Jewelled Cellphones and Brushes -- Sign me up!

I really, really want one of these jewelled cell phone cases from nyc peach. Have I mentioned that I really want one of these? :)

Memorial Day

Okay, it's Memorial Day and I'm at work. I've been here for an hour and I haven't really done anything yet. I don't expect that to change. The supervisor that's here today said that she'll buy pizza for those of us working today. Woo-hoo! I may have some of the pizza, but I'm also going home for lunch to see my husband and kiddo. That's the nice thing about living 1 street away from work. It literally takes me less than 5 minutes to get from my front door to my desk.

UPDATE: I've been at work for 6 hours now and still haven't really done much. My predictions for a slow day were right. I only have 2 more hours of boredom left. Yeah!

Some photos

I've been rearranging my albums over at Shutterfly.
Here are the results if you want to have a look:

Photos of my son
Sorority photos
General stuff

Hope you enjoy!

Free Divination

Entertaining stuff
FREE Tarot, Runes, Numerology, and I Ching from Facade!

bad weather + old website = yucky sunday

The weather this evening has been pretty yucky. The whole state is in a tornado watch. It's been raining on and off and there's been a fair amount of thunder and lightning.

In other news, I did a google search on one of my nicknames and I found an old website that I made probably in 1998. I've left it intact for the moment, but it does look hideous and all the links are broken now. You can see this little snippet from my past here.

UPDATE: I scrapped the old abomination at fortunecity and replaced it with a new pink abomination. It's a work in progress. I imagine everyone says that, eh?

This was my fortune from my Chinese take-out dinner Friday night. It's a nice thought, and it is true, but does this really count as a fortune? 

Religion?

I just took a religion selector quiz at SelectSmart and the results are in:

1. Neo-Pagan (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (95%)
3. Liberal Quakers (92%)
4. New Age (90%)
5. Secular Humanism (87%)
6. Theravada Buddhism (84%)
7. Mahayana Buddhism (79%)
8. Reform Judaism (77%)
9. Mainline - Liberal Christian Protestants (76%)
10. Taoism (62%)
11. Bahá'í Faith (61%)
12. New Thought (59%)
13. Jainism (58%)
14. Non-theist (56%)
15. Orthodox Quaker (53%)
16. Orthodox Judaism (46%)
17. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (45%)
18. Scientology (45%)
19. Sikhism (44%)
20. Islam (40%)
21. Hinduism (32%)
22. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (30%)
23. Jehovah's Witness (30%)
24. Mainline - Conservative Christian Protestant (28%)
25. Eastern Orthodox (18%)
26. Roman Catholic (18%)
27. Seventh Day Adventist (16%)

Hmmm...interesting, considering I was raised in the southern US, right in the middle of the bible belt. Had to go to church 3x a week as a kid to a Southern Baptist church. Guess it really didn't make that much of a difference.

EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES Punctuation Game

This was pretty neat for a grammar nazi like myself.
EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES Punctuation Game

Wahoo!

I finally got my Mexican food fix! Back home now wishing I hadn't eaten as much as I did, but it's okay. I'm listening to some music and drinking a Heineken.

My husband got his hair cut this afternoon and it looks a lot better than it did before. It's not that it was bad before, just a little shaggy.

Ole!

 

v i n c e c a p p s . c o m

This is the page of one of my coworkers.

v i n c e c a p p s . c o m

The Flying Saucer

One of my favourite places to hang out is the Flying Saucer.Or maybe I should correct that to say it used to be one of my favourite places. I haven't been there on a regular basis in years. Prior to getting married and settling down, I was there probably 3 days a week. Getting married and having a child definitely put a damper on my social life.

slowly becoming Saturday

The picture in the previous post is a perfect example of me this morning. I just got my first cup of coffee and I'm slowly coming to life. I'm working today until 4 pm, and then after I get off, taking my husband to get his hair cut. We may go out for dinner also. I'm lobbying for Mexican. There's this restaurant that I've been craving, but he keeps shooting down my suggestion. Maybe today...I want some cheese enchiladas, some beans, rice, and chips with salsa and yummy white cheese dip.

yum!

Mmmm...coffee! 

v i s q u e e n

Lovin' this!
v i s q u e e n

Virtual Model

I think this is so cool. Maybe I'm just easily entertained, though.

