We Want To Know: About Yo' Celly

Because I just don't think I've talked about myself enough here and because Mamarazzi is one of my favorite bloggettes, I'm trying out this little thing called "We Want To Know Wednesdays" hosted by Mama and her friend Queso who I don't know yet.

But the girl has cheese on her blog so, yeah, I'm sure we're meant to be besties.




Here's what we do: they ask questions and I answer them.

You'll catch on.

{1}Do you prefer to text or call?
I think I've made it very clear to most people that I greatly dislike talking on the phone.  I never have anything to say that can't be said in under 100 characters.

However, I still don't text as much as my darling husband.  When talking to a Verizon rep:

"It looks like we can put you on such-and-such plan.  It doesn't look like you use....oh wait, No.  Your husband texts a lot."


{2}What is the last text message in your phone and who is it from?
Corey: "Plan on getting it done by early next week."  I asked him to look into plane tickets for our Indiana/Mississippi trip in October.

Yay!

{3}What are your favorite phone apps?
I hang out on Twitter quite a bit, and I enjoy my ongoing games (in which I consistently lose) of WordFeud with my BFF Jill.

{4}At what age do you think kids are ready for a cell phone?
The age when they throw a fit for one.

Was that the wrong answer?

{5}Share a current pic or video taken with your phone.

We have an issue with our tomato plant.

...

And that's it!  Now go visit my friends and see what they had to say.

Dreaming of an orange fall

Tomorrow is September. 

By the Lord's mercy and grace and determination to use me for other projects I am sure will prematurely wrinkle me, I made it through the summer.

There were a few things going on.

This was my July:

(keep in mind there was a 9-5 work week and endless laundry not noted here)

(how two people can generate so much laundry is beyond me.)

And then August:

Even after the event that consumed me I still have a very full schedule.  Why??

But then the gates of relaxation and good mental health open up and I get a September that looks like this:

Dear, sweet, sugar snowflakes do I need a month that looks like this.  My October is even more sparse and November is completely free of all commitments....

...which leaves me an entire month to fret about Christmas presents.

But that's far enough away.

In the meantime I'm going to enjoy the last day of August knowing it's finally over and my favorite season is practically here!

Ten on Tuesday

1. What is your favorite brand of shoes?
JCrew: every now and then I like to splurge, and when I do I know I'm getting something that's going to last.  Srsly, they'll stink to Hoboken before they fall apart.

2. How old were you when you learned to tie your shoes?
I was young enough to not remember.

3. How do you feel about freckles?
I love them.  When I see be-freckled faces I am instantly jealous.  All I get are these random dark brown dots and a couple of moles.  Bo-ring.

4. I can count to ten in ___ languages.
Two.  English (obviously) and Spanish.  I used to know Italian and Japanese.

5. What is your favorite store-bought ice cream flavor?
The kind that goes with hot fudge.

6. Were you in ballet or gymnastics as a little girl?
Ballet.  Gymnastics never crossed my mind as an option.  Good thing, because based on the few classes I took as an adult I know I probably would have ended up with major cranial damage.

7. Who is your favorite Sesame Street character?
(I got this question wrong last time) Grover, not gonzo.  Although they are the same color.

8. What’s your bedtime?
I try to crawl into bed around 9:30, start a DVRed Matlock and then fall asleep by 10.  But then I get woken up by Corey, who stays up to watch the news in the living room, to tell me a funny story he heard during the day or to just pet the dog.

9. Do you have any jewelry that you wear every single day?
Just my married lady rings.  I try to pop in some earrings most days.  Other than that it's a necklace here, bracelet there, and, when I remember, my watch.

10. Who is the bug killer in your household?
I am the bug releaser in our household and Corey is the centipede killer.

Centipedes...uuuuggggghhhh.

...

Happy Tuesday!!  And good luck getting that picture out of your head.

Happy Belated Travers' Day!

What in the name of monkey feet is she talking about??

Sometimes I forget I don't carry you all around in my pocket to see and experience everything I do.

I also forget there is a world beyond Saratoga...

