Shoulda Used Photoshop

That's what I said! But Kelby says it MUCH better....

http://tinyurl.com/dywwru

It MUST be genetic

I took a long walk today since it wasn't SO HOT.

My son came along for the first loop. For a while, we walked in silence. It was pleasant, but I began to wonder if anything was on his mind.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Huh?"

"What were you thinking about just now?"

He looked to the left and the right, and sheepishly said "Um.... nothing...."

The thing is, I know he was telling the truth....

Living in the Pitt

So the objective of the trip to Pittsburgh was to find an apartment for my travel companions. They found one, but I had my eye on a few others.... not that I am running away from home any time soon of course!!!

This house is not even for sale but I loved it. I could just imagine my baby grand piano in the parlor and the art room up in the attic. (What? No, I don't have a baby grand... yet...)

This next photo was an apartment we actually looked at for TC's to consider. The kitchen was just insane for a one bedroom apartment - it had a wine fridge and full size appliances. You can't even see half of the cabinetry in the shot below. There's also a little area off to the right where a very small table could go for a breakfast area. Unfortunately, to get to this apartment you had to go through the lobby (with a scary spiral staircase open to the basement) and up a winding flight of stairs, or you could go up the back staircase outside the house, stand on the deck (it had a deck!!! I loved it) and then break into the bedroom. I mean, walk into the bedroom.

This one we called the Dino place. (See, the arrow? It's a dinosaur...I don't get it either... ) Do not adjust your monitor - the sheer awesomeness of perhaps living in a purple and yellow apartment building made us call. The owner or agent did not call us back.

Last, the schoolhouse... this has been converted to apartments. Not surprising... no vacancies. But it would be cool to live here. On a quiet day you can probably still hear little voices echoing.

I think I'm finally done talking about Pittsburgh... until I go again....

Music is my love

Melody_Gardot has a new album out, My One And Only Thrill. It is now on my iPod.

So tonight when D's baseball coach yells at me, "heads up, Mrs. S, the ball is coming right at you..." I won't hear him.

Sigh....

Clicked: Coach

We have a running joke about how a certain local college basketball coach looks JUST like Mr. Carly. Truly, he does. Mr. C was even mistaken for him about a year and a half ago.

Today Coach was in the restaurant where I was having lunch with APB and a friend we call The Kid. I noticed him and pointed him out to APB, while the Kid more or less tried to figure out who the heck he was.*

I wanted a picture, preferably one of me WITH him, but I don't have that paparazzi streak quite yet... APB pointed out that "it would be a shame for this to go Unclicked; your kids will be sooooo disappointed..." and I hemmed and I mumbled and was basically a big chicken.

So we waited for him to finish his lunch and then APB more or less said "You know, WE have to get back to work... so I'm right behind you, are you doing this or not?"

I walked over to Coach and said something like "ExcusemeI'msorrytobotheryou butcouldIgetaphoto of youformykids withmethey'rebig fans...>" -- only not QUITE as flustered as that, because I could pretty much sum up my basketball knowledge in one sentence: "Duck when the ball comes at you...."

His dining companion (who was about my father's age) said "Don't you want a picture with ME??" and I laughed and said "would you like to be in the picture?" - that guy was cute. Coach was really nice about it and stood right up, put his arm around me, and patiently waited for APB to snap two shots. Clicked!

Always carry your camera, kids.


*During the course of the conversation the Kid told me he had a dream about me getting a job in a creative field, and that he's kind of like Nostradamus. Then we discussed pushup techniques. You just had to be there.

Bigger move

So while we were in Pittsburgh we went by the new Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh several times. Go figure ;-)

What I want you to think about is this: in a timeframe of ONE day, (this Saturday), they are going to move 150 patients from the OLD hospital to the NEW hospital. In one day. Mull over the planning and drills and trying to sleep nights if you are on the team....

Maybe some time in the Healing Garden will help everyone feel better afterward.

Somehow

...I feel orange cupcakes with chocolate/ orange frosting swirls coming on.

This could be trouble!

Carly(via Blackberry)

Ow

Today my son went out for a scooter ride (the kind like a skateboard with a handle) and came home with a bloody, road rash sort of knee.

