The weather

Because, you know, that’s what people talk about when they don’t have anything else to say. Oh I’m sure I can drum up some conversations – but I’ve been so darn busy!

The other day, my friend Amanda was complaining how it was cold and rainy where she is – so I took this picture outside of my office.

It was as warm and gorgeous as it looks.

This is the view outside of my window. When people think of Oakland, I am very sure this is not the image that comes to mind. It was about 75 F and look at that gorgeous skyline!

School

I finished school last week, actually earned a degree. Not a fake one either! It’s a recognized degree from an accredited school. I have four more years left of school and should be starting my Bachelor program the week of the 22nd (of November). There are no classes listed on the website yet, so maybe I’m starting later? Who knows, all I know is I am so happy to have some real time away from school. When I told the boys I wouldn’t have homework for the next couple of weeks, you’d have thought I told them we won the lottery! In a way, I guess we did.

Visits

Mom and Dad are visiting next week – they will be here for one whole week! Dad has requested a list of chores to do and mom is going to help me pickle beets and make perogies (YUM). May not sound like much to an American, but to a Canadian… those two foods are sent from heaven! I’m hoping they will help me with the inside and outside of the house, I’m hoping they can help motivate me to get rid of all the clutter and old crap hanging around. Mom said she wants to go shopping (and is even bringing an extra suitcase for all the loot). Good thing I like to shop!

The boys are super excited to be able to host their grandparents in California! I’ll have the boys with me the entire week so they can spend extra time with g’ma and g’pa. Luckily, I have a good enough relationship with their dad – so switching like this is easy.  The best part about the visit, is the entire week I am taking off from work! YAHOO!!

Holidays

Michael has the boys for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I don’t really care about Thanksgiving – but I think Christmas might find me under the tree with a case of wine. If anyone is looking to send a present… you know what to send! My cousin Michael and his new wife are going to be in San Francisco sometime during the Christmas season – so hopefully I’ll get to see them and meet the new girl! It sucks to live so far away from family, but I am happy they are visiting. Michael wants to see Alcatraz – you can tell he’s never been to SF before because he will freeze his willies off. However, Mikey is a big Canadian guy (who I have personally seen eat half of a 26 lb turkey, plus all the fixin’s AND dessert) so I’m sure he can handle it. It’s his wife I am concerned about. I told them to expect cold – but Mikey just laughed it off. Laugh it up chuckles!

Other news

In the beginning of December, a whole gaggle of us are headed up to Tahoe for some snow fun. I was asked (I shall not name names) if I would be bringing my snow pants for the occasion and I replied “I’m not going skiing or snowboarding.” Which was met with “what about for just walking around?” I, again, replied “Nope.” Then I thought… geez am I missing something here? Should I bring my snow pants?  Luckily, the internet was created for questions exactly like this. I was able to see the weather forecasts for the past year and after converting the F’s to C’s determined that the weather in Tahoe is short sleeve weather for all Canadians (-6 to +10 C on average). I am thinking about going tubing – so I’ll bring my pants if the tubing thing pans out. Otherwise, look for me at the outdoor pool! I’ll be the one sunning myself on a chaise lounge chair!

The trip should be really good – except everyone has high expectations. You all know what happens when expectations are really high…. the trip usually sucks! Hopefully, between the free shuttles to the casinos and night life AND the large Costco sized bottles of tequila, we’ll have a good time.

Oh and it’s my birthday next week… so look for birthday celebration shenanigans.

Recent goings on…

Does anyone say that anymore? Goings on… huh

It rained last night, it was raining this morning when I woke up. I had big plans for the day – the boys and I were going to get out of dodge. We were going to go sea shell searching (say that 5 times fast). When I heard the rain, I knew our plans were done for. You see, where we live, you need a parka at the beach in August. Add rain to that mess and you’ll have a better time in the arctic – it’d be warmer too.

Both boys have settled into school. I wish I could say I’ve settled into the commute but I have not been able to get this together. I drop Brody off at Michael’s house in the morning and then I take Evan to school. The ride home is brutal. I get off the train, go get Evan and then drive 20-25 minutes to get Brody. Then I get to drive 35 minutes home. It’s a nightmare.  By the time we get home we are usually famished. With this comes grumpy and horrible and unruly behavior. Not to mention what the boys are experiencing.

