13 things i'm neglecting

I am frankly stunned stupid at how grossly exhausted I am at the end (and beginning) of each day due to a healing foot. Let me just state for the record, in case my foot or any other marginalized feet are reading this, I completely underestimated the hard work put forth each day by feet and beg forgiveness for my arrogance. That said, here are 13 things I was once (or planned to be) reasonably good at accomplishing but have been, for four weeks and counting, trying to ignore because I have no energy to properly care about them.

1. cleaning bathroom sinks
2. dusting
3. changing seasonal decor (though I did rally to put away Christmas stuff. Well, boxed it; not yet put away)
4. wine & brie with my man [because I am freaking asleep by 9 pm]
5. watching potential Oscar-nominated movies - and it is beginning to stress me out; only 9 weeks left!
6. reading other people's blogs
7. printing school lunch menus
8. stacking dishes in alternating colors
9. making sure kids have clothes that fit
10. - 13. everything I had resolved to start doing in 2010

I love you, foot. Get better soon so I can return to my OCDivine ways. Yours truly, the dirty, tired, unfit & uncultured invalid.

little bit crazy, little bit rock & roll

13 ways I am simultaneously unbalanced yet endearing.

1. I thoroughly enjoyed watching all 6 minutes and 45 seconds of this video.
2. I remember desperately loving the disco dancing Donny when I was in 4th grade.
3. This morning I shamelessly took the Inappropriate Crush Quiz (even though it's from 2007 - Daniel Radcliffe is actually turning 20 today).
4. I feel a little bummed that I only scored 5 points.
5. I clicked over and read the entire five page article in Details (and watched the video interview).
6. I am inordinately delighted that Daniel also loves John Keats.
7. I'm pretty sure this piece of trivia will escape my mouth more than once in the coming year.
8. I also watched the video interview with Bradley Cooper.
9. I took notes on all of his outfits and am seriously contemplating a massive shopping spree at Banana Republic for my husband.
10. I tremendously & truly love my husband as he is but cannot help trying to make him wear whatever Bradley Cooper wears.
11. I scandalized the poor Nordstrom guy by asking him if the button-down shirts they were selling for $89 [on sale] would make my husband look like Bradley Cooper.
12. I tried on the same velvet jacket twice in 20 minutes at the Nordstrom sale, after touching & holding it for 10 minutes; I did not buy it.
13. I will be returning the lip gloss I was talked into buying because I realized it has petrolatum in it, plus I envision myself (and everyone else) being distracted by My Lips and Their Glossiness every minute of my teaching day if I tried wearing it to school.

More crazy and/or rock & roll at Thursday 13.

qualities of an anti-hero

1. Skipping breakfast while nagging kids to eat


2. Going to bed before reading to kids
   
3. Not knowing when my children have a half-day of school


4. Coming *thisclose* to saying out loud in class how immensely irritating I find a student


5. Counting days until summer break


6. Entertaining thoughts of running away [just for a month few days]


7. Arguing with husband about clip-on fans vs. small box fans


8. Shrieking mean words at husband from 2nd floor


9. Typing a blog post while children try to engage me in conversation


10. Not knowing what my son has been talking to me about for the last 10 minutes


11. Constantly contriving reasons to get in my new car & drive


12. Freaking the f*ck out when people call my new car a MINIVAN


13. Feeling the urge to say f*ck often

Thursday 13 - Loads of f*cking fun for everyone!

13 garage sale treasures

If you are fortunate enough to be in my vicinity this Saturday, you can fight the garage sale hordes for ownership of these unique items:

1. Vintage snowshoes
2. Four-foot purple wall shelf
3. Portable record player with Texas longhorn on the lid
4. Igloo-style dog house
5. Pink plastic lap desk
6. Inflatable raft
7. Artificial hydrangea bouquets
8. Nasal irrigation kit (brand-new!)
9. Princess dresses, girls size 6/7
10. Homemade smoker (left behind from a senior presentation)
11. Twenty-five white plastic hangers
12. Pink hand-crank AM/FM radio
13. Motorcycle helmet with cartoon bear on the back

...AND SO MUCH MORE!

I thoroughly relish seeing what kinds of things people bring in; my office is packed with crap treasures quivering with excitement about finding new owners this weekend.

Other people have interesting things to say today ~ Thursday 13

me, by the numbers

Janet at Fond of Snape shared this clever little way of playing Thursday Thirteen; I like sharing.

