Sightings at the Mall

I went to the mall today to get the little one new sneaks. Who knew his feet had grown a size and a half over the summer?! I feel very guilty for stuffing his feet into the shoes I was putting him in lately...

Anyway, my mom, little T and I were eating our lunch in the food court, and there was some serioius people watching going on. Interesting lunch crowd. I forgot that today was election day, which meant schools were closed.

Anyway, the best thing I saw by far was the skater kid in the pizza line with his back to me. His shirt read, "I enjoy a good dump." I don't know what the double entendre is, but I don't really care. That shi(r)t was awesome.

The end.

HMPH

Okay, I am just a bit peeved right now. Let me explain.

Follow me if you will all the back to 1993. I was a junior in high school, and I was pretty happy with life as I knew it. However, I harbored a dream. It wasn't a secret dream, mind you. Most of my friends (I think) knew about my aspirations to be, as I put it, "just like Oprah."

And so, I wrote her a letter. I poured my heart out to her, told her all about how I wanted to be just like her, and wasn't it so ironic that I happen to live in the area where she worked just prior to making it big in Chicago? I even threw in the fact that I used to watch her on "People Are Talking" with Richard Sher all the time, and that I just knew meeting her and shadowing her for a day to see how she did what she did would be kismet.

Never heard from the bitch.

However, imagine my surprise when I turned on the TV one afternoon after school to watch my beloved Oprah, only to find that she had some nine-year-old on, who had written her a letter, telling her that she wanted to be a talk show host...

I was irate!!!

Obviously I've never forgotten this, and there is a part of me that hasn't gotten over it. Let's fast forward to today, September 12, 2010.

I'm watching the season premiere of the final season of the Oprah show. I knew she'd be pulling out all the stops. John Travolta escorting her out to greet the audience, Don Johnson presenting her with the rhinestone glasses she sent to him back in 1986, blah, blah, blah. What I didn't bank on, however, was that Oprah would try to find the little nine-year-old who dreamed of being a talk show host...Well, she did.

And that little snot-nosed brat turned into a 26-year-old teacher from New Jersey. A noble profession, of course. Well, what does Oprah do but surprise this woman in the middle of her teaching day to tell her to get her ass outside to a car that's waiting for her to take her to the airport for a flight to Chicago to attend the season premiere.

How nice.

And what did Oprah just surprise her studio audience with? That'd be a trip to Australia. With John Travolta as pilot.

So this little bitch gets to go to Australia with Oprah. And I'm watching at home. And Christ, now Paul Simon has surprised the audience with a serenade.

Where did I go wrong?

So It Seems...

...that things will be changing for me in the very near future. It's scary, to be sure. But it's also inevitable. So I might as well go along for the ride, right?

My career path as I know it could be shifting. For now, I'm trying to weigh all of my options. It's tough out there, but I know in my heart of hearts that things are meant to be. Whatever happens happens, right?

Well...it's a little tricky. It's unsettling when you're responsible for the well-being of someone other than yourself. So to say "whatever will be, will be" is easy, but to believe it, well, that's easier said than done.

So to begin, I have to set some goals that will see me through to this new, scary, exciting phase of my career. What is it that I want to get out of it? I feel that I may have pigeonholed myself for far too long in an industry that, while sustaining, may limit me to those hiring for a more broadly-experienced person. So do I try to stay the course with my current industry? Do I settle for something less so that I can broaden my experience? Do I strike out on my own? Do I, do I, do I...

This is vague, I know. Once things are a bit more concrete, I think I'm going to blog about my adventures in trying to carve out a new career path for myself. I know a little of this and a little of that, so it should be an interesting trip...

Blasts From the Past

Sometimes people blast random music here in my office. Today I heard two gems:

Regulate by Warren G
The Choice is Yours by Black Sheep

This really takes me back to high school. It feels like high school was yesterday. However, I know that isn't true because my 15 year reunion is this year.

How is it that I graduated from high school 15 years ago? It only sounds like it's a lot of time. But truthfully, it went by in a blink.

Between college, marriages, kids, divorces and deaths, so much has happened. But when I think about high school, I can remember so many things as if they happened in the recent past. We all go our separate ways, but for so many of us, if we were to get together now, I feel like it would feel as if no time has actually passed.

