Slices of Stacy

Memorial Day Weekend in Pictures

How was your weekend?

Saturday:

Just another photo for the DFCS file.  Go ahead... call the social worker. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaa aaaaaaaa

Saturday night dinner.  Appletinis, salad, salmon with lime marinade, garlic-rosemary grilled potatoes.  Yummy desserts.  If I ever invite you to dinner, you should totally say 'yes'.  aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaa aaaaaaaa

Sunday:

Sweet Pea's first Braves game.  Sunday, Braves vs. Phillies.  Don't ask me who won, we were only there for about four innings.  Rain, cold, etc.  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaa aaaaaaaa 

The Braves scored again!  And no, she's not really a buck-toothed chipmunk -- this is just a weird picture.  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa 

Long day for a little girl!  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaa

Monday:

Welcome to Moe's!  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa 

Madagascar.  Meh.

Links A Go Go!

Okay, I got nothin' today.  I'm actually having to WORK at work, which, whatever!  It's days like this when I start pondering reporting in that I got my official "all clear" on my latest Pap and mammogram.  Which I wouldn't normally do, because, yuck.  Except right there, where I did it.  Gah.  So I'll give you a few of my new favorite links to check out.

Have a lovely, safe weekend, okay?  We're planning a dinner party Saturday night, Braves game on Sunday, and pajama day on Monday. 

Free silver jewelry.  Okay, I just got hooked up with these people.  I'll report back when I've got my shipment(s) (not that I've ordered much, DJ -- look! What's that over there?) to let you know if the quality is okay.  But you can't beat the price -- you only pay $5.99 per item.  Be warned:  With the whole '15 minutes only' thing they have going on, it's incredibly addictive.

LifeGem.  I'm speechless.  Now instead of keeping your loved one in an urn on the fireplace, you can have him or her made into a diamond -- for the low low low Litko discount (who can name that film reference?) of $20K.  Even more disturbing?  They'll work with pet ashes, too. 

Guilty pleasure blog du jour.

Some of you might remembe that an essay I wrote was published in a book about adoption -- it's now out on Amazon, so go buy it!

I love you, JJ...

Experiment:  liveblogging the season finale of 'Lost'.

8:06:  skeleton!  Slaves!  Run, Jack!  Let Locke kill Kate!

8:08:  Arzt and Hurley... hee!  Arzt doing all of the nitpicking we've been doing all season...

8:10:  Shit.  I completely saw that coming and it totally caught me offguard anyway.  Especially since I heard (falsely, apparently) that Arzt was coming back next season.  Arzt go boom!

8:17:  Daniel Dae Kim rocks my world.  So his FIL was blackmailing him?  What, he'd kill his own daughter?  Well, now we know why the watch was such a big fucking deal lo those many episodes ago.  Deliver it or your wife gets swims with da fishes.

8:20:  Maggie Grace also rocks my world.  She has really redeemed the character of Shannon.

8:24:  Rousseau is totally gonna take that baby! Don't do it, Claire!  Don't be guilted ito it!  RUN!  Oh my God, Rousseau had her the whole time! 

8:27:  Does anyone know who does that song in the Jetta commercial?  The one where the couple is jumping up and down and buys a house so they won't have to deal with their neighbors anymore?

8:32:  Hey, Blondie!  You're wearing a 'Poison' shirt and you're calling Charlie pathetic?

8:42:  Okay, this 'secret scene' shit on Good Morning America is pissing me off.

8:44:  Wow.  Michael, again, bucking for Father of the Year.  Assclown.  And Walt heard it.  Assclown, Redux.

8:47:  PleasegodletKateblowupPleasegodletKateblowupPleasegodletKateblowup.

8:55:  Uh. Oh.  Charlie is about to find the horse.  Nice work, Sayid.  See?  That's what comes from keeping our addictions a secret, Charlie.  Sayid might have been helpful and supportive instead of rubbing your nose in it, so to speak.

8:57:  PleasegodletKateblowupPleasegodletKateblowupPleasegodletKateblowup.

9:00:  Holy Jesus.  The monster. 

9:01:  DJ says 'hi' to everyone!

9:06:  What the FUCK WAS THAT?  That cloud of smoke with the receding and the hole?  So Locke and the monster are totally not BFF's anymore?

