Sparkling

Um...no Project Runway last night? What the fuck is that all about??!?!? I am seriously irritated by that. Did they warn me of this ahead of time? If they did, I didn't get the warning and I am quite upset by the whole thing.

I did appreciate that Lost was on and had some handy-dandy plot explaining captions. That was likely annoying for anyone who has watched the show for two years and already knew this stuff, but for me it was helpful. I never really got into the show, and it is really hard to try and catch up mid-stream. So maybe I will watch from here on out...we'll see. I do have to admit that it is really engrossing...

I have my ring back, and I am very excited about that:-) I really missed it! But now it fits just perfect. And yes, I do like to stare a my hand a lot and see how it looks in different lights...overhead lighting does wonders! I have promised to take pictures and post the, but I understand if none of you count my pictures promises as anything more than hot air...but this time I intend to make good on my promise...someday...

OK, I think by tomorrow I will have the final wedding line-up for you. It is pretty well set, and I just wanna make one final check with The Boy to make sure that things are good for him, too. We will go over it tonight at chicken fingers, and then we will be good to go! After that, you probably won't hear much about the wedding from here on out...lol. It was good while it lasted, no?

Rudy, we hardly knew ya!

Interesting doings from the Florida primary, even if the results were not a huge shock. I guess it is no huge surprise that Giuliani dropped out...losing New York, Connecticut and New Jersey next week would have been brutally embarrassing. This at least spares him that. Although, I can't imagine anyone could look at his campaign strategy and think it was anything more than "horrible".

I am surprised that Edwards is dropping out. As long as Clinton and Obama remained basically tied, he was in a pretty strong position as the holder of what could be the tie-breaking delegates. He must have just run out of money to the point that he couldn't go on anymore (even then, he probably could have drummed up some bogus lawsuit against someone to generate some more personal wealth...zing!!!).

It looks like the nominations are Clinton's and McCain's to lose, and that is an idea that is...well...not terribly exciting. He is old and crazy, and she is an opportunistic follower. I feel like he has more conviction than she does, but he is also maybe a little too abrasive to effectively govern. I dunno...as of now, I am not really that excited by either. Obama is more interesting, but let's not forget that his resume is basically empty...great speaker and great vision, but I am not sure he has a lot of history to point to.

Next Tuesday is the big day, and I still don't know who I am going to vote for. I don't even know which party's primary I am going to vote in. I could conceivably vote for McCain, Romney or Obama, I think...I have issues with all of them, but I like some parts of them all as well. I may go into that next Tuesday if I have time.

Oh, and can we all applaud the great foresight of the Mayor in scheduling the Patriots parade for election day? First of all, I feel like we should wait until they win before scheduling a parade...and second, maybe not the best day to use all of the Police resources to marshall a fucking parade when they have polling stations to cover? I dunno...priorities, people! Just seems kind of silly to lock up traffic throughout the city like that on a day when people are trying to get somewhere to vote.

I am not avoiding the wedding questions I raised earlier this week...I am still mulling some things, and have some phone calls to make. But I promise, once it is ironed out, I will let you all know.

Florida

No, it's not a weekend recap, its about politics:-) Today is a huge day in the timeline of this election, and most watchers will be following the results closely. On sort of this note, Jessie has a good thing on being respectful of an office, and I basically agree with what she says (although it is very hard with Clinton the Male acting like he has been for the last two weeks.) I don't have a problem with criticism, or even sharp commentary, but there should be a basic level of respect that we should observe. Most of the time.

Anyway, the Florida election today is monumental for the Republicans. If McCain wins, I think he will sew up the nomination next Tuesday. If Romney wins, well, it is still very much up in the air. Huckabee and Giuliani essentially need a miracle today, and both appear to be finished. I have a feeling Romney may pull it out...I think that core Republicans hate McCain enough that they will jump to the more purely-conservative guy that is tolerable and can win today. But we shall see.

If things go as they look like they might, this will give us the answer on Guliani's strategy: it didn't work. I understand what he was doing, but I think his big mistake was skipping New Hampshire. His kind of tax-cutting fiscal conservatism probably would have played really well there, and he forfeited all of the attention that comes with running up there. He probably could have gotten away with skipping Iowa, Michigan, Wyoming, Nevada and South Carolina entirely if he had finished a strong second or better in New Hampshire. But as it went, he was just out of the pictures for entirely too long.

The Democratic race is really getting good...the gloves have totally come off! While the press seems to thing that Bill Clinton's attempts to focus the debate on race failed, I am not sure that we can make that judgement until after next week. He certainly did damage to his personal reputation and may have harmed his legacy (if he even has one), but he did succeed in making sure that every headline on Sunday morning was "Black voters came out in huge numbers for Obama." From a purely practical standpoint, that isn't necessarily a headline he wants.

Florida is the second major state (Michigan) where the Democratic primary doesn't count because of a snit with the National Committee, so there is no drama in today's vote. And true to her nature as a weasel, Clinton is lobbying really hard to have the delegates from Michigan and Florida count at the convention. Which makes sense...since she is the only one who broke the promise of all the candidates to not compete in either. Don't like how the game is going? Have your friends change the rules...

OK, that may be harsh. Or maybe not!

Anyway, I have a couple of Florida readers, but at least one is a registered Democrat and doesn't really get a vote that counts today. But I am interested to see if the others are gonna vote in the Republican primary, and what they think of the massive barrage of advertising that has gone on, and the rising animosity of the debate. Anyone fit that bill and care to chime in? Anyone have any other predictions for today?

And another question

Florida was awesome...although we landed in a bit of a snow squall yesterday, which made for a pretty rocky approach. I have had a really good run of flying luck lately, so I guess I was due for a rough flight. Ahh well...no one got sick, so it was all good.

We really did pretty much nothing. Sat on the beach, and on the deck at the house. We ate tons of bad food and drank a lot and just basically hung out. Munchkin caught up with a girl that she is friendly with from down there (she met her one of the other times we have been down there), so she and the friend she brought kinda disappeared with that girl and her friends for a while, which was good. And really, that was kind of about it...great to get out of the cold for a bit!

Lots of good input from Thursday's bridesmaid questions, and some really good ideas. The one thing I think I was most surprised with was the response to the idea of his sisters. First off, I love Jenica' idea of ignoring gender lines and letting people stand up for whoever they fit best with. We had actually discussed that, and while I don't know if we are really going to go forward with it, that might actually accomplish a couple of things...more on this tomorrow maybe.

