stimulating the economy - at home and a broad.

hmmm. rather TITilating, TITle, wouldn't you say?

c'mon - 'stimulating'? 'broad'? 'TITilating'????

that's funny. because i still have a junior high sense of humor. don't believe me? check this out.

so - after a horrible, angst-filled day yesterday, and a beyond boring, horrifying and humorous night at school last night...

horrifying & humorous you say? read on...

last night, i'm at photo class, waiting for it to start, playing solitaire on my Nintendo DS. there's a woman in front of me and a man next to me (the very same man who gave the most gawd-awful, boring lecture on Adobe Lightroom - for a moment, i was back in beginning algebra, wishing for death to take me.) and another woman next to him.

those two were chatting away, with the woman in front of me occasionally jumping in the conversation, then jumping out again.

then -

woman in front of me turns around to the other two. chipper as can be. "oh, i've wanted to ask! how's your husband liking retirement?"

wait for it....

"he died. two years ago."

you could've cut that silence with a knife.

the woman in front of me apologized most profusely. wishing, as i know i was, for the floor to open up and swallow her whole. and while i was horrified, feeling terrible for this poor woman, at the same time, i was biting the inside of my lip, realizing the black humor in the situation.

and black humor for me rocks.

after a few minutes, woman in front of me got up, walked over and apologized most profusely to the other woman, who accepted it graciously. as she should.

the boring part - the man next to me who did the presentation on Lightroom. (linda, my friend, you should've been there. he would've cured your insomnia in a heartbeat.)

i dang near dislocated my jaw several times during the presentation. and high tailed it out of there at break.

so today, my mom & i had a date to hit the Scrapbook Expo, down in the OC Fairgrounds. i sometimes dread these dates, only because my mom, God bless her, canNOT get around worth a darn, and does not recognize her own limitations. so - she does too much, messes herself up again, and THEN my stepfather gets mad at ME because I was the one who invited HER.

so, after a so-so shopping experience, in the rain, we came home. and before i could share my limited purchase with the Husband, he announced his own economic stimulus package:

he has a third interview up in Chatsworth next week.

i was ready to rejoice, when he said that they had called and scheduled it for next Wednesday, THEN they called again and moved it up to Monday - at 3:30 p.m.

(not that i understand why it is that these people don't understand that AFTER the interview, the Husband has to drive home. in prime drive time gridlock.)

now there is much rejoicing in the land - not about the gridlock, about the third interview.

makes me almost wish i had bought more stuff today.
more to follow.

a random thought haiku post.

*the dang cold is back. stupid thing must like me. really, i'm not all that so you don't need to hang around.

*irritated as hell with the photo class. not the class per se, i love the teacher, but dagnabbit, the people in the class are a bunch of photo snobs who, although i have no doubt are talented and know what they are talking about are STILL a BUNCH OF SNOBS WHO DROP LINES LIKE: 'well, last year when we were on safari in Africa...' heck, if i didn't know better, i would think i was in the middle of 'Real Housewives of Laguna.' except that most of the people in my class are men. men that are older than me. sheehs.

*day from hell today at work. it's amazing some people keep their jobs. and that others of us don't come in and shoot up the place. not me. i can't aim.

*laying low this weekend. but am planning on having chilaques for breakfast Sunday. yum-o.

*laughing at the recent offer i got for Creating Keepsakes magazine: 2 years at the ridiculously low rate of $24. why, that's only a dollar an issue! and an 83% savings over the cover price of $143.76. wow. now that's a bargain.

*i have lost my most favorite-wear-them-all-the-time pair of silver hoops earrings. and right now i don't care about the starving children in China OR El Monte, i.want.my.damn.earrings.

*work is sponsoring a biometric health fair, free cholesterol, diabetes, etc screening. oh, and a BMI index reading. looking forward to busting the chart on that machine.

*seriously. is it possible to STOP producing snot for five minutes?

*saw a can at the Mexican restaurant we frequent for Bud Light mixed with Clamato. Clamato.
totally gross.