My Virtual Model Inc. - Home

blaaaaaah

We had takeout Chinese for dinner tonight at my husband's suggestion. He is so funny sometimes. We're sitting in the same room, and he logged on to Yahoo just long enough to IM me that he wants Chinese for dinner and he's gone again. ?? It would have been just as easy for him to speak to me.

no sleep

Last night was an adventure. I put my son to bed around 9. He woke up several times. I tried rocking him, giving him warm milk, reading to him, etc., but all to no avail. He just kept waking up and screaming. I guess he was lonely or something. He ended up in bed with me and my husband. He still tossed and turned there. I don't know the exact time he actually went to sleep. The last time I looked at the clock it was almost 1 am. I seriously thought about staying home today. But I came to work. My husband stayed home today, though. He's had a toothache for the last week, and the combination of that and a mostly-sleepless night was too much for him. Lucky guy, he's getting a 4 day weekend. I wish I was. I have to work on Saturday, and I volunteered to work on Memorial Day, since it's time-and-a-half for the whole day. I also get an extra day off to take later in the year. I guess I can't complain too much, since I volunteered for this. The extra time off and the extra pay will certainly be nice.

almost Memorial Day weekend!

It's the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. And it's raining. I think it rained most of the night, and it looks like it's still raining now. There's at least a slight chance of rain every day from now until Monday. This weekend is Riverfest in town, an annual thing by the river downtown, with concerts, food, entertainment, etc. I had thought about taking the family out this weekend, but if it's going to be raining, there's no way.

starry night

One of my favourite paintings... 

Scobleizer: Microsoft Geek Blogger

Scobleizer: Microsoft Geek Blogger

Some interesting things here...

hangin' @ home

I think my lifestyle has caught up with me. I got home from work today and laid down. I fell asleep and slept for about 2 hours, didn't wake up until about 7:30. We had frozen pizza for dinner. I still feel groggy now. I guess all those weeks of 3-4 hours sleep took their toll.

I wrote an email to my in-laws tonight. They only speak Spanish. My Spanish is limited at the moment. I write in English and my husband helps me translate it. I feel so bad for them about our situation. My husband is their only child and moved to another country, got married and had a child - their only grandchild. We haven't been able to go visit since our son was born. It's been a combination of lack of funds and lack of time off. If I'm going to spend that much money to fly to Argentina, I want to spend more than just a week there. So, in lieu of an actual physical visit, I provide them with as much as I can digitally. I send emails, photos, videos, etc. Gotta love living in the digital age.

My husband is writing a book. I'm his proofreader/editor for the moment. It's a sci-fi thing, which is really not my favourite genre. I'm kind of getting bogged down in my latest reading, but overall I think he's doing a great job. He's kind of looking for a literary agent. He's sent some stuff to a couple of people, but no takers yet. A lot of times, it's just a matter of getting your stuff to the right person at the right time. All luck. I'm not getting discouraged. I have confidence that he'll get published. Maybe one day we'll both be authors. I'm just leaning more towards technical writing than fiction.

need coffee

Ok...I woke up at 6:20 this morning. Not a good thing, considering I have to be at work by 7 and before I get to work, I have to get me and my son dressed, make sure my husband gets up and ready, and then drop off the both of them. I usually try to get up as close to 5 as possible. I don't know how, but we all made it in one piece.

I asked my husband about xm radio and was vetoed. I can have an mp3 player for the car, though, which is better than nothing. I currently have just a radio/cassette. I was looking at receivers yesterday and I found one that is not only a mp3 player, but is xm-ready. Heh. All I'd need from there is the xm receiver and antenna. When I mentioned that to the hubby, he said that it was pointless to pay any more for this xm-ready receiver as opposed to one that is just an mp3 player. I didn't think the price was that bad. It's a Pioneer and is about $180. We'll see what happens with that.

what I'm listening to now

I am so into Taking Back Sunday right now that it's not funny. I think that they have a really good sound, and their lyrics appeal to me. They've moved to the top of my playlist. :)

Check out their official site here.

A moment of remembrance

This was 19 years ago. I still miss my dad. 

old journals

I found some old journal entries from December 1998, when my husband and I were apart. Just to give some perspective on this, we met on the net through the guy who was my boyfriend at the time. Yeah, I know...you don't have to tell me how bad that sounds. So, when we met, he was in Buenos Aires, Argentina and I was in Little Rock, Arkansas. We started out just talking as friends, and before long, realized that we had a lot in common and started to fall in love. It was so hard to have found the person that seemed to be the best match for me, my soul mate, so to speak, and to have not "met" him. One thing I can say is that this time when we were separated was a great artistic inspiration for the two of us. We were both writing a lot, and he wrote a poem for me about our relationship that I set to music.
Anyway, back to the journal, here are some selected entries:

All I can think or breathe or feel is him.
Pulsing through my veins, this mad desire.
I envision him peacefully silhouetted against the flickering candlelight.
He moans softly and stirs in his sleep, reaching for me.
The gentle touch as his hand grazes my shoulder...
Wishing I could feel his lips pressed against mine...
I yearn for him with the whole of my existence.
This fire raging within me cannot be extinguished by any entity.

