his social life, his school, his mental health, and his regular health.

I'm tired of worrying about Hubby, his health, his state of mind, and why he isn't sleeping.

I'm tired of worrying about friends, their kids, and all of their well-being.

I'm tired of laundry (oh my God; AM I sick of laundry!), dusting, mopping, vacuuming, cleaning toilets, putting the toilet paper on the roll (this, apparently, is a job for only the highly skilled).

I'm tired of pushing the couch, the chair, the table and the trash can back into their proper places. I'm tired of wondering just WHY does Hubby move them in the first place??

In the same vein, I'm also tired of putting knick-knacks, books, papers, etc. back to where they belong. WHY does he feel the need to move them all the time anyway?! (Seriously, I need an answer to this one)

I'm tired of worrying about the health and well-being of family that is too far away for me to be of any assistance. I'm tired of thinking about the fact that I have family old enough (and far away enough) for me to be worrying about.

I'm tired of picking up glasses and plates left in random places, of trash that can never seem to make it into the trash can (which has been moved AGAIN, dammit!) in the first place.

I'm tired of alarm clocks and getting up at a ridiculously early time. I'm tired of putting on the happy face for work people - even though some of them REALLY deserve to see the mean face.

I'm tired of looking at my calendar and having nothing to really look forward to - except for dental visits, mammograms, yearly physicals and eye exams.

I'm ready to go back to looking forward to summer vacations, where there were no major expectations or worries. Of spending days upon days playing, reading, day-dreaming and just goofing off. Days where I didn't have to worry about anything larger than getting my chores (or homework, if school was in session) done. Days spent just hanging out with friends. Eating what I wanted, when I wanted, and not worrying about calories or cholesterol.

Days dreaming about the day I'd become the adult and I could do whatever I wanted.

When nobody could tell me what to do, or how to do it, because *I* would be an ADULT.....

Apparently, that day has come. And I don't like it. Not one little bit.

Dear God - it's only 7:45 pm?????? He's lucky I like him.....

2011-06-12T19:52:00.000-04:00

Why yes, that is early....even for me.

But let me tell you; last night was a bear! An absolute bear!

I went to bed early-ish. Around 9:30 pm or so - simply because I couldn't take any more of the heat, the humanity or pretty much of anything.

(I've been in a mood; can you tell? And here I'd thought I'd been hiding it pretty well....)

The problem with going to bed early-ish (oh, all right!! EARLY - in "normal people" time) is that you tend to wake earlier.

Normally, this isn't a problem as I usually get up early, early during the week (when do you think I spend most of my time reading your blogs?). But on the weekends, I try to stay up later in order to sleep in a bit. Not as much as I used to, admittedly, but a bit.

At any rate....I couldn't take anymore so I put myself to bed. Once snuggled in, I fell right to sleep. To sleep the sleep of the innocent.

When all of a sudden - out of nowhere, I tell you! - I was woken up (at 2:30 am) when Hubby came lumbering his way to bed. After waking himself from his "nap" on the couch.

Now this, you should be told, is normal. We do this dance often. He falls asleep on the couch for a "nap" and I head to bed (believe me, I've tried waking him up - it does no good). He wakes up and spends some time watching television and then he comes to bed, I sleep through it. No big deal.

But last night? Oh My God!

I guess because I had already slept the Mom-Requisite 3 hours or more, he woke me up. Fine, whatever. Shut up and go to sleep.

Except this time he fell asleep first. This is a definite NO-NO in this house. If he falls asleep first then I am DOOMED. Because he snores. He snores like he is putting on a performance.

If I'm already asleep this does not bother me - because, as it has been well-documented in the past, I can literally sleep through a hurricane without blinking an eye.

But if I'm not asleep first then every breath, sigh, twitch or muscle-tic of his feels like a tsunami is occurring on my side of the bed and I cannot, for love of mother or country, fall back asleep; which makes me a *tad* witchy (for lack of a better word....).

