Category: Life-condensed

AT THIS MOMENT I’m thinking about MK and wondering if he’s having a good time at his jazz festival. He got on a bus at 8:30 this morning, traveled nearly two hours and is now in Pittsburgh Kansas playing his heart out. I’m trying not to freak out too much – my baby is so far away from me! But I know this will be good practice for him for when he travels with the high school band next year. I trust his teacher and I certainly trust God to watch over him, so I need to chill and stop biting my fingernails. He’ll be back at midnight tonight, what am I worried about? (!!)

AT THIS MOMENT I’m wondering just when GD turned into this … man. He took his hoodie off last night because it was so warm (72 degrees yesterday, it’s currently 81!!) and I mock-punched him (it’s a mom/boy thing – you can only understand that mentality if you have teenage boys and you can’t think of any other way to connect with them) and realized, this boy’s got muscles! When the heck did that happen?! Oh. When he started lifting weights in class, that’s when. Of course I commented, and of course he got embarrassed and would die if he knew I was passing this juicy little tidbit on to you, but at the same time, his pleased little half smile said it all.

AT THIS MOMENT I’m hoping Kevin doesn’t encounter any crazy Springfield drivers who aren’t paying attention because they are too busy yapping on their damn cell phones to see him as he drives home from work today on his motorcycle. Did I mention it’s 82 degrees!? In March!? And perfect riding weather?!

AT THIS MOMENT, I’m wondering if we got any “good” mail (defined as a check for me) today. I’d look, but that would require getting up from my chair and walking away from the computer and *SNORT*, like that’s going to happen any time soon.

AT THIS MOMENT, I’m really, really, REALLY thankful for that 100 calorie popcorn. It rocks. Of course, if I could just stick to eating one bag as opposed to five, that would be better.

AT THIS MOMENT I’m mentally preparing myself to work out tonight. The scary thing is? I’m sort of looking forward to it. What’s wrong with me?!

AT THIS MOMENT I’m mentally preparing myself to battle the crazies at the grocery store and they’re winning (I haven’t gone yet, but *deep breath* I will!)

AT THIS MOMENT I’m thinking tonight would be a GREAT night for me and Kevin to … uh … play Scrabble! Yeah! It’s been a looong time since we’ve played, uh, Scrabble and we both have game withdrawals. In fact, it’s safe to say we’re both pretty crabby at this juncture. I need my, uh, Scrabble fix, I will not lie.

AT THIS MOMENT I’m thinking about the email I sent to a potential client this morning and how I really kicked butt on the whole sounding professional and knowledgeable bit and I’m really hoping this turns into a contract. That would be so cool. It also reminds me that I need to get my professional site back up and running. It’s pretty bad when a potential client is the one reminding you of that fact. *smacks self*

AT THIS MOMENT I’m toying with the idea of eating more 100 calorie popcorn because I’m freaking starving!!

AT THIS MOMENT I think I will go Windex the hatchback window on my Vibe because it drives me nuts when it gets so dusty I have to squint to see through it AND admire my brand-spanking new car license plates because I get excited about these things largely due to the fact that I’m a sad, lonely, strange, Amazon woman.

Bye.

Tornado season is nearly upon us. And that means one thing to us Midwesterners – shelter.

GD and I were at the mall yesterday (MK was playing in pep band at a volleyball game) buying the cool hat I had promised him if he made a B on his Geometry test (I’m so proud!) when we stumbled (literally, it was set up in the middle of the of the walkway) across a huge steel box.

It was a storm shelter.

We walked in, turned around and walked back out. The box was about six feet high, and about five feet by eight feet wide, just enough room for six average-sized adults.

I grabbed a brochure. Why? Because this is something we’ve been seriously considering for our family.

Hey, don’t laugh. When you live in tornado country, and you live in a house with no basement, you think about these types of things. And you sweat about these types of things when those ear-piercing sirens start going off.

Do you KNOW how scary it is to be in the path of a tornado and NOT have any safe place to take shelter? It’s terrifying. Tornadoes are wild, unpredictable and very powerful – if you’re unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle of one, all you can do is grab on to something and pray.

Kevin did cut a hole out of our pantry floor so that we could access the crawl space without having to go outside but let’s be real here – a crawl space is really not the place to be if a tornado rips into your house – the whole structure could collapse on top of you. Well, technically, it could do the same thing with a basement, too.

Our current option? Either huddle in the pantry, which is barely big enough to hold all four of us (especially now since the boys are bigger), or grab a blanket and crouch in the hallway.

