Lucy makes some friends.

Lucy found my Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy dolls that my grandmother made for me when I was little.  She hasn't shown any interest in them until yesterday.

She napped with them and last night at bedtime asked for the 'friends'.  I went in to check on her and ensure she had a blanket and found her and the friends in the dark sitting on her pillow.

Miss Lucy seemed pretty pleased with herself.  I had to run downstairs and grab the camera.  I think my grandmother would be pleased that the dolls are getting a second life.

I did ditch most of the clothes as they were extremely tattered and seriously out of style.  I may have been the only kid in 1973 with Raggedy Ann dressed like Maude.   Lucky me, I had about 6 color coordinating polyester pant suits with bum covering vests.  So kicky!  My grandmother made a lot of her own clothes, partly out of frugality and partly out of a desire to have clothes that fit her frame.  She was a tall woman with a generous bust.  I don't remember her shopping for anything other than coats, undergarments, shoes and stockings.  I think she made everything else.  Now that I think about it, Raggedy Ann and Andy each had outfits that matched something in my grandmother's closet.  The barbies did too.  It must have been difficult to sew tiny polyester pants for Barbie, but my grandmother did it.   Thanks Elsie!  Miss you.

Grandma Elsie

Maude

Whoops

Well, I called THAT incorrectly.   What a fun game that was on Saturday.  I'm not holding out a lot (any) hope of a Superbowl appearance, but I will congratulate the team on a well played game.  It was very entertaining and enjoyable.

Good luck with Chicago!

Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure what I'm more excited about, a weekend with no commitments (other than the hospital tour tomorrow morning) or that my icky rash (see the other blog for gory details) has really gotten better.  I slept very well last night all things (potty breaks) considered.

I know we, as residents of the pacific northwest, should be prepping our Seahawks gear and logging onto Stubhub to get tickets to the big game, but I'm unimpressed.  I will be a not-so-quiet naysayer and say that I think anyone with dreams of going all the way with THIS team is may about to experience what it feels like to be a WSU fan.

I will say that I think football playoffs are a lot more to the point than NBA and Baseball.  Best of 7? What is that all about?    I like the lose once and you're out concept.  Sure, sitting through multiple baseball games during a championship run is fun, but best of 7... seriously?  

My mom is excited about the game and I appreciate her enthusiasm.  I also appreciate that she's not at my house in her Blue and Turquoise gear screaming at my tv.  Although, mom - there are tickets to the game to be had.  You could drive over and go... I'm just saying. 

In the boring category, I've started pulling together our information for taxes.  I'm going to try to do our 2010 taxes myself with the aid of TurboTax.  I've been compiling our receipts and find it depressing how much we dine out week after week.  I'm sure that Lucy will put a dent in that, with the portability issue and the loss of a chunk of disposable income toward child care.  Home cookin' will be just fine I'm sure.

I have no earth shattering news, so this will be my post for today.  Have a great weekend!

Top of mind

not our room

Jason and I finished a large project this weekend where we finally put our master bedroom together in a way that doesn't look like hodge podge furniture.  I got a surprise cash bonus from my employer for doing a good job (wow!) and used the funds to purchase new (IKEA) dressers.   These replace the three white IKEA dressers we had in the old condo and the "cherry" console thing that I had in my condo.  With all matching pieces, two mirrors, lamps and a lovely picture our room looks rather like a chic hotel.  (even if it did take 3 trips to IKEA... the third was a stressful nightmare, but there's no need to re-live it.)

I'm pleased about how it looks and thrilled that there's room for all of our stuff.  I didn't like that some of my stuff was smashed into drawers where I could find them (including in Jason's space.)  Now, his bed side dresser is his, mine is mine and we share (70/30) the big bank of drawers.  Don't feel badly that he's out of space because he also has an entire dresser in our closet devoted to his undershirts-shirts, undies, socks and other unmentionables (Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts and the like).  Trust me, my beloved clothes hound has space for his things in our house.

not me

In addition to putting all the pieces together and off loading the now unwanted items to family and goodwill, Jason also worked out how to get our lighting on remotes.  Oh yes, I can control all four lamps in our bedroom from a handy bedside remote.  We don't have a glaring overhead light in our room (except over the decorative firepit) and so the bedside lamps are a necessity.   Since we've moved in larger lamps they really aren't in arms reach once I'm in bed so the remote is glorious.  And, because there are two if I fall asleep before I turn out the light (which I'm told has happened) he can "click" me out without having to wake me up or hike around the bed.   When I fall asleep with my glasses on, I'm SOL because the last time he tried to gently remove them I had a pretty aggressive reaction and almost broke his nose.  He's not stupid and won't try the leaning over me to take off my glasses again.  (sorry buddy.)