At least, that's what I hope when I go to my reunion this year. Because we all went through too much together to have it just fall by the wayside. Sure, we all have our lives now, but it's nice to know that there are people out there who knew you THEN. It's comforting.

Hopefully someone who knew me then will hold back my hair so I can puke if I drink too much at the reunion.

Update

We got the costume. Stay tuned for pictures!!!

If You Were Us..

The little man will be 18 months old when Halloween rolls around. I say we get him a cute costume, even though he won't be trick-or-treating. Said cute costume would make him a boxer...How freaking cute is that?!?

The husband's point of view is that since he won't be trick-or-treating, why would we get him a pricey costume...we could be using that money to buy him educational toys.

But I want pictures of my little cutie dressed up for Halloween!

It's quite a pickle.

It's Tuesday? Already??

I was in a loooong meeting earlier today and we were contemplating what our next steps are to be on a certain project. We discussed getting together later this week for a follow-up meeting and I couldn't for the life of me understand why no one was suggesting that we regroup on Wednesday. When I finally brought it up, everyone said, "Wednesday is TOMORROW."

Oops. My bad. I thought it was still Monday. Depressing? Maybe.

Kind of a Weird Day

It's Monday, which automatically puts me in a bad mood. But the situation got a bit worse later this morning. We have a 10-story garage attached to our 12-story building here at work. And sometime this morning, an older woman drove up to the top of the garage, where no other cars were parked, locked her car, and proceeded to jump off the building.

No one from my office actually saw her jump, which is pretty crazy considering several of my coworkers were in a meeting in a conference room that overlooks the top of the garage where the woman parked. Still, no one saw her jump, but one coworker did see her body on the ground below before it was covered with a white sheet.

When I finally went over to look out the window onto the scene below, I was shocked. I could plainly make out the body under that white sheet. A hand was sticking partially out. But the strangest part was that the woman's purse lay next to her, its strap broken. I'm not sure how that happened.

But it made me wonder why the woman would take her purse with her when she jumped. And what would make her do that in the first place? To jump off the roof of a parking garage in the middle of a tourist trap...granted the side of the garage she chose to jump from faces an alleyway and isn't in the middle of the busy street.

In any event, we don't know much more about what happened, and I don't know that we ever will. It's unsettling. What would make this woman do such a thing? It seems like she did so calmly, as if it were part of an everyday routine. I can't stop thinking about this, and I can't shake the weird-icky feeling I've had all day since.

Dear Yo Gabba Gabba,

Thank you for being like crack to my son. I mean this in a good way.

I can't explain it, but something about the show Yo Gabba Gabba can captivate Tucker like nothing else. I've tried other shows, and he'll watch for a few minutes. But he won't sit right in front of the TV mesmerized with other shows like Jack's Big Music Show the way he is with Yo Gabba Gabba.

I find myself singing the show's songs throughout the day at work. "Please don't throw things at friends, please don't throw things at friends," or "Shake shake shake shake it off! When you get hurt you have to shake it off!" It's amazing how catchy the songs are. Tucker has even started singing to them. It's hilarious - he just sings gibberish in this falsetto-ish voice along with some of his favorites. I think he's a little shy about it because I can't get him to do it all the time.

My only complaint with the show is that it's on at such weird times. Granted, I have no clue what time it's on during the day since I'm at work, but why why why does it have to be on at 10:30 at night?? And I'm totally grateful that it's on On Demand, but why why why are there only four selections available at any given time? We can watch four episodes in an evening...and then watch them all over again the next day! No wonder I know all the songs by heart.

All I know is, a kids' show that features bands like The Shins, celebrities like Jack Black and rappers like Biz Markie is awesome. So what I'm trying to say is, the show might be like crack for my son...and I might - might - be addicted myself.

Why I Wish I Liked to Run

If I liked to run, I'd be able to put on a pair of running shoes, open my door, and hit the pavement. If I liked to run, I could do it pretty much anytime, pretty much anywhere. If I liked to run, I wouldn't have to join a gym to get my cardio in.

Unfortunately, I don't like to run. Since giving birth, I've exercised two times. I gave birth in April of 2008. So...this isn't the best track record.

I am feeling like I want to work out. However, this feeling usually comes in the middle of the day while I'm at work. Not exactly the best time to go sweat it out. By the time I get home from work, I just want to cook and eat dinner, play with my baby, hang out with my husband and go to sleep. I am freaking tired.

