Can I still be a feminist...?

if presents from my girlfriend that come in flat, pink boxes inspire me do a MAJOR happy dance around my kitchen??

the p in perfection

My baby girl is great. Sure she kept me up ALL night being mumbly/upset (she had pretty good reasons -- hurt her big toe, congested, kept thinking about the "big man in the green head" we saw on our way to get some quality -- albeit a little sketchy what with the random automatons everywhere! -- burgers and fries) but still and all there is NOTHING so adorable as a sleepy-deepy girl who, in being moved from the bed where she has finally, FINALLY fallen asleep to the the couch where she will be propped up and dressed prior to sallying forth into the new day, quietly inquires about her new basketball to the tune of "[tiny voice] Mommy, I tired. I'm too tired. can i have my ball?"

Dyin' I tell you!

Week-end = grand. Got to see a great deal of the QBGF who ... is ... perfect and who i like just so very much! What, you may be thinking to yourself could possibly be so perfect about this person (although anyone of you who actually knows will prolly instead be thinking "What is it about Chick that is keeping this person interested!" No worries. it's actually the kids who are keeping her around. Me, I'm just along for the ride!) well! to begin, she got the girls basketballs. Basketballs. Really nice ones. and then commenced to playing basketball with them. Seriously. add to that the brownies produced from scratch that her and the Big girl collaborated on and you've got the "P" in "Perfection' my friends! Really, just unbelievably sweet. (the GF although the brownies were great too!)

Then also got fifteen thousand loads of laundry done as well as part of house tidied so i sort of have to say, this really was a very lovely and productive week-end! Hope everyone else's was swell as well. I'm missing everyone BTW so expect actual "check-in" phone calls starting... right... now!

Ovulating...

I'm ovulating. I know this because...

1) My breasts are HUGE
2) I was "spinning" yesterday and now am having "ye olde 'bloodie' showe"
3) I have a new, sudden work-crush on one of the boy designers here which only manifested itself upon his recounting the various ways in which his body became disfigured/crushed/bruised & broken during his "last cage match" --- mmmmm lithe manly men grappling to the death for... um. well, for something. maybe a prize or a trophy or something. Ah, who cares. They're locked in a tiny space trying to kill each other in an enormously testosterone-enabled way and that's just HOT! (at least it is right this second. I'm sure i'll go back to being appalled/mystified once this egg-enrichment opportunity has passed. Note to GF: remember, I like you *regardless* of where i am in my cycle! Sweetie....?)

so, anyway... this is interesting to me because I am old. I am old and i have old eggs. I have, therefore no idea what my body is thinking. i mean, sure maybe i'm not ready for standard menopause yet but still.... one would think there'd be some sort of slow-down in the biological clock -- or maybe not. Maybe it's just the quality of your eggs that's iffy not so much the monthly response to the progesterone bomb....

---

in other news, going out on a Dinner-and-a-Book date with the QBGF and the childrens. I am beside myself delighted with the prospect of getting to see her so soon and with both of the kids and being all out-and-about at night so... me = happy right now.

---

let's see... what else. Work has calmed down a huge amount in the over-all sucking department. Once it got to "seriously crazy" levels, I went to have a chat with HR and they (sensing, I think the "potential lawsuit aspect of the sitch) moved very quickly to get me "out of the line of fire" as it were so that's nice. I also got a nice little bonus with this latest code release (not sure why exactly as I am a PM and everyone knows PMs do nothing!) but whatev. Not gonna look a gift check in the mouth!

---

Um... hmmm. Puppy = good. Super smart. learning lots fast. Children are grand. growing like freaking weeds but i feel like I'm doing a little better with all of that... Bee family back (FINALLY) from their extended time-away-from-me-to-attend-some-random-sibling's-wedding so that's a load off....

All in all, i'd have to say things look smashing! Looking forward to the Halloween festivities and, I guess, toward the end of this mostly wonderful but sometimes awfully taxing month!

