Just whack Tony and be done with it

Really busy morning, so I have to be quick. Munchkin was feeling better by this morning...ice cream always works!!! (Seriously...what do I do if the ice cream doesn't work?)

I'm really proud of her...she is a tough little chick. After our afternoon ice cream run, she called the boy in question to express her displeasure. I was kind of listening in, and she approached it calmly, rationally and without anger. She said why she was upset and listened when he talked and I think everything turned out OK. She is mature WAY beyond her years...

Dinner was quite good! I still don't really know what the occasion was, but The Boy felt like cooking for us, so Munchkin and I went over there for dinner and he made grilled swordfish and a bunch of grilled veggies and salad and it was all delicious! He's not a bad cook, after all;-) Now that I know this, I expect him to cook for me MUCH more often:-D

Who watches The Sopranos? I am so done with that show...I only keep watching because I have so much time invested that I don't want to miss out if something really big happens. The thing that irritates me is that they just pick up and drop story lines without regard to the overall plot line. Like last night Tony is a compulsive gambler who's losses are making him and his family miserable. Now, by next week they will never mention it again.

Ahh well, only five shows left, and hopefully everyone ends up dead...THAT would be a good ending.

Um...I guess that's about all...kinda boring, I know...I can't be brilliant every day!

Ice Cream Therapy

I think I am gonna have to implement some of my world famous "ice cream therapy" today. For the uninitiated, that is my go-to parenting move...all I know how to do to fix problems is to go out for ice cream. That and taking naps...that is kind of all I got:-)

Munchkin is having some boy issues this weekend. I mentioned that she had acquired boyfriend #2 about two weeks ago...and in true fifth grade fashion (he is in sixth grade) the relationship fizzled quickly. That in itself wasn't that big a deal...she is much more mature than most kids her age and doesn't get hung up on stuff like this. I guess when you have lost both of your parents, you learn perspective at a very young age.

So, there was an issue on Friday and she broke up with the new boyfriend (the actual story is pretty classic 12-year old romance). She was fine with that, but apparently the boy has told all of his friends that she "cheated" on him and she is kinda bummed that that is going around the school. One of her friends called her this morning and said that rumors were going around about her. [The "infidelity" stems from her and two other girls going to a middle school dance with some kids that one of those girls knows from her hometown.]

She'll be fine, but she has kinda been in the dumps this morning. So, I'm gonna take her out for lunch, and then we can walk around a bit and get some ice cream and she can talk about it if she wants. She is pretty good about talking things through, so she'll probably be back to her normal self later on:-)

The Boy is cooking us dinner tonight...lol. Not sure what the occasion is, or whether he will actually follow through (he is pretty banged up from the bachelor party he was at all weekend). I'll let you know...

Today's Lesson...Go Slow!!!

I gotta warn you that this post is sorta dirty. It's been a while since I have written a post that belongs on late-night Cinemax, but that is sort of where I am headed this morning, so that is what you are stuck with:-) Unless you choose to stop reading right now...

The Boy plays softball in the summer. His season started on Wednesday, which led to him complaining that his back and legs were sore afterwards. Seriously...you are 29, you shouldn't be that sore from playing softball! It's not hockey...there isn't that much activity involved!

But being the good girlfriend, I offered to give him a rub down to make him feel better. OK, so having him take his clothes off so I can rub massage oils on him is not really a tough sell...I have a drawer full of scented oils and stuff, and I gotta use it some time. I mentioned yesterday that he stayed over Thursday, but I didn't really get the chance to deliver on my promise. Last night, however, I had ALL kinds of time to laze around in bed with him.

Munchkin was at a dance with a couple of friends (there is no more boyfriend...I may blog that tomorrow) and wasn't due home until about 11:00, and Smoking Hot Roommate was out all night, too. So, we met some friends for a quick drink after work, and then came back here and enjoyed the whole evening to ourselves.

And I learned a valuable lesson, too;-) Normally, I have NO patience with these things...if we aren't having sex within five minutes of getting home, I start to wonder what's wrong. But since he'd been over Thursday night...(and Friday morning...hee hee)...we were a little less wound up. And you know what? There is something to be said for taking your time...lol.

There is also something to be said for edible white chocolate flavored body lotion...yum! An hour-long massage wouldn't be complete without a happy ending...(TMI...?) Let's also give a shout-out to "middle of the night sex"...waking up, fucking, and falling right back asleep. Sure beats a screaming alarm clock!!!

OK, now back to the family-friendly portion of the program:-) Smoking Hot Roommate made everyone breakfast. Everyone else slept in a little bit, but she was up at her normal time (5:30...weird...let's discuss), and went for her normal 7 or 8 mile run (yea, weirder) and then made blueberry pancakes for me, The Boy, The Rocket Scientist and Munchkin. This is why we all love her so much!!!

Next up...Larry Bird's sweaty shorts!!!

We had a lot of fun at work yesterday...Munchkin sat in on two conference calls with Papa Bear, and had a "power lunch" during which she did some serious networking. Papa Bear opened the morning call by telling everyone to watch their language because there were young ears listening;-)

Lunch was funny...Boss Foxy and Papa Bear were meeting with a guy who has been an investor with the firm for a really long time. So they invited us to tag along. Turns out this guy has a grandchild at Munchkin's school. So yes, she can already drop names, network and play the "Oh, do you know so-and-so game"...quite the little executive.

She got bored and tired at about 4:00, so we left a little bit early. Thursday is chicken finger night, even though there was no Cubs game. The Boy joined us last night, as did Smoking Hot Roommate and the Red Sox had to serve as a substitute (sort of...we were done just as they were starting.)

OK...the city of Boston has a really weird civic obsession with the Red Sox. People in Chicago are abnormally concerned with the Bears, but this is really not normal! You wouldn't believe the amount of drama and consternation that got caused because some random guy said that maybe another guy put fake blood on his sock...TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO!!! I'm not kidding, this was like a front-page, lead-the-evening-news big story. There were people legitimately hypothesizing that they should do a DNA test of the sock to confirm that it is real blood. (I asked why anyone would still have a bloody sock after two years...apparently that is a stupid question...)

Anyway, the Red Sox are playing the Yankees again this weekend (seems like they do this like every month) which qualifies as a major weekend-long undertaking. Does it get this ridiculous in New York at the same time? I feel like it is maybe a little bit over-hyped...the season just started, after all.

No huge weekend plans. The Boy is going away for a bachelor party tomorrow night, but I get him tonight:-) Munchkin is hanging out with her friends, so we are gonna meet some friends for a bit but then go back to my place for some alone time as early as we can. He stayed over last night, so I will get him for most of two whole consecutive days...which is quite a treat! Morning sex ALWAYS puts me in a good mood for the whole day.

I think we are going out to a bar to watch the game tomorrow afternoon, and since it is a 4:00 game, Munchkin can come with:-) To be honest, my friends love it, too...she is like a super cute party trick...lol. My guy friends love her ability to meet attractive girls for them...

And as long as the weather is OK, more pretend home shopping on Sunday...I will let you know how that goes;-)

That's about it...really busy day today...well, at least a busy morning. Anyone have anything exciting going on?

Munchkin's in a meeting...

Today is Take Your Daughter to Work Day...did anyone else bring the little ones? Munchkin actually has a pretty busy day: she is on two conference calls and has a lunch meeting:-P. For now she is making the rounds, popping into people's offices and chatting with everyone she can find, and then later she has a little bit of homework to do. Hopefully she doesn't get bored, but I can run her home if I need to. There are two other kids in the office today, so I think she will be fine...

Yea, I know it is really "Daughters and Sons" but I don't really care about that half of it. And no, it's not because I have a little girl running around at home...it's because there are no shortage of voices encouraging boys to do whatever they want to when they grow up.

This obviously is going to get me off on a whole other tangent...and one of my favorites! I am sure that ALL of you have read the link marked "My Favorite Post" over on the right (hint, hint) and really all I want to do today is rehash some of that:-) I wrote it in October, and I don't really feel like I can say it much better today.

