Happy Halloween!!

So far I have baked 9 loaves of apple zucchini bread and made 5 caramel apples (3 of them being chocolate caramel apples). The sad part is none was for me. It was all for my co-workers and my landlord. As a child this was one of my favorite holidays. I loved dressing up and I really love candy. One of my favorite memories from college was going to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show on Halloween. I even dressed up. At the time I thought I looked very sexy. Considering my college dress was jeans and a sweat shirt, it was sexy for me. But looking back at pictures I can really see what a prude I am (smile). No slutty Halloween costumes for me.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween! If you are in my neighborhood I will be passing out candy with Murph (aka dad) so come by and say hi!

As I was finishing this post I found out that someone at work has pink eye, and the carrier monkey was all over my office yesterday. That is not a nice treat at all. I really hope that my costume this year does not involve gunky, infected eyes!

What's my age again?

In my family I think it is safe to say I am closest to my father. He and I are similar in temperament and enjoy many of the same things (such as community service and Broadway plays). We disagree on politics (he continues to believe that Schwarzenegger is the best thing to hit California since Junipero Serra), and radio stations (he sees nothing wrong in taking a 4 hour car trip listening only to AM stations, while I would rather carve my own eyes out), but he is a great guy. A great guy with a horrible memory, that is. It is well known that he can't remember the names of people or products, but I always thought he remembered the important stuff (like my name and age). How wrong I was. So last week he called me up to tell me he met the dean of students at my high school. Did I remember this person? No I did not. "That's okay," my dad says, "he didn't remember you either. But he asked what year you graduated, so he could look you up. So I told him late 80's." I started laughing, and asked my father, "How old do you think I am? You just added 10 years to my life!" He said he remembered that I graduated from high school in 96, and he just said the wrong date, but apparently he sees me and thinks 38 and not 28. Nice.

Analyze this...

For the next 28 weeks I have to attend therapy (it is a requirement at my school to graduate). I have been wanting therapy for a while but money is always tight, so I didn't start till I was 30 weeks away from graduation. My first session was last week, and I think it went well enough. I did this nervous smile the entire hour and well at some points it felt more like a facial tic than a smile. Nice. We mainly did the intake interview. So this week we finished the intake, going more into detail about my family. At the end of the session my therapist looks at me, looks down at her notes, looks at me again and says "Wow. I mean this is...Wow! Well at least we'll have a lot to work on." I mean don't get me wrong I know my family is crazy, but crazy enough to make a therapist speechless?!? This made me laugh the whole way home. I think I am going to enjoy being therapized.

A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the "Argonne" Party...

So this Friday was supposed to be the Arbonne party. I excitedly invited everyone I knew, and imagined the fun. Not in my imaginations: everyone but 2 people canceling because of a conflicting party (can foot scrubs really compete with beer and karaoke?). And then losing the 2 people to illness. So Friday night turned into being me and my dad having dinner at Bakers Square (I was impressed with the salmon). My father has also taken to calling "Arbonne" "Argonne." The funny thing about my dad is that with a lot of people and products he will be like one letter off. It cracks me up. Before this he spent about three weeks calling Bono from U2 Bono like Sonny Bono. I try to correct him and it doesn't help, so now I go with it.

I also had a great weekend hanging with my cousin and her two young children. After spending all week working with dysfunctional families or families in crisis, it's nice to spend some time seeing parenting done right. She never sees how great she is with her kids, she only sees the tantrums and crying in church. But I can see how quickly she is able to calm a tantrum, or how calmly she can handle a screaming child. She also takes real joy in being with her children. Most people take that for granted, that parents will just love to play with their kids, but that isn't always so. She is a wonderful mommy and I hope to be like her someday.

Book of the Week...



Because of my work I read a lot of children's books. My book of the week is one that I have read a few times this week. I am a big fan of any book that can slip the word "diarrhea" into the text. I enjoyed all of Jamie Lee Curtis' books, but this one has kept me entertained throughout the week (maybe it's just the anticipation of parents reading aloud to their kids, and then getting to "diarrhea"--makes me smile just thinking of their reactions).

True Story... And if you like spiders don't read further...


