Monthly Archives: July 2010

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What the Heck, American Idol?!

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DeGeneres Leaving ‘Idol,’ Says It Was Bad Fit 

by The Associated Press

What??? Really?? I just saw this tweet from NPR announcing that Ellen Degeneres is not returning to American Idol.  I know that she wasn’t overly critical and maybe was too much of a cheerleader, but I felt like she spoke for us as the average viewer and I think she was (is) funny!  Our whole family did.  I also felt like she was an improvement over the goofy Paula.

Simon’s gone and now Ellen.   And, I just heard on the Today Show that Kara may be out too.  That would leave just Randy.  I did hear that Bret Michaels (of Poison), Justin Timberlake, and even Jennifer Lopez were all being considered as replacements.  That seems like a lot for one show. 

When the show first aired, I did not watch it.  My family did. All of them, but me.  I was too freakin’ busy with work at my crazy-ass 60-hr a week job.  “I’m making money, people!  I don’t have time for family fun!”

When I entered the slower lane, I joined the ritual known as American Idol.  I was hooked after Season 5 which was my initiation.  Now, I look forward to it every January! 

With this announcement, I’m torn.  Will it be the same?  Who will the new judge or judges be (do we really need 4 judges?)?  My oldest said that she won’t watch it now that Simon and Ellen are gone.  It was the one show that the entire family could watch together.  The girls now like to watch overly dramatic teenagery shows like “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” and “Pretty Little Liars”.  My 10-yr-old son cannot and does not want to watch these shows (the hubby and I don’t either).   American Idol was the only “family friendly” show appropriate for all ages in our household that everyone liked.  Bummer.

Maybe this will be a good time to start weaning ourselves off of this show.  It’s a commitment and very time-consuming – in the beginning it takes up two or three nights a week!  

It would leave me more time to develop my painting or maybe even a brand new hobby. . . . . .what would it be?

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Who’s the Real Slim Shady?

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My husband sent me this video  from YouTube.  Have you seen it?  My husband could have been in this video!

 

It made me laugh out loud at work so I had to share!  I hope you find it as funny as I do.

ENJOY!

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Home, Sweet, Home

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Okay, it’s official!  I am in-hate with my house.  I’ve always been its greatest fan (even more than my husband) and this is the thanks I get?  Another repair bill?

We dealt with the breaker box incident (no power for 8 hrs on one of the hottest days of the summer) and the water softener snafu (all of dishes were covered with a nice film).  But, yesterday I’m cooking for my mom’s 70th birthday dinner and everything was running smoothly.  I had a sink full of sudsy water for the dirty dishes (I’m one of those cooks that cleans as I go).  I’m chopping, stirring, etc. when I noticed my sudsy water was gone.  What the heck?!  I look under the sink and found the missing water.  Lovely.  So, I look under the sink at the drain and tug on it a bit.  Bada boom bada bing!  When the drain fell into my hands, that solved the mystery of how the water in the sink was now under the sink.  Great.  The side with disposal was still functioning so at least I could continue my meal preparation for my parents once I cleaned up the soggy mess.  That did put me behind a bit, but the meal did eventually get on the table!

We bought this house 9 years ago on a whim – it was the biggest impulse buy we’ve ever made.  We weren’t even really looking for a house and then one Sunday night, a friend of mine called and told me that her neighbor across the street was getting ready to put her house on the market the very next morning.  She said it would be perfect for us and we should consider it.

We had just had our third child and we lived in a house that was a bit of a tight squeeze but manageable, but it didn’t  have a basement.  How nice would it be to have a basement for all the toys, Barbie tent, Bob the Builder work bench,etc.?!  I coerced the hubby into just looking – what was the harm, right?  (It’s similar to looking at puppies – don’t look unless you are ready to commit!).  Well, we called our realtor the next day and were able to go look at the house on Wednesday.  Long story short, two other couples had looked at it as well and made offers (just 2 days after it had been listed!).  We had to make a decision literally after being in the house about an hour – did we want to make an offer or not? 

It was love a first sight for me and I was hooked.  But, the hubby usually has to do market research for about 6 months (consult Consumer Reports, etc) before buying let’s say, a  DVD player so he was freaking out!  Our realtor and I literally talked him into making the largest impulse buy of his life and we started the offer/counter-offer merry-go-round.  We ended up sealing the deal by offering $5,000 above the list price.  Yeah, we won!!

It’s our third house since we’ve been married and it has been my favorite one.  I’ve never wavered in my love for my house (until yesterday).  Yes, it was as old as the hills and yes, it did need an interior make-over when we moved in, but so what!?  Nobody’s perfect. 

