Can't post. Too tired.

The full 20 year reunion recap post will come tomorrow.

For now, there's this:

BTW: The Pirates' undefeated season ended on Friday. The Henderson Lions whooped 'em.

Ye Olde High School Reunion.

Yep. The big 20 yr.high school reunion is this weekend. Good LORD, how did I get this old? It seems like just yesterday that I was making out with Kyle Gilbreath while wearing my mortar board on graduation night, sitting on the curb in front of my house, drunk as hell. Jesus H. Christ.

And to top it all off, I'm going to my high school reunion with--gasp--a guy I went to high school with!! And I'm in LOVE with him!! I swear to you, truth is much weirder than fiction could ever be.

So our weekend basically looks like this:

Tomorrow, Mr. Wonderful and his boys fly to Dallas. His mom and step-dad live in NW Dallas, so they'll come and pick them up and they'll all go to his mom's house. Meanwhile, Geej, Dah and I will drive to NE Dallas to my Aunt and Uncle's house. The Geej ADORES them...and their dog...and their swimming pool...so she's looking very forward to the trip. After hanging out for a while, I'll leave and go to NW Dallas to rendezvous with Mr. Wonderful, et. al. That's where we'll spend the night.

Friday, Mr. W. and I will drive to Longview. We're staying at his dad's house just outside of town. We're supposed to be going to the high school football game with a bunch of our classmates that night (it's actually an organized reunion activity, including a tailgating party beforehand). I know it sounds dorky, but I'm actually looking forward to this a lot. I was a big ol' band geek through most of high school (French horn/flag corps...it doesn't get much dorkier than that, my friends), and football games were a HUGE part of my life during that time. Plus, there's something quite charming about the whole "Friday Night Lights" thing in small town Texas. There are some planned "activities" after the game, but I have no idea what we we'll end up doing.

Saturday we're just going to hang out. Probably go see some of my (elderly) family. Saturday night we'll be skipping the "gala" part of the reunion, and instead hang out with Mr. W's brother and sister-in-law, something I'm looking very forward to.

Sunday, we'll head back to Dallas where we'll pick up my mom and Geej at my aunt and uncle's house. Then the four of us will head back to Mr. W's mom's house for a late lunch. Then mom, the Geej and I will depart for Austin.

Yes, I'm taking Monday off.

So anyway, I won't be blogging for a few days, but I'm sure I'll have plenty o' photos and tales to tell when I return.
Yes, I was in "Young Repbulicans." Don't hate... It was the Pine Curtain, after all.

Scenes from a wonderful weekend.

Saturday afternoon was spent playing with the Malcontentettes.








Saturday evening was spent playing with Peach and Olive while dining at a "singing restaurant" (what The Geej calls anyplace with live music).

Sunday morning was spent swimming with her friend George, followed by an exhausted viewing of Dora, and lunch prepared by our hostess.

Whew.

Oh happy day!!

Mr. Wonderful got the job, people. He just found out today, and will be talking with them more (re: details, when he'd be able to start, etc.) next week.

I am so excited I might keel over. Seriously.

When I got the news, I just burst into happy tears. I can't believe he's going to be here. For real. Soon.

Honestly, I have no earthly idea how it's Thursday already. I swear, it was just yesterday that I posted my previous pissed off rant about Libby Lu. Thanks to those of you who took the solemn vow to boycott that crap--and in writing, no less.

This week has been meetings and meetings and work and then some more meetings. I swear, I've had--at the most--2 hours at my desk each day. As a result, my "To Do" list keeps growing, and I don't have time to actually DO any of it. On the bright side, my team is functioning much more healthily than it did before the recent, sudden departure of one of our coworkers who, now that she's gone, I am realizing was a very ill fit for our dynamic in the first place. I'm not going to delve into it, but I will say that I have learned an immense amount from this whole experience. It may have been painful, but our team is stronger, and I'm a more confident Team Leader due to the lessons her dysfunction has taught me.

The past couple of weeks has been a real freakin' challenge at home, as well. The Geej has been going through (what I hope has been) a phase that has managed to push every single button I knew I had (and a few I didn't). Oh my GOD people. The whining. The arguing with me. The back talking. The crying for NO reason whatsoever. The waking me up 2 to 3 times a night. The utter hard-headedness. Every night, after I put her to bed, I would just collapse--mentally and physically and emotionally exhausted by what this little creature was asking of me. Being a good mommy at times like this is akin to no other challenge I can think of. It just fucking tweaks me out. I have no "relief pitcher" because I am single. I don't get to say, "Honey, I'm about to lose it. Please take over for me." It's just me, and I have to bite the bullet and push on through and try like HELL not to lose it. Sometimes I'm successful. A lot of times, I'm not. Luckily, however, after a couple of trying weeks, culminating in this past weekend when I thought I might go completely insane with frustration with this little she-devil who'd inhabited my beautiful daughter's body, she turned a corner on Tuesday. Since then, she's been a near-perfect angel. It's been so awesome and fun, and I've been using all of it as the opportunity to give her shitloads of positive reinforcement. Hopefully, this detente will last.

