Saying goodbye to 2008 from the relative sanity of my cube at work.

I'm not working. I'm eating lunch at my desk, and then I'm leaving to go--gasp--grocery shopping. Why the gasp? Because I was just down in the godforsaken store, and it is a freakin' MADHOUSE, people. But shopping must occur because I'm preparing a vegetarian stew for Miss Lindsay's New Year's Day soiree tomorrow and, well, we just need groceries.

Okay, so lots has happened since I last posted. Here's the update (stay with me):

Tuesday evening (12/23)
Started having very sharp chest pains unlike anything I'd ever experienced while shopping at Whole Foods. Figured they'd go away. They didn't. After over an hour of this mess, I called my insurance's "nurse line," and described my symptoms and my medical history, and they were like, "Get thee to the emergency room!" So my darling husband drove my reluctant and beligerent ass to the ER, during which time the chest pains stopped (natch). But we went in anyway and spent 4 hours having the whole work-up done--blood tests, chest X-ray, EKG, cat scan, etc. By the time we left (around 10:30 pm), we were starving and we had no clue what had caused the chest pains. And they haven't happened again since (thank goodness). I'm really looking forward to getting the bills for that little night of fun.

Wednesday (12/24)
Woke up and started prepping to cook The Monochromatic Feast. First I prepared a breakfast casserole to be baked on Christmas morning. Then I prepped the squash and corn casserole and au gratin potatoes with goat cheese and chives for that evening's dinner. My mom and The Geej arrived from Horseshoe Bay, and I thought The Geej's eye's were going to bug out of her head when she saw all the new presents wrapped and placed under the tree since the last time she'd seen it. She was one excited little girl. Mom brought the smoked turkey breast and dressing, and we rounded out our dinner with a mixed green salad with bleu cheese, walnuts and pears. Needless to say, we were all STUFFED when dinner was over. We somehow convinced The Geej that she needed to go to sleep so that Santa could come and do his thing, and then we followed pretty soon after.


Thursday, 12/25
The Geej woke up at the crack of dawn to see her loot from the fat man. She was very happy with everything she got, especially the new baby stroller to replace her old one that she'd literally worn out. I got BH a set of rowing lessons and a one-month membership to The Rowing Dock, and he got me a gift certificate for not one, but THREE massages. We also got each other garden gnomes--Matthew and Norm--but that's a whole 'nother story. Christmas evening, we went over to La Turista's to visit with her family and chow down on tamales.


Friday, 12/26
BH fetched his boys, and we had a second round of present-opening. They each wanted--and received--kick-ass new skateboards, and the weather was great outside, so there was much skateboarding in the afternoon. BH also gave the family a 40-lb. punching bag and a bunch of boxing gloves so we can punch and hit and kick to our hearts' content. Dah went back to HSB.



Saturday, 12/27 thru Monday, 12/29
Hung out. Ate. Cooked. Napped. Played with the kids. Hung out some more. Played with the kittens. Tried to keep The Geej and BH's youngest from bugging each other to death. Had dinner with BH's mom and step-dad who were visiting. Had another round of present opening during which The Geej received this ensemble:
On Monday, I went back to work.


Tuesday, 12/30
Worked, and then went to happy hour with four of my favorite gals at the recently remodeled and reopened Paggi House. It was AWESOME. We sat outside (yes, it was nice enough to sit outside), drank wine, ate cheese and crackers, talked, and laughed laughed laughed.

Which brings us to today. As I said, I've got to go grocery shop, then I will fill up my car, go fetch The Geej (she's been at my mom's since Sunday b/c school's closed), return home and cook, clean, and (hopefully) take down that dadgum Christmas tree/kitten magnet.

So goodbye, and good riddance 2008. During this past year I landed a new husband and two step-sons, got a new car, and voted in a new president. I watched my 401(k) and Roth IRAs dwindle and the price of gas soar and plunge. I joined Facebook and didn't blog as much as I should've. I had to put the best cat of all time to sleep because he had an advanced, incurable disease, and I welcomed two new, absolutely insane kittens into our family. I watched my daughter complete her transformation from toddler to little girl. I spent my last year in my thirties. I faced very difficult and trying times at work and passed my 9 year anniversary there as well. And I celebrated my 4 year blogiversary.

Thanks for coming by and reading about my silly life. Hope to see you again in '09.

Last minute letter to Santa...

Apparently, the Geej conned Dah into typing up another letter to Santa. She submitted it on behalf of her favorite baby, Sally. That sneaky little minx...

Dear Santa,

My name is Sally, and I have been good. I want some new shoes and a little play set with water in it for the babies to swim in. I could use a new swimming baby for Dah’s house and a little baby carrier for Dah’s house and some purple flowers.

Dah needs some new bras and some new glasses and a new freezer because hers died and it smelled just awful in the garage.

Gracelyn needs new clip clop shoes because hers are broken. And a new dress for Sally and a pants outfit.

I hope you have a good time going down the chimney with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. We have cookies for you at our house in Austin, Texas. Don’t forget.

Love,
The Geej

Thanks!!

Hey y'all! You gave me some good advice for the whole gift pickle I was in with the boys. I ended up getting F (the younger one) some drawing supplies (he's an excellent artist), a book on cartooning, some magic trick things, and a gift certificate to the Vans store so he can get some new skateboarding shoes (his are currently held together with duct tape).

For J, the older one, I got a Vans gift certificate as well, and that's it. I feel terrible, but I'd rather NOT get him something than get him something he hates. Maybe I'll give him some cash too. Lame? Yes. But what 14 year old doesn't like moolah, right?

I swore I wasn't going to get my babydoll junkie any more babydolls, but then this walked into my cube at work today:

Her name is Jayden, and she's one of The EarthFriends. Her skin is made of hemp, and her stuffing is made out of recycled plastic bottles. Plus, she's radically unlike any of The Geej's current stable of babies. How could I say no?! And best of all? She's like a $90 doll for FREAKIN' FREE!! Thank you, Santa Claus!!

So now I'm about to pack up, head to Whole Foods to brave the crowds and do my shopping for tomorrow, then head home. Once home I have a list of things to do that's 5 miles long, and most of it involves cleaning, tidying, and then cleaning some more.

Tomorrow, I'm working 1/2 day (from home, thank goodness) then cooking up a storm. My mom's providing the smoked toikey and dressing (her's is--bar none--my favorite), and I'm doing everything else, including creating a breakfast casserole for the following morning. Tomorrow afternoon, the Geej and Dah arrive. I miss that little monkey!! I bet she's going to be wound up like a top since it will be Christmas eve. Luckily, we've got plenty of egg nog and wine (for the grown-ups, natch).

If I don't get a chance to blog again before Santa's arrival, I hope you ALL have a very safe and stress-free holiday--especially those of you who are travelling to be with friends and family.

So Quiet.

Hey friends.

It's is practically silent at our house right now. I occasionally hear the kitties wrestling and playing, and I can hear the fridge running and--of course--the sound of my typing, but that's it.
Why so quiet? Well, my mom came and got The Geej so they could spend a few days together while school's out. BH and I both have to work tomorrow and Tuesday, and I also have to work 1/2 a day on Wednesday. I took advantage of being Geej-free yesterday to do laundry, run errands, do a tiny bit of shopping, get a pedicure, and see a movie ("Let The Right One In"--meh). Today I slept late, did MORE shopping, saw another movie ("Milk"--excellent), wrapped presents, and ate Tom Kha w/tofu.

One of the accomplishments I'm most proud of from these past two days? I reclaimed the bread box for its rightful purpose--holding bread. For as long as I can remember, the bread box has been like the defacto "junk drawer" that's in every kitchen in America. There was all kinds of crap in there--koozies, play-dough containers, batteries, old birthday cards, a charger for a cellphone I haven't had in three years. You get the idea. Well now all that's in there is a half-gone loaf of multigrain bread, which for some reason, gives me great peace.

