Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Trolley Bells are Ringing...

The other day, thanks to a trip offered by the Community Center, my mom, sister, MIL, friend of mom's and I took a little tour of the town via this trolley.

First we went to the Cow Yard. That house out on the outer beach is on it's last legs. It has been battered by many storms. There once was many a house out there, but they have all been destroyed by the fierce seas.
Karen, practicing her pole dancing moves.
It was a very windy day, but beautiful, nonetheless.
This is the fish pier from an angle not too many people see. A man is raking for quahogs....
We rode across town to the "river" to see some original scallop shanties. Once upon a time, they were used to open scallops, but now they are mostly used for storage (ok, and the occasional party).
Somebody did some very detailed work on these shells. They were really cool.
See what I mean?
Here are some lobster pots hanging around a shanty.
Me, my mom and Ann. We are all soft and fuzzy in fleece. The best thing about fall is fleece.
Then we headed back to the Comm. Center and enjoyed a delicious bag lunch (complete with cookie!). All and all a very fun excursion and I actually learned a few nifty facts that will sure to be fodder at the next cocktail party!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Frag'n Friday!

Friday Fragments?

Mrs. 4444's once again keeping us on our toes and making sure we blog at least once a week. Here's my week...fragment style.

*Been a crazy, emotional week. Please forgive me for not blogging. The way I look at it is that you all had one less blog to read this week, so I actually gave you some free time. Yeah, that's it.

*Went apple picking on Sunday with the girls and my mom. We persevered through the bridge traffic and made it off of Cape Cod. We met my brother at Honey Pot Hill Orchard in Stow, MA. The girls had a blast climbing trees to get the highest apples. The highest apples were rumored to be 'the tastiest'. I think the orchard people tell the kids that so they don't have to climb to the top themselves and pick the apples.

*Had a diagnostic mamo on one boob this week. It has been sore, which in boob talk is a good thing. (Breast cancer doesn't usually 'hurt', so they say). It got felt up, squished to a pancake and ultrasounded. It's all good though when at the end they say, "Everything looks good, see you in 6 months." One theory is that the pain is caused by caffeine. Weird because I don't drink caffeine. BUT I eat a lot of chocolate. July and August seemed to be a time where I increased the chocolate intake which they think caused the pain. Who knew?

*I am due for a new phone. Any suggestions on one I can get online with and text with easily? I have Verizon.

*We are moving across town (again). We have moved/relocated so much in the last 5 years that we have run out of friends saying, "oh let me help you!" I don't blame them. I would run and hide if I saw me coming, too. Here is the questionnaire I sent out for people to figure out why we are moving.

a. We are setting a Guinness Book of World Records for sleeping in the most houses in C-town.
b. We like messing with peoples' address books.
c. We want to be close to school, so the girls can walk and I can sleep in.

d. We couldn't get cell phone reception in our house.
e. This house cuts Matt's commute time by 6 minutes.
And for the record, no we didn't buy another house, we are renting. I am sure there will be lots of rumors as to why we are moving, but if you want to know the real reason...... call my therapist.

And that about sums it up for another exciting week of fragments. I promise I will get back to my preferred activity of writing and reading blogs soon! Don't give up on me! Happy Weekend!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Frag'n Friday!

Friday Fragments?

Welcome to this weeks rendition of Friday Fragments sponsored by the ever delightful Mrs. 4444's! (cue applause)

*We have had some beautiful weather this week. One afternoon my mom and my MIL and I went and sat by the water enjoying the day. We brought lunch with us. My mom pulls out one of these
wrapped in aluminum foil with water and ice in it. You get an A+ for creativeness and a C- for class. Guess who's getting you a Nalgene bottle for Christmas?

*It's official. My renters from Bulgaria are getting more mail than me. They must be stocking up on American things before they leave because they get packages every day from retail stores.