So a few nights ago I was driving home from work. There is a lot of road work happening on my drive home and a big concrete wall to my left. I am driving along minding my own business, probably singing along to "The Fray" when I see something out of the corner of my eye. Oh hell to the NO! It was a spider swinging from it's web about 5 inches from my face! I am extremely arachnophobic. I mean really scared of spiders, even little ones. I contemplated crashing the car, I mean it would mean death to my little eight legged friend, but I may get hurt, so no. Then I decide to chance it. I say a little prayer to the patron saint of car alignment, take my eyes off the road, and attack the spider with a Kleenex. I think maybe all I did was throw Kleenex at the spider until I knocked it off, but either way it was away from my face. I then spent the last 30 minutes of my drive convinced there were spiders all over my head. I must have looked odd driving down the road periodically hitting my own head.

My First Time...



I had been waiting for my first time for as long as I could remember. I would hear my parents talk about it, and knew that was what I wanted to do. I was really jealous of people who did it in high school. I didn't turn 18 until I was already into my first semester of college and I remember my first time voting like it was yesterday.

I was so excited. Sure that my vote was going to make a huge difference in the world around me. I remember the polling booth was somewhere on campus (probably the library or the cafeteria) and it was a presedential election year, so I was really excited. Clinton was going to win for sure thanks to my vote. For a long time I was passionate about voting. If you want the world to change, you have to let your voice be heard.

I am alot more cynical about voting these days. My goal now is simply to cancel out my dad's vote. That has my voter responsibilty, and we now see who can get to the polls first. I am disgusted by the negative ad campaigns that almost everyone has these days, and by the fact that no matter who seems to be in office, nothing seems to change.

But then every couple of years around fall I begin to hope again. I start to think, "well maybe this year will be different." And I begin to imagine how my vote will change the world. Better schools, better health care, better mental health care, better roads, better politicians. Who knows maybe this year it might just work. I still think that if I want to change the world I have to let my voice be heard. Let your voice ring out too. Go out and vote.

Of taking walks, betting the ponies, and a trunk full of skin care products




Now that the weather is getting colder, I have decided to take a walk every morning (well except this morning because I needed sleep). I have taken about 4 walks around my neighborhood over the past week. I wish I could tell you about all the beautiful trees and leaves changing colors. Or even about how pretty the sky looked. I saw none of that. I am a klutz, and as such when I walk I am constantly looking down. I have to watch where I am stepping or I will fall (hell even when I watch where I am stepping I fall). I love talking walks, and maybe someday I will be able to tell you about the world around me. I won't hold my breath...


Last Friday I went to the horse races. I was so excited for about a month leading up to this. I am not into most sports. I don't get them and I don't really want to get them. My brain can only absorb so much, and I would hate for it to get full on the rules of basketball. But I love horse racing. I have never ridden a horse, and to be honest they kind of scare me, but I think horse racing rocks. I don't know if it is the speed of the horses, or watching really small men race while I eat a corn dog, or maybe even watching those same small men race in hot pink jersey's with flowers and lightening bolts. Either way I love this sport. I went with some friends and we had a great time. I taught them my betting strategy (I'll tell you too- I match all my colors up, if one jockey is wearing red, then I am going to find other jockeys to match his, or I pick all the oldest horses in the race, it's very scientific stuff). Needless to say I lost all my money. And because my friends used my system they lost all their money too. But I loved it. In the box next to me was this old man who every time a race start would scream obscenities and endearments at the horse. My favorite was when he shouted "Don't you fucking lose! Don't you quit me!" Very Seabuscuit meets Brokeback Mountain. And all of this was shouted at the top of his lungs as he was sucking down a cigarette. Ah the magic of the races. I always come away broke, and yet I can't wait for next year.


And lastly, my cousin is selling Arbonne products now, and she has got a couple more cousins to go in with her. Every time you turn around there is an Arbonne party happening somewhere close by. So I have gone to all of them (hello free foot scrubs). I promised my cousin she could have a party at my dad's house, so I was talking last night to confirm plans with him. And he is convinced that my cousins are trying to unload all this merchandise they bought. I tried to explain that it was like Mary Kay and they don't actually have any merchandise on them, but he kept talking about how they need to unload all their stuff fast. So basically my dad thinks that Arbonne is just a big gang of girls with great skin who sell other girls (with not-so-great skin) merchandise at a discount out of their trunk. Works for me.

