Let's get this party started!

Almost everything has been shelved in the new library, so during our break today, we were able to go shopping. *happy dance*

I admit - I started in the DVD section, but once these things are available to the public, they seem to disappear into the depths of the "on-hold" database. I DO plan to get books - just not this weekend.

Here's what's playing, in no particular order - Ghost World, About A Boy, and The Hours. It's started raining and the oldest is at a friend's house overnight, so I think I'll pop one in as soon as the nine year-old is in bed.

I also have a favor to ask. Hook me up with some good books to read. I'm so tired of the NY Times list and the library catalog isn't much help. I know you all have favorites, and I'm open to anything. Ah, related to book-reading, that is. I'll start a list to take to work on Monday, so gimme all ya' got!

Are you sure it's not Monday?

My glasses broke this morning. I took them off to inspect something on a lens and SNAP! They broke right in half. I've only had these damn things for two years. What do they make them out of? Tin freakin' foil??! I guess I know what will become of my first paycheck. *grumble, grumble*

It was loads of fun trying to read the stuff in the stacks for re-shelving, and now I'm suffering from a headache that Ad*vil hasn't touched. I would also like to apologize to the driver who had the misfortune of being behind me on my way home. I don't think I went over 35 mph the whole way. I normally don't drive that slow, but blurry vision tends to make me a more cautious driver. I really wasn't trying to piss you off. Really.

Saturday had better hurry up and get here!

Do it now

If you're reading this, stop... go hug your husbands, wives, significant others, family or friends right now. Tell them you love them and just hang onto them for a while.

I found out late yesterday that the husband of one of my friends died Saturday. He decided to grab a nap before taking his 10 year old and a friend out for the afternoon. Nothing out of the ordinary. She went to check on him a short time later and that was it. He was gone.

All I can think of is how I just saw her Thursday evening - we were jawing about some PTA stuff and catching up after the holidays. And just two days later, she loses the love of her life. I think about her son and I can't imagine my boys going through the awful pain of losing their dad. Whether or not you believe in God or a higher power, please keep them in your thoughts.

That Tim Mc*Graw song, Live Like You Were Dying, has been in my head all day. Did he? Did they? Do any of us? It's scary as hell to think about, because I know what my answer is.

Damn.

Warmth on a cold morning

We all have days where we question the good in man/woman-kind. Some days more than others, depending on what the nightly news thrusts into our living rooms. I try to believe that there's more good out there than bad, and this little bit from my MIL reaffirms it.

She lives in town of 5000+ in the heart of the Midwest. A place where folks say "come with" and "doncha know", and the Friday night fish fry is a major happening. Still, it's grown to the point where most don't know as many neighbors and townsfolk as they'd like. Outsiders moving in and new homes popping up out in the hills past the new Stuff-Mart.

Saturday morning finds her outside, shoveling 17 inches of the white stuff that had blown through the night before. At 75, she still mows her own yard and keeps up with house repair, so we weren't surprised she'd been out there. About an hour into it, two men pull up in front of her house in a pick-up truck with a snow blower in back. They asked if they could take care of her walk/driveway and she said yes, fully expecting to pay them for their work.

When they finished, she asked them the cost and they said no charge. Nothing. She tried again to convince them to accept something for their trouble and they refused. Told her that they were just going around town, helping people who needed it.

Just helping people who needed help. Imagine what our world would be like if that's the attitude we held in our hearts every day. It might just put those news anchors out of business.

Mama needs a new pair of shoes

Day two on the job and woooowheee, are my dogs hurtin'! I knew it included a lot of standing because that's what shelving books requires, but day-um. I've worn these shoes quite a bit, however putzing around the house or strolling through the mall doesn't require quite the same foot stamina. A good thing is that my thighs are getting quite the workout with all the squatting. I won't feel too bad for missing a day or two at the gym now.

Today was Story Time at the library. There were 52 - yes, 52 - little 2-3-4 year olds in attendance. When they came out of the room, it was as if they'd been sucking on Pixie Stix the entire time and were starting to crash. The silence was almost deafening when they left.

We move into the new building next week. I'm really excited about that. Everything will start out in its proper place. However, I know the beauty that is an organized section will be fleeting once we have to open the doors to the public. I've been re-discovering my inner anal-retentive the last two days every time I see a misplaced book. It really bugs the crap out of me. Maybe I picked the wrong place to work.

Random ruminations

If it takes you longer to pluck out the grey hairs than it does to find them, it's time to consider a box of Clair*ol or a trip to the salon.

There is no such thing as Tupper*ware or Rub*bermaid that resists tomato stains.

The only thing worse than finding copious amounts of dog saliva on the kitchen floor is finding it with your bare feet.

Mini-marshmallows now packaged in little snack-sized bags to take to school? (I swear, we saw them at Stuff-Mart) Come on, Kra*ft, get real. Even my 9 year-old knows that this is bogus. Fat-free "food". That's why those marketing types get paid the big bucks.

If Super Stuff-Mart continues to add to their numbers of electric lard-carts, they need to widen the aisles so we pedestrians can make it out alive.

Cour-te-ous: adj: marked by respect for others : civil, polite.
When you see a large sign that says "Line Forms Here" and many people holding items standing behind said sign, don't try to sneakily skirt around to the other side of the counter because you think we won't notice. That's not very courteous.

