The Grimace Diaries

Embarking on a Journey...

2010-04-13T12:52:00.007-04:00

Last night was the first of 12 weekly webinars that I will be attending as part of Freeman Michaels Weight Release Program. I was afforded this opportunity through "Feels Like Home" blog author Tara. Having been through several different weight loss programs in my adult life I'm hoping that Freeman's will help me come to the root of my dysfunctional relationship with food and hopefully lead me down a road of weight loss and self acceptance.

In the week that follows each webinar I will post about what we discussed and my attempts at putting things into practice. It should be an interesting 12 weeks.

Motivation where are you when I need you?

2010-01-05T11:16:00.005-05:00

My company has been in dire financial shape for most of the years I've worked for it. I am the only remaining fixture order processor and some months the work I process is all we ship out. Right now it seems were closer to going out of business then we've ever been and I can't stand it when my phone rings and it's a customer.

Can you say DAMN!!!

2009-09-22T09:29:00.007-04:00

In my fantasy world this is what my boyfriend's body looks like...

In the real world it's more like this...

Too Much Trampoline...

2009-08-18T15:51:00.003-04:00

Baby Ween went a little wild on the trampoline
over the weekend and ended up with a broken arm.
A crack in her Humerus bone right below her shoulder.
The fracture is so high on her arm no cast was

required. She just has to wear a sling for a couple
of weeks and go back in a few days for another x-ray.
Baby Ween seems to be taking it in stride.

That's Right...I Went...

2009-07-28T13:58:00.003-04:00

Sunday Night Pay-Per-View Extravaganza

NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS!!!!!!

Mr. Mark, Kyle and I went to witness it all. I must say it was a lot of fun. I took lots of pictures, bought a program and had my Crab Fries from Chickie & Pete's.

I would go again....

Turning Two Was A Success...

2009-06-30T12:04:00.003-04:00

Baby Ween turned two on June 20th and I can't believe it. While she grows more inquisitive and hysterical everyday I sometimes miss her babyness. The other night before bed she allowed me to hold her in my arms like a baby and I sang "Rock-a-Bye-Baby" to her several times. But before I got too content she sat back up and I had to recount every detail of her birthday party and sing Happy Birthday to her several times. I was then called into service to sing several more made up songs before she would relent and allow me to put her into her crib. This was also the night our air conditioner broke so anyone sitting on their deck likely heard my homemade version of "She'll be Coming Around the Mountain." In my song Elizabeth was the one who was coming around the mountain, in a pickup with Daddy, with a big brown bear, with a silly penguin and carrying a purple baby. It just went on and on. She makes it harder and harder to leave her room at night, learning easily, it seems, how to stall for more time. I rub the sheets, I kiss her face all over, I sometimes allow her to squish my more then ample tummy. She turns her music on, jumps around a little bit and then reaches out to me as I walk to the door. All in a bid to not have to lay down, to not have to close the book on another day. As I've done every night since her arrival home from the hospital I creep in before I go to sleep. I listen for her breath and I say a small pray for her safetly and her happiness. I also say thank you for all those who love her and for having her in our lives. As the road to three unfurls I'm excited by what will come next not just for Baby Ween, but for all of us.

New Interests for Baby Ween...

2009-06-09T15:58:00.006-04:00

Sunday our almost two year old Baby Ween was in the kitchen with me. I opened the fridge for something and she bent down and retrieved one of Daddy's "bottles". She stood up, held up the bottle and said "Beer". Plain as day. She had never uttered it before so I was floored. She turned and found Daddy in the living room and delivered his beverage, without him even asking. What service!!

When I returned to the living room she was daintily walking around the room with her little plastic mug saying "hot tea, hot tea". Then something caught her eye. Daddy was scanning the channels and she seemed interested in something she had seen. Daddy went back a few channels and there it was...Ultimate Fighting. Two guys were going to town beating on each other and Baby Ween started going crazy. She was jumping around, hollering, kicking her feet and swinging her arms. Daddy and I sat there cracking up at her display. This went on for a minute or so until one of the fighters knocked the other out and the match was over. She got quiet and as mysteriously as it began it was over. She raised her cup to her lips took a sip and said "hot tea, hot tea."

Getting My Splash On...

2009-04-28T10:05:00.001-04:00

I Love this...

2009-04-13T11:16:00.003-04:00

...because it's true. Yet I can't stop over-reacting
or worrying.

This Truly Annoys Me...

2009-03-24T09:21:00.007-04:00

I go online to check my credit card account and this glaring red "security message" is there. Saying my account is currently at risk for fraudulent activity so they are sending me a new card. Again...really?

This is the second time in as many years that a "major retailer" that I shop at has allowed their customers information to get stolen. So now I have to get a new credit card and go through the hassle of updating my information with all the companies I do automated payments with. When I asked which retailer was causing the trouble I was told they don't know. Last time it was the parent company of Marshall's and Home Goods that did it to me (not that I ever remember shopping there during the affected time period). So I wonder who it is this time. I was just beginning to remember the second new credit card number I was given and now I'm going to have to memorize a third one.

I guess I should be happy that my credit card company is watching out for me but this is the same company that shut my card off on two different occasions while I was traveling out of state, and shut me down at Christmas time when I tried to buy a $500 laptop online. I'm not naive enough to think they are protecting me - they are covering their own ass, so they don't have to pay fraudulent charges that turn out not to be mine. Though I imagine if my card is ever truly stolen they will let those charges go through and not bat an eye. That would just be my luck.

A Field Trip...

2009-03-17T15:45:00.002-04:00

As Baby Ween gets older I've learned that she needs new things to help her learn about her world. So last Friday Baby Ween and I took a road trip to meet my wonderful friend A and her girls at the Hands on House. Since I'm anxious about almost everything now, this outing was no exception. I was worried about BW dealing with other kids, strangers kids and what happened if someone knocked her down, ran her over etc.

Well I shouldn't have worried. Baby Ween was good in the car and A and I were able to have a nice lunch with the girls before we went exploring. The museum is cool with lots of different themed areas. Baby Ween seemed to really like the produce section of the grocery store, the magnetic building blocks and the larger then life light bright. As for "strangers kids" there were no issues. In fact when Baby Ween found herself at the top of some stairs holding her arms out for me to come and get her a little girl, who was coming down, promptly took her hand and helped her get to me. It was very sweet.

We finally called it a day around 2:00pm and Baby Ween was asleep in the car in approximately ten minutes. I'd like to say she slept the whole way home but she woke up when I stopped at Sonic for my happy hour lemonade slush and then she was awake the rest of the way. It was a very good day and I'm hoping we can find another fun place to meet soon.

Sometimes Golf is Interesting...

2009-03-16T15:23:00.004-04:00

Because he didn't want to play the rest of his round
all dirty.

"Now I'm just going to ignore you standing here in your underwear and I'm going to tell you about the hole."

A Proud Mom Moment....

2009-01-26T13:58:00.004-05:00

We all know that baby Ween doesn't say much. She's supposed to say more then she does (according to her doctor) but she's taking her sweet time getting there. Last night we were having pizza for dinner and she had eaten her piece. I asked her if she wanted more. She looked at me said "more" and signed it plain as day. I of course was ecstatic and let her know. This made her very pleased so she said it and signed it again. The funny thing is I haven't done any signing with her in months, mainly because I was really bad about remembering to do it myself. I was so happy I could have cried. It was a good end to a rather trying day.

In Case You Didn't Know...Christmas is Coming.

2008-12-22T14:12:00.004-05:00

Since Baby Ween has come on the scene many of the events of our lives happen whether I'm ready for them or not. This year Christmas is one of those events. We got the tree up early in December but never really got around to decorating it. I had almost decided it was a waste of time to hang ornaments this close to Christmas but I gave in last Monday night (12/15) and hung about 15 ornaments. I didn't get the cards in the mail until last Friday (12/19), but most should arrive before Santa does. I was out of wrapping paper when I went to wrap the gifts, so I had to go to Target on Saturday (12/20) to get what I needed. Right now the stocking are still empty but I'm hoping to find things to stuff them with tomorrow (12/23).

I don't think I've ever been this behind the holiday eight-ball before. But none of the hub-bub matters to Baby Ween. She's been enjoying the tree and gets upset when it isn't plugged in. She LOVES the electric train my mom has around her tree and plays engineer every time she's there. She has decided she likes cookies, real ones, not those animal crackers we've been calling "cookies" all this time. Chocolate chip, sugar cookies with sprinkles you name it she loves them. She also loves the two stuffed snowmen that used to sit on either side of our fireplace. Right now one of them is stuffed in the kitchen cabinet where she keeps her favorite toys and the other is in her bed so she can sleep with him along with Penguin, Chilly (the other penguin), teddy and bunny.

I imagine I will complete all my chores before Christmas morning rolls around and the show will go on. It just won't be exactly the way I envisioned it.

Merry Christmas to All.

The Soon-to-be First Family...

2008-11-05T10:08:00.004-05:00

I work for a racist. This is not a shock to me, not by a long shot. But I'm finding it harder to stomach all the time. He makes rude remarks because he thinks he's being funny. Kind of like Chase Utley thinking he was funny when he dropped the f-bomb during his World Series speech.

I don't have a problem if you have different politcal views then me. What I have a problem with is ignorance and disrespect. Even John McCain can appreciate the calibur of man that Barrack Obama is and the way he engaged people and got them to vote. It's just a shame he didn't run his campaign that way. He tried, like everyday Americans, to make people afraid of Obama. A coworker asked what I "knew" about Obama, how I could vote for him when "we didn't know anything about him". I asked what he "knew" about McCain. Well he's a war hero and a long time Senator. So that makes him a safe choice? I didn't think we were a country formed on being safe. Wouldn't the safe thing have been to stay under British rule instead of breaking out on our own?

