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Tuesday, February 14, 2006
how I've been spending my time
T's still gone. I always hesitate to just announce in this journal how long he'll be gone when they whisk him away to save the world keep firefighters' radios functioning in a land far, far away; it's the stalkers, you know. Because, as I have mentioned before, I am totally stalker material.
Anyway. He's not home (yet), and as usual when he's gone, our routine has completely fallen one hundred percent to pieces. Not like our routine was ever going to make any Navy captains sit up and take notice, but ehh. I'm surprised we even sleep when he's gone. We've been having a great time, though, overall. The kids have been getting along really well, and I don't think I have yelled a single time since last Thursday and that is really amazing and good, and the weather has been unbeLIEVable. I mean, as in, wearing tank tops and capris and sandals and going for picnics at the park kind of weather. We've been taking full advantage of this; so far the tally is two picnics, one afternoon at Grandpa's, three evening walks, and three hundred photographs taken (many, many of these have been of flowers. Even I am starting to get tired of flower pictures, and it's only February. The neighbor ladies' tulips haven't even come out yet.).
We find that we get a little stir-crazy in the evenings. Or let me rephrase that. Two of us -- the two who may happen to have two X chromosomes, just maybe -- get stir-crazy. The other of us -- the one who may or may not be nine years old -- never gets anything like stir-crazy and would just as soon stay home and set up Playmobile battles on his bedroom floor. However, he's been outvoted a few times this past week. Tonight we went to the valley and bought a few groceries, and I discovered that a decision not to celebrate Valentine's day may be all well and good but it still won't get you a table at a restaurant on the evening of February 14th. We thought initially of Applebees, because with kids that's a really cheap decent place to go, but there was a line out the door, so we went to Panda Express because who'd do fast food Chinese for Valentine's Day? Apparently only about, oh, everyone. We ended up at Carl's Jr., where a large percentage of the clientele seemed to be celebrating a new holiday called Go To A Fast-Food Establishment, Talk Really Loudly, and Use Plenty of Obscene Language Day. I gave out so many level, cool, angry stares that I ran out of them and had to resort to just plain glaring.
Also, while T's been gone, for some reason I've started watching movies. I'm not ordinarily much of a movie person; the majority of my movie time coincides quite purposefully with my laundry-folding time, and hence consists of movies with which I am familiar enough that they won't distract me from actually, you know, folding laundry **cough Jane Austen adaptations cough**. But on Saturday the kids and I went to the video store and rented a stack of movies. We went with the intention of getting movies for them, but thanks to the library and our lack of interest in just about anything put in theaters and aimed at kids these days, we couldn't find much of anything for them that we hadn't seen a dozen times, and we wound up getting just a couple for them and a few for me. So far we've all watched Shrek 2 (C is obsessed with the cat and tells us repeatedly how cute it is when he takes off his hat and makes his eyes all big; fortunately she didn't pick up on the less, er, couth aspects of his characterization) and The Incredibles, which I think I might have liked if I'd cared about comic books in the slightest. But I don't, so I didn't. And by myself I've watched Finding Neverland (WATCH THIS NOW THIS MEANS YOU), Shall We Dance (the recent one with Richard Gere) and 13 Going on 30. I wouldn't bother listing the titles here except that I wanted to humiliate myself by saying that at some point during each of these three movies, I cried. Actual tears going down my face cried. Because I am all cool that way.
Speaking of cool, I'm going to go curl up with a cat, my husband's pre-worn work turtleneck, and a James Herriot book. I am one happening chick, no?
Comments
Sister, you are the definition of happening.
Posted by: jenn at February 15, 2006 01:46 AM
Um, I'm not going to tell my husband where you went for Valentine's Day. Because he may leave me for you. Panda Express AND Carl's? My goodness, that's his idea of fast-food heaven, and we have neither here. We will be back in California next week and he is already plotting his trip to Carl's. I am less excited about said food-joints, but then again I did not grow up with them.
Posted by: mary at February 15, 2006 06:12 AM
What did you think of Finding Neverland? I really liked it! We ate at Carl's Jr last night too. Just not in the same town. LOL
Posted by: debi at February 15, 2006 07:25 AM
I also cried during those three movies also. You are not alone.
Posted by: Mandy at February 15, 2006 01:12 PM
Mary, I LOVE Panda Express, but I only tolerate Carl's Jr. It's somewhere on a level above McDonald's but below Burger King on my preference list. The reason we chose it over Burger King yesterday was that the BK in that town has always seemed very dirty and grungy to me. Also, it was on the more convenient side of the street. ;)
Posted by: Rachel at February 15, 2006 01:25 PM
I didn't cry during any of those movies, but I loved them all the same. Alright, maybe my eyes moistened a tad when Mr. Incredible lost his powers, but definitely no blubbering! Anyway, I've seen all of them but "13 Going on 30," which I think would be a great summary for how I see my teenage daughter sometimes. They grow up so fast, you know.
I love Panda Express. We don't have a Carl's Jr. here, but aren't burger places all about the same?
I think God in His wisdom allows us to be separated from loved ones every now and then so that we don't fall prey to one of our biggest failings, which is taking each other for granted. I know that when I come home from even a short overnight trip away, home seems even better, and the blessings seem all the more wonderful. It's a decent tradeoff most of the time.
Posted by: Muley at February 16, 2006 03:24 PM
Rachel, I've just started reading James Herriot books because we've been doing ambleside online (Charlotte Mason) and they recommend it. I've been enjoying the stories. :-)
FWIW, I cried during Finding Neverland, too.
Last night, while unfolding a gazillion papers for a friend, we watched Rupert Everett, Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon in The Importance of Being Ernest. Though they took a few liberties with it, it was entertaining and the kids liked it.
Posted by: thicket dweller at February 22, 2006 06:08 AM
Denise, I actually just watched that version of The Importance of Being Earnest a few weeks ago. I've never read the story (shock and horror); I've always had a hard time getting into Oscar Wilde. I thought the movie was funny and a little weird. The weirdness was mostly good but parts of it did get on my nerves. :)
Posted by: Rachel at February 22, 2006 07:56 AM