I find music in everything - the wind whispers his name softly as it caresses the barren trees. Gazing out at the swollen moon alone in the dark sky, I hear the siren song calling me.
I feel that I must go,
but a strange sense is holding me back. I have never been this passionate about anything...
Oh, but to feel the caress of his hand on my skin, to see the light in his eyes as he gazes into mine, to have his lips pressed against my waiting, eager mouth...But I am alone with these thoughts as nourishment for my journey.

The best part of this story is that we met, our feelings for one another were confirmed, and we were married. We celebrate our 5th anniversary in 2 months. I still love him so much. He means the world to me and I'd be lost without him.

radio blues

I am still mad about my radio station changing formats with absolutely no advance notice. I listened to 106.3 locally, which was an alternative station as of Sunday, 23 May. I get in the car on Monday morning and the radio is still tuned to the same station, but there's this strange crap emanating from my speakers. I've been trying to figure out what happened. I went to the site of the company that owns/owned the station, and sure enough, on their site, they show the stations they own, and there it is, 106.3 as a oldies station! How can they do this?! So I'm left with a fantastic void. My other radio choices locally are country, easy listening, oldies, hard rock, or the other "alternative" station, but that seems to play mostly older top 40 stuff. I'm considering going with satellite radio. Most people I know that have it or are interested are those who do a lot of driving, passing in and out of various stations' coverage areas. That is not exactly me, but I do spend between 1-1.5 hours a day in my car, driving to and from work. I refuse to spend that much time listening to crap. I don't have a cd player or mp3 player in the vehicle at the time, but I may have to rethink that if we don't get some aid soon in the radio department. I've been listening to tapes mostly since Monday, but I don't have that many tapes -- most of my music is on either cd or mp3. Something has got to change soon before I go insane in the car.

my life is a lie

I'm tired of being fake. I'm tired of trying to fit into a societal mold. I just want to be me, but I'm not sure the world is ready for unabashed, unedited Carrie. Hell, I don't think my husband is even ready for that.

I want to be the kind of person that someone meets and remembers. I want to make my mark on the world. To break all the rules. I want to be bold and accept any challenges that come my way.

Enter: Photography by Vincent Davis

Enter: Photography by Vincent Davis

This is the site of the husband of one of my best friends from high school.

so tired...

Last night I decided I needed to go to bed earlier. So I made myself a pretty strong gin and tonic and settled in at the computer. I started feeling the buzz, really feeling the buzz, so I went to bed. My husband came with me. Our son was already in bed, sleeping. At some point in the night, the kiddo woke up. I didn't hear him, but J took care of it -- twice. Finally, the 3rd time he woke up, J woke me and told me it was my turn. It was about 1 am. He was screaming and crying inconsolably. I felt so bad for the little guy. I picked him up and brought him back to bed with us, where he proceeded to keep us awake for another hour at least. I finally got him to sleep. It must have been a funny sight in the bed last night. I got stuck in the middle and the kid took my pillow. Gotta love being the mom. But, anyway, I awoke at the appointed hour and I am dragging so bad this morning. I feel groggy and disoriented. But I'm going to work. What a trooper! :)

Monday blahs

Today is definitely a Monday. I am so tired. My tummy hurts. I am ready to get home and get into bed for a bit. I don't have much more to say at the moment, so I'm outta here.

old emails

I found a whole bunch of old emails from back in 1998-99 from when my now-husband and I were writing (he in Argentina, me in the US). Reading these has really been fun and interesting. Especially to see how we started as kinda friends chatting online and ended up married with a son. I'm going to save these emails for our son to read someday, to see how his mom and dad met. I don't know if he'll care, but at least they'll be around if he wants them.

I'm still reading, so I'm going to get back to that.

truco and other things

My husband is teaching me to play truco. He's from Argentina and this is a card game that's played there. It's kind of complicated, but it's fun. Mainly it's just the 2 of us that play, but when he's had friends drop in, we've played as a foursome. I beat him tonight. I have a feeling he let me win to help my ego. I may never know the truth.

