Babalooooo!

The Christmas Card Photo Shoot

2011-12-07T11:15:00.001-08:00

I really liked the concept, but we were battling the low, setting sun.

Jacob got Alex in the frame... but what are these looks?

Ding ding ding! This is the winning shot.

Look how happy they are to be here!

Alex, was actually on board with taking the pictures, unfortunately he had just woken up from a nap and didn't have his usual "twinkle."

Jacob, on the other hand, absolutely DID NOT want to have his picture taken but you can't really tell from this smile! Unless of course he is plotting his revenge?

No Thanksgiving Zone

2011-11-23T21:28:00.001-08:00

I knew it was a bad idea. I mean, who, in their right mind, starts a kitchen remodel project a week before Thanksgiving? No one. No one in their right mind that is. I knew it was a bad idea. I knew it in my heart. I knew it in my mind... but I went along with it anyway. My husband was so excited about it and I got caught up in the possibilities of how awesome it was going to look and how clean my kitchen would be when it was done. We've been planning it for a long time. What we wanted to do, how we wanted it to look. What materials we would need, how much we could spend and who we were going to hire to do it for us.
Then? All of the sudden, after a good couple of weeks of bar tending at the Sharks' games my husband announces that he talked to a contractor that had done some work for us in the past and he was coming by to start work on our kitchen.
Wait. What?
"We have the money," he rationalized. "Let's do it now before the money is gone."
"What about Thanksgiving?" I asked.
"I already talked to him about it. He'll be done before then."
In my defense? It was possible. In ideal circumstances... anything is possible. What wasn't possible was what we wanted done and the time frame in which to actually get it done. And? I knew that. The rational, intelligent part of me (that really does exist, I swear) knew it would never come to fruition. Thus, we have, the "No Thanksgiving Zone."
My kitchen? The one where I cook up a Thanksgiving storm? Is totally cut off from me. We can't even go in there. Total disaster. We are eating off of paper plates. I am at the point where I don't ever want to eat out again. Ever. Fast food? Ugh, can't even think about it. I've eaten so much fast food in the last week-and a-half to last me a lifetime. And? My hips agree.
I have no idea where we'll be eating for Thanksgiving tomorrow... but I do know it won't be in my old little kitchen/dining room. *sigh*
Hopefully we will be ready for Christmas.
Hopefully.

Dear Kids -

2011-11-15T15:06:00.001-08:00

Love,

Mom

Baby Star

2011-11-11T21:35:00.001-08:00

Saw this on an episode of Criminal Minds. It turns out this was an original poem/children's story written by the show's writers after they found it difficult to gain license to write in an actual bedtime story into their story line.

It was moving to me personally... for a lot of reasons.

Baby Star

Once there was a baby star.

He lived up near the sun.

And every night at bedtime that baby star wanted to have some fun.

He would shine and shine, fall and shoot and twinkle oh so bright.

He said “Mommy, I’ll run away if you make me say goodnight.”

And then his mommy kissed his sparkly nose and said,

“No matter where you go, no matter where you are.

No matter how big you grow and even if you stray far.

I’ll love you forever, because you’ll always be my baby star.”

Most Quotable Friday

2011-11-11T11:14:00.001-08:00

Quotes and Quotables from my Twitter Timeline. Enjoy!

1. Shining like a star is not important, just glow like moonand be a light in a dark for others.

2. Faking a smile is the most painful lie, but the mosteffective way to hide from all the questions.

3. It's not that some people have willpower and some don't.It's that some people are ready to change and others are not.

4. Vision is the art of seeing the invisible.

5. Normal is just a setting on your dryer.

6. Face your problems. Don't Facebook your problems.

7. "We eachdo the best we can. My best may not be as good as your best, but it's my best.The fact is that we know when we are doing our best and when we are not. If weare not doing our best, it leaves us with a gnawing hunger and frustration. Butwhen we do our level best, we experience a peace." ~ Marjorie PayHinckley

8. The early bird gets the worm, but the angry bird gets thepig.

9. Life is like a storm, the strong may survive, but the wiseknow where to turn when the turmoil is over.

10. “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, itis time to pause and reflect.” ~ Mark Twain

11. If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done…

12. Just when you think you’ve finally hit the bottom, someonetosses you a shovel.

13, When I say “wow, that’s crazy”, 99% of the time, it meansI haven’t been listening to a word of your conversation.

Thursday Blurbs

2011-11-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

1. Funniest, "out of the blue," random, text from my cousin, ever:

Hmm. Just noticed our nanny has a personalized license plate that says "GR8TBUNZ"...

2. Followed up with...

She is a 65 year old great-grandma

Apparently with great buns!

3. Then another one today:

Didn't need to know that this exists: boobiebeanie.com

Enough said.

4. I had a very rude awakening last weekend. I don't want to get into it here. But let's just say that a brand new perspective was born and I will never be the same again.

5. While the awakening was shocking and rude it had nothing to do with my 49ers who came off their bye week with a bang and now have the 2nd, yes, SECOND best record in the NFL. LOL! It is only week 8 (halfway thru the season) and their magic number to clinch the NFC West is, 6! I hope they can keep it up. GO NINERS!

6. Well my friends you are hearing it here first (unless of course you saw it on Twitter), I am officially losing it. There is no explaining it a way, there is no laughing it off and there is no denying it. Last night I was making dinner for my family and had a few things going on the stove. While I had a few minutes in betweein stiring, sauteeing and baking I decided to prepare my coffee for the next morning. I put the filter in the coffee maker and then proceeded to open the flavor packet for the rice-a-roni I was about to make... and put it in the filter. *sigh*

7. If Starbuck's comes out with at "rice pilaf" flavored latte anytime soon... please let me know. I might need to invest in a good copyright infringement lawyer.

8. There are so many reasons I love my husband, but one of them is the following: After telling him my story about making pilaf flavored coffee his reaction was classic. He could have laughed at me (well, he did a little) and made me feel stupid... but instead he told me a story of when he bought an instant noodle soup from the catering truck at work and when he opened it up to eat it he realized instead of filling it up with hot water he had filled it up with hot coffee. LOL! We are both losing it!

9. Oh and if Starbuck's comes out with a "beef ramen" flavored coffee... well, you know what to do.

Writer's Workshop

2011-11-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

From the writing prompts, I present:

5.) A day in the life of my pet...how bad does he have it?

This is me, Nico. I don't like to take pictures. The following is a typical day in my life:

Oh my God, it's 4:30am. Why does this man have to get up so early? Let me burrow deeper into my blanket so the light doesn't bother me.

An hour and a half later...

I smell coffee. *sniff* That weird machine-thing goes on by itself every morning....which means, My mom should be coming out soon! Yippee! I can't wait!. Here she comes. Here she comes, I can hear her waking up Alex, here she comes, here she comes here she...where did she go?

25 minutes later...

There she is, there she is, there she is!. She's opening the door to my kennel, yes! Aaahhh, looooong stretch (It's kind of cramped in there), Oooh, now the other leg.Streeeeeeeeeeeeeetch. Can you open that sliding door, please? I have to pee. Thank you thank you thank you...

What's that smell? It's kind of cold out here. Hmm... Something has been over here near the garbage can. Hey, that garbage smells kind of good. What just jumped over the fence? Is that a siren?

"Bark, bark-bark-bark-bark, bark."

Time to go back inside. Score! Mom is putting out the food. A peperoni stick, broken in half, just the way I like it. My moist & meaty and two milk bones... Oh and fresh water. I'll drink that later. Oh, there she is! The most wonderful, perfect human that ever walked this earth! Hi Mommy! I must feel you scratch my ears the way that no one else can.... yes, yes, yes, a little to the left, yes, yes, yes, the other side, oh right there. Best. Mommy. Ever.

Ugh. There is that gate thing again blocking my way into the living room It's not fair you know. I used to be able to go wherever I wanted. Now? When no one is home I have to stay in the kitchen. It is so BORING in here. Ever since they got that new furniture I've been stuck here. No one asked me if I wanted new furniture. I thought the old stuff was fine. They said it smelled bad, especially MY couch where I used to sleep all the time. I liked that the stuffing was coming out of the hole that I made in the cushion. Look, It's not my fault that I may have barfed there a couple of times and didn't tell anyone. They eventually figured it out. And? I only peed by the T.V. a couple of times. It's my nature... I have to mark what's mine. Especially when I'm mad at someone for not taking me on a walk. It's not my fault they don't like the smell. Humans and their delicate sensibilities. Sheesh.

Mom just left to drive Alex to the bus stop. Well, now what do I do? I guess I'll plop on the blanket. She'll be back in a few minutes.

10 minutes later...

There she is again, mommy! mommy! and... she's gone. Oh wait! She's waking up Jacob! I wonder what he's having for breakfast? I hope it's one of those breakfast burritos again. How awesome was that last week when he dropped half of it on the ground? Yum! Here he comes. He's putting something in the microwave, what, hey! Watch it! You almost stepped on me! I just want to see what you're doing... What? Don't yell at me. You watch where YOU"RE going! So, what is it? what is it? what is it? what is it? Are you going to share? Can I have some? can I have some? can I have some? can I... Yes! Thank you thank you thank you.... is there more? is there more? is there more?

30 minutes later...

"Bark!" Doorbell! "Bark!" Doorbell!

Hey! Someone is at the door! Are you gonna get that? Hello? I can't go over there because I'm sequestered over here in the kitchen! Hello?
It's Raul (Jacob's friend)! Hi Raul! Come over and say hi. Please? please? please?

What? Where are you going? Wow, that was fast. You guys are leaving me already? What am I going to do all day? Well, alright. Bye... have a good....(door closes) day. *sigh*

7 hours later...

Oh man, what's that noise? Is it... It is, it is! Jacob's home from school! Wow where did the day go? I was in such a deep sleep for most of it. I don't remember anything after dozing in the morning sun. How did I get back on my blanket? Oh well, never mind. Jacob's home and he's going to open the gate. Happy dance, happy dance happy dance... I'm so happy to have company again... I love my Jakey poo! Oh, yes. I do need to go outside. Nice! Thank you Jacob!

1 hour later...

Alex and Dad are home! More company! I'm going to go hang out with Alex in his room. I hope he brings chips.

1 hour later...

It's almost time. She's almost home. I can sense it. My heart is beating so fast... I can't wait to see her. Is that her car? It is, it is, it is... I know it, I know it. SHE's HOME! MOMMY! I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you! Aahh, that feels so good, yes, now scratch my neck, now my ear again.... I've been waiting for that all day! Can we go out? I know I'm not allowed in your room, but I'm following you down the hall anyway to remind you that I need to go out on a walk. Are you gonna... can we...(door closes in my face). Okay. I'll just wait here. Take your time! *sigh*

I hope she's changing her clothes. If she puts on her sneakers that TOTALLY means we are going on a walk. Here she comes! Omg! Omg! Omg! let me spin around to show my joy! Spin! Spin! Is she going to grab the leash.... YES! I AM THE HAPPIEST DOG E-VER! LET'S GO, LET'S GO, LET'S GO!

I love being outside! Oh, I remember this bush right here... oh, uh huh, this mailbox smells the same, good. la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la. I'm so happy, I'm so happy. Smell that fresh air. Excuse me a minute while I do some business, right over here. Oh, yeah, that's the spot. I wish I could whistle. I feel like whistling right now. Why yes, I am prancing. I didn't know there was a name for it, but I like it. Pant, pant, pant, pant... I love you but you walk way to slow. Who's that over there? Can we go meet him? Why is he barking at me? What did I do? C'mon, just for a second... I want to smell his... what? why? I never get to do anything fun.

Okay, back home. Dinner time! I'll just sit right here, very patiently, next to my food dish until my mom realizes it's time to unlock the deliciousness that is my Caesar's dinner. I really hope it is fillet mignon. Or? Maybe chicken. Haven't had that in a while. Dupety-doo, dumpty- dum. If I had fingers I think I'd be twiddling them right now. Why yes, I do want to eat! Thank you much for asking! You are so amazing. It's like you read my mind.! Yum, yum, gulp, gulp. aaahhh! That was good!

I Wonder what they are eating for dinner?

2 hours later...

Oh man, that smells so good. What are they making? Can I have some? Can I? What's that? Did something drop? Oh, gross. *sniff sniff* That's an onion. Disgusting. What? Dinner time. Let's eat! Let me just take my spot over here under the table so I can observe everyone. Let's see, who is going to drop something first? Ouch! Hey watch it, that was my nose! Don't act like you didn't know I was here. I'm ALWAYS here. Where else would I be during DINNER TIME? Waiting, waiting... yes, there it is. The hand of the most awesome-est lady around, and what does she have? Meat? For me? Oh, I am humbled by your kindness. Yes, I will accept your kind offer and gulp it down without chewing. Yum!