I was just about to go to my happy place (the supermarket). Instead I spent the next hour debriding. He toughed it out (with a lot of ice to numb between scrubbing) and we got everything out fairly quickly except one rock...which, in the end, was a big thorn. Ugh.
I think he'll wear the knee pads from now on... (Helmets are mandatory but I didn't think to say "you have to wear all the gear")

Carly(via Blackberry)

Sunday art, Pittsburgh style

It's been a while since I did a Sunday Art posting; I wanted to share some of the cool murals in Pittsburgh with my five readers ;-)

This was my best shot. So many of the murals were in places we drove by in heavy traffic, but I did get a clear shot here.

Then we have the bride,

(I got better angles, but those shots had cars and streetlight poles in the way. )

Next we have the funky mother earth mural

...which has text in the lower corner about Sprout Public Art, which seems to be the source of the funding, but I had trouble finding specifics online.

Here, we go Asian...

and lastly... sports. This is on the side of a tavern, (that's the name, in red) and has the arenas for the teams. Crazy sports fans here.... it was definitely fun watching a Pens game (we weren't at this bar though, for the game)

Enjoy your day everyone!

Happiness

...is planting herb and tomato seeds and planning dinner on the porch.

Carly(via Blackberry)

The meaner streets of Pittsburgh

Food. Everywhere. Big hearty fries, and beer and wings, and pierogies, and.... well, this:

Let's break this picture* down so that you get the FULL story:

• Coldstone Creamery. http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/ Ice cream with candy and cookies and small baby feet and whatever else they can find in that irresistable vein, mixed in. And apparently they make cakes now... that fine print under the cake says, "Layers of moist devil's food cake & chocolate ice cream wrapped in a rich fudge ganache." That's pretty much evil. Your cheeks will plump up just reading that description, my friends.
  
• Curves! http://www.curves.com/ (Official voice: A Curves 30 minute fitness center is a woman’s gym that provides a total body workout. With both aerobic exercise for weight loss and strength training for toned muscles...etc) Curves is a gym that is targeted toward gym-a-phobic women who just want to get in better shape without Steroid Fabulous Guy sweating all over the equipment before they use it. So they have to walk by the Coldstone Creamery to get to the gym to try to get skinny. It's just mean.
  
• Hmm, maybe they can walk around the block the other way. Nope. Because on the far right there? That little sign, "Dozen" ? THAT'S A CUPCAKE STORE. No lie. http://www.dozencupcakes.com/ Game over.

Okay - be honest - how many of you were tempted to click on the ice cream link, or the cuppy-cakes, and not the gym? Don't lie, sitemeter will tell me EVERYTHING.

(By the way Suzy, we're going to Dozen next time I come down there. Seriously. Orange chocolate, carrot cake AND red velvet please!)

*Pardonnez-moi, the picture is crappy because I took it from the car window. While laughing.

Pitt Recaps, continued: Primanti

So the Boyfriend would not let me buy any meals while we were in Pittsburgh. He treated us to a sandwich at Primanti's, which is apparently a Pittsburgh classic... like a bagel in Manhattan.

I think we were at Oakland, but I'd have to ask. So I guess you'll never know. Ha!

The menu offers various meat sandwiches, with this little beauty posted alongside:

That's right, fries. In the sandwich. Real fries. Not that skinny floppy stuff that McDonald's puts out with an overhyped Fillet-0-fish. This is REAL food.

Be ready for a moment of hushed awe when your sandwich arrives. It's BIG. (TWSS)

You must squish it like so... and then not put it down, once you pick it up. Yummy! You won't want to put it down. Inhale. Exhale. Eat. Enjoy.

Bueller?

You never knew that
http://www.stateparks.com/montezuma.html the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge was in NY, now did you?

Carly(via Blackberry)

Placeholders

Photos to follow (for some topics) from my Pittsburgh trip:

Food: let's just say, it is now boot camp time. From Primanti's to FatHead to D's, a small sports bar where you can walk into a giant fridge and pick your own beer out. And I did, I did. What's a hockey game without beer? Really.

And I haven't even mentioned all the wonderful homecooked food made for us by The Boyfriend's sister and her husband.
Let's just say I am tempted to do the Thanksgiving Open-Belt fashion faux pax sitting here in this car.