Then he begins to snore. I cannot begin to describe the sounds that were emanating from that man - but be sure, they were not human.

I tried the usual....kicking him and telling him to roll over. Nothing.

I tried the next level....punching him in the arm and telling him to roll over. Nothing.

I tried the extreme level.....threatening to smother (and stab) him (this usually works wonders on his subconscious). Nothing.

After two hours of this hell, I decided it was either him or me......

Guess who ended up sleeping on the couch (and who could *still* hear him? Behind a closed door and down a flight of stairs?) and waking up far earlier than she intended?

Guess who is also struggling to stay awake for it to get late enough for her to go to bed - while giving HIM the evil eye as he slumbers away on the couch? Guess who is also having murderous thoughts right about now?

He's lucky I like him.

Friendship is a two-way street

2011-06-11T08:46:00.000-04:00

We were tight. And when I say "tight" I mean "tight!"

We met at the office - lo, these many years ago. Turned out we lived in the same neighborhood; we had much in common. A friendship was born.

The kind where we talked on the phone every day - even though we saw each other at the office daily. The kind where we just dropped in (nearly every day) at each other's houses and who cared if one or the other was in their pajamas. The kind where even my mother was jealous of our friendship because she feared this woman was taking her place as mother/grandmother (what can I say - my mom had issues).

We were TIGHT.

When she decided to move to North Carolina to be with her son and his new family, I was heart-broken; but I understood - she wanted to be a "hands on" grandmother. When the opportunity arose for us to move to the East Coast, I lobbied hard for North Carolina. Hubby agreed that NC was as good a spot as any since it was the half-way point between his family in New York and Florida (not that anyone ever stops here.....) and the climate was (supposedly) temperate.

I informed him that I didn't mind up-rooting myself and moving half-way across the country for him but I was damned if I was going to start over in a place where I didn't know a soul.

So, of course, we ended up here. With my friend.

It was wonderful - we spent much time together. Pretty much every day. And the daily phone calls resumed. She was a fixture in Man-Child's life.

Then?

Then she met someone. I was happy for her. Ecstatic, even. He was a great guy - there was some baggage involved (isn't there always?), but still. He was good for her.

But we noticed she began drifting away. She wasn't as much a part of our lives anymore. Man-Child complained. I complained to Hubby. He agreed. She was beginning to live her life in his back pocket (not at his demand, I might add).

It was like she had turned into a high school girl all over again. Girl meets guy. Girl falls in love with guy. Girl dumps all her friends for guy.

We figured this stage would pass. Because surely, they were mature adults, and sooner or later they'd get sick of each other's constant company.

Eventually, he asks her to marry him. She said yes. We were ecstatic for her - he's such a great guy. We loved him.

In the meantime, nothing changes. She is still in his back pocket. Nothing can convince her that she should get out - spend time with friends. She's immersed in her new life.

With a heavy heart, I admit defeat. I move on with my life. Making new friends and carrying on; but still reserving a special place for her (and her new family) in my heart - because, in my mind, she is family.

Fast forward thirteen years later.....and this is what I see on FaceBook?

Why would I presume to think this might be directed at me? Maybe because the morning after this post, she called me just to "chat". I hadn't heard from her since I don't know when. I hadn't seen her, despite the fact that she only lives five minutes up the road.

Now, after all this time, I'm the bad guy? Seriously?!

In the past thirteen years, I have left my heart open and kept the friendship on the table. If she needed me, I was there - all she needed to do was let me know. She never did.

But now - it seems that because I haven't called the disinterested party as often or taken an active part in her life (because I wasn't asked to!) I'm the one that just drifted away.

Never-mind the fact that for the past thirteen years, she has forged a new life - which I did not begrudge her.

Will I let her back in? Of course. There is no question.

But am I going to be the one dropping everything and scrambling to make our friendship what it used to be? No.

