Search Terms From the Twilight Zone

Because I tend to be nosy (just ask anyone) I occasionally check out who is visiting my blog.

I have traffic counters that tell me what city or country viewers come from and also how they got here. Such as links I posted, if they were just browsing Blogger, or if they typed in certain key words.

The most popular searchs that land people here are: "are mermaids real?" "real mermaids found" "photos (or videos) of real mermaids".

Yep, you read that right. REAL mermaids.

This is because I have a Disney post chronicling the Submarine Voyage at Disneyland and it features pictures of the "real" mermaids who used to sit in the lagoon and wave at the people as they passed by.

Apparently there are hundreds of people out there in Google Search-land that think there is proof of living mermaids right here on the internet. And the 5000+ hits on my blog post prove it.

But I also have other off the wall terms that have brought people to my little corner of the world.

Just from the last week I found the following items listed on the "how they got here" page:

The Future (of what and why was my blog ranked second on the search results? Do I know more than I think I do? Should I go and buy lottery tickets? I need to know!)

Spring break adventure stories nude (OK I did write a post titled "Spring Break Adventures" but nowhere did I include the word NUDE or any pictures featuring anyone or anything NUDE. I did go back and check it out though just to be sure)

If kids were cats (I'd need more litter boxes)

Summer pictures; love on the beach (I did post a whole bunch of summer beach pictures but it was more goofballs on the beach as opposed to love)

Weird but true facts about losing weight (lots of weird but true around here, but not much about losing weight... even though I am trying)

Flying Saucer Girl (Obviously they were looking for that picture of me in the sexy little astronaut uniform)

Japanese Porn (I have a entry entitled Sushi Porn, so I guess it's sort of the same thing)

My Pony My Friend (well alrighty then...)

Situations where you would never give up or never surrender (seriously.. I cant make this stuff up)

INDIen ceaf vilige Disney pic (not sure how Google got them routed around to the pictures of the Indian Village Disney Chiefs, but apparently they figured it out.. on the plus side, they DID spell Disney right)

Jeffrey plays video games (even though this is a well known fact, I am unclear as to the reasons behind this search)

Rear end accidents at autopia Disney Photos (I thought I destroyed all those... who told?)

The list could go on for quite a bit longer but as you can see there is no end to the off the wall things people search for. And for some reason some of those searches land people here. I hope some stay and have a look around, even if it wasn't what they were looking for... We enjoy the company!

Details, Details

Today was a shopping day. It's getting a little too close to Christmas and I have a little too little done for my tastes.

Sarah decided she was going to come with me and before we left I laid out EXACTLY what I was going to do to Jeff and told him I would call him at some point in my travels so he knew what time to expect me home. If I dont do this he will call and ask if I got lost or fell into a black hole because he can never understand how shopping can take so long.

He is one of these "pick something and buy it" guys. No patience to look around.

He is also pretty sick and has had a fever off and on for 3 days so he is grouchy and out of sorts anyway.

After the first 2 stores I call him and tell him I'm on my way to Home Depot to get the Christmas tree and then will stop at the market to pick him up him something to drink. I also start to tell him about a few of the things I've gotten so far.

He interrupts me and says "I don't want to hear all the details... just get everything done and come home".

I hung up and stuck my tongue out at the phone. Very mature I know.

Sarah and I got to Home Depot and start looking for a tree... She holds one up and I look at it, then I hold it up and she looks at it. We trade opinions until we find the perfect one. Not like when I take Jeff and he wants the first tree we pull out of the pile. We pay for it, stuff it into the back of the van and head for the market. We hurry through some quick shopping to get stuff so I can make cookies and other yummies this week, as well as the requested drink. As we are pulling out of the parking lot my phone rings.

I am greeted with a very dejected voice on the other end: "Exactly one hour and a minute ago you said you were coming home."

"Exactly one hour and a minute ago I said I was going to get a tree and go to the market... now I am 5 minutes from home."

"Oh OK...sorry.. I must have missed that part".

No kidding!

See what happens when you don't want to hear all the details?

Saturday in the Car Park

I was at Costco the other day, picking up our weekly supply of Family Size items, herding the kids around and trying to get done as quickly as possible.

We made it into the parking lot and I was feeling pretty good about how well everything had gone.
I didn't lose anyone, I didn't have to yell at anyone, 

I didn't drop a 25 pound bag of flour on the floor and then have to pretend it wasn't me. Just overall a good shopping trip.

We were about half way down one of the parking aisles when I realized I couldn't remember where I parked.
I stopped so fast Katherine ran right into me.

"OW MOM!"

 I tried to say I was using it as a real world example of what momentum was... you know, any opportunity is a teaching opportunity I always say.

No the kids didn't buy it either.

Not wanting to let on that I had been overcome with sudden onset Alzheimer's I tried to act nonchalant and began digging for my keys.

"Mom, did you forget where we parked?"

Nothing gets past Jeffrey.

"No, did you?"

I was trying to remember something about where I parked. Was I going up or down? Was I parked near tree? A sign? The basket return?

And I tell my kids to pay attention.

The lot was a giant ocean and my car was lost, adrift on the current.

I found my keys and performed the classic "Hold them over your head and hope you see some lights flashing or hear horns honking" routine.

Nothing.

This is when I realized there had been a lady creeping along next to me apparently waiting to score my spot.

This didn't make her happy so she floored it up the aisle and out of sight.

"Hey mom I think that lady was waving at you."

Yeah, the one finger wave. My favorite.

I turned around and realized that a parade of other cars had formed behind me.

 I crossed through the parked cars pretending that I suddenly remembered where I was.

Two cars took off at top speed and tried to beat each other around to other aisle.

A-HA! There it is! I saw it!

I rushed forward, clicking "open" on my key ring and grabbed the back handle of the door only to have my fingers bend backwards, break a nail and realize this was not my van.

Why do so many people drive blue Honda minivans out here?

Another line of cars had begun to form and the kids were looking at me and I was becoming a stressed mess.
I waved the cars away "NO. NO I'm not leaving, just came to the car get to get something, I'm going back inside".

"Why do we have to go back in?" Jeffrey whined. "I thought we were done?  Mom? Mom?"

Now my only choice is trudge up and down the aisles and I'm annoyed because I'm sweating all over my clean shirt, my groceries are going to be a melted mess by the time I get them home and the kids now know for sure that their mother is not perfect.

Yes up until this very moment my children have thought of me as a combination of Einstein and the virgin Mary... a genius without faults.

It's true and you cant tell me otherwise.

