It's weird how somedays you sit down to write and have no problem and other days you sit down and while your mind isn't a blank, there isn't anything there that you want to write about. I think I'm having one of those "other days".
I do have a lot of Random thoughts floating around. Here are a few:
1. Maybe if I leave my desk a mess, no one will put anything on it for fear of losing whatever it is.
2. There has got to be a better system for revolving around the planet than the one we have.
3. I need to find a fun and creative way to store my CD's.
4. I really should be doing some math.
5. I still need to send an email to DolphinLady.
6. At least the bathroom is clean.
That's about all from here. Hope you're having a great Monday.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
What is Thatcher doing?
What is Thatcher doing? That is the question that has been asked more times than I can count. And I'm just talking about in the last week and a half. All of a sudden he is in my bathroom on this rug nearly constantly. Trying to use the bathroom with him parked there is a challenge too. But, I digress. He has been in there and while Music Man suggested it was one hell of a bender he'd been on, the truth is even funnier.
It turns out that we have little black ants that are walking right under the baseboard to the tub to get water. My first instinct was the kill the little buggers. But, it turns out they provide great entertainment for the cat. He watches them for hours. He pounces them and knocks them all around the room. He even occasionally eats them. Unfortunately black ants don't agree with his tummy cause it isn't long before he throws up. Charming cat, isn't he?
Saturday, June 28, 2008
An Explanation of Nora
Nora told me last night that I need to explain about her. I ignored her and went to bed. This morning she told me I need to explain about her. Again I ignored her and made breakfast. After breakfast she told me I need to explain about her. I asked if she just needed some attention. She said, "Yes. Now go explain about me." I ignored her and finished cleaning the sink. I don't know where she got the shotgun, but I am now sitting here hoping she can't read very well. (Just kidding about the shotgun.)
So without further ado, may I present:
The Creation of Nora- A Tragedy, I mean a Comedy, I mean, well you'll see.
About 4 years ago I took a job as the manager of a flower shop. I had no floral experience but I did have office and accounting experience and we had 2 floral designers. Truthfully, I was hired to be the manager, then it was the assistant manager, finally I was the accounts manager. What I actually was was the office manager and errand runner for a woman who was only slightly less psycho than her father. Her father actually owned the shop but due to several illnesses and poor decisions he was semi-retired and she had been running the shop. She was on her way to a state university to attend a Master's degree program. So, I had been working there for 2 months when I discovered drug paraphernalia in one of the desks in the office. Realizing that I didn't want to expose my daughter to this world I began to rethink this job. Two weeks later when I realized I wasn't going to be able to meet payroll without a miracle, I knew I needed to leave. I liked the floral designers but I couldn't take this anymore. The daughter would call with weird requests, her dad would come in over night and move stuff all around, he'd take checks out of the checkbook at random, he took money out of the business savings account and never tell me he had done any of it. Money would just be gone. I finally had enough. I called Music Man, who was working just down the street, and told him everything. He told me to leave. I explained I needed to finish the billing I was doing and would leave as soon as I was done. He said okay, he'd be down in a bit to check on me and to call if I had a problem. I was not to be there when the owner got there. He was worried about my safety. Miss Goofy was visiting my mom.
Music Man was good to his word. About 30 minutes after I talked to him he brought me this:
He told me she was to comfort me while I was there and scared. He also told me to get the hell out of there asap. Nora didn't have a name yet. She did snuggle me a lot and made me feel much better.
I finished up and left as quickly as I could. Fast forward a few days I went to pick up Music Man at work with Miss Goofy. She and I were deciding what to name my lion, who already went nearly everywhere with me. I had no idea what to name her. Miss Goofy wanted to name her Lenny and then con Music Man into buying another one to name Carl (Thank you Matt Groening). She said "Either Lenny or Lenora." I said "then her name is Lenora, cause we're not conning your dad into buying another lion." (Your welcome, Music Man)
I hadn't really thought about the fact that the lion was obviously a male lion. So, I would tease Miss Goofy with Lenora and make up a voice for her and everything. Originally, Music Man and I both did her voice. We had a lot of fun playing with Miss Goofy and pretending that Lenora was going to eat Miss Goofy's pretend llamas. (Don't ask.) Lenora eventually joined Llamas Anonymous and discovered that "Llamas are friends, not food". (And we can thank Disney/Pixar for that one.)
Eventually Lenora's true personality came out, as well as her nickname of Nora. Given the fact that I can't seem to get the attitude for her right, Music Man now does her voice. He also does the voice of Pepito (Pito), Nora's best friend and partner in crime and also a llama. (I told you she reformed) I however, do the voice of Elsie, Pito's elephant. Well, she started as Pito's and was very quiet and shy. Then she hung out with Nora. Now she's neither quiet nor shy.
I'm writing a children's book with Nora and all of her friends, seeing as I now have two small laundry baskets full of them. I have toned Nora down in the book though, I object to that much swearing in children's books.
So without further ado, may I present:
The Creation of Nora- A Tragedy, I mean a Comedy, I mean, well you'll see.
About 4 years ago I took a job as the manager of a flower shop. I had no floral experience but I did have office and accounting experience and we had 2 floral designers. Truthfully, I was hired to be the manager, then it was the assistant manager, finally I was the accounts manager. What I actually was was the office manager and errand runner for a woman who was only slightly less psycho than her father. Her father actually owned the shop but due to several illnesses and poor decisions he was semi-retired and she had been running the shop. She was on her way to a state university to attend a Master's degree program. So, I had been working there for 2 months when I discovered drug paraphernalia in one of the desks in the office. Realizing that I didn't want to expose my daughter to this world I began to rethink this job. Two weeks later when I realized I wasn't going to be able to meet payroll without a miracle, I knew I needed to leave. I liked the floral designers but I couldn't take this anymore. The daughter would call with weird requests, her dad would come in over night and move stuff all around, he'd take checks out of the checkbook at random, he took money out of the business savings account and never tell me he had done any of it. Money would just be gone. I finally had enough. I called Music Man, who was working just down the street, and told him everything. He told me to leave. I explained I needed to finish the billing I was doing and would leave as soon as I was done. He said okay, he'd be down in a bit to check on me and to call if I had a problem. I was not to be there when the owner got there. He was worried about my safety. Miss Goofy was visiting my mom.
Music Man was good to his word. About 30 minutes after I talked to him he brought me this:
He told me she was to comfort me while I was there and scared. He also told me to get the hell out of there asap. Nora didn't have a name yet. She did snuggle me a lot and made me feel much better.
I finished up and left as quickly as I could. Fast forward a few days I went to pick up Music Man at work with Miss Goofy. She and I were deciding what to name my lion, who already went nearly everywhere with me. I had no idea what to name her. Miss Goofy wanted to name her Lenny and then con Music Man into buying another one to name Carl (Thank you Matt Groening). She said "Either Lenny or Lenora." I said "then her name is Lenora, cause we're not conning your dad into buying another lion." (Your welcome, Music Man)
I hadn't really thought about the fact that the lion was obviously a male lion. So, I would tease Miss Goofy with Lenora and make up a voice for her and everything. Originally, Music Man and I both did her voice. We had a lot of fun playing with Miss Goofy and pretending that Lenora was going to eat Miss Goofy's pretend llamas. (Don't ask.) Lenora eventually joined Llamas Anonymous and discovered that "Llamas are friends, not food". (And we can thank Disney/Pixar for that one.)
