It is SO not cool to brag about sleeping when you are supposedly "working" and your spouse is at home with horrible allergies. Yes, that's right. Tommy went ahead and pre-loaded a post bragging that he would be sleeping while people read his post. All the while, I am home suffering from a huge allergy attack in the humidity ridden boiling hot city that is Dallas. Did I mention that it's winter in Buenos Aires? So, not only was he sleeping, he was sleeping in a cool comfortable room (with the windows open probably) enjoying the nice, 60 degree south of the equator wintertime weather.

Well, he claims that he will take me there in a couple of weeks. And if he does I will forgive him for bragging about sleeping - while he's supposedly working - south of the equator in Argentina. Not fair. SO not fair.

This recipe is a real crowd pleaser, and it will feed a LOT of people. I showed you a picture of it a while back, so here's how to make it if you want to give it a try.

Bow Tie Pasta with Semi-Homemade Red Sauce

Ingredients:

-1 12 oz. box Bow Tie Pasta
-6 cloves garlic, minced (real garlic, not the stuff in the jar)
-½ medium white onion, chopped
-2 large roma tomatoes, chopped
-1 lb. ground sirloin
-Low-sodium chicken broth
-1 jar Prego Mushroom spaghetti sauce
-Olive Oil
-Fresh basil and Italian parsley, chopped (about 1 Tablespoon)
-Shredded parmesan cheese (not grated)
-Italian Seasoning
-Sea salt & fresh ground pepper

Instructions:

-In 5-qt. skillet, sauté garlic and onions with olive oil until tender (don’t burn the garlic!)/salt and pepper to taste

-Add ground beef/season with liberal amounts of Italian seasoning, salt and pepper/crumble and brown thoroughly with garlic and onions

-Add chopped roma tomatoes/salt and pepper to taste/go twice around the pan with chicken broth and simmer for about five minutes

-Add Prego and stir

-Put lid on pan and simmer

-While sauce is simmering, cook bow ties (don’t forget to salt the water) until al dente and drain - DO NOT RINSE!!

-Add the bow ties and most of the fresh chopped basil and parsley to skillet with the sauce and stir well/cover and cook on low heat for about 2- 5 minutes

Serve pasta in bowls with shredded parmesan and on top/sprinkle with chopped fresh basil and parsley mix if desired.

I don't feel good. Allergy season this year is especially bad in Dallas. Even my doctor has admitted that he's been dousing his symptoms with anything and everything he can get his hands on.

And it doesn't help that we've been having a LOT of red pollution days lately. I learned very early on after my move to this state at the age of 16 that in Texas, EVERYONE likes to have their own ride wherever they go. And so those wonderful HOV lanes are rarely used, and if they are it's by people who are either going to lunch with a business associate or families going out to eat or to a game.

I've asked Tommy about this fascination Texans have with car ownership, and having that owned car with them everywhere they go. He said that's just the way it's always been since he can remember. He can't really understand the concept of NOT having your car with you - if you have one, that is. I believe in many areas of the state they don't even know what car pooling is, especially in the more rural areas.

Now, understand that I grew up in Wisconsin. One of the most conservation-oriented states there is. It's ridiculous what these people go through to save the world. I must admit their public transportation system is outstanding and that is an important side benefit if for some reason you find yourself without a car. However, the removing of the labels and rinsing of the cans and separating of papers and the plastics and the cardboards can get tedious at times - well OK most of the time. And ride sharing was ALWAYS preferable to taking many cars to school, games, movies, work, wherever.

Anyway, I digress. Going back to Texans and their cars. This car pride does take different forms, depending on where you are. If you are in a college town, it's usually enough to just have a car that runs and you can be proud of that. If you are in the country, your vehicle of choice is usually a truck that can haul things, or if you are a teenager in West Texas it could possibly be some sort of sports car you are proud to own and drive everywhere you go..

And if you are in Dallas or Houston...well....that's a totally different story. If you are in Sales, you must drive a Lexus, and if you are the top sales person, you must drive a Jaguar or a Porsche - or if pressed, a Mercedes. If you married well and are home with your kids, your vehicle of choice would be a Lexus SUV or a BMW SUV, or a Lincoln Navigator, and possibly even an H2. Or an Expedition if you bought it a few years ago and your spouse has since had to change jobs and you haven't been able to upgrade for a while. You will drive a fully loaded Minivan if you must, but it's not your first choice. And if you are like me - unemployed and enjoying it - you drive a Cirrus that has been paid off - for a while - and you don't care how those SUV driving, liposuctioned, tummy-tucked, sunbaked Dallasites look at your car. You don't have to work. And you have a pool. So you don't care.

So that's my diatribe on Texans and how they always have to have their cars with them, their lack of use of the HOV lanes, what kind of cars they drive, and how all this car-loving has contributed to many red pollution days. And did I mention that I feel crappy from my allergies? Especially on red pollution days caused by those Texas car-lovers. That is all.

