tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84654251806231493492024-03-05T04:07:39.069-08:00Kitty's social commentary and general snarkKittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-3845208104945414332009-04-28T18:07:00.000-07:002009-04-28T18:12:51.891-07:00Meisel and Flandrinmy brain jumped this evening from looking up Steven Meisel (photographer) featured recently in an article in Vogue (although it seems his work usually fills Vogue) - anyway, found a photo on art commerce site that reminded me for some reason of this painting:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWIbGwhuITVX6mIJ80Y61tJ1RD1UY_pveiJfJoa5fQjGTDaOdxeBrTLY0D3kMylg3MXY-Ukg10wL50CgvvJMH7PvFAHX0D-ewD0w26rFlvPoaedc8_x7iSz0qfsC6QS4JGaKCsYYVZl4/s1600-h/x196image_59098_v2_m56577569830600035.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 196px; height: 161px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWIbGwhuITVX6mIJ80Y61tJ1RD1UY_pveiJfJoa5fQjGTDaOdxeBrTLY0D3kMylg3MXY-Ukg10wL50CgvvJMH7PvFAHX0D-ewD0w26rFlvPoaedc8_x7iSz0qfsC6QS4JGaKCsYYVZl4/s320/x196image_59098_v2_m56577569830600035.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329912716262146386" /></a><br /><br />which is one of my favorites.<br />I had the pleasure, in my blessed life, of spending a summer in Paris in college. I loved visiting the Louvre although I found its shear mass overwhelming and never did make it through the whole thing... but this painting really struck me for some reason... the beauty of the male nude no doubt *grin* <br /><br />and one of Meisel's pieces has a man in similiar pose although he is surrounded by many others and so it really isn't a staging of this and it is questionable whether or not it is even a purposeful reference?Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-14865187295322182322009-04-28T14:02:00.000-07:002009-04-28T14:09:08.256-07:00the whole mother struggle...You know<br />I am struck, by my need to completely push my talents and passions aside to "BE THERE" for all 5 of my kids to the point of exhaustion so that my husband can continue to do his little dream of business ownership - and I look at my daughters and realize that if they take all this energy I pour into them and they waste it all by "BEING THERE" for their kids, I will be furious. And to me it is a waste.<br /><br />And beyond that I look at my ten year old - the on I feel like I'm loosing because I'm stuck with the four year old and two year old and the seven year old who is really as immature as a four year old, and I cannot meet my ten year old on her level. And I htink - by the time the two year old five, she will be 16. And she'll be gone. Oh sure, she'll love here but she'll be way beyond wanting to hang with me. And by the time the 5 year old is 16, the older on will be 25. And the only way I can think of making it up to the oldest is to be around to watch her children for her in the way my mother refuses to be for me. <br /><br />And so I will go from "mommy" to "grandmother" and care taker to my selfish mother, and when ever will I be me? And surely I am not supposed to waste my own talents but goodness only knows when in my day I am supposed to carve out time for them.Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-41393838522530818422009-04-27T11:01:00.000-07:002009-04-27T11:11:27.237-07:00My brother -So the sibling rivalry thing - it just doesn't seem to stop around here. You know? A week or two ago I ranted about this big to do for my brother at work. He is currently working out west but his "home base" is here and so the team was in town which meant special props for him. My mother had me crazy by her need to control everything frustrated by the fact that she was absolutely not in charge and no one {among the people pulling this thing together} would tell her anything. We spent Saturday celebrating the company and my brother and his litany of accomplishments. He is disgustingly intelligent, diplomatic, able to get people to do things, total A-List Golden Boy. I managed to survive the brother worship without embarrassing myself, and I'm pretty sure without embarrassing him either. Sunday his kids want to come hang with my kids. After a long drawn out day they finally arrive and after he finishes up his work obligations he shows up for dinner around 7 pm. Somehow it comes up that I "moonlight" for my husband's company. <br /><br />A.) My husband smirks at my brother and says "well her official title is SERVICE MANAGER." nice. in front of my mother even. I try to laugh it off.<br /><br />B.) I bring up that I taught SAP Geek how to twitter and how many good contacts did he receive within the first two weeks of twittering??? lots. And if he's use it correctly (key words, interesting bits about what he is doing instead of his flight status (idiot!) ) how many would he connect with? lots more.<br /><br />C.) the damn blog. I started a blog for SAP Geek's company when they were flat in the water without a bit of wind to kinda add some energy, create a little buzz, whatever. The clients LOVE it. SAP Geek tells me they refer to it all the time. They LOVE it. My brother snorts. "yeah, I came across the blog once. I was googling a link. people actually read that?"<br /><br />Fuck you. Take your Tom Cruise look alike, brilliant self, and get the fuck out of my house.Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-36752948220387423122009-04-19T11:21:00.000-07:002009-04-19T11:30:08.891-07:00Yesterday - social status and the end of the cheerleaderTwo separate incidents:<br /><br />I was at a Birthday Party with my four year old for her little friend Emma. While at the party a mother of a darling little boy, Paul, mentions, "I didn't know you went to High School here, LHS or BHS?" I answer. She wants to know year of graduation. I answer. She was there. She starts running down lists of people she knows and we find a few commonalities, and where did I live and so on.