What else...

Oh, I'm pretty sure I'm slowly falling in love with the Geej's new classroom pet: Hunka Munka, the rat. Believe me: I'm the last person I thought would ever have rat-lover tendencies, but she's just so damn CUTE! And friendly. And gentle. She actually has a personality. She's not shy and schizo like a hamster. She's more chill. If I could only get over that nasty-ass rat tail of hers...

Also, no I didn't do the ACL fest. Not even a little bit. I've decided I'm not a big outdoor festival type of person anymore. Crowds--although fun for the sheer people-watching aspect--just piss me off. Especially crowds filled with wannabe hipsters and/or drunkish teens milling around an enclosed space underneath a blistering sun. No thank you. I am a music FREAK. But when I go see an artist I like or am curious about, I want to actually SEE them and HEAR them. I want them to do an actual show-length set--not an abbreviated festival-length mini-set. Yes, I'm an old crank. Where's my damn Geritol?!

The best thing about ACL fest, in my opinion, are the pre- and aftershows at venues around town. That's where I'd rather see my music. For instance, I went to the Yo La Tengo aftershow on Monday at The Parish. Even though it was sold out, it didn't feel crowded. And I actually got to see the faces of the band, and hear every word, breath, and note of Ira's self-indulgent 20 minute guitar solos. Yeah...it kind of sucked, but at least it sucked on my own terms, it was air-conditioned, and I got to pee in an actual restroom.

Lastly, I think this week's episode of VH-1's Rock of Love may have been some of the finest television ever broadcast. Hey, anytime I can watch a trashy stripper from Ohio go OFF on a certified psycho bitch from Texas in front of both sets of their parents, all in order to win the affection of a wig-wearing, botoxed, dumb-as-a-bag-of-hair lead singer of a late 80s poseur hair band, I'm a happy fucking camper.

That's it for now. I'm gonna post more over the next couple of days. I'm coming up for air. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

I'm just going to go ahead and say this:

I know she's only three, but if any of you ever invite The Geej to a party here, we're not going to come. I don't care how much she bitches and moans, it ain't gonna happen. Not on my watch, anyway.

And I'd love it if those of you with little girls 7 and under would ALSO vow to me--in blood, if necessary--that not only are you going to refuse to host any parties here, you're also going to politely decline any birthday party invitations that take place in this whore factory. Come on... are you with me?

"Dress up" is one thing. It's healthy. It's natural. And it's safe, fun, imaginative play. And God knows, I got a lot of mileage out of my grandma's negligees, pretending I was a princess and whatnot. But this is something completely different.

Like the Bratz dolls? Then go for it. Digging what Paris and Britney and Lindsey have been up to lately? Be my guest.

But I know that I'm going to do whatever I can however I can to actually shield my little girl from this waaaaaaaaaaaay too grown up crap for as long as I can. Even if she ends up hating me for it.

Photo analysis.

About a month ago, I got a card in the mail from my stepsister* that had some low quality copied photos of my dad that she'd found in her stacks of old photos. I was very happy to get the pictures because, as someone who contributed half of my DNA and was around until I was 33 years old, I really don't have a great number of photos--or anything else, for that matter--to remind me of my dad. He HATED the camera, and physically winced when he got his picture taken. He was just one of those people...

So, anyway, the photos are not so great, and they're mostly late 70s photos of my dad with her mom (with whom he'd had the affair that had broken up my parent's marriage...but that's for another time). But there's this one of the two of us, taken on my 8th birthday:

There are so many things about this photo that upset me.

(You can't see it, but...) My birthday cake is sitting on the dinette right in front of us. It has 8 candles on it that haven't been lit yet. Clearly, someone baked it for me, because it's on a foil covered piece of cardboard. I'm gonna guess it was my dad's girlfriend. Anyway, I can't tell if this photo is taken first thing in the morning or later in the evening. I'm in my Holly Hobby night shirt, and my dad's clearly drunk, and really and hating life, so it could be either.