Now, I’ve had just about enough!  Everything seems to be falling apart and it started last year.  Last year – water heater replaced, our chimney rebuilt, the kids’ shower re-tiled, wet spot in kitchen ceiling fixed, etc.  When we returned from our vacation last week, we had our water softener fixed ($200), breaker box rebuilt ($1700) and now today, the kitchen sink (see above – $470).  I mean, my goodness!  I know our dryer needs something done (it just squeaks), we need new windows and I’m just waiting for the dishwasher to poop out. 

It’s not a money pit, just old age, right? 

I’m definitely not ready to give up on this house (I have vowed never to move again), but I’m not blindly in love any more.  My eyes have been opened.

Homeownership is not for the flighty or the squeamish 🙂

Update:  Part of the plumbing bill from yesterday was a fixing a drip in our master bathroom shower (which was fixed properly).  But, this morning my hubby jumped in the shower only to find out that our cold is hot and our hot is now cold.  Oh, brother!  Now, I have to wait around for the plumber all day tomorrow to get our mixed up shower straightened out.  Aaahhhh!

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Mixed Marriages CAN Work

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Photo c/o udfl.net

I was reminded yesterday that I married a Republican.  So what?   

When we got married, I don’t remember politics being a big deal or much of a topic of discussion (we were 25 & 26 yrs old).  Let’s see, Bush Sr. was President when we married in 1991, so the next big election was the 1992 Presidential Election between Bush Sr (and Quayle), Clinton (and Gore) and let’s not forget, Perot (and Stockdale).  This is when I noticed our voting records as being distinct and separate – I voted for Clinton and he voted for Bush, of course.   This was the beginning of the end, so-to-speak.   

It’s the ultimate in “opposites attract” (except I do have a vegetarian friend who is married to a carnivore who is also an avid hunter and has a slew of dead animals on her walls – that may be the ultimate).    

Now, I have been known to vote for a Republican or two.  I try to be informed and not be a straight party line voter – I really want to vote for the best person.  It’s a pretty idealistic view, I know.  I don’t always succeed, but I really do try.    

After being married for 19 years now, there are topics that aren’t worth discussing (maybe some other couples know what I’m talking about) and one of those, as we have discovered over the years,  is politics.  Why bother?  Nothing positive happens from these discussions.  Over the years we have developed rules for political discussions.  They have never been formally said or written, just understood between us (it’s as if we had a Vulcan mind meld).  

Unspoken Rules of Political Disengagement (URPD):  

  • Rule #1:  We do not bring up hot button party line topics such as. . . . . you name it
  • Rule #2:  We do not donate money to either political party
  • Rule #3:  We do not put signs in our yard during elections because it would just be confusing for our neighbors (We live in the most Republican county in the state and, I would argue, one of the top 30 Republican counties in the nation.  Needless to say, Democrat sitings are rare.)

Well, yesterday we began a discussion in the car that revolved around politics and it went nowhere fast.  It was totally my fault, I brought up the topic that lead to the death spiral.  What the hell was wrong with me? I broke Rule #1 of the Unspoken Rules of Political Disengagement.  In order to protect my husband’s privacy, I will not disclose the discussion.  However, I know he didn’t mean to sound like a stereotypical stuffy, middle-aged, middle-class, white male Republican that demeaned my gender (right, babe?).  I think sometimes he says things that he knows will send me over the edge just for grins and giggles.  Despite the gulf between us in the political arena, I love the big lug.  I just need to remember the URPD!!!  

How do Mary Matalin and James Carville do it?  They can’t avoid this topic.  Both of their jobs revolve around politics and they are in the spotlight frequently especially during Presidential elections – I’ve even seen them on the same news show (it was fun to watch).  It’s inspiring.  Really.  I would love to hear their table talk!  

The URPD also comes into play with my parents, my husband’s parents and a few of my husband’s golf buddies – I’m outnumbered.  Talking politics would be suicide and I’m not quite ready to lay down my life for a cause (pansy liberal!).  I do belong to a secret support group for Democrats in our area – it has 4 members.  We change the location of our meetings every time to protect ourselves.

Damn.  Uh, I think I just outed myself . . . . Hopefully, my neighbors will take pity on me by knowing that my vote for our city mayor, congressional seat, county commissioners, presidential candidate, senate seats, etc. will most likely always be negated by my husband. 🙂

Remember the URPD!

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In The Blink of an Eye

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Yesterday, I posted something about my life getting on my nerves.  And, you know what?  It’s not really that bad – it could be a lot worse.  After posting my rant, I started thinking about an email I received about a week ago and began to feel self-indulgent and ridiculous.

