Wednesday, August 31, 2005

if I may...


I would just like to take a moment to be really very happy and content and satisfied right now with my life. I love my class -- I feel like I'm not just learning in it but that I'm actually refining concepts that I can apply to my real-world settings and which help me structure my ideas around not just what I think I think but around why it is that i might think it thus providing both strategic arguments to support my more grandiose theories AND validation in that other people think they're kind of grand too. Plus my teacher is HOT and I LOVE her (I may or may not have mentioned that I thought I was taking this class taught by a Prof who I like very much but whom I'm not particularly stimulated by only to find that my beautiful, delightful, thought-provoking, clarity-creating Professor K. is co-teaching...!)

Then too, we had our first night with the new Toddler-sitter watching the Spark whilst I'm in class which was by all accounts a complete success (e.g. no crying upon hand-off, happy smiles upon re-aquainting, reports of spinning in circles until dizziness ensued and bare toes getting tickled and lots of different foods getting eaten)!

And lastly, I think I may have found a fabulous replacement for my departing fabulous assistant at work -- all in all not a bad Wed. at all (and I haven't even gotten to the part where me and Pretty Boy are planning a drive out to Point Reyes to "relax" and hang sans babees -- thank you Bees! -- this week-end)! {sigh} My cup. Truly it runeth...

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

What is it about New Yorkers???


Jeeze. i don't know what kind of aftershave they're collective using over there in the not so distantly settled east but man alive, i sure do have some serious reactions to it! Eh, hem, anyways, had new vendor/support person/team come out to "assess our systems" and while I'd spoken to the cranky one on the phone and sort of gotten the sense that he's that particular kind of crotechy that kind of makes me want to pin em down and force a smile I had no idea he was going to be so very... well... so very manly and blustery and big, cranky bear guy who's already annoyed with us (because we have dumb hardware configurations plus the previous IT boss-lady treated him and his company like CRAP) but still couldn't keep himself from succumbing to our (admittedly strange) appeal. {smile} Gosh. I think I may be developing a whole other "type" preference now that I'm entering my autumnal years (plus it's kinda that time of the month. No, not THAT time, the other time...) mmmmm. right. sorry. moving on.



So, came this close to paying 54.00 freaking dollars for stockings today at Macy's. I have been looking to replace this particular pair of "Town Taupe" opaque stockings which as anyone who knows these things knows you can only do in the summer because that's when the autumn collections are out/when opaque is "in" so off I went to the Grandmother of all seasonal shopping experience centers where they did not have my color ("last season. Right now we're doing variations on flesh-tone net") so I combed the racks and instead selected something that was kind of close, a little sheer but could work, I thought, I'll just buy it and take it home and see ::flipping package over to glace at tiny circle with price:: I mean seriously, even if it doesn't work $5.00 isn't going to kill me -- wander over to register then attempt to disguise horror as perky salesperson remarks "Alrighty, $54.95. Will that be ATM or credit?" My response was to squint at the package as if suddenly, in the light, the tone was off, grab out the old pair of tights and state "You know what? These look alot more sheer than I thought. [perky salesgirl removes them from package and holds them up helpfully] Ah, yes. Much too sheer. Sorry. Bye now!" ::rushes from shop still in shock that anyone could justify paying more for stockings than for a week's worth of groceries.:: And that was my day.

Monday, August 29, 2005

and now it's Monday...


hello. in a weird mood right now and not sure why. Week-end was nice. weird in a clingy mildly stressful way (nothing serious just had a not very happy 2.5 year old who may or may not have been getting sick and who has two enormous canker sores right in the middle of her tongue making pretty much anything involving chewing hurt like hell/provoking screaming/annoying her mom who was doing her best to "understand" and still at the same time was being driven INSANE -- anyway, got the definite impression that I/my little family would have been better served all round if we'd just kind of stayed in the house the whole time but at the same time, but I can't honestly say that that would have "worked" any better since pretty much regardless where we were her poor little mouth would still be hurting.... anyways. Saw the Bee kids on Sunday which was grand! Really honestly, too adorable! one of the littler ones wasn't feeling so great though so that was sad. Little kids being under the weather is probably one of the saddest things ever. they're just so tiny and miserable and there's nothing you can do except stand there trying to force them to eat/drink something "cherry-flavored" that they have NO interest in... Travelin' Man was on the scene though (thank God!) and so was able to do most of the "dirty work" re: comforting whilst the rest of us made tiny pandas out of play doh. Good times.

