In which I rant...

Has no one from Cleveland heard of traffic karma? And really, why are the krappiest drivers on earth all congregating in the city with possibly the most construction in the world???

There are some standard traffic courtesies that people here seem to want to ignore:

1. Merging is a necessity. Not something I'm doing for fun. If I have courteously put on my directional, and given you some warning, make a space and let me in darn it. Especially if I am trying to merge early and not create traffic havoc.

2. Use your rassin, frassin directional. It is manditorily put in your vehicle for a reason. I do not read minds, I have no idea where you are trying to get to. But if you use the lovely little blinky lights, I will know your intentions and assist you if I can.

3. If you drive a truck or an SUV, or even a larger mini-van, please direct your head lights appropriately. For a car, headlights should point straight ahead, I believe. But for you larger vehicles, get your headlights out of my rear view mirror, please.

4. If you are not passing the people driving to your right, you should move one lane to the right. That's correct. If you are in the center lane, and the right lane is passing you, move the heck over. And if you are in the left lane and are not passing people in the center, move over. Don't try to monitor my speed by doing 60 in the fast lane. It will only cause me to wish large smelly camels to join you in bed at night. And spit.

5. Don't beep at me when you think I should have turned in traffic. You are not sitting in my driver's seat. You have no idea how my car handles, or what I can see that you can't. Wait your stinking turn politely. Your beeping will just distract me and make the whole thing take longer.

Five edicts is enough for one rant, I think. And I'm sure there are people who will say "Just because you put on your signal doesn't mean I have to let you pull over". To those people I say, may you be stuck on the merge to i-90 for hours at rush hour. That is bad traffic karma.

He flies through the air...

With the greatest of ease, the daring young man on the flying trapeze. His movements are graceful, the crowd is so pleased. Oh, we'd love to be like him some day.



And that, my friends, is how I learned the song. Because my mom, as was her style, changed the words to suit her.



The actual last line is "My love he has stolen away".

And for a brief moment in time, this whole kind of thing upset me. My mom used to dance around the room with us, singing her own words and humming the tune when she couldn't even fake words. There are so many songs that I have a complete misconception of what they were actually about.

Then the other day I found myself making up the words to a song for LG. Because I couldn't quite remember the next line, and it was rapidly approaching. And rather than stop short, when he was obviously enjoying dancing with me, I just made something up. And sometimes I make things up so I can include his name in the song.

I now understand my mom a little better. Rather than give up the opportunity to dance around her kitchen with her family, she played it by ear. Thanks, Mom.

Snuffle, and sigh, and wonder why...

Alas, internets, I did not get the job I interviewed for last week. Rats. The owner/CEO decided that he needed someone with more experience in areas that I have none. Oh, well.

Upon hearing this, and realizing that I would not be giving my two weeks notice this week, I also realized that when I initially heard about this job, I wasn't interested. But as it became a possibility, my interest grew. Which leads me to suspect that I wanted out of my current job much more than I really wanted this potential job. Argh.

Now I'm thinking I need to shape up in my current position, as I might have to ride it out longer than originally planned. And wait until the right job comes along. Whenever that might be.

But I still hate my current job. No worries, that hasn't changed. Even though I'm at my favorite client this week. It's only a week.

And on that note, I will end this post. As I have other things to write about, and don't want them sullied by this yucky business.

In which I declare myself an ungrateful wench...

About now everyone knows how much I dispise my job. For a lot of different reasons. In the end, it served a purpose (so that I am eligible to sit for the CPA exam) and now I can move on. And get away from the long hours, the obnoxious back biting co-workers and the endless boring tasks.

But occasionally I get to do something fun. Like organize our "Day Away", or the holiday giving tree. And I really do enjoy that aspect of the job. I don't get extra pay, and I don't take credit for it on my annual review. It's just a nice thing that we can all do together. Whatever, right?

However, I just received a nice cash bonus for my volunteer work. Which makes me feel like a heel. I complain about my job, and my employer, and in the end, they really do nice things for us when they are able. It's not their fault that I don't like being an auditor.

Now, add to that the fact that one of the partners just stopped by my cube to ask if I wanted to go down to the health center with him to get my flu shot. Because he knows I get one every year and wanted to make sure I remembered.

In the end, I do like my employer, I guess. I'm just at a point where this is not the right job for the time.

