A week?!?! It's been a week since I've posted? Oops. The computer just isn't seeing the use it's used to...the weather's too nice, there are books to be read and Sox to be watched.

Mother's Day has come and gone, the husband's birthday too. For mother's day I got to help spread three yards of mulch and watch my boy start the lawn mower and empty the clippings bag - all by himself. Big steps. Of course, he was mowing the neighbor's yard where he gets paid for mowing, as opposed to this yard where he does it because it needs doing.

I also had Lucky Charms and an english muffin for dinner. It's good to be me. Truth be told, I was hanging out with a different neighbor and we were catching the last glimpses of sunlight through the trees and watching her husband build a stone wall. Didn't feel like cooking.

We spent the other half of the weekend, not as a juvenile labor camp - but here and there



doing a bit of this. I've never been to that part of Massachusetts - Ipswich and such. Most of it was beautiful. Until we got to Salem - witch trial, Nathanial Hawthorne - Salem. Not so nice and much too MUCH. A very touristy area surrounded by tenement housing. Hurrah. I'm sure there are some worthwhile stops but they required a search for parking and too high admission fees. Not our type of thing.



I've got the cookout itch happening. Wanting to invite people over, hang around outside with cold drinks and snack foods. I'm needing a blender.... this one or maybe this one, if you're inclined to purchase me a birthday gift. Super Saver Shipping is fine, my birthday's Monday but a day or two late won't hurt my feelings.

And now, just about 30 seconds ago...

The bad part about sitting next to the fire chief's office, aside from the sniveling deputy chief? When they get an emergency call to your daughter's school (she's not there yet, she goes half days) and they race out of here, sirens blaring. Hoping everyone is okay.

Yeah, um, this isn't looking so good

So, I've gone and changed the names to protect the innocent - and it would appear - the guilty.

This is where the husband works and hopefully will continue to work after the jury returns. We've had some major go-arounds lately because I'm not entirely sure that working for a convicted felon is in our best interest but the decision has been made, the die's been cast and now we're riding this out.

Fun, eh?

BUSINESS

XXX Co. fraud case goes to jury; Accused of overcharging government on paving jobs

By STEVE A.

Local Newspaper

BOSTON - Two top executives acted as ringleaders of a nearly decade-long paving fraud scheme at a contracting firm, prosecutors said in their closing argument in the trial of XXX Co.

‘‘It was part of the culture,’’ Assistant U.S. Attorney George H. said yesterday. ‘‘The company was rotten to the core because of the conduct of its president and vice president.’’

Owner and President Mr. XXX and Vice President Mr. YYY are facing charges of conspiracy, federal highway fraud and mail fraud. Prosecutors said they overcharged the government on paving jobs from 1995 to 2004.

Mr. XXX allegedly instructed an engineer to install a switch at the company’s asphalt plant that enabled operators to inflate weight readings on dump trucks and generate tickets for nonexistent loads. The tickets were submitted to the state and to towns as a basis for payment.

Summing up witnesses’ testimony in U.S. District Court yesterday, George H. said both accused men actively participated in the alleged scheme.

Richard G., a XXX Co. paving superintendent, testified that Mr. XXX and Mr. YYY told him to print extra weight tickets, and when he balked, Mr. XXX called him and told him to ‘‘do it.’’

Thomas F., a former paving superintendent, testified Mr. XXX instructed him to overcharge the town of S on gravel for a soccer field. Thomas F. said Mr. XXX arrived at the job, pulled him into his pick-up truck and said, ‘‘I’m going to show you how to make money.’’ Then Mr. XXX wrote out tickets for four nonexistent truckloads of gravel, Thomas F. testified.

Although the S project is not one of those named in the indictment, ‘‘it shows a similar plan he had to cheat government customers on projects,’’ Henderson said.

Thomas F. testified that Mr. XXX told him to submit phony asphalt tickets to make up for ‘‘rainy days’’ in which crews were not paving.

Mr. YYY instructed plant operators to keep track daily of how many tons of asphalt they overbilled, circling the number on a daily production sheet in what Mr. YYY called ‘‘Dick’s Magic Number,’’ Thomas F testified.

John M, an attorney for Mr. XXX, said the prosecution didn’t prove his client participated in a criminal scheme. The extra weight tickets could have had legitimate purposes such as serving as a trade-off for other expenses, John M. said.

Highway Department officials denied that weight slips could be submitted as trade-offs for other expenses, but John M. scoffed at their testimony during his closing statement. ‘‘In the world of state government, no employee is going to admit to a practice that isn’t in your handbook,’’ he said.

John M. also attacked the credibility of Bruce V., the former plant operator who installed the override switch. Bruce V. lied under oath when he was asked about his educational background, Markey said. Bruce V. gave a fictitious name for a Pittsburgh training institute where he received his diploma and misstated the type of degree he received, he said.

Mr. YYY's attorney, George M. , likened the firm’s alleged billing practices to a homebuilder who accelerates bills to a client. ‘‘He inflates what he has really done because he’s behind,’’ he said. ‘‘Maybe he has a bank looking at him and his receivables. At the end of the day, you got the exact job you paid for.’’

There are definitely worse places to watch a lacrosse game

We left the nephew's birthday party on Sunday and it was cloudy, windy and cold. We get here, where we're quite literally surrounded by ocean - and we just know it'll be f-f-freezing. There was hardly a breeze, not a cloud in the sky - perfectly wrong is what we were.

Thanks to Angie and Badger I'm thinking of trying my hand at some vegetables this year, some tomatoes for the girlie (who eats them like apples) and some greens for the guinea pig. All container stuff - easier to keep the dog at bay- plus I don't have a good spot in the yard to rototill.

Well, I'm off to read Harry Potter and the OOTP. Re-read actually - getting ready for number seven. Really though, I'm dropping the girlie off at school, grabbing a cold crystal light and the lawn chair, and THEN I'll be reading. Priorities, man, priorities.

How I wish I could close my office door

It is it wrong to want to holler out to the Deputy that he should stop being such a suck up to the Fire Chief?

I kind of want to wring his neck.

Ripped From the Headlines

Or from Oblivion:

"You know its always a good idea to donate your time to a good cause. Or at least it seemed like a good idea six months ago. But when the actual time comes ... you think ... why did I agree in the first place? Oh yea ... the whole good cause part. So you suck it up and do it."

So, I'm supposed to be helping out with setting up this yard sale that will end up benefiting a local scholarship fund. But, the group that's sponsoring the sale? I don't belong to it, haven't for years and now I only know one person that does belong to it. I told that one person I'd be there and I will be. But not for too long...it's not like they need me there, I'm only going to see what they have for books and such. That whole 'why did I agree in the first place'? Has nothing to do with the good cause, more like hanging out with a friend and chatting and I don't want some lady from some group I don't belong to casting out well deserved evil glances behind my back because I'm doing literally nothing to help and am sort of just in the way. So, in short - I'm not sucking it up and SP is clearly a more responsible adult than I am.

Hey, the Sox pulled another one out of their collective asses last night, eh? Well, eh? to Amy and whomever else might have watched. Probably just Amy. But that is oh-kay. But just so y'know...there will be no room on the bandwagon come October. Not sure about the whole Hit and Watch thing that Manny has been doing more and more of. Dude - just start jogging, it won't kill you.

Sorry if I horrified you all with the Lord of the Flies birthday recap. Granted there was no roasting each other over a spit and chowing down - but believe me, it was only a matter of time.

I just finished reading The Double Bind for my book group and I can't wait to thank the hostess for totally wasting my time. Not that I would do that but I can be counted on for at least a bit of good natured ribbing.

If you plan on reading this book you should skip the next paragraph. Or you could read on and save yourself the trouble.