They are growing like WEEDS! Brody lost another tooth and he said there is another one loose. I don’t think the tooth fairy can keep up!

School has been going well, I am at the end of Week 2 – only 7 more to go! These are the last two classes until I receive my associate’s degree. I’ll start my bachelor program in November and tuck in for another two years of intensive classes.

My mom and dad are going to come down in November and help me with the house. Home ownership is overrated! I feel completely overwhelmed by the amount of work that goes into keeping a house and especially keeping a yard. I think it will be different when I am finished with school, but in the meantime, I am struggling. I thought about a landscaping company to come in and keep the yard clean for me, but they wanted $80 a month and I just can’t swing that right now.  Plus, I’m going to ask my dad to help me get quotes for eaves (gutters). Michael, as he does, ripped them down but never replaced them. Quotes to women are famous for being over priced and I don’t have the first clue of what to look for in eavestroughs.  They are also going to help me plan the backyard. It’s sort of ok right now, but there are some areas that I am stuck with.  My mom has a lot of vision when it comes to landscaping and knows tons about plants. She’s got green thumbs, fingers and toes. I’ll post before/after photos.

I’ve been spending most of my free time cultivating relationships with new friends. Suzanne and I have been spending every Wednesday together – it’s been an absolute joy getting to know her better. Together, we have been meeting a lot of people and have formed new friendships with other people in Benicia. They are a group of people who I trust and truly enjoy spending time with. We laugh, we talk, we give advice, we take advice and most importantly – we have fun!  So much fun!  Ever since the shenanigans with Michael, I have had a hard time trusting people. Especially men. I don’t trust their intentions, I don’t trust what they say. It is definitely something I am working on – but I realize it’s going to take time. In the meantime, I have a great group of friends to help me figure things out. I have a great group of friends to bounce ideas off of. I have a great group of friends to play beer pong (Wii style).

Work has been difficult (to say the least). I thought I was getting more comfortable in my position, understanding more and more about the work I am supposed to – and then I’ll get thrown a fastball. All of a sudden, I’m right back at square one.  I like the challenge, I love my boss, I love my company – so I guess it’s not a bad thing. I would just like to be able to participate in meetings and not feel like an idiot.

And another one gone…

He got it into his head that his loose tooth was coming out! He sat on the counter while I bathed the kittens (don’t ask) and proceeded to pull his tooth out. As an adult, this is a creepy notion. Apparently, it’s all the rage for school aged children. Who knew?

His first words this morning (upon finding the blood money, err tooth fair money) was “Now I have 11 dollars!” I love a kid who can add!

Choosing the right people

So, as most of you know – I have been trying to make new friends. As a 30 something single parent, this is not an easy task. I’m awkward in social situations and am so desperate for friends that I think I may smell like desperation. I know what you’re thinking… “how could a totally awesome person have such a hard time finding people to hang out with?” The truth is, I don’t really know.

I’m pretty simple – laid back – funny – smart. All I meet are losers! I thought I met some girls (potential friends) a few weeks ago, but they turned out to be ridiculous (and so very high school)! I get along better with guys, but all the guys I’ve met want me to sleep with them. Not going there. It’s really difficult to meet genuine people who are truthful and fun.

So here I am… on this quest to figure out who I am and on a quest to find some people to hang out with. Wish me luck.

I just want to sit around and eat mashed potatoes

So, it seems Alice and I are on the same schedule. I’m feeling tired and lazy – plus it’s raining outside. All of this adds up to me lying on the sofa, eating mashed potatoes. I might even get fancy and do roasted garlic mashed potatoes. I have chicken out for dinner and nothing goes better with chicken than mashed potatoes. Unless you are Brody – the irish kid – who hates potatoes. Whatever. I keep asking him “Where do french fries come from?” and he says “the store.” One day, he’ll appreciate potatoes as much as I do.

He prefers rice because of the soy sauce. Just wait until I make him fried rice! He’ll lose his mind!

Seriously, I woke up yesterday and thought “today sucks!” That general feeling has not gone away. I’m sure it will – until it does, I’ll be the one chasing potato dishes with large melted chocolate. 

I just heard one of the engineers mutter “piece of shit” to himself over a ladder. I’m right there with ya dude.

