Friday, February 26, 2010

Dear So-And-So . . .

Dear So and So...

Dear 2010 -
We've had a rough start. Can we call a truce and hope for better days?
Thanks.
Mary Anne


Dear Guy in the lunchroom at work -
This is NOT the place for private phone conversation, even if it is in a foreign language that I cannot identify. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to come back to heat up my leftovers after you've finished, so stop giving me the evil eye.
Get a room,
Sunshine

Go see Kat for more So-and-So fun, and don't forget to wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

It's getting better all the time

I'm in a much better place this week.

No one has reported any new illnesses to me in almost 7 days.
No one has died.
I'm getting busy at work again (actually a good thing, makes the days go faster and keeps me from thinking my head is on the block). I found out on Monday afternoon that I'm actually getting a bit of a bonus, which I certainly wasn't counting on. It will be in my pay on Friday!
Because I found out on Monday about my bonus, on Tuesday morning I ordered myself a really cute camera bag that I've had in my Amazon wish list for a while. I came home today, and it was here, and it is as cute as I hoped!
And, The Mailman did laundry today on his day off. He didn't fold any of it, but I'm working on baby steps here.

I'm trying not to get ahead of myself, but I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe, Spring is almost here, literally and figuratively.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Random Tuesday Thoughts - Laissez les bons tems rouler!

randomtuesday

Happy Mardi Gras, everyone!! Click on the Purple thingy and go see Keeley for some more Fat Tuesday fun. I'm not sure what you have to do to get beads, though . . .

I was in New Orleans for two weeks over Mardi Gras in 1996. On business. Yup, Mardi Gras at a really great hotel on Canal Street a half block from Bourbon Street on the company dime. Nice.
Will I ever go back to Mardi Gras in New Orleans? NOPE! (I'd love to go to New Orleans again, but I'm all set with Mardi Gras, thanks.)
If The Girl ever tells me that she's going to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, will I tie her up in the basement until Ash Wednesday? You betcha!

I have to admit, I'm quite disappointed that I didn't win the Red Mittens from Captain Dumbass. I hope that Jenn enjoys them . . . in Florida . . .
Don't worry about me, I'll just pull my hand into my sleeve to clean the six inches of snow off my car so that I can drive home from work.

When I didn't win the Red Mittens, I decided I would splurge and buy some Red Mittens. Only problem with that plan is that, apparently, I can't buy Red Mittens, they're sold out online and I'm not within easy driving distance of Canada to get to one of the stores conveniently located across the country. **sigh** I guess I'll check e-Bay when I get home from work. If I make it home from work today, with all the snow we're getting and the frozen hands I'll have from cleaning off my car. I want me some Red Mittens!


How is it that I can wonder how I've put on so much weight AND go to someplace that looks like this inside on the same day? I'm in complete denial about my less than stellar eating habits.

























And how pathetic am I that I just broke into the Valentine's Day goodie bag my friend at work gave me for The Girl? I only stole one little Nestle Crunch heart, though. I'm blaming it on PMS.


Have a great week everyone, and please, give hugs to the ones you love because you just never know . . . We miss you Papa S.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

We lost one of the Good Guys yesterday.

Fifteen years ago, when my sister became engaged, if someone had told me how much a part of MY life her fiance's parents would be, I would have thought they were crazy. Sure, these were people that I would get to know, would see at functions for my sister her husband and eventually her kids, but they would be on the edge of my life. How wrong I was. These people took us all into their family. When the grandkids did come, they became Grammy and Papa to them, The Girl included. When we had celebrations for The Girl for her Christening and First Communion, they were included, without a moment's thought. When I was expecting The Girl, Papa remembered from being at our little, old Cape that we had steam radiators. He made us beautiful covers for them, so that when she started crawling we wouldn't have to worry. (When we moved out, I was heartbroken to leave them, but they would have done us no good at our new house, even if we had radiators. They were custom fitted, "leveled" to our tilted old floors. At the closing, the new owners commented on them, and thanked us for leaving them. I told them that they had been specially made for us and I knew I was leaving them in good hands.) We helped Grammy pull off Papa's surprise 70th birthday party, setting everything up at their house while they were at a family dinner celebration, and we truly surprised him, which was truly a feat to be proud of.

Papa died unexpectedly yesterday morning, a seemingly healthy 71 years old. He went in his sleep and apparently didn't suffer, although they don't know the ultimate cause. He had a heart attack 20 years ago or so, but since then has taken excellent care of himself and has showed no signs of slowing down. To say that this was and is a shock is a huge understatement.

I spent the day yesterday with my sister's kids, trying to keep up a strong front because they hadn't yet been told. My sister held it together and realized that she couldn't tell them and then leave them, and she and my brother in law needed to go and be with Grammy. I was there to supposedly get them to basketball games and such while they thought that Papa was sick and in the hospital. I was really there to answer the phone as word got out and shield them until they could hear this horrible news from their parents.

