Substitute my "MLB" for "Michael"

It's almost as if Lynn Johnson sat in on our IEP meetings! (For Better or For Worse, 02/24/2010)

Love Continued

Just had another great time over at Southern Fried Snark. It's like staying up late gabbing at a sleep-over with your best friends, but you don't have to worry about forgetting your toothbrush or making noises while you sleep. It's like dishing with the girls over cocktails, without bothering to dress up or run a bar tab. It's like FINALLY getting to hang out with the cool kids and hear what they do say about everyone else, and you don't get an icy shoulder. It is a lot of fun.

It isn't just for girls; the chat room is co-ed, lively, and often tangential. I think there's an unofficial contest going on to see who can get Sarah or Ronda to do a spit-take live on air. But that would just be alcohol abuse. Next show will be this Thursday, Feb. 16, at 9 p.m. CST. Check them out, but take them with a grain of salt. And a margarita to go with that salt. Sarah & Ronda are two big hearted ladies trying take on the weird, wounded & "what-the?" of the world with the best weapon they have-- their wit.

And since I linked to Ronda in my last blog, I'll share some linky love for Sarah@The Anvil Tree. Yep, believe her. It's a doozie!

Of Course It's Valentine's Day!

Why else would I be blogging? I'm inspired!

The dear ladies over at Southern Fried Snark presented a list of things NOT to give to your loved one (i.e., significant female other) on Valentine's Day. Heart-shaped jewelry, colored gemstones that have no birth-month significance, and inexpensive household appliance are a few things I do remember. Then my computer crashed; so I'm looking forward to the posting of the Feb. 11 episode, so I can hear what I missed.

I wonder if they included my all-time worst Valentine's Day gift?

A gun.

Now admittedly, Ronda@http://www.aisforaardvark.net/ has been asking for a Taser, but it's not the same as a gun. Armament and appliances are not romantic gifts. Some appliance have potential for romance (get your mind out of the gutter!) like an espresso machine, but a gun is never romantic. Except to crazy movie stereotypes, like Reba's in "Tremors."

Once upon a time, probably 20 years ago when I was young & crazy, but not that crazy, the guy I was dating gave me a gun. I'd finished up at Auburn the previous year, and it was his last year. I made big plans and flew down from Chicago to spend Valentine's Day with him. I was so excited to see him! And he was excited as well. He even wanted me to have my gift early. He and his roommate were so tickled to give me a new gun. A gun. Wasn't even wrapped. Just out there, with rounds, ready to drive down to the shooting range. Which we did. They kept saying that I'd love it if I just gave it a try. I already knew I wouldn't love it! It was a semi-automatic pistol, which I do not love. I have a hard time loading a clip, can't remember how many rounds I'd loaded, and then would lose count of rounds fired, which would inevitably lead to dry-firing which would cheese my boyfriend off. No, I did not like this gun. Even if I'd asked for a gun, I would have asked for a nice, small caliber revolver. And even if I'd uncharacteristically asked for a semi-auto, it would have been a lightweight Glock. Furthermore, I was flying back to Chicago in two days, and then what was I going to do with "my gift?" They'd thought of that; they'd keep it and take care of it for me, especially since "to take care of a gun" means to use it regularly.

To top off my total indignation, I'd been hinting that a new watch or a small portable stereo would be nice gifts. Obviously, he did not listen to me. I made him listen. After I'd pouted, cried, whined & threatened to go home early, they (not HE, THEY) agreed to "return" the gun, even though he'd lose money returning a used gun. Tough. You should have thought of that, and ASKED ME, before you went and did something that selfishly asinine. Yet even with the stinted cash from the return of the gun, there was enough money to buy me a nice, daily wear Timex and to take me out to dinner somewhere other than CheeburgerCheeburger, surprise, surprise.

Even more surprising was that it took me another two years to wise-up to the stark truth that this was not "the guy." The watch lasted until last year, when I'd finally wore out even a Timex. It was a nice, everyday, comfortable watch.

