Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

 From Barnes and Noble:

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Publication date: 9/4/2012
Series: Century Trilogy , #1

Ken Follett’s magnificent new historical epic begins, as five interrelated families move through the momentous dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women’s suffrage.

A thirteen-year-old Welsh boy enters a man’s world in the mining pits.…An American law student rejected in love finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson’s White House.… A housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with a German spy.…And two orphaned Russian brothers embark on radically different paths when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution.

From the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty, Fall of Giants takes us into the inextricably entangled fates of five families—and into a century that we thought we knew, but that now will never seem the same again.…

I just finished this novel a couple days ago. It took me forever to get through it. Normally, the set of criteria I use to rate a book includes length of time it takes me to read it. I'm a fast reader, especially when I love a book. Still this book is 960 pages long and that should take anybody more than a day to read. But the reason why it took me so long is because I had to put it down at times. You know when you're watching the movie Titanic and you know it inevitably ends in tragedy but you still wish that they'd just make that stinking course correction a little sooner and a little faster? Well, that's how I felt reading this book. I know the course of events surrounding World War I and I hoped that they would find an alternative to war clear up until the fighting began. I stressed myself out reading this book and therefore, I had to give myself a break from it from time to time.

Follett is a strong story teller. He clearly cares about his subject matter and writes accurate history. I know because I looked up quite a few events in the book to see if they were actually true or not. I don't have a strong grasp of World War I, sadly enough. I know even less about the Russian Revolution and the various economies and politics of other countries. Where Follett lacks, in my opinion, is character development. It's obvious that telling the story, the actual events, is his focus and the characters are secondary. This is the only reason why I would not rate this book a five out of five. I also thought that when he was wrapping up the ending, he did it a little too neatly and he also did it quickly like it was a task to get through, something on a checklist. Overall, I found it to be a good read and would recommend it to history buff and Follett's fans, but Follett will never be one of my favorite authors.

I'm ambivalent about reading the rest of the series. I love the time period in which Fall of Giants takes place (Thank you Downton Abbey) but I'm not all that interested in modern history after 1930. If I cared more about Follett's characters and what happens to them and their future generations, I'd have Winter of the World lined up on my Nook app but instead, I'm rereading another series. I'll probably read the second and third book in this series eventually, when I'm stumped for something to read.

So, I'm Not a Mommy Blogger

Both of my girls are teenagers. I write from the perspective of having been through the infant, toddler, child, and tween years. Here's what I know.

First of all, my girls were very different babies. The Oldest child was probably pretty close to perfect. She was tiny, pink, and beautiful. She never fussed a whole lot. She was never sick. When she was done using a pacifier, she threw it out of the car window. True story. When she was done with her bottle, she threw it out of her crib and refused to drink out of one ever again. She was not even a year and a half old at this point. Then, when I was close to giving birth to her younger sister, I decided that I didn't want two kids in diapers so I pushed her through speed potty training. I put a dress on her, a cloth diaper without a plastic outer pant thing and set her on the floor. She peed herself ONE time and that was all it took for her to use the potty consistently. Her sister, on the other hand, is a whole other story.

She had cholic, thrush, and baby acne when she was born. Do you know what it's like to breast feed a baby with thrush?? It's like white hot fire on a very delicate part of your anatomy that causes you to clench your fists and curl your toes in agony. 14 years later, and I still remember. There were nights when she and I would be downstairs on the couch in the middle of the night crying our heads off because she wouldn't stop crying and go to sleep and I was exhausted and at my wits end. Potty training was a freaking nightmare. The only thing she had going for her was that she was never sick.

Now as teens, they are the complete opposite again. The Youngest child is the easy one and the Oldest is causing me to lose sleep at night. The Youngest comes home from school, immediately sits down, and does her homework without being told. The Oldest, well, she consistently lies about doing her homework and that's when she's not up until 11 pm or later trying to get it finished. Why? She comes home from school and goes to sleep. Or she's on her phone. Or she's on her iPad. Or she's supposedly staying after school for extra help. Who knows. Sometimes she does her homework and then doesn't bother turning it in. Can someone please explain to my why someone would go through the trouble of doing the work and then taking a zero on it???

The Youngest child is going to look back on her teen years as endless days spent outside playing with her friends. The Oldest is going to look back at endless days of being grounded. She's currently grounded until next month, lol. I'm hoping that when we move, starting at a new school next year will help her turn a new leaf.

So, my first teenager truism:  Teens are not always capable of making good decisions. I read somewhere that this is a physiological thing at their age. Anyway, despite making bonehead decisions, this doesn't mean that they are bad kids.

Cafe Escapes

I mentioned a loooooong time ago that I'm a Bzz Agent. I have been an agent since 2006 and it has been, for the most part, a great experience. One of my absolute favorite things is trying out new products. I get to do this with Bzz and for free! What more can you ask for?

I thought I'd share my most recent campaign with them.

They sent me sampler boxes of new Cafe Escapes K-Cups for my Keurig brewer. In my box, I got the Cafe Caramel, Cafe Vanilla, Chai Latte, Cafe Mocha, and Milk and Dark Chocolate hot chocolate flavors. The Milk Chocolate hot chocolate wasn't new to us. I often buy them for the youngest child since she's the only one in the house that doesn't like coffee. It's always a big hit.

So far, I've tried the Cafe Caramel and Cafe Mocha, which are my favorites, and the Chai Latte which I thought was gross.

First of all, I am not a fan of artificial sweeteners. I occasionally use Truvia to sweeten my tea but I prefer honey. I also drink Coke Zero Vanilla and Pepsi Next which are artificially sweetened but tolerable. I do NOT like Sweet and Low or Equal. Big, giganto, YUCK!! Cafe Escapes sweeten their treats with a combination of sucralose which you may know as Splenda, sugar, and glucose syrup for about 60 calories per K-Cup.

The Cafe Caramel and Cafe Mocha are so yummy and rich in flavor, that the artificial sweetener taste dulls in comparison. I'm having the Cafe Mocha right now and I'm sad that I only got one of those in my sampler. I thought that the caramel and chocolate flavors in each drink was genuine and very tasty.

The Chai Latte was just not for me. It was probably a combination of it being a black tea and the overpowering sucralose flavor, but I took one sip and dumped the rest down the sink.

If you're looking for something new to try in your Keurig and don't have an aversion to artifical sweeteners for whatever reason, I'd totally recommend trying the Cafe Escapes. They even have lemonade and hot apple cider for something different other than coffee or chocolate flavors.

