Rush, rush!

Finished the book/s on Friday, and then had nothing to read, so I ordered some new books.  Yippee!  Books in the mail.  Can't wait.


I'm worried about my back.  I haven't had taiko in over a week.  Had a meeting Tuesday, called home for some child drama Thursday.  Overslept today.  Probably needed the sleep.


Mom came from Grant's 5k yesterday, and so did Dad, which was a surprise!  The weather was beautiful, and we all had a great time.  Grant got to pick lunch, so we had giant deli sandwiches from Poppy J's.


Lots of worrying about taking time off.  For some reason, everyone is wanting me to this year.  I'm going to Rolla for my music teacher's retirement party, I think.  Also, my parents want me to go with them on vacation for a week in August.  My alternative is to stay home and miss my own son's birthday, because that's when they scheduled it.  Also, Josh wants to take the kids to one of the Disney places this year. 


Stressed out.  My bosses probably think I only work when I feel like it.  :(


Off we go to shop for food.  Have a great rest of the weekend.

Mondays are for books.

Okay.  I'm reading the Anita Blake vampire books, but not on purpose.  Ever trap yourself this way?  I was talking to a very VAGUE acquaintance, and he mentioned that the Anita Blake books were set in St. Louis, and that if you lived there, you could tell where she was describing.  I said, "Oh, cool!"  I said it because I enjoy the thought behind the theory.  It would be cool to recognize the descriptions in a book you are reading.  Not many of them are about any areas I've been, let alone lived near.  However...I am not actually from St. Louis.  I don't live there now.  So, the descriptions wouldn't hold the same satisfaction for my as they would for my more urban counterparts.


The next week, the guy lent me a large hard back volume containing the first three books.


Remember the part in Pride and Prejudice when Charlotte claims that a woman has to show more enthusiasm than she feels to be noticed by gentlemen?  I beg to differ.  I don't know if it's true that a woman wouldn't jump from, "Oh, cool!" to, "I would like to read that book and would think it was great if you lent it to me, thereby insuring at least one more conversation with you when I return your book..." or if it is somehow less creepy if a woman were to do it.  These things I do not know.  Here's what I do know:  If it's me, it will always be a guy.  He will always assume that he should increase our friendship (et cetera) by loaning me something.  And pretty nearly always, that something will be a complete letdown. 


So, you won't be surprised that I am reading as fast as I can, just so I can get the book out of my house.


Anita Blake, and probably the author, too, is a very familiar, and not particularly lovable type.  I've met her.  More than one of her.  Her brain is average in both respects:  It is not clever.  It is not original.  She hangs out with men...usually the kind who read fantasy.  Among them, she is quite tough.  Probably because they are colossal wusses.  She has a smart mouth, because she is trying to be one of the guys, although it doesn't come off well from a girl.  She is not girlie.  She doesn't just not wear heels and dresses and make up and accessories, she has a philosophical objection to them, and will tell you all about it without much encouragement.  In fact, this gal is convinced that she is unique, quirky, charmingly offbeat, clever, tough, and superior.  She bores me with her attempts to be impressive.


In these books, Anita's male friends are primarily people she knows through work, and she surprised me by claiming at least two extremely close female friendships.  Oh, yeah, and she also raises zombies, kills vampires, goes WAY over the top with weaponry, and is quite negative.


Can you tell how much I am enjoying this stuff?


Enough about that.  Not worth it.


Someone looked at my house today.  Wonder what they thought of it?  The yard is hideous, but hopefully they were relieved that it had fewer dandelions than the two yards at the other end of the street.


Just had to tune Abbie's violin for her.  She had tried to tune it herself and the D string was flat....by about 2.5 whole steps.  Yeesh.


We are having breakfast for dinner tonight.  Usually I am more into it, but I am really not feeling it today.  Wish I was at St. Louis Bread Company having soup.


Today was one of those tired days.  It's Monday.  It's the day after a big family event, and the morning after we cleaned the whole house for the realtor.  And it was that gloomy partly cloudy, where the "cloudy" is big, dark thunderstorms, and the part that isn't mostly just draws attention to the clouds. 


Anyone running the Boston Marathon?  Hugs to all those guys! 


In other news, I have a dear friend of many years who is having a baby, and my cousin is, too!  And one of my bosses!  Guess it's a sign from above that I should go play in the baby clothes section.  ^_^

Hello, out there!

Some of you have expressed interest on whether or not I might have died, and forgotten to notify you of the fact.


Nope.  Not dead.


I still love the fact that I have my job.  I am now over the initial glow, though, and realize the difference between good days and bad ones.  A good day is when I am busily helping people all day long, things go as planned, and they also happen to be "billable".  I finish the day with more than 2 hours billed, lots accomplished, a cleaned off desk, 3 new clients (or so), and happy bosses.  Days I don't much like involve things like being told that I haven't billed enough, I don't get everything finished, or I do stuff and it's either wrong or doesn't stay fixed for some other reason.


The kids are super cheerful tonight, as there is no school tomorrow in honor of Good Friday.  We will all be going over to Josh's mom's Saturday instead of going to the history museum as originally planned.  Bummed that I had to cancel plans that I've had for several weeks, but I like dying eggs, so I am looking forward to the fun stuff.  We usually bring kites on Easter, but I think it's supposed to rain, so maybe I'll bring them Saturday.


The house has shown 4 times, I think.  No nibbles.  Really need to move!!!


Taiko is still going well.  We didn't have practice tonight, and then Sunday is a holiday, and Tuesday is a meeting.....I foresee needing to get back in shape starting Thursday. 


Smooch y'all!