4 Things

I had a theme going and yesterday was supposed to be about three things but it was one of those days so now we're up to 4. It was one of those days because we had some teenage angsty drama with our Aussie. Long story. Suffice to say that our Aussie was very homesick (her mum told me that she probably wasn't ready to make such a trip) and has moved to another house where there is another student from her school. There were bits about it all that were very annoying but the good news is that The Child took it all very well (and not at all personally, which is good, since it wasn't) and frankly, it's nice to know that there's a three day weekend ahead wherein I will not be required to entertain someone else and can just veg.

The Cat is weird. Every morning, very early, she comes into our room, jumps up on my nightstand and drinks from my water glass. The "clink" of her collar on the glass wakes me up and then I instantly get very thirsty, which requires me to get up and get fresh water because, while cats are not known for being a drooly animal, who wants to drink water that has potential cat spit in it? Not me. I've tried leaving out a decoy glass but she always goes to the one nearest me. Every night. The Spouse has suggested a sippy cup.

My little Wii Fit friend informed me today that I am only 10 pounds from my weight goal. I love my little Wii Fit friend.

Project Runway is back! New season premiers tonight. Yippee! And also, skippy! Not to mention, it means I get to start work late on Friday because, as you know, MAB insists that I have my recap up before I come in to the office. I love my job.

One Thing

We're having a very nice time with our new Aussie. She doesn't eat seafood (which I find ironic given that she comes from a country with lots of coastline and is visiting the seafood capital of America). She does eat vegemite. Which I tried. Which is, as you no doubt suspect, quite foul. Unless you enjoy licking car tires. In which case, I'll make you a plate of hot buttered toast and you can tuck in.

Off Track Betting

I have 24 hours to remove Christmas, mop the floors, dust for prints, unstick the sticky, do laundry, take out 412 pounds of recycling and create a sleeping space for The Child during the period when she is displaced by the bright, shiny, new Australian we're getting tomorrow. During that same period I need to earn money, eat, sleep and work out because I've lost 2 pounds already and mommy really wants to keep that up.

Anyone want to give odds on how I'll do?

Obligatory First Blog Post of the Year

Lord knows I love the holidays but it's nice that a little window of normal is opening up before the not normal of the family being temporarily being increased by 1.

The Child will not get up happily this morning, of that I am quite sure. She went out on New Years Eve and had a sleep-over with BFF #2, came home around 5 on New Year's Day and then went to a birthday party on the 2nd which also included a sleep-over. She was veryvery tired last night and veryvery grumpy about my "forcing" her to finish the paper on Macbeth that she had all holiday to work on. (To be fair, it was mostly done but for the tidying up of editing but still). Point is, she will be suffering from the cummulative effects of her weekend.

The Spouse is just now leaving for his first day back at the office in 2 weeks. I think he's ok with it, so long as he can make coding seem like playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or Fallout.

On Saturday I was feeling a little resentful about my minimal amount of holiday time and about having to spend the weekend running errands, per usual, while The Family played and thinking about how I always have to spend the weekend running errands, per usual, while The Family plays and then it hit me. "Hey! I'm earning leave". So I decided that I'm going to take one Friday off every month. And those days are going to be just for me and whatever I feel like doing. (MAB won't like it. She hates it when I'm out of the office. But that's okay because I hate it when she is out of the office). The very thought of such a plan immediately brightened my mood and I finished all my errands quite happily.

So that's my number 1 resolution for 2010. The other is to keep using my wonderful little Wii Fit to get myself ready for meeting Michelle Obama in May. (Meeting Michelle Obama is resolution #3). I love playing with my Wii. I love that I've already lost a pound and am feeling more limber. I love that it is easy to stay committed because it's fun. Technology is a good, good thing.

So we're "back to normal" for a bit. Until Friday, when we receive our Australian exchange student for 2 weeks. The Child and I connected with her on Facebook and her mum friended me. We've had some delightful chats. I knew it was meant to be, though, when she referred to herself as "the worst mother in the world". "Oh, no you're not," I replied. "I am the worst mother in the world and I have the theme song to prove it!"

Rambling

Very soon I will be taking Sandy to the bus. I will miss her. Plus, she saved my life last night. I was doing dishes and I managed to, quite appropriately, slice my right thumb on a carving knife. It hurt a lot and bled even more. But Sandy, who wants to be a midwife, was very compassionate and bandaged me up with nary an "eeeewww...that's so gross".

I suspect this recent wound will not enhance my Xbox game play, which was not particularly compelling to begin with.

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I wish I had something profound to say about it being MLK Day. There is a calendar over my desk at work, with the faces of Dr. King and Mr. (soon-to-be-president) Obama and the script between their two visages reads "A Dream Fulfilled". There is a postcard above my desk at home with Mr. (soon-to-be-president) Obama's face and the words "Yes We Did".