I was surprised that there were so many people who felt like I should leave them out, though. Especially Twin Sister...because truthfully, I would feel really weird if she wasn't in the wedding somehow. It would be totally inappropriate to leave her out.

But I am totally on board with the idea of giving people other things to do. I doubt we will get married in a church (I think we are going to talk to his Mom about it...neither he not I particularly care, but it may be something that is important to her, and I would gladly do it if it really matters that much to her) so there won't really be scripture, but there will be something. I don't know exactly yet. There is also a thing you are allowed to do in Massachusetts that I think is kind of neat and may take advantage of (and now, it's not the right to marry someone of the same sex:-P)

So, I am pretty sure that we have worked all of this out. But...I am not going to tell you until later this week:-P The Boy and I have to make sure we are set on what we want to do, and then I have a couple of phone calls to make, and then I will tell you all:-) Should be a couple of days.

However, I have one more question... And this, if I am going to be perfectly honest, is something that I first wondered about right after I learned what a wedding was. In other words, for like 20 years. The question is...who am I going to walk down the aisle with? I gave up any hope that it would be my own father by...oh, I dunno, maybe age 10 or so...and have sort of though about this at various times throughout my life. I know, kinda random, but whatever.

And again, there are a couple of people that I can think of. I have written at length about my issues with my family growing up, but there is actually someone that I have always held in the highest regard, and who was as much of a male influence as I ever had as a little kid: my mother's oldest brother. He is still pretty much my favorite family member, and while I wouldn't say that we are super-duper close, he is family and is someone that I have always counted on to be the reasonable and responsible member of the family.

Second would be Papa Bear. He is not my father, but he has certainly treated me like a daughter. This might be one small way to convey exactly how appreciative I am to him and his two daughters for all that they do for me and for Munchkin.

Third would be Munchkin:-) No rules against that! And that is kind of appropriate on a couple of levels.

Fourth...BFFb. As I have mentioned a bunch of times, he holds a really special place in my heart. For a variety of reasons and due to a bunch of different things, I have a bond with him that I just don't think I could have with anyone else (and no, we never hooked up:-P). We have been through a lot of shit and I give him a bulk of the credit for getting us through it.

And finally, I don't have to walk down the aisle with anyone. If the role is traditionally reserved for a parent and caretaker who is "giving his daughter away", well then there is really no one more appropriate than myself to do that.

So there is one more question to chew on... And to be honest, once I decide these things...I am pretty much all set. Well, I have to get a dress, too. But the rest if pretty much decided:-) I told you...I am not gonna fret over this stuff!

Always a bridesmaid...

The forecast for tomorrow around here calls for high 20's and very windy. I think we picked a good weekend to get out of here and head to the Sunshine State! It is not supposed to be super cold all weekend, but I am sure it will still be a whole lot warmer in Florida...

There are eight of us going...me, The Boy, Smoking Hot Roommate and the Rocket Scientist, Munchkin and her friend, and two of SHR and my friends who jumped at the idea of a warm weekend. The agenda calls for nothing...I doubt we will even go out to eat. It is totally about the beach:-)

Since I will be out until Monday, I am going to give you all a weekend-long subject to chew on. I am requesting many comments...hint hint. The topic is bridesmaids.

First, I like the idea of bridesmaids. I know a lot of girls don't really, and I can understand why...I mean, they don't really do much, save for looking good in the pictures. But I like the idea of having people that have been very special to me standing alongside me during the wedding. And, as all of my friends and family are gathered, to kind of identify some people as having been especially important to me.

My issue is that I have way too many people that I consider to be important enough. There are a lot of girls that I would like to have with me...and the idea of having like a dozen girls strikes me as completely asinine. Which means I need to identify the ones that are extra-extra special.

So, before I give you a rundown of the people I would like to have, my questions are...what is an appropriate number? What sort of standard should I apply? Who should be my maid of honor? And finally, most importantly, who should be my bridesmaids?

Now, the contenders:-P

Munchkin - Of course:-) Is 14 too young to be a maid of honor? Does that matter?

Tinkerbelle - She will be 10 years old then...which is pretty little.

Smoking Hot Roommate - Duh.

BFFg - My oldest and dearest friend.

Big Sis - Such an important person to me, and to Munchkin too.

Twin Sister - She has been The Boy's very best friend since before he was born:-) That is hard to argue with!

The Boy's Older Sister - I don't know her as well as Twin Sister, but I like her very much, and she is his sister.

The Body - In the final analysis, she could be the most important person I ever met. A dear, dear friend that was a HUGE support for me in some very difficult times. I miss her terribly:-(

The Mouth - One of my favorite people. I miss her, too:-(

Sweet Cousins #1 and #2 - Along with Tinkerbelle, they are the only other girl cousins on my fathers side (out of like 17.) Sweet Cousin 2's wedding was the first time I ever really met the entire family, and I sorta cried when Sweet Cousin 1 asked me to be in her wedding. And Munchkin was a flower girl, despite not really being related to her. We also all have matching tattoos.

I also have two cousins on my Mother's side that I was especially close to growing up. I have sort of grown apart from them, but I also don't want to gloss over how important they were to me when I was growing up.

So...there is my problem. I can think of 13 girls that I think highly enough of to want them to be in my wedding. I don't think any of them would have hurt feelings if I didn't ask them...at least I hope not (and would be teed off if they did).

So...what do you think? I promise to listen to any advice, even if I reserve the right to ignore it...:-D

Oh, and don't even get me started on who I am going to walk down the aisle with...that is a whole other discussion.

Dead Celebrities

Super busy morning, so I am just getting to my blog reading and writing at lunchtime. Surprisingly little commentary on Heath Ledger, to be honest...I would have thought that more people covered it. Brandy did, but that is about all that I have seen.

I can't say I was a huge fan...I mean, he was definitely really hot, but I never totally loved him. And I thought that Brokeback Mountain was a load of pretentious, pandering garbage. But still, he was so young, and he never really seemed to be someone who sought trouble like maybe some other people do. He was not really a regular in People, OK or US Weekly.

