My Baby's Home!!

Finally!!!

I was so happy when I got home and it was there waiting for me in the garage. Shiny, beautiful and as good as new!

I've never really been a car person. In general, I have no real interest, so it comes as a real surprise that I would have this kind of reaction to a car. 

When I saw it, I actually squealed and hugged the car. I hugged a car! WTF?

I had a horrible day at work, too. We found out our workload for the next 3 weeks is going to be insane! Plus, FancyTalker told me he's going to be moving to a different team, which I am not happy about. At all.

It was really nice to come home and see my baby back in the garage. Yay!

I heart my Prius and I am SO happy to have it back. It's been a long month!

Pretties

All my pretties arrived in the mail yesterday. What are they? Beautiful, bold, shimmery mineral makeup eye shadows. They sell samples for 50 cents, which is what's in all the baggies. Some of them will work, some of them will be the wrong color for me, which is a good thing. I can't afford all of them in a full size. I can't wait to play with all of them! Can you tell I'm a little bit of a makeup junkie?

Just looking at all their bright colors makes me happy. 

I Get It, but Really, It's Been 10 Years. Get Over It.

My mother called me tonight and warned me that my step-dad's kids are on the war path, you know, just in case they happen to spew in my general direction.

Here's the thing. I get it. I get why they would be angry. They erroneously believe that their dad loves me and my sister more than them. Which is just pure crap, but they seem disinclined to give their dad any slack. Their dad left their mom for my mom. They believe their dad chose my mom over them. 

The last reason, in my humble opinion, is the most important. Again, I get it. If Sis-C or I had forced the choice, we believe Mom would have chosen him over us. It stings.

The difference is that we got over it. We didn't force her to choose. We decided that we'd rather have our mother in our lives than to hold a grudge. We even accepted our step-dad into our lives. Which isn't to say there wasn't any fall out or that there wasn't any damage done. 

We have 10 years of memories to keep with us. We've had our ups and downs, like any family, but there have been plenty of good times over the last decade. They have nothing, but hurt feelings and anger.

It didn't have to be that way. Exhibit A: The other side of my family. We're the fucking Brady bunch. We get along. We love each other. Hell, we don't even use the whole "step" appellation with one another. We're family.

It makes me sad for his kids. We all make choices and we have to live with the consequences, for better or worse. I doubt they have ever considered the choices that they've made. It's so much easier to lay blame than to take responsibility.

Nancy Drew

The husband really worries me occasionally. Actually, I'm not sure that worry is the right word. Is there a word that means a combination of worry, sadness and annoyance?

Tonight we sat down to watch Nancy Drew, that movie starring Emma Roberts from a couple of years ago. As we're watching the preview together, he says to me, "So, what's this Nancy Drew thing all about?"

After staring at him incredulously for a few moments, I asked him if he's seriously never heard of Nancy Drew. He says he hasn't. 

WTF? Who hasn't heard of Nancy Drew? 

Sometimes I wonder if the husband isn't secretly an alien. It would explain SO much. 

Excited

Randomly, my dear friend mrs blume emailed me that she and the mr were thinking about taking a quick vacation someplace warm and would we be interested. 

Our answer, naturally, was 'hell yes!!!'

I am so ready for someplace warm.

I'm not sure we've settled completely on a destination or not. It's hard to tell when I all I have is secondhand information from the husband, but we've been in talks about possibly San Antonio. 

I'm pretty excited about this turn of events. I'm excited about going anywhere that won't involve me being cold most of the day. I swear the only time I'm not cold on any given day is when I'm at the gym. 

I keep daydreaming about sunshine. This is going to be fun.

Bad Day

I have had a terrible day. 

On the way to work, my car spun out and I went into the ditch on the other side of the road. When I say spun out, I mean 360s. It sucked. 

Well, actually, it was kind of fun, except for being terrifying and possibly dying if another car were to hit me. 

I'm okay. The car (the stupid rental) is okay. 

Some good Samaritan pulled me and the car out of the ditch. Thank you, thank you, thank you to whoever you are. You made my life so much better today.

Certain other people were less helpful. 

I have no luck with cars. I need some good weather and happiness, STAT.

