Jane's First Official Haircut: A Story in Pictures

I don't care if you're ready to rock

So, those of you who know Greg know that were it legal at the time, he would have married Bono instead of me. I was never much into U2 back in the day - I remember being incredibly irritated when they would show videos on MTV for "With or Without You" or "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" when all I wanted to see was an awesomely rad Poison video or two (I admit I did always like the vid for "Where The Streets Have No Name" - and it still remains my favorite U2 song). But when I married Greg, I also had to pledge my lifetime devotion to Bono, The Edge, Larry, and Adam. We traveled to San Diego to see them open their Vertigo tour back in 2005, and I saw them three times during that tour (Greg and his old college roomate/fellow U2 diciple saw them six times). We have literally spent thousands of dollars, all in the name of rock and roll.

So of course you can imagine the almighty excitement this week when they released their latest, No Line on the Horizon. (And you can bet your ass we'll be trekking to as many of their stadium tour dates this summer as we can - although there won't be any long distance traveling this time, because of the ol' ball and chain.) (Jane, in case you were wondering.) (Although Greg is hinting he may want to travel without me.) (To which I say, fat chance. I know, I'm a jerk.)

U2 has been on Letterman all week, and last night, they did his "Top Ten" list - I always find it pretty hilarious when serious musicians show a sense of humor. And this really was funny. Enjoy!

THE. MOST. DRAMATIC. ROSE. CEREMONY. EVAH!!!

There are times in your life for profound, deep, life-changing cultural experiences.

Last night was not one of them. Oh no, my friends, last night was the season finale of "The Bachelor," and it positively reeked with awesomeness. I won't bore you with all of the details (OK, maybe I will, but quickly - King Douchebag and single dad Jason had narrowed his choices down to Boring Molly and Boring-er Melissa. I thought he should choose Molly. Of course, he chose Melissa.) BUT THEN! On the much-anticipated, highly-emotional, too-rife-with-conflict-that-it-would-have-been-too-much-for-a-studio-audience-to-handle "After the Final Rose" special, Jason dumped Melissa! And chose Molly instead! And acted like such a fickle ass that it was almost hard to believe, especially for a show that's so unbelievable to begin with.

So, in conclusion, all I want to say about this (because I really can't add much more to the spectacular snarkiness of this and this) is it. was. awesome. And it totally made my week. And I can't wait until tonight's "After the Final Rose" Part Deux, because who knows? Maybe he'll dump Molly and pick Jillian, who he should have chosen all along anyway.

(I just thought it would be nice to have a happy post on here once in a while, even if it revolves around the show I am most humiliated to admit I watch. Oh wait, no - that would be "Rock of Love Bus.")

please ignore my crazy weather-related ranting

So, you know when, in November and December, you hear the song "Let it Snow" and you think to yourself, "yeah, that WOULD be nice, oh, how I wish for a white Christmas, and oh, the snow makes everything seem so twinkly and magical and clean and wonderful" - and then in March, when you see more of that wretched evil white stuff pouring out of the sky you think "I WISH I COULD JUST KILL THE SNOW" - and the prospect of working from home or a snow day isn't even enough to make up for the fact that you have to shovel, and get your clothes all wet, and slosh through this shit for another week, even though it's MARCH, and SPRING is supposed to be here any second, and in San Diego it's supposed to be 71 degrees today and WHY THE EFF DO I LIVE HERE....

So, yeah. More snow today.

I'm a winner!

I'm not going to lie.

I've always been a little jealous of those blog awards that people hand out to each other here on the interwebs. Sure, I know I update my blog rarely/never/only when something bad happens, but still. I wanted one.

I've never been much of an award-winner or a trophy-getter. I didn't play any sports as a kid (shocking, I know), so I didn't have any trophies from my extra-curricular activities (funny, they don't hand anything out for being a highly-dramatic theater geek - unless you get a Tony.). Back in ye olden newspaper reporter days, I did win a Society of Professional Journalists award for an article I wrote about raunchy rock lyrics (this was back in the late '90s - a whole MILLENIUM ago). I won first place and everything. (Yes, it is surprising to know that someone used to pay me for this writing stuff. Can you imagine?) But that was a long time ago. Where's my validation now?

WELL. Imagine my delight when I received that shiny happy Proximity Award up there at the top. En Espanol, even!

The lovely and talented Bridget over at Yellaphant betowed this award on me. And since it happens to be en Espanol, let me explain what it is: This award is for blogs which "...invest and believe in Proximity; Nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and to be friends. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to 8 bloggers, who must then chose 8 more and include this text into the body of their award."

So, I mean. DUH. I think any blog that, in ever other entry, talks about sickness and puke and how miserable they are is obviously CHARMING. But it's true, I do aim to find and be friends. The other day, when I was puking (here I go again) and lying half-dead on my couch, I was watching a commercial for something like Diet Coke. And in the commercial, a group of friends were hanging out and having fun. And I had a true, real reaction to that commercial, and that reaction was: jealousy. I miss having fun and hanging out with my friends. When one has children, one is confined to the house after 7 p.m. on most days. So the lesson you can learn from my blog, dear internet friends is: BIRTH CONTROL.

I kid, of course. But now I have to bestow this fine award to eight other people! And since the meaning of the award is a little confusing to me, I am going to give it to a combo of eight people who are actual friends in real life, and people who I feel like are my friends because I read their blogs all the time, and they write in such a friendly way, usually with swears and stuff. However, there are rules. You have to update your blog more than once a month. Even I do that. So, I'm sorry, you and you. Consider this tough love. And the nominees are:

Yellaphant - Obviously. I love Bridget's blog because she is a young person doing what young people do - namely, drinking beer and having fun, and going out, and doing the things I miss doing while I'm catching puke in my hands (not fun hangover puke, either). She reminds me of the me I used to be, and the me I hope to be again when I can rally some babysitters. Also, she's a dog person.

Artsy Fartsy - This is my real-life friend Lisa - but here's the thing. I used to work with Lisa, and she was nice, but kind of quiet, and shy, and we had to force her to go out and do things with us. And now! Look at her! Queen of the snark on her blog, and ridiculously talented in so many ways. I would say she's my most multi-talented friend.

I'm Alan, Eh? - I know Alan changed the title of his blog to something more Canadian, but it's weird and I liked his other name better. Alan is also a real-life friend and my number-one email buddy. He gets to hear what I have for lunch every day, and all of the other minutiae of my life. He also likes birds and outer space and stuff. He's a theater nerd like me.

Days with Dylan - As you have heard many times, when I was pregnant with Jane I had a blood test that indicated she might have Down syndrome. That turned out not to be the case, but in doing my research before I found out for sure, I found many wonderfully-written blogs by parents with children who have Ds. Laurie at Days with Dylan is one of them. I love keeping up to date with the freaking ADORABLE Dylan, who underwent successful heart surgery last fall and is doing great.