Eventually Lenora's true personality came out, as well as her nickname of Nora. Given the fact that I can't seem to get the attitude for her right, Music Man now does her voice. He also does the voice of Pepito (Pito), Nora's best friend and partner in crime and also a llama. (I told you she reformed) I however, do the voice of Elsie, Pito's elephant. Well, she started as Pito's and was very quiet and shy. Then she hung out with Nora. Now she's neither quiet nor shy.
I'm writing a children's book with Nora and all of her friends, seeing as I now have two small laundry baskets full of them. I have toned Nora down in the book though, I object to that much swearing in children's books.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Um, yeah, I don't think this will work with my family
Okay, so I was reading an article on WikiHow. It was actually pretty funny and I know it wasn't intended to be, but you should read it anyway. It's pretty well, self explanatory. So, I thought I would comment on this article. I can't help myself.
Let's start with the title of the article. (Really you have to read it. I'm not giving anything away here) Seriously, if you can't do this already, I don't think this article will help any.
Step 1 in my house is likely to get a sarcastic remark. Please don't state the obvious around us. We're likely to decide you're an idiot and stop listening.
Step 2A, um, can you say tough? Really, you think this will work? Have you met my family? Not to be unsympathetic or anything, but grow up, life's going to be like that sometimes.
Same with step 2B.
Step 3. As my now deceased father would say, "How's it feel to want?"
Step 4. Good luck with that.
Really and truly I understand the point of this exercise. I know some people need this information. But seriously if you are reading that article going, "Wow, I never thought of that," then you're probably related to me and there's really no hope for you. If you're reading that and thinking it sounds stupid and pointless and your fists are a better way of getting your point across, then yeah you might need anger management classes but I doubt this article will help much. I think most articles like this are written by someone with someone in particular in mind. Let's face it, the person you're thinking of won't read the article. It's just going to be someone like me who is laughing myself silly at you. Sorry, if you're a woman, then get it through your head, either he's a guy and he's not going to change, get over him. Or you're a guy and you need to grow a set. Good luck either way.
Let's start with the title of the article. (Really you have to read it. I'm not giving anything away here) Seriously, if you can't do this already, I don't think this article will help any.
Step 1 in my house is likely to get a sarcastic remark. Please don't state the obvious around us. We're likely to decide you're an idiot and stop listening.
Step 2A, um, can you say tough? Really, you think this will work? Have you met my family? Not to be unsympathetic or anything, but grow up, life's going to be like that sometimes.
Same with step 2B.
Step 3. As my now deceased father would say, "How's it feel to want?"
Step 4. Good luck with that.
Really and truly I understand the point of this exercise. I know some people need this information. But seriously if you are reading that article going, "Wow, I never thought of that," then you're probably related to me and there's really no hope for you. If you're reading that and thinking it sounds stupid and pointless and your fists are a better way of getting your point across, then yeah you might need anger management classes but I doubt this article will help much. I think most articles like this are written by someone with someone in particular in mind. Let's face it, the person you're thinking of won't read the article. It's just going to be someone like me who is laughing myself silly at you. Sorry, if you're a woman, then get it through your head, either he's a guy and he's not going to change, get over him. Or you're a guy and you need to grow a set. Good luck either way.
Helping The WeatherGod and DolphinLady Move
I know I've been home for days and haven't posted anything. I needed time to recover and think of really good captions. So, first I need to add that there are 2 new people in these pictures. One is, as Music Man calls him, The Butcher of Berkley. Okay they don't live in Berkley, but he does run the Gross Anatomy lab at a University near but not in Berkley, there are others around there. The other is his wife, Miss PT. PT is standing for Physical Therapist. These are 2 of my favorite people in the world and I don't say that about just anyone. Nor am I saying it because Miss PT volunteered to help us when we finally get to move. Okay, now on to the pictures.
Problem #1- The Cabinet. This cabinet was right against the stairs in the old place. To get the box spring up the stairs when they moved in we had to tip this cabinet out of the way. To get the box spring down the stairs, we moved the cabinet to one side. That is Miss PT holding the cabinet.
The WeatherGod and Miss PT easily brought the box spring down the stairs. That's the WeatherGod holding onto the box spring.
Making it very easy for Music Man (he's the bald one), and The Butcher (he's the one grimacing) to hold the box spring and bring it the rest of the way down the stairs and out the door to the waiting truck.
Here is The Butcher guiding the cabinet back into it's spot. We managed to mess up the linoleum moving that stupid cabinet. Oh and The Butcher is the one who was guiding the cabinet because he was the one who could fit back there.
Problem #2-The Railing and a turn. Okay so Music Man had a plan. We'll call it plan A. Take off the front door and the door to the entry closet. Then hope the box spring will make the turn right there by the front door.
Here's that pesky closet door coming right at me. I was doing what I do best, avoiding physical labor by claiming someone had to take pictures. Music Man only aimed for my head with the door a little. And yes, the WeatherGod is laughing at me trying to scramble out of the way while I take a picture.
Out the front door and up the stairs. We hope nice and easy.
So much for nice and easy. See in the middle of the picture, that's where the box spring got caught on the railing.
Time for plan B. Which really was plan B1 and B2, they were the same plan just turning the box spring.
Let's just say that when the swearing was over we moved on to plan C.
What are they doing you ask? What anyone would do at this point. Making DolphinLady very unhappy and worried.
And this is how we got the box spring up the stairs.
Yes, we removed the railing. It was the only way. And we didn't break anything. Although I am sure we amused the hell out of The WeatherGod and DolphinLady's new neighbors. All in all it was a lot of fun and has made me really miss them all. I could do without helping anyone move for a while. Now you may be asking why Music Man was so willing to help given the difficulties. Here's why:
This was my mother's piano. My dad, the cranky old man, gave it to my daughter when Mom passed away. My daughter started piano lessons a couple of years ago. The harp in the piano is wrought iron. The two front legs, you can only really see one of them in the picture, are for decoration only. You can't put any weight on them. It is a heavy piano and it is fast approaching antique status depending on how you define an antique. It is 45 years old and both my daughter and I love the thing. We are lucky to have several volunteers to help us when we finally do move. Thankfully. Oh and Music Man told me the other day, it's okay he has a plan for moving it. DolphinLady, when we're ready to move would you please distract me while they move the piano? I'd really appreciate it.
Problem #1- The Cabinet. This cabinet was right against the stairs in the old place. To get the box spring up the stairs when they moved in we had to tip this cabinet out of the way. To get the box spring down the stairs, we moved the cabinet to one side. That is Miss PT holding the cabinet.
The WeatherGod and Miss PT easily brought the box spring down the stairs. That's the WeatherGod holding onto the box spring.