Ugh, ugh and ugh. I've not had bad luck with Chris Bohjalian (Midwives and Before You Know Kindness) and this one started out with some promise but BUT less than halfway through it got mind numbingly dull (we getcha main character girl - must. develop. pictures.) and then the surprise wasn't that she was going crazy (duh) but that the parts of the novel that I thought were real (like the boyfriend's kids) totally weren't and there was nothing to be gained by that entire vein of story line. Or maybe there was and I was so ready for the story to get a move on that I missed what the point was. I am counting on the book club gals to enlighten me. And by enlighten I don't mean 'she was having a psychotic breakdown because of a horrific incident and see how fast one's life can change and you too could be homeless or beyond help too' . Because I get that. It was just that the "HERE IS THE POINT I WANTED TO GET ACROSS" plot line pretty much ruined it.

The Gatsby tie in was good but because both books were fiction I was assuming that he was using the characters from Gatsby (or descendants of) as characters in this book. But he wasn't and the story was just like Dallas and Newhart - not a dream but just a figment of her imagination. Charming.

My nephew's first birthday party is this Sunday. I'm thinking the party is a little, um, ambitious. The mom was going to have party favors made up for everyone. Goodie bags for the kids, something or other for the grown up ladies and for the men? Keychains with her son's picture on them. Um, hell low? Was it wrong to laugh out loud when my mother in law told me? My MIL talked her down off the ledge - the key chains are a no-go. Did I mention that there were over sixty guests invited? And that they live with my in-laws who now, by default, are hosting a rather large party? And that their backyard is still not at all finished from the septic installation this past fall? Just so you know I am right now shaking my head in wonder.

Must go play Paper Mario before the boy gets home and I have to beat him at H.O.R.S.E. Again.

The Month in Review. In Pictures. In no particular order.

The boy, celebrating his birthday...again. This time at the hockey cookout. Not the greatest of pictures but his hair looks okay in this one - and believe me - that's no small feat.
Lay cross. He runs, he passes, he catches. We watch. Osprey nest we saw the other day while driving to a friend's house. The nest had basically doubled in size when we saw it the next week. And the lady osprey was sitting in there keeping the babes warm. Well, babes to be. Or as we like to call them....omlettes.
The scavenger hunt list from the boy's party. This should've been more fun than it was.

One of the boy's friends is, um, a major pain in the ass. He has friends instead of parents and christ almighty it shows. He turned it into this super competitive race and proceeded to call the other team stupid and gay and what have you. He's the king of inappropriate and loves to see just how far he can push some one.

That some one being me on the day of the party.

The husband was working and this boy is the type of kid that gets all the other boys riled up and acting, not totally out of control, but not how they normally would. And there were a few who run a close second to him in terms of how obnoxious they can be. Good kids gone bad. Well, the last straw was when he and another boy who, quite frankly is a complete angel any other time, peed on the tree where they hid the capture the flag flag.

So that if the other team found the flag he would be able to say "HA HA We peed on that tree." Thereby wrecking the other team's moment of glory.

Which is exactly what happened except it backfired because the girlie was on the team that found the flag (it was the tree that got peed on - the flag was fine). She cried and cried and tattled right in front of everyone.

Well, N starts trying to laugh it off and even my husband (who had just gotten in from work) only said something about that being kind of gross. I lit into the group of them, ripped them a new one, as the saying goes. Not exactly how I planned on ending the party.


End result of a big wind storm that blew through. We didn't lose any major trees but I got out of bed during the height of the storm and watched the trees swaying (and heard them cracking - always fun) in the sixty mile an hour winds.

These are the average size pine trees that surround our home. Wind storms aren't as fun as they used to be. I actually got the boy out of his bed and snuggled him into ours (his bed is tucked into the dormer and another time a tree fell and missed another dormer by inches - wasn't taking a chance) for the duration. The trees are like, sixty to eighty feet tall and we've already taken some of them down but it may be time to reevaluate.
Some deer in a field. In the rain.
Easter. Yawn.

Wacky girlie shot. Because I like it.

Treading Water (which I updated before I posted it)

That's exactly how I feel. Like I'm doing everything I have to just to keep my head above water.

1. A post about my mom that's sitting in drafts. Maybe I'll hit publish tomorrow, maybe not. Haven't spoken to her all week. Must shore up the defenses first.

2. The town wants to put the new police station in the park next door to my house. Basically it amounts to uber annoying lights coming in through my daughter's bedroom windows all night. And extra traffic because no matter what they say the buildout is projected for twenty years which puts us to the size of the town next door - and their police station? Is kind of busy.

3. My husband made a decision that will totally keep us in the same financial straits that we're in now. Super.

Updated Sunday evening to add:

Well, I guess yesterday it was all half empty over here. Today it's better - but marginally. Mostly because I've got to accept what I can't change and just move on. No use dwelling, right?

Praying to the Movie Gods that This is as Good as it SHOULD be

So unless something changes the son has officially made the B hockey team and the husband is the head coach. But, because this organization takes itself waaaay to seriously - we are NOT supposed to know. It is to be business as usual until the teams are finalized. Instead, our friend - the boy's coach from this year - called us at 11:00 p.m. last night after the meeting to give me the lowdown.

The husband was one of the lucky ones. Apparently some of the higher ups actually take the trouble to stack the board of directors to ensure there's enough votes to get certain coaches appointed. A few good coaches got squeezed out by this little end run. The politics of it all kind of boggles my mind.

The trial started Monday for the husband's employer. I can't remember all the charges...mail fraud - probably the least important one of them all - is the only one that ever comes to mind. My husband is apparently loyal to a fault. He was offered another job with a smaller less established company. The details aren't important but the end result with this smaller company would've been alot more money in our pockets every week. He's scared to be the new guy on the block, so scared it would seem, that I think (and this could change by the time I speak to him again) he's staying put.

Ergh.

Oh, did I mention that I think he should jump ship?

On the bright side, the boy got a basketball hoop for his birthday and I can honestly say... we suck.

I have to add that I am so glad the birthday party stuff is done with. I may post about it - and probably will because I am still kind of annoyed and if I post it here no one in my real life will have to listen to me.

Ten Things about my Favorite Ten Year Old

He's officially hit the double digits.

My biggest kid is ten years old, here's a few things about him.

And yes I'm getting my brag on. It's well within my rights today.

1. Sure, they argue...but that boy loves his sister. I watched them walk into the laser tag room, older kids towering around them - he put his arm around her and led her off to the side to find a seat. It was the smallest of things but that's what it's all about.

2. He won a raffle today, for the coveted dalmatian webkin. And he conquered one of his biggest fears...he actually picked up the phone and called the adult in charge of the raffle to claim his prize.

3. One of his best friends acts like a complete imbicile when he's with a group...he shows off, gets uber-bossy and for the life of me I can't fathom why this friendship is still intact. Every time the kid started with his schtick today at the party my boy called him out on the crappo behavior and let it be known that it was over the top. It got dicey a few times but I was impressed.

4. He got a video game for his birthday that I've been wanting (Roller Coaster Tycoon - I know...Geeeeek) and he's SO excited for me.

5. He's playing Guitar Hero at his friends house and he's loving Free Bird and Carry On My Wayward Son. He's not musically inclined. At all. As far as I'm concerned I'll spring for the PS2 and the stinking guitar if it'll get him off Gwen Stefani. Oh, wait...no I won't. I impose a no video game buying zone from the first day of really nice weather until late fall or Christmas.

6. He semi-graciously accepted his first singing dessert that came with dinner tonight. He's painfully shy and it about killed him, but he turned five shades of red and smiled into his lap. Much improved over the crying and hiding under the table that he used to do when he was a preschooler.

7. He laughs so hard when he plays knee hockey that he cannot beat anyone except his sister.

8. He doesn't like me to read aloud to him, hasn't for years. Now, at bedtime, we curl up on his bed - each with our own book - and read together.

9. He recently said that he'd rather camp in Maine because there's so little to do at campgrounds. In Maine there is no electricity, water or toilets. It's woods, woods, a stream and some more woods. He wishes he could live like the Ingalls in the Little House on the Prairie collecting eggs from the chicken house, fishing in the creek and walking to school on their own.