Quick shout out to IHOEL who's starting (maybe already started...?) her new job today. It pretty much goes without saying that this is a slam dunk but cool that some sleeves are finally getting a chance to rolled up as it were... Good luck, have fun -- You rock and everyone there will soon know it!

Plus, kudos to my other Buddy Bee who is finally at the end of her "what other hoops do I have to jump through just so you'll let me basically raise your children" credential program and who will be entering her very own (well, almost) classroom today I think! You go girl! Try not to give up before my kid gets to your school...!

Then little shout to Boo the third grader and her new cohort. I know this will be the best third grade year ever so I'm not even going to wish you luck. I will wish you fun though, and good times. You're amazing, I love you, and if you insist on continuing to grow/get older I may have to call in the authorities...

Saturday, August 27, 2005

This is how I torture myself...


First, I take a relatively general invitation personally and decide to go see my Wanna-be-sooooo-not-interested-in-me-Sweetie do some drummin. Upon arrival at the admittedly very cool event I then get in line behind the fifty thousand or so OTHER friends who also want to say "hi"/hug/chat with my WBSNIIMS as well as get to watch his on-going concern/interaction with his most recent ex. From all of this comes one quick hug, a beautifully sweet smile and total ignoring for the remainder of the gig. Nice. Pathetic=me. Seriously, I really need to get myself to a qualified therapist, fast!


Boo school starts school on Monday! She apparently has "the good teacher" -- this from a parent of one of the many children who is delighted that the Boo-meister is in the same class with thier kid. I have no idea who aforementioned teacher is but I'm glad she comes highly recommended. They have a new principal this year too who I hear is AWESOME. So, then, seems as though the world is all set in terms of third-grade-age.

Speaking of cool Boo stuff, she had a show yesterday wherein she demonstrated an amazing flying karate kick AND a backbend walk-over (neither of which things she could do previous to this week!) Needless to say, I was pretty shockingly impressed by the whole thing.


On a final note: my fabulous assistant is leaving me to go make fifty times more money so if anyone knows anyone who might want to do web development at the foremost purveyor of adult merchandise, send them here (but if they want to be overworked,underappreciated and barely paid send em to me!)

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Sad.


My DB just told me that he and the "missus" are moving to El Reno. What the hell? Where the heck is that??? Is it too much to ask that my freaking friends NOT keep moving the hell away to places I would never in a ba-zillion years ever consider visiting were it not for thier newly arrived presence??? I mean, jeezus people, can't you all see that I'm delicate right now. Anyway, I just got all teary. i'll be fine in a minute. move along folks, nothing to see...

(Although, apparently they've got quite the line up "of festivals and activities" out there in the hinterlands...)

School starts for me tonight!


Whoo Hoo!

Monday, August 22, 2005

For Bleeding Fuck's Sake!


Could one thing POSSIBLY not go stupidly, annoyingly wrong today? Seriously!

Ah, life...


WHY am I having seriously inappropriate thoughts/dreams/etc. about a friend of mine???? I mean, once or twice during the course of our long-lived pal-ship, sure, but three nights in a row? that's just nas-tey! Anyways...

Conversation with Boo this morning wherein I ruminate on subliminal racism and Boo responds by cracking me up:

Me:So...[reflecting on the fact that Angelina Ballerina appears to be not only the star of her own show/series of books/etc. but also the only white mouse in her not so small town] what color is Angelina's mom?
Boo: Light brown.
Me: What color's her dad?
Boo: Dark brown.
Me:Is Angelina adopted?
Boo:[Laughs] I don't know! that's funny though.
Me:I'm just saying, because it looks like she's the only white mouse in the whole town.
Boo:her [ballet] teacher is white.
Me:But her parents are brown. You can't get a white mouse from two brown parents.
Boo:Hm.
Boo:maybe it's a perk!
Me:[snort - coffee flies out nose]Ha!
Boo:[laughs]Eeeewwwww!

Although, having done some research, I've since turned up the fact that Mr. Mouseling (aka: Angelina's dad, Maurice) does in fact have a white mouse for a mom but still, Angelina's being pure white still sort of points to a little hanky-panky between he and "Miss" Lily -- sort of makes you wonder if there's some deep dark secret there; Miss Lily was a prima ballerina in her day, Angelina for some reason loves to dance; everyone knows that prima ballerinas can't have/raise kids, what would that do to their career...? i don't know people, I think there's going to be some sort of cliff hanger in season four where all of this comes out... eh hem. K. So. Understanding that I need to get out more...

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Henry the octopus!


