Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come...

An actual post! With words and everything!

You all must be sooo impressed!

Or not.

I'm trying not to feel guilty about not posting more regularly, but I often feel guilty about things I have no control over. Which is why I'm trying not to. Because I don't need virtual guilt on top of everything else. So... we deal.

Blogging is a bonus in my life: I've "met" so many fabulous people, connections that I can't even believe. People show up here and read about whatever it is I am babbling about on any given day, and I can't express just how much I appreciate it. But I hate it when a blog I love is letting the new posts lapse, so I hate to do it to anybody who shows up here looking for some news.

The adjusting part should be slowing down after this week: As school starts up again, and Pumpkin/Youngest Nephew isn't spending the entire day with us, I should have a bit of energy and brainpower left at the end of the day, which I will GLADLY share with y'all.

So, hang tight. I really do appreciate it. (And will not feel guilty anymore... now that I've explained it all. Cuz I know you, my people, understand.)

Oh, and also, just to clean house a little bit... Thank you Thank You to those who helped with the whole backing up the blog thing: I knew there was a much much easier way than the way I was doing it. Welcome, to all the new readers (hello, I am not usually this boring.. I don't think), come back manana for a Saturday Photo Hunt, if you feel like it. And spammers, I do not want phetermine, or any sort of work from home scheme, so please stop leaving the links in my comments.

Peaces, my peoples.

I want to shop. It's not what I am doing (also falling into that category? Blogging regularly), but it's what I want to be doing. Instead I am trying to get my body to adjust to taking care of the punkin and the peanut (youngest nephew and niece) for a lot of hours. Every day. Said body would rather... revolt.

Particularly said brain, what with the whole "thinking" thing. Fun.

So I wanna go shopping. Be frivolous and buy something I don't really need at all. But what I'm actually going to do? Is probably play Pacman online or stare out the window.

Hope your week is looking happy.

NTE

My Very Exceptional Mother Could Just Serve Us Potato Chips, Xena

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In honor of all the new planets that have popped up this week, here's Youngest Nephew and his new, youthful solar system. (As represented by superballs).




Baby Planets Cerus, Cheron and 2003 UB 313 (Nicknamed Xena) are all represented, but you can't see them all. Cheron and Xena are in the hallway, because they are just "too far away to be in the close room." And one of those balls is supposed to be the sun, but not a red one. So there.

A little help from my friends

Hey there everybody... I'm just wondering.

Gotta little technical question for y'all.

When you talk about backing up your blog, how exactly do you do that?

Exactly?

Cuz I've been going through and copying all the posts and stuff and saving them in Word.

I'm thinking there's a trick or two (hundred) that I don't know, and that I am doing this entirely wrong.

So, help me out a bit, will ya?

Thanks!

I'm still (vaguely) here

I'm trying to write a post about pain and (lack of)sleep, but since the topics are hitting way too close to home this week, my brain power just ain't cuttin it. (Not to mention Niece and Youngest Nephew's Mum & Dad have gone back to work, so guess who's the boss?)

So, I really am here, somewhere, and hope to be legible soon.

Until then, check out what I am checking out:

Sesame Street goodness over at The Lovely Ms. Davis.

Something I am sure I am late coming to the party about over at Woot.com.


Maya's Granny (fast becoming one of my first-reads everyday), doing a little bit of linky-goodness herself on an excellent topic.


And Mom-101 having
a lot in common with me.

Be back soon, hopefully!

C'mon and have some fun...

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Well, today's theme was harder than I thought it would be, that's for sure.

The problem wasn't that I couldn't find anything funny, it was that everything was funny!

We are, as will be quite evident if you keep reading, a bunch of total goofballs.




Exhibit A:
Oldest Sister, SisterS. Age 2, Circa 1978. Wonder what the heck she is reading...




Exhibit B:
Oldest Sister's only son, Oldest Nephew, NephewR. Age 1, Circa 1997. After he got finished playing with the boxes he got for Christmas...




Exhibit C:
Youngest Sister, SisterK. Full of teeth, sometime during her first 2 years on Earth, so 1988-9 ish.



