Sisyphus: The Villain of Household Chores

I never knew Sisyphus was such a creep.  I think about that rock a lot, though.  And, I'm not complaining.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  But, laundry and cleaning the house often feel pointless.  Arlene said she prayed for each son while she was folding his clothes.  I like that.  Rather than cursing whoever got the floor dirty within 30 seconds of it being clean.  I guess I am afraid (and it's no one I know, just some imagined cleaning police) is going to say my house or my House is dirty.  Yet, I know my house and House are clean.  Well, at least clean enough.  : )   I can think of any Dirt that remains to be cleaned.  Although there are Dirty Projects, I suppose.  My side of the Street is as clean as I can get it by myself.  No one has ever been harmed by dirt.  It is evident that our combined Dirt does need to be thoroughly spring cleaned.  In ways, it's one huge rock, but maybe instead of the pushing it uphill metaphor, our Rock is more like creating the statue of David.  Not done in a day, takes a lot of time, care, and planning, and is worth doing. 

Not so much a communcation breakdown...

but a communication never existed.  It takes a lot of practice to learn a new skill, and although the status quo is often painful, change doesn't happen without some pain, too.  Before, during, and after.  At least I think it's true about the after.  Mars/Venus problems are real and noticeable, but learned family styles that originated who knows when are also very powerful.  Maybe after the Civil War?  I think my people came over just before the Civil War.  Not sure about Brad's people's immigration.  For the record, there is no such thing as mind-reading.  I am fast forgetter and a slow learner.  My intentions are 100% benevolent.  Sometimes, I get caught up in impulsiveness and selfishness, but I have made a LOT of progress.  And I can always recognize it in hindsite, and sometimes recognize it while I am doing it.  I am 100% committed to change and movement towards adaptivity, and not perfection.  We are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO blessed by our children, and I want to have one more baby.  That would really turn us into a herd.  One day at a time.  One hour at a time.  One uncomfortable change at a time.  Always look on the bright side of life!
Eric Idle is beyond brilliant in this segment - his delivery, so silly cockney drawl.  I love it!

Puppies Behind Bars (PBB)

About PBB:

Millions of innocent puppies are imprisoned each year for crimes they didn’t commit.  Puppies Behind Bars (PBB) offers free legal council to wrongly accused puppies.  Not really.

  PBB trains prison inmates to raise service dogs for the disabled, including PTSD-suffering veterans, and explosive detection canines for law enforcement. The puppies live in prison with their "puppy raisers" from age eight weeks to 18 months. As the puppies mature into well-loved, well-behaved dogs, their raisers learn what it means to contribute to society rather than take from it.

If they are deemed suitable, PBB returns the dogs to the schools where they continue their formal training.  If they do not continue on the track to become working dogs, PBB donates them to families with blind children. In either case, these puppies, raised in such a unique environment, spend their lives as companions to people who need them.

The puppies have affected the lives not only of their puppy raisers, but of virtually all the inmates and staff at the prison. It is literally impossible to walk a puppy around without being stopped by inmates who want to pet the dogs or who want to just say 'hi' to them, and [the founder is] constantly being approached by corrections officers and senior staff who ask about the puppies' training. One of our particularly sensitive pups goes to several different areas of the prison: the sixteen- and seventeen-year-old inmates play with her; domestic violence classes use her to get the women to open up and talk; and she even visits inmates who are about to go before the parole board, for it has been found that her presence has a calming effect on the women.

PBB pays 100% of all costs associated with raising puppies in prison, including dog supplies, educational supplies for the puppy raisers, teachers' salaries, and travel.

I am going to give them some money in honor of my 39th birthday and hoped you would join me!

I have a dream

I have a dream that someday diet soda, tobacco products, and alcohol will be classified as schedule I drugs, and marijuana, peyote, psilocybin, exercise, and meditation will be schedule V "highs."  HEB has a cane sugar sweetened soda I plan to opt for next time I have a craving.  Artificial sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup have similar effects on blood glucose.  Love my bubble water

!!!
Read about the origin of seltzer.  I have German ancestry!

Monk

 I've been playing Monk episodes on instant Netflix for the past few weeks.  I also noticed the entire series is out on DVD.  Love the Monk! 

If I were a celebrity, I would endorse products I liked and used.  I am 39 years old and still get pimples.  I tried proactiv, and MD Formulations.  Now, I just use neutrogena anti-bacterial facial wash or something like that.  But, when I do get pimples, this is my favorite product.  It's a powder concealer/healer.  It doesn't look stupid and it seems to actually help get rid of pimples.  It has 3% sulfur, so it kind of smells, but just when you first apply it.  I've never tried their other products, but the RareMinerals concealer is awesome.

Feeling loved

Thank you for all the happy birthday wishes. I am feeling loved. Facebook has facilitated people remembering birthdays all over the world, and it is pretty awesome. I used to pride myself on remembering birthdays, but I don't think it's bad NOT to remember them. I have also forgotten some important ones and important dates over the years, and it doesn't diminish affection I have for the person. Now that I have kids, I know how my mom must feel on my birthday. What joy to have a new, healthy, tiny little baby. But, now the baby is 39 and sometimes ornery. The baby pictures are good reminders of the sweet and unadulterated feelings. But, I guess despite years of wrinkle-causing life, there is always unconditional love. And it's mutual.

Going to wear my Latin dancing shoes around the house all day today. Going to make a cake with Hank after we get home from the J playground after school. Bought him a bucket of sand/pea gravel toys to play with while we are out and about. Charlie did well in the sleepywrap on Friday when we went to the J playground. I am also going to organize my hair and toothcare drawer, and if I have some spare time, I am going to do 6 of my fingernails. I have a client at 10 am at the house. She is a very sweet lady.

Hank, Brad, and Charlie are still asleep. Surprising. Hank had a chocolate milk/yellow cup crisis about 4 am. I got the chocolate milk, and Brad was trying to calm the beast. He finally calmed down and fell asleep after I insisted Brad was tired and Brad held him. My analysis was Hank wanted to be held, but can't put together milk and comfort, so he yells for yellow cup/chocolate milk. We have been validating his want verbally, but not indulging the cup change. Eventually, he calms down. I remember feeling frustrated and misunderstood at points in early childhood. I hope he is feeling somewhat understood. It's seems to be hard to find a balance between acknowledging what is important to him in the moment and not creating undesirable habits or making life more challenging for ourselves. Progress, not perfection!