The Lisa Life

Twas The Week-End Before Christmas

Just some random thoughts today.

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It's easy to shop for Christmas presents when you're really broke.  Takes all the angst out of it.

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Tomorrow, we go to Margaret & Peter's for a Christmas Eve dinner of ham.  Christmas Day, I will be making a turkey.  I'm not a huge turkey fan but it was given to us and I'm all about make hay when the sun shines.  It's been a long time since I've made or had a turkey dinner, so I'm almost looking forward to it.

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I regularly surf blogs.  A couple I have read recently have had an astounding number of hits considering their longevity and content.  This makes me a bit sad. I thought I was doing pretty well. Blogging is very much about writing something you want others to read.  Otherwise, I'd be off in Live Journal land set to private .

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I seem to have hit a complete writer's block.  I haven't written anything worthwhile in a couple weeks.  My so-called novella or whatever about the Edmund Fitzgerald is at a total standstill.  I have re-worked what I have done and although I know where I want it to go, I seem unable to get it there.  Right now, I'm bored with my characters, bored with the premise and bored with the whole thing.  My attitude is much the same as my attitude towards the Titanic movie:  The damn boat sinks.

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We had Christmas carolers last night.  That was pretty cool.  Mia thinks they should come every night.

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Martin and his parents are not fond of corn.  Corn, in England, is grown to be fed to animals.  People don't eat it.  In a most passive/aggressive sort of way, I'm making a corn casserole to go with Christmas dinner.

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I'm really hooked on that Feist song on the iPod commercials.  The rest of her stuff is pretty good, as well.

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Anyone else following the Stacey Peterson case?  We had Peterson East (Michael), Peterson West (Scott), and now Peterson Midwest (Drew.)  Drew is a real charmer, as were the previous Peterson's.

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How are your holiday preparations going?

Random Mysteries Of The Universe, Revealed

Or not.

I've just revisited two books by Richard Russo.  Nobody's Fool and Empire Falls are so lyrical and well-written, I feel like the characters are old friends I'm always glad to run into.  I also wish to revisit Straight Man, but I can't find it.  Why, you ask, dear and gentle readers, do I always seem to lose books?  I suspect because I like to loan them out and sometimes, they are not always returned.

I want to write like Richard Russo.  He makes it seem so effortless and genuine and heartfelt.  His dialog doesn't just flow, it's seamless and sincere.

Mr. Russo won a Pulitzer for Empire Falls, so if I'm going to dream, I may as well dream big, right?

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Martin is watching Return of Superman or whatever the latest Superman movie is.  I'm in the kitchen so (thankfully) I don't have to see it, but it sure sounds like there are a lot of car crashes in it.

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Mia is starting preschool next week.  Three days a week, four hours a day.  We went to the parents orientation this week.  I'm thrilled for her.  She is going to love school and they are going to love her because she is filled with delight and loves to learn.  Martin, on the other hand, is heartbroken and crying in his beer that our baby is growing up.

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We're going here tomorrow night.  I say going, but actually, it's two blocks from our house. It's not like it's a major road trip.  It will be a nice evening out for us and I love live music and hey, did someone say beer/wine tent?

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I really wanted to go back to school this fall and get certification as a paralegal, but that just isn't going to happen.  Instead, I decided to take a more grass roots, hands on approach and wrote this amazing cover letter that I agonized over and sent it out with my resume to some local attorneys.  So far, I heard from one of the first five.  Not bad odds, right?  I know I can do the work and I know I'll be very good at it.  I just need the opportunity.

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I now officially have rock n roll hair.  I look in the mirror and think, "Wow, where did all this come from?  I should be heading out in my Camaro drenched in Obsession, going to see Bon Jovi at the Meadowlands."  I'll have to get Martin to take a picture so you can all share in my flashback to the late 80s.

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What have you been up to?

Gobsmacked

Monday, Martin and I had several errands to run and were out of the house most of the day.  When we got home, I checked the answering machine and had a message from my friend Loretta.

Our mutual friend Ronni's husband had committed suicide.

