Some Fascinating Math

While it was on my mind, I wanted to get something noted down. I began to think about some of the negative connotation words I use to describe myself in my thoughts (and occasionally out loud, too). The two worst offenders are lazy and mediocre. Procrastinator is another.

I guess “lazy” and “procrastinator” go hand in hand in terms of what I use them to describe. I tend to apply the “lazy” label to any time I do something other than housework or cooking when I’m at home. I can admit to being less than perfect in the housekeeping category, but I am often doing something that is enriching to my life or Noah’s life in some way other than those two narrow chores. I know they’re necessary, but so is living life.

So here’s some math I worked out…

I work an 8-hour/day, 40-hour/week full-time job – plus an extra 1 hr. 20 min. per day for to/from work drive and lunch. That means that 46 hours of my week are spent related to work.

Since I only get about 6.5 hrs. sleep on any given weekday, that’s another 32.5 hours well-spent. 46 + 32.5 = 78.5 of 168; that leaves 89.5 hours. Oh, I forgot sleeping on the weekend – 16 hours over two days – brings the balance down to 73.5. An hour of nap / rest time each afternoon, weekends included, 7 hours. Remaining hours: 66.5.

Oh, I forgot to factor in that in the morning on weekdays, it takes me about 45 minutes to get ready for work – 3.75 hrs. 62.75 hours remaining.

So – in any given week, 37.35% of my time (62.75 hours out of 168 total) – is all that's available for cooking, cleaning, caring for Noodle, caring for myself above and beyond the “necessities”, running errands (including grocery shopping), financial matters, familial and friendship development, homeowner’s obligations, and spiritual growth.

Hmm… I’m really not feeling like “lazy” applies anymore. What do you think?

I, Meme, Mine...

OK - I haven't memed much, but I couldn't even finish reading my bud's post before I had to hijack it for my own. Sue me. Also, I must be congratulated for posting twice in a day. Well, I don't have to have congrats... I guess.

Who was your FIRST Homecoming date?
When I was a senior I took a guy who was younger than me (a Sophomore, heaven forfend) to a homecoming dance - basketball - because I was a candidate... because I made my friends on the team nominate me. I was having a rotten "me, me, me" year.

What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
I'm sure it was beer. I'm sure I was no more than 3. I'm sure I have had maybe 3 since. Foul stuff.

What was your FIRST job?
Eckerd Drugs. Cashier. Booooooring. Retail is not my forte.

What was your FIRST car?
1984 silver-blue Pontiac Firebird with T-tops and flip-up lights. Soooo redneck, soooo freakin' cool.

Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
Dunno - phone battery's dead. Probably no one.

Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
My hubby.

Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Mrs. Johnson. Matthews Elementary, Virginia.

Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
I think it was probably from Georgia to Virginia - I think. From one parent to the other for a summer visit. Solo.

Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them?
Lisa Cutch. Or Kutch. She was missing her two front teeth for the year-and-a-half we were friends. I'd have no idea how to find her now. I wonder if she remembers me.

Who was your FIRST kiss?
Dav - Short for Davenport. Oh... my... goddess. Set the Gold Standard, for sure.

Where was your FIRST sleep over?
Maybe at my friend Shelly's house. She lived "catty-corner" across the street from my grandparents' house. My grama's term - I have no idea how to spell it.

Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
My hubby. See the previous post today for more on that interaction.

Whose wedding were you in FIRST?
I think it was a friend I went to high school with, after we had both graduated from college.

What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
Stretched, read a few pages of a book, got out of bed, washed my face... Ahhh, Saturdays.

What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
Alabama. Not in Alabama. In Michigan.

FIRST tattoo and/or piercing?
Pierced my ears when I was 9, 10 and 11 (for a total of 5 holes). First tat was a sunshine on the inside of my right ankle.

FIRST foreign country you went to?
Canada. When I was fifteen.

FIRST movie you remember seeing in the theater?
Good heavens... "Goonies"?

When was your FIRST detention?
I never had one. (Yes, this echoes my friend's answer - it applies.)

What was the FIRST state you lived in?
Pennsylvania.

Have you ever called a person useless?
Perhaps. One of my favorite quotes from the Firefly episode "Shindig" - "Forgive my rudeness; I cannot abide useless people."

What object in your room is really important to you?
My notebooks, probably. They contain so many thoughts and notes and pontifications; I could never replace them.

Are you good at hiding your feelings?
Nah. They show on my face and in my posture.

Would you kiss an ugly person for $1,000?
This is a patently odd question. I think I'll have to pass.

What kind of sense of humor do you have?
Patently odd. But not in the same way as the previous question was patently odd.

Do you usually tell people when they hurt your feelings?
Not necessarily.

Do your initials spell out a word?
Mr. R

When is the last time you talked to an ex?
It must've been in like 2000. We had lunch - it was all on the up-and-up.

How often do you give high fives?
Every day - I have a three-year-old. He digs it.

What does the 10th text in your inbox say?
I can't look - My cell phone battery is dead... As usual.

Is your shirt new?
Yup. Mutts. Hot pink. From the Evil Empire. Sue me.

