Listen, I understand that the radio stations are businesses, and that they have to play more than 12 songs in their rotations, in order that people will listen and not switch the station, in order to get the good ads. So I know that musicians need to write new versions of old songs. How else will the station fill 24 hours of Christmas Tunes, now 'til Christmas?? How, I ask you! But I have BONES TO PICK -- mostly music-nerd and English-nerd bones, so bear with me, here -- with some of the newest versions of 2 of my favorite Christmas carols. OH MY GOD.
First, someone has recorded a very swing-y, very filled-out version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." There are a lot of embellishments and odd syncopations, and it is rubbing me the wrong way. Because, listen to the words: Merry Little Christmas. It's a little thing. A delicate, simple notion of Christmas. The words spell out what the music should be. The four even eighth notes of the original "mer-ry lit-tle" are ON PURPOSE, people.
That one gets a warning -- minor offense.
Over on the local Christian station, someone else has done a big band/swing version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." This one doesn't bother me as much with its swing rhythm, because it's big band in very obvious ways, like lots of horns and a big, brassy, round vocal lead -- he sounds like Michael Buble or Harry Connick and I really like those guys. HOWEVER. This version has hijacked the lyrics for Extreme Right Evangelicalism and it pisses me off. It says,
"Through the years, we all will be together,
If His grace allows...
Hang a shiny star upon the highest bough..."
Nothing wrong with "If His Grace allows," I guess, but nothing wrong with saying "the Fates," either!! I mean, dang, it's just LITERATURE. Just mythology, the first stories the world ever had. But NOooo, we wouldn't want to allude to something other than GOD allowing things to happen, not even innocent, literary Fate. That wouldn't be Christian enough. Errrrrrgh. Annoying. I almost can't listen to this one.
Traffic ticket. You have violated the song in a big way.
Finally. This week I have heard 2 separate versions of "The Little Drummer Boy," both with LOUD drums and/or background vocals like Doo-wops or Doot-doots, intruding on the song. Here again, you idiot "songwriters" of today: LOOK AT THE LYRICS. The beauty of this song is its simplicity. The older, choral version (that thankfully, you still hear on the radio), barely has any accompaniment. That is no accident! The haunting silence of the moment where the little drummer boy offers to play his drum is what MAKES this song. Am I right? The pause before... "Then... He smiled at me...." ?? Is BEAUTIFUL. Makes your throat catch in the back. BEGS to be followed by a reverent, appropriate ending: "Me and my drummm." My simple, tiny, seemingly insignificant drum. That made God the baby smile. NOT my LOUD, FAST, BASHING DRUM-SOLO DRUM, which is, I swear, what one of these ridiculous versions served up.
APPALLING. Go to Jail. Go directly to Jail. Do not pass Go, do not collect any candy canes from me.
Friday, November 30
Score!
Shopping solo on lunch break: One of the perks of being a working mom.
Also, shopping for clothes: One of the perks of being pregnant. Must shop! No alternative, nothing fits! (Certainly can't go naked, no one wants that!)
Anyway, I totally forgot there's a Motherhood store by my office. Went in there today and spent a cool Benjamin - lots on sale.
Check out this ruffley blouse. NINE-ninety-nine, baby. I almost bought two. Probably should have, but I also needed jeans, and found some in Large-Petite. I don't think you need a visual on jeans, but they're appropriately cute.
I am proud of myself and happy to have some new things. I looked for a coat/jacket -- don't think I can get through all of winter without one that closes properly in the front -- but they didn't have my size. Bummer. Shopping is fun if you allow yourself!
I also went to Party City for some pirate-costume stuff. Our next-door neighbor turns four, and wants a pirate party with everyone (including parents) dressed up. ARRRRgh, matey. But at least PC had some stuff -- eye patches, small swords, a Jolly Roger hat. AJ is going to be cute again this weekend, pictures to follow!
Then I bought a 6-inch Subway and SunChips. Score, again. It's been a VERY good day so far.
Also, shopping for clothes: One of the perks of being pregnant. Must shop! No alternative, nothing fits! (Certainly can't go naked, no one wants that!)
Anyway, I totally forgot there's a Motherhood store by my office. Went in there today and spent a cool Benjamin - lots on sale.
These two sweaters for $14.99 each. Totally can be dressed up or down. Not too heavy (it's only in the 50s-60s here, not freezing arctic like the Old Navy Christmas commercials want you to think).
Precious pink (almost too pink, but my heart called out to it) blouse. Not on sale, but I will wear it a lot between now and Feb 24th, and it'll help ease Hubby's transition to the Pink-i-Side Layer. ("CATS" reference. Anyone? Bueller?)
Check out this ruffley blouse. NINE-ninety-nine, baby. I almost bought two. Probably should have, but I also needed jeans, and found some in Large-Petite. I don't think you need a visual on jeans, but they're appropriately cute.
I am proud of myself and happy to have some new things. I looked for a coat/jacket -- don't think I can get through all of winter without one that closes properly in the front -- but they didn't have my size. Bummer. Shopping is fun if you allow yourself!
I also went to Party City for some pirate-costume stuff. Our next-door neighbor turns four, and wants a pirate party with everyone (including parents) dressed up. ARRRRgh, matey. But at least PC had some stuff -- eye patches, small swords, a Jolly Roger hat. AJ is going to be cute again this weekend, pictures to follow!
Then I bought a 6-inch Subway and SunChips. Score, again. It's been a VERY good day so far.
Thursday, November 29
Thursday Thirteen
There's a girl in my office who just graduated from college in May of '07, so this is her first year in the real world of No Christmas Month Off. It has made me remember of some things I loved about Christmastime in college.
1. Um, having a MONTH OFF. We used to finish exams around the 9th or 10th of December, and not return from Winter Break until January 6th or something. That was so awesome.
2. Finals and Reading Week. Yeah, I know that's crazy, but I was a nerd. I liked having no classes to attend, and getting to manage my own study-time however I saw fit. I especially liked the exams that weren't "exams" so much as "homework," like the take-home tests in English. Holing up in a cozy library study carrel for hours. Pages of essay questions, and you could use your textbooks for reference. They were tiring, but not as stressful as a timed scan-tron form.
3. Being in the chorus. We always performed a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, which I'd never heard of until college. (My previous Catholic choirs didn't do all the fancy Anglican stuff back at home! Such a tragedy!) It was a busy time but the biggest extra-curricular event of my year, for four years. I loved everything about it -- choir robes, candles, processions, decorating the huge church, the solemnity, readings from a King James version, professors in regalia, and of course, the music.
4. I especially loved the years when my parents came for the Festival -- and freshman year, when Maryb came with them.
5. There's one spot on campus I can remember feeling very "wintery;" a small bridge that went over the creek. Always felt quaint and silent to me.
6. Making mix tapes (TAPES!) of my dorm-mates' Christmas music. I know I had at least 2 of these and they were so fun. One has John Denver singing with the Muppets.
