Swirling around in my head...

In the past whenever I've blogged remotely, it's always been from the coney island restaurant, usually during or after one of their scrumptious veggie omelettes w/extra onions. This is a remote blog post, but I'm not at the coney island. I'm at Panera. (Come to think of it, I have posted from here before.) I think I might make Panera my new favorite out-of-the-house wi-fi spot, because I've discovered they have outlets to plug my laptop into. I've glanced around for some at the coney island and haven't seen any. My laptop is getting to an age where the battery just doesn't have the juice it used to.

Anyway, I'm so content right now. I don't have to worry about my laptop's battery life. I've got my iPod on shuffle as it charges. I have a bottomless cup of coffee beside me...I'm on refill #2. The only thing I would change is to make it just a hair warmer in here right now. I haven't eaten anything yet today, and I'm trying to decide what kind of soup I'm going to order...broccoli cheddar, or cream of chicken & wild rice?

As you know, I'm a proud native of Midland, TX, and I follow a handful of blogs that originate from the area. Check out what I just found over on Jimmy Patterson's blog for today. That's at the Midland International Airport. That's pretty damn cool.

As you might've guessed, the IX took the boys this weekend. How else could I be relaxing at Panera with my laptop? Wouldn't happen if the boys were with me. So I find myself in that position of trying to figure out what to do with myself for the weekend. There's always stuff to clean, that's for sure. My options in this category are:

• finally get my bedroom cleaned out
• sweep & mop the kitchen & dining room floors
• mow the weeds
• work on my front room/office to make it functional
• clean my bathroom (actually, bump that to the top of the list. It's NASTY.)
• reconcile my checking account on my Quicken and pay a couple of bills

Let's see if I actually suck it up and do any of those things.

The Longhorns are in action tonight in Colorado, and since it's on FSN, I'm rather confident I'll get to see it. I slept in until after 11:00 this morning, and it felt so good. Got up, jumped in the shower, and even put on makeup today. I'm figuring out that I'm more motivated to accomplish other tasks if I clean up and make myself presentable. Let's see if it works out. At least I'm out of the house right now...that's progress.

I'm quite proud of my last post. One of my better ones, I think. However I had forgotten that I spoke of 'thangs' just a few days before. I'm losing my mind, I think! Whatever...I'm still proud of that last post.

When following high-profile crime stories, I'm extremely slow to pass judgement. I have no direct knowledge of what actually happened; thus, I don't feel like I have any right to label the accused as guilty or not. However, there are two stories in the news right now which I am finding myself with my own opinion and speculation of guilt and innocence.

My judgement of guilt goes to: O.J. Whether or not he actually did this crime he was just convicted of, I'm glad to learn he's going to jail anyway. I truly think he got off scot-free from murdering his ex-wife fourteen years ago, and it's nice to see that now maybe he'll pay the price for his actions...however recent or long ago they were. Throw the book at him. Let him rot in there. Since the death of his wife and her friend, he has behaved in ways that have proven to me that he's got nothing good to contribute to this world.

And my judgement of innocence goes to: Helio Castroneves. It came as a huge shock to me to learn of his indictment for tax evasion. I feel like I've known him for years, and would never, ever imagine he would or could do anything like this. To read of him in handcuffs and leg shackles?!?!?! weeping in the courtroom breaks my heart. It really does. Of course, he'll be given the chance to plead his case before the court, and hopefully the real truth will come out, whatever it is. But oh, I will feel so hurt and betrayed if it turns out he really did what he's being accused of. Whatever the verdict, his life will be forever changed by this, perhaps unfairly. I'll still be a fan of his until then, and hopefully beyond.

I guess that's about it for now. I ultimately decided on the broccoli cheddar soup since they didn't the cream of chicken today. I've been sitting here for more than two hours, and my butt's getting numb. I hope everyone out there has a wonderful first Saturday of October...

At the hospital

So here I am at the University of Michigan hospital's cafeteria. The IB is in for his little operation on the family jewels, and thankfully, the cafeteria has wi-fi! I'm having what has to be at least my fourth cup of coffee since getting up this morning, and frankly, it's tasting quite bitter at this point.

