A year in review

Well, let's see.

During the past year, I have graduated from college, WITH HONORS, I might add, got my braces off, big smile now.

I lost a dear friend and relative, and 25 pounds.

I got on full time at my current job.

I went to New Orleans for a weekend, that was great.

We remodeled our kitchen, dining room and living room, including new laminate wood floors, it looks so beautiful. We started remodeling our basement, including a tool room that will (hopefully) be big enough for all our tools. Big DIY'ers that we are, we have A LOT of tools.

I have spent the last bit of this year trying here and there to find a new job. I will not give up my current job until another comes along. We cannot make it without two paychecks. And with the economy the way it's been BUSHwacked these past couple of years, jobs are very hard to come by.

Our nation as a whole can mark 2008 as a historic year, Barack Obama takes office in just 21 days. I am actually optimistic about the country for the first time in... hell, I can't remember.

That's it. I don't think JP and I have any plans for New Year's, we were thinking of going out but money is pretty tight, and besides I've got booze at home.

Have a great New Year's, those of you who are going out and about, be safe, call a cab, all that stuff. See you next year!

It was a WICKED Christmas

Steve and Mark were here for our Christmas, it was really nice.

The best gift? In January, Steve, Mark, Mom and I are flying to Chicago basically for a day and a half... to see WICKED!!

Don't know what this is? Google it!
I am really excited about it.

Emma got her Twilight books, so she's quietly happy, Eric got the Indiana Jones Lego set that he's been pining for ever since he saw the Crystal Skull movie... he knew there'd be a Lego set to go with it. Alex got the fat Buddha that he wanted. JP got (what I consider to be the perfect gift for him) a Menard's gift card. Now he can finish the tool room, get some shelving and peg board in there!

That's about it for now, I slept like shit last night, anticipation of everything that had to be done today before the guys arrived (and knowing that I would have to be at work, NOT here being in charge... killin' me!!) kept me up and kept waking me up.

I gave Steven another 5 pages or so of the book, whatever I had written since I sent him the first "installment"... It's still not done, but OH SO CLOSE... Next weekend I work at the bar, and will try to finish it then. Still feeling rather uneasy about it... giving it to him, that is. He said he's about half finished reading it... oh, okay.

Before it gets too nuts around here

I'm just popping in to wish y'all a Merry Christmas, before things get wild around here.

I'm using Pot Of Gold chocolates to get the kids to help me with my big list of things to be done before this weekend, and that seems to be going well, they're being pretty good about it.

I made a huge pot of chili this morning, it will be eaten for the next 2 days, easy to reheat and everyone loves it.

Alex is recovering from his tonsillectomy, he's sore, and he has a notepad and pen instead of talking, hurts too much. He is in hopes of being able to eat crackers soaked in chili juice for dinner tonight...

The kids are trying to talk us into opening presents tonight instead of tomorrow morning. We ALWAYS open presents on Christmas morning. NEVER on Christmas Eve. I think JP's family was always Eve, but my family was always Morning. Therefor MY family will be morning.
It just makes sense, Santa doesn't come until the middle of the night, why would you open presents BEFORE he comes???

Now, I know SOME people think that's okay, but it's just not right.

But here's the deal: I'm starting to waver on that issue. One big reason why... sleep. If we make them wait til Christmas Morning, they are up before the ass crack of dawn, waking us up. And we have to be up late, waiting for them to go to sleep so we can... meet the fat bastard and get things... set up.
If they get to open the majority of things on Eve, then they sleep in on Morning, right?

I don't know what we'll do...still debating.

Another weekend, another blizzard

Only on weekends apparently.
I was supposed to work pull tabs tonight, but they closed the bar due to inclement weather.

I got a call from my brother this afternoon. He has given up on having a relationship with our father. It makes my heart ache but I understand his position completely.

By not choosing between his family and his bitch, my father has made a choice. That's how Steven sees it, and I can't say I disagree.

I, however, have children, this man's grandchildren to consider. So I will make another effort to contact him and invite him to grow a pair for the sake of his grand kids.

Sometimes the holidays really suck ass.

Waxing and Surviving

I had a new experience today. I decided (rather last minute) to chop my hair off, and while I was in there, I GOT WAXED... eyebrows and upper lip. Never done that before. Hurt a little, eyes watered for a minute, but it wasn't too bad. And now I don't have to worry about it for quite some time now, so that's a perk. Makes me curious about the pain factor in waxing my legs... I hate shaving.

I got an inverted bob, so my hair is longer on the sides than in the back. It's cute, and it's easy to deal with. Both are big requirements for me.

I FINISHED the Christmas shopping today, even got the stocking stuffers done, divided out and in bags ready to be dumped into the stockings. The only thing left to wrap is Eric's birthday present... his 11th birthday is Monday, the 22nd. I don't have any birthday wrapping paper, otherwise I'd be done. I even got a nap in today... it was a great day off. As was yesterday, although yesterday was bigger in the running around and rushing to do stuff.

I went online tonight and printed out the application for Survivor. I don't know if I'll actually send it, but it's fun to answer the goofy questions they have. I just think it would be such an adventure, and honestly, I think I'd be GOOD at it. Manipulation and pretending to give a shit? Hell, I do that every single day, people!!
Besides, if I won (or even if I came in 2nd!) I could probably afford to quit my job, which would make living in filth and dealing with annoying people and almost starving TOTALLY WORTH IT!
Think of this, too (I did): I could lose weight, and quit smoking, too!
So after filling out the 17 page application, I have to make a (max 3 minute) video... and send it in by January 14th.

I have to go to work tomorrow... dammit. But at least it's only a half day. Then I work (ugh!) ALL DAY on Friday and I have to work Saturday morning, too! Oh, poor me, right?
I just want a job that I LOVE. I want a job that I LOVE going to, that I LOVE doing... EVERY day. Doesn't everyone want that? Yes... And how many of them actually HAVE that? Yeah, I know, very few.

Tomorrow is the big day

The day to finish the Christmas shopping.
The day to meet the man who will be cutting into my son's throat one week from tomorrow.

Had an interesting day today, I'm sure several of you have heard of the HUGE storm that blasted us over the weekend. Well, today's HIGH temperature was a whopping -17... Seventeen degrees BELOW ZERO was the WARMEST it got today. Then the wind chill created a -40 feeling to the air. Nice. Remind me again why I live in this godforsaken wasteland???

So the kids didn't have school today, it was called off late yesterday afternoon. JP stayed home with them, he's got vacation days to burn yet, and WOW, did he have a busy day. First off he had to dig out the van, and the entire driveway was a good 3 to 5 foot drift, plus the drift that went up and over the van.

Then he decided to make supper. He made homemade chicken soup. He MADE THE NOODLES people!! It was BY FAR the BEST soup I have ever had. I am amazed at his culinary skills. He also cleaned the house, including sweeping and mopping the kitchen and dining room, even with his mad skills in the kitchen, it was the cleanest room in the house... damn I am one lucky woman.

I bowled tonight, got to see MY NAME on "the wall" and it was such a great feeling. I did pretty good tonight, certainly not wall-worthy, but I beat my average in all 3 games.
Avg:133
Game 1: 147
Game 2: 151
Game 3: 146

So now I am sitting in bed watching crap on TV, blogging, and shortly I will be going to Pogo.com and playing mindless games for as long as I want to, since I don't have to get up in the morning...while JP is beside me, SNORING wildly.

I have to make a list for the shopping tomorrow. I'm getting Alex out of classes at noon, his appointment is at 3:30, and I'd rather be done shopping before the appointment. A list will make it go faster.

And then there's Tiny Sue. Damn cat was hiding under the bed when the dogs and I came in to the bedroom tonight. It's a real pain in the ass to get her out and keep the dogs in, so as long as she doesn't MEOWWWWL in my face, I guess she can stay for the night...

Eat the rich

great song...

so I'm getting a little tired of the double standards.
We are told to treat the man who comes in in an Armani suit the same as we'd treat a man who stinks to high heaven, and looks like he hasn't bathed in a month. Or rather, treat the stinker as well as we treat the Armani man.

But... (there's always one of those, right?)

It seems as though SOME wealthy benefactors get treated... better. THEY don't want to hear "no"... it could specifically SAY something to that effect on a computer screen..."Do not give negative response"...

excuse me? No matter what they want, no matter that WHAT they want will screw over another customer, we are not allowed to turn THEM down? And will THEY be paying the overdraft fees for those "less important" clients? No? Thought not.

Talk about a double standard. It's not right, and I am sick TO DEATH of it.

eat the rich.

so much going on

and I can't talk about ALL of it.

But I can talk about my bowling scores, because as we all know THAT is the most exciting thing in my life! haha

First off, I have found a replacement for "her", and Anne will start bowling with us during January. I'm very happy about that.

Secondly, HOLY SHIT! The night I had last night was nothing short of AMAZING... honestly, it was a fluke. I sucked ass in my first two games, 115 and 118, with a 131 average, that was bad. But I made up for it in my 3rd game.

Did I mention "the wall"?? You have to score a 215 or higher to get your name on the wall...

I'M ON THE WALL, BABY!!
With a 224. Yeah, I don't know.
(assuming you said "No shit, how'd that happen?")

I had an interesting 'event' tonight, too, but I can't really talk about that JUST YET. Maybe never... Don't worry, if things work out nicely, I'll be shouting from the rooftops... otherwise, I will just whisper "shit" here at home.

I am nothing if not enigmatic, eh?

Oh, and then there's Alex... Alex and his amazing tonsils. They grow, they swell, they get inflamed and infected.
And two weeks from today, they get extracted!
Yeah, on December 23rd, my son will undergo surgery to remove his tonsils. Yes, 2 days before Christmas, I AM THAT mean.
No, honestly, we just needed to get it done before the end of the year, insurance crap changes, and there weren't a ton of options on the surgeon's schedule. The kid will end up having almost 2 weeks to recover before going back to school.

