Another Reason I Hate Styrofoam

Um, yeah. Here's what happens in our house when Daddy is gone and Mommy decides to (heaven forbid) take a shower for a few minutes...

Don't let the smile fool you... it was the calm before the storm. The boys decided to tear up a block of styrofoam that was once about 8x10x2 (part of a Christmas gift that was headed downstairs for the trash). I got out of the shower and walked into a snowglobe in our room. It was stuck to the walls, the bed, and a pile of clean laundry ready to be folded. It also migrated out into the hallway and into the boys room. This is no exaggeration - it took me a full hour to vacuum. The stuff sticks to EVERYTHING!! I had to stop to vacuum off the vacuum three or four times, not to mention myself. I got the boys cleaned up as much as possible and stuck them on our bed for time out until I could get everything cleaned up. I think they learned their lesson... it was by far the longest time out on record.

I love my boys! I also can't wait for them to grow out of this phase!

La Vie Boheme

Watch this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SPxtv3KW9A

This is a clip from one of my absolute favorite musicals, Rent. It's the movie version - I tried to find a quality clip from the broadway version, but couldn't find a clean one that sounded good (1996 was pre-dvr). Boo, hiss. The movie came out a few years ago, and 6 of the 8 original cast members are in it... good enough for me.

I read an article in either Newsweek or Time last week that Rent is closing June 1, after a long 12-year run on broadway. I remember when it first came out - I was in my sophomore year in college, and I got the soundtrack soon after. I fell in love with it immediately. I did some work with the AIDS Quilt and other AIDS-related projects in college, which made for an even stronger connection to the show.

Not surprisingly, I desperately wanted to see the show sometime. Lauren and I have taken a few trips to NYC in the past few years, and in 2004 we got to see it. Finally! I'm fortunate that he loves Broadway as well, but his idea of a musical is Rodgers & Hammerstein, intricate sets, and 50-year-old music. He didn't know what to expect of Rent... he thought it was going to be more like Oklahoma, and was more than shocked when the show started. Maybe not so much shocked, but appalled. The set is very simple (folding tables and a grid they can climb on), the music is rock (written in the late 80's), and the theme is very modern (AIDS, drugs, homosexuality). He basically thought it was a cheap shot at a Broadway musical. The story starts out that three guys (Mark, Roger, Collins) are living rent-free in their friend (Benny's) building... and Benny calls and asks for the past year's rent (he told them they could live there for free). Lauren, being a landlord, was offended from the start at the idea of people stiffing the super. He wanted to leave at intermission. I, of course, absolutely loved it. I was crying at the end... not the petite tear rolling down the face, but the hiccuping, can't-catch-your-breath, gasping cry. How embarassing is that? At a musical! Oy vay.

Anyway, Lauren has now had four years to reflect on the show, and said he was ready to see Rent again... now that he knows what to expect. I thought, wow, great. He's accepted it, knows what it's all about, and he's ready to enjoy it. Whatever! We watched the movie on the projector, and he still didn't like it. He totally missed the point! Again!

We got into this huge discussion over it - he didn't like the "at risk" behavior; he basically doesn't feel sorry for people who put themselves in risky situations. There is an amazing book about the beginnings of the AIDS Virus, called "And the Band Played On: Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic" by Randy Shilts. Jonathan Larson (who wrote Rent) lived through a lot of the initial scare of AIDS (like the book), where he knew quite a few people who contracted the virus but they didn't know how or why. Mind you, this was in the 80's, before researchers knew how the virus worked or how it was spread. So, while these characters may have put themselves at risk, it's not necessarily their fault that they contracted HIV/AIDS. I also reminded Lauren that he has put himself in risky situations before (long before we met), in his crazier days. He still couldn't connect the dots.

Anyway, I'm just happy that Rent has done this well - 12 years is an amazing run. It has reinvented Broadway, and has spawned more rock musicals... which bring in a younger audience and keep Broadway thriving. I wish I could see it one more time in it's original run, but I am very thankful that I could see it atleast once. :)

updates

Just tying up a few loose ends.

Grandpa: Still in the hospital. He went in Jan 21 for an outpatient shoulder surgery, and has had quite a few problems since then. He did stop breathing a few days after surgery, then was diagnosed with diabetes, had a mild heart attack, and now has to have his gall bladder out (maybe). He was also addicted to sleeping pills and went through a pretty violent rehab. He's actually in St. Seton now, which is kind of a halfway house between the hospital and being back on his own.

Diet: hahahahahahahahahahaha It was a good joke, wasn't it?

Swimsuit: Bought a speedo (function not fashion), and I'm fully convinced that I look like an egg in it. It sucks everything in really well, but reshapes everything as well. We took the kids to a water park last weekend, and while I was self-conscious, I also realized there were far worse swimsuit sins being committed than was I was doing. FAR worse. Maybe it will inspire a diet... probably not, though.

