Friday Fragments

Wow. I just looked through all my jot books (where I jot down blog post ideas, or quotes, or rants) and there's nothing there that I can turn into a whole post. I've used up all the ideas.

I remember when they were coming fast and furiously and I was constantly reaching for one of those three books that I had stashed in convenient places. Now I'm remembering WHEN I jotted those ideas. Prednisone. So that evil drug is good for at least one thing: creativity. Or maybe it's that I was spending a lot of time hiding from people so that I didn't bite their heads off and thus had time to think. And since it made me rather ADHD, I had lots of ideas bouncing all over the place.

Don't get me wrong. I have no desire to get back on prednisone. I just want some ideas to start flowing again. Meanwhile, here are some random things that won't make a whole post, but I feel like sharing anyway.

Ω Why is it that we get more excited about a song when it comes on the radio, or on Pandora, or our shuffle? I'm talking about songs that mean something to you, that you own and could play anytime you wanted. Yet you don't. Then when it comes on, you're thinking, “Oh wow, perfect song!”

Ω In the most bizarre coincidence I've experienced in a long time, Green Day's Good Riddance (Time of My Life) came on as I was writing that last paragraph. It's a very special song for many reasons, not the least of which is that The Transporter learned to play it on his electric guitar for me.

Ω Why does the school need a signed note from me about my child's absence if that same teacher was the one who sent him to the nurse because he was so visibly sick she thought he should go home?

Ω You know you've been helping your child with math way too late into the night if you end up dreaming that you have to calculate the volume of your lungs in order to breathe.

Ω If you are the lead car at an intersection with a left-turn arrow, it's YOUR responsibility to watch the light and GO when it turns green. Put down the phone and pay attention. Please.

Ω I've found that raising teenagers is challenging. Right now I'm wishing for fewer teachable moments...

Ω After talking to the nurse at my gastroenterology doctor's office yesterday, she said to make an appointment. “Tell them you're acute, so they can get you in faster.” Apparently acute means I can see them on November 13^th.

Ω OYT quote of the day: “My body is a very uncomfortable place for my brain to live.” He was sick and trying to do homework.

Ω Movie quote of the day: “The world is made for people not cursed with self-awareness.” Name the movie.

What random thoughts are bouncing around your brain?

~Tina

Friday Fragments

I'm joining a new Friday group called Friday Fragments, which are bits and pieces that are too short for their own post, but too good to never see the light of day. Link up at Unknown Mami (who is hosting for the summer instead of Half-Past Kissin' Time.)  I found this group through DoreenMcGettigan, an A-Zer.

Frag One:

I DON'T HAVE CANCER. I think that's worth shouting. All my biopsies came back negative. Two and a half weeks is a long time to contemplate one's fate. I have some other stuff to deal with that I won't bore you with, but they are going to be dealt with using some new meds that I hope will do the trick. I want to be back to life and leave these debilitating symptoms behind. But it's Friday, the weekend is ahead and I DON'T HAVE CANCER.

Frag Two:

My boys have been wonderful to me. I think they've been mighty worried, but they've gladly picked up the slack on chores and brought me stuff while I lay in bed, fighting the battle against my rebellious digestive system.

Frag Three:

The Transporter is becoming quite the mechanic. His first car, a vintage 1991 Volvo 240, standard transmission, red, needs a lot of love. What do you expect for a car whose new tires alone are worth what we paid for it? He fixed it. It wouldn't start when we bought it (yes, I know that's crazy, but if you have The Engineer, who has worked on Volvos for 20 years, and The Swede, who worked FOR Volvo and ON Volvos his entire adult life, then there's some knowledge floating around and so far there hasn't been anything they haven't been able to fix on our “fleet”) Red now starts, and The Transporter grinned at the compliment about "becoming quite the mechanic" from his Morfar (that would be The Swede – mother's father). 

He won't own this car until he earns those last three contracted A's, but having it sitting in the driveway, ready to go, is what I think will be the final motivation to get him moving academically. 

Meanwhile, we celebrate that we don't live in a covenanted community. I know just what they'd say about our four old Volvos, our ginormous van, and our camper, all parked on our property...

Friday Fragments

I'm joining a new Friday group called Friday Fragments, which are bits and pieces that are too short for their own post, but too good to never see the light of day. Link up at Unknown Mami (who is hosting for the summer instead of Half-Past Kissin' Time.)  I found this group through DoreenMcGettigan, an A-Zer. Phew, I think that's all the required links.

Frag One

Our family quotes movies a lot, because most of us like to re-watch movies multiple times. It does make it easier to remember the good lines. The Engineer, however, watches movies once. He doesn't play the quote game, except for a very few exceptions, like when The Queen of Quotes, Swissie, will throw one out there.

That's why the following conversation just cracked me up. We were having our usual “check in and see how your day is going chat” and he says, “I've got the thingamabob to fix in the whojiwhatsit, and the guy in charge is on vacation, the product isn't going to pass UL without it, and no one will even discuss this with me. And that's not counting my regular stuff, which is enough to keep me busy for a long time. AND I have Guilder to frame for it! I'm swamped! So totally uncharacteristic of him.  Loved it.

Frag Two

My Amazing Aunt Risky rocks. She's in town for GorgeousGirl's birthday and baby shower this weekend, but GG is in San Francisco for training (unexpectedly) so we get Aunt Risky to ourselves. Yesterday she kidnaps all four cousins (16, 15, 13.8, 13) and takes them to Boondocks fun center. Go-carts, bumper cars, bumper BOATS, bowling, arcade, lazer tag: teenage heaven! I got the whole day to myself to sleep and respond individually to your very thoughtful and helpful comments about my depression post. Then she brought us dinner when dropping off the kids! I just love her so much. She knows just what to do in any situation.

Frag Three

This is a conversation between me and OYT one afternoon last week.

“Mom, are you going to DO anything this summer besides sit in your bed with your laptop and write and blog and do email?

There's really only one reply to that, “Are you going to do anything besides sit in the basement, hooked up to your XBOX live headset, and play games all summer?”

“Um, no not really.”

Frag Four, or should I say BRAG Four

In my depression post I talked about tasks with deadlines. One of them was taking a piece of art my uncle created, somehow shrinking it, maintaining the correct aspect ration, adding text, to create a wine bottle label to replace the real one. These are the party favors for my cousin's baby shower. I've procrastinated it because it had so many steps. HOWEVER, with Swissie's help, we now have them all done, with ribbons tied on and they're set to go. Couldn't have done it without her! Forgot to take a picture of the finished product and they're at her house, so here's the graphic, at least.

Do you quote movies, or know that quote? Have a kid who lives in the basement playing games?  Anything you're procrastinating?  I hope you have a great weekend, and if you have fragments to share, hop aboard. The links are in the opening paragraph.  And no, you can't have my Aunt Risky.

~Tina