<br /><br />I reply that we moved here after my dad died and my grandfather built a really nice house for us in one of the gated golf communities. She mentions the kids that live there. I reply that I wasn't accepted by them because despite the address we were living on social security checks while my mom went to school and I didn't fit in with those kids. We talk a bit about how this town is particularly keen on placing people in boxes based on address, attire, ethnicity, and relations. I describe how I'd explained all this to my husband who used to summer here to visit his grandparents but who was never part of the culture.<br /><br />Interesting... I now live in a different gated golf community per my husband's requirments for a house. This mother, like many others, automatically assumes I am a snob based on my address. I see light bulbs going off over her head as she looks at me with new eyes.<br /><br />Separately:<br />In previous posts I have mentioned (shredded) "Sales Guy" and his "Cheerleader" wife. They did a good job of making my life difficult for a while last year and occasionally rear their ugly little heads and do so some more.<br /><br />I am delighted to say that SAP Geek has put in motion a plan to push "Sales Guy" to quit so he cannot take % of the business with him. Hip Hip Hooray!!! Maybe I'll start going to company functions again...Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-54146723372197534932009-04-17T13:02:00.000-07:002009-04-17T13:13:28.353-07:00Feel Free...I love it when I plan out my day. It gives me such a grown up sense of accomplishment. And then things immeditely fall apart. Today was one such day. I had it planned, I knew what I was doing and then... swoosh it all changed because Gaye's kids were sick and so I pitched in at school for 3 hours so she could go home... and all the morning errands became afternoon errands... and I arrived home at 3 PM - deposited worn out sleeping toddlers into beds and checked facebook. I am absolutely addicted to facebook. It's like my coffee. Actually, I tell people it is my "cigarette break" although I've never smoked. {never even tried one if you can believe it. they smell so nasty}<br /><br />and on my facebook is:<br /><br />Hey Kitty,<br />I just posted info about S****'s reception on the FB page AND I figured out how to make other people "administrators" of the site (so you can post events, pictures, etc). I made you an admin, thinking back to the consignment sale. (How did that go, anyway? Is there a grand total?) We might was well do the same for everyone on the list. I have to run to a class now, but feel free to go to the members list and make anyone/everyone an administrator.<br />Amy<br /><br />Amy is not my friend on facebook. I wrote to her about a preschool fundraiser since she had started a "friends of" page for persons who had graduated the preschool. Amy and I have gone to the same church for almost 10 years. She has spoken to me twice, maybe three times. She and her other friends, also all mommies whose kids have gone to preschool and sunday school with my kids for 8 years, do not talk to me. I've posted about them before.<br /><br />And so even though I want to write back "I am sorry. While you were out with one of your two kids today I had my two youngest running all over town after pinch hitting at preschool today for 3 hours. My two year old was on the floor of Barnes and Nobles taking off her shoes while I looked for a birthday present for my 10 year old to give to her friend this evening. So I appreciate your offer to "feel free" but I'm busy too. It's your page - do what you want."<br /><br />And instead I will just IGNORE her and her message because that is the BEAUTY of facebook. I adore the IGNORE button. So please, feel free to boss me around. Because I do indeed feel free to ignore you.<br /><br />cheers-Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-78042256943941884822009-04-15T18:50:00.000-07:002009-04-15T19:06:19.387-07:00Parent Interviews...Sent the small ones to bed - and read a bit of Tolkien to the 1st, 2nd and 5th graders. I am a die hard Tolkien fan and my children feel very deprived that I will not allow them to watch the movies. {Although while I was away over a year ago my mother allowed them to watch the first DVD of the first movie - RING WRATHS and ALL! I was, am, most displeased.} I told them that Tolkien is classic, that they need to hear first and then see, and finally play {We are ALL EA Games addicts in this house, fans of Command and Conquer and the Lord of the Rings games as well} in that order or they will miss the depth. To this day people quote Tolkien all the time. "All who wander are not lost" is part of a poem about Aragorn or Strider - there are beautiful passages about death, life, and I'll butcher it but "we do not choose the times; but it is ours to choose what we will do with the time we are given" or something like that... not that they'll get it the first go round but maybe if I'm lucky they will read it again when they are older.<br /><br />And I've painted my nails "call my m-agent-a" red by OPI. Although if I had an agent would I be painting my own nails???<br /><br />And had my tea - and now I'm off to finish this application for this private school for my son. And tomorrow at 9 AM I have a parent interview with the school principal. Do you think she'll be impressed by my nice pretty red nails? Not likely I know. What do they ask in parent interviews? Is it like college? Why should we allow you to come to our school? Well, the child is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. He could put together BRIO train tracks when he was two. He randomly spelt "HERSHEY" from a chocolate bar while at a playdate when he was not quite three. He can read anything. He comprehends everything. And he is so immature and insecure it kills me. So please, would it help if I got on my knees? I'm begging you, let him go to school here, where there are a whopping ten kids in the class rooms - in theory - the parents value education that is why they are paying for it - and the studies show that persons with a higher regard for education are less likely to be racist and more likely to expect their children to be tolerant. And on top of that some how - who knows HOW - 40% of the student body is adopted. That makes him NORMAL! Do you know what that could mean for him?