Yes, yes, I know

I just wrote about this on my other blog but I'm still kinda floored by this and don't want to bore the readers of one blog with too much of it. Of course I'm making a huge assumption that the readers of one blog do not read the other -- which as I'm writing this I realize is patently untrue since the only people who comment on this blog also comment on the other...

So where am I going with this? What does it mean? Am I a blog looser? I didn't even WANT to go to the BlogHer conference! I don't see myself as a "blogger" - more like a brain spewer. (And you don't want to know what google image search brought up for "brain spew!")

So I suppose that take a bit of the stress off.

Now that I'm totally off topic - can I tell you that my new gerbil has finally found it's upstairs! It's so cute! It climbs up this habitrail like tube (NOT a habitrail, but an incredible simulation!) and goes into his cute little house.

You know, when I go over to the cage so say hi he comes over, and pokes his cute little nose through the bars....

Am I gushing? I'm gushing, arent' I? He's so damn cute!!!

I'm in gerbil love.

My Eyes Hurt

It's so cool - I don't have work today. I don't have anything, so I can sleep late, snuggle in the covers, and just relax and enjoy my time to myself.... ahhhh...

"MOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!! Come here! I want my cars!!!!"

Huh?

Ok, well part of it was true. I do have off today. But I probably thought I had off on another planet or something because we all know this: Are we ever "off" when the kids are there?

(And as an aside, I actually feel funny complaining about this now, because a funny perk of being divorced is I actually DO have kid free time... so I do get the kid free moments that I know others of you have to scramble for. Ok, the times when I do have them I'm the only one to do it - but actually it was that way before - so not so drastically different. And is this the longest "aside" you've ever read? It could be its' own blog post. I could write a blog post called "aside" and just refer you to it... Or I could call it "Tangents: How to Enjoy and Relish them - for they Truly are Your Friends"(

(Oooh! One more aside: My kids are now quietly sitting on the couch, right next to each other, with their heade leaning on each other.... how long do you think it'll last? THink if I got a camera it would spoil the moment? Yeah. Probably."

SO ANYHOW - Max comes in my room at 4 am, gets into my bed, and starts complaining that it's too hot. I send him into the living room to sleep on the couch. (Main AC in living room; since this is an apartment it's usually enough to cool the whole place... but this heat wave is just too darn hot!) Then at 5 am "MOM!" It was Nathan. I go into the room. "Mom! You put away all my Hotwheel cars! Where are they!?!? Get them!!"

The "You're fuckin' crazy" was really only said in my head. I promise. I did NOT say that aloud to him. BUT, I did explain that it's still night time, and that I am going back to sleep, and that I would get his cars later.

The poor lad. He was just inconsolable. Imagine such a mean, mean, horrible mother - who won't pick out all the Hot Wheel cars from a drawer full of cars at 5:00 am?!? Any mother would be there, showered, dressed, and smiling....

I left him there screaming and went back to my bed. But then I hear "mom?" from the other room. "Mom, Nathan's scaring me."

So, we're all up. 5:15 am.

We all pile into my bed. Max gets too hot and goes back to the living room - but soon comes running back. "Mom! I look outside and its red. Then I look around and everything is red! I'm scared!"

Nathan goes: "Max, come in here! It's not red in here! Really Max - it's ok in here. Mommy's here!" So Max comes in and we all cuddle in the bed.

So maybe losing that bit of sleep was worth it.

Blackout?

So yesterday at work - at about 4:15 pm - my boss comes over with this slightly panicked look on her face: "They just called from the main buiding - there's going to be a black-out at 5:00 pm! I don't know about you guys, but I"m going home! You can go if you want to!" (She lives in the Bronx.)

So I totally went into panic mode. Grabbed my stuff & split. Called J & while sprinting to the subway we decided to meet @ Penn Station & take a Long Island Rail Road train from there. Afterall, if a person is going to get stuck in a black out isn't it better to 1) be above ground; 2) be with someone (and even better someone who won't mind - too much - if you whine and complain!).

I called X and told him what I heard. It was his night for the kids - so I told him he should leave to make sure he's home. I said that I had plans, but would keep my phone on if he needed to get in touch with me - couldn't make it home - whatever. He asked: "What plans?" I responded by reminding him that that particular subject was not really the point - and that I would try to help if I could.

But I tell you, I was in such a panic. "Gotta get there! Gotta get there!" I shut off my phone while underground "Don't want my battery to run out! DOn't want my battery to run out!" Got extra cash after buying my train ticket: "ATM's might be down later! ATMs might be down later!" It was crazy. (And ok, the fact that I had a pulled muscle in my back and PMS cramps, and that it was 100 degrees certainly did not help matters.)