Choosing a Path

I've been reading back through my old blog posts to see if that would help me decide what I want to do with this blog. I'm in the middle of 2008 and I've been reading them in order. There is so much that I've forgotten. Wow. I had also forgotten how much of my blog I had deleted going through massive Vermont drama. Ahhh. Good times. Or something like that.

I've tried keeping traditional-type journals over the years. Even when I was a girl but I never keep up with them. I've tried audio journaling, picturing myself as someone from Star Trek making daily logs, lol. I think I did that about two times and I have no idea what happened to those files. The closest that I've ever come to keeping track of my life is on this blog.

And oh my gosh!! Reading back over old posts and comments (Yeah. I actually used to get comments on a pretty regular basis.) I had forgotten some of the ladies that used to blog the same time that I did. I miss them!! A lot. I wish I could go back to those "hey days" but as I said before, I really think personal blogs are in the past.

I'm going to keep going with mine, for myself if nobody else. I also miss talking about books. I used to blog about books that I was reading quite frequently and I stopped doing that. I don't have anyone to talk about books with anymore.

I really wish there was a way to get some of the "old timers" back to blogging with me. Jennifer, Pam, Liz, Dana, and many others along the way. Pretty wishful thinking on my part, I'm sure. Still, it'd be nice to have some familiar company. Maybe I'll happen along some new bloggers. We'll see. I hope that I have at least one reader out there who will continue my journey with me. ;)

The ABCs of Me

No decision has been made. In the meantime...

 

A. Age: 35. I'll be the old lady age of 36 in June. Does it mean anything that I don't feel that old??

B. Bed size: Queen but I wish it was a king.

C. Chore you dislike: It'd be a tie between cleaning the bathtub, putting away laundry, and mopping.

D. Dogs: Bailey is still plodding along at the ripe boxer age of eight.. She's too fat, has skin issues, and sore joints but she's still our Bailers.

E. Essential start to your day: I don't have a morning routine. Being scared awake by my alarm is enough to get me going.

F. Favorite colors: I like greens. Like sage green. And blues. Soft blues.

G. Gold or silver: Either.

H. Height: 5'4"

I. Instruments you play(ed): Regretfully, I've never played an instrument.

J. Job title: Stay at home mom.

K. Kids: Two girls ages 13 (14 in 10 days) and 16 (17 in July). Where does the time go?

L. Live: For 119 more days (yes, I'm counting down), we live in San Diego, California. In June, we'll be relocating to Pensacola, Florida.

M. Music group:  I dunno. I like the Foo Fighters as always. The Imagine Dragons. The Illumineers. The XX. Grouplove. Muse. ::shrug::

N. Nicknames: I don't have one.

O. Overnight hospital stays: Three: I had my appendix removed and then I had two kids removed. Ha.

P. Pet peeves:  Where would I begin? I have many. Bullies. Inconsiderate neighbors. Not replacing an empty toilet paper roll with a new one. And the list goes on.

Q. Quote from a movie: I can't think of one off the top of my head. Had this been "quote from a TV show" I would've had many.

R. Righty or lefty: Righty.

S. Siblings: I have one older brother and one younger sister.

T. Time you wake up: 7 am on weekdays and not that much later on the weekends and holidays.

U. Underwear: I prefer bikini cut underwear. I think I'm getting too old for thongs and besides that, I've never found them to be comfortable. I don't like low cut because they constantly feel like their coming off. And I would blush constantly if I went commando.

V. Vegetables you don’t like:  Celery. I hate celery unless it's chopped up in Thanksgiving stuffing. Celery is the ick. I'm not fond of artichokes. I only like asparagus if it comes with chicken marsala or on the side of filet mignon at a very nice restaurant.

W. What makes you run late: Unexpectedly finding ice on my windshield in the mornings. And the oldest child. She is ALWAYS running late for school in the mornings.

X. X-rays you’ve had: I've had a few. I broke my arm in the 8th grade. I had chest x-rays when I was sick with bronchitis and everything else lung related. And then when I temporarily lost my eyesight in my right eye, I had chest x-rays again. I forget why the doctors said it was the thing to do.

Y. Yummy food you make: I make an awesome lasagna, black bean chili, guacamole, and my mac n cheese is pretty good too. These are all dishes I make without a recipe. Give me a recipe and I can make anything good.

Z. Zoo animal you like: Giraffes. I think they are one of the most beautiful and unique animals on the planet. They have such soulful eyes.

Assessing...Reassessing...Or Something

I read somewhere once, quite a while ago, that as a blogger, you're not supposed to publicly acknowledge when you've lapsed in posting to your blog. You're just supposed to go on like it hasn't been two months since you've regularly posted to your blog and hope that nobody points it out. I am, however, a nonconformist at heart and will tell you, the one single person left still reading my blog, that I'm well aware that my blog is neglected. Why? Well, I'll try and explain myself.

First of all, the holidays wreak havoc with all of my habits and schedules. My house is a wreck, all of my clothes are dirty (I finally did all my laundry yesterday and had to wear an old Marine Corps track suit of the Mister's because I didn't have anything left of my own to wear.), and my blog is in limbo.

Secondly, I started the final semester of my illustrious, long-drawn-out, seemingly endless, undergrad career. My final two classes are American Lit 1914-1945 or something like that, and American Drama. Trying to figure out what I'm going to do once I graduate and contemplating having to start paying back my student loans is sucking the life out of me.

Third of all, anticipating our fifth big move (and fourth coast to coast move) in 15 years is taking up a lot of my mind as well. We're thinking of trying to buy a house again and frankly, I have all kinds of misgivings considering the absolute hell of the whole Vermont house thing. So, do we buy or rent? There are so many unknown variables for the next four and a half years (what's left before the Mister retires) that buying seems like a bad idea but who knows. Anyone have a crystal ball that works??

Lastly, and most importantly where this blog is concerned, is that I think my blog has grown stale. Furthermore, I think personal blogs, such as mine, are going the way of the dinosaur (I love that saying). When I first started blogging, general, all-purpose, personal online journaling was all the rage. There were hundreds, probably even thousands, of blogs popping up online. Those blogs started evolving into niche blogs, like political opinion, book review, and travel blogs to name a few. Then that evolved into mom blogs that were geared towards people with smaller children and product reviews. Moms making money off of being consumer moms. That's a little judge-y but true nonetheless. To be fair, it's not just moms making money off of their blogs, but lots of different types of people and blogs. I've always resisted labels and pigeonholing myself and refused to jump on the mom blog bandwagon, persisting in my blog being the personal journal-type of blog. Again, I think those kinds of my blogs, hence, my blog, have become unfashionable and those original communities of bloggers have broken up. I can only think of one or two blogger friends of mine that are still blogging. Having teenagers, I don't fit into the mom blogger community anyway.