Standing on the Precipice of History

Today is Martin Luther King day. A day we celebrate to commemorate a great man, who had a great vision of what this country could be, what humanity could be. I watched his "I have a dream" speech on YouTube, which is sort of tradition for me on this holiday. What amazes me is that no matter how many times I watch it, it never fails to affect me. 

Tomorrow is Obama's inauguration. It's an exciting time to be an American. It feels like we are coming out of the dark and into the light. 

I have so much hope for this man. I hope he is a man of intelligence, integrity and foresight. I hope he will restore this country to rights. It is a large job, but I believe he can do it. 

He isn't the realization of MLK's dream, but he is proof that it is possible. It is coming. It will happen. There is hope. 

I hope that tomorrow is not remembered as the day the first African-American became president of the United States, but as the turning point for this country. The day when change started. The day that led to America living up to her full potential. 

Only time will tell, but for now, I have hope.

Behaving is Hard

They provide soda and popcorn at our staff meetings. People were setting their sodas on the ledge that separates the front of the room from the back. 

As I walked by them to get to my seat, I wanted to slap the sodas off the wall right into the laps of the people sitting behind the wall. 

I wasn't annoyed at the individual owners of those sodas. I don't even know them. But, I wanted to knock them off the wall so badly it almost hurt. By the end, I was afraid my arm would just flail out of its own accord, so I held it down with my other arm. 

Thinking about it again now, I still really want to hit those sodas. Sploosh.

What is wrong with me?

Is Yoga a Requirement?

I was on yahoo.com today and I ran across this advertisement. It confuses me...

Snakes on a Plane

Usually, I take great pains to avoid any movie that might fall into the horror genre. I don't get any great jollies out of being afraid. 

I will occasionally break this rule. Unfortunately, in a show of really poor judgement, I always seem to break these rules when home alone and my poor dogs are forced into sitting very close to me so I have someone around to protect me. Not that the husband would be that much help in the case of a homicidal maniac at any rate. 

Tonight, the husband and I watched Snakes on a Plane. I was mildly concerned before watching it that it would scare me in spite of the hokey, stupid plot. It is extremely easy to scare me. I was scared by The Frighteners. It stars Michael J. Fox who is possibly the least scary man alive, for pity's sake!

Well, as luck would have it, Snakes on a Plane is one of the dumbest movies I have ever seen. There was no opportunity at any point to be mildly thrilled, much less afraid. 

However there were some fantastic quotes from the movie. I'm going to share two of them with you because I think they hold up, even out of context.

"Fucking snake! Get off my dick!" - Dude who I think you can guess what happened to him

"I have had it with these mother fucking snakes on this mother fucking plane!" - Sammy J

You might want to say the second one to yourself a few times. It gets better the more you say it. And, at the point it comes in the movie, I have to say, I couldn't agree with you more Sammy J! I couldn't agree with you more.

Yay! For me at least!

Tomorrow I'm on vacation! Yay for me! 

Not so yay for the husband. He's on vacation too, but he's getting his wisdom teeth out. Poor baby.

But still... yay for me! 

New Eyes

I read this quote today:

"Intelligence isn't a virtue, it's a quality. It's like hair color, or height: it earns you absolutely nothing. If you think that's all you are, you are trading on a seriously devalued currency, because you're wrong. There are more important things inside people. It's up to us to find them."

It doesn't matter where it comes from. Okay, it was from Jacob on TWOP in a recap of American Idol last night. Doesn't make it any less true.

I know a lot of people who have put their own value and placed value on others based on qualities (athleticism, intelligence, beauty).

Let's be clear.
Athleticism is not hard work. It is not dedication. It is not loyalty and determination. It is a certain amount of natural grace and an innate understanding of the mechanics of sport.

Intelligence does not equal educated. It does not indicate a desire to learn. It is not proof of curiosity. It is merely the ability to absorb new information and ideas quickly.

Beauty is entirely subjective and no matter what, always flawed.

They are qualities that people have no control over (with I suppose the exception being plastic surgery), yet we treat them as something valued and something they earned.

I guess my point is that I call bullshit. We might as well be judging others on toe length or, oh let's say, skin color. Most of the people (I know of) who read this blog would never judge someone based on the color of their skin, but I think most of us have called someone a moron in disgust or shied away from someone because they were kind of, well, gross.

There are virtues that are more difficult to come by, that take longer to develop and are hard to ascertain upon acquaintance.

