Thursday, August 31, 2006
when the lights go out in oxford...
But I digress.
When the lights went out in Oxford, Rader and I played Sequence by lantern light. Then I pulled out my camera and took some pictures, just for fun.
So, here you go. Photography by Mel.
stormy skies
More stormy skies
Fun with lighting. Rader making a PB&J by lantern.
Is there any other way to play Sequence?
Is there any other way to play Sequence?posted by Mel Francis @ 9:19 AM |
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Wednesday, August 30, 2006
fun with pictures
Now that we're back to proper climate control, I can get back to the blog that shoulda been.
Two other couples met us at the lake, Birdrunner and her family and my old boss/friend who now lives in Little Rock, Allison, and her family.
Now, you may think we had fun by looking at the slideshow, however I can assure you the best pictures are below.
We're not really sure what Birdrunner was thinking when she sat on the styrofoam ice chest, but let me tell ya, I'm really glad she did it, cuz I haven't laughed like that in a looooooong time.
posted by Mel Francis @ 6:25 PM |
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8:38 a.m.
posted by Mel Francis @ 9:11 AM |
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for maria
I have to wonder, what the hell was she thinking? She's a class act. She's a beautiful woman. She can even be eccentric...but that belt? It looked like Murphy Brown wrassled an old squaw and the squaw kicked her ass and as punishment, made her wear that belt on stage. In front of millions of people.
That'll teach you, Murphy Brown.
posted by Mel Francis @ 8:23 AM |
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Tuesday, August 29, 2006
bobby-the-wonder-repairman may be demoted
Before 8:30.
If Bobby-the-wonder-repairman is not at my house by 8:30 with Franken-air's heart in his hands, he will soon be known as Just Bobby.
No hyphen.
Nobody wants to be demoted from a 4 word, 3 hypen name to just two names, no hypen.
posted by Mel Francis @ 3:13 PM |
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when it rains...
Storms blew through last night and we lost power. Rader and I played Sequence by candlelight for a while. That was kinda fun, especially cuz I was kicking his ass and he didn't like it. Then I got out the digital camera and took funky pics...which I will have to post later because I left the camera at home.
The storm really helped the temp inside the house. I opened my patio doors and placed a fan in front of them and blew the cool air inside. Twenty minutes later, it was 10 degrees cooler and actually quite comfy. So, we all slept pretty well, last night.
I also need to post pics of our trip to the lake. Especially 1 picture in particular of a certain someone's act of brilliance. FYI: it's never a good idea to sit on a styrofoam ice chest. I don't care how damn cute and skinny you are.
For some other news, we may be adding to our family. No, I'm not having a baby...are you out of your mind???? 2 (4) is bad enough. Don't you read my blog? I'm talking about a cat. He's a great looking calico and friendly as hell. And he needs to be adopted. The kicker is, Fishdog is the one who suggested it. Now, I've mentioned getting another cat several times and he's been dead set against it. But he saw this cat when we picked the dogs up from the doggie hotel and he fell in love. So, I need to take advantage of this while his defenses are down...
posted by Mel Francis @ 8:50 AM |
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Sunday, August 27, 2006
update the 2nd
I'm sweating puddles.
I'm not freaking happy. We should've gotten a hotel room. What the hell were we thinking?
posted by Mel Francis @ 10:11 PM |
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update
Bobby the wonder-repairman could not do his voodoo that he normally do.
it's the compressor. Nobody will sell him a compressor on a sunday night.
So, I'm stuck in this sauna. I think I'll sleep in a tent in the backyard.
FWIW, it's now 91 degrees in my house...86 outside.
posted by Mel Francis @ 7:30 PM |
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what is it about going out of town?
So, it is currently 92 fucking degrees in the hot box I call a house.
I'm MELTING!
Just a few minutes ago I called Bobby the wonder repairman and now I wait.
Everyone please send good thoughts my way and let's hope that Bobby can work that voodoo that he do on my dead air conditioner. C'mon Dr. Frankenstein! Bring the monster to life!!!!!!!!!
On a happy note...I had a great time at the lake and will post pics soon.
posted by Mel Francis @ 6:05 PM |
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Friday, August 25, 2006
where condoms were purchased, despite the crowd
Do you know how long it's been since I bought condoms? At least 15 years. FIFTEEN!
