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Thursday Ten, It’s MY BIRTHDAY Edition

October 16, 2008 by Leave a Comment

1. Thank you so much to my BFF who took me to Coldstone for lunch where I had a “For Coffee Lovers Only” (but of course) – coffee ice cream, almonds, Heath bar pieces, and I think caramel. Soooo good. She also gifted me with a bag of Tootsie Pops and a super cool whatchamacallit that says “Believe” for my office. My sis has it tattooed to her arm – for me, I prefer the desk decoration. Very thoughtful, very cool. She ALSO (because she is truly awesome) made a collage for her 365 pics that’s all pics of me. Holy crap. That was a stumble down memory lane this morning. But, it meant the world to me and made me smile and she included pictures from one of the most gruesome days of her life because I think I look cute in them – so thank you.

2. Me and my friend also went to Costco because nothing says “happy birthday” like an economy size bucket of Tide and a six-pack of dental floss.

3. My new music this week… Oh good lord. I hate to admit that I’ve been listening to Britney’s “Womanizer”. Also picked up “Fearless” by Taylor Swift, “Hare Krisna” by Thievery Corporation, and Amy McDonald’s “Run”. (The last two were free – I love the Tuesday pick from Starbucks – free music – wheeeeee).

4. Season Finale of Project Runway last night. Well, shoot. I don’t even know what to say. I didn’t love the final collections of ANY of the three remaining designers. I liked bits and pieces. It’s not like last year when I was totally in love with Christian’s fierceness. Or when I was on the edge of my seat rooting for Daniel Vosovic. I was… meh. I didn’t care. And actually, though the cohesion would have been shot, if I could have taken bits and pieces of the collections and shoved them together, that would have been the ideal situation for me.

5. It is rumored that my grandfather is getting sent home today. That would be the most awesome birthday present ever.

6. Fun gifts so far – The Princess made me a cool candlestick type thing. It’s cool. She MADE the sucker, so that’s awesome. She also made me a card – and that’s my favorite card yet today. Also loving my iTunes gift card.

7. Going out to dinner tonight. Not sure where, but I just pretty much put my foot down. I am not cooking on my birthday. The kids are going too – so it’ll be chaotic and goofy. Pretty much like life usually is.

8. I only watched about the last 30 minutes of last night’s debate, obviously. It was listen to bickering and back biting or watch Project Runway. I am guessing I didn’t miss much.

9. I learned “Silent Night” in guitar lesson today. It’s easier than “O Holy Night” so I’m thrilled.

10. So, I stopped to get coffee today and the barrista today was this little dude. I’m guessing he was 20ish. He looks super young. He usually works mornings, so I wasn’t surprised to see him. I was surprised to get a bunch of his personal life info when I asked how his day was. But, hey to the guy at Starbucks who is getting allergy testing this afternoon – hope it comes out the way you want it to.

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Thursday Ten, Coffee is NOT A Food Group

October 2, 2008 by Leave a Comment

1. Despite my consciously thinking, “I better eat lunch before guitar lesson, I better eat lunch before guitar lesson…”, guess what I didn’t do? Um, yeah. I hit the Starbucks on the way home, and I’m reasonably sure that cappuccinos aren’t anyone’s definition of healthy lunch (but it’s skim milk in there – so… dairy…?).

2. Obnoxiously Proud Mama Moment: Of the three groups established for reading in The Princess’s class, she’s in the highest one. Aw yeah. I’m insanely proud of her – I read constantly, and love that she’s loving it (Hubby hates reading, so there was a 50/50 shot there).

3. Project Runway last night. Sigh. Where to start? Well, you can read my recap here. Otherwise? Man. I wasn’t enthused with it – how about that? How come at this point in the game, no one can make a gown that doesn’t suck? Despite her generic dress last night, I’m rooting for Korto. Girl broke my heart crying on the Runway last night, and I’m usually immune to that stuff (Kenley, I’m talkin’ to you).