Baby on Bored - This blog is written by the insanely funny Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, who wrote the hilarious books Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay and Naptime is the New Happy Hour. She has a gorgeous toddler and one-year-old twins, and somehow manages to write weekly updates on her thoughts on The Bachelor and American Idol. She has commented on my blog a couple of times, and I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty giddy - a celebrity commentator!

The New Girl - Alright, I am relatively new to reading this blog, but I was actually going to write an entry about this post she wrote recently. You know, when I link to something and act like it's a valid entry of my own? Yeah. Anyway, when I read this, it felt like she was in my head. (SCARY FOR HER.)

I'm Laughing Inside - This is a real-life friend, Audrey, who started blogging again last month. I am hoping this fabulous award will encourage her to keep blogging, and posting funny pictures of Shane.

Boho Girl - I got sucked into this blog for an entire day once. Denise writes in such a personal, reflective, CALM way, it made me wish I was her. Her positive, cool, laid-back vibe positively radiates from her blog, and she also lives in Southern California, which automatically makes her cooler and smarter than me. And her newly-adopted son Cedar is delicious.

So there you have it! I'd like to thank all of the daycare germs which keep my blog full of exciting stories about the common cold. The end.

why health insurance is a good thing

Over the past week:

Head cold: Jane, Greg, me
Fever: Jane, me
Stomach bug: Jane, me
Ear infection: Greg, possibly Jane
On antibiotics: Greg, Jane
Feels like truck has run over: Jane, Greg, me
Number of weekends in a row that have been ruined due to illness: Five (and counting)

Welcome to my house! Please wear a haz-mat suit.

and now, a little levity

So, everyone and their brother reads Dooce, right? Well, she challenged her readers to answer the questions in this meme that she posted on her blog. Here are my answers, and here's your chance to learn a little more about Greg!

What are your middle names? I was not given a middle name, so I gave myself one, when I got married. It's my maiden name. Greg's middle name is David.

How long have you been together? We've been together for 7 years, 4 months.

How long did you know each other before you started dating? Zero amount of time.

Who asked whom out? We met on a blind date. I met his friend at my 10 year high school reunion. I had just broken up with someone, so I went alone. I had several cocktails, as one does when one is reunited with people they used to share high school hallways with, so I was in a festive mood. Greg's friend was dating an old friend of mine from school, and we got to talking. His friend asked if I was single, because if I was, he had the perfect guy for me. That guy turned out to be Greg, who called me a few days later. Now I think about it, he really had to have some cojones to do that. Would you call someone out of the blue, based on the recommendation of a friend? Good thing his friend had such exquisite taste. Anyway, we made plans to meet when he called.

How old are each of you? I am 35; Greg is 36.

Whose siblings do you see the most? Mine, because he is an only child.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? The work/life/kid balance. Yup, 18 months in, and we'll still figuring this out. We are both working particularly hard at our jobs, and we have a child who tends to pick up every bug at daycare (perhaps I've blogged about that once or twice), so our wicks are fairly short during these looong winter months - especially because it seems that at least once a week, one of us has to stay home with Jane because she's not well.

Did you go to the same school? Nope.

Are you from the same home town? Nope.

Who is smarter? I am smarter socially; Greg is probably more book-smart.

Who is the most sensitive? That would be me. What? Why are you looking at me like that? Are you mad at me?

Where do you eat out most as a couple? I am not even going to be embarrassed about it. Chili's. Fine. There. I said it.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Hawaii.

Who has the craziest exes? I don't think we have crazy exes. No one has haunted us.

Who has the worst temper? It really depends on the day and who got the least amount of sleep. Since that's usually me - probably me. I try to keep it in check as much as I can.

Who does the cooking? If we're having any sort of real, non-microwaved, non-heated up meal, the answer would be Greg.

Who is the neat-freak? I don't know that either one of us is a neat-freak, but I am definitely more obsessive in this regard, especially since we had Jane.

Who is more stubborn? I have to say I don't think either one of us is particularly stubborn. Except for me.

Who hogs the bed? Jimmy. Seriously. Somehow that 30-lb dog takes up 95% of the king sized bed we have.

Who wakes up earlier? I do. I wake up at 5:04 every morning.

Where was your first date? We met for our blind date at a place called Joe's American Bar and Grill - it doesn't exist anymore.

Who is more jealous? I used to be very jealous. Now I'm way too tired to be jealous. Actually, it was just that typical, beginning-of-the-relationship nerves; after about a year together, I was much more secure. OK, maybe two years.

How long did it take to get serious? We had some growing pains about 6 months in - so things were pretty serious by that point.

Who eats more? Greg eats more, but I probably could if I wanted to.

Who does the laundry? I do.

Who's better with the computer? Neither one of us are computer genuises.

Who drives when you are together? We split it pretty evenly. Maybe Greg drives a little more, but not that much more.

Feel free to answer some or all of the same questions about your significant other in the comments, or leave a link to your website if you prefer answering there.

not so much

So, about 15 minutes ago, you'll see that over there on the right, I Twittered about having seen a robin, and how I thought maybe that was good luck.

And then Jane puked all over the place.

No so much with the good luck, then, huh?

This has been several weeks of sickness. Ear infection, stomach bug, cold, stomach bug. Throw a couple of ri-donk-ulously busy work weeks in there as well, and you've got a cocktail for my own personal brand of hell.

photo love

Hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day -whatever it means to you.

(please ignore the lovely sheets on our couches. this is what you must do when you have two slobbery dogs.)

long ago and far away

Ten years ago this week, I left for a trip to Ireland with three of my theater friends. We were going in honor of my friend's 30th birthday, and we basically covered the country in six days. It was phenomenal. But this isn't about that.

I have had an image stuck in my head for the past couple of days. It's from when I was leaving my parents' house (that was where my friends were picking me up for the trip). I remember as we were pulling out of the driveway, my Mom, Dad, and niece Samantha were waving goodbye. My niece was only three at the time; just a baby, really.

I didn't know then that just over a year later, I would say goodbye to my Dad for good.

This time of year can be so difficult for me, even nine years after he died (February 22nd is the nine-year anniversary). Even after so much time, the sad moments - the ones that really stop me in my tracks - crop up out of nowhere. And usually they are insignifcant, like the one where they were waving goodbye as I left for my big trip.

I feel about 100 years older now; my life has changed so much, and when I think of that girl getting in the car, she seems like a kid version of myself, even though I was 25 and gainfully employed. But over the next two years, my life would feel like a punching bag, getting socked over and over with bad news. Those years -from 26-28 - affected me the most out of any others in my life. They made me weaker, stronger, and much more adult (although many times it doesn't seem that way).