Too much time on my hands

Called friend. She's busy doing work for her daughter's school yearbook. Bummer. This will leave me with way too much time to think about all the things I should have done with my SAHM time, such as:

• Finished painting the hall/LR/DR baseboards. That would've been nice, seeing as how I painted all the walls TWO YEARS ago.
• Gone through all the crap that is in the closet of my spare bedroom.
• Bound that quilt I started four years ago.
• Taken my photos out of boxes and bags and into actual albums. How freakin' easy would that have been? I don't even scrapbook - just lick and stick.
• Leaned how to plan real meals for my family. Corn dogs be damned.
  
• Finished college. Even taking minimal courses, I think I'd be done by now.
• Tons of other sh*t that I can't even begin to think about.

I am actually getting weepy thinking about how I've wasted my time. Regret sucks. And so does PMS.

Put on the shackles

This is my last morning as a "free woman".

I start my job Tuesday. I don't count Monday because it's MLK day - how to celebrate? - and the kids will be home. Not exactly what I call free.

I should do something to mark this occasion. It will be first time in over 10 years that I'll be working consistently. Last year's sporadic substitute jobs don't count. I could accept as many or as few per month as I chose, so it was a "fun" job. This time around, my butt (and the rest of me) will belong to someone Monday through Friday, 4 hours a day, not including national holidays.

I am excited about this new venture, but I can still mourn what will soon be my "old life".

All those times I complained of boredom and the routine of daily housework, yada-yada. Bah. At least it was MY time table and I could choose to do nothing if the day presented itself that way. More often that not, it was my first choice before even getting out of bed. Heh. Maybe this new routine will somehow help me get my act together. I won't be able to afford the luxury of inefficiency - unless I want to suffer a nervous breakdown.

I think I'll call my best friend and visit with her. Maybe hit some stores and grab lunch at Panera. Just one more sweet morning of nothing.

What food pyramid?

I've had an entire day to think about dinner, and this is what I end up feeding my children (sans the fries and the salad). At least I balanced it with organic, whole-wheat shells & cheese. Unfortunately, the shells looked like something the dog wouldn't even touch. Sigh.

When will someone show up at my door asking me to turn in my mom license?

Split ends

There's nothing quite like the way a good haircut makes you feel. Bored with my static look, I had been growing my hair for the past 6 months in hopes of trying a new do. I had it cut into a more modern style with lots of long layers in November. After suffering through the last 8 weeks - I hated seeing myself in the mirror, which is a problem because the one in our bathroom covers half of one wall - I decided enough was enough. My hair is thick and straight, and happens to love a bobbed, chin-length cut. I'm happy to say "the hair" is back!

Some of you know that I accepted a job at a new branch of the library back in Dec. I received a call today that my paperwork has been processed and they want me to start Tuesday. That sound you heard was my inner procrastinator having a major breakdown. I thought I'd have until the beginning of February. This is NOT enough time to switch gears from full-time SAHM status to actually working outside the home.

I've spent 5 hours a day, Monday through Friday, for the last 3 years without kids underfoot. My house should be featured in Better Homes & Gardens with all the time I've had on my hands to get this place organized from A-Z. What the hell was I doing?? Oh yeah... procrastinating, with a little laundry and cooking thrown in for fun.

Help me.

And now, for your moment of Zen

My apologies to The Jon Stewart Show



This is Sheba. She's a lovable, 2 year-old Heinz 57 that we adopted from the SPCA in August '04. My favorite thing about her? Those litte tan "commas" above her eyes. The girl knows how to relax.

Zissou, Part Deux

After thinking about this again while vacuuming, I realized that there were two elements of the movie I enjoyed. The music of Seu Jorge, and Willem Dafoe's character, Klaus.

I still wish I'd seen The Incredibles.

Do You Zissou?

We were able to see The Life Aquatic last night while the boys were at another movie.

The only thing I have to say...

I envied my sons being able to see The Incredibles for a 3rd time.

Spellbound

I'm a spelling freak.

The mere mention of the weekly spelling test in school would elicit groans from most of the class, but I actually looked forward to it. It was another chance to prove my mastery over those combinations of letters that form our language. It was what led me to be a proof-reader at the local paper years ago. My father's favorite subject was spelling, so I've concluded that it must be genetic.

DH's family members are no slouches, either. His mom was a teacher and his younger brother was a participant in the National Spelling Bee in D.C. It's no surprise to me that our boys are great spellers. They're just carrying the torch.

E. recently placed 2nd in his middle school spelling bee. From what I can gather, it was a rather tense word battle that went on between him and the winner for a good 15 minutes after the others had been disqualified. The word that tripped him up? Decaffeinated.

The irony here is that just about every food and beverage item in our house is "decaffeinated".

Hormones (and for once, they're not mine)

I was always under the assumption that girls were harder to raise because, you know, at a certain age those things called hormones kick in. I've secretly cheered the fact that I have two boys when I've heard friends relate their challenges regarding puberty with their soon-to-be women. Just remembering how I terrorized my poor parents makes me shudder. I'd never have to deal with that.

I could plead ignorance here. I was an only child. So you can't fault me for not knowing that hormones affect male bodies, too. Right? I mean, by the time I really paid any attention to the developing men in my life, I was almost through high school.

Why didn't my husband warn me? My son could charge admission for the emotional roller coaster he's had me on and he'd be making quite a bit of extra cash. I know the ride will end eventually, but I'm starting to get queasy. Where are the kiddie rides when you need them?

What the hey...

So. Here it is. My first foray into the blogging world.

Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed. I promise.