Just Playin'

2009-06-24T20:34:00.001-04:00

Stop Reminding Me

Me: Did you hear that Ed McMahon died?
T: Who?
Me: Ed McMahon.
T: Who's Ed McMahon?

2009-03-23T19:43:00.004-04:00

Preserving What Sanity Remains

T and I are in the midst of a much-needed vacation, visiting my sister and her boyfriend in Arizona. There is never a "good time" at work to spend time away from the office, but this trip, planned in late January/early February, came at just the right time. Anyone who has known me for the past few years won't be surprised to hear that things are "crazy" at work.

I'll admit I almost never say that things are slow or have calmed down. That said, it seems the demands on my time have been particularly pressing over the past couple of months. True to form, I was "cramming" to get things done before we left for this trip. In the past, that meant I was up all night packing before a trip. This time, it resulted in the following:

I slept in a tad on my birthday, Thursday the 19th. I also allowed myself the treat of stopping for a Frisco breakfast sandwich on the way in. After dawdling a bit, I finally started working/billing around 9am or so - late for me. As another birthday indulgence, I let 2 sweet friends treat me to birthday lunch; we were out of the office for about an hour and a half. The rest of Thursday was spent working - steadily. I worked all day, all evening, all night. I kept right on working through the night - freezing my arse off because the HVAC was off and it was cold out. I finally managed to escape around 11:30am Friday morning.

I raced home, showered, hastily packed, and T and I made it to the airport with time to spare, thank goodness. Vacation prep has for years been a last minute endeavor for me, but that was cutting it just a bit close - and I definitely don't want to get in the habit of pulling all-nighters!

We're having a fabulous time in Arizona with my sis, including a wonderful visit with my aunt and uncle - this trip was just what the doctor ordered for preserving whatever remains of my sanity. Hi from sunny Arizona!

2009-03-18T19:14:00.002-04:00

Text from T

Yesterday morning, with no preamble, I received the following text message from my lovely daughter:

"Hey, do you think we can spare $3 a week to help rescue Ugandan children that were abducted and turned into child soldiers?"

No pressure. Despite that I don't think the subject of abducted Ugandan children is funny, I had to laugh. The message caught me off guard and went right from casual to deadly serious. I was at work, and given this week's work load, I quickly forgot about the text. T called me a bit later and wanted to know, "did you get my text?"

Ah, yes. I told her I sympathized with her desire to help, but that I already give to various causes and I wasn't willing to incur another $15/month obligation, no matter how worthy. She quickly corrected my math, and when it became clear I wasn't going to budge, she declared my refusal to spend $12 a month rehabilitating child soldiers "RIDICULOUS!"

After trying the calm approach, in which I informed her she was welcome to commit to the cause herself...WHEN SHE FINDS A JOB...I gave up and used my outside voice to make my point crystal clear.

Noble, isn't she, for wanting to save the world with my money?

2009-02-09T22:04:00.002-05:00

9 to 5

Why is it a bad idea to be working from home after 10pm?* Because opposing counsel might choose that time to send you an email. And that email might contain correspondence with more lame excuses regarding opposing counsel's insufficient discovery responses. And that correspondence might irritate you just enough to break the fine strand of your last nerve. And, your daily reserves of self-control long-spent, you might be tempted to fire off an email telling counsel precisely what you think of his inadequate discovery responses, rather than taking a more diplomatic and reasoned approach to the situation.

*As though there exists any good reason to be working from home after 10pm.

2009-02-09T16:08:00.003-05:00

Mixed Blessing

It is 54 degrees and sunny outside. In Indianapolis. In early February. It's a minor miracle, and while I'm immensely thankful for the reprieve from single-digit temperatures, the "cold" hard realities of my life in Spring and Summer, of being stuck inside in front of a computer when it's 80 degrees and gorgeous outside, have come flooding back to me this afternoon.

I have a ridiculous amount of work I'm attempting to slog through, but I'm distracted by the weather. I'm fighting off feelings of how "unfair" it is that I'm indoors, unable to enjoy what might literally be the best day of weather we'll see until Winter officially ends. Sometimes this whole being-a-responsible-adult thing blows.

2008-12-31T12:21:00.002-05:00

Where Does the Time Go?

I don't know where the time goes...and I clearly found none of it in December for blogging. That said, I've stumbled across a rare, precious thing: an extra second. I'm sharing this information with you in the hopes that you will use this gift of time wisely. Enjoy.

Happy New Year!!!

2008-11-30T16:08:00.002-05:00

It's Only Just Begun

T: Why is it so cold in here?
K: Because I'm keeping the heat low because I don't have any money. Any other questions?
T: (looking at thermostat, groans)
K: What's it on?
T: 63.
K: Excellent.
T: I take it it's going to stay that way.

2008-11-22T10:42:00.002-05:00

Brought To You By the Letter "A"

One day early this week I made a quick stop at the gas station downtown on my way into work. I was in serious "prep" mode for an oral argument and had to grab a few necessities: peanut butter crackers, sunkist (for caffeine), gum, and notecards. As the attendant reached for a plastic bad, I told him I didn't need one. My purse, while not fashionable (thanks for the honesty, T), has many different compartments, which is awesome. As the attendant watched me put each item in a different place, he said "you must be an administrative assistant." I just smiled and shook my head no. He guessed again - "attorney?"

I'm guessing what he really meant was "anal."

2008-11-20T20:06:00.002-05:00

Steer Clear

Some people dance to the beat of their own drum. While driving home about 2 hours ago, I moved from the right lane on the interstate into the middle lane to pass a minivan. As I passed the vehicle, I glanced to my right and was shocked to see that the bearded driver, who was moving along at no less than 55 mph, had his window rolled down and his head outside the window, just like a dog. Doesn't sound too unusual? It was about 32 degrees outside at the time, with a wind chill of I-don't-even-want-to-think-about-it. That dude was either drunk, trying to keep himself awake, having a hot flash, or unable to see out his windshield. Whatever his story, I got as far away from his as possible in a hurry. That's somethin' you don't see every day.

2008-11-06T06:39:00.002-05:00

2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back

Lost in the historic presidential election news for some were other issues on which voters across the country had their say Tuesday. Voters in California, Arizona, and Florida approved bans on same-sex marriage. Although in general I respect the right of states to govern themselves, I'm disappointed citizens in those states made such an archaic and discriminatory choice. Here's hoping some elected nut job doesn't try to revitalize this issue in Indiana any time soon. Or ever.

2008-11-05T10:24:00.001-05:00

INDIANA

2008-11-04T08:19:00.003-05:00

Election Day

Voting early was on my list of things to do, but given the length and variety of that list, I never managed to complete that particular task. When I learned yesterday that early voting continued through noon, I walked around to the other side of our "high-rise" office building to take a peek down at the City-County Building. To my dismay, but as I suspected, the last-day-for-early-voting line snaked out the building and around the corner. I resigned myself to voting on, of all things, election day.

My big plan was to get to my polling site at 5:30am. My snooze button had other plans, and I left the house shortly before 6am. About a half a mile out from the school where I vote, traffic was almost at a standstill - not a good sign. I KNEW I should have arrived earlier. I waited patiently in the line of cars as motorists from opposite directions slowly but surely alternated making the turn onto the road by the school.

I tend to follow directions, and the crowd, but this morning my fear that I would have an extremely long wait got the better of me. Instead of waiting in the line of cars being directed to seemingly nonexistent spots, I turned into the front lot, past the "do not enter" sign, and created a parking spot along the side of the lot near the grass. I trekked around the school to the line of voters...hundreds of people were lined up in the dark, waiting to vote.

I joined the line, which was initially moving at a decent pace. Eventually a poll worker came along and announced that there were 2 lines. My polling place serves 4 precincts; there was a very long line for 2 of them, and a much shorter line for the other 2. Although I've voted at that location at least twice before, I had no idea which was my precinct. After getting a glimpse of the super short alternate line, I got on the phone and dialed 327-VOTE. I was on hold for less than 5 minutes and a very efficient person on the other end asked my name and provided me with my precinct number.

Feeling like I'd been told to pass go and collect $200, I practically skipped up to the shorter line, which soon got me inside the school building, where it was much warmer. My wait outside had been approximately 30 minutes. Unfortunately, once inside, the pace slowed. In fact, my line to "check in" was effectively not moving - someone likely had an issue that took the volunteers some time to handle. While waiting, I introduced myself to some folks from my neighborhood that I recognized from trick-or-treating.

We soon realized we were waiting to check in, and that once we had, we would have to get in another growing line to get our ballots and vote. For all the poll workers/volunteers milling about, no one seemed to realize that the line to vote was growing, and the space to accommodate it was not. Directionless voters were creating a "line" that doubled back on itself, was mixing with the line of those still waiting to check in, and was causing those who had already voted to have difficulty leaving the building. I finally took some action and after making a few innocent suggestions to a couple of poll workers, they swung the line around and created a little breathing room for voters and would-be voters.