About my husband...I love him so much, and I think my love for him grows every day. One of my favourite memories of him is after the birth of our son, how proud he was. He was the first person other than the doctor to hold him. He's usually really self-assured, confident, but when he was holding the baby at first, I could tell he was unsure of himself. And that just endeared me to him even more. He's a great dad. He's really good with the kid. I remember one day we were at the mall and had split up, and he had Enzo. I was in a store and he and Enzo were outside sitting on a bench waiting for me. A couple of the ladies in the store commented on what a good job this guy was doing with the little boy, I didn't realize at the time that it was my husband. I looked outside also, and there he was, entertaining Enzo with no thought at all of how silly he looked to anyone else. It was as if it were just the two of them. And I was just beaming.

fitting room trauma

Today, I decided that it was time to get a new swimsuit. I haven't bought a new suit since the birth of my son in 2002. So, off to the fitting room I went, selection of suits and toddler in tow.
Note to self: Do not take a toddler swimsuit shopping again. Get a tan before swimsuit shopping again.

I'm in the room, looking at my pasty self in the mirror, trying to honestly evaluate whether this suit is going to fit my needs and whether I'll be embarrassed to wear it in public, when my son starts poking me in the belly and chanting "Belly, belly, belly..." I get him to stop that and then he goes behind me and does the same thing with my butt, only the mantra this time is "Booty, booty, booty..." It was too much, the glare from my super-white body in the fluorescent lights and my son poking me. I left empty-handed. I think I'm going to go get a Mystic Tan and then try this again...solo.

gadgety things

I just had lunch. A fabulous salad made at home. I'm getting back in the swing of the diet thing. I logged my food at FitDay and discovered that I can make my logs available for public consumption. So if you want to, you can see what I'm eating and in what quantity. This might be scary for some. Especially me. But that will definitely be a deterrent to cheating. :)

I decided I want an iPod. A pink iPod mini if you want to be precise. I already asked the business partner/spouse and was given the great answer: "how about I get you a nice, warm cup of shut the fuck up instead of the ipod?" So, the answer for now is no. I really don't need it anyway, but I'm addicted to gizmos and gadgets.

I also want a new digital camera, an upgrade from the current one. I have a feeling the answer to this will also be no, but I have more of a shot because this is actually something that I would use on an almost daily basis. I love to take pictures. I'm having trouble capturing some of the moments I would like with the current camera because of the shutter delay. I have a very active 2 year old who I try to photograph. I press the button, and by the time the picture's taken, the moment is over. I've got an odd assortment of photos that aren't quite right because of the delay -- either I've got his back, or his head's turned, or it's blurry because he took off.

I think I may have actually run out of things to say today. I am so bored that my mind is numb.

possibly the worst sign placement...ever

My hubby has reported to me that at his workplace, they've recently gone a little overboard with those motivational posters. I think you all know the ones...with the cheesy pics and "Determination" or "Motivation" or whatever at the bottom with a little blurb. I was a witness to all the posters in the main work area when I visited him on Wednesday. There is however, one sign that I was unable to view, and this is the report that troubled me the most. He told me that in the men's bathroom, they hung one of these motivational signs over/near the urinals with the caption "Make it Happen." Take a moment to let this sink in. I think you'll agree that it's wrong.

101 Things to do with a baby...

You've got to see this...thanks to the lovely folk over at Something Awful.

It's a little disturbing, but funny.

@dinner

Enzo at the restaurant tonight. We went out for dinner, but not to the Greek Food Festival as I had hoped. That was vetoed by the husbandito. 

the joys of being a parent

Tonight, I was having a hard time getting my son to go to sleep. He wanted mommy to hold him. So, in my attempt to get him to bed so I could do some work, I got him out of his baby jail and sat down in the recliner in his room and held him. Seemed to be just the thing. He fell asleep almost instantly. Trouble is, so did I. I just woke up -- 2 hours after making the trek to his room. So much for getting my work done.

This recliner is a prominent feature in the relationship between me and my son. I spent the latter part of my pregnancy in this chair. I got the flu while I was pregnant and felt miserable. I don't remember the exact dates, but I do remember that the Winter Olympics were on. I was out of work for a week and I barely left the chair. I even slept there. As I got bigger, I had trouble finding a comfy spot in the bed, so I migrated to the recliner. I slept the last month of the pregnancy in the recliner. After Enzo was born, I tried sleeping in bed again, but it wasn't working. So off to the recliner it was. For about 6 months, I slept in the recliner nightly, with my son either sleeping with me on my chest, or beside me in his bassinette. It was handy for night feedings. I would just turn the TV on for some light when he would wake up and we were ready to go. I can't tell you how many movies I saw in the middle of the night while I was up with my son. I also became addicted to "World News Now" on ABC, which runs nightly from around 2-5 am. I was so well-informed. I knew what was going on before anyone else was even awake!

