Pleasure and Pain

Well I planned a day of pleasure and pain, but just wound up with the pain.

I went to Best Buy this morning to pick up Madonna's latest single, Sorry, and the new Sims 2 expansion pack, Open For Business. It turns out, Best Buy doesn't carry singles too often and didn't get this one in AND they aren't getting Open for Business until Thursday. Doooooooooooooo

But I went online and since I still have my free trial of next day shipping with Amazon, I ordered the Sims 2 expansion pack. So I guess I'll get the pleasure for today when that package arrives on Thursday. At least I don't have to pay shipping or tax and still saved 2 bucks.

As for the Madonna single, they have 7 different options. The one isn't released until March 6th, so I'm gonna wait until they list the tracks for that one so I can make my decision on which singles to buy.

As for the pain part of the day, that went off without a hitch. I just got back from getting my eyebrows waxed. I like to think the redness brings out the color of my eyes. LOL

Well I'm off to get my winning Mega Millions ticket. Wish me luck!

Looks Like Another Vacation is in Order

I woke up this morning and heard my mom talking to Germany. I peaked my head in the door and of course she had to pass the phone to me. I really hate it when she does that. She should at least ask me if I want to talk first, but I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that she was talking to my cousin. She called to let us know that she is getting married on May 20th. It looks like I need to plan another trip to Germany. : ) I was really planning on staying away this year, but I can't miss a wedding.

I'm going to really start looking for a job now though. Hopefully I can land something for when I get back. I know everybody says that it takes months so I'm not worried, but if I get something ahead of schedule I'm sure they would understand if I say I already booked my ticket. I don't expect a paid vacation, but just give me the time off.

I need to see how I want to coordinate all this because my dad turns 60 this year on May 12th. I'm thinking if we throw a surprise party for him like the week before, then I can just stay for the actual day and then leave right afterwards for Germany. But my brother's 31st birthday is on May 29th. But I'm thinking I threw the big surprise bash for him last year so it doesn't matter if I miss this one by a couple of days.

Last year when I stayed 4 weeks in Germany, it seemed to be a bit much. I was thinking 2 weeks this year, but my mom suggested 3. She said 2 weeks goes by so quickly and I'll be happy that I booked the 3rd. She's probably right since it usually takes me about a week to get over the jet lag.

But now comes the most important question, what will I wear to the wedding. Does anybody think it is a coincidence that I posted the pictures below last night? I think not!

M.I.A.

I know I have been Missing In Action as of lately, but I think my new L Word Fanisode addiction has taken over my blog addiction. It just gets so addicting reading all the scenes that people are submitting and rating them and then constantly checking your scores. The mission for scene 3 has just posted and I'm still trying to get my thoughts in order. I haven't won one yet, but my rankings are getting gradually better. So I guess my writing is getting better, or everyone elses is getting worse. :) I guess I just missed using my mind in a creative way and this has become my new outlet.

I was talking with a friend online the other day and she told me (like just about everyone else in my life) that I need to get on find a job. I said I was procrastinating as usual and she said that she thought I was procrastinating because I was afraid of change.

After thinking about it for a while, I don't think that is it at all. After all, I went to Wisconsin to go to college without knowing a soul, then after graduation I moved to Atlanta without knowing a soul, then I went to Germany where I had family, but the language thing was an issue at first. So I don't really think change is what I'm afraid of. If anything, I seem to put myself in these new environments just to challenge myself. I think I'm more afraid of failure than anything. I'm sure that if I put my mind to it, I could succeed in whatever job I decided to pursue, but I'm afraid of not picking the correct path. Like I'll look back at my life 5 - 10 years down the road and think, damn what was I thinking when I started this.

So really where does that leave me now? Well they say acceptance is the first step, but I can't remember what comes after that. But I do promise to try to keep up on this blog and the reading of all my favorite blogs a little better than I have been. I'm just gonna take it one step at a time.

U.S. National Flu Report

I didn't even know this existed.

I guess its good to know if you want to call in sick to work. Make sure there is some flu activity in your area before you say you've got it.

