Not much to tell

It's a mad scramble to get out of dodge.

We're breaking in a new kid. The orientation takes about an hour. New kid will have to feed and take care of everyone for the next 4 days. This requires knowing which cat can go out and which has to stay in. Two white ferrets, he must tell the difference between them because one of them needs medication, the other doesn't. Birds must fly, fish must sleep, ferrets must play, dogs must poo (outside my house) and cats need litter boxes scooped.

The Exec. VP thought I was already gone this morning and told everyone on the conference call I was loafing at the beach. I cut in and said, "I will be just as soon as I wrap up a couple of things here at the office." So its been a mad scramble to knock out some projects. I think 2 is gonna be my limit today. I've also got to make sure our rider for the MS 150 Bike to the Beach is set to go. We just secured him a place to sleep this morning, he leaves tomorrow. I think he's good to go.

I haven't even started packing. The minivan is fully of misc. crap, a shoe, a shirt, books, cd cases, etc.

It was both sad and fun to call Big Princess and tell her we are going on vacation without her. I miss her like crazy but she really doesn't like the beach. She offered to come home and watch the house. Hmmmm, pay the new kid $10/day or pay her $80 in gas to drive home and eat all our food and leave the house a mess. See ya at Thanksgiving BP!

Other than that, I'm outta here.

Happy Birthday to Me!

For my birthday I got myself a cat. For the record, I need another cat like I need another hole in my head.

The new cat is too cool. He's a 4 months old Munchkin with a white body that fades to golden tips on ears, tail and nose. Hence, the name: Twinkie. His eyes are a blue that the ocean longs to match. His legs are like 3" long and it looks like his elbow starts at his shoulder and his body is longer than a regular cat. (Think weiner dog dressed in a cat costume) The best part, he's a lap cat. He spent the evening either in little princess' lap or mine. Big daddy wasn't even mad.

He joins:
Money (a rather expensive Persian)
Dollar Bill (a cheap knockoff of his mother)(siblings that were sold include: penny, centavos, deutsch mark, franc)
Bye-Bye (cause I said she wasn't staying)
Flame (I hate this cat)
Precious (rescue currently looking for a home)
Precious' herd of kittens now ready for homes (5 balls of furr on crank)
2 dogs
2 ferrets
2 budgies
Tank o'fish

And yes, I have heard all the Noah and ark jokes I care to hear.

Highlights of the 1st year

I can't believe its been a year since I started this blog. It was a birthday present to myself. Personally, for me, its been a smashing sucess. It’s where I vent, boast, dream, lament, wonder and write about nothing.

Why did I call it: ps. I Love You?

That’s a good question. I think I don’t say the words often enough, both to others or myself. I need to remind the people in my life that I love them. And I need to remind myself that in order to love others I need to love myself first.

I re-read my whole blog and here are my favorite highlights of the first year: (These entries still crack me up!) So grab a drink, put your feet up and enjoy.

http://psilovu.blogspot.com/2004/10/popular-stalls.html
http://psilovu.blogspot.com/2004/10/it-aint-lettermans-top-10-list.html
http://psilovu.blogspot.com/2004/11/stand-up-for-god-stand-down-for.html
http://psilovu.blogspot.com/2004/12/peas-and-carrots.html
http://psilovu.blogspot.com/2005/01/tune-up-for-ol-davie.html
http://psilovu.blogspot.com/2005/01/job-titles.html
http://psilovu.blogspot.com/2005/04/gazoontight.html
http://psilovu.blogspot.com/2005/05/dont-answer-that-phone.html

Story from the weekend

Funny thing happened at the gym.

We're on the tread mills and we both agree that we are really liking the 80's music that is playing overhead today. Sure beats the techno crap we normally have to workout to on the weekends. Then we see this guy, he's like 55+ yrs old, wearing David Lee Roth spandex wide striped shorts and a wife beater t-shirt. We laugh and try not to point at the sock in his crotch.

