I Wish I Knew Ya

Aaaarrrrggghhhhh!  That is my scream of agony as I galumph through this week.  We're so busy!  This is undoubtably a good thing.  But I be tired.  Never too tired for Choose and Defend Wednesday.  Never :-)  Let's take a little trip, shall we?  We are traveling the world through books this summer, which is pretty awesome, but how about some real travel?  Okay, well, imaginary real travel.  So not real.  Um...anyway, if you could travel to and around any one of the seven continents which would you Choose?  And why?  That would be the Defend portion of your task. 

Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe,

North America, OR South America

Let's hit the road!  Choose and Defend!

This Musical Message is For Why Must I Feel Like That

I Like to Go Where Sometimes They Refuse

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday!  And time for some Saturday Scavenger Shots!  This week's word is COOL.   It has just finally gotten hot around here, so I am willing to find some COOL things for you :-)

 I like to drink lots of COOL water.  I keep it COOL in this little refrigerator in the back room at my work.  You can see that I took this photo at 9am, when I came in to work this morning!  I'm dedicated.

 And COOL.

Another COOL thing?  Our big Summer Reading Program, of course.  The theme is One World, Many Stories.  What could be more COOL than traveling the world through books?  Um, well, I guess actually traveling the world...that'd be pretty COOL too.

Hope you are all staying COOL as cucumbers, wherever you are and whatever you're doing!  I guess I'll just go ahead and pick next week's word.  The word is UTENSIL.  Have some fun with it and thanks for stopping by.  COOL, COOL cats, all y'all.

Friday 5 - Summer Blockbusters

Having a lovely Friday off today.  Efficiently did some laundry, paid some bills, had lunch and a movie with Girlie Girl and Handsome Lad...and the day is still rolling out before me!  By the way, you should totally go see Bad Teacher.  Great if you like your humor of the darker variety. 

Now, how about some Friday 5 in honor of the arrival of summer?  Friday 5 is always fun...I invite you to play along in comments or on your own blog.  And here we go...

1.What transformation do you undergo on summer Fridays at midnight?  I go from mild mannered performing bear to...more sleepy mild mannered performing bear.  Really.  That's it :-)
  
2. What super power do the kids in your neighborhood seem to have?  I don't have any trouble with the kids in my neighborhood.  I guess they are mostly just pretty super cute!

3.Who (or what!) is your nemesis in these warm summer days?  My own super active sweat glands.  I mean, I know it is actually good to sweat when it is hot...I am a super sweaty person though...it can get embarrassing. Sexy, right?

4. What is your trustiest weapon against the evil heat monster?  I like to keep hydrated with lots of cool, cool water and I prefer a fan to air conditioning.  I mean, air conditioning can be pretty awesome, but if it is not available or I need to take it easy on my electric bill, I do like the air to be moving around a bit, even if it is warm air.

5. What seems to be invading your life lately, and how will you fend it off?  Oh, a little ennui I suppose.  My new boss isn't who I hoped she would be, but SRP is going fine.  DR is far away still, but my family is healthy and on track.  So there is good and bad, but I don't feel like I have a lot to be excited about at the moment.  Need to get beyond that and remember to feel gratitude for what I have.

Hope you all have a hot, happy weekend.  I will be working tomorrow, but will certainly be posting something COOL for Saturday Scavenger Shots.  Hope you'll stop by...and you're always invited to play along!

I'd Still Own the Film Rights and Be Working On the Sequel

As I have mentioned many times, this time of year is particularly busy in the public library world.  Our Summer Reading Programs are very important, both to us and to the community.  At our library we offer programs for kids, teens, and adults.  In the kids' program that I'm involved in, we have been registering people since June 13 and already have about 1,100 kids signed up and participating.  In a lot of ways I really love it and look forward to it all year.  In other ways, I get overwhelmed just thinking about it.

Anyway, I say this to explain what I have on my mind this particular Choose and Defend Wednesday...books.  I handle them all day, every day :-)  For someone who also loves to read recreationally, I have perhaps surprisingly limited preferences for what I want to read.  Since when I am reading for pleasure I want it to be...well, pleasureable...I don't tend to press myself too much into reading things I'm not naturally drawn to.  But let me hear from you!  I am going to give you THREE choices this time, which in the world of reading is still very limited....but of these three choices, what is your favorite type of book to read?

