Drops of Awesome

Personal Blog of Author Kathryn Thompson

Archives for November 2006

A Few Questions

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the most amazing picture ever posted to this blogWhy is it fun to get out every toy in the house, even if you don’t plan on playing with any of them? Do you know what playing is? Does it involve throwing things all over the floor faster than I can pick them up, laughing and then unplugging the vacuum just as I get to that satisfying green-light-means-dirt-all-gone stage?

Wasn’t this carpet new 6 months ago?

Will the various parts of my house ever EVER be clean all at the same time again? No, I’ll settle. Will my main floor ever EVER be clean all at the same time again? On second thought, please do not answer this question.

Why don’t I sit out on my front bench more often? I made this bench and have never really sat on it. I want to be a front porch lurker, a “Yoo-hoo” caller and a Postum sipper. I think I’ll start tomorrow.

If it looks like snow, but sounds like rain, what is it? And more importantly, will it stop my postal carrier from bringing my Lube-Oil-Filter coupons tomorrow because I really need more Lube-Oil-Filter coupons?

I just sat down at the computer and had an almost uncontrollable desire to type in the URL www.cheesecake.com. I know that’s not a question. I think I was maybe just asking your permission to do it.

Hold please.

Okay. I went over there. It looks good. Skinny Al Roker endorses it. It tastes like plastic when sampled via the internet. Don’t waste your time. Now if jolly Al Roker had endorsed it, maybe.

It’s A FREEZE

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sonnetsWe’re all snowed and iced in around here.

Dan’s playing computer games. I’m blogging paying bills. Magoo’s reading sonnets. Seriously, this book of Shakespeare’s Sonnets is his favorite.

When asked to describe the snow, Laylee said it was “frosty”, “melt-able” and “skate-able.”

I made a snow angel and she made a “kid angel.”

We’re having the coldest Seattle night in 8 years tonight (almost as cold as an average winter day in Calgary). We have at least 2 inches of snow so Dan’s entire office took a snow day. The schools are all closed and kids are sledding down our cul-de-sac until they run into the garage door at the bottom.

Good times. Maybe we’ll do a Tip Tuesday tomorrow.

NOT RELATED

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One of my sillier film school projects, I thought this script was appropriate to get you pumped for the big sales. Have a fabulous Thanksgiving and be grateful. I know I am. Peace out.

-Kathryn

EXT. MERVYN’S DEPARTMENT STORE – BEFORE DAWN

SAMANTHA, JULIA and DANIEL approach the massive line that is circling around the deparment store. Puffs of breath can be seen rising from all the shoppers into the dark sky. 22 year old SAMANTHA, bundled in a large blue parka with pink earmuffs and huge mittens and boots, smiles as they walk down the line, looking for the end. 10 year old DANIEL is dressed similarily and follows closely on her heals, swaggering like a gangster. They are followed at a distance of about 5 feet by a dead-looking JULIA, age 16….

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Tip Tuesday — Black Thursday

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In an email about the Day After Thanksgiving sales, a friend asked me to do a Tip Tuesday about it. She said:

This is the first time I’m going to brave the crazy American tradition and I’m not sure how to do it. I have specific items I need and have no clue which stores to go to. I don’t get the newspaper and my husband refuses to watch commercials so I feel pretty much [lost] to know which store will have my “must have” item and do I really need to go at 4:30 in the morning and stand in line with a bunch of other people who will probably be heading for the same stinking department as me?

Here are a few of my tips:

-YOU NEED A NEWSPAPER — PERIOD. If you’re not gonna get the ads and plan it out, there’s no point in going.
-Go to the 7-11 and pick one up on Thanksgiving Day.
-Look at every page of the ads. I often buy things for my gift drawer the day after Thanksgiving. I also buy household items that day.
-Make sure to consider small ticket items. You can get some fabulous deals.
-Don’t plan on getting any major item at Circuit City unless you plan to sleep there all night. They hardly stock anything that they advertise and they are very unhelpful.
-Target and Wal Mart rock! They stock a ton of each item and make everything easy to find.
-Don’t forget drugstores. You can get great deals on Christmas decorations, cards and wrapping paper there.
-Map out your plan carefully in order of when the stores open, write everything down and take your marked up flyers with you.
-Find out which stores price-match and go to a store that didn’t advertise the item but is willing to price-match and you’ll have a better chance of getting the item.
-Watch your time. Make sure to keep track of how long the sales are good at each store.
-Take snacks.
-Be nice.
-Take a friend if you can. Try not to lose her.