Is it just me...?

or is it a little disconcerting to have your hamburger proclaim "100% beef!" on the wrapper like it's a selling point! I mean, really, if there wasn't a potential "marketing boost" associated with that fact what else would they be putting in there...?

k. so, last night thanks to the generosity of Uber-Craft-Mom-Event-Planning-Angel (again with the needing to come up with a better blog-a-nym for that lady) we (me, the Boo, the Spark and the QBGF) were treated to the sheer genius that is Disney's High School Musical on ICE! Pretty cool i have to say but then again I grew up fantasizing about someday hitting the road with the Ice Follies so... Peggy Flemming and Mr. Debonaire??? Anyone?? Of course, the little one was captivated. Of course, now i have to find ice skating clases for 5 year olds.... I have a secret suspicion the QBGF was equally taken by the magic of the frozen world. She, however, is on her own in arranging the rise to the top in the cutthroat world that is the Ice Capades!

"You know, some people use rings to say all of that...."

Me:[feeling snuggly and warm and possesive as hell!] you know what? i don't want anyone else in the world to think they stand a chance with you. i want everyone to know you're mine. i want you to get "Chick's!" tattooed on your forehead or embroidered onto a jacket that you wear ALL the time or laminated onto your bike or car or binder or something just so it's clear to anyone who crosses your path that you are taken!

QBGF: You know, some people use rings to say all of that.

Me: ...

QBGF:[smiling] Just saying.

I am soooooo in love with my Girlfriend. Completely, stupidly and scarily and NOT just because of the awesome sex! (well.... o.k. it's possible that that particular interaction is tinting my outlook but, seriously.... the boot-knocking could be HALF as good and I'd still be crazy stupid about that girl!)

Alrighty. Glad to have gotten that out of my system. Where were we? Ah, yes, work is wierd. I'm trying to "transition" out of my current position into a less stupid one but it's a little tricky because 1) part of the reason i want to switch over is so i dont' have to deal with the crazy owner of the company BUT the new position is one he's suddenly interested in "working very closely with" so... not sure if that's actually going to solve anything. and 2) I'm still trying to get the h-e-double hockey sticks out of here altogether so part of me wonders why bother switching .... i mean, i'm still gonna try because the work is actually more fun in the other position but... i wish i was away completely is all.

Salud! to Travelin' Man who has officially left for the other side of the planet where he will remain up to his neck in snow for then next year or so. Good luck, god speed and good riddance! Please drop a note every now and again so i know the polar bears haven't gotten you. (Doubt if there are PB's in that part of the world but whatever. Me=ignorant American and proud of it, dammit!)

Speaking of world travelers, also got a call from DB who is learning all that the Japanese street kids can teach him vis a vis using a skateboard to attack things. It is my understanding that thier little Tokyo sojourn ends on the 27th so looking forward to having him back on this continent (strangely, I might add. Who'd a thunk the mere act of getting a job/getting the hell away from me for a minute would help me realize how quality a friend our little DB can be...??? I know. i'm just as surprised by it all as anyone. We'll see how quickly we shift back to mutual loathing once he's back on our friendly shores!)

hmmmm. I think that's it really. life is generally good. the kids are doing well. Puppy is a superstar and is doing well with overall training.... K. that's it for now then. More later when i'm a little more inspired.

Ah, rain...

What is it about rainy days that make me want to stay in bed (preferably with the QBGF but as that's a more recent occurrence, since she, you know, didn't like me last rainy season! -- mostly it's more about the reliable comfort of the multiple cat/thick comforter/country on the radio thing...)

K. so obviously I'm not in bed. i'm here at work. I'm actually here later than usual because we (the kids and i) had dentist appointments this morning. Appointments which, I have to say, the children handled swimmingly! (the little one had a smallish freak-out early on in the visit but whatever. She's getting MUCH better about having her teeth picked at AND no cavities! Yay!)

As i do not particularly want to be here I am interspersing intense bouts of working with checking out my favorite distraction sites e.g.



and marking time until i am free free free to go hang with the Bees for some quality pizza/cake...

"Japan: both more rinkydink and more awesome than I expected..."

Not sure why that particular quote from a Dear-Friend-who-has-suddenly-found-himself-relocated-along-with-his-new-team-to-the-other-side-of-the-world's e-mail message struck me as so gosh darn appropriate/hilarious but it did for some reason.

