Teh random. I has it. Again.

Sooooooo, my brain has been whirling in a million different directions lately. There's been upheaval at the day job and hubby's been gone for nearly three freaking weeks! I know plenty of people who have to put up with spouses being away for way longer (I'm looking at two people in particular) but whiners gonna whine, so here I am...whining. But! He's coming home Saturday - I can't wait! :D

In school weirdness, Corwin's been working on Charles Darwin Project of Doom for weeks now. It's been dubbed the CDPoD because it's never freaking ending. He had to come up with 50 note cards all with facts to include in the term paper, and additional 15 note cards with different facts to use for his speech and Power Point presentation...which he needs to give in character and in costume. Frock coat and beard aside, the teacher informed them that she wants the paper to be a college level term paper. FWUH? These kids are in 7th grade! WTF?! Also, this project has been going on for over a month.

However, I did get a little giggle about the fact that he was assigned Charles Darwin as a topic. She confessed that all three seventh grade teachers met to assign the historical figures to the students, and they figured that we were the only family who wouldn't be gravely offended for religious reasons if Corwin got Darwin. I just don't even know what to do with that bit of info... Oh well, at least he got an A on the awful leaf project that gave us asthma attacks and gave me hives.

Trick or Treating was a great time. I continued my habit of giving extra candy to the older kids that are out trick or treating. I just think it's great that they're still out having fun. As it is they grow up way too fast and it always annoys me to hear neighbors tell them they're too old for Halloween. I call bullshit! You're never too old for Halloween. So I always tell them they're getting extra candy and why. The expression on their faces is worth buying an extra bag of candy - particularly when Betty the Biddy has already reamed them out. Screw you, Betty!

The best conversation I had was with a four year old little boy. He was trick or treating with his older sister and I'd complemented her dress. He poked his round little face around the door and the conversation went like this:

Little Boy: What about me? You like me? You like my costume?

Me: I do. It's great! I really like Dracula - he's scary!

Little Boy: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! I not Dracula!

Me: You're not?

Little Boy: No! I Cra-chunkula!

Me: You're who, now?

Little Boy: I said I Cra-chunkula!

Little Boy's Dad: (finally taking pity on me) He's Count Chocula.

Me: Ooooohhhhhh. I love Count Chocula. He's way better than Dracula any day.

Little Boy: Yes I am!

God, I love Halloween! :D

Teh random. I has it.

I've discovered something important yesterday afternoon.

Dark Warm Blonde hair color is definitely not the same as Medium Warm Blonde hair color.

I thought I'd freshen up my hair before the AAD conference next week, and quick dyed it before I picked up the kids from school. I thought it looked a little dark, but I was in a hurry, so I left with wet hair. It dried on the way to school, but I still didn't really notice how dark it was until Killian, Not-Kevin and Justin got in the car.

Justin: (in a faux whisper) Hey, Killian. I think Mrs. Killian's Mommy did something to her air.

Not-Kevin: Mrs. Killian's Mommy, did you do something to your hair? We're boys and we don't typically notice stuff like this, but it seems like chemicals were involved.

Killian: You have dye on your face. Way to fail.

Normally, I go with the medium warm blonde which turns out to be a light reddish brown. I now have dark auburn hair. I'm getting used to it, and kinda liking it.

I'm also getting used to doing dishes in two plastic basins on my kitchen table. I'm not liking this at all. Not even a little.

My freaking kitchen sink has been backed up for almost a week with several inches of standing water. Nothing's worked - snaking, drain cleaner, plunging. Matt hasn't had time to take apart the pipes, and I'm not about to because I have a very bad habit of making things worse.

It's a gift.

So...hopefully this weekend he can fix it, because the plastic basin thing? Not cutting it.

Cait saw the backed up sink the other day and said, "Oh...creating your own West Nile Virus water feature?"

Bitch.

A pile of randomness

So many bits of randomness to share today. . .

First off, the freaking fantastic Kris Norris made me a shiny new book trailer for Moonlit Menage - you can see it here. I'd put it on the blog, but I always end up screwing something up, and it rarely works right, so I'm jut putting up the link.

Secondly, fellow Michigan author, and all around awesome person, Roxanne Roads, has graciously allowed me to guest post on her Fangtastic Books blog and offer a contest. I'd love it if you stopped by and said hi and enter the contest. :)

And lastly, my washing machine is on the fritz. Actually, it's old and tired and sick of the insane amounts of laundry I force it to do every week. Last night, it stopped in the middle of a load and I went downstairs to fiddle with it and had the following conversation that Chris said I had to post.