7. I didn't love this at the time, but I love to remember the fact that I sometimes rode home with the most RANDOM people -- people I didn't really know, but who lived near Pensacola and left a "ride-share" note on the campus post office wall. I can think of one group, especially, that was just an odd combination of kids, but turned out to be a decent road trip. I just think it's funny, spending that time with basic strangers, whom I've never seen again and didn't impact my life in any real way -- but they were part of it.
8. Ohmigosh, I nearly forgot -- Mark and Jason's annual Christmas party! Two friends of mine always put on a huge bash in their basement apartment before we left for home. One of the "features," besides Dundee's Honey Brown, was a huge sheet of white butcher paper, fastened to the dark hallway wall, where we'd draw pictures and write stupid drunk messages to each other. I mean, um, not me, Mom... I wrote stupid sober messages of course.
9. Shopping for my family at Lenox Mall, which, at the time, felt so refined and big-city. I especially loved taking the shuttle with my friend, Kim, before I had my car on campus.
10. Care packages from Mom and Dad. I think I received one with hot chocolate once. :)
11. Mistletoe. Not kissing under it, but the fact that it was growing in the trees on the quad. I'd never seen it "live" before -- didn't know where it came from, actually, 'til I saw it at college.
12. Christmas cards. Actually sending some of my own, after I got home for break, to friends from all over that I'd met at school.
13. Senior year, my roommate and I moved off-campus to an apartment of our own. We got our first Christmas tree and hosted a "trim-the-tree" party where we asked each guest to bring an ornament. Some friends made ornaments, others bought them, and I still hang some of them on our family tree, now. Fun to remember where they came from. I think new couples should do this so if you know of someone who's having an "our first Christmas" this year, pass this idea on!
Happy Thursday! Go visit other participants! thursdaythirteen.com
Tuesday, November 27
One of our holiday traditions
The holidays for me (and my Mom -- did I tell you I'm turning into my Mom?) are all about Tradition. That's with a capital T, and the word pops out of our mouths more than absolutely necessary: when we do something that we may have done once before. I guess we just want to attach meaning to family time, in every possible instance. For example, buying Barnie's "Santa's White Christmas" flavored coffee, which I did yesterday at my regular old Publix: We have to say, "It's Tradition," with a grin. For some reason we feel the need to declare that fact, even though... who cares what kind of coffee I buy? (My Mom does.)
It's delicious, by the way.
Last night we began getting out all our Christmas decorations, and I decided we needed to put up the tree, hang ornaments with AJ, and then toast with hot chocolate, per Tradition. We're having a small party on Saturday night and I want the house to be decorated. (Aside: I'm pretty darn excited about this party, even though it's not a big deal -- not a "Christmas Open House" or a fancy "Holiday Desserts and Champagne" kind of shindig where everyone dresses in velvet and black patent leather. It's just a few work buddies and their spouses. But A) it's a grown-up party -- all the people we've invited are older than me, no college friends (heh), and B) Every year I LONG to have a holiday party but never really have the time or the momentum to schedule one. So this year, thanks to Husband's momentum, I get to! I also got to go to the mountains in the early fall this year, so some of the things I've wished were Tradition are maybe coming to be. ...and you see how neatly I snuck that in? I've done these things exactly ONCE but I'm declaring them.) I was supposed to put a few things up, like the wreath and some candles, while I worked at home yesterday, but it just didn't happen so I already felt behind. Then AJ lingered over his dinner and dilly dallied while NOT washing his hands as asked, so we were getting pretty thin on time.
I'm making a short story long. What I want to tell you is that our Tradition, every year, is to hurry with the artificial tree primping and fluffing -- yes we use an artificial tree and we LOVE IT. It's totally paid for itself for 5 years running and I think it has at least 2 more years of life in it. Then I typically start wrapping the lights around, starting at the top. Then DH looks at me and says, "Oh... you're starting at the top?" Then I get defensive and say, "YES. This is how I do it every year." Rrrr. If he's so smart why do *I* do it every time, I wonder.
He turns, and probably rolls his eyes while he continues checking strings at the nearest outlet. I get two strings placed in the branches, then realize the prong ends aren't going to line up right with the extension cord at the bottomdammit. Meanwhile, DH has found 2 strings that are half multi-colored and half dead. So we explain to AJ that the lights don't work and the lights are a grown-up job but the ornaments are a kid job, and we really just can't do ornaments until tomorrow night. (And I am so glad we hadn't told him about the hot chocolate.)
He complies reluctantly and once he's in bed, I'll SIGH and say, "WHY is putting up the lights always so difficult?" And DH tells me the story (a Christmas story!) of when he lived with his 2 married friends, Andy and Pam, and how every year Andy "did the lights all wrong" according to Pam, who would get so mad she'd leave the house, so he thinks Christmas lights aren't really a good activity for a marriage. -- I SWEAR, he tells me this story every year because I ask him. Every year! -- So then I go to Walgreen's or Target (daily mention) to pick up a few more strings of lights, and we start at the bottom this time with the lights plugged IN, Duh, and do the squint tests and finish in about a half-hour. We're usually still on speaking terms after this.
Can't you just hear Tevye singing?
It's delicious, by the way.
Last night we began getting out all our Christmas decorations, and I decided we needed to put up the tree, hang ornaments with AJ, and then toast with hot chocolate, per Tradition. We're having a small party on Saturday night and I want the house to be decorated. (Aside: I'm pretty darn excited about this party, even though it's not a big deal -- not a "Christmas Open House" or a fancy "Holiday Desserts and Champagne" kind of shindig where everyone dresses in velvet and black patent leather. It's just a few work buddies and their spouses. But A) it's a grown-up party -- all the people we've invited are older than me, no college friends (heh), and B) Every year I LONG to have a holiday party but never really have the time or the momentum to schedule one. So this year, thanks to Husband's momentum, I get to! I also got to go to the mountains in the early fall this year, so some of the things I've wished were Tradition are maybe coming to be. ...and you see how neatly I snuck that in? I've done these things exactly ONCE but I'm declaring them.) I was supposed to put a few things up, like the wreath and some candles, while I worked at home yesterday, but it just didn't happen so I already felt behind. Then AJ lingered over his dinner and dilly dallied while NOT washing his hands as asked, so we were getting pretty thin on time.
I'm making a short story long. What I want to tell you is that our Tradition, every year, is to hurry with the artificial tree primping and fluffing -- yes we use an artificial tree and we LOVE IT. It's totally paid for itself for 5 years running and I think it has at least 2 more years of life in it. Then I typically start wrapping the lights around, starting at the top. Then DH looks at me and says, "Oh... you're starting at the top?" Then I get defensive and say, "YES. This is how I do it every year." Rrrr. If he's so smart why do *I* do it every time, I wonder.
He turns, and probably rolls his eyes while he continues checking strings at the nearest outlet. I get two strings placed in the branches, then realize the prong ends aren't going to line up right with the extension cord at the bottomdammit. Meanwhile, DH has found 2 strings that are half multi-colored and half dead. So we explain to AJ that the lights don't work and the lights are a grown-up job but the ornaments are a kid job, and we really just can't do ornaments until tomorrow night. (And I am so glad we hadn't told him about the hot chocolate.)
