The two worlds collide!

An acquaintance of mine from church and Primo's school has sent me a Facebook friend request. I like her, and she's a good person and friendly, but I am having an existential crisis of Seinfeldian proportions:

George: Ah, you have no idea of the magnitude of this thing. If she [Susan, George's fiancee] is allowed to infiltrate this world, then George Costanza as you know him, ceases to exist! You see, right now, I have Relationship George, but there is also Independent George. That's the George you know, the George you grew up with -- Movie George, Coffee Shop George, Liar George, Bawdy George!
Jerry: I love that George.
George: Me too! And he's dying, Jerry! If Relationship George walks through this door, he will kill Independent George! A George, divided against itself, cannot stand!

I haven't decided to accept this friend request or not. Feedback?

deep thoughts

I have some coherent posts in the works (yes, I have said that before), but right now my tired brain has only these little bits:

• Some of you may know that I have been trying to lose weight since the end of last August. I have not been as successful as I could have been, mostly because I have not been following the diet the way I should be. And I haven't really being exercising. And all I want to do when I put the kids to bed is eat. So, while I have lost 36 pounds over the last 9 months, I have about 40 to go. Scott, my DH, has been trying to lose some weight too due to a minor health issue. Over the last 8 weeks, my husband has been watching his eating and exercising for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. And he has lost 20 g*&^%#n pounds. I am mad now. I am mad at myself and I am so motivated. This is my season. Summer is the easiest time for me to lose weight and I will drop a pound a week over the next 3 months.
• I recently finished reading David McCullough's biography of Harry S. Truman. Boy, what a great president Truman was. This was a great book. I have to say that I have read 3 of McCullough's books (Truman, 1776, John Adams) and while it is obvious that there is a lot of scholarship that led to the book, it often reads like a novel. What a treasure David McCullough is! I am looking forward to reading more of his books.
• ugh. that's all I got.

The Long Walk

In an effort to get my lazy butt off the couch, lose weight, make my kids burn off some energy before 8:00 PM become more physically active and therefore healthier, I have started walking the kids to school when it's not raining when we're not late when I'm not lazy every day.

Today we were running a little bit behind ("When I tell you to go upstairs, brush your teeth, and get dressed, I don't mean read a book and build with Legos first. No Wii today!") and had to sort of run/walk to make sure Primo got to school on time. This caused Bubba to get a stitch in his side and walk a little slower (Curly Sue was in the stroller). We were about one block from school, so I told Primo to run ahead a little bit so that the crossing guard could see him and start walking over to meet us. I slowed down to wait for Bub to catch up. This got me to thinking: We're almost there. Why not just let Primo go across alone with the crossing guard and then walk ahead to school by himself? He stopped at the corner fo two VERY busy streets in our neighborhood and I caught up to him (Bub still far behind) and said, "Why don't you just walk ahead by yourself? Give me a kiss." He gave me a nice kiss, I told him to have a nice day at school, and he walked next to the crossing guard the whole way. She had him turn to wave to me as they got a little further away and then as they got all the way across the busy intersection, she had him wave again and she walked him the rest of the way to the school building (about 250 feet) and across the driveway that the crazy drop-off parents use. I wanted to watch him the whole way, but a school bus blocked my view.

When Bub caught up to me, he asked, "Is Primo old enough to walk to school by himself?" "He's not old enough to walk the whole way yet (about half a mile on my pedometer), but he can walk this far," I said. "I'm watching him (cue the school bus). When I was in first grade I walked to school by myself every day."

And I did (I think maybe my mom walked me in first grade, I can't remember). School was only a few blocks away and I think we only had one car that my dad took to work. I walked in the rain, in the snow, in the freezing weather, in the hot weather--every day. I also remember from a young age walking to the playground near where I grew up (about half a mile away) and I think I was allowed to go there unaccompanied with my friends in like second grade.

So Bub, Curly Sue and I went home to bide away 15 minutes till we walked Bub to school. And it was a very good morning.

It's that time of year again.

Don't you love how the seasons change? I do. It's a comforting feeling, going through the seasonal cycles, knowing that when one season changes, another begins with new focuses, new activities.

