Where has the month gone by?

Sorry, I didn't realize I had been absent for almost 20 days. I guess that's what the holiday season can do to you. The last two days have been spent with family, being merry and bright, full of holly jolly. We started the festivities on Monday evening at my sister's. It was filled with a usual small dosage of family drama. She put on a good menu, but was stuck in the kitchen for most of it. K overdosed on cheese - I think he had 4 or 5 goat cheese balls - the little man loves cheese, but I think he'll pay for it when he cannot expel the cheese in a timely fashion. We stayed until 10ish - which was two hours past his bedtime. He did well for the most part, with just a small breakdown at the end. I wish my parents would just understand that they need to give him 15 minutes to adjust to his surroundings and then he'll be just fine. But sometimes in their anxious joy to see him, they forget - causing a small tantrum to break out and mommy needing to come to the rescue.

The second day was a very long day at the hubby's family. We started late morning with presents and caramel rolls (you can't go wrong with caramel rolls). K enjoyed opening his gifts, following his cousins around and playing in the snow. Then we had a great break until dinner - folks were supposed to arrive at 3, and I think everyone was able to get there by 4 - due to the fabulous snowfall. We opened gifts - receiving mucho duplicatos - and then ate dinner at 6. It was a long day, but full of good cheer and family.

Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season and joyous new year!

Burning Sensation

The frigid temperatures have been a shock to my old system. The cold is so bitter that when you inhale it feels as though all the tiny hairs in your nostril have been lit on fire and are burning away the inside of your nose.

The day of the first snow during the week was laughable. I went out to catch my bus after work and their were mobs (I mean MOBS) of people waiting on the corner. Most people ended up spending at least an hour waiting to get on a bus. It was ridiculous. By the time I finally got home, my feet were so frozen they felt like they were in flames.

I love snow - I prefer winter apparel - but I could do without the burning.

A Change in Direction

I'm going to take the blog into a slightly different direction - while you'll still find the occassional meanders about life's lessons, insight into experiences, I also want to use this as a platform to give proper recognition to those enjoyable experiences in my life.

Let's start by giving notice to a couple of restaurants that I've had the pleasure of spending a little money on as of lately.

The first one is in a little city called Chicago - Frontera Grill. I satisfied my pallete there at the end of September - because the menu is ever-evolving I can't give you the specific name of my dish - but it was a fish dish with the most splendid mole sauce. Divine, divine, divine. It was perfection - just the right amount of spice. The service was excellent - I highly recommend it for anyone interested in Mexican cuisine that's a step or two above the rest.

The next restaurant I'd like to highlight is a local favorite I like to go to lunch to every once in a while. Vincent's a Restaurant. Now, this is not a restaurant to go to lunch to if you have a 1 o'clock meeting - this is where you go to lunch when you have an extra half hour and you can savor the delicacies brought forth. From the yummiest butternut squash soup to a delectable goat cheese and beet salad - Vincent's treats me right every time.

The last recognition I'd like to give is for a delightful dessert that I had the pleasure of enjoying a couple weekend's okay. That would be the warm, gooey pear bread pudding at the Palomino. Just thinking about it makes me all cozy inside.

Okay -- I'm hungry!

Day of Giving and Thanks

Things I am thankful for...

• my stable, but sometimes dramatic, marriage
• my 36 going on 15 year old husband
• our fabulous, precious, most delightful son
• a warm shelter to call my home
• a job that provides challenges and excitement
• friends who help keep me grounded
• friends who provide me fodder for laughter
• a family that likes me (most of the time)
• memories of pleasantries I am able to re-live from time to time
• being able to count to ten when holiday shoppers get on my best nerve
• knowing that tomorrow will always be a new day

That Perfect Gift

I'm looking for those perfect gifts. Those items that people sort of had an idea they wanted, but would never have thought of it themselves. It's hard, you must search high and low and in places you never thought of. It's a challenge I enjoy taking on -- the satisfaction of seeing the smile or look of unexpected delight on people's faces is great.
Another gift is D's perspective on the holidays. I always anticipated that having a child would somewhat affect his holiday spirit. This year it has -- he actually proposed putting lights on our house. This is the same man, who groaned when he saw our neighbors hanging lights up the weekend we moved into our house last year. That perhaps is the most perfect gift.

