reverb11 day 9 - how Don Draper disappointed me

Today’s prompt asks: What was the one disappointment that has turned out to be a blessing in the last 12 months. How will this affect how you deal with disappointment in the future?

 OK – here’s the dealio. I got, like, four hours of sleep last night, I have seven minutes to write this post, and my show opens tonight – so I don’t want to spend a lot of time thinking about the disappointments of 2011. The good news is, a big list of things didn’t immediately come to mind, so I’m going silly on this one – it’s Friday, after all!

 So, last year (2010), after several annoying years of people telling me I should be watching Mad Men, and oh, I would love Mad Men, and, Amanda, you REALLY SHOULD WATCH MAD MEN, SERIOUSLY, THIS IS THE SHOW FOR YOU, I decided to give in and watch Mad Men over the summer, when there was nothing else on. So Greg and I started renting the DVDs, and were immediately hooked. This was a big deal, considering we watch maybe two shows together, because we never like the same stuff. But, lo, we became mightily addicted to Mad Men – which we nicknamed “The Don Draper Show.”

 Side note: Jon Hamm, who plays Don Draper, is painfully hot. So, so much hotness. I mean, this didn’t even need to be said, but there you go. And he’s funny! Not on Mad Men, but in movies, and on SNL, and 30 Rock, and other things. He is my official TV boyfriend, for those of you keeping track. (Mark Ruffalo is my Hollywood boyfriend, and my Broadway boyfriend slot is currently open – although, really, Cheyenne Jackson would do nicely.)

 Anyway, we blew through the first three seasons, caught up to the fourth as it was airing, and watched the rest of the fourth season in real time. And it was wonderful .

 And then.

 Then there was some sort of contract negotiation bullshit between the creator, Matthew Weiner, and AMC, the network that airs the show, and the season that SHOULD have aired this summer did not. The fifth season will not air until March 2012. What the fuck, AMC? I needed a dose of Don Draper!

 BUT. Here is how that disappointment turned into a blessing. This past summer, I managed to get my hands on the iPad (Greg and Jane hog that thing), and realized that Netflix streaming offered Mad Men. So, for shits and giggles, I fired up the first episode – I thought it might be nice to see the gang again, if only for a few minutes.

 You know where this is headed.

 Several weeks later, I finished up watching ALL FOUR SEASONS AGAIN. And it was good. Good because I got my dose of Don, and good because I noticed things I hadn’t noticed before. And I’m totally primed for the fifth season, which starts in only – sigh – three months.

 Maybe I’d better watch it again.

 PS This video cracks me up. What?

reverb11 day 8 - joy to the world

Today’s prompt asks: Take us back to a moment this year when you experienced pure, unadulterated joy.

Well, you can imagine my joy when I opened up my reverb email today – because this was one of the prompts I suggested! And even though I suggested it less than two weeks ago, the moment I immediately thought of happened more recently than that.

This past Sunday was a big tech day for my show. So before rehearsal, I was helping out with the transportation of props and set pieces, etc, from our rehearsal hall to venue. One of the things I do as a board member for my group is handle publicity, and one of the things I handle wearing that hat is painting a big sign for our town green and installing it a week or two before the show. Sunday was that day.

So there I was, driving Greg’s SUV, with this giant sign filling up the bulk of the car, squeezed in with other theater-related stuff, me stuffing the Arby’s that I grabbed in the drive-thru down my throat as a I drove to the green to put the sign in, and I just had this moment of joy.

Here’s why: I’ve been involved with this particular group for 15 years. I’ve done shows with other groups as well, but this really is my community theater home, in the town where I grew up. (I only live about 20 minutes away now.) (Pathetic, I know, but whatevs.) I’ve done all kinds of shows in all kinds of capacities, but I’ve also been handling publicity this whole time, which means since I was 23 years old, I have been hauling that sign to and fro, painting, re-painting, installing, taking out, in all kinds of weather.

So much of my life has changed since I started with this group in 1996, since I said, sure, hey, I’ll do props for Rumors, what the hell. This little group has seen me through the highs (getting married, having Jane) and the lows (my father dying), with a million hours logged in our rehearsal hall and various stages in between.

The responsibilities in my life have grown leaps and bounds as well. I used to do five or six shows a year – one right after the other – and now, juggling work, Jane and home, I’m lucky if I do two. And really, I am lucky that Greg is alright with me running out the door at night three times a week for a couple of months a pop. Unlike how things were prior to having Jane, it now affects him too, and keeps him at home while I go play with my friends.

But when I’m doing these shows - and, specifically, last Sunday, when I was dragging my old friend the sign to its appointed place on the town green – I feel like the same person I was when I was 23. The core me I’ve always been, all along, and always will be. And that version of me is pretty damn joyful sometimes.

reverb 11 day 7 - forgiveness

(PS to yesterday's post: My friend and number-one commenter Dwayne is obviously very funny. There. I said it. Are you happy now, Dwayne?)

Today’s prompt asks: Who have you forgiven this year and what was the journey like that brought you to forgive them?

 I will admit it – I almost bailed on this prompt. Nothing immediately popped into my mind and this week is so busy with my show, I didn’t think I’d even have time to half-assedly come up with something, especially on such a heavy topic.

But then I started thinking about it. And, like so many prompts that inspire reflection, it came back to me – or rather, how I see myself. I have said it here, and everywhere, time and time again this year – EVERY year - that I need to lose 10 pounds. I need to lose 10 pounds, and I won’t be happy until I lose 10 pounds, and then I will be the weight I want to be, I should be, and all will be right with the world.

Ever since I turned 12, and puberty settled in for a niiiiice looooong stay, I have never had the ideal body – and by that I mean, what society will tell you the ideal body is. I have hips, I have boobs, I have a stomach – one, that even when I weighed 20 pounds less that I do now, was never flat. I'm rather short. And although I’ve been this way for the bulk of my life – it’s like I can’t forgive myself for it. It’s just not RIGHT.

We get off on trashing ourselves, I think. I know I do. If someone says something bad about themselves, well, don’t we all just jump in and criticize ourselves as well, to somehow make them feel better? It’s so easy. I could name 10 things, off the top of my head, that I can’t stand about myself. That sucks!

Why don’t I look at the positives? I exercise, 5-6 times a week, sometimes every day. I do try to eat right, more and more as I get older, because I realize it actually makes me feel better. Sure, I have shitty days, as we all do, but I certainly wouldn’t say I live a sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle. So why isn’t that good enough? In fact, why isn’t that GREAT? Why can’t I forgive myself for being the way I naturally am? Why can’t I celebrate it?

I try to look at it this way – I need to be a positive example to Jane. I refuse to make it OK to trash myself in front of my daughter. She will be assaulted enough by the images thrown at her from all directions depicting what the ideal is – in the eyes of the media, or celebrity, or magazines etc, anyway. If she sees me exercising, and trying to eat right, and, probably most importantly, NOT MAKING IT OK TO SELF-CRITICIZE, maybe - hopefully – she will do the same for herself. Or at least see that it’s a possibility. That it's just a better way to live, to be.

