We ran a mile again this morning and we both did better than yesterday! Woo! Next week we will start going farther, and I think I may run an extra half a block tomorrow.
I also did more push ups and sit ups today. I downloaded this neato little app on my phone, and it's like a training guide to eventually be able to do 100 consecutive sit ups (you can adjust your goal, how many you want to do, I chose 100 for sit ups because it's closest to my goal of 82), and I got the same one for push ups, which I set for 50. It tells you how many to do, then counts down a rest period, then makes a whistle noise when you have to do the next rep. It's super awesome! I did them both today; I had the thought that I maybe should do them on alternating days, but I figured to just go for it. So then I get to rest completely every other day.
I think it will work out.
Showing posts with label The Everyday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Everyday. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
A quick word about 6 year olds
Ok, granted my daughter isn't quite 6 years old yet, but this is relevant. I was at Queens College last Saturday to watch a performance that my very awesome friend Veronica was in (as was her boyfriend). Before the show started I was listening in on the conversation of the two ladies sitting behind me. What else was I going to do? Put my fingers in my ears?
Well let me tell you that I had to work hard not to turn around and butt in. One lady was talking about how she went to the Ballet to see Swan Lake or whatever, and says that behind her were sitting a group of moms with their 6-yr old girls. Which I, when I heard that, thought was fantastic! To be able to bring a young, impressionable girl to something as culturally high-end and spectacular as the NY Ballet. But the lady goes on to complain that one girl kept asking questions and, this is not the end, that the mother kept answering the questions! O M G. A six year old had questions? And the mother was terrible enough to answer them? The lady then said something along the lines of, "if you take a kid to the ballet you have to make them shut up!" Shut up??
Don't get me wrong. The lady did not mention the content of the questions, nor the frequency of the questions; if they were about what was for dinner that night, or if she could stay home from school or whatever, then that's not appropriate, but say for instance, in the case of MY daughter, I KNOW she'd have been asking questions about the ballet. In which case I would have gladly answered as quietly as I could.
For all I know, the kid could have asked 2 questions the entire performance and the lady was just exaggerating. On the other hand, the kid could have really been non-stop about non-ballet themed issues. I don't know. But what I DO know is that 6 year olds are naturally inquisitive. They are young, impressionable (yes I know I used that word already), and eager to learn. And not just learn in general, but learn from you. Each parent has an opportunity to either answer their child's questions, or shut her up and let her simmer. Shut her up one too many times and the next time she has a question, she won't ask it. I believe that the hushing option will eventually kill my child's love of learning. I do my best to give her honest answers to everything she asks me to the best of my ability and in a simple way she can understand.
Ok so I guess that wasn't really that quick, but I had to get that out before I didn't feel like writing about it anymore. I'm glad I did. I feel better now.
Well let me tell you that I had to work hard not to turn around and butt in. One lady was talking about how she went to the Ballet to see Swan Lake or whatever, and says that behind her were sitting a group of moms with their 6-yr old girls. Which I, when I heard that, thought was fantastic! To be able to bring a young, impressionable girl to something as culturally high-end and spectacular as the NY Ballet. But the lady goes on to complain that one girl kept asking questions and, this is not the end, that the mother kept answering the questions! O M G. A six year old had questions? And the mother was terrible enough to answer them? The lady then said something along the lines of, "if you take a kid to the ballet you have to make them shut up!" Shut up??
Don't get me wrong. The lady did not mention the content of the questions, nor the frequency of the questions; if they were about what was for dinner that night, or if she could stay home from school or whatever, then that's not appropriate, but say for instance, in the case of MY daughter, I KNOW she'd have been asking questions about the ballet. In which case I would have gladly answered as quietly as I could.
For all I know, the kid could have asked 2 questions the entire performance and the lady was just exaggerating. On the other hand, the kid could have really been non-stop about non-ballet themed issues. I don't know. But what I DO know is that 6 year olds are naturally inquisitive. They are young, impressionable (yes I know I used that word already), and eager to learn. And not just learn in general, but learn from you. Each parent has an opportunity to either answer their child's questions, or shut her up and let her simmer. Shut her up one too many times and the next time she has a question, she won't ask it. I believe that the hushing option will eventually kill my child's love of learning. I do my best to give her honest answers to everything she asks me to the best of my ability and in a simple way she can understand.
Ok so I guess that wasn't really that quick, but I had to get that out before I didn't feel like writing about it anymore. I'm glad I did. I feel better now.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Merry Christmas and all that Jazz
Just a warning, this is going to be a long one. A lot has happened and I have a lot to catch up on. I probably won't even be able to touch on everything.
I'm blogging from MY ROOM in the big house! It's exciting! Kind of. It's strange being here. It doesn't feel like it's for real yet. I'm loathe to unpack my boxes and put my clothes in the closets and dresser drawers because it would feel too permanent. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. It still feels like I'm just up here for a vacation. Like next week I'll be back 'home.' But I known that this is 'home' now. Weird.
I can't wait to set my desk and computer up in the office and start working again. I need to make some moolah. I'm pretty much broke right now. I don't like being broke. I am also looking forward to doing my taxes ASAP this year so I can get my refund. One of the only upsides of not making a lot of money and having a kid and not having to file jointly with someone. Also paying tuition gets me some nice education credits. At least it did last year and I'm hoping for a repeat.
Tomorrow I'm driving back down to Jersey with my dad so we can do a last clean-out of the apartment, and pick up his car. After that, it will be completely done. Nowhere to go back to. I've already done my change-of-address through USPS, and changed my billing address on everything that matters. Including my college records so they mail my diploma to the right place.
In other news, I have to go to the high school on Monday when the schools reopen so I can register Caelyn. I was going to do it before they closed for the winter break, but it snowed, and we had no snow blower for a day, and we didn't shovel out til it was too late. I figured Caelyn wouldn't mind a couple extra days of no-school. And it would give her some more time to get acclimated to LIVING here, and not just act like it's a vacation. Well, it sort of is a vacation, since it's technically "Holiday Break," but eh, we gotta get back into a routine. At least time-wise. Going to sleep at midnight is not good for a 5 year old, especially if she is gonna have to get up early for school.
And I was thinking, I'm not sure if I like having moved up in winter. It does give us a good excuse to stay in and unpack and organize and rearrange stuff, but it also doesn't make it easy to get out and DO stuff. I'd like to explore town and get involved in things; make friends, get to know people and all that good stuff. It's way too easy to isolate up here, especially in the winter. Maybe I'll sign up to be a class mom, go to PTO meetings or whatnot. Idunno. I'm thinking cleaning out all our stuff as we 'move in' will create a need to have a garage sale in the spring, and boy do we have the perfect driveway to have a garage sale!
On another note, I need a night stand. My "desk" where my laptop is now is against the wall by the foot of my bed. What I really need is a taller table to put a lamp on, and also so I can put my glasses on it when I go to bed. Also, I think I want a nice comfy chair in here with a tall lamp behind it, to read. And a bookshelf. I must have a big shelf for all my books. I've got boxes and boxes of them. I'm sure I won't be able to put all of them out, but at least my favorites will be able to breathe again.
And to end on, before this gets any longer (I will try to blog more often, about interesting things!), Merry Christmas everyone! even though it's a few days late. I hope everyone also has a fantastic New Year's Eve. And don't think too hard about all those resolutions. Mid-way through February we'll all forget about them anyway. I've never stuck to one in my life and don't see it happening this year either.
Well, that's about it, wishing you all every kind of holiday cheer from my new abode north of the Adirondacks.
PS, I knew I'd forget something... I registered for NYC Midnight's Tweet me a Story contest! Registration was free, so I figured, why not? I won't lose anything from entering and it should prove to be really fun! I'll probably post about this again as the event gets closer.
I'm blogging from MY ROOM in the big house! It's exciting! Kind of. It's strange being here. It doesn't feel like it's for real yet. I'm loathe to unpack my boxes and put my clothes in the closets and dresser drawers because it would feel too permanent. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. It still feels like I'm just up here for a vacation. Like next week I'll be back 'home.' But I known that this is 'home' now. Weird.
I can't wait to set my desk and computer up in the office and start working again. I need to make some moolah. I'm pretty much broke right now. I don't like being broke. I am also looking forward to doing my taxes ASAP this year so I can get my refund. One of the only upsides of not making a lot of money and having a kid and not having to file jointly with someone. Also paying tuition gets me some nice education credits. At least it did last year and I'm hoping for a repeat.
