A very, very dear friend of mine just moved. This morning. Almost 12 hours ago.
To a land far, far away, known as 'Deepinahearta', aka TEXAS. Yes, I lost ANOTHER friend to a land that has a season known as 'crispy'. Which they seem to think is preferable to the Chicago season called "Freaking bitter cold and windy GRAY".
So I am bummed. Really bummed. Need cigars and whiskey and poker kinda bummed. I've been bummed for a good 2 weeks leading up to this (hence the absence) but today took the cake.
So now that OddJob is home, the necessary tequila consumption (it's MEDICINAL!) shall commence.
And when I come out of my dark poker-needing funk, I'll write more. From OUTSIDE this black hole. Of missing Wendy.
Booooooooooooooooooo!!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Water is wet and icky..............
At lunch today, a friend of mine turned to me and asked "So when is Ike predicted to get to Chicago?"
Ummm..... that would be YESTERDAY, babe.
That sound you hear is my husband sucking water out of the carpet around the basement sump pump. Something about the thingy attached to the thingy and an 1/8" hole and a vapor lock... that resulted in a completely soaked 6-foot-diameter-circle section of basement carpet.
Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabulous.
We got off easy though - several people I know (such as
baglady Jill) were in much worse shape, and have huge rolls of sopping carpet sitting next to their mailboxes. Or got to try out their new canoes from their front doors. Or went to Menards for an hour, and came outside to find their minivan floating (saw that one live and in person!).
So all in all it was gray, cloudy and damp this weekend (I think we had about 9" of rain in our town overall).
So in order to keep the kids entertained... we took them to our gym and went... SWIMMING!!
Ummm..... that would be YESTERDAY, babe.
That sound you hear is my husband sucking water out of the carpet around the basement sump pump. Something about the thingy attached to the thingy and an 1/8" hole and a vapor lock... that resulted in a completely soaked 6-foot-diameter-circle section of basement carpet.
Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabulous.
We got off easy though - several people I know (such as
baglady Jill) were in much worse shape, and have huge rolls of sopping carpet sitting next to their mailboxes. Or got to try out their new canoes from their front doors. Or went to Menards for an hour, and came outside to find their minivan floating (saw that one live and in person!).
So all in all it was gray, cloudy and damp this weekend (I think we had about 9" of rain in our town overall).
So in order to keep the kids entertained... we took them to our gym and went... SWIMMING!!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
no time, gotta run....
Sick Children. Bad weather. Cook county under tornado watch. Boss leaving on vacation - him in panic mode, therefore Jolly in panic mode. Husband working late.
You get the idea.
Once life returns to normal-ish, will be back!
You get the idea.
Once life returns to normal-ish, will be back!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Rude people
(cue the 'way back when' music)....
Several years ago, OddJob and I ran into a couple that we know from a time known as "when OddJob was athletic". The man (Person M) was on a team with OddJob, and they got on fairly well, and M eventually married the woman (person W) that he had been dating.
And whattaya know, they had moved out of the city and were living not far from us in suburbia!
I remember meeting M, no recollection of W (other than she was blonde) but we had children of comparable ages, and OddJob hadn't really formed any friendships since the demise of his role on said sports team. So they invited us to their sons birthday, we invited them to a BBQ, I was bending over backwards to try to be nice to W (didn't really have much in common - she still seemed very off-hand about me, which I found kinda weird) but M was very nice. They (looking back, or at least M) appeared interested in friendship.
One evening, had them over for dinner, with both of their children. It went very well. They were all eager to have us over - and named Date X about 3 weeks out.
About 1 week before Date X, I called (as I hadn't heard from them) to firm things up. M answered, seemed rushed, seemed not to remember any plans for Date X, said he'd check and call me back.
Never heard from them again. Kinda let THAT one go, but was very puzzled.
.............2 years later............
We spent this morning at #1A's first soccer game.
OddJob is coaching, which isn't going swimmingly with #1A. But so far ALL the parents have been not just polite, but making a real effort to be involved and nice. And this is NOT easy for several of the Moms, as 1 is still at the 'rudimentary English' level, several others are obviously recent immigrants (you can tell, because their sons KICK ASS at soccer). We're all still learning everyone's names, being somewhat cautious with each other (aware that we're all new to each other and there might be some cultural differences, and why step in it if you don't have to?).
But so far, so good, and there is a lot of group cheering for all the boys from all the parents, and none of that obnoxious "Go get HIM! Take that ball away from HIM!" highly-competitve nonsense from the sidelines. Because these kids are SIX.
As I'm wrangling #1B, snacks and water for the players, and other Moms, a man walks up to me and says "Hi JollyRoger".