And on the 16th, the consultation for the surgery is also the day that I had set aside to finish my Christmas shopping. Well, shit, I have to buy Alex's presents that day... and he'll be with me! DAMN! I'll have to come up with some interesting ways to get that done...

what is YOUR calling?

well, hell, it's MY blog, so what's MY calling?
I am NOT talking about religious callings, either... anyone who knows me even a little bit knows that much.

One of my favorite quotes is "It's never too late to be what you might have been"

I think I'm even more confused now than I was before I went to college. I am not fully happy in my job. I am currently looking for something else. I actually feel like a failure because I am not happy. I THOUGHT that working in a bank was THE job, the end all, be all of things for me to do. I have in the past 2 months or come to realize what it was in my education that I really liked, what it was that I really want to do.

Bank work IS within the realm of finance, but honestly, I am using virtually NONE of the things I learned. To me, that feels like I wasted my time in college. I DO NOT want that.

I thought working in a bank was the thing for me, and now I know that it is not. I want to do financial statements, accounts payable, accounts receivable, things like that. Being a teller is NOT using an accounting degree.

I worry that JP thinks I'm a flake. He has worked at his current job for 10 years, in the same field since he graduated from college over 17 years ago. Quitting is not an option for that man. I worry that he expects that sort of behavior of me. Not that I want to be a flake, jumping from job to job... it just seems that it's taking me longer to find my calling than it did for him to find his.

So I'm still looking, or rather, LISTENING for my calling.
And we all know how Nik feels about things being 'up in the air'!!

grrrrr.

being unstable and bitchy...

JP and I have been having snippy issues the last week or so.
He's been a dick, and I've been short with him, and crabby.
I don't like it, but I don't know how to fix it.
I'm sure sex would help... help to cover up the real issues, of course.
Cuz, see, THAT hasn't happened in awhile. Reasons?

1. Too tired.
2. Too busy.
3. He comes to bed EVERY night with a plate of food.
4. His nasal spray isn't working... WHEN he uses it.
5. My ears are sore from ear plugs
6. Get the impression that I'm feeling a bit resentful?

Anyway, things are in a funk... here and at work.
I'm tired of being stressed and I'm tired of being reprimanded for things I was never taught.
I'm thinking of looking for another job. Until then, I just have to suck it up, and try not to screw up... fly below the radar and keep my nose clean, any other cliches out there?

Let us all give thanks... and blowjobs.

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I'm a bad designated driver

Tonight JP and I went out and met HIS friends and their wives at a comedy show. It was really great, both comedians were so funny!

I had offered, a week ago, to stay sober, drink diet soda all night, since I have to work in the morning, and JP has the day off, and they are HIS friends.

So I did that. A group of about 20 of us, me being the only sober (and cold) one in the bunch. What is the deal with that? The bar was friggin' freezing! See, I think it was chilly, but nobody else seemed to notice because they all had booze coursing through their veins.

But about 11, I was BORED, see, the wives of JP's friends and I don't really talk, we don't have much in common, and they've all been friends for years, and I always feel like an outsider around them. And I was actually getting sick to my stomach from all the Diet Coke (yeah, I had to drink THAT SHIT because the bar doesn't carry Diet Pepsi.

So I left JP there and came home. He knew I was going, I didn't just bail on him, and he stayed with my blessing and I told him to call me if he needed a ride after all. Members of the big group had said they'd get him home, but I told JP not to accept a ride from them if they'd been drinking, and he is a smart guy, he knows that.

I have to run out tomorrow morning before I go to work. Yes, I have to participate in Black Friday crap. Just a little, but still, what a pain in the ass. JP was going to go with me, but judging by his condition when I left the bar, I doubt very much he will feel like being out and about at 5 am.

It's midnight, and I should go to bed now, the bars close at 2am, so I guess I will get 2 hours of sleep, drive across town and back, and then get a few more hours... terrific. But I AM the D.D., so it's kind of my job.

Answer Amanda's questions

She asked in the comments a couple of days ago, so here's the answer:

I hate rejection, but I hate being lied to... so there's the rub. THAT is why I will most likely never see my name on a book in Borders or Barnes & Noble.
Then there's this:
How funny is it that my mom is my best friend, my husband is the love of my life, and my brother is well... Steven, and HE is the first one to get a chance to read it? So very wrong. There, there's another reason why I wish I could suck it back away from him.
You know what I'm afraid it is? What I'm afraid the REAL REASON is that I sent it to him? Not because he asked me... but maybe, just maybe I am still seeking his approval. As much as I like to run my mouth (and my brain) about how I am SO OVER being his little sister in his big shadow... well, shit, wouldn't it just SUCK ass if all that was for nothing? What if I really still am?

shit. now I put myself into a pissy mood.

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all! (and I really mean that, I wasn't being sarcastic or nuthin'!)

Turkey Day!!

MY turkey day was yesterday!
I FINALLY got a turkey last night in bowling (for those not in the know, a turkey is getting 3 strikes IN A ROW!)

I have never achieved this before. MY FIRST! And it certainly helped, because the game in which I got the turkey was also the highest score I have ever gotten in my life... 185!

There's a board at the alley, they list everyone who gets 215 or better along with their actual score. I WANT TO BE ON THAT BOARD... gawd, I am so sad... I need a life.

I also got some great news at work today. It sucks that I have to work Friday, and Saturday too. I do have Thursday off, Thanksgiving and all, but I was bummed about working the day after. UNTIL I got the email sent out by Mr Bank President... "Anyone working on Friday will be allowed to wear jeans on that day, thanks for coming in" (which is silly, thanks for coming in? I HAVE TO be there, I was scheduled to be there) but whatever, I'll wear my jeans and a smile. So my boss, upon reading this, told us that since Friday was a jeans day, then Saturday most definitely was a jeans day, too!

small things make me happy.

JP asked me tonight what I want for Christmas...

No. Idea.

Two more things off my 'list'

It's only a mental list, but I can now cross two more things off of it!

I just got off the phone with The Lodge, got Steven and Mark their jacuzzi suite for December 27th...
And, in the process of emailing Steven to let him know, I also included an attachment to the email. Steven didn't know about my 'book' until about a month ago, it's just not something I had ever thought of mentioning to him. So a month ago, when I mentioned it in passing, he said "Wait, what? You wrote a book?"

He asked me to send it to him so he could read it. So I did that. I guess that gives him about a month to read it before he comes up here.

Well, even if he hates it, and thinks it's crap, at the very least I can say that I'm thinner than him! And I DON'T have a receding hairline... so there!

wait, um... is it possible to UNsend an email? Can I just suck it back through the 'net waves, and NOT send it to him???? no? well crap.

Getting ready for the big one

Doing a pretty good job of getting ready for Christmas this year...

I have bought a few things, here and there, and today, I WRAPPED them! I only had 6 gifts to wrap, but the thing is, if I get them wrapped, there's less peeking than if they're just crammed into my closet. So I'm going to try to stay current with the wrapping as I buy.

We also got some more cleaning/prep work done on the formal living room this weekend. That room is where Christmas happens in my house. I keep all the decorations and crap confined to that room... easier to clean up when it's all done. Next weekend we will drag out the tree and all the crap, so this weekend was all about dusting and vacuuming, moving furniture to make room for the tree right in the front window. It will be so nice and pretty this year, this room got the majority of the face lift from the remodel this summer, so it looks really nice.

I also did pull tabs last night and tonight, and got my paycheck for it. So I have an extra $200 for some 'middle of the pay period' shopping, and I even have a little list of things to get with that money.

The one thing I haven't done, and NEED TO DO!!! is to make reservations for Steven and Mark for the Saturday after Christmas at their favorite place to stay when they come up here. Of course, they want a jacuzzi suite... I must do that tomorrow...

sickntired

I'm so glad it's Friday, and that I don't have to work at the bank tomorrow morning. I've been sick for a few days now, and all I really want is to sleep until I wake up.
Not sleep until the alarm goes off, but sleep until I WAKE UP... whether that's 8 am, or NOON, dammit, that is what I want!

and tomorrow I get what I want. yippee, a little victory for the snotty girl.

I am working at the bar tomorrow night, and Sunday night, but that's not too bad, and it gives me a chance to finish reading Duma Key... yes, the Stephen King book I bought ages ago, the same one that Alex has read twice, and I am finally getting to it. I'm almost done with it, having only time during slow weekends on pull tabs to read... and just last weekend I picked up S.K.'s latest book of short stories, and I will bring that along to read once I am done with Duma Key.

Shit, I was supposed to call and make hotel reservations for Steven and Mark for the Saturday after Christmas, they're coming up here. Shit, I was supposed to call Gina when I got off work tonight... well, it's almost 10 and I've already taken a dose and a half of Nyquil, so I think I will have to wait until morning to call her. Maybe if she reads this, and realizes how icky-sicky I've been, she'll forgive me? Gina?

Being sick makes me pissed off

I felt fine this morning, hell, I felt fine at lunchtime!
This afternoon, I started to sneeze... then my throat felt a little... raw.

And now I am full blown sick.
I went out after work and bought $30 worth of drugs. Nyquil, Zycam, pills, vitamins, herbal crap, vitamin C, and some shit that goes into a glass of water and... effervesces... like Alka-Seltzer, only with a nasty orange-ish flavor.

Anyway, I'm cuddled up with a big fleece blankie and vegging in front of the TV. I'm so pumped full of meds, I'm actually either feeling better, or just too doped up to care!
I do not miss work when I'm sick.
It's just not what I do. I am not one of those people. I will suck it up and work through it.
Of course, I don't get 'really' sick either, no flu, no bronchitis crap here, just awful body-dragging colds... just one or two per winter, so maybe I should be pleased to be done with this one so early in the season...