10. He still wants us to lay down with him at bedtime and now, if he has something to get off his chest, he'll request me because he knows that it's our best talking time.


Today is the end of the season hockey party, so he'll be spending the afternoon playing street hockey with all the boys (and girl) he's laughed and hung with all year - what more could he want? And even better... it's not at my house, the dads will be there and I only have to bring cupcakes.

I know, I know.

Been awhile since I hit the publish button, eh?
Well - a word of advice.

When your son suggests that instead of a birthday party (his tenth! ACK!) he be allowed to spend the day at a local laser tag place with three of his best friends - do not, I repeat, DO NOT throw out the idea that a scavenger hunt party (To be held at HOME!) would be kind of cool too.

I'm just sayin'.

He latched onto that idea like a pitbull on a t-bone.

And finally, now that we're coming to the end of spring break...Spring. The weather's been atrocious, the kids have been bickerish. They both slept elsewhere last night which leaves me feeling a bit rambly and empty nesty this morning. It can be too quiet.

And now I have to go scatter some plastic BBs in the lawn and make sure there are only two or three pink legos in the big lego bin.

A Kitchen Meme

In the kitchen with...Jenny (someone's in the kitchen with Jenn-nee, someone's in the kitchen I know oh oh, someone's in the kitchen with Jenn-nee, strummin' on the old banjo...") Sorry, Sarah Louise made me do it...

Variety is the spice of life.
In my cupboard, I have this many spices: Wow, um...like thirty. ish.
Rack or no rack? I have a rack for like eight of them.
Alphabetize? Sorry, no.
Which spice do you use most often? Pepper. Exotic, eh?
Which recipe? Currently? BLT Dip.

It's like the pot calling the kettle black.
Coffee or tea? Neither. Unless it's iced tea.
Do you make coffee at home? No, the husband does but he says I make it too strong.
If you make tea, loose or in bags? Instant. Iced.
How many kinds of tea do you have? Two and one is yucky.

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
I use my stovetop: as a counter. (It's gas and it so totally IS a fire hazard.) I've only set one paper plate on fire so far. I have a yankee candle on there too. Actually I don't keep too much stuff on there...the dog can reach any food I might put on the back burner.
I use my oven: All fall and winter. Much less in the spring and basically not at all in the summer. This too is a fire hazard. In our first apartment we had little cabinet space and I kept the wooden cutting board in the oven. Brilliant idea, no? No. I preheated the oven and sometime later smoke was pouring out of the kitchen and my husband opened the oven door to find a red, blistering (literally), about to combust cutting board. Oops.

Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?
Soy or cow? Cow, have never even tried soy.
Skim or whole? Skim.
How many gallons a week? The whole family? Um, threeish.


Three items in my freezer (right now):

1. Frozen Waffles
   
2. Chicken Thighs
   
3. Tortellini
   

Three things in my fridge (right now):

1. Milk
2. Easter Eggs
   
3. Pastrami
   

Item I am most chagrined about: Just how empty or filled with almost empty containers my fridge is. Food shopping with the kids during school vacation? Ugh.

Item I bet no one else has: Muffalata spread. Or some expired Ceflex (my doctor's don't regularly prescribe anitbiotics so I'm hoarding what they did give us.)

The Return of the Prodigal Dog

The dog came home around 4:15 a.m. I heard him do his usual "it's nightime so I bark softly with a 'woof ' instead of a WOOF" bark.

The smell of recently sprayed skunk greeted me as I opened the door.

I sigh and begin my search. See, he won't come back INTO the yard because he has his electric fence collar on. It's not worth getting shocked to come back home and sleep on the boy's bed and dine on Iams Weight Control food. So, I wander around and the flashlite beam falls on a pair of yellowish eyes. I can't see anything else so I head in that direction. By the time I get there - he's gone but I hear him running through the leaves. Or at least, at this point, I'm hoping it's him and not a coyote that I'm chasing down. Because that? Would suck.

Anyhow, I next spot him (and it was him - this time I could make out his outline) running by another neighbor's yard. I know he's trying to work out a way to get closer to our yard but he's not keen on electrocution (the baby) so he's giving it a wide berth. I get closer and he runs across my path - not even glancing in my direction. Nice. He goes in a big patch of trees and underbrush in the neighbor's yard. I go in but am quickly blocked by an errant stick filled azelea and some other green stuff. So I back out and walk until I can get a glimpse of him. I call him and he comes out, head bowed down. I take his shocker collar off and he runs. Straight toward the neighbor's porch. Again, nice. I have to physically hold his regular collar and walk him over the invisible fence line. He bolts for the porch, goes in the house, drinks a bowl of water and passes out on the living room floor - too tired to climb the stairs to the boy's room.

His paw pads are h.o.t. hot. Like he's been running on the pavement for a few hours. There ain't a heck of a lotta pavement around here unless you count the main roads and a parking lot in the camp next door. Hmmmm. I've no idea where he's been or what he's been up to.

And for some blessed, it's no longer Friday the Thirteenth reason - the skunk sprayed but it DID NOT spray the dog. Phew.

At least I can sleep tonight.

it's 11:45 p.m.

The dog ran through the electric fence (with the shock collar on) around four thirty this afternoon and hasn't come back yet.

Our friends didn't see him at the Little League fields. The police/dog officer hasn't been called.

Guess who's nauseous and won't be getting any sleep?

A Few Things

My girl is totally reading. She read The Giving Tree to me last night. I cried. Not from the sheer joy of my baby reading but that story tears me up. Well, plus my baby read it to me.

Another girlie thing: She will ignore every part of Survivor but when the challenges come on - she's all business. She actually claps for the teams and cheers when they come on the screen. She doesn't quite get my love of YauMan but she will, she will.

The boy and I saw five deer last night while we were doing some errands. We pulled over to watch them graze and walk around. I never get tired of that.

My printer died and I'm getting a fancy schmancy new one. Well, not really fancy schmancy but new. And for whatever reason it was forty dollars cheaper on the Staples website than in the store AND it was shipped next day for free. Seems impossible and maybe there is some garganutan screwup but I've got my fingers crossed that I'll be scanning and copying and color printing by later today.

The dog snores as loud as a passed out drunk man.

Guess who has a book report due on Friday?

Yeah well that would be my kindergarten girl.

Somebody, shoot me.

Now.

Uplifting and positive?

Is that what I said before?

Yeah, well strike two.

Not really...just being my usual contrary self.

We actually just had a great night out at a friends house. So nice when your kids are all of similar ages, the boys are best friends and you can laugh until you cry.

G'nite now.

Okay, yeah so that was mean spirited, wunnit?

Well, a girl can only take so much. Yesterday she apparently wanted to start the 'trash it up' thing a bit early because when the girls couldn't find six of the plastic eggs she suggested we just leave them because she was cold.

That's the way to show 'em.

Moving on.

I have gotten entirely too much sleep for the past four nights and it has finally caught up with me. I woke up at 3:18 this morning and let the dog out and cleaned the kitchen. Then I figured I'd read for awhile because sleep? Not happening. I went to bed around 4:40 a.m. still not tired...I fell asleep before the husband left for work around 5:45. My girl let me sleep until 7:30 when she not so gently reminded me that I was supposed to hide some more plastic eggs for her to find (while her brother was at a friends house).

The never ending egg hunting.

Did I mention I'm not a huge fan of Easter?

Am I so totally negative all the time? Or just lately? Or just today?

Oh, and the boy doesn't believe in the Easter Bunny anymore. One down, one to go. Not really, I mean, it just paves the way to the big S-A-N-T-A question but damn, I wish I didn't have to go outside at 5:30 a.m. to hide the eggs. And no, we can't do it the night before...the dog will eat them, shells and all.


Okay, before I go I will think of one good and uplifting thing to post here...

um.

so, maybe not.

Strike One.