*Can sinuses explode? I have done nasal washes, nasal spray, Mucinex, Niquil, allergy medicines...anything to get them to drain. They feel so large they might give birth any day. Hopefully they don't decide to blow at one of the 2 weddings I am doing today.

*We might go apple picking this weekend. I love apple picking. (This is a go off Cape required trip. See problem below)

*There are 2 bridges to get on and off Cape Cod. The main bridge is being repaved and spruced up 24/7 for the next month and a half. That gives us one lane on and one lane off. People have been waiting in traffic for up to 3 hours waiting to get off Cape. They are going to continue for a few months in the spring too. Either I am not going to see my beloved Target (off Cape) for another month and a half or I am going to turn my car into Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
*A friend of mine who stalks my blog, but only comments to me via email or in person, sent me a forwarded email story and I had to leave you with the last paragraph....

With time we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy. Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think,Good gosh, look how smart I am........

Here's to all you smart cookies out there! Go treat yourself to some Ben and Jerry's!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Ah to be a Tween...

When I was pregnant for the first time, I wondered how I was going to handle being a mom. I wondered if the instruction manual came out with the after birth or if they handed it to you as you left the hospital. Surprisingly enough, there wasn't a manual at all. So we persevered with the help of our own common sense, family, doctors and other parents and K grew up more or less well adjusted.

Now there must be a book (or a hotline to call) for the tween/teen years, because I am not sure I can do this.

I took K to the Dr's on Tuesday because she went ass over tea kettle off her horse mid jump on Sunday night. Yeah, I waited a day (sue me). The conclusion (after the most bizarre nurse practitioner we have ever come across) was tendenitis and not broken. We passed the note into school that said she should take it easy during the week in gym and sports (aka soccer). I told her, play soccer, just don't do throw ins.

The school nurse interpreted it a different way and told K, as she was boarding the bus on her way to Nantucket, that she could not play in the game or for the rest of the week. K does not do surprises, as in change of plans, very well. She called me in hysterics and I said, I would see what I could do. Since she had to take a bus and a ferry to get to Nantucket, I had some time. (Yeah, that's another story. She left school at 10am and got home at 8pm). Finally talked to the Dr and she said it would probably be a good idea to let the shoulder heal this week. She could fall on it, etc...

Fine. I texted K with the news.

The seething anger that accompanied the text messages back were frightening. She hated the world, hated soccer and especially was not fond of the nurse that put the brakes on her brilliant soccer career. According to K, this was a VERY important game and the rest of the season was gong to suck.

I was actually scared to get her at 8 last night. I was right to be scared. She had bottled up every emotion she had and let me have it. I totally understood. She was tired, disappointed and cranky. Now, if she was a toddler and was tired and cranky, I snuggled her on my lap with a blankie and a binky. That doesn't work so well now. After an hour, I calmed her down enough for her to go to sleep and told her we would talk about her options in the morning.

This brings us to 10 minutes before we had to leave to get to school, she said she wasn't going to practice if she couldn't play. This is her first experience on a school team, so I said, I would write the coach a note and tell her she could do drills just not scrimmage. This of course escalated because evidently I was suppose to write a note that said,

Coach, Let k play. She is fine.

Instead my note was "wordy".

Coach, K was devastated she couldn't play yesterday. Please let her do all of practice, but not scrimmage. She is good to do everything next week.

I think I wasn't suppose to write how K felt. Emotions are not allowed for 12 yr olds.

The kicker in the car was this conversation (after a good 15 mins of tears)
K: "you just don't understand me"
me: "I am trying"
K: "Well you are not doing a very good job at it!"

Thank God I read an article in Good Housekeeping the other day by Valerie Frankel titled: "Mom, I Hate You! When your child says these words, it may actually be a sign you're doing something right."

I guess, maybe now, I can accept the title of World's Best Mom.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Sweet Patrick

Patrick Swayze was an icon in my eyes. Oh, did I want to be Baby in Dirty Dancing and Demi Moore in Ghost.