Historical Fiction

Mystery

OR

Science Fiction

Once you Choose, I'd be very appreciative if during your Defense you could name a favorite book of yours in the genre.   Thanks for sharing your love, or at least your tolerance, of reading with me.  Choose and Defend! 

This Musical Message is For This Sublimation's Outta My Hands

I Used to See You Everyday / Happy Birthday to My Social Animal

Hey!  It is Saturday and time for some Saturday Scavenger Shots celebrating the SOFT things in life.  It also happens to be my darling middle child's birthday today.  My dear Cory Social Animal is 22 today!  As it happens, he isn't a child anymore at 22...but of course he is always and forever MY child. 

First, let's look at some SOFT things, shall we?  We shall - 

 Here are my dogs, from your left to right: X, Tank, and Sage.  Well, they aren't really my dogs.  They are my boys' dogs and they live at WTG's house.  They are all very SOFT and very sweet doggies. 

If there is anything SOFTer than dogs (besides cats!) it would have to be a pile of babies.  SOFT!  As you can tell this is an older picture of the babies from sometime last year.  But it still makes me SOFT and warm inside :-)

 Here's one for the birthday boy.  It looks like a SOFT focus shot, that's for sure.  Anyway, this was taken the night of Girlie Girl's graduation party.  We noticed that Social Animal and both of the grandmas were wearing this particular shade of turquoise.  Social Animal had to have a picture.  He also suggested that when he moves out, maybe they could all be roommates.  Then we started thinking of sitcom names for that situation.  Social Animal makes me so proud.  He is a deep thinker, a true people person, socially conscious, and he definitely has a SOFT side for his family.  What a wonderful man he is becoming!

Thanks for stopping in today.  I hope you all have some SOFTness in your life.  It is something everyone needs, don't you think? 

Friday 5 - Around the House

This has been such a long week! Maybe it is returning to work after a week off. Maybe it is how busy it is with SRP going on. Alls I know is I'm tired! But I am never to tired to enjoy some Friday 5 :-)  Please feel free to play along in comments or in your own blog.  And...here we go -

1. Of the products you use just to keep yourself clean and presentable, what seems to be the most overpriced?  I'm going to let you in on a not very well kept secret...I am kinda poor and sorta cheap as well.  I buy "economic" versions of most of those sorts of products.  I look for bargain prices on grooming and cleaning items, so nothing I use is too terribly overpriced. 

2.Where in your house is a reliable place to get a few quarters?  I have this little white, shallow dish on the desk in the livingroom where I keep quarters and the laundry room key.  You can take the quarters if you must, but then your laundry might not get done.

 3. A rare yes-or-no question on Friday 5: Have you ever dropped your cell phone onto your face?  I have dropped my cell phone so often that I was surprised to realize that my answer to this is NO.  Huh.

4. What did you last take out of your freezer?  The vanilla ice cream.  Then, I put some in a mug and mushed it up with a little chocolate syrup and some milk. 

5. How many rolls of wrapping paper do you have in your house? Hmmm....probably only two or three, I'm thinking.  Plus, I have some used gift bags that are still nice and perfectly useable...and some tissue paper to put inside decoratively.

Okay!  I hope you have a great weekend, kids. Also,  hope you'll stop in tomorrow to see what is SOFT and maybe to wish my middle kid, Social Animal a happy birthday.  And don't forget to tell your dad you love him on Sunday...or any day.

I Ain't Had No Lovin'...

Welcome to Wednesday Choose and Defend! I thought in honor of tonight's lunar eclipse I'd give you something about the moon. Think of it as consolation for not being able to view this event from here in North America, where a good many of my visitors reside. If you're European or somewhere else cool holla! You can see it and this is just a fun bonus :-) 

All phases of the moon have their charms, of course, but the question is...what do you most enjoy looking up and seeing in a fine night sky?

A Crescent Moon

OR

A Full Moon

I, personally, am a big fan of the moon.  If you are too....or even if you're not...please play Choose and Defend!  Good times...good times.... 

Back to Pushing Literacy

Well, I tell you, it was a nice week off work.  I think I needed it more than I knew.  I could tell after...maybe the first half of the week...how tired I'd actually been without realizing it.  I felt, and feel, much better.  Anyway, just thought I'd throw out a few little thoughts for the day.