Kindness, the true kind that you show towards everyone, not the fake kind that you turn on and off
Generosity, the kind that comes from the spirit and has no strings attached and no expectations
Compassion, the kind that allows you to put yourself in another person's shoes to understand them in a primarily non-judgmental way
Integrity, easy to claim, difficult to live
etc.

I'm not trying to preach. I'm as guilty as anybody else of judging people based on qualities they have no control over, rather than the choices they've made to sculpt who they've become. Who am I kidding? I don't go to the gym 7 days a week because I only care about my health.

Life is complicated. People are complicated. I don't have any conclusions about this issue or any plan of action to take now. But, I think it's something I'm going to have to think about for awhile and for starters, I think maybe I've been letting it be simple for too long.

Bossy Poster

I've been noticing more and more, at the dentist, at my hairstylist, at my ob/gyn (TMI?), that they are putting stuff on the ceiling to look at when you are lying back to do, whatever it is that they do.

My mind is always going, going, going. I can get bored easily and it's nice to have something to focus on. It's unnecessary, but appreciated.

At the dentist today, the poster they had on the ceiling was "Life's Little Instructions." Although it was more than enough to keep me occupied while they were digging around in my mouth, I was a little annoyed by the bossy tone of the poster.

"Sing in the shower, plant a tree on your birthday, carry jumper cables in your car, never refuse homemade brownies, wear polished shoes, have a dog..."

Seriously, shut up! Stupid fucking poster! (Have I ever mentioned that I hate being told what to do?) Although, done x3 on that last one.

My favorite instruction?
Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

I'm not sure I can even imagine what that would be like. I think it might be one of the signs of the apocalypse.

Rental Cars

Ever since the car accident (3 weeks ago already!!!), I've been driving a rental car. It's a blue 2008 Chevy Cobalt. Jealous?

If so, I don't think you've ever driven one. They're nothing to write home about.

Here's the problem with me driving a rental car: I went to Target this morning. After not finding what I was looking for, I wandered out into the parking lot in the general direction that I parked in. I didn't spot my car immediately, so I got confused about the row I parked in, especially since I made the mistake of not parking in my usual location. I wandered over another row.

Did I mention it's fucking freezing in Wisconsin right now? Below zero freezing?

It's only at this point after wandering around in below zero weather that I realized that I have been looking for my car, instead of the stupid rental car. The Cobalt doesn't even really have a distinctive shape, so I was practically on top of it before I realized I had located the correct vehicle.

This accident has been a real life lesson for me. Thanks Fate! Remind me to return the favor sometime! (In my head, this is when I shake my fist at the ceiling. Angrily.)

Things I have learned:
1. My car is awesome. I miss it. A lot.
2. Rental cars suck.
3. Insurance companies suck.
4. Causing an accident is OK. All will be taken care of for you.
5. You will rue the day you were ever hit by someone else. Everything will be as long, drawn out and painful as possible.
Awesome!

Talky-talky

Everybody thinks my husband is a quiet, nice guy. And so he is, until you get to know him. 

Now, granted, sometimes the husband can be a real bastard (who isn't sometimes?), but this post isn't about that. The thing to know about the husband is, once you get to know him, he won't. shut. up. He is one talky son-of-a-bitch. He talks to me. He talks to the dogs. He talks to himself. Once he gets home, sometimes he just won't quit making noise. 

We started watching Band of Brothers last weekend (which is really good so far and you should see if you haven't already). Tonight, we were watching another couple of episodes and the husband just kept right on talking. 

I had to make a rule. There is no talking during Band of Brothers. 

I know. I'm the big, bad mean wife, right? That's fine as long as you shut the fuck up during Band of Brothers. He's allowed to (and does, unfortunately) talk during other movies. There are only certain ones I ban him from speaking during, so don't feel too bad for him.

It isn't for nothing that they say, "Silence is golden."

Snow Day!

Due to no visibility and shitty road conditions, I am forced to work from home today. Poor me?

I've got no deadlines coming up, so I'm just dicking around and cleaning up those tasks that fall by the wayside when I'm under the pressure of a deadline. If there were a perfect day to have a snow day, this would be it. 

Wait! Who is that old lady on my couch watching NCIS all day?

Oh, right. It's me. 

