Going for the Gold

I am procrastinating.  Surprise!

Seriously.  I have days worth of dishes to wash by hand, because I (brilliantly) tried to dispose of a glass in the disposal, which doesn't work all that well.  Now the disposal is out of order, and there is a big piece of glass in there that is blocking the drain from working properly which in turn affects the dishwasher draining (I think.  My husband said that might be the case, and when you mention something like that to an obsessive-compulsive person, then forget it.  He might as well have said,"It is a well-known fact that when you run the disposal with a glass in it then your dishwasher evaporates").

This story keeps going.  I tried to get the glass out, and yes, I did put something over my hand, but apparently it wasn't enough.  I cut the tip of my middle finger.  It was strange; I almost didn't feel any pain.  Just a prick, and then there was quite a bit of blood.  I got the blood flow under control pretty quickly, but since then I haven't been able to do the dishes because band-aids just don't stay on in the water (waterproof band-aids, you have a lot of answering to do!) and I couldn't do the dishes with nothing on my finger.  We've used a lot of paper plates the last few days.  And ALL of our glasses/cups/mugs/wine goblets are dirty.  (Have you ever seen a nine-year-old drink milk out of a wine glass.  It's something.)  I had no idea we had so many drinking vessels.  And now I have to wash them all. 

Some might say (like me, for instance) fixing the disposal sounds like a "man job".  Sorry if that sounds sexist.  There are some things, however, that I would like my hubby to do.  Taking out the garbage is one of them.  Fixing plumbing problems is another.   (I will say that I single-handedly fixed our toilet in Kentucky once when he was out of town...I rocked the toilet flapper chain, yes, I did.)  And I did try to fix this, at least a little, but it cut me!  I took some solace in not having to do the dishes for a while.  Until said dishes started threatening me with their towering height and dirty smelliness.  But now?  Now it's time to put my gloves on. 

(cue:  Eye of the Tiger, me running up the steps of our porch, panting and out of breath as I reach the top)

I went and got some gloves.  Not for fighting, although the sinkful of yuck deserves a good beating.  My gloves are for scrubbing.  The rubber yellow gloves will save my fingers from the suds-induced devastation that is sure to come from hours of scrubbing all of those glasses and pots and pans that have gathered as if for a dirty dishes convention.  OH!  And the silverware.  How I hate to handwash silverware!

Wait!  I was going to say more about this being a "man job" but I distracted myself.  The reason that Mike has not taken on the glass sliver in our disposal is because he is crazy-trying-to-finish a very important project.  That's all I'll say about that.  He is on a mission (I guess I have more to say, after all) and I am not going to deter him.  Later this weekend, I will have him figure out the best way to get that glass out of the disposal. 

Can you run your disposal ever again after chopping up some glass in there?  It didn't seem to like it very much that I did that.

I am hard on disposals.  I am not a friend.

Is there a moral to this story?  Check your disposal before you run it, I suppose.  Don't put small glasses and silverware in the side of your sink that has a disposal could be another.  At least I'm learning the lessons that are set before me.  Ah, the silver lining.  The better tomorrow.  The smarter Christina.

Well.  Maybe that's asking a bit too much.  You know what this just reminded me of?  The commercials that I've seen about double checking.  They are really funny, man.  Or maybe I'm just in desperate need of a laugh, but the guy smearing on the red lipstick and the guy eating the dog biscuit...I have to admit I laughed out loud when I saw them.

Suddenly it seems pretty obvious that I don't get out much.  But I did get to Target the other day and so on top of all the dishes I need to wash I have bags and bags of (what in the world did I buy in there, anyway?!) stuff to unpack.  Did I mention the laundry mountain?  No?  Well, that too. 

And a brownie to eat.  What a lot to accomplish!  I'll be a busy girl tonight.

Sorry about the pictureless post.  You do not want to see my dirty dishes, right?  I thought not.

Wait!  Here is how much of a procrastinator I am...a picture of my brownie.  It is the last one.  I ate almost all of them.  Gold medal potential, I tell you.