...despite the fact that for 22 of my 29 years I was actually in that world.

My friends, this place in which I reside is not your typical small town.  Sure, we have restaurants you can barely fit your entire body into and boutiques that sell art and tattoo permanent makeup onto your face all in the same place.

We got ourselves a racetrack; the most historic racetrack in the world.

And this track is home to the longest running sporting event in the country: the Travers Grade I stakes race worth $1 million and the rights to be in the running for horse of the year.

(scroll down to comments for Corey's correction of my statement above, rest assured, there will be one.)

We get something like 45,000 people for the day, including a few celebrities.  Corey and I have run into Bobby Flay, one of the guys from the Sopranos, Bill Parcells, John Walsh, Rod Stewart*, etc.

Every year to celebrate Corey and I throw a pre-Travers party where we invite everyone and their mothers (literally, we had moms there) to hang out in our driveway to eat pastries, drink mimosas and try to avoid being pestered by the dog.

I try to spruce up the asphalt with a few flowery table clothes and flower arrangements.  Last year I managed to swipe some beautiful purple loosestrife from the side of the highway in the cover of darkness.  This year I went legit and swiped flowers from my own yard.

We eat and chat and then head down for the races.

We usually have a story to tell afterward.  For several years it was, "Can you believe how hard it rained?!"

Then there was, "Can you believe all the dang bees?!"

Last year, "Can you believe Betsy fell and had to spend the day in the hospital?!"

This year, "Can you believe we let Jennifer eat the crackers out of the dog's bowl?!"

I really get a kick out of this one.

See, after the party was over and we started to clean up I put a handful of leftover crackers in the dog's bowl because the trash was still downstairs and I didn't think five crackers would drastically affect O-dog's waistline.  Corey took them out.  Apparently our dog does not eat crackers.  He set them on the counter and we both walked out of the room.

Enter Jennifer.

Five minutes pass.

Enter Stacie.

"Ohmigoshthosecrackerswereinthedog'sbowl!!"

She had eaten all but two of them.

Poor thing was horrified.

And disgusted.

I told everyone I know.

And then we headed down to the races.  Another eventful year.

...

*It was actually one of the Vice Presidents at Corey's office who just happens to look exactly like Rod Stewart. 

Friday Confessions

1.  I was told by one 10 year old that I must know everything because I educated her on what's the deal with hiccups (irritation of the phrenic nerve that runs alongside the lung), a fact that I learned in a biology class that somehow stuck with me.

2.  I found a little ball of chocolate under my arm Wednesday.  Something I don't like admitting.  I've hit a low point, people.

3.  If you live in a box you may not have heard about the little 5.8 earthquake that hit the entire east coast Tuesday.  By the time we felt it way up here in northern New York it was just a little rumble but that did not stop me from putting the years of earthquake drills to use.

"C'mon Oliver!  Let's get under a doorway!"

It was dumb.  Most people I talked to didn't even feel the thing.

4.  Tuesday was my shift to work at my boss's booth at the Washington County Fair.  As far as food goes, I wanted to do it right: bean burrito the size of my head, basket of fried pickles and ice cream cone.

5.  My stomach hurt until Thursday.

6.  When Corey gets excited he yells, "BANG!"  But when he's not around someone to yell it, he texts it and the recipient just has to picture the fist pump and bulging eye balls.

7.  Speaking of Corey, we were hanging out with friends one night when one of the girls couldn't find her phone.  It was getting dark so we're using flashlight apps on our own phones to check the ground.  This goes on for at least 15 minutes when my little genius says, "Oh, I have it right here in my pocket!"

8.  I have to cut Friday Confessions short.  First, it's not even Friday anymore (my bad), and second, we've got a little thing called Hurricane Irene threatening to shut off our power. 

Stacie Lucas, over and out.

Weekend Wrap Up: Kids and Dresses and Ice Cream

Advice to newlyweds: before you agree to bring four 10 year olds into your home for a sleepover make sure your husband is already 100% on board with having children in the near future.