Let me just climb in here and make myself comfortable.

Now, if I can just get the plastic where it needs to go....

There, I think I've got it.

Okay, I'm ready. Go ahead and close the box.

By now we all know that Cory thinks she is cool. Apparently, her belief in her own coolness has rubbed off on my son. We went shopping for school clothes today. Look what he got.

When people ask me what my hobbies are, sleeping definitely tops the list. When I was working lo those many years, I believe I did suffer from chronic sleep deprivation. Even when I got the time to sleep, I was so wound up from work and all the stuff I felt I had to do around the house that it took me a really long time to get to sleep at night.

Scytheboy stopped taking naps when he was about two. Tommy jokes about how I used to go "lay down with him so he would take a nap" - and then Scytheboy would come out about 15 minutes later and whisper, "Shhhh...Mommy's sleeping." I guess that happened. I don't know because I was sleeping. Yes, those weekends when Tommy was home I did take a lot of naps.

And now that I don't work I have no problems getting to sleep at night - usually. But last night it was after 3:00 a.m. before I finally got to sleep. Must have had something to do with eating apple pie and drinking a soda at 10:30 p.m. But I did get to sleep until 10:00 this morning so I'm not THAT tired.

Anyway....you wanna know what's great about having one child who is 11? They sleep late!!! And even if they do get up earlier than you they're self-sufficient and you don't HAVE to get up. Yes, summers are definitely late night/late morning days for us. For those of you that still have small children at home - I empathize. But for those of you that have children middle school aged and older - ain't it great to sleep late?

Don't tell Tommy. He's been whining about not having any pie since he made the brisket. All that talk about pie caused me to actually go to the store after dinner, buy the stuff, and make the pie. Soon it will be cool. And I will be eating apple pie. Yummy.

All summer, Scytheboy has been reminding us of the "must have" items for middle school. The most talked about item has been a cell phone. Yes, a cell phone. Am I that old? Since when did a cell phone top the list of essential school supply items?

And the cell phone companies haven't made our arguments for not getting him one any easier....it now costs as little as .50 a day to arm your child with his or her own phone. A phone fully equipped with Internet access, instant messaging, text messages and voice activated dialing features. I've had my phone for two years and I still haven't figured out how to do all that stuff on mine.

And yes, we did in fact cave and get him the damn phone. First, because we were sick of hearing about how all his friends have phones and how he would only use it to call us. Second, because we lost all leverage when he looked on our provider's site and even offered to use some of his allowance for the monthly fee if he had to. So now he's got the phone of his dreams and suddenly we have a very appreciative and well behaved child. I wonder how long that will last?

The following conversation actually took place this evening.

Scytheboy: "Mom, in addition to the XBox 360, I found a really cool revolver I want for Christmas."

Me: "Um....isn't like the end of July? Christmas is a long way off."

Scytheboy: "Hey, July is roughly in the same half year as Christmas."

It's going to be a really long six months. And I'm a little concerned about the revolver request....

Ever since Tommy started his blog, Cory has been trying to convince him that she is cool. And today she wanted to make sure that I let everyone who stops by here know she thinks she is cool. Or was I supposed to say that she is cool? I forget.

Anyway, Cory....you know what's cool? That blue ball with the stars and the moons you bought to use in our very cool pool the last time you came to see us. Your cool blue ball is still here, waiting for you....in the mean time I'll make sure to take care of it - any time I want to - in my pool. So Cory, what's cooler - the ball or the pool?

As I was spending my almost hour climbing uphill on the stairs today, I observed several breaches of gym etiquette. All in the area of - IF YOU'RE GONNA SWEAT ALL OVER THE MACHINE, BRING A TOWEL TO WIPE THE DAMN THING OFF!!!! What a disgusting thing to do - sweat all over the machine and then walk away as if it's perfectly fine for your sweat to be dripping all the way down the hand rests to the floor. YUCK!!! I must admit, I do sweat a lot. But I always wipe off the machine before I step off. How in the world can ANYONE think it's okay to leave a machine dripping with sweat. Unbelievable.

The only thing worse than the cardio machines left with sweat on them are the weight machines left with sweat on them - in the shape of certain unmentionable body parts. Come on people! Have the decency to bring a towel and sit on it when you're using the weight machines.

Just so you know, I DO make VERY good use of those spray bottles and paper towels the gym provides - because the perpetrators of these awful breaches of gym etiquette do not. Geez, some people....

We went to see War of the Worlds today, and let's just say it's one of those movies you should wait until it comes out on DVD. Mediocre is a good word for this movie. The special effects scenes drug on and on and on...we get it. Scary aliens. Keep it movin' people!

Anyway, before the movie there were commercials. Lots of commercials. No less than eight commercials. I'm sure they had played some commercials before we went in to sit down since the pre-movie ads had already begun. I don't mind like maybe one or two commercials...like those really cool indy Coke commercials they used to show. But now it's gotten completely out of hand. Now you see commercial after commercial of those same commercials you spent money on a TiVo to fast forward through at home. Only you're in a movie theater. And you can't fast forward through them.