I have the Bee children here with me right now -- Boo and Spark are also here so for all intents and purposes I currently am as much of a "draw" as, say, the couch... Anyways --they are here and they are adorable and I ::heart:: them. Before the lovelies showed up our life was all about back-to-school-shopping (!!) for one big ole grown up 3rd grader! Her CP and I are pretty much able to act like friends right now but interestingly enough (or distressingly, however you want to look at it...) at one point Boo (tired and hungry) was not listening to her CP and aformentioned CP says to me "Does she do that with you? Disrespect you like that?" Now this threw me a little. First, actually, no she doesn't but even if she did I don't know that I would call her behavior "disrespectful." I mean she very definitely was being "bad" in that she was continuing to do something her mom had asked her (politely) not to do but disrespectful??? I dunno. Seems to me more like she was just expressing her (granted, wrong) opinion about how she'd like the situation to work. I mean, is it just me? Anyway, it made me think that we've (me and CP) almost never sat down and "discussed" the Boo (I mean we RAVE about her all the time but actually discussing her almost never happens other than trying to figure out a way to address some need she might have expressed or where she goes to camp on a given week) and then too almost never when she's not around... So, I left a mee-suage with the CP asking if she'd like to "go for a coffee" after we drop off our angel for her first day of school so we can discuss. Hopefully some good will come of it/I will not get mad and have to kill her.



Other news has to include the fact that the fabulous Miss Tail has "met" someone on one of her school group outtings and I could not be more thrilled! He had better call her/not be a jerk/user/a**hole, though -- I just don't have the time to kill anyone right this instant.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Fish!


My big girl got another fish this week-end. It's a Kawarimono Nishikigoi (non-metallic koi) of the Shiro Matsuba variety (all-white) that has been bred to have more flowing "butterfly" fins and tail than standard koi. I bring all of this up because up until I reached the register and displayed some surprise at the fact that I was paying $8.99 for a freaking goldfish (keeping in mind, people that the Boo's official class fish we had previously purchased -- variety: "feeder" -- was $0.78 with tax) I had no idea what an illustrious line of finned family I was buying into. Anyway. We now have this "lucky fish" which, I do have to admit, especially when seen shimmering silkily next to her other, less exotic brethren, is pretty damn beautiful. Her name is "Snowy" and I have NO idea what we're going to do with her after she assumes her full-grown size rivaling that of a small dog. Ah well, c-est la vie....

I'm at home right now putting the "finishing touches on" (aka thinking about starting in about twenty minutes or so...) a paper that's due tomorrow in my Proposal and Dissertation Readiness class. I am officially over school. Nice since my Fall classes begin again on the 22nd. {sigh} which, now that I'm thinking about it/just made myself feel guilty, I think I'll actually go do. Stay tuned though for the point at which I get bored with writing and come back here to spout off about the lady at work who called me "conservative" (and meant it as a compliment!)

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Be jealous...


Be very, very jealous. Me and the big kid just put horse-headed flames on the sides of our car! Plus, we put this cool tribal decal on the hood. I mean, I KNEW we were cool but now -- we're sa-weeeeeeet...!

Friday, August 12, 2005

Whose 7-year-old Baby Girl is with her at work right now?


Yup. Who's delighted with that scenario? Me, that's who!

Thursday, August 11, 2005

I have the best baby!


Well, I mean TECHNICALLY she's a toddler but she's my little sweetie so she'll pretty much always be my baby regardless... and anyway, what's wrong with that?! why the hell do I have to justifying myself...! Whose blog is this anyway??! Sorry, I'm in a fiesty mood today because i was up all last night reading an awful book which I would like to compare to Portnoy's Complaint except that it's not that "awful-but-deep" kind of rambling by a self-centered egotist who while presumably going on and on (and on) about himself, his needs and (more importantly) his entitlements is at the same time begging some deeper more global sociological questions occuring in the schism that is considered relations between the sexes... but I cannot. Because this book is not that. It is a collection of ramblings by some Jewish (I throw that in because her Jewishness is a predominate theme in this book) chick who is spoiled to a shocking degree (31 years old, not working, supported by her parents and getting remorseful about the need to "trick" her parents/grandparents into buying her a $25,000 SUV -- she thinks she should just be able to ask them straight out for the car in question...), completely unable to accept that she is the root of all things evil/give her freaking boyfriend-husband/the world a break already. In short, I hate this woman. For every sentence where she admits that some of her misery (because, yes, she has the freaking audacity to be miserable) may (possibly) be her own damn fault is followed by pages of whining about her on-going unmet need for really good sex. Why I am reading this stupid book is a mystery to me, except that I have this thing where I cannot not read a book all the way to the end just in case there's something redeeming on the very last page that makes the rest of it make some sort of sense. Anyway. Sucky book. Long book. Up waaaaay too late last night reading it. Tired today.


