Time to Build and Ark

Holy crap, it's raining sideways! We had a team lunch today, and I got soaked in just a couple of minutes outside. If it hadn't been for crappy Mexican food, I don't know if I would have done it. Another inmate is going to be executed again tonight in Texas (big shock, right?). Thoughts and prayers for the families, because he won't get a stay. Governor Perry will have executed more people in Texas already in his term than George W did in his 5 years in office. It's his #14 this year. On a lighter not, American Idol and it's charity night suck. Kick off the lowest vote getter. Don't make me wait another week! The warm, sunny (how is that going to happen?) weekend is almost here. Wahoo!

Wainy Wednesday

It's still raining. Big drag. The rain has caused everything to bloom, which causes my allergies to go CRAZY. Bigger drag. I have a couple of interviews this afternoon - not even for my team. Biggest drag. This weekend is supposed to be phenomonal though. So I've got that going for me. And my favorite day of the year - the day it rains and brings leaves out of the trees is my worst day for allergies, but one of my most hopeful days. That happened yesterday. I love seeing leaves. It's getting close to my birthday. If you haven't already done so, there's still time to purchase your present. I want a bike helmet, watch, housecleaner, jewelry sets, and new furniture. Hell, I want a new house, but that's a bit much to ask for. The cake should be golden - cupcakes are even fine. And while it's Cinco de Mayo, hold the Mexican food, please. It's overdone. Medium is on tonight, and it's a new one. Woo-hoo!

Look at my kid!

C-man got his 2-year old photos taken. Check them out and let me know which ones you think I should order:

http://www.siegmanportraits.com/Order-Page.htm

Click on "view online proofs" and then my name.

And by the way, I've got a good lookin' kid. :-)

:-(

We executed the 14th person this year this morning in our country in Ohio. (2nd outside of Texas). I don't condone what the man was convicted of doing (chasing and then executing his fiance at point-blank range). Neither, can I condone the creation of 2 new victims of violence, his 16 and 14 year old daughters. Another execution is scheduled for Thursday in Texas. Is God vengeful, demanding a death for a death? Or is God compassionate, luring souls into love so great that no one can be considered 'enemy'? -Sister Helen Prejean

Good Morning!

Nigeria held a failed election. Half of the country didn't get ballots. A truck was driven into the national headquarters responsible for elections in an attempt to blow it to bits. Chances of having the first democratically handed over government is impossible. Somalia is going on day 5 of riots and killing in the streets. A lot of it stems from our days of failed involvement. France held an election yesterday. The dollar is getting more worthless everyday, Corn ethanol will not save our world. It actually takes at minimum, 7% more fossil fuels to produce the stuff (think fertilizer, tractors to plant it, refineries to distill it). All using corn will do is to use up our food supply, thereby increasing inflation and reducing the price of our dollar. All of this happening, yet I bet you know more about Anna Nicole Smith's baby daddy. Not that this is entirely our fault, mind you, since one of today's top headlines is "J. Lo available for parties". I shit you not. No wonder our kids are so stupid.

Happy Earth Day!

What a fantastic day it is outside. 75 degrees and beautiful sunshine. After breakfast at our favorite place, we went to the Audubon Center to take part in their big Earth Day celebration. C-man danced and danced and danced to some folk singers, scooped with a net for tadpoles, touched some turtles and snakes, and got to run around and be silly. "That was fun!" was his response at the end. After nap we have to get the tire changed on our car. Damned thing is flat! I don't know how many flats I've changed on that car in the past 8 years, but it's pretty ridiculous. Tomorrow I get C-man's 2 year old pictures taken. I hope he's cooperative.

Sunny Saturday

We went to the Brewers game last night. Sheets pitched a decent game in 8 innings. Aquino blew it, giving a grand slam in the top of the 9th. We left. But it was fun anyhow, considering I got my shirt and Cecil Cooper bobblehead. It's looking like it's going to be a beautiful day for geocaching!

It can't come soon enough...

Heaven

For some reason, I just can't keep track of my week. I can't tell you the date, day of the week, or even time of the day without looking at a calendar or my computer screen. I think it's because C-man and I BOTH slept all night last night. It was beautiful! I woke up in disbelief that it happened. I can't remember the last time that happened. Heaven. We're headed to a Brewers game with some of my co-workers Friday night. It should be fun. Maybe Hall will hit another grand slam. Or maybe Weeks will hit another double-play. Who cares. It's either Suppan or Shets on the mound, it's Cecil Cooper bobblehead night, and there are hot dogs with special sauce... Heaven. Now if only Sanjaya would get his bad singing self kicked off tonight, and my sciatic nerve would stop shooting like a Chinese firing squad, things in my life would be great.

Monday, Monday - dah-dah, dah-dah-dah

Mom and Dad left this morning. It was a good weekend overall. My house is in one piece, the nasty neighbor next door hasn't complained since (he was convinced our tree coming down on our driveway was somehow going to destroy his yard), and I got more sleep last night than normal. So I've got that going for me. On the topic of sleep, I think C-man must have trained me to be a horrible sleeper now. Every night, I wake up several times. Drat. Somehow I've got to break out of that nasty habit. It's having an effect on my wrinkles... big time. And no amount of Tri-Aktiline is going to fill those in. By the way, I highly recommend the stuff if you can get your hands on some. On the topic of nasty neighbors, I've decided I like most of our neighbors. We've got Phil across the street. He's about 5' 9" and 275 lbs of sveltness that he likes to show without his shirt in the summer while mowing the lawn. I try not to throw up. But they're good people. Then we've got the next door neighbors to the south. He's Taiwanese, she's Jewish. I don't think they've ever done a home improvement project by themselves. I don't know if I'm horrified or jealous of that. But they're good people, and have a 2 1/2 year old son who is sweet. Across the street we have a couple who never speak to us. Although, Beerman plowed out their driveway this winter, so I think we've made some neighborly headway. At least we know their names and occupations. Down the street is Darryl and his wife. They're always good to stop by on their walks and complain about what the village hasn't been doing right. I enjoy it immensely. And then there's the neighbor to the north. She picks weeds out of her grass by hand, married a Texan who complains about the eco-liberals and their coal plant bashing selves (um, did he not see my yard signs during the election?), and put up a Bush-Cheney sign during the last election. I guess one bad apple isn't a nightmare, but sheesh... In good news, Gonzales goes in front of the firing squad tomorrow. I'm half considering staying home to watch the spectacle.

Tim-berrrrr!

And the trees came down. I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't crossing my fingers and saying every prayer I knew when it was being cut because I was sure it was going to crash on my house. The maple made such a whu-ump! on the ground that all the neighbors came out to see it. But, it's down. We took my parents geoaching this morning. It was fun. Now I'm going to take a nap.

TGIF

It's been a busy week, but I've been kickin' ass and takin' names. Yeah, baby! My parents are coming to visit and chop down a couple of trees tomorrow. It's all going to happen after I get my hair cut and highlighted. I have to get a new drivers license, so I need to look fabulous for the next 10 years! Enjoy your weekend.

Are you kidding me?

Where the Heck is Spring?

It's so cold and dark outside, the parking lot lights just went on. Come on! This is ridiculous.

