Insomnimusing: Allons-y!

I have no idea what this damn Pineapple Express movie is, but I wish they'd stop playing the trailer every five minutes on TV. I'm always looking the other direction, and then I hear that song..... Paper Planes..... Immediately my brain is filled with images ... A DJ booth and dancing Canadians.... And a smile that was just for me, once upon a time... Mmmmiiiiiinnnnneeeee....... Damn it. It's a conspiracy, everywhere I look. And again, there's another reminder... It's not fair. Seriously - how long does this last? I've got a work meeting tomorrow. I'll be working at a different office, so I hope I remember in the morning to drive to another city. I got a message (surprise!) yesterday from G. He always seems to contact me when he's having girl issues. Once he even messaged me to say, "I have a date Saturday. What should we do?" It gives me flashbacks to elementary school. All of the boys were "friends" with me, and they always came to...

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She's nosey, or she's paranoid, or she's untrusting, or she's just a fucking bitch trying to rub my face in it. Whatever it is, the vacuous silicone bitch needs to back the fuck off. I've had enough of it. Why the fuck does she need to check up on MY life at least three times a week? WHAT THE FUCK?!?! Didn't she take enough of it already?

I went ahead and got new digs for Freckles today. I figure, she's going to need it, so there's no point in putting it off. But we just bought the Kritter Keeper for her two days ago. What to do? Enter Herman and Lily (as in Munster). Herman's a black moor, and Lily is a calico moor. (No idea of their actual sexes, btw - but does it matter with goldfish?) I swear - that's as far as the menagerie is going. One cat, one frog and two fish. (I couldn't get a decent picture of the fish to post...sorry...I'm sure you're all broken up about it.) I've got another meeting next week, but one of the editors has promised to bring pie, so that's a plus. :) Pooh got a job today. He has his orientation at McDonald's next week. That means I'm going to have to talk to the boss - again. I knew I should have pushed back my re-entry to the office until school started.

Well, I did some research on our new pal Freckles. It turns out, she's not the African dwarf frog we thought we were getting. She's an African clawed frog. Which means she's going to grow to at least five inches, and she could live for 25 years! Some impulse buy! She's happy in her one gallon Kritter Keeper now, but we'll have to invest in a bona fide aquarium to keep up with her. And judging by the fact that she was already bigger by far than any of her siblings....... oh boy... In my research I found that one person reported owning a female who grew to 10 inches and lived 32 years! I looked up the salmonella risk that Roxie mentioned in her comment for my previous post. For children over the age of 5 with healthy immune systems and adequate precautions, such as careful handwashing and thorough cleaning of the area used to change the water - the risk is minimal. Also, the African clawed frog, unlike other frogs, actually produces an antibiotic on its skin, so it...

Since our little backyard froggie fled the kiddie pool, we've been feeling an absence in the family. So today included a trip to the pet shop for our very own house froggie. We encountered Freckles as I was strolling along the wall of aquariums and felt something squishy under my foot. At that instant, Gin said, "Mom, you just stepped on a frog." I looked down, and sure enough, she was right. We thought for a moment it was dead, then it began to wriggle around. A shop worker quickly scooped her up and popped her back into the tank. I told her that we were, in fact, there to get a frog. After fishing around in the tank, she managed to scoop up the feistiest and fattest frog in the tank for us - the very same one I'd just stepped on, by chance. So here's our big, fat Freckles (Munch chose the name): I start back in the office tomorrow. It inspired me to write this week's column on telecommuting. It might raise an eyebrow or two at the office, but it's a perf...

I spent the day to day at the county fair with Book, Gin and Munch. We all had a much better time than the girls and I'd had there on Tuesday. We had to start out with the company picnic, which was mediocre, to rate it generously. But I've been doing this long enough to know that it's always mediocre at best. From there we went straight on to the "good" rides that we hadn't been able to ride Tuesday because of the flood of teenagers that arrives each evening of the fair. (Individually, teenagers are fine. Pooh and his friends are great. But put them into a group situation without adult supervision, and they're idiots. But anyway....) The first ride was one of those big (well, this one was not so big, really) pirate ship rides that swings to and fro - or I suppose that's fore and aft. Munch was eager to go on it, because she's trying to prove herself worthy of an amusement park trip. Well, we were seconds into the ride before she freaked. The ride o...

