I went to the mall today. Now those who do not know me may say "Big deal, everyone goes to the mall."
I don't.
I do not like to shop, much less in a mall. I get claustrophobic among all that consumerism. So why did I go today? I was having my car workd on and the garage is right by the mall. So rather than sit in the waiting room with the 5 very angry looking people there, I headed over to the mall to see what I have been missing.
I walked in a non-anchor store entrance, passed two photo studios and a nail salon. I briefly though of getting a manicure but the idea of a mall manicure did not seem hygenic for some reason. I eased myself in to shopping by going into Macy's. I feel comfortable there. I worked at Macy's in high school and college when it was Bamberger's.
There were sales everywhere. Not that I need anything but all the sales made me think I should need something. I bought two mock turtlenecks for $6 each and felt good about that. I always need a good turtleneck (I am beginning to become Diane Keaton. She always wears turtlenecks). I did not go into the men's dept. Hubby likes to buy his own clothes and I never seem to get it right. Passed on the boy's dept. too. The in-laws buy kiddo the cutest clothes. Why should I shell out the bucks?
Bored, I headed out into the depths of malldom. I looked at the stores but could not see any reason to go inside. The kiosk vendors varied from looking hopeful to bored. I also could not see a need for any of their products. Feeling very old lady-ish, I went into Hallmark. Got some Valentine's stuff for hubby and found a sale rack with cool stuff. I got some neat Christmas gifts that I will stow away.
I walked the whole mall. There were stores that had closed, stores that were going out of business and ones that were empty except salespeople trying very hard to look busy. I am happy they have jobs and I hope they can keep them. I just cannot find any reason to even walk into 90% of those stores. When I was a teenager, I did. My love affair with the mall died sometime in my twenties.
Luckily the car was done in just over an hour. I picked it up and happily drove home to play outside.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Jake says....
Some gems from my son's mouth last year.....
Jake has decided that there is another side to Santa. “I want Santa to take my bed.” “I want Santa to take my shirts with snaps, sweaters and jackets.” What will Santa do with Jake’s things? Who knows.
Oma brought Jake 101 Dalmations, the original animated version. It has quickly become a favorite. We get requests daily to watch “the domination puppies”.
“Mommy I don’t like you on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I only like you on Mondays and Wednesdays and Fridays.” Jake was mad at me because I didn’t bring him a treat after school.
Jake has learned to use the potty. He was in the bathroom a long time last night so when Daddy went to check on him he said "You need to do me some privacy."
One cold morning Jake wanted to wear shorts. Dad explained that he needed to wear long pants or he would freeze his patootie off. Jake won the battle and when Mom picked him up from day care, he proudly announced ‘Look Mom, I still have my patootie!”
Drawing letters with Daddy, Jake decides that an H is a straight A.
Mommy how do you “smell” the word XXXX? I keep telling him it is SMELL
Imaginary friends are Friendship, Fabio and Hardboil. More friends come later Heart and Pinefapple. I think Friendship is his favorite.
5/29 Riding into school this morning Jake sees a man on a motorcycle all decked out in leather, goatee, grizzled face and says “Look mom, a pirate on a motorcycle!”
“I don’t know Jake”
“Ya gotta know!”
“NO I don’t!”
“No, Tell ME now!”
Trying to find a park for a playdate Jake says “I know where it is. I am 4, I know everything.”
After making a fuss about coming with mommy to early vote, Jake decides he likes it as we leave he says “ Mommy, I’m sad.” “ Why, honey?” “ I am sad because we are done voting.” This drew a chuckle from a passerby.
Jake’s birthday we decided to have 2 parties, a friend party and a family party on the real day. Friday night before the party, he is misbehaving so we discuss the possibility with him of being good or canceling the party. He thinks about it for a minute and says “ I want to be bad and we can cancel the family party.”
Hot lava = “Hotverlava”
“Daddy, What is a Barack Obama?”
