an open letter

dear mama nature,

wtf?! 

i realize that my intro may be a little harsh but i feel that all i can offer at this point is tough love.  i know that mother’s day is around the corner and therefore you believe that you’ll just kick back and do whatever you please but if you expect to be honored as a mother you can’t quit being one, even for one day. 

i know that i’m one of your favorites, as i’m one of the few that praise you for a cold brisk day in the winter.  there’s nothing i like better than being smacked in the face with cold air.  there’s something so refreshing and calming about it.  and the snow?  don’t even get me going on the snow, i love it so much!  and as we approach spring i’m often happy that we have months of 60 degree days.  if i can wear a light shirt but also need a cardigan i’m perfectly content.  i am one of the last people to ever curse you for not bringing ’round the heat already.  in fact, i’m not even that big a fan of the heat.

but with all of that being said, what do you think you’re doing?  for the last 2 weekends i’ve worn tank tops and flip flops.  i’m even nursing a bad sunburn on my back from a day at the beach last saturday.  and yet yesterday and today i’ve had to wear sweaters to keep warm.  you keep following these gorgeous days up with rain.  days and days of rain.  and while i’m not typically opposed to spring rain, and i would rather it than a drought, these rains have brought unseasonably cool air with them. 

i simply ask that you not tease.  i’m at a point where i have 2 seasons of clothes out that i can’t put away because you keep changing things up from day to day.

please restore some sort of climate control.  and of course, enjoy your mother’s day!

love,
notsojenny

p.s. a little bit of drizzle would really help filter out the rest of the shoppers for me at the outdoor mall on saturday… thanks! 

 

 

~ today i learned… that in Spain a woman often buys an engagement wristwatch for her man after she accepts his marriage proposal (i’m thinking of adopting this since M has had his eye on a very $$$ watch for a while, i mean why should he be the only one going broke on this stuff?) ~

trippin’

i’m still thinking about what relatively local trip to take with M.  yes, we went to DC a few weeks back but that was for the cherry blossom festival, and while it was nice it was also kind of a bust thanks to mother nature.  so i’ve been thinking about taking a warm trip somewhere.  M and i have usually summered with a couple, we rent a place and spend a week soaking up sun, drinking, and just relaxing.  but they just had a baby.  and while i knew we hadn’t made plans for this summer, and while i refused to set up a formal trip with M to some exocit locale, when M got a call from this couple yesterday and told me they were on vacation in FL i was kind miffed.  maybe they told M they were going on vacation without us, but if they did, he hadn’t told me.  so the first i really heard about us not doing a summer trip with them is that they’re already on it.  i’m not a fan of that.  i like notice.  if something is implied i like to know when things change and it’s not going to happen.  i know i’m being ridiculous because i didn’t really expect them to go on vacation with us now that they have a family of their own, and it’s not like we had solid plans that they just disregarded, but i like to be kept in the loop with things that involve me. 

so i started looking at little trips for M and i to take.  after spending one day at the beach this weekend, i’ve got suntan fever.  i need a beach weekend.  i know that my finances will not allow for a fancy vacation this year, but maybe a couple small ones will suffice?

i was thinking of doing Ocean City MD.  we spent alot of summers there as kids since my family is from maryland.  i have great memories of the place but every time i go i’m disappointed at how run down it’s become.  while i don’t expect that it’s gotten any better it still has sand and sun.  and i’m afraid there isn’t much that compares to thrasher’s french fries or fisher’s caramel corn.  i’m starting to salivate just thinking about them.  plus going there would give us a chance to swing through the town my relatives all live in and visit my father’s grave.  so that’s my first choice.

the second choice is Atlantic City in jersey.  we both love gambling and i’ve never been there.  though i’ve already pre-judged it and decided it’s dingy and dirty and for the elderly and/or trampy.  but we’ll see.  i started looking at hotels and found this one, Come Wright Inn Bed & Breakfast. that’s just wrong.  so wrong.  makes me not want to go to AC at all if they let people get away with this crass mess.  also, if we go to jersey i want to hit six flags and rutt’s hutt (i dream of this place, i love hot dogs!)… but each of these is even further from AC than i wanted.  which means we’ll need to add more days or have a crazy packed trip… and i want to relax.  maybe we’ll just have to settle for six flags NE when i go to CT. 

i dunno.  i’m just ready for a real vacation.  i’d love to go somewhere fancy, but i think i’d like to try a few small trips here and there instead.  spread it out a little.  it’s probably just the nice weather.  because for the past few months i’ve been anti-trip-planning for fear that i’ll stay with M even longer than i should simply because we have a future trip.  i don’t put it past myself, i’ll use any excuse i can conjure up to stay with him longer.  but i also shouldn’t punish myself just because he’s got issues.  so i figure what the hey?  let’s just put some plans down.  they don’t have to be months down the road, but a few weeks is cool.

so i’m taking recommendations on hotels in AC or OC that are under $250 a night (trying to make these fun cheap trips).  anyone got any suggestions?

