Joyful Mayhem

Gratitudes: 1. For my big platform flop flops that got stuck in my truck door as it was  closing. So it bounced back out instead of crushing my foot.  2. For a body that can move. Man, I hate exercise, but I'd hate not being able to  more.  3. Mindless but thoroughly fun TV. Thanks Big Brother! 4. Friends that you can be honest and real and dress comfortably with. And let  you play with their kitties.  5. Tonight was Make It Yourself dinner and I didn't have to cook.  Laments: 1. Being hurt by people you love.  2. Injured tailbones hurt...and don't seem to ever fully recover.   3. Waking up early.  4. Grocery shopping.  5. Flies that sneak into the house. Gross.

Warning: the following contains a superfluous amount of quotation marks for emphasis and for dialogue; both fake & real. Reader discretion is advised. I never want to go to Yoga, but I haven't been "up" for weight lifting again.  I figured yoga would work my muscles with my own (plentiful) body weight and I'd get more flexible too. I hate it. I love when it's done, but I don't like it.  My instructor is darling and looks like Ellie Kemper (Erin from The Office).  I wish I had a photo, but even if I tried, I sit way in back and you wouldn't be able to tell anyhow. Just take my word for it.  (Would I lie to you?) Her hair is more blonde now, but when I started, it was red. She's darling, always smiling (with her beautiful teeth) and is good  at what she does.  I do like that her class feels more yoga "workout" with positive "take time for yourself/get rid of the negative stuff" vs. being in a religious temple where we als

I find my timing to be wonky on posting these.  I usually do my 5&5 at night, before bed. And I usually go to bed way too late. So I decided I'll still write them at night as usual, but then I'll repost in the morning. Just in case you were wondering.  Laments: 1. That 80's rock includes Bill Seger.  2. That videos that old remind me of *just* how much weight I've gained in 28 years. yeesh 3. Neighbor friends who move away.  4. That I can make a comparison including the words "28 years"! 5. Headaches Gratitudes: 1. For (non-satellite) radio stations that still play 80's rock.  2. For old video tapes that remind me of good times and old friends, some of whom I still am in touch with.  3. Neighbors who are also friends.  4. For Netflix. It's just so cool! 5. Advil and ice packs

I had this post all ready to go and you'll read why I specifically chose today, but I couldn't just publish it without a mention of 9/11.  N ever forget. How could we? Can you believe it’s been a month already?  One month since Robin Williams died. I shared in my post about him how it affected me, especially in those first days. Since then, I’ve been thinking even more. (By they way, PBS is running a retrospective about him in the next week. I saw it last night and recommend it.) It seems people have become a little more open about their own depression. Even if they aren’t ready to talk publicly about it, they seem to be sharing more with others who have. I think this is really healthy, if not to help get the word out, but to identify each other for our own support.  But the reason people are so reluctant is that there is still the stigma attached to mental illness, even if it’s “just” depression. (As a sufferer, I say that completely sarcastically. Unfortuna

Laments: 1. Headaches... 2. School staff who are unhelpful. WHY make this your job if you are MEAN? 3. The carpet in my house...still disgusting. 4. I tweaked my knee. How? um....by walking. It's starting to feel better, but seriously, after 1/2 hour on the treadmill yesterday, I don't know what went wrong.  It must have been one of the sprint intervals where I ran. (It's got to be the running) :) 5. I didn't get done as much as I had hoped today because of unforeseen interruptions. Gratitudes: 1. I had an impromptu coffee date with my youngest. He had a rough morning and I took advantage of the extra traffic that would have resulted in him being late anyhow. 2. My daughter missed her train to school, so she was home longer. We had some nice times to chat and joke around.  3. My oldest son was up earlier than normal and working, but he came in for lunch and I had some time with him too.  In fact some of it was with the 3 of us and it was great! 4. Seinfeld

Laments: 1. Oh My gosh... the shelf with my tupperware/food storage containers. It's a black hole (or triangle). I organize it, others unorganize it and it's almost impossible to find anything. 2. The neighbor who had his RV A/C running almost 24 hours. (I can't handle the constant noise) 3. Damp bathrooms showers that are impossible to keep clean. 4. Ants. I hate them. 5. Our driveway. It's a tandem style so we're constantly jockeying cars, and it's rock. Gratitudes: 1. All 6 of us were home for dinner tonight. 2. AND since we were all here, we got to catch up on the new season of Doctor Who! 3. I've had the motivation lately to tackle some very small but annoying home improvement tasks that have made life a bit more enjoyable. 4. My Kirby vacuum rules.  5. Flamingos. They are pretty and make me smile. How about you?  Any gripes you need to vent?  Anything you're particularly thankful for today?

Last night we went to Honors night at my youngest son's middle school. He started the evening a little disappointed since none of his siblings were able to attend. Because of the timing, he was able to still make it to Wednesday night youth group, but had left home early enough that he hadn't had dinner. I remembered a coupon I had in my purse from the BlogHer blogging conference I went to this summer. We don't eat out a lot, so anything is usually a treat. But this was for a McDonald's Happy Meal.  I can't remember the last time I bought a Happy Meal. I mean, we've stopped at McDonald's on occasion if we're traveling, but even that had lost it's charm after the whole " pink slime " issue (and which, after looking for a link to help educate those unfamiliar with it, I am sad to see it's making a comeback). I asked my son if he wanted it and he smiled and seemed suddenly glad he was the only one in the car with us. As we approached