Anything But Gray

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  • FINALLY!

    Yay!!
    Yesterday I finally got my website fixed!
    That was such a frustrating experience.
    And mind consuming….it's all I could think about until I got it figured out.
    Geez! I swear, I need to make friends with a web guru or something…..JR, I know you are the IT God, but you are always busy….and actually I don't think IT guys are automatically web gurus…right?
    ANYWAY!
    It's fixed, it's working…..I'm happy!
    I just need to get my payment button on there and a "How it works" section on there…..to take people through the ordering process and the contract stuff. J made a very good suggestion to me about contracts because her husband is a web designer/graphic designer guy and he freelances, so she had some great insights.  So now I know I need to have it clearly stated how many redesigns I will do, etc…..all that kind of stuff. So that is this weekend's project. Or hopefully today.

    I am volunteering again in Jaime's classroom and then Zak and I have to go to the book fair at their school to get them a couple books that they wanted. But after that, I should have some time to work on my website….I just need to find a way to occupy Ben so he lets me work. <sigh> Like THAT is gonna happen.

    I'm going out tonight with Shelly but I think I'm going to keep it a mellow night….we'll see. I always say that and then I get out and one thing leads to another and before I know it….it is so not a mellow night! LOL

    I need to download some pics, too. I have a bunch that I still haven't posted and I really want to get that done. I so need a new card for my camera…that is part of my procrastination. It's not a simple throw the card in the computer and download….although plugging the camera into the computer and downloading is really not that much more difficult….meh…whatever. 🙂

    Happy Friday!

  • Happy Birthday, DJ!!

    DJ's birthday was yesterday…:-) I called him and got to chat for a few and that was nice. He told me about some videos he has made and put on youtube. They sound hysterical and I can't wait for him to send me the link..he better not forget. lol. Jaime got to say hi and happy birthday to him too and that was cool. I hope he had an awesome day! So weird to not be with him or see him on his birthday…..

    Guess what Jaime got to do yesterday, at school?
    She got to recite the Pledge of the Allegiance on the school intercom!
    So cool!!! I wish I had known! Zak and I had went into the school to give the nurse a copy of Ben's shot records and we would've hung out and listened, had we had known! Oh well….
    I'm so happy they do that. The schools in Juneau don't do that, for some reason and so it so reminds me of my childhood….

    And onto Ben's big news…..poor little guy had to get FIVE shots the other day!
    He was so brave and did so good! I'm so proud of him and I felt SO bad!!
    But he handled it really well. He cried, of course, but he didn't try to pull away and fight it. They had two nurses do it. One on each arm, that way it got over with fast. And Ben was just amazing about it. Yay!!! And I think those are the last major shots he will need! Double Yay!!

    Conferences for the kids are next week and I am really looking forward to that.
    I can't wait to see how they are doing.

    My graphics website is making me crazy mad.
    I registered and paid for the domain name so that it would be http://www.ataglancegraphics.com instead of http://www.ataglancegraphics.blogspot.com. It's more professional to own the domain name, instead of having a free blog site in your address.
    But now it WON'T SHOW UP. I keep getting that stupid friggin' "Error 404. Page not found."
    And it's making me seriously crazy. I have tried everything on my own and that's it, I give up.
    I am calling today….wish me luck!! 
    And although I am mad as hell, the goal is to remain calm……kill them with kindness….you get better results…..
    We'll see how that goes though….
    ha!

  • MIA…again.

    There hasn't been anything hugely eventful around here, it's just the go, go, go of life kicking me in the butt, again.

    JR's birthday was yesterday and we got to talk to him, briefly…..it was good to hear his voice and it was sad that we weren't there with him. It's the first birthday of his in a long, long time that we've missed. Him and Ceci were up at Marlintini's watching the game and I so wanted to be there with them!!!! It's a bummer that we didn't get to do the cake and ice cream thing and sing to him….lol. Although I'm sure he's okay with missing that part! ha!!
    Happy, Happy Birthday Jroar!! We love you!!! xoxo

    Jaime got to have a phone date with Ella this weekend and THAT was super cool.
    It was really nice to hear from them and we have to make sure we keep up with that, with the girls and phone calls.
    I had actually wanted to say hi to Ella and didn't get a chance to, so we have to do that again, soon!