Anyway, I could go into a whole long rant about how these things are only stories when it happens to celebrities, and the news media ignores the fact that this happens to loads of people with less privileged lifestyles every day. But, I am not sure that I have the time and the energy, so I will skip it. I have no new ground to break anyway.

In happier news, we are leaving for Florida early Friday morning, and I am very excited about that:-) Munchkin is missing the day of school, but doesn't have anything super important that day. One of her friends is gonna come with us, too, which will be nice for both of them. There is no huge weekend agenda, we are just gonna hang on the beach for a couple of days and enjoy the warmth and the sun. The weather forecast is pretty nice (mid 70's, mostly sunny) and I am looking forward to thawing out a bit!

I guess that is all I have for you today...kinda boring, sorry about that!

Some Munchkin Thoughts

So, there was a massive fire in Lawrence yesterday that burned down 15 buildings, left 150 people homeless and has been deemed "suspicious" by the authorities.

And the lead story on all of the local news channels? Why, that would be Tom Brady being seen going to Gisele's house with a cast on his foot, of course. Don't let anyone ever say that Bostonians don't have their priorities straight.

I love that channel 7 referred to her as "Gisele Bunchkin". Kinda rhymes with "munchkin". Speaking of Munchkin, she has a new boyfriend, which is apparently causing some issues in her social circle. Back in this post, I told you about a boy that she had a date with a while back (actually a double date with us:-)) but that she didn't really wanna be boyfriend and girlfriend with. Well, she told him that, and I think he was upset, but it passed pretty quickly.

Now, however, one of that boy's very good friends has taken a shine to her, and she likes him quite a bit as well. That isn't sitting too well with the first boy, though, who apparently thinks he has some claim to her. That led to a bit of a fistfight between the boys, a lot of drama at school and Munchkin feeling pretty bad about the whole thing.

As of this morning, I am not sure what she plans to do about it. She was not terribly excited by the idea of boys fighting over her (I still have some things to teach her...lol), and was contemplating just swearing both of them off as boyfriends. At least until like eighth grade...

To be honest, I think she will have a problem with boyfriends for a while. The issue, as I see it, is that she is much more mature than her friends are. I don't really say that to brag...mostly it is just a reflection of who she is and what she has gone through. She lost both parents, moved in with me and survived some family in-fighting. She is, sort of out of necessity, MUCH more independent than most kids her age are. I can tell just by talking to the school parents that they interact with their kids totally differently than I do with her. Which, duh, makes perfect sense.

So I just think that, developmentally, she is a couple years ahead of her classmates. She just handles things differently and approaches her friendships and relationships differently. I don't think that really effects her friendships that much...she has some great friends that she is wonderfully close with...but I do think it has an effect on her interaction with boys. I think she is much better at being friends with them than her girl classmates, but has trouble being a "girlfriend".

To be honest, none of this bothers me. They are all like 12-13 years old, and their ideas of "relationships" include a lot of pretending. Like, you can be "going out" with someone without ever actually going anywhere or doing anything. It doesn't really concern me that she is not very good at that. I think, when the time comes, she will be prepared to interact with people on a more meaningful level. She just needs them to catch up.

What you think when you are 104

Good morning everyone. I have to bring my ring to the jeweler to get re-sized today, and I am not real happy about it. It's a little too big, but I have grown somewhat attached to it in our short time together, and I will miss it a whole lot while it's gone! Hopefully it doesn't take them too long.

Friday night was one of the best dates I have ever had:-) Nothing really shocking there...I was just very happy. We had a great, low-key dinner at my favorite restaurant, and then Big Sis had an impromptu party for us. Nothing huge...but his parents came in town, and some friends dropped by, as well as all of the usual suspects in my life:-)

I spent a lot of the weekend on the phone, which I guess is not surprising. I had a lot of friends and family to check in with, which was nice. I talked to Tinkerbelle for a while, which was very nice...she is such a sweetie:-) I have gotten a little bad about staying in touch with people over the last couple months, so it was a good excuse to call some folks and check in.

We went over to visit his great-Grandmother for a bit (and his Grandmother, too), and they were both really cute and excited. His great-Grandmother said "I hope I am still alive when you get married," which is sort of morbid and kind of depressing, but it is also sort of endearing. I guess when you are 104, you come to terms with your own mortality...

Smoking Hot Roommate took Munchkin out yesterday to watch football, which gave The Boy and I a chance to lounge around all afternoon. Truth be told, I don't think we had fully christened the new apartment since we moved back in. Well, no problem there anymore:-D

So who else has to work today? I do. I would much rather be at home under a blanket (it is like 4 degrees outside or something). The good news...Florida next weekend!!!

A few more details

So yes, I got a little sneaky yesterday and snuck my big news into the end of the post:-) I was testing to see if anyone really reads all the way to the end, I guess... Many, many thanks for the kind words, and especially from the people who came out of the woodwork to say Hi (that is a hint...comment more!) or even a couple who sort of came back from blog-oblivion!

My original post was a total of five words "He asked. I said yes." But I figured I should put a little more effort into it than that. And truthfully, I feel like the post kind of captured how it actually happened...it wasn't unexpected in the grand scheme, but it certainly was a surprise at that exact moment.

See, only e.b. picked up on the little hint I dropped on Sunday about dinner Friday night (or, at least she was the only one who spoke up about it). I felt like it was a little suspicious...he made a reservation at a restaurant that we go to so much that we don't really need one. And, it was after we were scheduled to spend three straight evenings out. Knowing what was coming (I had told him to wait until after Christmas), I naturally figured that he had something cooked up for Friday night.

Being the nice girl that I am, I played along as if I hadn't noticed anything...even though it was clear that everyone else knew about this already:-) Turns out, that was all a ruse to get me to let my guard down! He is one smart cookie, and his plan was to get me to think it would be Friday, when in reality Friday was just a celebration dinner. As such, it did catch me by surprise when it actually happened.

And yes, I cried. But only a little:-) And I called a couple of people, but it was sorta late to call everyone I wanted to. I was happy that we were already headed to get Munchkin and see his sister.

On that note, Twin Sister gets a special thanks in her role as "ring consultant":-) The Boy asked a while back if I wanted to go and pick one out. Of course I felt that to be not nearly romantic enough...so I just told her exactly what I wanted, knowing he would ask her to come along:-D Somehow that seemed better...lol.

