Quiet but busy - how does that happen?

It's been so busy lately, at work, in life in general. 

Work has been a serious constant in the busy section of life. But I really do like my work so the busy part is nice. I have awesome coworkers and boss, which helps. 

Life otherwise, is good. I am excited for my niece. I miss my son. I love my boyfriend. I am super excited for Covid-19 to be over.  I am hoping society grows from the obvious changes we need. That's probably a 30/70 shot, if we're lucky. I don't have the biggest faith in about 1/3 of our population, and hopefully it's not in reality more than that. We need a better education, we need people who have empathy. And logic.

Another post, another random thought

It's been a good day so far. Of course, I still have 3 forum posts to write (for my classes) and a lot of work to get done, but honestly, it's just been a good day.

Progress is important. I've gotten a lot accomplished this morning, and by adding coffee into the mix now I feel like things are still progressing :)

Work has been - BUSY as fuck. Seriously, like it's been this nonstop train ride without an exit in sight. Which is a good thing, I much rather be busy than bored.

School is also busy. I am wrapping up a class on HRM this week and started one on business ethics last week. It's a balancing act, between school, kids, and work, but I love it. I do miss reading though. I think out of everything with school, I miss reading for pleasure the most. I am pretty excited for an upcoming trip with my love, where there will be time for that, drinking, eating and lots of fun :)

Minor updates!!

Just, ummm. Yeah! Hi, my name is Alison and I've been absent a bit!!

So, in a nutshell - I am super freaking busy :) Work is busy (always good), home life is busy (yay) and school life is busy :) Taking 2 classes, Accounting Principals and Music Appreciation. Just finished Macro Economics and Business Ethics (A's in both of them). If I stay on schedule, so far so good, I will be done with my. A.S. Spring 2016 :)

This is my cat, Daisy, at her vet appointment last week. She wasn't too interested in spending quality time there.

 

I have a small garden growing in my backyard this year :) Thanks to my awesome boyfriend who was able to dig out an area for me to grow things in :) 2 tomato plants, string beans, sweet potatoes (they were touch and go but I think they've adjusted to the soil, here's hoping), purple dragon carrots, onions and an itty bitty bell pepper. Oh and some lemongrass (for tea!) and flavoring.

I put in 3 rose bushes in the back, all are doing awesome :) we've planted some other flowers as well and also put some out front. My front yard is not as full as the back yet! Little by little though, right!!

I had to get a new lawn mower, and opted for an electric one (instead of manual) since my kid was always whining and people looked at me funny (not that I care about that) AND honestly, I just wanted my yard done faster. It's been awesome :)

The Kid starts high school in the fall. I really *really* hope he does better/likes it better than middle school. Because, yeah, happy that shit is over!

We have a vacation coming up, so excited! Universal Studies in Orlando! SCORE!!

Next year, I REALLY want to see my family in CA. 

This year, I REALLY want to pay off the vast majority of my credit cards, LMAO.

There is a TON more to write, but work is kicking my butt, school is keeping me busy, house/home/love keep me busy :) I will attempt to write more often again though!

The Weekend Updates

Friday, as part of a something or another for work, we went bowling. That is, my coworkers and me. Now, you have got to understand, it's been something like 15-25 years since I've last bowled.

First game = 78
Second game = 138
Third game = 90 I think, it might have been higher, I was more concerned with walking and not falling by the end of that game

It was a lot of fun. I really had an awesome time :)

However. I was lucky I was walking Saturday morning. My left knee thinks I am trying to kill it. I ended up straining my ass muscle (read: hamstring) and my right elbow seemed to complain the least but it still mumbled at me. The only reason I was walking, I think, is Tiger Balm. That shit is awesome. I smeared it all over my ass, knee and arm. Several times. And sat on the couch with my feet up watching TV. Because when I did walk? It was this pathetic mewling shuffling type of walk I would get laughed at if anyone saw it!

Suffice it to say I did not do yard work or house work or really anything much this weekend. Such is life. I am not stressing over that stuff though :)

Saturday, I was able to finish up my homework and get that posted :)

Sunday I took the Kid to see Big Hero 6 - It Was Awesome!

Afterwards, it was grocery shopping, putting food away and pretending to think about maybe doing something around the house. Oh, I did a load of laundry. Well, it's something I suppose!

Sunday night we finally finished watching Season 3 of the Walking Dead. Love this show. Can NOT wait to start watching season 4. Sometime this week I think. Hopefully.

This is a busy week. I need to get my college parking permit, take a test for chapters 1-6 at school, do 3 class assignments, have a band boosters meeting (which means I need to do the finances for that) and clean around the house. And can you fucking believe it's getting close to Thanksgiving?? YIKES!!

I am working on cooking more home meals, trying new things out :) Love love love cooking :) Especially when it tastes good! I need to ship some stuff out, have been sitting on stones for a couple friends for an eternity it seems like! Ha, I already need to plan out when to make more chicken stock, that stuff was awesome and it's almost gone!