4. Soooo, the VP debates are on tonight. (And that’s all I’m gonna say about THAT!)

5. Latest music purchases: “Light On” by David Cook and Taylor Swift’s cover of “Umbrella”. First of all, skip Taylor’s “Umbrella”. It’s about 90 seconds – not the whole song – it’s cute, but… not really worth it because it’s not the whole song. The new David Cook single… it’s alright. Lyrics-wise, I love the verses but I don’t adore the chorus. Someone told me it sounds like an 80s generic ballad, maybe like it ran away from the Footloose soundtrack. Yeah, I guess I can hear that in it (it’s the chorus. Really. I don’t love that part).

6. I’ve gotten so few work emails today that I would think my email was broken if I wasn’t getting so much of the gobbledygook (Cooking.com? Why? And those crazy Red Envelope e-blasts… wait. I like those!). Oh, and the Systems Admin messages that keep reminding me I have until October 12 to change my password. Got it.

7. Just in case you were counting and keeping track – my birthday is two weeks from today. Add it to your calendars, and celebrate appropriately wherever you are. Don’t worry, there will be more reminders. I love my birthday. You should love it too.

8. Fall has come on hard here in Michigan. It’s been gray for days – with moments of sun through it all. When I left for guitar lesson, it was 57 degrees. Coming home, 54. So, no, it’s not warm. Not even a tiny bit.

9. Halloween is coming up. I hate Halloween. Pumpkin wants to be a dalmatian, and some awesome folks on Twitter have given me suggestions for places to check for costumes (I’ll be checkin’ Costco tomorrow) and even how to make one. I am not the crafty costume-making mom. If I actually make a costume, know the whole world will get knocked off its axis – it will be a life-altering experience. Seriously.

10. Still working on reading “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle”, which is one of Oprah’s picks. I’m about halfway through. I’m actually pleasantly surprised. I almost cried at one point in reading last night. But then I remembered my heart is made of rocks and I moved on without emotion. Really, it’s one of her better picks in awhile. Or so I’m guessing. I haven’t read one of her picks since they were a little lighter (“She’s Come Undone” by Wally Lamb is still one of my all time favorites). It’s definitely worth a try – particularly if you are an animal lover – as it has A LOT to do with dogs. Really.

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Thursday Ten, Not a 9/11 Post Edition

September 11, 2008 by 1 Comment

1. First of all, I think I’ve written about 9/11 on the anniversary as long as I’ve been blogging (fact checkers, go take a nap, I am too lazy to look and I’m not gonna and you can’t make me. So there.), so today’s not about 9/11 – but it’s not to say I don’t recognize the significance of the day – just that there’s not much I can say that hasn’t been said better by hundreds of other people already today.

2. Guitar lesson… I learned two chords! E minor and G. I suck pretty equally at both. Actually E minor isn’t that difficult – G is a pain in the butt because my fingers aren’t used to moving that way yet.

3. Music of the week. Caught up and downloaded some stuff from the new Michael Franti & Spearhead album – including “All I Want is You”, “I Got Love For You” and “A Little Bit of Riddem”. All good.

4. My dad is now on a plane heading back towards California. It was a weird visit but with several good talks and that was a good thing. A lot of stuff that had been accumulating for a long time – good to somewhat clear the air and get that out of the way.

5. I went to the optometrist today for my yearly eye exam. First of all – I really hate getting my eyes dilated. Second of all, my eyesight is improving. Huh. Not that it’s all that horribly rotten, but, yeah. Getting better. With age. Just Like Me.

6. In college when I was trying to get out of the engineering program, UM put me in a holding pattern they call IOE – which really stands for Industrial Operations Engineering – but was more commonly known as In and Out of Engineering. My one IOE class had a lot to do with logisitics – planning deliveries and shipments for a trucking company. Today I proved why even IOE was too much for me – I suck at logistics sometimes. I have overscheduled the past two days to a hideous degree and while I’m vegging now, I still have to make dinner for our neighbors (they just had a baby a few weeks ago).

7. Last night’s Project Runway? How is it when Blayne gets auf’d, it’s the first time I can tolerate him? And Terri, eh. She made me glad for the double auf’ing. Buh bye. (I wonder if she’s really that bitchy. She was pretty bitchy).

8. Is it wrong that my neighbors are going to get chicken parmesan and pasta and garlic bread and all that, and I just want to order pizza for my family?