Great Day

Harry-bones ate Benny. I'm not sure which one of them ate Lofty the other day. So C-man and I set out to replace them at the giraffe store. (My child can locate about 45 countries on a map, but when you ask him where giraffes live, he says "at the toy store!") Well, despite the giraffe store voicemail saying they were open, they weren't. But Baskin Robbins was. And since Easter Day was synonomous with ice cream as a child, I figured I'd continue the tradition. It was so darned sweet sitting across from my baby, who was happily swinging his legs, eating his rainbow sherbet. It's moments like this that make you almost forget all the months of post-op agony and sleepless nights. Almost. And I've just found this website: www.africam.com. You can go to the live view of the watering hole and check out some animals. It's pretty amazing. We saw some elephants today. I'm back on the diet again tomorrow. There were just too many chocolate bunnies hopping around this weekend to be concerned with eating right.

Hoppy Easter!

After seeing this, I'm pleased we decided against going to see the Easter bunny. After filling C-man's belly with chocolate treats, we went to church and then out to a great greasy breakfast. Have a happy one!

Holy Saturday

As a kid, today was second only to my birthday. I loved Easter Vigil mass with the candles. Afterward we'd go home and eat ice cream. Now, with a 2 year old, things aren't quite the same. So instead, we went in search of the Easter Bunny and an egg hunt. But being frigid cold out, we decided to go to the mall to see the Easter Bunny. That was a bust, and there was no Easter Bunny. So we went to the theater, ate pizza and watched Meet the Robinsons. It was C-man's first real movie theater experience. He did really well and made it about 3/4 of the way, then got tired and wanted to go home. I can't say I was sad... the movie pretty much blew. So all in all, not really a spiritual day for Holy Saturday, but a nice family one anyhow. What does suck is that my sciatic nerve has been bothering me. It's shooting down my left butt cheek and into my left calf. I can hardly sit, and C-man wants me to hold him all the time. It's killing me. Tomorrow's Easter. The Easter Bunny is bringing C-man lots of outdoor stuff (sidewalk chalk, sand toys), which sucks because it's colder than snot out there. Oh well. The Easter Bunny can't get them all right. At least he's got chocolate.

TGIF

I'm at work today. Bummer. I should be getting out early. So I've got that going for me. Easter is this weekend. I'm hoping I can get C-man to the zoo tomorrow for the egg hunt and other fun stuff. It is supposed to be cold, though, so we'll see. Have a Hoppy one!

3 Brownie Day

My parents left this morning. It was good to see them. I'm still sick, though. It's moved to my chest. Then I got caught in a budget meeting for my boss. The thing is, I totally wasn't prepared (not my fault, since I didn't know I'd be in the meeting having to explain line items for which I have no clue about) and hacking the whole time. Nice impression for my SVP. Since I feel like crap, I ate a brownie. Since I didn't feel any better, I had another... and then another. Now I really don't feel well. Time to go back on the wagon. I'm supposed to start yoga tonight. I don't think that's happening... I need some sleep!

Hump Day

C-man slept all night, thankfully. Somehow, I feel more tired today than I have in days. Why does that happen? We have parent-teacher conferences tonight. Okay, a bit overly dramatic. We get to sit with his new teacher and talk about his class, how he's doing, etc. I'm looking forward to it. My parents are coming to stay tonight. Beerman did some cleaning up last night because I was so dog-tired. I'm glad someone had some energy. I've got a special discount at my favorite retailer starting tomorrow... an extra 15% off my usual 15%. I feel some new shoes in my future. Enjoy your week!

Is it Friday yet?

Okay, I know, this sounds like a repeat of last week. I'm still sick and C-man was up all night due to the storm. The bags under my eyes need to go in check-in they're so heavy! Yikes. AND I have to train all damn day tomorrow. Ugh... The good news is it's a short week, right? HA! Not for me, of course. Corporate life sucks. But the good news is I get to go home at night and relax, right? HA! Our basement is flooded from the tsunami that hit last night, my house a mess, and my mother still doesn't know if she's staying tomorrow night. "We'll see where we're at," she says. Oh, come on! Do I have to sweep up the extra sheepdog on my floor and change the sheets tonight, or can I dry out my moldy basement? Please, somebody give me a break this week!

Hunka hunka burning yuk

I'm at work today, but I'm not making it until 5. I still feel like crap. I'm burning up, and work just isn't that important to me. We let C-man watch Happy Feet last night. Okay, we were dog-sick and went into his Easter basket for trinkets of fun to amuse him. He danced whenever they danced, sobbed when it was over, and talked about it in his sleep: "I watch Mumble. I need Happy Feet." Very cute. I'm sure I'll be seeing that movie another 45 billion times in the next week. It's almost my birthday month. (Since my birthday is the beginning of May, once April 5th hits, it's my birthday month). For those of you unaware, my birthday is the most important day of the year. Stay tuned.

Sick Bay

Wow, whatever this bug is, it's kicking our asses. C-man is on the rebound, of course, and going 100 mph while we stagger behind him. I'm sweating like a pig and not hungry for much. I'm sure I'll be just fine in time to go to work tomorrow, though. Perfect. So much for Easter egg hunting and Easter bunny picture taking. And note to self: do NOT go grocery shopping the day before Passover. All I wanted was some ginger ale, and I had to fight women with 2 grocery carts each. Wow! 2nd note to self: next year, figure out who will invite me over for Passover meal!

Sicker than Dawgs

Wow, whatever bug came to 8920 has put us down. All we've done is sleep all day. Last night I was tremoring for about 2 hours and couldn't get warm. So stay clear of us!

It's Friday! It's Friday! It's Friday!

I never thought this day would come... And of course, I'm sick. Sore throat, coughing, general yuk that C-man has. Perfect. Last night I was asking C-man about his day in the 2 year-old room. First he says, "Jesus Time!" When I asked him about it, he enthusiastically said, "Easter. They rolled it away!" So apparently he is getting something out of Jesus time. But next he said, "Hold on to rope and see crocodiles." Beerman and I were confused how this fit in the picture until this morning we were informed that the class was pretending to hold on to a rope and be on the lookout for crocodiles when my child freaked out. I guess "pretend" isn't something he understands yet, and was looking for real crocodiles. Apparently it wasn't too traumatic, because he went right on talking about seeing a fireman and a big yellow firetruck. I love that he can tell us about his day now. It makes me feel so much better. Tomorrow we're going to an Easter Egg Hunt. It should be fun. I've got to get him to see the Easter Bunny yet, though. Time's running out. Enjoy your weekend!

One more day...

...until Friday. What a long-ass week. I was so tired last night, I didn't even notice Medium was on until Beerman woke me up at 10 to tell me to go to bed.

Is tomorrow Friday?

Man, all day in stand-up training wears out my brain. At least Medium is on tonight. I love that show. Come on, Friday!!

Is it really only Tuesday?

Come on, it's got to be at least Thursday, right? Ugh. So my pride over losing a couple of pounds shrunk quickly when Beerman announced he's lost over 10. How do you lose over 10 pounds in a week? Beats me. But good for him. C-man is officially in the 2's room now. Apparently he hasn't wanted to go, saying he wants to stay with current teacher. But I just got an e-mail from his principal telling me he's been doing fabulously. So officially in the 2's he is. I'm starting yoga next week Thursday. I'm also going to get one of the 3 bikes in our garage (Beerman's old roomate just left hers when she moved out - I think I'll take that one) tuned up so I can start getting out more. So that's 2 more hobbies to add to the list. Sure, I know how to ride a bike and have done yoga in the past, but it's been so long that this counts as new hobbies. Again, my list, my count. I'm thinking rock climbing might be the fifth one. I haven't checked into it, though, so don't hold me to it.

Monday Funday

My kid is finally online from his weatherkid debut. Pretty darned adorable, if I do say so myself. And since it's my blog, I can say these things. Sunday I went to Bayshore and got a new outfit from Talbots on a screaming sale, and got new underwear from Victoria's Secret. Nothing like a good fitting bra and cute little undies to put a smile on your face.

