Behind the Scenes and Wheel

I watched The Queen yesterday. It would not have been my first choice but someone else had rented it then gave it to me. In summary, the movie is a behind the scenes look at Prime Minister Tony Blair and the royal family the week following Princess Diana's death. Blair comes off looking like a hero. To my surprise, I was sympathetic towards the Queen by the end. I learned she likes to drive her old Land Rover around their castle in Scotland with her dogs in the back. I assumed the Queen never drove.

Blonde, Blonder, Blondest

I'm not really going for Beck's new look.
Another note, I have a local blogger friend who has his sights set on showing up at a bar when it opens and staying through closing time. He had invited his regular readers to join him. I don't think I can handle that in my old age but might stop in for a visit. I wish him well.

First Impressions

It has been said "looks don't matter". I strongly disagree. I think I'm much more comfortable around ugly people. I had a work meeting a few days ago. I had spoken to this guy on the phone and exchanged emails but not met him in person. Well when we finally did meet, my first thoughts were "why are you here and not on a Calvin Klein billboard?" To make matters worse, he was nice and very professional. His looks couldn't be held against him. I, on the other hand, couldn't concentrate and felt I was various shades of red the entire time. Ugh!

When Will I Learn?

It's 4:30 Sunday afternoon and I'm just now feeling like myself again. So what if I didn't take a shower until 2pm. Last night we went over to our friends' house. We watched the Holiday. It was okay but their new theater room was awesome. Anyway I drank red wine. I need to remember I am a beer girl as unglamourous as that might be. I feel fine when I have beer not wine, not mixed drinks.

Keep on Smiling

I just read Posh spent $4000 on underwear during a recent shopping spree. Fancy panties and Becks. What the life. How come she never smiles? I'd have a permanent grin on my face if this was mine :

A Little Inconvenience

This picture pretty much sums up our house last night. The high winds from the north Atlantic storms knocked our power out from around 2pm yesterday until 11am today. The worse part for me was water. We have a well therefore no power, no pump, no water. You forget what a luxury a flush and hand washing can be. We live in a small neighborhood and half of them are on another grid and had electricity. When it began to get dark, you saw those lights in their windows and were filled with evil thoughts. We went out to eat since every place around us had power. We got out the flashlights and candles. Breakfast and school lunches consisted of whatever didn't require the fridge to be opened. Considering the events which took place at Virginia Tech yesterday, I cannot really complain over a little inconvenience.

A Little Piece of History

Unlike my family members, I do not like clutter. I love throwing things away and giving them away. I was into Feng Shui before I knew what Feng Shui was. Yesterday, I had my kids go through their clothes and pick out things to give away and throw away. My daughter is pretty gentle on her clothes and it was mostly give away. My son, well his stuff isn't fit for humans by the time (or before the time) he's finished with it. Thank goodness I looked at my daughter's give away pile. In it was this original Live Aid t-shirt from 1985. My brother actually called the 800 number during the concert broadcast to pledge money in order to get a t-shirt. I'm not sure how I ended up with up. Despite all my anti-clutter tendencies, I can't throw this one away.

What I'm Doing on My Summer Vacation

Jackson Wyoming, Jackson Hole, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Idaho, and who knows what else.

I Can't Believe I Lived Like That ...

Every once in a while our 14 year old son acts like he's embarrassed that he's a part of our family. Imagine that? At first this behavior upset me then I started thinking back on my teenage years. I believe I spend the whole time embarrassed. Fortunately I kept most of my feelings to myself though I probably had a scowl on my face. A few things which I found intolerable:

• We had a small house which was bad enough but to make matters worse, we only had one phone. It seemed most of my friends had extensions in their rooms. A few lucky ones had a separate children's phone line. Ours was in the kitchen!
• My dad's vehicle was a truck. I'm not sure why this bothered me other than back then none of my friends' parents drove trucks. I cringed when I had to ride in it and saw people I knew. Now we have a truck my husband drives occasionally and the kids love it.
  
