Yay! ... and whoops...

I've told you about the numerous blogs I read on a daily basis. One of my favorites is Word Strumpet. Her link is over there on your left in the column of "Blogs I Love." Take a few minutes to stop by and you'll see why I love her, even if you aren't a writer.

This morning I was drinking my coffee and reading the blogs when I found a contest she was running. The first three people to respond with a comment would win either a writing / coaching session or a partial manuscript review.

I hurriedly scrolled down and was amazed to find that only two people had commented so far.

Guess who was the third? Whoo-Hoo!

Here's the link if you'd like to take a look:



http://wordstrumpet.typepad.com/word_strumpet/2008/03/pay-it-forward.html#comments



It really made my day. Then, a few moments ago I checked the page again to see if she'd posted a comment herself. Lo and behold, she had! I basked in a second helping of mental warm fuzzies, reminded of just how discovering that post this morning changed the tone of my day.


Then I read the last line of her comment. Apparently I didn't read her entire post carefully enough. Now I get to "pay it forward" and continue the giving spirit.

Damn! Now I have to give away three prizes!

Now, I am not stingy by nature - I love to give presents. But I am totally stumped as to what the heck I could give away!

Oh, sure. My thoughts did wander from practical to the ridiculous.

- Three of my favorite books? (But I reread my favorites. Hmmmm...)

- I only have two kids, but I bet Anne would give me her kid. (I'd sure get a lot more writing done. Anne would get more time to scrapbook and craft. Both of our houses would be cleaner. But, damnit. I think we'd miss them.)

- I could bribe Anne into making three cute things for me! (Nothing snarky to say about that. Except for the whole "using my friend" angle - that idea still has possibilities.)

- I could offer three of the tackiest Vegas souvenirs I can find. (Do you really want to represent your city like that? Grow up.)

- I could take pictures of the leftover stuff from the yard sale and the three winners could just pick something. (I'd have to deal with the shipping store but that would kill two birds with one stone! Less stuff to haul out on the lawn this Saturday!)

- I could offer to guest post for the winners. (Do you really think you can handle that kind of pressure? You know you would be a sobbing lump, curled up under your desk, sucking your thumb, racked with worry that you'd submit drivel and then never hear from them again!)

Therefore, my conclusion is this: I'm taking suggestions. Tell me what you think I ought to offer (within reason and the bounds of good taste - my parents and mother-in-law and one of my kids read this, you know) and give me some ideas, people!

One more

So, yeah. I'm posting again.

Almost a solid week of nothing but the echoing sound of crickets when you come over to visit my lil' ole' blog and now this.

Two in one day.

I know. Try to contain your shock.

I just had to come back and share this little thought about why I am so addicted to blogging. In the last week I haven't felt like writing, had nothing to say, and basically couldn't get those little synapses in my brain firing together long enough to string together a coherent sentence.

(As if I can achieve that on a normal day. )

In the past week of pain and misery and general grumpiness, the one non-caloric treat I had to indulge in was visiting my blog-friends. I have two in Wisconsin - Maggie and Ray, one in Georgia - Heather, as well as one in New York by way of Texas, one in Boston, and one that's moving from one state to another as you read these nonsensical ramblings. And those are just the ones off the top of my head, which is severely overtaxed. (See the previous post for the gory details.) There are at least another half-dozen that I visit every day, or every other day if my laptop time gets suspicious to other members of my family.

I feel a connection to these other people, a sharing of minds and humor and memories and pain and parenting and loss and successes. I've never met them in person, and may never get to shake their little paws.

But I just wanted to thank them for making this last week a little more bearable. They made me laugh out loud, nod my head in agreement, and tear up a few times. Especially for the sweetie-pies that stopped by and left me encouraging comments after my Easter "incident." I am thrilled and more than a little awe-struck that "real" writers would want to visit my little pages, read my words and leave such lovely comments.

I'm going to stop now. It's 12:30 and I'm getting all mushy and sentimental. I'll be back to my normal snarky self next time. And yes, Anne ... I know "snarky" is sooooooo five years ago but I don't give a damn. I love that word and I'm gonna keep using it as much as I use the word "nifty" because that's just me.

So, nyah!

I'm Baaaaaaaack!

It's true.
I actually feel like writing again, which is always a good sign. I haven't had much time or energy to post anything until today.
I was your basic "bump on a log" for most of the week. I didn't feel like doing anything productive at all. Even the bare minimum was draining, and I was an enormous grouch.
But I'm back now, and have a long post to catch you up.

The highlight of my week was the two-part Oprah show about compulsive hoarders. This woman and her husband had a 3,000 sq. ft. house and once they decluttered it they filled 15 commercial dumpsters with trash (that's 75 tons) and then filled an 11,000 sq. ft. warehouse with the saleable goods and held a 4 day rummage sale. They made $13,000 dollars!
Now, I do save things that I probably don't need to, and we do have way too much clutter, but I have to admit I felt a little better about the mess in my house after that episode.
And, I got quite a few good tips about decluttering.

