We started out the weekend with Liv's Parent teacher conference where we found out that she not only does math like a second grader* but also reads like one. Yes, yes. Jim just shrugs and says "we have a few books around th house."

When we got home, after a play on the playground, Blessed Alice was there to scoop them up for the weekend. This was a surprise as I was expecting her Saturday morning. Sure, take the kids, please! Off they went. Jim and I had some dinner then I went out and spent the evening sitting at the bar and Sen Yai Sen Lek with Jen. We drank some beer and had some tasty appetizers. And I stayed out until 10pm**! When I got in the car, "as it Happens" was on the radio. I don't think I have heard "as it happens"--from the CBC--in years!

Then I watched some hulu.com (the detective show "life") and went to bed--all by myself. no elbows or knees to poke me and push me. It was lovely.

A meeting at 8:30 am started my Saturday. Turns out being the Class Rep person means I am on the Fall Fun committee. not that bad, really.

Then I drove around for awhile, at loose ends. I was going to go to the Mill City Market, but all the meters were blocked off and the parking lots were full of U of M tailgaters. So I drove on. I was feeling very out of touch with the city, out of touch with myself. Lonely missing coconuthead If she was here, I'd know what to do on a beautiful Saturday morning...

I had an appointment to get my new glasses adjusted at 11:30 and after I got that done. I woke Jim up. "Wake up! I'm lonely! and awake! and hungry!"
Yeah, he woke up. Eventually, we got dressed for the wedding we had at 4:30 and grabbed a bite of lunch at Bulldog bar. Truffle salt on tater tots? yum! Then we still had some time to kill, so we wandered through Surdyk's and tasted wine and spirits. We bought some on-sale vodka and a bottle of bright pink liquor called "X-rated."

When gretchney returns from her honeymoon we should have a pink drink party :)
So we went to the beautiful, beautiful wedding and had a lovely time. I am so happy that I am married to a man that will dance with me at weddings. We don't go to that many and I don't make him dance anywhere else, so it is nice that he will dance with me there. And he did avoid all the polkas and the chicken dance.

After the wedding--it was still early (like 10:30?)--we went home, changed clothes and went out again! Ground Zero. We hadn't been there in years either, but it was a good time.

Sunday morning I dragged Jim out of bed for some brunch at Red Stag and then we went to movie. Definitely making the most of the child free time. We saw nick and nora's infinite playlist Very sweet. Usually the kind of movie I would save for DVD viewing, but Jim had coke point free tickets. And we got a free coke!

When we got home, the kids were there, wound up and bouncing off the walls. But we fell quickly into dinner, bath, bed and one chicken fricassee*** later, here it is Monday morning.

Still dark at 7AM. Boo.



*I am a bad, pushy parent when my immediate internal reaction was "that's it?"

**Anyone that has been out with me in the last four years knows I usually turn into a pumpkin at about 9pm so I get home so Jim can got to work at 9:30.

***Yes, Coco, I put that in there just to make you jealous ;)

In which I attempt to cast the Animorphs for the challenge at picspammy. I mostly fail, because I know nothing about actors and consequently just trolled through pb_updates. I'd really like to hear who you'd pick, though.

And, lilting_grace, there are slight spoilers, but only in the form of quotations from the different Animorphs, so I think you should be okay.



( together we fight )

I had my first class rep meeting last night. I don't think it was a smashing success, but it is over.

Xavier is on a field trip today. I don't know why I am nervous about letting my 4.25 year old go on a bus to Como with his preschool when I let me 3.5 year old run around in the woods all winter long at her preschool...

Liv is off school today, so the sound track for my short day at work today is pbs kids. She is here with me.

Liv is off school she we can have the first conference of the year. Later this afternoon. On top over everything else I am doing, I am going to be the class rep for Liv's class. Can't be in charge of the Class rep network and not have a rep for Liv's class!

later tonight I am going to go drink beer with Jen. We may also eat some Thai food, but I think the first objective is to drink Surly beer.

I am also working on a boy exchange with Jen. her oldest is in preschool T, W, Th. So T and Thurs we each have a morning with one boy. I am proposing that some mornings one of us have two boys and the other have zero boys, then swap on a different day. I think it will work out well, I only have to make it dovetail with my 11:30 class at the Y. It is included in the membership, but I really like it. Chisel Express! It is not boring, it moves right along and I am slowly working up in the amount of weight I am using. So far that and swimming are the only things we are using our Y membership for, but that is good, so far.

I signed both kids up for swimming lessons, level one, since we never got around to it this summer. I would like to take them myself, but there is not the time right now...

