Spinning circles, watch them run

Just some statements.  Christmas is not about who can buy more gifts for children.  It is not a competition between grandparents.  Or between grandparents and parents.  It is not a competition for attention.  It is not supposed to be about consumerism at all.  I will be the first to tell you I'm not a religious person but from what I remember from Sunday School back when I was a wee little 'un...the birthday of Jesus was not supposed to signify which big box retailer could sell more stuff no one wants nor needs.

I don't know if you can tell but this holiday sucked the life out of me.  It kills me a little each year.  I understand how people are grinches.  I can't help but hate this time of year.  I thought having kids would rekindle my love of the holiday but the stresses and pressures that my family puts on me make me hate the whole month of December.  Just saying.

I read an article the other day that talked about how the holidays have much more pressure and stress for women then men. How women feel the need to please everyone and make sure Christmas is "perfect" and create new traditions to make sure her children remember each and every Christmas as the best one ever.  I can barely hold my shit together and I feel these pressures.  I had a pretty stressful month at work in December plus I tried to force myself to be in a wonderful holiday mood.  In the end, I ended up breaking down, calling my kid a selfish ungrateful brat to his face and passive aggressively yelling at my MIL (I know she still doesn't get it and even if she does, she doesn't care).  And right after that, I went out and cried to myself in my trunk for a while (yesterday was a pretty emotional day).

Anyway....I can't do this again.  I want to have a nice time with my family and not hate them for the whole month of December.  I appreciate that they all want to treat my kids as if they were their own around the holidays but I wish we could spread this out around the whole year instead of micro-focusing it during 25 days of misery.  I was given a suggestion by a good friend that I really am going to heavily consider...travelling during the holidays.  Now...where to go...

Because everyone loves a good list

You know that there are a few things that the internet is totally in love with and they include cats, cats doing human things, posting pictures of what you ate last night and lists of things.  So many lists of things.  So....I am going to do these things.
 First....a pic of a cat.  My cat with a baby, that's a freebie.   So, we got that out of the way.  I don't have any pictures of what I ate last night but I ate at PF Changs, so you can imagine it looks like crappy American Chinese food.

And now....a list!  

It's a list of the best music to come out in 2013 in my esteemed opinion.  Let's get this list started, eh? Oh, by the way, this list is not in any particular order and does not have any rhyme or reason to it.  I just like this music and I want you to like it, too. 

10.  AWOLNATION, This kid's not alright

I love this song.  I recently discovered this band (because I am behind the times) and they have made it to one of my favorite bands of all time.  This song is super fun to sing at the top of your lungs in the car by yourself.  You'll find that to make it into my favorite music category, a lot of the time you should be able to sing it loudly and enthusiastically.  

9.  Closer, Tegan and Sara

I actually love the whole album this song headlines, Heartthrob.  It's soooooo good from start to finish.  (the extra "o"s in the word so stress how much awesomeness this album has.  If you haven't checked this album out or heard this song, it's pretty boss.. 

16.6a.  Lose Yourself to Dance, Daft Punk

Well, if you know me you know I do love me some disco. Lots and lots of disco.  If you asked me, I'm pretty sure that Daft Punk made this album for me.  Crazy, isn't it? 

1.5x + 2y.  Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell

So...yeah...was this song way overplayed?  Sure.  Does that make it any less fun and dancey?  Nope.  And obviously I like Pharrell....there's just something about this guy, you know? Was the song controversial for being sexist?  Yes.  Was it?  I guess that's your opinion.  I still like the song.  I think it's fun and I've heard lots of worse sexism in media so *shrugs*... Still a good song.  

XX.  Love Club, Lorde

So, I know that Royals was the big hit for her and still plays very regularly on the radio but I really think this song is much more fun and even though I enjoy both songs, I really like this one better.  It's just so....bouncy and fluid....I don't know how else to explain it.  

3.  The Last Dance, Limousines

Okay, this is not my favorite song on this album but this whole album is so freaking phenomenal that you are lucky I didn't just post the whole album.  The emotion that the Limos pour into this album is overwhelming and make this album 100% better than their first album which was amazing.  I really think this band is so under exposed that it's ridiculous.  

I can't get this video to embed.  FUUUUUUUU.  I can't get any videos to embed from the limos.  Did I hit the Youtube limit?  Here's the link.  

15. Try To Remember, Spacehog

I recently discovered that being a spacehog fan isn't a thing.  At least, none of my friends really like them, most of them say something along the lines of "who?  that meantime song?  I remember that...I think.  Maybe?"  Yeah....also, as I write this, they will be performing tomorrow at the Grog Shop and I can't see them.  I have no one to go with.  Because....I don't know.  Anyway, this is not my favorite song off their album there are no other of their songs from the new album on youtube that I could find in like two seconds of searching.  I have kids who are up my butt constantly, I don't have time to write quality blogs.  I won't apologize. Anyway, this album is solid and it's a nice comeback from their long hiatus.  Check it out. 