The Holiday Plan

The next two months are going to go flying by -- so the only way to get through the holiday madness with a smile is with a secure plan. This plan must take into account a few major considerations: a) our families are notoriously late in providing Christmas gifts; b) I am having a small soiree at my house on Dec. 8; c) I may be involved in a surprise party for someone else; d) I already feel like my weekends are booked.

So. Here. I. Go.

1. Finish painting the lower-level "public/guest" bathroom. (I am about 1/3 of the way done on this task.)

2. Find cute new light fixture, mirror and accessory fixtures for aforementioned bathroom.

3. Prime formal living room.

4. Paint formal living room.

5. Find delicious, peanut-free cookie recipe.

6. Plan menu for fabulous soiree.

7. Decorate house with festive cheer and holiday aromas.

The above tasks must be done before Dec. 8.

8. Find the most perfect gift for over a dozen family members.

9. Wrap said gifts beautifully, almost too beautifully to unwrap.

10. Start running (again).

11. Continue moving toward my ultimate weight-loss goal.

12. Keep calm under pressure.

13. Always remain smiling.

There's my plan so far -- I assure you it will have many, many alterations, but it feels good to jot it down.

Exhaustion

My new role at work is tiring me out unlike anything before. Every night I'm falling asleep on the couch. Of course, paranoia me then begins to think the worse - did I get diabetes? hyperthyroidism? cancer? some bizarre disease no one has ever heard of? then super paranoia me begins to overanalyze every pain I encounter. Is that my lower back - why is it hurting? where did that sharp pain in my side come from.

I now understand the phrase working for the weekends. but alas, the holiday season has officially kicked off -- so I must get out of this exhaustion cloud and kick it into gear. I have much painting to do before my house is ready for the holidays... much painting and decorating to do indeed!

Something's Just a Little Off

It's the middle of October and I am usually already giddy and pumped up about the holidays. Planning my lists, thinking of innovative gifts for others... but something's amiss. I am just lacking that holiday spirit. Perhaps it's the weather, or the change in my career at the moment. Perhaps it's just old age or the fact that K doesn't quite understand the holidays so I can't quite get the enjoyment from him yet.

Perhaps it's that it's too early to decorate for Christmas, but we didn't really want to invest in Halloween decor and I really need to paint my rooms before I can decorate them to begin with anyway... yes, perhaps it's that.

I'm looking for some innovative, creative holiday gift ideas. If anyone's got one, please share!!

Relaxed and Rejuvenated

We arrived Monday afternoon. The sun was beating down and reflecting off the bay ever so delicately. Immediately, I knew this was going to be a good trip. My best friend and I spent the first week in October welcoming and embracing fall by visiting Sonoma wine country. Sweet tastes melted in my mouth and beautiful sights floated around me.

By luck, the city we stayed in was the split between Sonoma Valley wine country and Northern Sonoma aka Russian River Valley Wine Country. So, we hopped in our rented Prius and navigated one area each day. I have to say one thing about the wine country. It's hours are a little limiting in Sonoma... everything (and I mean everything) is pretty much only open from 10 to 5. This included the spa in our hotel, the only major disappointment of the vacation.

On the first day we went to a grand winery first. We upgraded to the reserved tasting - which was a smart move on our part, because we we're able to get a little special treatment and learned a lot about how to ensure that a bottle of wine we are about to open won't disappoint. Then we went to the lovely plaza, stopped at a fantastic little cheese store, at lunch at a very California - style restaurant and did a little browsing. Then we topped our day off at a boutique winery. (The results were so-so.)