Intramatic = automatic
Dyna coke = diet coke
Daddy was talking to a woman friend on his cell. Jake heard a woman’s voice and sad “I wanna talk to momma!” Daddy went on talking and Jake repeated himself louder. Daddy told him it was not momma on the phone. Jake said under his breath but loud enough for Daddy to hear “Stupid old Daddy”
Co-pilot = go-pilot
I can't wait to see what 2009 brings.
Jake has decided that there is another side to Santa. “I want Santa to take my bed.” “I want Santa to take my shirts with snaps, sweaters and jackets.” What will Santa do with Jake’s things? Who knows.
Oma brought Jake 101 Dalmations, the original animated version. It has quickly become a favorite. We get requests daily to watch “the domination puppies”.
“Mommy I don’t like you on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I only like you on Mondays and Wednesdays and Fridays.” Jake was mad at me because I didn’t bring him a treat after school.
Jake has learned to use the potty. He was in the bathroom a long time last night so when Daddy went to check on him he said "You need to do me some privacy."
One cold morning Jake wanted to wear shorts. Dad explained that he needed to wear long pants or he would freeze his patootie off. Jake won the battle and when Mom picked him up from day care, he proudly announced ‘Look Mom, I still have my patootie!”
Drawing letters with Daddy, Jake decides that an H is a straight A.
Mommy how do you “smell” the word XXXX? I keep telling him it is SMELL
Imaginary friends are Friendship, Fabio and Hardboil. More friends come later Heart and Pinefapple. I think Friendship is his favorite.
5/29 Riding into school this morning Jake sees a man on a motorcycle all decked out in leather, goatee, grizzled face and says “Look mom, a pirate on a motorcycle!”
“I don’t know Jake”
“Ya gotta know!”
“NO I don’t!”
“No, Tell ME now!”
Trying to find a park for a playdate Jake says “I know where it is. I am 4, I know everything.”
After making a fuss about coming with mommy to early vote, Jake decides he likes it as we leave he says “ Mommy, I’m sad.” “ Why, honey?” “ I am sad because we are done voting.” This drew a chuckle from a passerby.
Jake’s birthday we decided to have 2 parties, a friend party and a family party on the real day. Friday night before the party, he is misbehaving so we discuss the possibility with him of being good or canceling the party. He thinks about it for a minute and says “ I want to be bad and we can cancel the family party.”
Hot lava = “Hotverlava”
“Daddy, What is a Barack Obama?”
Intramatic = automatic
Dyna coke = diet coke
Daddy was talking to a woman friend on his cell. Jake heard a woman’s voice and sad “I wanna talk to momma!” Daddy went on talking and Jake repeated himself louder. Daddy told him it was not momma on the phone. Jake said under his breath but loud enough for Daddy to hear “Stupid old Daddy”
Co-pilot = go-pilot
I can't wait to see what 2009 brings.
My Ipod
This morning driving into work, I noticed my Ipod had a theme going. I have no idea how the "shuffle" feature works but sometimes it does seem to have a common thread. Some days it is classical guitar, other days it plays songs that remind me of one person, today the theme was weather, nature or something like that.
The first tune I settled on was Shotgun Down the Avalanche, by Shawn Colvin. I love this song. It is angry, resigned and real, using nature as the metaphor. Then came a song about the seasons from XTC. El Paso from The Gourds and they talk about a tornado out on the desert. I was hoping for Over the Waterfall by Robert Earl Keen but I didn't get it. I got into work first.
I still am curious how shuffle does work. Maybe it is because you have chosen all your songs so you can find a theme in anything, however, about 1/3 of my tunes were lifted from a friend so I could fill up my tunes list quickly. U2 was dominating the other day and I realized that I have outgrown many of their songs. I also had to get over my guilt of deleting some Johnny Cash songs. I kept them for so long because he is a classic but I just do not like very much of his music. It sounds the same to me.
I am now unapologetically downloading my faves from the 70's.
