To My Sweet Baby Girl:

I remember the day I brought you home from the Humane League as a 3-month-old puppy and every time you sat down on the carpet I made you stand up because I couldn't tell if you were about to pee on the floor or just sitting.

I remember coming home from Thanksgiving at the G House to find that you had stolen the remnants of our turkey and to this day I still wonder how you were able to reach it.

I remember worrying that you wouldn't graduate from obedience school because you hated going through the obstacle course.

I remember how much you liked to chase squirrels in the backyard and would always get your lead tangled up in the bushes.

I remember sharing my bed with you and falling asleep with my arm around you with my face burried in your fur.

I remember how you loved to go for walks--especially at L's Park because you liked to mooch the bread we had brought to feed the ducks.

I remember how you liked to chase the cats that lived at the vet's office.

I remember how much I loved to come home from work to find you waiting at the door for me.

I remember how much you loved treats and that time you almost took the vet's fingers off in your effort to take the treat he offered you.

I remember every single time I had to call the animal poison control line and/or go to the emergency vet because you ate something you shouldn't have.

I remember how you were always there for me through all the good and bad times.

I remember that you stayed by my side the entire week I slept on the couch after my sinus surgery.

I remember what a good girl you were and all the joy you brought into my life in the last 10 and a half years. Having you in my life has been one of the most rewarding, difficult, fun, wonderful and amazing things I've ever experienced. You will be dearly missed.

Weddings bring out the *inappropriate* in people...

Seriously. People call (however nicely) to ask if they can bring their kid to your No Ankle Biters Allowed wedding and reception; to ask if they are invited (WTF?!?!) and to jump your shit because they think you made an insulting comment about the U.S. Sostal Pervice. I realize that there are other couples out there who have endured far worse, but, seriously, what is wrong with people?

I just keep thinking that we should have eloped.

A word to the wise...

Never turn your back to a fire dancer.

Going to the Chapel...

And I'm going to be a vegetarian. Except those are two totally different topics for discussion. Let's deal with the vegetarian thing for now.

So...I'm really not sure what it was exactly that made me say "Hey! I want to try a vegetarian diet!" but it had a little bit to do with this crazy PETA ad I saw about J Cru. Yes, I think the PETA people are a bunch of crazies but that's neither here nor there. Anyway, I got to thinking about this article in Wesneek from a few months back that really disturbed me. It was about how they force feed ducks before turning them (or, rather, their little livers) into foi gras. And I couldn't read the article but ever since I keep thinking about these ducks. And then I start thinking about the cows and the pigs and the chickens and I KNOW they're treated inhumanely from the moment their born until the moment they are turned into a hamburger or bacon.

But I'm also thinking about the environmental impact of raising the feed for these animals and the amount of water required to feed and raise them and the nasty manure run-off that ends up in streams. So, now I'm thinking I'll try a vegetarian diet and we'll see how it works out. I guess that was about 2 weeks ago and I've had chicken twice plus a turkey sandwich with bacon. Oh, and I had a cheeseburger somewhere in there. Man, this is not easy. And, I LOVE bacon. LOVE IT.

So, here I am, still working on this whole vegetarian thing and I even bought a book on how to do it in a healthy way. And that's what I have to say about that. We'll see how it works out.

The HHS class of '95 reunion recap!

I can't believe it's been 10 years...

Well, it wasn't a wasted weekend but it wasn't what I was looking for, either. I really thought more people would be there and it would have been more fun. Unfortunately, it was reminiscent of prom with bad food and the popular kids on the dance floor. Oh, and some people were losing their hair (hee!). And then some people looked exactly the same as they did 10 years ago. I'm not sure which was more weird, that some people definitely looked different and it took a moment to figure out who they were or that some people looked EXACTLY the same as they did 10 years ago. Or that JV looks just like his dad. Scary.

So, not much of a recap but I got to spend the evening with two of my favorite people (we should have gone to Friendly's afterwards), I saw my dad and my "second" parents (including Mrs. P.). Not bad for the fastest trip to Lanky-town I've ever made.

Michael doesn't speak German...

Not that this is a problem, but my grandma thinks it is. We're at the fabulous shower Angie and Amanda planned in my honor and my grandma is sitting next to me as I open gifts. Michael's oldest sister is there and she has given us a coffee carafe and some German coffee. Here's how the conversation goes:

Kelly (holding up carafe and coffee): Thank you!

Grandma: Does Michael speak German?

Kelly: No.

Grandma: How will you know how to make the coffee if the package is in German?

Kelly: Grandma, it's coffee. I'm sure we'll figure it out.

Grandma: But maybe you won't. It's in German. How will you know if you've made it right?

Kelly: (just keep smiling...opens next present) I'm sure we'll figure it out.

...sigh...Anyway, I had a wonderful time and it was so good to see some of my very favorite people. I had a fabulous bow hat that some of you will be seeing at the end of the month. All it needs is a baby chick in a nest and it will be good to go:> Here is a link to Angie's blog so you can see pics from the shower. Fabulous bow hat--wheee!

You can pick your nose...

And you can pick your friends. I don't actually recommend that you pick your friends' noses but that's not really the point. What you can't do is pick your family and sometimes that's a bad thing. But...this time it was a good thing.

I almost wish I could clone myself...

So I could have been at the beach, at home with the dog and on vacation with Michael all at the same time. And maybe my cloned selves would have such a wonderful time as to make up for the fact that I had to share a hotel room with my boss during the 4-day conference we attended. I won't give specifics here but let me just caution you: NEVER, and I mean never, share a hotel room with your boss. Trust me on this.

It's stupid hot outside....

It's 95 degrees outside and feels like 112. The low tonight is supposed to be 79.

Thank goodness for air conditioning!

Why Rick Santorum is a total fucking idiot...

I thought you might enjoy some quotes from this dipshit's new book:

"This was tried once before in America...but unlike abortion today, in most states even the slaveholder did not have the unlimited right to kill his slave."; "Respect for stay-at-home mothers has been poisoned by a toxic combination of the village elders' war on the traditional family and radical feminism's misogynistic crusade to make working outside the home the only marker of social value and self-respect."; and on welfare reform: "The notion that college education is a cost-effective way to help poor, low-skill unmarried mothers with high school diplomas or GEDs move up the economic ladder is just wrong."

Is this guy for real?!?!?

The countdown begins....

25 hrs. and 44 minutes

The good, the bad and the ugly....

The good news is that we FINALLY finished painting one room in our house. And it looks great!

The bad news is that we saw "Return of the Sith" and it was terrible. Except for Ew@n McGreg0r--he was the only redeeming factor out of 2+ hours of my life that I'll never see again.

The ugly news, of course, is Justice O'Connor's resignation from the Supreme Court. What are we going to do if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named nominates another judge like that self-serving buttwipe Sc@lia?

On the side of the road...

I saw a sign bearing this message:

God rained down fire and brimstone once. He will do it again.

Who are the people who believe this crap (yes, I think it's crap) and why can't they keep it to themselves?!?!

In other news, the "YMCA Jesus" statue now has fountains installed in its pond. Seriously, what are these people going to think of next? Doesn't it just make you want to take a trip to Ohio so you can see this stuff?

I should be doing work right now...

but I haven't published any entries in a while. I've got a few half-written ones that I might get around to finishing someday.

So, I realize I have been a little out of touch these days and many apologies for that, especially to BANG! b/c we keep playing phone tag. It's just that by the time I get some work done on the house, I'm too tired to do much more than eat dinner, take a shower and go to bed. But. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. We put up the primer over the weekend and will progress to actual PAINT! Yes, PAINT! Ahem, we're going to put up paint this week and over the holiday weekend. Woo! Someday we will once again be able to sit in our living room on the sofas that are currently squished together in the middle of the room and covered with plastic sheeting and power tools. Part of me wants to say "Fck it! Let's just put up primer and be done." But in the long run that wouldn't be a very good option. Especially since you can see white bits on the ceiling where we didn't use enough primer.

Well, enough complaining. We'll be done soon enough and then we'll have fabulous houseguests to enjoy our pain and suffering, I mean hard work. Can't wait for you to get here!

What was I thinking?

Michael and I just spent more than one week's worth of my salary on paint and primer for our house. We are going to spend the whole summer painting...ugh...what was I thinking?

Just promise me that when you come to visit you'll "ooh" and "ahhh" over it so I can feel better about spending an entire summer painting.

Back to normal...I hope

The last week and a half has been a bit crazy and even nightmarish at times, and I hope things are starting to look up. My car got a massive flat tire, Shana was sick and puked all over my house, work has been a little crazy, Shana was still sick and had to go to the emergency vet, I still have a bad case of Athlete's Foot and some @sshole stole $35 worth of flowers off my front porch. But, my car has a band new tire at the grand price of one dollar, Shana is much better now that we know about this, and it's Friday. I still have Athlete's Foot and work is still a little crazy but the weekend is almost here and I can spend those 2 days off sanding and priming my living room and dining room.

But for now I should get back to work. Less than 8 hours to go....

I met the Devil at church

Seriously. And she wears her hair in Laura Ingalls-type braids.

Michael and I went to a wedding on Saturday night that was part of the church's regularly scheduled mass. Behind us were two women with whom Michael went to high school. After the ceremony/mass was over, he turned around to introduce me. After catching up with Michael has been up to over the last few years, the conversation turned to the braided one who announced that she works at this evil place. This place tells women that abortion causes lung disease. Lung disease? Seriously? That's the best they can do? Anyway, it turns out that the Devil (as I've started calling her) was born into a devout Catholic family (I guess it's no surprise that she works there but there are plenty of practicing Catholics out there that wouldn't dream of working at a place like this) but I can't shake the feeling that I should have said something. But what? Besides that I think she's the devil. That the organization for which she works preys on young, potentially pregnant women who are scared and not sure where to turn for advice. An organization founded on medical MISinformation, that uses scare tactics and assigns guilt to sexually active women and men.

