Larry (aka Mr. Security) has managed to load enough "protection" onto our new computer to make it almost as slow as the behemoth I was typing away on previously. You'd think, if he really wanted me to spend less time on this thing, that he would see the error of his ways, wouldn't you? Alas, I'm once again stuck watching pages load at a glacial pace; but virus-free, of course. And on a bigger screen.
As I type, Brian is indulging in one of those irritating, drawn-out whines that make the sound of fingernails on a blackboard pleasant by comparison. I cannot see the use of whining, evolutionarily speaking. It most definitely doesn't encourage the continuation of the species. Perhaps my children are a Darwinian dead end.
Dear Lord, don't let me kill him.
In other, more pleasant, child-related news, Lego's are 50 years old today. I heard on the news this evening that there are enough Lego bricks for each person on Earth to have 62 of them apiece. So, I am asking all the people who have obviously left their share in our living room to please come pick them up. Thank you.
Can you even imagine a world without Lego's? Do you realize this news means that, prior to 1958, parents had not only precious little in the way of TV to entertain their children, but also no decent toys either? What the heck did kids do? Play with sticks? Outside? All the time? Did parents back then simply shove them out the back door in the morning and slide the lock? And how many question marks can I put in one paragraph?
Brian is still whining. Say what you like, that kid has endurance.
Is there anyone else out there who cannot stand their children in the evening? I'm fine (well, I guess that may be debatable) until approximately 7:30 PM, when I suddenly realize that I have to share my entire life with these creatures and I cannot take it anymore. The whining, the nose-picking, the tattling, the Berenstain Bear books - everything becomes intolerable. So, I send them all to bed. The teenagers probably resent that a little, but tough. They need lots of sleep, anyway.
Let's not talk about kids anymore. Let's talk about knitting. So much more soothing....I'm knitting a scarf (the mistake-rib pattern from this post of Crazy Aunt Purl). Only I'm using size 13 needles. She must be a tighter knitter than I am. This is a very exciting project because I am using my brand new circular-needles kit (yes, I know you don't need circulars for a scarf; but I didn't own size 13's, which deficiency provided me with the perfect excuse to buy needles and I, um, sort of got carried away). Now I have a fun little carry-case out of which, on the merest whim, I can whip out a pair of any-size needles (from 2-15) and various size cables to connect them. I am knitter, hear me roar....
Pardon my exuberance, but knitting purchases are just so exhilarating. Better even than homeschool curricula purchases...I guess because knitting purchases don't involve children who may not want to cooperate with your plans to teach them 3 foreign languages before they are 12 years old. Knitting is just for me. Me, me, me, me, me.......
Hmmm....now I'm sounding like my 2-year-old. Maybe because Larry ("Aren't we paying 40 bucks a month for Weight Watchers?") won't let me have any more Twix bars. Even though I have 5 activity points to use up before my weigh-in tomorrow....isn't he mean?
Showing posts with label computer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label computer. Show all posts
Monday, January 28, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Conversation Pieces
Heavens, I was a tad giddy yesterday, wasn't I? All the excitement (and blood loss) must have gone to my head.
The little girls are doing their best today to stay within a 6-inch radius of my body. They are currently hanging on my arms, climbing on my computer chair, and talking non-stop. I hope I don't hurt them.
Latest conversation between my concerned husband and me:
Me: "Diesel says that we should buy the warranty with the new computer."
Him: "Who?"
Me: "Diesel - he's a software guy who has a humor blog."
Him: "You mean, he is someone with a blog who says he's a software guy. He could be some 18-year-old loser. Or someone's dog that knows how to type."
Me: "I didn't know dogs could be funny...."
Oh, and I finally had a cute conversation with my 5-year-old, just like the rest of the mommy bloggers seem to have every single day:
Me: "You know, you are really, really smart. You can be anything you want to be when you grow up. You could be a doctor." (Larry and I are going to need help navigating the geriatric health care maze in the not-distant-enough future.)
Rachel (shaking head): "No, I want to be a mommy."
Me (fighting the urge to hug her and feed her chocolate): "Well, you can be a mommy and a doctor. Some ladies do that, you know."
Rachel: "No, that would be too hard, doing all that at once. I'll just be a mommy."
I want to be a mommy - with one little sentence, she has managed to redeem herself for all the craziness she put us through last year. Because I totally eat that stuff up. I told you she was smart.
The little girls are doing their best today to stay within a 6-inch radius of my body. They are currently hanging on my arms, climbing on my computer chair, and talking non-stop. I hope I don't hurt them.