Tomorrow I'm driving back down to Jersey with my dad so we can do a last clean-out of the apartment, and pick up his car. After that, it will be completely done. Nowhere to go back to. I've already done my change-of-address through USPS, and changed my billing address on everything that matters. Including my college records so they mail my diploma to the right place.
In other news, I have to go to the high school on Monday when the schools reopen so I can register Caelyn. I was going to do it before they closed for the winter break, but it snowed, and we had no snow blower for a day, and we didn't shovel out til it was too late. I figured Caelyn wouldn't mind a couple extra days of no-school. And it would give her some more time to get acclimated to LIVING here, and not just act like it's a vacation. Well, it sort of is a vacation, since it's technically "Holiday Break," but eh, we gotta get back into a routine. At least time-wise. Going to sleep at midnight is not good for a 5 year old, especially if she is gonna have to get up early for school.
And I was thinking, I'm not sure if I like having moved up in winter. It does give us a good excuse to stay in and unpack and organize and rearrange stuff, but it also doesn't make it easy to get out and DO stuff. I'd like to explore town and get involved in things; make friends, get to know people and all that good stuff. It's way too easy to isolate up here, especially in the winter. Maybe I'll sign up to be a class mom, go to PTO meetings or whatnot. Idunno. I'm thinking cleaning out all our stuff as we 'move in' will create a need to have a garage sale in the spring, and boy do we have the perfect driveway to have a garage sale!
On another note, I need a night stand. My "desk" where my laptop is now is against the wall by the foot of my bed. What I really need is a taller table to put a lamp on, and also so I can put my glasses on it when I go to bed. Also, I think I want a nice comfy chair in here with a tall lamp behind it, to read. And a bookshelf. I must have a big shelf for all my books. I've got boxes and boxes of them. I'm sure I won't be able to put all of them out, but at least my favorites will be able to breathe again.
And to end on, before this gets any longer (I will try to blog more often, about interesting things!), Merry Christmas everyone! even though it's a few days late. I hope everyone also has a fantastic New Year's Eve. And don't think too hard about all those resolutions. Mid-way through February we'll all forget about them anyway. I've never stuck to one in my life and don't see it happening this year either.
Well, that's about it, wishing you all every kind of holiday cheer from my new abode north of the Adirondacks.
PS, I knew I'd forget something... I registered for NYC Midnight's Tweet me a Story contest! Registration was free, so I figured, why not? I won't lose anything from entering and it should prove to be really fun! I'll probably post about this again as the event gets closer.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
I'm DONE
With school, that is. Last final and paper were due on the 20th, but due to the whole moving thing, I spent yesterday doing my syntax final. Today I went to campus to hand it in (ie. slip it under the professor's office door), then went to the library to write up my phonetics lit review. It took about as long as I figured it would take due to the fact that though the title of the article made it sound very easy and cut-and-dry, unfortunately the content was very hard to understand. The actual writing of the summary didn't take very long; it was all the understanding and interpreting of the data that took a long time. And it was freezing in the library. I'm sure this affected my performance to some degree... Get it? Degree!?
Hah. That is the state I'm in right now. I'm done. Completely done. My syntax final is out of my hands and the lit review has been emailed to the professor. That's all I had left to do in both my classes. Then I went over to the parking office to get my refund for my parking pass. Apparently, my final audit for GRADUATION that states that my conferment is January 2011 was not enough for them to say that I'm GRADUATING in January and would not be attending Montclair State any longer. I had to go to the Registrar and get a separate document stating that I was expected to graduate January 2011. So I did that. No big deal, but really, my audit wasn't enough? Really!? Oh well. So I handed in my parking permit, filled out the form, and in 6-8 weeks I shall get a refund check. For some odd reason I was expecting to just get money back today, but alas, I obviously expected too much. But at least I'll get the money eventually.
And now I'm home, blogging. It kinda seems a bit surreal. My head hurts. I'm tired. And I can't believe I'm done with school. All I have left to do now is to wait for my diploma to arrive in mid-February and then it will be even more official. It's been a long road from beginning to end with a lot of stops on the way. But here I am, on the cusp of moving to boot, looking toward the future and a new beginning.
Hah. That is the state I'm in right now. I'm done. Completely done. My syntax final is out of my hands and the lit review has been emailed to the professor. That's all I had left to do in both my classes. Then I went over to the parking office to get my refund for my parking pass. Apparently, my final audit for GRADUATION that states that my conferment is January 2011 was not enough for them to say that I'm GRADUATING in January and would not be attending Montclair State any longer. I had to go to the Registrar and get a separate document stating that I was expected to graduate January 2011. So I did that. No big deal, but really, my audit wasn't enough? Really!? Oh well. So I handed in my parking permit, filled out the form, and in 6-8 weeks I shall get a refund check. For some odd reason I was expecting to just get money back today, but alas, I obviously expected too much. But at least I'll get the money eventually.
And now I'm home, blogging. It kinda seems a bit surreal. My head hurts. I'm tired. And I can't believe I'm done with school. All I have left to do now is to wait for my diploma to arrive in mid-February and then it will be even more official. It's been a long road from beginning to end with a lot of stops on the way. But here I am, on the cusp of moving to boot, looking toward the future and a new beginning.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Cookies
I love cookies. I love baking them. I love decorating them. I love trying new recipes. I love eating them. Cookies. The smell of freshly baked cookies is one of the most fantastic smells to me. Especially around Christmas, it's what I like to call Cookie Season. Oh! The varieties and flavors of all the cookies we've made over the years; choosing which ones to make next year, which ones will be a "favorite" or a "regular."
This year may be different. After the move, I will have 3 days to bake cookies before Christmas. I suppose I could bake some AFTER Christmas, but then, are they still Christmas cookies? Are they as good for New Years? I'm not sure. I've made chocolate chip cookies a few times, but none so far as to be called Christmas cookies. In those 3 short days, which recipes will jump to the top of the stack? Which cookies will be worthy of making, in absence of all the rest? Macaroons, with their sweet, sticky coconut bodies topped with a bit of maraschino cherry? Peanut butter blossoms, half-melted Hershey kisses pressed into warm, sugar-coated peanut butter rounds? Magic mints, their peppermint combining with the chocolate ever so perfectly, their tops crackled with powdered sugar? Fruitcake cookies, for those who shun the real fruitcake, these will make you change your mind? Scotch-a-roos, those elusive cookies so good we haven't ever tasted them yet? My famous sugar cookies, cut into so many festive designs, splashed with colorful, simple frosting?
I wish I could make them all, but today I'm baking up the rest of the gingerbread dough I made last week. It was my first shot at gingerbread. It's mighty tasty, but not as soft and poofy as I imagine really awesome gingerbread cookies to be. They look all poofy in the oven, and as soon as I pull them out, they go flat. Like a souffle. Delicious, thick, chewy cookies fresh out of the oven are, in seconds, demoted to flat, indistinguishable blobs, for not only have they caved in, they've spread. My meticulously cut gingerbread men could not hold their shape. Lop-sided 5-petaled flowers emerge instead of little boy cut-outs waiting to be dressed up in frosting and candy.
Despite their shape and lack of thickness, they are delicious. And chewy. I suppose I should be grateful that they didn't burn, or are otherwise inedible. I shall cast aside all my cookie cares and worries and bask in the satisfaction that something I've made brings smiles and sighs of delight to my family and friends. A toast, then, to Cookies!
This year may be different. After the move, I will have 3 days to bake cookies before Christmas. I suppose I could bake some AFTER Christmas, but then, are they still Christmas cookies? Are they as good for New Years? I'm not sure. I've made chocolate chip cookies a few times, but none so far as to be called Christmas cookies. In those 3 short days, which recipes will jump to the top of the stack? Which cookies will be worthy of making, in absence of all the rest? Macaroons, with their sweet, sticky coconut bodies topped with a bit of maraschino cherry? Peanut butter blossoms, half-melted Hershey kisses pressed into warm, sugar-coated peanut butter rounds? Magic mints, their peppermint combining with the chocolate ever so perfectly, their tops crackled with powdered sugar? Fruitcake cookies, for those who shun the real fruitcake, these will make you change your mind? Scotch-a-roos, those elusive cookies so good we haven't ever tasted them yet? My famous sugar cookies, cut into so many festive designs, splashed with colorful, simple frosting?
I wish I could make them all, but today I'm baking up the rest of the gingerbread dough I made last week. It was my first shot at gingerbread. It's mighty tasty, but not as soft and poofy as I imagine really awesome gingerbread cookies to be. They look all poofy in the oven, and as soon as I pull them out, they go flat. Like a souffle. Delicious, thick, chewy cookies fresh out of the oven are, in seconds, demoted to flat, indistinguishable blobs, for not only have they caved in, they've spread. My meticulously cut gingerbread men could not hold their shape. Lop-sided 5-petaled flowers emerge instead of little boy cut-outs waiting to be dressed up in frosting and candy.