I AM loving the "Eye of God" yarn thing hanging in the background. Note to any scene designers of movies set in the South in the late 70s: You should TOTALLY have at least one of these ugly yarn fuckers hanging in a room where a pivotal scene happens. You're welcome. I only expect a mention in the credits.

My dad had the Eye of God in this photo, along with one in the "living area" (which was basically just the wall opposite of this wall), and another one above his bed. I should probably also mention that this was his post-divorce apartment, located in one of the only "singles-only" complexes in Longview at the time. It was on the south side of town, which was pretty damn sketchy. But that apparently didn't concern him much when it came to my leaving for hours at a time to ride my bicycle. Alone.

His apartment was right by the complex pool, which I thought was cool. The post-divorce apartment that Mom and I were living in at the time was quite a hike from the pool. But at least there, I had my own room. At Daddy's I had to sleep in his king-sized bed and endure his epic, whisky-induced snoring. Ugh.

Anyhoo, every other weekend, when I went to visit Daddy, the complex was full of other "weekend kids." We used to play in the pool, comparing notes while our parents got hammered with one another while listening to The Eagles, Willie Nelson, and Linda Ronstadt : "Yeah, I only come ever other weekend, but next month I have to come three weekends because my mom's having surgery." "My mommy's new boyfriend smells like pickles and hugs me way too hard. Hey! Watch me do a cannonball!" You know, uplifting shit that children under ten SHOULD be talking about.

Y'all, it sucked in 1,000 different ways.

I'm not sure if you can tell from the body language in the photo above, but we're not all that comfortable with each other. I'm 8 and a girl. He's 35, and experiencing being a single male for the first time since he was 21. And it's 1979--which means it's post-pill and pre-AIDS. And he owns a "make your own cigarettes" machine he bought off T.V. that he uses to create primo joints to smoke, and a "make your own glasses" gadget he uses to make drinkware out of old liquor and beer bottles. All I ever eat as his apartment are Pop-Tarts and ramen noodles.

This one photo brings all of this back to me. It came to me in the mail, and has been in my head ever since.

I am still so mad at him. And I also miss him so much, it's flat out crazy.

*My step-sister is 20 years older than I am and is someone I never lived with, so I don't relate with her too much. And, since my dad's death, I connect with her even less. So it's really cool that she sent these to me. But I also can't help but wonder why she didn't just send me the ORIGINALS of MY DEAD FATHER. Fuck. Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth.

"So yummy! So yummy!"

Tonight when I was doing my nightly negotiation, trying to get her to eat her damndinner, I told The Geej that her corn wanted to join her pizza for a party in her tummy. And she chimes in, "Oh yeah, oh yeah!" We'd only seen this once, like a week ago, and she still remembered it.



Y'all, I know it's freaky and semi-disturbing, but I can NOT get this catchy shit outta my head. I can't help but think that this stuff will be the Sid and Marty Krofft stuff of The Geej's generation.

A bit of advice from The Geej:

When your mom comes home from a trip to a city where there's an H&M, and she's sort of gone nuts buying you cute new clothes there because her entire state doesn't even have an H&M, the best thing to do is to try everything on at once. Even if that means you're wearing a skirt, two dresses, a rain slicker and matching hat, and two pairs of new day-of-the-week panties on top of the panties you were already wearing.

Trust me: It's a good look.

Love,

The Geej

Five words I thought I'd never have to say:

I am stuck in Detroit.

The schedule for the next few daze*

Thursday

Wake up, get ready, get my kiddo fed, ready, lunch packed, etc.

Straighten up house as much as possible.

Get to school by 8:30-ish. Hopefully I'll be able to leave without The Geej throwing a full-blown hissy fit as she did this morning.

Get to work by 9:00-ish

Team meeting at 9:30.

Team photo after team meeting.

Finish editing 13 page document.

Get all stuff together for work trip (more on this soon).

Wait for mom to call around lunch time.

Go meet mom and her cousin who's visiting from Holland downstairs in The Store. Tour them around The Store.

Go to lunch with Mom and 2nd Cousin. Don't really eat anything. (You'll see why in a sec.)

Wait for call from Mr. Wonderful telling me his plane has landed.

Go to 2nd lunch with Mr. Wonderful because he'll be really hungry. Again, don't really eat anything.

Go get The Geej at school. Listen to her squeal with glee when she sees that Mr. Wonderful is with me.

Go home and hang with The Geej for a while. Make her some dinner. Get myself ready to go to dinner at swanky restaurant with Mr. Wonderful (this is why I really don't want to eat much during the earlier part of the day).

Take Geej to La Turista's to play with Peach and Olive for a while.

Go have nice leisurely dinner with Mr. Wonderful at swanky, romantic restaurant. Stuff my face. Drink wine. Enjoy myself.