Ominous music begins to build ...

And then Friday rolled around. We'd been talking about it for weeks, but the Oprah show was the catalyst.

My mother-in-law came over early, and then she and I and my hubby dove into the spider-infested dungeon that was our garage. Our neighbor and my fellow blogger Anne even came over and pitched in. Anne tried to prevent me from keeping the unnecessary items (Ha! I'm nothing if not sentimental.) and tried to stop me from spending a half hour cleaning out one box. I just couldn't help myself. I kept finding things I hadn't seen for years and had forgotten all about. I even found notes my best friend in high school and I had passed back and forth.

Needless to say, by the time we quit at 8 p.m., we were exhausted. So what relaxing activity did we have planned for the next day?

Why, a yard sale ... of course !

(Did you detect the sarcasm? Was it obvious?)

We woke up at the crack of early (beastly 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday), dragged out all of the boxes and furniture and random pieces of junk and stuff, and spread it all across our yard and the yard of the house next door. (Which is empty, thankfully. We needed the space.) Anne donated some items and our friend Rose brought an SUV filled with stuff she wanted to sell. My mom made the signs and then she, my mom-in-law and Anne helped all day.

As strange as it may sound, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We did have the usual idiots who offered ridiculous amounts of money for some things. One guy told my husband he'd give him $350 for the Toyota pickup we had for sale.

Dude.
Seriously?
I could sell the BUMPER for that.
Bite me.

Other than those occasional hiccups in the day, it was good. The weather was beautiful - around 80 - and all the kids played really well together (our 2, Anne's 1 and Rose's 3) and they even made some money selling lemonade.

Did I forget to mention I tripped (don't laugh) over the stereo speakers that were mine when I was in junior high school? Yep, I hurt my back again. Only this time I twisted it the opposite direction. So, theoretically speaking - I should have twisted it back into it's proper shape, right?
Nope.
I sat in a chair with an icepack on my back for most of the day, just handling the money.

At 3:30 we called it a day and sent everyone home.
At 4:30 we were trying to keep our eyes open.

One kid was ready for bed too, but one kid was still pinging with energy. Seven year old boys are so strange. We had time for everyone to get a shower (except the seven year old, go figure) and eat, and then we all went to bed at 8, with much protesting from the seven year old.

Me: Payton, you don't have to go right to sleep. You can stay up and watch t.v. I just want to go to bed!

That's some first-class parenting, huh?

I was asleep before 10:00 ... ME... Ms. Insomnia !!!

This morning we woke up at 6 and heard the wind whipping and howling outside.
So, we did the only smart thing.
We called Anne and Rose and my mom and Kirk's mom and cancelled the second day of the yard sale.
Yay!!

Then, Kirk and Katie drove around to take down the signs - which the wind had already done - and then went to the store for maple and chocolate bars.
Double yay!!

Me?
I rolled over and went back to sleep for a few hours.

Easter Update

So, how was your Easter holiday?

Mine was (insert sarcastic tone) super special.



Why?

Because I tripped over a kitchen chair yesterday, and in my effort to not step or fall on my dog, who outweighs me by at least 30 pounds, (I hope) I fell and twisted my back. Therefore, I subsequently spent the afternoon and evening laying flat on my back on the family room floor - with occasional transfer to the couch - miserable as hell.



The kids went over to my in-laws for the traditional Easter dinner, while Hubby stayed home (I lost that argument) to take care of me. And let me just remind you all ... I am NOT a good patient. I am a much better care-giver, at home and in my old life as an ophthalmology tech. As a care-receiver, I am horrible. I am cranky. I am irritable. And I'm in pain.



All we had in the house was acetaminophen (generic Tylenol). Not a Soma in sight. And let me just tell you, boys and girls, that Soma is a gift from Heaven when one feels that one's spine is in the shape of a used twist-tie. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, and very low level of med tolerance, so it wouldn't have taken much pharmaceutical help to make me more comfortable. (Half of a hydrocodone is my limit - anything more and I toss my cookies.) But I had to settle for the Tylenol, and an ice pack. Damnit.



So just what did I do to entertain myself? Tried not to irritate my patient husband to the point that he smothered me with a pillow (although at one point I might have welcomed it), watched the History Channel, switched over to a mini-marathon of Ghostly Encounters, and then fell asleep. For hours. To get a good gauge of how rotten I felt, ponder this. I didn't even feel like writing. Or reading. (Gasp!)