Since Kansas lost, I'm done with my basketball pool. There's $10 down the shitter. It's time for baseball to start. We've got tickets to the April 20th Brewers vs. Astros game. It should be fun.

C-man's getting better, but still not completely over the hump. Hence, I got little sleep last night. I'm dying today.

The good news is I've lost a few pounds on this miserable diet. Maybe by summer I'll be presentable.

24 is on tonight. Have I mentioned that I'm in love with Jack Bauer? Enjoy!

Spring has Sprung

Oh, being outside is so wonderful. C-man loves his new sandbox, courtesy of Grandpa Howard and Grandma Peggy. And I'm loving the sunshine. Love. It. I got to dig in my own dirt (herb garden) and the gnomes went out for the season. What a good day. C-man's feeling better, which is helpful. I'm hoping the night goes well so he can go to school tomorrow. The new postsecret.blogspot.com is up. I'm not loving this week's. And now that my own birthday is only a month away, I'm starting my list:

• Housekeeper
• Babysitter for a long weekend in August so Beerman and I can go to Napa Valley
• Herb gardening tools (wagon, herbs, cute cutters, cute gloves, etc.)
• Dumpster to throw half of the crap in my house out
• Spa appointment to get fabulous new hair, makeup, tips and toes
• Talbots or Loft clothes (I know, it's a sort-of competitor, but I can't help it)
• New mattress
• New sheets for my king bed
• New couch

As I think of more, I'll add them, of course. Feel free to start buying now.

Happy Birthday Riley!

My baby dog is 5 today. He's got raw salmon on the docket for dinner. As you can see, he's thrilled.

C-man is doing better, playing, laughing and eating a little, but still not 100%. We went to Lowe's to get sand for his new sandbox. It was a huge hit. He told everyone in the store we were getting sand for his sandbox. It was cute. The fever seems to have broke, at least.

Still no weatherkid update since 3/20. I'll post it as soon as it updates.

Get out there and enjoy the sun. It's spring!

Home with a sick kid

Enjoy your weekend!

Sick Kid

My kid was a weather kid last night and this morning. Last night they commented on his smile. This morning, they couldn't pronounce our last name and laughed a bit about it. Beerman's comment was, "Buddy, you're going to get that your whole life." They still haven't updated the website, but when they do, I'll post the picture. So after he was a weather kid, he became a sick kid. I got the call this morning. Beerman took him to the doctor and got barfed on twice. I'll spare you the details, but it seems like things are staying in at the moment. Let's hope it stays this way - lots of kids at school have been out. Because he barfed at school, and there's a 24 hour stay-at-home rule, I'm home with him tomorrow. I hope he feels better. The poor thing is so sad, watching Big Bird.

Happy Birthday C-man!

My baby is 2 today. I made him chocolate cupcakes to take to school and a cake with sprinkled frosting for tonight. He didn't want breakfast, because he just wanted the chocolate cupcakes. He is my child, after all. Remember to watch the 10 p.m. news on Channel 4 tonight. C-man's a weather kid. If you miss it tonight, he's also on as the 6:30 a.m. weather kid tomorrow morning. Happy Birthday! Happy Hump Day! Happy Spring!

Vernal Equinox

Happy Spring at 7:08 p.m. tonight! I walked into work today with 2 bags of newspapers for a training I'm going to be doing. The bag broke as I was crossing traffic, sprawling newspapers everywhere on a cold, windy day. I'm a frickin' genius. Tomorrow is C-man's birthday AND he's going to be a weather kid on the 10:00 p.m. news. So touch your TMJ4! If you miss it, he'll be on the 6:40 a.m. news on Thursday the 22nd. It's an old picture, from last summer, but whatever. It took this long to get him on. I still have the second half of the Departed to watch. I couldn't last night because 24 was on. Another brilliant episode about Jack, by the way.

There is no PH in that Fat.

I've put the house on Weight Watchers Core Plan. And when I could have had a beautiful deep fried cutlet of chicken with pasta and a chocolate brownie, I hate a chef salad with crappy fat free dressing. Ugh. I am fat, and need to not be fat anymore. But this sucks. This weekend I got to clean up my herb garden. It was so hopeful to be in my already green and growing oregano, sage, thyme, lemon balm and mint. Yippee!! My daffodils are up about a half-inch too. Ahhh, I love spring. This weekend I finally watched the latest 007 - Casino Royale. Pretty good, although way too much killing for James. I was quite pleased they brought back the Aston Martin though. James just isn't James in a BMW. I watched half of the Departed. Pretty good, but typical Scorcese. I'm not convinced it's Oscar-worthy, but then again, I haven't seen it to the end. 24 is on tonight. Whoopee! I've missed the past 2 weeks while on vacation, so I hope I can catch up. C-man turns 2 this week. How am I the mother of a 2 year old? What idiot felt I was responsible enough to be a parent?!?

Sunday Errands

Alberto Gonzales has gotten into trouble for firing eight U.S. attorneys for what appears to be political reasons. President Bush said today he still has confidence in Gonzales -- the same confidence he had in Rumsfeld, Scooter Libby, and Michael Brown of FEMA." --Jay Leno And that's all I've got to say about that... I'm off to find a birthday gift for C-man, eat lunch with my former boss, clean the house, walk the dogs, and find some time for a nap.

And because this makes me laugh hard...

Happy Hermit

We're invited to a party tonight and tomorrow. And I've happily made the decision to attend neither. I can't bear the thought of doing anything. I got roped into babysitting for a co-workers 4 kids tomorrow for an hour while he and his wife run, and I'm dreading it. I can't wait to get some high quality sleep and watch a movie or two if C-man lets me.

Vacation Photos

What Day is It?

After being on vacation, coming home at midnight Monday night, and having a jam-packed workweek after C-man doesn't sleep at nights, and I'm truly asking - what day is it? Whew - I need some sleep and a weekend! I'll post some vacation photos as soon as I can get my act together for a few minutes to do it.

Things I learned on vacation

1. When on vacation with Beerman, expect to meet the local authorities at least once.
2. When renting a vehicle in Florida, get the insurance. They're crazy and rear-end happy. If you don't believe me, see #1.
3. Spring break just isn't cool when you're not in college anymore. Woo-hoooo!
4. When away from your child, you miss him terribly. When reunited with him, he wears you out so much you wonder why you didn't spend 3 more days at the beach. But then you remember being a #3 and deal with it.
5. I now know why all the episodes of Cops are filmed in Florida. Let's just leave it at that.
6. When you leave your child with Grandma and Grandpa, expect him to leave them addicted to chocolate milk and apple juice.
7. Chocolate milk stains clothes.
8. For a 2 year old, traveling 40 minutes to an oceanside beach is not better than just digging in the dirt under Grandpa's stairs at the cabin.
9. People in the south decorate with some pretty racist decor. I never did learn why it's acceptable decor, but it is pretty weird.
10. People who win the lottery and go back to work should be forced to give their money back. When I'm away from work, I don't miss it one bit.
11. Leaving items in your shorts pocket while on the beach is a bad idea. The people who comb the beach with their metal detectors are sure to get your watch before you.
12. The Dixie flag just never seems to go out of style in some places.

Toes in the Sand, Beer in the Hand!

Dedicated to my Canadian Californian...

Enjoy your week!