Latest conversation between my concerned husband and me:
Me: "Diesel says that we should buy the warranty with the new computer."
Him: "Who?"
Me: "Diesel - he's a software guy who has a humor blog."
Him: "You mean, he is someone with a blog who says he's a software guy. He could be some 18-year-old loser. Or someone's dog that knows how to type."
Me: "I didn't know dogs could be funny...."
Oh, and I finally had a cute conversation with my 5-year-old, just like the rest of the mommy bloggers seem to have every single day:
Me: "You know, you are really, really smart. You can be anything you want to be when you grow up. You could be a doctor." (Larry and I are going to need help navigating the geriatric health care maze in the not-distant-enough future.)
Rachel (shaking head): "No, I want to be a mommy."
Me (fighting the urge to hug her and feed her chocolate): "Well, you can be a mommy and a doctor. Some ladies do that, you know."
Rachel: "No, that would be too hard, doing all that at once. I'll just be a mommy."
I want to be a mommy - with one little sentence, she has managed to redeem herself for all the craziness she put us through last year. Because I totally eat that stuff up. I told you she was smart.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Fabulous Prizes!
I am just full of blogosphere news today. Ready? Here goes.
Firstly, I am proud to announce that, at the urging of Manic Mommy and with the added incentive of the prizes she is offering, I donated blood today for the first time in my life. And it didn't even hurt. And I got out of the house for 2 hours without the kids for a legitimate reason (as opposed to just wandering around Target or the local bookstore). If you'd like to know more about Manic Mommy and her blood donor drive (and trust me, she is truly obsessed about this cause) check out her blog. Manic Mommy, a picture of my bandaged arm is coming your way (as soon as I figure out how to do that).
Secondly, I have come into my 15 minutes of fame; I am the Housewife of the Week over at MommaSaid.net. All I had to do to win was to tell MommaSaid why my week was the worst ever. As anyone who follows this blog knows, I am an expert at whining; and now I have tangible proof. The write-up for the award (hee, hee, I won something) was done by the website's owner Jen Singer, who showed remarkable perspicacity and taste by selecting me as this week's winner. Ahem. (Was that good, Jen?) I won a book about big families called Table For Eight: Raising a Large Family in a Small Family World (by Megan Francis). Gosh, I love free stuff.
But enough about me....I'd like to thank all of you who have supported and encouraged me on my long, slow climb to the top. I will not forget those of you who knew me before I became Housewife of the Week. Fame will rest gracefully on these shoulders.
Maybe.
Larry had the day off today; so he spent his time making sure that I would be confused trying to navigate my way around the new computer. He set up many different accounts, some with parental blocks, all with special passwords. And a very special account all for himself, because he is the Administrator. I do believe that he is drunk on power. I also believe he was trying to block the entire blogosphere, so that his wife would stop talking about people she doesn't know as if she had actually met them. This nefarious plan of his failed, however - thank goodness.
He calls y'all my imaginary friends. And he always looks worried when he says it.
Whew - back tomorrow with our regularly scheduled programming (kids, and vomit, and mice, of course).
Firstly, I am proud to announce that, at the urging of Manic Mommy and with the added incentive of the prizes she is offering, I donated blood today for the first time in my life. And it didn't even hurt. And I got out of the house for 2 hours without the kids for a legitimate reason (as opposed to just wandering around Target or the local bookstore). If you'd like to know more about Manic Mommy and her blood donor drive (and trust me, she is truly obsessed about this cause) check out her blog. Manic Mommy, a picture of my bandaged arm is coming your way (as soon as I figure out how to do that).
Secondly, I have come into my 15 minutes of fame; I am the Housewife of the Week over at MommaSaid.net. All I had to do to win was to tell MommaSaid why my week was the worst ever. As anyone who follows this blog knows, I am an expert at whining; and now I have tangible proof. The write-up for the award (hee, hee, I won something) was done by the website's owner Jen Singer, who showed remarkable perspicacity and taste by selecting me as this week's winner. Ahem. (Was that good, Jen?) I won a book about big families called Table For Eight: Raising a Large Family in a Small Family World (by Megan Francis). Gosh, I love free stuff.
But enough about me....I'd like to thank all of you who have supported and encouraged me on my long, slow climb to the top. I will not forget those of you who knew me before I became Housewife of the Week. Fame will rest gracefully on these shoulders.
Maybe.
