News-junkie, World Series and other thoughts about the fall of 2011

What a strange year it has been. And the fall of 2011 has continued in the same fashion.

At my full-time job I have a TV which is constantly on Fox News. I haven’t watched Fox News consistently in over 5 years – since I lived on my own and had cable! Even then, I only watched it in the mornings as I was getting ready for class. I’m sad to say that I am hooked. I anxiously turn on the TV on Monday mornings to catch up on what I missed over the weekend. I find myself bummed out when I am going to miss an interview that is over my lunch hour. And, on the positive, I feel more informed about the [republican] presidential candidates than usual. I can see why those that do nothing but watch Fox News all day could be depressed, or complaining, or angry at the world today – there is rarely anything to be happy about. However, I try not to be affected in this way. Instead it is a reminder that this world will never be anything close to perfect and promotes thankfulness that I am only a visitor.

The Saint Louis Cardinals welcomed us this year by making it to the Word’s Series. Being a true football-girl, I’ve felt quite foreign in this primarily baseball-town. However, I work blocks away from Busch Stadium and have dealt with crazy traffic over the last weeks of playoffs (they call them playoffs, right?), so it was impossible not to know that something big was happening. It doesn’t look like the Rams will welcome us in the same way.

Usually, I really get into Fall. It is the best time of the year. I would make it to the pumpkin patch/stand, go apple picking, and definitely decorate the house with leaves and pumpkins and the colors of fall. I would spend time outside enjoying the weather and I would take pictures of the beautiful trees. We would have people over for chili and cinnamon rolls and I would want be able to shop for the fall styles.

The time and the energy is just not there this year. I would rather get my house cleaned than decorate it – thus the lack of décor in general. There is not even a pumpkin on our front porch! It’s even stranger that I just don’t care. My efforts this fall consist of an over-priced ½ gallon of Louisburg Apple Cider & a Pumpkin Tree [that has since died and is in the trash] from Trader Joes. Time with Hubs is a precious commodity, one for which I sacrifice much. Success this fall will be making it through to the next day.

The year is passing quickly and yet slowly. Monday’s [once my favorite day of the week] roll around before I know it, yet when I think of Hubs’ journey in school, we have just begun. As easy as it can be to be melancholy, to be tired, and to be unsociable; we still try to have fun, laugh, and get through enjoy this season of life.

Shopping with Me

Shopping with me is an experience. Those who have shopped with me learn that they can tell if I like what they are suggesting with one look at my face or by my comment on the item. I agonize over what I should really spend my money on. I usually go back to at least one store to purchase something I had decided against. I can always try on the shoes on display. The only time I buy something that is not on sale is when I really, really REALLY love it. And, the most notorious thing about shopping with me is that I always lose something.

It is the most frustrating thing ever. I leave my purse. I leave my keys. I leave an article of clothing somewhere. And then hours later, we are trucking back to each store searching for where I could have left them. I start sweating from the pressure and when I get hot, it’s like the world is ending. My favorite, and most understanding, shopping companion [Ruth] is very much used to this sort of shopping catastrophe. This weekend, my MIL was introduced.

We went to Nordstrom Rack, where I found 2 very cute pairs of black boots to replace the pair I have, which are falling apart big time. I tried them on and they were both lovely. I left all my belongings and went in search of my MIL to get her opinion. She liked them and we oohhed and ahhed. Then I took them off and put them back because they were out of my price range. I ended up finding a cute dress for $16 [originally $49] and a pair of leggings. We checked out and that’s when I noticed my keys were missing.

The search began. The shoe racks, the cashier, the dressing room, underneath the clothing racks, and the bathroom; then we repeated. No sign of them. I went to the car; not in there either. We enlisted the help of employees; still nothing. I looked in the shoe boxes and tipped the shoes upside down; nothing. Then I remembered that a young boy was in the shoe aisle, where I had laid all my stuff down. I started wondering if he grabbed them and they were gone forever. It had been 10 minutes and we hadn’t seen them. I start thinking about what Hubs is going to say.

Then I see my MIL smiling. The keys had been found by an employee. Where were they? INSIDE one of the boots. They must have been lodged in there, too, because I had tipped the boots upside down. Maybe the boots really wanted to come home with me. They still stayed at the store, though.

For those of you that have shopped with me before…sound familiar? I love it when someone else drives!

It's not my fault (the blame game that has continue since the garden)

In the news today...

A woman killed her husband. Eleven gun shots while he was shaving. She was acquitted by a jury of mostly women on the defense that she has "battered-woman syndrome." Her husband was abusive for years, which gave her a disease, which is why she killed.

So much to say.

Two wrongs never make a right.

Killing is never acceptable. Finding a safe place is acceptable. Using legal methods to find safety in an abusive relationship is acceptable. Murder is not.

This is an example of how we seek to blame someone or something for our sinful actions (in this case a "disease"). When the responsibility is ours.

If we continue in this manner, people will literally be able to "get away with murder" because it will never be their fault. Oh wait, this happens all the time in a process we term "abortion."

Food for thought.

Relaxing evening at the park

Hubs and I had a busy, crazy week. Oh wait. That’s every week.

But on Friday night, we were both exhausted and needed a break. So we went for a family walk at a nearby park. It’s a beautiful park with ponds and trees. There are tennis courts and playgrounds and walking trails. It was a perfect night for a relaxing, uneventful, calm walk together.

As has become our habit, we loaded Ransom up with his backpack and 5-pound dumbbells on each side to make him work a little hard, and hopefully burn a little more energy. He loves to watch every single squirrel with extreme interest just in case I let him loose to chase them – which I never do. But to the ducks, he shows little-to-no interest. If he didn’t look so much like a Labrador, you’d never know he was.

Towards the end of our walk, it had gotten dark and we were walking next to one of the ponds. The pups needed a drink so I let him go to the edge of the pond. As he leans down to the water, the dumbbells shift in his pack, making him heavier towards the front. He loses his balance and slips in. It wasn’t too bad, though, because his head stayed above the water and I think he could touch. Immediately, he gets out.

Great, we think. Water is something we usually have to force him in anyways so he is probably scarred and will never venture towards water again.

But…his memory is very short.

I again tried to get him interested in the ducks as we walked toward our car. Maybe it was the surge of energy from the quick dip in the pond. Maybe his Labrador instincts kicked in. Whatever the reason, this time he was interested in the ducks and he took off towards them, and another pond.

The ducks, of course, got into the pond and swam away as we approached. Their rush to the water made him more interested and he kept going. And then, it was like he remembered he was thirsty. We reached the water’s edge and it was déjà vu. He bent down to get a drink. The dumbbells shifted. The weight made him lose his balance. In he goes.

This time, he went head-first and all of him sank below the dark water. When he emerged, he is in panic-mode because this water-dog doesn’t remember that he can swim really well. Plus, we have him loaded down with 10 extra pounds, so he can’t even get his front legs up and out of the water. By this time, Hubs is there to assist and Ransom has gotten us all wet from the splashing and the shaking.

We had a good laugh over it and it was actually a nice way to get our minds off of everything else. And it worked out well for Ransom. He got a bath when we got home!