My $0.02 on the Deathly Hallows *With Spoilers* July 27, 2007

Let me just say that I love, love, love the Harry Potter series. I am sad that the whole thing seems to be over but I know I will get to revisit these colorful stories when Mogo gets a little older. This will be required reading as far as I am concerned along with other classics like Little Women, Great Expectations, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy & The Chronicles of Narnia (to name just a few). Mogo will be an avid reader, I just know it. If she isn’t, she might as well be sorted into Slytherin!

If you have not finished the book you may want to stop by after you have lest you stumble upon some bit of information that would ruin the experience for you. If you don’t care in the slightest about Harry & the Gang don’t let the door hit you in the arse on your way out I will wait while you pack your things and go…

Breathing is nice… July 27, 2007

Ok so we found a place. This apartment is way too expensive but it is not in the ghetto (almost but not really), it is pretty and a little bigger than where we are now. It has a washer & dryer (thank the Gods!) and lots of windows. I think we are going to like it. We had better like it because my old man & I have agreed that this will be our last apartment. This will be the last time we move until we buy our own home. That is a bold statement for folks who live in Southern California but that’s my story and I am sticking to it.

Mogo is pissed that it does not have a yard but she was stoked that they allow kitties. She thinks I’m going to get her a kitty now. I never said that I was buying a kitty, she just assumed since they “allow” kitties that we would be acquiring a furry fluff ball of our very own. Much as I like them, I am allergic to our feline friends. I am not sure that 24/7 of allergies will be any fun and I am not committing to anything. Of course, my old man has jumped on the kitty getting bandwagon. He is not helping at all.

My old man started his new job on Thursday and thus far he seems to love it. This is a complete departure from what he was doing before (blowing bubbles in milk at the Evil Corporate Coffee Empire). I know he is overwhelmed and nervous but he is a smart cookie, and he will figure it all out. I am excited to see him doing something that contributes to the greater community. It will stretch his brain muscles a bit and I think he feels great about it (even if his brain does feel like it might explode!). There is nothing better than watching someone you love do something that makes them feel smart and accomplished. I’m awful proud of him.

So we are moving, Mogo is starting kindergarten in September; my love is beginning a new career (complete with business cards & a vv cool title), and we will not be living paycheck to paycheck anymore. Oh, so many changes to our little world. Everything is in flux and a little chaotic as we try to figure out the logistics of 2 full-time commuters & a big girl going to school with just 1 car. This is all good stuff though. These are quality problems we have going on here. So I can breathe now (well at least until we get a cat – Hurray Asthma!). What I mean is, I can relax now because all of those things that were making me feel so very out of control, are just falling into place. Thank you Universe! (Now, let’s talk about that 10 lb. box of money that does not rattle, eh?)

I am easily amused… July 23, 2007

Could it possibly be true? a Muppet Reunion? TV Guide says it is in the works. Hurray for Muppets! Hurray for guest stars and Miss Piggy with her Karate Chops! Hurray for Fozzy Bear and all his Wukka, Wukka, Wukka; for Scooter and Gonzo, and Professor Bunson Honeydoo; oh yeah and the Flying Fish guy too! I love, love, love the Muppets! I have missed them so. We used to record episodes on our VHS when I was a little girl and watch them over and over again. My favorite episode involved a feud between Loretta “Hot Lips Hoolihan” Swit and Miss Piggy over Kermit-the-Frog. Hot Lips has got nothing on Miss Piggy! (Yes, I realize I am totally dating myself here)

Ok so it is just a rumor but this could replace my Grey’s Anatomy addiction easily and I might even let Mogo stay up late to watch. They better get this thing going that is all I have to say. All will be right in the world again. Now, if we could just get them to bring back those Fraggles.

Rental Translations (a rant) July 17, 2007

So we are looking for a new place to hang our proverbial hats. San Diego rental prices are through the roof. Registration for kindergarten has already begun and I am starting to panic. I have no control (I am really bad with the control issues). I have found that rental ads are much like Help Wanted Ads. There is a translation that one must do in their heads to understand exactly what it is they are getting into.

So here are my ad translations based on the crop of rentals we have looked at (Mostly on Craigslist.com:

Condo = Apartment-Condo Conversion.

Squeaky Clean = There is nothing else positive to say about this rental but we mopped.

Cozy = 600 sq. ft or less

4BR/1BA House $895 = $895 is really per room. This was once a decent sized 2BR/1BA house and now it is a mini dorm. Watch for flying beer cans & bongs.

Drive by first = I will want you to see the ghetto neighborhood before I waste my time to trek down to the hood to show it to you.

Bad/Shaky Credit OK = We rent to anyone and our amenities include an on-site meth lab!

Available Now! = No, you do not have time to give notice and no we don’t care.

Practically Wall-to-wall carpeting!!! = Actually, I have no idea what that means.