So, I'm at a crossroads. I've been debating for the past couple months, longer really if I'm honest with myself, about ending this blog. It will be ten years this fall since I started blogging. That is such a long time, I can hardly believe it's been that long. I'd be sad to give it up but maybe it's time. Or, maybe it's time to repurpose my blog and blog about something specific like reading/books, knitting/crocheting (which I've been totally into the past few weeks), television and/or music, cooking/recipes, pets, blah blah. I just don't know yet. Plus, my interests ebb and flow so what I'm into now (knitting and Downton Abbey) won't necessarily be at the forefront a month from now. We also bought a totally nice DSLR camera and I'm thinking about taking up photography. Times like these, I think I'm ADD.

I thought typing this up would help me make a decision, but I haven't sorted my thoughts out at all. I still need to think about it I guess.

Why the USPS is Going the Way of the Dinosaur

#USPS #badUSPS

This arrived in my mail yesterday:

It's postmarked from December 28th and it once contained a prepaid gift card inside of it. First of all, it took the post office almost a month to get it to us so that we had some idea of why it never arrived. Second of all, they apologize for it arriving damaged but not for the fact that it had obviously been purposely opened and the contents stolen.

Luckily, when it didn't arrive in a timely manner, I was able to let the person who had sent it know and they were able to contact the bank who was able to verify that the card had never been used and then proceeded to cancel it. So a big fat HA to the thief.

But seriously, the USPS has been struggling for years to compete with e-mail and other delivery companies and to stay afloat. They're considering not delivering mail on Saturdays and raise the price of a stamp annually. Personally, I can probably count on one hand how many times a year I use the USPS to send a letter or package.

This is most definitely not the first time I've had issues with the USPS and have even had to file official complaints when I didn't receive packages because the postal worker was too idiotic to read the mailing label. And that was seriously why we never got them, because they were delivering them to the incorrect address even though the correct address was written on the mailing label and then that person was keeping our stuff.

Maybe, just maybe, if the USPS would raise the level of customer service and actually do something when a customer has an issue and catapult themselves into the 21st century and actually compete with technology and their competition, they might not be having such a hard time staying a viable option when it comes to people's mailing needs.

USPS, you don't care.

November 16, 2012: Blog Hopping Friday

I have to say, I simply cannot believe that Thanksgiving is less than a week away. Where does the time go? Today is my kids' last day of school before they get an entire week off. Again, I have to say that I'm really looking forward to that. Life is so much more uncomplicated when I get to keep my family home with me.

Getting to the point...

1. My best quality is my honesty. If you ask my opinion, you can rest assured that I'll tell you like it is.
2. One of my less flattering qualities is my amazing ability to hold a grudge. I always think that by letting things go, I'm letting someone take advantage of me or get away with being a terrible person to me.
3. I'd rather be drinking coffee than tea this morning. But I'm changing my ways and having morning tea instead of coffee. That doesn't mean that I've stopped drinking coffee, it's just that I'm trying to start my day with green tea which is detoxifying rather than stopping up my system with coffee first thing in the morning. We'll see how it goes.
4. Something I have been challenged with lately is keeping up with NaBloPoMo. I gave up on the one picture a day thing on Instagram. I've had an extremely rough week and have given myself two mulligans with NaBloPoMo. Take that NaBloPoMo.
5. I am looking forward to my kids having school off this next week and Thanksgiving dinner.
6. A super random factoid about me is I am sad that Hostess is going out of business. I don't remember the last time that I had a Twinkie, but it was somehow comforting knowing they were out there if I ever had a craving.
7. I want to have an entire room filled with books and yarn. I want this room to have a secret door that only I know where it is. It would have an entire wall that is floor to ceiling windows that look out over green rolling hills as far as the eye could see. And it would be soundproof.

This week's Five Question Friday is being guest hosted by Kate at Kate's Life.

1. What snacks/drinks do you eat at the movies? I always have a soda and buttered popcorn. Then I have either Sour Patch Kids or Twizzlers. Sometimes I'll have Raisinets but usually it's Sour Patch Kids or Twizzlers.
2. What's one food you refuse to ever try? The reproductive organs of any animal. I'd rather eat bugs first. 
3. What's your favorite nail polish color? This is such an easy question for me. I absolutely love Essie's Scarlet O'Hara. It's the most perfect red and I get compliments almost every time I wear it. 
4. What's your favorite Thanksgiving tradition? Making and eating dinner. Everyone in my little family helps out. And of course, eating it is always good.
5. What are your least favorite words in the English language? Entitled because I dislike people who figure they're entitled to everything without following rules and regulations or having to actually work for it. Smile because it sounds funny when I say it. Same goes for drawer too. Any word that I mispronounce because I hate mispronouncing words.

Three Blogs I Always Read

#30DaysHathNovember

Scrolling through my subscriptions, I think it would be easier to find three blogs that I used to always read. Blogging has pretty much reached it's peak and gone beyond it and a lot of my favorite blogs haven't been updated in ages. :(

Anyway...

The Bloggess

Tudor History Blog

Wine Harlots

Style Inspiration for the Season

#30DaysHathNovember

Something I'm Proud Of

My restraint. This day made it into the top ten worst days of my life and I didn't kill, run over, or beat anyone. No matter how much they could've used a bitch slap to the face. And I don't want to talk about it so don't ask.

The Last Item I Purchased

I am such a very boring person. The last thing I purchased was dinner at Weinerschnitzel. Something slightly more interesting than that is the thing I purchased before that. Say hello to Click & Grow.

If you know me at all or have followed my blog at all, you know that I have a brown thumb. I kill everything I try to grow with the exception of cactus and succulents. If I don't kill it, snails do. Well, I can grow an obscene amount of tomatoes. So many tomatoes that I still have nightmares about them. Overall, I am just a plain old unsuccessful gardener/horticulturalist which is a shame because I love plants, flowers, herbs, and homegrown veggies. 

