Blog On This!!

On My Car:
i'm getting a new car this weekend (i hope), and i'm kinda sorta not looking forward to it. there's something nice about knowing all the faults in one's car and being able to, for the most part, anticipate them. you get used to the grinding sounds, the jingles, and the clanking. but my car is way past due. just about every warning sound possible goes off. those of you fortunate enough have been on the phone with me while i turned on my car, or turned it off, probably heard the dinging. when i turn on my car, in addition to the "seat belt" ding, i have a "parking light needs service" ding, a "replace your brake linings" ding, a "you need more coolant" ding, and now a "change your oil, you dummy" ding. pat once said that the reason for some of the dings is that when the car gets serviced, there are these reset buttons that are supposed to be pushed, but that when my car has been serviced, they haven't been reset, so thus the dinging. i remember thinking that i'd like to ding the knuckle head who didn't reset my (car) buttons, but decided to keep my mouth shut because it was a certain someone's brother who had done the work.

anyhoo, my car is falling apart, the hydraulic doohickey's that keep the trunk lid open when you open the trunk don't work, so i often find myself having to hold the trunk open with my head (very uncomfortable) while i carefully reach for shit in the trunk. and i have to make sure the kids don't go in the back, because it's an accident just waiting to happen. the weather stripping is starting to come off, and to top it all off, i got into an accident about 2 weeks ago (his fault!) when a dummy kid tried to make a right hand turn from the left hand lane right in front of me. so i've got a settlement check for about 3.1 k, and it's just time.

TITT - i love this car. it goes so fast. and has so much power. and i don't think i'll ever have a vehicle that fast again, unless, of course, i get a motorcycle. or i could just borrow linesteppa's...

On Parenting:
please believe me when i say that i don't think i'm the best parent in the world. i'm not trying to be high and mighty when it comes to my views on parenting, but come on!! i was at my kids' school carnival, and what the hell! parents were stealing the desserts used for the cake walk prizes behind the supervising teachers' back! and then i started monitoring/passing out the prized cakes to the winners, and some of the parents had the nerve to send their kids to casually walk up to the table, and try to snatch a cake! it was so infuriating. and i also know the two teachers who organize the carnival every year. both of these teachers are some of the most hard working people i've ever known. i was baffled to learn that the carnival only brings in enough money to pay for a reward program the school does to reward students who don't miss any school days for 35-36 weeks throughout the school year. the reason for this program is to encourage the students to be in school as much as possible, because if the students don't show, the gov't doesn't pay the school... super sucks. these women worked so hard, and i saw barely anyone helping them with the cleanup.

On Holidays:
ugh. i never seem to know whether to be excited about the holidays, or pissed. or depressed. this is going to be the first year that i will have to share my kids with someone else, and it's kinda depressing. i know pat'll outdo me as far as gifts and whatnot, and for the most part, i'm not bothered. i do my best.

TITT about the holidays that i can't stand is that i constantly find myself being really intolerant of those around me who don't see holidays for what they should be, or at least, what i think they should be. yeah, i know.i'm being narrow-minded, and bleh, but i can't help it. it drives me nuts to hear grown people, people who should know better, get all tehnical about who should get who what, and how much they should spend, etc. ha! i'm going to get all of my friends totally practical gifts that they can enjoy: 50 dollar gift certificates to the F street bookstore!

Career Choice Of The Day: today i would like to have been a fundraiser. and a good one at that. i would raise money for things i think are worthy of having funds raised for them.. schools, food programs for the homeless, battered women's shelter, etc.

High:

• lost my wallet for a good hour or so. sucked because i actually had money in it. then i found it in my backpack and had overlooked it earlier. or maybe the minute men misplaced it, and then moved it back later...
• got a good grade on my second MAN exam!
• actually glad that 2 "smart and finals" didn't have any cotton candy sugar. it was so much easier to just buy premade, prepackaged cotton candy than to rent the machine, make it, and then package it myself.. well, anne was going to help, but turned out we didn't need to get all sticky, so that was good...
• helping out with the carnival.

Low:

• can't find charlotte anywhere. i think she got offended when i moved her to a higher spot in my front porch. i had to destroy some of her webbing because it was attached to my front door. i miss looking for her everytime i come or go, hoping she doesn't fall into my hair and bite me.
• wish i could've helped out more with the carnival.

I Spied:

• a bunch of greedy ass parents stealing desserts from the cake walk area. freakin' pathetic
• a little girl winning a chocolate cake and beaming
• absolute adoration for a granddaughter
• 2 girls in bed bitching
• 2 stores with no cotton candy sugar
• the most annoying redhead ever! (see? i can be civil and not call her a bitch... oops!)
• 4 really really loud roofers
• pure dedication to one's job. inspired me. gave me hope
• super pick-me-up caffeine high
• a really tired ronin
• a scream from a mere knock at the door...
• the best drinky-poos!
• a dog betraying her master for a better scratcher...