I just wish he could have seen me now.

we interrupt my regularly scheduled whining to address something actually important

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

I copped this from Bridget's blog, but it was too good not to.

WOE.

Good Lord, I just re-read my last post, and can't stand how woe-is-me it all is. Sheesh. Get over yourself, woman! Delete, delete!

stuck.

I feel very stuck these days - very empty of blog fodder. My days are very much the same, one after the other, these days, and I'm pretty sure no one wants to hear me complain about Jane being sick, or me being tired, or my lack of weight loss despite the fact that I've been pretty good about doing the 30 Day Shred. Every time I log on to write a new post, I feel like I'm just bitching about the same thing. I promise to try to come up with some good stuff to write about soon.

But right now I'm tired. Tired because Junior decided, at about 2 a.m., that he was going to batshit crazy when he saw a family of deer outside. Do you know what it feels like to be woken up by a batshit crazy Great Dane? Then for the rest of the night, Jimmy decided that his ear was bothering him, and kept scratching at it, and the jingle-jangle of his collar kept me up as well.

I will leave you with the fact that I am so happy Jane seems to be feeling better (KNOCK ON WOOD WHAT AM I CRAZY FOR SAYING THAT YES I AM). She's so freakin' cute these days, I can't stand it. Her version of a cat meowing is reason to get up in the morning, I swear.

how is it only tuesday?

A rant:

Jane has been pukey sick since Sunday. Greg and I have had to juggle like nobody's business to have coverage at home and both get the work done that we need to get done. Doesn't help that this is an extremely busy work week for me. Also - I don't like when I'm puked upon repeatedly.

I also have some weird bump (cyst? deadly cyst? something that will kill me?) on my hand, under the skin, below my middle finger, that's freaking me the hell out. I just noticed it on Friday. I went to the walk -n on Saturday, they did an x-ray, and said it was a bone cyst. I don't believe them, because Dr. Google tells me a bone cyst is a cavity within the bone - not a bump on the bone. SO, that's fun. Back to the doctor next week. No time this week.

Also, snow. WTF, snow? I hate it so much, with the power of a thousand firey suns, I HATE IT. I am so ready for summer. I will never complain about the heat again, so help me God, I swear it - even if I have the rays of a thousand firey suns BEAMING RIGHT ON ME.

I feel: frustrated, miserable, tired, like a bad mother, like a bad employee, like a selfish, sucky, naggy, uggghh bleeecchhhh blah blah blah.

Aren't you glad you asked? Oh wait - you didn't.

good stuff friday

So, here I was, lamenting the fact that this week has been a doozy (again? I guess it's the norm, huh?). Between an unexpected doctor's appointment for me, a scheduled, but intensely frenzied 18-month doctor's appointment for Jane (as you saw on Facebook and/or Twitter, she Freaked. The. Eff. Out. Like nobody's business. The doctor said it was normal. I think I sweated out my soul in that office yesterday.), this week has been full of, oh, how you say, adventure. So I was wondering what I could list as "good" for "Good Stuff Friday."

And then.

Then I logged on to my blog this morning, and saw that Lisa created a new, surprise banner for me - my favorite ever! That is the goodiest of the Good Stuff Friday list. Also:

*Although Jane's appointment was brain-shredding, she got a good report. She's up to 25 lbs, 31 inches, and full of all of the quirky characteristics typical of a toddler. Number one on that list: regarding nurses and doctors as PURE EVIL.

*My doctor's appointment went fine as well. I'll spare you the details. No, I'm not pregnant.

*I managed to get a respectable amount of work done this week during the 2.5 days I was working from home. I find working from home....challenging......when I have my little companion with me. But Jane was at daycare 1.5 of those days, so that was a huge factor in getting shat done.

*I did the 30 Day Shred three days this week so far. And since everything hurts, I know it's working, right? RIGHT? Jillian says that the pain is fear leaving the body. I wish it was my fat ass leaving my body.

What's your good stuff this week?

having an only

I have so so so many thoughts about having an only child, and whether to have another child, and what it's like to be married to an only child, having three siblings myself...but for now, check out this New York Times article by Nataly Kogen (who created one of my favorite parenting sites, Work It, Mom!). She talks about her struggles with having an only child, and the constant criticism she gets from the outside world about her decision. It's like she's living my life - it's truly amazing how people - some people you don't even really know that well - feel like it's their business to tell you you HAVE to have another child. Like, it's not even a decision. It's a given. Well, thanks for crawling up into my uterus and everything, but it's not a given for me, at least not right now.

25 things

If you're on Facebook - and I know most of you are - you may have been tagged in this "25 Things About Me" note. So the other night I did it - and even though I think I could have come up with more creative, personal, thoughtful answers, you'll see why I didn't in my first "thing". Thought I'd share here as well.

1. I am currently watching Rock of Love Bus with Bret Michaels, which shows you how classy I am.

2. I never really wanted to have kids until I was about 30, and now I can't imagine life w/o Jane.

3. I really, really, really want to do a show again. I miss theater.

4. If I wasn't so attached to my friends and family, I would move to San Diego in a heartbeat.

5. Greg and I have created a personality for Jane's stuffed pink elephant - her name is Maude, she's been divorced three times, she's a hard partier with dreams of being famous - so much so that it seems like she's part of the family.

6. I cried when we were leaving for our honeymoon because I didn't want to leave my dog Junior for so long. I would've done the same for Jimmy too, except he wasn't part of our family yet.

7. I have seen RENT over 20 times.

8. I only saw one movie in the theater last year - Sex and the City. The next movie I see in the theater will probably be the sequel.

9. I have an unnatural obsession with pop culture, and read way to many websites/blogs/magazines covering it.

10. I cannot believe I'm 35. I feel like I should be so much more...adult.

11. My favorite place to be in the whole world is at the beach. My second favorite place is a bookstore.

12. I feel very fortunate that I am still so close with the people I grew up with. I think that's pretty unusual.

13. I used to be completely obsessed with music until about five years ago. Now I have no clue what's going on. I welcome any recommendations.

14. The number one thing I wanted for my wedding (besides getting married) was a cupcake wedding cake, and I got it.

15. Watching Jane dance is probably one of my favorite things to do.

16. I have maintained a large amount of weight loss for almost nine years. The odds of maintaining are so slim, so I'm pretty proud of that.

17. I really wish Greg and I went out more. We're pretty mcuh confined to the house at night, and I wouldn't mind us having more of a social life.