1 hour later...

Well, it looks like everyone is kind of settling in for the night. I'll hang out here on the floor by the couch and hope for some attention. It's not like I'm allowed up on the couch anymore and can fall asleep on next to someone's leg. Why don't they feel sorry for me? It is so unfair! Oh wow, is that Jacob fresh out of the shower? Omg, he smells so good after the shower... I must nip at his toes and spin around in excitement. Wait, what are you doing? Ugh. You know I don't like it when you pick me up.

"Grrrr..." Put me down. I said, "GRRRRRRRR."

Okay, that's better. Well, it is getting kind of late. I'm not feeling very social anymore so I think I'll go into my kennel and go to sleep. *yawn* Let me just arrange these blankets the way I like them, okay, just like that. Goodnight.

1 hour later...

What is that? Oh, you're putting the door on the kennel. You had to wake me for that? Jeez, a guy pees under the table a few times and you have to put him in jail for the entire night?

"Grrrrr..."

Whatever, leave me alone. I'm sleeping.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

Most Quotable Friday

2011-10-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

More quotables that I have plucked right off my Twitter timeline... Enjoy!

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgmentthat something else is more important than fear.

The longer you keep your anger in,the greater the size of the eventual explosion.

I don't have an attitude problem, I have a personality you can't handle.

Obstacles are put in your way so that you can discover the magnitude ofthe strength you possess.

I am eagerly awaiting my next disappointment.

“If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, everystep we take just gets us to the wrong place faster.” ~ Stephen Covey

It's not easy taking my problems one at a time when theyrefuse to get in line.

As long as there are successes that still lie ahead, weshould never be defined by the mistakes of our past.

When life seems to be spinning out of control, you just haveto stop and ask yourself, "How much ice cream would Jesus eat?"

Believe, and do it until the end of the day.

So often we are depressed by what remains to be done andforget to be thankful for all that has been done.

Funny, I don't remember being absent-minded.

Thursday Blurbs

2011-10-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

1. In case no one noticed I was on vacation last weekend! Well, a virtual vacation anyway. My friend surprised me on Friday with a text that said "on my way to Vegas!" What? She didn't tell me she was going to Vegas. I wanted to go. So? I decided to go with her virtually. I had a blast! I sat by the pool and sipped cocktails, I went out to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, I... um. Well there was a bit of a blank for about 12 hours there, so I'm not sure exactly what I did after that. Whatever it was I'm sure it wasn't laundry, cleaning my kitchen or grocery shopping because those are things someone, who isn't in Vegas for the weekend, does.

2. I got the bill for my speeding ticket in the mail today and almost fainted. I did feel a little lightheaded, no joke. I got "speed trapped" a couple of weeks ago downtown on my way home from work. I was going 40 in a 25. I thought for sure it was going to be a $50-60 ticket. I was even prepared for $75. Anything more than that I didn't even think was possible. I opened up the mail this morning and it is a $244 fine! Omg. I don't have $244 for a f#*%&^ ticket! How can this city possibly be broke if they are handing out $244 citations? Even better? If I want to go to traffic school it is $287! What?

3. I went to the dentist on Monday. I love my hygienist, at least I think I do, but I only see her every six months so I always seem to forget two things about my semi annual visits. The first thing I forget is that she likes to talk. She is a constant chatter box who never leaves a moment's pause go without filling in the silence. And with me as a captive audience, why not? Today we she discussed the "hot" weather in Santa Cruz, how she went to the beach yesterday but couldn't get a parking spot and how she woke up at 5 am (because it was to hot and she doesn't have a/c). She spent the morning cooking beans and ham hocks. She threw in some peppers from her garden a little garlic and is "so good for you." Before she knew it she had missed the last mass of the day because she gets all messed up with the time when she wakes up that early. She is also having some work done on her roof. The roofers used the wrong size nails and were nailing through to her ceiling so they had to start using a smaller size nail. She talked about her Thanksgiving plans, her daughter, her sister (whose daughter had a baby last Thanksgiving), oh and the doctor there at the office just had a baby two months ago. He brought the baby in about a month ago but she didn't get to hold her because she was ~~talking~~ working. My head was about to explode from all this information she was force feeding me.

4. The other thing that I forgot about my hygienist is that she is a violent flosser. She grabs that floss and goes to town on my poor sensitive teeth and gums. It hurts more than the cleaning and the scraping. I have no idea what she was chatting about (probably her ex husband at that point) while she was flossing because I was focusing on the pain and if I could just make it through the next couple of minutes I could get up and rinse. I'm going to suggest some calming music next time or maybe inquire about getting my gums numbed before the flossing. Ouch.

5. Alex (my oldest) has just read my Body Snatchers post and thinks I should post it on Facebook. He thought it was good and was not offended (because it is the TRUTH) unlike his brother, Jacob. He already posted it on his Facebook page where all his friends could see.... LOL! Some of them even commented (on FB). Alex will not be suing me for publishing this post, unlike Jacob, who is apparently still offended. Sorry Boo Boo.

6. I was telling my friends and co-workers Victoria and Jennifer the story of my cats and I remembered that I had written a post, er, two posts (a two parter) years ago about their story. It is a really special story so I would like to share it (again) here: Part 1 and Part 2. Enjoy!

7. I apologize for being vague in my Writer's Workshop post yesterday about #22 (I have had my dog kidnapped) Some commenters were asking whether I got him back and the answer is YES! It was a long and involved story that took place (of all days) on Mother's Day a few months ago. For all the (very long winded) details of that day please click here (part 1), here (part 2), here (part 3) and here (part 4). Yes there are 4 parts. It really was a horrible, horrible day.

Writer's Workshop

2011-10-26T09:10:00.000-07:00

This week's Prompt: 1) Write about 22 things that you HAVE done.

I didn't choose last weeks prompt of 22 things I haven't done... because at my age that is kind of depressing. So this week I went all POSITIVE and made a list of 22 things I have done. I kind of impressed myself... but then again it just shows my age. Oh well... enjoy!

I am, gulp, 40-ish and I have:

1. Experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat..
2. Been a step-parent and a step-grandparent.
3. Been to the top of the Empire State Building and seen a Broadway play.
4. Driven from Guadalajara, Mexico to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico... and back (with small kids).
5. Been at the bedside of a loved one when they took their last breath.
6. Body surfed in two different parts of the Pacific ocean.
7. Been to a Superbowl.
8. Been to a World Series.
9. Been to a World Cup Soccer match.
10. Been to a Stanley Cup Playoff Game.
11. Taught 2 people how to drive.
12. Laid both of my grandparents to rest at the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punch Bowl in Hawaii.
13. Had a broken bone.
14. Water skied in Lake Havasu, Arizona.
15. Experienced the Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989.
16. Saved someone's life.
17. Nursed someone after surgery.
18. Cried when someone broke my son's heart.
19. Ran in the Bay to Breakers (SF, CA)
20. Participated in, and finished, a mini triathalon.
21. Seen U2 in concert.
22. Had my dog kidnapped.

Goodwill Avocado Hunting

2011-10-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

This is my neighbor "Dan's" avocado tree. Isn't it gorgeous? Not only is it huge, but the branches have grown over the years and many of them hang over onto our property. I could be wrong (I haven't researched any property laws) but I think, technically, if an avocado from this tree were to fall into our yard it would become "our" avocado. Right? I said right? Okay, that's what I thought.

This, on the other hand, is the stage of our avocado tree. It's not quite there yet. Okay, it's not even in the ground yet. We are trying, but this is about as far as we've been able to get. Being the impatient people that we are, we don't want to wait for 5-10 (20?) years to grow our own avocados when we practically have an orchard of them next door. Dan's tree has over a hundred avocados right now that are ripening to perfection How many avocados can he possibly need or eat?

These are some of the branches that are hanging over the fence. One of them (below) is all the way over our roof. My husband believes we are entitled to not only these beautiful avocados but also some of the other ones that aren't "quite" on our side of the property line. So do I, of course, but the difference is that he doesn't want to just ask Dan if we can pick the avocados. It's like he equates it to asking directions, or some other "guy" thing that I just don't get. I'm sure Dan wouldn't mind. In fact I think he'd probably be proud that we had an interest in his avocados. I am absolutely positive that Dan would be more than happy that we wanted to take some for ourselves. But, no, we will not ask Dan if we can pick his avocados.

Instead my husband has decided to hunt for the avocados in cognito. This has presented several obstacles. One is that he has to wait for when Dan is not at home. Dan is a fireman... so his schedule is, er, irregular. Second, my husband has to be home at a time when Dan isn't at home. My husband works two jobs, so his opportunities are few and far between. Also, you can't just pick the avocados before they are ready. You have to wait. But? If you wait to long, the birds or the squirrels may get to a ripe avocado first. It is a very difficult balance. When all the stars are aligned, Dan is not home and there is a ripe avocado ready to be plucked that hasn't been touched by an opportunistic squirrel or bird... then there presents a third obstacle. Dan's dog.

Dan's dog will bark and bark (and bark) every time my husband comes near the fence. Fortunately (despite how hubs feels about him), we also have a dog. And our dog? Has treats! A whole cupboard full of them. So, my husband will gather his hand made tool (an old basket he attached to what used to be a broom or shovel handle), his ladder and a pocketful of dog treats and set up for his avocado gathering.

It is a painstaking procedure, which I haven't seen for myself, but apparently he gets up on the ladder, reaches over the fence and tries to pry any avocados that are loose and ripe enough to come off their branch into (hopefully) the basket. He has been pretty successful so far and gotten a few avocados for our table. And? They are delicious. Smooth, creamy and with a hint of nutty after taste. So worth all the cloak and dagger. So. Worth. It.

Which? Leads me to my next endeavor. Limes. This (below, right) is where I walk the dog in my neighborhood. See that tree over on the right of the sidewalk? No, a little further down... see, here (below, left)? That, is a lime tree.

FYI: We have a lime tree in our back yard. A newly planted lime tree. That has no limes.

This lime tree? Has limes. Limes that are just sitting there. Branches sticking right out on the public sidewalk. I'm the public, aren't I? It doesn't even look like the people who live in this house even know they have a lime tree, that is ripe... with limes. So? Sometimes. When I'm walking the dog. I may (or may not) pluck one or two limes and slip them into my pocket. I mean? I don't know about the rest of you, but limes here, where I live, are currently two for a dollar. Fifty cents people. For a lime! That is criminal. I think I am justified. And if I'm not? Sue me. The limes are good. Although, maybe next time I walk by there I'll throw some quarters on the front porch, or just ask if I can have some!

Smiley Face Birds

2011-10-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Most Quotable Friday

2011-10-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

Twitterable Quotables from my Twitter Timeline... Happy Friday!

1. Sow seeds of doubt and expect insecurity. Sow seeds of hopeand enjoy optimism.

~~Fruit Salad~~

2. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is notputting it in a fruit salad.

3. “He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend losesmore; but he that loses courage loses all.” ~ Cervantes

4. Listen to your feelings; give them a voice, they aremessengers from your heart for mending your broken spirit.

5. Acceptance is not about denying or hiding. It is aboutstruggling, surrendering, and finally transforming through the power of grace.

6. “Extraordinary people live their lives backward. They createa future, and then they live into it.” ~ Unknown

7. “We are all faced with a series of great opportunitiesbrilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” ~ Charles R. Swindoll

8. You are where you are in life because of your thoughts.

9. You can fool some of the people all of the time and all ofthe people some of the time. But you can fool yourself anytime.

10. “It is not how big you are, it’s how big you play.” ~Unknown

11. I no longer jump to conclusions because it hurts my back.

Thursday Blurbs

2011-10-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

1. There is nothing worse than getting up at 5:30am on Sunday morning, driving 40 miles to your son's soccer game only to have it be forfeited. Gah. Apparently our team's coach was in L.A. for the weekend and the person (part time coach and trainer) whom he entrusted the coaching duties to, totally flaked and decided not to be bothered with the early morning, out of town game, and didn't show up. Which would have been fine, there were plenty of people (who also made the early morning trek to watch their sons game) who could have stepped up and ran the game. Oh, but wait. We also had no player passes and we cannot play without those.