So, I guess this year – and every year – I continue to make progress on forgiving myself….for being myself.

(this really was written off-the-cuff, and I have no real time to edit – I know it could be better, and certainly more coherent, but I wanted to post something.)

reverb11 day 6 - what made you laugh

Today’s prompt asks: What made you laugh this year?

 I couldn’t think of a specific situation that made me laugh this year (or, rather, I thought of too many situations, and I couldn’t pick just one), so here’s the part where I get dorky about my friends.

I have managed to surround myself with some freaking hilarious people. Yeah, yeah, my friends are supportive, and there when I need them, and blah blah blah, but most days, the most important thing they do is make me laugh. Life’s serious enough, right?

I have been best friends with the same girl since I was 7 years old. THIRTY YEARS. We grew up together, across the street from each other. She and her siblings remain my closest friends to this day. This is a gift, one of the best of my life, I am certain. And one of the best things about Heather is how funny she is.

Greg always knows that when I get together with her, he’s totally lost me. He knows I will just laugh and laugh at whatever Heather says, like I’m her personal laugh track. I don’t even realize it’s happening, but in retrospect, it’s true. He claims I’m never happier or having more fun than when I’m hanging out with Heather.

And she’s just one of the people that crack me up. Now that I’m sitting here thinking about it, I really do have a lot of ridonkulously funny friends. There are people who claim that I’m funny, but I pale in comparison to my peeps. Sarcasm is my favorite kind of funny. If you’re sarcastic, I probably love you. No - I definitely love you.

I am a huge proponent of finding the funny in a situation. I am like my mother this way – she always tries to seek out the humor in whatever is going on. And I have surrounded myself with peeps who feel the same way. What’s better than that?

reverb11 day 5 - five guilty pleasures

Today’s reverb11 post asks us to name five guilty pleasures.

Well, first, let me say that I do not feel guilty about things that give me pleasure. But I know the intention here – not the BIG things, like family, friendships, etc – the small things in life that give you joy and maybe take the edge off.

Here’s five quick things that I love love love – none of which should surprise you, if you've read this blog for any length of time:

1) Reading gossip magazines and drinking delicious Frappuccinos and other tasty treats at Barnes and Noble (RIP, Borders).

2) Eating chips and salsa. Enormous amounts of it.

3) Reality television: The Biggest Loser and Survivor top that list.

4) Belting out showtunes in my car (currently The Book of Mormon)

5) Obsessing over nerdy theater websites like Broadway.com and Playbill.com.

Love it all.

reverb11 day 4: letting go

Today’s post asks – what have you let go of this year and how has it affected you?

A major, major change in my life this year was taking a new job – something I would bet you’ll hear about several times this month, as it’s been very impactful. I first wrote about it here. Ooh, and some fun pics of my last day are here.

The decision to take a new job required me to let go of a very comfortable working situation. Yes, there was a lot of work and responsibility involved, and some crazy hours, and some over-the-top personalities, but I was in my zone. I knew what I was doing. I had been at it for over a decade. I knew all of the players, internally and externally. There were moments when I thought it would be where I retired.

While in my heart of hearts I knew taking this new position, in an entirely different industry, was completely right for me and my family, at the same time I had to let go of the comfort of my previous job, and it was extremely hard. I agonized over the decision more than any other one in my life – really. It was difficult for me to let go and take a leap into a new life – I had an internal debate going on for weeks. It kept me up at night. It made my stomach hurt.

But I am so glad I did. I have no regrets. I do miss my friends, but I still see them and am in contact with some of them every day. I’m still getting used to my new life – but I’m glad I took the risk and let go of my comfort zone. This was a huge part of my 2011.

reverb11 day 3 - a moment in time

Today's reverb11 prompt is: Tell us about one moment that you lived in 2011 that you will never forget.

Well, I don't mean to cheat, but all you have to read is this post. A moment - a very, very loooong moment - that I will never forget. I just re-told this story last night. It's a good one, with thankfully a happy ending.

Damn dog.

reverb11 day 2 - my children will do it differently

Here we go! Day two's prompt asks: If you could choose one thing that your children will do or experience in a different way than you have, what would it be and why?

I’ve had a lucky life. It’s true. I had a pretty blessed childhood, and my teen years were fairly ideal as well, although I never would have said that at the time. When I read this prompt, I read it to mean what about my childhood would I change so that my children (child, in my case) would experience it differently. And this is what I came up with:

 An experience that I hope Jane has that I didn’t, to its fullest potential, anyway,  is going away to college. In fact, I did live on-campus for my first semester of college, but I quickly decided to change my major to secondary education, and the best university for that degree was 20 minutes from my house. So rather than live on-campus, I commuted here. I paid for college myself, and it would have been insane to spend the money on housing if my own house was so close. However.

Yes, I loved college. Yes, I spent a decent amount of time on dorm room floors, partying, whatnot. But living at home - no matter how little time I actually spent there (basically just to sleep) -  is just not the same as living away (as I well learned when I returned home from that one semester away).

Will it break my heart to see her pack her things up (very eagerly, I’m sure) and (very happily, dammit) walk away from us for months at a time? Oh yes. Do I have a lump in my throat RIGHT NOW just thinking about it? Maaybe. But it’s an experience I want for her so much.

I don’t want her to go too far. Greg went to UConn, which is about 45 minutes away from here. Far enough to live on-campus, but close enough for her to come home when she needs mommy. Or, far more likely, when mommy needs her.

Reverb11, bitches. Back and better than ever!

You guys. YOU GUYS. If I could express how excited I was right now - well, I don't think I can. It's REVERB TIME, bitches!

OK, let's take a step back. Remember when I did Reverb10 last year? Well, while I found some of the prompts to be somewhat drippy and repetitive, this amazing thing happened as a result of that project: I made a shit-ton of internet friends. Like, real people, far and wide, that I've never met, but check in with pretty much daily. Which is awesome, because THEY are awesome. (I would name-drop here, but I would fuck it up and leave people out, and I don't wanna do that. So I am talking to ALL of you. Especially YOU.)

Chatter about Reverb11 started up a couple of months ago. People were getting excited. I was kind of back and forth about my participation, and settled on the idea that I would sign up for it, but only respond to the prompts that really spoke to me. Besides, December is BUSY (have I mentioned I am in a play? And I have rehearsal practically every night over the next week and a half? And that it's NEXT WEEKEND OMG. Plus Christmas, etc. etc.).

Anyway, Gwen Bell, who I will not link to here because right now I think she kind of sucks (mean, I know, but true) was the main organizer of the Reverbs over the past couple of years, and everyone had been instructed to go to her site to sign up for Reverb11. Which we all did. And then two days ago we all got an email from her saying, basically, too bad, so sad, I'm not really in that place right now, no Reverb for you, and FYI, I'm deleting the mailing list, so good luck with that. Oh, and plan your own Reverb in the next, oh, 36 hours.