*****************************

Now for nice stories:

Best Valentine's Day pre-husband: Junior year of college, and I was unattached. A friend's neighbor had a crush on me and gave me a stuffed "Opus." Two friends sent me an SGA "Flowergram" anonymously, which lifted my spirits more than it messed with my mind. I also had a handful of friends give me cards, too. AND, it was Mardi Gras, and my church was hosting a dance. I'd never been to Prom, so this was my first formal, and I felt like a princess in my (borrowed) black dress, and then felt like Scarlet O'Hara being swept off her feet when I found my evening claimed by a mysterious Navy Captain in his dress-blacks. I could have danced all night.

Best Valentine's Day with husband: 2-way tie-- (1) Twelve years ago when he talked me into going out on a date with him, "But not because it was Valentine's Day," but because it was the first Friday I was free to date after a recent break-up. He'd been patiently waiting for me to recognize I'd chosen (yet again) the wrong guy. Scott showed up at my door with a dozen pink roses, which I adored! (Poor guy apologized that the store was out of red.) We went to eat at the Jade Palace; he'd wanted to take me to a romantic night at The Jazz Factory, but they were booked solid. (Just as well that we avoided the crowds and I was reassured that this guy liked Chinese food.) We also saw a movie, "As Good As It Gets," which has got to be the most unconventional date-movie ever. (But he's a bit methodical & I worked in the mental health field, so we needed a good laugh at ourselves.) All in all, it was a charming date, and I looked very forward to our second date.

(2) A year after our first date when he proposed to me during a picnic at Green Mountain.

Valentine's Day: 1st Date Anniversary, Proposal Anniversary, Half-year Wedding Anniversary (whole number is on Aug. 14), and a darn good reason for Chocolate. Not a bad set of reasons to celebrate.

Ker-Plop!

That was the sound of my head hitting the pillow at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday night. That is odd for me, but when you're a night owl, the sleeps will come a hootin' sometime.

Being a night owl is an OK lifestyle/inclination if you're a college student with late morning classes. OK, too, if you're single & childless & able to sneak in a nap after work.

It is impossible if you're the mother of two young children.

But I do it anyway, figuring that later than sooner, I'll get plenty of rest when I'm dead.

I'm a night owl. I just can't help it. I think I'm just made this way. It drove my parents nuts, since children are supposed to go to bed early & then wake up early-- and I didn't. Drove my parents even more nuts, because my mom is an early-to-bed-dang-I'm-awake-early type, and my dad is also a night owl/a.m. sack hound and knows the difficulties thereof. Oh, well.

I do not use my nighttime wisely. I read entertaining but unenlightening literature. I lurk on FaceBook. I play solitaire games on the computer. I read a few other blogs. I do not slog though YouTube or Wikipedia, although those are tempting time-sucks.

I play that accursed FarmVille & FarmTown. Until they had become as much work to maintain as actually keeping a home & garden, I used to claim those as my "happy places," since my small house is crammed to the gills with the stuff of two children, crowding out my stuff. (Yeah, YOU tell the grandparents and doting aunts & uncles that they can't give STUFF any more unless it's money. I have a very clear recollection that I mostly got, from my relatives, cash which was promptly turned into savings bonds. Not much STUFF at all.)

Sometimes I do get something useful done like... sort, cull and label the ten-million photos we've down-loaded. We have a new digital camera with tons of memory, so we have tons of pictures. Which we need; I get one good shot of MLB in about twenty; DLG is just too cute to only take one picture of.

I've started blogging, too. (ta-da!)

But mouse-potato does sum it up. During the day, the kids need attention, or want to help me while I'm on the computer. Housework must done during the day so I don't wake the kids at night. And this also a work computer for my husband, so if he needs it for work (you never know when Japan will call with a question,) I'm out of here. I get to roam at night. I used to scrapbook at night, but every time I get the dining room table cleaned off, stuff goes right back on it. And I put it there. Because there isn't any place else to put it. Unless I want the help of a 12 month old. (Makes me wonder why I even bother with the photos.)

