Fa la laaaa!

Deck the halls with boughs of holly!
Fa la la la laaa, la la la la.
'Tis the season to be jolly!
Fa la la la laaa, la la la la.
Don we now our gay apparel.
Fa la la, la la la, la la la!
Troll the ancient yuletide carol!
Fa la la la laaa, la laa laa laaaa!

And I have other favorites, too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjYUzpdKMZs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCFCeJTEzNU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-krz1QVLjsY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcC2LUIdLKs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ycWObpi73Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loXa69CB_4I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i-VlUiGxEQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFBIJgkj_-g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkbuHu2D_Ro&feature=related

If you didn't just go and listen to ALL of those, you should be ashamed. Really. It's that important.

We're still trying to force our holiday plans into submission. Josh may or may not have to go in to work on Christmas morning for overtime in addition to working that afternoon as scheduled. Brother MIGHT come tomorrow, weather depending, and MIGHT drop in on me and the kids Christmas day. We MIGHT be visiting Josh's Uncle Jim sometime...but he isn't clear on when. At least I know that I will be at his mom's Christmas Eve, and here Christmas day. And at work all weekdays with no time off.

I'm about ready to snuggle into my nice, warm (pre-heated, in fact. everyone should have an electric blanket) bed and read to the kids. Ahhh!

I want to get out my cookie cutters, but it's getting to the 11th hour, don't you think? ^_^

Happy Almost Christmas. Go listen to those songs.

Meh.

It's cold and rainy outside. If I didn't have taiko tonight, I would crank up the electric blanket, make some British tea with milk and sugar, and snuggle in bed until the kids came home. Then, after some dinnering and Red Folder Time, I would go RIGHT BACK!

Instead, I'm going to feed the dogs and let them out, go out in the rain and wait for the bus, walk home with the kids and have Red Folder Time, clean the bathroom and vacuum, get dinner started and then run off to taiko, getting gas (yes, in the cold rain) on the way. Probably I'll unlock the doors there and turn on the heat. Then - TAIKO! Grr! Only slightly less than grr, because we will be learning the end of Sumo In St. Louis, which does not exactly burn calories. I'll be sure to bring a sweat shirt. BRR!

I've been reading Agatha Christie's The Unknown Adversary....to the kids. They love it. It's quite the vocab lesson, too. Builds character, you know.

My brother is scheduled to be here on Thursday, I think. I should really get more into this cleaning thing....but I'm just feeling..... Meh.

Well. It's time to be productive. Wish me luck.

"Phoenix Egg"

Do phoenixes have eggs? Is phoenixes plural for phoenix?

As has been pointed out to me, it has REALLY been a long time since I have written anything here. In fact, I think I should start all over, beginning with an introduction:

So. Who am I?

Not the easy question you might think. I just wrote a whole bunch of stuff and deleted it. Going to try a new approach:

Here is what I am, based on what I do:

1. Mommy. I adore my kids, and I spend an enormous amount of energy on making sure they get the right kind of parenting. They are expected to have extremely good manners, I am careful of what they are exposed to, and I have successfully instilled a love of reading. If I can get them to learn how to apply their minds to diligent study, then I can take a backseat and continue in a largely advisory parental role.

2. Taiko Player. In September of 2008 I took the beginner class, auditioned and became a performing member of St. Louis Osuwa Taiko. I'm not very talented, but I can just scrape by with a LOT of hard work. Plus, it's great fun, and I love it. I will be inviting you to my performances. Be prepared.

3. Employee. I work from 5:30 to noon at Citigroup in O'Fallon. I work in the Imaging department, prepping mail to be scanned. It's a long process, and tedious, but not difficult. It requires a lot of attention to detail. I have re-discovered that I am a VERY good employee. I work hard, I try hard, I am easy to work with, I ask before doing something STUPID - but can also work independently, and I keep a tidy desk. No one seeing my house would ever believe it, but it's true.

Who I am, based on what I love: Well, here's what I love, anyway:

1. Books. The ones made out of paper. I love to read, and I read fiction. Some of my fiction can be categorized as Literature - but really, who decides what is and isn't literature? Some of my favorite works are James Harriot's collections (I would refer them to their book titles, but I recently found that originally they were grouped differently), Angela Carter's Wise Children, The Harry Potter Series, Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca, Seventeen by Booth Tarkington, Some of Agatha Christie's stories, Jane Austen, Daddy Long Legs, by Jean Webster (I always read this when I'm sick), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Hobbit (and The Lord of the Rings, too), and Judith Martin (I actually consider her works to be non-fiction, however). I also read Janet Evanovitch's Stephanie Plum series, although I recognize that she is only an average writer, and the Twilight series, though I recognize that Stephanie Meyer is a hideous writer. (What can I say?) I also like Dracula, Little Women, The Arabian Nights, The Three Musketeers (inconsistencies and all), Jane Eyre, Terry Pratchet's City Watch books, The Hunger Games, and Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. I love quotes by Mark Twain and Ben Franklin, and really need to get a hold of their larger works. I like Edgar Allen Poe a lot, Nathaniel Hawthorne a little, and the only thing of Kate Chopin's that I ever liked at all was Desiree's Baby.

2. Movies. I have strange taste. I like adventure movies and comedies with clever dialog the best. I watch foreign movies......that are adventures or comedies with clever dialog. I've been known to watch stuff with deep messages, but really I can come up with my own deep messages. Usually what I ask for from a movie is entertainment. Here are some of my favorite movies: Amelie, The Red Violin, The 13th Warrior, The Hunt for Red October, Raiders of the Lost Arc, Willow, The Apartment (Jack Lemon and Shirly Maclaine), Ball of Fire (Barbara Stanwyk), Snatch, My Cousin Vinny, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Scent of a Woman, Second Hand Lions, Muppet Christmas Carol, Sliding Doors (Gwenyth Paltrow), Wide Awake, The Secret of Roan Inish, Wasabi, Bringing up Baby, Chocolat, The Cutting Edge, Dark City, Dear Frankie, Midnight, Emma (Gwenyth Paltrow), Young Frankenstein, Galaxy Quest, For Roseanna, Naussica of the Valley of the Wind, Gosford Park, The Slipper and the Rose, Serenity, the Fifth Element, Gaslight (Ingrid Bergman), Maverick, Laura (Gene Tierney), Grosse Pointe Blank, Jab We Met, Little Shop of Horrors, Miss Congeniality, The Natural, How to Train Your Dragon, Shanghai Noon, Independence Day, Howl's Moving Castle, Men In Black...and probably a bunch more.

3. Music. To continue with the strange taste: I like what I like. Occasionally it includes opera, Broadway musicals, country, rap, old blues, metal, "Obnoxious Teenager Music", or dance-y stuff, but I would have to say that the bulk of my music can be categorized as: Sentimental favorites (stuff that reminds me of a person or a time) "New Orleans Ladies", "Let Me Clear My Throat", "To Be With You", "Loser", "Funk 49", "Man In The Box", "La Vida Su Carnival"; Catchy indie-rock or alternative: "Another Day" by Pomplamoose, "Level" Raconteurs, Foreign music: Animal Jazz - Dvoinoi Shenoi, Kyo - Dernier Dance, Bonnie Pink - Your Butterfly, LAMA - Meini Tak Treba, Sertab Erener - Mechbursun, Damien Dempsey - Rocky Road to Dublin, Fiach - Sea Taim, Emily Loizeau - Jalouse, Tikhi Mirch, Teoman - O, Mujhe Teri.... Mostly Turkish, Russian, French, Hindi and Irish. Yep. It's true.

4. Other stuff: MY FAMILY! I even think my husband is kind of cute. I love my dishes. They're pretty. I'm also emotionally attached to my kitchen counter. I picked it myself, you know. It's green. If you look at it, it looks kinda like cracked clay, but my brain sees leaf patterns instead. I love flowers. Especially wild violets, surprise lilies, pink roses, pink peonies, purple or white crocus, blue iris, red tulips and flowering fruit trees. I like jasmine bubble tea. Okay, I just like jasmine tea. It's my favorite. I also like knee socks. I wear them to work a lot, and they always match my shirt....but they are hiding under jeans. I sit in the part of the room that judges one's clothing. I like sushi, and I like buttery crab bake, and I like sweet breads, especially with cranberries, and brisket. Oh, yum. And vanilla cupcakes. And strawberries.

Now I'm hungry. :(

Okay, so mainly I'm an eccentric. But you love me anyway, right? Right?

I will write soon to tell you what I'm up to. I hope you have all just had a wonderful weekend. Off I go to whip up some macaroni and cheese shells! I am a gourmet, no?

What!?!?!? All this time later and they still haven't fixed the "Publish Post" botton? Geez...

HA!

Still here, but oh, so pressed for time.

Let's try this for an update formatty thing:


FUTURE: Getting my hair done and making 3 jambalayas this week, because this weekend Osuwa Taiko visits for our fantabulous once-in-a-lifetime performance at Logan College of Chiropractic on Saturday night. Want details? Here ya go:
http://stltaiko.com/showcase.php

Also, my dad starts his new job next week, mom starts hers in November, Brother is doing pre-pharmacy, and Josh has a job interview on Thursday! But my brain doesn't really go past this weekend right now.


PRESENT: I work 5:30 - noon every weekday for the imaging department of Citigroup Financial at their headquarters in O'fallon. The work is medium mindless, but probably very useful for the purposes of freeing up other people to continue doing their own jobs. The big drama this week is that I keep getting kicked out of my desks. Probably tomorrow I will have to move again. We shall see. Josh is still working the same shift and going to school and about a hundred other things. The kids love school. Abbie doesn't have the same good behavior as Grant, but I didn't fuss the day she got in trouble for singing in class. At the latest poll, I believe we are going to be a bat and Fancy Nancy for Halloween. Yay!

