Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Random thought

Amidst the stress joy of having a high school senior and the college application the holiday season upon us, I do find myself thankful for so many things. One such thing is being a relatively able-bodied woman, capable of trying to do everything...who just might want to fling mashed potatoes at those with their feet up watching her try. (Not those of you who are cheering though, you get pie...with a fork and plate.)

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Superhero Sunday - Idle

Here we are, on the cusp of the nonstop food frenzy. You would think I'd be able to motivate this woman to walk, but alas, here she is using the cape as a mere shawl for warmth or some such nonsense. 
If she would just succumb to my superpowers, we'd be crocheting more than dishcloths! AND WE'D BE DOING IT WHILE WALKING!!!! Sheesh!

I can only imagine the plans she has to placate me with pumpkin pie!

Friday, November 21, 2014

Week 25 - Still Alive…with Sharpie



Here we are, just one week shy of the mid year point for this contest. I am not sure if that is to say that it will last a year, but if it did, we'd be nearly halfway through. Here is a recent entry that needs no explanation*.

October 4, 2014

Dear Sharpies,

Let me get right to the chisel point…I underestimated you, and I am sorry. You see, a project fell into my lap at the last minute yesterday. My son needed eight t-shirts, each boldly displaying a letter, so he and seven of his friends could spell something out for the senior class photo of over six-hundred kids. I needed big letters. I wandered around the craft store with my armful of white t-shirts trying to focus on what the sales associate was showing me for lettering options. I finally just went with my gut and left her for the Sharpie aisle.

There they were! All of the awesome colors and styles that dazzle my teenage daughter as well, but that is a tale for a different time. There is just something about a Sharpie though – so unique and trustworthy in its staying power. I grabbed three of the largest black Sharpies, as I certainly couldn’t expect one Sharpie to handle the task I had at hand.
Not only did I get through all eight shirts with ONE marker (is it okay to call them markers?), but my son wanted last names and “2015” on the back of each. Mission accomplished, and there is still life left!

Thank you for helping this frazzled mom keep her sanity by making the t-shirt task so simple. I may have also underestimated the powerful aroma of a giant Sharpie, but that was nothing a little fresh air between letters couldn’t cure.

Permanently yours,
Andrea 

Mother, blogger, doodler, labeler

*OK, maybe you'd like some explanation as to how the group decided on what their shirts would spell. I cannot help you there, as I watched part of the process and am still uncertain.

Did Sharpie accept my apology for underestimating their felt-tipped color magic? Well it took me awhile to figure out exactly who had responded based on the company name and then having to scan the letterhead to figure out who I had written to. 
The good news, apparently, is that if I have any questions I can respond directly to their email…meaning this piece of paper that came in a stamped envelope with no email address included. THERESA, HOW CAN I FIND YOU?! Oops, sorry, got carried away.

A point is a point, so I will take it!
CURRENT TOTAL = 54 POINTS

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Anything?

While I have apparently mastered the notion of seeking out some sort of career and going back to work, many facets of that process elude me. The resume was updated, and I even managed to choke out a cover letter. Today I had an interview scheduled for 11:00. In other words, plenty of time to realize I had no idea what to wear. I know, I know, we've danced this dance around here before. I began the process just before 10:00.

Black pants seemed acceptable, as I told myself it was far too frigid out for anyone to expect me to wear a skirt. (Never mind that I do not have a cold weather suitable option, nor nylons for that matter.) I pulled layers together to give myself some sort of style, while making sure that if the office was roasting, I would still have on a somewhat sensible ensemble at the core (as long as I kept my snazzy scarf on). I pondered my hairstyle in relation to the wind I had been listening to all morning. Note to self: remember to shiver slightly and fluff hair upon walking in commenting on the blustery weather. Hmmm...pretty sure the sunkissed glow of summer skin left months ago. It was certainly cold enough out to give me some pink cheeks, but would the interview last longer than my color? I just sort of started rummaging around in the bin I have assigned to makeup. I stared down that foundation, but feared the risks outweighed any possible rewards. Mascara and a scribble of eyeliner it was! There was a short-lived swipe of lipstick from the nineties that fell victim to a piece of tissue.