2. Fortunately I was able to come home and watch football on TV. Whoohoo! Game of the week Baby. The Niners outlasted and out-dueled the undefeated Detroit Lions. Great, exciting game and everything I hoped for. And, as an added bonus, the Raiders won their game too. They are looking very good as well.


3. Hahahahahahahaha.... this!

4. We had a meeting yesterday at work to resolve some communication issues we (our department) are having with another employee. This person is (as my coworker labeled her aptly among other colorful words) cantankerous. Just a miserable human being. But I have to tell you that I have found a new level of respect for this person because she must be damn good at her job. She must have a skill set above and beyond anyone in this region. During this meeting she went absolutely ape sh*t and wouldn't shut up. She talked over me, interrupted me, yelled at a VP, argued with the CEO and was completely contemptuous, vile and out of control. Yet? She still has a job. What is the lesson here? Besides being a spoiled and over-indulged child, she is (she must be) the most valuable employee this company has ever seen. They must pay her her own weight in gold. They are probably apologizing to her right now so that she doesn't resign. I love my job.

5. I see they finally found Gadhafi. 42 years of terror that man imposed on his own people. He was a bizarre one wasn't he?.

6. I'm such a geek but I can't wait for Breaking Dawn to come out. I'm a little perturbed that they are doing the whole two part thing like Harry Potter... but I guess they kind of have to if they want to follow everything in the book.

7. I seem to be scrambling here for things to blurb about so I'll just end it right here. Happy Thursday!

Writing Workshop

2011-10-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

Mama Kat's Writing Workshop. This week's choice from the weekly prompts is:

4) Share the story behind your current Facebook and/or Twitter profile photo.

In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month I was actually looking for a simple pink ribbon image to display as my Facebook profile picture for the month of October. However, I came across this image (above) and decided to ~~steal~~ borrow it instead. I think it is simple, yet very poignant and sums up my feelings about this disease in a nutshell.

Everything about cancer sucks. Being sick, hearing the diagnosis for the first time, the fear, the anger, the unknown, going through treatments, the hospitals, the doctor visits, and having your whole world come crashing down. It sucks for family and it sucks for friends. How dare this disease attack someone I care about? IT. SUCKS.

It seems we have all been touched by this disease in one way or another in our lives. We have lost dear friends, family members, neighbors, community members, co-workers or acquaintances. It affects the rich, the poor and everyone in between. We may know people that are battling it right now. We mourn those that fought the good fight and lost. We cheer for those that are kicking and have kicked it's ass. There is no deeper or darker loss and I don't think there is any sweeter victory, available to us in this lifetime, than beating cancer.

I lost my mom seven years ago to ovarian cancer. Yesterday would have been her 46th wedding anniversary. There are times, even now, when I think about calling her up and telling her something that I think she would find amusing. And then? I remember she is no longer with us. In those moments, when I realize I can't talk to her, I find myself having to catch my breath. It's like having little segments of losing her all over again. And yes, it sucks. I lost my grandmother over twenty years ago to lung cancer. It was long before I met my husband and long before I had children. However, as my children grew up I always wished she could have known them. She would have really enjoyed them. My oldest son is so much like her. They would have been best friends.

So, in memory of my late mother and grandmother... I proudly display the "cancer sucks" beanie baby image as my current Facebook profile picture.

Security Cameras

2011-10-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

Both of my kids were accused of misdeeds at school this week. Two seperate incidences at two different schools. Both were absolved because of security camera footage. I'm still processing all of my thoughts and feelings concerning this. On the one hand, I don't like the fact that they were both falsely accused, brought into the office and that I was never contacted from either school. In one case my son was even interviewed by the police. On the other hand, I do realize what the schools are up against. Kids are out of control and the school administrations are just trying to get to the bottom of all the bad behavior. I get it. It is what I find myself trying to do half the time in my own house.

The first incident happened at the high school. There were some kids throwing eggs and water balloons and unfortunately, a teacher got hit. Afterwards someone identified Alex on the camera footage and he was brought in to the office. he, of course, denied any involvement and they told him that they had him on tape. My son, the future lawyer, demanded that they show him the security tape in his presence. After sitting there for nearly two class periods they finally tracked down the correct segment and showed it to him in front of the principal. After watching it closely it was obvious they had the wrong kid and that it wasn't my son. "I told you, it wasn't me. Can I go to class now." He told them in what I hope was a very stern tone of voice (I know it was when he re-told the story to me). The next day he was brought in again and was interviewd by the police. This time they were asking for his help to identify the people that were actually involved.

The second incident happened at the middle school. My 8th grader was walking down the stairs and he tripped over a back pack, fell and landed awkwardly as he tried to keep his balance. One of the assistant principals, "Mr. Doom," approached him and said "I saw what you did. How many times do I have to tell you not to jump down the stairs?"
"Um," Jacob said. "You've told me once."
"Once should be enough. Come with me to the office." Mr. Doom told him. Jacob tried to tell him that he tripped, but Mr. Doom isn't much of a listener.
When they got to the office Mr. Doom brought Jacob to the security monitors and told him that they were going to watch the security tape and asked him what should happen to him if the tape showed him jumping down the stairs. Jacob told him he could give him detention for the rest of the year.
"That isn't going to happen. Seriously, what should happen to you?"
"Fine," Jacob said. "Give me Friday school for the next three weeks."
"Are you sure?" Mr. Doom sneered (in my imagination he sneered).
"I'm sure," Jacob smiled sweetly (in my imagination he smiled sweetly)
They watched the video and just like Jacob said, he tripped over a backpack and fell down the last few stairs.
"I'm sorry Jacob. You can go." Mr. Doom said.

Since both of these incidents happened one right after another it got me thinking. And now?

I am SERIOUSLY considering installing security cameras inside my house. Imagine the possibilities. I could totally catch that "It Wasn't Me" guy, his twin "Not Me" or their buddy "I Don't Know."

It's The Thought That Counts

2011-10-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

Although, sometimes it's not.

My son, well, both of them actually, is a smart-ass. He's 16 so don't be offended, please.

One of the ways he likes to drive me crazy is to take things, especially cliches, out of context.

"Alex, you haven't cleaned your room." I will say to him on any random day, because his room is never clean.

"I know," he'll say. "It's the thought that counts."

"Um? No, it's really not."

Or let's talk about his huge stack of laundry that he agreed to tackle on his own. "Alex, have you started your laundry? I need to start a load."

"No."

(Grrr.) "Why not?"

"It's the thought that counts."

No, it really isn't.

There aren't many victories in my life these days so I sort of have to take them when I can get them. One of the ways I can find satisfaction in a good "win" is when I can make one of my kid's words come back to bite him. It's small and petty of me, but, like I said one of the only things I have left. Raising teenagers has left me without much pride.
"Did you get me anything from the store?" He asked me one day when his brother and I returned from the store and he noticed him eating some red vines.

"No." I said with my sweetest smile. "I did think about it though, and it's the thought that counts, right?"

Discontented Birds

2011-10-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

Most Quotable Friday

2011-10-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

A Collection of tweets from my Twitter timeline...

1. You've got to get up every morning with determination if you’regoing to go to bed with satisfaction.

2. Most people are only alive because it is illegal to shootthem.

3. It matters not whether you win or lose; what matters iswhether I win or lose.

4. Alcohol doesn't solve any problems, but then again, neitherdoes milk.

5. There are 6,775,235,741 people in the world. Why let oneruin your life?

6. If anyone can put the “i” in “Team” it’s Apple.

7. God put me on this Earth to accomplish a certain number ofthings. Right now, I am so far behind I will never die.

8. Don’t judge a book by its movie.

9. If you don’t have a sense of humor, then you might not haveany sense at all.

10. “If you don’t know what you are doing wrong, you can neverknow what you are doing right.” ~ Chen Xinhua

11. Behind my smile is everything you'll never understand.

Thursday Blurbs

2011-10-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

1. Last week (in addition to being sick) Alex was without his phone for a couple of days. He had lost it at school. I couldn't figure out why, in the morning, I would come out for my coffee and the TV would be on. Did my husband turn it on before he left for work and forget to turn it off? I finally asked Alex if he had turned on the TV. He told me he had. "Why?" I asked. "So I could check the weather since I can't check it on my phone." Duh.

2. Also from Alex when we were buying lottery tickets last Friday... "Do you know the first thing I am going to do when I turn 18?" "Buy a lottery ticket?" I answered. "Yeah, and watch, I'm going to win. The first time." That is such great news! I only have to be poor and struggling through this recession for two more years. Whew.

3. If someone would have said before the NFL season started that the week 6 match up between the 49ers and the Detroit Lions would be a pivotal match up between two of this season's heavy weights? I, along with many other football fans, would have had them committed. But, it's true. the Niners are 4-1 and Detroit is unbelievably 5-0. Tune in on Sunday. Go Niners!

Al Davis 1929 - 2011

4. I have been guilty, as have many Bay Area sports fans, of how do I say, making colorful statements about how the Oakland Raiders needed to get rid of their owner Al Davis who seemed to be keeping his team hostage in the glory days of the 70's and not bringing them into the 21st century. Mr. Davis passed away early Saturday morning and I was humbled by his team's response and how much they cared for him. Rest in peace Mr. Al Davis.

5. Let's not forget opening night for the San Jose Sharks. Amazing! Everything I would have hoped for in their 6-3 win, with exception to the three power play goals they gave up... but I'm sure the team will approach this internally. It is only the first game. 81 regular season games left to get that worked out. Go Sharks!

6. A very significant lady in my family passed away early Monday morning. My Great Aunt Nan. I received an e-mail early Monday morning from my Aunt Sue telling me the news of her passing. May you rest in peace Auntie Nan. God has released you from your suffering and I would like to say thank you for the blessings you have placed in my life and in the life of those I love.

7. Guess what junior hockey player dude did? He made it to the Gold division of his hockey league. He is playing with kids a year older... so this is quite the vote of confidence and going to be a big challenge for him. This is a difficult sport to have your child in. On the one hand I am so proud, on the other hand I am scared that he is going to be broken in half by some kid that has actual meat on his bones... unlike my skin and bones kid who thinks his protruding rib cage is a six pack.

8. Jacob has just recently read my "Body Snatchers" post. He is both "offended" and "intends to sue." *Sigh*

Writing Workshop

2011-10-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

For this week's writing prompts from Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop I was going to choose:

4) What was the last thing your child cried about? Write a blog post about the problem in the voice of your child.

But? The last time my 16 y/o cried was when his girlfriend broke up with him and that's kind of personal... so I won't go there. The last time my 13 y/o cried was um, well, that story doesn't put me in a very good light... so we'll just skip that prompt and opt for:

1) A list of things you should never ask your spouse.

Let's see...

1. I never ask my husband whether he wants to hear the "good news" first or the "bad news" first. He always gets the order, in which I want to tell it, wrong.

2. I never ask my husband to go to the movies. He always falls asleep in the theater.

3. I never ask my husband to watch a movie at home. He falls asleep on the couch (my husband is not much of a movie person).

4. I never ask my husband if he wants chicken for dinner. He doesn't eat poultry. An aversion since childhood. At Thanksgiving he gets his own steak.

5. I never ask my husband how he feels about the dog. Their relationship is... complicated.

6. I never ask my husband anything after he has gone to sleep. He is a very light sleeper and if he wakes up for any reason, he can't go back to sleep for the rest of the night. Shhhhhh.

7. I never ask my husband what he wants for Christmas or for his birthday. He likes to be surprised.

8. I never ask my husband to do anything around the house that one of our kids can do. It's an advantage to having teenagers. There aren't many. This is one.

9. I never ask my husband to pose for or let me take a picture of him. He doesn't like to take pictures. I had to pinch his butt to get him to smile in our wedding photos. Well? It was more of a smile/grimace. True story. He has yet (for the 19 years we've been married) to forgive me.

10. I don't ask my husband to watch reality/contestant shows like American Idol or America's Got Talent. He thinks they are set up and not real.

So? That's my list and maybe a little insight in to my life and marriage that you didn't ask for nor probably wanted to know.

You're Welcome.

Starting From Scratch: The List

2011-10-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

I had another Monday morning meltdown this week with my just-became-teenaged-middle-schooler. He wasn't ready for school on time (again), a big blow-up ensued and afterwards I had to take a really hard look at myself and the situation. Because? Something needed to change.

The first thing I decided (duh) was to not give him his phone or iPod in the morning. He is already required to turn them into me at night before he goes to bed. This prevents (as you can imagine) late night texting, web browsing, game playing and movie/video watching. My mistake has been giving them back to him first thing in the morning. Prior to melting down this last Monday, he was obsessed with getting his iPod to charge and spent 20 minutes laying on his bed messing around with the wire, looking for another one and who knows what else, instead of getting ready for school.