Oh and PMS is just around the corner. Bleh.

Lots of Attempting(s)

I've been wanting to write for the past few days but every time I start a draft I sorta just stare at it listlessly and then shuffle off to pretend to work.

So I am attempting to get past this.

Let's see.

Last night was a pretty good night. Me and the kid did our homework together :) I am somewhat annoyed over the fact he is not doing his classwork in Science and Social Studies (and sometimes English) but I am not in the classroom and have no idea what is going on. I explained, again, why good grades are important. He did say that he liked us doing that together (cranky mommy aside I suppose) and wants to do it again tonight (because, he has MORE stuff he hasn't finished).

I will have to remind him I have a Band Boosters meeting tonight :(

Class started for me, it's different since it's all online. I will be attempting to keep the snark out of any forum replies I think. It's a challenge, let me tell you ;)

This past weekend was good. We are watching Walking Dead since I've never had the chance to watch it. Freaky and awesome!!

While on vacation, I gained a few pounds. Not shocking I suppose! It was only like 4 lbs but I will be happy when I get them back off and then the attempt to go another 9 lbs after that. I am also attempting to cut back in sugar in a couple things. Mainly coffee and tea. So, the coffee is creamer only (I can drink it and I don't gag so there you go) and the tea, well. I haven't even used honey. I can tell you that I am learning to appreciate the actually taste of my teas more - without them having that sweet over taste to things - but it's an adjustment! One of the teas I am drinking is Spearmint tea, it's supposed to help women who have PCOS deal with hirsutism. Which, let me tell you, is not the most fun thing in the world. I am soooo tired of having to pluck daily. Granted, it's not a huge amount (some women get it bad :(  ) but still, you are always wondering - is there a stray whisker or hair some place that that person is staring at????

My period is not due until the 14th at the earliest and more likely the 16th but I have been having fun PMS stuff going on. Breaking out, back pain, sore boobs. Oh the joys!!

I have been having a hard time just getting up in the mornings. My bed is all warm and warm and who wants to go to work when you are snuggled in? Then again, I have Tiamet annoying the hell out of me in the mornings because, damn it, she wants food!! Which she has no problems expressing for a solid 20 minutes. Love her, but I kinda got the point in the first time :)

I think with the season finally starting to show itself (yay, it's been chilly!!) my body is doing this whole wonky dance of things. I have been craving Tortilla soup, for instance. And I want avocados more. I want to get my yard prepped for next spring and take care of some tree limbs before winter sets in fully. Finances are tight though, which is to be expected and I'm not stressing over them, but tight is still tight. Suffice it to say I will be spending more time watching the DVR shows and crocheting!! Oh and more cooking :) I want to learn how to make a good beef stew and some yummy country biscuits and and and. I probably have a wee bit of ADD with this stuff!!

So much is going on, with the Kid's band, work and life in general. Sometimes I like at the calendar and it's nice to see if full of awesome things. Other times I wonder if I can squeeze in a nap somewhere :)

My birthday is coming up. I will be taking the day off from work. Reading, making lasagna and some form of dessert. A couple friends are going to stop by in the evening. I just want a quiet and happy moment to savor. I feel like re-organizing some stuff too.

I need to put up my Halloween decorations too. Maybe this weekend :)

I can't think of a good title...

I totally hate that up tick in weight when my period comes around. It's like this bloating battle of caring vs not caring...about my weight and what I eat during that time. Today I ate out for lunch so I checked out the website to see the carbs/calories before hand. Annnnnd, I was totally reminded that I have been pretty damn bad lately about what I eat. So. I'm all, fuck sugar. Because really, it's not good for me, at all (I'm insulin resistant and sugar sucks for those of us with PCOS too). I got coffee with just cream. I made hot tea this afternoon, no sugar. I am going to really slim down on that again - poor sugar is going to be out of the picture for a bit. And I will be better (again) with what I am eating. Now, this does NOT mean not eating certain foods, I will just be smart and not eat more than 1 portion type of thing. Yes, this means even cheesecake. Damn it was good. Anyway, I am pretty good on drinking a lot of water for the most part, but I will do better on that end too. Since it's actually starting to get chilly (SCORE!!) I want to start doing yoga/ballet in the mornings before work and cut back on my walks. Which means I need to get bed earlier and get my fat ass up earlier (I like my fat ass, it's not a derogatory thing, it's a nice ass!!)

After this weekend I am going to start decorating for the holidays :) I will need to stock up on candy for Halloween because last year, I was out in about 30 minutes, it was freaking awesome!!

I think I need to take Tiamet in to see the vet and get her blood work done, see where she's at. I think she's doing ok, but I've noticed one of the cats have been going quite a bit of pee lately. Speaking of kitties, I've cut back on their dry food consumption and it looks like Diego and Daisy are losing weight, which is good. I can see a shape (other than round) when I look at Diego!! I do need to give him another bath.

I also need to spray for spiders around the house, I should have done that this past weekend but I didn't get around to it. Ugh.