I gave some thought to the strengths and weaknesses question, as I figured it was inevitably going to make an appearance. Here is the one I was not expecting, and completely unprepared for...If you could do anything at all, what would it be? I admitted that I did not have a readily available answer. I rambled on a bit about how that question can be difficult for parents to answer because for so long we have so many other things to consider...blah, blah, blah. Was I supposed to say "this job right here"? Nobody was going to buy that. Here are a few possibilities I didn't think of until I got home...
  • "I wanna be a millionaire, so freakin baaaad" (obviously sung while standing on my chair)
  • "A pretty pretty princess"
  • "Background dancer for J Lo"
Maybe I will make it to the second round of interviews and they will ask again...I think I will say be a writer, unless you have another suggestion.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

RaNdOmly running out of names for it

Sometimes when I sit down to write a blog post, I let myself get held up just trying to think of a title. Always admire alliteration...rhyme time's sublime...themes are helpful too. What to do when I just have a few disconnected and truly random things to share though? How can I distinguish one pooh flinging week in the jungle from the last? How many trains of thought leave for other stations in the time it takes me to decide on a title? Maybe in 2015, if I haven't run out of random, I will just number the weeks. Yes, that idea makes me feel less anxious already. Since I have randomly filled in the blank at the top of this post, I guess we are good to go...for now.

Are large black trash bags just not cutting it for you? Do you need a way to throw away smaller sized items without anybody knowing what they are? No, that's not overly specific or shady at all. Hefty has you covered, even if your secret garbage, that you need to keep in the dark, smells.

And now a couple of items courtesy of the Monkey in the Field...

Speaking of "in the dark", you will have to sleep with the light on (I guess the mask makes that easier) in order for your spouse to read the message...
...make sure to keep your face readily visible so there is no confusion.

It is always encouraging when word emerges that a cure has been found. I did not realize that cold feet AND ankles had reached epidemic levels. Wait, let me check again to see what these things are called...
 ...Mocsocks. Sounds familiar, yet so different. $25 seemed pricey at first, but this is a CURE, people! I can only hope that the same team is currently hard at work developing something for when my hands are freezing.

Until next week...
Stacy Uncorked

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Superhero Sunday - Supergeniuses

Perhaps you read that our computer was ill. The folks at the genius bar tried a dose of something or other that didn't work. Their next proposed treatment plan was to wipe out the entire hard drive to fix the software...thousands of photos, thousands of words. Yes, we are those people, the ones who did not have a backup hard drive. They told my husband there was no other way.

I collected myself and called the little nearby computer place. I explained all that I knew from what the geniuses had said and asked if there was any hope, and they told me to bring it in. My husband rescued our computer from being damaged produce and delivered it to The Computer Outlet.

I got a call a couple of days later letting me know that our computer had been worked on all day...with NO problems. "Um, you mean it started?" "Yes." "And everything is there?" "Yes."

So pretend this cape is on Jeff, the superhero, from The Computer Outlet on Route 11 in Cicero. Had he not been so patient and helpful on the phone, we'd have let some other alleged genius wipe out our computer's memory...along with many other very precious ones! (And yes, that would be our new external hard drive under the Lego taxi.)
(Also, please pretend that cape is not so wrinkled!)

Friday, November 14, 2014

Week 24 - Oh, I've still got more!


I decided to take a page out of Marianne's brevity handbook approach to letter writing for the CONTEST this week. One of her fine examples was the letter she penned to Hostess. When I take a page, I take a page...so here is MY brief letter to Hostess! (Sincerest form of flattery Mare!)

Dear Hostess with the Mostess:

To yodel is difficult. We prefer the simplicity and jolly feeling a ho ho provides.

Ring Dings are an easy call to ignore. Ding Dongs demand attention!

That is all, as I believe a tasty treat is beckoning to me.