So, get to Forest Hills fine. No worries. And, actually got back in the same amount of time as it would have taken me if I stayed on the same subway train the whole time. Amazing!

Went out for dinner w/J & met his sister. I liked her very much - but then I totally knew I would. I actually wasn't even nervous about it... it seemed so natural...

But - big step - meeting the sister... it's nearly five months you know, guys. Remember back on Yahoo 360: From March 9th:

Maybe I should just date myself... Or crack myself up -- which I actually do on a fairly regular basis.... So I switched the dates. My Saturday night date with mask man has been switched to Friday - and I'm going to be going out with Fun Wednesday Night Date Saturday. I'm not even sure WHY I am going out with Mask man - except for the fact that I told him I would. I'm totally psyched about the
2nd date with Fun Wednesday NIght Date... Then I have a lunch date with
another guy on Tuesday. ANd, at this point - all I really want to do is just
go out with Fun Wednesday NIght Date again. It was THAT good...

Hmmmmm

So get this!

I've signed up for this thing where Google can tell me if I come up in people's searches... (It's called Google Sitemap) and guess what?!? I rank #8 when people do a search for........ Pineapple Lumps!

So what if I get more comments on my new pet gerbil than on anything else I pour my heart out about or ponder over.... but it's the LUMPS that will pull me through!

And just think: you guys can say you knew me when.....

What's up with THIS?!?

So, I write about important stuff, spill my guts, talk about blossoming love, and tumultous relationships.... and what gets the most comments?!?! When I get a gerbil.

Let's think about this a minute here folkes.

Is it that the pathos and emotion that I write about in my daily life is just too full of...... pathos ane emotion ( :) ) that it leaves you all unable to comment?

Or is it simply that you all found my anguish at my rodent infestation so....... hillarious (how, I don't know) that now that I've purchased a tame, caged, and much cuter rodent you cannot avoid mocking me?!

It's ok. I'm strong. ANd I suppose it is a mite bit amusing that I got one, after the mouse trauma..... I actually wasn't too sure what I was going to get. First thought of a lizard but was told I'd have to feed it live crickets. Yeah. RIght. Not in this lifetime. Then the hamster, but was told that gerbils have better temperments. ANd judging how little shadow is reacting to my kids now - I'd say he (she?) has an amazing temperment! And the look on Max's face when he comes over to sniff his arm.... & put a little gerbil hand on it well - it's priceless!

(I really wanted a guinea pig, but I'm jealously guarding every inch of space I have here & the cage for a guinea pig is simply too big.)

RIght now the big thing we're dealing with is how to hold him without letting him escape. It was suggested that we take him out in the bath... which I might have to do. But I wish I had thought of getting a cage that opens on top - this little guy will scamper right up your arm and OUT given half the chance.

But I thank you all for your support (Esp. Twin Squeeks - I have a feeling I"ll be visiting your site!) and I will keep you updated on our adventures. Just because I know you all care so much.... :)

We have one!

We have a pet. A gerbil. I had been tossing the idea around in my head for a bit & then just thought: What the heck?!?!? So, when the kids were over with the X - on Saturday - J and I went to the pet store to get one.

It was so cool, great, wonderful, fun, nice, super.... and probably many other adjectives that I can't think of at this early morning hour - to do this with J. YOu know, when you date it's mostly..... well.... going out on dates. Going places. Doing things. Having fun. It's not so much normal life. And I think a bit, with us, because sometimes it feels like we're grabbing bits of time between his schedule and mine - and his his and mine -- that we try to squeeze in more "fun" things.

So, what I'm saying is: It's fun to do the fun things. It's great. It's...... well... it's........... Fun! But it's also really nice to do the normal things. Coooking, shopping, reading the paper... and: Buying small furry rodents!

So, we went out Saturday morning(ish) to buy a gerbil. We got a small black one, with a really cool duplex cage. Got it home, got it set up, J left - and the kids came in.

"We have a PET! We have a pet!!" It's funny 'cause they really obviously didn't care what the "pet" was - just the idea of having one! We named it Shadow. After the Shadow Ranger. So, his (or her, because we don't know its gender! Gentle gerbil gender. Gentle giant gerbil gender. Sorry. Had to say that. The g'thing........ you know.... Ok. I'll stop.)

ANYHOW. Nathan wanted to name it "rat" but we stuck with SHadow. He seems to be adjusting nicely. Still hasn't found it's upstairs level yet -which is where it's cute little house is. (I'll take a photo & post. Didn't want to overly traumatize the little guy yet w/the flash....) but I put an empty box in and he seems glad for the solititude. (Hey, I am too in this house!)

Probably going to get him the gerbil living room set in a week or two. (Yes, they have those!) Just 'cause it's so damn cute!