blagconic, v2.0

WOTD and more...

2009-08-02T12:55:00.004-04:00

With all of my awesome new projects going on, I'm wondering if this blog is going to fall by the wayside...

While I think about that, you can ruminate on this awesome, lovely word: perspicacious.

Yep. It rocks. Totally.

WOTD

2009-07-20T12:20:00.002-04:00

(That's Word of the Day for you non-logomaniacs)

Hubris

Thanks to The Fluent Self for introducing me to this one! Definitely going on the Fall 2009 vocab list!

today's horoscope:

2009-07-18T18:56:00.001-04:00

Your current angst may be increased today by the difference between what you want and your lack of willingness to go out and get it.

AND...this is different from every other day...how???

{clears throat}

2009-07-18T14:50:00.002-04:00

i may not write in here a lot, but at least it's not password-protected!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

old school henri, AKA cutest baby ever!

2009-07-15T12:22:00.001-04:00

Going to VT!

2009-06-30T11:37:00.003-04:00

woot woot!

me & k-frayz decided we need a little R&R, as well as lots of seclusion to get some work done (writing and curriculum, respectively). i'm toying with the idea of not even taking my laptop...writing old school style, pencil & notepad. i need to start from scratch anyway...

regardless - we're going to VT!

Re-Fueling Session

2009-06-29T11:02:00.003-04:00

Amidst a very hectic weekend, I got a voicemail from A.J. saying she had one hour to meet with me on Saturday--did I want it? I assumed it was a rhetorical question, but called her back to confirm anyway. I had been toying around with my "Indian student/cranky-white-lady teacher" story, in between feelings of what? I don't need to write anymore. I 'm a mom...that's my identity. writing is something I used to do because I didn't know how to do anything else and, actually, had boldly emailed A.J. a few weeks ago to get a quick refresher on multiple storylines. To which, she had suggested we meet during the residency, and, I guess the rest is history. Or, the rest is what I'm supposed to be blogging about right now, which is that meeting with her (or, probably, anyone that believes in you) is so inspirational. It's like going to church for writers. I left feeling not only confident but really quite interested in the story I was halfheartedly writing. All of this action conveniently coincides with Henri's first week of "mornings with his French babysitter"...so, yes, I'm writing again. Wow.

Also...
A.J. told me this stunning quote by Toni Morrison (the writer she studied with) that goes something like, "If, at the end of a story, you've learned something about yourself, then the story isn't sad." I hope that I can one day use this against anyone that calls me writing sad and, if not, at the least, I plan to tattoo it on myself as a daily reminder of what I'm aiming to write, when I am writing.

???

2009-05-27T10:57:00.002-04:00

GAWD. i can't believe that was my last post. i guess work took over my life there for a little bit. that, or i'm just taking laconic to it's true self. as in, not talking (writing) at all! that, or i'm a mom of a 1 1/2 year old who also works (most of the time). that, or i'm just lazy.

i ran 2 miles!! and it was damn hard!!

2008-11-16T13:28:00.003-05:00

while acknowledging that this indian summer has given me a great incentive to keep training every week, i would like to say that it is hard enough to run TWO WHOLE MILES without the wind beating you back, regardless of which direction you're running in!!! thanks for the added resistance training, weather gods...

back in the land of the living

2008-11-06T21:45:00.001-05:00

in case anyone had any doubt, i really am married to the kindest, nicest, most thoughtful, most generous human being on the planet!!!

case in point: my birthday present. (pinkalicious)

need i say more? and, yes, i know i'm out of my league!

laconics may not be right for this...

2008-11-04T22:15:00.002-05:00

i have written 247 words. it occurs to me that i may not be the "seat-of-your-pants" type of writer...

badge

2008-11-03T16:18:00.001-05:00

instead of writing, i downloaded this pretty badge from the nanowrimo website.

also, how in the hell do i add a writing buddy? it says to do this via that user's page...but i can't even figure out how to visit someone's page...argh.

nanowrimo

2008-10-27T21:38:00.001-04:00

hello "everyone," i'm going to write a novel. according to the nanowrimo website, this announcement should help me feel committed to actually writing a novel, instead of just saying i'm going to write a novel. well, we'll see.

excuses, excuses...