So there was a drunk girl on "The Bachelor in Rome" (and yes I watched most of "The Bachlelor in Rome"- don't you judge me)

So today was not the best day (long story short, my car is in the shop and it was cost about 800 to fix), and I got home and felt blah. Made dinner and still felt blah. Just about to go to bed when I saw a little of "The Bachelor". I am not really a fan, but this made me laugh. This girl got so drunk on the Riviera, and she fell over the camera man and passed out. And then she thought the Bachelor was a waiter and got belligerent. Smile. Thanks ABC... Going to bed now.

Just kidding. So the Bachelor is still on and it went back to being yucky. To quote the Paris Hilton of texas, "So I totally want a rose tonight because he is a Prince, not a commoner, and like he totally needs me." Not a commoner?!? Umm I could be wrong but Texas is not a kingdom and she is not royalty. Damn this show is gross. What's grosser than gross, he gave a rose to the princess of Texas. I think I just vurped.

Deep breath (must remember the drunk girl, oh and she totally ignored the fact that she was drunk and told him it was hot and she just wanted a cat nap.) And then, she got made when she didn't get a rose. "How can you not understand that it was hot and I was tired." Well now I am tired and going to bed.

Something else not cool..

Running around from store to store trying to find something to wear to a wedding. Spend a ton of money. Get home. Try everything on. And decide you are going to wear what you already have. Dammit.

Note to Self...

Self-

You hate housework. You put it off till the last possible minute (i.e. someone is coming over). So when you clean, listen to upbeat music (like "I heart the 80's) and not the soundtrack to "City of Angels." Trying to attempt house cleaning as you get sadder and sadder is not cool. Just a thought.

My two cents...

So far I have held my tongue on the Foley scandal, but I read something today and I felt I needed to comment about. I basically feel disgust at the whole thing and then in to my office today I read this on the internet. I would like to respond to this, specifically to the last sentence of the article which states, "Had Foley lived his life openly and been proud of who he is, this never would have happened."

To Mr. Rodgers (the man who said this). Actually this would have never happened if Mark Foley (a 50 something man) had not been attracted to adolescent boys. Lets not confuse the issue. Being gay does not equal being attracted to adolescent boys (unless you are an adolescent boy yourself). Whatever is in him that thought these actions were okay, is not due to the fact that he is gay.

I hope that he gets help, but I think he will need a lot more than alcohol rehab (which is also not the reason this occurred). It's my opinion that he needs sexual offender therapy. He also really needs to know that he can't be around adolescents anymore (as in no more instant messaging the teens). While I am glad that there was never any physical abuse, I feel like it was only a matter of time. I also think charges also need to be filed. What he did needs a consequence, and it should take more than "I am sorry" or "I was molested by a priest" or "I am gay" to fix it. Stepping off my pedestal now. Good night

Book of the Week....

I was thinking. I like to read. And I like to blog. Why not bring the two together (picture me folding my hands together). I think I will try to highlight one of the books I read a week.

So far I have started the new Virginia Kantra book and I like it. A lot. It is a murder mystery set in the south and I have brought this book to work with me, so that if I have a free moment I can keep reading. I like the character development. If you like murder mysteries with a romance slant, check it out. Okay now I feel like I am on Reading Rainbow. Which was a childhood dream of mine. I always pictured Lavar Burton finding me in the library and asking me to talk about all the books I like. That would have rocked. Sigh. Anyway, happy reading.

Me love you long time...


First off I want to say thanks to Holly from Hollyrhea for my super cool flax pack. I get migraines and sinus headaches, and this is my new best friend.

Isn't it lovely?!? If you want your own sweet smelling flax-pack head over to her site and check them out.

Secondly I have to admit a guilty pleasure. I was driving home from work tonight and I heard Fergie's new song, "London Bridge."
Yes I sang along. It makes me laugh. But I have a question. Is London Bridge a euphemism for her Va-jay-jay? If you know the meaning of the song let me know.

Third I got a compliment today. I went out to dinner with a couple of friends from High school, and one of them said, "wow you look nice. You look like you work in a law office." It's a weird but nice compliment. So I guess I look like either:

or

It could really go either way