Are we there yet?

Wow, what a day. I'm exhausted. And I have personal training tonight. Boo. You can bet that I'm going to suck down my new inhaler like it's a vodka gimlet with a splash of water before going!

Where's the good stuff?

It's summer. The time for good movies, good books... but where are they? Kung Fu Panda was a big snooze. I mean really, yesterday is the past, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a present? Please... Wall E was sort of cute (yes, we braved the packed theater last night for C-man to look at me 30 minutes in and say "I want to go home"), but you had to get through 45 minutes of it to turn enjoyable. Not nearly the Nemo or Cars stuff Pixar has put out in the past. I recognize that part of my problem are the types of movies I'm privileged to watch. But books have been the same for me lately. Friday Night Knitting Club got rave reviews. I found it one big formula that wasn't so hot. I just finished Fearless Fourteen, which was the biggest snoozer of the Stephanie Plum series. I still enjoyed it, because I'm an addict to the series, but it really wasn't up to the level of the others. I see there's a new Jennifer Weiner book out, so I'll try that after I'm done with the Russian Concubine. I'm hoping to find something that's really good this summer. So any good trashy beach reads for me? Or movies that aren't rip-offs of the books that weren't that good to begin with (PS I Love You - Narnia)? In the theater or on DVD? I do still need to see Sex and the City. Even if it's bad, how could that go wrong?

Growing Gardens

Family Farming It

Beerman saw breakfast on the farm advertised this morning while I was sleeping because I was up all night and C-man woke up at the butt crack of dawn, so, of course, we got in the car and went. After all, I'll do anything for eggs. C-man decided it would be better than the farmers market. He was right. We had a blast. Pancakes - cheese - ice cream - cows... how could THAT be bad?

Now Beerman is off to his beer festival. I am not sure what to do about Wall E. C-man, logically, wants to see it, but I'm scared the place is going to be PACKED. Maybe I can hold him off until next weekend.

Planning out my weekend

Of course, there's the usual list:

• Laundry
• Vacuuming
• Putting stuff back in the basement

Beerman's off to a festival this Saturday. I'm considering Discovery World, Wall E, and the Milwaukee Public Museum to see some dinosaurs. The Brewers are away, so that's out. Then again, we might just do the farmers market and hang out at home. We'll see what I'm up to.

In the meantime, I'm off to the doctor to get more drugs for my never-ending saga of bronchitis.

One more day

I'm getting my hairs cut tonioght. I'm so desperately needing it. I absolutely hated this cut, and I'm going back to the same lady. I'm going to give her one more shot, because she came so highly recommended. But she's on notice... One more mullet, and I'm out of there. ******************* I'm exhausted. It's been an incredibly busy week. I can't wait until the weekend. ******************* But, then again, Beerman's working on Saturday. I'm thinking I'm going to take C-man to see Wall E. I'm not promising anything to him quite yet though, as it's supposed to rain. I promise nothing to anyone with rain in the forecast. ******************* C-man has lost his baseball glove somewhere. In the state of emergency our house is in, it could be anywhere. The problem is, we've looked everywhere, and can't find it. This is urgently turning into a code red situation. I need to find that damn glove tonight, or there's going to be a major meltdown.

Bobbleheads

My little bobblehead.

Letter to the Delivery Man

Dear Mr. Delivery Man, Thank you for the kind visit again today. I'm sorry I missed you. The barometer you left was just what I wanted and needed to determine just when the pressure system starts to have an effect on my body. I know you delivered that Netflix movie - American Gangster - a while back, but I finally took the time to watch it this weekend while it was raining. While you delivered it speedily, you can take it back even faster. That movie was boring. In case you're considering watching it before you deliver it back, don't. Here's the deal. Guy dies. Driver takes over as heroin dealer. People get high. People die. Guy gets caught. Guy goes to prison. Snooze. Thank you for the kind visit yesterday. My child will only wear "baseball shorts". Despite all of his pants having to be knit sweatpant material, he does not like these types of shorts, and only likes the mesh, silky shorts, which he has now dubbed "baseball shorts". We had a meltdown earlier last week, so thanks for clearing that up. I really appreciated your bringing me my new cell phone. While paying for a cell phone plan doesn't really appeal to me, your overnight delivery of my phone, just in case I had to call someone immediately was quite thoughtful. Thanks for the kind visit earlier last week, delivering the tumeric and bromelaine supplements that some crazy research says can help with inflammation. I don't really believe it'll do anything, but knowing I can take one more bit of quackery makes me feel better anyhow. It's good to know you're always there when I need you, Mr. Delivery Man. I'm sure we'll be in touch again soon. Your most loyal fan

Is the week over yet?

So.Tired.Can't.Think.Straight.

