G & T's

My mom makes the second best pulled pork in the whole world. This is seriously good.

I'm taking my lunch at my desk, today, instead of going home as I usually do these days to visit with the babies. I've got a lot to do and a lot to get done and not one thing in the whole pile of things I have to do is something that I WANT to do. Welcome to adulthood, right?

Here is the short list of what annoys me today:

-Plumbers
-Expensive black markers that run dry WAY too quickly
-The fact that it is 27 degrees out
-The upcoming snowstorm
-The fact that I listened to the last of my books on tape today and either have to buy another or (gasp) start listening to songs (egad!)

Here is the short list of things that make me happy, today:

-Mom's pulled pork sandwich
-the fact that I am going to have the largest gin and tonic they make at the restaurant where my mother wants to have her 30th wedding anniversary party this Sunday night that she and I are going to scope out at 4:30pm today
and
-that I am getting out of work at 4:30pm today!

I want to commence with the not-working!
(and make with the drinking)

But alas.

After drinks with mom I am meeting up with Matthew for our weekly debriefing session which I think it is fair to say, I desperately need.

I'll leave you with a picture, cropped from an old kodak square frame picture, of the happy couple.


(Yes, that really is my dad.)

Cheers.

Who Dat?

Way to go Saints!

I just watched the aptly renamed "Rachel Maddeaux Sheaux" filmed live in New Orleans last Friday before big game happened. My mom was rooting for Payton, can you believe it? I made my buffalo chicken dip and sipped a few Sam Coastal Wheat's. Danielle and Callie stayed for the opening quarter but left early, it had been a long weekend for them, moving house and staying up late and everything that goes with that.

Corinne and I sat on the little couch and rooted for the Saints, and nibble calzones and joked about how we are going to wear the Dumb and Dumber tuxedos to Pat's wedding in October.


The cottage that Danielle and Brian moved into is unbelievably gorgeous. It's small, in the way that New England cottages built circa 1950 are small, with cheesy pine paneling and uneven floors and that almost musty shut-up-all-winter smell that was only dissipated by the overwhelming amount of candles we lit, and the view is to die for. It is right, smack, on the ocean. Saturday night we had a sleep-over. Johnny and the babies and Katie and me and Corinne stopped by with Tae but they did not stay. And, of course, Danielle and baby Callie. Brian slipped in past midnight when I was already very much asleep.

And so, I had breakfast with my babies and the sunrise over the Atlantic in early February with the wind a muted howl and the waves green and frothy and crashing right outside the back door.
Katie had gotten us all fresh bagels from 'Gunther Tooties' and I sipped foul tasting Folger's Crystal coffee because let's face it, they just moved in and that's all there was, and I journaled and mused and missed some things an awful lot.

When the universe wants you to get the message boy does it speak up.

****

This morning marks another Monday. A reset period maybe? God, the timing of it all just makes me want to cry. And laugh. And go a little bit batty sometimes. I took bailey to Petco for some tennis balls and a new toy. I picked a rugged tugger-toy with a hidden squeaker that took him all of 10 seconds to destroy. Like, mangle-destroyed. Like, flap so hard against his own head he could concuss himself destroyed. He was a happy puppy. Then we went to the beach.

And now I am off to ink some pages, as usual, and maybe letter some pages. And who know what else.

Happy Monday.
Way to go, Saints.

Morale Boost

I was reading in this month's issue of Runner's World a tiny blurb of an article about a woman who just turned 34 who ran her first marathon in 8 hours and 11 minutes. She said "My time was horrible but I have no regrets. The experience was life-changing. I'm proof that you can accomplish any goal you set for yourself." She also lost 108 pounds which means the moral of this story is: if she can do it, so can I!

And so we enter the final stages of Prepping-for-the-Boston-Marathon.

I won't have a number and so I will have to run it bandit. But so what? Plenty of people run it bandit every year and what's one more, rather slow, probably terrified newbie in the grand scheme of things?

I have resolved to run at least 5 races this year. I am all signed up for the Ras na hEirann out of Somerville which commemorates my very first race ever (last year). I'd say it's a piddly little 5k but the truth is 3.2 miles is still hard for me. I hold out very little hope that it will ever get better. I have another few races on the back burner I'd like to do as well so we will see.