Vacation -1

Happy Sunday. We were out of coffee. Beerman rectified the situation after I explained the importance of coffee to the success of my Sunday. He understood. Now we're all happier. There's a new postsecret.blogspot.com up. Some pretty darned great ones, if you ask me. I love that site. I have loads that I'd love to send in, but I have to figure out the very best one before I do it. It's got to be good. C-man's loving arena football right now. The kid's an addict. Yesterday my mother-in-law and C-man were watching his big truck video and Beerman and I were peeing our pants. The conversation went like this, "Look, C-man, a big scoopy scoop!" C-man said, "It's an excavator!" At another point she said, "Look, C-man, that man has fire!" C-man replied, "A welder!" I realize all kids progress at their own pace, but I can confidently say he's learning at a pretty good clip right now. Now if he'd just grow... The wives tale says you're half your adult height at 2. He's got 3 weeks to grow 2 inches if he's going to hit 6 feet. Well, I've got to pack our stuff up and get some lunch together.

To-tal E-clipse of the Moon

Okay, for those who aren't Little Shop of Horrors addicts, that's a rip-off of an absolutely fabulous song. Anyhow, pretty cool eclipse. Too bad I'm on the wrong side of the earth to see it. The photos were cool. My mother-in-law was here last night until today. We went out to a great breakfast and then to Toys R Us to get C-man his basketball hoop birthday gift. He was so excited, I don't think he's stopped playing all day. This afternoon I got a massage and haircut. Both were fabulous. Then we went to Kohl's and spent an extravagant amount of money on clothes for vacation. C-man got basketball sandals that light up. He loves them. I got some summer clothes that fit and look like the current style. So all in all, things are looking up. 'Cause I'm on vacation, baby! On an unrelated note, my sister often tells the story about the "one time" my other sister pooped in the tub. Everyone seems to have that one story. The thing is, my kid has pooped in the tub 3 times in the last 2 weeks. I'm starting to think this trend is not a positive one. On a parental brag note, C-man now can count to 8. Last week he wasn't interested in counting, and this week he's up to 8. He can also find the following countries on his wall map in his room: South Africa, Congo, Madagascar, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, India, China, Russia, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Cuba, United States and Canada. Most of the time he can find Mexico and Turkey, but it's a crap shoot. I figure he's better than the majority of this country in that respect.

Musings

The best news of my day was a birthday card for C-man from his daycare. It said, "Beginning in March, you're weekly daycare payment will go down to $180." WAHOO! $30/week savings is pretty darned nice. We're heading to Florida on Monday. I have no shorts, no summer shirts, no reservations at any hotels, no car rental, and no plan. At least it's just Florida and not some major trip somewhere, but yikes. I guess we've got to get on this a bit. I spent 8 full hours in training today. I know I'm a trainer, but 8 hours in training is too damn much. My butt hurts, my head hurts, and I didn't even care about the content. In entertainment news, for the record, 24 isn't the same when Jack is only about 10 minutes of the show. American Idol is on tonight though. I love Simon. We saw the llusionist the other night. It was okay. I'd give it a B+. I'm listening to Hot Six, another Janet Evanovich book. I hate this narrator. The other 2 for the first 5 books were WAY better. This one is annoying. I've got the 7th book in transit. I should find out who the narrator is before it comes so I can get over my annoyance if it's her. If you haven't read any in the series, I recommend it. Light humor about a woman turned bounty hunter.

Holy Smokes!

When they said 6 - 8", they weren't kidding. Poor dogs are up to their shoulders in snow and can barely pee. I canceled my hair appointment for this morning, because I can't get out of my driveway. Beerman is plowing now. So much for geocaching today.

Fish Fry Friday

With a turn of the head... swish of the tail... and a tippety tap of the toes. What a glorious sight, in black and white, and a touch of pink at the nose... for we are cows... such remarkable cows... When is this song going to leave my head!?! TGIF. 6 - 8 inches of snow this weekend. Let it fall. It's the weekend, and I'm not doing nothin'! And for the record, Oprah and her stupid Oscar special is not better than Men in Trees, damnit!

Remarkable Cows

If, you, think, that, all we can do is go mooooo! Then you ought to see what else we can do. For we are cows... we're remarkable cows... such remarkable cows... I can't get this d#mn song out of my head! C-man insists on listening to it over and over and over and over again. If you put on something else, even a kids song, he starts to scream bloody murder, "Cows! I want more cows!" I think I've heard it about 280,000 times, and never heard song #2 through. I'm on day 4 of Avelox. I'm feeling better, but I'm still exhausted from C-man being up at night. His upper molars are starting to grind through, and it's really hurting him. Poor thing. And poor C-man. Men in Trees is on tonight. I've admitted a lot lately to my faithful reader lately, and this goes down as another un-proud moment. I've gotten sucked into a mediocre show. If there weren't 2 incredibly hot men involved, I think I'd have left it behind ages ago. But alas,2 beautiful mountain men keep my attention week after week. We got notice that C-man is going to be a Channel 4 weather kid on March 21 at 10 p.m. and March 22 at 6:45 a.m. I'll post a reminder as we get closer, but you'll need to be touching your tmj4 on those days to see my baby. Tomorrow is fish fry Friday. I've officially given up chocolate. Except for Ovaltine. Ovaltine doesn't count, since it's my only nutrition I get in a day. But the fish fries are back. Wahoo!

New Scarf

Here's the latest scarf I made Beerman (seed stitch) since Rileydog ate the last one. Damn dog.

Funnies

A guy in Racine charged into his neighbor's house because he was assaulting a woman. Turns out, the guy was just watching porn too loudly. The funny part? The porn-watcher let himself be interviewed on the news and said, "Next time I'll wear headphones". C-man has crackers in the shape of Elmo and Big Bird. He loves eating the Elmo ones. Sometimes he'll have a whole gob of crackers in front of him and ask for more. When you look, it's all Big Birds left. So in trying to teach him to share, Beerman asked him for a cracker. C-man would carefully look through his pile, carefully pick out a Big Bird whose beak was broken, and then hand it over. Did I mention he'd then turn and hand me a perfect Elmo cracker and I didn't even ask for one? Last night while putting C-man to bed, Rileydog got in the livingroom. In a matter of seconds the crayons were gone. Should I leave a note for the dogwalker today explaining why it'll be rainbow?

And this is just self-explanatory:

Party Like it's Fat Tuesday

Enjoy your paczkis. I'll probably do my usual chocolate fast and buy a piglet for our sister parish.

Happy Presidents Day

Daytona 500

Nascar's back, and today's the biggest day of the year. So put on your black jeans, tease your hair with some Aqua Net, get out your Bu... Miller Lite, and BAM! You've got yourself an afternoon! I'm actually toying with drafting a fantasy team... but that's truly over the line. Sort of like my garden gnomes. I cut myself off at a certain point to not cross that magical line of quirky to completely bat shit crazy. Anyhow, have yourself a day.

TGIF

Too exhausted, too sick, too ornery to blog anything non-hateful. Here's to the weekend and a better disposition.

Happy Day of Love!

Beerman sent me the most fabulous, over-the-top floral arrangement at work today. It made others green. I love making other green. I had my first official meeting with my new mentor today. I'm pretty excited about the whole thing. She's a VP, and got some pretty good clout in the building. Hopefully some of it will rub off on me. Tonight's Valentines pizza night. I don't know who's more excited, C-man or me!