Daisy Scout Correspondence or Why I Want to Scream by Six Thirty on Thursday Evenings

oh yeah; you know how we have trash pick up planned on a certain day? well...how about if we ask for a volunteer (s) (parent?) to 'trash it up' for us? you know; sort of litter

out on the fields of twc...maybe in the playground area ;' or near the edges somewhere....so we won't get in the way if there is something going on....

it can be easy stuff for the girls to pick up; like plastic bottles...crumpled up newspaper...nothing gross.!!!!!!

Note: Fucking "Trash it up"? Seriously, she'd have someone go and litter all over the place. I'm sure the parks department would LOVE that idea. (And no they wouldn't as I spoke with the chairman yesterday)

My reply to her: "As far as the trash pickup goes, if the girls miss even one piece of rubbish we’ve essentially done a disservice to the park. I think they could handle picking up real trash, it may be a little gross but littering is gross and that’s the whole point"

Jenn and I have to find out 1.) the weather for next Thursday!!,

and 2.) if we can do this outside of the library......

*****Hey Jenn....let's look into the old Town Hall right near the library!!!!

we will let all of you know before next meeting where the egg hunt will be. stay tuned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

********important!!!! have the girls wear their daisy tunics next week! a.) if they are outside; they will be recognized as girl scouts...not just little girls running around !!!! and b.) they can put their plastic eggs that they find in their little pockets of the tunics!!!!!!!!

Note: (gah! what's with the italics?? - sorry it's copying her format) Next to the Old Town Hall, eh? Okay, let's review. This building sits at the convergence of three main roads and one of the town's two stop lights. There's also a parking area and a deep detention basin as well as landscaped flower beds...perfect for tuniced little girls to be running through.

I will do that today...

soooooo

if anyone is Willing to try to sell the remaining boxes...it would be helpful; otherwise; we have to buy them.

sorryyyy

Note: So many oooooos and yyyyyys - whyyyyyyy?

S: please still plan on bringing snack/drink because there is a separate area away from the tumbling area especially for snack-time.

Note: Yeah, S. Please bring a snack because the girls only have fifty minutes in this tumbling class we paid entirely too much to attend and I think it's VITAL that they take ten minutes of that time to have cupcakes and juice boxes. Not that we could do this after the class - that would make too much sense.

B suggested Summer Vacations.

Please bring in 4 or 5 pics that your girl

has happy summer vacation memories of.

actually a lot of our best vacations have been in the winter...I was thinking just "vacations" as the theme, what do others think?

b

Note: What do the others think? The others think that entirely too much time was wasted actually thinking it mattered. Summer vacations or winter vacations....hmmm...a scrapbook made in daisies by a six year old....let's call it 'Vacations' and get over it.

Oh, and a point of clarification - the colors, fonts and dubious use of exclamation points and asteriks? Not my doing. Once I got an email saying she couldn't make the meeting. In eight point Bernhard Fashion (go, try it out...).

So glad it's April.

Still to Come:

1. The reasons why I am tearing my hair out when it comes to corresponding with the Daisy Scout troop leader.

2. How I spent my Tuesday washing sparkling apple juice out of my son's hockey gear.

3. Will Sanjaya actually win American Idol? Is Katie trapped in Tom/Scientology trap?



Okay, never mind.

First of all, I will not be posting about washing hockey gear. Suffice it to say, it's smelly. The team lost yesterday. In a heartbreaker of a game, in overtime. The boy played so well and so hard - I couldn't have been prouder. Anyway, after the game coach herds them all into the shower area and the coaches shake up a bunch of those sparkling juices in the champagne type bottles and they SOAK the kids...and then the kids dumped buckets of ice all over the coach. The place was trashed, the boys left smiling and all was well.

And American Idol and Tom/Katie? Not really going to post on these but they do cross my mind.

But I will be back to post about the daisies. Once I stop banging my head on my desk.

I'm heading out to Ikea today. I really need a dkrogpf and a ergplat and that's the only place I can find them.

Ollie Ollie Oxen Free

Okay. So Lisa tagged me. Much to my delight. Or not, but I like her and therefore will totally do this.

Five things y'all don't know about me.

1. I didn't learn to dive until I was in high school.
2. I have a huge aversion to hair as soon as it leaves its head. The floor at the hairdressers makes me just about gag.
3. When I was a young lass I wanted to marry a mafioso guy.
4. When I put my son's clothes in his closet I sort them by color. That is, IF they leave the basket.
5. I equate my marriage to one of those giant stone ocean jetties. Totally rocky and strangely solid.

Howzat?

And last week's luau? For the boy? So anticlimatic. He stayed in the gym and played dodgeball...for two hours. He was completely oblivious to the girls milling around and all he could talk about was that out of the 75 or so kids playing he was the second to the last one standing and his entire team was chanting his name at the top of his lungs. Who needs girls?

A Book Meme

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? I usually read trade paperbacks but it would depend on the book, like, for instance - I won't be waiting for the last Harry Potter to go to paperback before I buy it. I've also been known to upgrade to hardcover for a book I have in paperback and happen to have fallen in love with.

Amazon or brick and mortar? Amazon for prices, brick and mortar for sheer enjoyment.

Barnes & Noble or Borders? I like Barnes & Noble well enough but Borders is A.) More accessible; B.) less expensive; C.) big on coupons; D.) offering up a nice holiday thing where you get a percentage of the total amount you spend put into a christmas clubish thing. Yeah, okay, this sat in my drafts folder for less than a week and Borders just did away with their holiday savings club thing. Supah.

Bookmark or dog-ear? Bookmark, you heathens.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? Okay, when I was a kid - I totally libraried my books...tape on the bindings with an F for fiction and the first three letters of the author's last name. I'm a bit more laid back now.

Keep, throw away, or sell? I'm a huge fan of the Paperback Book Swap (see sidebar for linkage). It's perfect for those quick reads and all meh books. But mostly it's keep. Much to the chagrin of my husband.

Keep dust jacket or toss it? Keep.

Read with dust jacket or remove it? Hmm. Mostly with. Unless I'm taking the book somewhere, then I tend to leave it home. I tend to bring a book anywhere I can so they're often jammed in a tote bag and I cringe at ripping those covers.

Short story or novel? Novels. But I love T.C. Boyle's After the Plague.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Harry Potter. I've read all of Lemony Snicket too (the boy and I had a contest going when he was in second grade and we whipped through ten of them) and I liked Lemony well enough, loved the vocabulary but the last book? Was TERRIBLE. And there's no way I was as anxious to read it as I am for the seventh Potter.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Unless I'm falling asleep, chapter break.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Dark and Stormy.

Buy or Borrow? Buy. I borrow from the library too, but not too often. I find I've got alot on my 'to read' list right here on my shelves. We pass around books at book club too and there's a girl at work who likes to swap but I just remembered I'm missing Bel Canto and Little Children. Both of which I want back.

New or used? Both.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? All three. But reviews and recommendations definitely surpass browsing.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Either is okay but since tidy ending doesn't mean happy ending I'd guess I prefer tidy. But not too tidy.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? How about 'any free minute' reading?

Stand-alone or series? Both.

Favorite series? Am enjoying Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series, the illustious Mr. Potter, um and do two books count as a series? Yes? Then Kent Haruf's Eventide and Plainsong. Oh, and the Richard Jury books by Martha Grimes...although I haven't read those in awhile. And there were these mysteries, about a nun...gosh, I loved those books and cannot remember the name of even one of them much less the author.

Favorite children's book? Favorite YA book? I loved A Wrinkle in Time and The Phantom Tollbooth. Cripes, I read alot of books when I was younger and they come back in fits and starts. My memory ain't what it used to be. (Is there an apostrophe in ain't? aint? hmm.)

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? I don't usually read undiscovered books...

Favorite books read last year? The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson and maybe the Kite Runner (was that only a year ago?), The Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Favorite books of all time? Bel Canto, A Fine Balance, Plainsong, The Handmaid's Tale, Watership Down, East of Eden, Lonesome Dove.

