This should be a picture of ice cream

I'm not an impulsive person. Well, perhaps about ice cream flavors, but that's it. And that's for obvious reasons.

Anyway, I tend to take a while to make decisions and, of course, obsess over them afterwards. It's called peaceful living and I highly recommend it. It may be one of the possible causes of my headache but whatever.

Anyway, again.

Above is an example of why I'm never impulsive.

See, it was during one of the headache weeks. And the carpet in the dining room has always bugged me. It's the only room in the house with carpet. It's ugly and yucky and useless but it's just a rental and who cares and so it has been a low-grade bug.

Until that fated day during one of the headache weeks. I tripped on the little edge of the carpet that had worked its way out from under the metal carpet holder down thingy. About 4 times. In one day. And that was it. I just grabbed that little piece and started ripping.

The good news is that I'm no longer tripping. Well, actually, I am, but only from the fumes of the carpet backing remover chemical thingy I'm now having to apply all over the floor to loosen up all the gluey foam residue so I can scrape with the scraper pictured above.

Again, impulsiveness should be limited to ice cream flavors.

More bitchin'

It's a phase I'm in. Deal with it.

Boy1 has bronchitis and hay fever. Boy2 has bronchitis and an ear infection and probably hay fever. I have a new river of snot/cold/cough thing and hay fever.

Boy2 and I walked past a man recently. He was smoking. As we past each other, Boy2 said, "Actually, that man smells just like Papa." I had fun telling Husband that story.

Yes, I have a 3 1/2 year old who says 'actually' and 'as a matter of fact' several times a day. It's disturbing.

There has been a system error.

You know that system. The one where I take care of my kids, cook 3 nice meals a day, keep the house clean and the laundry done, bond with my husband, do my job well, help out at the kids' school, and still have time to do other things I like - drink coffee that doesn't come from a machine that serves it in plastic cups, blog, nuture friendships, read, and respond to emails that have been in my inbox for months.

There is a weak link in the system and I have a sinking feeling I'm it.

Hurting in advance

a.k.a. borrowing trouble

I've given up coffee and chocolate. I'm done. I've had it.

I've abused both to such an extent that my heart and liver are protesting in really obvious and irritating ways.

Fine. Whatever.

But thinking about the headache I'm going to have tomorrow is worse than the headache I'll actually have tomorrow.

I know this. And yet, here I am, borrowing trouble.

So here's my question: What kind of trouble have you been borrowing lately?

Working it.

Occupational illnesses. Maladies professionnelles in French which I think is funny because it sounds like the illness is very professional instead of sounding like it's linked to the job.

Never given it much thought really. Aside from the obvious ones. Lumbar stuff for heavy lifters, lung stuff for coal miners, chronic colds for grade school teachers. How dim am I? Apparently there's an illness or two for every job out there.

Butchers? Bacteria. Factory workers? Noise. French civil servants? Laziness Depression.

As for me, an English teacher to 20-year olds who really couldn't care less? Headaches I get from banging my head against the wall.

Bitch, bitch, bitch

Boy2 has had the stomach flu, otherwise known as laundry hell, for 4 days. He woke me up 5, that's right, 5 times, last night to cry, vomit, whine or some combo of all three. He's pitiful and I'm exhausted.

Our landlord, and I use that name loosely, finally agreed to pay a professional to paint the shutters and windows. He's professional alright. A nice and very professional mess maker. There's a centimeter of dust EVERYWHERE in my house. Because he had to scrape 20 years of old paint off the windows. So actually, I probably have a centimeter of leaded dust EVERYWHERE in my house. And the smell of paint is so strong in the office I can only spend four minutes on the computer before I start to get dizzy.

I have two friends who live far away who are having a hard time right now. And there's not much I can do about it. Sucks too, because they're both so kind and generous and compassionate and funny and smart and they don't even know how much they are admired and loved by their friends. I'm sure of it. Somewhere along the line they got into the habit of not seeing their value and apparently the people who live close to them aren't saying often enough or clearly enough, "You're so cool. I love you."

Actually, good things about great people are probably not said enough. Beth, Julie, Beth, Kim, Alecia, Wendy, Geraldine, Adrienne, Maria, Lorraine, Jenny, Meg, Tanya, Amy, Audrey, Shelly (gosh, if I left someone out I'm going to feel like crap) - you are all amazing women and I feel priviledged to have had you in my life. For some of you, it's been a while, but believe me, you left a beautiful imprint on my life. Never forget how valuable you are.

Our trip home this summer is looking less and less likely to happen. I haven't been home in 4 years and that's just too long.

Ok, I'll stop bitching now. I have to anyway, I'm starting to get dizzy...