2008-10-06T22:03:00.002-04:00

Things currently impeding me from blogging (haven't you missed me???):

had to give my "work" laptop back on my last day
carpal tunnel sucks my ass (and hurts a lot)
too many papers to grade/8 AM classes kill brain cells
momnesia: forgetting one has a life outside of one's child
nothing [compelling] to write about
HGTV addiction
existential, post-modern laconic-ness (e.g. no blogging is saying A LOT)

mama mia! (and an unrelated thought...)

2008-08-22T13:51:00.001-04:00

don't you wish life was a musical? i do.

on an unrelated note (i think...), i have this new idea for a blog called "30 points of view." more coming soon. i have to flesh it out some more.

a new strategy for gas

2008-07-01T15:05:00.003-04:00

this morning, a nice person stopped to let me cross the street in front of them and as i raised my hand to wave a nice "thank you" wave, i realized they were driving a HUMMER. WTF? is there any decency left in the world? as if it isn't bad enough that we're all whipping around in our little cars, pretending like whatever pretentious errand we're on is necessary to keep our lives running smoothly, there are people driving gas-guzzling monster machines around. OBVIOUSLY, we are not suffering enough here people!

if the oil companies/government truly wants there to be a depression part duex, they need to up their strategies a litte bit. simply raising the prices to nearly five dollars is not doing a gosh darn thing. we will always continue to buy.

i have an idea for a quicker and more interesting way to bring in some quick cash: diversify. offer cheaper (and more expensive) gas. the cheaper gas would, of course, be a "knock off" and, therefore, not really gas. anyone buying this would have to keep re-buying (think of those of us who shop at old navy or target) because our gas goes "out of style." those buying the more expensive brands (and i'm not talking the difference between regular and premium, here; i'm talking the difference between "back of the truck" and Authentic) would need to get more for their money. thus, gas stations with a niche: clean, longer lasting fuel. then, there would be back alley gas stations, for the under-the-radar gas purchasers. and, of course, mainstream marketed stations would have to offer "sale" and "clearance" gas, to reach the widest audience of purchasers--those who want to pay less but get the same value and are stupid enough to think such a concept actually exists. with branding, you get all kinds of options. celebrities could start endorsing certain gas stations over others and the kind of gas that's IN one day might just be OUT the next. this would really keep gas purveyors on their toes.

why is gas Just One Price anyway??? is it because all the oil companies are run by lazy & rich white men? or, do they just want to see how long far they can stretch it before some people really can't afford to buy it?

decorating thoughts

2008-06-19T16:46:00.003-04:00

i've been doing a little research on what makes a great room great (yes, watching HGTV non-stop from after work until 1 AM counts as "Research") and i've come to believe it is A) all in the details (duh!) and B) the most important detail is the artwork. i would love to be able to afford real artwork, even local artwork, especially self-portraits other than my own...but, i can't. even as an artist, it's one of those things i have trouble spending dough on (unlike, everything else i buy to decorate a room...). why, i don't know. will have to think on that more later. but, what i DO know is that i need to start making some art for our space to be decorated with instead of just thinking of art that would look great in our space, only to forget the idea before i make it. i don't know if this is feasible before the housewarming party, because i think it's something that's probably best done after you have furniture and other things all in place...plus, it takes time (despite what TLC and HGTV and DIY and all those other networks might lead you to believe)...plus, even when doing it yourself, it still takes *some* money. i wonder if the idea is just to make art when you feel inspired/have some cash and THEN decide where to put it. if it doesn't match, then re-do the room. ha ha. just kidding. if it doesn't match, give it away... ?

grow up!

2008-06-12T12:10:00.001-04:00

i don't like adults who:

have long hair
talk to, smile at or otherwise try to engage random strangers in public places, i.e. the train or elevators
run/walk fast

if you do any of these things, please quit it and start acting like an adult. thank you.

every day should be harpoonfest day

2008-06-06T09:48:00.003-04:00

even though it's raining (of course it's raining!), mark and i will [finally] be attending harpoonfest--i mean, "The Harpoon Summer Session"--together for the first time TONIGHT. will this be the end? or will it be the beginning of something very, very beautiful?

why so quiet?

2008-06-03T11:50:00.003-04:00

if anyone read this blog, they might've noticed i haven't written anything in a while. as i once explained to a loved one of mine: the only time i'm quiet is when something is seriously wrong.

i guess i just don't see the point of talking about stuff that there's no solution to.

it is odd--however--that i met, fell in love with and am now seriously committed to a person who actually thinks by Talking Out Loud. does anyone else see the irony in this? if we were living in sitcom land, there'd be laughter and applause after this realization...