So, with this project done and the complete de-Christmasing that took place on Monday I'm kind of in a state of "what now"?   The house is put back together, the holiday stuff is packed, the babies room is as done as it is going to be before the showers occur.

I supposed I could (should) work on our taxes as I bet that my interest level will drop once Lucy arrives, but I'm not quite ready to start the massive spreadsheet just yet.  (Maybe next week.)

Speaking of showers, Jason's family is gathering together for a couples shower in a couple weeks.  I'm sure all the men folk are THRILLED about having to endure the baby talk, but since there will be booze and tacos it won't be like the traditional baby shower.   Hopefully it will be a casual affair and all body counts considered a smallish event.

The wonderful girlfriends are pulling together a "traditional" baby shower as well.  I'm very happy that they are pooling resources so that not one gal has to cover the cost and time suck that a shower can be.  They are also letting me participate which is nice.  You know how I don't like to hang back.     The other thing that I genuinely appreciate is that a couple of the beloved girlfriends have opted out of the planning.  Each for different reasons, and I honestly think it is a wonderful testament to our friendship that they are comfortable enough to say "I'd love to help, but right now it just doesn't work for me".   So often people (I think women especially) over commit because of internal pressure.   I love that both of these ladies know me well enough to realize that I'm not keeping score about things like this and think that prioritizing their family time, finances and health over a party is perfectly perfect! 

For sure, I would be genuinely disappointed if no-one stepped up and went to the horrific trouble of throwing us a shower.  Even though showers are events that I love to loathe.  Part of me selfishly thinks - I went to all of your showers (gladly) all those many many years ago, now it is payback time.  I don't mean the gifts either, I mean the loss of a Saturday and being social with a gathering of women that you only kind of know.   This party won't be a formal tea, where we pretend that none of us have ever been rip-roaring drunk, throw up in a parking lot, while walking back to our dorm.  (Who me?)  Well, some of those ladies never experienced that with me, but they have other equally shameful secrets (perms and bi-level hair) that bind them to my world of ladies who look respectable but have a shady past that makes them colorful. Hopefully it will be a lively, loud affair with funny parenting stories.

On that note, work does beacon... off I go to secure the world.

Dinner with old friends

I still love this blog.  honest.  Even if I leave it for periods of time.

I dragged Jason to a dinner party last Saturday night.  (This is an over exaggeration considering all I had to do was say,"Hey, my friend Robin invited us to dinner Saturday.")   However, since I seldom have to endure dinners with people I've only heard of, I wouldn't have blamed him if he had been apprehensive about spending the evening with these folks.  He's a good sport and my people are very enjoyable so he has enjoyed all my friends thus far and told me as we left Robin's that he thought they were nice people with very articulate kids.

Over the course of the evening talked about all the gossip of the work life we use to share and our common people.  We delved a little into politics (not much) and talked a lot about parenting.  It was great to get more perspective.  Their kids were interesting but still kid like.  I was happy that the evening wasn't too heavily weighed down by our common work history.  I'm still very interested in the success and well being of the company that Robin owns but if it was all we had in common can I just say... boring dinner party.

A few of my former beloved MegaBankers are guilty of falling into the rut of only discussing the demise of the bank or how they got screwed.  Sorry sweeties, we all got screwed (some to a much lesser degree) and if we're honest we were part of a massive organization that in some ways took advantage of people who have the tendency to trust rather than research.  I loved the work I did at MegaBank and I learned so much, but feel sick at how "the market" sold things like interest only loans and zero equity loans to people based on "stated income."  I am lucky in that I was far removed from the actual selling and processing of these dream killing products but I don't think I would let myself off the hook if I was in Hitler's Army but just processed payroll.   There is some forgiveness in remoteness, I mean they didn't convict Ted Bundy's housekeeper.  (These are very dark references - Hitler, Ted Bundy, Banking.  Time to lighten up.)