Or not, I'm just pissed off. I HATE being sick.

Bad bank employee

I feel so naughty.

I am being unfaithful to my bank.
I just finished opening an online savings account through another bank.
I had to!!
My bank has a savings account with a miserable .70% interest rate. Yes, that was POINT SEVEN ZERO! Not even a full one percent!

I did some online checking and found a bank (the one who also happens to 'really' own my home) that offers 3.75% with NO minimum to start and NO minimum to maintain that 3.75%... well, ok, it's not "NO" minimum, it's $1... and holy crap, if I can't keep one dollar in that account, then I need more help than an online savings account can do!

It felt so good to do the transfer this morning, from 'my' bank (my employer) to this other one... felt like I really DID something constructive with my money. Also there is the time factor. This makes my savings tougher to dip into. Yes, I can transfer it to my checking at any time, but it would take a couple of days to become available, etc, so NO CHANCE for impulse spending of the SAVINGS... isn't that the whole point of saving... TO SAVE!!

I feel really good about this... dealing (responsibly) with my money makes me content...
*sigh*

banned to the couch

Even with earplugs, I could hear him last night. It was a combination of hearing him and FEELING him snoring. Yeah, I could FEEL the vibrations of him snoring in the mattress.

Shortly after midnight I moved to the couch downstairs just so I could get a few hours of sleep. He did not apologize this morning either. Not that I 'blame' him for snoring, it happens, I get it... but when there IS a solution and he chooses not to do it because he's a big wussy baby asshole, well, then YEAH, HE SHOULD APOLOGIZE. I'm talking about the breathe right strips. He used them once when I first bought them... THEY WORKED but he refuses to use them because "they're not comfortable"

Ya know what asshole? NEITHER ARE EARPLUGS when worn every damn night... yeah, it actually hurts my ears.

So I am heading to bed tonight, eagerly... he's off at Camp Ripley until Sunday, maybe even Monday... yippee! a minimum of 2 nights of sleep, real sleep, in my own bed...
Goodnight!

Looking forward to 42

I came to an interesting conclusion about my life the other day.

My 20's were all about my family. I was pregnant 4 times in 4 years, I have 3 beautiful, smart(mouthed), fun kids to show for it. All 3 of those kids have the same father, and, shockingly, in this day and age, he is STILL the man I'm married to. Yes, we got married young, I wasn't quite 21 on our wedding day, and JP celebrated his 21st just 6 days before we said "I do"... It was a tough decade, but we made it through... together.

My 30's, I hate to say it, were (are) sort of "all about me" to quote that damn Happy Bunny. I got braces so I could feel better about smiling. I got an education so I could feel better about my career. I am working on my body, (I'M DOWN TO 147!!!) so that I have something to smile ABOUT! It's been hard for this decade to be about me, with JP being deployed for quite a chunk of it, but I guess I could look at it as a time for me to find out how strong I am, what I am capable of, and how much my children need me.

And now, for the one I'm really looking forward to: my 40's... yes, I am looking forward to the 40's... or rather, 42 to be exact. When JP and I are 42, our 'baby' Eric will be 18. Now I know that there won't be a magic day, such as the day after his high school graduation, when suddenly, WE ARE FREE, I realize that that won't be the end of it... I believe Stephen King said it best in the title of one of his short stories "Sometimes they come back"

But... at 42, still young, it will be the decade of US. JP and I have a great marriage. We don't have those silly 'silent treatment' fights that last for days... we KNOW what pisses off the other one, and we try very hard not to do that to each other... because it's just not nice, you know?
OK, maybe I'm sugar coating it a bit, maybe (just maybe) the reality is that JP is such a wonderful tolerant man, and MAYBE, just maybe he wears the pants in the family because (and AFTER) I pick them out for him... but it works for us. I am so looking forward to having our home to ourselves. No kids making messes and not cleaning up after themselves. Just he and I enjoying some peace and quiet.

That's what makes 40 sound so great to me... the sound of silence.

Ok, enough philosophical crap... did you catch that in the middle of my babble? 147 BABY!!
Nice...

What happened here Tuesday night

When I got home from work, Mom was making dinner. She immediately asked me if I had voted. I pulled open my coat to show my "I voted" sticker. She looked disappointed. I told her that I would take her up there after dinner so she could vote.

Well, after dinner we went down to her room and turned on the TV. The first few polls in the east coast area were closing, and they were projecting McSame as the winner in a few of the southern states.

Mom jumps up and says "That's it! I gotta go vote, NOW!" First off, I LOVE that seeing returns from states so far away got her so fired up. I grabbed my jacket, and Alex asked if he could come along. He then pointed out that he would be voting to RE-ELECT Obama in the next election.

This gave me a moment of pause. First off, Alex is already projecting the winner, and second, holy crap, he's going to be old enough in 4 years to vote. Wow, as if I didn't feel old enough already!

I took Alex along, happy that he was so enthused about the process. While mom was voting I was showing Alex around and we stood back and watched as some people came in and needed to register (I told him that he would not have that problem, he would be registered beforehand). He got to see a ballot and I showed him how to fill it out (no, I didn't show him WHO to vote for, I showed him how to fill in the spots, make the marks, hanging chads and all that shit)

When mom was done, we headed back home, and planted ourselves in front of the TV... Alex was in and out all night.
He asked that we holler for him if anything 'big' happened. When Obama won Pennsylvania, we hollered and he came running.
"So what's the score?" And he knew that the 'magic' number was 270.
We hollered again every time Obama flipped a red state, and he came running "What's the score now?"
He happened to be in the room at 10 pm. When it was announced.
"Barack Obama is the projected winner. Barack Obama will be the 44th president of the United States".

My son said "Yes!" and walked away.
I was impressed and proud of his interest and sense of civic duty. He may screw up and piss me off at times, but he WILL be a registered Democrat.

I may not be a perfect parent, but at least I have that.

Between the historic election and the intensity with which Alex was involved in an election that he wasn't even able to take part in, I was in awe for the rest of the evening.

So far so good

My day off began early, got the kids out at 7:30, then I sort of vegged out with "The Early Show" as they tried to recommend a new dog for Sasha and Malia... and my only question was WHERE WAS THE GOLDEN RETRIEVER??

That would be the best dog for the first family. Energetic, yet very trainable, great with little kids... best dogs ever, I tell ya!

Then I got in the shower, stupid, I washed my hair, I should have colored it beforehand. So that will wait until tomorrow I guess. Damn white hairs.

I have the 'list' of things I need to get today when I go get Gina for lunch. Even though it's a chilly rainy day, I am looking forward to getting out and just puttering around town.

I also have a couple of 'trouble spots' that I want to get through today. I have a clusterfuck mess on the floor space on my side of the bed, I HATE that. I also have a few areas that I want to clean up and go through for the big 'spring clean in the fall' shit that JP started. I want to go through this stuff, because I DON'T want JP to go through it. He'd throw it all, I just know it.

I also MUST post about our experience on Tuesday night. I will get to that this afternoon, it was great... I'm talking about my family's personal experience, not JUST the outcome. Both were really great.

For now, I am watching Drew Carey host TPIR, never really seen him do it before, and then I will get ready to go out on the town with GinaBean.

Two days off

Today was my last day of the week.
I have to call my daddy tonight, it's his birthday today.
Tomorrow I am taking Gina out for lunch, and hopefully she will help me shop for my mom's birthday present, which is Friday.

I did not sleep well last night, tossed and turned all night. I THOUGHT I would sleep soundly, after the outstanding election night we had, but it was awful. I am going to bed early tonight.

Wow.

Wow, that's all I can think of...
One, it's finally over, happy about that
Two, it ended the right (left)... correct... way.

At exactly 10 pm (my time) it was announced that Barack Obama was projected as the 44th president of the United States. Brought a tear to my eye.

Like it or not, love him or hate him, things WILL change.

He's got a tough road ahead of him, no doubt about that, there's no telling how long it will take to fix the mess that's been left for him, but if anyone CAN fix it, clean it up, and bring people together to improve our country, HE can.

Now I can go to bed, and sleep soundly... as soon as I find a BLUE shirt in my closet to wear to work tomorrow!

goosebumps at the polls

This election is historic. Monumental.
When I arrived at the polling place this morning to cast my vote (at 8 am, like a good voter!)
I got goosebumps because it hit me how huge this election is.

Of course I care about the outcome, but it really got me thinking...

big. huge.

Don't forget to vote (unless you're red, in which case, have another beer, relax on the couch, you'll be fine!)

;-)

I'm funny

Saturday JP and I were picking up a few groceries.

Me: You know what I want?
JP: What?
Me: Baked Lays... haven't had them in ages, that sounds really good.
JP: K...(as he steers the cart towards the chip aisle)
Me: You know, if you got me some pot, I'D be a baked lay...

I'm getting new bowling shoes

I use the rental shoes at the alley every week.
Tonight I EARNED the right to get my own. I bowled so friggin' good.
My average went up 2 from last week, sitting at 128, that makes me happy.
It will go up again.
Got a 118, meh, whatever.
I also got a 157, nice, beat the pants off everyone else on our team, AND the team we were bowling against.
I had my best game ever tonight.
Didn't leave an open frame until the 9th, then made up for it in the tenth with a strike and a spare.

180. No shit.

In other news, tomorrow is THE BIG DAY. I am thinking I will go to the gym first thing, then get the kids ready and out the door, then head out the door myself. TO GO VOTE. Yeah, that's right, before work. Polls open at 8am, and I don't have to work until 9:15. I remember a line last time, during the "after work" hours of 3 to 6 or so. I'm hoping to get in early, besides, they give out those cute little "I voted" stickers, and I want to wear mine to work.

