Baby Pimp

Clearly I suck at updating this thing. But I thought I would share a picture that is making me smile this morning. I think D first used the term "baby pimp" when he saw The Beast decked out in his (too big) Adidas track suit. Sweeeeet.

Ho Hum

Not much new to share. I am suffering from a summer cold and feeling sorry for myself. ;) But since my blog is my homepage, I am sick of being mocked by how old my last entry is.

My sister and her boyfriend were in town this weekend (still are, though they've moved on to DC to see the sites and enjoy themselves). We had a fun weekend in spite of the weather. The Beast was in good form and as loving as ever.

My goal for the week is to get motivated to stick to WW and my exercise plan. Wish me luck with that!

I am S-M-R-T

Movie Reviews

Shamelessly Stolen from my Sister's Blog

The title speaks for itself. :)

1. Things I was doing 10 years ago:

* Getting ready to start law school
* Moving into a new condo with my roommate and BFF K
* Working as a paralegal
* Going out to the bars every Friday and Saturday
* Singing karaoke

2. Five things on my to-do list for tomorrow:

* Clean the closet in my guest bedroom
* Return dresses to Nordstrom Rack
* Load pictures onto my digital frame
* Prepare fathers' day gifts for dad and D
* Laundry (as always)

3. Snacks I enjoy:

* Popcorn
* Chips and queso
* Chex Mix
* cheese & crackers

4. Things I would do if I were a BILLIONAIRE:

* Start a dog farm
* Set up a trust for The Beast
* Fund a scholarship at my undergrad school for kids from small towns (including living expenses and pizza money :))
* Travel the world
* Pay off my best friends' and family's debts
* Bankroll my undergrad singing group's alumni fund

5. Three of my bad habits:

* Procrastinating
* Disorganization
* Being overly critical of others

6. Five places I have lived:

* Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
* New Haven, Connecticut
* Las Cruces, New Mexico
* Alexandria, Virginia
* Woodbridge, Virginia

7. Five jobs I have had:

* Ice cream shop scooper
* Library assistant
* Hostess at a Japanese restaurant
* Law clerk
* Telemarketer (for one day :))

8. How did I name my blog?

The url is my dogs' names, and it pretty much is mindless ravings.

I Got Nothin'

I am having a crazy, busy, crap day at work, but I am sick of looking at my three-week old blog entry, so here's a new one. :)

Not too much excitement here. My father-in-law arrived on Friday for an "extended visit" (i.e., he's going to be living with us, at least through the end of the summer (!) or until he finds a place he can afford). My dad and stepmom are arriving on Friday to stay for 6 days, so that should be interesting. We have arranged it so that the guest room is still the guest room (FIL will be in the former bar, former playroom), but I imagine downtime could still be awkward (they'll be caring for The Beast next Monday and Tuesday, so it should be interesting to see how they mix. He'll probably drink beer and watch the Food Network the better part of the day, so my money's on him staying in his room). Hopefully we'll all still have a nice visit, with a minimal amount of complaints and martyrdom. Just sayin'.

I guess I should get back to billing. Hopefully I'll have something interesting to post next time--and hopefully it won't be 3 weeks from now!

Happy June!

Roadblocks

Time to dust this blog off!

Last week was a bit of a challenge to my plans to start training for the 5K. With L's help, I picked the race to run, on August 23rd in Manassas: http://www.manassascity.org/CurrentEvents.asp?EID=4167

All I had to do was get my butt on the treadmill, right? ;)

Well. On Sunday, The Beast got really sick with hand-foot-and-mouth disease (thanks, daycare!), and was up crying and in our bed (very unusual!) at 3:30 a.m. Monday morning. He finally fell asleep sometime near dawn, and as you can imagine, I was in no shape to run (or work for that matter, but I did anyway). Monday night/early Tuesday morning was a re-run of the same. Poor lamb. Then, Tuesday night I tossed and turned and couldn't get to/stay asleep due to a fever. I dragged like a zombie all day Wednesday (and I had to stay late at work for training!). After a 14-hour day, I was beat.

I had Thursday off for The Beast's 18-month doctor's visit and portrait appointment, plus to spend time with Bubbe, who was visiting. I also spent an hour at the clinic finding out that I had contracted the virus. Sigh. So on Friday, I dragged my tired butt out of bed, counted the HFMD spots all over my hands and feet, and suffered through a day of "working at home" (I did get 5 hours billed, but I was BEAT). More of the same on the weekend (thank God for Bubbe!), though The Beast started feeling better (and eating!) on Thursday, so that was fortunate as well. Poor little guy really suffered, I can vouch for that![/pitypartyover]

So...that was a bit long-winded to say that I just started training yesterday. And I am Out.Of.Shape. Sigh. But I guess I have to start somewhere!

