I'm Back

Good morning, B.

At least, I hope it's getting better as you rest and take care of yourself today. Between the weather and the constant holiday frenzy, it's no surprise that our bodies shut down and rebel against us. I'm not sick, but my body keeps telling me I'm tired and I keep trying to ignore it. I'm convinced that, to combat a plunge into utter laziness, I must get up early each morning, especially since I have no reason to. Whatever. This morning, I listened to myself and didn't wake up until 9:30. Voila! I feel a little better! I'm sure that won't stave off an overwhelming desire to nap in the middle of the afternoon, but today JJ has a 3:00 Dr's appt so the snooze will have to wait.

Can I tell you how glad I am that Christmas is over? Not that it was horrible, by any means. I just kind of have that post-wedding blues thing. Like I mentioned in my email, our Christmas was wonderful...quiet, calm and relaxing. No pressure to be anywhere or go anywhere or have anything clean or ready.

Christmas Eve morning was so much fun with K&R. They picked us up at about 5:50, and, surprisingly, we were ready to go early. I told J: you have 15 years of waiting for me to be ready and being late for things, but R doesn't, and he's a little twitchy, so I'm really making an effort to be on time. We zipped through Starbucks in K's new car (about which she could care less - a car is a car - but the boys were all over it) and then headed up to Seattle in the dark. R narrated the features of the BMW to J along the way, they talked work, and K & I got all caught up on important stuff.

We wandered into the market and up to the top floor of Lowells as the sun started to rise over the sound. K&I treated ourselves to a champagne cocktail with a lemony twist to it and a cherry in the bottom - couldn't have been a more festive looking drink (and yummy too!) Dungeoness crab Eggs Benedict to follow - yes, I was going to have crab for dinner, too! After breakfast, and watching all the ferries come in from various remote ports, we walked through the market as it was opening up. Most of the vendors were still setting up, so it was a little like the opening scene of My Fair Lady, and I loved it! We bought our crab and clams from the fish throwing guys, stopped in at the bakery across the street for a couple of cinnamon rolls for JJ, then made our way home. We were home by 9:20 and JJ was just waking up - perfect!

The rest of that day we spent running little last minute errands we didn't really know we had until we did a gift inventory. Fun, anyway, just the three of us tooting around town. K&R and the boys showed up at 7:00 and we enjoyed way too many appetizers and cocktails before we even sat down to our seafood feast. OMG, I was so full by the time I finally stopped shoving crab and melted butter down my throat and called it quits. T&S and kids stopped by around 8:30 after a day at T's parents' house, so they ate dessert with us which was very fun. They all left around 11, at which time we were still waiting for C to get here from Oregon - she ended up not being able to get the day off and worked until seven! Crazy. She finally arrived just before midnight, when J sat down and did his traditional reading of The Night Before Christmas with the kids.

We've been laying pretty low since then - not doing much at all. On Sunday night, we went over to T&S' house for a "healthy" dinner - we were all so sick of eating junk so we made a huge Chef's salad and it rocked! Afterwards, S and I sat at the computer and drank a bottle of wine together while building a playlist for New Year's Eve on iTunes. J & T sat in the loungers, facing us like an audience, while we sang at the top of our lungs, getting drunk, and yelling "I LOVE this song!" at each other periodically. I have to say, the most fun I had all vacation...great night.

Today I'm not very motivated, but must become so since I have to take JJ to the doc and then create a salad for dinner tonight. We were invited to dinner down the street - never actually had dinner with these people before - they are friends through our wine club friends - but it should be fun. It was awfully nice to have been invited. I'm already feeling overwhelmed, though having been out last night too. Thank God there's tomorrow night and NOTHING PLANNED before New Years. I don't even want to think about that yet.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I've given you every possible detail of every moment of my life since I last wrote, so I'll sign off now. When is W due in? And what is Amateur Night? I hope you're feeling well enough for both Happy Hour and a sleepover with S - enjoy your day tomorrow either way. Oh, and how proud I am of you that you are going to the gym still, even when you're under the weather. You go, girl!
Love you!
A

Timing

Hey, A.

Of course, because I am on vacation, I am not feeling great. After a few days of lots of sniffles and more than my daily share of sneezing, I think I moved beyond my allergies are bothering me to I have a cold, complete with sinus pressure. It's not so bad that I'm planning on going to the doctor and otherwise staying in today, but it is enough that I'm going to avoid the howling wind that I hear outside this morning. I plan to stay in my pajamas and read until this afternoon, when I'll venture to the gym at 1.

Tomorrow I have plans to go to happy hour with L and J in Hartford, then am supposed to head down to spend the night there. C has been talking about my overnight since Christmas, but I suppose I should keep open the option of cancelling on the sleepover if I'm still in the throes of this cold. a) they don't need to catch my cold, and 2) I need my sleep...

I have no big plans for the New Year--definitely not for "amateur night", but W is planning on being here for the last few days of my vacation and we thought we'd go out for a nice dinner and drinks on New Year's Day. Unfortunately the weather forecast might change our plans a little, but we'll adjust as necessary.

Glad you had a good Christmas, hope you're enjoying this week as well...

Love,
Barb

Spent

Hey, A

It took three days (that feels like 5) to celebrate Christmas this year, since my immediate family didn't have Christmas morning festivities until today, and I am spent. Make that Spent. Capital S. But how nice to know that I have an entire week ahead of me to relax and regroup, then ring in the new year and spend some down time with W...all the while hoping a snow storm will cripple the Northeast when it's time to go back to school. Anyway... For now I'll enjoy the next few days with a moderate and manageable social calendar.

I hope you enjoyed your Christmas Eve celebration and Christmas Day, and that you've been able to relax and enjoy the day after.

Look forward to hearing details. I'll try to provide some tomorrow myself.

Love,
Barb

Merry Christmas

Good morning and Merry Christmas.

I hope you had a great day in the city yesterday (wearing that wonderful splash of color!) and a good night last night.

We had a small group at my aunt and uncle's on Christmas Eve, but it was intimate, and nice, and a blessing to have my cousin D there--just a day after her surgery. Today we are getting together at my cousin M's...and because my sisters are doing other things this morning with in-laws, we will have my immediate family gathering tomorrow at my mom's. I'll head over there in just a bit to have coffee with my parents and give them one or two of their gifts, but everything else will wait until tomorrow. Oh, and one more thing, after my family get-together at my cousin's toady, my nieces will be sleeping here tonight. We won't have our typical overnight with staying up late and having cinnamon rolls and bacon for breakfast--since we'll have to get ourselves up and over my parents', but they are excited nonetheless.

And then, a few days to relax...I am looking forward to vacation and spending the the first few days of new year with W, but I am also looking forward simply to being on vacation.

I hope you have a great day today. Sending my love and Christmas wished to you all!
xo,
Barb

Hello for Now

Hey, A.

Of course, because vacation begins in a few short hours, I have a migraine. Right at the beginning of my second class this morning I started strobing like crazy and could hardly see. Now it feels like my head is in a vice....

If you could, please throw some good thoughts out to the universe for my cousin D who is having surgery today.

Glad the package arrived in time for Christmas.

Love,
Barb

Memories

Good morning, Amanda.

Lowell's, huh? I love this picture that I took when we were at Pike Place Market this summer. In fact, it's one of the framed photos in my downtstairs bathroom. Anyway, that's a sweet tradition, and nice that K&R are including you. Yes, it will be early, but once you're there--no, once you're on your way--it'll be all worth it.

I'm looking forward to drinks with M today and A tomorrow, then only one more day until vacation. My cousin D has surgery Wednesday so I'm a little preoccupied by that, along with the list of things I've yet to do that keeps playing in my head, but I know that everything will get done, and D will be fine. And then it will be Christmas. And I'll be on vacation.

Jealous of you and JJ today...Enjoy it for me too!

xo,
Barb

Sleepy...

Hey, B.

Didn't want to leave you hanging on this Monday morning when you still have to be at work, but I'm on my way up to bed so I'll be brief.

Today we spent running errands, just J and I, until we picked up B & JJ, who is staying the night here tonight. I made pulled pork in the crock pot for dinner, which was terrific, then planted my butt on the couch with a glass (ok, that's plural) of wine and watched an episode of CSI followed by an episode of Criminal Minds...now I'll catch Leno in bed, with a channel surf through the news.

JJ&B and I don't have any plans for tomorrow so we'll take it easy, sleep in, etc. I'm so done with my shopping that I even finished all my grocery shopping for Christmas eve and Christmas day dinners. Yahoo! I mentioned that we're having dinner with K&R on Christmas Eve; we are also joining them for their annual tradition of breakfast at Lowells in Pike Place Market, to see the sun rise over the sound, and watch the ships coming in. From there we will head downstairs as the market opens up, to purchase our fresh crab and clams for dinner, and stroll through the booths. We've never been before and are pretty excited - all except that part where they're picking us up at 6:00am. At least there's a Starbucks stop on the way out of town. Should be fun.

I can barely keep my eyes open so I'm going to sign off. I'm hoping your last three days at work are busy enough to make the time go by quickly but not so busy that you're stressed out.

Love you!
A

Projects in Progress

Hey, A.

I'm so happy that you had such a great day AND a grown-up date night last night. I wonder if you've been to the new restaurant before, or if this was your first time there. (I think I remember you saying you had a new place in town.) Of course, I also wonder what the menu is like. I know that's all beside the point, but...you know me. Sounds like a perfect day all around. And the perfect season to have such a day.