Making it very easy for Music Man (he's the bald one), and The Butcher (he's the one grimacing) to hold the box spring and bring it the rest of the way down the stairs and out the door to the waiting truck.
Here is The Butcher guiding the cabinet back into it's spot. We managed to mess up the linoleum moving that stupid cabinet. Oh and The Butcher is the one who was guiding the cabinet because he was the one who could fit back there.
Problem #2-The Railing and a turn. Okay so Music Man had a plan. We'll call it plan A. Take off the front door and the door to the entry closet. Then hope the box spring will make the turn right there by the front door.
Here's that pesky closet door coming right at me. I was doing what I do best, avoiding physical labor by claiming someone had to take pictures. Music Man only aimed for my head with the door a little. And yes, the WeatherGod is laughing at me trying to scramble out of the way while I take a picture.
Out the front door and up the stairs. We hope nice and easy.
So much for nice and easy. See in the middle of the picture, that's where the box spring got caught on the railing.
Time for plan B. Which really was plan B1 and B2, they were the same plan just turning the box spring.
Let's just say that when the swearing was over we moved on to plan C.
What are they doing you ask? What anyone would do at this point. Making DolphinLady very unhappy and worried.
And this is how we got the box spring up the stairs.
Yes, we removed the railing. It was the only way. And we didn't break anything. Although I am sure we amused the hell out of The WeatherGod and DolphinLady's new neighbors. All in all it was a lot of fun and has made me really miss them all. I could do without helping anyone move for a while. Now you may be asking why Music Man was so willing to help given the difficulties. Here's why:
This was my mother's piano. My dad, the cranky old man, gave it to my daughter when Mom passed away. My daughter started piano lessons a couple of years ago. The harp in the piano is wrought iron. The two front legs, you can only really see one of them in the picture, are for decoration only. You can't put any weight on them. It is a heavy piano and it is fast approaching antique status depending on how you define an antique. It is 45 years old and both my daughter and I love the thing. We are lucky to have several volunteers to help us when we finally do move. Thankfully. Oh and Music Man told me the other day, it's okay he has a plan for moving it. DolphinLady, when we're ready to move would you please distract me while they move the piano? I'd really appreciate it.
Friday, June 20, 2008
10 Years Ago
This is what happened 10 years ago today:
We went from being individuals to a family.
I love this man so much for being ready to be a husband and a father. Wasn't Miss Goofy a cute little thing? Not that she's not now, now she's just taller.
(Forgive the pictures being slightly crooked, I was in a hurry and my scanner is weird about that sometimes.) But at least I included pictures of myself this time. I'll put up some of us today when we get back from our trip.
We went from being individuals to a family.
I love this man so much for being ready to be a husband and a father. Wasn't Miss Goofy a cute little thing? Not that she's not now, now she's just taller.(Forgive the pictures being slightly crooked, I was in a hurry and my scanner is weird about that sometimes.) But at least I included pictures of myself this time. I'll put up some of us today when we get back from our trip.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Nora is excited
Nora wants me to tell you:
She's excited about our trip this weekend.
Pito wants me to tell you:He's much calmer than Nora.
(But he's still excited, he'll be bursting soon!)
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Random Pictures
Okay so Miss Goofy and I have way, way too much time on our hands.
This is our dog, Courage. He likes to sleep on the bathroom floor. Especially when it's over 90 outside. He's a rather large dog.
This is my cat, Thatcher. He is also of the large variety. And he likes to sleep on my dad's bed, probably to get away from the dog.
I know it looks sort of like the same cat, but this is my dad's cat, Scrawny. He's the old man of the group.
There was a picture that Miss Goofy took of me saying, "If you're going to take the picture, do it already!" I left that one off. It was terrible. No offense Miss Goofy. You take fine pictures of the cats, however I'm not a cat. Better luck next time.
This is our dog, Courage. He likes to sleep on the bathroom floor. Especially when it's over 90 outside. He's a rather large dog.
This is my cat, Thatcher. He is also of the large variety. And he likes to sleep on my dad's bed, probably to get away from the dog.
I know it looks sort of like the same cat, but this is my dad's cat, Scrawny. He's the old man of the group.
There was a picture that Miss Goofy took of me saying, "If you're going to take the picture, do it already!" I left that one off. It was terrible. No offense Miss Goofy. You take fine pictures of the cats, however I'm not a cat. Better luck next time.
On My Mind 2
I have a lot on my mind. Sadly it seems to be mostly songs.
We're getting ready to go help The Weather God and DolphinLady move this weekend. It should be fun. Especially since DolphinLady tells me that they are already 80% moved. It's mostly the heavy stuff that we need to take care of. And you know what that means, I don't have much to do! Yeah!!! I am going to take my camera and plan to take lots of pictures, which means I will probably forget the camera in the car and take like 2 pictures of my toes. I need a life.
Speaking of pictures, here are some from our trip. This is the turtle that was in the middle of the road at one of the rest stops. Isn't he cute?
This is Music Man waving at me so I'll stop taking his picture while he's driving.
This is Miss Goofy sleeping.
This is Miss Goofy not appreciating me taking her picture while she was asleep.
This is Nora and Pito. They go on long trips with us. And short ones too. Like down the street to look at the sheep grazing in the field next to us, and to KMart to buy new batteries for the camera, and to Sonic for Hot Fudge Sundaes and to the big city for grocery shopping. By the way, never take a lion and a llama grocery shopping.
And by the way they belong to me, not Miss Goofy.
These are my toes.
Bet you thought I was going to show you what I look like, ha ha! And those funny spots on my feet are from my sandals. My feet don't normally have weird patterns like that.
This is part of the thunderstorm that hit us while were driving.
And that's about all the pictures I have for today. Just thought I'd share before I go out of town.
We're getting ready to go help The Weather God and DolphinLady move this weekend. It should be fun. Especially since DolphinLady tells me that they are already 80% moved. It's mostly the heavy stuff that we need to take care of. And you know what that means, I don't have much to do! Yeah!!! I am going to take my camera and plan to take lots of pictures, which means I will probably forget the camera in the car and take like 2 pictures of my toes. I need a life.
Speaking of pictures, here are some from our trip. This is the turtle that was in the middle of the road at one of the rest stops. Isn't he cute?
This is Music Man waving at me so I'll stop taking his picture while he's driving.
This is Miss Goofy sleeping.
This is Miss Goofy not appreciating me taking her picture while she was asleep.
This is Nora and Pito. They go on long trips with us. And short ones too. Like down the street to look at the sheep grazing in the field next to us, and to KMart to buy new batteries for the camera, and to Sonic for Hot Fudge Sundaes and to the big city for grocery shopping. By the way, never take a lion and a llama grocery shopping.
And by the way they belong to me, not Miss Goofy.
These are my toes.
Bet you thought I was going to show you what I look like, ha ha! And those funny spots on my feet are from my sandals. My feet don't normally have weird patterns like that.
This is part of the thunderstorm that hit us while were driving.
And that's about all the pictures I have for today. Just thought I'd share before I go out of town.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Fathers
I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about fathers. The way I see it there are two kinds of fathers: Fathers and Dads.