Despite their shape and lack of thickness, they are delicious. And chewy. I suppose I should be grateful that they didn't burn, or are otherwise inedible. I shall cast aside all my cookie cares and worries and bask in the satisfaction that something I've made brings smiles and sighs of delight to my family and friends. A toast, then, to Cookies!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
It's been a while...
So I shall make a short little post since I am probably forgetting to do something, or should be doing something else... like finding a box to pack more stuff in! Since Caelyn has no school tomorrow and Friday, I figured we'd take a whirlwind trip up to the house to visit Poppy and to get some more work done on the house. Last weekend I went up Friday morning, came back Sunday, and painted the insides of all the kitchen cabinets (with help from my brother Dave. Woo Dave!). I felt quite accomplished! This trip hopefully we can finish putting the shelf paper in the cabinets, possibly paint the ceiling, and start (and finish? Dare I even think the thought?) putting down sticky tiles in the kitchen as well.
I think we agreed that the kitchen (and downstairs bathroom) should be the rooms to get "done" first, since those are probably the rooms we will be using the most once we move, aside from our respective bedrooms. There's nothing WRONG with the bedrooms, and easy enough to work around and finish quick before everything gets unpacked after we move. Wow, rereading what I just wrote, I can tell I'm writing really fast; it sounds like I'm talking really fast to someone because our call is about to get cut off.
At any rate, that's what's been going on. I have totally disregarded the end of this most recent SPARK, and have yet to finish the poem I'm working on. NaNoWriMo started the other day and I wanted to try and participate in that this year, but so far have written absolutely nothing. I've been busy!
The other thing that happened today was a modification hearing. I now have official permission from the courts of New Jersey to relocate out of state. Woo!
And without further adieu, abedeabedeabede, that's all, folks! Until next time, of course ;)
I think we agreed that the kitchen (and downstairs bathroom) should be the rooms to get "done" first, since those are probably the rooms we will be using the most once we move, aside from our respective bedrooms. There's nothing WRONG with the bedrooms, and easy enough to work around and finish quick before everything gets unpacked after we move. Wow, rereading what I just wrote, I can tell I'm writing really fast; it sounds like I'm talking really fast to someone because our call is about to get cut off.
At any rate, that's what's been going on. I have totally disregarded the end of this most recent SPARK, and have yet to finish the poem I'm working on. NaNoWriMo started the other day and I wanted to try and participate in that this year, but so far have written absolutely nothing. I've been busy!
The other thing that happened today was a modification hearing. I now have official permission from the courts of New Jersey to relocate out of state. Woo!
And without further adieu, abedeabedeabede, that's all, folks! Until next time, of course ;)
Thursday, October 14, 2010
A Few Short Thoughts
I'll go in order of how I remember them, because there were a few things I wanted to say but didn't think each one individually warranted its own separate post.
1. When parents say "I wish my kid would stop getting so big!" it bugs me. Not because I don't feel the same way. I do. Time goes so fast and I barely remember my big 5-yr old when she was a tiny infant. I barely remember cradling her in my arms, and now she is independent, she wants to go outside and play with her friends before she gives me a welcome hug and kiss when she comes home from her dad's, she's in school for christ's sake!.. What bothers me about this "I wish my kid would stop growing" sentiment is one small passing comment my mom made to me when I said that to her about Caelyn. She said, "There's only one way for them to stop growing." And of course she was referring to my sister Katie, who died of a cancerous, inoperable brain tumor when she was only 6 years old. She will ALWAYS be 6. And that kind of "stop growing" is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. So when someone says, "My kid is getting so big I wish he would stop!" I hold my tongue.
2. Does taste in coffee mature with age? Or does it somehow reflect our current mood and emotions? I've been pondering this recently because I've found my taste in coffee choice radically changing. I used to be the Breakfast Blend or French Vanilla extra light extra sweet kind of coffee drinker. Now I find that a light brew almost tastes like water. I find myself putting less sugar and less creamer in my coffee, and prefer to drink a darker brew, a French Roast or some other such "dark" type. Is this my maturing of coffee taste? Or maybe it's me being stressed out and so needing a deeper, richer jolt in the morning? My other thought about this was a little more disturbing: The coffee I'm drinking right now almost tastes like DFAC coffee... and I like it. *shudder* Don't get me wrong, though, I still crave a light and sweet iced coffee every once in a while, but for the most part, dark and bitter have been suiting me just fine.
3. I bought a class ring. Not the wisest decision given my current financial status. But I did it. I'm graduating this semester, barring any failing of classes, and I really feel like after a 10-year journey to this damn degree, I want something, for myself, to show for it. Besides the requisite diploma, of course. The only other thing I want is the tassel. I totally missed booking a sitting for yearbook pictures. Not that I'm going to buy a yearbook, I don't know anyone else in my graduating class and I wasn't active in anything on campus to make me want to fondly remember my college years. Which I've spent half of being a part-time commuter just wishing for it to be over already.
4. I'm sure there was one more thing I wanted to put down here, but I've forgotten. My memory is very bad, so that is all!
1. When parents say "I wish my kid would stop getting so big!" it bugs me. Not because I don't feel the same way. I do. Time goes so fast and I barely remember my big 5-yr old when she was a tiny infant. I barely remember cradling her in my arms, and now she is independent, she wants to go outside and play with her friends before she gives me a welcome hug and kiss when she comes home from her dad's, she's in school for christ's sake!.. What bothers me about this "I wish my kid would stop growing" sentiment is one small passing comment my mom made to me when I said that to her about Caelyn. She said, "There's only one way for them to stop growing." And of course she was referring to my sister Katie, who died of a cancerous, inoperable brain tumor when she was only 6 years old. She will ALWAYS be 6. And that kind of "stop growing" is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. So when someone says, "My kid is getting so big I wish he would stop!" I hold my tongue.
2. Does taste in coffee mature with age? Or does it somehow reflect our current mood and emotions? I've been pondering this recently because I've found my taste in coffee choice radically changing. I used to be the Breakfast Blend or French Vanilla extra light extra sweet kind of coffee drinker. Now I find that a light brew almost tastes like water. I find myself putting less sugar and less creamer in my coffee, and prefer to drink a darker brew, a French Roast or some other such "dark" type. Is this my maturing of coffee taste? Or maybe it's me being stressed out and so needing a deeper, richer jolt in the morning? My other thought about this was a little more disturbing: The coffee I'm drinking right now almost tastes like DFAC coffee... and I like it. *shudder* Don't get me wrong, though, I still crave a light and sweet iced coffee every once in a while, but for the most part, dark and bitter have been suiting me just fine.
3. I bought a class ring. Not the wisest decision given my current financial status. But I did it. I'm graduating this semester, barring any failing of classes, and I really feel like after a 10-year journey to this damn degree, I want something, for myself, to show for it. Besides the requisite diploma, of course. The only other thing I want is the tassel. I totally missed booking a sitting for yearbook pictures. Not that I'm going to buy a yearbook, I don't know anyone else in my graduating class and I wasn't active in anything on campus to make me want to fondly remember my college years. Which I've spent half of being a part-time commuter just wishing for it to be over already.
4. I'm sure there was one more thing I wanted to put down here, but I've forgotten. My memory is very bad, so that is all!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Facing the Day
It's been rainy and dreary the past few days. I set my alarm for 6:20am, not to get up, but to allow time to snuggle with Caelyn. She is getting accustomed to waking up at this time as well so things are going a little more smoothly in the morning. So, I wake up enough to poke her awake enough to climb under the covers next to me. It really is quite cozy, warm and sleepy, next to my baby girl, who's not such a baby anymore. It's hard to really wake up and get out of bed when the real alarm goes off at 6:55 (allowing for at least 2 five-minute snoozes), especially when it's still dark from it being so cloudy.
Anyway, here is a poem I wrote during class (No, not a poetry class. I was bored, and uh, wrote some words down).
Facing the Day
Warm
hidden
covers over my head
eyes shut tight
The sun is peeking up over the horizon
but I don't want to see it.
secret
alone
burrowing deeper
grasping for dreams
but as my mind awakens
I know I must
face the day.
Anyway, here is a poem I wrote during class (No, not a poetry class. I was bored, and uh, wrote some words down).