<br /><br />So off I go - to fill out my paper work and plan my outfit - and make sure my morning goes well so I can ace my interview and get him into this school. And then, after that, we've got to figure out how to pay for it. But I'll think about that tomorrow...Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-49683913027142358202009-04-14T18:01:00.000-07:002009-04-14T18:20:14.763-07:00Thoughts flying off the carouselToday is one of those days where things are spinning and I know that somehow it is all connected but I cannot quite get my fingers on the fragments long enough to find the connection or where it is all headed. Do you know what I mean? Some 15 years ago in art school I collaged an image senior year of a person whose head was opened up (not gross but cartoon-like) and inside was a merry-go-round spinning madly and things were flying off it helter skelter - <br /><br />that fits this day<br /><br />Been having issues with one of the kids. Well that is no surprise, he's had issues or has been an issue since day one.<br />Doing well with my little business but trying so hard to keep it up.<br />SAP Geek has all kinds of things lined up and ALMOST happening - but mostly it is extended family<br /><br />I'm trying really hard to let it go. let them go. STOP the insanity that is family. I'm the oldest sister and it has fallen to me, or I took it I can't remember really, to keep things together. <br /><br />And I'm just off the phone with my mother who is sort of being a downer lately. Not in any particular regard. It isn't that something is wrong or she isn't well (at least that she admits) it is just that she is negative and whines and I don't have time for it. And my brother is coming to town for a hoopla with work. And his wife and his kids and his in-laws. And they are all staying in a hotel one town over where the company is and my mother is put out that no body is staying with her. <br />Franky I'm relieved. The brother, wife and three kids stayed with me last time they were in town and it was a bit tense. My old dog was dying for one thing. My sister was getting married for another. And then my brother just wanted the kids to all get lost and go play. But I kept coming across his six year old "my natural leader" he calls him, shaking my three year old by the head because she had the train he wanted. Seemed to me they needed a bit more adult surpervision. So by the time they left we were all glad to see the end of one another.<br /><br />So he's coming to town from 1/2 way across the country for a big weekend with work and I think he and his wife are looking forward to seeing their friends here. And there is some sort of recognition lunch we are all invited to and attending. And I'm trying to just be a gracious guest - sort of like the groom's family at a wedding - and keep the hell out of it. Which is really rather big for me because I tend to meddle.<br /><br />And so in this I realize; I'm trying desperately to untangle from my mother who (whom?) I've parented for the last 20 some years. <br /><br />And I'm trying to keep my husband out of it because some how he thinks that we should have my brother, his wife, his kids, his in-laws, and the rest of the team flying in up to dinner even though I'm rather sure they have friends they want to see and I'm quite sure that we (and 200 of their closest friends) will see them only at the luncheon thing.<br /><br />And I think the Aunt and Uncle who refused to attend my sister's wedding last summer are showing up for this. Which will be odd and tense.<br /><br />And in the meantime - We've gone from famine to almost normal in a matter of two weeks. I KNEW that no sooner did I take the job at preschool then SAP Geek would see things start rolling and while it is still slow it is MOVING - things are happening at work. And I want desperately to quit but I won't do that to my new boss and we aren't quite there yet. <br /><br />AND I've decided quite independently to enroll one of my children in private school as soon as possible adding some $700.00 a month to our anemic budget.<br /><br />And I'm trying to look the issues in the eye in regards to said child. And not repeat mistakes with the other one.<br /><br />And I've realized, I don't have time to deal with family members who don't want to deal with me. And I don't have time to be my mother's parent anymore. If she hasn't gotten it together then she hasn't gotten it together. But that isn't my fault.<br /><br />And somehow, all of this connects to something I cannot quite grasp and it is just out of my reach...Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-2171466375883677022009-04-07T19:42:00.001-07:002009-04-07T19:52:40.564-07:00Mother in Laws - honestlyReally. Why did God make them? They are like flies. Always buzzing around being annoying, messing up dinner, avoiding the fly swatter and living to pester another day. I think that once the "son/sun" gets married the mother should just poof - vanish into thin air or something. egads.<br /><br />Mine hasn't done anything particularly amazing lately - just the usual - BEING NICE. How is it that women of a certain age are <span style="font-style:italic;">NEVER</span> mean. They wouldn't dare be mean. And yet they are such bitches? Really! The kids were excited, I broke down and bought "Prince Caspian" even though it was some $24 (but there are 3 of them, plus me, so even at $5 a ticket we would have broke even at the theater, plus I made popcorn...) <br /><br />Anyway - mother in law had a smaller child at her house - and wanted to tell me and apparently the other kids all about what smaller child did and so when older child excitedly started telling mother in law about "Prince Caspian". She answered "I KNOW. I saw it in the THEATER." Wench. He is 8 and he is your GRANDSON.