The issue holding up my line got resolved, and I checked in without incident. While I waited in the voting line, an official looking man in a suit came in and, reading from a piece of white paper, loudly announced: If you own a red BMW with license plate blah-blah it is about to be towed. I don't own a red BMW, but I could tell by the direction he gestured that the car in question was parked near mine. Then I saw that on the back of his paper someone had scrawled "Blue VW Jetta," along with the first 3 digits of my license plate, and that the information had been crossed out! I feared my car was already gone. I approached him, and he assured me my car was still parked, but that school buses would be arriving in approximately 15 minutes and I needed to move my car. We sized up the line and decided I likely had time to vote. I'd now been waiting over an hour and didn't want to start over again, so I took my chances.

I voted, got my sticker, reached my car before it was towed away, and made it to work by 8am. Success. Happy voting!

2008-10-21T18:20:00.003-04:00

Another Worthy Cause

Those of you I know personally have already had to put up with my unsolicited email on this topic, so apologies for the duplication. But a few random strangers happen by here on occasion, and in the event this might move one of them to donate, I'm posting it here. I've clearly fallen off the blogging track, and I'm in no position right now to promise that I'll turn things around any time soon. But I'll try. Getting through this week in once piece, without being fired or disbarred, will be a good start.

Enough about me. Today a colleague brought to my attention the unbelieveably heartbreaking story of a couple dealing with an unimaginable situation - their two small children were both recently diagnosed with same terminal disease. The children are dying right before their parents' eyes. Loving friends of the couple have begun a campaign to raise money to assist with the costs of caring for these children as they progress through the stages of the genetic illness. Life expectancy does not usually extend beyond late teens to early 20's. The family's story can be found at their blog here.

The goal is to collect $100 from 4,000 people. The money will be used for expenses insurance does not cover, including: co-pays, respite care, tube feeding formula, hearing aids, wheelchairs, and more. The family would also like to buy a home that must be completely wheelchair accessible. My colleague did not ask me to solicit donations, but I was moved to donate - and to spread the word - because the story is so tragic and because it reminded me how blessed my family has been.

If you are so inclined, please email me and I will provide you with information about how to donate.

2008-10-18T21:06:00.003-04:00

In Memory

Tomorrow I'll be making up for my lack of work today by working in both the morning and the afternoon. But I will take a break in the middle of the day to participate in the Alzheimer's Association's Memory Walk. I donate and walk in memory of my Grandma, the beautiful woman pictured below with her brothers many years ago. Her family misses her dearly, and I walk because I continue to hope that in my lifetime a cure for this horrible and heartbreaking disease will be found. If you are so inclined, please click the Memory Walk link and make a donation. (Or email me and I will help coordinate your donation).

2008-09-28T10:19:00.002-04:00

Woulda Coulda Shoulda

I probably should have worn waterproof mascara today. Can you say ragweed? This is day 2 of being back on Claritin, but I'm not sure it's helping much. And the Benadryl I'm about to pop likely won't be conducive to getting work done today. Yesterday I was threatening a nose-ectomy. That'd cure the itchy nose, but would be quite an adjustment, cosmetically speaking.

2008-09-24T20:47:00.002-04:00

Contemplation

I worked as a labor and delivery nurse for about three years before I began contemplating a career change, and it turned out to be a rather drastic change. As a law student, I used to joke that I hoped my new career would hold my interest for a little longer before I began looking for a new challenge or direction. Deep down I worried that some unseen internal mechanism would create the need for another change after a few years.

Entering my fourth year of practicing law, I can report that I am not currently looking to switch jobs, or careers - yet. But I'm a little restless. I'm fortunate that I can honestly say I like what I do (about 90% of it) and I like the people with whom I work (an even higher percentage). Despite this, I'm fighting the nagging feeling that something is missing. Because something is.

The biggest problem with this useless knowledge is that I don't know WHAT is missing.* If I knew what my "dream job" was, I could at least make a decision to take a leap or play it safe. But I don't. That's right, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. If I figure it out, I'll be sure to let you know. Don't hold your breath.

*I'm not entirely clueless on this point, and I think a little "feeding my soul" would go a long way. I'm working on a couple of things on this front.

2008-09-23T20:41:00.002-04:00

Mini-Movie Reviews from the Gilmores

I recently attended the annual dinner/auction fundraising event put on by our local bar foundation, on whose board I sit. I set a budget for myself before going, but once I got a look at all the items up for auction, I promptly bid way beyond my self- and reality- imposed budget. Fortunately for me, I got outbid on all but one item. I came away with a basket full of Blockbuster gift cards, microwave popcorn, movie-type candy, and a few "single serving" bottles of screw-top Chardonnay.

I had to fight for it, and I shamelessly begged a couple of people to stop bidding on it so that I could have "movie night" with T. (My begging didn't work). I don't regret a dollar I spent, however, and not just because the money raised goes to support worthy causes.

No, what I bought that night was priceless: time with T. When I showed her the basket, I told her I got it so the two of us could have some movie nights together. Instead of giving me the teenage brushoff, she seemed excited about it, and happily stole the Junior Mints (but not the wine) and agreed to accompany me to Blockbuster. We rented our first movie the next day, mini-review below. Since then we've watched 2 more...check back in for those reviews in a later post.

The Secret
T: Tricky, captivating
K: Entertaining, stirring

2008-09-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

Turning Up the Heat

It was hard not to notice the recent efforts of Citizens Gas at getting out the word about anticipated high gas prices this winter. As T and I drove around tackling errands Saturday, we saw no less than 4 different billboards warning of the expected increase in natural gas prices. I commented to T that the aggressive marketing effort worried me, and warned her to be prepared for a cold winter in our house.

This evening as I was paying the bills, I was tempted for the first time in three years to join the budget billing program. Budget billing would allow me to pay one set price the entire year and avoid those dreaded high bills during the winter months. I've not joined to this point because I love the negligible bills that come in the summer: they're for our gas water heater only.

Just as I was about to write the check for the amount that would automatically enter me into the budget program, I logged onto the gas company's website (props to them for making this information so accessible). There I discovered that for only 4 months each year did I pay over what they want me to pay every month...the rest of the months were substantially less. In addition, last year's average monthly payment was about $50 less than what they want me to pay every month for the next twelve months to join budget billing.

I just couldn't bring myself to do it, to pay $160 today instead of $26 today. I've set the lofty goal for myself of calling Citizens Gas and getting some information including how they determine one's monthly budget plan payment, and how much of a price increase they are expecting this winter.

Either way, it promises to be a chilly winter around here. If you need holiday gift ideas for me and T, think thick socks, flannel pjs, and earmuffs!

2008-09-17T06:22:00.000-04:00

Um, Is Your Mom an Attorney?

Early Sunday, T sent the survey below to several people, including me, as part of an assignment for her Sociology class. I was immediately stumped by the first question, because I have a bad memory for things like "strangest," "ugliest," "funniest," "most" fill-in-the-blank. But by the time I got to question No. 8, I simply could not fathom how to answer it without objecting due to vagueness. What does it say about me that I had a strong desire to object to several of the questions on various ground? Here are the questions, minus my answers, which I managed to give with zero objections, only a few qualifications, and without reserving my right to later supplement:

1) What is the “strangest” food that you have ever eaten?

a. What was strange about it?

b. What would you consider a typical meal?

2) How often do you view independent or foreign films?

3) What genres of music do you like/dislike the most?

a. Do you listen to any foreign music?

b. If so, of which cultures?

c. Do you play/enjoy any “exotic” instruments?

4) Do you eat ethnic food? If so, what kind and how often?

5) Would you feel comfortable living in a non-European country?

6) If you were given the opportunity to travel internationally, would you take this opportunity and what would be the top three countries on your list?

7) If someone from another culture greeted you in an unfamiliar manner, would you return it in kind?

8) Do you associate with those of different cultures than your own?

a. How many?

b. Of which ethnicities?

9) What are primary characteristics that you notice when you first meet someone?

10) What would you consider to be a “typical” American name?

a. African-American?

b. Middle Eastern?

c. Asian?

d. Hispanic?

11) With which ethnicity do you identify yourself?

12) What constitutes family to you?

13) What do you believe your responsibilities to your parents are?

a. Them to you?

b. How will your parents be cared for in old age?

14) At what age is one financially independent?

15) Would you marry someone of a different religion/ethnicity?

a. How would you handle these differences when raising a family?

2008-09-16T19:46:00.002-04:00

Strike a Pose

I was walking down a hallway at work today, and when I saw the outline of my reflection in a piece of art on the wall, I thought to myself: this outfit makes a nice silhouette.

Someone has been watching too much Project Runway.

2008-09-08T18:49:00.002-04:00

Congressman Lynn Westmoreland

I give you Congressman Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia.

His job? To review his campaign literature and not forget what he put in it, to make sure he's doing what he promised he would do in Congress. Apparently he didn't promise much.

Count your lucky stars this man wasn't chosen to be somebody's VP.

Found here.

2008-09-05T07:07:00.002-04:00

This is Not Your Parents' Back to School Night

I attended my last "back to school night" yesterday for this, T's final year of high school. I'd worked a full day, beginning before 7am, including putting out a "fire" that erupted around 2pm, which I just managed to get under control by 6pm. A quick look at the letter from T's school reminded me the program was at 6:30 and not 7, as it said on my calendar, and I was off and running.