Barfing Machine

Last night C-man called for me to lay in bed with him. I did. About 5 minutes later, he started to barf. After catching the majority of it in my hand, I still had some cleanup work to do - on both of us and the bed. So I called for Beerman. And then I called again... and again, until finally I shouted his name as loud as I could. I got a "Huh?" "HELP!" I yelled. I left to go clean up C-man, while Beerman laid there befuddled, waiting for an explanation of just what I needed. Um, good thing it wasn't an emergency, because we'd all have been dead. A pretty good rule of thumb - if your wife yells "Help!" at 3 a.m., something is clearly really wrong. So I cleaned him up, rocked C-man back to sleep, and went back to bed myself. This morning C-man didn't have a fever, so off to daycare he went. Yes, the mother of the year award is mine - all mine! I'm still coughing up a lung, and now with no sleep, I'm totally worthless at work. Good thing I don't have a meeting with my SVP and EVP this afternoon. Yikes!

Monday Madness

Today was CRAZY! I should have known when I went to put on a brand new necklace and the beads dropped on the floor in front of me, bouncing everywhere. Yikes! I got a note from C-man's daycare explaining that if we wanted to give Valentines, we could do so. This was accompanied by a list of everyone's name who is in the class. Don't these people know I'm a working mom and don't have time for this shit? That's why my kid's in daycare! Thankfully we already purchased some Bob the Builder valentines. Unfortunately Harrybones ate the envelopes. I guess I'll have to buy some small envelopes tomorrow and some chotshky to throw in them. Ugh. I know my life doesn't really suck, but my life sucks. Why aren't I backpacking in India? Beerman is at work again all night. I realize he's a hero in his work circle (people were actually taking their pictures with him on Sunday like he's a celebrity), but I'm getting more than a bit exhausted. Maybe I wouldn't be so ornery if I weren't coughing up a lung. It's officially been a month now that I've been sick... one thing to the other, but all of it painful. Okay, enough bitching. 24 is on in 30 minutes, and until then I've got a great Bob the Builder to watch.

Sunday Fundays

Beerman is at a beer festival all day. C-man and I ran errands and bought fun toys. It's back to work tomorrow. I'm almost finished with my knitted purse. I have to felt it yet. If I ever finish, I'll post a picture. You can totally tell it's home-made. "Got character" Beerman says. Whatever, it's mine. Okay, I have to admit it... come out of the closet... show the back of my neck... reveal my true nature... I'm really glad NASCAR is back on. And it's official. When I die, I want to come back as my dog.

It's Still Damn Cold!

I don't care if it is 35 degrees warmer than earlier in the week. 20 degrees still sucks! I'm not into anyone dying, or anyone trying to kill another... but what a crappy news week. Anna Nicole Smith was a train wreck, and that NASA astronaut was crazier. I couldn't care less about either, and I'm sooooo tired of people asking me about both of them. I watched All the Kings Men today. Average movie. Invincible was another average one. It only made average because it was beautiful Mark Wahlberg. How could any movie be bad with him? Beerman and I decided that it goes down as the first movie C-man watched start-finish because it was football-laden. Beerman's at a beer festival tomorrow, so C-man and I are on our own. Enjoy your weekend.

Thankfully Thursday

I'm so glad it's Thursday. With no sleep from C-man's molars cutting through, not completely recovered from my sinus infection, and still on antibiotics which always screw with my sleeping ability, I'm a mess. Beerman's at a beer festival all day Sunday, and not coming home until late Monday night due to work, so Saturday is going to be my day of rest. I've got to get feeling better... I'm just un-functionable right now. The very first travel bug I ever picked up has had some action. Beerman acts like I'm a complete dork because I think it's so cool. Kind of like when I was a kid and would release a balloon with a note. I actually got one back from Janesville once. That was pretty cool. I still have the note. Okay, I'm a dork. And there's something seriously wrong when 10 degrees feels like a heat wave.

Home

Everything is closed, so I'm home with C-man. Stay warm and enjoy this...

It's not getting any warmer

It almost makes you wish for global warming to be true... Okay, not really, but this sucks! Beerman stayed home with C-man because everything was closed today. So by the time I got home, C-man had mastered jumping, showing me where his booty is, and saying "honk, honk" when he grabs your nose. Let's hope he can go back to school tomorrow. I'm feeling better, although still pretty rough. I don't know if my body could take a day alone home with C-man, so let's hope schools are open tomorrow!

Still Ill

I'm taking a Z-pack for sinus infection. I have loads of work to do and a headache to prove it. So here's a sea dragon - something I learned about at Shedd the other weekend. They're endangered, but pretty amazing. I realized this morning we totally forgot Harrydog's birthday last week. Beerman made him a liver and carrot cake. We're celebrating it today. I won't be having any of that cake though.

Brrrrrrrrrr...........

Damn, it's cold! We went to the children's museum today. It opened at 9, and we were there by 9:15. C-man ran until about 1:00, and then we went home. I have to say, I was so proud of him. He had so much fun and was so well-behaved. (Unlike many of the other kids there his age.) I'm so busy worrying about him, that it's nice to sit back and see him be such a sweetheart. Rileydog threw up a GIANT leather workglove of Beerman's this morning. We knew it went missing last week, and were just waiting for it to reappear. Like magic, up it came today. Which is good, because we were going to have to go in today to get something done it'd been in there so long. I was actually looking up how to do the doggy heimlich, because I didn't know how he was going to do it on his own. Brilliant dog. Tonight I broke down and went to the doctor. Trying to convince myself that I was going to get better just wasn't cutting it. You know it's not pretty when the doctor looks in your nose and says, "Ouch, that hurts. Can you even hear anything?" Yeah, I've got sinus infection. Since the non-ghetto pharmacies aren't open this late, I can't get my drugs until morning. At least I can get them. My parents are still alive, thankfully. Those tornadoes were an ugly scene. For those of us not in Florida, stay warm. Go Colts!

Sick Groundhog

This groundhog is home ill next to a very large dog who keeps fouling the air. It's hard to tell what's worse, feeling horrible or smelling THAT. At least my nails look good after yesterday's trip to the salon. I pre-ordered my Harry Potter book. After the last one made me so mad, I almost didn't in protest. But then, I can never leave a story untold. For the record, 7 degrees does not a spring make. Happy Weekend!

Hump Day

I realized this morning that I never post about my own favorite blogs. I make it a rule not to list any on the side like many blogs do. It's personal preference, really, not wanting to clog up my blog. But I'm ending my ban, because this is by far one of my favorites. I've often thought of submitting something, but can't think of anything creative enough. Someday, maybe... http://postsecret.blogspot.com I paid our property taxes today. Whew, it costs a lot to live in our dump of a house. We've got to move! I must once again congratulate the American public that voted for W. Billions squandered in Iraq, hundreds of thousands or Iraqis dead, 3085 of our own soldiers gone, and I'm still paying $2.50 at the pump. Well done. (I'm getting pretty politically cantankerous these days, in case you couldn't tell.) Can anyone believe that the Miami government is planning a party for Castro's death?!? The Orange Bowl is reserved, t-shirts printed, and salsa bands reserved. Not that I'm a big proponent of the man's policies, but WOW! At work we have to have weekly touchbases with our direct reports. (Their language, not mine) Anyhow, I've decided to make them productive. So tomorrow my direct report and I are going to get manicures during our time. Friday I'm scheduled to go golfing with my other report. I've never been told they have to be in the office... C-man was officially limited to Bob the Builder last night, and no nightmares. Thank God! I'm so sick right now, though, that it doesn't feel I slept at all. Hopefully I can catch up tonight.