The only thing I want to add is that it seems to come off a little harsh on nurses and teachers, which certainly wasn't my intent. I never intended, nor do I intend, to imply that there is anything second-rate about either. My only point is that too often we start to tell girls at very young ages that those are the ONLY professions they can aspire to, and that we should show them more than that.

Oh, and "landing a good man" is NOT an aspiration.

Anyway, with that, here is an excerpt from that post that I really like:

It is a societal embarrassment…a complete and utter fucking embarrassment… that 90% of engineering majors are guys and 90% of nursing majors are girls. TEACH YOUR GIRLS THAT THEY CAN LIKE MATH AND SCIENCE. Teach them that Paris Hilton is a fucking clown who hates herself, and that their heroes should be people like Meg Whitman or Boss Foxy.

I don’t mean the rudimentary “Oh, you can do whatever you want” talk. We all got that. I mean a lifelong reinforcing that there is a whole big world out there and that choosing which part of it to conquer is her fucking birthright. If she ends up as an elementary school teacher, then so be it. But if she does that because she never really knew what it meant to major in math, work for Lehman Brothers, get and MBA from Yale and run a hedge fund, then you failed her.

In fact, if you have a daughter, IMMEDIATELY go out and buy a copy of Fortune Magazine’s most powerful women. It just came out and should still be around. And if it isn’t, email the magazine and ask for a copy. Or take ten minutes, sit down with your daughter and tell her “You can be one of these women, and I just wanted to tell you that I will help you if you want to.” It is a brief act, but it is a big one.

And don’t skip the “Highest Paid” list, either, since that is kind of the point, too.

Tell your daughters to aim high. Tell them to expect great things of themselves. Tell them to WANT great things of themselves. And never fucking apologize for standing up and saying “I want that, and I am gonna work my ass off to get it.”

It will make her happier, it will make you happier, it will decrease the chances of her getting into a shitty relationship, and it will make the world a better place.

Wrapping up Guns

I have another post half-written, but I am not going to post it because it is already like 4,000 words long, and I promised myself I would have this wrapped up by today. If I am going to finish this by today, then there is no real use in introducing new laws today;-) Or in asking questions with only answers that will irritate me ("Why can people buy assault weapons?")

Thanks to Aaron for finally providing a cogent argument in favor of widespread gun ownership. See...that wasn't so hard, and I don't bite:-)

I think Aaron is away for a while, so I will let him have the last word, for the most part. I am not going to take issue with most of it, but there are a couple of things I want to address. First, it is really easy to dismiss statistics by saying "Oh, you can make statistics say whatever you want." But there is a reason we count stuff...because it often tells a story. And in this case, it says that guns aren't "protecting" us. We have just as much property crime as any of the non-gun owning countries. We have more violent crime, and our murder numbers are completely off the charts.

(This makes perfect sense when you think about it...people don't often break and enter because they wrote a business plan and think it is a good venture. It is a desperate and irrational act...why would we expect them to think rationally about what might be on the inside?)

So I will say it again. Guns don't protect the People, they create more crime. America is a more dangerous place because of our gun laws.

A couple of people have compared guns to cars...which ignores a whole bunch of things. 1) You need to pass a drivers test to get a driver's license. 2) All cars are registered when they are bought and re-registered every two years. 3) In most states, you need insurance to drive a car. 4) Cars have very important purposes: they enable commerce, they facilitate the free movement of people and they enable better distribution of the population.

Cars are a net positive to society, and we have to tolerate the dangers and drawbacks (like noise and pollution) to achieve the benefits. Guns are a net negative...the good that they provide does not measure up to the bad. Because of that, we should try as hard as we can to limit their numbers and their usage.

I think Aaron would say that guns are a net-positive, and while I disagree, that is just a difference of opinion that will have to remain unresolved (and he is on vacation, according to his blog, so I hope I am not putting words into his mouth).

The argument that infuriates me, however, is "We can't solve the problem." What the fuck does that mean? Yes, I know that no one has a perfect solution...but why is that a requirement of starting? Too many people get killed by guns, and too many crimes get committed because of guns...how can we not try and make that better? So what if it is only baby steps...progress is progress.

Anyway, I am done with guns (for this week) from my end. Anyone who disagrees is welcome to continue to chime in...all comments get published unless they violate my rules (you can read them on the right side of the page). The last word is yours...

Guns, Part II

I was kind of disappointed in the comments from yesterday. Some were pretty good, but no one really spoke up and said "This is why it is GOOD that we are allowed to own guns..." I was hoping someone would do that. Could it be that staunch advocates of our right to own guns are too chicken-shit to say so? That might feed my pre-conceived notions... (or possibly none of them read this;-) ...but I think calling them chicken-shit will draw them out if they are lurking.)

So, I guess what I will take on next is apathy. There is a lot of "There are already so many guns, what are you gonna do?" Or "People will find ways to get them, so why bother trying?"

Imagine your best friend got shot tomorrow and tell me if you would still have that apathy. I didn't think so. We are the wealthiest, most advanced, most orderly, and most technologically sophisticated society in the history of the world...don't try and tell me that there is nothing we can do. The difficulty of a problem is not an excuse to ignore it.

Why has no one demanded that the gun industry make their products more traceable? We can put microchips into dogs, but we can't put microchips into new guns? Why is any effort to create a national gun database dead in the water before it starts? Why can most ammunition be bought and sold without regulation? There may already be too many guns...BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO KEEP SELLING BULLETS!!!

And this notion that "Oh, we can't regulate them," is complete bullshit. Other countries do it, we simply choose not to. The rates of gun violence in the United States compared against those in the rest of the developed world are a national embarrassment. We are stuck somewhere between Nigeria and Peru...and nowhere near any other nations that have, like, police and stuff...

Another of my favorites..."Guns don't kill people, people kill people."

OK, explain then why our murder rates are ASTRONOMICAL compared to every other country that we should be compared against (it is three times higher than Canada or Australia or England, ten times higher than Japan, off the charts versus Italy, France or the rest of Western Europe.) Are we inherently more evil than Europeans or Australians? Do we have less effective, less capable police forces? Or...maybe people with guns are WAY more likely to kill people than people without guns are.

As for people keeping guns in their homes to protect themselves: again, total bullshit. We have higher property crime rates than all of those countries, too. Widespread gun ownership does not deter petty crimes...it emboldens criminals. Oh...and 500 children will die from handgun accidents in the home this year (yes, I know that like 1,000 drown in bathtubs. If you think that is relevant, then you are an idiot. Sorry, someone had to break it to you.)

That's enough for today. I am still waiting for someone to say "This is why we SHOULD be allowed to own firearms. This is the POSITIVE effect that it has on society to offset the 5,000 murders that statistics say would NOT have happened if we didn't have the widespread ownership of guns that we do."

This week? Guns suck...

We are going to have a special week-long feature here, provided I get enough arguments from my readers to sustain it. I am intentionally structuring this to elicit debate, so let me have it. I should warn you that I have thought about this A LOT, and know exactly what it is you are likely to say (and by "you", I mean people who disagree with me, which I expect most of you will, as I know I am in the minority on this. At least according to virtually every national poll ever taken.)

The topic is guns, and writing this stuff is somewhat of a response to last week's shootings in Virginia. I want to make clear that my thoughts on this have not changed an ounce a result of this episode...this is not a "knee-jerk" reaction to a single event.

First, I want to get the emotional part of the argument out of the way:

I hate guns. I hate that people are allowed to own guns. And I hate that so many people do own guns. If I had to pick one single thing that I think the United States gets wrong and the rest of the world gets right, it is our attitude about guns.

There...now that I got that out of the way, we can focus on the rational arguments. To that, I say that the benefits of allowing gun free gun ownership are no longer even remotely comparable to the cost of allowing that free ownership.

There are two problems. The first is that it is WAY too easy to buy a gun. In most places, unless you have already been convicted of a gun-related felony in that state, you can still buy a gun legally. And anyone, regardless of their criminal past, can buy ammunition. Once that gun leaves the store, it is essentially gone...there is no way to track it or regulate it.