Today for me is one of those ADD days, where I can't finish a project before starting another. I clean up a mess and make a new one, and I'm doing projects that can wait for my next snow day or February vacation, really--like framing photos and hanging /rehanging them. And all the while my wrapping sits undone. It's like ADD, procrastination, and anal retentiveness all in one. As it turned out, I'm not snowed in, but content to be in anyway. The next three days will be really busy, with no possibility of attempting a non-essential project, so I guess I'll just go with it today.

And now that I've had my tacos (so unlike me) and written a couple of paragraphs it's time to get back to the debris, and create some more. But the Pats won, my cocktails are tasty, so life is good....

Love you!
Barb

Joy!

Hey, B.

I might get interrupted here as we're waiting to be picked up by K&R for our completely unexpected grown-up dinner date. JJ got invited to Teen Late Night (school thing) with B, then to spend the night over there, so we suddenly had the night to ourselves. This, after having the entire day to ourselves, which was very nice. So we hooked up with K&R to go check out our newest restaurant in town, just the four of us. Delightful! I'm practically giddy! A Saturday night date!

Today was wonderful - we bopped around town running little errands, then strolled through downtown S, finding a cute, cute, cute ornament for C (that's the picture). We ended up at the bar at Applebees for a late lunch before picking up JJ at the movies, then ran a few more errands before heading home. After dropping him off at B's, we went to get gifts for J's admin staff and ended up buying wine club gifts, too, plus two new ornaments for our own tree, at Pier One. I looked and looked for those glasses, but no luck. Oh well...

Tomorrow, cookie baking and, according to JJ, sitting around ALL DAY in our pajamas doing nothing. Can't wait!

I hope your snowstorm is late enough to make a snow day Monday, but if not, I hope you enjoy the winter wonderland tomorrow!

Love,

A

Waiting for the Snow

Hey, A.

As L just texted, what a perfectly good waste of a snow storm--since it's the weekend and we won't get a snow day out of it. Oh well. We are expected to get 14 inches, the highest accumulation in a single storm since February 2006. I went out this morning to the post office (I emailed you about the package) and gym and grocery store and to pick up a few more gifts and now I'm sitting here waiting for the snow, sipping a Bloody Mary. God forbid I wrap a few gifts or star picking up around here. Nope. I just cleaned my diamond earrings, id that counts for anything, then peeked out the window to see if it's snowing yet. I'm actually wondering if maybe I should go out again before it starts.

Hope you're having a good day. I'm sure I'll be writing again soon.

Love you,
Barb

Blizzard Eve

Hey, Amanda.

Whoa. It's 9:50 pm. I just got home a few minutes ago. Seriously. I left this morning for school at 6:45 am and didn't get home until 9:30...but I made a huge dent in my Christmas shopping, your care package is ready to go first thing in the morning (on my way to the gym), and I am soooo enjoying this Brandy Alexander. It's my best one so far this season, even though the ingredients are all the same. (You know, by the way, if I could find some, I'd get you some of the double old fashions you are coveting. If I find anything remotely similar in my travels, in fact, I will hook you up.)

You sound in a great mood, with plans that suit your fancy. Yay. I'm not in a bad mood, but still am looking forward to a good night's sleep. Really, is there anything else so curative as a good night's sleep?...other than maybe a great cup of coffee, or bacon. Or a perfect cocktail. But a good night's sleep doesn't cost anything, contains no fat or calories, and doesn't cause heartburn. So there.

While I was shopping, the weather forecast changed--significantly. This morning in the wee hours as I was getting ready there was talk of a storm that could miss us but was predicted to be more probable just south of CT in Long Island, but not it seems that tomorrow night into Sunday we'll be getting 5-10 inches of snow, with blizzard-like wind. That area south is predicted to get 10-15 inches of true blizzard. Yikes. In light of that, I'm glad I really pushed myself to get as much done as possible, but wonder if I'll need to cancel my plans with M. Tomorrow over coffee I'll watch the latest weather reports to see if they've pinned down a start time. If it doesn't start until late, I'll be fine.

I suppose I should attempt to wrap a thing or two before this Brandy Alexander, and my next take, affect. Again, I'm so happy that you're in a good way, especially that you honored yourself about babysitting. Go you!

Love you,
Barb

The Wicked Witch is Dead

Ahhh. What a good night's sleep and a day with nothing planned will do for the psyche. I did have to deliver Jack's Culture Day food offering to the school, but that was the only commitment I had - a 15 minute one. You'll love this, coming from a Polish family with a gazillion traditional recipes: JJ came home and told me he had to bring a cultural dish that his family cooks at the holidays. I know this is all that PC crap about not being able to have a Christmas party - now we have to celebrate every single holiday from every single religion on the planet, thus resulting in something called "Culture Day". And I'm all for diversity, but really, here in Sumner, I'm thinking there won't be too many exotic dishes pouring in. I hemmed and hawed, especially since, not only are we not cultural, we don't really make anything special at the holidays. Finally, I threw together a huge 9x13 of homemade mac and cheese, covered it in crushed Ritz crackers, and called it good. There. That's my culture. Heinz 57 American, baby.

Need I say, not a bite was leftover.
Oh, and Merry Christmas.

Since I was up and out at that point, I decided to go get my nails done - or try, at least, thinking there would be no way I would get in. But, the place was dead and my guy was free right away. He plopped three unread People magazines in front of me and voila! an hour of total pampering. Not only that, he was bothered by my dry cuticles so he gave me a bottle of cuticle oil that is normally some ridiculous price, as a Christmas present. Cute, huh?!

As I was driving home, via the Starbucks drivethru for my eggnog latte, I was all excited to have the entire rest of the day to write and read at my computer. I hadn't blogged much this week because I didn't have much to say, but all of a sudden I felt like I could write for hours. Today was our last school day (I can't believe you guys go all the way to Wednesday - WTF?) so I knew JJ would be in the door and out again in seconds. I am supposed to go to this party tonight at a friend's house, someone I met in PTA last year. She comes to all of my stuff and I really do like her, but I'm not feeling much in the party-with-people-you-don't-know-well mood. I am far more inclined to put on my slippers, make a killer cocktail and wander over to S&T's, where everyone else in BLU will be, for dinner and drinking. However, good friend that I am, I will make an appearance at JA's party then beg off early. Not like my co-eds will be done partying by the time I get back.

I said no to the babysitting, if you haven't guessed. I said no and didn't feel guilty. Then I was totally vindicated this afternoon, when CC called me to ask is her kids could come over for a couple of hours while she went to get her hair cut. I didn't even make up a lie, or give her a reason, I just said, "No, I can't today." Big girl me! The thing is, like I told J, at that point I was just so pissed off that the only reason they ever call me is when they need a babysitter...that's not what I'm here for! They still haven't mentioned Christmas dinner...that's another story altogether and I won't even bore you with it.

This morning, T said he was going to invent a pill that would erase entire thoughts from your head. Like I could take one that would erase CC. I know I bitch about her all the time and it drives everyone nuts; I don't even know why she bugs me so intensely. I don't know what it is I can't let go of, why I spend so much energy on the two of them. They are who they are and I can't change that. I just get sooooo twisted up over the stupidest, most unimportant things with them. Grrr...

Anyway, so that's tonight's plan. Tomorrow JJ and his football team and going to see Avatar to celebrate the end of their 7-1 season, and the end of flag football for them :( Next year, it's school football - all tackle and serious. Or, as I like to say to embarrass them, because that is my job, "Big Boy Football." I kill myself. I think J and I will take the three hour opportunity to do a little last minute shopping in downtown S - you know, where all those cute little kitschy shops are - (we still haven't got C's ornament for this year - that's all) and maybe go to lunch together, or something utterly romantic and sweet like that. No plans tomorrow night, which is kind of odd.

Sunday is wide open too. J has this plan for Christmas Eve that we'll all decorate Christmas cookies together, so maybe I'll make the cookies Sunday. K & R and their boys will come for dinner that night, and K loves to decorate cookies as much as J does, so it should be fun. This is our second year doing Christmas Eve with the gang, but T&S have a family dinner this year so it will just be the eight of us. We started this "tradition" of having clam chowder, fresh crab and shrimp. K&R will do all the cooking, so I'll just kick back with a festive bev and enjoy the treat. Gosh, wish I had one of those glasses... :)

Between now and then, I really have nothing left that has to get done, besides normal household stuff. Like my hardwood floors are pretty sticky. And the bathrooms are pretty icky. But really, who wants to do that kind of stuff? I'd just as soon go spend some more money and buy more presents.

Anyway, I'm going to go read some now and try to write a little too. I hope you had a successful day shopping and that you did, indeed, "belly up" to the steak. How about we say, "treat yourself" instead? I'm quite certain you deserve it.

Love you,
A

Grouchy McGrouchster

Ugh. I'm grumpy tonight and I have no idea why. I've been abnormally tired the past few days but have not had any cold or flu symptoms, so I know I'm not sick. But I think I could sleep all day, even though I sleep like a rock at night. Weird. Finally, tonight, I'm just grouchy and want some peace and quiet. A friend of ours recently had knee surgery, so tonight we went over to visit and brought dinner. It wasn't busy or anything, but I'm really craving quiet.

Now that we're home, JJ is running around getting his shower, and wants to watch tv with me before bedtime. J is practicing his bagpipe which normally doesn't bother me in the slightest but is grating on me right now.

I need to go to bed and get out of my own way. More tomorrow when I'm not such a beotch.

xo
A

Calm before the Madness

Hey, A.

I don't envy you that battle between I'll feel guilty if I don't and how dare they even ask?! that's knocking around in your head. I wonder what you'll decide. Please share when you do.

