January Part 2

So, a random google search for a former employer rather inexplicably sent me to this story on the BBC...

32 Horses Found Dead. 80 More Rescued.

How freaking insane is THAT? (Not so much the ending up there, but the story itself)

And a friend sent me this, which made me laugh uproariously.


Bono, lead singer of the rock band U2, is famous throughout the entertainment industry for being more than just a little self-righteous. At a recent U2 concert in Glasgow , Scotland , he asked the audience for total quiet. Then he started to slowly clap his hands, once every few seconds.Holding the audience in total silence, he said into the microphone, 'Every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies...'A voice with a broad Scottish accent from the front of the crowd pierced the quiet... 'Well, fookin stop doin' it then, ya evil bastard!'


I'm still engaged in a hunt for the perfect job. Which is a lot like hunting snipe, I think.

Resolution number 8: Continue making real effort to find a better paying, if not altogether better, job. Deadline: April 2008.

Captain's Log 01/09/2008

Interesting that the title of the blog is what I always agonize about the most. It's like when I was single and posting ads on Yahoo and Plenty of Fish and stuff. You MUST have a headline!!!!!

Well, gawd, I never thought of my LIFE as headline-worthy, let alone ME. So how come we have to title everything? Can't it just be dated?

Grrr.

Anyway... I looked into training to become a Family Law Mediator today. We ALL know that I'm never going to law school. I'll be lucky to finish my Bachelors before I'm 80. But it turns out that a couple of times a year, the University in Springfield offers a 40 hour training session for mediation. I can get in on that for about $950 for the training plus a room while I'm there and the time off work. I can't make the next session, it's in February... but I'm going to shoot for doing it this year.

Resolution number 1: Complete Family Law Mediation Training by 01/01/2009.

I've rejoined FitDay and have been tracking my calories and stuff. I do ok when I can access it from work and update it as I go through my day. Not so good on catching up after a weekend though so I'm kind of on the honor system for it. The goal isn't necessarily to lose weight, though that'll be a nice side benefit for me. The goal is to eat healthier and make better choices about what goes into my body.

Resolution number 2: Make better food choices by tracking calories on FitDay.

There's a work-out room at the apartment complex where I live. I've been in there TWICE. Really, it's ridiculous how little I've availed myself of the services available to me. And yet I feel perfectly justified in bitching about the size of my ass and the way I look in my clothes. Nevermind the way I look OUT of them. Bleh!

Resolution number 3: Use the work out room at least 2 nights per week. Take a walk at least 3 mornings per week.

The girls and I love board games and have a ton of them. And yet... we rarely play them. We're always busy with Brownies or Basketball or homework or nothing at all. And I realized this morning, in that way that you realize things ALL OF A SUDDEN that have been under your nose FOREVER that Madison is well on her way to not needing me anymore. She's 11. Over half her time of being MINE is gone.

Resolution number 4: Play a game or engage in a family activity that is NOT television related at least 1 night per week.

Resolution number 5: Have a girls' movie night once per month.

I am woefully out of touch. Really and truly have NO IDEA what the pop-culture of today is all about. I mean, if it's on NPR I know about it. Or if I can read it on the MSNBC ticker, or if it's on Discovery Channel... but I haven't listened to new music in forever, and I generally have NO idea what is playing at the theaters or who is in concert where, or even who it's still cool to give a crap about when I see them on the cover of Enquirer at the grocery store. I don't want to be THAT mom... the one who buys her 17 year old a gift that she wouldn't have liked at 10.

Resolution number 6: Actually TALK to the girls about what's cool and hip and stuff w/them. Turn off NPR in the mornings on the way to the babysitter and actually listen to THEIR music. No matter how painful it might be.

I am VERY lucky to have a man like D in my life. He is simply amazing, and I can quite honestly say that he's one of the best people I've ever met in my life. You know those people that you meet and say "He's good people."? That's him. Somehow, he fell in love with me and I'm just continually grateful that that's true.