Seriously.....it's gotten so bad I rarely go to movies any more because of this. And it's really sad how they've ruined the whole movie preview part of going to the theater. I used to think that sometimes the previews were the best part of going to a movie. But NOW.....they've put SO many commercials before, during, and after the previews I'd just as soon not even bother. I guess the only alternative is to show up to the movie late...really late....like after the advertised show time so you can go ahead and skip the horrible TV-grade commercials.

I read somewhere last May that one movie theater chain was actually going to start letting people know the "real" start time of the shows so people can skip the commercials if they want to. But this is only one chain and I seriously doubt others will follow. There is just too much ad revenue to be lost in that proposition. We all know it's about total gross impressions, and if the people are not in those seats when the ads run then the theaters can't count them in the tally when they sell the ad time.

I'm glad Mr. Average built a nice theater room so we can watch most of our movies on our HDTV - and fast froward through the commercials on the DVDs.

Yes!!! I can finally eat my dinner. The dinner that I've been smelling while it cooks, both inside and outside the house, all afternoon. Mr. Average did a WAY above average job on this dinner. When he decides to cook (which is rare because I hardly ever let him in the kitchen anymore) he definitely goes all out.

It began with a spur of the moment trip to the store yesterday. When he got home, he marinated the brisket and soaked the beans overnight. Then today after lunch he put the brisket in the smoker and the beans on the stove with several secret ingredients. He wouldn't tell me what he put in the beans, but I know there was bacon involved.

He bought the potato salad because let's be honest...it IS mostly about the beef. I wish you could smell this picture. Words cannot describe how good it smells or tastes (yes, I got caught more than once pre-sampling the goods - "what are you doing?" was heard from Mr. Average on several occasions this afternoon as I tried to hide fork and bowl behind my back).

I did cave and decide to make some corn bread from scratch. You simply CAN'T have brisket and beans without corn bread. It's just not done.

Time to go load up my plate again. This dinner is SO damn good! He even let me have some of his Sam Adams Summer Ale from the keg. I should definitely let him cook more often.

I hate to clean the house. But I do have brisket to look forward to. So THAT is a good thing. It will be yummy, and the best part is I don't have to cook it!

You pre-watch Kumar and Harold go to White Castle and let your son watch it with you and then, half way through the movie (and all the way past finishing the carafe of Chilean wine) your son suddenly pulls out bags of Cheetos left over from his party. I don't know how, but somwhere along the line Scytheboy suddenly got the munchies while watching this drug-induced buddy movie.

What can I say about the movie? It was funny..damn funny...after finishing the Chilean wine. Something about watching those two guys ride a cheetah after having their car stolen from Doogie Hauser just made me laugh my ass off!

Word to the wise - don't allow your children to watch R rated movies even if you've pre-watched enough to TiVo your way through the bad parts...they still laugh at the "bad" parts and attempt to rewind to them when you're in the bathroom.

Other movies that are funny after consuming many glasses of wine:

Rocky Horror Picture Show (Midnight Showing)
All Cheech and Chong Movies
Spaceballs
All Monty Python Movies
Buckaroo Banzai (this movie is where Mr. Average got the idea that I should start calling him "Perfect Tommy")
Raising Arizona

How about you? Got any movies you think are better after imbibing?

I have to go wash the carafe now. Not happy. That is all.

One of the things I hate about retail store front shopping is dealing with those pesky sales associates. When you really, no kidding need help finding something or have questions about a product they are never around. In fact, when you approach them they usually pick up the phone or turn their backs and run away as quickly as they can to some back store room you're not allowed to enter.

Today I experienced the other side of the equation. Scytheboy's got money burning a hole in his pocket since his Birthday, and he wanted to spend some time in the store looking around to see what he could see. Anyway...and I'm NOT kidding...within 15 minutes eight - yes EIGHT - different sales associates asked us if they could help us find anything. No, thank you, I don't need any help finding anything, and for the 8th time could you PLEASE just let us look? That poor 8th associate really bore the brunt of our frustration. I truly believe there is a fine line between customer service and customer harrassment. We weren't bothering anyone, it was clear we were just browsing. Could you, would you, PLEASE just let us look?!!!

Perhaps I was a little sensitive in the area of too much help because I am still scarred by an experience I had in a Victoria's Secret store front several years ago.

Yes sir, I had all the "help" I needed - help telling the entire customer population of the store my underwear size, that is. Yes folks, no less than six sales associates asked me very loudly what size I was looking for and after me telling them very quietly what it was, they would say VERY loudly "here's a xxxx." I know they were trying to help but after the sixth time in five minutes of me running away from those "helpers" just so I could look around I ran out of the store without buying a damn thing.

I know, I know. There are a lot of people that like to feel they are getting special, one on one service. I'm not one of them. I don't like to be "helped" at the lingerie store, the electronics store or the car lot. If I need help I'll ask for it. Otherwise, PLEASE leave me alone!