And I promise that I will stop trying to convince myself that it's ok to leave a good employer for a good cause on my blog, so that you do not have to read about it anymore.

Another MeMe

My sister in law asked me to do this one, so I will.

Put an X next to the ones you've done in your life time:

(X ) Gone on a blind date
( X) Skipped school...
( ) Watched someone die
(X) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
(X ) Been to Florida
(X) Been on a plane
(X) Been lost
( X) Been on the opposite side of the country
(X) Gone to Washington , DC
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
() Played cops and robbers
(X) Recently colored with crayons
(X) Sang Karaoke
(X ) Paid for a meal with coins only?
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?
(X) Made prank phone calls?
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(X) Been skinny dipping outdoors
(X) Gone to the movies

1. Any nickname? Jenn, Little Jenn
2. Mother's name? Nancy
3. Favorite drink? Coke
4. Any Tattoo's? no
5. Body piercing? yup.
6. How much do you love your job? About as much as root canal.
8. Favorite vacation? so far -the ocean>
9. Ever been to Africa ? No
10. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? yes
11. Ever been on TV? No
12. Ever steal any traffic sign? yes
13. Ever been in a car accident? yes
14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4 door
15. Favorite salad dressing: ranch
16. Favorite pie? banana cream
17. Favorite number? 2
18. Favorite movie? Shawshank Redemption
19. Favorite holiday? Christmas
20. Favorite dessert? ice cream
22. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
23. Favorite brand of body wash? I never got into "body wash"... Soap is easier.
24. Favorite toothpaste? Oh, that new Crest Complete. Love that stuff
25. Favorite smell? Ryan
26. What do you do to relax? nap with the kitty cats
27. How do you see yourself in 10 years? same place as I am now, with a new job (I like where I am!)
28. How many siblings do you have? 1
29. Furthest place you will send this message? the interweb
30. Who will respond to this the fastest? who knows

A meme

outside my window: what window? This audit room has no windows. I hear it's supposed to be warm and sunny in the real world, though.

daily rhythm: wake up at 6:am, feed LG. Get ready for work. Drop off LG. Go to work. around 5:00 someone picks LG up. He eats and has a nap. We all play, someone does some house work. 8:00 LG gets a bath and more play time. 9:30 we start the night routine (which I can't explain, as I sleep through most of it)

I am thankful for: lots of stuff. family, friends, my health, the fact that my job isn't permanent. my supervisor calling in sick today (not her being sick, just that she's not here)

Breakfast - earl grey tea and Kashi heart to heart cereal (which PB thinks looks like cat food, and calls "Mama kibble")

Lunch - leftover pizza and a cherry pepsi. lunch of runner ups...

Supper - who knows? I wasn't planning on being home early, but now the possibility is there. Damn, think, think.

I am wearing- a purple turtle neck thingy, a grey skirt and my black patent leather flats.

I am creating- pillow cases for Aunti's Js kiddos. By request, otherwise, I'm out of that business.

Bringing beauty to my home by taking my kid to school so he cannot create further chaos.

I am reading Water for Elephants. Well, soon I will be. I'm trying to finish up some Nora Roberts trash first, and it's taking forever, peoples.

I am hoping that this interview come through with a new job. I really liked this place. And I really don't like my job. more on that below.

Around the house there is krappe everywhere. Literally and figuratively (we have to take the black cat to the vet. I think LG is giving him a nervous condition). And if I step on another little person, I swear I'll do something violent.

Right now I need more soda, so ponder this picture of LG at his first hockey game for a while:

LG Appleseed

We took LG apple picking with some friends on Sunday, and we think he liked it. He definately liked being out in the orchard, and when PB put him up near the apples, he tried to eat some leaves.

I had a lot of fun, at least. I can remember going apple picking with my Mom every year. Sometimes with a group of people, sometimes just her and I. Sometimes more than once a year if they were still in season and we had run out! I'm glad we're starting the tradition with LG early.

Here are the photos:

This one is LG and his first apple. He spent some time on the ground in the orchard just checking out the fruit and the trees.