Today is my last quiet night for a while, I'm afraid. Other than the gym, I stayed in tonight, had a low key dinner and made my lists, and tweaked my lists, and picked up a little, and am now winding down with my third glass of wine (but there's still half a bottle, so I'm not over pouring). Tomorrow the craziness begins, but--quite honestly--I'm looking forward to it. Some of it, anyway. This is what the next few days look like for me:

Thursday: faculty meeting and holiday get together at that restaurant you and I went to and met up with M. if I have energy after, I'll try to run an errand or two, maybe just a quick trip to the liquor store to restock my brandy, vodka, and Prosecco. Get home, get in jammies. Make treats.

Friday: pay day. Let the real shopping begin. Start after school at post office, mail your package, proceed to mall madness. Maybe belly up for a 10 dollar steak if I get enough done. Maybe go home and make more treats.

Saturday: sleep in, if I can. Have coffee, get my ducks in a row, go to gym, finish or continue shopping. Come home, wrap what I can, head to M's at 5 for dinner with her and her son. Brandy Alexander (in one of my fun double old fashioned glasses) with my name on it when I get home safely.

Sunday: gym, breakfast (brunch) with mimosas, finish making treats, wrap. Open to invitations, perhaps to inviting someone here. Or not.

Monday: after school meet friend from dentist's office that I've reconnected with lately at one of my (and W's) fave places for happy hour.

Tuesday and Wednesday: suffer through two more days of school with students who have been checked out for a week. Resist temptation to hooch up my coffee or stash nips in my car. ;-) Stick a fork in me. I'm done.

Then, vacation begins Thursday, Christmas Eve at last.

Wonder what your next few days look like. I am jealous that you are all shopped and wrapped, but pretty certain it won't be all peace and quiet for you either. In fact I hope it's not...There's just something about all the visiting and hurrying and stopping only when you really need to and can therefore really appreciate the peace and quiet that says Christmas. Don't you think?

Love you,

Barb

Family Stress...Again...

Hi there.

Just a quick note to say how much I love that glass! Sounds like you had a relaxing evening, as did I. J wasn't home until 10 and JJ was out playing since it's late start Wednesday tomorrow, so I had some Me time. I spent it writing cards and shopping on line, but I really wish I had plunked down on the couch with a blanket and watched tv. I did catch a Christmas movie with JJ before he went to bed, which was nice.

My plan is to finish all of my shopping tomorrow and be done with it. Then I have nothing left to do, really. The cards are done and will go in the mail in the morning and the gifts that I've already purchased are all wrapped. Yahoo!

Now I'm stressing over a request from my Bro to babysit on Friday night. The thing is, every part of me wants to say "Are you kidding?" After inviting your friends for dinner and asking for wine, and sleeping through Thanksgiving and not helping and not contributing and not showing up to the 12 Drinks and not even RSVPing to let the hostesses know? Now you need me for something? Seriously?

And then that little tiny do-the-right-thing part of me thinks, well, they have no money, they could probably use a night out and can't afford a sitter, it's Christmas and all...

...but then I'm supposed to go to this Girl's Night anyway, which I'm thinking of bagging since it would be one night we'd have this week without something one of us has to go to....

ARGH!!!!

I'm going to bed. Sleep won't solve my problem but at least I'll stop thinking about it for a few hours.

Love you!
A

Drowsy

Hey there, A.

I'm just home from school, a department meeting, and a nail appointment. As you know, I have to take Benadryl before I get my nails done, so I'm usually shot after my appointments, and today is no exception. I'm in my pajamas (lounge wear, I guess), sipping a cocktail from my favorite holiday glass (that'll help the drowsiness, no doubt!) while my halibut is coming to room temperature on the counter. At this point all I'm ready to do is eat and put my feet up, maybe write out a few more Christmas cards.

This time of year it seems like my days are either crazy--out Christmas shopping and running errands from place to place to place (like yesterday) stopping for a bite to eat I can't really afford-- or completely mellow, like tonight. Yes, I didn't get home until almost 5, but I am taking a night off from the malls. The way Christmas takes shape tonight is sitting by my tree and sipping from my Christmas cocktail glass. I have to say, I love nights like tonight...

Hope you are having a good day and that you have a chance to sit by the tree tonight too...with J, who loves it so much.

xo,
Barb

Awesome, Quiet Day

Hey, you.

Great to hear your voice today too. And although there are some pressing worries, I'm glad to hear your Christmas spirit even on the page.

I promised to read and write tonight but, of course, didn't sit down to do so until after 9:00. Soooo....here I am, at 10:30, more in the mood for bed than for writing. I did get some wrapping done, though, after about half an hour of frustration over trying to make a stupid save-the-date card with a photograph on it. I'm sure I just don't have the right software or know the right websites, but I just can't bear to turn it over to CC. Not because I don't want her to help, but because the way things have been going lately, they simply won't get done. So I'll try to figure it out later - I kind of picked up on your idea of waiting til after the beginning of the year so as not to mix with Christmas cards anyway.

Liked your list - here's mine:

House Decor: Done. Done, done, done. Thank God for The 12 Drinks.
Cards: Purchased. Stamps too. I better slow down.
Presents: Still have some shopping to do for J. He's impossible. Everyone else is done. Wahoo!
Treats: Bought peppermint bark and Almond Roca. J insisted. Oh, and I objected. Right. I did make a huge batch of my now-almost-famous carmel corn.
Mood: Awesome. Had most of the day to myself which I really needed. Coping with the M issue pretty well. So far.

Tomorrow school in the morning then I have the whole day to wrap and shop and catch up on CSI reruns. We have something going every single night this week so I plan to spend my days as quietly and as alone as possible!

Love you!
A

Mixed Nuts

Hey, A.

It has been a great weekend, including those moments I got to spend on the phone with you a little while ago. Yay. So much feels good: my mood, my holiday spirit, planning my parents' 50th anniversary party; so much is terribly wrong: my nephew and his eating disorder, my sister and her closeted relapse. I am trying to focus on the positive without ignoring the negative, yet without owning all that is wrong. I must say it is somewhat difficult for me to feel victory in keeping a safe distance from the ugliness. I'm not sure I realized, until these past few months, after what now feels like a long hiatus that has come to an abrupt stop, how much of my life and my energy I have spent making things right or trying, taking responsibility for things/people that were/are wrong/sick. Fortunately, I have good and wise friends like you and J who remind me that there are things that I cannot fix, that are not mine to fix--or sit and worry about and waste weekends doing so. I'll get there....Just like I'll get to Christmas. My progress?

Decorations? Done.
Tree? Up.
Cards? Not done. The 4 I told you about probably don't count.
Presents? A few are all set. Most are still not purchased, but on a very organized and precise list.
Treats? (this year's holiday treat is bark...white, dark, milk with all sorts of hidden surprises...you may find some in your package) In progress.
Mood? Good. That's probably most important.

Given the 7 day forecast, another snow day before vacation is unlikely, but we only have 8 school days to go. And the fun starts this week! Our faculty happy hour (at the restaurant we went when you last visited and met M there) is Thursday after our monthly faculty meeting. C and I have a girls' night dinner planned, and I'm actually looking forward to the shopping I still have to do. Before I know it, I'll be on vacation and Christmas will be here.

So glad you had fun at your annual 12 drinks progressive party and that festivities didn't take a toll today. I'll let you know exactly when I get your package out this week, but promise it will be THIS WEEK. Have fun wrapping, or party planning, or writing, or whatever you feel like tonight...

Love you!
Barb

Frazzled, Already

Hey, A.

Love your winter wonderland! Thanks for your visual reminder of the season, for making me sit down and take a deep breath and try to get back in good spirits, despite the stress I am feeling about grades. [Deep breath.] They'll get done. It's good that you went to the gym but it's also okay to sit and write for a minute and your enjoy your tree. They're mid-quarter progress reports, after all, certainly not the end of the world. Okay, I'm good now.

Yes, good to keep things in perspective. I just found out that I need to update my certification (from provisional to professional) to the tune of $375--by February 3. Have I mentioned that my parents' anniversary party is January 23?... which comes right after Christmas? ARG! But, you're right to notice that I, like you, will make it work, and I have a lot to feel fortunate about, including 2 living parents celebrating a 5oth anniversary and a job that I've been at for a dozen years and that I really have no chance of losing. So I'm good too. Broke, but good.

My weekend promises to be mellow. I'm not going anywhere, not having anyone here. Just me and my Christmas cards and my parents' invitations to address.

Can't wait to hear what you decide for your drink and appetizer for the 12 drinks celebration. If I don't hear from you before, I look forward to hearing all about it after. If I recall correctly, there are often interesting stories...

Love you!
Barb

Keepin' it in perspective

Hey! I was so glad to hear you got your first snow day today! I truly hope you spent it well (i.e. not working-at-home).

I had a snow day too. Inside my house. Long story very short, my furnace went out sometime yesterday morning. When we woke up this morning it was 53 in the house and continued to get colder until the repair guy got here. He fixed it - NOT - but then had to come back later this evening to fix it again. 350-right-before-Christmas-dollars later, I have heat again. Probably would have loved that laptop for the same price, but funny how being cold will put things in perspective.

I was very good about the whole thing in terms of complaining, I have to say. I was very quick to remember that there are people with no heat and no shelter, and to recognize that being able to come up with $350 at this time of the year is a true blessing. Still. Glad I can take off some of these sweaters now.