I'm at the cusp of the age where women stopped depending on the
Fast forward 15 years later.
I'm at Wal-Mart, in this small town where everyone knows everyone, standing in the condom aisle trying to study my choices. (Just in case you didn't know, the condom aisle is right in front of the pharmacy. I was there at 6:00 pm...and apparently so was the rest of Oxford.)
Suddenly, I'm completely embarrassed. I just know that everyone is staring at me and whispering. "Isn't that Mark's wife? Isn't that Ian's and Rader's mom? Why is she buying condoms?"
It's ridiculous, of course, because in the real world, who really gives a rat's ass. But my conservative church upbringing was rearing it's ugly head--shaming me--making me feel dirty. I'm a 37 year old woman and suddenly I felt the need to confess my sins.
And that just pissed me off. Why should I be ashamed?
With defiance pushing me, I picked up the economy size Trojans. I stuck them in the top part of the basket and made my way through the pharmacy crowd with my head held high. Even though my cheeks were blazing, I didn't care. I would not be shamed because I was purchasing condoms. Especially since they aren't even for me.
I bought them as a gift for a friend. It's an inside joke and I hope it will make him laugh.
I figure last night's adventure was good practice for the future. I've always said when my boys start dating, I'm going to keep a big-ass bowl of condoms at the front door. "Take a handful on your way out..."
Practice makes perfect, right?
posted by Mel Francis @ 8:16 AM |
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Thursday, August 24, 2006
more randomness of the day that is thursday
Like when I forgot Rader had a hair appointment...actually, I remembered it when my little calender popped up and said, HEY, RADER HAS A HAIR APPT IN 15 MINS. oops.
Which meant Rader was supposed to be picked up from school instead of riding the bus...of course, I forgot that, too. oops. So, that made me smile. I'm mother of the year. LOL Aren't you glad to know me?
We get to the shop and Rader is talking non-stop. Like a little energizer bunny with diarrhea of the mouth. Yabber yabber yabber. Marie starts snipping away at the 70s hair cut gone bad and he says, "I don't like thin hair. Thick and fluffy is in, you know. Make me thick and fluffy."
That was funny.
I have to say, I find it mildly humorous that Pluto is no longer a planet. WTF is that about?
My Brummie lad msg'd me today. Apparently his computer has a virus and he needed some advice. I sent him to Fishdog who gave him some pointers. The #1 pointer being invest in McAfee...that it's like a condom for your computer. That's pretty damn funny, I don't care who ya are. McAfee should run with that as their next ad campaign.
Virus Scan--it's a condom for your pc.
One size fits all protection.
Protection for the internet promiscuious.
Any other slogan ideas out there?
posted by Mel Francis @ 4:49 PM |
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funny haha
When everybody on earth was dead and waiting to enter Paradise, God appeared and said, "I want the men to make two lines. One line for the men who were true heads of their household, and the other line for the men who were dominated by their women. I want all the women to report to St. Peter."
Soon, the women were gone, and there were two lines of men.
The line of the men who were dominated by their wives was 100 miles long,and in the line of men who truly were heads of their household, there was only one man.
God said, "You men should be ashamed of yourselves, I created you to be the head of your household! You have been disobedient and have not fulfilled your purpose! Of all of you, only one obeyed. Learn from him."
God turned to the one man, "How did you manage to be the only one in this line?"
The man replied, "My wife told me to stand here."
posted by Mel Francis @ 10:03 AM |
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blog o' nothing
Aren't you glad you tuned in?
posted by Mel Francis @ 6:40 AM |
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Wednesday, August 23, 2006
in which a lesson was almost learned...
My heart swelled. The planets aligned. The heavens opened up and angels sang.
This morning, Rader was struggling to get out of bed. Since he's not much of a morning person (like his momma) I decided to help him out so he would make the bus. I picked up his assignment book and homework and placed them in his backpack.
I realized his composition notebook was in the backpack. This was the first assignment he failed to do last week so I thought, just in case, I might want to double check that he didn't have an assignment.
Guess what?
We're still here working on his one paragraph assignment...
So, it seems we made some progress in the homework department, just not enough. He did not get a reintroduction to Woody because that would've worked against us this morning. He did, however, get reintroduced to The Wrath of Fishdog. Let me tell you, that ain't pretty.