Facing the Day
Warm
hidden
covers over my head
eyes shut tight
The sun is peeking up over the horizon
but I don't want to see it.
secret
alone
burrowing deeper
grasping for dreams
but as my mind awakens
I know I must
face the day.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Lethargy
This is the main reason I haven't blogged in a while. I've been feeling really lethargic. Not just physically, but more mentally than anything. I'm having a hard time remembering things, staying focused, and just plain thinking straight. I feel like my brain is burnt out. I've been thinking about so many things that I think I finally just stopped thinking altogether.
I have to do well this semester to graduate. I've been preoccupied with Caelyn going to school as well. It's double homework for me with all the notices and fund raisers she's brought home so far just in the first 2 weeks. I am infinitely glad that she gets free school lunches because if she didn't I would probably forget to feed her. Work has been slow. I am so distracted by anything and everything in the house right now. Too many people and too much mess and I'm the only one home most days to clean up. Which I shouldn't really be spending all my time on since I'm supposed to be working.
Then there's the moving thing. Trying to pack boxes here and boxes there, deciding what I don't really need for the next 3 months and can send up to the house. And all that takes time, too. I guess all the problems stem from there being a deficient amount of time to work with. I need the days to be at least 3 hours longer each. Then maybe I'll be able to feel productive.
I'm feeling pretty unproductive right now writing this blog because there are at least three other things I should be doing instead. Getting Caelyn ready for bed (I've told her to brush her teeth 5 times already, but of course I need to be right on top of her to do anything these days. At least she's in her pajamas), the dishes need to get washed, even though I think my mom is going to do them, she's on the phone so now the dishes are sitting getting all crusty. The carpet hasn't been vacuumed in at least 4 days, and I meant to do it today but never got around to it. Mostly because Caelyn had her friend over for most of the day, and the other reason was because I was futzing around online. And then I was cooking dinner.
I've gotten to the point where I need to put alerts in my phone to remind myself to do really stupid easy things so I won't forget. And I'm not talking about like when something is on your mind and you're still thinking about it and just procrastinate. I'm talking about like, at around 8:30am I'll tell myself "Ok I have to call her pediatrician after 10 because that's when they open," and I won't remember that I had to make the phone call until we're going to bed and the office is closed and everything. And then I say "I have to remember tomorrow to call..." It's a vicious cycle of reminding and honestly forgetting. My mom will say "can you open the window to get a breeze in here?" and I will literally say, "Ok, sure thing," and then NOT do it because I forgot that quickly. I think I have to start setting an alarm to eat, because I've lost 4 pounds (not that I'm complaining about the weight loss), but I'm pretty sure it's because I've become accidentally anorexic. I just forget to eat.
I'm really not sure how to fix this problem. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. As for now, I am going to try my best to start drinking a LOT more water and to start running every day. I've fallen into a really bad slump and I need to get out of it. I think hydrating (I really don't drink anything during the day: cup of coffee in the morning, maybe a glass of juice at dinner. Usually nothing in between. I know, it's so bad) and getting more active may help with my brain functions. If I'm still as addled in two weeks as I am right now, well, then I have no idea what I'll do. But I haven't gotten there yet, so for now I have to go and get ready for bed and make sure my sleep-deprived daughter is sleeping as well.
I have to do well this semester to graduate. I've been preoccupied with Caelyn going to school as well. It's double homework for me with all the notices and fund raisers she's brought home so far just in the first 2 weeks. I am infinitely glad that she gets free school lunches because if she didn't I would probably forget to feed her. Work has been slow. I am so distracted by anything and everything in the house right now. Too many people and too much mess and I'm the only one home most days to clean up. Which I shouldn't really be spending all my time on since I'm supposed to be working.
Then there's the moving thing. Trying to pack boxes here and boxes there, deciding what I don't really need for the next 3 months and can send up to the house. And all that takes time, too. I guess all the problems stem from there being a deficient amount of time to work with. I need the days to be at least 3 hours longer each. Then maybe I'll be able to feel productive.
I'm feeling pretty unproductive right now writing this blog because there are at least three other things I should be doing instead. Getting Caelyn ready for bed (I've told her to brush her teeth 5 times already, but of course I need to be right on top of her to do anything these days. At least she's in her pajamas), the dishes need to get washed, even though I think my mom is going to do them, she's on the phone so now the dishes are sitting getting all crusty. The carpet hasn't been vacuumed in at least 4 days, and I meant to do it today but never got around to it. Mostly because Caelyn had her friend over for most of the day, and the other reason was because I was futzing around online. And then I was cooking dinner.
I've gotten to the point where I need to put alerts in my phone to remind myself to do really stupid easy things so I won't forget. And I'm not talking about like when something is on your mind and you're still thinking about it and just procrastinate. I'm talking about like, at around 8:30am I'll tell myself "Ok I have to call her pediatrician after 10 because that's when they open," and I won't remember that I had to make the phone call until we're going to bed and the office is closed and everything. And then I say "I have to remember tomorrow to call..." It's a vicious cycle of reminding and honestly forgetting. My mom will say "can you open the window to get a breeze in here?" and I will literally say, "Ok, sure thing," and then NOT do it because I forgot that quickly. I think I have to start setting an alarm to eat, because I've lost 4 pounds (not that I'm complaining about the weight loss), but I'm pretty sure it's because I've become accidentally anorexic. I just forget to eat.
I'm really not sure how to fix this problem. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. As for now, I am going to try my best to start drinking a LOT more water and to start running every day. I've fallen into a really bad slump and I need to get out of it. I think hydrating (I really don't drink anything during the day: cup of coffee in the morning, maybe a glass of juice at dinner. Usually nothing in between. I know, it's so bad) and getting more active may help with my brain functions. If I'm still as addled in two weeks as I am right now, well, then I have no idea what I'll do. But I haven't gotten there yet, so for now I have to go and get ready for bed and make sure my sleep-deprived daughter is sleeping as well.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
School
Well, my last semester has started. I had a couple of issues with how to pay for it, but thankfully things have worked out for the better. I won't say best, because the best got lost a long time ago, but better is better than working out for the worst, wouldn't you agree? I thought I was getting grant money, then I wasn't. Then I was again, then not as much as I had hoped I would get. In the end I took out a dreaded student loan (I REALLY did not want to resort to that, but it's not a lot) to cover the rest of what I owe for tuition, and the rest will be enough to finally pay off my car with some left over (I say finally like I've been at it forever, which isn't true. It hasn't even been a full 2 years on a 6-yr loan. Go me!). At any rate, I will feel a whole lot better not having to worry about a car note (with an astronomical interest rate because my credit is less-than-shiny), and to be able to work on paying back a student loan at a lower interest rate with lower monthly payments. And that's not to say that I will only pay the minimum, it's just a relief from having to pay quadruple that amount on my car.
Am I getting too personal into my finances? We all have our troubles, and I admit mine aren't all that bad. A few credit cards, and soon to be a student loan. Which I plan on paying off ASAP. Which may not be as ASAP as I hope. All speculative at this point, so I won't dwell.
On to more interesting things: my actual classes! I think I had my expectations reversed. I fully expected my syntax class to be the harder of the two. So far it seems pretty rudimentary, and there will be a LOT of discussion and reviewing of material so I'm not worried about maybe not understanding something. Slow and steady seems to be my professor's mantra on this one. Phonetics, on the other hand, while not as "slow and steady," still looks like it will be relatively easy, but not as easy as I had first thought. As long as I get to look at the charts, I'll be ok. I did look through the text book and saw a bunch of waves and confusing math-y looking equations and let's just say that it didn't make me smile.
I just have to keep in mind that THIS IS IT. No more school [for now]. I even went to the registrar to make sure I didn't have to do anything else to be able to graduate. Which I don't. Hooray! All I have to do now is pass these classes and I will be an official graduate with diploma in hand by mid-February!!
And now my daughter. She started Kindergarten last week! I can't believe she's going to real school now. And I already have the first fund raiser of the year, AND I'm volunteering to help out with the book fair next week. I guess I just think it's weird that it's the school that I attended, and her principal is my old middle school principal. It also seems that all the K-age kids' parents have been around the block before, have older kids so they already know each other, or have younger kids and already know each other.
I suppose it's mostly my fault for not being more active in my community. But really, I'm not the most sociable person. I'm actually not very sociable at all. Plus we're moving at the end of December, so right now I feel no need to create lasting bonds with anyone here. I guess as long as Caelyn behaves herself, I get her to do all her work, and get her to bed early enough to not be a cranky cry-baby in the mornings, we'll be OK.
Am I getting too personal into my finances? We all have our troubles, and I admit mine aren't all that bad. A few credit cards, and soon to be a student loan. Which I plan on paying off ASAP. Which may not be as ASAP as I hope. All speculative at this point, so I won't dwell.