The first tune I settled on was Shotgun Down the Avalanche, by Shawn Colvin. I love this song. It is angry, resigned and real, using nature as the metaphor. Then came a song about the seasons from XTC. El Paso from The Gourds and they talk about a tornado out on the desert. I was hoping for Over the Waterfall by Robert Earl Keen but I didn't get it. I got into work first.
I still am curious how shuffle does work. Maybe it is because you have chosen all your songs so you can find a theme in anything, however, about 1/3 of my tunes were lifted from a friend so I could fill up my tunes list quickly. U2 was dominating the other day and I realized that I have outgrown many of their songs. I also had to get over my guilt of deleting some Johnny Cash songs. I kept them for so long because he is a classic but I just do not like very much of his music. It sounds the same to me.
I am now unapologetically downloading my faves from the 70's.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Simplify
I've been contemplating getting rid of things and making money at the same time. I have tons of kiddo's old things that we bought with the idea of being able to re-sell it. When i brought it up with hubby though, he though it would be best just to give it away to someone in need.
I'll admit, I have done that with many of kiddo's old clothes. Our housekeeper takes them to Mexico and I feel like they are getting another chance to make someone happy. BUT the idea of making a little extra money for a rainy day appeals to my frugality.
The big choice is Craig's List or Ebay? I have been thinking that Craig's list may be best for large items and Ebay for the small. I really have no desire to ship a pac 'n play to Ohio. Friends have been giving me strategies for selling clothes. They say to sell in lots with some designer stuff included s bait. Kiddo certainly has plenty of that that he has outgrown.
I think I can organize this in a weekend. It seems to be much easier than a garage sale. That would take me weeks to get things together.
Now how about those things in closets that I have not used in a year or so.........
I'll admit, I have done that with many of kiddo's old clothes. Our housekeeper takes them to Mexico and I feel like they are getting another chance to make someone happy. BUT the idea of making a little extra money for a rainy day appeals to my frugality.
The big choice is Craig's List or Ebay? I have been thinking that Craig's list may be best for large items and Ebay for the small. I really have no desire to ship a pac 'n play to Ohio. Friends have been giving me strategies for selling clothes. They say to sell in lots with some designer stuff included s bait. Kiddo certainly has plenty of that that he has outgrown.
I think I can organize this in a weekend. It seems to be much easier than a garage sale. That would take me weeks to get things together.
Now how about those things in closets that I have not used in a year or so.........
Monday, February 2, 2009
25 Random Things
So Facebook has the thing going around now bout 25 Random Things about yourself. I did mine in a bit of a rush while at work and then improved upon them at home later. Since then, I keep thinking of other random things I should have put down that most people would not know.
1. My name and middle name are a combo of my grandmothers' middle names
2. I spent 2 weeks in Moscow and Leningrad in College, rooming with our Russian guide.
3. I was in a Big Audio Dynamite video
4. After I spent 2 days photographing the Soap Opera bus tour in Washington DC who were visiting the White House, All My Children soon after created a photographer character named Nell.
5. I have been riding off and one since I was in college but owned my first horse when I was 34.
6. I like fruity beers
7. have fallen off the same horse more than 20 times.
8. drove myself to the hospital in a truck with manual transmission with a separated shoulder.
9. had to have my ears re-pierced because they ripped the first time while taking off a sweater.
10. only kissed my first boyfriend 3 years after he was my boyfriend.
11. heard a ghost or a spirit when I was 11 say "I love you, Nell". I was wide awake and thought it was my dad.
12. used to play archeologist in our yard which was a dump for a 19th century mansion.
13. used to sunbathe on the garage roof, the only place that had any sun at our house.
14. tried to nurse many baby squirrels into adulthood as a kid. We had quite the cemetery in the woods.
15. wanted to try out for cheerleading but did not think I was pretty or thin enough.
16. played field hockey but hated running so I got an after school job instead.
17. learned how to drive stick shift in an orange mustang.
18. I find hockey thugs attractive
19. I have been asked out by a pro baseball player. I said no.
20. was the co-lead singer in a high school rock band
21. cannot watch bloody horror flicks, or bloody action flicks but used to be the one to pick gravel out of legs after bike falls.