I think I am just going to rip out my tomato plant. I will try again next year, but doing it from pots and not in the ground. Don't get me wrong, this thing is MASSIVE but once the tomatoes start to ripen, they split and whatnot. I've heard and read about it's a calcium or some other deficiency, I just didn't plan well enough for 1 small tomato plant to monster out on me and then freak out while maturing. So. Planters for that next year. I need to flip my grass I think soon too, with it getting colder. I will need to figure out what I am planting and where next year for that. Something to work on soon :)

My Kid is awesome. Just thought I'd share that :) Some days more awesome than others, though. Yeah...and some days I just don't want to think about ;)

 I think I've got all the residency stuff worked out now for my class :) I will log in tomorrow and see if it is so I can pay for the course. So excited :) I will have to figure out how that will effect my time too I guess.

Back & Front Yards version 2.0

So, I was doing a lot of yard work today and decided to take a few pictures of what's going on in the front and back yards :)

This picture and the few that are following are of the front yard. As you can see, I've pulled out/dug up more of it.

There was a bush about 2.5 feet high, that the kid trimmed down the bark basically. I was planning on taking it out, but not right at that moment. Suffice it to say, I dug it out today.

Tip: Whack at the tree/bush hard a couple times and then step away. You will see a slew of bugs scatter when they realize their home is on the way out.

Oh and another thing I found, this WHOLE area, with the dirt?? Yeah, it's covering the old side walk. My living room and 2nd bathroom and laundry were an addition to the house. Awesome addition, but I guess the previous owners just decided to cover up the side walk (probably cheaper). So, I am uncovering it and will figure out something creative to do with the look :)

This whole area was plants and flowers and vines. And spiders.

The kid wanted to plant some new flowers (you know me, I keep ripping them out) so we've got these 2 so far!

 Updated picture of the sun flowers growing on the side of the house :)

These are the potatoes :)

You can see, I've been adding more and more dirt, therefore my back yard is losing more and more grass! LOL. It's a learning process, but fun :)

More sun flowers, in the back yard

This was the vegetable box that was moved over from the very back patio. Ahem. It is now full of grass/weeds. Yes, I know. It's on my list.

Some of the flowers blooming right now :)

I now have a lounge chair, which I need to clean and then use :) Also, there are some sun flowers starting to grow back in the far back patio. Oh and I moved the rosemary back there too, hoping it does better.

I've added a Bell Pepper plant and a Tomato plant :) Both are doing good :)

See the pepper??

I've got a few tomatoes already growing :) 

Digging up the back yard...er...and the front

What have I been doing lately? Digging! And some planting too :)

 

I've only done a 2' by 4.5' in the above picture of my front lawn. Suffice it to say, I have quite a bit more to go.


Here are some potatoes I planted actually started to grow!! Score! Now, I must admit, they have actually gotten a lot taller since I took this picture :) About 8" more in growth - I just covered them up with some more dirt hoping to get more out of it :)

Before, the corner had a very prickly tree going there, a ton of overgrowth of weeds and flowers and gods only know what (I will not mention the amount of spiders I have seen so far...)
Me and the boys basically cleared out the front and side and my very awesome man got the tree and other stuff (ahem, spiders). We've also trimmed the tree that's left so that it's not all over the place.

We moved the garden spot to the side fence - where there used to be another tree, well that one was a butterfly bush that died from me whacking at it over the winter and then that winter freeze we had. Still attempting to dig out it's neighbor though!!

 

Some things I attempted to grow from seeds. The basil is now in a larger pot inside, it turns out those tan pots did not have a drain, so...ummm...yeah not good with all the rain we've had lately. Whatever is growing in that center one (shhh I don't remember!) I've since transplanted to a spot in my yard.

Sunflowers that I planted from seeds. Sadly, they are being eaten! I bought some stuff to wash them/protect them. I need to get off my ass and do that soon!!

I should take some more pics to show how things have grown since these...

Oh and to flash back to how the yard looked before??

 - All those trees/bushes on the side? Gone! Now it's where the sunflowers are at.

 All the flowers and bushes and whatnot against the house? Gone!

Left, bushy/tree thing? Gone! Those flowers against the house? Gone, that's where the potatoes are.

Tree in the back? Gone. Tree in front of it? Trimmed. Ahem. You get the idea??

I am basically going to take this whole side (opposite from the trampoline in the picture) and turn it into a veggie garden :)

Just a tad bit excited...

The time is counting down, things are getting closer to being complete and done and over with.

WHEW

So much has been going on lately, thus one of the reasons I haven't been blogging like I was.

Once a couple things finally get put into place, I will figure out how to get this up and going again :)

Tuesday's Rain

It's one of those perfect days for staying in bed all day. Where you are lucky enough to have room service bring you hot yummy tea, warm bread with butter and honey and then throw in a hot guy and life is absolutely perfect.

Today is hopefully going to be busy. I know it will be pretty busy tonight once I'm home. I've gotta give the fat cat Diego a bath, take back the damn Nike shoes that don't fit the Kid, do some dishes, sweep because I always need to sweep and I may even organize the closet in my office. Maybe. And paint my nails. Yep, gotta do that! Oh and take a pic of my scarf.