My Latest L Word Submission

Well we are on round 2 of The L Word Fanisode and here is my submission for the second scene. If anyone would like to rate it for me, leave me a comment and make sure your email address if filled in. I will email you an invite to rate my scene.

INT. SHANE'S BEDROOM - MORNING

Shane and Carmen are asleep in bed. Carmen
wakes up and starts kissing Shane on the
neck.

SHANE
(pleasantly surprised)
Good morning.

They are both startled by the clanking of
pots and pans in the kitchen.

CARMEN
What the hell is that racket?

Shane looks at the clock.

SHANE
Mark's up awfully early today.

CARMEN
(annoyed)
Yeah he is always around here. He
really knows how to spoil a
moment.

SHANE
Oh come on baby. Give 'em a
break. He does live here and the
boy's got to eat. Now where were
we?

Carmen sits up in bed.

CARMEN
Don't you think it's just a little
odd how he is always lurking
around here? I know that he lives
here Shane, but he seems to be in
the house more than his studio.
It kind of creeps me out.

Carmen gets up and gets dressed. Shane is
disappointed, but does the same and follows
her to the kitchen.

MARK
(cheerful)
OH hi guys. Good morning. I'm
sorry I hope I didn't wake you.
I'm making pancakes, do you want
some?

SHANE
Sounds good to me. You want some
babe?

CARMEN
Might as well.

SHANE
What are you doing up so early
Mark?

MARK
I need to edit that footage from
the Ms. Foundation event and I've
got plans with Lola tonight so I
figured I had better get an early
start.

Shane gives Carmen a 'see he does have a
life outside of here' look.

SHANE
The Peaches girl again, huh?

MARK
Yeah, that's the one. What are
you guys doing later on today
because I would love for you to
meet her. I think you would
really get along. She actually
reminds me a lot of you Shane.

Carmen gives Shane her own 'see he is kind
of creepy' look.

SHANE
Sorry I can't today Mark. I've
got a lot of appointments. I've
actually got to get going.

Shane gets up, kisses Carmen goodbye.

INT. INPATIENT CLINIC - DAY

Jenny is sitting at a table in a common area
of the clinic after a therapy session with
Dr. Perez. She has a journal in front of
her, but looks lost as she is staring out a
window. All of a sudden, she looks startled
as if she just had some kind of a revelation
and goes back to writing. You see her
writing.

'I'm still working on piecing together
everything in my past, but the one thing
that I know now is that I feel safe. I
finally feel safe here for the first time in
as long as I can remember.'

All of a sudden you see the scattered images
inside Jenny's head. Images of all of
Jenny's failed relationships pop up in her
head. You see Tim, Marina, and Carmen. You
see Tim walking out the door for the last
time.

JENNY
(softly)
Please don't leave.

Jenny's roommate Rebecca walks up to and
puts her hand on her shoulder.

REBECCA
(concerned)
Don't worry I'm not going
anywhere.

Jenny looks over and smiles at Rebecca.

JENNY
Oh, I didn't mean you. I really
must be !#%&ed up, now I'm talking
to myself.

They both laugh.

REBECCA
Come on, your probably just
hungry. Let's go get some dinner.
They are going to be sending out
the food police to track me down
soon anyway.

Both laugh.

INT. SHANE'S HOUSE - DUSK

Carmen enters with a bag of groceries for
Shane's surprise dinner. She heads to the
kitchen, but hears something. She walks
over to Shane's room where the door is shut.
She stands outside in disbelief for a
little while and can hear someone having
sex.

CARMEN
(whisper to herself)
What the !#%&?

She opens up the door slowly and quietly.
In the time that she has been standing
there, Shane has come home and all of a
sudden she is standing behind Carmen. They
both now see Mark !#%&ing Lola. Just as
they are about to say something, Mark tilts
his head back with his eyes closed and yells
out.

MARK
OH Shane!

SHANE, CARMEN, AND LOLA
(all in unison)
What the !#%&?

Mark, startled
and realizing what he just did,
jumps up. He looks at Lola who is
covering up and looks back at
Shane and Carmen.