*SO looking forward to a better week this next week.

if '09 wants me, it'll have to come in & get me.

the party's over...if you can call 2008 a par-tay.

we've eaten our black-eyed peas. luck is insured, right?

right?

anywhooo...

i'm not one to make resolutions. never have been. i usually come up with ideas what i want to try and accomplish in the new year, and sometimes (OK, most of the time) they fall by the wayside.

this year is different.

the resolutions i'm making i think...no, i know, are ones i need to keep.

* i resolve to worry less...especially over things i have no control over. people i work with that drive me crazy...i'm letting it go. there are always going to be people who don't do the right thing, or don't do what i want/need them to do.

*i resolve to not sweat the small stuff. let's face it: there are things we all worry about that are nothing but a waste of our time and energy. there's a ton more fun things in this world i can be doing with that time & energy.

* i resolve to have more fun. whether that means scrapbooking, writing or working on mad photog skillz.

for shizzle.

oh, and i resolve to not try and be cool, yo. i'm really too old.

bring it on, '09. i'm ready for you.

in other news...

Friday night, we met up with my best friend and her kids out at the Mission Inn in Riverside for their annual Festival of Lights. we've never seen them before, and to say it was amazing is an understatement.

the place is a target rich photo environment any day of the week. well, add bunches of lights (and some really creepy anamatonic figures-they were really weirding us all out) and it becomes amazing.

i love photo rich environments.

the place is amazing.

just amazing. inside & out.

and so are the shops around the Inn. amazing windows.


and some cool decorations they had that reminded me of giant dandelions. or, as Kristie said, 'all i can think of is 'we are here, we are here, we are heeeeere!!' (a la Horton Hears a Who!) i thought they would look super cool in black & white.

thanks for the invite, Kristie. it was totally cool.

here's to a new year, full of new promise.

still standing.

no worries, kids. while living here was like living in some palm tree lined ashtray, nothing in our neck o de woods burned, smoldered or was singed.

and that is a very good thing.

so far, things are looking better for the firefighters. temps are dropping and the 70mph+ winds we've had are dying down. according to the news, the fires down here and up in Sylmar are 40% contained, the Santa Barbara one is considered out.

and the Husband, down in San Diego for the weekend with one half of the Cutest Kids in Hesperia, had a little challenge coming home; one of the freeways he takes from Hesperia was closed because of the fires, which left the 91 freeway. that one goes through another fire area, but while it was slow go, he got through fine.

p.s. - he's posting about his Midway adventures, but he's still working on it, kids. i'll let you know when he gets it completed.

not that there was any fire danger for us, but with all the heavy smoke & ash, it was scary. and many others weren't so lucky. and while there's no good time to lose everything, right now during this economy, it truly sucks.

switching gears...

tis the season - to get Christmas cards and gifts made. the supervisors at work are getting...wait for it...wrapped candy bars.

woo hoo!

i saw these at an open house at one of my local scrapbook stores; a big Hershey bar, wrapped in Christmas scrapbook paper and tied on one side with Christmas ribbon & mini tree ornaments.
i'm doing the same thing, except instead of ribbon, i'm using red netting.

cuter. cheaper, too.

and, being a lo-lo head, i always feel weird giving homemade gifts. i'm not sure why.
maybe it's because, years ago, i gave my then boyfriend's mom a poem i wrote, with a drawing.

i can't draw. i can barely write. it was still in the spare room on the floor, weeks after i gave it to her.

now i'm sure it's in a landfill.

in either case, it makes me feel like i'm giving someone a macaroni picture frame, spray painted gold and covered in glitter.

only when it comes from a kid, it means something. from a 46 year old, it ain't so cute.

i think i need therapy.

going to the fun part of town.

last Tuesday, my photography class to a trip to Balboa Island for some shots.

Balboa, for those of you not local, is really more of a peninsula than an island. south of us here in the O.C., you can either drive direct, or take the ferry for fun and go across the channel.

like any other beach town, the houses are cute, small and right on top of each other. in the older part of Balboa, some of the houses are back from the '20s.

i used to be friends with a girl who's sister in law's grandmother was an original property owner, and we got to house sit for a long weekend, which totally rocked. heck, the house even had locks on the door that you opened with an old-skool skeleton key.

i never wanted a house more in my life.

back to class.

