Preppy Girl's Guide

I love this time of year and simultaneously hate it at the same time. It is SEASON for me. I think I will acutally take time in this post to try and describe the place where I work. There's no easy way to do this, but here goes.

The place I work is actually town, with a town square, a post office, and several small shops. The entire community is gated, and in the summer, for 9 weeks, we run an intense program of lectures, classes, schools, recreational facilities and performance venues. We have a 5000 seat amphitheater that hosts daily lectures and nightly concerts, as well as an opera hall and small theater. We have a symphony orchestra, opera company, theater company, schools of fine and performing arts, children's summer school program, boys' and girls' clubs, sailing center, fitness center, two 18-hole golf courses, a Victorian hotel, tennis courts - wait, there's no way I can tell you EVERYTHING so I'll stop here. It is an amazing place, both picturesque and charming (and expensive as you can probably imagine).

Summer means the culmination of a year's worth of preparation. We are all happy once things are rolling - but at the same time, we lose our small town feel as the big city visitors descend upon us in droves. It is both wonderful and annoying - an interesting dicotomy. (For those of you thinking Dirty Dancing, it's pretty close.) Most of the kids who work for me are "locals" home for the summer from college (and they are a great bunch of kids by the way). Throw in a gaggle of rich "city" kids and you can bet the whole "I carried a watermelon?" scene has been played out many times over. (I'd know, a youthful preppygirl spent many a summer hanging out here herself.)

Anyhoo, this is my life for the next 9 weeks. If you don't hear form me as often, now you'll know why. I am hoping for some fun and interesting stories to share (though it will be tough to top last summer's cat scratch fever).

I'll be back soon, I hope...

P.S. As you may have picked up on, Saturday was my 35th birthday. Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes! I actually had phone calls from many far away friends including Sherri who is alive and well and just moved into her new place in Jacksonville. Thought some inquiring minds might want to know...

I have been so damn busy y'all - I'm just now catching my breath. Ever had one of those weeks where everything hits the fan at once? That's what it's like where I work during this week each year. Our summer season starts tomorrow and all that last minute crap has been swirling around me like a tornado all week. I'm happy to say most of this crap is other people not being organized and me picking up the slack. Of course, I'm finding the more slack I pick up the more crap that gets thrown my way ("You didn't plan well and now need help? Oh! - ask preppygirl's department - they're always organized and on top of things enough to pick up everyone else's slack"). I don't mind helping - REALLY - I just hate when others KNOW they can take advantage of you and throw you all their shit. Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part. Phew, I needed to vent.

Now, if anyone needs a little laugh, pop on over to Galoot's page to see a little video he and his compadres made. It will be used as a training video for a local company that owns a string of restaurants in our county. It's pretty silly but I thought you might enjoy.

And now, I shall return the favor to Princess who filled out a survey in my and Galoot's honor:

12 questions about Princess:

1. Where did we meet? Fort Lauderdale, Los Arcos
2. Middle Name? Lea
3. Does he believe in God? Yes, I think so (I mean, she did ask Galoot and me to be her daughter's godparents so...)
4. How long have we known each other? 16 long years
5. Her eye color? blue
6. Any siblings? Yepper, a brother who thinks I have nice legs... (well, I think he maybe said that once a really long time ago)
7. Favorite things to do? Play with her kids, meet new people, get plastered and sing karaoke
8. Favorite music? Peter Murphy, Leonard Cohen
9. Favorite sport to play? volleyball - To watch? figure skating?
10. Is she shy or outgoing? outgoing for sure, she likes to ask people thought provoking questions "would you eat your own poop for a million dollars?"
11. Does she follow the rules or go against them? Kinda follows them but deep down she's a rebel
12. If she and I were stranded on a desert island together what would she bring? chips and french onion dip (on which we could live for a LONG time)

12 questions about MONKEYBRIGADE (Princess's loving spouse):

1. Where did we meet? I wanna say... Pontiac - maybe at your apartment?
2. Middle Name? Lee
3. Does he believe in God? Tend to think not.
4. How long have we known each other? 9 years
5. His eye color? brown
6. Any siblings? Too many - let's see... Liz, Kathy, another sister who's married to some brit and now speaks with an English accent and a younger half sister too. Am I close?
7. Favorite things to do? Play video games, visit Jamestown, have a secret affair with Ian
8. Favorite music? I'm at a loss. Skater punk stuff maybe?
9. Favorite sport to play? Skateboarding? Rollerblading? Riding his scooter! - To watch? Bunny
Tap Dancer
10. Is he shy or outgoing? A little shy but mostly outgoing
11. Does he follow the rules or go against them? rule breaker
12. If he and I were stranded on a desert island together what would he bring? I'd bring a skort and he'd bring his freckles.