22. do not ever want to move from my current home
23. want to paint my truck pale, the very palest of pale, pink.
24. want to learn to play the drums.
25. miss old fashioned photography, developing etc.
1. My name and middle name are a combo of my grandmothers' middle names
2. I spent 2 weeks in Moscow and Leningrad in College, rooming with our Russian guide.
3. I was in a Big Audio Dynamite video
4. After I spent 2 days photographing the Soap Opera bus tour in Washington DC who were visiting the White House, All My Children soon after created a photographer character named Nell.
5. I have been riding off and one since I was in college but owned my first horse when I was 34.
6. I like fruity beers
7. have fallen off the same horse more than 20 times.
8. drove myself to the hospital in a truck with manual transmission with a separated shoulder.
9. had to have my ears re-pierced because they ripped the first time while taking off a sweater.
10. only kissed my first boyfriend 3 years after he was my boyfriend.
11. heard a ghost or a spirit when I was 11 say "I love you, Nell". I was wide awake and thought it was my dad.
12. used to play archeologist in our yard which was a dump for a 19th century mansion.
13. used to sunbathe on the garage roof, the only place that had any sun at our house.
14. tried to nurse many baby squirrels into adulthood as a kid. We had quite the cemetery in the woods.
15. wanted to try out for cheerleading but did not think I was pretty or thin enough.
16. played field hockey but hated running so I got an after school job instead.
17. learned how to drive stick shift in an orange mustang.
18. I find hockey thugs attractive
19. I have been asked out by a pro baseball player. I said no.
20. was the co-lead singer in a high school rock band
21. cannot watch bloody horror flicks, or bloody action flicks but used to be the one to pick gravel out of legs after bike falls.
22. do not ever want to move from my current home
23. want to paint my truck pale, the very palest of pale, pink.
24. want to learn to play the drums.
25. miss old fashioned photography, developing etc.
Friday, January 30, 2009
SLow Blogging
The New York Times had an item a few months ago about slow blogging. The premise was that to blog, you need not blog every day, just when you felt you had something to say. I would like to use that as an excuse for not blogging lately but I simply have been swamped at home and at work. Blogging, for me, can be anything from a good story to verbal ramble about nothing, like a Seinfeld episode. Thus the variety here. I will try to improve the frequency.
So what has been going on since the New Year arrived.....
My horse are all home but I have spent very little time riding them. This causes immense guilt because I have wonderful horses that need to be ridden so they can improve. One weekend it is the weather, one weekend no baby sitter, the next weekend I am sick. This weekend I AM riding MY horse in the neighborhood. I need to get over the issues lingering from the big FALL last summer. My back is still a bit sore but with stretching and working out is slowly improving. The guilt needs to go away too. I just wonder why I am spending all this money on the horses when I am not riding them. I love them. I love having them at home but they need to be more than yard art.
Kiddo and I got sick last week and were out from day care/work just about a week. I should have stayed home on inauguration day but really, how could I? It was an important day and I wanted to spend it at the paper, where I would be allowed to watch it on TV.
This turned out to be a wise move because the next three days I was held hostage to the pre-school cable channel Noggin. I love it, but not solidly for 3 days. It was the only was to get kiddo to be still. When medicated, he felt great and tried to bounce all over the place. As soon as it wore off, he crashed and it was obvious how sick he was. It took us five days to return to normal, although he is still coughing. Now the rest of my department at work has it. We had three out sick the other day. Basically, 1/3 of the staff.
Speaking of work, we are apparently the last of the papers our size to offer early retirement packages. We have staved off layoffs and such but the request for early retirements has finally come. We will see who might take it. We are not sold yet but there have been interested parties touring. There is an uneasy mood around the newsroom but I am trying to remain optimistic that we will have a future. I cannot imagine a world without a local news source. I really do not consider TV news journalism. Who will be the watch dogs? Why doesn't the public care about this? If they read news online, don't they realize where that information comes from? Without journalist we will become a nation of gossips and rumor mongers.