I understand that she is at a point where she is looking around and realizing that something is lacking in her life and wants things to go back to the way they were (how do I know - because whatever she happens to be thinking gets posted to FaceBook; it's the only way I know anything anymore about her life). Unfortunately, they can't. We aren't the same people we used to be - our lives are vastly different now and our needs for a friendship have changed.

Am I hurt (and a little angry)? Yes. It disturbs me that she is not seeing where she was wrong in this; no, I'm not saying it's all her fault - but she's not taking any responsibility either.

Will I try to be the bigger person? Yes, but it won't be easy. And I'm still not going to be doing all the heavy lifting here - but maybe I can meet her halfway.

Yesterday I attempted to make you laugh.....

2011-06-08T19:35:00.000-04:00

But today, I have a much more serious subject in mind.

As I was furtively scrolling through tweets on my phone at work (What?! You HAVE to be furtive at the Good Ole Boy Network - they frown upon EVERYTHING!) I came across this one from The Online Stylist (have you met her? If you haven't click over, she is one of the sweetest and most stylish women on the world-wide web! I promise)......

It was quiet - I had nothing to do at the moment since I was waiting on someone else so I could finish my assigned task (don't get me started. Why, yes, I have been known to procrastinate occasionally but NEVER at someone else's expense or time....) so I clicked the link.

Which took me to Alice's blog.

Alice is a 15 year old girl with terminal cancer. Her blog is about her bucket list and is meant to showcase all that she accomplishes on said list. It's heart-wrenching (even more so when you get home and read about it on the computer screen and not a phone screen the size of large thimble).

Needless to say, I was sitting in the office with tears streaming down my face for everyone to see.

While, so far, her bucket list hasn't mentioned much that I am in a position to help with there is ONE (or two) thing(s) that Alice is asking for that I think I might be able to do - and you could too - she is asking that people donate bone marrow - no matter where you live. She is also asking that people spread the word about donating.

I don't know much about the process but you can read more about it here and decide whether it is something you can do to help Alice or people in Alice's position. If nothing else, please pass the word via Facebook, Twitter (#AliceBucketList) or whatever form of social media that you prefer. Don't forget to tell your "real life" friends too.

And while you're at it - maybe send up a prayer or two.

Just when I was thinking about changing the blog name to Gigi's Grumblings....

2011-06-07T18:02:00.000-04:00

Today I was cleaning up my work computer - what can I say, it was a slow day.

Apparently, I have a LOT of personal stuff on there. And since I work for Big Brother (aka Good Old Boy Network) it's not a good idea to keep personal stuff at work since they have been known to....you know....snoop.....

While doing my housekeeping I came across this oldie (but goodie) and figured I'd share....especially since my last few posts have centered around all kinds of doom and gloom and how you should NEVER let your children learn to drive and all this must surely point to the impending apocalypse (now scheduled for a new date - mark your calendars!)....

Sorry to all the guys out there but.....just so ya know it's ALL in the way you ask.

I should probably write a post so you won't think I've fallen off the face of the earth....sigh

2011-05-31T19:50:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not sighing because I don't want to be in contact with you all; I'm sighing because I really don't have much to say that isn't moaning about something. And, it seems to me, that's all I've been doing lately.

So......

I suppose I could just post random pictures from the past week or so.....

It was a red-shoe-kind-of-day and I felt the need to share with Twitter.....

My lily was blooming and I just felt the need to take a picture.....

I was seriously contemplating these shoes; but couldn't decide which one...asked Twitter for help. No response. I've decided on the pewter ones and will promptly buy them next time I'm at the store - if they aren't gone....

Or, I suppose, I could tell you about Man-Child's dead battery AND the fact that it isn't positioned at the top, as most are, but rather placed in an obscure place that requires a certified mechanic to replace it (which is about three hours of his time plus the cost of the battery.....) .....AND the fact that the dead battery presented itself this morning in our mad rush to all get out of the house at once.....but no, that would be moaning and I'm not doing that in this post. But, I guess the positive spin would be that we were still here when the discovery was made, thus not leaving Man-Child completely stranded.