Out of 8 periods, T has 2 free periods. Must be nice. The free periods allowed me to catch my breath, because this year her classes were arranged as far as possible from each other, making the 5 minute passing period not quite enough for my old legs to get me to class on time.

The 8th and final period was Creative Writing. The somewhat odd instructor had us all sitting down around two small tables, as though we were having a group meeting of some sort. He attempted to describe his class in the allotted 10 minutes, and the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of back to school night. It was 8:40pm, I was tired and hungry, and looking forward to going home. Par for the course at one of these events, I'd learned some things I didn't know, including that T has both an essay due and a test today. Through texting, she assured me she had things under control.

We were almost free when the Creative Writing teacher asked us to indulge him for just another moment while he finished his remarks. He continued describing his efforts to make the class a safe place for the students to explore any and all topics without fear of being judged or having their business broadcast throughout the school and beyond. He told us how several years ago a student wrote about her mother's death and how it brought the class closer and allowed the other students to explore meaningful issues in their writing.

He even explained that he'd told our students they could lie about whether their stories were real, and used finger quotes for the example that if a student wrote about a "friend" who drank a "bottle of wine" and "vomited," the student could maintain the story wasn't autobiographical even if it was - and would not be questioned.

Then he said, "Like just today, a girl wrote a story about losing her virginity, but she swore it wasn't a story about herself."

And then back to school night was over. And I was speechless.

2008-09-01T21:18:00.003-04:00

Drive-by Blog Post

This (long) weekend included:

Cookout hosted by my parents and attended by my Grandpa and two of my uncles, one visiting from California. T's first cheeseburger after ditching the vegetarian scene.
Roadtrip to Chicago with T and my sister visiting from Arizona to see my sister J, and her bf J2, who recently moved there together.
One walk around Wrigley's while the Cubbies lost.
Dinner at the Blue Agave in the windy city. Yum.
A ride on the CTA, where there is apparently no such thing as "capacity."
Birthday dinner at Ruth's Chris for Mickie, whose birthday is in December. Yes, December. We even sang to her.
Birthday dinner for my sister Bobby at Abuelo's. On her actual birthday.
Bills, laundry, Wal-Mart, Marsh
A walk - three days in a row. (A definite must given all the eating that took place over the last few days).
A quick trip downtown to check out the logistics of my new office and unpack one small box. While everyone is unpacking tomorrow and pulling out their hair, I'll be preparing for a Wednesday deposition. Check back with me in about a year to see how my unpacking is going.
One lone billable hour.
One lone blog post (you're reading it, such as it is).

We need more three day weekends.

2008-08-19T22:57:00.003-04:00

Snippet from Work

At about 6pm this evening, I was standing talking to a colleague who is of counsel and who I am assisting with a dispositive motion in district court. He has many times pushed back my "deadline" for completing my portion of the brief, mostly due to my full dance card. A partner for whom I also do work joined us.

Me: I worked most of this weekend and T just arrived home Saturday night after being gone all summer. She had senior retreat last night, but she is back now and I'm going to leave to go get some dinner with her. I will work from home later, and add that section we talked about. I've been here since 5:30 a.m., though, and I'm exhausted so I'm leaving. I have to go to Louisville first thing in the morning, so I won't be able to review the changes you made today until I return in the afternoon.

Partner: Do you have some time for me tomorrow? I need your help gathering some data.

Me (mentally calculating the impossibility of another task to complete tomorrow and noting the knowing look on "of counsel's" face as he anticipated my answer): Well, I have to go to Louisville in the morning, but I will be back in the afternoon.

Partner (feigning a begging look): Can you make some time for me, please?

Me, to Of Counsel: See? It just keeps on coming.

Of counsel, to Partner: Get in line.

Partner: I'll pull rank.

This exchange was all in good fun, but it was also illustrative of my current predicament. I am overextended, and despite that I am working as many hours as I can, I feel like everyone is getting short shrift. I keep vowing to limit my work to a manageable level, but somehow the work just continues to multiply. I'm tired. And getting fat - due to inactivity - despite eating less. I'm really hoping I can engineer an acceptable way to reduce my work demands. Soon. Wish me luck.

2008-08-16T19:09:00.003-04:00

Don't Walk Away

Seems most of the pictures I've captured of T recently are of the back of her, walking away from me. That was the case with the photo I took once she passed through airport security, on her way to her gate, when her summer journey began in June. Then there is the picture above - that's T and her boy (did we give him a nickname?) - taken a few weeks ago when I was fortunate enough to visit her in Seattle.

This is what, "c'mon Mom, I'll give you a tour of camp" looks like when your child is 17 and in love.

All summers must end, however, and this one is no exception. T is ending a three-hour layover in Minnesota as I type, and an airplane will deliver her home to us in just a few hours. For now, at least, she will return home to me. A temporary state of affairs, to be sure, but one for which I am grateful.

2008-08-10T10:38:00.002-04:00

Happy Anniversary!!!

Happy 35th Anniversary to my wonderful parents. My sisters, daughter, and nieces are blessed indeed to have such a wonderful family. I hope you two have a wonderful day - you certainly deserve it!

2008-08-09T15:38:00.002-04:00

The Best Laid Plans

I have a ridiculous amount of work to do this weekend. This includes "work work," with deadlines, and also packing up my office, because our entire firm is moving to a new building. Despite this, and how behind the ball I am on the whole packing thing, and how incredibly stressed I am about all the things I need to accomplish in the next two or three weeks, I carefully planned my day to allow for 2 hours in the sun.

Laying out in the sun has begun to feel like a necessity for some reason. It relaxes me and helps me trick myself into thinking I'm taking advantage of our short summer, rather than wasting it all away inside my office.

I checked the weekend forecast this morning, mulled over the possibilities, and chose today for laying out instead of tomorrow. Today was predicted to be 80 degrees and partly cloudy, and tomorrow 79 with even more clouds. I ran some errands, went for an hour walk (much needed), and headed over to my folks to catch some rays. During the time it took me to walk from their porch to their back patio, the clouds began to roll in. After 20 minutes of sitting in the shade in my bikini I briefly went back inside to tell my Mom the obvious: I was less than thrilled with the weather situation.

Dad came home from his walk a bit later and when he saw my car said to my Mom, "I hope Kelly didn't come over to lay out." Yeah. He popped some popcorn and joined me out on the patio. Every passing minute I became more irritated by the clouds, and continually weighed the pros and cons of giving up and heading into work, versus staying put in the hopes of catching some fleeting sun.

Pops: Was that thunder?
Me: Don't talk to me about thunder, Dad.
Pops: Huh? Did you hear that? Do you think that was thunder?
Me: Dad! No, I did not hear thunder, and if you keep saying "thunder" someone is going to get hurt and you are the only person I see.
Pops: Maybe it was a truck.

2008-08-09T10:40:00.000-04:00

Bernie Mac Dies at 50

2008-08-09T10:39:00.000-04:00

There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast.

Ain't that the truth.

2008-08-09T08:39:00.002-04:00

Momentary Departure

I generally don't blog about my love life. (Ha! Difficult to blog about something that doesn't exist.) I plan for the most part to stick to that self-imposed rule, but allow me this brief reference to my personal troubles. I preface this by saying that I'm not a man-basher. I don't hate men and you would be hard pressed to find me sitting around with girlfriends insulting and making fun of men. I certainly don't hold back if a particular male has done something to deserve harsh comments, but that holds true for women who act like dumbshits, too.

After filling a good friend in on a newly developing heartache, she sent me this email:

Men - you can't live with them, you can't kill them, because, of course, you don't want to spend the rest of your life in jail.

God love her. Although I wasn't contemplating killing anyone, this hit me just right and even caused me to smile, which was a feat on that particular day. Thank heavens for friends, and sisters, and friends who are sisters. And nieces, too. They've all helped me get through this week with my sanity intact.

We now return to our regular no love life, no man-bashing format.

2008-07-30T22:50:00.006-04:00

Creative Compromise

For several reasons, I decided to catch a quick dinner at the IHOP near my hotel this evening. Sitting near me (the tables are SO close together) was a group of various-aged men talking loudly about the martial arts in which they are involved and some online forum to which they contribute, blah, blah. The only topic they covered that was more boring - and more irritating - was the poor service.

Their coffee didn't come fast enough, their food didn't come fast enough, and the soda came with ice instead of the requested without. In my head, I formulated several things I might say to them on my way out, like pointing out that the 2 hostesses/servers were working their assess off, likely for little pay and less respect. Or that if the group of 13 men - yes, a group of 13 crammed into several IHOP tables - were after impeccable service, they should have gone to Ruth's Chris and paid for it.

Instead, I bit my tongue. And when I paid my bill I mentioned to the waitress that the guys were bitching and moaning. Then I gave her a big tip. On my way out, she was contemplating ways to teach them what poor service really is - and she had yet to serve their food.