Least favorite book you finished last year? Running with Scissors. Ugh.

What are you reading right now? Killer Angels by Michael Shaara but I'm finishing it tonight. Again, this sat in drafts....now I'm reading Goodnight, Nobody by Jennifer Weiner.

What are you reading next? The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Maybe. Probably. We'll see.

Okay.

I'm back.

They WON!

Next week is the Championship Game for the entire conference. You can bet we've got our fingers crossed.

Must go. The girlie is trying to sleep but is coughing her brains out. I just didn't want to be accused of making you wait a WEEK for the results or anything *clears throat - looks at SP*.

What? You DON'T want to come?

Too early?

Well, you're coming anyway. At least for a few minutes.

Tomorrow. Playoff Game. Six a.m.

You guys want to come?

1. James/Rocky/Droopy Eyed Drama Queen Malcontent.

I am thinking it is early in the game for these men, although I use that term loosely, to be keeping him around because no member of ANY jury would ever vote for him. He disgusted me. I was hoping, with all the editorial foreshadowing, that he would be the one to go. He should have been the one to go. But the "men" were lacking a body part that would typically define them as such (read: BALLS) and they voted for Anthony. Whose only fault was not telling J/R/DEDQM to go fuck himself - which would have gained him what? Respect? Yeah, maybe in the movies. I did want to shake him and say "Don't you put one more goddamned log on that fire" because cripes almighty - but I don't see that ass taking that as his wake up call to treat Anthony with more respect, to change his entire personality from that of a complete moronic hypocrite to someone with one iota of decency. Not when he has the cameras and the other boys to show off for. And Jeff, goading him into fighting back...not sure I liked that either.


2. Okay, Red Sox. Papelbon, Papelbot, wow, not much sexier than a guy who knows how to throw a ball like that whatever you want to call him. Starter? Closer? I'd love to see him start, it seems that's what he'd like too. But. Ninth Inning, one run lead...who better to come in and shut another team down? Tavares? Not on your life. The mere thought leaves me queasy. But freaking who else is there? Timlin? Bwahahaha. I don't think he's got enough good innings in him per season to have that job full time.

And Matsusaka? The man can throw. Many, many pitches. So many pitches Varitek needs both hands for signals. I am a bit giddy about this.

3. There is a fourth and fifth grade luau at the boy's school this weekend. And some, not really sure how many...have dates. My boy is NOT among the hormonal crowd as of yet. His best friend, however, is. Some stricter parents are not letting their kids attend because of all the pairing up - I'm not going that route because my guess is that it's going to be a lot of boys hanging out with boys and girls with girls and there won't be all that much to worry about. But. I may go and play hall monitor with a friend of mine. I hate to over parent and I'm really not too concerned about the boy - girls are way more trouble than they're worth to him at this point. But I want to know what everyone else is doing so we can have a bit of a conversation here and there about it. In the past weeks I've heard of a few fourth grade boys that have actual fourth grade girlfriends. They go to the movies, the mall. Actual outings. Huh? Is it just me? Is this acceptable? I'm saying a big fat 'no it ain't' but maybe I'm out of the loop. No. I'm not. I'm just kind of blown away that other parents are letting their babes grow up so fast, too fast.

So. That's it. I'm off to conference with the boy's teacher since I haven't even seen her since the open house in September and she's not scheduled any parent/teacher conferences with me so far (I set this one up). She did write on his report card that she's concerned she's not seeing his best work. Um. His quarterly report card? How come I haven't heard about this before? Ergh. I also get to discuss the teacher that gives my son a stomach ache because she keeps them so long they have to run through the empty halls to catch their bus.

I have opinions

on last night's Survivor

on the state of the Red Sox pitching

on fourth graders who are taking dates to this Friday's luau.

But first, I must shop. We are sorely lacking in the grocery department.

A Hat Trick of Sorts

Good news - the dog, the cancer...they removed the entire lump and no other treatment is needed. Wahoo!

Of course, we're still treating him for the lyme disease he's got and he's still wearing the collar so he doesn't scratch open the wound...but pffft...that's nothing.

2nd Wahoo! My husband got the call to go back to work starting the first week of April. Not that we won't miss him but I can reclaim my space again in two short weeks.

He's gotten a decent amount of work done on the girl's bed...I'll have to get a picture or two. He might be taking it to his dad's to assemble it - the inlaws have a big cellar and he's going to need some space to work on it (trim boards and such). It's going to weigh a ton, not sure how he's planning to transport it.

3rd Wahoo! The boys grades have gone through the roof. He was doing well before and now? He's doing really well. Plus the girlie is starting to read the easiest of chapter books. It is music to my ears.

I suppose it's called insomnia. It's after two a.m. and I'm not a bit tired.

I just finished watching a movie (12 and Holding) and I'm contemplating watching some Battlestar Galactica on the iPod - so as not to wake anyone.

We had a surprise four inches of snow tonight. Which, after this snowless winter - I don't really mind. It's sitting on top of the two inches of solid ice that froze up last Friday. It's perfect snowball/snowman snow...I'm hoping it doesn't rain tonight (this morning?) and ruin it.

I want to be tired not bored and antsy.

Last week I wasn't paying attention and put an earring in the second holes in one of my ears. I haven't worn the whole two earring thing in, let's say, at least ten years. Okay, well now that long neglected earlobe is freaking killing me. I've never had an sort of pierced ear infection and now? I think I do. WTF.

See, how boring and yet chatty I am? Be glad you aren't here...I would be talking nonsense while you did your best to stay awake and humor me. Or you would fall asleep and I would be awake and resentful.

Yeah, so I'm already resentful because you all are sleeping. And I? Am not.

Right Now

I am blogging, figuring a way to get out of cooking dinner and am quietly amazed that the kids are so anxious for our annual St. Patties Day traditions.

My son is playing Runescape during his break from writing yet another book report (Daniel Boone biography: pick five things important to the character, write a paragraph about each of them and bring in an example of each item - only two can be pictures)

My girlie is making St. Patrick's Day decorations with entirely too much glue and glitter but she is happy and quiet and will enjoy using my little dustbuster type thing to suck up the mess.

My husband is FINALLY making the daughter's bed. It's going to be a captain's bed (I think) with four large and two small drawers underneath Plus a cabinet door that will access a narrow space behind the drawers. I figure I'll put the wrapping supplies back there. With an 1100 square foot house storage options must be creative. Every bed we saw in the stores was just not quite right...drawers not deep enough, shoddy construction, ugly finish, four drawers when she really needs six...did I mention she shares her closet with some of our stuff (we have no closet) and the vacuum? She needs six drawers. He's using maple, which he likes to work with and I like to look at.

It's snowing here today...at least it's supposed to. Now it's just windy flurries, barely accumulating. The kids haven't had a snow day all year so today I let the boy stay home (in all fairness he was coughing and looked kind of tired??) and the girlie should be leaving in fifteen minutes...not sure what's happening there. She's missed alot of school recently and she should go but it's kindergarten. And somehow the house just feels better with her in it.

The pup has cancer.

I wish I knew more but

A. We got the newer vet, the one the practice is NOT named after. I don't really like her. She talks way too fast, seems to always be rushed or to have some other very important thing she needs to be doing during the brief moment she spends talking to you. After his surgery she didn't even come out to give us any post op directions, I had questions and the office girl had to run and get her. And even then she came out answered half of it and left while I glanced down at my dog.

B. My husband answered the phone. At best he's only good for being able to relay about half of the information he's heard. But speaking with this vet? Probably a quarter. He said there were alot of numbers/test results etc. She did tell him that they got the whole thing and he said she started talking about some treatment options then told him we'd discuss it on Tuesday when he goes to get his stitches out.

A few nights ago he was walking around and doing this cry/whine/howl thing. I thought he was sick, maybe he'd gotten into something outside or whatever. So he'd whine, I let him out. Ten minutes later he'd bark and I'd let him in. This went on until 1:30 a.m. when my husband took over. Come to find out he was going outside and just standing on the deck or on the lawn next to the deck. Then he'd come to the door and bark to come in.