I look up, and this person seems... mildly familiar? I'm thinking furiously, and finally say "Gee, sorry, you look familiar??" .....??
And he's all "Hahahaha, it's M".
As if it's perfectly acceptable to completely pretend that you don't have the grace to look mildly embarassed that you were a rude putz to me and OddJob and haven't spoken to either of us in years. (insert eyeroll here).
Me (very much taken aback and not really sure how to handle this one) - "Oh. Hi".
Then W materializes from behind M, and screeches in a pack-a-day-Marlboro voice that makes me wince "Oh, is that #1B?? I haven't seen her since she was a BABY. Wow, she's a MONSTER now!!!!".
To which I'm thinking "Wow, as if I needed MORE of a reason to completely avoid either of you in the future. Nice opening line there W."
Apparently M & W's son is playing on the opposing team. How do I know this? Because not long after this interchange, I hear a pack-a-day-Marlboro habit voice just SCREECHING "Go After him!! Take the ball away from him!!" from the OTHER teams sidelines.
And the meekest, mildest Mom on our team, the 'butter-wouldn't-melt-in-her-mouth' Mom says to me in thickly accented English:
"Geeeza, whose da beetch??"
And I couldn't help thinking - Thank you, higher power, for sending me the sign that it's NOT JUST ME!!
Several years ago, OddJob and I ran into a couple that we know from a time known as "when OddJob was athletic". The man (Person M) was on a team with OddJob, and they got on fairly well, and M eventually married the woman (person W) that he had been dating.
And whattaya know, they had moved out of the city and were living not far from us in suburbia!
I remember meeting M, no recollection of W (other than she was blonde) but we had children of comparable ages, and OddJob hadn't really formed any friendships since the demise of his role on said sports team. So they invited us to their sons birthday, we invited them to a BBQ, I was bending over backwards to try to be nice to W (didn't really have much in common - she still seemed very off-hand about me, which I found kinda weird) but M was very nice. They (looking back, or at least M) appeared interested in friendship.
One evening, had them over for dinner, with both of their children. It went very well. They were all eager to have us over - and named Date X about 3 weeks out.
About 1 week before Date X, I called (as I hadn't heard from them) to firm things up. M answered, seemed rushed, seemed not to remember any plans for Date X, said he'd check and call me back.
Never heard from them again. Kinda let THAT one go, but was very puzzled.
.............2 years later............
We spent this morning at #1A's first soccer game.
OddJob is coaching, which isn't going swimmingly with #1A. But so far ALL the parents have been not just polite, but making a real effort to be involved and nice. And this is NOT easy for several of the Moms, as 1 is still at the 'rudimentary English' level, several others are obviously recent immigrants (you can tell, because their sons KICK ASS at soccer). We're all still learning everyone's names, being somewhat cautious with each other (aware that we're all new to each other and there might be some cultural differences, and why step in it if you don't have to?).
But so far, so good, and there is a lot of group cheering for all the boys from all the parents, and none of that obnoxious "Go get HIM! Take that ball away from HIM!" highly-competitve nonsense from the sidelines. Because these kids are SIX.
As I'm wrangling #1B, snacks and water for the players, and other Moms, a man walks up to me and says "Hi JollyRoger".
I look up, and this person seems... mildly familiar? I'm thinking furiously, and finally say "Gee, sorry, you look familiar??" .....??
And he's all "Hahahaha, it's M".
As if it's perfectly acceptable to completely pretend that you don't have the grace to look mildly embarassed that you were a rude putz to me and OddJob and haven't spoken to either of us in years. (insert eyeroll here).
Me (very much taken aback and not really sure how to handle this one) - "Oh. Hi".
Then W materializes from behind M, and screeches in a pack-a-day-Marlboro voice that makes me wince "Oh, is that #1B?? I haven't seen her since she was a BABY. Wow, she's a MONSTER now!!!!".
To which I'm thinking "Wow, as if I needed MORE of a reason to completely avoid either of you in the future. Nice opening line there W."
Apparently M & W's son is playing on the opposing team. How do I know this? Because not long after this interchange, I hear a pack-a-day-Marlboro habit voice just SCREECHING "Go After him!! Take the ball away from him!!" from the OTHER teams sidelines.
And the meekest, mildest Mom on our team, the 'butter-wouldn't-melt-in-her-mouth' Mom says to me in thickly accented English:
"Geeeza, whose da beetch??"
And I couldn't help thinking - Thank you, higher power, for sending me the sign that it's NOT JUST ME!!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Thoughts on Running
I have been running.