Larry had the day off today; so he spent his time making sure that I would be confused trying to navigate my way around the new computer. He set up many different accounts, some with parental blocks, all with special passwords. And a very special account all for himself, because he is the Administrator. I do believe that he is drunk on power. I also believe he was trying to block the entire blogosphere, so that his wife would stop talking about people she doesn't know as if she had actually met them. This nefarious plan of his failed, however - thank goodness.
He calls y'all my imaginary friends. And he always looks worried when he says it.
Whew - back tomorrow with our regularly scheduled programming (kids, and vomit, and mice, of course).
Heaven, I'm In Heaven....
I had grand plans for this blog today; but first Larry had to hook up the new CPU and install all the virus software and then sit at the keyboard muttering "Crap" to himself periodically for hours and hours and hours. And now I've forgotten what I had wanted to write. I'm sure it was brilliant, too.
So instead let me sing the praises of a large computer screen, one big enough that I don't have to constantly scroll down to read a single paragraph; and also the praises of an up-to-date computer mouse with that little roll thingie on top, so that when I do have to scroll down, I don't have to go click-click-click-click forever. And best of all, let me extol the virtues of a computer with enough power that I can click on 2 pages in succession without freezing the whole thing up for 15 minutes.
Yes, we've been roughing it here with our antiquated 2001 computer; but it was almost worth it so that we could appreciate what everyone else takes for granted - the ability to surf more than 5 pages an hour on the web.
Oh, and while I was exclaiming over the improved visibility available on our 19-inch screen, Larry boasted, "I have 2 28-inch ones at work, you know." I think it's a guy thing.
I took Anna to see Juno today. We met a friend of mine and her daughter there, and of course the girls chose to sit far away from us in the theater. But that's okay, because if they had been nearby, I would have been embarrassed as heck. Really. And you know how a trite movie review will say, "I laughed, I cried" about a film? Well, I laughed. I cried. I'm surprised my friend didn't move elsewhere also. It was a great movie. Go see it. Now.
And judging by the comments from the last post, I'm guessing that none of you have ever seen Operation Petticoat. You need to go to Netflix immediately and put it at the top of your queue. I forget who is in it, but it's someone famous. Wait, I just checked. Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. Go. You won't be sorry.
I'm feeling bossy tonight.
And a final word of caution to you menfolk out there: don't be tempted by Petticoat Planet, which appears on the same search page as Operation Petticoat - it looks pretty trashy. How trashy? Here's the synopsis - Steve Rogers, a blue collar space jockey, crash lands his corroding craft onto a desert planet. But his luck is about to change when he finds himself to be the only man in a wild western town inhabited by beautiful whiskey drinkin' women. I wonder whether those whiskey drinkin' women care what size his screen is.
So instead let me sing the praises of a large computer screen, one big enough that I don't have to constantly scroll down to read a single paragraph; and also the praises of an up-to-date computer mouse with that little roll thingie on top, so that when I do have to scroll down, I don't have to go click-click-click-click forever. And best of all, let me extol the virtues of a computer with enough power that I can click on 2 pages in succession without freezing the whole thing up for 15 minutes.
Yes, we've been roughing it here with our antiquated 2001 computer; but it was almost worth it so that we could appreciate what everyone else takes for granted - the ability to surf more than 5 pages an hour on the web.
Oh, and while I was exclaiming over the improved visibility available on our 19-inch screen, Larry boasted, "I have 2 28-inch ones at work, you know." I think it's a guy thing.
I took Anna to see Juno today. We met a friend of mine and her daughter there, and of course the girls chose to sit far away from us in the theater. But that's okay, because if they had been nearby, I would have been embarrassed as heck. Really. And you know how a trite movie review will say, "I laughed, I cried" about a film? Well, I laughed. I cried. I'm surprised my friend didn't move elsewhere also. It was a great movie. Go see it. Now.
And judging by the comments from the last post, I'm guessing that none of you have ever seen Operation Petticoat. You need to go to Netflix immediately and put it at the top of your queue. I forget who is in it, but it's someone famous. Wait, I just checked. Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. Go. You won't be sorry.
I'm feeling bossy tonight.
And a final word of caution to you menfolk out there: don't be tempted by Petticoat Planet, which appears on the same search page as Operation Petticoat - it looks pretty trashy. How trashy? Here's the synopsis - Steve Rogers, a blue collar space jockey, crash lands his corroding craft onto a desert planet. But his luck is about to change when he finds himself to be the only man in a wild western town inhabited by beautiful whiskey drinkin' women. I wonder whether those whiskey drinkin' women care what size his screen is.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Giant Mice! Missing Husbands! Prehistoric Computers!
