The quest for "parking-lot cake"...

I swear, there is rarely a dull moment at my job. This Tuesday proved to be no different. =)

We had a pot-luck at work as a team-building activity. It was technically a meat loaf cook-off, but those who didn't make meat loaf brought the other dishes to go with it...including dessert.

One of the women made a pineapple upside-down cake, but she accidentally left it in her car, and her boyfriend took it to work with him. He's an electrician and is working at a new business complex. She sent me to get it from him in her car. However, he had to leave the site for a while. So, he gave some of the vaguest directions I have ever received in my entire life, and told me he'd leave it somewhere in the parking lot of this complex he was working at. The directions were as follows:

Turn right on *name here* road and take the first right a half-block after the railroad tracks.

The vagueness comes from the fact that I was not given a main entry point to said road, and there are at least three major ways to get there. It took me thirty minutes to finally find what they were talking about. And, when I finally found the complex, there it was: pineapple upside-down cake sitting on the stoop of an unfinished building. Hilarious.

So, yes, technically it wasn't in the actual parking lot, but it was close enough. I just couldn't help myself, I had to take a picture of it. =)

So, that's the story. Who knows what the next ridiculous escapade at work will involve!

'Til next time!
Peace, love, and parking-lot goodies!!

♥ S.

From a taker of naps to the keeper of them...

I ♥ naps.

I always have.

Well, that may not be the complete truth. I remember fighting my parents to take naps as a child. Every Sunday when we got home from church we would change, have a quick lunch--usually sandwiches--and then it was nap time. We did this for years, until my dad left the church. The three of us kids hated it though. We would read quietly until we heard my dad snoring, and then we'd play. I mean, I guess the joke's on us, since the time obviously served it's purpose, but at the time, we thought we were smart.

Then, high school hit. And that's when my love-affair with naps really started. I would take an off-period at the end of the day so that I could drive home after class, take an hour and a half nap or so, and then go pick up my brother and sister from school. No one home, blissful silence and solitude, it was perfect.

College was like taking my relationship with napping to the next level. I strategically planned my classes to end at noon every day, so that I could have lunch, go back to my room, and nap from about 12:30p until 4pm when I had to get up to go to marching band practice (no band-geek jokes, I was in color guard).

{{This, of course, led to my eventual night-owl condition, but we'll save that for another post, as it has stories all it's own to tell...and explains so much about my insomniatic issues today. (yes, I'm aware I made that word up, but I like the way it sounds.) *lol*}}

My infatuation with naps has played a huge part in my life for the past 8 years since I left college. In Illinois, I worked a five-minute drive from my house, so on my 1-hour lunch break, I would rush home, take a 45-minute nap and rush back, leaving a little time to regroup and wake up. When we moved back to Texas, I did the same. I worked at a day care two blocks from my house so I could walk home, take a nap, and make it back in an hour. It was fantastic.

And, if I ever found myself in a job where I was too far from home, I would go out to my car, turn on the air/heater and the radio, set the alarm on my cell phone and nap in the parking lot. I was addicted; naps were my crack. And if I didn't get one, I was not a happy-camper, not someone you wanted to be around. At one particular day care I worked at, we had a couch in the after-school room, and I would take a blanket that I kept in my closet and go curl up in there while the kids were in school. I was going to get my "fix" one way or another.

Then, the boy was born, and I thought my days of napping were over. Luckily, I learned (or rather, was trained) to nap when he did. This usually wasn't difficult either, since he has been thoroughly exhausting me for the past nearly-three years. {{♥ you, Bug, but it's true!}}

Even after I went back to school, and was working, and taking care of a toddler, and keeping up with a house, and putting a husband through a police academy...I always managed to find an hour, one measly little blip in time, when I could afford to "rest my eyes" for just a bit.

I'm a pro. =)

However, the tables have turned, as I realized today. I am no longer the blissful taker of naps, but am the somewhat-regretful-yet-willing protector of them.

My husband works four ten-hour days--evenings/nights rather--and has three days off. Those three days, because of his schedule, require him to take naps in order to function at normal family hours. My son, at nearly three years old, is still of an age where he requires a nap in order function as a friendly little man.

My job, is to make sure that the boy is quiet when the husband sleeps, that the husband is quiet when the boy sleeps, and that the WORLD is quiet while they both sleep. This means: no more naps for Mama. {{tear}}

Today alone I had to silence the dogs from barking at the yard-guy who came to spray for weeds, keep them from barking inside at a squirrel that was outside, let the cat in and out of every room he decided he needed to grace with his presence or depart from (he jumps on the doorknobs otherwise, and tries to turn them, scratches the doors with his paws, bellows, etc.), and ask the Jehovah's Witnesses to please not come knock on our door anymore since my husband works nights and it gets our dogs all riled up. (Yes I know Jesus, yes I can respect what you are doing, but no thank you...sincerely, the Keeper of the Naps)

And that was just today.