I'm not about fear - I don't abide by people using their religion or any other means to scare the populus into doing something. It worked for George Bush after 9-11. If you don't give up some personal freedoms the terrorists are going to come back. People said okay - it's called the Patriot Act. Elizabeth Dole tried it in this election to hold onto her Senate seat. She claimed her opponent was in the pockets of the "Godless Americans" group. Elizabeth Dole lost her seat because enough people saw through what she was trying to do. Unfortunately, a fair share most certainly believed her.

I don't know what's ahead for the next four years but perhaps we've opened some minds. Perhaps we've finally put to bed the notion that white men are the only people who can run this country.

Age 29, A Fine Time to Retire...

2008-10-22T16:16:00.003-04:00

My cowboy boyfriend Justin McBride has announced that he will be retiring from bull riding after the World Finals this year. I guess when you make $5,018,529.24 for 10 years of work you can do that. He's the reason I liked to watch bull riding. Not only was he easy on the eyes, but he had mad skills when it came to riding. It just won't be the same without him.

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-22T15:55:00.004-04:00

We took Baby Ween to the pumpkin patch this weekend.
We told her to "Eye, Eye" the pumpkin (which is our baby
speak for "hug the pumpkin") and she did it in such a totally
cute way that a foreign exchange college student from Lehigh
took her picture too.

A Scrappin We Will Go...

2008-10-16T13:19:00.002-04:00

Last weekend was "Croptoberfest" for my local Creative Memories consultant so I went to her two day event at a local church. There I was able to scrap from 6:30 to Midnight on Friday and 8:30 to 4:30 on Saturday. I've gone to this event a time or two before but this time was most productive. I finished or almost finished 19 pages. Some for Elizabeth's first year book and some for our Family Calendar Book for 2007. I still have plenty to do and new projects are flying into my head all the time. I feel I'm doing a much better job being organized this year so I'm hoping to continue my productivity into the winter and maybe get started on our Family Calendar book for 2008. It is October 2008 after all, I'd better get busy.

Cowboy Boots & Hats Invade Atlantic City....

2008-10-07T13:06:00.003-04:00

I gave Matt tickets to see Brooks & Dunn in Atlantic City for his birthday back in May. The concert was last Friday and the only disappointing part was that they only played for an hour and a half. They could sing for days on the material they have. I would have been happier with two hours but as Matt pointed out, they are getting old. Ronnie Dunn seemed to be nursing his voice along a little bit at times and he botched the words to "It's Getting Better All the Time" during their little acoustic set. But I'm willing to overlook that.

They sang old favorites like "Brand New Man", "My Maria", "Lost & Found", "Boot Scootin Boogie", "Mama Don't Get Dressed Up For Nothing", "Rock My World Little Country Girl" & "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone".

They played "Cowboy Town" and "Put A Girl In It" from their new album. Much of the show was very similar to previous concerts of their's that we've seen but I enjoy them every time.

James Otto opened for them and I had no idea who he was. I've heard his music on the radio but I have never seen him. What was most amusing about him was he came out wearing these girl sunglasses as Matt would say and during the first or second song he did something that knocked them off his face. Then he had to play the rest of the show without them. I think he looked better with them on. He also kept telling everyone to stand up, which got annoying after a while. I paid $75 for my seat and my ass is going to be in it. I'm not 22 anymore.

All in all a great show and a great night. I think I will put a private show by Brooks & Dunn on the list of things I want when I become filthy rich.

I'm the Sad Blob...

2008-10-01T12:57:00.002-04:00

I started this week with such high hopes. I'd had a lovely visit with friends from college on Sunday. After talking with them I was happy. I was going to try and relax about all the things I worry about and just get on with enjoying my family and my life.

Then I came to work Monday morning and our one and only designer, whom I work wonderfully well with together, told me he was quitting. In the time it took to absorb this news a horrific thought came to mind...they are going to bring back the awful designer who'd been my nemisis. The sales/design relationship has been great the last two years I couldn't bear the thought of going back to the way it was. I guess my stomach couldn't bear it either because around 4:00pm I started with terrible stomach pains. It just went on and on. I could barely drive home and seriously thought I was going to die. Well after 4 hours in the ER and IV dose acid killers I was back at home trying to think happy thoughts.

I had another attack last night, right before crawling into bed. Mercifully it only lasted a half hour. Today the owners told everyone else about the designer leaving. I'm still trying to think happy thoughts and I'm praying I have no more attacks.

So quickly my happiness was replaced by more doubt, worry and now horrible physical side effects. I know that this too shall pass. I just don't know how long I'm going to last.

At Least 10 Days to Blow and No Where to Go...

2008-09-23T14:34:00.002-04:00

I fear that Matt and I will never go on vacation again. Neither of us can be out of the office for one or two days without work piling up to an unmanagable amount. The aggravation we feel when we come back to work has obliterated any happiness garnered from a few days of time off. It's easier to stay in hell, then leave and have to come back.

And So She Grows....

2008-09-18T14:21:00.006-04:00

I finally got around to gathering her heights & weights and filling this out. Her 15 month appointment is coming up in a few days. I'm anxious to see how much taller she is. She won't let me do that type of measuring at home.

She is a Fashion Plate...

2008-09-08T14:28:00.003-04:00

I had a little time to kill this weekend so I went through Baby Ween's summer wardrobe to see just how out of hand my baby clothes shopping sickness had become. I discovered the following:

(1) - "Dance Puppets Dance" Onsie

(2) - Pair Shorts

(3) - Bathing Suits

(3) - "Dressy" Dresses

(4) - All in One Romper Outfits

(5) - Sleeveless Top & Capri Pant Sets

(5) - Skorts

(6) - Pair of Footed PJ's

(7) - Dresses (with the matching little panties)

(8) - Random T-Shirts

(8) - Random Onsies

(8) - Tank Top Style Sunsuits

(13) - Miscellenous Outfits

(Plus 10 Plain White Onsie's for Layering)

In my defense some of the above items were gifts for her first birthday so I didn't buy all of them. Plus she has very generous Grammy's. I'm going to try to do better with her Fall wardrobe. Though I might already be off to a rocky start. Everything is just so cute....

Wife in the North - A Review

2008-09-03T12:36:00.002-04:00

"Wife in the North" by Judith O'Reilly was given to me by librarything.com as an advance copy for review. It took longer to read then I thought it would because I had a hard time getting started. As a fan of books written by British authors I rarely have a problem with the smattering of regional terminology they throw in but this book had me stumbling. Perhaps I was stumbling over the pace of the writing more then anything.

O'Reilly's memoir tells the tale of relocating her family to the northern reaches of the British countryside from the city of London. They left because of her husbands deep desire to live there, but much of his time was spent working in London. Leaving O'Reilly for weeks at a time to assimilate herself and their three small children into the farming, ranching, fox hunting community they were now a part of. To say she struggled is an understatement. Though after running out of gas for the third time I think I would have taken that chore upon myself. I enjoyed her candid stories of child rearing and it's often exhaustive effects. It made me feel better about the ever changing landscape of childrearing that I am a part of now.

I believe everyone could relate to something this author went through. Parenting small children, caring for aging and ill parents, a drastic change of lifestyle, a major house rennovation, making new friends while trying to fit old ones into a wholly different life and almost losing oneself in the bargain. It was time well spent and I will happily pass the book along to anyone who wants to read it.

So Sporty...

2008-08-27T13:35:00.001-04:00

Here's my Baby Ween wearing her cute little Converse.

"Above the Ridgers" at their best...

2008-08-19T14:17:00.002-04:00

This was the look that must have been on my face when I crossed the parking lot at the grocery store today. I was on my lunch hour and I come out of the store and hear...

"Come back here you little asshole."

I didn't want to look, but I did. There was a mom trailing behind her two small kids as they walked back to their car. I just couldn't believe she said that to the little boy. I couldn't believe she said it to him in public. I don't even want to think about what she says when no one is around to hear her.

Stylin Baby Ween

2008-08-18T15:03:00.003-04:00

Okay, as you all know by now I am a shopper. Now that Baby Ween has come along it's gotten worse. I could probably count on one hand the new items I have purchased for myself in the last 14 months but Baby Ween has a wardrobe that would rival a fashion model. Over the weekend I was looking for brown shoes for her for the fall. But when I walked down the aisle to see if I missed anything I saw these. So back to the bench we went and Baby Ween tried them on. She fussed through most of it but we came away with two pairs of shoes. I can't wait to get a picture of her wearing them.

Re-Connecting...

2008-08-18T13:07:00.003-04:00

When Baby Ween was in the NICU at CHOP there was a baby across the room from her that I will call "B". Like Baby Ween he had surgery right after he was born but he had additional issues that Baby Ween didn't have. "B's" mom and her sister sat by his bedside all the days that Matt and I sat with Baby Ween but we never talked. They knew where we were from because they heard us talking to the hospital staff. One day "B's" grandpop talked to Matt for a few minutes and it turned out that they were from Matt's hometown. On the day we left CHOP we said goodbye to eachother and that was that. Through several coincidences it turned out "B's" mom worked with someone we knew at a local hotel. We had a party at that hotel on Saturday night for the sister-in-law's 40th birthday and "B's" mom was there.

Almost fourteen months after our babies were born we finally got to talk. It turns out "B" left CHOP the same day we did. He's been back several times for some continuing care but he is doing well, crawling and growing bigger everyday. Baby Ween strolled around the party while "B's" mom and I talked. We agreed they've both come so far from those first days and that the time has gone by so fast. I was happy that I got to talk to her and that her son is doing well. She was happy to see BW doing so well too. I hope our paths cross again and that things continue to go well for her and her little boy. It was nice seeing her again, under much better circumstances this time around.

In The Bitter Barn...