  

  

~ today i learned… ninja warrior didn’t crown it’s first champion until the 4th season ~

cha-ching

pulled up my bank account online to balance the damage from this weekend

i’m so much richer than i thought i was!

federal stimulus check - in my account - today!

i wasn’t really looking forward to this money like most people, though i knew it would be nice.  i wasn’t counting on it for anything.  i had no plans for it.  i just wanted to make sure i didn’t just blow it on something, but actually save it.  maybe spend a little and then put the rest into my savings, or as i like to call it “someday i’m gonna’ buy me a weddin’ dress money”.  at the rate i’m putting money in there, and the longer i’m putting it away, you may see me on platinum weddings by the time i finally have a wedding.  while i don’t know when that’s going to happen, i do know that i’m totally going shopping this weekend.  it’s my patriotic duty, afterall.  (that, and i found out that our outlets just added about 20 new stores! )

 

everybody sing along

Streaks on the china,
Never mattered before,
Who cared?

When you drop kicked the jacket,
As you came through the door,
No one glared.

According to our new arrival,
Life is more than mere survival.
And we just might live the good life yet.

 
 

i’m super busy with work and getting ready for the girls to arrive today.  i just wanted everyone else to have this song stuck in their head the way i do every single day… especially when i clean.

(and for those sad sacks that don’t know the tune…  click here suckah)

  

 

~ today i learned… that installing quicktime to try to help your PC will actually blow it up.  it’s taken me hours just to get into my own page! ~

hair today

for some reason i’ve decided to talk about hair today.  maybe it’s because i’m having a good hair day, i dunno.   but i had an appointment to get my eyebrows done last wednesday.  i scheduled it just perfectly that i could go straight from there to my pilates class since it’s between where i live and there.  when i arrived at 6pm and they told me that my esthetician had left for the day because she had no appointments i was completely confused.  the guy at the desk told me i was scheduled for 5pm.  I tried to point out that i would never have made an appointment for 5, and i even write it down in my planner as i’m standing there paying and scheduling at the end of every visit.  but whatever, there was no arguing it.  i made an appointment for the following week (yesterday) and left.  i had time to spare before pilates so i went to marshall’s.  i’m convinced that my esthetician now owes me $24 for the purse i bought (and i love love love it!). 

when my phone rang on tuesday i knew it was the confirmation call so i wanted to make sure i spoke to someone.  they told me that my girl wasn’t feeling good and was taking wednesday off, but that i could reschedule to thursday.  that barely made sense to me, so i didn’t even feel like arguing the point.  (seriously, you don’t feel good today, so you’re going to take off tomorrow but commit to coming in the day after?  that is bs.)  so i said forget it and hung up.  whenever an eyebrow appt. is approaching i steadily care less and less about keeping up with them.  i let them go all sorts of crazy doing whatever they want to do, knowing that in a couple of days they’ll be whipped into shape.  by tuesday when they cancelled i was in serious need of help so i called up the old salon i used to go to and made an appointment with a stranger.  i’m very particular about how my brows look so this was a painful thing to do.  i made the appointment to leave me plenty of time to get to pilates and stretch without having to spend time shopping in between.  i arrived at the salon, shook hands with the girl who i’d be trusting my appearance with and laid down.  i explained how one is higher than the other, and one has a nicer arch, but you have to make them both look like the one with the lazy arch or else i look very surprised on one side.  she sounded like she understood.  as she poured on teh wax i felt it was all wrong.  she was using wax in places i couldn’t imagine any hair could grow.  once it hit my eyelid i knew it wasn’t going to be good.  as she ripped the strip off i could feel the blood.  i don’t usually feel any pain or bloodshed during this process so i was beginning to get very worried.  she went one, very careful and very drawn out, step at a time.  she must have been brand new because it took her FOREVER!  i was getting worried that i was going to be late for class by the time she finished up.  i expected her to clean the area, then hand me the mirror and i’d be out.  instead she cleaned the wax off for 5 minutes.  then she started rubbing some lotion in.  then she started massaging in between my eyes.  it was like that scene in love actually when he’s getting the jewelry gift wrapped and it’s one painstaking thing after another when you just want it to be done.  it was the most bizarre thing.  and while she may have thought it was relaxing, it was making me extremely anxious.  i was very close to being rude and running out yelling  I HAVE TO GO!  seriously, who plans for a 45minute brow wax?  that’s just silly.  when i finally looked in the mirror i almost cried but i think i was too angry too.  she hadn’t listened to a word i said.  i had her fix a few things.  but now i have to grow my brows back out for the next 6 weeks to fill in the emptiness she left.  and i hate that. 

back to hair - i’ve had a few products that i love but that have disappeared off the shelves and i can’t seem to find them online.  anyone got stock on these that i can buy off you?