The good news is that later on that night I actually felt better moving around, and got quite a few spontaneous pops from my lower back (the Danger Zone). I think the pieces/parts may actually be moving back to the correct position without the need for my back doctor. Yes, the same doctor that told me once that the reason I have lower back problems is because I've had two kids and because I'm tall. (5'11") Jokingly, I compared it to my black lab (a mom herself) and other large dogs that tend to have back and hip problems as they age. He looked at me and said, "Yep, you're a big dog."

Sigh.

Woof.

Glove Feet

As long as I'm sharing pictures ... I just thought I'd show you what my creative (insane) 7 year old son did today.

Yes, those are his feet.

Wearing rubber gloves.

He thought it was a good idea until his 11 year old sister decided to pull on the fingers (toes) of the gloves and snap them.

Man, I lead an interesting life, huh?

More Jealousy

My Dad, sacked out on the beach. He says it's his favorite place to relax and people-watch ... if he can stay awake. They're coming home today so I won't have any more envy-inducing photos to post.
These are hard enough for me to see because I'm up to my elbows in this stupid cleaning crap we've got to do. But at least we've got gorgeous 80' weather outside, so I can step out onto the front porch for a bit of sun and to clear the noxious fumes out of my sinuses. I can't imagine looking at this if I was up to my elbows in snow!

That was for you, Nitro Vista. I happened to catch the Weather Channel while they were talking about Wisconsin this morning (yikes!) and then got this email. Have a beer and stare at the background of this picture. Maybe you'll feel better. (And not kill me for this.) Cheers!

My son just came in and reminded me that I still have to hard-boil the eggs to color for Easter. Damn!
Gotta go ...

The Cobwebs

Yes, I did continue the Great Cleaning Mission today.
I cleaned the master bathroom to within an inch of it's (and my) life.
My sinus passages are cleared out, man - after the Pine Sol and Windex fumes. Whew...

But I did get cooperation from the kids. They actually worked together to clean their bathroom, with only a few arguments. Honestly, I expected worse - making those two work together in one relatively small room AND making them clean is like throwing two hungry, psychotic pit bulls and a small pork chop into a tiny cat carrier. I expected a lot more bloodshed.
Somehow, they were able to work together and shine. (Pun intended)
Kaitlin even played her Three Days Grace CD, which Payton really loves.
(Yes, my kids' names rhyme. No, we didn't plan on that. Yes, it's a major pain in the butt when I holler up the stairs and I hear a voice answer, "Did you say 'Kait' or 'Payt' ?")

Speaking of music ...

While I was cleaning, I had my iPod serenading me, with two of my favorite playlists on. I am just witty enough to have titled the first one "Chick Tunes" - featuring songs from women, and the second was "Dude Tunes - featuring ... well you can figure it out. (I have my moments of brilliance and cleverness, they just don't usually strike at 2 a.m. when I'm goofing around on iTunes.)

Anyway ...

I was completely taken back in time by several songs I heard. Now, we have all heard how scents bring back memories. But I was really surprised by my response to a few of the tunes. I was scrubbing away, amazingly happy, lost in my memories. If you're in the 35- to 45- year old age range, I think you'll enjoy this trip more than most. Here we go ...

The first was Barracuda - Heart (1977). When I hear this song, I am seven years old and spending the weekend at Dumont Dunes in California, sitting by the campfire with a million stars overhead in the winter sky. Seriously, the combination of the peaceful sky, the smell of an open campfire and the distant roar of dune buggies doing a night run is heaven on earth. If you haven't tried it, DO.

Next, we have Back in the High Life - Steve Winwood (1987). Now I am 17 years old and a senior in high school. Hanging out with my best friend Sophia, ditching school or cruising the Strip in her 10 year old Datsun and sharing french fries at McDonald's.

Then, we have Like the Weather - 10,000 Maniacs (1988). This cassette was woefully overplayed in my 1984 Ford Escort's tape deck, and I literally wore the thing out. I played it to death during the summer after my graduation, while I was trying to figure out what the heck I was going to do with my life.

Which brings us to Sweet Marie - Hothouse Flowers (1990). Another tape that I played until it wore out. (The hot Vegas summers may have played a part in the disintegration.) This was after my short stint (one year) in Santa Barbara, CA as a live-in nanny and subsequent return to the desert. I still love to drive around, late on a hot summer night with the windows open and this song blaring. (On the rare occasion we're out late.)

Last but not least, Been Caught Stealing - Jane's Addiction (1990). After the return to my hometown, I hung out with old friends, and met two fantastic girls - Heather and Debbie - that introduced me to the wonders of "The Sports Pub" - which used to be across the street from U.N.L.V. in a two story building. (Located over the Kinko's) It was a typical university pub with the usual college /alternative music and cheap beer, and HOT bouncers. I learned to wear a hat on nights out there, as I discovered quickly it was an easy "conversation starter" for guys. (I'm smart like that.)