In other news the deadline for the Xeric award admission for this year is March 31st and the book will be ready to go out and be judged by then. I dread to think what will happen if I am turned down (again) but I am determined to complete this process too! Here's to a year of finishing goals and completing projects and just generally getting things done.

To that end here's a page from early in the book.



If I am going to run (or waddle, or crawl) to the finish line 26.2 miles away from Hopkinton MA. I had better make my way to the gym.

Peace out cub scouts.

Harumph

Way to let me down, Massholes.

Although, there are silver linings in the world, just not in politics. Goodbye Healthcare, goodbye Women's Health protection, goodbye abortion rights and access...

Thanks to the wooden woman for being the worst Democratic candidate ever.

(End Rant)

Did you see Amanda Fucking Palmer on the red carpet? What a kook!

I love how irreverent she is.


In other news Rachel Maddow was at Doyle's Pub in JP last night and no one even told me!! I expect they wouldn't have let me in anyway once they started taping but Jesus Twitter what good are you if no one tells me this stuff ahead of time?!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

To be fair though, I don't have a mobile device that reads Twitter stuff at night so I wouldn't have known anyway.

Tons of homos lurking in the background there, btw.
As an aside, GO JP! JP RULES!

That's enough from me today. going home for lunch.

What Made My Thursday

Look auntie T.

Mister Ethan came by for a work visit and we read books together. Yes, he came in and asked me if I would please read some books with him. Of course I will, Ethan! We watered the plants, played with the big bouncy ball I sit on, and went to the car wash.

Mister serious face.

I think it was Ethan's first time inside a car wash and he was a little freaked out by the darkness and the big washer-strips and the roaring air tunnels but once it was over and we were on our way to Dunkin' Donuts he started chattin' about it.

God I love that kid.

I have been going like crazy this whole month. Erika is off in Aruba for the week and I thought I'd be able to just settle in and play some Civilization 3 all week but instead it's been go go go for me. Dinner with Matt, Piano Club, a date with Katie, went dancing last Saturday, hung out with Mr. Brian it was all good. But man. Tonight might be the first night I can actually settle in and do some 'nothing.' I can't wait.

For now I'm back to writing up some repair orders.
Man.

Ciao!

Ads

Lately all I have been doing is picking at Photoshop files for Matt's Auto Service as we are updating our quite out-of-date website. People see it and say, Oh, it's cuuute.

We are repair garage, I say, we aren't supposed to be cute!

This is the sort of thing I have been working on lately:


Also, I have been addicted lately to books on tape. In specific Neil Gaiman's books on tape. Currently I am listening to Neverwhere which is a completely different experience hearing it than reading it. I have a tendency to read very fast especially toward the end of the book and now that I am being forced to slow down, and listen, I find I enjoy this version very much.

My brother got me a puzzle-a-day desk calendar that is sometimes a word puzzle, sometimes a logic puzzle and, on my least favorite days, sometimes a number puzzle. (I don't like math).

Back to the grind with me.

New Year: New Piano!

New Year: New Blog Look!

Last night was Piano Club at Jane's House and I had so much fun.
I don't have a piano at home but that is going to change soon and when it does- WATCH OUT SHOW TUNES!

This past month has been a rocky one for me. In Tana-land I hit a rock wall with my girlfriend, my family fell apart in places and the bottom dropped out at work. Since then, though, we have been able to put the pieces back together on almost every front and I am approaching the mark of the New Year with more hope and much less despondency. Come on 2010! I like nice even numbers anyway.

Have you been watching Rachel Maddow? The Kill-the-Gays bill in Uganda has gotten quite a lot of coverage and if you haven't heard about it check this out. It's a segment called "Uganda be kidding me".

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Can you imagine hanging someone for being gay? Now, in 2009? Way to go American evangelicals. Way to make the world a better place.

How frustrating.

Anyway, I think I going to do yoga for the first time ever on Friday! I don't have yoga pants so I'll probably just wear underpants. (Kidding) Should be a good time.

There is a new blog format going up in January, too! I am excited about starting fresh. There'll be sketches and artwork and maybe even videos embedded - who knows?!

In the meantime I am back at it.
the holidays are FAST approaching.