On a good note, Ian seems to be doing very well this year. I'm very proud of him. He has really matured some, although, he still acts like a 6 year old around his brother. But that's okay. I discovered with the lads that boys don't really seem to ever out grow that.I heard from Simon last night. He's supposed to send me pics this weekend of he and his mates out on the town. I can't wait to see him in his element. I miss his cheeky smile.
Simon with my friendAudreyAnd just because I really miss him, too, here's a shout out to Grant:
Audrey, Grant, Me
Audrey, Grant, Meposted by Mel Francis @ 7:41 AM |
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Tuesday, August 22, 2006
have you met woody?
Fishdog took Ian to buy new running shoes. He's going to start cross-country training this week, after we get his physical. That'll be a great experience for him, I'm sure.
Rader tried to pull the old "I don't have any homework" trick. I knew something was up when he took his backpack to his room. He NEVER takes his backpack to his room. Every day, I pick it up from the middle of the kitchen floor and yell, "Not where it belongs!" So, when Rader picked up his backpack voluntarily, took it to his room and put it in his closet, I knew something was up.
I marched back there and looked through it. He had 3 sheets of homework. The boy learned nothing last week.
I called him into the room, asked him about the homework calmly...no yelling at all...honestly, you should be proud. After he answered me, I said, "I'll be right back."
Walked into the kitchen, picked up Woody, (a wooden spoon) and went back to Rader's room. He was waiting, wide-eyed and worried.
"Bend over the bed, please."
He does without any argument. I'm thinking, this is good. He's not fighting it. I'm handling this the right way. I am getting through! I am mother of the year!
Apparently, he anticipated that I might be getting Woody (which is funny, because he's only been spanked by Woody one other time. I'm not a big spanker) Anyway, he had shoved several pairs of shorts into his shorts, hoping I wouldn't notice the extra padding.
I noticed. I removed said padding and he got 4 licks. One for each page of homework he didn't do and one for lying.
BTW, he did his homework in about fifteen minutes and it was all correct. Why do they insist on being so stupid sometimes? Not only did he get reaquainted with Woody last night, but now he's grounded again from electronics except for the radio. Seriously, I heart boys, but sometimes I wonder how they manage to make it to 30 years old.
So, after the beating, I decided to walk for a while. It was nice outside. Not too hot and the wind was blowing. It was thundering in the distance. I decided to stay in the neighborhood because I didn't want to get too far away and be struck by lightning.
I made 2 laps around our half-mile circle before the lightning had made it to our area. I had planned to walk for 3 laps. Since I didn't get to do that, I came in and had a whisky instead.
posted by Mel Francis @ 6:29 AM |
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Monday, August 21, 2006
multi-tasking madness
I don't know how people multi-task their lives. Seriously.At work, I'm the multi-task queen. But in the real world? Eh. Not so much.
Especially now that soccer is shifting into full gear. Fishdog and both boys play. We are constantl
y at the fields--and it's quite exhausting. And if you when you consider the fact that practice is usually from 5:30-7, that makes it even more of a challenge. Homework has to be done. Snacks have to be eaten. Dinner has to be planned. And kids have to be shuttled. Plus, we still try to get them in bed at a decent hour...for our sakes and theirs.But still, I manage that aspect of my life pretty well. It's the other stuff that I seem to lose sight of. Like writing. And exercising. And sleeping.
I've worked the exercising in at lunch, and even though it's working out great, it's not enough. I'm not getting in enough cardio to continue to push the weight loss. So, that means I either have to get up at 5:30 am (which is like asking me to swallow glass) or walk at 8:00 pmwhen it doesn't feel like a broiler outside. The problem with walking at night is, I'm too damn tired to do it! Most nights I think, Screw it. I'll have a whisky instead. (yeah, that really doesn't help the weight loss thing either...)
Then there's the writing. I do most of my writing on the weekends. But because the past two weekends we've had guests (and I wouldn't have changed that for the world) I didn't get to write. Now, I could have, I'm sure. But, I was focused on the guests. Cooking, entertaining, enjoying myself. I should've taken out an hour and sat down with the laptop and at least tried.