The best news is that Wednesday I don't have to be in to work until 10 am, so I can stay up late as the returns come in. Then I have a meeting Wednesday night at work, should run til about 7. I am SO looking forward to that. Of course, assuming that things go as planned tomorrow.

Then I have Thursday and Friday off, with Friday being my best friend's birthday. I have to run out and pick up her gift, I KNOW what it is, just have to find it now. I'm concerned that it may require a run to Fargo, I've been looking around town and haven't found it yet... grrrrr.

I'm about ready to tell JP to stop with the remodeling until he finishes one project. He hasn't finished the living room trim (remember all the pictures this summer? He's STILL not done!) and he started putting plastic on the living room windows for the winter... THAT'S still laying around half done.

And then there's the freezer/tool room project, that has suddenly expanded to include the entire laundry room.

Enough is enough.
Just finish something.
Something.
Anything, really?

Lucky Number 6

I did a post back on the day of the Kentucky Derby, about 6 being my lucky number...remember?

Well, today I have another reason to love the number 6.

Last night I was whining to mom about having to break down and buy new jeans. I have slowly been replacing my work pants, as money allowed. But I just bought a new belt to cinch up my jeans. I HATE buying new jeans. Such a pain to find ones that aren't so low rise but not up in my ribs, and are long enough in the leg, and aren't too tight in the thigh (my 'usual' tight spot!)

She said "Go in my closet... well, hell, " and she jumped up and grabbed a bunch of jeans out of her closet. Jeans that didn't fit her anymore (skinny bitch is baggy in 4's and 2's!) She said I should try on these, and whatever I wanted, I could have. There were 5 pairs of size 10's... Levi's. That's what I'm currently swimming in, but these are a different cut, and they fit great!

And then!! And then!
The other two pair were size 6.
And they fit me.
Hear that? I got my ass into size 6's.
WITHOUT having to lay on the bed to zip them! No problem zipping them AT ALL!!

I remember once (ONCE!) in my Senior year of high school, being able to squeeze (laying on the bed to zip them) into an 8... and that only lasted about 2 weeks. I was 18. I am now 36 AND three ginormous kids later.
In a 6.

Life is good I tell ya!

Peticure & 'Bread of the Dead'

I have a couple of things to talk about, things that have come into my home in the last couple of days. Reviews of stuff, really.

Mom ordered that Peticure off the TV. You've seen this, it's like a Dremel with a guard to sand down your pets' nails. Holy balls, this thing works GREAT!! It took a few minutes to get Hailey used to the noise of it, she's the most skittish of our 3 girls. Comet was so calm and chilled, it was like she was just relaxing with mom and I on the floor. The really great thing is that the sanding rings, that you 'need' to order refills of off the website.... no, you don't. Go to Lowe's or Mendard's or Home Depot, find the Dremel tools, and get them there. Cheaper AND no shipping and handling.

Best thing about it is how nice and clean it does the nails. Our dogs' nails are so big and thick, that we couldn't use dog nail trimmers sold in pet stores etc, we were having to use a side cutter! Splitting and splintering the nails, not a nice clean cut at all. This is so much better, and virtually NO RISK of getting down to the quick, either. I am really happy with this thing.

Secondly, Alex brought home a paper from his Spanish class with a recipe on it. Saturday is the day of the dead, or something like that, in Spanish culture. They have this bread that they make, usually shaped into skulls and bones and skeletons and such... to celebrate the dead, you know! Seems as though making this bread and bringing it in to class on Friday is worth 25 extra credit points. Alex NEEDS those points.

Since tomorrow is his birthday and my mom is taking him out for dinner, AND Survivor is on tomorrow night, there just wouldn't be time to do it tomorrow night. So we did it tonight. Just Alex and I. We made two loaves, well, not loaves, they're in 9" round pans. And technically, only one of them is still round.

What?
We had to make sure it was edible. And woweee, was it ever edible!

So, I highly recommend the Peticure AND dead bread... yeah, the kids and I started shortening the name from "Bread of the Dead" to just

dead bread.

work vent

is it worth it?
talking to old people, I mean.
Trying to explain new procedures, or why we are asking them to verify information, they get mad (I have banked here for 30 years!) *really, jerk, I have worked here for a year, I don't know you, and if you want me to do your damn banking, I suggest you verify your damn DOB!*
It seems that younger people, age 55 and younger all GET IT! We are trying to protect you from identity theft, but the old people who basically live for their daily trips to the bank just don't get it. Yes, times have changed, and I am sorry that you can't go down to the corner soda shoppe and get a malted for a nickel anymore, people suck nowadays, they will try to cheat you out of your money, and as 'your bank' it is my responsibility (screw it, it's my job) to try to keep that from happening to you, so stop being an old dickhead!

Yeah, got some new procedures in place at work today...

I DO HAVE THE DAY OFF TOMORROW!! ALL DAY!! yippee.

Bowlin' Bowlin' Bowlin, keep them doggies bowlin'

Rawhide!

Haha.
Tonight was a bowling teams' dream. Our two worst bowlers, Liz and Cheryl were both GONE!! The only sucky thing about it is that when they are "blind", we have to take 10 points off their averages and THAT is what they get for scores. Big whopping 82 for one, and an equally impressive 85 for the other. Damn, we must get rid of them.

But I did good tonight. My average at the start was up to 126. Tonight I bowled a (eww) 121, and then a wunderbar 155, and finished the night with a decent 148. Averaged 141 for the 3 games, so my season average WILL go up. Since I'm pretty sure I ended last season right around 126, this is a good sign.

Tomorrow I have to go in to work an hour early for a meeting, and in return, my 1/2 day Wednesday may become a full day off. It's been pretty slow at the bank, and it's probably not necessary for me to go in for that half day. I would LOVE to have Wednesday off, since I worked at the bank last Saturday, did pull tabs Saturday and Sunday nights, and I work again at the bank this coming Saturday. I would LOVE a friggin' day off.

Not that I'm complaining a bit, I got a paycheck today from pull tabs, plus the tips I made, and it all helps.

Something brewing at work, hopefully will turn out good. I'm keeping my yap shut for now, but hopefully soon, I will have something to whoop and holler about.

freakin' snow

Yesterday I was outside in a T shirt. JP decided that THIS is the weekend to gut the walk-in freezer and convert it to a tool room. The boys and I made countless trips from the basement up the stairs and out the back door to haul the insulation and crap to the garage. He bought quick-crete to redo the floor, and white paint for the cement block walls and ceiling. He also got a big light and I think he's going to get a sheet of peg board and some shelving next. We have quite a collection of tools, every kind of power tool, for darn near any home improvement project you can imagine. Electrical, got it. Painting, got it. Heating and duct work, got it. Flooring, either tile, carpet or hardwood installation... yup, got it all. Drywall installation, yes, that, too. Not to mention all the 'standard' tools that pretty much everyone has. We need this big room to keep it all under control. I have convinced him to keep the big wood working tools in the garage. With the air compressor for the nail gun and other various air powered things.

I woke up this morning to find snow. What a pisser.

I worked pull tabs last night, what a horrible night. Tips sucked, hardly anyone was playing and nobody was winning. I'm in hopes that tonight will be better. Speaking of which, I should get in the shower and start getting ready to go.

But I want to see the end of the movie first. I'm watching "A Knight's Tale"... *sigh* Heath.... so sad.

The great weight update

150. Damn.
Really?
After NOT going to the gym for 8 days... really, I went this morning, the last time I went was LAST Wednesday. Just got too involved in that silly new fad: sleep.

I cannot remember the last time I weighed 150. In fact (and I need to grab my wallet to verify) but I think I might actually weigh what my driver's license SAYS I weigh! (Yeah, I do!) Don't tell me I'm the only one who shaves a good 10 lbs off when reporting that number! Well, from the last time I had it renewed, to the height of my weight, the gap had gone from 10 lbs to 22 lbs! Pretty big gap...unacceptable, really.
But now it's better!
I was stuck so long right around 154, best I saw was 152, and that was rare... literally for MONTHS! Maybe somehow I broke through this last barrier finally. Of course now that I say that, tomorrow the scale will go back to reading 155 or something bad like that! Karma kicks my ass every time.
But for now, I'll take it!

I don't even have to give him the rope

and the dumbass will STILL manage to hang himself.

I'm talking about Alex. I just got a call from the Vice Principal at the High School. He was very nice, and was just calling to let me know that Alex had skipped his last class of the day yesterday (science class) with a few of his friends, and would therefor be serving some in-school suspension during his study hall this week. I asked him if he told Alex that he would be calling me, and (teehee) he said 'no'.

Good.
Keep it that way.

Let's see if the little bastard will 'fess up on his own...

stay tuned.

Some fall pictures to post

I took these last week and I'm just now getting them off my camera. Sad thing is, the trees in these pictures don't look this nice anymore. That beautiful fall color is very short lived. This is just what's on my street, visible from my driveway basically.
That's one thing I really love about living up in Northern Minnesota as opposed to the more southern area that I grew up in.
In Southern Minnesota, the only reason for a tree is to serve as a wind break for a farm house.
Up here, trees exist just for the sake of being there. Down there... flat boring farm land, corn and beans (soy, not green) for as far as the eye can see. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing farms or farmers, we need them, they just don't make for a very pretty countryside, ya know?

Well, that's all for now, I've got a few other pics that I downloaded off my camera, I'll get those posted later this week.

Crap, not bad and FRIGGIN' GREAT

Bowling scores, of course!

My average sits at 125. Tonight brought a miserable 101, a pretty good 142, and an amazing 163!!

Tomorrow I'm working another of those half days, since I have to work on Saturday. Y'all may remember what happened to me on my last half day. I was stuck there for over 2 hours past my supposed release time because of a dumbass and a fishing line sinker.

