November 13, 2012
I spoke with my sister yesterday and got some updates on her crazy life. I do not know how much I have shared with y'all in the past, but her life is pretty nuts.
Her husband is an Army Ranger and on active duty. He has never been stationed anywhere overseas crazier than Qatar, but has had to travel plenty while stationed here in the states. The post he had in Georgia close to home closed and he got moved to one of the Carolinas-five hours from home. Ft Bragg I think. He has been trying to get closer to home and fought the army red tape and finally succeeded. As of last week he got stationed within two hours from home. Yay!
My sister, who attended the University of Cincinnati and graduated with a degree in Interior Design, has been a stay-at-home mom since her children were born. She has done some freelance work, but with three children under nine and three puppies under foot, I don't think she finds time to freelance anymore. Add in a husband gone five days a week and it can't possibly be done.
My sister is also the owner of the child who visited us and came away with a leg that really hurt. She left Cincinnati with a cast. It has been removed and she is fully healed. Life may becoming more normal at their house. All she has to do now is read my blog, eat bon bons, and prep a Thanksgiving meal for her whole family and my brother and his family. No big deal.
As for Thanksgiving plans here at our house, we are not sure. A couple years ago it was Steak n Shake, and last year it was a forgettable experience at Cracker Barrel.
The thing that will be strange this year is my schedule. For the first time I can remember in the past 25 years, I do not need to open on Black Friday. CVS is not the number one spot for most folks on Black Friday-unless they need smokes and a Mountain Dew to get them going. Therefore, CVS is is running their big ad on Sunday 11/18 to try to catch the shoppers getting prescriptions filled before the holiday. Pretty smart I think. And for me, that means I am working the least amount of hours I can ever recall around Thanksgiving. I haven't completely wrapped my brain around it, but I could get used to it.
Can you believe all the big box stores are opening either at 9pm Thursday night or Midnight? At what point have the big wigs decided that the employees don't matter anymore? What kind of holiday will it be for those folks who have to work overnight on Thanksgiving? Good gravy.
Beth just got home for lunch so I will go keep her company for a bit. Xavier plays Butler at 4pm if you are interested in rooting on the Muskies with me. If you are rooting for the Bulldogs, sure you will probably win, but will you feel good about it? Yeah, I guess you will.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
I'm wearing two hats..
November 1, 2012
...and neither one is a sleeping cap.
Last night was Halloween. It was cold and wet here in Cincinnati. I can think of no description in which cold and wet is portrayed as a good thing.
In the movie Good Morning Vietnam with Robin Williams, he is giving the jungle weather forecast as hot and wet, "Which is great if you're with a woman, but horrible if you are in the jungle."
If you can think of a favorable weather forecast for cold and wet, let me in on it.
So we had about 1/3 the normal amount of trick-or-treaters at our house. I have a basket full of non-chocolate candies left over. Sad to look at really. Of the goblins we did have last night, I estimate there were 20 teenage girls. If you were ever wondering what candy snack to serve at a teenage girl party, go with Pixie Stix. Of the 20 girls, 18 of them snatched up some Pixie Stix. It was as if they were about to debut as a toddler with a tiara.
They went after them like Mike Birbiglia's father reads war novels, aggressively and passionately.
Each year Beth and I debate who our favorite treater was. It is usually more of a challenge since there are around 300 overall contestants and half are under the age of 10. We usually have an award for over 10 and one for under 10. It is very unofficial, but the winner gets a Snickers Slice n' Share bar to be handed out on All Saint's Day. For some strange reason none of them have ever tried to claim their award. Good thing since one of those giant candy bars wouldn't last 15 minutes in this house.
So without further ado, last night's award goes to....Lightning McQueen! Ta da!
This little dude was TOO excitied to be out and about. He bounced up to our door, said his lines perfectly, and then started to bounce away. I think he caught on that Beth and I had been smitten with him and fed into our rapture as he was leaving.
"I am Lightning McQueen on the bottom and I have Lightning shoes and I am wearing two hats. One is a regular cold-weather hat, and one is a Lightning McQueen hat. Bye. Happy Halloween!"
OMG! Come back here Lightning! You need another Pixie Stick.
Another sad reality about last night was that it was CJ's first Halloween night not spent at our house. At 15, we did not expect him to go trick-or-treating. However, he usually sets up camp in the basement with a buddy or two and the number ebbs and flows as friends stop by. Not last night.