The next day we ventured off early in the morning to have breakfast at a "world-famous" bakery. While my scone was pure delish, I can't say that the bakery blew me away with character. Then it was off to our first winery of the day, a smaller winery tucked away at the base of the mountain. It was the only winery with complimentary tasting... gentle, smooth wine, but I think the bottles had been opened for three days, so no tannins really remained. Then, based on our sommelier's suggestion, we went to another winery nearby... this was a mistake. While we were lured with the appeal of an outside tasting, the women who served us was already a little too under the bubbly. The wine was bitter, and when two people who were done before us refused to purchase any wine, she got a little bitter. However, there was an odd couple at the end of the bar who appeared to imbibe in all the wines and were planning on spending their day there. After this exciting endeavor, we went to an urban-esque winery that had food and wine pairings. While the wine wasn't bad, and the food was okay, it didn't do much to make me want to purchase a bottle. So... we made way to the Healdsburg plaza for lunch.

After lunch we went to the biggest name winery of our tour. This was a most delightful winery, with lush gardens and a private garden tour, we felt like queens (sort of...). Then afterwards, we indulged in a special tasting and my tongue danced with flavors.

In the end, I brought home 7 bottles of liquid pleasure from my trip. (Thank goodness, my luggage did not exceed the weight parameters.) It was peaceful, relaxing and a much-needed vacation.

The flight home was horrendous, but shows how the airlines can't be in that much trouble if customer service is not of a concern. Alas, that is for another day!

Separate but Equal

Minneapolis has a very intricate skyway system. It's truly an item of beauty, allowing you to traipse from one end of the city to the other without having to go outside. Something that is pure magic on the coldest of days, the stormiest of hours or the hottest of waves. However, I've often contemplated that the true genius would be two have to such systems in place. You see, during the week, when I am maneuvering through the skyway system it is usually because I have 5 minutes to make it to a meeting. I. am. in. a. rush. I have a purpose - a goal - a direction that I am headed and I must get there as soon as I humanly can.

So, what's the issue? There are civilians who have no cares in the world and are just meandering the skyways passing time sight seeing, or the homeless trying to stay out of the elements, or the stay at home moms who thought it would be fun to come down to the city during the day. Ha! I want to bulldoze them over. People actually translate the "Minnesota State Fair Gait" into something suitable for the skyways. Not so! Not so!

Now, don't get me wrong. When I am in the city on the weekends or a holiday for some sort of event. I, too, become a leisurely stroller of the skyway. Therefore, I completely get the need for two different paces. I embrace both paces and believe there is a perfect need for each. I just wish they didn't have to coincide.

I feel the same way about the highway system. I've always wished that freight and truckers had their own private roadway system - so they could get to their destination without having to deal with weaving in and out of the civilians on the road.

Fear. Excitement. Trepidation.

Today, I learned that I'll be entering a whole new world when it comes to my career. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm a mix of emotions. I'm leaving what has been my comfort zone for the last two years and I'm diving into new territory. Scary, scary territory. New boss. New direct report. New subject matter.

I must brace this change and take it for all the opportunity it will provide. I must jump in with both feet and let the world tumble by. I must do this with my eyes open.

Disappointment

Lately, I've been learning that there are a lot of secrets floating around me. Secrets from people I trusted, people I care about, people I thought could confide in me. It's all around me. Of course, I have my secrets, too. Secrets no one knows about, but me. Something's brewing, that's for sure. It becomes a game of trust. Who can I trust at work? Who's not trying to use politics to leverage their own careers and care nothing about who lies in their path?

It's funny how some people appear when they think no one knows their secrets or thinks no one is looking. That's when true personalities shine through. That's when their real disappointment with life seeps through their pores and decorates their face.

Disappointment helps us appreciate the good things in life that we are given. So I guess I'll just take my disappointment from today and shelve it for later, when I need some true perspective.

The Great Minnesota Get-Together

The smell of grease permeates through the air, mixing ever so delicately with the smell of manure.

Mullets and bellys can be viewed far and near.
It's an ocean of people, unlike anything you've ever seen. Truly one of the wonders of the world.
But there's also a multitude of animals abounding.
We saw a baby lamb come into the world.

