When I grow up, I want to be Jessica! To have this absolutely unbridled enthusiasm and love for life - would that we could ALL be Jessica!!!
About Me
- Krys72599
- I'm happy, married, and looking forward to sharing my world with you! If you're interested, that is!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
Wow.
This book has been getting so many rave reviews since its publication in February, 2009.
I got a copy last spring, that's A YEAR AGO, for those of you who think I might be referring to spring of 2010... But I never read it. I kept meaning to, but there was so much hype about the book, and I'm not one to jump on a book's bandwagon (with the exception of Harry Potter - I was a HUGE fan from day one!)...
But this past weekend, I forgot to pack a book for the lake. I'd finished whatever it was I was reading before, and although I recently started Eat, Love, Pray (in anticipation of the upcoming movie), I left it home. So I was bookless.
But The Help was on the bookshelf upstairs so I thought it would be a great time to start it, grabbed it along with my suntan lotion and went out onto the dock.
Let me quote a couple of Amazon reviewers:
JK8 said: "This is the best book I have read in years! I can't recommend it enough!"
KMG55 said: "I was torn between not being able to put the book down and not wanting it to end. "
Elaine said: "I was so disappointed when it ended because I wanted to keep going, I wanted to know more about what happened to these women."
Reading Addict said: "...this was an amazing book. The book was very well written and very hard to put down."
nemo22657 said: "I don't rate many books as 5 stars but this book grabbed me from the beginning."
Now these are just five random quotes I picked out of the 2000+ reviews posted on Amazon.
Here's MY review: *****. Five stars! A GREAT book. LOVED it! Would recommend it to anyone interested in the civil rights movement in the US, anyone who likes to just get sucked into a time in our history we're too young to have experienced up close and personal...
I really liked it a lot and I'm so glad I read it!
If you want to read it, just let me know. I'd be happy to pass it along!
This book has been getting so many rave reviews since its publication in February, 2009.
I got a copy last spring, that's A YEAR AGO, for those of you who think I might be referring to spring of 2010... But I never read it. I kept meaning to, but there was so much hype about the book, and I'm not one to jump on a book's bandwagon (with the exception of Harry Potter - I was a HUGE fan from day one!)...
But this past weekend, I forgot to pack a book for the lake. I'd finished whatever it was I was reading before, and although I recently started Eat, Love, Pray (in anticipation of the upcoming movie), I left it home. So I was bookless.
But The Help was on the bookshelf upstairs so I thought it would be a great time to start it, grabbed it along with my suntan lotion and went out onto the dock.
Let me quote a couple of Amazon reviewers:
JK8 said: "This is the best book I have read in years! I can't recommend it enough!"
KMG55 said: "I was torn between not being able to put the book down and not wanting it to end. "
Elaine said: "I was so disappointed when it ended because I wanted to keep going, I wanted to know more about what happened to these women."
Reading Addict said: "...this was an amazing book. The book was very well written and very hard to put down."
nemo22657 said: "I don't rate many books as 5 stars but this book grabbed me from the beginning."
Now these are just five random quotes I picked out of the 2000+ reviews posted on Amazon.
Here's MY review: *****. Five stars! A GREAT book. LOVED it! Would recommend it to anyone interested in the civil rights movement in the US, anyone who likes to just get sucked into a time in our history we're too young to have experienced up close and personal...
I really liked it a lot and I'm so glad I read it!
If you want to read it, just let me know. I'd be happy to pass it along!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Happy (Not So Much) Father's Day!
Happy Father's Day, J! You are a wonderful man, a fantastic father, and the best husband a girl could ever have! Thanks for putting us first, your kids and me, ahead of yourself, ahead of the rest of the world. Thanks for worrying about me through my recent health scare, thanks for helping me stay strong, thanks for helping around the house (okay, thanks for doing everything around the house!), thanks for wanting it all for us and doing what you have to do to make sure we achieve it. You are the absolute BEST! I love you with all my heart!
And now I'm simply reprinting my blogpost from a couple of years ago, dedicated to my dad and J's dad. It's been two more years since I wrote this, and I don't miss you any less. In fact, I probably miss you MORE each day!
http://krysworld.blogspot.com/2008/06/happy-fathers-day-daddy-you-must-know.html
Happy Father's Day, Daddy!
You must know how much I miss you. I know you're there, somewhere, still a part of my life. Still watching over me. Still keeping an eye on me and guiding me when I need a helping hand.
When I hear the dishes settle on the drainboard, I think, "Hi, Dad!"
When I see a gardening book, I think of you.
When I see an Oldsmobile, I think of you.
When I visit the Harley Davidson factory and I smell the odor of machinery and grease, I think of you.
When Jack starts a project at the house, I think of you. (And I hope you keep an eye on him,too!)
When I see a cemetery, I think of you.
Whenever it's March 16, or June 14, or July 25, or August 12, or December 18, I think of you.
Whenever I have a moment, I think of you.
It doesn't really require a specific thing to make me think of you - you're still so much a part of my every day life that even though you've been gone since March 16, 1987, I talk to you every day.
I think of you every day.
I miss you every day.
When I got married, I stood up on that altar, wishing not for a happy marriage, but that you were there. I prayed for a sign from you: a breeze in that hotter-than-hot church, a window slamming, a car backfiring - I wanted you there so badly that anything would have been a sign from you!!! I wanted you to walk me down the aisle. I wanted to dance that father-daughter dance the worst way. To this day, nine years after I got married, twenty-one years after you died, I can't watch a bride dance with her dad without crying. And it doesn't matter who the bride is: Vanessa, Carrie, or a complete stranger on television.
I cry.
I miss you.
And I am angry that I didn't get to dance with you on my wedding day.
But you know what?
When it's time, when I move toward the light, when I die, you'd better be there to dance the first dance with me.
Happy Father's Day, Mr. S.
I wish you were here.
I wish I got to have a father-in-law.
I know I met you. I know you know who I am, and I truly believe that you know Jack and I are married and happy and I know you're happy for us. And I'm happy to hear Patty talk about you and say that she knows you liked me, that you were happy when Jack and I were together, and that you were annoyed with him when we split up.
But I wanted to know all that in the first-person!
I wanted to visit you during the week, have a cup of coffee or tea with you, and eat some sugar-free Jello with you.
I wanted to see you with your grandchildren. (I truly believe if you and Mom were still here that all that nonsense with Johnny would never have happened. And if you're bored wherever you are, we could use a little help with your grandson!)
I wanted to get to know you as your daughter-in-law, not just that nice girl that Jack was dating.
I'm going to have to settle for making you a part of my day, a part of our day, in all those small ways you would have been were you still here.
I mention you to Jack, I ask him about you as a dad, as a grandfather. He misses you. So very much that he can't really talk about you without tearing up, and that's the way it should be. You know what he says? He says all those times you asked him to hang around and do some work with you and he didn't 'cause he was on his way out to play or to hang with his friends - he says he should have spent that time with you. He misses learning from you, learning to do things like create the Christmas wreaths and grave blankets. He does that for you. In your memory. In your honor. Not 'cause he really likes to do it. It makes him sad. But it's a way to keep you alive with us in a really small way.
