I'm Coming Out of My Cage, and I'm Doing Just Fine

Here are some balloons. How festive.

For a while today it was really nice out. I decided to go home for lunch and ride my bike back to work. I'm so glad I did, because I got some fun exercise and then it rained shortly after I got home from work and I wasn't able to run. I did, however, take a quick nap. I've been so exhausted lately, that I finally wore myself down enough that I could sleep. Let's hope that works for me tonight as well.

Okay. So, it's the weekend again. My hope for this weekend is to calm down and slow down, while at the same time, trying to get a ton of stuff done. Yeah. I'm not sure how that will all work, but in my head it sounds great.

Hopefully, I'll be able to run after work tomorrow, then finally get a fire going in our outdoor fire pit if the rain holds off long enough. Either way, I plan to drink a beer and watch a movie at some point too. My girls are practicing Catholics, so they don't eat meat on Fridays during Lent. We're having fish sticks and mac and cheese for dinner. It reminds me so much of being a kid during Easter season, that I keep expecting to wake up and be able watch Hong Kong Phooey, Captain Caveman and Land of the Lost on Saturday morning.

Rumor has it that my counters might get installed this weekend, but I'm not sure which day, if at all. I have a ton of paper work to do as well (my least favorite thing) and I plan to start working on the bottom cupboard boxes and hopefully the doors too. I'm going to try to use my orbital sander for the first time. I don't really know how to use power tools and I'm a little intimidated. Wish me luck with that.

So, how about you all? Will you be spending relaxing nights in front of a fire or trying your hand at power tools?

She Said, "Do You Think There's Some System That Controls and Affects?"

Here are my counters. Waiting out their installation in my bedroom. The sink hole seems cut out to accentuate the weird stain on my floor. Nice.

Soooooo, this weekend? This weekend I was really tired. I thought it was just from all the annoying little crappy things I had to deal with for a week straight, but my girls were both exhausted too. So, I'll just go ahead and blame it on the mind numbing cold.

I decided to give myself a little break on Friday night. I took the girls out to eat to Chili's (their choice). We never do that anymore, but since my kitchen was torn apart and we were all exhausted, it seemed like the thing to do. We had a nice meal and the girls went on and on about their high school stuff. I'm so glad they have each other to talk to about that stuff with. If I had to listen to it all the time and try to pretend to care, my head might just explode.

Stinky went out for a bit when we got home, but Coadster and I stayed home and we watched Valkyrie, while I drank my two beers. Last week we watched Inglorious Basterds, so I think I've officially met my quota on watching Hitler assassination plot movies.

Stinky came home from hanging out with her friends that I don't particularly like. She just started hanging out with them this Fall and got into trouble with them. I've been talking to her about the fact that these kids aren't the best influence. I try not to make a huge stink about them, because if I've learned one thing about having teenagers, it's that the more you tell them you don't want them to do a thing, the more they want to do it. Anyway, I think Stinky might be over this latest boundary pushing/rebellion exercise. She finally told me I was right about those kids and doesn't think she wants to hang out with them anymore. She said all they care about is partying and she's bored by the fact that they really have no other interests. Sweet. I'm glad that she came to that realization on her own...Eventually.

Saturday was good in the fact that my pipes weren't frozen and my car started. Coadster and I went to the rec building to run and that felt great. I was still exhausted all day. I don't think it helped that when I got back to working on the kitchen, everything I touched in there turned to shit. Behind every moved appliance was a new project. There were so many cracks and so much peeling paint, I felt like I was reconstructing every wall in the room. I finally gave up around 9'ish. Stinky and I tried to watch a movie, but we were both too pooped and we ended up going to sleep around 11. Yeah. We really know how to party.

Anyway, I finally got the kitchen walls scraped, spackled, sanded, taped and primed. Now, all I have to do is my favorite part - paint. I love adding color to a room. I can't promise anything, but I might be able to show you the freshly painted walls tomorrow or the next night.

It's Gettin', It's Gettin', It's Gettin' Kinda Hectic

I'm in denial of the snow storm happening outside and the next blast of bitterly cold temperatures in its wake. This photo is how I'd rather think of Iowa.

