Because Someone Asked

I'm updating because someone asked. It's not my fault.

I could also be avoiding some other projects that really need to get done...possibly.

I attended Life the Universe and Everything last weekend. Thanks Mark for the invitation. LTUE is a conference for fantasy fiction writers and illustrators. Despite knowing this I was still a little shocked when the First Contact panel was about Alien/Human contact. Let's just say, "A couple of the attendees were likely writing Auto-biographical not fictional accounts."

Lets see, the Killer Breakfast, (I'm told it was my first Dungeons and Dragons session, booyah!) was great fun! And, I was reminded that it has been a REALLY long time since high school writing classes. Reminders of Story Arcs and Characterization and How to Draw Really Great Under Sea Creatures were not only a good review but, encouraging coming from actually published authors and artists.

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Last night was the Blue and Gold Banquet for Cub Scouts. I'm kinda into Cub Scouts, shocking, I know. Waking up to help a 9 year old and an 8 year old make a cake each and making sure 6 year old felt included by allowing him to squirt water into the humongous tub of Homemade Root Beer we were bringing was delightful indeed. As a bonus I got to mop my floors, always a joy! The night turned out well, way to go, paulbrowning, a mighty Cub Master and why weren't you at LTUE, I saw no illustrations finer than yours. Did I mention I got out of cooking dinner?

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I'm going to have to start running each day if the next task on my "Balls" quest is going to work out. I'm pretty sure the 4 walks I managed to walk in February will prove to be little deterrent to the aching muscles and huffing/puffing that is to come. I am determined though!

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Help! The fridge is empty again and the cupboards are barren? One little Three-Day-Weekend and it's like an Egyptian Locust Plague.

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And, battery is dying the torment is over!

What a Sweetheart

In honor of Valentines day I thought I'd share a couple Adorable Hubby moments. I've picked up some extra shifts in February. We could really use the additional fundage but nine nights of 9PM to 7AM is tough. Almost as tough as trying to fall to sleep all alone and freezing cold in my semi-dark bedroom.

This past week when I got home, all the boys were ready to go to school and our bed was made with my side folded down and a couple of heated corn bags for my feet. What a sweetie.

Adorable Hubby is always doing thoughtful little things like that.

Yesterday at the end of my shower I took down the shower curtain and threw it away, shudder! Disgusting, but not nearly as bad as the toilet.

Adorable Hubby and I ran some errands, including buying a new shower curtain then, as we were headed home, he said, "For your Valentines gift how about if I clean the toilet for you." Ahhh the sweetness.

15 minutes later I walked in the bathroom to see Adorable Hubby, scrubber in hand, up to his elbow in toilet water...ACKKKKK!

I'm pretty sure that he's gonna want me to hold that hand at some point this Valentines weekend. He'll maybe even use that hand to brush a lock of hair out of my eyes then tenderly cup my cheek as he gently kisses me...

Classifieds

Tonight #3 chucked a Swiss Army Wallet tin at either Adorable Hubby or #2, I don't think he really cared who he hit, nor do I think he had a good reason to chuck it. Boys just throw stuff.

Unfortunately for him Adorable Hubby, who was a paper boy for many years, caught it and chucked it back at #3 who turned sideways and took the dead on accurate hit to the shoulder. Thus began a discussion of skills acquired as a newspaper boy.

Remember newspapers? They used to be delivered by cute neighborhood boys to your porch or roof or driveway. Your dad used to read the Headlines, then the Editorial page, followed by a discussion with your mom about the idiot opinions of some people and then, if you were lucky, he would read the Funnies hand them to your mom to read and then you got them. If you we're like me you made do with the classified adds (specifically the Personals, always great entertainment, and possibly the Lost pets column on a big news and opinions day) until those treasured Funnies were finally available.

For twenty years of married life, Adorable Hubby and I have never got the paper. I should get one for the coupons but knowing myself, well... Adorable Hubby knowing myself, that is just another well intentioned stack waiting for me to get too. We DO NOT need another one of those.

I do, however, really need to take out a classified.

You see, I have decided to quit fighting to change my sleeping pattern from days to nights every seven days. I've always been a bit of a night owl so, instead of trying unsuccessfully to adjust I'm just going to stay up until 2:30 AM on the weeks I don't work then I'll sleep in until 11:30AM. Now that I've grown accustomed to the embarrassment of hearing the boys tell random strangers at the door and on the phone that I'm still asleep in the middle of the day, it should all work out.

But, nights get lonely. I need a night owl friend.

I'm working on my add, not sure whether to place it in the Help Wanted, Personal, or Missing Pets section.

Wanted: Night time friend. Should enjoy mid-night movies and re-runs of Law And Order SVU. Be available for trips to Wal-Mart and all night drug stores. Toilet cleaning skills are a must. Good listener. Sense of humor. Daily bathing and teeth brushing required(just in case homeless people still use newspapers for warmth). Laundry skills not required but helpful. Knowledge of local all-night establishments is essential. Interviews conducted every other 7 nights at Blockbuster video on center street.

And speaking of classifieds, remember The Pina Colada Song? "...If you like Pina Coladas, getting caught in the rain. If you're not into yoga, if you have half-a-brain. If you like making love at midnight with two dudes and a cake..."

Turns out there aren't two dudes and a cake involved. I'm a little sad about that, Adorable Hubby is still laughing.