I'm pretty sure Corey and I have now put ourselves on the five year plan.

Saturday afternoon I packed up a trunk load of pillows, sleeping bags, more pillows, make up, clothes, dress up clothes, and more pillows.  Then four giggly girls piled into my car and we were off.  To my house.  To spend the day, night, and morning together.

Before we were even five minutes into the 25 minute trip to my house we were on the subject of public assistance.  I had to think back to my days as a pre-teen....I'm pretty sure I was more concerned with what outfit Ken was going to wear on his date with working girl Barbie than the state our welfare system.  Luckily the conversation quickly shifted to their mutual dislike of Justin Bieber.

Here is a brief synopsis of the day/night/morning:

We pet horses, had a picnic in the park, and loaded up on ice cream on more than one occasion.  I learned my stomach is actually not in the shape it was when I was 10.

At one point in the day we aggravated the workers at a Lily Pulitzer store.  Apparently it is not acceptable to shove sweaty girls into $200 dresses.  Then we aggravated an entire toy store and soon after we aggravated a family of four while arguing which Red Box movie we all wanted to see.

We all did not want to see any of them.  So two of us sucked it up and we ended up watching Soul Surfer.

Which, by the way, the two of us who didn't want to watch it were the only ones actually watching to the end.  But that's beside the point in this totally pointless post.

Before we finally settled down for dinner and dessert there was this small matter of a fashion show to attend to.  The girls put on all their outfits, did each other's hair and make up (read: lip gloss) and paraded through my apartment.  I was put on music duty.  Karaoke, to be more specific; Amy Winehouse, Taylor Swift and Jackson Five in a sparkly blue hat.

Eventually Corey came home.  It was later that night after I had given them the rules: no running, no jumping, no stinky feet on the couch, and absolutely no waking of Stacie unless something was broken (skin, Kate Spade vase, bones) and I had gone to bed.

"Um, I think you should go check on the girls."

"Why?  I don't hear any screaming."

"They are hanging off the stairs..."

"But I don't hear anything."

"No, really.  You should go check on them."

At least those girls were quiet about being defiant.  And lucky for me (thanks to my forcing them to walk all over Saratoga) they were asleep pretty quick.  Like 1am. 

I tried to get up early enough on Sunday to be completely ready when they woke up to be a buffer between Corey and the girls.  But they stirred.  And then the dang dog just had to snuggle every single one of them.  Before we knew it, they were up.  Twirling these little twirly-gigs that landed in our plants, bounced off the walls, and sent each one of them into a fit of laughter.  At 8am.

I caught a glimpse of  "ain't gonna happen" from Corey, which I concurred in that moment.

But then we ushered them out the door for pastries, a little horse warm up watching at the track and then to church.  Afterward, each one of them was dropped off and I'm pretty sure there are five more girls' nights in the works.  I cried a little inside.

I came home, laid on the bed and swore I would not get up for anything.  But then Monday came.

Now a note to the parents:  I tried my best to be diplomatic about the whole welfare thing because, you know, they're 10, so I basically shoved the whole "love everybody!" down their throats in a totally sappy way.  I also told them how important  Sunday afternoon naps are so hopefully they'll give you a break once a week.    And I really did have a good time; they are great girls with great personalities, but I am seriously considering being the fun aunt that has lots of dogs.

Ten on Tuesday + One

1. Do you listen to the radio in your car? If so, what type of station do you like?
When I am reeeeally busy I spend my 35 minute drive to work trying to mentally keep track of what I have to do that day.  Otherwise I listen to our local Christian radio station with commercial breaks spent touring every other station under the sun...that is, the ones in my area.

2. What is the best concert you have ever attended?
I don't know if this counts: in July I saw the Philadelphia Orchestra play during Casablanca.  It was magical.  My few other experiences were eventful but not in a good way.

(nearly passing out at Third Eye Blind, contact high and witnessing a couple making a family at Dave Matthews Band, etc.)