2008-07-29T22:55:00.002-04:00

Observations (probably more random than the usual random blather)

People in Seattle are crazy because they do not get cold. As I sat shivering (teeth chattering!) in class today, where two windows were OPEN, one of the locals actually took off her light jean jacket and seemed quite comfortable in her short-sleeved blouse. Unreal.
Classrooms no longer have pencil sharpeners.
Pay phone booths are almost extinct.
If I place a water bottle in my purse, chances are VERY good I am going to drown my own electronic equipment. One day I will learn to adjust my actions accordingly.

2008-07-27T12:06:00.002-04:00

68 Days and 67 Nights

Many moons ago I made T's flight reservations for her anticipated summer trip. When the confirmation popped up on the screen, it noted the length of trip: 68 days and 67 nights. I smiled to myself at the ridiculous notion of such a long trip and figured there had been a mistake. Then I realized that was precisely how long my girl was going to be away from me. Had I really blessed such a trip?

We are now more than half way through those 68 days. I've missed her, but I've been comforted by knowing that she is spending her summer at her favorite place in the world, a small camp in the state of Washington. Even better, I am finally in Washington myself, in the middle of a 48 hour visit with my sweetie, and with our other family members who live in this lovely place.

At T's invitation, tonight I spend the night at camp with her and the other teenagers who manage to essentially run the camp with little adult intervention. There is talk of a double feature drive-in, too, Hancock - followed by Wanted. Little other than spending time with T could convince me to head to a drive-in with a gaggle of teenagers, followed by a night in a place that requires lots of bug spray.

Catch ya' on the other side.

2008-07-02T20:17:00.003-04:00

iPod Victims

You know who suffers when we enjoy our iPods, don't you? That's right, our innocent pets. At least, my pet does. I went for a walk today (after over an hour at the driving range) and when I returned home, I kept listening to my music, bopping around the house making my dinner and doing various other things, all while belting out the mish mash of songs at the top of my lungs.

You might be thinking that pets listening to their owners sing is nothing new. Perhaps. But around here before iPods, sweet Angel had the benefit of hearing the music I was purporting to sing as it flowed from the speakers; she could at least try to ignore my unwelcome contributions to the tunes.

Now, with my little earbuds channeling the music straight to my brain, all Angel hears are my unbelievably misguided screechings - and I am oblivious, because I can't even hear myself when lost in the music. Poor kitty. Who knows how many like her are out their suffering at the hands of their talentless owners.

2008-06-24T14:03:00.002-04:00

Spoiled

It's official. I'm spoiled. Sunday, during a self-imposed laundry marathon (I have found the bottom of my closet floor and it is a wondrous thing), my washing machine decided to go on strike. No amount of negotiating or load-lightening would coax it back into operation.

I called Sears. Praise heaven, I'm still within the three-year service plan. When can the repairman come? Tuesday between 8am and noon. Not Monday, but also not Wednesday. I called my Mom. She agreed to help me out, and was available until about 1:30p. No worries.

Cut to Tuesday. After 1pm. After I've spent some time at the BMV getting my expired plates back in the land of the legal. After I've slowly but surely begun to recognize that June has become nothing but a nonbillable hour time suck. I get in touch with Mom. No Sears man.

I rush home. The Sears man calls; he's on his way. Cut to 2:16pm.

Me: So, what's the verdict? (nice lawyer talk)
Him: Oh, the dispenser arm is stuck.
Me: Why does it do that?
Him: Bad design.
Me: *blink, blink*
Him: I'm going to order you a new one [no doubt the installation of which will require another service call], but I'm trying to fix it so you can use it in the meantime.
Me: *blink, blink*

So there it is. Somehow, despite that neither laundry nor housekeeping occupy the majority of my time or worry, and despite that I know I am blessed and have many things for which to be thankful, I never contemplated the prospect of my life as it is without a functioning washing machine. It is, in a word, bleak.

2008-06-08T18:06:00.002-04:00

Show Us Your Manners

T and I had a relatively successful shopping trip today. (I don't like to shop, but sometimes it becomes necessary). T needed several things for her upcoming looooong trip to camp, and I needed a dress for a black-tie shindig on Friday. Miraculously, in the space of a few hours, I got a dress and shoes and T got most of what she says she needs for camp.

We left the mall and walked in the 90 degree heat and humidity out to our car. We were almost to the car when I thought I heard someone trying to get our attention. As I turned my head to see 2 hicks climbing into their big ol' truck, one of them shouted, "show us your tits." I suppose I could have misunderstood him, but as I told T, their shit-eating grins suggested that I'd heard them just fine.

It's often fun when people mistake T and I for sisters, or even friends, but not so much when the person making the mistake is a country bumpkin who isn't ready to concede that May is over and who doesn't bother to think before opening his mouth.

2008-06-03T20:31:00.002-04:00

Crazy Kids

My sis J and her boyfriend J2 took off today for a 6 week backpacking trip through Europe. She just called from Newark, NJ, from where I hear something like a gazillion percent of US international flights depart. In less than 2 hours they'll leave lovely Newark and head for Dublin. Ireland!

They'll trek through Europe for weeks with nothing but their enormous backpacks. Ah, the energy of the young. We'll miss them terribly but definitely hope they have an amazing time!!!

2008-06-01T16:23:00.003-04:00

Back to the Drawing Board

Not to alarm you, but T was in a car accident several weeks ago. SHE IS FINE, thank heavens. Other than a bruised/scraped/sore knee, some soreness for a couple of days, and some bruises from her seatbelt, she appears to have emerged mostly unscathed. Liability is still being worked out, so I'm not going to go into the details here. (Does that make me sound like a lawyer?) I will tell you, though, that the other person involved in the collision was a teacher from her school. Oy vey.

The minor nature of her physical injuries notwithstanding, we were both pretty shaken up. It was a Friday morning, and I was at work. I thought T was on her way to school, but it turns out there were two important detours first: CVS for some trendy bottled tea, then Starbucks for coffee with a friend before school. When my office phone rang at 7:20am and it was her cell phone, I knew something was wrong. Typically, the only communications I get from her before her school days start are text messages.

I answered the phone; she was crying and reported that she'd been in a wreck. I rushed to the scene, were I took a few pictures with my camera phone, while willing my heart to stop pounding - I'd spoken with her, so I knew intellectually she was fine, but seeing the "wreckage" was tough on the ol' Mom.

We opted for an x-ray of her hurt knee, which was negative. By the time that whole process wrapped up, we were both exhausted from the morning's commotion. We headed home to recharge and both took 3 hour naps that afternoon.

T really liked her car, and it obviously took good care of her in this case. The original damage estimate was $5,300 and I authorized repair, hoping they would hurry up and get things fixed, as we have become quite accustomed to being a two car family. Last week I got the call: upon further inspection, it's not work fixing. After eight months driving it, T has totaled her first car. Why am I reminded of how quickly she went through shoes as a child? I hope she is not going to go through vehicles at the same pace.

2008-05-17T22:03:00.002-04:00

Snippet

T (from upstairs, on the phone with her bf): Mom, who has cooties, boys or girls?
Me: Boys.
T: Thank you! We've been having an argument.
Me: Very intellectual.
T: I know, right?

Our youth, busy debating those deep unanswered questions plaguing us all.

2008-05-13T20:49:00.001-04:00

Ouch

T (to me): Lucky for you I'm not using you as my driving role model.

Kids. What do they know, anyway?

2008-05-06T09:00:00.001-04:00

Primary Day

2008-05-05T06:58:00.000-04:00

A Pedicure A Day

T and I got pedicures yesterday. (I should have been catching up on work after missing so many days, but my toes were in serious need of a touch up). We went to the only place we know for sure is open on Sundays, and to which we have been several times.

Since our last visit, they've upgraded to new pedicure/spa chairs. Let me just say these are the most intense and, ah, thorough massage chairs in which I have ever had the opportunity to sit.

Me (to T): This chair is massaging my...private parts.
T: I know; I turned that part off.

2008-05-04T12:16:00.003-04:00

Just Fabulous

I haven't been ignoring you. T and I returned last night from a 3 night stay at The Breakers in Palm Beach. I was urged to go by one of the partners at my firm for a conference. Truth be told, I was reluctant to go because I wasn't sure how I could both manage the trip and meet my work obligations. I went, however, and pulled T out of 3 days of school to go with me.

We had a fabulous time. The resort was incredible, as was the weather. We arrived Wednesday afternoon and left Saturday afternoon. Though I was committed to attending classes at the seminar and spending time mingling/marketing, there was plenty of down time for laying out and soaking in the sun and the atmosphere. Simply wonderful.

On Thursday, while we were laying out, T turned to me said, "Mom, do they have one of these every year?" Indeed they do.

2008-04-26T19:43:00.002-04:00

Prom 2008

2008-04-26T13:02:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday, T!!!

It's T's 17th birthday. Seventeen - can you believe it???

I told her a couple hours ago that she wouldn't get her presents from me until tomorrow, when we are planning to gather at my parents' house with family and some of her friends to celebrate. She said, "you haven't bought them yet, have you?" Smartass. She knows me well. Actually, I informed her, I already have 2 presents for her and I only anticipate getting 1 or 2 more things. Plus, I'm totally claiming credit for allowing her boyfriend to come spend the weekend with us - that should definitely count.