Which is really kinda huge, for me. I wasn't brought up to participate in team sports (frowned upon by the 'rents) and neither of my parents did ANYTHING more athletic than the occaisional bike ride.
And I'm short. Almost 5' 2", with the build of... not a runner.
But I've worked at it, and several of my Momtourage out of my local Moms group made a pact - run the Chicago 'Shamrock Shuffle' in 2008 as a group, or die of shame and endless riducule forever after.
So I trained. All winter. I even got OddJob to train WITH me. And this was a big deal, as OddJob was AN ATHLETE from the word GO. Swim team, HS wrestling and football, and rugby. Heck, when I met him he was playing rugby on the National level for the U.S. Combined Services Team, the All Army Team, ETCETERA....
And I ran the Shuffle. I was the oldest Mom in the group to do it (and damn near the shortest... actually, I think I WAS the shortest) and I posted the second fastest time of the crowd. Woo to the HOO for me! (AND - I was 36 hours back from a vacation in Mexico, with a respiratory infection, and (sorry, TMI ahead) right smack dab in the middle of a raging period).
And I'm pretty sure I hadn't run a step SINCE, until about a month ago.
But the 'Shuffle pact' crowd resurrected to torture ourselves into doing a 5k last Sunday. Ouch. Minimal training, 90 degrees, high humidity... what's not to like? (gasp, retch, ack)
Somehow, this has shamed OddJob into maybe, FINALLY, getting back into shape again. Because he stopped playing rugby (yes, I ACTUALLY put a gun to his head) about the time #1A arrived. And has basically fallen into major disrepair since. The weight-gain, still-eating-like-an-athlete, recently diagnosed with freaking GOUT kind.
And he's made REAL promises to get up in the morning to go running (I DO NOT RUN in the AM. AT all. Ever.)
To the point where we had an ACTUAL conversation along the lines of:
OddJob: I really, SERIOUSLY considered going running this morning.
Me: (swilling wine) Erp?
OddJob: When my alarm went off this morning, I put REAL EFFORT into considering it.
Me: (attempting to wrestle clothing off of #1B for bath) uhhhh...hmmmm??
OddJob: Seriously - I actually TRIED to get out of bed.
Me: GET OFF THE BED!!! UNBUTTON YOUR PANTS BEFORE YOU TAKE THEM OFF!!!!!
OddJob: I think it's progress.. really, I'll be SO much closer to getting out of bed TOMRRORW and actually GO running...
Go OddJob!
Which is really kinda huge, for me. I wasn't brought up to participate in team sports (frowned upon by the 'rents) and neither of my parents did ANYTHING more athletic than the occaisional bike ride.
And I'm short. Almost 5' 2", with the build of... not a runner.
But I've worked at it, and several of my Momtourage out of my local Moms group made a pact - run the Chicago 'Shamrock Shuffle' in 2008 as a group, or die of shame and endless riducule forever after.
So I trained. All winter. I even got OddJob to train WITH me. And this was a big deal, as OddJob was AN ATHLETE from the word GO. Swim team, HS wrestling and football, and rugby. Heck, when I met him he was playing rugby on the National level for the U.S. Combined Services Team, the All Army Team, ETCETERA....
And I ran the Shuffle. I was the oldest Mom in the group to do it (and damn near the shortest... actually, I think I WAS the shortest) and I posted the second fastest time of the crowd. Woo to the HOO for me! (AND - I was 36 hours back from a vacation in Mexico, with a respiratory infection, and (sorry, TMI ahead) right smack dab in the middle of a raging period).
And I'm pretty sure I hadn't run a step SINCE, until about a month ago.
But the 'Shuffle pact' crowd resurrected to torture ourselves into doing a 5k last Sunday. Ouch. Minimal training, 90 degrees, high humidity... what's not to like? (gasp, retch, ack)
Somehow, this has shamed OddJob into maybe, FINALLY, getting back into shape again. Because he stopped playing rugby (yes, I ACTUALLY put a gun to his head) about the time #1A arrived. And has basically fallen into major disrepair since. The weight-gain, still-eating-like-an-athlete, recently diagnosed with freaking GOUT kind.
And he's made REAL promises to get up in the morning to go running (I DO NOT RUN in the AM. AT all. Ever.)
To the point where we had an ACTUAL conversation along the lines of:
OddJob: I really, SERIOUSLY considered going running this morning.
Me: (swilling wine) Erp?
OddJob: When my alarm went off this morning, I put REAL EFFORT into considering it.
Me: (attempting to wrestle clothing off of #1B for bath) uhhhh...hmmmm??
OddJob: Seriously - I actually TRIED to get out of bed.
