We did indeed have a snow day today. Sort of. It was a snow day because it did snow enough to cancel school, but it started raining at about 10:30 or 11 am. Before that was the 6:30 phone call to announce the school closure, then the 7:15 call from my sister to update the flight info (delayed minimally), then the infusion of kids into my bed, and finally the realization that I hadn't heard from my cleaning woman and needed to get up. So at 7:45 I got up and opened the shade to a view of a beautiful snow covered world and a car that jumped the curb and came to a rest on my neighbor's lawn with the help of a well placed tree. Well that entertained the troops for about an hour. They were mesmerized by the (immobile) car, and then eventually the cop, and then finally the tow truck. I'm not sure if another car that was originally on the scene hit the guy who ended up parking up the wrong tree, or if tree man wasn't just blaming the guy. Either way, the unstuck car stuck around until the cop showed up.
After that was just the lazy day we had hoped for with the anticipation of the cousins' arrival. Once that happened it was time for lunch. We eschewed pasta for Pizza (the roads were slushy at this point and though not perfect, more than passable). Sledding was off the schedule because of the rain. I don't mind if they go out when it's snowing, but I wasn't willing to send them out in the rain. So we went to visit the Grandmother and did a little shoveling, noshing and shmoozing.
The rest of the day was uneventful and I messed myself up by writing the blog post yesterday. Because now I do feel bad that I was not productive. I'm hoping for a sort of do over. A one o two hour delay would be perfect. Not to be productive of course, but maybe I could sleep guilt free.......
Potentially.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The Flutter of Forecasted Flakes
Tonight is one of those great nights. It's the night before something exciting MIGHT happen, though everything would have to align juuuuust right for it to go exactly my way. At around midnight tonight, it's supposed to start snowing. No big deal in some locales, but around these parts a three to five inch snowfall that is not predicted to stop until about 9 am, means no school. No school means I get to sleep late. Potentially. I have cleaning help, and she usually arrives around 8 am. If she can get out of her driveway I'll need to be up before 8. So that's one hurdle, there needs to be enough snow that she chooses not to be here. I am very excited that my nieces are coming to visit and are flying in. Their flight is due to arrive at 9 am, so I'd have to leave about 8:00 to get there about on time. I'd love for them to be delayed about one hour, but no more than that, thus I could leave my house at 9. Of course the main factor in my sleep quest is getting the school district to actually cancel school, but based on past history this should not be a problem. Unless the forecast is waaay wrong (always a possibility), I would be shocked, shocked! if there was school tomorrow.
I love snow days, and not only because I can potentially sleep late. I love that at home cozy day. Today I shopped for provisions, we have enough milk for hot chocolate, we have enough pasta for lunch, and the girls love to laze in pjs until it's time to go sledding. As someone who doesn't work, it's almost like a vacation day for me. The kids are all home, there's often nowhere to go, so it's just a freebie day. For a lot of people it's a day to be productive, and it may well turn out that way, but mostly I laze with the girls (even though I do not stay in pjs). That's what makes tonight so much fun. It's the hope that tomorrow will be something different. No need to make lunches, the little ones can stay up a little later, and everything tonight is more laid back. A weekend day in the middle of the week, how cool is that.
So the closets probably won't get cleaned out tomorrow, and the toys will not get organized either. We may bake, though more likely we'll play a game, go sledding, read books, and try to have a fun in house day.
I can't wait.
I love snow days, and not only because I can potentially sleep late. I love that at home cozy day. Today I shopped for provisions, we have enough milk for hot chocolate, we have enough pasta for lunch, and the girls love to laze in pjs until it's time to go sledding. As someone who doesn't work, it's almost like a vacation day for me. The kids are all home, there's often nowhere to go, so it's just a freebie day. For a lot of people it's a day to be productive, and it may well turn out that way, but mostly I laze with the girls (even though I do not stay in pjs). That's what makes tonight so much fun. It's the hope that tomorrow will be something different. No need to make lunches, the little ones can stay up a little later, and everything tonight is more laid back. A weekend day in the middle of the week, how cool is that.