Father: someone to whom you have a biological connection
Dad: someone to whom you have an emotional connection
Further there are two kinds of Dads: those who start as a Father and grow into a Dad and those who start as a friend and grow into a Dad
Music Man is not Miss Goofy's father. Technically he is her step father and has been for nearly 10 years. However, if you have seen them together, you may not know this. I've been out with the two of them and they've been goofing around together or chattering and agreeing on odd topics and heard people talk about how nice it is to see a father and daughter get along so well. Or been told by store clerks and waiters how my step daughter and her father look so much alike. It really is quite amusing. I love the fact that MM is her dad. She looks to him for guidance and for her value as a woman, something all little girls do. I was very lucky to find MM when I did. My baby was growing up without that and it pained me so much.
The Cranky Old Man is my step father too. My own dad died about a month before I turned 13 and although I had a wonderful father, that hole that was left when he died is still there. It's eased only by a wonderful man who also took up the role of dad. I can go to him and talk to him about anything. He's kind and understanding and never set out to take the place of my dad. He set out to be my friend and became my dad quickly. I have a lot of memories of my father and will always love him, but I count myself blessed that after he was gone, my mom was able to find someone who would become my dad.
And recently there is a new man in my life who has the potential to be a dad/granddad to me. MM's uncle is a kind, wise man. He is helping to fill the void left by my grandpa's illness.
Then there was the original Cranky Old Man. My Dad's step father. My biological dad's step father that is. He insisted that my mother never call him "Grandpa" around us kids. He wanted it to come from us kids, if it came at all. It came very early and was heartfelt.
So, to all the men in my life past and present, Happy Dad's Day. You are the backbone of my life and I love and adore you all.
Father: someone to whom you have a biological connection
Dad: someone to whom you have an emotional connection
Further there are two kinds of Dads: those who start as a Father and grow into a Dad and those who start as a friend and grow into a Dad
Music Man is not Miss Goofy's father. Technically he is her step father and has been for nearly 10 years. However, if you have seen them together, you may not know this. I've been out with the two of them and they've been goofing around together or chattering and agreeing on odd topics and heard people talk about how nice it is to see a father and daughter get along so well. Or been told by store clerks and waiters how my step daughter and her father look so much alike. It really is quite amusing. I love the fact that MM is her dad. She looks to him for guidance and for her value as a woman, something all little girls do. I was very lucky to find MM when I did. My baby was growing up without that and it pained me so much.
The Cranky Old Man is my step father too. My own dad died about a month before I turned 13 and although I had a wonderful father, that hole that was left when he died is still there. It's eased only by a wonderful man who also took up the role of dad. I can go to him and talk to him about anything. He's kind and understanding and never set out to take the place of my dad. He set out to be my friend and became my dad quickly. I have a lot of memories of my father and will always love him, but I count myself blessed that after he was gone, my mom was able to find someone who would become my dad.
And recently there is a new man in my life who has the potential to be a dad/granddad to me. MM's uncle is a kind, wise man. He is helping to fill the void left by my grandpa's illness.
Then there was the original Cranky Old Man. My Dad's step father. My biological dad's step father that is. He insisted that my mother never call him "Grandpa" around us kids. He wanted it to come from us kids, if it came at all. It came very early and was heartfelt.
So, to all the men in my life past and present, Happy Dad's Day. You are the backbone of my life and I love and adore you all.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Our Song
I will celebrate my 10th wedding anniversary in 9 days. Okay Music Man and I will celebrate our anniversary in 9 days. In all that time we've never had "Our Song". We've had songs that express something about how we feel about each other, songs that struck a chord within us for some reason, songs that we both love. We never found one that perfectly explained us. If you ever wanted to know how Music Man and I got together than listen to "Some Girls Do" by Sawyer Brown. The situations were different but it captures the essence of the beginning of our relationship.
On My Mind
So, I’m trying to figure out what to write today and I’ve decided I should just put down some of the random thoughts I’m having this morning.
1) I never did get an email confirming the e-card I sent my uncle. I don’t think it went through for some reason. I think I need to resend it.
2) Its weird how just eating real food makes me feel so much better and I’m not gaining tons of weight.
3) I wonder why Garth Brooks radio on Pandora radio doesn’t play Toby Keith.
4) Hey, my Travis Tritt song, “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive” is on
5) I need to run the shower cleaner again
6) I must remember to pack the first aid kit when we go help DolphinLady and The Weather God move
7) I miss Music Man
8) I’m getting all sappy
9) My desk is a mess – I better add clean desk to tomorrow’s list
10) I had to create a Toby Keith Pandora station
11) Why am I in such a good mood in the morning and so emotional when Music Man gets home from work? (Music Man might want an answer to this one too)
12) I must get up early tomorrow morning and do the yoga workout on Lifetime
13) Why do I keep saying yogurt instead of yoga?
Okay, this could get really long and boring and I think I should stop for now. Besides I just realized I can dust the house now and then I don’t have to do it later. Not the brightest crayon in the box, am I?
Monday, June 9, 2008
Helping Those In Need
I should be a better person. I should help those in need more often. Over the weekend, I reached out to someone in need. I felt compelled to help someone less fortunate than I. Mainly cause Music Man woke my snoring self up and made me go with him. So, maybe compelled isn't the right word. Maybe poked, prodded and threatened until I finally got out of bed, dressed and had staggered to the truck. Then I was ready to go. Back to bed and avoid the whole thing.
Just kidding. Mostly. Anyhow, we did drive to Boss Man's house and help him move his almost ex-wife to her own duplex. That he pays for, furnishes, and does all kinds of general repairs. All I could think was, "Man she's got a sweet deal". When my ex-husband and I split up like 14 and a half years ago, I paid for the apartment, the furniture, did the repairs that needed to be done, and still managed to send him a "loan" to get his car running. I think I got robbed. Of course we were only married for a total of 13 months before we officially split up. Still, Boss Man's wife is lucky that he's a nice guy.
It wasn't too bad helping them get her moved, I really didn't do much but take a couple of drawers and some pillows in the house. I also gave Boss Man a bandage when he got a cardboard paper cut and was bleeding all over his truck and her boxes. Fortunately, I've moved with Music Man before and I was prepared with a first aid kit. Not that I'm saying MM is clumsy or accident prone, just that I should have been a girl scout. All in all it wasn't too bad, Boss Man was in pretty good spirits, probably because he's tired of arguing with her, and she was very polite and nice to me. She was little snippy with Boss Man and MM got to experience her less than nice tendencies, but it could have been a lot worse. She was a little horrified to accidentally call him "Babe" once but it happens. It's a hard habit to break.
I watched most of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final on last Wednesday. It wasn't as exciting a game as last Monday's. Except for Detroit winning the Cup. I would have enjoyed a game 7, but as we went grocery shopping Friday night, I wouldn't have been able to see the game, so it worked out in the end. I was happy for Detroit though. They are one of my favorite teams.
