THE PLAN…it rules our lives!

I was just having this interesting conversation with one of the few people in the world I’d call my sister, Brea, on Facebook. She posted a note about how spontaneous youthful road trips have grown into “planned responsible scheduling”.

Argh!

I remember days when I had time to just get in the car and go. Sure, I’ve been working since before I was 18, but I always had some extra time on my hands, even when I was in college. Once in a while one of my friends and I would decide to just get in the car and go somewhere. It didn’t have to be far away, it just had to be a place we hadn’t been to before, or hadn’t been to in a long time. You know, just something different to see and do.

These days, I constantly find myself pestering my kids about their job/activities, and wanting to know exactly what they have going on, when, where and what time. Rides have to be given and everyone’s schedule needs to be considered so everyone can get to where they need to be, especially since I have two jobs, Older Son works, and Younger has sports activities. The amalgam of what it is that keeps us so busy every day of every week is what I affectionately call THE PLAN.  Oh, man…it sure gets to be a drag to be so hemmed in by THE PLAN.  I hate that we can’t just get up and do what we feel like, whenever we feel like it. Already the boys are learning that they need to have their own mini versions of THE PLAN, so they can keep themselves straight on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. I think they’ve learned that only because they know their mother will go stark raving mad if there’s no PLAN. If I ask “what’s THE PLAN?,” and the answer is “I dunno,” it sends me right into atmospheric heights of angst. And then I get the shakes, complete with eye twitching. Not pretty.

I gotta have A PLAN at all times or I am a wreck…just gotta. I’m a slave to THE PLAN. One might even say I’m an addict, but I’m sure I could quit at any time if I chose to.(insert snort of derision and disbelief) What a load o’ horse pucky! If I tried to quit THE PLAN, I would no doubt expire due to an anxiety induced panic attack.

However… in all honesty, I have to say that THE PLAN has it’s up side.

I live and die by my work calendar at The Cube Farm. It’s a miraculous thing that tells me when to get up from my desk to go to a meeting, when I have specific tasks I need to do, and when I get to go to lunch. It really is what keeps THE PLAN in motion for me Monday through Friday.   Every day I walk with my friend Clarice , and she’s a hoot. We have a good time. Every Tuesday, I have lunch with my good friend Connie. We only get a half hour together, even though we work in the same building, but I really look forward to them every week. I also have lunch with Brea every Friday. I really look forward to those lunches. Brea helps keep me sane, and provides an opportunity to let my brain go and have fun like nobody else can. All the other days of the work week, I either run errands or have lunch with my parents. They are pretty funny people, and we laugh a lot together over lunch at their house too.

Do I hate THE PLAN? Yeah, mostly I do… but sometimes it works to my advantage to schedule my fun in with the work, so I don’t miss out on it.

Now I must go throw in a load of laundry, and get to bed for the night, because THE PLAN says I have to get up and go to work tomorrow. Again. ‘Night all!

Too much holiday joy may be bad for you!

Today I had lunch with my good friend Brea at Barnes and Noble today. We do our best to have lunch every Friday, and since the weather has gotten colder, we’ve been forced inside. Our Barnes and Noble actually serves a pretty good lunch along with the coffees offered and, as we discovered today, they serve up a little humor with everything else.

We’d just finished lunch, and were having a pretty heavy discussion when an announcement came over the loudspeaker which went something like this:

“Greetings Barnes and Noble shoppers, do you have an excess of holiday joy? If so…”( the rest was blocked by ambient noise).

The lady making the announcement over the loudspeaker sounded to me like one of those people hawking drugs on tv, and the next thing I know it, we’re giggling over possible endings for this announcement.  Pretty soon,we are laughing so hard, it’s a wonder we didn’t fall out of our chairs. I’m pretty sure I bruised a rib. And I snorted, which hardly ever happens. I’m pretty sure Brea’s eyes glassed over with unshed tears due to having too much holiday joy in the moment. Luckily we were done eating or we might have choked to death.

I can’t remember all of what we laughed about, but I’ve thought of a few more as the rest of the day went by.  So, what happens if you find yourself with an excess of holiday joy?