Speaking of whom, he is wearing a t-shirt today that says "Chicks Dig My Ride." They just left, headed for her makeup and hair appointments, because tonight is prom. In a few hours, I'll tear myself away from all-day appellate brief writing to meet up with them and stand around with the other parents and take way too many pictures.

2008-04-23T23:23:00.003-04:00

Quickie

Heat off, windows open. I took the cat's favored position yesterday, supine with her legs in the air, as a signal that we could probably turn off the heater for a while:

I'm working. And have all but decided to take a quick nap - less than 4 hours - and get back up to continue working. I wish I could blame this current endeavor on someone else, but alas, I volunteered. Such a sucker.

2008-04-22T22:11:00.002-04:00

Perspective

T's boyfriend arrives in town Thursday evening from Seattle. I've never met him. He'll be staying with us for several nights. I warned her some time ago that she had to clean her room before he arrives (not that they'll be spending any time alone together in her room, just on principle).

She's been working on her room, including some laundry, for a couple of nights. She just went to bed but first talked me into getting up and checking out her "decent" room.

Oh, my.

Since she wanted me to come look at it now, rather than waiting until the morning, my expectations rose. This was on of those moments where I probably should have praised her efforts and given her some encouragement, since she plans to "finish" cleaning tomorrow.

All I could manage was: "It's not that it's not progress...."

2008-04-18T07:26:00.003-04:00

Blame It On the Earthquake

Last night T asked me to sign a permission slip in which the teachers were seeking parental blessing to show the students a rated R movie as part of Spanish class. I noted that the date of the letter was March 14, 2008 and it was supposed to be turned in by March 28th. Turns out the teacher let T watch the beginning of the movie despite the absence of parental permission, but to see the rest T would have to bring in the permission slip. As I signed, I said, "March 28th?? Try to be an active participant in your life, would you, please?"

This morning when I got dressed, I put on jeans. I've gotten away from wearing jeans to work on Fridays, but today I have to go from work to a long drive to dinner to maybe dancing (girls' night out!), so jeans seemed the way to go. Not until I was in my car and on my way to work did I realize I was wearing the wrong jeans. They are a little too old, a little too short, a little too faded for work. I can barely concentrate and I just want to go home and change. The differences might be subtle to others but they are driving me crazy, and seriously, how does one put on the wrong pair of jeans and not notice?

Active participant, indeed. And just wait until you hear my pants story from earlier this week.

2008-04-17T20:39:00.001-04:00

You know you have writer's block when...

you find yourself staring at your office ceiling for the first time in 2 1/2 years, wondering whether you really could get your pencil stuck into one of the ceiling panels by throwing it up there.

2008-04-15T21:11:00.004-04:00

Nice Try

The entire firm received the following email from our head IT guy yesterday, subject line beginning "Please read immediately":

A new virus is going around today that looks like a subpoena from the US Courts. The subpoena email has a link that, when clicked, installs a virus on your computer. Please follow this link to see an example of the fake subpoena.
http://www.casd.uscourts.gov/index.php?page=home

I spent almost .1 debating whether to follow the link and then emailed a colleague to ask if I was paranoid (in keeping with yesterday's theme) for being afraid to click on the link. He said no, which instantly made me feel better, and went on to describe tales of disgruntled IT employees who, as a final diabolical act before quitting their jobs, sent out emails like the one above - with a virus, of course.

Whew. Good thing I didn't fall for that one. I remain ever vigilant, and I recommend you do the same.

2008-04-15T21:02:00.002-04:00

Paranoid Much?

On my way home from work yesterday I spotted a car some distance back in my rearview mirror. It was a dark late model Ford that looked as if it could be an unmarked cop car, so I slowed down a bit and kept my eye on him. Eventually I moved to the right one lane; he followed suit. As my exit approached, I moved to the far right lane, and so did the mysterious car, which was now behind me and gradually catching up to me.

I exited the interstate onto a busy street and then took yet another exit from that street to head toward home. The car continued to follow me. I made a turn at the stoplight, and a couple of miles later made another turn into my neighborhood - still with my "tail." By now I was suspicious that he was purposely following me for some unknown reason. So I bypassed my street and called T to fill her in and let her know that I was almost home with her Jimmy John's dinner, but would be taking a short detour. The dark car finally turned at a stop sign onto a road with no outlet.

I made a wide "circle" around my neighborhood and eventually turned in again. As I approached my street for the 2nd time, the car was now approaching me from the other direction. I got weirded out and passed up my own street for the 2nd time. I watched him slowly leave the neighborhood in my rearview mirror before I turned around and finally headed to my driveway.

Crazy I guess, probably just a weird coincidence, but one can never be too careful.

2008-04-14T21:28:00.002-04:00

Time Travel

My sweet T made it home from her journey safe and sound, for which I am very thankful. She had a good time and took quite a few pictures. At some point one of us will post the pictures to Flickr or some such service and I'll share the link for whoever is interested.

The kids got home late Saturday night. Long before she ever embarked on the trip, T was trying to talk me into letting her stay home from school on Monday, for fear she'd be exhausted and suffering from jet lag. (no way). She spent most of her trip in time zones 7 and 8 hours ahead of EST. As it turns out, she wasn't exhausted this morning - she was wide awake and couldn't asleep past 5:30am or so. My first clue was when she shuffled into my room before 6am and said, "good morning." She never says good morning.

In keeping with her still slightly warped sense of time, T was sleepy early this evening and she retired to her room shortly after 8 o'clock to get ready for bed. Unfortunately for her, daylight savings time is in full swing, despite the chilly temperatures outside. She sent me this text (yes, from her bedroom) at 9:15pm:

Please explain to me why it is 9 at night and it's still somewhat light outside.

I'm going to refer her to Mitch on that one.

2008-04-13T17:32:00.000-04:00

Haunting

2008-04-08T21:09:00.002-04:00

VW Love

She got me safely to and from Florida again this year. I'm eternally grateful.

2008-04-05T16:48:00.002-04:00

Vacation(s)

A quick hello from rainy New Smyrna Beach, Florida. For the first part of my trip, during which I stayed in Port Orange, Florida, I had a wonderful stay with a long-time family friend. She was a gracious hostess and I appreciate her hospitality. I'm now at a condo at New Smyrna Beach. Despite that Florida is in full Spring Break swing, the beach isn't crowded and this is a lovely place to stay.

The weather so far has been great - sunny and warm, but not too hot, in the mornings and early afternoons, generally with showers in the late afternoon. I arrived in Florida late afternoon/early evening on Monday. Tuesday I walked around the neighborhood in which I was staying. about 3 miles, and then enjoyed fantastic walks on the beach Wednesday, Thursday, and today - 4 miles the first 2 days, and about 5 miles this morning.

I finally got to talk to T, who was in Luxor at the time. She had very little phone time available and was just checking in to say she was doing fine. I can't wait to hear about her trip when she returns and see the pics I hope she is taking!

It's currently storming, with heavy rain. I like storms, and I'd planned to do a little work this evening, so the timing is good. I also squeezed in a pedicure just as the rain started this afternoon and before the place got crowded with vacationers with thwarted sunbathing plans My fingers are crossed that the rain doesn't dampen (great pun) the last two days of my vacation.

2008-03-31T00:15:00.002-04:00

On Her Way

T and the group traveling to Egypt experienced some hiccups in their travel plans this week. They arrived at the Indianapolis airport by bus on Thursday afternoon, with plans to fly out in the early evening. Their itinerary called for them to leave Indy for Chicago in the early evening, spend many hours in Chicago, and fly through Amman to Cairo.

Unfortunately, issues at O'Hare put a wrench in those plans. After 7 hours at the Indy airport, we parents were called to pick up our disappointed and tired kids a little after 10pm. The teacher seemed optimistic that an alternative plan would materialize, but since they have around 20 in their group, I was worried.

Alas, a new plan was hatched in the middle of the day Friday. I got "confirmed" notice that T should arrive at school by 11am. I raced from work to pick her up, only to find out the alarm was false. T was battling a cold and not feeling well, so I stayed at home and we spent several hours lounging in my bed, watching TV, and wondering how things were going to work out. The call finally came and I dropped her off at school, to board a chartered bus, around 2:30pm. They drove to Chicago, where they eventually flew to Germany.

It's a little surreal getting a text message from your 16 year old daughter while she is in Germany. She was doing well, and their final leg would be Germany to Cairo, where they would arrive at 3:30am and begin sight-seeing at 8:30am. Better them than me!

2008-03-31T00:10:00.000-04:00

On My Way

With T on an adventure in Germany, I think I'll take a little break of my own. I'm off to Florida, for a much-needed vacation and hopefully a dose of Vitamin D. If I can find good internet access, I'll post from from the sunshine state.

Hasta la vista.

2008-03-24T21:44:00.003-04:00

Three Days

For many months, I've been excited about T's spring break plans and have reported them to just about anyone who would listen. Now, her departure is just three days away and I'm getting nervous. I'm taking her to school Thursday morning and dropping her off with all of her luggage and supplies. In the afternoon, a bus will take her and over a dozen of her classmates to the airport to begin their journey.