- It was really hard to return to work today.  Now that I'm here, I'm fine.  But this morning I was feeling a bit desperate.  I'm going to try and take better care of myself and not let myself get so run down.

- It was definitely right back into the fire.  The kids are all out of school now, so instead of an intense rush from, say, 3-6, it is pretty much steadily busy all day long.  Makes the time go fast and it does feel good to know so many people want to participate in our activities this summer.

- I did watch a bit of tv during my time off.  I was watching some reruns of The Wonder Years, which I haven't really seen since the original run around 20 years ago.  Weird thought.  Anyway, I have developed a retro crush on the guy who played the dad, Dan Lauria. 

- I went to the movies once, with Girlie Girl and Handsome Lad.  They chose Super 8.  It was pretty good.  Not quite my kind of movie with all of the explosions and chasing, but I loved the kids and the sort of retro (that word again) Spielberg vibe.  It has been compared, of course, to E.T.  and that wasn't hard to see.  I wouldn't recommend it for younger kids.  It is PG-13 and had some parts that were quite scary. 

- I did a LOT of reading while I was off work.  Disappointingly, none of it really blew me away.  I feel like I've had trouble lately finding things that I love.  That could be me being difficult to please, or me making poor choices when I pick things up.  Or I guess a combination. 

- Handsome Lad started summer school today.  He is taking a sort of booster math course to get him ready for the Fall.  At least he'll have an activity in the morning. Girlie Girl is expected to be looking for a job.  WTG says she can work with him and make some money, but the way they bicker I find it hard to imagine that actually working out.  And boy, is he in a mood lately.  (WTG, that is.)

- Long distance relationships are hard.  Just saying.  I mean, in a way all relationships are hard at times.  But I'm weary of this state of feeling only partially wanted or needed or whatever.  It's just...hard.

That's it.  Seems like more than a little bit now that I look at it, but there you are :-)  Thanks for sticking with me.

This Musical Message is For My Heartbeat Shows the Fear

It's a Free World

It is a gloomy Saturday morning here in Glendora.  What is up with this weather?  I feel ripped off that I haven't felt hot one time during my vacation....it is June, for goodness sake!  I keep telling myself I will be complaining about the heat soon enough.  Also pretty sure my electric bill is down for this time of year, so I guess that's good. 

Anyway!  Moving on, it is time for some Saturday Scavenger Shots!  The word for this week is GAME.  I had to think a bit on this, because as I have mentioned before mine is not really a GAME playing sort of family.  At least not in an organized sense...  But I found some pictures that will work :-)

 We like to play a GAME at work, where we take turns dressing up this little stuffed hamster.  Sometimes you just have to find your own fun in the work environment.  This one is called "Honey Baked Hamster".

I know I've also mentioned that DR's family likes all sorts of GAMEs.  One thing we like doing together are word and number puzzle GAMEs.  This is the one kakuro book I have sitting around.  I pick it up occasionally, but my heart isn't in it.

Anyway, I realized we do like outdoor GAMEs!  Little Prince is running a route on his driveway.  He can make a GAME out of just about anything :-)

Here, Love Bug and I were playing a GAME where bears lived in the caves created by the roots of this giant Australian Bay Fig tree.  There's one over there!

Another GAME we all enjoy is dressing up...fully accessorizing is a great GAME, right?  And Miss Personality does it so very, very well!

So, there you go.  I do have GAME after all!  Well.  Sort of.  Plus I was able to throw in some of my favorite photographic subjects.  If you like GAMEs, go ahead and play one today!  If you don't...do it anyway.  Remember, we have defined GAME very loosely :-)

The word for next Saturday is....SOFT.  See you soon, baboon!

Friday 5 - What Goes In

Hey, hey!  How about some Friday 5?  I have some free time, so lets burn a bit!

1. What goes into your coffee or tea?  Usually nothing.  Black coffee and straight tea are good to me.  Sometimes, with a bit of milk and sugar though, I find them more comforting or something.

2. What goes into a good omelet? At the least cheese is wonderful.  For some omelet magic I wouldn't mind cheese, bacon, onions, and peppers.  My mouth is watering a little bit, I have to admit.  Must be lunchtime.