Exhibit whatever letter comes next... D, that's it:
Second Sister, SisterJ. At her christening, a couple of months old, circa 1983. Goofball genes are very strong here.





Sister M is Exhibit E:
Age 2, the summer of 1988.




Seriously, do you need more proof?

Then check out
Youngest Nephew, NephewA, takin a bath in our sink the summer he was 1. 2001.





And lastly, his daddy, Only Brother, being a goof when he was takin a bath, way back in the summer of 77.



I am sooo looking forward to what other people have posted as funny...

I'll be checkin you all out!

Thanks for stopping by!

why do we EVER throw anything away?

Seriously, people?

E_V_E_R!

Because now we are looking for a playpen. But not the new kind. The OLD kind. The kind with sides that fold down. The kind that has hinges and mesh and all those things that we, as babies, were apparently to stupid to know were extremely dangerous. The kind that we have had at least 3 seperate times in the past.

Where did they go?

And why are we looking for such a death trap?

To put our most precious baby in, of course.

Because the playpens they have now? With the pretty music boxes and mobiles and fabulous add-ons? Are too friggin tall. For people in wheelchairs. And unless the soon to be 3 month old decides that she would like to start climbing RIGHT NOW, then I'm going to need something I can actually use.

But thanks, for all the warnings.

And, also?

If these things are so dangerous, why are they so expensive on e-bay???

Just wondering.

----

Note to people unfamiliar with NTE: I am ranting. I will actually be buying one of these playpens, but will EXTREMELY careful with my use of it. Sarcasm, people. It's a gift.

Today, I am Charlie Brown

and my grandmother is Lucy Van Pelt. She's down at the other end of the field, making a good show about how this time she's not going to move the football. This time, when I get down there, it's going to be right where it is now & I'll be able to kick it, and our team will cheer because we've finally won.


And somehow... every single time, a part of me believes her.


A part of me thinks: "She can't possibly do this to me again! I mean, eventually, she's going to have to let me kick the stupid thing. She promised... and I know she's promised before, but this time she actually means it."

Of course, there's also a whole 'nother part of my brain saying "You idiot... Of course she's going to move the ball! You're going to get down there, prepared to kick, all amped up, your leg is gonna swing out, hit nothing but air, and keep going forward until you fly into the air and land on your ass.

AGAIN!!
Stop listening to her.
Her word, her promises mean nothing!"

So, yet again, I listened to the wrong voice: let myself believe that this time she was actually going to do the right thing: that she was going to stand up for herself, and her daughters, and me.


And, yet again, she caved. She gave in.


She picked the football up just as my foot swung out, full of momentum and as powerful as I could make it.

And, yet again, I landed on my big fat ass.

And, as usual, not so much as an apology.


Nana's more into the "denial" aspect of things... "Let's all pretend that I didn't just screw you all over again!"

Let's not.

I'm sorry if I can't be all happy and cheerful this time.

I'm sorry if I can't let you prattle on and on about how different next time will be.

The fact that you have the gall to look hurt when I tell you I don't believe you is just part of your Lucy-spiel. "Of course I am telling the truth!" You coax. All offended that I would even suggest such a thing. "All those other times, it wasn't my fault. I was holding the football and there was wind... or mud... or another player who came along and kicked it before you got there. I always keep my promises. And, next time, you'll see."

Well, maybe next time, you will.

But I won't be the one kicking.

I need to sit on the sidelines for a while.

I have to take myself out of your game.


"You promise me this; you promise me that
You promise me anything under the sun,
then you give me a kiss and
you're grabbing your hat,
and you're off to
the races again.

When I think of the time gone by...

When I think of the way I try...

I could honestly die."

Sue Me, Guys & Dolls.

Money makes the world go a-round...

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

But my nephew makes the money go a-round.

Here's today's SPH: Youngest Nephew practicing is new-found money spinning technique & me trying to figure out the "fast-action" setting on my camera. One of us (age 6) did really well; the other needs more practice.

Enjoy!






