What's that? I can STAY HOME?!

I think I may need to get a restraining order against my ex-husband. OK, not really, but he showed up unannounced/unexpectedly/unwelcome this morning at about 7:15. Then, a few minutes after I dismissed my class, he came strolling into my classroom. Ugh, WTF?! He was obviously looking for my son, who wasn't even with me because he was staying after school to rehearse for the show the 8th graders are putting on for the Ice Cream Social Friday night. He just came back from being out of town for almost a week, so he missed his weekend with my son, but guess what? Too bad, so sad!

I'm already on the express train to hell for so many other reasons, so I don't mind sharing that most of the time, I wish my son had a dead-beat dad. I know, I know, that's horrible, and I know there are millions of children out there who really do have pieces of crap like that for fathers, so no disrespect meant to them. But, for ME, personally, my life would be so much easier and less stressful if he would just drop off the face of the Earth. Would it be good for my son? Absolutely not. Although, most of the time, I don't really feel that way either. My biggest fear is that my son will turn out exactly like his father (a no-good, womanizing, lying, cheating bastard!) and if I could eliminate that influence on him, I would. But, alas, I cannot. His father is overly involved, as far as I'm concerned. He has him every weekend, usually from Friday afternoon until Monday morning, which is twice as much as most divorced dads get their kids.

Apparently, he really missed him while he was away, hence the surprise ambush, I mean visit, this morning, and then again after school. He ended up driving over to my son's school right behind me when I picked him up from practice, and then took him for the evening. He's going to bring him home at bedtime.

Right now, they're at the barber's, because my ex needs a haircut, and he's trying his damnedest to get my son's hair cut, as well. I haven't made my son get a haircut almost since the beginning of the school year. He has my "old" hair (before childbirth!) so it's really thick and curly and shiny. It's beautiful! But, it's also almost as long as mine right now, and it's driving his father nuts!! (Those of you who are moms of young girls have probably been subjected to High School Musical a gabillion times, right? I saw it for the first time last month when one of my students brought it to school. Anyway, the point is, my son's hair, according to my babies, looks just like the black boy who stars in the movie. Sorry, don't know his name.) Hmmm, could that be why I'm so resistant to cutting it? Nah! My son will be starting high school in a few short months, and he'll be attending a Catholic school, so no more long hair come August. I told him he could grow it as long as he wants until then. I don't care how ridiculous he looks, it's not my head! But, his father (who had hair down to his shoulders in 8th grade, by the way!) is pitching a fit!! Whatever! In all seriousness, I had planned to stop at my girlfriend's salon on the way home from the bar tonight so that she could trim his hair a bit, and give it some shape, but then his father insisted on taking him from me. In the windup, I didn't even go to the bar because I have a LOT to do there tomorrow, and my brother is feeling really bad about me coming there everyday straight from school. He realizes it's really wearing me down, so he suggested I just stay home tonight. Isn't he sweet? He knows I'm in for an all-nighter tomorrow, so I think he's trying to bank some 'good brother' points. Haha!

Well, no son, no bar, what ever shall I do with myself this evening? Take a long, hot bath, perhaps? Yeah, right!! I have about 52 loads of laundry calling my name, enough dog hair on the floors to weave a room-sized carpet, and dishes still in the sink from Monday night. Ick! By the way, when I picked Buster up last night, he didn't have a cute new bandanna on like I expected. I should still take his picture, though, cuz he looks so cute, all brushed out and clean. Thank God I warned the cute little girl who bathed him to put a muzzle on him if she planned to clean his ears. He didn't like it one bit I was told. I'm glad she did it, though, because I really suck at keeping up with it. I always feel like I'm hurting him, so I do a piss-poor job, which I'm sure is why he continues to suffer from ear infections!

OK, I'm off to that frightening place I like to call my laundry room! Wish me luck!

I believe you should live each day as if it is your last, which is why I don't have any clean laundry, because, come on, who wants to wash clothes on the last day of their life? ---unknown

Happy Birthday, Buster!!

I'm too cute for words!

So regal!!

I love how this is the same pose as the picture to the right!