Everything has gone well so far this morning…we were a few minutes late, but that's pretty typical. The OR was a little backed up, anyway. The IB was getting quite restless, and I couldn't put him down and let him go exploring the pre-op area, due to the other patients. Everyone sure thought he was a cute little guy, though!

So finally they come to take him away from me, and that point, I'm ready. My arms are so tired from trying to keep him corralled and entertained, I'm ready for the relief! But now that he's gone, and I can't get to him, I miss him so much!

When we got to our pre-op cubby, there was a child next door who was bald. Ya know, you hear about kids with cancer, you see the ads on TV all the time for St. Jude's, or whatever…but it always stays somewhat distant and detached when you see it on the TV screen. But this child…and frankly, I couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl…I just wanted to scoop up and love! He/She was in good spirits, like it was old hat. Which makes me sad, in a way. Surgery and other such intrusive medical procedures should not be so well known to a child this age. Kudos, to the youngster, though, for apparently being strong and mature enough to roll with the punches that life has so unfairly dealt him/her.

The IX had said a while back that he wanted to be here for the IB's surgery. I said that would be fine with me, and gave him all the info. I haven't been looking forward to him being around for this…I wasn't planning on talking with him much, or really having too much to do with him. That's why I decided to bring the laptop……………………

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1:00 PM
I got paged to go be with the IB in the recovery room, so I had to cut it off. Everything went fine, and we're now back home, and the IB's up in his own little beddy-bye, sleeping off the residual effects of the anesthesia.

So anyway, just as we find a spot in the parking garage, I get a text from the IX, saying he slept late and wouldn't make it. Whatever…it seems like in this situation, better late than never is the name of the game. I'm upset for the the IB's sake, but was relieved for my own sake.

Loser.

The IB came through the procedure with flying colors, and was extremely cranky and out of sorts when I got to him. He lethargically cried for about 30-45 minutes. The nurses seemed to be a little concerned about this, but I assured them that it was just his tenacity shining through. He didn't even want to suck his thumb, or drink any juice, or anything! But finally, he snuggled his 'boppy,' (his cloth diaper that's his little security blanket) stuck his thumb in his mouth and let it go.

He still hasn't eaten anything today, but he seemed like he needed a nap more than he was hungry. So when he wakes up, I'll be sure to give him lots of his favorite foods. Bless that sweet little itty-bitty heart…

I'll be back later, hopefully. I think I could use a bit of a snooze myself.

I'll take potpourri for $200, Alex...

I finally did it. I called my vehicle's dealership and got it in for its 40,000 mile maitenance. I never got its 35,000-mile oil change, and right now the odometer indicates I'm right in between the two maintenance milestones, if you will. So I just decided to get it all done a little early.

I'm driving an old beater p-o-s loaner car. These types of cars make me appreciate my Honda all the more! The three hours I must wait to have my car returned to me is all I need to have the love for it fully renewed.

So I took off in that little p-o-s to the local Panera. And here I am. I miss my babies. There are kiddoes all over this cafe, and just makes my heart yearn for my boys!

Let's see...what else...


Oh yes. I had to take the IB to an appointment at the hospital yesterday morning to check if his left testicle has descended over the course of his first year or not. And we found out it hasn't. So that means...gasp...surgery. It's an outpatient thing, but still. So the date scheduled for that is Oct. 1. Oh, the dread.

Ummm...

The Longhorns are playing today! Yeehaw!!! And it's being televised on ESPN2, so I'm a happy camper. I should be getting my car back just in time to cruise home and flip on the game. I'm hoping that the 'Horns get the rout against Central Florida today that I was expecting against Arkansas St. two weeks ago.

So I finally got my resume all in order, and have begun the complicated, red-taped, pointless and frustrating process to start applying for jobs within the University of Michigan system. The first part of that is submitting my resume for a pre-employment screening. That involves waiting half an hour from submission, then calling this number for a brief phone interview. A face-to-face interview is then scheduled, and I'll be off to the races. So I got my resume submitted, waited the half-hour, and called. Whaddya know...voicemail. So I left my message, and didn't let my phone get out of earshot for the rest of the day. And....nothin'. And nothing again on yesterday. I'd better get a freakin' call on Monday, or I'm gonna be pissed. I'm also going to apply for the temp pool at U of M, but I can't apply for that online. I have to print up the application and either mail it in or drop it off. And my printer blows. So I think after I'm done with this post I'm gonna go climb in my little piece and head to Best Buy to get this HP all-in-one printer I've had my eye on. Remember I got my computer paid off, so the balance on my Best Buy card is now $0.