9. The Princess takes the bus to school. It’s consistently late on Tuesday and Thursdays. The days that I take Pumpkin to daycare and I have “off”. Only Tuesday and Thursdays. Conspiracy? Yeah. I’m thinking so.

10. I am still undecided what I think of the iTunes Genius playlist thus far. I only tried to make one, and I don’t entirely see the correlation between songs. My list was based on “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz… but included “Faith” by George Michael and “The Joker” by the Steve Miller Band. Huuuuuuuh?

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Thursday Ten, Twinkle Twinkle Edition

September 4, 2008 by 4 Comments

1. Today was my first guitar lesson. My instructor is very sweet, and fortunately, turns out it’s a private lesson. I would be really frustrated to share my time with some punk 11-year old prodigy… That would make me feel old… and talentless (both of which I AM… for now). Learning parts of the guitar, what strings are which notes (EADGBE – now I just have to get more used to thinking like that – I think better as far as which number a string is versus which note). Also dealing with learning what fret is what. I spend a lot of time stopping to think about what I’m doing – certainly not instinctive so far. BUT, at the end I played part of “Twinkle Twinkle” so I’m pretty proud of myself.

2. My brother is in the hospital again and has been since Monday. I haven’t been to visit him yet – basically because I’m a schmuck. He will be getting out tomorrow is what we’re told.

3. The Princess is still loving school – so… whew. Big sigh of relief.

4. We’ve finally got some rain today and the temps are hovering right around 60 degrees. I’ve got jeans and a hoodie on today and am loving it. I love when the weather is like this – eventually the rain will annoy me, but my grass has been brown for a few weeks now, so it’s fine.

5. Project Runway last night… Well, that was an awesome challenge. Better than the “innovation” testing challenge of tearing up a Saturn and making something out of it – creating a design for DvF’s line? That was cool. Buh-bye Stella.

6. My project that wouldn’t die? Still won’t die.

7. College football started last weekend. Michigan lost to Utah. Crap, crap, crap. They play Miami (of Ohio) on Saturday so here’s hoping that works out a little bit better for my Wolverines. Game is at noon on ESPN2. Goooooooooooooooo Blue.

8. I let Pumpkin have Cheetos for breakfast and so I’m kind of feeling like a slacker mom. The thing is – I think I was doing a community service. Kiddo in her room at daycare has a peanut allergy – would it really have been better to let her have her usual peanut butter on a waffle before going there? Allergies scare the hell out of me – I wouldn’t want to miss a drop of PB and send some poor kid into an allergic tailspin. So, yeah. Cheetos. Go me.

9. New music. Ehhh. I am pretty slackery lately. What is everyone else listening to?

10. Luna Chocolate Peppermint Stick bars taste a little like Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. Told you I was random.

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Thursday Ten, Meet the Teacher Edition

August 28, 2008 by Leave a Comment

1. Just got home from meeting The Princess’s first grade teacher. She was Hubby’s teacher back when he was in first grade. She remembers him as being a smartass. I mean, VIVIDLY remembers him as being a smartass. When you think that he was in her class over 25 years ago, it’s kind of telling that that is what she remembers, isn’t it? Or that she even remembers him at all?

2. Then, I found out that the daughter of the guy I dated my freshman year of college will be in The Princess’s class. I have no problem with him or his wife (who I was friends with before I ever knew the guy), but I don’t doubt it could be awkward as the wife doesn’t exactly love me since she found out that he and I once dated. Heaven forbid The Princess wants to start hanging out with their kid. Sigh.

3. Ran into a handful of other people from my high school days as the girls and I were leaving. It was great to see some of them. Others? Not so much.

4. I am going to see the Counting Crows tomorrow. And Maroon 5. I keep saying Maroon 5 as an afterthought. I really am not super crazy about them. They have some good songs, and I’m sure they’ll be awesome, but… meh.

5. Project Runway last night? I’m surprised that Keith went. Not because he didn’t suck – because yeah, his outfit sucked – and then it ripped when his model sat down and then he got all whiny with the judges on the runway… BUT, usually, when the show gets edited that way, that makes it seem like one person is the obvious choice to get auf’d… that person ends up being safe. Funky little twist there, Bravo. Sneaky. By the way, I’m kind of impressed that you can make that much stuff out of the parts of a Hybrid Saturn Vue (and let’s hear it for product placement).

