Woooooohooooooooo!

And the winner is....

VOTE!

If you live in Northern Virginia (Eastern Loudoun or Western Fairfax - 33rd Senatorial district) then tomorrow is an election day! Go out and vote for Mark Herring. MARK HERRING. Go. Vote.

If you don't know which district you're in, check here.

Seen EVERYWHERE

I saw this first at Phantom Scribbler's and please note, her name is up front and center, bold and beautiful, just like her.

Click here if you want your own.

Psychology Haiku

As the AV guys
work on the projector, I
stare at the blank screen

Strange dichotomy:
Chalk boards, computer screens and
wireless connections

As seen at Selkie

This site gives you your Professor Poopypants name.

I am Crusty Bananabuns.

As seen at R2K's

A new version of 23rd and 5th.

Instructions:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig for that cool or intellectual book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.

To the left of me: Disposable Domestics: Immigrant Women Workers in the Global Economy by Grace Chang.
I'm just gonna give you the fifth sentence, 'cause boy howdy is it ever wordy.

"They reflect these women's clear recognition that their land, products, labor,
and lives are extracted for other people's profit through these programs."

To the right of me: The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (not this edition, though)
Again, just the 5th sentence, 'cause I've got to get back to work.

"Shasta, half mad with horror, managed to lurch towards the brute."

The answers to numbers 5 & 12 below

#5 is Angela. A friend from my job which I celebrated a week of freedom from today, by going to my Communications class. Excellent class. I think it's being taught by Jo(e). Beautiful long hair. Passel of kids. Excellent sense of humor. Talks with her hands.

But I know it's not Jo(e) because Jo(e) lives somewhere that has had snow in the last year and Mrs. Aptonym lives in Woodbridge.

#12 is a message from Mr. Spock. And I'm not sayin' what it says.

And to give a re-cap of my week: My favorite class so far is Statistics, followed VERY closely by Communications, followed by Advanced Composition, Psychology, and Women & Work in that order. Pray forgive me if my posting goes WAAAAAAY down, I'm gonna be writing my ass off for these classes.

Did you folks know that students have to bring their own Scantron sheets to tests? Isn't that like asking Lady Jane Grey to bring her own axe?

Stolen from CCW

25 Questions meme
As seen at ccw.
1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
What the heck happened to my hair?
2. How much cash do you have on you? In my pocket? $0. In my purse? About $100.
3. What's a word that rhymes with TEST? Vest
4. planet? Earth
5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list? My phone is downstairs, I'll check and get back to y'all tomorrow.
6. What is your favorite ring on your phone? What CCW said, the one that just rings.
7. What shirt are you wearing? This one in Evening.
8. What do you label yourself? Short.
9. Name the brand of shoes you've recently worn. Reeboks.
10. Bright or Dark Room?
11. What were you doing at midnight last night? Like CCW, I was sleeping.
12. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? My phone is downstairs, I'll check and get back to y'all on this tomorrow.
13. Where is your nearest 7-11? Uhhhhh.....maybe across from Karate Bagels?
14. What's a saying that you say a lot? Holy Guacamole!
15.Who told you they loved you last? Muffin Man.
16. Last furry thing you touched? Probably something at the petting zoo.
17. How Many Drugs Have You Done In The Past three Days? 3. Zyrtec, Tricor, and baby aspirin.
18. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed? None. It's all digital now, babe.
19. Favorite age you have been so far? 32.
20. your worst enemy? Uncomfortable bras.
21. What is your current desktop picture? There are several, this is one of them.

FordMommyBeach
Originally uploaded by Mystery Mommy.

22. What was the last thing you said to someone? Night-night, sweetheart. I love you.
23. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly, which would you choose?
24. Do you like someone? Yes, I like many someones. Not so much myself tonight though.
25. The last song you listened to? Orphée aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld), operetta Can Can, Composed by Jacques Offenbach, Performed by Czech Philharmonic Orchestra (track #15 from the Beethovan's Wig CD.) Muffin Man and I sang the words.

I am ashamed

Single parenting again this weekend starting tonight and ending Sunday.