I was so proud of The Girl yesterday, for being strong and being such a good friend to her cousin, K. The Girl is two years older, but they are great friends and I'm so glad that they have each other. I found them in the playroom yesterday afternoon, K sobbing, The Girl holding her, looking so grown up, with tears coming down her face, rubbing K's back. I'm worried about my nephew, T, who is 13. He has been stone faced since finding out, and I wonder if he'll get to a point where he just can't hold it in anymore. Being 13 is so hard.

Papa, you will be sorely missed, and this will be a very difficult week as we try to say goodbye to you. The Mailman, The Girl and I are lucky and honored to have been part of your "Family." I know that there will be many tears this week, but I also know that there will be many, many laughs, and I'm sure a few good semi-dirty jokes in your honor. We love you.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Dear So-And-So . . .

Dear So and So...

Dear Doofus Cat -
Why, oh why must you lick my bedside lamp at all hours of the night? Do you know how loud cat tongue on lamp is when the rest of the world is quiet? Do you really need to lick the lamp so much that it falls over?
Please, please, please stop so I can get a decent nights sleep.
Thanks,
Mom

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Dear folder full of 2009 tax documents -
STOP taunting me! I'll get to you eventually.
Wondering where all my money went,
Mary Anne

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Dear New Avi-Motion Fitness Shoes -
Why did I doubt you? Please forgive me. You sure are working something, 'cause my BUTT is feeling it. I promise I will wear you when I can if you promise to keep working on my butt.
Ow, and thanks,
Mary Anne

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Dear Snow Storm that didn't come -
THANKS!!
Just glad I didn't have to get out the snowblower.
Me

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Click on the dohickey at the top and go see Kat for more dear so and so. I heard she's cooking bacon, I can almost smell it from here. Mmmmmmm, bacon . . . .

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

"Snow" day?

Hmmmm. The Girl has a "snow day" today, and it just started snowing at around 9:30am. Seems wrong to me. I know, I know, the weather will be bad later in the day, when they would all be going home, but I feel like there should be actual, well, SNOW when there is a snow day.
I'm sure I'll be eating my words (just not the yellow snow) later.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Random Tuesday Stuff

Do the Random thing and click on the purple thingy to go see Keeley, 'kay? She's awesome.
randomtuesday

Wow, it has been a long time since I posted. It isn't that I haven't had random thoughts on any given Tuesday, I guess I just haven't put fingers to keyboard when they hit.

We haven't had much in the way of "big" snow here yet. Is it wrong that I want a big storm? I guess what I really want is a big storm on a Saturday night so that none of us needs to worry about getting anywhere. The Mailman needs to keep up with that whole "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" thing.

The Mailman actually WALKS his mail route. No little square truck for him! The neighborhoods that he delivers in are in an older, hilly part of the city (not where we live), so the mail is delivered into the slots on or by the doors of most of the houses, some of which have 20-30 steps leading up to them. You'd think he'd be in good shape, wouldn't you? Not so much (but I can't imagine how bad it would be if he had a desk job!). He told me that he's going to go on a diet, and the thing that kills me is that he'll just cut out some junk and will drop 10-15 pounds. Grrrrrrrr.

When I saw the news last night, they were predicting that we'd be getting a foot or so of snow on Wednesday into Thursday. This morning, they're saying 5-8 inches of snow. Who knows what they'll be saying tonight or what we'll actually get. I think they overpredict early so that they can sit back and laugh at all of the people running around like nuts buying bread and milk like they'll never see the light of day again.

I bought myself some new "fitness" sneakers last week, the Avia version of the Sketchers Shape-ups. I tried both on, and the Avia seemed to fit better (and is plain white, not some crazy combination of colors like the Sketches). I figured I'd give them a try, what can it hurt? My BUTT, that's what it can hurt!! I wore them a few hours the first day, and I could really feel it the next morning. I'm not saying that these will be the answer to all my *ahem* issues, but they are sure working something.

The Girl fights me every time I tell her to take a shower, yet once she gets in there, she starts singing and then we need to keep yelling up to her to finish up and get out. She was completely amazed the other day when I told her that we had to pay for water. Oh, to be ten . . .

I'm trying to convince The Mailman that we should hire a cleaner to come every two weeks. So far he's not buying into it, but I'm working him. You see, I hate house cleaning, I'm a terrible housekeeper and I don't want to spend my time that I'm not a work dusting baseboards and scrubbing toilets. I know it isn't essential, but I really think it will do a lot for my state of mind. Plus, I have a hard enough time keeping up with laundry. (On a side note, I have no idea how people with a bunch of kids keep up with the laundry - it is just the three of us, and sometimes I feel like I'm being buried alive. I have three siblings and my grandmother lived with us, and I don't remember having this much laundry when I was a kid.)

Do people actually LIKE green tea? Am I the only one that think it sort of tastes like sock water? I drink a lot to tea at work because it is freezing in my office, so I figured I'd try some green tea, since it is supposed to have good stuff in it. My physical therapist recommended one with blueberries, which isn't too bad, and I bought one with pomegranate which is okay, but they are still pretty blah.