Tomorrow will not be such a day. I am determined that it will NOT be a sinker stinker day.
I have some things around here to do in the morning, don't have to be in until 10:45. When I get out AT 2:15, WHICH I WILL, then I am going to clean up around here, and then Gina is coming over for a visit when she gets off work. She and I haven't seen each other too much lately, busy schedules and all.

Well, JP is in a pissy mood... kids didn't do their chores. So I better go try to defuse the situation...

Too old for hangovers

Holy shit.

Friday was the surprise birthday party for JP's best friend. LOVE my mom, she came and got our drunk butts, AGAIN.

I knew I drank alot, but holy crap... I spent ALL DAY Saturday in recovery. No shit, I was in bed until 4 pm. I couldn't drink anything, not even sipping water, because we all know that alcohol consumption causes dehydration, so I was TRYING to feel better... but every time I drank a little bit of water... well lets just say that it's a nice thing that the bathroom is right next door to our bedroom.

It was 4 pm before I could drink, eat or smoke... literally, I laid in bed all day and suffered.
I just hope I learned my lesson... OH, and JP was in the same shape, so it wasn't just me... poor guy though, he had to get up and take Emma to a birthday party and then go pick her up Saturday afternoon.

Today was a trip to Fargo, and some serious housecleaning, and laundry. Pretty boring around here, sorry.

Oh, except for one great thing that I found in my front yard when I got home from work: Someone had been around the neighborhood that afternoon, wanted to place political signs in yards. JP wasn't home yet... but my wonderful little democratic children were, and they OK'd the placement of an OBAMA ~ BIDEN sign in my front yard. Such good kids.

Bowling, more dollars

I bowled last night, and it went pretty well. There are only 7 teams on our league, so every once in a while, we will bowl alone, not against another team. Last night was that night. It just means that we get out of there faster, since we are not waiting on another team to bowl. We still had to make our averages, so in theory, it is still possible to lose even when you're bowling against yourself!

But we didn't lose. In large part due to ME!

My first game was nice, very nice, 159. I went downhill after that, second game was a 140, so I still beat my average. My 3rd game, however, was dismal. a 114. But overall, I beat my average, and we beat our team average, despite Liz and Cheryl trying their damnedest to screw us up. No shit, that big girl got a 75 average for last night. Damn she sucks.

So instead of getting home after 9, I pulled in to the driveway just before 8:30. My mom picked up my paycheck for me, it's paid from the same office that does her paychecks. That was almost $75... and I will get those (and the tipping weekends happen to fall) on JP's off pay weeks. That is my favorite part. I just happened to get assigned to every other weekend that JP DOES NOT get his checks. Helps spread the money around a bit better.

My boss at the bank has been on vacation and will be back tomorrow, so I will tell her then about this little part time venture of mine. It will never affect the bank, I will never be scheduled anywhere near banking hours, but I think it's a courtesy thing, to let her know that I've got this going on, on the side. One of the other girls, who is REALLY good friends with the boss outside of work, also has a part time gig, doing the books and paperwork for Weight Watchers, so I know that it's ok to have this job. If nothing else, maybe it will drum up business for the bar, maybe my boss will pop over to see me some weekend.

Well, it's almost time to get ready for work, I came back from the gym and got the kids out the door, so I had a little quiet time, but now it's time to get busy.

It just keeps getting better and better

I did pull tabs again tonight. I wasn't expecting much for tips, being a Sunday and all, plus it was a shorter shift. I pulled a $10 out of my tip jar at dinner time, and got a burger from the supper club next door, Mom was at the bar and she ran over and got it for me... such a good friend!

Even with that out of the tip jar, I came home and counted up... $100. No shit, One Hundred Dollars. So technically, I made $110.

In two days of working, I made $196. I think I kind of like this job.

Plus I got some major work done on my book.

I have next weekend off, no pull tabs AND no Saturday at the bank either. JP and I are going out Friday night for a birthday party for his best friend, it's a surprise 40th that his wife got all set up.

So now I am just going to settle in and try to sleep. I have to go to the gym in the morning, get a good start to the week...
OH! Almost forgot, the clothes I bought this morning? The pants are a size 10 and the capris are a size 8! The skirt is a small... AND THEY ALL FIT! Doesn't sound impressive until you realize that my previous sizes ranged from 14 to 12... hmmm, happy.

LOVING my little part time job

I worked alone last night, first time. Not hard, the worst part was the stretch from 7:30 til about 10 when I had NOTHING to do. I brought my laptop, but there's no Internet, so I worked on editing my "book" which was great, to have uninterrupted time to mess with that.

I got a rush at 10, and even though I was supposed to close at 11, I stayed open until about 20 minutes to midnight. Hell, they were playing, they were winning and THEY WERE TIPPING. Well worth staying late for.

I made $86 in tips last night.

So I went shopping a bit this morning. Most of my work pants are starting to look like a paper bag squished around the neck of a liquor bottle... I went and found a clearance sale, so stuff was clearanced, PLUS it was a BOGO 1/2 off deal, too! PLUS, when I got to the checkouts, they had a big sign offering an additional 5% off for all military personnel and families. I got 1 pr of pants, one skirt, and 4 shirts for work, AND a cute little sweatpants and zippered sweatshirt set FOR $45!!

And now I have to get geared up to go back to work. It's a shorter shift tonight, plus it's Sunday, so I doubt I will be seeing another $86, but it all helps... I will be taking my Stephen King book along tonight, maybe I can finally read that damn thing. Alex borrowed it, and he has read it TWICE, and I still haven't been able to find the time to crack it open.

Indignant

There is something seriously wrong with the world... or at least MY world.
I don't think it is fair, or even humorous on ANY cosmic level that people should have to endure
both wrinkles AND pimples at the same time. The teen years are for the pimples, and the 30's and beyond are for
the wrinkles.
And never the two should meet. EVER.

I never had too much of a problem with pimples when I was a teen, a few here and there, nothing worth seeing a doctor about, you know?
And after I became an adult, I would still get one per month, nothing horrible and disfiguring, just kind of like a small town siren announcing the approach of a tornado, GET IT?
But just in the last maybe... 2 months, it has gotten a bit out of hand, to the point of being annoying, no, ANNOYING AS HELL! So I have crow's feet, and frown lines furrowed into my forehead, and a bunch of red swollen zits on my cheeks! UGH! Even when I did get them as a teen, NEVER in the middle of my face... as Ross Geller said "I have an oily T zone" ... well, I DID, and now it's just wherever, whenever, everywhere, always!

At my gym, one of the TV's is tuned to a 24 hour infomercial channel. I have seen the one for Proactive SO many times now, and with the issues I'm suddenly having, I'm curious, but that crap is expensive! So I want opinions before I order crap off the TV... is it good? Does it work? How long does it take to see results?

Tips are good

Well, tonight was even better for tips... I split it with Cindy, and walked out with $36!!

I am tired, and JP is asleep in his recliner, we are watching Leatherheads right now, it's pretty good.

I have started a tip jar of my own, hidden away. I figure once a month I will take the cash, and my paychecks and bring them in to work all at once. The paychecks will be pretty wussy, but the tips seem to be more than making up for it!

My fat cat is laying here looking at me telling me it's bedtime... this movie is not over yet, but I don't know if I can last...

Yesterday was the beginning

It began yesterday, very busy, running from 5:30 am until almost 9 pm.

Got up at 5:30 and went to the gym. Work out for an hour, get all smelly and sweaty...

When I got home, I got some things done around the house, sent the kids off and finished up some banking online crap, then I went in to work.
I was even busy during my lunch hour! I came home and got clothes laid out to make it easier on me afterwards, and got some paperwork filled out for my 1st night of training on my pull tab job.

I got home from work at 5:40, left the house at 5:45, after changing clothes, and headed over to the bar. I met Cindy, she is just a hoot, she trained me in, and will again tonight, btw. It's not a hard job, it's kind of fun, AND THERE ARE TIPS!! Cindy and I split the tips at the end of my little 2.5 hours of working, and we each got $16.50... we sold some big winners, so I'm sure that helped. I also found out that Saturday nights are HUGE for pull tabs, and therefore, usually great for tips... nice.

I will go in after the bank tonight and Friday night, then Saturday I am on my own, and Sunday as well. PLUS I work Saturday morning at the bank, so I won't be around much, and I won't see much of JP, except when I roll back in at almost 9 and want to just collapse into bed. Which is pretty much what I did last night.

But I still managed to get up at 5:30 today to hit the gym, so it can't be that bad... yet.

And now, the REAL post...

I have had a run of bad days at work, starting last Thursday, continuing through Monday... and some of it dripped in to today. Since it's all very confidential, bank accounts and such, let me just say that people suck. They lie, they STEAL from their grandmothers, they FORGE that grandmother's signature, and the take advantage of tellers who WERE trying to be nice. Not anymore. I could have lost my job if some one's mommy and daddy hadn't paid the check and basically kept their 18 year old son out of jail. You'd think you could expect more from the son of two affluent and wealthy professionals... and that's all I have to say (read: that's all I CAN say about that)

People suck. And I'm not going to be nice anymore. I don't care if the president of the friggin' bank comes in and wants to cash a check, without 3 forms of ID AND a blood AND a urine sample, he will get NOTHING from me!

That's why I've been in a bad mood since Thursday, but it got resolved. Then I showed up for work on Monday. I was only scheduled for a half day, since I am working on Saturday. I was supposed to leave at 2:15. At 2, I was about to start "closing up shop"... close my window, balance my cash drawer, etc, when this guy walks up with an ice cream bucket. All the other girls had customers at their windows, so I waved him up, figured I'd run his coin through the machine as my last transaction of the day.