18. I definitely want to go to Italy before I die, and I'd also love to go to Greece.

19. I love sarcasm. Are you shocked?

20. I love reading, and usually read at least one book a week.

21. I swear too much.

22. I think the last time I slept through the night without waking up at least once was over two years ago.

23. I'm pretty sure I talk too much about 50% of the time.

24. It would make me incredibly happy to wear flip flops every day.

25. I would do anything for my friends and family, and I hope they all know that.

good stuff friday (and by friday, I mean saturday)

I've been called out by Alan for not having done a Good Stuff Friday entry this week. I'm starting to think that doing Good Stuff Friday is a bad idea, because I always seem to have to lead in with a big explanation about how crazy my week has been, and this week is no different. Everyone in my house has been sick all week (just with bad colds, nothing more dramatic than that, KNOCK ON WOOD), but the thing is, a toddler doesn't care a) if she has boogers all over her face and 2) the fact that maybe, just maybe, you might want to SIT DOWN FOR A SECOND and try to relax. So getting better has been a challenge. That said, some good stuff did happen this week:

*Hello, Tuesday? Most awesome day this country has seen in a long time. I realized I hadn't been happy about an inauguration for 12 years. Since I was 23, i.e., a billion years ago. I thought Obama really brought the bad-ass to his speech.

*I finally received Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred from Amazon, so now I'm only weeks away from being able to kick some ass, just like Jillian. Except, you know, not really. But I will be able to kick more ass than I currently can. Problem is, I've only been able to do it once this week, because of how craptastic I've been feeling. As soon as I can breathe, I'm back on the plan.

*I found a couple of old friends from back in ye olden high school days on Facebook (not from my high school, just friends I had when I was in high school). Oh Facebook, how I love thee.

*LOST is back, and, as usual, it's the best mindf**k ever.

Have a great weekend! And please post your good stuff in comments, just so I can continue to prove to myself how lame I am.

for you LOST fans (and who isn't a LOST fan?!?)

down for the count

Ugh. I'm home sick today. I was finally taken down by the cold that has been plaguing my house for weeks now. I feel like I live in a daycare sometimes, I really do. I sent Jane off to daycare, Greg's going out for meetings, so it's me, the dogs, and the DVR today, with intermittent work stuff here and there.

I'm watching inauguration specials that I recorded last night. That Michelle Obama looked gorgeous, didn't she? I heard some people chatting about yesterday's events when I was dropping Jane off this morning. They were wondering why people were so obsessed with what Michelle and the girls were wearing, when there were so many bigger issues to focus on. I thought that people were probably focusing on those small - but much more fun - topics for the time being, because the economy, the wars, and the general state of the world is so scary right now, it's a lot more pleasant to discuss the designers and the general historic moment we all witnessed yesterday, than the craptastic headlines we all have to face head-on, sooner or later.

I am hoping to soon post about all the success I've been having with Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, except that I've only been able to do it once since I received it on Saturday, between being sick, a pulled out back, and a swollen hand (I smacked it on the corner of a drawer). I'm a mess!

change we can believe in

Hello, Blogland! I'm sorry I've been mostly missing lately. The most I can grab time for, it seems, is a quick Twitter or Facebook update this past week. But, despite how packed today is as well, I would be remiss not to mention how completely, totally, and utterly PSYCHED I am that January 20 is finally here! I will definitely be in front of some sort of screen - computer, TV or otherwise - to watch today's historic inauguation. And how much do I also wish I could go to this tonight? Mixing Broadway and George Bush never sounded so good!

No matter what your personal political beliefs are, I hope you can feel the hope today. I sure can, and it feels delicious.

PS I hope to resume more regular blogging this week. Stay tuned!

good stuff friday

I gotta tell ya, I think doing this "good stuff friday" thing might work out a little bit better if I wasn't so desperately trying to fish for good things that happened at the tail end of a week where I feel like I've barely kept it together (this is most weeks). This was, once again, a super busy week at work, but it doesn't mean that good stuff didn't happen.

*Last weekend I met a friend for dinner who I haven't seen in a year. We have a long and complicated friendship and I'm so happy I was able to see her, and that things are good between us. I was also very happy about the 1.5 margaritas I drank during dinner.

*I saw a dirty puppet show.

*I met some cool and funny actor-type people. Not bad work, if you can find it.

*This weekend is a three-day weekend. I wish it was a three-month weekend, but I'll take what I can get.

*This guy is gonna rule the world in four days.

*I have plans with friends Saturday and Sunday. Sometimes I tend to just hole up with my family during the weekends; I'm glad I'm getting off my ass and socializing.

Have a great weekend!

there's nothing to read here, so go there instead

This is an incredibly busy work week, plus we have sickness running through my house (so shocking, I know), so posting will be very light. BUT, instead, I am going to direct you to an all-together better blog anyway - Matt, Liz, and Madeline. It is written by Matt Logelin, whose daughter was born last March, and his wife died the next day as she was going to see her baby for the first time. YES, it sounds horribly sad, and it is - get tissues ready if you're going to read the first entries - but his style of writing and the way he writes about stumbling through this first year of parenting his gorgeous daughter alone - so against what his life plan had been - is truly compelling. His photography is amazing too. His most recent post mentioned that a story was going to appear about them in People this week, so hop over there before the rest of the world does.

good stuff friday

Oh Lord, is it Friday already? I actually thought Friday would never come this week. After coming back to work from a 12-day vacation, this week draaaagged. But look! The weekend is here, and with it comes a sick baby and a weather forecast for 6-10 MORE inches of snow! Wheeeee! Jane seems to have some sort of virus thingy (that's the technical term, I believe), so we're off to the pediatrician's office in a hour to get what I'm sure will be a non-descript answer and a non-diagnosis. That's what happens with most of these virus things. Anywho, let me dig in my brain to think of the good stuff that happened this week:

*I returned to work. Sure, it's hard to think of this as a highlight, but the fact that unemployment rates higher than they've been in decades makes having a job - and the insurance that comes with it - a very good thing.

*The fact that Jane didn't spill that half-gallon of milk she pulled out of the fridge and was dragging around while I typed that last paragraph.

*The fact that Jane's vocal chords seem to be in full working order, based on the level of screaming she's doing because of removal of said half-gallon of milk from her hands.

*The snow isn't supposed to start until afternoon tomorrow, so I should be able to get in my four miles outside, instead of inside on the DREADED TREADMILL.

So there's a few things. Sure, they may not be spectacular, but hey, the first week of January isn't really aimed at creating spectacular moods, especially a week that feature a couple of snow and ice storms, and all you want to do is move to San Diego and be done with this. And by you, I mean me.