Resolution number 7: Remember to appreciate the people who love me. Every day.

I think that's enough for now. Other than blogging more. But I promise to do THAT all the time.

Lost and Found

The kids and I have had to come to terms with a lot of loss over the past few years. We lost Rebel and Weasle and Wolfie and TiggerTom and Sadie and Orca and Special and Lil Bit.

I'm probably going to have to sell SkyHigh (the remaining horse) soon.

This weekend, I thought we'd lost Finnegan. Doug was putting him into the backyard for some outside time, and the dog wriggled loose and took off. We tromped through the neighborhood, following tracks and passing out fliers forever yesterday. And then we drove around some more. We hung posters at gas stations and grocery stores and pet stores. Doug posted ads on craigslist and KCPetfinder.com and I posted an ad on Petfinder and w/the local dog shelter.

I'd pretty much decided that he wasn't coming home and I was trying to not blame Doug - because it's not really his fault the dog is an idiot - and trying to figure out how to explain to the kids that they'd lost yet another loved pet.

This morning... we got a phone call from someone who'd seen Doug's ad on KC Pet Connect. This lady has had Finnegan since Friday night (which is when he disappeared). He's been fed and warm and dry in her garage while she tried to find out who owned him.

So he's home. And I am SO glad to have him back. I know that lots of people don't have any idea how much my pets mean to me ... and I'm ok with that. I'm not gonna treat them like slightly dim humans in order to prove that I love them. But I am SO happy that my dumbass dog is sitting on the deck right now. So happy.

And I'm very glad that it was Doug's ad that brought him back.

Blessings counted...

Sometimes, it seems that my blog is one big series of unfortunate events. And my resolution this year is to make it not so much THAT, but just a 'keep up with the jones girl' kind of thing. Because honestly... good stuff happens now and then. So how come we only blog about the BIG things?

Little things... I'm NOT going to let the Alan Jackson song get stuck in my head... I swear... but those little things that are so often overlooked? They're the ones that matter. Yes, it's corny. But dammit, it's also true.

I have the BEST family. I really do. Back when I was a kid? All of my friends called my Mom 'mom'. Some of them STILL call her just to talk, and she still worries about them as if they were her own.

My parents lost power during the big ice storm... almost 20K people in their lil town lost power. And man, it sounded like HELL to me. Trapped. Inside. W/no power AT. ALL. Bleh. So I called them yesterday and asked them how they were doing, and my stepdad said he was having a great time. Reading by lantern light and there was a pot of soup on the woodburner that was making the house smell good. And, earlier in the day, him and my mom had sat on the dining room floor and played jacks by candle light.

Crazy, eh? But awesome too.

Of course, my kids are wonderful. Nearly goes w/out saying. They'll be with me this weekend after 5 days w/their dad. The transition back is always a bit difficult, but my incredible boyfriend and I are going to try to make it less so this week and in the weeks to come. Those poor kids probably feel like they don't really LIVE anywhere lately... couple days at my apartment, couple of days at their dad's house, couple of days at D'man's house... they're gypsies and I wonder why they sometimes ACT like it.

And that boyfriend. He really is the most wonderful man I know. I lurve him, I really do.

Things really could be oh so much worse in my life. Someone whack me when I forget, ok?

The Land of Blahs...

I am NOT in the holiday spirit. Not. At. All.

Oh sure, most of my Xmas shopping is done, I'm making plans... I'm even looking forward to decorating the apartment and Doug's house. But I'm not feeling it.

I talked to Mom tonight and she's not feeling it either. I asked her if she'd bought the turkeys for TGiving and Xmas yet and she seemed surprised. She hadn't even thought about it. She's done no shopping at all.

So... we're going to fake it til we feel it, I suppose. I drug the box o Xmas crap outta the boogey man hole tonight and started going through it. Maybe getting some of it arranged will help a bit.

And speaking of the boogeyman hole... get this.