BUT, I still have to get up at 6 a.m. to get MLB off to school, and make sure DLG gets fed & petted. I could nap when she naps, but she prefers to nap in the car. Sleeping & driving are frowned upon. So every now and then I just crash. And it feels so good to sleep. And wake rested. And I think I ought to go to sleep by 10 every night.

Hm. Please note post time. As I said.... later, when I'm dead.

Call Me Passionate

Or at least preoccupied. It is once again Rummage Sale Season at my church. We had our first drop-off day today in the cold & damp, and we'll be accepting donations from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. everyday for 12 days. Our last drop-off day is also Ash Wednesday, and then we'll have two more days to neaten up before we have our sale on the Saturday after Presidents' Day (Feb. 20, if you're counting.) Yes, it's a bit early, but when we started seven years ago, it was the only date that didn't seem in conflict with other church events, other area sales or our own religious education classes. So now we seem to be the unofficial kick-off of the rummage sale season. We always get a good crowd with lots of repeat customers.

This is my sixth year participating. I wanted to help the first year, but being pregnant with MLB and working a temp assignment, I had neither the time nor the energy to help out. But I did want to, and I did get up there to shop & get my car washed. (We'd had a spell of mild winters with early springs, so the youth were washing cars, too. That only lasted 2 years, and then it got seasonably cold & wet again.)

When I did get the chance to volunteer, I got assigned to the "Toy Room," and I freaked out inside. I could just imagine every parent leaving their children in there to play & trash things up & not buy a thing, with things walking out & needing constant neatening. But I really wanted to help, not make waves, so I figured, "Eh, I can do it this year, and if I don't like it, I can ask for another assignment next year."

After one year, I was not only hooked, but I LOVE my "Toy Room."

Now, I guess I should explain how our rummage sale is set up. Many places use their general meeting spaces to set up & have tables or zones of merchandise types. We use our religious education classrooms, which is why we need to schedule it during a time where we can get a week without classes and without a true vacation. Each classroom holds a different type of merchandise, like books & other media, holiday bric-a-brac & craft supplies, men's clothes, etc. When you select items in a room, the sales staff bags the items, ties it up and writes the total price on the outside of the bag. You pay before you leave out the front door. We've seen people bring up dozens of bags to pay off, and so we have the youth help folks tote their stuff.

My room is full of toys, and it is fun. There are more adults shopping than kids, and everyone is very mannerly. The kids are often shy, but get tickled to be able to shop for themselves. We do not make deals with the adults until later in the morning, but we often find a discount for a kid or two. I also work with some great ladies. Cathy has been doing this since year one and has a great sense for pricing things and set up. Luzma started two years ago, as well as Sharon, and they really get in there on the day of the sale to help rotate inventory and help out the customers. Michelle joined us last year, and also has an eye for set up and is quick with the sale day bagging. My talent is that I'm passionate about this stuff.

It's true! I'm crazy, but I love it!!!! I will show up every day that I can to help unload cars & move stuff to the rooms. I start fluffing and organizing toys from the get-go. I check the media room, craft room & baby room for our stuff, and take them items from my room that would sell better in those locations.

I'm also the "Bag Lady." You know how, as kids acquire and play with stuff, that a lot of little things pile up? Happy meal toys, misplaced game pieces, odd tinker toys, things like that? People bring it all in. And I have a talent for finding the pieces that go with a game or a doll house and reuniting them. I have a talent for taking all the flotsam and jetsam, and making small, themed grab bags that we can sell for twenty-five cents. So a kid who likes dinosaurs can get one with all dinos, and a girls who likes puppies will find a bag of little bitties. I guess I just like a challenge, or maybe it is the curse of all recovering pack-rats. Idunnno. But I love it.

As I said, I'm there as often as I can be. I was even there half the days last year, and all day of the sale. Which wouldn't be surprising, except DLG was less than a month old. And I'd had a C-section. (So, I didn't do any heavy lifting last year. But everyone adored seeing the baby.)

