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.