Random Thoughts for While I Am Away

The saturday before leaving on the Big Vaca, daughter had her soccer party. These are mostly high school Juniors - alas one senior who is leaving the girls after many years (the league is by age). The senior was co-captain. Her co-captain wrote her a poem and read it to the team. It was short and cute and I wish I could remember it all, but I do remember bits.. "you're the salt to my pepper...you're the filling in my pie." it was totally adorable about how they rounded each other out as Captains.

And Daughter? Is one of the new Captains for this, their FareWell Year (it is a traveling club team, not the school team).

When the Days and Nights are Backwards

A funny thing happened during trial - my days and nights became all days and now I can't find my nights.

I can't sleep. At least not when I'm supposed to.

Last night I bopped around the house alone (kids began their stint with Ex) and did laundry until 130 a.m. I kept telling myself to GO TO BED. I knew I had to get up at 530ish which became 6ish which became 630shitish-my-hair-is-a-disaster-and-I-have-a-big-meeting-today. But I just wasn't sleepy last night.

Even after a kickass weekend. Saturday we gardened and cleaned and ate out and went shopping and should be all tired right? Nope watched old movies til 230 a.m.

Up at 7 a.m. with the dogs, who decided rolling in Deer Poop would be a fun Mother's Day present. So before teaching Sunday School I got to bathe 2 dogs and then try to dry and brush them. Stinky? 2 minutes total all the way around. Queen Bee? I should still be brushing her. And the bathroom floor? Looked tan instead. Could not see the black tile, I kid you not. Thankfully the 16YO's finally woke up and quickly vacuumed for me.

the Rest of Mother's day was awesome - Daughter had a soccer game, I had a soccer game. I have learned to score and win and play my ass off without hurting it. This is a major accomplishment!

so when I got home at 10 pm from my game? Wasn't I tired after 4 hours of sleep the night before and a lot of "running" around? Apparently not.

So today? I fell asleep as soon as I got home from work at 5pm. And slept until 9pm. And now? I'm wide awake. Doing the project I should have done today. Oh wait, I think I'm blogging actually instead of working. Meaning tomorrow? Will be another day of 4 hours of sleep.

How do I get my nights back where they belong??!!

Say Hi To Freddie Adu

No No, not that boy above. That's my very good friend from waaaay back when, Broccoli. He sometimes disguises himself and posts a comment as "Brock." But I have always known him as Broccoli. We'll call him B for short today. B and I go back to college - when we went to different colleges 10 hours away from each other, but shared a college service club called Circle K (Kiwanis when you're old, Key Club in High School). We hit it off from the first day at the first convention - hell I think the first 5 minutes we were stealing grapes from each other and plotting good times. As I recall he kept me from getting arrested that night....something about policemen and too many people in our hotel room having a very good time with loud music and underage drinking. Or something. Memory is a little fuzzy...



Some of my fondest memories of B are when he would drive all the way down to my beloved university just to watch me play soccer. OK maybe I had a cute roommate, too. But he would come cheer me on, loudly. In fact, he gave me one of my many many nicknames: Gomer. My initials were "MER" and he'd yell GO! MER! See, not so hideous. Anyway, I should've known then that B was a huuuuuge soccer fan. Here I thought he just liked me (as a friend) (and my roommate as more). Nope. Turns out he's a soccer fanatic. I mean FANatic.

Now he travels around the world, literally, following World Cup Soccer. When the USA teams come to town and his cronies and fellow world-travelers get together, he calls me to join them. And if I can, I do. This past weekend, I could and I did. And the photo above? THAT is how a FANatic goes to a world cup game.

So I dressed in Red White and Blue, painted a flag on my face (and was quite popular with the other fans as I shared my face-painting-talents with them but alas B did his own face), wore the sacred Ugly eagle shirt thanks Todd) and yelled my head off. We scored seats right down front on about the 30 yard line. To Watch the Men's National team beat the platanos out of Cuba. 6-1.



We hoisted a Giant American flag after every goal, threw it over our heads and fanned it out til it covered our entire section. (I think you might catch this on ESPN repeats. It's awesome). We cheered and threw streamers and yelled at the Cubans, "Defect! Defect! DefectDefectDefect!" (and 2 did before the game). And when we had 5 goals, the girls next to me and I yelled, "We Want Six! We Want Six!" (Say it out loud people before you read on or you won't get it....) and the guard in front of us ran up to us with a big smile on his face - and we said, "SIX SIX with our six fingers up. "ooooooh" He said, "I thought you said SEX and was going to help you out." Funny.