<br /><br />And that is how she is. She lives to take the air out of people's sails. If it wasn't her idea it isn't any good. And she'll boss you as the day is long with her ideas. And she isn't good at that - you know how some people can tell you their idea and you think, "hmmm.... That sounds cool. I should try that." NOPE - with this one I always go "great, now if I do that she's gonna run all over town telling everybody it was her idea." And gracious knows if I, the evil daughter in law, come up with something that the kids like or my husband (sorry, I meant "her son" of course) like or worse, are excited about, she does everything she can to chop it down to size. <br /><br />So... in case you have any... I'm looking for recipes for chocolate pudding pie to take to her house with extra caffeine (she has high blood pressure don't cha know) and a wee bit of arsenic. Doesn't that sound yummy???Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-70621918140774643192009-04-06T05:32:00.000-07:002009-04-06T05:34:43.674-07:00My dog approved this message<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/easter" target="_blank"><img src="http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/VergilX9/Easter.jpg" border="0" alt="Easter Pictures, Images and Photos"/></a><br /><br />being a human that belongs to a black labrador - I find this hysterically funny.Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-50381622419943588702009-04-06T05:19:00.000-07:002009-04-06T05:28:33.128-07:00Daffodils<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9CMXUjilOVdhzCZJZ7LlVAKTD2484xZcc_nsQW0ZtlYaE1ldn5zKxKHFesDXhnEbxsKz0_3bGpQFnsPk9yCopoPHNdLsxUoQ9OhuTRidWjhSsARdUwfGmwWKoMm07SLSzqrXjOxtD_U/s1600-h/_TIM0070.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9CMXUjilOVdhzCZJZ7LlVAKTD2484xZcc_nsQW0ZtlYaE1ldn5zKxKHFesDXhnEbxsKz0_3bGpQFnsPk9yCopoPHNdLsxUoQ9OhuTRidWjhSsARdUwfGmwWKoMm07SLSzqrXjOxtD_U/s320/_TIM0070.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321554039253843410" /></a><br />You know. Sometimes you stop and think. I have a son. He is 7. He is an arrogant little shit. Really. He is a sweet kid, and he cares about people's feelings but he speaks to people like he is some version of Raja and the people aroung him are peons. He speaks to me like this. I have called him on it and called him on it and called him on it. I realized:<div>His father speaks to him like this. His father speaks to me like this. His father has been deemed by my therapist (from when I was seeing one two years ago) a narcist. And so is my son. WTF?</div><div>I am not sure how to live with either of them. I have realized recently that I have changed who I am for my husband. I kept who I was under wraps for my mother and father too. I was always the good girl (I got dubbed "Sandra Dee" while acting like a teenager and playing "I never" with a group of drunk women recently.) I can't do or say the things I think because it might embarrass my husband or my mother or now my kids. I am rather tired of that.</div><div><br /></div>Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-78750638569677705572009-04-05T10:31:00.000-07:002009-04-05T10:35:53.288-07:00I lost it - blame it on Steph in SuburbiaI was all about this funk I've been in and I just saw "<a href="http://suburbiasteph.blogspot.com/2009/03/strip-tease-talent-show.html">My Life In Suburbia</a>" latest post and I just cannot be cranky any more.<div>Please, go visit. Too fabulous. I need those clothes. I need that sense of humor. OMG!</div><div><br /></div>Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-37647806284446213472009-02-26T05:17:00.001-08:002009-02-26T05:20:45.421-08:00Life Coaches?So this is a bit snarky even for me - but I am puzzled by the whole "life coach" thing. There are several women whom I know from "internet social/business groups" who are getting into some self defined employment called "life coaching." I get "life coaching" I think Tony Robbinson is one yeah? And Steve Covey, and even Suzi Orman could be called one though they focus on different things. I do not get where these girls get off calling themselves life coaches. They cannot pay bills. One or two have made insane marriage choices. One is living with her parents. How are they qualified to be life coaches? From the outside looking in I really do NOT want their life!Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-86061228280420752112009-01-08T17:10:00.001-08:002009-01-08T17:21:45.726-08:00Type A Women... puh-leaseAh... somehow I got "voted in" to go to Hawaii. Yes, seriously. I get on a plane on Saturday and head on out to Hawaii where I will meet up with three other women and spend a week in a timeshare. It hasn't quite sunk into my little brain just yet...<div>I have NEVER been West of California and it has been several years since I've been even in CA so I'm stoked. It seems a recent friend - "Fashion Police" I'll name her {she is always cute and always in style and thrifty about it too!} and her buddies planned this trip while Fashion Police's man was in Iraq. Well one of the girls recently became pregnant and decided to opt out of the trip due to things like morning sickness and all. And so Fashion Police gave me a call the week before Christmas to see if I wanted in. "You are the only one we agree on" she says. So I tell her "wow! but not likely." She must have gotten with my man because he traded in airline miles and got a free ticket and in my stocking was a ticket to Hawaii! OH MY! And he had already arranged for his parents to stay here with him so he can work and the kids can stay pretty much on schedule. Wow. So for the price of 1/4 timeshare fees ($230) I am spending a week in Hawaii. </div><div>Tuesday the girls decided to get together for a little chat to see what everybody thinks they want to do. One of the girls is a military wife and used to live there so she is going to be tour guide for us. Well, tour guide starts telling us what we should pack, which makes sense as we've never been there before but then she keeps on going and gets to where she is telling me what to wear on the airplane. </div><div><br /></div><div>Okay look babe. I get that you want a plan so we don't just sit on the each for a week and watch 20 something beach bums surf (is there a problem with that?) And I appreciate that you want to share your experience so we pack appropriately, but before you go telling me exactly what to pack and how to dress let me explain. I'm all grown up and I've traveled plenty. You may be a military wife but I'm a military brat. Which means you're an "in by marriage" and I have birth rights. I know all about traveling light. I've been on too many friggin airplanes and I've had my luggage lost plenty of times. I'll deal. But you need to have a glass of wine or something because staying in a condo with you telling me what to do for a week is gonna get old fast. sheesh.