Ever since I was sick a month or so ago, I cannot get enough of NCIS. I don't know why. It fulfills the 80 year-old buried deep within my soul. Apparently. 

NCIS is the new JAG. What? All the 80-year-olds are doing it! 

I don't have time for this. A naval officer has either committed a crime, gone missing or been murdered, I have to go. I'm missing it. 

Mittens, on Strings

Sometimes, I am not with it. I do not have my act together today. At all.

This morning, in the shower I washed my hair twice. I only realized half-way through rinsing it out for the second time that I was pretty sure I had already done it once already.

I'm kind of bored and unfocused at work. I have stuff to work on, just none of it appeals at the moment. I almost forgot to bring the book I need to study with me to work. Then, on top of that I forgot my iPod, which is a necessary study tool in a sea of noisy-ish cubicles.

If you find me wandering around Madison aimlessly, could you please just pin my mittens to my jacket and point me south. Hopefully, I'll wander on home.

Disappointment

I got a couple of iTunes gift certificates for Christmas, so I was trolling around tonight looking for some new songs to beef up my workout mix. I'm always looking for new songs for my workout mix. Anything that can get my butt moving and keep it moving is gold. 

I like to check out some of the iTunes essentials because, honestly, it saves me work. There are usually songs of the same type grouped there together, all nice and neat. I was pleased to see that the iTunes Essentials page even has an entire section devoted to workout music. 

I was not that pleased to see what was on some of these lists. It makes me wonder if the people making these lists even work out on a regular basis. 

I'm sorry, but neither Because of You (Kelly Clarkson) nor You're Still the One (Shania Twain) qualifies as a workout song. No matter how you spin it, they just don't. 

Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. 

Tanks for Nothing, Danny!

To the douche bag who stole my salad dressing at work:

You are a jerk.

XOXO,
Me

P.S. Also, please return my Tupperware container, as I use it quite often.

Infomercial

As a part of the television generation, you would think that I would be more immune to infomercials. I see a lot of infomercials at the gym, so maybe watching them without sound makes them more potent. 

Or maybe I'm just a schmuck. 

Anyway, they've been going crazy with the commercials for the Strap Perfect. (www.strapperfect.com) 

There's a little part of me that keeps going, 'That looks cool. I should totally get one!"

The rest of me keeps telling that part to shut up. 

I don't know... it does look kind of cool though. 

Let's not talk about Bendaroos.

Sigh. Thanks Dad?

What did we do for mr. blume that was once in a lifetime? For Christmas, my dad bought shirts for all the kids. They all had funny sayings on them.

These were ours. 

Yes. My shirt is pink and says "Cougar" on it. It also has a silhouette of a sexy woman holding a martini. 

I don't wear pink. I am NOT a cougar, thus, once in a lifetime. 

Oh, well. At least they are a matched set. 

Thanks D. 

New Years Fun

We made our annual trek to the blume household for New Years. We played a few games... if memory serves, the girls came out ahead on the game tally (as usual!). mrs. blume cooked up some excellent soup and tasty burritos (different meals). DaisyD brought over some yummy peppermint bark. The girls watched some crap-tacular chick flicks. The guys had a sports extravaganza between Pointer games, Badger games, and playing basketball. 

The New Years moment was a bit of a let down. 

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 

Ugh! The central time zone always gets screwed out of our New Years.

Still, it was a great time and fun was had by all. 

Here are some pictures of the auspicious event. 

The guys. This is as normal as it gets for our group of friends. Notice they are all smtiling relatively normal smiles. I think it only took two or three shots to get this picture.

Back: The husband, mr. blume, snoop

Front: No-Pants boy (a.k.a. mr blume's son)

The ladies, looking as lovely as ever.

mrs. blume, daisyD and me

Look at those cheeks! Cutest. baby. ever.

This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I think somebody found a new best friend. 

Baby blume and Snoop

Proof that mr. blume and son do occasionally like each other. Can I get an "awww"? Ironically, the only way N-P B would smile nicely for a picture was if I took it of him and his dad. 

mr. blume and no-pants boy

I took a picture of her, taking a picture of me. Notice the star bopper headband. AWESOME!

DaisyD

Some of you may remember my last post on a surprise for mr. blume. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of it on my camera. I'll post one as soon as I can steal one from mr. blume or DaisyD. I hope he enjoyed it, because it's unlikely to happen again.