So, back to the point.  We had a great evening and it made me reflect on all the people I've known over the years that are close in geography but whose lives have become separate.  I still have love in my heart for them and try to keep in contact, but I guess this is how life goes.   We're about to embark on a journey that is going to make us less accessible to our people, but I know it is the right journey.  (By less accessible, I mean that we're going to be more closely tied to Lucy's schedule than our own.  I believe we will be raising a portable kid, but life as we know it will be changing.)  I think it is important to learn from everyone I meet, be a good friend even if it means simply checking in on them every now and then and remember that I'm never too busy to call and say "how are you:?"  Ok, maybe some days I am too busy to do that, but I can make an effort from time to time.

This isn't a pointed remark about anyone other than myself.  I'm talking about the former co-workers, old college chums and friends of friends I've met, connected with. and have faded away from.   I do have some very dear friends that I'm not able to see as often as I think we would all like, but I give us gold stars for making the effort to stay connected as our lives morph from teen to hip sassy 20's and now into our *gasp* middle age.   In fact, I'm super jazzed about a long planned girls get away that is coming up.  Multiple gold stars to us all for making time to do it.  It's going to be great - we're going to hang out, enjoy a fabulous lodge hotel and stay up to late.  I'm giddy with excitement.   I know it is not possible to plan events like this with all the people I've met and appreciated throughout my life, but I can be more outgoing and less self-involved.  (Me, self-involved!?  Get out of here.)

Perhaps that's the beauty of FaceBook, you can send genuine support to someone you use to have things in common with, but not suffer the awkward silences that might accompany the reality of lives that have really diverged.  It is nicely remote  (again with the Hitler's housekeeper thing.)

I guess, I'm just feeling grateful for time with an old friend and feeling nostalgic about those that I've lost along the way.

The Purity Test

Saturday is free shred day in Renton and Jason and I are getting ready.  We went through four boxes of old taxes, old bills, college transcripts (a driver's ed completion certificate) and crap left over from Messy Martha.  I doubt that she'll need the divorce paperwork anymore.

Going through stuff I've been hanging onto was freeing.  I may love those old Daly's newsletters but I haven't looked at them in over 15 years and frankly didn't read them last night either.   I also had old letters that I had written to college chums after graduation and while it is fun to see that I was a party girl, I'm not her anymore.

I'm proud of Jason too.  When we moved he promised me that he would go through his boxes of paper and ditch the sales receipts from 1998.  (For the record, I had them too.)  We both will be shredding all tax information except for the last 7 years.  You had your audit chance Mr. IRS, but the 2002 audit window has been closed!

I found some wonderful family history stuff from Messy Marthas final box and saved that stuff.  I'll bring it to Ma & Pa's place over Memorial Day and we'll go through it.

I also found a really fun relic from the days at the paint store.  The Purity Test!  The PT is a 500 questionaire designed to determine your "purity score".  The questions range from platonic relations questions (have you ever had a date, a date past 1am) to legal items (have you ever shoplifted, made out a check that bounced, drugged someone without their knowledge).  The questions get really personal (anal sex, paid for sex, group sex) and quite detailed.

Your score is determined by taking the number of yes answers and identifying your purity percentage.  "The higher the number, the more pure you are; n the same vein, the lower the score, the more of a sleaze-bag you are.

I have a complete test (on paper) and found one online .   Neither require names or identifiable information.

The copy I have is a photocopy from one of the nice paint store boys.  He has is 11/27/1989 and 1/26/1997 score neatly written on the top.  (73.2% down to 66.8%)  I think I need to invite him over for dinner, a test and an updated test. 

I've got an appointment this afternoon, but we'll see if I have time to do my own score. 

FaceBook Gripe Update

It turns out that I'm not hated but more importantly, I have been schooled in how to turn that "shiz" off!

I'm so very excited that I don't have to read about Greg's Farkle Adventures anymore!

I can spend my time on things of value like "Good Grammar Is Hot!"