Apparently, things could be worse on the rodent-infestation front, from what I read in this news piece - at least the ones in our house are a manageable size. And an added bonus: I haven't come downstairs in the morning to find a mouse sitting on my kitchen counter, the way my neighbor did yesterday. So, really, I have nothing to complain about.
Let me say something nice about my teenage daughter Anna (for once). She has magnificent hair. Utterly stunning, streaked with varying shades of gold and brown and thick and wavy as a lion's mane. It is hair to die for. Hair that women spend hundreds of dollars trying to imitate. So, naturally, she spent the better part of last year trying to straighten it so it would hang limp and flat against the sides of her head.
I am happy to report that she has given up this lost cause and has instead turned to the myriad hair products out there that accentuate the curl while damping down any unattractive frizz. In fact, we haven't actually seen Anna in days. Occasionally I slip some food under the bathroom door, where she has sequestered herself in her quest for the perfect curl. Theo, meanwhile, is taking bets on whether a person can actually wear out a mirror.
My children keep baking goodies that tempt me to fall off the Weight Watcher's wagon. Anna made brownies several days ago (before she consecrated her life to hair gels), and tonight David whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Of course, Anna does hate me for existing; and I'm sure David hasn't gotten over the trauma I inflicted on him this week. What I'm saying is, I don't believe for a second that these are instances of innocent culinary activity. Revenge baking, is more like it.
Larry is still away. He is going to come back on Friday saying how he had to work really hard and it really wasn't any fun at all going to Europe and staying in hotels and eating in restaurants for work purposes, and I may just have to kill him. But only after he orders the new computer, though. I'm not sure what to get, or I would have one already. Instead, I'm still working with this old set-up that looks and acts like something on the Flintstones (I mean, if the Flintstones had had a computer) (which isn't so unrealistic, when you consider that they possessed a vacuum cleaner, okay?). I half-expect a little man to pop out from the back of the monitor with a handful of crayons and yell at me for making him draw too fast.
It occurs to me that I hyperlink too much (I'm a hyper hyperlinker, in fact); but everything I talk about here has such an involved history, and I want to make sure that newbies know what is going on. And speaking of newbies....
I'd like to say "Howdy!" to all the reviewers popping over here from humor-blogs.com. Make yourselves at home and make sure you read more than just the January posts, because, quite frankly, the funny stuff happened in October and December. It's all there: the puke, the Halloween costume ordeals, the joy of the vastly-overrated holidays....Or check out the Popular Posts to the left for some earlier laughs. It's all free!
Let me say something nice about my teenage daughter Anna (for once). She has magnificent hair. Utterly stunning, streaked with varying shades of gold and brown and thick and wavy as a lion's mane. It is hair to die for. Hair that women spend hundreds of dollars trying to imitate. So, naturally, she spent the better part of last year trying to straighten it so it would hang limp and flat against the sides of her head.
I am happy to report that she has given up this lost cause and has instead turned to the myriad hair products out there that accentuate the curl while damping down any unattractive frizz. In fact, we haven't actually seen Anna in days. Occasionally I slip some food under the bathroom door, where she has sequestered herself in her quest for the perfect curl. Theo, meanwhile, is taking bets on whether a person can actually wear out a mirror.
My children keep baking goodies that tempt me to fall off the Weight Watcher's wagon. Anna made brownies several days ago (before she consecrated her life to hair gels), and tonight David whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Of course, Anna does hate me for existing; and I'm sure David hasn't gotten over the trauma I inflicted on him this week. What I'm saying is, I don't believe for a second that these are instances of innocent culinary activity. Revenge baking, is more like it.
Larry is still away. He is going to come back on Friday saying how he had to work really hard and it really wasn't any fun at all going to Europe and staying in hotels and eating in restaurants for work purposes, and I may just have to kill him. But only after he orders the new computer, though. I'm not sure what to get, or I would have one already. Instead, I'm still working with this old set-up that looks and acts like something on the Flintstones (I mean, if the Flintstones had had a computer) (which isn't so unrealistic, when you consider that they possessed a vacuum cleaner, okay?). I half-expect a little man to pop out from the back of the monitor with a handful of crayons and yell at me for making him draw too fast.
It occurs to me that I hyperlink too much (I'm a hyper hyperlinker, in fact); but everything I talk about here has such an involved history, and I want to make sure that newbies know what is going on. And speaking of newbies....
I'd like to say "Howdy!" to all the reviewers popping over here from humor-blogs.com. Make yourselves at home and make sure you read more than just the January posts, because, quite frankly, the funny stuff happened in October and December. It's all there: the puke, the Halloween costume ordeals, the joy of the vastly-overrated holidays....Or check out the Popular Posts to the left for some earlier laughs. It's all free!