Well, like 30 minutes later we're doing leg presses and I see this woman, she's got to be 50 yrs old, wearing a complete Jane Fonda jazzercise ensemble, complete with sweatband over her hair (like you'd wear a sun visor). I almost fall off the equipment laughing as I tell Big Daddy that I've found the David Lee Roth guy's wife.

I cannot believe they are both working out with a straight face. Which means they have no clue that they are dressed like dorks, old 80's lovin dorks.

Then I stop laughing and turn to Big Daddy. "What if its some kind of 80's themed day and we're the ones not dressed appropriately?" For a brief moment I wonder if I didn't get the memo. I look around, nope, its them.




Bonus footage:
1. The woman wearing her actual bra (not a sports bra either) to work out in.
2. The woman wearing the leather weight lifting belt at an acessory with her leopard print workout outfit.

Redneck Modeling

If you model for a garage by posing on their demolition derby car at the county fair, you might just be a redneck.

How does carpooling work?

Ok, I grew up in the country. Carpooling was riding double on horseback.

Now, I live in the big country. San Antonio has a lot of land. Shoot, one time, after I first moved here, I got turned around on the outter loop and instead going left and being 5 minutes from home, I took a right and made the scenic route of 2 hours (at 70 mph for the most part) around the city.

With gas prices rising and me driving an empty mini van, I've started to ponder "carpooling". How does one find "riders"? Do you take turns? What happens if you run late? What happens if you didn't drive that day but your child is sick at school? How do you run errands? Do you have to pack your lunch or take your riders to lunch with you? Is it permissable to blast rock-n-rock at 7 am to wake yourself up? Oh heck no, I'm not listening to country music for anyone. Are there tax breaks?

I'm only 8 miles from the office and everything I could possibly want is between (or very near) work and home. So would I carpool home, turn around and drive 7 miles back to get groceries?

I feel guilty driving a large empty (except for me) vehicle but I just don't get how carpooling works.

My purse is losing weight

I bought a pedometer to see how far I walk in a given day. The bad news, its been in my purse for the last week. The good news, my purse has taken 538 steps and burned 33 calories.

Hot weather(man)

I could give you a bunch of bio info or even a list of his hobbies. But I think its enough to say Jim Cantore makes watching weather hot.

Its getting windy here but I can still see blue sky with some white clouds. We are probably going to miss most of Rita now that she's taking a turn for the north. Poor New Orleans, she's filling up fast as the levees give way before Rita even makes landfall.

The traffic sucks due to about 2 million extra people here. There isn't a hotel room anywhere to be found. The grocery stores are empty and I spent 1.5 hrs looking for gas last night. I was getting rather worried.

I began to plan out in my head the conversation with my boss, "hey, you know I'd love to come to work today but there's no gas to be found, soooo.... I'm calling in empty."

Big Princess is hungry

We have cell phones, 800 phone numbers, and email. Yet she corresponds with snail mail. And please don't mention her crappy handwriting, I already know. How a person can draw/paint spectacular pictures and have the handwriting of a 6 year old is beyond me. If nothing else she'll be happy to see us when she comes home for Thanksgiving, I was planning on making Spaghetti O's for Thanksgiving dinner.

Peep Show at lunch

Just got back from lunch at Red Robin with my department and a Sr VP and his posse. I don't know why I even look at the menu, I always order the bleu ribbon burger. I love it so much that I can't get over it and try something else. The Sr VP managed to flick his straw wrapper down my shirt but it wasn't sexual harrassment because I think he was really trying to poke my eye out. Its a little hard being one of two girls at lunch with 8 guys. We have to talk about guy stuff for the most part. This was supposed to be a hurricane meeting and we'd write it off to the company but somebody paid their own bill and blew it for the rest of us.

It was taking forever for the waiter to split out the bill so I ran to the bathroom. Hey, they have a TV in there. I don't normally watch TV from the toilet but to each their own. I exit and was coming down the hallway to the table and at the men's room, a little boy was holding the door wide open, thus giving me a complete unhindered view of the urinals and (apparently) the boy's daddy shakin' it twice.

Life's not fair

Do you know what fair is?