But I didn't know what to say or if I should say anything at all. And here I am, 3 days later and still thinking about the lost opportunity to say that her work SCARES women into making uniformed decisions. Abortion isn't the right choice for all women with unwanted pregnancies, but then, neither is childbirth and caring for an infant when you aren't even old enough to vote. No organization should be telling women that abortion causes liver disease or that she's 800% more likely to develop cancer if she has an abortion because neither of these so called "facts" are true. No organization should coerce a woman into making a decision she isn't ready to make.

The opportunity to say something has passed but I know the work we're doing helps women and their partners make informed decisions about whether and when to bring a child into this world.

Excited about...poop

That's me. Excited about poop. Shana's poop to be specific. She finally went after a whole week of not going and, dammit, I'm proud of her. Poor little peg leg dog. She got her cast off today and the vet says she's doing great. I just feel so bad for her. She has no idea what happened to her, and since she's a dog and is not capable of cognitive thought, there is no way for me to explain it. But she's been such a trooper and really is doing well. She won't have her staples removed for another week yet, but so far so good. And here I am only one week into a 3 month recovery process that requires Michael and I carry her up and down the stairs in our house until said recovery period is over....sigh....the things I do for my dog. And she's totally worth it:>

Remember me?

I used to blog more frequently than this but that stupid "no blogging at work rule" and the insanity that is my work (at least until July 1st--beginning of the next fiscal year) has kept me from writing insightful and intelligent entries. (snort) Okay, maybe not insightful or intelligent, but I used to blog more than this! I have a few half-finished entries that I might someday post. BUT. Not until they are finished. Which might be never.

So, to recap what's been going on since sometime in March:

• Shanaynay is having her ACL operation on Friday and thus begins 4 months of the healing process. And that means 4 months of trying to keep my dog from running around the house like a maniac b/c she's bored and isn't allowed to play or take long walks.
• Amanda had a beautful wedding of which I'm so happy to have been a part.
• Our friends are seriously hot babes when we're all dressed up.
• The neo-con Christian crazies are fcking up our access to ALL reproductive health options.
• Special event planning is not my strong suit--how do people do this professionally?
• I am wearing flip flops to work for the rest of the week (hee!)
• Sarah Weddington is my hero!
• Isn't it July 16th yet?

No blogging at work rule...

So, I have this self-imposed no blogging/reading other people's blogs at work rule. This is pretty much why I haven't blogged or commented in about a month. So I guess it's catch up time now.

Except that I can't think of anything worthwhile to discuss right now. Ah! The pressure! (not to be confused with "Ah. The atmosphere. Ah.")

Harder than I thought....

My parents' divorce is final. I tried to write about this a number of times but I just can't seem to put to paper, or rather, blog, how that makes me feel.

New Year, New Job, New House and a New Blog Location...

A big thank you to G. the internet uber goddess who moved my blog away from the bad evil company that was hosting leafygreen to this nice new place at blogspot.

So, I'm home sick and I can't breathe so that makes sleeping difficult. Michael is over visiting his parents and I'm here eating like a goat b/c I don't feel like cooking anything. I just had a bowl of Crispix and now I'm eating a boiled egg. What to eat next....?

Well, I guess I don't really have anything to say....so I'll just say good bye and welcome to the new home of my blog.

The different fummer is getting a different URL:

differentfummer.blogspot.com.

Go!

Long time, no blog...

So, I started my new job last week and so far, so good. I really like having my own office but it is a bit chilly in there, so I may have to start wearing long underwear since space heaters are a no-no. There isn't much to report yet--I've only been there 7 business days--but it's alot different working for $10 mil annually non-profit than a $60+mil annually non-profit.

Other than that, not much is happening. Michael was sick and now I have a sinus infection so all I want to do is go back to bed. The dishwasher installation guy is here right now installing our too-big for the alloted space dishwasher but I think it's going to fit. Stupid dishwasher. I've been handwashing for 3 weeks. I know, the agony, right?

Um...let's see....yeah, I think that's about it. It's cold and snowy and yucky so I'll be spending the weekend indoors and preferably in bed under the electric blanket.

Last day at the UWay

This is so weird. It hasn't sunk in yet that, as of 4:30 pm today, I will no longer be employed here. And, good lord, you should see my cube. What a mess! I just wheeled in the big recycling bin for clean up. This is what I get for being 1.) a procrastinator and 2.) a pack rat.

Well, back to work.

I hate sending holiday cards...

This happens every year. I procrastinate on sending them and it'll be Valentine's Day before anyone gets theirs. This year, or rather, last year, Michael and I thought it would be fun to send photo cards. At first, we were planning to take a pic of us in front of our house but I could never get home from work early enough to take one before it got dark. Then we thought we'd wait until we got our x-mas tree and do it then. Except that we didn't seem to have time to do that. Finally, we take the picture and walk it over to the pharmacy down the road to have them made.

And then we get a big mamajama snow storm. It's not until after Christmas that we get our holiday cards. So, we have a 3 day weekend over new year's and I'm a lazy piece of poop who doesn't want to do holiday cards. And now, here we are, almost the middle of January and I've sent out the first batch this morning. My goal is to finish them tonight after we go shopping for a new dishwasher (an entry on the joys and pains of owning a home to follow shortly).

So, if you haven't gotten your holiday card from me yet, please know that it will be in the mail shortly and Happy Valentine's/St. Patrick's Day while I'm at it.

A bit o' wisdom...

"Since we can't all be together on New Year's this year, I'm sending you thiswonderful entry by Andrea "I used to work for SARK" Sher. Her photos are always lovely and sometimes her entries are gems.(like this one)"

So, here are my lists:

10 Things I Am Grateful For: (in no particular order)
- Love. Whether it's the love of my signifcant other, friends, family, or dog, I am grateful for it every day.
- Christmas trees. Seriously, I love x-mas trees. I love them so much that it's an absolute heartbreak to take them down and shunt them to the curb.
- My new aluminun roasting pan with rack (thanks, Mommy!)
- My health.
- The home that I share with Michael. Not only is it a beautiful house, but I am no longer setting $530 a month on fire, I mean, paying rent.
- A new job with a better title, better pay and my own office!
- Friends. There isn't a list long enough to sing your praises.
- Normal, pretty non-dysfunctional in-laws-to-be. I'm so glad they're nothing like the in-laws on a certian tv show on C_B_S.
- Dog fur. Like little tokens of love all over my house, clothes, car, in my shoes, occasionally in my mouth, in the lint trap, but hopefully not in my food. It serves as a reminder that my hairy little beast of a dog is still alive and well.
- Fleece pants (self-explanatory).

And now for my Mondo Beyondo list:
- A trip to Greece w/ Ang
- Finally finishing the LOTR books (perhaps I'll just skip the rest of book 2 and go right on to 3)
- having a house full of highly obedient dogs (that never shed;>)
- becoming a calmer, more patient version of myself
- floss every day (oh, wait, I've already accomplished that. Well, I'll keep it here as a reminder that some New Year's resolutions do work/become good habits)
- Be a better daughter
- Honeymoon in Ireland (May 2006 here we come!)

Well, that seems like a good start to me. Happy New Year!

I can't take it anymore.

I just can't. No more holiday. No more cleaning house. No mother coming into town for the holidays. No more b.s. at work. Seriously. I think I might have a heart attack from it all.

I hate everybody. Except you. I love you.

I'm not sure I can wait that long!

All moved in....

Well, mostly moved in. There are a few boxes that have yet to be unpacked, but I haven't gotten around to them yet. And we need to clean. The house is dusty, furry and has tinsel bits and tree needles everywhere. I love my new house but there is so much more square feet to de-clutter and clean than when I had my apartment. Poor me, right?

But since my mom is coming in 4 days, and the next 2 have already been scheduled, it looks like tonight is my night to clean out the spare bedroom and get some sheets on the bed. And finish up with Mt. Laundry. Who knew two people could have so much dirty laundry? With so much to do, Michael and I work all weekend and I have to go to the office just to sit down. How sad.

You know what I want for X-mas? I want a whole day off with nothing to do but read and take a long bubble bath and take naps in between. That's what I want for X-mas. Dear Santa, if you're reading this, I want a day to do nothing more than anything.

We just saw each other...

so there isn't much to report. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with all of you and can't wait to see everyone again. It might not be until February, but no doubt the time will fly by.

Moving day is this Saturday and I will be emailing my new info to you shortly. I'm really looking forward to being in a house and living in sin, but I know I'll miss having a space that's just mine. A space where I pay the rent and can do whatever I please. A space where the mess is mine and mine alone and I know where everything is (it might be buried in a pile on my kitchen table, but see, it's my stuff in my pile on my kitchen table) and if I don't feel like vacuuming up all the dog fur I'm the only one who would be bothered. This is not to say that I can't do these things at Michael's but we'll have the mess of two people and I'm more conscious about the fur with someone else around. Of course, sharing a house means that we'll both have to be a little more tidy and that's a good thing.

It's been almost two years since I've shared a house with another person, and while I might occasionally miss living alone, I'm looking forward to this new adventure.

I'm dreaming of a white....wedding dress?

I have, in fact, had two dreams since Sunday about wedding dresses and they were all white. I'd almost rather dream about being at work...