It was a little strange to look at my 37-year old self in the (newly clean) bathroom mirror and remember the girl I used to be. I'd love to go back and tell that girl to not stress and freak out so much about what was around the corner. It all works out pretty great. You get to meet the love of your life when you're 23, have two great kids, multiple great animals (I'm a sucker like that) and two great careers. Relax, and enjoy the social life.

Just a stroll down Memory Lane, boys and girls. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

I sure did.

Sheer Laziness

There is so much I should be doing.
We've got people coming in just a few days to inspect the house so we can refinance it and get out of this freakin' ARM. (I know, stupid move. But what's done is done, right? No need to beat oneself up about it now ... not repetitively and obsessively with all the other mental self-flagellation I do and especially not at 3 a.m. when I can't sleep. That would be pointless and negative thinking and I would never do that.)
The house is in it's usual state of chaos, covered in a 2 inches of dust and dog and cat hair.
There are piles of laundry everywhere I look.
There are bags of clothes and boxes of toys for donation crowding the den. (They have dust on them too, 'cause some have been there a year.)
The sink is overflowing with dishes.
The backyard is "crap-tastic" with dog poop.
My son told me yesterday that "Maybe the Easter Bunny will bring the baskets and clean up the house for us!?!?!"

(Mr. Bunny, if you can hear me. Pleeeeease consider it.)


And what am I doing about all this?

Sitting on the bed, reading blogs - on my newly wireless laptop that I just can't seem to take my hands off of - and talking on Yahoo messenger with my son (who's in the next room) and my daughter (who's two rooms away) and my friend (who's 4 houses away), while I sit here and drink coffee. In my pajamas.


Hi, my name's Lori and I'm a Baaaaaaaad Mommy.

P.S. For the record - I did finally get up and shower, got dressed and cleaned the laundry room. You can actually see the floor in there now, and I toted two lawn and leaf trash bags to the curb stuffed with nasty old bed pillows (God knows why I hadn't tossed them earlier), stained or ripped clothes the kids had long outgrown and shouldn't be donated, and assorted odds and ends. (Like old sheets that an "anonymous" cat decided made a handy litter box when she didn't feel like going all the way downstairs to her real one. Did I mention she's really old and blind and deaf and indiscriminate about her potty habits?)

Yay, me! Now to tackle the rest of the chaos ...

I admit it ...

Thanks to Barb at http://www.sothethingisblog.blogspot.com/, I am now officially aware of and take full credit for my sickness.
I am addicted to blogging.
I am addicted to reading them.

... And I am most certainly addicted to writing them.

So be it!
Check out new my badge of honor over there on the left.
By the way - if you have a few minutes, go visit Barb. It will be so very worth your while.
She is not only insanely hilarious and witty, but a real person you'd want to talk with over a few glasses of wine.

Heroes

Two of the greatest guys in the whole world live 4 houses away from each other ... on my street ... one of them lives in my house and one of them lives in my friend Anne's house.

Let me tell you why these guys are so incredible.

Anne's husband Wayne has spent hours, on three different nights trying to get wireless Internet access my laptop. He even made a special 40 foot cable last night so I could plug in to our router and be able to write while laying in bed. (I think Anne and I goofed a little when we were trying to help him see the wire colors in very low light, but by then we were all tired and a little punchy) It didn't work, so he let me borrow the 25 foot cable that I blogged about earlier.

Then he went above and beyond today. Anne said he just couldn't leave the problem unsolved - so today he went out and got me a very spiffy Linksys Wireless USB adapter! They called me over early this evening, and Wayne programmed it and set it all up for me tonite. Can you believe this guy? I'm already planning the GIANT gift basket he's getting in return.

I'd been over at Wayne and Anne's (where Payton is staying the night for a sleep-over ... geez, I hope he makes it the whole night) for an hour and a half - fifteen minutes of which were spent with Wayne getting my laptop up and running, the rest was spent with the three of us just chit-chatting, while the three 8-year old boys played in the background.

I walked back home at 7:30 just in time for a late dinner with Katie and Kirk. My lovely, wonderful husband (and personal Top Chef) made one of my favorite dinners ... broiled chicken breasts, mashed potatoes and green beans. I've posted many times about what a wonderful guy he is; how he spoils, takes care of and loves me and our kids. Today was the simplest, sweetest show of affection. We spent hours cleaning the kids rooms, and when we quit for the day, I ran across the street to Anne's, he relaxed at home and then perfectly planned the timing of our dinner. He fixes the everything around the house, knows a ton about the t.v.s, stereos and computers. He got the router up and running easily. He's a total guy's-guy with his buddies.

But he's not a knuckle-dragging caveman. We realized that someone else was going to have to fix the laptop issue - and it didn't affect his ego one bit.

How rare is that? He's totally secure - and I love and adore him.

There's one more great guy I have to add, but he doesn't live on my street.