Suddenly all the way at the end of one of the aisles that I swear I have never driven down in my life, I spot the blue boat. I rush forward, click my keys, hear the honk and feel the joy of a kid on Christmas morning.

I load the kids in, load the groceries in and then some jerk honks at me because I'm taking too long.

I hurry into the drivers seat, back out, pretend Im not driving a minivan and pass him like I'm on the Indy Speedway.

"Hey mom.. that guy was waving at you too."

Yeah, I know... There seems to be a lot of that going on lately.

Saturday Ramblings

My life this week has been a series of unfortunate spills by the animals of the house.

It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't keep stepping in it.

I haven't figured out exactly what has set them off, but I suspect it was the week long visit by Grandma.

She pretends to like the animals. As long as they stay as far away from her as possible.

Unfortunately, as with most animals, ours know who does and who doesn't like them and it just makes them all the more friendly to those who don't.

This display of friendship sends Grandma into hysterics, waving her arms or kicking at them with her feet, all the while shouting "JEFF! HELP! Get over here" at the top of her lungs.

She is now safely back in Vegas and our life is SLOWLY returning to normal as we slip back into the school year routine. Which essentially means I will remember what day of the week it is when I wake up in the morning.

Today is Saturday so I get several hours by myself on the computer while Jeff and Alex beat each other up in Karate, Katherine is at Gabby's and Jeffrey pops in out to ask me deep philosophical questions.

Like "Are people bald because they wore a hat too much and it rubbed all the hair off?" or "If I asked my teacher for the whole years homework right now, could I do it all over the weekend and then play video games after school because my homework was all finished until Jr High?" and the last one  "If the number 2 pencil is the best one to use, why don't we call it number 1?"

I wonder if he sits around and thinks these things up just to make me stop and have to think about what he saying.

Way too early for coherent thought.....

Who put 7 AM so early in the morning?

Honestly, would it kill someone to move it closer to the afternoon?

The dog is still sleeping, why can't I?

Oh right, I had to get up and schlep the crew to their institutions of learning.

Summer is over and I am forced to get reacquainted with the wee hours of the morning.

I suppose it will facilitate my getting more work done. I'm trying to figure out if that's a good thing or not.

Overall, I think the kids are happy to be back into the swing of things.

Well perhaps not Alex. He has been dreading this year since last April.

His class schedule is as follows:

~ Math Analysis Honors (which I assume is more than sitting around and analyzing 1 + 1 = 2)
~ AP English (which required he read Grapes of Wrath over the summer. Yesterday his homework was to pick out themes of the book and he wanted to know if  he could include "boring" and "unnecessary" without getting himself into trouble. I told him probably not).
~ AP Computer Science (He's going to learn how to program in Java... I told him I could probably help him with that since I am quite familiar with several types of Java including Breakfast Blend and French Vanilla. He did not find my humor especially helpful.)
~ AP Physics (Scares me just typing the words)
~ AP US History (I told him to study the states over the summer, but did he listen... NOOOoooo... what is his first test today? Name all the states. See mom knows what she's talking about some of the time.)
~ AP Spanish 4 (Me llamo Paco...Et tu, como te llamas?  See I'm bilingual.)

Alex pretty much figures this is the end of his life as he knows it and that he will never leave his room except to go to school and occasionally use the bathroom.

I told him I would keep dinner warm and slip it under his door around 6 PM every night so not to worry.

Good to see all of you again!

Now off to eBay land!

Reality... when did this happen?

OK. Cold hard reality of the situation is that I am simply not going to be able to keep up with this blog the way I want to during this summer.

My computer is basically a timeshare while the kids are home.

I get time when others are willing to share.

The computer is in Alex's room and he uses it to hide from the reality of the upcoming school year. 5 AP classes + Honors something else I don't remember. He is frantically trying to spend as much time killing zombies and improving his prestige level in Black OPs because he knows once school starts he will be lucky if he gets an hour a week away from schoolwork.

Then Jeffrey begs (add whines and rolls around on the ground) to play a new game Alex came up with called Minecraft and it can only be played on this computer. So we allow him 45 minutes to an hour a day to dig in the dirt so he can collect rocks and loot and whatever else he unearths to build a house. I cannot for the life of me understand why the boys find this so exciting.

Then I have to list on eBay. It takes me a lot more time than I would like it to, to take pictures, process pictures, upload pictures, write the auctions, fine tune the auctions and get them listed. By the time I am through doing that I either dont feel like sitting around here anymore or I have 2 boys hanging over my shoulder wondering when I'm going to be finished so whoever is faster can slide into the chair to play their games. This also makes it hard to use the bathroom when I'm listing because if I don't choose exactly the right moment when no one is paying attention, I will find my chair occupied when I return.

AND I've found this new passion of keeping my trip countdown blog so whenever I have a moment and feel like blogging I tend to go there.

But I promise that I will keep doing what I can here and once school starts again in a month I will be back to posting some of the regular features.

Thank you all for bearing with me... and stop by the trip countdown for some really great photos!!!

You were saying what?

This has been one of those weeks.

I have a lot them so when one shows up I shouldn't be surprised.

I know I need a vacation from my life when I find myself doing things that if I were calm and stress free wouldn't happen. The type of things that make Jeff close his eyes, shake his head and wonder what he got himself into by marrying someone like me.

This morning I got up from the couch, walked into the kitchen to see what time it was, went back into the living room sat down and realized I hadn't actually been paying any attention and had to go back check again.

Then I took a shower, got out and started to wrap my hair in a towel and realized I didn't rinse the shampoo out of my hair.

I try to tell myself that at least I haven't answered the door naked so that must count for something right?
AND I haven't lost any credit cards, my Costco card or locked my keys in the car anytime in the last month so I'm doing good right?

RIGHT??

The apple must not fall far from the tree because today Sarah called and said she was all moved into her new larger apartment but she forgot to call the electric company and tell them she needed power. She said the power was on when she moved in over the weekend but when she woke up this morning, it had been turned off. So she was walking around in a sweltering hot sauna and she kept trying to turn the lights on every time she went into a different room. And on top of that her cell phone was dying so she went and plugged it into the charger, waited, then couldn't figure out why the power indicator went down instead of up.

Yep... like mother like daughter.

I eventually got a hold of the power company for her since her cell phone had about 5 minutes left on it and talked them into turning the power on same day. I convinced them she might otherwise die of heat exhaustion.

So my goal is to make enough money in the next few months to send me (OK and the rest of the crew too) on vacation. My brain just needs something to look forward too. And I think a nice 2 week stay in central Florida just might do the trick.