Monday, January 07, 2008
Rachael Ray, Not!
I'd like to post, really I would. But considering it took me several minutes just to get to this page, it may not be a possibility. Not before midnight, anyway. This old set-up of ours is a tad temperamental. If I click on one browser tab and then change my mind and click on a second one before the first page loads, the computer gets annoyed and sort of freezes up and won't do anything. I guess it doesn't like it when I can't make up my mind. Or when I talk to it too much. You'd think we were married.
Even the keyboard is slower. It hates me.
I've been compensating for the less-than-pleasurable computer experiences by knitting more. Which activity is way more productive and doesn't make my husband worry about what I'm typing and who I'm "talking" to. I've started a pair of mittens (in the round) and a sweater (!) for Rachel. I don't really know what came over me, as I have never knit a sweater before. I didn't bother checking gauge, either - if it's too big, she can wear it next year; too small, and Susie can have it. There's a definite advantage to a knitter having numerous children of various sizes.
I'm working on finishing the second sock (go me!) of a pair, and I think I will start a scarf, too, just to keep busy. Because I don't have enough to do.
I outdid myself at dinner by making almost everyone cry (not Larry, though). The new vegetarian entree I made upset Brian greatly. Brian is the quintessential meat-and-potatoes sort of guy, a trait I usually find charming, but not when I have a migraine. David (the vegetarian, the one I made the meal for specifically) didn't like it and was crying because he was hungry and I was annoyed. Rachel cried because she wanted the leftover noodles from last night's potroast, but she didn't want the meat, and I said no. Susie cried just to keep everyone company. I finally quit the scene entirely and went upstairs and took a 2-hour nap. When the going gets tough, I run away.
I am never going to cook anything ever again. The hell with them. They can eat yarn.
Even the keyboard is slower. It hates me.
I've been compensating for the less-than-pleasurable computer experiences by knitting more. Which activity is way more productive and doesn't make my husband worry about what I'm typing and who I'm "talking" to. I've started a pair of mittens (in the round) and a sweater (!) for Rachel. I don't really know what came over me, as I have never knit a sweater before. I didn't bother checking gauge, either - if it's too big, she can wear it next year; too small, and Susie can have it. There's a definite advantage to a knitter having numerous children of various sizes.
I'm working on finishing the second sock (go me!) of a pair, and I think I will start a scarf, too, just to keep busy. Because I don't have enough to do.
I outdid myself at dinner by making almost everyone cry (not Larry, though). The new vegetarian entree I made upset Brian greatly. Brian is the quintessential meat-and-potatoes sort of guy, a trait I usually find charming, but not when I have a migraine. David (the vegetarian, the one I made the meal for specifically) didn't like it and was crying because he was hungry and I was annoyed. Rachel cried because she wanted the leftover noodles from last night's potroast, but she didn't want the meat, and I said no. Susie cried just to keep everyone company. I finally quit the scene entirely and went upstairs and took a 2-hour nap. When the going gets tough, I run away.
I am never going to cook anything ever again. The hell with them. They can eat yarn.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Happy Anniversary To Me
Well, it's our anniversary (#17); and Larry's left me here with 4 kids and a greeting card and a pack of M&M's while he goes skiing with the big kids. Yet another reason to go to our neighborhood Best Buy and treat myself to a laptop, don't you think?
Of course, my husband is nobody's fool; he's taken my babysitters with him. Foiled, again.
I am beginning to realize that Larry purposely left me with the expiring-computer-mouse condition. Think about it: the computer works for 15 minutes, then the mouse dies, leaving me no choice but to shut the whole thing off. And get up and do something useful around here. I feel manipulated.
My toddler has an endearing habit of climbing up behind me on my computer chair and keeping me company while I type. Which is fine, unless she suddenly slips off, all the while maintaining her kung-fu grip on my hair. Ouch.
I'm in the mood for short paragraphs tonight. Can you tell?
I haven't cooked in 3 days. Instead, I've been feeding the kids cheese and crackers left over from the party, pizza, and canned soup. They love it. I am the best mommy in the world. It doesn't hurt that I'm sharing all my Christmas chocolate with them, either.
Well, time to enjoy a nice quiet evening with the house to myself. Not that the teenagers bother me or anything. But I just want to be able to sit around and knit without seeing myself through their eyes. As a middle-aged boring loser. Is that too much to ask?
Of course, my husband is nobody's fool; he's taken my babysitters with him. Foiled, again.