we set up at the end of a street, across from the Balboa Pavilion, about 25 of us, all with tripods, sweatshirts and lots of Starbucks. our instructor was giving us settings for the camera (some i got, some i couldn't figure out), trying out effects with shining flashlights on objects & people and the like.

the class was all about using existing light, no flash, just what's provided. most weren't bad, but everything's a learning curve, right?

this one was set on a timer, then just before it went off, we manually zoomed in & out. kinda cool. kind of an acid trip, dude.

after about an hour here, we headed back into the main drag for more fun with existing light and working with bracketing.

at least i understood that a bit easier than what we were trying to do at the Pavilion.

while everyone else was running off to take photos of store windows displays, i found this floral shop that i fell in love with.

loved everything about it. how the pumpkins were arranged, the windows, everything. i can't wait to head back around Christmastime to see how it's all decorated.

what a great name. and exactly what i was feeling, snapping away.

then, just a few shops up, was this little jewel. a tiny bistro with a single table outside.
man, did they know we were coming or what?

i was so happy, i could've peed my pants. only it would've been so embarrasing.then i found this little gem of a stairway...made me oh so happy.

and just a final reminder:

it really is, you know. especially with a camera in my hand.

oh boy.

the Husband got cut loose from the sleep study early yesterday and wasn't too happy.

not about getting cut loose, but about the results. turns out he has sleep apnea, and they want him on a C-PAP machine. i'm hoping insurance covers it, because if it doesn't, i told him he just may have to die in his sleep.

SO kidding.

at the hospital, (which he said was more like a hotel room) he was probed, prodded and hooked up to electrodes from head to feet. the worse part, was the goo they attached the probes to on his head...he kept washing his hair over and over after he got home to get the goo out.

then there was the fact that he couldn't sleep. well...he could sleep, but when he would pause in his breathing, the nurse would come in and wake him, taking vitals and such.

it reminds me of being in the hospital...you can't get any rest because the nurses are in every hour or so taking your temperature, blood pressure and asking how you're sleeping...which i know they have to do, it's just ironic that you need to rest to heal but can't.

they fitted him last night with the 3 Bears of CPAPs. one was too tight (claustrophobic), one was too weird (tubes in his nose, felt freaky) and the other was just right...well, as right as something over your face is gonna feel.

now that work calmed down somewhat, for me anyway (i was covering for one of my teammates who had a dozen ants in her house and lost her mind...but that's another post. maybe. i stayed until 6:30 pm Tuesday and missed my photo class, came in @ 6am yesterday and stayed until 4:30) i can satisfy my control freak issues and do some research on this whole thing...and see if i can hear the radio commercial again, where the local news sportscaster had used the CPAP, but went to something else.

being a control freak is fun.



in other news....

my 14 year old self is coming out to play and should be in full force by Friday.

i'm seeing the Osmonds.

ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh
ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh.

a friend i work with, who is another Osmond freak, got the tickets. i don't remember if i was here with y'all when we got tickets to see Donny @ the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. totally cool. totally fun. totally hysterical to see an auditorium filled with mostly pre/post menopausal women, acting like they were teenagers again.

not me. i never was a screamer - sorry. and yes, you can read into that whatever you want.

so Friday, it's back to Cerritos to see Wayne, Merrill, Jay & Jimmy. it'd be totally cool if Donny would make a surprise appearance, but i'm not holding my breath, since he & Marie are doing a show in Vegas.

what's funny is, while my friend and i both like Donny, she actually liked Jay better. now that we're both (sort of) grown up, we're both thinking that Jimmy was the one we should've liked.
even though he was a butterball as a kid, he was starting businesses at the age of 13 and turning in tax returns.

he's been doing a lot of different businesses since. real estate. marketing. performing. i think that, even when the Osmonds lost most all of their money in the 80s, he was the only one not in financial trouble.

dagnabbit. mom was right - always go for the smart one.
i hate it when she's right.

did you hear something fall?

sorry, couldn't resist.

fall is here. arrived @ 8:44 this morning.

i love fall. the feel of it. the difference in the air. the ever so slight chill that starts, grows and blooms into winter.

well, except for here in Mostly Smoggy So. California, where we have two and a half seasons. spring/summer, then winter.