Past: This is the short version, too. J-Fest was GREAT. Performance/parade in Rolla was GREAT. Apple Festival was GREAT...but I didn't get pictures because my camera battery died. Then, when I came home, Josh had BIRTHDAY PRESENTS waiting for me!!!! And one was a new camera. Hee!

And I had my birthday lunch with my mom and dad and Josh today after work. We went to Brewskis and had grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. Yum.

So.

Life is good. In a week I will again be free to make social plans. Can't wait!

p.s. Come to the show on Saturday! See me for tickets. 8)

Rosie Who?

I'm here! Still alive! It's just a busy time of year. And BOY do I have plenty of news!

* Japanese Festival is this weekend, and I am ready to have several great taiko performances! If you are at all in the area, this festival is very, VERY worth seeing, and I especially recommend the taiko performance.

* Not a great time for Abbie to get sick, but these things happen. I'm just glad the babysitter still agreed to come.

* I start my new JOB on Tuesday!! That's going to make for a rough week, and I'll tell you why. My new job is at Citigroup (and through a temp agency) and I work from 5:30am to noon, Monday through Friday. So, I will play my last one-hour taiko show at 2pm, then load drums, then take them back to the studio, then unload them, then give two people rides home, then go home and go to bed....then get up at 4am so I can get showered and dressed and at work by 5:30. But there are many good things to make up for that really rough first day. I will always be home before the kids. That's the main one.

* Abbie loves school, but she can write words, and her class is learning to trace alphabet - one letter at a time. She comes home with elaborate drawings on the backs of her papers. They are both doing well with the school work. This week, we started collecting Box Tops.

*I will be wearing a yukata to play onna uchi for the song Tobihi, but the group only owns winter ones. It's heavy, hot, and itchy. Boo for that, but at least I'll look fancy!

* I won't be staying with Helena during J-fest this year. First of all, she's honeymooning, even if they haven't gone on the trip yet. Secondly, there are so many people who need rides from me, it wouldn't be worth the drama and finding someone else to take them if I couldn't. Although, this would be a magnificent time for any/all of them to suddenly help with gas costs.

* Grant is super excited that Cierra invited him to her birthday party at the movies. Abbie didn't get invited, so I told her that I would buy popcorn and she and I could have a movie at home.

* My mommy is coming on Sunday to stay with the kids while Josh is working and I am J-festing. I miss my mommy! And her dogs are going to come, too, and Callie will LOVE that.

* October 1, I am going to go to the apple festival in Versailles again, to be with my Grandmother. That will be fun. I will be sure to be packed for any kind of weather, remembering last year.

Um...I think that is enough to go on. Now you know that things are going well, despite some minor bumps in the road. I'm going to snuggle with the sicky, and then - a weekend of taiko at the Japanese Festival!!! You should all go. Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis - Saturday to Monday. You'll have a great time!

Viola!

It is for the benefit of all, but especially you, that I have not been letting you in on every little emotional disaster in the last few weeks. Not the worst weeks I've been through, but nothing I needed to drag you all along for, either.

And here we are. We have arrived at the last night. THE night. I just put my kids to bed for the last time as the career mommy that I have been for just over 7 years. So far, I am still focusing on the excitement of it all, and less on the fact that it is the end of everything I have been and have done for most of a decade, and now I will drift like an anchorless raft until I can regain some sort of purpose. See how confident I am that such a thing will occur? Okay, so it's mostly a bluff, but pretending that it's true certainly does cheer me up!

And it IS exciting.

Abbie is going to ride the bus for the first time tomorrow! And be a great, big Kindergartner! And Grant is ridiculously excited about the first grade. Tomorrow is going to be great, and I don't have to miss it! Helena gave me permission to stay home from practice. I owe her one.

I almost didn't get the babysitter I chose, but she has decided to accept the position! Happiness!

The plan for the week is that I will try to get the dogs' rabies shots and renew my driver's license, and maybe call a few temp places. We're also going to have lunch with Molly on Friday. (Yay!) This weekend is Zoi's birthday party, and more taiko. Monday is when I start putting full days into my job search. I'm going to submit my info to every temp/staffing place I can find. We'll see how that ends. I'm also going to conduct my own independent job search. Um...that's the plan.

I've been reading! Jenn recommended The Magicians. I don't like the main character. He's a pain. But I still liked it...I think. I also read The Hunger Games. Very well written! Lovable. Exciting. In all, pretty good stuff! And now I'm out of books again. I should take a break for some Jane Austin or something, after all that intensity.

Josh nearly got all his flying classes done before the plane went "down" for maintenance. Sadly, he has to rent a different plane to finish up, and the new one costs more.

We made cookies today. They were the pre-made kind that have pictures on them. School buses. Happy First Day of School! To celebrate our last weekend before the beginning of the school year, we saw Cars 2 at the theater. 1. I could not believe how much it cost to see a matinee. Incredible, in a not good way. Why don't they turn off a few of those ridiculous neon lights and lower the utility bill a little so people can actually afford to go see a movie? 2. Um...cars die in that movie. How did it get a G rating? Of course, Bambi is rated G, too. See? This just makes me more angry about people who plop their children in front of PG stuff or worse without finding out what's in it, first. Cars 2 got a G, just because there is no swearing or sex. What does that mean for those other movies out there? After watching Cars 2, Josh and I wondered what they did to the Smurfs, that their movie was rated older than the movie with the cute, talking cars getting killed. I think my kids were the right age, by the way, to see Cars 2, but I do worry about younger ones who have only seen the first movie where everyone survives in excellent condition.

Grant needs a tooth re-filled, too. Not a great month, financially.

But we are all fine. Things are going to work out. The Japanese Festival is going to be great, and our performance is going to be especially awesome. In fact, you REALLY should come and see it. Missouri Botanical Gardens. Labor Day Weekend. St. Louis Osuwa Taiko. Come and watch. It will be fun.

Wishing you the best, on this exciting, balmy and pivotal night. Take care.

Exhausted!!!

Kids - bathed and in bed.

Basement - dusted and vacuumed.

Dogs - brushed.

Glass doors - Windexed.

Wasps - evicted.

All sheets - changed.

Walls - scrubbed*.

Chocolate cake - cooling.

Cupcakes - baking.

House - NOT CLEAN!!! Why me?

*Scrubbing walls is either instant gratification or no gratification at all. So many marks are permanent. It's hard to tell if it was worth the sore back and blisters. I tell myself it needed to be done, which is true. But I probably could have saved it for another weekend when I didn't have so much else to get done.

You may have already figured out that Grant's 7th birthday party is tomorrow. It is quite true! And as is usual for a Josh And Rosie production, the guest list is going to resemble the invitation list...only slightly. But all who are attending will be welcome and with any luck - comfortable.

My eye has been twitching lately. The Mayo Clinic lists the following as potential contributors:

Alcohol

Caffeine

Fatigue

Irritation of eye or inner eyelids

Lack of sleep

Exertion

Smoking

Stress

I think we can rule out Caffeine, Alcohol and Smoking. I've had alcohol once in the last two months, I don't smoke, and my caffeine intake is minimal, and sporadic.

No luck in finding a sitter, so far. But I can give that my attention on Sunday afternoon. Knowing that the sudden need for this to be resolved is forcing it to get time I was going to use for finding the job so I could AFFORD the sitter makes me grind my teeth.

In other news, the kids found out their teachers today! Grant is going to have Mrs. Brooks, formerly Ms. Polston, and Abbie is going to have the same kindergarten teacher that Grant did - Mrs. Jeurgensmeyer. We are all very excited.

Josh is out flying his first night flight. Look out, below! Okay, that was in poor taste. But at least the instructor is with him.

I probably am forgetting a lot, and I know that I am omitting a lot (it's for your sanity as well as mine), but I must get the cupcakes out of the oven!

I am so domestic. I hope that today gave you happy moments and much comfort. And there's nothing like productivity! Hope you had at least a little of that, too.

Uh...hi.

Okay. I couldn't leave that post up as the last thing I said. I was really only cranky for the one day. In fact, everything worked out just as well as it could have. Josh and I are going out tonight on a date, and I can still go to see Annie with Julie on Sunday after the meeting.

The kids have been with Mom since Tuesday evening, and I hear they are having a wonderful time. They even went fishing. (I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous....much.) I've largely been lonely, but I also did a lot of taiko PR stuff, and did some shopping for Grant and even tried to do the temp service thing, but they were mysteriously not available both times I stopped by. Today, I had intended to check out a book from the library, read furiously all day, hopefully finish the book and start on the one Helena lent me. But I called the library this morning, and both copies of that book are checked out, currently. So I'm just kind of drifting around the house, trying not to bother Josh while he's homeworking. Well, and I proofread his paper. And I was on the phone a lot with my mom and brother for the purpose of birthday spying. Grant is not the only one with a birthday next week. Both my dad and brother have them, too. Today's spying was mostly for Dad.

I've eaten so many gummy snacks in the last 2 days, it's a wonder I haven't made myself sick. I bought milk yesterday, though, so now I can snack on breakfast cereal instead.

Yesterday was a little stressful from the taiko department. But, you know, if you just stop opening emails from certain people, it's amazing how your frustration can cool down!

So, life is good.

Tomorrow, birthday at the bouncy place. Then, meeting and Annie on Sunday. Monday is Dad's birthday. Maybe I should make a cake while Mom is here and send it home with her? Hmm. Lots of people to buy presents for. I love buying presents. Wish I were independently wealthy. Although being dependently wealthy might not be so bad, either.

Well, I hope you are about to have a super fun weekend! It's a shame no good movies are out. If you are bored, though, you could always come out with us tonight!!!

Happy Friday!

Not In The Script

I'm cranky.

