Losing My Dignity...

Yeah, today I lost it. My propriety is lying in a ditch somewhere in Scarsdale. (Honestly, this will be my last blog entry about the bridesmaid dress... I promise... At least, last entry BEFORE the wedding.) Here it goes... this may be a long one.

I had to pick up my dress from the "tailor" today because tomorrow we fly out to Tallahassee in the wee hours of the morning. Naturally, I had to have some alterations done to the dress. (I say naturally because if something costs money, of course I wind up having to pay something. My momma doesn't call me a princess for nothing. Just ask Tim.) Anyway, I took it to the "tailor" because I was a bit afraid to do the bodice portion on my own. I could have hemmed the bottom skirt and fixed the neckline, but when it comes to zippers, I get bashful, you know?!? I really should have just tried, but you can't JUST TRY something on a dress you paid $220 bucks for. The very thought of screwing it up makes me nauseated. So, off to the "tailor."

Have you been wondering why I've used quotes around the word "tailor?" Well, be patient.

First, I have to say that I did NOT wait till the last minute. You may think I did, because I picked it up the day before I'm leaving, but I gave the "tailor" the dress early last week. That gave her plenty of time and she even told me this herself. (I didn't take it in a month ago, because I've been working hard on my weight and I wanted the dress to really fit nicely... hence the time lapse.) The "tailor" made it clear to me that I could pick up the dress early this morning. So, this morning I call and she tells me not to come by until this afternoon at four. This leads me to believe, since there isn't too much alteration work involved, she must have forgotten about my dang dress. Warning sign #1.

Warning signs #2 and #3 should have actually been #1 and #2 - the state of and location of the "tailor's" shop. It's located in Scarsdale, which is an expensive area to live (they have consistently been voted as having one of the best school districts in the nation). Expensive area = expensive prices. That should have been a no-brainer, but since it was really the closest "tailor" around, I figured I'd give it a shot. And when I saw her place I thought it couldn't cost too much. The place was a total wreck, with clothes piled high everywhere, a Spanish Jerry Springer type show playing in a back room, and a ratty curtain to change behind and such. But a wrecked workplace also means someone who is not organized - someone who will wait until the day of to alter your dang dress. But I digress...

So anywho, I go in at four to pick up this dress, expecting it to be ready, and of course it is not. She has me try it on to make sure it is good so far, though. She still had to press it, cut hem strings, and fix the halter neck (so she said). So I put it on and I'm looking at myself in the mirror and I am aghast. There are strings everywhere, like she has JUST now finished the hem. It also looked like she totally just eyeballed the job, as in didn't bother using a ruler to make sure that the hem was straight. Warning sign #4. She sees that I am pissed and tells me it's not a problem and that it just needs to be pressed. Okay, guess what chick - I also know how to sew and I know you are sewing lies right now and that the bottom of my dress is now screwed up. At this point, I just hope Lynnae (bride) doesn't freak that my dress will be noticeably shorter than all the rest. I know that I am screwed though, because she is even making sure we all wear matching lipstick.

Warning sign # 5 (but who's counting?!?) happens when the "tailor" tells me to be careful with the dress because the ivory overlay chiffon stuff "pulls" easily. She says this while trying to fix a place that probably got stuck in the needle mess behind ratty curtain number 2. And low and behold, as she tries to fix it by tugging a little, she tears a great big hole in the front of my dress. Yes folks, now I'm really screwed. I'm just thinking to myself that Lynnae is going to kill me. Luckily, the hole torn was right along a seam, so the "tailor" was able to fix it, it just looks a bit different than the rest of the dress because the seam line is now slightly crooked. Ahh yeah.

So, at this point, the "tailor" asks me to come back in an hour, at five, so she can fix everything. When I come back at five, I try the dress on again. I am still disappointed with the crooked hemline, I am also newly disappointed that one of my seams is now slightly jacked up ("reinforced" is what she calls it), but at least now the neck clasp is fixed. But speaking of clasps, the "tailor" asked me about the extra piece of chiffon that snaps onto the back of my dress (to act as kind of a train). Apparently, she took out the snaps that clasp it to the dress - although she denies it. (I KNOW they were there. I saw them.) She said that I could just saftey-pin it on. Yeah. Really. And then she handed me some saftey-pins "at no charge." Is this warning sign #6? Well, regardless of the signage, at this point, I am totally stuck with this so-called "tailor."

