Annie's Blog

Thanks to Norma for this:

And here’s another one to put it into perspective:

And here’s a fantastic kid-produced video about plastic water bottles:

I think I’ll go get a glass of tap water.

OK, just to keep in the habit, I borrowed a meme from Carole to be sure that I posted today.

20 Questions
1. Explain what ended your last relationship?

Moving 700 miles away might have had something to do with it. So did growing up.

2. When was the last time you shaved?

This morning. Got Cub Scouts tonight, and it’s supposed to hit 78 this afternoon. Time to break out the ultra-cool (gah!) Boy Scout Shorts.

3. What were you doing this morning at 8 a.m.

I’ll let you know when I get there. Will probably be making PB&J sandwiches for the kids’ lunches.

4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago?

Eating a garlic, asparagus, bacon and cheese eggbeater omelette with DH and helping DS with his homework.

5. Some things you are excited about?

Finally having real work to do with real deadlines–and the secret project I’m working on for DH.

6. What is your favorite flavor of JELL-O?

Green (lime?), but only with shredded apples and carrots (I am a child of the 70s, after all)

7. Your prom night, what do you remember about it?

It sucked, just like I knew it would. My date and I ditched it and went back to my parents’ restaurant and drank beer in the back booth in our nice clothes.

8. Do you have any famous ancestors?

What? I’m not famous enough for you? The name’s Annie, Dammit!

9. Last thing received in the mail?

Junk, junk, and more junk. And a beautiful new handmade bag from my DMIL, Maggie (Pics later).

10. How many different beverages have you had today?

Coffee, coffee, and more coffee.

11. Do you ever leave messages on people’s answering machine?

Only if I have to. But who has a real machine any more?

12. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach?

Nope. But I make some pretty wicked sand castles accessorized with green plastic army men.

13. Any plans for Friday night?

Ummm….depends on whether DH has a BSA function or not. Might be nice to sneak out with DH for some dessert, though.

14. Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?

I think it’s more about what the ocean does for my mood–better mood means I don’t care if I have Medusa’s locks.

15. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different popcorns?

Nope. But there’s always a few tins of Boy Scout popcorn kicking around the house (It’s all about the nuts!)

16. Do you re-use towels after you shower?

Yes. Unless they’re still wet from the previous day. Then it’s a toss-up between throwing them in the dryer for a few minutes or grabbing a fresh one.

17. Describe your keychain(s)?

It’s an oval brass tag with “Annie” inscribed on it that my parents gave me on my 16th birthday with the keys to both cars on it. And then they sent me to town to pick up my siblings, the liquor order, the paper order, the bread order, the change from the bank, and the meat order. I think they were much happier about me getting my license than I was!

18. Where do you keep your change?

In a jar on my dresser. The kids raid it for quarters pretty regularly.

19. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people?

Anytime I can! I love speaking in front of groups.

20. What kind of winter coat do you own?

I don’t even know. Since living in Las Vegas and now here in San Jose, I don’t think I’ve worn a coat in five years. It does get cold in Las Vegas, but I just wear a sweater and I’m good.

OK, that was quick and easy. Let’s see if I can keep up the posting more regularly.

Funny how just about the time you lose interest in celebrating a holiday, children come along and make it new and exciting again. Luke was over-the-moon happy about wearing as much green as he could possibly cram on his little body. So I’ll figure out some sort of green dessert for him for tonight.

Hannah, on the other hand, is much more pragmatic about St. Patrick’s Day. “Green just isn’t my color, Mom. I’ll just wear these beads.”

For me, St. Patrick’s Day has always been an interesting bump in the road on the way to my birthday. Actually, I was probably ten or eleven before I figured out that all the parties and parades in New York weren’t just for my birthday. The other thing I love about this time of year is all the peeks and hints of green that are emerging, along with the bright, strong yellows of the crocuses, daffodils, and forsythia. It was really nice to be able to travel to the Eastern Shore to visit my family last week, even though all the flowers were pretty delayed because of all the rains. I even caught a fish while I was there–granted, it was only an 8-inch perch, but considering how early it is, I was happy just to have something that took my worm.

The visit wasn’t all fun, love, parties, and play. But the other stuff I helped to deal with are making progress in the right direction, which is a very good thing. I hope I was able to take some of the most extreme pressure off some of the people who were dealing with it. If nothing else, I was able to make some phone calls, give dogs their baths, and be a cheerleader for those who needed it. I also got to reinforce my position as “Best Aunt Ever” by swooping in with presents and fun for Zeke. He calls me “Auntie Bo”–short for Auntie Bodacious. When he was born, I just couldn’t see being saddled with “Aunt Annie” or something similar, especially since so many people in our family already have that name. So I chose Auntie Bo. And it works, especially for a four-year old boy who got his first Big Wheel from his favorite aunt.

I brought my camera with me, but managed to not take a single picture while I was there. Part of it was the weather (amazing quantities of water kept falling from the sky) and part of it was just not feeling in the mood because of the other stuff going on.

I also got to help my mother go through our big trunk of family pictures, papers, treasures, and trinkets. I found some fun pictures of me when I was younger (you cannot believe how similar I look now to how I looked from the fifth grade on!), a copy of the itinerary from my trip to Europe when I was 16, some of my report cards (including one from the 8th grade where the teacher’s comment focused on my needed to learn how to occasionally accept the opinions of others–25 years later, I still have exactly the same problem). I brought home things that I thought might be interesting for the kids to see–but stuff like my kindergarten report card I went ahead and put in the burn pile. I have my own children’s report cards and artwork and stories and notes…those are the things I’m most interested in keeping now. There is much less room in my life now for the distant past.

When I find somewhere to get it done well, I will have the photos scanned and printed again so that I can share them with my siblings.

OK, that was a whole bunch of random. I would so very much like to post more regularly. I just need to make it happen.