that hotels in the Milwaukee area would be so.stinking.expensive? I'm trying to find a place that is reasonable for one night! We're taking the ferry over on Saturday, then going to the zoo and hanging out. Our reservation in the dells doesn't start until Sunday. $140-$150 for one night just seems a little pricey to me, or am I just that cheap?
I am stressed out this week. SILs big hoodoo of a wedding is next Saturday. Husband is leaving tomorrow morning to work in the Ann Arbor area (again), which I suppose works out because he needs to get the final fitting on his tux ($140 to rent. TO RENT.) Which leaves me here to finish my last week of work for the summer stint, take care of my 3 year old, and clean house/pack/etc. to leave on Friday morning (my 10th anniversary, can't even do anything for it because of the hoodoo). Heaven forbid I forget anything. I've been snappish all day (Sunday) in anticipation. I'm tired. I don't want to work this week, but I can't get out of it and can't pass up the per diem $ I'm getting.
DAMMIT. GET ME THROUGH THIS WEEK.
I really think I've been dreading this almost all summer. Yeah, I know. Relax, it's just a wedding. Whatever. The annoyance started when they picked the day after husband's and my 10 year anniversary to get married, thus absolutely nixing any thoughts we might have had of getting away that weekend. Then they have to schedule 4 days of activities that we feel compelled to participate in since husband is her only sibling. I understand the wedding thing, but come on. Do you have to drag it out for so many damn days? People, my Myers-Briggs says I'm an ISFJ. The I in that means INTROVERT. That doesn't mean that I'm a total recluse, 'cause I'm not. But I do get very, very tired when I have to exert the effort to be pleasantly social for long periods of time. I need to recharge myself by getting away from people. Sometimes ALL people, including my husband and daughter. If I didn't have that opportunity on occasion, I would go batsh*t crazy. So the fact that I have to spend 4 days with many people, acting happy all the time, stresses me out to no end. So I'm cranky. Very, very, cranky. Andy Rooney cranky. Walter Matthau in Grumpy Old Men cranky, only without the funny.
Wow. How did I get from bitching about the price of Wisconsin hotels to the dreadding on Saturday? Must be I needed to vent. And rant. And bitch. Good thing the name of this is Bitchy and Ranty, huh? Thank you, bloggy peeps, for reading. And being there. And leaving me comments. You have no idea how much they make my day...or maybe you do.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Haiku Friday - Ode to the Box House
O beautiful box
turned into a house by my
big brother with love.
********
I still remember
it fondly, all the different
places it became.
********
Playhouse, hospital
school, library, vet office,
space shuttle, hotel.
********
We need to bring back
toys without batteries, so
kids can work their minds.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
WW - Heart and Soul
Can't you just hear the beautiful strains of music now? We had guests a couple weeks ago - my best college buddy ( and vacation buddy - we've vacationed with her and her husband for 8 years and counting) and her daughter stayed with us for a night. Her daughter (Mallory) is 4 months older than Molly and they play together really well. As evidenced, clearly, by the duet they were attempting here.
Pardon my piano. I haven't gotten around to actually arranging stuff up there in a more decorative way yet. My husband mistook the wasp trap for a piece of tchotchke and decided to display it on the piano. I'll get there someday.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Discipline
I'm shaking.
My daughter has been really, r-e-a-l-l-y hard to put to bed lately. We typically (try to) put her down for the night between 7:30 and 8:00. Since she was 5 months old, she has been an excellent sleeper. Once we put her in bed, she'd stay there. After the transition to the big bed, there were a few weeks that were...trying - she'd get out of bed, come downstairs, and wonder what we were doing. Even that resolved, eventually.
I'm not even sure how many nights we've had lately, where she gets out of bed anywhere from 5 to 15 times before finally going to sleep. With husband being out of town (again), I have had yet another evening where I can't relax because I'm running interference with her GOING TO F*ING SLEEP ALREADY.
The first 5 times tonight, I put her back in bed a la Supernanny: you know, don't talk, just put them down and walk out of the room. And each time I did, I grew more and more angry. I seriously had to count to 10 so that I wouldn't spank her...I knew that wouldn't make me feel any better and would do the opposite of calming her down for sleep. Finally, after hearing her bang around yet again, I walked into her room, put her back in bed, then proceeded to empty her bookcase. She started to cry when she realized what I was doing, wailing "Mommy, don't take my books away!". I continued with cold anger, and after cleaning out her books, I cleaned off the top of her dresser, clearing any accessible toys or clothing items.
Then I told her if she got out of bed again tonight, her movies were next. I told her she would have to earn her books back by staying in bed. I left the room.
