Tidbits

I haven't felt like myself lately, I've been pretty stressed out about work. Mostly feeling overwhelmed with the duties of being a full-time employee, wife, and Mom. There's been a lot of hat-switching, but I'm holding my own, and this feeling won't last forever. The project that I am working on will be finished pretty soon, and things will slowly return to plainly chaotic instead of absolutely insane. :)

We took Will to Friendly's tonight for dinner. He's really into cheeseburgers right now, he thinks they're the greatest thing since......well, he loves them, period! I worked late last night and Brian took Will to Target to get a few things. They passed a Red Robin and Will said, "Dinner? Burger Daddy? Pleaaasseeee........" It's really hard to say no when he says please. He's really a polite kid, with lots of please and thank you! (and no, he didn't get the cheeseburger last night!)

We did get to have some fun with our friends Tracy and Michael the other night, we went to the AHL All-Star Hockey game. Not your typical hockey game, no fights or checking. So I didn't get to stand on my seat and yell for the fights. (Yes! I do!) We had heard that the Stanley Cup was going to be on display, so I got a shot with my cellphone of Brian grinning ear-to-ear in front of Lord Stanley's Cup. :)

I also started reading the Twilight series. Everyone I've talked to has been totally enamored by the series. It started a little slow, but I can feel myself getting swept away in the vampire love story.

I guess that's about it for now. Life is pretty un-interesting in the New England Winter!!

Oh, the Pain!

I've had an entire pot of fresh coffee poured over one one of my hands. I've tripped and fallen down a set of stairs on my knees. I've thrown out my back and had coughing fits. I've had my jaw hit and dislocated with a soccer ball and then the foot that kicked it. I've slipped on ice and hit the back of my head when I crashed to the ground. And I've given birth.

None of that compares to the toothache that I've had!!!!!!

I used to think the back pain was the worst, since hurting your back makes every little move you make painful. But the acute throbbing of a tooth from hell is so much worse!

It started over the summer, when cold drinks and ice cream could bring a tear to my eye. I recently found out that I have fracture marks on my top back teeth. Then I got a gum infection and a couple of cavities in the general area, forcing me to swallow my meals almost whole. The dentist prescribed antibacterial mouthwash for the infection, brought on by not flossing enough. A week later I was doing better. Then he drilled and filled the two cavities and I'm back in Hell. I'm cranky. I'm sore. And most of all, I'm frustrated and hungry!!!!!! The dentist said to call if I experienced any pain. Well, needless to say, I've left him a message!

I'm a little fearful of the prospect of a root canal, but right now I'd take pliers to my own mouth if I could be guaranteed I could make the pain stop. I can't believe I'm actually looking FORWARD to a root canal! The nerve can't be killed soon enough!

My List of Things I've Done

I'm copying this from my friend Karen.... and after reading my answers I feel a bit sheltered!

Make anything that you have done BOLD. That's the rules folks.

Started your own blog

Slept under the stars--just the one time

Played in a band--Jr High, HS and some college!

Visited Hawaii---someday!

Watched a meteor shower

Given more than you can afford to charity

Been to Disneyland/world

Climbed a mountain

Held a praying mantis--ME???? Never!

Sang a solo

Bungee jumped

Visited Paris

Watched a lightning storm at sea--so beautiful

Taught yourself an art from scratch--anything I've learned someone was teaching me

Adopted a child

Had food poisoning

Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

Seen the Mona Lisa in France

Slept on an overnight train

Had a pillow fight-- Of course!

Hitchhiked

Taken a sick day when you’re not ill--haven't we all??

Built a snow fort

Held a lamb

Gone skinny dipping

Been to a Broadway show in NY--believe it or not, as much as I love theatre I've never been to NY

Ran a Marathon

Been in three states at once--I'm still working on cloning myself!!

Ridden in a gondola in Venice

Seen a total eclipse

Watched a sunrise or sunset

Hit a home run

Been on a Cruise

Seen Niagra Falls in Person

Visited the birthplace of your Ancestors

Seen an Amish community

Taught yourself a new language

Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

Gone rock climbing

Seen Michelangelo’s David

Sung karaoke

Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

Visited Africa

Walked on a beach by moonlight

Been transported in an ambulance

Had your portrait painted

Gone deep sea fishing

Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

Kissed in the rain

Played in the mud

Been to Grace Kelley’s grave in Monaco

Gone to a drive-in theater

Been in a movie

Visited the Great Wall of China

Started a business--I've helped start a charity from scratch, I'm counting it because it's pretty much the same thing

Taken a martial arts class

Swam in the Mediterranean Sea--someday!!!

Visited Russia

Served at a soup kitchen

Sold Girl Scout cookies--Alas, I was never a Girl Scout

Gone whale watching

Gotten flowers for no reason

Donated blood, platelets or plasma

Gone sky diving

Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

Bounced a check

Saved a favorite childhood toy--I still have my Bear!