~If you experience holiday joy for more than four hours, seek immediate emergency medical assistance. (I wonder how excessively inflated joy is coded for insurance purposes?)

~Could give you a righteous case of the holiday munchies and weight gain (nom, nom, nom!)

~May cause the desire to chug rum-laden egg nog (Can potentially lead to ‘rum’ goggles)

~May cause explosive diarrhea (Aunt Meg didn’t cook the Turkey long enough)

~Could cause drowsiness and dry mouth (again with the rum-laden egg nog)

~May cause blindness (Cousin Bob threw a buttered lefse at your head)

~May cause restless legs syndrome (too much holiday joy could make you feel like dancing)

~Stop experiencing holiday joy if you have constipation, flatulence, abdominal pain and bloating (See Aunt Meg’s undercooked Turkey)

~Stop eating immediately if you experience painful swallowing, chest pain, or severe and continuing heartburn (Don’t eat the Lutefisk!)

~May cause high blood pressure (Uncle Charlie just can’t let you forget about the time you lost your bathing suit while diving in the city pool, even though it happened when you were 12, and you’re now 30)

~If having too much fun, and eating at the same time, choking to death may occur (See! I told you having too much holiday fun was dangerous!)

I could go on ad nauseam but I think I will let you join in the fun. What other side effects warnings can you come up with for too much holiday joy?

Rising through the hayfever, and other sordid tales of life on the Prairie

Ah, harvest time. I love it! I love the way the ripe crops look as they wave in the prairie winds of North Dakota. I love the smell of burning fields, and fresh mown hay. Unfortunately, none of those things love me back. Sigh…Bring on the hay fever.

This year, for some reason, it’s much more pronounced that in previous years. Or maybe I’m just getting more sensitive to is as I get older? That’s probably more likely. Today I have a headache  and my sinuses feel a little like they are full of Elmer’s Glue.  I know some people who have allergies so bad that they just allow them to take over during this time of the year. I figure that I haven’t got things so bad if all I have is a headache and a stuffy nose, so I’m going to get up and continue on with my day as though there is no hay fever. In fact, perhaps I will just say it to myself repeatedly: “There is no hay fever, there is no hay fever, there is no place like home, (oops…sorry. That’s someone else’s mantra) there is no hay fever, there is no hay fever…”

So, Older Son is working today. He worked yesterday and will work tomorrow again all day. I’m very proud of him. I was a little worried that his BS-o-meter was set to go off at a little lower level, but he’s stuck with it so far. He works in concessions for a local business that handles several different venues around town. If things go as well for all of us this winter as I hope it will, we’ll be able to get a 2nd vehicle and then he can branch out a little bit. It’s hard to believe that he’s going to be 18 this Spring.

Good Gods… My baby is going to be 18!

Alright, enough of that. If I keep going down that line of script I’ll be a gelatinous puddle of sobbing goo before too long. Last I heard that’s not good for the keyboard so…moving on…

Younger Son and I are going out for lunch and then out to my parent’s house to pick up some extra green beans they have from their garden. Then I’m off to visit a friend at her house. She and her husband are putting on a wine tasting, and I was very thrilled to be invited. Her husband comes from an Italian family, and he knows how to cook the authentic stuff that most people wish they could cook. So, it will be an evening of good food, good wine, and good conversation…with adults, no less.  I can’t wait!

Tomorrow, I have some things to finish in the house and then I’m contemplating digging up my front yard, or at least a small piece of it. I have been wanting to do that for quite some time, and with Younger’s help, I bet we can get it done in an afternoon. All the extra dirt and sod will go around the foundations of the house as the dirt there has settled downwards.

If we do get around to it, I’ll show before and after pictures. I can’t wait to see what my new front garden will look like this spring. I’m hoping to plant tulips, irises, lilies and hyacinth so there is something pretty coming up right away in the Spring.

But now it’s time to get ready to go. I’ll have a glass of wine for you too!

My dishes call, therefore I blog about silly things.

I hate doing the dishes. It’s my least favorite chore of all, and I can hear my sink full of dishes calling to me… “Wash meeeee”…but I have chosen to ignore them in favor of spending time with you guys. I haven’t posted for a while, so I figure I can make time. After all, the dishes aren’t going anywhere any times soon. They can wait a few more minutes.

