Stupid work ethic

Why can I not call in sick to work when I'm not really sick? I'd LOVE to stay home today and play outside in the PERFECT weather we're going to have. Darn my parents for raising a responsible kid.

I've been gone at *the parents' house*. It was a nice, relaxing time that involved eating too much. What is it about people when they get old that food=happiness? I remember my grandma being that way. Now my mom and father-in-law have turned into that as well. I'm the first to admit some good chocolate can equal happiness, but just eating in general? Let's just say I'm afraid what the scale will say today.

I really, really, really, really, really, really, REALLY want to play in the gardens today. I have some big weeds that need to come out. And some mulch that hasn't found it's way to the proper spot yet. And a some branches that need trimming. And a wild grape vine running amok.

I hope my co-workers appreciate me.

In case you are having trouble feeling old....

Beloit College in Wisconsin has issued their annual "Mindset List". It's a list that defines the current entering freshman class. "It looks at the cultural touchstones that have shaped the lives of today’s first-year students." according to the list's website.

I'm WIDE awake...

There's some thunderstorms moving through the area. Thunderstorms always keep me awake. It's as though they energize me. At least I like thunderstorms.

Unfortunately, I need to be up at 6am to go to work tomorrow. So being wide awake at midnight isn't the greatest.

I like humor.

I like how humor can relieve tension in an otherwise stressful situation. I like how humor releases endorphins and makes one feel better.

Sometimes there isn't enough humor. Like Saturday night for example.

It started out fun enough. A big group of us went to a local "sweet corn festival" for the afternoon. Before I go any farther, I'm going to make a list of characters for you to help keep things straight:

• Me, just me.
• Hubby, my hubby
• Frodo, my kiddo
• Medicine Man, my best friend since high school
• Nurse in Space, Medicine Man's wife
• Princess, their daughter, aka Frodo's "sister"
• Auntie, no relation, just a great friend from hubby's work who is now an honorary family member
• Pretty Woman, a friend of Medicine Man's who lives near Dallas
• Texas girl, Pretty Woman's daughter

Refer back to the list as needed.

All of us were at the festival except Nurse in Space who had to work a day shift on Saturday. We had fun putting the kids on rides, playing games, browsing a craft show, and eating festival food. (Mmmmm... Mini Donuts....)

After the festival, we picked up Nurse in Space who was now home from work and we all went out for dinner at Red Robin. After dinner, we all ended up at my house. Most everyone was having some drinks, the kids were playing and having a good time, and there was lots of laughter. Life seemed good. About 10pm, Nurse in Space headed home since she had to work again on Sunday morning.

Late-ish (I won't even tell you how late it was as I am embarrassed to admit having my child still up at that time!), Medicine Man starts getting a little *wonky*. He's been known to get a little *wonky* after drinks. When he first starts showing signs of having consumed a bit too much alcohol, he gets all mushy, sentimental, and deep. If the night continues, he suddenly crosses a line and becomes irritable, cantankerous, and eventually re-opens a 7 year old wound of his. Well, the night continued past the sentimental part and he started on his usual soliloquy....

The wound that is the sponsor of his occasional drunken monologue has to do with the fact that he was fired from a job 7 years ago. He used to be a deputy at the sheriff's office with Hubby and Auntie. Hubby and Auntie still work there. Medicine Man was fired after an excessive force incident while he was working in the jail. From the stories I've heard, he wasn't fired so much for the actual use of excessive force, but for the fact that he lied on a report in regards to the incident.

Saturday night we had all been sitting and standing around the kitchen island chatting and laughing. Medicine Man's voice started turning towards a familiar direction, so I walked out to the living room where the kids were and sat with them. (They were playing video games and having loads of fun - completely oblivious to what was going on in the kitchen.) His voice started escalating and I heard the diatribe start. This time he sounded so much more angry and upset than usual. I could hear Pretty Woman yelling his name. Then I heard her say a few times, "Is this normal?" I was >this close< to escorting the kids outside for a 'night time fun hike' to get them away when Hubby escorted him out to the backyard so he could cool down. Fortunately, it didn't come to blows between the two of them, but it very easily could have.