The Good Grammar site is funny because I so often get it wrong, but love the snarky comments from the English teachers that have gathered together there. Lord help you if you create a national advertisement and use the wrong form of the word "too", "to" or "two" or don't quite have the "their", "they're" or "there" mastered. In the interest of full disclosure I should mention that I am aware that I have an issue using apostrophes and commas incorrectly. I am trying to work it out.

I would never have the guts to do this but here's an example of Grammar Nazi's going a tiny bit too far. The poster of this picture used her own window chalk to correct the spelling of "You're" and then graded the message, giving it a C-. It is mean and yet funny.

2010 The Planning

With Christmas 2009 upon us in mere moments I am, of course, planning summer events.

Some things you talk about doing, but if you don't get it on the books you just don't manage to do. So, we've scheduled and (because of a 20% discount) prepaid for a return trip to Walla Walla wine country with friends.

The Inn only had two rooms available for the weekend which is wonderful news but also a bit of a bummer, in that it would have been fun to invite another couple or 12 to join us.

We (I) selected a weekend in July to venture to Gambleside (Becky's sister's wonderful bay side cabin) last year with all the wedding stuff it just didn't work out, but this year I've got it blocked on the calendar. (Make a note of it, it will be cloudy and cold the weekend of July 25th).

The other summer event will be a trip to the beach. It was so fun last fall and I'd like to repeat it without the impending wedding over our heads. I hope to be better company when I'm not all "invitations and rsvps". I don't think I was horrid, but maybe I was.

Preparations for Jas' 40th birthday are also starting to form in my head. Because I'm kooky I'm planning a theme party. I ordered my Farrah Fawcett wig online today. I hope it's not too cheesy. It needs to be somewhat cheesy but I hope it resembles the online photo (see above). We will see. Yes, we will be venturing back in time to the 70 's. It should be a swinging good time.

Et tu Tiger?

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger.

While I agree that what happens in your family is none of our business, it becomes our business when you endanger innocent fire hydrants.

Honestly, I wish you had heeded the advice of my high school boyfriend's dad, who called out to us while we were getting in the car all dressed up for prom.

Keep it in your pants Dan!

This is good advice Tiger. If you get to keep your family and your fortune I suggest you heed that advice from a grocery store butcher to his 17 year old son and his 80's preppy girlfriend. It served us well.

Look how cute we were on an October night in 1985. He broke up with me about eight weeks later because I talked too much about Duran Duran and he felt like he couldn't compete. Actually, I think he thought I wanted to get married after high school - which scared the sh*t out of him. I had never had that thought because I was 17 and headed to college!

But in the end it all worked out. I had a broken heart and he dated some skanky girl. Then, twenty three years later I met and then married the love of my life.

But we were still cute.

Apple Cup 2009

The Apple Cup is coming and I will proudly wear my WSU alumni garb this week.

I've never been one for clinging to the rivalry and now that I'm married to people who are alumni's of UW I'm kind of a UW-in-law. The ribbing is fine as long as its in good nature, but I worry about those folks who graduated 10-15 years ago who are still making the stupid french fry joke.

What does a UW WSU graduate ask after graduation? "Do you want fries with that?"

Har Har...

Anyway, one thing is special about this year's Apple Cup. If I can be frank - both teams kind of suck. WSU has a 1-10 record and UW a slightly better 3-7. Still, not much to be proud of on either side of the 50 yard line.

You never know, sometimes when only pride is on the line the game can be more exciting. I will don my crimson sweatshirt and have the game on in the background Saturday. I'm confident that at least one of the teams will win.

Go Cougs!

Why aren’t independent women keeping their maiden names anymore?

This tweet came across my twitter account earlier this week. (I’m not a huge twitter fan, but it is a nice way to keep up with some folks who are CRAZY busy.)

As a recently married person who has opted to abandon my maiden name this question posed to the Internet haze made me think. I do consider myself an independent woman, even now after my oh so recent union with a certain dude. I’m learning to let go of things I use to HAVE to do for myself, such as scheduling car maintenance and trash removal from the house. I CAN do these tasks, but if he’s willing, why should I?