The email informed me that a co-worker from my old place of employment had experienced a tragedy.  He was the catcher during a baseball game – during a play at home, the runner collided with him in such a way that the impact fractured his spinal cord.  This happened on July 1st and he is still in the hospital as of today.  He is on a vent, has a trach, and a feeding tube.  Due to the event, he also started having heart problems so the doctors had to implant a temporary pacemaker.  You can read his story on his blog – Rick’s Recovery.

Rick is one of those rare employees that goes above and beyond the call of duty.  While I worked at Symetra, he was definitely the go-to guy and you could always rely on him to find a solution to your quandary.  I’m sure that he is sorely missed right now.  It’s said that everyone is replaceable – I don’t subscribe to that notion.  There are those that are really, really hard to replace and I believe that Rick is one of those exceptions.

Also, as you know, we’ve joined a CSA this summer – by the way, the fresh veggies have been AWESOME.  The owners of the CSA send us a weekly email which lets us know what to expect in our share and identifies uncommon vegetables.  Well, in the email from last week, they shared with us that one of their friends from Seldom Seen Farm was struck by lightning while working in the field picking onions.  This 28-yr-old woman (with a husband and small child) has been placed  in a medically induced coma, but is breathing on her own which is good news.  I’m sure she woke up that morning thinking it was going to be a normal day.

Both of these stories just reminded me (again) that life can change literally in the blink of an eye.  It’s so cliché to say, but it’s true.  Why do I have to read these tales to snap me out of “it’s all about me” bubble?  I can really get on my own nerves!! 

As part of my “What If” endeavor, I’ve got to start working harder on thinking in a new way.  Life is too short and shouldn’t be taken for granted.  Like anything else, it takes commitment and practice, right?  Today, is the beginning (again!).

Wish me luck..

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Reality, Here I Come!

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Okay, I have finally returned from my back-to-back vacations!  Vacation #1:  vacation with my family in the Outerbanks, NC – home for 5 days (literally) – Vacation #2:  vacation with my husband’s family.  Whew!  It has been one heck of a summer.  I know, I know, you have no pity for the woman who has been on vacation for almost the entire month of July.

Even though I had a great time on my vacations, I was somewhat looking forward to getting back into a routine of some kind.  There is some comfort in routine, right? 

Well, Monday was my first day back and well, now, I’m thinking, “routine, shmoutine.” 

Reality Check #1:

I had painting class on Monday night (my 2nd to last one) and even that is starting to get on my nerves!  How could this be?  It’s supposed to be stress-free me time.  If you recall, I got into painting because it has mostly no rules, isn’t rigid and can be whatever (the opposite of my life).  Well, not according to my art teacher.  I’m doing a still life right now and just about done with it.  At least, I that’s what I thought.   Please look at my candlestick – for some reason, she wanted me to correct the right side of my candle.  She thought I needed to fix, well, I don’t even know!   

The “Still Life”

Do you see something extremely wrong with my candle on the bottom right side where it meets the candlestick?  I mean, really!  You can tell it’s a candle and a candlestick, right?  That is success for me – especially for my 2nd painting EVER!  Why does it have to be exact?  I thought that was why I was taking painting – to NOT be exact!!  I’m tired of being exact!! I told my husband that after my last class next week, that I may take a break from painting class and try some on my own.  I do have some ideas of what I would like to paint, so I guess I will give it a shot all on my own.  I think I’ve got the basic gist of oil painting – it’s really the drawing part that I really need help with :)! 

Reality Check #2:

Our house is now falling apart one piece or part one after the other (probably due to age).  Monday (same day as painting above!) we had to have the water softener peeps come out and fix our 7-year-old water softener – $200.  Tuesday, we had to have the electricians out to rebuild our breaker box from SCRATCH!  We had no power (no air conditioning, no computer, no nothin’) from 8:30am to 4:00pm – $1700.   Welcome home, huh?  The bad thing is that I think our dishwasher is getting jealous and wants a “fix up” job, too. 

Be careful what you wish for!

Reality Bites!
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Relax . . . You’re on Vacation!

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Ahhh…vacations.  They’re all good, right?  I got back from vacation recently and this article spoke to me “Back from the Beach?  You need a Vacation”.  Oddly enough,  it gave me comfort.  Why?  Because apparently I’m not the only nut out there that doesn’t feel relaxed after a family vacation.  Whew! What a relief!  I thought I was alone.