Oh, kids. It's been kind of a trying day. My car started, but just barely, so I decided to go into work late and take my car in. The mechanic guy couldn't see me until two, so I had to come into work late and leave early. Anyway, when he finally could get to it, he said the battery seemed fine. He said when the dome light was on, it probably heated the battery and all the water steamed out and that's why it didn't hold the charge very well. He also said it was just THAT cold and the battery probably wasn't charged completely. Anyway, I guess we'll see.

I'm pretty much drained like my car battery right now. I had an appointment on the outskirts of one of the neighboring towns and the snow started right as I was driving there. I got lost on the way back and drove around on unplowed country roads in the snow and wind. Then when I got home, my computer was being all wonky and Coadster had to do some homework using a disc, so I messed with the computer for a few hours. It's working fine now, but I'm done for the night. You know how that is? Where you spend the day putting out fires, until you just can't do it anymore? Well, that's me right now.

These last few days of dealing with car problems and frozen pipe problems and computer problems, have left me almost no time to deal with the regular cleaning duties. So, my house is a pit. I'm not a clean freak by any means, but it does make me all out of sorts when things get too bad. Since most of my Dublin friends are leaving for a 9 day vacation in Belize tomorrow, I'll at least have plenty of time to get things done...Well, at least if no one else talks me into going out to play, that is.

One Day to Come Together to Release the Pressure

My cousin and his family came from Wisconsin.

Okay, kids. I'm exhausted. So, this post is bound to be very poorly written...Even worse than normal, even. I could probably start every post out that way for a while and it would be accurate every time. So, I just have to suck it up and keep going. That having been said... Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a good one and ate lots of food and had tons of fun. Ours was great, but now I need to take a long Winter's nap.

The girls got to give their younger cousins tons of attention.

Today was a total blur. I woke up, I ran in the bitterly cold wind, I got ready and drove to Ottumwa. We ate, celebrated some of the cousins' birthdays, wrestled around, and finally drove home. Stinky and I tried to put together a cheap-ass entertainment center thingy, got frustrated, and quit.

There were actually a couple of cute puppies at the shindig.

I went to Menards last night and got me a bow saw and some hedge clippers. I couldn't get a ladder, because it wouldn't fit in my wagon. My brother-in-law is going to bring his van on Saturday that has a canoe holder thing on top that should hold a ladder no problem.

My nephew is in kindergarten and very, very funny...Just ask him.

Tomorrow I will attempt to limb up some trees, trim some hedges and make sure the girls get all the leaves raked. We will probably shop a little and see if we can get a few things we need as cheaply as possible and go home and clean and unpack some more. Then we'll go to a restaurant called Blackstone for dinner because my realtors gave me a gift card for it. Sweet! I'm sure we'll all be starved after working most of the day.

My nephew is really good at mugging...

Here's wishing you and yours, as well as me and mine, a productive and restful rest of the weekend.

...In fact, he might just be an expert.

The Dignified Don't Even Enter In the Game

Here is the tippy top of a teepee.

Well, kids. This week has officially wiped me out...For many reasons. Some of it was just not having any time anymore. I got so spoiled over the Summer. But now we're back to me running the minute I get home from work, then taking off to Coadster's time trials or to pick someone up from weight lifting or dropping them off for some student ambassador activity or choir practice...It's never ending. Anyway, I'm tired and this post should be short, but not necessarily all that sweet.

On the positive side, I got out of working the football game tomorrow night. I plan on giving my perfect nerd girl evening another try. Of course, I have to get up at 6 am on Saturday to get Coadster to a bus at 6:15 that will take her to her first cross country meet. Then take Stinky across town to work hawking Hawkeye paraphernalia at the college football game. So, my nerd girl evening will have to end much earlier than I'd like, but if I'm this tired tomorrow night, I'll probably fall asleep reading by 7 pm anyway.

Okay, you know the drill. Let me know your three day weekend plans. Will you finally catch up on sleep or will you continue the frantic pace of the work week?

Don't Be Shocked by the Tone of My Voice

If you look closely, you can see people kayaking off in the distance. Pretty.

Okay, kids. I started feeling a little dizzy walking home from work today. I ran, and it was fine, if not uncomfortably humid. Then when I got home, I got super tired and stooooopid. That along with the dizziness can sometimes mean I'm getting a migraine. I never actually got the pain part of it, but every once in a while I get all the other symptoms without the actual headache.