I never got to tell you I love you in real life. I hope you know now, though, that I love you and I miss you. And I'm going to be the best daughter-in-law you ever had (not a tough task, I know, considering the competition!) and a great wife to your son. I promise.
And now I'm simply reprinting my blogpost from a couple of years ago, dedicated to my dad and J's dad. It's been two more years since I wrote this, and I don't miss you any less. In fact, I probably miss you MORE each day!
http://krysworld.blogspot.com/2008/06/happy-fathers-day-daddy-you-must-know.html
Happy Father's Day, Daddy!
You must know how much I miss you. I know you're there, somewhere, still a part of my life. Still watching over me. Still keeping an eye on me and guiding me when I need a helping hand.
When I hear the dishes settle on the drainboard, I think, "Hi, Dad!"
When I see a gardening book, I think of you.
When I see an Oldsmobile, I think of you.
When I visit the Harley Davidson factory and I smell the odor of machinery and grease, I think of you.
When Jack starts a project at the house, I think of you. (And I hope you keep an eye on him,too!)
When I see a cemetery, I think of you.
Whenever it's March 16, or June 14, or July 25, or August 12, or December 18, I think of you.
Whenever I have a moment, I think of you.
It doesn't really require a specific thing to make me think of you - you're still so much a part of my every day life that even though you've been gone since March 16, 1987, I talk to you every day.
I think of you every day.
I miss you every day.
When I got married, I stood up on that altar, wishing not for a happy marriage, but that you were there. I prayed for a sign from you: a breeze in that hotter-than-hot church, a window slamming, a car backfiring - I wanted you there so badly that anything would have been a sign from you!!! I wanted you to walk me down the aisle. I wanted to dance that father-daughter dance the worst way. To this day, nine years after I got married, twenty-one years after you died, I can't watch a bride dance with her dad without crying. And it doesn't matter who the bride is: Vanessa, Carrie, or a complete stranger on television.
I cry.
I miss you.
And I am angry that I didn't get to dance with you on my wedding day.
But you know what?
When it's time, when I move toward the light, when I die, you'd better be there to dance the first dance with me.
Happy Father's Day, Mr. S.
I wish you were here.
I wish I got to have a father-in-law.
I know I met you. I know you know who I am, and I truly believe that you know Jack and I are married and happy and I know you're happy for us. And I'm happy to hear Patty talk about you and say that she knows you liked me, that you were happy when Jack and I were together, and that you were annoyed with him when we split up.
But I wanted to know all that in the first-person!
I wanted to visit you during the week, have a cup of coffee or tea with you, and eat some sugar-free Jello with you.
I wanted to see you with your grandchildren. (I truly believe if you and Mom were still here that all that nonsense with Johnny would never have happened. And if you're bored wherever you are, we could use a little help with your grandson!)
I wanted to get to know you as your daughter-in-law, not just that nice girl that Jack was dating.
I'm going to have to settle for making you a part of my day, a part of our day, in all those small ways you would have been were you still here.
I mention you to Jack, I ask him about you as a dad, as a grandfather. He misses you. So very much that he can't really talk about you without tearing up, and that's the way it should be. You know what he says? He says all those times you asked him to hang around and do some work with you and he didn't 'cause he was on his way out to play or to hang with his friends - he says he should have spent that time with you. He misses learning from you, learning to do things like create the Christmas wreaths and grave blankets. He does that for you. In your memory. In your honor. Not 'cause he really likes to do it. It makes him sad. But it's a way to keep you alive with us in a really small way.
I never got to tell you I love you in real life. I hope you know now, though, that I love you and I miss you. And I'm going to be the best daughter-in-law you ever had (not a tough task, I know, considering the competition!) and a great wife to your son. I promise.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
I'm Not Perfect (in case you were wondering!)
Okay, I read these two posts today (reality check... and my real reality) and that proverbial lightbulb went off inside my head!!! I'm NOT perfect, and I know there are a bunch of you reading this that would agree wholeheartedly!
Stephanie Howell blogged about how one of her friends talked about women scrapbookers in the industry being obligated to make their lives look perfect. Stephanie's opinion? And I quote: "a resounding no." Thank goodness! That would rank right up there with the false idea that all American women are a size zero. (For crying out loud! They didn't even HAVE a size zero when I was younger! And by the way, I really resent going into a store and seeing size 10 or size 12 clothes tucked and pinned to make them fit the size 2 mannequin - why not use real size mannequins??? Okay, I'm off my soapbox!)
I'd love to live in a neat, clean house. But I like "stuff." I have a lot of "stuff." And my "stuff" is all over my house. And I don't make a boatload of money so I can't afford to spend any of it on a maid. (Sure, if I didn't buy clothes and scrapping stuff, I could pay to have a maid... hmmm... hold on, I'll be right back! Gotta check my finances... Yea, I could afford one, but dear hubby doesn't want one!)
I admit that, right now, right this minute, if I could, I'd chuck it all and start from scratch, get a smaller house, choose light, airy colors, keep a LOT fewer tchotchkes around the house, hang more pictures on the walls, and JUST.HAVE.LESS.STUFF. But my house isn't there (yet). And I don't clean my house all the time.
We have two. Houses. I leave Friday night to go to the lake house, which is actually a little better simply 'cause we're not there all the time (but I DO need to clean off my island and my dining room table up there). We leave before 7am to go to work, five days a week, and get home 12 hours later. When exactly, after a full day at work, am I supposed to cook, clean, vaccuum, wash, dust, sort, put away? Deep down inside, yea, I want a neat, clean house. But if it looks a little lived in, perhaps a little messier than it should, I figure (1) I don't have bugs, it's just a bit messy and dusty, and (2) if you're coming over to visit, you're coming to see me or my husband, not a neat and clean house. Deal with it!
Here's my version of the "not perfect me":
Stephanie Howell blogged about how one of her friends talked about women scrapbookers in the industry being obligated to make their lives look perfect. Stephanie's opinion? And I quote: "a resounding no." Thank goodness! That would rank right up there with the false idea that all American women are a size zero. (For crying out loud! They didn't even HAVE a size zero when I was younger! And by the way, I really resent going into a store and seeing size 10 or size 12 clothes tucked and pinned to make them fit the size 2 mannequin - why not use real size mannequins??? Okay, I'm off my soapbox!)
I'd love to live in a neat, clean house. But I like "stuff." I have a lot of "stuff." And my "stuff" is all over my house. And I don't make a boatload of money so I can't afford to spend any of it on a maid. (Sure, if I didn't buy clothes and scrapping stuff, I could pay to have a maid... hmmm... hold on, I'll be right back! Gotta check my finances... Yea, I could afford one, but dear hubby doesn't want one!)
I admit that, right now, right this minute, if I could, I'd chuck it all and start from scratch, get a smaller house, choose light, airy colors, keep a LOT fewer tchotchkes around the house, hang more pictures on the walls, and JUST.HAVE.LESS.STUFF. But my house isn't there (yet). And I don't clean my house all the time.