• L’Oreal styling water - i still have a small amount of this left.  it’s seriously the texture of water.  and it doesn’t leave your hair crunchy or flat.  i use a small amount of it to run through my hair.  it instantly controls flyaways and smells so good!
• Sebastian dry clean only - this stuff iswas the bomb.  you just spray it in your hair when you haven’t washed it and it’s like a miracle product.  it makes your hair smell great and somehow gets rid of the grease… it’s also great after you’ve been at a bar and smell like smoke.  it takes the smell out better than anything else i’ve ever found.  every once in a while it shows up on ebay, but i never buy it fast enough.
• Thermasilk self warming split end repair - i am very sad about this one going away.  i have the empty container in my shower.  just sitting there to remind me to find more!   it’s really so wonderful!  it heats up once you put it into your hands and then seals the split ends.  out of all of these this is definitely the best smelling.  whenever i used it i would keep pulling chunks of my hair to my nose to smell throughout the day.  it’s so nice.  thermasilk got the boot in the US to make room for sunsilk… but i believe it’s still alive in Canada.  any canucks out there wanna do a little business deal?  i’d pay good money for this stuff.

seriously, if someone has access to these, i’d be willing to pay for some : )

 

  

~ today i learned… in 1878 the Dept of Treasury was authorized to issue paper silver certificates in exchange for silver dollars.  the last issue of these was in 1957.  * i have one of these, it’s a ‘57 one.  it’s worth about $1.50 now, but i’ve been holding on to it for years and will continue to.  i used to have 2 of them, but i was really hungry one day and spent it at wendy’s before i realized why i had it shoved into a different part of my wallet : )   ~

bummer

it’s no secret that i struggle with my relationship and where it may, or may not, be going.  it would all be such much easier if the future was known and not always in question.  i was thinking about it after i hit submit yesterday and thought “maybe i shouldn’t be such a bummer on my blog.  maybe i should try to not write about these sad days.”  then i thought “funk that.  it’s my blog.  that’s what it’s for.”  so while i’m sorry to be such a bummer sometimes, this is me.  love it or leave it.  oh, and by stressing myself this much, i’ve given myself a pimple.  i haven’t had one of these in months.  it sucks.

anyway, my family is coming to visit in 2 days.  and i’m SOOOOO excited!  it’s nice to be able to abandon all the thoughts i have about the impending doom of my relationship and change trains to think about seeing my adorable giggling nieces.  in all their little blonde ringlet cuteness.   back in march when i was shopping for their easter gifts i saw these cute little piggy banks at target in my favorite section, the $1 section.  i got both of my nieces piggy banks, the oldest got a pink pig (because if you get anyone else something pink she’ll freak out since “pink is my  favorite color!”) and the littlest one got a cute colorful snail.  apparently the little niece really loved her snaily bank.  my sister was telling me the other week that she’d been carrying it around like a stuffed animal.  she even curled up with it to sleep.  she just loved it.  that always makes me happy because i, of course, want them to like the stuff i get them.  but my sister called me a few days ago to let me know that a tragedy occurred when little niece tried to place snaily bank on a table and it wasn’t quite steady when she let go.  it shattered.

so with them coming in a few days i set out to find something else.  of course those $1 banks are no longer around, but they had $2.50 ones.  i got her a hippo head.  it’s really not the same, but i got the matching stuffed animal… just in case.  i hope she likes this one.  we’ll find out soon.

unfortunately the weekend they’re here the weather is supposed to be less than gorgeous.  it’s sad because my oldest niece associates visiting me with going to the beach and picnics.  but i don’t think we’re going to be getting to the beach on this visit.  i’ve gotta’ think of something else to do.  i’ve already decided to put off making cookies for their arrival and instead let my niece help me out.  she loves being helpful and i’ve got an apron she can wear and everything.

i can’t wait for them to get here…. i just have a few things to do before they arrive on Friday.

 

  

~ today i learned… the name piggy bank didn’t stem from the shape.  the shape stemmed from the original word “pygg” which was a type of clay used to make pots.  people often saved their money in these pots.  as children are usually the ones to use such things the pots were then made in the kid friendly pig shape. ~