3. What is the most embarrassing concert you have ever attended?
See above.  During the encore at a Dave Matthews Band concert the couple behind us, uh, succumbed to the moment and had maritals right there at our feet.  Luckily, the torrential downpour blurred most of it.

4. If you could have the singing voice of anyone in the world, who would it be?
Carrie Underwood.  Girlfriend gives me chills.

5. You’re auditioning for American Idol. What song do you sing?
"If you like pina coladas...."

Just kidding.  I really have no idea.

6. If your previous weekend had its own soundtrack, what would be a few of the songs?
It would be everything from the latest Kidz Bop.  For sure.

More on the weekend adventures later.  If you follow me on twitter you've had a preview.

7. Most annoying television show theme song ever:
I don't have one.  Just a lot of favorites including What's Happening, Fresh Prince, and, of course, Matlock.

8. Are you and your significant other music-compatible?
We are, but he takes those few songs we both like and plays them until I cannot stand them.

9. A song that brings me back to middle school:
All things Boyz II Men.

10. A song that brings me back to high school:
The Abercrombie and Fitch song.  I'm embarrassed to say I know several lyrics.  Would you believe me if I said I learned the words so I could make fun of the song??

11. A guilty pleasure song (or three):
Jump Around by House of Pain, I pretty much lose it when this song comes on.

Fantasy by Mariah Carey, same.  Then I sing and do that stupid head bob with my eyes closed, like it's the most important thing going on in that moment.  Because it actually is.

...

Happy Tuesday!!

Friday Confessions

1.  My sister is in a flash mob next Wednesday.  Color me extremely jealous.

2.  I mentioned yesterday I spent half the day Saturday with my fly down.  Well, the other half the top part of my shorts were undone.  Of course.

3.  Wednesday night I ate my weight in chips.

4.  But the entire time I was thinking of ice cream sandwiches.

5.  The same kind I ate four of on Saturday.

6.  Speaking of Saturday, I'm crazy.

7.  Speaking of crazy: on Saturday I'm having four 10-year-olds spend the night at my house where we will eat, do karaoke, and giggle in large quantities.  It's going to be a long night.

8.  I met Senator Chuck Schumer.  Shook his hand and everything.  Not like I'm a fan, I just like to throw myself at famous people.

9.  Have I told the story of how I pestered Jimmer Fredette's dad?

10.  I have this thing where I think semi-famous people are actually super dooper famous.

...

Happy Friday!!

Coming Together For Hope: check

Remember that thing I was talking about last week?

You know, that little event keeping me from blogging, and working, and keeping up with friends, and eating normal meals at normal hours of the day?

Well, that little event is over.

(enter huge sigh of relief here)

It darn near killed me, a fact Corey can attest to after seeing me nearly face plant in my french toast the next day, it definitely fried me, and I needed a full three days to recover.

My best friend with a red beard, Pete of PJN Photography, was our official photographer.  I know you're dying to see pictures of the thing.  Especially after reading my weekly rants of waning sanity, and then not reading because I was always just too busy.  I promise I'll post some when I get them

Yeah, just like how you posted pictures of Kimberlie getting snotted on by that alpaca.

Ok, that was an entirely different situation depending on my mom, who does not have a professional reputation to protect, getting me those pictures which are still floating around somewhere.

But I digress.

The day was good.

Crazy, hectic, and long, but good.

Here are some bullet points with words after them:

• The event was about bringing people to Jesus, and thankfully there was no actual going to Jesus when two of the larger-than-a-two-bedroom-house bounce houses deflated.
• Or when some of the vendors packed up early and drove their cars straight through the field.
• We'd do things differently next time.
• I suffered from swampy feet all day.  Note to self: bring extra shoes when dew is involved.
• Additional note to self: remember that you actually have extra shoes while wishing you had extra shoes.
• I will from now on leave notes for myself: Is your zipper where it should be?
• On the occasions when it is so important for it to be up, it is usually down.
• Two words: Christian rap.
• Three more: I like it.
• Now four words: Anthony Kohlhepp is cool.
• You'd think churches would be all over a church-type event.  They weren't.
• (shrugs shoulders)
• Our planning committee was awesome and now that we aren't meeting every second of the day I kinda miss them.
• I got to carry a walkie talkie. 
• My dad wore a Mickey Mouse shirt because he goes by Mick.
• My dad is goofy.
• (shakes head)
• Up next: serving breakfast to thousands at 5am to raise money for the same soup kitchen. 
• With all this work we should at least get a discount on our meals.
• That was a lame joke.
• The executive director and his wife are on my "Nicest People I Know" list.
• They showed me where the secret stash of chocolate is in the basement.
• I needed it.