Saturday Shenanigans

Saturday morning dawned bright and way too early.

Jeff had to go to Coronado to help with a Black Belt grading and he left at 6 AM. I was excited because I figured this would give me an opportunity to sleep in. Yeah right. 7 AM and I am up, brewing coffee and walking the dog in the beach fog that reached all the way to our house.

But I figured it wouldn't be all bad. I could snuggle up on the sofa and have my coffee, watch Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman and just in general relax in the calm peaceful morning silence.

Yeah, I live in Fantasyland.

By 8 AM the happy sounds of too much time and not enough to do had already started drifting out of the bedroom at the end of the hall.

Have you met my children... Mr & Mrs Ridiculous?

"KATHERINE!!"

"JEFFREY!!"

OK they know each others names.

"TURN THAT DOWN! I CANT HEAR!"

"WHY DON'T YOU TURN YOURS DOWN BECAUSE I CANT HEAR?"

"KATHERINE! I have to hear when I throw my fishing pole in the water. Fishing is a quiet sport."

"Exactly... so turn your sound down and it will be quiet."

"NOOOOO! I have to be able to HEAR!"

"I thought you said it was quiet? If it's quiet what do you have to hear??"

"You're so mean.. MOM!!! Katherine is being mean."

"I AM NOT!"

OK scratch quiet couch time.

I figured I would take a shower because that would certainly be relaxing. Warm water, closed behind 2 doors with no one to bother me.

Yes, exactly what I needed.

There is such a fine line between needing and getting.

I did make it all the way behind 2 closed doors and into the warm water but that's when it sort of went all wrong.

Now if any of you read this often enough you know that I often jump to irrational conclusions.
One such example chronicled here.
One might think I would learn my lesson but I'm living proof that hasn't happened yet.

So there I am basking in the glory of the hot water, leaning my head back, closing my eyes as the warmth flows over my head and down my back, rinsing the delicious smelling shampoo out of my hair when it happened.

Something touched my leg. It was just a light touch at first, almost a caress. Felt like a finger starting at my thigh and moving down towards my knee. My first irrational thought was that Jeffrey had come into the bathroom and opened the door and was trying to get my attention, but as I peeked open one eye I realized the shower door was still closed so that highly unlikely scenario was ruled out. I squeezed my eyes shut and started to panic. I moved my leg slightly towards the opposite wall and the light caress turned into a full on push and scraping past my knee and down onto my calf. If it weren't for the fact that whatever it was was between me and the door I would have bolted, soaking wet and naked out of the bathroom, down the hall and into the living room and worry about scarring the children for life later when it was all over.

All I could do was jump sideways into the wall, yelping loud enough for the neighbors to wonder if they should call 911 and then listen to the extremely loud crashing noise as I forced myself to open my eyes, look down and figure out that the 2 foot high zombie that had somehow materialized in the shower with me was actually the shower stand that had fallen over and landed against my leg.

There were bottles and things everywhere. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, shaving gel, a bar of soap, a razor. There was no place left to stand because the entire shower floor was one big mess.

I'm not really sure if I was more relived or irritated. Why on earth do I panic so quickly?
It's really embarrassing.

Seriously I need more calm relaxing moments in my life to help steady my hyperactive imagination.

But considering it's only the 3rd week of June and the kids don't go back to school until the 3rd week of August, I'm not likely to be getting much of that any time soon.

And to top it off, I've got this great plan for today... it's called taking the kids shopping.

Yeah, I thought that through.

I'll let you tomorrow if I survive.

Beach Day

So here we are 2 weeks into summer and I'm ready to pay the school district to reopen and let my kids go back to class.

I think I can probably find another few parents who would also be willing to chip in.

Yesterday was our first beach day of the season and even though it takes about half an hour to drive from my house to the shore, it still managed to take me almost 2 hours from the time I backed out of the driveway to the time our feet hit the sand.

I kept wondering why I was schlepping four 10 and 11 year olds to a place that would by definition cause them to get sand stuck in every imaginable crevice so they could bring it home and deposit it starting at the front door, through the living room, down the hall, into the bathroom, into the bathtub, onto the towels, back down the hall and into their bedroom and into bed. My vacuum is going to have a nervous breakdown.

This has been the toughest week to get even a second to sit down on the computer and do anything but list on ebay. I will be the happiest person on the planet when I am done with listing auctions. In the mean time though, it puts food on the table. Which seems to be a necessity when you've got 3 kids living under one roof. Especially a 16 year old boy. With size 13 feet. I should just get him a feedbag. It might save time.

I gotta get back to work but here are a few snapshots from today:

Olivia calling to the chickens on the shore:

Those waves are stronger than they look:

 I am thinking Jeffrey is doing his own rendition of "I'm a little teapot".

I do love the waves:

Katherine and Olivia looking for shells:

And then stopping for a snack:

Pass the Umbrella, Please

Can someone please explain to me why when one expensive and necessary object breaks or stops working, other expensive and necessary objects in the general vicinity tend to follow suit?

The list of things going haywire in my life right now is growing at an astonishing rate.

First there was the living room TV. We were watching it one Saturday afternoon and there was a loud POP and the color went out, the picture skewed and that was that. In an effort not interrupt our evening ritual we dragged the bedroom TV out to the living room. After a lot of grousing and complaining that it was too small to enjoy, we settled in and figured it was better than nothing.

We discovered that TV is also on the way out, so it might end up being nothing after all.

Note to readers: There is a reason they no longer make DLP TVs. (Both of ours were Samsung). They do not last long and before you know it you will be having to replace them with something more reliable. These were only 5 years old. Both color wheels failed and in the case of the big set, one of the electronic boards went out at the same time.

An-eeeeeeeee-way. Moving on.

Jeff's computer fan is making a terrible noise and you have to turn it on and off several times before you can get it to boot up without making a horrific noise. Now this is a little more understandable because the poor thing is at least 8 years old and neither of us knows how its lasted this long in the first place. There was a period of time when we had an office and warehouse in Agoura Hills and it was on 24 hours a day so Jeff could remotely access it. It was only a matter of time before it started to break down. And now of course seems like a good time.

And the cherry on top of the failing cake: our Honda Odyssey has been having transmission trouble for the past few months and we have been babying it and getting it cooperate. Until last week.

On the way up the hill towards home it was slipping so bad we had to turn around and go the long long way around to avoid the steepest part of the drive.

That was basically it's death knell.

$3200 later it's fixed and we're eating cup of noodles until we can replenish the bank account.

The list goes on but I think you get the idea.