I'm kind of tired from hauling my under-exercised butt from class to class today (10,400 steps) and when I picked up Muffin Man from PNP, he was kinda Tigger-ish. So we went out for fast food and a game of tag at Booger King (one of the ones with a habitrail for kids). And when we got home he was just NOT LISTENING. NOT. LISTENING. And we managed to spill mineral oil on the floor which he then STEPPED IN AFTER I TOLD HIM NOT TO.

And so I yelled at him. Loudly.

Not my best moment.

Just dropped in to say "Hi!"

I have time for the quickest of quick posts before I dash off to write 500 words on three different topics for my Advanced Composition class.

I love school. LOVE IT! Statistics: We're doing sets. Who knew that developing databases would have useful applications in academia?

Advanced Composition: Lots and lots and lots of writing. Loving the class, fearing the work.

Psychology: Both the lab and the lecture look good so far.

Women & Work: I'm interested in the subject matter, but I wish it were less about the contemporary (which NPR has given me a good grounding in) and more about the historical. Though we are going to talk about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire on Thursday.

I don't have my communications class until Friday.

General impressions:

1. Lots of walking. I'd forgotten how much walking one does, going to and from classes.
2. COMPUTERS. Ohmigod, what a difference 16 years makes. Many of our assignments are being given to us on-line. We're e-mailing assignments in, chatting on discussion boards with our classmates.
3. As I'd already gathered from Scrivener and others, plagiarism is a big issue. BIG.

Again, to sum up, I LOVE SCHOOL. Me. I can hardly believe it.

Gotta go now, to write non-bloggy stuff. (Why is that always less fun?)

A good weekend...

Starting with today:

Blogger Meet-up!!! So the Fish Said... and I met up at a nearby Italian chain for Sunday Brunch. She's just as nice in person as she is on her blog and her daughter is just the sweetest 6 month old. We had a great time talking and eating. Muffin Man showed off and flirted and Mia was enthralled by all the things to see and forgot to be annoyed that her teeth were bothering her. I hope we can do it again soon!

Yesterday:

SoupAndBread, followed by shopping for a new train from the Tt(F)TE collection (Emily and her tender, if anyone's interested). And then I got to go by myself to LL Bean to spend a gift certificate I got for Christmas. Did you know that they're having a sale of their winter stuff?

I got this in Evening and Chocolate, this in Dark Mulberry, this in Navy (not shown), and two pairs of pants, one Chocolate brown and one mustard-y chino. And I also bought a tin of mints. Total cost: $95.00. I handed over my $100 gift certificate. I got five bucks back. YAY!

Big Sister Brag

My sister and her family are doing something incredibly wonderful. I can't give you the details, because it involves someone else, but I can't help but shout to the world how much I love, admire, and look up to them.

Hurrah!

Mr. Spock is coming home today
Hurrah, hurrah!
He's on a plane, he's on his way
Hurrah, hurrah!
He's coming home 5 days early
Muffin Man will squeal when he
Sees that Mr. Spock is
In the living room

My new schedule

Monday/Wednesday classes from 1:30 until 4:15 (Math(Statistics) and English (Advanced Composition))
Tuesday recitation from 9:30 until 10:20 (Psychology)
Tuesday/Thursday classes from 10:30 until 1:15 (Psychology and History (Women and Work))
Friday class from 9:00 - 11:40 (Communications (Interpersonal and Group Interactions))

To sum up: 5 pretty short days. 2 Mornings battling traffic. 4 classes that look pretty darn interesting and the 1 that's not so darn interesting at least looks pretty darn useful. 3 100-level courses, 2 300-level courses. 15 credits total.

I'm on my way!

I saw the towers

Over Sting's shoulder in the video for "An Englishman in New York".

It's always a shock to remember that they're gone.

It's even worse when I remember that I always thought they were a blight on the landscape.

Doo doo didoo doo

Laid Off Dad was talking about the word "phenomenon" and repeated it over and over. Now I'm got it in my head to the tune of "Mahna Mahna".