He complies reluctantly and once he's in bed, I'll SIGH and say, "WHY is putting up the lights always so difficult?" And DH tells me the story (a Christmas story!) of when he lived with his 2 married friends, Andy and Pam, and how every year Andy "did the lights all wrong" according to Pam, who would get so mad she'd leave the house, so he thinks Christmas lights aren't really a good activity for a marriage. -- I SWEAR, he tells me this story every year because I ask him. Every year! -- So then I go to Walgreen's or Target (daily mention) to pick up a few more strings of lights, and we start at the bottom this time with the lights plugged IN, Duh, and do the squint tests and finish in about a half-hour. We're usually still on speaking terms after this.
Can't you just hear Tevye singing?
Monday, November 26
Things I am thankful for, re: our trip
- Because my brother in law was away, we got to sleep in his very comfortable king-sized bed (we usually have an older, floppy full-size).
- Emeril's Butternut Squash, Sausage and Wild Rice soup added a special touch to our turkey dinner (at least to me it did).
- We had a nice lunch with some family friends on Saturday, and got AJ and DH fitted for their wedding tuxes -- the mall was deserted by Saturday!
- My MIL really restrained herself, I think, with the Christmas gifts for AJ. We didn't have to rent a U-Haul to get them all home (an improvement over last year)! Also, am thankful that she's so generous and wants him to have one of everything. :) Also, am thankful that she didn't load ME down with Christmas tchotchkes ("Here, take this, it's so cute").
- While excessive, the 4 Xmas gifts he DID get to open from family friends were very cool and he's played with all of them a lot already.
- The bathroom remodel at MIL's house -- new counter and cabinets! Pretty!
- Staying up late Friday night to watch The Departed. I don't know why but that made me happy.
- Of course, turkey-dressing-cranberry-sauce sandwiches.
- AJ said he had so much fun, and was sad to leave Gammy's house, and that is how it should be for a kid. :)
- Traffic was not that bad coming or going.
Welcome to the Christmas season! (My to-do list is a mile long!)
Wednesday, November 21
There is no one in my office but me
When I used to ride to work with DH, we came to the office really early, and sometimes arrived before anyone else. I always liked that "silent time" and was always slightly disappointed when the next worker-bee would trudge up the stairs. Today is the pseudo-holiday, so lots of folks are out and it's been a loooong time since I've been alone in the cube farm. (Or alone, period, really, save my commute-time.)
Alone is GOOD.
I used to relish time alone when I was a kid -- I remember going into my closet, flipping the light on and shutting the door, just playing by myself or reading, listening to a record, or rearranging my stuff on the shelves. It was like a whole secret room and no one else was allowed. (The cool thing about that closet? It was wallpapered and carpeted. Go my parents! Nice feature!)
This morning while driving I listened to "The Rosary is a Place," the CD I won from Et tu's Jen a few weeks ago. I was convinced that I would think it hokey, despite my great love of Christian music and such, especially the heartstrings-tugging kind that makes me cry sometimes. But the rosary, recorded? Hmm. I knew my soul probably needed that CD, and that's what I'd told Jen, but... I don't know. As Maggie says, I'd probably rather be watching TV.
However, the CD is... nice. It has a gentle-looking Franciscan priest on the cover, and I like the Franciscans. They staffed our parish when I was a kid so they feel like "home." And I like saying the Rosary once in a while during the ol' morning rush-hour. I don't know if that makes me odd, or a religious nut, but it's sure a heck-of-a-lot more calming than watching the cars around me, or listening to NPR talk about Pakistan AGAIN. (I love NPR, too, but I swear, sometimes they get a story and won't.let.it.go. coughHurricaneKatrinaVictims'Plightcoughcough! I don't want to hear any more about Per-Vez Musharraf or however you spell it.)
Anyway. So far today, that's been my theme. Quiet. Meditation. Nice music and prayer. And I think that's a fitting way to go into the Thanksgiving holiday, especially one that is so often about loud dinner guests who've had too many bourbon-and-Cokes, or the familiar discomfort of having a snarky great-aunt, or just COPING with those we love the best. Heh. Perhaps the least-treasured American Thanksgiving tradition, but tradition all the same. I'll be with my in-laws... and the three bounding dogs and the TV-always-on and the talky talky. It's just us, a small group of five, and I really love my in-laws: It's just not quiet there. (Is Thanksgiving quiet anywhere? I rather doubt it.)
Here's hoping you find your own hushed moment somewhere to give thanks, a full plate of side dishes (which we all know are better than the turkey anyhow), and laughter all the way around the table. Happy Holiday.
Alone is GOOD.
I used to relish time alone when I was a kid -- I remember going into my closet, flipping the light on and shutting the door, just playing by myself or reading, listening to a record, or rearranging my stuff on the shelves. It was like a whole secret room and no one else was allowed. (The cool thing about that closet? It was wallpapered and carpeted. Go my parents! Nice feature!)
This morning while driving I listened to "The Rosary is a Place," the CD I won from Et tu's Jen a few weeks ago. I was convinced that I would think it hokey, despite my great love of Christian music and such, especially the heartstrings-tugging kind that makes me cry sometimes. But the rosary, recorded? Hmm. I knew my soul probably needed that CD, and that's what I'd told Jen, but... I don't know. As Maggie says, I'd probably rather be watching TV.
However, the CD is... nice. It has a gentle-looking Franciscan priest on the cover, and I like the Franciscans. They staffed our parish when I was a kid so they feel like "home." And I like saying the Rosary once in a while during the ol' morning rush-hour. I don't know if that makes me odd, or a religious nut, but it's sure a heck-of-a-lot more calming than watching the cars around me, or listening to NPR talk about Pakistan AGAIN. (I love NPR, too, but I swear, sometimes they get a story and won't.let.it.go. coughHurricaneKatrinaVictims'Plightcoughcough! I don't want to hear any more about Per-Vez Musharraf or however you spell it.)
Anyway. So far today, that's been my theme. Quiet. Meditation. Nice music and prayer. And I think that's a fitting way to go into the Thanksgiving holiday, especially one that is so often about loud dinner guests who've had too many bourbon-and-Cokes, or the familiar discomfort of having a snarky great-aunt, or just COPING with those we love the best. Heh. Perhaps the least-treasured American Thanksgiving tradition, but tradition all the same. I'll be with my in-laws... and the three bounding dogs and the TV-always-on and the talky talky. It's just us, a small group of five, and I really love my in-laws: It's just not quiet there. (Is Thanksgiving quiet anywhere? I rather doubt it.)
Here's hoping you find your own hushed moment somewhere to give thanks, a full plate of side dishes (which we all know are better than the turkey anyhow), and laughter all the way around the table. Happy Holiday.
Monday, November 19
Experiment
In an attempt to survive Drought Watch 2007, I have initiated a little test at my household. (Not survive the drought, mind you -- just the drought watch. The guilt of the media blitz. No one's going to survive the drought. See below.)