On Sunday, the Cranky Old Man, was thinking it was Father's Day and suggested we all go out to breakfast. Should we have told him it wasn't Father's Day yet? Just kidding, Music Man told him, before we left the house. After breakfast MM and I ran over to the nearest Mart. Not the one with a Wal, the one with a K. He had seen a few things in the ad that he wanted to look at and decide if he wanted. And while the weight bench that he chose was too light weight for him, we did get a new chair for the bedroom. It's a swivel-rocker-glider with an ottoman. It's very comfy. If only they had drilled the holes for the armrest correctly. It would have made the assembling of the chair much easier and faster. Oh well, the chair is assembled and I have had a lot of fun, sitting in it, gliding and saying repeatedly, "Wheeeee!" Poor Music Man, he had no idea how easily I was amused before this, you'd think after 10 years he'd have known.
On a sad note, I hope everyone will pray for my sister, her husband and her husband's family. Her husband's only brother was killed recently in a motorcycle accident. To further complicate things he was out of the country when he died and having his remains shipped home was proving to be very stressful. Just keep them in your prayers that they will be comforted during this painful time.
Just kidding. Mostly. Anyhow, we did drive to Boss Man's house and help him move his almost ex-wife to her own duplex. That he pays for, furnishes, and does all kinds of general repairs. All I could think was, "Man she's got a sweet deal". When my ex-husband and I split up like 14 and a half years ago, I paid for the apartment, the furniture, did the repairs that needed to be done, and still managed to send him a "loan" to get his car running. I think I got robbed. Of course we were only married for a total of 13 months before we officially split up. Still, Boss Man's wife is lucky that he's a nice guy.
It wasn't too bad helping them get her moved, I really didn't do much but take a couple of drawers and some pillows in the house. I also gave Boss Man a bandage when he got a cardboard paper cut and was bleeding all over his truck and her boxes. Fortunately, I've moved with Music Man before and I was prepared with a first aid kit. Not that I'm saying MM is clumsy or accident prone, just that I should have been a girl scout. All in all it wasn't too bad, Boss Man was in pretty good spirits, probably because he's tired of arguing with her, and she was very polite and nice to me. She was little snippy with Boss Man and MM got to experience her less than nice tendencies, but it could have been a lot worse. She was a little horrified to accidentally call him "Babe" once but it happens. It's a hard habit to break.
I watched most of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final on last Wednesday. It wasn't as exciting a game as last Monday's. Except for Detroit winning the Cup. I would have enjoyed a game 7, but as we went grocery shopping Friday night, I wouldn't have been able to see the game, so it worked out in the end. I was happy for Detroit though. They are one of my favorite teams.
On Sunday, the Cranky Old Man, was thinking it was Father's Day and suggested we all go out to breakfast. Should we have told him it wasn't Father's Day yet? Just kidding, Music Man told him, before we left the house. After breakfast MM and I ran over to the nearest Mart. Not the one with a Wal, the one with a K. He had seen a few things in the ad that he wanted to look at and decide if he wanted. And while the weight bench that he chose was too light weight for him, we did get a new chair for the bedroom. It's a swivel-rocker-glider with an ottoman. It's very comfy. If only they had drilled the holes for the armrest correctly. It would have made the assembling of the chair much easier and faster. Oh well, the chair is assembled and I have had a lot of fun, sitting in it, gliding and saying repeatedly, "Wheeeee!" Poor Music Man, he had no idea how easily I was amused before this, you'd think after 10 years he'd have known.
On a sad note, I hope everyone will pray for my sister, her husband and her husband's family. Her husband's only brother was killed recently in a motorcycle accident. To further complicate things he was out of the country when he died and having his remains shipped home was proving to be very stressful. Just keep them in your prayers that they will be comforted during this painful time.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Trees, Trees, Everywhere There's Trees
So, for 10 years Music Man constantly went on about how many trees there were in Oklahoma. And how there aren't enough here in California. It got kind of old if you want to know the truth.
We finally got to go to Oklahoma last month and what did Music Man say about the trees? "There's too many trees here", "When did all these trees get here?", "I don't remember all these trees".
It was really kind of funny. Now the part of Oklahoma that Music Man is from is heavily wooded and is on the edge of the Ozarks. So what he was expecting must have been from a child's perspective. My only other theory is that he got hit harder on the head 4 years ago than even I thought. Either way, there are a lot of trees in that part of Oklahoma. I really loved it. Except for the allergies.
I didn't even mind them too much. Although I may have to learn to function with Claritin in my system if I go back. Or rather when we go back and visit again. I found the place to be really beautiful. I would love to put pictures of the trip up and show everyone how beautiful it was, but I didn't take any pictures of Oklahoma. I don't know why. I just know I didn't.
I did however get some wonderful shots of Nora and Pito. If you don't know who they are, count your blessings. Maybe I'll post those pictures. We'll see.
Now, I'm gearing up to drive (no, not again!) to the Bay area and help DolphinLady and The Weather God move, only 16 more days until we leave.
That will make 2 moves for friends this month. The Weather God and his goddess, and Music Man managed to get conned into helping his boss with moving his soon to be ex-wife into an apartment. When he realized he'd been conned, Music Man said something along the lines of "I have a piano you get to help me move." I believe Boss Man will attempt to be busy that day. That's okay, Music Man knows where all Boss Man's files are located and how to delete them. (***Not that Music Man or I would ever do that sort of thing or suggest anyone else do that***)
And as of now, we're looking for a house. We've found a few but we're still looking around and deciding exactly where we want to be. More about that another time.
We finally got to go to Oklahoma last month and what did Music Man say about the trees? "There's too many trees here", "When did all these trees get here?", "I don't remember all these trees".
It was really kind of funny. Now the part of Oklahoma that Music Man is from is heavily wooded and is on the edge of the Ozarks. So what he was expecting must have been from a child's perspective. My only other theory is that he got hit harder on the head 4 years ago than even I thought. Either way, there are a lot of trees in that part of Oklahoma. I really loved it. Except for the allergies.
I didn't even mind them too much. Although I may have to learn to function with Claritin in my system if I go back. Or rather when we go back and visit again. I found the place to be really beautiful. I would love to put pictures of the trip up and show everyone how beautiful it was, but I didn't take any pictures of Oklahoma. I don't know why. I just know I didn't.
I did however get some wonderful shots of Nora and Pito. If you don't know who they are, count your blessings. Maybe I'll post those pictures. We'll see.
Now, I'm gearing up to drive (no, not again!) to the Bay area and help DolphinLady and The Weather God move, only 16 more days until we leave.
That will make 2 moves for friends this month. The Weather God and his goddess, and Music Man managed to get conned into helping his boss with moving his soon to be ex-wife into an apartment. When he realized he'd been conned, Music Man said something along the lines of "I have a piano you get to help me move." I believe Boss Man will attempt to be busy that day. That's okay, Music Man knows where all Boss Man's files are located and how to delete them. (***Not that Music Man or I would ever do that sort of thing or suggest anyone else do that***)
And as of now, we're looking for a house. We've found a few but we're still looking around and deciding exactly where we want to be. More about that another time.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Stanley Cup Finals
So, I've been a hockey fan for about 14 years. I became a fan because of my sister. She was a huge Kings fan, and got me into hockey. I love watching hockey.