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lemme just say

that your age is not an excuse for your behavior if you are over 10 years old.

Honestly, telling me that you are "56 goddamn years old" does not help your argument. Just because you'll soon be old enough to collect Social Security doesn't mean you have carte blanche to act like an ass.

And don't tell me that your bad behavior is acceptable because you are over a certain age: if anything, it's the total opposite. Listen, I'm 27-goddamn-years-old, and I know better than that.


So, so should you.


The end.

July Perfect Post

Of course, there was debate. Of course, I have such a hard time narrowing things down to just one post (see the "oh-so-close" posts below), but I decided on

Maya's Granny's post about Dr. Anna Pou and the four patients
who died mysteriously during Katrina. I think she raises some very very good questions.




The "oh-so-close" posts this month:


Mom 101 questions her feminist credentials.

The tearjerker over at two peas.

This post, over at "Smart Bitches, if only for the lines, "Once again: Willem Dafoe in drag is NOT an acceptable substitute for a female model. Christ. And accordingly, cover artists should never use Uncle Herbert--you know, the uncle who always hugged you just that little bit too long and made the awkward, discomfiting jokes about your development when your breasts started growing--as a model for the hero. Common sense, people"

Today's theme = pets

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For today's theme, I give you our kitten, circa December 1986 (ie, before I became allergic). Named Thumper by SisterJ, for the bunny in Bambi b/c that was exactly how she would get your attention.




Thumper was the sweetest cat - as we later found out when we adopted the completely crazy Frostbite in 1992.


Frostbite had two different color eyes, a gray spot on the top of her head, and absolutely no common sense. She ran into walls and doors; she would lay in the threshold between two rooms and attack your feet if you dared to step over her; she was the kind of cat you laugh at on America's Funniest Home Videos.
Here she is eating my foot.





Notice that Thumper chose, instead, to actually eat her food.



Thumper had no use for her: you could almost see her thinking "What the hell is the matter with you???" She'd turn around when she say Frostbite coming, heading for a patch of sun to relax - Frosbite-free - in. Here, Thumper watches as Frostbite runs into the table ... again.





We had some interesting pets, that's for sure.

Seriously, as if I needed yet another time-eating, highly addictive, online activity:

Have you people discovered the wonder that is YouTube? I mean, honestly.

You can find ANYTHING.

They've got the PSA's and commercials from when I was a kid


One to grow on

R2- you're on Fire!


Beetlejuice Intro

Cartoons I'd forgotten


Candy they don't make anymore But they should!

This annoying kid who I saw about a million times (and was totally jealous of... a computer AND a set of encyclopedias... no fair!)

A double dutch routine that my friends taught me and we used to sing in the schoolyard.

I totally had a thing for Darkwing Duck: "Let's get dangerous..."

Not to mention some Animaniacs (now available on DVD, people... rush out to buy!) or Nose Marie (from the pound puppies cartoon). The GetAlong Gang, or some Gargamel, perhaps? Pick your poison!


---
So, now you know, all about YouTube and the joy it can bring (and the hours it can waste!)

And, if you were any sort of an 80's kid at all, you know that

Knowing is half the battle!

(Go... waste some time... It's Friday!)

...and..... ACTION!

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

Having totally missed last week's SPH (Um... all of the sudden? It was Monday. I honestly don't know where Saturday or Sunday went.), I wanted to be sure and get this up this morning.

So here's my action shots: It's SisterJ and SisterK at the hospital, waiting for our Niece to be born, this past May. We were there for about 12 hours. And, my sisters? Aren't exactly the greatest at waiting. (Face it, my 6 year old nephew waited better than they did.) Here, they have stolen my wheelchair (which I abandoned shortly after arriving for a more comfortable lounge chair),





and are fighting over who gets to ride in it.







Also, they are tickling each other.






Also, they are really loud: in a hospital lounge.

Also?
I wanted to shoot the both of them....


Now THAT would have been an action shot.

Happy Saturday, all!

Follow the fellow who follows the dream...