Parenting by Bribery

My child has taken quite quickly to the idea of getting a toy at the end of an entirely dry day with no accidents. On one hand, I realize that I'm bribing my kid. To some, this could appear problematic. But this Mama realizes that there's always an other hand... And I've got an incredibly happy child shooting his new super soaker in the back yard. ******************* I got 3 total hours of sleep last night I hurt so bad. I could barely function at work today for a variety of reasons. Only a gazillion more hours on my feet training this week. Goodie.

Depressed

Dr "How long does it hurt when you wake up in the morning?" Me "It's supposed to stop?" Dr "Do you know the level of inflammation in your body will cause you lung problems and heart failure?" Me "Oh..."

Quit Slobbering on My Crocs!

We took the dogs to the groomer today, and when we're about halfway there, C-man proclaims, "Riley! Stop slobbering on my Crocs!" Therein lies my life. Welcome to the nuthouse. We went to the first farmers market of the season. C-man proudly ate his entire churro. We watched Nicolet play Shorewood for a few innings, since their field is next to the market. The bee lady lost 14 of her 22 hives due to CCD. We saw on PBS today that it might be a virus, similar to AIDS causing it. Craziness. We then went to the neighbor kid's birthday party at the local waterpark for kids. C-man had a blast in spite of his teeth chattering and blue lips. After all, there were slides and cake. What could go wrong with that? After mowing the lawn and putting up the gazebo, I'm pooped. Off to research more on the problems my rheumatologist now claims I have. Lovely.

Wrapping it all up

A girl can dream...*****

Ahh, the week is almost done. I have a rheumatologist appointment this afternoon. Have I mentioned how much I love x-rays?

*****

To the amazement of those who know me, I actually got a new cell phone. (I'll be sending the new number to those of you who deserve it as soon as I can figure out what the heck it is). So yes, I'm giving up my old Zach Morris phone that some have asked "Where's the bag attached to that monster?" and that Harry significantly chewed up at one point in its life and I love desperately and has been totally free for almost 2 years despite no longer working for that company, to move into the 21st century and pay my own cell phone bill. The problem is, the new one won't work. If I try to make a call, it sends me to an operator who wants my credit card. What? So now I have to contact customer service, who is asking for my 10 digit phone number, which I don't know, because, well the damn phone doesn't work. Getting a sleek new phone is so entirely overrated. ***** We have the neighbor kid's 4 year old birthday party tomorrow at the local poshy exclusive waterpark. C-man can hardly stand it he's so excited. The weather should be good, which should work out. Other than that, it's working on putting all the pieces back together in our basement. Fun.

Laughs

Random Musings

Walking into work this morning, I noticed more than one woman carrying multiple purses. Not small cute ones, but ginormous bags of crap. Being Wednesday, it's not like they're bringing their post-weekend stuff to work. So what gives? Upon closer inspection, these are never cheap purses. Prada, Gucci, D&G, Louis, Coach (Which, by the way, please don't buy. I mean, really, Coach? It's like Guess jeans, people. Overpriced, and such a common bag... totally plebian. And when you say, "Look at my great new Coach bag!" please, do not ask me to respond, because I'm already (yawn) bored.) I have some huge bags, but have made a conscious effort recently to go smaller. After all, my whole life has been about throwing things out these last weeks. I figure, less space = less crap = happier life. So what can be so important to haul in 3 giant hobo bags to work in the morning? What do you have in those things? And how much do they weigh? Things I wonder... *************** C-man and the neighbor kid have now learned they can shout from one yard to the other. "CAN YOU COME AND PLAY!" "MOM SAYS I HAVE TO EAT FIRST!" "OKAY!" Pause 10 minutes "C-MAN, ARE YOU DONE NOW?" And then C-man looked at me excitedly and says, "Can I go now?" "Sure" "Okay, Mommy, you stay here, while I go to E's house." Wh-wh-what? Kid, you're 3, and you're already ditching me like an embarassment? I don't think so. And just watch me hug and kiss you in front of others! HA!

I.Hate.Lunges

Last night I succeeded in doing more lunges, squats, and other painful things than I have in over 10 years. Holy balls. I've been reading about hypermiling some more. It's become a game to see how much I can increase my MPG rating on my car. This morning, I went from 18.9 to 19.7 on the way to work. Mwwwaahahaha! Yes, lame.

Back to the Grind

Having the long weekend off was really nice. I need to do it again soon, only with a clean house and healthy body. The cold front coming in meant I couldn't even knit my lastest sweater project much. I start personal training tonight. Good thing, because if I'd just decided it was time to workout, I'd go home to bed. I guess that's what you pay for. And I don't know why, but this struck me as really funny:

The Making of a Butterfly House

Happy Fathers Day!