We have two. Houses. I leave Friday night to go to the lake house, which is actually a little better simply 'cause we're not there all the time (but I DO need to clean off my island and my dining room table up there). We leave before 7am to go to work, five days a week, and get home 12 hours later. When exactly, after a full day at work, am I supposed to cook, clean, vaccuum, wash, dust, sort, put away? Deep down inside, yea, I want a neat, clean house. But if it looks a little lived in, perhaps a little messier than it should, I figure (1) I don't have bugs, it's just a bit messy and dusty, and (2) if you're coming over to visit, you're coming to see me or my husband, not a neat and clean house. Deal with it!
Here's my version of the "not perfect me":
- I'm NOT perfect
- If I can be 1/2 the mom my mother was, I'm already WAY ahead of the game
- I am a terrible housekeeper
- My husband does the laundry
- I don't cook very well
- I don't want to be perfect
- I wear the same clothes all the time even though I have quite a few more
- I spend too much money on books and scrapping supplies
- Yet I don't scrap as much as I'd like (it's all at the lake so I have only the weekends to do it)
- I can't remember the last time I dusted
- I missed my best neighbor friend's birthday
- We eat out several times a week 'cause I don't cook
- I really want to throw away everything I own and start over
- I have too much stuff
- I am not the best wife I can be (although I beat the first one, hands down!)
- My husband does all the gardening
- I need to lose weight
- I need to save more money
- I should bring my breakfast and lunch to work, and just treat myself once a week
- I should pray more
- I should gossip less
- I need to exercise more (Who am I kidding? I need to exercise - period)
- I have really strong opinions
- I'd rather read than do anything else
- I also like to play on the computer and watch TV
- I waste a lot of time at work on the computer
And then there's...
- I'm a decent daughter, sister, wife, aunt - even though I could do better
- I believe in God and go to church each week and try to live a good, honest life
- Although I'm not as smart as I used to be, I think I do okay (I try to live by my dad's "Use it or lose it" manifesto!)
- I care
- I am a loving mom
- I'm a good friend
- I have really strong opinions
I started to do the "good" list and I had trouble; I'm not big on tooting my own horn. But I do know that although I'm far from perfect, I'm not going to H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEYSTICKS, either. I am a good person, with a big heart, and I would do almost anything for my family and friends (I draw the line at anything illegal!). But perfect? Huh-uh. Not so much.
And that's OKAY.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
My, my, my, it HAS been a while...
You know something? I'm really not that busy. I really don't do all that much except for work and sleep. Here, I'll prove it -
A Week in My Life
Saturday - Up at 6:30am, showered, to WW at 8am (down .6 lbs - better than UP!), then to breakfast with mom and Jack, home to meet E to get our summer pedicure, then to the mall. I bought a pair of sandals, a purple dress, and a grey skirt. I need tops for the skirt. We had lunch at the Olive Garden. I went home around 4:30, popped on over to Shop Rite, made dinner, and we watched some TV and went to bed.
Sunday - Up at 7am, to church for 8am mass, breakfast with mom and Jack and T, home to shower (yes, I went to church without showering), then to C's so Jack could help J put the new floor in their spare room. C and I met P at the mall, they returned some clothes and bought some new ones, and we went to lunch at Ruby Tuesday's. I had Southwestern Quesadillas and an unsweetened iced tea or two. Then we went to P's house, T&K came over, G was there and BOY, does he know JUST which buttons to push to annoy his sisters! Then Jack picked me up and we went home, ate some dinner, did some computer work for the After-School Kindergarten graduation, watched some TV, and went to bed.
Monday - Got up at 5:50am, showered, went to work. Worked all day. Drove in since I had a follow up appointment with Dr. V. for my (dental) implant. (Lord knows I don't need any other kind!) Picked mom up on the way, intending to drop her at the Caldwell Shop Rite so she could shop while I was at the doctor. But nothing goes as planned; there was road construction all over Bloomfield Avenue and I was a few minutes late for the appointment so mom came with me and we both went to Shop Rite afterwards. Dropped mom home, went home, picked up Jack and we went to Subway for a sandwich, then to P's for dessert. We took a ride with P&B to see a Corvette he's thinking of buying; it was already sold so he looked at another that was $15K more and liked that one better. Home to watch some TV then we went to bed.
Tuesday - Got up at 5:50am, showered, went to work. Worked all day. Went home, made dinner, ate dinner, picked up mom, went to Amazing Savings; Jack bought me some highlighters and some scrapping paper. Took mom home, thinking we were going to Barnes & Noble, but we went home, watched some TV, and went to bed.
Wednesday - Got up at 5:50am, showered, went to work. Working all day. Called to reschedule Jack's dentist appointment 'cause he got called for jury duty that same day. Will be going home to make dinner, eat dinner, watch some TV and go to bed.
Thursday - More of the same to come.
Friday - More of the same to come, but we will be visiting C's new house; Friday is slated to be their closing day. Will probably bring some cartons over and try to help her unpack a little, if they're ready for that...
So why is it, exactly, that I don't seem to have enough time to look at my calendar, realize that today is my colleague's b'day, start working on the little favors I volunteered to make for A's graduation party - my baby niece is graduating from high school in two weeks! No, she's not still a baby, but she'll always be a baby in my heart!
Well, off to get some lunch, then I'll be back to catch up on my Google Reader, Facebook, and Twitter sites... Oh, yea, THAT'S why I have no free time - it's YOUR fault, me trying to squeeze in all those feeds, those Tweets, those FB posts... Stop it, will ya? Stop being so darned interesting!
(Please insert "went online for a few hours" into each day above.)
A Week in My Life
Saturday - Up at 6:30am, showered, to WW at 8am (down .6 lbs - better than UP!), then to breakfast with mom and Jack, home to meet E to get our summer pedicure, then to the mall. I bought a pair of sandals, a purple dress, and a grey skirt. I need tops for the skirt. We had lunch at the Olive Garden. I went home around 4:30, popped on over to Shop Rite, made dinner, and we watched some TV and went to bed.
Sunday - Up at 7am, to church for 8am mass, breakfast with mom and Jack and T, home to shower (yes, I went to church without showering), then to C's so Jack could help J put the new floor in their spare room. C and I met P at the mall, they returned some clothes and bought some new ones, and we went to lunch at Ruby Tuesday's. I had Southwestern Quesadillas and an unsweetened iced tea or two. Then we went to P's house, T&K came over, G was there and BOY, does he know JUST which buttons to push to annoy his sisters! Then Jack picked me up and we went home, ate some dinner, did some computer work for the After-School Kindergarten graduation, watched some TV, and went to bed.
Monday - Got up at 5:50am, showered, went to work. Worked all day. Drove in since I had a follow up appointment with Dr. V. for my (dental) implant. (Lord knows I don't need any other kind!) Picked mom up on the way, intending to drop her at the Caldwell Shop Rite so she could shop while I was at the doctor. But nothing goes as planned; there was road construction all over Bloomfield Avenue and I was a few minutes late for the appointment so mom came with me and we both went to Shop Rite afterwards. Dropped mom home, went home, picked up Jack and we went to Subway for a sandwich, then to P's for dessert. We took a ride with P&B to see a Corvette he's thinking of buying; it was already sold so he looked at another that was $15K more and liked that one better. Home to watch some TV then we went to bed.