Then it's Indianapolis to Chicago; Chicago to Amman, Jordan; and Amman to Cairo. Cairo! Isn't that amazing? My sixteen year old daughter is going to spend two weeks experiencing things like watching the Whirling Dervishes, visiting the Great Pyramids, traveling the Nile by felucca, and exploring Wadi Rum by jeep, foot, and camel.

I'm thrilled that she has this fantastic opportunity, especially at her age. Please say a prayer or send good wishes that T and her classmates and chaperones have a safe and successful trip.

2008-03-23T21:52:00.002-04:00

Wine Whine

Birthday dinner was delicious! I forwent (is that a word?) the popcorn shrimp, not because of the popcorn connection, but because I was trying not to go too overboard, which is easy to do at my favorite restaurant.

Case in point: the waiter enticed my folks into a "wine flight." They sampled the 3 wines, along with the help of my sisters, and then ordered a bottle of the one everyone liked best. Catch the catch there? They didn't order off the menu, so we had no idea the cost of the wine. Let's just say it was slightly more pricey (and then some!) than what they would typically order. Both bottles.

This situation was made even more hilarious by the fact that just to keep us on our toes (as though we needed it with the energetic Anna and Lily joining us), Pops pulled the ol' "I forgot my credit card" trick. Good thing I had mine with me! It was definitely the most expensive dinner I've ever bought. Lucky for me, my purchase was only temporary. Mama has already paid me back - I knew they were good for it!

We had a great time - thanks again to my fantastic family for helping me celebrate yet another birthday.

2008-03-19T08:44:00.002-04:00

Matter of Interpretation

As you know, I've given up popcorn for Lent, to my great pain.

My wonderful parents are taking me and several members of "the fam" out to dinner tonight for my birthday - yay!

The dilemma? Do I have to abstain from the Cajun Popcorn Shrimp to maintain my perfect Lenten promise record?

I hope not!

2008-03-16T20:40:00.001-04:00

Completely Content

2008-03-13T07:25:00.000-04:00

Thursday's Confessions

I have a vague memory of a few installments around here of Thursday's Confessions. Either that, or I'm having bloglucinations. I gave up searching for a past example to link to after about 5 minutes - I got drawn into reading old blog posts, instead - there's a good use of time. Anyway, here's the latest edition of this on again off again feature.

1. I neglect friends. I don't do this on purpose, but I'm also not disclaiming my role in this embarrassing truth. I'm having trouble managing my time these days, and friendships often suffer as a result. Which isn't to suggest that I don't have any down time, but I get so little of it to myself these days that when the chance to relax and be alone arises, I want to do just that. I get this trait from my Mom - the need for alone time, not the neglect of friends. What it means for me is that on the rare occasion lately when I am not working or spending time with T, I use the time to recharge instead of reconnect.

2. I'm losing motivation. I'm losing the 'ganas,' as we say in my family, to bust my ass 24/7 for work. I've been pushing it pretty hard for well over 3 full months and a couple of days ago the tide began to turn. I'm not losing interest in my work - on the contrary, I like almost every single one of the matters in which I am involved. I'm just losing steam. Let's hope a vacation is the answer (I have one planned!), or else a year that began like gangbusters from a billable perspective is going to get ugly very quickly.

3. I'm a wimp. I almost made it to spring - less than 10 days to go! - without getting sick. And now I'm battling a cold. Yesterday morning, after showering, I got right back in bed and didn't drag my sorry ass into work until after 9:30 am. And last night it was lights out for me by 9:30 pm. Let's hope all this rest keeps the crud at bay.

2008-03-12T20:55:00.002-04:00

I Think I Can, I Think I Can

I've almost made it to Easter. Did I tell you I gave up popcorn again this year for Lent? Well, I did, whether I told you or not. And last night I had a nightmare that friends were making batch after batch of popcorn and emptying their bowls of it all around me...and I gave in and ate a handful. I was so disappointed in myself.

I haven't had any popcorn at all since Ash Wednesday, not one kernel. And I was relieved to discover just the other day that Easter will arrive before my vacation......so I can spend plenty of time lounging in the sun, reading books, and eating popcorn. Heaven!

2008-03-10T19:15:00.002-04:00

Skid Marks

After filling up the tank in my car a few days ago, I took advantage of the gas station's automatic car wash because my poor little car was in desperate need of a wash. My car and I emerged from the garage-turned-car-wash looking and feeling fresh and new. Or so I thought.

Apparently, when the red "stop here" sign came on inside the car wash, I stopped a bit too soon. My entire car was sparkling clean with the exception of about a 5 inch wide strip of dirt and residue down the entire back end.

Classy.

2008-03-03T22:25:00.002-05:00

Tidbit

A couple of weeks ago, a partner invited me to attend last night's Pacers game in our firm's suite, at which we hosted a handful of folks who work for one of our firm's clients. (And the Pacers managed to win last night, so he picked a good game).

I asked (begged) T to join us when she finished with rehearsal for her school's musical, and she did. We'd briefly discussed that if she showed, I might let her leave early, like around 8 o'clock. She came, enjoyed some food, and sat to watch a little of the game. As 8pm neared, she let on that she was intending to leave. We hadn't made any final plans, and I'd been hoping she'd stay.

Me: I walked from work, so I was hoping you'd drive me back to my car.
T: (silently hoping she could just go home already)
Me: Well, seriously, just don't feel guilty for the rest of your life after I get mugged on my way back to my car because you leave me here and I have to walk back to my building in the dark. Really, just forgive yourself.

She stayed. What a sweet girl.

2008-03-02T09:27:00.002-05:00

It's Not You; It's Me

The elephant in the blog around here is that there hasn't been any blogging. I half expected some comments about my relatively extended absence to pop up on that poor post from Feb 18th that was tasked with holding down the fort.

In 2 days 3 people nudged me a bit about the lack of blogging. Over the past couple of weeks I thought about a quick post explaining how busy I was and apologizing for the lack of posting, but I refrained because those kind of posts are lame.

In case you were wondering, I am still alive. And the new posts are proof that your computers have not lost the ability to "refresh" this blog page. To say things have been busy for us would not come close to describing what the past month has been like. As you can see from the picture below, I sometimes get a little help, but keeping up has been a struggle nonetheless. I'm working on keeping things to a dull roar for March and April - it doesn't look good so far - wish me luck.

2008-03-01T21:40:00.002-05:00

Forward March

According to my Outlook calendar and my handheld, it appears to be the month of March. This is theoretically good news, because March is my favorite month. It's a great month, bringing us spring, St. Patrick's Day, my birthday, (and Leslie's birthday!), and just in the last few years both of my nieces' birthdays, March Madness, which can be exciting even to those of us who aren't big college basketball fans, and of course, spring. And don't forget spring. Did I mention spring?

I'm having trouble appreciating that it's actually March, though, because I'm still stuck in the whirlwind that was February, dumbfounded and unable to let go of the month until I've processed precisely how I survived it with my job and sanity intact, assuming I did. Not even the rarely appearing extra day helped me with the transition.

I'm off to bed, holding out hope that March will soon begin to feel like, well, March. Tomorrow's birthday party for the sweet babies will be a good start to putting me in the March frame of mind.

2008-02-18T21:33:00.002-05:00

Working World

T had her first busy work shift one night last week. She'd eased into her new job with a couple of relatively standard shifts, and then her will to work was tested. She dragged herself up the stairs late that night, and told me she was exhausted. I tried to get her to describe how busy they'd been.

Eyes glazed, body wilted, she responded: "I can't talk to you about this right now because I'm still trying to process it."

Welcome to the working world, T!!!

2008-02-11T21:19:00.001-05:00

And, Exhale

I've been freezing all day. My office is super cold, due in part to the windows and in part to the fact that I've had maintenance close my vents because the blasts of air blow papers right off my desk. In an effort to warm up, I'd had 2 cups of hot chocolate by 9am, and I almost never drink anything but water while at work.

It is with much relief and gratitude that I currently sit in my warm bed, partially covered by my down comfortor, a heating-as-we-speak laptop on my lap, and a warm kitty curled up by my legs.

I know this is a boring post, and I've had other things to blog about, but I have just not found the time to blog them.

This week isn't shaping up any better, and in fact, may be worse. Send me a little work mojo if you think of it, would ya'? And pray with me that this week, unlike last week, I will not forget to schedule a court reporter for an out of town deposition - nor will I help a client learn the hard way that reviews of property tax assessments can result in increased assessments just as easily as in decreased assessments.

2008-02-06T07:13:00.001-05:00

Parenting Support

My sister, to almost 3-year-old Anna, who didn't want to settle down and rest while we were gathered to watch the Super Bowl Sunday: I'll give you two choices, you can lay down on the couch, or we can go home and go to bed.

Anna: I can't want to.

Sis: You should be happy I'm giving you two choices.

Me: Not when they are sucky choices.

2008-02-06T07:11:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Amanda!!!

2008-02-05T07:32:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Kelly P!!!

2008-01-31T20:13:00.000-05:00

Live Blogging the Democratic Debate (by a non-pundit)

8:10pm
-Barack is a class act, immediately acknowledging John Edwards.
-Hillary's opening statement was better: more focused, less rambling.

