Woman's Work

Why is it that when Scott gets up before me he can just go about his normal business, without any of the furry ones bugging him? Yet the moment that I decide to begin getting out of bed (sometimes it takes a bit!) - they all begin hounding me? How is it that they are all my job - not his?

I was listening to Scott walk around the house this morning (Jake had yet to realize that I was awake). He said good morning to the kittens and Jake - but they didn't ask for breakfast, he pet the pooch and said good morning - but wasn't forced to let her out. Somehow they all cut him slack that I just don't get. The moment I come out of the bathroom I have to maneuver around the cats that are rubbing my legs to get to the dog that is banging at the back door to be let out!

Here's the routine:
1. let dog out
2. feed cats
3. let dog in
4. feed dog
5. check the bird and squirrel feeders and have my "Disney moment"*
6. finally get into the shower

* The "Disney moment" is when I feed the birds and the squirrels and they come and eat what I've tossed out to them - I'm not saying that they sing with (yet) but it's awfully perky for 6:30am.

Of course all of this gets me to thinking about our attempts to get pregnant. In some ways I think I'm happy to be unsuccessful - it's just one more thing that I'd have to do in the morning that Scott could walk by, pat on the head and say "Good Morning".

Current Music: Life in Disguise - The Slip

Love This!

My daily blog ramblings (which have been cut short lately due to all the work I've had to do - working really gets in the way of all the stuff I like to do!) found me here - where I found this:

For some reason I just love it! Fun retro colors and the unexpected kitten - too cute. Too bad I don't sew... Maybe I can come up with something - this might be too cute to pass up.

Anyway, there are a bunch more fun things on the Tonic Living site - more fabulous things I don't need and can't afford!

Current Music: Wreck of the Day - Anna Nalick

Say no more...

Current Music: Bad Day - Daniel Powter

TGIF

Not much time for anything else, so just a quick Feast!

Appetizer: Say there’s a book written about your life. Who would you want to narrate the audio version?
I guess Julia Robert's - I love her voice even though I'm not a big fan of her as an actress.

Soup: Take the letters from your favorite kind of nut and write a sentence.
Can anyone see how everything works?

Salad: If you could go back in time and spend one week in another decade, which decade would you choose?
I'd say the late 40's - after the war. I love the way everyone dressed, times were a bit simpler. It's also one of my favorite times for movies (though the late 30's were great too).

Main Course: Name a song that brings back memories for you.
Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds, takes me right back to high school.

Dessert: Do you prefer to wash your hands in cold water or warm water?
Warm, since I'm cold most of the time it helps warm me up.

Current Music: Fascinating New Thing - Semisonic

Not this time!

Woo-hoo! Managed not to get picked for a jury today!

When I got there I saw a bench full of my former fellow jurors, we chatted and caught up - strange how you can become friendly over something like jury duty. Of course none of us wanted to get called again, since we'd already served, but the judge said that they would be reviewing 6 or 7 cases and might need juries for all of them! Luckily two entered pleas, one was a no show (which lend to a bench warrant) and one was dismissed - so only two cases needed juries. Strangely enough, those juries were only 6 people, instead of 12 - not really sure why.

Anyway, two of the folks from my previous jury were seated in the new juries (even though they tried to get out of it by talking about how the jury was hung) - but the rest of us got off for the rest of the week! I hate to revel in other's misery, but I am sooooo glad not to have to do that again.

The bad news is that I still have one more week I have to call in, but I'm really hoping that my number won't come up again.

Current Music: Ballad of a Bitter End - The Poems

Here we go again - maybe...

Current Music: theme song for Without a Trace (it's too late for music!)

Damn Spots!

Cruella De Ville maybe? Perhaps a dislike of Guernsey cows? Problems with the carpet (well, yes - but that's not it either).

Nope, just AF settling in for a visit! I realize that our timing was off this month, but early signs really made me think we might have done it this month. Oh well, I guess that gives me fodder for the Round-Up. Plus it means I can party on the beach this weekend!

(Karmic retribution happened just as I was about to post! I managed to drop my pen on my sleeve, one more spot to deal with!)

Current Music: Route 66 - Depeche Mode

Check!

Well, I can check another thing off my list of things that "Michiganders Do" (or as my BIL is trying to coin "Michiganeese") - we went to the Woodward Dream Cruise on Saturday. (plus don't you LOVE the Picasa collage?!)

The cruise is described as "the world’s largest one-day celebration of car culture, attracts more than 1 million visitors and more than 40,000 muscle cars, street rods, custom, collector and special interest vehicles". I would describe it as a huge gathering of scary men and women and cars, but then I'm not a big car buff. Seriously, it was kind of cool, some of the old cars were really great - and there was even a bus that shot fire out of the top!