So, why is it that I can multi-task when it comes to the world of motherhood and work, but when it comes to ME, I seem to only find enough focus for one thing at a time? And sometimes, it's only half-assed focus...
posted by Mel Francis @ 2:02 PM |
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getting back on schedule
Well, Simon is officially gone. He should've landed sometime around 7:00 this morning his time, which would've been 1:00 am our time. He stayed awake all night Saturday, hoping to sleep on the long trip home and be fairly awake by the time he arrived in Birmingham.I believe the first two things he had on his to do list were: Eat a Mars bar and find a hot dog vendor and get a proper English hot dog.
Hope he was able to do both.
Now that Si has flown the coop, it's time for me to get back into the groove of writing. I did manage to write some over the weekend, but not enough to feel like I'm back on track. I have a lot of ground to make up for the last two weeks if I'm still gonna try to push thru a rough draft in two months. I can still do it, I just have to force my butt in the chair and write.
It'll take me a week or so to adjust to my "empty nest". With Si here, if the boys started fighting, he would just ask, "Can I go beat them up?" and I would say, "sure." and then before you know it, they were too busy fighting off Simon to worry about each other. And that was always fun to watch. LOL Ian had a hard time adjusting from being big brother to middle brother. Rader didn't care one way or another. It was just someone else for him to beat up on and tease.
We all miss you, Si.
posted by Mel Francis @ 6:32 AM |
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Sunday, August 20, 2006
until next year...
In seven weeks, I'll get to spend some time with Grant, and then I'll have to say my goodbyes to him as well.
Grant called late last night (actually, early this morning) with the intention of leaving me a phone message. I answered it because I was still up. He told me his parents are coming over his last week here and he's very excited because we will get to meet. He said part of the reason they're coming is because they want to meet us to thank us for taking such good care of him this summer. I can't tell you how humbling that is and how much that fillls my heart.
As hokey as it sounds, these lads were dropped into our lives for a reason. A little piece of my heart breaks each tim they leave, and this time will be especially hard because they'll be thousands of miles away. As much as it pains me to let them go (cuz face it, I'm a selfish bitch and want to keep them) (my apologies to their real mums) I am so glad we had our time together.
Next year can't get here quick enough.
Love you, lads.
posted by Mel Francis @ 5:19 AM |
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Friday, August 18, 2006
it's coming to an end
15 things I learned from a Brummie:
1. There is no such thing as too much Mountain Dew.
2. SpagBol is short for spaghetti bolognese.
3. Strawberry Jam sandwiches are good any time of the day or night.
4. Snickers bars are no replacement for Mars Bars.
5. Birds are girls
6. Pulling a bird has nothing to do with turkey legs.
7. American women (even proper girls) will do almost anything for an English/Scottish accent. Even a Brummie accent.
8. Chips are fries. Crisps are chips.
9. Wet willies are the best torture device ever.
10. You can't be a cock without being cocky. But you can be cocky without being a cock.
11. The weapons of mass destruction are located wherever he goes.
12. The best way to pull a bird is to make her laugh. (which I thought was a closely guarded secret by us birds, but he's figured it out)
13. Y'all is the most terrible word ever. *rolling eyes*
14. Family is everything to him.
15. Even if "Brummie" is the worst accent in the world, I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for it.
posted by Mel Francis @ 8:24 AM |
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Thursday, August 17, 2006
if he weren't so cute, i'd kill him
This is the 2nd week of school and I've already gotten a call from the teacher. It seems Rader is testing his limits...seeing if Ms. Teacher will call his bluff.She did.
And he missed recess because of it. haha. That's what he gets. He didn't turn in his homework twice this week. Wait. Let me amend that. He didn't do his homework twice this week. Twice.
What the hell is wrong with that boy?
He wanted to see if he could charm his new teacher. He can't. He's really sorry about that too, as you can imagine. Oh well, no tv for a while isn't gonna kill him. Neither will doing
his brothers' chores. Punishment's a bitch...And so is Rader's momma.
posted by Mel Francis @ 8:05 PM |
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project run-what-the-hell-were-you-thinking-way
Seriously. Completely surprised me. I wasn't a fan of the dress, but, I also didn't agree with the judges' comments. "She looks like a plus size model."
WTF?
No. She didn't. She looked like a girl wearing a balloony dress made out of paper. She weighs 5 lbs soaking wet. You could drape the girl in a circus tent and she would still look like a waif. It wasn't so much the dress as it was that stupid hairdo.