I heard about Click & Grow around some social networking something. Probably Twitter. It sounded pretty foolproof so I decided to give it a try. I got my kit in the mail on Thursday, rushed it into the house, and broke it out of its box. Setting it up was extremely simple. A mere five days of being turned on and watered and I already have sprouts!! I just noticed today that I had life in my pod. Woot!!

If my cockscomb grow well, I will definitely be ordering more plant cartridges. I love that this combines my obsession with technology with my want to grow things. I also really like the speed with which I received my order on Nov 2nd and it delivered on Nov 8th. They were also really good with order and shipment confirmation. I appreciate speed, accuarcy, and being kept in the know.

Keep your fingers crossed that my batteries don't die and that I don't get a rogue snail that kill my sprouts.

Three Years Ago Today

#30DaysHathNovember

I have to stop and figure out what that year is. November 11, 2009. I looked back through old blog posts to see what I was up to and luckily, I posted pretty regularly and I can tell you exactly what I was doing on this day three years ago:  vacationing at the Outer Banks. It was our last OBX vacation before we moved back to California. It was also when Nor'Ida rolled through which was pretty memorable.

I love California, in particular, San Diego. It's home as no place has been for many years. But, North Carolina's beaches are beautiful, especially at the Outer Banks and I miss vacationing at the OBX. San Diego's beaches are beautiful too, but in a more dramatic way with its cliffs and bluffs and huge waves. North Carolina's beaches are serene and warm and more welcoming in my opinion.

Ugh. This post has made me depressed. I miss having an annual vacation!!!

A Favorite Recipe

First off, Happy 237th Birthday to the US Marine Corps and to all Marines, past and present, who have served their country with dignity and honor.

Now, I have a LOT of favorite recipes. I share them on Pinterest, this blog, and Facebook from time to time. In honor of the fact that fall has finally arrived to San Diego (it's rained off and on the past couple days with temps only in the 60s) I'm going to share a recipe from Cooking Light that always gets play at my house during the colder months. It's from their January 2006 issue which means we've been having this for almost seven years now. In fact, we're going to be having it sometime in the next week. It takes a little prep time since you have to make the sausage yourself, but with using ground pork and ground turkey, it's super lean, very tasty, and worth the extra effort.

Ingredients

Sausage:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Dash of kosher salt
• 3/4 pound lean ground pork
• 3/4 pound ground turkey breast

Chili:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups diced onion (about 2 medium)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
• 4 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
• 3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
• 3 cups water
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans no salt-added diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 cup very finely chopped cilantro, divided
• Low-fat sour cream (optional)
• Sliced green onions (optional)

Preparation

To prepare sausage, combine first 12 ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
To prepare chili, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage mixture; cook 7 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon garlic, 2 teaspoons oregano, and chiles; cook 4 minutes or until onion is tender. Place 1 1/2 cups black beans and 1 cup broth in a food processor; process until smooth. Add puréed beans, remaining beans, remaining 2 cups broth, water, and tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 45 minutes or until slightly thick. Stir in juice and cilantro. Ladle about 1 3/4 cups chili into each of 6 bowls. Garnish each serving with sour cream and sliced green onions, if desired.

November 9, 2012: Blog Hopping Friday

1. I like spending time with my husband. He's been on leave this week and it's been really nice hanging out together.
2. A life goal of mine is to travel and see the things I've only read about in books or seen on television.
3. The last thing you would ever expect me to like (even though I secretly do) is I have no idea. I'm pretty open about all my many obsessions. I like video games, sci fi, reading almost every genre of book I can get my hands on, and I'm an openly, unashamed, nerd. What else is there to keep secret? Hmm. I don't think I've ever talked about how I like lizards. There ya go.
4. Some wise words that I love are let people's well-intentioned, yet busybody, judge-y advice go in one ear and out the other.
5. Most mornings you will find me with iPad in hand, reading my e-mail and checking on Facebook while the kids get ready for school.
6. Right now I am super into The Walking Dead, Of Monsters and Men, The Lumineers, and writing.
7. Right now I am super over democrats and republicans and daylight savings. When will this country put an end to daylight savings???

1. If you had c-section do you wish you would have had vaginal? Or vice versa?  I've never had a c-section and don't wish that I had. I wouldn't want the long recovery time.

2. If vaginal did you go drug free? For the Oldest, I had a shot of Demerol which I regretted. For the Youngest, I didn't have anything. My labors were both too short for an epidural.

3. Did you have any complications? Nope.

4. Who was in the delivery room with you? For the Oldest, I remember having the Mister in the room with me. I think I told everyone else to get the hell out. For the Youngest, I had my mom. The Mister was in California and I was in Ohio and he didn't have time to fly out.

5. Did you document your labor and delivery? (Photos, videos, etc.) Photos.

6. Pick the birth story of one of your children and tell us ALLLLLLLL about it! I'd really rather not. Both of my labors were mostly normal and definitely short.

I usually do a third blog hop here from Feeling Beachie, however, Hilaryg and her family were severely affected by Sandy and then the Nor'Easter that just hit the east coast. If you haven't already, please take the time to donate to the Red Cross or another reputable relief effort organization. Please keep this family as well as all the many others who were devastated by these storms in your thoughts.

The Search for a Mythical Pond

I'm skipping today's #30DaysHathNovember. The topic is inspirational quotes. I'm very rarely inspired and quotes that stick out to me are the ironic or funny ones. Not really inspirational. Instead...

Yesterday, the Mister and I dropped the kids off at school and then went for a hike at Mission Trails Regional Park. The last time we went hiking, we saw trail head signs for Shepherd's Pond. The idea of a pond out where we hike is a little unbelievable. It's dry. Really dry. Maybe it's a seasonal pond and is only present during the rainy season. We decided to try hiking to this supposed pond. We went about 1.7 or 1.8 miles before we turned around. It doesn't sound like a lot, but we hadn't been hiking in a couple months and the trails are moderate to challenging. Anyway, at our turnaround spot, we still hadn't seen any evidence of this pond. Our total hike was 3.7 miles with a 555 foot elevation gain. We were going to go again today but Fall has arrived to San Diego, freaking finally, and it's raining today. I'm not big on hiking in the rain and the mud. Hopefully we'll have a chance to go again before the Mister goes back to work on Wednesday.

This is where we turned around. We decided we didn't want to climb back up this hill.

A pretty steep hill. It's probably why my calves are sore today.

We were socked in with fog yesterday. This is the last of it burning off.