I think part of the reason is the men are men. They fight, they crash into each other, and they leave the ice and they're still buddies. The game is violent, aggressive and fast-paced. The players are tough.
And I haven't been able to watch a game in around 10 years. At least not all the way through. Something or another has called me away, usually at an exciting part of the game, to handle one crisis or another.
I was delighted last night when I found the Detroit Red Wings were playing the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals. I was a little disappointed to learn it was game 5 and that if Detroit won then the finals were over. Needless to say I was rooting for Pittsburgh. I put the game on about 3 minutes into the first period, but due to making dinner and then eating I didn't get to return until near the end of the second period. It was a decent enough game into the third period. The Red Wings were ahead by one and it looked like they were going to win the Cup. And then in the last 35 seconds of the 3rd period, Max Talbot of the Penguins scored.
The result: Triple overtime, Baby!!! What an awesome game! Finally at 9:57 of the 3rd overtime Petr Sykora scored and the Penguins will now host the Red Wings on Wednesday night. Even if Wednesday night's game is where the cup ends this year, at least I will have seen the 5th longest Cup Final. It was great. Made me remember why I love hockey.
I mean besides the cute, macho men.
I think part of the reason is the men are men. They fight, they crash into each other, and they leave the ice and they're still buddies. The game is violent, aggressive and fast-paced. The players are tough.
And I haven't been able to watch a game in around 10 years. At least not all the way through. Something or another has called me away, usually at an exciting part of the game, to handle one crisis or another.
I was delighted last night when I found the Detroit Red Wings were playing the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals. I was a little disappointed to learn it was game 5 and that if Detroit won then the finals were over. Needless to say I was rooting for Pittsburgh. I put the game on about 3 minutes into the first period, but due to making dinner and then eating I didn't get to return until near the end of the second period. It was a decent enough game into the third period. The Red Wings were ahead by one and it looked like they were going to win the Cup. And then in the last 35 seconds of the 3rd period, Max Talbot of the Penguins scored.
The result: Triple overtime, Baby!!! What an awesome game! Finally at 9:57 of the 3rd overtime Petr Sykora scored and the Penguins will now host the Red Wings on Wednesday night. Even if Wednesday night's game is where the cup ends this year, at least I will have seen the 5th longest Cup Final. It was great. Made me remember why I love hockey.
I mean besides the cute, macho men.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Time For A New Challenge
Okay so I have decided to challenge myself again. I had already suggested that I make a daily task list and try to complete it. So, that's my new challenge. I hope to complete my daily task list 30 times by July 4th.
That should give me the chance to goof a few times. And it also gives me, Music Man and Miss Goofy the chance to go to San Francisco and help our closest friends, DolphinLady and The Weather God when they move in June. I may make a list for those days but it will probably be something like this:
1) Wake up and spend 5 minutes trying to figure out where I am
2) Realize that I'm at DolphinLady's to help her move
3) Hide under the covers hoping it's just a bad dream (I really don't like moving much)
4) Give up on the fantasy of not helping someone move and drag my lazy butt out of bed
5) Pester Music Man, DolphinLady, Miss Goofy, The Weather God, and our other friends helping in the move until they regret me coming to help in the hope that I will never have to help friends move again
6) Put an ice pack on my black eye (I'm pretty sure one of them will punch me)
7) Give up on number 5 when Music Man reminds me we may need help moving someday
8) Try to be as helpful as possible while secretly planning to make them help us move
9) Eat dinner
10) Go to bed
DolphinLady, you probably shouldn't have read this post. Sorry. I'm just kidding. Love you lots!
Back to my earlier ramblings, I will try to do a daily list and complete it 30 times in the next I think it's 38 days. Something like that. But it will have to start tomorrow as our water was shut off while they fixed a broken pipe earlier and it has just totally thrown my routine off. But that's a whole different story.
That should give me the chance to goof a few times. And it also gives me, Music Man and Miss Goofy the chance to go to San Francisco and help our closest friends, DolphinLady and The Weather God when they move in June. I may make a list for those days but it will probably be something like this:
1) Wake up and spend 5 minutes trying to figure out where I am
2) Realize that I'm at DolphinLady's to help her move
3) Hide under the covers hoping it's just a bad dream (I really don't like moving much)
4) Give up on the fantasy of not helping someone move and drag my lazy butt out of bed
5) Pester Music Man, DolphinLady, Miss Goofy, The Weather God, and our other friends helping in the move until they regret me coming to help in the hope that I will never have to help friends move again
6) Put an ice pack on my black eye (I'm pretty sure one of them will punch me)
7) Give up on number 5 when Music Man reminds me we may need help moving someday
8) Try to be as helpful as possible while secretly planning to make them help us move
9) Eat dinner
10) Go to bed
DolphinLady, you probably shouldn't have read this post. Sorry. I'm just kidding. Love you lots!
Back to my earlier ramblings, I will try to do a daily list and complete it 30 times in the next I think it's 38 days. Something like that. But it will have to start tomorrow as our water was shut off while they fixed a broken pipe earlier and it has just totally thrown my routine off. But that's a whole different story.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
My vacation
I love the word vacation. It invokes thoughts of sleeping late, seeing goofy things, bad restaurants, and motels. And lots of driving. If I never see the inside of my car again...
However, we did go on vacation. We drove from California to Oklahoma. It was a long drive. And by long drive I mean, have you ever been through New Mexico? It goes on forever. It is around 390 miles across. I can't remember exactly, and my atlas is in the car. You do get to see such sights as Tecumcari, Santa Rosa, and Albuquerque. I know there are towns west of Albuquerque, but I can't remember what they are. I will say that Flagstaff is probably the most beautiful town I've ever seen. With all those wonderful pines trees around, it's not what you expect when you think of Arizona. I know Music Man wants me to say that his hometown was the most beautiful, and while it was pretty, Flagstaff was just magical to me. Could be because for some reason I didn't remember it was at something like 7700 ft.
In any event, I do want to share one story to give some background information and then a conversation that occurred in the car on the way to Oklahoma. We were still in California and it set the tone for the trip. My grandmother took my mom and uncles on trips to see historical markers all over the state of California when they were kids. She took my sister and I on trips to see many of the same historical markers. On these trips we would invariably pass Joshua trees. And invariably Grandma would say something like, "Look kids, a Joshua tree, it's a cousin of the lily." Now my grandma has a wonderful sense of humor and we have teased her about that for years. In fact, when Grandma, Miss Goofy and I took a trip down the mountain to the nearest big city, Miss Goofy pointed out Joshua trees every 5 or 10 minutes and said, "look a Joshua tree, it's a cousin of the lily" and Grandma would giggle. So, we're out in the middle of nowhere California, and I was feeling goofy and excited about the trip. So, I said while pointing out the window, "look a Joshua tree, it's a cousin of the lily." We all giggled. A moment later, Music Man points out the window and says "Look a call box," Miss Goofy doesn't miss a beat she pipes up with "It's a cousin of the phone." We howled. Grandma will love that story.