Tuesday - Got up at 5:50am, showered, went to work. Worked all day. Went home, made dinner, ate dinner, picked up mom, went to Amazing Savings; Jack bought me some highlighters and some scrapping paper. Took mom home, thinking we were going to Barnes & Noble, but we went home, watched some TV, and went to bed.
Wednesday - Got up at 5:50am, showered, went to work. Working all day. Called to reschedule Jack's dentist appointment 'cause he got called for jury duty that same day. Will be going home to make dinner, eat dinner, watch some TV and go to bed.
Thursday - More of the same to come.
Friday - More of the same to come, but we will be visiting C's new house; Friday is slated to be their closing day. Will probably bring some cartons over and try to help her unpack a little, if they're ready for that...
So why is it, exactly, that I don't seem to have enough time to look at my calendar, realize that today is my colleague's b'day, start working on the little favors I volunteered to make for A's graduation party - my baby niece is graduating from high school in two weeks! No, she's not still a baby, but she'll always be a baby in my heart!
Well, off to get some lunch, then I'll be back to catch up on my Google Reader, Facebook, and Twitter sites... Oh, yea, THAT'S why I have no free time - it's YOUR fault, me trying to squeeze in all those feeds, those Tweets, those FB posts... Stop it, will ya? Stop being so darned interesting!
(Please insert "went online for a few hours" into each day above.)
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Photos I.O.U.
So I went to Book Expo America last Wednesday and took a couple of pictures, one I liked was this veritable sea of carry-on luggage, all tagged for pick up by their owners later in the day. I swear, if there were this many stored, why were my feet rolled over at least 50 times on the floor???!!! By the way, rolling carts? Not allowed on the floor. HA! She says. HA!
So then I was pushing my way through the crowd and I heard some girl say, "Jesse's Girl! He sang Jesse's Girl!" Now, if you're of a certain age, you watched Rick Springfield as Noah Drake on General Hospital, back in the original, younger days of Luke and Laura. And you wanted to BE Mrs. Springfield. You could picture yourself convincing Noah he no longer wanted to be the carefree, flirtatious bachelor he was. You could picture yourself redecorating that modern, spartan bachelor pad into a cozy lovenest for two. I turned my head, and there he was!!! The line was just too long for me; I'm too old to stand on a line for a picture of a slightly overweight me with the crush of my teen years... But I wasn't too old to lean in as close as I could to try for a photo or two!
Sorry this photo is sideways - I forgot to rotate it before I dropped it into this post. This is a piece of art I created for my art journal. It reads, "She decided to ENJOY more, and endure less." (Kobi Yamada, She)
A beautiful iris, or three, from the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. I didn't miss them this year. These photos were the test pictures for my new point and shoot camera. I'm pretty happy with them. These were taken in the evening, without a flash, and with no sunlight on the flowers.
And a special note to Miss Hope, I'm reading Laura Bush's book right now - LOVE IT! And guess what I got for Mother's Day from my little sister! A signed Conservative Victory, by Sean Hannity. She had to pull some publishing strings to get it for me, but get it she did!!!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
I'm a StepMom
Most of you reading this know I have two stepchildren. While I may not have "birthed no babies," they are the children of my heart.
Today I was reading a blog entry by Angie Lucas. She's a name in the scrapbooking industry, CEO of Ella Publishing. She really put it into words. I couldn't really add anything to what she says here: Advice for Stepmoms.
If anyone doesn't understand the difference between a mom and a stepmom, there it is.
Thanks, Angie, for the words.
Today I was reading a blog entry by Angie Lucas. She's a name in the scrapbooking industry, CEO of Ella Publishing. She really put it into words. I couldn't really add anything to what she says here: Advice for Stepmoms.
If anyone doesn't understand the difference between a mom and a stepmom, there it is.
Thanks, Angie, for the words.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Implant implanted...
So I had to be at the oral surgeon's by 7am, for a 7:30am implant.
They TOLD me I was going to be in the operating room but I didn't know it was really an operating room! All sterile and white, with two walls of windows - it was so bright in there!
And I'm a scrubs convert - not the TV show, the clothes! I had to put on a top and bottom and socks and a hair cover - scrubs are comfortable! I might have to buy me some at Walmart!
For the record, my bp was waaaay up, 146/89, pre-surgery. (My normal is between 120/70 and 120/80.). Post surgery, heading back to normalk 138/89. Now, sitting in bed with an ice pack on my jaw, TLC on TV, and a Dunkin' Donuts Caramel Coolatta on my nightstand - I KNOW it's back to normal!
The doctors gave me some extra novacaine, to make it through the morning. They suggested this procedure would be even easier than the extraction, so if I didn't take any Vicodin for THAT procedure, I'd most likely need none for this one.
I think I'm going to pack my ice pack and go get my hair highlighted (it needs it DESPERATELY!).
Back later!
They TOLD me I was going to be in the operating room but I didn't know it was really an operating room! All sterile and white, with two walls of windows - it was so bright in there!
And I'm a scrubs convert - not the TV show, the clothes! I had to put on a top and bottom and socks and a hair cover - scrubs are comfortable! I might have to buy me some at Walmart!
For the record, my bp was waaaay up, 146/89, pre-surgery. (My normal is between 120/70 and 120/80.). Post surgery, heading back to normalk 138/89. Now, sitting in bed with an ice pack on my jaw, TLC on TV, and a Dunkin' Donuts Caramel Coolatta on my nightstand - I KNOW it's back to normal!
The doctors gave me some extra novacaine, to make it through the morning. They suggested this procedure would be even easier than the extraction, so if I didn't take any Vicodin for THAT procedure, I'd most likely need none for this one.
I think I'm going to pack my ice pack and go get my hair highlighted (it needs it DESPERATELY!).
Back later!
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Good news for a change...
No, GREAT news!
My nephew G got engaged yesterday! And we love R, his new fiancee! Don't know all the details yet, but apparently he won a vacation at some fundraising auction: penthouse suite somewhere in sunny Mexico, a terrace that runs along the entire side of the building, 1/2 covered, 1/2 open to the sun, lounges and chairs and pools, oh my!
They spent the afternoon in the pool yesterday, and came in to get ready. After they had dressed for dinner, he proposed. As I said, I don't have any details yet (they're still in Mexico!) but I hope he said something cute, something along the lines of "You look beautiful, but that dress needs something... something sparkly..." At which point I hope he dropped to his knees and swore his undying love and begged her to make him the luckiest man in the world!
My nephew G got engaged yesterday! And we love R, his new fiancee! Don't know all the details yet, but apparently he won a vacation at some fundraising auction: penthouse suite somewhere in sunny Mexico, a terrace that runs along the entire side of the building, 1/2 covered, 1/2 open to the sun, lounges and chairs and pools, oh my!
