“You Take The Good, You Take The Bad”

“You take them both and there you have The Facts of Life.”

This morning…

This afternoon…

This evening…

I’m home, packing for my weekend in DC, and self-medicating for a nasty headache and aching shoulders, possibly from the icy accident this morning. The car has been in the shop for an estimate and let’s just say thank goodness we have insurance! They can get me in at the end of the month to get it fixed. Until then, I’ll be driving dear husband’s car that is just sitting outside in the parking lot.

To add insult to injury to whatever, those yummy cake truffles up there? I think they upset my stomach this afternoon. Which is just so MEAN. So I’m already in PJs and trying to figure out how to pack for a whole long weekend in DC with only carry ons so I don’t have to deal with checked bags. Wish me luck!

Apparently, I Am An Old Lady

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This weekend showed me the epitome of my old lady-ness as of late.

Example A: staffing a work event on Friday evening at the local science museum with over 380 people in attendance and cooing over one of my volunteer’s most darling two month old baby! I spent a lot of the event cuddling her. Made my uterus ache something fierce.

Example B: going to bed early after previously described work event on Friday night. I’ve always been exhausted after a work week, but I spent three days on vacation this week in Branson with the family. I shouldn’t be that tired after two days of work!

Example C: waking up early on Saturday morning to run with my husband. And not being able to get through the Couch to 5K program, even though I was doing the third week of it on the treadmill a few months ago. Working out is definitely in the sucking position right now.

Example D: eye exam and shopping at Costco after our run. What a Saturday morning

Example E: picking up a bottle of Arbor Mist for the party with the law school kids that Saturday night, rather than drinking their Bud Light

Example F: after drinking that bottle of Arbor Mist at the hours-long party, needing to nap in one of the bedrooms while Husband continued to hang out with his friends

No, ladies and gents, I am not proud of that last one. Everyone apparently kept asking where I was and Husband explained that I had a bit too much to drink and had to sleep it off. An hour after I laid down, he came in to take me home. All the kids were asking if “Mrs. L” was ok – they call me by my full name for some strange reason. It was sort of awful.

The next time Husband wants to go out with the law school kids, we are definitely taking two cars so I can put my old lady self to bed at a reasonable hour. Because that was ridiculous.

Organizing My Basement Storage Room Almost Killed Me and My Husband – But It Was Worth It

Saturday morning…

10:18 am – Husband comes in, pokes me, tells me it’s time to wake up, that’s it past 10 am. I slept in after staying out late on Friday night for a work event.

10:26 am – Managed to drag ourselves out of the house and into the car for a quick donut run. Decide on one dozen in order to get us through the cleaning weekend.

11:12 am – First fight of the day. It revolves around the question of what someone means when they offer an item up for either the trash or donation pile. We resolve this and move forward. I won’t say who won it, because I’m pretty sure it might bring up the fight again.

2 pm – It’s time for a break. There was a donation run as well as a snack at QT. Do you know how awesome those fountain vanilla cokes are? They’re my addiction lately.

4:52 pm – The doorbell knocks as we are just starting to place boxes back where they go. There’s lots of extra room and we have combined many boxes. I’m feeling good! I go upstairs and who is standing there but the Sunday night dinner crew. We spent that night drinking and playing video games. It was an awesome diversion.

Sunday morning…

10:45 am – We woke up late. It was a late night driving home after playing games. :) But we get moving and finish going through boxes and finding new ways to stack all the boxes we were keeping.

2:03 pm – Husband and I stand back, and admire our work. We have lots of room for a laundry folding table, Husband’s tools and even an organized corner for luggage next to the deep freeze.

5 boxes and a few random things to Goodwill… 15 bags to the trash… and an entire pile of empty moving boxes that need to be broken down to be recycled. It is awfully impressive. I’m so happy – I even want to fold laundry in there! It is so true that if you like the spaces in your house, you’ll stop avoiding chores there. When we get the next house with a real laundry room instead of space in the basement, I’m definitely going to be decorating it to make me happy there too!