Twosdays

"He's changing the history of the past." Last night on my way home, I was listening to W talk about Iran. And I swear, this was a direct quote. Um... as opposed to the history of the future? This guy is an idiot. I met a former co-worker out last night. He informed me that Hugo Chavez gave Joe Kennedy oil to be sold. The money then is to go to get poor people heating fuel money. Brilliant. The problem? People won't take the money because it's from Chavez. Yet they'll buy it at Citgo? Yet we finance the belly of this country off Chinese loans? Yet we give away our fundamental manufacturing jobs to "nuc-clr" Korea? I'm so amazed by the political system we've got. Okay, enough ranting about that. Just when I thought it was gone, the circles have reared their ugly head again at work. My VP came to my desk and asked for more. So I have 2 questions: Why is a VP concerned with the size and color of paper circles? and Are you effing kidding me!?!?! C-man has been having night terrors the last couple of nights. I'm cutting him off all TV except for Bob, because I know it was his monster truck video that did it. I didn't know this until Beerman informed me this morning that they were watching tanks blow things up. Um... no. I still have my cold, but now it's shifting back into my lungs. Perfect. No sleep and now coughing too. The sweet thing is that Beerman has been dropping C-man at daycare this week so I don't have to endure the heart wrenching departure. With Beerman, C-man is just fine. If I drop him off, he's a mess, and then I'm a mess, and then it all sucks. This way, we're all much happier. I'm hoping he gets over this morning anxiety thing soon. I'm hoping that cutting off the tanks blowing up crap on his DVD will cut the nightmares, thereby cutting the anxiety. We'll see. In other good news, it's payday today! Whoopee! But tomorrow's tax day. So it all goes to that. Boooo!

Hazy Days and Lazy Nights

What a crazy, hectic day. I'm not feeling all that well, so I think the haze I've been walking around in is due to a bit of the head cold I've been experiencing. 24 is the best show ever. I just wish it wasn't on at the same time as Heroes. I finished listening to the book The 5 People You Meet in Heaven. Always been on the list of to-reads, but was worried it'd be a bit Purpose Driven Life, if you know what I mean. Anyhow, it wasn't. It was a great story, well told, and kept me fully engaged. I really enjoyed it. If you want a good story, pick it up. I've watched some crappy movies lately. Any recommendations out there?

No.More.Meat.

No, I'm not going vegetarian. But maybe just for today. Last night we ditched Koz's to spend some time just the 2 of us. We went to Sabor, a Brazilian Churrascaria. For those unfamiliar with the concept, you have a 2-sided coin. When on green, men come around with meat on spits, carving it off onto your plate. When it's on red, they don't come. Well, they came, and came, and came. Then we rested. Then they came, and came, and came. And we rested. And then Beerman had them come once more. Ugh. Beerman has just asked me if it's possible to have meat poisoning. Or if there's a place to go to detox. Oh my God. We were so meat overloaded, we couldn't bear going out to do anything after. Considering C-man was clingy and sad when we left, it was okay going back. He had been sad for quite a bit of the night. :-( He's been going through a separation anxiety phase again.

Satur-lazy-day

Beerman and I are skipping Koz's tonight and going out to eat together instead at a Brazilian Churrascaria. MEAT! Enjoy your weekend!

Philadelphia Chickens

Whew, I've been on my feet a lot today. Teaching classes, going from meeting to meeting, and standing in line to get autographed copies of the Philadelphia Chicken and Rhinocerous Tap by Sandra Boynton. Kind of a fun thing to have for C-man. Next time I'm going to be standing this long, remind me to not wear cheap high-heeled boots. Argh. It's the weekend. Woopee! I've got some freelance to do, some geocaches to get, some Koz's to bowl at, and naps to find. I'm looking forward to it. Good weekend to you!

Tortilla Soup Thursday

Every Thursday is tortilla soup Thursday. It's yummy. It's also 4 warm cookies for $1. Now how can that be bad? Tomorrow is jeans Friday. So things are looking up. My mother-in-law came over last night. Poor thing was sick as a dog all night. She was sleeping in C-man's bed when we left this morning. I'll be Lysol-ing that room tonight before he goes back in it. Only 2 more days until Koz's. Woo-hoo!

It's Empty

C-man loves chapstick. "Lip!" "Lip!" So I gave him a tube, with his promise to put it on his lips only. About 5 minutes later C-man says, "Empty". Beerman says, "Well, at least his face won't get chapped." One of those moments that in retrospect, I should have had a camera for... not a spot on his face wasn't covered. Another busy day. My necklace fell apart, so I've used double-back tape to put it back together. It just has to hold through my presentation. Saturday Beerman and I are going to Koz's mini bowl with a group. For those of you who remember his 30th birthday party, that's the place. It's duckpin bowling with real pin setters, and loads of good times on the south side. I'm very excited.

Busy Day

I had a busy day. Now I'm tired. But on the way home I stopped at Chicos and got a kick-ass jacket and sweater to wear tomorrow on their 50% sale. Heaven. Do you think after 6 years in Washington, Bush could speak clearly? If you're going to talk about border patrol, please don't pronounce it "bodrer po-trol". He sounds like Roscoe P Coltrain for God's sakes. It's embarassing.

Vacation Planning Monday

Beerman, C-man and I are going to Florida in March. We were planning on going in 2 weeks to see the Daytona 500, but flights are too hard to come by, and everything just too damned expensive. So March it is. C-man can stay with Grandma and Grandpa for a few days so Beerman and I can get away to the beach for a really, really needed break together. 24 is on tonight. As always, Jack is such a perfect specimen of television viewing, that nothing can be wrong when 24 is on. C-man has been accused of having "sassy hands" while at school. Can someone explain what the heck that means? Beerman is meeting with the administrator tomorrow. We'll see what that means.

Holy Snow!

So that's what snow looks like! I had plans to get out and do stuff, but after our failed geocaching attempt, no way. It took us 20 minutes just to get down the road and back. So, it's hot cocoa and Bob the Builder from here on out! Enjoy your day.

To Shedd and Back

The family went to Shedd Aquarium today in Chicago. C-man ran until he couldn't anymore. It was cute. For the record, he enjoyed the fish, but climbing the stairs and pushing all the buttons that made things light up or spray were definitely higher on the list. It was a fun day, though.

Can this day end?

It's Friday... I'm exhausted from being up with C-man this week... I've beat my head against the wall all damn day at work... and I'm sooo glad I only have a few hours left until freedom. Overall, this hasn't been one of my favorite weeks. So to think positively, the family is headed to Chicago tomorrow to see some fish and have some fun. I'm really looking forward to it. I've got an hour and a half drive each way, so need to think of a good knitting project to take. The purse I'm doing is going to take me for-ever it's so detailed. Maybe I'll find a good pattern online for something, or actually start the sweater I purchased a pattern and yarn for but am too scared to actually start!

Some Days You're Productive...

...Some days you're not. Today was the latter. These nights being up with C-man are tough on the body. Not much is going on with me today. So as promised, here's me sporting the lopsided hat and scarf I knitted:

Hump Day

Beerman stayed home with C-man today. Since he still had a fever, they went in to the doctor. The good news is no pneumonia or influenza. The bad news is what we already knew - ear infection. I'm hoping he's good to go back to school tomorrow, but I don't think he will be. I got invited to a geocaching janboree this weekend. Beerman said, "If we go to a geocaching janboree, I'm going to need a lot to drink." I guess we'll go to Shedd Aquarium instead. I finished knitting a scarf and hat for myself. The hat is a bit lopsided, but that's cool. I just put a tassle on top and hold my head high when I wear it. When I have the energy, I'll post a picture of me sporting my "beautiful" creations. Brother-in-law Tim starts a new job next week. Yea for new jobs in a thriving company! Let's just hope it's not a mean corporate job like I've got. Because those blow.