I do things he’s not a huge fan of and he does things that I don’t particularly enjoy. I think that’s the partnership portion of our teamwork agreement. Along with these remedial chores we have agreed to not ever fall apart on the same day – if he’s laying on the floor I’m the one who has to keep it together and vice a versa. That “it’s your turn” thing doesn’t quite translate to days when we’re cranky – we’ve figured out it is possible for both of us to be cranky at the same time and to survive it. It’s not fun, but it is survivable.

As for the name thing – I don’t believe that my decision to share a last name with my husband means I release one tiny little bit of my strong willed, hard earned independence. It is because of my autonomy that I felt I could change my name and not lose an ounce of my identity. It is because of my stong sense of self that I realized people who knew me before will always know me as the same person.

I respect those who opt(ed) to keep their maiden names. But, it doesn’t change how I see them. If they carry their father’s last name or their husband’s last name – they are still who they always were – in my eyes.

It is an adjustment, but I like it. It doesn’t make us any more or less a family, but I made this commitment for the long haul and I want to share this outward sign that to me feels intimate and public at the same time. It will also make the addressing of holiday cards and formal invitations easier.

There’s a cheesy and too sickly sweet scene at the end of the 2005 Kiera Knightley (who needs to EAT a COOKIE) version of Pride and Prejudice where she and Mr. Darcy are in their “sexy” pj’s watching the sunrise. He asks what he’s supposed to call her when he is something, head over heels in love with her and her response is “Mrs. Darcy”. Gosh, that scene makes my teeth hurt and yet the sentiment is one I can get behind.

I believe there are women who bow to the pressure of “tradition” and acquiesce to adopt their husband’s name. That’s a purposeful use of the word “acquiesce” over “choose”. Agreeing to do something and choosing are very different actions. This practice makes me sad. I am of the opinion that unless it is your decision and your decision alone that perhaps there might be a tiny crack in your partnership. I am fortunate to have received total support for whatever decision I made, and I am happy and comfortable with the direction I chose.

I’m not justifying, but the question sent out to the universe made me think, and this is my world for noting my thoughts.

By the way, the most important thing you can take away from this post is that the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice sucked in comparison to the BBC version, that starred Colin Firth. It is a mini-series and will consume hours of your life, but if you are on the couch for a day or two, this is your happy place. I recently lent my copy to a dear friend, but only because she’s very ill. I made her sign paperwork saying that in the event of her demise, the DVD returns to my possession before anything else occurs – no family notification, no removal of corpses, I get my DVD back first. That is how much I LOVE IT.

my eyes...

It's amazing what you find when you open EVERY box from the storage unit.

This monstrosity was made by my beloved grandmother, in 1970 something...

It is in terrible condition, with portions of the lovely wigwam pattern coming apart and then there are tale tell signs that it lived in a house smokers. It doesn't smell, it just has a few burn marks.

I may keep it around to decorate for Jason's 40th birthday party (an ode to the 70's) but on the other hand, I may box it up and give it back to my mother.

wow...

Excuse Me!?

This kind response was left to my last post:

Anonymous said...

I will not speculate on the reason(s) they seemed (insert word of your choice here i.e. shocked/surprised/annoyed/confused)but I think this is not a lesson in how you were judged but more a lesson on how you are judging them; "...we're in Nowhereville, Indiana population 1 Walmart..."

And what were you thinking when he offered you flavors? Doesn't sound like your mind was saying, "It's nice that they have a variety of flavors for me to choose from."

Maybe next time you can simply inform her that you're from Somewhereville that has a coffee house that knows what they're doing.

I have a couple retorts.

1) Feel free to chastise me on any point at any time. I try to comment on humorous events in my life and I know that my tone and my sarcasm can every once in a while hit a nerve or be taken in a way that is unintended. HOWEVER - have the guts to leave your name. Hiding behind the veil of "anonymous" is silly.

2) I myself am from a Nowhereville, USA kind of place. Little industry, few jobs and the best people on earth. I'm sure that "Nowhereville, Indiana" has a similar story. I wasn't commenting on the character of the gals behind the counter, but the absurdity that McDonalds is putting themselves out there as THE coffee place to go and yet a coffee flavored coffee was a new concept. (Honestly, she wasn't "offering me choices, she and the coffee maker gal both acted like I was crazy to order my coffee without flavor. Much in the same way they might have reacted had I ordered a Big Mac but without the meat, or a Pizza without the crust.