He was at his friend who is a girl's house. There was a small gathering and they watched Avengers. Perfectly wonderful event, but Beth and I were very sad to know our little dude was not here with us.
Around 8:30, I left the house to go to work. At The CVS, just like The Target, you have to change over from Halloween to Christmas ASAP. Halloween goes half off at midnight and surely customers will be wanting there Holiday popcorn tins starting November 1st. The difference beween The Target and The CVS was that our changeover last night took 5 of us 7 hours. At The target, it will take 7 people 5 days provided they ever sell all those costumes.
I returned home to our casa around 5:30 and have slept a couple hours. My brain does not take well to sleeping in the daylight. Check back in with me around 5:30 pm and see who is a little dozzy. Until then, no critiquing of my spelling nor my grammar. Keep in mind...no sleep. I am running on Pixie Stix and Sweet Tarts here.
...and neither one is a sleeping cap.
Last night was Halloween. It was cold and wet here in Cincinnati. I can think of no description in which cold and wet is portrayed as a good thing.
In the movie Good Morning Vietnam with Robin Williams, he is giving the jungle weather forecast as hot and wet, "Which is great if you're with a woman, but horrible if you are in the jungle."
If you can think of a favorable weather forecast for cold and wet, let me in on it.
So we had about 1/3 the normal amount of trick-or-treaters at our house. I have a basket full of non-chocolate candies left over. Sad to look at really. Of the goblins we did have last night, I estimate there were 20 teenage girls. If you were ever wondering what candy snack to serve at a teenage girl party, go with Pixie Stix. Of the 20 girls, 18 of them snatched up some Pixie Stix. It was as if they were about to debut as a toddler with a tiara.
They went after them like Mike Birbiglia's father reads war novels, aggressively and passionately.
Each year Beth and I debate who our favorite treater was. It is usually more of a challenge since there are around 300 overall contestants and half are under the age of 10. We usually have an award for over 10 and one for under 10. It is very unofficial, but the winner gets a Snickers Slice n' Share bar to be handed out on All Saint's Day. For some strange reason none of them have ever tried to claim their award. Good thing since one of those giant candy bars wouldn't last 15 minutes in this house.
So without further ado, last night's award goes to....Lightning McQueen! Ta da!
This little dude was TOO excitied to be out and about. He bounced up to our door, said his lines perfectly, and then started to bounce away. I think he caught on that Beth and I had been smitten with him and fed into our rapture as he was leaving.
"I am Lightning McQueen on the bottom and I have Lightning shoes and I am wearing two hats. One is a regular cold-weather hat, and one is a Lightning McQueen hat. Bye. Happy Halloween!"
OMG! Come back here Lightning! You need another Pixie Stick.
Another sad reality about last night was that it was CJ's first Halloween night not spent at our house. At 15, we did not expect him to go trick-or-treating. However, he usually sets up camp in the basement with a buddy or two and the number ebbs and flows as friends stop by. Not last night.
He was at his friend who is a girl's house. There was a small gathering and they watched Avengers. Perfectly wonderful event, but Beth and I were very sad to know our little dude was not here with us.
Around 8:30, I left the house to go to work. At The CVS, just like The Target, you have to change over from Halloween to Christmas ASAP. Halloween goes half off at midnight and surely customers will be wanting there Holiday popcorn tins starting November 1st. The difference beween The Target and The CVS was that our changeover last night took 5 of us 7 hours. At The target, it will take 7 people 5 days provided they ever sell all those costumes.
I returned home to our casa around 5:30 and have slept a couple hours. My brain does not take well to sleeping in the daylight. Check back in with me around 5:30 pm and see who is a little dozzy. Until then, no critiquing of my spelling nor my grammar. Keep in mind...no sleep. I am running on Pixie Stix and Sweet Tarts here.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Have you ever heard of a napkin, son?
October 19, 2012
My peeps are off to school this Friday morning and I do not have to be at (or to) my pharmacy training until 10am; therefore, I have time to chat at (or to) ya about what is up here at our house. Exciting stuff, let me tell you.
One thing I know about working at the pharmacy is that there are no free samples, so stop asking!
Another thing I know about my family is that CJ is growing up way too fast. His sense of humor is awesome and quick. You should hear CJ and Beth having a conversation. The two of them are way funny without even trying. An example? Okay.