They spent the afternoon in the pool yesterday, and came in to get ready. After they had dressed for dinner, he proposed. As I said, I don't have any details yet (they're still in Mexico!) but I hope he said something cute, something along the lines of "You look beautiful, but that dress needs something... something sparkly..." At which point I hope he dropped to his knees and swore his undying love and begged her to make him the luckiest man in the world!
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Philly Next Week
So I'm attending a conference in Philly next week. It was supposed to be a one day visit, on Wednesday, down in the morning, back home at night. We (my manager and I) planned to meet at the office and leave from there, and he'd drop me either at home or J would meet us somewhere close to the Turnpike so W wouldn't have to go too far out of his way later at night...
But he suggested we take my buyer out to dinner. I already suggested not, since my customer is dropping 2/3 of our titles from their website due to a revamp. But he suggested it again. And again. So I got the feeling I should probably offer dinner to my buyer. (Not TOO dense, am I?!?)
And she took me up on our offer, and now we're taking her out to dinner, with her marketing guy and her 22-year-old daughter who's coming to conference with her.
And now we're staying over and leaving early on Thursday.
So what are the odds that I can be conferenced and dinnered by 9pm so I can be in my hotel room watching Criminal Minds by 9pm???
But he suggested we take my buyer out to dinner. I already suggested not, since my customer is dropping 2/3 of our titles from their website due to a revamp. But he suggested it again. And again. So I got the feeling I should probably offer dinner to my buyer. (Not TOO dense, am I?!?)
And she took me up on our offer, and now we're taking her out to dinner, with her marketing guy and her 22-year-old daughter who's coming to conference with her.
And now we're staying over and leaving early on Thursday.
So what are the odds that I can be conferenced and dinnered by 9pm so I can be in my hotel room watching Criminal Minds by 9pm???
A New Territory
We've undergone another reorganization here at the publishing-house-which-shall-not-be-named. One of my colleagues has retired, effective last Friday, and they've realigned the territories.
Here's what happened to me:
I USED to have: ME, VT, NH, RI, NY, NJ, VA, MN, IA, AR, LA, NE, MO
I NOW have: ME, VT, NH, NY, CT, RI, MA, NJ, MA, WI, OH, IN
I'm SO disappointed that I no longer have MO - I was SO determined to build up a couple of accounts to justify a trip to the Show Me State so that I could visit Chris and his parents but not have to pay for the trip... Now, I can go visit... no one!
I really wish I'd been the one to win the MegaMillions. Of course, I didn't have a ticket for this past one so that wasn't ever going to happen... I'll have to start buying. It's not that I don't like my job, I do. But I'm not happy about the systems that are in place for these new customers of mine, and I don't know how happy they'll be to change over to the way I do things... Hopefully they'll be receptive to some changes...
Here's what happened to me:
I USED to have: ME, VT, NH, RI, NY, NJ, VA, MN, IA, AR, LA, NE, MO
I NOW have: ME, VT, NH, NY, CT, RI, MA, NJ, MA, WI, OH, IN
I'm SO disappointed that I no longer have MO - I was SO determined to build up a couple of accounts to justify a trip to the Show Me State so that I could visit Chris and his parents but not have to pay for the trip... Now, I can go visit... no one!
I really wish I'd been the one to win the MegaMillions. Of course, I didn't have a ticket for this past one so that wasn't ever going to happen... I'll have to start buying. It's not that I don't like my job, I do. But I'm not happy about the systems that are in place for these new customers of mine, and I don't know how happy they'll be to change over to the way I do things... Hopefully they'll be receptive to some changes...
Monday, April 26, 2010
A Week in the Life: Updated
So I'm thinking maybe I won't be able to do 3 pages a day... But one page is just fine, right? The idea is to record your everyday.
My everyday, quite honestly, isn't all that interesting. As I browse through posts by some of the other participants, well, I just don't think to take a picture of the really cool brick road near my child's school (no child, no school, no brick road). I don't take self portraits of me running on the treadmill (while I DO have a treadmill, I DON'T run on it!). There are no pictures of me taking care of my stunningly beautiful baby girl (although I did take a picture of my beautiful daughter when she popped by the house to see her new tire rim the other day... and I took a picture of her rim...).
What did I take pictures of? Okay, here you go, an update:
I think I'm going to take pictures a few more days; tonight is our usual Monday night at my SIL's. I didn't take any photos there last week and it's definitely something I would want a record of it (the only night I eat dessert every week!) and time spent with family. This weekend I'll take a ride up to the lake and get some supplies; I think we might be home working at J's niece's house to get her nursery ready for the baby-to-be!
J will finally find out if it's a boy or a girl! Neither of us wanted to know but my SIL slipped and told me. I've been keeping it quiet until J finds out but will tell you all once he hears! (I don't think I told you already!) I really feel very strongly about not knowing; I have a 100% record of guessing when I guess, but it's usually in the 9th month, just before the baby joins us. I wanted to guess this one, too, and I was leaning toward either a boy or a girl (;-D), but when my SIL spilled the beans, well, I was right! I will admit how much fun it's been going shopping for either a boy or a girl, looking at all those cute boy and girl clothes... I admit to enjoying that, but still, DON'T tell me if you're pregnant whether it's a boy or a girl! I like to guess!
Well, gotta run - it's time to go home!
My everyday, quite honestly, isn't all that interesting. As I browse through posts by some of the other participants, well, I just don't think to take a picture of the really cool brick road near my child's school (no child, no school, no brick road). I don't take self portraits of me running on the treadmill (while I DO have a treadmill, I DON'T run on it!). There are no pictures of me taking care of my stunningly beautiful baby girl (although I did take a picture of my beautiful daughter when she popped by the house to see her new tire rim the other day... and I took a picture of her rim...).
What did I take pictures of? Okay, here you go, an update:
- the new shoes I ordered from Zappos - FitFlops for those of you who care!
- as mentioned before, the new rim we bought for M
- my work PC screen when an IM popped up on it from an ex-colleague
- the backyard at the lake with more dirt dropped and more plants transplanted
- the vitamins I bought for my sister's dog
- the shop I bought a cup of coffee at
- the parking garage I parked in this morning (REALLY bad photo - no idea if I'll be able to use it)
- the waiting room at the Imaging Center where I went for my annual mammogram (be sure to get checked!)
- the front door of the building where I work
- some wall art around the corner from my job that illustrates Hoboken and its history, painting on the wall around the park at 4th and Hudson
- the salad I had for lunch yesterday
- my groceries on the conveyor belt in the Shop Rite
- the little bagel shop we had breakfast at on Sunday
- the pills I take every evening: BC, Calcium+D3, and D3
- a page in the art journal I created for an online class I'm taking
- the weather monitor showing the temperature in the house and outside at the lake on Sunday
- dinner cooking in the pan on Saturday night - in honor of my MIL, who died 9 years ago next month - we had one of her classic meals on her b'day Saturday
- J driving the truck
- the Burger King where we ate on Saturday afternoon
- a few really cool photos at the place where we bought some turfstones on Saturday - a huge factory, different exterior stones, big bales of fencing wire
- the container plants we planted for our new faux front porch - this warrants a photo and a post all its own at some point in the future... remind me if I forget...
