Cheesy Movies

Last night D had to work (and he's working again tonight, yes, New Year's Eve, for the second year in a row)...so C ended up going to bed a little after 7 last night and after I surfed the 'net a bit, settled in front of the tv for some mindless entertainment. I watched.....wait for it... St. Elmo's Fire. The "Brat Pack" at it's finest. It's remarkable how young they all look. It's even more remarkable that when that movie came out, they were older than I was....now, we're all 20 + years older. Amazing. At the time, I was going to be a senior in high school (I know, dating myself now) and thought that that was what life would be like after college graduation. As far as I know, it wasn't like that for me or anyone else I knew.

The best part about the cheesy 80's movies is the music. When you hear a song you haven't heard in ages, all of a sudden, in the space between heartbeats, you remember what it was like to be the age you were when the song was first popular. For a brief moment, you remember what it felt like, being 15, 16, 17 - whenever. It's a lightness that I can't explain unless you've experienced it as well. It's also all the agony of "ohmigod ohmigod, Jeff (or insert guy you had a crush on) just smiled at me"..... all the embarrassment of being not sure of yourself, or of your perceived coolness (or lack thereof)....and it's a nice break from being an adult. Of being mom, or dad, or an officer at work, or any of the other odd parts of your life that you never even imagined being part of your life when you were in high school and imagined being a grown up.

Oh well. Tonight, New Year's Eve 2005 - will be more similar to the previous 4 New Years Eves than any of the preceding ones. With D working, I will have to get C dinner, showered, teeth brushed, and settled in bed, before I can do anything else. Which isn't much. I rented a couple of movies (40 Year Old Virgin and Wedding Date) and may get to watch one. If I'm ambitious, maybe I'll make it until 11:30 or so to see if Dick Clark is still alive.

Happy New Year!!

Home Sick

Not me. Moms don't get to be sick, remember? Although I do have a stuffy nose and cough, but nothing that would keep from work. No, the reason I'm home sick today is that C, with the same stuffy nose and cough, started throwing up last night before 1 am. And at 3 am and 5 am and 6:30 am. She was in our bed because she had woken herself up with her coughing. So those sheets were changed at the 1 am wake up. Laundry started. Then after the 3 am, where there was enough advance warning that it wasn't as bad, the sheets were transferred to the dryer and the mattress pad in the wash. I still have to change the sheets on her bed.

She was up playing at 6:30 am, wanted to "watch something" (yes, we probably let her watch too much tv). But I persisted and she came back into bed to snuggle. When I next opened my eyes, it was 8:45 am and she was still asleep! So was D (who had spent the night in C's room, hoping to avoid this plague). I woke him up so he could get showered and get to work. C woke up while I was in the shower and wanted to take another shower (she had to take one at the 1 am wake up)...so now we're settled in front of the tv, I've made a pot of coffee (for me) some toast for her, and she's playing with some of her Dora toys. But she's not at 100% - not her usual bouncy self. She's very pale, and while she always feels warm, just isn't right. So I'm glad I decided to stay home with her. I doubt anything will get done, but that's ok. Sometimes it just nice to spend a rainy cold day home snuggled on the couch.

Happy Holidays

Seeing as it's been almost a week since I last posted, and we're smack in between Christmas (if you celebrate) and New Year's - Happy Holidays!

We had a nice Christmas - Eve with my ILs - someday we need to video it because it has to been seen to be believed. Christmas my family came over around noon for prime rib and presents. C has been fighting a cold which makes her cranky....but the living room is full of Cinderella and Dora and Barbie. She's happy. Santa was good to me too. He was good to everyone in the house, I believe.

Work is quiet. I've driven in yesterday and today because the traffic has been so light. And if I don't have to freeze waiting for the train that's even better! Hopefully going home tonight will be better than last night. If no one went to work, where was all that traffic from?

New Year's eve should be a quiet affair. D has to work both Friday and Sat night, so I'll probably just fall asleep in front of the tv at some point, wake up and drag myself to bed. Would I like to go out? Probably, if D didn't have to work, and we had someone to watch C, and if C would only sleep later in the morning so I didn't have to get up before some ungodly hour....but that's a lot of ifs that won't happen. So I will go to sleep early (I don't think I've seen the ball drop in Times Square since the year before C was born, so now this will be the 5th New Year's I've slept through. Doesn't seem possible.