Today was a wandering sort of day...In real life, it was mainly about getting through the day while my brain wandered away (a post on pain meds & the fact that my doctor "doesn't want to interfere with my pain" until after I see a particular specialist ... in [strong]frickin September!![/strong] to follow... Stay on task, NTE!)

In the blogosphere, it was click-y wandering:

And, oh! The treasures you can find:


I started out with the fabulous

Mom-101, who led me to
SavvyMommy.com, where I found out about some contest, read some interesting product reviews, and was generally in awe of her internet prowess (drop down menus? All organized and such? Ugh!)

Mom-101 also led me to:

Troll-Baby, who has a heart melting letter posted... I'm going to have to search through her archives, get the whole story, but if someone wrote me a letter like that, I'd have it made into a shirt and wear it everywhere.

&

This Full House, which made me giggle: seriously.. Outloud and everything.


Then, because it is Wednesday, I had to head over to
Amalah & her Wednesday Advice Smackdown (even though she hasn't answered the question I sent in yet... There's always hope.) Amalah took me to her Daily Dose, and I went hunting thru her blogroll and wound up at
Jinkies, who showed me all the cool spots on the web, including 5ives

where I found this gem:

Five things, besides lying, that ShakiraÂ’s hips donÂ’t do:
June 15th, 2006
poach eggs
long division
tap your phone
moblog
take no mess

(And - I found a major contender for my July Perfect Post, as well).

And, if you haven't checked out this week's Post Secret, you should get over there, post haste.


Go.Wanderer. Trust me, You'll be surprised at what you find.

Do you ever have that thing...

Am I the Only One #3 (I think)

Am I the Only One who gets this "corner of the eye" thing? Where, no matter what you are doing, the entire day, you keep glimpsing things out of the corner of your eye? And there's nothing there... It's just some weird shadowy thing going on and it keeps freaking you out?

AITOO? I probably am.

Something else that I'm pretty sure is just my own unique brand of weirdness ---?

Exhausted fidgety. That's my mood right now. I want nothing more then to just close my eyes and sllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. But I'm having this weird wired kind of feeling too. It's like if I go to sleep, I don't know... I'm missing out on something (um.. Yeah. That's likely: I'm totally missing out on..... The mice crawling around somewhere in the house, or the absolute darkness that my room would be if I shut the computer off.) I can't explain this feeling very well (obviously): It's a CFIDS thing, I think... My body doesn't have the energy to do anything, but my brain is buzzing. As if sleep wasn't hard enough (Pass me another Neruontin, will ya?)

Alright... enough blathering for now.

Be back soon!

Naughty

I have been a piss-poor blogger this week. Suffice it to say, germs are not my friends.

However, today I am feeling a little more human, a little less sludge, so I do have some random thoughts I can share with you all:

First off, VH-1, in all it's Pop-culture, Clipshow goodness, is offering two fantastic opportunities to waste time: I love the 70s Volume 2 and The World Series of Pop Culture . Now, I love the 70s/80s/90s/60s as much as any other memorabilia obsessed, nostalgia happy freak, so I'm very glad for yet another helping of the decade in which I was alive for only 6 months, and yet still know way too much about. But this new show, this trivia World Series? I think VH-1 needs to seriously revamp it's audition process. Because many many many of the contestants should have been weeded out during earlier rounds. But I do love a game where I know every answer. (Except the stupid rap ones: I would need a teammate just for the rap ones.) Ah, Clip-show nirvana and a game show I can watch while in the midst of a fever high... VH-1, you are rocking this week. (P.S. does VH-1 actually play music anymore? Or is it like MTV, where there are no more music videos, only Laguna Beach and Road Rules?)

Next, I'd just like to mention that getting a family portrait taken, which seems like a good idea in the abstract, is NOT.

EVER.

PERIOD.

And also - SearsPortraitStudio? You may have totally duped me into paying your INSANEly high prices just this once, but now that I know you will put my pictures online? Never, ever again. (If I ever lose the rest of my marbles and decide to try this again, that is. Perhaps, when we're all grown. Oh crap, that's what this time was supposed to be.)