Have a good weekend all!

Wow is it rainy today! Dark, gloomy and coming down in buckets! It seems like bad rain always brings out the worst in bad drivers. I saw a beauty this morning.

After Galoot took the kids to school, I realized I still had my daughter's glasses hooked to my shirt collar. Ugh. I got myself together and started my trek to the daycare. About halfway there I notice the car in front of me is swerving a little. Soon after, an apple core comes flying out the window, narrowly missing my front bumper. The driver then proceeds to stick her right hand out the window (yes, reaching across her face) I assume to rinse off the sticky apple juice from the core she just chucked. Two seconds later she makes a quick right to avoid the red light ahead. I decide to try the light since it will probably take longer than her "shortcut" (she's got two stop signs the other way). Sure enough, I come around the corner to see her no where near the stop sign that will soon intersect with the road I'm now on. She guns it, blows through the stop sign and totally cuts off the guy in front of me. She's clearly nuts. The guy in front of me turns off so I'm now directly behind nutjob #1. I decide to keep my distance. A little further down the road she makes another sudden turn (no doubt another short cut). I am almost to the daycare when I see her again. She's 3 blocks down the road STOPPED behind a school bus picking up children. There is a God, and he's making her wait.

On a separate note, thought you might want to see the Father's day card my daughter made at school. It's an amazing likeness of Galoot!

It's still Thursday so I'll take advantage of the magic 13 while I still can. Here goes, 13 great things I did today:

1. Galoot took the kids to school and I got to take a shower, un-rushed and uninterrupted for the first time in a long time. It was heavenly.
2. Left work at 11:00 a.m. for a dentist appointment. I decided by 11:01 that I wasn't going back.
3. Everything at the dentist went well - umm sorta... She kept poking at one of my molars saying, "Does this hurt? Do you have symptoms with this tooth?" (She's Eastern European) I kept saying, "No, doesn't hurt at all." (or at least I tried to say that while her fingers where still in my mouth - why do they do that?) By the end of the session she decided to x-ray it for whatever reason, which I later learned might not be covered by my insurance. Great.
4. After the dentist, Galoot and I had lunch at the local pub. (It was his first day at his new job!)
5. After lunch we went back to Galoot's office. His predecessor was disorganized and left EVERYTHING behind. I helped him organize for about an hour.
6. Galoot was very tolerant of my overbearing need to control the neatness of his office (I believe he uttered the phrase "you're meddling" more than once...)
7. Having a few free hours I decided to make good on a promise I made in a comment to Princess. I took a garbage bag, walked around the house and decluttered. I feel better.
8. I also got to vacuum the toy room, a feat in itself.
9. I fixed Galoot's watch band (I'm kinda handy like that).
10. I headed to the post office where I mailed Tom's birthday present (late) and fathers' day cards (almost late, I sent 2 day priority).
11. After I picked up the kids, Galoot Jr. and I took the dog for a walk around the block while big Galoot made dinner.
12. We had breakfast dinner which consisted of scrambled eggs, sausage and toasted bagels with cream cheese and tomato slices. Galoot's an awesome cook.
13. Galoot cleaned up the kitchen while I gave the kids a bath. The perfect end to a perfect day!

Yay for Flag Day! Did you put out your flag today? (except you stinkypaw - I know you're Quebecois!)

What's on the old agenda today? Gotta make a trip to Wallyworld to exchange the blue Mermaidia Barbie for a pink one. Might as well pick up some dog food while I'm there. Next it's over to Kmart to pick up a new drill for my father-in-law (they have an 18 volt craftsmen on sale for 39.99!) To top it off I can use my Sears card at Kmart and get $10 off! Sweet.

Damn, I just remembered that I also need to stop by Big Lots to buy my good friend Tom a birthday gift (Tom, if you're reading this STOP NOW!) You see, I found an inflatable Ralph Wiggum there last week that he simply must have. Smells like burning.

Guess it will be an evening filled with discount shopping. Anyone need anything?

I never thought I'd be so happy for it to be Monday! While a good time was had by all, the weekend was hectic. I left work a little early on Friday to help my dad finish up the swing set. Friday night dinner at the in-laws followed. Saturday morning Galoot took the kids to see "Cars" while I took the mini-van for a LONG overdue oil change (oops). Galoot soon called to see if I could pick up our son (an impatient 2 year old + an impatient 34 year old = BAD NEWS). I could not (as the car was still being worked on). Poor Galoot; he was Pissed (with a capital P!) - He'd spent all that money and pretty much missed the entire flick. I guess the little one just wasn't ready. My daughter could sit for hours watching TV and movies*, my son - no such luck. Amazing how different they are!