Motivation...?

Clearly having this page as my home page is not working to motivate me to update it. Alas. I was inspired by Mrs. Wood to change the look of my blog. So that's a start. Only I was too lazy to pick through the templates she sent me and just tried to fiddle around with things on my own. So if you hate it, don't worry--it is likely to change very soon. :)

Speaking of Mrs. Wood--Happy Birthday!

And speaking of motivation, I'm hoping to get started on a 5K program. I've never been one to be particularly excited about running for running's sake, but I'm hoping that having a goal of running an actual race will help that. Then maybe (like a year from now or something...let's be realistic here) I can run a half marathon--mostly so I have an excuse to travel somewhere fun. :) Hopefully I can talk a friend (L?!) or my favorite sister into joining me.

BTW, the super-handsome dog on the right is my little pup, Doc. I don't think he'd appreciate all that text on him, though.

I licked a noodle because that's how I roll...

I saw this on one of my message boards, and it made me laugh. Plus I'm overdue for a blog update. :)

Pick the month you were born:

January---------I kicked

February-------I loved

March-----------I karate chopped

April-------------I licked

May--------------I jumped on

June-------------I smelled

July--------------I did the Macarena With

August---------I had lunch with

September----I danced with

October--------I sang to

November-----I yelled at

December-----I ran over


Pick the day (number) you were born on:

1-------a birdbath

2-------a monster

3-------a phone

4-------a fork

5-------a snowman

6-------a gangster

7-------my mobile phone

8-------my dog

9-------my best friends' boyfriend

10-------my neighbor

11-------my science teacher

12-------a banana

13-------a fireman

14-------a stuffed animal

15-------a goat

16-------a pickle

17-------your mom

18-------a s.p.o.o.n.

19-------a smurf

20-------a baseball bat

21-------a ninja

22-------Chuck Norris

23-------a noodle

24-------a squirrel

25-------a football player

26-------my sister

27-------my brother

28-------an ipod

29-------a surfer

30-------a llama

31-------A homeless guy-



Pick the color you are wearing:

White--------because I'm cool like that

Black--------because that's how I roll.

Pink----------because I'm NOT crazy.

Red-----------because the voices told me to .

Blue----------because I'm sexy and I do what I want

Green--------because I think I need some serious help.

Purple--------because I'm AWESOME!

Gray----------because Big Bird said to and he's my leader.

Yellow-------because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars

Orange------because my family thinks I'm stupid anyway.

Brown--------because I can.

Other---------because I'm a Ninja !

None----------because I can't control myself

Five Years?!

Tomorrow is our fifth anniversary. I can't decide if it seems longer or shorter than five years. :) I guess it depends on the day.

We are doing it up--we have hotel reservations at the Fairmont downtown, dinner reservations at The Palm, and tickets to the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center. The Beast is going to be spending the better part of Saturday (day and night) with his Gran and Papaw. We had planned to come wander around D.C. for the afternoon, but I think we both would love it if we could just check into the hotel early and nap. :)

Maybe at 10 years we can all gather in Vegas for a reprise. Just as long as there is no four-wheeling involved.

Thank God for Spaghettios

I actually said those words out loud last night. I pick up The Beast from his Gran's house on Monday evenings, as D works late. I spent the drive home from her house wondering what on earth I was going to cook for him. I had visions of star pasta, hastily concocted sauce, and mixed vegetables. But it was already 7:30--just past his usual dinner time--and oyster crackers were only going to hold him off for so long. When I opened the pantry and saw the Spaghettios there next to the star-shaped pasta, I said it.

D and I saw the Spaghettios on sale at the grocery store a few weeks ago, and after some hemming and hawing, decided it wouldn't be the end of the world if he had them from time to time. And, of course, he LOVES them. He quickly jettisoned the spork in favor of fistfuls of pasta and meatballs. Bless his messy little heart.

Now if they'd just make a WW-friendly type of Raviolios, we'd be all set. :)

I just had cereal last night--I haven't felt well since the weekend. I had miladies--the Glitta girls--over for brunch, and all went well, but I spent the rest of the day nursing a raging headache and visiting the porcelain altar. Gag. After checking that I hadn't poisoned them, I chalked this one up to a migraine resurgence in my life. Oh goody. Today I still feel ooky but also compelled to come to work--those hours aren't going to bill themselves!