I'm craving Whataburger right now. That'd be so good. That has to be one thing I miss the most about living in Texas. McDonald's....blech. BK...blech. We don't even have Sonic! Michigan sucks.

OK...I guess that's all I have. For now, anyway. Off to my favorite store in the whole wide world...Best Buy!

GO 'HORNS!

Finally, I got to publish this post!

I really hate it when I let so, so many days go between blog entries. But this week, I just haven't felt much like doing anything. My living room floor is completely covered with the CD's the IB has pulled out of the shelves, as well as tons and tons of expired grocery flyers.

The boys went with their dad last evening. But it almost came crashing down. As you may or may not know, the IX & I had agreed to him having the kids every weekend for the summer once our divorce papers were signed. But for last weekend, he let me know that he was scheduled to work all weekend and wouldn't be able to take them. OK, fine. So earlier this week, he and I had an email conversation about his plans to take the kids this weekend. Everything was all set. He was even going to keep them an extra night for the holiday. The RK was really excited about that.

And then Thursday, via text messages, this (pay close attention to the time stamps as you go):

IX 10:57 AM: I seriously need to cancel this weekend. After two weeks of no days off, there are too many things I need to take care of on sat. Plus I need the r & r. On sun.

11:03 AM: planning on attending the [Indycar]race [in downtown Detroit]. I can speak to [the RK] about it as well. Please try to keep a good attitude. It will help the kids out. I will simply have them n [Character allotment for texts just ran out, and I didn't get the rest of the message. I'm guessing it said 'next weekend.']

Me 11:13 AM: It’s not my attitude that’s the problem. It’s a shame you want to be a dad when it’s convenient. I could use the r&r as well as time to take care of stuff too.

IX 11:23 AM: fine. I can take them. Sorry to bother you. Forget I said anything.

Me 11:24 AM: oh no, we’re so sorry to bother you!

IX 2:20 PM: will return them early Sunday morning then.

Me 2:22 PM : why can’t you just stick with our agreement? [The RK]’s really excited about the extra day with you.

IX 2:28 PM: want to spend time with them. Problem is I have tickets for the Detroit race. Can you watch them on Sunday? I’ll pick them back up afterwards. Work with me please.

Me 2:30 PM: did you forget about the race earlier this week [when we were emailing], or did you just now get the tix?

IX 2:32 PM: right. Just got them today.

Me 2:34 PM: so you basically are willing to dump on your kids when something better comes up.

IX 2:37 PM: no. I’ll just take them. Won’t go to the race. Thanks for your help.

3:38 PM: Boy, it sure does pay off being honest with you. Thanks for showing me your true colors.

Me 3:46 PM: What colors are they, exactly? Wanting my kids to have at least a halfway decent relationship with their father?

IX 3:52 PM: All I was asking for a little help [sic] on my situation. One more weekend or not even that just a day at minimum. You make it seem like I won’t see them again.

3:55PM: enjoy your weekend. It’s going to be a nice one.

Me 4:00 PM: all I see is you willing to disappoint your kids for your own selfish reasons. We had agreed that you were going to take them, so that means you don’t get to…

4:00 PM: go to the race. End of story…grow up.

IX 4:16PM: Have the utmost confidence in that lessons have learned [sic]. And won’t be repeated. Definitely count on that fact.

Me 4:18 PM: whatever

Oh, this whole thing Thursday sent me into such a tailspin! I was so angry, I was absolutely shaking. It just pisses me off so much to realize how messed up his priorities are.

I can tell by the messages he was sending me that I really pissed him off as well. I mean, I thought the whole thing was settled with my message sent at 11:24. But then three hours later, he starts it all back up again. And then after our next session, once again I thought it was all settled with the 2:37 message. So I can just see him in those in-between times stewing over it.

It's so interesting to think about how our relationship is changing through all this. During our marriage, he never showed anger towards me, rarely disagreed with me, at least over big things, and just kept everything all bottled up inside, leaving me twisting in the wind wondering what the hell was going on inside his head. I so desperately wanted him to get mad at me sometimes. To let me know that I affected him, even if it was in a bad way. Because in my case, even a bad way was better than my having no effect on him at all, which was my reality.