So, I find myself in a bit of a quandary. When I first started thinking about my wedding attire, I was thinking something red. So, I did a little research and did a little shopping and found that if I wanted a red dress I would have to: have one made; buy an expensive gown made with natural silk that could be dyed; buy a bridesmaid dress; have one made. So, I go shopping last weekend with my mother and I try on, oh, 30 dresses in two days. God, they are so heavy. Anyway, I find two I like but one of them is out of my price range (and only comes in ivory). And the other only comes in white or ivory. I ask if I could have it dyed and was told that synthetic materials won't take dye very well and the final product would turn out streaky and could bleed on to other people's clothes. And I'd be out $500 for the dress plus the cost of dyeing it if the dress didn't turn out well.

So I sleep on it. And...I really like this dress. But it's not red. I'm a non-traditional person who planned to wear a non-traditional dress but then I found myself liking a traditional same-color-family-as-white-dress. Does this mean I'm not the radical feminist I thought I was? Why the hell do I care so much about this? And why can't dress designers make dresses in other colors?!?

But then I found this website and this dress. So maybe there is hope for me to find a beautiful wedding-y dress in red that 1.) doesn't cost an arm and a leg and 2.) isn't a dress you'd find at a Renaissance Fair or modeled after the dress Arwen wore in LOTR.

I voted for Kerry and I live in Ohio...

I'm so depressed. And the state I now call home totally fcked up. I really thought that there were more people out there who could see through four years of lies and a cavalier cowboy attitude that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people. And since when did denying gays and lesbians the right to marry qualify as a high moral value? Because last time I checked, intolerance sure doesn't cut it.

I am so afraid for this country...what are we going to do?

GBC 2004: A conversation with my 13 year-old self

Where to begin? First of all, don't pay any attention to the mean girls crap your friends have pulled (and will continue to until 10th grade) on you all this time b/c next year you are going to meet some awesome new friends who will remain steadfast and loyal 10+ years down the road.

And, yes, your boobs will finally grow. And someday you will look back on the pictures you took one night the summer you were 14--you know, the pictures you and Angie took after the two of you stuffed your bras with socks--and realize that your boobs are now the very size as you with your 14 year-old self with a bra full of socks. And you will find yourself wishing the boob fairy hadn't been quite so generous.

Boys. Hmph. Well, boys will cause you much pain and sorrow, but you will have a number of happy times before they systematically turn into a-holes. And men. In about 5 years, you are going to start dating much older men. Don't do it! Don't even think about it! But that's a story for 18 year-old Kelly. Anyway, boys are rotten brats at 13, so don't pay any attention to them.

Now for the biggie. Do well in school. A good education is very important, and believe it or not, doing well as early as jr. high is key. Make yourself study and don't let fear of admitting that you don't understand something get in the way of learning. And don't pay attention to Matthew. His intelligence is wasted on him.

Lastly, try to enjoy every moment of not having tons of homework or a job after school b/c in a few short years, you'll have both and you'll realize how precious free-time really is.

Thankfully, being 13 only happens once...The road ahead is often bumpy and a bit crazy, but you'll do just fine.

A dutiful (and highly concerned) daughter...

That's me. Michael and I are leaving around lunchtime today to drive up to Chicago and visit my mom in the hospital. She'd doing fine--or as fine as you can be after being cut open from breast to mid-thigh during her aortobifemoral bypass. I'll keep you posted on her recovery.

Missing all of you dearly and I'll be in touch soon.

A little bit of everything...

Most of you already know that the past few weeks have been pretty crazy for me. Between my job, mom, dog, brother, etc., I feel like I'm going a bit nuts. They changed my mom's double bypass operation 3 times in 3 days. Yes, you read that correctly: 3 times in 3 days. WTF?!? Angie managed to keep me from calling the doctor myself and blasting him for all the screw ups, so now I am gong to calmly write a letter to him detailing all the screw ups and let him know that I expect my mother to receive the best care possible going forward. In the meantime, she's receiving 70% of her pay while on short-term disability and every time her surgery gets pushed back, that hurts her financially.

The dog. Shana's arthritis is acting up lately. The vet thinks it's probably due in part to the weather change. Or maybe it's b/c Shana decides she should run around the house like a maniac and hurts her knee in the process. And this week's issue involves impacted anal sacs. I'll just leave it at that. No need to set off anyone's gag reflex over that one (including my own). The issue is being resolved and all is well in that area. Or will be shortly.

My brother. Hmph. Can't seem to be bothered to spend some time with my mother even tho he's only an hour by train to be with her. Meanwhile, I'm a minimum of 5.5 hours away and who knows what construction crap is going on between here and there.

My job. Our big fundraising efforts take place in September and October. Right now we are about $400,000 short of the goal we announced to the community. There are a lot of reasons for this projected shortfall and unfortunately, there is very little staff can do to close the gap. Fundraising is hard. Duh, I know. But it's hard not to take things personally when you know you've done the best you can do and still the companies with which you work don't raise as much money as expected. Or when your volunteers bail out...sigh.... A few more weeks and we'll announce what we raised and it will be time to start thinking about the next campaign.

Wedding planning. Well, not a whole lot going on there. Michael and I have been so busy lately and with my mom's surgery date changing all the time, we've had difficulty finding the time to make appointments with vendors. We still have a little more than 12 months to go, but I want to get the vendors taken care of as soon as we can.

So, that's pretty much it. Thanks to all of you for being so supportive and offering a sympathetic ear. I'm sure things will start to look up soon:>

Best birthday in a really, really long time!

A big, huge thank you to all my friends and family (not that they ever read my blog or can figure out how to get on the internet without shutting down the computer...sigh...a story for another time) who made my day so very special! Mwah!

Creepy, scary cult and the blinding light...

One hell of a statue. I've been meaning to post a picture of this for some time (so instead I'll provide a handy link), but it's hard to drive and take a picture at the same time. Not to mention unsafe. And since the dog lacks opposable thumbs, she can't work the camera either;> Anyway, when Amanda was in town last weekend, we had her take some pictures as we drove south toward Cincinnati for Oktoberfest (pictures of the scary Jesus statue and Amanda and Kelly wearing chicken hats to follow soon). No matter how hard you try to describe what a 42' statue of Jesus looks like, it's never the same as when you see it for yourself. And being the heathens that we are, we talked about taking pictures of ourselves with the statue growing out of our heads (a la pictures with the W@shington Monument sticking out of our heads) but it would have been very difficult to merge back on to the highway. And unsafe.

So, for those of you who might think there's nothing to do in Ohio, let me assure you, there are big scary statues of Jesus and camouflage chicken hats that will provide hours....well, minutes, I suppose, of entertainment. Come out for a visit! It'll be fun, I promise.

*Onions*

I bought a bag of onions yesterday. Now, this probably doesn't seem like a particularly remarkable event, but for me, buying an entire 3 lb. bag of onions means having reached another stage of adulthood. Adulthood has been a big theme here of late, mostly due to my recent foray into adult issues like financial planning, marriage and now parental health issues. All by my choice, mind you. Well, except for the parental health stuff. I could do without that issue...

Anyway, I'm at the grocery store last night and I need to buy an onion, and they have a bin of really huge onions that I can purchase by unit, or I can buy a 3 lb. bag of smaller ones, which better suits my purpose, but means I have to buy the whole bag. So I look at the price. The 3lb. bag is cheaper than an individual sweet yellow onion (that probably weighs 2 lbs. it's that big) so I put the bag of onions in my cart. And as I am walking through the aisles, I'm reminded of a time when I was little and I thought that willingly putting onions in your food meant you were an adult. See, I wasn't a big fan of onions (most kids aren't) then, and my mom seemed to put a lot in everything we ate. So much so that we were convinced that the meatloaf she prepared had more onions in it than ground beef. Same with the stuffing at T-giving. Even my dad commented that there were too many onions in the meatloaf and he was an adult.

But I digress. So, there I am at the store with a whole bag of onions in my cart. I put them in there, I paid for them and then I took them home with the idea that I will someday use them in my cooking. How did I get here? When did I become a person who sort of likes onions (I still don't like big huge chunks of them and I don't eat them on everything)? And when did I become a person who buys a whole bag of them?

Can I go home now?

Goodness. I just got here and already I want to go home. Part of it is that I have so much to do at work that I just don't know where to start (so I'll blog instead) and the other part is that it is a cool, rainy day that would be much better spent on my couch with a book and my dog and a cup of coffee in hand. The urge to take a mental health day was very real this morning.

Anyway, things have been busy around here. Work, social obligations, a never ending pile of laundry, just to name a few. But none of this stuff is even remotely interesting enough to post here. I don't have any epiphanies to report on, exciting trips to mention or fabulous work opportunities with which to make you all envious (even if it means running with the elephants). Just regular life stuff, despite the business of it all.

Perhaps on Monday I'll have something more interesting to mention. Michael and I will receive the final version of our financial plan (duh, duh, DUH!!!!) tomorrow, so maybe there will be something more post-worthy from that experience.

Thank you and don't forget to Vote for...Cheney?

No, not Cheney, Change. Vote for Change. Michael and I spent a few hours volunteering with America Coming Together on Saturday and we were calling registered Democrats who are elegible to vote by absentee ballot (mostly people age 62+) and before we hung up, the script said "Thank you for your time and don't forget to Vote for Change on November 2nd." And one man I was talking to couldn't hear me very well and he thought I was telling him to vote for Cheney. No, not Cheney. Change. We only made calls for a couple of hours but I'm sure we'll continue to do things like that up until the election. I'm toying with the idea of taking the day off work on election day so I can volunteer at the polls. Maybe a half day b/c election day is only 2 days after our campaign closes and I'll still be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. One thing's for sure--I won't forget to vote for change.