And here is the milk I'm having with my brownie.  Please note that I am drinking out of a jelly jar.  All of our glasses are dirty, remember?

And here is the stuff from Target that I need to put away...

Our hair dryer died, so I had to get a new one.  I also got a cookie sheet, because I didn't have one.  And some healthy Kashi snacks.  The Dr. Pepper is for Mike, I promise!  Okay, I had one, but I didn't have one today, and I'm back into the Resistance.  I can't remember what else is in there.  Sad, but true. 

So...we have learned that I not only rule at brownie-downing but also at procrastination.  Where do your gold-medal-winning skills lie?  Please share!

What

What am I going to do with her?

I think it is pretty clear that I am in trouble.

What does it mean that Michaela doesn't like spaghetti with meat sauce (she will eat it when I serve it, but she would MUCH rather have plain pasta)...but this is how she likes to eat her chili...

Maybe I should put beans in her spaghetti sauce.

What were they thinking when they put cheese in the middle of a chocolate?

Eliana pulled this one apart and laughed and said,"Cheese!"  (Just so you don't think I'm a complete idiot, I am aware that it's not really cheese, but orange creme...I did not correct her, though.)

What about that tortilla chip looks like a lollipop so that when I ask her to show me her lollipop, this is what she does?

What am I trying to take a picture of the lollipop for, and why can't I just let her eat it in peace?

What are her sweet little fingers trying to do to me?

What do people get all bent out of shape about using a flash for? 

I like it.  So there.

What a difference the light makes! 

 This is too dark, man.

What is her deal?

I would like a smile, please.  And I want to see your lollipop!

What does it say on that stupid lollipop?!  

It says,"Hug Me".  I tried to get a picture of it, because I thought it was cute.  Here is the ironic twist.  Just after I took this picture she held out her arms and said,"I want a hug you!"  I laughed and said,"You are so sticky!  I will hug you after your bath!" 

What a lovely mother.

From Yoda and Me...

I think there are some interesting things to be learned from the Jedi Master, Yoda.  Here are a few of the famous, and wise, things that he said.

Do or do not...there is no try.

Fear is the path to the dark side.  Fear leads to anger.  Anger leads to hate.  Hate leads to suffering.

[Luke:]  I can't believe it.  [Yoda:]  That is why you fail.

Named must your fear be before banish it you can.

Size matters not.

So certain are you.  Always with you it cannot be done.  Hear you nothing that I say?

Already know you that which you need...

See?  He was a pretty smart old guy.  I want to leave you with one final quote as you begin this new week; it may be the most well-known of all, and this is the one that is from the both of us (I took the liberty of paraphrasing a bit)...

May the force beat with you.

edited to add:  If you are paying very careful attention, you will notice why this post is funny.  If you are not paying very careful attention, you will just think I am extremely weird.  I also have to say:  Found things as they were, I did.

Survey Says...

I want to take a poll.  Or a survey.  I wish I were handy with all things web-related, or blog-related, but the truth is, I'm not.  I type the stuff that's in my head.  I know how to do what I know how to do.  Brilliant, no?  But nothing more, until someone shows me.  And my shower (read: show with a long "o" sound - er) is occupied at the moment.  It's also late.  This leads to my version of a poll or survey on a blog.  One that does not involve a fancy keeper of all the answers, just a comment section. 

Hooray for simplicity! 

All right.  Here is my question.  Or questions...I'm still not sure where I'll go with this.  There will also be some statements, all of you grammar strictatarians.  I'm preceeding my question(s) with some relevant (hopefully) information. 

I receive comments from some commenters who do not leave contact information, since it isn't necessary on this blog.  This is fine, but I sometimes wish that I had a way to get in touch with people about their comments, in order to respond to a question, or to say,"That made me laugh," or "I'm sorry to hear that," or whatever.  I have read elsewhere that it is good blog etiquette to respond to a person's question either in your own comment section where the question was posted, or in an email to the person.  My question is:  Do people come back (for example, you) and read the comments/response on a post that they have already read in order to see how the particular blogger responded to the question that was posed?  Another question is:  Do you as a commenter want to be validated for each comment that you make, or when you make a comment do you not really expect a direct response each time?  Whether it be a comment back, or an email.  Does that make sense? 