I need to make some more scarves. I was looking at mine and noticed I have more purple/pink than anything. I should probably do a green, blue, red, and maybe something else...and maybe just more than 1 of those other colors too. Hmmm, winter hobbies can be fun.

Also, tonight is movie night I think at home. Gotta pick up something new to watch with the Kid. Make some popcorn and relax with him :)

Tomorrow I'm working on my puzzle some more, damn it, hell or high water!!

Have you ever heard of an apartment that would charge more if your son/daughter spent more time there (as in, you have full custody or joint custody, or hells, you just got additional time with said child) as compared to when you first moved in? That's a new one to me. Sure, I've heard of pet monthly fees, but not that. Perhaps if you went from 1 or 2 people to say OVER capacity for a place (I believe our old apartment actually had a capacity - like no more than 6 people or something to an apartment, hmmmm I wonder if I still have that old contract if it showed that.) Well, now I'm curious! I wonder what other fucked up policies apartment owners have in place!!  At least I don't have to worry about that shit anymore :) No HOA, it's just me - the owner - Of course, I gotta abide by state/city laws, but damn have to do that anyways so it's no big deal. It would suck for those people in that situation though, where an apartment complex were such assholes that way. Gods forbid someone get pregnant and have a kid, or twins! YIKES!!

In other thoughts!! I am totally wearing my red hot pants today! LOL, I got them on sale at Old Navy a few weeks ago ($9 cords, talk about a steal!) and I need to wear a belt with them because they are bit of low riders and I don't need to flash people my oh so sexy underwear!! But I did have 1 coworker just tell me that I make corduroys look sexy, so that's something I suppose!

I gotta schedule time to get my hair cut and get my Brazilian wax done too. And go to Home Depot, get the paint samples and a quote for my shower.

Seriously busy! But at least things are moving forward and in the right directions :)

Monday Madness!

I am feeling a lot better. I woke up today and just felt like "normal" with some added things of mucus escaping my body and not breathing easily, but other than that - I feel good!!

So yesterday, I woke up and my left eye is all scary red and bloodshot and had pus coming out. The right side of my face hurt so bad I wanted to cry, silently (because crying would have made it worse). I immediately did my Neti Pot to rinse out my sinuses, threw on some clothes and made sure I could move my car from the snow the previous day. Then I took my poor mucus stuffed head to Urgent Care and was told that I have Acute Sinusitis and Acute Bronchitis. They tested me for strep, but I could tell it wasn't that and looky I was right. So, I got me some antibiotics and then picked up a kick ass decongestant and am finally starting to feel like me again. I rested a lot yesterday, though I did get some laundry done and cleaned the floors downstairs. I did this a little bit at a time and just rested on the couch for the remainder.

We watched a lot of TV too. I tried to convince the Kid to go outside and play in the snow but he just looked at me all horrified that I would even suggest such a cold thing. Of course, last night we did head out briefly to look at some very beautiful Christmas lights in a town 10 minutes away and then he was all about playing in the snow. I'm like "See! I told you, you would have fun!" and he was all "I didn't know it was like this outside!" and I'm like "Duh! Which is why I said to go outside!!" and then we just laughed at each other because it was all kinds of silliness :)

Granted, I can still barely talk, though some might think that's a good thing! LOL. And my nose is all raw from blowing it. But my throat is not as sore! And I feel like I can think a bit more clearly now too :) Yay ! I think that by the end of this week I should almost 100% again, which is good since Yule is on Saturday :)

I also got all the Kids presents wrapped and under the tree. I have a few more for others to get done though, hopefully this week :)

This is going to be a busy week! Because, yeah - We have plans to see more Christmas lights, got to buy some winter boots for me and the Kid, get the oil changed in my car, Yule, and I have a company thing on Saturday night too. Then next week is Christmas. Since the Kid is now more firmly - there is NO Santa - well, then he only gets to open his stocking on Christmas. I will still make some kind of awesome breakfast though :) And I am planning on taking him to the movies :) I thinking it's going to be a new tradition - Stocking, Breakfast, Movies. Of course, this will change every other year since he will be with his Dad on those years. Those years, I think I might still stick with that Breakfast and Movies parts :)

I am looking forward to getting better, having fun this month and seeing what the New Year brings in :D Life is good :) Especially when you're happy :) And it's much MORE to be happy than not! Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of this - that it's all good and life moves on and why not be happy :)

It's a busy time of year

So. Crazy fucking busy lately.

I had CPR training today, which was actually pretty cool. I like knowing how to help someone. There were several very funny moments. One of them was when the instructor told us to pair up, 1 person to do CPR and the other to handle the AED. I was the one to do the AED (we switched after so we both get to do the exercise) and at one point the instructor said to run to where our AED is located, tap it and come back so we can get the training one. It was to show more of a real life situation. I was the *only* one who actually RAN to the damn thing and back! I mean, wow. I know it's just a training class and whatnot, but isn't the purpose to actually DO it as if it was an emergency ? I don't know, maybe it's just me?