AEIOU. One For the Road, Arctic Monkeys

I held out on this album for a long time but it's a good album.  I can't help it, I never really paid much attention to the Arctic Monkeys before but they are a solid band.  Kind of Black Keys-ish.  But in their own way.  And I'm sure they are first, once again I haven't even bothered to check anything about them.  Sorry. 

1.15x. Spiderhead, Cage the Elephant

Thank you Borderlands, I probably would never have found this band without you.  And it's totally such a good band.  So worth a listen to if you haven't given them one.  This album is a bit more eclectic than some of their other stuff but it's nice.  Ry says it reminds him of listening to the pixies, so that's not a bad thing.  

I'm sure there is more music I loved this year.  Add your selections to the comments.  I have run out of time, my offspring are causing harm to themselves and others.  Thanks for reading and listening, and if you like it, you should buy it.  

Even if we're underground you know that we'll be safe and sound

Haunted house season!  My freaking favorite.  :)

Anyway, my brother had a truly boss idea and I think we are going to do it one night, we are all going to go down on a friday night to columbus and get a hotel and hit a bunch of haunted houses one night and the next day go to the columbus zoo.  Ry and the kids are going to come down and (not enjoy the haunted houses) go to the zoo with us. FUN!!!

Here's a bunch of ideas that I'm posting here so I don't forget.  I will make the schedule soon.

Near Columbus:
Haunted Hoochie 
The Creep 
The Haunted Farm
House of Pain
Wells Twp Haunted House

East:
Canfield Haunted House and Corn Maze
Forsaken

West:
Lake Erie Fear Fest

South:
Factory of Terror
Mansfield Reformatory

Find more?  Add them to the comments section!

I sold my faith but not my stereo

All the things that I have been thinking, oh, hey, that would be a great blog post...yeah, I never remember them when I finally get a chance to sit and write what's on my mind.  I generally just get depressed and crap when I get a chance to sit and write, which in itself is both depressing and pathetic.  So, I won't do it.

Haunted houses coming soon...a tentative list will be up sooner or later.

Also a Halloween party. The theme this year is vampire and hunter.  Should be fun.  I am open to drink/menu/decor suggestions.

I need to get out of this funk I've been in lately. Not sure what will help. Possibly a lobotomy.  I think that would help something but I'm not sure what.

I went shopping with a friend from work today to buy shoes.  Buying shoes is painful.  The shoes I bought apparently don't even have a large heel on them but they are fucking insanely uncomfortable.  Not as uncomfortable as other shoes I had tried on today.  The other reason it was painful was because I suck at being a woman and I have no self confidence.  I tried to make myself believe today that I belonged in these stores and that these shoes were totally me and I was owning the experience but that was not true.  I felt small and inconsequential and totally out of my element.  You know where I'm in my element?  In my house and in my watershed and that's about it.

 Bow ties, always classy.  Always.

I should not be afraid of fucking women's shoes, even if some of them have a freaking ridiculous heel.  It was like trying on Chinese Lotus shoes.  You know, I almost felt bad for men having to wear bow ties and regular ties and cummerbunds (cause that shit is funny) but after trying on these shoes and getting a preview of the agony I am going to feel on the night of my brother's upcoming wedding...you deserve neck ties.  The only real consolation was that I was shopping with a buddy.  Buddy system is the way to go, moral support and all.  Cause I probably would have broken down like a moronic little child and sat in the aisle and felt bad for myself after the first four pairs of shoes. Any more than that alone and I would have needed to have some type of anti-depressant intervention.  As it was...after the deed was done (shoes were purchased) I had some delicious and carbtastic Auntie Annie's anti-depressants.  

Yes, these are my weirdo feet.  In a pair of shoes made designed
by the woman who lovingly sings about her "lovely lady lumps"

My feet look stupid.  Other people's feet look okay but I think my feet look all rigid and vein-y and weird.  Kind of like something else...but I really don't think my feet look like that object.  Well, I know I just eluded to it but I was just typing out my thoughts.  Whatever!  Why are you still reading this.  Don't you have better stuff to do?  Like learn Latin or memorize every postal zip code or something more worthwhile than reading my blog?

ps...thanks for reading my blog.  It is nice to know someone at least cares enough about my vein-y pseudo-runner's feet to read to the end of this post.

Hudson, Ohio, sister city to Eerie Indiana

Oh, did I mention I ran another 5k?  With Ry, my friend from work and one of his lady friends.  One day I'll write all about my theory on how Hudson is like the city in the Stepford Wives... but not today.  Or ever maybe.  I have a theory, though.  Hudson is like Eerie Indiana, it's just too perfect at first glance...maybe I need to be doing some Marshall style investigations...