Today is my Dorky Dog's 11th birthday. Jeez, he's old, huh? I realize that 90% of the time, I'm bitching about him, but the other 10%, I kinda like him. I just dropped him off at the groomers for a bath and a serious brushing. He's losing his winter coat, and my house is a disgusting mess! I have to vacuum at least 3 times a day (NO exaggeration, I swear!) and there's still hair everywhere! I've always wanted to get a Roomba, but with all the trouble my friend's been having with hers, I think I'll save my money.

Anyway, Buster is enjoying the doggy version of a "spa day" for his birthday. I'll come back and post a picture of him after I pick him up. He always gets a cute bandana tied around his neck when the groomer finishes with him.

Today is also my niece's 14th birthday. I have a feeling she would like a "spa day" even more than Buster would. I may have to work on that...

In the meantime, I'm off to make dinner, while working on the menus for Intimo. A sister's work is never done...

Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in? I think that's how dogs spend their lives. ---Sue Murphy

Chocolate covered strawberries...

...are a treat straight from heaven!! I made some tonight for dessert for my son and I to enjoy, and enjoy we did!! I used Ghirardelli chocolate, so they were extra yummy.

*

School was a trip as always today. One of my parents keeps bringing up my birthday (which is next week) and she keeps telling me she's having a party for me. I'll be out next Tuesday for jury duty (oh joy!) and she thinks that's my birthday. It's actually Thursday (so I'll be taking Friday off!) so I'm hoping maybe she'll let it go. However, she did mention today that she's bringing shots of tequila for me that day, so I just may have to let her throw me a party. haha! Aren't my parents hilarious!! Would your parents EVER have told your teacher that they were going to bring tequila to school for her birthday?!?! Ah, gotta love Englewood!

*

At least next week will be a very short week for me. I really do have jury duty on Tuesday, and I'll be out Friday for a "workshop." How convenient for me!! That means I can celebrate Cinco de Mayo late into the evening on Monday, and that I can celebrate my birthday all night Thursday. Nice, huh? I'm trying to keep from having a nervous breakdown, since this year is a BIG one.

A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday, but never remembers her age. ---Robert Frost

You Make a Difference

I little long, but I think it's worth it...
http://www.blueribbonmovie.com/

I did it again...

I can't believe I missed another day's post. This working round the clock thing really sucks! Once again, I came straight here to the bar from school, did a huge shop at Sam's Club, then Jewel, spent the rest of the night preparing food for tonight and in between dishes, put together a big stainless steel work table for the kitchen. I was here until after midnight, only to go home to find my son (who I didn't know was home alone!) still up and doing homework!!

Flash forward to this morning. If you regularly stop by here, you can only imagine what the morning was like in my house today. I'll spare you the gory details (you're welcome!). I was at the Hell-Hole for less than an hour when one of the janitors came in to tell me that one of my back tires was completely flat. Of course it was! It goes perfectly with the week I've been having! And, on that note, I'm gonna stop because I feel a full-on rant coming, and I can't really sit here long enough to type it all out. It's time to get back to work. Maybe I'll finish venting tomorrow. Not necessarily because I think you give a crap, but because it's cathartic, and I need to get it out.

Stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven't fallen asleep yet. ---Anonymous

This just in....

...my darling friend just sent me this in an email, so I thought I'd pass it on!

It's 11:30...

...I just walked in the door, I MUST go to bed. Fill ya in tomorrow. G'night!

Thank you...

...to whoever the generous donor was who funded my Donors Choose proposal for a new carpet. I actually contemplated not accepting it, because I hope to be out of the Hell-Hole next year. All items donated through Donors Choose must stay with the school, so I technically can't take it to my new school. I hate to leave it there. Although, when I'm not feeling angry and spiteful, it does make me happy that the new teacher will have a new carpet in her room. Oh, who the hell am I kidding!? I'll probably STILL be there next year....

A couple of funnies from today. I was testing the kids on some Dolch Sight Words. One of the babies was really trying hard to sound out some of the words, despite the fact that these are "sight" words. When she came to the word ask she perfectly sounded out /a/ /s/ /k/. Then I said, "say it all together." She said, "aaa...sss...kkk." "Ok, now say it fast!" She cracked me up. In her head, she obviously figured out the word was ask, so naturally she gave me "Aks!"

Another of the babies was also trying to sound out some of the words. His word was with. He gave me /w/ /i/ /th/, and when I told him to put it all together, he gave me www...iii...ttthhh." Then the light bulb went off, and he smiled and proudly said, "Oh, wiff!" tee hee!