While the two men were outside, Pretty Woman sits on the couch next to me and once again asks, "Is this normal?". As she sat wide-eyed, I described how this happens on occasion with him. We talked about how much of the story of his firing she didn't know, how often does this happen, and how I think he has a drinking problem. I still don't know what was contained in the conversation between Medicine Man and Hubby, but after a bit, Hubby came in and had Auntie come outside. (Auntie had been the one to take the brunt of his indoor yelling - he was right in her face.) He apologized to her, to Hubby, and then asked to speak to Pretty Woman. He apologized to her as well.

Auntie started getting Princess and Texas Girl ready to go home. She walked them home and got them into their jammies and tucked in. Medicine Man and Pretty Woman walked home and from what little I have had a chance to talk to Pretty Woman, they had just a little bit of a chat Saturday night, but decided to go to sleep and talk more in the morning. They had a big talk Sunday morning, and then Pretty Woman and Texas Girl had to get going to the airport for their flight home. I'm waiting to hear from her about the conversation the two had. She is going to call me soon.

I know I'll be having more discussions with Medicine Man about this. I'm not really looking forward to it. But it's one of those things that HAVE to be done. He and I have had many long, deep conversations. We often think along the same wavelength. We share a history of being raised in an alcoholic family. We understand each other well. I never could've married him or even dated him because he's more like a brother to me, and well, dating your brother is icky.

Do we need to change the name of our street to Wisteria Lane? I feel like I'm in the middle of a soap opera....

I need to answer a question....

Cursing Mama asked me in reply to my last post:

"Were there snakes chasing you?? Why would you run??"

Seeing as I take some handy medication, there are no snakes chasing me. That's a good thing. Better living through chemistry as a good friend of mine always says.

• A few other moms I know casually have recently lost some weight. When I tell them how great they look and ask the obligatory "how'd you do it?", I was told running. So.... Thinking if they could lose weight by running, maybe I could too! (No luck there yet. My problem is the stuff that goes in my mouth I guess....)
• I used to run many years ago. Every spring, I still get the itch to start running again as that was when track practice would start. A couple years ago, I thought I'd like to try and run a 5k. I tried to run a couple miles on two occasions and nearly died both times. I quit. And I made an appointment with a plastic surgeon to finally get the much needed breast reduction done. You'd be surprised how much 10 pounds of boobs can affect your breathing.
• Now being closer to normal breast size, I once again stumbled upon an ad for the same 5k that got me thinking about running the year before. I decided to try again. MUCH easier this time. I'm still not good at it - I can't run an entire 5k without walking. (My almost last place finish time for Saturday's race was 39 minutes, 2 seconds.) But the more I do it, the easier it gets.
• My blood pressure and pulse are down too. That could be due to a combination of things, but maybe it can keep me motivated to keep going with the running if I keep thinking it's the running. ;)

So there you have it. Why I run. At least if the snakes start chasing me, I'll be practiced in running away now.

I did it!!

I finished my first 5k run today. I even shaved 38 seconds off my best time. I'm so proud of myself! And tired.

I'm watching...

...a very cool show on tv tonight - Mythbusters. It's a fun show and I'd highly recommend it. A group of people scientifically debunk or prove urban myths. It makes me think it's like being a teenage boy ('lets see what happens if we do THIS'!) but safer. I didn't specifically turn it on. Hubby is off work tonight (regular day off) and he controls the remote. I could care less. I don't watch tv much at all. If he wasn't home, it wouldn't be on.

Anyhow, this post isn't about the tv show. It's about an ad I saw during the show. At first I thought it was a joke. But it's not. It's an ad wondering if you'd be interested in a new job. With the CIA. As in Central Intelligence Agency, not the Culinary Institute of America. The latter I'd more expect to see in an advertisement. I thought that was strange. Anyone else think so? Or do they routinely advertise about job openings? Maybe I'm missing something by not watching lots of tv....