This week I thought I'd try my hand at the cat blogging thing. At first he didn't really seem interested...

When he noticed I had the camera out, that's when he started moving.....

It wasn't until I saw this that I realized he had probably had enough of the camera for one day. I'll try and be first next time I try to do this. Don't forget to visit the Friday Ark.

So now we finally have a Supereme Court Nominee. And naturally, no decision Bush made would have brought a positive reaction from those on the left. Today we hear that liberal dem's on the hill have brought together a six-pronged strategy for defeating Roberts. While this was expected, it is still disappointing that in some respects Roberts will not be given the same consideration as Clinton's nominees in the 1990's. While Ginsburg was allowed to argue that she could not provide her positions regarding any areas that she might in the future have to rule on (in an effort to remain impartial) it seems that some on the hill will not be giving Roberts that same option.

Regardless, all the political wrangling the dem's on the left are attempting will not succeed. Bush chose well. There is little, in my opinion, that could stop the nomination from going through the process and accompolishing a positive result for Roberts. Tom Curry of MSNBC actually has a balanced look at both sides of this issue and I've provided both links in this post. Of special note is the fact that I haven't seen anywhere that Roberts' demeanor in the courtroom or professional background/education give the dem's cause to worry. And from all I've seen and read, even though they "say" they are prepared to confirm a conservative choice it appears the only thing that would make them happy is another assured vote on the left of certain issues brought before the court.

It's my hope that common sense will prevail and we will go through this process with dignity. And when the court convenes in October Judge Roberts will be seated among those prepared to rule on cases in a way that reflects the true intent of the Constitution - NOT our ever-changing cultural climate.

First, a fabulous recipe for steak marinade (good for flank, top sirloin, whatever).

Ingredients:

-6 generous tablespoons FRESHLY SQUEEZED lime juice (bottle will not do for this)
-2 tablespoons soy sauce
-2 teaspoons minced garlic (jar is fine for this, but freshly pressed is better)
-2 teaspoons ground ginger
-2 teaspoons granulated sugar
-salt and pepper to taste (I use lots and lots of freshly ground black pepper and at least two teaspoons sea salt)

Whisk together and set aside.

The steak:

Chop up some fresh garlic and make small cuts into the steak in many places on both sides. Please pieces of garlic into these small cuts. Trust me - it will be GOOD.

Pour marinade over steak, coating both sides completely. Marinate all afternoon, turning at least every hour. When you're ready to eat, bring the steak to room temperature and grill or broil, depending on the weather. If it's flank steak, make sure you slice thinly against the grain before serving.

What goes with the steak? Well, quartered red potatoes coated with olive oil, salt, pepper, chopped garlic, rosemary, thyme, and parsley of course. Bake uncovered at 425 for about 30 minutes. Yummy. I also do a caesar salad and crescent rolls.

And the next day is almost the best part. Here's a good leftover recipe:

Slice an onion and sautee in olive oil (a little butter is good here too if you're in the mood) with salt and pepper until slightly browned. Cut the leftover steak in bite sized pieces and add it with leftover potatoes to the onions. Cover and simmer on medium heat until warmed through. Serve with ketchup, of course.

Hungry?

So I've been watching and reading all the stuff on the Karl Rove/CIA-Gate(esque) investigation. Here are the few things I have gleaned from all the coverage:

1. It's illegal to name a CIA operative for up to five years after they were actively engaged in covert operations in the field. All the conversations Rove had with the media (that have been leaked from the grand jury testimony) happened AFTER this five year period when this particular person was moved to a desk job.

2. Rove (again, from what's been leaked from the grand jury testimony) never referred to this woman by name in any of his conversations with the media on background for their stories...he simply stated that he "heard that too" or mentioned Joe Wilson's wife, or words to that effect.

Like all political operatives on BOTH sides of the fence (red or blue), I'm sure Rove has done some things that could not quite be called ethical. And I'm sure that if I was privy to everything behind the scenes I would not approve of everything that's transpired.

I know it's all a game and people are just coming out against Rove to score brownie points for their party and eliminate a huge threat to them in the 2006 campaign and upcoming 2008 presidential election. However, all the public bashings and pre-judgments a lot of these senior democratic officials in congress and the senate have taken part in are an embarrassment to America. They need to can it....until a decision is made on whether or not an actual, no-kidding crime has been committed. THEN they should have free reign to say whatever they want to say about the findings in the case - good or bad, right or left.

I know, I know. If you are on the left Rove is evil. And if you are on the right Rove's a saint. But the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle. Give the investigators a break and let them do their jobs, will you?

My hubby's back from Chile and he brought with him my most favorite of all the wines he's ever found while "working". It's the Morande' Vineyard Limited Edition Syrah/Cabernet Savignon from the Maipo Valley. Most excellent.

