33tekfan’s Weblog

I have been among the missing for awhile. 

We were on vacation last week and work was crazy this week!  Sometimes working from home takes up more hours than if I just went into the office!

So here is a bullet post.

• We rented a big-ass dumpster the week we were on vacation and filled the ENTIRE thing!  We are still waiting for the total bill.
• When planning a trip to Sam’s, it is helpful for one of us to have a Margarita or seven before we go.  If I have the Margaritas, then I don’t care that we walk up and down every single aisle and I don’t bitch.  If the Postman has the Margaritas then he doesn’t care if I am bitching.  This has worked twice for us so far.
• I am typing this on my brand new fancy schmancy Toshiba laptop.  It has taken me about 47 million hours because I keep hitting keys that take me to weird places on the page.  Technologically sound I am not.  I am also prone to exaggeration.
• I have done something to my neck and it is hurting like crazy!  I should take something and try to lay down, but I am too enthralled with my new laptop.  Plus laying (lying?  I never get that one right) down really makes it hurt more.

That’s it for now.  I’ll be back soon (er)!

No man needs a vacation so much as the person who just had one. ~ Elbert Hubbard

Last night I was convinced I was either hallucinating or there were aliens tracking my every move via my dog.

I was very restless after going to bed so I was about to get up and use the bathroom, get a drink of water, flip my pillow to the cool side…but as I was rolling over and opening my eyes I saw a flash of light in our bedroom. I reached for my glasses (because I am blind as a bat without them)…took a look around the room, looked out the window and saw nothing. Except out of the corner of my eye - another flash.

WTF?

I got back in bed, and contemplated my next move. This is the point at which I thought I might be hallucinating. I have been fighting a migraine for a couple of days, and I had taken two pain pills over the course of the last two days. Since we have a habit of overmedicating here at Casa Crazy, I thought maybe I had overdone the pain pills. 

As the flashes continued, I tried to pinpoint where they were coming from.  I realized one was RIGHT NEXT TO ME ON THE BED.  Except…it seemed to be coming from under the covers…where the Hairless Chinese Crested sleeps.  (Yeah…he sleeps with us, under the covers…all the dogs sleep with us because we’re idiots and they are spoiled.  Don’t judge.  He’s the only one who sleeps under the covers because, well, he has no hair.)  So anyway…the dog is flashing.  Aliens have planted a tracking device in our dog - which, if you’ve seen him IRL, makes PERFECT sense and explains a lot.

Did I mention I haven’t been sleeping well AND I’ve been fighting a migraine?  It’s time to call in the big guns.

Me:  Honey, are you awake?  (Shaking him just in case he isn’t…)

P-Man:  What?  What’s wrong?  What is it?

Me:  There’s lights flashing in our room.

P-Man:  Huh?

Me:  Flashes. Of. Lights. In. Our. Room.  Just wait - you’ll see one.

Cricket, cricket, cricket.

Me:  There!  Did you see that?  And here!  On our bed - another one!

Him: Yeah.  (He reaches over for the light now)

Him:  It’s a lightning bug.

Me:  No.  No it isn’t.  It wasn’t just in one spot.  Except for the one under the covers which is clearly an implanted tracking device.

Him:  No, it’s lightning bugs.  (As he reached out and traps one that is flying by…and turns back the covers to reveal the one on the back of the dog….)

Me:  Oh.  Um.  Well.  Look at that!  Lightning bugs!  Heh heh heh.  Um…sorry for waking you up for that.

Him:  Goodnight honey.

I am such a loser.

Light comes to us unexpectedly and obliquely.  Perhaps it amuses the gods to try us.  They want to see whether we are asleep.  ~H.M. Tomlinson

So I am JUST NOW in my laundry room (at 8:45PM), which also doubles as our side entry, when I hear a tap, tap, tap at the door.  Great.  The light is on, and just the screen door is open at the moment.  Someone is obviously at home.

It was a kid - maybe 18 or 19.  He is on some sort of scholarship  donation quest - improving his public speaking and finding out what people do for jobs so that he is MOTIVATED for next year - and “oh yeah, would you like to contribute?”.  I practically had to push this kid off my doorstep after I said “no thank you, but good luck” and he continued talking and trying to get me to donate.  Clearly his approach was just to keep talking until I paid him to go away.  Or pushed him off my doorstep.  I didn’t push him, but I DID walk in the house and close the door.  Look, I’m patient ONCE.  Don’t press your luck with me.