Turns out that this guy turns out his pockets every day after work and dumps it into this bucket. That would include coin, AND keys, AND watch batteries, AND earrings (??) AND a sinker weight for a fishing line... and I caught all of it before it went into the machine, EXCEPT the sinker. It jambed the machine, and I spent the next TWO GODDAMN HOURS trying to get it cleared and balanced. I sent the dumbass home, told him I had no idea how long it would take to fix it. And YES, he knew that I was about to get off work, he KNEW that he had essentially fucked me over.

OK, enough bank bitching.

We were having a conversation today about stuff we buy. Sometimes it really DOES matter what brand you get... some things... yeah, not so much.

Examples: Qtips, NOT IMPOSTORS.
Tomato soup (for recipes) doesn't have to be Campbells, generics work just fine.
Kleenex, not Puffs (in my house anyway, not just in general)
Secret deodorant, NOTHING else is good enough.
My recipe for sloppy joes, everything else can be generic, but the mustard MUST be Plochman's... otherwise it just doesn't taste quite right.

Anybody else got any MUSTs for the generics vs brand names war??

Generic vs brand names, AND a really bad mood that never seems to end

That's my reminder, THAT is what I'm thinking right now, and THAT is what I'm going to get off my chest and (hopefully) out of my brain...

tonight, when I have more time.

Movie Weekend

I didn't have much going on this weekend, so I spent quite a bit of time vegging in front of the TV.

I watched PREMONITION, that Sandra Bullock movie, I had wanted to see it for quite some time. It was really good, I'd recommend it... not entirely a chick movie, little suspense and weird time-line crap going on, so it's not just a silly weepy chick flick.

I saw I AM LEGEND, which I bought about a month ago, and have never gotten around to popping into the DVD player. I didn't know much about it, all I knew was what I remembered from the previews on TV. The previews didn't show, or even hint at the SCARY SHIT going on. There are violent vampire type creatures that used to be humans feasting on humans in this movie. Don't get me wrong, it was a really good flick, but holy balls, scary parts!

After that, I had to watch something to settle my mind before I tried to go to bed, after all, JP was away at Camp Ripley for Guards this weekend. So I found an oldie but goodie, MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING. It's cute, and it got my mind off of the flesh eating, leaping, snarling and ugly sub-humans that had taken over New York with Will Smith.

Earlier in the weekend, I saw most of (yeah, missed the beginning) of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. Maybe if I had seen the beginning it would have been better. As it was, it was pretty damn good. Except the ending was just AN END, there was no resolution to the story, it just ended with Tommy Lee Jones sitting at the dining room table talking to his wife... after all that hunting down bad guys and violent killing... it.just.ended.

I fell asleep Saturday night (after Legend and Greek weddings) to THE BONE COLLECTOR, which doesn't freak me out, I've seen it so many times.

Then when JP got home, we ran to get some groceries, and rented a few more movies!
We have Leatherheads upstairs, probably won't get to that til Tuesday night, and right now we are about to start watching BABY MAMA. I'll let you know in the next few days if they are worth it or not.

Thutts & Checks

I have a thutt. I have a check. I am not happy about either, and I would LOVE to get rid of them. Getting rid of a check actually requires surgery, so I doubt I'll be rid of that soon. But the thutt COULD go away with some dedication and hard work.

A thutt is a word that I made up. It is a combination of THigh and bUTT. You know, the area on your backside where the thigh and butt meet... IF there is no definite definition between the two, YOU have a thutt. If you cannot tell where one ends and the other begins, YOU have a thutt.

I have a thutt.

A check is another combination word. It describes the area where your CHin meets your nECK. If you're fat, it's not a check, it's a turkey neck, or jowls...but if it's just an undefined or 'weak' chin, combined with what seems to be too much neck skin, then it's a check. I don't have a fat neck, and my face isn't fat, it's just that my chin is not well defined. I hate my profile because I have a check. And that cannot be fixed in the gym...

So there you have it, the next two words that will be entering Webster's Dictionary, Thutts and Checks... you heard it here first!

facebook?

Am I just about the last person on Earth to get into this?
I tried myspace once, and I just felt too old for that. Seems to be more of a silly little teenager's place.

Anyway, I got something going on facebook, so I'm busy right now, I'll check in later here, ask me about Thutts and Checks.
(That's really more a reminder to me about the blog post I was thinking about this afternoon)

You Suck TARGET NATIONAL BANK

And here's why:

I have had my Target card for quite a few years, my balance (as of the middle of August) was around $4500, my limit is either $9,000 or $10,000, can't remember. EITHER WAY, I'm nowhere near maxing the thing out.

Every month I pay my bill ON TIME, and gee, instead of the minimum payments, I ALWAYS send at least $50 MORE...

So, let's recap: I pay ON TIME, I pay MORE than the minimum, and yet I ALWAYS carry a balance... I am a credit card company's wet dream!

And WHAT, you may ask, did they do to deserve a YOU SUCK? I got a letter from them in mid August, saying that effective in September, my APR, which was already 13.99% (AKA TOO DAMN HIGH) was going to be raised to 18.99%. This was not just me, I think, it looked like a mass produced form letter.... dirty fuckers... not a good way to treat customers... unless of course, you want to LOSE THEM.

So I started shopping around for a good balance transfer. I now have 4 years to pay off that $4500 balance at a tiny 3.99% through my new best friend, Discover Card. I got that transfer done before they kicked up my APR, and I haven't yet closed the account, but that Target card is no longer in my wallet, it's in a drawer in my bedroom.

It pisses me off because I LOVE Target stores... they have some of the best shit... but their credit cards SUCK ASS. And I will not be using it anymore...

So, Target National Bank, you can join the ranks with Blue Cross/Blue Shield in the YOU SUCK files... congratulations!

Coming Soon: "You Suck" posts

hehehe

Earlier this summer I blogged about my disapproval/hatred of Blue Cross/Blue Shield (of Minnesota) and I just got another one in my head..

SO, I am going to have a series of posts, only reported as companies piss me off titled "You Suck (insert company name here)"

I got quite a few hits from BC/BS ISP addresses with the last one, and that made me smile... to know that they know that I think they suck, plus it has the benefit of anyone else who reads my blog getting a "buyer beware" notice about that sucky company...

I'm home for lunch right now, don't have time to do the whole thing, so this will have to do, a preview of tonight's "You Suck"....Target National Bank...yes, that's right, my 'beloved' Target Visa card is very correct in it's Target Logo... they are my next target!

Supa Star

Wow, I should join the pro tour! I'm talking about the WBAA... Women's Bowling Association of America... ok, I'm not sure if that's what it's called... but I had a good night last night.

My average last week, as you may remember was a lowly 114. At the start of last night, it had jumped to a MONSTER (ha) 120. I beat my average in all 3 games last night. Which is odd for me, I usually tank at least one, but then again, it's not like 120 is this huge insurmountable task, either.

Got a 123, a 132 and A BIG OL' 153!! It's always a good night if I can beat 150. That's usually my goal. I get in the 140's often enough that it's not a big deal anymore, so I shoot for 150.

But we still lost all 3 games, we are in dead last. If we could just get rid of Liz and Cheryl, the two dead lumps on our team, we might have a chance. No shit, these two women have averages UNDER 100!! A team cannot be competitive if 2/5 of the team sucks ass.

Now, as for work, and my schedule, it's being good now. I'm working the late shift, so I don't go in until 9, so I can get up and go to the gym, come home and herd the kids out the door (JP gets them up and going, leaves the house about 10 to 7, I get home about 10 after 7) then I can relax for a bit (pay bills, blog, whatever) until 8 when I have to start getting ready for work. Peace and quiet, THAT makes it all worth it.

I have upped the intensity at the gym. Can't seem to get past this 155 plateau. Some days I'll dip down to 153 or 152, and I don't go over 155, but holy crap, I just want to see 149, and see it consistently! It's all a mind thing, 149 is still in the 140's, and that's good enough for me! Just another five to ten pounds, that's all I'm asking! I can't really spend any more time at the gym than I already do (when I go, I'm there for an hour) so I am upping the levels on the elliptical and the bike, and slowly increasing the time, used to be 20 minutes on each, then I just went up to 22, and starting next week, it'll be 25, just a slow increase, but hopefully I will see a result.

Well, it's my payday, so I have to get over to that site and get some money moved around, see if I can't stretch things a bit... *sigh*

another paycheck and a look of disapproval

I just got a phone call.
I was offered a job. It's part time, working the pull tabs at the bar my mom manages. It's only weekends, so it won't interfere with my bank job.
It doesn't pay a ton, and with just the few hours per week, it won't be much, but every little bit helps.

I have felt for some time that I (or someone around here) needed to create some extra income, but it's hard to find one that fits around my current schedule.
The job itself is pretty easy, selling pull tabs to drunks, and giving them cash when they get a winner. The bar I'm doing this in, Mom's bar, is nice, it's small, and the people are nice, and it's not a super busy, bodies-packed-in-like-sardines, loud obnoxious drunks kind of bar. It's a nice place for locals to go and have a few drinks.

Best thing about it could be this: When I'm not busy selling/redeeming pull tabs, I have "free time" so maybe I can take a book and actually do some recreational reading. The last book I read was titled "Intermediate Accounting II"... NOT for recreation! I just haven't had time to do any reading for fun.

Anyway, I start "training" on the 8th, 9th & 10th, which are weekdays, so I will go over after I get off work those 3 nights. I am on the schedule by myself on the 11th, and will work both Saturday and Sunday of every other weekend. The shifts are between 4 and 6 hours each, and that will often depend on how busy I am. If drunks aren't buying, I can close up early, but if I'm selling alot, I'd stay open longer...

It won't be HUGE paychecks, I won't be scheduled for a ton of hours. Unless I can pick up a few more shifts, but I'll wait and see how tired this makes me, I guess.