Honestly, the whole thing has me so perturbed right now. I'm TIRED of not flushing the goll-darn toilet. AJ told me yesterday, "Mama, your pee-pee doesn't smell very good." THANKS, KID, NEITHER DOES YOURS. I'm TIRED of feeling like I can't shave in the shower (even though it's pretty darn hard at 6 months preggers and I'd be lying if I said I'd do it every day under normal circumstances -- hello, it's PANTS season.) I'm TIRED of driving a dirty car. Of having theh saaaame chalk drawings on the sidewalk that last 4 weeks because there's been NO RAIN (I like variety). Of squirting the tiniest bit of water into a spaghetti sauce pot, then wiping that DIRTY WATER around in an attempt to clean the pot -- all because I feel guilty about doing dishes PROPERLY.
I shouldn't joke but it's feeling like we're headed for third-world country status over here. Meanwhile, the Army Corps of Engineers is required to let, what is it, 28 million gallons? of water flow downstream every DAY to save the stinking mussels in Florida. (Sorry, Florida.) Now I love a good bowl of mussels in cream sauce, don't get me wrong! And I know, endangered species, circle of life, the more that die out, the farther up the chain the endangering will go. But seriously? It's about to already REACH the top of the food chain -- us little ol' humans. We are 20 feet away from crisis, here. I.E., they say no drinking water in 79 days. DISASTER! Y2K all over again! ALARM! ALARM! ALARM!
I'll admit the news is making it worse with their doomsday nonsense, but somehow the urgency does not seem to compute in the brains of the bureaucrats. Anyway, I'm sick of the whole thing. What I love best is that 79 days is approximately 2.5 months... and approximately the time I'll need to deliver a new human, water-consuming child into the world! Awesome! (Note to the governor: If I breastfeed, I will need to reserve at least 64 oz. a day for myself. Thank you.)
I'm torn between wanting to conserve, a la my experiment, and just wanting to live my life and use it all up -- the government morons are the ones who didn't plan this city right, why should *I* suffer for it??
SIGH. At least I have chocolate-chip-pumpkin muffins stored in the freezer. You know, for emergencies.
Hypothesis: A little family of three can go three whole days (until we leave for the water-rich lands of south Georgia) without running the dishwasher at all.
Materials: Paper plates, knives/forks/spoons, etc.
Process: (Don't turn on the dishwasher, Einstein.)
Results: TIME WILL TELL.
Honestly, the whole thing has me so perturbed right now. I'm TIRED of not flushing the goll-darn toilet. AJ told me yesterday, "Mama, your pee-pee doesn't smell very good." THANKS, KID, NEITHER DOES YOURS. I'm TIRED of feeling like I can't shave in the shower (even though it's pretty darn hard at 6 months preggers and I'd be lying if I said I'd do it every day under normal circumstances -- hello, it's PANTS season.) I'm TIRED of driving a dirty car. Of having theh saaaame chalk drawings on the sidewalk that last 4 weeks because there's been NO RAIN (I like variety). Of squirting the tiniest bit of water into a spaghetti sauce pot, then wiping that DIRTY WATER around in an attempt to clean the pot -- all because I feel guilty about doing dishes PROPERLY.
I shouldn't joke but it's feeling like we're headed for third-world country status over here. Meanwhile, the Army Corps of Engineers is required to let, what is it, 28 million gallons? of water flow downstream every DAY to save the stinking mussels in Florida. (Sorry, Florida.) Now I love a good bowl of mussels in cream sauce, don't get me wrong! And I know, endangered species, circle of life, the more that die out, the farther up the chain the endangering will go. But seriously? It's about to already REACH the top of the food chain -- us little ol' humans. We are 20 feet away from crisis, here. I.E., they say no drinking water in 79 days. DISASTER! Y2K all over again! ALARM! ALARM! ALARM!
I'll admit the news is making it worse with their doomsday nonsense, but somehow the urgency does not seem to compute in the brains of the bureaucrats. Anyway, I'm sick of the whole thing. What I love best is that 79 days is approximately 2.5 months... and approximately the time I'll need to deliver a new human, water-consuming child into the world! Awesome! (Note to the governor: If I breastfeed, I will need to reserve at least 64 oz. a day for myself. Thank you.)
I'm torn between wanting to conserve, a la my experiment, and just wanting to live my life and use it all up -- the government morons are the ones who didn't plan this city right, why should *I* suffer for it??
SIGH. At least I have chocolate-chip-pumpkin muffins stored in the freezer. You know, for emergencies.
Friday, November 16
Taste of winter
Starbucks was packed this morning which tells me everyone wanted a hot drink to accompany them to work. (Mine, alas, was not the Toffee Nut latte I love, because they were out of toffee nut syrup. A combo of almond and hazelnut, however, almost matched. FYI.) I wanted to befriend, or maybe, lick!, everything in there, it was all so yummy -- I walked inside, versus the drive-thru route I usually take, hoping to actually FEEL the chill in the air -- the lime green and red combo they've chosen, the cool packages of "Christmas blend," the cute little coffee-cup-shaped ornaments (I want!)... it was all shiny and cozy and very inviting.
I wore my favorite red wool double-breasted coat, but it doesn't quite fit over my silhouette, so I think I'll have to purchase a maternity coat. I guess it'll be cold-ish until baby's born, and that's 3 full months away -- so, a necessity. I also wore a scarf that I won from this lovely lady way back in March, and I love it.
AJ wore his cousin's poufy ski-type coat, so generously given to us, and looked like a little Michelin man this morning, toddling off to school, hood and all.
It was in the 20s in our corner of the north Georgia suburbs.
I wore my favorite red wool double-breasted coat, but it doesn't quite fit over my silhouette, so I think I'll have to purchase a maternity coat. I guess it'll be cold-ish until baby's born, and that's 3 full months away -- so, a necessity. I also wore a scarf that I won from this lovely lady way back in March, and I love it.
AJ wore his cousin's poufy ski-type coat, so generously given to us, and looked like a little Michelin man this morning, toddling off to school, hood and all.It was in the 20s in our corner of the north Georgia suburbs.
Wednesday, November 14
Read-ums
I just LOVE being pregnant at the same time as 2 of my favorite bloggers, because sometimes they get it JUST RIGHT and I get to smile knowingly and say, "YEAH."
Please believe me and go read this, and this.
Fun, fun pregnant girl stuff.
ON the other hand of fun pregnant girl stuff: I am having some wicked carpal tunnel pain today, like a "click" in my wrist that won't click. Rrr. I never have carpal tunnel clickiness when I'm not pregnant. Also, I'd like some boiled shrimp and cocktail sauce, please. NOW. Just sayin'.
Please believe me and go read this, and this.
Fun, fun pregnant girl stuff.
ON the other hand of fun pregnant girl stuff: I am having some wicked carpal tunnel pain today, like a "click" in my wrist that won't click. Rrr. I never have carpal tunnel clickiness when I'm not pregnant. Also, I'd like some boiled shrimp and cocktail sauce, please. NOW. Just sayin'.