So, I guess this is all an elaborate excuse not to write a real post tonight. Trust me, you'll all thank me for not trying to write another one of my famous, bullshit, bullshit, bullshit posts. I think we'll all be better served by me trying to sleep off my phantom migraine and come back tomorrow and try it again. Night, night.

I Want to Know What I've Lost Today

Here are some flowers in different phases of existence.

Soooo, today I ran my 8 mile route and then got my massage. The massage was great and well needed and all...But then when I was done, I felt all weird and fragile and kind of down. Is that normal? I have heard of people crying after a massage, and that makes some sense. It's a release of sorts. I wondered if it was all those toxins getting worked-out. it also made me extremely tired, so maybe it's all tied together somehow.

Okay. Since I'm still overwhelmed and sleepy, I think I'll stop writing. It's bad enough when I'm well rested. Who knows what kind of stupid shit I'll write when I'm like this.

Makes You Think All the World's a Sunny Day, Oh yeah

Here is Coadster at the car show a few weeks ago.

So, kids. I think I'm finally nearing the end of my cold. I can almost breathe out of my nose again. I think I might even try to run tomorrow. I can't wait. I feel like an invalid. All my muscles are mushy from taking a few days off.

I don't have a lot to write tonight. Lucky you. Coadster has her first round of senior pictures tomorrow. If it doesn't rain, they'll probably do the outside shots then. She's got all of her outfits picked out and everything. Now, all I have to do is finally locate my imaginary trust fund in order to pay for it all.

Tonight will also be the first night in a while that I've gone to bed without the aid of cold medicine. I won't miss the horrible grogginess in the morning, but I will miss the bizarre and vivid dreams I've had. Damn it.

Okay, I tried to form sentences, and I failed. Now, I need to try to go to sleep. Let's hope I succeed with that.

All We Are Saying, is Give Sleep a Chance.

Here is the fire station in Riverside, Iowa.

So, here's the dealio. It seems as though I caught an annoying Summer cold from the lovely Stinky. She has had a sore throat and swollen glands for a few days now. I am feeling really weak and tired and I think I have a mild fever and runny nose. Because of all that, this may very well be my lamest blog post ever...And as we all know, that's really saying something.

I was going to try to go to bed early, but Stinky ended up babysitting for someone who is staying out very late on a weeknight. Stinky doesn't have to get up early or anything, but I have a really hard time sleeping when one of the girls isn't home. I'm going to give it a good college try though and see if I can actually fall asleep when Stinky isn't home. I'll let you know how it goes...

A Simple Prop to Occupy My Time

I'm posting two tree photos tonight, in celebration of Earth Day.

Well, kids. It's just another exhausted Wednesday. A good day, but I've been having some motivational problems. I had a little time to myself for a change, which was good, I just wish I could have spent it lying on my couch watching a movie or something equally relaxing. Maybe this weekend...

Here is a whole row of trees by a lane. I could just hug them all.

Okay, since I'm so lame, I'm going to just post the random playlist my iPod created for me while I was running and leave it at that. Trust me, it's all I'm really good for right now.

"Galway Girl" - Steve Earle. It was just about a year ago that I saw him perform live at the Englert. I think he would be even better to see in some small town bar, playing with a real band.

"Got to Give It up Pt 1"- Marvin Gaye. Even his disco era stuff is awesome.

"The One I Love" - R.E. M.

"Gamma Ray" - Beck. This song is so fun to run to...Or to do anything, really.

"Mama Said Knock You Out" - LL Cool J. Don't call it a comeback!

"Johnny Too Bad" - The Slickers. This is from the soundtrack of the movie The Harder They Come. There was a time in my life when I was delusional enough to think I'd be able to afford graduate school in comparative literature where I would study Latin American and Carribean literature and film. I think I've seen almost every Caribean movie made up to a certain year.

"Raspberry Beret" - Prince. This is one of those songs that takes me right to a particular place and time whenever I hear it: My first day at the salmon restoration site in the California Conservation Corps. in Leggett, Ca. in 1985.