The Fummer Returns....Home

I'm back from my very short vacation in Michigan with Michael and his family and back to the grind at work. I only have a minute to write, but as nice as my vacation was (and it was very, very nice), it's good to be home again. Home with my dog, home where there is cell phone reception and a bathroom that I don't have to share with anyone (except for Michael when he stays with me).

We went sailing, participated in a sail boat race (missed first place by just a hair), made s'mores, read a book, laid in the sand, went swimming, and climbed a big sand mountain (they call it a "dune" but it was definitely a mountain). Very relaxing and enjoyable...

Must dash, but I will try to get a link to some pictures here soon (I'm not sure that we took that many, now that I think about it...).

What's in a name?

Well, everything, if you ask me. And since this is my blog, my opinion reigns supreme here--bwah-ha-ha!

Last week I was helping some co-workers assemble a mailing to some of our rich-y rich donors and I noticed that many of the invitations were addressed to Mr. & Mrs. Man's First Name Man's Last name. I commented that I was so surprised to see that since Mr. Man's First Name & Mrs. Woman's First Name Man's Surname is more common and not as egregiously patriarchal as the first option. This comment sparked a discussion about name changes and was I going to take Michael's last name when we marry. When I said that I wouldn't dream of changing my name, someone commented "Oh, you're one of THEM." Them? Who the hell is "them?" If by "them," you mean someone who doesn't feel bound by the patriarchal tradition of changing one's name to her husband's, then I guess I am one of "them."

Changing your name or not changing your name is a deeply personal decision and each woman (and some men) has to do what is right for her. For me, changing my name would mean losing my identity. I have been K.A.S. for the last 26+ years (28 by the time we get hitched) and my name is just as much a part of me as anything else. I will be K.A.S. for the rest of my life. Michael taking my name or both of us adopting a new name is not really an option as neither one of us wants to change our names. And hyphenation is so not an option. Our names combined are just way too comical, even if we wanted to consider it.

So, after I state my case for not changing my name, I get the "But what about the kids?" question. What about them? Who said we were going to have any? Why do we all have to have the same name? Why do we have to decide right now especially since he/she isn't even a twinkle in my eye? That is a decision to be made when we need to fill out the birth certificate. In, oh, about 5 years. Or more.

The most recent study I read showed that fewer than 20% of women change their names after marriage, but still 20% is nothing to sneeze at. It's approximately 1/5 of all married women, so it's not like keeping my name is all that uncommon, like Lucy Stone keeping her name in the mid-1800's. Although, it's not like I didn't expect people to be surprised (not sure if that's the word I'm looking for), but I guess I didn't expect people to care so much. And it will only get worse as we get closer to actually being married (which is still over a year away). Durr....

Back at the ranch...

The bad thing about vacation is that all this work piles up in your absence and at times it seems like vacation only makes life harder, not easier and more pleasant.  This is not to say that our 4-day weekend in Rehoboth wasn't lovely or pleasant.  Actually, it was very good, and I got to see my favorite people all in one place (except for Hefk--we missed you), eat some really bad stuff (by bad I mean oozing with cheese or fried or sprinkled with powdered sugar), and spend some quality time on the beach with 5 lbs. of sand in my bathing suit. 

But, boy was I tired when we got home!  So we had a low-key weekend and spent some quality time taking naps, going on walks and cooking meals.  Very relaxing.  And now it's Monday (and thank goodness the day is almost over) and here I am at work with a million things to do and never feeling like I can catch up with all of it.  Such is life during campaign season.  I do have a new admin., and I'm very excited about her.  So far, anyway.  She has a great attitude and is smart and good with computers.  Especially navigating our database.  This makes me very happy and reduces my stress level significantly.  Keep your fingers crossed that she works out okay;>

So, that's about it.  Thank you to everyone for a wonderful vacation and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible over Thanksgiving!

A little of this, and a little of that

I really should be doing something work-related, but I'm going to take a few minutes and catch up on some stuff I haven't had time to talk about.

1. I got engaged! We don't have a date yet, but will keep everyone posted. It would help if one of the sites we're interested in would be open when they say they're going to be... Aside from that, I couldn't be happier and I know I couldn't find a better man than Michael.

2. The John-John show last week was awesome! Even though we were standing pretty far from the stage, I was occasionally able to stand on the base of a lamp post (with Michael to help keep me from slipping off) to see, but mostly I was trying to stand on my toes and hope that people with hats and kids on their shoulders would stop moving into my field of vision. And, luckily, I only got one small patch of sunburn. All in all, a very worthwhile experience and I'm glad I took a half day from work to check it out. As for their message, it wasn't anything I haven't heard them say on the news or anything else: roll back the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, increase the number of jobs, increase aid for college tuition, etc. I think Edwards complements Kerry very well and I feel hopeful that we can take the White House.

3. I saw the Pants on Fire mobile a couple of weeks ago when it was in town. Not as many people showed up as I had expected, but then it hadn't been advertised much. Still, it was fun and we got ice cream! And in a conservative town like Cinti, it's even more fun b/c there are more conservatives to piss off around here;>

4. The beach. 5 more days. Crabs to pick, sand in my bathing suit, 4 days with my favorite people all in one place (we'll miss you Hefk). I couldn't be more excited!

Oh dear goddess...

Amish in the City

I'm speechless.

No time to blog

I have exactly one minute to blog and then I have to get some work done. Who knew that getting *engaged* would create such a hoo-ha at the office such that you can't get any work done? But, no time to talk about that right now, I need to get some work done before I go into a 3.5 hour long meeting followed by a meeting at and then running home to grab the dog and driving to Dayton. And while the *fiance* lives in Dayton, the reason I'm leaving work in the middle of the day to go up there is because Kerry and Edwards are going to be there this afternoon for a rally. I really need to stay at the office so I don't get my @ss kicked tomorrow for not getting my work done, but this opportunity doesn't present itself very often. I'll report back tomorrow...If I haven't had my @ss kicked first;>

Have you heard of the NO-CARB Diet for 2004?

NO C-heney

NO A-shcroft

NO R-umsfeld

NO B-ush

and "Absolutely NO RICE!"

Hee hee! So, Michael and I went to see Fahrenheit 9/11 on Friday night and it was...powerful. After we walked out of the theater, I cried all over M's shirt. Now, I can't do this film justice here on my blog. I would recommend that you see it yourself. But be warned: take some tissues with you.

I will say this, M.M. does go overboard with the whole conspiracy theory thing a la the X-Files in its last couple of seasons. But. So much of what he presents is highly compelling and disturbing and horrific and I could go on and on. Yes, he pokes a lot of fun at Bush. And it's funny. But he recognizes that Bush alone is not responsible for this mess in Iraq. I don't want to spoil it for you, but one of my favorite parts of this film is where M.M. discovers that only one member of Congress has a child serving in the military. So he hangs around waiting for Congress-people to walk by and when they do, he approaches them to ask if they would be interested in having their children enlist in the armed services. He hands out brochures for the various branches and he even has a member of the Marine Corps there to assist him. He actually engages one person in a brief conversation, but the rest pretty much run away from him.


I won't say any more about it other than to encourage you to see it. And remind you to get out and vote. Unless you plan to vote for Bush or Nader, in which case, please stay at home. I'm just teasing...or am I...? No really, I am. Everyone should exercise her/his right to vote (see also A's blog).

Smacked upside the head with Adulthood...

That's Adulthood with a big capital 'A.' And it's really not enough for me to be freaked out and overwhelmed by all of it, so I am going to share that feeling with you, my friends. First, let me say that it was a very positive experience and I am glad I did it. Second, the consultation was free and that was appreciated. But. Despite having been an official adult since the age of 18 (according to the government, not my state of mind)and thinking that I was doing pretty well as an independent person, a young professional, I got smacked upside the head with real Adulthood. Now, you might be thinking, "what is 'real' adulthood, anyway?" Oh, it's stuff like: here's a timeline of you, starting at the age of 26 and let's say you're going to live to be 95, and now let's plot your goals on this timeline. And then you get asked if you plan to have children and how many and when you think you might have them. What!?!? I have to think about this? Are you kidding me? I have to plot when "Kelly Jr." may come along? WTF?!? This is more reality than I am prepared to deal with at the moment.

But it gets worse. Much worse. I (and Michael, too since I dragged him along. Hey, it was free and we may as well take advantage of it), well, we start talking about goals like retirement at a decent age and graduate school for me and things like that, and that stuff was okay. But then S. (the advisor) starts asking things about what our individual life insurance policies are and short- and long-term disability benefits. Eeek! Right now, at this stage of my life, my life ins. is enough to cover my car/student loan debts with a little left over for my parents. But someday I plan to get married and start a family and owe a home, and then I'll be in trouble.

And then I think about Judy and how I could very easily have an accident while out walking the dog and my LT disability is only 60% of my pay (which is a huge cause for concern b/c working in non-profit, 100% of my pay only just keeps me in the black). And I don't have a savings account or a 403(b) or a TDA or any of that stuff that needs to be in place now for future retirement. So...it was a lot to think about. I'm still digesting it all, in fact.

Despite the anxiety attack I thought I might have sitting there and realizing that I have no assets and 2 big debts, it was a very good opportunity to start thinking about what I want out of life and how I'm going to get there. Most of the people that read this blog are well aware of the money issues my parents always seemed to have and I don't want that for myself or my children. And even though money problems weren't the only issues responsible for my parents' pending divorce, it was the one thing I can remember them arguing about time and again. I don't want that to be the case in my relationship with Michael (who, fortunately, grew up without these issues).