When it rains it pours.

And I seem to have lost my umbrella and I'm now I'm completely soaked.

Looking forward to a little sunshine in the hopefully not too distant future.

Preparing to grin and bear it, Captain.

3 Weeks and counting until school lets out.

This is always a mixed blessing. This means we do not have to get up at 7 AM every day and drive the crew to school. But it then follows that the crew is not in school.

After a week or two of this I begin to think that getting up early isn't such a bad trade off. Eleven weeks with the Bickersons  (AKA Jeffrey & Katherine) can get a little tedious.

This summer we will add to fun by having the twins, Jacob and Olivia with us 3 days a week.

Double the noise, double the fun!

I plan on structuring their days so there isn't a lot of time for miscellaneous grousing, complaining, fighting and hollering. I think we'll make every Friday a beach day. We're about 1/2 an hour from Zuma Beach and I always complain I don't go enough every summer so this way I will be forced into doing what I wanted to do in the first place.

And at least one day a week I plan on an outing to someplace interesting. But after the Museums downtown, the La Brea Tar Pits and the Griffith Observatory I'm already out of ideas. Well, out of ideas that don't cost a small fortune.

Being the end of the year, the teachers are trying to squeeze as much into these last few weeks as possible.
This includes Open House which encompasses giving up your dinner hour to drive to the school, park 8 blocks away, fight your way through the crowds to your kids classroom, fight the crowds IN your kids classroom, spend 2 minutes with the teacher who tells you what a pleasure your kid has been all year before dashing off to repeat the same thing to the next parent in line, fight  your way back through the crowds, walk 8 blocks back to your car and go home and wonder what you accomplished.

But I found out earlier this week that we will have the  real pièce de résistance at the end of this year. Something I have never had the pleasure of experiencing before.

Because Jeffrey and Katherine are both in 4th grade, they both do the same projects and take the same tests and go on the same field trips etc. So if one of them is clueless to what is going on, the other one will probably know. It's been a nice little perk until now.

The last thing the kids are studying this year is the California gold rush. And to go with this unit they are performing a play complete with songs and skits and all the other stuff that accompanies an elementary school performance.

There are five 4th grades and instead of doing 5 separate plays they are combining the classrooms. 2 classes plus half of one class will perform at 6 PM next Friday followed by 2 1/2 half classes performing the exact same play at 7 PM the same day.

If you have even a single thought in your head you should know where I am going with this. That's right ladies and gentlemen.... Katherine and Jeffrey are in different performances.

This translates into 2 (count 'em.. 2) hours we will have to sit through watching the same show twice.

I asked Katherine what her part was.

"These are my lines 'Welcome parents and family. Thank you for coming to our show. Please sit back and relax and enjoy our performance.' I'm the Hostess."

"And what else do you do?"

"I sing in a couple of the songs. That's it."

"And Jeffrey, what are your lines?"

"I don't have any. I'm a dancer."

"You have no lines whatsoever?"

"Nope. And I'm not happy about it. Do I have to do this play?"

Don't I wish.

I saw this exact same play when Alex was in the 4th grade six years ago. And at that time I do not remember thinking that it was so good that not only would I want to see it again  but I'd like to catch it twice in one night.

Now don't get me wrong, Jeff and I will both be there and cheer our kids on and never let on that we are suffering. But if I could just get my hands on who divided up the classes without regard to the parents of siblings, I would certainly give them a piece of my mind.

Of course I may not have much left after next Friday so maybe I just better grin and bear it.
I've become pretty good at that lately.

It's the end of the world as we know it ~~ And I feel fine.

My Facebook page is littered with videos and tips and suggestions for the coming Rapture tomorrow. If I read them all I should be quite prepared.

Wait, do I capitalize Rapture? I'm not sure. I know I'm supposed capitalize God. ACK.. wait a second.. I think I'm supposed to write G-D instead of spelling it out completely. Right?

See what happens when you don't grow up going to church? So many unanswered questions. And really important ones too. For instance, should one dress up for the coming event tomorrow? Like an evening gown or cocktail dress or can I be slightly more causal in a pants suit and heels? I wouldn't want to offend anybody and show up Friday casual. Oh wait, it's Saturday so maybe that doesn't count. And do my clothes even go with me? I've heard that there will be empty cars and discarded clothing littering the streets so maybe I shouldn't be giving it any thought. Come as you are and just bring your smile.

Of course it's really a moot point because it is one party that I am definitely not invited too. Which is fine because I doubt I would like the company anyway. And they certainly would not like me so I guess we're even.

If on the other hand you plan attending I do ask that you avoid driving or otherwise operating any sort of machinery that depends heavily on human guidance. Those of us left behind (aka the Damned) will already have to deal with the fact that we now face earthquakes, plagues, fire, gay pride, pestilence, war, famine etc. without having the inconvenience of dodging unoccupied cars, falling aircraft, out of control forklifts and the like when you are sucked into heaven. And if you are unsure as to whether you will be attending said Rapture, it might be best to err on the side of caution and stay home, prepare a nice meal, watch some TV and relax because before you know it you're going to be greeting your long lost loved ones, fitted for wings and be busy settling into the afterlife. You have no idea when the next time you'll be able to catch an episode of Fox News or the O'Reilly Factor.

For those of left behind, let's go find all of our gay friends, catch some great tunes on the radio and relax without being told we are all gong to Hell.

Because we will already be there.

And in good company too I might add.

101 Random Personal Questions

Because I have nothing better to blog about this morning, I give you: answers about me!
(I have recently updated this in 2024)

1. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR BEDROOM? A wonderful framed print of old school  Winnie the Pooh playing Pooh Sticks that I got from Disney world.
   
2. DO YOU PLAY BOARD GAMES? WHICH ONES? Yes.  Lately (because we are horrible humans) we have been playing Cards against Humanity..
3. WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO? Lady Gaga (Love her music from A Star is Born), 80's Pop, A smattering of 70's Disco, ABBA, Roxette. I'm all over the place.
   
4. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN? 7:40 AM.
5. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW? A vacation
   
6. WHO DO YOU MISS? My parents. 
7. ARE YOU IN LOVE WITH ANYONE? Nope.
   
8. CAN YOU DANCE? I dance better in theory than in practice
9. WHAT'S YOUR MIDDLE NAME? Sorry, if I told you I would have to kill you.
10. THE BEST TV SHOW EVER CREATED? Star Trek
11. THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO? Jeffrey who wanted to know when I was going to put away the food on the stove.
    
12. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK? Do we even need to ask this?
13. THE LAST THING TO MAKE YOU CRY? I'm sure it was some TV show.
    
14. DO YOU WANT TO LOSE OR GAIN WEIGHT? Working on losing. Lost 40 pounds this past year.
    
15. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX? Any color hair but love me some blue eyes.
    
16. WOULD YOU RATHER BE SMART OR FUNNY? Can I go for both and be a smartass?
17. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINKS? Java Java Java
18. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING? Mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions. Oh I hate to admit it, but pineapple is absolutely yummy.
19. IF YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Sushi.
20. WHO IS THE LAST PERSON WHO MADE YOU MAD? Probably some idiot driver who shouldn't be on the road because there are how many billions of people in the world? and I just happen to be the best driver.
21. DO YOU SPEAK ANOTHER LANGUAGE? I can sing the entire Dragostea Din Tei song in Romanian does that count?
22. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? 1979 Honda Accord.
23. WHAT IS YOUR FANTASY CAREER? A rock star. I turn into one every time I get in the car by myself and crank up the tunes.
24. ARE YOU A LEFTY OR A RIGHTY? Righty.
25. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND? Anything that fits and doesn't make me look too fat. (Where can I buy that?)
26. WHAT'S YOUR DREAM CAR? I gave up wanting an exotic and realized I'd love to have any brand of Hybrid.
27. WHAT COLOR IS IT? Blue.
28. DO YOU LIKE SPICY FOOD? I do but my tongue does not. 
29. LITTLE HOUSE ON THE BEACH OR IN THE WOODS? Beach all the way
    
30. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU? Be there for them no matter what.
31. WRITE A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED? 21
32. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR HAIR? Reddish Blonde (Now from a bottle). I'm trying to relieve my younger days when I didn't have so much gray creeping in everywhere.
    
33. WHAT IS THE ONE NUMBER YOU CALL MOST OFTEN? Sally or Sarah.
34. WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST? Republicans.
35. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF YOUR COUNTRY? WHERE DID YOU GO? Yes. Canada, Mexico, all over Europe, Bahamas, Russia. I want to go to Japan someday!
36. FAVORITE FOOD? Sushi
37. FRIES/CHIPS, RICE, OR BEANS? Yes please.
38. FIRST JOB? Usher at the Hollywood Bowl.
39. WHAT KIND OF CAR(s) DO YOU HAVE NOW? 2023 Kia Rio
    
40. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT? Watching the news and being irritated with the state of the world
    
41. HAVE YOU EVER RIDDEN A MOTORCYCLE? Nope, I value my life (and I'm a big chicken).
42. WHAT TV SHOWS DO YOU WATCH CURRENTLY? Love all the NCIS shows and currently re-watching RuPauls Drag Race
43. CAN YOU PLAY AN INSTRUMENT? I can play the piano, but it's been so long I would need a lot of practice.
44. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF ALCOHOL BECAME ILLEGAL? Since I don't drink its a non issue.
45. FAVORITE VACATION SPOT? Disney theme park. (DUH).
46. HOW MANY (MORE) KIDS DO YOU WANT? No more thank you..... I've caught my limit. I'm onto grandkids now
47. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My mother saw my name in the book "Don't Go Near the Water" and thought it was pretty. The girl was a Tahitian princess.
48. DO YOU WISH ON STARS? All the time.
49. HOW TALL ARE YOU? Soaring in at 5' 2 3/4".
50. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Overnight Oats with Strawberries and Bananas
    
51. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? When I try I can be pretty neat.
52. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO SWIM? I can doggie paddle with the best of them.
53. DO YOU CHEW YOUR NAILS? Nope.
54. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING CD ON THE SHELF? Where do I start?
55. DO YOU GET SEASICK? I never used to until we went to Hawaii and we went took a catamaran to Lanai'i and I felt like I was going to die. I puked over the side of the boat (repeatedly) and didn't care that anyone was watching!
56. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT? See #34.
57. ARE YOU MARRIED? Widowed
58. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Los Angeles, California.
59. DO YOU WEAR A WATCH? Currently my Fitbit doubles as a watch.
60. DO YOU TRUST OTHERS EASILY? Too easily.
61. WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE TOYS AS A CHILD? The Marx Farm set, The Little People Airport and Village.
62. HOW MANY AUTO-DIAL NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR MOBILE PHONE? About 15.
63. LAST ITEM YOU PURCHASED? Groceries. Dang kids keep eating everything.
64. DO YOU GO TO CHURCH? Only for weddings or funerals.
65. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A MOSH PIT? Unless you count a few of the kids birthday parties, no.
66. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A PLACE TO LIVE? Proximity to the beach. Which sucks because we moved from California to Arizona. Working on moving back to my hometown.
    
67. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES? Mel, Melsy, Mom, Hey You and Honey Dumpling (no, not really)
68. HOW MANY HATS DO YOU OWN?  One or two.
69. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Not usually.
70. WHAT'S THE WEATHER LIKE RIGHT NOW? Finally cooling off
    
71. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Do I have to chose just one?
72. WHAT TIME DID YOU GO TO BED LAST NIGHT? 9:30 PM 
73. WHAT SIZE BED DO YOU SLEEP IN? A standard king. That's enough room for me and the cats. (and Bailey if she isn't sleeping on the sofa)
74. DO YOU HAVE ANY TATTOOS OR PIERCINGS?  3 piercings.
75. HAVE YOU BEEN TO LAS VEGAS? Many times. My Mother-in-law lives there so we had to visit on a regular basis.
76. DO YOU WANT TO GO ANYWHERE SPECIAL THIS YEAR? Disney World, but that's no surprise because I want to go there every year.
77. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The sounds of silence (a rare commodity in this house).
78. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Probably one of the Disney movies with the grandkid
    
79. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Sally.
80. WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE A KID? A veterinarian. Or a Rock Star. Either / or.
81. IF YOU COULD BE WHATEVER YOU WANTED TO BE NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE? An astronomer... I LOVE space.
82. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? Blue.
83. FAVORITE TWO THINGS TO HATE? FOX News and people who can't drive.
84. FAVORITE DRINK? Thai Ice tea. But can't remember the last time I had it
    
85. WHAT'S YOUR ZODIAC SIGN? Aquarius.
86. SPORTS YOU LIKE TO WATCH? Does none count as an answer?
87. DOGS OR CATS? I've got 3 cats so I guess that answers that.
    