At the same time, I know that working out will give me more energy, get rid of the muffin top I've got going on, and make me feel better in general. But I honestly feel like I don't have the time. Plus, all of our workout equipment is in the basement, and that's not quite the best place for anyone to be at the moment (we had a little issue with some water coming in). So what's a girl who feels that workout need to do?

I'm not sure. I'm asking for opinions. Something cheap. Actually, something free. I hear that there's an exercise channel on Comcast On Demand. Anyone ever try it?

This would all be so much easier if I liked to run.

I Quit Coffee. Kind Of.

I had to quit coffee. It wasn't hard in the least, which leads me to the conclusion that I wasn't addicted in the first place. I had been drinking the stuff for less than a year, and the main reason I started was because my office acquired a Keurig coffee machine and it was such a neato gadget that I had to try it out. Repeatedly.

I happen to love the taste of coffee, but coffee itself makes me all jittery and nuts. I ignored all that and went ahead with a daily (or two) cup of Keurig-made goodness. After awhile, it became part of my morning routine at work.

When I went to work at my client's over the summer, my coffee habit followed me there. And sure, the coffee would wake me up and keep me awake for a good few hours, but then I found myself needing another cup in the middle of the afternoon. And I wondered why I couldn't fall asleep at night.

Besides wakefulness when I'd rather be asleep, I began to notice that I had heartburn a lot more often. And I just generally wasn't feeling up to par.

And that, my friends, is when I decided to quit coffee. I quit while on vacation. It was so easy. I never had headaches, was never cranky (well, no more cranky than usual), and I fell asleep with no problems.

I came back to my regular office determined to continue my coffee-free lifestyle. I made myself a cup that first day back, and couldn't even finish it. It tasted like ass. So I started drinking the green tea that I found in my stash at my desk. And I have to say, I feel so.much.better.

And then...pumpkin spice lattes returned for the fall to Starbucks. I had one today...decaf.

Sometimes All It Takes Is a Good Pandora Station

I totally forgot that I love listening to Pandora while I work. I've created some pretty motivating stations for myself, including the Duran Duran station, the Shimmy Shimmy Ya station, and the Bell Biv Devoe station.

The latter, which I'm currently listening to, has made me all nostalgic for my early high school years, when I was all into extra large t-shirts and colorblocked shorts.

I hope our 15-year reunion actually happens as promised this year.

But I digress. When you're at work, and provided that you can actually access Pandora at work, get yourself to the website and set yourself up with a station that motivates you to get a shitload of work done. You won't be sorry.

This Time of Year...

...always motivates me to get back into cooking. I love to cook. But during the summer, I'd rather be NOT cooking.

So...I've spent some time today going on recipe sites trying to come up with some creative ways to cook chicken that don't involve me marinating them in Soy Vay. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Soy Vay. But sometimes I'd like to prove that I can do something other than marinate chicken in the stuff.

On a somewhat related note, this time of year also reminds me that I can knit - although I'm no expert - and I really really really want to get back to it. I think I'll start with a hat I meant to knit myself this past winter. Maybe it'll be finished by next winter. Stay tuned for the progress.

I'm feeling a little rusty on the writing front, which is ironic, because I got to do a LOT more writing this summer at my client's office than I have in a long time at my job. It was nice. But I feel like my personal writing has gone way downhill.

Good thing I've committed myself to writing daily in this blog.

Forgive Me, Readers, For I Have...

...oh wait. Jews don't do confession.

Anyhoo, it's been quite some time. My summer was a good one. I was working out of my client's office for four months while my main contact was on maternity leave. It was a good experience, and I'm grateful for the opportunity. I'm also grateful to be able to return to my regular office, my regular job.

I'm always giddy around this time of year. There's something about late August/early September that really energizes me. I get that back-to-school feeling, even though I'm long past my school days. Makes me want to get fall clothes. Makes me want to get organized (my perpetual struggle). In any event, I like it.

My little man had a little language explosion over our vacation in Virginia last week. It was amazing to hear him say things like, "Oh boy," and "All done!" I'm so proud to be his Mommy. He's good at sharing about 75 percent of the time, and he loves to help me put things away and sweep the floor. I don't really have the heart to tell him he's not very good at sweeping.

This post is kind of a jumble of things, but I want to say that I'm back. I've been thinking a lot lately about revamping this blog and making it great. I still plan to. But for now, I'm just going to keep on writing.