Mark

I thought you weren't going to be home until
late tonight?"

SHANE
What the hell are you doing in my
room and in my bed? What the !#%&
is wrong with you Mark? Get the
!#%& out of here.

CARMEN
What did I tell you? He really is
one sick !#%&.

MARK
Shane, I can explain.

SHANE,
NO, you have gone too far this
time. I want you out of here.

CARMEN
(yells)
Tonight!

Carmen turns around and walks out of the
room. Shane slams the door and follows her.

INT. INPATIENT CLINIC JENNY'S ROOM - NIGHT

Jenny and Rebecca are back in their room
after dinner. Both are lying on their beds
staring up at the ceiling.

REBECCA
Jenny, are you feeling alright.
You've been awful quiet today?
You know you can always talk to
me, if you want to.

Jenny sits up in bed and turns toward
Rebecca.

JENNY
Thanks Rebecca. I guess a lot of
feelings came up today in my
session with Dr. Perez. I'm just
trying to process everything and
I'm having a rough time with it
all.

Rebecca sits up in her bed and faces Jenny.

REBECCA
Well, I hope tomorrow is a better
day for you then. We just have to
learn to take it one day at a time
in here. Isn't that what they
keep telling us? I just wanted
you to know that if you need a
real person to talk to, I'm here
for you.

Jenny smiles.

JENNY
If I tell you something, do you
promise not to tell anyone?

Rebecca shakes her head yes. Jenny lifts up
her shirt and reveals fresh cut marks on her
stomach. Rebecca looks shocked at first,
but gets up and sits next to Jenny and gives
her a hug.

REBECCA
It makes you feel better after you
do that doesn't it?

Jenny shakes her head yes and you see tears
starting to roll down her face. Rebecca
wipes away the tears.

REBECCA
I know I do after I throw up.
Don't worry, tomorrow is going to
be a better day for both of us.

*********************************************
END NOTES
*********************************************

In the next scene, Shane and Carmen come up
with a solution to the rest problem and
Jenny starts to put her life back together.

Jet Lag

I feel like I have jet lag without having the joy of going on vacation. It was much easier to acclimate myself to staying up all night than it has been to get to bed at a decent hour and wake up while the sun is still out.

I'm forcing myself to stay up all day today although I'm exhausted. Last night I went to bed at 3am and was up at 6am. I don't get it. Well I'm hoping that I can last until around midnight and then sleep 8 or 9 hours.

Although I don't think it is safe to go to the gym at this state. With my luck I'll fall off the damn treadmill. I have a baby shower to go to tomorrow so I really need to be up at a decent hour and be functioning. I guess if I get up at 9 in the morning I will still have time to go to the gym before the baby shower. Otherwise I will try to go afterwards.

So far my accomplishments for the day include staying up thus far and catching up on all my blog reading. Next step will be my Netflix movies.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Iraq The Musical

Thanks to Barnze, I just saw this and had to share. Check out Iraq the Musical today.

At first I thought it was really funny, but towards the end it made me sad. Maybe I'm just emotional going on 3 hours of sleep, but what do the rest of you think? Either way, you gotta love freedom of speech.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries Anyone?

Don't worry, the calories you consume within 24 hours of Valentine's Day don't count.

Coincidence, I Think Not

Am I the only one who doesn't think it is a coincidence that the prez decided to disclose a thwarted terrorist plot against the tallest building in L.A. A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO around the same time that

1. The Patriot Act is to be renewed
2. His new budget is coming out

Then they go and have Cheney shoot some poor guy in the face to distract attention away from it all. When will the madness end? 2008 is looking like a good year.

Add Electrician to the Resume

Well today I was feeling in the cleaning mood and as I was dusting around my night table, I noticed once again my fire hazard of a socket.

I decided to take care of it once and for all and went to Home Depot and got a new plug and cover. I would have taken pictures of the process, but I had to turn the power off to avoid electrocuting myself. It was a little too hard to hold the flashlight in my mouth, connect all the wires, and take a picture.

But I was really proud of myself when I turned the power back on and plugged something in and it actually worked.