We met JC at his house, then wandered across Woodward (which isn't that tough, given that everyone goes about 5 miles an hour) to a party at his friend's house. We stopped there long enough for a couple of drinks, a snack and to meet some of JC other friends (he has other friends!?). Then we strolled back down to Woodward to watch everyone go by.

I do feel bad for the people in normal cars that "accidentally" get stuck on Woodward that weekend. The traffic is usually a bit sticky - but that weekend the top speed is probably 5 to 10 mph! Plus if you have a normal car and are in the "cruising lane" you get booed! Glad we took the back streets to JC's place!

Current Music: Little Wonders - Rob Thomas

Too Busy to Blog

Too Busy to blog, sleep, eat, make dinner - just too busy with work! Jury Duty really put a crimp in my style. Plus all these people that need their plans and pricing yesterday (as opposed to all the people I haven't even finished with)!

I know it's a good thing to be this busy at work, and that I'll be sorry later on in the year when I'm sitting on my hands, but in the mean time I'll whine about it...

Current Music: Keep Breathing - Ingrid Michaelson

Violated!

Someone hi-jacked my eBay account!

I open up my email this morning to find the following subject line: "Account Security Notice: eBay Registration Suspension - Possible Unauthorized Account Use". Of course I totally freaked out! I couldn't sign on to eBay, couldn't access anything. I found other email in my in-box that were supposedly from me - trying to sell low-cost electronics. So scary!

I have to give props to eBay though, I went to the site, followed the instructions and chatted with a customer service person and within a matter of minutes she had me back up and running. Apparently they had already figured out exactly what was going on (I guess this is a bit of a common occurrence), notified the other eBay folks that got email from me (supposedly from me anyway), and were just awaiting my reply.

I'm pleased that eBay was so on the ball, but it's freaky that it could happen in the first place! At lease everything is back to normal, but believe me - I'm going to be paying more attention from now on.

Current Music: Jeanette - English Beat

Yard Sale Hell

It's actually called the "Yard Sale Trail", you say potato I say potato. It's an annual pain in my butt, 200 miles of garage sales along a two lane highway for three days. I usually try desperately to avoid this gigantic mess, but this year it was unavoidable.

You just can't put that many idiots on a two lane highway and expect good things! I nearly ran-into or ran-over a half a dozen people - and was nearly rear-ended by nearly the same number. A trip that should have taken no more than one and a half hours took over three!

Next year, no matter what - I am not leaving my house on that weekend!!!!

Current Music: Ackee 1-2-3, English Beat

It's Friday!

Good News - done with Jury Duty!
Bad News - there is sooooooooooooo much work to catch up on!

So, just a quick second to do this Friday's Feast:

Appetizer: What is your favorite kind of pie?
Oh, that's an easy one - cherry!

Soup: Name something that made you smile this week.
Picking George up at the groomer - she was so pretty and clean and happy to see me! It was nice to have someone be so glad to see me after such a crappy week.

Salad: What do you do to cool off when the weather is hot and humid?
Does turning up the air conditioner count? Actually the best thing is to take a cool shower, get my hair wet and then sit next to a fan.

Main Course: You receive $1,000 in the mail with a letter that says you can only use the money to redecorate one room in your home. Which room do you pick, and what do you buy to spruce it up?
Oh jeez - that would be a drop in the home improvement budget! But if I had to do it, I'd probably do a quickie fix up on one of the bathrooms. I'd switch the itty-bitty cabinet for a cool console, replace the scary-crappy tile, put in a new toilet and buy new towels and rugs and paint.

Dessert: Fill in the blank: My _________ says __________, but I __________.
My body says get some sleep, but I have too much to do to go to bed early.

Current Music: Fernando - ABBA (lame, yes, but what can you do)

Crap-tastic!

Jury duty! Wahoo! Does it get much better than that?

I got the letters a while back, but didn't have to call in till Monday. So, on my way to the ball game I called in only to find that I was indeed being "called in". Alright, it can't be that bad, right? I'll go in, tell them that I know judges and prosecutors and lawyers, that I work on commission so I can't afford to serve - I'll be in and out.

Tuesday morning I woke up to a torrential down-pour, sure, we need the rain - but we didn't need 6 inches in an hour and a half (I suppose I exaggerate a bit, but only a bit). I got up, dressed as "appropriately" for court as I could in the rain, then headed down town. It took a bit, but I finally managed to find a parking space, then waded through a few pond-sized puddles and forded a stream that had once been a gutter. After all that I reached the courthouse looking like a drowned rat (and I had an umbrella - think of the poor people that didn't!).

Once there, I got a seat, got some instructions and then promptly got called into the jury box! I tried all of my arguments, but to no avail (though if I had known a cop that might have helped) - I was impaneled on a jury for a criminal trial.