So I'm finally getting what I wanted from him, now that we're divorced. I guess it's better than nothing. I feel that during our marriage, I constantly put his feelings before my own, conceding in so many disagreements, doing what I could to make him happy. Now that he's no longer my husband, his feelings and his happiness no longer matter to me. My children's do. They are numero uno on my list of priorities, so hell yeah I tore into the IX and had absolutely no desire to work with him or facilitate his getting to that race.

Ya know, come to think of it, I guess this goes both ways. I'm telling him what I really think, instead of taking his feelings into consideration like I did while we were married. So now he's letting me see his reactions. Interesting.

So anyway, thinking back on this whole episode, which makes me a little nauseous, to be honest with you, I think about how the whole thing could've been avoided if the IX would've just acted like the 35-year-old parent he is, and when the race tickets became available, had said, "I'd really love to go, but I have my kids this weekend. Maybe next year."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've been trying to get this post published since yesterday afternoon, and I finally got the chance to work on it some more! I went through and edited the 'yesterdays' to 'Thursdays,' etc. And now I think it's up-to-date.

The reason I never got to publish was that not too long after the boys had taken off with their dad, I get a phone call from single mom friend #2. This past Sunday, I had tried to call her to let her know that I was still ready to honor our agreement made earlier in the summer about letting her son come spend the days of the last week of summer vacation with us like he did the first week of vacation. I didn't get an answer and left a voice message. And I never heard anything back. So all this week I've had the worrisome suspicion that she's done with me, I'm just too flighty & flaky for her.

So last night, my phone rings, and it's her, profusely apologizing for not calling me back, that when I had actually called, she was at the ER after hurting her ribs. She hadn't even found the message until right before she called. So we start gabbing on the phone, including my profusely apologizing to her as well, and after 45 minutes, she finally says, "What are you doing right now?"

I say, "Nothing." Although I was once again trying to work on my blog post. But really....priorities....

She says, "You just wanna come hang out and have a beer with me in my garage?"

So I dart out the door.

And we have tentatively made plans to go out tonight, if she can find a babysitter for her son. We sincerely need to try to finagle our weekends with our kids so they coincide.

This morning when I woke up, though, I feel like I don't know if I actually want to go out tonight. I have SO MANY things to get done around the house this weekend, and James Blake to watch tonight at the U.S. Open.

• My house is such a complete disaster (thanks to my formidable force of destruction, aka the IB), I must get it cleaned up.
• I must clean the bathrooms. They're funky. It's been entirely too long since I've cleaned them.
• I need to mow. It's been three weeks.
• I still need to clean out the garage and evict or murder about 5749305589 spiders living in it.
• I need to take my plastics & cardboard to the recycle bins.

I really, really, really hate letting my list get this long (yes, that's long for me), but I just don't know where to start. It overwhelms me. I really need to get over that.

On a happy note....

Do you know what today is?

IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!!!!

YEEHAW!!!!!

The Longhorns are playing Arkansas St. tonight, which should be a handy rout. I have the possibility of watching it on PPV, but after the last time I tried to watch a Longhorn game on DishNetwork PPV, I vowed never again.

You see, it was a game in the middle of the day, and the PPV PTB allotted exactly three hours for the game. When that three hours was up, the coverage abruptly switched to another game, with most of the 4th quarter in the Longhorn game still left to play.

Now tell me...when was the last time you watched a football game that took three hours or less? I don't think I've ever seen that.

So I get on the phone with the DN people, ranting and raving about how ridiculous it is that we, their customers, would shell out $29.95 for a football game if we couldn't see the end of it. She said that if I look back through my contract, I'll find that there's no guarantee of viewing the entire sporting event purchased.

I'm sorry, but I think that is the absolute WORST policy. Why in the world would we spend that kind of money to watch a football game if we weren't guaranteed to see the end? That has to be the most asinine thing I've ever witnessed in my life!

So anyway, the UT game is tonight at 7:00 PM EDT, with no game scheduled after it. I noticed on the program guide that they allotted 4 1/2 hours for the game, so I think if I decided to drop that big ol' chunk of change to see the game, I'd more than likely get to see the end.