Tomorrow's big tasks (besides going to work, of course) is to clean up The Geej's room (it's a freakin' disaster area right now) and get a grocery shopping list together for Christmas Eve dinner. It's just going to be the four of us--BH, Geej, my mom and me--but we're doing a traditional holiday dinner with all the fixins. And I'm also making a breakfast casserole thingie for Christmas morning b/c I KNOW The Geej will be up at the crack of dawn to see what Santa brought.

Speaking of, she keeps adding to her Christmas list. Today she told me she wants a pink iPod, a puppy, a guitar, a kitchen, and a puppy. Um...yeah. I don't think Santa's going to be able to get all that at this late date.

It's been VERY hard shopping for BH's boys F and J. I just have NO idea what to get for an almost 9 and 14 year old boys. Zero. I've asked BH for input at least 50 times, but he's been little help. I'm tempted to get the 14 yr. old a 6 pack of PBR and a subscription to Penthouse, but I'm really stumped for ideas for the 8 yr. old. Ideas from you guys are more than welcome.

Here's a kitteh update (since I know you're dying for one):

Doug ate several keys off my laptop this week--the Alt, X, C, and F3. He is also very curious about people food--something that never interested Earl in the least. Like a good big brother, Doug worries if he doesn't know where Diane is, and will walk around crying for her until he finds her. This week he discovered the joy of sleeping in a sunbeam as well as the wonders of the sink. He's proving to be the more chill of the two and is turning into quite the lover bear.

Diane has gas. It's really unusual for cats to be gassy, but this little gal can clear a room. She also has a total crush on BH, and clearly prefers him to me. Whereas Doug doesn't mind being picked up, Diane can't stand it and will squirm like crazy if held. She's the more aggressive of the two, picking fights and doing sneak attacks on poor Doug. She also has what BH calls "Sponge Bob Eyes" meaning they're big and sort of comically irresistable.

I am so in love with them, it's not funny. I love that one minute they're practically MURDERING each other, and the next, they're totally spooning and sacked out. I love that they have very distinct personalities. What I'm NOT loving is how frequently I'm having to scoop the litterbox. Yowzah.

I hope all of your pre-holiday craziness isn't too crazy. Right now I'm enjoying the fact that it actually feels like winter out there (it's 35 degrees) as opposed to yesterday when it was in the upper 70s. I'm also enjoying the quiet because, like this cold weather, I know it won't last very long.

Ho ho ho, freaks.

The REAL reason I haven't been blogging as frequently as I should.

I want to blog more, I swear! But every time I start working on the computer, THIS happens.And if he's not doing this, he's sitting right next to the screen batting away at the cursor or the mouse. Meanwhile, Diane's in my lap purring her brains out.

So you see, it's not me. It's THEM!!

Deck Bloggin'

Yes, people. I'm sitting out on the deck on a warm, sunny and breezy Saturday afternoon. The kids--mine and his--are playing, and the dog is chillin'. The kitties are sitting inside on the window sill, looking out at all of us. It' pretty great.

Doug and Diane have settled in to our home very nicely. It's easy to forget how totally insane young kitties are when you haven't had them in your world for many years. They've completely removed all of the ornaments from the lower quarter of the tree and seem to have an immense disdain for upright picture frames. They are both fearless (unlike Earl who was scared of new people, the doorbell, plastic bags, thunderstorms, etc.) and like being with their people. I am their main "person," and as a result, they follow me around EVERYWHERE. They are practically inseparable and, as much as they love each other, they also frequently and vigorously kick each other's asses. Usually at around 5:00am somewhere near our heads in bed.

This week has been super busy both at work and at home. I'm sure everyone's feeling it. This time of year is always at least 45% more insane than the rest of the year. My main problem is that I'm being meeting-ed to death at work, and as a result, unable to get very much actual WORK work done. I'm actually looking forward to having to work the weeks of Christmas and New Years because no one will be around ergo no meetings. Maybe I can actually get somewhat caught up. At any rate, I'm pretty burnt out on my workplace and could really do with at least a week away from that place. But since our time off policy is absolutely abysmal, any time off I take for the next couple of months (until I get my next paid time off hours disbursement), will be unpaid. In fact, the paycheck I got yesterday included 38 hours unpaid time off (wedding/honeymoon, Geej's walking pneumonia, and Thanksgiving). So, yay!!

The Geej had a big week too. She advanced to the next level in her gymnastics class, had a pajama party/gingerbread house making hoo hah at school on Friday, went to the Trail of Lights preview on Friday night, and went to see a movie this afternoon ("Madagasgar 2"--We've never seen the original, but we were miraculously able to keep up). That's a LOT for her in a short period of time, but luckily there seems to be plenty of holiday candy and sweets to keep her engines on full. This is important since she's got the KITTENS to take care of (and by "take care of" I mean stalk, torment, boss around, tattle on, and torment). She's appointed herself judge, jury, and executioner of the poor felines. They are very patient with her, bless their little hearts.

Let's see...what else. Oh YES, Christmas!! It's coming, isn't it? And I've just barely started shopping. I have no idea what to get most of the people in my life, and my diminished paycheck(s) aren't helping the situation.

Tonight after dinner we're going to pile in the car and partake in the time-honored American tradition of riding around and looking at Christmas lights in the rich neighborhoods around town. Then tomorrow, we head out to BH's work holiday party. That's two hours away. In the middle of the country. With three kids in the car.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

While I'm here, let me post a few recent photos for your viewing enjoyment:

The tree before we put the ornaments on it that the kittehs couldn't help but remove. The Geej thinks she's a present. When I pulled the Christmas tree skirt out of storage, it was COVERED in Earl fur. He used to love sleeping under there and never once messed with the ornaments. Sigh.

There's my little pajama'd reindeer maker (in the middle) at her class's party yesterday.

And here they are--him and her--being nauseatingly sweet and cuddly before going COMPLETELY NUTS.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Doug and Diane

This is Doug (sticking his big, goofy head under the Christmas tree skirt and attacking BH's hand): And this is Diane (snoozing on the couch and not minding being covered up in a bankie a bit):

That's right. As of yesterday, we now have two smallish new feline members added to our family roster.

Here's how it went down:

When Earl was sick, I was going to his vet's office once (and sometimes twice) a day dealing with everthing. During that time, I got to know the staff quite well, and bonded with them over what was happening. Plus, they all LOVED Earl (I mean, who didn't, right?), and so they knew me, I knew them, etc. After Earl died, they sent me a beautiful flower arrangement and all signed the condolences card. It meant a lot.

Anyway, earlier this week, one of the vet techs--a gal named Becca--called and said that she'd been fostering a sweet orange male kitten and his sister, and let me know I could meet them if interested. Bless her heart, she was SO sweet, and worried about if it was "too soon" for me, and let me know that it was "really awkward" for her to call me but that he was "such a great kitty" that she thought of me as a potential owner. I considered this sort of a sign. As a matter of fact I WAS ready, and was incidentally, looking for a male/female pair of litter mates to adopt. It just seemed like kismet.

So I made BH go with me to meet them on Wednesday, and by Thursday afternoon, I'd called her and told her I wanted them.

Doug is bigger than his sister. He's SO playful and has a very loud purr. He's solid orange but has a tinge of lighter colored fur on his upper chest area. He's terribly handsome.

Diane is very petite and quite gorgeous. She's a grey tabby (as opposed to Ellen who was brown) and has an orange paw and a smattering of white on her upper chest. Her eyes are a beautiful grey, and her whiskers are half white, half black. And she very much likes kicking her big brother's ass.

It is very weird being around active, inquisitive, playful, mischevious cats who like each other after my last two cats being the opposite of every one of those words I just typed. They're about 4.5 to 5 mos. old, and aren't shy or skittish at all.

I'm definitely falling in love. Merry Christmas to us.

It's that time of the year...

Let Sally O'Malley bring you some holiday cheer because she's FIFTY and she can kick, stretch and KICK.

Thanksgiving: Over Next Up: Christmas

I have a Thanksgiving post, but it requires photos, and they haven't been downloaded yet yadda yadda. So I'm doing a reverse fakeout with y'all, and doing a Christmas post instead.

ZING!

I guess it's only fitting since the Christmas tree is now up and decorated (as of about 5:30 this afternoon), and at least ONE of us in this house (the little one, natch) is suuuuuuuuuper excited about the whole shebang.