Or, I could tell you about the fact that IT has been working on my computer at work since last Wednesday. And that, at one point, we had five people squeezed into my tiny cubicle (and two on the outside looking in) trying to figure it out. And, that by close of business today, not ONE thing has been resolved AND, in addition, to everything else wrong with it I now cannot access my EMAIL - you know, the way I actually DO my work.....but, again with the moaning. But, I guess, the positive spin would be that I've done a minimal amount of work in the past three days (since there was a four day weekend thrown in the mix)....so, I guess there is that.

*searching for positive things.....searching, searching.....AHA!*

In the meantime, I have read some books. Okay, by "some" I mean, quite a few (what can I say, chores and family have been neglected A LOT lately.....).

I could tell you about them, but that would mean post after post after post about books. Some of you might love that - others, not so much. So I'll tell you this....if you are into suspense at all go read Harlan Coben's book, Tell No One right now! This book is so awesome that I sat down with it early Sunday morning and pretty much read all 370 pages in one sitting. Seriously. I finished this book before I had to get dressed to leave for a barbecue with friends by 4:30 pm.

Eventually (maybe), I'll get around to doing a review on it - but for now? Trust me. It's an amazing story. Of course, this author is one of my favorites, so I might be biased.....

Then and Now....

2011-05-25T20:34:00.000-04:00

Other than last Friday's incident....it's been pretty quiet around here.

I understand this is par for the course when it comes to teens - unless there is something that you can provide to them. OR you have done them some HUGE injustice like asking them to clean their bathroom or how their day was - then the "drama" is ON.

They hide from you (the parent) unless they want something. Like gas money. Food. Whatever.

I guess it's their way of preparing you for the "empty nest."

But still. The sudden-ness of it is eerie. Because I can clearly remember when we moved into our "first" house here we were so excited because The Boy (as Man-Child was once known) had a whole room for just his toys; for "playing" in. WE, the parents, could actually have a (semi) clean place to live and entertain. A real, honest to goodness "Play Room!" The idea was heavenly!

We were giddy with the excitement of it all. No more toys strewn throughout the house for us to trip over and curse. A place where The Boy could go and play while we had an area in which to be relaxed and grown-up.

It was an exciting time.

He hated it.

The whole idea of a Play Room repulsed him.

Toys were constantly retrieved FROM the Play Room and brought downstairs to be played with - never to be brought back upstairs again - until threats of throwing them away were brought out. And the tripping and cursing, once again, commenced.

Apparently, he felt the need to keep us in constant eyesight. As if he were afraid that we might just disappear if we weren't RIGHT THERE.

Now?

There are constant "reminders" that he still lives here. Empty glasses with the icky remnants of whatever he was drinking left in random (and I do mean RANDOM) spots around the house. Clothes discarded willy-nilly. Bits of stuff that can only be classified as "trash" that is apparently too difficult to actually put in the trash can.

Now? Most of the time he can be found hiding out in his room - far, far away from us. It's like he thinks we are contagious or something....

And lately (especially since realizing that I haven't actually laid eyes on him in the past three hours or so-whereas before he'd have been at my knee begging for attention) I've been getting the distinct feeling that if he had his druthers we WOULD just disappear.

Until he needed something.

Like gas money or food.

I'm planning on encasing him in bubblewrap and locking him in the attic for the next twenty years

2011-05-23T19:06:00.000-04:00

This is a post I've tried to post all weekend - but since I was hormonal, emotional and Blogger wouldn't cooperate maybe it's best I waited......

Okay - to catch us all up to speed......

I've been a tad stressed lately. (for maybe the past year or so....who's counting?)

Friday? Friday was the worst of the worst.

Seriously.