Eyes, flowers, socks, and more
I have a big fat list of things to do but I am SO procrastinating this morning. LagLiv tagged me and bless her heart! I seriously needed a bit of a distraction, so it's the 7 Things Meme, coming to you live from my cube in Atlanta. Surely I've done this one before, yes? Oh well, who cares.
Also: GoodLord, there are 31 entries in my "memes are awesome" category.
Here's the meme info:
- Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
- Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
- Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
1. We'll go with random and not weird, to start with -- I have hazel eyes. I am just about the only person I know with hazel eyes, although my dad used to have them, I think. His have seemed blue to me for ages now; for a time he wore blue contact lenses, and then he had lasik... anyway I can't quite remember the story on his eyes but MINE are unmistakably hazel and one of my favorite things about my own appearance - you know, when I am doing a self-love exercise. :) I secretly hope that baby girl might get hazel eyes, too. AJ's are his daddy's deep gorgeous brown.
2. I just had to get up and go to the ladies room to check my own eyes out, after writing all that. This could be heading toward vanity; now I feel like I ought to confess it. Although I did also have to pee.
3. My favorite flowers are stargazer lilies. I just learned that besides innocence and purity, they are said to represent wealth and prosperity. I therefore think I should display them much more often, to call down these things straight from the heavens or flower gods or whomever.
4. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I'm walking around the house in sock-feet and get them wet. *SHUDDER!!* I have to take off the offending sock IMMEDIATELY because it makes me so mad. LAST night, and this gives me the willies just telling you, I was making dinner and sloshed a bit of... raw chicken juice (ew) onto the floor... and then stepped in it!! Aaaaaaghghghghghghghhgg! So. Grozs. Let us never speak of it again.
5. I am turning into my mother in so many ways. I've found a little pad of what I would call "scratch paper," and the other day I counted four or five different little notes, written on these 4x5-inch papers, crowding my purse. Heh.
6. Want to know some of the random things I'll do at work today? Fill out an expense report, create a project site for my new client, write-up an online survey, (check my blogs), sign up for MyRackspace, and order a 2008 calendar.
7. I can't decide which kind of calendar to get! I've had a big "blotter" for the past few years, but I think I want to go back to the old-style appointment book.... LIKE MOM KEEPS!
I think these are the BEST kind of calendars and used them throughout college. I keep my Google calendar on this view, too. Yes, I keep paper and Google calendars. AND a "picture" calendar hangs in the kitchen at home. What? Don't you keep several? I'm always tempted to take the free ones they give out at church, too.
So now to the tagging... Devan! Marie Green! Electric Boogaloo! Majilla! Swistle! MaryB! and.... dang, I just can't think of a 7th (so many of you, I tag all the time!) If you want it, have at it. :)
Also: GoodLord, there are 31 entries in my "memes are awesome" category.
Here's the meme info:
- Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
- Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
- Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
1. We'll go with random and not weird, to start with -- I have hazel eyes. I am just about the only person I know with hazel eyes, although my dad used to have them, I think. His have seemed blue to me for ages now; for a time he wore blue contact lenses, and then he had lasik... anyway I can't quite remember the story on his eyes but MINE are unmistakably hazel and one of my favorite things about my own appearance - you know, when I am doing a self-love exercise. :) I secretly hope that baby girl might get hazel eyes, too. AJ's are his daddy's deep gorgeous brown.
2. I just had to get up and go to the ladies room to check my own eyes out, after writing all that. This could be heading toward vanity; now I feel like I ought to confess it. Although I did also have to pee.
3. My favorite flowers are stargazer lilies. I just learned that besides innocence and purity, they are said to represent wealth and prosperity. I therefore think I should display them much more often, to call down these things straight from the heavens or flower gods or whomever.
4. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I'm walking around the house in sock-feet and get them wet. *SHUDDER!!* I have to take off the offending sock IMMEDIATELY because it makes me so mad. LAST night, and this gives me the willies just telling you, I was making dinner and sloshed a bit of... raw chicken juice (ew) onto the floor... and then stepped in it!! Aaaaaaghghghghghghghhgg! So. Grozs. Let us never speak of it again.
5. I am turning into my mother in so many ways. I've found a little pad of what I would call "scratch paper," and the other day I counted four or five different little notes, written on these 4x5-inch papers, crowding my purse. Heh.
6. Want to know some of the random things I'll do at work today? Fill out an expense report, create a project site for my new client, write-up an online survey, (check my blogs), sign up for MyRackspace, and order a 2008 calendar.
7. I can't decide which kind of calendar to get! I've had a big "blotter" for the past few years, but I think I want to go back to the old-style appointment book.... LIKE MOM KEEPS!
I think these are the BEST kind of calendars and used them throughout college. I keep my Google calendar on this view, too. Yes, I keep paper and Google calendars. AND a "picture" calendar hangs in the kitchen at home. What? Don't you keep several? I'm always tempted to take the free ones they give out at church, too.So now to the tagging... Devan! Marie Green! Electric Boogaloo! Majilla! Swistle! MaryB! and.... dang, I just can't think of a 7th (so many of you, I tag all the time!) If you want it, have at it. :)
Monday, November 12
It's my kindness, preventing me from posting
I know you all have too many NaBloPoMo participants to keep up with, so I'm posting light to keep your blog-surfing time at the appropriate (HA) time limits. (I know I'm behind in reading all these prolific over-achievers.)
I don't know that I'll EVER do NaBloPoMo. I hate feeling like I *need* to post, when I don't feel like I have the juice. I also hate posting, "I'm busy," because WHO ISN'T. Site launches, work trips, house stuff, holidays... blah blah... Shut up, self. Some people have five kids, you think YOU'RE busy?
But dude. I'm pretty much over this last 2 weeks. And the next ones, too, if you want to know the truth. We got some stuff done over the weekend -- dropped stuff off at Goodwill, Most Excellent Husband vacuumed -- but there's still more to do.
Let's change the subject. My MIL has been asking what I want for Christmas, so I've been thinking about that. DH and I find it interesting that we always give MIL ideas -- we feel like it's a courtesy, not greedy, and she asks, after all -- yet she never reciprocates with ideas for her, so we always end up buying her no-thought-required gifts like Yankee Candles. LAME. Anyway, here's what I want:
Some big (well, medium sized) silver hoop earrings.
Some Large or XL comfy pajamas (for the hospital, mainly -I'm vain, I want cute pictures).
Baby registry stuff -- diaper bags and crib bumpers are SO for the mommy! Not the baby!
iTunes, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, and Target gift cards. Fistfuls of them.
I think it gets harder and harder, as you age, to give these sorts of wish-lists. I mean, yeah, I could always use a nice lotion or necklace, but those don't seem like things you ask your relatives for, do they? They should know about those things -- they're the "default" items. Hostess gifts. And I am just not watching DVDs lately or listening to CDs. (Nor do I get that excited to open either one, anymore.) Maybe *I* am just lame!
Okay, your turn: what wishes will you tell Santa this year?