3) Customer service encounters are a common theme here - if you're offended, or think I'm not writing about important topics - find somewhere else to read. I've already established that this blog is trite and unimportant. I am a nobody with something to say and a free outlet to say it. I'm honored that anyone besides my mom reads this. I'm honored that my mom reads it too, but she kind of has to. (Hi Mom!) I'm honored that you read (or use to read) it - whoever you are "Anonymous."

4) You're not the first person to leave a biting "anonymous" comment. Someone misunderstood my bitching about the possible extra taxes on my severance and told me to quit whining and pay what I owe. I let that one slide because it was clear that I must have not presented my position clear enough to be understood. I will pay whatever taxes are due, but don't tax ME more on the same type of income that a former employee from any other company would be asked to pay. (I guess I didn't let it go.)

5) I'll take some ownership in not presenting my story very well, I ran out of time before a meeting with our pastor. But...I have never promised excellent or even clear writing. I'm a top of brain person, I try to edit for understanding - but in the end what you get is what you get.

6) I'm hoping no hopping (why can I not get that straight in my head - one P is to Hope and two P's are to Hop - right - Dave?) off my soapbox and back into my seriously unimportant day - and if I'm lucky something funny will happen and I can relay it here.

Apple Cup 2008

It's official, Washington State University sucks just a little bit less than the UW this year.

It has been a miserable football season for both teams, with WSU losing to teams in the PAC-10 in a fantastic way, 3-66, 14-63, 13-66, 0-69 (ouch), 0-58, 0-31.

While we did win one game this season, and UW did not, they managed to put a lot more points on the board and so they were (as of today) ranked 9th in the PAC-10, while we followed up in the #10 spot. Woo Woo Go Cougs!

We did win in the big Apple Cup this year in double overtime.

J and I are off to dinner with a bunch of Huskies (UW folks) tonight, but I'm sure I won't be doing ANY bragging. 0-69!? There is just no pride in that.

World Series

I'm not a sports blogger, but it is super exciting to see former Mariner Jamie Moyer be part of team that won the top prize in baseball.

He was a solid, stand-up guy in the Seattle organization and I was sad to see him released. This win makes the sadness of not seeing him in Mariner colors worth it.

Way to go Jamie!

Congrats

OUCH!!!

I don't normally blog about sports but as an alumni of WSU (cougars) this headline caught my attention:

USC ends Cougars' scoring streak 69-0

I think the next time the Cougs call asking for money I'm just going to scream into the phone... "69 to Zero!?"

The Party Recap

Well, to say that I'm honored by my friends is an understatement. I am blessed with kind, creative and lovely people.

The weather tried to dampen our event, but Rico and Cindy's home is ideal for entertaining, so we set up indoors and it was stunning. Flowers and candlelight made for an elegant evening.

Special thanks to J for sending flowers in his absence. I think it's possible that he might be a great guy.

The room was filled with my friends from every corner of my life. Book club ladies, friends from grade school, my beloved college friends, loved co-workers, and friends of friends who have become dear friends. It was strange to see them all in the same place, but wonderful to see them mingling and enjoying each other the way I enjoy them.

Folks embraced the Slam portion of the evening, enduring a little emotional speech from the TP gal and then blew me away with their humor, creativity and kindness.



MWR owned the room with his take on the Carpenter's Song "Close to You":

Why do banks
Suddenly go awry
Everytime you're nearby?
Just like me
They long to be
Blogged about.

Why do guys
Show up by the crate
Everytime you match.com date?
Just like me
They long to be
Blogged about.

On the day that you were born
The angels got together and decided
To create a blogging queen
So they sprinkled mild disgust in your hair
Of gold and too much info in your eyes of blue

That is why all the crazy bus riders in town
follow you all around
Just like me
They long to be
Blogged about...


At the end of the song, the entire room was singing "Woo Woo... Blogged About"

Misty and her man from Denver couldn't make it and send in a poem that tore the room apart.

I can't (won't) share the whole thing but here's a horrific stanza:

Horny as a teen girl,
Searching for a man toy.
Online for love,
Found a booty-call boy.