It's kinda like the circus but with a ferris wheel and it comes to town once a year... And this ain't it.

Little princess says the teachers are always telling them at school to play fair.

I've probably heard "but that's not fair" 351,991 times since I became a mother. This does not include all the time I or my siblings used this phrase.

I've spent a lot of time and energy trying to explain to the princesses that life isn't about fair. In fact, life isn't fair.

Life is about doing the right thing.
(whether its fair or not)

Don't be a Costanza

We were headed to a baptism when little princess says to me, "Remember when I was baptitized (her word-not mine) two years ago?"

Sure honey, it was special.

"Well, I don't think I was ready. I... I don't think it took."

I don't even have to give this much thought. I already know her angle. She wants another (baptismal) party where she is the guest of honor, not an invitee. Spotlight on little princess who hopes to some day be a super model /slash/ missionary. Its easy, she wants people to see her in a good light both on the runway and in a third world country.

Later at the baptism I was relating this story to another Sunday School teacher. He said its not all that uncommon and Baptists even have a name for it.

What? Double Dipping?

Seinfeld flash back:
[George, attending a wake, takes a large tortilla chip, dips it into a bowl of what appears to be sour cream, takes a bite, dips it into the bowl again, and then eats the remainder of the chip.]
Timmy: What are you doing?
George Costanza: What?
Timmy: Did, did you just double dip that chip?
George Costanza: Excuse me?
Timmy: You double dipped a chip!
George Costanza: Double dipped? What, what, what are you talking about?
Timmy: You dipped a chip. You took a bite. And you dipped again.
George Costanza: So?
Timmy: That's like putting your whole mouth right in the dip. From now on, when you take a chip, just take one dip and end it.
George Costanza: Well, I'm sorry, Timmy, but I don't dip that way.
Timmy: Oh, you don't, huh?
George Costanza: You dip the way you want to dip. I'll dip the way I want to dip.
[George grabs another chip, dips it, takes a bite and begins to reach for the dip as Timmy grabs his hand.]
Timmy: Gimme the chip!
[An all-out brawl breaks out between George and Timmy.]

A Rita you can't drink

It appears that Rita is coming for a visit, so get out of the way.

My company actually has a written plan that we are putting into motion. We are being released in a staggered fashion today to shop for food and supplies and secure our homes here at corporate. Then some of us (team B) will head to the coastal areas to relieve coworkers (team A) to do the same. Then team A comes back to work by Friday am and team B pulls back to a safe area and we all wait for the storm. After its over, team B rushes in with supplies and fresh workers and team A is released to check on family and home.

It really doesn't matter much where Rita actually hits at this point, we have offices from Corpus Christi to Louisiana with a second corporate office in downtown Houston.

I just returned from shopping for water, batteries, milk, bread, toilet paper, etc. I noticed the canned goods are disappearing fast. Big Daddy is securing the house and said the news is already reporting people in Houston and Corpus are fighting in stores over buying water.

I'll gas up both vehicles tomorrow and rent movies. Hey, the cable could go out, you gotta be prepared. Anyways, its not my first disaster (definitely not my last) and I'm not stupid. We'll be fine.

Mean Mommy

Little princess had a friend over this weekend and I thought she was a polite, sweet girl. I took them shopping, to an English tea parlor for lunch ($40 and they didn't eat hardly any of it), grocery shopping, and to a pool party.

Little princess is doing the dishes last night (yes, princesses have chores) and she says to me that P0lite Girl thinks I'm mean.

"What! Why does she think I'm mean?"

"You yelled at her."

"Yelled at her when?"

"The pool party..."

Ok, I didn't raise my voice but the girl threw her towel in the pool after she got the 10 min. warning that we were leaving. I was a little miffed. I borrowed her a dry towel and told the girls how to wring her towel out so we could get it home. Then when we are getting into the car I realize she didn't bring her towel so we have to trapse back through the house to fetch it. But I didn't yell and I wasn't mad by the time we reached the house 5 min. later.

"The grocery store when you told her: 'Why is that candy in your hand? Are you buying it? Put it back.'