Have a great weekend!

putting myself on my list

So, I was watching Oprah the other day - WHAT? I never watch Oprah, but I knew she was going to talk about how she was going to lose all that weight she gained back, and we all know I'm a sucker for an inspirational weight-loss story - and she got me thinking, as Oprah so often does. She was talking about how she gained all her lost weight back again, and how it was primarily triggered by a really stressful, busy year. Like so many people, Oprah responds to stress by eating. So this year - her BEST YEAR EVER - she is putting herself back on her list. You know how your (and mine, and Oprah's) to-do list usually includes doing stuff for work, and your family, and your friends, and other people, but it so rarely includes doing things for yourself? Well Oprah is putting herself back on her list.

Her trainer, Bob Greene, said that many times, when you overeat, you're doing it because you really want something else - like love, or acceptance, or whatever. Oprah is overeating because she needs balance.

So do I! Oprah and I are the same, minus the fame and billions of dollars. Our lives are lopsided and we don't do enough for ourselves. So, although I'm not going to try to lose 40 pounds this year like Oprah (although I wouldn't mind losing four), I am going to try to do more for myself, to decrease the stress in my life as much as possible, and to just breathe. Remember just breathing? I don't.

More to come on this.

one more look at 2008

Those of you who know me know that I love me some Dave Barry. So, as usual, I just about died laughing when reading his review of 2008. Check it out - I swear, it's worth it.

and helllooooo, 2009

I know, I know, I've had several photo-heavy, word-light postings lately. I promise to be more prolific in the coming weeks. What? I'm lazy and on vacation, although vacation ends TODAY, BAH HUMBUG. So, here's some pics from our New Year's Day open house/party thingy. I forgot to use my camera until 3/4 of the way through, though. As you can see, the ball popper was a huge part of the entertainment. Obviously we know how to have a good time. Happy New Year!

good stuff friday - the jimmy edition

In honor of me still being on vacation, and Jimmy's uncomfortable trip to the vet today (I will spare you the details), I'm replacing good stuff friday with jimmy friday. Enjoy.

a few things

Just a few things to round out 2008:

I have so much enjoyed spending the past week with Jane. I know you're probably thinking - duh! - but seriously. I haven't had this much time with her for over six months, and it makes me realize that a lot of the time I do have with her is basically upkeep - get her up in the morning, fed, ready for daycare, drop her off, pick her up, feed her, clean up, play for a bit, bath, bed. Then on the weekends, it's chores, and obligations, and we don't very often just sit and hang. Having the chance to do that this week has been so awesome. She is developing into quite a charming (and mischievous) little girl. The baby days are well and truly behind us now.

My lovely friend Audrey has started up a fancy new blog! I encourage you to go check it out - this will force her to keep updating it.

I hope everyone has a fabulous New Year's Eve, and an even more spectacular 2009. I will be hanging on my couch with Greg and the pups, most likely eating takeout and watching a movie, desperately trying to keep my eyes open 'til midnight. Hope your plans are a bit more...sparkly. Alas, this is the life with a toddler. We'll party when we're 50.

See you next year!

end of year questionnaire! (or: can I possibly remember what I did this year?)

Linda over at All & Sundry put the challenge out to her readers to answer this New Year's quiz - so I'm going to take a stab at it.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Took an overnight trip w/Jane. Two actually - we went to New Jersey to see Greg's old college roommate, and we went to Cape Cod for a few days. The amount of packing needed was astounding. I also co-directed a musical. Although I'd done just about everything else in theater, I hadn't done that. It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to doing it again this summer.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Yes. I made a resolution to get my ass to the dentist. I hadn't gone in a long, long time. And I did. And I survived. In 2009, I have to get a mammogram. I was supposed to go three months ago, but I've been putting it off (can't imagine why; they're SO FUN). I'd also like to chill the hell out a bit this year. I seem to have made an unsaid resolution for 2008 to become a high-strung maniac; I'd like NOT to be in 2009.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? A couple of good friends gave birth this year. It was strange seeing newborns again - I couldn't remember Jane being so small, even though it was just a few months prior that she was.

4. Did anyone close to you die? An old editor and friend from my newspaper days died this year. It was a real shocker. I hadn't talked to him in a while, but he was such a huge part of my early days as a writer.

5. What countries did you visit? Um, the United States? It was not a big year for travel.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? As for material goods, none, really. That's not really my thing. I would like to have a calmer mindset in 2009.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? July 23 - Jane's first birthday. November 4 - the Presidential election. Both days made me cry. September 23 - I turned 35. This was my "scary, real adult" age. Funnily enough, I still don't feel like an adult. Hey, maybe that's what being an adult is all about!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? This year it was all about survival. Creating a managable work/life balance. It's something I struggle with almost every day.

9. What was your biggest failure? My biggest failure was my ability to internally freak out so easily. When you go for months and months (and months) of not getting real quality sleep, your wick tends to be very short.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nothing major, tap wood.

11. What was the best thing you bought? The In the Heights soundtrack. And the best thing Greg bought this year was tickets for us to see In the Heights. And, in conclusion - go see In the Heights on Broadway!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? I think the behavior of everyone in my department at work merited celebration. We all worked tremendously hard this year.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Sarah Palin's.

14. Where did most of your money go? Babies R Us and Target.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Seeing Jane turn into a real person. It amazes me how different a 17-month-old is compared to the five-month-old she was a year ago. That girl cracks me up.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008? All of the stupid songs that Jane's toys play. They are burned into my brain, no matter how much I don't want them to be there.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:a) happier or sadder?b) thinner or fatter?c) richer or poorer? Happier, thinner, poorer (thanks, daycare!)

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Chilled out. Took solo trips to the beach in the summer. Used more babysitters.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worrying about Jane. But that said, I'm a first-time mom and a natural worrier to boot. So I don't think it was really controllable. Motherhood is made for worriers. I also wish I felt guilty less. But again, that's a motherhood thing. Unavoidable.

20. How did you spend Christmas? Hung out at home with Greg and Jane in the morning, then went to my sister's in the afternoon.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Ha! I thought this question said "Did you fall in love with 2008?" to which I would have said, "Well, I liked 2008, but I don't know if I liked liked it." No, I didn't fall in love in 2008. I think that would have made Greg very upset!

22. What was your favorite TV program? LOST. Season premiere Jan 21, baby!

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I don't really waste a lot of energy actively hating people. I sure don't like a lot of people, which you know, if you've spent any amount of time actually talking to me.

24. What was the best book you read? I thought "Moo Baa La La La" was quite intriguing. "The Best Friends Book" was also very enjoyable. Oh, you mean adult books? I always have a hard time answering questions like this. "Nineteen Minutes" really stuck with me for a long time.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? I am ashamed of my musical knowledge these days. I'm not even going to pretend like I made a great musical discovery, except that I heart In the Heights and [title of show], but I could not even begin to claim that I discovered them. OK, maybe [tos], a little.