Did I  mention my spayed kitty being in heat? Briefly I suppose. So, yesterday I basically spent the afternoon running home, got the cat, went to the vet, paid money for them to tell me they are taking blood and sending it out to see if there are hormones in it. Running back home, dropped her off and heading back to work. It was a long lunch. I made up for it today though. Anyway, I will hopefully know by Friday. If so, I will be calling the Humane Society to see if they can help pay for the cost. Because, baby kitty in heat? Not so much fun.

This weekend, I have laundry, packing and cleaning (yes, this includes filing) to get done. Movies on Friday night, dying my hair on Saturday morning, wax job on Saturday afternoon. Way too much to get done!

I would like to get out the Christmas (aka Yule) tree on Sunday and see if it needs more ornaments or anything.

Tomorrow, its the pet store, this cool artsy type store and maybe Michael's. I am not sure about Michael's, my brain might be melting from my head at that point. I want to see about doing some crafty stuff for the holidays for the house. Did I already mention that? Sheesh, see - brain melting!! Oh and I have to do a deposit for the band AND I am helping them with a bit of the fundraiser tomorrow after work.

Busy fucking week!

But next week?? Next week, I fly my fine ass out to Florida and then head out on my cruise vacation. Gods, I have no idea how I am going to handle it. Being away from the kid, cats and loved ones... and just, well, everything. Plus, I have no idea how I will react being on a freaking ship!! I'm getting more and more nervous and excited!! I will probably get the WiFi, oh that reminds me, I need to see if my cell company has a plan for when I am in port! That would be helpful :) Plus I have to let my credit card companies know I will be out of the country :)

I still can't believe I am going out of the country. I mean...just, wow. Wow.

And then I will be back home, hugging my kid and cats and sleeping in my bed and feeling my blankets cocooning me. And being happy. Hopefully a little bit tanner, with some awesome pictures, stories and things for my loved ones.

Ok, I'm tapped out now.

Dental Insurance Annoyances & Hi!!

So, with me going onto my company's dental insurance, the dentist I've been going to for years is not "in-network" but they do take it as out of network. Which, of course, is much more expensive to me. Which means I will be finding a new dentist, which just fucking sucks. Which Which Which, wow, write that work much do I???

The good news, is that the kid's orthodontist is in-network.

But still, HUGE annoyance to me! Because, I really really have liked this dentist and they've done good work! UGH.

So I didn't make it to the movies last Friday night. Just went out to dinner. We went to House of Kobi, which (ahem, that damned word again) was pretty packed. I think I was just sorta peopled out - you know? I just wanted a more quiet place to relax and not dealing with more people and/or crowds.

This Friday, taking the Kid to see Thor in the movie theatre though!! Will have to check out times and which place to take him soon.

I am also pulling down the holiday boxes so they can be split/sorted with the Ex. And the same with the DVD/Blu-ray movies at the house. Good times. Sigh...

Oh and I'm starting to PMS, because life is like that. So. Yes. That.

Other than that stuff though, life is going pretty good. Work is good, the house is always in need of cleaning or laundry doing or something, but that's all normal stuff and good. I'm feeding a stray cat, pushing meds down 2 cats throats twice a day and dealing with angst-y preteen. But honestly? I am just so happy, it's all ok :)

I am soooo looking forward to my cruise! I am getting really excited :) I am pretty sure I have all my clothes, though I should probably check that out and see...and I think I might need more shoes....I don't know. Maybe.

I do know that I am getting waxed on Saturday, Brazilian and under arms (never done those before, which will make it interesting if anything). Then I will see about scheduling another session for my legs right before I leave.

I need a nap. Hmmm, maybe I will see about attempting to go to bed early tonight.

Freaky Friday

Halloween - I had me some trick or treaters! I must say, this is the first year, like EVER, that I have RUN OUT OF CANDY!! And it was only about an hour into it! OMFG. And and and! The kids were nice and polite and their parents were with them and my neighborhood ROCKED it last night!

Ok.

Whew. It was just awesome. AWESOME!!!

I started watching a movie, but got tired and had to record it. I will finish watching it at some point. Maybe Saturday night. Because - tonight - I has a date :) Going to the movies - and it's been forever since I've done that (let alone at night!!) so I am really excited!!

I do have some errands and things to do this weekend...

I need to take back some of the clothes I got in from JC Penny. One dress I am going to give to one of my bff's though, hoping she can wear it this coming summer. That one was ordered off of Amazon, and I am not shipping anything to China, sorry. Besides, the 2 things I got from China were cheap enough I can either give away or see if I can re-sell on eBay or Amazon or something.

I need to vacuum upstairs, since that's the only thing I haven't done. Oh and then organize my office and FILE THE DAMN PAPERWORK I have sitting out. Ahem. I'm a tad bit annoyed at myself over that.

