thorvalson.net : babble ether

Miss Miscellanea

Oh, yeah - I have a blog! That's what I keep forgetting!

So things have been pretty busy 'round the Steffke Collective. Greg and I decided to try for a new (lower) mortgage after all the work we've put into the house, so we're preparing for an assessment sometime in the next week or two. I'm almost done painting the laundry room downstairs, the upstairs bedroom needs one more coat of paint and some decorating, and the covings in the dining room need a fresh coat of I still haven't decided what color yet. Greg seems more nervous about all of this than I am, presumably because his name is the one on the mortgage while I'm more of a silent (if you can believe that) partner. Also, I've got some fall gardening to do. This is all pretty appealing to me, because painting and gardening are two of my favorite activities, and Greg's eagerness to git 'er done is a great excuse for me to go to Home Depot.

And yes, I can control myself. :)

Feeling a bit guilty this morning. Maddie's in day care every day this week (and possibly next), and more than the cost of said day care, the fact that she's at school from 7:45 until 4, sometimes 5:30, every day bothers me. I miss her! She's not as outgoing as some of her friends, and she really needs that time at home together in the afternoons. Not every day, but at least two or three days a week. Today she'll be there for only an hour, but even so, the maternal guilt is kicking in. Probably remnants from yesterday's surprise visit from a 16-year-old runaway who literally showed up on our doorstep. And was returned to her parents within an hour, but not before I'd offered her a shot of whiskey just to see her reaction, which was confusion, followed by worry that she'd stumbled into the arms of a couple who just might chop her up and feed her to the dog, followed by relief:

"I'm not giving you any whiskey, just thought I'd offer."

(Greg, from the living room) "Honey, we're out of whiskey."

"Oh! Well, then. Vodka, maybe. But I'm still not giving it to you."

At least I got a smile out of her. She'd only been an official runaway for an hour, and only hesitated for about ten minutes to call her parents after I'd told her she could take her time. Greg and I could have shared some stories - and we did tell her we are both former runaways - but we refrained from sharing the really good stuff (Living In Your Car!: Lesson One: Pick a Well Lit Parking Lot, Lock Your Doors, and Pray). It wasn't really needed. Just being away for an hour was enough to scare her parents - and herself - silly. Still, a good story to tell her friends, and my GOD was it weird for me to be on the paternal end of the runaway stick for a change. Ew!

Sorry, Mom.

Afore-promised Door Co. pictures, to motivate me through the day to the next northern adventure:

And... we're off!

There are only a few aspects of my personality that stick out to me as coming solely from My Father. Wanting to leave for vacation at 5:30 in the morning on the first day of said vacation would be one of them. It's currently 8:26 a.m., and efforts thus far to get Gregory out of bed and into the car have been unsuccessful: "If I get up right now, I will be in bed by 7:30 tonight." As someone who spent the two nights previous to last night going to bed at 8:30 p.m., this doesn't sound altogether negative to me. But... the guy's been sick for the last three days, lying in bed moaning a la Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally.... Fair enough.

Posting, as you can see, has been shoved further down the list of priorities these last few weeks, mostly due to my new position at work, which, by the way, I am loving. I am essentially doing what I always said I would NEVER do, which is work in a back office/cubicle with my nose in a pile of paperwork, almost entirely cut off from human interaction with fellow staffers. After 15 years of faking-it-till-I-make-it in customer service, the lack of interaction (read: enforcing damage control) is most welcome. This isn't something I would want to do full-time, I don't think, but it definitely serves as a stress release from the other half of my working hours, still spent in the afore-mentioned customer service/damage control department. I love a challenge. The fact that I'm in love with my boss probably helps. :)

Maddie's doing well so far in her second year of school. Still talks too much during lunch time and therefore comes home starving (no idea where she got that from), but has been behaving well in class and even occasionally walks to class on her own sans complaint.

Nothing else new to report - I'm off for pre-departure housecleaning. Will return, glowing with the radiance of rest and relaxation, with pictures! after our return.

Snippets

***
This sent chills up my spine and, were Greg not asleep in bed, I would be flying my freak flag in my own parade through the house, chanting Keith Olbermann's name:

"...This is a Democracy. Still. Sometimes just barely. And as such, all voices count - not just his.

Mr. Rumsfeld is also personally confused, morally or intellectually, about his own standing in this matter. From Iraq to Katrina, to flu vaccine shortages, to the entire "Fog of Fear" which continues to envelope this nation - he, Mr. Bush, Mr. Cheney, and their cronies, have - inadvertently or intentionally - profited and benefited, both personally, and politically. And yet he can stand up in public, and question the morality and the intellect of those of us who dare ask just for the receipt for the Emporer’s New Clothes."

Beautiful. While we're on the subject, I happened to see Good Night, and Good Luck for the first time last night. You should buy it, too.

***
Maddie has a new favorite song. While her edited version replaces the bleep, as well as the "boo hoo hoo" with the word "poop" (or "poo poo poo" as fits with the music), thanks (I think...) to our friend Paul, hearing her sing this song was just about the funniest thing I heard all week.

Watch the original Outkast video here.

Rated N for Nudity

Anyone who remembers my friend Dan Talsky from years back (ahem, Mom, Jenny, Jan C.) will be entertained by his latest blog entry, "No Way!"
Ah, I remember the feeling well. Sigh.

Incidentally: Bored? Frustrated at your job? Looking for fun ways to entertain yourself? May I recommend looking up your former friends/longtime hard core drug users in your handy local state Department of Corrections' Inmate Search feature. By typing in their last name and/or birthdate, you can not only find out what they're in for, if and when they'll be paroled, but you can also view a lovely rendering of their mug shot. Oh, look! Johnny's lost his front teeth! Aw, that silly crack cocaine. (Cue old-timey cartoon music.)

How. Depressing.

The good news? They're alive. If that's what you call living.

when the clouds come clear
open your eyes and we'll be here
never will come for us
never will come for us
never will come for us

- Braid

Celebrating: September. Have a drink, everybody, and stock up the firewood. Cooler weather makes for warmer lovin'.