So the closets probably won't get cleaned out tomorrow, and the toys will not get organized either. We may bake, though more likely we'll play a game, go sledding, read books, and try to have a fun in house day.
I can't wait.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
The Floor Is Not A Smorgasboard
This post is for a certain two foot person. Unfortunately, she can't read. However, maybe someday she will chance upon this blog, and she will see how she sustained herself when she was a wee lass.
Not really sustained herself, but everyday as I sweep she comes running over to the pile as I get out the dustpan (for some reason I like to call it a dustbin, but it looks weird in written form), and sees what she can salvage. This morning as I swept up the Fruity Pebbles that were scattered along the floor, she came running over. I think she thought I was collecting them for her to dig in. I really thought that at this point she would no longer feel she had to scavenge on the floor for scraps. When she began crawling at about 8 months old she found the floor to be a delightful entree to the world of food. So I started her on solids. This obviously did nothing to dampen her desire for floor food.
She is now 22 months old. Very mobile, and communicative. You would think that she would not need to resort to scraps. Anyone who knows her, knows how much she likes to eat, and how she will ask for food from anyone. On Friday I needed to go to the girls' school to drop something off. The secretary was eating pretzels, and the little twerp was not shy about wanting some. When the woman put out her hand with six pretzel nuggets in it, she tried to take them all.
So my dear almost two year old cutie, please don't run over to the sweep pile to find the food you discarded from your high chair minutes earlier. If you didn't want it then, why do you want it now?
Not really sustained herself, but everyday as I sweep she comes running over to the pile as I get out the dustpan (for some reason I like to call it a dustbin, but it looks weird in written form), and sees what she can salvage. This morning as I swept up the Fruity Pebbles that were scattered along the floor, she came running over. I think she thought I was collecting them for her to dig in. I really thought that at this point she would no longer feel she had to scavenge on the floor for scraps. When she began crawling at about 8 months old she found the floor to be a delightful entree to the world of food. So I started her on solids. This obviously did nothing to dampen her desire for floor food.
She is now 22 months old. Very mobile, and communicative. You would think that she would not need to resort to scraps. Anyone who knows her, knows how much she likes to eat, and how she will ask for food from anyone. On Friday I needed to go to the girls' school to drop something off. The secretary was eating pretzels, and the little twerp was not shy about wanting some. When the woman put out her hand with six pretzel nuggets in it, she tried to take them all.
So my dear almost two year old cutie, please don't run over to the sweep pile to find the food you discarded from your high chair minutes earlier. If you didn't want it then, why do you want it now?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Winter of My Dis-caffeining, Part II
Editor's note: This post in another in a series of updates on MBB's attempt to live a caffeine-free lifestyle. Unfortunately, our subject does not seem to be doing very well right now.
Day 16:
Have you ever listened to a middle-aged person speaking about something that he/she did when he/she was much younger, and now feels embarrassed about? The story typically ends with the person saying something like, "I can't believe I thought it was a good idea at the time."
This is how I feel about my caffeine-free phase, with one little caveat.
I never, ever thought that it was a good idea.
This was a terrible idea from the start. A foolish, nasty, downright cruel idea.
I'm tired, irritable and unfocused. Having thumbed my nose at caffeine and its appetite-suppressing qualities, I'm in the process of eating everything in my house that is not nailed down.
This is sheer madness.
Why do I get the impression that this is the kind of stunt that Ted Bundy tried, back when he was "normal?"
How am I supposed to make it through at least four years of a Democratic administration like this?
Doesn't the Geneva convention cover something like this? Can someone look this up for me, please? (I can't focus long enough to use Google effectively. Or, perhaps I should have said, "to effectively use Google." Darn that Chief Justice Roberts. Now he's got me confused as well).
Anyway, I think I'll stick it out for a little while longer. I want to see if I can keep this going until the three week point.
Day 16:
Have you ever listened to a middle-aged person speaking about something that he/she did when he/she was much younger, and now feels embarrassed about? The story typically ends with the person saying something like, "I can't believe I thought it was a good idea at the time."
