Tuesday, November 20, 2007

been caught

I've been seriously busy at work the past couple of weeks, which is highly unusual. I've taken to writing my blogs in word, then copying them over to myspace when I have time, & the posts have been spotty at best, even though I've had stuff to write about. Oh well, such is life, I guess I do have to work for my paycheck after all…

Anyways, corporate recently sent out a e-mail saying they're installing new software to limit our access to non-work related (ie, fun) websites. I wasn't aware of how stringent the software would be & not only that but I sometimes have an extra 6 or 7 free hours a day, so what the heck am I supposed to do if I can't go to non-work related websites - come on!

So Mon I'm working on purchasing (where I have to log onto corporate's server) & because I can't access my local server at the same time & working on corporate's server is horrendously slow, I typically multi-task & do some "internet research" at the same time.

I'll read over msn.com to see if there's anything interesting there. Then go to a friend's blog http://drivinginjordan.blogspot.com/ but she hadn't updated it recently. I went to another blog that M recommended to me http://www.dooce.com/. It's a fun site, she writes about life with her husband & her difficult child, so I can relate, but when I tried to open the site I got a pop-up error saying "this site is not work related, it's classified as PORN" – are you kidding me??? Yeah, there's some foul language on there, but no naked bodies, ugh!

So is my corporate headquarters getting a report saying I was looking up PORN at 8:30in the morning???? Here's my routine - I get to work, log on to the computer, sit down & watch porn while drinking my coffee & answering the phone – yup, that's just fricken GREAT! I'm sure they're keeping that one in there back pocket so they can fire me one day….

Update 12/7/07 - so i confessed to my boss this morning about my porn habit at work (dooce.com). i figured it would be laughable if i told him, questionable if corporate sent out some sort of a report. he did laugh, although he didn't know what a blog is.

Sho's Garlic Salmon Bowl

The yummiest sushi EVER – even if you don't care for raw fish Sho makes the most delectable dish of raw salmon slices you wouldn't be able to turn it away (even B thought it was great & he only eats sissy rolls).

While down in Orange Cty we went out to dinner with D & A to have sushi. I was getting a migraine so I wasn't even sure I could eat; but once Sho put out that big ole bowl, I knew I couldn't turn it away. If I was going to throw it up later, so be it, I was at least going to enjoy it for a short time!

It's a simple dish, bite size chunks of the freshest salmon (he cuts it from the fish right in front of you – no frozen chunks), a brown sauce (like soy, but different), whole pieces of garlic & chives. Seriously, if I'm ever on death row, this will be my final meal.

Monday, November 19, 2007

sidewinder

we went down to Knott's Berry farm on Friday & Z had a few completely new experiences...first he found out what it's like to be early. yeah, i know at 5 1/2 years old, it shouldn't be that new, but it is. combine my hispanic nature to take my time along w/B's procrastination & yes, as a matter of fact, it did take that many years for our child to experience early.

we stood out in front for probably 20 minutes & every couple of minutes Z would ask "why won't they let us in?" because he just couldn't get his arms around the whole concept of being somewhere before it opened! it was monumental, i mean we showered & even had a sit down breakfast & still managed to be there before it opened...never mind that it didn't open until 10am...

the next new experience was also a lesson for B & I. never believe a 5 year old when they say the are ready to get on a big rollercoaster, their minds can NOT process what is truly about to happen, they also do not understand that the ride can NOT just stop when they want it to, lastly, as a parent i have learned, watch the ride before you agree to get on & take your small child with you...when they say "take off your glasses" get the f off!

we took Z on sidewinder, it was the 1st trip of the morning so we didn't know what to expect, he said he wanted to go on it, it was right next to camp snoopy so who would have known what we were getting ourselves into. for the record, it's not that bad of a rollercoaster, what's bad is the fricken carts spin around & we didn't know THAT.
we went up, up, up & the whole time i'm telling Z how fun it's going to be & suddenly we start spinning around & i can't help but scream while Z is yelling "make it stop, i want to get off now!" so i'm trying to stop screaming & trying to keep him calm & tell him it will just take a minute for the ride to stop...needless to say, Z & I did not get on any more big rollercoasters for the day, that was enough...

no, we aren't stalkers

Before we went to the SM house we stopped & grabbed one of our favorites – shrimp burrito – YUM! Good size shrimp, some rice but not too much, green & red cabbage, sour cream, hot sauce & some lime – are you drooling yet? Then we parked in front of our house (although someone else lives there), ate our yummy burritos & listened to 94.9. Ahhhhh…..

I joked that we should have gone & ate in the backyard to enjoy the scenery (because the tenant was supposed to be gone) & then a few minutes later he walked out!!!

No, really we're not stalkers hanging out in front of your house!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

a few Z stories to share

Saturday was the Marine Corp Ball. As we were getting ready Z asked where were we going & if he could come. I told him he couldn't, this was just for adults & explained at the ball we would have dinner, dance & talk. Then he interrupted me & said "then you play ball?" HAHA!


As we drove down to SD Z told us a story about the Bungabooda people. They live & walk up in the trees. When they decide to come down, they jump down & land on snakes & squash them. Then they cut up the snakes & cook them & put them in fresh water to eat like soup.