I also like this one from Aldous Huxley: "It is a little embarrassing that, after 45 years of research and study, the best advice I can give to people is to be a little kinder to each other."

K. so. The GF apparently has time on her hands (what with her non-working vehicle/stranded at home sitch) so she has called me to the carpet re: my not-updating-of-the-blog nature. I considered being annoyed but then i remembered how hot it is to have her get all bossy with me so... compliance thou art my middle name!

Oh! Speaking of funny words like "art" and "quoth" -- anyone who's up for trying to go to the Ren Faire on Sat. Oct 13, give me a shoutout ASAP. I promised the Big Girl we'd go have a looksee and i think it'd be fun to take a whole troop o' folks along. Tickets are a little pricey (25.00/adult) but kids under 5 are free...

k. so let's see.... what else is going on...? Work, still eh-eh. Still "actively looking" as they say but nothing overtly annoying has happened this week so far. ;-] This past week-end was GRAND with the Major Boo B-day blow-out celebration for which i have simply got to thank the fabulous Mistah Lovah-Lovah for being so sweet about supplying the pizzas and the uber Amazing Ex-GV-event-planning-Chick (aka The RockStar's Parental Unit Numero Uno -- gosh. I have got to find that girl a new blog-a-nym!) who pretty much provided everything else! I love you all who came. i missed all of you who couldn't. Kisses abound for the wonderfulness that is the "Village" currently helping my children get to advanced ages like 10 etc. -- Without you all, I am nothing....! (Word.)

The Boo got -- amoung other fantabulous gifties -- a tortoise! Which is just delightful and who lives at the SF house of the other Mommy thus adding to my wholehearted approval of it as a pet choice!

Hmmmmm...... is that really all i can think of? Honestly, it's not through lack of stuff going on, it's more that my brain is a little fuzzy due to rampant cold-age so... the recall is not the best. Anyhoo.... I think i'm gonna leave it at that for now. I'll write more later when the Spring Thaw begins!

Happy Birthday, BABY!!!!!

My Baby Big Girl = 10 years old today. I'm not sure how this happened but GOD i am soooooo thankful that it did!

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Bee!

I'm not even gonna try to list all the ways in which your continued existence makes me happy/comforted/smarter... suffice to say, you are the wind beneath my wings!

Happy Anniversary to you and the hubby as well. You guys just plain rock separately and together and I am thrilled to have access to you both on an on-going basis! mwah! mwah! mwah!

---

Alrighty then, in other news, how cute were the cupcakes orchestrated by me, my kid and my QBGF???? Um, VERY! 40 sugary little ladybugs complete with googly eyes and antennae created especially to be consumed today by the big girl's class in celebration of her B-day which is tomorrow!!!! Seriously. you have seen nothing until you've seen a crowd of ladybug cupcakes peering out at you from the furthest reaches of the refrigerator! {sigh} it really just doesn't get any better....

---

and lastly, quick note to mark the two cool events of the week-end -- that being the B-day celebration of the RockStar (Happy 9th b-Day, Chicka! hope your year is splendid!) and the trip to Santa Cruz with the Bee kids, Travelin' man and Mr. Bee himself. Dee-lightful! Just really absolutely splendid. the kind of week-end that makes coming back to work (even if you like your job) probably the worst/annoying thing a person could ever have to do. And yet... here i am... ;-]

Ass-whooping by 5th grade math problems,take one!

Jesus H. Chris on a shingle! I just spent 45 minutes on the internet trying to figure out wtf GCD and LCM were so I could help Boo with her homework. I actually thought I had figured out the LCM part pretty well but then her last homework question completely stumped me. Seriously. It's 5th grade math! She's not even half done with school and i am of no further use to her (not like i ever really was but this latest just throws the obviousness of that fact into stark relief.) God. Me=useless.