This is how today was supposed to go: Grant's last t-ball game was scheduled for 6:30. My mom and dad were going to show up to surprise him, and then they were going to take the kids back to their place for the week, coming back Saturday morning in time for all of us to go to our friend Amelia's 4th birthday party. During the week, I was going to read some books so I can return them to their owners, sneak some toys out of the kids' closets that they don't play with and will never think of again unless you ask them if they still want them, do some birthday shopping for Grant, PR for taiko, finally watch the Netflix movies we haven't had time for, go in person to a temp. service and give my information/take the usual tests, proof read more papers for Josh, and still somehow get caught up on sleep. I even had hopes that I could Rosetta Stone some languages, and maybe talk Josh into going out on Friday.

Grant's game was cancelled due to heat. It's so much cooler than it has been that it really and truly caught me off guard. I called my mom, and the new plan is that they will still come, but tomorrow right before I leave for taiko. And they'll come back Friday, not Saturday. I shouldn't be so upset about this, but I feel like I've suddenly lost a lot of time that I didn't realize I was counting on, but was. I really needed the time tonight. Tonight is gone. Tomorrow is gone. Tomorrow night is taiko. So that starts my time Wednesday morning. If I do the temp stuff and the birthday shopping, that will probably take all day (the nearest mall, and the nearest temp service, for that matter, is 45 minutes away). Then Thursday I have to get the PR stuff done. Depending on how long that takes, how many other papers Josh is going to give me, and what else comes up last minute, it's very likely that I won't realistically have time for anything else. Then Friday morning I will clean because my parents are coming again. So...the same stuff that always gets sacrificed will be again.

And it's REALLY not such a big deal. I'm upset anyway, though.

I saw Hall Pass with Josh last week. It wasn't as funny as Date Night, which I thought was okay, but mostly annoying, so that's not a good sign. I spent most of Hall Pass thinking, "Okay, you're trying to pass this guy off as a nice guy. Whether or not that is believable, I don't see anyone as nice as your wanting me to think he is hanging out with that other guy for ANY reason. He has no redeeming qualities. Not funny. Not nice. Not smart. Not charming. Not even wealthy. Nothing. And you want me to believe they're best friends?" I don't recommend the movie. It's not funny, and has nothing else going for it. It certainly wasn't worth giving up sleep time for.

However, Josh showed me the pilot episode of Better Off Ted, and I DID think that was funny. And appealing. And lovable. I couldn't say about the rest of the series, but the pilot is worth seeing.

I actually spent most of the day planning for Grant's 7th birthday party. I'm going to have lunch with my grandmother and some family at 11:30. We're going to a place that is actually co-owned by an old friend of their family. Then we will meet all Grant's buddies for ice cream at 1. After that, for those who are willing, cake will be served at my house, and water balloons will be thrown by the kids....at the kids (or any willing grown - ups). The birthday party ends at 4, but we plan for some friends to stay the whole evening. I'm trying to make the whole thing as low pressure as possible. I am asking people to eat ice cream with us, but coming to the birthday party doesn't have to go with that. And then some friends can stay on, but it's not expected or anything. I had fun making all the plans. I hope it will be a good day.

I'm about to make dinner for my children. Then I guess I will snuggle in bed and read The Happy Hollisters to them. Or maybe watch a movie. I can proof read while they do that.

I wish they would fix this site so that my spacing wouldn't be erased during the posting process.

La, la, la!

Today was pretty good.

Abbie's immunization records are in the mail and on their way to me, so that is one thing that is scratched off my list. 2 out of 4 of the next 2 months' present recipients are taken care of. Really need to get some things for my son, though. I have started looking for a professional babysitter, too, because I'm not going to wait. I don't care what I have to do to pay for it, I am done with people changing plans on me at the last second and making me scramble around for someone, and have any successes rewarded with officially becoming the crappy friend who imposes for free. And I'm done feeling like I have no right to complain when my wishes are not respected, because someone is doing me a favor. I'm also done letting people who are supposed to care about me make me feel awful about myself and my life. Done. Believe it or not, folks, I am a naturally generous and helpful person. I haven't felt that way in a long time. I'm taking it back. It's a shame I didn't win the lottery last night, though. That's going to add difficulty to this little adventure.

I'm so excited about our taiko show tomorrow. I wasn't until yesterday, and then it occurred to me that, from an audience's perspective, this is going to be such a new and fun show! We will be debuting our yatai drum style, and a new style that we learned with a song Laura brought back from her time with the KODO apprentices...and the song itself will be played for the first time in any of our performances, too! Plus, Tsurugi no Mai is one of my personal favorites to watch. I'll be playing in the big Tenchi, but that might not actually be a plus....

Abbie has had an issue with breaking things these last few days. It wouldn't be so maddening to me if she were just touching stuff and breaking it. In these cases, she touches something I've just told her to stop touching, and then breaks it. That's quite a distinction. I'm feeling rather volcanic about the subject. Also, please note that to date it has never been her own things that she has broken. In other Abbie news...she's reading lots. She is going to have NOTHING to do in kindergarten.

Grant was getting a little on the obnoxious boy side, but then snapped suddenly back into my own sweet, sunshiny and helpful boy. Yay! His t-ball game was cancelled due to heat on Monday, and the same goes for practice tonight.

Are you ready for some news? It turns out that Josh really is going to have a change in schedule. I'm going to try not to dwell on the fact that I now require babysitting on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. It means that Josh will be able to be at Grant's birthday party all day! It means that I can sign up for taiko stuff on Friday nights! It means that if someone were to get married/baptized/older on a Saturday, we could all go together! And...drumroll, please...it means that we can go OUT with our FRIENDS. I cannot wait. Oh, yes, Friends. There will be Karaoke.

Well, we had cup-o-ramen for dinner. It was fun, and didn't heat up the house. I think when Josh gets done flying today, we're going to meet at Carson's Ice Cream. I swear we go there twice a week these days. That's okay. I don't have a problem forcing down a scoop of cherry nut in a waffle cone!

Ah, the brightness of the future! Let us hope that the light at the end of my tunnel is not a train.

I hope that you are in the midst of a deeply satisfying week. Peace be with you! And, I also hope that I win the lottery. I would build a house (see how I support my local construction workers?) and put in secret passages and a beautiful garden.

Virus - Movie - Invitation Rant

As predicted, I got whatever Abbie had. I've been sick.

I saw a new movie lately! Dragonfly, with Kevin Costner. I can see why it got decent reviews. Costner's acting limitations were barely noticeable. Although, his character was not exactly the glowing type, and could probably have been played by any man, and some large animals, many with better success. But that's okay. It wasn't a bad little film. Once again, though, I was annoyed at the blurb's saying that it had a "surprising twist". Really, folks, if you want me to be surprised at your little twist, then don't spend screen time meticulously setting it up! Really! I had it figured out half way through the film. But - I was entertained. I'm calling it...Un-bad. I give it a solid C. If you haven't got anything better to do with your time, you should give it a watch. But most of us have better things to do.

I also watched Akira Kurusawa's Dreams again. It was wonderful, of course, but I would like to mention that I have serious doubts that Kurusawa really dreams that slowly. Dang! My dreams have a significantly lower attention span. I suspect many minutes were added for the sake of art.

I have some new positions I want to apply for, so that is good. I got a very pretty rejection from Lindenwood. Ah! So nice. They are, in fact, the only ones from this last round of applications to respond at all. A tricky complication is that two of the positions I want to apply for are at the place where the girl who didn't like me works. I swear, one look was all it took, and I could tell I was wasting my time, no matter what my resume did or didn't say. I still don't know what was wrong with the way I looked. I wasn't inappropriately or indecently dressed. It was all over before I said anything, so it couldn't be my voice... Well, nothing I can do, so no point in wondering, really. But I wonder if I should mail my information in this time, instead....

Forgive me for speaking, for a moment, about something that has always bothered me, but especially since I have been frequently exposed to it this summer: The Inner Envelope Problem. Wedding invitations traditionally consist of an exterior envelope, with address and stamp, and an inner envelope which actually holds the invitation and whatever excess pamphleture the host and hostess have inflicted on the recipient. Somewhere along the line, it was noticed that the inner envelope was quite possibly a waste of fancy paper that could be otherwise put to use for the printing of resumes, etc. The solution? No more inner envelope. However, in our evident haste to conserve, we have neglected something of import: The function of the inner envelope. The inner envelope, as I'm sure you all know, besides encasing the precious invitation and all associated glitter in a clean, pristine, womblike shell, untouched by the base hands of the United States Postal Service, also carries information relevant to the invitation. That is, the names of those invited. For instance, if the outer envelope were addressed to: The Magill Family, the inner would read: Uncle Phil, Aunt Lil, and Baby Jill. This summer, I have been invited to many weddings. None of these invitations included the inner envelope. None of them said "Family" on the outside, either. In the case of one, I knew my children were invited, but as for the others...it has been my extremely awkward duty to ask. Do you know how horrible that is? It's so rude! I feel like I am requesting that members of my family be invited who were not originally, and I feel like a creep. The moral of this story is simple: If you insist on taking away the inner envelope, please, please, PLEASE address the outer envelope with the names of all your intended guests. Writer's cramp, be damned. Suck it up. All brides get writer's cramp. Just wait until you're doing the Thank You notes. You were going to write Thank You notes, right?

No new news here, that I can recall. I've heard from my cousin Hannah, and Uncle Pete, and Brother....not my parents, though. They are still on vacation. Their dogs are still pretty happy. My house smells overwhelmingly of dog. I have plans to have the carpets steam cleaned after they return home. In fact, I'm going to do a serious cleaning of the whole house.

Today is so hot that Grant's T-ball game has been postponed. Summer, you know.

I wish something happy would arrive for me in the mail. ..but I have no reason to expect it at present. Maybe I should order some books? Just kidding. I will behave.

I hope you are all having a good start to your week.

Fire, Water, Wind.