Oooooh! Shopping!

My giftee for the Holiday Extravaganza was Jen at MUBAR. So I did my research and came away with a few ideas...

Christmas Dreams

Silver and gold and ice blue
Warm and toasty
Pretty shiny happy
Yummy
Small
Surprising

It was clear, what with the price limit, that cashmere was not going to be on the agenda. But to me, cashmere says comfort. A fondness for silver and gold crayons, for ice blue and pretzels, for chocolate and buying organic....

From the beginning I was thinking of a mug. But it had to be the right mug. It couldn't be too Christmasy because that smacked of sappiness, and sappiness was out. But on the other hand it couldn't be a plain mug, 'cause where's the fun in that? I couldn't find the mug I was looking for. It wasn't at Wegman's. It wasn't at Nearby Mall. I looked and I looked. And finally, while on a totally different errand, I found it. White with a silver rim and a silver snowflake. It was The Mug.

Meanwhile I had bought the other elements of the package. The silver earrings were hand-made by a friend of mine. The chocolate-covered-pretzels were bought fresh at Wegman's (and so was the hot cocoa for use in The Mug.) I looked for organic hot cocoa mix, but their choices didn't look...cashmere...enough.

And then I packed the package. The tin I already had on hand. I love collecting little boxes and tins for just such occasions.

And then I mailed the package. And as I was driving home I said,

"DOH! I FORGOT TO TAKE ANY PICTURES!!!"

so you'll have to check out Jen's post about receiving it if you want to see them.

It came in the mail...

And it jingled. So tantalizing, so mysterious. How could I wait to open it?
Every so often after it arrived, I gave it a little shake to hear that joyful jingle.

Would I be able to cool my ardor for discovery long enough to wait for the proper time and then remember to take photos?



Oooooh! Look how pretty! Do you see the bell and the cute ornaments? I tied ribbon on the bell and the three of them went on the tree.




My secret Santa revealed: It's DANI!!!



My prezzies all together (minus one magnet that was hiding on the underside of the tin it came in, naughty magnet!!!) 4 beautiful hand-painted magnets - a moon and three stars - with that blue that I love so much featured prominently; a book clip with pretty beads and a little triad of stars hanging off it (is that not the most perfect thing?), and the bell and two ornaments.

My cup runneth over.

Fours

Self-tagged on Phantom's site

Four Jobs I've Had
1. Cashier at Wholey's fish market in Pittsburgh. You haven't been smelly until you've worked through the Christmas rush at a fish store.
2. Door-to-door Beggar for Clean Water Action Project (also Pittsburgh)
3. Waitress (donut shop in Park Slope and upscale Greek place in Pgh.)
4. Kiosk sales person for an ISP.

Four Movies I Love to Watch Over and Over
1. Casablanca
2. When Harry Met Sally
3. The Princess Bride
4. Young Frankenstein

Four Movies I'm Forced to Watch Over and Over
1. Cinderella
2. Aladdin
3. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
4. Finding Nemo (not that any of these are bad, mind you, but there is a limit)

Four Movies That Haven't Hit That Limit Yet
1. Madagascar
2. Chicken Run
3. The Incredibles
4. Monsters, Inc.

Four Books I First Read as an Adult that I Read Over and Over
1. Brat Farrar
2. Pictures of Perfection
3. Venetia
4. The Blue Sword

Four Things I Cannot Do
1. Whistle
2. Touch my toes when my legs are straight
3. Turn a cartwheel
4. Word problems.

Four Places I've Lived (as a grown-up)
1. Park Slope, Brooklyn
2. Upper West Side, Manhatten
3. Pittsburgh, PA
4. Ashburn, VA

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch (that are still running)
1. West Wing
2. Gilmore Girls
3. Good Eats
4. Boston Legal

Four TV Shows We Record for Muffin Man (links are noisy)
1. Oobi
2. Higglytown Heroes
3. Little Einsteins
4. There is no number 4.

Four Things I Say Often
1. "Holy Guacamole!"
2. "Wash your hands"
3. "Did you flush?"
4. "Oh, God."