We shared curds of cheese and a roasted cob of corn.
Dining on local wine and the delectable ice cream of honey.
Ah, the tastes of once a year!

Our legs grew tired and weary.
Our dad tried out an acupressure machine.
I signed up for many a home-improvement sweepstakes (goodness knows how many calls all get in the next month for "free estimates!"


The sun kissed our skin.
We saw heads carved out of butter.
Fish swimming in the pond.


Once again, it was a glorious fest, but one I can only handle once a year.

People Still Smoke?

Today after work, we had a small little happy hour in honor of me being the in the department five years. (In Sept. I'll have been at the company for seven.) At the table next to us there were three old men smoking cigars. It. Was. The. Most. Disgusting. Thing. I've. Ever. Endured. What makes me angry is the fact that we were at our table first, and they could have had the courtesy to ask if it was okay. They smelled wretched. They had absolutely no consideration. We may have been outside, but they kept blowing their smoke in our direction and we had to smell it. Yes, we could have moved, but why must I endure the nasty habit of others? I don't force my bad habits on to them, do I?

Sorry for any smokers out there reading this, I just detest the habit. First off, your harming yourself by sucking in a number of carcinogens, but your also harming so many others who don't ask for it. Nancy Reagan had it right. Just Say No.

On a positive note, at same event, we had a psuedo celebrity siting. Good ol' politician in the making Al Franken. The table of liberals that we are, we were only slightly giddy. But I have to say, he looks a little different in person than what I thought he would. Thankfully, due to other people calling him over to a table to talk, we could confirm that it was actually Mr. Franken.

It's Official - One Month to Go

Until FALL!

Emotions

This morning when I log in to my computer at work and pull up my e-mail, I'm greeted by a subject entitled "Prayers for V". Immediately, I wonder what is going on. V is my grandpa. My strong as a redwood, lived through all of life's challenges, grandpa.

I read the e-mail to find out that he is in intensive care due to an infection that has entered his blood stream. I am immediately overcome with concern for my grandfather, great anger that I am reading this in an e-mail, and a feeling of helplessness. I call my mother to ask her what the hell is going on. She tells me that she forgot to call me, because she had so many things go on, but she didn't realize he was not in intensive care - she knew he'd had surgery. but SHE FORGOT TO CALL ME!! And the only reason my one sister knew about it was BECAUSE SHE CALLED HER ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE!!

The anger builds. I work in communications for a living, but clearly, my family has no idea how to communicate. The frustration builds. I have to leave for a meeting... I take the 7 block walk to calm myself. Wiping the tears away and composing myself before I sit down.

The meeting is a two hour training, that I helped review the scripts for the online module portions, so it's important that I be there. I end up having to sit at a table with some higher-up muckity mucks. Now, I know they have my best interest in mind, they want to help me shine, but my mind is not on this interactive training and making sure I come across as a know it all. After sitting through an hour of listening to them try to wax ecstatic, we get a break. I look in sea of 200 people for my boss and her boss. I find them. I go to tell them that I am planning on leaving early... but then I begin to lose it. I can't keep my composure, what is wrong with me?? My boss' boss tells me that I am not staying at work, to leave now and do what I need to do... she gives me a hug (bless her, she doesn't know that I hate being touched, but from her, it's okay).

My boss drives me to my car. It is here that I completely lose it. The fear of losing my grandpa, knowing that my grandma won't be able to handle the despair... it overcomes me. I'm consumed with grief. I pick up K and we drive the 60 minutes to the hospital.

K lifts Papa's spirits as they laugh together and play patty cake. It's hard, the nurse (or maybe it's medical assistant) keeps coming in and changing tubes and taking blood) but my grandpa looks well, considering, and he enjoys the time with his great grandson and we talk about various things and I know that my grandpa who's beat all of life's other challenges will continue to be a survivor. Please keep him in your prayers.