Our vacation in the Outerbanks was really fun and it was great to see my sister (who lives many states away).  It’s just the pre-vacay and post-vacay rituals that stress me out.  Packing a family of 5 ain’t no game and is not for the faint of heart.  Of course, my family thinks my packing rituals/routines are insane, but we rarely forget anything important or critical to our trip.  I’m not a fan of the saying “If we forgot something, we can buy it!’. 

The pre-vacay routine has gotten a little better since my kids are old enough to pack themselves.  When all of the kids were little, it was C-R-A-Z-Y (totyards, diapers, baby food, bouncy seats, etc.). 

The Packing Routine

The formal living room becomes the staging area and the pre-vacay routine typically begins on the Sunday prior to the Saturday departure.

1.  If  you want a certain board game, fishing pole or baseball mitt to come on the vacation, please place it in the staging area. 

2.  Your suitcase must be in this area emptied and ready for loading.

3.  Please grab your pre-printed packing list from the counter (these lists are available a couple of days prior to departure).

4.  If you have a favorite outfit that must go on vacation with you, please put it in the laundry at least 2 days prior to departure.

5.  You are responsible for your own “fun” bag for the car ride – that means electronics, electronic cords, books, etc.

6.  Friday is family truckster loading day and the pre-flight check.

 

Once we arrive at our destination, it usually takes me about a day and a half into the vacation to get into full relaxation mode, but I do eventually get there.  Since we rent a house on a lake, the minute we arrive (after an 8 hour car trip) we must immediately unload the van so I can go the grocery store (you all know how I LOVE The grocery store 🙂 ).  I feel like I never really get a break from the stuff I normally do at home (grocery, laundry, cooking and cleaning).  I wish we could vacation with an “Alice”.  I mean, my husband is an architect!  I thought the live in nanny was automatic (false advertising!).

Of course, the return trip routine is a little easier because we just need to re-pack everything we brought with us.  But, I usually spend half of the last vacation day on the post-vacay ritual.  And, of course, the post-vacay ritual continues once you pull in the driveway – I’m still working on the three 13-gallon trash bags of dirty clothes we brought back with us from our trip to the Outerbanks!  (UGH!! The BANE.)

My bro-in-law appropriately stated that vacations are pretty much about the kids – I couldn’t argue with that!  He can be very insightful :).  That’s why my husband and I take a trip once a year – just us!  That’s my real vacation every year (he can pack himself and clean up after himself :)).

The news article really summed it up for me.  I may have to follow some of the post vacation de-stressing suggestions in the article (except maybe the weeding – I don’t think that would relax me).

Here’s a relaxing scene from the Outerbanks!  Beautiful, isn’t?

Enjoy your summer vacations!
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Really?! You Just Did That?

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It’s summer and I love going to my daughter’s softball games!  There’s nothing like summer, softball (or baseball) and hotdogs, right?!

Okay, we are at my daughter’s softball game waiting for it to start which also means that my son is itchin’ for his pre-game sugar to get him through the evening.  I send him on his way to the concession stand (which is in view) and glance around the field while also keeping an eye on the boy.  That’s when I see something very strange (we go to our state fair every year so I know what I’m talking about).  See the picture of the woman to left?  Well, I’m not sure I’m going to do this justice, but this woman is chatting up the concession stand worker and then all of a sudden she flexes her right arm (you, know the “gun show”) while at the same time grabbing the dangling flab of her right arm with her left hand and starts waving it around.  Keep in mind that she is doing the arm flailing while also still talking to the concession worker.  That’s when my mind starts racing!  ” What the hell did I just see? Am I hallucinating?”  

1.  What the hell was she doing?

2.  Does she know the concession worker (who was hidden in the shadows) and they were comparing flab?

3.  Did she not know the worker, wanted a free slushie and thought the worker would throw her one to get her to go away?

4.  Has her flab shrunk (or grown) and she was proud of it?

5.  What was she saying to the concession worker when she was flailing her flabby tricep? 

Inquiring minds want to know!

I have to say that I wish I had hopped off of my a– to stand behind my son at the concession stand in order to eavesdrop on some of the conversation, but alas, I was frozen to the bleachers in, well,  horror!  What could have the conversation been?!  I’ve never seen anything like it. 

Why do people feel the need to do stuff like that in public?  No one wants to see you pinching or flailing any flab (or anything) in public!  It really goes beyond just flying flab, but I don’t have enough space to talk about all of the icky stuff that I’ve seen people do in the light of day within my eye-space.  This particular incident really just caught me off guard – it was not expected at a rec league softball game.  It did take away from the first game of a doubleheader, but I slowly recovered.  Every day is an adventure, right?

Please, keep your flab (and whatever else)  to yourself!