I cannot stand people who come to my door to solicit.  Be it scholarships, sales, or churches.  I did not ask you to come here and try to solicit money or anything else from me.  If I want to donate to a cause, I will do so.  One that I’ve researched and feel compelled to give to - not just some random organization that some kid standing on my doorstep - with no documentation - tells me to.  If I want new windows, frozen food, steaks, or a new pool (::snicker:: that makes it seem like we even have an OLD pool)…I will buy it when I want to and when I’m ready - not because someone has appeared on my doorstep to persuade me to do so.

And don’t even get me started on the church thing.  I am not religious, although I was raised Catholic.  I feel I lead a good life and organized religion just doesn’t hold a place in my life right now.  Might that change?  Who knows…never say never.  On average, we get at least one visit a week from members of local (and maybe not so local) churches.  You know what I do?  I hide.  And I let the dogs bark at the door like the little balls of fluff  mad guard dogs that they are.  So I get the little brochures tucked into my door for me to find later.   I am probably on the fast track to hell.

So does that even work?  Really?  How many people drop whatever it is they are doing at the moment said sales/scholarship/religious person show up at their doorstep and proclaim “THANK YOU!  I HAVE JUST BEEN WAITING FOR YOU, OH SWEET STEAK SALESMAN!  How happy I am that you are finally here and I don’t have to trek three miles to that pesky grocery store.  I hope the baked potato salesman shows up soon.”  

I know I may have offended since I threw the religious card in.  Please don’t take it personally.  I am way cool with religion - it’s just not for me at this point in life.  They probably annoy me because of that lingering Catholic guilt that screams in my head “you should go to church (and take your children) you heathen!” - and they give it an external voice when they show up.

There are no facts, only interpretations.  ~Friedrich Nietzsche

Our yellow lab has a drug problem.

Let me start from the beginning.  He’s always been a bit, um, high strung.  Loud noises bother him - especially thunder.  A thunder storm usually finds him crouched beneath my desk.

Lately, however, he has gotten MUCH worse.  Along with the crouching comes shaking.  And panting.  And drooling.  And vomit.  Oh yes.  He has himself worked into such a tizzy that his stomach gets upset and he throws up.  But that’s only if he eats in the first place which he only does if the Postman is kneeling beside him, coaxing him - because OH MY GOD I THINK IT MIGHT BE THUNDERING IN BRAZIL.

This last week has brought a steady stream of evening thunder showers - with no signs of it letting up in at least the next week, according to radar.  The Postman decided to ask the vet if they had tranquilizers for just such an occasion.  They provided us with 2 pills because a) he needs a check up so they will give us more at his appointment, and b) they want to make sure they work before they give us a larger supply.  They work.

The Postman gave him one the other night while the kids and I were out.  When we walked in the house about 1/2 an hour later, he had trouble standing when he came out to greet us.  Half an hour after that he had to be LIFTED on to the bed, where he promptly passed out.  2 hours later he could not rouse himself enough to even stand to go out to pee before we went to bed.  The Postman lifted him off the bed, set him on the floor, and he slumped to the ground.  We rolled him onto a blanket and went to bed.

Except I couldn’t sleep.  Because what if he didn’t come out of it?  What if we killed our dog with tranquilizers?  Oh my god, how would we tell the kids?  So I was up, checking on him, and bringing him water - because we all know how muck mouth can set it when we are stoned.  I mean…nevermind.  He would lift his head to drink a few sips, then rest his chin on the edge of the bowl as if it was just too much effort to set it back down on the blanket.  Finally, at 3:00AM we heard him stir and stand up.  He went outside to pee and stumbled back up the steps.  He went to his usual sleeping spot on the floor on my side of the bed. 

By the time morning came, he was almost himself again - at least able to stand and walk and wag his tail.

We’re going with half a pill next time.

Oh…and did I mention that we DID get a thunder storm that night?  He didn’t care - he was too stoned.

All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I’m fine. ~ Jeff Spicoli, Fast Times at Ridgemont High

I need to write today, but I can’t wrap my head around what I want to say quite yet.  There are problems in school/baseball, the boys aren’t getting along.  It’s the end of the year - 3 1/2 days left - and we’re just trying to make it through to summer.  Everyone just needs a break I think.

So, instead, a Thursday thirteen for you.

Thirteen of my favorite songs:

1.  Colorful (Steel Dragon) - I’m a sucker for sappy lyrics.  “You are more beautiful when you awake than most are in a lifetime”

2.  Faithfully (Journey) - This song reminds me of my friend, Drummer Boy.  I don’t know why…I don’t remember what connects the two.  But I smile when I hear it.  Drummer Boy and I listened to the entire Rush 2112 album one night and he explained the entire story to me as we listened.  Still not a big Rush fan though.  Sorry, DB!