So I sat through Tuesday's opening arguments and testimony. By Wednesday afternoon we're were done listening to all the testimony and were sent off to the Jury Room to deliberate. Still, no problem - we'll debate for a few moments, it's a slam dunk, and I'll be off to work.

Nope - no such luck - we're having trouble on the second count and headed back for more deliberations tomorrow! Crap....

Current Music: Why Worry - The All-American Rejects

Addendum - We came to a verdict on one and ended up deadlocked on the other, so we were a hung jury (so v. Law & Order!). The judge declared a mistrial on the second count, not sure what happens next, but I know it doesn't involve me!!!

Another Weekend Gone

Another weekend gone, how do they go so fast? You spend your whole week thinking about it, then once you get there it's over so quickly!

We had a terrific day yesterday - a great day on the beach; sunny, warm, breezy. We started off with beer and boat drinks on the beach and ended with cheese burgers and beer on the deck. It was a great day, the dogs were happy, the kids had a great time, the adults had fun - winners all around.

Then comes the crash - Sunday. All of a sudden the house is really a mess, the dishes need doing, the laundry needs folding - it's like the chore fairy came in the night and left a ton of things for you to do (while hung-over). Worse yet, the Sunday doldrums set in, that little blue feeling you get about having to go back to work tomorrow (not to mention all the things that didn't get done that you had planned on doing over the weekend).

I guess the only thing to do is focus on the good, get as many of the chores done that you can manage, and get started looking forward to the next weekend!

Current Music: too late for music, more Tivo clearing - another Good Eats episode!

July Round-Up

I seriously forgot to get this done and I don't even have time for it now, but I dig it - and it's fun to look back at later! So here's the greatest hits for July:

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
Umm, I forget, not sure really ... duh! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows topped my reading list for the month of July. I did manage to read the first three (Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban) and a bit of the fourth before the final book arrived, but I was unable to get through the entire series in time. I finished the Deathly Hallows late on Sunday 22nd - happy and sad.

As for other books, I started the Well of Lost Plots - the most recent in a great series of books by Jasper Fforde, and I picked up a bad mystery novel that I keep trying to read.

On the magazine front - again the usual suspects, EW, Real Simple, Creating Keepsakes, National Geographic - and one new one "Blue", a magazine on Michigan "lake style living".

What movies and/or TV shows did I watch this month?
As usually, not a lot of movies, just one REALLY IMPORTANT one, sad but true, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

On the TV side of things, well - it's summer, so it's mostly re-run city. However, the Closer and Burn Notice continue to deliver, I finished watching the new series Traveler and I started the new AMC series Mad Men (not sure how it's going to go - but so far so good). I did finally watch the final episode of Grey's Anatomy, it was good, but a bit sad but now we're on to the next season.

What special days did I celebrate and how?
July is actually a slow month for us - Summer is in full swing, so there's not much time for anything else - of course there was Independence Day and V's Birthday.

For the 4th we went to the Port Sanilac parade and then on to a picnic with D & S and their extended family. With the exception of idiots lighting off fireworks until the wee hours of the morning. V's birthday was interesting - a typical 11 year old's birthday party, but the "entertainment" was a reptile guy who brought over snakes, lizards a turtle and a couple of alligators (babies that is).

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
The only exchange of gifts was for us to give V the slinky dog that she has been bugging us for (for almost a year!) and a copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - she only had the first three.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
A slight case of stomach flu/food poisoning for me and the same heel problem for Scott (though we may have that on the run due to some advice from C's parents).

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
Well, it seems that I just have a lot of fun - yet another month of fun! We started off with a fun/drunken evening July 3rd wit J & M, then on to the picnic with D & S on the 4th. There was the R & D's annual Fourth of July weekend bash on the 7th. V's birthday was fun since there were more adults than kids - we waited for all the kids to go home and then it was on to the adult party.

Of course the big end of the month event was the Mackinac Race. Friday afternoon we took the boat out with J & M and the kids to look at all the boats coming into the harbor. Boat night was super fun - we went back and forth from the Vintage Tavern to the Yacht Club Party all night, a good time was had by all. Perhaps to good a time, since some of us were a bit hung-over to see our guys off for the race Saturday morning.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
Hmm, not much. Summer is a slow time for cooking. I did make a new salad with roasted vegetables - pretty good. But still, not a big time for cooking!

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
Yet again, nothing off the charts in the way of spending - probably more scrapbooking stuff, but since we're trying to keep spending down to a dull roar I'm working on it!

What were this month's disappointments?
Again no more disappointments than usual - again no baby and no money, but that's not so bad is it?

What were my accomplishments this month?
I completed the WOMAN Challenge! The team didn't complete the challenge, but we did our best, and we all got out and exercised and that was the point.

Anything else noteworthy to record?
Nope - summer is about relaxing and having fun, so nope. Just reading, relaxing - summer!

Current Music: Come to Me - Koop