Murals. Pitt has SO many giant murals on the sides of buildings. Loved them. Photos to follow. Grey overcast days are actually better for shooting and so I took one or two I'm pretty happy with.

Starbucks vs Caribou Coffee. I like both. But Caribou, a little more. I actually only drink tea which has more caffeine than coffee but is generally brewed much weaker. (It's amazingly boring on the NYS thruway in parts, but I get good wireless signal and can google anything.) Caribou tea bags are cooler. Not tiny tea dust but chunks of leaves. Anyway.

Tigger: the Boyfriend's nephew bounces. Just like Tigger. I did NOT get tired of running in circles with him killing Jaggers or hiding while he ran around yelling "Chahh, Chahh, where you hidin'?"

Museum of Natural History: cool rocks. Okay, "gemstones". Wicked dinosaurs. How friggin' tall a giraffe really is. And Tigger bouncing.

Baby cuteness: I don't post pics of other people's kids here but I took some 50 million photos of Tigger and his infant sibling. I took some in black and white and plan to photoshop an 8x10 collage that I can send to their Mom via snapfish. He was a content, cute, smooshy baby. But no, I don't want another, so don't even ask. Thank you.

A word about iPods - invariably if I hook mine up to play on the car stereo only the songs I don't like much anymore seem to shuffle in. Annoying.

Let's see. I also took skyline pictures and bridges and exteriors of sports arenas. I'm thinking now is an easy time to become a Steelers fan and I'd love to see a pro football game someday.

In all of our apartment hunting I did take a few photos of houses I'd like to live in. You know, if I ever run away from home. But I am a NY girl, so I can't imagine ever moving to Pittsburgh. Visiting though, yes! Often.

Well, that's all for now, kids.


Carly(via Blackberry)

Lunch

At www.FatHeads.com today. Pierogi's and other good stuff.

Carly(via Blackberry)

HBQ's

Just a little setup info required here. Stay with me.

While I am in Pitt with Suzy and the Boyfriend, we are staying with his sister and her family. The three year old is endlessly energetic and hysterically funny. The baby is content to be held and snuggled and watch his sibling tear up the place.

The B's Sister leaves the half bath fan on to make white noise to help the baby sleep (right overhead). We are sleeping on couches and an air mattress in the living room.

This morning I saw Suzy get up, pick up a few things and leave the living room to wash her face.

Ten minutes later I opened one eye as the Boyfriend got up, walked into the half bath and shut the door. I immediately freaked thinking "ewww, they are Doing It in there. "

I spent five or ten minutes arranging myself to pretend that I was still asleep, or maybe even dead. Trying not to think of the contortional logistics of Half Bath Quickies and being really, really grateful for the white noise.

Boyfriend came out and went back to the couch. I "woke up", sat up, .... and then saw my sister coming DOWN from the upstairs bath.... she had been in the shower - not in the half bath with him.

Relief. And a really, really good laugh for all of us later. (The concept of Half Bath Quickies really gross nurses out, for the record. )


Carly(via Blackberry)

Bridges, get your bridges here

It's rainnnnning in Pittsburgh....

Carly(via Blackberry)

What we have learned so far on our road trip(with sources)

People wash their faces in water fountains (Sign in the rest stop, ordering us not to wash face or hands in the fountain below the sign. Suzy wants to know, what about our feet?)

The thruway authority lies. We followed a sign for Dunkin'. We found no Dunkin' - only a "coming soon" sign inside that rest stop. Bastards.

Sunday art placeholder / unclicked-somewhere near exit 42: Farmer walking away from his house & barn, out into a huge cornfield, with his two very young sons. I would have needed a really long lens but P dubs would have loved it.

The man is trying to track us: Rfid tags are included in the NYS enhanced driver's license. Not with your PERSONAL info mind you, just a unique number that can be read from 30 ft away. No worries there, right?
(http://www.nysdmv.com/edl-faqs.htm#advantages )

We are not even to Buffalo yet....

Carly(via Blackberry)

Chopped

"Chopped" is a somewhat lame contest/show on Food TV. Tonight my daughter and I are mocking the participating chefs. Of COURSE they can all outcook me....