Me: GET OFF THE BED!!! UNBUTTON YOUR PANTS BEFORE YOU TAKE THEM OFF!!!!!
OddJob: I think it's progress.. really, I'll be SO much closer to getting out of bed TOMRRORW and actually GO running...
Go OddJob!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
First day of school! Just like Nemo!
Yep, it's happened at last - #1A has begun Kindergarden.
And I think I we did very well today! Took him to before-school care (Kindercare), watched him get on the bus to 'real' school, followed the bus like some rabid stalker , met him on the playground, watched him parade in to 'real' school....
and not even a backwards glance from our tough little #1A.
UNTIL I called Kindercare about 1/2 hour after 'real' school let out. And got the scoop from the center director.
APPARENTLY, #1A got out of school, looked around, realized we WEREN'T there (and the schoolbus to Kindercare was), and burst into tears.
Because he missed us? No.
Because he didn't like school? No.
Because he DID like school and didn't want to leave? No.
Because.... he had given his Luke Skywalker bobble-head toy to Dad for safekeeping (rule #1 - NO TOYS at 'real' school rule #2 - NO GOING COMMANDO at 'real' school). It's been tough enough keeping underwear on this kid.
And he wanted his bobblehead BACK, and Daddy WASN'T THERE to return it. Thus much boo-hooing.
Going to be an interesting year....
And I think
and not even a backwards glance from our tough little #1A.
UNTIL I called Kindercare about 1/2 hour after 'real' school let out. And got the scoop from the center director.
APPARENTLY, #1A got out of school, looked around, realized we WEREN'T there (and the schoolbus to Kindercare was), and burst into tears.
Because he missed us? No.
Because he didn't like school? No.
Because he DID like school and didn't want to leave? No.
Because.... he had given his Luke Skywalker bobble-head toy to Dad for safekeeping (rule #1 - NO TOYS at 'real' school rule #2 - NO GOING COMMANDO at 'real' school). It's been tough enough keeping underwear on this kid.
And he wanted his bobblehead BACK, and Daddy WASN'T THERE to return it. Thus much boo-hooing.
Going to be an interesting year....
Monday, September 1, 2008
Long weekend and ridiculous politics...
Had a lovely weekend of BBQ's, parades with the kids, a Cubs game (they lost, Boooo!) and I even ran a 5k!
.. and watching hurricane Gustav and the whole Palin debacle.
I'm going to choose to remember the fun part. But I must admit, the whole Republican almost-Veep-nominee and 'babygate' kinda stole the show today.
OddJob and I knew NO ONE sitting around us at the Cubs-Astros game today, yet 'babygate' was THE TOPIC of conversation amongst complete strangers (OK, the game was a snoozer until the Cubs ALMOST pulled the ninth inning out of the hole... but didn't. Sigh.)
Guess I'm just not a fun of electing and campaigning. Will this be over with soon?
It was a good weekend to try and avoid the computer.. and phone... and camera... since everything technological seemed to be going haywire Thursday and Friday... and ONCE AGAIN, I called it...... but to explain.....
When things in life went horribly awry, my mother would wander around muttering about 'mercury... retrograde' and go hide under the covers (or something). To the point that I STILL say this. Heck, I said it online on my Moms group message board this past spring... only to find out it WAS in retrograde. Since then, whenever technology goes afoul, significantly in a short span of time.. well, I seem to have a mercury-in-retrograde-o-meter going on.
Betcha that's how Sarah Palin is feeling right about now.....
.. and watching hurricane Gustav and the whole Palin debacle.
I'm going to choose to remember the fun part. But I must admit, the whole Republican almost-Veep-nominee and 'babygate' kinda stole the show today.
OddJob and I knew NO ONE sitting around us at the Cubs-Astros game today, yet 'babygate' was THE TOPIC of conversation amongst complete strangers (OK, the game was a snoozer until the Cubs ALMOST pulled the ninth inning out of the hole... but didn't. Sigh.)
Guess I'm just not a fun of electing and campaigning. Will this be over with soon?
It was a good weekend to try and avoid the computer.. and phone... and camera... since everything technological seemed to be going haywire Thursday and Friday... and ONCE AGAIN, I called it...... but to explain.....
When things in life went horribly awry, my mother would wander around muttering about 'mercury... retrograde' and go hide under the covers (or something). To the point that I STILL say this. Heck, I said it online on my Moms group message board this past spring... only to find out it WAS in retrograde. Since then, whenever technology goes afoul, significantly in a short span of time.. well, I seem to have a mercury-in-retrograde-o-meter going on.
Betcha that's how Sarah Palin is feeling right about now.....
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