Anyways.... At least the world at large is still pretty nice. I was trying to fix this thing on my car and this VERY nice kid/young gentleman who had been watching the whole spectacle with a VERY concerned look on his face totally offered (in a really nice, un-macho -- well, kind of macho but not condescending!) to help me "tighten my bolt or whatever..." Sweet! And adorable too. See,this is one of the many reasons why I cannot teach High School. I just love that whole High School Senior/just starting college age waaaaaayyyyyy too much. I mean, I'm pretty sure I could stay away from anything horrifically inappropriate (and clearly stated to be illegal) but honestly, I'd be hard-pressed to understand why i can't just invite the whole damn lot of them over for beer and movies. (Yup. I'd be THAT teacher. The one who's a little too close to the students for parental comfort but who hasn't actually sparked any scandals. Yet.) Also sweet, while this nice young person was helping me with my nut (tee hee) my other neighbors were also hanging about with worried faces wondering if I was o.k. and offering up the services of their "brother who's a mechanic..." Sweet, i say sweet!!!!! alrighty, gotta go cause the world's mos perfect GF has just arrived but more tomorrow on the delightfulness of re-visiting a well-stocked storage unit!

Like an old leaf... hanging on a branch, in a storm!

this was how a co-worker described being here at work right now. She's Russian which, I think accounts for the poetic flavorings but still. Pretty dead on if you ask me.

in other news, I have a HUGE crush. on a logo. This logo:



Every day i drive past it on Highway 92 and i get a little shiver because it's just so damn sexy! Actually, the picture doesn't really do it justice. the actual sign on the factory that i love so much is sort of more old-school, slightly slanted and really tall/strong/masculine... {sigh} it's dreamy.....

k. sorry. nuff about that. (i was just considering my drive home and got all happy that I get to see it soon.... I know, i need sleep)

More importantly to report: I saw 2/3s of the Texans for lunch today which was grand! they are really very sweet boys and one of them (the pretty one) is about to get married!!!!! According to the most recent news brief, my darling Angel and his Cowboy will be flying to the nearest (prolly east coast) state where they can get official docs after which they will be returning to Tex-ass where they will host a "fuller" gathering of friends/family! All of this is scheduled to occur within the next six months and I, for one, could not be more pleased!!!! All the best to you and yours, Sweet, you deserve each other!

See now i'm obsessed...

it all started with a link to a video montage someone put together for the buffy show me and gf went to Sat. night but then i had to go find the actual group who did the original song and THEN they (well she) were/was/are so freaking cool now i'm listening to/downloading everything i can find by them/her.
{sigh} it's a disease.

What's cracking me up right now...

Beyonce Unhurt After Stray Bullet Miraculously Hits Passerby Instead

Wow.

I just had the best evening/morning Ever with my GalPal extraordinaire. Last night the children stayed with the Awesome Bee family whilst me and the QB headed over to The City for some quality hanging out time at an adorable B&B (a little Victorian dollhouse looking but awfully cute nonetheless with the super sweet--gay!--proprietrixes and the hanging velvet drapes in front of the doors. Apparently the place used to be a bordello which seemed fitting somehow given our intentions (wink, wink, nudge, nudge...) plus The Midnight Showing of the Buffy Musical at the Bridge theater! Seriously. All-in-all a fabulous and fun affair which left me a little exhausted but oh so happy/snuggly content. Yay!

AWK-ward!!!

Just got back from having lunch with the Texans who are out here visiting....

Me: So, you two crazy kids are breaking up huh? Finally! I mean, gawd, it's certainly about time and the timing works and everything. Cool, though that you guys are staying friends... [laugh, take sip of coke then slowly but surely register the extremely long, uncomfortable, group silence....]
OG:[to DB] uh.... yeah. I was gonna tell you...

DOH!

Oh well. Probably about time for that particular bombshell to drop, right... heh, heh, heh. Um, sorry about that.

Lame!

I missed my kid's back-to-school night to go to this "techtalk" given by the owner of the company i'm currently (suckily) employed at which was supposed to start at 5:30 and HE IS NOT HERE YET! There is talk he may not show up at all! God. I'm really beginning to hate this place...

Quote Butch

You know who doesn't get enough airtime...? Cher, that's who. Damn that lady sure put out some classics! k. so, my gf was kind enough to remind me of that blog-a-nym i was/am going to use to reference her pretty little self from here on in. Quote Butch. As in "Butch"... As in a co-worker friend of hers was referring to her as butch only with air-quotes which cracked me up (mainly cause it's soooo kinda true!) so there you have it. QB = my gf. Please do not confuse with QB = Quarterback as i will brook NO sporty references on this blog intended or otherwise! K. glad we got that all sorted out.