Beth and CJ are in the car on their mile long journey to the high school. Their route takes them on our side street which is not so busy and makes a turn onto the the main street which is quite busy just before school is set to begin. At the aforementioned turn, Beth realizes that she has forgotten her glasses. Rather than go around the block to retrieve them, she jokingly suggests that CJ hop out of the car and run back to the house to secure her glasses. All the while she would simply park the car on the main street with her blinkers on until he returned.
His prompt reply was that he pictured himself returning to the vehicle just in time to see the angry mob pulling her body through the driver's side window.
Are children really that anxious to get to school? Actually, their parents are that anxious to drop them off at school.
In other CJ news, he has a girlfriend. It has been an interesting journey as his father to see this all develop. When you look at your child through parentally rose-colored glasses, you think they are handsome, funny, and well-mannered. At a certain point, you start to wonder if the rest of the world sees them that way. I have especially wondered about the well-mannered part during a meal here at our home. But I have also wondered if the opposite sex thought he was easy on the eyes or if they turned away and said a prayer for him. Recent events have confirmed the former. I don't know what it says about my sophomore son that he has a giggly group of freshmen girls who wave at him goofily or talk to their friends about stalking him. I overheard this conversation and was amused rather than frightened thus proving that I am his dad and not his mom. Last year, in celebration of Lady Gaga, there were Facebook posts from couples who were involved in band romances. Clever. Now my son is involved in one himself, though not on the Facebook. Neither he nor this young lady are on Facebook which counts as one point on the plus side of the ledger for her with me. She also scores points for being tall, cute, polite, hard-working, athletic, and did I mention cute? She also seems to be rather enamored with my tall, unkempt, socially akward (when it comes to females), and gamer of a son. More points for her. The only points against her have to do with the fact that she is the only child of a father who goes about 6' 5", 220.
As CJ and his friend Rowen went off to visit this young lady and her friend at young lady's home, I reminded CJ of the father's size and recommended that no matter what happens, his pants stay on. OH MY GOD the groans from Beth. Can you believe she was worried that I may have embarrased CJ?! Has she never seen a Ben Stiller film? Inevitably, something gets spilled, or a dog jumps on your pants, or something happens that involves the removal and subsequent cleaning of said pants. That is what I was referring to. Gawd, y'all need to get your minds out of the gutter. I am all about the preservation of CJ's young life versus ginormous father catching CJ with no mas pantalones.
As for band season, while this one has not been as suceesful in terms of hardware as last year's campaign, it has been fun. It has also been thrilling to see this group develop from a slow beginning into a band that qualified for state and has put on a great show. They got to perform at Ohio State University last weekend and then see the OSU band perform as well. The OSU band did a video game-themed routine that has over 13 million hits on You Tube. The link is below and isn't great for sound quality, but the picture is what is important, especially the galloping horse around the 6 minute mark.
We are off to Versailles, Ohio for a competition tomorrow. Pray for dry warm weather.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAzzbrFgcUw
My peeps are off to school this Friday morning and I do not have to be at (or to) my pharmacy training until 10am; therefore, I have time to chat at (or to) ya about what is up here at our house. Exciting stuff, let me tell you.
One thing I know about working at the pharmacy is that there are no free samples, so stop asking!
Another thing I know about my family is that CJ is growing up way too fast. His sense of humor is awesome and quick. You should hear CJ and Beth having a conversation. The two of them are way funny without even trying. An example? Okay.
Beth and CJ are in the car on their mile long journey to the high school. Their route takes them on our side street which is not so busy and makes a turn onto the the main street which is quite busy just before school is set to begin. At the aforementioned turn, Beth realizes that she has forgotten her glasses. Rather than go around the block to retrieve them, she jokingly suggests that CJ hop out of the car and run back to the house to secure her glasses. All the while she would simply park the car on the main street with her blinkers on until he returned.
His prompt reply was that he pictured himself returning to the vehicle just in time to see the angry mob pulling her body through the driver's side window.
Are children really that anxious to get to school? Actually, their parents are that anxious to drop them off at school.