- our street sign and a couple of shots coming down the road to our lakehouse
- the church we attend at the lake
- some clothes I tried on in the store on Saturday
- me reflected in the mirror in the dressing room - fully clothed! No worries!
- the appetizer I forgot to take a picture of until it was almost all gone
I think I'm going to take pictures a few more days; tonight is our usual Monday night at my SIL's. I didn't take any photos there last week and it's definitely something I would want a record of it (the only night I eat dessert every week!) and time spent with family. This weekend I'll take a ride up to the lake and get some supplies; I think we might be home working at J's niece's house to get her nursery ready for the baby-to-be!
J will finally find out if it's a boy or a girl! Neither of us wanted to know but my SIL slipped and told me. I've been keeping it quiet until J finds out but will tell you all once he hears! (I don't think I told you already!) I really feel very strongly about not knowing; I have a 100% record of guessing when I guess, but it's usually in the 9th month, just before the baby joins us. I wanted to guess this one, too, and I was leaning toward either a boy or a girl (;-D), but when my SIL spilled the beans, well, I was right! I will admit how much fun it's been going shopping for either a boy or a girl, looking at all those cute boy and girl clothes... I admit to enjoying that, but still, DON'T tell me if you're pregnant whether it's a boy or a girl! I like to guess!
Well, gotta run - it's time to go home!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
A Week in the Life...
My life is boring. And never have I been more convinced of that than this past week!
I am supposed to be taking numerous pictures each day of "my life" - my boring, ordinary life that's just like every one else's boring, ordinary life who's participating in that same project. What project, you ask? Visit Ali's blog; she started this whole deal.
So there are thousands of women, scrappers all over the globe, participating in this project. There's Cathy Zielski - here's a link to HER blog. The other day? She took 192 pictures.
1.9.2. One.hundred.ninety-two. CXCII. (Is that right?)
192 pictures? I'm struggling to break 10 in a day!!! I know I'm supposed to take photos of "my every day." And I tried. So, in words (photos to come at a later day!), here's a typical week:
I am supposed to be taking numerous pictures each day of "my life" - my boring, ordinary life that's just like every one else's boring, ordinary life who's participating in that same project. What project, you ask? Visit Ali's blog; she started this whole deal.
So there are thousands of women, scrappers all over the globe, participating in this project. There's Cathy Zielski - here's a link to HER blog. The other day? She took 192 pictures.
1.9.2. One.hundred.ninety-two. CXCII. (Is that right?)
192 pictures? I'm struggling to break 10 in a day!!! I know I'm supposed to take photos of "my every day." And I tried. So, in words (photos to come at a later day!), here's a typical week:
- picture of my breakfast
- picture of me dressed and coifed for work
- picture of my desk
- picture of PC screen
- picture of a representative project on my desk
- picture out the window of my office of NYC hidden by fog
- picture of my lunch
- picture of my dinner
- picture of J
- picture of us watching TV
- picture of my breakfast (which, btw, IS.EXACTLY.THE.SAME.AS.YESTERDAY'S
- picture of me dressed and coifed for work
- picture of my desk
- picture of PC screen - oh, wow! Different shot!
- picture of representative project on my desk - I do the same thing every day, people, so this looks the same as yesterday's, too!
- picture out the window of my office of NYC NOT hidden by fog
- picture of my lunch - different salad, but salad, nonetheless
- picture of my dinner (Oh, this picture is of an empty plate 'cause I forgot to take a photo of the dinner itself!)
- picture of J doing something a little different, maybe changing a tire rather than cleaning the basement
- picture of us watching TV (hey, it IS a different show!)
- and on, and on, and on
- and to shake it all up, OH! I did laundry one day!!! Wanna see photos of my clean socks?!?
This is going to be ONE.BORING.PROJECT.
To prove it, I'll post those pictures later on... I'm going to take photos for two weeks, in the off chance something interesting happens to me, or around me, next week...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
It's time...
... to get serious about my health.
I went to the doctor Tuesday for a cystoscopy. Thank goodness there's nothing seriously wrong - just what they call "benign essential hematuria." (If you're really interested you can look it up - it's nothing serious. In fact, I don't have to go back for a follow-up for, and I quote, "10 or 15 years.")
But now I have no excuse. I have no excuse to not take care of myself. I have no reason to "take it easy until they find out what's wrong..."
So today I had fruit for breakfast, salad for lunch, and a slice of pepperoni pizza for dinner. I had 20 ounces of vitamin water, a medium iced coffee, and a few sips of J's coke at dinner. I'm going to go and grab a bottle of water in a couple of minutes because I still need some more liquid for the day.
I'm going to start walking more, moving more, eating less, eating better. I'm going to inflate my exercise ball and start using it for some exercises I read about that are supposed to help reduce the pain in my hips that I've decided comes from the early stages of osteoarthritis. I have early arthritis in my pinky fingers. My hips hurt when I sit for a length of time and then get up to walk. They hurt more when I go upstairs, trying to move my own weight against gravity, then when I go downstairs, with the help of gravity.
I'm simply too young to be slowed up by arthritic symptoms that I only have because I'm too lazy to do some slight to moderate exercise. And I know myself: once slight becomes moderate, I actually begin to enjoy it anyway. It just takes a while for me to "get into it." Deep down inside, readers, I'm just plain lazy.
So with your support (send those good wishes my way, please!) I'm going to try. I'll keep you all posted!m
I went to the doctor Tuesday for a cystoscopy. Thank goodness there's nothing seriously wrong - just what they call "benign essential hematuria." (If you're really interested you can look it up - it's nothing serious. In fact, I don't have to go back for a follow-up for, and I quote, "10 or 15 years.")
But now I have no excuse. I have no excuse to not take care of myself. I have no reason to "take it easy until they find out what's wrong..."
So today I had fruit for breakfast, salad for lunch, and a slice of pepperoni pizza for dinner. I had 20 ounces of vitamin water, a medium iced coffee, and a few sips of J's coke at dinner. I'm going to go and grab a bottle of water in a couple of minutes because I still need some more liquid for the day.
I'm going to start walking more, moving more, eating less, eating better. I'm going to inflate my exercise ball and start using it for some exercises I read about that are supposed to help reduce the pain in my hips that I've decided comes from the early stages of osteoarthritis. I have early arthritis in my pinky fingers. My hips hurt when I sit for a length of time and then get up to walk. They hurt more when I go upstairs, trying to move my own weight against gravity, then when I go downstairs, with the help of gravity.
I'm simply too young to be slowed up by arthritic symptoms that I only have because I'm too lazy to do some slight to moderate exercise. And I know myself: once slight becomes moderate, I actually begin to enjoy it anyway. It just takes a while for me to "get into it." Deep down inside, readers, I'm just plain lazy.
So with your support (send those good wishes my way, please!) I'm going to try. I'll keep you all posted!m
Monday, April 19, 2010
A Week in the Life
I'm doing it.