I guess I can add electrician to my resume now too.

Got Rid of the Other One

Well I finally went and deleted that other blog. For those of you who have been reading this from the very beginning, you know that I started out with another blog that I told all of my friends and family about. After a while, I noticed that I couldn't be as open and uncensored and I would like knowing that people who actually physically knew me would be reading this. So I put a fake goodbye on my old blog and told all my new blogger friends about this blog.

Anyway, over the last couple of weeks, I've been copying my old posts onto this blog and deleting them off the old one. So now I am all caught up. This blog now has all my old posts (well the ones that I thought were relavent) and there is no trace of the other blog.

I also went through it all and put up all my favorite pictures up on Flickr.

Another L Word Fanisode Submission

I had so much fun writing my first scene for The L Word Fanisode, that I just submitted another one.

If anyone is a fan of the show or would like to rate my scene, please let me know in the comments and make sure you fill in your email address. I can send an email to some friends through the website so you can rate my scene without searching through all the rest.

(P.S. Zoe, I sent you an invite for each of my scenes.)

Attach and Detach

Attachment, good for mommies, bad for lovers
Who's idea was that attachment parenting anyway? How did Mama T and Mama B come about? What triggered Alice and Dana's breakup? Some things are old, but alot is new in my second submission.

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

INT. TINA'S HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY

Bette is sleeping in a chair with one hand
on Angelica (who is asleep in a crib) and a
book resting on her chest. Tina also
appears to be asleep in bed.

Kit enters the room quietly with two bags in
tow and notices how adorably Bette and
Angelica are sleeping. Tina senses someone
in the room and opens her eyes.


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

INT. TINA'S HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY

Bette is sleeping in a chair with one hand
on Angelica (who is asleep in a crib) and a
book resting on her chest. Tina also
appears to be asleep in bed.

Kit enters the room quietly with two bags in
tow and notices how adorably Bette and
Angelica are sleeping. Tina senses someone
in the room and opens her eyes.

KIT
(quietly)
OH I'm sorry Tina did I wake you?

TINA
Don't worry about it Kit. I was
just resting my eyes and taking
advantage of the peace and quiet.

Kit and Tina both look over at Bette and
Angelica.

KIT
Isn't that just the cutest thing
you've ever seen?

TINA
I know she hasn't left either of
our sides since we've been here.

KIT
How are you feeling today?

TINA
(in pain)
Like I just got ran over by a
truck, but they say that's normal.
They had me up walking around
earlier and said we can go home
later on today.

KIT
Oh well that's great news Tina.

Kit holds up the bags.

KIT
I wasn't sure if you would be able
to come home today or not so I
brought a change of clothes for
Bette and some goodies from The
Planet.

Bette hears the rustling of the bags and
wakes up.

BETTE
(startled)
I must have dozed off for a bit.
Is everything alright T?

TINA
Everything is fine baby. Kit just
stopped by to bring you a change
of clothes and to give us some
real food.

Bette still groggy takes the book from her
chest and puts it on the table next to her.

BETTE
Hmm it smells great, thanks Kit.

KIT
So what have you been reading over
there Baby Sis?

Bette picks up the book and hands it to Kit.

KIT
The Attachment Parenting Book: A
Commonsense Guide to Understanding
and Nurturing Your Baby. Where
did this come from?

BETTE
Tina and I met another couple down
the hall, Andrea and Sally. Sally
just had a baby boy. Anyway, they
got this book when their daughter
was born a couple years ago and
were telling us about attachment
parenting. It sounded interesting
and since they had already read
the book, they said we could have
it.

BETTE
(to Tina)
T, I exchanged numbers with them
so as soon as you and Sally are
feeling up to it, we should get
together. It will be nice for
Angelica to have a little playmate
and it will be great for us to
have other mommies to talk to.

KIT
That was nice of them. I'm glad
you guys found some other mommies
to talk to. Well if you guys are
hungry, the pastries are still
warm.

Angelica begins to cry.

TINA
Well it looks like somebody else
is hungry too.