"Come On Eileen" - Dexys Midnight Runners

"Ceremony" - New Order. Better this than "Blue Monday", which is annoyingly overplayed.

"Don't You Just Know It" - Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns

Today I was thinking about how I get songs stuck in my head when I don't listen to to music while I run. In the past I was foolish enough to tell people I knew about that problem I have. An ex-boyfriend used to think it was funny to play Ratt's Round and Round, when he saw me getting ready for a run. Have I mentioned to you how grateful I am for my iPod?

Another Working Day Has Ended

It's been a while since I've posted bathroom shots on here. I'm sure you've all been dying to see some. So, here are a couple from Fire Water.

I'm still a little on the weary side. If I had my druthers, I'd love to come home from work tomorrow and only leave my house to go running, until I have to go back to work on Monday morning. I could just lie around and read novels and comic books and play video games and watch movies...Oh, and nap. I would definitely take copious naps.

The state pool tournament is this weekend, and even though it was one of the funnest things I did last year and the women I go with are the most amazing people on the planet, I'm too tired to go. I have a prior commitment anyway, but even if I didn't, I don't think I'd be up for all that fun.

Here's me taking a self-portrait. Stinky would be so proud of me.

Okay, so now here's the reality of what will happen on my weekend:

On Friday, I'll get home from work and get my running fix. Then I'll boil some cheddar filled brats in a combination of water and beer. After that, I'll grill them and we'll eat them with baked potatoes and more asparagus. Then I will sit in my very clean house and watch movies and have a beer or two. I didn't keep up the one hour a day cleaning schedule on Tuesday or Wednesday, but I made up for it by cleaning for a couple of hours tonight. My house will never be spotless, but it looks pretty nice right now.

Anyway, after the girls get done with track practice on Saturday, we'll drive down to Ottumwa for my aunt and uncle's anniversary dinner and then drive home right after.

Coadster is singing in her church choir early on Sunday morning. I'll try to run and grocery shop on Sunday afternoon, and then the girls have their cathedral concert for high school choir. They all sing at a local church. It's very pretty, but usually way too long.

So, it doesn't look like there will be much time for lounging and relaxing after all. Maybe next week. How about all of you kids? Will you be lounging, or just wishing you were?

Come on, How Many Guys You Know Make Love?

Here is a photo of Coadster and her friends that was in the paper today. Remember how I told you it was so cold at the track meet yesterday? Well, here's some visual proof for you.

Okay, kids. Here's the deal. I'm exhausted. The girls are at their dad's house, so I thought I might try to watch the pilot for that new HBO series The Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency. I started it, I liked what I saw, but then realized I was way too tired to watch anything. So, since I can, I'm going to sleep now. Here is a post from my old blog that I wrote in February of 2006 to keep you company. It's kind of a tongue-in-cheek, pretend manual on how to talk to your kids about sex. Have at it:


When talking to your kids about sex, you might first try to remember how your parents told you about the great and beautiful mystery of life. What did you find valuable or not so valuable in the information they put forth? If your mother was trying hard to be open about it because when she was a child her own mom was, "very uncomfortable and (she) had to learn everything on the street, " you may have thought yourself lucky. But then when you asked her anything other than the essential birds and the bees, oh say, like what a blow job was, she honestly didn't know. You were left to surmise that she must have been the only person living on her "street".

You may first think that teaching your child morals would be a good way to keep him/her sexually responsible. Then again, it's possible that you would also remember that one of the most aggressively moral and judgemental girls in your high school got knocked up her senior year. Because of her earlier preaching, the kids in your high school were all a little too happy about the karmic turn of events. You then might choose a different angle.

Fear seems to be the most effective deterrent in almost any situation. If you have been blessed with boys, your task is very simple. Describe any sexual encounter as the cause of either the loss or the painful shrinking up of their most prized organ - whichever you think would be more frightening to your incredibly, precious, golden, male child.

If you are the proud parent of a sweet, little girl, your task is more complicated. Because the machinery, as with many other girl issues, is more complex. Luckily for you, there are sexually transmitted diseases. Many STD's do almost no damage to men, but can cause sterility, pelvic inflammatory disease (just know that it's really painful), cervical cancer and death. If your gorgeous little angel is young enough, you could easily get away with telling her several cautionary tales that begin with, "Pregnancy is the least of your worries anymore." Then end your stories thusly, "...and because she had sex before she was ready, (you will have earlier established that "ready" meant menopausal) she first became hideously disfigured, started to emit a terrible odor and died a lonely, slow, painful death."