In other CJ news, he has a girlfriend. It has been an interesting journey as his father to see this all develop. When you look at your child through parentally rose-colored glasses, you think they are handsome, funny, and well-mannered. At a certain point, you start to wonder if the rest of the world sees them that way. I have especially wondered about the well-mannered part during a meal here at our home. But I have also wondered if the opposite sex thought he was easy on the eyes or if they turned away and said a prayer for him. Recent events have confirmed the former. I don't know what it says about my sophomore son that he has a giggly group of freshmen girls who wave at him goofily or talk to their friends about stalking him. I overheard this conversation and was amused rather than frightened thus proving that I am his dad and not his mom. Last year, in celebration of Lady Gaga, there were Facebook posts from couples who were involved in band romances. Clever. Now my son is involved in one himself, though not on the Facebook. Neither he nor this young lady are on Facebook which counts as one point on the plus side of the ledger for her with me. She also scores points for being tall, cute, polite, hard-working, athletic, and did I mention cute? She also seems to be rather enamored with my tall, unkempt, socially akward (when it comes to females), and gamer of a son. More points for her. The only points against her have to do with the fact that she is the only child of a father who goes about 6' 5", 220.
As CJ and his friend Rowen went off to visit this young lady and her friend at young lady's home, I reminded CJ of the father's size and recommended that no matter what happens, his pants stay on. OH MY GOD the groans from Beth. Can you believe she was worried that I may have embarrased CJ?! Has she never seen a Ben Stiller film? Inevitably, something gets spilled, or a dog jumps on your pants, or something happens that involves the removal and subsequent cleaning of said pants. That is what I was referring to. Gawd, y'all need to get your minds out of the gutter. I am all about the preservation of CJ's young life versus ginormous father catching CJ with no mas pantalones.
As for band season, while this one has not been as suceesful in terms of hardware as last year's campaign, it has been fun. It has also been thrilling to see this group develop from a slow beginning into a band that qualified for state and has put on a great show. They got to perform at Ohio State University last weekend and then see the OSU band perform as well. The OSU band did a video game-themed routine that has over 13 million hits on You Tube. The link is below and isn't great for sound quality, but the picture is what is important, especially the galloping horse around the 6 minute mark.
We are off to Versailles, Ohio for a competition tomorrow. Pray for dry warm weather.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAzzbrFgcUw
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
I never had a Hershey Bar before..what do they taste like?
October 9, 2012
I know I haven't posted in a while cause I have been busy starting a new job and all, but I wanted to get a couple messages out there to the universe.
First, Happy Birthday Mother! My mother's birth day was 10/9/29 thus making her 83, you know, if she hadn't died in 1991. Therefore, she is not actually 83. However, there is still a reason to say happy birthday as she is still watching over me. I can feel it every time I work hard against my will, do good dad, and whenever I walk past a piece of paper on the floor. As a birthday present today, I neither swore during the Red's loss or walked past any stray pieces of paper.
Training is going well, thanks for asking. It is inventory prep week and that is going well also. I have received positive feedback from my new district manager and that is always welcome. I have also gotten some insight into black Friday with CVS and it will be different. I work with a manager who used to be in grocery for 21 years. His biggest day was the day before Thanksgiving. He amused me with stories of customers coming in looking for specific turkeys. "I would like an 18 1/2 pound turkey who was raised by good parents, has 4 drumsticks, all white meat, and was left-handed." I am forever grateful I never worked in grocery.
In other news, I visited my peeps at The Target the other day and they told me about a new guest service initiative called Vibe. It allows the team members to take more on themselves to make the customer happy. An example given was opening a bag of cookies to let someone know how they taste. Beth has jumped all over this idea. She has plans this weekend to try out some new makeup, taste some muffins, sleep on a new pillow, and listen to some CDs. A monster has been created.
I know I haven't posted in a while cause I have been busy starting a new job and all, but I wanted to get a couple messages out there to the universe.
First, Happy Birthday Mother! My mother's birth day was 10/9/29 thus making her 83, you know, if she hadn't died in 1991. Therefore, she is not actually 83. However, there is still a reason to say happy birthday as she is still watching over me. I can feel it every time I work hard against my will, do good dad, and whenever I walk past a piece of paper on the floor. As a birthday present today, I neither swore during the Red's loss or walked past any stray pieces of paper.