2008-08-06T09:31:00.003-04:00

When someone is upset at work (usually the women) the owner of the place asks if we're in the bitter barn - well yeah I am. Does anyone want to know why? Oh, probably not but I'm going to tell you anyway. I'm mad because....

We don't have money to pay our vendors so they've stopped delivering the materials we need to make product for our customers. And we don't know when or where the money we need is going to come from.

Many of our customers think they are the only ones we have and that we are just sitting around waiting for them to send work our way. They don't understand that sometimes we're busy taking care of other customers and can't drop what we're doing and move them to the front of the line all the time. Then they make it seem like we're providing bad customer service. WE CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH PEOPLE!!!!!

We just had a vendor, who promised us completion of a project in two weeks - tell us they don't even have the coating compound we need and that it will be "a couple of weeks" before they get it - then it's another two weeks to actually coat our project. Our customer needs the items on August 15th and they are going to freak out when we call and tell them we can't deliver.

Of male customers who don't like hearing what I have to say about their projects because I have a vagina so I have to get another man at my company to tell them the exact same thing I already said.

We are in a severe paper towel and toilet paper shortage
We don't have a working copier and I need to make copies on my home printer to keep doing my work.

I'm beginning to think my expectations are too high and that's another thing that makes me sad. I know it sucks a lot of places. Everytime I turn around someone is working longer hours then they should for the pay they are getting, and other people are being told that half of the people at their company will lose their jobs in two months.

I'm 35 years old and I worry how my family is going to survive the next 40 or 50 years. I worry about health insurance, life insurance, job security, the economy, the quality of our schools & education, how EJ will get into college, how to pay for college, everything. I wonder what we'll do when Matt is 50 years old and some company decides he makes too much money and that he's replaceable. You can only plan for so many contingencies. I feel like I don't have the luxury of missing even one step without it having profound ramifications that I can't even imagine yet. I'm just too tried for all this shit.

Beefcake.....

2008-08-04T15:52:00.004-04:00

Matt and I determined over the weekend that Baby Ween is driven to fits of hysteria by me saying "Beefcake" in the voice of Cartman.

We discovered said phenomenon after deciding that Baby Ween has got some thick legs on her. Pair those thick legs with her new baby size running shoes and she looks kind of beefcake. Cute baby beefcake not Brutus the Barber Beefcake. So I started saying "beefcake" and she cracked up. I made a video of it for posterity because I couldn't resist her baby laughs.

BEEFCAKE!!!!!!

Our Baby Ween...

2008-08-01T14:45:00.004-04:00

About the Gemini Child

A Quick and Agile MindYour Gemini child will look up at you with bright, merry eyes, making you laugh as she makes it clear there's a lot going on in that head of hers. And if she starts talking at an early age, she's just living up to her nature! Gemini children tend to be communicative, charming, and social, but even if your Gemini child is a quieter sort, she's still quick-witted, curious, and mentally engaged with the world around her. Make sure she's always surrounded with books and puzzles to stimulate her mind, and give her plenty of space and supplies for her many projects.

Gemini children love anything new, and they tend to bounce from one activity to the next at a moment's notice. As soon as they master a new challenge, they'll grow bored with it and move on. Their mood may also change in the blink of an eye. Many Gemini children are indecisive or change their minds often. The other side of this coin is their adaptability. Gemini children often prefer variety of experience over depth of understanding, but as their parent, you can help them focus and develop a particular area of strength.

Your Gemini will excel at cerebral endeavors like reading, writing, and debate, as well as anything requiring dexterity, such as playing the piano. Due to their variety of interests, Gemini children tend to have many friends and will often be the center of the circle, naturally excelling at what we grown-ups call networking.

Well It's One Way To Get Some Time Off...

2008-08-01T14:29:00.003-04:00

We were told on Thursday that as of Monday (8/4) we would be working a 36 hour work week and that our office will be closed Fridays. Supposedly it's only for the month of August...mmm hmmm.

I can't say that I'm surprised, nor am I really upset by the development. I'd be more upset if the company goes under, but we're all hoping, that like many times before, that doesn't happen.

I guess I'll try to get some things done these next four weeks - though with Baby Ween under foot - it might not be as productive as I hope.

R.I.P Sophia

2008-07-22T15:08:00.004-04:00

Estelle Getty died today at the age of 84

Sophia: Look, you didn't ask me for my opinion, but I'm old, so I'm giving it anyway.

Dorothy: Hi, ma. Where are you going?
Sophia: To the boardwalk. I like to watch the old guys rearrange themselves when they come out of the water.

Dorothy: Well Blanche is certainly taking her sister's novel better than I would. I would kill my sister Gloria if she ever wrote about my sex life.
Sophia: You would kill your sister over a pamphlet?

Sophia: No offense, pussycat.
Dorothy: None taken, you cankerous little prune!

Dorothy: [Sophia has rented a porno] Hi, Ma. Whatcha watching?
Sophia: I dunno, one of those Steven Spielberger movies.
Dorothy: That's not a Steven Spielberg? *What* are they doing?
Sophia: You know what they're doing. We had that talk when you were twelve.
Dorothy: Ma, I can't believe this! You rented a dirty movie?
Sophia: Dirty is in the eye of the beholder... OK, maybe *that's* a little dirty.

Dorothy: [Sophia is busily cooking] Ma, what are you doing? You're supposed to be resting. Remember what the doctor said?
Sophia: Dorothy, I'm feeling anxious. And when I feel anxious, there's only one thing that calms me down.
Dorothy: I know, Ma. Cooking a big meal.
Sophia: No, making hot naked love in a closet. But hey, you do what you can.

A Victory...

2008-07-15T10:59:00.002-04:00

Elizabeth is now completely off her "baby milk". No more $25.00 cans of formula for us!!! YEAH!!!!!

I'm Still Laughing....

2008-06-16T14:24:00.000-04:00

Remembering our Dad...

2008-06-16T09:28:00.004-04:00

This Father's Day my Ween wrote a post about our Dad that made me cry. I hope my post makes her smile.

Baby Ween will be turning one this Friday and we've been giving her small tastes of big people food to see what she thinks of it. Yesterday during Father's Day lunch with the in-laws I gave her a taste of pickle juice. She sucked it off my finger and looked at me as if to say "more". So like a mama bird I bit some pickle from the spear and gave it to her. She ate it right down, loving it.

When my Ween was small - she'd climb onto our Father's lap and chow down on dill pickles like they were nothing. Giving Baby Ween her first taste of dill pickle made me think of that. It was like a little bit of our Dad was at lunch yesterday.

One for the "Are You Kidding Me" File....

2008-05-29T15:20:00.003-04:00

I always knew she was too perky and perfect. Turns out she's secretly a sympathizer for Muslim extremist's. Aren't there times when a scarf is just a scarf?

A Blast From the Past...

2008-05-22T14:25:00.005-04:00

I might just have to get this.

Moving On Up

2008-05-21T14:43:00.003-04:00

The company I work for is moving, packing up all of our stuff and heading north 12 miles. It's cool, I'll be three miles closer to my house. But the lack of organization with everything is making me crazy.

The funny thing is no one seems to know exactly when our last day in our current home will be. Maybe this Friday, maybe Tuesday, maybe next Friday. It will take me roughly fifteen minutes to pack my boxes and I'll be ready to go. Some people have been at the box packing for days. They obviously need to keep a little less stuff in their offices.

Our sales assistant asked if I'm going to miss this building. I hesitated, I think the only thing I'll miss is the familarity of having worked in this building for ten years. Oh, and maybe the airport out back.

I Wish...

2008-05-05T11:58:00.002-04:00

Marching Band and Majorette's Does Not a Cool Girl Make...

2008-04-10T10:13:00.003-04:00

Inky did a post on her blog about the quest for cool that she's been on most of her life. Unlike her, I realized early on that cool would allude me. Probably as early as sixth grade when I chose to be friends with Melissa Hibbert instead of ditching her to be part of Steffi Nunemaker and Sharon Douglas's "club".

Then I donned the majorette uniform in junior high. I always liked to think it made me closer to the cheerleaders. We were all about promoting school spirit right? Not exactly...not at all really. Then it was on to marching band in high school. As a ninth grader I thought the older kids were cool - especially the seniors. I honed my craft, hung out with kids a year older then me and because I had an older brother, got to go out after football games when my other freshmen friends had to go home. So to them I might have been cool for a short time. I suppose I never minded my larger level of uncoolness in high school because in my world my friendship circle were the cool girls.

College was more of the same for me. I had close friends and we touched on the edges of cool now and then but over all I was unremarkable. I'm sure not one professor on campus would have remembered me a year after graduation, hell probably not even one week after.

I've known all along to embrace my inner dork because that's truly who I am. I owned a unicycle for God's sake - no one cool does that.

On Taking Things Personally...

2008-04-09T10:36:00.003-04:00

As most of you know Oprah is doing an online class on the book "A New Earth". This book and her class are to help us all to find our life's purpose. I have not read the book, nor do I take part in the online class. I do however have XM radio in my car so I listen to the Oprah and Friends channel from time to time. On a few occasions that means listening to encore airings of Oprah and Eckhart discussing various chapters in the book. Yesterday I caught just the tail end of things and it had something to do with giving up the notion of control.

Oprah and Eckhart were talking about how they didn't understand why people get upset when they are stuck in traffic. Since traffic is my Dante's inferno my ears perked up. Eckhart was saying that traffic isn't "personal" so why get upset. That the cars aren't sitting in front of you just to piss you off so we should all let it go, to not get angry and rail against something that is beyond our control. "But Eckhart I am the queen of railing against things I can't control" I said to the radio. So as a change of pace I'm going to try not taking things personally. Like when my daughter blows her 1000th raspberry of the day - soaking yet another item of clothing I'll let it go and know that she isn't trying to upset me, she's just a creature of habit. Or when a customer complains about the price of something I've quoted him. I will have it looked at by my boss to be sure we're offering the best price we can and then offer that to the customer. If its not good enough - it doesn't mean that I'm not good enough - just that the quote isn't and if they end up going somewhere else then so be it. As for being stuck in traffic - that's a tough one, but I'll try.