The newest member of the Thyroid Club

2008-05-28T10:29:00.004-04:00

Hi, my name is lee lee. And I have a Hypothyroid.

Yes, that's right. I spoke to my doctor yesterday and, after 4 tests with different levels, she finally feels comfortable diagnosing me as having an underactive thyroid. Apparently, my mom and grandma both had or have thyroid things as well. But I didn't really know that until recently, so I can let my doctor know at my next check-in/blood test. She called in a prescription I can't remember the name of and that is that. I had lots of questions for her, but when she called me last night I was in Target trying to find floaty things for babies to wear in the pool (i.e. our jacuzzi tub), so my mind wasn't really in the right place. But the doctor seems very happy that, at the least, I'm [probably] not clinically depressed again. I guess I am happy about that, too. Though I do have an Adjustment Disorder. So There.

In fact, everyone seems pretty relieved that we can blame all of this anxiety and fatigue on the thyroid and get back to business. And I guess i am included in that group of people, except I don't want to have too much faith in the medication because I've done a lot of reading where people say it takes months to regulate meds for thyroid conditions since everyone's thyroid is so very different. I guess we will find out. It would be nice if I could stay up past 8:30 or so, especially with the Red Sox on the damn West Coast! Also, while I have no hope of losing any weight, I would definitely like to stop gaining. Mainly because I cannot afford any more new clothes right now. Maybe I will find some fat girl business casual clothes on the side of the road... *fingers crossed*

And, as I told McKnight last night, I've never really been one of those "energetic" people--so we will definitely not get our hopes up about that!

will someone please just kill me?

2008-05-22T15:47:00.003-04:00

i still believe that suicide is the unforgivable sin (on the off chance that Heaven/Hell do exist, i want to go up not down...), so someone else is going to have to step up to the plate and just RUN ME OVER ALREADY so i won't have to do this anymore.

laconic unawares

2008-05-16T12:22:00.002-04:00

it occurs to me that my posts of late are very brief. maybe i just don't have anything [of substance] to say?

found: silly video of me eating!

2008-05-14T10:00:00.001-04:00

i documented my first time having egg, spinach and cheese sauce sandwiches--apparently, this is an after-easter tradition for mark's family. they were yummy! but, my mom messed up the seriousness of the video by making me laugh! oh, well. i guess i won't be a famous documentarian after all.

casa charo

2008-05-13T15:56:00.000-04:00

i want to live here.

need a new hobby

2008-05-13T12:44:00.001-04:00

now that we have no more furniture (i.e. money) to buy for the new house, my life lacks meaning.

update: i'm still an ethical egoist, just not the kind you thought

2008-05-09T10:30:00.001-04:00

i thought i was this, but i guess i'm really this. either way; i am not alone. who knew?

p.s. i love circular logic. i think it exists for my pleasure.

will work for coffee, if you bring it to me

2008-05-07T15:50:00.002-04:00

i've almost made it through my 2nd day of no afternoon coffee. i haven't *made* it through today just yet, but i'm thinking that i will. combine this with my frequent stair-stepping and mostly vegetarian eating and i'm [secretly] thinking that i might lose just a little teensy eensy bitsy bit of weight (like a pound, even???) without doing any exercise or formalizing a weight loss plan or even saying out loud, except that i'm about to blog it, that i would really like to lose some weight. damn, now i'll feel guilty when i get my afternoon coffee tomorrow! YOU GUYS SUCK.

how to blog about the how to wiki

2008-05-06T16:16:00.004-04:00

this is a cool website, but i have to imagine that everything i know how to do well enough to give step-by-step instructions has already been written about. except how to be a functioning alcoholic and i think that would likely fall under their "recreational drug us is not something we want people to be good at doing" policy.

*sigh*

a wedding, among other things

2008-05-05T14:10:00.005-04:00

i admit; i was slightly annoyed when i found out i had to attend a wedding the weekend after moving into a new apartment, and that the wedding was four hours away, and that the wedding was a, well, wedding. because, honestly, i wouldn't have wanted to go to ANY wedding at any time in any place. but mark already knows that, so i figured if he asked me to go it was pretty important. i am learning more about this compromise thing all the time.

it turns out there are a Few Good Things about weddings, which makes it hard for me to complain that i had to go to a wedding; however, i can easily combat those things with something ridiculous, annoying or disappointing:

Good--Toasts. i soooo love this literary outpouring of feelings by everyone who's ever known the groom/bridge. well, really it seemed to be limited to a few key people--but more than i thought would be allowed to speak for a lengthy amount of time while dinner was not being served so that they could outpour their feelings. but, truly, do not omit these from your wedding (just serve the food DURING instead of AFTER) because i didn't know one single thing about either the bride or groom prior to these toasts (though, i could presume they were the "hip" and down-to-earth sort of couple from their choice of locale and "not another wedding" url for their wedding website). whereas, afterwards, i really knew that they were hip and down to earth. i also learned about their shared love of books & music and that dave matthews band isn't cool to like anymore (ever?). oops....do not mention that i like DMB at my wedding when you give the toast!!! in fact, of all the things i did not absolutely hate about this wedding, the toasts are definitely the thing that would get me to say I Do in public once again. only this time, i'd skip the singing, crying, walking down the aisle and the 15 cakes on an antique planter, and just ask everyone to show up and read a toast. but, i guess i will save this for my funeral. (you will understand this when you've finished this post)
Bad--the humanist wedding statement and a very philosophical officiant. i am usually pretty good at following a wedding ceremony; it's like, do you want to do this and do you want to do that...you know, fairly simple, hand-holding instructions on the very complex idea of spending your the rest of your life with one person who you may or may not like at any given moment. face it: the bride & groom are A) exhausted and B) very weepy; so, they're not really listening. save the rilke quotes and the existentialist theories about communal love and just Marry Them, Already. later, when they realize that sex doth not a marriage make, they will seek out such advice and then you can wax and wane to your heart's content about how if they give love to everyone around them they will also somehow impart it to each other and, in their desperation not to be the first sibling to get divorced, they will believe you.
Good--open bar all night long. Brilliant idea: instead of inviting everyone you know to your wedding, having an open bar for an hour and then overcharging them the rest of the time for watered down drinks to make up for what you're going to have to spend on the open bar tab, only invite those people you truly love and, as a display of that love, give them an all-night open bar. also, you should advertise this in some way, especially since it's completely kosher these days to list wedding details online instead of having aunt marge tell aunt sue who will tell uncle joe, etc. etc. because, it is a proven statistic that guests who are attending an open bar wedding are 10 times more likely to bring you cash. lastly, for alcoholics like myself and my stepfather, a timed open bar can actually be much more detrimental to the overall mood of your wedding reception. take my word for that.
Bad--Jewish weddings that aren't really Jewish. honestly, it's weird to have a chuppah and the breaking of the glass when the bride doesn't have 5 ugly uncles to carry her around in a chair and sing Tradition! i was actually lucky enough to sit at the matchmaker's table and he wasn't a little old lady who offered endless matches even to people who are already matched. wait, i think i'm getting weddings confused with musicals. well, still. the mixing of faiths clearly calls for ignoring such a thing all together! i, for one, was very uncomfortable when they forgot to mention that weddings are simply a precursory obligation to legally sanctioned procreation.
Good--Salmon and a Veggie option.
Bad--roasted rack of lamb. am i really the only person on the planet that thinks lamb should NOT be eaten??? sigh. whimper. throw up.
Good--non-church affiliated locations. having your wedding at a winery is a brilliant idea because it conjures up that beloved tale of wine at a wedding without actually having to book jesus. that's a stress you don't need when planning a low-key, modern wedding.
Bad--the winery was fake! well, no longer functioning is more accurate. Worse--the bartender refused to tell guests that the wine was from the winery because he "isn't a liar." i find a bartender that says he isn't a liar much like a single person marrying off two young lovers-- laughable and slightly dirty. (disclaimer: other than this, i thought the bartender was nice and kinda cute. i can say this because most of the other people working the event thought my boyfriend was nice and kinda cute. so there!)

honestly, all jokes aside, this wedding wasn't so bad...and i am *i hope you're sitting down for this* grateful that i got to go because i know how much thought and preparation goes into such things as a guest list and seating arrangements and the cost of a plate for someone you don't really know but they are dating your cousin after all.

now that i've said that, i can probably go ahead and kill myself. for the end is nigh... don't you think?

this is a neat trick i saw on someone else's blog

2008-05-01T15:18:00.001-04:00

some irritability explained...