The first time I saw Dirty Dancing was my Junior year in college. The freshmen I was (babysitting) an adviser for rented it and a movie room in the library. It was love at first site. Soon after, I got the flu and had to stay in the health center over Easter break. I watched DD about 4 times that weekend. Since then, I have probably watched it another 25(ok, maybe 50). I had the soundtrack, the cool white jean shorts that Baby wore and was often seen carrying around a watermelon.

Then Ghost came out. I went to the movies by myself to see it. I don't know why I was by myself, but I was and was in a crowded theater. Or I think it was crowded, I was crying so hard, I couldn't tell. I cried so hard on the way home I ran through a stop sign. Oh to be Demi and live in that cool loft and have a guy(not any guy, but Patrick Swayze) that loved you so so so much.

I love how in real life Patrick was so devoted to his wife. As we know, so many Hollywood couple's are not so in touch. As a wanna be dancer, I could only dream of marrying a guy that could dance me around the house.

I know he is in a better place now. He is no longer in pain. The images of him in his prime will forever be etched in my memory.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Really!?!

Remember on SNL when Seth and Amy would do their weekend news and do a Really!?! segment? The following would have been perfect.....

So I was talking with an aquaintence of mine yesterday about the whole shark thing. You know this equation,

seals = sharks= lots of tourists and locals looking to see one

He goes on to tell me that he and his surfing buddies went and got a bucket of some kind of blood and a bucket of chicken livers (or something like that) and went into the water to attract great white sharks. They went in up to their knees and spread the blood and "guts" around to see what would come. They wound up close to a few seals, but no sharks. Then he went home to google great white sharks and found out that they could swim in very shallow water.

Really!?! Did they think that they could pet one? Did they think it would only eat the chicken livers and not them? Really!?! Did they realize they were risking life and limb? Did they not realize that the cute seals have quite a mean streak in them and could have hurt them as well?

Really!?!

Really!?!

Friday, September 11, 2009

Frag'n Friday!

Friday Fragments?

"It's Frag'n Friday, It's Frag'n Friday" Everybody, sing it with me "It's Frag'n Friday...." Thanks Mrs. 4444's!

*It finally got cold enough this week to wear fleece, so the other morning, I grabbed a fleece sweatshirt out of my closet. It was feeling snug around the middle, but the sleeves fit. I have been feeling a little chubby since my trip to the Dr.s a few weeks ago, so I was out of my mind frightened that I had indeed turned into a Weeble. After driving the girls to school, I finally got up the nerve to see if I had one of B's sweatshirts on instead of mine. I was never so happy to see a medium tag in my face. Back to the chocolate.

*8 years ago today I had dropped both girls off at preschool to enjoy my first morning alone in 3 years. I went down to the fish pier to see what Matt was up to and enjoy the beautiful morning. That is when I heard the news about the planes. I spent my 3 alone hours watching the horrific coverage. Today, my mom and I went to a little memorial. I think it is really important not to forget that day in history.

*Haven't heard about the sharks in a few days, but did notice a friend of mine wearing a tshirt that said Cape Cod Shark on it. Why didn't I capitalize on that? We did think of doing a fundraiser for the jump rope team. It would involve selling "shark bite" fruit snacks to the tourists clammering to see a shark.

*If you are on twitter and you are not following me, you should be, so then I can follow you. The funniest 'tweeter' I read is a 28 year old named Justin who is living with his 73 year old dad and tweets the statements that come out of his dad's mouth. It is called shitmydadsays. Here is yesterday's example, "Why the fuck would I want to live to 100? I'm 73 and shit's starting to get boring. By the way, there's no money left when I go, just fyi." Classic!

*Oooh, if you love the 3 High School Musical movies (like I do and can admit this aloud), then you will love the new Fox show Glee (Wed nights at 9). I dvr-ed it to show the girls, but found it a little too spicy for the pre-teen crowd.