The Last Days of Summer

The heat beats down on us ferociously every day. The humidity so thick we can hardly breathe. Of course, the best way to beat the heat... water. Last weekend, K got his first boat ride and his first dip in the pool. He's an outside, summer kid. D and I might both be in serious trouble there. I take great pleasure in walking into my air conditioned nest. I just can't take the heat. I don't know if it's because I still have a ton of weight I could afford to drop or if as I age I become allergic to heat. But...

The sign that the end is near... the Minnesota State Fair. I love the fair, but not for the same reason that I think most people love the fair. True, you can't get in a better dose of people watching, or have an excuse to be a glutton of food that is so bad for you (all the walking does burn all those extra calories, right?). No, the reason I really love the fair is because it signals that fall is just around the corner. Autumn is the most beautiful time of year. The colors burst around us, vibrant, passionate. The smells - the air is full of fireplaces, a crisp breeze. The tastes - pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin pie, butternut squash ravioli. No this is the time of year that I live for.

Elevators

I work on the 36th floor of my building. There are three elevator banks. The first elevator bank goes to floors 4 - 13, the second 13 - 26, my bank 27 - 37. In the mornings, I secretly pray that no one else gets on the elevator before the door closes. Sometimes, if a bunch of people get on it before I do, I patiently wait for the next elevator and do my prayer that no one else will come. I just hate it when my elevator ride takes 15 minutes in the morning.

At the end of the day, I once again enter a religious state and furiously pray that I will have an express ride down to the main floor. Someone once said that if you keep pressing the "close door" button, it will skip the floors and go stratight down. I tried it. It didn't work - and of course, the person who got on the elevator looked at me all funny, like what was I doing?

There is only thing that bothers me more than knowing I'll be on a long descent because the elevator stops on every floor because everyone else decides to leave work at the same time I do... It's the lazy, incompetent fools who only go up or down one story. We have stairs!!! Take the damn stairs for one flight!! Now, there are some exceptions - clearly, if you are on crutches, 9 months pregnant or otherwise physically unable to use the stairs you are exempt from my snide comments. The HR floors are also secure, so I totally understand if you get off on one of those floors, you had no choice - so you are forgiven. Everyone else -- NO EXCUSE!

I have been known to make a comment or two loudly when people act upon their laziness. "Oh, the stairs must be closed for repainting again." "Hmm, the stairwell must be blocked on their floor." Usually, I always have anyone else in the elevator agreeing with me. I have no shame, and I always say it when the elevator is still open - so that the offender can hear it.

I wish I worked on the 3rd floor - then I could just take the stairs all the time.

A Bridge Collapses

"Thank god you answered." My sister's voice was shaking.

"Why?" I asked, giving K his after school snack.

"The 35W bridge outside of Minneapolis just collapsed."

"Oh, I had the day off from work today."

My sister just escaped being on the bridge when it collapsed by 10 minutes. Normally, I'd have already left work anyone, but lately, I'd been working a few later nights, so I could have been on it when the catastrophe occurred. Things like this make you grateful to be alive, frightened for the unknown, and keeps phone lines tied up as everyone tries to check-in with their loved ones to make sure they are okay.

They'd been working on the bridge this summer, and how many times did I look out the bus window at the construction and get a little nervous, wondering how safe is this bridge that they are drilling big holes in and patching up. Tonight I got my answer, and not an answer I wanted to hear.

May your God be with you and your family tonight and every day. May tragedies like this be avoided always.

Happiness

"Are you happy, honey?" D asked me this evening.

"Sure. Why?"

"I just want to make sure every thing's copacetic"

"Why?"

"You haven't been in the best of moods lately, that's all."

Then we entered an entertaining debate of who's job is more stressful. Of course, we each have our own reasons for why our job is the most stressful one. In the end, we agree to knowing that we each have stressful jobs. I make more money, so that's supposed to even out some of the stress. (Ha, ha)

Then I have to wonder, why I am I settling for a job that stresses me out on a regular basis. Shouldn't there be a massive awakening when in the last two weeks I've had two different people tell me that they don't know how I do my job, how I handle the stress level, that it's almost inhuman... Perhaps, I live off the stress, I live off the praise when it comes through, more than I let on. I like having to eat Pepcid AC and drink club soda to soothe my stomach and the fact that I had chest pains all weekend and I know it was because of stress made me feel accomplished.