I am beginning to realize that Larry purposely left me with the expiring-computer-mouse condition. Think about it: the computer works for 15 minutes, then the mouse dies, leaving me no choice but to shut the whole thing off. And get up and do something useful around here. I feel manipulated.
My toddler has an endearing habit of climbing up behind me on my computer chair and keeping me company while I type. Which is fine, unless she suddenly slips off, all the while maintaining her kung-fu grip on my hair. Ouch.
I'm in the mood for short paragraphs tonight. Can you tell?
I haven't cooked in 3 days. Instead, I've been feeding the kids cheese and crackers left over from the party, pizza, and canned soup. They love it. I am the best mommy in the world. It doesn't hurt that I'm sharing all my Christmas chocolate with them, either.
Well, time to enjoy a nice quiet evening with the house to myself. Not that the teenagers bother me or anything. But I just want to be able to sit around and knit without seeing myself through their eyes. As a middle-aged boring loser. Is that too much to ask?
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Hooray, It's Not The Holidays Anymore!
I'm feeding the kids party leftovers all day. They love me. I should do this all the time. Before lunch, we played Christmas Bingo and whoever won got a Christmas cookie. I need to get all the junk food out of the house before the good times come to a crashing halt this Monday with my first official weigh-in. I hate dieting, but I also hate not being able to breathe with my jeans snapped.
I wasn't going to post a New Year's resolution; but last night, while I was having panic attacks over the fact that our computer had frozen up and realizing that I might not be able to access all the articles I've written, ever again (mostly homeschooling crap - not for general consumption), articles that I sometimes manage to sell for genuine legal tender (not much, but enough to buy myself some clothes without feeling as though I am taking food out of my children's mouths)...
Where was I? Oh, yes, last night I made my resolution: back everything up on an external drive. Constantly. Not later. Because "better late than never" does not apply in this situation.
Anyway, Larry wrapped up his nomination for Best Husband of the Year award by staying up late to do a temporary fix on the computer and get all my word docs on one of those flash drive thingies, which I will now keep under my pillow at night (in case of fire). He neglected, however, to tell me he fixed it; and so I discovered his good deed by accident after wandering downstairs in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, my writing career (humor me) flashing before my eyes all the while. Which explains all those middle-of-the-night comments I left on everyone's blogs, okay? I hope they made sense. I was giddy with relief at the time. And I missed you.
The holidays make me sort of sentimental.
And before we give Larry too much credit, let's just say he was making a sensible financial decision by fixing the computer before leaving with the high schoolers on their ski trip today - he knew that if he left me alone for 3 days with a broken computer, well, odds were I'd either call one of those Rent-A-Geek places and pay gazillion bucks to regain access to my world, as it were; or I'd decide to spend those gazillion bucks on a new computer for myself. With just my stuff on it. And I wouldn't share, ever.
We're still having to restart the computer approximately every 5 minutes, because the mouse freezes up. I e-mailed Microsoft for a hotfix and they sent me the link (ooh, don't I sound computer savvy?) and I downloaded a zip file (?) and I unzipped it - rather, the computer says I unzipped it; but maybe the computer is lying, because I can't find all the files I supposedly unzipped. So I'm stuck. Maybe I will just wander by Best Buy today...
Maria has tagged me with a birth month meme, where you take the attributes supposedly associated with your birth month (I'm June) and talk about how they apply to you. Very fortune-cookie-ish, but I like fortune cookies.
Thinks far with vision - I suppose this refers to the fact that I am constantly imagining how I will set up the house when the kids have all flown the nest.
Easily influenced by kindness - Why, yes, I am a sucker...
Polite and soft-spoken - Please. I'm from New Jersey. Get real.
Having ideas - Don't we all? I should hope so.
Sensitive - As in, one unkind comment could ruin my whole day. So, don't. Make fun of Diesel instead.
Hesitating, tends to delay - Hmmm....I don't know....I'll get back to this one later.
Choosy and always wants the best - Anyone who has seen me scarfing up store-brand chocolate chips out of the bag would want to debate this.
Temperamental - I am a woman, after all.
Funny and humorous - But, of course. Goes without saying. Ahem.
Loves to joke - As long as it's about other people (see sensitive, above).
Good debating skills - Don't you hate how anyone with an obnoxious, totally undisciplined, mouthy kid always says their little monster has "great debating skills"? "He'll make a great lawyer!" they proclaim. How about "He'll make a great a**hole!"?
Talkative - That's what my husband thinks, anyway.
Friendly - pathetically so.
Prone to getting colds - Apparently.