I love my QB. She's the bees knees. she makes me happy and sleepy (mostly super-happy first then really sleepy... seriously, I am such a boy when it comes to passing out after the s-e-x. I swear. {shakes head} glad she's at least saying she's o.k. with it. I am far to old to go looking for another "love of my life"....)

Let's see... is there any other news to report? Ah yes, Belated Happy Birthday to the Little Princess that is my BBQ's babygirl! the party/gathering was super nice although I'm not super sure I'm o.k. with the whole "folks letting their children get older" thing. it's disconcerting and it makes me question my perception of time. Besides which, it's just a hop, skip and a jump away from full-scale growing up! A slippery slope, my friends. That's all I'm saying....

{sigh} I think that's it for right now. I am tired and i should probably be working lest I lose my job before I'm ready to chuck it! ;-] Kisses, to everyone i love and tight squeezes to all the rest!

All hail the return of the weary!

Travelin' Man is back! Yay! (He stopped by this eve, accompanying IHOEL on his "adorable little people" dropoff and was giving me crap because i never write about him anymore so... et viola! Here I am Writing!) He's only here for two shakes though before he's off again for the top of the world i think... I could be wrong. He might just be heading a little further north than last time for another little bit (with one more "back down here" visit) before shipping out.. I swear. It's like the man's a Viking or something. Bring me back gold from the new land! I may end up changing his blog-a-nym to "Vlad"....

The Texans are also in town. Although, technically they're in Paly Altie which is strangely close to where i happen to work so we've been all about the lunch lately. Not that we've actually managed to meet up and go somewhere and have food but i did get one of them to walk me to the bank the other day and i'm hoping to convince the other two to grab some take-out and meet me in a park at some point this coming week. Dirty Boy is all atwitter because he got a job working with some Christian Skater on his "tricks crew" which i gather means he gets paid to figure out how to do stuff... you know... on a skateboard. that's... you know...cool, or something. Well good for you, DB! Glad that you're finally gainfully-ish employed and that i will be seeing you more often. Except, wait... I jsut remembered i don't want to see you more often! (Ha. just kidding. Anytime you're in WH, you go ahead and look me up.)

Other riveting news from the newly twangy: the adorable and always effervescent Angel has managed to talk his boy into a more permanent arrange-ge-mont which i think is just delightful -- although, you two kids aren't going to start having s-e-x are you just because you're shacking up???? Remember, no man is going to marry the cow if he's getting the milk for free! (or however that goes...)

Let's see, what else...?

Last week SUCKED. Parts of it were great -- like the super food-filled uber-fancied party the lovely and talented BBQ threw to raise fundage for her cause celebre wich was AWESOME and pretty much every single time i got to see my GF (I had decided on a new blog-a-nym for her based on some IM thread we had going but i cannot for the life of me remember what it was...!) who i love and who i can not get enough of and who (even when i am cranky with her) is so able to reduce me to quivery-silliness with a single touch -- it's a man, it's a plane...! -- it ought to be illegal! And yes, i am "hearing" all of you naysayers who are constantly telling me that this whole "even her sneezes are amazing/adorable" thing will pass to which i reply, "Yeah? So...? I'm old enough to know that The Infatuation will end but who's to say that it won't give way to that deeper type of attachment/happiness/connection thing that I'll find just as necessary and compelling...? It's happened to my nearest and dearest so, sorry your relationships might be telling you otherwise. I have high hopes for mine...! In other words bring it!" (Besides which, i pay her an awful lot of money to stick around and at her age it not like she's likely to find a better gig! ;-]

So, the sucky bits are then as follows:

1) Job sucks. job was fine until they fired all my bosses and the main owner/president guy went completely insane. So. I'm still there. I think i can manage to stay there but seriously, if i'm gonna drive and hour and a half away from my babies every day it's not gonna be for someone who's a nutjob. All of which means that i am once again "actively looking" so if anyone hears of anything I could do without having to bone up on too many fancy new programming languages, let me know.