Crunch time

Ok. 4 days left 'til Santa comes. Have I wrapped any of C's presents from him yet? Of course not. Monday I fell asleep in the chair watching tv at 9 pm, last night I wrapped a couple for my brothers....Tonight. Tonight I will be motivated, and will wrap like a fiend. Although D has promised to wrap the Santa presents, freeing me to finishing wrapping presents for my family.

Which is probably a good thing. You need to understand about my family - we're not big on birthdays (seeing as they're all clustered around holidays - my brother and my birthdays are next month, my other brother's birthday is in Oct., my mom's birthday was actually on Thanksgiving some years, and dad's is exactly a week before Christmas). So birthdays - no big deal. We tend to go overboard at Christmas. I think it's because my mom's mom wasn't big on Christmas (living through the Depression, and having 5 kids) my mom felt she had to make it big for us. It was her favorite holiday.....and woe be to anyone who screwed it up. (Long family history of some mental illness causing some Christmases to be screwed up, along with a bad family cardiac history).

So anyway, trying to make the long story shorter, D will probably have his own coronary when he sees how much I've spent. But, I work too, and I should get to spend money on my family. It's not my fault my family concentrates on Christmas while his family spreads the tchotches out throughout the year. I am working on getting better. On Friday I will be opening a Christmas savings account at the bank and trying to put in a pre-determined amount each month, so by next December I will have most of the damage pre-paid.

Now to start stressing about the dinner!

Pink Rock Star Princess

Tonight, trying to get C to go to bed, I'm next to her in her bed, and she's telling me she wants to be a rock star when she grows up. And in order to be a rock star, she needs a pink shirt with sparkly hearts and stars, purple pants, a purple tiara, and pink Ariel underwear.

Because all the cool rock stars wear pink Ariel underwear.

PMS Monday

And yes, I know it's Tuesday but it was too cold last night to fight with the virus that's taken up residence on our computer, and D was back at work and I don't know how to start the gas fireplace downstairs where the computer lives.

I hate people who need to slow down to look at the cop who's pulled someone else over (or the two people involved in the rear end crash that has caused no visible damage but you know the one who got rear ended is a nervous nelly and insisted the cops be called, thereby causing traffic to back up for over a half an hour so everyone can get a good look at nothing).

I hate winter and snow and cold. And I live in New England and even went to college in VT (but to be fair, in college there was a fair amount of alochol acting as anti-freeze constantly in my veins).

I hate that people get things simply because they "know" people. I suppose that's long hand for office politics.

I hate that I commute over an hour and a half each way and it's dark when I leave and dark when I come home. I also hate that I don't feel like I earn my salary and I could be doing more but everyone thinks I'm doing ok.

I hate that it feels like I always have to remember eighty different things and no one else either cares or wants to help.

I hate that D doesn't seem to want to be a grown up and wants to party all the time and not spend time with us.

I hate that I miss my mom so much I end up crying at night commuting home because that's the only time I have alone.

Random Mutterings

Why must they make low rider jeans for fat women (where the waist is below the true waist) ? Do the manufacturers honestly think that people want to see my fat underwear, or my lily white behind? I doubt it. And I have no tattoos to distract anyone, so I am forced to wear huge shirts to cover the gap created when I sit down. Uncomfortableness for everyone!

I have pretty much finished Christmas shopping. C and I might go out tomorrow (early!) to get her friend L a present. Now I just need to find someone to wrap all these presents. When my brothers and I were still at home (for the most part) we used to try to pay each other to wrap presents. I think my mom even took money from my youngest brother one year to wrap his presents. We all love to buy, hate to wrap.

D showed up about 5:15 last night. We still went out to dinner, but miss crankypants (aka C) was definitely in need of an early bedtime. Everything was a drama. Tonight was almost the same, but she cooperated for the most part. Which was good, because D has a show tonight so it's just C and I. I hate staying home alone. I have to double check all the locks and leave nightlights on so I don't feel so alone. I know C is here too, but I doubt a 4 year old would be much help if anything happened.

Snow day

We got about a foot of snow today here in the big city in the northwest corner. At least that's what it appears to be - now the wind is blowing it all around so who knows for sure? That's my guesstimate and I'm sticking to it. We stayed home in our jammies all morning - drinking coffee (hot chocolate for C) and making corn bread and cleaning....then after lunch (I made the kluski - it nevers comes out as good as when my mom would make it, but close enough) the skies cleared and we ventured outside to clean the driveway.