I have more stories, but I'm late for my niece's confirmation!

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. ---Franklin P. Jones

Open wide....

Well, the gyne appointment actually went well. That's especially nice cuz the morning started out kinda sucky! I woke up with the same migraine I went to bed with last night. Still have it right now, actually. Anyway, woke up in pain, then had to get the 'pain' I gave birth to out of bed. Trust me, it wasn't pretty. It involved LOTS of yelling, which is bad enough when I don't have a migraine. Needless to say, he was 10 minutes late for school. AGAIN!

From there, I headed over to the Hilton to sign in and leave. Or, so I thought. Weeks ago, I gave the woman in the office, who handles the $, the registration papers for this workshop. Last week, I asked her if she sent everything in, etc., and she said, oh yeah, I'm gonna do it right now. Oookkkk....this past Wednesday, I stopped in her office and asked again. She holds up the papers and says, oh, I'm doing it right now! Yeah....last night, as I was walking out of school at 6:30, I asked for the third time, she says, yeah, I told you I did it.

So, that takes us to this morning. I walk in to the Hilton at about 8:15, thinking I'll be back out in my car by 8:20. No such luck. Surprise, surprise, my name wasn't on the list!! I was tempted to just say 'screw it' and walk back out. But, I realized I'd better have something to show I was there, just in case. I signed in, but then was told I needed to call this stupid woman at school and get the P.O. number from when she supposedly paid. First, I couldn't get a signal in the building, so I had to go outside. Then, I get Ms. M. on the phone, and she puts me on hold for 10 minutes. Then, she comes back and says that she put it through, but the Big Cheese never ok'd it. Ugh!!! She said she was going to go look for him, and call me back. So, I sat like a big ass in the lobby of the Hilton waiting for about 15 minutes, then called back. Long story already too long, she finally gave me the number, which I promptly gave to the girl at the table and then left. However, I'm about 90% certain she realized I was leaving cuz, duh! Everyone else was already in the conference room! It was much easier to blend into the crowd when there WAS one! Whatever!

I then had to rush to get to my gyne on time, which I did, and was in and out in less than a half hour! That's never happened before. Then again, I've never gone during the day before, either. This was awesome! I went to the bar from there, since my doctor's office is all the way out in BuFu, just like the bar, and I met my brother. We went to lunch, then did some banking, then I came home to change, maybe lie down for this migraine for a while, and then head back out in a bit. I have a hair appointment tonight, then I'll be going to the bar to work. I'm already exhausted. I figured I'd better post now, since I'm hoping to nap, and then there won't be time later.

OK, one last thing (especially for my Cali friends!!)...we had a damn EARTHQUAKE here this morning! Oh, yes we did!! Thank God I slept right through it, but it woke my poor sister up out of a sound sleep. I believe it was a 5.2, which is pretty big, especially for the freakin' midwest. The epicenter was in downstate Illinois, but it was felt all the way downtown. If any of my Chicago friends felt it, or have a story, PLEASE share!! It's been an absolutely gorgeous day here today. It's in the 70s (the bank said 79 earlier, but I find that hard to believe) and sunny. I have all the windows open in my house, and I'm planning to take a little siesta under the open window, feeling the warm spring breeze. Have a great weekend!!

I used to sleep nude - until the earthquake. ---Alyssa Milano

You and me both, Girl!!

Not tonight, either

Another night without a real post. I've had a migraine all day, I'm completely exhausted (gee, I can't imagine why! Could it be I didn't get home until about 3 this morning?!) and I'm going to bed. Good night.

Oops!

I came straight to the bar from school, got here about 3:30, and I'm still sitting here at midnight. Nothing much to say, anyway, about school. At least nothing that doesn't involve swearing! I'll be sitting, bored out of my mind all day, at Report Card Pick-Up, so I'll catch you up on things then. Good night!

I always knew I was all-American....

I lifted this from Leslie's blog. I think it's pretty accurate. Tell me what kind of pie you are.

You Are Apple Pie

You're the perfect combo of comforting and traditional. You prefer things the way you've always known them. You'll admit that you're old fashioned, and you don't see anything wrong with that. Your tastes and preferences are classic. And classic never goes out of style. Those who like you crave security. People can rely on you to be true to yourself - and true to them. You're loyal, trustworthy, and comfortable in your own skin. And because of these qualities, you've definitely earned a lot of respect.