Do you have any tips?

Deer and Jerky

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How can beware of deer signs be so accurate? Deer — next 3.46miles. If they can predict their whereabouts with that kind of accuracy, why can’t they just build the roads around them? Same thing with the signs that say “Rock” If there’s a rock at precisely that spot that’s perched on the edge of a steep cliff, don’t make the drivers play Wile E. Coyote with their cars. Get rid of the rock.

Doesn’t the song “Ghetto Superstar” remind you of junior year of college, red jeeps and people staying up way too late in the apartment swimming pool? Yeah, me neither.

Speaking of musical genius, Boyz II Men, Sir-Mix-A lot and Tone Loc are coming to Seattle TOGETHER, as I’m sure you’re all aware. Stop by my place for a spot of beef jerky while you’re in town. It’d be great to put a face with your name.

(Okay, I just found out that they already came. Sorry. But seriously, come by for some jerky anytime.)

reasons: feet the shape of hams, Dan home early from work

Non-Alcoholic Lemonade and a Side of Shattered Self-Esteem

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I hear things when I eat.

At restaurants I eavesdrop study human nature by listening to the people around me.

At home, human nature is shoved in my face as Laylee talks and talks her way through each meal. I love it… most of the time.

A couple of days ago, we were eating lunch at Enchilada Town when I heard the teenaged girl in the next booth order her drink. “I’d like a pink lemonade please — non-alcoholic.” Wuss. She must not have had a fake ID. How embarrassing to have to order non-alcoholic lemonade.

Today at lunch, Laylee started the conversation by asking me, “Can you please be exactly like Isabellov’s mom?”
Me: What does she do that’s so special?
Laylee: I don’t know. You just do it, okay?

A couple of bites later, she asked me, “Why are you not as pretty as me?”

I don’t know. Why don’t you ask Isabellov’s mom?

Friends

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blackbirdI saw this today and thought of Blackbird. She was the first blogger with real live human non-immediate-family-member readers who linked to my site. We were tight for awhile but like blogging friends tend to do (Except of course me and you. We will be BBFFs ALWAYS), we kind of drifted apart.

I check in on her sometimes and this reminder gave me a good laugh at the grocery store. I still gotta get me one of those bad boys. There are much tackier things I could do this Christmas and things I could spend $150 on that would be much more likely to blow away in a strong wind, I’m sure.

Scroll to the bottom of this post for the story behind the giant snow globe.

Do you have any blog friends you’ve drifted away from but would like to give a shout out to? Leave their URL in the comments section.

Stupid Day for Jerks

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Today was not the best day ever. Parts of it were good. Some parts were very good. But it was kind of like a Polly Pocket gift set. THERE WERE TOO MANY PARTS. Between the hours of 5:30am and 7:30pm, I spent around 20 minutes total at home. Most of the rest of the time I had the kids with me, eating meals in the car and beggin for scraps from the Costco sample people. I did a BlogHer conference call while driving and supervising the younger siblings at preschool with my cell phone on mute…I hope…I haven’t tested that functionality before.

We didn’t even get to finish decorating for Christmas, although I did start yesterday and it is looking AWESOME! Thanks to everyone for your support of my Costco-induced insanity and to Jen for being honest. Is it just me or do you all want the jiggly snowmen so much you may sell a lock of your hair to buy them? (I’m sorry they don’t have a picture on their website, but they are snowmen made out of some sort of gelatinous goo with a light inside and they have a motion detector and they bounce and sing when someone walks past and Magoo shrieks with glee and tries to throw his body from the cart in a fit of ecstasy.)

This morning I was flipping through the Old Testament at around 6:30am because, who isn’t? I randomly opened to a passage in Isaiah that reads:

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. [Isaiah 9:6]

Which I totally took as a sign because… hello… I think you know where I’m going with this. Isaiah was totally plagiarizing from Handel’s Messiah and although I do not condone plagiarism, I do think it gives me license to let the merriness commence. It’s like I opened the scriptures and God said, “Go forth with the tunes.”

The children whaled off and on all day, spilled large amounts of liquid on themselves, booped at inopportune moments and slammed their heads into walls for no apparent reason. I am TIRED. Can. You. Tell? (I know I spelt “wailed” wrong, but isn’t it so much more of an interesting story that way?)

But everything turned out okay in the end thanks to my brother Mike. Turn your sound on and go play along. It can turn out to be a good day for you too.

reasons: the sippy cup that didn’t leak, piles of leaves, cinnamon sticks, fluffy socks