And finally, (you've been a patient audience) we come to the price. Now, I've had alterations before, even on bridesmaid dresses. They usually run anywhere from $20 to $60, depending on what you have done. I was expecting to pay around $50 because of the area - everything is expensive in NY. I thought she may cut me a better price because I was nice about all of her craziness and because she screwed my dress up so badly. The "tailor" says to me "I usually charge $125 for this kind of work, but for you, I give it to you for $100." I think that right about then is where I lost my integrity.

To make a long story short (er), I walked away with only paying her $50 dollars. And ain't none of us happy about it, either.

White Wedding

Well, it's finally here. Tomorrow we fly down to Tallahassee for Lynnae's wedding. Remember how hard I've been working on that girlish figure of mine so I don't end up being "the fat bridesmaid?!?" Well, I can honestly say I've lost two sizes since January. Ahh yeah. That boils down to a little over 25 pounds. (That sounded gross... sorry for that... the word boil and the word pound should never be combined in a sentence. Excuse me while I shudder.) This (pictured) is the infamous dress I'll be wearing. And no, I still won't quite look like that. And believe me, this picture doesn't do the dress justice. It is much MUCH worse. There is definitely a bridal conspiracy going on here.

Anyway, this whole Florida adventure is going to be expensive. Thank goodness we have already paid for the flight, the hotel, and the car rental with our last paychecks (around $1000 dollars!!!). So, at least when we get paid tomorrow, we'll still be able to eat and such while we visit. And we will DEFINITELY have to make a vacation out of this. (We spent less money visiting Nantucket!)

I've looked up some things to do in Tally, although there really isn't much. (Even my trusty Roadside America website didn't give me any info!) All I've been able to find so far, is an antique car museum that has one of the Batmobiles and also Penquin's Duckmobile, which would be kinda cool to see (me and my brother are total Batman geeks). I also found a state garden that we may visit. Other than that, there really isn't anything. So if anybody reading this has been to Tally and know of any fun things to do, please email me! One thing for sure that I am gonna do is eat at a Chick-fil-a!!! I seriously miss their yummy chicken sandwiches.

The best thing about this trip is going to be seeing people I've missed, though. I'm looking forward to hanging out with the whole Bellmoff clan (the bride's family) and seeing one of my best buddys, Rachel. Rach has been out of the country for about three years now, in South Africa. She and her hubby Chris are our "kindred spirits," if you know what I mean. I haven't seen Rach in two years, which has been tough. And communication has been really really sucky (three second delays) and expensive and just not satisfying at all. It will be great to hang out face to face and basically to re-get to know her!

So there it is, the trip before the trip. I better start packing.

Memorial Day Memories

Alas, Memorial Day has now officially ended. Hope ya'll all had a nice one with family and whatnot - maybe even an enjoyable barbecue. Ours was eventful, as well. But without the grill... Tim tried to cook out for me and baby brother Andy, and our now almost 8 yr. old wedding present, a mini-grill-thing, cracked under pressure. Time to invest in a new one, I guess. We did have ice cream, though - that's for dang sure. What is Memorial Day without ice cream?!?

(This is me at the Blue Pig - our fave little ice cream place in Croton. I'm enjoying a strawberry and pig chips cone. The best thing about this place is the little cone holder thing they give you, called "the buddy system." It keeps the ice cream from dripping all down your fingers. I'm notorious for having sticky finger syndrome...)

This morning, Tim and I visited the Van Cortlandt Manor to see the "Animals and Acrobats" show - it was an 1800's circus fair, basically. It was cute. We saw a bit of fire juggling, a tightrope walker clown guy, a petting zoo, a magician, a scary mime, and a troop of "Acrobrats." It was geared mostly for kids, but hey - I'm generally just a big kid anyway. It was nice just to hang out with my guy.

That's all. Happy Memorial Day.

Twilight Harbor Lights Cruise

Saturday Excursion

Yesterday, I got to hang out with my good buddy Tennessee Celeste! Oh what fun! I really miss this amazing chick. She cracks me up (and then when she starts laughing with her cute giggles, it makes me laugh even harder). Well, she and her fella Bryon (yes, this IS the way he spells it - so there) took a week vacation to visit DC and NYC and this was the tail end of her visit.