3.  Canon in D (Pachelbel) - I heard my grandfather practice this piece repeatedly one summer in preparation for a wedding.  I was probably 10 or 12 and I decided that I wanted him to play that at MY wedding.  He did, and it was beautiful.  I think of him every time I hear it. 

4.  In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel) - I know.  Juvenile.  But I loved all those 80’s teen flicks and the image of Lloyd standing outside with the boom box over his head playing this song for Diane?  Gets me every time.

5.  Anything by Dave Matthews Band - The soundtrack for the movie we saw in the Omni Theater on the Boston field trip was by them.  I was thrilled and frankly, it made the whole movie about the river MUCH more interesting!

6.  Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison) - Early on in our relationship I asked the Postman what his favorite song was.  Ever the slick one, he replied “whatever song is playing the first time we make love.”  After a little more prodding, he decided on this one.  I’ll be damned if it didn’t play the first time…which made us both laugh, and I think that’s when the deal closed.   So I have to add it to my favorites, don’t you think?

7.  You Are the Love of My Life (Jim Brickman and Michael W. Smith) - The Postman sent this to my e-mail once - just the link to the song - when we were going through a rough patch.  Now it makes me cry.  Good tears.

8.  Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond) - What can I say?  I’m a Sox fan.

9.  Crazy Train (Ozzy) - My son LOVED this song when he was a toddler.  I’m not even sure how or when he first heard it, but I think of that little baby voice singing what he thought the words were.

10.  Photograph (Def Leppard) - I’m an 80’s girl.  “I wanna touch you!”

11.  Shakin’ (Eddie Money) - There’s a definite 80’s vibe going on in this list, isn’t there?  Who can listen to this song and not move? 

12.  Classical Guitar (Eric Clapton) - Not much to say about this one except I think it’s beautiful.

13.  December 1963 (Oh, What A Night) (Frankie Valle and the Four Seasons) - Again, who can hear this and not move and sing?  It’s FUN!

That’s it folks.  Happy Thursday!

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent. ~Victor Hugo
 

How does nearly a week go by without my even realizing it?  About twenty times a day I think “I need to go write something….” and then the thought is gone as quickly as it came.

So….the field trip.  From hell.  It wasn’t all bad - I will get to the good part in a minute - but it was too L-O-N-G.  The whole point of leaving so early, as I understood it, was to prevent the feeling of being rushed through the day - but it didn’t work.  We raced through our day and had a busload of tired, cranky kids (and parents!) on the way home. 

The best part of the day was this:

Our tour of Fenway Park.  Unfortunately, there was no chance I’d actually *see* Varitek since the team was in Baltimore.  But still.  We had a super tour guide named Ed.  Although we were not allowed on the field level, we still had a nice tour of the Right Field Roof deck, the luxury suites, the press box, the Green Monster, and the grandstand.  While in the press box, we were able to sit and listen to Ed tell us a lot of history about Fenway Park.  He would ask questions, and I knew almost every answer - he stopped picking me to answer after the first couple.  The only answer I didn’t know was the date Ted Williams hit his record home run.  I thought it was 1947 - turns out, it was 1946.  When the tour was over, I shook our guide’s hand and thanked him and he said “Stay such a good fan - you know everything!”  Of course, the Diva rolled her eyes dramatically which made him laugh.

Two new facts I learned about Fenway:  The color of the Green Monster, literally named Green Monster Green, is trademarked and not available for purchase by anyone outside of a handful of Fenway employees.  Although there is a color available for general purchase that comes close, Fenway Green, it is not exactly the same.  Fact number two:  Tom and Jean Yawkey had their initials in morse code painted on two of the vertical white lines on the scoreboard.  I tried taking a picture of them but since I’m not allowed to use the “good camera” unless surrounded by mattresses and pillows (due to my um, lack of grace), I had to use the old outdated model that doesn’t zoom for crap.  So it really just looks like I was taking a picture of the scoreboard.  I can see the little dashes and dots on the white lines but only because I know what to look for and where.  Anyone else?  Not so much.

Here is the Diva (the blonde one) looking less than thrilled to be sitting on the Green Monster:

Sometimes I wonder how this non-baseball lover could be my child?!  I mean, I WAS under general anesthesia when she was born…and because there was no coaching to be done under the circumstances, her dad wasn’t in the delivery room either.  If it wasn’t for the fact that she’s like me IN EVERY OTHER WAY, I think I might have a case against the hospital.