And I came downstairs and cried. Hard.
Husband called, wanting to know how she did going to bed. My voice gave him the answer. Then he wanted to talk about next week...about how he could take the train to Ann Arbor so that we didn't have to have two cars there for the wedding next weekend.
Out of town again next week. Leaving me to work during the day (with preschoolers and toddlers, mind you), then come home to my own needy girl. And next week, I have to get us both packed and drive to Ann Arbor so that Molly can be a flower girl in her aunt's wedding. Alone. My husband? All he'll need to worry about is getting his tux.
I suppose much of this is displaced anger; anger that husband has had to work out of town so much lately, leaving me to be the single parent. And I know that I'm whining. I work with families who have just one parent all the time, many times with several children in a small home. Single parents who have to work crappy jobs just to make ends sort of meet. Children who have delays or needs that call for me to be in their home. Children who may very well make the same choices their parent did when they grow up.
But I made choices so that I wouldn't have to live that life. And one of those choices was waiting to have a child until I had a husband, a career and a stable job. All I want is to be a good, loving mom.
But I had to close the door angry tonight. And now I'm so, so sad.
My daughter has been really, r-e-a-l-l-y hard to put to bed lately. We typically (try to) put her down for the night between 7:30 and 8:00. Since she was 5 months old, she has been an excellent sleeper. Once we put her in bed, she'd stay there. After the transition to the big bed, there were a few weeks that were...trying - she'd get out of bed, come downstairs, and wonder what we were doing. Even that resolved, eventually.
I'm not even sure how many nights we've had lately, where she gets out of bed anywhere from 5 to 15 times before finally going to sleep. With husband being out of town (again), I have had yet another evening where I can't relax because I'm running interference with her GOING TO F*ING SLEEP ALREADY.
The first 5 times tonight, I put her back in bed a la Supernanny: you know, don't talk, just put them down and walk out of the room. And each time I did, I grew more and more angry. I seriously had to count to 10 so that I wouldn't spank her...I knew that wouldn't make me feel any better and would do the opposite of calming her down for sleep. Finally, after hearing her bang around yet again, I walked into her room, put her back in bed, then proceeded to empty her bookcase. She started to cry when she realized what I was doing, wailing "Mommy, don't take my books away!". I continued with cold anger, and after cleaning out her books, I cleaned off the top of her dresser, clearing any accessible toys or clothing items.
Then I told her if she got out of bed again tonight, her movies were next. I told her she would have to earn her books back by staying in bed. I left the room.
And I came downstairs and cried. Hard.
Husband called, wanting to know how she did going to bed. My voice gave him the answer. Then he wanted to talk about next week...about how he could take the train to Ann Arbor so that we didn't have to have two cars there for the wedding next weekend.
Out of town again next week. Leaving me to work during the day (with preschoolers and toddlers, mind you), then come home to my own needy girl. And next week, I have to get us both packed and drive to Ann Arbor so that Molly can be a flower girl in her aunt's wedding. Alone. My husband? All he'll need to worry about is getting his tux.
I suppose much of this is displaced anger; anger that husband has had to work out of town so much lately, leaving me to be the single parent. And I know that I'm whining. I work with families who have just one parent all the time, many times with several children in a small home. Single parents who have to work crappy jobs just to make ends sort of meet. Children who have delays or needs that call for me to be in their home. Children who may very well make the same choices their parent did when they grow up.
But I made choices so that I wouldn't have to live that life. And one of those choices was waiting to have a child until I had a husband, a career and a stable job. All I want is to be a good, loving mom.
But I had to close the door angry tonight. And now I'm so, so sad.
True Confession Tuesday Edition 3
At least I think it's #3.
This week's confession is: (drumroll, please):
I must read something while I'm...uh...dropping the kids off at the pool.
And if I'm not reading, I'm playing this:
My beloved Yahtzee has a place of honor on the back of the toilet. Once, tired of my bragging about my gigondously high score, my husband replaced the batteries. Wiped out my score, the bastard. If he does it again, I might have to go Lorena Bobbitt on him.
If I'm into a good book or magazine article, I might be in there until my a** gets numb. (Plus it gets me some peace and quiet for a while. Husband is deathly afraid of my aftermath. As he should be.) At someone else's house? I just find something in there to read. A shampoo bottle, condom wrappers, whatever might be within reasonable reach. I do not go into medicine cabinets or drawers looking for reading material, however. I'm too paranoid that the homeowner would find out I was snooping.