It's awesome because at the moment someone makes me say "oh did he really SAY that?" I look at her, and at the same time, she looks over at me, and we both laugh.

It's a slow night, but sometimes slow is good. And James Briscione is the most appealing chef this evening. Maybe I just wish a man would cook for me.

Carly(via Blackberry)

Take me out

I wasn't at the scrimmage five minutes when a hitter sent one my way.

The coach instantly remembered me from last season. "You aren't eating seafood salad, are you?"

Carly(via Blackberry)

Fun with photoshop

In addition to doing proper spring cleaning for once, (LOVE these and oh mygod, some poor developer had to write a game) ... I am also working on learning Photoshop. I have only spent a few minutes here and there looking at a couple of books that I've picked up, but I did manage to do this, which least let me practice making one selection darker (the window) and the rest of the image lighter.

Tomorrow is my day to cook at school, then I'm going away for a couple of days. Fear not, there may be road trip blogging.

Stop me when I'm passing by

So the ice cream man was out and about in our neighborhood tonight. Yay, spring.

(I'm not much for buying from ice cream trucks because in the neighborhood I grew up in, he sold pot. Or something like that. But I digress. )

The thing I truly take issue with is the song. Last year(or maybe the one before) it was The Entertainer. You know, da na nana nana nana....

This year? "What child is this". Seriously? A Christmas song?

:::::shrug:::::::::

Carly(via Blackberry)

Cutest candle holder EVER

I love this....

Carly(via Blackberry)

Quack

I bought my own Easter candy this year. Just saying.

Carly(via Blackberry)

At the mall

...Saw a woman who was 70 if she was a day, walking back to her car from the fitness center with her yoga mat. And no, I have not been on the treadmill lately.

Carly(via Blackberry)

Rambling

It has been four weeks since my "job-ectomy". I have to say, it's nice to just flit around here and there in the beautiful spring weather having lunch with friends (except that Cheesecake Tuesday tanked yesterday! THEY HAD NO CHEESECAKE ready when I got there.... oh, the humanity....)

It has helped to have all this spare time so that I can do some things for school, etc that I would not otherwise have gotten done without sacrificing sleep. I enjoy being able to just cook an unhurried meal for no particular reason and have the evening more or less "free" to watch tv afterward (and sleep in a little bit today, to 8 am.... big deal!!!)

I do struggle a little bit with the "oh my god, who is going to hire me" stuff, when I read the want ads. Those are depressing things. I have the luxury of salary continuance for a while... but then what? I guess in June when I start working with the placement center I'll work on that some more.

And the dreams. Last night I woke at 4 am in terror. I was dreaming that someone put some sort of giant scuba hood on me, but there was something not right about it and I couldn't breathe inside of it. It was a "holy crap" moment. Not sure where that came from.

I had another one where I was back at school (this is a classic "I'm facing something new" dream for me, I dream that I'm back in school and can't find my schedule, classes, etc) only this time I seemed fairly ok - none of the confusion that the dream normally brings. Someone gave me a giant whiteboard. A modern-times "blank slate", I suppose. That was a more optimistic moment.

Today I am going to make a few calls that really need to be done, go buy jeans for my daughter, (maybe try again for cheesecake), take my FIL out for a birthday dinner, and so on.

Note the lack of spring cleaning. Oh, I've got supplies. Chemicals to clean windows and rugs and wood and just EVERYTHING. But who REALLY wants to do spring cleaning?????

Because I am exasperating like that

So my nephew slept over last night, because of spring break and his father having to work today. At around 8 when he wandered out to where I was sitting(yes, checking web pages and stuff...) , I woke up my son and said "Keep your cousin company - we have other days to sleep in this week. " Then I told my nephew that we would do breakfast and showers, and at 10 am I would sit with him at the kitchen table while he did his math homework (from the tutor...the boy is failing math).

I sat and read two chapters of a "For Dummies" book about making your own web pages, because my friend needs one for his business. Mostly I wanted to be there and supportive /accessible, and not off somewhere doing something percieved to be "more fun". I answered a couple of "I don't get this one" questions, and then we were done, within about 40 minutes.

My brother in law called at 11, to make sure we hadn't forgotten R's daily medication and I sort of casually rattled off that we'd done breakfast, showers, and the homework. He was amazed. "How did you get him to do all that?" I do not understand the question.