The second problem is that there are way too many guns already in circulation, which means that...even if you are one of the virtually NO people who can't buy a gun legally...anyone can get a gun really easily. No one has any idea exactly how many guns there are, who owns them, where they are, and what they are being used for.

So, to start, I will ask why it is that we ignore the second amendment.

"Ignore?" you say? "But surely, you have realized that second amendment is the basis of our right to own guns!!!"

Not quite...what the second amendment says is: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Oftentimes we hear people argue about the intentions of the framer's of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. But in this case, there is no need...they went right ahead and wrote their intent right into the document. Worried about the ability of the nation to defend itself, the Framers hoped that a well-armed citizen's Militia would serve as protection against foreign (or other) enemies.

Do I really need to point out that this is maybe a little bit outdated? Seeing as we have determined that Militia's are NOT necessary to the security of the nation (they are basically illegal), why do we still maintain the right to own firearms? So, why is it that the pro-gun lobby constantly chooses to ignore half of it's own personal Bible?

OK...there is the first part...so let me have it...

Finally, my "Weird Twins" story

So, I left that great teaser at the end of yesterday's post, and nobody bit! Like 30 readers read the post (not counting people who saw it in Google Reader or some other thing like it) and I couldn't get anyone to take the bait. Man, I am seriously losing my touch! Anyway...I will get to that in a minute.

Yesterday was a lot of fun. The weather was absolutely spectacular...70+ degrees, sunny, beautiful breeze...the best day so far this year by FAR. It was actually kind of a big party. Over the course of the day, there were probably more than 100 people in and out, including lots of The Boy's family and a lot of his parent's friends. His family is HUGE, so I lose track of who is who, and even who belongs in what generation...his great-grandmother (104?) is still alive and in reasonably good health, so there can be five generations of his mother's family in one place at a single time...

His grandmother (82) is absolutely hilarious. She is still really active, lives by herself, travels...and has a GREAT wardrobe. Seriously...I would wear like half of her clothes. My highlight of yesterday was her telling me "I don't want to make any assumptions, but you two will have beautiful children." The Boy and his Mom were both there at the time and were absolutely mortified...but I thought it was really cute;-)

We ended up staying later than expected, and suddenly it was like 9:00, and we were all exhausted and neither The Boy or I really felt like driving home, so we stayed out there last night. I'm not allowed to sleep in the same room as him when we stay at his parents' house :-P (his father is adorable "My house, my rules, no sleeping together before you are married!") so I got to shack up with Munchkin in a guest room. I will never complain about that:-)

And yes, we totally got to sneak off to the den after everyone went to bed for some really quick, really quiet, forbidden sex;-) It was just like being 16 again...sneaking around after parents are in bed to fool around. It was actually kinda hot...lol.

So, the big announcement is that The Boy's twin sister is pregnant, and she told everyone yesterday. I am really happy for her and for her wife, because they are just the sweetest people, and they are incredibly excited, I think they will be great parents, and because she is The Boy's favorite person on earth. What makes her happy makes him happy, and that makes me happy:-)

I have been dying to tell this for like two and a half months (I referenced it in this post from January) because it is just such a weird story. If we go back to when they got married last summer, they both said that they would probably think about kids in a couple of years, and never amended that statement. Now, obviously, when two women are involved...it requires some planning to actually get pregnant. There are no "birth control accidents"...

Sometime during the winter, they changed their minds, and decided that they wanted to start trying sooner rather than later. They heard some stories about people who had a terrible time with fertility treatments, and wanted to give themselves plenty of time to try. Their first attempt was just after New Year's, and they sort of expected to have to try more than once...and they didn't tell anyone else that they had begun.

Well, one random Friday night we were out and met up with his sister for like 10 minutes. Literally, she dropped into the place we were on her way from one spot to another just to say Hi, and was in the room for no more than 10 minutes. Well, when The Boy and I were walking home later that night, he said "I think my sister is pregnant," which came totally out of left field. He didn't have an explanation other than just he kinda thought so.

Well, one week later, we were going out to dinner and she came by his apartment ahead of time. There, she and her wife told The Boy, Munchkin and I that she was in fact pregnant (we were sworn to secrecy). Here's the thing...she went on to say "We had our first try, and then I went in for a follow-up Wednesday and found out that the first attempt took."

Which means that The Boy knew she was pregnant BEFORE SHE DID! He said so on Friday, she didn't find out until the next Wednesday. He didn't even know that they were trying, but somehow just looked at her one night and figured out that she was pregnant. Cue the Twilight Zone Theme...

This is what I am dealing with here, people...it is MUCH more powerful than you and I can imagine. Are other twins like this? It kinda freaks me out...

Anyway, that is kind of a lot for a Sunday. The weather is beautiful again, so we are gonna go walk around, do some more pretend house shopping, get some lunch later on and just enjoy the city. Today is a GREAT day to be a city kid;-) Smoking Hot Roommate should be home soon, and once she gets here we can go...

Ta ta!

Happy Hour

It's just me and Munchkin this weekend, since Smoking Hot Roommate, Big Sis and Papa Bear are away for a family wedding (and *ahem* where's my invitation? Am I not a member of this family? Oh wait...right...I'm not...nevermind...)

I got a text message from her yesterday at about 4:15 that said "Can you come and get me early? I wanna watch the Cubs game". She was obviously planning that all day;-) I had to finish some stuff up, but I did manage to get her about 20 minutes earlier than normal. Unfortunately, that got us home just in time to watch the Cubs lose:-(

That was OK, though, because she got to partake in another of her favorite pastimes: tagging along to Happy Hour;-) We went out to meet a handful of friends for a bit, which allowed her to get a 7up and Cranberry juice in a martini glass. Anyone think I am grooming a world class drunk here? I have to keep an eye on this...

The weather finally warmed up, so when everyone else left to go to another bar to watch the Red Sox, we walked around for a bit. We went to the North End to get some pizza, and then grabbed a couple of cannolis and brought them home. Then we ate our cannolis and giggled and watched the Red Sox:-) All in all...a pretty nice night!!! The Boy was at the game, and he came over afterwards and stayed over.

We are all headed out to his parent's house today for an anniversary party for them. The Boy's older brother and sister are both in town with their kids, and I think that there is some other family in from out of town as well. The anniversary makes a good excuse for a party, so we will be out there all day...the weather should be lovely:-)

As a bit of a teaser...there is a pretty big announcement to be made at this party, but I have to keep it a secret until after his whole family knows. Hmm...wonder what it could be...?

Five Questions from Ally

I'm hopping on everyone else's banwagon, and doing the five questions thing. As far as my blog universe extends, it started with Brandy...but I imagine she got it from someone else, too.

Before I start, thanks to Aaron for picking me as the blogger he most wants to trade places with. Surprisingly, it has virtually nothing to do with the knockout of a roommate, either;-) Unfortunately, my life is not that exciting...I guess a lot of weird shit does seem to happen to me, but I also spend like an hour a day doing fifth grade homework...not that exciting. As for The Boy...well...I don't really know how to respond to that...lol.

So, super special thanks to Ally for these questions...as always, she made me think;-)

(1) If you had to work in an entirely different profession, what would it be (realistically)?

Well, I was a political science major in college, so I guess the short answer is probably "graduate student", since being a poli-sci doesn't really qualify you for much else;-) If I had to work in another profession, I think I might say "hospitality", which I know is kind of a broad brush. I bartended and waited tabled in college, and I always likes it. The pace can get really hectic, but people are generally in a really good mood, and you always get to meet lots of people. And I think I am sort of good at that...so...how about Casino host...can I pick that?

(2) If you could go anywhere in the world for two weeks with only one other person, where would you go and who would you take? (Note that childcare for Munchkin is not an issue.)

I am torn on this one...I have a lot of possible answers. I'd love to take Smoking Hot Roommate somewhere just to be goofy girls for the whole time. And I would love to take Munchkin almost anywhere.