But the thing is? It happened. Brad over at geekinhard.com is spearheading a Reverb, and I know there are others floating out there. And because it happened this way - that people I've become close to, over Twitter and blogs and some on Facebook, rallied and made this happen - is how I know that this is going to to be better than ever. I even submitted a couple of prompts - we'll see if they come through.

So, to make a long story short (too late!) (anyone?) - it is time to Reverb. Without further ado, here we go:
 
Day 1 - One Word. Encapsulate the year 2011 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word.Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2012 for you? If you did Reverb10 then bonus points for also re-posting your 2011 word from last year along with how you feel about that in retrospect.

I think my one word for 2011 is TRANSFORMATIVE. The word I chose last year for 2011 was FUN. And to me, compared to the nightmare of misery, depression, and anxiety that was 2010, the words "fun" and "transformative" are kind of the same. Perhaps my word for 2011 is TRANSFORMATIVELY FUN? 2011 and 2010 were completely different years. And for that, I am grateful, and proud that I was extremely proactive about it.

A major transition for me this year - this decade, really - was leaving my full-time theater marketing position that I had for 11 years to take a part-time marketing position at a college. Here is the story on that. This is a change in my life that I am still getting used to. But I do not regret it. I miss my friends, yes - but I don't regret the decision. It turns out it was right for me, and, more importantly, it was right for my family.

I have consistantly exercised for the past year. And while that 10 pounds I really want to lose won't budge, what HAS transformed is my mindset about it. I KNOW I have to exercise. This is not a choice anymore. As I head into my very late 30s, exercise must be a part of my routine as many days a week as possible. So when I wake up, I don't bargain or hit the snooze button or make excuses. I get up and get out, before the sun rises.

OK, so that part isn't fun. What has been fun this year? So, so much. I have made a huge effort to spend more time with friends. I directed my favorite play. I am currently in a play, and I'm having a complete blast. I have totally been consumed by the theater bug again. I went on vacation with my family. I went on vacation with my friends. I made fun a focus. And you can bet you ass I'm doing that in 2012 too.

As for my 2012 word - I'm not sure. This one might not make sense, because it's more of an action word than an overview word, but a word I want to become part of each day in 2012 is WRITE. It is time that I start writing more.

And what a sweet kick-off  Reverb11 is for that. Join us, won't you?

line?

(trying to blog more. so now you get a small rant from last night.)
So last night was the worst rehearsal I have ever had in my life, in terms of being a performer (vs director, producer, what have you). Greg and I got into a bit of a - tiff - right before I went, and I was distracted. I blew my first line, and proceeded to suck for the rest of the run of act one. Thank God that's all we ran - it was a short rehearsal.

It left me feeling completely unsettled. I KNOW these lines. I run them daily. We have seven rehearsals left. The show is next week. I have no idea what happened. I've forgotten lines before, sure, but not MOST of them, all at once.

Please pray to your friendly neighborhood theater god that this does not happen again. Back to rehearsal tomorrow night. We'll see....

black friday/weekend update.

So, my Thanksgiving was pretty great, up until the minute I started throwing up at midnight. Watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in the morning (I'm sure all of my Twitter peeps loved my harsh critiques of the Broadway show performances - but if you can't snark about a parade, then what else is there?), and then headed off to my mom's in the afternoon for food and games. We play this absolutely ridiculous dice game called LCR (left, center, right) - it takes exactly zero skill but for some reason it's super exciting - we seriously end up screaming through the whole thing. We play for dollars - so I ended up winning about $50 yesterday. OK, OK, I won about $25 and I took Greg's winning's too.

When I was falling asleep I noticed my stomach didn't feel so hot - and then I woke up at midnight and puked. I HATE stomach bugs - I haven't thrown up since but I really don't feel great. Hoping against hope Jane and Greg don't get it, and that it was just a reaction to eating too much food? Or something? I don't know. Stupid.

Despite feeling like crap, I headed off to the mall this morning at 7 . Everyone thinks I am crazy (though not as crazy as those who were lining up at midnight!) but some of my key stores, like Gap and Disney, have some really great sales today. I did well at Disney, got a bunch of stuff for Jane, struck out at Gap, did well at 77 Kids (the American Eagle for kids), and ended up in line for about a million years at Urban Outfitters for one t-shirt for Greg. Seriously? I tried to be zen about the whole thing, and mostly was, but was really happy to leave. After that I ran through Sephora to try on perfume and came home. So not so bad getting a chunk of shopping done before 9:45 a.m., I say.

This is a busy weekend ahead, so I really hope we all remain healthy. Going to see some friends this afternoon, including one of Jane's besties, and then seeing some other friends tomorrow night. Sunday I have rehearsal. What are you up to?

PS I know I already tweeted this, but my favorite part of my shopping trip this morning was when I walked by two girls who looked me up and down, and then one of them said, "I don't like those boots." Never mind the fact that approximately 98% of the mall was unshowered, and a good percentage was wearing straight-up PJs. I was wearing a baseball hat, a UConn tee, jeans and my fake Uggs. Yeah, I didn't look my best, but REALLY? Fuck you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

weekend update.

My friend Dwayne (yes, Dwayne, I will call you my friend, here, in public, on the internet. If you want to deny it, start your own blog.) reminded me today, via the Twitters, that I have not done one of my weekend update posts in a while. And since I've been such a shitty blogger lately anyway, I said what the hey. Here is what I am up to this weekend*:

Today: Counting down the minutes (71 to go) until happy hour with my daycare mom friends. If this is not the best tradition I have taken part in this year, I don't know what is. One glass of wine on Friday afternoon, right before pickup? Oh yes. Yes, please. After that, I'm off to my friend Jen's house for dip night, an amazeballs evening of friends and various dips. Dip is, like, my favorite thing. Well, after friends. So basically, best night ever.

Saturday: Chores, etc, during the day, and then at night I'm having another mess of friends over for game night. This has kind of blown up from a small gathering to more of a party. The best part is, I have no games here, except for Candyland. I just wanted to get this particular group of friends together. So I invited them, and then demanded they bring the entertainment. What?

Sunday: I've got rehearsal Sunday afternoon, and that's about all that is officially scheduled. Speaking of rehearsal - three weeks 'til show. Holy shit! I am having the time of my life. Every morning when I do my four miles, I do a brain dump of all of my lines. Out loud, in the middle of the street, at 6 a.m. Like a crazy person!

That's my weekend. What are you up to? Dwayne?

*Just got an email from one of the daycare moms. Her daughter, who Jane is besties with, is puking at school. So this whole intinerary could be replaced with : CLEANING UP PUKE.

empire state of mind.

So as those of you who follow me on Twitter know (and know very very well), I went to NYC on Saturday with my friend Lisa. What was different about this jaunt to the city was the fact that we had no official plan when we got on the train. Pretty much every time I go to New York I'm going to see a show, which is great and everything, but it more or less keeps me in midtown the whole time, and the day is usually pretty structured.

