I'm not with all those people who find shopping to be pleasurable experience. I find it distasteful for many reasons, some of which I'll share with you today.
First, I can never find what I want when I want it. Right now, I would like a pair of white pants. I realize that many stores were selling white pants in May and June but I didn't want them in May or June. I have been working out very hard all summer and I now have the confidence in myself to put on a pair of white pants, but they are nowhere to be found, except, of course on the Internet. I will buy medium tops online, but that's about it. I am being denied my right to a pair of white pants in August by a bunch of retail merchants who think I should have wanted them two months ago.
Second, replenishment of critical items is very poor. We ventured out for school supplies yesterday. Now, I've had more than one bad experience with Target being out of one or more critical supply, mainly marble composition books. Because of this, we went first to Wal-Mart. Oh, Lord in heaven, what was I thinking? I have no issue shopping at Wal-Mart. We have a lot less money than we did a year ago so I'll take savings wherever I can get it. I was looking forward to a massive display of ultra-cheap pencils, paper, backpacks, etc. What did I get? Three 18 foot sections of name brand overpriced remains . It looked like they were getting ready to shut down the school supply business for the season. I came very close to leaving my cart in the middle of the store and departing. But I bought the few things we had in the cart and moved onto Target. I spent $150 on all the supplies, A Disney Pixar Cars backpack and thermos and a bunch of Ritter Sport bars for myself as a reward for not having a nervous breakdown in the middle of all of this.
Another reason I hate shopping is the sizes. Sizes don't match anywhere, but they seem to have one main thing in common. Wherever I shop, I am in between sizes, either 6 and 8, or 8 and 10. Of course, I watch "What not to Wear," so I know I shouldn't be obsessed with sizes, but since this advice comes from Twiggy and her twin brother, they can cram their size counseling where the sun doesn't shine. I am obsessed. I don't want to buy 10's. I want to wear a 6 and only a 6, damn it!
And this size thing isn't only an issue for me, but it's an issue for my oldest son. He is very tall and thin like his father and needs slims. This year, I need to come up with 16 slim pants for him. As far as I can tell, the only place to get these pants in JC Penney. Need a husky? No worries there. Huskies are all over the place! I worry about his label conscious peers. Are they label conscious they way my peers were when I was young? Will he be mocked if someone notices his Arizona brand jeans and realizes where they are from? I comfort myself with the thought that there are so many stores and labels that only the most obsessively fashion conscious child will make the connection. I don't think my son knows anyone like that. We may be safe. But the worry festers in the back of my mind and occasionally gives me some heartburn.
I will most likely never get my white pants. This is really sad. I'll probably boost my online shopping rate for Christmas up to 90% this year. I'm still grumpy from not having a single down arrow on my Target receipt. I can't believe I had to spend 99 cents on High School Musical folders.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Dream Update
I forgot to mention that a friend of mine had the same dream I did about her husband leaving her! It also left her very grumpy. I asked her if she told her husband and she said, quite emphatically, "NO!" Turns out, he would have laughed at her. It was nice to know that I am not alone in the irrational thoughts of my subconscious mind.
Recent Sightings
I've seen some things lately that I've found a bit odd, or shocking and I thought I'd share a few of them with you.
Earlier this week, a man in a blue truck was driving down my street and threw a bag of garbage out his window. I think it takes a special kind of butt head to litter on a residential street. There are garbage cans everywhere. He wasn't just driving around randomly. He had a destination and his destination had a garbage can. I was honestly astounded by this behavior.
Yesterday, as we took a little family walk we passed a bag out for recycling that was filled with empty bottles of bleach. Not just one or two, like twelve or fifteen. I watch entirely too many crime shows on cable; CSI, The New Investigators, Cold Case Files, Most Evil, too name a few. I looked at my husband with wide eyes and he looked back at me and said, "You're nuts." Turns out my neighbor was cleaning the deck. Just between you and me, I'll be paying special attention over the next few days to make sure her husband and son are okay.
A young woman was arrested at a movie theatre in Virginia for video taping a portion of a movie so she could show it to her brother. Granted she was only 19, but surely she has heard of Youtube or the internet where you can actually go to websites that show movie previews. Of course, I'm not sure how a movie theatre gets to file criminal charges against someone for movie pirating. It seems to me the victim would be the production company. This will be interesting to follow in court later this month.