Well, my boss "negotiated" three days a week in the office for me - Monday, Wednesday and Friday - starting next week. I guess it's a good thing I've got this weekend off, at least. I don't think I'll be staying with this long. With all the work I've given this company for completely inadequate pay, they've got to go and make it harder for me (and even less lucrative). It's hardly worth all my effort, but I don't know how to half-ass my way through a job. I guess that means I'd better find a place that appreciates me. Munch had a taste for sushi tonight - and once she mentioned it, so did I. I considered taking the girls down to the sushi place, but I decided to save myself a little cash and make it myself. I managed to find a decent salmon fillet - a serious challenge around here - and some crab, so we had ourselves a sushi feast at a fraction of the cost of going to the restaurant. And the girls LOVED it! Me too, in fact. :) My favorite d...

I not much in the mood for writing tonight. I don't feel like much of anything. I'm a little melancholy today. I'm glad the week is nearly over - and I don't have to work this weekend. I've been awfully tired today. I took an unintended nap early this evening. I feel like another. One that lasts about six months.

My day started out with the usual work, then I had to take lunch and get ready to head into the office for my meeting with my boss. I had a stroke of genius (or it felt like it at that particular moment), and I found the perfect pants to pair with my new Mario Bologna shoes so that they could make their public debut. (I looked positively smashing, btw...hehe) So I headed out to the car, and what do I see? Flat tire. Great. I sent Pooh over to the store to grab a can of Fix-A-Flat to get me on my way. I was only about five minutes late for my meeting, so it was no big deal. My boss was more interested in the potential story angle of the roadwork causing me two flat tires (I got one a few weeks ago, too) - and whatever other damage it's been doing to the other residents of my little hamlet. That's the news business for ya. As expected, my boss said that his boss wants me in the office but is willing to compromise. My boss will be presenting a plan to have me in the office twice a...

Woohoo! I'm on Wikipedia! Well, I've been on for a while as a reference on one of the foreign-language pages (I don't recall which language), but now, I'm in English! The listing has two references, and the vast majority of the entry refers to an article I wrote. Too cool! Funny thing is, the entry just popped up a couple of weeks ago, and I wrote the article six years or so ago, I think. So the wiki is already outdated - or at least, woefully incomplete. I am smiling a lot more lately. I'm liking this feeling. Or I should say, I'm likin' it. This is good. Yeah. I think it is. I've got a meeting with the boss tomorrow. No idea what it's going to be about. I think it's just him and me. Hope so. My guess is that he's talked to the group publisher, and they've got a proposal regarding my work arrangement. If they'd leave well enough alone, they'd save the company money, but if they offer me a raise, well.... we'll have to wait an...

Well, it looks like I'll be taking my trip to Chicago after all. My dear friend is coming from England to America to see me, and as there's nothing HERE (and I desperately need a vacation anyway), we'll be enjoying the amenities in the Windy City. I'm very much looking forward to it. We're hoping for early September. Fingers crossed it all comes together without too much difficulty. I had so much work this weekend that it's almost felt as though I've done nothing else. I'm going to sleep tonight and think happy thoughts and look toward my upcoming adventure.

I promised to revisit this topic - because Part 1, way back in March, inspired searches for a Part 2 - so here it is. Just so you know, though, I never intended a Part 2, and it was never meant to be a list. It was just an ordinary entry, and when I titled it Secret Pleasures, the words "Part 1" immediately popped into my head for some reason. Oh well, here is a Part 2 anyway. :) * Mad Men on AMC (watch online here!!) - That's not really a secret, though, and I mentioned it in Part 1 anyway. I've been loving it from the beginning, and I'm so glad the mainstream is picking up on it. This show is incredible! The first season has been nominated for 16 Emmy Awards!!! * dancing to the song "Buttons" by the Pussycat Dolls. Actually, I've got a few other songs I love to dance to, including "Family Affair" by Mary J. Blige, "Smooth" by Santana fea. Rob Thomas (that man's voice just DOES things to me....no idea why....Rob, not Carlos,...