Morning view at MTRP

A Song for the Day

#30DaysHathNovember


Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men




Flapper Girl by The Lumineers

A Book I'm Reading

#30DaysHathNovember

I recently discovered author, Rick Riordan. He's responsible for writing the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series which I'm sure a lot of people have heard about since the first book, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief was made into a movie. I started out reading the first book in Riordan's series Heroes of Olympus. I knew about the Percy Jackson series but I thought they were separate series and they are, to a point. A lot of the same characters from the first series make appearances or are mentioned in the second as are some events. So, my OCD couldn't stand it and I had to read the first book of the Olympians series and I've set aside the Heroes series until I'm finished. Blah blah. Anyway, they're great books. The Greek and Roman mythology in them are fabulous. Riordan's fantasy world is well-developed if a little Harry Potter'ish. I'm finding that I like the Olympians series better because they are told in the first person from Percy's point of view. The first book in the Heroes series is told in the third person from three different character's points of view. There was a lot of internal dialogue and thought and not enough actual character interaction in my opinion.

Something I really like about Riordan's heroes is that most, if not all, have ADHD, dyslexia, or both. As it's explained, the kids have ADHD because they aren't challenged enough by the human world and they have dyslexia because they inherit the ability to read ancient Greek which makes it hard for them to read regular English. I think that's just a great message to send to kids that have these issues: Don't let it hold you back and maybe these conditions are just a unique way in which you view the world around you. Heroes can have ADHD and dyslexia too.

I also like that though there is a certain amount of violence, what with the heroes having to go off on quests against monsters and so forth, it's totally on par with kids and young adults. Supernatural blood, in Riordan's world, is gold ichor. Some monster, when slain, turn into clay, others gold dust. It's things like that that make Riordan's world fantastical and exciting, but not so scary that tweens couldn't read and enjoy either series.

I have to say that I've really enjoyed setting aside some of the heavier reading I've been doing lately to enjoy more lighthearted and somewhat simpler books and just plain fun books.

My Home Town

#30DaysHathNovember

This is something that my family (The Mister and the kids) and I talk about a lot. Both of my kids were born in the same hospital as I was in Marion, Ohio. The Oldest only lived in Ohio for 26 months of her life and not all in one stretch. The Youngest child only lived in Ohio for four months of her life. I boogied outta there the very moment her pediatrician said it was okay for her to fly. Since leaving Ohio for the last time, they have lived in six different cities/towns. What should they consider their hometown to be? Do they even have one?

I never know how to answer this question for myself either. I lived in Marion until I was 12 then I moved in with my dad in Pleasant Hill where I finished junior high and graduated high school. It was somewhere between five and six years total. While I lived in Marion for a longer amount of time, I graduated high school while living in Pleasant Hill. I suppose I could consider both places to be my hometown because they both have equal importance in my formative years.

Even though I haven't lived in Ohio since 1999 and I have no intention of moving back, I still consider Ohio "home" for technical reasons. Well, for tax reasons. Once the Mister retires from the Marine Corps in five years, we will no longer be able to claim Ohio as our home of record. What then? We're like freaking nomads. Modern day gypsies for cripes sake.

A Friend I Adore

#30DaysHathNovember

I have several friends I adore and could never pick just one.

Jennifer S. here in California is my oldest friend. We started out as neighbors walking our kids to preschool and now we're raising our teens. And Jennifer started all over by having a baby a couple months ago, lol. She's the closest thing to family that I have here in California.

Dana in Virginia is a fellow recruiting duty survivor, mother of teens, and mother of a special needs child. Without her support, I wouldn't have made it through recruiting duty. Bottom line. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Vanessa in Japan is also a fellow recruiting duty survivor. Her sense of humor is out of this world. The Mister and I still laugh over the story of her taking a hammer to her husband's PlayStation and then throwing it down the stairs. She's also my blog's number one fan.

I have other friends through the years that are as equally special and important, but I'll stop here. I'm getting misty and nostalgic. I miss all of my friends who are scattered across the U.S. and beyond. I pick the very best people as friends.

Writing prompt from 30 Days Hath November.

Something I Never Leave the House Without

Writing prompt from 30 Days Hath November

Before I had a cell phone, the one thing I never left the house without was my purse. It usually has my driver's license, keys, check card, lip gloss, and gum in it. I say usually because when I'm shopping online, I will get my wallet out so I can have my check card and sometimes I forget to put it all back until I'm out shopping in the real world and realize I have no way to pay for stuff. Also, my kids like to snake my gum from time to time so I don't always have gum with me either. Lip gloss, on the other hand, I have no less than two different kinds/colors at all times.

Nowadays, I panic if I leave my cell phone at home. It must go with me everywhere. What if I get lost or have a flat tire or see a guy on a segway with his dog riding across the handlebars while I'm out? I need my phone to make emergency calls and to take pictures of unsuspecting people. My car also has an iPhone/pod cable so that I can listen to my tunes through my stereo. Who listens to CDs or the radio anymore?? Not me.

November 2, 2012: Blog Hopping Friday

I know most blog hoppers come to my blog via the hosting blogs which link directly to this post. So, I just wanted to bring it up once again that NaBloPoMo and NaNoWriMo started yesterday and run for the month of November. I'm participating in NaNoWriMo and maybe, possibly NaBloPoMo. If I do, I'll be using the prompts from 30 Days Hath November for most days which is a totally fantastic way of coming up with 30 blog posts for November. I'm also participating in #FMSphotoaday / #novphotoaday on Instagram. I hope that some of you will join in on at least one of these challenges. They're fun and a great way of building an online community. Links to these challenges which will take you to more info can be found on my post from yesterday. If you decide to participate in one or all, leave me a comment somewhere and let me know!!

 Now on to the show.

1. Something I swore I'd never do, but have ended up doing anyway is buy a Coach purse. I've always said that they were the go to purse for military wives and I would never have one but I like them and now I have three. Well, four. Anyway...
2. Something I've always wanted to do is write a novel, travel to Europe, get my degree. Blah blah.
3. Something I have absolutely no desire to do is be on television or radio.
4. The best thing I've ever done was marry my husband.
5. When it comes to trying new things I am usually hesitant. I'm a creature of habit and trying new things intimidates me. I really hate that about me.
6. One thing I've never done is beat other people's kids. No matter how much they've deserved it or how much I've been tempted.
7. My favorite thing to do is read a book.

