a project

This is just about the time every year when I tell myself to slow down. Enjoy. Drink it all in - the craziness and the calm. I'm thinking of a project to focus on the good stuff that does abound in my life (not that you'd ever know it from all my harping on this here blog) and I'm contemplating a little advent project. I loved advent calendars as a kid, and this was before they were filled with chocolate candies. I still prefer the versions whose doors open to little glittery pictures and snowy animals and shrubbery. But, I'm thinking of changing the concept a little. Something along the lines of dressed up small match boxes (covered with colored paper and an appropriate number) - emptied of their little sticks of fire inducing fun - and filled with a little slip of paper dictating a cheery activity or treat for my smallies.

All I can think of so far is ::
1. hot chocolate with all the fixings
2. a new toy car (can you really ever get enough of these puppies?)
3. watch a movie in pj's in the "big bed" (aka: mine)

And that's about it. 3 out of 25.

So tell me, what little rituals, goodies or traditions mark the holiday season for your families? Do tell.

the one where I explain that jury duty is sucking all my spare time (not to mention my will to live).

I was required to report to jury duty last Wednesday and it's all been downhill from there. I started out as Alternate Juror No. 2 and soon became Officially Needs to Pay Attention to This Shit Juror No. 12 as soon as two brainiacs way smarter than me figured out how to get their behinds kicked off the jury for talking about the case to each other during lunch and then turned themselves in to the judge. Brilliant! Wish I would have thought of that. In between all this fun we've all been sick (kids with the barfing variety), I needed to fly to San Diego overnight for a family wedding and haven't seen the inside of my office (or laundry room) for days. I've officially decided that lots of people have way too much time on their hands and lots of lawyers will take any case just to have a place to go everyday and waste a bunch of people's time.

Yeah, I'm not enjoying my civic duty so much.

the day after my rant

yay.

what a great start.

vote

please note: all things political inspire me to swear more than usual.
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You should know that I'm not one of those people who's going to tell you that I don't care how you vote, just that you should vote. Hell no. Please only vote if you're going to do your part to make sure that we're about to witness history by making Nancy Pelosi the first woman Speaker of the House. Please only vote if you've come to realize that the current leadership in Washington - in addition to be bigoted, closed- minded fuckhats - are also driving this country into the ground and making us all hate each other in the process. I've spent my entire work-life in politics - on a campaign, for an elected official, for political organizations and in government itself, so I have a pretty realistic view of what people are capable of and all the compromise that has to occur for anything substantial to happen. How easy it is to lose any sense of inspiration. I get how in compromise lots of people end up getting really pissed off and cynical, but come on! we can do - and we deserve - so much better.

...and just in case it doesn't go the way I want tonight after the polls close, a little inspiration from someone who should be running the country:

"When shit brings you down, just say "fuck it, and eat yourself some motherfucking candy."
- Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris

Good thing this election day follows so close on the heels of Halloween and my kids are too little to know if I eat their entire pumpkins of left-over candy.

they're everywhere

Toy cars liter my world. These images are a few real life snapshots I've stumbled upon recently - just a few of what could be hundreds. I find toy cars in my bed, in the shower, in my work bag, the washing machine and underfoot every day. I've literally left work early and used precious vacation hours to go home to pick them up. I probably should have gotten stitches on the bottom of my foot from stepping directly onto the upright ladder of a fucking toy fire engine. That spot bled for hours and still hurts when I've been on my feet for awhile. ::I'mnotkidding:: Some parents stock up on snacks and juice before they leave the house for any period of time - we have to make sure the diaper bag and all little boy pockets are fully-loaded with toy cars. The point here is that I am the mother of two boys. Two boys being raised by two women (at least it's a fair fight). Two boys who we swore would have access to all kinds of toys, not just "boy toys", but dolls, kitchen toys, sweet little stuffed animals. ::Yeah, right suckers:: Bean's been obsessed with toys cars since he could reach for them. We still don't quite honestly know whether or not he's right or left handed as he always has a car in his right hand so often uses he left to do actual survival things - like eat. The baby buddha's following close behind in paying homage to die-cast metal. We don't stand a chance.