A close second place would be that I would love to take Tinkerbelle to Disney World. I feel like I have a lot of time to catch up on with her, and that would be a really great way to do it. I can't get the first 7 years of her life back, but I feel like that would be a really great start to the next seven, and all of the years after that.

But if I have to pick one, I would take The Boy away, just the two of us. Someplace secluded and tropical, just to sit on the beach, feed each other fruit and talk about stupid couples stuff. He puts up with a lot for me, and one major part of that is a lot less "alone" time than most people our age would normally get. Two weeks alone would be a really special time:-)

(3) What was the last thing you did that you felt guilty about?

Ahh...and easy one! Talking to Munchkin when I was absolutely shit-canned drunk on Saturday. That's not the example I should be (or want to be) setting.

(4) What is your favorite trait about yourself? (I stole this from Brandy)

Hmm...I think I would say that I am very genuine. When I say things, I mean them, and I am proud to say that I never half-ass personal relationships. I am not sure that makes sense...but it does to me:-)

(5) What well known person (celebrity, politician, etc.) would you like to hang out with for a weekend in the mountains?

Depends on what you mean by "hang out", I guess...but Daniel Craig is gonna be high on the list.

If it is NOT going to be someone that I intend to rub oil all over, then I would pick Oprah. I know that is kind of cheesy (and that she is starting to get kinda nuts with garbage like this whole "The Secret" thing) but she is pretty hard not to admire.

First, we could have some solid Chi-town talk;-) And then I would want to talk to her about her show, and about her ability to reach people, and then finally about her ability to reach the levels of success that she has without creating the mountain of bad will and resentment that some other female celebrity/executives like her have (say, Martha Stewart...)

Or, I would pick any of the women that I mentioned in my favorite post ever (read it!).

---------------------------------

So those were Ally's questions, but I will also open this up to anyone else that has others! Ally said she had kind of a hard time because I already told her so much stuff, there wasn't a lot left to ask...so some of you that don't know as much about me...feel free to send me your own question(s) and I will answer them, too!!!

If you are interested in participating, here are the rules:

Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me!”

I will respond by e-mailing you five questions. I get to pick them, and you have to answer them all.

You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Boyfriend #2

I'm back at work today, and I feel a little better, but still not great. I also have a mountain of stuff to do since I didn't get a ton done for the two days I was at home. I am, however, temporarily putting it off so that I can blog:-P

The Boy came over for lunch yesterday, which was a really nice treat. It's not easy for him to get away from the office during the day, so I appreciate his efforts to come over and take care of me for a bit (hee hee..."take care of"...hee hee). He brought lunch over, but by the time he was done giving me a backrub and, um...you know...he had like five minutes left to eat:-)

Munchkin has a new boyfriend...another sixth grade boy that she finds to be charming and handsome. I don't know this one, but I do know his Mom...I have met her at some school things before. There is some humor in the fact that she and two of her friends are going to a dance next Friday night with some other boys that one of the girls know from her hometown.

Hmm...12, and she is already making sure to keep her options open...wonder where she learned that from?

OK...sorry for the short post but I have lots to do, and am still not running at full speed...hope everyone has a good day:-)

Still sick

I hate being sick...it royally sucks. Especially when I feel like this is self-inflicted and is a lingering result of beating the shit out of myself on Saturday. I feel like that killed my immune system for a bit and caused me to get sick. I should be a doctor;-)

I have very good nurses, though:-) Munchkin and Smoking Hot Roommate have been doing their best to take care of me, including making me pea soup last night for dinner. I love pea soup...I know lots of people don't, but it is such comfort food. The weather still sucks, so it makes for a very cozy meal...and lots of leftovers! And it smells so good when it is cooking!

I actually feel worse today than I did yesterday. I didn't sleep well, my head hurts, my throat is killing me, and I am just overall really achy. I didn't even walk Munchkin to school this morning, which is one of my favorite things (thanks, SHR) because I just don't wanna leave the sofa.

I wish I had a dog, that would make me feel much better!!! A big smelly one that could sleep on my feet and protect me from burglars:-) Like this handsome fella, or this guy:-D It is very dangerous for such a little girl to live in such a big city, he could protect me!!!

The Boy says he is going to try and sneak away at lunch to come and see me, which would be very nice. I am not feeling real sexy at the moment, which rules out what I would normally take that opportunity to do;-) But I will still appreciate the company:-D I haven't seen him since Sunday morning, so it is high time he came and doted one me for a bit, right?!?!?

I am off the Sanjaya bandwagon...it was cool when he sucked but tried, now he is clearly convinced that he is a sex symbol in waiting, and the weird cockiness doesn't play well. Now he is just a weird, androgynous, ethnically non-specific soon-to-be pedophile...

Um...I guess that's about it...

Home sick

I am home sick today...sore throat, headache, yada yada yada. I may actually get a lot of work done in the quiet...we'll see.

First, in regards to GreenLineBoy's tattoo question...the stories behind all five of my tattoos are here.

Munchkin made her first ever solo-subway ride yesterday, which she was quite proud of. She was at her friend's house in Brookline and took the T home. They put her on the train at Longwood and I met her at Park Street...she felt like quite the big kid;-) That is a pretty short ride (five stops I think? six?) but I still get nervous at the idea of her being alone on the T. At 5:00 on a Monday holiday, the Green Line from Brookline to downtown is probably as safe as any public transportation you will ever find, but still... I told her to sit where the driver could see her;-)

This Virginia Tech thing makes me sick to my stomach, and I am sure I am not the only one. It happened to be Blacksburg, VA, but it could have been State College, PA, or College Park, MD, or College Station, TX or Big State U, Anywhere. I have never been in Virginia, and I don't know anyone who ever went to Virginia Tech, but my guess is that everyone in the whole state knows someone who is there, or has kids there, or went there, or all of the above. Major state schools like that become a central part of the culture of a state, and everyone feels some connection to the school, and to the kids at the school.

So something like this hits everyone on some personal level. This is a place where people have gone to learn, to make friends, to grow up, to find opportunities and to start new lives. And now all of those memories, and all of that history is forever changed in a dramatic and irreversible way. It is a tragedy for the 30+ families involved, and for all the students at the school, and all of the loved ones of the victims, and for everyone with a tie to the school.

I am going to hold off on a gun rant for a couple days, but you can be assured that it is coming. For now, though, I feel sick for everyone involved and my heart goes out to all of the people affected.

Munchkin Nightingale

I feel much better today, mostly because the raging hangover is gone. The headache and stomach ache weren't really that bad, the embarrassment was a little worse. At least I didn't get naked in public (very few of my friends from college never saw me naked...whole other story...) I guess maybe I am maturing:-P

Munchkin was a super-nice nurse all day for her older sister:-) I spent most of the day in bed because I felt like shit, it was 35 degrees, windy and pouring rain outside, and I just couldn't think of a good reason to get up. I apologized to her for being a drunken boob on Saturday, and I felt better after that. She said she was a little confused, but Big Sis explained to her that I was maybe a little bit hindered, and then she thought it was kinda funny. I never drink nearly that much around her...(nor should I do it around anyone, ever...)

She made her own lunch, and mine (saltines...lol) and then came in and curled up in bed with me all afternoon. The Cubs were on, so she watched that, and then she read a book for a while. I took a couple of naps:-) She also got me water and aspirin and stuff because she is such a good little care-taker. She explained that I always have to be Mom, so it is OK for her to be Mom once in a while...that is actually kind of profound now that I think about it...

Then we put on our bathing suits and fired up the jacuzzi, which was heaven! She is such a good kid:-)

No school for her today...it is Patriots Day, which is a Massachusetts state quasi-holiday that purports to commemorate the battles of Lexington and Concord. In reality, it is a state holiday commonly referred to as "Marathon Monday", which includes a 26 mile long keg party and an early morning Red Sox game.