So, now that I have established that I am blogging tonight instead of doing the responsible thing, what to blog about?  How about silliness? Can’t go wrong there. And, since I’m such a huge fan of You Tube, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite silly videos with you tonight.

First up, we have “Creepy Doll” by sung by Jonathan Coulton, a nice girl who plays a mean ukulele, and the comedy duo Paul and Storm:

Next we have a funny storm trooper video that will either make you laugh out loud or make you want to scrub your eye balls with bleach. I laughed out loud…my humble apologies to those of your who ran for your bleach bottles:

And, finally, here’s one of my favorite silly cat videos. Enjoy!

Uncle!

Earlier today I declared that I had won the contest of sanity-cracking musical will between me and my fellow blogger over at The Idiot Speaketh. I do believe that I proclaimed victory too soon.

The Annoying Music Battle has now gone global, and the new contestants have kicked my butt.  The Frolicking Lady, and her Frolicking Dude (Yes, it’s true…dudes DO frolic!), posted the song that finally broke me: David Hasselhoff singing, “Looking for Freedom”.  Where’s my bagpipes CD? If anything can get that song out of my head, the bagpipes can… I hope…The children hate it to see me sobbing hysterically.

Anyway, I concede the contest. Well done Frolicking Lady and Dude…

(Editor’s note: For more on the Annoying Music Battle that still ensues, please also drop by The Life of Jamie. She’s pulled out something truly evil: Wham! Oh the humanity!)

I Win!

When I was a kid, my mom made me take piano lessons. At first I really hated them, and I did everything in my power to get out of the lessons, and ended up only having to take them for a year. Then, I was blissfully free.

Strange thing I discovered is that I actually really liked playing the piano, and so I continued on by myself, picking it up as I went along. One of the first whole songs I ever learned by

Titanium - No good for containment of vocal weaponry

my self was “You Light Up My Life” by Debbie Boone. Most people would hear that and cringe…maybe even cry out in anguish for having to listen to it. Not me. I like it. I can sing along word for word, and revel in every note. The only problem with that is that I couldn’t carry a tune in a titanium bucket. In fact, my singing could be downright deadly.  I have been contacted by R&D labs in their search for creation of new and improved non-lethal weaponry. Unfortunately the liaison assigned to my case developed an unfortunate drooling catatonia in response to having to hear my singing once too often. Until someone in R&D can come up with an appropriate protection against my rather unique skills, I’ll need to keep my day job.

That particular little factoid about me has remained unknown until this very minute. I had just stopped over to visit The Idiot Speaketh, and listened to his most recent salvo in this bitter struggle of musical good and evil…and I found heaven in the guise of Debbie Boone singing “You Light Up My Life”. What joy!

I see he’s also posted a video I was very fond of as a child of the 80′s…Toni Basil singing “Hey Mickey!” What a blast from the past! I love that tune. I used to know all the words, and I bet when I press the play button, it will be like I never forgot. I will say that I never cared much for the whole cheerleader theme, but I loved the song. Thank you to my blog buddy over at The Idiot Speaketh for bringing back such fond memories!

Here’s a selection that I am very fond of, and I hope you are too. There is something about bagpipes that grips me by my sternum and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I’m thinking maybe I was born in the Highlands of Scotland in another life. The song, Scotland the Brave, posted below was shared on You Tube by Waldemaroz, and it is a fine example of what I love about bagpipes.

  What I love even more about bagpipes is that they are usually played by cute, burly guys in kilts. Hmm…there’s a post for another day!

Grenade lobbed back…

As you may have noticed, there is a sanity-challenging musical competition going on between me and my fellow blogger over at The Idiot Speaketh. My favorite idiot speaketh a lot, and he’s funny, so you all go check him out.

So, to my musical nemesis…I challenge you to listen to this song all the way through. I will admit, I had a hard time doing it myself,  and I even like Adam Sandler.  Enjoy!

Of Earbugs and Zombies

I’m bad. I’m sooo bad.