Chew on that for now, folks, until I get some pictures up and running.

Oh, the anticipation!!!

Ten on Tuesday

Mom: "Hey Stace, you know it's Tuesday..."

I know, I know.

1. What do you do for a living?
I try to solve constituent problems for a New York State Senator.

2. What’s your favorite thing about your job?
Oodles of poodles!  Where do I begin?  Benefits, coworkers, flexibility, I can wear flip flops all the live long day, being able to help people, meeting movers and shakers, free snacks, good boss and much more!

3. What’s your least favorite thing about your job?
I have to be here.

Srsly, a 9-5 schedule is not my bag.  I'm more of a 8:30-noon, 2-5, 7-9:30 worker.  Put me in a seven hour box and you squash all motivation.

4. If you weren’t a ____________, what would you be?
Curator, 7th grade art teacher, tour guide, alpaca farmer, RV trekker, reality star.

You name it, I've wanted to do it.

5. What is something that you would love to get paid for that you think no one would ever pay you for?
Dunkin Donuts taste tester.  People already know DD's are shuggin' great, so it's not like they need someone on the assembly line going, "yep, that one's a keeper."  But I'd like to do it anyway.

6. If you could have any job for exactly one day, what would it be?
Movie star.  I wanna see what all this "tortured artist" junk is all about.

7. If you had to do manual labor, what would you do?
I'd work on Martha Stewart's farm.  Don't tell me you haven't already thought this would be the coolest job: she's got all kinds of animals, gardens times twenty, and it's all fancy.  Fancy everything, everywhere.  If I have to get dirty, I might as well do it fancily.

8. What is something you were forced to learn in high school that was supposed to be super important, but you never actually use?
Math.  Prepositions.  The life cycle of fruit flies.

What do I wish I did learn?  How to use the dang number keys without having to look at them.  UGH!

9. Who was your favorite boss? Why?
At one time, when I worked at a small title company in my hometown during school breaks, my mom was my boss.  I'd come in late, leave early, smoke at my desk and tell my co-workers what I really thought of them without getting into trouble.  Just kidding.  But I did have that card in my hand, just in case.

After Deb, my current boss is my favorite.  She's super supportive of all my side projects and looks out for all of us constantly.

And she stocks the office with lots of snacks.
10. Where would you rather work: Dunder Mifflin Paper Company (The Office), Wernham Hogg Paper Company (The Office, UK), or Initech (Office Space)?
Dunder Mifflin.  Creed is playing solitaire in every shot of his computer for goodness sake!

...

Happy (rest of) Tuesday!!

Help me out here GE

With all the new technology coming out that supposed to make our lives easier, why are we still burning popcorn?  Where in the world is the microwave that tells me when it's done?

It's simple math, people.  The number of kernels per second multiplied by the moisture in the air, divided by the motion of the ocean equals perfectly done popcorn.  Blamo.

If that idea is not already in the works, it should be.

And that's all I have to say about it.

Thank you.

Some things I was thinkin'

A coupla things to chew on until I post next:

(which could be next week, so read slowwwwwly)

There is a colony of the scariest type of bug somewhere in our apartment.

There are very few things that scare me like the centipede does.  I can handle bugs, spiders, snakes and rodents.  But these suckers give me the heebie jeebies like no other.

"Where was that bug you saw last night?"

"Behind the tv.  He ran back and forth from the tv to the couch.  Corey, he was taunting me."

"I don't see it..."

"Well I'm sure he's moved by now!"