Some signs I saw at the car inspection/oil change place today. Clearly, this is a Texas based, or at least southern based franchise.

You know you're a redneck if you said a prayer before your emissions test.

You know you're a redneck if your tools are worth more than your car.

How about you? Have you got some "you know you're a redneck if" sayings?

I was in the grocery store the other night and there was this woman. This woman with four kids. This woman with four kids who at different times, either separately or all together, screamed to get what they wanted during my entire visit to the store. The kids ranged in ages from about eight all the way down to about two. Clearly, the younger ones had learned from the older ones that all they had to to was scream and they would get what they wanted. And believe me, their mother gave them whatever they wanted, as quickly as she could. No admonishments, no discipline, no promises of punishment later. Nothing. Just rewards for each and every scream.

Is it just me, or are more kids screaming louder and more often in public places? And are more parents either tuning the screaming hellions out or giving the kids what they want just to make it stop? When I was growing up, this type of behavior was simply NOT tolerated. And in turn, I do not (and never have) tolerated this behavior from my child. Now I know it's only one child and it doesn't really count unless you have more than one kid, but still....I have NEVER stayed in a public place or at someone else's house for dinner if my kid was screaming. Scytheboy learned very quickly that if he screamed, he did NOT get what he wanted. Rather, all he got was a ride home and time alone in his room until he could cool off.

But I think these days in our busy, busy society parents tend to take the easy way out. Just give them what they want so they'll be quiet. Or, just ignore it so they can get done what THEY need to get done...never mind how the child's screaming is affecting the people around them. And these days it's not just at the grocery store....parents are allowing their kids to scream in restaurants, movie theaters, churches....any place they bloody well want to scream is fair game. It's just not that much fun to go to most places anymore because most of the time, at least in the U.S., there is one thing you can count on....there WILL be screaming children accompanying their apathetic parents. Parents that don't give a damn about the disruption their children are causing or how rewarding the screams will affect their children or society in the future.

How will these kids operate when they grow up? Problems tend to get worse with each generation, so I shudder to think of what our culture will look like then. Screamers breed louder screamers which breed even louder screamers. And the root cause for all the screaming will be traced back to that first screaming kid who did it.....because it worked.

I know some people claim that sugar is bad, especially for kids. But I have to say from personal experience - as it relates to Scytheboy - sugar is GOOD. It makes so many things possible. Like ensuring he gets the proper amount of fruits in his diet - just cover them with sugar and he will eat anything. Sugar also gets you lots of hugs - like when you make sugar cookies. Then you get lots of hugs. Sugar gets you lots of things. But most importantly.....it can get you a nice, long nap on a rainy afternoon. If you eat sugar and give your family sugar, then about an hour later everyone gets that nice, sleepy sugar slump and the house suddenly becomes a LOT more quiet...and then you get a nap. Yes, indeed. Sugar is good.

Okay, maybe I'm being just a little too squeamish about the way some service workers handle my stuff. Why do these people feel the need to lick EVERYTHING they touch?! The lady at Walgreen's is the absolute worst offender I have ever seen. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that today alone, she licked many, many things she handled before they came into my possession. They include: The bag she licked her fingers to open; the paper bills she handed me for change; the cash register receipt; and finally, each individual item she picked up to put into the bag. I think this is the nastiest, most disgusting habit (outside of smoking) anyone could possibly have. I was so grossed out when I got home that I literally wiped down everything...and I mean everything, this woman touched with Clorox wipes. All the way down to the paper bills and even the bag just to make sure all her cooties were gone, gone, gone!!!! Ewwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!

Well, you don't expect BOTH of us to do the cat blogging thing, do you?

Going forward, I am filing all things related to the carafe in its empty state under Things I Hate.

Yes, I can safely say that I HATE the gym. Those of you who go know it can become your own personal torture chamber. Today was leg day. I hate leg day. Especially since I do the leg stuff after climbing the stairs for 5 1/2 miles. Then I do the leg stuff on already shaky muscles. Then I walk uphill for 3/4 mile.

I'm sure you're asking....why would anyone ever do that on a consistent basis? Go to the gym usually five, sometimes four times a week and put themselves through that torture? Well....food, of course. One of the things I LOVE is food. Good food. And wine. I like wine too. So....I have to pay the price for my love affair with food by going to the gym...a lot. Oh, well. Time to go eat some of Scytheboy's Birthday cake.

Okay, I'm not saying Mr. Average caused a negative psychological or physical reaction in our poor innocent kitty. However....our cat....is bulimic. I'm convinced it has something to do with the fact that Mr. Average teased him not three hours ago about being too fat to jump up on the island. And then.....the cat began to spew his guts out all over the carpet. Near the laundry room wasn't so bad, but now he's done it in the dining room of all places. Our poor kitty has low self-esteem and a horrible body image because he now thinks he's too fat to jump up onto the island. Mean Mr. Average....