We did have a purpose in going to Oklahoma. Music Man's father passed away in November of 2005. I embarrassed to say that before now we either had the money to go back and bury his cremains or we had the time to go back. It took until now for us to have both the time and the money. We did however finally have both time and money for the trip. We buried him at the foot of Music Man's mother's grave. Music Man placed his father in the hole and he was even allowed to bury him himself. It was very healing for Music Man. He felt much more at peace after it was over.
I got to meet some of Music Man's cousins and we got to spend a lot of time with his uncle and aunt. I felt so welcomed and loved right from the start. What a wonderful family. I am so blessed to be a part of them.
There was one day on the trip where the weather was hot and humid. It was uncomfortable, made only worse by the fact that my hay fever went crazy. I hadn't had an attack like that since I was a kid and lived in the San Gabriel Valley. Come to think of it I hadn't felt heat and humidity like that since then either. I didn't mind the hot and humid, but I really didn't like the hay fever. In fact the hot and humid was kind of nice. Reminded me of my childhood and those were happy memories.
Well, that's about all I have to say for now. I'll post more about our trip as I think of it and I'll try to figure out how to post some pictures.
However, we did go on vacation. We drove from California to Oklahoma. It was a long drive. And by long drive I mean, have you ever been through New Mexico? It goes on forever. It is around 390 miles across. I can't remember exactly, and my atlas is in the car. You do get to see such sights as Tecumcari, Santa Rosa, and Albuquerque. I know there are towns west of Albuquerque, but I can't remember what they are. I will say that Flagstaff is probably the most beautiful town I've ever seen. With all those wonderful pines trees around, it's not what you expect when you think of Arizona. I know Music Man wants me to say that his hometown was the most beautiful, and while it was pretty, Flagstaff was just magical to me. Could be because for some reason I didn't remember it was at something like 7700 ft.
In any event, I do want to share one story to give some background information and then a conversation that occurred in the car on the way to Oklahoma. We were still in California and it set the tone for the trip. My grandmother took my mom and uncles on trips to see historical markers all over the state of California when they were kids. She took my sister and I on trips to see many of the same historical markers. On these trips we would invariably pass Joshua trees. And invariably Grandma would say something like, "Look kids, a Joshua tree, it's a cousin of the lily." Now my grandma has a wonderful sense of humor and we have teased her about that for years. In fact, when Grandma, Miss Goofy and I took a trip down the mountain to the nearest big city, Miss Goofy pointed out Joshua trees every 5 or 10 minutes and said, "look a Joshua tree, it's a cousin of the lily" and Grandma would giggle. So, we're out in the middle of nowhere California, and I was feeling goofy and excited about the trip. So, I said while pointing out the window, "look a Joshua tree, it's a cousin of the lily." We all giggled. A moment later, Music Man points out the window and says "Look a call box," Miss Goofy doesn't miss a beat she pipes up with "It's a cousin of the phone." We howled. Grandma will love that story.
We did have a purpose in going to Oklahoma. Music Man's father passed away in November of 2005. I embarrassed to say that before now we either had the money to go back and bury his cremains or we had the time to go back. It took until now for us to have both the time and the money. We did however finally have both time and money for the trip. We buried him at the foot of Music Man's mother's grave. Music Man placed his father in the hole and he was even allowed to bury him himself. It was very healing for Music Man. He felt much more at peace after it was over.
I got to meet some of Music Man's cousins and we got to spend a lot of time with his uncle and aunt. I felt so welcomed and loved right from the start. What a wonderful family. I am so blessed to be a part of them.
There was one day on the trip where the weather was hot and humid. It was uncomfortable, made only worse by the fact that my hay fever went crazy. I hadn't had an attack like that since I was a kid and lived in the San Gabriel Valley. Come to think of it I hadn't felt heat and humidity like that since then either. I didn't mind the hot and humid, but I really didn't like the hay fever. In fact the hot and humid was kind of nice. Reminded me of my childhood and those were happy memories.
Well, that's about all I have to say for now. I'll post more about our trip as I think of it and I'll try to figure out how to post some pictures.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Expectations and Preconceptions
I've been doing a lot of thinking about my choice to be a housewife. I'm a second generation housewife and stay-at-home mom. I am glad I made the decision to be at home with my daughter. I enjoy being a housewife. My husband works hard every day so that I can stay at home. We don't drive brand new cars, we don't have a huge house, we don't take lavish vacations, and we don't go out to nice restaurants every night. We make sacrifices for me to stay home. We make sacrifices to homeschool our daughter.
I didn't complete my college degree but, I have taken some college classes. I have a certificate in accounting and have worked as a bookkeeper/manager of a flower shop. I've also worked as an assistant manager at a hotel. I'm intelligent, professional and personable. Yet, I choose to stay at home. I'm not the best housekeeper, I burn dinner occasionally, and sometimes I get distracted and we don't do as much schoolwork as we should. I don't always feel successful. And yet I don't want to work outside my home.
Which brings me to another point. My mother suffered for years from my grandparents expectations and preconceptions. They figured that because she did well in music and foreign language classes that she should use her gifts and find fulfillment in a career. Both my grandparents are highly educated with master's degrees. Grandma taught for 20 years, and Grandpa was one of the most highly sought after machinists ever. They worked hard.
Grandpa worked nights and went to school during the day. He earned his degree and he was a pastor. Grandma was a pastor's wife (with all that entails), worked, went to school, and raised 3 kids. Grandma graduated with "Highest Honors", not "Honors", "Highest Honors".
These 2 hard working people raised my mom, who stayed at home with 3 kids of her own. She disappointed my grandparents. She had an incredible ear for music and foreign language. She took 4 years of Spanish and 2 years of French while in high school. She won the Bank of America award for foreign language. She studied piano from the time she was 8 and after about 12 was mostly self-taught. In college, she studied sign language. She was fluent in 4 languages (including English) at one time. When she graduated high school she could have gone on to college and studied foreign languages. She could have gone on to work as an interpreter for a large corporation, in the government, for the courts, or just about anywhere. Instead she chose to work for a small department store. She started to write to my dad who was in Viet Nam at the time. When he came home, they started to date and it wasn't long before they were married. My dad worked hard and my mom stayed home with us kids.
She took a lot of flak from people for her choice. People thought she didn't really work or that she was lazy. I even thought that at times. People said that she didn't have any ambition. Maybe she didn't, but it was still her choice to be at home with us kids. She found fulfillment at home with us. She didn't regret staying at home. Not even when my dad died. She wished she had more education and could find work easier, but she didn't regret her choice. A lot of feminists say that she wasted her life. That she could have done so much more with her life. Personally, I'm glad she wasted her life. I never saw it that way. I saw a mom who was home when my friends had a problem. I saw my mom talk with the neighborhood teens when their moms were at work. I saw someone who opened her home to all these kids everyday. Kids who would rather hang out at our house most of the time because she was there. I saw her help a boy who had fallen out of the back of a pick up. No one else was around and the people who were driving the truck were just going to pick him up and drive off. She stopped them and possibly saved his life. I saw her help a boy who was bit by a dog in the neighborhood. She took him to the school where they contacted his parents and he was able to get the medical help he needed.