This one is LG and I on the giant pumpkin. Check out our coordinating sweaters that Grammie knitted for us. We are styling in our fall colors, eh? I'm not sure why he's making a face, but you can check out PB's backside next to the stroller in the background (woo hoo). He was waiting in line for kettle corn.This one is LG with friends C & D. (these are the folks with the puppies that we love). Too much sun in their eyes, but still a cute shot! Now if LG were to get on C's shoulders? He be over 6 feet in the air! That'd be a new view for him.This one is one of my favorites. The sweater looks really good here. This was just before tasting some leaves, I believe. I don't think he's ever been this close to a tree before (ours are kind of tall, with not so many leaves close to his height).

And finally, LG on PB's shoulders. Yup, he's munching on his hair. A favorite activity when up on the shoulders.

All in all it was a good time. This Sunday I think LG and I are going to head out into the pumpkin patch and get him his first pumpkin. You have to love a season that requires you to be outside to get in all the fun you can before it gets all cold and snowy.

"Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. "



I still don't understand how people read that and think "I can carry a gun to protect myself from my fellow Americans." It says that the militia can arm itself in order to maintain a free state. Against foreign enemies. And it has to be a well regulated militia, not any idiot who is willing to sit out the waiting period. I'm just saying.

Politics

Whew. I just read a rant a friend of mine posted on her log. And now I will admitt that I haven't had time to dissect my opinion of Mrs. Palin, other than to know that I'd rather not vote for her. Her opinions are far off what I believe should be the center of our country. But now I need to clarify.

I do not need a president or vice president who believes exactly as I do. I need someone who is going to represent the whole country, with all its differences. Who isn't going to say, I'm against this, or for this, but will say, this is what America needs (and mean all of America, not just the people who can pay the most- like the religious right, or the big business lobbies). Who isn't going to tell us how to live our lives based on their personal religious beliefs, or anyone's religious beliefs.

It irks me that she wants to ban books. And it irks me that she is against all stem cell research (but she's ok with in vitro fertilization and other forms of assisted pregnancy- where does she want all the extra frozen embryos to go? The trash can? And that's not a smack in the face of all that is right??). Her redneck, "I shot a moose" attitude just annoys the snot out of me. Don't we all make fun of rednecks? Heck, Jeff Foxworthy wouldn't be rich if we didn't think there was something to point and laugh at there. And yet, some people want that to be our representative to the world???

I can't even get up the energy to rant about all of this any more. I spent most of the last 4 years saying "I might not like him, but the majority of the country voted for him, so this is what we get. I won't move to Canada, I will wait it out until the next election, where surely we will have learned something". And hopefully, we did.

In the end, I want someone who's going to stay out of my business, so that I can keep me and mine safe in whatever way I see fit. I don't need the perfect candidate, just someone who isn't going to make it worse.

Bill the Cat for President '08.

We have overcome...

Wow, this last two weeks we've just been in survival mode. There have been workmen tromping all over the yard. Some to dismantle the destroyed porch, some to trim up the rest of the trees and fix the damaged one, some to look at what the workmen destroyed (more on this later). Add to that that LG was home for a week with a stomach flu. And that meant PB and I took turns taking days off from work to be with him. Fun stuff, I tell you.

But now we are all healthy. And looking forward to a weekend!

The details:

So, we've known since we bought the house that we needed to have the trees trimmed up. There were a lot of dead limbs hanging in there. I would like to insert here that having done this before the storm would not have helped. The limb that took out the porch was a very healthy limb. But now we have happy trees. AND, I finally was able to convince PB that we needed to get rid of that yucky spruce that hung over the porch. No more scrubbing sap off my picnic table, and sweeping up pine needles that people drag in on their shoes. Woo hoo. But, sadly, the trees do look a bit slimmer now.

As for the workmen, pah on them. When they dismantled the porch roof, they threw their debris onto the flower beds in front of the porch. Completely covering a really pretty red rhododendron, an azalea (also red), a couple of bleeding hearts, and significantly covering another rhododendron. Oh, and all of my hostas. The hostas that the deer don't eat. So, I called the "boss" and told him I was unhappy. And Wednesday he sent a lawn guy to assess what happened and talk to me about what they would do. Uhm, you'll replace it all, dork. Right down to the last daffodil and tulip (also buried under there somewhere). What really irked me is that this is the one no maintenance part of my yard. It just came up all by itself. Happily. Damn them.

I just keep telling myself that next summer we will all enjoy this new porch and this will all seem like a bad dream. Not quite a nightmare (people and pets were spared, after all), but a bad dream.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.