“I never liked flies until I opened one…”

I joined this wacky singles’ site mostly for the sheer entertainment value of the thing and I used the above as my “tagline.” I get/got LOTS of responses, sometimes upwards of 100 responses per day. Some were funny, some were perverse, some were extremely smart, but all were/are male — at least I think they were/are. Funny thing about those places. There are, of course, the garden variety pervs who hang out hoping for that next roll in the hay and there are what appear to be some extremely lonely and semi-desperate folks on those sites. I guess the points in my favor are that I AM pretty damned funny and can trade barbs with the best of them and I am not lonely or seeking a soulmate (a term that literally makes me hurl). When it comes right down to it, we are all sorta kinda looking for the same thing (pervs and pedophiles and married jackasses excluded)…a friend to the end. I will never tie the knot again, given my 3-time loser status, but a friend would be cool. I learned that there are some hysterical people in the world, and the experience has been great from a “social enrichment” standpoint, plus I think I made a few people laugh along the way as well.

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So, today is Saturday. My work was complete before 11 a.m. and I am OFF THE CLOCK until Monday when the work upload begins again. I love my new job…really I do. I have not been this relaxed with a position in a very long time. My boss is great, the work is fantastic, and I am one happy camper.

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The girls have a BD party to attend this evening. J is at Indiana Beach with the music department (she is my little songbird) until later and then they are spending the night with B&B for the party.
I have a couple of Miller Chills waiting in the fridge when they are gone and will be spending my evening in utter and complete relaxation until they arrive home tomorrow. It has been a hectic week with doctor’s appointments and dental appointments and work, oh my. J has an orthopaedic appointment on the 16th for her screwy wrist. They both have an orthodontist appointment on the 9th. E finally got her rescue inhaler for her exercise-induced asthma and all is well in our medical world. And, “Look, ma, no cavities.”

Life is good. *Big yawn.*

WW

Synopsis – almost – somewhat

In the interest of mental health and introspection or some such shit and at the recommendation of the head doctor the last time I saw him (which was a long time ago), it is a good thing to take periodic stock of one’s life and commit it to paper. Well, this is my paper. Putting pen to paper is painstakingly slow for me, except when I want to send a cute note to someone to cheer them up or make them think I must have gone completely off my rocker given that I RARELY write a thing with pen and ink. Oh, yeah…I sign the checks, the progress reports, the usual inane bullshit notes that go with motherhood, but WRITE WRITE? Not much danger of that. My hands cramp. My typing is faster and much less traumatic and somebody can actually read it without the benefit/need of a rosetta stone.

So (deep sigh) here goes: What have we accomplished, kiddies? Probably the most amazing thing is ONE job – not 3 jobs – not 2 jobs – ONE job. One job that I enjoy. One boss that I like. One commitment to one company instead of spreading myself thin from the employment standpoint. It feels good. I am OFF tonight. And I am OFF tomorrow. And I will be off part of the day on Monday translating into 2 entire days off. Go figure. Oh, and more importantly, ONE job that will keep us in occasional trinkets and keep the NIPSCO and utility wolves at bay and keep the roof over our heads. That’s a major accomplishment for me. I haven’t worked just one job in I can’t remember when.

I have restored computers over and over again…even restored one from no operating system at all. I thank the virus mongers for that activity, but the simple fact is I learned a lot and we now have 4 healthy computers in the house – 4. 4 computers for 3 people. 3 cellphones for 3 people. 1 home phone for 3 people. We have all the technology in the world, I think. 3 printers, 4 televisions, 3 iPods…jeez. In any event, I know enough about computers to make me dangerous, but I never touch a thing without extensive research and I am pretty damn good at research.

I got to see Ron White…in person even. That is thanks to my sister for the tickets. Haven’t been to the Radisson in literally YEARS but it was great fun.

I have been enjoying reading much more than I had been able to in some time. Read a book on the train to Austin (most of it on the tracks while we sat in Little Rock for 6 hours for an unplanned stop), but I DID at least take the girls somewhere for Spring Break and we had fun.

I made a couple of new friends – male friends even. Not I sleep with them male friends, but male friends that I can call when my day is good or bad and they feel comfortable enough to do the same.

I mended some fences with my mom. BIG thing. My mom and I have shared an adversarial relationship most of my life, but I found out just how good a friend a mom can be…if one chooses to let her be.

I talk to one or more members of my extended family DAILY. That’s a good thing. I had lost touch with most of them during my years away, and it is such a blessing to be back home again. Even when we have our occasional bitch fests. It’s still good.

I am taking better care of myself these days. Still don’t sleep for shit but I suppose that’s largely a factor of the amount of coffee I consume in a day. Coffee is a vegetable to me. (Smirk).

I end each month in the black with a few pennies left over for whatever. The girls and I enjoy an occasional dinner out, an occasional movie out and there are plans for another mini-vacation later this year – close to the time of Julie’s birthday.

I am making sure the girls get their healthcare needs and dental needs taken care of in a more expedient manner. It helps to have a family doctor just down the road who knows me, knows them, knows their history. Julie is probably up for surgery on her left wrist (ick) and they will likely both have braces before the summer is over. But I rest better knowing they are being taken care of.

I’m not so sad anymore. Things are what they are and there is nothing that can be done to change things for the most part. If there is something I need to change or fix, I do it, but I am what most people would call content. Can’t remember the last time I cried about anything significant and I take that as a good sign.

I’m better…scratch that. I’m bad to the bone.

WW

Estrogen and Its Ilk

It’s been a long time coming; today was one of those early work afternoons when I actually had the time to sit down and enjoy a leisurely dinner and a movie with my 2 estrogen-laden maidens (score 1 for poetry). The movie of choice was, “P.S. I Love You.” I have not watched a movie that brought me so close to tears in a very long time; at least not sad tears, though “Juno,” and, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” had me laughing to the point of tears. It’s good to be a girl. I can sit on the couch hugging my favorite pillow and nobody cares that there are tears welling up in my eyes because they are feeling the same things…at least in my casa del estrogen, they are. This is one for purchase. Hillary Swank was cute. Lisa Kudrow was Lisa Kudrow, but the man cast as “Gerry,” Gerard Butler, was something to behold from his voice to his ass to his beefy 100% male body. Oh, yeah…the estrogen is alive and kicking. A good time was had by all. Gerard is almost 40, but that had no ill effect on the younger wenches. Apparently their estrogen is in full swing, as well, because they both thought he was simply adorable and didn’t make a single comment about his being old. It was quite some time ago that I watched a movie with Mr. Butler cast as a stand-in father for a boy named Frankie. He was born in Scotland, but plays an Irishman in both flicks and he did it with such finesse that the aussie cuties might have something to worry about. I might even think of replacing my poster on the closet door with one of Mr. Butler. Hey, I’m getting old, but I am FAR from dead. You go, Ms. Hillary Swank. You have arrived with a vengeance. Men might poo-poo the movie, but I have a feeling any woman worth her weight in estrogen will adore it…and GET it.

Wench out.