So...there it is. Adulthood. When did we get here? I don't really remember how I got here. Michael and I went to Fr!endly's last Saturday for dinner and I got a little nostalgic thinking of Fr!endly's after football/basketball games in high school and a time when our biggest concern was developing our plans for prom. Now I'm faced with developing plans for "Kelly Jr." and retirement...sigh... How did I get here?

Finally joined the techie age...

Thanks to the Best Boyfriend Ever (dammit! that was for you, Ang) I am now the proud owner of a PDA and... I love it. Really. I was so silly for putting it off this long. Of course, now I need to take the time to enter my address book (long an un-alphabetized little notebook purchased from My Sister's Words many moons ago) but then it will all be alphabetized and neatly typed AND I can BEAM the information to someone else's PDA. Whee! And the BBE even came to my office to install stuff and show me how to use it. I might have joined the techie age but that does not mean I can navigate myself thru all this information without LOTS of assistance. Now, if only I could get it to vacuum, I'd be all set.

Well, I survived...

But that doesn't mean I want to do any of that again any time soon. My parents were good (sort of, and it was really great to see my brother get his diploma but I don't need to do that again for a long, long time. I'm just glad to be back and have that experience behind me. In truth, things went fine, but I'm still mentally exhausted from it all and I'm not ready to relive it in my blog. Yet. Maybe never. Hee hee.

So, for now, it's back to the same old, same old.

Running, running, running...

To get everything done before I go on "vacation." Why is it "vacation" and not vacation, you ask? Because I'm going to see my brother graduate from college (a big shout out to Stimpy!) and both of my parents are going to be together in the same place (but not under the same roof) for the first time in almost a year and a half. Unfortunately, their divorce still isn't final, although that wouldn't necessarily make things any easier.

Anyway, I don't consider babysitting my parents a vacation so it's a "vacation." I'm going out of town but it won't be for some non-stop fun and excitement. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm very excited for my brother and I am looking forward to seeing my parents and I'm excited about introducing Michael to the rest of my family...it's just...I don't know. Weird. The whole "my parents are going thru a divorce" fall-out isn't complete yet, and everybody's tense about it. But. Michael and I have decided that we are going to have fun this weekend even if no one else is. I'm going to stop complaining about the situation (starting now) and stop complaining about how annoying my parents are (G, I feel a lot better now after our conversation the other day) and just enjoy myself. It's the last time we'll be together as a family, fractured tho it may be, until someone gets married or dies, whichever comes first.

So, I bid you adieu for the next few days. Have to get some work done so I can leave at 4:30 today. Love and miss to all and hope you have a great weekend.

Panties vs. Underwear

So, I come home yesterday and check my mailbox, as usual. Nestled among the circulars, the "Have you seen me?" flier and a solicitation to become a member of Triple A, is a V!ctoria's Secret catalog. Not that there is anything unusual about this since they send them to me about 3 times a month (why bother since I only shop there about twice a year?), but I couldn't help but flip through the pages of pretty underwear and it got me thinking: only VS calls underwear "panties." I never say "panties." Unless I'm talking about how I never say it because I prefer "underwear." Panties just sounds way more sexy than underwear but underwear is way more practical than something called panties. But even when I wear something a little more sexy than plain briefs (even though they were purchased from VS) I still call it underwear.

Normally I have deeper thoughts than this, but I figured this subject would provoke absentee commenters to show me some love. So, which is it: panties or underwear?

Still a cubicle dweller...

So the big move at the office finally arrived and many of us are still unpacking and sorting and finding new places to put everything. While I am in a new location, my cube is configured pretty much the same as it was before except that my big filing cabinet is in a new spot. Not very interesting. And the cube walls themselves are totally disgusting b/c we've had them for 20+ years b/c non-profits are poor and are always getting hand-me-downs from for-profit companies that can afford to buy new stuff every 3 years. Anyway. At least my new cube is close to the fun people in the organization. And I'm not in a pod.

So I guess I should try to get some work done before I leave for the day. I no longer have the excuse that my computer isn't hooked up yet to justify not getting anything done. T.G.I.F.

My boyfriend rocks!

Yes, yes. Gag. Barf. Retch. I know. But he is so awesome and here are a few reasons why:

- he puts up with my tendency to be bossy
- he genuinely likes my dog
- he taught me to drive a car with a manual transmission and doesn't flinch when I stall out or make the car jerk around trying to get into first gear
- is a feminist man who believes in the freedom of choice so much that he went to the March for Women's Lives with me last month
- let me drive his car to work today so he could take my car to get the brakes done someplace across town and then took the bus to get to work this morning
- serenades me with songs (but never THE song from "Cheers")
- introduced me to "The H!tchh!ker's Gu!de to the G@l@xy" and books by @l Fr@nken
- is sweet, kind, super-smart, romantic, and one hot babe!

And so, amidst a chorus of retching sounds, Michael, I love you.

Inefficiency Part II

Well, now I have a title memorandum for my car and once I get my emissions check, I can go get my registration and new plates. You'd think they would offer e-check at the title agency or the license branches but they don't. Instead they want you to drive all over the state of Oh!o to do all this crap and write lots of different checks all in the name of Inefficiency. So, for today, I will get the e-check done and possibly go take my driver's license test (depending on how long the e-check takes). I have studied the rules of the road and took a practice test so I can demonstrate that the only difference b/w the rules of the road in PA and OH are...wait! There is no difference! Even the B.A.C. is the same! Wow...how about that?

Then there's the whole car issue. Most of you know already that my car has been in the shop 3 times in the past week for transmission trouble. The service mgr. says it's all fixed and even offered to drive it home and back as an additional test-drive before returning it to me later today. I hope I don't have to take it back to the dealer again until it's time for another oil change.

I sort of feel bad that the last couple of postings have been so negative, but dealing with the BMV has been a royal pain and last week, I really did have particularly bad luck with the car, dog and apartment. But, the car is (supposedly) better, the dog is better (I'll spare you the details on what I had to do to find out what was wrong with her), and the apartment, well, I haven't figured that one out yet. But. At least I am in good health (knock on wood or rather faux wood and plastic), I have a good job and friends and family are doing well. Relatively well. And we got to go to the March for Women's Lives last weekend and it was awesome! I really couldn't do the experience justice here but I will say that it was even better than I remember it being in '92. I am really excited going forward and expect that the energy from the March will inspire others to get involved b/w now and election day. Love to all!

Who DOESN'T love inefficiency?

Of the 3 states where I have had to go through the process of registering my vehicle and myself with the state, Oh!o is the worst. Talk about inefficient. You might be asking yourself why I haven't done this sooner, I mean, I only made the decision to stay here back at Thanksgiving, but I kept putting it off until the middle of the month in order to avoid long lines at the BMV. And, funnily enough, I was planning to go to the BMV tomorrow, but yesterday a cop saw my car parked on the street and ticketed me for having expired plates. Oops.

Anyway, so as of this morning, I have completed the second of four steps to becoming an official resident of
Oh!o. I have my new car insurance and temporary license plates on my car. This is where the inefficiency begins. I go one place to get my temp. plates. I get the form for my lienholder to fill out and submit to the BMV from another place. Next I go to another place to get an emissions check. Then I will go to yet another place to take my out-of-state driver's license exam b/c the first place I went is only able to administer the exam to first time test takers. And there are only 3 locations that offer the out-of-state test and of course they are all way out of my way. Like I have nothing better to do...

Ah, but when all is said and done, I will be an official resident, I will be a registered voter and an organ donor. And who doesn't love that?

Can you pass the third grade?

http://www.pibmug.com/files/map_test.swf

I did, but just barely. I thought the fact that I still know all the words to "Fifty Nifty" would help me more than it did.

Honk for Choice!

Michael and I put on our political activist hats, well, actually they were shirts, on Saturday and encouraged people to attend the March for Women's Lives and, yes, honk for choice. It was so cool! We went to 2 high-traffic spots to hold up signs a la the B*rma Sh@ve campaigns of the 1950's (http://www.fiftiesweb.com/burma.htm) and flanking each end of the group we had Honk for Choice signs. And lots and lots of people honked for choice. We had a few nasty responses and saw many a flipped bird, but for the most part, people seemed very supportive. Which is especially exciting in the conservative Queen City. Interestingly, derogatory comments were made by white middle-class men. A few white middle-class women gave the finger (at least the ones I saw fit that description) and there was very exuberant honking from African American men and women on more than one occasion. It was neat to see that supporters were both old and young, some rich and some poor, comprised of various ethnicities and I'm sure religious convictions. I grow more excited as the March draws near. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather!

It's kind of funny...

the way some parts of life work out. I think I might finally believe that expression about when a door closes a window opens. I'm not going to comment further at this time (clearly I am also on Alissa's "be as vague as possible in your blog" plan--hee hee!). I'm really only interested in musing publicly at the way things work out...and you never end up where you thought you would be. Which is perfectly fine with me b/c I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be even though "this" and all that "this" is, is not what I saw for myself 8 years ago. Then again, I had no idea at the age of 18 of what and where I would be in the future and all that would happen along the way. Funny... Of course, I would never have gotten to "this" without my best and closest friends, so a big thank you to all of you for your support and love whether it's after the door has closed or when the window opened.

And a big thank you to FB for being amazing and wonderful you. I am so very lucky.