Books I'm reading: Hmm... Since I have about no time to read anymore, I started reading a Patricia Cornwell novel a few weeks ago, and haven't made it very far. When I was single (and loving it), I could finish one of her books in a day or two. I think the book is due back on Friday... doubt I'll finish it. The fun news is that someone at work connected the dots for me... I love reading but never have time, and I can listen to my MP3 player at work, but was bored with my music. Ding ding ding! Books on CD! I'm listening to the unabridged version of Wicked (it's like 20 hours long), so I'm doing anywhere from 1-3 hours a day (depending on how much I really need to concentrate on what I'm doing). I LOVE it! I have a few other books to scan in... one by Sophie Kinsella (Bridget Jones-ish) and one by David Sedaris (comic). It's a whole new world!

Work: I'm working for Indiana Health Centers, doing A/P and Payroll. Everyone is pretty nice and the hours are pretty flexible. I'm still a temp, but they told me they'd like to have me on permanently by the end of the month. The company is in Castleton, it's a non-profit organization (what I originally wanted to do with my degree), and I'll be doing payroll, which is kinda HR-related (my degree). It also will pay pretty well and provide good benefits, which is always a plus.

Shopping: I've done way too much lately. I keep finding good deals on stuff, though! Garage sale season is right around the corner... DANGER!

Boys: My boys are doing well. We're all SO ready for spring! We all just had the flu or something like it, and we're all mostly over it.

:)

road rage

I'm honestly trying not to complain all the time when I blog, but this is a pet peeve of mine, and I'm hot right now.

It's a nice day out, so I took the boys for a walk. Part of the appeal of this neighborhood is that it is very family friendly, and when it's nice there are a ton of people out walking.

With that being said, there are a lot of very aggressive drivers who tear through here. I'm on a street that is off a busy road (E Washington), and there is a small park (Irving Circle) just north of us, maybe 100 yards. So, while we were on our walk, there was an older man, maybe in his mid sixties, speeding through, fast enough for me to remember his car. As we were crossing the street at the circle we noticed him again - he was headed toward us. He came out of nowhere, and about slid to a stop. I turned around and made eye contact with him and told him to slow down. He rolled down his window, asked what I said, and I said, "You're driving awfully fast through here, you need to slow down." The guy told me to mind my own business, and I told him I was because I was PROTECTING MY CHILDREN. Like, seriously, old man, have a little consideration.

He's got a burgundy sedan, I don't know what make or model. If you see one with eggs on it, it wasn't me. :P

excuse me!

I intended to write about Evan's new favorite toy, and got a little distracted.

Evan's new favorite adventure is a full throttle Easter Egg Hunt, but he's not so much into eggs... rather a distant cousin... the tampon. I seriously can't keep him out of my tampons, no matter where I hide them! What's worse is that Ben keeps asking what they are, and insists that they're rockets or missiles or something. Like, how do you explain this? I'm not planning on explaining it to him anytime soon! Any ideas?


So I got distracted because I was looking for tampon pictures online. It's freakishly ridiculous how many pictures there are of people either (1) shopping for tampons or (2) sticking them up their noses.


I found this and thought it was humorous... excuse me!

adventures in camerabuying

It's 6am. I've been up since 4:30. Insomnia, again.


I decided to come down and balance my checkbook, and I'm glad I did. When I bought the D50 10 days ago, I brought it home and it wasn't working correctly. Thursday I returned it to Roberts Downtown, which is a story in itself. Let me preface this by saying that this experience is atypical of what I usually have with Roberts. I've been using their printing services for probably ten years now, and have bought other random photo items there. Also, since Lauren is a SanDisk rep, he's in there atleast twice a month and knows most of these guys pretty well. So, I walked in around 9:30 in the morning, and I was the only customer in the store. There were five or six employees standing around talking and one asked if he could help me. I told him I needed to talk to someone about returning a camera that wasn't working. So, this guy (I won't use his name, but it rhymes with James) takes my camera.

Rhymes with James: Do you know what's wrong with it? (Uuuhhhh, no, I'm just a dumb blonde)
Meek Melissa: Yes (he stops and turns around)
Rhymes with James: Well, what's wrong?
Meek Melissa: There are a few things wrong with it. The scroll bar is locking, I can't download pictures straight from the camera to the computer, and the camera is draining the battery while it's off - it won't hold a charge for more than 12 hours.
Rhymes with James: That's it? (Isn't that enough?)
Meek Melissa: Yes
Rhymes with James: (silence, silence... so much that he barely utters another word to me during the transaction. He holds out his sinister hand and without looking at me says) Credit Card (I hand him the credit card, he swipes it and gives me a receipt)
Meek Melissa: Thanks
Rhymes with James: (more silence)

Mind you, he never even opened the box to make sure everything was in there - I could have returned a brick and gotten my $375 back. I was going to ask him if they had any other camera bodies I could look at, but since I felt like I was totally inconveniencing him already, I decided just to head back to the camera department.