In fact, we sat down and wrote her letter to Santa tonight. I begged her to let me type it since I type about a jillion times faster than I write longhand, and here, my friends, is the stream-of-consciousness results.

Enjoy:

11.30.08

Santa Claus
North Pole

Dear Santa,

I act(ed) nice at Gramps’s house (Gramps is BH's dad, and who we stayed with for Thanksgiving--ed.), and I wanted to say that when I was a baby did you know that I did not suck on a dah-dah (a.k.a., “pacifier”--ed.)?

Dear Santa, I have a real computer like my mom but ‘cept it makes noise. I have a picture of you Santa Claus. And when you come, we have everything set. You’ll love it. I have a snow globe and it sparkles so much. I really love you Santa Claus, and I’m sorry I didn’t come have a picture with you, but I was three years old and I didn’t know what was happening like my X-ray when I got walking pneumonia (apparently that X-ray was more traumatic than I thought--ed.).

I want a little teddy bear, Santa Claus. And even though I have a little reindeer thing with Santa (you) and a present, I want another one please. And I want some princess dress up clothes and pretend lipstick. And Santa, some sparkly pink and blue shoes for Austin, Texas and Horseshoe Bay where my Dah (“grandmother”—ed.) lives, and I want some fancy green some and I want some purple shoes (sparkly), and I want writing with little people walking in the fancy shoes, Santa (I have no clue, Santa—ed.).

I really like to draw pictures. I want five clean pages and pictures in a little tiny book.

Santa, I want one more little tiny baby, but it’s going to go to Horseshoe Bay, not Austin, please, because I just want to have another baby so I can have a big circle at Dah’s house. I want a pretend telephone that doesn’t make any noise.

I want you to bring my Dah a little purple necklace with purple shoes. Do not tell her. And we are going to give this picture (what I’m holding in my hand) to her (It’s a picture of you, Santa—ed.). Do NOT tell her, Santa Claus.

BH would like some sandpaper, please.

Mommy would like two real live kittens please Santa Claus, and we need some little papers for my mom so that she can draw things at work.

Thank you and I love you,

The Geej

I sleep better when I'm organized.

I proved this statement by sleeping like a baby last night after an intensive day of cleaning/reorganizing my horrible, HORRIBLE closet. I mean, even The Geej had said to me recently, "Mommy, your closet is MESSY." And when a four year old calls something messy, you know it's got to be bad.

But it wasn't just my closet: my dresser(s) were in a total state of chaos as well. What this led to was me doing laundry, folding clothes, and then putting away everybody's stuff but my own. Instead, my clothes would just sit around in random piles all over the house until I eventually (and literally) wore them down. So yesterday, I took advantage of being Geej-free for the day and the fact that poor BH was out of the house working to spend around six hours cleaning out, weeding through, and reorganizing. That's right: I said 6 hours.

Here are some of the stats from the day:

• Number of pairs of shoes thrown away = 8
• Items found with tags still on them/never worn = 17
• Bags of clothes ready to be taken to Safeplace = 3
• Number of items I found on hangers from the dry cleaners I used while living in Chicago...NINE YEARS AGO = 2
• Number of skirts discarded because I will never, ever be young enough or crazy enough to wear something that short in public again = 3

So yeah, I'm pretty proud of myself. And guess what, there are currently ZERO piles of clean clothes lying around because I have no room to put them away.

Now for some photographic evidence (La Turista, you may want to look away because you'll probably stroke out):

BEFORE

DURING:

AFTER:

Say it with me now people: Aaaahhhh...MUCH better. I was actually able to VACUUM the carpet in my closet (something I don't think I've done since I moved in nearly 3 years ago...YIKES)! And I can find things! Like, fast and shit!

And as if this weren't enough for one day, I sat down and did two hours' worth of work work yesterday evening so I could cross a few things off my never-ending "To Do" list.

Then I took a shower, read a magazine, and passed-the-hell-out. And 24 hours later? My closet is still clean and organized. Yay for me!!

Y'all...

...I am really, really, seriously missing my boy.

The fashionista apple doth not fall far fromest the tree.

The Geej, left to her own devices, assembled this jaunty little number on Saturday morning:

Now, I'm all for self-expression through fashion, but this? It needs a bit of help. She's sort of going for that Molly Ringwald "Pretty in Pink" thrift store/bo-ho look. I mean she's even holding an "Emily the Strange" diary that says "Some girls are stranger than others" on the front, for Pete's sake. But really? She just looks like a kid who has rapidly outgrown a pair of pants and a shirt but doesn't seem all that concerned with it.

On a related note, this is what I, her mother, looked like at work on Monday:

And after a few hours of sporting the $4.99 knitted mumu from Savers, I decided to change into this ravishing number: Question: When is a plum colored "lounge suit" made out of questionable velourish material NOT an appropriate fashion choice? Answer: NEVER!!


Yep, she comes by it honest.

God, I love this site:

Whenever I'm feeling a little down or blue, I head on over to Cake Wrecks and check out the latest disasters. You know, like this one where the unfortunate combination of color and placement of the icing "tail" make this monkey looks as if he needs some Imodium, like now:

They're starting to trickle in...

...the wedding pictures, that is.

Here are a couple:
The wedding party (why, in the name of God, did I wear hose?).

The new Mr. and Mrs.


BH and I with his boys, J and F.



My matron of honor, Julie, and the Geej. (Aren't they beautiful? I can NOT get over how much The Geej looks like she could be her child.)



Julie, my new adorable niece Chloe, and The Geej waiting for the bride (who was late for her own wedding).

More to come...

Oh lord...

I got behind a pair of these on the way home from work yesterday. I didn't think they allowed these things inside the Austin City Limits, but I guess I was wrong. I mean, the only time I've ever seen any on an actual vehicle was in a restaurant parking lot in Kansas and driving home from Lago Vista (where there were a LOT of McCain/Palin signs in yards...related? I think so).

The pair I saw yesterday were HUGE and shiny chrome on the back of a Ford F-150 King Cab. I kept trying to get up next to the guy (girl? I hope not...) to see what he looked like, but no such luck. I'll bet you a dollar he was alone, though.

From our wedding...

We look good, no?

I especially think BH looks handsome in that headband.

The reason I haven't posted any photos from the wedding?

I don't have any. That's right: none.

My camera is totally broken and BH's was packed away in his luggage. And our event was so small and low-key, that we didn't hire a photographer. They're SO expensive, and honestly, I don't know any wedding photographers worth their salt who would've taken a 1 hr. gig. So we're patiently awaiting CDs of photos from the several people who were snapping away during the event itself. But I'll give you a written recap so that later, when I post the pictures, you'll have some frame of reference.

Our wedding was last Saturday, 11/1, Dia de los Muertos. It was at 11am and was held at the Historic French Legation in the lovely and simple Carriage House. The weather was gorgeous--sunny and warm--and the wedding itself was small: immediate family only, our kids, and my friend Julie (as my matron of honor) and her fiance, Rob. The Geej was the flower girl, and BH's brother was his best man. After the short (but very sweet) ceremony, we took some photos on the grounds and then headed to Moonshine for a luncheon in their neat little "Sunday House" room. It was all just perfect. At the end of lunch, BH and I changed into our traveling clothes and headed to the airport to go to Santa Fe for a few GLORIOUS days of rest and relaxation at a beautiful resort. Our plane, which stopped in Lubbock on the way to Albuquerque, was FILLED to the gills with Texas and Texas Tech fans headed to The Game. Yay.

But we eventually got to Albuquerque, got the rent car, drove to Santa Fe, checked in to the resort, then just barely made our reservations at a swanky (but unfortunately somewhat disappointing) restaurant. By the time it was all said and done, we were both completely wiped out. Luckily, the rest of our trip involved no schedules (except for a few excellent spa treatments for moi) and lots of chilling. The weather in Santa Fe was perfection (as it almost always is). Our room had a big balcony and a fireplace, both of which we made good use of. I would totally stay at this place again, however, it would be great if it was for longer than just 3 nights next time.