Keep Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Last night, The Beast got hold of the remote control for the DVD/CD player in my car (okay, I gave it to him to keep him occupied...) and managed to get one of the CDs to play. It was one of the "Glitta" CDs that I haven't heard in ages. The first song that came up was "Rollin'" by Limp Bizkit. He quickly turned it off (right when it was about to say "shut the f%^& up and back the f$%& up before we f$%^ this track up." yikes. serendipitous timing on his part!). But it was there to greet me in the car this morning. Strangely enough, I found it really pumped me up and got me going this morning, even though I'm still suffering from a Daylight Saving Time "hangover."

I just took the "What Dog Breed are You?" quiz from Dogster. Very pleased with the results. :)



Labrador Retriever

The Caretaker

Your family is what makes you tick, and you never "flea" from an opportunity to hang out with the whole gang. A family picnic complete with hot dogs, deviled eggs and a refreshing swim in the lake is hard for you to stray from. Your sparky temperament and dogged intelligence mean you are not only a blast to hang out with, but great to work with as well. Your close pals appreciate your patience and forgiveness, knowing you'd rather let sleeping dogs lie than dwell on the mishaps of the past. Your dashing good looks may one day lead to a modelling career, if only you can tame the unfortunate clumsiness that sometimes causes you to go flailing from the catwalk.

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Daylight Saving Time

It was a struggle to get out of bed and ready for work today. D had to wake The Beast up at 8; he was still fast asleep! The first work day or two after "Spring Forward" always sucks. Alas.

I keep thinking March 10th is a date of some importance. I hope there's nothing crucial I'm supposed to be doing today, because it's not on my calendar! I think it may be just a holdover date--maybe the day my dog, Blackie, had puppies (albeit, 27 years ago)...? I keep random information like this in my head for far too long (and yet I'll probably forget my dad's birthday on Saturday).

I went to see my college singing group in concert this weekend at an alumni club event. I had a great time over dinner with two other alums, but the concert itself was something of a letdown. Maybe it's just because it was the first day of their spring break--and winter in Connecticut can beat you down--but they were completely lifeless and not engaging, and really didn't sing all that well. I wonder if alums thought that about us when we toured! Hmmm.

I just found out that I will be taking a Dale Carnegie course in public speaking through work at the end of April. I know it's a great idea, so I suppose I'm excited about getting better at it, but I am dreading the actual speaking part. I guess that's the whole point! I read the training summary, and apparently I will be required to present before the group at least 8 times over four sessions. My presentations will be videotaped and critiqued. Doesn't that sound like a fun way to spend 16 hours? Wish me luck.

Friday

I find myself almost resisting posting an entry--I don't want to think I've tricked myself into compliance. That's too circular even for me.

Today is cold and icy; I managed to drag myself out of bed early enough to catch the train from Woodbridge. I always enjoy the time on the train: reading, sorting mail, doing makeup, generally relaxing. So why is it that I am so resistant to getting up and making it happen? I originally intended to catch the Manassas line train (23 minutes earlier than the one I took!), but snoozing three times, "napping" on the couch after letting the dogs out, and generally wasting time aren't conducive to keeping a schedule. That really is the only negative about the train--I'm on someone else's schedule. How do I stop being a "late person"?

Next week, I think I am going to have to catch the early train (6:53!! which means leaving home at 6:30!!) so I can come home early. D's team is in the playoffs Tuesday (and potentially, hopefully Thursday), and he works late Mondays, so I have to step up. I am going to see Bon Jovi with B on Thursday, too, so I want to make that Gran's only late night with the Beast. Though I guess that means I won't get to see him in the mornings. :( I really need to invest in a spycam for his bedroom.

I've managed to stay away from the Thin Mints today. I even threw away half of my bread from Cosi. Shocker. If I can keep this up, I may be on a roll!

Baby Steps

I set my home page to my blog in the hopes that it would inspire me to write every day. Now I'm irritated when I hit the "home" button and don't get Google. I must admit it doesn't take much to irritate me, though. Is that a character flaw? In any event, it must be working, because here I am on post number 2.

In other news, Thin Mints are evil.



I have been pretty successful so far leading myself not into temptation, food-wise, but here come the cookies. I know it is my own fault (I did order them, after all), but I wish they weren't in the drawer of my file cabinet, quietly calling my name....

Here I Go Again

I can't even count the number of times in my life I've tried to keep a journal. As a child, I would excitedly buy those little pink diaries--complete with locks!--and determine to capture all of my innermost thoughts. Ha. When I didn't lose the key, I made maybe 4 entries in each, typically over the space of several months. The first entry usually contained a solemn vow that *this* diary would be different; this diary would be the one I would faithfully update. Later entries along the lines of "I can't believe how long it's been since I've written here!" were followed by dozens of blank pages. Obviously not my forte. Case in point: I started this blog at least three years ago, and this is my first entry.

So here I go again. Let's see if I can keep it up this time (and not just leave a cyber-record of my inability to keep up with journaling).