That's a sort of summation but really, I can't come up with better. I am like a corked bottle of champang-ya all shook up. I am eager and hopeful. I am, like most Americans, well aware that all the problems we face will still be with us on the 21st of January and that it's going to take more than inspiration and desire to address those problems. But I also know what America looks like when she has leadership. It is that, and a host of other things that I cannot put into words right now, that make me feel all bubbly and fizzy.

One more day and our long national nightmare will be over. We will have a president who has actually read the Constitution and who, I believe, will not be committing perjury when he swears tomorrow to uphold it. Uphold it? Sheesh, he gets to restore it. That is only part of the massive work ahead. But if we can elect a black man to be President, maybe we have what it takes after all to get ourselves up out of the ditch, bang the dents out of the fender, flush the engine and get ourselves on the road again.

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Also, yesterday was quite brilliantly beautiful, sunshine-wise, but I realized that it is much easier to believe your house is clean when the sun isn't shining. Oy, the schmutz that was revealed under the unrelenting light of the sun! I don't think I would enjoy keeping house in, say, Arizona.

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Right. Time to get Sandy to her bus. Then I think I'll read some poetry. And see if my injured thumb is up to slaying zombies.

But I'm Still Not Going to Try Vegemite

This is our last weekend with Sandy. She's quite precious and we have told her that she is welcome to come back any time. Last night she invited us to come for an "Aussie Christmas" sometime. I need to email her parents and tell them how very delightful and helpful and not-at-all-entitled she has been during her visit. She probably gives them holy hell at home but assuming that it is true that how children behave when they are away from you is the genuine test of their character/behavior/etc., then Sandy's Mum and Dad can be very proud.

We'll wrap up our 3 week musical tribute to Australians with this little surprise. Well, it was to moi. Did you know that she could sing? The Abba stuff in "Muriel's Wedding" aside? Well, she does and she has a band with her husband (the drummer) and she has a very, very pretty voice, imho. There's something a little Swing Out Sisterish about this tune and I think it is perfectly acceptable.




Toni Collette and The Finish "Look Up"

Rise & Shine

I've got to run Sandy into school early because Wednesday is late start for The Child but Sandy's group has a tour that starts at the regular school time and aside from being her mom for a week, I've already put the kybosh on her and The Child going to a basketball game tonight because I have to work late and don't want to have to stay out late fetching children from an athletic competition although I'm making it up to them by getting a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream (Phish Food, my favorite) with the free coupon I got from Credo Mobile because they're so nice there.


It's ok about the early start anyway because I have to be trained on some software today and get ready for a tour by mucky mucks later in the day so it's all good, although I kinda wish I'd waited to wear my killer dress today.

I had a creamy chicken enchilada for breakfast this morning. I love my job.

Are You Talkin' to Me?

The Spouse bought me one of those Bluetooth thingies that sits in your ear and makes you look like a douche. He says it's so I can talk on the cell phone in the car now that it is illegal to do so when driving unless your device is hands-free.

I hardly ever talk on the phone in the car, even when it was legal.

But it was a nice gesture and it was amusing when yesterday, as we took a little trip out to Costco Home he said, "OK, let's pretend we're talking on the phone to each other the whole time, even though we are right next to each other".

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I bought a new sofa. If will be delivered Saturday. Before Sing For Your Supper.

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Sandy is very sweet. We're having a nice time with her. She's very appreciative and helpful and she laughs at our jokes. I took her and The Child downtown on Saturday to lunch and shop (I did some damage at H&M thankyouverymuch) and see "Twilight" (my 3rd time...I deserve a medal).

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One more full week of work sans MAB. I miss her very, very much. I can do the job by myself. It's just way less fun without her. The hardest part has been not having someone with whom I can diffuse the stress. And there has been stress. It has been of the "I want to help as many people as I can and I don't think I have room to help this person" variety but it's still stress.

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I have to remember to go to a meeting this morning that MAB usually attends. I was a little late for it last week because I totally spaced that she wanted me to go. It was, possible, the dullest meeting in all the land. But it's short. And I have a new dress to wear to it so there's always that.

That Voice...That Face....

We fetched Sandy last night. We were supposed to have a sign with her name on it. I didn't know that, since I changed my email address and haven't figured out who at High School needs the update. There was one other family sans sign. Said the mom, "Well, kid, maybe your next host family will be nice". My sentiments exactly.

But despite the piddly ass sign I cobbled together at the last minute on the back of a flyer with a borrowed pen, Sandy found us right away and we gave her big hugs which she returned easily and off we set for home. She is quite adorable. The Child is enchanted with her accent and I was just pleased that she seemed quite comfortable, friendly and polite. The Child was also delighted that Sandy too has read all the Twilight books. The two of them chatted for quite a bit last night, even though the hour was late and they were reminded once that 7am would come very early. But hey...not every day The Child gets an Australian big sister right?