My husband licked his plate last night. Yep. Picked it up and licked it clean. He claims I should be thrilled that he loved my pasta so much that he needed to get every last bit of the sauce. I claim he's a disgusting pig who was setting an incredibly poor example for our children. Then he told me to make more noodles for the sauce so he could take the leftovers to work for lunch.
That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed my observations of society in Columbia, MD. The recycling truck just picked up all the bleach bottles. I'll let you know if the police come interview me. Have a great day!
Earlier this week, a man in a blue truck was driving down my street and threw a bag of garbage out his window. I think it takes a special kind of butt head to litter on a residential street. There are garbage cans everywhere. He wasn't just driving around randomly. He had a destination and his destination had a garbage can. I was honestly astounded by this behavior.
Yesterday, as we took a little family walk we passed a bag out for recycling that was filled with empty bottles of bleach. Not just one or two, like twelve or fifteen. I watch entirely too many crime shows on cable; CSI, The New Investigators, Cold Case Files, Most Evil, too name a few. I looked at my husband with wide eyes and he looked back at me and said, "You're nuts." Turns out my neighbor was cleaning the deck. Just between you and me, I'll be paying special attention over the next few days to make sure her husband and son are okay.
A young woman was arrested at a movie theatre in Virginia for video taping a portion of a movie so she could show it to her brother. Granted she was only 19, but surely she has heard of Youtube or the internet where you can actually go to websites that show movie previews. Of course, I'm not sure how a movie theatre gets to file criminal charges against someone for movie pirating. It seems to me the victim would be the production company. This will be interesting to follow in court later this month.
My husband licked his plate last night. Yep. Picked it up and licked it clean. He claims I should be thrilled that he loved my pasta so much that he needed to get every last bit of the sauce. I claim he's a disgusting pig who was setting an incredibly poor example for our children. Then he told me to make more noodles for the sauce so he could take the leftovers to work for lunch.
That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed my observations of society in Columbia, MD. The recycling truck just picked up all the bleach bottles. I'll let you know if the police come interview me. Have a great day!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
The Others
I think that was the title of some obscure James Dean movie. In this case, it's a reference to all the other presidential candidates. I'm feeling guilty for dedicating so much attention to Clinton and Obama, I've decided to provide you, my faithful reader with my uneducated insight into some of the other people vying for the White House. I write about these candidates in no particular order and with little research, but in the spirit of fairness in the media. Ha ha ha. Can a blog with 3 readers be considered part of the media?
Mike Gravel - Mike is a Democratic former member of Congress from Alaska, serving in both the House and the Senate on and off from 1963 to 1981. He is 77. He is responsible, according to his website, for the release of the Pentagon Papers. His stand on some issues is as follows. He would like an immediate end to US involvement in Iraq and would bring troops home in 60 days. He would eliminate income taxes and the IRS and institute a Fair Tax which is basically a national sales tax. He would offer universal health care in the form of vouchers based on the projected needs of the people. I don't know about you, but I feel taxes climbing sharply and health care getting really bad before any universal coverage could have all the kinks ironed out.
Mike Huckabee - This Mike is the Republican former Governor of Arkansas. Huckabee is known for his health initiatives and his personal weight loss of 110 lbs. As for the campaign issues, here is how he stands. The first issue he lists on his website is related to Second Amendment Rights, or the right to bear arms. This is because his stands are listed in alphabetical order, but since it would take the average person a few seconds to figure this out, I was a little alarmed. He supports music and arts in education and refers to them as "Weapons of Mass Destruction." He believes in preventative care instead of spending money to treat chronic diseases. He believes that Iraq is a war against terror and doesn't support a withdrawal.
Dennis Kucinich - Kucinich is a Democratic member of Congress from Ohio. he supports publicly financed, national health insurance and has drafted a bill with Michigan Congressman Conyers to introduce this to the House. (It has the support of only 78 House members.) He wants to create a Department of Peace to coincide with the Department of Defense. And he would repeal the Patriot Act. The whole Department of Peace thing leaves me without words. It sounds so Orwellian and a little creepy.
That's all for now, but there are others that I will profile in coming weeks. I will offer no opinion of who I like best in this bunch, but I encourage everyone to look beyond the flashy leading contenders to some of the other people on the ballot. They are highly qualified, passionate and committed to serving this country and they deserve to be given full consideration.
Off to the gym. Enjoy your day!
