It's all about...

Writing job, math exam

2012-02-15T22:25:00.001-06:00

"You put on make-up to fail an algebra test today, huh?"
So said my husband, in his eternally supportive fashion, putting to words the irritation that I dealt with this morning. Yes, yes, there actually was algebra in my testing appointment today. ALGEBRAIC WORD PROBLEMS.
The online exam was in three parts: the first consisted of letter sequencing, and figuring out which letter would come next in several surprisingly involved letter lines. I had 15 minutes to finish this portion. (All questions were multiple choice on the exam.) The second section was shape sequencing, where I had to figure out which shape came next in the sequence or pattern. I had 15 minutes for these questions, too. And then came that which I had been waiting for, and not really dreading: the 30-minute algebra portion. I actually put my sense of humor to work here, and enjoyed the continued ridiculousness of a mathematics test used to gauge my abilities for a writing job. I didn't disregard the questions, and did my best, but I also did giggle several times at the what-the-hell-ness of my experience.
Brian's advice before I walked into the building: "Try to figure them out from a common sense perspective. Don't pick the highest or lowest number, as it's probably not right. If all the other choices are too close, then, well, you're screwed." (I love how, when I told Mom last night about the algebra, she laughed about it; and how today, Brian didn't even bother suggesting I try figuring out the word problems in a mathematical fashion. They know me too well.)
The test is points based, in that for every correct answer, I would get one point, for every blank answer, I'd get no points, and for every wrong answer, I would be deducted a half-point. So they encourage you to either get it right, or don't answer at all. I actually did do an amount of guessing, just for shits and giggles. I expect to have a score somewhere in the negatives.
However, the day I get an e-mail from them telling me that, yes, I did fail the exam and that they won't be needing me, I'll be sure to reply to them that, no, I don't know algebra, but I do know that they had a spelling error on one of their exam's introductory pages. Because finding those is something that an editor/writer does do well.

This blue offends me

2012-02-14T23:54:00.001-06:00

I'm getting super annoyed because I can't figure out why Blogger has changed my headlines and links in the color mauve to links in BLUE. It's too bright, the blue is, and it is aesthetically repulsive to me on my blog. I want to scream at Blogger right now, but there's no one around. I can only hope that it's a glitch that will be corrected tomorrow morning.
Also, I'm less nervous about my appointment tomorrow. Math acumen is not the basis for a writing job, and certainly, is not how I've made my way through the hallowed halls of editing for the last 15 years. Take me as I am, a kick-ass editor, but limited mathematician.

L.E.T.T.E.R.S. not numbers

2012-02-14T23:31:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is my "testing appointment" at the new potential employer. Before the appointment though, it was requested that I fill out a couple online applications and tests. The application stuff was easy; all they wanted was my educational background and my most recent work experience. But the testing portion, well, it included the vocabulary portion, which was easy, and personality assessment, which was quick. And then there was a more mathematical portion, where I had to figure out which number came next in the sequence, how many of what fit into how many of it, and my god, there were word problems. Also, some mechanical questions. It's quite obvious that the test was built for people in every field, for every facet of the company, which explains the math and mechanical questions.

The human resources person sent me a couple documents with the appointment confirmation e-mail, which included the directions to the building and sample test questions similar to what I should get during my testing appointment. Frighteningly, the test information page began with this: Applicants at So-and-So Company must complete ourpre-employment testing. The logicand aptitude test contains three timed sections. All questions are multiple choice. The test is not designedfor you to finish. DO NOTGUESS!!! To get practice onSections 1 & 2, reference a book at your local library, Air TrafficController Exam.

Right?!?! Air traffic controller exam?!?!

Really, it gets better. This begins the second page of the test information document: We have found that mostpeople need to review algebra word problems before testing at So&So. Below are some examples of typical wordproblems. Work these without acalculator, as you will not be able to use one on the test. The answers are at the bottom of thepage.
That page, referred to just above, is titled "Practice Algebra Questions." On it are nine word problems, multiple-choice answers, and they're all crazy. I mean, really. Algebra? Ridiculous. Lest we forget, I needed a tutor to get through high-school algebra, and it took me two tries to get through college algebra. I write because language and its complexities and beauty come naturally to me. I do not do math. I do not like math. Algebra is funky math that's even more confusing.

Some of the sample questions: The length of the shadow of a flagpole was found to be72 feet. The shadow of a 3-footpicket fence in line with the flagpole was 4 feet. What is the height of the flagpole? ...If a boat goes downstream 72 miles in 3 hours andupstream 60 miles in 6 hours, the rate of the river and the rate of the boat instill water respectively are ________? ... A certain sum of money is invested at 10%. Twice that amount is invested at8%. The total amount of interestfrom both investments is $91. Howmuch is invested at 8%.
How crazy would it be for me to not get a WRITING job because I failed the MATH test?

There's a fly in my lamp!

2012-02-13T22:32:00.002-06:00

There's a fly in my bedroom. It's dancing around my new lamp (thanks, Mom!), and bugging the hell out of me.
Why do they do that? Why can't he just settle down? Or, better yet, he should just get his little fly wings and fly out of my bedroom, and head back outside the way he came inside.
I'm watching Castle and Hawaii 5-0, and this fly is making it difficult to concentrate. Isn't it kinda weird that when a fly bumps around in a lampshade, it makes a thumping noise? I thought flies would weigh too little to make such a decisive noise. But, there he goes again. Thump. He must be getting a headache. And tired. Do flies take naps? This little guy should totally take a nap.
I'm going to go get another cookie.
Hey. I'm back, with my cookie, and the fly is gone. He must have followed me into the kitchen. Well, the joke's on him; I just grabbed the last two cookies.
Maybe he left the house.
Now, I miss him.

UPDATE, 11:25 p.m.: I just killed him. He came back into my room, and stopped on the wall right next to me. I didn't think I'd get him, but I've been so ninja-like lately with my reflexes, that I shouldn't be surprised that I did. I feel bad.

Rolling minus the red screen

2012-02-12T22:21:00.001-06:00

So, my phone's been doing this crazy thing over the last couple months: when I hit the home button, the screen goes red. In fact, whenever the phone was awoken, the screen was red with weird horizontal lines all across it. I couldn't read it, and the buttons were made irrelevant.
Now, if I told you I've been living with this incredible annoyance since before we left Tempe, you would think I was crazy. Well, I have been living with it that long, and I am crazy. Finally, on Friday, Brian and I made our way to the Apple Store to have the phone looked at. It did, in fact, need to be replaced. The guys had never seen a screen look like that, and everyone was taken aback by it when I showed if off.
I ended up doing a direct replacement for the phone, getting a "new" iPhone 4. I had the option of upgrading to the 4S, just so you know. I seriously thought about it. Because of the problem with the phone, I would have been permitted an early upgrade to a 4S, but then I would have to wait another two years for another upgrade. That made me very nervous. The 4S is super cool, but my gut is telling me that there will be an iPhone 5 this summer or fall. I would HATE having the 4S for only six or seven months when a new iPhone comes out, and Brian is the only one of us with an upgrade at the time. You know that the new phone will have all the cool stuff in the 4S as well as other awesome stuff. And you know that I would freak out if Brian had all the additionally awesome stuff when I didn't. (I'm still an only child, of course!) So, I decided to deny myself the cool stuff for now, to be able to get the cool stuff later. I feel really okay with that.

This country was such a rebel

2012-02-11T23:57:00.001-06:00

Brian and I are watching a History Channel series on the birth and life (so far) of the United States almost all day today. It's called The Story of Us, and it's pretty brilliantly done. We're into hour number eight, I think, and are moving into World War II. I love all this stuff. Especially cool for me is how much a part of awesome stuff the Irish were in American history. I can't remember any specific examples right now because it's very late, but they're there, in the series. You should watch it. While most of the stuff was learned (and somewhat forgotten) in a textbook years ago, so much of this is relatively new information, or actual new information, and it's fascinating to learn. I'm excited to get through the rest of it tomorrow.

TEXAN LESSON: Mosquito Hawks

2012-02-09T22:46:00.001-06:00

Okay. This is a mosquito hawk. We've been told that they eat mosquitoes. It's more widely known as a crane fly, but down here, they're called mosquito hawks. They have a couple other names, including daddy longlegs, but my personal slang favorite, is "skeeter eater."
We've seen an incredible increase in mosquito hawk sightings in our grassy areas, and some of the little buggers have made their way up to the third floor and into our house. One such traveler was large enough to send Sydney into hysterics the other night. But really, on the ground floor, they're everywhere. They're flitting here and there all over the grass, and all over the sidewalk. Sadly, some haven't been too quick to move, and there are some squished carcasses on the ground. (Yes, they're big enough that you can see them squished on concrete.) Daisy trapped one between her nose and the ground so she could investigate it. She found it lacking, and moved on.
This particular photo is a little misleading, as all of the mosquito hawks that I've seen lately are an orange color.
Wait. ... ...
You know what? They don't eat mosquitoes. Here's this from Texas A&M: "Larvae have chewing mouthparts. Crane fly larvae feed primarily on decomposing organic matter. Adults do not feed. ... They commonly occur in moist environments such as woodlands, streams and flood plains although some species inhabit open fields, dry rangeland and even desert environments."
So, they tend to eat up grassy areas; are generally just random bugs with long legs and delicate, little wings; don't fly super well; and tend to just be considered a nuisance. Great. Big bugs with no redeeming qualities. They fly around and scare my kid. And they don't eat mosquitoes.
Also a lesson from today, a lifelong Texan had no idea what one of the state's most prolific insects eats.

Editor, not astronaut

2012-02-08T22:32:00.002-06:00

Also, I've got a job interview next Wednesday. It's a technical writing job. Also, it's not really an interview. It's what they call a "testing appointment," where they will give me a series of basic tests to find out my skill levels. (I think she said something about math, and that concerns me a little bit, but I'll run with the descriptive "basic," and assume I'll be able to fumble my way through that one.)
I was told to plan for one or two hours spent there, just in case an actual interview does happen while I'm there. While on the phone today with the corporate recruiting department this morning, I got to answer all the easy questions, and then was e-mailed a couple more pre-applications to fill out before I get there next week. I be jumping through hoops to even get an interview!
The commute doesn't look like it'll be too bad though. According to MapQuest, it should only be about 20 minutes. Of course, in Houston traffic that may be twice as long. But that is if I get the job.
As of now, it's a testing appointment, and I need to get my interview pants cleaned.

Just floating around, unsupervised

2012-02-08T22:14:00.001-06:00

I got all indignant about Facebook today in defense of my friend, Kerry.
Kerry is a great mom of three boys. She and her husband are involved, happy parents, and still somehow, manage to keep their sanity and go out on dates and all that. I'm crazy with one kid, and she seems to be saner than me with her three. Anyway, today, Kerry posted on Facebook about a seemingly last-minute trip to Las Vegas with her husband. She posted her excitement, and was off and running. The first comment on her post? "Where are your kids?" Another three comments down, "Who do you have watching your boys?"
Here's my thing: How dare these people, even in jest, question that Kerry wouldn't have provided for her kids while she left for a weekend away with their father? Just them asking the question, in that way, on Facebook, put a public light on a rude question, as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure they were somewhat kidding, but I can't help but hear a bit more judgment in their question than anything: "How can you call yourself a mother and then LEAVE your children alone in this world while you fancy-dancy your way around Sin City?!?!"
I texted Kerry and told her that the next time it comes up, she should say that she's left the children home alone in a locked room with a big box of graham crackers and a puppy pad to pee on.
In my head, it sounded very much like these people felt they needed to REMIND Kerry and Bob that they had kids. To REMIND them that they have familial responsibilities. It was not, and is not, their business what arrangements Kerry and Bob made for the boys. They, I would think, would assume that Kerry and Bob had provided well for the boys' care over the next couple days. To ask is to imply that the person asking thought more about the kids' well-being than the parents.
I am positive that I took the comments too seriously, and that they were written in jest, but really, you people on Kerry's Facebook feed. Get over yourselves. What we have here is a couple looking at a weekend away, and they're excited about it. Why give even the slightest implication that you think that they should be feeling guilty about it?

Artist fishing for iPhone, read Tiffany

2012-02-07T22:28:00.001-06:00

ITEM!: I think I'm going to go see The Artist tomorrow. I checked my local theater this morning, and according to the schedule, if I don't go see it this week, it won't be in the theater next week. And I really need to see it before the Oscars. So, tomorrow is a movie day for Kimmie!
ITEM!: I spent some time chatting about Sydney's fish tank today, and I'm getting kinda excited about it. I am afraid though, as most of you know, because of my history with fish. It's weird. My dad can keep a goldfish alive for years, and I can't even keep one for a couple months. I had a fish commit suicide in college, you know. I'm terribly bad with fish, and I'd hate to inadvertently kill Sydney's new pets. I'll keep considering.
ITEM!: Also tomorrow, I'm going to stop into the Apple Store near the theater. My frickin' iPhone is still doing that weird red-screen thing, and it's becoming more and more annoying. It's just a matter of inconvenience now, and the damn smart phone is not being a smart technology for me. Also, it's decided to stop alerting me when texts arrive. That is annoying.
ITEM!: I finished reading that book that I was having a hard time getting into this weekend. It's been a very long time since I've come across a character, not the protagonist or antagonist, that was so utterly unlikeable that I almost stopped reading the book. The main character's sister was the most annoying personality I've come across on paper in such a long time. This girl had me wanting to drop this book in a donation pile, while only 11 pages in. Up to the end, she was an unlikeable person. It was, honestly, a struggle to get through the pages with her on them. Remind me to never have a character like her in my writings. You have my permission to, whenever you dislike a character enough to put the book down, say to me, "She's so ... Janice." That'll do the trick. No joke.
ITEM!: I enjoy a lot getting all these e-mails from Tiffany & Co. because of Valentine's Day. I've been getting one about every other day for a week. Before February, I only got one about once or twice a month. On the downside, it's depressing because there are a lot of pretty things at Tiffany. On the upside, they also still have the necklace that I very much want around my neck.