(And huzzah...Sandy hasn't seen the "Twilight" movie yet. Host family now has something to do with her on the weekend. Oh, I know what you're thinking...especially if you've visited us before from outta town. I intended to show her all that and more. Then I read her itinerary. See, this isn't an exchange student in the coming-to-live-with-us-for-a-year-and-go-to-school-in-the-US deal. This is a go-to-America-during-summer-break-and-see-a-mess-of-stuff-every-day-on-a-tour-bus-then-go-home-and-eat-dinner-with-your-American-family sorta thing. Consequently that "free time with your host family" notation was a bit daunting as she'll have already done or be about to do all the fun stuff in town. So we're going to feed her pizza, show her movies and make her sing for her supper next weekend with all our friends. And that, my friends, is how you bring peace between nations).

Anywhirlwind, we have Sandy now and she is, as I mentioned, adorable and I'm sure it will be a lovely experience for all of us.

But all the boys at Rydell High are dying to meet her. There'd better not be any scenes.






Olivia Newton John "Hopelessly Devoted to You"

Where Was I?

I'm the sort of gal who lives by the seasons. Certainly things happen in a certain order, at certain times. Like clafouti...the French version of fruit cobbler. I never make it in the winter because it is the sort of thing that asks to be made with fresh fruit. Eggnog cake, on the other hand, only appears at Christmas time. Never mind that I could make clafouti with frozen berries in the winter or whip up my own eggnog in the summer. That's just not how it is done so I don't.

This ordered sensibility extends beyond the kitchen. We don't decorate for Christmas until Christmas Eve and everything comes down on Epiphany, January 6. There is rhyme and reason, liturgy and purpose...a dedicated time to celebrate the season and then, when it has been fully celebrated, it ceremoniously ends (12th Night party) and we move toward the next season.

This has been our practise for 17, nay, 18 years and will continue to be. Except this year. Our tree is still up, the mantel is still heaped with angels and boughs, lights continue to drape from the garlands outside. The one concession to Christmas being over? Nothing has been lit up since the 6th.

It's not that I'm loathe to box up Christmas. Nor is there any danger that we will be one of those houses with Christmas lights still up in May. The project just has to wait until the weekend.


Any combination of reasons from the follow list will suffice as explanation:

Orthodontist appointments.
Various crises at work (where, you'll remember, I am sans MAB for the next while).
Rainstorms.
Working full-time.
Mandatory study hall twice a week, requiring transportation home from parental unit.
Australians needing a place to sleep.
Australians needing a place to sleep in a bedroom that sometimes seems too small for one person let alone the addition of an ambassador from another country.
Not sleeping. (I'm not stressed out particularly but am having a hard time shutting off the old brain lately).

So the tree is still up but at least we figured out how to fit Sandy the Australian exchange student into The Child's room. (We totally have to call her Sandy, don't we?)

And in other good news, I bought myself a really superfantastic new handbag yesterday.

Have I mentioned how terrific it is that I actually have my own money? That when I went Christmas shopping for The Spouse this year I was spending my own ducats and not his? Or that I make enough (thank you, gentle taxpayers) to meet the obligations I have to the family (tuition and orthodontia) AND still have money to buy pressies? Including pressies once in a while for myself like aforementioned superfantastic handbag I found at BCBGMaxazria?

Also, what the hell kind of name is that for a retailer? Seriously?

"Wow, Rainey! Superfantastic handbag! Where'd you get it?"

"Oh, isn't it swell? I got it at BeeCeeBuh, uh, MaxAss...uh, sounds like Hank Azaria only without the Hank and there are all these Bees and Cees and uh...Costco. That's it...I bought it at Costco".

We begin with liturgy and tradition and end up with handbags. Odd. But seriously...isn't that bag just hot?

A Dingo Ate My Baby!

I'm late. Java issues. But now my computer is truly all better. And I can't tell you how nice it is to not have Avast! going off every 10 minutes alerting me to another detected Trojan. It's even nicer to not all a sudden notice random icons for things like "Belgian Bondage" and "Guys Who Love Condiments", which was seriously starting to creep me out.

Anyporn, this week's belated jukebox tune is from my favorite decade of music because it just still is my favorite decade of music ever and also it is very appropriate because in a few days we're going to have an exchange student in our house for 2 weeks. The Child is very excited. I was until I spent last night dreaming that all she did was sleep, except when she and The Child were fighting. Which I'm sure they won't in real life because I'm sure she's a lovely girl and will be grateful and sweet. And maybe The Child will be, too. And it will all be lovely, provided The Spouse and I refrain from trying to impress her by quoting various films in really poor accents. Because really, the kid isn't coming here from halfway around the world to suffer that sort of humiliation.




Men at Work "Land Down Under"