    I got to talk to Kim (Tina's Kim…) for a really long time the other day and that was nice. We hadn't talked in a long time and I hate when too much time goes by, so it was very cool to catch up with her.

    Zak's deal is going well and we are really excited about that. He's been getting out there everyday, trying to get some more deals going…keep your fingers crossed for him!

    My website got all screwed up and I have to get that fixed today….I really want to get that done because I want to start posting to gift idea forums and stuff like that and now's the time to do it, with Christmas just around the corner…(38 days away, to be exact..not that I'm counting! ha!!)

    Ben is bellowing for me to come help him out….gotta run for now.
    This kid still won't wipe his butt by himself! Grrrr……
     

  • condensed…..

    I have been really busy this week…..here's what's up. In a bullet list.
    Fun!!

    Right now I am……

    • excited about the game tonight. Brett Favre against the Patriots. Sweet.
    • annoyed that Jaime didn't get her report card and apparently isn't going to get it until parent/teacher conference. Nice.
    • Proud that Ben has been doing really well in school. No bad days, no visits to the principals office to calm down and he is getting better at doing "work" in class. Very cool!
    • Looking forward to having a few beers tonight.
    • hoping my sister finds a job fast….she got laid off.
    • loving that Jaime is loving having an ipod (I gave her my old one….) and thinking I have to put some of her kiddy songs on it.
    • feeling especially in love with my awesome husband lately.
    • looking forward to going out tomorrow night with Shelly and hoping it's as fun as last week.
    • my contacts are bugging me and driving me crazy.
    • totally and completely in love with the song by T.I. with Rihanna…"Live Your Life".
    • been talking to Ceci more lately and I'm happy.
    • amazed that even though I live here now I have hardly seen Dave and Wanda, James or Dave.
    • frustrated that he doesn't have time for me….
    • happy that my brother and I got to talk today.
    • annoyed that my website STILL is not up. WTF Google?!?!
    • happy for Steve. 6??….Wow, dude…..6. Nice!!! See how much fun it is?? ha!!
    • facebook and the daily contact, albeit brief, with J. 
    • happy that we heard from our old backyard neighbors in Alaska and Jaime and Ella are going to have a phone date soon. 
    • so completely loathing the way my body looks.  way too much of it. I need to dump 20 pounds off…
    • looking forward to Britney's new cd and hoping it's good.

    and that's just off the top of my head!

    Wish my Patriots good luck for tonight! 

  • a little about me…

    One of the things that sucked about living in Alaska was the complete lack of radio stations.
    For most of the time I lived there, there was like 2 stations…..country and rock. And not even good rock.
    A couple years ago they started playing music from a couple of stations
    from like Texas or something, but still nothing like the down south
    stations. So one of the first things I did when we moved was to set up
    a stereo in my dining room so I could have a radio playing all day. I
    love having a radio going in the background. Love it.  

    I keep it on 104.5 and it's a top 40 station that plays songs from the 80's to current songs. It's a cool station. And just the station itself reminds me of Dave and Wanda. Whenever they do their little jingle with the call letters "WXLO" it reminds me of Dave and Wanda. When I was about 15, I lived with Wanda and her parents for a little bit and they always had a radio on and this was the station they listened to. So this station is already sentimental to me (which just goes to show what a mush bag I really am….who the hell gets sentimental about a friggin' radio station…) and today I'm getting ready to  head outside and they start to play the commercial for the station….

    "Playing hits from the 80's….."
    and they play a snippet from this song….

    Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet - Never say goodbye
    Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet – Never say goodbye

    "Hey" I think "That's my song. Very cool…." This is a big song for me…it means a lot to me. And it reminds me of the people I love….like all of them, in one song. It's a long story that I've talked about before on my blog….why I never say goodbye to people I love. This song reminds me of that…..

    Then they say…
    "and the 90's…..
    and they play a snippet from this song….