Quilt Show Carnies

Ah, yes....the "carnie." In particular, the "quilt show carnie" is the subject of this posting today. While quilt show carnies belong to the same species as the craft show carnie, there are a few distinctions: quilt show carnies do not smell like patchouli, nor do they resemeble hippies, and there are few men found within their tribes. The QSC can be found at "shows," usually a high school gynmasium or convention center, selling or trading various textiles and highly advanced metal artifacts. These shows attract hundreds, even thousands, of "quilters." Quilters and carnies alike are easily spotted by their puffball hair-dos in various shades of gray, wearable art, and really bad fashion sense. They carefully garb themselves in garments reflective of their different tribes as they prepare for the hunt. What is is that they hunt....? That all too elusive thimble made for fingers with long nails? That half yard of fabric in the perfect shade of orange to complement the car-themed quilt she's making for her husband? Or is it just a quest to increase the wealth of her stash?

Stay tuned to find out....

sneak post
who's my favorite fummer? who is she? :)

The City of Sisterly Love or Fun Girly (+ Michael) Weekend

What a fun wonderful weekend with my favorite people and a picture of Gwen's head on a stick...sigh...I think I need a day off to recover from our whirlwind weekend:> I would rehash the events of the trip to Phila., but I'm not sure I could do it justice and I'm at work and really should be doing something constructive for which I get paid. Thank you to those of you who could make it and hope to see many of you again in April (www.ppaction.org/PPMarch04/join.html).

Haiku anyone?

They are so tasty
I could eat them all day long
Thin Mint cookies, yum!

Love the lovely GS cookies...mmmmm...I only ordered one box so I have to make them last a while...

Be nice to me today...

I gave blood. Which I have been doing every 10 weeks. This time, however, I did it as part of the blood drive at my office instead of doing it at one of the blood centers like I normally would. There is something about that bus that makes me nearly faint every time I give blood in there. I can go to the center by my house and do the whole thing within 25 mintues. I get on that bus to give blood and I'm in there for 45-50 minutes. I'm thinking I may have to stop participating in the blood drive at work....only 3 more donations and I'll be a member of the Gallon Club. :>

In other news, I'm very excited about my upcoming trip to Phila. with Michael. I'm so excited to see my friends and do a Lanky-town drive thru....hell, I'm even looking forward to seeing my dad. Oh man, if I actually believed in Hell, I would be going to hell for saying that about my dad. Of course, since we are going to see my dad, now a trip to see my mom has to be arranged at some point. Life is a lot easier when your parents live in the same state. Anyway, can't wait to see those of you who can make it, and for the rest of you, we'll be in D.C. for the last weekend in April. See you soon!

And now for the weather report...

It's going to be a balmy 53 degrees with partly cloudy skies on Thursday. Well, it's about time it started warming up around here. I am so ready for spring...the warm sunshine, light breezes, daffodils....I want to put away my winter coat and sweaters in favor of jackets and t-shirts. I want to read the Sunday paper on my back porch while sipping coffee and feeliing the sun warm on my skin. I want to take Shana to the park and not worry about muddy paws when it's time to get back in the car. I'm even ready for our not-so-stellar softball team to start practicing for this year's season. All I know is that I'm tired of big piles of dirty snow, scraping frost off of my windshield, and chilly winds that make it feel like it's 10 degrees outside instead of 30...sigh....how much longer until spring is finally here?

Sign up now

"The March for Women's Lives on April 25, 2004, promises to be one of the largest public demonstrations in support of reproductive freedom in history." I'll be there and hope many of you will be, too. PPFA hopes to get one million supporters on the mall that day, and I promise it will be very exciting. So, break out your "This is what a feminist looks like" t-shirt and make arrangements with your pet sitter to watch your dog.

http://www.ppaction.org/PPMarch04/join.html

Ewwwwwww...

So, I go to the ladies room and what happens? I sit down in someone else's pee. That is just unbelievable disgusting. We're all adults here, we have a cleaning crew to clean the bathrooms EVERY DAY, and yet, women are peeing on the freakin' seat. If everyone just sat down on the seat like they're supposed to, we would not have this problem. Now, I expect to find this in a public restroom, but really, to do that at the office? Wrong, wrong, wrong. What are people thinking? $10 says the same woman that pees on the seat is also the one who doesn't wash her hands before leaving the bathroom.

The GBC

So....what happened to The Great Blogging Challenge? Here we are, mostly discussing the weather (what are we, retired people with nothing else to talk about?) when there is a plethora of topics to discuss. Since Scott complained about the topics from last time, I vote that he gets to pick the first one. Who's with me?

Not much to say.....

Like Ang noted on her blog, I don't seem to have much to say at the moment. I could write about the problems I'm having with my old health insurance company and the fact that they owe me $90 for a dentist visit from Nov. 5th. Or that property mgmt. at my apt. complex made a ridiculous mess in my bathroom yesterday when they fixed the leak in the ceiling over the bathtub. Or that my job has become more stressful lately. Or that there is nothing like the affection of a man who knows how to act like an adult. But I think, perhaps, I'll just leave it at that.

My best friends have furry legs.....

Well, my baby girl is getting old. The vet took some x-rays of her today and discovered that she has hip displaysia and arthritis in her hind legs. My poor baby....but she'll be okay. She has to start eating senior dog food and taking a daily supplement to help with the arthritis and sometime down the road we will probably have to consider pain medication. In the meantime, she's on restiricted activity for 2 weeks and should be fine....sigh.....I'm such a crazy dog lady......

Whew.....

Well, I'm glad that's over.....all the crap that makes up X-mas stresses me out. Why can't it be more like Thanksgiving? You still get the insane travel part and family dysfunction BUT, you get a yummy meal and time spent with friends with no giving of gifts to get in the way. Admittedly, it is fun to buy gifts for the people you really love but that's what birthdays are for, right? Nevertheless, I had a nice holiday with just my mom and my brother and Shana and found a lovely new set of luggage and some kitchen utensils with my name on them under the tree. Very nice, very nice, but still, I wish X-mas more about spending time with loved ones than worrying that they hate the scalp tingler (a very fun gift, btw) you got them.

Anyway, tomorrow I return to Cinti (there's no place like home) and my carpet that needs to be vacuumed and dry cleaning that needs to be picked up. As nice as my holidays were this year, I am ready for everything to return to normal. This time of year will be upon us again before we know it.

The power of language......

I'm not usually one to find fault with PPFA and the choices they must make to continue the wonderful work they do every day. But. I think they have made a huge mistake in renaming *The March for Choice* to *The March for Women's Lives* as a "reflect[ion] [of] the urgency of the issue and the huge diversity of thoe groups co-sponsoring the march. The new name better represents the broad agenda of those who support women's reproductive health, justice, and freedom, as well as access to family planning and abortion." Frankly, I just don't see how "March for Choice" is NOT inclusive of these issues. To me, "Choice" is more inclusive of the co-sponsoring groups but apparently PPFA does not share this opinion. I just feel like this is a means of de-radicalizing and neutralizing the purpose of this march. Further, why didn't they do this a few months ago? Here we are, almost 4 months away from the event and we are changing our message strategy. Not smart. And if affiliates decide to stick with the "choice" title, then we lose out on consistency....sigh.....

And now that I'm finished with my little rant, I would like to make a plug for the march and encourage you to register at www.marchforwomen.org. April 25, 2004. I hope I will see you there:>

Most of you know....

that I have quite the sniffer. I can smell someone in the room before I see him/her. And Angie's recent posting about not being able to preserve smells got me to thinking that while you can't actively preserve smells, you can be walking along and suddenly a smell takes you back to some moment in time that you weren't actively thinking about 3 seconds before. For example, I was in the stairwell at work and I smelled something that I couldn't immediately place but then realized that it was the smell of the building where I had pre-school. That and the smell of tempera paint. Or, one of the admins at my office wears W!ld Musk by C@ty and that's the smell of my mom from 1984-2000. You know, you walk into the copy room and suddenly you smell your mom and you remember sitting on your parents' bed watching her get dressed and put on make up and thinking that someday you will have a big girl job and will have to wear make up and high heels to work.

I wish we could preserve smells in an album of sorts. Like scratch and sniff photographs or something. Like the smell of your prom date (before he gots sweaty from dancing around like an idiot), the smell in the Gaul house family room on a Saturday night (a mix of taco dip, chlorine and ashes from the fireplace), and the smell of my dog after she's been bathed and fully dry (otherwise she just smells like wet dog). I bet there's a lot of money to be made in scratch and sniff technology. Maybe that's what I'll do after I retire to the spinster lodge in VT.......in between working on the maple tree farm and quilting.......

Family Ties......

Hmph. I'm adopted, I swear. Ah, I needed to get that out of my system before the holidays. My grandma gets upset when I ask if I'm adopted. If that's not quality dysfunctional family fun, I don't know what is......So. The X-mas season is upon us and a.) it doesn't feel like X-mas and b.) I haven't done any stressful shopping or card writing and c.) I have to deal with my mother's family. Oh god. The holiday is 2 weeks away and we are already having issues that I will not go into here although most of you are aware of them by now anyway. All of this is a result of having one's parent live with you and your family and then dealing with the stress by exposing other family members to the insanity. I'm seriously starting to think I might boycott X-mas this year and stay in Cincinnati. Except then my mom would be mad and I haven't seen my brother since Labor Day.......please just tell me I'm adopted.

This is for Scott.....

Go visit this website. I guarantee it will make you feel better:>

http://www.patheticpersonals.com/homeslice.shtml

I need a vacation to recover from my vacation......