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Is it wrong...

...that I'm sitting here watching the season finale of Biggest Loser while eating? At the moment, it's turkey and provolone for dinner. Hopefully, though, watching the show will keep me from pulling out dessert. Doubtful....

It could be worse....

...I could have to work a full week. I just realized this morning, as I was typing out my weekly newsletter (that none of the parents read, by the way!!) that I only have to work three days this week. Well, three days with the kids, that is. The kids are off Thursday because it's Report Card Pick-Up Day. The nice thing about those days is that we start late, but the crappy thing is that we start late. We work 12-6 those days, so it's nice not having to go in until noon. But, I REALLY don't like being in Englewood until 6 pm. [On a side note, about 30 minutes ago, I was watching the early evening news, and they had a "breaking news story" about yet another child shot in Englewood today. I think the number of children killed this school year by gunfire is now around 35. Most of those have been in Englewood.]

Anyway, because we start late on Report Card days, we usually try to go out, or do something, the night before. However, I have a feeling I'll be "working" at the bar Wednesday night. That's fine, though. Maybe I can convince some of the girls to meet me up there, since they all start late the next day, too.

Friday, I'm not working because the Big Cheese paid for me to go to a workshop. Now, you all know the routine. Go, sign in and leave. However, Friday, I'll be leaving to go right back home (the workshop is at a Hilton that's about 10 blocks from my house) and jump in the shower, because I have a gyne appointment. Worked out well, didn't it? I love that I was able to make a daytime appointment, because it's so hard to get an evening appointment at this office. I realized about a month ago that I was about 3 months late for my checkup. That wouldn't be such a big deal, except I've had to go see my doctor every 3 months for the past few years, so I basically missed an entire checkup. Oh, well. Hopefully, there's not a problem.

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four, unless there are three other people. ---Orson Welles

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

This is absolutely one of my favorite pictures of me and my daddy. He looks a little like Elvis, doesn't he? This was taken at Kiddieland about 39 years ago. For the record, Kiddieland still has this exact same carousel, and hasn't changed much in the 50+ years it's been around.

Today my daddy turned 65. That means that in 27 short days, I will be turning (gasp!) 40. Yikes! Big year for both of us. And, my baby will be 15. How the hell did that happen?! I think it's kinda cool that my daddy and I are 25 years apart, and my son and I are also 25 years apart.

We had a big surprise party for my dad when he turned 50. At the time of his party, I hadn't told him yet that I was pregnant. (Partly because I couldn't bear to admit that his little girl was having sex! Never mind that I was already married for over 3 years at this point!) I had a fake newspaper made up with a headline that read "MG to Become a Grandpa at the Ripe Old Age of 50!" And that's how he found out I was having a baby. It's one of the few times I've ever seen my dad cry.

My dad and son absolutely adore each other. He's the first grandchild, and only grandson, so he'll always have a special place in my daddy's heart. Despite promising myself I wouldn't post pictures of my child (or any family members for that matter), I'm gonna do it again. This is one of my favorite pictures of him and his grandpa. I think it's about 10 years old now. They're both lookers, don't ya think?

Sadly, I didn't end up ditching my workshop today, so I didn't have lunch with my daddy. But, we'll be having dinner together tonight (me, mom, sis and dad) then we'll head over to the bar and do a little celebrating with my brother. I think I'd better go take a quick nap, cuz I think it's gonna be a late night! Happy, happy birthday, Daddy!! I love you!!!!

The greatest gift I ever had

Came from God; I call him Dad!

~Author Unknown

Whew....

...thank God that's over! I only had to stay for about 15 minutes after school today to finish my report cards. I had to get them finished today, because I won't be at school tomorrow (thank you, Jesus!!) and the grades have to be in by the end of the day. That's the point of the teacher institute day, despite the fact that most principals (Big Cheese included) schedule meetings all damn day long. I used to always take these days off, since I could get more work done at home, plus my son would be out of school, as well. But, this year CPS switched over to a computerized system for attendance and grades, and we can only access it from school. How freakin' stupid is that?!?! I don't know any teachers who actually do their report cards at school. We take them home (along with the hours of other work we bring home every night!!) and work on them in the comfort of our own homes, sitting in our jammies, sipping our tea or coffee. Or margarita, if we're lucky!! It REALLY pisses me off that we have to be at school to do our damn cards.

