Happy Birthday, Little Boy

Wow, Here's a Shocker

CBO Chief: Obamacare Doesn't Cut Medical Costs, Increases Debt

..... and yet, party-liners will swear to their dying breath that the sky is neon purple, falling down, and the world will end tomorrow if this doesn't pass.

After all, we have to spend money to keep from going bankrupt... right Mr. Vice-President?

Just Thinkin' Out Loud

I believe you can tell a lot about a country/religion/ a person, by how they treat dissenters... people who are in opposition.

Iranian Cleric Urges Harsh Punishment
Iranian authorities have barred journalists for international news organizations from reporting on the streets and ordered them to stay in their offices. This report is based on the accounts of witnesses reached in Iran and official statements carried on Iranian media.

Typical

So, when my buddy got his Spanish speaking video camera home on Tuesday night, he jimmyed with it for a minute & wouldn't you know it, he got the blasted thing to work.

Typical.

Anyway- Wednesday Wendy came over and we shot the video. Yes, that means that the camera worked!!!!!! Oh, glorious, glorious day! Oh, happy day!

.... But then Wendy tried to upload the video to my pretty, pretty pink precious.

DUHDUHDUH.... (please hear music of doom... seems to be a theme with me)

It didn't work.

Typical x2.

Poor Wendy found herself dumped into the sea of frustration.... I think it was a little chily. She seemed a little .... oh, what's the word? Miffed? I'll spare you the gory details- it ends with Wendy taking the video camera to her abode and uploading the video to her computer & then trying to send me the video.

Again, I say trying.

Typical x3.

Wendy finally decided to put the video on her flash drive & I went by her work on Thursday to upload it to my pretty, pretty pink precious.

And guess what happened next?

It worked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I submitted my video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the villagers rejoiced... until they realized that we have a baby shower happening tomorrow & a ton of work to do to make the village presentable.

"Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work I go....."

Doomed

On the heels of yesterday's post about learning to discipline myself & get things done, I thought I'd get started in the right direction by scratching a certain video off my list.

In one of my on-line classes, I wrote a paper about homeschooling... and now I have to "give a talk" about it. Which basically means, I have to stare into a camera and spout mindless fact for 7-8 minutes. (Don't even get me started on the arbitrary number.) Anywhoo, this video has been hanging over my head like the sword of Damocles for months.... and months.... and a few more months. It's pathetic, really.

HOWEVER, in February or March I finally borrowed a friend's video camera & roped someone into shooting it and asking the required 2 questions.

(BTW, I had to borrow a video camera because the camera I was going to use crapped out over the Christmas holidays. It's my parents camera. The funny part of this story is this: the charger no longer charges the battery & we can't find the right charger any longer.... but the hilarious part is that we used this camera to tape the first few months of J's life.... on a tape, that's still in the camera- that has no juice... So at some point, we're either going to find the right charger thingy or I'm prying that bad boy open and getting that tape!)

Moving on- I couldn't get the video up loaded to the pretty, pretty pink precious. So, I called Beth (camera owner) over and begged her to figure out how to upload it. And darned it she couldn't get it either. ::sigh:: So, she took the camera home with her and tried to upload it on her pretty, pretty MAC precious.

And guess what happened next?!

The video disappeared. Ya, who heard that right.

::le sigh::

So, that brings me to last night. I borrowed yet another camera (it's special) and corralled yet another person to assist me. I should have known it was a lost cause when a phone call to the camera owner didn't go through.... Yeah, this camera has "special instructions." Lovely.

Why me?

Finally, we get said owner on the phone and Wendy (super-dooper friend) was walked through the camera instructions. Okay. Got them. Ready to shoot. (The special instructions were, don't turn the camera off once you turn it on, because it won't turn back on for some amount of time. You'll have to disconnect the battery, the power supply & then turn around twice and spit, all while doing the hokey-pokey.)

But then.......

It started blinking instructions in Spanish.....

::whimper::

At this point I'm berating myself for not paying more attention in my high school Spanish classes.

We call the camera owner, AGAIN, and compel him to come and translate this mess. Of course, this was after Wendy tried to read him what was on the screen. Later, it was proved that she was REALLY off. I probably should have been the one to read it, but I was laughing too hard.

The camera owner ambles over to my humble home & we eventually decide that this is a lost cause... namely after the 5th time the stupid camera shut off.

::double le sigh::

Can you guess what's coming next?

That's right, I'm borrowing another camera today & Wendy and I are going to try this again.

Wish us luck- we're going to need it.

Discipline

.... it's a four letter concept in my world. I am, possibly, one of the most undisciplined people ever to walk the face of the earth- and you need only a few minutes of knowing me to believe that.