Well, hello, there! I am so super busy from now until infinity, that I just can't seem to find the time to do things like...laundry. ^_^ I am feeling very loved, and am absolutely drowning in invitations. I'm actually trying hard to fit everything in, but one or two might not make the cuts.

Went to Heather's on Saturday for Nee's birthday, which was great. Love those girls. Spent a lot of time with Heather's mom, and she is great, too. Helped when I could, took pictures with 3 people's cameras, had a good time, and Nee loved her presents from us. Yay!

On Sunday I got up extra early for no good reason, so I got my shower out of the way and we left for Versailles exactly on time, even considering that I forgot I was going to have to fill up with gas before we left town. Got to Gran's in the late morning (it's a very long drive) and hung out with my Aunt Laurel and cousin Fawn in the kitchen. I had wanted to bring a watermelon, but it was not practical, so I ended up bringing candy that wasn't very sought after. Oh, well. But the rest of the food was great, and after everyone showed up, we had a full and happy house. It was a great day. Hot, but not as bad as the day before, and we did some daytime fireworks: smoke bombs, snakes, a few ground flowers and firecrackers, champagne poppers, and some parachutes that mostly didn't deploy. (Yipe!) After dessert (confetti cake decorated like a flag by my mother, and also angel food cake with strawberries!) we had games of bocce ball. All the granddaughters we invited to come up and choose from Gran's pill box collection at the top of the stairs. Lately, she's been finding she's ready to give away some of her beloved things. Remember how she gave me her Agatha Christie books? Well, she actually borrows some of them back, sometimes. That tickles me! Anyway, I think me and Hannah are the super sentimental ones of the group, and also are old enough to remember Gran's things in the other house. We were the first ones up there, trying to pick ones that we remembered, or associated with Gran. Toward the evening, everyone was moving inside, and Grant was just at the beginning of a Chutes and Ladders game with Kelsey and Sky when I got the call.

My neighbor, Becky, called to say that there had, in my absence, been a terrible storm that blew down my fence and set my dogs free. Another neighbor had caught the dogs, and I gave Becky the OK to put them in my house. I had to leave Gran's immediately. I hurried as much as you can in 3 hours of wind and rain. The dogs were good in the house (relief!), and the fence had 3 sections down. My back was KILLING me. And so, by then, was my head. At least I came home early enough to not have to navigate neighborhood fireworks displays.

I hear that after I left, Gran let the girls shop for pictures in the attic. Gran had so many pictures that she used to rotate them every season, or sometimes more frequently.

Yesterday, my dad came first thing, and he and Josh put the fence back up in no time. Mom also brought the dogs, so that they could leave straight from their house for their trip. They left after lunch, and I have, of course, had all 4 dogs ever since. Thank goodness the fence was such an easy fix.

I think Abbie is catching a cold, and I also think she is giving it to me.

I talked to Brother yesterday. He was frantically cleaning, since Mom and Dad are going there tonight. They are going to go to one of my Viguerie cousin's weddings in some other part of Colorado. Brother didn't get referred be the temp agency to the job in Boulder after all. But a few weeks ago, I told him he should apply directly to the company, and he did, so he is less upset than one would expect.

We are all reasonably cheerful here at my house. I'm off to taiko tonight, and Josh is currently asleep. I have proofread two of his papers since I got home, and I think he is happy to have turned them in. He did turn them in...right? Hmm. Maybe I should check on that.

Probably I should try to get something done. Well, I did just make ham and cheese sandwiches for the kids. Does that count? Hope today is good to you.

MUAH!

Deja Vu

So, things are good. We make it just fine on the day to day level. But mention the date, and several people's heads threaten to spontaneously combust. Josh is having an especially stressful school semester, and every moment that takes me deeper into this sweat tricklingly uncomfortable summer makes sleep less likely for me. It's going to be rough trying to cope with the stress of finding a job, the stress of my last 6 years of work being over, the stress of my children spending more time with someone else than at home, the stress of knowing it's my last chance to do anything during the week (like visit my grandmother), and the exhaustion and, oh-let's not forget STRESS of gearing up for not only the annual Japanese Festival, but also a visit from our parent group in Japan. Oh, and did I mention the special guests for J-Fest? No pressure.

My self esteem is in shreds. I have a history of never being any good at anything. Yes, I finally got into Chamber Choir in high school my senior year, but it was only because I showed up and worked hard. And here I am again, with taiko. And these, Folks, are my strengths! My successes! Oh, I could cry.

I went out to pass around some applications and resume-type thingies on Tuesday. How humbling. The lady who was nicest was actually at Lindenwood - where I actually DO want to work. But she wasn't really the one in charge of that. Not to mention that they don't really have an opening for staff right now. The other places were okay, but I always felt like I didn't have the script. Or that mine was for a different play. The last place I went was the job I actually thought I would be just right for. The lady there just took one look at me, and I knew it was a waste of my time. I don't know what I didn't have that I should, but she was not in favor of me in any way. Wrong shoes?

Needless to say, I've gotten no calls. I'm back to searching listings of open positions.

Oh! I had intended to stop and grab a bubble tea on the way to taiko, but forgot. Michelle wasn't ready when I got to her house, so I waited outside for 10 minutes. It's pretty hot this week.

We went to 6 Flags yesterday! It was great fun! Well, my back wasn't great, but I really enjoyed the first half of the day, for sure. Then I was feeling sore, and after that, sore and cranky, but it was still a good day. I'd never done the Scooby Doo water ride where you shoot stuff. Fun!

I do have some awesome news: My cousin and her husband are headed to Hawaii! They had some immigration headaches, but are finally going to live together, now that he has been given his visa!

Tomorrow, I think I'm going to make this new recipe I found for zucchini casadillas. I'll tell you how it goes.

Saturday is a birthday party for a friend of ours. Josh will have to work. Then, Sunday, my grandmother is having the 4th of July fried chicken! Josh will have to work. Tuesday, my mother's dogs come for another extended visit.

That reminds me. I really need to clean the house.

Anyway, I am exhausted, and pretty disappointed that I can't seem to do anything better. Maybe sleep will help. Do you think so? Let's find out.

Raindrops on Roses....

Okay. We need a break. Here are some things that are NOT about taiko or resumes or employment rejection or things that are still lost. Nice things. VERY nice things:

Cadbury milk chocolate.

Jasmine/strawberry bubble tea made at RealiTea.

Hugs from Grant.

Pictures in crayon.

The part of Abbie's dance song where all the girls hold hands - they giggle every time!

My electric blanket.

Packages in the mail.

50 cent jig, by Cora Smyth.

Tomatoes.

Books.

Soprano duet from "Les Contes d'Hoffmann" by Offenbach.

Purple (I refuse to call it "red") clover.

Rain storms.

Wallace and Gromit.

My china.

Taking pictures of your wonderful life, so you can live it again.

You guys.

Song of the day: Put Your Records On, by Corinne Baily Rae

(Go have a listen)

So much.

I have so many things to say, I'm really kind of bursting with words. I don't think they will all end up here, though.

Most readily on my mind, now, is REAL. Real people. I have known my share of people who are trying to pretend to be something. Wealthy is the main one. And why? What is the point of that? It's just a lot of making friends you can't keep up with, really. And I've hung out with the guy you are pretending to be, and you know what? He likes to keep things simple. So, you're not even getting it right. Another one is Young And Single. Okay, if you aren't single and you're trying to act like a single person....there's someone near by with a good reason to be pissed off. And youth...is not worth imitating. And then you get into a room full of truly common people who are all trying to act like they are young and single and wealthy and it just makes me want to...leave, mostly. There are better things out there.

Me. I am a real person. I like what I like, and I don't shop for my ideas in the recycle bin. Just because They like it, doesn't make it good. But don't get me wrong. I'm not antagonistic. I'm not going to avoid something because They approve of it. I'm going to decide for myself. Sometimes we will agree. Sometimes not.

Anyway, I got off track. I was going to talk about pretending to be something else. Usually I don't feel like I've been doing that, even subconsciously. But today...I was applying for jobs. I wrote my most aggressive cover letter to date. It feels...wrong. Like it was by someone else. I read it over the phone to my mom, and she loved it. I am not sure I'm pleased. The one thing I fear is that someone will hire me and then be sorry they did, so I try very hard to avoid mis-advertising. Well. I can't see this place calling me in, anyway. Maybe that's why I finally decided to send it anyway.

I've been a little off since my return from vacation. I have a sinus infection, but that doesn't really count for all of it. I lost something of great sentimental value, too. I think about it practically all the time. Very upsetting.

Abbie's dance recital is this coming Saturday. Today we had another T-ball AND dance night, but it is the last one. Dance will be over for the summer after the recital. I'm hoping the schedule will be a tiny bit easier at that point.

Boy, am I starting to be tired! I was going to tell you all about vacation, too. And my friends who are off to England for 6 months. And about Brother and the job hunt. And about the kids and how cute they've been and stuff.

Well...another time. Special hugs to my 3 friends who are expecting babies! Yay for good news. And hugs also to my 2 friends who got married this month. And even more hugs to the ones who I will be seeing be married later this summer! And a hug for Trish, just 'cause.

So...sleepy.

Good night.

Where does the time go?

First of all, I would like to say Happy Anniversary to my dear husband - not that he reads this (although he would be a darn sight better off at Christmastime if he did).

Okay, I'm not actually that secretive or complicated. Anyone could figure me out. But if you ask me what I want, I'm not going to answer. I'm not trying to be difficult, I promise, but you can't ask for a gift. Then, it's not a gift anymore, is it? It's a favor. I prefer gifts to favors.

Back to what I was actually talking about. It doesn't really seem like I've been married for 9 years. I suppose that's a good thing. 9 is a funny number, though, and doesn't come with any fanfare or anything. It's just the one before 10. Well, I'm going to be optimistic and say that it's the beginning of a very pleasant year. We already did our fancy celebrating last week. Today I am making a new recipe. It's so rediculously simple, that I will probably give it to everyone I know if it is a success. It is a pork tenderloin in the crock pot recipe.