I think that's my random contribution to the blogosphere for today: Hope your weekend looks happy!

Sign, Signs, Everywhere a sign

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Everywhere, that is, except in my pictures.

This week's theme turned out to be harder than I expected, mainly b/c my scanner decided to scan everything in black and white. Yipee.

So here's this week's picture (which looks cooler in color, but what are you gonna do?)

I took it during a freak very late winter (read March or April) blizzard here a few years back.


I though it was funny: the signs read Spring and Summer Streets, and we were supposed to be well into spring and on our way to summer, and instead had a foot or two of snow. The original is nice, in that, the blue of the signs is the only color. (I tried to fix it in paint, but, please, people... Paint? Is useless. BTW - I'd appreciate any tips on a good photo editing program to try: I had a trial of Photoshop, which I loved, but it is wicked expensive. Anything you guys use, and love, and doesn't cost as much as a good winter jacket?)

Just to show you how much snow we got in that one day, here's another picture from the same storm.




Happy week everybody!

Words I learned just by listening to Disney Music

My niece and nephew were over yesterday; Youngest Nephew was singing a pop song I've never heard before (this is not unusual: 1)I only listen to the radio when I'm in the car and 2) I almost never listen to current music). But then he popped up with the "artist:" "Oh, it's by the Pussycat Dolls." He's 6. And he knows who the Pussycat Dolls are. Also? He likes to sing this particular line from another recent song: "What cha gonna do with all that junk, all that junk inside my trunk?"

Umm... Wow?

When I was six, I had a little red tape to tape recorder. I carried it around with me most days, playing a book on tape (My favorite was Little Women , because the sound of that CRACK when Amy fell through the ice gave me chills) or the newest Disney soundtrack. I was supremely uninterested in the popular music of the day (a trend which continues 20 years later). And the things I learned from Disney songs? Well, I think they might have had just a little bit more value than wondering about Fergie's "lady lumps."

A partial list of words I remember encountering for the first time via Disney music:
(made possible because, even then, I was a word hog, and wrote them in my own dictionary as I came across them)

Enchanted & Hovering (Winnie the Pooh)

Majarajah & Suffragette (Mary Poppins) Although, to be fair, the line "though we adore men individually, we agree, as a group, they're rather stupid?" might not have set the best example.

Briny, Castaway & Barren (Bedknobs & Broomsticks)

Arpeggios (Aristocats)

Cad (Lady & the Tramp)

Nom de plume (Aladdin)

Expectorating (Beauty and the Beast)

And from my most often played soundtrack, circa 1984?


Riled from the Fabulous Disco Mickey album. Seriously people: Disco Mickey. My favorite, of course being, Macho Duck("oh he is a manly sensation").

"Oh good evening Mr. Duck."


So which is sadder? The fact that my nephew can sing A Black Eyed Peas song, or that I now have to go see if I can get Macho Duck for my media player?

Huntin for Automobiles

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Searching for some caas (Hey, my brother literally parks his car in a Harvard yard (well, lot, anyways): we have no Rs here) to post. I don't know anything about cars. I know they go vroom (actually, they don't but that's what their supposed to sound like, I guess), and that they come in many different colors. Also, there are wheels - hopefully four. And perhaps an engine, or some sort of converter? & also... fan belts.

That is the sum total of my automotive knowledge.

My nephew, on the other hand, has been able to tell me the make of a car since he was two years old: "No, Auntie, that's not a Toyota... It's a Ford." or "Auntie NTE, if you look at the hubcaps you can tell the difference." (This is not true... I had to check the dictionary to make sure I was spelling hubcaps correctly: if I were to look at them, I would not be able to differentiate between specific kinds.)



And while I never had a toy car in my life, Youngest Nephew has enough to transport the entire population of his Little People village.



Since he used to get one everytime we went to the drugstore... I'm sure you can imagine how quickly he amassed a complete collection. Here's some of them close up:
















And here, he's trying to convince my Mum that he is ready for the real thing.


I mostly believe him... I think he could probably do it.

At least better than me.

Happy Week, Everybody!