I promise not to bore anyone with hideous wedding details. When I finally get around to it, I might give you some brief updates, but I don't care enough about linens and silverware and invitations enough to really spend much time on it. I do have some bridesmaids questions, though...and I will probably cover that next week. So you all have that to look forward to:-P

One last thing, which is just about the cutest thing I have ever heard of. The Boy asked Munchkin's permission:-) In lieu of any living parents, he figured that was the best option...so he talked to her before we left for Chicago last week. That makes me smile:-)

Only missing the swans:-)

Interesting night last night:-)

Twin Sister met Munchkin at school and they went shopping for her niece. I met them, and The Boy, for chicken fingers, which was as lovely as ever:-) Smoking Hot Roommate and The Rocket Scientist dropped by for a bit, too.

Munchkin went over to Twin Sister's place to hang out while The Boy and I went to a thing with people from his work. We were just gonna bring her home, and I am OK with her being home alone, but TS offered, I would rather Munchkin not be home alone, and she wanted to go hang out with the baby for a bit anyway, so it all worked out.

The work thing was fun...I like the people he works with, and I sort of tangentially know some of their clients through my own work, so it is nice to see them sort of differently. It is weird to see people that you only know through work in a more social setting...they have a totally different vibe. Also, one guy that we have done some work with was there with his daughter, who I recognized as the Mother of a boy at Munchkin's school...more small world stories.

Anyway, we stayed until about 10:00 and then left to get Munchkin. It was pretty cold, but it was a really nice night. And then, while we were walking over the bridge in the Public Garden, he stopped and asked me if I would marry him.

I said yes, and I am very, very happy about it:-)

Busy Busy Busy

I'm in kind of a shitty mood today, and I have no idea why. I can't even blame PMS, I am just feeling sort of bitchy. It's too cold out, my skin feels really dry and itchy, my hair isn't acting right, I am hungry. I dunno...I am just complaining, I guess.

Irritated that Kit got thrown off of Runway last night and Ricky is still around. Seriously, he is awful! He hasn't done anything that is even remotely good yet, and has done a bunch of stuff that is just outright awful.

On the plus side, we had a really nice visit with The Boy's college friends (there are a handful of people from around here that he went to school with, and they get together regularly to stay in touch.) And...I didn't even have to bail, because one of the other girls made it very clear when we sat down that she was leaving at 10:00 to watch the same show I wanted to...lol:-)

When I got home, Munchkin had already gone to bed and left me a note "Wake me up when you get in so that I know you are home safe." How cute is she? Sometimes I wonder who exactly is taking care of who in this relationship...lol.

She has a shopping date with The Boy's Twin Sister tonight. They need to pick out a gift for her 13 year-old niece (on her wife's side) and she has requested Munchkin's consulting services to do so. Which reminds me that I need to call school and tell them that Twin Sister is coming to meet her today...otherwise they won't let Munchkin leave with her...lol. I guess that's good:-)

Then chicken fingers:-) Kind of a tight schedule, though...The Boy and I have to bolt by 7:30 or so in order to get Munchkin home and then get to a function with his work people and some clients of theirs. At the moment, I don't feel like going, but I will come around by this evening:-) He'll have a suit on, which is oh-so-cute.

So that's about it...kind of a boring day and I am in a pissy mood. Not much of a blog post!

Back to Politics

Because I know Brandy is getting the shakes from a lack of Poli-talk...

This presidential race continues to amaze...its really kind of all over the place. There are still at least seven people with some tangible chance of winning (I would say guys like Huckabee, Giuliani and Edwards are bordering on"slim", but they are not out of it by any means) and no real sign of when it will sort itself out. I suppose if Hillary wins in South Carolina, she will be a pretty clear front runner...but an Obama win there (which seems likely) will extend it at least through February 5, when so many of the important races are.

Edwards could be in "must win" mode in South Carolina. He did really well last time, he is from there, and his kind of message seems to resonate well with a big chunk of voters there. Most signs point to him losing, though, and that would be just about it for his campaign.

The Republican side is totally wide open, too. I am wondering if maybe there is some apathy on the Republican side that is contributing to this? Turnouts are down and fundraising is down across the board for them this year, while Democratic numbers are much higher than in the past. I dunno, it is just a thought.

I don't even know how to think about that race right now. Romney has been the most consistent performer so far, but I am not sure that means much (he is the only one who really competed all of them.) Other than the obvious fact that Giuliani has to be right near the top in Florida to be taken seriously, I don't really even know where this race goes from here.

This will almost certainly go into February 5 as at least a three-horse race, and maybe four. And that means that Florida will be HUGE (which is interesting, considering it barely counts,...more below). Florida is the second most important state for a Republican (after Texas) if you think about where their money and electoral vote base comes from. Right now, it is basically a toss-up between Romney, Giuliani and McCain, with the winner becoming the clear favorite on Super Tuesday. And if Huckabee wins in South Carolina, call that a four way toss-up.

We vote on February 5, and I don't know who I am going to vote for yet. I think I will probably vote in the Democratic race (un-enrolled voters can choose here), because I think it will be closer. I assume Romney will win the Republican primary easily (there won't be many votes, since there is almost no Republican party in Massachusetts to speak of...and many who do vote have supported him in the past when he was Governor.) My guess is that Clinton and Obama may be neck and neck here, so I will likely pick between the two...but I could change my mind:-)

One last thing...there was a mad dash by a whole bunch of states to move their primaries up earlier in the season to try and get extra attention. As a result, Michigan and Florida were stripped of their delegates for the Democratic convention, and all of the Republican contests before February 15 were stripped of half of their delegates. What happens if this goes to the convention on either side? Are they really going to not count all of those delegates? Especially for the Republicans...are they going to throw out half of the influence of a group of states that includes Florida? It will be interesting to see...

Happy Birthday!

I want to wish a super-special happy 24th birthday to Smoking Hot Roommate today:-) I wrote a lengthy post last year on her birthday, and don't really feel the need to re-hash, but if you missed it, you can go back and read it now.