26. What did you want and get? I got to see a bunch of shows in New York, including Rent (twice this year), In the Heights, Legally Blonde the Musical, [title of show], and Jersey Boys.

27. What did you want and not get? MORE SLEEP. I cannot stress this enough.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? I saw exactly one film this year, Sex and the City: The Movie. So I guess that would be my favorite.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? My birthday was fairly lame, although I did have tasty cupcakes at work. I went to work, came home and took care of a sick Jane, probably went to bed early. Hells to the yeah. I know how to party. I turned 35.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? MORE SLEEP (are you noticing a theme here?).

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Is there spit-up on this? No? OK, I'm good to go.

32. What kept you sane? I have started taking a couple of hours to myself on either Saturday or Sunday mornings. I usually go to the bookstore or Starbucks. It has helped keep me sane, although I hardly think I'm sane.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I fancy Mark Ruffalo now and forever, and I am so sad about his brother.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? This is a pretty obvious one - the whole election, the euphoria of November 4, Barack Obama in general.

35. Who did you miss? I always miss my dad, but particularly this year, because I think he would have gotten a real kick out of Jane.

36. Who was the best new person you met? I met a lot of talented young performers during the show I directed this summer, who I am sure I will work with over and over.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. A valuable life lesson would be "chill the [bleep] out, Amanda" - but I'm still learning that one.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "There are some people in the world who say that writing stories or composing music or dancing sparkly dances is easy for them. Nothing interferes with their ability to create. And while I celebrate their creative freedom, a little part of me wants to punch those motherf***ers in the face."

OK, your turn!

on the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..

....a kid who managed to survive the whole holiday thing with very few meltdowns.

Our Christmas Eve/Christmas had all the ingredients for a complete disaster - bad double ear infection, the croup, very little sleep for any of us - but we managed to pull ourselves together and have a nice holiday. Tuesday and Tuesday night were rough going for Miss Jane - her fever didn't break until sometime between midnight and 6 a.m. on Wednesday, but by later Wednesday morning, she was ready to go. So we headed to the in-laws, had a nice visit (with lots o' presents for Jane - a theme that carried through both days), then went to my mother's for Christmas Eve dinner and board games (Scattegories, to be specific). I had this grand plan that Jane would eat dinner with us, then I would put her to sleep in her Pack n Play, and I would get to eat, drink and be merry for the rest of the night like a real adult. Then, I would put sleeping Jane in the car, and transport her to her crib with no problem, and she'd sleep through the night, despite being moved around so much. And I knew, by making this grand plan, that everything would be shot to hell.

Miraculously, it wasn't. Everything went nearly exactly as planned. And because my mom forgot to put the lasagna in the oven, we ended up eating late - so I ate a meal sans child, with both hands and everything. I even had time to chew!

Christmas Day was fun. It was great opening presents with Jane (and the dogs, of course. Santa never forgets how nice it is to have distracted dogs when you're trying to open your own presents!). Jane isn't into the whole Santa thing yet - she's too young to understand - but she had definitely gotten the hang of ripping off the wrapping paper, and like every toddler cliche, she played with the boxes and paper more than her actual gifts. We went over my sister's house in the afternoon, and Jane had a nice time helping herself to all the breakables that were at eye-level. Luckily nothing actually broke, but it felt like I didn't sit down for a second. Holidays and parties, with a toddler, are the opposite of relaxing.

I have until January 5 off from work, which is so fabulous I can't stand it. I haven't had any real length of time off since my hellish vacation in July, so I'm hoping for many low-key days. I'm going to be getting together with friends here and there, and I'm having a New Year's Day thang, but that's about it. And although some people might think that's a lame way to spend precious time off, right now, I can't think of a better way.

Hope your Christmas was merry!

PS Jane got a Cabbage Patch Kid newborn from my mom. If you were a girl who grew up in the 70s/80s, you know HOW AWESOME that is. I was so excited! I mean, Jane was so excited!

happy holidays, and all that

Merry Christmas, from Casa de Sick.

I knew this was going to happen. I predicted it, way back when my Christmas Eve became crammed with plans. "Jane will be sick," I said. "There's no way it won't happen."

Sure enough. She has a double ear infection and croup (a wicked, wicked, wickedly bad cough/breathing sickness). She currently has a fever bouncing between 101-104. So, you know, Merry effing Christmas.

That said, I wanted to say Merry Merry to all of you. I hope your holidays are merry and bright (but not as bright as poor Jane's cheeks are right now). I'm a little apprehensive of the next 12 days, i.e. my fun holiday break, because it's not starting out so great. We'll see. I'll try to remain optimistic(ish).

Have a great holiday!

oh, the weather outside is frightful

But we're keeping ourselves busy. (Have I mentioned I want to move to San Diego?)

good stuff friday

Well, it's been a busy week of socializing and good stuff! Here's my list:

Went to a fabulous holiday concert by Broadway Inspirational Voices on Monday night. It was the perfect balm for my crabby self. (I know, I know, you're surprised that I am referring to myself as crabby .... but it's true!) The talent was through-the-roof fantastic, and I got to see Eliseo Roman (who is in the chorus, and also in In the Heights). He's so cute!

Went to my theater group's holiday potluck on Tuesday night. We made actual plans to do an actual show in the spring...we've been on a bit of a hiatus lately, so I'm excited that we're actually going to DO something, instead of just having board meetings. Stay tuned for details...

Had our holiday potluck extravaganza work, and had Secret Santa festivities all week. I was lucky with Secret Santa this year, as I had someone good to give to, and someone good was giving to me. I got a plastic reindeer that poops brown jellybeans as one of my gifts. What's better that that?

Went out to happy hour with work people last night. I never go out for this stuff anymore, and it was nice to be able to socialize and know that Jane was home with Greg, and I didn't have to worry about rushing back to a babysitter.

Am KIND OF looking forward to the first big snow, which is supposed to hit any minute and dump 7-14 inches of the white stuff. This will be the ONLY snow I look forward to this year, because I hate winter, but the first storm is always kind of exciting. That is, as long as it doesn't mess up my hair appointment tomorrow morning.

What good stuff happened to you this week? Have a great weekend, all!

I need to do more sit ups

One of Jane's party tricks is that if you ask to see her belly, she pulls up her shirt and shows you her vast, pudgealicious, beer-gut-esque belly. And, thanks to my mom, if you ask where her "toot toot" is, she'll point to her belly button.

This is all very cute, but recently, she's become very interested in seeing our bellies and toot toots as well. I have never been one to wear belly-exposing shirts, even when they were all the rage in the 90s and I was 10+ years younger than I am now. The only time I wore a two-piece bathing suit was when I was on my honeymoon, starved down to a weight I have not-and never will be-again.