The next thing I decided (yay me) was to make a list of everything he needs to do in the morning from the time he wakes up until it is time to leave the house for school. A basic list. A common sense list really, but apparently one that he needed, as a little refresher.

Wake up at 6:45

make bed
get dressed
pick up room
get back pack ready
eat breakfast
brush teeth
brush hair
get phone back from mom (when there is visible proof that #'s 1-7 have been taken care of)

Leave for school at 7:30

Today (in the morning) was a breeze. He was ready by 7:22.

I wish these were the only things I had to do in the morning...

Dream Crusher

2011-10-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have always encouraged my kids to follow their dreams. I tell them they can be whatever they want to be. Professional athlete? Yes, of course! A Police officer? Sure, why not? Video game designer? Absolutely.
Apparently I have been slacking in my enouragment and support lately. Why? Because, let's be honest. I know these kids better than anyone and there are just some things they will never be cut out for.
I didn't really think I was invoking permanent damage or lowering their self esteem by pointing out the obvious, but maybe I was.

"Thanks Mother, for crushing my dream." My 13 year-old recently told me. Oh, lord help me.

"I'm just being honest," I said. "I'm just trying to save you time and heartache when it doesn't work out,"

"You are so mean." he said (he was a pre pubescent drama queen in his former life).

His dream that he shared with me?

To be an ice cream taster.

The boy has never tried any flavor in all his 13+ years, except vanilla. How can he possibly be an ice cream taster if he won't try any flavor other than vanilla? That's all I told him. He had to know the truth before becoming invested.

His other idea on a completely separate date and time was to be a food critic. Um? He is the pickiest eater E-V-E-R. He has never eaten a vegetable willingly or without being bribed with the promise some sugary treat in his immediate future. "How can you possibly be a food critic?" I told him. "What if you have to eat vegetables? How can you critique them fairly and without bias?" I asked him.

"Thanks for killing another dream, mother." He responded.

Other dreams I have crushed include but are not limited to the following:

Janitor - Neither kid can pick up after themselves or keep their room clean for longer than 10 minutes. Also, I don't know why either of them thought this would be an "easy job." I offered both of them the opportunity once to follow me around for a day and help me clean the toilets and showers... they both politely declined.

Singer - That one is my fault. Genetics. I could spend $1,000,000 on voice lessons for them and it would never help. Not that either has ever shown the desire, interest or passion. It only came up when we were watching American Idol auditions and they thought they could do better. Still, I crushed that "dream" too.

Dog Walker - They'd have to pick up the poop. "Ew," I think was the response.

Another crushed dream

To have a port-a-potty in the back yard. Don't ask me why this was ever a "dream," but when I said "no," my reputation as a "dream crusher" was sealed.

I kind of feel bad about it. I've promised myself to be more encouraging in the future. I mean, if they want to have a port-a-potty in their back yard someday, you know, at their own house? Well...I totally support that.

Let their future wives' be the dream crushers. I'll just be the crazy, old MIL that encouraged their husbands' dreams... but not crazy enough to use their backyard port-a-potty (unless it is an extreme emergency, of course).

Just Because It's Cute...

2011-10-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

Most Quotable Friday

2011-10-07T07:30:00.000-07:00

Twitter Treasures from my timeline...

1. A person who aims at nothing is sure to hit it.

2. If you worry about yesterday’s failures, then today’ssuccesses will be few.

3. Do not damage yourself knowing it can make you forget yourproblem because if you forget it, it will be your worst nightmare.

4. When you’re not grateful, you start to become hateful.

5. Every problem will pass if you let it pass, but if you justleave it and do nothing, it will be a problem forever.

6. “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” ~Margaret Thatcher

7. “I never worry about action, but only inaction.” ~ WinstonChurchill

8. I don’t want you to be the victim of circumstance; I wantyou to be the owner of the moment.

9. The probability of someone watching you is proportional tothe stupidity of your action.

10. Not sure which pants to wear today — smarty or fancy?

11. I can’t face my checkbook so I check my Facebook.

Thursday Blurbs

2011-10-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

1. In keeping with the main blurbing theme over the past few weeks... only 2 1/2 days until the SJ Sharks first game! OMG, OMG... it is taking so long! I can't begin to curb my enthusiasm for this upcoming moment. Let's just hope they don't have a disappointing opening because I will not be fun to live with.

2. Great news! The scary-shaved-head-tattoo-gang-banger-parollee guy who kidnapped my dog has moved out of the neighborhood! The place is completely empty and is I'm guessing, awaiting the next delinquent tenant to come along. Wow, is that a relief, or what? I can now roam the neighborhood with my dog and not have to look over my shoulder for the scary guy that I put in jail and might want to kill me. For background into why this means so much to my sanity please read here and here for the whole sorted story.

3. Of course it would have been nicer if I knew, you know, weeks ago when he actually moved out. Because that is how long Jacob has known and forgot to tell me. It would have been really great for my peace of mind to have known something like that... but I guess the little alien being, that has taken over my son's body and turned him into a teenager, doesn't think about those things. Sigh.

4. So, important lesson learned last week: Don't try and double dip with your parking garage pass. That is, don't let someone out of the garage without paying and then try and exit yourself. Don't ask me how I know these things. All this wisdom comes with age. That's all I'm saying.

5. Alex has been sick. He started coming down with something Monday night and by Tuesday he couldn't get out of bed. He stayed home from school yesterday too. It might have to do with the fact that he lost his phone on Monday... but I don't think even that made him this sick. The worst thing about him being sick is that I, instead of being sympathetic, am worried that I'm going to catch whatever he has. I am no good to anyone when I am sick, so I will be like last year, and not get sick. And so it is written, and so it shall be.

6. Just for the record... Austria is NOT a mini country inside Australia. It might come up in conversation one of these days when you least expect it, so... you're welcome.

7. Yesterday was the passing of a Bay Area legend. Rest In Peace Mr. Steve Jobs. You may no longer walk this earth but your legacy will live on for generations to come.

8. I've been working on the post that I published yesterday for a couple of weeks now. Just when I've had it and want to call it quits with these kids... one of them posts on Facebook that "he has the coolest mom ever and that is why he loves me so much." Where all his friends can see. It's true. I couldn't believe it either.

9. Yesterday some maniac in Cupertino went in to work at a rock quarry with an AK-47 and opened fire. All morning they were reporting it on the news. He got away, carjacked a car and shot the woman who was driving it. As of last night... he hadn't been found. 8 injured and 2 confirmed dead. My question is shouldn't there be a better term for someone like this other than "disgruntled employee?"

The Body Snatchers...

2011-10-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

...That have taken over the bodies of my sweet boys and turned them into teenagers.

Alex (left) age 3 and Jacob, age 9 months

As of September 19th, both my boys officially became teenagers. The oldest, now 16, and the youngest, who may as well have been a teenager for the last year-and-a-half, just turned 13. My boys! My pride and joy. Most of the time? I love this part of their lives. I have loved watching them grow up into the awesome, fun loving young men that they are. I love hanging out with them, I love watching them compete in their sports, I love ~~hating the girls that call and text them~~ seeing them with their friends and I really enjoy their sense of humor. They are hilarious, honestly. Just ask them.

Alex , 16

Jacob, 13

But? There are times where I just want to go back to a simpler time when they were my sweet, little boys, or skip ahead to when they are autonomous and independent young men. Because, let me tell you something:

RAISING TEENAGERS SUCKS!

Yes, I went there. Let me tell you why. Half the time they are driving me crazy with their messes, busy schedules, body & foot odor, hormonal outbursts, challenging my authority and tuning me out. The other half of the time they are purposely making me feel like I am going slowly insane by exploiting my unwavering trust in them, my forgetfulness, and my actual fondness of them. It's true. You can ask them.

Jacob, showing his hoodie head phones (really)

I am convinced that some villainous, alien beings have crept their way into my children's bodies and taken over. There are moments when I know, I just know with every last inch of my soul that they can't possibly be my boys. Not the ones I gave birth to, not the ones that were so cute, cuddly, content with life and definitely not the sweet-natured, well behaved boys that I know and love.

Alex, making a profile picture

These things that look like they could be my kids? They argue. With me, with each other. They lie, they talk back and they don't listen or hear unless it 100% benefits them in some way. They can be irrational and make absolutely no sense what-so-ever, but will not stop arguing... even when they are wrong. Even when they know they are wrong. Sometimes, they argue for sport... just to get under my skin. Especially the oldest. When I am having a discussion with him that is going nowhere and decide that I ~~will kick him so hard that he'll never argue with me again~~ am done, he says, "I win," and walks away with a smile on his face while I am left scratching my head and trying figure out what just happened.

Untamed, alien, monster beings. I am convinced. Please provide evidence internet, if you can, that I am wrong.

Their faces, once chubby and smooth are now chiseled and rough with facial hair and acne. That once sweet baby smell has become, ugh, somewhat of an odious, odorous nightmare, especially when you throw in competitive sports and competitive sports equipment.. There are seriously times when I have to drive home (one handed) from soccer practice covering my nose, with the window down (on the freeway) squinting through tears just from the awfulness and in-humaneness of it all.


Jacob age 3 1/2

Their voices, which used to be so sweet and adoring are now deep and man-like. They used to call me "mama" when they were babies and toddlers, then "mommy" when they were in elementary school. I am now referred to as "mother." I used to get angelic hugs out of the blue. Now, I get snuck up from behind and lifted up in the air against my will... just because they can. They used to jump up on my lap and snuggle with me when I was watching TV. Now, they tell me "I was sitting there," and ask me to move. Also? They used to watch fun shows (that I enjoyed too) like "iCarly" and "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody." Now they watch asinine MTV reality shows and skateboard competitions. Blech.

Alex (left) and Jacob ages 8 and 5

The younger one used to run to me in tears telling me how mean his big brother was being to him. Now? They just yell at each other (with their man-like voices), slam doors and more often then not, punch each other. I only step in if there is a threat of property damage. They used to ask permission if they could have a snack. Now, they just eat. Everything. 24 hours a day. Nothing seems to be off limits. Even the food that is off limits. Like, for example, the leftovers that I was going to re-heat for that night's dinner. Or, the food for my diet.
They used to bring me random things to show their love and affection like interesting rocks they would find on the street, flowers or cute drawings and artwork from school. Now? They bring me detention notices, funky, diseased dishes from their room and my car keys. So I can drive them somewhere. They used to never think about girls or even want to talk to them. Now they argue over who is going to marry Megan Fox and discuss how "hot" Victoria Justice is. Excuse me? Also? They text, talk and flirt with girls and, *gulp*, go out with them.

Alex, age 5

They used to be so happy to see me. When I would come home they would race to see who would be the first to jump into my arms. "Mommy!" They would scream with delight and melt my heart. Now I sort of get the "head nod" and sometimes, if I'm lucky, even a "hey." The happy reunions in the evening are now reserved for just me and the dog. He, at least is ALWAYS happy to see me and not afraid to let me know. He is also my favorite child right now.


Nico, age 7, doesn't talk back

I look at them sometimes and realize just how, well, big they are. Not little boys, but not quite men. These are not babies. Those sweet souls have been replaced with lethargic, moody, couch dwelling things with smelly feet that eat my food and give me attitude for my troubles.

There must be an experimental medical factory somewhere that manufactures these body snatchers. Then, whatever maniacal scientist that runs this evil facility, unleashes them on humanity when our children are at their most vulnerable. I.e., Middle school. As parents we are distracted by information packets, rules and instructions from seven different teachers. We are thinking about their first dance, what kind of music is on their iPod and wondering how do they (at age 12) know more about computers then we do. Meanwhile, their bodies are being taken over... right before our eyes and we don't notice until it is to late. Then, one day, out of nowhere, they have a complete meltdown right in front of your eyes, the likes of which you haven't seen since the age of 3 when you wouldn't buy them that thing, at the store, that one time.

There is nothing you can do at that point. The transformation is in place. You are powerless. You are a parent. OF A TEENAGER. Or? A body snatcher that has taken over your child. Either way, you are legally responsible until the age of 18, whether you like this person/thing or not.

Welcome to hormonal hell. Pull up a chair. Have a glass of wine.There are others here, you aren't alone. It's their world now. We are just observers and our only role is to make sure they don't have any fun. At all. It helps also if you are "totally unfair."

Today's Lesson...

2011-10-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

Most Quotable Friday

2011-09-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

Friday's most tweetable... strait up, and collected from, my twitter timeline.