Loves to dress up - Yes, just so people will ask me questions that I take unreasonable umbrage at.
Easily bored - Are we done yet?
Fussy - Moi? Just because I can't sleep right if I can't find one of my special pairs of soft wool socks for bed? And the socks have to match, or my feet feel uneven and keep me up? Okay, yes.
Seldom shows emotions - Doesn't my husband wish?
Brand conscious - I don't think so (see choosy, above).
Stubborn - Of course. What? I'm going to let the stupid people with dumb ideas run the show? I don't think so.
Barb, I tag you, of course. You're always funny with these things (putting the pressure on - sorry), and it will take your mind off the move.
I wasn't going to post a New Year's resolution; but last night, while I was having panic attacks over the fact that our computer had frozen up and realizing that I might not be able to access all the articles I've written, ever again (mostly homeschooling crap - not for general consumption), articles that I sometimes manage to sell for genuine legal tender (not much, but enough to buy myself some clothes without feeling as though I am taking food out of my children's mouths)...
Where was I? Oh, yes, last night I made my resolution: back everything up on an external drive. Constantly. Not later. Because "better late than never" does not apply in this situation.
Anyway, Larry wrapped up his nomination for Best Husband of the Year award by staying up late to do a temporary fix on the computer and get all my word docs on one of those flash drive thingies, which I will now keep under my pillow at night (in case of fire). He neglected, however, to tell me he fixed it; and so I discovered his good deed by accident after wandering downstairs in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, my writing career (humor me) flashing before my eyes all the while. Which explains all those middle-of-the-night comments I left on everyone's blogs, okay? I hope they made sense. I was giddy with relief at the time. And I missed you.
The holidays make me sort of sentimental.
And before we give Larry too much credit, let's just say he was making a sensible financial decision by fixing the computer before leaving with the high schoolers on their ski trip today - he knew that if he left me alone for 3 days with a broken computer, well, odds were I'd either call one of those Rent-A-Geek places and pay gazillion bucks to regain access to my world, as it were; or I'd decide to spend those gazillion bucks on a new computer for myself. With just my stuff on it. And I wouldn't share, ever.
We're still having to restart the computer approximately every 5 minutes, because the mouse freezes up. I e-mailed Microsoft for a hotfix and they sent me the link (ooh, don't I sound computer savvy?) and I downloaded a zip file (?) and I unzipped it - rather, the computer says I unzipped it; but maybe the computer is lying, because I can't find all the files I supposedly unzipped. So I'm stuck. Maybe I will just wander by Best Buy today...
Maria has tagged me with a birth month meme, where you take the attributes supposedly associated with your birth month (I'm June) and talk about how they apply to you. Very fortune-cookie-ish, but I like fortune cookies.
Thinks far with vision - I suppose this refers to the fact that I am constantly imagining how I will set up the house when the kids have all flown the nest.
Easily influenced by kindness - Why, yes, I am a sucker...
Polite and soft-spoken - Please. I'm from New Jersey. Get real.
Having ideas - Don't we all? I should hope so.
Sensitive - As in, one unkind comment could ruin my whole day. So, don't. Make fun of Diesel instead.
Hesitating, tends to delay - Hmmm....I don't know....I'll get back to this one later.
Choosy and always wants the best - Anyone who has seen me scarfing up store-brand chocolate chips out of the bag would want to debate this.
Temperamental - I am a woman, after all.
Funny and humorous - But, of course. Goes without saying. Ahem.
Loves to joke - As long as it's about other people (see sensitive, above).
Good debating skills - Don't you hate how anyone with an obnoxious, totally undisciplined, mouthy kid always says their little monster has "great debating skills"? "He'll make a great lawyer!" they proclaim. How about "He'll make a great a**hole!"?
Talkative - That's what my husband thinks, anyway.
Friendly - pathetically so.
Prone to getting colds - Apparently.
Loves to dress up - Yes, just so people will ask me questions that I take unreasonable umbrage at.
Easily bored - Are we done yet?
Fussy - Moi? Just because I can't sleep right if I can't find one of my special pairs of soft wool socks for bed? And the socks have to match, or my feet feel uneven and keep me up? Okay, yes.
Seldom shows emotions - Doesn't my husband wish?
Brand conscious - I don't think so (see choosy, above).
Stubborn - Of course. What? I'm going to let the stupid people with dumb ideas run the show? I don't think so.