We went to the NY Botanical Gardens and took this in my favorite little spot in the garden... I just love this butterfly. (Someday I vow to fill my garden with giant critters and other large objects. That way, when you walk through my garden, you'll feel like an ant. I think that would be so cool.) There are more pictures of the gardens and the rest of our day here.

We also went into the city for more adventure, but first, while we waited for our train, we explored the ghetto area Webster Ave. in the Bronx. Ahh yeah. Not exactly a TOURIST destination. We saw all kinds of interesting things, but the coolest thing was this busted watermain. This guy was too funny - he sprayed anyone who walked by. (Celeste and I were kinda hiding behind a fence... Tim actually took this photo.)

When we got into the city, we noticed that there were a million Navy boys walking around. I always forget about Fleet Week. So we headed down to the harbor to see the aircraft carrier and whatnot and also to pick up tickets for the "Harbor Lights Cruise," which is something I've wanted to do for a while. It was a lot of fun. It's like a two hour ride along the bottom half of Manhattan, from 83rd and 42nd to the UN Building on the East Side, and then over to Liberty Island by twilight. We took some gorgeous pictures.

Afterwards, we found a little pizza place and had a late dinner. The pizza place had a ton of sailors, so I got brave and asked a question that has always perplexed me. I asked one of the Navy boys whether or not his hat is aerodynamic. I always thought that those kind of hats would just blow off in a stiff breeze from off the water. The guys told me that they don't have to wear them at sea, just when they come into shore when they wear their dress (whites?) uniform. One of the guys told me that the hats were designed to be flotation devices too, and then he demonstrated how you would use it - by flipping it all forward and tugging together the brim to make a pocket of air. Interesting. Is this story actually true or was I a victim of my own naivety?!?

10... 9... 8... 7...

Dude, the count down is SO on. Only a few more hours left until my...
(We can't really afford to go anywhere, other than my friend Lynnae's upcoming wedding in Tallahassee, and Tim has to work half of next week, but I don't even care because I have the next two weeks off at work! Whoo-Hoo!!!)

Cool Music Video

Lily of the Valley

So sweet... Yesterday, I hosted my last Read 'N' Rant of the season at the library (it's my little book club for 4th and 5th graders). It was kinda sad for me, because lots of my cool kids are moving up and I'm not sure if I am going to have a "teen" reading group or not. We'll see. Anyway, what was so incredibly sweet was one of my little 4th grade boys gave me a bouquet of lilies of the valley. And it was really cute because he turned bright red when he handed them to me! Now THAT is what being a librarian is all about!

Wordless Wednesday (kind of)

Meet my favorite little boy...
(This is Luke - he just turned three. We got him a set of bowling pins to drive his mom and dad CRAZY. Heh. I'm sure there will be repercussions.)

Heroes and Gyros

Tonight is the season finale of Heroes - one of the coolest TV shows of the year. Ahh yeah. Well, we saw this billboard "It's time to save the world" while we were walking to 9th Ave and it kinda creeped me out. If you are a Heroes fan, you'll probably guess why it wasn't all that cool to see this sign while strolling along in New York City... (Think nuclear.) Yeah. I thought it was blog-worthy.

Speaking of heroes, look how cute my baby brother is... Isn't he great? We went to see the third Spiderman with him (the day after) opening weekend; I think we've seen ALL the Spiderman movies with him (if memory serves), so we thought it fitting to have his pic with the spidey-man. Notice Andy pretending that his spider senses are tingling... Or maybe it's just gas - who knows with this crazy fella!

So, the purpose of our little jaunt in the city yesterday was for the 9th Avenue International Food Festival! (Notice the title of this post... teehee...) I read about this festival ages ago about how it is one of the best street fairs there is, so you know I HAD to go. The tents of vendors were stretched out over twenty blocks, selling every kind of food imaginable! We ate SO MUCH! Tim and I shared some fresh squeezed pink lemonade with grilled sweet corn, I had a Mozzerapa (which is a sweet cornbread cake with mozzarella sandwiched between), Andy had a gyro, Tim had a steak shishka-bob, and then Tim and I shared a pulled pork sandwich (Holy Toledo - it was good!), then we all had fried Oreos (a diabetic nightmare) and cupcakes. I even got me a glass of Sangria. S.O. G.O.O.D. Needless to say, that did nothing for my figure! Oh well - it was worth it.