"Oh, wait!  I see him!  Look, there's two, three.  Three!  Oh it's a family!"

"Very funny."

Right about now I'm so glad I don't have to worry about a colony of creepy crawlers making a home in my shoes.  Sandals, I'm guessing, just aren't the habitat they look for.

Phew.

Another thing I think you should know is that I have the foggiest brain right now.  It's hilarious.

Hmmm...I don't remember finishing that one Ten on Tuesday question.

I did.

"Hey Stace, can you call so-and-so about such-and-such?"

"Yes."

(five minutes later)

"Um, hi.  Who was I supposed to call again?"

Hilarious.

Wait, did I spell that right?

My dad and I had breakfast this morning, as we do several times a week, to go over more details for the Coming Together For Hope event:

"So, we might not have a dunk tank."

"Eh."

"Or a Wii tent."

"Coo."

"And our grand finale band backed out."

"Whatev."

Hil-ar-ious.

...

Space cadet, over and out.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Mac or Windows? (Or Linux for you super geeks!)
Windows.  It's just what I know.  But if someone were to drop a macbook in my lap for, say, a second anniversary I would not be opposed to learning a new system.


2. What drew you to that operating system?
School.  It's all we had.

3. Mice – Wireless or Wired? Mouse pad or none?
I prefer wireless, but all of the computers I use have wires.  I prefer wireless for everything.  There's just something about a tangled mess of cords that makes me not alright inside.

4. Other than the Internet – What do you use your computer most for?
Spreadsheets.  Oh how I love to have things to keep track of.

5. What’s one computer-related thing you wish you were best at? (CSS, Photoshop, Excel, etc.)
Graphic design!!!  I've wanted to take classes on this for awhile now.  Someday...

6. Describe the first time you ever used a computer.
5th grade computer lab: Oregon Trail.  Loved it.  But I never, ever made it to Oregon.  My digital people always managed to come down with dysentery...Probably because I spent every chance I got hunting and loading up my wagon with dead, rotting bison.

7. How often do you upgrade to a new operating system?
What does this even mean??

8. Are you a short-cutter (CTRL+C) or a right-clicker?
I do a little of both.  Depends on my next move.  Am I going to have to click an icon?  Then I save myself a step and move to the mouse early.

9. Is computer-use a constant thing in your life (such as using it both at work and home) or do you get a break (because you don’t use them at work)?
By the time I get home I'm sick of the computer.  I hardly ever use our home computer.  However, if, say, a macbook were to suddenly appear on or around September 18th I would definitely be more productive in my home business.  I think half of the reason I don't use our computer at home is because I just want to relax on the couch.

Macbook.  Problem solved.

10. Where do you think the world would be if personal computers did not exist?
The world would be using telephone books, and dictionaries, and the kinds of maps you can never figure out how to fold.  We would talk on the phone (or not talk for those of us who have always disliked phone convos) and mail letters.  Oh how I would love to go back to regular letters!!

I definitely do not want to live in that world now.  But if we were to have never invented the PC I think we would be just fine.

...

Happy Tuesday!

A Noticeable Absence

I get weekly notices of how many visitors I've had since the week before.  There was a dramatic drop in visits in my last notice.

What the heck is going on?!

Why is no one reading the blog anymore??

...

Oh yeah, there's nothing to read.

Whoopsie.

That should change by next week.  This Saturday is the BIG event.  The one that has been more time consuming than my wedding.  The one that Corey wishes was over more than I do.

...No, I can't say I wish it was over.

I'll certainly be relieved when it is, but I don't want it to be gone.  The whole planning experience has been exhausting and has tested my patience with people I never expected to test me, but...

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  James 1:2-4

This event me and a handful of others have spent countless hours on is an effort to bring churches together and non-believers to Christ.  Something I think we can all call a worthwhile use of the extra hours in our days.

Extra hours being the ones we use to eat or sleep or converse with our significant others.  But who needs conversation when you can put the message of Jesus to people who really need it? 

I would have been sick of horse race gossip by now anyway.