But I ain't gonna. For one thing, it's Arkansas St. For another, I really don't need to be spending money on something as trivial and unessential as this. And thirdly, it's the principle of the thing...despite that little incident last year with DishNetwork, I love my service from them. But if that's their policy regarding PPV sporting events, I ain't gonna give them any more money than I have to! Take that, DishNetwork!

OK...I guess this post is long enough. I've been working on this at the coney island again, and I've been sitting here so long, my computer battery is down to 26%. Today I've been observing a bunch of people decked out in their Maize & Blue, grabbing a big ol' breakfast before going to the the U of Michigan game. I'm so geeked that football season is here again!

Unloading zone

Boy, do I get bogged down by my surroundings when my boys are gone. It's like I can't stand looking at all the same crap in all the same places around me, only reminding me of all the housework that needs to be done, and how I just don't want to do it. I decide something must be done about this before I'm completely buried in the negative thoughts and feelings of failure & worthlessness that are slowly, stealthily sneaking up behind me, ready to attack.

So my answer? Head to Panera Bread! They too have free wi-fi, ya know. So here I am in an almost empty café, with a wonderful, frothy decaf vanilla latte and my trusty little laptop, which, by the way, I paid off this past week. And without paying a lick of interest to boot. Yeehaw!

The only downside of this is that they close in less than half an hour, and I'm actually contemplating heading towards downtown Ann Arbor, where I know of another café offering free wi-fi that is bound to stay open later than this. And besides, I love downtown Ann Arbor. You just never know what you're going to see. The only thing that worries me is the lack of store-front parking, and let's just say that walking a block or two from the nearest parking garage on a Saturday night with a laptop in my arms doesn't sound all that appealing.

Yeah, OK...I'm not going. At least not downtown.

The IB's first birthday is Monday, and it's actually a source of those ill thoughts I mentioned earlier. Because I'm just not up to having any kind of celebration where I actually invite people over, but then I feel like I'm not doing enough to mark this momentous occasion. In all actuality, there's really no one to invite. First birthdays are usually reserved for extended family, of which I have none. I couldn't get my mom to come help me with the RK's birthday party, so I didn't even bother asking her if she wanted to come for the IB's. I'm thinking right now all I'm going to do is get the IB a little cake to make a mess out of, and the RK and I will celebrate with him. That just seems so incredibly lame, though! At least the IB won't care.

I'm also having a bit of a meltdown as the clock is rapidly ticking down to when I'm finally gonna have to jump back in to the world of the gainfully employed. And you have no idea how this scares the shit out of me, on so many levels. First and foremost, I absolutely, positively am AGAINST putting the IB in daycare. I can't stand the thought of it! And I certainly don't want to have to shell out for it, either! I've made up my mind that I need to have educated myself with all my options and have at least a basic idea of what I'm going to do for this by the time school starts back (Sept. 4). My first choice would be to find a nanny that would come to my home, instead of me having to take the IB to wherever. That way, if the RK gets sick and has to stay home from school, I don't have to miss work. And I don't know if this is true, but it seems that a nanny would be cheaper than a daycare center since there wouldn't be any overhead to pay for. But bringing a virtual stranger into my home like that certainly has its drawbacks, which if you've ever watched any given newsmagazine program, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

My next task before school starts is to somehow put together a résumé that makes me look somewhat intriguing as an employee, even though I have no bachelor's degree, and my last job worth mentioning was waiting tables, which was more than a decade ago. I'm not setting my goals all that high, though. I just want to get something where I can start at the bottom, proving my abilities as I go, steadily working my way up. I only hope it comes as easily as typing the sentence did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK, so I'm back home now. I bailed out of Panera and headed to another cafe that said they had free wi-fi, but something was seriously wrong with their router. It was wigging out, and all I could ever get was a local connection. I notified the guy working there, and he told me to reboot. And if that didn't work, he'd reset the router. That didn't work either, so I gave up and came back to the boring old house. Now that I'm here, looking around at my plain white walls, I want to paint. I already have an idea as to what colors I want, and now I just need to put in a call to my oh-so-helpful field manager to get the builders to come fix the nail pops and other new house woes that rare their ugly heads (no pun intended) in the first couple of years. My plan was to try to get the downstairs painted in the fall, anyway...after the temperatures start cooling off and I can open all the windows to eliminate the concentration of paint fumes. Then again, that could make it more interesting...

