I Got the Wrong Aid

We're going out to dinner for my b-day tonight! : )

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Funniest thing that happened "today": I went to the drug store last night. The two ladies up front in their bright blue jackets were talking about something. They walked to the back of the store. I was ready to check out so I waited in front of the counter. I was there for 3-4 minutes and one of the ladies came up and stood by the side of the counter for a while. I looked at her and she looked at me... She didn't say anything but eventually walked to the back of the store. After another couple of minutes I walked back to find them. She looked at me and said, "Looks like there's a customer who's in a real hurry." I said, "Well, I waited up front for about five minutes." She said, "I know, I was up there too." I said "Don't you work here?" She showed me the different name on her work uniform jacket and we had a good laugh and I checked out at the pharmacy counter. No wonder she wouldn't help me.

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Something interesting: In the stock market report this morning a local solar company has stock selling at $276 a share. I just get nervous when stocks are valued that high. Is the next economic bubble going to be a green bubble?

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Another strange thing: The Dickies belts I bought for the kids barely fit through the holes in their Dickies pants. We like the pants because they're tough and really last. Tuesday we'll try putting them through the loops before they put the pants on.

At The Power House

Wow. This is something. Here is the article.

Pizza and Cake, So I'm Still Awake

We had a really nice family b-day party for Z. All the local grandparents like to come over for the birthdays. We had a nice time talking about the boys' first day of school, cameras, how one of my stepmom's coworkers had her purse stolen in Michigan, other robbings over the years, the housing market. We had pizza and triple fudge cake with peanut butter chips.

Z did not get shoes. He got a decent gift card for the sporting goods store. He had asked for a weight bench but we told him we weren't sure we'd have room. But the husband will take him shopping and we will make the room. We'll have to make a rule: No laundry on the weight bench.

I'll never forget, one of my school friends told me about his Christmas one year. The other kids got toys. He got money. Christmas Day all the other kids were playing with their toys so he got out his money, flapped it a little, folded it different ways; did some origami, sorted it. Didn't make a paper airplane though, not a good idea with money...

So Z also got a little fluff. HALO figures, a Rubik's cube, a slinky, a light-up frog, a pieceless puzzle.

His gift card isn't quite enough to cover the weight bench. Whenever the kids have money they want to spend, they spend it right up to the penny and I pay the tax. I tell them "Children shouldn't have to pay taxes."

What's New

We went to the German American Festival Saturday with my Dad and stepmom. It was fun. Last year was more fun because they had a band and dancers who were not only good, but were actually on the stage. My dad is doing really good; he can walk a lot farther than he could a few months ago.

Neither of my boys would dance with me. E said, "Buy a German record and I'll dance with you at home." But I said, "Wouldn't that be even weirder?"

The big deal is my son Jeremiah is turning 14 and starting high school tomorrow. Last year I was worried about which side of the toy store was for him. (Wow, it's cool to know what you were doing around this time last year.) Now I don't even think we're going to the toy store.

(Z, stop reading this, spoilers ahead.)







I think we're going to the shoe store.

Working In, Working Out

I've started working out after work 3 days a week now. It's been 2 weeks.

Funniest thing I heard "today": On the radio show, "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" they asked the panel what Michael Phelps would be doing now that he's conquered the Olymics... "He'll return to his old job as Mayor of Atlantis."

Dribbling

Spread fingertips,
One hand,
Hand on top of ball.

Whole arm,
Waist high,
Eyes on the court.

Feet moving,
Ball moving,
Stop = shoot or pass.

(I found this in my son's gym class notes and I thought it was a poem about basketball. Punctuation is mine.)

Play it Forward

(Left my post in draft yesterday...)

So far, for 2 whole days, I've been able to carry the vacation attitude forward. It really actually helped me.

It was very helpful to learn that all very capable women are extremely busy at work. It's just the nature of the thing. It didn't need to be another week behind at work, but it turned out I did need to be another week behind at work.

Other things I learned on vacation:


1. I need to consider more factors when going out to eat at restaurants.

2. I need to consider a keyboard tray. Many days of not typing on my desktop really kept my shoulders relaxed.

3. I need to ask for towels for my birthday. My family is extremely paranoid, yet oddly generous about having our towels.

New York

We had a wonderful vacation! It was great to go visit our friends in Long Island, Amy and Rob. It was so good to see my friend Amy and hang out on the patio. Rob was a great host. And he makes excellent cheeseburgers and Italian sausage!

The beach in Long Island was nice. The walk along the boardwalk over the dunes at Robert Moses park was enjoyable. Such an incredible diversity of plant life packed in growing wild beautifully! The guide at the Lighthouse power house told us all about the ocean rescue crews. My husband Jerry asked so many questions, he was fascinated. On the beach, the kids played in the waves. The Atlantic is so green and the undertow powerful. I got caught off my feet and Jerry stepped out to help me up, a little scary. My son got sucked under and Jerry reached in and grabbed him out coughing, a lot scary. We decided to walk west to the lifeguarded part of the beach, but it got interesting quickly so we decided to take the boardwalk back instead.

Driving in New York is very exciting. I didn't do any of it. If I had, my car would probably need a facelift. It was a little tense for Jerry at first, but he got the hang of it and started to enjoy it. We took the B.Q.E. for some sightseeing.

We pigged out because it's vacation. The reuben sandwich at the Lindencrest diner is so big it's scary. It arrives open-faced, trying to appear bigger to scare off predators, I guess. : ) No thousand island dressing, mustard is the New York topping. The Manhattan clam chowder was truly awesome. The salad dressing was so good.

We also went to Mulberry Street. The pizza parlor was full so we had pasta in the fancy restaurant part. It was good. And we went to Popei's for a seafood feast, well not the seafood feast, which was all you can eat crab legs. I can't believe no one got the crab legs... My family wanted lobster.