Oliver is awesome

2012-02-07T11:03:00.000-06:00

This is my Oliver. This is his Pluto. And this is something that he does after he eats.
It's the weirdest thing, but the most endearing thing, too. Ever since Ollie was a puppy, after he eats, he picks up his Pluto, carries it someplace comfortable and cozy, and lays down and holds it. I call it cuddling, because he kinda bites down, licks at it, hugs it a bit, and cuddles it. Every so often, he'll whine, or make some purring noises. And he'll lay there, like that or on his side, for anywhere up to 30 minutes. The cuddling can be five minutes, or it could be 25 minutes, but what it is, is awesome.
Here we are, 11 years into the relationship with Pluto, and we're still cuddling regularly. Of course, it's not always Pluto, but Pluto is his favorite for cuddling. This morning, after breakfast, Ollie brought Pluto up onto the bed and commenced a good, long cuddle session. The light was perfect, his face was perfect, and the background was just ideal enough for one of the best pictures I've ever gotten of the cuddling.
It is one of the best things about my boy, and Brian and I are both enamored of this little personality quirk. I tend to text photos of this to Brian whenever it's super cute, and this morning's was, as I said, perfect. So I thought I'd put it up here, too.

Ugh. ... Just UGH

2012-02-06T08:44:00.002-06:00

Well, that was just depressing. I can't really process how irritated I am by the game last night. In fact, I woke up every few hours, haunted by dropped passes, tears and broken dreams. Also, I think I may have been crying in my sleep (not really, but that does sound incredibly dramatic, right?).
When I entered the living room this morning, Brian had left the television on ESPN. My first view was of Wes Welker dropping that pass. "Too soon," I said to myself, and commenced turning off the television. I may stay away from ESPN for a couple weeks. It's too sad and heart-breaking for me. Fuckin' Giants, man. That's all I have to say about that. Yet another Super Bowl to haunt me ... until we win the next one. Here's to motivation for next season!!

OPTIMISM, because we SHOULD win!

2012-02-04T23:00:00.001-06:00

I would tell you that I'm trying to not get too excited about the Super Bowl tomorrow, but that's crazy talk. Also, crazy talk is what I'll be spewing out tomorrow afternoon while my Patriots play the Giants in the big game. I'm too invested in this game. Could it be because I am still paralyzed by shock over losing to the fucking Giants four years ago, and thereby collapsing our perfect season? Oh, that could be it. Also, I really, really, really don't like Eli Manning. But more than that, I really, really, really, really want my Patriots to win tomorrow. I can't imagine that fate would be so cruel as to have us lose, again, to the same fucking team that dashed our hopes and dreams a mere four years ago. There's some bitterness there, certainly. It's probably a good thing that no one other than my husband and my kid and my dogs will be witness to the ball of stress and frustration I will be for those hours tomorrow. I sometimes consider just going to a movie and not watching the game, to find out the winner after it's done and all that's left is the celebration or mourning.
Still, I'll be watching, and coaching from my sofa. GO PATS!!

Better than a movie

2012-02-03T23:56:00.000-06:00

I had papers that needed to be shredded.
If you take your papers to Office Depot, they'll shred it for you for 99 cents a pound.
Wait. Let's clarify. Either you can trust the guys at Office Depot, give the papers to them and let them toss them all in a bin in the back of the store and have it shredded by Iron Mountain when the big truck gets there, OR you can shred it yourself in the store's own shredder, in stacks for four or five sheets at a time, in the Business Services portion of the store. You know, that second one, if you're untrusting. Also, either option costs 99 cents per pound.
PRIOR TO FINDING THAT OUT: As we were walking up to the store, Brian says to me, "Do we get to shred it ourselves, or do we have to let some random person take all our papers unshredded? What's the point of that? What if that guy just takes something and puts it in his pocket instead of in the shredder? Defeats the purpose."
You can therefore conclude which option we took. I had all our papers in a box. I made sure that the young man weighed our box, but then not charge us for the weight of the box itself. Just over 16 pounds of paper, including box. The guy says he'll only charge me for 14 pounds. Fair trade.
Also, he says, here's the shredder. AND THE 14 POUNDS OF PAPER.
Cut to me trying to push the paper through the shredder while Brian tries to read all the papers I've collected for shredding. This, obviously, is a recipe for disaster, and somehow (I would brag about my machinations, but I'm still not sure how I did it), I switched our places, so I was handing the papers to Brian, who was consumed by the task of sliding them into the shredder without jamming it by stacking too many sheets at once.
As couples' activities go, as a rule, I probably would not usually suggest shredding papers at an Office Depot. However, on this particular day, with the kid in school and me feeling better as a human, it turned out to be pretty okay. We giggled, reminisced about bills and papers from when we lived in Boston, and sighed and smiled about when our life was easier, and the credit cards had ONLY a four-digit balance.
We were there so long that the kid forgot how much my paper weighed, and only charged me for 12 pounds. A win/win.

Aren't we all bossypants?

2012-02-02T23:49:00.000-06:00

I started and finished Tina Fey's book, Bossypants, today. I enjoyed it immensely, though didn't have as many "laugh out loud" moments as I had figured. Still, I walk away from the book impressed with her life experiences, and appreciative of her sense of humor throughout her life.
There were a couple nifty bits that will stick with me though.
"Oh! My Maria! What is to become of us?"
"For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it."
"We don't fucking care if you like it."
"It's a burden, being able to control situations with my hyper-vigilance, but it's my lot in life."
"Why do I call it 'yellow' hair and not 'blond' hair? Because I'm pretty sure everybody calls my hair 'brown.'"

It's February, Y'ALL

2012-02-01T22:19:00.001-06:00

Well, my friends, I am feeling much better today!
I knew it this morning, when, at 4 a.m., the sound and feel of Daisy jumping off the bed and heading out of the room woke me up enough to rise and open the door for her to go out and pee. Then I went back to bed. And at 6:45 a.m., when Sydney and Brian crawled on top of me to wake me up, I didn't get irritable, I hugged. And when I walked my dogs, I looked around outside and realized that I was seeing the world clearly, without a sickly haze. Also, when I got home from taking Sydney to school, I was able to bring up the Valentine's Day decorations rather than take a nap.
Yes, my friends, I did not take a nap today. Weird, right?
I got the hearts decorations up, watched some shows, binged on some calories, and did some laundry. After I picked up Sydney, we visited Michaels and Target for additional decorations. And when we got home, we watched Jurassic Park. I'm telling you, it was like A NORMAL DAY. I had almost forgotten what it was like to have a day with some energy, and with some appetite, and with some good humor. I think tomorrow may actually be better (because I'm still taking some nighttime cold medicine and going to bed at 10:30 tonight).
Also, did you know that TODAY is FEBRUARY?

Apparently.

2012-01-31T21:19:00.000-06:00

I swear, to all that is chocolate, that I haven't slept this much since my honeymoon, when I had three consecutive days of sleeping for 12 hours each night. The last two days have been naught but a napping frenzy for my body, with a complete eight hours of sleep each night, and a three-hour nap in the morning after dropping Sydney at school.
It is, therefore, completely and utterly wrong that I still feel crappy.
As I asked Brian this morning, "Is this what being 39 means? Does it mean that a cold can push me down and flatten me out for so many days?" "Apparently," was his response. "Apparently," is right. And everyone's best advice, or sympathy, is to point out that, at 39, I need to be taking better care of myself. Granted ... maybe. But I've been doing okay lately. Except for running myself ragged for the last several months. (I'm convinced that this cold is a direct result of moving to Houston.) Still, I can see where this incredible sickness could be considered a spotlight shining on my immune system, or lack thereof.
Whatever. I'm tired. I want to feel better. I've had a bad day on top of a bad week, and I just want to go to bed. Here come tonight's eight hours.

Not Irish coffee

2012-01-30T21:48:00.000-06:00

I got a couple Irish jokes in my e-mail today. Since I have nothing to share with you in regards to my day (I slept a lot and still feel crappy), I'll give you the giggles, at the expense of stereotyping my ancestry.

Brenda O'Malley is home making dinner, as usual, when Tim Finnegan arrives at her door.
"Brenda, may I come in?" he asks. "I've somethin' to tell ya."
"Of course, you can come in. You're always welcome, Tim. But where's my husband?"
"That's what I'm here to be telling ya, Brenda. There was an accident down at the Guinness brewery."
"Oh, God, no!" cries Brenda. "Please don't tell me."
"I must, Brenda," he said. "Your husband Seamus is dead and gone. I'm sorry."
Finally, she looked up at him. "How did it happen, Tim?"
"It was terrible, Brenda. He fell into a vat of Guinness Stout, and drowned."
"Oh, my dear Jesus! But you must tell me the truth, Tim. Did he at least go quickly?"
"Well, Brenda, no. In fact, he got out three times to pee."

Mary Clancy goes up to Father O'Grady after his Sunday morning service, and she's in tears.
He says, "So what's bothering you, Mary, my dear?"
She says, "Oh, Father, I've got terrible news. My husband passed away last night."
The priest says, "Oh, Mary, that's terrible. Tell me, did he have any last requests?"
She says, "That he did, Father."
The priest says, "What did he ask, Mary?"
He said, "Please Mary, put down that damn gun,"

A drunk staggers into a Catholic Church, enters a confessional booth, and sits down, but says nothing.
The priest coughs a few times to get his attention, but the drunk continues to just sit there.
Finally, the priest pounds three times on the wall.
The drunk mumbles, "Ain't no use knockin', there's no paper on this side either."

As personable as a lionfish

2012-01-29T21:49:00.000-06:00

Colds suck.
They do. There's no other way to say it.
Also, today, my cold made me an awful person to be around. I was incredibly irritable, very tired, and easily crabby. It did not make for an attractive Kimmie, and I give all the credit to Brian and Sydney that they even managed to allow me to be near them, rather than lock me in my bedroom. As, let's face it, they should have.
I did apologize to both of them, though.
And I look forward to a good night's sleep tonight, feeling better tomorrow, and taking a nap after dropping Sydney at school, thereby enjoying some peace and quiet.

Go skiing, already!

2012-01-27T21:35:00.000-06:00

Brian and I visited a ski shop today.
You know, I used to be a really good skier. I used to go skiing all the time. I've still got a big bag full of ski stuff, as well as my skis, in the storage unit. And it's been six years since I've been skiing.
Brian and I wandered through the shop, checking out the jackets, pants, hats, skis, boots and kids' stuff. All the stuff was super cute, and all of it was worthy of streaking down the mountain. And all of it made me sad.
I think it was looking at the kid stuff, the clothes that Sydney would be wearing this season, that made me actually cry in the store. All I could think of is how happy Howie would be to get Sydney up on the mountain. How, at five, she would be logging her second season on the mountain this year. How he would just love buying her new outfits every year, and how he'd dig getting her those tiny skis, and how he's be so proud of her for choosing skis over a snowboard (which she has).
I haven't skied in six years. The last time I was on a mountain was in Steamboat Springs, Colo. Brian and I had just found out that I was pregnant, and had just told Mom and Howie. It was, quite simply, one of the best ski weekends.
And getting back on the mountain, without him, terrifies me. I mean, I know that he is just flipping out right now that it's been so long since I've skied. I know that he is the voice in my head right now that's screaming at me to get some new pants, a jacket and skis. I know he's pissy at me, and wants nothing more than for me to get myself, and my kid, on a ski slope. And I know that he's the most angry about not being able to ski with us.
But this is where I get selfish. I can count on one hand, in 30 years, how many times I've skied without that man. Doing it now scares me. It upsets me. It makes me sad.
Brian's pushing for a ski trip, and in theory, I'm down with it, but in actual practice, I also know that the first day I'm up on a mountain I may just cry the entire time. It makes me sad.

Have cupcake, feel better

2012-01-26T21:14:00.001-06:00

I hate to admit defeat after only about 14 hours, but I think I've fallen victim to Sydney's cold. I'm sorry, but I can not stand that kindergarten has turned my angelic little girl into a festering pool of germination and nastiness that I fear bringing into my home.
And now, there is a cold, running fast and loose through my house. And all I can do is struggle to keep it away from Brian.
Yesterday for Sydney: Stuffy nose in the morning. Cold medicine administered. Complaints of tiredness on the way to school. Snot. Stuffy nose in the afternoon. More snot. Cold medicine. Early to bed.
Today for Sydney: Stuffy nose. Snot. Claim of "feeling much better." Cold medicine. More snot. Cold medicine. Early to bed.
Today for me: Two sneezes while making breakfast. Blowing of the nose. Long nap. Stuffy nose. Tea. Sore throat. Nose blowing. Snot. Sneezing. Admission of sickness. Tea. Barely veiled plea for sympathy on Facebook. Blog about cold. Hopefully, early to bed, too.

Also, I totally frickin' LOVE this picture of a cupcake. I don't know why, but it's too cute. It's the happiest cupcake picture I've ever seen.

Wednesday ITEM! list

2012-01-25T23:39:00.000-06:00

ITEM!: For the first time in a long time, Brian and I watched all three movies that arrived from our Netflix queue: Cowboys & Aliens, The Debt and Moneyball. I'm further pleased to note that we liked each one of them. None were disappointing, and all kept our attention. None were cheesy, and all were deemed good choices by me, the Queue Controller. I don't know what will be sent to us next, but I hope they're good, too! [Editor's Note: I picked this particular Cowboys & Aliens post photo because of how AWESOME Daniel Craig's ass is in these chaps. No kidding, the price of admission for this movie is worth it because of the glancing views of him walking away from the camera. His butt is fan.tas.tic.]
ITEM!: I didn't blog last night because I was up late reading. I love it so much when "I was reading" is my excuse for anything. And this was the absolute truth: I was finishing up the Hunger Games trilogy. Those are some good books right there.
ITEM!: This morning's task was to register my car and get some Texas license plates. To do such a thing, I needed to go to the county tax assessor's building, of which there are about eight. The one I found was about 15 minutes away. The line was, when I entered it, about 20 people long. But guess what: You stand in line, and when you arrive at a window, the person at the window helps you with whatever you are there to handle. There's no checking in and being given an assigned number and bank of windows to wait on. There aren't any chairs either, but the line moved fast, and my paperwork was finished before I got there, so the visit was relatively painless. So, within 45 minutes, I entered the building and then exited the building with my license plates and registration sticker. Huzzah! Now, on to the driver's license!
ITEM!: I'm excited to note that the next few days should be cool here in Houston. We had a ton of rain today, too, and the cooler weather will be welcome. I hate having to turn on my air conditioner. In January. To combat the humidity. Ugh.
ITEM!: I want to dig into my storage unit and bring up some additional decorative items. I don't know which boxes I want, and I don't know what I want within them. You know what I do know? That I don't want to have to bring them upstairs by myself. They're probably heavy.

Return of the Cozy Chair!