I can see the appeal of living in a place like southern California where the weather rarely shifts out of a truly pleasant pattern. But I have to say that I would miss the snow. Although I would not miss being really really cold.

In parts of Florida, you have 3 months of nice and 9 months of jungle hot.

Anyways, here in New Jersey I am starting to feel like we're in a distinct Florida-like pattern, but not with the weather.

We just got out of a hotly contested Presidential race (though we didn't feel that as much here because NJ was a slam dunk for Obama) and we're getting into a hotly contested gubernatorial race. But first, we have to get through the hotly contested Republican Primary.

In this corner, we have the Republican Party organization's Favorite Son, "The Only One Who Can Beat Jon Corzine," Mr. Money himself, Former US Attorney, Chris Christie!

And in this corner, we have the Republican Underdog, Tough as Nails, Mr. Fought for Everything I Have, hardscrabble former mayor of Bogota, Tom Lonegan!

The primary is a few weeks away. Scott is registered as a Republican (formerly with no party affliation, my hubby voted in the Republican Presidential Primary, thereby registering himself as a Republican), so this means that Chris Christie 's automated voice has called our house 3 times in the last 2 days asking for his vote. I just got off the phone with him a few minutes ago. He's going to mail Scott an absentee ballot request form because voting by mail is convenient and easy!

Ugh.

I wish I could say that I hate this, but secretly, just among the 5 of you who read this page, I love it. I love to follow politics. I love to see what these yahoos that we voted for are doing. I love to watch them run for office and I love to scream at their TV commercials when I disagree with their asinine policies.

I really want to run for office myself. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be President. Sometimes I think I still do. Then I think that Harry Truman was right. Only a fool wants to be President. The weight of the world on your shoulders. If you do it for personal aggrandizement, you're a jackass. Whatever happened to the true public servant? I'm not sure how many of them there are. Do they still exist? If they exist, can they win?

I don't know.

But it's that time of year again. I can smell the smoke in the air; hear the fireworks. No, not summer. Primary season in NJ.

zoology

Bub is on a kindergarten class trip to a local zoo today. He is very excited because it is his first trip to a zoo. And it is raining. This makes it even more exciting for Bubba because he gets "to play in the REAL rain" in his raincoat and rain boots.

Last Friday, a REAL (!) farmer came in and told them about the chicks that would hatch in their classroom. Apparently, all Bub remembered about the farmer's presentation was that the chicks would be slimy when they hatched.

Well, on Monday, three of the chicks hatched during school. His poor teacher. I wonder how she managed to get any work done. Tuesday they were all hatched and no longer slimy. Yesterday, Bub got to hold a chick (His teacher sent home 3 pictures of him holding his new friend). After school, we (the 3 kids and I) went in to see the new chicks and we had the chance to see the 12 caterpillars which are going to become butterflies.

Is there a point to this post? I'm not sure. I think I'll just report and let you decide. ;)

Welcome spring!!!!

An open letter

Dear Entertainment Magazine,

I just want to let you know that I got all of your letters, asking me to come back. And I noticed the cardboard cover on a recent issue that proclaimed, "This could be your LAST issue!"

But two weeks ago, when I opened one of your letters pleading with me to renew my subscription (at 65% off the cover price), you told me that I had 57 issues left.

I am afraid you want too much from our relationship. I am simply not ready to commit my life to you. I am a married woman with three small children. I am already committed to someone else. Someone real who feeds my soul in ways other than through entertainment gossip.

I just want to be good friends. I enjoy our time together. I need to take this relationship one year at a time. Maybe a two year deal when I can afford it.

Please understand that it's not you, it's me. I read every issue that comes to my mailbox (including the one which arrived this past Friday-after my subscription "ended") in one sitting. I read all of the book and movie reviews, even for the books I will never read and for the movies I will never see. I even read the advertising. I have taken part in your online customer service surveys and read your website, desperate for more information on The Middleman (ABC Family: I'm waiting). I have voted on whose Oscar dresses were pretty and whose were pretty awful. And you were wonderfully accommodating when I called and asked for you to put me on the fragrance-free mailing list. My migraine-less head is so grateful.

I love you like a friend, EM. That's all our relationship is, and all it ever can be. I hope that one day you will understand.

Amy