Jim is signed up for the CNA course so will take three weeks off work at HD so he can be awake all day for class and still be somewhat present in our family. I haven't worked out that schedule in my head yet--but--his student loan funded! so we will at least have money to live on when he does take that time off work. Can you say "Christmas will be lean this year?" but really, christmas is usually lean around here. And I promise I am not baking 1000 cookies this year. I think mmmgood and I are going to make liquors. Just what everyone I know(that i give gifts to) needs!

The Daisy troop is not yet up and going, but the second Tuesday is not until the 14th, so I think that will be our first meeting...

Anyone think Julia got herself a *little* overstretched this fall? no, really, just a little. See all these other things I am doing? That's why I am not knee deep in the politics. Really. It's not just avoidance of conflict and possible heartbreak.

While I am brain dumping, let me remind you all that I am planning a MNO on October 23. Mark your calendars but I will do an e-mail in a couple weeks.

I am on my last Denise Mina book. After that, she will need to write some more. I think I will read my Jim Thompson collection after I finish this last one. In the light of Noir, my life generally looks pretty shiny!

/end brain dump. back to work!

I picked up Siri Tachi of the Star Wars 'verse at forceknights. I encourage you to check it out. It's a small community, but that's why I like it. Siri, for those of you less Star Wars Extended Universe inclined, is Obi-Wan's love interest. Yes, really. She's also awesome and goes undercover and kills bad guys and all that good stuff. picspammy's current challenge is a casting one, so without further ado, I present my PB of choice for Siri, Emilie de Ravin. For the record, I don't watch Lost, except occasionally for the lulz, but I thought that she worked very well.

( secrets are dangerous secrets are difficult secrets can kill )

From fandom_memes

Instructions: List 10 different fictional characters from any fandom/s you like, number them 1 to 10 in any order you like, and don't peek at the questions until you're done. Then, answer the following questions. (There are two "sets" of questions in which the numbers are different, but you don't have to answer both "sets".)

1. Ziva David, NCIS
2. Dairine Callahan, Young Wizards
3. Daniel Jackson, Stargate SG-1
4. The Lone Power, Young Wizards
5. Siri Tachi, Star Wars
6. Aeryn Sun, Farscape
7. Inara Serra, Firefly
8. Jake, Animorphs
9. The Doctor, Doctor Who
10. Serafina Pekkala, His Dark Materials

( questions and answers behind the cut )

Financial crisis got you down? Want a break from politics? ( want to see what is in my chest freezer? )

And that was my accomplishment for the morning. inventorying the freezer.
And I just saw Tina Fey on Sesame Street being a "bookaneer" A pirate at the library!

Soon, we have to go to the Y. I didn't cancel the babysitting reservation so we have to go.I am thinking about skipping the class and sitting in the whirlpool for while...

This morning, I did something I haven't done in a long time. I rolled back over for "five more minutes" yeah, make that 45 minutes. whoops. And there are no checks on me on Monday morning, since I get up so much earlier than anyone else.

But here I am. And I think the automatic sprinkler is done watering the patio so I am going to open the curtain and see what the sky looks like.

My whole body is sore. I think that is because yesterday--after we did go to the orchard--I didn't sit down for most of the rest of the night.

Jim got up at 11:15 in the morning and so we piled into the car and headed out to our favorite orchard. We fed the goats and played in the corn, feed the cows apples and went on the best tractor ride around. And then we went home. I got overwhelmed looking at the apples and the line was too long anyway. I had enough produce to deal with at home without adding half a peck of apples to the mix.

When we got home, we juiced part of a watermelon--to be used later, slow-roasted some tomatoes, washed a mountain of dishes--some left over from Friday, did three loads of laundry (including folded and put away) backed some choc chip cookies, froze dough for others, blanched and froze broccoli, and made a loaf of sandwich bread and a batch of quick pretzels. I think that was it.

After I finished in the kitchen, I cleaned up the disaster that was my living room and dining room and organized the desk, including paying the mortgage and planning what has tot be sent to school* this week.

So, it is no wonder I am tired, really.

But I have a first cup or coffee and then will move on to lot of tea.

So goes my Monday.

*Liv's school is selling magazines and there are lots of good ones in the list. Let me know if you want to buy one or more.

clearly not pregnant.
No extra vasectomies or trips the medical clinics needed.
Happily, I only do this freak out thing about once a year.

It is cool and damp here.
I really wanted to go to the orchard this weekend, but I think we may not make it out today. Laundry and dishes, cooking and cleaning and Jim is going to Dr. Sketchy's at 3, so not this week.

Jim signed up last night for a CNA course at the school where he is taking all his other classes. You have to have your CNA certification to apply to the nursing program. We figured out that he is only going to miss eight days of regular work at HD. It will be rough all lover, but we will get through it.