Got back on Election Day (we'd early voted), and got the Geej at school. I was so happy to see the little booger. Next day, I went to work and tried to aclimate, but felt a bit overwhelmed by the amount of work that lay at my feet. That afternoon when I went to get the Geej from school, I walked in and looked at her, and knew she was sick--dark circles under her eyes, listless. Took her home and, sure enough, she had a pretty good fever and was coughing rather harshly. The fever came down with some children's Advil, but the I stayed home with her the next day because the fever was back--and higher. And this time, it wasn't coming down with the ibuprofen. So I got her in to see the doctor at the end of the day and the diagnosis? Walking pneumonia. Yowzah. This is only the second time she's ever been to the doctor for illness, so to say I was shocked at the diagnosis is an understatement.

So she and I have been stuck at home for FOUR DAYS nursing this sickness of hers. Good news is the fever is gone and the cough is almost kaput as well. The bad news is that "overwhelmed" feeling I was having at work last Wednesday? I am fearing the avalanche I can look forward to tomorrow at work.

I promise, as soon as I can, I will post wedding pictures. But hopefully some pictures from our trip will work in the meantime:

The grounds of the resort--

My handsome husband (which is still TOTALLY weird to say)--

See? I told you we had a fireplace--

The only photo of me taken during the entire honeymoon. Yep, that's how much I slept--

Things that I am at this moment on 11/04 at 11:04pm:

• Tired
• Inspired
• Proud, once again, to be an American
• Witnessing history
• Moved
• Much happier than I was on this night four years ago
• A newlywed!! (photos and a wedding/honeymoon post to come)
• Pretty sure this dog snoring on the couch next to me has been spoiled rotten by her dog-sitter over the past few days
• Glad to be home
• Wishing I could've brought some of that beautiful autumn Santa Fe weather home with me

Ladies and Gentelmen, I Present You With the Most 80s Music Video of All Time. No, Really.

And I don't know whether this is really sad or kind of cool, but I actually have this song in my iTunes--along with a couple other Zebra numbers. I've been a fan ever since I saw them open for Loverboy in '83.

Oh wait. Really sad. That would be really, really sad. Not cool at all.

God, I'm a dork.

This one's for Lisa.

What You Are
by Audioslave

When you wanted me i came to you
When you wanted someone else i lived through
When you asked for that i set myself on fire
And if i go
Far away
I know you'll find another slave

cause now i'm freed
from what you want
now i'm free
from what you need
now i'm free
from what you are

when you wanted love i cut my veins
and when you wanted love i bled myself again
now all i've had i still love you
i'd give you up forever
and here i go
far away
i know you you'll find another slave

cause now i'm free
from what you are
now i'm free
from what you need
now i'm free
from what you are

then a vision came to me
when you came along i gave you everything
but then you wanted more

cause now i'm free
from what you want
now i'm free
from what you need
now i'm free
from what you are
hey
now i'm free
from what you want
now i'm freed
from what you need
now im free

You are one of the strongest people I know, and you will survive this. You never deserved all the pain and all the drama. But you win: you ended up with the most precious prize there is. A prize he never deserved. I have been where you are right now. I love you and wish I could really be there to hug you and tell you how wonderful you are.

Things I've done in the past week (bullet pointed edition and in no particular order)

• Bought, loaded up, and quickly fell in love with my 120GB iPod (after my old 40GB one bit the dust)
• Went with BH to get our marriage license
• Endured a bit stink at work over a project I worked on and worried if I might get canned
• Felt grateful that I rarely delete my e-mails because I had an e-mail trail that exonerated me from the big stink
• Realized that my digital camera is very broken and that getting it repaired would cost almost as much as getting a new one
• Got my oil changed for the first time since buying my car in April. Apparently these new Hondas only require an oil change every 7,000 miles/6 months. Bargain!
• Bought a bustier at the shee-shee lingere store in order to ensure my girls are boosted to maximum boobocity during my nuptials
• Settled up my final $795 with the vet's office. After $5,000+, I end up with ashes and a paw print. Sigh.
• Rocked the vote.
• Picked up my wedding dress from the seamstress.
• Spent about $235 at Costco on food and booze.
• Had the most fun bachelorette weekend EVER with my girls at a rented lakehouse.
• Ate way too much of the Costco food and drank too much of the Costco booze during said weekend.
• Laughed so much and so hard that my guts hurt for days.
• Got a bunch of mystery bruises.
• Had a robot dance-off with Thelma Jane.
• Sang my ASS off at Rock Band and American Idol for Wii.
• Witnessed Lindsay's superior Rock Band guitar skills.
• Discovered that I have a new found respect for Dennis DeYoung AND that I never knew the words were actually, "Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me lads."
• Decided I really want a Wii.
• Finally finished this. Ordered this.
• Made pasta with the fresh pesto that Julie made for the bachelorette party but that we never ate.
• Saw lots of deer a ton of butterflies and a gray fox.
• Saw lots of McCain/Palin signs on the way to the lakehouse.
• Discovered that The Geej can sing harmony, no problem.
• Witnessed an impromptu performance of a number from "Godspell" that included tambourines.
• Made reservations at a crazy expensive restaurant for dinner during our honeymoon.
• Started stressing about packing for the honeymoon.
• Saw deer in my neighborhood.
• Learned that I shouldn't send out negative energy into the universe, and how I should, instead, visualize a happy world.
• Learned about the Hugh Hefner/Paper Maiche connection.
• Made a much needed mani-pedi appointment.
• Worked my ARSE off in order to have a few blissful days away from work.
• Caught up on Badger's blog and realized she seriously hurt her damn foot.
• Neglected this blog.
• Tried to make it up to my tens of readers by doing a lame bulletpointed post.

DUDES!!

I am so FUCKING ready for this weekend, I can't even begin to tell you.

In short, the past three weeks have sucked donkey. Big time. Most of the suckage has had to do with work. But the remainder of the suckage has had to do with the whole Earl dying thing. And then, if that weren't enough suckage, it has been compounded by the extreme money hemorrhaging that's been going on between wedding preparations and the whole sick/dying cat fiasco.

But, on the bright side, the weather if freakin' amazing, I'm taking tomorrow and Monday off, and I discovered this never-before-posted video of Earl on my hard drive today:


And also, I went and treated myself to a brand new 120 GB iPod classic today. Yes, I'm poor, but like any good American, I've still got credit. Whoot!!

The reason I'm taking a long weekend this weekend is because a) I TOTALLY deserve it after how hard I've been working lately and b) it's my weekend-long bachelorette shindig!! That's right--my awesome friends (most of whom are featured in the blogroll over on the right) have rented a big ass house out at the lake for the ENTIRE weekend so that we can chill, imbibe, laugh, and relax. God, I need it.

So the next time you hear from me, I'll probably be moaning about how worn out I am from the weekend. But I'm sure it will be absolutely worth it.

I'm still here.

It has been a long, busy, exhausting week since I wrote my last post. I was at a work meeting/event from Wednesday morning until Sunday morning, and it was intense and totally wore me out. Today, I was still recuperating and, as a result, felt super hungover all day, without the alcohol input. In other words, all of the pain without the fun. I'm just PRAYING that I'm not getting sick because I simply don't have the time. Plus, I've got a kick ASS bachelorette celebration to attend this weekend. So...yeah.

I'll be checking in again with you freaks very soon when I don't feel like I'm on the verge of utter collapse.

In Memoriam

First of all, thank each one of you who commented on my posts about Earl or sent me e-mails with condolences when you read that he was no longer with me. I honestly can’t begin to tell you how much that meant to me. Second, I learned something in some of your comments. I learned that my silly love affair with my sweet, chubby kitteh had affected some of you in a positive way. Badger, for instance. She never actually had the pleasure of meeting The Great Purring One, and yet she referred to him in conversation as the only cat she’d ever liked. That, my friends, is saying something. And there are those of you who found my posts about or photos of him funny or touching and, because of that, you ended up liking him too, even though you’d never had him perch on your chest and look at you with lurve in his big, green eyes. Of course there are my friends who WERE lucky enough to encounter this sweet, gentle soul and who were—without exception—charmed silly by his personality, often in spite of themselves. He was like that big, loveable guy in high school we all knew that never met a stranger and never had an enemy. The guy that made everyone he met happier than they were before he’d come into their lives.