Half remembered rumors of the old

I was waxing melancholy this morning about old times and old friends.  My best friend from high school's birthday was last week and I was thinking about her this morning.  I would love to reconnect with her but we were already such different people before we parted high school that I wonder if we could ever really
reconnect the way we had in high school.

Remember when I used to write really witty and interesting stuff on here?  Yeah, me either.

I'm running my next 5k on labor day.  Cheer me on, would ya?

I have been thinking about myself a bit lately, ways to improve and what's wrong with me.  I need to focus on what's right with me probably.  There's quite a bit wrong. *shrugs*.  I have recently discovered I am really good at being empathetic but really bad at reading people's emotions, if that makes sense.  I found that I project my own insecurities and low self esteem on other people which makes me feel that they are already disappointed in me and that I need to make it up somehow.  Apparently this is not the case, which, like I said, I just discovered. (hey, we self discover our whole lives, no judging...I'm looking at you...you know who you are, judgy-judy...).  So, I'm gonna try to remember that and stop being so overly sensitive.  Also, I have a pretty bad swearing problem.  Or maybe it's not a problem?

You're supposed to pull me like the sun pulls the earth

In a world without me, is it a better place?  In a reality where I was never born or something, is it better? How can you tell?

My personality is ENFJ.  It seems to be pretty accurate for me, except for maybe the getting people to do what I want them to do, that almost never seems to happen and it says that I should be pretty good at that. Do I get under your skin?  It says I do that, too.  Maybe I'm overbearing and that's how I get under your skin.  Here's a quick list
Some common ENFJ characteristics include:

• Prefers harmony to discord
• Outgoing and warm-hearted
• Genuinely interest in the feelings of others
• Often have a diverse range of friends and acquaintances
• Great at supporting and encouraging others
• Excellent organizers
• Seek approval from other people

or this one, which I feel pretty strongly about: 

ENFJ in a Nutshell

ENFJs are idealist organizers, driven to implement their vision of what is best for humanity. They often act as catalysts for human growth because of their ability to see potential in other people and their charisma in persuading others to their ideas. They are focused on values and vision, and are passionate about the possibilities for people.

ENFJs are typically energetic and driven, and often have a lot on their plates. They are tuned into the needs of others and acutely aware of human suffering; however, they also tend to be optimistic and forward-thinking, intuitively seeing opportunity for improvement. The ENFJ is ambitious, but their ambition is not self-serving: rather, they feel personally responsible for making the world a better place.

Possible ENFJ Weaknesses

• Can harbor hurt feelings
• Tendency to manipulate
• Tendency to smother
• Blames self when things go wrong

Are you done reading about my sad sad personality yet? 

But my eyes are open, yeah, they're really open

It has been a good weekend.  It's crazy how I go from low to high and back.... regardless....

I ran my first 5K yesterday, Cleveland's Run or Dye that I got as a groupon.  Ry ran with me and I wish I had coordinated better because my friend from work Robert was there and he should have run with us too.  We did meet up afterwards but...that's just a reason that he has to run another 5k with me, right? Right.

Anyway.  I know you have already seen these photos more than likely but I'm putting them up for my own record, you know?

I don't think I got nearly colored enough.  Or maybe I sweat it all off....

These are the dirty feet that made it happen...

There was a tie-dye after party. 

Aw yeah, glow team running for the win!

So...I'm looking for another 5k in september and one in october I think.  I had so much fun.  I was also so proud of myself because I ran the whole thing and I felt like I could have run even more.  The course was pretty flat and that made it pretty easy.  And it was right by the lake, so it was nice and breezy and beautiful.  Very nice.  

We are thinking about buying ryan a Ford C-Max.   He's freaking over the price, which is usually my job, so I don't know what happened in crazy reverse world.  I think we are going to buy it anyway.  He deserves a nice car and we could really use something with really good fuel economy. His Malibu..well, it's not a hybrid.

Lot's of good things happening this weekend.  I'm feeling good from yesterday still.  I had a pretty nice pampered chef party even though I didn't think I would (due to people not coming).  The kids were really good and I read an article telling me to stop rushing them with my A type personality and they are right.  So I'm  trying not to rush them...as much....we still have things to do, you know?  

We also have two girls available to babysit now, which is exciting.  Two potential babysitters.  So I have one lined up for the wedding which is nice.  And maybe for those days when Rosie can't watch them.  I'm in a good place right now.  

I am thinking about getting the 23 and me tests for ry and myself.  I will post some of the results here when we get around to doing it and stuff.  

And....Halloween is slowly approaching....I can't wait to make the haunted house list for this year.  You're coming, right?