This is how I feel about my caffeine-free phase, with one little caveat.
I never, ever thought that it was a good idea.
This was a terrible idea from the start. A foolish, nasty, downright cruel idea.
I'm tired, irritable and unfocused. Having thumbed my nose at caffeine and its appetite-suppressing qualities, I'm in the process of eating everything in my house that is not nailed down.
This is sheer madness.
Why do I get the impression that this is the kind of stunt that Ted Bundy tried, back when he was "normal?"
How am I supposed to make it through at least four years of a Democratic administration like this?
Doesn't the Geneva convention cover something like this? Can someone look this up for me, please? (I can't focus long enough to use Google effectively. Or, perhaps I should have said, "to effectively use Google." Darn that Chief Justice Roberts. Now he's got me confused as well).
Anyway, I think I'll stick it out for a little while longer. I want to see if I can keep this going until the three week point.
Will Obama Be Good For...the Yankees?
I'm sure that before long, FBB and I will have plenty to say about our new President. However, I wanted to start out with a quick analysis of some areas where our new leader can be expected to make a significant impact.
In looking at all of the crazy things that occurred during George W. Bush's eight years in the White House (9/11, Enron and other corporate scandals, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, stock market crashes, oil price shocks, the credit crisis, etc.) one thing stood out as particularly abnormal. It was the type of thing about which we could all truthfully say, "I just didn't see that coming."
From the time that George W. Bush took office on January 20, 2001, until he left office, on January 20, 2009, The New York Yankees did not win a single World Series title.
Dating back to 1923, when the Yankees won their first title, the only other president to serve a full eight years during which the Yanks went without a title was Ronald Reagan.
This led me to wonder, have the Yankees been more successful during Republican or Democratic administrations?
Let's take a look, by breaking down the Yankees' 26 World Championships by president.
Coolidge (R): 3
Hoover (R): 1
FDR (D): 6
Truman (D): 5
Eisenhower (R): 3
JFK (D): 2
Carter (D): 2
Clinton (D): 4
Based on the above, 19 of the Yankees' 26 titles (73%) have occurred during Democratic administrations. Their last eight titles have been captured while a Democrat resided in the White House.
So, while I'm not sure that Obama's policies will cure our country's economic ills, his mere presence in the White House increases the odds that the Yankees will soon return to their rightful place at the apex of the baseball world.
(That $200 million payroll won't hurt, either).
In looking at all of the crazy things that occurred during George W. Bush's eight years in the White House (9/11, Enron and other corporate scandals, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, stock market crashes, oil price shocks, the credit crisis, etc.) one thing stood out as particularly abnormal. It was the type of thing about which we could all truthfully say, "I just didn't see that coming."
From the time that George W. Bush took office on January 20, 2001, until he left office, on January 20, 2009, The New York Yankees did not win a single World Series title.
Dating back to 1923, when the Yankees won their first title, the only other president to serve a full eight years during which the Yanks went without a title was Ronald Reagan.
This led me to wonder, have the Yankees been more successful during Republican or Democratic administrations?
Let's take a look, by breaking down the Yankees' 26 World Championships by president.
Coolidge (R): 3
Hoover (R): 1
FDR (D): 6
Truman (D): 5
Eisenhower (R): 3
JFK (D): 2
Carter (D): 2
Clinton (D): 4
Based on the above, 19 of the Yankees' 26 titles (73%) have occurred during Democratic administrations. Their last eight titles have been captured while a Democrat resided in the White House.
So, while I'm not sure that Obama's policies will cure our country's economic ills, his mere presence in the White House increases the odds that the Yankees will soon return to their rightful place at the apex of the baseball world.
(That $200 million payroll won't hurt, either).
Monday, January 19, 2009
The Winter of My Dis-caffeining
Editor's note: From time-to-time, we will post updates on my attempt to live a caffeine-free lifestyle.