1. May the itch of a thousand crabs affect the one who ruinsyour day and may their arms be too short to scratch it.

2. Survive now, cry later.

3. I'd like mornings a little better if they started a littlelater.

4. If you're too afraid to letting go, it means you are notready for something new.

5. The road to success has many tempting parking places.

6. Sometimes we have to let go of the life we have planned, tohave the life that is waiting for us.

7. Sometimes, you have to step outside of the person you’vebeen and remember the person you were meant to be.

8. Once you lose yourself, you have two choices. Find theperson you used to be or lose that person completely.

9. The brain is the most outstanding organ. It works for 24hours, 365 days, right from your birth until you fall in love.

10. Don't judge me unless you've experienced what I have. Untilthen back off, because you have no idea.

11. I'm so busy, if something bad happens today, I won't have achance to worry about it for two weeks.

Thursday Blurbs

2011-09-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

1. Let's start off this week's Blurbing with a riddle. What is light green, has a stick-like body, legs like a mosquito and flies? You don't know right? Neither do I! But? I did spot something with this exact description on the corner wall of my bedroom a few nights ago. My husband came home late (he tends bar as a second job) and I was already asleep. I rolled over when he turned on the light and that's when I saw it. "WHAT THE "F" IS THAT?" I said sitting up in bed and pointing. My husband went to get the spray (normally used for hornets, but poison is poison, right?) while I stared at it, willing it not to move. As soon as he came back in the room, the thing swooped down and made a beeline for my closet where it disappeared amongst my clothes. "OMG, it flies!" My husband, being the heroic man that he is, ruffled the clothes until the thing came loose and he sprayed the little sucker until it, well, died. Right there on the floor of my closet.

2. Sometimes I think I don't give my husband enough credit for all the things he does to make my life safe and more efficient. Not only did he save me from that exotic flying bug that wanted to kill me, but he also took apart my broken down dryer that would no longer heat up and well, dry... and fixed it! All this in the same week. I am a lucky, lucky girl. Also, a tip for my fellow laundresses out there. Please clean, not only your lint trap (which should be obvious) but also down, under, beyond where the other lint (that doesn't get trapped) goes and builds into a full grocery bag size clump and may or may not cause the heating coil to, er, burnout and snap.

3. We all know how Mondays, for the most part, suck. It has been well documented and scientifically proven. As if we needed more proof, here is how my Monday morning went. Keep in mind this was before I even set foot inside my office. I woke up at six and started a load of laundry. We missed getting Alex to the bus stop on time (because, ahem, he wasn't ready at 6:31, the time I have deemed as the time we need to leave) so I started driving him to school. We caught up with the bus at another stop and I told him to get out and run before the driver pulled out. He got out and sauntered (which isn't running)... and the bus took off without him. I took him all the way to school and came back home, only to be 10 minutes behind schedule. Woke up Jacob, and got into the shower. Got out of the shower, got dressed (make up, hair...etc.) only to find Jacob sprawled on his bed, not dressed. Apparently all of his pants (he only has four pairs because of all the growing and skateboarding which makes holes and he is not wearing jeans to school with ripped knees) were in the the washer. He had a complete triple "M" (Monday Morning Meltdown).

4. This was followed by Tuesday, which went a little something like this: I had to make arrangements to leave work early so that I could meet with Jacob's Language Arts teacher at 2:10. I head out at 1:45 and get a text saying that the meeting is just supposed to be between him and his teacher and that parent/teacher conferences are next month. Apparently the paper I signed was allowing him to stay after school... Whatever. I had already taken the rest of the day off so I headed home anyway... only to be stopped in the middle of the street by a motorcycle cop who waived me over to the curb of shame. Groan. A speed trap. That I KNEW WAS THERE. I see them there all the time. Especially in the morning on my way to work. Every time I see them I think to myself "one of these days they are going to get you." Well, Tuesday was that day. And? Apparently traffic school is now available online. "Thank you officer."

5. The last two times I have taken Jacob to hockey evaluations at Sharks Ice I have seen Patrick Marleau there. His oldest (of three) son is starting mini-mites and is there for his evaluations as well. It is so weird to see NHL players and coaches there, just hanging out with the other parents. Last season one of Jacob's teammates was Coach Todd McClellan's youngest son. When ever he was in town he would be at the games or practice and would often go into the locker room and chat with the kids.

6. Alright, one more blurb should be enough to fill out this post. How about a sports wrap? Let's see. The Sharks are 4-0 in preseason. Which means... absolutely nothing. Except, the regular season is now only 10 days away! Bay Area baseball has come to an end as, sadly, the Giants were eliminated from the playoffs a few days ago and the A's a couple of weeks (months?) ago. Bay Area football, however, seems to be on the upswing. Both the Raiders and the Niners are 2-1! Amazing. Of course, the Raiders look 10 times better than the Niners. Also, the Raiders opposition has been much tougher and the Niners just don't look comfortable out there, on offense anyway. It is enough, however, to keep me interested through the 4th week of the season as opposed to last year when both were 0-3 at this point (The Raiders may have been 1-2).

Adios... Until next week!

What I Have Learned Wednesday

2011-09-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

1. I have learned that In England, theSpeaker of the House is not allowed to speak.

2. I have learned that the microwaveoven was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate barmelted in his pocket.

3. I have learned that “stewardesses”is the longest English word that is typed with only the left hand.

4. And? I have also learned that “skepticisms”is the longest word that alternateshands when typing.

5. I have learned that only one personin two billion will live to be 116 or older. I can’t even win the lottery… Idon’t think I’m going to live to be 116 either.

6. I have learned that the word irrefragable means “impossible to refute” (I am so whipping this one out atthe dinner table tonight).

7. I have learned that the firstletters of the months July through to November spell JASON.

8. I have learned that Forbes magazinehas named San Jose as the “Geekiest” city in the US.

9. I have learned that Sharks Ice ofSan Jose (and Fremont) has the biggest Adult Hockey Program in the US with over4,500 players ( including my step-son, Sergio).

Worst Road Trip Ever

2011-09-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

(note: this post is part of Mama Kat's writing workshop)

Prompt: Yuck. Food poisoning

To be fair, this story isn't exactly about food poisoning, but it's close. One might say it is in the same genre. You'll see what I mean and hopefully you don't hold it against me. Also? I'm really reaching into the dark caverns of my memory bank for this one and, as anyone over 40 can attest to, can get tricky.

When I was twelve we took a MAJOR family road-trip/vacation. Now, when I say road trip I mean the four (mom, dad, brother and I) of us in my dad's 1976 Cadillac DeVille. The trip my parents planned was to go (from our home in Santa Cruz, CA) to Salt Lake City, Utah, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park and then on to the Oregon Coast where we were going to rent a condo and get together with our extended family. Now that I think about it, this was a truly ambitious feat back in the days before minivans, SUVs and all mobile technology and media. Yes, back in the dark ages. To pass the time my brother and I did things like argue, play the license plate game, argue about playing the license plate game, sleep, eat, punch each other and argue about sleeping, eating and punching each other.

My father's pride and joy

View Larger Map

Here are the highlights from that trip as my memory allows: I don't remember anything prior to arriving in Salt Lake City. Probably because we left at some ridiculous hour in the morning to "miss traffic." How did we even get there without GPS or Google Maps? I remember seeing the actual Salt Lake, and I remember visiting the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square (home of the Tabernacle Choir). I also remember my poor mom coming down with some kind of stomach virus. She was vomiting and not having a good time. Fortunately, by the next day she was feeling better. It was at this point during our illustrious vacation that I, after being provoked into chasing my 10 year-old around our motel hallway, I twisted my ankle. Badly. I remember going to the emergency room, the swelling, the pain and the nurse handing me a set of crutches. I could not put any weight on it... at all. That night (in the middle of the night) I came down with the same stomach virus that my mom had. Only worse... much, much worse.

So, to recap: Strange motel room, bad ankle that I can't walk on, and the sudden, incessant urge to puke my brains out. I was so screwed. I remember crawling to the bathroom and holding onto the toilet like it was a life preserver. I spent the rest of the night in there. I remember the cool tile of the bathroom floor against my cheek was the only means of temporary comfort. The next day that we left Salt Lake City and headed for Jackson Hole. I was given a bowl, some 7-up and a towel for the ride (thanks mom and dad!). I don't remember much about our visit to Jackson Hole, other than what I missed. I missed going on the rafting trip down the Snake river (I stayed in the back of the car with my "throw up supplies."). I missed the Wild West show where bad guys and the good guys shot each other up in the middle of the street. And? I apparently missed some good food. They couldn't stop talking about the western buffet they had gone to. Without me. While I continued to involuntarily purge myself in a second strange motel bathroom.

Old Faithful

When we made it to Yellowstone I was almost feeling better, but was still weak from, you know, throwing up for 3 days. While there I remember being amazed at the geysers and was positive that when we went to see "Old Faithful" that would be the day when it stopped erupting. Don't ask me why. It didn't. Stop erupting, that is. At some point during the Yellowstone visit it was my dad's turn to get sick. He was out for a day-and-a-half. When it was time to hit the road for Oregon, my brother got sick. He apparently got the "weaker string" of whatever Salt Lake-Bird-Flu-H1N1-Swine-Disease that the rest of us had, because his lasted only a couple of hours. Literally. I don't even think he was really sick. If anything he was sick from watching (hearing, smelling) the rest of us be sick.

When we got to Oregon we were all pretty much recovered and I remember having a great time with my cousins and grandparents. So? The trip, for me anyway, ended on a happy note. While we were there, however, My uncle (my uncle's brother who had tagged along) got sick and stayed in his room for most of the time we were there. We would find out later (after we had left and made it back to California) that one by one all of my family members got sick. Both my grandparents, my aunt, my uncle and my three cousins. Who knows where it spread after that...

My apologies to all of the greater Pacific Northwest Region for the "disease that went viral" during the summer of 1978.

Thanks For Letting Me Know

2011-09-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Most Quotable Friday

2011-09-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

From my Twitter Time Line...

1. Some things just take a little longer to come into your lifethan others. Don't lose your faith.

2. Have Faith that things are turning out the way they should.It's just a matter of time.

3. When you've been living in your comfort zone, don't everforget about how hard it is to get it in the beginning.

4. Every purpose has a reasoning, every action has a reaction,and there's always a blessing in disguise.

5. The strongest actions for a woman is to love herself, beherself, and shine amongst those who never believed she could.

6. Triumph is just 'try' with an 'umph.'

7. Always have a unique character like salt. Its presence isnot felt but its absence make all the things tasteless.

8. Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in awhile, so we can see life with a clearer view again.

9. I tell people to have a great weekend at noon on Mondayshoping they won’t talk to me for the rest of the week.

10. More people would learn from their mistakes if they weren'tso busy denying them.

"Oops"

2011-09-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Walking by the sixteen year-old's room and for the third day in a row it was a) a mess b) the bed wasn't made and c) there was no sheet on the bed (gross).

"Alex," I said "your room is still a mess and you haven't fixed your bed."

"Oops," I heard him say in a dazed, disinterested, teenage type voice from the living room couch.

"Did you just say 'oops?' " I asked as I walked into the living room to confront the lethargic body snatcher that had invaded my precious baby boy years ago.

"Did I?" he said, glancing over at his brother for confirmation.

"Don't ask him," I said. "you know what you said."

*crickets*

"Just so we're clear," I said in by best superior, you-are-about-to-get-a-vocabulary-lesson-so-you-better-pay-attention voice, "Oops, is for when you spill something, run into somebody on accident or drop something. It is NOT for when you have been told for the last three days to clean your room, you still haven't done it, your mom walks by, notices and calls you out on it. When this happens you cannot say 'oops,' like it was an accident or a mere oversight on your part. An appropriate response, the only acceptable response, would and should be 'I'll go and do that right away, I am so sorry I have neglected my responsibility so horribly.'

"Am. I. Clear?"

"Um, yeah."

"Do you understand that this is not an 'oops' moment?"

"Yes," he said as he reached over for his soda and knocked it over...

"Oops."

*sigh*

Thursday Blurbs

2011-09-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

1. I have a lot of blurbs I need to get to.. so let's get to it. First up? The Sharks will win the Stanley Cup this year. You probably want to know how I know this and I don't blame you. I know this because there is no way I just happen to run in to half the team and the coaching staff on the opening day of training camp... and not have that be the most amazing sign, ever, that this would be the year. I mean come on. I'm just sitting there waiting for my bagel to be toasted, and they just walk by? In full practice gear? They are going to win and they are going to win it all. You heard it here first.