But then ... I'd be lying to myself if I believe I enjoyed all of that. The truth is, I've gotten used to the corporate lifestyle - both the stress, the ridiculous demands, the combative atmosphere and, of course, the paycheck. It's that paycheck that's the toughest bit. Once you get used to living to that paycheck, it seems almost impossible to think you could downsize. Now, I've known lots of friends who've done just that. They'll go down to one paycheck after having their first child, or they realize non-profit is a better way to live with themselves.

Every day, I think to myself, maybe, just maybe I could downsize and do work that gets me excited every day... then another bill pours in, or I want to buy something and I know that it's my paycheck that allows me to do these things.

Damn the man ... save the empire!

The mission

I'm on a mission to melt away some extra weight I've carried. Both physically, mentally and emotionally. I think all three are connected --- at least a little.

If I can chip away some of the weight hanging on to my emotional state, I'll gain more confidence, happiness, and be better able to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. I think the same will happen if I lose the weight mentally and physically, too.

I try not to let little things bother me anymore. At work, I let stupid comments roll off my back and on their way into the past. I focus on relishing the present, savoring every moment and enjoying the essence of what's around.

What's your mission?

Reflecting on my Mortality

I deliver Meals on Wheels about once a month. I've been doing it for the last five years, on and off. The day that I deliver meals is one of mixed emotions. First, I feel warm knowing that I'm providing a tiny bit of companionship, a glimpse of the outside world, and a smile to people who may not have had contact with another person other than the last person who dropped of lunch. Then I feel a wave of sadness, because I hope that I'm not the only person they see that day.

The meals aren't award-winning, in fact, I'm sure most people wouldn't eat them if given the choice. But it's not about the food, not really. Instead, it's about wishing them well, asking how they are doing and trying to get them to smile. Some of them like to chat, tell stories. Others whisk their meal from my hands and scurry back into the confines of their apartment.

The buildings themselves are hot and smell of stale bodies that haven't moved. But, the stories that those walls could share. Shirly lived in Bangkok for two years, she was a wild and crazy soul, seeking adventures before she started the end of her life in the run-down apartments. Tim always shares stories of what he's doing, and he's always waiting in the lobby to get his meal first. Joan's had a nurse there the last two times I've delivered, but if it's not on Tuesday for her dialysis, she'd pull you inside and tell you stories about her family with pictures to go with it. These are my friends, if only for an hour once a month. They are my connection to a generation that is being lost. Do I call my own grandparents enough? What will happen when I age and need help with the things I take for granted now? Will Kieran have anything to do with me.

The ones that are most painful are the ones that you notice dissapear. My co-worker and I delivered a meal once and the man's meal from yesterday was still outside his door. We couldn't find anyone in the office, so we ended up leaving a message for the Meals coordinator. We can't be sure whatever happened, but his name is no longer on the list for meals. And then there's the lovely polish couple. When I first delivered meals, both the husband and wife would come to the door to get their food... sadly now, only Polly comes to the door.

It's a small thing that I can do, delivering these meager meals, but I encourage everyone to somehow reach out and give back to the community.

Is he yours?

Yesterday, K and I had to run to the market to pick up a few things for a bread recipe. As we we're using the self-checkout lane, the cashier who was assigned to watch over the self-checkout registers came over. She looked at K and then looked at me.

"He's beautiful. Is he yours or did you adopt him?"

I don't know why I still get taken aback when I get approached with a question like this. Perhaps I think that as a society we should have come further along then to assume a woman with dewy, pale as snow skin could be the biological mother of a brown-eyed, black-haired, olive skinned child. Or maybe it's just amazing to me how people have no fear prying into other people's lives and asking personal questions. Of course, I quickly blurted, "he's mine." But later, I reflected, even if he had been adopted, he'd still have been "mine." I'm the one who nurtures him every day through life, teaching him the skills he'll need to change the world for the better. (Of course, D has a huge part in that as well.)