I miss my grandmother. It's awful that I don't have a good time to visit her. Even though we have the long weekend for Memorial Day, I have taiko on Sunday, and Abbie has dance on Monday. I think. Maybe I'd better check on that. Will they still have it since school is out?

Speaking of taiko, I need to learn the helicoptor twirl for Miyake. And I need to finish my new bachi - the old ones got trashed at the end of practice last night. I also got a lovely new blister because of the humidity, and a blood blister because I forgot to take off my wedding ring. Well...I was having a Rosemary Can't Get It Right kind of day even before that.

Oh! I forgot to tell you about Sunday.

Well, as luck would have it, the one time when I wouldn't mind a little rain, it was clear. Because of that, Josh went off to go fly, and I was suddenly stuck with the kids, and a meeting to go to for taiko PR. The kids had to come with me, and I brought them books and toys and such and instructed them that they needed to play quietly while I was at the meeting. ...And they did! Thank goodness. I was pretty nervous about that, actually. After the meeting, we went with the PR committee to have yummy lunch at Steak N Shake. Mmm. It really made me want to do something fun with my lovable taiko friends. Like....a barbeque. Or karaoke and drinks (my other, other favorite thing to do in the evening). Still waiting on that to be possible.

I had to get something Josh needed at the mall, so we stopped on our way back to Warrenton. I love Abbie. We hadn't even parked yet when she asked, "Oh, Mommy? Can we go to the tea shop and get some bubble tea?" Why, yes. Yes, we can.

I got a Jasmine and Strawberry bubble tea. The kids split a strawberry one, with no bubbles this time. Abbie informed Nick at the counter, "I've had enough bubbles for one day," as if she'd been chewing on tapioca pearls since dawn.

Then, of course, we went to the Play Place. They were good this time. I, however, was having less fun, as a man was attempting to convince me to have family portraits done at Sears. The coupon really was outstanding, but to get it, you have to give them all your contact information. I was not born yesterday. (Just ask Abbie. She informed me today that I have "old lady marks" on my cheeks, but she still likes me.)

We usually just drink our tea and leave, but this time the kids wanted to look around in the stores. So, we spent a half hour smelling candles in Bath and Body, and looked at scarves in the import store, but I was pretty sure Josh wouldn't dig that, so we left them and went off to get Josh's stuff. As we were leaving through Penny's, Abbie was admiring the Grown Up Girl Clothes. And then I noticed that a shirt I already have two of because it is a great cut was on sale for half price. New color? SURE! Why not? Then Grant found a skirt that matched. Well, we can at least try them on, just to amuse the kids. Well...then it sort of turned into a real shopping trip. We only did the sale rack, but I ended up taking to the dressing room the following collection of items: 2 shirts, 1 skirt (long-ish), 1 tea length dress - black. I tried stuff on and the kids were so funny! Grant would tell me how beautiful the clothes were, and Abbie would say, "Mommy, I'm just gonna put this in the 'YES' pile, okay? Okay, Mommy?" And I agonized, of course, but I burst into peals of laughter when Grant very seriously broke in with, "Are you all stressed out now, Mommy? It's okay! Daddy won't be mad at you." That did it. We bought the clothes. And at the register, I got an extra 20% off. Yay, me!

Josh laughed at me.

Monday was great, too, because I found a new resource to assist my job hunting. HERC - Higher Education Recruitment Consortium. I can hunt for jobs at area colleges and univesities, and they can hunt for me, too. Not that I have much that is eye-catching. I will have to do the bulk of the searching. Still, I'm happy. The only bad news is that it is not as national as I had originally been lead to believe. It operates in certain chunks of the country. If you are in one, I highly recommend its use.

Josh is behind me looking at jobs, again.

I'm not really minding the rain. I mind the tornado warnings, but I have nothing against rain. I never did. Josh claims I would die if I lived in a rainy climate and never saw the sun. Well, okay, I'd have to see the sun sometimes... The worst part is really having dogs that track mud in, and smell bad.

I've been getting recipies lately from my friends. Jenn send one, and told me another, Andrew sent me one, Missy sent me one, Heather sent me one... The one I'm making today, I actually found on my own. Don't know which of the new ones I'll make next, but I'm excited. More recipies!!!

But..I think I must go. First of all, I need to do some serious laundry around here. Especially since I'll be going on a beach vacation soon. Time to dust off my hot weather wardrobe. I'm missing my extra bathing suit, too. Spent 2 hours looking for it yesterday.... And second of all, Michelle very sweetly lent me a pile of books!!! MUA-HA-HA!!

Love to all of you. Were any of you at my wedding 9 years ago? It was a great day, wasn't it? I might have to dig out the pictures for the occasion. Have a great day!

Ahh. Friday.

Hi. It's cloudy and humid today. Everything is wet, and dark-ish, and lazy and still. It's a good thing it's Friday. I don't have to get ready to go anywhere.

I don't know what to read. Maybe back to Agatha Christie?

I really worked hard at taiko this week. Probably no one could tell, but it felt nice. But my time isn't my own, and so the scheduling continues to be weird. I've signed up for a couple of performances with my fingers crossed. We'll have to see if babysitters are required. I almost signed up for a performance today, but realized in time that it was the day we come back from vacation, and I wouldn't be at any of the practices.

My mom and dad came back from their vacation yesterday. I saw them briefly, when they came by to get their dogs. Mere hours later, I picked up Vinny on my way home from practice.

Wednesday, we decided to go to the zoo, as a family. Grant didn't go to school. I almost didn't agree to that. I don't take my kids out of school lightly. If they are sick - yes. And maybe for a rare family vacation or special out of state visitor. But then I stopped to consider: This kid doesn't see his dad on the weekends, and who is more important than that? A perfect day presented itself, we were available, so we took the kids and went to the zoo. And the weather really was perfect. We used Abbie's Build-A-Bear card at the zoo Build-A-Bear (very sweet place, U must say) and we saw the sting rays and the penguins and the elephants and the children's' zoo with the otters and such. Then, we used an old gift card at TGIFridays. Yum. And what do you suppose was right across the street? Oh, yes. Cold Stone Creamery. It was a great day. Then, Grant had T-ball, and Josh had fun watching that. All good things. We were sort of celebrating my wedding anniversary. Josh won't be so available next Wednesday. Anyway - 9 years! Next year I'm going to the place that made our wedding cake, and getting a little one of the same type (family sized, not wedding sized.)

Today, I spent looking at real estate. Josh is applying for a job in South Carolina. What an unfortunate time to realize that I secretly want to move to Eugene, Oregon!

This haze is making me feel tired! I think that's cheating.

I've been having unhappy dreams lately. Two nights ago, I was dreaming that my mom's family were fighting and I was upset, no matter where I was or who I was with. Well, kinda. It was vague. And last night I dreamed I was somewhere and stormed out, angry. Then I was shopping or something, and Abbie wouldn't stay where I asked her to. It was as bad as a cartoon - I kept putting her back, and she kept running off, and I kept getting mad.... So why am I having unhappy dreams? Josh says maybe I'm stressed out, but I'm not. I mean, no more than usual. I don't have any new things that I'm stressed about. I'm still frustrated that I can't get my family into a nice synchronized schedule. And I'm worrying about what I can and can't do for the taiko guys. And I'm worried about finding employment. And I worry about my grandmother being alone and still insisting to keep her bedroom upstairs, when she never had much of a sense of balance. (Well, not since the fever she had when she was little.) And I worry about my brother becoming cranky and reclusive because he lives alone and never has to compromise. And I worry about what my children will become someday, and how much of that I can help with, or should be doing different. And I worry about the school systems. And the finances. And if I should cut my hair before we go on vacation or after. And the laundry piles that I'm not getting washed.

I want bubble tea.

I don't know what I want to make for dinner, but it certainly isn't in my freezer. I think maybe....maybe it's fried shrimp.

We should watch movies tonight. Wish I had some new ones. We kinda took a long time getting our last Netflix back, so nothing is on the way yet. Boo. I'm excited, though. Our next shipment should include Despicable Me. Me and Josh will be the ones watching it, of course. I doubt it's Kindergarten friendly. But-it's something I've never seen, at least!

Well, off to get ready for Grant to come home. And I'll have to cook up some non-shrimp for dinner. Wish me luck.

Happy, happy, happy weekend to you!!!!!!!!!!

Not so Bad

Okay, well, at least I found out that the font button doesn't actually change the font in this particular site.

I tried to get a long with yesterday, but there was more fighting, even after I posted to you. Last week Abbie left her ballet shoes at the studio. We noticed long before we were home. I had planned to retrieve them last night, but...they were no longer there. The infuriating part is that, since I knew I would have to take Grant to T-ball and since it was Abbie's first time "flying solo" if you will, I had put her ballet shoes on her before leaving, and asked the instructor if she would help Abbie changer her shoes. She said yes, so I left Abbie's tap shoes in the actual classroom, and not in the dressing room. So now I have to wonder if Abbie misplaced them, or if the young instructor did. Worse than that is the fact that both teachers are feigning memory loss about that conversation, and neither they nor the owner have seen any extra ballet shoes lying around. At first I thought maybe Abbie put them in the wrong bag and someone else ended up with them, but the other moms seem to think they have the right shoes. Don't know how to handle this one...if they make me buy new shoes right before recital (especially since I have absolutely no intention of her continuing with this group next year) I will be seeing red. Maybe she can borrow. Let's hope.

And then Abbie wasn't feeling well in the evening. Long night. Josh isn't feeling well today. I still plan to go to taiko, though. Especially since I have no idea if I will be able to on Thursday. I almost definitely won't be able to next Thursday.

I almost forgot to mention - Abbie's dance costumes came in last night. Very fancy!