Ancient Parent Secret

I am always so exhausted after work. It's a long damn day. Then I go home, make dinner, play with the baby and hang out with the husband. Which is all great stuff. I'm not complaining. But dude. I'm TIRED. So by the time the baby goes to bed (LATE), all I want to do is go to sleep. The dishes don't get done, the dust stays put on the furniture, and I don't even want to discuss the floors.

I figured out what I need to do to get a little housework done late at night after Tucker goes to sleep and Brian is doing work.

I drink a huge cup of coffee before I leave work. I'm rarin' to go until about 11, 11:30. I got so much done last night, people. Is this the best thing for me? Probably not. But for now, I finally realize why so many people drink coffee. I'll stop drinking it eventually. Like when I retire.

So, Um, Yeah

It's been awhile since I've posted. I'm kinda burnt out, I have to admit. But I'm trying to pull myself out of it.

Work has been hectic. My client is going on maternity leave, and I will be taking over for her while she's out. I'm excited about it, but there is a lot of preparation involved.

Speaking of preparation, Tucker's first birthday is coming up! What does that mean? A party, of course. We're talking a barbeque with family and a few close friends. It's going to be like 50 people at least. Tee hee!

I love getting myself going on planning these things. I always think, "Oh, it'll all just fall into place." Um....

I have a lot of shit to do!! We've got to make sure the house is clean enough and clutter-free. We've got to make sure there's enough food...and along that line, we've got to get a kick-ass cake for the little guy. We're thinking a cupcake is the way to go. And then we might have something special for the adults...for those of you who read the blog, this'll be a fun surprise.

So, that's it in a nutshell. We got a new washer and dryer thanks to my wonderful husband. He really made doing laundry enjoyable, if there is such a thing as doing enjoyable laundry. Now if only there were enough hours in a day to catch up on said laundry...

Somehow, I Know One Day This Will Bite Me In The You Know What

I always, always, always find bathroom humor hilarious. I'm like a five-year-old. So whenever Tucker farts, I laugh.

Well now, he laughs whenever he farts too. This is probably not a good thing. But damn, it's cute.

How Did It Get To Be That I Haven't Posted In So Long?

I don't even know. The weeks are flying by. Tucker just turned 10 months old. It's really kinda crazy. His hair is getting long, like the kind of long where it's in his eyes a little bit, but I just can't bring myself to cut it. I think he looks damn cute like that. After his first birthday, I'll consider it.

I had an amazing weekend last weekend. I had a group of mommies over to my house who are truly just so cool. They're smart and talented and crafty and just so much fun. The meetup was actually a surprise shower for one of my friends who just had a baby. What a good excuse to get everyone together. They came from as far as New York and North Carolina and I couldn't have asked for more. It was awesome.

Brian has a gig in Vegas in two weeks and I'm so proud of him. He's got some other stuff coming down the pike, too. I feel like I should probably be doing his PR. Brian if you're reading this, we should talk about that.

This weekend is all about cleaning the house and trying to get organized. For a damn change.

This Is What Happens When Mommy Isn't Home During The Day

Brian and Tucker like to mess with me while I'm at work. I'm always so jealous when I leave the house in the morning and they're still in their PJs, hanging out. So this is the (blurry) picture I get from them this afternoon...Apparently my baby is now a hillbilly.

Memory Candles, Best Friend Poems and Pink Balloons

Those are the things that I remember most about my bat mitzvah...that was 20 years ago today! I wish I could say that it was more meaningful than just the big party that took place after I stood on the bimah and sang (in Hebrew, no less) in front of 200 of my closest friends and family. But I honestly was just excited about having a big party.

It wasn't a super-fancy affair. I had a luncheon after my service, complete with a band, a huge display of pink and white balloons at the front of the room, and little pads of pink paper made to look like dollar bills with my face stamped on each one as favors. Not cute.

I remember the party being really fun, and I remember that everyone loved my dress, which in retrospect was definitely more of a "night party" dress than a luncheon dress. But no matter. The important thing is that I got to party with my friends for the day, collect a lot of checks and get my very first period that night.

Yep. I became a woman that day in more ways than one.

And I bet you're thinking that I did something stupid with all the cash I got that day. Nope. I saved most of it, but spent some on a big TV and VCR for my room. So that I could record Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives. True story.