8:14pm
-90 day moratorium on foreclosures? How does that work? Can I have a free house, too?

8:16pm
-It's a Democratic lovefest. We are great; Republicans are not great.

8:20pm
-Phone rings with a friend/attorney with a med mal question for her hearing tomorrow (let me know how it went!)

8:30pm
-Phone rings with another friend calling me back because I had a bad day at work. (Thank you.)

8:42pm
-Phone rings with a friend and colleague from work to talk about our bonus system.
-Anyone know what's going on in the debate???

8:54pm
-Allowing illegal immigrants to have driver's licenses is apparently a difficult political issue.

8:56pm
-A little crack in the lovefest is plugged with Hillary's words, "united Democratic front," following digs from both sides.

9:02pm
-Barack worked as a civil rights attorney, turning down lucrative corporate jobs.
-Hillary didn't work for a firm when she got out of law school; she worked for the Children's Defense Fund.
-I'm weak.

9:06pm
-Hillary says the US government is more than a business. Agreed.
-Obama cracks a joke - gets a laugh, but doesn't answer the Mitt Romney-based question about how he can "run" the business of our government.

9:08pm
-Hillary handles the question about losing out on the Kennedy endorsements well. Then rambles.

9:25pm
-T walks in to say goodnight and get the cat to administer her ear drops.

9:30pm
-Hillary says, "the reason is because." One of my Mom's big pet peeves.

9:39pm
-Wolf gets in a dig by asking Hillary, who refuses to admit her vote on the war was a mistake, if she was naive in trusting President Bush and his presentation of the case for war in Iraq.

9:42
-Obama says not only does the President have to be "ready" on day one, he or she has to be "right" on day one.

9:49pm
-There goes that laugh of Hillary's. To the best question of the night: "If you can't control your husband now, what will it be like if you are in the White House?"

9:51
-The Obama/Clinton, Clinton/Obama ticket question: great last question. Obama wouldn't acknowledge he'd be Hillary's running mate, nor would he admit Hillary is on his short list. Hillary says, "I have to agree with everything Barack just said." Then she pitched her own website and plugged some online townhall meeting she's having Monday night. Such politicians.

2008-01-30T16:37:00.001-05:00

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

God willing, I'm going to Florida in the spring. T will be away for 2 whole weeks, and I am in serious need of time off and sunshine. And the beach. And a beverage or two.

I'm 85% certain I'm going to drive, to save the cost of airfare. I have no particular destination yet, and am not picky. I just need a decent place to stay, preferably on the beach but near will do, that will not completely break the bank.

I'm planning now, so I'm asking for your "musts" and "must nots" regarding a spring break trip to Florida.

2008-01-29T21:23:00.000-05:00

Zzzzzzz...

Apparently, campaigning for a third term as President of the United States is exhausting work.

2008-01-24T20:47:00.000-05:00

Walk Like An Egyptian

As some of you know, T is scheduled to take a 2 week trip to Egypt and Jordan for her spring break, beginning at the end of March. Both excited and nervous, I can't quite wrap my mind around the fact that she has this amazing opportunity at such a young age.

We attended the 3rd of 4 "Egypt meetings" a couple of weeks ago. Toward the end of the meeting, the teacher primarily responsible for organizing the trip told us (students and parents) she had a story to tell that she hoped we would find funny.

Seems the agency in charge of assigning a guide to the student group for a portion of their trip was having trouble deciding between two men, each of whom had his strong points and reasons why he would be a good fit for the group. The catch? The agency (and subsequently the teacher) hoped we parents wouldn't become skittish upon learning the name of one of the guides, should he be assigned.

His name? Jihad.

2008-01-22T21:20:00.000-05:00

For Pops

2008-01-21T08:54:00.000-05:00

Unclear on the Concept

I read with amazement the comments of a woman from South Carolina, who was discussing Barack Obama and his bid for the Democratic nomination. "He says he's the one, and says 'I have a dream.' But I say to him - you're not Martin Luther King, and it's not your dream."

If what Ms. Parks said were true, the dream would have died with King. But the dream is alive, and it belongs to all of us.

2008-01-15T20:51:00.000-05:00

More Kudos for T

Hope you haven't yet run out of congratulations for T. We're happy she is about to be gainfully employed, but I am ecstatic that she has just made the honor roll at her very academically challenging high school for the 2nd quarter in a row.

Fantastic work, love, I'm super proud of you!!!

2008-01-15T20:00:00.001-05:00

Dirty Santa

Extended family is getting together this weekend for some post-holiday family time. Plans call for our first ever dirty santa (white elephant, etc...) gift exchange as a family, with gifts in the $5 -$10 range. At Christmas, a couple of family members spent some time explaining the rules as they've played them in the past. All assembled thought it sounded like fantastic fun - all except me, that is.

I decided right then that I'd rather sit back with a glass of wine and watch the festivities than participate. Mom and Dad tried to talk me out of my decision yesterday, but I held fast. I know my own limitations and they include this: if I open a gift that I'd really like to keep, I'm going to get pissed if someone takes it. That's it in a nutshell. I'm all about minimizing stress and conflict when possible.

Dad, in claiming my position is "quite a little quirk," pointed out that the game is "potluck" and that if you go into the exercise with no/low expectations, there'll be no disappointment in the end. He also tried to claim that you go into the game with nothing, and come out with an unexpected gift of some sort. But of course you go in with a known $5-$10 gift, and could come out with some jacked up shiz. I much prefer the spectator sport approach.

2008-01-14T18:10:00.000-05:00

Today's Top Text

Friday after work I was out for drinks to help celebrate one of my friend's birthday. T sometimes gives me a hard time when I'm out and she doesn't have her own plans. As the evening progressed, I sent her an occasional text message to check in and give her an update on where I was and what I was doing. This exchange occurred just after 9pm:

Me: Just ordered a pizza, at a bar, don't ask.*
T: Wasn't planning on it. Dude, if you're out, you're out and NOT texting your daughter every 5 minutes, k? That's kind of the point of going out.
Me: Hilarious. Ok, I'm out. But no parties. Ttyl.
T: BYE.
Me: Bye, but I'm blogging this.
T: Omg, go!

About 30 minutes later came this exchange:
T: I want you home before 1 and call if you need me to drive.
Me: gotcha

*This doesn't sound odd, but I intended to say: just ordered a pizza to be delivered to a bar, which is a little more unusual.

2008-01-13T18:28:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday, Pops!!!

2008-01-13T11:57:00.000-05:00

Working Girl

T has joined the ranks of the working. That is, assuming she passes her drug test, to be taken early this coming week.

She'll be the 3rd family member to be working at Friday's. In here it's always Friday, folks. Please send T some well wishes on this major step.

2008-01-10T21:45:00.000-05:00

Down With High-Def

T and I were at a stoplight last night, behind a car with a bumper sticker that read "StopHD.org". There was some small print underneath that was illegible to both of us, and I pointed out that the bumper sticker was rather ineffective, given that I had no idea what HD was and why I should want to stop it. I opined that most folks, even if curious, would later forget the message and not take the time to visit the website.

Then began the speculation about what HD might be. T guessed High-Def. I laughed at the absurdity of it, then reconsidered. After all, analog broadcasting is about to be a thing of the past, right? Surely there are thousands of people with only analog TVs; perhaps there was a movement to stop the process of making them obsolete, thereby creating more "e-waste," etc...

Turns out HD is Huntington's Disease, of which I am not trying to make light with this post. But I'm a nurse and didn't know the disease was known as "HD," so I'm guessing lots of other people don't, either. And when I visited the website, it was clear the purpose of the movement was to stomp out HD, but it still took some digging to figure out just what HD is - I don't see an explanation anywhere on the home page. A little web re-design, and perhaps a bumper sticker overhaul, might go a long way toward helping the cause.

Meanwhile, how do we stop High-Def?

2008-01-08T18:20:00.000-05:00

I Cannot Abide

People, people. Mike Huckabee cannot be my President, he simply cannot.

The other day I heard a pundit, or perhaps a reporter, opine about Obama's current popularity and the recent apparent wave of excitement he is riding following the Iowa caucus. Whoever it was (Bob Schieffer?) said he thinks Americans see Obama's success and they are proud of how far our country has come - and that his succcess (separate from his policies and goals) gives them hope for the future of our country.

I agree with that sentiment, and I can relate to it, but I find the pride and hope incredibly tempered by the support Huckabee receives. This man wants an amendment to the U.S. CONSTITUTION that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. His self-proclaimed number one priority is to secure our border. Rumors reportedly swirled today that he wants another constitutional amendment that would prevent children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants from automatically becoming U.S. citizens. He is now denying that rumor, but barely. Moments ago I saw Wolf Blitzer question him about this issue, and his wishy-washy explanation was that he simply said he would support whatever the U.S. Supreme Court decided if the issue ever reached them. Wolf "pressed" Huckabee by asking for his personal opinion on birthright citizenship. Huckabee did not take the opportunity to share his opinion, but instead gave the same "answer" about upholding Supreme Court law he had already given.

I'm not especially bothered by Huckabee's views. I'm bothered that so many thousands of people in my country, in 2008, think he should be our leader for the next four years. Frightening.

