Wednesday, November 25, 2009

I Really Am Really Thankful

I've been in a funk, can't get out of my own way.  I feel lousy physically, I feel not myself mentally.  (Yeah, I'm going to the doctor.  I'm going to get my thyroid levels checked today, since I've had that issue for a long time.  I don't think they're off, but I need to rule it out.)  I have no patience for anything, including my family.  I'm snippy, tired and bitchy.

All in all, I've been feeling pretty sorry for myself. 
Enough of that.  Today, I'm thinking of all the good in my life.
I have a great husband who I love dearly, who loves me even when I'm feeling lousy and being a bitch. 
I have a wonderful daughter who is the center of my world.  I love her more than I can say, and she loves me back (she's not a teenager yet!) and that makes me feel ten feet tall.
The Mailman, The Girl and I have no major medical issues.  
The Mailman and I both have jobs, right now with no looming threats of losing them.
I have a terrific family, and am lucky enough to have many of them live close by.
I have a comfortable home, more than we need, with many more things than we need in it.  (Okay, we've got squirrels, too, and I'm NOT thankful for them!)
I have friends that are like family, that I love and who keep me sane.

And the rest, well, the rest is just gravy. 

Happy Thanksgiving.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Another Pleasant Valley (Random) Tuesday

randomtuesday

I think it has been a couple of days since I mentioned it (coincidentally days that I was NOT in the office?  Don't think so . . .), but it is really annoying to read blogs, think of a nice/witty/caustic/charming comment and then realize "Shit, I can't comment on blogs from work anymore."  I tell myself that I'll go back when I get home, but by the time I get to it, all of my nice/witty/caustic/charming comments have left my head and all I can think of is "Shit, I think I forgot to switch the wash."
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Two, yup, two Boston radio stations are 24/7 holiday music now.  They each started some time last week.  Last year, one of them started on November 1st, way to early, so this year they split the difference, I guess.  The Girl is ecstatic, The Mailman not so much.  Me, I'm sort of "meh" at this point.  I'll pop over during commercials and inane chatter on the other stations, but it still seems a bit early to me.  They used to start Thanksgiving week, which sort of made sense.  
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Marshmallow Fluff has to be one of the BEST INVENTIONS EVER.  My condolences to those of you that have never experienced Fluff (I know it isn't available everywhere).  Other marshmallow cremes just don't compare.  
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I feel like I'm being set up to fail at work.  My colleague and I have been given a project that is going to suck and most likely suck the life out of me.  I've told my boss that I'm uncomfortable with the scope, that there are parts of this that we don't have the technical expertise to deal with and he assures me that I'll get the help I need.  I just have a really bad feeling . . . It won't be really kicking off until after the holidays, so I'm going to try not to think about it too much.
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The Halloween candy is almost gone, just in time for the Thanksgiving baking to begin.  I bought an outrageously expensive cake pan from Williams-Sonoma after Captain Dumbass posted a picture of it in his guest blog.  Of course, for its maiden voyage on Thanksgiving, I also bought the even more outrageously expensive cake and filling mix as well.  I believe that in making the two I will use 3-4 sticks of butter.  Just contact the cardiac unit now and let them know to expect my entire family next Thursday evening.
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I'm feeling a bit under the weather this evening, hope I'm not turning into a zombie getting the flu.  The Girl and I are going to hunker down and watch "Merry Madagascar."
Have a pleasant Tuesday evening, go see The UnMom for more random stuff.