3. What goes into your ears on a good morning?  A good morning means NOT waking up to my cell phone alarm.  On a good morning what goes into my ears is maybe just the sound of birds or children at play.  Something lovely and life affirming will do :-)

4.What goes into a healthy but yummy lunch?  Hmmm...healthy but yummy.  Could peanut butter and jelly be considered healthy?  It is really one of my favorite lunches.  I love it with a glass of chocolate (fat free) milk!

5. What goes into a productive evening?  Making (or acquiring), eating, and cleaning up after dinner.  Making sure homework is getting done.  Maybe getting some face time with the kids if they are around. Some quality time watching some of my favorite shows. Getting all comfy for bed and then reading myself to sleep.  Can't ask for much more than that...at least until DR gets back.

I hope you've all had a great week and are looking forward to a great weekend.  It has been wonderful having this week off.  I think I needed the time more than I could have guessed.  A couple more days, then it's back in the saddle...but I won't get ahead of myself here!  Going to enjoy me remaining time off for sure :-)  Hope you'll stop by tomorrow and see what I can find to bring you some GAME in the Saturday Scavenger Shots!

Missions Accomplished

I took this week off for two reasons - 

Missions accomplished!

Happy Graduation Day to My Little Girl

This is a week of landmarks in the Fresh Hell household...and today is the day my only daughter graduates from Glendora High School.  I remember when she was born and I figured out that she'd be Class of '11 and that sounded kind of crazy!  Yet here we are, 18 years later!  Here's a picture of me and Girlie Girl when she was just about 13 months old :-)

I can't even imagine what the world is going to hold for Girlie Girl.  People say, all the time, that their child can do whatever they want...their options are unlimited.  And mostly it is true.  With Girlie Girl, it feels to me to be especially true.  She is such a bright, strong, personable young woman that she really, truly can take on the world! 

Since today is Wednesday, when I usually do a Choose and Defend, I'd love to sort of incorporate that.  Today, instead of two simple choices I want to ask a more open ended question.  What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of "Graduation".  Is it a memory?  A general thought about the nature of the beast?  Tell me about it in comments.  I love hearing your thoughts!!!  Thx.  xx.

Happy Graduation Day to My Baby

I can't believe that my youngest child is entering high school.  Although his last day of school this year isn't until Thursday, today is Graduation Day for the kids at Sandburg Middle School. 

I think Handsome Lad will enjoy high school.  There are so many choices and so many different activities.  I think he is the kind of kid who will need to try out lots and lots of things in order find HIS things. 

After the Graduation Ceremony, we are coming back to my house for some snacks and celebrating.  We're saving the bigger shindig for Wednesday, when Girlie Girl has her Graduation. 

Really glad I was able to take this time off, as I am feeling much less stressed than when we had this same situation four years ago!  For the most part, my vacation has been quiet so far.  I was having some issues that felt horrible...but they turned out to be more about me and the way my mind works than anything else.  I am feeling less horrid at this point. 

Here is a picture of the Graduating Kids taken 14 years ago.  Believe me, time flies...

Apologies for the fuzziness...it is actually a picture of a picture...but you get the idea :-)  Happy Monday!

This Musical Message is For I Don't Want to Be Your Stupid Game

Day One

No Saturday Scavenger Shots today. We didn't get a theme together. One the upside, this is Day One of my Nine Day Vacation. I took the time off, Partly so I could have some downtime before Summer Reading Program kicks off at work. Mainly, though, it is because both Handsome Lad and Girlie Girl graduate this week and I wanted to be able to enjoy those events without worrying about other things.

Personally, I am going through a difficult time right now. I actually wrote a whole post about it, but decided to sit with it for awhile.

Hope that you all have a beautiful weekend!

Some Things Worth the Tellin'

I am all thrown off, but today is, in fact, Wednesday.  Therefore it is time to Choose and Defend.  I can't believe it is June already.  The official date is a couple weeks away, but it certainly seems like summer is here to me.  So how about a nice summer-y Choose and Defend?  What is your favorite summertime activity?

Hiking

OR

Swimming

Of course these activities are not limited to summer.  And of course they are not the only two activities you may enjoy.  However, this is Choose and Defend...and these are your choices!   Share your choice, present a defense, and I will let you go in peace.   As always, feel free to tell me more about things you enjoy doing when it gets warm.  Any and all comments are encouraged :-)