My diagnosis? Can'tclimbthestairswiththisstupidcollaronand
Iwanttosleeponyourbedroomflooritis.

He wasn't ill. He didn't need to go out. He wasn't even lonely - I was awake and in the living room with him until 1:30 and my husband got out of bed and slept downstairs after that. The dog whined off and on for seven hours because he was bummed out.

Pretty much what I'll be doing today. But quietly.

And blah blah blah with more hockey

So first I'll apologize because well, enough with the hockey already.

But it's the busiest time of the season. Playoffs, extra ice time, tryouts and now somehow it has come to pass that our 1000 square foot home is the place to be on the weekends. Got a few hours to kill between practices? You'll find six boys in our living room in the midst of a knee hockey tournament and three dads and a mom or two in the kitchen with me whipping up grilled cheese and something or other I either pull out of the freezer or out of the stuff people, very thoughtfully, stop and pick up. No plans on Wednesday afternoon (this would be the prison guard/third shift working coach and my waiting to go back to work husband)? Give us a call, we can hang out. Do our early evening practices leave you feeling like you've got nowhere to really go but still want to have some pizza/soup/chili/beer? Swing on by.

The tryouts did go well. The boy made the B team easily and was what we call "on the bubble" for the A. Meaning, while he didn't make the As, he's one of three kids who will be evaluated again in the fall. They'll be checking out more than three kids this fall but not too many more and with two open spots left on the team for just this occasion, well, he's still got a shot.

Either way, proud of the kid.

But. Coach called. He told my husband to put in his application to coach the B team. This year's coach was still skating the kids around cones in February, not practicing plays...just a mess. He says they're looking to change up the coach and that my dear darling betrothed should apply - he'd be a good fit.

Great news?

Sort of. In the next breath he tells my husband that in the fall he'll be given a list of five or so names of kids that could fill those two spots. And if the boy is on the list? He'll take him and my husband will be coaching a team that his son doesn't play for. Maybe not a huge deal in some sports but in a 32 week season it's a big commitment. Especially if it means missing his games or a tournament. Last year's coach has already put in an application and no one else has stepped up...so it could be a crummy coach if the husband doesn't apply. Not a recipe for a fun year.

Our other concern is that my boy will get automatically taken off the list if his dad is coaching another team. Thinking that they're doing us a favor, maybe. Not sure how it would work at this point. Holding him back, while it wouldn't kill him, isn't really the compromise we want to make.

The husband & the coach are going to hang out tomorrow afternoon and discuss the options.

Why can't it ever be easy?

Monday Meme

I saw this over at Sneeky's and Cady's and thought, oh hey, I freaking love housework. Perfect.


aprons - y/n? No. And I need one. I'm messy when I cook but I do clean as I go.
baking - Meh. Not my thing.
clothesline - y/n? I've wanted one for a few years now...maybe this summer.
donuts - ever made them? No. And probably never will.
everyday - one homemaking thing you do everyday? Make the beds.
freezer - do you have a separate deep freezer? yes. and I might die without it.
garbage disposal - y/n? No. They will RUIN your septic system.
handbook - y/n? hahahaha. yeah, right.
ironing - love it or hate it? hate, hate, hate.
junk drawer - where is it? In the microwave cabinet. i clean it out once a year or so.
kitchen - design and decorating? Reddish beadboard, the top half of the walls are tan. Handmade built in bench set and handmade oak cabinets. Hardwood floors.
love - what is your favorite part of homemaking? When it's done. Second place answer: cooking.
mop - y/n? Well, sort of. Mostly swiffer wet jet.
nylons - wash them by hand or in the washer? I usually wear tights, if anything. But 'washer'.
oven - do you use the window or open it to check? Open it.
pizza - what do you put on yours? peppers & onions or meatballs
quiet - what do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment? Read. Books, blogs or a magazine.
recipe card box - Nope, no box.
style of house – Log cabinish.
tablecloths and napkins - y/n? Um, no. Well, we use napkins - obviously. But as a Certified Laundry Hater...why create more?
under the kitchen sink – Cleaning supplies, trash can, dustpan & sweeper.
vacuum - how many times a week? At least twice. See photo in previous post.
wash - how many loads do you do a week? I knew there had to be a laundry question. Cripes, I've never counted but at least seven.
x’es - do you keep a list of things to do and cross them off? Not all the time, but if I have alot to do, sure.
yard - who does what? We both mow and spread mulch and plant stuff and trim trees & bushes. But he's in charge of the firewood, fertilizing and honestly - he does more mowing & raking than I do. And actually the son does some too.
zzz’s - what is your last homemaking task for the day? taking care of the pets (guinea pig hay & letting the dog out, making sure he has water and that the furniture is covered with books or those big lego boards as Baxter rather enjoys sleeping on the couch). Oh, and in the winter - filling the wood stove for the night.

Pucks and Pups

My boy has hockey tryouts today, for next season. The coach recommended he go out for the A team. I'm nervous for him. Nervous he'll make it and whoa, it's the A TEAM, holy skating. And nervous he won't make it and be disappointed. His coach has basically said he'd be a B if he doesn't make the A's, which hasn't really registered with him yet. Either way it's a step up but I'm really keeping my fingers crossed for him. Would you mind crossing a finger or two between noon and two?

So the dog is well. We don't have the biopsy results back yet but the surgery went well. He's got alot of stitches and is wearing one of those elizabethian collars. Today he snuck down into the cellar to lie in front of the woodstove. Let's just say he enjoys lying with his front paws on the bricks and with his body, like, 10 inches from the stove. And he's black - a veritable heat magnet. He generally comes upstairs panting, just about to pass out and he's so hot to the touch that it HURTS. The dog freakin' burns us.

So today the girlie lets him in from outside where, earlier in the day, his first time out unsupervised - he breaks the collar. The $20.00 collar that was barely 12 hours old. Okay, so in he comes. I'm upstairs getting dressed and a few minutes go by...I remember I forgot to blockade the cellar door...the gateway to hell (and yes, it sometimes IS that hot down there). I run downstairs calling his name. I get to the cellar and I see the dog, in front of the stove, loathe to move. The goddamn collar is melted. It's all warped and soft and burning hot. Baxter is blissfully unaware. I scorch my hand trying to reshape the dang thing before it cools off.

So, a day in to this ten day collar wearing thing he's looking like a jucket. All duct tape and warpy. (Jucket is a very regional term for, um, a bub. As in a 'bub jucket'. How to explain...Sort of like a backwater, hillbilly type - I guess) See, learn something new every day.

The garbage disposal dog is in for surgery today. He had this cyst/tumor that had to be removed toot sweet and so back to the vet's he went. We also found out he has lyme disease, so we started antibiotic-ing him for that too. They're going to biopsy his lump and, I guess, find out if it's cancer. Which, as I set sail on the river denial, I cannot even comprehend.

Did I mention he also eats the carrot noses right off of a snowman's face? Yeah, well he does. Plus he actually eats the snowmen if you don't stack up the snowman parts fast enough.

Barring any troublesome medical treatments for the dog, I am wanting to plan a weekend away. With the kids, I suppose. Unless I can finagle a girl's weekend somehow. I'm getting cabin fever - it's either cold or frigidly cold up here, with no snow and when it does warm up a bit? It. Is. Muddy.

The husband's layoff is coming to an end, hopefully in the next few weeks. He has gotten so much done. NOT.

He's made two shutters for the shed, which are nice enough and look like we could've ordered them out of this catalog. But. When I orginally saw them in that catalog, I thought that even I could put something like that together. If I were so inclined. But I'm not, I wasn't and he was laid off. So he made two. Oh so productive. But they are kind of nice so I guess I won't say too much. Yeah, right.

We Are Lunatics

Eight and a half months. Football season comes and goes as does basketball. We overlap the first four to five weeks of baseball season too.