</div>Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-2404257534673260712008-12-27T05:36:00.000-08:002008-12-27T05:53:44.300-08:00HIgh School PeopleThere is a great song "High School Never Ends" that makes me laugh. It was on the radio a lot two years ago when I drove back and forth from Fredricksburg several times between Thanksgiving and Christmas to check on my suicidal sister.<div>Anyway - last night was an unofficial Highs School reunion night - everybody in for the Holidays got together at Paul's Deli for drinks anytime after 7 PM. It is funny to me. I vaguely remember High School and I have pretty much avoided going back to "hang out" because there haven't been too many people I want to "hang out" with. Lucky for me, enter Facebook, and I can now reconnect with people who either were interesting but not people I saw much then or are interesting now. So I went.</div><div>We arrived fairly early by Paul's standards and did a breeze through. I saw nobody I recognized off the bat and I hate that whole, stand in a bar and look around thing. I always feel like I have a neon sign flashing over my head "looser" if I don't immediately see somebody I recognize. So we found a table and grabbed a "hot holly" {famous sandwich you really need to try} and waited.</div><div>Eventually people came in. SAP Geek saw a local I'll call Mouse at a table behind me. So I got up to say hi to her and ask about her family and the business and the baby. The baby was there so she sent me off to see her. Baby was with Papa, Papa's common-law wife and Mouse's husband. Mouse's husband has seen me around enough to know who I am, Papa used to date my mother maybe eight years ago, and Papa's common-law wife I'd yet to bump into. But I said "hello" and gushed over the baby. Papa being a true southern gentleman asked about my siblings and about my mother. Later on he {Papa} stopped by our table to say hello to my husband.</div><div>Hippie Chick's husband came in. I asked him where his wife was and he pointed her out. Went and said hey. Hippie Chick and I were friends in High School. She was one of two people I was actually hoping to see. At some point she introduced me to her brother-in-law who is one of my high school heros. No way! So I sat down and talked to him. Luckily I was spared having to explain who the heck I was, he remembered me, but he didn't remember being in class together:</div><div>I moved here sophomore year and my last class of the day was with him, "Mohawk" and "Music Man." They sat together and cut up the whole hour and I just spent the time laughing. I loved being in that class with those guys; they were hysterically funny. </div><div>I learned a lot from him, High School Hero. Stuff I'd forgotten. Stuff I need to remember in dealing with my son. It is okay to cut up. It is okay to spend the day in the hallway. Maybe you even fail a class. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">It is your life</span>. </div><div><br /></div><div>I need to let go of my need to "make" my kids do and be. They will do and be what they will do and be and that is okay. I adored him. Granted, he doesn't live a life my parents or my husband's parents would call "successful." But he is happy with it. Isn't that success?</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-68364862350547960272008-12-22T06:02:00.000-08:002008-12-22T06:13:05.406-08:00TolkienI first read the Lord of the Rings trilogy when I was about 12. I was fascinated by the elves and dwarves and Strider was my first hero. In fact, Strider was my only hero for a long time, the teen-bot superstars my friends were swooning over just didn't cut it when compared to the Ranger from the North. <div>When the movies first came out, what 8 years ago or so, I wouldn't watch them. The posters and advertisements were red flags. What was with the girl? There was no girl! Why did the guy in posters look 19? Strider was NOT 19! I was so irritated. My younger sister had gone with her boyfriend and said it was awesome. She went again with my mom and again said it was awesome. After her third time seeing the movie she called me and told me I should really just go. I told her she didn't understand, I would never get over it if they had ruined Strider.</div><div>Okay, my apologies to Viggo Mortensen.</div><div>I finally did go that Christmas.</div><div>I was thrilled.</div><div>They got it. They got Tolkien, they got hobbits and wizards and elves and dwarves and most importantly they hit Strider on the mark. I was so excited. Better yet my husband liked it too. It is now tradition to watch all three every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas.</div><div>This year SAP - Geek learned one of the guys at work hadn't seen the movies. In fact, the guy was kind of holding out because at this point everybody is asking, how have you NOT seen these movies? So he has watched movie one and two with us thus far. </div><div>He has told me I am a major geek for being obsessed with this. Tolkien is geek? Seriously? I thought it was English professors, tweed jackets over cardigans and pipes by the fire... that is geek? This makes me laugh.