Four Places I've Been on Vacation
1. Cape Cod
2. Kauaii
3. Ottsville, PA
4. Paris, France

Four Blogs I Visit Daily That I Don't Link To In My Sidebar
1. Uterine Wars. I'm going to miss her.
2. So Close
3. Life's Jest Book. I'm going to link to you tomorrow, though!
4. In the Barren Season

Four of My Favorite Foods (that I cook)
1. Ham
2. Prime Rib (Wegman's dry aged it for me and I used my cast iron dutch oven instead of a terra cotta planter)
3. Turkey
4. Risotto

Four Cars I've owned
1. 1995 Ford Taurus Sedan (sadly, got rammed from behind by a Toyota.)
2. 1994 Ford Taurus Wagon (died an honorable death at 120,000)
3. 2002 Kia Sedona (My current vehicle)
4. There is no 4. (What? I only learned to drive 9 years ago.)

Marc volunteered to be tagged. Is there anyone else who hasn't done it yet and wants to? Consider yourself tagged.

Jabs for school

I had to get the tetanus shot and the TB test (OUCH! My arm still hurts), but I got to skip the Meningitis and the Hepatitis B, and I pointed out to my doctor that I didn't need the MMR, because although I only had one Rubella shot back in the early 70's, according to the "Required Immunizations" form, that's all you need if you take them separately. YAY!

So I'm immunized for school. I feel like a kindergartener.

Muffin Man's gonna get a big buncha jabs the day after he turns four, poor fella.

When did they stop doing the tine test for TB? Now they use a HONKING big needle and make a swollen place in your arm that turns into a mini-hickey by the end of the day.



Last night's toy: Little People Bunny
Tonight's toy: Little People Farmer (girl)

It seems he's saving the cars for last.

I can't believe I forgot to tell you!

Last night Muffin Man and I were going to the store on our way home (eggs, bread, and a treat for him) and we're passing by the Japanese place and he says, "Ooooh! Can we have Sushi for dinner?"

So we did.

New additions to the list

Those with asterisks after them belong to people with whom I have actually shared a meal.

Genevieve is up there as a place-holder for if she ever gets a blog.

You may have noticed that I've listed some folks I knew in high school below the main list. I'll post more there as I find 'em.

Can you spot the Muffin Man in this picture?

And tonight's toy was..........

A Little People DOG!

Comment! Comment! Comment!

Button courtesy of Papernapkin

If you're visiting and have never commented, don't be shy - speak right up! If you're a regular commenter, say hi as well. Let's make everybody feel welcome! I'm going to comment everywhere.

BTW, I'll be updating my blog list soon. There are lots of people I read who are still not listed. And you may notice that there's a new guy over there on the right, Music Lover Marc, please go and pay him a visit - he works two cubes away from me!

Sleeping soundly in his new bed

What we did today

SoupAndBread
New shoes (just like the old shoes only BIGGER!)
Haircuts (Wiggles, Elmo, Dora, and THREE lollipops)
Merry-go-Round (twice)
PIZZA!
Quiet time (bribed to stay in bed until....)
Babysitter time (he looooooves his babysitter)

****Mystery Mommy goes out and buys one small toy for everyday that Mr. Spock is gone (and file folders, wrapping paper that was on sale, coloring/work books that were on sale, and a new thing to go under the dish drying rack) Exciting, no? Uh...no.****

Mystery Mommy cooks dinner while trying to detach Muffin Man from her legs. Problem solved with "Wallace & Gromit - A Close Shave"
Babysitter leaves
Dinner time
Bath time
LotionAndScissors (dry legs, long nails)
Pajama time
Toy from the prize bag!! (Fisher Price Little People Chicken - 15 toys to go)
Story time
Bed time

He hasn't made a peep since I left his room. Perhaps it's the thought of the BIG prize he'll get if he's a good cooperator while Mr. Spock is gone?

And now it's West Wing time.

Two and a half weeks

Mr. Spock left for his business trip abroad yesterday. He won't be coming back until the day after I start school.