Friday, as I was talking to a co-worker/friend about the memorial service of our other co-worker's wife (it was hard! He was broken. Completely and totally broken - AND when he came in to work this morning it was even worse) that had taken place the night before when I received a call from a strange number.

It was Man-Child telling me he'd been in a wreck. Not an "accident" but a WRECK. He sounded more terrified than I'd ever heard him.

My friend, having no idea what was going on but having ascertained it wasn't good, just shooed me out saying, "Go. Just go!"

I kept him on the phone as I ran for the elevator.

I asked what happened. He'd run off the road. He said he hit a tree. I asked if he was alone; he wasn't. He handed to phone over to the woman who was with him. The one he'd gone to for help.

She gave me directions and promised to stay with him until I got there. She told me to drive safely.

Obviously, she's a mother. She understood.

Needless to say, I drove like a bat out of hell - as safely as I could.

When I pulled up on the scene of the accident, I was almost in tears.

The car was in a ditch, practically in the woods.

But my son, my heart, was walking toward me without a scratch on him.

When I got out of the car he fell into my arms and I just held him.

I haven't seen him this upset and shaken EVER.

Me? Well, I haven't been right since.

Apparently, he was going a tad too fast around a curve, took his eyes off the road for a second.....that's all it takes.

He side-swiped a traffic sign and a couple of trees and landed in the ditch on a lonely, un-traveled back road. Where God only knows how long it would have taken for him to be found had the accident been worse.

Thank God he didn't hit a tree head-on. Thank God he walked away from it.

You know, I was told when I was pregnant that I would soon feel a love that I'd never felt before. I was told that this child of mine would become the focus of my life. But no one ever told me how it would feel to have my heart walking around outside of my body.

I know that he has been scared by all this; I know it. With the benefit of youth and that "I am invincible" attitude that only teens can have he is getting over it. But I have been traumatized. This incident has scarred my very soul. The "what if's" are pinging around in my head.

The other two accidents were just that; we can laugh about them now. But this? This could have been life-changing.

I have informed him, in no uncertain terms, that he is not to have anymore accidents/wrecks because my heart certainly can't take it. Especially since it's walking around outside my body, unprotected. Hopefully, he's learned something.

And to that woman? That stranger that stayed with my child and made sure he was okay for the 15-20 minutes it took me to get there - I can't thank you enough. You are a hero to me.

They say bad things come in threes - so we should be good for a while.

2011-05-17T19:17:00.000-04:00

The past few days have been rough.

Really rough.

In the past few days, I've had to deal with death, divorce and car accidents.

It's too much for me to process at once.

So, of course, I will spill it here.

Friday we got the awful news that a co-worker had lost his wife unexpectedly.

His WIFE! The one he has been with FOREVER. The one he'd been with since college. The one that put him through law school. The one that (you could tell) he loved beyond all measure.

This one struck me the most as I have never known anyone to lose someone so close. Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Parents....yeah, I've been there. But a SPOUSE?

This was a first (and please God - hopefully the last). We've all been in shock - which, apparently, we all deal with in our own way. Some of us gave the appearance of having no heart and others....well, let's just say they show themselves in their true light which some would call selfish and bitchy. The memorial service is Thursday and to tell the truth I am dreading it. I'm just at a total loss. And I figure if I'm at a loss, how must he be feeling?!?!?! And I just don't have the words in me to express my sorrow for him. I have truly been losing sleep over this news; because it's just so horrific and brings to mind of what the future could bring to this little family someday.

The divorce - well, I've mentioned it a time or two before. But it looks like (finally) she has accepted the inevitable; that there is no other out and that she will have to be the one to end all; once and for all. What galls me to no end is the way he is behaving. Seriously people. Be ticked off at your (ex)spouse; that is fine and even expected. But do NOT hide your head in the sand and ignore the needs of YOUR children in order to "show" your ex. That is not cool. AND? It will seriously hinder any friendship you might think you have with the friends. Because, yeah, when you act like THAT; people will take sides and it won't be yours; especially me. Me? Yeah, you might want to worry about what I will have to say to you should I see your sorry-ass again.