Yours in snack cakes,
 Andrea 
Mother, blogger, packer of lunches

Did they share their cream-filled moist snacky love?
HO HO, you betcha! Five points for me!
Total points = 53



Don't forget to check out what the HOOP-dee-doo is all about over at Marianne's place this week!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Happy Veteran's Day!

*reposted from 2011*

Thank you to all who have served, or are currently serving.
This picture was taken when my cousin (human Marine on the left) returned from Iraq five years ago. The shorter hunky guy on the right is Peter, who was so glad to have his daddy home. Only one of them is brave!

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Superhero Sunday - Revival?

I had plans, or so I thought. How was I to know that a mere mortal and her everyday mundane tasks were no match for my superpowers? She must have had tremendous willpower to resist my ambitious thoughts. I was becoming increasingly alarmed at her lack of productivity and stagnant pedometer readings, so I snuck up on her when I figured she'd least expect it. She didn't have to walk on a chilly darkening evening, but my gosh, I sure did!

Luckily she didn't hide my cape very well. 
Pedomemom is back! (I hope.)

Quick question...does Batman wear purple pants? I thought not, so the preteen boy on my loop who shouted "Hey, Batman" was just misguided and uninformed.

Friday, November 7, 2014

Week 23 - Woe is me!

Well look at this contest still rolling along. Wait, did you say limping? Are you suggesting that I am running out of steam and/or points? Slow and steady people! Although our main computer that houses important stuff like five years of photos, three years of NaNoWriMo documents, and of course my company letters, is currently under the weather. The diagnosis was not so grim, but the treatment plan was terrible, so we are relocating it to a different facility...fingers crossed. 

Luckily, in my Wilma Flintstone fashion, I do have most of my letter drafts scribbled out in pencil on lined paper. Apparently the scratch of lead on paper is more motivational to me than the clickety-clack of the keyboard, or that blinking cursor is just far too daunting. 

Let's bring some balance to the candy festival this week and go with Kashi!

Dear Kashi,

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways, beginning with Cinnamon Crumble cereal. A bowl of this cinnamony goodness is one of the only quick breakfasts I can grab that doesn't leave me ready to chew my arm off from hunger within two hours. I can function until lunch time. I did have a moment of panic the last time I was grocery hopping, as I did not see the familiar box, and hope it is back soon. In the meantime, I can sprinkle cinnamon on Go Lean.

When I start my day with your whole grains, I am more likely to think twice before putting garbage in my mouth for the rest of the day. I try to keep your chewy granola bars in my purse for any emergencies I may encounter. Recently though I was caught with only mints to keep me going, coupled with a cookie craving. I bought a box of your Chocolate Almond Butter cookies. There were so many reasons I grabbed these: the words "cookie" and "soft-baked", 10 g whole grains, the name Kashi and the photo...mmm. I was not disappointed! (Except for when I saw that one cookie equaled one serving.)

I just realized while typing this that I am getting hungry, and haven't had your fire roasted vegetable crackers in awhile. I have to fix both situations. Oh my gosh! I just noticed on my cookie box that you have Oatmeal Dark Chocolate.

Thank you,
Andrea

Did the crunchies at Kashi hear my crunching and respond? Why yes, I did get a letter back.
Can you tell that I don't know how to edit photos on my little laptop, or if I can?
I have a sneaking suspicion that if I had indicated a problem with their grains, there might have been a coupon in that envelope as well. Oh well! One point for me!


Current total = 47 points


Check out the competition! (She did not post last week, and while I mentioned a few weeks back, to her, that there would be a one point penalty for any week without a letter, we will let this one slide with a warning.)

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

randomly postponed...

...as there is too little to say, or, well, maybe too much? The logic board on our computer went kaplooey (I am pretty sure that is what the diagnostic sheet says), and it feels like my own processing unit may be doing the same!

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Superhero Sunday - Obstacles

I get by with a little help from my (flat) friends...
hopefully, as that is one heavy block! 
(At least they talked me out of NaNoWriMo this year...phew!)