This will be a big year for her...most notably because she is getting married in July. She is a truly remarkable person and I can't even begin to describe how lucky I am to know her, and to count her as a friend and so much more. Maybe it is naive of me, but I sincerely hope that she still lives two blocks away from me when we are 50:-)

Munchkin baked her cupcakes yesterday, which actually turned out pretty good. She was home by herself all day and got into a cooking mood. In addition to the cupcakes, she made me dinner, which actually turned out to be not so bad at all! She made tater tot casserole, which I have to admit is definitely one of my favorite things. Not exactly something that would fly on Top Chef, but I still love it...:-D. And we didn't have cream of mushroom soup, so she used a broccoli-cheddar soup, which was a pretty clever little substitution;-)

Sorry for the short post, but it is a busy day on this end. The whole gang (me, Munchkin, The Boy, Papa Bear, Big Sis and The Brain Surgeon, SHR and The Rocket Scientist) is having birthday dinner tonight, which will be nice. Munchkin is probably tired of having to slave over dinner every day:-P

Hatchet Burying

Munchkin and I got home safely this afternoon, no troubles with travel and The Boy was on-time to get us at the airport (he often has punctuality issues:-P). She was off-the-wall excited all weekend...which was kind of super cute (not at 5:30 Friday morning when she woke up, but the rest of the time).

I also got in a visit with Tinkerbelle, which I wasn't sure I would:-) She and her Mom were away Saturday and Sunday, but they came in to the hotel after school on Friday to hang out for a bit. We just walked around a bit, got a snack and chatted, so nothing special...but wonderful to see her.

I have to admit that the wedding was actually pretty fun. Other than sneaking out a little bit early to meet the BFFs and two other friends, I stayed for the whole thing and had a really good time. The bride's family (that would be Munchkin's sister-in-law...that sounds weird) is really nice and they are all exactly like her...very sweet and kinda timid and shy. I ended up talking with her Mother and Father for a long time during the rehearsal dinner on Friday, which was actually sort of interesting.

Munchkin has some cousins that I haven't seen in a long time that used to be really annoying teenagers but are now actually kinda cool. So that was nice, too...hopefully now that they are older, they can come out to visit her sometimes. She would love that.

I came up with a brilliant wedding present...I sent Munchkin and the bride for massages, facials and lunch right before they got their hair done (at the same place, which was convenient). Why brilliant, you ask? Because it allowed me to give a present that was of absolutely no value or interest to the groom:-D Yes, I understand that it was petty of me to think that way. Whatever...he sued me, so I don't feel bad about not giving him anything. [It just dawned on me that I have never once, that I recall, referred to him as "my stepbrother", which he is.]

Munchkin was GORGEOUS...one of the friends that came in to meet me with the BFFs hadn't seen her since we moved, and actually cried when she saw her. Her hair was up, she had makeupon, black dress, a necklace that Smoking Hot Roommate lent her...she really looked stunning. She did a fine job as Maid of Honor, too...even gave a brief toast:-) The bride's brother gave most of the toast (he was the best man) but Munchkin said a few words and I was really proud of her:-)

Interesting note...Munchkin's Brother is not on speaking terms with his Mother. This is somewhat recent (within two years) and I hadn't heard this previously. I also don't know why...anyway, she wasn't there. I don't know if she was invited.

So let's see...what's next...? Tuesday is Smoking Hot Roommate's birthday:-) I wrote her a sappy tribute last year, and I just may do it again:-P No rules limiting the number of odes I can write, are there? I think SHR and I and the boys (and anyone else that wants to come...lol) are gonna go away for a long weekend in a couple weeks...someplace warm! Just for 4-5 days or so to get some warm air and sun.

Snow is coming tomorrow, and Munchkin has no school. I may stay home if the snow is really bad, otherwise I am gonna leave her home alone. I have never done that for an entire day, but I think she is old enough. If she burns the place down, I will rescind that.

And then I have three dates with The Boy this week:-) Wednesday with his college friends, Thursday with some people from his work (after chicken fingers, of course) and Friday just the two of us at my favorite restaurant:-)

So...I guess it qualifies as a socially busy week:-)

Wedding Blahs

Happy Thursday everyone, and since it is kind of my last day this week, it is indeed very happy:-)

Well, except for Kevin getting kicked off of Runway last night. I guess I understand why they did it...the dress was pretty bad, but I still feel like they should have tossed Ricky. Seriously, he has made very little decent clothing this whole season, consistently turns in things that are incomplete, poorly made and in poor taste. I mean really...you have a girl that is kind of chunky and you put her into some shapeless potato-sack looking thing? He made that poor girl look AWFUL.

I still love Rami, and I think I liked his dress better than the judges did last night. It seems that even our previously sceptical poetic lawyer/photographer friend from Tampa has come around:-P.

Munchkin is incredibly excited for her brother's wedding, and I feel sort of bad that I don't share her excitement. I should...anything that is that important to her should be pretty much as important to me. And while my opinion of him is kind of 50/50, I do like his wife a lot, and I like him a lot better with her. So, mental note to at least pretend to care. If Munchkin wants to talk about it for an hour tonight, then so be it. I need to get over my "shared last name jealousy" issues (yes, I have always been jealous that he gets to have the same last name as her...there, I said it).

So that's about it. I may actually check in tomorrow since I am going to be at my computer all day. I think I will have 3-4 hours of stuff that I really have to do, but I think that will be about it for the day. Munchkin is gonna be running around helping out all day, and I am just planning on sitting in the hotel room (or some other place in the hotel) to get my shit done. No real plans beyond that.

So, if I don't check in tomorrow, I hope everyone has a great weekend:-) Chicken fingers tonight for the first time in a while...can't wait!

Primaries and Bonuses

Two topics today, both related to yesterday. Being the CNN geek that I am (and that apparently Brandy is, too), I spent last night watching election results. OK, I was getting some work done, too...but I am trying to play up my dorkiness.

Very surprising results from New Hampshire on the Democratic side. Well, it is a shock when compared to Monday's polls...but when you consider that she was ahead by like 20 points a couple of weeks ago, it is shocking in the other direction. What does it mean? Well, it means that she dodged a serious bullet. If she lost by seven, she would have been dead...now she has made it a race again, and they go on to fight in South Carolina and so forth.

It also raises an interesting idea about race and politics. Could it be that people have feelings about a black candidate that they won't voice publicly, but that they will act on privately? He did well in Iowa where everyone sees you vote, but he dramatically underperformed the final polls in NH in an anonymous vote. Could be a statistical thing, but it could also be something more...we will have to keep and eye on this. I had a Poli-Sci professor who loved to point out the Jesse Helms did better in actual votes than in polls every single election of his career. Sometimes voters think something but don't want to say it out loud...

