Obsession, You're My Obsession

I am currently obsessing over several things and I thought I would share...

• Loreal Paris' Volume Shocking Mascara is awesome. It makes you have super long, voluminous lashes that are amazing. My lashes are okay thick, but are short and noncolor. Besides the sheer splendiferousness of my lovely lashes, I really dig the commercial. Now I am not a commercial person. Besides an anytime-I-want-to-watch-it Napoleon Dynamite, I have DVR for a reason. Anyway, the reason I like this commercial is because it has The Most Beautiful Woman in India, Aishwarya Rai and her voice is a surprise. It sounds like she's giggling and like she has a secret at the same time.
• The Gaunlet 2 - Real World/Road Rules Challenge. I totally hate everyone on the show (except for Timmy, yummy). Both female captains, Beth and Kina, are hideous bitches. Beth is psychotically crazy and Kina has a funky mouth that in many ways looks like Jack Nicholson's adaptation of The Joker. She has these weird curlicue lips that make her look shady and like she has a moustache. Every Monday I wait for either one of these nut nuts to fight the Gaunlet and hopefully let some other psycho take over as captain. I'd like to see Suzy whip Kina's ass and then turn into a complete asshole. She has the scariest cry face I believe I have ever seen.
• Zac Braff. I love Scrubs and Garden State is one of my favorite movies. I had "one of those dreams" about him two nights ago and I keep thinking about it. Here's why. My alarm clock is always set at 30 minutes fast, it's a psychological trick that shouldn't work but does. I also set my alarm one hour before I really have to get up. I do this because I hate to wake up in the middle of REM sleep. I get up, pee, reset the alarm and snooze for another hour. This works for me. I think this dream stemmed from the combination of my morning pee and B leaving his March Giant magazine sitting in front of the toilet. BTW, it's a great magazine.
• My period. First let me say, NO I am not pregnant. I am late, and what this means for me is that when it comes it's going to be a total bitch. One thing I have learned in the almost 25 years of bleeding is that the longer I take in between, the heavier and longer my period will last. This bites because I am traveling a lot next week. Who wants to drive for hours bleeding like a stuck pig? Me neither.
• Heidi Klum and Seal. They are my new Brad and Jen. Whenever I see them, the love is palpable. I also am obsessed with Project Runway. My vote goes for Daniel "Flowing Locks of Glory" Vosovic. He really is the best. My favorite part of Project Runway is the opening sequence with Heidi's squeaky German voice saying "One Hunderd Tousand Dollars" and "Sixteen Designers."
• The songs This Year's Love and Moon River. Two old songs. Well, one really old and one not so old. They are both lovely.

Seriously in Need of a Calgon Moment

I have been exceptionally busy lately with work, school, C's rapidly increasing PMS, my mom's health, and my furniture dilemma.

1. Work: Cant talk about it - moving on.
2. School: I have two writing-intensive classes this semester. I am writing a minimum of one 12-20 page paper a week. Some weeks I have 4 papers due, all of which are due on Mondays. I have a very supportive work group. We very smartly volunteered to be the first group to present in my Curriculum Theories class. Good move - no one to compare us to and we set the bar. I am so glad I have these three women, without them I would probably rethink this whole Ed.D process.
3. C's Rapidly Increasing PMS: Puberty is starting to crush my little lady. She's royally pissed because (this is a direct quote), "My breasts are growing too fast, and they hurt. Mommy wont let me shave my legs because she says my hair is still blonde and no one can see it, but I can and there are black ones there, Debbie I swear it! I am also getting hair. Down there. I am using my deodorant, but the other day, after gym, I did this (raises arm and sniffs) and I almost puked. I am also afraid I'm going to start my period at school, so I have been keeping a jacket or sweater to wrap around my waist just in case. I know _________ will make fun of me if she sees it. I know it!" When she paused for a breath after this incessantly long run on sentence, I asked her, "So, are you freaking out?" She rolled her eyes at me and said, "Yeah, Duh." Her dad walked in and she locked up tighter than a clam, jerked her thumb at him, muttered, "Don't tell this guy," and marched off to bed to wallow in her stinky hairiness.
4. My Mom's Health: My mom is in menopause - yes the hormones are haunting me in every way. She was convinced she had uterine cancer after having her first period in 11 months. I kept telling her she probably ovulated because she's only 53, extremely healthy, and hey, shit happens. After 2 ultrasounds, bloodwork, and a PAP, her GYN told her, "You ovulated and you had a period." Told you so.
5. My Furniture Dilemma: So you may have read about B and I buying new living room furniture and tables. We deliberated and finally chose the fabric and sofa on which it would cover. Well, after having 3 out of 4 tables delivered and paying 20% down on a sofa and two chairs, the furniture store called and reported that the couch we chose could not be covered in the fabric we wanted. Long story short, I complained, they're coming to get the tables, and I am getting my 20% back as well as delivery fees. We are going to La-Z-Boy this weekend. I'll keep you posted.

** I borrowed the pic from this person. Obviously, I don't have time to read her blog, but I love her art.

Passing the Torch - Part deux

We finally, finally, FINALLY finished our homestudy!! The notarized documents arrived last week and our social worker sent me a "Sayonara Sweetheart" email on Friday.
We are finished. Again. For Real. Stick-A-Fork-In-Me-Done.

Now the wait for the brown envelope begins.

Brand New

So, how do you like my new lovely image at the top of my blog? Thanks to my epals Amy and Ruby I have a Brand New Look. One thing to know about me, is that I love Brand New Things.

So Amy & Ruby Cate, Thank You, Thank You. This is just what I needed on a snowy day where the only things facing me are writing a yucky paper, reading a yucky text, and fighting a yucky cold. You're the best!

People Like Us

Every year around this time, B & I make a major furniture purchase. Last year we bought our bedroom suit. It's very lovely. The bed is so big, we have a total of 13 standard and king size pillows. I am lounging in it right now. This year we decided to replace our living room suit and tables. We finally agreed and made the purchase. Delivery will be in 6-8 weeks.
However, furniture isn't really the point of this blog, it's about coincidences, and the love and admiration I have for my husband.
Last year we were trolling around the furniture store bickering about what bed to buy. As we meandered through the aisles we saw a family. A mom, a dad, and a daughter. A daughter very obviously from China. I pointed them out to B and told him I wanted to talk to them He asked me not to, saying no, it would be intrusive. ***Keep in mind we had recently shelved fertility treatments and dusted off Plan B. Plan B, our plan to adopt from China, had been languishing on the shelf growing fat and sassy. A little piglet of smug. Anyway, I decided to make a comment about how their daughter was pretty, and that we were adopting from China too! This family was so nice. Throughout our financing process they stood and chatted with us. Mainly with me. B stood beside me holding my hand and listened. I could feel the tension in his hand. When I asked him about it later, he told me he didn't want this family to think we were weird and intrusive. They were the first people, outside of our family and close friends, we had told we were adopting. It just seemed right to mention it, and I was glad I did.
Fast forward to today, we were once again in a furniture store bickering about what to buy. I had a small panic attack (something I do when I have to spend a lot of money). Wanting to quickly escape my radiating stress, B wandered over to the lounge area of the store to get me a soda. 15 minutes he comes back, a spring in his step, grinning like a fool. He told me he just met a family with a daughter from China. He then told me about how he walked right up to these people and told them that we are adopting and are finished with our homestudy. I said, "You talked to them?" He said he couldn't resist; he wanted to meet other people like us.
Ruby is gonna be one lucky little girl having a daddy like him, and people like us to be her parents, family, and friends.