Three days a week I take on this new hat to add to my already very heavy collection atop my head. I miss my naps, but, it's something I have to do. I tried to take one today, and I couldn't even get my brain to shut down, keeping an ear out for every possible disturbance and an eye on three animals. It's more irritating to try and fail than to just not even entertain the idea at all.

Perhaps, someday, I will find myself at a point in my life where I can revive my affair with naps, but for now, I remain

Slumberella: Keeper and Protector of the Naps

{{okay, that's kinda sad, but it was the best my nap-deprived brain could come up with =D }}

Peace, love, and sweet, sweet slumber
♥ S.

p.s. two in one day? go me. =)

Talkin' bout comm-U-nication...

It's so refreshing these days to see people reverting back to good, old-fashioned means of communication. In the age of cell phones, email, video chats, instant messaging, text messaging, social networks, blue-tooth and those nifty little buttons in your car that let you turn your radio into a phone, we tend to forget about how we got in contact with one another 10, 20, even 30 years ago.

And I'm not just talking about written correspondence or dropping by someone's house to chat. Nor do I mean actually meeting up with someone for coffee or lunch to catch up. No sir.

I'm talking about flagging down someone you know who passes you going the opposite direction in their vehicle on the street, and proceeding to have a conversation in the road. Blocking both lanes of traffic. And refusing to move out of the way and continue your conversation elsewhere, despite the lines of morning traffic building up behind you on both ends. Despite the honking horns. Despite the "birds" flying out the windows.

No sir. You'll be damned before you allow other people's agendas to interrupt your long-overdue catch up conversation with a long-lost friend. They will have to wait. You aren't moving until you know all the gossip (You DID hear about Mary Jenkins down the street, right?!), have heard what Uncle Bill's cousin's friend's aunt's daughter wore to her prom (I know! Can you believe it?!), and make play dates for your youngest and their middle child for the first month of summer vacation (by the way, what are you guys doing for summer vacation this year? Any big plans? We were thinking about...).

Yup. It's good. It's nice to forgo the convenience of today's technologies in communication to catch up the old-fashioned way...at the expense of those around you.

So, thank you, mini-van moms, for reminding me today what's important in life. I think I'll call my best friend, and then have her meet me in the middle of Main St. for a little catching up. We'll grab some coffee, put the cars in park, sit criss-cross-applesauce (*lol*) on the hoods and reminisce about old times.

And, if you're looking to escape the conveniences of communication today, why don't you call up your bestie, have them meet you on a highly-trafficked road-way, and catch up the way we used to in the "olden days."

grr.

Peace, love, and consideration for those around you,
♥ S.

*insert quippy title here*

As I sit here and stare at a blank entry screen, I mourn the days when I actually had interesting things to write about. And then I wonder, how were the days when I was two dogs and a child lighter actually MORE interesting than now? It just simply can't be possible. Especially with that child now being nearly three with a mind and an attitude all his own.

And yet, here I sit...

Perhaps I'm just more distracted these days than I have been in the past. I do have a lot going on, I suppose. Although, maybe not at this precise minute in time, being that I'm out of school for the "summer." (Even though my summer consisted of two weeks of no classes until classes for the summer start up...yay.)

Perhaps I have too much free time on my hands, and that's my distraction. Having nothing to do, and choosing to do nothing, has left me completely mindless...perhaps. I guess I could have been a little more productive during these two weeks, but it's been kind of nice having nothing due to do. =)

{elapsed time: 15 minutes}

Well, still nothing. After browsing cable, checking my emails, and a quick game of Solitaire, I've still got nothing. So, I bid you adieu. Perhaps tomorrow will be a more eventful day, leaving me with something interesting to ramble on and on about. =)

'Til then, peace, love, and quiet evenings  =)
♥ S.

A beer, a blog...and some no-sugar-added chocolate peanuts =)

After a week of having a full-time sitter in the house (the MIL), it's just me and the kiddo tonight. He doesn't really like being down to just me after that much grandma time, so it's always interesting the first night. Plus, P's been home for the past three days as reinforcement as well, so now that he's back to work for the week, Z feels a little abandoned. I take the hit for that. Poor, poor me. =(

Nah, he's not too bad. It wasn't as bad as it has been before, but he is certainly at that age where he is testing and pushing buttons and trying boundaries and trying to make his own "stand" all the time. Good times. Apparently, the "terrible two's" work there way on into the three's as well. yay.

In other news, I've come to a conclusion:

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DONE RIGHT, YOU HAVE TO DO IT YOURSELF.

I came to this realization this morning, when I made my last trip through a fast-food drive-through. Yup, I won't do it anymore. I went to McDonald's this morning on my way home and ordered a biscuit sandwich and a hashbrown. Simple enough, right? Apparently not. I opened my bag and the hashbrown was just thrown in on top, not even in it's grease-absorbing little paper sleeve. That was resting underneath it, as if they had been thrown in separately. Under that, was my sandwich. It had been laid in a half-crumpled paper wrapper, with no attempt to wrap it up in it's usual nice, neat little package. And to add insult to injury to my poor biscuit sandwich, it was spread out like a deck of cards in a card trick...fan-style. I mean, what the hell? How difficult is it? It's fast-food. I can accept that it's all prepared in the microwave anyway. Yes, I've come to terms with that, but is it too much to ask that you take the extra 20-seconds to fix it up right?