To say I was shocked is an understatement.  Last year, for my big 40th birthday party, Jim and Ronni came to Michigan from Texas and spent a few days as our guests.  We had great fun.  Martin and I enjoyed their company so much.  Jim and Martin had a lot of fun, both being history buffs.

Jim tickled me.  He was so pleased to have scored a couple of heavyweight tee shirts on sale at Meijer's.  He thought my pepper grinder from McCormick was the bomb.  He bought a Jesus action figure doll in Hell.  He liked driving our old Focus SVT because it was a manual and it was fun to drive.  He liked bloody marys.  So do I.

Now, I'm really pissed at him.  My heart breaks for Ronni.  No matter what the problem, suicide isn't the answer.  It's the ultimate selfish eff you to everyone you know, especially your family.

Ronni is an exceptionally strong woman but this has gobsmacked me in such a way, I can't imagine what she is feeling right now.  I'll say what she said:  If you are a praying person, a prayer wouldn't be a bad thing right now.  If you aren't a praying person, please send her positive thoughts and energy during this terrible time.

Love ya, Ronni.

Insert Clever Title Here

Meijer's has a line of products inspired by the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.  They include wine, luxury beach towels, tee shirts, flip flops, wineglasses, deck chairs, framed prints of photos of the Island, salt water taffy and the obligatory fudge and ice cream.  I caved in and bought two pints of the ice cream since they were on sale for a dollar each.

Heart's Desire: Cherry filled hearts with cherry chocolate fudge ribbon in brownie batter ice cream.

Grand Pecan: Chocolate covered pecans with fudge topping in butter pecan ice cream.

Oh. My. God.  Wonderful.

I've had an itch to revisit Mackinac lately.  Hard to believe but my in-laws have never gone.  I'm trying to talk them into an overnight trip as I think they'd love it.

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Mia turned four this week-end.  We just had Gran and Poppa over for dinner and cake.  Mia got a bike for her birthday.  I think she was more excited about the ice cream cake overall, but she's warming up to the bike.  Too bad it's rained like crazy since then and she hasn't gotten much of chance to ride it.

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The puppy is finally learning a little self-control.  It's called the Rolled Up Newspaper Threat school of discipline.  I just have to raise the newspaper and he sits and gives me his "Aw shucks, aren't I cute and not looking for trouble at all?" look.

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I went to a meeting of a local writing group and really enjoyed it.  Very diverse writing genres and I'm looking forward to stretching myself a bit.  I claimed that I want to write more true crime so I guess I should work on something crime related, eh? 

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Shrek The Third was not nearly as funny as the first two.  No out loud belly laughs.  Poor character development although the potential was there.  Choppy storyline.  I later found out that there were eight writers on the script which could explain it.

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Inertia

You're out of touch my baby/My poor discarded baby

So I was going to blog every day this month, wasn't I?  That hasn't happened, has it?

Bad blogger, Lisa.  Bad.

I am suffering from a mighty case of inertia.  I have so much I need and want to accomplish lately and I just can't seem to move off the dime.

I have made the decision that I want to go back to school.  I've toyed with this idea for a long time, thought about going to get an MSW (social work) and finally decided I need to do it. I don't think I could do social work, though, too empathetic.  I want to become a paralegal. I like the law, although I have no desire to be a lawyer; I enjoy research and think I am good at it.  There are all sorts of programs available in Michigan for people like me, who have lost their jobs because the company they worked for closed or went out of business.  I figure it will take me from a year and a half to two years to get my certification and I have at least another twenty good working years, so why not take advantage of these programs and do something I think I would not only enjoy, I think I would be very good at?

I'm totally burned out on anything to do with accounting or bookkeeping and I think I've lost my edge on it.  I have no interest.  There are no jobs doing that, anyway.  At least not any long term career type jobs that pay a decent wage with benefits.

I have a hundred ideas and projects I'd like to do in my house.  If only I had the money to actually execute them.  This past week-end, I mowed the lawn and planted some hostas and it was very fulfilling and it actually looks nice.  I felt good about that.  I had accomplished something.

Now, if I can only finish that table I've been shabby chic distressing for the past two weeks.  It doesn't help that the puppy has jumped on it and left paw prints which needed to be painted over three times.