On to more interesting things: my actual classes! I think I had my expectations reversed. I fully expected my syntax class to be the harder of the two. So far it seems pretty rudimentary, and there will be a LOT of discussion and reviewing of material so I'm not worried about maybe not understanding something. Slow and steady seems to be my professor's mantra on this one. Phonetics, on the other hand, while not as "slow and steady," still looks like it will be relatively easy, but not as easy as I had first thought. As long as I get to look at the charts, I'll be ok. I did look through the text book and saw a bunch of waves and confusing math-y looking equations and let's just say that it didn't make me smile.
I just have to keep in mind that THIS IS IT. No more school [for now]. I even went to the registrar to make sure I didn't have to do anything else to be able to graduate. Which I don't. Hooray! All I have to do now is pass these classes and I will be an official graduate with diploma in hand by mid-February!!
And now my daughter. She started Kindergarten last week! I can't believe she's going to real school now. And I already have the first fund raiser of the year, AND I'm volunteering to help out with the book fair next week. I guess I just think it's weird that it's the school that I attended, and her principal is my old middle school principal. It also seems that all the K-age kids' parents have been around the block before, have older kids so they already know each other, or have younger kids and already know each other.
I suppose it's mostly my fault for not being more active in my community. But really, I'm not the most sociable person. I'm actually not very sociable at all. Plus we're moving at the end of December, so right now I feel no need to create lasting bonds with anyone here. I guess as long as Caelyn behaves herself, I get her to do all her work, and get her to bed early enough to not be a cranky cry-baby in the mornings, we'll be OK.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Late Night Poetry
So, even with all my talk about being excited for the Get Sparked round that just started, I remembered last night at around 9pm that I had to write a poem by this morning to send to my partner. By this time I was trying to get Caelyn to bed and asleep earlier (gradual change in bed time I think will work best for getting used to 'school time') and couldn't really ignore her so I could work on the poem. I didn't have the smallest idea what this poem was going to be. As I'm laying in bed, thoughts start to crop up. Good! I didn't feel like getting up so I started typing sentence fragments into the notes function on my phone. I put it away and figure I'll just get up earlier and brainstorm last minute like I usually do. Well, I tossed and turned and didn't actually sleep for any great length of time between then and about 2am. I had to use the bathroom, so I got up, did my business, and then grabbed my netbook and lay back in bed to try and work something out.
I started with the notes I had on my phone, but it always happens: I start trying to rhyme, and I start trying to invent a regular meter to stick to, and suddenly the essence of the poetry gets lost while I try too hard to make the words work. I scrap it and start again on something new. I like it much better (duh), but I still wish I had more time to polish it. Maybe I still will. Anyway, I finish around 3am, put the netbook away, and try to get back to sleep. More tossing and turning. I was cold, so I got up for another blanket, saw that it was 4am, and finally managed to nod off.
Without further adieu, here's my poem:
Morning on Hoel Pond
No sound but the gentle ripples
against my canoe.
The sky is gray
and mist hanging in the trees
seeps down to blanket the lake
in layers of mystery.
I lay my paddle at my feet
and pull my hood close around my face.
The predawn chill permeates all.
I shiver in the stillness.
Two loons call,
greeting each other,
or in warning of my presence.
A stranger in this untouched land,
I close my eyes and breathe deeply.
Nothing but cold, crisp, clean air,
a hint of pine.
Quiet. Calm. Peaceful.
I glide back to the shore,
my paddle slicing the surface,
stirring the mist into spiraling ghosts.
The day breaks softly,
illuminating the sky
from behind the clouds,
a single layer of muted silver.
The forest awakening now,
I feel it reaching out to embrace me.
The loons call again.
I am home.
© Elizabeth Cordes, 2010
I started with the notes I had on my phone, but it always happens: I start trying to rhyme, and I start trying to invent a regular meter to stick to, and suddenly the essence of the poetry gets lost while I try too hard to make the words work. I scrap it and start again on something new. I like it much better (duh), but I still wish I had more time to polish it. Maybe I still will. Anyway, I finish around 3am, put the netbook away, and try to get back to sleep. More tossing and turning. I was cold, so I got up for another blanket, saw that it was 4am, and finally managed to nod off.
Without further adieu, here's my poem:
Morning on Hoel Pond
No sound but the gentle ripples
against my canoe.
The sky is gray
and mist hanging in the trees
seeps down to blanket the lake
in layers of mystery.
I lay my paddle at my feet
and pull my hood close around my face.
The predawn chill permeates all.
I shiver in the stillness.
Two loons call,
greeting each other,
or in warning of my presence.
A stranger in this untouched land,
I close my eyes and breathe deeply.
Nothing but cold, crisp, clean air,
a hint of pine.
Quiet. Calm. Peaceful.
I glide back to the shore,
my paddle slicing the surface,
stirring the mist into spiraling ghosts.
The day breaks softly,
illuminating the sky
from behind the clouds,
a single layer of muted silver.
The forest awakening now,
I feel it reaching out to embrace me.
The loons call again.
I am home.
© Elizabeth Cordes, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Santa and Flash Fiction
No, Santa is not writing Flash Fiction. At least he's not as far as I know. He may be moonlighting as an author, but I think I'd be dead tired after a hard day of eating cookies and having kids sit on my lap...
At any rate! I took Caelyn to Santa's Workshop in North Pole, NY today. I've taken her the past 2 years as well, and well, she loves it! It is such a run down little place, but it's magical, especially when you're still young enough to believe in Santa. Santa is real! He's right there in his house! Caelyn even told me last year, after seeing Santa at the mall, that she knows that that's not the real Santa, just a helper, because she's MET the real Santa, and he lives at the North Pole! How awesome is that? She is so smart.
So we (me and my brother, Dave) followed her around for nearly 4 hours until the park closed, and then had some amazing dinner at the A&W that's right down the street from "Santa Land." A bacon cheeseburger never tastes so good as it does next to a helping of deep fried cheese curds and a huge mug of the world's best root beer.
Now onto flash fiction. The NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Contest officially starts at midnight tonight, at which time I find out my 'assignment.' What genre I have to write in, where it's taking place, and an object that has to be in the story somewhere. I kind of want to stay up to see what I get to write, but I'm also kind of really tired and want to sleep.
Well my blogging is being cut short. I've just been informed by a very persuasive 5 year old that we need to go to a dark place to look at the stars. And so we will.
At any rate! I took Caelyn to Santa's Workshop in North Pole, NY today. I've taken her the past 2 years as well, and well, she loves it! It is such a run down little place, but it's magical, especially when you're still young enough to believe in Santa. Santa is real! He's right there in his house! Caelyn even told me last year, after seeing Santa at the mall, that she knows that that's not the real Santa, just a helper, because she's MET the real Santa, and he lives at the North Pole! How awesome is that? She is so smart.
So we (me and my brother, Dave) followed her around for nearly 4 hours until the park closed, and then had some amazing dinner at the A&W that's right down the street from "Santa Land." A bacon cheeseburger never tastes so good as it does next to a helping of deep fried cheese curds and a huge mug of the world's best root beer.
Now onto flash fiction. The NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Contest officially starts at midnight tonight, at which time I find out my 'assignment.' What genre I have to write in, where it's taking place, and an object that has to be in the story somewhere. I kind of want to stay up to see what I get to write, but I'm also kind of really tired and want to sleep.
Well my blogging is being cut short. I've just been informed by a very persuasive 5 year old that we need to go to a dark place to look at the stars. And so we will.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Dreams
I don't normally put much stock in dreams because PMS causes me to have very vivid ones. Most of which I don't remember, but the ones I do remember stick with me. Last night I had 2 very distinct dreams. I wish I had gotten up and written them down right away because now they are only fuzzy blurs, but enough that it still kind of disturbs me because they both involve anger and yelling.
The first one involved someone I am friends with on Facebook, have never met in person but are friends through a mutual friend. I was tied up in a chair, like a hostage, but not in a scary location. It was in a well-lit house, furnished living room and stuff, like I was at home, but it wasn't my home. And this person I think was questioning me, or yelling accusations at me. Or maybe it was more like excited jabbering. He was smiling. and acting excited, or crazed. Or it was about being lost; we couldn't find the way out (of a house?), which still doesn't explain the reason for me being tied up in a chair.
This is also strange because this is the second time that this person has appeared in a dream of mine. The first time he was narrating what was going on, like a blog-writer. Which is even more strange since I have never heard his voice before.