*Have a great weekend! 7 weddings left for the '09 season!!! Yippee!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Guess what? More sharks.

Obviously this shark thing in town is getting out of hand.While I was getting my hair done, next to a friend that owns a dock on the water, she mentioned that she was having cocktails around high tide to see if she could see a shark. Mind you this is in a harbor.

I am game like that and said I would bring the cheese and crackers.

It wound up being a rumor that the shark had swum into this particular harbor, so we sat, ate and drank on the beautiful dock and chatted about seals and sharks. One of the women brought up the SNL skit, Landshark. So funny! I couldn't find it on youtube, but you can see it here.

Then I get home and find out that a shark ventured within a different harbor in town (yeah the one next to the big beach) and that some surfers were within 50 yards of a shark.

Matt's arm and boat were on tv last night because the news team was doing a report right in front of his boat. The media is eating this story up like crazy.

The news people said they were leaving tomorrow and not coming back until someone got eaten. OK, not entirely true, but you know they will be here in a flash if someone gets chomped on.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Fins to the left, Fins to the right....

The idea of fins to the left, fins to the right*
Has made Chatham the town in the spot light.
The newscasters are lined up all in a row,
Waiting for the sharks to put on a show.

The ocean is banned for all who swim,
Lest someone lose a limb.

It is the cute little seals that the sharks seek,
Evidently it is their chubby physique.

Peter from NECN gave an updated report,

Shoes were optional, this close to port.
People were camping on the beach to catch a glimpse,
Obviously hard core shark seekers, not wimps.

The environmental police kept up appearances
During these unusual circumstances.


Who would have thought that a bunch of seals,
Would attract sharks in search of meals?
*Thank you Jimmy Buffet.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Frag'n Friday!

Mrs. 4444's gives her peeps another opportunity to empty out our minds of those random thoughts....

Friday Fragments?

The girls went back to school yesterday. I missed them, they didn't even think about me. You know when you go on vacation and you are so busy being on vacation and seeing the sites that you don't think of the people back home so much, but the people back home are doing their normal routine and are thinking of you a lot? Yeah, I guess that was how yesterday was.



One mom was dropping her 5th grade son off right in front of the front door yesterday. She got out of her truck went around to the kid, picked lint off his sweater, fixed his hair a little, and gave him a big hug and a kiss. He let her. This is why you shouldn't put 5th graders in with 8th graders. That kid doesn't stand a chance.

There is a huge seal population on the Cape.

Evidently, now there is a smaller, yet hungry Great White population.

And when I say Great White, I don't mean some fat guy floating around without a tan.

I mean sharks, people, sharks! Pretend I am humming the shark attack theme song from Jaws.

I am shooting family portraits and a wedding today. And I need a shower. What exactly am I doing on my computer right now?

I took the girls and 2 friends to Water Wizz on Wed. It was nice because a lot of towns had started school, so it wasn't too crowded. One of my friends that I happened to run into there said, "Why exactly do we live on the Cape where there are beautiful beaches and we pay to come to an industrial beach?" Good question. Naturally I picked our seats next to the loudest, most obnoxious family there. "Um, excuse me. Your kids are right next to you. Do you have to yell at them for them to hear you?"

Tuesday we went to Nauset Beach with some very special friends. We sat down and a seagull pooped on the cooler. Thank God it wasn't open!!!

Do you ever get to a point in your life, week, day that you think, "something has got to give and then we can get on with things?" I am sorry if that doesn't make sense to all of you, but sometimes I feel like a volcano is ready to blow any minute. Of course I have felt this way for a year and a half. I don't know if I can convince people that the wrinkles are on my face because of smiling not stress much longer.

How did it get to be September already when I was just getting used to writing '09?

Happy Labor Day weekend!!!!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

SuburbanWow!!!



Please watch tomorrow morning at 10 Eastern time! You won't be disappointed!!!!!