Here are ways I correspond to these numbers:

1. Husbands I have [LOVE YOU, STU!]
2. Children I have - matches the number of C-sections I've had, too. Weird.
3. Different Barnes & Noble stores I worked in
4. Pairs of glasses I have
5. Years it took for me to earn my BA & teaching certificate
6. 1/4 the total pairs of shoes in my closet
7. Towns I've lived in: Oak Harbor, Pullman, Spokane, Richland, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Vancouver
8. Favorite number (watch this for quick bliss)
9. Years between me & my little sister
10. Years we've been attending our church
11. Watches I own
12. Number of staff members at our school
13. My personal best time [in seconds] for running to my grandparents' house when I was a kid - they lived across a long driveway from us and I sometimes had to deliver things at night, before we installed a decent lightpost

Play if you'd like, or just enjoy the other Thursday 13ers

13 things about spring break

As I told a student who asked yesterday if Spring Break starts this coming Monday - "Actually, it starts at 2:00:01 on Friday." Which I know (hi, Principal Amy!) is technically not true as my contracted day isn't over till 3:00, but it made for an amusing response in class. [It's funny to me that even high school students tend to think teachers live at the school]

And so. In the next week, I look forward to:

1. Dancing! I found a place in Portland to take my man for his birthday celebration - we used to dance every weekend at Panic City (yes it was as 90s-tastic as it sounds) but haven't in hundreds a bunch of years
2. Visiting the zoo
3. Scavenger hunt at the art museum
4. Creating real live detailed lesson plans for the final 11 weeks of school [that equals 55 days, fyi]
5. Catching up on lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of favorite blogging bloggers' blogs
6. Watching movies into the wee hours
7. Some sleeping in
8. Some housecleaning
9. Making delicious & nutritious meals and snacks [stop laughing]
10. Playdates with friends
11. Road trip to visit my mom, dad & sister
12. Date night in Seattle
13. 40th birthday party with our favorite college friend
    

Thursday 13 is like a mini-vacation on your screen

13 basic truths

According to me:

1. Guys on motorcycles are anonymously, infinitely sexy in their helmets & gear
2. Hearing my kids belly laugh can make my day
3. Watching a parent absently, tenderly put a hand on a teen child's shoulder moves me
4. Bacon makes everything better
5. Buying stuff at Goodwill stimulates the economy
6. The new sticker arrangement on my laptop has improved my overall mood
7. Saying things in Spanish, with strong accent, is immensely satisfying
8. "Hence" and "thus" are pretty excellent words
9. Browsing bookstores is close to sex on my Bliss List
10. Some people will never open their eyes to the world
11. Warm, quiet baths cure many ills
12. Freshly sharpened pencils are like brand new days
13. Remembering someone's name can be a gift, to both of you

Thursday Thirteen ~ truly enjoyable

lucky 13

I have been foolish, ignoring my instincts about my husband's employer (rhymes with "Pewlett-Hackard"). During the past year, their ignorant hack in charge most heinous capitalist pig so-called leader has been grossly dishonoring the memory of the company's founders by focusing solely on making as many pennies as they can instead of continuing to promote creativity & innovation in technology. Focusing solely on those pennies (to the tune of a $24 million bonus last year) has led He Who Shall Not Be Named to shut down most of the facility in our town, which means ending my husband's 13 year engineering job.

I do not mean to imply I begrudge corporate leaders their salaries, or bonuses or jets or any other perks they earn by running a lucrative business. What I find dismaying is those who are given such salaries et cetera at the expense of their workers' & companies' integrity. Which is why I refuse to shop at a certain soul-sucking store, but I digress.

I know many people have faced and will face far more dire consequences than we will; I pray more for Stu's coworkers and all the other families across our country losing jobs than I do for our family at this point.

