love that

Back to normal.... love that little quip from the last post. There is one part of life that is always dramatic-stressful, and so this week, I have to guffaw at "back to normal." Yet it's off limits because it isn't directly related to us, so what's a girl to do?

Find things that she can control-- and exploit them...

Back to WeightWatchers online, of which exploitation will only help, I guess.
Back to serious time at Lifetime, of which exploitation will only make the $69 bill more worthwhile. (Actually, swimming with Abbey always makes it worthwhile. And Friday night hottubbing....yeah, worthwhile!)

And these are things I have been aiming at anyways, so that when we get preg., I will be healthier...

Of course my ill temper comes only from sheer frustration.
And so I try to focus on other things...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Like the completely cool poets we saw last Sunday night who have been competing this week in NYC at the International Youth Poetry Slam Festival. Stephen, Abbs, and I caught them at Macalester along with an acting class from a HS in St. Paul performing a play that they had written about the govts response to Katrina.

Which reminds me of my favorite adult slam master.... Taylor Mali... and some of his spoken word, which of course is better live.

Totally like whatever, you know?
By Taylor Mali
www.taylormali.com

In case you hadn't noticed,
it has somehow become uncool
to sound like you know what you're talking about?
Or believe strongly in what you're saying?
Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)'s
have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?
Even when those sentences aren't, like, questions? You know?

Declarative sentences - so-called
because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true
as opposed to other things which were, like, not -
have been infected by a totally hip
and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know?
Like, don't think I'm uncool just because I've noticed this;
this is just like the word on the street, you know?
It's like what I've heard?
I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?
I'm just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty?

What has happened to our conviction?
Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?
Have they been, like, chopped down
with the rest of the rain forest?
Or do we have, like, nothing to say?
Has society become so, like, totally . . .
I mean absolutely . . . You know?
That we've just gotten to the point where it's just, like . . .
whatever!

And so actually our disarticulation . . . ness
is just a clever sort of . . . thing
to disguise the fact that we've become
the most aggressively inarticulate generation
to come along since . . .
you know, a long, long time ago!

I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,
I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

You do. And you have to learn to let things go. So that life can be, in fact, back to normal. Which is my personal lesson for the week. Do the best with what you have where you are...

Our week

After an...interesting Easter...we were back to normal life on Monday. Monday night we went to the driving range because Abbey has been asking about playing golf. Tuesday night, we went to L2 to get her a spring outfit that she's had her eye on. She had some L2 Bucks, which is essentially 25 dollars free, she paid 15 from allowance, and we paid the rest. We generally don't spend mucho $ on her clothes, but she is getting older... So finally, more interesting than text, are some photos. I WILL post some from the home improvement section of our life in the near future!

oh my

Well, well... some time to write. We here at the G/S household have been a load of fun lately! Yesterday, I woke up at 6:30 to let the dog out and feed her...and promptly started in on my thesis work. Of course I did go back to bed for an hour or so, but really, aside from two appointments (chiro and orthopedist) and a few trips to Home Depot, I worked on it until 1am. So far on Chapter 2 (the literature review that has had me banging my head against a wall for the past year and a half) I have 45 pages. I expect this chapter to be 60+ pages when I am done, so I've got a little ways yer. I truly have never EVER used my brain and entire being as much as I have for my master's thesis, but this is it I suppose--the difference between your bachelor's and master's--this time I am giving back to my profession., not just taking...becoming an expert in something, actually doing primary research and not just lookin up what others have written and regurgitating it (although that is the purpose of Chapter 2). I have several incentives for getting done: 1) My family won't have to listen to me talk about how I need to work on it; 2) I will get paid more; 3) Any further grad classes will finally count to getting paid even more (I'm to my limit now until I graduate with the MAEd); 4) If I don't finish by January, I will have to pay another $1400 for the capstone course; 5) I can possibly start into more creative endeavors again, like making jewelry and making some $ from it; 6) My brain will be back...except for the fact that I hear it departs when you get pregnant and possibly for the next 18 years, so even though I'm not pregnant yet, don't expect much for the next 20 years or so =)

Stephen has gotten himself into quite a mess. To take you back a bit, we are redoing our basement (I'll post photos sometime) and in the stage of waiting for more electrical bids as it will be around $2000 to wire and any little less from a company would be grand). So in the waiting process, we decided to paint in the kitchen and hallway. After an expensive trip to Hirschfield's (where we purchased paint that is bad for us) we began our journey into secondary home improvement (the primary job being in the basement). Painting isn't easy. Tape, remove all the face plates, remove the vents (and buy new ones b/c the old ones were nasty), remove all the woodwork, prime, paint, try to miter some new woodwork *chair rails* made from plasticy-balsa stuff, put it all together, and voila, a nice new kitchen and hallway four days later. Then there was the table set in the kitchen with the hunter green paint that, mmm, didn't do much for the light blue and cream.

So began Stephen's journey. He decided to strip the paint, which may be easy on flat surfaces, but on chairs with the little dowels in the back part and non-straight legs, not quite. He was up until 1:30am and is still working on removing the paint right now. Let's just say that when we redo the cupboards in the kitchen, it will be a cinch compared to the bastard table and chairs. I'm more prone to spray paint or NEW tables and chairs, but Stephen, the hard-worker-and-good-follow-througher he is won't give up until they are done. And they will look nice. We hope.