This time was different. When I posted on Facebook that I was heading to New York for the day, friends of mine that live down there started texting and posting to see if we could meet up. So Lisa and I maneuvered around the subway system (mostly successfully, but not 100%, especially the part where Lisa almost got trapped in the closing subway doors after a last-second decision to get off) and met up with my old theater friend and all-around sarcastically awesome friend Mike in SoHo, my talented friend and former intern Bryan at NYU where he is studying theater, and my super-smart friend Melissa...well, let's just say that we were supposed to meet her for coffee in TriBeCa but instead ended up, after an EXTREMELY roundabout trip, back in SoHo and met her for drinks. Many of them.

It was basically a great day. Lots and lots of laughs, got drunk, got to spend the day in the best city in the world - what's better? These pics are from my Blackberry, so they suck, but enjoy anyway.

tgif. for reals.

For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you know that we got hit with the freakiest of freak snowstorms last Saturday that dumped 15 inches of heavy wet snow, took down many many trees and wires statewide, plunging nearly a million customers into darkness for days on end, including us. We were out of power for six days, and lived down with our in-laws, who live at the beach an hour away. While INCREDIBLY grateful for their generosity - really - I was about as happy as I've ever been when the lights (and heat) (and water) came back on yesterday. Today I find myself incredibly exhausted. So I am here to say THANK YOU to those of you participating in my little 30 Days of Thanks project. Despite the stress of the past few days, I have been able to look at the bright side of each day. Hope you're joining in. Have a great weekend.

30 days of thanks - a November challenge

OK, the blog has been quiet lately. I'm sorry! My little life is pretty repetitive these days - work, studying lines, rehearsals, family stuff, etc. So while I was just vaccuuming (did I spell that right? Nope, only one "c" - vacuum is such a weird word. Anyway - vacuuming - that looks funny) - aaanyway, while I was doing that, I was getting that nagging feeling in my gut that you get when you're avoiding your blog. Like - what if this it? What  if I never think of anything to write about again? What if it's time to shut the thing down? And then I somehow jumped to the idea of creating a prompt for November.

30 days of thanks.

Each day in November, either here or on Twitter (@asg923) I will name something I am thankful for. It can be serious (family) or silly (CANNNDY) - just something quick to focus my energy before the true chaos of the holidays hits.

Will you join me? I hope you do.

a half-assed Tueday post. I mean, Wednesday. What day is it?

Seriously, I had to think for a bit there on what day today is. I have not been sleeping well over the past few nights. We were away last weekend in PA to see some friends - had an awesome time, especially because our friends have two young daughters who immediately became Jane's BFFs for life (I want to go see Cam and Mia again...when can we go see Cam and Mia...whaaaahhh). They bonded immediately and wow, I can see why people have more than one kid. You're not the constant source of entertainment all the time, you know? This is not enough to convince my old ass to have another - it was just something I noticed.

Something else aweome that happened during that trip  (besides the fact that we survived a 5.5 hour train ride to and fro with Jane) - our friend Jen's cousin is a professional chef. Who happened to have nothing to do on Saturday night. So he and his girlfriend, also a mighty fine cook, came over to cook us dinner. Homemade pumpkin ravioli. Short ribs. Mashed potatoes. A ridiculous pumpkin/chocolate chip cake. Holy shit. Delicious.

Anyway, between our travels and late rehearsals for my show, I have barely been getting 5 hours of sleep a night, and I think last night was less. Which today is really not OK, because I have to go do some voice recording for my job this morning and I feel pretty ugh. Fake it til you make it, right?

Speaking of my show - OMG, I am loving rehearsals so much. Like I said, I haven't been in a show since I was preggo with Jane - been directing and doing tech stuff since then - and I am having a total blast. I have been working my ass off this week to start memorizing my lines. That's the hard part, and wow, I really can't wait until they are all stuffed in my brain. My goal is to loosely have Act 1 in my head by Sunday, then next week focus on Act 2, and then I have another couple of weeks before we have to be totally off book for rehearsals. That script is a crutch, and I want to get rid of it - but there is a loooooong way to go before that. LOOOOOONG. But I love my cast and I am SO happy I'm doing this.

What's up with you on this fine Tuesday? I mean, Wednesday?

here comes the sun.

We have been incredibly blessed in my little area of the world with a very nice stretch of weather over the past few days. We were due - OH, WERE WE DUE - and the temps in the 80s and abundant sunshine has turned this mid-October into mid-June, with the bonus of fall foliage and Halloween candy in the stores.

But, lord, is it getting darker. The sun sets at some point between 6-6:30, I think, and isn't up until after 7ish a.m. And it's only going to get darker, longer.

I hate this. You know I hate this. I've talked about it a million times. Nothing shoves me into the blahs faster than the everlasting darkness of the fall and winter.

BUT.

I am working half days now. So even though the sun sets early, I still get to see it. And in my new office, I have a window. A WINDOW. I see trees, and sun (and rain. and rain. and rain. but also sun!). Both of these things are game-changers for me. In a really good way.

Anything good going on for you this Tuesday?

weekend update.

Friday Friday Friday! Yay! The forecast for this weekend is fantastic - mid-80 on Sunday (!!!), and I am psyched. Plus, Monday off for Columbus Day! Here's the plan:

Friday: In just a little bit, I am heading out to happy hour with some daycare moms, our new tradition. It is awesome. Don't worry, I only have one drink, and I usually don't even finish it. Then Jane and I are going over my friends' house for pizza and fun times.

Saturday: I am debating bringing Jane to the fall festival I mentioned last weekend. I never ended up going with her, because my sister and brother-in-law took her instead. But I really want some apple fritters! We'll see. If we go, we will have to go very early, because we are supposed to go to a chili cook-off party in the afternoon, which is kind of far away. But, chili!

Sunday: Greg will be home! Yay! YAAAAY! Maybe we'll go to the boat? Not sure. Depends on how tired he is. Otherwise I am sure we will go on Monday. Oh, and on Sunday I will be incredibly jealous as my mom departs for a two-week cruise that will take her to Italy, Greece and Turkey.

All weekend: Celebrating the fact that the invisible fence guy came and fixed it, so my idiot dogs can be free in the yard once again.

What are you up to?

lost and found.

So. SO. This has been...A DAY. Let me explain.

Greg left for Mexico for a few days this morning for work. Yeah, MEXICO (nice, right?). Now, we aren't work travelers - I used to have to do a tiny bit for my previous job but now I don't at all, but Greg, who is self-employed, has been ramping up his travel a bit. My point is, we don't have a typical routine for when one of us is not home for a stretch, and, frankly, it blows. Not only will I miss him to help me out with the two idiot dogs and Jane, but I'll just....miss him. You know?

I digress.

So off he went at 5 a.m., and shortly after, I started getting everyone up and ready for the day. Me: showered, hair, makeup, dressed; Jane, breakfast, dressed, properly-entertained whilst I do my preparations; dogs, breakfast, trip outside. We have an invisible fence in our yard, which is a beautiful, amazing thing. On those cold, rainy mornings, you don't have to stand there with your dogs on leashes as they ponder, very thoroughly and with great deliberation, where they are going to, you know, crap.

