mommalove's Xanga

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:57:47 GMT

My Adored Leonard 7/14/1970-8/26/2007

It is with the most heartbreaking hurt and sadness that I let you know that my beautiful, beloved husband passed away on Aug 26th unexpectedly.

I haven't posted here in sometime as I've moved to http://ipromisenottolaughduringtheseance.blogspot.com/

I've been posting there for some time-since back in January.

I miss him more every day. I can't imagine life without him.

50x120 and firepits...

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 01:34:59 GMT

Happily, I am kind of over the Boomshine playing. I'm down to maybe once or twice a week for less than 10 minutes...and it only took less than a month. This is a good thing. Some of my addictions, like say... DemocraticUnderground.com last far longer (cough 4 years...cough) My daughter is pleased... I am pleased. Laundry is being done again here.

Last year, or maybe it was the year before, I bought a firepit for my husband for Father's Day. We are country people, hopelessly stuck here in 1950's plat home suburbia...so I did the only thing I could. Give him fire. The city ordinance changed for burning on your property (all 50x120, 1/10 acre of it!) and we were first in line. Nothing pleases us more to drag it out onto the back (most people would say patio here) driveway, place a couple of chairs around and light er up. It only takes me about 4 hours to accomplish. My husband? He can walk outside and... fire erupts. I am mildly jealous.

You know how you have eleventy billion things to do? And you know you have to do them, but you don't. So they keep adding up and getting worse, until some of the things become not worth even doing, and people start thinking you're some sort of procrastinator...so instead you buy a new television and a stove? So, that's what we did today.

How far have I fallen?

Thu, 17 May 2007 10:20:52 GMT

God help me, but what is it about this game that is so addictive:

http://www.k2xl.com/games/boomshine/

A couple weeks ago, this link was posted on a message board (Democraticunderground.com) that I frequent, and I've been wasting minutes (okay half hours even) playing it. And it's really got no point. I didn't get into the bubble popping think, I've only poked the bunny once. What the hell is wrong with me?

Google opens their brand new offices here today. Today there is a little bit of light in my sad broken city. I am wondering if we would be able to segue away from the automotive industry and into the world of computers, advertising and what not. It's worth a shot, because we're losing the industry anyway. Good thing I picked real estate, eh? Not. It is difficult in the SE Michigan area, to succeed at any career, when the main driver of the economy is so very crippled.

We have been told it will freeze tonight. Yay. Procrastination pays off. No Martha, I never got my peas planted, back in April when you said to. I've yet to plant a single green thing. Which, if you knew me, definitely IS a Very Good Thing.

Tales from the sidelines...

Sun, 13 May 2007 12:33:10 GMT

My son had a soccer game on Saturday. It was beautiful weather for a game... on Friday. Saturday was a little cold, and I was a little cranky because: 1. This was my husband's "thing" to do with our son as I have no real desire to be a juicebox toting, back window stickering soccer mom (some will want to yell at me here...I am truly sorry) 2. I don't feel good. Seriously, I don't. There's nothing like sitting in a brisk wind with a runny nose and 3.my house is a mess, laundry needs to be done, I haven't typed that report...you get the idea.

Well, there we were anyway. I must admit, my son looks adorable in a soccer uniform:

This is from a year ago...but he really hasn't change...except for attitude and vocabulary.

Soccer games are very long, at least by my standards. One would think they could come to a final score in a half hour and cut out the halftime break, water breaks etc... What? I already explained I'm not one for this type of thing. Soccer/hockey mothering? Meh.

Anyway, we're...they're..the team's losing by one and there's about 20 seconds left, when my son is tripped and gets a penalty shot. Everyone lines up. Here's where I have to brag that he's got quite a leg on him and is really good at kicking the ball, and then ambling around the field like a newborn mouse. He lines it up and kicks it...slow motion mind camera kicks in while we watch the ball soar over the defending (and offending...or is it teammates') players, hits the goalie smack on the head (which later induced hysterical, Joan Crawford worthy screams of pain) and lands in the goal. Game tied. Whistle blown. Yay. But that's not the worst part. Non competitive me...the one who's not really into it...had jumped up from her camp chair with a loud,"WAY TO GO BUBBY!!!!" Silence. And not the golden kind. My son turned...and looked at me. It was the kind of look that I will always remember. Especially as I sit alone, in my little corner of the nursing home. Not even needing to ask why in the hell he put me there. You see, I made a pact with him a year ago not to embarass him with baby names in public. And then I did. Oops.