Me: (in the basement) C'mon sweetie. I know you're tired, but can't you just hang in there with me? Just until tax time?

Matt: (yelling through down the laundry chute that's under the bathroom sink on the first floor) Who are you talking to?

Me: The washing machine. I'm trying to convince it that it has something to live for.

Matt: (a long period of silence followed by the door to the laundry chute door slowing closing, then a squeak as it's wrenched back open) Is it working?

For those of you who may be wondering, the washing machine was swayed by my pleas and began working again.

YAY!!!

EDIT: We're currently looking for a name for our esteemed laundry companion - actually, we're just hoping that the right name and the proper amount of respect and gratitude will keep it running for a few more months. So c'mon people, help me name that washing machine.

All suggestions are welcome!!!!

Guh

The last dream I had before I woke up was that an avalanche of books fell on me and was smothering me. When I woke up, I was gasping for breath will a well-timed asthma attack. Well done, subconscious, but I promise, I didn't need the visual. I'm well aware of where I'm sitting...or huddled, as the case may be.

Matt's been gone to Russia for twelve days, and I'm going a little nuts. You'd think I'd love having that big bed to myself, but nope - I'm still over on my side. We're having trouble talking. The internet connection in the hotel he's staying in, is for shit. So he, and the rest of his team, hang out in the lobby trying desperately to get a connection to talk to people at home. I'm sure the employees must think they're all a little batty, sitting in the lobby at 2 and 3 am Russian time, frantically typing away on their laptops and constantly moving around the room trying to get a decent signal. Thankfully, he's coming home on Saturday. I can't wait!

In other news, it's the 6th Grade Field Trip of Doom tomorrow and I stupidly volunteered to go. Actually, what happened is that Corwin asked me to go, and then blink those big blue eyes at me. I told him that I'd go on this year's field trip, but not next year's. Every year, the 7th graders go to the Holocaust Museum, and while I agree it's an important part of history that should never ever be forgotten or overlooked, I just can't bring myself to go and see the photographs and stare at the endless piles of children's shoes. I just can't do it. I'd be a sobbing mess.

So yeah, the boy child and I are riding tour buses and heading up to Mackinac Island tomorrow. We'll be gone from 4:30 am to about midnight. yippee. I promise to post pictures Friday or Saturday depending on how exhausted I am and how far behind with work I am. I've got a giant list of stuff to accomplish before I crash tonight, so I guess I'd better get to it!

What a weekend...

I'd forgotten (okay, maybe repressed is a better word) how tiring an infant and a toddler are. My sister, Cait, and I babysat our niece and nephew from about noon on Saturday until about 11pm. Good lord, those kids are busy.

Madelynn is three and a total wild child. Freakishly adorable, but exhausting. We played Tinkerbell-Butterfly-Faery and read books (mostly the same three over and over and over and over) walked to the park, played there, coerced her to eat, played the balloon game which consists of hitting the balloon around, Madelynn squealing and then informing me that I'm doing it wrong.

"Not like that, Bumpy!!!"

Oh yeah - she also renamed us. Cait is now Aunt Grumpy and I am now known as Aunt Bumpy. I asked our niece if that meant she was Lumpy and she gave me a look of utter disgust and said, "Uh...No! I Madelynn." Yeah...I got told by a toddler.

We didn't have to coerce Nolen to eat. He's five months old and is definitely his Daddy's boy. I think that child would have eaten the entire time if we'd let him. He also felt the need to spit-up constantly. Only on Cait. She was not impressed. Not even a little. And let me tell you - an all black wardrobe and baby spew...not a good combo. He even got her socks. That kid has coverage. But he's snugly and ridiculously cute and we love him.

After we left, we went to our favorite cemetery to see if we could get some orb pictures..cause we're nerds like that. Unfortunately, there was a party at the hall near the graveyard, but we explored anyway. I know we got a few orbs in the pics, but I haven't been able to download them off my camera yet because my computer was being stupid, but more on in a sec. Then we drove around and sang at the top of our lungs and visited GVSU's campus where Cait posed suggestively with statues. Helllllooooo...Facebook.

Yesterday my stinking computer crashed, but after many long tortuous hours, the hubby fixed it. Thank God it happened on a Sunday. That reminds me...really need to do a backup today.

I hope you're all having a spectacular day! I'm off to do some major house purging since the Salvation Army truck is coming through our neighborhood this week! Yay!! I love getting rid of stuff we don't need anymore!!!