2. So, apparently I inadvertently discovered how to get my boys up on a Sunday morning before 10am. Would you like to know how? On second thought I don't think I should divulge that information. Not for free anyway. If you have teenagers and would like a foolproof way to get them up on a weekend, then send me $20 via Paypal and I will email you this important (did I mention foolproof?) information. We are all soldiers in this war with teenagers... but intel is intel and it must be protected.

3. Also, before you spend your money, a word of caution. Grumpy teenagers awake and out of their caves on a peaceful Sunday morning might not be the best thing for your mental tranquility. Also? I think I may have already told the internet how I did it at the end of yesterday's post.

4. My latest battle with the teenagers (that have invaded the bodies of my sweet boys) involves headphones. Why, no How, do they go through headphones faster then they go through socks? They lose them, they break them, they steal them from each other, they leave them at their friend's house, they leave them in their pockets and they get washed in the laundry... it never ends. Then, when they are desperate guess what they do? They want to borrow MY headphones. And that, is not going to happen.

5. Not after the last time, anyway. My last pair of headphones got sucked into the abyss of all the other lost, and mistreated headphones and I found myself without any way to temporarily escape the noise of the teenage body invaders. If I let them borrow my headphones I guarantee I will never see them again. Just because I could probably afford to go buy another pair of them doesn't mean that I want to nor should I have to... why? Because they can't take care of the ones they had? They can consider this Battle, picked.

6. On Sunday we celebrated Jakey's 13th birthday with an Enchilada extravaganza... or, what we do every year... LOL! This year I did things a little different. I made the leftovers before I made the ones we were going to eat for dinner. Can I get a nice little pat on the back for that? That way, I could actually sit down and eat with everyone else instead of continue to slave over the hot stove while everyone was sitting around the table gorging themselves.

7. I am thankful for today's hot weather because my dryer isn't working and I have a back log of laundry to do... so this morning I did three loads and hung them all up around the garage and boom boom room (where there is no a/c) and they should be nice and toasty for me to put away when I get home. I have never missed an appliance so badly. Come back to me sweet dryer and I promise I will treat you better. *sigh*

8. I found an online writer's workshop that I am contributing to. Every week the Mama Kat (Mama's Losin' It) blog posts writing prompts and writers (bloggers) can choose one (or as many as we want) and write a post on our blog using the prompt. On Thursdays we can link the post to her site and then check out the other contributions as they are linked. It should help me to venture back out there into the blogosphere after being absent and having my posts go unread for so long. Although it has been kind of fun and comforting to be writing to my self and for my own amusement... It will be good for me to get back out there again.

What I Have Learned Wednesday

2011-09-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

1. I have learned that Ephebiphobia is the term that refers to the "fear of teenagers." What is the phobia that refers to the fear of “phone calls from schools’ of teenagers?” That, is what I suffer from. Daily.

2. I learned that the last name in the Toronto phone book is Zzyzzer.

3. I learned that there are more plastic flamingos in the U.S. than real ones.

4. I learned that there are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

5. I learned that peanuts are one of the ingredients used in dynamite.

6. I learned that the word fey means possessing or displaying a strange and otherworldly aspect or quality.

7. I learned that all the clocks in the movie “Pulp Fiction” are stuck on 4:20.

8. I learned that Twitter was originally named “Twttr”, inspired by Flickr.

9.I have learned that the possibility someone else is going to eat all the leftover pizza will get teenagers out of bed before noon on a Sunday.

10. I have learned that it is not always fun to have teenagers up and about on a peaceful Sunday morning.

Concerns?

2011-09-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

This post is part of Mama Kat's writing workshop.

Prompt: A time you felt wronged by a teacher

When my youngest son was in Kindergarten my husband and I were so excitedto see him finally begin his educational journey. He was our last and final child to startschool. And? He was brilliant! I mean our other kids, of course, were smart andbright (weren't yours?). But this one? This one was going to take the school likea storm. They would never know what hit them. He even chose to wear a tie onhis first day of school. Yes. A tie.Because, as he used to say, he wanted to look “sharp.”

In his earlyyears he wasn’t the most agile child. In fact, some (not me, his adoringmother) might even say he was a bit awkward. He was a little bit slow when heran (he sort of lumbered like he was carrying twice his body weight) and he didn’t seem to have the natural athleticism that his older siblingshad. It’s not that he was actually uncoordinated, he just approached thingsdifferently and had a different learning curve for things like riding a bike,rollerblading or anything, really, that requiredbalance. He did everything in his own time and in his own way. But not every child is supposed to come out of the womb as anathlete, right? That didn’t worry me...

Until his first Parent / Teacherconference.

It startedout as I expected. You, know, with her telling me how brilliant my child was (Ha! confirmed by someone that didn't give birth to him!). Howshe was so impressed that he could recite the alphabet, knew all his colors, could identify animals by name and could count up to 20. Twenty, people! Sign him up for the giftedprogram, he was on the fast track to being a Rhode Scholar. Oh, and he was patient! He washelpful and polite with other children! He was social! The great news just keptcoming and I ate it up. My mind was reeling, I had to process it while it wasfresh so that I could repeat everything verbatim to my husband later that nightas we toasted champagne to our genius, prodigy son. As this little fantasy was playing out in my head, I heardher say something about “concerns.” What did she say? I was confused. Concerns?She had concerns… about my son? I shook out of my revelry and tried to hone inon her words. “I’m sorry?” I said. “What was that?”

“Er, um,”she looked like she was choosing her words carefully, “I was saying that hedoesn’t know how to skip." Wait, what?He doesn’t know how to skip? Is skipping a requirement in Kindergarten? Werethey going to hold him back? For not being able to skip? "And," she said (there was more?) "as youcan see from some of his drawings that he doesn’t color in the lines. (to behonest, his drawings and coloring were a bit crude compared to the other students. Scribbles really.) I’vealso noticed that he doesn’t know how to grip a pencil. I’ve tried to show him how to do it correctly, and he tries, but as soon as I walk away he slipsback into the incorrect way. And as you can see, it really affects how he islearning to write.”

Well I was in shock. Outraged even. The coloring thing was not so troublesome.He did not,after all, come from a family of artists. He was never really interested incoloring anyway. It would entertain him for a second, then he’d be done andwant to move on to something else. The gripping the pencil thing? Well, I guessI just assumed he would figure it out. He was barely 5, this couldn’t be theend of the world, could it? I mean he would, eventually get it.. wouldn't he? She said that she was concerned (there was thatword again) about the development of his fine motor skills and wanted us tomeet with the school’s occupational therapist. The school had an occupationaltherapist?

We met with the therapist, who agreed with the teacher, that our son’sfine motor skills were underdeveloped and gave us some activities for him to doat home to help improve them. We took their advice and had Jacob do some of theactivities. I don’t know. Honestly? We didn’t really follow up with theactivities or with the therapist. My husband and I agreed that our child was fine andjust, as I previously mentioned, did things his own way and on his own time.

Lookingback I’m not really sure that there was an issue with his fine motor skillsother than he just didn’t know how to access them yet. I think they were there,but just lying dormant, waiting to be discovered. Years later, now that he is 13, his fine motor skillsare no longer dormant, nor are they an issue. In fact, that slow, awkward kid has turnedinto quite the athlete. He does tricks on his skateboard that make my ankleshurt just watching. He plays ice hockey (where he knocks other kids down andscores goals) and runs a 6 minute mile (I can’t even run a 6 minute lap). He isn't quite the Rhode Scholar we envisioned but he does okay for himself, has friends and is happy.

And? I'm pretty sure I saw him skipping the other day.

You've Come A Long Way Baby

2011-09-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Happy 13th Birthday to my Baby Boy!

Dear Jacob -

13? There is no way you are 13. Look at this roly poly baby in the cutelittle beach hat. Is that really you? Iguess it must be. I look at that picture and I know that's my son, however, I I look at you now and there is no more baby fat, infact, there are no more baby teeth either. Your voice has changed (when youcalled me the other day I thought you were Alex), you have body hair growingout of your arm pits and you are taller than me. When did all this happen? One day you were running around the house inSpider Man undies and now suddenly I’m washing boxer briefs. At some point you traded your sharp clothes,teddy bear and Star Wars light saber in for skinny jeans, a skateboard and ahockey stick. When did you start preferring YouTube and Facebook over Barneyand Blues Clues? I mean, I know it happened and I know I must have been therewhen it did… I’m just having a difficult time pinpointing the precise moment.It all seams like a blur, or maybe it was some of that body odor that warped mybrain (going without clean oxygen for prolonged periods of time has to takeits toll).

Whatever it was, you are here now. A full fledged teenager. Life with you has been an adventure. You continue to crack me up every day with your wit, charm and sense of humor. You come up with the most random things. You told me last week, for example, that "in 4 days it will be exactly 1/8th of the way through the school year." Who knows stuff like that? Well, obviously you do!

You don't know this but I really look forward to talking to you after school every day. Do you know why? Because you always say something that makes me smile. I am looking forward to all that is in store for you in the future and I plan to be right there cheering you on. You are an amazing, intelligent and thoughtful kid and I am so proud to be your mom. Happy Birthday Jacob!

Love, Mom

You Don't Need A Special Card For This Prescription

2011-09-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

Locked Out... Again?

2011-09-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

Or, the one where I learn a valuable lesson about having a second set of keys, my kid might have psychic tendencies and getting locked out/losing keys runs in the family...

Who doesn't have a second set of car keys? A show of hands please? *crickets* Of course you have a second set of keys.! Of course you do. My husband has a second set. My neighbor has a second set. I used to have a second set (for my old car). But, for whatever reason (that I agreed to) when I bought my (used) new car... it didn't come with a second set. I knew I was in trouble the moment I handed over the cashiers check. The possibilities (probabilities, eventualities) flashed through my mind. But, my new car! I was so happy to have a car again, that I just ignored the warning bells.

The transition from eventualities into realities went a little something like this...

A couple of months ago I had my annual check up with my lady doctor. I was a little bit early so I sat in the parking garage listening to the radio and reading my book. When it was time to go, I grabbed my purse, put my phone inside it, got out and started walking to the medical building. Without my keys. Which? I had left inside the car. Still in the ignition. Now, granted, a second set of keys would not have helped me in this situation. If I had a second set they wouldn't be with me or in my purse. They would be at home. So? When the appointment was over I called AAA to come ~~break in~~ open my car for me.

And then a few weeks after that... I was in Target with my two lovely, teenage boys. The older one had just gotten his driver's permit and was chauffeuring us around that day, so in addition to his chauffeuring duties he was also the keeper of the keys. Inside the store the boys had gone off by themselves to browse the men's section while I did my shopping. When I caught up with them the older one was trying on some shirts in the changing room. I told the younger one for them both to meet me up front at the checkout line because I was ready to go. I finished purchasing my items just as they walked up to find me. "Where are the keys?" Said older brother to younger brother. "I don't know," said younger brother. I, my heart sinking, exclaimed a resounding, record scratching "Whaaaaat?" Apparently, older brother had given younger brother the keys to hold while he went in to the changing room and younger brother hung them up on one of the clothing racks. Just so we're clear. My 12 (almost 13) year-old child hung my keys (my only set of car keys) up on a clothing display rack, in the middle of Target. Even worse, the 16 year-old gave them to him to hold in the first place. Let that resonate for a minute. After about 20 minutes of not being able to find the rack where he hung the keys and me on the verge a melt-down as I imagnined the phone call I was going to have to make to my husband, I heard the sheepish words, "I found them."

Fast forward to last Saturday... My youngest son and I were hanging out before it was time to go to his roller hockey playoffs. "I had a dream last night," he said. "Oh yeah?" His dreams, or rather the re-telling of his dreams were always entertaining. "Yeah. I dreamed that we were late to my first game and you were just telling me that it was okay and that we would just go to my second game, " he recalled. "What? I would never do that... you must be anxious about the games. We'll leave as soon as I take a shower, so get your stuff ready."
A little while later I was ready to go. I grabbed my purse, phone and sunglasses out of my room and locked the door behind me... yes, with the car keys (and the key to the door) still sitting on the dresser. Where my husband had left them. "Oh my God, " I said as I walked down the hallway. "What?" Jacob asked. "I just locked the keys in my room," I said not quite believing the words as they came out of my mouth. We would have to call my husband and wait for him and our older son to return from a soccer game. "Er," I said. "you might be late to your first game."