If your clever little dearheart seems immune to sexual fear, there is one last-ditch, surefire tactic. You can start talking about your own sexual exploits. This will have long lasting effects especially if you try to be as vivid as possible. You may feel like mixing it up a little. First talk in great detail about your sexual experiences with their father and then regale them with stories about your past lovers and old college boyfriends. They won't be able to decide which is more nauseating. For the rest of their lives, anything you had peviously described should create a powerful mental image that will quickly and violently yank them out of their surging sea of hormones. Because, as you know with your own family, there are very few things more disturbing than picturing your parents having sex.

And the Body Looks Fine, So What If It Runs Slow

I'm stealing another photo Coadster took in NYC. This is the naked cowboy, with a well placed guitar. Coadster didn't know the women in the pic, she just aimed and shot.

I've been exhausted all day. I have no idea why, I just know I don't want to feel like this tomorrow, so I'm going to bed as early as possible and stealing from the old blog. I wrote this post in August of 2006. It was right after I got back from my trip to Minneapolis where I visited my friend S. and The Walker is an art museum there. I think that' s all you need to know. Here you go:

We spoke in S.'s kitchen with her friend who worked at the Walker. Her friend was telling us about how she met her boyfriend and it was all very sweet. She had gone to the Apple store to buy a computer and a hot guy with a Nordic sounding name waited on her for over an hour while she figured out how much of an investment she wanted to make. In the end he helped her carry her computer to her car and mustered the courage to ask her out. Now, however long after, they were living together.

"Those things never happen in real life. Who gets asked out by someone they don't know anymore?" I said.

"I know, " she agreed, "He said he had let too many other opportunities slip away because he had been too afraid of rejection and he vowed he would take a chance the next time. I was lucky that I happened along after that."

Move ahead in time and place to Friday afternoon in Iowa City:

I was riding my bike back home after mailing some letters downtown. They were paving the street about a block from my house and there were two men in neon greenish/yellow vests directing traffic. When I approached the corner the heavier-set guy motioned me forward with his hand.

"That's okay, I'm turning anyway," I told him and he nodded.

The other, younger, squirrelly looking guy sporting a shaved-on-the-sides mullet said, "No. Come this way. I want to talk to you." I laughed and rode away. In my head I was thinking that he looked familiar. Maybe I had gone to high school with his mom.

Skip ahead to yesterday - still in Iowa City but this time I'm on my way home from work.

The two men are both still directing traffic on that one corner. This time the older heavier guy motions me forward and we smile at each other out of courtesy. The barely twenty year old looking mullet wearer comes running over. "Hi," He says and I say hi back. My "hi" is very cautious, however. "Hey, didn't I see you around here on Friday?"

"Yeah. I live around here." I worry that I've given too much information. It is a bad habit of mine. But I comfort myself by thinking the engine of the paver machine thingy is so loud that the mullet boy/man probably can't hear me. I am apparently lying to myself.

"Really? What's your name?" I don't want to give it to him and I haven't had much practice quickly thinking of a fake name recently. I tell him my name, speaking as closely into the loud machine as possible.

"Kara or Laura?" He asks.

"Yes," I say.

And here comes the part where I overanalyze the situation. You are welcome to stay, or you could just run away screaming.

Now I can't say, "that kind of thing never happens to me", because I did get approached by a guy I didn't know. If I were still in college, I might compare myself and my situation to the Walker worker woman and her experience by thinking that if we were cars, I'd be a Chevy Nova and she'd be a Volvo. It would explain why she got hit on by the interesting guy who was at least near her own age and why I was approached by a man twenty years younger than me, who huffed tar for a living. But now that I am older and kinder to myself, I prefer to look at it this way: In Iowa City we don't even have an Apple store for the hot nerdy guys with Nordic sounding names to work, and since I either walk, run or ride my bike nearly everywhere I go, it's only logical that I would meet the guy who works a seasonal job directing traffic where he is free to rock that mullet all day long.