Saturday afternoon was the big McDonald's par-tay. All the kids had a GREAT time. Lots of playing on the playground and even "Stick the McNugget on the Skateboard" which was the Mickey D's version of "Pin the tail on the Donkey" only with an Xtreme looking McNugget (sporting Skate gear). Rad. I was waiting for the little nugget to do a McTwist.

Last night (after my niece's birthday party) we came home and the kids played on the swing set for about 15 minutes before beddie-bye. I held my daughter's glasses while they played. When the kids ran toward the house, the dog attacked them (not REALLY attacked them, just jumped on them to play). I ran over to get the dog to heal and somehow, the glasses fell. I forgot about them until this morning. A quick glance around the yard and my worst fears were realized - the dog had used them for a chew toy. Great. They're still wearable but there are chew marks on the lenses. A second pair is in our future. It's always something!

Here's a couple piccies of the kidlets:

Ya, they're kinda cute.

Oh! - and by the way, I ended up getting her a new watch (with INDIGLO), and a cute pink purse case for her glasses (that would've come in handy last night - grrr.)

*I'm not exactly proud of the fact she can sit and watch TV for hours, but it does help me keep my sanity sometimes. So sue me.

This Thursday 13 has certainly come in handy lately! Here goes, 13 things on my mind today:

1. Five years ago today my daughter way born (aawwww). I was in MUCH pain about now. She didn't come until 5:30 p.m.
2. I have an orthodontist consultation today. Oh joy. I had braces for 3 years and I might need them again. Here's a tip. Don't wait until you're 33 to get your wisdom teeth out. They pushed and crowded all my nice straight teeth. I feel like I have a snaggletooth on the bottom front and I can't bite down (can you say TMJ?)
3. I still need to get my daughter a birthday present. I thought maybe the Beauty & the Beast Barbie set (which she needs like a hole in the head).
4. We came home yesterday to find a swing set/jungle gym which my dad bought for my daughter's birthday. It's still in the box. Not looking forward to putting that together!
5. I'm hungry. Should I eat before the orthodontist?
6. I just bought decal nail polish from Avon. They are like stickers made of nail polish. I think they were more trouble than they were worth. The jury is still out.
7. My son has bad allergies. I took him to the doctor yesterday and they gave me nasonex. I haven't tried it on him yet. Anyone know anything about it? We didn't see the normal doctor so I'm skeptical.
8. TWO people contacted me to RSVP last night. I am encouraged.
9. Yesterday was my niece's birthday (#4). She's got a party on Sunday afternoon (and yes, I've RSVP'd!)
10. My in-laws sent my daughter a mermaid Barbie for her birthday. They also sent my son a Spiderman action figure (so he wouldn't feel left out). I caught my daughter re-creating the upsidedown kiss from the Spiderman movie with her Barbie and the Spiderman. It was fairly hilarious.
11. I just painted my toenails at work. How can I NOT like this job?
12. I STILL need to switch over my summer clothes. I got a little closer last night. I actually got them out of the attic and brought them down. Now just need to make the switch!
13. Why is it so damn nice outside on a work day!? It's supposed to rain and be chilly this weekend (dangit!)

Hope you're all having a great day. Until next time...

This Thursday 13 has certainly come in handy lately! Here goes, 13 things on my mind today:

1. Five years ago today my daughter way born (aawwww). I was in MUCH pain about now. She didn't come until 5:30 p.m.
2. I have an orthodontist consultation today. Oh joy. I had braces for 3 years and I might need them again. Here's a tip. Don't wait until you're 33 to get your wisdom teeth out. They pushed and crowded all my nice straight teeth. I feel like I have a snaggletooth on the bottom front and I can't bite down (can you say TMJ?)
3. I still need to get my daughter a birthday present. I thought maybe the Beauty & the Beast Barbie set (which she needs like a hole in the head).
4. We came home yesterday to find a swing set/jungle gym which my dad bought for my daughter's birthday. It's still in the box. Not looking forward to putting that together!
5. I'm hungry. Should I eat before the orthodontist?
6. I just bought decal nail polish from Avon. They are like stickers made of nail polish. I think they were more trouble than they were worth. The jury is still out.
7. My son has bad allergies. I took him to the doctor yesterday and they gave me nasonex. I haven't tried it on him yet. Anyone know anything about it? We didn't see the normal doctor so I'm skeptical.
8. TWO people contacted me to RSVP last night. I am encouraged.
9. Yesterday was my niece's birthday (#4). She's got a party on Sunday afternoon (and yes, I've RSVP'd!)
10. My in-laws sent my daughter a mermaid Barbie for her birthday. They also sent my son a Spiderman action figure (so he wouldn't feel left out). I caught my daughter re-creating the upsidedown kiss from the Spiderman movie with her Barbie and the Spiderman. It was fairly hilarious.
11. I just painted my toenails at work. How can I NOT like this job?
12. I STILL need to switch over my summer clothes. I got a little closer last night. I actually got them out of the attic and brought them down. Now just need to make the switch!
13. Why is it so damn nice outside on a work day!? It's supposed to rain and be chilly this weekend (dangit!)