Bette picks up Angelica and brings her to
Tina. Kit walks over to Tina, puts the book
on her nightstand, and gives Angelica a kiss
on the forehead.

KIT
Well I should probably get back to
work.

KIT
(to Angelica)
Goodbye my little Angel.

BETTE
Thanks again for everything Kit.

Kit exits the room. Bette sits down next to
Tina and looks longingly at Angelica and
then back at Tina.

BETTE
Can you believe you are a mama, T?

TINA
I like the sound of that, Mama T.
Well Mama B, I think our little
angel is finally full.

Tina is done breastfeeding Angelica and
Bette takes her in her arms.

BETTE
I just can't get over how
beautiful she is. I'm so proud of
you Tina, you did such a great
job. I just want you to know that
I'm sorry that I wasn't there for
you for most of this pregnancy,
but I want you to know that you
don't have anything to worry about
now. I'm gonna take care of my
girls from here on out.

INT. ALICE'S LIVING ROOM - DUSK

Alice is sitting on the couch with her
laptop. She hears Dana put the keys in the
front door and jumps up to greet her as she
enters.

ALICE,
(a little too energetic)
Hi baby, how was your day?

Alice goes in to kiss Dana, but Dana pulls
away.

DANA
(slightly annoyed)
God Alice you don't have to pounce
on me as soon as I walk in the
door.

Alice steps back.

ALICE
(hurt)
What the hell Dana? I'm just
excited to see you and wanted to
give my girlfriend a kiss hello.
You don't have to jump down my
throat. If you didn't want to see
me, then why did you even come
over?

DANA
(apologetic)
I'm sorry Al. I'm just exhausted
today. I didn't mean to take it
out on you.

Dana tries to comfort Alice, but this time
Alice pulls away and walks into the living
room. Dana takes a deep breathe and
sheepishly follows Alice into the living
room.

DANA
(trying to change the
subject)
I caught your show today in the
car on my way to The Planet. That
was so sweet of you to mention
Angelica.

ALICE
(annoyed)
What were you doing at The Planet?
I guess you weren't too exhausted
to stop by and flirt with Lara. I
bet she got a warmer welcome today
than I did.

DANA
Come on Alice, now that's not
fair. I said I was sorry.

Upset, Alice goes into the bedroom and slams
the door. She lies down on her bed almost
in tears. Dana sighs and goes into the
bedroom. Alice rolls over thinking Dana
came in to apologize. Instead Dana grabs a
pillow and blanket.

DANA
Maybe it's best if I sleep on the
couch tonight.

Dana goes out to the living room and lies on
the couch staring up at the ceiling, while
Alice rolls over in bed and tear rolls down
her face.

EXT. OUTSIDE BETTE AND TINA'S HOUSE - DUSK

Bette helps Tina out of the car and gets
Angelica out of her car seat. All three
walk up to the door together. Bette swings
open the front door and they all stand there
for a second.

BETTE
(to Angelica)
Welcome home, Angelica.

BETTE
(to Tina)
Finally it feels like a home
again.

Bette kisses Tina passionately and then
kisses Angelica on the forehead. All three
enter the home together.

*********************************************
END NOTES
*********************************************

In the next scene, Dana tells Alice that she
needs some space and Bette and Tina start to
discover what motherhood is all about.

Madonna's Performance

I just uploaded Madonna's opening performance at the Grammy's tonight just in case anybody missed it. It will be our "song of the day" for a couple days at least. :)

I must say that I liked her opening number with Britney and Christina at the MTV Awards a few years ago better, but it was still great to see her out there strutting her stuff. I can't wait for her next tour. I've gotta start saving up now for those $300+ tickets.

Madonna and The Grammy's

For all you Madonna fans out there. Madonna is going to be performing on the Grammy's tonight. Then as if it couldn't get any better than that, she will appear on Ellen's Grammy's Show on Thursday.

I hope I'll be up by then because it's almost 8am and I need to get to sleep. I'm still doing the night duty at D's house, but I've decided that its worthless to try to sleep there so I just stay up all night and go to bed when I leave in the morning.