1. What terrifies you the most? My kids or my husband getting sick or hurt.
2. Favorite fall/winter drink? Hot apple cider. I'm going to try mulled wine this year though. I already have the spices, I just need a bottle of wine.
3. Do you and your spouse have the same political views? For the most part. I'm a left leaning centrist and he's a right leaning centrist so we do have some difference of opinions occasionally. I support PBS, lol. 
4. What was the last book you read? Was it any good? Yesterday, I finished reading The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. It's the first book in the Heroes of Olympus series. I really enjoyed it. I loved the mythology. I only wish it had more character interaction instead of so much internal dialogue. I also wish I had realized that Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series came first and this next series has a lot of the same characters. Instead of reading book two, I am now reading book one of the Olympians series. :D
5. Do you look forward to the snow each winter? Why or why not? A big gigantic NO! I can't be emphatic enough about how much I hate the snow. I lived in Vermont for 37 months. It snowed for 28 of those months. A lot. The nine months it didn't snow, there was mud everywhere. Unless you've lived in Canada or Alaska or the U.P. of Michigan, or freaking Vermont or someplace similar, you cannot imagine how much snow it snows in Vermont. You just can't.

1. Growing up in Ohio was boring. Although, we did have Cedar Point, Kings Island, The Columbus Zoo, and Seaworld (which is closed now) so that was good. But other than that, it was boring.
2. Wouldn't having a housekeeper be wonderful? 
3. If I hadn't graduated early and moved back to my birth town, then I never would have met and married my husband. If he hadn't been six weeks premature, we also would never have met and gotten married because he would have been a year behind me in high school if he had been born on time. Fate, huh???
4. When I clean house I like to listen to music.

NaNoWriMo and Photo a Day

Yep. You read that right. It's not a typo. For several years, I've tried and mostly failed at NaBloPoMo or National Blog Posting Month. I think I successfully completed that challenge once. I'm terrible at that kind of thing. Despite that, this year, I'm going to attempt NaNoWriMo which is National Novel Writing Month. Whereas NaBloPoMo's goal is to write at least one blog post per day for the month of November, NaNoWriMo's goal is to write 50,000 by 11:59:59 on November 30. That's approximately 1,667 words per day or a total of 175 pages. I've had some ideas bouncing around in my head for quite some time and I figured this is as good as reason as any to put them on paper. Or Scrivener as is the case for me. Also, the Mister wanted to attempt NaNoWriMo but wanted company so I'm it. Poor bastard.

I'm not going the official route by registering at the website or uploading my progress. This is solely for me.

I'm also participating in #FMSphotoaday / #novphotoaday on Instagram. There are prompts from Fat Mum Slim for each day of November. Today, for instance, was "something beginning with 'c'". I dumped one of the kid's Halloween candy out and took a picture of it for today. Tomorrow is color.

All of these various challenges are a fun way of spending November. We'll see how I do over the Thanksgiving holiday, lol.

Feel like doing something fun and challenging this month? Dare ya!!

Save the Drama for Your Momma

I have three things I want to say...

1. To the asshat who threw candy at the cars parked in front of De Portola Middle school today:  I hope your fun parts rot and fall off your body. Also, if I hadn't been waiting for my kid to get out of school, I would have tracked your sorry ass down and beat you out of your car until you had no teeth left to eat candy ever again.

2. Stop putting your personal drama on Facebook. Sure, there's a delete button (if anyone actually chooses to use it) but the chances of you hitting delete before every last person on your friends list had a chance to read whatever sorry thing you said are slim to none. I'm really tired of reading people's whining. First it's, "I hate him/her. They did me wrong in whatever way." Then a couple days later the same person says about the same person they publicly slammed, "Oh!! I love them. They are the best thing since sliced bread." Or, "I hate this person who used to be my friend." Two days later, "I love this person. They're my bestie." Or, "Why doesn't he/she love me?" Are you kidding me? Are you really going to be that pathetic on the Internet??? And stop putting up lame pictures you took of yourself in the bathroom mirror. You have 1000+ friends on freaking Facebook but not one single person in real life you know can snap a quick pic of you to put up online? Wow. I think I'm getting sick of Facebook.

3. I hope everyone in the path of Superstorm Sandy are safe and dry tonight. If you're not dry, I hope you dry out fast. If you don't have electricity, I hope it gets turned back on as fast as possible. I'm thinking good thoughts for all you East Coasters. Even the annoying ones on Facebook. ;)

October 26, 2012: Blog Hopping Friday

It's been a dull week. I have no dumb stories to tell about myself. So, getting right to it... 

 

1. My favorite feeling in all the world is heartfelt hugs from my husband and my kids.
2. My favorite smell is the ocean, rain, freshly cut grass, humid piney air, clean baby smell, and sage when it comes in off the canyon.
3. My favorite taste is salty/savory. I'm not a sweet snacker most of the time. I like savory foods and chips.
4. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen was the ocean for the first time.
5. The best sound ever is a baby's laughter. You know, when they laugh so hard their entire body shakes? That makes me laugh no matter what mood I'm in.
6. A smell that reminds me of my childhood is chlorine from a pool. Also, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners cooking. 
7. My favorite of all the senses is probably hearing. I don't know what I'd do without music. Sight and smell would tie for #2.

1. Who wakes up with the kids in the morning? I do seeing as how the Mister leaves for work before any of the rest of us have to get up. 
2. Do you watch the World Series even if your team isn't in it? Sure. I like baseball. I like hearing it on the TV. It makes me think of summer time and fun. 
3. What is the best compliment you have received? When people tell me I've raised good kids. 
4. Do/did you dress up to take your kids trick or treating? Nope. Least favorite holiday people.
5. Do you have a favorite Bible verse? What is it and why? What an ironic question for me to have to answer. Actually, I do. I like the one about judge not lest ye be judged yourself (and I can't say that without hearing Metallica blare it in my head). I like it because it's the ultimate in ironies. It's impossible not to judge, for good or for bad, and people hardly ever take into account judging something for good. People who say they never judge something for bad are the ultimate liars/hypocrites. Bottom line, I like it because it makes for a good argument.

1.  My eyes are my favorite feature.
2. Thinking about cuddles with my dog and cat makes me happy.
3. It's been a long time since we've gone away anywhere. We haven't taken a road trip as a family since we moved out here. The Mister and I are thinking of planning something.
4. I just don't understand cheating. If you're so unhappy, have the balls to say something and get out of the relationship. Cheaters are weak and pathetic.

Gratitude

I'm grateful for...