Yeah, not great options, right?

So, we’re thinking about a storm shelter. It would likely be a flat-top underground shelter because above-ground shelters don’t make any sense to me. Sure, they’re extremely durable and heavy, but I’m betting if a category F5 tornado were ever to hit your area, that steel box would be reduced to a child’s wooden block.

I’d rather have a flat-top underground shelter so it would be a little less noticeable, something we could sort of disguise and keep from being a neighborhood eyesore.

Do any of you have a storm shelter? What do you do when a tornado warning happens in your area? Where do you go? Do you have a plan?

Seriously, if you haven’t thought about it, think about it. It’s always better to be prepared than not.

I’ve been watching this girl.

Not in a creepy, stalker-ish way, but out of curiosity. There’s something about her …

She reminds me of me at that age.

I see this girl every day when I’m stuck in the car line waiting for MK. And every day, I notice her blank, somewhat ticked off expression.

She’s a loner. She never sticks around after school to socialize with the other kids. She never expresses an interest in any of the other “girly” activities – I never see her gossiping, acting dramatic or showing off in front of the boys.

She’s quiet, but in a strong, confident way.

She rarely smiles, but I don’t get the impression she’s mean-natured – only that she’s a serious soul.

She has gorgeous, straight, healthy hair and the silky strands seem to always fall perfectly over her face. Her clothes are rather tomboy-ish in nature, but never sloppy. She’s rather a more organized-sloppy, if that makes sense.

She walks with a purposeful stride. Her head is always lifted and though she never looks at the cars passing by, I get the impression that she’s very aware of her surroundings.

Her mouth is a grim, determined line and I would love to know what she’s thinking. She carries her books close to her chest, not really in a defensive way but as if she’s savoring the last remnants of her day.

She appears to be a hard person on the outside, yet I see her politely yield to other walkers or bicyclists so I sense she has compassion. Whenever someone says anything to her, she rewards them with a soft, small smile, though it never quite reaches her eyes. She wants to be friendly, but she holds herself back.

She’s wary, yet vulnerable. She’s cautious, yet impulsive.

She’s not a beauty, but the fierce glow within her makes her appear beautiful, different and lively.

I watch this girl walk down the street every day; and every day, I wonder if I had had a daughter, would she have been like this girl?

I smile to myself.

She reminds me of someone I have never met.

*Yawn* I’m sleepy.

Well, we got the ball rolling on our passport paperwork today. The kids had early release so as soon as I picked them up from school we went and picked the husband up from work and drove to the post office. We had filled out the paperwork ahead of time and printed it off, so we got through fairly fast. Though we were there for nearly an hour, it was mainly because of the young girl in front of us.

The post office lady kept asking her questions about her adoption and why her name appeared differently on certain documents. I felt bad for her because there she is, airing her dirty laundry in front of us. I just pretended not to pay attention hoping to ease her embarrassment a bit.

We had to buy the passport books, as opposed to the card. That cost more money. Bummer. But, now we’ll have passports that are good for 10 years (though the lady said that technically, they’re good for 15 years until they expire) and if we need to renew them, we don’t have to actually go back to the post office, we can do it by mail. AND, it won’t cost as much. So who knows, maybe we’ll need passports again in our twilight years.

She also kept our birth certificates. I wasn’t expecting that and in fact, I sort of freaked out walking out of the office without them, but the lady said they would mail them back to us, separate from the passport books, so … I hope that happens. I’ve spent the majority of my life keeping careful tabs on our birth certificates so to not have them, is … disorienting.

Oh, by the way, if you need to know how to apply and what documents you need to apply for a passport, you can find that information here.

The husband and I are seriously talking about the dog issue. And I’m still a reluctant participant in all of this, but if I can arm myself with as much information as I can, beforehand, I think I can handle this better. We didn’t get a chance to talk much last night about it – we don’t want the kids to know we’re seriously talking because if it doesn’t go through, I don’t want them to be disappointed.

I’ve been researching. In fact, I spent the majority of yesterday afternoon researching. I’ve got a few breeds in mind already, and when I read up on their characteristics and how trainable they are, I’m really liking my selections.

A HUGE THANK YOU to Oregonsunshine for all of her advice/information!!!! We’ve been exchanging emails – well, I’ve been asking questions and she’s been kind enough to answer them (and then some!) so she’s given me PLENTY to think about.