Nothing much else going on...doing some finish-up shopping on line tonight while J is at band practice and JJ is at football. Enjoying a glass of wine while waiting for Glee to be on (my new totally favorite show - even though it's over tonight). Tomorrow no plans, really...probably get my cards written. This Saturday is our annual 12 Drinks of Christmas party so maybe I'll plan my menu and do my shopping. Friday night we're going to a concert at a local church, which I'm really looking forward to. I went last year with my book club and was completely blown away - this choir is amazing. I raved about it so much that J and JJ will join us this year. Other than that, not much to report.

We do have actual snow expected on Friday and Saturday (not the kind that was on my fingertips all day). I'm excited - we've only had one 12 Drinks in the snow and it was so much fun. I'll have to send some pics of the lights in the neighborhood.

I'm too tired to think of anything else to write, so I'll sign off. Hoping you enjoyed your day and :) maybe have another one tomorrow!

Love,

A

Back from Boston

What a weekend! W and I had a fun, a whirlwind 24 hours here, and then I was off to Boston with C. We too had a great time, so happy with our decision to do the excursion on a Sunday-Monday this year since we got an earlier start than when we head up after school, and still we didn't get home last night until 10.

We stayed at the Back Bay Sheraton, where we checked in early. Once the car was parked and our bags were plopped on our respective full size beds, we started our girls' splurge with lunch at Atlantic Fish Company on Boylston. From there we went shopping, and eventually back to the room to rest before dinner. Originally we thought we might go to the North End for dinner, but I wasn't feeling well (I think I may have developed an allergy to shell fish...of all things!) so we stayed in the Back Bay for dinner, and rescheduled our Italian adventure for lunch Monday.

We were able to get a late check out so were not in any hurry in the morning. In fact, we rather enjoyed saying, hmmm, second period is ending; we're in our jammies. Eventually we headed to Starbucks in the lobby for OJ for mimosas, and at noon we were walking through the Pru Shops. When we checked out we headed to the North End--starving. After lunch (which was yummy!) we did some shopping there--the salumeria, a couple of wine shops, pastries from Modern Pastry. We stopped at the Bell and Hand (to get validation for the parking lot, of course!) and then drove to Coolidge Corner for a TJs stock-up. Afterward, W met us at a Vietnamese place so we could visit and have a snack before hitting the road.

I was tired today at school, but am currently encouraged by the weather forecast which calls for a storm to hit in the wee hours and will undoubtedly result in a delay or a snow day...How I'd love a whole day to finally get my tree done, but would settle for a delay for a little extra sleep.

Sounds like your weekend was good overall; sounds like tonight might be tough. How terribly, terribly sad. Good luck getting through it...

Love you,
Barb

PS Have you read Testimony by Anita Shreve? I just finished it. LOVED IT. Great book.

Welcome Home!

Hey, you.

Sorry I missed your call this weekend! I was thinking about you, though, hoping you were having an awesome visit with W and a great trip to Beantown. Can't wait to hear all about it.

Our weekend kind of started Thursday night with this FD dinner we had to go to. Actually, I had a choice; I could have let J go alone, but I figured it was a free dinner (night off from cooking too!) and kind of a grown up night out, so I went. It wasn't totally miserable, but it was pretty f'in boring. I was trying to get to know this new gal (wife of J's new Asst. Chief, whom he loves) and I did get a chance to chat with her, but there were other people there I had to talk to also and could have done without that. I wasn't being a very good wifey wife. I really try to watch my booze intake when I'm with that crowd so taking the edge off the boredom is about as good as it gets.

Friday I spent the day in the city with K, wax day you know. We had brunch at one of our fav places on Capitol Hill, spicy Bloody Marys included. Made a run through Nordstrom (to return that stupid red dress) on the way home. Had a great quiet evening at home with the three of us. Saturday we were up at the crack of dawn for a 7:15 football game, which would have been sooooo much more enjoyable had it been about 30 degrees warmer. At least it wasn't snowing or raining.

The rest of the day we were pretty much on the go, attending a community breakfast, running errands, finishing the decorating, then heading out for a FD retirement party that evening. I was kind of dreading it, but it turned out to be pretty fun. Since the food SUCKED, I didn't eat much, and my plan to not drink too much at FD functions kind of went sideways on me before I knew it. By the time we got home, I was pretty hammered, and we had houseguests so we continued to drink until midnight. All I ever ended up eating was peanuts after a small piece of chicken and a roll at dinner.

Needless to say, Sunday morning was not full of sunshine for me. We went out for breakfast with K & S, our friends from California who were just in town overnight for the Seahawks game. Of course, I ordered a massive omelet with everything in it, being that I was starving, and drank about a half gallon of coffee. God, I wish I could remember what a bad idea that is after a boozy night. I spent the rest of Sunday complaining about my stomachache and my headache, moving from couch to couch and generally being a pain in everyone's butt. I'm sure J loved me.

Today is the funeral for the police officers in Tacoma, so J won't be home until late. I thought about getting some Christmas shopping done, but got reading and writing and now it's noon; I'm still here. Don't think I'll go anywhere after all. It's flippin' freezing here, and although I'm sure it's nothing compared to what it is where you are, it's really atypical for us and I'm dying. It's bright and sunny, so it's very pretty, but I'm kind of the belief that if it's going to be this cold, it really ought to do something useful, like snow.

Anyway, I do have to make a short trip to the grocery store, and now that I'm all caught up on blogging, I should get that done before JJ gets home. Looking forward to hearing all about your weekend - hope you're enjoying your short week!
Love,
A

A Minute to Spare

Hey, it's me.

I tried to catch up the easy way yesterday, by calling, but had no luck. I'll be busy today getting lesson plans ready for Monday (my personal day/overnight adventure in Boston with C) and then getting ready here at home, moving beyond what I got done last Sunday and doing laundry. I'll try to write more later but in case I don't get around to it I wanted to say and let you know I haven't forgotten you.

Glad to hear you had a good Thanksgiving and a weekend that ended with a day in pajamas...Perfect!

Love,
Barb

Catching Up

Hey,

Very cool sparkly trees! Don't feel bad about not getting any decorating done; I didn't even get as far as the gym, which I actually meant to do. So kudos to you! And so glad to hear you had such a wonderful vacation. 52 people???? God, what on earth am I complaining about?

Our Thanksgiving was good. I'll start low and work my way up...

My parents are serious energy vampires, so by the time they left, I was exhausted. They aren't around much, but they seem to always be needing something. Right now. Drop what you're doing and take care of this. The other thing is that they make plans and change them constantly, with no regard for anyone else's plans. It gets a little (a lot) annoying. Of course, then there's the bro and CC; don't get me started.

Dinner on Thursday was ok - the food was good, but I was so resentful of them (Bro and CC) that I was probably just pissy. I wish I could stop expecting anything more of them than the usual half-hearted efforts to help. I know they don't have any money, which is fine, even if I can't afford it either. (On top of which, my parents invited friends but the only thing they pitched in for was the booze.) So I was all kinds of grumpy (inside) about having footed the bill for a dinner for 12, but I fully expected (silly me!) that Bro might contribute in some way, like doing the dishes or...not falling asleep on the couch right after dinner and staying there until it was time to go home. Unbelievable. Utterly.

HOWEVER!

As for time with my nuclear family, that was great. C, J, JJ and I spent a lot of time together doing fun stuff like shopping, attending the local tree lighting downtown, etc. We also got a chance to kick off our Christmas season with our traditional viewing of The Santa Clause. And it was just us, so we didn't have to crank the volume up over my dad's snoring, or get up in the middle of it to go do something else my parents wanted to do. Yahoo! We had a couple of quiet dinners together and since my folks left early Sunday morning, we had all day to hang around the house in our pjs, drinking coffee and watching tv. That was awesome!

Today I did a little more decorating, but not a ton. I was vegetative this morning, after having stayed up last night until almost 1:00, watching reruns of Criminal Minds. I have no idea why I didn't turn it off. So by 10:30 this morning I was still curled up on the couch in my blanket, nursing my coffee. Finally decided to shower and motivate, but by that time it was noon, which pretty much shot most of my day. Still, no regrets. I needed to unwind, I think.

Tomorrow lunch with KB and car service (oil, lube, etc.) then football in the afternoon. We have some friends coming to visit this weekend from California so I'm hoping to get all the decor done by then, but we'll see. Saturday JJ and E, his best bud, are going indoor rock climbing after football, for E's birthday. I want to go along and take pictures; E's mom is going to climb with them. Yeah, I'm not that adventurous, but it will be fun.

Nothing much going on other than that. I am sending you some pics on email from the weekend; one turned out so well I decided to do Christmas card pictures after all. Originally I was all weirded out about M not being in the picture, but you know what? It is what it is.

Anyway, my resolve to get to bed early tonight is already shot, as it's almost 11 now. I'm glad you have a fun weekend to look forward to, Boston AND chocolate cake...!

Love you,
A

All that Glitters...

Hey there, A.

Two days later and I haven't accomplished another single thing...for Christmas anyway. I have managed to get up and go to work, and I did go to the gym yesterday, and today somehow got roped into cleaning the prep room at school, but my tree is still in storage and other decorating is at a stand still. (Meanwhile, cleaning the prep room kept me at school longer than I needed or wanted to be, which made me miss my window of time at the gym. Oh well. I hate peer pressure!) Anyway, in all honesty, if I didn't put my tree up until after the weekend I'd be okay with that. In fact, maybe it would be fun to do the night I get back from Boston when I'll be more in the spirit! And I won't give up hope for a snow day either...

I'm glad you figured out the computer glitches and that you're back in business. Doesn't it suck being without a computer!?!? Now that you're in working order, I'm looking forward to hearing more about your holiday.

Love,

Barb

No Leftovers, Full Plate

Hey, Amanda.