Friday, November 13, 2009

25 years of Orange and Blue

In 1985, just after high school graduation, The Mailman got together with his brother and some friends and they formed a baseball team.  Yup, this is baseball, not softball.  They picked a name, they picked colors, orange and blue.  Our town has a league which I guess is pretty unique.  Anyone out of high school can play.  It is almost exclusively players from within the town, with rules as to the number of "out of towners" any one team can have.  If you are "from" the town, you don't have to still live in town to be considered an "in towner."  There are six teams, they hire umpires, work with the town to get fields, get insurance, etc.  It is a lot of fun for the guys who play, and is pretty competitive.  Ten or so years ago they instituted a draft, because a few of the teams were getting all of the better players (I'm torn on this one, think that you should be able to play with your friends . . . ) and the they even switched to wooden bats (I'm against this, because it costs way too much money, which seems to come out of my family pocket).
Fast forward to 2009.  The 25th season of this team.  Three of the original players from 1985 remain - The Mailman, his brother, "E," and the friend who hosted the party where the team was formed, "Rippa."  The ages of the players this summer ranged from 18 to 44.  They played well, but lost in the final game of the playoffs.
This Saturday is a celebration of the 25th season the the Orange and Blue.  There will be much beer consumed and many stories told.  It has been a huge part of my life and of our life as a couple.  There are times when I hate it, because it is all consuming for The Mailman for the two or so months that they play.  When The Girl was a baby and little enough to still need to be "watched" it was always an issue.  I was supposed to be at work until 5:30, games start at 6:00, it was a logistical nightmare.  We haven't ever taken a mid summer vacation.  Ever.  Our week in Maine at the end of August is chopped up by The Mailman needing to go back for playoff games.  When I get aggravated, though, I have to remind myself of the good things.  My sister met my brother in law at a party in our back yard.  He was a member of the team, someone I had known for years and I don't think I ever would have thought to put them together.  They've been married 14 years and have two great kids.  I have made some great friends with players and their girlfriends, some of whom have become wives.  These are "kids" that are younger than I am that I never would have crossed paths with had it not been for this team.  My dearest friend Sara is one of these people.  Sara and her husband, who still plays, are now "family" and we're anxiously awaiting the birth of their first child after the first of the year. 
At the core of this team is an "Orange Family" and I can't even imagine what my life would have been like if there hadn't been that party on Line Road in 1985.  I'll continue to bitch about it, because it is a hassle sometimes and The Mailman more than pays his way financially to keep the team afloat (and keep them in 30 packs), but I know in my heart that this is my team, too.  And I know that when the day comes that The Mailman has to hang up his cleats, that I will miss it.  But I know that there will always be room for us along the fence behind the third base bench.  Especially if there is a cooler in the back of The Mailman's truck.


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For more free spinning fun, whirl on over to Sprite's Keeper.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

So it ends and so it begins

We're jumping right from Autumn to Christmas around here.

We spent yesterday raking leave AGAIN. I really, really don't like oak trees. And as a bonus, this is one of the crazy acorn years (except for the front yard, the oak tree in front of the house barely dropped any acorns this year). So, add to the leaves several MILLION acorn caps and the few hundred acorns that I pulled up from taking root in the yard and we're probably to 60+ bags this season. And that's with the yard vacuum mulching up most of the leaves. I mocked The Mailman when he told me he wanted to buy a yard vacuum several years ago. I apologized again yesterday.

After we tortured The Girl for a few hours by making her do yard work with us, she declared that she was exhausted and needed a break and wanted to know if she could watch a movie. Her pick was "A Muppet Christmas Carol." So begins the Christmas season around here. She declared that she'll be watching "White Christmas" this weekend and moving through the rest of the Christmas movie collection over the next few weeks. I tried to explain to her that when I was a kid (yup, way back then), we had to wait for the one showing each year of "Rudolph," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "The Grinch" and all the rest. We had no VCR. If you missed it, you were out of luck until next year. She thought that was very sad.  (This rant about the old days brought to you by Dolly Madison snack cakes.)

I bought "White Christmas" for myself a few years ago, and The Girl and I watched it together one day and she loved it, which I love about her.  Don't get me wrong, she's all about the Rankin Bass classics, and The Grinch and Charlie Brown, too, but she says "White Christmas" is her favorite.  I think maybe I'll keep an eye out for a copy of "Holiday Inn" and maybe get her a non-Muppet version of "A Christmas Carol."  I don't think she's quite ready for Bill Murray's "Scrooged," though.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

RTT on my Friday!

randomtuesday

Today is my Friday!  I am oh so happy!  I decided to take off Thursday after the Wednesday Veteran's Day holiday and I am not supposed to work on Fridays (although I do at least once a month, usually more) so I have five days off!!  Yay ME!!

I'm writing this RTT post from work in an e-mail to myself at home to post later because my employer has decided to block all things bloggy.  It doesn't matter that I work through my lunch hour, it doesn't matter that I work on my days off, it doesn't matter that I haven't had a raise in lord knows how long . . . they have to just suck every last bit of joy out of the day.   They haven't figured out to block Google reader yet, though, so I can read some stuff (but can't see the prettiness or leave any comments) . . . shhhhhhhh, don't tell them!  I'll take what I can get at this point.

I'm trying to improve my eating habits, lose a few pounds and fit into some of my clothes . . . I've been eating some Progresso Light soups for lunch some days and just had a very impressive carrot explosion in the office microwave.  Yes, I cleaned up after myself and apparently after a lot of other people too.  Gross.

Just got an e-mail from the "Reporting Department" asking me to run a report for them, because I (not a member of any reporting department) apparently have access to reporting tools that they don't have.  HUH?

The Girl has just started reading the Little House on the Prairie books, correction, MY Little House on the Prairie books.  She found the set at my mom's house, with my name in "early cursive" on the box.  I must have read each of those books a half dozen times at least, and I think it is really great that she's not only reading the books, but reading MY books.  