Unfortunately my workout schedule is what has been suffering due to my new sleep schedule. My goal is to get up at a decent hour with time to eat, workout, shower, and go back to D's.

The L Word Fanisode

If you are not a fan of The L Word, then I guess you can just skip this post for the day.

The L Word is having a contest for their fans in which we can write an episode. We all voted on it and we, the fans, have decided that we want to write an episode that fills in the 6 month gap between seasons 2 and 3. The writers of the show give us a mission for the scene and then the fans submit.

At first I didn't think I was creative enough to come up with a scene, but after reading and voting on some other scenes, I thought I could do that. I'll admit that the dialogue could probably be spiffed up a bit, but I was pretty proud of myself considering this was my first attempt ever at writing a script. Below is my submission. If you have some extra time, please go to the website and vote on it for me. :)


Attachment might be good for a baby, but ...
Bette and Tina get ready to bring Angelica home while Alice drives Dana further away from hers.


INT. TINA'S PRIVATE HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY

Tina is laying in bed breastfeeding Angelica
while Bette is at the nurses' station
finishing up the discharge papers.

TINA
(softly to Angelica)
I never knew I could fall in love
with someone so quickly.

Bette enters the room with a book in hand.

BETTE
Well T, everything is taken care
of, you can go home today as soon
as you're ready.

TINA
That's great. What do you have
there?

Bette at first looks quizzical and then
remembers the book in her hand.

BETTE
Oh, this. Remember that nice
couple Amy and Gail that we met
the other day. You know the ones
with the 3 year old daughter and

Tina interrupts

TINA
Yeah

BETTE
Well they are brining baby Jack
home today too and I saw them when
I was filling out your discharge
papers. Gail was telling me about
this book the other day about
Attachment Parenting and she said
that they finished reading it and
we could have it. Wasn't that
nice of them

TINA
They seem like a nice couple

BETTE
Oh I know, we exchanged numbers
and as soon as you and Amy are
feeling up to it, we should get
together. It will be nice for
Angelica to have a little playmate
and it will be great for us to
have other mommies to talk to.

Bette sits down next to Tina and looks
longingly at Angelica and then back at Tina.

BETTE
Can you believe you are a mama, T?

TINA
I like the sound of that, Mama T.
Well Mama B, I think our little
angel is finally full. Oh I
almost forgot, I talked to my
parents again today and they said
as soon as we are all settled,
they want to come out and meet
their new granddaughter.

BETTE
That's great. It's just too bad
that they are so far away. I want
our daughter to have a real
relationship with her
grandparents. I'm just sorry that
my dad never met her. I know that
as soon as he held her in his
arms, he would just melt and fall
in love with her the same way I
have.

Tina is done breastfeeding Angelica and
Bette takes her in her arms.

BETTE
I just can't get over how
beautiful she is. I'm so proud of
you Tina, you did such a great
job. I just want you to know that
I'm sorry that I wasn't there for
you for most of this pregnancy,
but I want you to know that you
don't have anything to worry about
now. I'm gonna take care of my
girls from here on out.

INT. ALICE'S LIVING ROOM - DUSK

Alice is sitting on the couch working on her
laptop trying to come up with a script for
her next episode of The Chart. Dana comes
home for a long workout. Alice jumps up to
greet her at the door.

ALICE,
(giddy to see Dana)
Hi baby, how was your workout?

DANA
(exhausted)
Al I'm exhausted, Jackie kicked my
a%$ today. I just want to take a
nice hot bath and relax.

Dana goes into the bathroom.

ALICE
(to self annoyed at Dana's
lack of enthusiasm)
And how was your day today honey?
Oh great thanks for asking.

Alice goes into the bathroom while Dana is
soaking in the tub. Alice sits on the
toilet and startles Dana who was relaxing
with her eyes closed.

ALICE
Dane, is everything alright with
us? I mean you just seem a little
distant ever since I brought up
moving in together the other
night?