2012-01-23T23:37:00.000-06:00

And so it happened, that on Sunday morning, I decided that the time had come ... for Cozy Chair to come out of the storage and return to my bedroom. Therein it takes its rightful place in my heart, and under my bottom. I love that I was able to walk into my living room Sunday morning, tell Brian that I need his brute strength, and that he was up for it. There were steps, of course, to shifting my bedroom around for Cozy Chair: move my nightstand, move the bed, move Brian's nightstand, empty the armoire, move the armoire, fill the armoire, bring up Cozy Chair and ottoman, bring up Cozy Chair cushion and floor lamp, and finally, randomly shift around other things to appease my obsessiveness. After all that, wall hangings and artwork needed to be moved. Even now though, I'm on the hunt for a new floor lamp that matches my bedroom nightstand lamp (Ikea, here I come!!). But just you all know, I'm sitting in my Cozy Chair right now, and I'm watching TV, and it makes me happy.
You know what else makes me happy? The DVR in my bedroom right now. There is something to be said for a happy marriage meaning that there are two televisions that each spouse can call their own. And this is aimed more at me than Brian. I need my own TV. I need a viewing system that is mine, and mine alone. I need a DVR that I can program for all my own shows, that I don't have to wait until the next day to watch. I need freer access to my stories, and that isn't possible with a husband who watches television as much as I. This happy marriage requires two televisions and two DVRs. And as of this morning, it is complete.

Goin' to the Big Game

2012-01-22T22:30:00.001-06:00

I had a poetic, sweet blog post planned for tonight, but now, having watched a day's worth of football, I'm not feeling at all poetic or sweet. I feel triumphant, and weirdly anxious, about my Patriots making their way to the Super Bowl. What happens, you know, when the team that you cheer for ends up in the Super Bowl, is that the enjoyment of watching the Super Bowl -- as entertainment -- is over.
I typically enjoy the Super Bowl as an event, complete with yummy snacks, some beer, and humor over the commercials. When you have emotion in the game itself, as when your team is playing, it becomes a personal thing, and less fun. Watching this game on Sunday in two weeks, is going to be a painful experience for me. It'll be impossible to enjoy, unless my Patriots begin the ass-kicking early and put my mind at ease. I won't be able to handle a game in two weeks like the game tonight. It will be excruciating for me, and better for everyone else if they're not in my home that day.

He's a Prince ... of Persia

2012-01-19T23:58:00.000-06:00

Someone please tell me why I seem to be so drawn to the movie Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. I swear, if it's on, I'm watching it. I think I may have watched it about three times today. There is something wrong with me.
It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan, an adopted son of the Persian king, who is wrongfully accused of killing said king, when really, he's on a noble quest to return a mystical dagger fueled by The Sands of Time, which can turn back time, to its rightful guardians, led by Princess Tamina, played by Gemma Arterton.
By all accounts, this is not a fantastic movie. In fact, it's incredibly cheesy. But what it does have is male and female protagonists that like each other a whole lot though they can't tell each other that; CGI action scenes; a scenery-chewing Ben Kingsley; and enough activity to intrigue this entertainment junkie. The good is tempered by an equal amount of the ridiculous: Gyllenhaal's "accent;" Gyllenhaal's hair; and Gyllenhaal as an action hero.
The movie is based on a video game. Video games have sequels. Apparently, this video game had more than one sequel. Inexplicably, I want a sequel to this movie. I read today that Gyllenhaal wants a sequel, too. I think Disney should make that happen. To appease me and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Thoughts about today

2012-01-18T23:13:00.003-06:00

39: Brian suggested that we go out to dinner tonight because, as he said, "You don't turn almost 40 every day!" He's wrong. Every day this year, I am one day closer to 40. Every day I do turn almost 40. This is bothering me.
39: Sometimes, when shopping for jeans, a brutally honest guy can be just as good a fitting room critiquer as your own mom. Thank you, Berlin, for helping me get through one of my least favorite things, jeans shopping, so I can buy one of my favorite things, jeans.
39: I visited my local Barnes & Noble and spent the gift card I got from Santa Claus (Thanks Mom, for helping Santa!). Purchases: Tina Fey's Bossypants, Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, and Deborah Harkness' A Discovery of Witches. My To-Be-Read Pile just doubled.
39: Birthday brownies taste, theoretically, as good as birthday cupcakes, but they just feel less celebratory. I should have found my closest Sprinkles.
39: I enjoy having a Starbucks first thing in the morning and one later as my nightcap. It makes for a happy Kimmie.
39: I wonder if it's too late to take up running. I'd have to be a treadmill runner since my knees are so bad, but I wonder if I can do it. How does one start running? Is there a method to this madness?
39: I've decided that when I turn 40, in less than a year, I'm going to be in the best health of my life. Achieving that will make being 40 worth it, I think. Project!!

And with that, Tuesday is over

2012-01-17T23:46:00.002-06:00

My tummy is growling, and I'm thirsty.
"Someone bring that girl some ice cream and a hot tea!!"
Why, thank you!! I'd love some!!

Guilt, thy name is Kimmie

2012-01-16T23:37:00.001-06:00

Well, that was one of the worst afternoons of my life. Not just of my life as a mom, but my actual life.
Sydney had her five-year appointment with a new pediatrician today. I knew, going into it, that there would be shots involved. I knew that she would not have an entirely pleasant experience. But I also knew, as the mom, that this was going to the be the best thing for my baby girl, and that we would both have to soldier through it together. The beginning of the appointment was fine, as they are, because all the bad stuff is saved for last. And that last part just about tore my heart out.
First, the finger prick and blood collection to check for anemia and all that. She cried, and complained profusely about how her finger hurt. "I don't want that to ever happen again," she said.
Lastly, the four, yes, FOUR booster shots. The nurse and I laid Syd down on the table, and while I held her torso and arms, the nurse held her legs and administered the shots. This did not go well. She got nervous as I held her, even before the first shot. I tried to calm her, rubbed her forehead, and talked to her as the nurse did her work, but the screaming and crying got to be too much for me, and eventually, all I could do was cry with her and tell her I was so sorry. Oh my god, the screaming. It was awful. And the logic, too. "Mommy, make her stop hurting me!!"
I swear, this was the first time that she could put together that I was allowing her to be hurt by getting these shots. It wasn't anything that I was about to stop. All I did was tell her that I love her, and not stop the nurse from hurting her. I know I'm overreacting, but I feel like I betrayed her in the one way that I'm never supposed to, by letting her be hurt in my presence. I'll hear her screaming in my nightmares for the rest of my life. I'll see her face when I close my eyes tonight, and it will haunt me. In fact, I may just sleep with her tonight. I can't stop hugging her.
We did discuss the reasons for the shots -- in the car on the way to Target -- and why they were so important. We talked about the medicine in each of them, and what sicknesses the medicine was saving her from. She continued to cry in spurts and hiccups the entire ride to Target, and I could barely hold my own composure when she'd start again. I couldn't comfort her enough.
There is nothing in the Target toy section that I would have not bought for her tonight. She earned both those dinosaur toys, and my guilt wouldn't allow me to limit her reward for getting through the afternoon. Tonight, as we discussed the appointment again, and she told me that I can't let that happen to her again. I was told that the next time someone wants to hurt her, I'm to push them away so we can run to the car and get away from them. I also have the option of running over them, since they won't be in a car. To clarify, I am to never let that happen ever again, and to never let anyone pinch her finger, either. It wasn't hard to promise that, as we hugged and discussed the day's events right before bed. When she needs another shot, we'll discuss how much of a liar I am, but until that day comes, I need her to trust again that I won't let her get hurt by anyone.

Clooney rocks, but of course

2012-01-15T23:36:00.000-06:00

I love how my husband so gamely sits through my award shows with me. I mean, I love these shows, and I can sit and watch the red carpet and talk about how good, or not, someone looks, and how pretty, or not, their outfit is. I find things funny that most people wouldn't. I find things aesthetically offensive that most people wouldn't. My husband goes along with all of this. He'll dig in for the catty comments, and laugh when I share why something that person said is funny. He asks a lot of questions, which I'm not a big fan of, but mostly, he's a good partner in watching awards shows.
Tonight's award show offering was the Golden Globes. Presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Globes are always a good time, as they include food, booze, and a more comfortable table seating arrangement than other award shows. Tonight's show, while entertaining, was less than amazing, as most of the thank-you speeches were long lists of people's names rather than chatty vignettes with a touch of emotion and humor.
Highlights: Ricky Gervais; George Clooney, as usual, who won for The Descendants; Octavia Spencer winning for The Help; Laura Dern's dress; Michelle Williams, with her shout-out to Busy Phillips; Claire Danes; Tina Fey photobombing Amy Poehler during their category nominations; and the Modern Family acceptance speech.

Disappointments: Woody Allen winning anything, because I just can't stand his movies; The Help didn't win its category, which is a conspiracy, I believe, towards an all-female ensemble cast; Bridesmaids didn't win its category, which is a conspiracy, I believe, towards an all-female ensemble cast; Meryl Streep, who always wins, keeping some other nominee from winning because of a part that only 10 people have seen; Tintin, because it creeps me out; how Angelina Jolie never seems to smile; and most every win being from cable.
I guess there's always next year. But first ... on to the Oscars!!

Saturday night, on the iPhone

2012-01-14T23:44:00.001-06:00

ITEM!: Well, this is weird. I'm typing this post from my phone, as I'm in bed right now and too lazy to go get my computer. I had thought that I would just go back to sleep, after I woke up from my Sleep Appetizer on the sofa a bit ago, but it seems as though I'll stay awake for a bit longer watching football highlights. And as I shall stay awake, I shall blog.
ITEM!: Hey, did I ever mention to you how much I enjoy it when my football team wins? I knew my Pats would bring on the win over the Broncos tonight, but the ass-kicking that was exhibited tonight was epic. It's pretty awesome how quiet all those Tebow Time people are on my Facebook feed right now.
ITEM!: I got two new tires on my car today. Apparently, the state of Texas frowns on tires driven down to their wear bar, and failed the Jetta on its state inspection because of them. No biggie, as I knew that the tires had to be replaced, but I was hoping for at least a couple more weeks on them. Now I've got the unexpected cost of the tires on my credit card, and the anticipation of buying the other two in the next month. All that's left are the windshield wipers. Than I get to deal with the registration offices.
ITEM!: Tomorrow, I think I'd like to dig through my storage unit boxes and find some fun decorative pieces for my house. I've got some spaces, and they're bugging me. Kitchen and entry way, you're on my list.

No alarm clock tomorrow!

2012-01-13T21:31:00.000-06:00

I think it's official: I'm officially getting older. This week, as Brian's car has been indisposed, I have had to be getting up early, driving him to work, and then taking Sydney to school. After I pick her up from school, we drive out and pick up Brian from work, and then come home. It's been quite some time since I've had to log that many hours in the car commuting to and from a job. It's tiring. Especially since I'm still freaked out about someone crashing into me from behind, and stressed that such a thing could happen with Sydney in the car. The entire week has been exhausting.
I can't wait to go to sleep tonight. Tomorrow morning, I get to sleep in, if Sydney will let me.

A Barbie just for Sydney

2012-01-12T22:57:00.000-06:00

Sydney and I found something pretty awesome at Target today. Most times, as we wander the toy aisles at Target, we have a strict "We're not buying anything today" policy. Actually, that's my policy; she tends to disagree with it ... all the time. But every once in a while, we come across something that makes us both say, "Wow," and it gets put in the cart.
Today's discovery was ... wait for it ... Paleontologist Barbie.
She's awesome. Check her out:
<----
She comes with those nifty dirt-digging boots, khaki capris, a dinosaur shirt, and a pith helmet. Also, she comes with a pretend shovel and pretend bones that snap together to create a (very small) brachiosaurus skeleton. Honestly, she's fantastic. Okay sure, she's got the pretty hair, and the eye makeup, and the boobs, but she, more importantly, is the tangible evidence that YES, A GIRL PALEONTOLOGIST exists in the world. AND THERE'S A DOLL OF HER. Dismissing entirely that this doll is "Barbie;" this doll is a paleontologist.
So, I want to thank the "I Can Be ..." Barbie people for bringing the doll paleontologist into my home. After three years, I haven't found any other paleontologist dolls; have you? (Other "I Can Be ..." Barbies: doctor, ballerina, ballet teacher, teacher, computer engineer, chef, movie star, veterinarian, lifeguard, cooking teacher, zoo doctor, art teacher, babysitter, race car driver and architect.)
I tend to avoid the pink aisle because of its preoccupation with princess-ery, ball gowns and make-up. Sydney has little interest in it, as well. It must have been fated or something that we would both be okay with wandering that aisle today. And that there was only one Paleontologist Barbie on the rack. And that we saw it among all the other Barbie pinkness. And that I was in the kind of mood to break policy.

So choicy those people!

2012-01-11T22:30:00.001-06:00

I just finished watching the People's Choice Awards. It was irritating. I hate so much when a televised awards show will make a big deal of not having enough time to announce all the winners, as the People's Choice Awards did, and then, in the same breath, broadcast a ridiculously "humorous" segment about style helpers, or something that takes up a good three or four minutes of air time. They could have taken all their little funny bits and actually presented six or seven awards, or had another music act play. I hate those little segments. They bug me. And tonight, every time one came on, I changed the channel on the TV. That was my Choice.
Besides my perhaps irrational hatred of humor as derived by award show creators, I did have a good day today. I made super yummy grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner: sourdough bread, mozzarella and cheddar swirly cheese and bacon. That made for a delicious sandwich that could only have been better with some tomato slices in it, too. (Next time.) Check me out, Y'ALL, I'm cooking dinners.

All in all, a Tuesday

2012-01-10T21:51:00.003-06:00

In today's news, Kimberly:
~ ATE too many calories. A mocha, and a couple bites of the reduced fat cinnamon coffee cake at Starbucks? Really? The sloppy joe wasn't a bad thing, but the single serving of mac and cheese? Not a great idea. ... The calorie count goes down the drain for the day.
~ SPENT too much time outside, and it was a cold day. My feet and hands are finally at their proper temperature, though my nose is still feeling a bit chilly.
~ DIDN'T get to finish catching up on Terra Nova. I'm about halfway through the second-to-last episode, having watched the three episodes before that this afternoon. Tomorrow, I finish the season (or series?).
~ WILL get my blogging and computering done early so I can go to bed early. I need more time sleeping tonight.
~ MAY end up crashing in Sydney's room though, as she has the heater. A warm camp out on her floor may be just the right thing.
~ WAS the best wife ever. Ask Brian, he'd confirm it.
~ GOT closer to my 39th birthday. This is a problem because really, it's just way too close to 40.