I also enjoyed some of the booths with cheap jewelry! I got a great white beaded necklace and some pretty (fake) turquoise earrings for two bucks. What a deal. And I got a nice pair of 600 thread-count sheets for twenty bucks (I paid $60 for the same brand in a different color last year) and some sweet random home-made finger-puppets. I got a Barney the purple dinosaur, a kid with glasses dressed like Superman, a Batman guy, a Spiderman, a teeny tiny monster guy, and a Cookie Monster. It was a blast. And it was fun meeting up with Andy to play in the city.

Great Quote...

I ran across this quote today and figured since it affected me so, I thought I should share it. It's from Plato's Republic.

Our aim is to prevent our Guards being reared among images of vice - as it
were in a pasturage of poisonous herbs where, cropping and grazing in abundance
every day, they little by little and all unawares build up one huge accumulation
of evil in their soul. Rather, we must seek out craftsmen with a talent for capturing what is lovely and graceful, so that our young, dwelling as it were in a salubrious region, will receive benefit from everything about them. Like a breeze bringing health from wholesome places, the impact of works of beauty on eye or ear will imperceptibly from childhood on, guide them to likeness, to friendship, to concord with the beauty of reason.

Incredible, eh? Word, Plato. (Or like my ma used to say,"Garbage in, garbage out.")

Freaky Friday

Why can't every Friday be a day off of work? I mean, I always enjoy a good Friday, but I could really enjoy it better if I didn't have to be at work. Today, both Tim and I had the day off, which was so fun. We usually don't get to have corresponding days, so I had a whole list of "to dos" ready.

First, we REALLY needed to clean the house. I mean, our dust bunnies were multiplying. It was gross. And we have cats, so with the amount of hair I vacuumed up, I probably could have made a stuffed cat - one that wouldn't throw up on my nice clean couch. (You hear me Mr. Pan? I'm getting me a stuffed cat.) Tim had to do the "boy" jobs like clean the toilet and take out the trash and such. I REFUSE to clean the porcelain. So now my house all is clean and shiny.


Next, we had a bunch of errands to run, so we ran. In the process of errand running, we decided to go and get our eyes checked. Going to the eye doctor is high up there on one of my least favorite activities, so it was pretty cunning of Tim to sneak that one in on me. I hate doing it because they always make you take that dang eye-puffer test! Sheesh. I really hate that thing. It is the anticipation of the puff that gets me. I mean, I literally haven't been to the eye doctor in about 8+ years because of that blasted test. But reader, you'll be happy to know that I mastered the test and I got me some new glasses today. So did Tim. (My eyesight is way worse than his, but my glasses are way cuter, too.) The funny part of the experience was getting our eyes dilated. They have to take a picture of the back of your eyeball, so they dilate your eyes for it. It totally messed me up. I was so distracted by the fact that I couldn't see, that I could barely phrase sentences. Tim couldn't stop laughing at me. I guess it is a good thing that I never did any drugs - I don't think I would be capable!

After all that craziness, we went to the craft fair at Lyndhurst. I've always wanted to go to this yearly event, but I'd never been able to before. It was kinda nice. (I think that Bele Chere in Asheville, NC is WAY cooler but it is a totally different type of venue. This was way more of a artsy type deal with artsy prices - Asheville has more of an eclectic feel to it's festivals.) Anyway, I used some of my "mad money" and got a really cute hand-made purse from this chick and some really pretty sterling silver hand-made "iris" earrings from this guy.

Finally, Tim - being the great man that he is - took me to a craft store so I could buy my own craft supplies. (Good Man.) I have tons of great ideas now. That is the best part of going to a craft festival - stealing ideas! We saw some awesome 3-D pictures that I am going to try to replicate and I also saw some great beading ideas for future Suzy necklaces. Oh, let the creativity flow.

So, that was my Friday. Bummer that I have to work tomorrow, but at least I got refueled, right?