The paper balloon dress was still ten times better than Vincent's art project. But the worst of the outfits was Kayne's. He should've been gone last night. Alison got robbed.
posted by Mel Francis @ 10:57 AM |
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check it out
On Wednesdays, Louisa will be posting a rejection letter and decoding it for the world with her ex-editor eyes. Don't miss it!
posted by Mel Francis @ 6:44 AM |
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Wednesday, August 16, 2006
language lessons
Simon wants me to stop saying "y'all".
He hates that word.
With. A. Passion.
How can you hate the word y'all?
I told him that if I had to stop using the word "y'all" that he had to start using his "th" sound. As in, he had to say "thick" instead of "fick". (And by the way Michele, you have a dirty mind. I'm proud of ya! I laughed my ass off at your comment last night!)
Our conversation went something like this:
"But I'm a Brummie! That's who I am! That's asking me to change my accent."
"How is that different from you asking me to stop saying y'all?"
"It's different because y'all is terrible word. Terrible. You have other options for that word. I don't have other options for my accent. You're butchering the English language."
Hmph. I don't buy it. Not for a second. Isn't "y'all" as much a part of my accent and colloquial nature as his language quirks? Isn't replacing a TH sound wif an F just as murderous of the English language as the perfectly acceptable contraction (which is in the dictionary) y'all? I mean, I don't see variant spellings of "TH" words in the dictionary... What do y'all fink?
On another note:
Si coa
ched Rader's practice last night since Fishdog is still out of town. Watching him work was amazing. He was so good with the kids, and trust me when I say, that was no easy task. One of the boys wouldn't stop talking. Or moving. But Si managed to keep him in check. I have to say, I was rather impressed by him. Not that I'm surprised...but it sure was fabulous watching him work.He typed up a report on all the players and his suggestions for their positions and why. He's gonna give Fishdog a hand for the next two practices. It'll be fun to watch.
Here are a few more pics from yesterday:
posted by Mel Francis @ 6:35 AM |
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Tuesday, August 15, 2006
no sense of humor at all
If I can lose 3 pounds this week, I'll be at -30. So, last night I planned to walk for 45 mins. Simon was bored (as he should be...it's a Monday night in Oxford. Not a lot going on...) and so I told him I'd walk down to Blockbuster and get him a movie. The total walk is a little over 3 miles.
Simon told me what movie he wanted and so off I marched.
I had just loaded my MP3 player with some rockin' music and before I knew it, 20 mins had passed and I was at Blockbuster. Of course, they didn't have the movie he wanted so I called him and he said, "Anything sports related."
I picked up Benchwarmers.
That's sports related, right? And Simon's a guy...what guy doesn't like a good Rob Schneider movie? Especially if that movie's cast also includes David Spade, Jon Lovitz, and Jon Heder. I mean, that's a man's man cast if ever there was one.
Well, apparently Simon isn't the typical man's man.
I laughed my ass off. The movie was dumb as shit--but it was supposed to be dumb. Dumb and funny.
Simon said he grew thicker every minute he watched the movie. He then asked me where my dictionary was because he needed to read it in hopes to gain some of his smarts back.
No sense of humor at all.
Simon then suggested that I should make "my favorite" (Grant) watch it when he comes to stay with us in October. He said not to tell Grant that he hated the movie and see what Grant says when it's over. I may just have to do that.
And if he likes the movie, then he really will be "my favorite". LOL
posted by Mel Francis @ 8:43 AM |
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Monday, August 14, 2006
who's that boy?
Mark isn't with us because he is out of town.
I go to the locker room and change. Immediately, one of the regulars comes in after me. "Is that your son?"
Me: "Sorta." (I explain the situation)
I leave the locker room, get on to the eliptical and one of the trainers stops by. "Is that your son? He's fine!"
Me: "Not my son. Yeah, he's pretty cute."
I do my 2 miles, then hit the weights. While I'm doing shoulders, a group finishes spin class and comes out. They see Si say something to me and one of the ladies asks, "Where's Mark? Did you trade him in for a younger model?"
Finally. At least someone acknowledges the possibility that I'm not old. LOL
So, of course, I answer, "Yes. Yes I did, but the poor boy just can't keep up."
Hurry home, Fishdog.
posted by Mel Francis @ 1:50 PM |
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another day, another dollar
That's right folks, I couldn't get my ass outta bed to save my soul. I went to they gym 4 times last week, but for some reason, I can't get motivated to walk in the mornings.