Although, because of horse racing I was just this close to Bobby Flay yesterday.

"This close" meaning about a hundred feet.

But I digress.

What was I saying?

Joy!  Yes, joy.

That's what I will be saying.

He hasn't called back yet??  JOY!

We might not actually have a dunk tank?!  JOY!

Another vendor cancelled?!  JOY!

Gray hair?? JOY!


Just you watch, by the end of this thing I am going to possess the maturity of your gramma.

...

I just hope your gramma still plays laser tag.

...

PS. If you're in the upstate New York region Saturday, August 13, stop by Crandall Park in Glens Falls from 9am to 8pm!  Look for the girl with the clipboard and very large bags under her eyes and throw some coffee in her face.  I...I mean she will appreciate it.

Bad Day(s)

This is a grump alert.  Girlfriend's gotta keep the blog alive but so far all she can do is whine.

 Just kidding, I'm not gonna whine at you.

But I am grumpy.  Just so we're clear.

The past week and a half, which I'm sure will seem like candy compared to the next week and a half, hammered me with some serious stress.  I have meetings, more meetings and then meetings about meetings.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all about getting together to go over the deets, but meeting morning noon and night wipes me out.

Although this crazy schedule has given me some pretty amusing dreams:

Like the one about happy little kitties holding hands and playing in the middle of major highways at rush hour.  Dis-turbing.  You can imagine what happened when the cars broke up their frolicking....

Cotton stuffing flew everywhere.  I know.  A total mess.

And then was the dream about walking along a glacier and needing to use the bathroom inside the glacier that was full of stuffed animals and a live gorilla.

This is what mental exhaustion does.  It takes too much energy to make a logical dream so my brain just puts together random thoughts floating around in the gray matter.

Why I would have gorillas and kitty-cide anywhere in there is beyond me.

And I don't quite have the time to figure it all out...I've got a date with a dunk tank to schedule.

Ten on Tuesday

Oh my, Tuesday just snuck up and pinched me right on the skin under my arm, you know, the saggy part that's extra sensitive to pinching?

1. Do you do laundry all at the same time or a load here and there?
I try to do all of our laundry on Sunday, whether we are hurtin' or not, because if I don't Corey will sneak a load in that consists of five black socks, a white t-shirt, something of mine that's "dry clean only", and way too much soap.

Now when this all gets folded and put away is a different story...


2. What kind of detergent do you use?
Gain.  It smells marvelous.  I may or may not have swiped one of Corey's shirts before we were married just so I could smell his laundry soap.

3. Do you use fabric softener?
No.  I don't understand the point.

4. Do you use dryer sheets?
Yes.  Gain.  Again: marvelous.  But also again: I have no idea what they actually do.

5. Do you iron your own clothes or take them to a cleaner to get pressed?
We iron only when it's absolutely necessary.  Otherwise, we wear our wrinkles with pride.

6. Do you like heavy starch or light starch?
I think a heavy starch holds the strips of newspaper together better.

Oh, did you mean in our clothes?  No.  We don't starch our clothes.

7. Do you wash all your laundry at once or separate it?
Whites are always separate.  Unless Corey got ahold of the hamper.  Then it's clean vs. dirty.  Everything is fair game.
8. How do you separate it? By people or by colors?
Colors: white, light and dark.  But sometimes the lights and darks end up together.  This only happens when a certain pair of my pants are not in the mix because they bleed like a....oh no, I will not go there.

9. What clothes get hung up and what goes in drawers?
We hang our dressy stuff.  T-shirts, pjs and unmentionables go in drawers and jeans, sweatshirts and sweaters on a shelf in the closet.  We are maxed out.

10. Do you use plastic, wire, or wooden hangers? Do they all match?
I would just L-O-V-E all cedar hangers, but at this point I will settle for a matching set.  I prefer to arrange my clothes by color.  Different color hangers throw a wrench in that system.  I don't handle wrenches well.

...

"Hey Beetle, how's your day going?  Any better?....Um, is there any way you can fold the laundry tonight??"

Perfect timing, Corey.