    Concrete Blonde - Joey
    Concrete Blonde – Joey

    "hey!" I think…"Another one of my songs….wow, if they do a "me" song for the hits of today, I'm gonna freak…." Now this song is really sentimental to me. It reminds me of J, this was the first song that she "dedicated" to me and the first song that made me think of her….."and when you said I scared you well I guess you scared me too." J and I became friends on the internet before it was "normal" to do that and we used to kind of get freaked out at how close we got, how fast. This line of that song always reminds me of that….And this reminds me of Ceci..Ceci sings this song really, really good and she has sung it to me at the bar before…."This is for you, Joey…" she says and it makes me feel so adored. 🙂

    And then they say…."and today…."
    and then they play a snippet of this…

    Leona Lewis – Better In Time

    "Holy crap" I think….
    This is a very me song right now….been listening to this over and over lately. It reminds me of a lot that is too long to get into right now…..it reminds me of Shelly and of Kirk….

    If you know me, you know I'm big on "signs" and I pay attention to them.
    Apparently, at that very moment, I was supposed to be thinking of a bunch of people I love and care about.
    And I did.
    Because I am a mush bag like that.
    <wink>
    🙂

  • A must read!

    Go read this…..

    Open Letter….

    Cool, huh???

  • Feel good weekend.

    This has been a really good weekend and it's not even over.
    Although the Patriots are playing right now and it's an important game.
    So talk to me after the game and we'll see how I feel then….this game has the potential to totally ruin my weekend.

    Shelly and I have fallen into an out on Thursday night routine.
    We meet up in Fitchburg and we just hang out, like we used. Sometimes we'll go to the mall or go eat or do some errands first and then we hang out down John Fitch for a bit with Steve and whoever else happens to be around and then we go cruise around and listen to music and chat. It's a lot of fun and I love doing it.  We had to change the day last week because of Thursday night football. So I went Friday with her instead.  I never party when I'm down in Fitchburg because I have to drive home. And if I have to drive I don't drink, at all. Maybe once in awhile I'll have one beer, but that's it. For me it's just I'd rather be safe than sorry. A couple of times I've had a few beers early in the night (7ish) and by the time I drive home (usually midnight or so) I'm completely fine. Realizing that, I decided I wanted to hae a few beers this week when I was out and I did. It was nice to be able to have a few beers without stressing out.
    So I did that….Shelly and I went to visit her son at his new job (she brought him a snack, what a mom, huh?) and then we met Steve down John Fitch. Bob was down there too and an old friend of Shelly's. We all hung out and had a really good time. I stayed out later than normal because it was Friday and it was fun. We blasted my ipod in Shelly's car and Shelly and I were messing around dancing the way we used to and man, it was fun. Back in the day, when I Shelly and I were hanging out and cruising around if a good song came on the radio, we didn't care where we were….we stopped and got out and danced. That's just how we were and Friday night reminded me of that. Loved it!!!

    I tried to call Kim (Alaska Kim) on the way home but she was asleep, which was a bummer. I really wanted to talk to her. I was missing her. I knew I would miss Kim when we moved but even I have been taken by surprise by how often I miss her and how many times I have thought "Boy, I wish Kim were here….". Kim is a blast and no matter what we were doing, I always really enjoyed my time with her. We could be walking and we'd have a great conversation or we could be at the bar and we'd just have a blast partying…..it just didn't matter what we did, it was fun doing it with Kim. My kids love her, Zak really likes her a lot and when she would stop by the house on Saturday mornings or something, she just fit. We had fallen into a very comfortable relationship over the years and apparently even I didn't realize how much I enjoyed my time with her. LOL  She wound up calling me back on Saturday morning and we had a really nice conversation. It was good to hear her voice and chat for a bit. The kids actually left me alone the whole time too, so that was very cool. I told her a litte bit of how much I have been missing her and I hope I didn't sound too mushy…lol.
    Nah, I know Kim gets it and I'm pretty positive she misses me just as much, so it's all good.
    So that conversation made me feel really good….and then this morning I have a conversation with Steve.