New dishes

Hi, um yeah, so I got new dishes. It took me 5 months to find dishes. I sort of didn’t want to go with plain white – although every fiber of my being told me to choose something plain and white. I had a few criteria… well, one really… and it came from my mom. The plates couldn’t weigh 800 thousand million pounds. I thought I found a set a few months ago and ended up having to call my mom to say “can I really eat off of square plates?” The answer was no… I’m a traditionalist, a purist if you will, about my dishes.

My camera had no battery power!

That up there is the salad plate. The dinner plates look similar except there is less white pattern. The picture is dark because my camera had no extra battery power for the flash (really, who needs a flash anyway?). The best part, other than they are pretty and are NOT plain and white, is they fit in my cupboards. YAY.

And here are the bowls… they are sort of weird shaped but after 5 months of extensive looking, I finally had to say to myself “just go with it.” Because seriously… I needed dishes already!

They love each other! Look at them kiss! MWAH

I now have to scour the globe looking for 4 more salad plates and 4 more dinner plates, hopefully in the white pattern. I just want to give a shout out to the Ross store in (the town where I live), someone in the sticker control department thought it best to use brand new price tag stickers with super duper batman adhesive (how do you think he keeps the suit on?) to adhere the tags to the dishes. I would LOVE to meet the brainiac who suggested THAT at the meeting!  I suspect the residue (glue) will be completely off in about 1000 washings (give or take).

Rambling on…

Sometimes, the hardest part of this blog is coming up with a title. Most often, I write the entire post – then have to read it a few times to figure out an appropriate title. Whatever!

Work has been going well. I had applied and interviewed for another job (same company, etc) and was then told the position was being reposted. I applied again and am now waiting to hear if I got the job. I hope I do. It will be the first time in my career that I will not be working in an admin position. I don’t love being an admin – but i’m really good at it, so it makes my days easy. I am ready for a change. Considering I’ve spent so much time in school trying to better myself and my earning capability, this appears to be a good opportunity to start cashing in on the hard work that I’ve done for the past two years.

Anyway, it’s something different.

Things at home are settling down. Michael and I really need to work on being friends. We go through phases -  first we are – then we aren’t. I’m assuming this is normal. He’s been under a lot of stress lately and I’m disgruntled with our living situation, so it makes for a few arguments. Plus, he and I are really different in that he loves to use sarcastic humor to lighten situations (who doesn’t) but he’s using it at the wrong times. Whatever. I’m trying to be more patient and I’ve asked him to stop making jokes out of everything.

His dad is still in ICU so this has prompted Michael into protection mode over his mom. I’m really proud of him for taking this stand on her behalf. She needs him right now, he may not like “living with his parents” but I think in this case, it’s essential. Plus, the boys are freaking out over getting to live at Grandpa’s house! You see, Grandpa has lots of cool things! Lots of stuff they can look through! I know this will be a good situation for everyone.  Plus, their cousins are close by which means “new people to wrestle with!”

The other night Evan and Brody decided to wrestle in their bedroom. Basically, they spread all the blankets on their floor, take their shirts off and run around screaming “you want a piece of me” and “it’s wrestle time!” Evan was in the process of whining and crying about Brody hitting him and I said to Evan “well, hit him back.” Evan doesn’t realize his own strength and Brody will continue to push him around because Evan doesn’t do anything about it. Evan is built like a brick shit house. Strong, but in a scary way – like my brother (Bob could life me at my waist without effort).  After I told Evan to hit Brody back, an evil grin came over him and he ran out of the office with his arms swinging like a windmill.  I recognized that grin (I might have had one myself a few times) so I followed to make sure no one was going to die (not on my watch!). They were locked in battle, Evan was beating the crap out of Brody and somehow, Brody got a burst of strength and pushed Evan off of him. (This wasn’t really wrestling). Badly beaten, Brody pushed Evan, Evan fell back and smashed his head on the bed (which was the worst ‘THUNK’ you could ever imagine) and started to cry. My opportunity for a lesson arrived! I asked the boys who was having fun while they were hitting? No response? Not even one? hmm.. 

Could I assume they’ve learned a valuable lesson about hitting? Sure, I could assume that.
I would be wrong.

Could I assume they will do this again? Of course!
I would be right.

Boys wrestle. That’s what they do.

Who’s bells?