I don't know that I'll EVER do NaBloPoMo. I hate feeling like I *need* to post, when I don't feel like I have the juice. I also hate posting, "I'm busy," because WHO ISN'T. Site launches, work trips, house stuff, holidays... blah blah... Shut up, self. Some people have five kids, you think YOU'RE busy?
But dude. I'm pretty much over this last 2 weeks. And the next ones, too, if you want to know the truth. We got some stuff done over the weekend -- dropped stuff off at Goodwill, Most Excellent Husband vacuumed -- but there's still more to do.
Let's change the subject. My MIL has been asking what I want for Christmas, so I've been thinking about that. DH and I find it interesting that we always give MIL ideas -- we feel like it's a courtesy, not greedy, and she asks, after all -- yet she never reciprocates with ideas for her, so we always end up buying her no-thought-required gifts like Yankee Candles. LAME. Anyway, here's what I want:
Some big (well, medium sized) silver hoop earrings.
Some Large or XL comfy pajamas (for the hospital, mainly -I'm vain, I want cute pictures).
Baby registry stuff -- diaper bags and crib bumpers are SO for the mommy! Not the baby!
iTunes, Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, and Target gift cards. Fistfuls of them.
I think it gets harder and harder, as you age, to give these sorts of wish-lists. I mean, yeah, I could always use a nice lotion or necklace, but those don't seem like things you ask your relatives for, do they? They should know about those things -- they're the "default" items. Hostess gifts. And I am just not watching DVDs lately or listening to CDs. (Nor do I get that excited to open either one, anymore.) Maybe *I* am just lame!
Okay, your turn: what wishes will you tell Santa this year?
Wednesday, November 7
Tidbits
-- I bought one Disneyworld thing for myself: a tiny pair of 12-dollar, graphite/rhinestone Mickey earrings. The kind without a back, that just hang in your ears. Then Monday? At my Publix? One of them fell out onto the black and white speckled floor. Even the deli counter girl came out to help -- but we searched in vain. SOB!
-- AJ got a Buzz Lightyear "Blaster" toy, and didn't seem much interested in it at first. But since getting it home, we have had shooting contests in the hallway every spare second. He says, "Ready?.. ain?... GO!" I think he's a Space Ranger First Class by now.
-- My manager has started having our Tuesday meetings at a brand-new Target! With a Starbucks inside! This is called Heaven.
-- Toasted cinnamon raisin bread -- or bagels, in my case -- will always remind me of my Grandmother. She used butter, I use Philly, but the warm, sweet smell is just the same.
-- AJ got a Buzz Lightyear "Blaster" toy, and didn't seem much interested in it at first. But since getting it home, we have had shooting contests in the hallway every spare second. He says, "Ready?.. ain?... GO!" I think he's a Space Ranger First Class by now.
-- My manager has started having our Tuesday meetings at a brand-new Target! With a Starbucks inside! This is called Heaven.
-- Toasted cinnamon raisin bread -- or bagels, in my case -- will always remind me of my Grandmother. She used butter, I use Philly, but the warm, sweet smell is just the same.
Tuesday, November 6
Scattered, smothered, and covered
Where to begin? I feel like I want to capture every second (well, almost every one) from our trip because parts of it were really, truly magical, just like all those Disney brochures promise. We made sure to tell ourselves it was all about AJ, and that we would just endure the stress of travel and the long lines for rides, because that is what you do. So, to begin:
When we waited in the Atlanta airport and AJ behaved well, never running far from us, not being loud, EATING a CHICKEN SANDWICH (not something I thought was on his "acceptable" menu), I was proud. He wouldn't play on Delta's little plastic play-yard (a husky-style slide and whatnot) because it was pink and purple and he deemed it "girly." His exact phrasing. I was amused.
When we got on the airplane and he was fascinated by all the playthings like a seatbelt -- "How does this work, Mommy?" -- and the button for the overhead reading light (onoffonoffonoffonoff), and the tray table, oh dear, the tray table... I was worried. Thank goodness the clip was a little too hard to turn and he couldn't manage it very well on his own.
When our plane finally found the runway and geared up to GO FAST, his eyes grew wide and he knew something was happening, and he kept saying, "Here we GO, Mama!" louder and louder over the sound of the engines. I was choked up. Take-offs usually make me emotional, the daughter of a pilot, as I imagine my Dad in his own little-boy enthusiasm -- did his work feel like that every time? Here we GO! The RUSH and the WONDER of flight? If so, I'm very proud of him for spending his life doing something that he loved, and happy for him that he had the chance. It also usually makes me think of his brother, who died last year doing the same little-boy-love activity in an antique plane. So I was kind-of a mess there. But AJ kept me laughing. He wanted to tell his Daddy, too, who is NOT as keen on the miracle of flight, and was trying to just close his eyes and endure this rather uncomfortable part of his trip. AJ kept interrupting with, "WE'RE FLYING, DADDY!!" and Daddy, bless him, was all, "I KNOW, SON." I was torn. ;)
When we got to Orlando AJ thought that we'd see Mickey Mouse right away, so it was hard for him to wait a whole shuttle-bus-ride and dinner and nighttime until Saturday morning. But when we finally entered the park (we opted to just do the Magic Kingdom in the one day we had), we saw was MICKEY himself, on a stage, doing what I assume is the opening number every morning, or every Saturday maybe, complete with chorus dancers and Captain Hook and sparkly costumes and a shower of glitter at the final Hurrah!.... I was overjoyed. AJ was in awe -- he was really seeing his favorite friend, live and in person! I will not admit to you exactly how many tears I shed as the characters all convinced us that Dreams Do Come True. Seeing my child so excited and knowing what a great vision Walt Disney had, wanting kids to just be happy and play, and experience the whole of childhood in such grand fashion, just got to me. Maybe I was also a little nostalgic. Let's just say I needed a Kleenex or five. What a way to start the day.
The weather proved perfect (high 70s but cooler in the morning and the shade), the crowds were manageable, and the rides were fun. We found Peter Pan's ride, the PhilHarmagic 3D show, the Buzz Lightyear Ranger Spin, the Jungle Safari, and of course, It's a Small World. Dad and DH and I rode Pirates of the Caribbean while AJ napped late in the afternoon, in his stroller. We shopped and snacked using our meal plan from the Disney resort deal. It was all awesome.
The main event was seeing Mickey in the "Judges' Tent," which turned out to be very special for all of us. That's the first photo from yesterday. We went back there not knowing what to expect; in fact, several of us grown-ups intended to scoot out and skip it, but I'm so glad we stayed in the short line. A cast member took us back to a door and opened it, and there, in a small interior room, was MICKEY HIMSELF. Ready to greet everyone but only taking a few in at a time. It seemed like a private audience with the Pope or something. There was a reverence and excitement in the air -- this was IT. Our turn with the very most important guy in this particular world. :) AJ was appropriately quiet, but hugged Mickey eagerly, and I was floored. Speechless.
------
There's a bit more to tell -- of course we had a character breakfast the next morning and then a long day of waiting/traveling to get home, but every moment was worth it. The smiles that graced us were welcome and yes, maybe it's a materialistic place filled with chumps who'll pay out the nose, but there is Something there, too.