Anyway, my little darlings basically did nothing today while I worked on report cards. They watched Between the Lions and Sesame Street videos (both to ease my guilt, as they are incredibly educational) and then Rugrats (the source of my guilt!) But, bottom line - I got my damn card finished, and didn't have to stay in Englewood any longer than necessary.

Of course, I drove straight here to the bar, where I've been trying to program the damn cash registers for a week! I'm taking a quick break to post and check email, then I'm going to go get my brother and myself some dinner, then I'm going to give the registers another try. Since I don't have to work tomorrow, I figure I can stay out later. Yeah, right, I'm already exhausted!

I still do have to get up early tomorrow and drive all the way to Malcolm X College to sign in and leave. Then I'll be off to celebrate my daddy's birthday. 65 wonderful years! Yay, Daddy!

A father is always making his baby into a little woman. And when she is a woman he turns her back again. ---Enid Bagnold

What is something we do in the fall?

"We rape the leaves!"

Duh!

Not much to say tonight...

I'm basically taking the night off, since it's the first night I've been home in weeks. It's so strange to be sitting here, watching The Biggest Loser, which I've been missing for the past couple months. On that note, I'm off to see who's going home tonight.

BTW, I still hate the Hell-Hole!

Hmmm...maybe tonight will be the night I can get some sleep!

I just walked in the door from the bar, it's 9:30ish, and this is the earliest I've been home in ages. So rather than sitting here for an hour filling you in on things, I'm going to just cut and paste from an email I sent a friend this afternoon, describing what the past week or so has been like for me. Some of the info may be repeated from last week's posts, so I apologize if it's redundant.

Since I've completely moved away from this being my "school" blog, I'm feeling very guilty. Let me just share this to ease my conscience. Today, one of the little darlings in my class flipped my off. Oh, yes she did!!! God, I LOVE the Hell-Hole!!! Actually, one of the reasons I've been writing so much 'personal' stuff is that I've reached a level of hatred and disgust for the Hell-Hole, and most especially for the Big Cheese, that is so high, I just don't want to think about it when I'm home these days. I can't give any more of myself to all this negative crap, especially as thin as I've been spread these days. On that note, here's the scoop:

My weekend was BUSY!!!! I have been running on fumes for over two weeks now. I can't remember the last time I was so completely physically, mentally and emotionally drained. Oh, wait, yeah I can. Right after L was born! Things really picked up speed with the bar a couple of weeks ago (permits FINALLY coming in, licences acquired, furniture arriving, liquor ordered, etc., etc., etc...) so we have been working 'round the clock for weeks now. Last week, we basically decided we'd be able to have a "soft open," as my brother keeps calling it, by the weekend. Let me go back, and remind you that I had a major fundraiser to run on Saturday night for L's school, which left me exhausted on Sunday. Sunday night, we set up all the furniture, except the stools, since they weren't there yet. We had to wipe everything down and clean all the surfaces of EVERYTHING, since we still have construction dust settling. I think I left there at about 2:30 am. Unfortunately, while I was working, I managed to drink three giant 32 oz Diet Cokes, so I could NOT fall asleep for the life of me!! I finally turned the TV off at 4:30, but then just tossed and turned until my alarm went off at 6:00.

Monday, I went there again, and got home after midnight. Again, couldn't fall asleep, finally dozed off around 2:30, up again at 6! Tuesday afternoon, the bar stools arrived, and Tuesday night, one of the liquor reps offered to do a wine tasting, at no cost to us, at the bar. We quickly invited family and a few friends on Monday night (talk about NO notice) and as they walked in, we handed them razor blades and told them to start unwrapping stools!! It was actually pretty funny! The wine tasting was fun, but alas, I was there AGAIN until after 2:30 am!!!