    Steve got a job offer this summer and he told me that one of the big reasons he didn't take it was because of…..me. He would've had to have moved to Michigan. When he told me about the job offer I was honest with him. I told him I would obviously support whatever he decided to do, but if he left I would be heartbroken. I would've been so mad at life. It would've been tough for me because it just would've made me angry….not at Steve but at the circumstances. I would've thought to myself a thousand times…."what the hell is this shit? I finally move back home and now he leaves??"  It would've bugged me so bad. And that made me feel really good, that he actually based a big decision like that on me….for me. I am so lucky with my friends and that is exactly why I don't let go once I love….because once I have someone that I know would do anything for me, I don't treat that lightly….
    Some people go through life and don't wind up having many good friends, somehow I got lucky enough to have quite a few of them…and I don't take that for granted.
    Thank you Steve…..I'm so glad you stayed.

    and on that bunch of mushiness…I'm off to enjoy the rest of my feel good weekend! LOL

    And really, even if the Patriots lose today, I'm still going to be pretty darn happy.

  • wow…holy freakin’ wow.

    When, I ask, is the last time you can remember spontaneous celebrations like this happening, after an election….??
    Not in a long, long time….if at all.

    Check it out.

    Obama Dance Party in the streets of Seattle

    That so gave me goosebumps!!

    Enjoy!

  • Laughter.

    I might be showing just how stupid I am with this post, but I'm curious about something, so I'm gonna put it out here, anyway.

    Apparently there is a text that is making it's rounds…..I, myself, haven't gotten it but I heard about it…..
    It goes like this…

    "free BBQ and
    watermelon at the White House tomorrow. Bring your own blunt. Niggas
    runnin' this shit now. -obama."

    It cracked me up! I thought it was funny. The image of Obama kicking back in a lawn chair at the White House, sparking one up…..it made me laugh. It was funny.

    But apparently there is some outrage over this text. I'm thinking…it's just a joke? Who cares? And it's a funny joke, so whoo-hooo. I'm all about funny.

    How is this any worse than the jokes that would've been made if Hillary had been elected. Could you imagine the "woman" pms, bitch, hormonal jokes that would've been made? And some of them would've been funny….

    Maybe it's the stereotypical BBQ and watermelon part of it…..that's not the funny part of the joke to me. But is that what pisses everyone off, the stereotyping? I'm seriously curious…..

    I mean, there are a lot of bad white stereotypes too…..like rednecks, or white trash…old white men…. There are women stereotypes….wife stereotypes….SAHM stereotypes. I mean, people get stereotyped, it happens.  And sometimes it's just funny.  

    I don't know…..and please, anyone, feel free to comment and clarify…. this is an observation and I am so open minded it isn't even funny……so please, enlighten me……but I don't know, sometimes I think people should spend less time getting offended and more time just laughing at themselves and maybe things would go a little more smoothly. 

    I get annoyed at the pms stereotypes….really friggin' annoyed, especially when I am pms'ing in a bitchy mood. .(ha!) but I get that it's all in fun….now when people say shit and I know they mean it, well that's when I get offended. But jokes? Jokes don't bug me…..

    And this is where I'm willing to conceed that maybe I'm an idiot.
    I mean do we really think that making jokes perpetuates a stereotype or is it just having fun with a stereotype that's already there?  Especially when it's such a ridiculous stereotype…..

    Food for thought, anyway…..

  • Congratulations!

    No matter who you did vote for…..Obama getting elected is historic and makes me proud.
    I am overjoyed that my children will never know a United States that hadn't elected a black president.
    It makes me hopeful that one day racism in this country will truly be a thing of the past….

    Frankly, in my own life I have not been witness to much racism. I grew up in Boston and part of my childhood was spent in a predominantly black section of Boston, Roxbury. I just never knew about racism. We were raised people were people and that's that. In fact, it wasn't until I moved to Pensacola Florida did I realize that racism is, indeed, alive and well in the United States. I was 23 years old at the time and it was the first time I had ever truly seen racism first hand. I couldn't believe it! I am not fool enough to think racism could be eliminated completely, but I do think this is a huge step…..  

    With Obama getting elected, I see one more racial divide, eliminated. Forever