It was last year that I had to admit I'd found something to be passionate about. There are enduring passions that anchor you, like your spouse and children; those are passions that have slowly built and will continue to grow & abide & nourish. Then there are passions that are great conflagrations to invigorate you and get you moving; it's a pace and intensity that you cannot sustain for long, but for the short time it gets your blood singing, your feet dancing and adds a spice to everything else you do. I once goggled at some NFL-fan friends who went ahead and held their wonderful annual Super Bowl Party, even though they'd just had a baby five days earlier; I'd said I couldn't do that. Boy was I wrong. Everyone needs these sorts of passions. They might seem silly to others, and maybe even to ourselves. But they are OUR passions. Maybe not a raison de etre, but a good reason to get up in the morning.

Go get passionate.

Ah...but really, who ARE you?

Thank you for reading my dissert on names and self. However, most people prefer quantifiable & comparative data. At least in these parts.

Gotcha'

1. I am 42 years old. I still feel mentally and emotionally like I'm in my 20s, while my obvious style & hip-factor are lurking in the 50s or 60s. My 30s are a blur, but a lot happened then, interspersed with periods of "coasting." I might actually put up a fight at 45.

2. I'm married to a wonderful man, Scott. We've been married for 10 1/2 years (dated 1 1/2 before that.) We came together over common interests, and have stayed together through new common goals, and despite our continuous "growing up."

3. I have 2 children, who, henceforth, are "MLB" (Mommy's Little Boy) at age 5; and "DLG" (Daddy's Little Girl) at all of 1 year old. You'll hear more about them later.

4. We own a home in Huntsville, Alabama. (If you do the math, marriage, kids & home happened in my 30s; as I said, a lot happened, not counting hobby achievements, various employments & world events.)

5. I'm Roman Catholic. This might or might not be important to you, dear reader.

6. Yes, I go to church, and participate in parish life. (Big Rummage Sale at Good Shepherd on Feb. 20, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., with proceeds going to help our mission outreach, youth programs, and a few other causes.)

7. I like chocolate, and chocolate likes me. If I could accept my weight, or get off my weight to do something about it, I might actually work on improving my style & hip-factor.

8. I like community theater. I have done some acting, some backstage work and some ushering, and I like it all. I LOVE the complex "dance" that is the bringing together of different artistic disciplines to create a whole-cloth world where, for a few shining moments, one is suspended elsewhere. My husband & I met and courted through community theater, and we have found dear friends & lively acquaintances there, as well. And when my children are older & less likely to drive Scott nuts, I'll again participate more.

9. I know how to knit & crochet. But the house is small, the kids are bouncy and the gear is either metal & pointy or quite stringy.

10. I spend WAY too much time playing FarmVille (and sometimes FarmTown.)

11. I should scrapbook more, computer-tater less.

12. For that matter, I should pull real weeds & plant real seeds, not virtual ones.

13. I'm an Auburn fan. And a 3rd generation alum. So I can.

14. I like baseball. Go Stars!!! Go Braves!!

15. I believe in my civic duties & involvement. I have a library card, I vote, I sit jury duty, and I recycle.

16. I guess I would also label myself a "compassionate conservative." Although I vote for one camp more than the other, I recognize that there are self-serving idiots almost everywhere. I kinda' wish we could eliminate political parties altogether, and let the best person win. They do that with city elections here, and so far, we've gotten some good talent and the voters actually have to think before voting. I wonder if it could happen on a large scale. I can dream, can't I?

17. My favorite color is blue.

18. I'm a Leo, as if anyone cares about that anymore.

19. DLG is reminding me that I love reading, so I guess I should have listed this earlier. But I just believe that everyone does, or should, read for pleasure and learning. (Pause here while I read a book to her.)

20. I am not going list "100 Things," so I'll conclude with this minutia:

I like my popcorn, meat & cheese lightly scorched,

I dip my french fries in mayo,

and I like chocolate.