We get to the rink a full hour before a game because the coach wants them dressed and ready at least twenty minutes prior to faceoff. Make it thirty to forty minutes during playoffs.

We drive, usually, a minimum of a half hour to actually get to the rink du jour. In this case we're lucky...we know folks traveling out of state every other weekend.

We spend untold amounts in what I like to refer to as a snack tax. Or that's what I call the spare change/dollars that are spent on post game slushes for the boy and during the game gumballs and such for the girlie.

We can quote the Herb Brooks Miracle speech by heart. Or almost.

We travel with blankets, winter hats, gloves and jackets. Year round.

We sacrifice sleepovers, school functions and birthday parties. Sacrifice is the wrong word. Opt out is a better choice.

The parents rate the rinks by temperature and visibility. The kids know the ice surface of every rink within playing distance and they have definite preferences.

We pray for a good coach, convenient ice times and nice parents. This year we got a hat trick.

Our team, at 19-1-3 is the second best team in the league (out of, about fifty teams or so). They are not a crazy scoring machine - we have a superb goalie and a stellar defense. Today was the first round of the playoffs and we played the first place team - who've scored twice as many goals as our guys (and girl) and were undefeated.

Our coach who's a police officer and prison guard, is all business probably 95 percent of the time. The kids respect the heck out of him. And I have to say, so do I. He knows hockey like no one I've ever met. He's fair and honest and inspires the kids to want to do their best. He tolerates no shit. Not from his own kids, not from the team, not from other teams. He's only coached for three years, this is his first winning team. He is so proud of these kids and they are proud to skate for him. It is awesome to watch.

Honestly, I didn't expect them to win today. I was hoping they'd be able to keep them down to 3 or 4 goals (down from their 8 goal a game average). We don't have alot of big goal scorers - Most games have been won by a goal, maybe two. My hopes weren't high. The boy however (and the coach's son - who happens to be a great friend of the boy) did not even entertain the idea of losing.

And as my boy would say "We schooled 'em."

4-1.

Not a blowout by any stretch of the imagination but a good, solid win. Those kids have never played better. The other team wasn't as tough as they thought but from the moment the puck dropped our kids were gunning to win that game. They want that big trophy and they're one game closer.

I say we when I refer to hockey...as in "We played a good game". I don't always do it and generally it's only when talking to other parents but then I started listening. We all do it. Yeah, some will say we live vicariously. And maybe we do. Except that hockey is nothing BUT a team sport, and at this age, parents included. The kids on the ice - the parents off of it. We spend alot of time together...I see these folks more than I see my parents and my best friends. We commiserate over hot chocolate and coffee. We compare practice drills and discuss the pros and cons of composite sticks. We carpool and share blankets. We're in it together.

The coach could not finish his post game speech. He got a little choked up and gave the floor over to my husband and the other assistants. I think he'll be the coach I compare all future coaches by...which, sorry new coaches, but the bar has been set.

We invited the coach and his family over yesterday after the game for some pizza, beer and a post game recap. We wives figure if they can relive the plays with each other then we won't have to pretend to remember each deke and save later on. A few hours later another family shows up. Then a few dads. Then another dad. The next thing we know it's after ten p.m. - the pizza's gone, the beer - just about, the kids are on their fourth wind, the wives are wondering how we're getting them all up for school the next day, the husbands are debating the finer points of men's league hockey and A team tryouts.

We kick everyone out and my boy looks at me and says "That. Was. Awesome."

So, there ya go.

Things the Dog Has Eaten in the Past Three Months

1. Two loaves of bread.

2. Container of Peanut Butter (1/2 full)

3. Unopened Stick of Butter

4. Gingerbread house & all attached candy and gumballs

5. Guinea Pig cage stuff (recycled paper, droppings too - i assume)

6. Jar of Fish Food

7. 2 cupcakes

8. A dozen or so cookies (different types, left over from book group)

9. Tupperware container of guinea pig food (in all fairness he did leave the container)

10. A blow pop

11. Four hot dog rolls

12. Things I haven't realized he's eaten yet.

This dog is almost eleven years old. He's grey around the muzzle and his eyes are getting cloudy and he's developing some sort of cysty thing that I think is okay but with yipes, may not be. He's decided that if he can reach it - it's his. And he's tall enough to reach the top of the table and the back burner of the stove.

Never mind the fact that each and every time we leave the house we have to shut the bedroom doors and put things all over the furniture because he long ago decided that he just was NOT suited to sleeping on the floor. Unless it's the floor in front of the wood stove. He makes an exception for that.

People aren't kidding when they say that it's not about training the dog, it's about training the owners. We're always forgetting to stow the bread in the back corner of the counter before one of us is running out the door to the bus stop or put the extra cupcakes in the microwave before we leave the house. Because, while the dog might be trainable while we're home - he's whooping it up the minute we drive away.

We, uh, have finally sorted out the troubles with the girlie. Seems she has mono. Which, I'm actually - at this point - happy about. There was a brief scare on Friday where they were concerned about her liver not functioning correctly but that seems to have righted itself.

The strep throat thing from two weeks ago - mono related. Weird leg rash which turned out to be bruising - mono related. The bands on her socks and the seams that run up her legs on her pajama bottoms? They actually left bruises on her legs. Her blood wasn't clotting correctly.

Good times.

I'm praying the boy doesn't get it. Or anyone else we know, for that matter. Come to find out there was alot of water bottle sharing going on around here during our pond hockey weekends.

Anyhow.

Hockey is going well for the boy this year. They're something like 18-1-2, which throws them in second place out of 48 teams. Playoffs start Sunday. We went to the coach's house for dinner last night and I joked that my husband was going to come with his dry erase board and notebooks. Coach P says "There'd be nothing better." and he meant it. This guy won't be getting much sleep all week.

But all it took was one "Hey, buddy - I really need you at skills this week, big week for us - it'd help to get another good skate in before the weekend" to my son and he was all agreeable about going to skills, which is the only part of playing hockey he complains about.

So, that being said I've invited Coach P to come over and give the prebook report pep talk next month. Because if there's one thing he complains about more than skills - it's book reports.

I thought I had a post started in drafts....

I guess not.

It's been a week. One of those weeks.

Lets see... it started, although I didn't know it at the time, with a complaint of a sore throat last Sunday (not the one that just passed, the one before). We'd spent the day skating and such and after dinner the girlie told me that her throat was bothering her. It was a busy Sunday which had followed a busy Saturday so I chalked it up to exhaustion, gave her some motrin before bed and forgot all about it.

Fast Forward: 9:50 p.m. Monday Night (i.e. last ten minutes of Heroes). She jumps out of bed and heads into the living room instead of the bathroom. Let's just say I spent the last ten minutes of Heroes scrubbing my carpet.

She threw up a few times on Tuesday and during the day on Wednesday. By Wednesday night though, the poor girl, she was s.i.c.k. sick. She hadn't really kept anything down since this whole thing started and I kept thinking 48 hours and it should be out of her system. It so wasn't. When we went to the pediatrician's on Thursday (where she basically just laid on the table and threw up a few times into their trash can) morning he wanted her admitted to the hospital - immediately. She had lost 12% of her body weight - in four days. So, my poor baby, we got her all checked in and IV'd up and there we sat. Tons and tons of fluids and lots of Nickelodeon. When it became clear that the puking wasn't going to stop she got some anti-nausea medication that worked wonders.

As a side note, to add to my mini-drama - my cell phone wouldn't work in the hospital and seeing that I had only one battery bar left...I shut it off and figured I'd keep it for the ride home. I tried to call the husband who had left for a four day fishing trip on Thursday morning, no luck. The hospital phone service A. couldn't charge a call to my Vonage telephone number or any cell phone number and B. wouldn't charge a third party call to a credit card. Nice. The nurse was nice enough to let me use the regular phone but I've gotta tell yeh...trying to arrange the rest of my life without a direct line to the outside world...was tough. Plus, my mom, who truth be told, is not the most maternal sort...well she just kind of stunned me with her ways. And while he was in Maine? My husband's water pump broke on his truck (and we are thanking god now he didn't decide to come home on Thursday night - broken down in Maine with a bunch of guys to help you is much, much better than being broken down somewhere on the highway in the dark, by yourself). But still, it was 15 below zero outside when they were fixing it. Oh, and on Sunday - when he woke up - he was sick too, with some Noravirus or something (or so says the doctor).