Then? Yesterday, barely 5 days after I locked my keys inside my room, I got home from work, parked the car right outside the house, bent down to put my shoes on (that I had taken off on the drive home), locked the door and got out of the car... Yes, with my keys still in the ignition... again. I called AAA before I even reached the front door. AAA is always so nice and empathetic when you call. "Oh, I am so sorry that happened to you Ms. Babaloo. Are you in a safe location?" I felt ashamed, slightly guilty and? A little embarrassed. "Yes, I am in my living room, couldn't be safer. 45 minutes? No problem, I'll just do a load of laundry and get dinner started."

I posted about the latest fiasco (and how I am losing my friggin' mind) on Facebook. The next day my cousin commented that she remembered an incident back when she was younger and while at her brother's graduation, my mother locked her mother's keys in the trunk.

So? Great news! I am losing my mind AND APPARENTLY it runs in the family.

This post is part of Writer's Workshop

Top Ten Deadliest Words From a Woman

2011-09-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

New Post at Random Top Ten

Most Quotable Friday

2011-09-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

More From Twitter...

1. Don’t let anyone hold any part of your life hostage. Yourlife is YOUR destiny and no one has thepower to judge.

2. Sometimes the strongest people in the morning, are the onesthat cry themselves to sleep at night.

3. Sometimes, tears are a sign of unspoken happiness and a smile is sign of silent pain.

4. I won’t let myself end where I started and I won’t letmyself finish where I began.

5. Sometimes it's easier to say that you don't care, than toexplain all the reasons why you do.

6. I want to LIVE. I want to be remembered as the one who neverlet anything get in his/her way.

7. I don't want to wake up tomorrow and have nothing to live upto. I want to wake up early to start chasing my dreams.

8. “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” ~Plato

9. Life can give you a hundred reasons to cry, but you can givelife a thousand reasons to smile.

10. “A desire presupposes the possibility of action to achieveit; action presupposes a goal which is worth achieving.” ~ Ayn Rand

Thursday Blurbs

2011-09-15T08:30:00.000-07:00

1. Wow, I think we may be cursed. At least when it comes to sports. For the second weekend in a row one of my kids has made it to the finals... only to lose and come in second. We spent the whole day last Saturday over at the Sportsplex for Jacob's Roller Hockey playoffs. They played three games and came up just short in the Final. He was disappointed, but it was a good lesson for him too. For the first time he was part of a winning team and he really enjoyed that part of it.

2. Of course he almost didn't make it to the games at all. It's funny, he had a dream that he was late for his first game and that I told him (in the dream) that he could just make it to the second game. And then? Just as we are about to leave, I lock my (Juan's) keys in our room. Doh! We had to wait for Juan and Alex to get home from Redwood City so they could get us the keys. He missed almost all of the first period of his first game. Sorry Jakey!

3. This was, of course, after we both tried to pick the lock to no avail. I did, at one point, have to stop him from breaking the door handle with a 2 pound (exercise) weight. He probably would have done it if I wouldn't have caught him doing it. What would I possibly have said to Juan if he had succeeded? Right.

4. Anyway, hockey (ice hockey) starts this weekend with the first of six evaluation sessions on Saturday. Talk about smooth transitions! Roller hockey ends and ice hockey begins. He is excited and his excitement is contagious because I am excited too!. Friday I will bring his skates with me to work and go get them sharpened on my way home. He wore them the other day and all I can say is, thank goodness they still fit! Yes, I was worried (terrified?) that they wouldn't.

5. Also this weekend (squeezed in between two of Alex's soccer games) we will celebrate Jacob's 13th birthday! 13? I know. I will take him shopping for his new skateboard on Saturday and on Sunday he is planning to go to the skate park with his friends during the day and we will have his enchilada dinner that night after Alex and Juan get home. Brooke and Jordan are coming. My brother said he could make it and Sergio said he and Tiffany could make it too! So, there you go. Weekend plans? Check.

6. An amazing thing happened last Sunday. Er, well, technically one happened Sunday and the other on Monday... but, no matter. Are you ready for this? Both (sit down if you must) the Raiders and the 49ers won their season openers! Both are undefeated and tied for first place in their divisions! Both have winning records! I don't know if I'll get to say that again this season... so there you go.

7. Let's see, anything non-sports related to blurb about? Final results for America's Got Talent is on tonight. I really think Landau might win. Hmm.. maybe not. Maybe the Silhouettes. I think it is between those two. It could be team Illuminate but I don't think it will be PopLyfe. So? We'll see. Also, all the fall shows will be starting soon! Dancing with the Stars! The Office! Ellen already started on Monday and I've got them all saved on my DVR. Can't wait.

What I have learned Wednesday

2011-09-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

1. I learned that if I want to drive, according toGoogle maps, from here to Taiwan, I should first drive up to Washington state, kayak 2,756 miles across the PacificOcean to Hawaii, drive to Waikiki, kayak3,879 miles to Japan, drive across Japan and then swim 100 miles to Taiwan.This should take me approximately 37 days and 23 hours.

2. I learned that if you say “I’m fine” when youreally aren’t, then you may suffer from this: Alexithymia – difficultydescribing feelings to other people.

3. I learned that in South Korea they have a sextheme park located on Jeju Island (just off the Korean mainland). It is called “Loveland.”

4. I learned that the word inculcate means “to teach and impress by frequent repetition orinstruction.” Am I inculcating you with my vast vocabulary knowledge?

5. I have learned that there are (were) 20 or soVietnamese coffee shops in San Jose (LittleSaigon, Tully Road area) that have waitresses who take their tops off and dolap dances for tips. Damn! In coffee shops? Weird.

6. I have learned that a hurricane releases moreenergy in 10 minutes, than all the world’s nuclear weapons combined.

7. I have learned the cigarette lighter wasinvented before the match.

8. I have learned that each king in a deck ofplaying cards represents a great king from history:

Spades– King David
Clubs – Alexander the Great
Hearts – Charlemagne
Diamonds – Julius Caesar

Because It's Funny

2011-09-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

I think you missed a spot

Question: How is he going to dry it off?

A Happy Post

2011-09-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

Baby Ellie rocking out in her baby Jordans!

Such style! Such pizazz!

My Aunt (that's me!) Is The Best

This lovely (beautiful, gorgeous, amazing) little creature is Eliana Adrienne Law. She was born on July 12th, 2011. Her proud mama is my cousin Julie Sue and her proud papa is Julie's husband, Kevin. Today (yesterday, actually) Eliana is sporting her new orange and white baby Jordans! And not just any baby Jordans... but the ones that Alex, Jacob and I picked out for her! She is also sporting what looks to be a matching onesie with a brilliant message on it that says, "My Aunt is The Best!" Such a smart child! Did I mention how amazing she is? I wish I could take credit for also giving her this great outfit with the poignant message, but that must have been her aunt Shannon (Kevin's sister) or maybe even one of Julie's SIL's Magalie or Perry that deserve the honors. It must be kismet, however, that the outfit matches the shoes. Am I right?

I wish all the best to little Ellie and all her future endeavors which, may or may not, involve a secret visit to California when her parents think she is sleeping or otherwise occupied (I haven't worked out all the details yet, but I have it on good authority that negotiations remain optimistic). I also want to wish the parents all the best in their parenting adventure (now two months in) and leave them with this little token of wisdom:

Save up (hoard if you must) all those cute little moments and put them away in a safe place. In 12-13 years there will be times (hopefully not a lot) when you will need to access them again to remind yourselves why you like this child and that she was once this easy and cute.

But, since this is supposed to be a "happy post" I will end on a positive note. You rock baby Ellie! So do your folks and so do your grandparents! I haven't met you yet, but you are my favorite! *kisses*

September 11th - A Look Back

2011-09-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

I remember that morning like it is frozen in time. I feel that, as I start aging and becoming more and more forgetful of recent events, I will never, ever forget that morning. We were living at the apartments back then. We had all four kids living with us. Sergio was 19. He had graduated the year before and was about to start fall classes again at DeAnza. Suhey was 13 and still at Hyde. It was before the trouble happened and before she had to transfer out. Alex was 6 and just starting 1st grade at DeVargas. Ms. O'Rourke was his teacher. Jacob was about to turn 3 and was attending the daycare on Stevens Creek while Juan and I worked. Almost a year had passed since he was hospitalized for that horrible, horrible RSV virus.

Tuesday, September 11th, 2001
7:15am, PST
Juan was already long at work. His shift started at 5:30. Sergio was in bed asleep. I was scrambling around, trying to get myself and the boys ready for school. Suhey was in the bathroom listening to music and getting herself ready as well. As I walked down the hall, she popped her head out of the bathroom. "What is hi-jacking?" She asked. "Um?" It was a strange question for that early in the morning, especially coming from her. I gave her a brief explanation and asked her why she wanted to know. "Oh, because they are talking about it on the radio."
Hmm, I thought to myself. I'll have to check the news later to see what she was talking about. Hi-jacking wasn't exactly "news." I mean, it was of course. But all the recent hi-jackings had taken place overseas and far away from my little world where, I noticed mid-thought, if we didn't hurry up, we would all be late.
"Let's go guys, we are going to be late! Alex, go get Ya Ya. He should have been here by now. Suhey, let's go!" I snapped out orders, the hi-jacking news temporarily forgotten. I loaded the kids in the van, including my nephew and the two of the neighbor kids and we headed out.
7:41 am
We drove to the elementary school first to drop off Alex, Ya Ya and Julissa. On the way there I got the first hint of what was really going on. The usually entertaining morning show was all business and was preempted with news reports. I soon learned that the "hijacking" that Suhey was talking about was a domestic airplane that had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers in New York. Shortly after that, the report said, a second plane had crashed into the other tower. After hearing that, I changed the radio to an actual news station where live reports were coming in by the second. "At approximately 8:45 am, " a very shaken news reporter was saying. "What appears to be a jet airliner, crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center.". His voice continued to shake as if he could not contain the brevity of the situation, much less report it over the air. "Then, about fifteen minutes later, at approximately 9:02 am, a second plane struck the south tower. Smoke is billowing out of the upper floors of both buildings." Oh my God, was all I could think. 8:45? Eastern time. I did the time difference in my head. That was just about 2 hours ago.
7:55 am
I had just pulled up to Jacob's daycare after dropping the other kids off at the elementary school and middle school. I couldn't stop listening to the news. I sat in the car for what seemed like only a few seconds, but was probably a few minutes when Jacob's voice shook me out of my daze. "Mama?" I turned around to look at him. "Yeah baby, we're going." I got him out of his car seat and brought him inside. I signed him in, gave him an extra tight hug and asked one of the teachers if she had seen the news. "No, what's going on?" She asked. "It is unbelievable," I said. "Turn on the news, when you get a chance. Away from the kids"
8:15 am

Devastating Impact

I'm driving down Lawrence Expressway toward my job in Sunnyvale. The sky was dark gray, which was unusual for that time of year. I continued listening to the news amid the morning congestion of commuters who were, most likely, doing the same. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. I could not wrap my head around what was going on. Now they were talking about a third plane that may have crashed into the Pentagon. All I could think was, "what the hell is going on?"
8:45 am
I finally get to work. There is only one other car in the parking lot. It belonged to Damon, one of the engineers. I walk into my office and glance over to Damon's cubicle. He had is radio on. He glanced up when he saw me so I walked over to his desk. "Are you hearing this?" I asked him. "Yeah," he said. "What's going on?" I asked. "It's a terrorist attack, " he replied. "That's what they are saying. A planned out terrorist attack on the U.S."
9:00 - 11:00 am
I was glued to my radio. Report after report were coming in about the towers collapsing, death, destruction. People and reporters alike were crying, live, on the air. Eye witnesses were calling in from their cell phones reporting the collapses, they said that people were jumping from the upper floors. People were describing what it was like inside the building when they had evacuated. One man described a conversation he had with a first responder who was going up the stairs as he was going down. "I looked in his eyes," he said. "And I knew. I knew that, he knew. He wouldn't be making it out alive. But he went up the stairs any way. It was his job, he had said. He didn't have a choice." My co-workers drifted in to the office, they were all whispering and talking about the events. My husband called around 10:45. We talked about it briefly before he had to get back. I don't remember actually working that day, but I do remember the news reports and the first photos that were popping up on the internet.
12:30 pm

Second plane heading toward the South Tower

Sergio called me. "Have you heard what is going on?" He asked. "Yes," I said. "I've been listening to the news all morning." "I've been watching it too," he said. "This is crazy." I told him about the guy that ran into the firefighter as he was evacuating and got choked up as I repeated what the man said. He, in turn, told me about the television coverage and how they showed footage of when the towers actually collapsed. "They have video," he said. "of when the second plane crashed. It's quick, but you can see it." "And there was another plane," he continued, "a fourth one. It crashed somewhere. They said it was headed for the White House." There would be no more flights the rest of the day. All commercial and private flights were grounded. Air space was effectively shut down. The rest of the work day was a blur.