Training is going well, thanks for asking. It is inventory prep week and that is going well also. I have received positive feedback from my new district manager and that is always welcome. I have also gotten some insight into black Friday with CVS and it will be different. I work with a manager who used to be in grocery for 21 years. His biggest day was the day before Thanksgiving. He amused me with stories of customers coming in looking for specific turkeys. "I would like an 18 1/2 pound turkey who was raised by good parents, has 4 drumsticks, all white meat, and was left-handed." I am forever grateful I never worked in grocery.
In other news, I visited my peeps at The Target the other day and they told me about a new guest service initiative called Vibe. It allows the team members to take more on themselves to make the customer happy. An example given was opening a bag of cookies to let someone know how they taste. Beth has jumped all over this idea. She has plans this weekend to try out some new makeup, taste some muffins, sleep on a new pillow, and listen to some CDs. A monster has been created.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Anyone need their flowers watered?
September 7, 2012
As the vacation/unemployed week comes to a close, I am using the time to finish up some little projects around the house. Usually, when I am on vacation from The Target, all I want to do at home is lay on the couch and watch sports or bad movies. Or that show Las Vegas. However, since Las Vegas is currently not on the air in Cincinnati, and Steven Seagal has gone into retirement; I have chosen to actually carry my weight around here. I only weigh a buck fifty-five, so don't expect to be too impressed by this list.
Yesterday, I finally put an end to our see-through windows in the basement. We used to have shutters covering them from the inside, but they did not go with the remodel. The windows we have are basement sized, so not too big, but they border the neighbor's driveway and they could look in if they wanted to. Using the shower in the basement has recently meant an opportunity for voyeurism. Not any more. You can buy sheets of light-filtering frosted film that you just cut to size and affix to the window. It took me about an hour but looks really good. Now if you want to look in, all you can see are silhouettes. Even if we are naked, you can't tell so much. I am guessing my neighbors are wondering why I carry the garden hose around the basement so much whenever Beth and CJ are not here.
Earlier in the week I cleaned the laundry room which involved vacuuming, getting rid of cobwebs, and then mopping the floor. It needed it and now I don't have to do that until we move someday. If the neighbors were peeking through the windows while I vacuumed, they may have been wondering why I needed a garden hose while I vacuumed.
You know about the couch cleaning. The verdict is still out by the way.
Currently, I am washing a couple loads of towels. If you are reading Beth, I only used 2 capfuls of the HE laundry detergent, not to worry. Per load.
I always try to do something wrong when I am using the washer so Beth doesn't expect me to help with the laundry anymore. Do you think she is on to me? Sorry, honey. This is how my father raised me-women do the laundry. I should not have to do it since I have a garden hose.
JUST KIDDING!!!!! Do not call Susan B Anthony and have her throw dollar coins at me.
To prove my point, I think it is perfectly okay that Beth cut the grass last night and I trimmed it today. I think she managed to steer the mower around the yard even without a...you know, garden hose.
Beth cuts our grass since over the past few years my allergies have gotten so bad that the grass allergy typically would manifest itself into an end result of bronchitis or a sinus infection. Finally, Beth decided she would rather cut the grass herself than deal with my sorry sick back side.
Cutting and trimming can be an adventure since we are trying to be green. The mower is battery powered and the trimmer is electric. The planet has to know I love her if I am willing to deal with the extension cord wrapping around the drain pipe, the trimmer line running out half way through trimming, and then the sweeping with an old-fashioned broom. It actually isn't too much of a hassle to do the manual sweeping since I see my neighbor across the street has to pull out his gas-powered blower every time he accumulates twelve leaves in his yard.
That about wipes out my list of things to be done. I need to go swap out the towels to the dryer. Anyone seen the crayons I sometimes accidentally drop in there with them?
As the vacation/unemployed week comes to a close, I am using the time to finish up some little projects around the house. Usually, when I am on vacation from The Target, all I want to do at home is lay on the couch and watch sports or bad movies. Or that show Las Vegas. However, since Las Vegas is currently not on the air in Cincinnati, and Steven Seagal has gone into retirement; I have chosen to actually carry my weight around here. I only weigh a buck fifty-five, so don't expect to be too impressed by this list.
Yesterday, I finally put an end to our see-through windows in the basement. We used to have shutters covering them from the inside, but they did not go with the remodel. The windows we have are basement sized, so not too big, but they border the neighbor's driveway and they could look in if they wanted to. Using the shower in the basement has recently meant an opportunity for voyeurism. Not any more. You can buy sheets of light-filtering frosted film that you just cut to size and affix to the window. It took me about an hour but looks really good. Now if you want to look in, all you can see are silhouettes. Even if we are naked, you can't tell so much. I am guessing my neighbors are wondering why I carry the garden hose around the basement so much whenever Beth and CJ are not here.