We had Scytheboy's Birthday party today. I think I've said this before but it's DAMN HOT in Texas in the summer. We had five extra boys here. They are all 11. Is it just me, or have 11 year olds gotten bigger? I mean, much bigger. They all look like they should be in High School, or at least 8th grade.

They got here at 10:00 a.m. I know, that's pretty early to start a Birthday party but due to the aforementioned heat we thought it would be best. They all wanted to play air soft, so Mr. Average suited everyone up, I sprayed everyone down with OFF, and they all scooted down into the creek bed for their little war. It was a hot, sweaty assignment that I'm really glad I wasn't tasked with!

When they were done....they went into the pool. We have dark screens on our house so the boys all thought they were operating without supervision, and they were all surprised, maybe even shocked when I would open the door occasionally to tell them to stop whatever they were doing that was bad. I could see everything they did and they could not see me at all. I think they were a little freaked out by my clairvoyance :).

After cleaning up, Mr. Average grilled the burgers I put together and they ate outside. They sure seemed to enjoy their soggy grilled bacon cheeseburgers.

Then we had the cake and presents. I know, we should have known...but can I just say....ice cream cake and 96 degree heat do NOT mix. The cake slices lasted about two minutes...then they were all back in the pool. We came inside to sigh, drink water, and wait for it to be over.

Yes!! The Moms were on time!!! We had all those extra kids outta here by 1:45. Bliss. No more screaming and yelling or lifeguard duty or air soft duty or grilling or watermelon rinds all over the deck or melted chocolate ice cream all over the pool furniture. We're all back to normal now. Scytheboy's back to playing video games, Mr. Average is blogging, and oh....so am I. Blogging, that is.

Mmmmm....a family favorite. My bow tie recipe with fresh herbs from our garden. I chose the Septima Tempranillo. Want some?

Could you....would you....please....GET OFF YOUR DAMN PHONE LONG ENOUGH TO WRITE YOUR FRIGGIN' CHECK?!!!! I mean seriously, who writes checks anymore. Oh yeah, those people who like to write checks and balance their checkbook, then have to rifle through their purse while speaking very loudly on their cell phone so they can keep everyone in line waiting the maximum amount of time....THAT'S WHO! I'm convinced you're either closely related to or VERY good friends with the other lady meandering through the parking lot while on her cell phone so other people couldn't get around her and the the other lady who was so busy talking on HER phone we missed three stop lights. Some people should NOT be allowed in public. I mean, seriously...

And Catherine, you may be right. I am quickly getting hooked on this blogging thing.

Red wine from Argentina. To ensure good tidings, Mr. Average rarely returns from South America without wine. So, share.....WHAT IS GOOD?

Unfortunately, most women in this country who have children feel the need to justify their choice in this matter one way or the other. Having lived life on both sides of this issue, I guess you could say I have a unique perspective to bring to the table.

My decision to stay home was not an easy one. Can I just say that I am a ROCK STAR in my chosen career field? I managed highly successful global marketing and public relations programs for high-tech companies, and I even pulled off some kick-ass corporate events. One of my old bosses stops by here sometimes, and I can say with confidence that he would agree.

Having said that, given the volatility of the high-tech area in the late 90’s through today I was laid off a couple times. The last time was in February 2002 when the company I managed global public relations efforts for was bought out. So there I was, on unemployment, looking for jobs in a highly competitive environment – everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was looking – even those that were still employed. I figured I wouldn’t have a problem finding something, given that up until a few months prior to being laid off head hunters were courting me to go interview for Director level positions in the Dallas area.

Boy, was I wrong. You see, as a family we decided it would be best for me to try and find something with little or no travel since Mr. Average travels for his job and coordinating schedules would be a total nightmare. Needing to schedule travel 4-6 weeks out to coordinate with the airline schedule just does not work with this requirement.

I think it was probably about three months into job hunting when I took a real hard look at whether or not I even wanted to continue looking. By that time, I had re-connected with my family and had come to a full understanding of everything I had been missing while I was at work. I was one of those workaholics – I left work, came home for dinner, and immediately jumped back on the computer to do more work. Being the sole contact for public relations at the small company I worked for did not help – it was not uncommon for me to be speaking with a reporter and/or trading emails with my CEO or customers in the evenings. Plus, we had shuffled some things around and financially we discovered that if we were careful, we could make our bills comfortably and I would probably never have to go to work again. So I was left asking myself, “Is it really worth losing this time with my family to go to work when we don’t need the money?” And, to be honest, after being able to sleep a little later and getting a lot of things done I had let go around the house, the thought of getting up early and fighting Dallas traffic to go to a job I really didn’t need was getting less and less appealing.

So….one night I walked into our bedroom and told Tommy, “I don’t think I’m gonna go back to work.” He said that was fine, but I think he was really surprised as I had been so driven to succeed in my field before the last layoff. After doing a close examination of priorities it was painful for me, given my past success. But sometimes you have to do what is right for your family. I am a firm believer that you can have it all – just not all at once – if there are kids involved.