i had no idea that leaves actually change colors in parts of this great land. here, the grass just gets a little less green and the hills hereabouts go from brown of the summer to green as the rain comes. one year, the Husband decided that i needed to see the leaves change color. so we made plans to visit friends in Michigan in October, just when the magic would happen.

which was great - except that the leaves had changed about a week or so before we got there. also, our trip was in October 2001. right after September 2001, where my underwire bra stopped traffic leaving Michigan but that's another post.

ah - California. a land of conflicts...and not just the ones about our state budget.

in other news...

i had no idea i could enjoy a class sooooooooo much. love, love, love this photography class.

tomorrow is all about f-stops and such and i have no doubt that my notebook is going to be chock-full of notes...some of which may be legible.

i'm already planning on signing up for the instructor's intermediate class next semester.

y'all have said some very nice things about my photos, and i appreciate every one. i just want to be really, really good. not necessarily talented, but at least better.

nothing new on the job front for the Husband - and i think it's starting to really get him down. today was a pretty sad boy moving around here.

he really needs to work - not only for the monetary gain, but it's got to be a downer, only working 2 months from the year.

speaking of the Husband, yesterday, we drove out to the Chino airport, a municipal one out about 35-40 minutes from our palatial estate. they have a 'Planes of Fame' museum there, and we were going to go...until we saw the admission fee...heck. at that price we can have a yum-o dinner out.

but, having never go anywhere without my little black precious, i got completely excited about this, right across the street from the airport.

stop laughing, Linda. moo-cows are a rarity in the city.

this one was a little cranky.
and if you look carefully, you'll see she's very drooly. must be the thought of getting her picture taken. i feel the same way every time i get to play with my precious.

moo, indeed.

Alton's coming to live with ME.

me. not you.
Alton Brown is coming to live at my house. in October. just in time for my wedding anniversary.



OK. so he's coming to my Nintendo DS. he's still coming to my house.

just in time - they're releasing a game for the Wii and Nintendo DS - Iron Chef America. you can battle Mario, Cat or Morimoto, while Alton runs commentary.

oh you KNOW i'm getting this.

how old am i again?

what the heck. the game is WAY cheaper than the macro lens i want.

*sigh*

who says you can't buy happiness? you just gotta know how much happiness you can afford.

it's too damn hot.

and i realize that hot here in Mostly Smoggy So. Cal is nothing compared to what Jolene deals with, but still. i'm a baby and i don't like it hot or humid, thank you very much.

and where will i be all this weekend?

outside. in the heat. what the hell?!

we have friends coming down for the rest of the week. i'm gearing myself up for battle...
well, possible battle. not with both of them, just one of them.

she doesn't care much for me, but puts up with me because her husband and i have been friends for...well, forever. for crying out loud, though, i met her the same dang day i met him.

oh well.

we've had some run-ins before, and i think she's found that i will push back when pushed.

it's just weird to be looking forward to someone visiting, while at the same time, mentally preparing for a possible battle.

more to come.




in other news....

my girl, Linda, for whatever reason (i think the check finally got there!), has decided that mine is an artistic blog.



oh you.

so - here's the rules:

Recipients of this award must strive to pass it along. Indeed, one good turn deserves another.

(1) Pick five blogs that you believe deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.
(2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
(3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given him or her the award itself. (I know those of you Texans won't go that!)
(4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of Arte Y Pico blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award which is here: Arte Y Pico

Tug- the girl's got an eye for photos. and she lives in hell, so you know there's lotsa photo ops there.

Susie Q - gaaah. i want a tenth of her talent in the world of photo taking. not only that, but visiting her little corner of the internet is like walking into a perfectly temperate pool...refreshing and restful.

April - my girl bares her heart on her pages. 'nuff said.

Melissa & Mama P - writing is my first love. these two do it professionally, but understand the power of the written word and still manage to infuse their writing-for-fun with humor, pathos (ooooh! triple word score!) and power.

awards are cool...even if i didn't get a dang ribbon at the fair (i've let it go. no, really.), but i think all of us blog because we like it. not because we're looking for accolades.

but they are nice. thanks Linda...and thank you, you, you, and you, lurking in the corner, for reading every day and going on this crazy ride with me...even when my writing is crap.

the glorious fourth

what can i say that hasn't been said before?

remember the fallen.

salue the standing.