Well, happy day to all the dads out there. My own dad has quite literally, gone fishin' up in the boons. So happy fishing to him. **************** We went to the Brewers game last night. It felt like an away game, the Twins fans were so obnoxious. We (C-man) lasted through the bottom of the 11th inning. We then looked at the clock that said it was 9:30, and all said, "We've got to get out of here!" Good thing, too, because top of the 12th was disgusting. PS, I'm finally on board that it's time to get rid of Yost. Off to try to make the day special, in spite of all the cleanup we still have to do. (FEMA declared us a disaster. Now I have to figure out what that means) I'm going to start by "cooking" breakfast at the local IHOP.

One Week Post-Flood

The dumpster's full, the drywall is cut out, Beerman is sleeping in, my antibiotics seem to have actually started working, Strawberry Shortcake is on (don't ask - somehow it's become C-man's favorite), so it's time to go to the Brewers game! Go Brewers Go!

Friday the 13th

I've decided that so far, 2008 has been shit. Shit, shit, and more shit. But it's almost half-over. So I'm allowing the shit to go on for 17 more days. Then the second half of 2008 is going to turn up Jen. In the meantime, I got another round of new antibiotics, C-man has reverted back to happily pooping in his underwear, and Beerman continues cleaning up the moldy shit and cutting out all the basement drywall: With all the rain, at least the gardens are looking good:

Sigh...

My bronchitis doesn't seem to be improving. I still have a day left on my Z-Pack, so here's hoping... Living in mildew and mold and going on little sleep probably hasn't improved the situation any. So with that, in-between coughs, I'm going to live in the positive today.

• We have a full dumpster
• All of our moldy carpet is out of the house
• Beerman was starting a cleaning process (vs. a clean-out process) at 2 a.m. and the house smell doesn't knock you over when you walk in
• I'm staying home with C-man tomorrow to try to un-regress his potty training this week
• This weekend is Associate shop days, so I can replace a large part of the wardrobe we lost for cheap(er)
• Tomorrow's day off means I can finally pick up Beerman a Fathers Day gift from me

****************************

Happy Birthday shout out to BIL Bill!

Somethings that made me laugh

Funny Videos

Exhausted

The washing machine is working!

I'm overwhelmed. I have a tendency to attach to things and memories, so throwing the 2 boxes of all my childhood stuff - scrapbooks, pictures, awards, letters - made me sob. Beerman pulled a shard of glass out of his foot this morning that went through his shoe during the cleanup sometime after I went to bed last night. We're about 3/4 cleared out now, and that's not counting the appliances or bed, the bleaching that needs to happen, and all the putting back of stuff that's strewn around my house. Sigh... More rain is on its way this afternoon.

Clean-up, Day 1

I stayed home to clean up. I only cried once when I had to throw out a childrens Bible I got at my first communion. At least we still have a house, I guess...

For comparison sake, here's what the flooded area I was showing looks like when it's dry.

More on the Carnage

I don't know if I should cry, go into hysterics, or just swear a lot. Everything is toast. Baby stuff, appliances, books, holiday decorations, and even the Rubbermaid boxes of stuff we had saving stuff from our childhoods. If C-man didn't know those words before, he does now. We spent 3 hours at the laundromat tonight washing everything that we could wash. I have a pile of clothes sitting in my driveway that weren't salvageable, waiting for the dumpster. And the ones we did wash still smell like varnish or whatever can of nastiness popped open and contaminated everything during the great swell. The rain is supposed to continue until Wednesday. I'm staying home tomorrow to start the cleanup before the health department condemns us. The way I see it, I'm on antibiotics now, so what can hurt me? Here are the photos of what I'm starting with...

Disaster: Take 2

We have no hot water, because, well, waist-high water puts out a pilot light. Our best guess is that the washer, dryer, and stand-up freezer are dead. We know the bed, books, and about everything else is worthless. Expensive clothes lie rotting by the laundry. Who knows about the furnace. And the house stinks like paint, because any leftover cans we had in the basement are now popped open, and floating about. I said best guess, because, well, it's all started again, and we can't get into our basement to see. You know it's a bad day when the good parts include getting drugs for your bronchitis and being thankful that there's no tornado, because you don't have a freaking basement to go to.

The Day After

Holy Balls. Our house stinks. Beerman is still in bed from being up all night pumping the water out (I guess there good things do come out of being lazy pack rats - we still had all the pool hoses and a spare sump pump that wasn't "shutting off" so we got a new one). I had to move the mancover in our front yard back on. It had been pushed about 3' from its original spot. And by the way - those things aren't light! I need to get to Urgicare, because this ick I've got isn't improving. In the meantime, I'm off to see who can deliver a dumpster to our house on a Sunday to rid us of the carnage.