Rain, okay; big puddles, not so much

2012-01-09T23:15:00.000-06:00

So much rain is coming down,
pools wide, large and deep,
stalled cars get pushed, need tow trucks.

I love me a random (but TRUE!!) haiku.

Fish killer

2012-01-08T23:02:00.003-06:00

Okay, so I got my e-mail notification of the blog posting this morning. Here's the thing: I hated it. The e-mail itself included the text of the post as well as the image. What it didn't do, that I had hoped for, was include the link to the blog post itself, sending you to the web page for the piece. I wanted the link, not the text.
Yes, I am that particular about the blog. Its Internet-ish integrity will not be messed with. You don't know it, but I have my own issues with some of Blogger's formatting, and I deal with them on my composing page. When the post is finished, it looks almost exactly as I want. And I will not have my fixes get all messed up in an e-mail. I simply will not have it. (So definitive about the most random things sometimes.)

Brian and I decided that we'd get Sydney a couple fish for her bedroom. His idea. My condition was that we get a real tank (not a large one, by any means) with a real filter system (so I can't be completely responsible for cleaning), with some rocks and decor for the inside (to help the fish be comfortable), and at least two or three fish (so if one dies -- which fish in my care tend to do -- we won't have any empty tank until replacements are bought). We haven't decided on when exactly we are going to do this, but I find myself thinking about it tonight, not coincidentally, after I chose this post's photo. I think I'd like to get her some clownfish, is what I mean.
So ... ... fish. You all know what a tangled web that is for me. I struggle with our decision, of course, but given the choice between fish, and the kitten that she "really really wants," I'd roll fish any day. Maybe Valentine's Day.

Caution: CONSTRUCTION

2012-01-07T22:39:00.000-06:00

I got caught up in making a couple changes to the blog today. Totally and completely random changes, but changes nonetheless. One little thing I added was an e-mail subscription gadget on the left there, and down towards the bottom. It allows for you to submit your e-mail, and you get a notice every time I post something to the blog. I signed myself up for it this afternoon, and I'll be able to tell you in a few minutes if it works or not. I also changed a couple pictures, added a TV shows I watch section, and included a new search space for when you (or I) want to find something on the blog from a keyword or search term.
I'm thinking about changing the color scheme, too. Pink is awesome, but I wonder what other templates Blogger has cooked up in the last couple years.
Also, I downloaded the new Blogger app for my phone. That means, my dears, that from anywhere, I can post to the blog, including any picture or pictures I've taken with my phone. The world is open for the blogging! No longer will I be trapped here, underneath a laptop, in order to get my words out! no longer will I be a captive to the HTML version of blogging! (I'm not sure that terminology is right, but I'm using it because it sounds good.) No longer will I have a good idea for a post, and have to "remember" it for later that day when I get to my computer! No longer am I unable to throw something up here at a moment's notice! FREEDOM!!

UPDATE: I did play around with the new templates, but didn't see anything I like better than my pink one. I do like the green and blue flowers, but I'm so afraid of losing this most excellent pink format, that I won't change it.
Also, I just removed the e-mail feature. I don't like it. It's ugly.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Kimmie's making dinner!!

2012-01-05T21:52:00.001-06:00

One of my dear friends, Jeannine, made mention of a couple of her New Year's Resolutions on Facebook last week. One of them was to have five or six dinner meals that she can make, that are easy, and that the family likes, in regular rotation in her kitchen. (Jeannine and I have similar insecurities in the kitchen. I say "insecurities" in regards to myself, rather that "inferiorities," which is really my problem, but that sounds too mean.) Anyway, I decided, upon reading Jeannine's Resolution, that I, too, would have recipes and meals that I can cook, and cook well, for dinner. My goal, currently, is seven. I've done my experimenting so far this week, and am proud to say that I've made a couple yummy dinners so far.
Monday night: noodles and butter, with salt and pepper. This is one of my favorite entrees, but doesn't qualify as one of my Seven Meals. I just hadn't gotten to the grocery store.
Tuesday night: BRINNER -- Texas-shaped waffles, scrambled eggs and grapes. I used regular batter for the waffles, but would like to try other flavors.
Wednesday: I bought us some pizza to-go. I'm not Superwoman in the kitchen, you know.
Tonight: Mom's tuna casserole. It turned out quite good! Sydney didn't like it, of course, but Brian did, and I'm pleased to say that it tasted just like it did the last time Mom made it.
I have an idea for tomorrow night, and for a couple other nights, as well. Don't tell anyone, but I'm getting excited. I'm feeling adventurous, and successful in my quest so far. I almost can't wait to hit the store and create my dinner tomorrow. WEIRD!!

Not bones, but wanting a sandwich

2012-01-04T23:34:00.001-06:00

It is pretty awesome how my dogs can wake up from a sound sleep and bolt out of the bedroom when they hear Brian in the kitchen. This morning, at about 4 a.m., they woke and moved at such an alarmingly fast and sudden rate that they even woke me. The jumped off the bed, and I quickly followed. They ran into the living room, and I followed. I was convinced that something crazy had just happened, when indeed, it was just Brian opening the refrigerator.
They just did it again. Sleeping on the bed, in a seemingly deep state of rest, and they heard something. Who knows what it was. Brian swears he was ninja-like stealthy. But they both sat bolt-upright and raced ... raced ... off the bed and into the other room. Honestly, it startles me every time they do this. Which makes me feel dumb for being startled.
Oh well, I guess that all comes with the territory when you've got a couple ravenously starving creatures with good hearing that also like to sleep on your bed.

A dozen good things about today

2012-01-03T23:40:00.001-06:00

1. Lisa
2. Pediatrician success
3. Dog love
4. Spelling flash cards
5. Texas waffles
6. Sunny skies
7. Archer
8. Andrea
9. Last 20 minutes of Tangled
10. Being smarter
11. Toy sorting
12. Going night-nights

What is she, a six-topus?

2012-01-02T23:59:00.004-06:00

I'm enjoying the look of my house de-Christmas-ified. I'd only spent about a month in the place before doing the decorating for the holiday, so seeing it without all the Santas, snowmen and reindeer is like being in the apartment for the first time. I've moved stuff around, reorganized other things, and shifted bits and pieces by an inch or two here and there. I imagine myself walking around the place randomly tomorrow, moving things, and walking around with things, trying to find the perfect spot for each.
Also, I finally unpackaged my Ursula doll, and she's sitting on my bookshelf. Frustratingly, she only has six tentacles. Who at Disney did that bit of fact checking? Did someone not notice? Or was it intentional? Couldn't they just charge us another two or three dollars for the doll and make it with the eight legs an evil octopus requires? ... Hmm. Oh, well. Even though having only six legs diminishes a little bit from Ursula's evil octopus-ness, she's still pretty awesome, and is doing a good job of guarding the bookshelf.
Also, I'm still trying to figure out the best places for my plants. Some seem incredibly happy with where they are. Others, not so much. It's a bizarre game of Musical Chairs for Plants that's existing in my home lately. Today, the large spath (-iphyllum) moved into my bedroom atop the armoire. (I am concerned that having two plants on the armoire is too much.) The smaller philodendron is now on the dresser in the guest room. And there needs to be another plant in Sydney's room. Actually, I think I need a couple more plants, but ones that won't grow arms and legs that have to hang. I need vertical plants. A new mission.

End of January 1; still good

2012-01-01T23:52:00.001-06:00

As first days of the year go, I think this one was okay: I was permitted to stay in bed until 8 a.m. I was offered a Starbucks drink. We tried a new Mexican restaurant. The weather was much cooler and drier, thereby making my hair manageable. Sydney was entertained by her LeapPad and iPod, and I didn't here anything about doing something fun for her. Oliver and Daisy were lovebugs all day. My "Be Smarter" philosophy is working. I had a cooking conversation with my husband, during which he did not laugh at me once. I've declared war on the person who walks their big dog around the back of my building and doesn't pick up the big dog's big poops.
My list for the second day of the year isn't too bad, either. I need to take down all my Christmas decorations, pay rent, pay a couple bills, hit the grocery store, find a new pediatrician for Sydney, call State Farm about my cracked windshield, and find someplace to get my car inspected for Texas registration.
About that last one, I received an e-mail from the state of Arizona today reminding me that my auto registration will be up the end of the month. I obviously won't be paying them, but it did serve as a reminder that I need to get the car registered somewhere, and it might as well be in Texas. Texas requires a plethora of (or just two) tests, as well as an in-person registration at one of the county tax branches ... or something like that. Ugh. Something else cool for my list for January.
Also, there's a shop across the street that offers waxing and mani/pedis. As I said to Brian, "Wait. Eyebrows and a pedicure in the same place right across the street from my house?!?! Suddenly, my Tuesday is shaping up quite nicely!!" He vetoed, but I may sneak in there anyway.

Happy 2012!!

2011-12-31T23:11:00.001-06:00

It's a little bit after 10:30 p.m. on the last day of the year 2011. I'm not at all sorry to see this year go away. In fact, I'm beyond giddy that 2012 is a fresh slate. Of course, I know that all things involved in 2011 are not just erased, or discounted, because of a new year. But I truly appreciate the feeling of freshness that comes with a January.
Random Digression: I've got an hour and 15 minutes now to wait, and I suppose I'll just find another movie to watch until then (Prince of Persia. I do not understand why I enjoy this movie so much). Also, I can't believe how warm it is in my house right now. It's supposed to be much cooler the rest of the week, including tomorrow. I honestly can't wait for those particular temperatures. I'd rather be in cold weather than this warm, mild humidity. Don't ask me why I'm living here since I know straight up that I'm going to hate the weather here; currently, I have no idea.

Brian and Sydney and I dismantled the Christmas tree this afternoon. It was a real shame to do it though, as it still smelled so good. But you know, I get to that moment, shortly after Christmas, when I'm just done having all the Christmas decorations and accoutrement around the house. The tree and the outdoor lights (which we took down last night) are the first to go. As for the rest of the decorations, they'll be put back into boxes on Monday. I am looking forward to the normalcy around the house.

I think, to celebrate the New Year, I shall pop open my cheap champagne from the grocery store, have a few sips from one of my Waterford wedding flutes, and eat a brownie. Or two. Two perfectly symmetrical brownies. See? Smarter.

New mantra: BE SMARTER

2011-12-30T23:16:00.000-06:00

So, I've decided on my major, A-number one, New Year's Resolution. And it came to me pretty organically, too. It's not hard, when I look back at the past year, to see that some major things went down that didn't necessarily have to go down the way they did. So this year's resolution: Be Smarter.
Brian thought that was a little too vague a resolution, but I think it pretty much encompasses everything that was wrong with 2011. I feel like so many things would have been less complicated, less of a hassle, and smoother, had I been smarter this year. When heading into 2012, I need to collect more information, spend more time considering all the possible pros and cons of an action, and to look at what I'm doing. I don't consider "smarter" as being more intelligent in the purely cerebral sense, but more in the manner of consideration prior to action.
I can count on both hands and feet how many things went wrong this year. Chief among them being our move out of the house and into the apartment in March, picking the apartment we did, and not having all the information before moving 1,000 miles away to Texas. (Given 2011 over again, I'd do a whole lot different.)
A perfect example from just this month: our health insurance. I was given the options from Brian's employer, and, even though I didn't like the plan, or the cost of it, I signed us up. Having done that, and then having lunch with Treva, who said, "Try the other companies and check their individual policies," I changed my mind on Brian's employer's insurance plan. Now, with more information, I was able to tackle our health insurance again, and find a plan I prefer for about $400 less per month. But again. See what I did there? I didn't have enough information, but acted anyway, thinking that the options presented to me were the only options. I wasn't being smarter.
Starting today, I will be smarter. A smarter mom, wife, friend and PERSON. I'll collect more information; I'll think more; I'll be more strategic; I'll be more focused, but aware of the big picture; I'll take deep breaths and ask more questions; I'll still trust my instincts, but back them up with hard facts. You know, the actions of a smarter person. A smarter Kimmie.

A delightful Grimm indeed

2011-12-29T23:28:00.001-06:00

I spent three hours in the waiting room at the auto shop today, waiting for my car to be serviced and for the new rear brakes and rotors. One would assume that three hours in a waiting room would be pretty hellish, right? Not so much today. I came prepared. I had my phone, my ear buds, my charging cable, a fresh hot tea from Starbucks, warm shoes and a sweater, and a backlog of television I wanted to catch up on. There was a cozy, leather armchair with an outlet behind it for the charger cable. I settled in, and was perfectly happy for three hours.
I watched the first four episodes of Grimm on the NBC iPhone app. Now, that's a good little show! I was all plugged in, and unbothered (mostly) for an entire morning, and it was lovely.
Also, I have new brakes that I can feel are working better. The oil was changed, and all the buttons and switches were checked to be sure they're in good working order. The car, from the wheels up (not including actual tires), is in perfect shape. Next month, tires. We can make it a New Year's Resolution.

Venus over the moon = PRETTY

2011-12-28T22:55:00.001-06:00

I hope Y'ALL had a good Christmas. Mine was awesome. I had a great visit with Mom; enjoyed a delightful Christmas morning watching my kid go crazy over Santa Claus; ate a wonderful Christmas dinner; and was treated to several days of happiness. What happens during a period of time like that though, is that I ignore the blog, and just live my little days without comment or critique. I won't lie, it's a quiet existence, but a life uncommented makes for a boring blog. And I shall bore you no longer.
Random thoughts as I look around my bedroom:
~~ I'm done with the Christmas decorations. I like them a lot, and they look adorable in their placements, but I'm done looking at them. However, I can't do the decorations without first taking down the tree, and I can't do that without my family's help. So, Saturday it is for the tree, and Monday for the decorations.
~~ I just finished an impromptu web chat with my mommy. Since I've got the wi-fi, I was able to conduct the chat from this very space, with no effort whatsoever. Technology is awesome!
~~ I'm gonna sign up for the gym tomorrow or Friday. I like the less weight I'm carrying around, but I need more energy and activity in my life. I've got a kid in school five days a week and no job yet. There is no reason in the world why I am not at the gym at least three times a week. And maybe a yoga class or something, too. I'm on it.
~~ I'm taking my car in to the shop tomorrow for some fixing. It needs rear brakes and rotors, and the 50,000-mile service. Also, I'm getting the state inspection, so then I can get the car registered in Texas. The downside is that the shop does not have rentals or anything. And the visit will take about four hours. So, I can either hang out in the waiting area, which, I was told, is nice, or they'll take me to the mall down the street. I'll vote for the mall, as that gives me much more opportunity for getting into trouble. Once the work tomorrow is done, all that's left for the Jetta is new tires. I'll be getting to that next month.
~~ I think I can watch The A-Team movie a thousand times, if I haven't already. Last night, I watched Crazy, Stupid, Love. It was really quite good, and I giggled at several parts of it. I've got The Help, Horrible Bosses and Water for Elephants here still. I hope to get to them throughout the rest of this week and weekend.
~~ I really, really, really want an inexpensive, trustworthy babysitter. I want to go to the movies!!