I made it clear that "this is what we are doing today", and that was it. No anger, or threats, just "here is what I expect". My kids know that I don't tolerate nonsense. If I feed you, you will help me clean it up afterward. If I say "it's time to do laundry", or just generally clean stuff up, you will help with that too. Why should I be running around in circles while they sit on their arse watching tv? Of course this is easier now that they are all older.

After lunch (I ordered pizza, I love my guy who delivers) we all went for a walk. I noticed that my daughter AND her cousin both inherited some sort of S family trait where when walking the right foot lands at about a 45 degree angle outward rather than straight ahead. Of COURSE I pointed that out... they were not amused.

Where was Brad Paisley when I needed him?

I went to my friend's house today "out in the country". It was chilly but nice out.

We went out to see her patio. I walked off and a little ways into the woods to admire the stream that's further down the hill of her backyard.

Elapsed time in woods wearing a powder blue sweater: maybe 2 minutes.

We went back in the house for lunch. My daughter said "oh, you have a little friend" *
and pointed to my sleeve. I thought it was a spider when I glanced down but right away realized, no, that's a tick.

(* awesome, that she didn't scream and freak out)

My friend took me in her powder room, snagged it with a tissue and flushed it away.

Back at the table I had no sooner sat down when I scratched behind my ear (woof) and scraped off tickmeister #2. Flushed that one too.

A few minutes later Mr. C. saw #3 on my other sweater sleeve. Now this was getting annoying. I checked over my clothes but didn't see any more.

We ate, walked down her road a little, looked at the pond, and my kids played and fished a little with hers.

Back in the house I lifted my sweater to scratch my stomach. Number four did not want to leave the party. Dammit. Not as funny anymore. I had been able to laugh it off until then.

At this point since Brad was not around (refer to his song, "I'd like to check you for ticks", which is more gross than randy...)
Mr. C. stepped up and dragged me into a bedroom and found one MORE on my back.

Party over! I found a hole in the elbow of the sweater when I got home. Just as well because I don't EVER want to wear it again.



Carly(via Blackberry)

Scary bunnies

Can you tell I'm home a little too much, internet??

I had plans to make cute bunny faces on these yesterday. But I didn't like how the ears came out (because of course every rabbitt has sprinkled ears...) And just kind of didn't bother with them.

I cut out other ones differently, and they came out cuter, and I was bored with it by this point and wanted to go for a run. I think that covers all of my excuses. But yeah, these are pretty funny because they look SO bad to me.

Carly(via Blackberry)

A sweeeeet dillemma

So. I am supposed to be good and not eating lots of cake and cookies and nonsense like that. A1c and all.

I was assigned to bring the cake to the family gathering / birthday celebration tomorrow.

(pardon this interruption: The Veronicas / Take me on the floor is a very gooood song, y'all....I love my Sirius)

So since I was awake at 7 am, I got a cake in the oven by 8. It's just a big rectangle two mix ... technically a birthday cake but given that the family gathering was this weekend I had plans to put a chocolate bunny on top, with frosting / colored sugar "grass" and I even have mini speckled eggs, and tiny candy things that would be the right size to be "jelly beans".

Of course, at 8:42 the person who was hosting the family gathering (BIL "J") called to say that my sister in law has the flu and "you didn't make the cake yet, right?"

Well, technically, no.

Now I have this naked cake to figure out what to do with. Sigh....

Peace offering

For waking me up to wake THEM up early. One.

The whole mumbling :::can you hit the snooze alarm:::: -incoherent and all. Two, and three.

For turning the light on in my face after I had gotten back to sleep. Four.

For bickering about who wasn't ready yet. And waking me up. Again.

(Are you really surprised it was Ms The One Who needed that 20 minutes, you dipstick...I had to call foul, and say "go sit and watch tv". Seriously these people would have a cage match without me here to mediate 24x7)

So since the universe has now made them wake me up five times I guess it whispered in someone's ear "there better be a bagel on the counter".

(I'll overlook that I am "Mow". I choose to believe it's shorthand for Mom - Wow!)