I like to have conversations with the people who take the time to read the blog and comment on it.  Some of my friends just email me, without leaving comments.  That's great.  I love knowing that there are people out there who enjoy, get a laugh out of, relate to what is going on here.  Please tell me what you think regarding these things.  I want to do the right thing without seeming like a weirdo (like I could fool anyone for long)! 

I look forward to hearing what you have to say about this.  It's been perplexing me for a while.  And depending on what you tell me, I may or may not get back to you.

(That's a little joke.)

This Is It. And It Ain't Much.

Looking for order and logic?  Then leave now and forever hold your peace.

I have not had a soda for a week.  Not one.  Not a sip.  This is a big deal; I had been drinking 2-4 cans a day.  I don't know exactly when this started but it had been a long time, and I drank the last one in our fridge last week and determined not to buy more.  Mike brought some D.P. in (be still my heart), but I left them out of the refrigerator.  I won't touch a warm soft drink.  Except to put it in the back of the fridge.  He put one in the fridge (what's he trying to do to me?) and it sits there still.  I don't have a lot of self-control, so I'm feeling pretty good about this.  That was a lot of extra calories in a given day!

I discovered the blog of a young couple, Ben and Katie, (in their twenties) who went to Port-au-Prince, Haiti to be missionaries December 29, 2009.  That's right-about two weeks before the earthquake.  They had no idea just how much their lives were about to change.  I have been reading their updates since the middle of the month; they are nothing less than inspiring.  They went to be teachers at a school there, and their school is the only one that remained standing in Port-au-Prince.  They both write on the blog, and their stories are touching, humorous, amazing, sad.  It's reality and surreality all rolled into one existence.  I can't imagine their life right now.  They, along with the entire nation, need prayer.  It is worth your time to visit their blog.

While I have cut out the soda (for now!), I have not cut out the cake.  Well, I actually have cut out the cake, a very large piece of it, in fact, and I eat such a piece each night after my children are sleeping.  Once Christian's birthday cake is gone I will slow down with the chocolate, for my pants are no longer fitting.  One of the kids at Christian's party asked for more cake and I told him that we were sticking with one piece for everyone.  He pointed out that there was plenty, as we hadn't even touched the Brontosaurus' body.  I said to him,"I need something to eat later."  He looked at me with eyes that were a little wider than usual.  I was kidding!  I didn't eat it all at once.  I even gave some to Mike.

I have a pile of laundry to fold that is bigger than my piece of cake.  It is bigger than me, to tell you the truth.  Why do I have this putting-away-clean-laundry problem?! 

I am running our dishwasher tonight even though it doesn't seem to be working 100% properly.  I am hoping that this time the dishes will come out looking clean, without a weird residue on them.  Do you know what it means when a person does the same thing over and over, but expects a different outcome each time?  Once someone asked me that question because I continued to try to put an entire handful of popcorn in my mouth again and again, but dropped several pieces every time.  I kept thinking I would get the next handful in my mouth, but no, I kept dropping the popcorn.  When asked the above question, I suggested that it meant one was optimistic...but no, the answer was quite different.  It actually means a person is insane.  Encouraging!

Do you ever find weird things around your house?  Like binoculars behind your pots and pans?  What?  Are they spying on me?

I was thinking of starting a separate section on the blog just for things like this...just for weirdness.  It would get filled up pretty quickly.

I...

love...

them...

24 gives me nightmares.  But it's too late now.  I have to see it through to the resolution.  Blast that show!

Bagpipers played in the traditional services this morning.  I actually missed the services, but heard the pipers afterward as they left the sanctuary.  They stood in front of the church playing, on this cold, gray January morning, and as I moved through the small crowd that remained to hear them it was all I could do not to let the tears stream down my cheeks.  Why were there tears?  Who knows.  It's a good thing I don't live in Scotland; I would be a blubbering mess all of the time.  Or at least whenever someone played the bagpipes. 

I'm done.  Good night.