6. Last night, I was able to meet a former coworker for dinner (hey C!) and it was a great time to see her, get caught up on life and talk about all things bloggy and Twitter-y. And to be out without kids? Whooohoo!

7. I’ve got a couple interesting projects in the works – so I’ll plan on dropping some news next week. Wait for it. (Love how I did that, worked some suspense into it?).

8. Hitting the road Sunday for a day trip to the other side of the state to shop at Ikea with my best friend – but most importantly to gab and catch up on life and not get lost. She kicks ass. She never gets lost, evah! She’s got mental GPS. Can’t wait.

9. As I type this, Pumpkin is snoozing on the couch and The Princess is so peeved that her sister fell asleep on the couch that she’s huffing around the house really loudly, “There’s no room to sit! The chair isn’t comfortable!” Silly monkey, if she would just use her manners, I would happily give up my seat on the couch. Oh well.

10. I am pretty sure the nice folks over at Apple are going to send a search party to my house, as my downloading habits have been a bit on the slow side this week. I did download “Whatever It Takes” by Lifehouse – moronic given the fact that it’s on the radio every five minutes… but I like it anyway.

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Thursday Ten, Is Summer Over YET?

August 21, 2008 by Leave a Comment

1. I took my girls to story time at a nearby teacher’s house. Weekly, she has story time on her front porch which is this huge veranda-type deal. Today, Pumpkin took a book with her (“Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear?”). The teacher let her come sit in the guest-reader chair and held the microphone so that Pumpkin could “read” to everyone. She got shy and only said some of the words but it was still so adorable. I took lots of pictures. If it was anyone else’s kid, though, it might not have been as adorable.

2. The Princess’s elementary school is undergoing construction and won’t be cleared for public inhabitance (?) until the 29th. They are having meet-the-teacher day on the 28th. Outside. I am more than a little annoyed that they couldn’t have postponed the teacher meet event until the afternoon of the 29th so that not only could the kids MEET their teacher, but find their classroom as well. The Princess will ultimately be fine, but she’s mentioned more than once that she’s a little nervous because she doesn’t know where her new room will be. These are kindergartners and first graders at this school – they really should have thought this one through a little bit more. My kid can’t be the only nervous one.

3. Since I’m on a school rant – we received her teacher assignment the yesterday. I requested this particular teacher at Hubby’s request as it was his teacher when he was in first grade. I’ve heard lovely things about her, and The Princess will rock no matter who teaches her — but, this would not have been my first teacher choice. The PLUS side is that her friends are in different classes – and it will be cool to see her branch out and make more friends.

4. But I really hope that none of her classmates are sons or daughters of any of my former high school boyfriends. It’s possible, and I dread that.

5. I’ve been a slacker on the music downloading front this week – I’ve got nothing new. (Recommendations, please?)

6. Last week, someone was telling me about the country group Sugarland. I rarely listen to country but when I checked them out on iTunes, I saw that they did a cover of Matt Nathanson’s “Come On Get Higher”. I prefer Matt’s version, but there’s is still good.

7. Project Runway last night… Glad to see Daniel go – but peeved Jerrell is still in. Once I saw the final two though, I chilled because I figured no matter how it went, it would be alright with me. On a fun note, I loved the Drag Queen challenge.

8. Starbucks cup wisdom: “The most important thing in life is to stop saying ‘I wish’ and start saying ‘I will’. Consider nothing impossible, then treat possibilities as probabilities.” – David Copperfield

9. Since last night’s dinner sucked (according to the peanut gallery), tonight I am making honey chicken which is one of the girls’ favorites. You mix 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and about 1/3 cup of honey. Dunk boneless chicken breasts in it and then cover lightly with breadcrumbs. Bake until the salmonella is gone. I serve it with couscous and a vegetable – the couscous is the part the kids like best, but I refuse to just serve a plate of carbs.

10. The next few weeks are going to be interesting ones for me – lots of fun stuff on my plate, which is awesome. Supposed to go skating on Sunday (Hi M!), plans with another girlfriend on Wednesday, Counting Crows next Friday, and a trip to Ikea that Sunday – and then (it’s about freakin’ time) school starts on September 2. Whoooooo.

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