Early Closings

Sweet! The library closed early today for a tornado drill?!? Or was it a crazy sudden rain storm? Or the threat of a hurricane? I don't know, but I sure am glad I have the night off!!! Thank you, Global Warming! Otherwise, I would have had to work till 9. (frown) Now, I think baby brother may even come over tonight. Looks like it will be a fun one. Hope yours is good too - without the tornado and all.

Wordless Wednesday - More Wave Hill

(Also, I have a sideshow of the rest of our day... Check it out here and make sure to click on "View as Slideshow". Besides my pretty pictures, check out how Flikr just WAY improved the slideshow feature! I'm so impressed!)

Wave Hill

On Sunday, Tim and I went down to this gorgeous small public garden called Wave Hill in the Bronx (actually Riverdale, which is the really nice area of the Bronx). It was so nice! I highly recommend it as a local getaway. (And the weather was totally perfect.)

Wave Hill is a 28 acre garden and estate, established in 1843. It's

been visited by and home to tons of famous people - namely Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, and Thomas Henry Huxley. This place is situated just right to give an amazing view of the Hudson River and the beautiful Palisades. Seriously, it's hard to find a prettier view. The price is right too! It's just four bucks to get in! Sweet.

Tim and I strolled the afternoon away in the gardens and in the small conservatory. (I can't believe how many plants they packed into that small conservatory - fantastic!) The highlights were the rock gardens, the beautiful vista, the wisteria (I L.O.V.E. that stuff), the incredible giant elm trees, the succulent collection, and the well-thought-out individual gardens. You know it is a great garden when you can't figure out which way to go because every path looks so enticing! The garden was actually way smaller than it looked, but with the intricate winding paths, it took so long to explore! Kudos to the volunteer horticulturists that maintain Wave Hill. That place rocks.

But the best part of our afternoon was enjoying a Sunday Afternoon Tea. Just right.

Mug Shot

Guess what cool thing I did today? I got a mug shot. Well, kinda. I have a civil service job, meaning I get paid through the town I work in... Today, at work, I had to go down to the police station / town hall to get my photo id picture taken - you know, national security and whatnot. (Uncle Sam wants to know who recommends books to his little ones, basically.) I had to get it done at the police station, because I wasn't there the day they came into the library to take peoples' pictures.

Whoa Nelly, it was cool strolling into the police station. Even though I am totally afraid of police men, it was kind of a rush to walk into a place where everyone has a gun strapped to their belt and where they have a water fountain that says "Not for Inmate Use" on it. And I had to walk, unescorted, through a door that said "Authorized Personnel Only", which kinda made me "authorized," I guess. And they just told me to go down to the third door on the left. Of course, I don't know my left from my right, so I was peeking into EVERY door! I saw all kinds of crazy stuff that I've only ever seen on TV. I even saw the holding cell.

But the best part of the whole experience was having my picture taken. Officer George Somebody took my mug shot. I asked if I could hold up a sign with numbers. I don't think he was amused.

And on my way out, this cutey officer asked me if I wanted any doughnuts. Heh. I giggled my way out the door. I totally should have eaten one. Now THAT would have been one for the book!

Speaking of Medical Stuff...

While on this Web MD kick of mine, I found out what is on the back of my arms. I have a skin condition called Keratosis Pilaris Rubra. Scary sounding, eh? It's so scary sounding that I won't even include a picture. So there. (Reader - I am just full of scary sounding things!) Anyway, it is just a common skin issue where excess keratin hangs out in your pores and manifests itself in ugly red bumps that look like a cross between "goose bumps" and acne - it only happens in certain places on people (like the backs of arms and legs). It basically makes a person really embarrassed about wearing short sleeves and shorts because of their freakish "chicken skin." There it is. World, I have freakish chicken skin on my arms and legs. And I've had it ever since high school. Okay, it isn't fatal, but there is no real treatment for it. So even if I went to a dermatologist, they wouldn't be able to "cure" it. It is genetic. (Thanks mom and dad.)

I was researching some different things about KP and also sites where people talk about how they deal with it. I noticed that a lot of dietary issues came up on non-medical sites. (The medical sites say that diet has nothing to do with it.) Several KP people say it is related to food reactions to milk, wheat, and corn and that by cutting out certain things in their diets, they've noticed dramatic changes. (I also found some recommendations for different kinds of lotions and such.) But now I seriously want to take a Vega test and see if I have food sensitivities! I don't know, maybe I am just reacting to the fact that I have a nameable skin condition. That is creepy to me.