Not much else is going on. I love my mom's dogs, but am ready for them to go home now. I actually talked to her a little while ago. All is well, they are on the train back to Colorado. It's running a little late, but they should still get to Brother's place tonight. They are probably staying at his place tomorrow and tomorrow night, and then they will make their way back to MO.

The end of the school year is approaching! I haven't decided how I feel about that just yet. But there are so many surprise end of school requests and expenses. I really wish they could give us a little notice. Today, Grant is having a pretend camp out during library time. We were told to provide a large bag of skittles. Not exactly gonna break the bank, but I don't think I was ever asked this sort of thing when I was little. And we didn't provide snacks once a month for the class, either. I'm starting to feel extra annoyed with the public school system again. The fund raising thing still makes me see red, too. Why would a state government bother to give money to a school that goes out and raises its own? And I still insist that my child is learning nothing of value by being told sell worthless crap door-to-door. More importantly than all of this, is the fact that a real educator could teach children with nothing but an empty room. I've seen it done. So all this excess is less about teaching and more about looks, and that just pisses me right off. And how am I supposed to teach my children that if you can't afford something - you do without, if the school is sending them fund raising papers and telling them to have their parents be sure to take them to work?!?!!?!?

Do I think the schools should get more money? Yes. Do I think it should go primarily to the teachers? Yes. Do I think that a little fund raising three times a schoolyear is not a big deal and teaches unity and helpfulness? No. No, no, no. And - NO! Fund raisers are for the volunteer members of an extracurricular activity. As long as school is compulsory, you will NOT be sending a begging form home with my kid.

Did I mention that I don't approve of child-powered public school fundraising?

We are all fine, today. Well, except that Josh doesn't feel well. It's been a quiet day. And I got a little bit of photo work done for taiko.

Pretty soon, I ought to go and shower and stuff. It's nearly time to feed the herd of dogs and get ready for Grant to come home and dinner and all of that.

Hope your week is a good one.

One of those days.

What does this font look like? I don't know.

Okay, first I need to promise that I was in a happy and cheerful mood this weekend. Being around a zillion dogs is starting to get to me, especially since there has been so much rain. My house seriously STINKS. But I have a plan (of course). I'm going to somehow get a hold of a steam cleaner and purify the carpets after the extra dogs leave.

I did actually get to go to practice on Sunday - a good thing. I also convinced the holder of the pictures that emailing them to me in JPG format would make my day. She didn't get around to it until evening, but at least she did send them!

Now for today.

I woke up with a headache. Actually, my day starts long before that. First of all, Josh was snoring so loudly!!! And around 2, the dogs suddenly got all restless. Around 3, Abbie wandered into my bedroom. After she was asleep again, I put her back, only to discover that Dixie was sleeping on Abbie's bed - and that's Callie's spot. No wonder she was ghosting around and poking me with her nose. So, I put Dixie on the floor, and Callie hopped up and went right to sleep. I went back to bed. By now it was almost 4. I went to sleep and had weird nightmares. Then, the dogs all woke up at 5:15 and wouldn't go back to sleep. I got up with a headache. Josh slept until about 10:30.

While he was asleep, I worked on sorting through the taiko pictures, and renaming them so that they would be easier to put into galleries in order. (Have to load them each one by one, and they were given to me in complete random order.) After I separated them into songs, I started adding them to the website. I've made decent progress, but need a break. When I finish the gallery, I will add them to facebook, then start over with pictures of our new space. Yikes! A lot of computer work.

My next news was from Josh when he woke up. His parents are leaving this weekend to go to Florida. No one thought that this might affect me, so I wasn't told. So, no babysitter while they are away. Oh, and it gets better. They plan to leave their dog with me.

Their dog.

Then, I found out that even though I paid my UMSL parking ticket and received a statement saying that I have a ZERO BALANCE, they have resurrected an older ticket, and applied late charges. I tried to call them, but they don't care, and apparently have the authority to do this. Can that be legal? Plus, they are applying it to Josh's old student number! He's NOT a student there. Hasn't been for years. Wasn't even driving the car.

And it's pretty likely that I will be driving all over town to get everyone to his/her Monday obligations. I guess it would just be too convenient that the field would be too muddy for T-ball today, since I have a horrible headache.

Gave Abbie a bath and cleaned the bathrooms, and I ran the dishwasher. I tried to pick up a little around here, but it's still terrible.

And today is so nice, too. Except that I'm wearing 2 shirts, long pants and thick socks but am still cold. Tomorrow, I think, is going to be pretty near perfect.

I hope it gets here fast. I am not a fan of the way my today is going.

Wait a minute...

...What happened to the post that I wrote and successfully published on Wednesday? It's not even in my Drafts. I can't say I'm thrilled about that.

Well, I feel like I spend all my time letting dogs in and out and feeding things. But the week has been good. I wrote all about how I had plunged head first into learning a physically demanding song for taiko, and how I was pleased with myself for that. Then about how I was irritated that I had another obligation on Thursday and couldn't go back to practice.

Then, this morning Josh posted an advertisement for someone to watch the kids during practice on Sunday. That's how I found out he is unavailable. Damn it. I need this. I'm so irritated I really could throw something. But if no one takes him up, or if it isn't the right someone, I am going to be home AGAIN.

I'm just about over my cold.

I'm going to make pork chops tonight. And something else, but I don't know what.

Did I mention my house is filthy? It is probably the most disgusting it has ever been. Firstly, it's hard to clean around 4 enormous dogs. When they are all inside, it's very claustrophobic in here. Also - I was sick. Nothing got done. So, naturally, with dust on everything and clutter everywhere you look, a friend of ours stopped by yesterday on her way home from a job interview. I am so ashamed. It's haunting me, and making my stomach queasy.

Dear Someone I Know Who Is Abandoning Her Old Blog And Starting A New One,

I hope you don't change your mind on where the new one is; I just bookmarked it. ^_^

Well, I wish the post I'd already written hadn't disappeared. And I hope you are navigating this Friday the 13th carefully! Hugs to you all!

p.s. All that Blogger maintenance, and the PUBLISH POST button still doesn't work. *sigh*

Muppets Are Cool.

Hello!

I'm getting over this cold. It was a bad one for a few days, but cleared up quickly. Well, now that's not entirely accurate. There are aspects of head colds that I find unbearable, but once I get past that part, I don't much mind having a cold. As long as I can breathe enough to sleep, I can carry Kleenex and the like, and life is still okay.

Mother's Day was wonderful, even though I was still sick. Josh made cinnamon rolls and the kids brought them to me "in bed". After Josh left, we went to the mall for sushi lunch. The kids both love white rice, and Abbie really loves pickled ginger. Oh, I wish I were kidding... Anyway, we got bubble tea, too. I got strawberry-jasmine, and the kids split a strawberry one. Abbie got the half with the "bubbles". Grant doesn't care for them. And wouldn't ya' know! A book sale was right outside the door of the tea shop!!! It was FATE, I tell ya'! I nearly collapsed when I saw the section of hard back young adult mysteries from the 50's and 60's! It was just exactly what I had been looking for. I got a Nancy Drew book for Abbie, a Tom Swift book for Grant, and The Happy Hollisters and the Castle Rock Mystery just for good measure. Perfect. We also played at "the play place". As we were leaving to go to the car, we noticed the absence of Abbie's blue toy car. Back we went to the bathroom, the book sale, the tea shop....finally the car was recovered at the food court, where a kindly cleaning staff member had found and saved it. And that was good, because I was wearing "cute" shoes, and it was definitely time to go limp to the car.

Monday was Grant's first real T-ball game. So cute!!! Most of them couldn't remember what direction first base was, and when they were in the field and the ball made it bast the pitcher, there was an instant dog pile on the ball. The rough part is that Abbie has dance on Mondays. We had good luck, and the game was pretty much right across the street from the dance studio, so I just walked over and got her when she was done, and we watched the end together. I even got her to yell, "GO GRANT!" Next week, though, I'll probably spend the whole afternoon driving back and forth getting everyone where they need to be.

Tuesday we went to Costco, and I would like to say that trips to Costco are the closest things to dates I've had since last summer. I also went to taiko. We were (re)learning Hachijou. I had never really embraced the learning of Hachijou, because of my back, but Tuesday I just grit my teeth and said, "I am never going to get stronger by NOT doing it." So I decided to do what is commonly referred to as: SUCK IT UP. And what do you know! I did fine, and felt great. I'm medium sore, but just in the usual way. My back is not even complaining. I'm actually looking forward to trying it again.

Except...I can't go to practice tonight. Very disappointing. It's okay, I guess. It's for a thing at Grant's school. Why don't they ever give us any notice?

And...I don't mean to complain (okay, I do mean to complain) but I'm tired of all the scheduling complexities of a single mother with none of the privacy!

Once again, scheduling at Josh's work has been mentioned. He came home furious the other night because they had announced that the days off he requested were being given to the scheduler's friend, who has been there less time than Josh, and also has a recent write-up, which Josh does not. Just when he was resigning himself to this recent unfairness, they decided NOT to change anyone's schedule just yet. So, why do I listen to any of this? It always comes to the same thing. Nothing good.

Abbie and I are watching The Muppet Show.

Link Hogthrob: What happened?!

Dr. Strangepork: I must have blasted into the 5th dimension!

Link: Well, thank you.

Strangepork: Don't dimension it.

HEE!

Probably I had something deep and meaningful to say. But I can't remember. My brain is deteriorating. I read Twilight again. I'm sure that accounts for it.

Did I ever say anything about The Mysterious Benedict Society? I meant to. It's good. The Pseudonymous Bosh one is....a little....snarky. It is funny-ish, but does stuff like tell kids how important it is to be a good liar. Not right for the ages of my kids. That's why I was excited about the Nancy Drew and such. They'll need to read a few real mysteries before they can find the humor in those unconventional ones. The Mysterious Benedict Society, however, is good quality stuff, with a sophisticated writing style, consistency, interesting characters, a fascinating story.... It is a little obvious in places, but possibly not for a young reader. I approve; I recommend. I don't exactly recommend the Five Senses series. At least, not for actual young readers.