My story of Earl, for those of you who don’t know it, is the following: Within weeks of my first husband up and leaving me after nine whole months of marriage, this ugly little kitten—the product of two frequently-fornicating strays we’d been feeding—showed up in our garage. I say “ugly” because I’d never found orange (or “ginger” as they’re sometimes called) cats particularly appealing. Plus, he had ENORMOUS paws that were totally out-of-proportion with the rest of his wee self and he purred entirely too much and too loudly, in my opinion. Although his moocher parents were skittish, this little guy didn’t have an ounce of fear in his tiny body, and walked right up to me the first time we met while his ma and pa bolted away. I scooped him up, he turned on that motor, and the rest—as they say—is history.

I wasn’t looking for a new pet. I had the grand dame, Ellen, who was around 10 at the time, and I was about to say a heartbreaking good-bye to the Siberian Husky my soon-to-be-ex was taking with him. So a kitten was not something I wanted or needed. Or so I thought…

But he quickly moved into my world—much to Ellen’s dismay—and forced me to care for something small and helpless. He snuggled with me in a way that Ellen had never deigned to do (she was nothing if not uppity), and made me laugh with his goofy antics every single day. His kittenish charm never left him, no matter how enormous he got, and that motor of his did not stop running until—literally—the last beat of his big, sweet heart.

It may sound corny, but I am convinced that Earl was an angel, sent to help heal my shattered heart, just when I felt my most lost and alone. And now, mere weeks away from marrying the man of my dreams, he left to go continue his heart-healing work with someone who simply needs him now more than I do.

Here are a few of my favorite photos of him—some you may have seen before, some that I’ve never posted. Please enjoy. One of these days, I will have another B.O.C. (Big Orange Cat, for those of you who haven’t yet been indoctrinated into this fervent cult)—you can count on that. But I will never, ever have another Earl.

A Very Good Boy.

Night night, little fat man.

Earl

June-ish, 2001 - October 11, 2008

Cancer fucking sucks.

It's cancer.

High grade lymphosarcoma of the intestine. I'm just stunned and sad and freaked the fuck out. He's my sweet baby, handsome mama's boy, my little fatty snuggle partner. He can't be sick. He just can't.

But he is.

Update/explanation about Earl

Sigh. God. Where do I begin...

A couple of weeks ago, Earl basically stopped eating. And you've seen pictures of him, right? Clearly this is an animal who enjoys eating. Anyway, I sort of chalked it up to the prescription diet food that our vet had put him on after his last visit. But then he started barfing, almost daily. Cats can be barfy, but Earl hasn't really ever been, so this started to concern me. Well, after this went on for several days, I started to get concerned. I took him to the vet last Thursday to get checked out. They did a through exam and work up on him (including X-rays and blood and urine tests), but couldn't figure anything out. He wasn't running a fever, but he was a bit dehydrated, and he did act like his abdomen hurt him a wee bit during the exam. But that was it. So they sent us home a couple of hundred dollars later with some antibiotics, and told me that if he didn't start eating/drinking in the next day or so, to bring him back in.

Next day: Friday. I ended up going out for the Karlabration--and after the hella week I'd had--ended up getting TANKED and spent the night in Karla's extra bed at the Omni. Next morning when I got home, I discovered that Earl hadn't eaten and had, once again, vomited.

I called our vet, who is open for part of the day on Saturdays, and took him in. They re-examined him, but then sent me to the emergency animal clinic with Earl's records so that he could be tended to there (since they were closing and didn't have the staff to do an ultrasound on him). So, off we go to the emergency clinic. And we wait. And wait. And wait. And finally we get sent back to an exam room. And wait. And wait some more. Finally the vet comes in and examines him, and looks over the papers and notes we'd come with. During the exam of Earl's (rather substantial) abdomen, the doctor says, "I feel something in there." He performed an ultrasound and, bingo, there was "something that shouldn't be there" in Earl's intestines. The doctor recommended, that since this had been going on for some days and Earl was getting dangerously dehydrated, that they should go in and do an exploratory surgery to figure out what the suspicious something was. I signed the consent forms, kissed Earl good-bye, and went out and bawled in my car in the parking lot.

They finally performed the surgery late Saturday night, when Earl had received enough IV fluids to be rehydrated, and the doctor called me to give me the report at 12:45am: They'd found a section of his intestine where the intestinal wall was swollen and enlarged, clogging the intestine itself up. So he'd removed this section and then sewed the intestine back together, and finished the operation. From what he'd seen, he said he couldn't tell what it was, but that the lymph nodes in that area looked unusual, so it might be lymphoma or a leiomysarcoma that, hopefully, had not had a chance to metasticize. But all of this is conjecture pending the pathology report.

Sunday, Geej and I went to visit Earl at the emergency clinic. He didn't lift his head, but he purred and made biscuits as we petted him. He still wouldn't eat, however.

Monday, I had to go get him from the emergency clinic by 6:30a.m. then transfer him to our regular vet for continuing care. The bill at the emergency clinic? $2,100 and change. Dropped him off at our vet's office, and he decided not to eat or drink all day long. So they asked me to come and get him so that he could go home to a less stressful environment so that he might be encouraged to eat. But before we left, we gave them $340 more.

Went home, and tried everything I knew of to interest him in food, but with no luck. He did seem happy to be there and got some much needed rest. And he went poop, which is a positive thing. This morning, however, his poor paw on the arm where his IV catheter is was swollen to almost three times its normal size. Poor baby!! And he'd thrown up during the night. Sigh.

So I dropped him off at the vet again this morning for some more care and administration of "appetite stimulators", and will be going back to take him home with me this afternoon. After I lay down my credit card once again.

He's such a healthy cat, that it's just killing me to see him down like this. Plus, I still don't know what the results of the pathology are, and if it's cancer, I'm going to fucking lose it. Seriously.

Thanks for your notes letting me know you're thinking of us. I really do appreciate it. And I'm sure that if he could, Earl would give you a big ol' head bunk to show his thanks as well.

I'll let you know what happens next.

Something to keep you entertained.

I have had the most awesome awful stressful fun exhausting tear-filled expensive weekend in a long time. I will write about it soon. I promise. However, it's currently 11:35pm, and I've got at least an hour's worth of work staring me in the face AND I have to get up at 5:20am tomorrow because I've got to transfer my cat from the weekend emergency vet clinic to his regular vet clinic by 7:00am.

So, instead, I'll leave you with this:

What the Geej would look like if she'd been a high school senior in 1994.

You can make one too--you pick the decade and the year--by going here. Now, have fun with that, and I'll be back soon.

Couldn't "live blog" the VP debate tonight because of two things:

1. We were out of wine.

2. BH and I were FAR too busy playing this:
VP Bingo!! We had three different cards for each candidate found on various different websites. Unfortunately, we didn't have dobbers.

In the end, I'm the only one who actually got a Bingo (or a "Palin" as it were). But I tell you, if they'd had "fundamental difference" on my Biden cards or "Ronald Reagan" on my Palin cards, I could've scored a freakin' blackout.

And would you please check THIS out?
Yep. She actually said "Maverick" that many times during the debates. Ugh. I am completely nauseated by her "folksy" act--the turns of phrase, the ending of words that should end with a "g" with an "n" instead (ex: bringin', winnin', talkin', etc.), the "aw shucks that's how we do it way up in Alaska" crap. You know who else was considered "folksy"? Our current numbnuts disaster of a president. Nobody cares if you're down home, Sarah. Do you have what it takes to be the Vice President and, God forbid, president if that need ever arose? So far, from what I've seen and heard from you, the answer is a resounding "Gosh golly no!"

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

We definitely have a problem.

Ugh.

I know that technically "ugh" is probably not a word, but it's the only one I have that adequately sums up how I feel right now.