At the SM house we visited neighbors Michael, Julianna, Evan & new addition M. E is just a few months older than Z. He was born with a hole in his heart, but thankfully doctors have been able to fix his heart & he is normal in everyway. Well, ok, not every way, he's a genius. We talked about the boys & how they like kindergarten, they said E wasn't enjoying going over his ABCs so they had to put him in a private school & at home they are going over multiplication & division – with a 5 year old!

As we were leaving E hollered at us "I'll be 6 in April" & Z responded with "Bye April" that pretty much sums up their differences I think.


Z has started using the past tense & he just adds "ed" to every word. it's fricken hilarious…stopped-ed, closed-ed, ate-ed. I try not to laugh, try not to encourage it, try to correct him no matter how cute I think it is; I know some little bastard on the playground is going to start making fun of him so I have to teach him now how to speak properly.

I answered my work phone a few minutes ago & said "asked-ed" – crap, now I'm doing it too

military notes

We make attempts to not let the military infiltrate our lives but it always finds a way to creep in here & there.

We found out a little over a week ago that it's possible we may be relocated in the next few months. We had hoped to slip through the cracks & simply retire here, although we knew a remote chance existed that the monitor may have his eye on us (well B really, Z & I are just baggage). If they decide to move us, it's more than likely either Pendleton or to North Carolina; so they could get one more deployment out of B before his 20 years is up. I'll keep ya updated on that one.

We had a good time at the ball this year...maybe it's because we knew what to expect, maybe it's because we knew more people, who knows, but we had fun. I danced to Oingo Boingo with Gouda & laughed a lot with Carrie.

There was one bad thing – the face; I didn't see it but B did & he didn't tell me until after we left. Although I've been a military wife for a few years, I'm pretty sheltered about their ways (yes their's, not mine). Evidently one of the wives, whom I mistakenly thought was a friend, made a face when she realized my husband was enlisted, not an officer. Oh the horror she must have felt to have associated with such trash!

update 01/10/07 - still no word, so all is well

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

the black cuk

the other day we all went to the commissary & when we were leaving we saw it - the black cuk. When Z first learned to speak he couldn't say truck, he said cuk. there it was, just pulled into the parking lot, B's old black truck. B said as soon as we walked outside he heard it & recognized it. we all just stared at it, that's our cuk.

the man who owns the truck is older, walks with a cane, has disabled plates. he probably thought something was wrong with us as the whole family just looked longingly at his truck.

it's like the truck reminded us of our former selves, a link to our past, when things were different, priorities were different, our lives were different.

Monday, November 5, 2007

anti-depressant...NOT

The counselor suggested I try an anti-depressant to help my outlook on things.
I wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea, in the contest of who's unhappier here I'm not sure I'm in the lead but I was willing to try anything that might help us. The MD that gave me the prescription warned me that the 1st week things would be really weird as my body adjusted to the medication, that I might lose a little water weight & that if I smoked I would probably lose the craving.

The first few days were more than weird, I was a zombie. It was like my brain wasn't working, it was empty of thought, I was barely able to speak. I could answer a question but I couldn't hold up my end of a conversation because I couldn't think of anything to say. B & I went out for dinner & joked about how I either was going to start drooling or my head was going to fall in my plate. I should have recognized this was a bad match right away but I was determined to give it a fair shot & continued taking the pills.

I was also sleeping less, only 2 to 3 hours a night but felt fine; which is unusual for me because I prefer to sleep 9 or 10 hours. I also noticed my stomach was feeling strange so I was eating light foods. On the 10th day of taking the medication I checked in with the MD & she gave me a lower dose of the medication. I had lost 4 lbs in those 10 days.

By that afternoon I realized food disgusted me. The smell, taste and texture was vile. I had spent the last few days on liquids. I could hear my stomach growling for food but felt no hunger pains. I tried to force myself to eat & although the first couple of bites brought relief to my stomach I began to gag on the food; repulsed by it, the back of my mind thinking how gross it was. I was so weak from barely eating & sleeping I could hardly stand. I did not take another pill after that.

A few months later I visited the MD for something else & she asked how things were going with the anti-depressant & I told her I stopped taking them because they had made me anorexic. She replied with "oh, you had a depressed appetite?" Ummm, it was a little more than that…

Thursday, November 1, 2007

this is Halloween

Z's school had a little shin dig yesterday for Halloween, so B & I went.
The teacher had setup different arts & crafts tables & somehow or another i managed to get stuck at the skeleton assembly table while B went around with Z. i'm not sure what the teacher was thinking...skeletons for 5 year olds...it was a bit much for the kids & for me.

the other tables had things like making monster hands with candy corn & popcorn and, well, i don't know what the rest of the tables had beings i was stuck with skeletons & was in a constant frantic rush assembling them for the kids who were unable to do it themselves (ie, all of them!). after about an hour i was done, enough partying for me, i've been the involved parent, can i go back to work & do nothing now?

Z's Frankenstein costume turned out well - my hap-hazard sewing added charm to the black pants & jacket that i made for him. i also made big ugly green feet for him to wear over his shoes although he wasn't able to wear them for the entire evening; they kept on sliding down & getting in the way as he walked.
he had a fun night getting candy, but i think his favorite part is handing it out still, he loves to see everyone's costumes.