My mom could have had a wonderful career out in the "real" world. I could too. She chose to stay at home. I do too. To all the feminists who criticize us: You're welcome. We're the women who talk to your kids while you work, we're the women your kids go to when there's a problem, we're the ones who rush your kid to the school when they've been bit by a dog or fell in the front of our house, we're the ones who know what the test in English covered, how they did, and we probably quizzed them before the test, we're the ones you call lazy, we're the ones who make your kids a snack and ours are the houses they hang out at. Why? Because we're there.
I didn't complete my college degree but, I have taken some college classes. I have a certificate in accounting and have worked as a bookkeeper/manager of a flower shop. I've also worked as an assistant manager at a hotel. I'm intelligent, professional and personable. Yet, I choose to stay at home. I'm not the best housekeeper, I burn dinner occasionally, and sometimes I get distracted and we don't do as much schoolwork as we should. I don't always feel successful. And yet I don't want to work outside my home.
Which brings me to another point. My mother suffered for years from my grandparents expectations and preconceptions. They figured that because she did well in music and foreign language classes that she should use her gifts and find fulfillment in a career. Both my grandparents are highly educated with master's degrees. Grandma taught for 20 years, and Grandpa was one of the most highly sought after machinists ever. They worked hard.
Grandpa worked nights and went to school during the day. He earned his degree and he was a pastor. Grandma was a pastor's wife (with all that entails), worked, went to school, and raised 3 kids. Grandma graduated with "Highest Honors", not "Honors", "Highest Honors".
These 2 hard working people raised my mom, who stayed at home with 3 kids of her own. She disappointed my grandparents. She had an incredible ear for music and foreign language. She took 4 years of Spanish and 2 years of French while in high school. She won the Bank of America award for foreign language. She studied piano from the time she was 8 and after about 12 was mostly self-taught. In college, she studied sign language. She was fluent in 4 languages (including English) at one time. When she graduated high school she could have gone on to college and studied foreign languages. She could have gone on to work as an interpreter for a large corporation, in the government, for the courts, or just about anywhere. Instead she chose to work for a small department store. She started to write to my dad who was in Viet Nam at the time. When he came home, they started to date and it wasn't long before they were married. My dad worked hard and my mom stayed home with us kids.
She took a lot of flak from people for her choice. People thought she didn't really work or that she was lazy. I even thought that at times. People said that she didn't have any ambition. Maybe she didn't, but it was still her choice to be at home with us kids. She found fulfillment at home with us. She didn't regret staying at home. Not even when my dad died. She wished she had more education and could find work easier, but she didn't regret her choice. A lot of feminists say that she wasted her life. That she could have done so much more with her life. Personally, I'm glad she wasted her life. I never saw it that way. I saw a mom who was home when my friends had a problem. I saw my mom talk with the neighborhood teens when their moms were at work. I saw someone who opened her home to all these kids everyday. Kids who would rather hang out at our house most of the time because she was there. I saw her help a boy who had fallen out of the back of a pick up. No one else was around and the people who were driving the truck were just going to pick him up and drive off. She stopped them and possibly saved his life. I saw her help a boy who was bit by a dog in the neighborhood. She took him to the school where they contacted his parents and he was able to get the medical help he needed.
My mom could have had a wonderful career out in the "real" world. I could too. She chose to stay at home. I do too. To all the feminists who criticize us: You're welcome. We're the women who talk to your kids while you work, we're the women your kids go to when there's a problem, we're the ones who rush your kid to the school when they've been bit by a dog or fell in the front of our house, we're the ones who know what the test in English covered, how they did, and we probably quizzed them before the test, we're the ones you call lazy, we're the ones who make your kids a snack and ours are the houses they hang out at. Why? Because we're there.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Change of name
Okay so in a previous post I called my dad "the grouchy old man", it has been pointed out to me that we actually call him "the cranky old man" and as such we can't call him "gomy" and that "comy" is what they used to call communists and he might object to that. So, instead we'll just call him either "the cranky old man" or "Mr. Cranky". I'm not sure which yet, possibly both. We'll see which one I type more often. Okay, time to put away the laundry. Have a great day.
How I spent my afternoon
Well, I should have spent it doing laundry and packing to go on vacation. I couldn't stand it any longer though. I went through my husband's inbox for his gmail account. If he hasn't emailed you, it's probably because he had over 900 unread emails in his inbox. He had several emails from 2006. I have hated to send him email cause he never reads them, unless I send them to his work email. Well, after going through all of them, I have sent them all to his "all mail" folder. If he needs something I hope he knows where to look. I thought about organizing them for him, but I don't think I want to spend the next 6 weeks doing that.
On another note, I am getting laundry done for our trip. We are driving halfway across the country so that we can finally bury his father. He's only been gone for 2 and a half years. (I am really glad we had him cremated, otherwise EWW!) I know it's been a long time since he passed, but we're finally going. It should be an interesting trip. I'll finally get to see where he lived as a little kid and where he spent his summers growing up. I'll get to meet a lot of relatives. And we'll finally have closure on his father's death. Probably one of the most emotionally draining months of my life was the one following his death.
I did meet my challenge and cooked dinner at home for the three weeks I aimed for. With the exception of the night I made stuffed peppers and the smell of them made me sick. Oh and the night the meat didn't thaw in time. I've tried hard to be good about that one.
I'm thinking my next challenge will be to make a daily list and work to finish it each day. The most important things on the list are vacuuming and sweeping the floors, with long-haired pets even missing one day makes the floor look really bad. However that won't start until after Memorial Day as I will be on vacation. I haven't been on vacation in about 4 years. When we went and spent 5 days at Disneyland. That was a really fun vacation and I'd love to do it again, but not this year.
Well, the laundry won't fold itself and I need to find a bag to pack some stuff in so, until after my vacation: Have a great day!
On another note, I am getting laundry done for our trip. We are driving halfway across the country so that we can finally bury his father. He's only been gone for 2 and a half years. (I am really glad we had him cremated, otherwise EWW!) I know it's been a long time since he passed, but we're finally going. It should be an interesting trip. I'll finally get to see where he lived as a little kid and where he spent his summers growing up. I'll get to meet a lot of relatives. And we'll finally have closure on his father's death. Probably one of the most emotionally draining months of my life was the one following his death.
I did meet my challenge and cooked dinner at home for the three weeks I aimed for. With the exception of the night I made stuffed peppers and the smell of them made me sick. Oh and the night the meat didn't thaw in time. I've tried hard to be good about that one.
I'm thinking my next challenge will be to make a daily list and work to finish it each day. The most important things on the list are vacuuming and sweeping the floors, with long-haired pets even missing one day makes the floor look really bad. However that won't start until after Memorial Day as I will be on vacation. I haven't been on vacation in about 4 years. When we went and spent 5 days at Disneyland. That was a really fun vacation and I'd love to do it again, but not this year.
Well, the laundry won't fold itself and I need to find a bag to pack some stuff in so, until after my vacation: Have a great day!
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