2) Boo's other rat, Gator died. He was a little bit under the weather and his foot didn't seem to be acting right so i took him to the same vet i took Piper to when he was sick and she shot him up with the same set of anti-biotics she gave Piper and he also died. Now i'm not saying i've got a cut and dried veterinary malpractice case on my hands but I do have to say it looks a little suspicious.... I'm actually gonna call her on monday and let her know the outcome of her little ministrations just to see what she has to say for herself.

3) Finances are killing me. My school tuition is just enough to tweak my tightrope of a budget and what with the savings being entirely depleted during the stretch of time i was out of work the whole thing sent me catapulting into late payment/late payment fines land so... It's looking like i'll need to take next semester off (since i really can't afford to go right now) but maybe that's not such a bad thing. It'll give me more time to write. Sad though because i really wanted to graduate this Spring. Anyway, I feel like I finally got most of the money thing sorted out this week but seriously. The man was really messing with my mojo a little while ago...

4) Ex-work is also sucking. I'm not at liberty to elaborate on what exactly is going on at that place but suffice to say the proverbial rats have exited stage left and it's just sad; especially since it was almost entirely due to mismanaging (some might say intentionally, eh hem...) by the one person. Ah well... it'll make a great book/dissertation one day....

Hrmmmmm. I think that's it actually. Just a coupla of things that were particularly sucky coloring an otherwise lovely life. {yawn} welp. now i'm all tuckered out so... i'll try to be more on top of keeping up with this thing. Kisses to everyone. I love you lots!

GAH!

I feel like i'm having a goddamn nervous breakdown! Shesh.

I was just out cleaning up the most recent HUGE F'in' mess created by the G'Damn dog and the Landlady stuck her head out to let me know (again in possibly THE SWEETEST WAY a person can "let someone know something") that I shouldn't let the dog "run wild" in the front yard because he poops everywhere and the LandLord Guy (also very sweet) stepped in it the other day. Plus, she's got Grandbabies out there playing, etc. etc. etc. which is all very true and reasonable but which for some stupid reason made me all cranky/teary because I KNOW all of this and I only let him run around in the first place because i feel bad that he's on a leash all day and I'm trying to watch him when he's off but I've got fifty billion other things i have to do as well and I can't do everything all the time and I'm SORRY I'm not a better dog-owner, Goddammit, but seriously, I. am. doing. the. best. I. can!!!!! God.

Anyway. I got the stuff for his taller-less-escapable enclosure today so I can actually build it this week-end and hopefully cut down a little on the guilt part of this whole exercise. I also have more grandiose plans about fencing off my part of the back yard so he has a nice huge place to terrorize but that's a few week-ends/suddenly found money away so... first things first right...

Other than the dog (who I do love very much -- anyone want a dog??) I spose things are going well. Work is sort of becoming normal which it didn't seem to be doing as little as a day ago so... I'm enormously tired all the time (like waaaayyyy more than usual) so not sure what's up with that but i'm gonna try to schedule less and get to bed on time more and see what happens to the ole outlook. The kids are doing grand. The Spark leapt feet-first into some major developmental growth phase and has just been a kick to have around. I mean that seriously. She's discovered humour and has started asking for stuff using a very funny old man cranky voice standing with her hand on her hip instead of her usual point/scream/whine/fall down routine. She has also taken to meeting my cranky demands with a very elaborate "okay, okaaaaay, sheesh!" paired with a grin before actually settling down to it which i am amazed yet delighted by and which does wonders for my own cranky-pantness. Don't get me wrong, we're still having the "tired-must-object-to-everything" sobfests every now and again but the "power struggle" bits have definitely taken a sharp turn for the better. Me likes, alot. Hope it continues for longer than a month...

Maybe i'm blocking...?

Uh, then there's the fact that my Big Girl was in the 5th grade all last week!!!!!! She got a locker! Seriously. she's doing great, though. I hung around the hallways until her teacher showed up so i could demand special treatment for her but she started going on and on and on about how great/talented/cute Boo was before i had a chance to point it out so.... great that my baby is seemingly doing so well. Amazing to me/sad-making that she is such a grown-up.