Thursday ITEM! list ... with Mom here!!

2011-12-22T22:27:00.000-06:00

ITEM!: My mom is here! She arrived in town last night, and it's been pretty awesome hanging out with her since then. We had dinner last night, enjoyed our Starbucks twice today, visited the Nordstrom, and picked up random things at the Hallmark store. It's like we were never separated.
ITEM!: Oliver and Daisy have discovered the hidden location of their stocking stuffers. They sit vigil outside the closet door whenever they're in the guest room, occasionally whining at the gifts and treats inside, waiting for the objects to open the closet door and sacrifice themselves to the hungry mouths outside.
ITEM!: The subterfuge that is Santa Claus continues. Last night, Sydney's elf, Buddy, brought a book back with him from his nightly visit to the North Pole. He wrote a little note, "To Sydney, From Buddy," and stuck it to the book, The Dinosaurs' Night Before Christmas. She was very, very pleased, and we read it this morning, and Mom read it to her tonight.
ITEM!: I won't be changing the furniture layout in my bedroom. I had been thinking about Cozy Chair, and how I'd rather have it upstairs in my bedroom again. But to make room for it, though there is room, I'd have to move the armoire, shift the dresser and bookcase, and move the entire bed and nightstand ensemble down the wall about three feet. I debate and I debate. The interior designer who is staying with me this weekend suggested that I keep everything where it is, because even though the chair could work, the spaces and positions of everything in the room right now work really well. I shall continue to debate though, and may just change my mind again before she leaves. Because if I decide to bring the chair up, having a third pair of adult hands and arms will prove useful.
Last night, Buddy was on the movie shelves. Tonight, Buddy is sitting on a picture frame in the guest room, HANGING OUT WITH MOM, who if you don't know, is here.

Christmas is coming!!

2011-12-20T23:57:00.000-06:00

Well, part of my house is clean; I've done some of my food shopping for the weekend; and most of the presents are wrapped. All in all, I would say it was a relatively productive day. Relative to yesterday, when I got nothing productive accomplished. Tomorrow, after I drop Sydney at school, I'm off to the grocery store, and then, I finish up the cleaning of my house, because my mommy will be here tomorrow night. Sydney's really excited, can't you tell?

Last night, Buddy sat on Sydney's dresser in her bedroom. Other clever places I've put him that I haven't mentioned: atop the television in the living room, on the painting in the entryway, hanging from the candlestick holder on the mantel, and on the bookcase in my bedroom. Tonight, Buddy is hanging in Sydney's stocking.

Soon, we'll all be flying straight again

2011-12-19T23:13:00.001-06:00

I've been busy. Well, not really, but kind of. I've been messing around with my books, and in so doing, I've ended up rereading a bunch of them that I really, really like, and therefore getting to bed too late to blog or do much of anything. Of course, this also makes me tired. It's 11 p.m. already tonight, and I don't know if I'll get to sleep before midnight, but I'm hoping.
Also, (gross alert!) Daisy's poops are normal again. Sadly, my little pup has had diarrhea for the last week. I have no idea what's been causing it, but it seems to have finally run its course. She's eating food for a sensitive stomach now, and has been cut off almost entirely from treats. The stuff going in is better, and finally, the stuff coming out is better. Actually, it's all better when the dogs are at their best. We'll see tomorrow morning though. She usually, when feeling well, wakes me up by playing and biting at my fingers when I go in for the morning snuggle. I haven't had that for more than a week.
Also, now that the dog is finally feeling better, it's Sydney's turn to have a health issue. Ugh. It would be lovely if everyone felt well again.
Good news? My mommy will be here in less than 48 hours.

They're the real enemy

2011-12-16T22:40:00.002-06:00

I've had two mosquito bites on my left foot that have been driving me batty the last couple days. I got the bites while out walking Oliver and Daisy Tuesday night. We decided, because some other dog was in our usual running spot, to venture onto the larger grassy knoll. Obviously, the grassy knoll is a better habitat for mosquitoes, because after mere moments of standing on the grass, I felt the little fuckers digging into my ankle and the top of my foot. I looked, but could not see them, leading me to believe that they were less than mosquitoes, but no-see-ums. I've had these bites now, for three days, and they itch as much today as they did the first day.
What I have to figure out now, is the best avenue for fighting them. I already know of the Skin So Soft oil from Avon, and its miraculous ability to repel mosquitoes. I'll be ordering that and putting it in mine and Sydney's baths. I've seen a couple other repellents in other catalogs, including One Step Ahead. I had hoped for the winter at least, to plan my attack on the mosquitoes. Though now that it's cooling down again, they'll be gone for a while longer.
I'll invest in the bath oil (online), and citronella candles (Target), and I've got to find that door netting (storage unit). I will win. But for now, I just got a couple places on my foot that itch.

Also, I've hurt my finger

2011-12-15T23:44:00.002-06:00

ITEM!: I tried on some jeans that haven't fit in a while tonight. I'm pleased to say that, although they did not "fit exactly right," they are closer to fitting than they were a few months ago. Now, knowing that I can, and have, dropped 10 pounds in three weeks gives me the motivation to do it again. In another 10 pounds, those jeans will fit, I hope.
ITEM!: My car is requiring fixes. I took it to the local VW dealer this morning for a brake inspection, and the assessment came up as I had thought. I need rear brakes and rotors, tires (which I knew), a service (which I also knew), and brake fluid flushing. Also, I need a new windshield (of course, there are three cracks in it). I had a few items in the red, which I just mentioned, a few others in the yellow, which will need attention in a bit, and more items in the green, which are fine (front brakes reside here). I've found a service shop nearby that specializes in European cars, including VWs, that is not the dealer. I'm going to call them tomorrow and get a quote for what I need.
ITEM!: I'm making popcorn tomorrow morning for Sydney's school holiday party. Mom had a good idea, which is to spread green and red sprinkles on the warm popcorn when it's still warm from the popper. Festive, and less sugary than all the cupcakes and cookies she'll get from the other moms.
ITEM!: I spent a ridiculous amount of time messing around with the new Timeline feature on Facebook tonight. You can scroll through all your statuses and activity from the present back to the very first day you joined Facebook. While I like re-reading about all the things that have entertained, bugged, saddened and pleased me over the last almost-four years, I'm struck by how addicted to the damn web site I am.
ITEM!: If I'm going to be pulling back my bangs in barrettes for the foreseeable future, I need to clean up my eyebrows. Or find someone nearby who can do an inexpensive wax shaping on them. That's what I need.

Midnight snack? Sadly, no

2011-12-14T23:24:00.000-06:00

I found my closest Cheesecake Factory, which is about 15 minutes away. I can't wait to go there. I'm dying for some pasta, and some dessert.
There is no Islands in Texas. Nor is there a Krispy Kreme in Houston.
What we do have here is a plethora of Fuddruckers restaurants. The closest one, also, is about 15 minutes away.
I miss Oregano's.

Can you tell I'm hungry tonight? It's too late to eat anything, as whatever it is will just sit like a brick in my stomach all night, and digest to fat because I'm sleeping instead of moving around. So, I'm going to bed a bit hungry, which isn't a bad thing.
Hey, did I tell Y'ALL that I've lost 10 pounds since we moved here? Obviously, emotional turmoil and overwhelming stress can sometimes be a good thing. I'm working on the next 10 pounds, because once I lose those, it'll be like having a brand-new closet, full of jeans that I haven't been able to wear in a long time. It would be easier if my stress level was as it was when we first moved here. It's easy to lose weight when you can't stand having any food in your stomach. I need to get stressed about something again. Weird; to hate the stress, but enjoy the results of it.

Tonight, Buddy is sitting on the bookshelf in the office.

And then she discovered the Sydneysaurus

2011-12-13T23:48:00.000-06:00

So lately, Sydney hasn't bee too impressed with going to school. Kindergarten, she says, is "too long in the day." I tell her that kindergarten, at six hours, is the longest any school day will be for the rest of her life, until she chooses otherwise in college. So really, get used to it, because it won't get any worse. (She complains, but ultimately, is always in a good mood about arriving and when leaving her school, so while I empathize with her plight, I also know that she's making it worse for my benefit.)
I think though, I came up with a solid plan for getting through kindergarten while driving to school this morning.
The motivation: every paleontologist had to get through kindergarten. No one who didn't finish kindergarten has ever become a paleontologist. There's a path, you see, that goes from kindergarten to grade school, then to high school, then college. Then, paleontologist. And every paleontologist knows how to read, write and do math, so that's all very important. It was an incredibly persuasive argument.
I left out the four or five years of graduate school just because I didn't want to overwhelm her any more than I already had. She doesn't need to know that, at five years old, she has a good 23 years of schooling ahead of her if she really wants to become a paleontologist. But the thought got me curious, and I did a bit of Internet research tonight.
The top ten paleontology programs in the U.S. (in order), according to U.S. News and World Report: Yale, University of Chicago, Berkeley, Harvard, Michigan, U of Cincinnati, U of Kansas, Penn State, Ohio State, and Virginia Tech. There are some Ivy League schools there, so that's something to strive for: Harvard! Yale! Berkeley! Of course, along with that comes the tuition fees and such. The current yearly tuition for Yale's paleontology program is about $38,000. The University of Chicago's yearly tuition is $55,000. Wait. What?
Wow. While these schools do mention their generous scholarship programs, I can't help but think, DAMN. Time to start saving A LOT.

Tonight, Buddy is sitting on the painting frame above the sofa.

A nightcap? I wish

2011-12-12T22:40:00.000-06:00

I wish I enjoyed the taste of grown-up alcohol. I see these Captain Morgan rum commercials, and it makes me wish I liked the taste of rum. And then I think about bourbon, or cognac, and remember that, even though I've tried most of those drinks that have crossed my path, I am not a fan. More than anything, I like the idea of having a warm, "sophisticated" drink every now and then. Weird? Peer pressure? Perhaps, but I still wish I enjoyed any of those brown alcohols.
Tonight, Buddy is sitting on the shelf in the laundry room next to the water heater. (It's apartment living, my dears. I have a raised water heater resting on a shelf.)

Seven for a Sunday

2011-12-11T23:18:00.001-06:00

1. I still haven't finished addressing my Christmas cards, though all the thank-you notes are done and ready to go in the mail. I'll get the Christmas cards done first thing tomorrow, and then drop them all off at the post office.
2. I'm starting to get way excited to see my mommy in a few days. I say "a few," but really, it's 10 days. Less than two weeks is a good thing. I may not let her go back to California.
3. Oliver and Daisy are getting baths and haircuts tomorrow. They are so matted up and stinky! I can't wait to pick them up in the afternoon once they're done. They'll be all clean, all soft, and all of us will be all happy.
4. Brian and Sydney did their Christmas shopping for me this afternoon, and cleverly, hid the gift in my closet. I just don't ask about those kinds of things. My kid and hubby can be so random sometimes.
5. I'm on the hunt for a new dinosaur field guide for Sydney. Unexpectedly, it's the only thing she requested of Santa Claus on Friday night. And Santa never, ever fails. I'll investigate Barnes & Noble first, but I'm also of the opinion that I'll venture back down to the Natural Science Museum to get something there. They had a bunch of good books that she was interested in. As well as other stocking stuffers.
6. Brian bought a package of homemade jumbo marshmallows at Whole Foods last Friday, and they have become the bane of my existence. I've been shortchanging my normal food intake because of my increased intake of marshmallows, and that's not a good thing. They are almost gone though, so by tomorrow night, my diet will no longer include marshmallows.
7. Last night, Buddy was sitting on the fireplace mantel. Tonight, Buddy is sitting on the stack of Christmas movies.

And I'm spent

2011-12-10T00:21:00.001-06:00

It's super late, and this post is going to be time-stamped for Saturday (which bugs me), but at least I've got a huge "to-do" off my to-do list. I have finally written the thank-you notes for Sydney's birthday. This is unacceptable, rude and ungracious of me, but I blame Texas, and the move, for my tardiness in this task. Also, I don't like doing it. But they're done now.
My reward for finishing them was being able to watch Glee on my computer while writing them (and catching up on the last five weeks of episodes), and starting to address my Christmas cards.
I'm about halfway through my awesome Christmas cards now, and will hope to finish them up tomorrow night. I'll have a boatload of mail going out over the next few days, but that's okay. I bought a lot of stamps.

Also, tonight, Buddy is sitting on the appliance shelves in the kitchen.

I love Y'ALL

2011-12-08T23:42:00.001-06:00

I'm going to start using the word "y'all" in my Facebook posts. It'll placate the Texans I know and love, and will freak out the rest of my little world. I know I promised to not include the phrase in my speech, but adding it to my text every once in a while may be just the hook I need to remind everyone that I'm living in a different universe now. However, as I will be using the word begrudgingly and ironically, it will always be in caps: Y'ALL. I'm not yelling, I'm just giving the word an extra bit of attention. I'm making you aware of it. I'm making us all aware of it. Y'ALL exists.

Tonight, Buddy is sitting on the curio cabinet in the living room.

He looks so happy

2011-12-07T23:38:00.001-06:00

Tonight, Buddy is sitting atop the bookcase in Sydney's room.
And weirdly, before just now doing an Internet search for pictures of The Elf on the Shelf, I had no idea that the elf could be seated in this way. I thought he always had to be leaned up against something, because his legs always stuck out, creating a balance issue. I see this, and now I know that I have another option for balanced seating. This opens up a whole lot more opportunities for Buddy's sitting spots. He's comfortable right now, but tomorrow night, I shall position him this way, and find a different kind of place to chill out.

Santa's been busy

2011-12-06T23:24:00.001-06:00

I got a big chunk of my Christmas shopping done today! Happily, it was in only two stores: Toys R Us, and Target. I got all of Sydney's gifts from Brian and I, as well as making some suggestions to Santa Claus for gifts and stocking stuffers (wink, wink). I'll be making my way to Barnes & Noble tomorrow for any additional stuffer ideas for Sydney and Brian, and then to Petsmart for stuffers for Oliver and Daisy. Santa Claus is awesome.
Also, tonight, Buddy is sitting on the decorative Christmas pitcher in the kitchen.