I’ve infected a fellow blogger with something terrible. It’s an ear bug. You, know…one of those songs that just won’t get out of your head. I won’t mention the aforementioned insanity-inducing song by name again for fear that someone else might come down with the affliction. Truly, I should just go to the post I mentioned the song in, and scrub it with bleach and steel wool.

So, to my friend over at The Idiot Speaketh, I apologize. I hope the increase in meds has helped.

Anyway, in effort to assist my new friend in getting rid of this ear bug, I’ll post a different song. It’s something pretty benign and the music is actually pretty good. The man singing this song is Jonathan Coulton. He’s a geek. He’s a folk singer. He’s hilarious. He’s just all around fun. Below, I’ve pasted in a you tube video of Jonathan Coulton and his band serenading Wil Wheaton. For those of you who are Star Trek TNG fans, you’ll remember little Wesley Crusher? Well, he’s all grown up now and has a funny bearded man singing him silly songs at the PAX 2009 conference. Apparently  he’s a big internet geek/gamer now, and attends the internet/gamer conventions.

Having said all that, here’s the song…enjoy. And, Redriverpak…I hope this helps you get rid of that nasty ear bug I gave you! And, just in case you are a zombie fan, I included a concert video of Jonathan Coulton singing “Your Brains”. Check it out…love the audience participation!

(Editor’s note: After I finished writing this post, I went out to check out how things are going over at  The Idiot Speaketh. Wouldn’t you know it, he got his revenge. He posted a video featuring the song “I Ran” by A Flock of Seagulls, and now it’s firmly entrenched in my head. Yeah…after the song I helped get lodged in his head, I deserved that. )

What a great weekend!

One of my oldest friends came to stay with me this weekend, as you’ve been hearing me blather on about for almost a month now. It was so great to spend time with her. We stayed up too late talking both nights, drank margaritas, went to the Sugarland Concert, stopped at a friend’s bar and chatted with her for a couple of hours. They boys even had a good time with her.

After all the activity, my throat is hoarse from all the talking, I’m a tad dehydrated, and I feel like I got rolled under a semi for having slept on the couch for two nights. Truly, though, I don’t mind. In fact, I would do it again in a heart beat. What a joy to be able to just sit and chat about everything with a friend…especially this friend. I sure have missed her.

Something I’d like to say about Sugarland here…they put on one heck of a good show. They have a new CD coming out called “The Incredible Machine”, which they played some songs from, and they were fantastic. They also played combinations of songs from different decades, which that just blew me away. The style of the stage props, interestingly enough, was very Steam Punk, which was so very odd to see at a concert for a country music band. In fact, I’m not sure how it is they can be called a country band because very little of what they sang was recognizable to me as country music… but I will admit that my understanding of country music is pretty limited. Never the less, it was an outstanding, and interactive, performance, and I would go see them again in a heartbeat. The only thing I didn’t like about the concert was that we ended up being seated with a bunch of people who barely even clapped. I can’t say that the people around me didn’t enjoy the concert, but cause they were all older people and were most likely just very stoic. What a bummer that they couldn’t cut loose a little and sing along a little bit.

If you are looking for a good time, and Sugarland is playing near you, make the effort to go see them…it’s well worth it!

What a beautiful day in the park…

Rental for a picnic shelter at the park for a day: $30

Chips, dips and beverages: $20

Availability of sunshine and nice breezes: Spot on!

Cost of good times with old friends, and new, on a lovely Sunday afternoon: PRICELESS!

Today, I met my friends at Oak Park, and some great new people joined in. It was a fabulous afternoon with lots of sunshine, bubble blowing, foot ball throwing, joke telling, and food eating. It’s been so long since I’ve had a nice day like that, I’d forgotten what it’s like to just get away for a while and forget about everything else. I feel so relaxed right now, I could just noodle out and go to sleep. In fact, I was so relaxed, I left completely forgetting to take my stuff with me! (thanks for grabbing my stuff for me Brea!)

Ah, but it’s back to reality time. I managed to get a little housework done before I left today, so now it’s time to get some more laundry rolling and get the rest of the housework done. Before I know it, Monday will have dawned and it’s back to the grind again. Oh, but it was a lovely time while it lasted!