Clean Sweep

Man we could really use those clean sweep crews just about now. Marisa moved out, but there's still so much stuff left over. Mel's moving too--never a dull moment. Adam is moving into Ris's old room, but his room must be completely empty for mold removal. We're having a garage sale a week from Saturday and I go back and forth between, we don't have anything good to sell to omg we'll need 10 days of sales to get rid of all this stuff. I can hardly wait to de-clutter.

Mold removal starts next week and then drywalling and ceiling replacement and painting the trim starts the following week. Just in time to cross things off my house list that has no more room for things to do, because the grass is getting brown and something's wrong with the sprinklers. And I think someone told me that I needed to have the roof checked during the summer. Oye.

Two Guys and Gaining

My favorite pizza place in the 80's was called Two Guys From Italy. Really good cheese--not too spicy although kind of spicy and just the right toast to the crust. When I moved to Glendale, to my delight there was a Two Guys from Italy pizza place, but when I went there it just wasn't the same and several years ago it closed--I didn't even care. Last night a friend invited me to her favorite pizza place (Eliza and Chuck were my guiny pigs to preview my latest speech and time me) TWO GUYS FROM ITALY. Wow, the pizza was just as I remembered it--really, really good. Now I like Little Ceasars, but this stuff blows it out of the water.

So I'm going in the wrong direction on my diet thing. And so, I'm paying close attention to everything I eat. We ordered the pizza half and half so that only two pieces would be optimal and thereby I would eat less. Man I wanted those other two pieces that had stuff on the edges. But I didn't have them. Then I went out and bought ice cream. I needed it to cut the acid of the tomatoe sauce in the pizza. Luckily we didn't have any chocolate. I'm still gaining--go figure.

My feet don't match

One foot is definitely wider than the other one. It's like one is compact and neat and the other one is spread out and more laid back. When we got back from Florida, we'd been in the car for a long time, but it was still kind of early in the day. Erika was exhausted, but almost right as we got in the door she was starting the laundry (and finding the water all over the floor in the basement--see Mom's blog). So I figured I better hurry up and empty the cooler or she'd just keep working til she dropped. I actually had to wrestle her for the cooler and I turned it into a game that Jackson could help with to empty the ice in the tub. I'm exhausted and I want to sit, but the darn cooler had milk spilled in it, so I'm going to need to rinse it out and put it outside to dry, but the tub is full of ice. So I tell Jackson we're going to wait until the ice melts to clean out the cooler. I half-heartedly participated in cleaning up the water (I gave Jackson a mop--am I the best Aunt on the planet or what.) Then I was accused of being efficient (compact and neat foot). That cured me--I sat down on the chair and didn't get up again until it was time to play tag with Jackson. I love being a laid back, spread out foot. I never did finish cleaning out that cooler. I have a vague recollection of seeing it turned upside down open, so I'm thinking Erika got to it. If not, Mom, you may want to leave the top open so the spilled milk doesn't stink it up. (I just can't get away from that efficient foot.)

Paradise has some flaws

So I'm up early in the morning, sitting on a balcony overlooking the Gulf of Mexico--beautiful beach, lovely breeze, comfortable temperature--perfect. But I'm sitting there worried about work. I left so much stuff on my desk that needs my attention and my class--left in a lurch. There was very poor cell phone reception and worse yet, my secretary was also out, so one secretary was helping me and three other attorneys. She was short on the phone and nothing I need done is getting done. Ugh. I need to be at work. Mitchell had just shared with us the night before that his business was in a lurch right now and he was anxious to be back there. But Angie made him come on vacation and insisted that they only bring one car, so that it would be impossible for him to leave early. He said if it gets bad, he's getting on a plane. So I'm thinking, if it gets bad, I'm getting on a plane. And then I think, why do I work? I work to make money to have a roof over my head (and lots of other heads) and to have stuff and to take vacations...

I look up at the gorgeous panarama view of the Gulf of Mexico--absolute paradise. So I philosophically reason that there are other attorneys in the world and it will not come to a sckreching halt if I am not there to read a contract. We do have other people who know how to read a contract at my firm. [Then Jim made me crazy by agreeing to something that I told opposing counsel I would not agree to. Ugh.]

Elections and Students; Florida here I come

I was the inspector for the elections last Tuesday for the Primary in California. I knew one of the candidates, but he didn't win. It was a very light turnout and an easy, easy day. I had two other people working the precinct with me and they were both experienced and very nice. Too nice. I told them all my stories--you know all those stories that you pull out for strangers when you are stuck on an elevator. Little did I realize that I have a whole day's worth of "stuck on an elevator" personal stories. I ran into Marilyn at the gym today--I haven't spent any real time with her in four years, but she asked about Marisa and Adam--did Marisa have her baby, has Adam had his knee surgery, etc. Now I know one of Marilyn's daughters and I know that she has lots of other kids, but that's it. I had nothing to ask her. Finally I remember her daughter's name and asked how she was doing. Half way in, Marilyn mentioned her son graduating and I remembered that he was our prime suspect in the paint ball incident, so I didn't ask about him.

I have so much fun telling my stories to anyone and everyone, I forget who I've told. And next week I'll have a whole new crop of people who haven't heard all my losing weight stories. I told the lady at the beauty salon all about it this morning. She's thinking of weight watchers, but she doesn't want to start for two weeks. I told her how bummed I was that I waited two weeks to start my diet because I had just bought a new box of cookies. I was only allowed to eat two a day, but I didn't want to start my diet and waste those cookies, so I didn't start until the cookies were gone. Then when I started losing, I was kicking myself for not starting earlier. She said her problem with weight watchers is that you end up being obsessed with food. I said, that happens on a diet, big time. I was afraid of food. Unfortunately I have conquered my fear.

You see, way too much stream of consciousness going on after sitting in a room for fourteen hours with almost nothing to do. I tried to do sudoku, but the temptation to impress with my charming storytelling was just too much. I had such a great audience--they were really, really nice.

Oh well, this blog was supposed to be about my students. I spoil them so much. I did all the grades and three kids were just a few points away from the next grade up. I'm planning an extra field trip after the class is over, so I told them if they promised to attend I'd add points for the field trip (all three missed the trip to UCLA which garnered their fellow students with points). The trip is after school is over--they'll already have the grade. If I were them, it would be really hard to show up and I'm very responsible--these kids, not so much. I'm going to try to suspend my logical nature and give them the benefit of the doubt. Of course, I am a lawyer. There has to be some remedy if they renig. I'm going to cross that bridge when I come to it.

Ok, grades are done, clothes are all over the bed waiting to be stuffed into the suitcase, suntan lotion, check, gum, check, I'm ready. Darn that plane's not leaving for 18 more hours.

Empty Nest

Marisa announced that she and Caitlyn are moving this month and so visions of musical rooms and getting rid of mold filled my head. Then Mel announced that she's moving next month and visions of getting my sitting room back filled my head. Wow our house is going to be almost empty. What will we do with all that space. Adrienne immediately wanted us to sell the house and buy a condo someplace with a pool. I reminded her that we still have one large dog who may not appreciate having no yard (and it's not like we can walk her, because she pulls so much on the leash that we have all given up training her.)

Of course, then I got really sentimental. What if Ris wants to move back, what if Mel doesn't like living with those roommates, what if Adam wants to join a band and he needs lots of space to put all of his equipment. We have Megan coming to visit and Mom coming to visit and Caitlyn better come to visit a lot too. Maybe our nest will not be so empty afterall.