Again.
A Week in the Life.
Go visit Ali's blog here to see what it's all about.
Well, at least I'm going to give it my best shot!!!
Again.
A Week in the Life.
Go visit Ali's blog here to see what it's all about.
Well, at least I'm going to give it my best shot!!!
Monday, April 12, 2010
In Baltimore...
I'm sounding like a broken record, but I'm really missing my hubby. It's his birthday, the first one we've ever spent apart, and I'm hating being three states away when he's home celebrating (NOT!). I've called him several times, and I say "Happy Birthday, Hon!" every time he answers the phone and "I miss you" every time we hang up.
I left him a "Wish I was home with you" card on his pillow. Corny? Maybe. But he always leaves me a card to tell me how much he missed me when I'm away (there'll probably be one there when I get home tomorrow) and I DO! Wish I was there, with him.
The hotel is nice; I'm staying at the Sheraton Baltimore Center City. I have a single room with a queen-sized bed, a beautiful upgraded bathroom with a full shower (no tub!), a nice pedestal sink with a chrome frame, and some morning coffee in the room! Even though it's Starbucks (and I'm not a huge fan - it's a bit too bitter for me), I'll enjoy a cuppa tomorrow morning AT 5:30AM. We're leaving by 7am for Hoboken - boss is driving and he has an 11am meeting.
Oops - Dancing with the Stars is coming on -- well, it just started, and I took a bit of a break from this post to watch the intros... And then, one of our new favorite shows, Castle, is on! It's not award-winning television, but there's just something about the interaction between the two main characters that reminds me of Moonlighting: some sexual tension, some fun facial expressions, I don't really know what it is that I love about the show (the writing is pretty good -some of the lines are great!) - but I DO love it and I have to be hunkered down with my iced coffee to watch it in a couple of hours...
See ya soon!
I left him a "Wish I was home with you" card on his pillow. Corny? Maybe. But he always leaves me a card to tell me how much he missed me when I'm away (there'll probably be one there when I get home tomorrow) and I DO! Wish I was there, with him.
The hotel is nice; I'm staying at the Sheraton Baltimore Center City. I have a single room with a queen-sized bed, a beautiful upgraded bathroom with a full shower (no tub!), a nice pedestal sink with a chrome frame, and some morning coffee in the room! Even though it's Starbucks (and I'm not a huge fan - it's a bit too bitter for me), I'll enjoy a cuppa tomorrow morning AT 5:30AM. We're leaving by 7am for Hoboken - boss is driving and he has an 11am meeting.
Oops - Dancing with the Stars is coming on -- well, it just started, and I took a bit of a break from this post to watch the intros... And then, one of our new favorite shows, Castle, is on! It's not award-winning television, but there's just something about the interaction between the two main characters that reminds me of Moonlighting: some sexual tension, some fun facial expressions, I don't really know what it is that I love about the show (the writing is pretty good -some of the lines are great!) - but I DO love it and I have to be hunkered down with my iced coffee to watch it in a couple of hours...
See ya soon!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Some miscellaneous photos...
As promised - TOTALLY miscellaneous photos, with no rhyme or reason other than they were taken recently...
The first day this year we were able to sit outside and enjoy the sun without being cold. I was playing around with the camera trying to get a new portrait photo and got this one - I like the variation in color in my hair. Just wish the roots wouldn't come so often...
Here in NJ we have suffered from lots of flooding. This is a block or two away from my girlfriend's house in Lincoln Park. That is one of the most hardest hit areas any time there is flooding in the Passaic River. The storms have been gone for two weeks now and this water is still standing in the woods near her home. The water table is so high that there's nowhere for the water to go. This year will be a bad year for mosquitos... Allergies are already bad - Branchbrook Park's cherry blossoms (all 4200 trees!) are now in full bloom. All those brides hoping for photos under the flowering trees will be S.O.L. in a week or two since the flowers are 2 or 3 weeks early...
I showed you a photo of my new window seats already but here's one with the middle piece in place. The two end units have baskets that load in from the front; the middle one lifts up for closed storage. Going to be filling those puppies today!!!
On the way home from looking at the damage from the flooding last Sunday, we heard a terrible noise when we pulled onto Route 23 South. Here's a photo of our tire. I didn't take a picture of the cars whizzing past us at 60mph, on either side! We were pulled over in the worst possible place - right in the triangle between the entrance ramps for Route 80 East and Route 46 East, coming south on Route 23. Anyone who knows this area knows just where we were! Thankfully a nice construction guy with emergency flashers pulled up behing us and helped by putting on his lights. He even helped J with the tire, even though he was almost already done...
This year's friends: Fred and Ethel! They're sitting on the dock in this photo but we just found out this morning they laid, she laid an egg in our neighbor's flower bed. And he's doing some major landscaping and says he "hopes they don't disturb her too much when they move the wall." Guaranteed they will; I just hope she doesn't abandon the egg...
That's it for now - gotta go do my self-appraisal for work - yes, even though I'm on vacation I have work to do!!!
The first day this year we were able to sit outside and enjoy the sun without being cold. I was playing around with the camera trying to get a new portrait photo and got this one - I like the variation in color in my hair. Just wish the roots wouldn't come so often...
Here in NJ we have suffered from lots of flooding. This is a block or two away from my girlfriend's house in Lincoln Park. That is one of the most hardest hit areas any time there is flooding in the Passaic River. The storms have been gone for two weeks now and this water is still standing in the woods near her home. The water table is so high that there's nowhere for the water to go. This year will be a bad year for mosquitos... Allergies are already bad - Branchbrook Park's cherry blossoms (all 4200 trees!) are now in full bloom. All those brides hoping for photos under the flowering trees will be S.O.L. in a week or two since the flowers are 2 or 3 weeks early...
I showed you a photo of my new window seats already but here's one with the middle piece in place. The two end units have baskets that load in from the front; the middle one lifts up for closed storage. Going to be filling those puppies today!!!
On the way home from looking at the damage from the flooding last Sunday, we heard a terrible noise when we pulled onto Route 23 South. Here's a photo of our tire. I didn't take a picture of the cars whizzing past us at 60mph, on either side! We were pulled over in the worst possible place - right in the triangle between the entrance ramps for Route 80 East and Route 46 East, coming south on Route 23. Anyone who knows this area knows just where we were! Thankfully a nice construction guy with emergency flashers pulled up behing us and helped by putting on his lights. He even helped J with the tire, even though he was almost already done...
This year's friends: Fred and Ethel! They're sitting on the dock in this photo but we just found out this morning they laid, she laid an egg in our neighbor's flower bed. And he's doing some major landscaping and says he "hopes they don't disturb her too much when they move the wall." Guaranteed they will; I just hope she doesn't abandon the egg...
That's it for now - gotta go do my self-appraisal for work - yes, even though I'm on vacation I have work to do!!!Thursday, April 08, 2010
I know I owe you...
... photos and stories and more trivia than you'll ever need... After all, why would you bother to come here if you weren't expecting to read something new...