Those days are long gone. The kiddo sleeps in his own bed now. I finally rejoined my husband in our bed. The recliner was moved from the living room back to our son's room because the foot rest is broken. I didn't especially enjoy the days of living in the recliner when I was in them, but looking back now, it wasn't so bad. It was actually kind of like a special bonding period. I miss the days when I could snuggle with my son all night and he didn't protest. Now, it's hard to get him in one place for more than 5 minutes unless there's food or Spongebob Squarepants involved. I guess it's like the saying goes -- you don't know what you've got till it's gone. I'll always remember those days in the chair fondly.

a whole lotta getting goin' on

War sucks

Here is a count of civilians killed due to the US Military Intervention in Iraq.

TGIF!

It's Friday! Yippee! And it's not any Friday, it's payday Friday. Collective oohs and aahs.

My department is also giving us a breakfast prepared and served by our management. This should be interesting.

I have some words of advice: low-carb pasta...don't do it. Being on a low/reduced-carb diet, it sounded like a good way to enjoy one of my favourite foods. It's not. The texture was off. The taste was akin to cardboard. I ended up putting more sauce on to cover the bad taste, so I probably ended up with just as many carbs as if I had eaten real pasta. blah.

Protesting....fitness?

This strange blue-clad throng appeared downtown Wednesday as I was going to lunch with my husband. They were carrying signs and I thought they were protesting something, but they were promoting fitness or something. WTF?! 

string cheese

well, I'm pretty much back on the diet thing. I'm using this website to track my food and activities. It's really nice, especially since it is free! It's called FitDay. It has preloaded foods in the db, but also gives you the opportunity to add your own custom foods to the db by copying the info from the nutrition label. But enough of that. I am not a paid endorser.
I've lost another pound this last week, which puts me back at the weight where I was when I went to the doctor for my first prenatal visit on 5 September 2001. Talk about yo-yo since then. I only gained about 10 pounds during my pregnancy, 7.5 of which were baby. I actually weighed less when I left the hospital than I did at that first visit. That was a nice thing. I lost the belly (mostly) and was able to get back into some pre- and early pregnancy clothes by the time I went back to work 2 months after the birth. Then, the weight began creeping back on. I saw myself in some photos at Christmas 2003 and I looked so ugly. I decided I had to do something. So, I'm down about 35 pounds from my high in December, about 30 since I officially started my diet on 5 January. I'm feeling better about myself, but I still have a long way to go. My goal is to get down to high-school size or smaller. That means at least another 50 lbs to go, roughly...but I can do it. I'm going to start exercising again. And I have swimsuit season closing in on me. I want to buy a new suit and actually go swimming this year. By the end of the year, I'll have an 'after' picture to post. Hopefully sooner.

How weird is this?

So, I'm listening to the radio this morning and the am guy says something about Andy Kaufman being alive.
I check the web and I find an Andy Kaufman blog.
I think it would be really cool if all this is true, but I'm more than a little skeptical.

a baby!

Well, just got the update from our friends on the west coast. No alien abduction. Drat! But they do have a new baby at home. Again, we send our congratulations on the new addition to the family and condolences on the loss of your life as you knew it. :)

been a busy morning

I don't know how it happens, but my days off are always twice as busy as the days I'm working. I took my husband to work and then went out to my mother's house to pick up some old records. I don't mean LPs either.

My father was a steel guitar player and builder. He had 2 different companies that he founded that built guitars. My latest project is to catalogue the guitars he built by serial number, date sold, and the person/company it was sold to. So thanks to my mother, whose record-keeping is impeccable, I have records from 1964-1985. I'm ready to get the show on the road, so to speak. I'm planning to make a searchable database of the guitars, along with current owner information if at all possible. It will be interesting to see how many of these guitars are still being played, and if it is still the original owner who's doing the playing. I'm also planning on adding a page to my website as my little "tribute" to my father. I'm feeling a little sentimental/melancholy right now. A week from today will mark the 19th anniversary of his death.

And from death, we have rebirth...speaking of birth, I'm assuming that our friend in the Seattle area is now a father. I'm not sure. His wife was due on Friday, 14 May. He had told me that he thought she would have the baby either on Sunday or Monday. The last time I've spoken to him was Sunday night, I haven't seen him online at all since, and he's the guy that's always online. So, using my fabulous powers of deduction, he's either at the hospital with his family or he's been abducted by aliens. Being a parent myself, I hope he's been abducted. But if that's not the case, then we send out a hearty congratulations and a welcome to the dirty diaper and spit-up stain club. :)

grease -- not the musical

there was a minor catastrophe at the marcone house tonight.