• A fantastic, supportive, best friend who also happens to be my husband. 
• Having two of three vehicles paid off. Go us!
• Finally cutting the very last tie with Vermont after having moved away five years ago. Almost six.
• Netflix, OnDemand, and DVR. I have a TV addiction.
• Teavana. I have a tea addiction.
• Living in San Diego, traffic notwithstanding.
• Having toilet paper in the house. We ran out the other day. First time in the sixteen years we've been married.
• Having good kids. They may try me from time to time, but they have a solid foundation. At the bottom of all their junk and drama, they're really good kids.
• My dog and my cat. I have fantastic pets.

October 19, 2012: Blog Hopping Friday

I have to share this before we get started. It half makes me look bad, but it makes me laugh hysterically nonetheless.

The other day, I was taking the Oldest to the hair salon. On the way, this total jack rabbit was tail gaiting me. Now, I tolerate a certain amount of tail gaiting here in San Diego. It's just a way of life and I've been known to do it myself from time to time. However, I sped up to 45 in a 35 to see if he'd back off and he didn't. Not one jot. So, I slowed down to 35 and kept pace with a city bus in the lane to the right of me. Being a two lane road (two lanes in each direction), this meant that when he swerved around trying to pass me, recklessly I might add, he couldn't. We get up to a point in the road where a turn lane opens in the lane to my left. The turn light is green and the straight lane lights were red. So I slow down even further and wait for the turn light to turn red, then I pull up to the stop light. He toots his horn at me as he gets into the turn lane to which I respond with a stiff middle finger. I roll down my window, my light turns green, and I stick my hand out the window giving him a little finger wave (not a euphemism. I didn't flip him off again) cackling the whole way while he waits for his turn light. This prompts him to totally blare his horn at me which only serves to make me laugh harder. I know this is totally childish and how people get shot at red lights, but I felt very righteous. I'm pretty sure the driver was a teenager and I was merely doing my civic duty by giving him a driving lesson. ;)

Now that I've shared how totally shallow, idiotic, and easily entertained that I am, back to the show...

1. Where do you hide junk when people come over? People don't visit me. When they do, it's either with lots of notice so that I have time to clean, or it's totally unexpected so I talk to them at the door. If I actually have to let them in for whatever reason, they get to see whatever is out and about. What really pisses me off if when someone says they're coming and I go on a cleaning frenzy only to have them cancel for whatever reason.
2. Do political ads help you to decide who you are going to vote for? Not really. I don't believe anything that I hear in a political ad. It's all biased propaganda. You'd have to be a fool to base your vote on ads. No offense.
3. What's your favorite holiday party to host? I don't host parties. I don't go to them either unless I'm backed into a corner. Social anxiety people.
4. You go to an island with your husband. You can only take one personal item. What is it? Soap.
5. If you found out that your spouse was a Dexter-style serial killer, would you rat him out? Being a huge Dexter fan, I often ask myself this question. Does killing killers make killing right? Our justice system definitely has holes in it which Dexter fills. I really don't know. I think this is the type of thing that you would only really know what you'd do when faced with the actual situation. Any other serial killer, I'd worry that I'd be next. However, Dexter lives and kills by a code so unless I started committing heinous crimes myself, I wouldn't have to worry about being next. Still, I just don't know.

1.  One thing I plan on doing this weekend to relax is reading and gaming. My semester starts on Monday and after looking at the class schedules for my classes, I'm going to be swamped with reading, papers, and projects. I plan on shoving in as much "reading for fun" as I can this weekend and gaming with the husband.
2. A big pet peeve of mine is bullying. There's just no excuse to belittle and harass other people.
3. I am really loving my new PC and my new iPad. Yes. I sound spoiled. My husband spoils me! I'm really loving him too. ;)
4. The rain is tropical. We got some rain the other day that was from the remnants of a Pacific tropical storm. Today and the last couple days have been humid. It's really weird weather for us but I like it!
5. My favorite girly indulgence is purses/bags and makeup. I spend too much money on both. Oh. And fingernail polish. LOVE fingernail polish.
6. A song I always get stuck in my head is varied. It just depends. Right now, I have Grouplove's song Spun stuck in my head but that's just because it was what was playing on my iPhone when I got out of the car this morning. 
7. The best cure for stress is dinner out with the husband ALONE with a fun cocktail. I was majorly PMS'ing yesterday and to contain my wrath, the Mister took me out to dinner so that I wouldn't be harassed by the kids. Isn't he lovely??? I had a Peach Bellini if you were wondering.

1. If only I had a car and driver then I wouldn't have to road rage on assholes.
   
2. When I was little I used to ride my bike, go swimming, and play with my friends all summer until it was dark and I had to come inside. Nowadays, kids expect to be entertained. What's up with that??
3. I think debating politics is for the birds.
4. I feel happiest when I'm either immersed in a hobby, working, or going to school. I like to have something to do with myself other than just being a house frau.
   

2012 MCAS Miramar Airshow

I mentioned in my Friday Blog Hopping post that we might go to the airshow this weekend. We haven't been to an airshow in about ten years. Honestly folks, if you've never been to one, you should definitely go. They're neat and good PR for the military, but, they're pretty much all the same. I've been to five that I can think of off the top of my head. I'm a little ho hum about them at this point. The Mister could really care less. Aside from the Blue Angels, he sees aircraft take off, land, and fly around five days a week. Still, the kids hadn't been to an airshow that they actually remembered (the Oldest child slept through the first one she went to while the Youngest was blissfully unaware being in utero) so we sucked it up and took them to the show on Sunday.

Traffic getting on base was crazy stupid. It took us 1 1/2 hours to get to the flight line. This is normally a 10-15 minute trip. However, while we were stopped in traffic on the freeway, I took these pictures (click to make bigger):

Once we actually got on base, we had to park. The base pretty basically shuts down for the airshow. It's an essential personnel only type of weekend. The Mister got off of work early on Thursday and didn't work at all on Friday. This is because they use every available parking lot on base for people to park. This means that we parked clear on the other side of the base from the flight line and then had to freaking walk over a mile to get to it. I made a very wrong choice of shoes for this day. In my defense, the last time we went to this airshow, I didn't remember having to walk at all. The Mister pointed out that I had forgotten an essential detail:  He used to work at the Visiting Aircraft Line the first time and we had VIP parking passes. Oh. Yep. Forgot that totally. So, while being herded towards the flight line with dozens of other spectators and Marines constantly yelling, "STAY ON THE SIDEWALK!!", I fell on my ass because of my shoes. Talk about humiliation. I don't remember the last time I fell in public. I really just wanted to turn around and go home but as a parent, you suck it up and move on. ::sigh::

The show itself was good. We saw planes and jets doing their thing. The Harrier was neat as always.