9:07:  "Hey, how do you say 'Your wife is really hot' in Korean?"

9:11:  SHIT!  HELLFIRE! DAMNATION!  Sayid!  What the FUCK WAS THAT?  With the gunpowder and the match and the... okay, it stopped the bleeding but holy hell!

9:21:  Flight attendant:  "This is your lucky day!"  Heh.  Might be the line of the night.

9:35: I don't think the dynamite will open the hatch. I think the hatch will open when it's good and ready.

9:36:  I don't think there are any others.  I think Danielle is it.

9:37:  See?  Charlie agrees with me.

9:41:  Um, Jack?  We can do without Kate.  You're the only doctor.  You should have let her carry the fucking dynamite.  And she might have blown up, which... great!

9:44:  $10 says it's the Black Pearl with Johnny Depp onboard that's heading for the raft...

9:47:  Not so much Johnny Depp.  Have any of you ever read 'The Island' by Peter Benchley?

9:53:  *sniffle*  Awwww... Claire got her baby back, and Shannon and Sayid are back together.  Awwww....  Me like.

9:54:  Charlie has a Sacred Heart statue filled with horse...  that can't be good.

9:58:  GODDAMNIT!  We were supposed to find out what was in the hatch!  What a ripoff!

Okay, all in all, pretty good.  Nice cliffhanger.  Some resolutions, some questions.

Now on to 'Alias'.   Enjoy!

P.S.  Ho. Lee. Shit.  Vaughn's not Vaughn?  Oh my GOD!!!!!!!! 

Happy birthday, dear husband

Have a wonderful day!

Random thoughts

Surfsister asked in the last post if I'd thought about giving Sweet Pea margaritas to make her sleep better.  Surfsister!  I am shocked!  I would never give a child tequila -- how on earth could you suggest such a thing, even jokingly!  Especially when there's Children's PediaCare Nighttime cough syrup readily available, which will also help with her cough... two birds + one stone = 8 hours of sleep for Mommy.  Ha ha!  Behold the power of over-the-counter sleep aids!

*****

After spending the bulk of my morning yesterday messing around with Excel, I have decided that my Native American name shall henceforth be 'Futzes with Spreadsheets'.  It has a nice ring to it, no?

*****

The med increase seems to be working, although it usually takes a couple of weeks to really see the effects.  I start with a new shrink on June 3.  I have realized that with the amount of drama in my life from birth to now, I should probably go in with some spreadsheets and/or Powerpoint slides to help clear everything up.  We could conceivably spend the first two sessions just getting all the "players" straight.  And after the amount of therapy I've had in my life?  I can hit the ground running.  I don't waste any time.

*****

My friend Leigh went to a huge amount of trouble to send us her VHS copy of 'Cinderella' after this debacle (which is still being investigated by PayPal) and Sweet Pea has refused to watch it.  She says mice are scary.  After I stopped beating my head against the wall, I remembered that in three days she will have reversed her position and will once again be crying for Cinderella.  And then I will produce the video and lo, Mommy shall be the hero, and there shall be great rejoicing.

*****

I had the most bizarre dream last night.  In my dream one of my friends (Let's call her M) had an affair with my friend Natalie's husband.  Which is like, so weird, because "M" is, like, a lesbian.  But in this dream she was HOT for Natalie's husband and they were being totally open about their affair and I was so pissed because I knew it was the end of my friendship with Natalie.  I kept trying to warn them both but they just wouldn't listen!

Weird dreams are a product of the drug I take for my IC (Interstitial Cystitis).  So far the winner in the dream category is the one in which I went to Japan with the cast of 'Friends'.  Jennifer Aniston and I did some bitchin' shoe shopping and then I tried to force-feed Courteney Cox Arquette.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog for this important Public Service Announcement

Hi.  So guess what my darling daughter's new hobby is?  Sleeping from 8pm to 1:30am!  Yeah!  Then she's awake THE ENTIRE FUCKING NIGHT OH MY DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN IT HUUUUUUUURRRRTS!

So in lieu of a "real" entry today, here's a PSA courtesy of Elizabeth at Corporate Mommy.  Read it all (including the comments) -- learn it, live it, love it.  Have it tattooed on your back if you think it will help. 