2008-01-07T22:40:00.000-05:00

Hope Remains

I'd have a tough time arguing I'm not a pack rat. In my defense, I don't hoard or collect, I just make piles that I never get around to de-piling, and I have a tough time getting rid of things that have sentimental value to me - including e-mails.

But today I proved that there is hope for my eventual recovery. I knew my "Deleted Items" folder at work was out of control, but I kept thinking I would eventually clear it out one day, after first glancing through every item I've deleted in the past 2 1/2 years to make sure there wasn't something I should keep. The absurdity of that plan is hitting me as I type it. Hilarious.

Today I was overcome with the need to delete the deleted. I had over 6,700 items and I commanded Outlook to permanently delete them all, all at once. It took 9 minutes, but the cleansing feeling that followed was worth it. Here's hoping I become hooked on that feeling, and manage to rid myself of other useless things, preferably possessions, throughout the year.

2008-01-06T13:24:00.000-05:00

iventure

Today I take a musical and technological leap into the present. My fantastic parents bought me my first iPod for Christmas. T has volunteered to load my music onto my iPod for me, but because for the most part I only want certain songs from my CDs loaded, I'll probably do the actual loading myself. I have asked her, though, to please load iTunes onto my laptop while I am at work today, and she has agreed.

I'll catch up with this century one day.

2008-01-05T15:49:00.000-05:00

We, Tonto?

Mom and I went to a lame-ish Home and Garden show downtown today. (We had a good time doing some other things, too, but the actual "event" left a little to be desired - I think she'd agree!) While we were there and looking at one of the displays, she turned to me, looked at my face, and with wide eyes exclaimed, "Wow, we look really sallow!" Mind you, there was no mirror in sight, so the use of "we" was appreciated, but not accurate.

I know getting sun isn't good for your skin, but I just hate how pale and icky my skin gets in the winter. I'm yearning for the next time I can sit outside and relax, my face turned to the sun to drink in a little Vitamin D.

And speaking of my awful skin tone, with its freckles, dry spots, and blemishes, Deb has talked me into trying this. I don't wear foundation or powder, not because I don't need it, but because I never think it looks quite right. I'm going to give this a try and if it works out, I'll report back.

2008-01-04T07:51:00.000-05:00

Iowa

Don't even try to imagine how pissed Hillary is today. You can't.*

*Apologies for the repeat pic, I couldn't help myself. Time to frame it, I'm thinking!

2007-12-25T14:43:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T08:50:00.000-05:00

Hoosier Hospitality

In a recent interview, after being asked whether Indiana has an illegal immigrant problem, Not My Man Mitch discusssed his compassionate, global, forward-thinking idea to "make certain" that English is the official language of Indiana.

2007-12-23T14:26:00.001-05:00

Today's Top Text*

Me: It is colder than balls out here.
T: Let's don't go there...
Me: No worries, I haven't gone there in a VERY long time...

*Potentially noteworthy text messages between me and T.

2007-12-23T14:11:00.000-05:00

Santa, Baby

Me (to my 16 year old daughter, for whom "Santa" has brought presents well into her teens): Did Santa come to our house last year? I can't remember.
T: I don't think he did.
T (after a pause): Is he coming this year?
Me: Well, if he didn't come last year I don't know why he would come this year...
T: Maybe he just forgot last year.

2007-12-21T08:26:00.000-05:00

~~~Waves~~~

I'm sending waves of strength and support to my dear friend Manda today. You should, too. She deserves and can use the positive energy, and it's likely to result in good karma for you.

2007-12-19T18:58:00.000-05:00

More Primary Questions

Speaking of questions for the candidates, last night someone asked Hillary what decorating plans she has for the White House should she get elected President. And she simply answered the question, diplomatically complimenting some things Mrs. Bush has done, and referring to some things she changed herself when she was there with Slick Willy.

Um, hello? Why are they asking her that and why is she answering? If she's our President will people expect her to be both the President and fill the role of the President's wife? Why am I capitalizing President? Why don't they ask Bill what decorating changes he plans to make (other than to blue dresses)? Are they asking the male presidential candidates the same question?

2007-12-18T21:03:00.001-05:00

Temper, Temper

We watch the CBS Evening News on weeknights that we are home. (A habit I picked up from my folks when I was little). I still haven't decided if I'm a fan of Katie Couric as my evening news anchor, but we are (well, I am) on a first name basis after all these evenings together.

They're running a series of segments (called Primary Questions, I think, with a subtitle that is completely unnecessary and annoying) in which they've asked each of the gazillion presidential candidates a bunch of the same questions. They show one question per broadcast, followed by the videotaped answer of every candidate, one after the other. It's a nice format, actually, allowing you to instantly compare the responses of all the candidates on a variety of topics.

The other night they asked when was the last time the candidates lost their temper and why. Some had playful answers, some more serious, most seemed genuine. Barack, however, said he almost never gets mad and when pressed, he reported recently getting mad at President Bush over some political issue or another. Now, if I was more versed in politics perhaps I'd be mad at Bush, too, or even be able to repeat whatever the issue was - I have zero recollection of it. And I love the guy's passion in general, so perhaps it was an honest response. But all I could think was, "really, Barack? That's all you've got?" Katie asked for a more pedestrian example, I believe, but I don't think he gave one; he'd already lost me.

Don't get me wrong, most of you know I'm a fan, but this got me wondering. If he really almost never gets upset, is this healthy, or is he lacking necessary coping mechanisms for dealing with the incredible stresses of being our President? I suppose I'm mostly just suspicious; I think he also said his children were perfect, so he has no reason to get mad at them. Handsome and intelligent guy, lovely and intelligent wife, perfect children, never a cross word ... it all seems a little hard to believe. If true, good for him. But I have to admit my b.s.-o-meter kicked in.

2007-12-18T20:54:00.000-05:00

All Eyes on You

Despite the bad weather, we ventured out late in the day on Saturday for eye exams. Much to T's disappointment, she does not need eyeglasses. She did ask for a pair of rockin' frames for Christmas, though. A word of warning: if you ask your teenage daughter to help you pick out some new frames, you will come home with these:

Bad picture, they are better seen here. Yes, I have red glasses. The things we do for love.

2007-12-17T18:38:00.000-05:00

Today's Tidbits

Practice tip: Exhibit stickers are no joke. Put one on the corner of your desk "for a minute" and it will not come off in one whole piece - and the furniture gods will frown upon you.

Neighborhood associations: God bless mine, and the man with the snowplow who plowed our driveway today and will "invoice" me later.

Office politics: They suck.

2007-12-14T09:13:00.000-05:00

If You Are So Inclined...

It's "Reveal Your Blog Crush Day."

Have a ball.

2007-12-13T20:16:00.000-05:00

Eye Caramba

I've got an issue about which I would like to rant. It's been bugging me for some time, but I haven't found the time or the proper inspiration to do justice to the extent of my outrage, so I've abstained. I've now given up hopes of finding the time and wherewithal to appropriately address the topic and its potential broader implications, so I'm just gonna give you the quick and dirty.

I need new eyeglasses because my lenses are all scratched. I've been putting this off for many months, waiting for the time and money to get them. The year is almost over and I recently realized I haven't spent any of the money I allocated to my "flexible spending account" for medical expenses in 2007. I can use that money to get glasses, so one day several weeks ago when T and I were at the mall, I hustled us into LensCrafters, where I was determined to pick out a new pair of specs.

The woman who offered to help us immediately asked if I had my prescription with me. No, I informed her, but LensCrafters should have my prescription in their records. Well, she smarmed, perhaps they did, but if it was over 2 years old they would require a new prescription. Guess what? It was over 2 years old. I ranted. I raved. And she lectured me that some organization or another is trying to pass a law saying that optome... opthamol... eye doctors can't fill prescriptions more than one year old.

Ridiculous. Inconceivable. My prescription has not changed in well over a dozen years and I am tired of paying for an eye exam when all I need is new glasses. But, but, but, eye exams assess more than just corrective prescription needs, she protested. She had the gall to claim the AOA or whoever is simply worried about my eye health.

Bullshit. Anyone see a little conflict of interest in eye doctors, who pocket profit when they perform eye exams, lobbying for corrective lens prescriptions to expire after just one year? I was thrown for a loop earlier this year when I could not find a dentist to just clean T's teeth (we were both long overdue for a cleaning; I still am) without forcing her to submit to a "full workup." I took it in stride, after joining a new dentist, and shelled out the big bucks.

But this is too much. Prescriptions for drugs that expire? Yes. But the government (federal? state?) telling me I should have an eye exam every year in order to purchase glasses??? Too damn much. Seriously, is eyeglass prescription abuse a problem that needed to be addressed? Is it rampant? Ruining lives? Reaching epic proportions? Some decisions should be left up to the individual. If I want to cavalierly purchase glasses without an eye exam, that should be my prerogative - I know that's really living on the edge, but let an old lady live a little.

Sigh. I give. I've promised T we'll get eye exams before the year is out, perhaps this weekend if the weather isn't prohibitive. I've got to spend that dough in the flexible spending account, anyway. Eye doctors, 1; Me, 0.

So much for quick and dirty.