Simon and I went to see Talladega Nights yesterday afternoon. You know, if you love Will Ferrell, you'll love this movie. I happen to love Will Ferrell since I'm pretty sure he and Fishdog are the same person. It was a big fat screen full of laughs. If you need a pick me up, this is the movie that will do it.
I didn't carve out any writing time last week or over the weekend, which is a drag because the week before I had been so successful. I have to make myself do it this week. Even with Simon in town. It's not like he needs constant supervision (well, maybe he does...) and it's not like I can't just take my laptop into a room, lock the door and tell the world to leave me alone. So, I'm doing that tonight. Two hours of writing time. Period. It may be from 10- midnight, but it's gonna happen.
Fishdog is in Chicago until Wednesday. He's eating good food, meeting up with old friends, and doing the whole conference thing. I'm sure he's working some in there, too. All I know is, he sent me a text message last night of a very tasty looking meal, and I was almost jealous.
But then Simon fixed dinner and washed all traces of jealousy away with his spaghetti.
posted by Mel Francis @ 7:47 AM |
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Sunday, August 13, 2006
life is funny
I'm in a nostalgic sorta state of mind. Late nights can do that to a person. The lads went to bed a few mins ago and I'm doing my best to stay awake. Fishdog is supposed to get up at 4 and get ready to leave for the airport. I'd like to say good-bye.
So, regarding this nostalgia. I'm having a difficult time articulating exactly how I feel. Happiness and sadness all wrapped up at once. These lads have meant the world to me. When they visit I'm elated. When they leave, a piece of my heart goes with them. At the risk of sounding a little looney, I really do love them like I gave them life. It's the damnedest thing.
I think I said once that when they walked into my house, it was like lightning struck me. And that's the truth.
Those who really know me, know I open up my heart readily. I love love. I love to be loved. But even I am amazed at how quickly these guys moved into my heart. In less than a week they became like my very own. And now, almost 2 months later, the feelings are even stronger. And when they leave for their real home--I'll have a heavy heart.
Maybe this is the last time I'll see these guys, who knows? I hope not. My gut tells me that the lads are in my life forever. And they will be--even if I never see them again.
posted by Mel Francis @ 3:18 AM |
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Saturday, August 12, 2006
early riser
Well, early for me.For the longest time, you couldn't get me out of bed before 10:00 on the weekends. Even when the kids were babies, I'd fall out of bed, slap them on a breast, fall back into bed.
But over the last few years, I've noticed that I'm up by 7:00 at least one weekend morning. And this is even after late nights of boozing it up and acting like fools. (which I did not do last night. Tonight has strong possibilities, though.)
My grandma lived with us for 9 years and she was always up at the ass-crack of dawn. Sometimes she'd beat dawn to the punch, waking around 4, drinking her Sanka and reading the paper. Then as soon as dawn would decide to finally bring her lazy ass on over the horizon, my Mema would hit the garden. She would work out there until about 7, come inside, shower, and fix us breakfast.
What a woman.
I don't profess to be anything like my Mema. Early is a relative term for me, as I damn near refuse to get out of bed on the weekends pre-light. I'll probably never be one of those old people who stop fighting the desire to lay in bed and wallow in my own slothlike nature.
But I can see the appeal of early mornings. For just a brief moment it was quiet. Silent even. Unfortunately, the silence was not long lived. Now, as I listen to my lovely boys scream endearments such as "Shut up Ray-tard!" "Bite me, fat head!" I suddenly realize that the earlier I rise, the longer the silence will be.
Of course, I could pull out the handy-dandy duct tape and force the silence...
For me to get up at 4:00 a.m., I would have to go to bed at 8:00 p.m.
Yeah, like that'll ever happen.
posted by Mel Francis @ 7:40 AM |
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Friday, August 11, 2006
because it's friday
and because I get to see my British lad tomorrow.
and because I'm in a damn good mood.
and most of all, just because it's true...
posted by Mel Francis @ 2:09 PM |
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rain! glorious rain!
It's been damn hot! It's been fever hot! It's been hotter than an automatic weapon in a pawn shop!
And we haven't had rain in over a month.