OH MY GOD... I had a little 'esplanin to do.

Then there was Mikey who wrote this sweet Ode:

Worried to death about my inability to create rhyming
We trekked to Issaquah with excellent timing

So on this day we celebrate the day
When, via many routes the TPGAL came our way

Her sense of humor, an attribute we all treasure
Sometimes goes south but is generally a pleasure

In her invitation, she asked us to bring a single man 38-48
Since when's it our job to get her a date?

Now she has a man whose name is (rhymes with the next line)
Maybe that brings an end , her days of man chasin?

All joking aside, you've been a great "super cute" friend,
I hope the joys of your youth never end.


Becky stood up and regaled the room with fun stories of how she and I spend college. I think they really loved the reprisal of the underwear banjo band.

JJ did a lovely poem about masturbation, while MJS steamed up the room with a haiku about banana cream pie.

All in all, I was touched by every person and had possibly the best birthday imaginable. Even the folks who couldn't come were there in spirit. I do feel like my life is completely charmed at the moment, it is wonderful to be aware of being so happy.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts, wonderful gifts, donation to the Renton Food Bank and your presence in my life. I'm so not worthy!

Happy 40th TP gal

So far, 40 is fine. I slept in today for the first time in ages (what is with the 6 am wake up on a Saturday!?) My fabulous boyfriend (who is in Denver - boo) woke me up with sweet mushy messages. I made a lovely breakfast for myself and am about to head to the gym.

It is raining, which means the back yard party will have to migrate inside - but that's fine. I'm determined to have a great time, rain or not.

After the gym I wandered over to Target where my "soap" ended up costing me $103.00. Damn the meandering.

My new haircut is so cute! The new shops at SouthCenter are deadly. I think I got out of there for song, 1 black sweater thing from the Black|White store and a sun dress for tonight. Oh, I know I already purchased a dress for tonight, but I'm not feeling it. This one is great and it has pockets so I can carry my boyfriend (iPhone) with me for the evening. I'll upload a photo before I leave.

The party tonight is a slam, which means my people have been asked to write a poem or a song or something to perform. I'm a cruel evil hostess! My poems in the past have lamented my lack of a love life and now that I'm experiencing it for the first time, I couldn't find my inspiration.

I'm a list maker so, I popped off with a list of 40 things for which I'm grateful.

(DON'T READ IF YOU'RE COMING TONIGHT!)

1. Good friends who are like family
2. Healthy parents
3. New babies
4. Gainful employment
5. Tasty wine
6. An awareness of being really happy
7. The ability to tell people you love them
8. The ability to feel their love in return
9. Laughing so hard that you snort
10. Flowers for no reason
11. Christmas Trees
12. My friends kids who think I am cool
13. My new smaller ass
14. A great book
15. Sunsets at the beach
16. Bellybutton lint
17. My fabulous new boyfriend
18. Creativity
19. Sleeping in
20. The awareness that my life is charmed
21. The ability to help others
22. Joyful singing in the car; I look dumb and don’t care!
23. Holding hands at the movies
24. Good quality cheese
25. The ability to laugh at myself
26. Bar-B-Q MEAT (sorry little cow, but you taste GOOD!)
27. Hot red shoes
28. Hot soup on a cold day
29. Road trips
30. Well placed rest areas
31. Good oral health – floss people!
32. Three weeks in Greece
33. Someone who is already planning on missing me while I’m in Greece
34. Happy memories of things in the past
35. Planning ahead for things we’re going to do
36. Watching your kids get older
37. Falling in love for the first time
    
38. Happy tears
39. Each and every one of you
40. Turning 40 and feeling fantastic

My Seattle Times Horoscope is a little dark.... looks like it's good that I don't pay much attention to this hooey:

IF AUGUST 9 IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: You may feel as though you are having an endless bad hair day between now and October. Because you aren't feeling at your best in one-on-one situations or because a relationship leaves you feeling unattractive, you might do something impulsive to change the trend. The wisest thing to do is to simply wait out this temporary downturn and avoid making irrevocable changes that you may regret later. During November your judgment improves and you can make changes that will be beneficial. Between December and February you must meet responsibilities head on even if they seem tiresome. By April and May your fortunes are on the rise again and you can easily mend any fences that need attention.