First off, I've got a HELLUVA stomach ache. And I would insist that it's stress related, except that BH has it too. Must've been something we ate, but I'm not sure what. Right now I'm enjoying some Immodium washed down with a lovely ginger ale in hopes of achieving some sort of normalcy before I try to go to sleep. And I'm lounging in my bed with my laptop, literally, on top of my lap in a valiant attempt to tend to this horribly neglected blawg.

God, it's been so long since I've written a real post that there is much to catch you fools up on. So now, in no particular order...

Yes, I have high blood pressure. But my foxy doctor put me on meds, and tomorrow I'm going for the stress-test/echocardiogram. Plus, I'll get to learn the results of my blood test where they did all the triglycerides/cholesteral stuff. Today while at the dentist, they took my blood pressure, and it was darn near normal (136/70), so yay for that. I will say that since going on the meds, I haven't felt the heart palpitations I used to feel at least a couple of times a day. Sometimes these "flutters" would lead to full on anxiety attacks because of the freaky inner dialogue that would go on when they would happen (Stuff like: "Holy shit! I'm stroking out!), so it's nice that they've gone away.

The wedding plans are progressing nicely. We bought our wedding rings. I've figured out where I'm going to get our wedding cobbler. I've ordered the flowers. We're meeting with an officiant this week. My dress came in and is at the alteration lady as of today. And, I found a PERFECT pair of shoes to go with that were on sale for $28.50 (down from $115). I also bought a cool comb-y thing for my hair do on the day of. Now I just need to figure out what jewlery I'm going to wear and figure out who the hell is actually going to DO my hair on the big day. Any suggestions? We've still got to get our marriage license, and BH still needs to find something to wear, but other than that, we're pretty much good to go.

Work is super crazy right now. I'm part of a very small planning committee for a very big company event that's being held in mid-October, and we didn't start planning it until about 2 weeks ago. So...yeah. Of course it's taking up WAY more of my time that I anticipated, and that's on top of my normal work stuff. I'm just trying to keep my head above water at this point. Let me just say that, by the time our short little honeymoon gets here, I will be more than ready for some downtime.

The Geej has started her karate class at school, and she's digging it. It's cool because most of the kiddos in the class are new to her (as opposed to her already knowing everyone in her gymnastics class). I think her favorite part of karate may be getting to wear her "karate unicorn." She's also going through a "baseball" phase where she's wanting for me to throw the wiffle ball for her to swat at with her big red bat every night. Since she's not related to me by blood, she may actually have a shot at having some athletic skills!

I managed to completely avoid the Austin City Limits music festival this weekend by staying totally south of the river. There were a lot of bands I would've loved to have seen, but I've just gotten where I can't DEAL with the hassle of big huge crowds like that anymore. I know...I'm a fucking senior citizen.

BH and I are talking about re-doing our bathroom. Nothing huge--some new mirrors, new paint, new drawers. But I'm excited!! I'm sure we won't do anything until after we get the wedding behind us, but I'll be ready to rock when we finally get going.

If I hear "Wall Street versus Main Street" one more time, I may vomit.

We've been sleeping with the windows open every night since it's cooled off here, and I'm LOVING it. The only problem: I cannot get up in the morning. It's just too comfy and cozy.

I tried to watch the new Allan Ball series on HBO, "True Blood." I gave it three episodes, and then I said, "Screw this crap." I had real hopes for it since I loved "Six Feet Under" and "American Beauty" so much. However, the best thing about "True Blood" are the opening credits. Seriously: The accents, acting, and writing are SO bad that even sexy blood suckers couldn't keep me interested.

I know I've got more to tell y'all, but I'm beat and still feeling queasy, so I'm gonna sign off and go top off my ginger ale.

More soon...

Once again...

...work has amped up to eleven. I am up to my eyeballs in multiple projects at the moment, and it's taking everything I have just to stay sort of kind of on top of things. Meanwhile, I've got a wedding to finish planning and a home life to attend to.

Oh, and a blog to update occasionally.

But right now? I'm too tired to punch one more key.

Like mother, like daughter.

The Geej has always responded to music, even when she was very wee. And we do NOT listen to kiddie music. Mostly because I would end up going postal in a Chuck E. Cheese if I had to endure that shit. So, in the car, we listen to whatever's in the CD player or on XM. And if there are songs we hear frequently--like if I've made a mix CD of a bunch of stuff I like and we're listening to it a lot--she very quickly learns the song and sings along at the top of her lungs. And as soon as she's learned something, she feels a sense of ownership and begins calling it "my music" and starts requesting to hear certain songs. Right now, I'm going through a big Yacht Rock renaissance, so we've been listening to a great deal of Doobie Brothers, Gerry Rafferty, Loggins and Messina, Steely Dan and the like. You know...music that played in MY mom's car when I was a kid. Anyway, she's LOVING it, and singing right along.

Well, as might be expected with a music lover, she doesn't just want to sing along with other people's songs: she wants to create some of her own. Accordingly, we've recently entered the "making up 1,000 songs a day" phase here at Casa de Geej. She is singing constantly, and it's awesome. She actually has a good voice and can sing in tune. And when we're Yacht Rocking out in the car, she's holds the melody line while I sing harmony with no problem.

So anyway, I thought I'd let you see a little bit of what I'm talking about with the whole making-up-songs thing. This is a fairly typical number. They're usually about love and pets and things that are pretty and getting to do whatever she wants. And at the end, her favorite inexplicable ending-phrase when we're recording vidoe: "Hot lava!"

Enjoy!

The meme stolen from about half of the people in that list over there on the right.

1. How do you like your eggs?
My favorite way? Deviled. My most frequently ordered/prepared way? Scrambled.

2. How do you take your coffee/tea?
Tea, straight up. Coffee, no thank you.

3. Favorite breakfast food:
Potato, egg, cheese and jalapeno bkfst. taco with pico de gallo. Heaven on freakin' Earth.

4. Peanut butter:
Yeah...I'm sort of weird about peanut butter. But if I have to have it, creamy please, and all natural...you know, like you have to stir it up to mix all the oil and shit together.

5. What kind of dressing on your salad?
Any kind of vinagrette. Aside from a Greek salad, I deplore creamy dressings.

6. Coke or Pepsi?
Coke. Not diet Coke; the real thing.

7. You're feeling lazy. What do you make?
Bean and cheese soft tacos or a sandwich.

8. You're feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order?
All veggie, sans bell peppers.

9. You feel like cooking. What do you make?
Oh man...pretty much anything. I'm all about entrees, sides, and salads. But I'm not good with desserts and baking. My favorite thing to prepare for a semi-fancy meal is a seared, high quality tuna steak, a really good salad, and some sort of starchy side. For a simple supper, a good entree salad with tons of fresh ingredients.

10. Do any foods bring back good memories?
King Ranch Casserole (also called "Mexican Chicken" around my house). It was one of those "go to" dishes my mom made a lot when I was growing up, and I've always loved it, despite the Velveeta.
Also, fried catfish. It's something that my dad excelled at creating, and I miss his version like crazy.

11. Do any foods bring back bad memories?
Broth and jello.

12. Do any foods remind you of someone?
Quiche reminds me of my grandmother. Purple-hulled peas remind me of my stepfather. Pistachios remind me of my dad. And Whataburger reminds me of Longview.

13. Is there a food you refuse to eat?
Any kind of mammal.


14. What was your favorite food as a child?
Fried shrimp. Apple Jacks.

15. Is there a food that you hated as a child but now like?
Salad.

16. Is there a food that you liked as a child but now hate?
Milk

17. Favorite fruit and vegetable:
Potato, even though that's kind of a cop-out vegetable. But I've never EVER met a potato I didn't like. Next in line? Spinach. Fruit? Those little tangerines that are in season right around Christmas time...Cuties? I could eat 10 of those a day.

18. Favorite junk food:
Doritos. Any flavor.

19. Favorite between meal snack:
Mixed nuts.

20. Do you have any weird food habits?
I eat the entire pickled okra, including the stem.

21. You're on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on?
Tamari rice cakes

22. You're off your diet. Now what would you like?
Cheese and vodka

23. How spicy do you order Indian/Thai?
Medium to "It goes to eleven/Vindaloo Poo."

24. Can I get you a drink?
Yes, please!

25. Red or White Wine?
White (as long as it isn't Chardonnay).

26. Favorite dessert?
Key Lime Pie.

27. The perfect nightcap?
Nice tall cold glass o' agua.

Yeah, but as easy as this quiz was, it's really not saying much.