After Fenway, it was on to The Museum of Science.  This is when our scheduling took a turn for the worse.  Eat lunch on the bus.  Have about 45 minutes in the museum before all meeting up for the electricity show.  Have another hour or so before meeting up again for the show in the Omni Theater.  Then about another hour before boarding the bus for the return trip home.  It just wasn’t enough time to see all there is to see in the museum.  I was in charge of two girls - the Diva and one of her friends - and they wanted to see it all!  We raced here and there and back to here - until I suggested that perhaps it would be a better use of their time to see everything they wanted to on one floor before moving on to the next.  When we got back on the bus, I heard conversations between the kids consisting of alot of “DId you see…?”  “No, but did you see…?”  “No, where was that?”.  It made me realize just how much EVERYONE seemed to miss, but they were so pressed for time that there was no avoiding it, I guess.

In  other news:  The Captain got his first little league hit.  His first hit not pitched by a coach in Farm League.  His first hit that got him on base.  Where was I, you ask?  Doing my time in the snack shack.  Every parent has to do 6 innings in the concession stand.  Our team chooses to do 3 innings at a time so we don’t miss a whole game.  I did the first three innings of the game, and got back to my chair at the top of the 4th, to see my son standing on first base.  Jokingly I said “Oh no - my kid’s on base - did he get hit again?”  I was assured by the other parents that he did not, but no one gave me any other information.  In fact, MY SON didn’t even tell me until later that evening.  He had waited so long to tell me, and he is somewhat of an imp, that I didn’t even believe him at first!  His coach, our pharmacist, did re-tell the story when he saw the Postman in the store the next day so I guess I have to admit that I did indeed miss his big moment.  Yet another example of how I rock.

This is what happens when I don’t write for so long…so I’ll end for now.

Hope all is good in your worlds!

All mothers are working mothers. ~Author Unknown

Is this:

Oh how I *heart* my new washing machine.  I have even been looking for stuff to wash, because I am just THAT LAME.

Thank you, Postman!  I *heart* you, too!

Housework is something you do that nobody notices until you don’t do it.  ~Author Unknown

The Diva decided recently (11 days ago to be exact) that she is going to be a vegetarian.  Since it has lasted about 10 days longer than I thought it would, I have bought her some soy products to replace her meat at dinner. 

Last night I decided to make a favorite dish of ours, sans meat.  It is a Mexican Lasagna and the only difference was that I did not mix ground beef into the refried beans before I put it all together and baked it.  The Diva was at the barn so I prepared dinner for the rest of us with the intention of keeping some warm for her.  The Captain and the Postman came to the table, took one look at it and asked what was wrong with it.  “Nothing”, I replied.  “I just left the meat out for the Diva.  There’s no reason we can’t all skip the meat once in a while.”

I have never seen such sad faces in my entire life - along with the mumbled “Why do WE have to suffer just because she doesn’t want to eat meat?”  My son even scraped the refried beans into a pile on the side of his plate and refused to eat them - although he has eaten them plenty of times before when the meat was present.  I have my own lion pride - albeit a small one.

On the other end of the spectrum, when the Diva came home she was genuinely happy that I made a meal for all of us that she could eat also.  “Really, there’s no meat in it?  Thank you, Mumma!”

So I guess the old adage is true:  you can please some of the people all the time, all the people some of the time, but never all the people all of the time!  So again, I realize it’s all about balance.

Vegetarian:  A person who eats only side dishes.  ~Gerald Lieberman

I pulled out my old yearbooks today.  I was not looking for them, but as I am prone to distraction, there I was sitting on the bed flipping through all my high school memories.  Holy feathered hair.

I got a wee bit melancholy.  Looking at those old pictures, I could remember some of the events vividly.  My heart skipped a beat and I slightly caught my breath as I longed  to go back to that point in time.  Then I came to my senses.  Of course there is no going back…and even if there was, I don’t know that I would take the opportunity.  I think about how I would do things differently and make different choices, but since I believe every choice affects every future choice, where would I be now if I had done things differently? 

 It’s interesting to ponder but dangerous to spend too much time on, because then it’s too easy to get lost in what might have been instead of what IS.  It’s about living in the moment, being  present in the moment.

I read “The Secret” not long ago.  As I was reading it, and especially at the end, all I kept thinking was “Duh!”  There was nothing earth shatteringly “secret” in there for me.  The energy you put out is what you get back.  Call it Karma, or the Universe at work. 

So although it was fun to reminisce, I do not feel that tinge of longing for the good ol’ days…because that negates the here and now.  And this is where I’m supposed to be.

What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment.  And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new.  Right now.  ~Author Unknown

One hoodie, one fleece coat, a scarf, gloves, and a fleece blanket.

For baseball outside on the first day of May.

O, wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
~Percy Bysshe Shelley