Mike Gravel - Mike is a Democratic former member of Congress from Alaska, serving in both the House and the Senate on and off from 1963 to 1981. He is 77. He is responsible, according to his website, for the release of the Pentagon Papers. His stand on some issues is as follows. He would like an immediate end to US involvement in Iraq and would bring troops home in 60 days. He would eliminate income taxes and the IRS and institute a Fair Tax which is basically a national sales tax. He would offer universal health care in the form of vouchers based on the projected needs of the people. I don't know about you, but I feel taxes climbing sharply and health care getting really bad before any universal coverage could have all the kinks ironed out.
Mike Huckabee - This Mike is the Republican former Governor of Arkansas. Huckabee is known for his health initiatives and his personal weight loss of 110 lbs. As for the campaign issues, here is how he stands. The first issue he lists on his website is related to Second Amendment Rights, or the right to bear arms. This is because his stands are listed in alphabetical order, but since it would take the average person a few seconds to figure this out, I was a little alarmed. He supports music and arts in education and refers to them as "Weapons of Mass Destruction." He believes in preventative care instead of spending money to treat chronic diseases. He believes that Iraq is a war against terror and doesn't support a withdrawal.
Dennis Kucinich - Kucinich is a Democratic member of Congress from Ohio. he supports publicly financed, national health insurance and has drafted a bill with Michigan Congressman Conyers to introduce this to the House. (It has the support of only 78 House members.) He wants to create a Department of Peace to coincide with the Department of Defense. And he would repeal the Patriot Act. The whole Department of Peace thing leaves me without words. It sounds so Orwellian and a little creepy.
That's all for now, but there are others that I will profile in coming weeks. I will offer no opinion of who I like best in this bunch, but I encourage everyone to look beyond the flashy leading contenders to some of the other people on the ballot. They are highly qualified, passionate and committed to serving this country and they deserve to be given full consideration.
Off to the gym. Enjoy your day!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Dog days of Summer
WARNING! THIS POST CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND OFFENSIVE (UNLESS YOU ARE A BOY UNDER THE AGE OF 12 or Mike Rowe from "Dirty Jobs").
The offensive material I am speaking of is dog poop. Lately, I've been feeling inundated by it. We don't have a closed in yard so when the dog needs to go out, we have to walk him. This means that when he poops, we pick it up. I'm naturally repulsed by this. I hold my breath as I scoop it up into whatever plastic bag I have conjured up for my mission. (I am not going to attempt to catch the poop in the bag as I hold it strategically near the dog's but as my ten year old does.) I clutch the bag between my fingertips as I walk back to my house. I fight with the dog to make it the last few steps from the front door to the garbage can so I can throw the offending load away. I get in the house and to the closest sink as quickly as possible to wash my hands. I use highly aromatic soap to help remove the memory of any lingering odors from my nose. I glare at the dog, who is at my feet, chewing on the drawstrings of my pants, like a fish on a line, gentle tug after gentle tug. With a sigh, I retire to the kitchen table to my coffee and paper and try to wipe the whole unpleasant experience from my memory.
As a new pet owner, I have concerns about some matters of pet etiquette. I worry about my neighbors. My dog often poops or pees in the yards of my neighbors. I always clean up the poop but I feel guilty that he has committed this unclean act on someone else's property. Is there some sort of etiquette rule about this? Should I bake them a cake or cookies at Christmas as a way of thanking them for allowing us to use their yard in this manner? And what if a neighbor is offended, even when I clean up after the dog? I have fears of someone storming out of their house as my dog is in mid-poop, yelling obscenities, waving steak knives. Has this ever happened to anyone?
I also feel badly for the garbage men. Our garbage is now laced throughout with tiny bags of doggy doo. How do I apologize for this? Is poop any more offensive to the average garbage collector than any other stinky deposit in the can? I know that many farmers recycle their cow poo. Can I put dog poop in the compost pile? Egads! This would involve removing the poop from the bag. I don't know that I can do that without puking!
Then there's my guilt for using plastic bags to pick up the poop. I am stricken with guilt for what my increased use of plastic is doing to the environment. I thought Target would sell biodegradeable dog waste bags, but they didn't. I forgot to check at the pet store when we stopped in last week to get nail clippers. I know the bags are plentiful on the internet, so at least this area of guilt is short lived.
The trials of pet ownership. Who knew there would be so much drama?