</div>Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-50876604850487076382008-12-18T03:14:00.000-08:002008-12-18T03:20:01.118-08:00AWOLI cannot believe we are half way through December and I have been away! yikes. Did you miss me? Hah! <div>Let me catch up -</div><div><br /></div><div>I decided 2 weeks ago to start maintaining a blog for hubby's company. He - hubby - can't be bothered - they never update the website. Most of the website info is two years old! And he won't twitter either despite my frequent requests that he try. And so... despite the fact that he is SAP Geek and I don't speak geek I appointed myself the official pr person and blogger/twitter-er. Since I started his blog feed burner has counted over 40 "unique hits" and since I only put the counter on last Friday I am feeling fairly okay about that. In fact - not bad really. </div><div><br /></div><div>So to maintain my anonymity I am not sharing the blog with you but know that posted 5 times last week, and twice so far tis week, and I've been all over twitter n attempt to help with "branding"</div><div><br /></div><div>In other news my baby sister is in town this week. I am to spend the day catching up on laundry so it won't drive me nuts and this evening she and I will bake Christmas cookies. Yay us!</div><div>I am worn out!</div>Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-18608257371001806352008-11-30T14:04:00.000-08:002008-11-30T14:10:26.737-08:00for Tiffiney<a href="http://mysouthernhippiemarriedmomoffourlife.blogspot.com/">Tiffiney</a> is my one dedicated reader to my little "secret" blog. And I m delighted she has picked me up because she 'gets' me in a big way.<br />So <a href="http://mysouthernhippiemarriedmomoffourlife.blogspot.com/">Tiffiney</a> I want you to know that I truly appreciate all your comments; especially in regards to my funky mood the other day. You are right. He drives me nuts, but he is mine. The small ones drive me crazy but what on earth would I do without each and everyone of them. Thanks for your kind words. <br />As to the pregnancy thing... I took a test that was negative and then took one in the AM that was negative... which meant not to much as I have had false negatives in the past. But then I started my period the next day. So it is safe to assume I am not pregnant. Which, right now, is a good thing!<br />If you are not <a href="http://mysouthernhippiemarriedmomoffourlife.blogspot.com/">Tiffiney</a> and you've stumbled across this blog I would encourage you to hop on over and take a look. She writes fun, light hearted good stuff. Check it out.Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-4545517970074101752008-11-24T12:09:00.000-08:002008-11-24T12:11:23.310-08:00Its been...I just counted. It has been 10 weeks since my last period. I am trying to convince myself that it is because I ran out of my hormone cream I have been using for about a year and so I'm just all messed up. I mentioned it to my husband the other night and the idiot is excited. I am not ready to talk about it in the "real world" but I am kind of obsessing right now. <br />Oh my.Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-81300018013812368412008-11-22T17:25:00.000-08:002008-11-22T17:37:23.380-08:00yesterday I was facebooking and I had seen a High School friend talking about another High School friend to someone (if you know both people then you get to see what they say on public places like "the wall"0 and anyway. K.K. (yes she has my initials) said to someone "Mark's band is playing at such and such." and I wrote her and said "I saw your post. Mark is still playing?" It turns out Mark isnot only still playing (he played guitar in High School and had a band and so on) - and he was good) he is in a major band. Like they toured with Metallica major. Not being a metal fan I didn't know who they were but went and looked at the website and downloaded a clip of them playing on the Conan O'Brien Show and wow - in the clip they are obviously professional and big time but look like anybody else. Read the web site and they are intelligent, articulate artists (a statement not in anyway meant to insult anybody else) and it was all so neat to read about. <br />And of course it got me into a funk. Because Mark chased it down and is living his music and I have never reconciled with myself that I have not. I sold out.<br />I was always smart, artistic, and kind of pretty. I was always "full of potential." And to date I haven't done anything with all that potential. And it always pisses me off when I look at myself and face that. As much as anything I get pissed because I never really figured out what it was I was supposed to be chasing... the artist? the writer? the martial artist? the research? the what? I never committed to anything.<br />And then I got married.<br />And every frickin time something comes along that grabs my interest SAP Geek has to foul it up just enough to make sure I will choose him. Well crap - I have 5 kids and I cannot afford the mortgage. I am definitely choosing him for the next 16 years.<br />And while I'm putzing around in my grouchy mood he starts complaining that the house is a mess. The house is always a damn mess. I am not a house keeper. I hate keeping house. I would rather shovel manure.<br />and I am reminded of Glenn Close in "101 Dalmations" when she says to Anita "More good women have been lost to marriage and children than in all the wars and famines put together." Or something like that. I thought that was hysterically funny in college. I had no intention of getting married any time soon.<br />I graduated in 1994 and was married in 1996 and for the life of me I'm still not exactly sure why.Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-22984673848049109102008-11-19T17:09:00.000-08:002008-11-19T17:19:39.644-08:00Family ShmamilySo... this here is a vent about my Auntie C. Auntie C. married my Uncle Blue in the 80's on my brother's birthday. We had to travel home from Spain for the wedding which puts me at about 4th grade at the time. So lets say I was 9.<br /><br />background:<br />My Uncle Blue is my Daddy's youngest brother - Daddy got married early and Uncle Blue is maybe 4, maybe 6 years younger than Daddy. Not sure. Auntie C is 12 years older than me. Didn't know her much until Daddy died. Daddy died in 1986. Uncle Blue is my godfather - it says so on my baptismal certificate; I doubt he remembers. I cannot remember anything godfather-ish he has ever done.<br /><br />Uncle Blue and Auntie C live in this town that I live in. We moved her a year after Daddy's death. <br /><br />I was at a Preschool meeting (actually that damn auction I've written about once or twice) and Amy is drinking wine and working away on tags and suddenly looks up and says "There was a neighborhood block party two weeks ago. I saw your Auntie C. I said hi and then when I mentioned that I know you she actually turned around and walked away."