And I got on TV a couple times with my painted-face friends for yelling our heads off and cheering (OK and being a total media whore and begging to be put on camera)

After the game, the Men's team was very appreciative of the crazy rowdy people in "Sam's Army" or the "American Outlaws" [my fan club] or the "Screamin' Eagles" or ,,,um I think B is in another fan club. So they came over to say hi.




But only Freddie, the heartthrob of all girls soccer players, came to shake hands with all the fans. And Hold Babies and such.

Yep, that's none other than Freddie Adu and Baby Max - the world's Youngest Media Whore at 4 months. He made it on ESPN3 with Freddie! I just met Max and his parents at the pre-game party with B. his dad, Andy Gustavson has written a book about traveling the world with the Men's world cup team - I think it was about their trip to Korea. Very Cool People. Who else would pull a Michael Jackson with his baby, dangling him out over the stands as Bait for Freddie?

Yeah that's me in my ugly shirt (it's polyester and the front has an ugly mad eagle on it) with my messy hair trying to take a photo with my cell phone. I did get a good one of Max and Freddie with my cell. Then some awesome people next to us after the game said, "Hey we got your photo with the baby and Freddie. Can we email you?" And me, ever the lawyer with a business card at the ready, whipped out a card and gave it to them. And sure enough, they emailed the photos.

Soccer Fans Rock. USA! USA! USA! USA! Yeah, soccer is fun. Especially with good friends, old and new. But especially OLD.

This is My Day

As this day almost ends, I sometimes wonder how I survived it at all. And the fact that I feel this way and that I did survive it makes it a "typical" day here in Casa De Next Door (um maybe that's Casa Al Lado?) Anyway. Here's what Mrs. G and her Day In the Life have Inspired

Being a Monday we should've been up and out of bed early....

BUT because my kids go to Catholic school, they have this federal holiday off. (What's that you say? Separation of church and state? Um. We forgot. )

So I caught a little bit of shut-eye - after getting up at 6am to let out this little dog who somehow ended up sleeping in my bed instead of Daughter's.....

But she does understand that she belongs to a teenager, so after a quick trip out, she quickly went back to bed and to sleep until 730 a.m. I am in heaven having slept so long...

730 both dogs (who spent the night crammed in a corner of my king sized bed on top of me -what is that all about?!) got fed and went out again.

And I must get up why (other than feeding hungry dogs)? To take Son to this evil house of pain...




Evil you ask? Oh yes, evil in my mind. So many cool things to make unless you are craft-challenged and then it's just a giant box of temptation and even if you can get the lid off, you know you can never partake because anything you attempt will come out looking like a boathouse in New Orleans post-Katrina.



But Son and Daughter have been assigned a totally cool project for scholars' class to make a "flag" for a classmate - something they can "raise" when they want to say something, besides raising their hand. And it has to be a personal thing. Son has been assigned one of the least-liked and least-popular kids in class. And I am proud of him for rising to the occasion and planning a kick-butt project. But the project scares me b/c I have NO IDEA how to do what he envisions - a stage (because she's into theater) with a curtain (purple or blue b/c they are her favorite colors) on a string and when you open it, her initials/name appears. Hmmm. $50 and 1 hour later, I drop him off at a friend's house with a bag of wood and supplies where he will trade his hard yard labor in exchange for the sewing gifts of the mom and the carpentry gifts of the dad.

Then I go back home to google directions to the game Daughter has today - school game on her day off. Go Figure. But Lorelai wants to help...




I get the whole directions thingy figured out, load up the car leaving doggy behind and we are off, 75 miles due south, to the game.

We stop about 3/4 of the way there for a really mediocre lunch that we wait over 30 minutes for...my crabcakes were good, but the girls didn't think much of their sandwiches which bites b/c they have to play a soccer game and I just have to watch. Oh well.



Finally 3 hours after takeoff, we land at the field...
Where Daughter, as one of the co-Captains, gathers for the coin toss. (girl on the far right #5)



Let the games begin...