Lake 8920

We were in Appleton at Beerman's Lil Sis' baby shower. Despite a poor turnout, it went well. And we returned home amidst tornado warnings and flash flood watches. A mere 30 minutes after our return home, and a round of high fives for our drain tile once again doing its job, the real rain began. And boy, did it. Our basement is now waist-high with water, windows have broken from the water pressure, our front yard is a veritable lake, and it's showing no signs of stopping. Holy hell. This is so not fun. Natural waterfalls? Before the "real rain" began: Our new front yard water frontage:

I.Am.Ironman.

I cannot get this damn Black Sabbath out of my head. It started with C-man wanting to see Ironman while at the theater the other day, and continued when I refused. Beerman has now gotten into the action by strumming his air guitar and singing the start to the song everytime it comes up. I'm now entertaining my staff with my own rendition, in between coughs. Yes, I continue to cough uncontrollably. And no, I'm not going to the doctor. Because the good news is that I am now producing. Yummy. We're throwing a baby shower for Beerman's Lil' Sis tomorrow. It's my personal goal to not hack up a lung on the mommy-to-be. I'm making no promises.

Thunder, Thunder, Boom, Boom!

Harrydog is in the bathroom, refusing to go outside to go pee. C-man landed in our bed because the lightning was scary. My body is refusing to budge, except to go into coughing fits. My plants are drowning. So it's either the apocolypse, or just a "red" weather day.

The good part of my non-sleeping night was C-man woke up and had to go pee. That was a first! Who knows... there might be official night-time progress. Then again, it could be a fluke.

Here's to working for the weekend.

Coug Drops, New Book, Obama, and a Red Eye

I was up half the night coughing. Again. Beerman was sweet and got me some valerian tea at midnight to try to knock me out. That worked for about 20 minutes, when C-man decided to get up and hop into our bed. At least I had a new book I'm enjoying to read to pass my non-sleeping time. (It's turning a bit formulaic, so I'm hoping it ends as good as it starts, and not where I think it's going.) And thank God our cafeteria makes red eye coffees (double shot of espresso in a coffee). I don't know what I'd do otherwise. Beerman has test #2 today. Good times. I actually miss school. I've been looking at some options for going back. And of course, despite you-know-who not knowing when to fold 'em, at least the Superdelegates drove it home. Thank.God.

Diffusion Drying?

The response to Beerman's paper by his Scottish professor: "Your insights on diffusion/drying were particularly interesting." Umm... yeah... just how I would have put it. This cough is going to be the half-death of me. It's too cruel to just flat-out kill me, so it's going to half kill me. "To the pain!" is the precise expression, I believe. The Brewers are hot. Yea! So are the Cubs. Boo. By the way, I have become completely addicted to Greek Yogurt with honey. And Mochi mango ice cream balls. Off to cough a lung out...

Mish-Mosh

In case you didn't know, it's Monday. Usually, that's not a big deal. But today, I'm tired from being up half the night coughing from some crappy cold that's been passed around our house, and had to come to work to do some crap I didn't feel like doing. So essentially, I'm a big fat coughing whiner today. Other than the coughing part, what else is new? <----- I'm starting a new sweater <----- Because I'm almost finished with the other one I've been knitting. Yes, I said almost finished. I hate picking up stitches to finish the edging. It's just so boring - it's like Be Done Already! So anyhow, I edged one sleeve, and have half of the edging done. I'm doing the sweater to get rid of some yarn leftover from making my mom's sweater, so it's done in grass (green) with a wood (light brown) edging. It'll turn out fine. I'm not sure I'll ever wear it, but at least I didn't buy new yarn. Unlike my new project, which I'm thrilled about and think is absolutely beautiful. I'm doing it in a dark grey. I really hope it turns out and I don't screw it up. We had tickets to the Brewers game yesterday. We didn't go. Beerman was studying, and I TOTALLY forgot that we even had tickets. Damnit. I won't share that news with C-man, or he'll stop speaking to me. We have tickets again on the 14th at least. Beerman is taking his first final of the week today... Process Engineering III. Doesn't that sound like fun? He started talking thermodynamics to me last night and I said, "Um, I'm pretty sure I broke off one relationship because of that kind of talk. Do you need to keep talking?" He does it just to annoy me, I know. And the good news of the day is my Uggs got delivered to our friends who just had a baby girl. I hope they like them.

Daddy goes to school?

C-man: What's Daddy doing? Me: Studying for his test C-man: Daddy goes to school? Me: Yes C-man: Does he have teachers at school? Me: Yes C-man: Does he learn things at school? Me: Yes C-man: Does he have snacks at school? Me: No C-man: I don't want to go to Daddy's school ****************** To get out of the house and let Beerman study, C-man and I went to see the new Narnia movie. Let me save you 2 1/2 hours... don't go. The books are some of C.S. Lewis' crappier ones, and the books are better than the movie. At least we ate pizza while scaring the crap out of my 3 year old. Yeah, thankfully Kung Fu Panda is out next weekend. He's all revved up for that.