DANA
(annoyed that Alice is
bothering her when she is
clearly trying to relax)
Alice, I really don't want to have
to deal with this right now.
Can't you see that I've had a hard
day and just want to relax for a
bit. Why do you have to pounce on
me as soon as I come into the
door. Remember the mouse Alice,
your smothering me again.

Upset, Alice storms out of the bathroom and
lies down on her bed almost in tears.

DANA
Great this is all I needed
tonight.

Dana sighs and gets out of the tub and goes
into the bedroom. Alice rolls over thinking
Dana came in to apologize. Instead Dana
grabs a pillow and blanket.

DANA
I can't deal with this tonight
Alice. I need some space and
sleep.

Dana goes out to the living to room to sleep
on the couch, while Alice rolls over and
cries herself to sleep.

EXT. OUTSIDE BETTE AND TINA'S HOUSE - DUSK

Bette helps Tina out of the car and gets
Angelica out of her car seat. All three
walk up the door together. Bette swings
open the front door and they all stand there
for a second.

BETTE
(to Angelica)
Welcome home, Angelica.

BETTE
(to Tina)
Finally it feels like a home
again.

Bette kisses Tina passionately and then
kisses Angelica on the forehead. All three
enter the home together.

*********************************************
END NOTES
*********************************************

In the next scene, Dana tells Alice that she
needs some space and wants to take a break
so she can sort out her feelings and Bette
and Tina start to discover what motherhood
is all about.

Super Bowl Sunday

I just got home from a super bowl party and some friend's house.

We had a good time. All the men went in the basement and watched the game and all us girls were in the kitchen eating and chatting. Then we went into the living room and watched The 40-Year-Old Virgin. That was the longest 2 hours. Don't get me wrong, some parts were funny, but it was way too long. It would have made a good 90 minute movie, but 2 hours was just too much.

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Super Bowl Sunday.

Feeling Like a New Person

OH I'm feeling good today. I got out of D's house at 7:30 this morning and was at home in my own bed by 8am. I slept until 2:30pm and when I came downstairs, I saw that the people had already come and taken the hospital bed that has plagued our living room for the last 3 months. YEAH.

I was so excited that I got out the vacuum and the dusting supplies and cleaned where the bed used to be, moved the couch back where it was suppose to be, and continued vacuuming the entire room. I was sweating so much by the time I got done with everything that I decided I needed a rest before I went to the gym. Unfortunately no one seemed to notice my efforts. When I talked to my dad, he said you know I walked right by and didn't even notice you moved the couch. Go Figure!

Then when my mom came home, it was the same thing. I swear, don't people pay any attention. Well I was at least happy to see things getting back to normal. OH but when my brother came home around 1 this morning, he did notice and was happy to see the place back in order as well.

I got my mom to take over the night shift tonight. She is going to spend the night tomorrow and she said she wouldn't mind going tonight as well. Another lady is going to spend the night on Sunday because I have my Super Bowl Party and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that D says she doesn't need anyone anymore. She really is strong enough and doesn't need any help with anything anymore. Plus she is getting ornery and I'm in no mood to put up with that. :)

After I found out I didn't have to go tonight, I was sooo happy. It was like a terminal illness had just been cured. Who knew I so look forward to a Friday night at home in my own bed, alone. :)

My mom made my fav, hamburger helper beef stroganoff before she left along with a slew of other things, so I had that and went to the gym. When I got back, I decided to return the favor to my mom for taking over by washing the mound of dishes in the sink. Then I proceeded to wash all the towels, clean my bathroom, and now I'm finishing up the laundry.

When my brother came home at 1am, he thought I was nuts for cleaning the bathroom, but I said since he wasn't home, I wasn't disturbing anyone. I have my dad on my schedule and normally my mom and brother are the only reason why we have to turn the volume down on our TV's around 9pm.

Well I'm off to see if my darks are dry so I can throw the whites in the dryer. I don't know about you, but there's nothing like waking up to a clean house and knowing you don't have to do anything the whole weekend.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Chicago Auto Show

The Chicago Auto Show starts next Friday. It runs from February 10th - 19th. I haven't been there in years. My dad used to get free tickets from the Ford Dealership where you leased/bought all his company cars. I just got 2 discount tickets from my bank. Apparently it usually costs $10 to get in and if I go during the week, I can get in for $5. What a deal!