How Could I Be Anything Else...

2008-04-08T10:01:00.000-04:00

Wow, You're a Poodle!

Poodle

The Star

Intelligence, style and good looks in one able-bodied, well-manicured package? But of course! You are a Poodle, and proud of it. You scoff in the general direction of passers-by who cast admiring (or is it amused?) glances your way, knowing doggone well that if your private jet were not waiting to whisk you off for a spa weekend getaway, you would handily paddle their hindquarters in a game of Trivial Pursuit. Blindfolded. You are well-educated and enjoy the finer things in life, but are not above taking an impromptu skinny dip in an old limestone quarry. It would, however, be soooo much more convenient if said quarry came with a towel boy and swim-up cocktail service, of course.

Or Him Either...

2008-04-08T10:00:00.000-04:00

I Just Never Get Tired of Looking at Him....

2008-04-01T13:48:00.000-04:00

My Love List*

2008-03-17T12:47:00.003-04:00

Why not take the love list challenge .

I love Post-it's, I love puppies, I love baby feet, I love Red Robin, I love country music, I love Calvin and Hobbes cartoons, I love watching the Charlie Brown holiday specials (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween & Easter), I love Oreo cookie blizzard's from Dairy Queen, I love a clean desk, I love the movie "The American President", I love ice skating, I love driving fast, I love big, absorbent bath towels, I love the internet, I love hot fudge, I love electric blankets, I love reading books and magazines, I love smart customers, I love pizza, I love Dale Earnhardt Jr., I love homemade chocolate chip cookies, I love baby clothes, I love taking pictures, I love Yocco's hot dogs, I love Coke, I love presents, I love the movie "Shag", I love Italian hoagies, I love air conditioning, I love electronic things: computers, Ipod's, great big TV's etc, I love DCI drum corp, I love organizing things, I love Turkey Hill Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream (the white kind, not the green kind), I love Dry Tortugas National Park, I love cheesy romance novels, I love my digital camera, I love to watch TV, I love hot buttered movie popcorn, I love going swimming, I love horses, I love a clean house, I love the original "Posiden Adventure" movie, I love riding the Perkasie carousel, I love broasted chicken and cheeseburgers from Speck's, I love sunflowers, daffodils, gerber daisy's, and ladies of the village (I mean Lillies of the Valley), I love cookie crisp cereal - eaten dry, I love organizing shows on TV, I love chocolate pudding (from scratch), I love shopping for house stuff and clothes and scrapbooking supplies, I love having lots of friends, I love Yellowstone National Park, I love chocolate cake, I love Lake Placid, I love softie pants, I love armor exhibits at museums, I love Rice Krispy treats, I love baby animals especially lambs, calves, hippos and elephants

*The rules, according to The Love List Challenge: You can't include a single person you know on your list. No "I love the way my husband laughs" or "I love hearing my little girl call for me." It'll be tough, I know. But this particular little exercise is about stripping away everyone who defines you and figuring out what you (not his partner; not their mother/daughter/sister/friend) love.

10 Reasons You're Not Getting Your Work Done...

2008-03-14T14:32:00.003-04:00

From an article by Tag Goulet at fabjob.com with my two cents added in...

1) You have too many distractions - like our loud mouth HR girl/owners daughter talking to our loud mouth receptionist. Or the both of them yelling back and forth to either my boss, in the office to my left or to our sales manager in the office to my right. Don't get me started on the QC guy or the lathe department guy who come up here to talk when they don't have anything better to do.
2) You don't have the resources you need - we are moving our company in two months and we are in need of a new computer system (software) because our current system is no longer supported. The owner earmarked $5000, but the new phone system we're getting took $3,000 of that so now we're down to $2,000. I guess he's not familiar with the "you get what you pay for" mantra...
3) You don't know what you're doing - not a problem, I know everything.
4) You have too much work - somedays
5) You have poor time-management skills - okay so I like to socialize
6) You're Procrastinating - yeah, there is definately stuff I don't like doing - so I wait...and wait....and wait...and hope it goes away.
7) You Feel Undervalued - yeah...though being the only sales person left I could make some crazy demands and likely get what I want. It's hard to keep a company building things when there is no one here to take calls from customers.
8) You're Company's priorites keep changing - Nah, we're all about making money - and screwing the other guy - that never changes.
9) You're burned out - yeah that's true - it's been ten years after all of talking to some of the stupidest smart people on earth
10) Your "reward" for completing the job will be more work - that's true enough. Though there are only 17 of us - even the incompetant people got more work.

We're Not Fighting the Good Fight - We're Fighting Eachother...

2008-03-13T09:20:00.003-04:00

I'll admit it...I am a mother to an 8 month old and I work outside the home. Turns out there are A LOT of people out there who hate me for that and they don't even know me. They hate Adrian Stark of TLC's "Secret Life of a Soccer Mom" because she chose to be a fashion designer again instead of continuing to be a stay at home mom (SAHM).

Is it wrong that I don't care? Why do I care if a random woman works instead of staying home with her kids? Before having an actual baby I was convinced I would stay home if I ever had kids. I found it hard to reconcile having children and then giving them to someone else to "raise" while I worked. Well 8 months into it I still am trying to reconcile that fundamental question. I just do it from behind a desk now.

I leave the house at 7:00am and return at 5:30pm. For those nine and a half hours a day EJ is with either my mom or my husband's parents. Is it ideal for anyone? The grandparents would say yes, they love the time they have with EJ. EJ herself would say no because she doesn't like being woken up at 5:30am. I say it's okay (except for the geting up at 5:15am part) because I am contributing to our household and I get to interact with adults during the day. Even though sometimes I want to kill some of them. My husband would say it's okay because I'm bringing in a mighty nice salary which helps with our goals of saving for college and retirement. It also allows us luxuries like vacations and new clothes for EJ. Could we make it without my salary? Yes, just barely...but neither I or my husband like the idea of "just barely".

In reviewing my list of friends there are 13 that currently work outside the home and 6 that currently stay home full time. I say "currently" in both situations because some of those that work full time stayed home early on, while some worked part time at some point, while some have their own businesses and work from home. All of those that currently stay home had careers before making the choices that they did.

I think most SAHM's have a chip because there are still ignorant people out there who think they don't do anything all day. I challenge anyone who thinks that to spend nine and half hours alone with my daughter on one of her "bad" days. I'll see you when I get home from work and you can tell me how much you got done and when you'll be back.

There is a larger issue here - greater then the fundamental "why have children only to have someone else raise them?" But no one wants to talk about that issue - we just want to make the other side out to be bitches. Well - if your children are well cared for and your family is thriving it doesn't matter to me what you do to make that happen.

He Wins Again...

2008-02-14T15:45:00.003-05:00

My boyfriend won the first Gatorade Duel meaning he will be starting in the second row for the Daytona 500 on Sunday. He might as well make it a clean sweep - really start the year off with a bang!!

Go Spartanburg - I mean Mooresville.

Hey Boyfriend...Call Me...

2008-02-13T10:52:00.002-05:00

Saturday night I jokingly said to my husband,
"Wouldn't it be funny if he won."

If She Doesn't Respond...She's Ignoring You...

2008-02-12T10:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Baby EJ had her follow-up hearing screening at the CHOP office near us. Her pediatrician recommended it because she had antibiotics while she was in the NICU after birth. So we answered some questions with the audiologist and then she looked in her ears and did a test where she checked her ear drum reactivity. Her one ear drum didn't move much but we moved forward to the audio booth where she sat on my lap and turned her head to all the sounds the lady put through the speakers.

After the test was done the audiologist said she was very pleased and that Baby EJ could hear all of the sounds she put through - even the very soft ones. She told us to follow-up with EJ's pediatrician about the ear drum thing but that all in all she thought she was fine. They did say to bring her back when she's 2 1/2 or 3 and then they will put the head phones on her to check each ear individually. They can't do that with babies (but I thought the picture was cute).

Thinking of Times Gone By...

2008-02-07T12:27:00.001-05:00

If I still went to concerts, 2008 would be a particularly good year...

2/14 - Keith Urban & Carrie Underwood
2/15 - Miranda Lambert
2/16 - George Strait
2/19 - Matchbox Twenty & Alanis Morrissette
2/24 - Rick Springfield
3/1 - Trisha Yearwood
3/11 - Tracy Lawrence
3/18 - Carrie Underwood & Josh Turner
4/3 - Def Leppard, REO Speedwagon & Styx
4/4 - Jason Aldean
5/29 - Richard Marx
5/29 - Travis Tritt
6/14 - Tim McGraw & Jason Aldean
7/19 - Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Leann Rimes, Gary Allan & Sammy Hagar
8/16 - Toby Keith & Montgomery Gentry
8/28 - Vince Gill
8/30 - Brad Paisley
9/12 - Rascal Flatts & Taylor Swift
9/20 - Martina McBride

That list doesn't include anyone who might be hitting the fair circuit during late August or early September. Back in the early 90's I went to 14 concerts a year some times. Oh well - now I'm just too surly and old to deal with it.

I Want To Do This...

2008-02-06T15:59:00.000-05:00

Up in Lake Placid they do this cool thing when the lake freezes over. They have a toboggan chute set up that you go down and it shoots you out onto the lake at roughly 40 miles per hour. Just looking at this picture sets my heart racing. It's never been cold enough the times we've been but I would love to try it.

Milestones...