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I wish I could show you pictures, but unfortunately, my iPhone took a nose dive this morning and the replacement I got today didn’t allow me to back it up beforehand. Plus, taking pictures in a basement is just so boring. And hard to really show what it looks like. So there’s just my little narrative!

I Try to Be Organized, I Really, Really, REALLY Do!

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Do you ever put something away in a particular place because you don’t want to lose it, and if you put it in that particular place, you can’t POSSIBLY forget that you put it there?

Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s where our safe deposit box key is. Hiding somewhere – probably where *I* put it to keep it safe.

No, it’s not in Husband’s sock drawer (where I’m told ALL men keep important things, Husband and my father are evidence of this one).

No, it’s not in any one of the MULTIPLE bags that I use to shuttle to-do items between home and the office.

No, it’s not in the hanging mail organizing by the staircase. Not in any one of the pockets in that organizer.

No, it’s not in my car.

No, it’s not in the important file box.

And it’s not in any one of the random piles of things around the house.

I have prayed to St. Anthony [patron saint of misplaced things], I have prayed to St. Jude [patron saint of lost causes] and I have cursed to high heavens when I.just.can’t.find.it.

After learning of the $150 re-keying fee imposed by my bank, I must ask you, O Internet…

WHERE is my safe deposit box key?!

Breaking Up with My Beloved Starbucks

NOTE: If you are squeamish, you might not want to read this post. The subject is kind of, um, delicate.

Yesterday morning was a coffee morning. I stopped by my  favorite Starbucks with a drive thru and picked up a wonderful skinny Cinnamon Dolce latte light whip – but forgot to ask for the sugar chaser that Mom reminded me cuts the bitterness of the skinny latte. Still awesome, but not as it could have been on an early Tuesday morning.

In any case, I sipped on my yummy coffee all morning while checking emails.

And then it happened – my stomach started to revolt. I rushed to the bathroom, which made me realize that me and the morning latte didn’t so much get along.

My mom reminded me over the weekend that caffeine is a diuretic – that’s why you have to pee so often after drinking coffee or something similar. But this? It wasn’t just that. There was a yucky feeling along with it.

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. I think I have to admit defeat – I can’t have coffee. It’s a hard thing to swallow, because I *LOVE* my coffee. My weekly trip to Starbucks is the highlight of my week. I wonder if it’s all coffee or just an ingredient in the cinnamon dolce latte mix or maybe Starbucks beans.

Have you ever been faced with giving up some item of food that you REALLY love? I don’t know how I can deal.

Facebook – The Final Frontier

I feel like I have a split personality on Facebook.

On the one hand, I use it to keep in touch with friends across the country, family across the world and my husband in the next room. However, I also use it for business reasons. There are so many of my contacts from work on Facebook, both their personal profiles whom I’m friended and the business pages that they run.

With over 560 friends (wow, that sounds super conceited, doesn’t it?) and probably 100 fan pages, it’s gotten to be too much to keep up. I created privacy lists to make the division between work and personal a bit more clear but there are somethings I’m not sure how to draw that line for.

Do you show other people pictures from the weekend? Your status posts? What about fun videos you find on YouTube?

For most people at work, I feel like I draw that line on the more conservative side, so I don’t insult anyone with my random videos or whatnot. But there are some people in the office who show everyone everything they do on Facebook (I think).

How do you keep that division between work and your personal life on Facebook? Because I need some serious help in that department.

I Can't Believe I'm THAT Addicted

I had my last soda last night. I can't have anyone until Sunday, April 24. That's 47 days away - the length of the Lenten season. I wanted to do something big this year, because in the past, I've sometimes tried to stop swearing or promise to go to the gym or some other silly thing. I think based upon my caffeine headache this afternoon, giving up soda was DEFINITELY the right thing to do. It's a pretty massive caffeine withdrawal I'm going to head through. Now, I'm not giving up coffee - I.might.die but still. Husband is with me in my endeavor, thought, and he's given up carbonated beverages as well. So hot chocolate and lemonade will be my beverages of choice for the next few weeks. I can do it. Right?