Happy Mother's Day all you beautiful Mommys out there...from me, the one who still hasn't gotten it right.

1021 Days later...

Fri, 11 May 2007 14:33:08 GMT

Do you ever notice the enticing banners from Xanga, asking you to go premium? Mine today says,"It has been 1021 days since you joined Xanga! Won't you go premium?" And I thought to myself, 1021 days and I still haven't made this a habit. Too much time goes by between posts.

I have become a sofa lump this week. Amazing how a little cold will do that to you. For me one little sniffle=inability to function at normal mode (which to be honest still holds quite a bit of laziness) and must. lay. on. couch. and watch Regis and Kelly...even though Regis drives me insane. Anyway, today's show was about mothers (note to self: find something for mother, include mother in law...perhaps grandma...just how far do we go with mothers and mother like connections?? I digress) and making their dreams come true. Have you ever watched one of those episodes? Where they read off a wonderful letter that some one wrote about a woman who single handedly saved a city, adopted 12 kids, holds down 4 jobs (uniquely American is she), works out, and keeps a spotless house? How does one do that? And how does one keep from feeling woefully inadequate?

The letter from my children would go something like this:

Dear Regis and Kelly/Ellen/Oprah,

CC: Jerry Springer

Our mom is terrific. Sometimes she goes a whole 4 hours without nagging us to please pick up after ourselves (especially the straw wrappers from Capri Suns, which for some reason drive her totally nuts). Once she was 5 minutes early at the bus stop to pick us up from school...instead of 5 minutes late. Just last week, she cut our hair before our bangs reached the bottom of our chins. Our favorite memory is the time that our mother finished all of the laundry in the house and folded it! Dad was hoping that maybe the shirt he hasn't worn in 8 months (because) it was in the ironing basket would finally hang free in his closet again. But she struggles a lot, our mom does. It was just too much for her.

In closing, we think every child deserves a mother as wonderful as ours...or better even.

***on a side note... Do you ever find a blog that is so well written, so entertaining...that you click and click, hoping for an update? That you make a pot of fresh coffee and sit down to read when it does update? That's how I feel about these two blogs:

http://www.sundrymourning.com/2007/05/10/alphabutts-and-questionable-parenting-skills/

http://bluemeany.diaryland.com/

Hair raising tales...

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 22:49:24 GMT

I am a licensed hairstylist. I have been since I was 19 years old. It was my job until my son was born at 28. I liked it and despised it all at the same time. You want color? Woohoo! An updo? Bless you! What's that? You say you wish for me to put noxious, hair murdering chemicals on your head after I spent about 3745 minutes (at least it felt like it) rollering your head on rods with caps that like to snap off midway through processing time? Forget it. I quit. I loved being a colorist and nothing makes me happier than creating the perfect design for a veil. BUT...

...and this is a big BUT...

I don't "do" that anymore. Really only for family, my daughter, close friends and such... Of course, until you call me after we haven't seen each other for oh...about 72 years (okay, it was really only 4) ask me how I'm doing and then tack the request on the end as if you were asking for the return of a book you had lent me.

So I did it. I spent four hours doing hair today for a wedding. Because I live by guilt. If I had said, "Oh gee no, it's Saturday and I've got plans..." I'd have felt like a shit all day today. It was fun catching up, and sweating, and dealing with an 8-going-on 20 year old who thinks she's all that. All for a DISCOUNT. You know the one. The one you give friends and family after they say,"Of course we want to pay you something..." The something implying that they really don't want to pay you much???

God, when did my hands become foreign objects that scream in pain after 4 hours of maneuvering pins, and spray, combs??

Gym-iny Crickets!!