And this isn't the first time that I've come across the do-it-yourself McDonald's franchise. In high school once, I went with a friend on lunch to McDonald's and ordered a Big Mac. When I sat down with it and opened it up, I saw three pieces of bread sitting on top of two pieces of cheese sitting on top of two meat patties, with lettuce, pickles and a dollop of special sauce in a corner. In all my 17-year-old courage and attitude, I took it up to the counter and demanded a re-do, as I did not order my burger "some assembly required."

So, I am coming to the conclusion that if I want something done right, I should just do it myself. And, no, I don't mean that I'm going to go work for McDonald's. What I mean is, I should just make my own food. I am taking these incidents--along with all the other bad experiences had visiting fast-food joints and drive-throughs--as signs that I should rid myself of fast food for good. I gave it up for lent this year, and did a great job for 40 days with NO FAST FOOD. And, it has been nothing but bad experiences since I went back. I should just start making and eating my own food. It's healthier anyway. I'll just pretend that it's lent every day. My waistline and my jeans will (hopefully) thank me. =)

And, further more, they are starting to take the term "fast-food" entirely too literally. This morning, my hastily-prepared breakfast was not only missing that tender-loving-care of put-together, but it was waiting for me about three feet outside of the pick-up window. That little woman must have been standing on a milk crate to lean out the window that far. It was like a classic snatch-and-grab. I get that it's supposed to be fast, but, come ON! And that's not the first time it's happened. They do the same thing at Wendy's. If they could just throw it into my car window, I believe that they would. It's pushy and rude and I'm over it I think.

So, to make a simple statement an entirely too-lengthy ramble: I am quitting fast food.

Plain. Simple. Done.

P's going to be very disappointed. So is Z. No more "french fries and nuggets." =) Poor kiddo. I'm just ruining his life. lol

And, on an ending note, tomorrow Z and I are going to go scope out a few gyms. Giving up fast food and taking in working out seem the logical give-and-take to me, yes/no??

'Til tomorrow: peace, love and better eating!

♥ S.

It's over! ... For now, at least...

Well, it's finally over. I took my last final of the semester today. yay. =)

Of course, my celebration will be short-lived, seeing as how the summer semester starts on June 1st. Ah well, I'm going to enjoy it while I can. I finally have my evenings to myself. With P working, and when Z goes to bed, I don't have any homework to do (or, to put off...lol) for about three weeks. Fantastic. Perhaps I can use this time to brush up on my blogging skills. I used to be so dedicated, so much better at this. Guess it's not like riding a bike.

Of course, it helps to have interesting things to write about. I'm kinda boring these days, so I don't have much to say. Sometimes I just sit here staring at the screen thinking, "Man, I'm lame." =\  But, I don't want to just use this time to whine and complain, which is something my old blog seemed to turn in to. Who wants to read all that negativity?! Sheesh. Drama-mama. lol

I think I did pretty well this semester though, so I'm happy about that. Algebra was kinda sucky, and I think I may have squeaked by there, but I just had little dedication to something that is completely inconsequential to my degree. After this summer I should be within ONE class of having nothing left but education courses. FINALLY! =) I can see light at the end of the tunnel for the first time since I started on this venture, and it feels great.

P's doing good too. Really enjoying himself and his new career. Wow. That's right, it's not just another "job," he has a CAREER now! We're getting so grown up. *hehe* In about 18 months, I'll be well on my way too. It's about time. It will be nice to feel like an adult, finally.

In frustrating news today, my smart(er-than-I-am) phone informed me yesterday that it wanted to download a status update. Since it's like a mini-computer, I figured, why not, right? They're supposed to help it continue to run smoothly, right? WRONG! After waiting 45-minutes for it to finish uploading the update, I found out that it reset EVERYTHING! It reset my background picture, my custom home screen set-ups, and I had NO contacts. I was so pissed! Why wouldn't it warn me that I needed to do some sort of online backup before I downloaded the update? That would have been courteous,Verizon. Luckily, after several hours, my contacts slowly started showing back up, but I still am having to go through and reset everything that took me four days to figure out how to do the first time. And now, my battery-life is SEVERELY diminished. All of a sudden, it doesn't hold a charge all day. I don't know what's sucking all it's juice, but I need to figure it out fast. Of course, it helps that I discovered that I can plug the USB cable into it and charge it from my computer. That's nice.

I might have to take it in to Verizon tomorrow and have them RE-explain everything to me now that it's all reset and different. Bah-humbug. I can't wait til Verizon gets the iPhone. Stupid android Google phone. =P I have come to hate ALL things "PC."

'Til tomorrow,
Peace, Love and Macs!

♥S.