I decided to get out the Winter clothes for the kids this past week. I sorted and straightened and made a pile for the babysitter's kid of stuff that Cady had outgrown and a pile for Cady of stuff that was either hers last year and still fits or that Madison had outgrown (and let me tell you... Madison has outgrown EVERYTHING).

I made a big ol pile of jeans on the floor in the girls' room and told Cady she could choose 10 pr of jeans that she LOVES and keep them. The rest were going away.

An hour later, she'd narrowed her choices to the pants she can't live without.

For giggles, I had her count the ones that were going away. Guess.

Higher. Way higher.

Yeah... 32 PAIRS OF JEANS!

32 Pairs that she WASN'T keeping.

How the hell did that happen?

So yeah, away they go. Because it is, after all, almost Christmas. Which means more crap.

It's reverse bulimia of stuff. Must purge before the binge.

Those oh so dreadful song lyrics...

You know the ones... they're morally reprehensible and serve no purpose but to pollute young minds with thoughts of violence, greed, infidelity and irresponsibility.

I mean, for gawd's sake, check out THESE lyrics that my daughter brought home from school today... I know you know the song, but have you EVER paid attention to the actual words?


http://www.momsminivan.com/lyrics.html
In a cavern, in a canyon,
Excavating for a mine,
Lived a miner, forty-niner,
And his daughter Clementine.

CHORUS
Oh my darling, oh my darling,
Oh my darling Clementine
You are lost and gone forever,
Oh my darling, Clementine.

Light she was, and like a fairy,
And her shoes were number nine,
Herring boxes without topses,
Sandals were for Clementine. [Chorus]

Drove she ducklings to the water
Every morning just at nine,
Hit her foot against a splinter,
Fell into the foaming brine. [Chorus]

Ruby lips above the water,
Blowing bubbles soft and fine,
But alas, I was no swimmer,
So I lost my Clementine. [Chorus]

In a churchyard near the canyon,
Where the myrtle doth entwine,
There grow roses and other posies,
Fertilized by Clementine. [Chorus]

Then, the miner, forty-niner,
Soon began to peak and pine,
Though in life I used to hug her,
Now she's dead I draw the line. [Chorus]

In my dreams she still doth haunt me,
Robed in garments soaked with brine,
Though in life I used to hug her,
Now she's dead I draw the line. [Chorus]

Listen fellers, head the warning
Of this tragic tale of mine,
Artificial respiration
Could have saved my Clementine. [Chorus]

How I missed her, how I missed her,
How I missed my Clementine,
Till I kissed her little sister,
And forgot my Clementine. [Chorus]

Or how about this one? Did you know it's about the plague?

http://www.zelo.com/FAMILY/NURSERY/ringroses.asp
Ring-a-ring o' roses,
A pocket full of posies,
Achoo!, Achoo!
We all fall down.


Don't even get me started on Little Bunny Foo Foo... all that head bopping and goon creating.

Disgraceful, I tell you! Do we pay NO attention to what we're teaching our children?

I'm a retro girl...

It's true. I'm a bit behind the times. I still tend to hum Rick Springfield under my breath far more often than I do ... well... whoever is popular now.

I adopted the grunge look along with everyone else in the early 90's... and I've steadfastly stuck with it to the point that my neice wants to 'report me' to What-Not-To-Wear and Kendra has threatened to burn all my black v-neck t-shirts.

But ya know... I'm 34 years old. I really should be updating something... somewhere... yes? I realized the other day that I still have a Rollins Band t-shirt that I wear pretty often. And I think of it as an 'older' shirt. It's 17 years old! The SHIRT is the same age I was when I bought it!!!!! F*ck.

And my favorite jeans? I was lamenting the other day about the quality of them because they're falling apart. But ya know what? I bought them in 1994. They SHOULD be rags.

But honestly... can any of you picture me in anything except what I've been wearing every day since 1991? Really?

Someone needs to take me shopping. Any volunteers?