My dad. He's been in Hawaii for about two weeks and has sent me pictures, text messages, emails and called me several times just to keep in touch. Every year of my life we get closer and closer and I love every minute of it.

O.K., enough gushing. I just had to show my gratitude and affection for these people. I've had a great day and these men are chiefly the reason for that.

I can't believe what a lucky girl I am to have such great guys in my life.

The Ongoing Saga of the Wireless Laptop

I was given my sweet little laptop, and it's a wonderful thing. (Actually Mom loaned it to me and I just sorta kept it. She's devoted to her ergonomic keyboard anyway...) I am truly very grateful for it. It's right up there with my iPod on the list of favorite gadgets. It holds all of my rough drafts, story ideas and plot outline, as well as the current incarnation of my book. I wasn't much bothered by the fact that I didn't have Internet access on it because the home computer suited me just fine.

That was then. This is now.

Over the last few weeks - thanks to the influence of my laptop-riding neighbor, fellow Blogger and friend Anne - I have rapidly become obsessed with the idea. I am consumed with the luxury of being able to lay in bed and write, blog, whatever ... especially on those long nights when sleep eludes me. It's a much more appealing idea than sitting in the hard wooden chair in the chilly den at 3 o'clock in the morning. (Yeah, I know ... I've got it sooooo rough, right?)

The first step was getting the wireless router hooked up. If you read my daughter's blog, you already know that the first attempt resulted in us losing Internet access completely for a few days. Whoops ...

This past Sunday I promised my hubby a month of back rubs if he'd try again to hook up the router. I'd even climb under the desk and do all the cable and plug work so he didn't have to move out of the chair.
(He broke a few bones in his foot last week. Yes, it was my fault. But that's another story.)

This time ... success!! Our daughter's laptop (her XMas present from Aunt Kelly) grabbed the signal right away and she was off and running. To her room. We've barely seen her since ...

And mine?

Nada.

For some reason, mine has wireless capabilities but (1) is missing the Ethernet Controller Drivers or (2) has them but they don't work or (3) just doesn't feel like "surfing."

Happily, Anne's hubby Wayne let me borrow a 25-foot cable to plug into the router... so I am actually sitting on a comfy couch in the den and writing this all out. Notice, I am not lounging in bed. Why is that? Because I apparently need a 28-foot cable to do that.
Yes, that is correct. I am 3 measly feet short of my goal.

But the saga is not over, as I am still going to have my laptop looked at to see if we may be able to get this little guy to co-operate and be a team player. One of these days I'll be writing copious amounts of literary brilliance (ha!) all the while roaming freely around the house ... unfettered by cords or cables. Well, except for the power cord ...

Jealousy ...

This is a picture of my Dad in Kona, Hawaii a day or so ago. They are still there ... lucky, lucky ducks!!!

Changes of Template and Mind

Yes, I changed my template. Again.
No, I didn't try a spiffy new one from Pyzam. Much as I'd like to, considering the many favorites I selected - I'm just a little wary from that recent disaster. I'll give it a few days or weeks and try again, I'm sure.
I like this one better because of (1) the wider frame - I tend to ramble and hated having to scroll down for 5 minutes just to read one post in it's entirety, and (2) I like the softer colors and the Harbor theme.

Today's Happenings:
My fellow blogger and neighbor Anne and I were dragged into taking our sons to Peter Piper Pizza this morning at the ungodly (for me) hour of 11 a.m. to attend the birthday party of a classmate. We discussed the anticipated two hours of hell like the experienced moms that we are ... we didn't want to ditch the boys and run.
O.K. - we wanted too, but figured Murphy and his Law would choose today to send one (or both) of the boys to the E.R. with a broken limb or gaping wound, due to our neglectful absence. In addition - we didn't want to dump more on the shoulders of the birthday girl's parents. They have enough to juggle already.
Therefore, we both brought books, notebooks and pens aplenty - I even brought a deck of cards. We figured we'd introduce ourselves and the boys, then skulk off to a side booth and enjoy a little quiet time - with the expected periodic interruptions from the boys.

No dice.

Turns out, ungodly hour though it may be, 11 a.m. is the perfect time in which to hold a birthday party at P3. (Dear Charmed fans - way, way, WAY different.) The staff was still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as they have not cleaned up multiple messes of upchuck, spilled soda, and pizza and cake that got knocked on the floor.
The non-birthday-party crowd was very small, and the overall noise level of the place was not eardrum-thumping. To top it all off - the birthday girl's parents were funny and friendly and we actually had a good time talking, laughing and telling stories while the kids ate, drank, opened presents and fed tokens into every available game.

Not at all what I expected.

Don't get me wrong - I won't go rushing back eagerly when the next classmate decides to have his or her party at that particular "hotspot" or any similar chain of kid-oriented / enter- food-tainment kind of places.
I love my kids, I love most of my friend's kids, and I love quite a few of my kids' friends. But I don't love a hundred or so stranger-kids who seem to have been raised in a cave with very little human contact, only to be abruptly let loose to run and scream and punch and kick while their "handlers" turn a blind eye.