Blogging at Home

C-man was up all last night. And when I say all last night, I mean ALL LAST NIGHT. He wasn't feeling well. But, we went to work/daycare anyhow, hoping he'd be better with other kids. Well, he wasn't. His ear hurts, he's got a 102 fever, and his eye is goopy. I got the call at 10:30 to come and get him. So now I'm home eating pizza and he's laying on his couch watching Bob the Builder. I'm so tired that I'm going to be sleeping as soon as I finish my pizza. But the dogs are happy. I got a first to find (FTF) geocache today. I figured since the cache was placed 53 feet from where I'd placed my rejected one, I knew right where it was. So I picked up C-man, he fell asleep in the car, I did a quick grab, and we came home.

Working on MLK Day

I didn't know people worked today until I got this job. Unbelievable. Harrybones got home at about 10:30 last night. Poor dog was barfing up green stuff this morning from the after-effects. He's pretty much alright now, except for a half-shaved ear. I didn't get to watch much of 24 last night. I recorded it though. Although, I'm not sure when I'll watch it, since American Idol is on tomorrow night! Ja-ack is ba-ack! DAMNIT!! The big drag of my day was getting an e-mail that the geocache I planted isn't allowed, because someone else planted one about 53 feet away and reported it a couple hours before I reported mine. Poo!

Sunday or Bust

Well, it was a total bust today. I was up half the night with C-man because he was sick. So I wasn't in my bed when the alarm went off to make it to my appointment at 8. Beerman just kept hitting snooze, failing to tell me it was going off. I realized this was happening at 7:30... After I got home from breakfast, Rileydog bit Harrybones and split the last inch of his ear in half. There was more blood than a horror movie. We tried to geocache and C-man wasn't having it, so we came home with nothing. At that point, we realized Harrybones' ear wasn't clotting (we took him caching with us to make sure he was okay) and one of us needed to take him in. A 2 hour wait later, I'm told it's $300 - $500, and we can pick him up with his stitches after 9 p.m. tonight. I got home and Beerman immediately had to go into work. (He'd already received a phone call asking where he was at this point). The laundry wasn't even folded (the only thing I'd asked for when I left on my pet emergency quest), the house a complete stinky disaster (I'm still trying to completely clean up after Rileydog's explosion earlier in the week), 5 loads of laundry left to be washed, clothes are not put away all over the bedroom, and I'd eaten a McChicken sandwich to fill the hole because it was 2:30 p.m. and I was starving. Ugh... So I took C-man shopping for new shoes and got a pair for myself. If that doesn't cheer a girl up, nothing will! Here's hoping Monday will be better than Sunday.

Geocaching Fool

We got 4 caches this morning (1, 2, 3, and 4). Despite it being colder than Antartica on a winter day, it was a good time. Other than that, it was errands, house stuff, and finishing watching the DaVinci Code. The book, as always, was better. I'm not sure why it was such a bomb though. After all, the book sucked too, and nobody seemed to mind that... Enjoy your weekend.

TGIF

What a long ass week. Whew. I'm pretty glad to wrap this one up. Our plan was to go to Shedd Aquarium this weekend, but I've put the kabosh on that. I've got some work to do (freelance, so it's worth $$$) and a hair appointment. So we're definitely there this weekend. Plus, this gives me the chance to find those damn caches I haven't been able to locate in a skirt and heels before work. Although I did thoroughly enjoy the tip to bring breakfast to my colleagues so my "lateness" would not be questioned, I still think the dirt stains on my hands and knees are a dead giveaway to my activities. Beerman sent me a great flowering mum plant at work today. What a sweet surprise that was. Funnier yet was that I saw them on my way back from lunch and commented to a co-worker that I was sure they were mine. :-) Our home internet access is down. Roadrunner can't seem to explain why. Jerks. For $40 a month you think they could think a little harder.

Beckham Becomes a Yank

The best news of my day... David Beckham is now going to be a Los Angeles Galaxy. Yum! This definitely calls for a trip to Chicago when they play. The other great thing was my 2:30 chair massage. It was so wonderful. I just wish you didn't get those funky lines on your face after you get up. I've been trying to geocache on my way to work in the morning, and it just doesn't work. I don't know what's wrong - the fact that I only have a few minutes to find it, that I'm in heels crawling under trees and on riverbanks, or that I'm missing my C-man yelling "MUGGLES!" Anyhow, somewhere in the middle of the errands this weekend, I'm going to log a few in. So many caches, so little time. Anyhow, did I mention David Beckham is coming to play in the U.S.??

Hooray for Hump Day

What was once lost has now been found. Like the prodigal son, my gps has found its way back to me. Okay, so it accidentally fell into a laundry basket in our hasty unpacking, and it's not all that dramatic. But I'm back! So I stopped at one on my way to work. I couldn't find it. Maybe it's because I was crawling around on the ground under pine trees in heels and a skirt. As so many of us know, this is the first full week in a long time. And boy does it feel like it! In my continuing saga of "corporate America blows", we don't get a day off until Memorial Day! What about MLK day? Presidents Day? Good Friday? Easter Monday? These people have no sense of balance around here. I'm almost done with scarf #2. I haven't decided if my next project is to be a sweater (which I purchased acorn-colored alpaca yarn and a pattern for - does this sound like me at all?) or a felt purse. Regardless, I need to start thinking about what my next hobby should be if I'm going to do 12 new things this year. I'm debating whether it should be guitar lessons or language lessons.

Tuesday Thoughts

At least I didn't have to cut out circles today. My boss, however, did give me a thank you note on a giant circle with circle smiley faces all over it. Just put me out of my misery. Congrats to Bruce-man on the new job! A big woo-hoo to the Californian Canadians and their newfound ability to pay for that cool table they just bought! And as promised, here's my first knitted project, modeled by Beerman himself:

It's Monday Again

I got a 3.966 GPA during grad school. On Friday, I cut out circles. Today, I cut out circles and discussed - for over an hour - the merit of having each circle a different hue and size. I am going to stick a pencil in my eye. Corporate life is beyond ridiculous. No wonder Dilbert is so funny to some people. A bunch of geocaches were hidden this weekend. I found the one in Chippewa Falls. Somehow in the unpacking process, I can't find my gps. Tonight I'm on the search for it because a couple are on my way to work in the morning. Yes, I know, I'm addicted. Staying with the addiction theme, the Journal-Sentinel had an article on knitting this weekend. I've decided I want to try to make a felt purse. And for the record, I ate meat lasagna for lunch. And what do you do with your poinsettias after Christmas? I have a cute little one on my desk, which I hate to throw out, but it is past its prime. I feel bad for it. Okay, again, I ate meat lasagna for lunch.

Sunday Already

I can't believe it's Sunday already. After spending a good portion of the day in the car, my body sure feels it. The good part about being in a car that long is that I knitted a scarf for Beerman, and have one for me almost finished. Despite saying things to the contrary, I'll have to post a picture or two of them. It's my first project, so I'm pretty pleased with myself and my crooked scarves. We were in Chippewa Falls for a wedding this weekend. I got some good pictures and will post them soon on the family website for those who care to see the good times. In other good times, we took the time to find a cache in Chippewa Falls. For those of you who still don't understand geocaching, here's the deal. You find coordinates at geocaching.com like this one. Then you drive yourself near the coordinates, get out of the car, and walk around until you locate the coordinates. (Which can be tricky if it's overcast or on a weird elevation, like today!)