The only problem is who would I go with. All my friends work during the week and it seems like a waste to arrive after 5pm. My dad would probably want to go, but I doubt he wants to hobble around on crutches for an extended period of time.

Not that I'm in the market for a new car, but I think it is cool to see the futuristic designs that they display at the auto show. Plus alot of the time they give away cool free stuff. = )

If anyone out there:

• isn't too far from Chicago
• is free during a weekday
• wants to go to the auto show

Let me know via the comments. What more could you ask for, a discount ticket and a fun filled day with none other than moi?

Tired and Cranky

The title of this post pretty much sums up how I have been feeling lately. Let's just say that these sleepovers every night ARE NOT WORKING FOR ME. I agreed to do this because my mom said that she was sure that by the weekend, D would be strong enough to be on her own. That was last Wednesday and I am just about done.

At first I tried sleeping, but most nights the woman gets up 3 or 4 times to go to the bathrrom and I always here her walker so I get up to see if everything is alright and/or if she needs anything. Then of course it takes me a while to get back to sleep because I'm not used to:

1. Sleeping on an air mattress instead of my comfy bed.
2. Hearing clocks tick all throughout the night.
3. Hearing the furnace kick in every 15 minutes or so.

So last night I decided, screw it, I'm just going to stay up all night and then leave at 8am and go to bed. Well actually I figured I would leave at 8am, go to the gym, then go home and go to bed. Well of course last night D only woke up twice and slept like a baby the rest of the night. I brought my VCR and hooked it up to my laptop and watched Oprah and Ellen until around 4am since I didn't get a chance to watch any of this week's episodes. Then I decided that I couldn't make it and tried to fall asleep. I think I got a little rest and woke up around 7:30am. Then I was a little groggy and said screw it, I'll just go home and go to sleep first and then go to the gym. So that is what I did.

The day goes by so quickly when you sleep until 3:30pm, eat, go to the gym, shower, and then have about an hour to play around on your computer before you have to go back over for another "sleepover". I'm telling you, I don't know how much longer I can take this. I told my mom that I still want Saturday and Sunday off like I had last weekend. My mom will probably end up spending the night on Saturday and we will see if the lady who lives across the street will spend the night on Sunday. I have a Super Bowl Party to go to on Sunday and I plan on getting home in time to watch Desperate Housewives and The L Word and then sleeping in my own bed.

Well I'm going to attempt to stay up again tonight so I will use this time wisely and catch up on everyone's blogs. But first, to the kitchen for a Pepsi. = )

It will probably take me all night to get caught up since I am forced to now use a modem. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH What did I ever do before DSL?

I looked at our phone bill tonight and I saw that when you make a local phone call you only get charged a flat fee of something like 4 cents. So at least I can use my time wisely and spend it online without worrying about a huge phone bill. I guess it is a good thing that I continue to pay for AOL. It sure does come in handy in times like these.

Who Am I?

I got an email from one of the volunteers at Journey to Peace asking to submit a little 1 paragraph 3rd person story about who I am so all of the volunteers/interns could get to know one another. Here is what I submitted.

Back in 2000, AKH graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BBA in marketing and finance. Since she was born and raised in the Chicagoland area, it only seemed appropriate that she accept her first job offer and moved to Atlanta, GA as a sales administrator. The perks were great, but AKH didn’t find Atlanta to be the place for her and after only 9 months, applied for a transfer to their Oak Brook, IL office. Things seemed to be going well and AKH even moved into a marketing position, when an unexpected death in her family caused her to quit her job and move to Germany for a year back in 2003. There she helped her aunt (whom she was named after) run a hotel/restaurant and look after her 3 children. After a year, when her visa was about to run out, and a Madonna concert was coming to Chicago, AKH headed back home to embark on a new journey. Since being back, AKH has been doing temp work and volunteering for Journey to Peace while looking for a full-time job. Her dream job is to work in marketing within the entertainment industry.