So now I am at home and I have to say I have really enjoyed spending time with my family and doing some much needed work to make our house prettier. Mr. Average is home from work at least half the month, and when he’s home (especially in the summer) it’s truly like a vacation with neither one of us working. I have done a few free-lance things and will continue to do those as they come up, but currently I am not aggressively seeking full-time employment and I think my family is better for it. I will probably go back to work eventually, but it will have to be the right thing. And next time, my priorities will definitely be straight so my family does not suffer for it.

I’ll post more at a later date on this subject. We’ll talk about PTA Nazis and their ilk, the neighborhood cliques, and other things.

I asked the talented lady at Cybervassals to give me a "pretty" site and she did!! I absolutely love my new template and I highly recommend her services. Well done!

A quick note to let you know that I'm leveraging Cybervassal's creative prowess to make my site look pretty...so pretty. We'll be uploading the new template so please bear with us if some things aren't working quite right for a bit.

So people stand there, leaning over the fence, looking right at our backyard and pool and think nothing of it. Who does that? The house for sale is to the right of that fence. I hate that fence, and the door they made in their fence so people could walk out and look at our pool from that fence.

So today I walk out to get the paper...and they're having ANOTHER open house. This time from 7-7. Who goes to look at houses at 7 in the morning on a Sunday? We're in the bible belt. Don't these people understand most people go to church on Sunday and then they go to lunch. No way they will get any traffic until at least 2. If they did their open house when normal people do then I could lay out until 2. Jerks. They're actually really nice people but over this they are jerks. Complete jerks. I mean, I know they wanna sell their house and all but don't they realize it's all about ME? Just so you understand what I'm talking about with the whole fence thing, here's a picture (above).

UPDATE: Well it appears they might have actually sold their house using those long open house hours. All the signs came down last night. If they have sold it, I'm glad for two reasons. First (and most important) I can now enjoy my pool without all the gawkers touring my backyard. Second, I am happy for them if they did indeed sell their house that quickly. As I said, they are really nice people and with the exception of the whole open house during prime sun hours thing they have been great neighbors.

He's on his way back down to Buenos Aires for another vacation ("work" trip). The high is usually around 65 this time of year down there. Did I not say previously that it's DAMN HOT in Texas? High today is 96. The neighbors behind us are trying to sell their house themselves, so they have an open house ALL DAY today - 10-7. Now, there's this nice little open area with a creekbed behind our property that the city owns. Well, the neighbors got the bright idea to build a door from their fence leading into this open area. And they have the door open today. Which means.....all the looky-loos come down those steps into the open area, and.....look directly at our back yard and specifically our pool. There is only about a 10 ft. area of fence that they can stand behind and see into our back yard (it's one of those short wrought iron type fences). So, they stand there and gaze into the wonderland that is our backyard and pool area. One problem - would YOU want to lay out in your bikini (well, it is a cute little black bikini with a little silver buckle, but still) and have people gawk at you enjoying your pool on a very hot day? So now, depression because I really don't want to do that.

Next....I have really bad allergies and they are especially bad this time of year. Mr. Average mowed the lawn yesterday and one of the things I'm allergic to is grass....so I've been working on this grass allergy headache since yesterday. I thought I had it under control. Well as I'm writing this the next door neighbors have their lawn crew working on their grass. So I have a day of staring longingly out at our pool, unable to really enjoy it for fear people will come and gawk at me under the guise of touring the property behind us, whilst dealing with a brand new, fresh grass allergy attack. Nice.

All this while my hubby enjoys his overnight flight to South America, after which he will take a nap and make his way out to the streets and enjoy the tango dancers and a fabulous sidewalk cafe lunch. Of course he says I'm always too negative and should look at the bright side of things. Well dammit I don't want to....not today. Oh, did I mention that I had planned on going with him on this trip? Well as the time grew closer, the flight back became more full and now it would be impossible for me to get home in the near future. Oh well. Some day. Time to go take Excedrin, inhale some grass pollen, and enjoy the lawnmower and edger motors.

It's really more my cat than his. He just uses him for his cat blogging model. Anyway, here's our precious kitty enjoying a new toy.

I woke up today greeted by the news that there were several bombs that went off throughout London's transit system during morning rush hour. I know many of you haven't been personally affected by terrorist activities, and it's hard to realize the enormity of the hatred these people harbor for all peaceful nations until you've been through something like what happened today. I can clearly remember on September 11th how many people I worked with at the time seemed almost uncaring for what had happened because they either had no military members in their family, did not know anyone who worked in the towers, or both. I wonder....how many more times does something like this have to happen before people realize there is actually a War on Terror and these people will not stop attacking peace?