It's palpable, and I'm grateful. It sounds so hokey, really, but you just get swept up in all that magic. I never knew this about Disneyworld before having kids.
------
(I'm "scattered and smothered" like Waffle House has browns because of work -- trying to focus back in. I'm trying REAL hard not to dread the Thursday-Friday trip this week, and to feel proud of my skills set, since the company trusts me to make presentations and meet with university deans and presidents and such. After Friday, I hope to feel relief and pride on a job well done. We'll see.)
When we waited in the Atlanta airport and AJ behaved well, never running far from us, not being loud, EATING a CHICKEN SANDWICH (not something I thought was on his "acceptable" menu), I was proud. He wouldn't play on Delta's little plastic play-yard (a husky-style slide and whatnot) because it was pink and purple and he deemed it "girly." His exact phrasing. I was amused.
When we got on the airplane and he was fascinated by all the playthings like a seatbelt -- "How does this work, Mommy?" -- and the button for the overhead reading light (onoffonoffonoffonoff), and the tray table, oh dear, the tray table... I was worried. Thank goodness the clip was a little too hard to turn and he couldn't manage it very well on his own.
When our plane finally found the runway and geared up to GO FAST, his eyes grew wide and he knew something was happening, and he kept saying, "Here we GO, Mama!" louder and louder over the sound of the engines. I was choked up. Take-offs usually make me emotional, the daughter of a pilot, as I imagine my Dad in his own little-boy enthusiasm -- did his work feel like that every time? Here we GO! The RUSH and the WONDER of flight? If so, I'm very proud of him for spending his life doing something that he loved, and happy for him that he had the chance. It also usually makes me think of his brother, who died last year doing the same little-boy-love activity in an antique plane. So I was kind-of a mess there. But AJ kept me laughing. He wanted to tell his Daddy, too, who is NOT as keen on the miracle of flight, and was trying to just close his eyes and endure this rather uncomfortable part of his trip. AJ kept interrupting with, "WE'RE FLYING, DADDY!!" and Daddy, bless him, was all, "I KNOW, SON." I was torn. ;)
When we got to Orlando AJ thought that we'd see Mickey Mouse right away, so it was hard for him to wait a whole shuttle-bus-ride and dinner and nighttime until Saturday morning. But when we finally entered the park (we opted to just do the Magic Kingdom in the one day we had), we saw was MICKEY himself, on a stage, doing what I assume is the opening number every morning, or every Saturday maybe, complete with chorus dancers and Captain Hook and sparkly costumes and a shower of glitter at the final Hurrah!.... I was overjoyed. AJ was in awe -- he was really seeing his favorite friend, live and in person! I will not admit to you exactly how many tears I shed as the characters all convinced us that Dreams Do Come True. Seeing my child so excited and knowing what a great vision Walt Disney had, wanting kids to just be happy and play, and experience the whole of childhood in such grand fashion, just got to me. Maybe I was also a little nostalgic. Let's just say I needed a Kleenex or five. What a way to start the day.
The weather proved perfect (high 70s but cooler in the morning and the shade), the crowds were manageable, and the rides were fun. We found Peter Pan's ride, the PhilHarmagic 3D show, the Buzz Lightyear Ranger Spin, the Jungle Safari, and of course, It's a Small World. Dad and DH and I rode Pirates of the Caribbean while AJ napped late in the afternoon, in his stroller. We shopped and snacked using our meal plan from the Disney resort deal. It was all awesome.
The main event was seeing Mickey in the "Judges' Tent," which turned out to be very special for all of us. That's the first photo from yesterday. We went back there not knowing what to expect; in fact, several of us grown-ups intended to scoot out and skip it, but I'm so glad we stayed in the short line. A cast member took us back to a door and opened it, and there, in a small interior room, was MICKEY HIMSELF. Ready to greet everyone but only taking a few in at a time. It seemed like a private audience with the Pope or something. There was a reverence and excitement in the air -- this was IT. Our turn with the very most important guy in this particular world. :) AJ was appropriately quiet, but hugged Mickey eagerly, and I was floored. Speechless.
------
There's a bit more to tell -- of course we had a character breakfast the next morning and then a long day of waiting/traveling to get home, but every moment was worth it. The smiles that graced us were welcome and yes, maybe it's a materialistic place filled with chumps who'll pay out the nose, but there is Something there, too.
It's palpable, and I'm grateful. It sounds so hokey, really, but you just get swept up in all that magic. I never knew this about Disneyworld before having kids.
------
(I'm "scattered and smothered" like Waffle House has browns because of work -- trying to focus back in. I'm trying REAL hard not to dread the Thursday-Friday trip this week, and to feel proud of my skills set, since the company trusts me to make presentations and meet with university deans and presidents and such. After Friday, I hope to feel relief and pride on a job well done. We'll see.)
Monday, November 5
Two pictures are worth...
I have so much to say about our trip, but no time to say it! This will have to do for now.
Wednesday, October 31
Can't blog - working! (And giving a rip!)
Y'all, there is so much going on this week already -- I've already whined about it here -- and then God drops a surprise cool freelance assignment on me, for which I am so darn excited, probably unnecessarily so, that I was awake half the night jotting down ideas in the dark on a little notepad I keep by my bed. I'm even slightly juiced about an office business trip since my friend gets to come with me and I'll stay in a hotel with a king-sized bed all to myself!
So I won't be blogging as much for a few days because we moved a dresser from AJ's new room into mine so I've got drawers to fill and decor to create, I'm planning my business trip, I'm contacting some interviewees, I've still got to attend to my little Mickey Mouse tonight and the neighborhood boglins -- oops, I mean, goblins, but what a cool typo -- and then pack for The Happiest Place On Earth.
I will catch you on the flip side!
I am grateful for:
-- Dinner at Taco Mac last night
-- Ideas flowing freely, for once
-- Yellow spray-painted socks that actually look like Mickey's shoes, and the fact that my husband did the painting
-- Working at home a half-day today
-- Reese's Peanut Butter Cups :)
So I won't be blogging as much for a few days because we moved a dresser from AJ's new room into mine so I've got drawers to fill and decor to create, I'm planning my business trip, I'm contacting some interviewees, I've still got to attend to my little Mickey Mouse tonight and the neighborhood boglins -- oops, I mean, goblins, but what a cool typo -- and then pack for The Happiest Place On Earth.
I will catch you on the flip side!
I am grateful for:
-- Dinner at Taco Mac last night
-- Ideas flowing freely, for once
-- Yellow spray-painted socks that actually look like Mickey's shoes, and the fact that my husband did the painting
-- Working at home a half-day today
-- Reese's Peanut Butter Cups :)
Monday, October 29
Olfactory
I'm sitting here enjoying the smell of burning dust -- we turned our heat on tonight. I love this annual ritual. I think, in fact, it should be a family tradition: Turn on the heat that first cold night you just know you can can't sleep through anymore, and everyone sit on the bed, or around the table with hot chocolate, and BREATHE IT IN. That dust smell makes me smile every year. Somehow the dust here in Georgia smells exactly like the dust from Texas, where I was a child. How IS that? There are two different heating systems involved, and very different vegetation and bugs, and even different PEOPLE living here than there, creating all those dusty particles of dog and skin and leaves and taco night and sweat and laundry detergent, and whatever other floaty goodness we've entertained ourselves with all summer. How is it they smell the same??