Yes, it is an amazing thing. Until it doesn't work.

At about 7:10 a.m., I was proud that we were making very good time. I would even have time, after daycare drop-off, to grab coffee before work. Perfect. Just before I get dressed, I open the door to let the dogs in. In comes Jimmy, and he gets his tick-check (once you have Lyme Disease, you become obsessive about ticks. TRUST ME). Strangely, Junior doesn't trail behind, so I go out and call for him.

Sidenote on Junior: If you are new to this blog, Junior is my beloved Great Dane. We have had him for over 8 years, which makes him extremely senior in the world of big dogs. See those big paws up on the masthead for this blog? Junior's. He is my first born dog-child, my love.

And, on occasion, the most monumental pain in the ass. This morning was one of those times.

I look around the yard, expecting to find him somewhere. And even when I realize he's not in the yard, I don't totally panic. The dogs have escaped the fence before - not a lot, but if lightning hits the wires underground, or the batteries in their collars are dead, they will sometimes realize they can meander past the zapping line. But they don't usually go very far.

Because I didn't want to leave Jane back in the house alone, I had to rush her into the car, strap her in, grab a box of bones, and start my drive around the block, arm hanging out the window shaking the box of bones, screaming "JUNIOR!! JUNIOR!!" and trying not to scare Jane.

A couple of trips around the block, and I started to panic. I headed back to the house to check the yard again. By this point, Jimmy was losing his shit in the yard, so once I determined Junior wasn't back there, I put Jimmy in the car, thinking maybe he would bark if he saw Junior (because he's useful like Lassie, right? Except, never). I quickly posted on Facebook that Junior was missing and if anyone was in the area and could they please look for him, and started around the neighborhood again.

Now, I really want you to picture this: at this point my voice is going hoarse from screaming. I am also really starting to cry, but trying not to, because I don't want to scare Jane, who has picked up on the mood and is now semi-crying too, telling me I should call Daddy. Jimmy is full-out HOWLING at this point, like the half-beagle he is, hanging out the window. I still am shaking my box of bones out my window, careening all over the road while looking for Junior, tears dripping down my face.

At this point, I have been looking for him for about 30 minutes. I don't know what to do. A friend of mine who lives nearby saw my message on Facebook and dispatched her husband to look for him as well. I realize I should call animal control. I stop in front of my house, pull out my phone, dial half the number, look up...

And there the douchebag is, in my neighbor's yard, about four doors down.

So I blow down the street, stop my car in front of the house, leave the driver's door open and car running, grab my box of bones and run to get him. Of course, despite the fact that he is approx 1 million years old in dog years, he starts leaping like a goddamned gazelle all over the yard. I finally catch him and grab him by his collar, and....

this is when he decides he is going to sit.

Junior is a 120-pound dog. Now, I do outweigh him, and I'm no wimp, but he is a strong son of a bitch when he wants to be. And he wanted to be. I COULD NOT MOVE HIM. I tried dragging him but was afraid of hurting his neck. After a while, I stopped worrying about his neck and tried to drag as hard as I could. Nothing.

So, now I am standing in my neighbor's yard. Flip-flops, muddy feet, old yoga pants, a tank top that is now covered in dog drool and snot, mascara running down my face from crying, with my car running down the road a little with my other dog and daughter inside. And this was my mantra, on a loop:

JUNIOR LET'S GO I HAVE TO GO TO WORK
Jane! It's OK! Mommy's coming!!!
JIMMY DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR
Can anyone help me?

Seriously, I was semi-yelling to see if any of my neighbors would come out to help me. My street is full of very very old people - although there are some younger people filling in here and there, which makes me very happy - and maybe because the weather was cold and their windows were shut, or maybe because they were scared of my big dog, or maybe because they were afraid of the crazy lady out in the street screaming - no one came out to help.

So I figured that my friend, the one who was out looking for my dog, would drive by at some point. So I stood there, holding Junior's collar. And stood there. And stood there. For, like, 15 minutes.

FINALLY, a (younger) neighbor from up the street drove by, saw the scene, and stopped. I begged her to help, which she very nicely did. She held Junior by the collar while I drove my car back home (just a couple of houses, remember), unloaded Jimmy and Jane, went inside to get cheese and Junior's leash, and ran back down to the scene of the crime to relieve my neighbor (who I now really have to bake cookies for).

And after a few minutes of desperately trying to show Junior who's boss (SPOILER ALERT: not me!), I got him to go home. And I got dressed. And I got Jane to  daycare. And I was only 10 minutes late to work.

And that was my morning.

Fin.

PS It seems that the fence is down; must've been hit by lightning again. Ah, just another couple hundred bucks to get fixed!

Anyone want a free, slightly-used dog?

wish you were here.

So, my family is doing some traveling over the new few weeks.

Greg is going to Mexico for a few days next week.

My mother is going on a Mediterannean cruise (Italy, Greece, Turkey) for a couple of weeks in October, and, oh, throwing in a couple of days in Rome at the end, just for fun.

My brother is going to Canada for a long weekend in mid-October.

Oh, and me? I am going to Pennsylvania - PROBABLY - for two days.

Which of these things doesn't belong?

two items of (possible) interest.



Jimmy, enjoying the ride home

Here are the two things that I have decided to share with you today, to illustrate the glamour of my life.

Thing, the first: I got a part in the play that I auditioned for on Sunday! Yay! I am such a huge community theater nerd, so it is apropos that the play I will be appearing in is called The Nerd. NO, I am not playing the nerd; however, I did get a pretty big part. Since I had Jane, I've mainly directed or helped out on the tech end of shows. The last show I was in was a triumphant production of Love Letters with my friend Alan when I was four months preggo. (OK, "triumphant" might be a big word, but I was and still am extremely proud of that show and the chance to work with my very good friend in a two-person production. Also, I made people cry, which is a triumph, I think.) (NOTE: They were not crying because of my bad acting.)  Anyway, rehearsals start on Sunday. Whoo hoo! I hope I can still remember lines!

Thing, the second: This is, what I would call, the polar opposite of the first thing, in terms of glamour. This afternoon I took Jimmy to get his anal glands expressed at the vet. Yeah, that's right: we are blessed with a dog who  needs to have this done periodically, and it is just as lovely as it sounds. You can actually learn how to do it yourself, but I would MUCH rather pay the $20 to have someone else do it.

Along with his glandular issues, Young James also gets chronic yeast infections in his ears (it's a good thing he's cute) and so I had them confirm that he had yet another one (which they did) and give me new meds (which, I suspect, list GOLD as a prime ingredient as the total visit ended up costing me $119).

So Jimmy is happy with his empty butt and clean ears, and I am broke, but in a play.

What's up with your week?

birthday weekend update.