88. EYE COLOR? Dark Blue.
89. LAST PLACE YOU DROVE TO? The market.
90. SIBLINGS? Grew up as an adopted only child, but I have 4 younger half siblings.
91. FAVORITE MONTH(s)? I love August because we usually go on vacation, I love October because its almost Halloween and I love December because of Christmas.
92. DO YOU LIKE SUSHI? Almost more than life itself.
93. LAST THINGS YOU WATCHED? Current episode of RuPauls Drag Race
    
94. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY? A trip to Disney World (anyone notice a running theme here) .
95. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW? Sadly none, but I plan to get back to reading at some point soon. I do love all the Janet Evanovich books with Stephanie Plum.
96. SUMMER OR WINTER?  Used to be summer until I somehow got stuck in Arizona.
97. KISSES OR HUGS? Both please.
98. DO YOU LIKE SCARY MOVIES? Not so much. (then why did I love The Walking Dead.... good question)
99. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES? I have several but on the top of the list is Tremors (and all the sequels), Ever After, Independence Day, IQ, While You Were Sleeping, Elvira Mistress of the Dark, all the Jumanjis.
100. ANY PETS? 4 cats (Jones, Mario, and Milo. There is Fernando who lives outside but I'm trying to convince him that indoors is so much more comfortable. As of yet he is too afraid to even let me pet him)
101. WHAT ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW? California t-shirt and cotton shorts. Gotta be comfy!

And as long as you are here...
Enjoy some cuteness!!

Arachnophobia or Beware of the Blob

It is a well known fact I that I do not like spiders.

They give me the creeps and I have a hard time not squishing them on sight.

The universe seems to know this so of course I consistently find spiders everywhere as if being told to "get over it already".

Sorry, not going to happen.

But the universe keeps trying just the same.

Two nights ago I was in bed, about to turn off the light when I glance up at the ceiling and there hanging out in the corner is a rather large black blob with a whole lot of legs.

I called Jeff to rescue me but his only advice was not to worry because he doubted that the spider would suddenly fall off the ceiling.

I beg to differ, I often fall off the floor while I am right side up so it doesn't seem to too far fetched to fall off the ceiling when you are hanging upside down.

Unfortunately the blob was all the way at the top of the vaulted ceiling and there was no getting him down, dead OR alive, so I would just have to live with his presence and go to sleep.

As soon as the light went out, my mind went to work. I could just see the little bugger trekking along the edge of the ceiling until he was over my bed at which time he would let go and float down with his too many legs to land right on my pillow and then proceed to crawl all over my face.

It was official, I was never going to get any sleep.

Eventually I found something else to think about and come morning I woke and realized I didn't have tiny little spider footprints on my forehead nor a bad taste in my mouth after he crawled in there and got stuck.

Alls well that ends well.

Until last night when I was in bed just about to turn out the light and I looked up and saw him again this time hanging out over the doorway to the closet. Lower and more accessible this time. Where's the vacuum? That should do it.

Jeff was called in but he dismissed the vacuum idea because the kids were sleeping and he was certain that the spider meant no harm and would eventually find his way outside and that would be that.

Another bought of restless tossing and turning as I imagined being covered in spider cooties.

Come this morning and last nights fears were forgotten so I went about my business until I decided to hop in the shower.

I put the heater on in the bathroom, set out my towel, stepped into the warmth and began soaking up the hot water.

AHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh...... this is the life. Just what I needed. Let my troubles wash off and go right down the drain. Lather up my hair with good smelling shampoo. Oh yeah! Feels good!

Right up until I looked down and see Mr. Blob pulling his water soaked carcass across the shower floor a mere 2 inches from my toes. And he was bigger and scarier up close.

Not sure if I mentioned this before but we have perhaps the smallest shower in existence. If you bend over your butt will knock the door open and there will be an enormous flood in the bathroom.

This did not stop me from dancing around like an idiot, hopping from one foot to the other trying to avoid the blob as he was being tossed and tumbled about by the shower spray. Somehow I couldn't get myself to turn off the faucet because I kept thinking, "If I turn off the water he will be able to run and head straight for me. And I cant get out because my hair is full of shampoo, I'm soaking wet and I will drip all over the floor".

Funny the things that your brain focuses on in a crisis. I'm lucky the house wasn't on fire because the firemen would have had to pull me kicking and screaming out of the burning building because I didn't want to get the floor all soapy.

I thought about yelling for Jeff but realized not only wouldn't he hear me, but he would probably die laughing in the process.

More hopping and yelling and splashing about on my part.

Until I looked down just in time to see the last of the blob swirling down the drain.

I stopped and immediately felt bad. But that was immediately followed by a fear of what happens if he is able to climb back up after the shower turns off and take revenge on me for trying to drown him? Will he lay in wait until the next time I step in and then jump out and sink his fangs into my foot? Would I feel OK about drowning him then?

Clearly having more spider encounters does not lessen my fear or make me more accepting of their presence. All it does is prove to myself how irrational my mind can be when under stress.

I finally managed to get the shampoo out of my hair and compose myself enough to step calmly out of the shower and dry off like a sane and rational person.

I did however Google whether or not spiders could survive if washed down the drain and was relieved to discover that it was highly unlikely.

So now I can take future showers without worry of arachnids laying wait to seek revenge upon my toes.

Angry Birds? No ~~ Angry Human!!

There is an outright conspiracy to keep me from sleeping.

I just know that someone is paying a nitwit bird to sit outside my bedroom window starting at 4 AM and twitter and chirp and scream frenetically until just before the alarm goes off. At which time he closes shop and heads back to the nest.

It's pitch black outside and this feathered assassin finds it amusing to let go with every sound, every vocal gymnastic, every noise that he can possibly come up with.

I have no idea what kind of bird it is, but I did not think it was possible for one single creature to make so much racket in so many different languages.

Honestly, I am not a violent person but as I lay there with my head under a pillow, I imagine all sorts of torture I could bestow on this creature. If I weren't afraid of zombies, I mean the dark, I would march out there, figure out where he is and throw something hard and large in his direction while screaming well deserved obscenities at the top of my lungs. In my fantasy I see myself making contact and watching his little bird body go flying off to parts unknown ala Angry Birds style.

I swear I cant be the only person in this little cul de sac that is bothered by the pre-dawn wake up call. I think maybe everyone might actually thank me.

Either that or show up outside with a shotgun ready to take me down because I'm a bigger and easier target.

If I don't get some sleep soon I swear I will not be responsible for my actions. Not guilty by reason of insanity.

I wonder if it would fly in court?

The Circle of Life

I know this is supposed to be Way Back Wednesday but I have a lot of other stuff bouncing around my brain.