The offensive material I am speaking of is dog poop. Lately, I've been feeling inundated by it. We don't have a closed in yard so when the dog needs to go out, we have to walk him. This means that when he poops, we pick it up. I'm naturally repulsed by this. I hold my breath as I scoop it up into whatever plastic bag I have conjured up for my mission. (I am not going to attempt to catch the poop in the bag as I hold it strategically near the dog's but as my ten year old does.) I clutch the bag between my fingertips as I walk back to my house. I fight with the dog to make it the last few steps from the front door to the garbage can so I can throw the offending load away. I get in the house and to the closest sink as quickly as possible to wash my hands. I use highly aromatic soap to help remove the memory of any lingering odors from my nose. I glare at the dog, who is at my feet, chewing on the drawstrings of my pants, like a fish on a line, gentle tug after gentle tug. With a sigh, I retire to the kitchen table to my coffee and paper and try to wipe the whole unpleasant experience from my memory.
As a new pet owner, I have concerns about some matters of pet etiquette. I worry about my neighbors. My dog often poops or pees in the yards of my neighbors. I always clean up the poop but I feel guilty that he has committed this unclean act on someone else's property. Is there some sort of etiquette rule about this? Should I bake them a cake or cookies at Christmas as a way of thanking them for allowing us to use their yard in this manner? And what if a neighbor is offended, even when I clean up after the dog? I have fears of someone storming out of their house as my dog is in mid-poop, yelling obscenities, waving steak knives. Has this ever happened to anyone?
I also feel badly for the garbage men. Our garbage is now laced throughout with tiny bags of doggy doo. How do I apologize for this? Is poop any more offensive to the average garbage collector than any other stinky deposit in the can? I know that many farmers recycle their cow poo. Can I put dog poop in the compost pile? Egads! This would involve removing the poop from the bag. I don't know that I can do that without puking!
Then there's my guilt for using plastic bags to pick up the poop. I am stricken with guilt for what my increased use of plastic is doing to the environment. I thought Target would sell biodegradeable dog waste bags, but they didn't. I forgot to check at the pet store when we stopped in last week to get nail clippers. I know the bags are plentiful on the internet, so at least this area of guilt is short lived.
The trials of pet ownership. Who knew there would be so much drama?
Monday, July 30, 2007
More Cooking Secrets
It rained on and off all day yesterday and I was in the mood for some comfort food so I made a nice big lasagna for dinner. I prefer to use the lasagna noodles that don't require cooking. They're thinner and leave you with a dish that isn't so starchy. You can really taste the herbs in the sauce and the savory flavor of the sausage. Since we don't tend to eat a lot of heavy food, I use part skim ricotta. I did use bottled sauce. This was necessary since I decided to prepare the dish at about 2:00 pm which wouldn't have given me time to make a decent sauce. And I don't do tomato sauce. If you've never made lasagna it's about the simplest dish you can make and you can make it for meat lovers or vegetarians alike. Layer noodles, a cheese mix made with one egg, ricotta and mozzarella, sauce containing your choice of meat or vegetables. Meat and vegetables can be added separately after the sauce, too. Finish with a layer of noodles topped with sauce and Parmesan cheese. Bake according to the directions on the box of noodles.
As you can see, it wasn't something that would have won a culinary award for presentation but I know it was good. Both boys had seconds, including the 5 year old who lives on air. And not a single request for more food at 8:00. And the wee one asked for some for breakfast. It's moments like that that make me feel I've succeeded as a parent.
In other news around the house, the dog is growing and becoming more civilized. He goes to the door when he wants to go outside. Unfortunately, he doesn't always make a noise so if I'm not around to see him, he gives up and goes in the house. He still sees the 5 year old as another puppy so we have to watch them. The dog gets very excited and starts growling and biting.
We got some rain yesterday, thank goodness. Everything is brown and crunchy looking. The only upside is that the lawn hasn't needed to be mowed for at least a month. I think the sun has been good for the tomato plants because we have lots of tiny green tomatoes. But they're still green. I have no idea how much longer I have to wait for them to ripen. I guess it would help if I remembered what kind of tomatoes I had planted.
An ordinary day lies ahead of us. We'll go to the gym. I'll force children to do math worksheets and read. I'll try to get one to nap and eat (not at the same time). And we might even get to the pool. Until tomorrow...