2008-05-01T11:05:00.002-04:00

after a month of successful pill popping (no, not k-pin, you twits), i have just found out that such a habit does, indeed, regulate one's period. that's right, kiddos. aunt flo is visiting. (remember when you were in high school and you'd say this and thought it was so "cool" but also ladylike? ah, innocence...)

anyway, i just thought i'd let you know. that it works. it is working...presumably.

craptastic!

2008-04-30T13:23:00.002-04:00

i've been reading a lot of other blogs (mostly by mom's) lately; it started out as a kind of time waster, when i need a break from spreadsheets but quickly became a frustrating pursuit for quality writing by people other than myself who also raise a child, or children. i won't say much more about that...except for: WHERE ARE YOU, Literati/Mothers??? i even joined this network called blogher that is by for and about women bloggers. i don't know if there are quality blogs on there because their site runs too slowly for my i-live-in-the-21st century, impatient & spoiled self.

as a total aside: i love that i freudian-slippishly wrote "myselves" instead of myself in that first sentence. how great is that???

anyway, i was trying to explain to my DBF (i think this means darling boyfriend???) what i'm looking for when i say "quality" writing, but it's hard to explain. there's not like a "category" of writing that's good or not-so-good; nor is there a type of writer who's good or not. it's basically like, there's SO much that goes into writing well, that many people really should just not do it at all. if they lack a reason, pick fear of failure. that's exactly why i don't write as much as i should...or at all, really...

never fear: that was not a joycean epiphany. i knew that all along. however, i would like to write that paragraph in a james joyce kinda way without all the dots and the dot-dot-dots...but, i can't. i love these little guys...!

what was i saying???

oh, right. why not to write... (as opposed to that other argument). so, i know there is the whole argument about blogging is personal and shouldn't be criticized because it's personal. but, let me dispel that myth right here. right now. these people are writing--as my first freshman comp. teacher used to say--to be read. they Want you to read their blogs, just as their mothers probably secretly wanted you to read their journals when they were trash talking their neighbors and kids and their neighbors' kids and their husbands and their husbands' kids (if different from their own). and i do NOT say that just to alleviate my guilt of reading other people's journals, because i don't have any guilt where that is concerned. ahem! the only difference between these modern day mloggers, if you will, is that they call their husband DH's---- now, i can only assume that doesn't mean Designated Hitter in this context; so, it must mean Darling Husband, right??? or, am i missing something? okay. so, assuming DH means what i think it means... ---they call their husbands DH's and then trash talk them. yes, it's cute. but, meant to be read nonetheless. which is the point i'm making. in case you didn't get my point.

how do i know they are meant to be read, you ask? well, because i believe everything written is meant to be read. but, that's a weak argument. so...i'd argue, for lack of a better word, that they're writing to be read because they have a community (see paragraph A) of people that they go read and comment on so that that community of people will then read their blog and comment on it and so forth and so on. they even have contests to promote commenting on their blog. also, they have cute nicknames for themselves, each other, their kids, and their DH's which you would not need in a truly private sphere. lastly, as far as i know a blog has to published for it to be a blog. but i could be wrong about that... there actually is a "keep this posting private" button on my wordpress blog (yes, i just linked to MYSELF. loves.) but i always wonder why anyone would use it.

if i may elaborate on the nicknames... i find those bloggers amusing who are so protective of their "true" identity. i mean, if you're writing something, and PUBLISHING it online for anyone in the whole wide world to see, then why be so secretive?? i don't care if joe blow knows that my name is Charrolee [Murphy] Thompson but i go by lee lee thompson and that i have a son named henri owen lee. what's the big deal? it's not like i'm giving out our social security numbers or bank account information. it's my name, and--along with the story i tell by PUBLISHING things online--i am proud of it.

therefore: if my argument above is clear *laughs out loud uncontrollably* then we can all agree that these bloggers should not be begging us to read them. they should be doing something else that they're totally capable of doing, like knitting, scrapbooking, attending conferences, etc. again, this is the same argument i use on myself (for "real" writing) and it works, as arguments go; however, i've taken a liking to my blogs, so those i keep writing.

uh-oh. this is going to sound Very...well...Very Crappy (not to be confused with craptastic, which is a word i have discovered while mlog surfing, and--well, to be frank: i don't know what it means. but i L-U-V it) by those other bloggers/moms who read my blog. i don't think any of them do...but, just in case they do, i will point out that A) i don't like ANYTHING i read (others will verify this) that either wasn't written by me or wasn't written before i was born. so, Please...don't take this personally. i'm simply searching for my mlogger soulmate and am pissed that i haven't found her yet; and, B) i have found one or two people who's blogs i return to occasionally (ok, i read them Every Day!!!!). and some of them are mothers (see disclaimer below).

one of them, who i will mention within the body of my text--because that seems to signify you're of importance in a blog that mentions a lot of other bloggers/best buds who you've never met (what do they call this? an "online community"?)--is this woman called the portuguesa nova, also known as the anchored nomad. her life is real and her wit/writing--though quite lengthy--you're right, who am i to talk?--lets life speak for itself. she also appears to be a genuinely nice person. why i find that attractive i don't know. but i do. don't take my word for it; go read her yourself.