The Republican side is just as wide open for now. McCain looks like the favorite for now, but Huckabee could be strong in South Carolina if his message resonates with Evangelicals. Romney looks to be teetering, but he actually has the highest average finish of the candidates in the three contests so far, and if he wins Michigan, he will be right back in it. That would also bring Rudy Giuliani into it as well...if the other three are kind of tied and he scored big in Florida, then he immediately joins them. But if one of them can be a clear front runner, it will be over before it starts for Rudy (like, if McCain wins SC and MI, for example). Fred Thompson seems to think he is gonna compete in South Carolina, too, but I will believe that when I see it.

Now, serious stuff out of the way...I got a MotherfuckingHUGE bonus, and I am most excited about it! I was expecting about 20% of my base salary, and ended up getting like 35%. In percentage terms, I got the largest bonus of any of the non-partners (in dollar terms, they all got more than me...whatever...I will choose whatever metrics I want:-P). So I was really, really fired up all afternoon.

Boss Foxy pulled rank on the guys in the office and stole me for lunch. Part of it may have been an effort to preempt me telling them (I totally would have:-)), but also I think she was fired up too because she got a MONSTER payout (the partners don't technically get bonuses, but it is sort of the same thing). Hers was so big that it had rounding errors bigger than my entire bonus...lol. She doesn't get very excitable, but I could tell that she was really on cloud nine yesterday. And she deserves it, she had an outstanding year, did two huge things that made a ton of money, and talked the other partners out of one that, in hindsight, would have been a disaster. She was definitely the superstar of the firm last year.

Anyway, I am feeling pretty good about my savings plan now. I am still not 100% how the new living arrangement is going to effect my budget, but I think I will still be able to save every month. If not, I have plenty of cushion to hold me over. More importantly, the house fund is becoming relatively substantial, and that makes me very happy:-)

So, today...very good day and I am in a very good mood:-)

Scrambled Thoughts

Anyone else notice the brilliant song choice in the new Cadillac commercials? I can't say it makes me want to buy one, but it sure makes me think that they go really fast. A little digging reveals that the song is "Stars" by Hum, and I am willing to be $.25 that it is on Aaron's iPod. Am I right? I slightly remember this song from my childhood, but couldn't remember the band or much of the details.

This weather is crazy! Last week it was like 6, this week is like 60. Munchkin and I went for a pretty long walk last night and then picked up dinner to bring to The Boy's place. I would say that we were outside comfortably for like an hour and a half with no hats, scarves or mittens. How great is that?

We took a moderately different route through the Public Garden last night on the way home, which reminded me...is there anything in Boston cooler than the duckling statue (of that there is an almost identical one in Moscow)? I never heard of the book growing up, but it is as good a children's book as there is. If you need a gift for little kids, it is a wonderful book...especially if they have been to or will be in Boston and can visit:-) And seriously, what is cuter than ducklings?

I can't believe no one yelled at me for being non-committal on going to a wedding in four days! That is pretty rude of me:-P

Big doings in New Hampshire today, which is all over the news today. The Boston TV stations all broadcast through New Hampshire, so there are basically nothing but political ads these days. My gut says that Clinton and Romney are both gonna be in serious trouble if they lose today by as much as it looks like they are gonna lose by. Of course, if they manage to win, they become the immediate front runners. Should be interesting, and the really warm weather bodes well for Obama, Paul and maybe even McCain...keep that in mind.

Meeting today at 11:00 to get my bonus...wish me luck:-) They are kind of going in order of reverse seniority, so I am the first person on the schedule. That makes me the guinea pig, and I am sure I will badgered when I am finished by people looking to gage where the numbers are coming in. A couple of the guys in the office have already put lunch on my schedule, which I have a feeling may be related to the fact that I will be coming out of that meeting. Whatever...free lunch! I am not counting my chickens before they hatch (chickens? duckling? lots of poultry today) but I am guessing that it will be something like 20% of my base salary or so...a pretty nice check. Wish me luck:-)

[Update: Aaron reveals that the song in question is NOT on his iPod, so I owe someone a quarter. I will drop it in the March of Dimes box at Dunkin Donuts.]

Settling In

OK, I am over my little mid-life crisis from the other day. It was strange to wake up yesterday and today and not have Smoking Hot Roommate around, but I think I am over the most emotional part of it. Munchkin come back helped a lot:-)

Speaking of which...she got older while she was gone...lol. I don't know if it is the tan or if she actually got bigger while she was gone, but she looks like two years older than when I sent her off. She is really growing up fast...

It was good to have her home, though, and she was pretty excited to move back into this condo. The Boy was over and we did some unpacking all afternoon (I unpacked, he and Munchkin did more watching football than they did unpacking), and the SHR and The Rocket Scientist came over for dinner (she brought a housewarming gift...have you ever heard of a girl bringing a gift to someone who is moving into a condo that she owns? This could be a first.)

I guess I am a little excited to do some decorating. The furniture and linens and drapes and shit are all already there, but I think I will get some new pictures and such. That could be fun...I am not really sure what look I am going for, but I am sure I will figure it out. Or just have an ugly apartment...lol.

Two large events for later this week. The first is bonus time:-) We get bonuses in early January, and it looks like they are gonna be handed out this week. I know a lot of Wall Street-type places cut back on bonuses last year, and it is not a great time to be in the business of borrowing money (which we sort of are), but last year was still a pretty good year, so hopefully I will get a good bonus! The house fund is growing pretty good:-)

And then we are leaving for Chicago early on Friday morning. Munchkin is gonna spend Friday helping with last minute wedding prep stuff, and I will probably try and get some work done to justify not taking the day off. I sucked it up and decided to stay in the hotel where the wedding is rather than at someone's house. Mostly I figured it would be easier and would require less shuttling of Munchkin around. It's gonna cost me like $350, but I think Munchkin will enjoy it more and it will be easier.

I haven't decided exactly how much of the wedding I am going to, if any. I would love to see Munchkin all dressed up (and I like the bride a lot) but her brother and I still have kind of a strained relationship, and I have even less than that with a lot of the family members. [As a reminder, this is Munchkin's father's family, so I am not related to any of them and have openly feuded with some.]