Think I'll knock out a few pages of A Thousand Splendid Suns.

*Burp* Aaahhhh....

Aaahhh, the blessed Coney Island again. I just finished a gyro and Greek salad. I wolfed it all down. Down to the last little bits of feta cheese, Greek dressing, and beet juice still swirling in the bottom of my salad bowl. The gyro is now just a memory as well. And I feel like a pig...but a very happy, content pig.

My babies are gone again, and this weekend, I'm not doing as well as I have up to this point. I think I'm gonna tell the IX that I don't want to do his every weekend plan after all.

I was feeling this way even before he sent me into a tailspin when he came to pick them up yesterday. Allow me to explain...

The RK's Cub Scout den leader was having a sleepover/campout at his house last night. In the emails the den leader has been sending out, he as requested for some parents to stay to help wrangle the kids. The IX asked me if the RK wanted to go, and I told him I hadn't mentioned it to him. So the IX asks him if he wants to go, and he says, sure. So I get on the phone with the IX, not knowing if he was thinking of staying the the RK or not. I ask him if he's planning on picking up the IB, and he says yes. So I conclude that this means he was not planning on staying the night with the RK at the sleepover.

Well, I was wrong. He was planning on taking the IB back to the love shack to let her take care of him for the night while the IX stayed at the sleepover. I just about flipped out. For one thing, the only reason for the IX to take the IB is for him to spend time with him. If he's not even going to be there, then why is the IB even leaving? Second, it just absolutely disgusts me that he is so moronic that he doesn't even recognize the need to discuss this kind of thing with me! With a rather loud voice and animated movements, I let the IX know that this doesn't sit well with me, and that the IB can just stay here if that's the case. I rant and rave about how I can't trust a word that comes out of his mouth, and then threw the bike thing from my previous post at him. He ended up saying that he just wouldn't stay the night at the sleepover and go back to his place with the IB. The RK will be able to let me know if this is indeed the way things went down.

OK...I have more to say, but it is freezing in here, and my toes are about to start frosting over! More later...

Bloody marys & beignets, anyone?

Aaahhh....here I am back at the oh-so-delightful Coney Island. My veggie omelet has been inhaled. My coffee cup is bottomless, and it's just me and my great little laptop.

Last night, after my kiddoes were off with their father, I was trying to decide what to do with myself. And all of a sudden, the urge to watch Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood hit me like a ton of bricks. Only I don't own this movie. If you've ever perused my Netflix queue from my link in the sidebar, you'll note that it's on there, somewhere around #10. A lot of good that did me right that very minute.

At that point last night, it's about 9:00, and since I'm free as a bird, I decide to run out and try to find the movie on a store shelf. As well as pick me up some supper. Target didn't have it, which surprised me. At least I couldn't find it. It was getting close to closing time, so I didn't pursue the cause with my normal determination and vigor. Across the street is a Meijer, so I run over there. Bingo! And I only had to part with $9.99+tax.

This movie touches me on so many levels. The first and most prominent thing that hits me is James Garner's character, Shep. His role in the life of his wife Vivianne is clearly, yet still quite subtly defined in the early moments of the movie when Vivianne throws a teacup or something similar in anger at the door. Just as Shep appears in the doorway, the cup shatters on the doorjamb right in front of his face. And he doesn't even flinch. In that few seconds, we bear witness to so much, of which the details and nuances of this character are revealed and defined throughout the course of the movie.

The NIV version of 1 Corinthians 13:4 says "Love is patient..." But what jumps out at me is the King James verbiage. "Charity suffereth long..." And Shep is the epitome of 'long suffering.' I think one of my favorite lines from this movie is when he says to his wife, "I knew when I said 'for better or worse,' it was going to be a coin toss." He never wavered in his commitment to her, despite bearing the brunt of so much misdirected blame over so many years. That scene right there sums up this character down to the core. This is absolutely the definition of love, and throughout the course of the story, he and his extremely neurotic wife find each other's hearts and finally, after decades of marriage, start to build the type of relationship two spouses are intended to have.