I had my meeting with the bosses today. It went pretty well. As expected, somebody's suggesting that I should work from the office five days a week. I presented my case, and it was positively received. I told them honestly that I could not afford to add the expense of gasoline and full-time childcare at my current pay rate (which has not increased in five years despite four promotions and five job expansions in that time). I work seven days a week, virtually 24 hours a day, and I have been more responsive, efficient and effective than the three people who held the position before me - and they were all in the office full-time. My boss asked me to write up the same argument that I had given him in an e-mail so that he could present my case to the group publisher. He also mentioned a raise. I think we'll be able to some kind of arrangement. At the very least, I'm almost certain we'll be able to push back a shift to more office time until school starts again. In the mean t...

How cruel this life that offers up a taste of its sweetness only to rend it away once the craving for it has insinuated itself irrevocably upon the tip of the tongue. Well, I think it's time to accept yet another shift in the sands of my life. But I'm not going to fight it. I'm just going along with it. I did what I could to go off in another direction, but it appears that it is simply not to be. And here, I have been presented with an entirely different option - at precisely the right time - so why not? Why shouldn't I go along with it and see what happens? There's nothing to stop me. I can't think of any reason I shouldn't. Except that it's soooo hard for me to let go of that ... other direction. I'm being cryptic. I know. I get unexpected visitors here sometimes, and it always seems to be at the worst time. I have to learn to get past that. I know that, too. This is the place that I shouldn't have to censor myself, and I've already once co...

I missed posting yesterday, and it's funny, because yesterday would have been one of those days just begging for an outlet. It was one of those days when every radio station seems to be involved in a massive conspiracy against you. Ok - I only listen to two stations around here because everything else is country music...but come on! Bob Marley on one and Bob Dylan on the other?!?! If anyone ever needed some mind-blowing, driving techno music, it was me yesterday. But after a relentless gauntlet of memories keeping me in a bona fide funk all day, I was yet again rescued by a dear friend. My mind was in a scramble, but all the chaos went away. And I got to see the sun rise in England. Hehe. Well, the next best thing, I suppose. I took a step toward my ... um ... short-term goal, today. Now, I just have to wait and see. I'm wavering between cautiously optimistic and downright defeatist. But at least I took the step. I won't have to say, "what if...?" *** Rest in peac...

I'm feeling wholly uninspired to write tonight, which strikes me as a bit odd because I've been composing poetry in my head all day. I've been too pensive lately, and today it seemed to be even more compelling than usual to allow myself to burrow into the thoughts in my own head. I don't know exactly where I am right now, and I don't know exactly where I'm going. I set myself toward a goal, but I seem to continually be pulled in another direction. And yet, that goal is still such a compulsion for me. I don't want to let it go, and I still believe that with a little luck and a lot of effort I can make it happen. I believe its time is coming. And I want it so much. That pull from another direction is still there, though, and I have been giving it attention. It deserves attention. I don't know what will happen next. I believe much will depend on timing. Some things are moving more quickly than others, and there are additional variables as well. Should I be ...

I was crazy busy today - as I have been all week - but somehow, I was still pensive. I'm through dwelling in the past (at least for a while :) I'm only human, after all.), and I'm ready to embrace my present. Unfortunately, my immediate present is... Work, work, work, work. I was asked to come in tomorrow morning for a meeting, but my assistant is on vacation - thank goodness. I was able to reschedule. It was the worst possible time. Pooh started his summer road trip today, and my mother won't be home tomorrow morning, so I don't have anywhere to take the girls. As it is though, I'll be uploading three newspapers in the morning, so I won't have time for any meeting. Now it's moved to Tuesday afternoon, which should be much easier for me to handle. It'll give me more time to prepare, too. Too much pressure on me lately. I got a nice break after work with my chat with Z. I was tired and pretty drained by that time, though, so I was a little snippy with...

