Three Nice Things

OK, I’m choosing a meme as my last NaBloMoPo post. But it’s a meme that will not only tell you a little more about me, but hopefully give me a lift too. I’ve been mulling this over since I read it on this blog, and still haven’t quite come up with my three things – this will be mostly an on-the-fly thing….here goes!

1. I am a good friend. I am extremely thoughtful and always think of the other person first. I hate to see others go out of their way for me, and will make an effort to go the extra mile for someone else. Now, I’m not good at gift-giving, or food serving. But if you need something, I’m the one to call.
2. I have a good sense of humor. OK, I know a lot of people have a good sense of humor, and nearly everyone thinks they do. I’m not a joke teller so much as someone who appreciates the humor in the everyday. I sometimes think I “get” other people’s humor more than the average bear. And I enjoy being clever or witty, in a subtle way, with others.
3. I am extremely conscientious. When I make a promise to do something or be somewhere, I honor that. I hate the thought that I might be letting someone down, including myself. I’m not a nut about it, and if something really doesn’t matter, I can let it go. But I do take pride in being a person of honor.

Whew. Done. While I typed all that out much faster than I expected to, it still wasn’t easy. And I’m not convinced those are the three absolute nicest things about me. But they’re the three that came to mind tonight, and that I can back up with some verbiage.

Posting everyday for 30 days was a challenge, and I’m proud to say I did it. While I doubt I will keep up the everyday posting in the future, it’s been a great exercise, and I hope to stay a regular poster. And develop a bit more.

Goodbye Contract Staff

Some work stuff today:

As of close of business tomorrow, my team at work is cut in half. We have not been allowed to extend our contract staff into December, and there is no word on when or if we will be able to bring any of them back in 2008. This troubles me on two levels:

• Work Level: My work load is doubling, what with having to absorb the work these folks were doing
• Personal Level: These people have become co-workers of whom I am fond and have grown to care about. One just had his first baby two weeks ago. Another is expecting a child in the spring.

Tomorrow my manager will be making a trip to our location to take us (them) out to lunch to thank them for their time and service. It’s truly a money thing, and has nothing to do with their performance. It stinks, is all.

And that’s all.

Free Rice

I’m sure you’ve seen those web sites where if you make a click you can help contribute some small amount of money towards mammograms, to fight hunger, or what-have-you. It’s just a click, no brain power required, and you move on.

Well today I heard about this site, which combines the easy clicking with a vocabulary test! For each word you get right, the site will donate 20 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end world hunger. I honestly don’t know anything about how this actually works, but I have to say, the test is a tad addictive! I had to make myself stop, because I was at work!

Here’s a hint too – keep another browser open to double check some of the more unfamiliar words – hey, it’s not cheating if it’s for charity!!

Everyday

Well, this NaBloMoPo thing is nearing an end. After today, only 3 more days of “everyday” posting.

In a way it will be a relief not to have to come up with something everyday. In another way, I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to put fingers to keyboard everyday.  I’ll be the first to tell you I’ve hardly said anything profound. Yet, I feel like I’m only just getting started. I also feel like I need to establish a blogging identity, which I haven’t yet done.

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K was in quite a mood tonight. She’s only 6, but man, sometimes I see attitude out of her befitting a teenager. She’s got the head bobbing and the tone down way too just right. And tonight she pushed me once too many and I took away her TV watching time. Didn’t go over well, as you might imagine! She declared I was the worst mom ever, and said she was going to throw away the sweatshirt I gave her last week, that just this morning she declared was her favorite ever.  I know she’s angry and is trying to hurt me. Mostly I’m pretty detached from all that, emotionally. Because I know she doesn’t really mean it. But I do fear that if this is what I’m seeing at 6, that 16 is going to be enough to try  my very soul.

Mind Racing

I had my annual pap smear done about 2 weeks ago.

Last week I came home to a message from the doctor’s office asking me to call them. I knew right away that my results were abnormal, and sure enough, when I called the next day that’s just what they told me.  Many years ago I also had an abnormal pap, but they redid it and it was normal, as has every one since then been. But I don’t know, maybe because I’m “older”, they want to do a procedure called a colposcopy which is basically a magnified view of my cervix. And I get to lie there in the stirrups for a good 15 minutes while they do it. I can hardly wait.