2008-02-06T15:20:00.000-05:00

In two weeks my cute little pumpkin will be 8 months old. EIGHT MONTHS!!!! I can't believe it's been that long. As I read on the blog of a mommy of another June baby I thought I'd make a list of EJ's favorite things to do or milestones she's reached.

she realized 2/4 that she can roll over in the crib at the babysitters and sleep on her stomach. She hasn't done it at home in our crib yet but I'm waiting.

she cut her two bottom teeth on 1/31 & 2/1. For the most part she won't let me near them but I keep trying to take a picture to capture the moment.

she had to have her head measured on 1/23 (to prove to the doctors that it isn't growing too fast) and I asked that she be weighed. She gained two pounds from the month before - bringing her to 18lbs.

she loves her jumper and goes crazy in it every night while DH and I eat dinner.

she loves to sit up and play with her toys

she also loves to be held and carried around the house, since she can't get around on her own yet. Then she leans way over to watch what we're doing...cooking or whatever.

she gobbles 4 oz of Stage 1 food twice a day and enjoys 4 to 5 (6oz) bottles. So far she hasn't met a food she doesn't like. She doesn't eat any "table" or "finger" food yet because we're still getting through all the Stage 1 foods. A sensitive belly set us back so she's playing catch-up now.

she's finally figured out that she can use her hands for splashing in the tub too.

her feet are never still, unless she's sleeping.

she smiles like crazy and reachs for people she knows.

she suspiciously eyes people she doesn't know but usually goes to them anyway as long as Mommy is nearby to save her. She started with stranger anxiety very early (at three or four months)

she screams and laughs when daddy startles or scares her. Usually I am holding her when he does this and she kicks her feet and turns her head away into my shoulder - before turning to see if he'll do it again.

she loves to play "where's Elizabeth"

she loves looking at the baby in the mirror - I'm waiting for her to realize it's her.

she will stand if propped against things but not for more then a minute. It's usually done so we can get a good picture of the outfit she's wearing :):)

she takes her last bottle of the night in my arms in the rocking chair in her room. After she's asleep I hold her until the lullably CD runs out or my arm falls asleep because I know these nights will be gone too soon.

I think it's crazy that I'm already thinking about a theme for her first birthday party, because how can my baby be coming up on a year old. But I don't think I'd want her to be a baby forever. We all had a rough time of things the first couple of months and she seems so much happier now. I guess I just have to take things as they come and try to cherish every minute.

Is This a Sign of the Apocalypse??

2008-01-15T15:08:00.000-05:00

Oprah is going to have her own channel.
She doesn't even have to run for President.
She'll be able to influence millions all by
having them turn on their TV's.

Oh No They Didn't...

2008-01-15T13:00:00.000-05:00

Calling all old ass shanks and ho's Brett

Michaels is looking for love again. Actually

the shanks and ho's have been chosen and it looks

like things kicked off on "Rock of Love 2" last Tuesday

night at 10pm. My question is WHY?????

Why do women want a 40 year old has been rocker

boyfriend or a 150 year old has been rapper boyfriend

in the case of Flavor Flav.

All I can say is....

Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!!!

I Had a Crush on Him...

2008-01-11T10:20:00.000-05:00

I had a crush on the 1988 to 1992 version of Christopher Bowman (shown above). He got older and larger (as evidenced in the 2005 photo below). At 40 he was found dead in a budget hotel, likely of a drug overdose. So sad...

I'm Really Angry - Part Two

2008-01-09T11:00:00.001-05:00

He killed her. Of course he did. Gary Hilton just couldn't leave Meredith Emerson and her dog alone - during her hike in Vogel State Park. He had to club her to death.

We were all very upset when my sister went for a hike alone, fell and broke her leg, and had to walk her injured self almost two miles to get help. I guess we should be thankful that this guy, or some equally insane asshole wasn't nearby that day.

It makes me scared to leave my own house. I've been paranoid long before this lovely woman lost her life - but it's getting worse. I am scared to go for a walk near my house with my baby because who knows where the next Gary Hilton will be. I don't like being scared but I don't know what else to do. At least in my house I feel a bit safer.

I'm Really Angry - Part One

2008-01-09T10:48:00.000-05:00

So she almost cried - big fucking deal. Someone asked her how she keeps it all together and her facade cracked for just a minute while she talked about how passionate she is about helping this country. Her voice wavered when she said she's received countless benefits and advantages from this country and she doesn't want to see our children lose that by going backwards.

People (John Edwards) couldn't wait to leap on her show of emotion and say that we need a person with "resolve" in the White House. So I guess that means someone with no emotion or tear ducts. Might he not "well up" if someone on the trail asked him how it would feel to be President without his wife (should she succumb to the cancer that will ultimately take her life sooner rather then later). Would that emotion make him any less able to be President - NO.

There are other people who think the episode was scripted. I find that theory a bit too elaborate to even address. People who say that obviously have never felt passionately about anything. I've been moved to tears on many occasions but it doesn't mean I'm soft - or that I couldn't be P.O.T.U.S. Not having millions or billions of dollars will ultimately keep me from meeting that goal.

At this point I don't know who is going to get my vote - but it's just so typical that a woman gets labeled "weak" and not "passionate" or "bitch" but not "agressive". It's just so disappointing.

Resolutions For the New Year

2008-01-07T09:53:00.000-05:00

Since I like to make lists - I figured why not...

1) Be Happy (or at least less angry)
2) Appreciate What I Have
3) Raise a Happy, Healthy Daughter
4) Maintain a Happy, Healthy Marriage
5) Spend Less Money
6) Get a Handle on Clutter
7) Get a New Passport
8) Scrapbook More
9) Understand that every bad driver
doesn't require comment

Christmas Came and the Goose Got Fatter...

2008-01-03T08:53:00.000-05:00

Well it's over, despite our house looking like Christmas morning with the presents still under the tree, the holiday has come and gone. This year was Elizabeth's first Christmas and she was showered with fabulous presents on all fronts. She got clothes of many kinds, some books, toys that stack, toys that squeak and toys that talk. She got a sled and a wonderful hand made quilt and enough ornaments to start her own tree.

I was equally blessed receiving many lovely presents - several books, season 6 & 7 of my favorite show "The Gilmore Girls" on DVD, a new I-Pod Classic (with I-Tunes gift cards), new slippers, a couple of CD's and some delicious candy snacks in my stockings. Don't worry Santa didn't leave my honey out - he got a new golf club, golf shoes, a cargo net for his truck, DVD's, some clothes, a digital picture frame for his desk at work and tons of sweet treats in his stockings too.

We did our share of visiting this holiday season. We had a party at my Mom's on 12/23 with her fun sisters family. We gobbled up copious amounts of yummy food topping it all off with a chocolate fountain as part of the dessert offerings. Then Elizabeth did Christmas Eve church for the first time - which turned out okay. Santa came first thing Christmas morning, followed closely behind by Grammy, Aunt Heidi and Uncle Tony. After the dust and the wrapping paper settled we hit the road to visit with Grammy, Grandpop, Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop. Wednesday (12/26) brought Lauren and Rod to our rainy doorstep for pizza and ornament presents. Then after a few days rest - the new year dawned and we were off for more visiting and eating.

Even though there is let down once the holidays are done - I am always a bit relieved. I'll pack everything back up and our house will return to normal. Or the state of normal we've become used to - since Elizabeth came on the scene.

Who's Popular???

2007-12-07T13:41:00.001-05:00

My boyfriend that's who. He was named the Chex Most Popular Driver for the 5th year in a row getting 1.4 million of the total 3.8 million votes. I have to say that I voted a lot less this year then last but he still won. At least he won something this year.

I Work With the Scuba Santa from the Adventure Aquarium

2007-12-05T10:34:00.000-05:00

A New Place To Be Bad...

2007-11-29T12:59:00.000-05:00

So I'm sitting at the traffic light near my office, where I've sat every weekday morning for the last almost ten years when I look to my right and realize that there is a Children's Place in the shopping center. The shopping center I've been driving past and shopping in for almost ten years and never realized this store was there. Well I remedied that today. "Santa" is going to be leaving some really cool stuff under the tree for Elizabeth this year.

Ours Is Not To Wonder Why...

2007-11-27T13:55:00.000-05:00

Eric is my five year old nephew and Batman to my five month old daughter's Robin. This was her on Thanksgiving Day. But instead of wondering why she was upset or worrying about why his normally happy companion was screaming at him he hugged her then turned and said "She's having a rough day." I immediately felt a sense of relief - that was it she was having a rough day. So simple a five year old could see it.

It's Just Like That Sometimes....

2007-11-27T13:24:00.000-05:00

"I couldn't get my head off the pillow." - Eric age 5
(His way of saying he was tired this morning)

In a Thankful Kind of Mood...

2007-11-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

At the risk of sounding terribly sappy I want to talk about things I'm thankful for this year...

1) I'm thankful that Miss Elizabeth is part of our family and here to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of us this year. Just remember when she cries that you all think she's the most adorable thing ever :)

2) I'm thankful for all of the wonderful family members and friends in my life who lift me up and make me feel loved all year long. But I am especially thankful for everyone who prayed for us and kept us in their thoughts when Elizabeth was sick and needed help. I will be forever grateful for that.

3) I'm thankful that I have a job and health insurance so that Elizabeth could get the medical care she needed and so that we didn't have to pay $150,000 + for it.

4) I'm thankful for the nurses and the doctors at Grandview Hospital and C.H.O.P. who took care of our little miracle so she could be the healthy little girl she is today. Especially Dr. Liechty who operated twice with such precision that you'd never even know it.

5) I'm thankful that my Mom is a careful driver. Her sitting at the traffic light a second longer then normal (even though her light was green) probably saved her life and Kyle's when the A-hole on his cell phone blew threw the red light.

6) I'm thankful that my Mom and my Mother-in-Law are willing and able to care for Elizabeth everyday so Matt and I can keep working to further all of our causes.