The car accident? Glad you asked. That is the least of my worries, for the moment. As you all know, Man-Child had his first accident not too long ago. Yesterday marked his second. The first accident - totally unavoidable. This one - not so much.

About a month ago our garage door broke...again (damn new house! Is it too much to expect everything to work properly in a [fairly] NEW house?). At this point in time, the garage door is the least of our worries so it hasn't been on our To-Do list.

So we've all been parking in the driveway and doing the car-shuffle to get out. So far it's been fine.

Yesterday, MC was heading out for a late weight-training. My car was parked behind his - which is unusual on Mondays as usually his training is on Tuesdays and early enough that I get home first. I'm sitting on the back porch perusing some blogs when I hear a loud *CRUNCH!!*

And I knew. I immediately knew.

I ran inside and toward the door and Hubby was headed out the door; thinking the worst. I knew he was thinking about the incredibly busy street at the end of our drive - but I was ahead of the game since I already had an idea of what had happened.

And sure enough....

Man-Child had hopped in the car and began to back out without a care in the world - because in his mind, I *should* have been parked in front of him - and slammed into my car.

Luckily, we were parked back-end to back-end. No serious damage; in fact you can't even tell that either car was hit.

When I came outside (in the spirit of trying to keep things light) I informed him that I wouldn't sue. Bless his heart, he was SO upset.

In my mind? I hope these "minor" accidents serve to remind him of just how mindful he needs to be while behind the wheel because it only takes a second for something to go wrong.

Now here is where I should end this post with something relevant, wise and deep. But all I can come up with is this:

1) Love the people in your life fiercely and tell them often.
2) Don't be afraid to take the hard stance to do what you have to do for your (and your children's) best interests.
3) Never - and I mean NEVER - let your children learn to drive - it will give you gray hair faster than you can imagine and will cause you to drink copious amounts of wine.

Why yes, I may be just a tad addicted.....

2011-05-13T20:43:00.000-04:00

Considering I really didn't have anything to post (and still don't - what can I say, I lead a pretty boring life) I was utterly crushed when I woke up yesterday morning to discover that Blogger wasn't working. Despite my desperate tweets -

And just went about my business until evening. As you can see from that last tweet, I came home to find Blogger still broken.....then things began to spiral out of control. As witnessed by the next set of tweets....

By then, I began to lose it - just a little.

Then when I woke up and discovered that it was STILL down.

I began to grieve. And plan Blogger's funeral. And tried to decide what dish I should have Hubby make for the wake.

And? Despite myself, I began to think that maybe....just maybe.....I should create a FaceBook page just for my blogging friends. (I know, I lost my mind for a bit there - but the thought is still there in the back of my head.....you know, as a "just in case" scenario).

Then, lo and behold, I saw THIS tweet this afternoon....

And all was right with my world again.

Conversations Like This Are The Only Reason I Go To Work Every Day.

2011-05-04T18:51:00.000-04:00

Here's a tip from me to you ..... (not "you" who are reading this snippet; but the "you" who called me today at 4:45 pm - when I was happily dreaming about Happy Hour).

If you have a complaint about our product, it would be best to deal with the Customer Service department. The folks in our Customer Service department are well trained and are willing to make you, the customer, a happy customer.

Don't get yourself into a righteous snit and think that you are entitled to the keys to the company. They can't give you those.

Don't demand to speak to the Legal department. Because if you do, then the conversation might go something like this..... (and end up being blogged about)

Me: "Hello, Legal department" (said in my most chirp-y, nice voice that I reserve for answering the phone).

Him: "I'm angry and fed up and want to sue your company."

Me: "Okay."

Him: "I mean it! I've had enough!"

Me: "Okay."

Him: "I'm serious! This is ridiculous the way your company treats people!" (which is not true, by the way - we strive to make sure that our customers are happy customers)

Me: ??????? total silence.