Anyhow, it ended up being strep with a side order of dehydration. It's amazing how fast your world can shrink down to where the most important thing is keeping 1 oz. of fluid down or debating whether you really need three wet wipes for her to get a clean urine sample.

She came home Friday evening and with one dose of antibiotic in her and some good ole fashioned chicken broth...she was well on her way to recovery.

Except for Saturday. When she got hives all on the tops of her feet. And then Sunday, with the girlie seemingly fine, we leave for hockey. Look At My Hands! She says as we're on our way. All red and hivey. I stop at the pharmacy, get some anti-inch stuff and some antihistimine spray and head to the rink. For a double header. The hives go away after a bit, as is the way with these things and again...she seems fine. That night though, I see them on her legs and arms so I give her some benadryl and snug her up in bed. Monday she is riddled with them. I call the doctor and get an appointment for later in the day...as a bonus I've noticed another rash is coming up...this one isn't itchy and is dark reddish with blotchy circles.

The doctor, who isn't one I normally see anymore because he's a bit of an alarmist...well, he alarms me. They're thinking the hives are an allergy to Zithromax (she's already allergic to Penecillin *sigh*) Lesions like these could be "askdjf;arejkdfjasakg" (insert the name of something I didn't even understand and couldn't possibly remember) and could form on her internal organs and let's get some blood work to make sure her kidneys are still functioning okay.

Gulp.

So yesterday evening it was more blood work and a pee sample and the eternal crossing of the fingers. I really think she's okay and the labs must've been fine because they haven't called me back. I balanced out the blood draw with a trip to Build a Bear. She had a rather large gift card but I had told her that she couldn't buy a bear, just outfits...she was okay with that but she was bumming. After the blood thing, I gave in, she got herself a bear and an outfit plus I got her new bear a set of pajamas and some sneakers. Getting rid of the crummies with a trip to her favorite store on earth...best medicine ever.

She goes for a recheck tomorrow. Like I said, I'm thinking she's okay...that this is just a strep reaction but gawd, whatta week.

An Embarrassment of Riches

Oh, library book sale, how I love you. A guilt free twenty five dollars and look at the take:

Odd Thomas and Forever Odd by Dean Koontz - I don't love Koontz or hate him but Odd Thomas is our latest book club choice so I figured I'd pick up the sequel too.

The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson - I've read In a Sunburned Country and A Walk in the Woods - both were great- how could I resist?

The World Below by Sue Miller - I liked something else she wrote, can't remember it now but for fifty cents...worth a shot.

The Narrows, Chasing the Dime, City of Bones & Angels Flight all by Michael Connelly - The Harry Bosch series comes highly recommended...again, why not?

Little Altars Everywhere by Rebecca Wells - Amy liked it.

With No One as Witness & Missing Joseph both by Elizabeth George. I read In the Presence of the Enemy and enjoyed it.

The Probable Future & Here On Earth both by Alice Hoffman - Meh, I'm reading Practical Magic now and maybe I'm not far enough into it but it's not grabbing my attention at all. Alot of people seem to like her... I'll give her another shot...

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx - I've wanted to read this for years and never got around to picking it up. Now that I have it, it just may sit for a year or so. Still, it'll be here when I need it.

Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner - Okay, so Sarah Louise and MommaK both mentioned it in my comments the other day and what was the first book I saw when I got to the libraray? It must've been meant to be.

Blue Blood by Edward Conlon - I read a review for this years ago, back when it first came out and thought I'd like it. I stumbled on it this past weekend...we shall see...

To the Nines and Ten Big Ones by Janet Evanovich - I don't want to like these but I cannot stop.

Sherlock Holmes the Complete Novels and Stories - yeah, I'm not sure what possessed me, my latest mystery reading kick, I think. Still, I'm surprised I haven't read any of these and they may sit with The Shipping News but they'll probably get read.

The Glorious Appearing by Tim LaHaye - I know, I know. Me. Reading this. I've read all of them and one thing's for sure...Left Behind is where I'll be. And hey, if someday all the goodish people disappear they make it clear that I'll have plenty of chances to change my stubborn mind. What kills me is that the story could be phenomenal if only these books were written by someone with actual writing skill. Gahd, they're like reading bad fiction by a 6th grader. But I must finish what I've started.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck - Quite simply, one of my all time favorite books. Which I didn't own and now I only own a very crummy copy but at least I can read it at my leisure.

A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel - I don't know, I think I heard something good about this so I grabbed it.

Tara Road by Maeve Binchy - Yeah. Well, I skipped Amy's book review because I was sure it was downstairs on my book shelf waiting for a beach trip. Turns out that was Echoes or someother such title. I had to get it just so I could read it.

Maine - An Explorer's Guide - Maine. We love it and we're always looking for a new destination for a day trip.

Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox - Eh, we'll see. I'm in no rush for this one.

Hunting Season by Nevada Barr - I love this series, set in National Parks. I read Flashback awhile ago and just recently started at the first in the set. Perfect for the armchair traveler. As the real traveler's husband would need employment to fund his wife's jaunts to all of these places.

Some random Dean Koontz books, a book on National Parks, a Hardy Boys book, Howliday Inn and some easy readers for the girl (who is READING actual books!!!) and that about summed up the trip.

Oh. And if you happen to be at the mall with a friend and see some gloves that look mighty warm. Be sure to try them on first.

Or you may end up looking suspiciously like Cookie Monster.

It's a balmy twenty seven degrees today...

I think the word verification guys are privately applauding my newly honed skill of correctly typing their mumbo jumbo and are now giving me 15 letter things to type in.

Our Uno tournament has gone from weekend long to winter long and now my daughter is regularly saying things like "let's take it downtown" and then hits me with a Reverse, reverse, skip, draw two, draw two, six.

Let's take it downtown???

She's winning by a thousand points.

There are all these people posting about all these books that they've been buying/reading. I feel like an addict getting a fix when I read these things. And my 'to read' list keeps growing and growing...

Amy's been doing these fantastic book reviews and I will try to follow suit. I've just read the bestselling "The Memory Keeper's Daughter".

Meh.

What? You expected more?

Some random Tuesday Stuff

My computer is full. Or nearly so. A few weeks ago I had to dump about 500 meaningless pictures so that I'd have room to add 500 more meaningless pictures and a few Weird Al songs for the boy's shuffle. Are external hard drives easy to hook up? Does it just need a USB connection? Anyone?

*vent*I want to quit Daisy Scouts. I've recently discovered that the lady who is a co-leader with me, well she apparently never says no to her kids. Her kindergardener is up until 10:00 p.m. and she literally stopped the meeting in it's tracks so that she could question all of us as to how we got our kids into bed so early and she got all fake airheady and amazed "oh my god, did you hear that T? They go to bed at 8:00...how come you don't go to bed at 8:00?" ugh. And her son, literally runs wild through the library for the hour long meeting (we see the children's librarian speaking to him frequently) and interupts the meeting at least five times. And she takes cell phone calls during the whole meeting too. */end vent*

15+ inches of ice. Too bad it's almost too cold to skate.

One of our best friends just had some pretty major surgery. She made it through okay and her cyst wasn't malignant so we are breathing a huge sigh of relief. She called me on Sunday to tell me to take care of her husband and to let me know that if I or another friend was to end up with him somehow to make sure we keep him in line and to be kind of bitchy towards him because that's what he's used to.

A point of clarification : Hosting a "bookless" book club does not constitute a girl's night out for the hostess. Not that my husband reads this, I'm just sayin'.