I’ve also been researching training methods and dog mentality. I never knew they were so complicated! But a lot of what I read made sense to me and now I think I understand the importance of correctly handling a dog – my action directly affect how they act and respond.

I do have some questions for you, dear reader. But before I ask these questions, let me tell you what the husband and I would like in a dog:

1. Good natured / easy going.
2. Loveable
3. Intelligent
4. Playful (but not overly so)
5. Active (but not overly so)
6. Mid-sized, but smallish (large dogs are OUT)
7. Preferably short, soft hair but I’m not opposed to taking it to get groomed periodically, especially if the animal has longer hair.
8. Not a yapper
9. Fairly easy to train
10. Gentle

We would prefer a puppy, simply because we think it might be easier to bond with a puppy (?), but we’re certainly not opposed to an older dog, if it’s the breed we decide upon. We will absolutely check the pounds, but we’re also going to look into breeders.

We have no intention of buying a dog until after June, so there is plenty of time to really do the research and look around before we make a final decision.

My questions for you are:

1. Based on the above criteria, can you suggest a breed?

2. Male or female?

3. Can you suggest any training books? Remember, I’m a total newbie here.

4. Do you have any idea where I can find breeders for southwest Missouri?

5. What sorts of “extras” would we need to get started? Crate, toys, etc.

6. What sort of food is best for a puppy? For an older dog?

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I’m learning a lot from my research, but it really helps to hear from experienced people.

Crap. I just remembered, I need to take my movies back, they’re due in two hours.

Have a great evening, everyone.

— I’m eating tuna and crackers. Even though I’m not particularly fond of tuna, I need the protein because tonight is a workout night and I need the energy to do both Turbo Jam and walk.

— I just finished updating several school websites and posting their February newsletters. (I LOVE doing school websites!)

— Just got a mass email from GD’s math teacher – he has his first geometry test tomorrow. *gulp*

— I read this article on BoingBoing about Life at Wal-Mart, (if you click over, be sure and read the comments, there’s an interesting dialogue going on over there), which lead me to this dude’s website and now I can’t stop thinking about “The American Dream.” I agree with Adam, achieving the American Dream isn’t so much about economic or social issues, but rather, our attitudes and willingness to work for it.

True, life isn’t fair. True, life sucks sometimes. True, some of us have to work harder because we’re stuck in less-than-ideal circumstances, but I think we waste more time complaining about it and not enough time doing something about it. The bottom line is, are we willing to endure the discomforts and inconveniences in order to grab that golden ring and succeed in life? I wonder …

— I just got an email from the husband – he wants to know if we can compromise on this dog issue. If we fence in the backyard, would I be willing to have a dog then? My very first reaction to reading his email was annoyance. Leave it alone, my mind screamed. But then right on the heels of that thought was stop being so selfish, Karen. All three of your guys want a dog, who died and made you Queen of the house?

I’m being selfish. I’m feeling bad. I’m caving.

I need to get over myself. I need to stop focusing on the negative aspects of having a pet and think about the (few) positive aspects of having a pet.

So, I’ve been researching … stay tuned. This is going to get interesting.

— I’m now on my way to the bank and then I’m going to brave this store (I always feel so old when I go into these types of stores) and see if I can’t find a fedora for GD. His buddy stayed over Friday night and of course, he came over wearing a very cool black fedora and GD’s mouth started watering. If I’m successful at finding one, I’ll post a picture of him wearing it later.

— I set up a poll in my sidebar. It’s about BlogHer. Since BlogHer is in Chicago and about 8 hours from where I live, I could easily drive there. So going for me, is plausible. The only thing is, do I want to? If you have a few minutes, can you take my poll? I’m curious to know if anyone that visits this blog is going. I’ve left an open-ended option on the poll so please fill in your own answers. I don’t know, I have mixed feelings about going …

— PU – it smells awfully fishy in here … *cough*

UPDATE: GD changed his mind on a hat. However, MK bought this one:

Not a fedora, but more of a bowler. It suits him. NOW can we drop the hat issue? Please?!

It’s 4:42 p.m.

I’m sitting here trying to ignore my grumbling stomach while trying to keep my eyes open. I’ve had to resort to pouring myself a cup of coffee, left over from this morning because it has been confirmed (by abstaining and then drinking it to see what would happen) that my body no longer likes Starbucks coffee.

WAAH!

So I’m now drinking a nasty cup of coffee so I can wake up and have enough energy to do both Turbo Jam AND walk tonight because I can’t shake that disgusting, bloated body in the dark window image out of my head.