Body Update: I did have a kidney infection and the antibiotics are helping. It still is hurting, but I sense improvement. When it rains, man, it pours.

Ouch.

Sorry I haven't really posted too much in the past week or so. I've been dealing with kidney issues? (I have a question mark there intentionally. It's because I am not really sure if it is a kidney problem or what.) For the past week and a half, my lower back has killing me, right around my kidney area. Silly me, I Web MD-ed my symptoms and have figured out all kinds of things I might be suffering from. Does anyone else do this?!? Am I just a serious hypochondriac?!?

Anyways, what started as not quite a UTI (if you don't know what that is, maybe you should look on Web MD yourself!) a week and a half ago, has now metamorphed into a serious pain in my back. I didn't really do anything about it at first because I was pretty sure it wasn't a UTI. It's now a week later and freakin' crap! Ouch! I went to see my "girl doctor" today and she gave me the old "pee in a cup" test, which told her that I do not have a UTI. Duh. I told her I didn't. So what is the deal with my back?!?

She gave me some antibiotics (to try a kill whatever the problem may be) and sent me on my merry way. Except, I'm really not feeling merry. I don't know. I'm drinking SO MUCH water and taking my medicines. Hopefully I'll become merry once again. If I didn't have a conference tomorrow, I'd call in sick. I doubt I'll be merry by tomorrow. But here's hoping.

Wordless Wednesday - The Blue Pig

Hooray for Ice Cream.

God is good.

My close friends (Christie, Jeremy, and their son Luke) almost died the other night. Imagine my shock to read this post in the morning, knowing nothing about this incident! Saturday night, the Tudors were driving home from visiting family in ATL on the accursed I-95 route. It was raining and they hydroplaned in front of a semi-truck. The truck dragged them 200+ feet and dumped them onto a median. Christie, who was in the driver's seat, had the semi's front bumper six inches away from her face. Every window in their car shattered. Absolutely crazy wreck. But all three of them (actually four - Christie is pregnant) are fine and are just a bit bruised. Seriously. Praise the Lord they are okay! Talk about a religious experience!

And you know what the first thing that came to my mind was? That I am a terrible friend! I hadn't had a chance yet to talk to one of my very best friends on her birthday! Christie just had her 28th a week ago on Sunday. (Jeremy's birthday is tomorrow and little Luke's is also this month.) And I had let a whole week go by without being able to get in touch with her. Do you know how horrid I felt?!? (Still feel?!?) Just rotten. My punishment was to read about this accident this morning on Jeremy's blog and have to think on it all day until I could call after work.

So, because they read this blog and because I don't tell the people I love that I love them nearly enough - I love you guys!!! (I know I just told you that on the phone, but now it is in written format so you don't forget it.) And I am so thankful that ya'll are in my life. I can't imagine a world without Tudor Time and chocolate-chip cookie nights. Ya'll mean so much to me.

By the way...

Oh yeah, and "Vive el 5 de Mayo."

I'm so tired...

Have you ever heard this Beatles song "I'm so tired"? Well, funny thing is, lately I've become a morning person. But totally not by choice. For some reason, every morning, I'm awake at 5:00 frikin AM. Seriously NOT cool. I'm trying to figure out the reasons why I've been waking at such an ungodly hour unassisted and I'm coming up with several reasons, none of which are worth me being conscious right now; everything spanning from having to pee, to cat battles being waged in my hallway, to the stupid birds chirping right on my windowsill. So whatever, world. I'm awake. That's what you wanted, right?

I posted the lyrics to the Beatles song because it came on my Windows Media Player mix as I was sitting here contemplating why I am awake. For some reason, it made me giggle. But then as I read through the lyrics, I got confused. Is it just me? Is it sleep deprivation? What does Sir Walter Raleigh have to do with anything? And why does he get cursed? Dude, I need to go back to bed...

I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink
I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink
I wonder should I get up and fix myself a drink
No,no,no.