Where I'm at... And a POEM

The thing about being sad is that you have to pick yourself up and move on. It doesn't mean I'm not feeling a tad raw and exposed. I openly cried at the vet while taking care of the bill. A little girl was very interested in my situation. "Mommy! Why is that lady crying???" All I could do was wipe off and smile. I put all the cat paraphernalia away and kept music on last night to distract myself from the quiet. I did hear phantom Peter sounds all night, but those will fade.

One of the e-boyfriends is in trouble over this situation. He emailed Thursday asking about MegaBank and suggested that we transition from email to phone. I responded with a brief thing about MB that while neither I nor my team was affected it was a hard day, and on top of that drama my cat of 14 years was ill. I wasn't feeling like my normal chipper self and said I would call him Monday. "I know it's "just" a cat, but I'm a little heartbroken. I sincerely hope you have a great weekend and thank you for understanding."

Ok… it is MONDAY and he didn’t send ANY reply at all. Not even a short "talk to you Monday." I don't need this dude to be my emotional support person, but a teeny tiny splash of compassion might be in order. I'm thinking I don't need to be calling today…if/when he replies I'll call. I'm still doing the editing of who does or doesn't get into my world… yes there are 40 women for every dude, but damn it I'm worthy of the best!

ANYWAY… here's my poem from the slam. Some of the rhymes are very bad and for that I apologize.

The 40 Is Just a Number Slam Poem:

Hello to those of you who haven’t seen me of late
It may be obvious that I’ve lost a little bit of weight,
Things are changing in my life; exercise I no longer hate
I’m active, having a blast and even starting to date
For the most part, this crazy process is pretty fun
Find a guy, who when you show up doesn’t run
Spend some time together and at end if it feels right.
Drop me off at my door for a sweet kiss good-night
The pool of men in my world has a lot of variety
And not just ones who are with me for charity
There are some though that are mighty scary,
Let’s not forget the one that was still married
This guy invited me to a party; a real hum-dinger,
Casual, hot-tubs, consensual ... Shit, this guy was a swinger!
The Architect was smooth, funny and had a good line,
We enjoyed the evening, talked and drank quite a bit of wine.
By the way, to make sure a second outing you will not rate,
Go ahead, give in, and enjoy some sex on the first date
I’ll be honest, at first I was a little pissed, kind of burned,
With time, I’ve realized it was a fun way to a lesson learned.
In the end, I am looking for my one true love,
Someone who gets me and fits like a glove.
It is still so very early and I have lots of time,
So this is me filled with hope, and I end my rhyme.

Remember when we were in our 20's?

Remember those years when all we worried about was which bar to go to on Saturday and how to actually pay for the drinks? It is good being older, the stability is very nice and I love that my inner dialog is mature and I don’t often get caught up in the drama of stupid things, but there is a down side.

I am noticing a disturbing trend that I would like to put a halt to immediately! Health issues among friends, a dear friend is dealing with fibrous tumors in her girlie region, another sweet friend is having a “lump” removed and one of my grade school classmates just passed away!

None of this is ok people! Both ladies are going to be fine, but the health care roller coaster isn’t fun. Plus, they don’t give you a map or a plan so you can plot out your strategy, each stop along the way provides another clue to your next destination. I also think it’s AWESOME that lab results take anywhere from three days to three weeks, because it gives the patient something to DO. Don’t mind me, I’ll just sit here and imagine that I’m dying while you mail my tests to the outsourced lab in Peoria. Frankly, this waiting borders on cruelty.

As for the childhood chum, well here’s a case for some sort of national health care. Dave didn’t have insurance and let his dental work slip and ended up with a terrible infection. He ended up in the emergency room and (just my opinion folks) had he had insurance they would have admitted him, but instead sent him home with antibiotics, the next day… DEAD. This is a guy with a high school education, a job, and a family. He wasn’t a drugged out loser, or a drain on us tax payers… he was a tax payer. I have high hopes that we can figure out a way to get the basic needs of our fellow man met, because I’m not sleeping very well at night.

As for the rest of you who may be thinking about catching a little cancer or up and dying… DON’T YOU DARE! TPgal needs you! (because it’s all about me?)