***disclaimer: there are some mloggers i approve of, such as the suburban correspondent, the philosopher-mom, and the woman who writes motherwise cracks. i also find this blog semi-interesting in its self-deprivationness and this blog simple & sweet (really, i just like the name). last but not least, the bloggess and joy unexpected are worthwhile if only for their shock value. and by shocked, i don't mean: wow, i'm shocked that mothers use foul language or don't love their children 100% of the 24-hours in a day. finally, if you still have a taste for reading, or just for those days when no one else has updated their blog, check out Madame Pince. just because i said you should.

profile updated!

2008-04-29T11:50:00.005-04:00

after my comment on the philospher mom's blog (because i want to know what the HELL front-loading laundry detergent is...) showed up as posted by a person named n.o.y.b., i realized i hadn't updated my blogger profile in quite some time. a while back, i had changed my blog title and edited my profile to include the least amount of personal data possible, because while i wanted to keep blogging, i did not want to keep updating my stalker on my life.

well, times have changed. i guess he will find me again. or maybe he already has. why do i think he's a he? i don't know. i just do...

p.s. this blog only appears to have a lot of links. they're really just w/i blogger links, which doesn't count as a true link. in other words, you won't learn anything about the outside world! (except, well, philosopher mom might tell you something you didn't already know)

p.p.s. i love this tiny text. if my whole blog was in tiny text, do you think anyone would read it? does anyone read it anyway???

Day 2, NTTSW

2008-04-23T16:18:00.000-04:00

is it okay if i take the elevator down and the stairs back up? because i can't seem to remember to take the stairs until i'm already on the elevator. down is the easy part, anyway...right???

trying to budget

2008-04-23T09:00:00.006-04:00

last week, i tried budgeting by keeping track of my daily spending on an excel spreadsheet. i thought if i saw my balance going down, down, down, it might encourage me to spend less.

that is not the case, as evidenced by this graph i made once the week was over:this week, i am trying to budget by giving myself $20 cash every day and keeping my debit card where it belongs--in my pocketbook!

the only problem is: at some point, i will have to buy formula for henri...which costs more than a day's allowance. hmmmmm.

Day 1 of Nat'l Taking the Stairs week

2008-04-22T16:07:00.003-04:00

in preparation for our big move this weekend, i thought it would be a good idea to take the stairs as much as possible from now until then. this morning, i couldn't figure out how to get upstairs from the garage without taking the elevator, but i will try that again tomorrow. there must be a way! i did, however, take the stairs up & down when i went to get breakfast. luckily, this is not a "take the stairs" week in order to lose weight--so i was able to get my fat-filled bagel & cream cheese that i love. on the way back up, i almost didn't make it...but i just kept telling myself it will get better with time. [almost] everything gets better with time...

buyer's remorse

2008-04-17T13:25:00.002-04:00

i always thought that i didn't like the shoes i bought after wearing them for a day because they were cheap and poorly made. not so, with my brand new shoes i have on today. i paid $100 for these from banana republic and they still hurt my feet like hell! i even got a size up to allow for post-pregnancy largeness.

and while i'm on the topic, i will NEVER buy a bra at victoria's secret again. the woman basically upsold me to the most expensive bra in the store and it is teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrbile. yes, i wear the same bra every day...but, i thought if i spent more money on it, that would be okay. what am i supposed to do? buy 10 $50 bras???

*sigh* i wish i had the time/energy to take both products back! but i don't, so--instead--i blog...

Happy National Healthcare Decisions Day

2008-04-16T12:49:00.003-04:00

National Healthcare Decisions Day is a nationwide activity to increase public awareness of advance directives such as health care proxies, with two key goals:

encourage individuals to express their wishes regarding who will make health care decisions for them if and when they cannot, and
stimulate discussion with providers regarding these wishes.