I'm so tired I don't know what to do
I'm so tired my mind is set on you
I wonder should I call you but I know what you would do

You'd say I'm putting you on
But it's no joke, it's doing me harm
You know I can't sleep, I can't stop my brain
You know it's three weeks, I'm going insane
You know I'd give you everything I've got
for a little peace of mind

I'm so tired, I'm feeling so upset
Although I'm so tired I'll have another cigarette
And curse Sir Walter Raleigh
He was such a stupid git.

You'd say I'm putting you on
But it's no joke, it's doing me harm
You know I can't sleep, I can't stop my brain
You know it's three weeks, I'm going insane
You know I'd give you everything I've got
for a little peace of mind
I'd give you everything I've got for a little peace of mind
I'd give you everything I've got for a little peace of mind

Today

Well, hot dog. Today I got a new computer. (Not a home computer, but a new computer at work.) I was using the computer this morning and it did more of it's usual funky behavior and I was like "Man, shoot. I'm done with this nonsense." So I called our tech support people and they brought me a brand spankin' new computer - fully loaded. I guess my momma was right. She always says "The squeaky wheel gets the oil." Dang straight, woman. Dang straight.

Speaking of my momma, she hasn't been blogging lately cause she jammed her finger really bad mowing the lawn. It's her pointer finger, so I guess she can't type now. Heh. (I wonder what "Mrs. Mavis" would say about that.) That's reason number one-hundred and fifty eight of why I never mow the grass. It's hazardous to your health.

Okay, I'm off to watch some kids I know tonight in the production of Annie. I hope whoever plays Ms. Hannigan is good - that is my favorite role. It's a Hard-Knock Life, baby.

Sooo Funny...

Wordless Wednesday - Nesting Instinct

This Weekend

Well, after a busy weekend of having guests, the place is all quiet again. Juno, my kitty, keeps walking around and doing her forlorn cry meow. I guess she is wondering where everybody went! She was just starting to get used to my momma loving on her. (Now she is all "needy.")

It was so great to have family around for the weekend! I get so envious of some of the families up here that all live near each other and have barbeque's and whatever. It's hard when your family lives in so many scattered places. And as it was, we were not ALL together even. My big sis, her hubby and new baby weren't here with us (but I'll get to see them soon, thankfully - mid June). So reader, if your family lives nearby - be thankful!

Anyways, you can read a more thorough overview of all of our exploits here at my moms site and you can see pictures of our visit here on my flikr, too. We took my folks (pictured above) to some cool places in both NYC and Westchester. We went, on Saturday, to the Van Cortlandt Manor for the historical hands on weekend and then to the Croton Dam and to a fun local ice cream place called The Blue Pig. Then we went into the city to explore Fifth Avenue. We met up with baby brother Andy and had fun going into lots of touristy places - everything from the Trump Tower to St. Patrick's Cathedral to FAO Schwarz. It was a great day, but the funniest (and most blogworthy in my eyes) part of the whole day was the way we were treated at John's Pizza!

John's is this cool little pizza parlor in-between all of the Broadway venues. It's pretty well known as a touristy destination. Anyway, the family of Andy's boss owns the place. Andy got all cute and cocky about how he'd get us a table without a wait. And I thought yeah, okay - we'll see. So we get there and the place is totally packed. And we wait for about 20 minutes to get seated. I was thinking to myself "Some connection..." and just as I'm thinking this, the girl who is seating us starts apologizing profusely and saying "I am SO sorry! They didn't tell me who you were!" And "We saved you guys the best booth in the restaurant." How funny is that?!? I was pretty impressed with my little bro. Apparently he's somebody!

Sunday we went to the NY Botanical Gardens. It was gorgeous as always. And it was a good opportunity to get a year membership! So, Tim and I have vowed to go once a month, at least in the summer months, to make it a worthwhile purchase. I think I can handle that. This girl needs a garden, and since I'm now a member, it's like I have somewhat of an ownership in the gardens. It's true. I know it subconsciously, even. While we were strolling around this Sunday, I tripped on a mount of earth and into a flowerbed. I was pretty embarrassed, but instead of voicing a dirty word, I said "I'm a member." Heh. Like, that will show 'em. Also, as a member, I get a discount at the gift store. Maybe that means Tim might buy me this beautiful hat that was so terribly expensive! (Hey, I can dream, right?)

It was a fun weekend. Now, back to the daily grind.