Oh and we score so many goals they take out the "regular" goalie (my "other" Daughter, V) and put in this new goalie, the one they put in when they want the other team to score (not kidding)
Hey wait, that's Daughter! Yes it is, but only for 5 minutes, so no goal.

We run off the field, tell coachie no Bear Bryant speeches today, we must get back to home in time for the Flute Lesson! Hurry Hurry Hurry...

Oh but we MUST stop on our way home at Rita's for Ice Cream...so we do BUT THEY ARE CLOSED FOR THE SEASON HOW DARE THEY!.

So we find a gas station with ice cream bars, and that will have to do. The girls get ice cream. I get water. (My Ass Project is ON people!).
I drive home at 80...get stuck on the off ramp behind two "gentlemen" who decide to get out of their cars for a little road rage adventure. I pick up the phone to dial 911, but decide to go around them over the curb when it appears it will end quickly without pain or destruction....

The stop on the ramp pushes us for time. We skid to a stop in the driveway, Daughter grabs flute and music, I grab dogs for a "ride" b/c they have been alone for 6 hours.

Bolt out of driveway to flute. On way to flute (10 minutes) Friend V asks, "Does Lorelai still get carsick? Because she's acting funny"

QUICK roll down the windows! Yuck. too late. Good thing she's little....and only hit Daughter's flip flop. Pour remaining soccer water over flip flop and towel off, run into flute, drop dogs back home, drop V back home, go pick up Son and check on project. ....





Are you for real? Holy cow. It Works. And it's beautiful. I am very proud of him for sucking it up. Drop Son at home, tell him to go Next Door and get Dumb Runaway Dog (DRD) who we are keeping for the week while Ex is out of town. Yes and then there were THREE.... (DRD is the one in front with the fur shaved off her front left side....)

Run back to flute to get Daughter. Read for 2 minutes until Daughter comes out...go back home. Feed dogs. Sister calls while I try to throw together some Paninis for dinner b/c it's now 830 pm and the kids haven't eaten. And they have projects to finish, and other stuff to do...

Make dinner. Get called to fix printer that will only print in black and white. Spend 45 minutes trouble shooting and decide it is over my head. Plan B - color paper with crayons like the olden days. Spend 45 minutes uploading photos from the day to send to Soccer Team ...corral dogs and keep happy in the meantime, trying to make sure DRD and Lorelai do not pee in the house or chew things or take food off counters...

Finally finally finally have 30 minutes to myself to blog about MY DAY.

Whew, need to go to bed - oops after I wash Soccer Uniform b/c they have ANOTHER game tomorrow...away...but this time she's taking the BUS....

Welcome to Chaos Central. And I only have 2 kids. I will never understand some of the folks out there with 6 and 9 kids!!!! how do they do it?!

WEDNESDAY STILL A FLABBY ASS

Sigh. How did another week get away from me?

Positive things I did for the 2008 Ass Campaign this week:

• Played 90 minutes of outdoor soccer and ran hard for at least 1/2 of it. DIDN'T hurt my knee in the last few minutes, despite having the opportunity. Read All about It
• Did about 100 situps/crunches every other day. Not every day. not 400. But I'm getting there
• Added squats for the flabby thighs per Sharon, my friend who is a personal trainer. They don't hurt my knee too badly.
• Drank a lot of water

Bad Bad Behavior that has Thwarted any chances at losing weight:

• Ate "loaded" french fries for dinner Saturday while shopping at the mall with the kids after secretly crying in the dressing room looking at the backs of my thighs (damned 3 way mirrors) and realizing I will never be in shape at this rate...;
• Cleaned out the conference room of Twix Bars for dinner Monday night around 1130 pm at the office and drank too many diet cokes until 130 am;
• Trying to avoid a repeat Twix incident, Tuesday ate small pizza (with grapes and goat cheese topping strange but yummy) for lunch in cafeteria, then Ordered dinner at Chop House (crab bisque and steak salad with cheese and garlic bread and corn bread - have some carbs) with paralegal as we did exhibits until 11pm;
• Wednesday dying of hunger and exhausted after 2 late nights went to Clyde's and ordered the portobella, cheese, sun-dried tomato with alioli and toasted bread sandwich;

So Um Yeah, not such a great week.