Wednesday, up at 6, loonnggg stressful day with the kiddos, then straight from school home to pick up the dog, straight to the vet, spend an hour or so there, straight home with just enough time to literally throw the dog in the yard, yell for L to let him in, and then off the L's school for a Parents' Club meeting. Ran the meeting, met with the principal, and got home around 9:30. Despite still not having eaten all day, I was just too tired to worry about it. I did a few chores (dishes, laundry), made L's lunch, and got to bed around 11:30ish. Out of habit, I turned on the TV, and caught the end of Jimmy Kimmel's 1000th Show extravaganza (I adore Jimmy Kimmel!) so I ended up watching, then at midnight when it ended I was all set to turn off the television, only to get immediately hooked by Oprah (wretched woman!!) because she had on the "man" who is pregnant. I ended up watching the whole darn show! So, there we were again, up past 1 am!

Thursday, I went to the bar straight from school, worked my butt off, so that we could open on Friday. Friday afternoon, again I went straight from school, finished up a few last-minute things, made a run to the grocery store for a couple of things we forgot (like pineapple juice, half and half, and so on) then back to the bar to wait for the crowds! When 5:00 rolled around, my brother, sister and I were just sitting there with baited breath, but we were sitting alone. No worries, we didn't even tell anyone we were open. We figured that when people stopped by to ask if we were open yet (as they did no less than 10 times a night for the past 6 months!) we'd finally be able to say "Yes! Come on in!" And that moment finally happened about 6:30ish.

The sweetest couple came in and were our first customers. Within about 15-20 minutes, a few more people wandered in, and things were lookin' good. My brother and I had talked about getting dinner, but then when people started coming in, we were so busy socializing, I never left to get anything. Finally, around 8:30, I figured I'd better go, since business was picking up, and I knew we had to eat for energy! My sister and I left, we picked up sushi for M and me, and Al's Beef for her, then went back to the bar by 9:00. We were shocked when we pulled up. The place was jam-packed!! Every bar stool around the bar, and every table was filled with people, as well as one of the couches. YAY!!! Friday was a smashing success! Sadly, my brother didn't get to eat until after 10, and even then he only was able to grab quick bites here and there. Poor baby!


We ended up staying open until 2:00, although most of the people cleared out about 11:30 or so. Then my brother and I and our cousin sat around BSing until about 2:30 while we cleaned. We went to breakfast from there, and I pulled in my driveway around 4am. That wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't have to be up Saturday morning to go to a fundraising event for the Teachers' Union.

It seemed like my head had just hit the pillow, when my doorbell started ringing at 9:00, and my friend from school was at my house to go to the bowling alley. We ended up being at the bowling alley much later than I anticipated, which put me behind the rest of the afternoon. I was hosting a Pampered Chef party Saturday night, which originally was supposed to be at my house (kind of a 'come see the basement, now that the floor is finally finished' thing) but my brother suggested during the wine tasting party that I hold it at the bar. I've already gone on too long, so let me just say, it was fun. Friends I wasn't expecting showed up, which is always a great treat. The PC party was winding down around 8:30ish, and I was getting nervous because there really hadn't been anyone stopping in to ask if we were open. I had to keep reminding myself that people don't go out early on Saturday night. My fears were eased at around 9:00, when the throngs of people started arriving!! Again, a packed house!! Saturday was great! The place was filled with family and friends, as well as friendly strangers who just happened by.

As successful as the first two nights were, I can't imagine what it's going to be like when we actually have the grand opening, and let people know we're open! With no announcement, no advertising, no nuthin' we managed to pack the house two nights in a row. I made the executive decision to stay closed last night. Worked out great, since I didn't pull into my driveway until 5:15 Sunday morning!! We all slept in, then my brother, sister and I went out for dinner last night and then headed over to the bar. We went under the pretense of getting some work done, but all we managed to do was hang out, listening to music, squeezing in a little singing and dancing, and just basking in the glory of opening weekend. I'm so happy for my brother, and for my family. I'm completely convinced now that Intimo is going to be a raging success.

OK, it's 10:00, and I'm going to hit the sack. I just may be able to actually get 8 hours in tonight!!

BIG news....

Holy crap! I just realized I never posted yesterday :( It's the first day I've missed since I started blogging. Oh well...I've been crazy busy with the bar. As a matter of fact, I'm sitting here right now at a table, looking at the FULL bar! That's right, folks, we're open for business!! I'll fill you in on the details manana. I'm off to share in my brother's joy!!

Is it possible to actually be THIS tired?