Well, anyway, I am too distracted by funny singing puppets to really write anything. Hope you area about to have a good Thursday and a good weekend, too!!!!

Extra friend hugs to Master Awesome, who claims that he still reads this. Poor thing. Let's all indulge in a moment of heartfelt sympathy for the poor man. On the other hand....don't you ALL have something better to do? :P

Happy Friday Eve!

You Guessed It!

Yep. I am sick. Well, I did tell you. It's a bad upper respiratory thing with fever. Abbie seems fine, but still congested. I'm a mess. Not getting any sleep at night. Sometimes in the mornings. Well, it can't last forever, and I'm doing all I can to recover. Josh bought me jell-o.

My kids have never done the Mothers' Day thing before. Well, why would they? It's mommies who make holidays, and I wasn't about to declare a holiday for myself. It's against my principles. Besides, I have no opinion of Mothers' Day. Actually, that's not quite true. I have several opinions of Mothers' Day. When my grandmother was small, Mothers' Day was a day for anti-war demonstrations - led by the mothers of fallen soldiers. She told me about it. I think they didn't celebrate Mother's Day in her family because they thought it unpatriotic. That last part is a guess. Also, my mother doesn't really believe in Mother's Day, mainly for the reason that if you don't appreciate your mother, one day's worth of apology a year isn't going to make up for it. If you do appreciate your mother, then why do you need a holiday to tell her so? So, with that as my Mothers' Day background, I became a mother. Since I don't declare holidays for myself, it's mostly on Josh and his views to decide if Mothers' Day will be celebrated in our house. So far, it has not. But this year Josh has to work overtime on Mothers' Day. That, at least, he noticed. He and Grant brought me flowers and Cadbury chocolate, and Grant also made stuff in school, and showed it to me very proudly. Love that. So, since it's just us tomorrow - since I can't go to taiko anyway - I think maybe the kids and I should go out. Abbie has been feeling left out of the Mothers' Day preparation. Maybe we could go and get some bubble tea at the tea shop, and I'll let her pay. What do you think?

A co-worker of Josh's gave him some tiger lilies. I'm going to try to work up the energy to plant them today, in pots. We also got some freesia for the kids to plant in little pots, too, but that's already been done. The pots are, of course, because I'm tired of wasting plant life be sending it to my clay yard to live. Besides, we can take stuff with us when we move if it's in pots. Orange isn't my favorite color for lilies, but Josh is excited.

The kids played very cutely yesterday afternoon. Today they are in the basement. The dogs are all outside. They're still getting along nicely, but Raphael ate an ant trap this morning, and I'm worried he might be sick. He looks fine, but he's a big dog, and that would be a LOT of vomit. Best they stay in the yard for a while.

Behind on bills and laundry. I am either going to start that today or Monday. Tomorrow is not looking good.

Last I heard, my parents are enjoying their vacation! May really is my favorite month. Love and good health to you all!

Between

I had better hurry and write something. I'm done with the cranky, but Abbie has a very contagious-looking cold.

So! Did I tell you about Josh and the car? Well, he bought a 2002 Honda Civic, and today it is getting aligned and inspected, and with any luck, licensed. It's the same color as my Honda. Josh loves it already. It has a moon roof and a fancy stereo and the interior was already a mess, so he doesn't have to feel bad about not keeping it nice. (He freely admits that he won't.)

AND...the dogs have arrived. So far, so good. 4 dogs, and none of them small. As of this moment, they're all lying down in various places. It might be a rocky few weeks, but we're off to a good start.

Yesterday, I finally got some eel, which I'd been craving. We went to Kitaro for lunch. So, so very fancy. We had sushi, and it was super yummy. I would like to point out that two extra fancy sushi buffet lunches, plus tea, plus Abbie's bowl of her favorite white rice cost less than the tank of gas I bought before leaving town in the morning. Very sobering. (Or does that give me permission to agree to Kitaro every now and then...?)

Abbie started getting a cold yesterday, and had a rough night. I'm sure I'm next. So I decided to say a little bit of a hello between the cranky and the sick. I hope none of you feel neglected in the coming weeks. I plan to be at most taiko practices, and take Abbie to dance and Grant to T-ball, but otherwise, I'm going to be pretty home-bound being a good hostess to my doggy guests. One would rather do too much than too little for someone else's animals, you know?

Have a good week, everyone! I'll talk to you after my head cold gets settled in. ^_^

Grumble, Grumble.

First, about Osama Bin Laden: Everyone is using this event as an excuse to get a dig in for his/her side of the President Obama popularity pole. Half the people I hear triumphing and gloating at his non-supporters, and the other half pointing out that since he was for taking the troups out of the middle-east, this is a victory in spite of his holding the office of President. Well, you can all stop crowing, because A> This was an act brought about by Special Forces, not any politicians of any kind, and B> Why are you so happy? All that has occurred is the death of a man who was so busy running from us that he was no longer leading rebellions, and all that is GOING to happen is an increase in violence as a reaction to the announcement of his death. Our specialized military has completed what must have been a frustrating and difficult hunt. They were successful. Good job, guys. That's really it. And why do you want so badly for it to be something more, or something else entirely? So much arguing even in the face of what is inaccurately considered to be a victory.

One other note about President Obama. I've said it before, but do you really think he got all the way to Presidential candidacy without someone asking to see his birth certificate? Get a new hobby, please. The man's trying to do his job, here. It's a little late to be wondering about his qualifications, even if you were the person responsible for scrutinizing them. He was elected. He is President. If that bothers you, vote for someone else next time.

Yeah. I'm feeling cranky. My beautiful sunshine has been replaced by gloomy clouds, I'm cold again, I'm not feeling very well in the tummy, and all my projects are thwarting me.

I want to make the galleries of taiko performances at Japan relief benefits, but the files I can get a hold of are some weird kind, and though I asked for copies of them as JPGs, it would seem that is too much to ask. Josh is downloading a file converter. But still. I'm grumpy that this duty has mutated from "Send Rosemary emails of pictures and she will put them on the web page," to "Post pictures somewhere and Rosemary will hunt them down, download them, convert them, and then put them on the web page."

Also, I have been working on an application for the last several days. I'm finally at the point where I am supposed to include my resume (despite the fact that in the 25 page application, they have asked me for every scrap on it and much more) but I can't edit my resume, because the template that was on my computer a month ago is suddenly gone, and I don't seem to have an electronic copy of it anywhere!! How did that happen?

See? Frustrating.

Grant lost his first tooth on Friday. In order to get to my performance on time, I had to pick him up at 2:30 from school. So, Abbie and I left the house at 2:15 and signed him out. Then we had to wait at a park while Michelle got ready. On the way, Grant's tooth came out. VERY exciting stuff, you know. We picked up Michelle when she was ready, and headed over to Ryan and Jennie's. They weren't home yet, but came soon. Then, the kids stayed there, and Michelle and I went to help load....but we were 10 minutes late. I was informed by a senior group member that, "If you had read your email, you would know that we were supposed to meet at 5:30." Well, if my time were my own, I would have been on time. But it's not. And in case I haven't made it clear already, I re-arranged my whole day just to get there at all. I think that comment was unnecessary. Especially from anyone who knows me at all. Then, off to the performance. I lead Kagura, and it was mostly a success, I guess. I did a super job at Ashura, if I do say so myself (and I usually don't say so, but I did), and a less than super job at Tenchi. Well, I was exhausted from Omiyage, so that might explain it in part. We all were. But I didn't make any "wrong" hits, or do anything particularly noticeable from the audience. I hope. The workshop was fun. Kids are fun. Then, we loaded up, I hurt my back, we unloaded (I was useful in holding a door open), I picked up the kids, dropped Michelle home, and drove back to my house. Josh works an hour away and gets off at 11, and he beat me home, if that tells you anything.

The funny thing is that I kinda wanted to go out. But with all that waiting for me, still left to do, it was less tempting. Then, when my back started to swell, I knew there was no point.

Oh, and I was hungry.

Anyway, all water under the bridge now.

Grant lost a second tooth this morning while brushing for school. And Josh bought him new tennis shoes this weekend, even though I was planning to wait until fall. It's good to be Grant this week.

I guess it's good to be me, too. I got bubble tea from RealiTea three days in a row. So decadent. But we know the owners, and want to contribute to their staying in business. So, can I count it as a good deed and not just gluttony?

I still get to wallow in self pity, though, right? Right?

Tomorrow I shall be cleaning my entire house, in preparation for my month. This month, I will be watching my parents' dogs while they go on vacation with my brother. They have an extra large Irish setter, and a springer spaniel. So...cross your fingers for me. All our dogs get along....but that's a LOT of dogs.

I must go. I am wanted elsewhere. I have GOT to get this resume re-created. Really not happy about that.

Hope your week is starting off well. Sending hugs.

HA HA!

Made ya look.

Feeling impish today. Must be this beautiful weather.

Triedness and Excessive Direction

Me: Oh, goodness, look at the time. Well, that's all for this session. It's been fun. See you next month!! Buh-bye, now!

Insomnia: Nice try. Who do you think you're kidding? Now get in bed and stare at the ceiling.

Me: You're not the boss of me! I am putting on a movie. So THERE!

Insomnia: Getting out the quiet, boring stock, eh? Well, we shall see who prevails.

Me: Do your worst!

Remind me never to say, "Do your worst!" to my imaginary personified insomnia again, would you please?"

Tonight is taiko. Grrr-yawn. Well, I'll do my best.