Thank you for the birthday wishes that so many of you sent yesterday! It's true - yesterday I turned 38. I intend to try to have the great year that everyone asked me to have - I certainly had a great birthday! So although this weekend update is a bit late, I will review yesterday too, because it was such a fun day:

Friday: Worked, then went to lunch with my friend Jen, which was delicious. Then I headed off to Barnes & Noble (RIP Borders) for some quality book-buying, magazine-reading and iced latte-drinking time. After that, I rushed off to happy hour with some daycare moms - this is fast becoming a weekly tradition, and we had a blast. Then I ran home to eat cake with Greg and Jane before the babysitter showed up, after which Greg and I went to dinner and a movie (Contagion - gross but good, although not as good as Outbreak - not that it mattered, I just LOVE going to the movies!). Best birthday present? Tix to see The Book of Mormon again (not til the spring, though.) NOTE: Matt Stone and Trey Parker will be on "60 Minutes" talking about BOM and "South Park" tomorrow night. LOVE them.

Saturday: Well, we had plans to go to the Bronx Zoo today, but it's nasty out, so we'll have to do that another time. We do want to head up to UConn to see the cows and horses, and then hit this local pizza place up in Storrs that makes this ridiculous baked potato pizza that is sooooo good.

Sunday: Greg has a boat charter, so Jane and I are solo. I have to help out with a clean-up of our theater rehearsal hall (the basement is where we keep set stuff, costumes, props....soooo much crap) and it needs to be organized big time. I project that Jane will be less than helpful, but she will be joining me nevertheless. Off to my mom's later.

That's my weekend! What are you doing?

wednesday.

So it's already Wednesday of the first full week at my new job. Things are going well - I've started to do actual work, which is really good (no seriously, I feel much better when I'm producing things). It's been interesting being the new girl after being the long-timer for so many years. I work with some fun peeps, and I'm feeling good about the whole decision.

The afternoons have been somewhat strange, and it's interesting to see how fast I have fallen into a routine. I've had to do some errands like digging through mountains of crap to find my social security card and birth certificate, go to town hall to get Jane's birth certificate (I have not needed a copy for her until now), and go get my new work ID. But even with having to do things like that, I still have loads of free time. I went to Starbucks yesterday and read for a while in the middle of the afternoon (a homeless guy stood up, and then nearly toppled over on top of me at one point - like, it was thisclose). I went to lunch with a friend today (oh - some dude fell off his bar stool and had to be taken away in an ambulance. That was...probably not supposed to be funny). I went to the mall this afternoon to exchange a sweater (I saw an elderly lady wearing Victoria's Secret sweats with flowers on the ass). I'm blogging at 3:19 in the afternoon.

What seemed like an endless stretch of unscheduled time a week ago is now going by pretty fast on a daily basis. My brain is starting to adjust to not being panicky and rushed all the time. Which is, of course, why I'm going to audition for a show next week. Because having all of this glorious free time and not acting like a crazy person is just way too...normal. And I may be many things, but normal is not one of them.

How is your week going?

goin' to the chapel.

Yesterday, we went to the wedding of two friends and former co-workers, Audrey and Shane. Perhaps you recognize Shane's name as someone who sometimes leaves sarcastic comments on this here blog. As you can see, we had more than a good time.

weekend update.

After a bit of a weekend update hiatus, we're back! As part of my new, reduced-hour work schedule, I really am going to try to blog more. And when better to start than on a Friday? So here's what's up this weekend:

Friday: I am currently sitting in a Barnes and Noble on my laptop, about to order a Frappuccino. So that's a good thing. Today is the first fall-feeling day of the year - and the first day I'm wearing closed-toe shoes in MONTHS. Sadfacing big-time over that. Anywho, later this afternoon I am going to meet up with some fellow daycare moms for happy hour, then going to my friend's book reading at Barnes and Noble tonight (not the one am sitting in right now). Her book is the one I edited a few months ago. Then hopefully Greg and I can go out to dinner before we have to be back for the sitter.

Saturday: Off to the boat during the day, I believe. Then at night I will be going to a staged-reading of the first half of Angels in America. My friend Todd is part of it. Really psyched about this, as I have never seen that play, and it's such a landmark production in American drama. Although, from what I understand, not so much of a laugh-riot, what with it being about AIDS in the 80s and all.

Sunday: The EPIC WEDDING of my former co-workers Audrey and Shane. Epic. Ness. That is all.

And what are you up to? Let me know in comments!

the happiest of hours.

As I mentioned, I was given a lovely happy hour farewell last night, and it was most, most excellent. Please enjoy these pics from my last day.

back to school.

Today was my last day at the job I've had for just under 11 years.

Now, I don't talk about work much on this here blog, but I can say this much: taking a new job was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. I was really glad I was doing August Break at the time, because anything else I posted wouldn't have been very honest, as the job situation was pretty much the only thing I was thinking about in my down time.

See, I loved my job in the non-profit theater world. Sure, I complained about it mightily sometimes, but there was never a dull moment (understatement of the year) (truly). Sometimes I got to do glamorous things like go see shows, go to New York and LA, and meet famous people. A large chunk of my job was writing, which, apparently, is one of my skills (not that you'd notice that here). Another large chunk was talking to people, which is definitely one of my skills (with a heavy dose of never staying on topic).

But my favorite favorite part of my job was the people I worked with. I made some friends for life there, for sure - and when this new job opportunity came up, the very first thought I had was, "But I can't leave my friends!"

However. The opportunity was a good one. Heavy on the writing. For a college. Benefits. AND it was part-time. Half the hours.

Now, I need to interrupt myself here to tell you that I had been increasingly concerned with what I was going to do when Jane entered school next year. In my town, kindergarten is half day, which means she would have had to go to before- and after-school care for several hours a day. As you know, she currently goes to daycare full-time, but once she actually entered the school system, I really wanted to be around more for her. But I had no idea how I was going to make that happen. I figured I would start looking for a new job next spring.

But that's when I learned about this new job, from a former co-worker. So I applied. I interviewed. I took a writing test. I got the job.

Giving my notice three weeks ago and leaving today was so, so hard. Yesterday, my lovely friend Beth threw me a farewell party on one of the stages in the theater, and said too many nice things about me. I, in turn, bawled my fool eyes out - I mean, full-on ugly cried - and tried to say all of the nice things I wanted to say back. To express how much the place has meant to me. To express how much more the people have meant to me.

Tonight I was also the lucky recipient of a happy hour farewell, which was epically fun, and luckily featured no bawling. I will post some pics tomorrow. Tomorrow is also the one day I took off in between jobs; I start the new one on Thursday.

It feels very much like the end of an era in my life. And I am excited to start a new one, again. A few months ago, I didn't see this coming. But I went out on the highest of highs, and you can't ask for more than that.

gratitude.

I am trying to incorporate gratitude into this weekend. Yes, yes, I should do this every weekend, every day, every second. But it's so easy to get wrapped up in our own dramatic bullshit that we forget (in my case, very often) to look around and realize how lucky we are. This is what I am trying to do today.Tomorrow,  when we remember the terrible thing that happened in my very favorite city (and DC, and PA), that affected people I know personally, and that changed the psyche of this country forever, I feel like being grateful is the best way to honor and respect the anniversary. xo

scribbling.