Well, as most of you know b/c you were there, Thanksgiving in Lanky-town was by far one of the best holidays I have had in a very long time. There was Roots and whoopie pies, taco dip (without onions on one half), potato casserole and cheese to cut. Yum, yum, yum! I hung out in the hot tub with Angie and Alissa and later Tom stopped by to dip a foot in, I didn't make it to the craftshow b/c I forgot to bring my earrings to be fixed and that was my only reason for going, saw old friends and co-workers and had dinner at Isaac's twice. We had pictures taken with *Santa* and purchased funny (irreverent) Amish Country knick knacks. And there was lots of hair brushing:> Unfortunately there wasn't much sleeping but I can do that at home. Even dinner at my dad's was less dysfunctional this year. I didn't have fun, but I didn't spend the entire drive back to the Gaul house trying not to cry, so that was good. All in all, a truly fabulous time spent with my best girlfriends and family of the heart. I could not have had a better time. Love you all!

Lanky-town

I'm dreaming of a Lanky Thanksgiving....Hee! Can't wait to go to Roots and get a whoopie pie, have lunch at I's, hang out in the hot tub, have taco dip, go to the craftshow, see old friends and co-workers, and spend quality time with my very favorite people in the world. (Scott, sorry I'm going to miss you:<) Safe travels and see you all soon! Mwah!

I'm waiting......

for the other shoe to fall. It's inevitable, really. Now it's just a question of how much longer it will be. And I had really hoped that for once, that would not be the case.

This is for Carl.....

Here it is--my something worth publishing (well, not really, but something a little more substantive than say spam re: topical creams;>). So, last month J. and I went to see a photo exhibit featuring images taken during the war in Iraq. We went in support of the son of someone I work with who had recently returned from a TOD in Iraq. Dr. D is an M.D. in the Army and he put together this exhibit as the result of a promise he made to many soldiers to show these snapshots of what they were seeing everyday. Apparently, the Army now issues small cameras along with BDUs and supplies and the photos we saw were taken almost exclusively by soldiers in the Army, with the exception of a few taken by Marines.

Now, what we saw really does defy description, at least in my opinion, but I am going to try and explain as best I can some of what we saw. We saw images of children burned by phosphorus whose faces were horribly disfigured; soldiers playing soccer and football in the sand; patients being operated on on top of a dirty floor; soldiers sharing bottles of water with women and children; crying soldiers standing at a memorial of a fallen friend; a bloody leg that lay smoking in the middle of a road; bombed vehicles with burned bodies scattered about; Iraqi's kissing the hands of American soldiers; and more children with phosphorus burns. I cannot do justice to the images we saw, but I can tell you how very difficult it was to see and I was glad that I didn't see it alone. It's taken me a month to even put this on my blog because it has been hard to share what we've seen, albeit from the safety of an art gallery in Cincinnati.

And despite the few images of Iraqis who were obviously grateful for the presence of the American soldiers, there is nothing that I saw that ever made me feel that this war was justified. Not that I ever felt that it was justified, but here we are *trying* to rebuild Iraq, more soldiers are dying, and our government is too chicken to admit that we screwed up. And to me, the good that may result in the long run (new goverment, improved quality of life for women, etc.) will never be enough to justify the death of the innocent. So, there's my something worth publishing even if it did take me a month to get it up here.

The Offer......

Well, I got *the offer* on Friday. It's a great offer and, more than likely, the only one at this point. It's just not a good time to look for jobs in the UW system. I plan to accept in about 2 weeks once a few remaining details are hashed out, but now I'm struck by the realization that I will be living in Cincinnati (where 3-way means chili) for at least the next 2-3 years. Not that this is a bad thing, I really like it here, but it feels sort of strange. I had been hoping to return to the East Coast so that I could be closer to my favorite people and places but I guess that will have to wait a couple more years. I really do like it here. I like my job and my friends and the town (conservative though it may be) and the new boy (everyone, say hello to Jeff) and it's really nice not having to move. Well, I might move, but just to a bigger apartment. So, the offer......it's a good thing, as Martha would say. Time to get back to work.....

Greetings from Slacker-town.....

Well, it's been busy around here, that's for sure. If only I had a computer and internet access, I wouldn't be such a crappy blogger-type person. Anyway, my subject of choice for today is fall. I love fall. LOVE IT! It is absolutely my favorite time of year. I love the crisp feel of a light breeze that makes leaves do that cool swirly thing in the street. I love the indian corn and the pumpkin that I bought over the weekend. I was so excited to carve my pumpkin that I couldn't wait until until Halloween! I love that it's time to break out all my sweaters and end their summer exile in the closet I love fleece pants and sweatshirts on the weekends. I love, love, LOVE burning my Spankee Candle (Harvest is the best scent ever) while I lounge on the couch in my fleece pants with a good book in hand and a nice view of the falling leaves outside my patio door. Oh, and a cup of orange spice tea/hot apple cider too. I wish it could be fall almost all year round.......

Yes, yes, I am a slacker. I still intend to post something worth publishing but it will have to wait until next week. I would do it now but I am having a less than ideal day at work and desperately wish to order a large swirly alcoholic beverage....sigh.....

Earliest Memories....

I have a few early memories and while they are very fragmented they remain quite vivid. I remember my grandma's 50th birthday (most of you know she was very young when she got married and had my mom) and standing on a chair in the kitchen at her house and helping her blow out her candles. I remember that the cake had butterfiles made out of blue and purple frosting......and then I can remember an Easter Sunday, I was probably 3 or 4, and my mom made M and I stand at the front door while she carved our silhouettes into the wood with an exacto knife. I wore a fluffy white dress with lots of lace and a little white hat tied under my chin with a blue bow......I also remember my dad getting us ready to go to Nancy's house (the babysitter) and he would sit us on the toilet so we could watch him shave. The best part was after he finished shaving when we both got to have a little aftershave on our cheeks just like Daddy....And on days like I had yesterday, I wish more than anything that life could be as simple and joyous as they were when I was four.

My Fictitious Weekend....

Well, what would have been nice would be to wake up Saturday morning to discover that I did not have to give a presenation and could instead go back to bed for a few more hours. Then, when I woke up, I would find that my entire apartment have been cleaned by mysterious fairy people or similar, and even the dog would have been bathed:> Then there would have been a scrumptious breakfast and the words "fl*x points" would not have been uttered once. Oh, and someone would have done all the grocery shopping for me so I could lounge on my couch (no longer a crummy futon but a big fluffy couch for sitting and napping and more sitting and napping) and read books all day.
Other than that, I really did have a nice weekend and thanks to all of you for your many birthday wishes! Almost forgot--having a yummy massage from some hot shirtless guy named Manuel would have been nice;>

Now for a digression from the pre-planned GBC topic.....this year, I finally felt as though I was older. Normally, I don't feel any older after a birthday but this year was different. I don't know if it's b/c I am that much closer to 30 (which I believe to be the magic age so I am not upset about that) or if I finally have a place of my own and ergo I pay rent (that's a rather adult thing to do) or if it's b/c I have embarked upon a real life career path.....I'm not sure. Either way, it's been an exciting year and much has happened. And, funnily enough, I am in the same place I was last year regarding employment. At least this time I know I will have a job, but I don't know where. And I have real health insurance this time. Very exciting!

Anticipation.....

an-tis-i-pay-shun? Well, we've all had times when we eagerly anticipate something: an event of some sort, a new HP book, good news about a job, etc. Of course, there is the other side of that, the self-doubt, that occasionally plagues fun anticipatory thoughts. Currently, some of the things I am anticipating are: job offers from this organization and others (but what it I only get one offer?), my date tonight (wouldn't it just be nice to curl up in front of my new DVD player and finally see the first season fo SITC?), seeing my parents over the holidays (seeing my parents over the holidays?)....
Oftentimes, anticipation is the fun part b/c the event/situation is over so quickly, but you know, I'm starting to feel a little stressed. Just about the job thing really. Dates and HP books are fun and exciting (HP is on a consistent basis but dates aren't always) but the job thing is a little unnerving.

That's my bit on anticipation--it's hard not to let the job issue cloud my entry but that's what's going on here in my part of the world.

I am anxiously awaiting G's pick for "themed blogs" for our group o' friends. Until the designated theme for the week becomes known, I better do some work. Have a good day!

....and another one bites the dust....

This is the 3rd time I am entering this post....durr....need internet access at home. Maybe next year when I am a full-fledged employee instead of a "Fellow" (see intern in the dictionary). Anyway, I had one of moments this week that reminds you of why you put up with the sucky parts of your job and validates your career path of choice. I was at a well-known company headquartered here in Cinti giving a presentation. Part of the presentation involved hearing from a service-recipient (let's call her Ruby) from one of our funded agencies, and I cannot tell you how excited she was to be there. First, the company sent a black stretch limo to pick her up and then presented her with brand new glasses (guess what the company does...?) after her portion of the presentation. The company even paid her a day's wages b/c she had to take a day off of work to come do this presentation. I will tell you, Ruby has had a very exciting year. She got to meet a Hall of Fame baseball player last month and this week she had her very first limo ride. It was a very touching moment for everyone and expecially b/c Ruby was so genuinely thrilled to be there and the employees were obviously affected by the happiness and joy that Ruby shares with everyone she meets. This is why I come to work everyday (I know I didn't want to get out of bed this morning, that's for sure). It is such a beautiful thing when you can meet a person whose life you have touched and to work with a company that is so committed to this community.