All my kids are going to be home this weekend. All 6 that I am personally responsible for will actually be all in one place at the same time.

I am both unbelievably excited and inexplicably sad. I can't wait to see Em and Chris and his family. But I know I am going to be devastated when they leave.

And I don't even know how long I will get to see everybody. My ex-mother-in-law is having a 70th birthday party and paid for everyone to attend. That means that no matter how much I want to see them and monopolize their attention, she gets first dibs.

Not to mention that the out of towners are are going to try to squeeze in seeing their friends as well.

All this in about 48 hours.

I'm trying to be happy about seeing them for even a little while but I know it won't be enough.

Until you have kids and they grow up and move away, it's hard to understand what it feels like to have someone you love in your life for 18 years and then suddenly be gone and you don't know if they will ever live close to you again.

I know my kids don't understand it. When you are young and starting out it feels so liberating to move away and be on your own. And if your parents have younger kids that still live at home you probably think you aren't missed that much.

Not true. Not even for a second.

I miss Emily and Chris every single day. (Sarah lives close enough to see her several times a month). And now I have a grandbaby who I barely even know. I've seen him just a few times in his life and I am missing out on watching him grow up.

And the worst part is there is nothing I can do. I gotta let my kids live their own life and make their own path. Even if it's not what I want.

I think about them daily.. wish they were here.. wish we could just spend some relaxed time together hanging out then saying good bye and see you soon, maybe Wednesday for dinner. Instead of trying to fit in a couple of hours into a short weekend before they have to run back home not knowing when we are going to be able to see each other again.

I'm going to try to be as positive as possible this weekend and save any uncontrolled crying until after they walk out the door.

It's all part of the circle of life. We give birth to them, we love and nurture them, raise them and then set them free so they can go out and have their own family.

It really stinks and I really hate it.

Monday Morning Madness

 You ever had one of those moments that you realized you've made a mistake about 2 seconds too late and there's no way out?

Welcome to my morning.

Everything started out pretty good actually. I woke up not too tired and feeling OK. Jeff seemed to have had a restless night so I snuck out of bed and out of the room quietly so he could sleep.

I got the kids together in the allotted 20 minutes we have to get out the door and even managed to get myself a nice big cup of warm coffee to take with me to help in the waking up procedure.

I got Alex to school on time and even got Katherine to her morning class within 2 minutes of start time. That left Jeffrey and me to sit in the car until the yard duty arrived to open the big gate. He and I hung out, listening to my IPOD and singing some of his favorite songs.

Finally the gate was opened and he was on his way. I headed down the hill to go home. While making my way along the main road to the freeway I noticed there was exceptionally heavy traffic going the other way. I glanced in my rear view mirror wondering if I missed a stalled car or an accident but I didn't see anything. (Warning number 1).

I approached the freeway and checked the overhead bridge for slow traffic which there was but it didn't seem much slower than usual.  (I later looked back and figured I was hallucinating when I thought saw the cars moving). I knew I could get on, jump over a few lanes, skirt around the 2 merging on ramps and by the time I got to the 101 it would have shaken loose. I did not however notice that there was absolutely no traffic going the other way on the freeway. (Warning number 2).

I crossed under the freeway, turned right onto the looping on ramp, drove about 50 feet and came to a dead stand still. The traffic was stopped half way up the ramp and realized there wasn't a single car moving even a little bit in any of the 4 lanes of freeway traffic.

I desperately looked behind me to see if I could do something terribly illegal like back down the on-ramp but suddenly there were 15 cars behind me and the line was growing fast.

I knew something was really wrong and I was stuck. I crept forward until I was almost to the bridge and I could see the road below. People were continuing to pull into the line waiting to get onto the freeway. Across the street was the other on ramp for people going the opposite way on the street and those people were now trying to merge into my lane about 50 yards ahead of me. Only none of us were going anywhere.

I simply could not believe people were voluntarily getting in line. If I had seen there was even the smallest line backed up onto the ramp there was no way I would have gotten on. I would have taken surface streets home. But these people were forming a line that was now backed up under the bridge and out of sight.

I reluctantly flipped off my music and flipped on newsradio (traffic on the 5's) to see if maybe there was any mention of this.

When the traffic report came on the first thing they talked about was a sigalert on the 101 approaching the Hollywood freeway with several lane closures. OK.. if my freeway was backed up for 20 miles then I might as well get out and walk from here.

"And now to that problem in Thousand Oaks..."

oh please oh please oh please let it be nothing huge....

"Seems there is a chemical spill on the northbound 23 freeway and both sides of the freeway have been shut down until the hazmat team can be called in to clean it up. Looks like there is a cloud of vapors rising off the pavement just after the Janns Road offramp and everyone is being diverted off the freeway as far back as the 118. If you are anywhere in the area I would advise staying as far away from the freeway as possible and taking side streets as an alternate. Its a real mess out there and it looks like no one is going anywhere fast."

Thank you Captain Obvious.

Ever have one of those feelings like someone just slid the jail door closed and you were on the wrong side? I was one mile from the next exit which just happened to be Janns Rd. I couldn't go back. I certainly couldn't go forward and Oh Yeah.. I had that huge cup of coffee almost an hour ago. In about 30 minutes I was going to be in so much trouble I wasn't going to be able to see straight.. or think straight.. or even drive straight. Not that much driving was likely to be going on.

I did the only thing I could think of which was to call Sally. I figured if a cop came by and tried to give me a ticket for being on the phone I would simply stuff it up his nose.

I spent the next half hour creeping forward (MAYBE went 50 yards), catching up with Sally, and moaning to Jeff about my predicament since he called to see what the hell was taking me so long.

They eventually closed the freeway on-ramps. I could see that because I hadn't moved off the bridge in the entire time I was talking on the phone.

I also noticed that the other side of the freeway had been opened (lucky them) and there was now almost nobody in the lanes to my left as the traffic behind us had been shunted over to get off at the street I had just gotten on from.

Suddenly there was a small parade of traffic driving the wrong way down my side of the freeway. I briefly thought of making a run for it and joining them but thought the better of it because there was a cop car every 100 yards. I was really glad I didn't because someone a few cars in front of me tried that and the police caught them and made them go back.

Shortly a policeman got out of his car and walked over to the car in front of me, talked to the driver who then made a u-turn and headed backwards to the ramp behind us. The cop headed over to me and I rolled down my window and asked where everyone was going.

Please oh please oh please let me go too.......

He said if I wanted I could follow the other car and head back to where I just got on.

You don't have to tell me twice.

I was to the off ramp behind me and off the freeway in less than  minute.