A Christmas ITEM! list

2011-12-05T22:07:00.001-06:00

CHRISTMAS ITEM!: When I'm at home during the day, I find random things to do. Today, I went from room to room rearranging the Christmas decor, deciding whether "this" looked as good as "that" in that one place. I shifted things from place to place, and in more interesting news, I moved things from room to room. I think I may actually be happy with my decorations now. That is, of course, until Sydney decides she'd rather have something else than the one, and the other thing moved away so she doesn't see it anymore. I am well aware that this sentence made little to no sense at all.
CHRISTMAS ITEM!: We finally finished decorating our Christmas tree. I love that the bottom two feet of my tree are covered in the most random placement of ornaments. Sydney was incredibly helpful putting the ornaments on, and she had a blast doing it. It was so fun just handing her the ornaments and letting her go to town. What amused me the most was that Brian was the neurotic tree decorator who tried to police her placements, when he (and most of you, I'm sure) probably figured it would be me. I eventually told him to just leave her be. He looked at me so sad and defeated, and said in a whisper, "You'll do something about all this though, right?" (My random thing to do tomorrow: rearrange Christmas tree ornaments.)
CHRISTMAS ITEM!: I think I'm going to venture out to Toys R Us tomorrow to do some shopping for my kid (and hubby). I love Christmas shopping, and I think starting out at Toys R Us will pop my cherry really well this year. I'm quite thrilled to have some freedom for Santa shopping for Sydney. She only wants two things, and after that, she said, "Santa will come up with something." This is both exhilarating and terrifying. I have to find something that she'll love without even knowing she wants it.
CHRISTMAS ITEM!: I picked up my Christmas cards today. I'm going to be sending them out the same day I send out the thank-you notes from Sydney's birthday party. No kidding, all those cards will be sent out this week. It's a bit of a mission.

And now, we have a tree!

2011-12-04T21:59:00.001-06:00

I remember being annoyed last night because it was so warm in my house. That is totally not the case right now, as I huddle on my sofa, chilled more than I'd like to be, and sporting a cold nose. My phone says that it's 55 degrees outside, but I feel like I should say no to that, and declare that it is, instead, quite a bit cooler. Of course, I'm cold because all my windows in the living room are open. I stay in here because I'm too lazy to get up and move. Also, my legs have fallen asleep, so I think it may be painful to move.
We had an adventure today, by traveling out to a Christmas tree farm with Jon, Emily and Benjamin. We grabbed our raincoats at the last minute, and I'm incredibly pleased that we did. The temperature did nothing but drop as we exited Houston, and the raindrops made it even more uncomfortable. The farm was adorable, with all kinds of activities for the kids, were it not raining and cold. A lot of the things were closed, including most of the eating places. It was a pleasure farm, open only October through December, where they grow only pumpkins and Christmas trees. But today, we even learned that they ship in the pumpkins.
The trees grown at the farm though, were weird. The farm had one "patch" of trees that didn't smell, were hypo-allergenic or something, and didn't really qualify as a Christmas tree. The second patch were a different kind of fir tree, but it was like they were big, bushy pines, trimmed and shaped into perfect conical shapes. There shape was so exact. The smell was non-existent. We decided against those, too. The third selection of trees was a group shipped in from North Carolina. Now these trees were the kind of trees we like in our house. It has actual limbs and branches for ornament hanging. It smells like a Christmas tree. It's tall, green, and not perfect. Making it, of course, the perfect Christmas tree for us. We managed to get the lights on it tonight, but the ornaments will wait for tomorrow.
Tonight, Buddy is in the entry way, atop the key holder.

Did dinosaurs throw snowballs?

2011-12-03T22:47:00.001-06:00

Sydney and I made our way down to the Houston Museum of Natural Science today. I drove down there all by myself, with nothing more than directions on a paper, and my (not) stellar internal compass. Still, I got a bit turned around, and it took us about 10 minutes longer to arrive at the museum than it should have, but it could have been a lot worse. We did manage to get a free parking space in front, which I consider a bit of a coup. Of course, as we arrived, we discovered that today was the only day during the holiday season when the museum was hosting SNOW on its grounds. Hence, the incredible crowds of adults and children wandering the place.
The museum, sadly, has "only" five dinosaur skeletons, which was a bit disappointing to my budding paleontologist, who, I'm sure, expected a display similar to the new one in Los Angeles. Still, we wandered the exhibit, checked out the other floors of the museum, and even went into the butterfly pavilion (which is fun, because whenever a butterfly would get near Sydney, she'd squeal and swing her arms around). The snow, though, was her highlight of the visit, and she was happy to wait her turn ... and was unhappy to end her turn. She was additionally made unhappy when she learned that the snow was only there for the day, and that we couldn't come back another day to play again. I hate disappointing her like that! She had so much fun!
I also tried to get a holiday card picture out of today's unexpected photo opportunity, but walked away unhappy with the results.
Also, tonight, Buddy is sitting on the towel tower in Sydney's bathroom. She asked him this afternoon to hide someplace easier tonight, but I didn't let that influence the hiding spot. I had it chosen earlier today. I'm enjoying the hiding of Buddy.

The tag, you see, is easy

2011-12-02T22:04:00.001-06:00

I'm inexplicably excited about having an E-Z Tag in my car right now. The Tag (which is easier to type than "E-Z Tag," so it is the shortened, nifty name I'll use for it) is the quicker, faster way of traveling the toll roads in Texas -- also discounted, we found out. Stick the tag to the interior of your windshield, and the microchip in the tag sends a signal to the toll plaza as you drive through it (at any speed), deducting the cost of that toll from the account set up when you purchase the tag. This is brilliant, of course, and I'm so glad that Brian and I each have one in our cars now. Also, there's a convenient toll road in Houston that is only E-Z Tag. It is no longer off-limits to us.
Don't you see? Now, there is nowhere we can't go.
Also, we're not dragged down by the constant fear of not having the money or coins when arriving at a toll plaza. I was always so paranoid about that when we lived in Boston. And I never bought the E-Z Pass (as it was up there), so the cash option was always my lane, and I was always afraid of being arrested for not having the cash or coins, or for going through the wrong lane. That random fear now has been neutralized.

Tonight, Buddy is sitting by the coffee cups in the kitchen. Sydney and Brian found him pretty quickly this morning, I heard. I think I may throw her off the trail by putting him in the kitchen, but knowing her, she'll still spy him right away.

It's December!

2011-12-01T22:58:00.001-06:00

Well, happy December everyone!
I can't figure out exactly why I'm so eager for Christmas this year ... oh wait, yes I can. It's because my mommy is coming out to visit me for a few days over the holiday. I remember last year I wasn't feeling much about Christmas, but this year, I'm listening to carols every day, I'm plotting and planning, and I'm counting down days. Perhaps a lot of that also has to do with my kid and how excited she is for Christmas.
I brought out our Elf on the Shelf, named Buddy, yesterday. Of course, I failed miserably on Buddy's second night by forgetting to move him. Brian distracted Sydney for a couple seconds this morning so I was able to shift Buddy by a couple inches, "because he just liked that place so much, and was able to see everything so well, he wanted to stay close to where he was yesterday." Well, that worked in a pinch, but I was told tonight that if Buddy didn't find a different place to sit while we were all sleeping, she was going to be mad in the morning. So, tonight, Buddy is in the plant by the living room window. I think it'll take her a while to find him, and that's a good thing. At five years old, it should start getting a bit tougher. Last year, I got frustrated finding only easy places to put him. This year should be more fun.

11 months down, one to go

2011-11-30T23:02:00.001-06:00

Also, tomorrow is December. This year has flown by, for good, bad and limbo.
Crazy.

It'll be more boring on TV that day

2011-11-30T22:49:00.001-06:00

By some glitch in our weirdly behind-the-times cable company, we currently have access to all the specialty movie channels. Starz, Encore, Showtime, Flix, HBO and Cinemax are all on our televisions, and free. Brian and I have decided that, whenever the cable company figures out how to fix this, we're going to be bummed. Because having the ability to search through just a couple movie channels is awesome, but having unlimited access to about 30 movie channels is the stuff of dreams. You know I love to watch movies over and over, and I've been sitting through a few movies pretty regularly when they are on: Tangled, the Lord of the Rings trilogy (by which I "re-crush" on Legolas), Boys on the Side, Tron: Legacy, and It's Complicated. Also, Sydney and I caught a showing of The Princess and the Frog yesterday. It's been a super treat watching all the channels. I mourn the day that they will be taken from me.

The dentist and the reindeer

2011-11-29T23:15:00.001-06:00

And then, as she sighed and looked around her house, she realized that she had, indeed, finished decorating her home for Christmas. Then, considering her trail of thoughts, she began to type. ... DRAMATIC, right? I'm such a dork sometimes!

My house is decorated for Christmas. I've got Santas, stockings, snowmen, and reindeer in every room, (tastefully done, of course), and in every nook of the home. Everyone is sleeping on Christmas sheets tonight, and we all ate off Christmas dishes at dinner. It's that time of year, when everything is done in red and green, and with a little sprig of holly to complement it.
There really is nothing better than the kid who wears a Santa hat because it keeps her warm, instead of just for the sake of it being a Santa hat. Also, now she has an opinion on where things go in the house. But last night, I had to lobby for the privilege of putting Christmas sheets on her bed, in place of the normal dinosaur sheets. She prefers the dinosaurs, and said so a few times, but eventually, she caved to my request, and I was allowed to put the holiday sheets on her bed today. And tonight, not a single comment about them. But it was fun watching her roll through the house and make note of all the decorations. I was told that I did a beautiful job several times during this tour. I spent all day waiting for nothing other than her praise, and I'm so glad she was happy with my efforts. (That sounds kinda sarcastic, but it's not. I'm really happy she likes it all.)
Tomorrow, I get to sit back and enjoy the pretty. I worked hard at it today.
Thirteen boxes of decorations! I have a lot of stuff!

Christmas ... sorta ... arrives tomorrow

2011-11-28T22:23:00.001-06:00

I shall admit defeat to the Call of Christmas, and spend the time to decorate my house for the holiday tomorrow. I blame the carols. This morning, I charged up my Christmas iPod (for you, Josh) and spent some time listening to some Christmas carols. Also, the family is anxious for it.
Also, it was a cold morning to walk my dogs earlier today. Temperature: 34 degrees. It's been a good five years since I've had to walk my dog in such temperatures. (So cold, in fact, that steam rose off Oliver's pee as he relieved himself in the grass. I always thought that was pretty funny during my winters in Massachusetts, and apparently, still do so here.) In those five years though, I forgot what I had to wear to stay warm when walking my dog in the cold morning air. Eventually, I pulled together my outfit: longjohns, sweatpants, t-shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, and winter hat. I have it sitting out on my bedroom floor, because it should be just as chilly tomorrow morning.

Chilly nose! Chilly nose!

2011-11-27T22:41:00.001-06:00

Well, I guess the Texan autumn is upon us. It got down to the 30s and 40s last night, and only rose to a high in the 50s today. And as Brian enjoys the cool so much, and we have such excellent cross breeze in this place, the windows were open all night, day, and tonight. It was chilly, for certain, but tolerable, especially since this is exactly what we enjoy for our autumn and winter weather. Still, tonight my nose is chilled, as has been for several hours. Because I finally made my way into my bedroom, and because I've been typing, my fingers have gotten to their normal temperature as well. I'll put my extra blanket on my bed this evening, as I hate sleeping cold. Sydney swore to me that she was warm while sleeping, but I think I'll put the winter blanket on her bed tomorrow anyway.
Also, this afternoon when I took the dogs downstairs for their walk, I was the coldest I've been on an afternoon walk in ... oh ... about five and a half years. I won't say it was as cold as a Massachusetts afternoon, but it was close enough to make me remember a Massachusetts afternoon.
So, autumnal weather is upon us. It's a good thing. Tomorrow, I shall get a hot drink after dropping Sydney at school.

Entry way: halfway done

2011-11-26T23:05:00.001-06:00

I'm still futzing around my house. In fact, this morning, I changed up my whole entry way, in that now I like it: the key holder shifted to the left, the coat rack shifted to the left, and the Kinkade is now hanging on the wall, as well. My conundrum now is the opposite wall, where there is a light switch and security system pad to break up the wall space just enough to make it virtually impossible to hang anything there. I mean, of course I'll find something for the expanse of wall, and it'll be fun to play with the unconventional space. I can't leave it blank because there's just too much wall for that. I've already got a couple ideas. Let's see what I can come up with tomorrow.
I don't know when I'll be "done" with the apartment. Besides just having found a place for everything, now I have Christmas to do. Having established tentative places for everything, now I get to move it all around, and put some of it in bins in preparation for Christmas decorations. This is an assurance that, in January, I'll be bitching and moaning about how I don't remember when anything went, and walking around aimlessly with random household things in my hands. It'll be like setting up my home for the first time, again.
Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited about Christmas. And I'm looking forward to prettying up my house for the holiday. And I'm really excited to have it all done for Brian and Sydney on Thursday when they get home. Yes, it'll be my project for Thursday. Because we decorate for Christmas no earlier than the first of December. It's a rule in my head, you know.

Turkey Day goodness!!

2011-11-24T23:11:00.001-06:00

My husband was so excited and hungry for turkey dinner that he had the bird prepped and in the oven at 8:30 a.m. Of course, this meant that our bird was ready before noon, well before the potatoes, stuffing and other side dishes. So, we had a Thanksgiving lunch rather than a dinner. And honestly, that was perfectly fine. I find that I prefer to have my feast-like meal earlier in the day. It means left-overs for dinner, and more time to digest before going to bed. Also, it's not that late once all the dishes are done. I think we may have stumbled onto something brilliant with this one. From now on, every Thanksgiving meal we make ourselves for ourselves, we have at lunchtime.

Tomorrow, "the feast"

2011-11-23T22:19:00.001-06:00

I can't wait to go to sleep tonight. I don't know why, but I'm suddenly pretty tired, and sitting here on my bed is making it much worse.
We got all our Thanksgiving food stuffs at the grocery store this morning. In fact, I've already baked my cherry pie for dessert tomorrow. I'll also bake some chocolate chip cookies to complement it. But the turkey's all good to go, as are our side dishes. As Sydney says, "It will be a feast!"
I've got some television to catch up on still. Glee is first among them. I've been reading about how awesome last week's episode was, and I have yet to see it. (Another DVR issue, right? Yes, but also reaching back to the era of no television a couple weeks ago.)
I made some tuna salad for sandwiches at lunch today. It was, I think, the very first time I made Mom's recipe of tuna without any assistance from her at all. I'm pleased to say that it came out tasting excellent for my lunch today, and I'm eager to have some for lunch tomorrow.

