I recently purchased a Nintendo DS Lite and I love it.   It’s small, it’s streamlined, and it’s pink.   What’s not to love?   Granted, I haven’t removed it from the box… but when I do, I know I’ll become obsessed with it and with playing it and with buying games for it and dominating them.  And therein lies the problem.   I have a confession to make.  I love toys.  I love shiny, new, fun toys.   And if they come in pink, so much the better.  You see once I unwrap that perfect little pink toy I’m going to be spending copious amounts of time on it.   And right now with the school Talent Show, two ongoing contracts, a new upcoming contract, a potential move and tending to one Meemsy, one Bear and one Drue, the spare time I have is spent sleeping and taking the occasional shower.  Which, believe it or not, I do… on occasion.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>

I’m not entirely sure how to sum up the last seven days of my life.   It feels a bit like teleporting.   At least, it feels like I’d imagine teleporting would be.   You know, you start in one place and then you feel yourself get all split apart and then all of a sudden you’re in an entirely NEW and different place but are all together.   The latest, newest and biggest news is that the Gloeges have gone all “I Can’t Believe We’re Not Vegan”.    And by that I mean we’re not truly vegan because we are not swearing off meat forever.  I’m sorry but I need the real deal at Thanksgiving.   Tofurkey is not going to cut it.   And I’d rather give up anything else in the universe food-wise except sushi.   So there may be an occasional noshing of the raw fish.   But otherwise, we have given up meat, dairy, raw sugar and white, processed foods.  How and why we decided to do this is a whole ‘nother post – and one that may be posted over where my new project (TBA soon!) lives, but suffice it to say that we, as a family, have never eaten or pooped so well.  And that’s all I’m saying about that.  You can thank me later.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>

Mimir goes by many names – Meer, Meemsy, Pooh Bear, Tiger Cat.   And then there is my personal favorite – Mimir Damnit – which is probably the name the cat is called more than any of the others.    Granted, in the past, calling the cat “Damnit” has gotten me in trouble.   Who can ever forget their first call by their child’s teacher asking that you come in for a meeting.  And who can forget the ensuing discussion of your child’s family tree whereupon you find a picture of an orange blob with the name “Mimir Danmit” written on a bottom limb?    Mimir, like the other females in this house, is opinionated, stubborn and determined to do it her way.   You’d think we playing Frank Sinatra on perma-loop around here.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>

As many of you know,  Jason and I have lived together, post-divorce, since November of 2006.  Drue and I moved from the Research Triangle Park are of North Carolina to the Fairfax area near Washington DC.  Why we moved is a post in and unto itself, so we’ll leave it for another time.    Suffice it to say that we moved and he moved and somehow, thanks to the financial reality of NoVA aka being ridiculously overpriced in everything, we ended up living together.    And living together is not something we do really well.  Which is why we got a divorce in the first place.   But we made the most of a difficult situation and are looking forward to the day when we no longer live together.  Like by this summer.   Sorry.  I had to go throw a small party for us for a second there.   But again, I deviate from the topic at hand and in my brain and it is DYING to get out! So shall I continue? Yes, I think I shall…
READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>

The other day, Jason whined that my posts on Lifeinflux are not as random and fun as my posts used to be when I was on Livejournal. He said that random and fun were the reasons people read as opposed to, you know, my insightful observations and words of profound wisdom.  Mom, stop chuckling.  I HEAR YOU.   I reminded Jason that sharing crap in my head frequently scares people off.    Jason’s reply was “but I love peanut cookies” which means that in Jason’s opinion scaring people off is fun and random… and that I was holding our mega jar of Peter Pan peanut butter in my hands.   A = B = C, right?   And yes, I meant to type HANDS.  We buy our peanut butter in volume at Costco.   Deal.     So, in honor of Jason’s request, and because today I do NOT have time to bake him peanut cookies, I will share the random crap that popped into my head between the hours of 2 AM and right now.   Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I dreamt of the Talent Show last night and sometime between 2 and whenever the alarm/cat purr noise combo woke me, I wrote down the act performance order…. in Swahili apparently.    I don’t know Swahili and I don’t know if this scribble scratch is actually Swahili but I’ve told nine people this morning that I am translating my notes from Swahili which is why I haven’t emailed them the list yet.  So apparently it’s true.  And isn’t Swahili cooler than scribble scratch?   I thought so too.  Plus it saves me the burden of admitting that I, in fact, write in my sleep.   Actually it’s more semi-sleep… which I just admitted here.  Sigh.