I need some breakfast.

Title: Written in the stars
Fandom: Arthurian Legend
Prompt: the basics; the stars
Rating: PG-13 for incest
Word Count: 334
Summary: "Arthur," she says, and it's an apology.
Written for the challenge at thousandtables.

( are we paying for some crime? )

We had to go to the grocery first thing this morning since Xavier only eats cereal, yogurt and bread and jam and we were out of milk yogurt and bread...he also eats pancakes but I so was not going to make him pancakes this morning.

On the way home, the DJ on the current said that Paul Newman had died. He was 83. We knew he was dying. So I said, oh. Paul Newman. And then I started to cry. Unusual for me. And they played BJ Thomas--"Raindrops keep falling on my head" so then I was crying and singing. I know all those words.

Good-bye Paul Newman. You did good. Lots and lots of good.

Let's just be clear. The crisis affecting wall street is fundamentally the same as the crisis affecting main street.

Conservatives call for Palin to quit

In other news, I am making Martha's mac and cheese for dinner. With extra cheese.

And, I have been googling but have not yet come up with a Presidential Drinking Game that satisfies me. Suggestions are welcome!

[1-21] Doctor Who
[22-28] Firefly
[29-33] Pan's Labyrinth
[34] X-Files
[35] Star Wars
[36] Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
[37-39] Cinema Paradiso
[40] Farscape
[41-42] The Man From Snowy River
[43-45] Ballykissangel
[46-47] Anna and the King
[48-50] Lost
[51-53] Leighton Meester
[54-70] Miscellaneous




( without you life goes on )

Liv's teacher just called me to get my approval for Liv to do math with the second graders! Approval? hell yes!

I don't think she will be bored.
Such progress they've made in 30 years.
They used to send me to the corner with a workbook and give me another when I had finished the first.

In other news, the Good Son and his bride sent us a postcard from their honeymoon in Hawaii.
And Xavier is doing good wallowing with me so far today.

Snagged from ladybug218 because this is way too good to pass up.

Sarah Palin married her high school boyfriend, Todd Palin, on August 29, 1988. The Palin family lives in Wasilla, about 45 miles (72 km) north of Anchorage. The Palins have two sons (Track, 19, and Trig, four months) and three daughters (Bristol, 17; Willow, 14; and Piper, 7) [ages as of August 2008]. Todd Palin has said Track's name came from the interest Sarah's parents had in the sport and the fact that he was born in the sport's season; Bristol was named after Bristol Bay in Alaska, where Todd grew up and where he does commercial fishing; Willow was named after Willow, Alaska; Piper got her name because it is uncommon and "a cool name"; Trig's name is Norse for "strength".

1)Your first-born will be named after your parents favorite sport:
Tennis.
Oh, the poor child.

2)Your second-born will be named after a nearby area that you're not from but you like the sound of part of the name, and maybe you have nostalgic memories of said place:
Batavia.
I nearly went with Danny, but I think Batavia sounds pretty cool...

3)Your third-born will be named after another nearby place, for no reason other than you already have two children and don't have time to put much thought into another name:
Jasper.
Look at that! It's actually a name!

4)Your fourth gets a "cool" name:
Ellery.
From the helpful Cool Baby Names list.

5)Your fifth gets something mythological, possibly straight out of Lord of the Rings:
Melusine.
I was very, very close to leaving it at Eowyn, but how awesome is Melusine?

I hab a code in my head.

And I cancelled tomorrow's babysitting reservation at the Y because between putting liv on the bus at 8:15 and meeting her at 3:15 to take her to piano lessons, I intend to wallow. Cups of tea. Blanket. Book. napping and lots of PBS kids and pbskids.org for my baby.

I heard mercury was in retrograde, so it seems like a sensible thing to do, even without the cold.

PBS poll re: the vice president candidate.
http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html

I think it is working. The yes side is down from 56%--I saw it there this morning.

All right people--

I have two more hours in the office.
My boss is here.
It is freaking hot in here but Bob says the AC is on so don't open the door.
I think I am getting a cold.
I will be late to the MNO tomorrow since I have to go pick out new glasses--my purple ones have vanished into thin air, so I am wearing a ten year old pair--a little headache inducing, and I cannot see quite as well.

Anyway--
What's up with you?
What are you having for dinner?
What is your favorite fall activity?

It is fall after all, though you cannot tell it from the Hot Air conditioned office!

Title: When the hour came
Fandom: NCIS
Characters: Ziva David, Tali David
Rating: PG
Word Count: 319
Summary: "Will you hate me if I don't?"
Written for the challenge at fanfic_luckydip.

( blood in the water i sing and one who shed it )