Happy July 4th.

guilty, guilty, guilty!!!

guilt, my friends, is a powerful thing.

it makes you feel terrible.

you know, guilty.


enter my Susie Q.

for some silly reason, she felt guilty that she missed my birthday.

for criminey's sake, it's not that big a deal. 'sides, it just turns it into the never ending birthday.

but this silly girlie, she felt bad enough to give me a cupcake.

feel guilty all you want, baby.



in other news...

i got the most rotten birthday card in the mail today, along with the best magnet from my Linda. and yes, dear, i DO have my magnafying glases on in order to type this. pfttttttttttttttt. :op

AND i got the best text message from Melissa today as well.

i have the best friends ever. and that includes you.

dodging bullets.

jury duty today.

oh joy.

i don't know what it is about jury duty that turns every dang one of us into a bunch of crybabies. myself included.

now, if it came down to me needing a jury of my peers, well, all i can say is i want the system to work, as it usually does every day in America.

but i also know that there's a lot of idiots out there. a lot. and i'm not sure i want them as a jury of my peers.

of course, there's the fact that if i was stupid enough to get arrested and put on trial for something, then apparently i get what i deserve.

on the bright side, since i had my service rescheduled from last November, to April to now, i got to go to Fullerton, not too far from our casa, and much nicer than driving to the county seat of Santa Ana.

downtown Santa Ana.

with the occasional gang problem. that i have to drive the 5 freeway to. (ed. note: the 5, is a main artery going from San Diego in the South all the way up to the California state line, and beyond. it gets crowded. a lot. especially since it goes by most of the major Mostly Smoggy Southern California attractions)
so i gladly will take Fullerton. 'sides, they have a totally cool Old Town and some bad ass vintage and antique stores. a good vibe it has.

and i got to drive the Buick. why, where is your car, you ask? oh, it would be at the radiator ship, getting pressure flushed and all new hoses put in.

nice.

yesterday, B decided to replace my air filter and check the oil. then, on a whim, he checked my radiator, which apparently had more sludge than Washington DC.

so this place came recommended to us, and as they flushed, they told B that my hoses needed replacing.

see - everything falls apart after 45.

anywhoooo - they are keeping my car until tomorrow afternoon, and lucky Brendan, he gets to get up early when i do, so he can take me to work.

ah, the Luck of the Irish indeed.

while at jury duty, i was busy attending a pity party in my honor, when smack in the middle of it, one of my Voices in my Head (the smarter, more sensible one, as you will see) walked over to me and smacked me in the back of my head.

'um, hello?! do you not realize how lucky you are?'

lucky? me?? have you not noticed that half of our household is unemployed, i may bloody well be as well and my freaking car is being repaired for the tune of $300?

'you are lucky. you are working. you have the money to fix, and things could be worse. you are not only lucky, you're blessed and you should hit the ground and thank God for your blessings.'

man. i hate it when she's right.

it's all a matter of prospective. the forest vs. the trees. it reminds me of one of my favorite 'Far Side' cartoon about the four types of personalities. the first one joyfully sees the glass as half full, the second as, naturally, half empty. the third is confused about the glass and what was that question again?

the last one says, irritated, 'hey! i ordered a cheeseburger!'

that one is me. occasionally missing the point altogether.

so i am blessed. we have the money to fix the car, the timing just sucks.

and to add to my blessings, i got excused from jury duty around 11:45, no more cases that needed juries that day.

i felt like i did on the last day of school.

blessed beyond reason. i just need smacked around sometimes to realize that.

Vegas, baby!

what happens in Vegas does not necessarily stay in Vegas. especially if i have a camera.

this is what happens when you have a bored 15 year old on the drive to Vegas, and she decides to have a camera war with you. you will lose and i will show these to your future boyfriends.

one of the most famous signs in the world.

a fine pub inside New York New York. i only saw one fine Irishman, and i'm married to him.

(p.s. - he also bought a shirt that says in Gaelic: if you can read this i will go to bed with you. naughty boy.)

da Strip.

New York New York

we didn't go in. they flippin' wanted $16 for admission. um, no thank you.