And I hate that. I hate that I have such a hard time staying on task and completing the tasks that I know I have to finish... to say nothing of starting those tasks. But I am undisciplined in just about every aspect of my life. Getting up in the morning, check. Going to bed at a descent hour, check. Not eating a bunch of junk food, check. School work, check. Exercise, double check, check.

And now, I'm looking at my son & I'm supposed to be teaching him discipline?!

Uhhhh... Houston, we have a problem.

How can I possibly teach J to master himself & be disciplined, when I haven't even mastered myself?

I've got to learn this! It's a thought that has been pressing more and more upon me here lately. Oh, what a struggle. Lord, help me as I struggle with this. Help me to balance mastering myself with indulging my many passions.

Does anyone else wrestle with this every day? There must be- a friend of mine on Facebook (sigh) sent me a Flair (double sigh) here not too long ago. It read, "Procrastinators of the World, Unite!... Tomorrow!"

Oy.

The Nameless Post of Stuff

Well, bless my buttons, it's the end of June! Good grief... It's been a wild couple of months & lot's of events have blazed their way into my path.

Cotton Patch Gospel went dark a week or so ago. It was a great show and I am very proud to have stage managed it. But, I'm tired! My brain is just now starting to reboot! I am theatre free until August/September- WOMP has a radio show piece coming around the bend & I am very excited.

I am, however, teaching a WOMP camp in early/mid-July... cause I'm nuts. The week culminates with my kiddo's performing their show on Friday, Sat (without their devoted director, me) and a Sunday afternoon. I'm missing the Sat night show, because my mom bought tickets to see A Chorus Line & there is no way I'm missing that. Thank you, DSM, for making a childhood dream come true. And, while I'm thanking DSM, I should give them a shout-out for bringing the stage version of my favorite movie to Dallas. Yes, that's right, I saw The Wizard of Oz this past Sat afternoon! Greatness, I tell you. Greatness.

Not to totally jump tracks on you, but I think I've finally managed to figure out Mr. Jacob and the napping "issues" that have been plaguing us (me) since his birth. You may, faithful reader, remember me mentioning (a million) a few times that my son seems to have an aversion (burning hatred) of napping. Well, for the last week or so, I've been trying a new strategy in my mini-war. I tire him out until lunch(ish) time and then I feed him and bottle & he goes right to sleep for his MUCH needed nap.

Is that success I'm smelling?

I do believe it is! (For now.)

And, speaking of victories, I finally figured out how to change my blog to a 3 column blog! Whoo-hoo! It's been beyond my tiny computer abilities for a while, but I finally found an on-line tutorial that worked... meaning, one that I could understand the instructions! :-)

Hope everyone had a great Father's Day weekend!
I leave you with a picture!

And We're Dark....

But we had a great run! Cotton Patch Gospel completed it's run this past Sunday. It was my joy to act as stage manager & I enjoyed every minute of it. I'll miss the cast & the show.

Shred, Cotton Patch, Uncle Walter & Cheerios

So, I started a new excerise program on Tuesday of last week..... The 30 Day Shred. I know you've heard about it- and I have 1 thing to say, "Holy Crap!" I think it just might kill me. Not kidding. Really. Not. Kidding.



I did day one on Tuesday around 1:30pm'ish. When I went to rehearsal at around 7pm, my legs were still wobbly weak. Wednesday, I woke up & body parts that I never knew I had were hurting. (Ok, that's not quite true, I did know I had those body parts, thanks to an unfortunate canoeing inceident that shall never happen again.... as in, never will you see me in a canoe again.) Walking hurt & stairs my sworn, mortal enemy.

So, I've decided to wait to jump back on the band wagon (completely) until next week. This week is tech week for Cotton Patch & I need to be able to get up and down the stairs to the tech booth without yelping like a wounded puppy every step of the way... though I think I'm still going to do the ab work in the interim.

And, speaking of Cotton Patch- we open on Friday, June 5th! We'll be at the Art Centre Theatre in beautiful downtown Plano. If any of yall are looking for something to do this weekend or next, then come on down! It's a great musical & I'm very proud to be the Stage Manager.

..... is it wrong that Jacob loves to watch the puppets from the Jeff Dunham specials I have on dvd???......... I ask because he is mesmerized by "Uncle" Walter & Achmed & Peanut. He hasn't a clue what they're saying, but I think he likes the sound of "their" voices & watching them move, especially Peanut.

Speaking of Jacob, he's sitting in his high chair right next to me, eating organic cheerio's (sharing them with his buddy, Gizmo) and yanking on my sleeve. I believe it's time for me to sign-off!

Little Swimmer

So, we got Jacob a floatie for the pool on Sat. On Sunday, I had to try it out. :-) I froze in the not so warm water, but Jacob LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it! He was laughing and having fun from the moment I let him stand on the step in the water.