At this point, I am thinking that I will go to the ceremony and then cocktails and kind of take it from there. I might skip out if I can convince the BFF's to come in and meet me at the bar and come back and get Munchkin later. I guess I will have to see how it goes...I may be sort of persona-non-grata, or maybe not.

Anyway, not much else this week...just getting settled into the new place. And enjoying the warm weather!

Beginnings

The move is over and done with (the unpacking? not so much) and went pretty smoothly. The movers were on time, very professional and very fast, so it all got done pretty easily. I had dinner with SHR and The Rocket Scientist, and then I came back to start unpacking. I went out for a bit to meet someone for a drink, but now am back at home. Tonight, my first night in the new/old place, I am alone, and that leads to entirely too much thinking.

There are times that I really enjoy solitude, but for the most part, I don't do well with being alone. This is something my therapist has noted more than once. Munchkin is still away, The Boy is at his parents house tonight, and I declined Smoking Hot Roommate's invitation to sleep at the old place...this is her first night of living with The Rocket Scientist, and I don't want to intrude. She knows of my inability to be alone, though, and was just looking out for me.

Basically, I am a big fucking baby. I am 25 years old and I am scared of being alone by myself at night. I guess I wish The Boy decided to stay with me instead of going to his parents, but I also could have actually told him that. I try to avoid saying things and not meaning them and hoping that he gets the hidden message...but I was sort of lying when I told him he should go.

So, I dunno. I feel surprisingly at home. This place fits really well, and I know it is gonna be a great home. The feeling reminds me of a really old, heavy men's Abercrombie wool sweater that I stole from a friend after he let me borrow it a couple years back...it makes me feel better just to put it on. I am excited to think that I could live here for 5 years. Or 10. Or 15. I can see myself being here for a very long time, and have discussed that with the two other people who might get a vote;-)

I am also scared. Not just of being by myself, but of being more of a grown-up. While I have paid rent while I lived with SHR, the truth is that she was always the adult and I was never really a grown-up. She paid all the bills, took care of all of the things that needed to be fixed, bought all the furniture and really did all the responsible things. The rent that I paid is nowhere near a "market" rent. I have never had my name on a utility bill before (unless you count a cell phone or car insurance.)

It probably sounds kinda stupid...I felt responsible enough to take custody of a child, but not enough to call the fucking cable company. But I have never had to make sure that all of the little household details were taken care of, and it just seems like there are a lot of them to keep track of. I have done plenty of budgeting, so I don't anticipate any problems in paying for it (and no, I am still not paying anything close to a real rent)...it's just all of the details. Like...I don't know where the furnace is, what to do if the heat stops working, or who to call...

Yes, I am aware that all 100 million households in America have somehow solved this mystery...

On the plus side, I do get the master bedroom! That means a big king bed and a kick-ass bathroom with a giant tub. When we lived here before, Munchkin and I shared a bathroom, but we will each have our own now. Speaking of the little one, I talked to her tonight, and she is ready to come home. I think there has been some sixth-grade drama and she is ready to be home and back into her routine.

She has had a wonderful time, and I remain extremely grateful that she is able to do these things. She is really a great kid, and a remarkable person, and she deserves to do all of the cool things that she gets to.

I guess I just wish she was here so that I could make her sleep in my giant king bed tonight.


Next Morning Update: Guess who showed up with coffee and bagels (and to return my car:-P) at 8:30 this morning to spend the first morning in the new place with me? He is very much the sweetheart:-)

Three things

I am late in posting today...busy morning (I was out of the office...it was FREEZING out...and supposed to be 60 on Tuesday...WTF?). But I have three topics.

1) Politics - Brandy wrote a good politics post this morning. I am sort of a junkie, so I could watch this stuff all the time. Interesting results from Iowa...really good for Huckabee and Obama, bad for Romney and Clinton. I think it is actually worse for her...Romney got beaten by a single (but large) voting block that is not existent in every state. Clinton got beaten in virtually every segment. She has way too much money to be 'done', but this has to be disconcerting, and she better win in NH or she is in real serious trouble.

The speeches were all over the place. Edwards was way too dark...too much of a downer. Clinton was awful...like she had no idea what to say because she couldn't imagine finishing third. Obama was outstanding. I don't really like Huckabee, but I thought he was outstanding, too.

2) Extras - Who ever watched this show? I know some of you did. Well, I finally saw the last episode last night, and it was really, really heavy. It was actually quite depressing for the most part. A bit of light at the end, but the whole show was a little out of character with the rest of the series. But very good.

3) Moving - The movers come at 10:00 AM tomorrow to take all of Munchkin's and my stuff to the new (old) place, and to move all of The Rocket Scientist's stuff back to the old (new) one. I think I am more sad than happy about it today...it's a big change. Lots of things I would like to say but either can't articulate or don't want to divulge. Very emotional.

Tonight is my last night living with Smoking Hot Roommate, so we have a date. The Boys are elsewhere, so we are gonna stay in, finish packing, drink too much and reminisce. I imagine we will spend a lot of time looking at old pictures...what a sap fest this is gonna be!

I don't know if I will have time to write this weekend or not...tomorrow will be hectic, and Munchkin comes home Sunday afternoon. If I don't, I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Let's talk Runway!

Project Runway remains my favorite show, and I was very excited last night to have it back after its inexplicable three week absence. Heidi is still hot, though...you don't need to worry about that.

Short side-bar...ask around, and you will be amazed at how many straight guys love this show. They will admit it if you prod them a bit, although none can explain exactly why. I think maybe it is the combination of incredibly entertaining gay men, lots of models in various states of disrobe, and the whole idea of building and making stuff. Guys like hammers and nails, and maybe fabric and stitching as well. Anyway...

I feel like this season has the strongest set of designers yet. Definitely the deepest talent pool. There seem to be about five people...Kevin, Rami, Kit, Christian and Jillian...have been consistently pretty good from day one. There was one challenge that Christian was in the bottom three, but basically those five have been consistently near the top and nowhere near the bottom. Everything they have made has been pretty interesting, and more importantly, very well made.

Both Christian and Jillian have a clear style and a definite sense of what they like to do (the "point of view" that the judges harp on) but I am not sure I love their clothes. His are a little too trendy and hers a little too...I dunno..."girly-playful"? At least from the limited sample we have seen so far.