It's noon and I haven't gone to the gym, there is no bacon in the oven, and I'm not sipping mimosas, but I am having a good day. Just changing things up a bit.

~~~

Now it's 4:30, and I'm taking a break from decorating for Christmas to finish this post I from which I somehow got called away--probably by my own ADD...Looked at a bowl and decided I needed to put it in storage; then thought, may as well get some Christmas things and get started decorating while I'm down there; oh, wait, let me look up my notes from last Christmas first; then remembered to finish bleaching down my kitchen counters...You know how that goes, don't you? Oops, here it goes again. Just decided to take some sauce out of the freezer to get it simmering on the stove to have for dinner a little later. LOL

~~~

Back again. Going to try to finish my post without any other distractions, well, without giving in to any other distractions.

It has been a busy, but good weekend. Thanksgiving at my cousin H's was great! There were 52 of us this year, and a good time was had by all. I stayed overnight, and enjoyed that part of the holiday too--a tradition that had lapsed the last couple of years. All the girls who were staying overnight with me (S, A, and my cousin K's daughter J are all around the same age as my cousin H's youngest daughter M) set up my bed with a tiara on the pillow and their air mattresses on the floor at the foot of my bed. How cute is that?!? In the morning I was the first up so I sat and enjoyed my coffee while reading in their sun room, which I adore. Eventually everyone else got up and D made cinnamon French toast and the girls went upstairs to play and H, D, and I had Bloody Marys in the sun room. I stayed until 2.

Friday night, after the Black Friday shopping crowds were long gone, I did a little shopping and went out for my weekly steak. Then Saturday (yesterday) I went out for a late lunch with my aunt and in the evening went to my sister M's for another impromptu family get together. Today I've been putzing around getting some decorating done, since I don't have next weekend to do it.

W decided he wanted to come down Saturday (yay!), and then go to his niece's graduation Sunday--even though he knows I’m going to Boston without him on Sunday for my annual getaway with C. I'll drop him off Sunday morning at the U of H before I head to Boston. He'll get a ride back with his aunt, and we'll get together for a drink later Sunday night or Monday afternoon in Boston, at which point I’ll also give him back his bags.

But back to reality and/or the tasks at hand. I have a week of work between now and then and my decorating to finish and some laundry to do. Oh, and that sauce on the stove!

Hope all is well with you.
Love you,
Barb

Light Show

Hi, Amanda,

I imagine your parents are still visiting and the lights on and around your house are still going up...I hope your Thanksgiving was memorable (in a good way) and that you are enjoying the long holiday weekend.

Can't wait to catch up!

Love you,
Barb

Mostly Full

Hey, you.

I'm so sorry you are having such a hard time with M these days...It's not whining. It's acknowledging that you're a little sad. Despite your great visit so far with your folks and JJ's surprise vacation, and having the Husband of the Year, you're a little blue. Of course you are. It's the holidays; it's what people do during the holidays--think about what's missing despite everything that's still there. Give yourself that.

Can you talk to J or your parents about it? How are your parents are with it all? Quietly supportive? As in, we know not to bring it up because we'll all become a mess, but we know what's on your mind because it's on our minds too? Or in complete denial? Or bringing it up at every turn? Maybe you can reach out--if and when you can. In the end I bet that will feel better than Prozac. But what do I know?

One half-day left before my "[h]oliday" begins, and I'm quite looking forward to it. For years and years I'd spend most of the night before Thanksgiving--what my b-i-l J calls the biggest night of the year--at Stella's. But now, I haven't done that in years. You know, ever since I got all responsible and what not. ;-) Instead, I enjoy that half day of school to follow it with a grown up lunch and the last opportunity to shop without nightmarish lines. Then I go home and relax, knowing I don't have to wake up in the morning, and don't have to be anywhere until 3. I love that. Love, love, love that.

Also love being able to post whenever...

For now, I sign off. I'll write tomorrow, maybe tomorrow night after my grown up lunch, and will definitely call between now and Thanksgiving.

Love you, B

PS Oh, and for the record, I decided that a) you probably wish you had stuck with the smaller Pandora chain and 2) since I haven't sent yet that along with J's t-shirt, I'm going to wait a little longer to include a couple of more things... xoxo

Dreary Tuesday

Hey,

Sounds like you had a memorable weekend...so glad it was what you needed! Did you buy anything cool at C&B? I've been drooling over the Christmas catalog and being secretly thankful that the nearest store is so far away. I'm pretty sure I can get those cookie cutters at Walmart, albeit not as fun to shop for.

Last night, HY (Husband of the Year) suggested we go to a movie (??? - I'm sure the aliens will bring back my real husband any minute now.) So we went to see The Blind Side, which was amazing, and I think everyone in the world should see it. Afterwards, we went across the street to BL's newest, hippest restaurant (where I got the fish tacos last week) for a beer. 10:15 on a Monday night and the place was hoppin'. You think we've been waiting for a decent restaurant around here?!!

Today I'm trying to get motivated to do something, even though I really don't have anywhere to go (except the post office) or anything to do (house is clean...can't really cook the mashed potatoes early, can you?) That movie hit me a little hard (mother/son story) and I'm having a pretty bad "Matt day". He left a message on the phone for Jack last night, just calling to say hi...it about kills me to hear his voice. I keep second guessing myself on things like Should I call and invite him for Thanksgiving? Well of course not, because what if he actually came? How awkward and untimely would that be? And yet, what kind of mother am I that I don't at least ask? Arghh....

Coupled with my whacked bro and CC, I've had about enough of family. I need a vacation (I'm being serious, even though it's like I'm on vacation every day, not working). I feel like I need to get out of my house and my life for awhile - just a long weekend would be good.

Whine, whine, whine. All is well, it's just that I'm really dreading the holiday(s) and wishing I were still on Prozac. As much as I cried in the movie last night, I'm really not looking forward to any emotional moments over the next month or so. Thank God J and I are doing well and that my parents aren't the problem (for once).

I think I'll take a shower and at least do the post office run. It will get me out of the house, which is as close to a vacation as I'm going to get right now!

Love you, A

Lots of Love

Dear Amanda,

It was a great weekend! And now I can’t wait for the next…the long holiday weekend that’s only a couple of days away. But back to my weekend away.

We had great weather and a great time. Just being right at Quincy Market was fun. I have pictures from the balcony of our hotel room that will give you a sense of how right there, in the middle of it all, we were. We had drinks at the new Hard Rock Café there (it used to be in the Back Bay, if you recall), and dinner at McCormick and Schmick’s. I got to shop at C&B, and on Saturday W and I went to our first date place that we usually go around our “anniversary” (but sometimes closer to his birthday). We have the same bartender every time we go on a Saturday, and it’s a nice tradition. It was great to spend some time in Boston, some time with W, and to have my first Brandy Alexander of the season with him. I spent the weekend in love with W and in love with Boston, and it was just what I needed.

Sounds like you had a great weekend too. (Yay for us!) And how awesome for JJ to get to go on vacation with your parents!...And for you to have a little time alone with J?... ;-)

I get my computer back in working order this afternoon and can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to that. I’ll post those pictures later and maybe write a bit more then too. For now, Good Morning and Happy Monday!

Love,
B

Surprise Ending

Welcome Home! I am anxious to hear all about your weekend...hoping it was all you had hoped for.

I had a great weekend...which ended on a perfect note. Friday night, we met D&M (from Watson& Crick Cafe night) at a new place up near the airport, that I found randomly online. Turned out to be awesome and we can't wait to go back. We hadn't seen them in almost a year, so it was great to catch up and get reconnected.

Saturday, football in the morning, as usual. In the afternoon we went down to the theater at the highschool with CK and JK to see a friend's son star in Singin' in the Rain. Totally worth going, even though I don't think J was all that interested in the beginning. He loved it more than anyone! We got home and finished up some yardwork, then decided to go to Applebee's for dinner. Afterwards, we met up at S&T's to sample his new salmon recipe and drink away our Saturday night.

This morning, my parents were due to come over, having returned from Hawaii late last night. My mom and I went to a craft fair in Tacoma, which turned out to be a dud, so we went to Costco instead. K&R had invited us all for dinner tonight (sans BroJ & CC); my parents graciously accepted since they had not received an invite to their own son's house, you know, the one with no social graces who can't think to invite his own parents to dinner one night out of the five that they are in town.

The five of us, Mom, Dad, J, JJ and I, had a fabulous dinner with T&S, K&R&TN; lots of great food and good wine. As it got later, I realized that JJ has school tomorrow and my parents are due to head north to visit their friends in Whidbey Island for a couple of days before Thanksgiving. My dad and I were talking about how I volunteer at school on Mondays, and he asked if I still went in if JJ were absent. "Yes," I said, "because I work in a different room on Mondays." "So," he said, "if JJ were absent, for example, for three days on Thanksgiving week, that wouldn't really affect you, would it?" It took me a minute to catch on, but all of a sudden, J and I were deciding to let JJ go off on vacation with my parents, on a total whim. Later, JJ asked me if I had known about the "surprise" all along. I laughed and told him no, I don't think even Grandad knew about the surprise until it came out his mouth. So typically my Dad, so much the Dad I knew growing up...telling JJ that he'd learn a lot about life in three days up north that he wasn't going to learn in school. It made my heart full.

So he's all packed and ready to be dropped off at their hotel before I report to school. He's not supposed to eat breakfast because they have a "great free breakfast at the hotel"...he's in seventh heaven and it will be a miracle if he can fall asleep before midnight.

And that's how my weekend ended...a terrific dinner with great friends and family, and a surprise holiday vacation for my kid with his grandparents. I couldn't possibly ask for a better way to face Monday morning!