In other news, I have removed my personal ads and have begun a dating hiatus. The emotional f*ckwittage was becoming unbearable and I know I deserve better. Bunch of freakin' crap, I tell you. Besides, with the end of my fellowship fast approaching, it's better to make that decision to stay here or go to another organization without the distraction of some cute boy....Given my last post, maybe I should start migrating toward New England to facilitate the building of my Spinster Lodge in VT......

Blarg...it's the end of the day and I am ready to go home. I wish I could say that I got to visit an amusement park over the weekend (like some people I know) but I had an equally nice time in Chick-a-go with my mom. We saw M*mma M*a and had a great time. And it turns out that we had dinner next to the male lead at the faboo Gr*nd L*x Cafe. For once my brother works at a decent restaurant (altho the OG does make a good strawberry margarita).

And yesterday I had a date with a nice boy with whom I have a lot in common but I'm not feeling any sparks. Durr. Now I know why people get married--so they can stop dating! To be honest, I don't really like all this dating stuff. Bleah. And who the heck knows what men are thinking when they go from calling you everyday to falling off the face of the earth. Whatever. G & A, we may as well start building our house in VT....

Good vs. really truly good....sigh...community service project or free tix to a R*ds game where I will be sitting 4 rows behind home plate...? I think I am going to the ball game. I am so bad...so very bad.

In other news, I agree with G, I'm not sure I could do justice to last weekend here so I will just say that it was truly fabulous and that's that. So good to see my very favorite people...love you!

And now for the weather report--it's raining men. But not the kind I was hoping for. It's raining men that are in their 40's (and are pervs), men with kids, and men from NYC. WTF?!? I live in the mid-west for pete's sake...sigh...not sure why I wanted to do this. There have been about 3 that seem decent so I am off to pursue that. More updates to follow...

Two trips down, one more to go...and I've saved the best for last. At this time next week, I will be laying in the sun and listening to the waves hit the shore...but no crazy sunburn allowed. Wedding pix are forever and I don't want to be the idiot with some crazy-looking sunburn in any of the pictures.

Had a great week here at UWA. Lots of new stuff to take back to Cinti and lots of excellent career advice. And a suitcase full of materials to lug home. Thank goodness I brought the big suitcase for this trip. We had a great week that was chock-full of fun activities. We got a tour of the W*st W*ng (the Ov*l Office is a lot smaller than it looks on t.v.) and I even got my picture taken at the podium in the press room. Last night we had a roof-top party at the tallest bldg in D.C. (besides the W. Monument, etc) and talk about a fabulous view. Someday I will move to D.C...not that there is anything wrong with the Mid-West. Well, time to go to the airport...

Well, another whirlwind of travel is upon me so this will be the last entry for a few weeks. Not that anyone would notice as there are never any comments (hint, hint, nudge wink). Have to go but feel free to comment in my absence...

It's monsoon season in Cinti...love the lovely monsoons. I haven't felt properly dry in 5 days. Weather man extraordinaire, LH, says the storms will be moving out my midnight tonight, but that means another day with bad hair and splash marks on my stockings. Life could be worse, I know, but a week of bad hair is just...bad.

So, I took the plunge and had my first date with someone who responded to my profile online. He is very nice and we had a good time. Unfortunately, we had a particularly nasty thunderstorm right before we met and it knocked out the power at all the restaurants at the complex where we met. So he had a drink in the dark and hoped the power would return but then after a while it became apparent that if we stayed, we'd never get anything to eat and so we went elsewhere. Stupidly I forgot that he isn't that much taller than me and I wore 2"heels. Oops. Anyway, it was a good experience and I'm sure we will go out again once the two of us are both in Cinti at the same time. Travel season is upon me, and him, so no dates for a while.

First off, Happy Birthday to Scott! Hee hee, you old man:> Anyway, I would like to remind everyone that I have known Scott for forever (or so it seems) and I can still remember him in his Mark Twain get-up for the 5th grade presentation thing we did on the 50 states (...fifty, nifty United States from the 13 original colonies...). I was Benjamin Harrison from Indiana. You know, I still remember that darned Fifty Nifty song. So, Happy Birthday Scott and can't wait to see you in a month and 4 days (not that I'm counting)!

So...HP5. I read it twice in one week. Why, yes, I am a nerd. But that's okay by me. Out of respect for those who have not finished their copy, I will refrain from mentioning specific details, but I do want to say that Rowling did an excellent job of capturing the angst-y and moody (no pun intended) parts of the teen years. Okay, I guess I should have said angst-y and moody 24/7, but at any rate, quite an enjoyable book and of course, I can hardly wait for the 6th installment.

Ok, it's Friday. And there is absolutely nothing on my calendar. What a beautiful day! Well, I have 3 "to do" lists sitting in front of me but this means I might plow through most of the items on my list. Yay!

I'll tell you, I could have slept in today. I did not want to get up at all. Now, this is a bit unusual for me as I have become an early riser and am up no later than 6am, but today, I didn't get up until 6:15. The problem is getting out of bed, because once I am up, I'm awake. I mean, I stumble into the bathroom and try not to fall back asleep while I relieve myself, but then I go make my coffee and life is good. And, my dog always comes to get me up when the alarm has gone off more than 2 times. She's good like that. And this morning, I could hardly get her to stop sticking her wet nose in my face.

So, this weekend I have much organization and cleaning of my apartment on my agenda. No HP marathon reading sessions. No taking 5 hour naps like I did a few weeks ago. Just cleaning and trying to figure out what the hell to do with my stuff. Now that it has finally stopped raining 24/7, I can put some stuff in my storage closet. There is definitely a flooding problem in the storage room but I think that I picked a closet that is in a drier spot. Let's hope so b/c I have a massive pile to remove from my living room.

We're having a blood drive at work today and I'm all signed up! I have found that the best thing to do is not look at the blood coming out of your arm and into the little bag. This is my good deed for the day, I suppose.

Not much else to mention except for HP5. Loved it! Loved it! I read my book in a total of 14 hours over the weekend. Of course, my apartment didn't get cleaned and my dog didn't get a lot of play time, but all is well now that I have my HP. Can't wait to read it again!

Must stay positive...I love my job. I really and truly love my job. But...I have come to the realization that I HATE events planning. HATE it. So, when today's golf outing is over and I am driving home to my dog, I will be done with events planning for the remainder of my internship. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!

In other news, after grousing about how difficult my father is to shop for and that Father's Day was just around the corner, guess who forgot to call her dad on Father's Day before he left for the airport? I am a doofus. And now today I must call and apologize for being an asshole and not calling my dad on F. Day. My brother didn't call either, so I am not alone in the asshole boat.

And in response to A's blog, I need to work on making new friends, too. I have some friends here but I want to make friends outside of the office. And a date wouldn't be so bad either. They have these young professionals groups that do social events and volunteer projects and everytime they are doing something cool, I am out of town somewhere. But not this month! This month I plan to do a couple of activities with the YP group. But not until after I've read the new HP book. That is definitely the first priority:>

Ugh...aerobics totally kicked my ass last night. Looks like an *dvil kind of day...of course, one does not shed 10 lbs. by sitting on one's ass. But we have a good time and I guess that's as good a reason as any to keep putting myself thru torture twice a week.

So, Father's Day is this weekend. My father is so hard to shop for. He could always use a new pair of pants or a shirt or something, but he's so damn picky and never wears the nice stuff I get him. Like the nice khakis I bought a few years ago that are still hanging in his closet with the tag still on...I suppose I could just take the easy way out and send him a new chamois. He likes those. I was trying to do a "Best of Cinti" type-gift-thing, but I am running out of non-perishable goods to mail to him. I could send him a car jar and a box of malted milk balls and call it a day. Darn him for being so difficult to buy for.

In other news, it's time to start thinking about "what next" after my internship is over in, like, 7 months. The organization wants to help us with finding new (permanent)placements (can't be an intern forever) and they have already started that process by telling us we need to at least start thinking about what cities or geographic regions. Now me, I've pretty much come to accept that I will need to be mobile for the next 10 years. I don't mind so much where I live so long as the position can take me to the next step. I'm NOT going to Arkansas. Or Texas. Or Florida. I do have my limits. I just can't believe it's already time to start thinking of what next. Even my CEO here in Cinti has asked that question. And of course, everything depends on the offer that he will make. I wouldn't mind staying here for 2 more years before moving on...sigh.....

The Fummer is back...I had the lovliest weekend. I got a full night's rest Friday and Saturday nights and had 2 naps that lasted 3-5 hours in length. It was...lovely...I went to the grocery store and the bank and the car wash and that was it. The rest of the time was spent lazing about my apartment. I did do laundry, tho. I had to, I was out of underwear. And now I am out of quarters.

So, yes, I did the moving thing and cleaned out my mom's house. I brought home an entire car load of stuff and my uncle took, like, 6-7 boxes with him to be picked up by me next weekend. How have I accumulated so much damn stuff? Part of it is b/c I am a woman and women get strapped with things like, china, for example, and tea sets and music boxes and tons of shit I don't need. But since it's worth $60 a plate, I'll keep it. And so I gave away the crib M and I both used, as well as the bassinette, and the B*rbie corvette (that was mine). Also, the CP Kids, stuffed animals out the wazoo, board games and the like. And then I went thru the boxes in my closet with letters from Andy B***n written in marker, old M*rch*nd*ser's with the marching band group photo on the front, notes, notes, notes folded in various shapes, group notebooks (that reminds me, where is the CJ?), and about a hundred birthday and holiday cards. I found more pictures (Ang, the ones from the night we stuffed our bras--little did we know that someday we would be so naturally and fabulously endowed) and old yearbooks and you name it, I saved it. It's so funny to look back on that time in my life, our lives. And here we are now...I wonder what's next?