HALLELUJAH!

My joy was short lived as I realized everybody and their brother was getting off the freeway and trying to find alternate routes home or to work or to the 101. Twice I tried shortcuts only to find myself exactly back to where I started because the damn roads around here double back on themselves to prevent exactly what I was trying to do.. cut through and save time.

I eventually made it home an hour and half after I first turned onto the freeway and two and half hours after I left the house in the first place.

I was a blur as I burst into the house and headed straight to the bathroom. Relief has rarly been sweeter.

All I want to know is.... what idiot was carrying around a bucket of muriatic acid (used in pool cleaning) in such a way for it to fall off their truck and break open in the middle of the freeway??

This is not the Einstein I want cleaning my pool.

General Chit Chat

Some days my slice of life is a nice hunk of birthday cake.... the yummy kind... with buttercream frosting and really good mousse filling between the layers.

Other days my slice is like..well the yucky kind with lard frosting and no layers.

It's hard to say which kind I'm going to get until I actually bite into it. Then no matter what I get, I'm stuck with it. You eat it, you own it sort of thing.

Lately I've lost my taste for cake altogether. I haven't had a really good gourmet moist and delicious slice in quite a long time.

But I'm hoping the winds of change have begun to blow.

I've been crazy busy, listing on eBay and by the time I'm done processing pictures, writing descriptions and organizing all the components of a good auction I'm too sick of computers to want to write anything over here.

The effort seems to be paying off already though because most of the things I have listed have a large amount of interest. And lots of early bidding going on. All things to give me a bit of a boost in the mood department.

I really love putting together posts for my blog and when I can't or don't feel like doing anything it bugs me. I keep telling myself to just write SOMETHING... even if it's 2 words but sometimes even that feels like too much.

I am dreaming of the days when I dont have a garage full to the rafters (literally) of things that need to be sold (my parents treasures that are still with us) and we don't have to scramble to make sure all bills and obligations of that nature are taken care of.

The dojo is coming along quite nicely and Jeff is teaching almost daily and we are strategizing about ways to get in new students. Thats actually fun and doesn't feel quite so much like work as other stuff.

Now it's time for some talent show practice and after those two are in bed, Jeff and Alex will join me for a nice relaxing evening on the sofa to wind down from the day while we continue watching our current DVD selection.

And who knows... tomorrow I may decide I don't even want cake in first place.... it might be time to try a nice big bowl of chocolate ice cream! With whipped cream too!

Bon Voyage!

Yes I've been a neglectful blogger and haven't been keeping up.. missing 2 of my Way Back Wednesday posts!

BAD MEL!

It's been pretty hectic trying to juggle all the things going on and with the cruise this weekend I've been running around like that damn proverbial chicken.

It was also my birthday yesterday and I spent the morning and early afternoon with Sally. We've known each other now for 40 years. There is something really special about having a friend for that long. There is nothing they don't know about you (or you about them). They've been with you through the good, the bad and they ugly. And I can honestly say we've never really had any falling outs or real arguments. Unless you count that time in my back yard when we had a rather heated discussion over what sound a squirrel actually makes. It wasn't pretty. And to this day I don't think it was ever settled to either of our satisfactions.

I think I will use next Wednesday to post a few pictures of Sally and I as kids. I would do it today but I think if I were knee deep in going through pictures and scanning them into the computer, Jeff would question my dedication to actually getting out of the house on time to leave for the port today.

So I will not be around until at least Monday and I plan on posting a nice trip report full of tons of pictures of our adventure.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and wanted to once again thank everyone who wished me Happy Birthday over on Facebook. I was truly blown away by the number of people who took the time to drop me a note. It really made my day!!!

See you all soon!!!

Disney Wonder.. Here we come!

Boredom, Disney Cruises & Chit Chat

So I'm home all by myself this morning.

Jeff has a personal training client and I didn't want to be Miss Horn-in-sky and tag along.
It doesn't look particularly professional when you bring your wife along because she's bored.

So I could do anything I wanted. No one here to tell me what to do. Or what NOT to do.

I could watch whatever I wanted to on TV. (Nothing on and nothing on TIVO that isn't earmarked to watch with someone else).

I could play computer games. (The one I like is having issues and won't load).

I could call Sally and have a nice long chat without anyone asking if I was STILL on the phone. (She's not home.)

I could finish the 2 year old trip report I've been working on forever. (UGH... too much work looking through all the pictures).

I could exercise. (Really? While no one is home to see me do it? No one would believe me)

I could empty and reload the dishwasher. (That can wait until later).

I could do some laundry. (See above excuse).

***SIGH***

Why is it that I can think of 100 things to do (that I REALLY would do) when I don't have time or energy to do them but when I actually have time nothing pans out?

We've got one week until our weekend Disney cruise. I could make some plans for that, get out the suitcases and make packing lists.

The only problem is that dang cruise is only 2 days long so it feels so anticlimactic. But I think we are going to throw in a day at Disneyland on Sunday because that is that last day our passes are good for. So that will round out the weekend nicely.

For anyone wondering how we are affording a cruise when all I do is complain about our current financial situation, its sort of a long story but as brief as possible:

5 years ago we went on a Disney cruise in the Caribbean and rebooked on board for another 7 day cruise. When it came time to pay in full for that cruise the whole financial disaster was underway and I had to postpone it. Well as we know the whole mess has not worked it self out and I kept having to reschedule until finally Disney said they would not change the date any more.

AND they wanted to keep our deposit which was $3000.

Since I knew THAT was not going to happen I started making phone calls and going higher and higher in the company trying to work something out. After crying on the phone to one person after another and actually sending them paperwork to document our plight we finally came to a compromise  that they would use our deposit as payment in full for this weekend end cruise out of LA.

We get a one bedroom suite and the kids are REALLY excited.

I am too but still feel a little let down that we only get to stay on the boat for 2 nights. We board mid day Friday and disembark early on Sunday morning.

It's been dubbed "The Neverland Cruise" or "The Cruise to Nowhere". But it should be fun. Lots of good food (one of the reasons I'm having trouble getting 100% on an eating program because I know this is coming up), a different stage show each night, first run movies in the on board theaters, our own veranda to sit and relax on, some really good quality alone time with my hubby.

Yes, it should actually be a lot of fun. And heaven knows I need it!

OH LOOK! I got distracted and now it's almost time for Jeff to be home.

You know what that means don't you? I will now miraculously find 100 things to do that I could have done over the last hour or so.

Oh well! I got to chit chat with all of you!

Have a great Friday!!