Paris LasVegas.

we also visited Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill at Harrah's. niiiice. what can you say about eating deep fried mac & cheese?

and did i mention that Donny & Marie are gonna be out there starting in July?? oh, happy happy day.

a good trip. all in all, a good trip. after all, it is Vegas.

Viva Lost Wages.

we be back.

i'm still poor.

my friend's grandma celebrated her 95th birthday yesterday. she won more on the slots than i did.

i did, however, win myself a lovely head cold.

i am still in my pyjamas while others of our traveling party are at work. (neeener, neener, neeeee-ner!)

photos will follow...soon as i feel better.

it's sprung.

bare feet + freshly cut grass + a dandelion = instant happiness.

spring has sprung.

would you rather have a Buick or a job?

or both?

personally, i'll take Rock & Roll for $300, Alex.

so the truck went in to the body shop today.
then the adjuster mentions that possibly the insurance won't pay for the body work, because the truck is older.

great.

so we've said a silent prayer that the insurance finds it in their hearts to fix said car.

i'm not in the mood for car payments. neither is he.

he also met with the owner of the possible job today. they discussed what they both want from the position. they're meeting again this Thursday.

and we got the rental.

it's a Buick LaSauer. a V6, which has nice pickup.

very. nice. pickup.

so Brendan took me for a drive. i said we should drive down to Leisure World (a retirement community down here) and go trolling for babes.

grandma babes, but babes nonetheless.

this is one sweet ride. really. either that, or dang it, i'm older than i thought.

or both.

meme redux

while i'm still on my Keith high, i recognize the fact that not everyone wants me to continue talking..er, writing about it until next month.

those people are bitter.

so, for those small section of my blogging public, i present this, tagged by Linda.

The rules for the meme are:Link to the person who tagged you.Post the rules on your blog.Share six non important things/habits/quirks about yourself.Tag someone at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

hmmm. first off, i'm not so deep that i have more things/habits/quirks that i haven't already shared.

i could make up stuff. or recycle. you guess which is which.

1) i HATE styrofoam. have i not mentioned this before? i will buy eggs ONLY in a pressboard box. if i get something encased in styrofoam, someone else needs to take it out of the box for me.
while i leave the room.
no kidding.

2) i took ballet for years. it had no effect on my coordination and/or grace. and in my first (and from what i remember only) recital, i was a cat. the costume had ears. and a tail.

3) on my grad night, we went to Knott's Berry Farm. the guy i went with & i got the bright idea to buy a rabbit from their petting zoo (it's since been eliminated). we shared custody.
during my month of custody, while i was cleaning the cage, my auntie let our dog out in the back yard. poor rabbit had a heart attack and died the next day. imagine getting that phone call - the rabbit died.

4) i always tap the top of my soda cans before i open 'em. like that's gonna keep 'em from exploding.

5) Tim Pederson was my first crush. he had shaggy blonde hair and always wore an old school Mickey Mouse sweatshirt.

6) i used to collect spoons. you know, those souvenir ones? the little ones? then, it was anything with a rainbow on it. then unicorns.
no, not really. never liked unicorns.
then it was teddy bears. then cows. now i collect scrapbook supplies.

word.

i tag you, if you want to play. but since le rules state i need to tag specifics, i tag Tug and Susie.



and did i mention i'm seeing Keith next month?

happy dance time!!

holy freaking crap. i'm about to wet my chonies.

what - too much information? again??

that is Keith Urban. second only to Donny in my book for talent and sheer yummy factor.

and i have a date with him.

oh fine. so i'm in a group date with 50,000 screaming chickies. with a scattering of men. but daaaaaaang.

i'm gonna go see Keee-thhhh, i'm gonna go see Keee-thhhh!

i just bought my air ticket, and, next month, my butt is on a plane to Reno, then my sister-in-law and i are off to Sacramento.

to see Keith.

holy.freaking.crap.

and while i'm sorry that Maureen's original date had to bow out, well...

i'm not all that sorry.

and Jax, i know - you think he's greasy. but i don't care.

i'm seeing Keith next month.

woo-hoo!!!

i really need some therapy.

it occured to me, late last night, that i.am.weird.

and the Greek chorus said 'aMEN.'

let me back up, and give some more info.