Pancakes are almost the perfect food but since cupcakes are the perfect food, pancakes can’t be.  Sorry, pancakes.

I can’t believe my child, my flesh and blood, my once 10 lb, 9 1/2 ounce baby who took 12 hours to come into this world (if my Mom can hold her labor over my head, I can hold mine over Drue’s), picked comfortable, non-matching shoes over the cute, but mildly uncomfortable ones that go with her outfit. This is obviously a form of rebellion. Or Jason is rubbing off on her. GAH!

I hate people who can jog along with their dog, mostly because I want to be one of those people too.   And while I can jog, I cannot jog with Bear.   Because Bear is not one of those dogs who trots along beside my knee, gazing lovingly up at me while I perkily bob along to the tune of Britney or Fergie on my iPod.   No, Bear is one of those dogs who stops on a dime before trying to further separate my AC joints while pulling me down the road at full run so he can chase after deer six houses away only to hit the ground flat because OHMIGOD THERE IS A SQUIRREL.   And, we all know the squirrels are out to get him.  Or something.    That said, after a miler with Bear my abs, arms, back, shoulders, quads and ass hurt from all the stop, pull, jerk, run and drop.   Your dog can stop, drop and roll? Pfft.  Amateur.    Your dog can run a three miler while heeling?   HATE YOU with a passion.  Oh and my dog can be covered in mud in under three seconds.  Can your dog do that?  Didn’t think so.   And he’s secure in his bear-hood.  And he wears stripes well.

In a nutshell, you can take your jog able dog and shove it.

Sarah Palin would piss me off except Ann Coulter has the spot of most obnoxious, Republican waste-of-space-on-the-planet position all wrapped up.   And well, Sarah Palin is so stupid that she’s the ongoing punchline of her own joke.   That said, I finally found a Palin book I will read.   I do think calling her an “American Nightmare” is a little strong and giving her more credit than she is due.   Maybe they can re-release it under a new title?    Going Rouge:  An American Joke feels more accurate.   And, why not a book on Olympia Snowe?  I can totally stand behind a true fiscal conservative with moderate leanings who votes her conscience and for the people she represents. This, btw, is a “WOW – what a concept” moment in politics.   Sure, the Republican Party has branded her a traitor; but then, the Republican party sucks, has abandoned true conservatism and has gone all scary, right-wing Christian coalition on us.   And that’s bad.   Think of every time in history religion and political power have mixed?   No good comes of this!   Segue – come to think of it, I like Susan Collins as well.  She’s around Palin’s age, right?    Why the heck couldn’t McCain have gone with her for his vice president pick instead of Palin?    Is the Republican Party indulging in psychotropic drugs now?   Does Maine manage to create something the rest of the country cannot – bipartisan, moderate politicians?   And why are they REPUBLICANS?   This is going to tax 1/64ths of my brain ALL DAY.

Why do I have to clean the dog crate, all of Kodi’s blankets, the car blanket, the car, Kodi’s babies and the entire bathroom every time Kodi gets a bath.  Oh, right.  OCD.  Never mind.

Now – Coffee, apple, emails, forms, storyboard, meeting, research, invoices, horse back riding, dinner, and bed.  Not a bad Wednesday, hm?