• My parents always were going to K-Mart. This was before Wal-Mart and Target. I believe everyone went there but for some reason my friends use to kid people about being caught in K-Mart. Back then, the store had their flashing blue light specials.
• In 7th grade, I only had 2 pairs of jeans. I can't totally blame my parents. I'm not even sure they knew. I remember I opted for the more expensive Levi's opposed to the dreaded Wranglers. My younger brother had to wear those Sears Tough Skins that could stand up by themselves.
  
• Vacations were in our 27 foot travel trailer not hotels.
  
• No cable. We had a big antenna on top of the roof. There was a control box inside. You had to change the setting every time you changed the channel. It was very loud.
  

Now that I'm older I have an appreciation for my parents. They lived frugally. Mom stayed at home for 15 years with us before returning to work. My brother and I both were given cars (granted his was their used Chevette. Mine was a brand spanking new Pinto). Our parents sent us to college. I'll try to continue to remember my teenage years before completely losing it when dealing with my own wonderful children.

The Tale of Two Kitties

Once upon a time, long, long ago, a handsome prince rescued a shiny black kitten. He named her Samantha but she was forever known as Sam. Their bond was to last many years. Soon afterwards, the Prince married a beautiful princess. Sam did not care for another female in the palace at first but eventually welcomed her. About a year later, a long haired black and white kitten with a slight limp came through an open door of the castle and used the royal litter box. He decided to stay and was to be called Bob. Sam and Bob did not like each other. Bob and the Prince did not like each other but Bob and the Princess loved one another. Bob and Sam moved with the royal couple several times. They witnessed the arrival of the little Prince and Princess. Sam loved babies. Bob did not. After 15 years of living the high life, Sam went to kitty heaven. A year later Bob followed her. The palace has not had a cat for 4 years. The little Princess has asked and asked for one. Finally her Fairy Godmother Katie granted her wish. The newest addition will arrive in royal style next month. The Prince is not very excited about this great news. Let's hope they all live happily ever after - The End.

Spring Break

Today the sitter taught my daughter how to knit and play poker. I guess it was just too much for a 9 year old to handle without a nap. Spring Break is a preview for summer vacation. During this time I juggle working part-time, childcare, no housework getting done, entertaining the kids, endless errands including countless trips to the grocery store. My routine is no routine.

I Hope This Works

Here are two examples how screwed up our school system can be: Both my children have a rare and wonderful opportunity to attend new schools in our community. The catch - they can't seem to get the schools open when school begins next fall. The schools will open in January.
In August, my son will be in 9th grade, a high school freshman. First semester he will attend the high school he would have gone to if the new school had not been built. It's an intimate setting of 2200 kids! They are doing a "school within a school" meaning he will only be in classes with students who will be moving to the new school. Technically, his school will be the new one though it will be housed half the year at the old one. Confusing! By law the new school has to have a full year of extracurricular activities the same as an existing school. Therefore he will play football for his new school which isn't finished. The new school will have a completed stadium so he will be bused there every afternoon. Another 1/3 of the kids who will attend this school and live in a different area will have the same scenario at another high school.
My daughter will be in 5th grade. Next fall she and others in our community will be housed at a school for one semester which is currently a primary k-1 school. It will have to be retro fitted for older kids. Both my children went to that school. It's sad to see it will no longer be used for the littlest students. A group of kids who currently attend a different school are set to attend the new school and will be sent to another school for first semester.
The bright spot is in a system with terrible overcrowding these schools will open under capacity. They will be beautiful especially the high school. It will be state of the art.

Going, Going, Gone

My husband and I got a weekend without kids. We headed to the Linville Falls community in the NC mountains. Saturday morning we stumbled upon this controlled fire. Several area fire departments were participating. The last picture was taken the next day. I have to say a fire under those circumstances is a pretty awesome thing to watch.