7) I'm thankful that Matt was able to be home with me during Elizabeth's birth and for several months afterward. Her challenges wiped me out but having him to help and support me made all the difference.

I know there are probably a million other specific things I am thankful for but I will end here. I hope to have a more grateful attitude in the coming year - and figured this was a good place to start.

I wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday. Enjoy!

It Was A Good Run...

2007-11-09T16:08:00.000-05:00

Wednesday Night a fifteen year run came to an end when Brooks & Dunn lost the CMA Vocal Duo of the year award to Sugarland. Back in 1992 Brooks & Dunn took the award from The Judds and never looked back.

When One Boyfriend Fails, Look to the Other...

2007-11-08T15:07:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows my boyfriend is Dale Earnhardt Jr. Well, he's been having a bit of a lack luster year behind the wheel this year. Most weekends I don't watch the race because I don't want to invest three or four hours only to have him blow up or have the wheel break off his car with two laps to go.

So enter my other boyfriend, cowboy extraordinaire Justin McBride. He won the PBR Built Ford Tough Series World Championship on Sunday, November 4th.

I guess that's why I have two boyfriends. I'm hoping Jr's switch to Hendrick Motorsports will jump start things - here's hoping.

I Need the Baby Whisperer...

2007-11-02T16:03:00.000-04:00

Don't you kick yourself when you realize you knew how to handle a situation but you didn't listen to your inner voice so it ends up causing more trouble then if you'd just listened to yourself in the first place?

I'm kicking myself today because I still don't seem to be very "in-tune" with my daughter. At the beginning of the week we began adjusting her morning schedule so my dear husband can deliver her to the babysitter, instead of the babysitter coming to get her. So she has to get up an hour and a half to two hours earlier. Our little dumpling doesn't sleep much during the day so to me I thought it was very important for her to get her 10 hours at night, which mean a 7:00pm bedtime.

Well yesterday she was asleep when she arrived home at 6:15pm and had been for an hour. We woke her up and fed her and then gave her a bath. It was 7:30 so I thought I'd better put her to bed but I ignored the voice in my head that said (she doesn't seem tired). So I took her upstairs and put her in her crib. She played on her own for over a half hour. Then I thought she might need more milk before falling asleep so I fed her a 4 oz bottle (2oz less then normal because it wasn't two hours between feedings yet). So after the bottle it was back into the crib where she played for another good while. Then around 915 she started screaming. Both dear husband and I tried to console her but she kept on screaming. I told dear husband to make another 4 oz bottle. She drank the 2 oz's missing from the first bottle and went to sleep.

So two hours and much unnecessary crying later, I realized I could have likely averted the whole issue by playing with her until she tired out, fed her the full 6oz bottle around 8:30 and off to bed, only one hour late instead of two.

I don't like trial and error but I guess I have to get used to it. Since it seems that's what caring for children is based on. *Sigh*

Halloween's a Coming...

2007-10-26T14:06:00.000-04:00

I've been lurking on the babycenter.com June 2007 baby board for the last several months and they had a thread where the women posted pictures of their babies in their Halloween costumes. I didn't think my peanut would fit into any of them so I just got her this onsie and pant set. It comes with a matching bib that says "My First Halloween". I know she'll be cute in whatever she wears but next year I'm going to find her one of those adorable costumes.

I think I'm addicted...

2007-10-10T13:14:00.000-04:00

I was innocently looking through my Glamour magazine and the plucky blonde girl who plays the cheerleader on Hero's said she liked this site called http://www.junkfoodclothing.com/. I went on and of course they have clothes for babies. So I ordered the t-shirt above, because EJ needs some Wonder Woman in her wardrobe. Her ever expanding wardrobe...but that's a story for another time.

It's So Creepy It's Cool

2007-10-04T16:37:00.001-04:00

I've been a fan of The King since his first commericals. Now it appears you can own a piece of The King in the form of this creepy mask. Excellent!!!

And So It Goes...

2007-10-03T10:20:00.000-04:00

Well it's almost official my coworker is giving her notice to our boss tomorrow. Her last day will be Friday (10/12) unless our owner tells her not to let the door hit her on the ass before that.

I've cleared my credenza to accommodate the quotations for her customers that will now be my customers and I'm setting up some email folders, but other then that I don't really know what to do. I used to be used to working at a frantic pace but it's dropped off in the last nine years. I guess I'll just have to keep repeating to myself "One thing at a time" and hope that I can keep up. It can't be bad everyday can it?

Getting Them All In A Row...

2007-09-25T15:34:00.000-04:00

Duck 1: My Personal Life

I need a better way to handle the stress and aggravation in my life (noisy neighbors, slow traffic, incompetant people etc)
I need a healthier relationship with food and the time to create new and different meals
I need the time and motivation to tackle the ongoing issues with my weight
I need to continue to nuture the relationships I have with my friends because they are very important to me.

Duck 2: My Family Life

I want to enjoy my daughter and husband as much as possible without getting so bogged down by the day-to-day issues of what needs to get done.
I want to give my marriage the time and nuturing it deserves, so we can be good partners as well as good parents.
I want time spent with my mom, my siblings and my in-laws to be enjoyable and fulfilling for everyone involved.

Duck 3: My Professional Life

I want more money
An assistant to help me take care of sales for the entire world (since my coworker is leaving)
A plan in place for when I am out of the office (because I will be taking a vacation)
Ultimately a job where I can work part time to spend more time with my daughter and less time with customers who really don't value just how much I do everyday to help them get what they need.

Like Sands Through the Hourglass...

2007-09-17T11:29:00.000-04:00

I've worked in my current job for nine years. In that time I have seen everyone who came before me, in the sales department, leave for greener pastures. Now my current sales co-worker tells me she has an interview this week and she may be leaving too. Everytime this happens it makes me question why I'm still here, why I'm still beating my head against the same wall day in and day out. I used to say the money was pretty good, but I don't think the money is going to be good enough for me to handle sales for the whole world by myself. I know I also need insurance coverage for myself and my daughter right now but the insurance they offer here isn't that great either - just ask my pockets which are $15,000 lighter now. I suppose there isn't anything to do about it, it just makes me weary.

I Called it a Train Wreck First...

2007-09-10T10:08:00.001-04:00

Friday afternoon I heard Britney Spears was going to open the MTV VMA's and I knew it was something I had to see. On the dot of 9:00 p.m. out she came. Stomping mechanically through innane dance moves wearing a sparkly bikini made for a much thinner person. I was transfixed, sometimes even horrified at the spectical. I kept wondering who thought it was a good idea for her to do this. In addition to the ridiculous dancing she wasn't singing, nor was she even attempting to keep up the charade of lip-synching. At the end I pronouced it a train-wreck and tuned back in to Brett Michaels "Rock of Love". This morning it seemed the AP agreed with me...it was just so awful none of us could look away.

A Sad Day...

2007-09-07T14:49:00.000-04:00

Weekly World News is no more. It's 28 year run has come to an end with its final issue hitting news stands this week. Back in the day, when I was in high school, my BFF Tina and I would devour WWN. We'd pick it up at the deli or the "Cumby" along with our king sized Snickers bars and sodas. The stories were always of the utmost craziness, but then again in the late 80's so were we.

The Grind...

2007-09-05T14:13:00.001-04:00

Ten weeks off...where did the time go? I'll tell you, it was all that baby tending. It kept me busier then I ever imagined. Granted, nothing about my birth or post partum experiences was what I thought it would be. I didn't expect to labor for 24+ hours or be on mag sulfate so I couldn't get out of bed for 24 + hours after my babies birth. Nor did I expect her to be whisked away from me to the NICU at CHOP. I didn't think my five day old would have surgery, nor did I expect her to have a second surgery before she turned six weeks old. I didn't expect her to cry almost non-stop in the beginning, nor did I expect to have my gall bladder out before my baby was two months old. And just like that - here I am, back at my desk, toiling away like I never left.

I'm now free to send personal emails at will, read or watch TV online (between jobs of course). But part of me sees through the "glamour" of being at work and knows I will miss EJ's fun moments. Her little babbling conversations, her accidentally hitting herself in the face because her hands don't work all that well yet, or her kicking like a crazy ninja on her changing table. You just can't get that type of entertainment here. Thankfully I will also miss the crying and fussing.

For now though I suppose it's just how it is. Perhaps my dear husband will stumble into a fabulous, high-paying gig that will keep all of us in the Kimora Simmons lifestyle I aspire to. But until them I'll punch the clock each day and then head home and hold and squeeze my little baby.

But who decides what's boring...

2007-09-05T13:33:00.000-04:00

Some times I think I "suck at life" too, but I'm too lazy to try to hide it. I work then come home and watch TV. I do like to read books and magazines and occasionally I scrapbook. Now that we have a child I imagine we will "do more" as she gets older because we'll have to help her grow in meaningful ways. Maybe she'll help us grow in meaningful ways too....just by being here.

Well it's August 18th now...

2007-08-18T14:49:00.000-04:00

Only two more weeks of maternity leave to go. I'm beginning to get a little nervous about what my life is going to be like once it returns to "normal". Right now my dear husband is going to be responsible for the bulk of Miss EJ's care because he is still semi-retired. I know the grandmom's are going to help him out but it will be strange not to be able to sleep in while the other one watches her or watch TV all day while she sleeps on my lap. As my dear husband says I have to get out there and make him some money. So lets see - what's been happening...

Well we left off with the dear little one having her hernia surgery, she weathered that just fine. She still has the gas which makes her cry but it seems we are now done with the doctors down at CHOP. She had her follow-up appointment on Tuesday (8/14) and all is well.
I then promptly had my gall bladder out on Wednesday (8/15). The procedure went smoothly and I'm sure as the days progress I will feel more and more like my old self. Or rather my old self without a gall bladder.
I stopped by work briefly on August 8th to show off the little peanut. Everyone thought she was appropriately adorable. I sensed my co-worker Heidi had somethings she has to tell me but we didn't get any one-on-one time to chat. I have to try to get down for lunch this coming week or next.