I said it in a joking voice and I had already told the girls about 15 times to stop touching everything.

"Well, now So-and-So doesn't want to come over because Polite Girl said you are mean and you yell. Thanks Mom."

Dang, and I thought I had gone out of my way to make the day special.

Monday Ramblings

My mother called to tell me about a guy from high school that she tried to make my boyfriend and we all called the “Eating Machine” was doing. “He’s a school teacher now. Isn’t that wonderful?” I don’t give a rat’s ass about what he’s up to. “And his wife is a teacher too.” Whoopidity do da! Gotta go mom, the dryer just shut off and I’ve got to iron the pillow cases.

I ate granola for breakfast. No milk or bowl, I just poured it on my desk and ate it. I developed a headache before lunch from grinding my teeth to eat said granola.

I have to make about 20 safety manuals for my trip to the field next week. So, I’m in the production room trying to see if we have those little black binding combs and one of the new engineers walks over to the giant network printer and tries to lift the top. I’m like “hey, what are you looking for?” I have my wireless headset on so he thinks I’m on the phone and not speaking to him. I wave at him like he’s sleepwalking and tell him, “that’s a printer, the copier is over here.” He’s got an engineering degree and he can’t tell a printer from a copier?

I covered the front desk for the receptionist at lunch today. The phone rang twice. One guy said, “Ahhh, I’d like to talk to somebody.” Oh really, is that why you called here? “Ahhh, I’d like to talk about a pipeline.” Great, what would you like to say about a pipeline? “Could you tell me where your pipeline is?” All over freakin Texas and parts of Louisiana , mister. Can you be more specific? I wonder why the receptionist doesn’t ask me to watch the phone for her more often?

I was talking to the IT guy about merging the new company we bought into our network. His department keeps saying October. I keep asking what year? I told him I was going to be 40 this month and was running out of time. He was shocked. Not that I doubted his department's ability to merge the two networks but that I’d be 40. I don’t think he was just being kind because he demanded id to prove it. Since when do women have to prove they’re turning 40.

I started rounding up friends and co-workers to put the big day on their calendars. We are going down to the Alamo to tie-one-on. Nothing says 40 like $8 margaritas.

My new best friend, Kid Rock, is sending me a book that I can use to mock Big Princess. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you all about it when it arrives. I’m so jazzed!

And how was your Monday?

And not a word was spoken, just the sounds of silence

This will be a hard post to write. It really deserves video but you work with what you have so bear with it.

So Big Daddy is working nights. Instead of coming home and going to bed while the house is quiet, he stays up all day until little princess gets home from school. He then sleeps from 4 pm to 10:30 pm.

This isn’t that bad, really. I no longer have to cook or watch 5 episodes of Law and Order every night. Little princess and I enjoy a light dinner and a quiet evening together. The problem is--I never get to go into the bedroom. Big Daddy always wakes up and it ain’t pretty.

I get home last night and want to change out of my business clothes into something more comfortable (like my PJ’s), eat a salad and watch the first episode of Survivor. (Ohmigod, Bobby Jon is back)

I turn the knob of the bedroom door like a teenager sneaking in after curfew. I walk on tip toe and s l o w l y take off my clothes. My dog, Davie (I can use his name, its not like anyone will stalk my dog) bulldozes the bedroom door open and I manage to catch it before it slams against the wall but my pants are around my legs and I fall, quietly. I get up, cursing silently, in my head, but my lips are moving and the dog is looking at me with his head cocked to the side like he’s trying to figure out why there’s no sound. So, I manage to get into my PJ’s and I’m ready to begin sneaking back out of my own bedroom.

Big Daddy hates it when the dog is in the bedroom with him because all the dog wants is to be where I am.

I begin the soundless trip to the door but Davie isn’t moving. I open the door carefully holding the turned knob so it won’t make a click as I shut it but the dog is now sitting on the floor just looking at me.