Friday, October 26
Who needs pumpkin patch photos
(Actually, I'm ashamed that we didn't take our camera to last week's pumpkin-carving party, and I totally bought this year's pumpkins at Publix. Lame.) But onward!
We're off to Helen, GA tomorrow morning, and lots to do to prepare for that and the subsequent events next week. I signed up for cupcakes on Halloween Wednesday at daycare.... WHY? Because I love an extra scoop of stress. Thank goodness for Publix bakery. Have a great weekend!
He'll gladly gather up all the dog toys out of friendship, but not return his own to the neatly specified toy baskets. What's with that?
Do you know my hubby does dishes for me nearly every night? Even on Book Club night, when I was being loud and giggly with the girls, he was in the kitchen scrubbing away. It really struck me as so kind, especially because all my friends witnessed it.
"I call this game fun in a box," said the Cat.
We're off to Helen, GA tomorrow morning, and lots to do to prepare for that and the subsequent events next week. I signed up for cupcakes on Halloween Wednesday at daycare.... WHY? Because I love an extra scoop of stress. Thank goodness for Publix bakery. Have a great weekend!
Thursday, October 25
Six Items of Pregnancy Business
-- My hair is a cross between this chick, and Mrs. Brady. I don't know why I always let it grow out so much in between haircuts. I'm normally a person with thick hair that grows fast -- put me on extra hormones and my head feels like an 8-pound package of alfalfa sprouts or something. I've been avoiding my eyebrows and was mortified when the Book club started sharing funny stories about waxing last night. (Do I need to? OMG, are they hinting?) I must remedy these things Today.
-- This morning I wanted to eat eggs, and I swear I couldn't shake enough black pepper on them to satisfy me. Every bite, I peppered a little more.
-- I get the weirdest sharp-pain ligament-stretching sensations. Not all the time, just once in a blue moon one will catch me off-guard and make me say, out loud, "Oh!" Embarrassing when it happens within the cube farm.
-- Had my first middle-of-the-night, I might as well get up and go downstairs moment of insomnia. I ate 3 big pieces of French bread (starved), got under the blanket on the couch, and watched M*A*S*H for about 45 minutes.
-- Also have had my first supposed "man" dreams, which I never had with AJ. You know, where you dream about some hot man other than your husband? Lots of people I know talk about this but again, I never had one when pregnant with AJ. I would like to request a do-over, though: One dream was about a NON-hot guy I knew in college, the other was about Scott Baio. Seriously. He worked in this yellow deli next door to an apartment building where I apparently lived. I got all flirty. Scott Baio??
-- Last night before bed, this little girl went on a kicking spree. It was the Olympics of kicking. She must have been on her back, propping her neck up, wearing a sweatband and doing bicycles. I am constantly lifting up my shirt so I can WATCH the movements from the outside. (When we're alone, I mean, not in public!)
-- This morning I wanted to eat eggs, and I swear I couldn't shake enough black pepper on them to satisfy me. Every bite, I peppered a little more.
-- I get the weirdest sharp-pain ligament-stretching sensations. Not all the time, just once in a blue moon one will catch me off-guard and make me say, out loud, "Oh!" Embarrassing when it happens within the cube farm.
-- Had my first middle-of-the-night, I might as well get up and go downstairs moment of insomnia. I ate 3 big pieces of French bread (starved), got under the blanket on the couch, and watched M*A*S*H for about 45 minutes.
-- Also have had my first supposed "man" dreams, which I never had with AJ. You know, where you dream about some hot man other than your husband? Lots of people I know talk about this but again, I never had one when pregnant with AJ. I would like to request a do-over, though: One dream was about a NON-hot guy I knew in college, the other was about Scott Baio. Seriously. He worked in this yellow deli next door to an apartment building where I apparently lived. I got all flirty. Scott Baio??
-- Last night before bed, this little girl went on a kicking spree. It was the Olympics of kicking. She must have been on her back, propping her neck up, wearing a sweatband and doing bicycles. I am constantly lifting up my shirt so I can WATCH the movements from the outside. (When we're alone, I mean, not in public!)
Wednesday, October 24
A rapper I can get behind
First it was Shreveport, then my own Atlanta tried to pass fashion police laws about this annoying little trend in young males. (And females, heck... remind me to tell you about the teenage g-string we saw last weekend at the local ice cream shop! Or don't, eww.)
Today -- and I heard this on NPR -- it's south Dallas, where the deputy mayor wants to do something about the kids' britches. But he's going about it the right way: He has help from someone they may listen to.
I truly don't listen to hip-hop, but I think the song is brilliant. It makes me laugh -- sounds like he's talking to a bunch of 4-year-olds. It doesn't seem quite right to pass a LAW about how people dress (there are already indecent exposure laws, why waste time and taxpayer money? Besides that, I think there may be more important crimes to be prosecuted. Maybe.) But taking it to the streets? Excellent idea.
Seriously, the words of the song. SO Funny. You can listen to the whole thing by clicking in the sidebar here.
*loud applause*
Today -- and I heard this on NPR -- it's south Dallas, where the deputy mayor wants to do something about the kids' britches. But he's going about it the right way: He has help from someone they may listen to.
I truly don't listen to hip-hop, but I think the song is brilliant. It makes me laugh -- sounds like he's talking to a bunch of 4-year-olds. It doesn't seem quite right to pass a LAW about how people dress (there are already indecent exposure laws, why waste time and taxpayer money? Besides that, I think there may be more important crimes to be prosecuted. Maybe.) But taking it to the streets? Excellent idea.
Seriously, the words of the song. SO Funny. You can listen to the whole thing by clicking in the sidebar here.
*loud applause*
Tuesday, October 23
Supposedly No One Cares, but...
I had the BEST, YUMMIEST lunch today and it is still making me happy an hour later. I ate, at Jason's Deli, a big bowl of the Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, and served myself from their "famous" salad bar. Field greens, yellow bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, green olives, cheddar, and croutons, with a drizzle of balsamic vinagrette and another drizzle (superfluous!) of Bleu Cheese. And two pickled okra spears on the side! And a respectable little serving of potato salad!
I licked the platters clean. I don't quite understand why this experience has me in such a good mood. We've taken to joking, "My baby is happy" when we've had a good meal lately -- AJ, of course, says this of the baby in HIS tummy, too. Well, y'all, MY BABY IS HAPPY.
I licked the platters clean. I don't quite understand why this experience has me in such a good mood. We've taken to joking, "My baby is happy" when we've had a good meal lately -- AJ, of course, says this of the baby in HIS tummy, too. Well, y'all, MY BABY IS HAPPY.
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