Gin's 10th birthday was today. We noted its significance in that she gets another digit to her age, and that won't happen again for 90 more years. In our family birthday tradition, we went out to dinner at her choice of restaurant. Of course, she chose sushi. I stuffed myself. We all did. Overstuffed, really. It's probably a good thing, though. For some reason, I'm still losing weight, even though I started eating again quite some time ago. My appetite hasn't exactly been robust, but I thought I was eating at least as much as I used to, which, granted, is still less than I should. Gin eats more than I do, but Munch eats more than both of us combined! Hence the nickname... Hehe! She burns the fuel though. On the rare occasions when she sits still, she still burns it off by chattering nonstop! I chatted for a little while with my friend A, who's just returned back home to the Balkans after a trip to Turkey. I am so jealous of all my globetrotting friends. G just ...

(Thanks, G! I love this!)

Gin is loving her new Webkinz. She's named it Gigi (pronounced like GG). I found it especially notable, as Munch called her Webkinz Pete, which she got back in March. Alright, no one is expected to understand the significance of that, but trust me, it's ... interesting. Skype was completely infuriating tonight. I was trying to have a conversation, and for the longest time we couldn't manage to keep a connection for more than a few moments at a time. Just when conversation got interesting, it would cut out again and again. Grr... Finally, it held on long enough for a lovely talk and proper goodnight. It's frustrating sometimes, but still, it's a technology I have to love. Today's word: mamihlapinatapai (look it up!) A spectacular thunderstorm is just rolling in. That one just made me jump! Better wrap up before my connection goes!

I had a puddle in my hallway carpeting today (Monday). My first thought was that one of the girls had spilled something. No such luck. We soaked up what we could with a towel, and it was sopping again an hour later. As it turned out, we had an intake pipe leaking at the water heater. I drove into town and bought my supplies. I could have called the owner of the building, but I'd rather not, if I can avoid it. Pooh's girlfriend was over this afternoon, and as she watched me fix it, she said, "You really CAN do anything, can't you?" *big smile* Yes, as a matter of fact, I can. The leak is sealed, the carpet is drying and the tubs of dessicant are tucked into the corners to help speed along the recovery. I had a talk on the phone with my new boss today. I was doing updates on the Web site contact pages, uploading the daily content and trying to monitor conditions in the hallway at the time. He set me to some more tasks, so my work day went longer than usual. And it s...

I had a nice quiet Sunday with the girls today. Everyone slept late after staying up too late last night, so we took Book home and went straight to lunch. We arrived at the restaurant just as another pair - an older lady and her mother struggling to get through the door with her walker - was following us through. As the hostess arrived to greet us, of course I asked that she seat the other party first. The daughter reached out her hand and took mine behind her mother's back and mouthed the words, "Thank you." It was the simplest thing - but a good moment. We had a delicious lunch and went on to the rest of our Sunday errands, then we came home to just relax for a while. It felt great to do nothing for a while except watch the frog swim and play with the girls. I had another good chat with Z in London. It's becoming an almost daily thing. It's nice to have someone with whom one can talk so easily. I had a lovely chat with D in Manchester tonight, too. He really nee...

It was a typical Saturday morning, except that I didn't have to get up early for work. Aaahhh! It felt good to sleep in for a little while. My daughters have become instant Food Network addicts, and they spent a good part of the day feeding that addiction. Munch loves to watch the show Unwrapped, in which they show how favorite foods are made. Today's episode was the special on sweets, so I don't think she blinked for an hour. Jelly Bellies, Whoppers, candy buttons...she was mesmerized. :) That show was followed by one on the huge annual All Candy Expo in Chicago. She eventually got bored with that one. After that show, Gin started watching the Food Network Challenge Disney Princess Cakes competition. It was immediately followed by one for Disney Villains, but by that time, it was time to leave for the fireworks. Our big deal today though was the introduction of an unofficial new pet to the family. When Munch got bored with the candy shows, she went out to the backyard to p...

