A New Schedule

I'm so worried that when J goes back to school, I'm going to have to pick up the slack around the house.

He's been one-armed for eight weeks now, but still doing the laundry, the vaccuuming, the dusting, and the cooking with that one functional arm.

I thought I was spoiled before, but now that he's been doing it all around the house (heaven forbid he be bored for a minute!), I'm scared to death I'm going to have to cook dinner again...

Quite honestly, I'm okay with doing the dishes every day.

(Google Image)

Especially when it's all I have to do every day.

(And yes, I realize we're only two people and we use paper plates a lot, but two forks, two knives and two glasses just don't a dramatic photo make!)

Bring Your Child to Work Day

Now, this doesn't work for me.  My kids (steps that they are) are 34-almost-35 and 33, respectively.  Pretty soon I'll be retired and they can bring their old parents to work with them on Bring Your Old Parents to Work Day!

But today, one of my colleagues brought his son and his nephew in for our Bring Your Child to Work Day.  And after the morning breakfast, and after the tour "to places people who work here aren't allowed to go to," the boys have some time to kill so they're sitting in the hotel cubby next to mine.  (We call empty cubbies "hotel" spaces and colleagues visiting from other offices are assigned one when they come to HQ...

They're in the 9 and 11 year old range.  Cute as buttons, they are!

AND THEY TOLD ME I DON'T LOOK 52.  I LOOK 31!  AND I EVEN LOOK THE SIZE OF 31!!!

I told their dad/uncle to give them double desserts today!!!

50 Shades of Chicken (Random House)

Wait, ANOTHER video that made me laugh out loud, although admittedly I'm so glad I had earphones on, and this didn't play out loud in my office....

To those of you who have read or heard about the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy (yea, those books!) AND who love to cook, enjoy!

Kristen Bell's Sloth Meltdown

I SO needed a chuckle this morning.  I didn't know I needed to see this particular video again, but once I did, it was EXACTLY what I needed!  Watch this - I can't help but like Kristen Bell just for this video...



And then, a follow up...

Dove Real Beauty Sketches

Take three minutes from your day and watch this video.  It's so true, that we are our own worst enemy.  I have learned, over the past twenty years or so, to give myself a break, to appreciate what I am and what I have rather than to beat myself up for being too heavy or not pretty enough.  This experiment, sponsored by Dove  Real Beauty, says it all - we are toughest on ourselves and we really don't see ourselves as others see us.

http://youtu.be/XpaOjMXyJGk

They Got Their Man!

Boston law enforcement, along with the FBI, ATF, State Troopers and National Guard caught Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev (19) hiding in a boat in Watertown. His brother Tamerlane (26) was shot early this morning during a wild chase. His brother ran over him when he continued to try to escape.

Congratulations to Boston law enforcement, FBI, ATF and State Troopers on getting their man!

I'm so happy tonight.

The Boston Marathon 04/15/13

I should have posted this yesterday but I was glued to the television screen when I wasn't listening to the radio.

Someone, we don't yet know who is responsible, set off two bombs (three were planned but one didn't go off and was defused).  They killed three people (so far) - one was an 8-year old.  Over 130 people were injured, at least 15 or so critically.  More people might still die.

I just don't understand it.  Where do people learn to have such little regard for human life?  Where do people learn to not just hurt other people, but KILL them?  I know they're sick.  I know there's the proverbial screw loose.  But I know plenty of sick and screwy people who wouldn't KILL someone. 

I wonder sometimes, when I'm thanking God for all those young Americans who are at war, fighting for my liberty, for my country, for ME.  I wonder how they'll struggle and suffer after they are forced to kill someone.  For ME.  And I thank them, each and every one of them.

But this person, or persons, who did this?  They're not suffering.  They're not going to live with the guilt.  They're never going to take a split second to care about any of the families they've destroyed.  This person who decided one day that it would be a good idea to make a bomb, or two or three, thought about it long and hard and decided that the Boston Marathon would be a good place to detonate them and hurt hundreds, if not more, innocent people?  People who were running.  People who were watching.  People who were outside enjoying a nice sunny day.

That person, or persons - YOU SUCK.  YOU ARE HEARTLESS.  I know you're someone's son or daughter, someone's brother or sister, someone's mom or dad.  But you are a HORRIFIC, TERRIBLE excuse for a human being.  This thing you did?  In my humble opinion, it WAY overshadows whatever you might be to or for someone else.  I don't care how great a husband you might be, or how awesome a mom you are, or what a caring child you might be for your aging parents.  YOU ARE A SON OF A BITCH and I hope you are found, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and subjected to the absolute maximum penalty.

And an eye for an eye?  Yea, I'm okay with that.

IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU

I'm not gay.  But I do believe in equality.  I do believe God loves us all, each and every one of us, regardless of our sexual orientation - or our hair color, or our weight, or our religion, or our gender, or our race...

If a child of mine came to me one day and said he or she was gay, I'd be both loving and supportive, and devastated.  NOT because being gay is wrong or sick or anything like that, but because it's 2013 and people are still torturing and bullying and disowning and hurting their loved ones because they're gay.

I do support gay marriage.  And I'll be seeing this movie in its entirety when it is released.

http://youtu.be/pR9gyloyOjM

Lightening my life...

I simply have too much.  I'm not complaining, per se, but I'm feeling bogged down with all the "stuff" I own, and I want to simplify.

I am so very blessed.  We are far from wealthy but we really don't actively worry about where our next meal is coming from, or if we can afford to put gas in the car, or if I want to buy an extra magazine in the grocery store...  Since J's retirement is looming on the horizon, we've been talking a lot more about how we spend, what we buy, what we need, what we want, how we'll live, where we'll live...

But when I walk into my house, into my room, into my spare room, when I go into my closets, I just feel as though there's too much stuff in my house.  I simply have wasted too much of my money in the past buying things, things I don't need, things I just wanted, and now I feel the need to just unburden myself.

I've always donated clothes and miscellaneous household stuff to the Vietnam Veterans of America, or to the Lupus Foundation.  I've decided that I'm going to put together a selection of work clothes I don't wear too much and contact a woman's shelter to donate them:  there are so many women escaping abusive husbands, women who need a helping hand to move up in the world, and perhaps my work clothes will be just what they need to wear on that special interview. 

I have so many extra scrapping things; I've been donating them to my scrapping group.  But now I'm going to put together some small activity kits and bring them to the hospital and donate them to the pediatric ward.  Perhaps there are a few children who can use a distraction while they're in the hospital for treatment, or while they're recovering...

I was so enlightened by the sheer amount of food I had to throw away after Hurricane Sandy.  I just go to Shop Rite, and I buy what catches my eye.  I never worry about a food budget, or if I should or could buy those chips/cookies/sodas, etc.  I vowed to not buy too much anymore, not more than I can realistically use.  I promised not to overstock my refrigerator and freezer.  FAIL!  I'll have to take a picture of the inside of my fridge/freezer and add it to this post tonight...  We are cooking more, and eating out less, since J is pretty much homebound since his surgery, but I still have so much I really don't need to store.  So I'll be putting together some dried goods and bringing it to the church this weekend.  We have a food box in the vestibule where you can donate foodstuff, and members can help themselves to what's there.  There are quite a few elderly parishioners and some lower income families in the parish, so there are some more people I can help.

I haven't done any of this yet this week, but my heart already feels lighter!