Take back the books I'm not reading to the library. May as well...

Oh and maybe paint. I don't know...I am feeling pretty tired today. Pret-ty tired. I think I might sleep in on Saturday, make breakfast for lunch and then take a nap. Sounds like a good plan to me!!

So, it seems that my screen on my old phone needs to super damned small screw driver to take the screws out. Annoying. I need to now order that. But! Oh!! The Kid's cell phone has been found! So the Great Cell Search of 2013 was a success :)

Ok, time to go clean up some shelves at work. Good times. Sure....

Exhaustive but wonderful Weekend

Can you believe it's already Tuesday??

Friday night was the football game, and I think my ass is still thawing out! I was a chaperon and it wasn't that exciting. But it totally brought back memories of HS Band!! I did take a lot of pictures of the band though. I need to download those and send them to the band director.

We got home kinda late, my brain was friend and the Kids more so.

Saturday, go up late, made pancakes and eggs, cleaned a little bit and then that afternoon was back at the school for the Mummers Parade. Which was a lot of fun and boredom at the same time. Once I dropped him off, I went and parked at the library and just hung out, waiting, for others to show up and the parade to start. Oh and yeah, the Kid ate something like 20 of the pancakes!! Talk about prepping for a long day!

And it was cool watching the parade!

After seeing the Kids band go by, it was time to get something to eat, since I was starving!! So we got Chinese. We were just leaving when the Kid called and said he was back early. We swung by and got him and headed home.

Sunday, the kids slept in late. I mean, it was close to 1 pm by the time the Kid was sorta up. And he said he wasn't hungry, which I think is BS especially considering how much he ate the day before! But damn it, he wanted pumpkin pie it seems. So we head out, go to a corn maze and have a lot of fun :) I take more pictures and we meander our way back home with a couple stops along the way. One being dinner, where he ate literally 3 hamburgers and 1 hotdog. OMG, seriously, that's a growth spurt in the making I think. We also did some grocery shopping on the way home. And it was laundry Sunday and Monday night. And sweeping and dishes and it never, ever, fucking ends! The cleaning!! I like a lot of it to be honest. I just wish it wasn't every single time I turned around!!

In other news: The gas company has been doing construction around my neighborhood and it seems that my house is on their list. So Thursday they will be replacing the pipe line and meter. The guy said it should only take the 1 day. He had a lot of piercings, which was cool. I don't know about replacing gas lines, but as long as everything is safe, and my house isn't destroyed, I'm good with it.

I've been feeding a stray cat. Last night, I think he wanted to come in. Now, I don't mind feeding him, but he's not coming in with his fleas and gods only know what else. Plus, I have my hands full with 4 cats, 2 of whom are sick and 1 will probably end up on a slow downward spiral :( Poor Puck. I've been giving him the antibiotics, which he does not seem to appreciate. And that shit was expensive. Oh, that was another thing I had picked up Saturday morning! See, busy fucking weekend!!

Ok, so stray cat...I put out a towel but I was told that probably won't help, because a 32 degree towel is about the same as 32 degree floor. Good point. So, I will just be washing that and figuring something else out. It was also suggested that a light bulb does put off heat, and that might be a good idea. I like it :) Sometimes even 10 degrees can mean life. Now, if there is some major snow storm or something, I guess I could open the cellar and keep the light on or something. With food and water. I don't know...too much to deal with.

This weekend, I am hoping to paint the office and get a curtain up in that window. I am also seriously considering swapping out the hardware for the curtains in some of the rooms too. I think I will need help with that. I also want to at least see about getting the paint for my room as well. I've sorta decided on a color, if I can match it somehow at Home Depot (I have this beautiful blue moonstone ring, LOVE the blue). I am going to the movies Friday night :) Which is quite exciting!!

Hmmm, I really this this weekend is about getting more of the house done and in order. A good feeling, especially if I can get this accomplished before my vacation. Oh and I think I've gotten everything for the vacation (at least clothes wise) which is a relief.

Ok, time to sign off and go search for the Kids cell phone. Will explain that one later!!

Flipping Friday

Today is a busy day. Not just at work either.

The Kid has a football game tonight, the first in his marching band career! Since it will be tonight and todays high is supposed to be 51 degrees, we will be freezing our collective asses off. I so remember those days in HS though. I personally had a lot of fun, minus all the hard work, being in marching band. Anyway, we won't get home until probably about 11 pm. Yikes.

Then tomorrow night, it's almost a rinse and repeat, just a parade and slightly earlier home time. During the day, I will probably be cleaning and organizing a little bit downstairs.

Sunday, we have plans and will probably be out most of the day. I swear, I will sleep at some point!