2010 has started off with a bang.  When I look back six months ago and the level of unhappiness in my life verses today and the level of satisfaction and happiness I feel, I know that I am one lucky girl.   When I wrote my list of 101 things in 1001 days, I had no idea that my little company would explode, bringing in enough income to support myself and another developer along with the occasional freelancer.   Wow!   I am not complaining but I do find myself split between doing what I want work-wise and doing what I want life-wise.   The beauty of my overarching goal is that I do have 1001 days to accomplish all 101 things; however, 1001 days is a finite time and I want to make sure I 1) have a plan of attack to ensure I don’t lose sight of my goals and 2) accomplish them in a way that allows me to enjoy the process.   Life is a journey, not a destination and I don’t want this to become a checklist of things to do.   The purpose was to get me out of my comfort zone and to ensure I am LIVING and experiencing my life.    To lose the joy of the process means I miss the real point of creating this list in the first place.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>

Over the last three years, I’ve donated over 500 hours of my time volunteering at Drue’s school in support of the theatre arts program.   This does not include the time I volunteer supporting other programs, being room parent for Drue’s class, attending PTA meetings, etc.  I enjoy working with the kids and enjoy the programs I support.  I also recognize that this is finite.   Once Drue hits middle school, the number of hours I am allowed to spend at and around the school will dwindle simply because middle school has programs in place that are run administratively that cover the niche I provide at her elementary school.   As a volunteer, I get a unique perspective into the mindset and personalities of both child(ren) and parents.   And while the kids are incredibly refreshing and likeable, the parents definitely run the gamut from amazing, lovely people to disrespectful boors.   And in almost every case, it is the parents who don’t volunteer often who complain and are disrespectful the most.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE >>

I can comfortably say that books quite literally saved my sanity growing up.   And no matter where I’ve lived in my 35 years, the library has been a significant place in my life. Whether I am searching for the latest fiction or the classic I’ve been meaning to read, whether I am looking for information to gain additional knowledge or to prove someone wrong, the library is where I go first.  If I needed to escape the madness of my childhood home, I would head to the library and lose myself for hours.  After all, no one would tell me I could not go to the library and study!

Now that I’m an adult (sort of) with my own child, I try to teach her about the wonder and knowledge held between the pages of a really good book.   And nothing makes me happier to see her curled up in a comfortable chair trying on a new topic or subject in a book that she would never purchase in a bookstore but can read about for free here at her local library.

Knowledge is my religion and the library is my church.  I go when I need to get away from it all, when I need a little peace and quiet or when I need to figure something out.   Occasionally, I’ll head in there, find a comfy corner and just think.    While it’s mostly about the books, it’s not always about the books.   Unfortunately, due to ongoing budget cuts, I can no longer go to the library and get all the answers I’m looking for in the tomes provided.   Many of the reference books available are horribly out-of-date.

That said, the incessant noise of the local Barnes and Noble or Borders does not provide the solace I require.   And while I can sit and read in the bookstore, it is not the same.  Too often I’m too busy dodging screaming kids and people on cell phones.  And nothing rips you out of a book like the occasional stroller banging into my knees.   So I can’t really get into the proper mindset to really concentrate and therefore, enjoy what I’m reading.    So, I start at the library and often end up trudging home to seek out more up-to-date information on the World Wide Web.     And while the Internet is faster, quicker, more eco-friendly and probably more user-friendly, for me nothing beats the aesthetic and tactile value of a book.

Library budget cuts are occurring all over the country.   If you live in Fairfax County, please read about the proposed library budget cuts and sign the petition.    Or Google (or Yahoo or Bing) your county and “library budget cuts” and see if there are proposed cuts in your area.   Be a library advocate and contact your local elected officials.

I don’t think any other image sums up Drue’s and Mimir’s relationship as well as this one. Do I need to say more?

Last time I saw snow it was a balmy 46 degrees. The air was clean and sparkling and the sun was shining and the snow was soft and powdery and thick, like a blanket. I believe California law requires snow to exist in such conditions all the time. But well, Virginia isn’t California. So instead, I dealt with a gray, cold day where the high was somewhere around 25 and ice was on the sidewalks and the streets and schools had a two hour delay. Granted, the air might have been clean and sparkling – wait a moment while I pick myself up from laughing – but I can’t tell because I spend my days existing in a Zyrtec haze to ensure I have enough room in my nose and sinuses to breathe a little around all the congestion.

Ignore me. I’m just a crankpot when I come back from the west coast. I’m usually over it and enjoying the area after a few weeks have passed and I get over my longing to get on an airplane and head straight back. And it is pretty… at least out my front door and away from the street. Street side it’s gross. And you don’t want to see a picture of that.