So maybe I'm taking this a little personal. I mean after all, my hubby over at Striving for Average was at the Khobar Towers bombing, three buildings away from where the truck bomb exploded. I heard the news from a temp at work, and I had to drive home with a friend not knowing whether or not I would be greeted by an Air Force vehicle in my driveway - filled with people there to notify me my husband had been killed or injured in action. Communications from the base were dismal, and I finally had to call the Flight Commander's wife to find out if my better half had survived. I did hear from him later that night, but all he could tell me was that he was okay. When he got home a few weeks later, he brought pictures with him. Horrible, horrible pictures.

So when something like this happens I have a really, really hard time with the people out there who still say these animals are "misunderstood" and they're "acting out because they have no other way to deal with their anger". It's good and noble and all to believe that people are good and that somehow you can reason with them or negotiate with them to achieve a peaceful solution. But when you're dealing with people who hate peace that's just not a logical or realistic goal. These people are evil. Pure evil. And I support whatever means necessary to eradicate them from the face of the earth.

You have to wash the decanter. It's late. I had to wash the decanter because Mr. Almost Average is already in bed after enjoying his single-malt whiskey. I hate washing the decanter. Enough said.

Well, I got stopped for speeding this past weekend. More about that later.

The last time I was in a car that got stopped for speeding was during my month-long visit to my hubby while he was stationed at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea.

Anyway….on the road from Seoul to the base we were stopped by a South Korean traffic cop who spoke very little English. He said “license please” so my better half, being the ever-cautious pilot that he is, handed everything out of his wallet to the cop – EXCEPT his international drivers license which is a common method used by servicemen when dealing with South Korean traffic cops. I mean, he handed the guy his library card, his insurance card, his military ID, receipts, everything. When the cop realized he was not going to get what he needed and given that he knew he was dealing with an American service member, he just hissed through his teeth, pointed his finger at my hubby and said, “You speed….slower.” So what did that mean? You can still speed, just not as fast as you were speeding before?

Cut to last Sunday. My brother-in-law bought his aunt and uncle’s parts of the family farm near Brownwood, TX and he lives out there now. It so happens that it’s legal to shoot off actual, no kidding real fireworks right there on the farm. It’s a three hour trip, so I said, “Why not, we’ll go” when my in-laws called to ask if we’d meet them there to “Blow things up,” as Scytheboy says (that's our son). Of course, hubby was off on one of his vacations (I mean trips for work) down to Buenos Aires so we packed up the dog, fed the cat, and hit the road. Well, wouldn’t you know it I had just gotten through passing someone and was coming down a hill when a Dublin, TX (not Dublin, Ireland where Mr. Average has much more fun) police officer stopped me for speeding. Was that fair, I ask you? I told her I had just finished passing a driver that was going 62 in a 70 zone and wouldn’t it be better to give her a ticket for driving so slow she was causing real problems on the road, but she wouldn’t buy it. So I got a ticket for going 8 over the limit. Shit. Turns out it was the beginning of bad luck…..

So we check into our less than stellar hotel accommodations and head out to the farm for dinner and fireworks. Can I just say that it’s DAMN HOT in Texas in the summer? It was 102 for Christ’s sake!!! But being the good Mom that I am I tried not to complain too much and just waited along with Scytheboy for it to get dark so he could shoot off fireworks. After dinner, we did the fireworks – lots of fireworks – 2 hours worth of fireworks.

Now, picture complete and total darkness, a dark country road, no traffic, it’s midnight and I have Scytheboy in the car with me, and….BLOWOUT!! I could not believe it. I had no flashlight so I took out my leak stop can (always prepared, I am - well, sort of). It was only after I felt the stuff spraying me in the face that I realized the tire was completely shredded and there was NO WAY I was gonna get out of changing that tire. So I pull out the cell phone – no signal. Crap! I open the trunk, get all the stuff out to change the tire…and I hear a car coming down that dark, lonely, scary country road. I take a chance and wave the car down. Yeah!! It’s my in-laws following us on the road into town. They stop and help me with the tire. But my adrenaline was in such overdrive by the time we got to the hotel at 1 a.m. I could not sleep. So it’s off to Wal-Mart at 7:30 to get the new tire. We were back in Dallas by noon the next day. But I have to say that even with the speeding ticket, the blowout, and no sleep it was worth the screams of utter and complete joy I heard from the other side of the farm yard when Scytheboy was setting off those fireworks. Scytheboy told me on the way back from the farm, “That’s it, from now on when we go somewhere we are flying, not driving!” I’m with you, Scytheboy.

Okay, so my husband over at Stiving for Average said I should really start my own blog given that I am constantly saying to him, “you should go blog about that.” Somehow I get the feeling he thinks if I have this site I’ll stop trying to control the content of his site. So do any of you think that's acutally gonna happen?

I’m not going to be one of those habitual, daily posters but I will post when I feel I have something relevant to say or have a good story to tell. Just so you know, if I have anything to say about politics I do lean to the right...Okay, WAY to the right. It's okay if you're blue, I won't make fun of you (too much). In fact a lot of my extended family are blue, but I'm doing my best to "educate" them so they learn the "right" way to look at things. But enough about that. I hope you like what you see here and comment often.