Hope your weekend was equally awesome...looking forward to hearing all.
Love you, A

Make it be Friday

Hey, A.

I just cried about a parent issue with an assistant principal who was unsupportive. I pulled it together to see out the rest of the day, but tomorrow is another story. I’m spent. I’m over tired and frustrated and not for a minute feeling bad about taking a sick day tomorrow. I could barely wake up this morning and I’m sure it’ll be worse tomorrow. So I’ll sleep in and do what I need to do and get to Boston before traffic, relaxed and ready to enjoy the luxury of it all.

I really need this weekend…more than I thought I would…

I’ll fill you in when I get back. Between now and then I hope you have a good weekend too!

Love you, Barb

Stuffed Acorn Squash

My appetizer was fabulous and a big hit all around. I even reheated one last night and it was just as good. Can you send me your chili recipe?

Envious!

Hey there.

Tuesday already...I have no idea where Monday went. So glad to hear from you this morning, since I never checked the computer yesterday. I'm looking forward to your trip to Boston, too! That sounds awesome. I miss Faneuil Hall and all of its surrounding goodies. I know, I have Pike Place, but it's not the same! What a guy you have, too, to agree to the fancy B&B over the ball game. :) (And yes, I know how much sports tickets cost because I wanted to get JJ Seahawks tickets for Christmas and I almost fell over when I went looking. Personally, I think it's insane. Particularly since college ball games cost just as much! Even with our crappy teams up here!!) Anyway, I look forward to hearing about the romantic getaway!

Portland was fun - we met up with C and a friend of hers and had lunch on the waterfront. Unfortunately, it felt more like we were eating on a crab boat in the Bering sea, it was raining that hard. Whatever...we were inside and I was savoring a scrumptious crab and artichoke sandwich. We went from there to the train show, which, surprisingly, was really cool. Not that I was dreading it or anything, I don't mind that sort of thing. But I actually enjoyed it much more than I had anticipated. JJ loved it and was a little sad to leave after two hours.

CC had told me about "an amazing and dirt cheap" craft store in Vancouver, so, of course, we had to check it out. Turns out it wasn't exactly dirt cheap, but it did have twice the selection of your run-of-the-mill craft stores, and all of the fall stuff was 70% off. I am trying to make a fall wreath so I bought a bunch of random berries and leaves and...???...that I'm not entirely sure what to do with. I bet I'll figure it out, Mini Martha that I have become. Hopefully before it's time to put up the Christmas wreath.

Little kudos to J for the day: as we were driving home, the song from Dirty Dancing came on. After singing along, I said, "We should go home and curl up in our pjs and watch that movie." Of course I wasn't serious - I mean, I was, but I didn't expect that would be met with a rousing "Sure!" But, after dinner, he goes and finds the movie, puts it in, and sits on the couch with me for the rest of the evening. Hello! This, after spending an hour and half in a craft store, and paying for all my stupid stuff! That's a lot of estrogen. I love him.

Yesterday I delved back into the 50th Anniversary Party Planning Nightmare. Since all I seem to do anymore is gripe about CC, I should leave this one alone, but I gotta tell you, she's not right. She's going to be the death of me. I have to call Bro J this morning and I'm completely putting it off because I can't bear the thought of having to deal with her/him/them one more minute. Bottom line: all she cares about is saving money, and I'm not interested in inviting 150 guests from out of town to sit in the Grange Hall, eating appetizers off paper napkins and drinking cheap champagne from plastic flutes. Sorry. Call me weird.

Anyway, I won't bore you. I just can't deal with her at all, and trying to deal with Bro J instead is like pulling teeth. He is the laziest, most non-communicative person I know, and the two of them don't talk to each other...God, it's no wonder I drink. I am so vindicated.

Today, more of that...yay! Tonight, book club - another book I didn't/wouldn't choose. It doesn't suck, totally, but it's nothing I feel like talking about. My little group is kind of fun, though, and we usually spend way more time chit-chatting than we do discussing the book, so I don't mind. Nothing else going on this week besides football and such. We have p-t conferences this week too, but I'm feeling pretty good about JJ since he's got all A's and one B. Sending energy to you for this evening...yuk...I don't miss it at all. Even if I am broke and can't find a job. However, having some place to go that required an outfit, vs. jeans and fleece, would be nice. I'm feeling the need to be amongst dressed and motivated people.

Off now to clean JJ's bathroom. The whole staying home thing has its upside, sure, but this ain't one of them.

Have a great day!
Love you, A

P.S. Sorry to hear you're sick again. Me too. Sucks.
P.S.S. You wrote: "It makes me sad to see my family repeated in M’s..." what did you mean by that?

Cycle of Life

Hey there.

Once again (third time since I’ve been back to school) I have a sore throat/allergy flare up going on, which sucks in general, but especially since I have parent teacher conferences tonight. I do have the weekend to look forward to, however…

W and I are staying in a swanky hotel (we stayed there for his birthday a couple of years ago) in Faneuil Hall Friday night. In lieu of my going to a game, which he was trying to orchestrate, I told him I’d rather spend the money on a hotel room and maybe dinner (that’s how much tickets to the games go for!). I appreciated his effort but let him know that I am perfectly content watching from my living room and would rather do a Boston splurge with that money. Well, after watching Hotwire like a hawk but not being successful, I ended up making a reservation for out in Needham—just in case. That was priced higher than I’d like for a fall back, really, but it was a back up plan. We’d figure it out. Then yesterday I went right on the hotel website and found a bed and breakfast package at our swanky spot (same one I did for his birthday) for the same price as the Needham hotel. Yay! I’m so excited. As much as I love the Back Bay, I do like to be down at Faneuil Hall on occasion too. We’ll go to Haymarket in the morning and lunch at our anniversary place (even though it’s not our anniversary) and have our Thanksgiving together early. I can’t wait.

Last night at my parents’ was good…although I am concerned about my nephew J and think he may have manorexia. He’s been running, with his distant father (seeking his approval I’m afraid) and he’s lost a bunch of weight and looks too thin. Meanwhile, his mother is all proud, carrying on about him bringing ryvyta and a slice of ginger for lunch. It makes me sad to see my family repeated in M’s…alcoholic parent (her), emotionally unavailable parent (V), eating disorder kid (J), and youngest kid with a weight problem internalizing it all (A). And on that note, I’ll get back to looking forward to the weekend…

Hope all is well. Looking forward to updates.

Love, Barb

Fate

Hey there, A.

What a treat this morning to read your post. I'm glad you had a good time that night. Though your brother and sister-in-law didn't deserve it, you were a gracious host and through it came to appreciate what is so dear to you. That's definitely an everything-happens-for-a-reason moment.

I'm tired today (last night's game went late) but L is coming up with the kids this afternoon so I can't veg out tonight to make up for last night and rest up for tomorrow's parent teacher conferences that go until 9 pm. Maybe I'll skip the gym and watch Ellen and Oprah before heading to my parents'.

I would love to write more (about my plans for Boston!) but I have an appointment to drop off my computer and need to run. I promise to write more tomorrow. Until then...Can't wait to hear about Portland and how your app turned out...

Love you,
B

Pride over Anger...Novel Concept

Hey, you.

Sounds like a fun night with J&M. I think I met M when I was visiting once, didn't I? We went out to dinner with her if I remember correctly. Sorry to hear both have been going through tough times. It's probably as much a joy for them to have that once-a-year friend like you - a chance to hear a fresh approach.

Friday was fun with my parents. We came home and J took the afternoon off. We went to this new restaurant in town; it's pretty much the first decent, non-chain restaurant we've ever had, and I thought it was great. Their claim to fame is that they serve their beer at 32 degrees, so we all ordered Mac & Jacks and enjoyed. I had fish tacos, which were very good, and I don't usually order those because they're hard to get right. Anyway, we kind of dinked around the rest of the day until it was around dinner time...I planned to have my brother and family up for a bbq so we decided on paper plates and easy stuff.

My brother and sister-in-law are freaks of nature with absolutely NO social graces whatsoever. I know, this isn't news. I think the topper to my having to ask her to bring a salad (she didn't offer anything), followed by her bringing three extra kids she was babysitting, followed by those kids' parents showing up and my brother inviting them into my house and offering them a drink, followed by not lifting a freakin' finger to help make, serve or clean up dinner, was when, as they were leaving, CC said to me, "I think they're coming back to our house for a bit. Do you have a bottle of wine I can take?" She walks over to my wine rack, surveys it and says, "Just something you don't like."

I corked the 1/4 full bottle we'd already opened and handed it to her. I told her I don't buy wine I don't like. She is so lucky I didn't unload five years worth of frustration and resentment on her stupid a**.

Can you even believe that? Oh, of course you can. And who stayed and cleaned up my entire kitchen? Who didn't even have dinner with us??? T.

(I should say, here, that regardless of all that, it was a very fun evening and I enjoyed the new couples' company quite a bit. And they had great kids, so that was a big plus.)

Not too long after that, I had my "I have a good house" moment. I was about to spew hatred and bitterness on J about CC and my equally lazy and socially retarded brother, when it occured to me that, as ugly and mean as I feel inside, I know I don't project that to my (even uninvited) guests. I'm pretty sure my Grandma, who died when I was 25 and was my favorite person on earth, was looking down on me and smiling last night. She was the queen of making people feel comfortable and making sure that no one, not even someone off the street, felt as if he hadn't been personally invited to her party. I am grateful for the gift she left me and am happy to say that I chose pride over anger in that moment. Baby steps...