I do need to say, however, that the beginning of last night was splendid though. Went out to wish the M L-L/K faction Godspeed (they're leaving for L.A. this weekend. I was in denial, now I'm just sad.) Big dinner. Lots of people. My toddler was a DREAM. She was so happy and settled and accepting of that in your face, pinching-of-cheeks attention adorable kids get at these sorts of things(and I hardly need mention she was the epitome of A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E) even when it scary loud she just sort of hunkered down but didn't get all cry-ey or anything. Sweet. I love that kid.

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Things I'm looking forward to:


1) Dinner tonight with the fabulous and sadly leaving Mr. L-L and his luverly wife-to-be K.
2) Getting my little Fox back so i can start putting cool flame decals all over it.
3) Seeing my big girl (that's not til tomorrow but I'll add it to the list anyway because I MISS HER!)

Things I'm not looking forward to:
1) My next three meetings
2)Cleaning up my messy desk and organizing my "files" (aka "stacks of papers that are piled under my desk")

Hmmm. I guess that's it. not bad for a Wednesday!

Monday, August 08, 2005

She shoots, She scores!


Finally. Christ. I was beginning to forget what all the fuss was about. Anyway. HUGE thanks go out to Mistah L-L for watching the chil-uns (e.g. teaching the oldest one how to play Blackjack and where to go to get her driver's license online and feeding the youngest copious amount of pizza then letting her stay up until 11:00pm.) Who's the best kiddsitter, ever?? (Seriously, you rock but I wouldn't go thinking about having your own children anytime soon... KIDDING!)



Early part of day was spent at park with the Bees, including loverly G-ma B. (!) and the BBQ + her progeny! Good times, my friend, good times... Then lost the big girl for a bit during the afternoon whilst she went off to see the newest Depp creation with her CP after which I regained her briefly only to lose her again to the aforementioned ML-L who so gallantly offered to attend whilst I not only became privy to the secret initiatives being developed in the world of major search engines/community service not-for-profit portals but also was able to re-aquainted myself with the sheer delights of one-on-one adult interaction... eh hem.

And now I'm at work. Sigh. Week-ends are never long enough...

Sunday, August 07, 2005

small yappy dogs and kids that don't eat...


The really awfully nice lady who owns our house now lives in the front flat. She's great. Her husband is cute and very nice. They have one of those little yappy dogs though... Suffice to say it's usually up circa 7:00ish and yapping at something ten times it's size. anyways.



Other things of note this morning, I decided to stop telling my kids every three seconds that they should eat their food. I figure it's partly (mostly) my fault that they don't eat because I can't stand the fact that they might be hungry so I make sure there's something they can/will eat pretty much the second it occurs to them to get hungry so there's no real incentive for them to eat at whichever period during the day when they might have a meal in front of them. We're on day 1 and half of this initiative and it's already killing me. Not so much the part where I have to bite my tongue as I watch thier cereal turn progressively more mushy but the part where I'm assembling snacks for later in the day and I KNOW they'e going to ask for something in just about half an hour and I'll KNOW I have food for them but I'll have to say "nope" until lunchtime. Durrrrr! I've said it before and I'll say it again, parenting is all about discovering novel ways to prove you know nothing about how to parent!


Yesterday we had a fun interaction with a nice traveling magician guy and his lovely wife who spent a significant amount of time pulling quarters out of the Boo's ear in the laundrymat. Good fun. And today we're off to meet the B family for some serious Tot-type fun! Whoo hoo! I love week-ends. I really, really do.

Saturday, August 06, 2005

And the verdict is...!


nope. Zilch. TSG cute as she is (although she struck me as decidedly less cute than I remembered) I'm sure is a very nice person but she is also, alas, dull as dirt. Well, to me anyway. I did have a great time out with my Work Chums (a vivacious and adorable bunch to say the least) so that at least made the "going out" part worth it but sadly, not a single spark was felt for or by Miss Couldn't-Hold-up-her-end-of-a-conversation-if-you-gave-her-a-bucket... Sorry, I'm being mean. She was o.k. and in a way I'm glad we got that over with before she showed up on her "real" vacation circa the holiday party -- how awful would it have been if I'd ditched some other young lovely in order to hang out with the unknown that was TSG only to discover the awful truth!! K. Anyway. once again returning to the land of sheltered, understandable, asexuality. It really is lovely here at times and while it's not exactly fulfilling it's not particularly fattening either so it all kind of works out in the end...