Update on Puck:
So, I have been calling the Vet every day, trying to get a hold of the Dr and see what is up. Well, I still didn't talk to her, but I did at least speak to someone. Who somewhat relayed what the Dr. said and that she wanted to do a urine culture, which would entail Puck being there all day, them taking the urine directly from his bladder and costing me about $160. I just don't have it. Partly because I know it won't end there. With Vets and animals, it almost never ever does. She did say that his kidneys are borderline and that is possible to step away from the brink. With a special diet, supplements and fluids being pushed (see what I mean about it not ending??). Hello, single mom here who works full time and barely has time to eat anymore. So. I asked what other options there are. She called me back much later and said I could do a general antibiotic and see if that kills anything that MIGHT be growing in his urine (aka bacteria) and that the Dr. will talk me to later at some point about options. One of the things she brought up was just a "wait and see" on how he's doing. And for the last couple of days, he's been ok. He's been sitting next me, he's eating, drinking and everything else. We're keeping the bathroom door shut so he won't pee on the towel/rug in there. And I got this Nature's Miracle to eliminate the urine odorbut the one I got is lavender scented I think. Hopefully it will work and the antibiotics will work. However, the eventuality of it is that he will have be put to sleep once things get worse :_( So. I'm taking lots of pictures of him. I'm keeping the Kid aware of the situation, because that is not a happy surprise.

It's not an ideal situation, but any situation with a sick cat is never good.

In other news, still not reading as much as I was. Not sure if this good, bad or just eh. Maybe at some point this weekend I will read. LOL, gods, that sounds so weird to me - the one who used to read 4 or 5 books in a week. It just seems that my time is better spend elsewhere now...Will see what kind of balance can be reached ;)

Back to the grind

Just a quickie - for right now

Work yesterday kicked my fat ass that's for sure. We had office movers and installers in to move/set up shelves and move these pallets/racks/shelves/anything heavy into a new warehouse that will probably be a good portion where I spend my days moving forward.

I barely sat down, completely missed lunch and talked myself hoarse. Good times! But the shit got done, and that's all that matters :)

However, here's some life/death that was going on.

This poor toad. It seems it was getting too cold for the little guy. He's barely alive in this picture...

Here we have a mouse in the house at work. I tried to get a picture of him but all I seem to get was the nest he's made himself.

EDIT: Removed broken pics/links

Thursday's child has far to go...

It's Thursday! Soon I will be covered in paint, tape and probably tears! I didn't go to the store yesterday, only because the ONLY thing the Kid needed was chicken for sandwich. Really? Dude, you can have peanut butter and jelly. I mean, seriously...

I did punch my bag (it was like 2.5 songs worth of P!nk) which equals probably about 6-10 minutes. I didn't just try to whale on it, I am trying to get my arms into better shape. Then I swept the stairs and all the rooms (except the bathroom) downstairs, took out the trash and pulled some weeds. Oh and of course cat litter. I was sweating more from my chores than the bag work...hmmm, why does that not sound right?

I need to get to bed earlier. It's typically about 1 am for some reason. Maybe I will drink some lavender or Valerian tea at night and see if that helps.

Tonight, it's get the cats to the vet, laundry and bills. Tomorrow it's a hot date with Home Depot and moving the kids room into some form of chaos in the center of said room so that I can have access to his walls. Saturday, it's painting. And maybe some more yard work of ripping shit out of the ground...

Today, I certainly do have far to go (though, I was born on Friday...this rhyme just popped in my head for some reason)! Lots of things to do. I am also starting to compile a list of things that need to be done to the house...somethings will be easy to take care of...those I want on my short list. That way, I can save and plan out for the larger things. All I know, this shit is exhausting!! I need a handy man!!

Work is work. I am going to pretend it's busy today. I am leaving early to pick the kid up from band practice and hopefully hit the store on the way home. Then the torment will be begin...

Tuesday's Thoughts - Minus the Thought Process

It's Tuesday right? Because, I could have SWORN today felt like Wednesday (HUMP DAY! and yes that camel commercial is now stuck in my wee little head)

You know what else??? I haven't smoked in just over 3 weeks. I know I commented on this to my sister and friends when talking, but I don't think I've really blogged about it much. My son is too funny. I mentioned it to him the other night, to see if he had noticed anything different with me. He said he didn't want to say anything (yes, he did notice and is happy I am not smoking or going outside so much), in case he jinxes it, because - you know - talking about it just might make me want it. I have no idea what this whole thing is...but I don't want them, don't crave them. There have been a few moments where the habit of just going outside for a break (home or work) is there, but not that urge to buy or smoke cigarettes. I don't think I've ever quit this way before. When I've quit in the past, either I was pregnant (and yeah, there is NO WAY I could smoke and do that to my unborn babe) or I used something like the patch. Because I think I tried quitting through sheer will power once or twice and that didn't work. Something stressful would happen and I would be right back at it. I don't even have any cigarettes anymore. I know I had thought about keeping 1 pack, for a "just in case" moment. Yes, well. Fuck that. So far, so good. It is weird in a lot of ways. Just because of that 'normal' habit of doing some things. I attempted to read today at lunch but kept getting distracted it. Hmmm, I am going to have to somehow work on that.