Light Fixtures! = Ummm, Ok I guess that is good, I sort of expect my apartment/house to have lighting

Flexible Lease to match your school schedule! = Party City!!! 8:00 p.m. bedtime for Mogo will be difficult.

Lush park-like setting = Lots of ice plant, and maybe a potted pygmy date palm or five. The apartments are falling apart however.

So we are looking, and looking, and looking some more.

Today, there was one house that I was totally excited about. It was in our price range and it was this little (as it turns out REALLY little – but vv cute) Tudor style house. Of course the ad specified that we should drive by before calling and we did (the neighborhood was horrendous but I could have dealt with it for this house). We parked down the road and across the street and my Old man struck up a cigarette while I went to check it out (yes, I know we are horrible horrible smokers but we smoke outside and very rarely in front of Mogo). I approached the house and saw that the front door was open so I was hoping to get a peak inside (vv cute & vv small mind you). The worker inside did not speak much English (and he likely did not have the appropriate papers for work in the US) but he managed to get across that “Chief” was outside. So I turn around and I see this upper crust looking old guy (Who I will refer to as “Mr. Prick” for the remainder of this story) sitting behind the wheel of his Lexus SUV on his cell phone. I waited politely for him to get off his call and looked around outside the house for a minute. When he finished his call I told him that I was very interested in the property and I was wondering if it would be convenient to take a look inside. He responded that he is not showing the house (WTF???). I asked if he would prefer it if we made an appointment and reiterated that we were very interested in renting it. He gave me some song and dance about paint and he didn’t think he would be showing it for another week (so why was it advertised already if they were not interested in renting it?). So, then he points at My Old Man just down the road a piece and asks if he was my “Friend.” I told him “No Sir that is my Husband” and he said that he was not renting to smokers. I told him that we did not smoke inside and were very considerate people and he said that he had so many calls already; he could afford to be discriminating. Now ok, the house belongs to him and he is concerned about damage to his property… I get that. The main thing that really bothered me about Mr. Prick is that he never once mentioned any of that in his ad. Ok, that and well he was busy being Mr. Prick (he was vv rude). Apparently, we were just not the sort of people he had in mind. Given the housing market, the cheap factor, and the fact that this vv cute and vv small Tudor house is right smack in the middle of the Ghetto he will probably end up with a meth lab in his rental but as long as they don’t smoke cigarettes… Mr. Prick will be a happy camper.
Grrr.

Marlee & Meme July 16, 2007

Marlee posed a few questions in the Meme style. So for kicks and also because I have nuthin to talk about right now, here are my answers…

1. When you buy someone a card do you buy one that says what you feel or what you think the other person wants to hear?
   If I have to buy a card for someone I don’t particularly like, I always go funny, if I have to buy a card for someone I like/love, but cannot find the right mushy/inspirational card… I go funny. Although if it is for my MIL… chances are I forgot to send it anyways (Sorry Babe).
2. When you go to a restaurant do you order the same thing every time or do you try something new? 
   If I am in a nice foofy restaurant I will experiment but if we are at a Denny’s I am totally a creature of habit Moons over My Hammy Yummmm!
3. When you go to the store do you take the same path or just head off in the direction you think will have what you are looking for?
   I have to start on the aisle to my left and go down every aisle even if I don’t need anything on those aisles.
4. When you go someplace do you try to park in the same general area each time, or just park in the closest spot you can find? I am all about the Princess parking and I always park as close as I can.
5. Are you loyal to one radio station or do you flip until you find what you want to listen to?
   I’m a flipper and I have a fairly short attention span for music.
6. Do you get ready the same way every morning?
   Mostly, I keep to the same a.m. routine. Not because I am in need of routine, mostly because I am half asleep.
7. If you can’t find what you are looking for in a store will you ask for help or wander until you find it?
   I always ask for directions.
8. Do you buy the same products? Such as the same laundry soap and the same shampoo all the time?
   I guess I am sort of a brand whore.
9. When you go and eat in a group of people do you ask for separate checks, get out your calculator to make sure you are only paying your share, or throw more money down than you think was your part and call it good?
   I don’t care how we do it but we will have it figured out before we order. I hate it when people go to lunch/dinner as a group and only throw in the amount their item was leaving no room for a tip or for tax.  
10. Since ther kind of needs to be a #10  just for sanity’s sake. My random # 10 is…
    I read magazines from back to front rather than from front to back.

Ok so… sort of random I know but, I am a sucker for these sorts of surveys.Hope everyone is having a happy day.