I have a can on the back of my stove, correction -- I had a can, where I put grease, fat, drippings, etc. The nasties you don't want to put down the drain.

Anyhow, in the process of cooking dinner, this can got jarred from its perch on the stove and fell, losing its lid in the process. We had this nasty stuff on the floor between the stove and refrigerator as well as on top of the stove with grease oozing its way toward the hot burner. I don't know how, but we managed not to have a grease fire and managed not to get that nasty stuff in any of the food I was preparing. My husband cleaned all the mess up, including the stuff that ended up under the stove and everything. He refused to let me clean, saying that he was going to use this as future leverage or something. Whatever.

renton?

So I wouldn't exactly use the phrase "eye candy" to describe it, but here's the page of one of my friends.

Renton's Home

crayon mural update

3 words: nail polish remover
it made the entire house smell horrible, but the crayon is gone! woo-hoo!

insert cute title here

sooo...I'm not doing as great at getting back on my diet this week as I had hoped. Part of the problem is that I still have groceries hanging around from the previous week when I was a non-dieter. I'm not being totally bad, just partly bad. I'm going to get back on track. I just feel bad if I don't eat this food that I bought, and some of the things are foods no one else in my family will eat. So it's up to me. Again, the issue of taking one for the team.

last night my husband and I were talking about some things -- our future, buying a house(?), all the fun stuff. In the middle of this conversation, he looks at me and tells me that if I lost some more weight and grew out my hair, that I would look like Gwyneth Paltrow. I'm still trying to figure out exactly where that came from, because I really don't see the resemblance at all. But I am flattered. Note to husband: your flattery will get you nowhere. I need jewelry.

the plans for the possible move seem to be becoming more concrete every day. I'm really excited about having the opportunity to move to a new place and start fresh. I would miss my family and my friends, being across the country from them, though. The thing I keep thinking about is that my husband already left his life behind when he married me. All of his family and friends are on another continent. He hasn't seen his parents in 5 years. If he can do it, so can I.

still proud of mi husbandito

i'm so proud of my hubby

I'm a little behind in this, but better late than never. My husband did a game review for that new Hitman: Contracts game and it's really nice. He's hoping to start a career as an author. He might have a chance after all. :)

Check it out here.


::Update!!::
More things to be proud about...just found out from him that his job which was temporary has become permanent. yay for him!

the shiznit

I have come to the full realization that I live the most boring life on the planet. Nothing exciting here, just plain-jane, vanilla carrie.



Check this: my weekend activities, beginning with Friday night; went out for Mexican for dinner, stopped by grocery store for 2 items, came home and put kid to bed and then did some crap online. Saturday: worked until 4. Came home, got the kid and went to see my mom. Came home around 8, called and ordered Chinese food and had it delivered. Ate dinner, put kid to bed and did some crap online. Sunday: woke up, did laundry, cleaned bathrooms, played with kid, did some crap online, went to super walmart for groceries and assorted crap, came home, put up groceries and said crap, cooked dinner, ate, gave kid a bath, put kid to bed, and guess what? now I'm doing some crap online. Noticing a trend here?

This weekend was somewhat atypical, so I suppose that's a bad example, but still, when someone asks what you did over the weekend, I like to have a cool answer. You know, "Jetted to Paris for some shopping and to catch up with my old friend Jean-Michel." Not "I went to my mom's and to wal mart."

pulling out my hair

Today has been arguably one of the worst off days I have had. I woke up feeling like crap, with a sore throat and runny nose. On top of all that, my son is being a grade-A butthead today. He must not feel well, but it makes it really hard to get anything done when you have someone either in your lap, clinging to your leg, or screaming at the top of his lungs all day. But I still love him more than life itself. The joys of being a parent.

a quiet introspective moment -- rare

Okay, so it's a little after one in the morning and I'm the only one awake. Just the way I like things. I'm sitting here doing some research online on some various issues and listening to music. I'm also having coffee...some hazelnut mocha I made here with a topping of whipped cream. I love coffee. It's my personal theory that man can survive on coffee and cigarettes alone. I think I may have done it for a semester or 2 in school. One of my biggest temptations is the Starbucks that's across the street from my son's daycare. I'm usually running too far behind in the morning to stop, and somehow the siren song of Starbucks isn't as strong in the afternoon, so I usually don't give in. Most days I just stop at the complimentary coffee station at work and get the generic coffee that does the job just as well.