For the first time ever, I am taking an e-course - Chookooloonks' Path Finder course, geared towards people in a transitional point in their lives. For "anyone who is in a place of transition, professionally or personally; or who is just looking to inject a bit more awesome into his/her life," as she puts it. I am definitely in a place of transition, career-wise (more on that soon), so it really seemed perfect for this point in my life.

Basically, five days a week for five weeks, participants receive journal prompts that invite introspection, along with instruction to journal daily in the morning as well. Now, I haven't actually written in a journal in years and years - since my early 20s - so it feels brand-new again. But so far, I like it. It's not too hippy-dippy and it's super-positive. Karen Walrond (the author/photographer of Chookooloonks) is a master journal-keeper, and she gives lots of creative tips to make it fun and easy. There is also a community site for participants.

I know she is planning on having a late fall session as well - so I will update at the end to tell you if it was worth it. If you're interested in the details - go here.

labor day.

I am sitting here, reading my very favorite issue of Entertainment Weekly of the whole year - the Fall TV Preview - getting ready to make a list of returning and new shows for my DVR. My DVR has had a restful summer, but it will be super busy once next week rolls around. I love new TV! I am also drinking a mega-mug of coffee, and contemlating going to a walk-in clinic, because my neck, and in particular, my ear is covered in poison ivy, and I'm afraid it's gotten INTO my ear canal - is this bad? Or, as I suspect, is there nothing they can really do about it? Because, honestly, I don't want to go to the doctor - I want to go to Mystic today, as planned.

What are you doing?

ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.

I love September. First off, it's my birthday month - which is epic, of course. I will be 38 on September 23 - which feels insane to me - I mean, that number looks ENORMOUS - but it's a true fact, so I guess I have to live with it. As long as there is cake, I am happy. Presents would be nice too. Just sayin'.

I hate winter, a fact that has been well-documented here, but fall is delicious. Literally, in some ways - it's almost time for fall festivals, where all sorts of delicious treats can be found, including my very favorite apple fritters at my hometown's festival, which is in early October. There are no apple fritters like these anywhere else, I can promise you that. 

And I adore summer, but I'm a little over the heat. I think I am a bit excited for weather in the 60s - nothing below that, may I add - but I'm over humid heat at this point (though I will ALWAYS take hazy, hot and humid over cold and snow. ALWAYS AND FOREVER). And I am looking forward to buying some new brown boots this year.

It's back to school time, and, even as an adult, September brings in that new-notebook feeling- a time to start fresh. I am making a pretty major change in my life in a couple of weeks (career-wise)  that deserves a separate post, later. For now, I will just say that September has a "back to school" feeling for me for more than one reason.

More to come on that - and I hope you are having a fabulous Labor Day weekend!

naptime.

You guys. YOU GUYS. The past couple of weeks have been nuts. Our power finally came back on in the middle of the night after being out for three days due to the hurricane. I am currently exhausted right now and heading to bed - but I wanted to share this picture of Jane, who is asleep in a chair in my office at work. There is a story to go with this. And I will share that, after I get a million hours of sleep.

the itsy-bitsy spider

This is a terrible picture - but check out the size of this spider on my back deck! I think he wants to come in for the duration of the storm.

rock you like a hurricane.

I do not enjoy that this bitch is headed for my house this weekend.

YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE, IRENE.

weeds.

My week.

How's yours?

fresh.

I would like some of this, please.

bookstore!

Now that Borders has failed us all, we are spending more time at Barnes and Noble. It's almost as good.

playscape.

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Greg's cousin's annual summer party. As you can see, Jane had a terrible time.

feet.

A highly fucking disturbing thing happened to a friend today. I'm not wanting to talk about it now - details are scant and scary. For now, I will post the one good thing that happened today - I got a pedicure. Please ignore my beat-up big toe - I slipped in Target the other day (it's so me to do that).

here is where I am at today.

How are you doing?

photography by Jane.

As I am sure you have noticed, the bulk of my August Break pics have been taken with my Blackberry. Not ideal by any stretch, but my actual camera broke right before August began, which, of course blows. I need to replace it but I haven't had time....I'm sure you don't want to hear me complain (again) about how busy I am (again), so enjoy these pictures of me and Greg captured by Jane. I'm sure I don't need to point out how hot we both look at the end of the day. Or how I am headless.

manic monday (to say the least).

The weather outside today matches my mood perfectly.

dock dog.

We stayed down at the boat last night. This one included. He looks pretty satisfied with his lot in life, eh?

coffee break.

This morning I had to take a quick walk outside, and man, was it gorgeous. A mid-morning outdoor coffee break is not a typical part of my workday - too bad about that.

workday evening.

A cup of orange juice, a princess dress, "Blue's Clues" streaming on the iPad and a little time outside. This is how we roll.

(taken just a few minutes ago with my Blackberry.)

friends like these.

See that girl over there? (Not the nerdy one in the Old Navy flag tee.) That's my BF, Heather. This month, we celebrate 30 (THIRTY!!!) years of friendship. That's insane, right? Girl knows waaay too much about me.

point of view.

Jane has become very interested in taking pictures with my BlackBerry. Here's one she took on Saturday morning of my "favorite puppies." Jimmy looks like he really lives the hard life, don't you think?

wish I was here.

I got hit with a summer cold today, which got progressively worse as the day went on, so I can only imagine how swell I will feel for work tomorrow. Also, I seem to have some sort of poison ivy-ish rash on my neck. So, all in all, I feel like shit. I would much, much rather be here (from our RI vacation).

well, that's random.

Please enjoy this picture 0f me, taking a picture of an ostrich while on vacation. Happy Friday!

break out another thousand.

Did you know that "boat" stands for "break out another thousand"? Boats are fun - but oh, rather an expensive habit. We had a bit of a kerfuffle out on the high seas recently, and Greg's face in this pic cracks me up.

favorite.

This is probably my favorite picture to date of Greg and Jane. They were playing Busytown on the front porch at the cottage we were at in Rhode Island a couple of weeks ago. (You will see a lot of vacation shots during August Break - I've been saving them for this project!)

this one is for Shane.

As promised, I am once again taking part in the August Break. For details, check out Susannah Conway's lovely blog, but here is what it is, in a nutshell, as explained by Susannah herself:

Okay, here’s the plan for the August Break: you simply share one photo (or more!) per day on your blog – Monday to Friday, or every day. Or whenever you feel moved to share. Using any camera – DSLR, compact, Polaroid, Holga, iPhone (my choice), Instax, film or digital – with or without words – anything goes! – for the whole of August. No pressure – just looking at August through your camera lens as a way to be more present this summer. And to have a little break from the pressures and expectations of regular blogging.

There are NO RULES, people! Just sunshine (hopefully) and a bit of fun. And lots of lovely photos to look at.

OK, it's me again. I am already late to the August Break party, because my computer, as it turned out, was intensely messed up. My co-worker and friend (that's right Shane, I called you a friend, for I would only buy friends expensive dishware) Shane has been working on it for a few days, and it's back in action again! I [promised him I would dedicate my return post to him, so here it is. And, in fact, here is Shane, working hard/hardly working. Enjoy!