Abbs comes back today at around 4pm. Can't wait...we have great Saturday nights, sometimes karaoke, always Saturday Night Live (unless she's grounded from it, just twice though) and it seems so quiet when she's not here. Things have been going well with her lately; she's really excited for 5th grade and is constantly asking Stephen and I for advice on boys and all sorts of other things. It has been so much fun to watch her grow into a young lady and seeing her become more independent and inquisitive. She's chomping at the bit to go camping in the pop-up and wants to invite a friend with sometime this summer. Lately she wants to golf and go curling with Stephen, croquet and biking. It's great to watch a child open their wings (so to speak, that sounds so cheesy, but it's true). Last week she had a plan for a "new self" at her new school next year (which as a good stepmomI would never indulge--the plan or the school =) what her fav. color will be, what her fav. bands will be, etc. Reminded me of myself....I was forever writing up little plans like that when I was about 4th - 7th grade. I was glad to see that her's didn't include anything focusing on body size...which mine too often did.

Anyhoo, I need to go get her Easter basket and (blech) peeps and (yea) chocolate for tomorrow morning. Stephen is making a hunt for her, something she completely loves. AND, we are going to the Universalist church with my parents, sister and her family! Will be the first Easter not at a Lutheran church! Makes more sense to me overall, but should be interesting. Thanks for listening, MS

So I'm not sure why I get motivated to post when I do, but I thought this personality test would be interesting. I got the link/idea from Kari, Abbey's mom.

Here goes...

Advanced Global Personality Test Results Extraversion |||||||||||||| 60% Stability |||||||||||| 50% Orderliness |||||||||||||||||| 76% Accommodation |||||||||||| 50% Interdependence |||||||||||||||||||| 83% Intellectual |||||| 30% Mystical |||||| 30% Artistic |||||||||||| 43% Religious |||||||||||||||| 70% Hedonism |||||||||| 36% Materialism |||||||||||| 50% Narcissism |||||||||||||| 56% Adventurousness |||||||||||| 50% Work ethic |||||||||||| 43% Self absorbed |||||||||||| 50% Conflict seeking |||||||||||||| 56% Need to dominate |||||||||||||| 56% Romantic |||||||||||||| 56% Avoidant |||||| 30% Anti-authority |||||||||||| 43% Wealth |||||||||| 36% Dependency |||||||||||| 43% Change averse |||||||||||||||| 70% Cautiousness |||||||||||||| 56% Individuality |||||||||| 36% Sexuality |||||||||||||||| 63% Peter pan complex |||||| 30% Physical security |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Physical Fitness |||||| 24% Histrionic |||||||||||| 50% Paranoia |||||| 23% Vanity |||||||||||| 50% Hypersensitivity |||||||||||||| 56% Female cliche |||||||||||||||||||| 83%

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Stability results were medium which suggests you are moderately relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic.

Orderliness results were high which suggests you are overly organized, reliable, neat, and hard working at the expense too often of flexibility, efficiency, spontaneity, and fun.

Extraversion results were moderately high which suggests you are, at times, overly talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting at the expense of developing your own individual interests and internally based identity.

Trait snapshot:
clean, self revealing, open, organized, outgoing, social, enjoys leadership and managing others, dominant, makes friends easily, does not like to be alone, assertive, hard working, finisher, optimistic, positive, likes to stand out, likes large parties, respects authority, practical, high self esteem, perfectionist, dislikes chaos, busy, not familiar with the dark side of life, controlling, high self control, traditional, tough, likes to fit in, conforming, brutally honest, takes precautions

++++++++++++++++++++++++

Not too familiar with the dark side of life??? I thought that phrase was particularily humorous! Not that I am, really, but I think that an unwanted divorce (although I couldn't be more thankful now) counts as being familiar... But yes, I do admit, pretty functional family of origin, very functional marriage and home life, functional job, etc. And I guess I DON'T sit in dark corners and drink or anything... Hmmm. So maybe it's true.

Likes large parties? Actually, small parties will do, but I can stand big ones. Just never go to any...

Respects authority? Pretty much, unless you mean the current political administration, which I have no respect for.

Dislikes chaos? DEFINITELY. I hate chaos. Hate it.

Tough? Ha, ha, ha. So I know how to argue well. You would to if you honed your skills with your first husband. But really, I have toned down my instinct to go for the jugular when in a disagreement...

Finisher... of most things, like, uh, what's on the plate, but not of books or movies, which I have a low tolerance for. I fall asleep way too easily when in front of a book or a movie.

Brutally honest? My face generally shows my first reaction I guess, but I don't think I'm a cutting person. Check my bro on that one! He's more brutally honest than I ever will be.

Which reminds me-- Chris and Cindy should be home in early June! I am glad they are in Costa Rica/Nicaragua/Panama, but I'm starting to miss them quite a bit.

Spring Break is next week. HOORAY! In other news, I've been coming along on the thesis, which is probably why I never blog. Graduate school... my nemesis.

Should be good for a little while. Sorry to those of you who check back and never find updates, like I do with DYLAN's, and AMANDA's, and JEREMY's blogs... I always get bummed when there is nothing new, yet it somehow doesn't prompt me to post any more frequently...

Have a good one!