So what has been going on since the New Year arrived.....
My horse are all home but I have spent very little time riding them. This causes immense guilt because I have wonderful horses that need to be ridden so they can improve. One weekend it is the weather, one weekend no baby sitter, the next weekend I am sick. This weekend I AM riding MY horse in the neighborhood. I need to get over the issues lingering from the big FALL last summer. My back is still a bit sore but with stretching and working out is slowly improving. The guilt needs to go away too. I just wonder why I am spending all this money on the horses when I am not riding them. I love them. I love having them at home but they need to be more than yard art.
Kiddo and I got sick last week and were out from day care/work just about a week. I should have stayed home on inauguration day but really, how could I? It was an important day and I wanted to spend it at the paper, where I would be allowed to watch it on TV.
This turned out to be a wise move because the next three days I was held hostage to the pre-school cable channel Noggin. I love it, but not solidly for 3 days. It was the only was to get kiddo to be still. When medicated, he felt great and tried to bounce all over the place. As soon as it wore off, he crashed and it was obvious how sick he was. It took us five days to return to normal, although he is still coughing. Now the rest of my department at work has it. We had three out sick the other day. Basically, 1/3 of the staff.
Speaking of work, we are apparently the last of the papers our size to offer early retirement packages. We have staved off layoffs and such but the request for early retirements has finally come. We will see who might take it. We are not sold yet but there have been interested parties touring. There is an uneasy mood around the newsroom but I am trying to remain optimistic that we will have a future. I cannot imagine a world without a local news source. I really do not consider TV news journalism. Who will be the watch dogs? Why doesn't the public care about this? If they read news online, don't they realize where that information comes from? Without journalist we will become a nation of gossips and rumor mongers.
Friday, January 2, 2009
New Year's Eve at Gruene Hall
I was freaked out because husband heard from Robert Earl Keen's road manager that the Hall had sold 800 tickets to the Toni Price/REK show. There is no way they could fit all those folks in there and I certainly did not want to be smushed in with them as well.
Scooted out of work at 5pm and hauled butt home. Did some quick wardrobe modification and fed the horses. I turned the water on to fill the trough. Husband and kiddo got home and we got things together for kiddo's sleepover at his buddy's house. Husband changed. I turned off the water and discovered a dead squirrel. I fished him out with the rake and filled up buckets with alternative water, trying to decide if the horses would drink water that had a dead squirrel in it for less than 12 hours.
Got kiddo to friend's house, he did not even show any signs of missing us. We went across the street to meet the cool, fun neighbors (here after referred to as CFN's).
They drove and decided we girls would be the non drunks in the group tonight. We fretted about how crowded it was going to be, fretted about parking and getting into the restaurant.
When we got to Gruene, we got a great parking spot, waited just 10 minutes to eat and made it in to the show before Toni Price stopped playing. We milled around the Hall enjoying her set. She is a big voice for such a little person. Soulful. After her set, some folks vacated the benches that run along the side of the hall. These are great for standing on because it puts you up so you can see the act and no one bumps you. The husbands stood in front of us. There was a hole that opened up a bit in the front and Husband stepped in and beckoned for us to join him. Nope. I was not giving up my "no push" spot on the bench.
The long and short of it was Robert Earl Keen had a great show. played some old favorites and some surprises including the Dylan classic "All Along the Watchtower". Husband scored some back stage passes and got one for me. As the band began "Road Goes on Forever" I scooted back to hang out. They came off, then went back for the encore. I stood there watching Tom the drummer play and Toni Price wandered over trying to see Rich Brotherton. I told her to scoot in front of me since I was watching Tom and she is MUCH shorter than me! After the show Husband introduced me to Tom and he was very nice.
We had a great time. Went back out to connect with the RCN's. It was not yet midnight. We celebrated New Year's eve at 11pm (east coast New Year's) because the Hall had to be emptied at midnight because it was a week night town ordinance. To our surprise and delight, the roads were empty on the ride home because everyone was still out partying. It was a good night.
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