Thursday night was my class, and i didn't want to go.

this whole week at work has been horrible.
hor-ree-ble.
late nights. early mornings.
Thursday was no exception. i normally work till 3:30, this night i left @ 5pm.

i asked Brendan to make dinner.

and just as i was pulling into our parking, he calls me and suggests i get something on the way to the class. which would be great, except now it's 5:30, and i still have to pack up my tools AND the store is about 25 minutes away.

oh. goody.

so on my way to the store, i really wonder why i'm doing this. i'm tired. i'm stuck, because i've paid for the class, so i'll get the kit, but dang.

daaaaang.

i am way too tired for this.

and i argued myself right into the store's parking lot.

so.glad.i.did.

the class was great. i told Brendan when i got home (in between eating my dinner two hours later) that if nothing else, it was worth it just to learn how to use the Zutter.

then, i had a brilliant idea.
i'll make a mini acrylic album for one of the members of our work birthday dinner group, whose niece had a baby last year.

it turned out mighty cute, if i do say so myself.
and instantly i wondered what the heck i was doing.

while i love kneeling at the altar of our Lady of the Most Blessed Paper Crafting, i realize it ain't for everyone.

and this woman, the great aunt of said baby, doesn't go for crafting. which, again, is fine.
but she's an Eeyore in human skin.
nothing makes her happy. ever.

you know that old saying, 'if you can't say anything nice, come sit next to me?' yep, that's her. she will snipe on and about everything, and i wondered why i was setting myself up for it.

she'll never say anything to me. that would be impolite. but if she doesn't like something, she'll talk.

just not to your face.

and here i am, setting myself up for hell. tormenting myself by wondering what she's gonna say about it.

how dumb is that?

why am i not able to stop thinking about that? about a situation that has a chance, albeit as slim one, that it may not happen at all? that perhaps, just perhaps...she'll speak well of it to both sides of me.

my face AND my back.

see? therapy. i needs me some.

there's a reason why it's the Happiest Place on Earth.

Disneyland, unless you are from Uranus, is known as the Happiest Place on Earth.

*snicker. i said Uranus.*

and probably called that because they can get dang near $3 for a diet Coke.

duuude. that's just wrong.

but yeah, i did buy some. well...only one.

it was overcast, it was cold (the weather. not the Coke. well, wait - it was cold, too.)and it was packed. but at least it was comfy packed.
which means the longest time we waited for a ride was 25 minutes. which is niiiiice.


and yes, we did go on Nemo Submarine Voyage. it was OK. not take my breath away, this is the most amazing thing EVER. but still cool.

just keep swimming.

it's what we waited 25 minutes for. which was fine, because for most of the day it was an hour wait to get on this ride.
we just happened to catch it just as they reopened the ride after it sorta, kinda broke down. and i would so NOT want to be on a submarine stuck in a lagoon, even if you really aren't as deep as you feel like you are.

these two are in the middle of the lagoon. and yes, they do say 'mine!'

you should know this. it started the Wonderful World of Disney every Sunday night.

and some of the most amazing landscaping ever.

that's the Matterhorn. to the right is what used to be the Rocket Jets, before they moved 'em to the front of the entrance of Tomorrowland. and that handsome devil in the tan jacket is some guy i know.

the mill at Pirates Lair at Tom Sawyer's Island.

OK. there's more, but Blogger doesn't want to add more. whatever.

we had a blast. we SO did NOT eat WW sanctioned food. but! we did a ton of walking, so that makes up for it, right?

right???

so on Thursday, i get this email from Maureen...my sister-in-law:

And you are SO in trouble! Whaddaymean you're off to Disneyland? Dean is jealous and mad at you, not to take away from your day or anything....

But as he left for the bus stop this morning, he kept muttering, that's not fair, Aunt Valerie and Uncle Brendan shouldn't go without me....they won't have as much fun without me... I asked him why? He responded, I'm a kid and they would have WAY more fun with a kid then going by themselves.... I said, Well maybe, but they are allowed to have there own fun and besides, I'll bet if we lived near them, they would take you.... Mommy, LET"S MOVE! and off he went.....

Boyo - if you were down here, you betcha you & your sister would be going with us. and i would've had more fun than humans are allowed to have.

and you would eat all the cotton candy your tummy could handle.

just don't tell your mom.