Visited the Lincoln Memorial

Eaten Caviar

Pieced a quilt--no, but it's on my list of things to try

Stood in Times Square--Never! I really need to visit NY

Toured the Everglades

Been fired from a job

Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

Broken a bone--just pinky toes, both of 'em

Been on a speeding motorcycle--motorcycles terrify me, I've known too many people that have been seriously hurt

Seen the Grand Canyon in person

Published a book

Visited the Vatican

Bought a brand new car

Walked in Jerusalem

Had your picture in the newspaper

Read the entire Bible

Visited the White House

Killed and prepared my own meat

Had chickenpox

Saved someone’s life

Sat on a jury

Met someone famous

Joined a book club

Lost a loved one

Had a baby

Seen the Alamo in person

Swam in the Great Salt Lake

Been involved in a law suit---I've been the Plaintiff in housing court twice....

Owned a cell phone

Been stung by a bee

Some Rules are Meant to be Broken......

I didn't fall off the wagon of my own rule today, I dove off headfirst!

Yeah, I'm a book lover. I love a good story, getting lost in a book. I also love Goodreads.com, because it's much easier to add books that I want to read and see what I've read. However, it also makes me painfully aware of just HOW many books out there that I want to read. At my last check, I had over a hundred in my "to read" section! Good Lord, how much would it cost to buy all of those books? So I made a rule a while ago, that I was going to not buy books, at least for a while. Easy way to save $$, right??

I usually access my town's library via the Web, so I can choose the books that I want and then they hold them at the front desk for me for pickup. That way, I'm not tempted to peruse the shelves, and I usually bring a small bag with me so I don't carry home thirty of these babies. Plus, if I end up bringing Will with me to the library, it's a game of "Chase Me!!" so stopping at the counter just to check in/check out is a lifesaver. :) I went to the website and typed a bunch of books in. More than HALF of the ones that I entered to check on availability didn't come up. Maybe some of them are too new, and my library's kind of short on space and in a word, cruddy. But I digress....I went to Target to get a few things and found myself in the book aisle.....oops how did I get here?! ;) I had four books in the cart before I knew what was happening. I felt guilty until my A-HA! moment. I have a birthday check from my in-laws at home on the fridge!! Bring on the addiction!

I am LOVING the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich right now and am working on plowing through them. (I have my sister-in-law to thank for that obsession!) I had already picked up two of them at the library, but brought home one more. That, and "Twilight." Everyone that I know is talking about these books!!! My friend Rochelle is addicted and she and I have a lot of similar tastes in books. So I have built this series up in my head and can't wait to check it out. But first.....Stephanie Plum is calling. And she could totally kick my ass....so I'd better get reading!

No Snooze for Me

It's Monday night, and it's back to work tomorrow......just got back today from a nice trip to Philly to visit my in-laws. We had a great time!

I didn't sleep well while in the City of Brotherly Love, but managed to sleep part of the drive back. (I usually sack out in the beginning, through southern Jersey.) And now.....instead of being able to sleep my mind is racing. Instead of sleeping I'm thinking of things like the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. What I'm going to do for lunch tomorrow since I'll be on the road most of the day. How I'd really like to get my eyebrows waxed soon. That I should definitely find some time to clean the bathrooms this week. Feeling slightly guilty for making plans with friends this weekend. How those sweet potato muffins are really going to taste in the morning. That I am long overdue for some new work clothes. Oops, I forgot to leave myself a post-it to remember to turn off the towel-warmer in the bathroom. How a towel-warmer, a gift, is not something I'd ever ask for myself but is really a treat in the winter cold. That my hip is throbbing. Did I get enough fluids today? I wonder how many application requests and pissed-off applicants I'll have tomorrow? Oh yeah, "Sesame Street Live" this weekend!! I'm not looking forward to getting a cavity filled on Wednesday. I wonder if my friend Lexi has gone into labor yet!

I wish I could turn all that off and get some much-needed rest!! :(

(bump) Challenge Complete!

I'm bumping this up because all participants of the New Classic Book Challenge are supposed to write a wrap-up post, including which of six books that they read is their favorite. Someone from the challenge is going to get a prize...and I love prizes! :)

The books that I read: The Liars Club, Nickel and Dimed, The House on Mango Street,The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Angela's Ashes and The Stone Diaries.

Of the six, I really enjoyed The Liar's Club, Nickel and Dimed, Oscar Wao and the Stone Diaries. Angela's Ashes, though I enjoyed it, was just so sad that it's tough to call it "enjoyment." And I didn't like The House on Mango Street at all, it was just tough to follow and I didn't like the style.