Earlier in the week I cleaned the laundry room which involved vacuuming, getting rid of cobwebs, and then mopping the floor. It needed it and now I don't have to do that until we move someday. If the neighbors were peeking through the windows while I vacuumed, they may have been wondering why I needed a garden hose while I vacuumed.
You know about the couch cleaning. The verdict is still out by the way.
Currently, I am washing a couple loads of towels. If you are reading Beth, I only used 2 capfuls of the HE laundry detergent, not to worry. Per load.
I always try to do something wrong when I am using the washer so Beth doesn't expect me to help with the laundry anymore. Do you think she is on to me? Sorry, honey. This is how my father raised me-women do the laundry. I should not have to do it since I have a garden hose.
JUST KIDDING!!!!! Do not call Susan B Anthony and have her throw dollar coins at me.
To prove my point, I think it is perfectly okay that Beth cut the grass last night and I trimmed it today. I think she managed to steer the mower around the yard even without a...you know, garden hose.
Beth cuts our grass since over the past few years my allergies have gotten so bad that the grass allergy typically would manifest itself into an end result of bronchitis or a sinus infection. Finally, Beth decided she would rather cut the grass herself than deal with my sorry sick back side.
Cutting and trimming can be an adventure since we are trying to be green. The mower is battery powered and the trimmer is electric. The planet has to know I love her if I am willing to deal with the extension cord wrapping around the drain pipe, the trimmer line running out half way through trimming, and then the sweeping with an old-fashioned broom. It actually isn't too much of a hassle to do the manual sweeping since I see my neighbor across the street has to pull out his gas-powered blower every time he accumulates twelve leaves in his yard.
That about wipes out my list of things to be done. I need to go swap out the towels to the dryer. Anyone seen the crayons I sometimes accidentally drop in there with them?
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Anyone got an extra hazmat suit?
September 5, 2012
Hey, have any of you guys ever looked at Kristina's mom's photo diary? She is up there under the 10s of people who follow this blog and she has a photo diary of her daughter (I am guessing Kristina) and she is adorable. I think she is around 5 now and I think lives in Yugoslavia, maybe. Anyway, have a look.
As for life in Cincinnati, I did something very exciting today. No, not the Red's baseball game (though I did do that), but I tried something with our couch. It requires a backstory though.
Every time I lay on our brown couches in the living room, I get bitten by mosquitoes. Before you ask, no they are not bedbugs. Even though Cincinnati is the bedbug capitol of the world (go us!), I know these critters are not the problem. I am the only one in our family that ever gets bitten on these couches. Beth is convinced that I am clinically insane. However, I have visual proof of the bites. I laid there one night for an hour or so and ended up with like two bites on my elbow and one or two on my neck. I also had several hundred on my brain as I could not get past it. I was completely psyched out.
Here is a backstory to the backstory. Whenever we go outside and are near grass, I get bitten. Like chocolate is to Mama Cass is like how I am to mosquitoes. Nice current reference. My blood is delicioso is what I am trying to say. I can walk to our shed and back and my ankles are chewed on more than a turkey leg at Disney World. Beth and CJ can roll in the grass naked and not get bitten once.
So they cared not about our couches. I, however, cannot lay on them anymore. Beth has suggested a professional cleaning and some therapy sessions. However, as I was speaking with a young lady who fosters children, she mentioned how she has to deal with the whole bedbug thing. Pleasant for her-not. Whenever her current foster child returns from his mother's house, she has to take all his clothes and stuffed animals and put them in the dryer on high heat for 30 minutes in order to kill all the bedbugs.
I am making myself itchy simply by continuing to type bedbugs.
Anyway, I thought what the heck? Maybe I should try to dry the couch. It took me awhile to shove the whole thing in there, and the dryer will never be the same, but I did it. In reality, I took the covers off the cushions and dried them for 30 minutes. I haven't laid on them yet to find out, but I intend to soon. Beth does not know I did this, but will soon. When she reads this.
If you read about a man in Cincinnati getting committed to the loonie bin by his wife against his will, you will know that she has read this post.