So I finally told my mother today about the possibility of moving away. She didn't seem exactly thrilled, but she said that she really couldn't say anything, because she moved from Minnesota to southern California. She told me I need to do whatever I think will be best for my family, but that she would miss seeing us all the time. I currently live about 20 miles from her. I'm feeling kind of torn between a feeling of familial duty and the need/want to leave. She and my stepfather are both at least semi-retired. My step-father had a minor stroke last weekend. He's okay, getting better, but not 100%. He has a walker that he's using to help get around and he can't use his left hand properly. He's going through physical therapy to work on that. But it's things like that I think about. Now, if something happened and I was needed, I could be there in 30 minutes. If I move to the Pacific Northwest as we're contemplating, it would be hours if not days. But on the other hand, my sister lives even closer to my parents than I do, and she's not planning on leaving. They definitely have roots. In the end, it's got to come down to what's going to be the best for my family -- me, husband, and son. And I am really not sure what that is.

I'm going to bed. I'm about to fall asleep at the keyboard. More to come in the saga of my life....

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uggh

It's Saturday morning. It's supposed to be a nice day today. And here I am, at work all day long. The thing that makes this the worst is that Saturdays are not busy at all. So, not only am I stuck inside all day, I'm stuck inside doing a whole lot of nothing.

I went out for dinner with my husband and son last night. We were going to have dinner with a friend, but that didn't work out. So we went out for Mexican instead. That's something that is definitely not on my diet. I had a plate with a cheese enchilada, a beef taco, and a bean and cheese tostada as well as beans and rice and some chips with salsa and cheese dip. We went to a local restaurant that is just down the street from our house. The service was great, the food came very quickly, and was yummy. The only downside was my son, who was in a foul mood. He barely ate anything and just sat and played with the fork. That was when he wasn't screaming. Then he fell asleep in the car on the way home. That's no small feat, since it takes us under 5 minutes to get home from this place.

I hope he's in a better mood today, since he's at home with his dad today. Both were still in bed when I left the house. I'll give them a ring a little later to make sure everything is okay. They're going to have pizza for lunch today. It's sad, but that's about the only food item that my husband can safely prepare that is kid-approved/kid-friendly.

It's Friiiiiiidaaaaaay!!!!!!!

Made it through another week. Barely.
I didn't go to bed early last night but still got up in plenty of time this morning. Got my shower, woke my husband up, got the kiddo up and dressed. I do more before 7 am than some people do all day! I guess anyone that's a wife and/or mother has been through it all as well.

One of my issues right now is feeling like I need more "me" time. I've spent the last 2+ years either looking after our son, my husband, or a combination of the two. I need a break. I got to go out last weekend without the boys, as part of my Mother's Day gift. I met some girls for dinner and a movie. That was fun. I hadn't realized how much I was missing the social aspect of my life that doesn't include the rest of my family. We go out for dinner with other friends, but usually to a "family-friendly" establishment, since we bring along our son. That does limit where we can go, and sometimes, who's willing to go with us. Most of our friends are single and childless. In some ways I envy them for the freedom that they have, but I wouldn't trade my family for anything.

Last night was interesting. My son is teething again, he's getting his molars now and is so cranky lately it's not funny. I keep the children's ibuprofen handy and give him some when the whining becomes unbearable. Yesterday from the time we got home until after dinner, he was just unmanageable. So, we didn't have our chicken kabobs as I had planned, I just didn't have time to prepare them. So we had some fabulous Hamburger Helper Cheesy Hashbrowns and green beans. I know that's not on the SBD, but the boys both like them. I guess sometimes you gotta take one for the team. If I have to take too many more for the team, my waistline's going to show it.

Well, I'm ready to get back on the diet. I'm going to transition this next week (Sunday-Saturday) back onto more of a Phase II menu (since I already have the groceries) and then the week after that (starting 23 May) I'm going back on Phase I for 2 weeks. I may regret that date, since I'm in the wireless number portability group here at my company, and 24 May marks the day that WLNP moves from being available in only the top 100 MSAs to nationwide. But I'm doing it anyway. I think eating better will probably make me feel better and reduce my stress level. I hope so, at least.

Buy Washable Crayons!

Okay, first, the setup...my son has a little "colouring area" in his room, with a little table and chairs, and this is where we keep all the colouring books and crayons.