So you can imagine my delight when, in the middle of Christmas shopping at WestFarms the other day, Jane decided to pull up my shirt to make sure everything was still in place. It was nice knowing you, dignity.

all together now..."awwww"

If you know me at all, you know I'm not really a gushy mom. As much as I think my kid is super-duper-awesome, if I'm talking to someone about her, I am much more likely to be complaining about her latest sickness or worrying about some developmental milestone or something. I'm not usually one of those "my kid is so perfect my kid is the best" type of people. Because, let's face it, those people are annoying.

But two things happened in the past few days that were super cute and I had to share. The other night, Jane and I came up with the game "Give Mommy a Hug." Basically this entailed Jane running full force at me, me giving her a hug, smooching her face, and her running back across the room, only to turn around and run at me again. We did this many, many times. IT WAS AWESOME.

Today, we took Jane to Barnes and Noble. She really didn't want to be in her stroller, so I walked around the store with her. She has never been much of a hand-holder because she was too small, but today she and I walked around holding hands, and let me tell ya, I felt like an honest-to-goodness parent with a real kid. Again, IT WAS AWESOME.

So, there you go. I shall return to my previously scheduled snarkiness in my next post, no doubt.

good stuff friday

Sorry for the pathetically light blogging lately (although I hope you all took the time to watch the Neti Pot video...over and over and over...like I did). This work week was one for the record books (or so it felt). So, with that, here is my very short, but very sweet list of what good I can say about this week:

*it's over.


Have a great weekend!

do not get this for me for Christmas

I cannot stop watching this (courtesy of Beth).

good stuff friday

It's Friday! About damn time. This week has seemed very long to me, I don't know about you. And while there were some pitfalls this week, there were some highlights:

*I went out to dinner with three of my theater peeps on Tuesday. Not only did I have a huge and very nicely-priced meal, I also had a festive caramel apple martini. Wish I had another one right now.

*I have a fun lunch planned today with a woman I work with on a regular basis but don't see a lot. There is nothing better than getting out of the office on a Friday for lunch. Unless you're leaving for the day - even better!

*Got a decent amount of Christmas shopping done over the past week, but I have so much more to do. I have a plan of action - now I just have to do it!

*Check out my snazzy new banner. 'Nuff said. Thanks, Lisa!

*My Christmas cards arrived yesterday

*Going to my sister's huge bonfire party on Saturday - this thing gets bigger and bigger every year. She told me yesterday that 130 people are coming. Better her house than mine!

What good stuff is going on with you?

PS You know what else would be a good thing? If you people would VOTE IN MY POLL up there!

thanksgiving weekend, redux

Is it possible that this four day weekend is already over? Bah, humbug.

We had a very nice weekend. Thanksgiving went pretty well. Jane was in such a festive mood that she refused to take an afternoon nap, which really blew by the end of the day, but otherwise it was fun, despite the fact that I didn't win any money during our games of LCR. Do you know this game? Left Right Center? Oh it's great. A monkey could play it (as long as said monkey could roll dice), and there's cash prizes involved. Except it wasn't so great this year, when, like I said, I didn't win.

Friday we decided, very spontaneously, to go to the mall at around 8 a.m. I know this wasn't the 4 a.m. madness that some shoppers thrive on - you know, like those freaks who tramped a Wal-Mart employee to death in Long Island - but still, it was really early. I've never done the Black Friday thing, and truthfully, I had no idea what to expect. I thought a couple of the stores would be open - Macy's and Nordstroms and what not - but not ALL the stores, including, of all things, Sbarros. Who the hell wants pizza at 8 a.m.? I got a little bit of shopping done, but mostly we just enjoyed watching the crowds.

Saturday Todd and Alan came over for the 2008 holiday card photo shoot extravaganza. My asshat dogs were out of control, which was fairly humiliating, but we got some good shots of the three kids (not all together, of course. I don't think that will happen for several years, at least.).

And today was just a laying low kind of day. We saw the first snow of the year, which morphed into rain pretty quickly, thank God. Despite my lifetime in Connecticut, I am no hurry to have the snow piling up. We also did a major purge of one of our bedroom closets. I bid adieu to a ginormous pile of clothes that I finally had to admit would NEVER FIT ME AGAIN, no matter how many miles I log on that *(*&!*(& treadmill. My pre-Jane body days are over, not that they were so great to begin with.

I hope everyone else had a great weekend!

so Jane has really been enjoying feeding herself...

...and Jimmy has been enjoying it too.

do something good

Every day, I visit The Hunger Site, and by clicking through the various links on that site (The Hunger Site, The Breast Cancer Site, The Literacy Site, etc) I have the chance to help people every day. And I don't even have to move my lazy ass! You should do it too. I have helpfully added a link over there on the right. DO IT!

good stuff friday

I'm writing this quick, but here's some good stuff that happened this week:

*Got to make an ass out of myself on the radio on Thursday (it was fun)

*I have an interesting blog project that I will share with you at a later date

*Jane has started dancing, and while her moves resembles Elaine's from Seinfeld (a full-body dry heave), it's just about the most awesome thing ever

*Found out we have two extra days off during the holidays in December

*Had lunch with my BBCS gals today

*Thanksgiving is coming up! Short work week, PLUS lots o' food!

*I managed to not eat like a moron AND go on the wretched treadmill all but one day this week

What good stuff happened to you this week?

good reads

Lisa has decided that this week we're writing about our five favorite magazines. Being a huge magazine junkie, this is easy.

In no particular order:

1) New York. Not to be confused with the New Yorker, which is much more literary. New York is about politics, culture, and the arts, and much of it is New York-centric, although some of it has a more national bent. I have a subscription to this magazine, and it's my weekly homework, because it's not a magazine you can just flip through. I (heart) New York.

2) US Weekly. Yeah, whatever, I love it. I used to read A LOT more gossip mags, but this is still the one I manage to read weekly. I prefer to read it by myself at Borders with a mocha, but it doesn't always turn out that way. Sometimes I just stand it front of the magazine rack and look at the pictures while Jane pulls on my leg. I'm not the expert I used to be on all of Britney's comings and goings, but I still have a pretty firm grasp on what's going on with Heidi and Lauren and Spencer and Brangelina and whatnot.

3) Cookie. This is a pretty cool upscale parenting magazine. It has a celebrity factor as well, which you know I'm a sucker for. It's always good for a couple of interesting features, and I always laugh at how much they expect me to pay for children's clothing.

4) People. Perhaps this falls in the gossip magazine category as well. It certainly has gotten more gossipy in recent years. A friend of mine subscribes to this so he passes it on to me. It's one of those oldies but goodies I think I'll always like.