Speaking of taiko, I should just like to take this opportunity to state that if someone sends a document, etc. for us to read, it is not necessary for another person to then email us, advising us to read the document, etc. Not at all, in fact. Got it. In fact - if I may be so bold - it may not even be necessary to tell us to sign up for performances after the individual responsible for scheduling performances has just asked for more people to sign up. Just saying.

I've been trying to copy some pictures to add to the web site, but they need to be converted, and apparently I've been taking the LONG way to get there. Josh is going to teach me a shorter way. Well, maybe.

K. That's all the news. Have a good day. Isnt' this sunshine nice?

Yeah....

So much to say. Although nothing important, I guess.

This morning I did my hair. I was going for, "Look! My hair is submissive. I am totally in charge of this operation." I think I ended up with my usual Medusa impersonation, with a little added lift in the back. At least I didn't try, in this humidity, to straighten it. That's a losing battle if ever I heard of one.

I wore knee socks to Easter. I was that middle aged woman with knee socks on. Well, it's not like they're going to be impressed no matter what I wear. Might as well amuse myself.

Easter.....was a lot like Christmas was. They were still getting ready when we got there. We helped with the cooking. Josh had to leave the second he was done eating. The kids had a good time playing with their cousins.

You know, I have no wealth of knowledge. I don't. I know the person who thanked me so sweetly for great information will never read this, but here is what I won't say to her, but should: "Please don't be confused into thinking that I somehow have unique experience of noteworthy intuition or valuable knowledge. I do want to help, but it really isn't worth being impressed. I am only saying what any other person would have said, if you were to have asked him/her instead." Or maybe I'm good at saying it clearly. I would like to think that, but I don't really believe it. My goal is clarity, but I think I only achieve Babble. I wish I was knowledgeable, though. I love knowing trivia, when I do. It is a rare moment. Once, I helped win a game of Trivial Pursuit by gaining the winning pie piece? The only reason was that there was a word in the question that no one else could understand, because it was archaic. So, I guess....I am medium good at words. Just like my degree says: I Can Read.

Tomorrow is Monday, and I'm having a hard time getting ready for next week. Did you know that it is National Karaoke Week? Chances of my going out are non-existent, though. So, you will all have to go out and sing something in my place. Something....not typical. Something with style. Something without shame. And then, you can tell me all about it.

I need to finish deciding what pictures to put in my latest gallery for the taiko web site, and get that moving. I'm also behind on a few RSVPs. I've got to decline a shower, accept the reunion (I just don't know if I'll be going alone or with Josh), decline the Communion party....

Josh is starting to think again that there is a schedule change on the horizon. I'm mildly interested, but these kids have cried wolf a fair few times, ya know?

I don't know. I can't picture the future, the way I could before. Now it just seems a long list of wishes, and no way to make them come true. Remember when I was going to be the superhero and save everyone from this mess? I'm not sure I'm the girl for the job.

Our grass is shamefully long and scraggly.

Josh just emailed me his latest paper to proofread. Guess I'll go.

I'm not depressed, I promise. Just tired. Long day. Mommies are what make holidays, so they wear us out a little.

Goodnight.

Not Tornadoed

I just dusted and vacuumed. Dinner was nothing exciting, but for lunch we had breaded shrimp, cheesy rice and grapes and strawberries. I may not have showered today, but I still managed to cling to productivity by the skin of my teeth.

We've been having some serious weather this week. Thunderstorms, rain, lightening, soft ball sized hail, tornadoes. Perhaps you heard of the one that took out Concourse C at the airport. We missed the major excitement. The soft ball hail was a few miles from us. Well, at Wal-mart. That might be about a mile. We only had a very few of the smaller variety. We were hiding in the basement. There used to be a tv down there, but apparently it is broken. No movie for us! And Josh's work of course is right by the airport, but there were no damages where he was. However, being an emergency dispatcher, you can imagine that he was having quite an evening even without having been tornadoed. He even had to find a new way home because of road closings! I think all my other friends in the St. Louis area are unharmed as well, but I haven't heard from everyone just yet.

Yesterday our neighbors came over to visit. Twice. And the kids stayed up so, so, so late. The neighbors left at 10:30! And then the kids wouldn't wind down. Tonight I insist on an early bed time. And for my sake, too. I stayed up to make sure Josh got in, and he was later than usual, what with the traffic delays.

The last week has been rough. We colored eggs with Josh's mom when Grant's t-ball was rained out, but otherwise we stayed in, mostly. Then, on Good Friday, me and the kids went to CostCo. First, we stopped at the mall to visit RealiTea. Kat was actually working!!! So, we said hi, and bought a bubble tea and some gummies. Then, I let the kids play at the "play place" until I saw Grant push Abbie, and then we went to CostCo for Kleenex and strawberries and mac&cheese shells and such. I've never gone to CostCo without Josh before. Guess what I found out? You may not use the credit function of your debit card there. And I don't know my PIN! So, quick thinker that I am, I called my bank lickety split and got a new PIN. So there. And now I know it. Go ahead - ask me! Oh. ...nevermind.

Josh got a hold of a Rosetta Stone program. I told the kids it was a video game, and they've been learning French. I have been doing French AND Japanese, but I already knew some French, and slow going with the Japanese. I'm going to copy the Japanese part for Jenn. (Translation: I'm going to make Josh do it.) In fact, maybe after she puts it on her computer, we can pass it around! Is that unethical? I hope not. It isn't as if we were going to all go out and purchase separate copies if we couldn't have this one. Well, if it turns out unethical, you are all invited to come over to my house and learn Japanese or French from my copy.

My mom is already sending me job listings. It begins. :(

Jobs are a big topic in my family. Josh is kind of looking on the side, my dad is taking a vacation, and then will be actively seeking full time employment, and so will my mom....and so will I....and my brother is already. We should totally have an unemployment party.

I finally got someone to watch the kids during the taiko performance on Friday. I hope she was paying attention to the part where I will be leaving BEFORE 5. That is the only thing that makes me super nervous. And I'm feeling a tad guilty about the amount of practice I will have had, but since it is officially the required amount, maybe I should chill out.

Well, I hope Michelle gets the job she's been interviewing for, and if any of you are going through that as well, GOOD LUCK! I hope you were not tornadoed! Stay safe, and be careful - more storms to come.

Monday sort of Monday

Mrs. Warren's Profession was not a comedy. As a sentimental, loyal, and most of all feeling person, I wish I hadn't read it. Too many varieties of heartbreak for me to take, especially right before bed. I don't believe in spoilers, but with a title like that, it leaves not much to the imagination. Mrs. Warren, of course, is a Madam. The play is about the circumstances surrounding her adult daughter's discovery of such, and reaction, etc.

Rolla was pleasant, and we were able to keep my dad from burning down the house in his boredom. He is not the world's best patient, and has a foot injury. We kept him busy playing songs on his guitar, listening to the kids explain all about their most recent toys*, making Captain Hook hooks out of old plastic hangers, and the like.

*15 dollars? Such a huge sum! The most I've ever been able to give them is maybe 15 between the two of them, and that was for necessaries, like new socks!

On the way home, I was flirting with disaster. Through no fault of my own, the fates were out to get me, and they nearly succeeded! On I-44, I was driving along at the speed limit (70), when a big, yellow dog, leisurely walked into my lane. I changed lanes, of course, and I hope the guy in that lane will excuse me for being closer than is comfortable for some people. I looked in my rear-view to see if the dog made it to safety, and what do you think I saw? As the dog strolled across the highway, a car from the westbound lane drove wildly off the road, through the wire median, down the ditch and up again, across the eastbound lane and into the opposite ditch. If I hadn't been able to avoid the dog, I would have been right in his path - with both my children, and both my dogs. It all happened in a flash - it took less than 2 seconds for me to watch the other car make the afore mentioned progress, but I can tell you I am still creeped out by it! It really made my blood chill in my veins. For the rest of the drive, I was especially vigilant.

Today we got the official news that the car has been declared a total loss. So, now we have to get another one. More on that later.

I had a good idea for a story today, and even got to a piece of paper, but the phone rang before I could even get a word down.

We've been watching Cirque du Soleil. My mom has 2 DVDs of it, and made us a copy of Dralion, since we didn't get to finish it before we left. It is very, very amazing.

Josh's mom can't watch the kids on Thursday, so I'm looking for someone else to, unless I find out that I don't really have to be at practice. So far, no takers. I'm also trying to find a minute to take our friend Jennie to Costco, since there is something there she wants at her Easter dinner and I have a membership. I like to help. Have you thought about my schedule, though? Monday - dance class. Tuesday - taiko. Wednesday - T-ball. Thursday - taiko. Friday - Woot! An actual free day...if you don't count that Josh is at work and whatever "free" activity I schedule has to accommodate the kids. Saturday - nothing so far (except Josh working again), but probably going to be soccer practice. Sunday - taiko. So, if I have to stay with the kids Thursday anyway, we can all go to Costco. Otherwise, it would have to be Friday.

And people occasionally ask me how Josh is. Wanna know? I DON'T KNOW! I haven't had a real conversation with the guy in a month. When he's home, he's generally doing homework or sleeping. Mostly, though, he's not home.

Monday nights always make me feel like a weed in the garden of life. It's all those other moms. No matter whether they're the ones who work blue collar jobs, smoke like chimneys and talk too loud or the ones with dark artificial tans and dubious hair color, monogrammed jackets for their daughters to fit into for approximately 3 months and smart phones constantly informing them that one of their extensive acquaintance has texted them, they all seem to have another person to identify with. And then there's me. Each type will occasionally make polite conversation, but I can feel my Outsiderness. I don't necessarily need anyone to chat with, or be friends with, or keep me company, I just don't like that look that comes into their eyes when they talk to me. It emanates doubt and unwillingness and distaste and ridicule and censure and....whatever you call it when a large dog isn't sure whether to sniff the little shampooed Maltese. You know: "What are you?"

K. Got that off my chest.

And now. I'm tired. It's been a long month.

Goodnight.