I make hand gestures urging him to exit the bedroom. He begins to come forward but stops and looks confused. I begin to make hand motions like we are in the jungle on a mission. I point to my eyes and then at him for him to watch me. I use my index and middle finger to motion him walking and then give the signal for “move out, this direction”. He seems to understand and passes by me into the hallway. I put my foot into his ass as he goes by just to speed him up.

I look up to see Big Daddy looking at me strangely. I salute him and quietly close the door, being careful not to let the latch click.

Just a thought...

Family #2 as I like to call them, since Family #1 is the first family the church took in for shelter from the storm. Well, Family #2 has shelter but they lack food and clothing so after gathering generous donations from various members of church and dropping them off, I find out they have a car but just barely.

It was once red but now its kinda faded pink and beat up pretty bad. They couldn’t get to me last weekend for food because the windshield wipers don’t work and it was raining something fierce. I didn’t know that they were hurting for food or that the car wasn’t reliable.

But once I found out their needs and solved the “right now” needs, all I had to do was ask (first God, and then my church family) and the money was there (dare I say miracle?). I called a mechanic I know well that won’t take advantage and made arrangements to get the car into the garage. Today at lunch I drove downtown and gave the mechanic a blank check good for up to $100 with instructions to call if its more.

Ok, all that’s just background for the gist of this post:

I’m making the 30 mile return trip to the office and I start thinking:

“Its been a couple weeks now since the hurricane hit. Most of the exciting, stay turned to the news coverage is over. How many people wrote a check and said, Whew! I’m glad that’s over and Boy! do I feel better. The people affected by this wish it was so easy and I don’t think they’ll ever say, Whew! I’m glad that’s over and Boy, do I feel better.

But if every family unit, (I’m not talking just a mom, dad, & kids) to include: grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, kids, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, agreed to support one displaced family, not just financially but take them into their family fold… I think everyone on both sides could say, Whew! I’m glad that’s over and Boy, do I feel better."

Waiting

Thoughts on life in general:
Little princess said to me last night, “I’m waiting for something good to happen.” I told her, “I’m waiting for something bad to happen.”

After pondering my thoughts, she responded: “Well, nothing bad has happened, so maybe that’s my something good.”

Hey, you, both hands on the wheel!

You know that space you leave between you and the car ahead of you?

That’s not an invitation for you to squeeze your fat arse into my safe traveling distance!

The final straw this morning was the woman drinking coffee and talking on her cell phone (I guess she was driving with her knees?). Who, without signaling, decided to slide into my safe traveling distance.

It was all I could do to resist the urge to tap her bumper and spill that coffee with no lid.

I'm still a work in progress

One of my friends emailed me today to offer some cash to help a displaced family I’m working with. She said: "My key is: “What Would Paula Do?” You are the closest thing to Jesus I know."

At first I was freaked out and wanted to say no, no, no, but then I thought isn't that what I'm striving for, to walk in Jesus' foot steps.

Knowing me like I do, its hard for me to see me how others might see me. I've always assumed they could see my doubt, my frustration, and all the other ugly things that run thru my head. Even if they can’t see inside me, surely they’ve seen me grump at someone because they haven’t lived up to my standards. Let’s not even get into my ignorance. I know people that have studied the bible like there was going to be a test at the end. I’m not one of them and there probably will be.

I know I fall short in God's eyes. But I have to imagine him smiling and shaking his head at some of the stuff I pull (like a child in her father's eyes). Amused but still wanting to swat my behind.

I'll never forget my oldest daughter when she found out the church had asked me to be a deacon. "Mom, do they know you swear and spit?" Apparently they do...and they love me anyways, just like Jesus.

I'm just saying...

I'm grew up in the Midwest. I grew up drinking 'pop'. I eat buns with burgers and rolls are for breakfast. De-tassling corn was my first real job and I know that the corn should be knee high by the 4th of July. I know that stores don't have bags, they have sacks and I've actually been "cow tipping". (Leave me a message if you're interested in that story.) Catty-wumpus and kitty-corner are perfectly good directions. I grew up hearing 'For Cripes sake.' Would that be Jesus H. Cripes? (What was his middle name?) The son of 'Gosh' of the Church of 'Holy Moly'?