5) Glamour. I've always loved this magazine. First of all, who doesn't love the Glamour Do's and Don'ts? From fashion to features to health news and love advice, it's my fave women's magazine, and I've been reading it since I was a teenager (obviously a zillion years ago.)

good stuff friday

Well, Jane decided to get a little stomach thing yesterday, so I wasn't so much with the sleeping last night - so I'm having a hard time remembering my name, nevermind the good stuff that happened this week! Let's see...

Got a very complimentary letter regarding a project I did at work

Went out to dinner with a friend who I haven't seen in a long time, who is newly-pregnant, so I got to feel like a baby expert for a while, which was nice, since I usually feel like a baby idiot

Went out to lunch with Todd and Alan, and had quite a marvelous time - but probably not as marvelous as Jane, who loves herself some Todd and Alan (see how happy she in in the pic)

Going to see some friends I haven't seen in a while at DIP NIGHT tonight!

Am loving that this effort is happening - www.jointheimpact.com

What good stuff happened to you this week?

vacation all I ever wanted

Lisa called me out on my last post about being a lazy blogger. And it's true - I think after my 31 day marathon, I feel like I don't have that much more to say! I know I'm supposed to be posting about my five favorite vacations and five favorite holiday movies, but truthfully - I kinda HATE holiday movies! They are always sad to me for some reason. So instead I will attempt to write about vacations.

I haven't been on too many fabulous vacations. Lately, the bulk of my vacations have taken place right at home. But here is my list:

1) Hawaii, 2004. Greg and I went here for our honeymoon. We went for 12 days and split the time up between the islands of Kauai, Hawaii (the Big Island), and Maui. Each island was wonderful in its own way - Kauai was very lush and serene, Hawaii was super cool because of the volcanoes, and Maui was fun in a touristy kind of way. It was like being on another planet, honestly.

2) San Diego, 2005. Greg and I went here because U2 fanboy Greg wanted to see U2 kick off their Vertigo world tour, and San Diego was the first stop. Considering it was gross March, it was the perfect time to go. This trip was when I decided that San Diego was the most perfect place on earth, and not because Bono was in town either. But between the concert, the San Diego Zoo, La Jolla and the sea lions, I never wanted to leave.

3) San Diego, 2007. This is what dorky parenting websites call a "babymoon" (GAG). I was about six months pregnant, and my doctor said that if we were going to take a trip, we'd better take one now. So we basically replayed the previous vacation because we both loved it so very much (without the U2, of course). Once again, I never wanted to leave.

4) Ireland, 1999. I went to Ireland for a trip with three of my friends. We went all over the country and, like Hawaii, it was like being on another planet (in a much less tropical way). I would love to go back again to spend more time in the Dublin area, because I loved it so much and I wish we had more time there.

5) Family summer vacations at Connecticut shoreline, all through my childhood. Since my parents owned a Dairy Queen, there wasn't really opportunity to take far-away summer vacations, because they had to be relatively close to the business, in case there was an issue. But each summer, we rented a cottage with my grandfather down in Old Lyme, and spent our days at the beach, getting Italian ice, and having cookouts. When I think of my father, my mind instantly shoots to these vacations, because like me, he absolutely loved the beach.

good stuff fridays

So, in honor (that's "honour" to you, Alan) of my previous posting about trying to be a better person, I'm going to try to make this post a little less complain-ey (that's a word) and a little more...oh, I don't know...happy? Optimistic? Words I'm not always familiar with, at least in blogdom, but I'll try.

So that said, I bring you"Good Stuff Fridays," where I mention some good stuff that happened during the past week. This week:

*The excitement, anticipation, and ultimate elation of Tuesday night

*My friend got an extremely well-deserved promotion

*My rad new blog banner, created by the one and only Lisa (I have to say I was slightly worried, when I saw it on Tuesday morning, that it would jinx the election - but Jane's endorsement obviously helped!)

*Jane learned a new word (up) (or, in her words, "upaupaupaupaupa")

*the delightful and unseasonable warmer temperatures

*the new Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate at Starbucks. Hello deliciousness. I have found you.

What has been the good stuff in your week?

OK, I know I'm totally contradicting my last post, but....

...this guy is such an ass.

OK, now back to my regularly-scheduled trying to be a better person.

the chance for us to make that change

I'm still thinking, like most of us, about last night. There is already so much anger from certain segments of the right about the results of the election, already rallying how things will change in two years, then four years. But what I am hoping, instead, is that we decide to focus some of the monumental amounts of energy we directed at this election towards a new cause. Wouldn't it be great if everyone who so desperately wanted this candidate for change decided to work towards making some sort of positive change in their community? Say you spent an hour a day thinking about, talking about, and reading about the election. Imagine if you used that hour to help a neighbor, volunteer, be a better friend - something? All that positive energy would certainly amount to something palpable, perhaps something even more powerful than what many of us felt last night.

Just something I'm thinking about.

"This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other."

"while we breathe, we hope"

What I took away from last night was this:

The problems we had yesterday we most certainly still have today. But now we can approach the solutions with dignity, grace, and a glow of hope that has been absent for at least the last eight years.

It was a day I wasn't certain I'd see in my lifetime.

Yes, as it turns out - we can.

yes we can

I have voted in every presidential election since I turned 18 years old. I voted for the winner twice and the loser twice. I think it's time for another win.

I had a big, fat grin on my face when I filled out my ballot this morning. My anxiety has been building all day. I'm about to put Jane to bed, crack open a bottle of wine, and watch the results with very very guarded optimism.

This was the first presidential election I wasn't just voting for myself. I voted for Obama for a lot of reasons today. Here are three very important ones:

It means her rights as a female won't be compromised anytime soon.

The idea of an African-American president won't be a special thing to her. It will be a normal thing.

Her country, while facing some incredibly difficult challenges, will have an aura of hope, rather than fear.

Here we go....

Boo!

Well, Halloween was festive for one and all. Jane dressed up as a flower, I dressed up as a hockey player, and everyone ate lots of candy. Here's some pics for your enjoyment.

31 for 21

Yeah! I did it! 31 days, 31 blog entries (I know SOME PEOPLE don't think Noel's blog counted, but the majority did, so nah nah nah). Hope you enjoyed my non-stop complaining. But hey, give me some credit - 31 days of blogging is pretty major for me. I truly hope you clicked over to some of those blogs by parents of children with Down syndrome, because they really are wonderfully written.

I promise that I will post Halloween pics this weekend, but my camera died and I need to recharge it before I download the pics. So instead, I really really really want you to watch this video. Because it's hilarious, yet so so right, and Samantha Bee's commentary, while funny, also completely hits the nail on the head on why I will never, never, not ever vote for John McCain. I know some of you (Dwayne) don't like it when I post videos, but you must watch this.