Today, just getting my plants in the ground and then wine club tonight. I'm flippin' exhausted and hope to get a short nap in here beforehand. Not to mention I had my fair share of wine last night, so I'm working on the bloated Stevie Nicks look today. I'm making cremini-stuffed acorn squash halves for my app...I've never tried them, but really, how can that suck?? I'll let you know how they turn out.

Hope you're enjoying your quiet and solitary weekend. It sounds heavenly! We'll be in Portland all day tomorrow and not home 'til late, so I won't be around for a phone call, but it would be great to catch up soon.

Love, A

Heavy Chili

TGIF! Even though I just had Wednesday off…

Last night was fun, and not even a late night, but I went to bed exhausted and didn’t sleep very well. I’m looking forward to going home after work and doing nothing. W and I are taking one more weekend off (financial reasons) but have plans to get together next weekend in Boston. All of that works for me, especially since it fits into my plans to do nothing. My place is nice and tidy and perfect for cuddling up and reading a book.

But before I get ahead of myself, let me get back to last night first.

It’s strange that I’ve know them as long as I have now. They were really just out of high school when we met, and so much has gone on with them since then. Marriage, (one) divorce, children. I haven’t seen them since April, when W and I took a ride over to M’s. J was there with her children, so we essentially stopped by their play date to say hi. W had not seen M since the day he and I met, and he had never met J.

Flash forward 6 months, and I find out M was hospitalized for a week back in May for mental health issues. And J has been out of work for a few months with major credit card debt that she and her husband can barely keep up with. Whoa. One minute we’re borrowing butt money from each other, and the next we’re all grown ups with grownup problems. Crazy! I feel just awful about not knowing about M…and I had a feeling that J and her husband were living beyond their means/on credit cards. Now I feel terrible that I was right, since she’s out of a job.

But I also feel fortunate to count them among my friends, and to have the one or two girls’ nights a year where we can share this kind of info, where we still feel comfortable sharing it.

Hope you’re having another good day, with or without good hair.

Love you,B

Fun without Snow

Hi, A.

Love the box! No need to apologize. Sounds like a busy day, and that you did the right thing at the end, taking the time to decompress with candlelight and spirits...We can always catch up on the phone another time. Before I knew it, it was 10, so even though you would have caught me still awake (which is rare), I was on my way to bed--after a good day.

In fact, I had a great day yesterday! It was like a snow day without snow….

I started with a couple of cups of coffee and then went to the gym. I did my regular treadmill, and then did a training session on upper body machines. For these past couple of months I’ve just been focused on getting there…on showing up and burning some calories, but I figured it was time to try some other machines. (Can you believe it’s been two months?) I stopped at Pier 1 to browse then got home around noon. I made myself a bacon cheeseburger (does that assuage your fears about my becoming Susan Powter?) and relaxed for a little bit before putting on a pot of chili and getting caught up on the cleaning I don’t always do on weekends because I resent the sh*t out of it. I’m pretty much all set for my girls’ night with M and J tonight—piles of magazine and catalogs appropriately recycled, and junk mail shredded—except for running the vacuum when I get home. Oh, and setting the table of course. And putting the chili on the stove to warm. Well, you get what I mean. But that's one of the things I love about entertaining with chili: it's a make ahead meal that makes it soooo much easier.

I haven't seen M and J in some time. In case you aren't placing them, they are friends I met through BFF J, when she was still living in Connecticut and they all worked together. We have maintained friendships in our own right and though we don't get together as often as we used to, we still try. And we always, always, laugh.

I'll check in again tomorrow and tell you all about it. Maybe by then I'll have decided whether or not I'm going to the Frada party I'm invited to.

Hope today is good. Good luck getting ready for the rents.

Love, B

Hi, B.

Sorry about yesterday. S and I went to Marshall's, her favorite store on earth, and a place I very rarely visit. I didn't get the water goblets (I loved your text!) but did get a pretty fall table runner ($9) an impromptu gift for K (Antipasti cookbook - $2.99) six candles for the mantle ($8) and a totally cool Christmas box thing that I intend to fill with ??? and put in the bathroom ($6.99). Much more practical than the goblets, considering my cabinet full of Waterford, and I felt like I had a basketload of goodies for the same $27!

We ended up at the nursery and I got a bunch of winter plants on my gift certificate.

~~

Sidenote on customer service here. This particular nursery is one of those totally overpriced, snooty places with a tea shop and a photo studio; it's very popular for weddings, etc. And it truly is beautiful; we had C's graduation pictures done there. Anyway, I had this G.C. I think I might have told you, that was five years old. Our wine club had given it to us when J's dad died and I just happened to come across it in a drawer recently. I was afraid to try to use it, even though it had no expiration date. I was just sure that there would be some problem, what with how weird most places are about giftcards anymore. But I got in there and the woman at the counter never once questioned it. She looked at it and smiled, said "Wow, this is an old one! Cindy! Look at this! Do you remember when we had these?" They chuckled, rang up my plants, and I was on my way. I was delighted! As J& I always say, "Now that's customer service."

Since it's supposed to rain the rest of the week, I wanted to get them in the ground, but was running very short on daylight by the time we got home. I didn't finish, but will try this morning before it gets ugly.

CK came over during the planting (which is probably why I didn't finish) to update us on the M car wreck saga - I can't even be bothered to go into details. K called her to "verify" that we hadn't gone out to get M at the wreck...told her he was "so disappointed in our behavior"...oh God, whatever! I'm not the custodial parent who was in Chicago.

Anyway, we rushed to get dinner before football practice, at which point I was kind of feeling the meltdown of the earlier conversation. I begged out of practice, poured myself a glass of my new favorite wine - yes, Basket Case Syrah - it rocks, and screwtop at that. I lit the gazillion candles around my house (since we're approaching the holidays, they're all coming out), turned on the "Relax" playlist on my iPod dock really loud, and sat back on the couch for my free hour and a half. And I remembered what my friend, B, said when I was sick and complaining that no one pampered me: "Don't forget to pamper yourself. Even when you're not sick."

Soooooo...there's my litany of excuses as to why I never called you back. I do apologize, but the day kind of got away from me. When the boys left, and I had my free time, it was already 7 and I was pretty sure you would be in bed. I thought about writing, but what I really wanted to do was to empty my brain, not sift through it. It was the perfect answer to my increasing stress, faced with the possibility of picking up the phone and continuing to rant and rave to CK, as if I hadn't done enough of it already in the driveway. I wish that effin' a**h*** would get out of my life, my neighborhood and my friendships. (Hope I didn't just get us an R rating on our blog. You should have heard me out in the driveway. I had steam coming out my ears, I'm sure.)

My folks are coming tomorrow so I'm tidying up around here a little today. Nail appointment at ten, then grocery shopping, allergy shots, the usual. Without going into a rant about CC and her neurotic fear of my parents, I will say that we are having everyone over here for dinner tomorrow night. Thank God J is not a stinge, and that he can tolerate just about anyone. What would I do if I were married to someone who didn't put up with my dysfunctional family?!

Gotta get A to the bus stop and head out. Hope to hear from you later!

Love, A

I Delight in Dishes

Ramekins? In rusty red??? Water goblets? You are preaching to the choir, babe! Seriously. I have more ramekins, and little-ramekin like dishes, than I can ever use, in all different shapes and sizes. Every time I get my kitchen spending and space issues under control, I see that perfect bowl or platter at Marshalls or Homegoods. To be honest, I go looking. I was just there yesterday after, debating on which hurricane would look best on my dining room table with my lemons in them. I walked away without any, but only because I saw the perfect turquoise bottle/vase for the collection in my bay window behind my couch. Turquoise! The only color in my color palette that I don't have represented in the display. (Did you get the latest C&B catalog? sooo my color palette.) (You really have to come visit!) Anyway, I couldn't afford both, so I opted for neither. And, because I make no sense whatsoever, opted for sushi instead!

Sounds like a great day with K...but a rather traumatic experience with the bird. I do believe that it's good luck when a bird flies in the house. I know there's some superstition that goes with that, and I'll have to ask my mother: devout Catholic (to a fault) and Queen of Superstitions and Dream Analysis. And I wonder where I get my not making any sense?....

Great to hear from you, and to have time to write back right away!

Have a good day.
B

PS I should be home all afternoon tomorrow if you want to talk.

No Need to Nurse My Neuroses

Hey, you.

Don't feel bad; it's just me, being my usual overly-self-conscious self.

Sidenote: I am working on not reading Guilt Trip into everything everyone says to me. I have this friend, SB, who truly is the most guilt tripping person I have ever met, and I really struggle with her. J has been trying to help me deal with her more effectively (since he is completely unaffected by guilt in any form) and I am beginning to see that much of the guilt "she puts on me", I put on myself. Or, rather, I accept. I am learning not to accept it, for one. But more importantly, I'm learning not to invent it when it's not even there! My new motto: No one can drive you crazy unless you give them the keys.

~~

I hated to read that you were feeling broke after being so good about taking care of your car. That totally sucks and I can totally relate. It feels good to be responsible but the payoff kind of sucks in the end. Believe me, this paying for college is a painfully right thing to do! But you will be glad in the end, you know that. Nothing worse than the car hitting the shits when you need it. Like in the middle of a snowstorm. Oh, wait, that was me.

On Veteran's Day, go frolic in the the leaves, for Pete's sake. I'm pretty sure the intention isn't to relive all the horror, but to celebrate the freedoms we have. One of those is the privilege of being joyful, so I say we go for it. I think it ought to be more like the Fourth of July, anyway. It's essentially the same holiday, right? Celebrating all the people who gave their lives for our freedom? Why are we sitting in the gym listening to tragic recounts? Not to say the stories aren't worth hearing, just not in that format.