<br />A few other ladies in the room look up. I cough on my wine and say "really?" and Amy says, "yeah really. I thought it was a little odd."<br />I can not help myself and I actually start laughing.<br />"Yes I say. Odd is a good word. It is all that 'family stuff.' My sister got married this summer and her reception coincided with the family reunion that Uncle Blue had planned. Uncle Blue wouldn't move it a bit. So my sister had her reception on a Friday and Uncle Blue and gang left the state on that Friday to drive to the family reunion in PA. We know because he came to my house for dinner on Thursday. Auntie C didn't come because she was at a self defense class. It has been a little weird since then."<br /><br />I think I should write a book about these people. I could use actual facts and if they tried to sue me for libel I'd tell them they have to prove they are who I say they are and the publicity would be huge - never mind the chance to let the world know what creeps I'm 'related to.' I always remind Auntie C that I was "born in" and she married in and I've been here longer.Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-35885348184584338582008-11-18T15:11:00.000-08:002008-11-18T15:22:58.372-08:00Caught with my pants down... So to speakOkay -<br />I live in one of those hoity toity neighborhoods (I <span style="font-style: italic;">KNOW</span> you never <span style="font-style: italic;">would</span> have guessed!) where there are ridiculously over sized houses with fancy furniture and never a child's toy out of place or dog fur on the floor. I am the "token interesting person" there is always dog fur on everything; my kids, bless them, leave a trail everywhere they go, there is a mountain of school papers and artwork permanently attached to the top of my kitchen counter and I myself am more often than not a bit of a mess. Today for instance I didn't shower. It was cold. We are barely heating our house due to the price of electric heat and it just didn't seem worth the bother.<br />My size two, blonde ponytailed neighbor, wife to the soccer hottie I had a crush on in High School, showed up at the door unannounced: big pot of scraps for the compost heap sitting on the counter, glass of wine from last night (another story) coffee mugs, the two year old has scattered all her baby accessories (toy bibs, toy bottles, toy baby clothes) the three year old has markers on everything and I've got a yard of fleece on the table with a pattern half pinned...<br />The trophy wife is gracious as ever but still. Damn it. I hate looking like such a mess all the time!Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-10091653083317872742008-11-12T19:09:00.000-08:002008-11-12T19:13:03.063-08:00Main Street BLuesMe Too.<div><br /></div><div>So... SAP Geek didn't get a big contract he was really hoping to land. He was one more sales pitch to offer the last current bite on his fishing line and that is the end of his list. He is already talking with his partners who will get laid off first and what the order will be. He is sick about it and loosing serious sleep. </div><div><br /></div><div>It seems we are in good company:</div><div><a href="http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/smallbusiness/0811/gallery.smallbiz_jobs.smb/index.html">CNN Money</a></div>Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-12032786902930295362008-11-03T16:14:00.000-08:002008-11-03T16:27:33.492-08:009 or so...So I ought to go count up days but I'm writing already so I'm just going to have to guess...<div>9 I think...</div><div><br /></div><div>I read in Cookie Magazine - which I am not sure why I get btw, it just started showing up one day - all sorts of sad statistics regarding married couples and their sex life after children. Hmmm... very sad. The good thing is that I realize while my husband would claim that there is no such thing as enough sex, for the amount of days he is actually in the same state I am in, he is doing very well. </div><div>But at some point in the article the writer challenged the readers to a week of sex every night. I actually laughed out loud. This is a challenge??? So I wrote my dearest an email (he was out of state - shocker) and let him know that we'd been challenged. He is a competitive kind of guy and he was traveling home that night. I don't think I have ever received so many phone calls and emails from him though. He was quite anxious to verify that he had read his email correctly and I was asking him for 7 consecutive days of sex. He was very interested in all the statistics in the article. He was even more interested in the two couples who committed to a year of sex every night and wrote books about them. </div><div>I put the kids to bed, dug up some old hot pink lacy thing with a thong and covered it up with an equally old black silk robe and set to work cleaning up the kitchen.</div><div>He came in and gave me a kiss and I sent him off to A.) shave and B.) do something about the hamburger and onion I could smell on his breath. UGH! He complied with both requests and that was night one.</div><div>Night two I had a school meeting that ran until almost 11 o'clock. I got home at 11:30 and ran into the house... he had candles in the bed room and a bottle of wine and glasses waiting but never mind that - we had 30 minutes to meet our second day of the challenge.</div><div>And we did meet the week challenge and it was fun and the sex did add a closeness and flirtatiousness that has been lacking over the last few years. But somehow Halloween and an October 29th Birthday and a November 1st Birthday and general fatigue of the busy life of parents of small kids took over and we sort of fell off the bandwagon. I mentioned it to him today at work and he has decided that we are starting over and going for the full 365. Uh huh. He is working late tonight and then the next out of town trip is just around the corner. </div><div>So what can I say? A week was fun, and I recommend it. And I think it is funny that the person who was too tired and too busy wasn't me :-)</div>Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-75279621196553721402008-10-20T11:58:00.001-07:002008-10-20T12:04:46.758-07:00More Politicsmore politics - only one more and then I will move on - I promise. Well, maybe I don't promise, but I will try. *wink*<div>I saw this on twitter today.