Where is the last place you went to go eat?
IHOP. This morning.

Have you bought any clothing items in the past week?
A couple shirts. They're cute, too. (My husband thinks they're sexy - can't beat that.)

Do you live near your ex boyfriend/girlfriend?
I think one of them is nearby (within 30 miles or so). One is in New York and another is in the D.C. area. No idea about any of the others.

If you had to sleep with a teacher from high school, who would it be?
Mr. Ahr. He was from elementary school. And I'm making the assumption that he would still look like he did then, since it's a ridiculous hypothetical anyway.

Has your house ever been TPd?
Nope.

Do you sing in the shower?
I would except for the fact that I usually shower while everyone else in the house is asleep.

Where is the last place you went shopping?
Publix - chips and dip.

Do you have the same name as one of your relatives?
Huh? The same last name. Oh, first name? Nope.

What kind of car does your sibling drive?
One of them has a sweet little Audi A6, one has a Ford Freestyle, one has a Nissan Sentra.

What kind of car do you drive?
A 1993 Honda Accord. My son calls it my "sweet little dirty red car".

Are you looking for a boyfriend/girlfriend?
You offering? (Hee hee. No, I'm happy as is.)

How old will you be in 8 months?
Thirty-four.

Do you prefer a call or a text?
Depends on the situation.

Did you enjoy your last kiss?
Mmmm-hmmm.

Have you ever been on television?
Yup. On the three news networks, during a "feel-good" segment featuring a class trip to a pizza joint. I was in, like, fifth grade.

How many cities/towns have you lived in?
Eeek! How could I count? My parents were Army first and afterward roving maniacs.

Do your parents drink coffee every morning?
I'm pretty sure they do because they always dig out our coffee maker when they visit.

Have you ever donated blood?
I don't think so - I keep getting tatoos around the time an opportunity arises. That's an automatic "thanks, but no thanks."

One song that's meaningful to you?
32 Flavors by Ani Difranco from the album Not A Pretty Girl

Impromptu Saturdays

Well I know it wasn't you who held me down

Heaven knows it wasn't you who set me free

So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains

And we never even know we have the key

from The Eagles "Already Gone"

We've had a remarkably wonderful day (see? here I am remarking about it!) so far and it started off with me going to pick Hubby up at the car repair place... only I went to the wrong place! About 15 or 20 miles in the opposite direction. Oh well.

Then we all (Hubby, Noodle and I) went to get breakfast at IHOP (mmm... buttermilk pancakes...). On our way back to the house, we decided to go to the lake. More precisely, to the dam. We walked down by the water then started down one of the trails. Forty-five minutes and two pee-on-a-tree breaks (the boys, not me) later, we turned back only because Noodle and I had poor walking shoes on and we were all getting thirsty.

I just love the spur-of-the-moment nature of our Saturdays together. Sure, we plan sometimes. Most often, however, we wake up and start our day with little thought for where it might take us. I lament not having the camera with us to at least have one measely shot to post, but we'll be back there soon enough. I'm sure of it!

Now, it occurs to me that I might ought to make a comment as to why the quote above really does apply to this post. No, really - hear me out. Had I allowed myself to get all frazzled or ticked off, in all likelihood I would have attracted more unpleasant events into the day. But I didn't. I kind of said a mental "oops!" and drove to the right place. I knew Hubby had a book to read so he couldn't have been too put-out. And besides, he just said, "Come get me at the car place." He didn't specify which car place and I made an assumtion. Heck, it was early (for a Saturday) and my brain was barely functioning when he kissed me goodbye. It was all good, though, no worries. I like no worries, leaves more energy for doing fun things like hiking by the dam!

Wine & Hummus... A Vacation Story

I was consuming those particular comestibles when I hauled my arse of the chair at my kitchen table in order to hike up the stairs and plop in the chair in front of the computer. I also spent a good deal of time on vacation enjoying the very same things.

I also mention them because it was wine in particular that must, must have been responsible for making one particular incident involving hummus on the day we arrived at our cabin tolerable... well, funny even. Anyone who knows the Noodle Dude is aware of his persnickety eating habits. In a truly peculiar turn of character, however, he actually loves hummus. So it was that we were enjoying the deck in front of our cabin, ingesting the aforementioned goodies when Noodle attempted a rather larger than manageable bite of the dip and, well, gagged himself and hurled all over me. It wasn't too bad - at least he missed my face. My dear sweet hubby and I couldn't help but dissolve in giggles. Cheap wine at its best, soothing the harsh events of life with overly sweet goodness.

The best part? Noodle went back to eating hummus later that evening! I thought I was done for sure on that score...

I'll be back soon with more vacation escapades, but first I have to locate drivers for my durn Handycam video camera. I forgot to take my blasted still camera with us (how? no idea...) so we were limited. It had some really interesting ramifications, though. You'll see!

(Hey Kit - I was one month to the day!! Ha-haa!)

Random recommendation: Cake's song "Jolene" from the album Motorcade of Generosity (1994)
The quality of this video isn't the best, but beggars, well, you know...