I think Rami is my favorite...I feel like I have liked everything he has done, and his candy-wrapper dress last night was awesome (although I loved Jillian's Twizzler-Flapper-Corset thing). Ella reports that he designed the uniforms for the wait staff in a restaurant near her and they are really good...just thought I would throw that out.

I also like Kevin a lot, but I am not sure he is as creative as the others. Or maybe less daring? I dunno...I would have said the same about Chloe in Season 2, but it turned out that she just had a more subtle form of innovation (like really clever seam placement). Maybe he is the same way. I think he makes great clothes, though, and I wouldn't be shocked if he won or came close to winning. Also, not sure if you have heard him mention this (like three times every episode!!!)...but he is straight... You heard it here first, I always sense some sexual tension between him and Jillian. I think they are gonna hook up.

I love Sweet P, but she is a little over her head. Ricky is a disaster...last night was the first episode he didn't cry in, and lo and behold, in the "scenes from next week", he is crying again. Victorya seemed better in the beginning but has been sort of uninspiring for a while now. Chris already got kicked out once (although I thought his top last night was brilliant...he managed to take slices of Twizzler and Hershey Bar wrappers and make a really cool pattern. At first glance you would never notice the lettering, but it was also unmistakable).

Another observation...I think the men on the show are getting gayer. Michael Kors seems a little bit gayer this year, and Zac Posen was back as a guest judge and seemed even gayer than last year (although if I recall, he wore like and ascot scarf last year, which is pretty gay). And Tim Gunn is...well...he is just himself in all of his splendor.

So, who else has some thoughts? I know some of you watch, and I imagine some others do, too. And guys...watching a show about gay men making women's clothes does NOT actually make you gay, although I can see where you would be worried. You will be surprised at how many of your friends watch, too!

Don't say I didn't warn you: this post has no content

I have very little to write about today. I talked to a whole lot of people yesterday to say Happy New Year, including Munchkin, Tinkerbelle, The Body, The Mouth, both BFF's and some other people that don't have cool blog nicknames. The Boy, Smoking Hot Roommate, The Rocket Scientist and I spent the afternoon in a bar eating junk food and drinking beer and watching football, which was kinda fun:-) Big Sis and the Brain Surgeon joined us for a while, too. She ordered iced tea...hmm...for a vodka drinker, that seems a little suspicious;-P

Munchkin tells me that her friend's really hot older brother (by a year and a half) wanted to kiss her on New Year's but she avoided it because it would have caused some trouble. My thought..."Boy, it is amazing what good decisions you can make when you don't drink". My next thought was that she obviously has more self control than her older sister...lol.

I am pretty much ready to move, I guess. I have packed all of Munchkin's stuff, and a lot of mine. As moves go, this one will be really easy...no furniture, dishes, food, towels or anything like that. Most of that stuff is the same as the stuff that was there when we lived there last year. Maybe I will buy some new sheets and towels, but that is about it. I really just have to move clothes and other personal stuff...plus Munchkin's desk (and the movers are taking care of the actual moving.)

All the stuff is getting moved Saturday, and then I can start unpacking. Munchkin gets home Sunday, so that will be our first night together in the new/old place. Exciting! And then next weekend, Chicago for her brother's wedding...but we can deal with that next week.

'08

Happy New Year to all! This is my second New Year as a blogger, and hence my second life-assessing New Year's post. This is the time of year when everyone seems to do some goal-setting and such, and bloggers being a little more self-absorbed and analytical than the average person, there is no shortage of it around.

I am, of course, no exception to the self-absorption rule:-P I actually went back and read last year's New Year's post to see what was the same and what had changed. Surprisingly, much is the same...right down to The Boy asleep and recovering from an entire day of me putting his most sensitive parts through a really strenuous workout (yea, me too...I am pretty sore:-D). Smoking Hot Roommate and I sat down for a quiet breakfast while the boys slept to celebrate our last New Year's as roomies...OK that made me sad.

So...what was this year all about? In some senses, not a ton. I have the same job, same boyfriend, same friends, same life, etc. I didn't find any new siblings this year like I did last year;-) Munchkin continues to amaze me almost daily. The Boy gets cuter and makes me more and more googly all the time. SHR and her family continue to display a level of generosity towards Munchkin and me that is beyond my ability to adequately describe.

Of course, a lot did happen this year. I did some traveling...Chicago a bunch of times, Mexico, Las Vegas, London, Newport, New York City, New Hampshire and Vermont that I can think of off the top of my head. My Father died and I still don't know that I care that much. I learned to play golf, badly. I saw my much adored Big Sis get married. My Father's entire family (whom I do care about) came to visit me. I became a Nascar fan...kind of. Harry Potter wrapped up:-). The Boy and I took a little break, which in hindsight was for the better, but was no fun at the time. His closest friend and most beloved sister had a baby.

I also had a bit of a health scare in July. Nothing a little bit of surgery couldn't solve...but it led to some deep thinking. Some of which I never really resolved (like..."What should happen to Munchkin is something happened to me"? I know what should, but I don't like that idea much.) But like most things, I think I am better having gone through it.

Munchkin has really grown up a ton this year. When she moved out here, she was definitely 100% little girl and needed me a lot more than she does now. She is not a little girl anymore, she is very much a young woman. I write about some of her growing-up issues (like the boys that all fall completely head over heels for her) but I also leave out some of the other stuff. But this was a big year for her...emotionally, physically, socially and every other way you can imagine. She has boobs, for Chrissakes! How am I gonna deal with this?!?!? She needs me less now, but she still needs me, and she still likes having me around. And that's good, because I love being around her.

And she hasn't outgrown chicken fingers or her love of ordering 7up and Cranberry juice in fancy glasses:-)

I am only going to make one resolution...I would like to see Tinkerbelle once a month. I will probably fall short of that, but if I get close, that will be a whole lot better than this year.

There will be some changes this year...starting with moving this weekend. I think that The Boy and I will move to a little different relationship stage soon. And then he will probably move in with us later this year. Munchkin becomes a teenager (yikes). Smoking Hot Roommate is getting married. Big Sis is likely to make the jump and come to work with us. Papa Bear may start to move towards retiring.

Truth be told, I have been on kind of a roll. This is like seven years in a row for me that were better than the one before. My New Year's wish is that the streak continues.