Already falling down.

I promised myself that when I saw my dismally low number of total posts for 2008, that I would post more regularly. And real posts too--not just sharing a link or embedding a video. Heck, that's what Faceplace is for, yes? But here it's been, more than a week since my last post, and I'm just now sitting down to write.

It sucks really, because I LOVE to write. It has always been like therapy for me. And I should be more disciplined about it and commit to a regular amount of time each day. Heck, 30 minutes a day. That's not much, right? But somehow 30 minutes a day--every day--in REAL life DOES seem hard to manage. I start to feel guilty like, well if I can commit 30 minutes to this silly blog, then I should be able to commit 30 minutes to exercise too. And then the guilt sets in, and I become stagnant.

Yes, I over-think things.

So yes: I HOPE to post more regularly in 2009, but it's not an official new year's resolution or anything. I also HOPE to lose 30 pounds this year, HOPE to complete some work on our house so that it's ready to sell when (if) the economy ever recovers, HOPE to keep my job and keep my team happy and productive, and HOPE to improve my overall health. I HOPE to get to know my stepsons better, HOPE to finally get the garage cleaned out, and HOPE to do some traveling. We'll see, I suppose.

So, what's been up...

School started back up (thank GOD) this week, and the Geej is entering her last semester before Kindergarten. Too crazy. She opted to take soccer and dance class as her extra-curriculars, which meanst that she opted NOT to take martial arts and gymnastics again. Kind of a surprise, but I'm looking forward to seeing what comes of these classes.

BH started his rowing lessons this weekend. 8:30 am each Saturday and Sunday for 3 weekends, then he has a one-month membership to the rowing dock after the lessons end. So far he's enjoying it. He's a morning person (unlike yours truly) and adores exercise and being outside--especially near the water. So this is like perfect for him.

I went out on a "date" with my mom last night. She'd gotten us tickets to see the wonderful Carol Burnett at the Paramount, so I got us pre-show dinner reservations at a swanky place downtown. Oh my GOD, people. I cannot describe how perfect this restaurant experience was. Everything was amazing: the service, the food, the atmosphere. Just perfect. I HIGHLY recommend this place the next time you want a special night out. Seriously.

The "show" was really just Carol showing some classic and amazing clips from the show--many of them never aired before--in between turning up the house lights and taking questions from the audience. She's so sharp and witty (and homegirl's in her 70s!), that it was just a joy to watch her interact with her fans. Like most people who grew up in the 70s and were lucky enough to see her show as kids, I absolutely ADORE Carol Burnett. She, Gilda Radner, and Madeline Khan were always three of my top favorite performers. If I had it all to do over again, I swear to you, I would've gone to LA, Chicago or New York and pursued comedy--or at least comedy writing. But as supportive as my parents were, they didn't really encourage me to dream BIG dreams like that, and it never crossed my mind to pursue something so "flighty," even though I know I would've been damn good. If I'd gotten a chance to ask Carol anything last night, I would've asked her, "How old is TOO old to get into the comedy business?" but I didn't get the mike.

In a couple of weeks, I'll hit the big Four Oh, so I'm sure you'll be reading a bunch of moaning and groaning from me between now and then (and probably for sometime thereafter) about how freaked out I am by this particular milestone. I know it's just a number, but I'm really sort of obsessing about it. At first I told BH that I wanted to do something special for my birthday--like a nice dinner out with friends or something. And then I changed my mind and decided I wanted to have a big, blow-out party. But then I did a 180, and decided I just want to do something fun with the kids. Shit, I don't know. I just know I don't want to be forty, but I'm going to be, whether I like it or not. No one told me when to run; I missed the starting gun.

Let's see...what else.

There's some interesting stuff going on at work right now--both internally (on my small team and the larger team to which we belong) and externally. 2008 was a rough ride at work, and I'm praying that 2009 is a bit more sane. But right now, it appears that sanity is a ways away.

Speaking of the "insane": the kittens. OMG, y'all. They are SO nuts. They've each picked out 1 toy (from the dozens of cat toys we have lying around the house) that is their favorite. We call them their "babies," as in "Oh Diane! You've got your baby!!" They are so hilarious with their babies. They play and play and play and play and play with them. But Doug's not really interested in Diane's baby, and vice versa. But they are both learning the basics of "fetch the baby," which is awesome. As I've been typing this, Doug has brought me his baby 6 times, dropping it right at the keyboard for me to throw. Good boy.

So yeah...that's it for now. Boring and pedestrian, I realize. But hey: at least I'm here, right? Perhaps if I work out this muscle with more frequency, I'll morph back into the old Pine Curtain Refugee of yore. Until then, please bear with me folks...