Well - I was supposed to shower about an hour ago - so I best get to it. I better figure out how to use the next two weeks in a productive manner - for I fear it will be a while before life settles down again.

Another Ten Days Down...

2007-07-30T15:14:00.000-04:00

Wow, where does the time go. I've tried to get a post done on several occasions in the last few days but someone always seems to be awake. Here are some of my latest musings/happenings...

So Drew Carey is replacing Bob Barker as the host of "The Price is Right". I'm not sure how I feel about that, though it doesn't much matter because I'll be back at work before the new shows begin.
Last week there was a story about Oscar "The cat of death" on virtually every news/talk show on TV. I thought it rather interesting that he can sense when people are in their final hours better then doctors can.
My boyfriend blew his engine in the final stages of the Brickyard 400 yesterday to finish in 34th. He had been running in the top five and actually led some laps. He sounded like he was going to pass out in his post blow-up interview...I hope the move to Hendrick next year brings him back to life.
My baby had her hernia surgery today and she did very well. She's such a little trooper. She's been sleeping for the last three hours...I wonder if she's going to sleep tonight...
Ingmar Bergman died today (or yesterday). He directed many movies but one mentioned by the news man brought back memories. It's "The Seventh Seal"...I had to watch it in my "Film As Literature" class in college. It's supposedly known for the scene where the knight plays chess with death...I just remember it being boring. I never said I was deep...

I suppose that's it for now. Nothing earth shattering I know. We've had several more visits in the last ten days and expect more in the days and weeks ahead. I have until Tuesday, September 4th to enjoy my "freedom" because then it's back to the grind. Around here it's also the first day of school for the new year. I might just have to go buy myself a new outfit.

Since I've Been Gone...

2007-07-20T13:51:00.000-04:00

Let's see, it's been about a month since I've posted on Blogger...let's see what I've been up to.

Had a baby girl on June 20th at 930pm after 24+ hours of "labor" - 6lbs & 19" long
Had above mentioned baby girl have to spend a week down at CHOP in the NICU where she had a partial blood transfusion and surgery to remove a cystic mass from her abdomen.
Brought baby girl home on Thursday, June 26th and spent the next month trying to figure out why she cries ALL THE TIME!!!
Took baby girl down to CHOP on July 10th for her follow-up appointment. While there we discussed her next surgery to repair bi-lateral hernias that she has. Got the surgery scheduled for Monday, July 30th and her blood taken.
Had myself to the doctor on Monday, July 16th because of recurrent, exhausting heartburn or possible gall-bladder attack.
Baby girl went to CHOP's King of Prussia location on Thursday, July 19th for an abdomenal ultrasound to make sure everything was good (CHOP radiologists thought they saw an enlarged adrenal gland which may have indicated a "tumor") Luckily they were wrong on that and her abdomen received a clean bill of health.
Today, July 20th, I had myself to the local outpatient center for my ultrasound to see if I am the proud owner of gallstones. It will be three days before my doctor gets the results - so I have to wait until Wednesday to call them and find out my fate. I am taking Nexium right now to keep the heartburn at bay and I'm using prayer in hopes of keeping another gallbladder attack away (that is, if it was even one to begin with). If I have gall stones I will likely have to have surgery to have the entire thing removed.

So that's about it for the last 30 days. I have watched a lot of TV and have had some visitors over to the house. Baby girl has had two successful outings (not counting doctor appointments) once for lunch with me, my mom and her aunt and then again today with me, my mom and my dear husband for breakfast. With the crying we never know if we should take her anywhere or not. I have managed to keep up a semi-regular email correspondence with the outside world and I even read some blogs yesterday while on the phone with my ween. I guess it hasn't been too bad of a month. I still can't believe I'm someone's mom. It's still so crazy.

Two Days Past "Due"...

2007-06-19T10:44:00.000-04:00

Okay, I know as well as anyone that "due dates" are estimates that doctors give pregnant women so they have an idea of when their babies may come. But over the course of nine months you really become attached to the idea of being "done" by that date. I can't say I've been any more uncomfortable yesterday or today and I'm now getting to be pregnant in the privacy of my own home while I wait for her but it's kind of depressing. Like I some how failed at doing what other women have no problem doing - having their kids before their due date.

Julia Roberts has had her son and I saw online this morning that Tiger Woods wife had her baby. I think that leaves me and Jeff Gordon's wife and who knows when the hell she might be due. If not before, on Thursday, we'll find out when we're going to have her. Then I'll be wishing for one more quiet day before she comes. I've known for the last nine months that I wouldn't have much control over what would be happening to me and this is just an extension of that lack of control. A realization that the rest of my life will not be my own ever again.

No More Mr. Wizard...

2007-06-13T10:03:00.001-04:00

Mr. Wizard died...he was 89. I remember watching him in the early 80's on Nickelodeon. His show ran on that channel from 1983 to 1991. He didn't inspire me to a career in science or anything like that, but it was entertaining enough to keep me watching.

Amusing & Timely...

2007-06-11T14:52:00.000-04:00

Whitney of PopCandy fame just had an amusing posting about how long we, her loyal readers, keep movies out from Netflix. I find this timely because I had "The Da Vinci Code" for over a month before finally watching it two weeks ago. I don't know what my problem was - I ended up thinking it was a good enough movie. Perhaps I was discouraged by the fact that it was 2hrs and 40 minutes long. Before that, some time last year, I had "The Office: Season 1" for about a month too. Once again, I love the show, I don't know why it took so long to get through it.

Netflix and services like them are rather brilliant. We as the customer don't have to do anything to get the movies and they as the supplier sit and collect money from those of us who just can't seem to "get in the mood" to watch the movie we have on our coffee table. Sounds like everybody wins :):)

Too Good To Be True...

2007-06-11T14:12:00.000-04:00

After a visit to the ladies room at work this morning it looks like we are back to the cheap, flimsy TP of old. For about a month we were in the lap of luxury. The paper was soft, bright white, and with a label of "Supreme", it was softer then the tissue I use at home. Some how our boss slipped a case of it under the radar of our cheap-ass owner, and for that short time we didn't have to worry about trying to "clean up" before the paper disintegrated in our hands. It was nice while it lasted.

Well let's see...

2007-06-04T09:53:00.000-04:00

1) My baby to come, by June 17th, hopefully.

2) For my boyfriend to win a race this year.

3) For my customers at work to get their heads out of their asses and give me the information they know I need so I can process their projects.

4) Some more of those delicious cupcakes that I had at my baby shower. They would make a perfect "welcome baby gift" for me!!!

Now That's Better...

2007-05-30T10:16:00.000-04:00

It's been about a week and a half since I got my car back from the dealership that was actually interested in helping me get the XM fixed. Of course three days after it was fixed XM themselves had a satellite problem that knocked the service out for 24 hours but at least it wasn't just me having the problem this time.

I am now able to enjoy all of my favorite programming virtually interruption free, instead of having interruptions every two seconds. Turns out all it needed was a new antenna, which is what we told the other dealership all along. They swore that wasn't the problem...I hope it was worth it for them to "stick to their guns" instead of making me a satisified customer. I'm sure they won't miss the lifetime of sales that are no longer coming their way either.

26 More Days Until My "Due Date"

2007-05-21T09:38:00.001-04:00

It's funny how I check my blog every week to see how much time is "left" before this baby comes. It's not like I don't know how many more days or weeks it is but it puts it into sharper focus when I see those tickers at the bottom counting down. I'm happy to report that by the time I get home from work today (5/21). The room will be largely completed. It has been painted and the furniture will be moved in and the curtains will be hung. Now all that remains is to wash her clothes and bedding and find places for all of it in the room. It's really beginning to seem real now...we're having a baby. I'm trying not to panic!!!! :)

"Record Gas Prices Fail to Alter Driving Habits"

2007-05-16T10:16:00.000-04:00

That's one of the headlines of the day on msn.com this morning. My question is how exactly am I supposed to alter my driving habits? My daily routine consists of me driving the 13 miles to my job in the morning and then driving the 13 miles back to my house in the evening. Occasionally at lunch I'll run a few errands near my office so that might add a couple extra miles to my "useage" in a week but for the most part it stays pretty static.

What people don't seem to realize is that it doesn't matter how much gas, we as a country, use or don't use. Because our "useage" has nothing to do with pricing. How much money oil companies want to make governs how much we're all going to pay for the stuff. It doesn't matter if it's summer, when they raise prices because it's the "summer driving season" or if it's winter when supply is low because more needs to be diverted to make heating oil for all of us selfish assholes in the North who want to heat our homes.

All we have to do is look at what happened after Hurricane Katrina. That storm comes through, levels most of the oil platforms in the Gulf and gas prices shoot up before the lack of supply was even able to be felt...those prices were high but they weren't this high so what's going on now? Smells like greed to me...plain and simple.

So no, I won't be altering my driving habits any time soon and I'm glad I'm "flush" enough to absorb the expense because Lord knows I'm not giving up my magazines and my Starbucks Blueberry Muffins to the man.

I've Been Told it's Easy, Because I Believe Whatever They Tell Me..

2007-05-09T15:08:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday my mother and my ween threw a FABULOUS baby shower for me. It seems it was all very easy to orchestrate because I believe whatever people tell me. They even got my dear husband and his grandparents in on the act, and everyone played their parts well and carried it off right til the end.

I can't believe the TONS of wonderful presents BGH (Baby Girl Hercek) received. It's just a shame I didn't have more time to spend talking to everyone - gift unwrapping takes a lot of time. Though it seems that this "slow opener" did a better job at it this time around. With everything we received our little princess isn't going to know what to do with herself.