And the mirrorball trophy goes to ...

2011-11-22T21:46:00.001-06:00

ITEM!: It's that night. The night when the new champion of Dancing with the Stars is crowned, and I have to figure out how to get three images into one blog post. I don't know yet who the winner is, but I know who the winner is not, and that's Ricki Lake. Too bad. She was awesome, and I was pulling for her.
ITEM!: I would like to have a way to find out what Daisy is thinking. For whatever reason, the dog decided to eat a few icky things that I couldn't get out of her mouth this afternoon on our walk. (This always infuriates me, with either her or Oliver. I hate digging gross stuff out of a dog's mouth, but I hate even more when I'm unable to dig gross stuff out of the dog's mouth. I'd rather they didn't eat the damn thing.) Anyway, she ate it, and after the rest of her food and parts of Sydney's pear earlier tonight, the entire contents of her stomach made a reappearance on my quilt not too long ago. I would like to know why she eats icky things. But more importantly, I guess, would be having the ability to make her completely understand what I'm saying to her when I explain that eating icky things makes her vomit on Mommy's stuff. Once she gets this, I'll have less laundry to do.

ITEM!: Something that you all are going to read about a lot, I think, is the humidity levels where I'm living now. A new catchphrase in my life is, "Humid as f*ck." I live it, I embrace it, and I'm not afraid to say it. Anyway, today, it was not as humid as it's been lately. I'm pleased to say that it rained like crazy this morning; more rain than I've seen in a long time. After the rain cleared out though, the humidity left as well. The temperature dropped, as did the humidity, and then I could open my windows for some fresh, cool air.
ITEM!: It's official, J.R. Martinez has won Dancing with the Stars! I'm happy with this! He did a fantastic job all season, and he worked his butt off. Also, I'm happy that his professional partner, Karina Smirnoff, won, as well. It's always nice to see one of the long-standing professionals finally win one, and she was incredibly deserving this season. It's amazing how well these professional dancers can do when they have a partner with some talent and charisma.
ITEM!: I had a much better day with the employment ads today. I actually sent out a couple resumes. I even found a couple telecommuting gigs that look interesting. I've got a couple more e-mails to send out tomorrow morning, and once that's done, I'll have done my searching for the Thanksgiving week.
ITEM!: Also, I spent quite a bit of time futzing around my house, putting away some last-of-the-box things. Another shelf? Really? It'll hold a snow globe and a flower pot. Move the jackets from the trunk into the closets? Sure enough. Move stuff from one place to another because I'm crazy about having everything in the exact right spot? Sadly, yes. But, I think I'm almost done.

Dinosaurs didn't have DVR, either

2011-11-21T21:22:00.001-06:00

This is the post in which I complain ridiculously about not having a DVR.

Hey everyone. Right now, I'm living my life without a DVR. The cable company would only authorize one DVR for our house due to their own low supply (CHEESY CABLE COMPANY ALERT), so I have to forgo my own DVR until next month. I didn't think it would be that big a deal, but that was before I got comfortable in my house and settled back into my television viewing habits. I also thought, at the time, that I was in a major metropolitan city less crazy than Phoenix, and that its nightly prime time started at 8 p.m., as it does in California and Massachusetts, the two normal places I've lived. With TV starting at 8 p.m., I thought I'd only lose a couple minutes of my first show while putting my kid to bed. But, as you can surmise by my tone, I find that I do not live in a normal place. I live in what they call "Central Time," which is an entire portion of the country that starts its nightly television at 7 p.m. I can't defeat that. It makes my lack of DVR even more frustrating.
Did you know that television has commercials when you don't have a DVR? They are real, and you have to watch them. You can push the fast-forward button as much as you want, but without the technology, the damn commercials just stay there. Also, you can't pause your television when you need to go pee, or check on the kid, or see what it is your husband is yelling out about on the television in the living room.
"Kimmie!! KIMMIE!! Come here and see this!!"
"Wait a minute! I need a commercial!"
"Just pause it and come see this!"
"I CAN'T PAUSE IT!! I DON'T HAVE A DVR IN HERE YET!!"
Even though my kid was asleep, I really did yell that from my bedroom into the living room. I have no shame. I'd yell it from the roof. I need my DVR. This is what they call a "first-world problem." Still, it is a problem. I'm a junkie. I need my DVR.

My Dancing with the Stars voting (5 votes allowed):
J.R. Martinez ~ 2 votes.
Ricki Lake ~ 2 votes.
Rob Kardashian ~ 1 vote. I don't know why he got the one vote. If I had six votes, I would have given each two of them. Out of these three stars, I'd rather see Martinez or Lake take home the trophy. Nothing at all against the kid, in fact, I like him. I just prefer the other two. I'll let the rest of America decide.

Zoo homework: Study the map

2011-11-20T23:11:00.001-06:00

So, not only do I have a whole new town to learn, but a new zoo, as well. While the Houston Zoo is quite lovely, and, I'm sure, incredibly pleasant to walk around when it's not humid or too hot, it's not going to be an easy one to learn. (Somehow, there has to be a use for all my Phoenix knowledge now that I'm not there anymore. Perhaps some kind of osmosis transfer? Or a City Where You Live app update?) We weren't able to investigate the whole place, as it was hot and our attitudes were a bit cranky, but we did get to see the sea lions, tiger, rhinoceros, lions, elephants, cougars, giraffes and meerkats, among other animals. I honestly can't wait to go back there. And once I have a more straightforward path to getting there, we'll become regular visitors. What I didn't like about today, in my own little crazy head, was not knowing where everything was. That will change, of course, after Sydney and I get our membership and start going there more often, but still, the lack of knowledge was irritating. I'm such a control freak.

Job title: author?

2011-11-19T22:24:00.001-06:00

I checked out job listings in Houston last night. I won't lie, it was pretty dismal ... and disappointing. And, to add another alliteration, depressing. I didn't expect to find the perfect job right away. But the prospects were either not at all what I do, or the boring stuff I've avoided my entire professional career: technical writing and editing. There were a couple things that sounded okay, but nothing that made my heart go pitter patter with potential. I don't even know what I want to do now.
But I do know that I've got a nifty little manuscript for a kid's book. Maybe this is the catalyst for me to get my butt into marketing my own stuff. So, once the kid and the husband are into their routine, I can start sending out query letters. Might as well get to the "'starving' but not hungry" author part of this game, right?

Is it really cheating?

2011-11-19T22:05:00.001-06:00

This, to the left, is my cheat sheet for my television channels. It's weird how, when you've got the cable company's channel list in your hand, you can really narrow down the list to just a few channels that you actually watch. Also notable on this list is that three of the channels are Sydney's. Five other channels are ones that I don't watch regularly, but do like to know where they are, i.e., ESPN, CNN, A&E, and Discovery.
So, as I go through my ridiculous television obsessions, I can see, by virtue of my cheat sheet, that I actually only watch five channels. I think I'm feeling my age in that I still haven't memorized the channel numbers yet. Every time I go to switch stations, my head pops up with the Phoenix numbers.
It'll take some time, I know, but I'm frustrated with not knowing better and faster which channel is which. Hence, my lovely cheat sheet. It sits atop my nightstand. Cheat sheets rule! I very much like them, Sam I am!

Brian = Tiger Food

2011-11-18T22:10:00.001-06:00

I have created a monster. This monster says many fun random things to me, but sometimes, they are irritating things. One particular pebble in my shoe is, "We haven't done anything fun for me today." Sometimes, we can not always do something fun for Sydney every day. Sometimes, it's all about family things, or errands, or other responsibilities.
The last several days have been about these other concerns, and since Sydney has been such a trooper, we decided to do something fun for her today.
We visited the aquarium. I am actually pretty impressed with our local aquarium. They had a whole bunch of different fish and mammals: piranhas, huge grouper, jellyfish, eels, sharks and anemones.
But weirdly, the aquarium also has a white tiger on display. It has a lovely space, with big windows, a little pool to play in, and lots of room. The tiger though, developed an interest in Brian. Sydney and I watched the tiger from the left side of the exhibit. Brian passed by us and went to observe from the right. The tiger stopped chewing up its toys and followed Brian over to the window. It lay down right by the window, showing all kinds of teeth when it yawned, spreading out its legs while stretching, and watching Brian with as much interest as he showed it.
We allotted about five minutes of time in focused conversation with, and about, the tiger. As we stood up and turned to leave the exhibit though, the tiger LEAPT up, and seemed to try to grab Brian. No kidding, it jumped up, with claws out, teeth on display and, no doubt, some kind of predatory noise coming from its throat. I turned back just in time to see the tiger standing on its hind legs with its front legs on the glass and the teeth showing. As an understatement, I'll say that I was startled. Brian didn't seem to flinch at all, and Sydney didn't even get what was happening. But really, the tiger would have mauled him, had it been able to get through the glass. That would have been messy!

Perhaps more sleep is in order

2011-11-17T23:48:00.001-06:00

I get that I'm tired. I do. But this falling-asleep-on-the-sofa thing is driving me batty. Why can't I stay awake just a little it longer, and get ready for bed in a proper and timely fashion? Why do I find myself crashed out on the sofa or the bed, having just woken up from a nap?
Of course, part of the problem is that I lay down, get comfortable, and close my eyes.
Also, I enjoy sleeping, so it's not exactly an activity that I fight against when the mood strikes me.
But waking up after being asleep for 45 minutes, right when I actually should be going to sleep, is exhausting. It messes with my nighttime agenda, as well as my sleepy head.

It's such a good show!

2011-11-16T23:52:00.001-06:00

I have only five boxes left in my apartment. And they are in my hallway, waiting to be taken down to the garage. It's liberating, but still, it means I've got a ton of vacuuming to do tomorrow once the boxes are gone. Also, I didn't leave my apartment all day. Finishing the office was my main priority, and I got that done, so I'm feeling good about that.

Good things about today:
I found the cushions for the sofa bed.
The laundry room is organized.
We're watching Friends right now.
Both my dogs pooped on their walk this evening.
Sydney ate all her pizza and meatballs for dinner.
It's getting cooler outside.

Eating out, and on the Internet

2011-11-15T23:43:00.001-06:00

We had our first dinner out in Houston tonight. We ate at the New York Pizzeria on the corner. I've brushed my teeth twice, and I still taste the garlic bread. Sydney and I shared a pizza, and Brian ordered some sandwich thing, as well as some clam chowder. Do not ask me why our first foray out into the Houston nightlife was to a New York pizza place. It was what Brian was hungry for, and I was in no mood to try to change his mood. Still, the pizza was tasty, and Miss Sydney ate plenty.
What else? Well, Brian's had a bit of what I call a "stress cold." He's been hit hard by this cold for the last couple days. Now, I worry for Sydney, who told me at 7 p.m. that she was tired and wanted to go to bed. I mentioned that it was early, and, of course, she then insisted on staying up and watching some television. So, she had her normal bedtime, but I hope that she gets as much sleep as she needs tonight. And also that she doesn't crawl into bed with me. I don't want any germs at all.
And having returned to the world of television and Internet, I can get back into my normal life of being perpetually connected to my computer and television. I haven't voted on Dancing with the Stars in two weeks, so I can claim no responsibility for this, but I am pleased to see Hope Solo and Nancy Grace (last week's exit) off the ballroom floor; and J.R. Martinez, Ricki Lake and Rob Kardashian in the finals. Good stuff. Next week should be good!
As for my house, I have only a few boxes left in it, and only the remaining bits in the office to put away. Tomorrow, I should think, will be my last day of unpacking.

The first post from Houston

2011-11-15T19:44:00.001-06:00

I honestly have no idea where to even start with the last couple weeks I've had.
I guess I'll start by bitching about my poor decisions about Houston while I was in Phoenix, including my housing option and my daughter's school.
1. The apartment we chose was AWFUL, with a capital AWFUL. We -- stupidly -- signed our lease before seeing the place, and upon seeing the place, I was frantic. There was NO WAY I was going to live, and have my family live, in a place with a rubber-stamped "Pimp" on the front door. The complex was gracious about our sudden turnaround, but wasn't interested in letting us out of the lease we had just signed 15 minutes prior. They sent us to one of their sister properties, which is, happily, much nicer; and in a better part of town. So, I'm settled (mostly) into a nicer place with three bedrooms, storage, and two carports. Happier campers all the way around, but still, I'm horrified with where I almost ended up.
2. The school, and its curriculum, was fine. The school was great. The 45 minutes it took me to drive her there on Monday was NOT great. The 35 minutes it took to pick her up was also not great. I did find a school, with just as challenging a curriculum, only two minutes away, and she's enrolled there. Sydney restarts school on Monday. Tomorrow, I bring in her paperwork and the first tuition check. Another disaster averted.

No kidding, you guys. If I was a hitter in baseball, and these two decisions comprised my batting average, I would be benched and traded before I could draw my next breath. While most everything pressing has been dealt with, I still find myself terrified of what will happen next. I go to bed every night with a bit of a queasy stomach because of the uncertainty of my little life right now.
You know what I need? A job. As soon as I've developed a bit of a routine with my family, I am on the hunt. I won't survive out here without something for me, and a job is exactly what I need.
I feel like I'm bursting at the seams to talk to you, so may just post a bit later.

Tomorrow, leaving the Arizona desert

2011-11-05T23:45:00.002-05:00

So.
Tomorrow we make our way into Texas.
Our first day of driving will only be about seven hours and change, so there's no reason to get up too early and bust our butts to get out of town at the crack of dawn. I'm thinking a 9 a.m. departure time. I'm hoping for a good night's sleep, too. I got a decent one last night. Let's make it two in a row, yes?
I ended up reviving our Netflix account tonight. I had suspended it because I didn't want to worry about the DVDs while we were in transit, but when the account is suspended, so is the Watch Instantly feature. That, to my daughter, is not acceptable. And because Super Why was imperative to her good mood this afternoon, I revived the account, but changed the address to Houston. So, I'll hold on to our X-Men movie, and we'll have two new movies when we get to Houston.
Other than that, we didn't do much today. New travel beds for Ollie and Daisy in the cars, more food for them, too; and some snack foods for Brian and I in the cars. It'll be weird going on our road trip without being in the same car. But we each got a new car charger for our phones, so we can spend the entire seven hours in the car on the phone, if we want.
So, tomorrow we say goodbye to living in Arizona. Weird.