Harrier hovering

And the Blue Angels were awesome. The kids had a fantastic time and that's the really important part and why we went at all. I was dirtied, bloodied, bruised, and scraped but whataya gonna do.

The highlight of the day was that the Mister took us to his unit's headquarters building so that we could use their restrooms instead of having to use the porta potties like all the other animals. The low point was falling on my ass like a moron in front of dozens of strangers. Walk much lately??

October 12, 2012: Blog Hopping Friday

1. My favorite flowers are tulips and gerber daisies.
2. You should never talk about religion and politics. Two subjects wherein NOBODY wants to hear the opposite opinion and people DO NOT have an open mind despite what they may say. When a person acts like they actually want to discuss either subject, their actual agenda is only to try and persuade you to their way of thinking. I truly believe this.
3. My favorite discovery as of late is a certain new series of paranormal books that I'm currently reading. The writing is sub par, the storytelling is only half believable and the characters are typical but they're FUN.
4. This fall you will probably find me wearing jeans, sweaters, hoodies, and my favorite winter shoes. However, you'll still find me wearing my flip flops cuz you can do that in the winter when you live in SoCal.
5. I wish I were better able to let things go.
6. My favorite TV show currently is Dexter, The Big Bang Theory, Grey's Anatomy, Parenthood, and Flipping Out. All my other favorite shows are on hiatus right now. Well, The Walking Dead will be back on in a matter of days. Very excited.
7. This weekend I want to try this Mexican place that I read about from one of my local social media friends. We may go to the Miramar Air Show but that's not definite. The kids want to go but the Mister has no desire to go. His work is a daily air show. I could care less. I've been to so many over the years that they're not all that fun anymore. Still, the kids haven't been to one that they remember soooo...

1. Given the choice of eating breakfast or eating lunch for the day, I'd pick lunch because it's my favorite meal of the day.
2. If you told me that I'd be living in California when I was a little kid, I'd never have believed you.
3. The last time I cooked pork for pulled pork was yesterday and it came out perfectly delicious and totally made me miss North Carolina because they do pulled pork better than anyone else.
4. My favorite color is green.

1. Do you have any homecoming traditions? Ha! Yeah right. Not even. I didn't go to homecoming any of the years I was in high school. I wasn't even allowed to attend my senior year. The Mister and I decided that our daughters aren't allowed to go to the dance until they are juniors but the Oldest child will be going to the football game next Friday.
2. Do you ask your spouse before spending money? Not really. I'd discuss it with him before buying something like a car, but every day stuff, no. Same goes for him. Although, he did recently buy us both iPads as a surprise without telling me first. He likes to surprise me with new electronics though so I can't say anything bad about it, heheh.
3. If you could be famous for something, what would it be? Writing a novel. I'm not altruistic enough to say something trite like ending world hunger or curing cancer.
4. Have you ever seriously thought you were going crazy? No. I've seen crazy enough times to know what it looks like. I have anxiety, mild depression, insomnia, and anxiety (yes, I meant to say it twice) but I've never been close to crazy. However, if you were the one going crazy, would you actually be able to tell? Hmm...
5. How do you eat your steak? Burger? I like my steak medium well. To me, that means hot all the way through with just a hint of pink in the middle. I like my burgers well done. I hate the taste of undercooked hamburger meat. It tastes like it smells and I don't like the smell of raw burger.

October 5, 2012: Blog Hopping Friday

Before we get started, I just want to say that the gas situation here in San Diego and California as a whole is outrageous. We went to the Navy Exchange yesterday to fill up and the lines made it look like a hurricane was coming. We paid $4.19 a gallon and overnight, it went up to $4.29 a gallon and that's before it went up nine cents the night before that. On Camp Pendleton, it's $5.14 a gallon. This is for regular too people. Gas on military bases tends to be the cheapest in the area too. AAA says that the average price of gas in the state is $4.49 a gallon which is the highest in the country. Some gas stations have already shut down their pumps. The way I understand it, suppliers didn't buy enough "summer" gas. That, combined with a power outage at one refinery and a fire at another, means that reserves are low. It's pretty crazy.

Anywho...

 

1. I am very judgmental. I have high standards. What can I say?
2. I am most comfy in sweatpants and an over-sized t-shirt. Glass of wine in one hand, book in the other.
3. You will never believe what I saw on my way I got nothing here. Well, a couple weeks ago, I saw a guy on a segway with a dog laying across the handle bars. I had never seen anything like that before. 
4. My mornings don't start until my alarm goes off. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, a run follows the alarm. The other days, nagging the kids to get ready for school is what happens.

 

1. The last thing I ate was an after dinner snack of Cheez-Its.
2. The last time I went to the beach was I'm thinking late August or early September. I'm not sure.
3. My last vacation was our 15th anniversary trip to Paso Robles last year. We don't vacation often.
4. The last place I drove was down the street to the high school to drop the oldest off this morning. With the gas situation the way that it is here in San Diego, she'll be walking next week.
5. The last song I listened to was Lily Allen's F**k You on my iPod. Heheh. It's a way funny song if you've never heard it before.
6. The last thing on TV I watched was I'm currently watching the Fresh Prince of Bel Air with the youngest before I take her to school.
7. The last time I said I love you was this morning to the Mister as he drove by the Oldest and I on our run.

1. What album/cd/download are you embarrassed to admit you have?  I really don't get too embarrassed about my music choices but if I had to pick, I suppose it would be Adam Lambert's Whataya Want From Me. I really liked it at the time but it's not even in my play rotation anymore.
2. What's the one thing your spouse does better than you? He's way better at keeping up with current events and understanding politics than I am. He's also better at math. 
3. When do you start buying Halloween candy? A week or two beforehand. I'm afraid if I buy it much sooner than that, people will eat it.
4. Family closets - Yay or nay? I had to look at another person's answer to even see what this meant and then I'm not even sure if I get it. Is this one closet for clothes that the entire family shares? What's the point of that? I don't even have a space that I could do that in my house. Each bedroom has it's own closet. We have a coat closet downstairs that gathers shoes, but other than that, we each have our own closet. This is weird.
5. Which home/cleaning chore do you hate the most and why? Laundry. Because unless you and your entire family is naked while doing laundry (and that's just a disturbing and messed up thought) it never ends. There is always dirty laundry. I also hate cleaning bathrooms.