I'm happy, but at the same time, I'm unhappy that I NEED to do this.

And here's the "look of disapproval" part: When I got off the phone, I told JP about it. I had mentioned it to him a month ago, when I was considering it. He didn't look happy. I asked him about it, and he just shrugged. Piss me off, buddy. SPEAK! If you don't like something SPEAK UP! He could have said something a month ago, and I would not have pursued this any further.
Too late now, I'm doing it.

Homeopathic and homophobic

wow, these girls. Yeah, I'm doing a post from work.

Babbling about the healing power of prayer and positive thinking. One of the actually said "If you WANT to feel better, just FEEL BETTER, its that simple"

Really? Gee, I'm sure that would have helped my aunt who died of emphysema... how silly of her not to think of JUST FEEL BETTER... stupid women.
Of course they went on to discuss the herbs and acupuncture type things, some of the girls were poo-poo'ing them, silly remedies, others were certain of their healing powers.

Then they get on the subject of Prop 8 out in California, and Ellen DeGeneres and how all "those people" are going to have to answer for their sins in the end...

IF you believe in Heaven, then you'd think the bible bangers would keep quiet, and let all the sinning homos GO TO HELL, so they (the "good people") wouldn't have to share eternity with them!
And the benefit, for those of us who do not adhere to those archaic beliefs, is that they would KEEP QUIET, aka SHUT UP, or maybe Live and Let Live, at the very least.

I always thought that being a Christian meant being tolerant, and the whole 'judge not lest ye be judged' crap... I have never seen such a big group of haters... not just here at work, I'm talking about anyone who feels the need to spew poison regarding this issue.

(That's the end of the phoned-in portion of this post)

Survivor started tonight, interesting, as always. That is something that I think I would like to do. And I think I could be good at it. I wonder about applying... probably another one of those things that I'll never do, so nevermind.

The Twins are playing game 3 vs the White Sox right now. They've won the first 2, but are losing right now. I am flipping back and forth between the game and the season premiere of CSI. I lead such an exciting life.

The last day

This is the last day of my big vaca... and my back is still killing me. I slept in today, can't go to the gym if it hurts to bend. Then I vegged til 2pm with mom, it's her day off, too.

Now I am in the middle of the only thing on my list that I can physically do today: I am smelly and my hair is in a matted mash of wet goo on top of my head.

I'm concerned when it comes time to rinse it out, bending over the sink. Could be a big outch! I've got a heating pad (thanks Mom) and an ice pack for alternating afterwards, so maybe I can do my job tomorrow without wincing in pain every time I nod my head down to see the computer screen or get money out of my drawer.

Well, it's getting close to time to rinse, and I still have to clean up the kitchen sink and get a towel ready.

should have taken my own advice

I'm a dumbass

I should have stuck to coloring my hair today and called it good. I did not. I decided that I could clean up the porch, which included the dry sink cabinet that I fixed yesterday. It belongs in the house, in the living room. I decided that I could move it into the house by myself.

I was wrong.

Well, I wasn't wrong in that I COULD move it into the house by myself. But when thinking I could, I made the assumption that I could do so without causing injury to myself.

So here I lie in bed, alternating heat and ice on the pulled muscle in my back.

I'm a dumbass.

and I STILL didn't get my hair colored.

EDIT: Spellcheck says that "dumbass" is two words... dumb ass. I prefer dumbass, but I could be wrong... any opinions on that?

What a good night at the alley

A couple of reasons I had a good night bowling last night.

First off, Cow Catcher wasn't there. We put her as blind, and didn't have to listen to her or her kids all night... nice.

Secondly, other than the first game (106) I bowled great. My 2nd two games were a 143 and a 148. Since my average before was a 114, I'm sure it will make a jump next week.

We still lost all 3 games, all the other girls were having off nights. Nobody made their average in the first game, and I was the only one to get hers in the 2nd or 3rd games. Good thing we aren't in it for the trophy!

Today is day two (or should I say Day Two) in the great cross off crap... well, I said to hell with it this morning, went back to bed. Did not go to the gym, woke up enough to get the kids off to school and went back to sleep...until 11:30!!

I still have stuff I can get done this afternoon, besides I think I kind of burned myself out yesterday. Coloring my hair is on the list, I will do that today. I've got a couple of pictures to hang, maybe I will do that, too. Nothing strenuous today.

There's always tomorrow... famous last words, right?

Day One of Three AKA "The Big Cross Off"

I had a big list (yes, I finally got it down on paper, I just couldn't stand not having it written out! I do so love to cross things off, you know!) and at the top of the list was this:

GYM- Monday Tuesday Wednesday

I got to cross something off (the "Monday") before 7 am!
I got bills ready to go (crossed off)
I went to my Ortho appointment (crossed off) and I don't have another one until May! And that's the final visit! Yippee!
I took my Kia for an oil change (crossed that off)
When I got back into the driveway, I grabbed the all purpose cleaner and a roll of paper towels and wiped her out really good (crossed that off) They vacuum it at the oil change place, but it needed to be cleaned more.
I packed up all the camping gear from the summer (getting redundant in the parenthesis, huh?)
I grabbed some wood glue and fixed the door on my dry sink cabinet (yeah, you guessed it!) and now it's ready to go back in the house, just need a hubby or a son home to help me lug it in.
I organized the front closet (yup)
I cleaned my bedroom and vacuumed it (Yup and Yup)
I doused the shower and tub with Tilex stuff, and left it to 'soak' while I put away the summer pool toys and chemicals and filters (my wrist was getting sore at this point! teehee)
I went back after about half an hour and used a TOOTH BRUSH (don't worry, it was an old one!) to scrub the tub.
And now I am taking a break, it's 2pm, I've got about an hour and 45 minutes before THEY start showing up. I haven't decided if I'll do any more today or not. There's still plenty to do on the list, but there is still tomorrow and the next day. I also have bowling tonight, maybe I should relax and rest up... HAHAHAHA...

Time to get off my ass, there's more to be done!

No title

I can't really give a snappy title to this one, at least not yet... I have stuff I want to talk about, but it's all pretty random and unrelated.

Last night JP and I went out on the town with Gina and Mike for my birthday. We did dinner and drinks, and it was sort of a bummer. We cut the night short because of Gina and Mike. Mike got all quiet, and Gina got all paranoid, and I feel for them, a new relationship and all, but please.
It was all about money. Now, if anyone understands problems with money in a relationship, new or old, it's me... Someone in the couple makes more money than the other, but the lower wage earner is able to save more money each month for the eventual move-in together step. The higher paid one is certain that the other is dragging feet on the move-in, and therefor feels that their money that should be saved could be better served paying bills.

They need to talk to each other, and be completely open and honest about everything.

JP and I talked about it when we got home, and I know I felt it, and I think he did too, that feeling of serenity and happiness because we do not have those issues anymore. We still have disagreements over money, of course, but we TALK to each other. The different levels of maturity that our two relationships are at is interesting. I try to talk to Gina, and I hope she doesn't think that I'm a know-it-all telling her how to live her life. It's just that I've been there, done that, and I would never dream of telling her "the way" to get through this, I can only tell her how JP and I got through things like that.

Today we got up and went to pick up the truck; did not drink and drive last night, Gina's mom came and got us, we left JP's truck in the parking lot of the last bar we went to. Then I got started on my mental list (I cannot believe I haven't written it out, I'm such a slacker!) I have a five day weekend here, I don't have to go to work again until Thursday. I'm going to clean the back porch, and the closet and the laundry room, and I really need to clean my room.

But now I am going to go reheat a pork chop from supper, because JP just came in with some and it smells so good!
Oh, and I have to go to the gym each day that I'm off, so I can get my $20 off my membership, really slacking in September so far.

Happy Bir... yeah, whatever

So far so good, but it's only 8 am!

I finally got back to the gym, haven't gone all week because of working the early shift. Today I don't have to be in until 9, then tomorrow it's back to 7am, so I thought I better get my behind in and try to get some fat off of it!

I don't know that this will even post, blogger is being a pain, so I'm going to stop now, don't want to write anything spectacular and then have it gone into the blogosphere forever!

Later...

Chunky layers aren't just for hair in Nordic Minnesota

fat blond women with the exact same haircut.
Some days at the bank are full of the same things, for example, yesterday I was drowning in $100 bills, everyone wanted to give them to me (for deposits, ya goof) Some days we have a run on money orders, darn near every other customer wants one... 3 days later it will be cash advances... whatever it is, seems to come in streaks!

Today is the day for fat blond ( real blond or no, I cannot tell) women with the same haircut... short blunt cut framing their chubby cheeks. The one thing that has differed in these women is the size of the chunks of hair that's colored. Some have damn near stripes of brown in the "blond", in some it's more subtle, blended. Ugly, either way.

My husband is so good to me, last night he bought me a rake... not just any rake, an ergonomic, anti-clogging, wet or dry rake. He's such a romantic, he bought himself one, too! MATCHING RAKES! The couple that rakes together, stays together, like the old saying goes! (Pure sarcasm here, you realize that, right?)

So guess what I'm doing tonight!?

been caught stealin' once... when I was 5

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."
* If you grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, you're a quintessential American story.
* If your name is Barack, you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* If you name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.
* If you graduate from Harvard law School, you are unstable.
* If you attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.
* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.
* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.
* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system, while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you're very responsible.
* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.
* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

Yeah, I stole this from Minivan Mom, she's got it on her blog, I read it and laughed (and cried) so I told her I was stealing it, and BAM, here it is... and now I have to go back to work, got a meeting tonight.

Just another night with my big purple ball

hehehe.

Week 2 of the bowling season.
I didn't do TOO bad, just bad.
Got a 121, a 120 and a 124.