Another great line: Siddalee (played by Sandra Bullock), Shep & Vivanne's daughter, asks her father, "Daddy, have you been loved enough?" To which he replies, "What is enough?" Brilliant.


I so want to move to Cajun country. I just love all the quirky and flamboyant personalities that the South embraces. I feel like I could just be me without beating myself up for my differences or shortcomings. And the attitude that we're going to have a good time no matter what. Teensy's line, "I hope this isn't a real emergency...I only brought one bottle of vodka" just cracks me up. And yes, this movie got me craving bloody marys. I can't remember the last time I had one. And the food...oh my gosh, the food! Crawdads, gumbo, catfish, shrimp, shrimp and more shrimp. The spicier the better. Coffee with chicory in it. Sigh...

That's all for now. The restaurant's filling up, so I'll give up my table for some other hungry patrons. So much more to blog about, but it must be at a later time.

The seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh year of the century

So do you y'all like my new look? I love blue. All shades of blue. It soothes and relaxes me.

I'm sitting here at my local coney island restaurant. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept, let me explain. Coney island-style restaurants are usually owned by people of Middle Eastern descent (and around here, there's plenty of 'em), but there are also a couple of very successful chains. They have very, very large menus, with just about anything you could possibly want on them. And there's also a bit of a Middle-Eastern flair on there, as well. Like gyros & Greek salads (which I've fallen in love with since moving to Michigan). And breakfast that you can order all day. It's a bit of a diner feel.

I love this particular coney island. I guess you could say it's a chain, because there is another one listed on the menu in another little town not too far from here. They offer free wi-fi. And the best veggie omelette I think I've ever had (extra onions, please). And I just noticed they now serve 'Ice Cold BEER' as well...bonus! When I'm not in the mood for breakfast, I usually get their gyro/Greek salad combo. Or if I'm really feeling nasty, a coney dog with cheese & onions. I love this place.

So I'm sitting here tippy-tapping away on my sweet little laptop to you fine people! Sipping a cup of coffee, ruminating a bit from that omelette I left no trace of on my plate. This actually feels quite good. I wonder how my babies are doing, though.

There's actually a quite attractive guy sitting by himself in the booth right next to me.

I think after this I'm gonna head home and load the back of my car with all the cans and bottles I've collected for the past couple of months to go recycle them. You see, in Michigan, whenever you buy Cokes or beer in cans, bottles, or 2-liters (sorry...no beer in those), you pay a 10¢ deposit for every single one. So if you buy a six-pack, there's an extra 60¢. A twelve-pack, $1.20. You get the idea. So I have a big ol' garbage can out in my garage where I toss all my cans and bottles. When it gets full (it's overflowing right now), I haul them up to the grocery store where they have these machines that I feed each and every can & bottle into, one at a time. It counts them, and when I'm done, I press the little green button and it spits out a receipt. When I make it to the cashier, I hand these receipts to him/her and s/he scans them, and I either get the total taken off my grocery bill, or I walk out with a little extra cash in my wallet. A pain in the ass, but I feel good making sure I get that bit of recycling done. The RK loves helping me with it. Although he's getting big enough now that it's not such a big deal anymore.

I hope to find the motivation to clean some today, too. This would be such a good chance to get caught up on the laundry. The forecast today is...hang on, let me check the WeatherBug...92°. Tomorrow 97°. I think I might have to get some serious pool time in there as well.

Child-free. At the pool? I can't even imagine it.

Let's see...oh yes! Wimbledon! I'm so psyched for tomorrow's men's final. Yet another thrilling meeting between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. This has become such a great rivalry. They dominate each other on different surfaces. Nadal on the red clay of Roland Garros, Federer on the grass of Wimbledon. And the thrill of this match-up is to see if finally one of them can beat the other on that player's 'foreign' surface. Oh, their skill, oh their power, oh, the excitement! Given the five-hour time delay from London to here, I'll definitely have to set my alarm to wake up in time to watch it. And after that match is over, I'll start waiting for the end of August to roll around when the U.S. Open starts. Tennis under the lights...

The waitress just stopped by my table and filled my cup of coffee for what seems like the 10th time. I think it's time for me to go! This has been so cool, though. I think I'll have to start doing this on a regular basis. Quite enjoyable.

I hope y'all are having a wonderful weekend and a 7-7-07! May good luck grace you all!