I didn't get a lot done yesterday at home. I was sorta in a bleh mood. I did sort through a slew of papers and at least put them in a pile to eventually file. I spent some time online too, with the Kid - since I got him set up on Gaia and it's sorta his new addiction (that's aside from anytime he spends on Mine Craft). Today though, I have a ton of things to get done. Laundry (shock), sweeping (double shock on that one) and HOPEFULLY getting my new phone set up - YAY. I decided it would probably be a good idea to see if I can get my screen repaired, so I ordered a kit online today. What I will do, if that is successful, is move my kid to my old phone. Which should make him brilliantly happy. Hopefully that won't be an issue...just a sim card move I think for his. I know that I can move my contacts over to my new phone - but you know what? This might be a good time to get rid some of my old contacts and not drag them over into the new things I have going on. Of course, I will write them down (Yes, I do have an old school phone book) and leave it at that. Sometimes it's really nice and a good thing to start fresh :^D

I've been shopping online (oh snap) and trying to figure out just what the fuck I will be taking with me on this cruise coming up. I think I need to plan out every day's outfits and add 2 and just hope things sorta work out that way. Oh I did buy a couple new sports bras - exciting I know. But it's actually kinda cool that I've lost enough weight that my current sports bras just don't do what they're supposed to do :)

Speaking of weight, I have been at 211 for the last month. Yeah, it's fluctuated a little bit (period hormones and all that) but it's been pretty stable. So. This means I need to really get my ass in gear and try to get the next segment of weight off. I think 11 lbs isn't that much! I should be able to do this with all the painting and yard work and whatnot, right? Right?? Damn it, RIGHT ???? Let's hope so, because, yeah I don't do gyms. Hmmm...and after this 11 lbs is gone? Then I am going to start back on my NY Ballet DVD and maybe some Tai Chi :)

Thursday I will be taking Puck and Tiamet to the Vet. Joys. Hopefully we will see if Puck has a UTI or something or if he's just pissing in the bathroom because he's a nut job. And they will both get their blood work done. With them being 12 years old, I don't mind getting that done more often as they get older...though I hate to say it, if either of them end up diabetic, I will probably have to put them down. I barely have the time or energy to handle 4 able bodied cats now, so if one of them ends up with something that is going to really require more of my time, that won't be good. Not to mention, and really perhaps the main point of their existence at that moment, is how happy will they be with having to get shots and everything that goes along with that?? Puck, I know does NOT take pills well at all. Tiamet is good with it, but Puck will basically dry heave or puke it back at you. Him taking medicine is not easy...and I don't want them in pain (arthritis or anything) because *I* know what that is like and I can take advil or something, they can't. And yes, animals do have a higher threshold for pain than us mortals...I just don't want them unhappy and miserable for MY sake.

I don't want to think about this anymore.

(though I will admit I won't miss the loud meowing at 2 am or caterwauling that they do - shhhh I didn't REALLY just say that...I didn't)

And back to work. Because that is a good distraction.

Also: I started using this organic deodorant (mind you, this is NOT an antiperspirant) and it's this oil/alcohol blend and it's different and so far I don't stink. So...that's good, right? As for sweating, well, damn I work with about 30 guys who I don't care if they see me sweat. So. I might keep an extra shirt though at work, in case I ever soak one to the point it's just gross to be in the same room with me. Not that I see that happening this fall/winter. Spring or summer, maybe...

And now I really am going back to work...

Freaky Friday's Thoughts....which are not that exciting...unless you count Sugar Walls

Yesterday, work kicked-my-ass. I barely sat down. A good thing, in some ways. Annoying in others. I has things to do!! So lunch time was taken up with Band Booster stuff, which it will again today.

I had a band boosters meeting last night, I got there early as I had more stuff to catch up on. I brought the kids laptop so I could work on things. It turns out that was REALLY helpful, because during the meeting I was able to get a lot of stuff done too.

PMS has only made a wee bit cranky, nothing bitch quality yet. But I've noticed my temper at work need to be reigned in more. Bloated/water weight has added a few pounds, which I hate but at least know it will go away. And still not smoking too. Weird. Very very weird. I am, of course, not reading as much, which is even more weird. I have a couple books I do want to finish, maybe I will get some time soon??? Maybe not! Too much stuff going on! :) Tonight, it's laundry, vacuuming and straightening up - no real big stuff. Tomorrow, my sister gets here!!! Yay!!! SO EXCITED!!!

Watched some TV last night, got distracted and finally went to bed. Even though I went to bed at a decent hour (hey, it was before 11 pm!!) I could NOT sleep. Thoughts just kept churning over and over at me.

Ok, so I woke up at like 5 am for some strange reason this morning. After falling back asleep though, I dreamed of sex. Like major-ly yummy hot sex. See, with PMS - the week before my period - my libido seems to go into over drive. And the books I am reading right now aren't exactly helping with that. So. Yes, dream sex. And for some reason during this dreamy sex marathon in my head, I hear Sheena Easton's song - Sugar Walls. Now, talk about a flash back! I remember when this was on the radio. Ahem. Loved it then, didn't quite understand it as I do now!! So. There you go