And yes, it is a foul day to be running a marathon...cold, windy and pouring rain. I think the rain is supposed to let up a bit, and the temperature is going to rise into the 50's...which just leaves the runners to deal with a 30 MPH headwind. Good luck with that... They still seem to think they are going to play the baseball game, too, but I will believe that when I see it.

So Munchkin has the day off and is at her friend's house for the day. This friend is actually the daughter of Smoking Hot Roommate's cousin...they are in the same class at school and drive all the little boys crazy:-P

And only like two people answered my "Say Hi," request...quit being so shy!!!

Beware the Sauza Girls

I totally overdid it yesterday...WAY overdid it. We went from the beer summit to four or five bars afterwards, and I drank a lot. A LOT.

And now all of me hurts...I would say the feeling is somewhere between "run over by a bus" and "attacked by a pack of wolves." And I completely broke The Boy...I tried to wake him up a little while ago and got an inaudible grunt...

I actually feel rotten today, and the physical ache is only part of it. Munchkin called me at about 7:00 before she and Big Sis went out, and I ignored my better judgement and answered the phone. I knew nothing was wrong...she was just calling to say Hi.

The problem is that I was absolutely wasted at that point. Like word-slurring, stumbly idiot drunk. And I was incapable of stringing phrases together and making sentences. When I saw her name on the Caller ID, I knew I shouldn't answer it, but I wasn't thinking right and I did anyway.

So I tried to talk to her and made an idiot of myself, and it bothered me. And now, with some more sober retrospect, I feel even more like an ass for talking to her in that state. I am really kind of embarrassed, to be honest. I feel like I need to apologize to her...which I will do when she comes home in a bit.

That's about all...I need like a three hour bath and a nap:-)

Quit lurking and say Hi already...

I had a great night last night...we went out with some friends, and ended up meeting up with a TON of people without really trying to. Me and Smoking Hot Roommate were in the same place all night, but a weird confluence ($4 word!!!) of events allowed us to see like 40 different people, some of whom I hadn't seen in a real long time.

All that, and I got home really early. I had planned on picking Munchkin up at like 10:30, and The Boy was ready to leave at that point, too, so we went to her friend's house to get her and then home. She was pretty beat, so she went to bed pretty much right when we got home. The Boy was really tired, too, but I did manage to get him to put out before he fell asleep:-P And then again this morning...he woke up really horny, which was kinda cute...lol. (It is possible that I may have woken up first and encouraged his horniness...I'll never tell;-))

We have some people coming over in a bit to eat before we head to the Beer Summit. As far as I know, I have no local readers who plan on going and taking me up on the tattoo offer, but I won't know for sure until I get there. GreenLineBoy, if you show up and you can get CT to ask to see my tattoo, well then you get double credit, and I will think of something worthwhile as a prize...

Sort of on this note: I have noticed that I seem to have a bunch of new, regular readers from a handful of different places. A bunch in California, a few in Texas, two in Canada, one in Minneapolis, a handful overseas and even a couple from around here. Also, at least two from God's country...Chicago, IL:-) People in Australia love me!

Consider this an invitation to say Hi! A lot of people have sent me emails to say Hi or to ask about something that I haven't mentioned, or to share a thought they wanted to keep private, and I always appreciate the notes:-) Someone...I forget exactly who, I must have deleted it from my memory...has accused me repeatedly of fishing for comments, so I guess this means I am fishing for emails, too. And I also love IM's...so drop me a line at me.accidentally@gmail.com and let me know where you live, what brought you here, and what keeps you coming back:-)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend...either tomorrow or Monday I will give you an outsider's view of "Weird Local Holidays in Massachusetts"...I'm sure you all can't wait!!!

Scheduling a 'Drunk Day'

Any locals going to the Beer Summit tomorrow? I think I am going in the afternoon, so you can look for the tiny girl hanging out with the leggy, tall blond knockout...that's me and Smoking Hot Roommate. Also keep an eye out for the devilishly handsome boy fawning over me:-D

Walk up to me and say "Can I see the tattoo on your stomach?" and I promise to say Hi;-) No, I won't show you the tattoo, but I will know that you come from the blogosphere, and that will be cool! But you have to have the stones to find a virtual stranger and ask that question...those are the rules;-)

I am actually going with a really funny, very loud group of friends. We won't be hard to find, and we are VERY fun to hang out with:-)

Not much else up for the weekend. Munchkin is going to a friend's house tonight, and I am taking that opportunity to go out with The Boy and some friends. I am not sure there is much of a plan beyond "Let's go out" at this point...but that's fine.

All of the people that we are going to the beer thing with are coming over for breakfast so that we can have something in our stomachs before we start drinking (it runs from 12-4). Munchkin and I are in charge of making pancakes:-)

I am sure that by 4:00 PM I will be on the verge of black-out drunk, so I don't know how long the night will last;-) I hope to make it through dinner, then bring The Boy home and encourage him to take advantage of me in all kinds of dirty ways, and then pass out. Or, if he ends up drunker than me, I can do the taking advantage of... Fun times, eh? Munchkin is staying at Big Sis', so I don't need to worry about impressionable young people:-D

This is kind of a landmark day. In college, it was really common to plan an entire day around getting absurdly drunk. Usually, we called those days "Saturday":-). I can't really remember the last time I did that, though...I think it was when SHR and I and some other friends were in Mexico last year (not the trip last month), which means over a year.

There are some pretty obvious reasons that this is not a regular feature on my calendar anymore...it is not really something you do as much when you aren't a full-time student, and I have some other responsibilities that I didn't have then. But tomorrow is shaping up to be one of those days, and Sunday is looking like a good old-fashioned hungover day...

Meanwhile, Big Sis and Munchkin are going to do some home-related shopping all afternoon, as Big Sis is still finishing up the furnishing of the new house she moved into last year. And then they are going to get themselves all dressed up and head to the Museum of Fine Arts for a foo-foo fundraiser of some sort.

So just to recap: older sister making plans to drink herself stupid until she is sick, younger sister hobnobbing in formal-wear in an art museum. Hmm...is there something wrong with this picture?

Anyone else have anything going on this weekend?

The Produce Department Can Be Fun!

(Quick note...unrelated Gram Parsons references from me and Billy on consecutive days...how weird is that? At least I spelled his name right:-P)

One of the many things I love about my little sister is that she can have fun anywhere, and she makes everything fun. Bring her to the Dentist and she is likely to come back raving about how nice the helper-ladies are, and how shiny the tools are, and isn't it neat that she got a new toothbrush...

The Boy came over after work last night, and I decided to cook dinner. That meant that we had to go to the store to get some stuff, so when I picked her up at school, we went to the store. By the time we left, my stomach hurt from laughing and I was giggling uncontrollably. Everything she does is funny. Seriously, she walked into the produce department, held up a grapefruit and a smaller orange in front of her chest and said "Which size do you think will look better on me?".

Then we were at the fish counter, and she noticed a whole fish (like a red snapper or something...one of the fish that they sell with the head still on.) She looked at it and said "Be quiet, he is sleeping," and then asked the guy behind the counter if he knew what the fish's name had been. And she just randomly stops and talks to people, which I guess is probably not the safest habit in the world, but I don't want to try and muffle her personality either. So anyway, that's another reason my little Munchkin rules: she makes grocery shopping fun.

Big Sis is bringing her to an event at the Museum of Fine Arts on Saturday as her date, since the Brain Surgeon is working. Munchkin gets to get all dressed up and act like a big girl (Big Sis could well end up being the second youngest person there...) and Big Sis gets to listen to her crack jokes about the paintings for a couple hours. And I get free babysitting:-D Win-Win-Win!

Dinner turned out really good! I made salmon and asparagus and salad and it was super yummy. And Sanjaya lives another week!!! My world is complete...

Unoriginality on Display

I am stealing this from Ally, Ella and Jordan...and probably many others. But it is fun, so :-P My trip got cut short, so I didn't have to stay overnight and am back in the office today. Hope everyone has a nice day!

