10 random things rattling around in my head

This is how my brain operates now. Fragments. Snippets. Tatters of coherency here and there. Tonight's special includes:

1. The purchase of a new home has sucked me dry, figuratively and literally. We have been here for almost two weeks, and we still have boxes everywhere, and all of the rooms are in shambles. It's depressing. It's hard to enjoy being in a new home when you're surrounded by chaos. And also when your bank account has been drained by the most ridiculous purchases: radon remediation (radon level four times the legal limit in the house), water softener (hard water is destroying my hair and the fixtures in this house. Did you ever see the low-flow showerhead Seinfeld? Yeah. It's like that.), carpeting since the old stuff is virtually ruined (who installs white plush in a house with children?), siding to replace the old siding that blew away down the street during the windstorm and is long gone (long story is that neither the seller or our insurance company would cover the damage, arguing semantics of closing and signing dates that made no sense), and so on. And on. And on. It's going to be a homemade kind of Christmas. Or re-gifting if I can get away with it.

2. Chaos has been punctuated by some good moments. Like sitting on our old rickety bench in the backyard with Caroline last night, watching our stellar view of the sunset from the yard. Just the three of us hanging out. It reminded me what life is made of...

3. Speaking of what life is made of, our little neighbor girl gave me my joyful moment of the day today. She absolutely adores our smelly old beagle Beasley, and everytime we pass her on the sidewalk, twenty minutes of doggy snuggling must commence. Like all of the children in our life, she particularly loves his silky soft, HUGE floppy ears. After she had proper snuggles, her mom told it was time to move along and go home. As mom was pushing her in her Little Tykes stroller down the sidewalk, she turned around and yelled, "Goodbye Beasley! Thanks for all the happiness!" Ah, to enjoy such simple pleasures again in life.

4. The burbs are weird place. Maybe I feel that way because I've been living the transient gypsy life of the military, where you are relatively anonymous in your dwelling. Don't like your neighbors? No need to be neighborly, because one of you will be gone in the next year anyway. That kind of lifestyle has led me to be somewhat antisocial on the neighbor front. So, now, here we are, essentially on Wisteria Lane, where all of the neigbors look manicured and coiffed when they take out the garbage. And everyone's so friendly...that I'm actually suspicious! I know, terrible right? Maybe I've watched Desperate Housewives too many times. I feel pressured to slink out in the dark of the night to get my mail or take out the trash, because damn it, I'm not putting on makeup to go outside!

5. The presidential debate was *yawn* boring. McCain was a pissy old man, and Obama agreed with McCain too much. I was less than impressed with most of what was covered.

6. Please, please let the vice presidential debate be as entertaining as I think it will be. I cannot WAIT to see how this pans out. And how Tina Fey parodies it. Palin is a ticking time bomb for the McCain campaign, and I want her to reveal herself for the political disaster she is, so people can stop accusing me of being a disgruntled feminist in my irritation about her as a VP choice.

7. I am tired of hearing about the bailout. It's all further nonsense from the party that brought us "fiscal conservatism." And the party that regularly squawks about socialism in reference to healthcare or social programs. And yet I get called a communist as a democrat for suggesting that tax dollars should be used for things like library funds, health care, and better school loans and grants for higher education. I'm scratching my head on this one. More fiscal recklesness, sponsored and brought to you in part by the Bush administration. Incidentally, I particularly enjoy watching Bush and his cronies try to ratchet up terror and the urgency of action (immediately! or the economy will fail tomorrow!) in the hearts of Americans as a motivator for him to get what he wants...yet again. Isn't it a tired refrain yet?

8. Our friend Jim went apple picking last weekend and brought us a twenty gallon bucket of apples. It's been a weekend of apples with peanut butter, apple crisp, and in the very near future...canned applesauce. But only if applesauce can be made with an eleven pound squeaky little monkey strapped to the front of me a la the Baby Bjorn. In fact, many of my activities are contingent on that these days.

9. My favorite season is here! But not really. I love, love, love the fall, but fall has been held at bay by a stingy, lingering summer this year. It has been stiflingly hot and oppressive here for weeks now. I had visions my last weeks of maternity leave filled with cool morning walks with baby, apple and pumpkin picking with cider and hayrides, and alas...baby and I have frittered away the days in the air conditioning instead. Ninety degrees isn't exactly good baby weather :( Ah well, we still have all of October, right?

10. I forgot what number ten is. Maybe because I'm tired. Or maybe because I never thought I'd make it to number ten without getting beckoned for mommy duty by my tiny charge. Thank goodness for good husbands :)