I never got around to going grocery shopping today, but I did make a dent in my emails – albeit a small dent. In fact, I was chugging along and correcting some HTML code when *POOF*, the lights went out. It’s a good thing I had juuust saved my work before that happened or I would be busy patching a hole in the wall made from my head continually hitting it.

The power was out for about an hour, but it was the hour before I needed to go pick up the kids so I was frantically trying to reach my husband to ask him what I needed to do to open the garage door (you pull the rope Karen, no big deal – why is that so hard to remember??) so I could get my car out and pick up the kids.

Luckily, that wasn’t necessary and the power came back on just minutes before I needed to take off. Whew!

I sat around and read that entire hour because when you lose your electricity and you’re stuck at home you can only do two things (okay, three things, but the husband wasn’t around so we’ll knock that one off the list *winkwink*) – sleep or read by a window.

I read. And I was almost disappointed when the lights came back on.

The husband has band practice tonight and I don’t have to cook because it’s Friday night and it’s our “go git” night – a family tradition – so I’m savoring the utter freedom of simply sitting back and waiting for the husband to come home, and drinking coffee the consistency of oil so we can go grab something to eat before he takes off and blows his eardrums for the evening. (I dread when he goes to band practice because when he comes back, he REEKS of cigarette smoke because virtually everyone in the band smokes but him. Or so he says …. hmmm…

It was a semi-productive day today and I’m feeling pretty satisfied with myself. Considering I was completely unproductive the rest of the week, I’m not going to complain.

What are you doing tonight?

I really enjoy reading blog entries that simply list everyday, mundane tasks. There is something comforting in knowing that not everyone is writing a thought-provoking, deeply insightful blog post.

Because writing those kinds of posts leave me brain dead.

For days.

So, I’d like to write more spur-of-the-moment posts about what I’m doing, right now. And what my plans are for the rest of the day.

Because this is a journal after all – so, it’s time to journal.

It’s cold here. Though we’re not nearly as cold as our neighbors up north. Our current temperature is nine degrees, though it “feels” like -6 degrees. Temperatures are supposed to plummet to zero tonight and then back up to 28 degrees tomorrow. Heat wave!

I’m not complaining though, having bitter cold temperatures is MUCH BETTER than having bitter cold temperatures and being buried under five inches of ice and without power (like when that happened this time two years ago).

I have the thermostat set to 68 degrees. This is our normal setting, actually. It is programmed to drop to 65 degrees after 10:00 in the evening so if I stay up and read (like I did last night), I have to snuggle under a blanket to keep warm.

My body is currently swallowed by sweats and I have space heaters going in two rooms – the room my PC is in (i.e. my office, but it’s actually the family room) and my husband’s office because that’s where the kids games are and where they will be spending the majority of their time after school today.

I would like to build a fire, but I feel guilty. It seems so selfish to build, and enjoy, a fire when my guys aren’t here to enjoy it with me. Here I am, cozy at home while they are working hard at work and school. So, I will wait to build a fire tomorrow when the kids are home (they’re out due to some sort of professional development day).

I just fixed myself some pancakes. I exist on dry pancakes throughout most of the week – that usually ends up being both my breakfast and lunch. Though I did dip them in syrup today and now I have a stomach ache – or it might be because I drank orange juice. I don’t know, I’ve pretty much given up trying to figure out what does, or does not, give me digestive problems.

I just downloaded a Flash ticker program and I’m experimenting with that. If I’m successful, you’ll likely see an example of it on the photo contest post. Which, by the way, I only have seven people entered at this point. Do you not WANT to win a $25 gift certificate to a store of your choice?

I will be making my way to Wal-Mart soon. We’re out of bread. Well actually, we’re not out, but we discovered this morning that the 1/4 loaf we had was moldy so no grilled cheese sandwiches for the kids’ lunches today. I also need to pick up a 2 GB SD card and a 2 GB Compact Flash card so I can put our pictures on them and use them in our new digital photo frame. We figured out last night that 4 GB was just too big and the frame froze up on us. We looked up the website and read the FAQ – apparently, this has happened with a lot of folks.

I’m a bit worried about the kids. They don’t wear coats to school because 1. they lose them, 2. they don’t want to keep track of them and 3. they are inside most of the day and think it’s pointless to take them. So, I will worry about them standing outside in negative degree wind chill and waiting for me. I hope traffic is relatively light so I can get to them in a timely manner.

That’s it. That’s my day. How is your day going? Are you staying warm?