</div><div>It is on the abortion issue:</div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kri8G-lGYfg">video with the words of both candidates</a></div><div>Both seem a bit extreme.</div><div>I don't believe an unwanted pregnancy quite deserves the term "pregnancy as punishment" and as an adoptive mom I've got some pretty strong feelings about that.</div><div>However, I do believe in allowances for extreme cases. Health risks (which needs a bit more definition), cases of abuse. And I strongly believe that this country seriously lacks support for pregnant woman who choose to go to term and place their child. WHERE are they supposed to go? That is something I hope to tackle when all my kids are in school. In the meantime... well... they both seem extreme. But I do believe "infanticide" is the right word here. </div><div>Oh, and I'd like to note that at least one of them, is willing to go on record with his belief. Right or wrong, he will state it in plain English so you know what it is. I like that in a person.</div><div><br /></div>Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8465425180623149349.post-33535146675276737032008-10-14T13:03:00.000-07:002008-10-14T13:25:45.912-07:00Politics -Okay - truthfully Sarah Palin kind of does freak me out a little, although she seems like she is smart enough to stick to what she knows and seek help in the areas where she is a little shaky. But Palin aside... I have Republican tendencies. Somehow this shocks the heck out of people I know. It does? Yes, it does. Something about my being an artist makes me a candidate for being a Democrat. Apparently so does my innate femaleness. (umm... how many Republican FEMALES are in the House and Senate?) And so does my five kids. It does? And then there is the transracial adoption thing that so makes me a democrat. Really. Somehow my republicanism just surprises (and inevitably disappoints) everybody.<div><br /><div>But I really am not sure why this makes me evil or delusional.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hello people.</div><div><br /></div><div>My husband owns a small business. He employs less than 100 people. This is small. Big business is General Motors or Coca Cola. We are small. Tiny. Microscopic. And YET... the whole tax those making over 250K well, based on the legality of an LLC, that would be my husband. Yeah, I know. Nice to be me right? </div><div><br /></div><div>Well, kinda. Except it is actually cheaper for my family to have catastrophic medical insurance than it is to have a normal family plan. We can't afford a family plan. So to require my husband's business to provide medical insurance to each employee without REQUIRING the INSURANCE COMPANY to make it affordable is insane. Think about this for a minute, a guy who falls into the 250K bracket because of how an LLC is taxed paid out of pocket prenatal and hospital maternity bills because it is MORE AFFORDABLE than family insurance as a business owner. </div><div>Luckily I pull off a vaginal delivery fairly well so our bills were low.</div><div><br /></div><div>While not all small business owners treat people the way my husband does, I have to say, I get really really sick of the "entitlement" mentality of the people who work for him as well as others I meet. My husband works nearly 7 days a week on his business. All kinds of crazy hours. His kids sacrifice a LOT. When ever there is a cash flow shortage he shorts himself. His employees all get paid first. I cannot tell you how many times, and this year it has been basically all year, that he pays himself enough to cover the mortgage on the house and our utilities. A guy who falls in the 250K bracket because he owns an LLC hasn't allowed his kids to use the air conditioning this summer because the electric bills are too high since the price of electricity has doubled.</div><div>So that is all I am gonna say about the 250K thing. </div><div><br /></div><div>As far as the rest of it. If you read your History, the more Roosevelt and Hoover tried to mess with the countries economics, the bigger the mess became. People were spending money they did not have. Sure, you can "blame it all on wall street greed" but seriously people. Almost EVERYBODY I KNOW has been living beyond their means since college graduation. Nice houses, nicer cars, the clothes people buy for their kids OMG! If the kids raised in the 80's and 90's actually got their credit cards under control than there would be fewer house issues, and the SUVs don't get me started. I've been saying since 1989 that unless you actually live in the Mountains you don't need an SUV - and the suburban housewives who drive them to soccer practice drive me nuts. A minivan may not be sexy but it doesn't gussle gas and it fits all the kids and it gets the job done people. </div><div><br /></div><div>So sure, Wall Street maybe greedy, but Main Street is just as bad in my opinion. Don't bail out Wall Street, don't bail out Main Street. If you are paying your mortgage it should be safe (my grandfather's father lost his house to his bank - and his mortgage was almost paid OFF and he'd been paying it. But the bank failed and recalled all loans. Now that sucks. I'm not advocating that at all.) But this whole tax credit that is looking suspiciously like a government welfare check. Sorry not getting it. </div><div><br /></div><div> And you are telling me that not only can I not buy my kids Christmas presents this year but that I have to foot the bill for 95% of the nation's tax cut, because of how an LLC gets set up? And that voting Republican makes me evil?</div><div><br /></div><div>Look wench, I hope your man does win. And I hope you go down with me.</div></div>Kittyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10826958849472244872noreply@blogger.com2