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 10:19:14 GMT

And now, a moment of feeling pleased with myself. If only for a moment. I have steadfastly kept up with my gym promise. I go at least every other day and try for every day here and there. And it's showing. It's not for weight loss. It's not for body sculpting. Okay, maybe it's a little bit for those things. Most of all it's for Rheumatoid arthritis that kills when one lives in Michigan. I am trying to strengthen the muscles around my knees and also for cardio. Very gentle cardio. So far, it's actually been fun. Only I can't find my USB cable for my MP3 player and I'm getting a bit bored with the tunes on it. And it has no shuffle.

Another day...

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 19:58:02 GMT

and yet more laundry on the floor. I've become Zenlike in dealing with it. Hey, we can't wear all those clothes at once anyway... right? Today was 80 degrees. Perfect. Sunny. Mild. Well mild until that in your face, make your car feel like it's ready for takeoff, rip the front screen door off when you go to get the mail wind started up. But at least it's 80, for the next 10 minutes.

I spend a lot of time reading other people's blogs (hence the laundry on the floor, various decorative cobwebs etal) and find it far more enjoyable than I should. I mean, there are people who lead these wonderfully fascinating lives and they're willing to share them. And then there are those who perhaps have lives that possibly are more boring than mine. And they write about them. Every day. Month after month. And I am hooked. And I read. And I click on them in my bookmarks to see if they've updated. And I get depressed when they haven't been. and way too excited when they have been. It's amazing the soapoperatic, addictive, dare I say mesmerizing affect reading the little ins and outs of the lives of others is for me. Far more addicting than Qwyzzle...which I could only get to level 20 on anyway, before I cheated.

Gaaaaaaaa!

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 21:09:37 GMT

I always start out Sundays with the best of intentions. Kind of like starting this blog out... We all know what has happened in the two plus years of its existance. Exactly. The same thing happens on Sundays. Meaning to get the laundry that now carpets the basement floor done. Ironing shirts that have wrinkles from 1985 in them. Ahhh... but there were people to visit with and...and...stuff.

My husband has spent two days sorting pennies out for his collection. We have invested 120 dollars in collector's books because we are sure we have a penny (or a nickel, dime, quarter) worth something. Happily, while digging through the wallets and pockets for errant coins, I found a lottery ticket from December worth $2.00. Woohoo. The weekend was not a total washout.

You're killing me here, Puff...

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 18:20:05 GMT

I could be crazy...or bored...or fun. Who knows? Coming back from the physical therapy/massage therapy place today I popped in my "Secret CD III". It is one of three (so far) CD's I have burned in moments of naptster induced hysteria in the last few months. My daughter likes to call them the secret CD's based on another story that I'll tell some other time. The song that popped up was "America" by Neil Diamond. I burned this in a moment of nostalgia...remembering 1988 high school dance class recital; carboard sparkly star, blue spandex, white t-shirt, big hair...and the little old lady in the front row sobbing through the whole thing. I caught a reflection of my misty eyes in the rear view mirror.Misty over the song "America"..by Neil Diamond. Luckily, the next song up was "You Don't Know" by Eminem which always makes me squirm around and shout it out and think about baseball. Next, "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis...mix in some NIN... and them I'm belting out Paul Simon. Well only "Me and Julio down by the Schoolyard" and "Kodachrome" <<<which is another song that can make me weepy as I sift through snapshots in my head. It all finishes off with John Lennon and then...wait for it "Puff the Magic Dragon" which makes me think of Little Tikes mornings spent with my now considerably untike-like son...(who also has "A New Day" by Celine burned on this disc because it reminds me of him-but I didn't want to mention that because that's like spilling all my secrets in one posting even). I mean, when Puff ceases his fearless roar it's just really too much.

I can't wait for my daughter to hear it and giggle and make me laugh again. Today is one of those days where I would swear I was pregnant...if I believed in Immaculate Conception.

One final Note: Michigan court of appeals reversing court decision enabling benefits for the partners of GLBT government employees? Shameful. Shameful on such a grand scale that it makes my head hurt and my self realize that any country where a prudish citizen can get a theater marquee changed from "The Vagina Monologues" to "The Hoohah Monologues" ( I am not kidding http://www.news4jax.com/entertainment/10948346/detail.html) is indeed a little messed up.

Oh, and, here's a picture because I have posted nothing in the way of pictures for awhile:

My daughter, at Comerica Park. She wanted to lick it but we have principles.