A favorite?? Well, I got an extra kick out of Oscar Wao since I speak Spanish. I LOVED the author's style, with the footnotes and the Dominican history, and I really felt the character of Oscar. So I think that this one was definitely my favorite!
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I did it, I stuck it through and finished the New Classics Book Challenge! The rule was that you had to read six books from Entertainment Weekly's List of New Classics by January 31st. I didn't think I'd make it in time but I did, and even a little early!

Book #6 is "The Stone Diaries" by Carol Shields. It took me a little while to get into it, but there was a point where it got really interesting! It's about the life of Daisy Goodwill, who loses her mother during her birth, and all about her life from then on. It starts in the year 1905 in rural Canada, where her mother dies during her birth. Then the neighbor leaves her husband and takes Baby Daisy with her to move in with her son in Ottawa. The neighbor ("Aunt" Clarentine) is struck and killed by a bicyclist when Daisy is eleven, and Clarentine's son Barker makes arrangements for Daisy to return to her father's care, but he never forgets her in a romantic sense and sort of pines for her. (Which is a little tapped, since she's eleven!) Her father, a mason, has now moved to Bloomington, Indiana, and the part that sucked me into finishing the book was about Daisy's first marriage in 1927 ending with her husband's death on their honeymoon in Paris. (I won't give anything else away.) Daisy's life was ordinarily extraordinary, and I enjoyed the story. In fact, I would've thought that Daisy was a real person judging by the photos in the center of the book, until I read the disclaimer at the beginning of the book. ("This is a work of fiction...blahblahblah)

I've enjoyed this challenge. While I may not have agreed with the choices of the "100 best books of the past 25 years" it exposed me to new authors and different genres. Usually my choices tend to navigate towards fiction, mostly chick-lit. I definitely would join another challenge again, to force myself out of my reading comfort zone.

A Miss with Football Fans...

I pass a restaurant on my way to and from work every day. It's not a chain restaurant, it's more of a deli I guess. I'm never sure if they're still in business. Sometimes they advertise specials on a message board in the parking lot, usually standard fare like fish and chips or their specials. But most of the time, from the street it looks dark and like there's no patrons. Well, in driving by yesterday, I read their specials and not only did I understand WHY they were going to close someday, I laughed all the way to the daycare!

In big letters on the menu board: "Football Playoff Platters! Broccoli and Cottage Cheese."

Firstly, Ewwwww!!!! Secondly, I'm surprised they're offering a football playoff special. They must not be Pats fans, because most Pats fans think the Superbowl has been cancelled this year because their team's not in it. (That was the way it was with the World Series, for sure!) And lastly, even the most health-conscious of pigskin fans knows that that's not playoff foods! When you think "Football Party" you're not perusing crudites and steamed fish. You're thinking beer! Nachos! Potato skins and buffalo wings! Chili!

With a menu like cottage cheese and broccoli, it's only a matter of time until the shutters are closed. Maybe someone will tell them. :)

Goodies!!

I took a field trip today with a lovely group of ladies from my knitting meetup. We went out to the Berkshires of Massachusetts, where we hit the biggest, most beautiful yarn store that I have ever seen!!! So many beautiful colors and textures! I couldn't resist buying some supplies for some upcoming projects, some planned ahead and some just bought on the spot!

The yarn on the top is for a hat that I am going to make for myself. I know, I don't wear hats often but I found a pattern that you don't have to do any purling. Also, it gives me a chance to use the circular needles that Kim got me for Christmas! I loved the colors together, it will go nice with my gray coat.

The second skein, well, it just spoke to me. If you look closely you'll see that the silk is covered in little silvery sequins. It was also deeply discounted, and had a little scarf sample next to it that I fell in love with! I thought it would go nice with a black velvet jacket or to make up a little shawl for a special occasion.

Today really was a lot of fun. I got to know five people better than I had before today, and I really enjoyed myself. And given the stress of my life lately, it was really good to get out! I have been working late nights, trying to get an important project finished, and that will probably continue for the next couple of weeks. I'm very lucky to have a supportive husband who has been able to change his schedule and is willing to tackle more daily life stuff!

#100

I know it's a few days late, but Happy 2009!!
Our New Year's Day was quiet. We spent most of it doing the "Post-Christmas Cleanup." All of it is taken down, and we are slowly coming back to typical living. I love the holidays. I detest the bluesy period that follows for the couple of days afterward like a bit of a hangover. You know, when the house is FULL of leftover food and every room is basically trashed. Taking down the Christmas tree and restoring order brings a kind of tranquility.

To celebrate my 100th post....here are the first pictures of 2009! The first one is Will kissing a doll (Kiss the Baby!!) and the second is from his first (successful) attempt at fingerpainting. Luckily, he only tried to eat the paint once and then thought it was "yucky."