This whole reading phenomenon is not just limited to the bathroom for me, BTW. I read e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e I can. Riding in the car, eating by myself at the table, before bed, while watching TV, on the porch, in a box, with a fox, on a boat, with a goat ---(whoops, sorry. Read Green Eggs and Ham to munchkin tonight). I have been doing this ever since I learned how to read (my uncle and siblings swear I was 2 1/2 yrs old - I don't remember exactly but I know it was before nursery school). It's a habit...bordering on a sickness, really. But I LOVE it.
I feel cleansed. Thanks for listening.
TruCoTuesday hasn't caught on quite yet...play it with me!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Musical past
Some friends and I were talking this weekend about the concerts we'd been to over the course of our lives, so I decided to put down the triviality for all to see. So, in the best chronological order possible, here goes:
Oh, how I wish I had a way cooler first concert, but alas, no. It was none other than Dick Marx. And not only that, I went with a friend and her dad. Don't tell me what a dork I was, I already know. Thanks.
NEXT!
emember how you used to fantasize about that cute upperclassman who would never give you the time of day normally? That fateful dance where you wished he would catch your eye when "You're the Inspiration" or "Hard Habit to Break" would start to play? You know you did. Well, I saw these guys in the flesh from the 10th row, dammit. And they were FANTASTIC. I know they're old, but they can actually play instruments, which is a talent sadly lacking in modern musicians.
Yep! Damn Yankees. The band that opened for them? Jackyl. Anyone familiar with Jesse James Dupree and Jackyl? Anyway, I went with a friend of mine who was experiencing a slight identity crisis. She had a short, bilevel hairdo and wore Nike tracksuits a lot. As a matter of fact, she wore one to this very concert. Didn't fit in well with the big hair, skintight ripped acid washed jeans, and flannel shirts. She had one thing in common with the other concertgoers, though: a tacky tattoo. Me? I probably wore my standard preppy looking outfit with socks that matched my shirt. Probably. I don't remember though.
Oh yes, I did. Vince Neil opened for them at Pine Knob north of Detroit (stupidly named DTE Energy Music Theater now) while it POURED rain (we, of course, had lawn "seats"). Vince sucked, by the way. The crowd was actually cheering for him to get off stage and chanting for Eddie. As soon as he left the stage? Stopped raining. Gorgeous sunset. This was probably 15 years ago (!) and I still remember that phenomenon. As much as I would've liked to see them with Diamond Dave, the Sammy years were good, too. I wouldn't have been old enough to see them with Dave anyway.
The ex and I went to see these guys. Good concert, weird ending. They had men dressed up in fruit suits (think old Fruit of the Loom commercials), dancing around the stage. Someone had a little too much hooch to think that up. We were slightly dumbstruck by it.
At this point, it's apparent that the influence on my musical tastes were influenced pretty strongly by older sibs, right? Although Foreigner had some hits in the mid 80s when I was at my most impressionable (aka puberty). I loved, and will still crank up "That Was Yesterday". Not sure why I like that song so much, but it's always been my favorite of theirs. At this particular concert, Lou Gramm was not sounding so hot. Serious vocal damage happened to that man, and it was sooo very evident. Oh well. At least I had a real seat this time.
I was with a sorority sister of mine when we heard the ad for this concert: "Steve Perry, singing all your old Journey favorites". We screamed in unison and decided then and there that we MUST. GO. And go we did. He sounded great, still rocked the mullet. Our other sisters were grateful that we'd stopped singing "Wheel in the Sky" in the bathroom. What can I say? The acoustics in the community bathrooms were the best.
And then several years passed where I either didn't go to any concerts, or I don't remember what I went to. Who knows? After I got married, at least I'm pretty sure it was after, husband and I went with a childhood friend of mine who also lived in the area. Steve Augeri was the frontman and from the lawn, he looked JUST LIKE STEVE P. And not only did he look like him, but he SOUNDED like him too! I'm still loyal to the first Steve, but this guy was a great knockoff...kind of like
those fake Coach purses you can buy at flea markets. 
County Fair, circa 1993. The scent of manure in the air. Chickens squawking in the background. "Devil Went Down to Georgia". A perfect end to a summer night. 'Nuff said. I challenge anyone to say they turn this song off when it comes on the radio - you know you crank it up and pretend you're Johnny!
1988...The Maiden Voyage
Oh, how I wish I had a way cooler first concert, but alas, no. It was none other than Dick Marx. And not only that, I went with a friend and her dad. Don't tell me what a dork I was, I already know. Thanks.
Number 2. You have to admit, it's way cooler than #1. My closest 5 friends and I got to go to Chicago, chauffered by a much cooler dad (and he didn't actually come to the concert with us). It was pretty damn awesome.