Three Things That Scare Me:
1. Ants
2. Rats
3. Staph infections

Three People Who Make Me Laugh:
1. Chelsea Handler
2. Sarah Silverman
3. Amy Poehler

Three Things I Love:
1. Sunday morning walks
2. Saturday morning soccer games in the fall
3. Summer evenings on the beach

Three Things I Dislike:
1. Driving
2. Laundry
3. Grey's Anatomy

Three Things I Don't Understand:
1. Credit swaps
2. The appeal of Jack Black
3. What's so funny 'bout Peace, Love and Understanding

Three Things On My Desk:
1. A whole bunch of pictures
2. A giant pile of papers
3. About 40 writing utensils I don't use, and one that I do.

Three Things I'm Doing Right Now:
1. Missing the people I love that I don't see enough
2. Aging
3. Thinking that I should call Tinkerbelle to say hi:-)

Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
1. Live overseas for at least two years
2. Take my two little sisters on a vacation, just the three of us
3. Pay Papa Bear, Big Sis and Smoking Hot Roommate back for everything they have given me and done for me

Three Things I Can Do:
1. Drive a stick shift (since neither Ally or Ella can:-P)
2. Recite every word of "Monty Python's Search for the Holy Grail"
3. Dance and never get tired!

Three Things I Can't Do:
1. Reach the top shelf in any cabinet
2. Pretend to like people I don't
3. Let go of people that mean a lot to me, even when I should

Three Things I Think You Should Listen To:
1. Anything and everything by The Killers
2. "Romeo and Juliet" by Dire Straits
3. "She" by Gram Parsons

Three Things You Should Never Listen To:
1. Sean Hannity
2. Air America
3. Nickelback

Three Things I'd Like To Learn:
1. Another language
2. How to be more assertive
3. More about personal financial planning and management

Three Favorite Foods:
1. Chocolate chip cookies
2. Chocolate chip ice cream
3. Chicken fingers and french fries:-)

Three Shows I Watched As A Kid:
1. Power Rangers
2. Saved by The Bell
3. Party of Five (how ironic is that?)

Three Things I Regret:
1. My relationship my mother
2. Not seeing Munchkin for most of two years
3. There is a third thing that I am keeping to myself...

Blogging at 30,000 feet

I am going to take some time on the airplane here to write a blog post, and hopefully I will have Internet when we get there and I can post it:-) I have become somewhat addicted to blogging...even if I have absolutely nothing to say...

Also, I added a "Thought for the day" item on the toolbar to the right. I doubt I will update this everyday, but I will try and do it a couple times a week. The very first one is an ode to Kate Beckinsale, and really...who can argue with that? If there was ever a sexier bad-ass chick than double-automatic pistol toting Selene from Underworld, I haven't see her... She also qualifies as Munchkin's favorite actress (partially because she is super cool, and partially because...well, I am not telling:-P. Some of you may know, and if you need a hint, her other favorite actress is Hilary Duff...)

Anyway, I am on the way to New York for at least the day, and probably overnight. To my devoted IM buddies, this means I will likely be out of commission all day (or at least most of it, I may check in to say Hi if I get the chance:-)). This makes for something of a landmark event... Smoking Hot Roommate is away at a conference, and Big Sis is away, too. Papa Bear is in the seat across the aisle from me on the plane, and for various reasons, the other people I might call on to babysit are unavailable...which means that today marks the full-time babysitting debut of The Boy's Sister. I think they can handle it... (I think she needs a name other than 'The Boy's Sister'...I will work on that)

This is something I never really expected of Motherhood...the logistics of it. I knew that there was a lot of time and money and sacrifice involved, what I didn't know was the amount of effort required to account for the little bugger on a daily basis. (I am sure I am saying nothing new to any of the parents that read this...)

I found out I was leaving, which means I had to find someone who can take her home from CCD after school, and someone who can stay with her overnight and take her to school in the morning. That means a phone call to her friend's Mom to see if she can walk her home on their way home after CCD (it is kind of on the way), and then a phone call to the church people to tell them that she is to leave with her friend and her friend's Mom, and then leaving a message with the Doorman to let The Boy's Sister in when she comes here after work.

It is not like any of it is that hard...it is just that there is always a lot of planning involved. How old do you suppose she has to be before I can let her start walking around and riding the T on her own? Hopefully soon...lol

And, still only one correct guess on April 26th...

Boy, a flight from Boston to New York does not allow a lot of time for blogging...

Sleeping Beauty

Stupid work is cropping up this week...can you believe that shit? Since when is simply being incredibly adorable not reason enough to be overpaid? Now they want me to actually do stuff...where's the humanity!!!

Easter was fun:-) We had a really nice brunch and the brought Munchkin's brother and his girlfriend back to the airport. Usually when they visit there is intentionally less of an "itinerary" so that they can just sort of hang out, but there was a lot going on this weekend. That's OK, though, they got to spend some time with people that are very big part's of Munchkin's life, which was good. And we are gonna be out there in a month or so (I gotta see my Tinkerbelle:-)) for a more regular visit.

Munchkin came to The Boy's parents' house for dinner, which was nice. There were a whole bunch of people at the house, but I ended up talking to The Boy's father for like three hours about all kinds of stuff. Not intentionally, we just got to chatting... He is really nice, as is The Boy's Mom. They are really sweet people, and they are nice to Munchkin, which is really like 80% of what is required for me to like someone:-)

Munchkin totally crashed right after dinner...it was a busy weekend for her, and she just ran out of gas. Possibly my favorite "daughter" thing about her is that she never fights being tired. When she is tired, she just goes to sleep. A lot of kids would get irritable and cranky and be pains in the ass, but she just finds a quite room and takes a nap. Hungry is a whole other story...she can be a little bitch when her blood sugar gets low...;-)

That's really about all. I have to travel a bit this week, which sucks...possibly tonight until Thursday, but more likely just tomorrow night. It is still kind of up in the air...

Back to work everyone...

Was the Easter Bunny Kind?

Happy Easter everyone! I bought Munchkin an Easter basket yesterday and piled it full of candy, at least 70% of which I will eat on my own:-)

Her birthday party was a smashing success, and she had a great time. A surprisingly large number of my friends (or Smoking Hot Roommate's, or The Boy's, or...you get the picture) stopped by to wish her a Happy Birthday. Not surprisingly, little kids feel really cool when a lot of big kids pay attention to them, so she got a big kick out of all the well-wishes.

Towards the end, she was sitting between me and her brother and said "I really like when I have both of you around," or something to that effect. I know that she hopes deep down that her brother will decide to move out here to be closer to her, but for now she appreciates seeing him when she can.

We split up after the party for the rest of the night. Munchkin showed off her MBTA navigation skills and took her brother and his GF to the North End to walk around and get canolis and then back home. She is such a cute little city kid;-) The Boy and I met some of his friends for a bit and then went back to his place for the night, not terribly late.

Without getting too graphic, I am going to take a moment to extol the virtues of mixing things up in the bedroom. Even if you already feel like there is a lot of sexual chemistry and things are working really well, doing some playful and different things can really make for a fun time. Also, inspiration and ideas can come from unexpected places...let your mind run with that one;-)

Back to less naughty things...Munchkin and her brother are at church now...you know, so she doesn't have to go to Hell with me:-P. Papa Bear takes her sometimes, and when they go it is usually to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. I don't really have a lot of use for organized religion, but I have to acknowledge that no one builds overly ornate, unnecessarily grandiose buildings like churches do. And especially Catholics...they are pretty accomplished architects and builders.

I think I have touched on this before, but I will say it again because I am too lazy to go back and find it in the archives. I think it is important that religion be a part of her life. I am not sure that I have a rational reason other than it just seems like the right thing to do. To that end, she goes to Sunday school (...on Tuesdays...) at a place really near our condo. If Papa Bear didn't go to church on Sundays and take her, I probably would. Well, I might, and not every Sunday.