Day 13:
Our provisions (willpower and curiosity), once so plentiful, have begun to dwindle, having been replaced in the rucksacks of our souls by incredible craving. I can sense that the men are becoming restless, as they huddle for warmth near the fire they've built (I should probably turn up the thermostat a bit). It has been nearly a fortnight since we last ingested the life-affirming nectar.
I can see the doubt in their eyes. What is the source of this doubt? Are they questioning my leadership? Even worse, have they completely lost faith in our noble quest to scale Mt. Caffeine? Just the other day, I heard one of them ask his peers for a word that rhymes with "quixotic." (The response was "neurotic." I'd have said "exotic," but no one asked me).
Their doubt lingers like a festering sore. It must be bluntly silenced, lest they bring down the rest of the group. I pray that I will not have to do something unpleasant. In the event that I must, I pray that I be given the strength to carry out the necessary steps. Or, at the very least, that I not be eventually tried by a court of law for my egregious mixing of metaphors.
So, Doubt has appeared on the scene. He is not an unexpected visitor, although I did not anticipate seeing him so soon. No matter, he must be forcibly engaged. So lay down some odds, my bookmaking friend, Doubt and I are set to tussle. With apologies to Don King, we could refer to our confrontation as "The Caffeine Clash."
Still others are now demonstrating a heretofore undiscovered, steely resolve. This, too, I can see in their eyes. Their faces do not betray the despair which is the constant companion of the beaten man. Rather, they are determined to see this thing through. I am proud to know such men, to struggle alongside them.
I think that we're getting to the point where the quest itself is no longer relevant (was it ever?). Now, it's about survival. It's about testing ourselves via deprivation of the most extreme sort. We've gotten to this point. Dare we back down now?
Yet, even as I write these seemingly courageous words, I can feel my own resolve crumbling. Verily, my heart continues to beat, and my blood flows, but they do so lethargically, robbed of the thing which makes them race, in so exhilarating a manner.
However, the physical impact of my deprivation, while troubling, does not bring with it the horrors that the quest now seems prepared to visit upon my tortured psyche. When I lie asleep at night, I dream of the magical, banned elixir, in nearly all of its forms. The 20-ounce Diet Coke, with 75 milligrams of caffeine; the Big Gulp, with 30 ounces of Diet Coke (112.5 mg. of caffeine) and 2 ounces of regular Coke (5.8 mg. of caffeine); or, the massive, (yet still only $0.99) 44 ounce cup, available at a nearby ExxonMobil station, which can deliver 165 milligrams of the stuff. I've even seen some Diet Mountain Dew in some of my nocturnal visions, featuring 4.6 milligrams of caffeine per ounce. Temptation is everywhere.
Have I begun the slow descent into madness?
For now, there's no time to contemplate this terrible possibility. FBB just spilled some coffee onto the newspaper. Perhaps if I suck on it, I can get some caffeine into my system. And to think, I don't even like coffee.
Day 13:
Our provisions (willpower and curiosity), once so plentiful, have begun to dwindle, having been replaced in the rucksacks of our souls by incredible craving. I can sense that the men are becoming restless, as they huddle for warmth near the fire they've built (I should probably turn up the thermostat a bit). It has been nearly a fortnight since we last ingested the life-affirming nectar.
I can see the doubt in their eyes. What is the source of this doubt? Are they questioning my leadership? Even worse, have they completely lost faith in our noble quest to scale Mt. Caffeine? Just the other day, I heard one of them ask his peers for a word that rhymes with "quixotic." (The response was "neurotic." I'd have said "exotic," but no one asked me).
Their doubt lingers like a festering sore. It must be bluntly silenced, lest they bring down the rest of the group. I pray that I will not have to do something unpleasant. In the event that I must, I pray that I be given the strength to carry out the necessary steps. Or, at the very least, that I not be eventually tried by a court of law for my egregious mixing of metaphors.
So, Doubt has appeared on the scene. He is not an unexpected visitor, although I did not anticipate seeing him so soon. No matter, he must be forcibly engaged. So lay down some odds, my bookmaking friend, Doubt and I are set to tussle. With apologies to Don King, we could refer to our confrontation as "The Caffeine Clash."
