I feel like I just blogged the other day, and when I looked at the date of the last one, it says February 16th. Really!?? Well, yeah, I guess yes really.
I had a long and tiring weekend down in the tri-state area. I left Thursday afternoon around 1:30pm (just as it was starting to snow), stopped in Maywood to gas up, then kept going and got to my aunt and uncle's house out on Long Island around 8:45pm. I will say this. After not having to drive around for two months, and even if I did have to drive it was a very short distance on empty local roads, it was a harrowing experience driving the highways from NJ Rt 17, Rt 80, I-95, Cross and Long Island Expressways. O.M.G. I was stiff when I finally got there just from being so tense!
I had a great visit and will definitely be stopping in again next time I have drill! Made it to Ft. Totten early before I had to report at 12 noon on Friday, did three hours of copying and filing, then retired to my hotel room, courtesy of the US Army, and just chilled. I got 3 blocks done of the blanket I'm STILL working on. Other than that, I seriously just sat around ALL night til I went to sleep. It felt incredibly good to be that lazy.
Saturday was a normal drill day, no news there, we got out late, almost 5pm, I went back to the hotel, showered, then followed Veronica to Queens College where I saw her (and her boyfriend!) perform in Postcards from Morocco. It was a bit avant garde for me, but I enjoyed it! By then it was late so I went back to the hotel (thank God for GPS otherwise I probably would have been lost in Queens, crying on a side street somewhere) and went to sleep after playing some Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky.
Sunday was another 'normal' drill day. I did get to leave early on account of having a 6+ hr drive home (even though I wasn't driving home til Monday. Shhhh). But I only missed PT and the usual 40 minute closing formation, so it's not like I missed out on anything important. After I left Totten I went to pick up Caelyn from her dad's, and my goodness I was so happy to have her back! We stopped by the old apartment where I talked to the super for a good while, got to hug the boys next door, and Caelyn got to play outside with her friends for almost an hour before we headed over to Uncle Bill's. She really enjoyed that, and she was a trooper when we had to leave: no huge tantrums about "five more minutes" or anything like that; I was very proud of her!
My sister and her boyfriend came up to see us at Uncle Bill's, we got to give them their Christmas presents that Caelyn had picked out at the school holiday store! AND my sister made cupcakes from the Magnolia Bakery cook book, and holy sugar they were a-mazing. The icing was a little too sweet for me, but the overall package was so so so tasty and beautiful with the pink icing and fancy shiny sprinkles and everything!
We went to sleep late and woke up early and left around 9am. We stopped to get bagels to bring home because we cannot get good bagels here. Fresh grocery store bagels are NOT the same as getting a bagel from a bagel shop in NJ or NYC. They taste so good! Anyway, we actually left at 9:15 after having stopped for the bagels and at the gas station. It was nasty rainy until we left NJ, then it was really foggy until we were north of Albany, then just drizzly til we hit the High Peaks rest area, where we saw the first flakes of snow. The roads weren't bad so I decided to chance going through the High Peaks instead of up through Plattsburgh. I love driving through the mountains and I'm more familiar with the roads, which were thankfully clear. Nothing but a little wet.
We got home safe and sound around 4:15pm and that was the end of our trip. Hooray! Home sweet home.
Showing posts with label The House. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The House. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
It's Snowing. Again!
It seems snowing is the "norm" here in the North Country. I am now convinced that when the weather report says 70% chance of snow, it REALLY means that it will snow at least 70% of the day. The last two days have been sunny (weird!). So sunny, in fact, that some of the snow cover started to melt enough to be able to make a snowman! Me and Caelyn went out after school yesterday and rolled together a boy snowman and a girl snowman (snowoman?).
At any rate, it was almost a relief to see it starting to snow this morning as I was working out to the Plyometrics and Cardio Circuit DVD. It went well. I made it through the warm-up and the first circuit set better than the first time, but really pooped out on the second circuit set. I also definitely sweated a lot more than when I did the same one last week. I think it's because we turned up the heat a little in the living room in the mornings, so instead of jumping around in 58 degrees, it was a balmy 65. I had to crack the door open a bit for a breeze to cool myself off! I also had to pause the video in the middle to get myself some more water.