All Done...

2007-05-02T13:31:00.000-04:00

Last night was our last childbirth/labor class. It seems funny that five weeks have passed relatively unnoticed and that in another five weeks our darling could feasibly be here - that is if she's a little on the impatient side. While I feel I received a lot of information during our classes I don't necessarily feel any more "prepared" for what's going to come next.

During one of the exercises last night the "dads" were supposed to write down the "mom's" birth plans and then run them by us. Well, it seems my well meaning husband really needs a more detailed list or discussion about "what I want". Granted the exercise was done in only a few minutes but it seems we need to get on the same page...just in case he needs to speak up at an important moment. I'm hoping our tour of the hospital's maternity ward this weekend will help me focus a bit more on what I'd like or what is available to me.

I guess there isn't really anything more that can be done that will make me any less apprehensive about the events of the next month and a half. I just have to take it as it comes and see how I do.

A Ray of Hope...

2007-04-27T16:24:00.000-04:00

In October 2005 I bought a brand new, shiny 2006 Chevy Malibu to replace my previous Chevy Malibu. This new car came loaded with bells and whistles, including XM Satellite Radio, and I was jazzed. The service seemed okay at first but I would soon get a sinking feeling that there was something wrong with my radio. For roughly the last year, if not longer, I have been telling the dealership where I bought the car this...to no avail. No one wanted to ride with me to hear the products shortcomings, no one would entertain the notion that there was something wrong with the antenna...nothing. One of the service tech's even told us that the reason the satellite radio didn't work in my car but worked flawlessly in my mother's 2006 Chevy Equinox, was that her car was "taller" then mine which put it closer to the sky. Well, that was kind of the straw that broke the camels back.

Tuesday (4.24) I called another Chevy dealership and told them of my woes. They told me they would be happy to ride along in my car with me and I should just call back and set it up at my convenience. I called them on Wednesday (4/25) and set up my "ride along" for Thursday morning (4/26). The radio performed as poorly as I expected it to and the tech said he would talk to the service manager and they would get back to me. True to their word the service manager called me back today (4/27) and said they took a Malibu from their lot and drove the same drive the tech and I had taken and that radio performed flawlessly so my car definitely has a problem. He asked if I could bring it in on May 15th - that they would give me a loaner and hopefully be able to remedy the problem in a few short days. I was dumbfounded and rather giddy at the thought that I might be coming to the end of this long road of frustration. If they are able to make things work for me General Motors will be on the receiving end of a scathing email, phone call or letter or perhaps all three. Then I'll be sure to tell the dealership where I bought the car to stick it up their ass - and when my husband wants to buy his $40,000 pickup truck - that he won't be getting it from them.

I Am So Delicious...

2007-04-24T14:26:00.000-04:00

You Are a Lemon Cake

Strong, sexy, and overpowering.
You know who you are, and you're not afraid to show the world your fabulous self.
You're confident, charming, and extremely popular.

What Kind of Cake Are You?

Not Long Now...

2007-04-24T11:31:00.000-04:00

I had a doctor appointment on Friday afternoon (4/20) and it was such a shame I had to leave work early - the weather was BEAUTIFUL!!! The appointment went fine, my blood pressure was still down where it's supposed to be, but the doctor wanted me to go for an ultrasound because he felt the baby was measuring "big" for the week that I'm on (32nd). So I scheduled the appointment for yesterday evening.

Before I continue, allow me to share a dream I had. Several months ago I dreamt that I had already had my baby...I was at the hospital in a class type setting with many other mothers and nurses were bringing everyone's babies into the room. When I saw them bringing in the babies I realized I didn't know what mine looked like. Everyone else was handed small newborn size babies but when they got to me they handed me a baby that was the size of a two year old. I have no idea how I had the toddler baby or why mine was so much larger then everyone elses but it was. Then I woke up.

Anyway, my dear husband and I went to the appointment last night and at the end we were told our little bundle of joy is measuring 5 pounds which puts me at 34 weeks instead of the 32 where I am. I asked what it meant and the tech said it depended on the doctor. I believe I will likely get another ultrasound to check her again but I don't mind - because we now have two more pictures of our little girl and she's looking more and more like a human all the time. Just as long as she isn't the size of a toddler when she's born I'll be happy.

"Preparing For Birth"...

2007-04-04T10:06:00.000-04:00

Last night was our first Labor & Delivery class. All 18 of us (nine couples) dutifully toted our pillows and blankets and settled in for what we hoped would be an informative evening. As a whole we are a very cohesive group...all white, all married (except for one couple, who are also the youngest couple) and most of us are in our late 20's or early 30's. It's possible I am the oldest mom-to-be at 34 but I don't know that to be true - I'm just speculating. The teacher is nice enough, appearing to be in her mid-30's she has three kids and has spent most of her time as an OB nurse. I didn't learn anything new last night except that pregnant women shouldn't lay on a concrete floor because my hips and pelvis were severely out of whack when we got home - I'm talking serious pain that took the entire overnight to subside.

The teacher did have a rubbery plastic baby that she passed around. It weighed almost three pounds, which is what our babies currently weigh. It was funny to watch everyone handle it - one guy took off his baseball hat and put it in it to see if it would fit and another guy pretended like he was going to drop it on the floor. She also had some large pictures of what a pregnant woman looks like on the inside, where all of her organs are and the like. I'd already seen those pictures online so that wasn't new to me. The teacher does have an empathy belly that all the Dad's can wear at some point. The male part of the young couple was the first to volunteer and he wore it well. Playing along with all the stuff the teacher made him do he was definitely a good sport and should proove to be an enjoyable part of the class.

Other then the act of actually going to the class, it should be okay. I just have to look at it that I am "preparing" for birth...though I'm still convinced she's going to come out in whatever way works for her, whether I'm breathing the right way or not.

Happy Monday...

2007-04-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

I should have known today was going to be a good day when I woke up and could barely see the houses across the street through the heavy fog. You see, fog is just like rain or snow - people don't seem to be able to drive in it.

So I got to work without incident and then sitting in our morning production meeting I heard the words all pregnant women dread..."We have no water". I'm sorry what??? Where I work a statement like "we have no water" means... "we have no bathroom". I try not to panic. I already kind of had to pee by the time I got to work. Now I have to hold it "indefinitely". Well "indefinitely" turned out to be 10:30 when I gave in and went. The tank still had water so I was able to flush and the plumber has probably been here for over an hour now so I'm hoping that means we'll have water by later this afternoon. Sorry if this is all T.M.I. but it's what's new for today.

Did I Really Have Nothing to Say...

2007-03-27T10:27:00.000-04:00

Is it possible that two weeks can pass without there really being anything of substance for me to say? Let's catch up shall we?

I'm still pregnant - 28 weeks down...12 more to go. I had a realization over the weekend that I may just look fat to people who don't know I'm pregnant - that's kind of depressing.
My 11 year old nephew came to my house one evening and while we were finishing dinner he was in the living room sitting on my coffee table watching TV. What possessed him to sit on the coffee table when there are two sofas and a comfy recliner to sit on. It made me realize our kid isn't going to be able to touch ANYTHING in our house. (Yeah I know...Good Luck with that)
People drink Guiness beer with their breakfast on St. Patrick's Day - I saw it on the news, that was kind of gross.
Warm weather makes people in my office talk about going on vacation. The owner of our company was just in Disney World - I like talking about going to Disney World - it makes me happy.
My co-worker said I'm "nesting" because I cleaned a bunch of old crap out of my office last week. I thought I was being nice doing it - since she's going to have to be able to find things to help my customers for two to three months this summer. Plus I hadn't dusted my quote shelves since I moved into this office over a year ago - that was just disgusting.
South Carolina wants to pass a law that would require women seeking an abortion to see an ultrasound of their "baby" then think about it for an hour before going through with the procedure. They were discussing this on Good Morning America - while showing an ultrasound photo of a fetus that was at least 20 weeks old. Having used fertility treatments to conceive I had ultrasounds from week five through week eleven. Would you like to see my pictures...of a black circle with a smaller lighter gray circle inside? Granted both areas got bigger as we went through the first trimester but it was still just a tadpole like blob - nothing that looked like a baby. If they want to pass this law I think they should at least be honest about what these women will see.
My Mom comes and has lunch with me almost every Friday and last week she said my eight year old niece wants to come to my house for a visit before I have my baby. I don't know if she means a sleep over or just a come for the day type visit. I also don't know if she wants her younger brothers to come too or if she wants me all to herself. I used to spend a decent amount of time with her and the boys before I got married but over the last five years it's tapered off. Right now it's sporadic at best. Maybe she's worried that once I have my own baby I won't have time for her anymore and maybe for some strange child-like reason she likes having me around.
Yesterday morning I had to go for my blood glucose test at the Quest near me. They open at 630am and, for those who don't know, I had to drink this nasty orange sugar water crap and then sit for an hour. By the time they took my blood at 855am they had gone through 44 people and there were at least another ten waiting. I can't ever figure out when to go so I don't have to wait forever. I'm hoping I don't have to go back.
I was on the phone here at work when a purchasing agent called me to place an order. He had called this morning and left me a message, then I called him back and left him one. So he sat on hold until I was forced to hang up from my current phone call so I could talk to him. Then after speaking with him for 20 minutes he decided he really didn't know what his engineer wanted and that he'd have to get back to me on Thursday when the guy came back to the office. What a D.B.

Looks like I had some things to talk about after all...

Who do they think they're fooling...

2007-03-09T09:58:00.000-05:00

I saw a commerical the other night for a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie coming out this spring...only now they are calling them "TMNT". Hello, do we remember the last group to try this? Their name was "New Kids on the Block" and they came back as "NKOTB" - trying to promote a hipper image. It didn't work for them and I'm wondering how it's going to go for the Turtles.