For a brief moment yesterday, we had a downpour. At the office. I drove the 3 minutes to my house, and not one drop had fallen. My yard still looked like a golden african savannah. Each morning I walk on my grass hoping to see at least a hint of dew...something in liquid form. But nothing. Of course, as the yellow grass crunches beneath my feet, I worry a crouching lion will pounce on me and eat me for breakfast.
But this morning was different. This morning I woke to the roar of a waterfall on my roof.
Yes, it's raining. Lots.
And I am so grateful. Guess my little raindance helped. I just hope the gods don't come to collect my first born. I really didn't mean that part of the bargain...
posted by Mel Francis @ 8:18 AM |
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Thursday, August 10, 2006
sorting it out
Now, I don't even pretend to know how he does that. I will work overtime if necessary. I tend to do that about once a month. As a matter of fact, I worked late and came in early several times this week...just not 18 hours in one day. Screw that.
or so I say... because I guess I do work 18 hours in a day. I get up and get the boys ready for school, work my 8 hours at the office, (take a lunch break to go work out at the gym) bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan, then, most nights, I sit down and write. I do work the hours, just not all in one place.
Whew. for a second there, I was worried that maybe I wasn't a very dedicated worker. But by the looks of things, I'm actually a work-a-holic. Glad I sorted that out.
You know what else I sorted out tonight?
There is no way to just say "I'm only going to clean the toilets." and actually do that. We're having house guests this weekend, and I thought I'd get a jumpstart on cleaning--that way I don't have to do it all on Saturday.
So, I was just going to clean the toilets and the sinks in the bathroom tonight.
Two hours later, I smelled like bleach, and you could eat off any surface in any bathroom.
Glad I sorted that out, too.
BTW--I fucking hate cleaning. And I hate smelling like bleach.
Now, I'm taking my Maker's Mark and Diet Coke to bed, where my mouth-breathing-overworked husband is already snoring, and I'm going to read some more of my Formerly Blogless Critique Partner's hot demon sex book.
See ya in the morning.
posted by Mel Francis @ 10:07 PM |
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pet peeves and girl talk
Like yesterday, when I went to the grocery store. Now, I always strategically park by a cart corral. Why? you ask. Well, because one of my biggest pet peeves are the lazy-ass people who don't put the carts up! They just leave them in the parking place for me to run over. Even people who park near the cart corral don't bother walking the 2 steps to put the buggy up. How damn difficult is it, people? Are you really that lazy?
Now, I'll admit to leaving a cart or two out of its appropriate place a handful of times in my life. Usually, it was when it was pouring rain and I had a baby with me. But that's it. And I know that all the damn carts in the Kroger parking lot last night had nothing to do with rain or kids. It hasn't rained in Oxford, MS in over a month. Lazy-ass people.
Okay, end rant. I feel better now.
Last night, I met two of my girlfriends for dessert. Well, it was going to be coffee and dessert but it turned into beer and dessert for me and Andrea had wine and dessert. Poor Deb...she's pregnant. She lusted after our bevvies and just ordered coffee with her sweet treat. We had a great night just catching up on gossip and acting stupid. Our server was a cute thing and was pretty attentive until he realized we were only having one drink. LOL But he gave us our space and let us camp at his table while we giggled like school girls.
Speaking of school girls...it wasn't long before two of them came in. They were maybe 21 (with their fake IDs). They both flirted heavily with the owner (who is probably 50) and ordered wine. He brought it back to them, their glasses filled to the rim. Andrea was a little miffed because her wine glass only had the "approporiate" portion of wine in it.
I told her she hadn't shown enough inappropriate cleavage to deserve an inappopriate portion of wine and clearly she needed to work on her flirting.
We're going to go out again soon so she can practice.
I'll let you know if it works out for her.
posted by Mel Francis @ 8:38 AM |
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Wednesday, August 09, 2006
yay me!
I know, 3 in one day...something is wrong with this world.
But honestly, what else should I do while I'm on hold?
First off, I've been to the gym everyday this week. I'm so glad school is back because it feels awesome to be back on a regular schedule. My God I wish they'd go to year 'round schooling and uniforms here. Do you know how much easier that would make my life?
I've heard from both my lads this week and I've received some great news! Simon is going to come stay with us next week until he flies home and Grant is planning to come in October.
The planets must be aligning just right this week.
Except for the fact that I'm STILL on hold....15 minutes and counting.