What?!?! A blog?!?! TONIGHT?!?!

2011-11-05T00:05:00.001-05:00

ITEM!: I think you all should consider yourselves lucky that I'm blogging tonight. Not that I have any incredibly life-changing and beneficial information or advice to impart, but because I'm super tired and would rather be napping. Sydney's asleep in our bed in the other room, and I'm currently listening to Brian and his dad argue over the country's finances. "He who speaks loudest is right." Such is the mantra when those two are together!
ITEM!: So, all my stuff is on a big truck on its way to Houston. Our load weight, according to the driver, is 13,000 pounds. I declare shenanigans in the worst way about that. Brian is incensed. There is no way we've doubled the weight of our life since we came out from Boston, he states. I think I agree, though I definitely see where we did increase our load over the last five years. Still, it means that we're paying the cost of our entire estimate, A LOT, and the rest of my life is more stressful. I'm never going to want to move again. But I'll have to. I've got at least two more moves in my future: from apartment to house in Houston (hopefully), and eventually, from wherever I am to California.
ITEM!: I'm tired. Like, so tired. I woke up this morning just as exhausted as I was yesterday morning. I got to take an hour-long nap later in the morning. I had a relatively relaxing day. Still, I'm super tired. It's only 10 p.m., and I can't wait to go to sleep. I'm even thinking of dosing myself with some NyQuil. I need to sleep tonight, because I probably won't tomorrow night, in preparation for the drive out on Sunday morning. My god, people, I don't think I'll sleep well for another four nights. That's making me all tired again!

I protest! I protest!

2011-11-02T00:42:00.000-05:00

Well, here I am, less than 48 hours from the movers arriving to pick up our stuff for Houston. I'm trying hard to not freak out. Note the word, "trying."
Honestly, I'm doing pretty well, I think. Brian did look at me an hour or so ago and remark that I looked like I was having a nervous breakdown. I think that's a bit of an exaggeration.
Still, I look around and I see "a box here and a box there" that needs to be packed. I was on fire today with the boxing, and I intend to power through a lot of it tomorrow. My goal is to have everything that needs to be in the cars ready to go in the cars by the time we see Katy tomorrow night. That way, selfishly, I'll have another set of hands to help carry everything downstairs.

Also, I am irritated with a capitol "IRR" about David Arquette being expelled from the ballroom tonight on Dancing with the Stars. He was having so much fun. He was doing better at his dancing. He was frickin' entertaining. His ex-wife and daughter were fantastic in the audience. And in looking at other stars, it's inconceivable to me that Arquette is the one sent packing. In fact, I'm so over Maks, his ego, and his behavior, that I had really hoped that he and Hope Solo would have been sent home tonight.

Who's the sleepy kitten?

2011-11-01T00:47:00.000-05:00

I always know when Brian's asleep on the sofa because I've been hearing the same television show for an extended amount of time. Like right now. I don't know what he's watching, and I can't understand it beyond the noise over my headphones, but it's been the same basic voice noise for more than 30 minutes. This is not typical "Awake Brian" behavior. And then, I hear the snore.
HOUSTON: I am beyond pleased to tell you that I accomplished everything on my list for the day. The results: We have an official residence when we arrive in Houston. My mail is changed and being held until we settle in to Houston. Our auto and renter's insurance is being transferred to Texas. Now, all I have to do is pack more boxes. I got three done today. Tomorrow, more. Actually, a lot more: kitchen and bathrooms.

My Dancing with the Stars voting (6 votes allowed):
Ricki Lake ~ 2 votes.
J.R. Martinez ~ 2 votes.
David Arquette ~ 2 votes.
Hope Solo, Nancy Grace, Rob Kardashian ~ 0 votes. It's crunch time, people, which means that the points go to the people I think most deserve them. With only six votes, every vote counts for that much more. (I find myself to be incredibly pretentious right now, as if my little votes actually make any difference!)

Getting ready for Thursday's launch

2011-10-31T00:28:00.000-05:00

Well everyone, tomorrow is the day. Tomorrow, I start boxing stuff up in my house. It's the big day. I'm digging into my kitchen, into my bathrooms, into the living room. I may even start the packing for the several days we'll be homeless. I don't want to start stressing out, but I think I'm gonna.
Also on tomorrow's list: call the apartment complex and find out what the hell is going on with my place; call the insurance company and get that transferred to Texas; and change our address and hold the mail in Texas. I have only four things to do tomorrow, and only three of them need to be completed. I can do that. Right? Right?!?!
Monday. Monday. Monday. Bring it on.

Well, that sounded brave, didn't it?!?! Love it!!

My purple pig won ... TWICE!

2011-10-30T00:53:00.001-05:00

Is it wrong that I'm actually kind of disappointed that we didn't get lost in the corn maze today? Every year, for the last two years, Brian, Katy and I (with Sydney present as an observer) have managed to get ourselves lost in the corn maze at the pumpkin patch. I'm pretty convinced that it's an easier maze at the Queen Creek patch, rather than the west Phoenix patch we went to the last two years. The corn rows were a bit too thin, and the paths were too well-walked. We let a five-year-old guide us in the maze and we made it in and back out within about 15 minutes, without a single moment of where-are-we? panic. Not fun!
But still, the pumpkin patch was pretty awesome. We got to pet goats, watch pig races (YES!!), launch pumpkins, pick pumpkins, and bought a delicious, homemade apple pie. All in all, it was a pretty perfect day.

She's STILL my baby!!

2011-10-29T00:20:00.001-05:00

Also, today is Sydney's birthday.
It's amazing how just the acknowledgment of the day can bring back every single memory of the day. I can remember it so clearly. It's bizarre to me how vividly I can recreate every single moment of her being born. And how melancholy it makes me throughout the day. I could sit and stare at her, and cry my eyes out with love for her. I rarely let myself get all "I'm a goddess because I made her," but on her birthday, I let the thought and emotion run free. The kid rocks. And she's mine.
And, she's five.

Weird. That looks like a ... cold

2011-10-29T00:04:00.000-05:00

I'm still so tired.
I got a decent night's sleep last night. I took a two-hour nap this morning. And yet, still tired.
I've taken my NyQuil, and I'm thisclose to getting into bed and going to sleep. In fact, I just had an incredibly difficult time typing out that last sentence. I must have backtracked and re-spelled half of it.
Because of my tiredness, I didn't get any of my phone calls done today. This is not a big deal, I don't think, because it seems as though some of the stuff has been taken care of without my prodding today. I like it when that kind of thing happens.

Better than "over easy"

2011-10-27T01:37:00.003-05:00

Both my dogs are sleeping "sunny side up," as my mother likes to say. It makes me happy when they do this. Because when they dream, as Oliver is now, their little legs move and twitch. He's even making some little mewing sounds. This is an old photo, and he's awake in it, so it's really not demonstrating what I'm enjoying right now.
HOUSTON NEWS: I called, and I still have no official address yet. The corporate office is still waiting for a last-minute call, and until they have that, we can't move forward. I've got my renting agent's e-mail now though, so I can start pestering her via e-mail as well as phone. I'm really hoping that the final okay comes in tomorrow. Then I'll be more justified in pestering her. I prefer to pester when I'm justified.

You've got guts, babe

2011-10-25T23:56:00.003-05:00

I didn't get hardly anything done today. A couple loads of laundry, I suppose. Also, I took Oliver and Daisy to the vet for wellness checks this morning. I wanted to be sure that, even though I know they're healthy, I know that they are healthy for the drive and move into a new place. Happily, all is well, and my creatures should be just fine settling into Texas. That appointment though, was the only thing that had to be done today, aside from taking the kid to and from school. Who knows why I ended up being a lazy bones today, but there it is. Tomorrow, I got plans and phone calls.
Sadly, the ballroom said goodbye to Chaz Bono tonight. I love that he was able to give a voice to people with gender-identification issues. I hope some kids, young and old, were inspired by his participation in the competition. I hope he is able to hold his head high (despite the judging and judgment encouraged on the show) as he walks out of the studio tonight.

Totally on purpose!

2011-10-25T00:06:00.000-05:00

I'm toot tired (and I left that on purpose). I had given myself today to get my head together, and then get started on Houston tomorrow. I think, because of my "toot" tiredness, I may wait until Wednesday, and take tomorrow to cath (not "catch") up on some sleepand (ha, ha. See what I'm doing here?) get some laundry done.

My Dancing with the Stars voting (7 votes allowed):
Ricki Lake ~ 2 votes.
J.R. Martinez ~ 2 votes.
David Arquette ~ 1 vote.
Nancy Grace ~ 1 vote.
Hope Solo ~ 1 vote.
Chaz Bono, Rob Kardashian ~ 0 votes.

In just a matter of days ...

2011-10-23T23:45:00.000-05:00

My heart was in California this weekend, but my mind, most definitely, was still in Arizona. As much as I was here, I was there. It's a frustration for me, but that's my life over the next few weeks. I am destined to be distracted from one thing by another thing. I am going to be thinking of one thing while considering another thing. I am going to be packing things. Also, I will be organizing things. I shall be making lists and phone calls. I also, invariably, will be freaking out. It's that time again, when I'm too focused for my own good, and won't rest until my project is done. This project is, of course, Houston. It won't be done until I'm moved into the new place, and all my family is in a bit of a routine. So ... what do you think? About 30 days?
So, Project Houston officially commences Tuesday morning.

It's like ... a blanket

2011-10-21T01:15:00.002-05:00

Sydney and I were up bright and early this morning to make our trek across the desert to the wondrously beautiful land of California. I didn't hit a stitch of traffic until I got to the junction of the 101 and the 405, and rarely went slower than 80 miles per hour. So, we made really good time, and were in the Valley well before my 3 p.m. haircut and color appointment. And good for Sydney, there is a fun toy store next to Malia's shop, so her pile of birthday goodness grew a little bit this afternoon.
The most awesome thing on my drive was cruising into Conejo Valley and seeing this huge wall of fog rising up and encroaching on the freeway and the cities in front of, and under, it. (See picture, left.) You just don't see weather like that a whole lot of places, you know? It's one of the things I love about Ventura County, in general, and Camarillo, specifically. The fog rocks.

MY CAR!! MY CAR!! MY CAR!!

2011-10-20T00:49:00.000-05:00

CAR NEWS: I have the Jetta again!! And I think ... I THINK ... it may be perfect now. I got tape on my rear window until tomorrow. And I can't get it washed for a couple days. But really, who cares, I HAVE MY CAR. All done. Finished. And just in time for tomorrow's road trip! I swear, as I drove home from the body shop, and the Jetta and I drove through Papago Park, there was real joy. I think the car was happy, and I know that I was happy. It just felt right this time. Like my head, and the car talking to me through mind connection, knew that everything was finally right. Yes, the car and I had a moment. And it was real.

Dancing time for the awesome guy

2011-10-19T00:59:00.000-05:00

So, I feel like the next couple weeks will be a quick (or not-so-quick) descent into madness. I'm starting to get pretty well freaked out about all the things I need to do, and get done, before November 3 and the move to Houston. I've a list that, even though it isn't a mile long, feels like it is. Also, I'm heading out of town for a few days. Going out to California for the weekend may not be the best thing for me schedule-wise, but it will do wonders for my mental, emotional and psychological well-being. The day after Sydney and I get back from Cali, my life of boxes will officially commence in earnest. Today, I stopped the service for both my cable and my electrical. Tomorrow, I've got a lovely list of people to call and things to check on.
CAR NEWS: I'm so sick of writing about this stuff. I'm sure you are sick of reading about it. But here's today's fiasco: The rear window, once they had it tinted, was discovered to be of an inferior glass grade. The window that was installed was after-market Chinese glass. Apparently, the glass needs to be American, else the tinting won't hold best, and the quality isn't as good. Everything else is fixed, it's just the glass thing. I explained to Garth that , sure, he could have the car for another day, but I had to have the car on Wednesday. I won't be driving anything but my car to California. I feel like I've exhibited an incredible level of patience here. And I don't normally do patience. (Brian once told me that I have patience for only two things: animals and jigsaw puzzles. Lately, that list has grown to include Sydney, but those three things are just about it for me.) There's no point in going on the warpath with Garth. This doesn't seem to be his fault, and he's the one that caught it and insisted the issue be rectified. Still, I'm over it. I want my car back.

3 ITEM!s for a Monday night

2011-10-18T00:24:00.000-05:00

ITEM!: I read my last Frankenstein book today! Come to find out that I really didn't have a whole lot of ick to dig through before it started to come together. Of course, it is a horror story to the core, so there was still plenty to make me get kinda freaked out. But I enjoyed how the plot lines were pulled together. I think this may be one of the best book series I've read.
ITEM! (Also, CAR NEWS): I took the Jetta back to the body shop this morning. I had a decent list of things to fix. Upon checking out my list though, Garth suggested that maybe I would do best to get a rental for the day. Apparently, the four hours I could devote to sitting in the lobby wouldn't be enough. Also, he didn't call me this afternoon to come pick up the Jetta. Apparently, he needed much more than the four hours. Let's hope for a Jetta before noon tomorrow.
ITEM!: I want to go on record as saying that I support the Occupy Wall Street protests. I like a good revolution, and our government and financial systems are screaming to be the objects of one. I like that people have gotten so mad, and they aren't going to take it anymore. It's about time the people of this country rose up and made their voices heard. It infuriates me that politicians and financial fat cats are able to rob the people blind, and get away with it. I am loving the fact that people are screaming, making a scene, and bringing to bear their unhappiness with the country's current situation. Even if nothing real comes from it, I like that people have made their voices heard.

My Dancing with the Stars voting (8 votes allowed):
J.R. Martinez ~ 2 votes.
Ricki Lake ~ 2 votes.
Hope Solo ~ 2 votes.
Carson Kressley ~ 1 vote.
David Arquette ~ 1 vote.
Chaz Bono, Nancy Grace, Rob Kardashian ~ 0 votes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not today

2011-10-16T23:44:00.001-05:00

I didn't get into my book today. Instead, I chilled on the sofa watching football, eating hummus and pretzel crisps, and baking chocolate chip cookies. The angels that made this relaxing afternoon possible for Brian and myself are Katy and Jade, who took Sydney to the dinosaur museum and McDonald's and entertained her for a few hours.
Instead, tomorrow morning, I'll take my scary book to the body shop. And while I sit in the lobby waiting for them to finish my car, I'll do some reading.