Friday, August 05, 2005

and then they were one...


Just had the very best lunch time impromptu date with the oh-so-cute (especially with the long hair) BBQ! Yay! Which meant that I was unavailable to take the THREE calls from my new friend TSG -- 1 telling me they were unable to set up the booth and so had time to hang out if I was available, 2 telling me that an "favorite hoodie" with muy sentimental value had been lost and 3 letting me know that TSG co-worker/sidekick, would NOT, in fact, be joining us for this evening's festivities.... hm. That's all. Just "hm."

possible interesting developments, maybe...


But not likely. First, TradeShowGirl is in town and is maybe going to stop by today for "a tour" of the offices. She and her buddy have also opted in to going out with me and my band of merry Work Chums tonight (I owe my various Kidsitters BIG, BTW, both for tonight and for Sundee eve, ML-L you rock!) so we shall see what we shall see. In the spirit of "what's the freaking point-i-ness" of it all, I'm refusing to get in any way excited about seeing TSG but i am actually quite excited about getting to hang out with my WCs since they're a pretty cute bunch themselves and more than likely will present myriad moments of amusment/hilarity so pretty much regardless, I'm good.

Then on Sundee I not only maybe get to see the Bees in all their glory, I also get to see Pretty Boy who you might remember from seventy thousand years ago when he was alive and active in my life and who has since dropped off the face of the damn earth (due entirely to "being-newly-girlfriended" so it's expected/understandable but still sucky) -- anyways, we're gonna get some din-din so I can hear how the life is going, fill him in on my highlights and try my darndest not to proposition him. We shall see how well that plan works out!

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

YES!



Just got a note from my School Law and Public Policy Professor:

"You're all done. I posted your grade: A-. Thanks. --Dan"

Whoo Hoo! ::does happy little dance around desk:: [sigh] now then, if I can just stop having dreams about my co-workers and start thinking about the actual instances coming up this week where I might realistically be gettin' some, I think everything will be all right...!



Had lunch with the effervescent Ms. Bee yesterday, BTW and I just have to say, that gal is quality! And, no, I'm not just saying that because she is currently sporting the nicest set of bosoms I think I've seen in a very long time (a thought which I've been thinking for awhile now but somehow her particular outfit yesterday highlighted their voluptuosity in such a way that made them appear really quite stunning!) anyway, moving on...



Thanks also to the much maligned DB for bringing me this thing called an "academic calendar" which (still inexplicably to me) starts with August! I do not know why a calendar would choose to start mid-year but still and all, thank the gods I have people who know people (who are still attending college -- which is it's own scary issue) who can help me manage my life!

Monday, August 01, 2005

you know what's pathetic? What's pathetic is getting to the end of your calendar (which stops at the beginning of AUGUST for some inexplicable reason!!) and knowing that you have to go get a new one yet and still being so completely lazy that you'd rather write things/dates in the goddamn margins then get all concerned when you "forget" stuff -- than just freaking expending the damn energy it would take to GO GET A NEW CALENDAR. Seriously. I mean, doesn't every single drugstore in the world have these things??!

Not to brag, but...


My kid is a such a rockstar! Consider the following conversation this morning when I dropped her off for the first day of her new camp (kinda new, she was there last year but this is her first day this summer.)

New Counselor: Well, hello! And who are you?
Random Child sitting on stage: That's Boo.
New Counselor: [raised eyebrows] Oh, You're Boo?
Boo nods.
New Counselor: [Looking at me all impressed] Well. I've heard alot about her! [to Boo] Susan [program director] says you're a very nice little girl!
Boo nods again taking it all in stride, then goes off to pick a cubby. Second random child goes chasing after her. Mommy beams.

Sheesh. I'd be nice if I thought I had anything to do with it but... nice anyway that I somehow got such a great kid.

Speaking of which, Boo occasionally opts to change her name and her current pick happens to be "Panda" which I think is THE most adorable name ever!

Finally, quick sigh of freaking relief since final paper for summer class (School Law and Public Policy) which was due TODAY got finished yesterday (thanks in no small part to ex-work chums who came to whisk off little Panda and a little big girl who, while cranky still managed to entertain herself the better part of the afternoon while Mommy typed) and sent away. Hooray! One more to go (poster project, no big deal) then Fall semester starts August 28th.Sigh. I know this is all making sense in the grand scheme of things but honestly, sometimes I think I might be better off just taking the MA and running...