NEXT!
emember how you used to fantasize about that cute upperclassman who would never give you the time of day normally? That fateful dance where you wished he would catch your eye when "You're the Inspiration" or "Hard Habit to Break" would start to play? You know you did. Well, I saw these guys in the flesh from the 10th row, dammit. And they were FANTASTIC. I know they're old, but they can actually play instruments, which is a talent sadly lacking in modern musicians.
I also knew their older 1970s stuff, as my sister was a huge fan in those years. I was singing "Wishing You Were Here" as a toddler, when I wasn't singing stuff from the Carpenters.
Yep! Damn Yankees. The band that opened for them? Jackyl. Anyone familiar with Jesse James Dupree and Jackyl? Anyway, I went with a friend of mine who was experiencing a slight identity crisis. She had a short, bilevel hairdo and wore Nike tracksuits a lot. As a matter of fact, she wore one to this very concert. Didn't fit in well with the big hair, skintight ripped acid washed jeans, and flannel shirts. She had one thing in common with the other concertgoers, though: a tacky tattoo. Me? I probably wore my standard preppy looking outfit with socks that matched my shirt. Probably. I don't remember though.
Oh yes, I did. Vince Neil opened for them at Pine Knob north of Detroit (stupidly named DTE Energy Music Theater now) while it POURED rain (we, of course, had lawn "seats"). Vince sucked, by the way. The crowd was actually cheering for him to get off stage and chanting for Eddie. As soon as he left the stage? Stopped raining. Gorgeous sunset. This was probably 15 years ago (!) and I still remember that phenomenon. As much as I would've liked to see them with Diamond Dave, the Sammy years were good, too. I wouldn't have been old enough to see them with Dave anyway. The ex and I went to see these guys. Good concert, weird ending. They had men dressed up in fruit suits (think old Fruit of the Loom commercials), dancing around the stage. Someone had a little too much hooch to think that up. We were slightly dumbstruck by it.
At this point, it's apparent that the influence on my musical tastes were influenced pretty strongly by older sibs, right? Although Foreigner had some hits in the mid 80s when I was at my most impressionable (aka puberty). I loved, and will still crank up "That Was Yesterday". Not sure why I like that song so much, but it's always been my favorite of theirs. At this particular concert, Lou Gramm was not sounding so hot. Serious vocal damage happened to that man, and it was sooo very evident. Oh well. At least I had a real seat this time.
I was with a sorority sister of mine when we heard the ad for this concert: "Steve Perry, singing all your old Journey favorites". We screamed in unison and decided then and there that we MUST. GO. And go we did. He sounded great, still rocked the mullet. Our other sisters were grateful that we'd stopped singing "Wheel in the Sky" in the bathroom. What can I say? The acoustics in the community bathrooms were the best.
And then several years passed where I either didn't go to any concerts, or I don't remember what I went to. Who knows? After I got married, at least I'm pretty sure it was after, husband and I went with a childhood friend of mine who also lived in the area. Steve Augeri was the frontman and from the lawn, he looked JUST LIKE STEVE P. And not only did he look like him, but he SOUNDED like him too! I'm still loyal to the first Steve, but this guy was a great knockoff...kind of like
those fake Coach purses you can buy at flea markets. Getting closer to present day...(and hating Blogger's picture formatting. Either it sucks or I suck at using it.)
<------We saw this guy a couple summers ago. They were touring with Chicago and both sets were A.W.E.S.O.M.E. There were 4 couples in our group and we had a phenomenal time. Some drunk dude scared the crap out of me; I had turned around to talk to someone and when I turned back around, this guy was right in my face and screamed "DO YOU LOVE HUEY?" while flashing the devil hands (which just doesn't seem quite appropriate for HL&TN). I think I screamed a little, then mustered up some little "Woohoo!", which apparently satisfied him because he high fived me and left me alone.
And most recently:
last fall, 
nosebleed seats at the Palace of Auburn Hills - great show! I've started getting M to listen to them and she was actually singing along to "Misunderstanding" last week. She really is my daughter!
nosebleed seats at the Palace of Auburn Hills - great show! I've started getting M to listen to them and she was actually singing along to "Misunderstanding" last week. She really is my daughter! We also have plans to end the summer with another Huey concert...you know, he looks pretty good for an old dude. I sort of dig the blue tinted glasses for some reason.
**************
I almost forgot one!
County Fair, circa 1993. The scent of manure in the air. Chickens squawking in the background. "Devil Went Down to Georgia". A perfect end to a summer night. 'Nuff said. I challenge anyone to say they turn this song off when it comes on the radio - you know you crank it up and pretend you're Johnny! What's the best concert you've been to?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)