So here me and my bottle of Benadryl go. Off to have a relaxing time watching television on the couch.
Or maybe I could wear a suit like the boy from the plastic bubble...
Hey, have any of you guys ever looked at Kristina's mom's photo diary? She is up there under the 10s of people who follow this blog and she has a photo diary of her daughter (I am guessing Kristina) and she is adorable. I think she is around 5 now and I think lives in Yugoslavia, maybe. Anyway, have a look.
As for life in Cincinnati, I did something very exciting today. No, not the Red's baseball game (though I did do that), but I tried something with our couch. It requires a backstory though.
Every time I lay on our brown couches in the living room, I get bitten by mosquitoes. Before you ask, no they are not bedbugs. Even though Cincinnati is the bedbug capitol of the world (go us!), I know these critters are not the problem. I am the only one in our family that ever gets bitten on these couches. Beth is convinced that I am clinically insane. However, I have visual proof of the bites. I laid there one night for an hour or so and ended up with like two bites on my elbow and one or two on my neck. I also had several hundred on my brain as I could not get past it. I was completely psyched out.
Here is a backstory to the backstory. Whenever we go outside and are near grass, I get bitten. Like chocolate is to Mama Cass is like how I am to mosquitoes. Nice current reference. My blood is delicioso is what I am trying to say. I can walk to our shed and back and my ankles are chewed on more than a turkey leg at Disney World. Beth and CJ can roll in the grass naked and not get bitten once.
So they cared not about our couches. I, however, cannot lay on them anymore. Beth has suggested a professional cleaning and some therapy sessions. However, as I was speaking with a young lady who fosters children, she mentioned how she has to deal with the whole bedbug thing. Pleasant for her-not. Whenever her current foster child returns from his mother's house, she has to take all his clothes and stuffed animals and put them in the dryer on high heat for 30 minutes in order to kill all the bedbugs.
I am making myself itchy simply by continuing to type bedbugs.
Anyway, I thought what the heck? Maybe I should try to dry the couch. It took me awhile to shove the whole thing in there, and the dryer will never be the same, but I did it. In reality, I took the covers off the cushions and dried them for 30 minutes. I haven't laid on them yet to find out, but I intend to soon. Beth does not know I did this, but will soon. When she reads this.
If you read about a man in Cincinnati getting committed to the loonie bin by his wife against his will, you will know that she has read this post.
So here me and my bottle of Benadryl go. Off to have a relaxing time watching television on the couch.
Or maybe I could wear a suit like the boy from the plastic bubble...
Monday, September 3, 2012
Boil some curtains and tear some water into strips, I am going into labor!
September 3, 2012
Happy Labor Day y'all. It is raining, everyone in my house is sleeping, and I am up by 7am. I find it difficult to celebrate Labor Day by sleeping or sitting around. I have decided to celebrate the true meaning of the day by going into labor.
"Will someone give me a shot of something!"
"This is your fault! You did this to me!"
Obviously, I have never been in labor and get all my references from movies or comedians. My lines above do not reflect Beth In Labor. 15+ years ago, she was a real trouper and did not utter either of those sentences. I would not do well giving birth since I have to ice my knee after taking a bike ride. Labor pain may be somewhat more significant and they do not make ice bags with wings.
Enough about that. I decided yesterday that I was going to write a post dedicated to my ex-coworkers and include a link from the sermon yesterday at church. We are in a current series called "How to Like Your Job". It has been excellent so far and they would truly get something out of it. However, I will not do that in this post as I was going to email them the post and the whole labor joke at the beginning would ruin my good faith credibility.
Therefore, we can discuss how Labor Day came to be. My family and I raised this question yesterday and I will take credit for being the one closest to the correct answer. While there is some debate around who gets credit for the idea, it was started by a man or men involved in the labor movement. He is a summary of their purpose:
"It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."
Since this is not an actual English paper, I will not cite my reference.
Wait, what if this gets published?
Okay, I got that line from a United states Department of Labor web page answering the question, The History of Labor Day. Yes, I know that is not a question, what's your point?
The tribute started in 1882 in New York City and was originally going to always be on September 5th. However, in 1884, they decided they wanted a 3 day weekend so they could attend a fireworks show or watch NASCAR, and the rest is history.
I should have been a teacher, no?