Still others are now demonstrating a heretofore undiscovered, steely resolve. This, too, I can see in their eyes. Their faces do not betray the despair which is the constant companion of the beaten man. Rather, they are determined to see this thing through. I am proud to know such men, to struggle alongside them.
I think that we're getting to the point where the quest itself is no longer relevant (was it ever?). Now, it's about survival. It's about testing ourselves via deprivation of the most extreme sort. We've gotten to this point. Dare we back down now?
Yet, even as I write these seemingly courageous words, I can feel my own resolve crumbling. Verily, my heart continues to beat, and my blood flows, but they do so lethargically, robbed of the thing which makes them race, in so exhilarating a manner.
However, the physical impact of my deprivation, while troubling, does not bring with it the horrors that the quest now seems prepared to visit upon my tortured psyche. When I lie asleep at night, I dream of the magical, banned elixir, in nearly all of its forms. The 20-ounce Diet Coke, with 75 milligrams of caffeine; the Big Gulp, with 30 ounces of Diet Coke (112.5 mg. of caffeine) and 2 ounces of regular Coke (5.8 mg. of caffeine); or, the massive, (yet still only $0.99) 44 ounce cup, available at a nearby ExxonMobil station, which can deliver 165 milligrams of the stuff. I've even seen some Diet Mountain Dew in some of my nocturnal visions, featuring 4.6 milligrams of caffeine per ounce. Temptation is everywhere.
Have I begun the slow descent into madness?
For now, there's no time to contemplate this terrible possibility. FBB just spilled some coffee onto the newspaper. Perhaps if I suck on it, I can get some caffeine into my system. And to think, I don't even like coffee.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Caffeine Karma
Hmmm.
About three years ago I needed to lose a few pounds, and Weight Watchers had done just about all it could for me and I needed a jump start with something new. So I started the South Beach Diet (one I highly recommend, but that's a different post and as such we will leave it until then). South Beach is a low carb low/no sugar diet. Though really, having been to South Beach, I'd say it should be cigarettes, cocaine and mojitos, but again that's another post. Now, until this point I was drinking three or four cups of hot milk with Nestle's Quik stirred in. Nestle's Quik is a delicious confection, now called Nesquik, of cocoa powder and sugar, good both hot and cold. The sugar was a problem so I made myself lattes by microwaving milk and adding instant vanilla decaf coffee. My dearest, darling husband saw that I had seemed to develop a taste for coffee and decided to buy me a gift.
THE MOST WONDERFUL GIFT IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!!!!!!
It is in fact the greatest gift I could imagine, it makes me happy on a daily basis and if you ever wondered what a gift recipient should ultimately feeling like on a recurring basis after receiving a gift, I could tell you, because I have achieved Nirvana on that front. It is the gift that keeps on giving as I am joyous from it many times throughout the day. I actually saw someone buying one at Costco the other day and could not stop extolling its virtues. What is it you ask? What has made me so happy, and each and every day (at least for a few minutes) makes me think happy thoughts of MBB?
The Keurig B60 coffee machine. This thing has changed my life. I pretty much drink only decaf, but there's one great flavor that I love (Green Mountain Golden French Toast)that doesn't come in decaf, so I will indulge in a cup of the forbidden stimulant a few times in a week. Other than that I probably drink at least three to four cups of decaf coffee a day, this coffee is so delicious (pumpkin spice decaf is just amazing)I cannot drink instant, and most brewed coffees at bagel stores and the like hold no appeal to me (though in general 7-11 and Dunkin Donuts make great coffee. Starbucks is just gross). So I have been drinking steaming joy for the past three plus years, enjoying the machine, the coffee, my warm thoughts of the man who gave it to me, all that.