Carly(via Blackberry)

Easy fudge from the only person you know who doesn't like chocolate

Microwave together at 50% power for 3 minutes, stirring often:

1 Tb butter
1/8 tsp salt
1 can 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
7 oz MILK CHOCOLATE
11 oz semisweet chips

Add 1 tsp vanilla (and 1 cup walnuts if you like) and chill in an 8x8 foil pan.

You're welcome. Happy Easter!!

Carly(via Blackberry)

What happens

When the kids distract me in the market and I forget the milk chocolate I need for fudge...

A)cursing

B)quick run to conveniece store

C)pet cute black lab puppy

D) mental math trying to make 14 oz out of 1.5 and 2.6 oz candy bars....ow

E) clerk says "Wow, you have a sweet tooth today?"

F) buy winning lotto tix (I hope)

Carly(via Blackberry)

CDI

- shorthand for "great onion rings!

Carly(via Blackberry)

Ghosts

...of cellphones past. Hmm. Mr. C. never used his hands free earpiece. Hmm.

I know you are supposed to donate old cellphones... How/ where?

Don't tell my blackberry but I really really want an iPhone. Sigh.

Carly(via Blackberry)

Full moon

The moon is gorgeous. I had a very close call...almost had 3 friends of the son sleep over. Aieeeee!

Carly(via Blackberry)

WNTW

We are going through my closet, my teen and I, and playing What Not To Wear. She is mean. This is not nearly as fun as it sounded at first. ;-)

Carly(via Blackberry)

Quotes from lunch

My dad : "we live under the biggest rock ever"

My mom, about her pickle, which Dad wanted (but couldnt have so he was wrapping it up to put in her to go bag): "Just put it in already"

(Me: TWSS!)

The Boyfriend: "exactly!"

Carly(via Blackberry)

Bookish update

The other moms LOVED the book I made, (my daughter presented it to the director of the Stations performance last night, and she ALMOST cried.... ) and ten of the moms wanted a copy. So, I shared the book with them via emails this morning. (Easier than handling the order/ distribution of books, and I didn't feel right about charging a markup for these due to the religious aspect of the performance)

Today's Adventures

Woke up at 3 am worrying about the school raffle. Yes, it's definitely springtime.

Going to lunch with my parents today. Talked with Suzy (via text) about getting them to agree to go out to and she replied "You realize I have a better chance of catching a unicorn." Well yeah, there's that.

I have to whip up a birthday cake for various family celebrations that will be combined onto one, on Sunday. Easter Sunday.

As in, I have to sing Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday morning at 11 which will go almost until 1, and I have to have a cake for Sunday at 4pm. Sigh. This totally ruins my plans to drive to Albany for a casting call for extras (on Saturday). There goes my big chance to be famous in the background of a straight to dvd movie. One dream thwarted ;-)

But back to the cake, I was thinking of making a cupcake from Hello Cupcake and the corn on the cob is looking good (hello, jellybeans, Easter... it's current! Bonus, the kids can help....) but the reality is that will probably take too much time, and I'll just go with some cute pastel frosting. Maybe some spring time m&m's on top... and then a nap.

I am loving Sirius while I am home all day. It keeps me from parking in front of the tv. The PC, well, that's another story but at least I am getting SOME things done. Kind of (I'm burning a cd for my dad right now....)

Choir practice

Icky dick was in full diva mode tonight - conducting (he taps the start of each of his notes rather than a 1 beat count)

Complaining he didn't get his music(I. SAW Bette put the photocopy of *his solo* on his chair - about 5 of us do little bits of psalms saturday night). Did I ever mention he sings like Kermit the Frog?

And, of course, he was late...

Hold on

Yesterday sucked. There, I said it, universe. If you don't have wealth, and you have problems with relationships, at least you still got your health, right? Pffft.

I messed up some of the paperwork placed into my hands when they put me out the door at my former employer. An HR person called and helped me get it straight, hopefully ( I was thinking "Am I going to get paid this week????" and hopefully that's a yes... )

Then the doctor gave me the business because my A1c is up even higher than the last time I saw him. I gave excuses, pointing at what's going on in my life, and he didn't buy them... so I have to be good again now, and start journaling my food and carbs and all that stuff. Hmmmph.

Hopefully today will be better. I pulled myself out of bed when everyone else got up even though I did. Not. Want. To.