I miss him already and Muffin Man keeps asking when Daddy's coming home.

Genevieve is soooooooo cool

We met at the Silver Diner, our kids in tow. Her son looks like what Muffin Man will look like in 2 years. We talked and talked and talked some more and then we went back to her house where her son and Muffin Man played for hours while we talked some more.

We're going to have to do that again!

As seen at Scrivenings

There's No Such Thing As Too Many Books


Here's Your Sign {pictures included}
brought to you by Quizilla

First full day at PNP

And he had a blast. He knew he was in for a good day when he walked in and the letter of the day was his favorite one. "That's the first letter of MY NAME!!!"

Then he went to Art (chickens with yellow crumpled paper feathers), and then Spanish (parehas(sp?)), and then Gym (he showed off his skill at somersaults). Lunch was tacos. That's when he decided it was okay to let me leave to go to work (I'd been leaving him for long periods during the morning "making phonecalls")

When I came back to pick him up, he was playing in the kitchen area (straight out of Pottery Barn Kids - my God, the microwave!), and he didn't want to leave.

"We'll come back tomorrow, Sweetie."
"Promise?"
"I promise. This is going to be your school for a long, long time."

Playdate

Muffin Man had a playdate yesterday with his best friend in the whole wide world, DeepVoicedToddler. DeepVoicedToddler and Muffin Man were in the same class at the old school for over three years. Every weekend for the last month, MM has been asking, "When can I play with DVT?"

You should have seen the joy and excitement as they spotted each other, DVT coming up the driveway, MM standing at the open door. They rushed toward each other and embraced as though they had been separated for years.

For the next 4 hours they played and snacked and coloured and talked and read books and played some more. And there were only two meltdowns (over a Matchbox double decker "school bus" and a Melissa and Doug mailbox MM got for Christmas). Other than that, the sharing of the toys was flawless.

They played so nicely together that I was able to sit in the comfy chair and read a bit while they made noises like "brrrrrppppbbrrrppp", "woooooowoooooo", "roaaaaarrrr", and "look out! We're going to crash!"

And during one of their 3 or 4 snack breaks, DVT said in his really quite gravelly voice, "I like your mom. She's almost as nice as mine."

I feel like I could be given no higher compliment. I can now consider myself a hostess extraordinaire.

At the end of the visit, they gave each other big hugs and blew kisses until they were out of sight. "Can DVT come back and play tomorrow?" MM asked as we closed the door.

DVT's mom and I enjoyed a good gossip when she came by to pick him up. She's looking into sending DVT to PNP. Muffin Man would be so thrilled!

AFI's top 100 films

As seen at Mrs. Coulter's. I've seen all but 28 of them.

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950) (I'm watching it next week, while Mr. Spock is abroad)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937) (3 times in the last 3 weeks)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) (and oh, by the way, IT SUCKED!!!)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

New Year's Resolutions and Rememberances

Resolutions:

My sister-in-law and her husband gave us gift certificates to a movie theatre and a promise of free baby-sitting when we go to the movies. Thus one of my resolutions for the year is to see at least one non-G-rated film before it comes out on DVD.

We're losing my income this year since I'll be going to school full-time, so another resolution is to take my lunch at least 3 times a week, and to cook ahead more often.

Exercise more.

Rememberances:
APL has a post about 2005 and the events in her life during that year.

So I thought I'd copycat off her and list mine too.

* Achenblog led me to Corndog who led me to APL who led me to Phantom Scribbler and I knew I'd met at least three people I'd like to keep as friends for life. Many more now. And I also met APL (and AB) and Corndog in person.
* Muffin Man learned what toilets are for, and matured in lots of other ways - he constantly amazes me.
* I applied and got accepted to my first choice of college. I'm really looking forward to finishing my Bachelor's Degree.
* We got a screened-in porch built on the back of our house.
* My husband and I, like APL, gave more money to charity than ever before, for the same reasons.
* I quit a job to take a new one simply to cut my commute by more than half.
* I took Muffin Man to see his first film in a theater and thus went to the movie theatre for the first time since the first Lord of the Rings film.