Today was a rare exception. Trust me, I have hosted and attended too many parties in one of "those places."

But today is a definite check mark in the "This-is-so-much-better-than-I-thought-it-would-be" column.

Morning Heart Attack

So, the kids left for school, hubby is off to a meeting and I am left alone in the house. The t.v.'s are off, the windows are open and there is a light cool March breeze bumping the mini-blinds. I can hear some wind chimes a short distance away.

Bliss.

I'm going to sit at the computer for a little (ha!) bit, check my email, read some blogs and simultaneously i.m. with my neighbor and fellow blogger who happens to live 4 houses away.
(Don't ask why we do that - our husbands have already tried to point out the stupidity of it. )

Then I'll shower, throw some laundry in the washer, and work on my articles. No distractions.

(15 heart-racing, eardrum pounding minutes later ... )

At the moment that I tapped the period key to end that sentence ("No distractions." How ironic.) , the smoke alarm started to shriek. I should say smoke alarms, because there are 5 upstairs and at least 3 downstairs. (I'm not going downstairs to count them. Gotta catch my breath first.) They are like a group of babies, because when one starts to wail - they all join in a moment later.

One of them is right outside the kids' bathroom and likes to go off when someone walks out of the steamy bathroom, leaving the door open and the fan off. So I went to that one first, fanning it with a floppy leather record book I grabbed off the nearby bookcase. I fanned until my shoulders started to ache, and then I realized one of the other alarms was the instigator. (It's hard to think quickly or clearly when you feel as if someone is rhythmically shooting metal spikes in through your ears and into your brain.)

So I tried the one in the office / den where I had been sitting. No dice.

I move on to the master bedroom and try fanning that one. I am certain there will be blood dripping from my ears and onto my white bathrobe any moment. After two minutes of fanning - it stops.
The sudden quiet is surprisingly loud. I exhale a huge breath, and return to the computer to finish this post.

Then it starts again.
I run back into the bedroom.
I realize there is some dust on the alarm.
So I drag a chair over, grab a Swiffer that happened to be close by (thank God I dusted the ceiling fan last night and was too lazy to take the box back downstairs!) and dusted and fanned and dusted and fanned.
It stops.
I sit down again.
It starts back up.
I fan, I dust, I'm even blowing on the damn thing even though I can't get closer than 10 inches to it.
I desperately wish for some canned air.

I call Hubby - he tells me to flip all the breakers in the garage. I navigate the spider-infested dungeon and do so. It stops - but for only 5 minutes.
Then I'm back to fanning and cursing.
I sit back down.
Then it goes off again.

It's been an hour in this hell. The cats and dog keep looking at me like I've trying to punish them.
At least now it's starting to beep twice as a warning before it launches into full-on tantrum. I dash from the desk in the den, and start fanning like crazy.

So much for my blissful morning.

But at least my upper arms are getting a great work-out, right?

Damn ...

Couldn't think straight with the shrieking ... finally unscrewed the alarm from ceiling, disconnected the cable to the direct power supply, pulled the back-up battery and replaced it with a new one.

... silence ...

Deep breath ... big sigh ... whew ....

One of these days I'll post the story about what I did when the smoke alarm went off at our old house. That's a good one!

Doors Opening

I have discovered a secret that may have been obvious to the rest of the human race, but sometimes I'm a bit slow or a bit bull-headed. (Yes, I'm a Taurus)

Closing oneself off from the world does not a happy camper make.
I've been in a bit of a self-imposed shell for the last few months. Thought it would make me happy, make me feel safer in this big, bad, scary world. Didn't leave the house, or my neighborhood for days at a time.
But I'm stretching my legs and arms back out and letting the sun shine on my pale hide.
Know what?
It's not so bad.

Remember when you were little and you grabbed your friend's hand and you jumped into the deep end of the pool together? Somehow, the leap didn't seem so scary? And when you surfaced, the edge of the pool didn't seem so far away?

It helps when your friend is scared of the same things you are. You can push and pull each other into doing things you thought you couldn't. You can share your stories, reveal your scars and tell all about the old battles ... and then you're only left with one thing.

Moving forward.

This is just a little something for anyone out there who understands what it's like ... who hears their own voice in my words ... who doesn't think he or she is strong enough to step outside. Literally or metaphorically - doesn't matter.

You are strong enough.
But if you doubt me - find a friend who is as scared of the deep end as you are, grab hands and jump anyway!

Wednesday Night Update

First the only "bad" news - can't get my Shelfari bookshelf to display on my blog. Can't quite figure out why yet. Yes, I tried the Blogger Help - followed the instructions and emptied my cookies - or tossed my cookies ... whatever it's called (kidding) ... and still no luck. Oh well.
Try again later or chuck the whole deal, right?


