Legitimate Post

If feels like ages since I've just posted something, anything, that was about what's going on in my life.  Something that wasn't a forward or a joke or a video, but something about me.  I mean, that's why you guys actually subscribe to this feed, right?  In case I do something dumb like run over a paint can with my car or ummm... I dunno.  I feel like I've had nothing interesting to say in awhile.  Or just no time.  So... what's new...

In a sense, not much, except the baby.  The baby is new.  He cries a lot.  He goes straight from asleep or perfectly calm straight to 11.  There's rarely any warning, and even if there is, it's not enough time to even get to the bomb shelter.  We've had some better days lately, though.  He's starting to be more expressive and starting to play with toys and blankets.  And he also recognizes when Lori signs "eat" and "hungry" which is really cool.  And he enjoys baths, unlike Rachel at that age.  He is a big fella.

Rachel continues to be a joy and a challenge.  We are this close to buying one of those leashes.   I know it's awful and I know her adopted uncle will disown us if we do (he said if he ever snapped he was going to go to the mall with a pair of scissors and "liberate" small children from the cruel oppression of their parents who were treating them like animals.)  But I swear, she's been doing some running off lately that's downright scary.  She's acting on impulse without a lot of thought behind it, and then in some cases, refusing to stop or come back to us when we call.  And in some of the crowded places or parking lots we've been in, this is a really bad idea we've been unable to impress upon her as yet.  But she's also a real big crack-up.  The other day in the car she said "I'm Rachel, the commercial girl.  I like to watch commercials to learn what they're about."  And then the other night, we heard of the monitor something ending in "oo" and calls for mommy and the word repeated.  We were worried that she had had an accident of a serious nature (she's never had that kind of accident) but we got up there to learn that she thought she had heard Lori in her room sniffling, so she was saying "boo."

I had an opportunity to get some new clothes recently.  Most of what I own I've had for years.  I'm wearing far fewer Hawaiian shirts now that I have in the past, but most of my clothes are still a little older.  But I got some new shoes, shirts, pants, ties.  It's pretty cool.  Plus, the guy who razzed me every time I wore a tie is gone, so I don't have to have that little annoyance.  "Yeah, yeah, job interview fourth floor." Should have told him I was interviewing for his job.  He woulda been like "How did you know?"

We've gotten a little (or just plain "little") done in the front yard.  I put in a few blocks to start to define where I want there to be a terrace in the yard.  Even though it's only five blocks, it's already starting to look good.  I took my trusty radial saw to one of the trees, trimming it up like I learned in a book.  Let a lot more light into the yard, but I don't know what I'll do next year.  I'll probably need to trim it up some more, but picture me at the top of the ladder in the grass with a radial saw held above my head.  I won't be able to reach much further before it becomes (any more) dangerous.   I'm going to start buying gravel to define a path in the back yard.  Budget has been tight, so this is exciting to me.  It will mean visible change/improvement, not just the same weed pulling that's been going on now, but an actual improvement.  I'll also be able to buy the panels that will allow me to make the place under the deck shielded from the water. I dug it out and flattened the ground, but without the panels overheard, the water has dripped through from the deck and it's gotten all covered with weeds again.  I should be able to have it covered in time for the heavy rains which will give me a nice outdoor place to sit and read.

I've started reading books again.  My list was getting way too long and I wasn't getting through the stack of magazines by the side of the bed, but I looked at them and realized the magazines would always be with me.  I'm now reading "The No Asshole Rule" - I've taken a bit of an interest lately in HR books and this is the first one I've read.  It's quite interesting.  I'm at the point now where they're saying you actually do well to have one a-hole in the group because they serves as a negative role-model.  But you have to limit their ability to do damage.  At one place they added up the cost of the a-hole - dealing with complaints, dealing with him, recruiting and training his assistants, etc., and told him that they were going to take 60% of the cost out of his end of the year sales bonus.  He got mad and blamed everyone else but didn't quit. 

And next month I'm going to get my car window fixed finally.  I hate not being able to use drive throughs.  And I'm taking a decent vacation.  It cannot come soon enough.  I'm starting to work on my list of things I want to accomplish during it. 

Ok, so that was a lot of yammering.  I feel guilty because this seems rather inane.  But I guess it's my blog so I can be inane if I want to.