(from my job's intranet site)

After becoming a mom, I followed my sister's lead and decided to do both a living will/health care proxy and a last will & testament. I pay for legal assistance through my job and was able to download a DIY legal documents application from ARAG. Basically, I just entered my information in their templates and Woila! I had a will. Of course, I haven't had anyone witness or sign it yet...so it's "technically" not valid.

More importantly, I discussed what was in the will with my immediate family and partner. I strongly believe that decisions made regarding the future of your child should not be kept a secret! My parents took it well that Mark would be the legal guardian in the event of my demise, but I think we still need to make his relationship with Henri legal in some way.

You always think you have "time" but, really, you never know. I'm pretty cynical about death (especially suicide--my favorite type of death) but--all joking aside--you can't expect anyone--even those closest to you--to be able to read your mind. If you have an opinion, which, I'm sure you do, then let someone know, write it down and have a witness sign it. That way, you can rest peacefully for the rest of your death, knowing everything is still being controlled by you.

you can never be too laconic

2008-04-15T15:37:00.004-04:00

normally, i don't share my tattoo ideas with the outside world until after they're permanently stamped on my body. but, this one is too good to be kept inside. (besides, i need some help with it).

i've decided to keep going up my right arm with the word laconic--only in different languages. i've looked some up on the universal dictionary system. see if you can guess the languages:

fåordig
laconique
lakonisch
лаконичный
lacónico
lakonisk
özlü

there's no translation for japanese, chinese or korean...so, i'd have to get somebody to help me with that. also, i think i'd want to confirm russian and turkish with someone who knows what they're talking about, before tattooing anything on my body.

it occurs to me now that tattooing the word laconic on your arm multiple times is very not-laconic. oops. maybe i can pass it off as irony?

moving (again)

2008-04-14T13:01:00.003-04:00

we are once again moving and (soon) 43 early ave will be no more. well, at least, it won't be ours anymore. there are pros & cons to this, but mostly pros:

more space
henri will have a fabulous room of his own
WTF? there are a million bathrooms in this place
good times decorating a brand new place
more space
awesome appliances in kitchen
awesome kitchen
will have an authentic patio
off-street parking (except its kinda tight)
close to my work
more space
[hopefully] better-managed utilities
laundry is not in a dungeon
closer to lakay/emma (b/c they're moving too)
watertown isn't THAT bad, i guess...especially the belmont side
THIS IS A PARTY HOUSE, PEOPLE. you will never want to leave.
there are no pesky downstairs neighbors or vicious animals to contend with
and, did i mention it's a lot more space???

the cons are: mo' money, mo 'money, mo' money. but--hey--it's not only what makes the world go round, it's what makes all of the above possible. it's only money, after all. and i will still be able to save some money, once i've paid down my credit card debt. *sigh* how many times have i said that?

there's nothing worse than gross coffee

2008-04-09T15:54:00.002-04:00

well, maybe some things are worse than that; but i can't think of any at the moment...

saying goodbye?

2008-04-08T12:13:00.006-04:00

warning: this post violates the "reason" behind this blog, which is to post Brand New Thoughts.

anyhoo--
i don't know why i can't just get over it; but i read dcs's blog today. a posting in february begins like this: "in some ways, breaking up with lee lee was easy..." my first thought was -- hey, no it wasn't! and my second -- what a loser jerk asshole not-a-father lovesick hopeless romantic immature jerkoff this former "love of my life" is...

in further thinking, i'm wondering: A) to which breakup does he refer? and, B) why am i okay with women in 19th c. novels not wanting to be mothers post-children, but not okay with this 21st c. situation i have put myself in. bottom line: dave and i chose to make a baby, not to have a child together. but--obviously--it's not that black & white. will i always wonder why he chose to donate that sperm? or, will dave some day grow up & decide he wants to make a decision. (read: making a decision entails choosing not to be a part of your biological child's life, NOT ignoring the fact that you have a child in the first place).

to be frank, i am past the point where i can sit around and wait on this fatal (?) decision to be made. i have to do what's best for my child (coincidentally, this is also what's best for me, my partner and the rest of my family); i have to move on with my life.

but, let me point out--lest you think i'm not aware--that i lucked out in this whole thing. i made a selfish choice, forever entangling myself with a self-absorbed & not self-aware person and instead of being spanked or forever banished to hell like i should've been...i get HENRI. wow. i must have done something spectacular in a previous life...in all of my previous lives.