Austin Real EstateTake This Test

Signs of autumn.

Well, we've FINALLY gotten a wee bit of relief from the heat and humidity that has dominated this summer. The past couple of days have been glorious--with highs in the low 80s, very little humidity, and lows in the upper 50s. Usually this first little taste of cooler weather is followed by a brutal bitch slap of hot misery, so I'm bracing myself for that.


However, there has been one positive sign that perhaps fall is here to stay. Much like Punxsutawney Phil of Groundhog Day fame, Austin has its own weather-predicting mammal--Lard Ass Earl. And yesterday, September 16th, he sleepily showed his belly, meaning we're in for an early fall.

Or maybe he was just in the mood to air out his junk. It's really hard to say.

I know you've probably already seen this...

...but in case you haven't:

See more Gina Gershon videos at Funny or Die

I think I may be sort of in love with Gina Gershon.

I have seen the light.

Remember a few weeks ago when I posted about how I'd met with a cleaning service and was feeling a little bit guilty for even wanting to hire someone to help clean my house.

Well, today they came to do the "initial clean," and for four hours, two very nice women worked their ASSES off cleaning from the damn baseboards to the ceiling fans. Y'all, this place hasn't been this spotless since the day before I moved in. I freakin' LOVE the smell of bleach and cleaning chemicals (I'm a huffer...not really), and when I walked in to our house this afternoon and breathed in the amazingly clean smell of everything, I nearly piddled myself with glee. GLEE, I say!!

As I've said before, BH is the bomb when it comes to carrying his weight with domestic duties. But even with his help, normally on Fridays I've got a list in my head of all the housework--and laundry--I want/need to try to accomplish before Monday in order to keep CPS at bay. And right now? For the first time since The Geej entered my life, I'm not feeling that Friday Evening Dread.

Wow.

Totally worth the dollars and the guilt.

Conversations from the playground.

Geej: Maximus asked me if I have boobs. (Maximus is one of her admirers at school, and yes, that's his real name.)

Me: What did you tell him?

Geej: I told him that I have Barbie boobs.

Me: What are Barbie boobs?

Geej: You know...(shit-eating grin crosses her face). Big boobs. Like yours.

Me: Did you ask him if HE has boobs?

Geej: Yes. He said he has a tail.

Born in September?

I'm a January baby myself, but this idea is so phenomenal, that I had to give...and to share.

The September Campaign Trailer from charity: water on Vimeo.

This one's for Shelia.

First of all, "Howdy!!" I've long been wondering who the heck was reading my stupid old blog all the way up there in Alaska. I could see your little blip on the sitemeter map, and I felt humbled and curious. And it was you!!

I want to say thank you for posting your very local views and opinions about Sarah Palin. It does seem that she's got some really cool characteristics, not the least of which is being a ball buster. And clearly she's made quite an impression during her time in public office there in Alaska. But I still just cannot support her in an office as important as Vice Presidency of the United States, and again, that makes me sad.

I am a hardcore feminist in that I believe that women absolutely should be considered on equal terms with men, no matter what the playing field. That part of me desperately wants to be able to be thrilled and excited by a female vice-presidential candidate. But I honestly feel like she is being used by her party to pander to sections of the voting populace that they heretofore had difficulty reaching, and she either isn't aware of this (pitiful) or doesn't care (scary). I grew up behind the Pine Curtain--a place that is filled to the rafters with serious gun-loving, abortion-hating, immigrant-blaming, feminist-bashing, Bible-thumping, N-word dropping good ol' boys (and gals). I KNOW people like Sarah Palin. Hell, I'm related to people like her, which is one of the reasons I left the Pine Curtain and have never moved back. But Ms. Palin and I stand so far apart on so many issues, that I feel like she's speaking on behalf of my grandmother's generation, not my own. Although I'm intimately familiar with her world view, I simply don't understand it, and I'm very sure she'd have a difficult time sharing mine.

Nothing about this election has excited me. I'm not thrilled with the Obama/Biden ticket, but I will vote for them come election day because it means voting against the Republicans.

The Republican polices of the past eight years have prolonged an astronomically expensive and unnecessary war while virtually ignoring where the real problems still lie (Afghanistan), have made enemies of countries who used to consider us friends because of our arrogant "do as I say and not as I do" approach to foreign policy, driven our economy into the crapper while the cost of everything has skyrocketed, done nothing to decrease our slavish independence on foreign oil, and on and on and on. And the most disturbing trait of this administration (and that's saying a lot) is their feeling that they're simply above the law--invoking "executive privilege" and "for reasons of national security"--whenever they don't want to play by the legal rules and putting a positive spin on everything they can in order to avoid admitting to anything. The fact that the McCain/Palin camp is now trying to convince voters that they're who we should vote for if we really want some change in Washington is seriously insane. They saw that the "change" mantra was working for Obama, and now they're trying to co-opt it. Pathetic. And what's sadder, is that there are millions of uninformed voters out there who will fall for it hook, line, and sinker.

Bear in mind that I am in a blue county (one of very few in Texas) surrounded my a whole lot of blood red, so my measly vote counts for almost nothing here. But I will cast it, while mourning the fact that four more years have come and gone and there is still not a viable 3rd party candidate in the running--not because there aren't capable people with interesting ideas out there who could be leading a strong third party--but because the Mighty Media deems it so.

Yep, there's much more wrong with this whole picture than the fact that we've got a slate of less-than-stellar options to choose from on November 4th.

Hack.

Yep. That's me. Hacking and wheezing and bitching up a storm because I AM SICK AS A FREAKIN' DOG up in here. Summer Cold. Happens every year. Low grade fever. Raw throat. Lots of drainage and coughing. Watery eyes. And oh my GOD, the headache.

Usually comes on swiftly--like within 12 hours--and lasts a couple of days. So yeah, I should be feeling better just in time to head back to work on Monday.

Yay.

But for now? NyQuil.

Live blogging while watching the RNC (a.k.a. Karla May, tell us what you REALLY think!)