We have a couple of different team mates this year. Dar and Jen are both out, and Michele and Liz are in. Michele was my advisor and main instructor in college. She's a real hoot. Liz is someone that I don't really care for. I met her at the bank a couple of weeks ago, didn't like her then. She is so not pretty. Her arse is about 2 ax handles wide, and she's got these two front teeth that look like a cow catcher on a train.

And, she home schools her 3 kids and they come with her (and her husband) to the bowling alley. These kids are obnoxious, very home school, no social skills type geeks.

Now, one of the main reasons I love bowling in this league is the whole night away from the family deal. Nobody brings their kids, and of all the women, probably 50 or so, there's like 2 husbands that come on a biweekly basis. AND NO KIDS. I am considering having the president of the league mention to her that the bringing of children is discouraged.

I'm blogging tonight because JP is downstairs in the family room watching TV and when I got home from the alley, it was all quiet upstairs, and I'm taking advantage!

I'm working the early shift at work this week, so it's in at 7 and done by 3:45 or so. Very different, and pretty nice, except the mornings here at the house. It's tough when everyone has to be ready at the same time, and everyone wants to shower. There are 2 bathrooms in this house, but as of right now, only one shower. Sucks!

Thursday is my birthday... not too much going on for that. I think Friday night we will go out for dinner and drinks with Gina and Mike, but that's about it. It's not like a big one, like 21 or 30 or that sort of crap, it's just 36... but just between you and me, ya wanna know what I really want? I want JP to send me flowers at work. But I know if I tell him that I want that, and he does it, it will only be because I "told him to"... I want him to want to do it, get it?

Well, that's it for tonight... I also came up with a plan for blogging at work! When it slows down, and I have time at work, I can email blog posts to my home email addy... kind of like phoning it in, but hell, whatever works, right?

ALL my children have met the cops now

Last night the trifecta was completed.
An officer visited us last night. He came calling on the parents of Eric.

We have these neighbors, well, they live on the same block, and we can see the back of their house from our driveway, but we do not share a property line... they're kitty-corner to the north and east. They have children, in fact, their 3 kids are very close in ages to my 3 kids. Emma has a Cow in her class and Eric has a Cow in his class. (I changed their last name to Cow in honor of their mom, and to make typing easier.)

Eric was riding his bike last night, not quite dark, and apparently he and Joe Cow, the one in his class came upon each other. Now, I love my son, and I will defend him until the day I die, but I am not stupid either. The story I heard (after the cop left) and the story that Joe Cow told him mommy, and the cop (after Ulga Cow called him, of course) are not very similar. Ask each boy, and you will get the basic 'it was all him, he did it, I was innocent' story.

My favorite part of the whole thing: the cop mentioned that Joe Cow DID have a little cut on his lip. Eric admitted to the cop that he hit the Cow boy. So after the officer left, JP and I are sitting there with Eric, trying to get the whole story.

me: how did you come to hit him?
eric: after he knocked me off my bike I got up
me: and?
eric: I self-defended myself!


um.ok.
(secret nikky voice in my head: ATTA BOY!!!)

the new plan

I figured out why I haven't been blogging lately.
I thought it was all about having NO free time, but that's not really it.
I have free time, but I really prefer to blog by myself... as in when I have ALONE time.

And I don't really have any of that.
Except during my lunch hours home from work.
I get an hour for lunch every day and I come home, it's only 4 minutes away. Now that the kids are in school, it's peaceful and quiet here during the day.

So from now on, that is what I will try to do.

Oh, and right now? No, I am not alone. JP is in bed next to me, sleeping, and I am trying to type quietly. It's alot like trying to type drunk, alot of backspacing and retyping.

So I will see you Monday, and maybe then I will also have time to check YOUR blogs, my favorite people I've never met that I love to read, and have neglected for too long. I am sorry, and I miss ya!

My apologies

Holy crap, I have really been a slack ass.

Things have gotten busy in Nik's house, the kids are back to school, Eric is top dog of the elementary school, Emma is pond scum in middle school, and Alex is a peon in the high school.

After 3 days of classes, they're all doing alright, not much to complain about from any of them... yet. Alex is being loaded with homework already, Algebra, writing essays and Spanish homework. I'm sitting at the dining room table next to Eric right now, he's working on his spelling packet and I'm available to help, if need be. He seems to really like his teacher this year. He got the same teacher that Emma had last year. She didn't really like him, he was too strict on her (no, she was a wiggle worm who would not shut up!) Eric does not have that problem, he gets along great with Mr. H.

We also (since my last post) had to say goodbye to our summer interns, Mike, Matt and Jena. But we did get Anne. She got the same position I had last fall, student hours, working 3:30 to close Monday through Friday and every Saturday. Can I just say I LOVE HER!! We have so much in common, from a love of office supplies and storage containers to a quiet anguish over the overwhelming number of Republicans that surround us.

Starting in October, I 'volunteered' to close every night, like I used to. Not just so I can hang out with Anne, that's a perk! The main reason is the mornings around here. Mom showers, JP showers, at least one kid showers. I haven't gone to the gym since school started, they cannot be trusted to get ready in the morning and NOT hurt each other.

If I work later, I can get a decent shower before I go to work, not the 4th or 5th (read:cold) shower of the morning. It gives the water heater time to catch up. So I will go in at 9 or 9:30 most days, and work until 5:45.

And the main reason I have been slacking on my blogging: MAH JONG.
Yeah, my brother showed it to my mom on her new laptop, she showed it to me, and now I am addicted. I almost never go to Pogo.com either. I do my online banking, I read my emails and I play Mah Jong.

That's it... I am a slack ass. sorry.

Long day yesterday, but mostly fun!

Saturday was going to be a long day, I knew that going in to it.

I had to work in the morning, first Saturday I've worked since the end of May. My BF Gina's main squeeze, Mike was celebrating his birthday, so I knew that after I got out of work at noon, I'd be meeting them for drinks and WHATEVER.

Originally, the plan was to meet at the Speakeasy (a BAR!!) for a couple of drinks, then we were going to go tubing down the Ottertail River. Well, the weather had other ideas. It was chilly, and windy when I went to work, at 8 am. I kept watching out the window, hoping it would clear off and the wind would settle. Well, it DID, but it didn't get too much warmer. It was only about 70, and if you're tubing down the river, you want a good 80 degree day, minimum.

Also originally, I planned on getting out of work at 12:10, running home to change, then going to the bar. Well, it was a bitch of a day at the bank, and I didn't leave until 12:30, and I went STRAIGHT to the bar. I called home once I had a bloody mary in front of me, to let the kids know that we'd be stopping there after a couple of drinks so I could change. While telling Emma this on the phone, she said "Dad's home, do you just want to talk to him?"

YES!!

He got home from Camp Ripley and was relaxing. I asked him to come down to the Speakeasy, and he said he'd shower and clean up, and just wait for us to come there and get him. Well, two hours and four bloody mary's later, we (Gina, Mike, Jason and Sabrina) showed up. I changed, and we all piled into my Kia, thanks, Jason for being the sober driver!

Since it was too cold to tube, we decided on mini golf.

There were six of us, and JP used to play golf in high school. The rest of us were admittedly, pretty sucky. At the end of 18 holes, JP handed me the scorecard... a three-way tie for 1st place: Gina, Sabrina, and ME!! Yeah, the girls kicked butt! Never mind that the par for the course was 42, and we were tied at 60... we beat the guys, they ranked in at: JP-64, Mike-65 and Jason-69.

We then went to a place right by the mini golf place for burgers and drinks (another bloody mary!) We got done, and asked the birthday boy 'where to next?' He suggested that we continue with our childish behavior, and go to a place down the road called "Go, Putt & Bump" After a few drinks, Gina and I were calling it everything from 'go bump n butt' to 'go pump a butt'... and LAUGHING... no kidding, my face HURT from all the laughing!

Turns out that Go Putt & Bump has all sorts of activities. Batting cages, bumper boats (wanted to try them, but they were more for little kids...dammit) and GO-KARTS!!

The guys went driving first, and I took pictures. Then the three girls went and I gave JP my camera to take pics, turns out that he SUCKS at taking action shots. They were all a blur... which is fitting, since every red blur that was me, was because I was JUST FLYING around that course. It was a lot of fun, I even slid around a corner (and didn't let up on the gas...) and slammed into the rail... big squealing scraping sound til I corrected. JP and Mike also got into the batting cages, but I think this is enough pictures for one post!

JP and I got home right around 8 pm, my sinuses were killing me, and were in bed by 10... so no big drunk fest, and no hangover today, so that was nice!

Meme from Tenn

I borrowed (ok, STOLE) this meme from Flat, she had some great answers, thought I'd give it a shot.

1. What is something you've dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven't you done it yet? Ever since I was a kid, roughly 8th or 9th grade, I have wanted to be a writer. I even used that as the subject for my research paper on the career I wanted in the 10th grade. I haven't done it yet because I have a serious fear of rejection. I wrote it (the book) already. And I know what will happen. Yeah, eventually, someone MAY like it, but all the rejections leading up to that would just crush me. So I just keep it to myself.

2. If I could make one fictional character come to life, who would it be and why?
That is a really tough one. I have so many characters that I love. All from books, no movies or shows though. Atticus Finch... just to know that such a good and honorable man exists would make me happy. Not to say that I don't know any men who are good and honorable, hell, I married one of them, but there's just something about Atticus. *sigh*

3. If you were given $10,000 for a shopping spree, only one store, where would you spend it?
Easy. IKEA... everything from beds and bedding to couches and throw pillows, silverware and serving bowls to curtains and storage containers... oh, just gives me chills thinking about it!

4. Name 3 things you wanted as a child but never got: 1. a barbed wire tattoo around my upper arm (THANK GOD!) 2. a little sister (ALSO, THANK GOD!) 3. a canopy bed (but I've had one since, so it's all good!)