I quoted that Stones song because it describes how I am feeling: this year is slipping away from me.  I need to accomplish something.

But first, I need to get off my ass and get motivated.

Long Time Gone

Ed. Note:  Isn't that a Dixie Chicks song?  I think I actually have that CD somewhere and at one point, listened to it a lot.

It's been about two and a half weeks since I actually did anything on my blog.  I'm a slacker, what can I say?

I've made a vow to myself that I am going to update my blog every day in May.  I may at some point resort to obscure trivia questions.  Or I may peel out of the squadron with creative thoughts.

Welcome back.  I've missed you, Clarice.

Wedding Meme

Shamelessly lifted from Ronni.

Where and how did you meet?

The Yahoo Personals.

How long did you know each other before you dated?

About three weeks.  It was Labor Day week-end and I made a joke about us being the only people in Southeast Michigan who had not gone up North for the week-end.

How long did you date before you became engaged?

Five or six months.

Length of engagement?

Not long.

How long have you been married?

Six years.

When is your anniversary?

We have two because we got married twice.  Our first wedding was at the courthouse in front of a judge who also happened to live around the corner from me.  They do weddings as the first business of the day so we also had the added bonus of all the perps in their orange jail jumpsuits applauding us after the ceremony.  That was in March.  In June, we had our formal ceremony at the wedding chapel.  There were no known perps at that one.

How many people were at your wedding?

At the first, six, not including the perps.  At the second, about 90.

What kind of cake?

We had a homemade cake with beautiful marzipan by my friend Darr.

Where was your reception?

At the Lakelands Country Club, which is gorgeous.

What kind of gifts did you get?

We requested that our guests not give us gifts, since we already had two fully equipped homes.  We instead asked that they make a donation in our name to the local animal rescue shelter.  While many people did, this apparently made others think that it was entirely appropriate to do nothing.  We did get a couple gifts, notably a couple bottles of wine and some casino chips.

What did your wedding dress look like?

See above. 

What did your flowers look like?

Cream roses tipped in red/pink.

Were your wedding bands engraved?

No.

What was your meal?

Plated chicken breast and filet mignon in demi glaze with garlic smashed potatoes and sauteed green beans.  I think there was a cheese tray and some salad involved somewhere as well.  As an added bonus, the sister of friends of ours who were at the wedding and reception happened to have been moonlighting that night as a waitress at the reception.

What was the most special moment?

Walking down the aisle with my biological brother and sister.

What did you do for a honeymoon?

Took my then 8 year old son and the fifth wheel and went up north.

Which side of the bed do you sleep on?

The one my husband doesn't sleep on.

What size is your bed?

Right now, a double, which I hate.  We haven't figured out how to get the queen size box springs up our narrow staircase.  The box spring is living in our office right now, which is another thing that annoys me.

What was your first dance?

The Beatles, When I'm Sixty-Four.  We waltzed.  The rest of the music was pure 80s schlock but there was a lot of dancing.

What is your greatest strength as a couple?

We love each other.

What is your greatest challenge?

We've had just about every sort of challenge thrown at us.

Who literally pays the bills?

Nearly all are paid online, the few checks that are written, just depends on who grabs the checkbook first.  Usually Martin

Assorted News

Happy New Year, dear and gentle readers.  May 2007 be a wonderful year for you.

I am sitting on my sofa, blogging from my laptop.  We've gone wireless and it's a wonderful thing.

Right now, I'm watching The Commitments.  Why don't we own this movie?  It's wonderful and I don't know why I haven't watched it more often.  I'm not a huge fan of feel good movies.  This one is utterly charming and uplifting without being sappy.  It's also got incredibly great music.  If you haven't seen The Commitments, take the time.  If you have seen it, revisit it.  It's timeless and some good entertainment.

I've recently read two books I was very much looking forward to and both were terribly disappointing.

Internal Combustion by Joyce Maynard

Internal Combustion is about the Nancy Seaman case.  I enjoy Joyce Maynard's other works very much, from her novel Baby Love to her memoir, At Home In The World and several others in between.  The Nancy Seaman case was fascinating.  The book is a superficial recap of the case and not terribly insightful.  I really didn't learn anything I didn't already know from following the case in the paper and elsewhere in the news.

Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris

Nobody can write about a gruesome murder in such lyrical prose like Thomas Harris.  Hannibal Lecter is the fictional serial killer you have a fond affection for, since he really only kills the rude.  Hannibal Rising is the back story of how Hannibal turned into the monster he is.  Hannibal's back story just isn't very compelling.

Did I mention that The Commitments is a really good movie? Their interpretations of Mustang Sally, In The Midnight Hour and Chain Of Fools are incredible.  Makes me want to dance, with ain't happening anytime soon.

I'm very disappointed that I missed the Find A Death field trip to the Motown Museum.  It just wasn't happening with my foot surgery and so close to the holidays.

Why are children's toys locked up in their packages like Fort Knox?  I spent almost 45 minutes on Christmas morning freeing My Little Pony from her plastic packaging hell.

My father-in-law brought me a half dozen pink roses last night that he forgot to give to me until they were leaving.  That was really nice and I'm absurdly touched.

It really is the little things.

Bloody Mary Blogging, Edition 8,467

Conversation Overheard At My House:

ME:  Mia, stop tormenting the dog.

MIA: I'm petting him.

ME: He has his bone.  Don't mess with him when he's guarding his bone.

NOTE:  I love my dog, but he is dumb.  He doesn't know what to do with the rawhide bone.  He carries it around and guards it.  He doesn't actually chew it or play with it.  We are pretty convinced he buried the last rawhide bone somewhere in the backyard and has forgotten where he buried it since whenever he is outside, he is frantically sniffing everywhere in the yard and doing half-hearted digging.

MIA:  I love Bennie.  I pet him.  (While smacking him on the back.)

BENNIE: Gets up and runs into the other room. Presumably to hide from Mia.  Mia follows.

ME:  QUIT TORMENTING THE DOG OR HE WILL BITE YOUR HAND OFF AND THEN YOU WILL NEVER BE POTTY TRAINED SINCE YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO WIPE! 

MIA:  He not bite my hand.  I get another hand.

ME: Where would you get another hand if he bit your hand off?  (Genuinely curious.)

MIA: KOHL'S. 

ME:  KOHL'S?  Hm, I must have missed the Missing Body Parts Replacement Department.

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Speaking of Bennie, when my friend Ronni and her husband visited for my birthday, Ronni fed Benny red licorice.  I'm glad I didn't see that coming out the other side.

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We have a neighborhood garage band.  They suck.  They suck bad.  They are currently working on butchering the Bon Jovi anthem, Living On A Prayer. WHOOOAAA WHOA WE'RE HALFWAY THERE, WHOOOOA WHOA LIVIN ON A PRAYER.  That's as far as they get.  If I ever liked this song or even tolerated it, I don't now.

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My backyard neighbor Jacinda just called me.  When I said hello, she started singing, "WHOOOAA WHOOOOA HALFWAY THERE!  WHOAAA WHOOOOA LIVING ON A PRAYER!"

Then she hung up. 

I'm cracking up.

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I just found out, via Peter, my father-in-law, that friends of ours who live in Trenton, Ontario, read my blog and Martin's.  Our friends, D and T, are the son and daughter-in-law of Margaret and Peter's oldest friends.   In fact, Peter said he found out we were house shopping from Joe, the father of T and D's father-in-law.  Which is a little off, since Margaret and Peter have looked at houses with us before this and are helping us financially.

Still, I'm a little freaked out.  So hi, D!  Comment, okay?  Say hello!  When are you guys coming down again? 

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I'm sick of looking at houses, doing the offer game, figuring out taxes, which vary wildly around here.  I'm tired of looking at neutral carpet and ceramic floors and redone bathrooms.  I'm tired of figuring out what the mortgage payment will be.  I'm tired of looking at people's idea of nice wallpaper.

I can move in a week-end.  Can we just find a place?  I don't want to look at any more "staged" houses with the soft music playing, the apple/cinnamon candles lit and the crock pot going with beef stew. 

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100,000

Today, my site meter says that I've hit 100,000.

I'll take that martini extra dry with lemon, no olive.