It's the little things

When you're in a rough spot, you have to learn to take joy in the small stuff (and thank you, Internet, for your support -- THAT is not a small thing).

A few weeks ago Amalah gave me some advice about my ever-increasing pore size.  I had received a trial size of an Estee Lauder product right before that and tried it.  Ladies and, well, ladies, I give you:  Estee Lauder Idealist Skin Refinisher. 

Yes, it's almost $50 a bottle.  However, after using it every night after my Clinique soap/toner routine (I skip the Dramatically Different at night) I have to tell you that my pores do, in fact, look smaller.  Or maybe it's all in my head but I DON'T CARE.  Because I am no longer worried about my daughter falling headlong into my pores and never being seen again.

Now, I have also been more diligent about using my beloved Clinique exfoliant/clay mask combo, because nobody can expect one product to do everything.  However, using the Idealist at night (almost every night) seems to be working.

And just like I'm not going gently into the good night of depression, I refuse to age gracefully.  I have quite a few gray hairs and thanks to the miracles of L'Oreal's Couleur Experte, you will not see them. 

Go forth and look pretty.

Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming

Here's the thing about living with depression:  it's like fighting a century-long war.  Sometimes you just battle with one hand while you eat a sandwich with the other.  Sometimes the insurgents suddenly gain power and you remember this is a WAR and you're actually fighting for your life.

At those times, you learn to shore up your defenses.  You circle the wagons.  You talk to your doctor, you double-up on your meds, and you batten down the hatches.  You have to take responsibility for asking for more help.  People aren't mind readers.  All they see is that you smile less, snap more, sleep more, eat less, whatever.  They don't know that you feel like you're trying to run in chest-deep water, or that you feel like you're sliding down a gravel hill, grasping at anything to stop the descent.  They don't know that mental hospitals start looking like Club Med, while your own life feels like Dante's Inferno -- if you can feel anything at all.  Sometimes instead of feeling nothing, you feel everything and the crying jags can last for hours.

The good news is that I'm a General in this particular war, and I've learned how to position my army.  The grayness that is encroaching, the weight on my chest: these are my enemy.  And it is so hard to ask for extra battalions: other people have their own battles to fight.  I keep waiting for the people closest to me to finally say, "I've had it.  I can't DO this anymore, you're on your own.  You are not worth the extra effort it takes to have you in my life".  But they haven't said that yet.  In fact, as a general rule they say, "You give and give to me, let me give something back to you". 

There will be no white flag upon my door.  Not yet.

Mother meme I?

Have been tagged by Beth for another meme (oh good, I didn't want to have to think up something deep/funny/meaningful today).  I will write on five of these topics, then tag three people at the end.  They, in turn, will highlight, copy, paste, and answer five topics, or face my wrath.

If I could be a scientist... I'd cure AIDS.  I'd try to cure cancer, but I have a funny feeling (conspiracy theorist that I am) that that's been done already -- and the pharmaceutical industry is making way too much money on cancer treatments to let it come to light.

If I could be a painter... Well, I kind of AM a painter, occasionally -- I'd like to make money at it so that I could spend my days creating art.

If I could be a doctor...

If I could be a farmer...

If I could be a gardener...

If I could be a missionary...

If I could be a lawyer... I'd open a law firm with Pete.  We probably wouldn't get much work done, but damn! we'd have fun.

If I could be an athlete...

If I could be an innkeeper...

If I could be a professor...

If I could be a writer...

If I could be a llama rider...

If I could be a bonnie pirate... I'd be married to Johnny Depp.  I'd have to find a way around that whole "seasickness" thing, but this is fantasy, right?

If I could be an astronaut...

If I could be a world famous blogger...

If I could be a justice on any one court in the world...

If I could be married to any one famous political figure... It'd be Dubya.  Hey, he's gotta sleep some time, right?  And I look fabulous in black.  Wait... Cheney... must rethink...

Okay -- I'm going to tag Elizabeth, Lisa and Laura L -- honey, click here and get started for free.  Seriously.  Consider this your kick in the ass.

Mommy has a new toy...

Special thanks to Lisa M. for her advice and assistance!