And life begins… July 12, 2007

My Old Man just scored the most awesome job for himself. After years of working opposite schedules and tag team parenting, he will finally be working a 9-5, M-F sort of job like me. I am on Cloud 9! We will finally be in the same place at the same time in the evenings and on weekends. We can go to bed at a reasonable hour and not worry about being too tired to wake up with our little blonde alarm clock day after day. We can now show a more united front to the offspring and there will be far less of the Mommy vs. Daddy wars (you know… “but Daddy lets me!”, or “I like Mommy better” Meh… perhaps I am kidding myself on this one). There will be no more loading Mogo into the car at 11:30 p.m. to go pick up Daddy from work (having just 1 car really sucks). We will have a routine (hurray for routine!!!), we will have a consistent amount in our respective paychecks (Hurray consistency!) every pay period and those paychecks will be bigger to boot! I love it. I am so proud of him. Those who know us personally know that My Old man has traveled a pretty rocky road in his life. He has been doing so much work in the last year or two to clear the wreckage from his past and now he is starting to see the fruit of his labor. That may sound trite but let me just tell you the boy has worked his arse off (no really, I mean it – he really has no ass). So now, the path is getting a little smoother. We have a lot more to do to get where we want to be but for now we are just enjoying the ride. As my Badger would say “we are trudging the road OF happy destiny.” (A non 12-step translation: It is the journey not the destination that matters). We certainly have been trudging too. I will be ready to skip for a mile or two thank you very much (Universe, are you listening?).

On another front… My friend Mel just went through Gastric Bypass surgery and is recovering at home very nicely. She is beginning a whole new life and I am so proud of her for making that leap. I watched my Mom go through the same surgery way back when. They were not doing the laparoscopic surgery then and the recovery process was painful and long. It was so worth it though. If my Mom had not been through that procedure, I don’t think she would have been able to enjoy her Grand-girls as much as she does. She would not be as active and I might have had to contemplate her mortality a lot sooner. I have been thinking about Mel a lot this week but have been too tied up with my own scheduling nightmares to be much of a friend. I know she understands but it will be so nice to have my other half home in the evenings now so that I can get back in touch with a few friendships that I have been neglecting (including my friendship with him).

And on yet another front…

My other BFF Shelly is starting a new chapter in her life as well. She is around the same age as my Mom and she is dating again for the first time in millennia (I kid). She is giddy and smitten and full of life, in a way that I have never seen her. We have been friends for around 15 years or so and I don’t think I have ever seen this incredible woman more dynamic and more contented than she has been. She might as well be a teenager (but with more smarts and life experience under her belt.)

So over all…YEAH for us! Yippie! I propose a toast to new life. For those of you who don’t drink there is some Martinellis behind the counter, help yourself. CLINK!

Edited 7/16/07 to add – Thanks so much for all the well wishes and good thoughts for us! I am in blogger heaven right now.

My Little Fish July 9, 2007

Mogo has figured out how to have complete autonomy without the use of the floaties in the pool. She is so proud of herself, almost I think, as proud as I am. She is a little fish. It is like watching a light bulb go on in her head. She has no fear. She just swims and swims like it is second nature. She has gills. As she moves through the water and she comes up for air gasping her over-exaggerated breaths and just shrieks with glee; thoroughly impressed with the way she makes her little legs kick and how she can do it all by herself.

I don’t think I ever had that sort of fearlessness. I remember being so timid in the water; standing at the edge of the pool too afraid to jump in, afraid to make too big of a splash. Same was true for making new friends, walking into a new classroom, riding a bike. I was always fearful. Where does this confidence come from? Why did I never have it? Is it in the genes, this fearlessness? Furthermore, can we bottle it? We could make a killing.

She is so beautiful in her confidence. She is larger than life. I am in awe of who she is becoming. I like her – I think she is the most wonderful thing the gods have created thus far. I hope she “knows” with all her being just how much I enjoy her. That too was somehow missing from my world. I don’t think I ever felt like someone loved me or liked me for that matter as much as I do Mogo. That is not to say that I did not have a loving home, I did. I just never had that knowledge that I was anyone’s everything. I don’t think it ever occurred to me that people enjoyed my company or thought I was funny or clever. I am still somewhat surprised to realize it when someone I know says a kind word to me or about me. Often I deny it or come up with some lame self deprecating remark. I am working on simply saying Thank you.

I hope that she never has to wonder if she can do “it” whatever “it” may be. I will have to work to ensure that I do not stifle her confidence with my fearfulness. Mogo can do anything. I will strike down anyone who ever tells her otherwise. I pray that it is not me who inadvertently breaks her spirit.

Conversations with Mogo July 2, 2007

On Wildlife…

Mogo: “Gramma, did ya know the difference between an Alligator and a crocodile?”

Gramma: “No what?”

Mogo: “An Alligator is bigger and a crocodile has bunches of teeth but they’ll both bite choo and you know how you tell if it’s a real alligator or crocodile?”

Gramma: “No, How?”

Mogo: “If it’s real, they’ll bite choo – You don’t mess with aligators”