I did skip Sunday's and Monday's workouts, mostly because Caelyn was home on Monday, and I wanted to move my rest day back to Sunday so I could follow the Insanity calendar how it was written. So, yes, I did skip two workouts. But I jumped back on yesterday and did the prescribed video and hopefully will keep it up. I also got my uncle's old treadmill in the basement now. I need to hook it up and see if I can get it running; it's an old clunker from like, 15 years ago. So when I get it running I'll be doing that as well as Insanity in the AM.
On the craft side, I am almost finished the second set of blocks for the Crochet-a-long blanket I've resolved myself to finish. Two more double crochet blocks, and then it's on to treble crochet in the next color! Woo! I'm excited about this blanket. The first block set took so long; I think because it takes more rows of single crochet to make 9 inches than double crochets. More rows=more time. So I expect the next block set to take even shorter. I will have to find my camera and take some pictures. Can't wait to have all the blocks done and get it sewed together!
At any rate, it was almost a relief to see it starting to snow this morning as I was working out to the Plyometrics and Cardio Circuit DVD. It went well. I made it through the warm-up and the first circuit set better than the first time, but really pooped out on the second circuit set. I also definitely sweated a lot more than when I did the same one last week. I think it's because we turned up the heat a little in the living room in the mornings, so instead of jumping around in 58 degrees, it was a balmy 65. I had to crack the door open a bit for a breeze to cool myself off! I also had to pause the video in the middle to get myself some more water.
I did skip Sunday's and Monday's workouts, mostly because Caelyn was home on Monday, and I wanted to move my rest day back to Sunday so I could follow the Insanity calendar how it was written. So, yes, I did skip two workouts. But I jumped back on yesterday and did the prescribed video and hopefully will keep it up. I also got my uncle's old treadmill in the basement now. I need to hook it up and see if I can get it running; it's an old clunker from like, 15 years ago. So when I get it running I'll be doing that as well as Insanity in the AM.
On the craft side, I am almost finished the second set of blocks for the Crochet-a-long blanket I've resolved myself to finish. Two more double crochet blocks, and then it's on to treble crochet in the next color! Woo! I'm excited about this blanket. The first block set took so long; I think because it takes more rows of single crochet to make 9 inches than double crochets. More rows=more time. So I expect the next block set to take even shorter. I will have to find my camera and take some pictures. Can't wait to have all the blocks done and get it sewed together!
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 1, 2010
It's December!
Well, as my title suggests, it's December. It seems I'm averaging about two blog posts a month. I'd like to change that. And I don't mean give up altogether. I would really like to keep blogging, but I'm not sure what my direction is. Talking about myself every time seems so trivial and boring. But I suppose that's why people create personal blogs, amirite?
I'm currently sitting in my Phonetics class not paying attention. If anyone says anything, I'll just show them my collection of A's and leave it at that. It's not really that difficult and the professor lays everything out for us pretty thoroughly. And this current section seems only slightly harder [for me] because it looks like it involves more math and numbers. The heading on the power point slide that's showing right now is "Average vowel spectra values for several male speakers." Oy. Syntax is going along swimmingly as well. I can't wait for this semester to finally be over already! Finals should be a breeze. The only thing I actually have to do work on is an article summary for which I haven't read the article yet. Twelve pages of drivel that I must summarize in one paragraph. No biggie. The hardest part is trying to understand all the technical verbiage of the experiment that it's about.
But let's forget school for a while. Like, forever. The bigger, more important thing that's happening this month is MOVING. Yes, my dear New Jersians (Jerseyans? Jerseyites?), I will be heading north (WAY north) on the 20th of this month. I'm excited and sad at the same time. I love North Country, the mountains, the trees, the clean, fresh air, the lack of light pollution, the list goes on. I'm excited about this being almost like the start of a new life, a fresh start to everything. But I'm sad because, well, I've lived in the same place for 28 years, pretty much my entire life. My daughter is going to the same elementary school that I went to at her age. It's all so nostalgic! All my friends whom I've known my whole life are here. I'm going to miss the diversity of practically being a suburb of New York City. I'm going to miss the City! I was never one to go to the City very often, but in the past 2 years I think I've gone there more than I have in the whole rest of my life combined. I'm going to miss this mecca of culture, the sites and sounds of the city that never sleeps.