Our Friday fireworks didn't get rained out, so Munch was happy. The show was pretty good, and I tuned the car radio to the radio station that was running the soundtrack for the much, much larger show in the city an hour away from us. It didn't quite match up, but it still seemed to add something to the whole show. Now, if the rain holds off tomorrow, we might get two shows. Munch is getting spoiled. :) I had another nice long chat with my friend Z in London. He's getting set to take the first steps in what could be a new relationship for him. He's already completely taken with her. I wish him the best of luck. He's an absolute sweetheart and deserves only the very best. Yay, Z! Love you, sweetie! I got a bold illustration of my own geekhood today. I was watching the Twilight Zone marathon on SciFi (no, that's not the geeky part), and there's a guy talking to a bartender about someone he sees in the mirror but not in real life. So the guy says, "Can you ...

I went out looking very "Sex in the City casual" today - in my cute little peach summer sweater, putty-color capris and platform mules with four-inch heels. I didn't have much to do in town. I was just dropping off my timecard at the office and picking up the girls. Well, that was my intention anyway. While at the office, I picked up something for my mom, so after I went to get the girls, I thought I could swing by her place. I picked up the girls, and they both decided they wanted to have lunch, so we went back into town to pick up lunch before going on to Nana's. Once we'd gotten through lunch - oh, and Munch decided to pop in a Disney DVD at Nana's - my 20 minutes in town had turned into 2 1/2 hours. So we headed out to the car to finally get back home - and I've got a flat tire. It was the best place it could have happened though. My stepdad's got an air compressor. So here I am in my parents' driveway - in the rain - hauling the compressor hos...

Energy costs are outrageous lately, aren't they? And what about your own personal energy? What's that worth? Well, the folks at Dirt Devil are wondering what we do to avoid spending energy on cleaning. My personal favorite is convincing the kids that it's a game, but they've figured that one out, so it doesn't work as well anymore. So, they ask the question, "What are the extremes you have gone through to save energy when you clean?" Here are a few ideas from my own household (ask the kids!) and those of family and friends: - Put little doggie socks on the Pekinese, set her after a battery operated wiggle ball in the room with the hardwood floor. My aunt told me she never had to dust that floor! -The pooch is also handy for those pesky kitchen spills, and they think the ravioli with marinara served up on the floor is a special treat. Bonus: you win lots of doggie love points. - Clean the exterior window screens by sending the kids into the yard in swimsuit...

Well, it looks like I'm finally getting a new boss at work, after going six weeks without one. Fortunately, he's someone I already know, at least somewhat, and I think we'll get along well. He's an Australian - so the accent's always entertaining - and he's got a sense of humor, so we should be ok. Poor guy has no idea what he's in for (I mean from corporate - not from me!), but he's coming from our circulation department - and if he can survive THAT, he can survive anything. I'll do everything I can to support him in what he needs to do, and I'm hoping he'll let me go on doing my job with minimal interference. Our site redesign project should finally start moving forward soon, so I could be facing an even heavier workload than usual soon. I had two very quiet days and nights at home with no kids (I've just gone and picked them up, so they're home again now). It's been a little lonely around here, but I got some things done that n...

Don S. Davis 1942-2008 Rest in peace, dear man

I love it! I've found that every time Lifetime shows its Flying Tigress promo, I get a hit from someone searching for it on Google. In fact, it's officially my top search now - even beyond the simple search for "Insomnimusing" (which came mostly from a single source, I'll admit). I've gotten a few other interesting searches that clicked through. Some of my other favorites have been: Pooh's girlfriend idealist naive Giourkas girlfriend Seitaridis girlfriend diego benaglio girlfriend gay hip-hop subculture "find her shoes" barefoot sensory deprivation experiment mystical fantasy art viva Italia nerds relationships "Donna Brazile" hobbies "Donna Brazile" mama "the origin of the other shoe fell" "just want you to know who I am" I fear that many of these searchers have been disappointed by what they found, at least in terms of their search. I hope that maybe one or two have read what they found and liked it anyw...