The second dream was me yelling at my daughter. And I mean really yelling. Not obscenities or anything, but flat out screaming stuff like, "DON'T DO THAT" "WOULD YOU STOP THAT, I MEAN IT" and stuff like that, that I am always telling her, but this time it was angry and very loud. And she didn't seem overly perturbed by it either. She was just going along her business and I'd yell at her to stop. I think this dream happened because I was hyper-aware of how extremely moody I was the last time I was PMS'ing. I would get frustrated, irritated, and angry at stupid little things, and yell at her, but then feel bad about it, but I still felt angry so I couldn't even apologize properly. I guess I felt a little guilty.
At any rate, that is it for now. We are going to take a trip to Kmart or Walmart and pick up some small Lego sets, because Caelyn has a Lego table in the play room and no Legos to play with on it.
The first one involved someone I am friends with on Facebook, have never met in person but are friends through a mutual friend. I was tied up in a chair, like a hostage, but not in a scary location. It was in a well-lit house, furnished living room and stuff, like I was at home, but it wasn't my home. And this person I think was questioning me, or yelling accusations at me. Or maybe it was more like excited jabbering. He was smiling. and acting excited, or crazed. Or it was about being lost; we couldn't find the way out (of a house?), which still doesn't explain the reason for me being tied up in a chair.
This is also strange because this is the second time that this person has appeared in a dream of mine. The first time he was narrating what was going on, like a blog-writer. Which is even more strange since I have never heard his voice before.
The second dream was me yelling at my daughter. And I mean really yelling. Not obscenities or anything, but flat out screaming stuff like, "DON'T DO THAT" "WOULD YOU STOP THAT, I MEAN IT" and stuff like that, that I am always telling her, but this time it was angry and very loud. And she didn't seem overly perturbed by it either. She was just going along her business and I'd yell at her to stop. I think this dream happened because I was hyper-aware of how extremely moody I was the last time I was PMS'ing. I would get frustrated, irritated, and angry at stupid little things, and yell at her, but then feel bad about it, but I still felt angry so I couldn't even apologize properly. I guess I felt a little guilty.
At any rate, that is it for now. We are going to take a trip to Kmart or Walmart and pick up some small Lego sets, because Caelyn has a Lego table in the play room and no Legos to play with on it.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
My Graduate. And the coming weeks
Today my daughter graduated from Preschool. Yup. A Preschool graduation ceremony. And let me tell you, no matter how ridiculous you may think it is to celebrate graduating from preschool into Kindergarten, if you are at your kid's ceremony, you will have tears in your eyes. My baby had the first line: "Welcome to our Graduation!" They sang a series of songs, then walked off the stage, and came back on to Pomp and Circumstance in their powder blue cap and gowns!
She did so good, and stood still and everything! And if you knew my daughter, you'd understand why her standing still was such an achievement. After the ceremony they served pizza and cake and cookies and stuff. We had a nibble, then went home for a while before heading out to see Toy Story 3. I cried for that, too. Seriously, it was a weepy day all around for me!
As for this weekend, I will be dragged along to Maine with the good ol' 319th. Travel Friday. Do stuff Saturday. March a parade the morning of the 4th, then march off the parade line onto the bus to come home. What fun! Then Monday the 5th we will be packing equipment, and on the 6th I will be off to Oklahoma for 2 weeks. With no internet access. What would really be awesome is if the barracks had wi-fi or something, but I know we're gonna have some crap accommodations. As long as it isn't open bay, though, I guess I'll be ok. Then I have to decide if I want to bring my lap top, or just my net book. I brought my lap top with me last year and didn't really use it at all for anything I thought I would use it for (watching movies/playing games). I basically had it on to write. And I can do that on the net book and it's easier to carry. I guess that's settled.
Don't worry, though, I shall attempt to document all I can of my journeys and when I get back I'll have a bunch of posting to do. Not all at once. That would most likely be overwhelming. Maybe I'll do a series. "Chaos with the 319th, Installment 1."
That's all I really have to report for now. If I come up with something more exciting in the next 2 days I will be sure to share. So, blog readers (who?), I bid you adieu, au revoir, and all that good stuff, until I return on the 21st of July.
She did so good, and stood still and everything! And if you knew my daughter, you'd understand why her standing still was such an achievement. After the ceremony they served pizza and cake and cookies and stuff. We had a nibble, then went home for a while before heading out to see Toy Story 3. I cried for that, too. Seriously, it was a weepy day all around for me!
As for this weekend, I will be dragged along to Maine with the good ol' 319th. Travel Friday. Do stuff Saturday. March a parade the morning of the 4th, then march off the parade line onto the bus to come home. What fun! Then Monday the 5th we will be packing equipment, and on the 6th I will be off to Oklahoma for 2 weeks. With no internet access. What would really be awesome is if the barracks had wi-fi or something, but I know we're gonna have some crap accommodations. As long as it isn't open bay, though, I guess I'll be ok. Then I have to decide if I want to bring my lap top, or just my net book. I brought my lap top with me last year and didn't really use it at all for anything I thought I would use it for (watching movies/playing games). I basically had it on to write. And I can do that on the net book and it's easier to carry. I guess that's settled.
Don't worry, though, I shall attempt to document all I can of my journeys and when I get back I'll have a bunch of posting to do. Not all at once. That would most likely be overwhelming. Maybe I'll do a series. "Chaos with the 319th, Installment 1."
That's all I really have to report for now. If I come up with something more exciting in the next 2 days I will be sure to share. So, blog readers (who?), I bid you adieu, au revoir, and all that good stuff, until I return on the 21st of July.
Monday, June 28, 2010
And I'm Home.
The trip home yesterday was, how shall I say, tiring. Yes. Tiring. But tiring is putting it mildly. It took me a good 6 1/2 hours, mostly due to the fact that I had to keep stopping to pee. On the way up I was drinking coffee like a mad woman and only stopped 3 times. On the way back down, I only had one mug (on account of the one rest area I stopped at, their coffee vending machine only spit out creamer and hot water), and I must have stopped 5 or 6 times. And not like a "I think I'll stop and try to pee." No, it was a full on "OMG thank god that rest area came up; I would NOT have made it to the next one" feeling.
But I finally made it home, and as luck would have it, Caelyn wasn't home yet. I got to sit quietly for about 45 minutes before she came in like a whirlwind. I was seriously so tired, when I put my car away, I could barely summon the strength to open the garage door. I was completely wiped out.
Driving up into the mountains is so much more enjoyable than leaving the mountains and entering NJ on Route 17S. Now THAT is depressing. I get so elated when I pass the sign that says "Entering Adirondack Park" and I feel like it's welcoming me home. But when I pass the sign that says "Now Leaving Adirondack Park" my heart sinks. Which is kind of funny. I've lived my entire life in New Jersey in this same little apartment (minus the first few months of my life when we lived in Texas). Over the years we have made countless trips up north, and out to Western NY to visit family on both sides, but not so many in the past few years. I get comfortable here in Jersey, the convenience of everything, yet stuck in a rut, just living a routine without meaning. But when I am up north, that is when I really feel like I'm home. My heart expands to take in everything around me. It makes me feel that I could (and want to) live out the rest of my days there. And being only 28, that's a lot of days!
Let me get a little more serious here. There's this grocery store there called Aldi's, and holy hell they sell these cheese puff things, it kinda looks like Pirate's Booty, but it's BUTTER FLAVORED. Puffed butter flavored corn bits. I'm officially addicted. When I gave some to my mom to try, she asked why there was still any left! I told her I really had to control myself to not eat the whole bag. Caelyn had 2 bowlfuls of it, and even Hercules (our rabbit, not sure I've mentioned him before) likes them! He nearly jumped up on the couch to try and steal Caelyn's out of the bowl.
And that's about it. This week is going to be a little weird, I have to fit in cleaning and laundry and last-minute trip shopping since I will be gone with the Army July 2-4, then again July 6-21. With no internet access. I will have my netbook with me, so I will definitely be keeping a record of all the chaotic insanity that is sure to ensue. And I hereby promise not to drink as much wine as I did last year. What a disaster that was, but that's a whole other story I can't get into right now. Or maybe ever.
But I finally made it home, and as luck would have it, Caelyn wasn't home yet. I got to sit quietly for about 45 minutes before she came in like a whirlwind. I was seriously so tired, when I put my car away, I could barely summon the strength to open the garage door. I was completely wiped out.