Anyway, in the hours between getting the message and calling them back, a lot of things ran through my head, and continue to do so. I realize the chances that this will go away on its own, or be no big deal, are higher than not, but for some reason I think this is bigger than a bread box, as we say at work. I fear that it is cancer, to tell you the truth. And my family has had really bad results with cancer diagnoses. If I didn’t have young children it wouldn’t even matter to me that much. But I do, and it does.

The appointment is December 13th. Hoping for the best.

Weekend Over

Back home today – work and school resume tomorrow – insert heavy sigh.

We spent most of today in the car, driving the 400+ miles from our friends’ house back to our own. It always feels soooo  much longer on the way home. And today, since so many others had also gone away for the weekend, we had the pleasure of sharing the road with far more cars than is usual. At one point I pulled into a turnpike rest area for a break and to get much needed gas. The line for gas was so long that I decided to get back on the pike and get to the next rest stop, 30 miles away. This worked out very well, since I only had to wait for one car to finish filling up. Unfortunately we did run into stop-and-go traffic for a bit after that, but phone calls with a couple of friends helped pass the time (yes, I wore an ear piece!).

Seems like I had other things I wanted to mention today, but frankly, I’m so exhausted from being away from home and the drive today that my brain is simply not engaged. My Patriots are playing tonight which I intend to watch – we’ll see how far into the game I make it – it may depend on the halftime score!  Go Pats!!

Enchanted

We took the kids to see Disney’s new movie, Enchanted today. This was one of the best movies I’ve seen, maybe ever! It was funny and clever and sweet. I laughed through most of it. The kids enjoyed it too, but saw it on a much different level than we did. You may go because you have kids, but you’ll probably enjoy it more than they do.

Enchanted is highly recommended!

We’re still at our friends’ house and will be heading home tomorrow – it’s been a great visit!

Black Friday

Yes, I hit the stores, starting about about 5:50 am.

As usual, I spent a boatload of money on myself along with getting various gifts for others. Trying not to think about the bills that will roll in starting next month. But I was very successful in getting lots of things for a lot of folks on my list – yay!! And I got to have an “adult” day while the kids stayed home playing with our friends’ kids.

We arrived home about 10 hours after we left the house and we are fried. Is it bedtime yet?

Turkey Time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are celebrating with friends this year; friends who have become family. For this I am thankful.
Other things I’m thankful for:

• The health of me and my two girls
• A job that allows me flexibility, great benefits, and a respectable salary

It’s a busy day – lots of kids around and stuff to do. Why do women get stuck doing all the work when it comes to food and holidays? A thought for another day, I guess.

We’ve already perused the ads for tomorrow, planning to hit stores early. We’ll see how all that goes!

May the most you want be the least you get – Happy Thanksgiving!

TV Thoughts (Traveling Today)

I watch a lot of TV. Hey, as a single parent to two still-young children, it’s my main source of both entertainment and relaxation. The time between their bedtime and mine is my favorite time of day. And I make extensive use of my DVR to record shows I would otherwise either not be able to stay up late enough to watch (e.g. Dirty Sexy Money). It also comes in real handy when I want to watch multiple shows on at the same time, or am unable to start watching until the show is already underway. I spoke to how much I love the whole DVR thing in my Seven Wonders post, so I won’t rehash that any more than I already have; suffice to say that TV is a big part of my life.

Which means this writer’s strike is majorly bumming me out. My favorite show hasn’t even started yet this season, and now may hold off until 2009 (the horrors!). Others are just hitting their stride and I’ve read a lot about how most shows will just end their seasons around the 9th show, which is coming up in December for most. Don’t get me wrong, I completely agree with the writers on this issue. They deserve to get their fair share of revenues from the shows they are instrumental in creating. So this complaint is really all about me, how it affects me, how much I will miss my favorite shows for however long this lasts.

Before kids I was a prolific reader, and I suppose I could go back to that. After all, it’s a better use of my brain. But, I probably won’t, only because it’s a lot harder for me to concentrate in that way after most days. I mean, I work full time, then I am in full parenting mode from the time I get home until bedtime, and after all that, all I want to do is be passively entertained. I rationalize by saying my favorite shows are typically not mindless – both Lost and Heroes, for instance, have multiple characters with mysteries galore and odd connections that take energy to keep track of.

I’ll probably turn to Netflix to feed my addiction if the writers’s strike lasts much longer – I’d like to check out Six Feet Under, since I’ve become reacquainted with Peter Krause and feel like I can’t get enough of him.