Soooo, about a week ago, he's back there colouring away. I'm doing my own thing until he starts yelling "Mommy! Mommy" I rush back to his room to check on him, and there he is, standing on the table, colouring on the walls. He wanted to show me his masterpiece. So I scold him. I'm thinking, it's no biggie, he's coloured the walls before and it comes right off. Wrong. He did his mural with the only non-washable crayons that we have that came as a party favour. I've been scrubbing for the last 4 days. I've tried nearly everything that's been suggested. I've tried plain water -- no action at all, Pine Sol -- nothing, baby wipes -- smeared the colour around, and dishwasher detergent -- best luck so far, but still there. The one thing that I've had suggested that I haven't tried yet is WD40, since that's not something I keep in stock. Gonna go get some and hope that works. Otherwise, I guess I'm going to be repainting.

A Quiz! A Quiz!

What Type of Villain are You?

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I always knew I was a sneaky villain...now I have proof. :)

Ooh...I found another!

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Who knew I was really Bill Clinton? Maybe I should be scared.

Btw, have I mentioned I loooove taking these stupid little quizzes? :)

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Thirsty Thursday

Wow. I am so well-rested this morning it's almost spooky. I went to bed early last night. It's amazing what a difference a few extra hours of sleep can do for a person. I'm almost cheerful. I'm sure the 2 cups of coffee I've already had helped some with the cheerfulness.

We have no big plans for the day today, just a regular workday for us. I'll pick up my husband and son after I get off and then go home for some familial bliss. We're having chicken kabobs for dinner tonight. I have this little electric grill that I'm going to use to cook them. We'll also have some brown rice and salad.

Speaking of food...I really need to get back on my diet big-time. I started the South Beach Diet in January, and also began exercising. I was doing so well until my birthday at the end of January. I decided to take a day off from exercising since it was my birthday and every day since then has been a no-exercise day. I haven't totally gone off the deep end as far as my eating habits go. I'm still eating relatively healthy, just not all SBD-approved foods. I've still been losing weight. It's somewhat funny, that I had plateaued on the diet and was there for almost 2 months. I was really getting frustrated. I started eating some "bad" foods in moderation and I lost 5 pounds last week alone. I think now is the time to use that momentum and go back on Phase I and drop some more. Wish me luck. The time until swimsuit season is quickly dwindling, and I have a pool 50 ft from my front door that I would like to be able to use without fear of who will see me in my suit.

On an un-related topic...I'm so ready for a vacation. I last took a vacation at Christmas 2003, so it's been about 5 months. I've only taken 2 days off so far this year. My next week of vacation is scheduled for the last week of July. Can I make it 2.5 more months? I want to actually go somewhere on a vacation, unlike the last 4 years. Sure it's nice to have some time just to spend at home, but that gets old after about the 2nd day. I want to go to Seattle. I've never been there before and I've heard good things. My husband has a friend living in the area that we could visit. He's vetoed the Seattle idea. He said that it would be a waste of money to go there. I can see his point, but it would be so nice to get away for some time. Plus, the week that I have my vacation scheduled is the week of our 5th wedding anniversary. So, he could kill 2 birds with one stone, so to speak, give me a vacation and an anniversary gift all in one. I haven't tried that approach yet. Hmmm....

Day off -- yay!!

Today was one of my days off. I took my son to the doctor for a follow-up visit. Everything is fine, thank goodness! After we went to the doctor, we went to Target and I got the cutest bag and some flip flops.
We had lunch at McDonald's and I got one of those new "Adult Happy Meals" with a salad and bottled water. Somehow, that just didn't feel right. After all, McDonald's has always been the place to go when you feel like eating something bad.
Now I'm at home, doing some cleaning and other assorted adult duties and the kiddo is watching Spongebob Squarepants.

First things first

Well, here we go.
My 5th wedding anniversary is in just a little more than 2 months. I can't believe it. I never saw myself as the marrying type. I just thought I'd be a serial dater forever. But I found the right guy who's willing to put up with me and here we are, 5 years and one kid later.

We're relatively happy, all things considered. Our current area of residence is one of those things that definitely needs to be considered. We have an apartment in the southern US. It's not our apartment itself that we don't like, but the region. I was born in the south, raised in the south, and I am ready to leave the south. My husband is originally from another country, and is just here because it's where I happened to be when we met.

We're currently exploring our options to get out. We both know we want to leave, the only thing up in the air at this point is where we're going. That will depend on money -- basically where we're both able to get jobs that will pay the bills and hopefully make us happy. Happy = good.

I think you've heard enough for tonight.