Man falling from the WTC

5:30 pm
I got home and the television was on. Juan, Suhey and Sergio were watching and the kids were playing. I remember sitting down and not wanting to move for the rest of the night as I caught up on all the news and pictures from the day. No one spoke. We just watched. At one point I glanced at the boys and was happy that they didn't understand what this was all about. I was glad that their sense of security was still in tact and wondered how this would affect them, all of us, in the future.

Alex had questions. Not really then, at that moment. But later, in the next few days following when everyone was processing what took place. I answered them the best I could and one day he brought me a red, white, and blue bracelet that he had made in school. "It's for the people that died," he said. "It is the colors of our flag. My teacher said, so we can remember."

3,446 people died that day. A few months ago in April 2011, a group of Navy Seals killed the man responsible in Pakistan. Almost 10 years later. A lot has happened in those 10 years, to all of us. But I still think it is important for all of us to remember. Even if we didn't lose someone in the tragedy or aren't from New York, we still lost something that day. And we need to remember why. We need to honor those whose lives were taken, who made the ultimate sacrifice and who had no choice in making that sacrifice. The ones that were left behind to mourn, whose lives would never be the same and the heroes who tried to save the lost ones, many who lost their own lives in the attempt. The bravado and courage of the citizens on flight 93 who took back the plane and caused that particular part of the attack to "fail." We will always remember. We will never forget. United we stand.

My Sense Of Humor

2011-09-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

Most Quotable Friday

2011-09-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

From my Twitter Time Line:

1. Sometimes, we are pushed to our limits because God has greater faith in usthan we have in ourselves.

2. Sometimes, the most difficult people in your life are the ones that you canlearn from the most.

3. “Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold; thefeeling of happiness dwells in the soul.” ~ Democritus”

4. “Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, butaround in awareness.” ~ James Thurber

5. “Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.” ~General George S. Patton

6. You can't live a positive life with a negative mind.

7. For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds ofhappiness.

8. Larger Than Words:
Choose Twitter rather than Facebook
Choose to pray rather than despair
Choose to forgive rather than curse
Choose to go rather than delay
Choose to heal rather than wound
Choose to praise rather than gossip
Choose to persevere rather than quit
Choose to build rather than destroy
Choose to smile rather than frown
Choose to love rather than hate

9. The most dangerous lies are the lies you tell yourself.

10. Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.

Thursday Blurbs

2011-09-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

1. Alright, a lot to blurb about today. Where to start? Oh, I know... I was missing $10 from my wallet today. It was probably Alex. I left my purse out on the computer chair last night. Here we go again. Oh, and? We already got a letter from the truancy board that he has 3 unexcused absences, WTF? I'm not sure what the third one was about, because I never got a call from school, but the other two were from Tuesday (when I saw him walking down White Road at 7:40 am with two buddies when he should have been in his first period class) and the other one was from last week when he said his teacher marked him absent by mistake (because they were in the computer lab instead of the class room), which? Was probably another lie. Like I said, here we go again.

2. All this after he had a great tournament last weekend, which by the way, was going to be my main focus of this week's Thursday Blurbs. His team lost in the finals, but he not only got a lot of playing time, but made it count and played really well. I missed the two Saturday games but got to see the Sunday games. Unfortunate (unlucky?) the way they lost in the finals (in a shootout, again), especially after he made a few really good saves including a break away and STOPPED A PENALTY SHOT AND GOT RAN INTO (HARD AND UNSPORTSMANLIKE) BY THE SHOOTER. Of course, the referee decided that he came off the line, no mention about the rough intentional hit from the opposing player and gave them another kick. Yeah, that's kind of how things go sometimes. That all happened with about 5 minutes left in the game. The PK tied the game and it ended up going to a shootout... where, as I mentioned, they lost.

3. Probably the more interesting news happened on Saturday. In the first half of their first game Alex was going for a 50-50 ball against one of the opposing players and when he kicked the ball, the force of the kick caused the other kid's leg to buckle and he had to be assisted off the field. At some point during the second half, the kid left the field by ambulance. The next day the mother of the player approached Alex and told him that her son had a broken femur and would be needing surgery. She also told him that she wanted to say "thank you" for apologizing to her son and for his good sportsmanship. Alex told me that at half-time he had gone over to the player and asked how he was doing and told him he was sorry. The coach was with him at the time and told Alex that it was just a hard play and that it wasn't dirty or intentional and that it was just one of those things. Except is it? Alex also broke someone's ankle last year on a similar type play. *Scary Strong*

4. Weird stuff going on at work. Everyone was all stressed yesterday. We are supposed to have all the location checks ready to send out today (the 8th)... but we don't have any of them signed yet. What to do, what to do? We, our department, was assigned a "project" yesterday to go through all the franchisee binders and fill out a spreadsheet for who has cabinets at their locations and how many. This, after she (the boss) deleted a spreadsheet that had this information in it for the last three years. Oh, and? (she says) the information in the binders isn't really accurate because "I haven't tracked the cabinets when there was a transfer." So, basically we are guessing. This company is a circus. I think they all make stuff up as they go along.

5. Jacob has roller hockey playoffs on Saturday. If they win they will have 3 games... followed by pizza! WhooHoo! Go Jets! Jacob bought "ninja turtle" pajamas at Walmart when we were in Madera last weekend just for this occasion. He says some of his teammates are going to wear pajamas, as well, during the playoffs.

Wreckage from the Yak-42 that crashed in Yaroslavl, Russia

6. I also just registered him for ice hockey at Sharks Ice. He is going to be in Bantums this year, so back to being one of the youngest players again. He has improved and grown so much though, I think he should be okay and at least be able to hold his own.

7. On a very sad note, there was a plane crash in Russia yesterday that killed 43 people. Most of the passengers made up one of the KHL hockey teams, HK Lokomotiv. They were traveling to their first game of the season. Many of the players who perished had NHL affiliations. One of the players in the crash was a 20 year-old prospect that the Sharks had just drafted. He was just here in July to participate in the rookie camps. His name was Daniil Sobchenko. May he Rest In Peace.

What I have learned Wednesday

2011-09-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

1. I have learned that the word darkle means togrow dark, gloomy.

Beware of the tremendous force

2. I have learned that the femur bone, also known as the "thigh" bone, is one of thestrongest bones in the human body. For afracture or break to occur in this particular bone it takes a “tremendousforce.” The most common causes for a femur fracture are car accidents or a fallfrom a height.

3. I have learned that, apparently, when kickinginto a 50-50 ball against Alex, the force can be “tremendous” enough to breakyour femur, requiring you to have surgery.

4. I have learned that I am so very grateful that Ilive where I live. And not in Merced, Chowchilla or Madera where there are toomany bugs, bad smells and unfathomable temperatures.

5. I have learned that it is not scary at all toyour call your child’s high school to verify the story he told about why hewasn’t in class. Not scary, a little embarrassing maybe, but all in the name ofgood parenting.

Gladiolus from our house

6. I have learned that I am just beginning to understand the true meaning of the word "vigilance."

7. I have learned that Logan Couture is a terrible pizza delivery guy.

8. I have learned that the pretty orange flowersthat bloom around the house are gladiolus. Why did I not know this before?

9. I have learned that there are very few barber shops in our community and that not many of them are open on Labor Day.

No.

2011-09-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

Most Quotable Friday

2011-09-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

The Latest from Twitter:

1.The ‘L’ in my luck has been replaced with an ‘F'.

2. I wouldn't have to manage my anger… If people could learn to manage theirstupidity!!!!!!

3. Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.

4. You'll find better days when you leave the bitter days behind.

5. People who smile are thinking about doing something evil. People who laughhave already done it.

6. I don't know what’s happening, it’s just like everyday life becomes more andmore, less worth living, I just wish I knew why...

7. They are lying to you. Failure IS an option and very often the easiest one.

8. I'm sure that if I was to search for happiness, between happiness andhappiness, I would find misery.

9. I don't blame you for lying to me I blame myself for believing you...

10. If women ruled the world there wouldn't be any wars. Just a bunch of jealouscountries not talking to each other…

Thursday Blurbs

2011-09-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

1. Okay, well Blogger has invited me to try this new user interface. So let's see how this blurb post goes before I commit, shall we?

2. So, everyday this week a strange phenomenon has occurred in the morning as I'm parking. Each day I have pulled into the parking garage behind the same exact car. It happened Monday. It happened Tuesday. And? It happened yesterday which was doubly strange because she came from a different direction, but still ended up right in front of me as entered the structure. This morning I didn't follow her in the garage, but when I was going to my parking spot she had just pulled into hers and her brake lights were still on as I drove by her.

3. There is a soccer tournament in Merced this weekend which I am dreading. Just the logistics alone. Merced is a little over 2 hours away, but not just any two hours, it's two hours driving over 152 past Highway 5 and past Los Banos. This club who is hosting the tournament and/or the people making the schedules are being little bitches too. The gave us two 8am games, while the host team plays both days at 11:30. Do they have to drive two hours to the field? Seriously? And, they set it up so their group plays the runner up in the semis as opposed to the champions of one of the other groups. I really hope they beat them up. But? Who knows what the state of the team will be which is another reason I am dreading this. Also, if I drive 2 hours down there (Juan wants me to spend the night on Saturday with Alex) and Alex doesn't even play? Dreading. It.

4. We have a meeting today at 12 to get trained on the new Landslide software that the company will be using. Mira will be there and she just informed us yesterday that Sefi will be joining us as well. Yay.

5. Sorry for the boring blurbs this week. I just can't think of anything semi interesting or even semi humorous. Gah!

6. Oh, I know. Jacob finished his "victims awareness" classes down at the juvenile center last night. The classes were assigned by his probation officer (head hung in shame). He got in the car and I asked him if he graduated and he said yes. But then he said he wasn't sure because they gave him a certificate, but the certificate said "Jacob Cruz." So, I asked him if he said something to them and he said that he brought the certificate to them and said, "Um, this kind of isn't my name." Kind of? LOL! Anyway. They told him they would fix it and send it in the mail.

7. Also on the ride home I offered him $10 if he could name the person singing on the radio (we were listening to KFOX classic rock). It was "Born To Run" and his first guess? Was James Durbin. His second guess? Ricky Martin. Um? After that "Back In Black" came on and I offered him $5 if he could name who was singing that song. He got all excited and said that he knew this song. "Jack Black sang this song," he said. "Yes, I'm sure he did, but who is the band that actually sings it? It was Jack Black's favorite band in 'School of Rock.' "Oh, I know this!" He said. He paused for a second and then exclaimed "AC/DC" What? He actually knew that? Wow. Now, I'm out $5.

8. I think the new user interface is good. It has more editing options at the top, the page opens up so you can see the whole post instead of having to scroll up and down to see what you've written. Also, the preview button allows you to see your post in your actual template instead of the generic one they used before. Good job Blogger!

/Blurbs

New Random Top Ten Lists

2011-08-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

Top ~~Ten~~ 13 Driving Pet Peeves... click here

Top Ten Ways To Piss Me Off... click here

What I Have Learned Wednesday

2011-08-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

1. I have learned that the word "usufruct" means the right to use the property of another as long as it isn't damaged. Hmm... I think this is a made up word by Alex so he can justify taking Jacob's earphones without asking him.

2. I have learned that these are difficult times, but that we are not alone.

3. I have learned that I should not automatically assume someone has it all together and is not dealing with difficult and painful issues in their private life.

4. I have learned that, after nearly ten years, images, thoughts and memories from 9/11 still make me feel like I got punched in the gut.

5. I learned that the new sections of the Bay Bridge's eastern spans were made in China, shipped here and the latest ones (4 sections) weigh over 5,000 tons.

6. I learned that an iPhone will auto correct a blogspot URL (blogspot.com) to "bloodspot.com."

7. I learned that an autodidact is a self-taught person. I saw the word in an article about Jerry Lewis. Someone described him as "the ultimate autodidact." So, naturally, I had to look it up.

8. I learned, sadly, that Jacob's cute moments, that I used to be able to share with friends and loved ones, have slowly transitioned into not-so-cute-teenage-moments that I don't want to share with anyone, except maybe a therapist.