More trivial things I'm going to miss is good Chinese food. A good slice of NY pizza. I'm going to miss a good bagel! As much as I hate the kids in the neighborhood running rampant, I'm going to miss it, too. I'm going to miss telling Caelyn to just go outside and play with her friends. That population density is really a pro of living in an apartment complex sometimes.
If I had any confidence at all in finding a job (in like, a week) that would give me a salary conducive to living in Bergen county, I probably would be more inclined NOT to move. I've thought about it every which way, and it's just not meant to be. Right now. If I ever, EVER, have the opportunity to move back to Bergen county, I probably would.
Trying to find a plus side, I will be very close to Canada! Trip to Montreal, anyone? Another plus is that the house is HUGE. Plenty of room for guests. (hint hint). Also very close to an Indian Reservation. Gambling and Bingo, anyone? But really, I shouldn't have to lure anyone to come visit me with promises of flashy lights and travel across the border, right? RIGHT?? I kid. But really, six hours is a long way away, so I guess I'll have to get used to video chatting? Skype, anyone?
At any rate, I'll probably talk more on moving in a future post, probably about actually packing (boy do I have a lot to say about that), and hopefully an uneventful final trip up, leaving behind an empty apartment and arriving at our destination. Not the final destination by any means, but a destination nonetheless. If I don't blog again until after the move, I shall see you all on the other side, as they say.
I'm currently sitting in my Phonetics class not paying attention. If anyone says anything, I'll just show them my collection of A's and leave it at that. It's not really that difficult and the professor lays everything out for us pretty thoroughly. And this current section seems only slightly harder [for me] because it looks like it involves more math and numbers. The heading on the power point slide that's showing right now is "Average vowel spectra values for several male speakers." Oy. Syntax is going along swimmingly as well. I can't wait for this semester to finally be over already! Finals should be a breeze. The only thing I actually have to do work on is an article summary for which I haven't read the article yet. Twelve pages of drivel that I must summarize in one paragraph. No biggie. The hardest part is trying to understand all the technical verbiage of the experiment that it's about.
But let's forget school for a while. Like, forever. The bigger, more important thing that's happening this month is MOVING. Yes, my dear New Jersians (Jerseyans? Jerseyites?), I will be heading north (WAY north) on the 20th of this month. I'm excited and sad at the same time. I love North Country, the mountains, the trees, the clean, fresh air, the lack of light pollution, the list goes on. I'm excited about this being almost like the start of a new life, a fresh start to everything. But I'm sad because, well, I've lived in the same place for 28 years, pretty much my entire life. My daughter is going to the same elementary school that I went to at her age. It's all so nostalgic! All my friends whom I've known my whole life are here. I'm going to miss the diversity of practically being a suburb of New York City. I'm going to miss the City! I was never one to go to the City very often, but in the past 2 years I think I've gone there more than I have in the whole rest of my life combined. I'm going to miss this mecca of culture, the sites and sounds of the city that never sleeps.
More trivial things I'm going to miss is good Chinese food. A good slice of NY pizza. I'm going to miss a good bagel! As much as I hate the kids in the neighborhood running rampant, I'm going to miss it, too. I'm going to miss telling Caelyn to just go outside and play with her friends. That population density is really a pro of living in an apartment complex sometimes.
If I had any confidence at all in finding a job (in like, a week) that would give me a salary conducive to living in Bergen county, I probably would be more inclined NOT to move. I've thought about it every which way, and it's just not meant to be. Right now. If I ever, EVER, have the opportunity to move back to Bergen county, I probably would.
Trying to find a plus side, I will be very close to Canada! Trip to Montreal, anyone? Another plus is that the house is HUGE. Plenty of room for guests. (hint hint). Also very close to an Indian Reservation. Gambling and Bingo, anyone? But really, I shouldn't have to lure anyone to come visit me with promises of flashy lights and travel across the border, right? RIGHT?? I kid. But really, six hours is a long way away, so I guess I'll have to get used to video chatting? Skype, anyone?
At any rate, I'll probably talk more on moving in a future post, probably about actually packing (boy do I have a lot to say about that), and hopefully an uneventful final trip up, leaving behind an empty apartment and arriving at our destination. Not the final destination by any means, but a destination nonetheless. If I don't blog again until after the move, I shall see you all on the other side, as they say.
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 ;)
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.
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.
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!)
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