Pick up Geej.

Take her home.

Put her to bed.

Put myself to bed. With Mr. Wonderful. Hubba hubba.

Friday

Wake up.

Say goodbye to Mr. Wonderful who leaves to go to his big job interview. (This positive thoughts, people.)

Get the girl ready for school, which will include her first day of DANCE CLASS!!

Get myself ready. Sort of.

Take Geej to school.

Go get my freakin' hair cut and colored because y'all, my roots are utterly ridiculous.

Rendezvous with Mr. Wonderful for a post-interview lunch and perhaps a matinee.

Go shop for something yummy to cook for dinner. Hopefully on the grill. I love a man who grills.

Pick up the Geej.

Go home. Make dinner. Hang with the Geej.

Put the Geej to bed.

Go to bed.

Saturday

Wake up.

Get ready.

Pack for work trip while Mr. Wonderful packs to go home.

Dah arrives.

Mr. Wonderful and I leave for airport.

I rendezvous with coworker at airport. We go to our gate and board a plane to Michigan.

Mr. Wonderful goes to his gate and boards a plane for Colorado.

Land in Dallas. Get on Connecting flight to DETROIT (Motown).

Land in Detroit. Get rental car. Figure out how the hell to get from the airport to our hotel in West Bloomfield.

Check in.

Connect with coworker's friends who live in Detroit area.

Have dinner. Drink wine. Hang out.

Go to hotel. Go to sleep.

Sunday

Wake up. Get ready.

Meet up with two other coworkers to tour stores.

Tour three stores. Meet various people. Be delightful and pleasant.

Have dinner with coworkers.

Tour final store.

Go back to hotel.

Hang out with travel-partner/coworker, going over next day's presentation.

Watch "Rock of Love" on VH-1 if hotel has it on cable.

Go to sleep.

Monday

Go to the only store we didn't tour the day before.

Give presentation/training from 9:00 - 10:30.

Have lunch.

Go to airport. Turn in rental car.

Catch plane to Dallas.

Land in Dallas. Catch plane to Austin.

Land in Austin at 7:00pm.

Get home just in time for The Geej's bath and bedtime ritual.

Unpack. Shower. Collapse.

Tuesday

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be taking the day off on Tuesday.


*In other words, please forgive if I don't blog for the next few days... I'm going to be a little busy.

Please tell me she's getting this out of her system now.

Because I don't want to be a grandmother before 50.

Here she is with Sally (of course) taking the maiden voyage in the new stroller. We had to toss the old stroller because she simply wore it out. It was all kinds of broken, and we had a mini-crisis on our hands because of it. Yes, that's a faux Baby Bjorn she's wearing on her chest (came with the stroller, dontcha know), and in it is the rarely-photographed "swimming baby," Britney. (My mom named her. I sweartogod.)

And today, a coworker of mine with a first grader gladly bequeathed me two gently-used babies, just as big as Sally. They didn't have any clothes on because her daughter had wanted to keep the clothes to put on her stuffed animals. Oh well...Geej likes 'em nekkid anyway. So these new babies were waiting for her in the car when I picked her up from school today, and after first wanting to name one of them "Bumblebee," we landed on the names Molly (on her head) and Polly (on her left). Apparently, they're twins. And Sally is their sister. Would you please look at how happy she is?!

And have I told y'all that she'll only wear dresses now and starts dance lessons this Friday (her request). Holy crap. How did I end up with this girly girl?

Another milestone is passed...

This weekend, I took Geej's carseat out of the back seat and replaced it with this:
It's the Evenflo "Big Kid" booster seat. It's actually pretty cool, if for no other reason than it can be pulled in and out of the car no problemo (unlike the car seat, which required an act of Congress and lots of muscles). It also has little lights on each side, in case she wants to read Shakespeare or something while we prowl the streets at night. I swear, I got tears in my eyes the first time I strapped her booster. She's just so damn BIG all of the sudden. It's like each one of these little milestones we pass means that the baby I remember is a more and more distant memory. Sigh.

On a TOTALLY unrelated note, as I write this, there are only 7 more hours until Justin Timberlake's big HBO concert. Cougars, UNITE!

According to The Geej...

...all you need to go to the beach are the following items (pictured below):

• An umbrella
• Lots of "money"
• A bib
• A book
• and, a towel "for the sand"

You know what's scary? She's pretty fucking dead on.

By the way, she gathered all this together and then announced, "Mommy, I'm ready to go to the airport and get on a plane to the beach. And I'm bringing Sally."

But of course you are, angel. Of course you are...