Emerging from the rubble...

Frodo's room has been a disaster area for quite a few months now. I was >this close< to calling emergency management to request funding assistance for the cleanup.

Starting yesterday, with surprisingly minimal prodding from me, he and I got in there with trash bags and rubbermaid storage bins and started clearing it out. (Fortunately in my house, we don't allow food in the bedroom, so at least I didn't have to worry about finding 3 month old pizza in there...) I'm not so sure why he was willing to chip in. I thought maybe he was coming down with something. (In all honesty, he did develop a fever today.)

Two storage bins were filled with crap, um, I mean toys, that Frodo had deemed he could part with. (Be still my heart! There just might be hope for the little pack rat yet!) Two more storage bins were filled with more crap, I mean more toys, that Frodo has declared he cannot part with. (Ok. Only a little bit of hope.) One trash bag made it out. It mostly contained broken things, parts to toys we had no idea what they belonged to, valentines from 1st grade he was finally willing to part with, and scraps of paper that made no sense.

Then, we went to Target and bought some cube shelves. (On sale too! Yay!) They make these cool fabric drawers that fit right in the shelves as well, and we bought lots of different colors. We divided the "keep" things into piles based the *thing's* function. We filled the little fabric drawers, shoved them in the shelves, and ~voila!~. His room looks twice as big now! And I can walk through the room! One side to the other without stepping on a Lego or a book or an army guy or anything!

And of course, now that I can see the carpet, it looks awful. Maybe we should just throw a few toys down to cover those spots up....

Why is the workplace like family?

Sometimes in a good way, like a favorite aunt or a cousin you love to be with. Sometimes not, like a sibiling that drives you insane.

Fortunately, I work at a place where it's like family in the good way. I enjoy the people I share my time with as they are kind, caring, and just enjoyable to be around. It hasn't always been that way. I have worked with people that belonged in a mental institution as well. All I have to say to certain people is the word "Jan" and they get shivers up and down their spine. And to other people the word is "Brenda" and just thinking about her makes all of us cringe.

Currently, one of my all-time favorite coworkers has left. (I told her she was a great big brat and I hope she gets a giant zit on the tip of her nose.) She got a new job at a place that is closer to her home and can also guarantee 9 times out of 10 that she will get out at her scheduled time. It's a much better situation for her. She's been gone all of 2 days and I miss her.

I've already promised the doctor I work for that I won't leave again until he retires unless something out of my control causes it. I worked for him full time before I had Frodo. Then after Frodo was born, I wanted to go back to work part-time, but he wanted a full time staffer. So I found a new job at a pediatric urgent care clinic where I saw him on occasion. He would ask me, "when are you going to come back and work for me?" and I'd answer, "when you give me part-time hours." It was like a running joke between the two of us. The joke went on for four years.

One evening, he walks in and starts the joke all up, but he finishes with, "You've talked me into it. Will you come back part-time?" It turned out the current full-time staffer he had was looking for part-time hours as well. He said, "For the two of you, I'll do it." So for the past 5 years, she and I have shared one position with him. And since hubby is *fixed*, there won't be any pregnancy to throw a wrench into anything.

He won't retire for about 10 more years, so I've got a little job security. ;)

In the meantime, I'm at the point in my life where I'm considering going back to school to increase my degree a bit. For when that 10 years runs out. Maybe I'm the one that belongs in the mental institution!

Do you remember...

...the post I recently wrote about doing a blog-a-thon with all the saved links I have in my "Blog" folder?

Well, the blog-a-thon is being put on hold. Yesterday, I flipped my calendar over to August. I expected to see quite a lot of empty squares, devoid of ink.... Instead, I find all sorts of appointments and obligations. A CPR class I'm teaching. A visit to the dentist. A visit to the allergist. A visit to my drug dealer. A visit to the orthodontist. A visit for the much anticipated "yearly". :P And penciled in is my first 5K.

On top of all this is my mom getting after me to come visit her.

I was REALLY hoping August was going to be a quiet month.

I guess there's always September....