After the late night Sunday, and my very 'shweepy" Monday, I have yet to catch up on my much needed beauty sleep. After that lame post, for some reason, I couldn't fall asleep, despite being completely exhausted. I finally turned my TV off somewhere between 1:30-2:00, so I did manage to get a couple of hours of sleep. But now, after last night's festivities, I am completely wiped out. I stayed at the bar until about 2:30, got home around 3, and slept for about 3 hours before I was up and in the shower. Now, keep in mind, we were noshing all night long on all the yummies I put out for the wine tasting (a huge wheel of brie, with 4 different kinds of crackers, grapes and strawberries, pita chips, bruschetta, sea salt toasts, a homemade cheeseball that one of our guests brought [in a martini glass, no less!] and cheesecake bites [raspberry white chocolate chip, turtle and plain, which was awesome with a strawberry on top!] I had also picked up a huge veggie tray w/dip and a 3-pack of different flavored Alouette, but we didn't put them out because we realized we went a bit overboard. Plus some of the guests came to the bar straight from dinner!). We were still eating at 2 am! Needless to say, I went to bed with a tummy ache, and woke up with a TUMMY ACHE! I almost made myself throw up while brushing my teeth. I actually thought it might make me feel better, but I couldn't make myself do it.

My stomach was so bad, I didn't even stop for my morning coffee, since I thought it might make me feel worse. Well, by not having my usually caffeine boost in the morning, I was really dragging. I didn't even get a Diet Coke at lunch because my stomach was still icky. By the time school ended, I was ready to crash. Too bad, though, cuz I had to rush straight home to pick up Buster, since it was Wednesday and all, and rush to the vet's. While we were there, I realized Buster started his spring shed (apparently today!) and was making my black pants look like a throw rug! He gets so weird at the vet, and insists on rubbing up against me, much like a cat. I thought I was going to kill him! It would have been bad enough that he was covering me with hair, but I knew I had to rush home from the vet to drop him off and get my behind over to my son's school for Parents' Club. Ugh! I was mortified! There wasn't time to even run in and change, I just put Buster in the yard, yelled for my son to let him in, and took off, hairy black pants and all!

Well, I'm just getting home, it's nearly 9, and I haven't eaten all day. I think I'm just too tired. I think I'm gonna just go to bed! I'm feeling a little guilty, though, because I had told my brother I would come to the bar after Parents' Club to do some work. I need to go program the new registers that arrived yesterday. I ended up calling him when I came out of the meeting and told him I'd come straight from school tomorrow. I just hope it doesn't turn into another late night....

Even if you're tired, it's a joy being with children. You have to give all the time, but you can't complain. It has its rewards. ---Tom Berenger

I only have a minute...

...so I wanted to say a quick "hey!" I'm on my way to the bar to help my brother get ready for wine tasting that he's hosting tonight. I hope to hell the bar stools arrived today like they were supposed to!!! They'll all have to be unwrapped, then wiped down, and put around the tables. Plus, I have to go shopping for some "nibbles" for tonight.

I remembered something I meant to post last week. I have no idea why it popped in my head while I was driving home! Last week, we were making a chart about what we wanted to be when we grow up. Naturally, I got some of the usual responses - policeman, fireman, teacher, etc. Then K.C. told me she wanted to be a "very godmother!" haha! This is the same little one who made "the universe" out of pattern blocks. She's too funny! She can be my "very godmother" anytime! I hope she can grant my wish, and get me out of the Hell-Hole!!! Or, at least make the Big Cheese disappear. tee hee!

I'd better stop for some coffee on the way to the bar, since I didn't sleep at all Sunday night, and last night, I had trouble falling asleep AGAIN! I'm starting to feel it now, though, which isn't good since it's gonna be another late night. Don't tell my brother, but here's a picture from the bar. This is the sign outside:

OK, screw it! My brother doesn't read my blog anyway, so I'm throwing caution to the wind! Here's a link to the photo album I've put together so far of pictures from the bar. PLEASE keep in mind that this is still a work in progress, and the finished place is going to look gorgeous! The first 25 pics are from a couple of weeks ago, the rest are from Sunday night. I'll take some more tonight at the wine tasting.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=69o0sna.a6nutnli&x=0&y=-llkv4v&localeid=en_US

Oo, gotta run!! I've been sitting here FAR longer than I intended! See ya tomorrow!

If it's not fun, you're not doing it right. ---Bob Basso