Driving up into the mountains is so much more enjoyable than leaving the mountains and entering NJ on Route 17S. Now THAT is depressing. I get so elated when I pass the sign that says "Entering Adirondack Park" and I feel like it's welcoming me home. But when I pass the sign that says "Now Leaving Adirondack Park" my heart sinks. Which is kind of funny. I've lived my entire life in New Jersey in this same little apartment (minus the first few months of my life when we lived in Texas). Over the years we have made countless trips up north, and out to Western NY to visit family on both sides, but not so many in the past few years. I get comfortable here in Jersey, the convenience of everything, yet stuck in a rut, just living a routine without meaning. But when I am up north, that is when I really feel like I'm home. My heart expands to take in everything around me. It makes me feel that I could (and want to) live out the rest of my days there. And being only 28, that's a lot of days!
Let me get a little more serious here. There's this grocery store there called Aldi's, and holy hell they sell these cheese puff things, it kinda looks like Pirate's Booty, but it's BUTTER FLAVORED. Puffed butter flavored corn bits. I'm officially addicted. When I gave some to my mom to try, she asked why there was still any left! I told her I really had to control myself to not eat the whole bag. Caelyn had 2 bowlfuls of it, and even Hercules (our rabbit, not sure I've mentioned him before) likes them! He nearly jumped up on the couch to try and steal Caelyn's out of the bowl.
And that's about it. This week is going to be a little weird, I have to fit in cleaning and laundry and last-minute trip shopping since I will be gone with the Army July 2-4, then again July 6-21. With no internet access. I will have my netbook with me, so I will definitely be keeping a record of all the chaotic insanity that is sure to ensue. And I hereby promise not to drink as much wine as I did last year. What a disaster that was, but that's a whole other story I can't get into right now. Or maybe ever.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Road Trip
I'm going to try and make this post short because I am tired and need to drive home tomorrow. Home from home. Get it? No? Let me explain. My parents bought a house in Malone, NY. That's where I am right now. I drove up mostly to see if I could do it, and so far so good! Yesterday's trip up went smoothly with no hiccups. I guess that's not very exciting to blog about, is it? But better for me, because I don't do well under pressure, especially when I'm by myself. Driving the scenic mountain route was a bit harrowing in the dark. It was the first time I've driven up solo, AND in the dark. Generally we drive up in the early morning when it starts out dark and then gets light. It was very strange to start out in the light and have it get dark.
At any rate, the trip went well. Took me just about 6 hours, and I only made 3 potty stops. Anyway, on to what we did today. We peeled wallpaper off the wall of "the office." Yes. This house is HUGE. Let me put it this way: right now I live in a stinky little 2-br apartment. It's roughly 700 square feet. The living room in the house is about 650 square feet. JUST THE LIVING ROOM. Extend the living room about four feet wider, and OUR ENTIRE APARTMENT can fit inside it. Did I mention that this house is huge? Yeah. So, keeping that in mind, you can see how it took us an entire day to steam and peel wall paper off of two walls in one room. Luckily, only those two walls in that room had wall paper to begin with, which means it only needs to be cleaned, spackled, and painted.
But there are give or take 15 more rooms that need "fixing." Thankfully, the bedrooms do not have wall paper on the walls. Just god awful ugly paint colors. Oh, and each room (Did I mention there are 7 bedrooms?) has a different border up by the ceiling. The room I'm in now has lovely olive drab walls and a tan and pink daffodil border.
Enough decor. Which means end of post. There's nothing else really juicy to tell. We ate at the Chinese buffet and OMG it is super awesome. Then we walked over to walk through Aldi's, which is a small, cheap, grocery store. Then we went to Walmart (Wally world, anyone?) to pick up a bunk bed (we are keeping it as 2 twins, one for my bro, and one for Caelyn), and some other things. I went to swipe my card, and horror of all horrors. It was declined. We tried every way imaginable to swipe it in, manually enter the numbers. Nothing. I owe my dad a mattress or something. Then we went to Price Chopper (the North Country equivalent to Shop Rite or Pathmark or A&P) to pick up some beer. I figured I'd give my card another chance. Still a no go. WTF.
When we got back to the house I immediately called customer service and demanded to know why my card (currently with no previous balance) was declined. Well, apparently, they blocked the purchase because it seemed suspicious, and I got it all fixed when I called and told them that yes, it was me in possession of my own card. I guess being more than 300 miles away from your billing zip code, making a rather large purchase (I don't really use it for much), shot up a little warning flag for them. Which is good, I guess, because I could have called and had someone tell me that it was run up to the limit and that's why it was declined. So yeah, good it wasn't thieved or anything, but not good for me when I'm at the checkout and the line behind me is growing longer, and I'm that asshole that keeps insisting the card is good when it obviously isn't going through.
So that was my one moment of excitement today. Aside from amazing Chinese buffet. Did I say that I was going to try and keep this short? I guess I didn't try hard enough. I'm going to TRY (hopefully better than I tried here) to get up early enough to get home before Caelyn gets home. I told her I'd be home when she got home, but we'll see what the morning brings. I'm praying that driving in complete daylight will make the trip through the mountains a little bit easier than in the pitch blackness (Oh, those high beams ARE good for something! And God bless cruise control!)
At any rate, the trip went well. Took me just about 6 hours, and I only made 3 potty stops. Anyway, on to what we did today. We peeled wallpaper off the wall of "the office." Yes. This house is HUGE. Let me put it this way: right now I live in a stinky little 2-br apartment. It's roughly 700 square feet. The living room in the house is about 650 square feet. JUST THE LIVING ROOM. Extend the living room about four feet wider, and OUR ENTIRE APARTMENT can fit inside it. Did I mention that this house is huge? Yeah. So, keeping that in mind, you can see how it took us an entire day to steam and peel wall paper off of two walls in one room. Luckily, only those two walls in that room had wall paper to begin with, which means it only needs to be cleaned, spackled, and painted.
But there are give or take 15 more rooms that need "fixing." Thankfully, the bedrooms do not have wall paper on the walls. Just god awful ugly paint colors. Oh, and each room (Did I mention there are 7 bedrooms?) has a different border up by the ceiling. The room I'm in now has lovely olive drab walls and a tan and pink daffodil border.
Enough decor. Which means end of post. There's nothing else really juicy to tell. We ate at the Chinese buffet and OMG it is super awesome. Then we walked over to walk through Aldi's, which is a small, cheap, grocery store. Then we went to Walmart (Wally world, anyone?) to pick up a bunk bed (we are keeping it as 2 twins, one for my bro, and one for Caelyn), and some other things. I went to swipe my card, and horror of all horrors. It was declined. We tried every way imaginable to swipe it in, manually enter the numbers. Nothing. I owe my dad a mattress or something. Then we went to Price Chopper (the North Country equivalent to Shop Rite or Pathmark or A&P) to pick up some beer. I figured I'd give my card another chance. Still a no go. WTF.
When we got back to the house I immediately called customer service and demanded to know why my card (currently with no previous balance) was declined. Well, apparently, they blocked the purchase because it seemed suspicious, and I got it all fixed when I called and told them that yes, it was me in possession of my own card. I guess being more than 300 miles away from your billing zip code, making a rather large purchase (I don't really use it for much), shot up a little warning flag for them. Which is good, I guess, because I could have called and had someone tell me that it was run up to the limit and that's why it was declined. So yeah, good it wasn't thieved or anything, but not good for me when I'm at the checkout and the line behind me is growing longer, and I'm that asshole that keeps insisting the card is good when it obviously isn't going through.
So that was my one moment of excitement today. Aside from amazing Chinese buffet. Did I say that I was going to try and keep this short? I guess I didn't try hard enough. I'm going to TRY (hopefully better than I tried here) to get up early enough to get home before Caelyn gets home. I told her I'd be home when she got home, but we'll see what the morning brings. I'm praying that driving in complete daylight will make the trip through the mountains a little bit easier than in the pitch blackness (Oh, those high beams ARE good for something! And God bless cruise control!)
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Blemish Be Gone! And other stuff.
For those who read regularly (uhh, who?), you may notice (or not?) that I deleted one of my posts. It was a mar on my semi-humorous blog, and a moment of stupidity on my part that I don't want to relive every time I read through my old posts. And yes, I say semi-humorous only because those who HAVE read this blog (and told me about it) have said that they laughed out loud at something. I never knew I could write funny, but apparently I can. Without knowing it.
This weekend, I hope, will be exciting. When Caelyn's father picks her up for the weekend tomorrow, I will straight away head up to my parents' new house in Malone, NY. I am hoping he can pick her up early because I really would like to get there some time before midnight. I am mostly going to test myself. To see if I can make a weekend trip there and back by myself. The other reason is so I can see where me and Caelyn will be living after Christmas, and after I finish my LAST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE. Oh, sorry, did I type that all in caps? I SURE AS HELL DID! Anyway, looking forward to a good trip up and back, so I better plug in my MP3 player now so it will be charged and ready to rock when I leave at 6PM tomorrow.