So, what sort of unimportant, trivial crap can I share with you here on my blog? Oh, there's plenty of that stuff! But important, fun stories that will keep you coming back?
Not so much.
Here's something that will matter not at all to you, but it's a big deal to me:
I am leaving on Monday morning to go to Baltimore for a conference. It's a short trip, just one night away from home. Not that big a deal, you say? You're right. But Monday is also my hubby's birthday and I REALLY.DON'T.WANT.TO.BE.AWAY.ON.HIS.BIRTHDAY.
When I told him I had to go, his response was, "That's okay, it's not like I'm a kid or anything."
But he said it in such a manner that I know it DOES matter. We love spending time together. We really enjoy each other's company. I'm sure there are days that he's not that thrilled with hearing another one of my stories for the umpteenth time (my mind is going - sometimes I tell the same story over and over... Are you sure I didn't mention I was going to be away...). I'm sure there are days when I'm in a cranky mood and taking it out on him that he'd actually prefer I was in Baltimore...
But it's his birthday. That really sucks. Darling stepdaughter said she's coming over with him to go to his sister's for cake and he tells her, "That's okay, you don't have to." He doesn't want her to have to drive back to her new apartment late at night - she recently moved about 10 miles away; she's not 2 miles down the road anymore. I know she's planning on just showing up anyway, but he's playing the loner already... Tonight his sister told him to come for dinner on Monday - "Nah." "We'll see."
He's not big on being the center of attention. And Lord knows he doesn't want to put anybody out. So much so he'd rather spend his birthday alone if I'm not here.
NOT AN OPTION, hon, are you listening?!?!?
I'm going to call him while he's at his sister's (I'm determined he's going to go!) so we can sing Happy Birthday together... and of course I'll call him later at night, before we turn go to bed...
I'm only going to be away for one day, but already IT SUCKS!
And on another topic... Does anyone have one of those "skins" for their laptop? Do I need one? I've looked at one or two websites - not too thrilled with the designs. Can anyone recommend a site where I can buy one that looks, well, more like "me" than some of the ones I've seen so far?
It hit 92 degrees here in NJ yesterday. YUK, that's all I have to say. That's just WAY too hot for early April. I'm hoping for a spring, even a short one, but to go from winter to summer? Uh-uh, not acceptable!
Well, it's late - gotta go sleepys now since we're getting up early to leave for the lake tomorrow morning. Toodles!
So, what sort of unimportant, trivial crap can I share with you here on my blog? Oh, there's plenty of that stuff! But important, fun stories that will keep you coming back?
Not so much.
Here's something that will matter not at all to you, but it's a big deal to me:
I am leaving on Monday morning to go to Baltimore for a conference. It's a short trip, just one night away from home. Not that big a deal, you say? You're right. But Monday is also my hubby's birthday and I REALLY.DON'T.WANT.TO.BE.AWAY.ON.HIS.BIRTHDAY.
When I told him I had to go, his response was, "That's okay, it's not like I'm a kid or anything."
But he said it in such a manner that I know it DOES matter. We love spending time together. We really enjoy each other's company. I'm sure there are days that he's not that thrilled with hearing another one of my stories for the umpteenth time (my mind is going - sometimes I tell the same story over and over... Are you sure I didn't mention I was going to be away...). I'm sure there are days when I'm in a cranky mood and taking it out on him that he'd actually prefer I was in Baltimore...
But it's his birthday. That really sucks. Darling stepdaughter said she's coming over with him to go to his sister's for cake and he tells her, "That's okay, you don't have to." He doesn't want her to have to drive back to her new apartment late at night - she recently moved about 10 miles away; she's not 2 miles down the road anymore. I know she's planning on just showing up anyway, but he's playing the loner already... Tonight his sister told him to come for dinner on Monday - "Nah." "We'll see."
He's not big on being the center of attention. And Lord knows he doesn't want to put anybody out. So much so he'd rather spend his birthday alone if I'm not here.
NOT AN OPTION, hon, are you listening?!?!?
I'm going to call him while he's at his sister's (I'm determined he's going to go!) so we can sing Happy Birthday together... and of course I'll call him later at night, before we turn go to bed...
I'm only going to be away for one day, but already IT SUCKS!
And on another topic... Does anyone have one of those "skins" for their laptop? Do I need one? I've looked at one or two websites - not too thrilled with the designs. Can anyone recommend a site where I can buy one that looks, well, more like "me" than some of the ones I've seen so far?
It hit 92 degrees here in NJ yesterday. YUK, that's all I have to say. That's just WAY too hot for early April. I'm hoping for a spring, even a short one, but to go from winter to summer? Uh-uh, not acceptable!
Well, it's late - gotta go sleepys now since we're getting up early to leave for the lake tomorrow morning. Toodles!
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Happy Easter!
God bless you, one and all!
I'm off for a couple of days, with hubby, up at the lake.
Will catch up on blogging and posting and reading tomorrow and Tuesday!
Hope you had a lovely day!
I'm off for a couple of days, with hubby, up at the lake.
Will catch up on blogging and posting and reading tomorrow and Tuesday!
Hope you had a lovely day!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Yay!!
My nephew just got his first job.
We've been, quite honestly, a bit worried about him. He's been without direction, a bit lost, starting college, dropping out, applying for jobs but not following up on them, sleeping all day then going out all night and coming in during the wee hours of the morning, listening to music but doing little else of anything...
His mom's boyfriend offered him jobs a few times, but J never took advantage of the opportunity before. THIS time he did. And when he called me today to say he starts on Monday, well, he was SO excited! He even said to me that I "missed how excited [he] was when [he] found out!"
It's been a looooong time since I've heard such enthusiasm in his voice. A looooong time since he sounded like he cared about something other than AC/DC and whatever other heavy metal groups he's currently listening to... A looooong time since he's sounded as if he wanted to do something other than sleep the day away.
Can I ask you all a favor? Please pray for him. Please pray that he finds his way. Please pray that he listens, does well, and keeps the job. It's seasonal, so it's not permanent, but it's good. For now. For spring and summer.
Please just pray he does well enough to believe he can do well.
We've been, quite honestly, a bit worried about him. He's been without direction, a bit lost, starting college, dropping out, applying for jobs but not following up on them, sleeping all day then going out all night and coming in during the wee hours of the morning, listening to music but doing little else of anything...
His mom's boyfriend offered him jobs a few times, but J never took advantage of the opportunity before. THIS time he did. And when he called me today to say he starts on Monday, well, he was SO excited! He even said to me that I "missed how excited [he] was when [he] found out!"
It's been a looooong time since I've heard such enthusiasm in his voice. A looooong time since he sounded like he cared about something other than AC/DC and whatever other heavy metal groups he's currently listening to... A looooong time since he's sounded as if he wanted to do something other than sleep the day away.
Can I ask you all a favor? Please pray for him. Please pray that he finds his way. Please pray that he listens, does well, and keeps the job. It's seasonal, so it's not permanent, but it's good. For now. For spring and summer.
Please just pray he does well enough to believe he can do well.
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