Just throwing you a little validation.

Poor A and I just had a little Circle of Life moment when a bird flew into my living room window and committed suicide. Well, almost. When we went out to get it, it was twitching, but my cat sniffed it out way faster than I anticipated and was settled into a scrumptious breakfast before I could save A from the carnage. Fortunately, she's resilient; I just kept saying, "It's the circle of life..." as if that was somehow going to make it less ugly. Sad, that all I can do in a time of crisis like that is recite lines from a freakin' Disney movie.

I had a great day yesterday with K, shopping through Nordies, then World Market (your favorite West Coast store!) for wine bargains. I bought a cool bottle of Merlot called "Basket Case", clearly made specifically for me. Also grabbed some super on-sale ramekins in an awesome rusty red color. I have no use for ramekins, really, except as little sauce dishes about once a year. But I think they're just the coolest piece of serveware ever. I could have them all over my kitchen for no reason at all. I found some pretty water goblets, too, but ended up putting them back when the broke side of my brain (poor, not broken) convinced the frivolous side that there are very few things on earth I need less than water goblets. I think ski poles might even outrank them. I am trying soooo hard to only purchase things I truly need right now, but sometimes you just have to give in to 4/$3 ceramic dishes that make bbq sauce look prettier.

We went out to lunch at Adriatic Grill - had a really good lentil soup and crusty bread - yum! I love fall! Then we wandered through a local nursery for which I have a gift certificate. Unfortunately, the actual nursery was closed, but the gift shop was open and we drooled over some beautiful Christmas ornaments that no one in her right mind could afford. Even with a gift certificate.

Nothing planned today, although I could get a jump on cleaning up the house for the rents. Funny how the minute you get it spotless for a party, it winds up twice as dirty the day after. Not to mention, with all the rain, there's just no getting around perpetually muddy floors and crunchy leaves everywhere. It's actually kind of sunny out right now, so I may be motivated to get outside and finish the yard. LOL.

Maybe we can get a phone call in this week...I'll probably be around all day Wednesday unless K and I go see that "The Blind Side" movie we're dying to see.

Happy Tuesday,

Love you! - A

Gloomy

Hey, A.

Now I feel bad for making you feel like apologizing....I didn't intend to make you feel bad. I'm sorry that I did.

Okay, I know that Veteran's Day is not supposed to be a joyful celebration, but dear God, we just had the most somber and depressing assembly to honor local vets. Our first selectman, who is also a vet, every year gets up without notes and waxes patriotic--usually a bit long-winded and disorganized since he seems not to prepare his remarks. Well today he told the story of a nurse who was asked by a dying soldier to sing him a lullaby as he died. I get that these things should not leave me wanting to frolic through the autumn leaves, but if I heard one more depressing story I was going to need to take the rest of the day off. Ugh. War stories.

M and J are coming over for chili Thursday night, so tomorrow I will spend the day cleaning and cooking after my upper body training session at the gym. Now that I'm going regularly and have stuck with cardiovascular workouts for two months, I want to learn all the different machines. I still have three sessions available; I thought I'd take advantage of one tomorrow.

Aside from that, all is well, I guess, other than feeling the aftereffects of the $400 tires. I had the money at the time, but now I feel broke. I guess it took a week or so to catch up with me that the money wasn't there for other things. I don't have much coming up that costs any money so it's okay for now. Just sucks when I just got paid and already I need my next paycheck.

Hope your week is off to a good start.

Talk to you soon. Love,
Barb

Writing, NOT Working

Good morning...

I hate "email" - as in, computer-written communication. Maybe I'm a little sensitive this morning, but I feel the need to apologize after reading your post. I don't mean to go days without responding, I'm sure you know that. I often lack the simultaneous occurence of inspiration and time to write. Like yesterday, we had planned to work in the yard all afternoon, but I was inspired to read and write instead. So I chose to honor that, and stay inside. J wasn't mad, really, but I know I left him with all the work to do for the majority of the day. Sometimes, I'll get inspired when JJ's about to walk in the door, or I have all the time in the world first thing in the morning, but sit here and stare at the keyboard without a single intelligent thought in my head.

You're right, writing shouldn't be a chore. Kim tells me the same thing. I still end up putting it low on my list though, and even apologizing for spending time doing it, especially if its taking time away from my family. I know that's all effed up - I'm working on finding the right balance.

So I'm sorry I've slowed down and that you write without feedback many days. I'll try to get better!!

I volunteered at school this morning and went to WW - only lost 1.8 lbs, which sucks, but considering the amount of wine I consumed right at the end of the week, I guess it makes sense. K and I are off now to do some shopping for (me) Christmas and (her) Christmas parties (they go to a ton). Thought we'd hit TJ's and World Market too, since we'll be up there. I haven't seen her much lately so it will be nice to get caught up. Ever since she quit drinking and became freaky about her exercise routine, we don't seem to spend as much time together. I'm not knocking her - I'm jealous, really.

The rest of this week I hope to work a little - maybe get a sub job a couple of day, then Friday my folks arrive for the first phase of their holiday visit. They will actually only be here for a day, then they leave for Hawaii on Saturday. They will return the following Saturday and stay for the Thanksgiving week. I'm looking forward to seeing them. I got my control-freak wish, too. I really wanted to do Thanksgiving here, just because I hate the tension convention that goes on down at CC's house...and lo and behold, she called to ask it we could do just that. I know it's because of the money, but she said it was because my house is nicer, cleaner, and better decorated. What. Ever.

So I'm out of here now...feeling a little better about the thing last night with M. I did have my breakdown, around 9pm, completely out of the blue when I started to write about it. I didn't think I was emotional about it, but guess I was wrong. Poor J, dealing with my sad blubbering self. :-)

I hope Monday is going well for you...two days on, one off, two days on...weekend...yahoo!

Love you
A

A Little Variety

Hey, Amanda.

To be honest, I've slowed down here only because you have... I feel like I write a string of unanswered posts, after which I decide to take a break until you write again. Lately I think I have finally gotten into the groove of living and writing. Writing isn't a chore these days; it's a part of my day, part of how I'm living my life.

My weekend was good, but I am looking forward to having Wednesday off to do the things I put off over the weekend. I'm having M and J over Thursday (and share some of your pre-guest angst/behavior) but over the weekend opted not to clean. I also opted not to go the gym one day. I felt like I was getting into a rut and wanted to change things up a bit. So I opted for variety over the weekend. Fortunately, I have Wednesday to make up for it.

I'm so sorry to hear about M and that whole debacle, and cannot believe what happened to your neighbor at the party! Wow. I guess I should be careful what I wish for, hu?...that's a little variety and excitement I can do without.

Hope things settle down, and that you start to feel better.

Love you,
Barb

Weekend of Drama

Hey...

Slowing down here, aren't we? I'm thinking that's ok...we're living instead of writing, right?

I had a good week last week, ending in my annual over-priced home jewelry party that I know you so wish you could have attended. We had a fairly good crowd but sales were down a bit, so no obnoxious amount of free jewelry for me this year. With luck, I'll get the one necklace I've been coveting for a few months.

The party ended on a strange note, though. Two of my neighbors, C&P, were here together and had told me that P was having a stressful time at work lately. I guess she had to be talked into coming over and relaxing. I made a her a drink and noticed that she seemed to be having a good time. A couple of hours later, I was sitting talking to her, during her second cocktail, and I was thinking she was awfully drunk for having had only two drinks. Before we knew it, she was completely unconscious on my bathroom floor. We couldn't lift her or move her, but figured she was just wasted, so we were trying to get her onto the couch to sleep it off. Thing is, she's not a drinker at all, and it seemed odd that she would have gotten this drunk from two drinks...

An hour or so later, when she started to exhibit seizure behavior, after J and all of his partying buddies came over from T's to help us, they loaded her up in a medic unit and hauled her to the hospital, still completely out cold. Turns out, it wasn't the alcohol - her BAC was barely over the legal limit. They did a bunch of tests and concluded that stress, mixed with her meds (heavy duty stuff) and those two drinks was enough to knock her out and put her into convulsions. At any rate, she was home the next morning and all is well. Pretty scary, though.

Had a great, quiet day Saturday, doing a little shopping, followed by a low-key dinner with S&T. Today, more of the same, a little gardening and sitting around doing nothing. Then, around 3:30, I got a call from CK, across the street, who was calling to tell me that M and her kid had gotten into a car accident and M couldn't reach his dad. No one was hurt too badly, but the car was totaled and there's a ton of damage done to public property. Come to find out, after M calls me - not to tell me about it, but to tell me I need to talk to the medic because he needs a medical release from a parent - his dad is in Chicago and has been for days. Not even coming home until Monday. Wow, responsible parenting, eh?

CK tells me that he has asked her if M can stay with her until he gets home, which he doesn't know when that will be since he can't get a flight out tonight, it would cost him extra money and he just doesn't want to spend it.

OMG, B.

I told her M could come over here, but he wouldn't.

I could go on about the emotional roller coaster I've been on for the past few hours, but at this point, a half bottle of Merlot has leveled the ups and downs and I'm not so inclined to analyze the whole thing.

Suffice to say, I'm glad M and CK's kid are ok, obviously. I also hope his completely irresponsible and idiotic father doesn't have M insured on that car and has to pay out the arse for all the damages. Vindictive? Me?

More on that later, I'm sure. Right now, I'm going to go read with JJ and get settled in for Sunday night TV. Hope you had a good weekend and that this week goes well. Yay for Wednesday!

Love,
A