Don't make fun, you wanna burn in 'Heck'?

That's a little personal

Even in the midst of disaster, Southerners have their standards.
Along the Mississippi coast, shirts, shorts, jeans, towels and socks are being handwashed in whatever water is available and hung or spread out to dry. But there is no underwear of any sort in public view. That's apparently dried modestly, indoors.

Babies, Blankets, Yarn, and Little Old Ladies

I'm crocheting a baby blanket for a friend who's unborn baby has problems. He has club feet and something wrong with his bladder that will require surgery as soon as he arrives in late October. I began the blanket back in June and worked on it itermitently between other projects. Its a beautiful baby blue with dark blue flecks and softer than a baby's bottom. I just know if my brand new baby was going to have to endure pain I would want the softest thing I could find to wrap him in.

I orginally bought 6 balls of yarn at about $6 a piece. Yeah, I could probably have bought a blanket cheaper but I wanted to make her one. Well, 6 balls of yarn have gotten me to about 3 foot by 2 foot, not nearly a baby blanket. So, I go back to the Yarn Barn and look around. I can find the brand but not the right color. Finally, one of the 6 or so women, all over the age of 65, that work there ask me if she can be of assistance. I explain what I'm looking for and give her the label off my last ball. She tells me she will check in the back and she's pretty sure they have it.

So I wander around, looking at patterns and feeling yarn. And some 10 minutes go by. I begin to think maybe she can't remember who I am amid the other yarn shoppers so I go stand by the register. Finally a different retiree asks if I'm the one looking for baby blue yarn with dark specks. Yes, thank you very much, I tell her. She then tells me that the women who was helping me has taken a very nasty fall. I ask if she'll be ok and she tells me that she doesn't know.

This blanket has now cost me around $100 and a little old lady. How do my best intentions go so far astray?

I always notice

Little princess is like a whole new person since Big Princess left for college. She is happy, charming, sweet. She rarely complains even though her chores have increased dramatically. She has to do the dishes every day now instead of every other day, she has to feed/water both dogs (something she has never had to do), she medicates my ferret every morning for me now and she cleans her room almost everyday. It’s a big difference from the old little princess.

I have wondered over the change. Is it due to her now being the center of attention? Is it because she has no one to argue with? Scream at? No one to blame? Does she keep her room neat and tidy because it is now her’s alone? (atleast until Big Princess comes home for the holidays). Is it because we have more time for her? Maybe its because she has grown up and matured.

I don’t know but it is a welcome relief after doing battle with her for so very long. I have told her how much her father and I appreciate her new attitude.

Don’t get me wrong, she has not become perfect. She still tries to get out of work, leaves her clothes in the bathroom and Saturday, I opened the kitchen cabinet to discover it full of soap bubbles.

Yes, soap bubbles! She didn’t rinse (or dry) the glasses before putting them away. And she loves to use about a ¼ of a bottle of dish soap every time she does dishes.

I always ask her the same thing:

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

Is it enough?

Well, I’ve been down due to minor surgery and then a major cold. I’m still snotting and coughing but I now believe I will live.

It’s been a little odd because I’ve seen the news about hurricane Katrina but there’s been little I could do but pray. I’ve sat on the sofa and wondered if it is enough? I finally got back to work on Friday and the company was matching donations to the Red Cross. I gave what I could and I sat at my desk and wondered is it enough? I made it to church on Sunday and tried to stay away from people. I didn’t want to infect them with this long lasting virus. We set aside our usual service to have an open discussion on what we as a body of Christ can do. We may (or may not) open our building as shelter, we will gather food for an emergency pantry, we will put together clothing for the people being discharged from a local hospital that have nothing to wear. Some members are willing to take people into their homes. But I still wondered, is it enough? I left church and little princess and I hit the store. We put together 4 bags of hospital discharge clothing, complete with underwear, top, bottom, shoes and bra and delivered it to the hospital chaplain. Is it enough?

No one can answer my question because there is no answer.

I’m not going to make promises or pledges but I am going to keep doing what I can and keep asking, is it enough?