Here is a final thought around labor. The elections are coming, in case you had not heard, and there is much talk about whether the economy and the jobless rate are better or worse due to 4 years of an Obama regime. I will submit for you my first political opinion on this blog.
We were at the mall last night taking a walk. We like to do this around closing time so that Beth can grab a Starbucks before they close and then we can walk the mall as it thins out. This also gives us the chance to relive the memory of taking toddler CJ to the mall either before it opened or after it cosed so he could walk around and wear his self out. It is a good tip for those of you with small children and malls. Hotels like Embassy Suites work well too since the hallways aren't one way traffic. Anyway, when we would walk the mall with baby CJ before it opened, he would walk up to all the stores he knew had train sets only to find them closed. He would then, very dramatically, hold out his arms and declare, "All the stores are closed!"
That was not my political opinion. I have decided that perhaps the economy is not as bad as the Romney people want me to believe. My source for this is the restaurants at the mall. There are two and they were both PACKED last night. We were not going to eat there, but we stopped in The Cheesecake Factory to pick up a carryout dessert. 30 minutes later we had it and were on our way home. The place was stuffed with patrons and the crowd waiting outside was substantial. The same scene was repeated at The Red Lobster we passed on the way home.
If everyone is out of work, how can they all afford to go out to eat?
Since it is very likely that this blog will get picked up for an Obama commercial, perhaps I better go back and check my resources.
Happy Labor Day y'all. It is raining, everyone in my house is sleeping, and I am up by 7am. I find it difficult to celebrate Labor Day by sleeping or sitting around. I have decided to celebrate the true meaning of the day by going into labor.
"Will someone give me a shot of something!"
"This is your fault! You did this to me!"
Obviously, I have never been in labor and get all my references from movies or comedians. My lines above do not reflect Beth In Labor. 15+ years ago, she was a real trouper and did not utter either of those sentences. I would not do well giving birth since I have to ice my knee after taking a bike ride. Labor pain may be somewhat more significant and they do not make ice bags with wings.
Enough about that. I decided yesterday that I was going to write a post dedicated to my ex-coworkers and include a link from the sermon yesterday at church. We are in a current series called "How to Like Your Job". It has been excellent so far and they would truly get something out of it. However, I will not do that in this post as I was going to email them the post and the whole labor joke at the beginning would ruin my good faith credibility.
Therefore, we can discuss how Labor Day came to be. My family and I raised this question yesterday and I will take credit for being the one closest to the correct answer. While there is some debate around who gets credit for the idea, it was started by a man or men involved in the labor movement. He is a summary of their purpose:
"It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."
Since this is not an actual English paper, I will not cite my reference.
Wait, what if this gets published?
Okay, I got that line from a United states Department of Labor web page answering the question, The History of Labor Day. Yes, I know that is not a question, what's your point?
The tribute started in 1882 in New York City and was originally going to always be on September 5th. However, in 1884, they decided they wanted a 3 day weekend so they could attend a fireworks show or watch NASCAR, and the rest is history.
I should have been a teacher, no?
Here is a final thought around labor. The elections are coming, in case you had not heard, and there is much talk about whether the economy and the jobless rate are better or worse due to 4 years of an Obama regime. I will submit for you my first political opinion on this blog.
We were at the mall last night taking a walk. We like to do this around closing time so that Beth can grab a Starbucks before they close and then we can walk the mall as it thins out. This also gives us the chance to relive the memory of taking toddler CJ to the mall either before it opened or after it cosed so he could walk around and wear his self out. It is a good tip for those of you with small children and malls. Hotels like Embassy Suites work well too since the hallways aren't one way traffic. Anyway, when we would walk the mall with baby CJ before it opened, he would walk up to all the stores he knew had train sets only to find them closed. He would then, very dramatically, hold out his arms and declare, "All the stores are closed!"
That was not my political opinion. I have decided that perhaps the economy is not as bad as the Romney people want me to believe. My source for this is the restaurants at the mall. There are two and they were both PACKED last night. We were not going to eat there, but we stopped in The Cheesecake Factory to pick up a carryout dessert. 30 minutes later we had it and were on our way home. The place was stuffed with patrons and the crowd waiting outside was substantial. The same scene was repeated at The Red Lobster we passed on the way home.
If everyone is out of work, how can they all afford to go out to eat?
Since it is very likely that this blog will get picked up for an Obama commercial, perhaps I better go back and check my resources.
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