Until Friday. The machine didn't work. I put the K-cup in, it said READY TO BREW, I pressed the buttons, and nothing happened. Well, something happened, my palms got sweaty, my heart started racing, but no coffee came out. I turned off the machine. I waited at least ten minutes and turned it on again. Nothing. I pulled out the plug and waited. Still nothing. Yikes. I called the company, they said technical support would get back to me (I'm still waiting!). I continued to try throughout the day. I checked out the problem online, and it did not look fixable. Everything I read indicated that the company may throw me a few bucks towards a new machine, but that was about it. I'd definitely replace this machine whether or not they gave me money so I hope no one from The Keurig company is reading this. At about 4pm, I unplugged the machine and put it away, as I do every Friday.
I decided to try again Saturday night. HUZZAH!!It did indeed work. It's like getting a gift all over again. I'm so happy, but a little nervous about it happening again. However, many members of mine and MBB's families now have this machine too, so I could always run over to one of them for a great cup of Joe. So MBB has, without his knowledge, gifted me again, and now those warm and fuzzy feelings can return.
Unless it was all a nefarious plot by him in the first place.
HMMM, indeed.
About three years ago I needed to lose a few pounds, and Weight Watchers had done just about all it could for me and I needed a jump start with something new. So I started the South Beach Diet (one I highly recommend, but that's a different post and as such we will leave it until then). South Beach is a low carb low/no sugar diet. Though really, having been to South Beach, I'd say it should be cigarettes, cocaine and mojitos, but again that's another post. Now, until this point I was drinking three or four cups of hot milk with Nestle's Quik stirred in. Nestle's Quik is a delicious confection, now called Nesquik, of cocoa powder and sugar, good both hot and cold. The sugar was a problem so I made myself lattes by microwaving milk and adding instant vanilla decaf coffee. My dearest, darling husband saw that I had seemed to develop a taste for coffee and decided to buy me a gift.
THE MOST WONDERFUL GIFT IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!!!!!!
It is in fact the greatest gift I could imagine, it makes me happy on a daily basis and if you ever wondered what a gift recipient should ultimately feeling like on a recurring basis after receiving a gift, I could tell you, because I have achieved Nirvana on that front. It is the gift that keeps on giving as I am joyous from it many times throughout the day. I actually saw someone buying one at Costco the other day and could not stop extolling its virtues. What is it you ask? What has made me so happy, and each and every day (at least for a few minutes) makes me think happy thoughts of MBB?
The Keurig B60 coffee machine. This thing has changed my life. I pretty much drink only decaf, but there's one great flavor that I love (Green Mountain Golden French Toast)that doesn't come in decaf, so I will indulge in a cup of the forbidden stimulant a few times in a week. Other than that I probably drink at least three to four cups of decaf coffee a day, this coffee is so delicious (pumpkin spice decaf is just amazing)I cannot drink instant, and most brewed coffees at bagel stores and the like hold no appeal to me (though in general 7-11 and Dunkin Donuts make great coffee. Starbucks is just gross). So I have been drinking steaming joy for the past three plus years, enjoying the machine, the coffee, my warm thoughts of the man who gave it to me, all that.
Until Friday. The machine didn't work. I put the K-cup in, it said READY TO BREW, I pressed the buttons, and nothing happened. Well, something happened, my palms got sweaty, my heart started racing, but no coffee came out. I turned off the machine. I waited at least ten minutes and turned it on again. Nothing. I pulled out the plug and waited. Still nothing. Yikes. I called the company, they said technical support would get back to me (I'm still waiting!). I continued to try throughout the day. I checked out the problem online, and it did not look fixable. Everything I read indicated that the company may throw me a few bucks towards a new machine, but that was about it. I'd definitely replace this machine whether or not they gave me money so I hope no one from The Keurig company is reading this. At about 4pm, I unplugged the machine and put it away, as I do every Friday.
I decided to try again Saturday night. HUZZAH!!It did indeed work. It's like getting a gift all over again. I'm so happy, but a little nervous about it happening again. However, many members of mine and MBB's families now have this machine too, so I could always run over to one of them for a great cup of Joe. So MBB has, without his knowledge, gifted me again, and now those warm and fuzzy feelings can return.
Unless it was all a nefarious plot by him in the first place.
HMMM, indeed.
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