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Overwhelmed…

… and not in a good way.

The past few months, I’ve been adding more and more to my proverbial plate.  Emotionally, I’ve been running on empty since Dad died. Work has been crazy, even though many of my events have come and gone. It looks like we might be adding even more events, so that stress is starting to make itself known.

That combined with the Boards I sit on and the things I do for those Boards makes my days very very very busy.

So we are at a crossroads. Something has to give. Or I will continue to stress myself out and not sleep very well and probably have some kind of breakdown, whether I like it or not. My mother is rather worried about me actually. And when Mom is worried, that makes me worried, because the situation is serious. And I guess she sees more into the reality of what’s going on more than I do. That’s why I tell her these things – so she can tell me what really is going on.

Tonight on the phone sobbing about the situation [did I mention I just might be PMSing? That’s always a helpful addition], she helped me make a decision. I’ve written the letter and the draft is sitting in my folder, waiting for Husband to come home and review it before I launch it. I don’t want to burn bridges but it’s come time to step back from certain things so I can maintain my sanity.  I’m very conflicted and torn but it has to be done.

But there is something that makes up for the craziness and will help me get through the next few weeks… and that is vacations.

In 36 days, I’ll be boarding a plane for Europe… Yay for Christmas with family in England and New Year’s in Paris with Mom, Brother and Husband. Yay. :)

And in many more days, I’ll be boarding a plane for the House of the Mouse.

Husband and I booked a trip for Food and Wine 2011. YAY. Words cannot describe how happy that makes me. :) :) :)

It makes up for having to take a step back, because I can enjoy those times so much more.

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I really just have no luck with cars

I seriously just need someone to invent a car that is Jessica-proof. It seems that every car I touch seems to end up worse off then when we started. The Saturn Saga was seemingly resolved – until the AC went out a few months ago.

Crap.

You really need AC if you’re driving a car with black leather interior in St. Louis. Seriously.

So Husband and I have been carpooling in the other car while we saved up the $900 it’s going to take to fix the Saturn.

In all the craziness of the last few weeks, I’ve also been dealing with a new car. Dad’s Saturn Ion that he bought a few years ago is now here, allowing Husband and I to carpool to work in a car with far fewer miles and a working AC. Mom didn’t need a third card (she had hers and my brother had his) and decided that my dad would have wanted me to have it.

Believe me, there were many tears when we discussed the idea and it hasn’t been easy driving his car. When Mom handed me the actual title, I literally BURST into tears. It just seemed awfully real at that point.

So after that long introduction, I took the new car to the dealership [not really a Saturn dealer anymore, because Saturn doesn’t exist, but this one still deals with Saturn] to get an oil change – about 1,000 miles overdue.

The technician takes my car back and then comes out a few minutes later with this look on his face. You know the one. The one that says you’re going to owe a ton of money.

It turns out that the tires on the car [which honestly may be the original tires on the car] had “dry rot” and were unsafe to drive. The tech even said he was glad I got to the shop safely and didn’t have an accident they were so bad. The rubber was pulling apart from itself and had a gap in it on the front tire.

YIKES.

Obviously, I had Husband come pick me up and they had to replace tires. I pick it up tomorrow afternoon.

And to make matters worse? I came home to THIS in the mail…

SERIOUSLY.

I love my job but sometimes I wonder why…

I have a problem saying no.

It’s getting me into trouble lately.

So there are two major events going on for my work tomorrow. I have to be at the first one and make sure the second one begins ok.

Then I have to scootch out and head to a tech rehearsal for Noises Off – which opens a week from Friday.

So when more stuff gets piled on my plate with the event – wrong information got in the article in the paper, itineraries are changing at the last minute, the DVD for the background TV at the second event wasn’t looping like it should, I need a certain type of Sharpies for the book signing and volunteers keep cancelling on me – I get frustrated.