4.

Approximately 30 minutes ago, my girl Jane turned four years old. And in this moment, I am sitting next to her after a hectic day returning from vacation, watching her new copy of Tangled, and smelling the grape Tinkerbell lip balm she is generously applying to half of her face. She is so perfectly four.

Today I went on an epic cleaning spree in her toy box and book case. I!m pretty OK with throwing out her old toys, but I really had to steel myself when I weeded out the books from when she was a baby. When we would review over and over the pictures, me asking her to identify things, her pointing proudly, all before she could even speak a word clearly.

Now, well, most days she never stops talking. We needed to make room for more big kid books. And soon - only 13 months - she'll need room for school books. Today she got her first real bike. Sometimes it feels like we'll be shopping for her wedding dress tomorrow.

But she still calls bathing suits "bathing soups." and she still holds my ear for comfort. So, yes - I am perfectly happy with her being perfectly four.

Happy birthday to my favorite girl.

soooooo freaking psyched

Don't you love how much I complain about how busy I am on this blog? Well, there's more where that came from!

This week has been chaos, between working on my big summer writing project at work, along with purging and moving offices with the rest of my department this week. I'm sadfacing over it, because I'm moving out of the office I've lived in for eight of my 10.5 years at my workplace. At the same time, boy, did I throw out a lot of shit. So that's...good? Right? Glass half full? Plus I will be near a window! With natural light! Did I already tell you this? I can't remember.

In addition, I am packing - OK, I am at least thinking about packing - for vacation number two this summer, which begins this weekend. We are renting a house in Rhode Island with some friends and their kids and I. Can. Not. Wait. Soooo freaking psyched for this.

Right now I am looking out the window, spying on people looking at my next door neighbors' house, which was put up for sale this week. This is another thing I am soooo freaking psyched about. I am not a fan of these neighbors and am happy to see them go. I know this makes me a jerk, but believe me, if you knew the whole story, you would agree.

I am also soooo freaking psyched for Susanna Conway's August Break this year. Do you remember when I did this last year? I posted a photo a day at least five days a week - it was an easy way to blog, without many words, but got me into the habit of stopping by here more often. I've been saving my summer photos for just this occasion! I tweeted her and she said she was doing it again. So stay tuned.

What are you sooooo freaking psyched about these days?

the finish line.

Wowza, this work week was crayzee. This is of note in particular because I only worked three days. But I got a lot done and am breathing easier than I was earlier this week. I even had some time today to purge files in anticipation of next week's office move. Yes - after eight years in the same office, I'm moving. It is truly astounding how much shit you can accumulate in that amount of time.

VERY pleased that it's the weekend. Jane and I are having a sleepover in my bed because Greg is down at the boat tonight, fixing something or another. He likes sleeping there and I don't so everyone's happy.

Tomorrow we have another birthday party (July is super-heavy with birthday parties amongst my circle) in the afternoon, and I might start thinking of putting things together to pack for our vacation the week after next, but let's be real - this is not going to happen.

Sunday I am working house for my theater group's production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. I am usually VERY involved in the summer production, but this year I'm a lobby worker bee and that's it. I miss it - but I am so relieved that's all I did. It's an awesome show and I'm jealous I don't have my name on it, though!

So, yeah. Low key. Tell me what you are up to this weekend!

Side note: Junior had a vet appointment today. We finally decided to talk to the vet about how he is limping and stiff a lot lately in his back legs. He's an eight-year-old Great Dane - so I was expecting the worst. But she said it was probably some arthritis and gave him some joint supplements. So that was good good good!

weekend over.

Seriously - I think all weekends should be five days long. Who's with me? At 6:30 p.m. on a Tuesday, I am finally wrapping up my Fourth of July weekend, which began last Thursday night.

We were generously given Friday off at my workplace, and while I had planned to spend the day doing prep work for my Fourth of July party, instead I....well, honestly.....I don't remember what I did. I think I did some reading. I think I did some sitting out in the sun. I know I went out to dinner with an old friend from my newspaper days. That was fun.

On Saturday, I went to my friends' annual family Fourth party (never on the actual Fourth, unless it happens to fall on a Saturday). This is my other family, more or less, and we had a great time. Jane ran herself ragged in the pools and on the water slide and fell asleep on the way home, which is basically my idea of a perfect Saturday night. No bedtime shananigans = A+ day.

Sunday was a down day; we ended up at the boat. Took a long ride in the morning, and then watched the rain fall all afternoon. That wraps up Sunday.

Monday was the day of our big Fourth of July party at our house. Unbeknownst to me, you cannot buy alcohol on holidays in my state (I don't know how I didn't know this - truly, I am an arse sometimes) so I had to drive up over the border to Massachusetts to buy our supply for the festivities - this was after trips to Target and two grocery stores for all of the food and other stuff. By the time 3:30 rolled around and the guests started arriving, I was exhausted.

But we had fun! At least, I think we did - the whole day felt like a complete blur of feeding, cleaning, talking, and watching Greg's epic fireworks display (no limbs lost! yay!). I love having everyone over but I don't think I had one single meaningful conversation.

I took today off because I knew I'd be wrecked from yesterday. After enduring one of the worst, guilt-inducing daycare drop-offs ever (Jane is REALLY NOT HAPPY about transitioning to a new classroom) (REALLY REALLY NOT HAPPY) I headed to the beach, and oh, what a glorious beach day it was. Hot, cloudless July days like today are the days I live for.

So that was my weekend. It's going to be balls to the wall at work this week - seriously, if you see me on Twitter or anywhere else, just tell me to get the hell back to work. I have so much to do....see ya on the flip side!

this is me being serious.

(steps on soapbox)

If you do follow me on Twitter, you know a couple of weeks ago I was freaking out because my brother got in another serious car accident. He's OK- but I truly consider it a miracle that he and his friend are alive, as they were hit from behind by someone who was going 100 MPH on the highway and was possibly asleep. When I saw a picture of the car, I almost choked. The back half of his car was quite literally crushed into the front half of his car. My brother was knocked unconscious and had a concussion, plus a lot of body pain, but holy shit. It could have been so much worse.

One of the reasons is because 10 years ago, as I've talked about here before, he was in another VERY serious car accident where he had six brain contusions, broken ribs, broken leg that ultimately needed a titatium rod put it in, many many cuts and bruises, and a year-long recovery. It is very, very hard to see someone close to you recover from a brain injury. So, as it stands, he really can't be knocked in the head for fear of permanent damage. He was lucky then, and he is lucky again.

All of this leads me to say, as we head into this party-heavy long weekend- please, please be careful on the road. Hey, I've been guilty of distracted driving, checking my phone while driving, certainly talking on the phone while driving, and driving while on the verge of falling asleep. Cars lull you into a false sense of confidence on the road. But make no mistake- they are extremely dangerous machines.

So buckle up, throw your phone in the trunk if it's that alluring to you, don't drink and drive, and pay attention. Have a great weekend!

(steps off soapbox)