But it brings me back to the whole audacity thing, and how people ask the most astounding questions. I remember when K was about four months old. My sister and I were shopping and he was being the content child he usually is. An older women stood their admiring him. (Yes, he's always been a big lady-killer.) She turned to me and asked, "Is he from Korea?". Of course, I was quick on my feet that day and responded, "No, but his father is." Then she proceeded to tell me about her son and daughter-in-law and how they were in the process of adopting some children from an Asian country. Of course, I was stunned that she could ask me that question -- and I'm not sure if she pulled Korea out of thin air or if it were pure luck. I wonder, if she'd asked me if he was from China or Japan, would my response just have been no... or would I have been snarky and said something different.

Of course, it doesn't just happen to mothers of children of dual ethnicity. If you're single, people are always asking you, "So, dating anyone?" "Found Mr. Right, yet?". If you do find a Mr. Potential, then the questions turn to, "So, when are you getting married?" (Seriously, I remember people asking me and D that after we'd only been dating a few months!!! - And we waited 3 years to get married.) Of course, the day you walk down the aisle, yes, the very same day - they begin to ask you "So, when are you going to have kids?" I had to endure two years of that question. And of course, you can guess the question I get asked now (outside of if my son entered the world from my birth canal or somebody else's) "So, when are you going to have number two?" I just smiled and say, oh "When K turns 18." That at least shuts them up for the time being.

Now, let's look at these questions - Found Mr. Right? (What if I'm a lesbian?) When are you getting married? (I don't even want to go there...) When are you going to have kids? (What if we'd been trying and found out we couldn't, or we'd had multiple failed attempts after spending thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours being poked and prodded?)

I just wish the world could be a little more sensitive and think before we all speak. If I can teach my son one lesson a day, that would be today's lesson.

Proper Hygiene and the Bus - oxymoron?

Perhaps it's the summer, perhaps it's the bus I ride, but lately, every time someone sits next to me I have to hold my breathe for the remainder of the trip.

Previously I detailed such an occassion:

Monday, June 25

Stinky, Smelly Bus Man
I usually sit at the front of the bus - so I can conveniently exit and be on my way. Today, I sat in the very front sit and was just settling in with my trashy mag du jour. Then, without warning, this huge, smelly goliath sits on top of me!

Now, there were ample number of seats that he could have selected and even had a seat to himself. But no, he decided to toture me.

Let me paint the picture - he was the missing brother from the famed musical "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." Probably 6'4", 275 and he smelled as though no one had ever educated him on the finer users of deodorant antisperperant or the concept of daily hygiene. Not only that, when I mentioned earlier that he sat on top of me - the main was trying to take up the entire seat. I almost got up and moved - but I realized I wasn't sure what proper ettiquette is for this situation. The whole ride I just tried to squeeze myself more and more into the very corner of the seat - I was plastered against the window practically. I felt his stench permeating next to me and had to do my best to read on the latest news of the Jolie-Pitts to be distracted.

I got off the bus at the very first stop- and I know I let out an audible sigh when I got out of the seat. It may have been rude, but I've never been so disgusted in my entire life - I mean this man was truly the most disgusting, vile creature I've ever encountered. Ugh! I get the heebeejeebees just thinking about it.

Alas, today, it happened again. Due to my inconvenient bus stop on the way home, I often get stuck in the back of the bus. There were plenty of other open sits, but this sweaty, old man had to sit next to me. Of course, not only did he sit next to me ruining my aura with his odor, but he was reading my US Weekly over my shoulder - or should I say he was ogling my US over my shoulder. While I cannot give up my preferred transport, I send out a simple plea to all bus riders. Make sure you shower, and if you don't - just light sprays of cologne - too much is not a good thing!

Exhaustion Creeps In

I've been meaning to revive my blogspot blog for months now. And so I choose today to do so. After putting 11 hours in the office, taking care of my little prince and amusing my husband with my daily anecdotes. We all have to start somewhere. Alas, to bed I creep. Tomorrow is a new day.