i might not be an engineer......

i have often wondered how it is possible that i happen to stink at anything mechanical, mathematical or scientific. i come from a family of engineers and handy folks. even my mom knows how to replace a toilet and she never even attended a day of college.

my vacuum cleaner stopped working. i was pretty ticked off. i hate the fact that i have carpet in the first place, so you can only imagine how much i enjoy vacuuming the carpet...... a friend mentioned this week that maybe the belt needed to be replaced and i didn't even want to try and do that. but today the situation came to a head. i really needed to clean the floor. it was beyond unacceptable.

i googled to figure out how to replace a vacuum cleaner belt. i disassembled the bottom of the vacuum cleaner and cleaned out the bottom of it. the belt appeared to be in tact (it isn't like i use the damn thing often) but i noticed that there was a tube with junk in it. wowzers. you want to talk about clogged....oh.my.gosh. i continued disassembling the housing for the clogged tube and cleaned it out completely.

now my vacuum cleaner is working and instead of buying a new vacuum.....i can buy new shoes.

God bless google

random concerns

1. am i a bad person because i get the clash and the ramones mixed up all the time?
2. i find it very odd that nutmeg has taken to sitting in the bathtub and meowing just to hear it echo. i had to sit her on the couch this morning and tell her to watch tv.
3. i heart henry rollins
4. why do companies keep changing their logos? what about brand identity? this came to mind when i was in bonaire and they had different coke labels. then last night i discovered a stupid looking label on pepsi. you can change the label, but it still tastes like crap.

you ever have one of those days?

i am having one of those days where i want to write, but i just don't know what to write. so i guess i will write about "this day in history."

december 7, 1988 was the day my paternal grandmother died. twenty years ago today. she was an interesting lady. she had eight children; eight very unique children. my fondest memories of her include going to the library, playing in her basement, and watching her cook. she always had the radio on in the kitchen and it was tuned to WWJ 950. i remember spending the night at her house and i lost a tooth. she made me homemade peanut butter in her food processor. she was also the person that fed my passion for reading. she is the first person i remember taking me to a library and a bookstore. she was an avid swimmer and runner. she was a math teacher. i wish i had the chance to talk with her today and relate to her on an adult level. i know we could trade some really good recipes.

i just thought of something else that is kind of strange. my dad was 32 when his mother died. i am 32 right now. i meant to call my dad today, but i got all caught up in some meaningless stuff. i guess every day is an anniversary of someone's birth or death. but today just feels different.

The Ex-List

This isn't what it sounds like because it has nothing to do with my own list of ex's.

I was hesitant to start watching the new CBS show because it looked kind of dumb. But, now that I have the DVR, it allows me to just record things and watch them whenever I'd like. So this weekend i watched the four hours worth of episodes I had recorded.

And the show was cancelled. Honestly! I spent four hours watching the show and then they cancelled it? If I had waited another day, I would have found out the cancelled the show and I could have just deleted the shows without ever becoming invested.

I guess the show is now on my ex-show list. Bummer.

a mother like no other......

one of my oldest and dearest friends had a baby in september. little griffin was born on 9.12 at 9.12am. he obviously decided to make a numerical entrance. bless his little heart. i was so excited for his birth. i must have spent countless hours shopping for an entire wardrobe for the little guy's first six months. he has to be the best dressed child in michigan.

last week vanessa called me and asked me if i'd be willing to be griffin's godmother. i was over the moon. from the looks of it, my brother and i won't be having children for many, many years (if ever.) the honor of being griffin's godmother is truly overwhelming and exhilarating. this means that i will be a part of his life forever. both of griffin's parents are only children, so i got the term honorary aunt before he was even born. now it is even better because i will be his "spiritual advisor." thank goodness i started going to church again this year. i feel like i can at least wing it when we are in church.

the godmother gig has thrown me into a crocheting frenzy. i started a little sweater for him today and i am half way done with a matching hat. i can't really imagine his nascar loving father appreciating the antique christening gown my grandma offered up. it is quite frilly and has been worn by three generations of my family. so instead my little godson will have a homemade cotton outfit crocheted by yours truly.

wow. this is fun. i haven't told vanessa yet, but i do promise to never buy him the noisy toys. that just isn't nice. i obviously really love the little guy because i am willing to travel to michigan in december for his big day. that takes a whole lotta love. i don't do winter anymore!

okay. i must get back to the project. i probably have at least a good half an hour left in me.....

20 days until paradise.......

In twenty short days, I will dip my feet into the ocean. How exciting is that? And during this week I am going to sit on the beach, gain some freckles, look at life under the sea and avoid all contact to the "mainland." Oh how I wish it could be today. Seven days of sun, sea and no phone or computer sounds so delightful. How am I going to make it through ten more days of work?

Did I mention I have already packed?

Dean......

are you still looking for me to post? x0