And guess who followed me back to help me? My new friend, James. (Oops! Didn't mean to leak his name!) So, this is fun!

Me: I just wanted to see if you had any other D50 bodies back here - I'd really like to have one.
James: We don't have any.
Me: I've been working with Scott (who has been excellent to work with), and he said they had two more up in Carmel.
James: They don't have them in Carmel. Everything that is refurbished is here. I don't know why he told you that. (His face was all distorted like I was a common idiot for asking)
Me: Can you call Carmel and check for me?
James: (looks at his watch) Store's not open yet. (it opened in 10 minutes, as if nobody were there already) Can't check.
Me: What is your name?
James: (for the first time, he makes eye contact and has a little confidence in his voice) James (as if he's all polite)
Me: Thanks.

So, I walk out, totally discouraged. I call Lauren, and he said this guy can be "gruff" sometimes. I prefer the term asshole, but hey. So, I'm almost home when Lauren calls again and says that he called Roberts in Carmel (they answered the phones before they opened! Can you believe that??) and they did, in fact, have two D50 bodies, and were holding one for me. I drove up there, and the guys were really nice. I got my D50 and a few other little things, paid, and came home.

Here's where the banking fun comes in. When I logged onto my bank account, it was low by about $800, which was a little shocking. The Roberts transactions weren't on there yet, but there was a discrepancy between my available balance in two places on the website. When I pulled out the receipts, I realized that even though I got nasty service and actually took the camera back, I have been charged for it twice. Twice!! The jerk debited my account instead of credited it! And... since I picked up a new camera at Roberts in Carmel, I essentially paid three times for one camera. Lovely. I added up the amounts and, voila, the amount I'm short by equals my camera times two (plus a few incidentals).

Yesterday I decided not to call and complain about the service. Today, since I need to clear this up, I will be complaining. Heads will roll today, folks, heads will roll.


The fun news is that I love the camera. Here's one of my favorite new pictures:





Argh. So frustrated.

a little campfire goes a long way

So we've finally gotten the flu, or something like it. When I say "we," what I really mean is that the boys have it now, and I will have it soon. Poor Evan has had a fever for a few days, and today spent all day sleeping. So, loving my son like I do, I decided to build a fire for him in the fireplace. We just got a new batch of firewood, and for some reason, it's very smoky. Most of it is being drawn up into the chimney, but now the whole house smells like campfire. And, like I said, a little goes a long way. I've got the fans on, candles burning, and I put the fire out (I only let it burn a few minutes). Now we're headed upstairs so I can open the windows down here and let in the 20 degree air. Lovely. It's overwhelming, really. Nauseating.

We're watching Spiderman 2. It really is a good movie.

I've realized after blogging for a few months that I don't really write much with any substance. I used to write every day - I kept journals starting when I was about 14, and wrote all the time until I had Ben. Funny things happen when you have kids... I went from writing about philosophy and religion to writing about things like poo and juice boxes. It's all part of the job I guess, eh?

I ended up getting a back up camera, a refurbished Nikon D50. It's nice because the batteries/charger/lenses are all compatible with what I have now, and I got it for a very reasonable price. I also have a new backdrop coming in the next few days - it's a white vinyl one (the ones where you can't tell where the wall blends into the floor) and I'm super excited about trying it out. I got my D70 cleaned up and learned how to do a sensor cleaning, so now it's in good condition again. I'm excited! :)

I need to go mop up some snot. Have a good one.

Finally!

Oh my goodness, did you all enjoy the spectacular weather today? I didn't realize how nice it was going to be! I did pictures at 2:00, and walked outside and was amazed! When I got back, I got the boys ready and went for a long walk. We got back and we all wanted to stay outside longer. We never raked the leaves last fall - we wanted to wait until everything had fallen (what's the point of raking every few days?), and by the time everything did, it was snowing. So, now that last fall's leaves are matted into the lawn, I decided to rake today. The boys got their bikes out and got all muddy and dirty - one of the little things you miss in the winter. We even have tulips that are peeking out of the dirt! We found a caterpillar in the leaves and Ben (Superhero wannabe) freaked out. I looked up at one point and counted fifteen people (and five dogs) walking on the street... everyone is finally out of hibernation (until the weather drops again, that is)! We walked to one of the local pizza places down the street and had dinner. I love that today was warm!!

Man, what a nice day. We have the windows open and the fans on to get some fresh air in here. This worked out well today - we decided to do a no-TV day today because the tv watching is getting a little out of hand. I think we should do it every Sunday - it's been kind of nice. So, now we are headed upstairs to read some books and go to bed.

Funny story (it's only funny because I'm in a good mood from the weather) - we had breadsticks with our dinner tonight, and Evan realized that you can sip up marinara through a straw and shoot it out. Luckily, it only got on the table (and a little in Daddy's cup). I am so ready for him to be out of this phase.

:)