Good news - am very happy with the overall look of the "new" rebuilt blog I ended up with today - after I mistakenly dumped most of my pictures and widgets this morning.
Peace after the panic!

The kids went to bed with little argument tonight so Kirk and I got to watch the new episode of "Ghost Hunters" in relative peace - with the exception of the furry kids, as always ...
Love, love, LOVE that show!
My girlfriend Kim got to meet them when she was back home in Philly last summer and even got her picture taken with them (Jay and Grant) in front of Eastern State Penitentiary. Lucky girl!!

Weird note - watched most of "Moment of Truth" tonite. That is a seriously messed up television program! I cannot understand why seemingly sane and normal people would want to go on national t.v. (hell, international t.v. if you consider YouTube and the other far-flung reaches of the Internet) and willingly reveal such horrible personal and family secrets for money!
I mean, really?!?!?
Why on earth would someone do that?

And the voiceover announcer is so over-the-top ... "coming up next ... now that John Doe has destroyed his family ... made his mother, his wife, his father, his sister-in-law and his best friend cry ... how will he answer the next excruciating questions ..."
(I'm paraphrasing but you get the gist of it.)

Of course, I'm the dumb bunny that sat there and did not change the channel, huh?
I can't explain it.
It's like watching a slow-motion train wreck ... I couldn't look away! I just sat there, trying to figure out the WHY of the whole show.
But there is no why, is there?
It is what it is.

I'm going to plan on reading a book next Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ... I can't get sucked in again!

Ah, well... such is life, right?

I'm tired, I'm babbling and I'm heading to bed.

'Night all!

Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn, Damn!

The above quote was courtesy of Stewie from Family Guy - who borrowed it from Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady.
I am so pissed off I can't see straight !!
I was trying to change my blog template and screwed it up BIG TIME!!
So, bear with me while I set things to right.
Give me a few hours and then check back later.
Damn!

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

O.K. - it wasn't as hard to fix as I thought it was going to be. I lost quite a lot of the nifty things in the left sidebar that I liked, but was able to replace them pretty easily. In fact, I finally took the time to group the links to my favorite blogs the way I wanted, instead of them being spread out all over the place.
I still have some things to "tweak" but it's not as catastrophic as it felt when I first looked at it and saw a LOT of blank areas!!

Whew!

Ahhhhh ....

Remember how I was raving about the coffee my cousins sent?

(Shameless plug ... http://www.sloroasted.com/)

Well, guess how Karma, or the Universe, or the Fates decided to mess with me?

The carafe on our coffeemaker broke!

By the way - a hot coffee carafe does NOT like to be rinsed with cold tap water. And no, I am not the one that broke it. It was all Kaitlin's fault!

(I broke the last one. And yes, the same way.)

This led to a week of using an old 4-cup Mr. Coffee (that continually dumped grinds into the brew, no matter how we rigged the filter), then trying 8 or 10 times to figure out the right process to use Kirk's Revere Ware stovetop percolator (couldn't get rid of the metallic taste, but boy howdy - it made the whole house smell fantastic! Better than Febreeze!) THEN we tried to buy a replacement carafe ... only to discover that it didn't fit.

I am now overjoyed to report that my mom was kind enough to lend us her coffeemaker until we get the right replacement carafe. She only uses hers when my Auntie comes to visit, so we saved it from sitting in it's lonely box on her pantry shelf for the next few months.

I am now on my second cup of the morning, and happy as can be.

But there go my mid-morning naps ...

Cheers!

P.S.

I got an email today from a good friend that I used to work with and guess what?

She's preggers !!

Yay Kathy !! (and hubby, I know you had a part in that too)

Congrats !!

Crazy Find

So, this afternoon I was doing web research for the freelance article job I have (yay!) and came across this on Google:

A sexy hamburger dress.

It was just too tempting - I had to look at it. Turns out, it's crochet! Hey Mom, Robin, Rhonda, Linda or any of you crafty ladies ... who's going to be the first one to make this for Halloween?

And no, if you make it - I will NOT wear it !!

This is the goofy ending to my very nice and productive day.

Cheers!

Cranky

In case you haven't read the post below, stop and go do that now. This one won't make much sense or be nearly as funny otherwise.
Go ahead ... I'll wait.

... You back?
O.K.

It's 4:20 a.m. and let me just say INSOMNIA SUCKS !!

That's all.

I'm going back to bed now and try to wrestle the Sandman for a few measly teaspoons before the alarm clock goes off in ... one hour and thirty-eight minutes.
Cross your fingers - I will be!

Monday

Nice day today, considering the beastly insomnia I had last night. I deal with it a few times a week anyway but the time change didn't help. I was seriously considering getting up and writing a blog titled "Insomnia Sucks" at 4 a.m. but knew that would chase away the few crumbs of drowsiness I had left and thought better of it.