Barb, I tag you, of course. You're always funny with these things (putting the pressure on - sorry), and it will take your mind off the move.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Toddler Tricks and Money Mayhem
Susie (my 2-year-old) has been on the phone a lot lately. She walks around cradling a plastic banana between her shoulder and her face and saying, "Is your mommy home?" and "Uh-huh. Hmmm. Uh-huh." I've asked her who she's talking to, but she doesn't seem to hear me. Probably because she has a banana in her ear.
Ba-da-bum.
Maybe she was talking to a toilet-training hotline, because yesterday - miracle of miracles - she walked up to me and said those 3 words every mother wants to hear: "Wanna go potty." So I sat her on the toilet, not expecting her to actually use the darn thing, when what to my wondering ear did appear but a tinkling like bells on the harness of 8 tiny reindeer.
Sorry, 'tis the season...I'll try not to let that happen again.
Yes, she actually peed in the potty. I happened to be on the banana, I mean phone, with Larry at the time, so I was shrieking into the receiver, "She did it! Did you hear her tinkling? She did it!" Have I mentioned that he works in a very centrally located cubicle? So now his colleagues think (if they didn't already) that 6 kids may be a little too much for any one woman to take.
Larry and I are trying to pick out a paint color for the living room. I'm thinking we may need to hire a mediator. What with our divergent tastes in home decor and the fact that there are approximately 14 billion different shades of gray available at our local paint store, we'll probably get this place painted, oh, maybe 9 years from now. Or perhaps we won't bother. I mean, we've got lots of different shades of gray smeared all over the living room walls at this point anyway. We could leave it and go for the variegated look. Like multi-colored yarn. I bet I'd be the first knitter to paint her walls to look like her favorite skein. Take that, all you knitting bloggers!
We gave up today and agreed to pay a friendly service technician lots of money to explain to us how our gas fireplaces work. It's galling. Add to that that we brought the second car in for an oil change today and ended up paying the garage almost 500 dollars (that's on top of the 1000 dollars from yesterday), and Christmas is looking less and less merry. I mean, for us. There's a bunch of mechanics who are gonna have a pretty good time, though.
Anna is speaking to me again. I have no idea why.
Larry came home for dinner and then went back to work. Good. I didn't want to see him anyway. Now I can waste the entire evening on the computer and he won't even know. I do still have about 1500 photos to edit. And a photo calendar to put together. I don't know what the heck I did with my time before we went digital. Sleep, maybe?
Sleeping is a good idea. Maybe I'll just go to bed early. (And you know you're middle-aged when that seems like the best way to spend a free evening.) G'night, all!
Ba-da-bum.
Maybe she was talking to a toilet-training hotline, because yesterday - miracle of miracles - she walked up to me and said those 3 words every mother wants to hear: "Wanna go potty." So I sat her on the toilet, not expecting her to actually use the darn thing, when what to my wondering ear did appear but a tinkling like bells on the harness of 8 tiny reindeer.
Sorry, 'tis the season...I'll try not to let that happen again.
Yes, she actually peed in the potty. I happened to be on the banana, I mean phone, with Larry at the time, so I was shrieking into the receiver, "She did it! Did you hear her tinkling? She did it!" Have I mentioned that he works in a very centrally located cubicle? So now his colleagues think (if they didn't already) that 6 kids may be a little too much for any one woman to take.
Larry and I are trying to pick out a paint color for the living room. I'm thinking we may need to hire a mediator. What with our divergent tastes in home decor and the fact that there are approximately 14 billion different shades of gray available at our local paint store, we'll probably get this place painted, oh, maybe 9 years from now. Or perhaps we won't bother. I mean, we've got lots of different shades of gray smeared all over the living room walls at this point anyway. We could leave it and go for the variegated look. Like multi-colored yarn. I bet I'd be the first knitter to paint her walls to look like her favorite skein. Take that, all you knitting bloggers!
We gave up today and agreed to pay a friendly service technician lots of money to explain to us how our gas fireplaces work. It's galling. Add to that that we brought the second car in for an oil change today and ended up paying the garage almost 500 dollars (that's on top of the 1000 dollars from yesterday), and Christmas is looking less and less merry. I mean, for us. There's a bunch of mechanics who are gonna have a pretty good time, though.
Anna is speaking to me again. I have no idea why.
Larry came home for dinner and then went back to work. Good. I didn't want to see him anyway. Now I can waste the entire evening on the computer and he won't even know. I do still have about 1500 photos to edit. And a photo calendar to put together. I don't know what the heck I did with my time before we went digital. Sleep, maybe?
Sleeping is a good idea. Maybe I'll just go to bed early. (And you know you're middle-aged when that seems like the best way to spend a free evening.) G'night, all!
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