Here are a few pictures.


In the pool for the first time!


In his car and loving it!


Absolute Delight!

Chillin' in his new ride.

Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This

The View fromy my Perch

I am stage managing a WOMP show, Cotton Patch Gospel, right now. So, this is what I'm seeing a lot of- the inside of the Art Centre Theatre in Plano. But, I love it. I have a key to the theater & I love that. I adore being the first person to arrive and bring the theater to life. It's magical. :-)

Playtime before Bedtime

Clowning Around

Easter 2009

I know it's been forever since I've posted. Lot's of stuff going on- some good & some not so good. But, for now, here are a few pictures from Jacob's first Easter.

Plotting His Escape

Tired, Ticked & Frustrated

'Nuff said.

Though I would have liked to have found a substitute word for frustrated that started with the letter "t."

::le sigh::

I am so beyond the previously stated adjectives that I'm starting to look for more descriptive ones. My right eyebrow is permanently arched and my mouth feels like it's been etched into a granite line.

Without going into too many details, suffice it to say that there are a couple of... shall we say, issues that are currently aging me more than the Dallas Cowboys dismal playoff record.

::double le sigh::

And, charmingly, a couple of said issues might be solved if I would get over my ingrained childhood issues and SPEAK UP, but no, I just simmer and stew in my pissed off-edniss.

Awesome, huh?

Ramblings

I must have lost my mind somewhere along the way... I'm thinking about my early 20's....

Let me explain.

I have a whole new respect for people who are trying to raise a child while trying to finish their degree and somehow keep a tenuous grasp on their sanity. Why? Because I am one of those people... and the whole M looking for a job thing (since Oct.) isn't helping the stress level in the least, but (in the words of my people) what are you going to do about it?

I'm going to school on-line because 1) I hate sitting in a classroom for hours on end & 2) we can't afford to put Jacob in day care, nor do I really want to unless I really have to. I'm trying to get done as fast as possible, so ::sigh:: I'm pushing it to the limit.

And Jacob is 7 months old (today) and will soon be crawling his little hiney around my house. Gated, baby... that's all I'm saying. He's such a joy. Laughing and happy... except at nap time. :-)

And yes, M is still looking for a job. ::sigh::

And have I mentioned that the Christmas decorations are still up???

Cutting Class

So, I'm allegedly working on school work at the moment. I say allegedly because it's most likely fairly obvious that since I'm updating the blog, I'm not working on school work. And yes, I'm back in another school term... the endless school terms.

::le sigh::

And yes, I'm kicking myself for not having finished this particular brand of personal carnage years ago, have no doubt.

::double le sigh::

For the record, I would like to lodge a personal complaint against the back and forth temperature changes that are currently gracing north Texas. Argh. My allergies would also like to lodge a complaint- as would the allergies of my son.
-the makers of Benadryl and Vicks Vapor Rub & Baby Rub would probably like to thank the waffling weather for the mint they are making off of me.

Here's a funny for you; I'm already thinking about J's 1st b-day. Eesh, yes, I have become a mom. I am trying to keep a reign on it though. At the moment, I'm thinking a barbecue with cake and friends & family... and a theme. Something that will cause much embarrassment late in life.... hmm... I'm thinking either Battlestar Galactica or Star Wars. (Have I mentioned that there's a very strong possibility that J will be Yoda for Halloween this year????) Let's face it, this is for the parents and other adults, not for the kids at this age. I say, why deny it? Embrace it and wring every possible insanely fun moment out of it! :-) Oh... and take pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. Great for blackmail.

I'm thinking of joining Netflix. The last movie I saw in a theater was Enchanted, last January. Yikes! There are a ton of movies out that I want to see, but I will be darned if I want to spend half my life's savings on a night's entertainment (which isn't always that entertaining). It's a complete rip- and don't even get me started on movie food. Holy cow! I would much rather just stay home & eat my own (much tastier & much cheaper) food, sit on my comfy couch (far superior to movie theater chairs) & be able to pause the movie any time I have to get up to go to the bathroom because I drank too much Dr. Pepper.

Needless to say, it now takes a heck of a movie to propel me out the door. Thus the beauty of Netflix to one so lazy & cheap as me.

***I would like to issue a blanket apology to any and all who have attempted a restful slumber on the mattress that's currently masquerading as a guest bed in Jacob's nursery/guest bedroom. Oh my golly heavens. I slept in Jacob's room with him the night before last because he was having trouble breathing with his stuffily nose. Poor boy woke up several times shrieking. That mattress is hideous. My back hurt all night & all yesterday. Evil, evil mattress***


And for all those waiting for a picture, here you go.
A little boy at play.

A Boy & His Toy

We took the little lad outdoors to try out the swing he got for Christmas. I think I'll let the video speak for itself. :-)