We had bought a snow blower a couple weekends ago, so D and I had to figure out how to start it. He likes to read instructions. I like to jump right in and only use the instructions if I get stuck. So, we manage to start the snow blower and I take the first shift. I couldn't do that much - my wrists hurt from the vibrations!! I'll be consulting Dr. Google later to determine if that is tendonitis or arthritis, or some other -itis.....It sucks to get old.

C only lasted a little bit - she doesn't like loud noises (lawnmower, snowblower, etc), plus the snow was up over her boots, so she ended up soaking wet. D finished the driveway and then after a shower, left to go to work. I do not understand that dedication. He promised to be back before 5 so we could go out to dinner. It's now 4:45...think he'll make it? I don't.

I checked my emails a couple times, but there was little in the way of work email - I managed to put off something until Monday, and the rest were all personal emails. I ordered some more Christmas presents from Amazon, and played a few games. All in all, a pretty good day. Now hopefully D will get home soon so we can go out for dinner!

Comfort Food

It's supposed to snow tomorrow. 4 -7 inches, if the weather channel is to be believed. I picked up C at pre-school tonight and we joined the craziness at the Stop n Shop. My boss has already told me not to kill myself to get in tomorrow, so I'm expecting a snow day. C and I decided we'd make cookies. If I were a Martha Stewart kind of mom, I'd be making sugar cookie dough right now. Since I'm not, we bought the pre-made kind.

I also bought what I will need to make kluski (I think it's the Polish version of matzoh soup). Chicken broth, celery, carrots, eggs and flour to make the dough....mmmm. My mom could make it from memory. I however, need the recipe from the family recipe book.

If D weren't going to be around, we'd make fried vealoaf and scrambled eggs for breakfast. (I can hear him gagging now). He doesn't understand. He never even had chinese food until he was in college! He's led a sheltered life, what can I say?

Holiday Shows

It's so fun to watch the holiday shows with C. Even the ones that, in today's computer generated world, look tired and dated, she thinks are the best things around. You know, all the old Rankin Bass specials. I'm not talking the more famous ones, like Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, but ones like Nestor the Donkey and one we saw last night that I had never even seen before about nuns in France and the first Christmas snow.

C watches these shows intently, loving every minute. When I was young, Rudolph was my favorite Christmas show. Now that I watch again with more mature eyes, I can't believe that this show is for kids! All the reindeer pick on Rudolph because he's different, and the adults, including SANTA, encourage it! Then, when he runs away, no one goes looking for him right away. Don't get me started on Hermie. Where's the Elf union? Never mind the whole harrassment issue you know is going on with the girl (sorry, women) elves. And Rudolph wanders around until he realizes that running away isn't going to solve his problems. HELLO! It wasn't his problem to begin with.

So my dilemna is this - do I sit quietly and let C watch, or do I point out all the instances of where the reindeer, elves and/or Santa could have been a little nicer, or dare I say, understanding? The first few times we watched (and yes, she's been watching since she was about 1) I pointed out all the issues. Now that she's really into the whole Santa Claus myth and mystique, do I continue? Or do I let her enjoy the precious few years that she truly believes in Santa.....I think I'll let her be a kid and enjoy the show. Too few years where one can be that innocent.

It's that time of year

I love the holidays. We took C into NYC yesterday for the Radio City Christmas show. We had excellent seats (thank you Amex Gold), and it was worth every penny to see her face during the show. When the snow fell from the ceiling of the theatre, she was amazed. She loved every second of it. I had tears in my eyes just watching her. It is magical to see Christmastime through her eyes.

Then we went to lunch at John's Pizzeria in Times Square, and went back up Fifth Ave to the huge Disney store. C fell asleep in her stroller (best $10 we ever spent) on the way there (even through all the sirens and car horns and general cacaphony that is NYC). I told D we have officially become the people we used to hate when we lived in the city (tourists walking slowly). We caught an early train back home and are back to our regularly scheduled lives today.

I miss working in the city at this time of year. All the decorations, the smell of chestnuts roasting on every corner, hell, even the slow tourists. Lunches out with friends and co-workers that last longer than they should, but no one caring because it's Christmastime. Works slows down, and becomes more social....

I can't believe we're in the last month of 2005. Where did the year go? Summer was far too short, and now it's almost time to start making summer vacation 2006 plans. First I will get through the holidays....and try to enjoy every moment watching the magic through C's eyes.