In other news, I got this brilliant idea today to start a serial on this blog. So if anyone knows how to make separate tabbed pages, I'd appreciate any help you all have to offer. Otherwise it will just be a weekly serial update (on the same day every week, at least that's the plan at the moment) in betwixt my other blog posts. I really have to figure out this bloggy thing a bit better, organize and categorize. Or something like that.
Right now I'm not sure what the story will be about or whether I will take a more realistic direction or veer towards a more F/SF type setting. Anyway, we shall see if this idea even makes it off the ground. I hope it does, as that will at least keep my writing muscles in shape. I am also still debating whether or not to register for the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction contest. I'm pretty sure I will, but I guess maybe I'm having fun just having something to deliberate about.
This weekend, I hope, will be exciting. When Caelyn's father picks her up for the weekend tomorrow, I will straight away head up to my parents' new house in Malone, NY. I am hoping he can pick her up early because I really would like to get there some time before midnight. I am mostly going to test myself. To see if I can make a weekend trip there and back by myself. The other reason is so I can see where me and Caelyn will be living after Christmas, and after I finish my LAST SEMESTER OF COLLEGE. Oh, sorry, did I type that all in caps? I SURE AS HELL DID! Anyway, looking forward to a good trip up and back, so I better plug in my MP3 player now so it will be charged and ready to rock when I leave at 6PM tomorrow.
In other news, I got this brilliant idea today to start a serial on this blog. So if anyone knows how to make separate tabbed pages, I'd appreciate any help you all have to offer. Otherwise it will just be a weekly serial update (on the same day every week, at least that's the plan at the moment) in betwixt my other blog posts. I really have to figure out this bloggy thing a bit better, organize and categorize. Or something like that.
Right now I'm not sure what the story will be about or whether I will take a more realistic direction or veer towards a more F/SF type setting. Anyway, we shall see if this idea even makes it off the ground. I hope it does, as that will at least keep my writing muscles in shape. I am also still debating whether or not to register for the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction contest. I'm pretty sure I will, but I guess maybe I'm having fun just having something to deliberate about.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Crochet-a-long
I am participating in a crochet-a-long with some friends of mine and so far it's going well! There are 6 different block styles, 3 colors, for 8 blocks of each style (except the first block, that one gets 9), to make a total of 49 blocks, about 7x9 inches each. At first, I couldn't get past my sense of symmetry and made 2 square blocks (7x7). And then I was deliberating on different color schemes (eg, first two block styles are of the same color, but I was going to make each style in all the colors).
I finally settled on going back, making my previously finished blocks the prescribed dimensions, and sticking to the color scheme/pattern for the whole thing. I think I may need to get more yarn, though, I'm not sure I can squeeze another 5 blocks out of this skein! But we'll see. I'm excited as this will be my first official blanket for the new house! If I do 2 blocks a week I'll have it done before Christmas. I'll probably wind up doing more than that, though: I plan to bring my yarn to Oklahoma with me, and I expect to have plenty of down time to work on it.
Other than that, there's not much going on at the moment. I still haven't read the book I took out from the library, but I don't have to return it for another 3 weeks. I'll get around to it eventually. I've been a bit obsessive about Neopets lately, and that is taking up way more time than it should. I'm gonna have to cut back and actually get some real work done this week... but more on Neopets another time. I'm going to try and finish this 4th block before Caelyn gets home from her dad's.
I finally settled on going back, making my previously finished blocks the prescribed dimensions, and sticking to the color scheme/pattern for the whole thing. I think I may need to get more yarn, though, I'm not sure I can squeeze another 5 blocks out of this skein! But we'll see. I'm excited as this will be my first official blanket for the new house! If I do 2 blocks a week I'll have it done before Christmas. I'll probably wind up doing more than that, though: I plan to bring my yarn to Oklahoma with me, and I expect to have plenty of down time to work on it.
Other than that, there's not much going on at the moment. I still haven't read the book I took out from the library, but I don't have to return it for another 3 weeks. I'll get around to it eventually. I've been a bit obsessive about Neopets lately, and that is taking up way more time than it should. I'm gonna have to cut back and actually get some real work done this week... but more on Neopets another time. I'm going to try and finish this 4th block before Caelyn gets home from her dad's.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Friday Night @ home
Not that that in itself is unusual. I'm generally at home, or close to home, on a Friday night, even when Caelyn is gone with her father for the weekend. Mostly I'm home tonight because I have to get up ass-early to be AT Ft. T. at 0530. Suck! But other than that, yeah, I'd probably be at home anyway. Maybe not IN bed (which is where I'm typing this from, on my NETBOOK), but at home, being lazy playing pokemon (which I still might do if I can't fall asleep after I'm done here).
But I digress. My bottom line feelings tonight are sad emptiness. It happens every other week. Caelyn spends Friday night-Sunday evening with her father. I usually feel this "Yes some ME time!" euphoria after the initial "Aw, my baby is GONE!" feelings subside. I enjoy my time to myself (even though a lot of times I have to spend my "free" weekends with the 319th), and by the end of the weekend I'm pacing in front of the door waiting for her to fly back into my arms.
Tonight, the "missing my baby" feelings have not subsided. I can't really say why exactly. She left, and I didn't get that excited rush of adrenaline that comes with not having to watch her out of the corner of my eye every second. It's gotten me pretty down. I'm hoping the BS I'm sure to face in the morning will at least help to distract me, but that's questionable. Maybe it's because I don't have anything that I HAVE to occupy my time with, like avoiding school work and what-not. Either way, I'm really not liking feeling this down on a Friday night. Sorry to be such a downer. Hopefully my next post will be more upbeat.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The end of Spring Semester
Last night I took the easiest final of my college career. And I've been a college student for many years, so I think that's saying something. It may as well have been open-book since the professor gave us all the charts we needed to answer about 80% of the questions, most of which were multiple choice. Actually, she may as well have given us the same grade for the final that we got on the midterm, cuz let's face it, if you did bad on the midterm, chances are you just don't "get it" and will do bad on the final. And vice versa, of course. I got an "A" on the midterm so I'm gonna have to guess I'm getting an "A" on the final, and subsequently an "A" for the class, Intro to Linguistics. And depending on how well I did on my final story, quite possibly an "A" in Writing: Fiction as well. In the words of Kai-Lan, that will make my heart super happy! All "A"'s, that counts as Dean's List, right?
And thus ends my last spring semester at Montclair State University. (holy, the auto-save-draft thing underneath this text box is going ape-shit! does it auto-save every 30 seconds??). I am kind of upset that I wasn't able to take any classes during the summer, half because I want to get this school thing over with, and half because I got a shit-load more money from the GI Bill for taking a summer class. I'm not sure why or how, I thought it was a mistake last year, but I called and they said it was OK. But it's all good anyway. I made squat last year so my financial aid awards will more than cover my classes in the fall. Thank you, Pell Grant and TAG!
In other news, I borrowed "How to Cope with Suburban Stress" by David Galef from the library last week. David Galef was my professor for my Writing: Fiction class this semester, so I figured I'd give his writing a chance. I read about 4-5 chapters so far and let me tell you, don't read this book unless you are prepared to be disgusted and creeped out by the insane details going through the mind of a pedophile. Yeah. I am really not sure if I want to finish reading it, but I kind of want to finish so I can at least email him and say that I read his book. Or maybe I should just email him to say that it was way too disturbing to finish?
And thus ends my last spring semester at Montclair State University. (holy, the auto-save-draft thing underneath this text box is going ape-shit! does it auto-save every 30 seconds??). I am kind of upset that I wasn't able to take any classes during the summer, half because I want to get this school thing over with, and half because I got a shit-load more money from the GI Bill for taking a summer class. I'm not sure why or how, I thought it was a mistake last year, but I called and they said it was OK. But it's all good anyway. I made squat last year so my financial aid awards will more than cover my classes in the fall. Thank you, Pell Grant and TAG!
In other news, I borrowed "How to Cope with Suburban Stress" by David Galef from the library last week. David Galef was my professor for my Writing: Fiction class this semester, so I figured I'd give his writing a chance. I read about 4-5 chapters so far and let me tell you, don't read this book unless you are prepared to be disgusted and creeped out by the insane details going through the mind of a pedophile. Yeah. I am really not sure if I want to finish reading it, but I kind of want to finish so I can at least email him and say that I read his book. Or maybe I should just email him to say that it was way too disturbing to finish?
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