Him: "So, I want to prosecute."

Me: "Sir? You do realize this is the Legal department of the Good Ol' Boy Network? That means we work for the Good Ol' Boys; we can't help you to sue us."

Needless to say the conversation pretty much went nowhere after that and ended with him telling me that he didn't like my attitude.

Talk To Your Kids...Today.

2011-05-03T20:51:00.000-04:00

After the highlight of my day yesterday, I was brought to the deepest depths of sorrow as I received horrible news from a friend of mine. I cried and cried and cried. My little family had never seen me in such a state. I have to admit though, they came through and comforted me to the best of their ability.

I'm sure the copious tears were a culmination of events in addition to the horrible news.

You know how you feel after waking up from a crying jag? No? Is that only me? Well, today I awoke to that awful feeling of hollowness and a stuffy head from all the crying.

Then I read the paper (I have GOT to quit doing that!) and discovered that a local boy who has been missing, thought to have just "taken off" out of a fit of anger, was found dead - in an apparent suicide (it hasn't been confirmed yet though). It seemed that I wouldn't be shaking off that hollow feeling any time soon.

I guess the reason this struck me so much was that he is local, he's about the age of my son and the fact that one of my co-workers knew the boy and his family well.

Needless to say, today that hollow feeling has been with me all day and I've been on the verge of tears - all day.

I remember well what it was like in high school. I remember how even the most insignificant faux-pas could be devastatingly mortifying. I remember the magnification of EVERY. SINGLE. THING. I remember the cruelty - the "us" and "them" attitudes. The "ins" and the "outs". The teasing; the taunting.

And to think, I remember all this and I wasn't even picked on in school! I was just kind of ignored. I had my little circle of friends and it was okay.

Then you add in the cell phones with cameras, social media, YouTube - all the various ways that your mortification can be immortalized and shared on the world-wide web.

As much as it sucked to be a teenager way back when - it must be a hundred times harder today.

From all reports, this kid was well-liked. Didn't have problems in school; had plenty of friends. And yet....something apparently made him think this was the only answer.

My heart bleeds for him. For his family. For his friends.

Also, needless to say, we will be taking the time to talk to our son. To remind him (again and again and AGAIN) that no matter the problem, no matter the anxiety, no matter WHAT - that suicide is NEVER a remedy. There is always a solution to whatever you may be facing. It may not be easy, but there IS a solution. We will take the time to remind him that even if he feels he can't come to us - there are plenty of people he can he can talk to that love him and support him.

So, tonight, I ask that you keep this family in your hearts and TALK to your children. Remind them of just how precious life is and how that there is always a better way to resolve your problems.

As for my friend? Well, we are waiting and hoping for the best of outcomes - and, if you can find room in there, please keep her and her family in your hearts as well.

Much love.

Reason Number 5,891 I love living in the South....or It's a Two'fer (two posts in one night)

2011-05-02T21:06:00.000-04:00

I was born and raised in the "South."

Say what you will, but the majority of Texans will tell you they are from the "South" - not the "Southwest" as others might say (usually "Yankees." Hey, don't hate me! I love me some Yankees, I even married one!).

The exchange I just now (this very minute!) overheard by some neighbors reminded me of why I so love the South.....

Neighbor-Man said to his visitor, "Y'all come back now!" To which the visitor replied, while revving his truck engine as much as possible,

"Oh, I'll be back. I'll be back on Thursday!" Then, revving that truck engine some more, sped away.

I can't wait to see what Thursday brings!

And, if I were Pearl - the ever-vigilant note- keeper of people watching and able to craft a story around this - I soooooo would! Take it and run, Pearl! This is people-watching (or overhearing) at it's finest!

And?? As an update? Just watched said visitor drive away from Neighbor-Man's house only to watch him arrive at his own house - three houses away.

It appears that frivolity is back!