It's cheesecake Tuesday (shhh, I will eat no carbs the rest of the day and does cheesecake have that many carbs anyway ? Do NOT answer that question.) so getting out of the house will do me good.

I also have a connection I am working on. A friend's friend's husband does the kind of work I think I want to do and I am trying to work out a lunch date. Wish me luck with that. My goal is to get information that can help me get into that type of work. But hey, if he recognizes my awesome potential and offers me a job, I'm on it ;-)


(Yolanda Adams:
You've got dream and you've got goals
There's a vision buring down in your soul
but hold on, there's nothing that you can't do
You've gotta be driven, motivated too
stir up the gift that God has placed in you
Hold on, the future's looking bright for you)

Miscellany

Carrie Underwood looks like the 2009 Christmas Collectibles Barbie in that ginormous dress.

My son is using Axe shower gel now. To impress the ladies. Have mercy.

I so could have won money if it weren't for Uconn losing. And the funny part is I more or less go "eeeny miny moe". Or pick places I'd like to go or have been.

Sang tonight, it went really well. It was fun at the reception, showing my friend and my sister all the people I write about in this blog. ("Pssst - there's Icky")

In a couple of weeks I may go apartment hunting in pittsburgh. No, not for me. Just to help someone out and because I've never been there. Road trip!

Carly(via Blackberry)

Sunday, Sunday

Yesterday WAS a better day ::::thank you ::::::

There are times when I need to remind Mr. C that "we are the grownups" and that we need to teach forgiveness, and let things go once the lesson has been learned. Not that I am perfect by ANY means. Co-parenting will always bring different opinions and... you get what I am saying.

Today I have to go to mass, of course. But TONIGHT I go again. Every Palm Sunday we have a special service. I am looking forward to it. Our new choir members seem to have found the right balance (one was singing way toooooo loud) and our dress rehearsal last night was encouraging :::knock on wood::::

Also I have figured out that in my new seat I can no longer see Icky Dick conducting slightly off time. Ahem. So while it's taken some getting used to (we are crowded in the new spot; when we were along the windows we could sit with wider spaces between our chairs) I am finally starting to be happy there.

Hopefully that transition will play out in my jobless life too. It's taken some getting used to. After the euphoria of "I don't have to go back there!!" was replaced by "....but where will I go??" this was a tough week. Some ups and downs.

But spring is coming and flowers are blooming and I have managed to sit on my porch here and there. So there you go!!

(PS: click on the photo to see the full size - mosaic effect, I rather enjoy the way it came out)

Dear Lord

It's been a long day

The last yearbook page is submitted. But
there is Drama about an upcoming family party. And that class trip, oy.

Then I had to go be The Bad Guy. Aka the Sherriff of MakeYourKid Behave. If I can't dig out your air mattress pump from the pile of clothes in your closet I've asked you to hang up 10x, then you can't sleep over.

(Said child remarked yesterday that he never got to reenact the "Guitar Hero thing" aka Risky Business/old time rock n roll scene... on the days I got home from work later than he got off the bus. Now that I'm out of work, no chance any time soon)

The capper was explaining to my other child what "natural male enhancement" means. (Oh my gosh, Smiling Bob in that commercial)

As I said to my son, Tomorrow will be a better day.

Carly(via Blackberry)

The April Fool

I am feeling kind of this today. I went to the park yesterday and took some pictures and they were kind of reflective of the inbetween insideout upsidedown state I find myself in, some days. Bare branches against an early spring sky, nothing to ooh and ahh over yet. Nothing's GREEN yet, there are tulips starting to poke through the ground but nothing has really developed yet....

Some days, it bothers me that other people have a place to go, and I don't. I guess today is one of those days, because it's officially my "final" day of work even though I haven't been in the office since last Monday. Working almost 22 years for ONE company is almost unheard of nowadays, at least for someone my age.

I have people offering to help me, but I don't know what I want. In my perfect daydream I would do something with photos or graphics on a computer (not like the bizzarre photo here, of course... that's just a moody thing I did on the spur of the moment after I downloaded the pictures and found them blah). But I don't know how to define or quantify what work I'm looking for and figure out what skills I need to add in order to do it.

At any rate, the yearbook awaits....