Once you're at the coordinates, you need to locate the cache. Sometimes it's a film cannister, sometimes a Rubbermaid container, sometimes a coffee can, etc. This one happened to be a peanut butter jar, taped with black tape, hidden behind wood wtihin a hollow tree. (It has blue tape around the lid.) I had to move the bark to find it, which makes it trickier.

Then you've found your cache. You take it, open it, log your team's name (therysewyks), take a trinket (we took a plastic horse) and leave a trinket (pencil-topping frog). Then you log that you found it on geocaching.com.

Back in Blue!

Well, we're back, back Well, we're back in BLUE! What a good day in our country. One of the best since, oh, let's say 1992. Go Nancy, Go Deval, Go BLUE! Woo-hoo!! We're going to Chippewa Falls this weekend for a wedding reception. I'm hoping to get a few geocaches while there. I won't have much time, but there's always time to get one or two! I got a travel bug at this one today. Bertie London is supposed to get to London. If anyone's going East, let me know so I can get Bertie to you! In the ongoing saga of Why Corporate Life Sucks, today I was assigned the project of finding circles. Yes, paper circles. 20-8" dark shade and 20-6" light shade circles; 24 dark shade 6" circles and 100 light shade 4" circles. All in cardstock. Oh, and do it by tomorrow morning. I'm so glad I got a 3.96 GPA. It makes it all so frickin' worthwhile.

Is It Friday Yet?

Last night we had a Beerman-special made-up-from-fridge-ingredients dinner. But I'm in love with it, so I thought I should share. Bake a sweet potato. Fry up some ground turkey (one of my favorite meats these days), add a can of tomatoes, some cumin, some chipotle, some green chiles, and a splash of cayenne, salt and pepper. Put meat mixture on top of potato with grated cheese and sour cream. Hea-ven in less than 30 minutes! In hobby/knitting news... (note from paragraph 1 that I ate meat last night - I'm not in the deep end yet) I'm knitting a scarf for Beerman right now. I'm about half-way done. I'm pretty proud of myself that I'm able to do this. I actually bought a sweater pattern, and will try that next with some beautiful Alpaca yarn. I'll probably rip it out 400 times before it's right, but whatever. It's a January hobby. Notre Dame plays LSU tonight. I'm going to a co-worker/neighbor's house to eat pizza, drink beer, and watch the game. Go IRISH!

Happy 2007!

Another year is here for me to make the best out of it. Huzzah! My personal enrichment initiative this year is to learn 12 new hobbies in 12 months. Studies show that retirees do not do new activities, despite their always purporting to do so. Instead, they do things that htey learned and enjoyed in their younger years. So I'm looking to be a busy old girl. Knitting and geocaching are my first 2 hobbies. Technically, they started in 2006, but so far at the end of 2006, that they fall into 2007. (Hey, if you've got a problem with it, create your own list.) I'd like to finally learn to play guitar, and of course, learn another language. As for the other 8 hobbies... that's why there are 12 months. As for resolutions - laugh more, pray more, and floss daily. Okay, that last one isn't very inspirational, but it's a necessary one. In finishing my 52 books in 52 weeks, I just finished Emily Giffin's Baby Proof. I guess it'd be a good book if you never wanted kids and needed to justify it to everyone. It was well-written, but the topic sucked. It shouldn't have received the rave reviews it got.

Happy New Years Eve!

I had my first date with Beerman 7 years ago today. Wow, lots has changed in 7 years. He's getting high on epoxy fumes (re-painting tile in the bathroom) and I'm in an old pair of his jeans watching C-man terrorize the dogs. I realized yesterday when I got the mail that C-man's daycare is closed on Tuesday. Why in the hell would they be closed on the 2nd?!? Anyhow, now I'm scrambling. Our usual babysitter can do the afternoon. She just e-mailed me saying her 26 year old social work sister can do the morning. Apparently she works at MPS and they don't start school until the 3rd. I've never met the girl, but like her sister a lot, and am desperate. So welcome to our home! Since we couldn't get a sitter for the night, we're having crab cakes, steak, and Talledega Nights. Wow, lots can change in 7 years.

I Just Ate My Bonus

I ran a bunch of errands this morning. Geocaching, library, bank, etc. Most importantly, I sent in our last daycare payment for reimbursement for the flexible spending account. I hate that use-it-or-lose it crap, but what can you do - $600 is $600. Then I got home, put C-man in bed (he fell asleep at the bank), sat down at the table, and took my sweet ol' time and ate my holiday bonus. That's right, boys and girls, I got a chocolate-covered caramel apple as my holiday bonus. Oh my God, corporate America sucks. On another important note, Beerman and I met 7 years ago today.

Caching and more caching

I found this one and this one. Couldn't find this one -- there was too much trash in the area. Beerman is painting the tile in our bathroom. I'm a bit nervous, but if it doesn't work out, it means I get new tile. So I guess I can't lose anything but time. Off to do some errands. Enjoy your weekend!

4 Day Weekend!

Woo hoo! Don't have to work until Tuesday. I love time off. I took it upon myself to be the off-site lunch coordinator today. The poor saps (me included) never leave that joint to eat. So we went to Su Casa II in Sussex. Let me spare you the visit - don't go. Refried beans from a can, crappy ambiance, and the server told us the difference between the fajitas and the sizzling fajitas was the price. I'm off to geocache tomorrow. Wahoo!

Back to Work Wednesday

I want to start eating better, so what do I do this morning, but go through McDonalds drive-thru. As my past history tells me, this is a bad decision. But, I decided to order the orange juice instead of coffee, at least making one sound decision. And then I get to the window. And the guy hands me a large coffee. My caffeine-deprived body almost went into convulsions. I took it and screeched out of the parking lot, laughing maniacally. "Ha-ha-ha! I've got caffeine." But because I got the coffee, I also got the wrong breakfast. I ate it anyhow, which was a bad move. Guess the joke's on my hurting intestines now. Christmas has officially overstimulated C-man. Last night he wouldn't sleep between the hours of 12:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. because he wanted to "Crawl in fort!" and "Watch Bob Builder!" and "Bounce in castle" and "Big Scoop". Whew... I'm looking rough today. Between the lack of sleep and too much sugar, my face looks like I'm 14 years old. And finally, goodbye Mr. 38th. Your pardon was disgraceful, WIN was a flop, but president you were. So goodbye.

Successful Caching

We went geocaching as Team Rysewyk this afternoon. I got this one, this one, and this one. This could get addicting. Beerman is the driver, I'm the searcher, and C-man yells "Muggles" if someone is approaching. Good times.

Happy Boxing Day!

It's the day-after post-Christmas letdown day. Otherwise known in the rest of the world as Boxing Day. After grandma and grandpa left, we took a trip to the dogpark for H-bones and R-dog. I'm pretty tired after "sleeping" on an air mattress last night. Whew, I usually do better than that. Christmas was nice. My in-laws were here on the 24th and got some quality time with C-man. They're rarely (never) here, so it was nice to have some time together. They enjoyed C-man's antics. My parents came last night for dinner and the night and got to play "fort" and "Bob the Builder". They left this morning for snowbirdville in Florida. So the plans for today are: play with toys, geocache a bit (I have 3 scouted out, and just have to locate the actual cache), watch a little "Bob the Builder", get a new showerhead (Beerman's been working on our never-ending bathroom project and suggested we get one of those multi-head showerheads - woo hoo!), eat some leftover turkey, and nap. For those of you actually boxing things up today, enjoy!