Essentially, what I mean to say is - I should have been reigning in my spending and living more frugally & thoughtfully long before now, but here we are and here are my best ideas for us so far:

1. Date night = Wine at the neighbors' (their wine, of course)
2. Compensate teenage babysitters by editing & typing their research papers
3. Continue skipping breakfast & lunch
4. Alternative date night = Reading Willamette Week personal ads to each other
5. Download all CDs to iTunes then sell discs to Music Millenium for cash
6. Use CD cash for special date night at Chipotle
7. Give the gift of my love & friendship for everyone's birthday [I'll throw in a handmade card]
8. Fine students $1 for every "F*ck," "F*ckin'," or "F*cker" uttered in my general atmosphere
9. Memorize free admission days to art museum, history museum, science museum, and zoo (and arrive at dawn to get in line)
10. Total potluck/BYOB for this year's Oscar party; my love & friendship [plus handmade card] for swag
11. Moratorium on children growing to next clothing/shoe sizes
12. Raise our own cow for brie production
13. Rally for Double Coupon Day at Whole Foods

Live, from my blog (and many others), it's Thursday Thirteen

words

My students have spent a lot of time lately blithely humoring me working diligently to find & use more meaningful, powerful words. We've talked at length about the variety of words - plethora, if you will - available to them, about going beyond the staid & stale 'good' and 'like' and 'fun.'

It's been like pulling teeth an absolute joy; everyday we do things like share different ways of answering the question "How are you?" I've found myself being more honest when people ask it of me (instead of the immediate "Fine" I might respond, "Mediocre." People stare, it's quite amusing), and even the teenagers have tried out "Delightful" and "Crappy, actually." It's an English major's mini-fantasy.

I'm including a link right here to a site that may be considered offensive to some; it's about a word that I did not include in my list (see below) but really do find immensely satisfying from time to time.

Anyhoo (which is not a real word but is occasionally enjoyable to utter), I've made a list of some favorite words at A-Lister today. Go see, and join in. Feel free to roll your eyes and sigh heavily before doing so, for the full teenager effect.

13 views of my summer vacation

Upon arriving in London

The whirlwind tour with commentary

Left to right:

Globe Theater * London Eye * Turkish Delight @ Borough Market

Street Art @ Tate Modern * Topiary @ Jardin du Luxembourg * Picnic

Flower market in Latin Quarter * La Tour Eiffel * Rembrandthuis

Prinsengracht houseboat * Posthoornkerk * Canal & bike

______________________

Thursday Thirteens around the world

look at me, having knowledge

...Sort of. Thursday Thirteen, super fun stuff. Over here, gang.

And here, too, but it's not just me anymore.

let there be cuckoos

Let there be love...More songs to swoon (and sob) by at my A-Lister blog today.

(There is also a video with this delightful song featuring the lovely Chris Botti & darling Michael Buble but be aware - there are some fine, fine young men appearing in it who may or may not be letting there be love with other fine young men. Not that there's anything wrong with that).

Happy Valentine's Day, ladies & gents.

counting blessings

Visit my list blog today - it's all about me!

I'm sure that comes as a shocking surprise.

70s girl revels

Check out A-Lister for a host of embarrassing admissions; that's always fun, no?

Then be back here tomorrow. There's bound to be something completely astounding.

still not cheating

Thursday Thirteen at my other blog. With pictures!

Meet me there.

this is not cheating

The Blog365 people said I can post on either of my sites and it counts. I'm not being defensive, just stating the rules. In case you're accusing me of something. Like cheating. Because I'm not.

I invite you to check out my list of thirteen things I'm looking forward to in 2008. There will be some huge surprises there! (Okay now I am lying. But NOT cheating).

badness at the list blog

I have revealed 13 favorite songs from my 'naughty mom' playlist at A-Lister. I'm too lazy to copy the post here. Just click over there; I have links to naughtiness...I could totally get an R rating with this one.

seasonal delights

I usually do this at A-Lister, but today it feels better here. I don't know why - recent full moon, end of a trying back-to-school-after-long-break week, day before I get to retreat with my best girlfriends for the weekend...Regardless, enjoy.

1. Sweaters & gloves back in style
2. Football
3. Freshly baked chocolate cookies (they taste better when it's cold outside)
4. Possibility of snow
5. Likelihood of snow not staying too long
6. Christmas music! (My family kind of hates me already...)
7. Did I say football?
8. Warm apple cider
9. Hot cocoa with tiny little marshmallows & whipped cream. And more whipped cream.
10. The thick scent of piney wreaths and bayberry candles
11. Performances of A Christmas Carol & The Nutcracker everywhere we go
12. Bell-ringers who still smile & say "Merry Christmas"
13. Seeing family during the holidays (I get all Clark Griswold at this time of year...)

More eclecticity at Thursday Thirteen.