Hope you're all having a great day. Until next time...

I am so freakin' busy I can't see straight. To top it off, I'm not feeling so hot (hmmm... could it be STRESS!?!?) This time of year gets crazy for me. I work in a resorty type place which operates intensely for 9 weeks in the summer. My staff goes from 2 people to 40 people during "season" (as we call it) so I am scrambling to get everything ready before that fateful day when all our visitors arrive. (HELP!)

Now I am faced with the same thing 3carnations blogged about recently. Why doesn't anyone RSVP? Do they really need to be told "CALL AND TELL ME WHETHER YOUR KID IS COMING OR NOT?!?!?!" Rude. It is now Tuesday and ONE person (out of 11) has let me know they're coming (for Saturday). Argh. I suppose having it at McDonald's is a big plus if you don't know how many are actually coming. You only pay for the happy meals you order, the cake, and an extra 10 bucks for the staff member to attend to your needs while you're there. Not too shabby. PLUS no clean-up and the kids get their ya-ya's out on the jungle gym. The best deal going. Wanna come?

Okay, too busy to talk about anything else today (this took me about 4 hours to type as it is). I'll get back to you when I can come up for air!

Just stole this from shpprgirl. Here goes!

5 Items in my fridge:
1. Guinness
2. Orange juice
3. Blackberry jam (and Jalapeno jam too!)
4. Martini Olives
5. Greek Marinade

5 Items in my closet:
1. About 15 pairs of shoes and sandals (the rest are in the attic)
2. A bunch of old clothes that don’t fit (need to purge)
3. A black velour body suit I can’t seem to part with
4. An olive-green leather coat from the Gap I’ve never worn (it was a gift)
5. A couple of mismatched slippers (can’t find their mates?)

5 Items in my car:
1. Diaper bag
2. Flowery Steering wheel cover (that Galoot could do without)
3. Tissues
4. Satellite Radio receiver
5. My new starfish air freshener (ooh aah)

5 Items in my purse:
1. Tylenol, Ibuprofen & Excedrin (headaches)
2. A nice pen from Tiffany’s (from my aunt Patty)
3. Mary Kay Berry Smoothie lip gloss
4. Eye glass cleaner and wipey cloth
5. Coach wallet (I’ve had for probably 10 years!)

I won’t tag anyone... but feel free to appropriate this list for your very own!

Is it really already Thursday again? Here's 13 things I did in the last 24 hours:

1. Answered about 100 phone calls and random questions (busy season at work).
2. Distributed birthday invites to Kate's friends (left in classroom cubbies).
3. Felt bad about not inviting ALL the kids, but hey - it's her birthday so she chooses.
4. Went to Big Lots (my dark secret) where I got stuff for work and a new air freshener for my car (somehow, the blue dolphin "swam" over to my husband's car!)
5. Made mac & cheese with hot dogs for dinner.
6. Babysat my niece and watched all the kids play Hullabaloo (very cute!)
7. Talked to Princess on-line while I drank a beer and listened to Chimp's web cast (he gave me a shout out, I felt special!)
8. Went to bed (and fell asleep quickly thanks to the beer).
9. Woke up and got the kids moving (dressed, teeth brushed, vitamins, medicine - phew!)
10. Had a discussion with my daughter on the way to school about "being nice to everyone, even people you don't like."
11. We had no sooner hit the door of her classroom when she said with a pout, "Awwww man, Piper's here!" A disappointed look from me soon followed.
12. Saw my friend in the hallway at the daycare who also works at the local pub (he charged Galoot and I $3 for two glasses of wine and a martini last Saturday night - small town discount). I thanked him.
13. Drove to work and arrived to find a dozen fresh donuts! I had a boston creme!

Now I'm trying to complete a task I was supposed to do weeks ago. Maybe if I didn't waste time blogging (or take so much on - over achiever). I'm a yes girl for sure.