I’m SO ready for Friday – when I’ll be done with this event. I’m enjoying my job, but really, sometimes I wonder why I like it when it FRUSTRATES me so much!

There is a Time for Everything

Today was a rough day.

After the most amazing night at Barrister Ball [post forthcoming as soon as I get more pictures!], I had errands to run today and then a memorial service to attend.

While we were on vacation at Disneyworld, I got word that a former colleague of mine had passed away. He was quite young, only 41, so everyone was rather shocked.

I worked with Brad when I interned at the Repertory Theatre while I was a senior in college. I saw him quite a bit going to see shows over the next few years and he always had a smile on his face and was just happy to be in the theatre.

Today's memorial service had memories from friends and co-workers plus a video at the end from a storytelling event at SXSW Festival last year. He told the story of "His Second Time" - when he saw a professional theatrical performance by himself in New York and it made him want to become a theatre professional.

As wonderful as the service was, it was something else that got my attention. The service was held at the theatre where Brad worked and the set for their current show was still up. The set consisted of a fake proscenium arch with some balconies constructed above the stage. I'm not familiar with the show but I guess actors must have to use these balconies because there were chairs there... and they had set the lights up just right that a spotlight illuminated the balcony to the right. There was a tie draped over the chair and a reserved sign on the chair. It took me a moment to realize it was Brad's favorite Christmas tie - he always wore crazy and bright ties to almost any theatre performance.

When I saw that, I almost lost it. I've ALWAYS been a crier - doesn't matter if it's a sappy commercial or just some random thought. I tend to cry at the drop of a hat. But the sight of Brad's tie on that chair lit by a spot on the stage that he loved to promote was just too much.

Throughout the service, I kept thinking about the Ecclesiastes verse that you usually hear at most Christian funerals:

Ecclesiastes 3

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Even though we can reflect on verses like this, I'm not sure it makes it easier to handle the passing of a dear friend.

The Saturn Saga

... is over. After 5 batteries in three years, we have a solution.

Remember a few weeks ago when we had a really bad day and then a few days later an even worse day? All because of that wonderful invention called a car that allows me to get from here to there.

Well, the situation has finally resolved itself - after a few hundred dollars, that is.

Where we last left the Saturn, the mechanic has located the problem in a battery cable that was corroded on the inside and thereby killing the battery. So we came up with a back up plan (borrow a car from a family member if the car dies again, and save up money now in order to purchase a new car in the future). But it turns out we didn't need the plan!

With plans in place, we left for Christmas and New Year's and then proceeded to come down with a horrible cold that knocked both of us out of commission for a whole week. Come last Thursday, I finally needed my car and not share with Husband so I went out to start the car. SURPRISE! It doesn't start.

After another AAA service call and another new battery, Husband and I decided to drive the Saturn straight to the dealership and leave it with them to divine the problem with my dear car. I explained the latest problem to John, our service tech.

Me: "So the AAA came today and tried to jump the car, and it somehow started with a big jump. But when he couldn't figure out why the brand new battery died, he decided to dig deeper. The battery tested fine when it was out of the car, but the minute you attach it to the coupe's battery cable, suddenly the battery reads at half power. How can that be?"

John the Saturn tech: "Um... I have no idea. I've never heard of this problem."

Me: "So I'm special. I get that. But I'm leaving it here until you guys can figure it out!"

John the Saturn tech: "Ok... I'll call you when we have an answer!"

I don't think it's good when you confuse the mechanic. I mean, aren't they supposed to have seen everything about cars?

In any case, the mechanics at Saturn finally got to the bottom of it. I have no idea how they did it, but they did! I finally have my car back! Believe it or not, the broken power locks [that haven't worked in eight months] somehow have been constantly firing and draining the electrical power from the battery. They fired and fired and fired all day and all night and ended up killing every single battery that was placed in the car.

I almost want to buy the mechanics and John the customer service tech something nice. Because they gave me my car back! Wow. :) I'm a happy camper with a car that doesn't die AND has its power locks working again!