Here are some random snips of my life:

• Brody thinks the AC/DC song “Hell’s Bells” is actually “Who’s bells?”
• I have a pair of earrings that I love, but one earring always falls out of my ear and I cannot get it back on! I walked for two blocks outside trying to get the damn thing back in my ear!
• Evan is finally willing to take off his own pajamas. He’ll be five in a few weeks.
• Maybe one day, before he’s 18, Evan will dress himself. (keep your fingers crossed)
• I can’t get either boy to talk about their day at school, but got a half hour lecture on Lego Batman for the Wii and which “evil” guy they like.
• I bought cookies yesterday because the package said “look at my bottom!” You can tell the tone was excited because of the exclamation mark!
• Then I wondered, “whose bottom?” Turns out, the cookie has a chocolate bottom. YUM
• I cannot multiply or divide fractions but I can do scientific notation. wtf?
• Did I mention I have another algebra class this block? Because apparently, 2 previous algebra classes (from HELL) weren’t enough for me and I don’t like my GPA being so high up there. The last class dropped my gpa 6 points! I have dreams people! One of them is to get my associate’s degree with honors! Damn you algebra!
• I really hate fractions. What good are they anyway? Instead of 1/2 why can’t we say 50%?
• I still have callouses on my hands from playing Rockband (I haven’t played in two weeks)
• Once again, I have lost all motivation for working today.

Think I’m going to head outside (we’re in the 50’s! uhh… that’s above zero for the Canuckleheads) and take a long walk.

Feeling blah…

Oy!

I am ready for a change! My job is totally crappy, my life is full of homework, my children are sick and I need a break! Is it the weather? The time change? The election? Probably.

I’ve had a bit of writer’s block and can’t seem to generate words in an effective manner unless I’m being graded.

Will write more later. BAH

Work-o-rama

The mold guys (now that’s a job title!) have started work on our kitchen. They are getting rid of the mold today, or I guess doing as much as they can. In order to safely remove the mold, they have to enclose the affected area in specialized plastic with specialized tape. I’m pretty sure these guys think this will be a very easy job. However, they have not met… the monsters! The evil (almost) 5 and (almost) 6 year old boys who insist upon being a part of absolutely everything. My mom thought it would be fair of us to warn these men that they might have to “rebuild” this little mold chamber each and every day. I say “let em find out for themselves.”

The boys are very inquisitive. They MUST know everything, they MUST be a part of everything. God forbid you are having a bad day and only want to be left alone on top of a mound of Ghiradelli chocolate – these boys will sense that weakness and make your entire day a living hell. In order to get any peace out of a “stay at home” day, we must have at least 1 million activities lined up in order to keep them occupied. This mold room? That’s one.

Michael is working tonight and again on the weekend. In the meantime, he (and I think the boys) might be expecting me to keep the boys occupied or something. Of course, it’s the week before halloween and neither of them have a costume (when are they old enough to make it themselves?) and we don’t have pumpkins or anything. I mean, GAWD, our kitchen has MOLD! I can’t be expected to do all this with MOLD in the kitchen. At first, Brody wanted to be a ghost and Evan wanted to be a witch (the boy version) but now Brody has seen one of his friend’s costume and wants to be identical to him. Honestly, I barely had enough time to do “ghost” how am I going to get a … I don’t even know what it’s called. He’s wearing a “leather” jacket with spikes on the shoulder, has his face painted, and is wearing a “skull” t-shirt. What’s that called? oy.

AND… one of our cats is having major behavioral issues. In fact, the words “prozac” and “pet behavioralist” came into a comversation!!! WHAT!!  AS IF! First of all, if anyone is getting a “behavioralist” it’s going to be Michael. Second, if anyone is getting Prozac, it’s ME! A suggestion was made that maybe she’s an outdoor cat and we should explore that option. I’m going to do the free option first. If that doesn’t make her happy… we’ll go from there. Personally, i want her to stop peeing on the beds (that’s plural) and beating the CRAP out of the other cats… but that’s just me. I’m not hard to please.

In order to do any work on halloween costumes this weekend, I am going to need to have the boys completely occupied for the entire time. Luckily, Brody is on a lego spurt right now… but Evan. The boy with a 2 minute concentration level. I might just go buy the darn costumes… (i shudder). I think I may have to get more involved with their school activities – who knew mommy guilt could extend so far! I feel like I am neglecting them because I’ve not made pumpkin shaped cookies for their classmates.

Oh and I’m completely bored at work. can you tell?