The Mailman and I have a fun event coming up this Saturday that we've been really looking forward to (more on that as we get closer to the weekend), but I was greatly disappointed that I can't go to "Star Wars: In Concert."
From Boston.com:
"Fans of the classic science fiction trilogy, which was given its legendary and stirring score by former Boston Pops conductor John Williams, can enjoy scenes from their favorite space-age bash on a three-story HD screen and accompanied by the sounds of a full symphony orchestra and choir. The event will be narrated by C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels, and props and memorabilia from the films will be on display."
Sounds pretty good to this geeky girl.

And, in a note unrelated to watching what I eat and fitting into my clothes . . . Do calories consumed at a place like this count if they're donating 25% of all purchases to the PTO at The Girl's school?  Yeah, I didn't think so either.  Guess what we're having for dinner?  What?  It is for a good cause! 

I bet you're wondering, given my comment above about bloggy blocking, how this is getting posted in the middle of the afternoon . . . Well, when the boss takes a half day and everyone else in the department is either sick or on vacation and 99.99% of my work communication is done either by e-mail or phone, then heck yeah, I'm doing that from home!

Happy Tuesday, see Keeley for more fun, 'kay?  The zombies haven't gotten her yet . . .

Sunday, November 8, 2009

I like every minute of the day . . .

So, Roger Daltrey was fantastic.  His voice was a little, I think he said "crumbly," but it was great none the less.  He even sang my very favorite Who song ever, one that I never thought I'd hear live, "Blue Red and Grey" from The Who By Numbers.  Oh, never mind that Pete Townshend originally sang it on the album.  According to Roger, Pete would never do it live because, according to him, playing a ukulele on stage in a rock show was "fucking ridiculous," or something like that.

The Mailman gambled a little bit, and we ended up leaving with more cash than we arrived with, so all in all an excellent evening!  Even with a little bit of winnings, I'm going to do the fiscally responsible thing and NOT go to the show in Boston tonight, which, last time I checked was still not sold out.  Unless someone wants to twist my arm . . .

And Roger, in case you're reading this, you look FANTASTIC.

Not from the show we saw, but same tour . . .

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Yesterday's accomplishment


Our town picks up leaves twice in the fall; the bags have to  be at the curb by 7:00am on Saturday.  This makes no sense to me.  Wouldn't it be more logical to have them picked up on Sunday or Monday, to give people the weekend?  Oh well.  The Mailman and I happened to have Friday off, so we put out 38 bags.  The back yard is covered again this morning.  They pick up again in two weeks, and of course, The Mailman won't be off THAT Friday.


This morning's entertainment:

It was COLD at the soccer field this morning at 9:00!  The Girl's team had their first loss, 1-0. 

The Mailman and I are off to see Roger Daltry at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in CT tonight.  Should be fun.  I didn't check the schedule, but I hope it is early in the tour, so he's still got some voice.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

I can't believe it took them so long...

It is official, work has completely sucked the joy out of my weekdays.  Blogger has been blocked.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Let's Get Ready To RANDOM!

With a title like that, you'd think I'd have more than I do, but not so much.

All of the good candy is over at Keeley's.
randomtuesday


Halloween was fun.  I just wish The Girl had some friends around the neighborhood to go out with.  She didn't seem to mind going out with her Dad, I just feel like she's missing out.  I guess it is more my issue than hers.  I feel like she's always been "out of the loop" with playdates and stuff because The Mailman and I both work full time.

Our pumpkins, and my ghostly vampire:



I'm not sure why, but the end of Daylight Savings seems to have really kicked me in the ass this year.  I'm all out of sorts still.  The Girl seems to be having a time of it, too.  She was up way too early this morning, and this kid (like her mom) needs to get enough sleep.

I'm working from home today, because I was going to be the only one from my department that was going to be in the office in our location.  My boss ended up being in the office.  Oh well.  He did give me the option, so why do I still feel guilty?  Maybe because I'm sitting here and not over there on my work laptop?

I've finally come to the realization that I need to do something productive about my eating and exercise habits.  For the past few months, WAY too much of one, WAY too little of the other.  I'm sure you can guess which is which.  I've been feeling lousy, my knee has been killing me and I'm just being blob-like.  I really think that shedding some weight will do a lot to help all of those things.  Now to just do it . . .We've got a lake in the middle of town that is about 3.2 miles to walk around.  I dropped The Girl at school this morning and walked the lake, which I haven't done in months.  It felt good, it was a beautiful morning (and I didn't think anyone would be looking for me at work - oops).  Too bad it is now dark whenever I'm home and I can't do it more regularly.  I'll have to hit the elliptical at the gym at work.