As you can see, it wasn't something that would have won a culinary award for presentation but I know it was good. Both boys had seconds, including the 5 year old who lives on air. And not a single request for more food at 8:00. And the wee one asked for some for breakfast. It's moments like that that make me feel I've succeeded as a parent.
In other news around the house, the dog is growing and becoming more civilized. He goes to the door when he wants to go outside. Unfortunately, he doesn't always make a noise so if I'm not around to see him, he gives up and goes in the house. He still sees the 5 year old as another puppy so we have to watch them. The dog gets very excited and starts growling and biting.
We got some rain yesterday, thank goodness. Everything is brown and crunchy looking. The only upside is that the lawn hasn't needed to be mowed for at least a month. I think the sun has been good for the tomato plants because we have lots of tiny green tomatoes. But they're still green. I have no idea how much longer I have to wait for them to ripen. I guess it would help if I remembered what kind of tomatoes I had planted.
An ordinary day lies ahead of us. We'll go to the gym. I'll force children to do math worksheets and read. I'll try to get one to nap and eat (not at the same time). And we might even get to the pool. Until tomorrow...
Sunday, July 29, 2007
More Summer Reading
I've found the Washington Post to be a very good source of summer reading material this summer. Not for the recommended books in the book section but for the news articles.
First, there was the article on Hillary Clinton's scoop necked top written by Robin Givhan earlier this month. I didn't think it was that big a deal. Clinton's cleavage was not the only one pointed out in the article, but the Clinton camp and many readers took offense. As a woman endowed, my cleavage is pretty much always there. I didn't see that the top in question was all that revealing on Hillary. On me, it would have been a different story! I found the article amusing, much as I've found all the items ever written about politician's wardrobe choices amusing. I think that the Clinton camp should have ignored the article, instead of calling the article "grossly inappropriate" as they did in a fundraising letter. Hillary seems to try to emulate her husband in her speeches, but she lacks his warmth and sincerity. This is just another example of how prickly she can be.
Then there was the article yesterday about how the military plans to arm Sunni residents in a sort of "neighborhood watch." According to the article, the hope is to get these units up and running quickly so it isn't necessary to wait for citizens to go through long training programs. I don't know about you, but I'm scared. What assurance is there that these armed residents would stick to their assigned mission of protecting a very specific geographic area. Also, doesn't the highly divisive issue of Shiites vs. Sunnis pose a problem What's to stop Shiite insurgents from attacking the US supported Sunnis? I'm sure there are many, many details of this program that are not included in the Post article. Yet it still seems like a really bad idea.
Date Lab from the Magazine section today was good stuff. Like most people, I enjoy the really bad dates, though I have to admit, I also like the ones that lead to a long term commitment. I think there's been one. The picture of the daters says it all, and all I can say is, if I were the young female dater, I would be furious. But please, read it for yourself. I don't want to spoil the fun. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/24/AR2007072401802.html
I've found time to read more than the newspaper. I'm currently about half way through Melissa Fay Greene's "Praying for Sheetrock." Greene, it turns out, was a paralegal in a legal services office that helped a handful of black men in coastal McIntosh County, Georgia pursue equality and fight a corrupt sheriff in the 70's. The many personal accounts of events in the county are astounding. It's shocking to read in such detail about the measures that the white sheriff took to keep the black people down. He had his share of abuses against whites in the county, too and the scams run against tourists are something out of a movie. Ultimately, the blacks suffered most, as the advances of the civil rights movement that were felt in other areas of the south, were far from McIntosh county well into the 70's. For example, the only black member of the school board was removed and replaced with a white man. This was done to ease the "theft" of federal funds meant for the public school. The public school was attended by the black children in the county. The white kids went to a private school, the school to which the funds were diverted. I know there's a tragedy just around the corner in the book. I just hope it isn't so big that civil rights never found there way to McIntosh county.
As for other summer activities, we took the boys to the National Gallery of Art yesterday. Our oldest was able to see some of the works of the artists he learned about this week in his art class. He was most unimpressed at first, but soon enough he enjoyed exploring the galleries. He seemed to really like "Daniel in the Lion's Den" by Rubens. We decided that the lions looked a lot like mean people. Our five year old enjoyed seeing all the naked butts. At one point, he said, "I see London, I see France, I see a lady's underpants." I ignored him. The lady next to us was not amused. Maybe she was a friend of Hillary Clinton.
Off to serve up lasagna. Until next time.
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