Honestly, if she complained, I wouldn't make her go because I just don't feel that strongly about it. You can feel free to tell me that I set a bad example and whatever else you want... it probably won't change anything. Anyway, she seems to enjoy it enough; she has one really good friend in her class with her, and she never complains about going, so it's all good for now. When she gets older, she can make her own decisions on what to believe and how to believe it.

That makes for an odd segway to Easter brunch;-) Yes, I can still have brunch on Easter without going to church...I am pretty sure the bible doesn't forbid that...

Brunch is with the whole pretend-family gang: Papa Bear, his Lady Friend, SHR and The Rocket Scientist, Big Sis and The Brain Surgeon, The Boy, Munchkin, Her Brother and his GF. Munchkin's brother and his girlfriend leave this afternoon, so we can drop them at the airport and then head straight out to The Boy's parents' house for dinner tonight.

Lottsa eating! Hope you get to see the people you wanna see most today:-)

Who wants cake?

Visitor #6,000 showed up sometime this morning, and he or she is from...Chicago, IL...yea, bitches, let's get a hometown shoutout!!!

Yeah, I am totally the best big sister EVER, or so says Munchkin. My clever ruse worked and she was 100% surprised to see her brother yesterday. She cried in excitement a little bit, which was cute...and then she went into her classic "I am so excited and I am talking 4,000 miles a minute about everything I can think of" mode.

So we had a nice dinner and then came back home. Her brother and his girlfriend (who I named Clair last time around for no reason at all) were kinda tired from traveling, so we just hung out and chatted and watched TV for a while. Munchkin was super giggly and wound up, so we stayed up for a while after they went to bed, and she slept in my bed.

It's very wintry outside. Crisp and cold and a little breezy. Not the bitter cold that you can get in January, but it is definitely not at all Springtime feeling. Which kinda sucks, but what are you gonna do? It's pretty nice to be out and around if you are dressed for it... Munchkin wanted to get them coffee from Dunkin Donuts this morning, so we walked over there when we got up.

Her party is at 4:00, and we are just hanging out until then. We may walk over to Newbury Street and meander around in and out of the stores, but I don't really need to buy anything. The party will probably get over with at about 8:00, and I am staying at The Boy's place after that. And yes, my entire interest in doing so is to let Munchkin have some quality time with her brother and his gf. That's it...I have no ulterior motives at all...none...

Actually I have some devious things planned, which I may or may not tell you about:-P

That's about it...hope everyone is enjoying their weekend:-) Ta ta...

Er...April 26th...

OK, so I was wrong, and I really meant to ask if anyone knew what April 26th is. Thanks to Ella for catching my mistake... Ally has figured it out, and even left a clue in yesterday's comments.

April 26th actually turns out to be a couple of things. GreenLineBoy is correct, it is indeed National Pretzel Day. It is also Hug an Australian Day, Secretary's Day and Richter Scale Day. I guess that means you should hug your Australian Admin, eat a pretzel and measure some earthquakes to celebrate. Hmm...none of our Admins here are Australian, this could be tough.

Anyone ever watch Coupling on BBC America? There was an episode on last week divulging Susan's thing for Australians...I love that show. [Should I start alerting you to non-sequitor's before I write them?]

Honestly, I was all set to write about pubic hair maintenance today, but I feel like it is inappropriate on a religious holiday. I will hold that discussion until next week (unless I totally lose interest, which is likely.) I would complain about having to work on Good Friday, but it would be completely disingenuous of me...I'm not a practicing Catholic any other day of the year, so I can't really bitch about the one day that it would get me out of working. Ahh well, I am sure I can find some other reason to complain:-P

Munchkin's brother is flying in this afternoon, and I am pretty sure she still has no idea. I think I am gonna go and get them at the airport, tell Munchkin that I have to work late and have Smoking Hot Roommate pick her up and then meet us for dinner somewhere. The little one is gonna be super-excited, and it should be a good visit.

She is already pretty fired up for her birthday party tomorrow. Nothing fancy...pizza, bowling and birthday cake for about 15 of her friends. I feel the urge to drink a lot during the party, but I feel like that may not really endear me to the other parents, so I will try and hold off until it is over. The Boy and I have a date after the party, so I will hold my drinking until then:-) Maybe I will stay at his place, I will have to think about that...

We are going out for brunch on Sunday morning, which should be fun, too. If the weather is OK, I would like to take another long Sunday-morning walk, but I think it is gonna be kinda cold. The Boy and I are heading to his parents' place for dinner, so I will be pretty well stuffed by the end of the day. Not sure if Munchkin is coming to that or not...The Boy's Mom really wants her to, but I have a feeling she is gonna be pretty beat after the long weekend, so we will have to see.

That is about it;-) Hope everyone has a good weekend, and Happy Easter to those that care, and Happy Passover (do you say "Happy"? Someone let me know the etiquette for that) for those that care about that;-)

Regardless of your Holiday choice, hopefully you can spend it with happy and healthy friends and family...

Someone make it stop snowing already.

Who is sick of winter? Seriously...snow in April is not that cool. Not cool at all. Seriously, baseball season started, the weather should be better than this.

Speaking of baseball, Smoking Hot Roommate got Munchkin a super neat birthday present. As mentioned, Munchkin is a huge Chicago Cubs fan...I have no idea why, really...and loves watching games whenever she can. This has led to a Thursday night tradition of chicken fingers and french fries at a sports bar where they turn the games on for her.

Well, there is a cable TV package you can buy that lets you get every single baseball game all year long from any other city. So, while there is no reason to stop the Thursday Night tradition, she can now watch all of her favorite team's games from the comfort of her bedroom:-) Pretty neat present, I think. She was pretty fired up to find out!

She can be kind of an interesting little bugger. On the one hand she is really girly...loves pretty dresses, and wearing ribbons in her hair, and shoe shopping. But she is also part tomboy...huge sports fan, loves playing baseball, soccer and anything she can run around and get dirty doing. I guess that's why the girls love her and the boys love her, too...I think it is pretty neat.

That is about all I have for you today...super busy at work.

Oh...question for the day (no one I already told can answer!!!) Who knows what April 27th is?

The Unintentional Intervention (Take 2)

First things first, we had a really fun birthday dinner last night. Munchkin wanted sushi, which is interesting because she doesn't really east sushi...at least not the raw fish part. Me, her, Big Sis, Smoking Hot Roommate and Papa Bear went to a place in Coolidge Corner which qualifies as Munchkin's favorite sushi restaurant. Then we came home and had cake:-) Yum!!!

She is having a real party with her friends on Saturday...bowling and pizza and more cake:-) And as far as I know, she still has no idea that her brother is coming, which will make for a really nice suprise for her. I will do my best not to take his girlfriend out, get her absurdly drunk and bring her to any strippies this time...

Papa Bear actually came over to my cube kinda sheepishly yesterday afternoon and asked "Am I invited to birthday dinner?" Kinda cute...he can make Chief Executive Officers get the shakes by looking at them funny, but he wanted to make sure he wasn't left out of the birthday dinner:-)

Now...on to the real business of the day...here is the random story I promised from last Saturday and titled on Sunday.

It involves another close friend I grew up with. He wasn't part of the super tight BFFs-Sam-AM group, but he was a pretty good friend, and a guy I always liked. Well, like a lot of people that I knew, he became a drug user (crack was his real downfall, but not the only one.)

He was never a really close friend, so I didn't really see him or talk to him much, but I saw him whenever I was home in Chicago during college. The last time was right at the end of spring break of my senior year (2005) and frankly, he was a mess. I saw him at a party and he was just being a complete drugged up, useless mess. Shortly after that, BFFg told me that he checked himself into a detox facility, which I thought was probably a good idea, but then I never heard from him or about him again. So, imagine my surprise when he called me Friday.

He called because it was his two year sobriety anniversary, and he wanted to tell me that I had helped him a lot. Honestly, I don't remember this at all, but apparently at that party he said something about hanging out when I came home again, and I told him "I'm not hanging out with you. You're a fucking junky, and I don't wanna be friends with any junkies." Like I said, I don't actually remember this, and given his state of mind, it may have never happened...but it sounds like something I might say...lol.