Luckily for me - Karma has a sense of humor.
Just as I was dropping off to sleep with some auto-hypnosis I sort-of remembered and sort-of was making up as I went along (from a college course in 1990) ...

... the dog had to go out to pee.

Hardy, har, har.

On a good note - I found a website called Blog Catalog that I'm excited to join up with. I filled out all the necessary information late last night (before I tried to sleep) and then found out I would have to wait 24 to 48 hours for my "acceptance" notification.
I'm such a geek.
I spent most of my day checking my email looking for that notice.
You'd have thought I was waiting to get the nod that I had won a Pulitzer Prize.

And yes, when I finally got that email at 10:28 p.m. tonight - I hollared "whoo-hoo" - but quietly so the kids didn't wake up.

Hi, my name is Lori and I'm a geek.

Acceptance is the first step ...

Pet Pics

Not much going on around here lately - just a quiet Sunday at home, lounging on the bed. Thought I'd share a picture of two of our furry kids. It cracked me up because Tommy (Mr. Attitude) had been flipping his tail and hitting Shelby (Ms. Passive) on the face for a few minutes ... and then she got tired of it. She raised her head up at just the right moment and laid it back down, effectively pinning his tail.

You just have to know those two to get the full gist of the moment. Basically, Tommy thinks he owns the house and all of us, and he whips that tail around like a master conductor. Shelby, on the other hand, is sweet and so needy for attention at all times - she only shows any aggression with strangers at the door. Very efficient when it's a salesman or stranger but kind of troublesome when it's the pizza guy. But for some reason she had a flash of "I-have-had-enough-of-this-crap" and stood up for herself. (or laid her head down for herself - however you want to look at it.)

Happy Sunday!

Comments

I just got an lovely email from a super sweet pal of mine who reads the blog regularly. (Thank you!) She sends her frequent comments in her emails directly to me instead of posting them on the blog itself.

When I asked her why she does that she said "I didn't want to mess with your blog."
I'm going to tell all of you the same thing I told her ... PLEASE post any and all comments you want !!!

I don't mind if you agree or disagree with my random thoughts and opinions - I never want this to be my own personal soapbox with no feedback.

Besides that, any writer (even a part-time, freelance one such as myself) craves the ego-boost that comes from the simple confirmation that someone ... anyone ... actually reads this ... even if it does border on mindless tripe at times.

Got it? Good.

And thank you all, once again, for reading my blog. You have no idea how much it helps me keep my brain working and exercising, and helps my freelance article work.

Cheers!

Weekend of the Aunts

Have you ever had weekend that was like a roller coaster? We just had one of those. It started out great ... and then came to an end with an unpleasant, abrupt stop.

My Aunt Gail came to town for the NASCAR races - she looks fantastic and all of us - especially the kids - were tickled to see her again. This is the first time we've gotten to see her since we were in California last February. We'd been planning the trip down to see her already, but then a few days before our arrival her heart decided to make Valentine's Day more memorable for the whole family. Yes, you read that right - she had her heart attack on Valentine's Day, and then bypass surgery a few days later.
She and my mom had a fabulous time at the races and tonight they are going to see Mystere' - courtesy of my cousin Chris.
Oh, and he and his sister Julie also sent us some coffee Friday so yeah, my cousins ROCK!

Linda and Gene (Kirk's parents) picked up the kids after school Friday and kept them overnight so Kirk and I got to have a date night. We're watching money so we just stayed home ... but that was quite alright with me. Kirk's my own personal Top Chef - his dishes are better than most I've had in the fanciest restaurants. I get to be the sous chef and then clean up afterwards, so it's a fair deal!
The kids came home Saturday evening and we all just hung out and goofed off together.

And then Sunday rolled around, and Kirk got a phone call from his mom that his Aunt Connie had passed away the night before. The whole family is shaken up - this is the second sister Gene's lost in less than a year. Aunt Willie passed away on Mother's Day last year and that was, and is still incredibly difficult.
Happily, Aunt Vicky is coming out here for a visit soon so we can lavish her with extra hugs and kisses.

Remember my post from Thanksgiving, when I talked about what a fun day and evening we had at Robin and Chip's house, and how great it is to spend time with family that you actually want to hang out with? I meant it then and I mean it now and I just wanted to say it again.

I love that we keep in closer contact with our friends and family more often now than we ever did with occasional phone calls and the rare letter by snail mail. We're all sending emails, reading each other's blogs, posting pictures of our kids, and forwarding jokes and funny cartoons and annoying chain letters. (Just kidding!) It doesn't matter if it's someone across the street or across the country - you're right here in this little box on my desk. And I like that.

So, wherever you are - whether you are family or friends - consider yourself loved and hugged and appreciated.

XOXOXO