See how I did that? I made it a matter of circumstance. That's all.

But I'm Really Not as Cool as I'd Like to Be

Coadster took this photo looking out at Ground Zero with her phone and texted it to me today.

So, last Friday night, Stinky and I had all these plans to watch movies. The reality was that we were both so exhausted, she fell asleep by 8 and I fell asleep at 9:30. Paaaaarrr-teeee!

This week should be a little different story. I'm taking a vacation day on Friday. Yea me. The girls have their Spring Break right now, so we'll have our first day off together during the week that isn't a holiday since August. We talked a little about riding the new bike trails around town, but we'll have to see how the girls feel. Coadster is still in NYC, and I have a feeling she'll need to sleep for a couple of days straight to recover. Stinky is sick and has a bad sore throat. She may go to the Dr. to make sure it isn't strep tomorrow. If the bike riding thing isn't feasible, we also have some canvasses and paints, so we could stay home and make some cool art. Either way, I won't have to get up early and it will be way more fun than sitting in my cubicle all day. Cheers to my four day work week.

Tomorrow it's supposed to get up into the 70's. The weather has been perfect the last few days. I've been running like a fiend lately. Finally.

Okay, I'm boring and tired tonight, so I think I'll shut-up and go to sleep now.

Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Lively Up Yourself, and Don't Be No Drag

Here is a photo of some construction happening on Iowa Ave in November. I'm running out of photos again.

Today we had our Spring staff retreat. It was actually okay. It was mostly about how to keep things positive and fun in the workplace. We deal with tons of perspective students and their parents on the phone and in person, and we're supposed let people on the other end of the phone "hear the smile in our voices".

At one point, we were asked to volunteer up things our co-worker did to liven-up the workplace. The ex-nun in our office told all the people about how I change the lyrics to songs to match what we're dealing with at work and then sing them in my Ethel Merman/Axl Rose (same thing) voice. It was very nice of her to mention it, but then everyone wanted me to do one for them. I had to explain that I perform better from the peanut gallery, than on stage. Maybe some other time.

So, remember how I was waiting for my income tax refund? I checked the IRS website and it said I should expect it on February 17th. Well, it didn't show, so I went to the bank today to make sure I had the correct account and routing numbers. I did. I finally called the IRS and spoke to a very helpful and pleasant woman there. (I could almost hear the smile in her voice) She said they were having a problem with the website giving out incorrect dates. Oops! Anyway, she looked me up and said I should receive mine on Friday. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Okay, I'm tired. I haven't been getting much sleep and I went running tonight in really strong winds. I'm one of those freaks who likes running against the wind, (as you can probably tell by the way I've lived my life) but it really wiped me out.

Night, night.

As I Drift Into the Night, I'm in Flight

My girl crush back in town.

So, kids. It's been one busy weekend. I got a lot of projects done, and all of the Christmas decorations are put away, but I would love just one day where I'm not running around all over the place.

I did give myself a night to relax on Friday....Well, after Coadster and I went running at the rec building and then dropped off our rent check and then ran to the store and dropped Stinky off at her friends house, that is. I finally got to sit on my ass and watch The Golden Compass with Coadster.

My girl crush doing a great job of distracting G. during her pool shot.

Saturday was more running around. Coadster had show choir dress rehearsal from 10-2:30 and Stinky had basketball practice from 12 -2. Even though Stinky broke her finger and can't play for the rest of the season, she's still expected to go to games and practices. I also went running and did some cleaning.
Here we are on the sidewalk acting like action figures and waiting for a cab.

I was going to try to stay home on Saturday night as well, but I got an email from my friend G. asking me to meet her out and then she wrote me again and said my girl crush was coming into town too. So, I braved life and limb to walk downtown on the ice. Don't worry, I wore practical shoes this time. I still had to walk on the street though, because the sidewalks were way too treacherous.

It was worth it, because we had so much fun. My crazy, hot friends even showed up for last call. On the way home, we all decided to share a cab. It was so much easier than trying to walk on all of that nasty ice.

Now, I'm going to try to go to sleep as early as possible. I have to go to work and then run the girls all over hell as soon as I get home from that. I'm hoping that with the end of the holiday season, I'll get to slow down a little, but I'm not counting on it.