Anyway, he said that for whatever reason, that was the one thing that anyone ever said to him that really stuck in his head and made him go to and stay in rehab. And now it has been two years and he is happy, healthy and has a pretty good job as an electrician's apprentice that he likes a lot. So, I felt really good after that.

I guess I feel kinda sheepish taking credit for something that very likely never happened, but it always feels good when someone tells you that you helped them. And even if I never actually said that, if he somehow turned me into a mental motivational speech, well then that makes me feel good, too.

It is sort of weird when you think of it. There were probably 25 people at this party. For 24 of them, it was a completely random, totally non-noteworthy evening of drinking and hanging out. But for one of the 25, it turned out to be the single most important moment of his life...the absolute bottom from which everything got better subsequently.

I guess the lesson is to always treat your interactions with people as if they are worth every ounce of your attention. You never know when the other person could be at a major turning point, and they deserve 100% of what you can give them.

We can call that a "Thought for the day"

Super Mostest Specialist Birthday Day!!!

Turns out that geography makes everyone go to sleep...doesn't seem like many people liked my lesson yesterday. Surely, I figured someone would react to the fact that I saw a bunch of young women BOXING in a park. They were not playing around, one girl was being attended to because she appeared to have been knocked out. You don't see that every day...

Who watches "I Love New York"? This is absolutely the gold standard of Train Wreck Television, and last night I watched the season finale. To be honest, I like this much more than those stupid Bachelor shows...it is much more honest. The Bachelor operates under the absurd pretense that a fucking reality television show is a realistic way to find a life partner. It ends up people that are shallow, moderately crazy and complete attention whores, but it tries to maintain the premise that it is a serious and romantic proposition.

"I Love New York", and its brilliant predecessor "Flavor of Love" are basically the same exact show, minus that ridiculous pretense. No one pretends to be anything other than completely classless and crazy, and most are unapologetic about the fact that they are there to launch a recording career.

My real point, however, is that they took a vacation to Mexico, and went to Xel-Ha, the same place we went to when we were there last month. That's my story...

The real news of the day, of course, is that today is Munchkin's birthday! My little girl is 12 today, which means I have only one more year until she is a teenager. I am hoping that the fact that I was a teenager five years ago will help me in this...but honestly I doubt that I am remotely prepared for this. Really, though, who is?

And she is still perfect:-) She did get mad at me yesterday because I initially said we could go out to watch the basketball game, but then changed my mind because it didn't start until 9:30. But she never stays mad at me long...which is good because I never stay mad at her long, either. And what is there to ever be mad about? She is smart, polite, funny, gets perfect grades, everyone loves her and she always does what I tell her. How on earth could I possible complain?

Obviously, days like today make me get a little philosophical...I think it is natural. And I also don't have a lot that I care to write that isn't probably pretty obvious. I guess I would sum it up thusly: I wouldn't change anything, even if I could.

I'm NOT Smarter Than a Fifth Grader

We did some fun condo shopping yesterday:-) I suppose if I had actual money and was looking for a real place to live it would be less fun and more depressing...it is kind of embarrassing how incredibly expensive some really kinda crappy apartments can be. (This one looks nice, though...anyone have a little money I can borrow?)

But it was a beautiful day and I love meandering around the city with my girls.

I am putting off my story from Saturday again, because I have other stuff to talk about today. Now you will probably all be disappointed because there is a three-day buildup to this story, and it is not that good a story, at least not to deserve that kind of a build-up... Today you get a quick geography lesson (because this is an educational blog...) which ends with me being a dumbass.

Much of Boston is landfill. In the 1800's there was a series of massive civil works projects to fill in the low areas around the city with landfill brought in from the suburbs. The final result more than doubled the amount of usable land in the city. This is why the "Back Bay" is called that, but is no longer actually a body of water.

One result of this is that the Back Bay is one of the only parts of the city with nice square blocks. While many cities have nice straight streets that are easily numbered and make it easy to get around, Boston is known for its 300 year-old, winding, complicated and difficult-to-navigate streets. The phrase "paving the cow path" was (I think) coined in reference to Boston. The Back Bay, however, was laid out all at once and everything is square.

If you take a look at this map, you can see this...starting from the Public Garden (upper right hand corner) and moving left, the streets are nice and straight. People often refer to places in the area by mentioning one of the major east-west streets (Beacon, Boylston, Commonwealth Ave., Newbury and Marlborough) and one of the smaller cross streets. My favorite restaurant, for example, is "on Boylston near Fairfield".

There is a point to my telling you this, I promise...but first this totally weird note: there were six women on the Comm Ave. mall at the intersection of Fairfield St (on the red star in that map) that were boxing. Gloves, punching, everything. Can anyone explain this to me? One of them appeared to have been knocked out and was being given medical attention...

So, yesterday we were out walking, and Munchkin said something about a place and mentioned that it wasn't "all the way to Dartmouth, but it is definitely past Berkeley and I think past Clarendon." I was kind of impressed and asked her how it is that she had memorized the order of all the cross streets.

Well, she looked at me like I was an idiot and said "You do realize they are alphabetical and there is one for each letter, don't you?" Hmm...no, I didn't realize that, smartass. So I mentally started clicking them off...Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester, Hereford... First I was impressed that she knew this. And then I was horribly ashamed because I had never noticed this, and she figured it out before I did.

So yes, I am a dumbass. I have lived here for a year and a half and never noticed that all the streets in the Back Bay are alphabetical. That is, until my 11 year old sister pointed it out to me..

An unintentional intervention

Good morning, everyone...a hearty Sunday welcome to all those who check in today:-) Happy April!!! I thought about writing a really frantic post about being pregnant as an April Fool's joke, but I am not quite that creative.

The Boy and I had a great date last night...for whatever reason we were both in a super chatty mood and sat at dinner for like four hours. Funny how that can happen, you get into a conversation groove with someone and could just go on forever. I have no idea what we were talking about...lol...none of it was that important. I guess I was just busy being smitten:-)

Then Munchkin called and said she was on her way home, so we went back and got there just before she did. Smoking Hot Roommate was at The Rocket Scientist's place playing nurse (yes boys: visions of tall, curvy, long-legged blond girl in a too-small nurses unifrom...) and I didn't want Munchkin to have to get home alone. OK, the doorman was there, but still...I would rather be there when she gets home and it is late. She got us caught up on all the pertinent gossip (Noah dumped Jessica for Emily...that asshole!!!) and then put herself to bed. And we were both kinda tired, so we turned in sort of on the early side, too. Right..."tired"...

I woke up really early today, around 7:30. To make us all feel really lazy, Smoking Hot Roommate was just getting out of the shower after running her daily 7 or 8 miles...yea, she's weird;-) It is 9:00 now and I have already been to Dunkin Donuts and looked through the newspaper. Munchkin is eating cereal and she and SHR are watching Sportcenter and The Boy is still sleeping...isn't he cute? Poor kid, looks like I wore him right out:-D

We are all gonna go for a walk later on and do some more condo shopping. This time it is not 100 percent pretend, since The Boy's parents are in the very early stages of moving and want to move downtown. So we are kinda looking for them, but not really...mostly we are just pretend shopping. Then the little one needs some help on a science project after that. (I say "help", really she does it herself, but she likes to have helpers.) Originally The Rocket Scientist was gonna help her with it this afternoon, but he is still sick, so I would rather she stay away from him until he is better.

She is really funny, she gets very particular about who she asks for help on different projects: she likes to line up as much expertise as she can. Today she needs to write a report about a constellation, and feels like she needs the input of the MIT-trained missile-guidance-system engineer. Last semester she had a big final essay project and asked another friend of mine who is a writer if she would help her. She is a natural born executive!

And that is pretty much it for the day. Exciting, huh? Anyone have any interesting stories from the weekend?

Remember that random story I promised yesterday? I lied...I am holding until tomorrow again...lol. There is already plenty of stuff in this blog...:-P