• To think I used to like and respect Rudy Guliani. Now he just gives me the willies.
• Cindy McCain holding the Palin baby? Pure photo op. Pure bullshit. I think I'm gonna barf.
• The standing ovations when Rudy was apologizing to Obama because Palin's hometown "isn't cosmopolitan" enough and "clings to religion" (which made people froth at the mouth, I believe) were stinking piles of patronizing bullshit.
• They just introduced Palin. Time for more wine...
• Her husband's a champion snow mobiler? Who knew?!
• Man there are a LOT of white, chubby, middle-aged people in this audience. Hey! That describes me too! I'm going to TOTALLY relate to this thing!!
• This is just me being a bitch: Her accent? Fingernails on a chalkboard. Do not want.
• I'm wondering what it would take to go as Sarah Palin on Halloween...
• When I hear the audience chant "U.S.A.!! U.S.A.!!" it scares me. But apparently there were also chants of "Drill, baby, drill!" regarding our domestic oil policy. So...yeah. I'll be having nightmares about that later on this evening.
• She waited 3.5 minutes to pull out the "my son Track is deploying to Iraq on September 11th" part of her speech. THAT must've taken some restraint.
• And 4.5 minutes in, she reaches out to "the families of special needs children." She'd be a freakin' GREAT spokeswoman for Down's Syndrome families. But that does NOT make her a good vice presidential candidate. Sorry.
• Her husband's in a union? But...Republicans hate unions.
• Earl just joined me on the bed, and appears to be watching Mrs. Palin do her thang. Oh wait...he's licking his butt. More interesting, apparently.
• Me being a bitch again: I bet she has a sweatshirt at home with puff painted kittens on it.
• Oh God. "Hockey Moms 4 Palin."
• Oh. PBS just showed some woman being escorted out of the venue. Wonder what that was about.
• They just showed a dude in the audience dressed in full on Abe Lincoln regalia. Bring on the freaks!!
• Here she goes, "I'm not a member of the long-standing Washington elite..." I'm-an-outsider stuff. Okay Sarah...but what about your running mate? And isn't that the same reason George W. said we should vote for him 8 years ago...when he was an unqualified, inexperience governor? And let's all pause to reflect on how well THAT'S turned out...
• I just got a telemarketing call for someone named Paul Morgan at 9:48pm. Sarah? Can you do anything about this annoyance?
• Did she really put the executive jet used by the governor's office for sale on E-Bay? Because, if so, that's pretty awesome.
• Cindy McCain scares me.
• I can't believe I'm only 5 years younger than this Palin person.
• She is a poised public speaker despite that grating accent. I'll give her that.
• I'm wondering how many U.S. states she's actually visited in her (adult) life. I mean, she just mentioned the Gulf of Mexico. Has she ever actually been there?
• Seriously? She's a vice presidential candidate in a major party?
• God, I'm sad. I'm sad that--as a woman--I feel no affinity with her and absolutely cannot support her.
• I'm wondering how much she actually had to do with writing this speech.
• According to Palin, Obama wants to "reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world." Really? I don't remember hearing that in his platform.
• Here goes the "Democrats are wimps and want to French kiss terrorists" part of the speech. Awesomely predictable.
• Cindy McCain has the crazy eyes.
• Earl has stopped licking himself and has been bored to sleep.
• For those of you who may be new to this blog, Earl is my cat, not my fiance.
• She's brought it back to McCain. Here's a good line: "Our opponents say they'll fight for you. But there's only one man in this election who has really fought for you in places where winning means survival and defeat means death." Well played, Palin.
• Oh! My glass is empty. More wine please.
• Another nice one for Palin that I'm sure will be quoted ad nauseum in the press: "For a season, a gifted speaker can inspire with his words. But for a lifetime, John McCain has inspired with his deeds."
• She's done, and I've still got wine in my glass. So, life is pretty good.
• Except that Cindy McCain is an android. A very wealthy android.
• Here comes her family. Here's the thing: Either she's too dumb and starry-eyed to realize they're using her "beautiful family" for these photo op type moments, or she doesn't care. I don't know what's more pitiful.
• Here's McCain. And the crowd goes wild!!
• That poor baby, Trig, is up way too late for a 5 month old.
• I cannot WAIT for the vice presidential debates...and I can honestly say that is a phrase I've ever been tempted to utter.
• And I will have wine and be live blogging for that sucker too.

I know. I suck.

Seriously, I don't know what's wrong with me lately.

I keep having the almost-uncontrolable urge to cry. I'm having WICKED nightmares almost every night. And I have no blog mojo.

But I don't want to leave you empty handed. So pleae enjoy my latest YouTube offering: Our dog Shiloh doing her "happy dance"--now with SNEEZES!!

Quickie.

First off, I've got to just say that when I see seated anchors using HEAD MIKES instead of the kind they clip on their lapels, I just want to punch them. Really, Britney? You need a head mike? Ugh. Okay, now that I got THAT off my chest...Check out these three cuties: Thelma Jane's progency Ruby and Mary, and then of course, the goofball on the right is my little ham. We had a little pizza party at Thelma's last Sunday, and it was very fun hanging out and catching up.

Plus, we got to see this gorgeous sunset from Thelma's living room windows. Very nice.

Yes.

I'm still here. It's just that I've been KIDNAPPED by Facebook. I know, I know... I said I'd never do this type of social networking thing. But right now? It's pretty damn fun. Talk about people coming out of the woodwork. Yowzah!

But I am indeed alive and well. I've got a big bullet-pointy update brewing, so I'll be doing that in the next day or so. If I can just...pull...myself...awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.

Come on in, the water's fine!

Dive into my stream of consciousness...if you DARE:


I caught Olympic fever, albeit a bit late in the game. The thing that caught me? The women's marathon finish this past weekend. I wept when the winner made her way into the Bird's Nest. And I don't even LIKE running!! But since then, I've been glued to the t.v. each night, staying up way too late to watch sports I normally don't care about. Damn you, Olympic fever! Let me be!


I scheduled and had a termite inspection done at the house today. Why? Well, paranoia basically. I'd had one done when I bought the house (back in late 2005), but not since then. Good news: We're termite free! Yay!


However, we DID kill a "roof rat" last night. I say "we", but really it was the brave and fearless BH who handled the whole thing (thank God). Being a wildlife biologist, he'd noticed some suspicious "droppings" on the roof of the house underneath where it and the deck roof meet. So he bought this evil looking trap and set it last night (with peanut butter) and when he checked this morning, grisly victory. I didn't look at the victim, but I could make out its outlines in the plastic shopping bag that served as its coffin, and that mofo was BIG, y'all. Ewww... BH claims we caught "the dumb one", but has set the trap again hoping for another, you know, capture.


Geej survived her first ever visit to the dentist yesterday. She was kind of freaked at the concept, but thanks to the VERY friendly atmosphere and totally kid-focused office space, she chilled out and did great. And how BIG does she look?

Why did I take this photo? So I could send it to her Dah who is on an Alaskan cruise this week. I'm SO jealous because it sounds like she is seeing some amazing sights and experiencing some exceptional weather. Today she took a helicopter tour of Glacier National Park. I'm so glad she's doing this!!



Today I also met with a cleaning service to see about getting them to clean our house periodically. Let me back up: my mom had a lady who cleaned our house FOR YEARS named Rosella. Anyway, she came once every other week, and did the big stuff that my mom couldn't get to b/c she worked full time and was a mom, etc. At the time, I was sort of horrified b/c I thought it was rather bourgeoisie. But, being a lazy teenager, I was secretly grateful that my lazy ass wasn't having to do the heavy lifting. Since then, however, I've been proud of how I've managed to keep a clean house and stay on top of things no matter how crazy busy my life has been. However, even though BH does his fair share of housework, the big stuff--cleaning the bathrooms, dusting, mopping the floors, etc.--eat up my weekends, and that? Sucks. So a couple of weeks ago, I'm on my way home on a Friday afternoon after a stressful week at work, and BH's boys were coming to visit, and all I could think about was, "I've got to get home and clean up the house." Like a sign from Jah, I ended up behind a cleaning service's van with its slogan: "Don't Go Home to a Second Job, " and I was like HELL YES, I shouldn't have to go home to a second job! I'm calling these people! I met with their rep today, and she couldn't have been more pleasant and professional. And their service sounds completely awesome and totally what I'm looking for. So we're starting them out at just a once-a-month cleaning, which should be plenty for us. If not--and if I can afford it--I'll bump it up to twice a month. I'm still feeling a bit guilty about having to enlist help for this part of my life, but right now, I really need it.


Speaking of stress relief...I finally went and got some acupuncture this week. I've done this before--for endometriosis and for sciatica, both times with great success--but it's been a while. I found this great local place, and hooked up with one of their practicioners, and am very happy with all of it. I'll be going for a weekly series of treatments for about a month and then go on maintenence. This is step one in Operation: Get Healthy Before I'm Freakin' Forty. Wish me luck.


Things at work seem a bit less grim this week, but there's still layoffs going on (in the regional offices) this week, so I'm feeling a lot of compassion (and worry) for my friends and colleagues who work in those offices. Just trying to keep focused and be productive and positive is my main goal at the moment.


I cannot wait until "Burn After Reading" comes out.


I'm happy that we've gotten a bit of rain this week. In fact, we got 1/2" in ye olde rain gauge yesterday. Wish we could get some more...


I won something!! Free lunch at this place (which is damn tasty, btw)! I put my business card in the proverbial fish bowl, and boom: I got an e-mail to tell me I'd won!! Why am I so excited? Because I swear that this is the first thing I've won since I won a strawberry sheet cake in the Kilgore Jaycee's cake walk at the city's Halloween carnival when I was 9. Honestly.


Okay. The U.S. just won beach volleyball gold, so I'm safe to turn off the tube and go to bed until I feel the fever tomorrow night.