Looking Into Their Eyes I See Them Running Too

Oh my gawd, kids. I am so very tired. When I tell you why, you are going to think I'm so pathetic, but I don't care. I got off work and immediately went straight to Stinky's track meet. Yeah, it was totally exhausting watching her run her 1500 meter race. Actually, I was really impressed. She is a field events girl, and she took it upon herself to volunteer to run that far.

Sure, she came in last, but how many shot putters do you know, who have even tried to run any kind of distance? I made a point to be there at the finish line to tell her how proud I was of her. Some of the boys were flipping her shit, but I told her that those stupid boys could all go piss-off.

Then she had to skip right over to her real events. She threw discus first and got her personal best throw. She can compete with a lot of the boys on her team at throwing and some of those jerky guys who teased her about coming in last in her race, were then made to eat crow.

I got to watch Stinky warm-up for the shot, but had to leave before she actually competed so I could catch the last half of Coadster's soccer game. She said she had one of her best throws in that as well.

If you thought it was tiring watching Stinky run and throw, I really wiped myself out checking out Coadster running around the soccer field kicking the ball around. They lost 1 to nothing, but Coadster had this totally amazing powerhouse kick that took the ball almost three quarters across the field. I really needed to sit down and rest after seeing that.

I was supposed to meet some friends at a poetry reading and for a beer after, but the girls' stuff didn't get done until after eight and I still had to make dinner and stuff. Plus, I got so tired watching other people exercise that I couldn't even entertain the thought of going back out.

I Got a Baby's Brain and an Old Man's Heart

Kids, I don't know what it is lately, but I am B-E-A-T. Beat. (and not in that cool, younger Jack Kerouac way either) Okay, maybe I do know a little of what it is. It's kids. Young kids. Kids who are not teenagers.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like my teenagers aren't trying. They definitely are. You remember being in high school, don't you? You wanted things and you had an attitude and you were constantly trying to figure out what and how you could get away with shit. And all those dirty thoughts going through your head? Yeah, those. I know you remember those.

So, anyway. Yesterday my friend B. needed the girls to watch his kids so he could get some work done on his house. My girls like money and they love his kids, so they decided to tag team babysit. By the time I got home, the kids were still there and they were awesome, but they're younger, so they needed more attention. They are not like teenagers who prefer it if you ignore them, so they have more time to hatch plots and think up ridiculous lies in their heads in order to get away with all the shit they want to do. These kids actually wanted me to hang out with them and talk to them and watch them do stuff. Like I said, it was very tiring.

Then tonight I went to my beautiful friend S.'s house for chili and wonderful company. But there were more children running around. Which I totally love. Kids usually like me because they are more mature than I am and therefore get to feel superior. I got to mess around with Buzz Lightyear action figures and I was even asked to not only be my own action figure, but someone's apprentice. How kick-ass is that? I loved it, I had fun, but then I was very, very tired and had to come home to my teenagers who were mellow and content to quietly take photos of themselves in their rooms. Ahhhhh.

Let Me Tell You How It Will Be

Oh, thank Jaysus , Mary and Joseph. My federal taxes are finally done. Barring any inputting errors made by me, (and I do happen to be an expert at inputting errors) I should get my refund next Friday sometime. If I made a stupid mistake or twenty, it could be the week after that. Either way, I'll have my dough before the end of the month.

Now, I'm so, so tired and I just want to go to bed. All I want right now is to think good, happy thoughts. Just in case you were wondering, these are what my good, happy thoughts look like:

Ahhhhh.
Ahhhhh.
And ahhhhh.

I feel so much better now.

I'm So Tired, My Mind is on the Blink

Oh, kids. I've been feeling pretty crappy today. Which is kind of ironic since we had our big health and wellness retreat at work today. Since I was exhausted and stuff, I chose to give myself a psuedo "get out of jail free card" evening. What that meant for me, was that I didn't run, but I did watch America's Next Top Model with my girls. I was so out of it, that even the catty bitchiness and psycho drama were a little too deep for me.

TonightI tried to put a video on my blog, but it took forever to load and I let it go all night, but I woke up to an error message. Wah. So, now? This is all you get. Maybe I'll find someone to help me, because I think you'd really like it.