Yes, my laptop is back and I am complete again…

We had Italian food tonight…

We went to see a movie and it was good…

…more on all of this tomorrow when I am more awake.

I will try and catch up on all the email and blogs this weekend!

Oh how I loathe webmail…hurry home little laptop!

1 laptop still in the shop :(

1 very impatient Karin who cannot remember how she got by without it

1 Little Girl who knows where her eyebrows are among other things

1 Melody who is getting really BIG

2 books finished this week (at least something good comes of the laptop hiatus)

1 husband who is off on a Friday night (movie here we come!)

My laptop is still not home.

Not having my laptop makes me want chocolate.

Or something.

Also…

So You Think You Can Dance - awesome

America’s Got Talent - bizarre

Um, yeah.

Okay, technology doesn’t suck, but having to get it fixed sure does. Before I even left to take my laptop to the repair shop, I realized my cell phone wasn’t working correctly, so that meant another stop.

Little Girl and I went to drop my laptop off. *sniffle* But they said 1-3 business days and it would be fixed. Hurray! Hopefully it will be a quick fix and I’ll have my favorite toy back soon. In the repair store they had this amazingly LARGE monitor on display. I had major monitor envy. It was beautiful, but I’m sure it costs more than two of my laptops would, so I won’t be getting one of those anytime soon.

After the repair shop, we had to take care of my cell phone. I had two choices. I could go to the Verizon store that was almost right across the street from the repair shop, or go to the one that was closer to the library, which was our next stop. I ignored that little voice in my head that told me that the one closer to the library probably wouldn’t work and I’d have to turn around and come back to the one across the street from the repair shop. Well, guess what? The one closer to the library didn’t work, although the guy did do all he could. But he said I needed to go to the full-service store, so back we went to where we had just been. *sigh* Note to self: Listen to the little voice in your head more often. Luckily, it was a quick fix - something with the software or some such thing and we were out of there in about 15 minutes, most of which was spent waiting in line for tech support.

Theoretically, since my laptop is still under warranty, the repairs shouldn’t cost me anything. And the phone repair didn’t cost me anything either. So at least the technology repairs were not expensive right?

Then we headed to the library. We have been doing the summr reading program and we finished the other day, so we turned in books, picked out some more, and got her voucher for a free Diamondbacks ticket. It will be her first game and I like the idea that we “earned” the ticket. :) When we go to the library, the first thing I do is go pick out two or three board books to check out and then give them to her to keep her occupied while I find other books to check out for her. As I was looking for books, she was “reading” one of her board books to me. She would turn the page and “read” the words and then turn the next page and do the same. I can’t understand a word she is saying yet because her language is not quite developed enough to string together meaningful sentences, but she is absolutely pretending to read. And I think there is very little in the world that is as totally awesome and adorable as seeing a toddler that loves books so much she pretends to read them out loud. It makes me think maybe, just maybe, I’m doing something right somehow.

We came home, ate lunch and Little Girl went down for a (hopefully) nice long nap.

By the way, the weathermen may say that monsoon season doesn’t officially start until we have three straight days of the dew point being above 54° or whatever it is, but I’m telling you right now, Karin has officially declared monsoon sesaon in progress. It’s nasty out there. And yes, I know that our humidity of 19% seems like nothing to those of you who live in humid climates, but when you live in a normally dry climate and the temperature is in the 100s? That 19% is nasty. Ugh. Right now the temp at 1:39 pm is 99 degrees. But according to accuweather, it feels like 107. That should give you a clue how yucky it feels out there.

Anyway, that was my day. Now I just have to try not to miss my laptop too much. *sigh*

No worries…it’s only going into the shop tomorrow to get the dvd drive (that has never worked correctly and I’ve not had time to get it taken care of, but I’m to the point it is driving me crazy) fixed or replaced and a new battery since this one is giving me less than two hours of charge time of late. But it’s still under warranty and so theoretically these things should not cost me any money. We shall see.

But, I will be laptopless for at least a day or two - hopefully not much more than that. I’m not exactly sure how I will survive this, but I will try and manage.

What this means in the grand scheme of things is that I will probably not be as available as I normally am. It’s not like I don’t have other computers. We certainly do. But, they are not in the room that I am usually in, so I will have limited time on the computer - mostly when a Little Girl is asleep or her father is home so I can sneak out of the room. So, commenting, posting and email will be very light until the laptop comes back. Just so you know.

I will miss you laptop! Oh and the rest of you, too. ;-)

I haven’t had much to say lately, so I hope a few pictures will make up for it!

Mike was hosing off the back porch and so Little Girl had her first experience playing with the hose. She had a great time.

Mike has way too much fun when he gives her a bubble bath.

LG is all about hugs for everyone. She says “huk!” and put her little head on your shoulder and pats you on the back. Same goes for Melody.

And finally, Melody has this penchant for sitting on our feet. Any time. Any place. Even when Mike is trying to play the piano and he needs his foot for the sustain pedal. Doesn’t matter. If she wants to plop. She plops. But how can you resist that face?

Ever wonder where that expression came from? The dog days of summer? Well, wonder no more…

Dog Days or dog days of summer are typically the hottest and most humid times of the year. These days usually fall between July and early September but the actual days vary greatly from region to region, depending on latitude and climate. Dog days can also to define a time period or event that is very hot and/or stagnant. Also many religious cultures believe that dog days are holy.
They get their name because the period this occurs is often during the time the star Sirius, known as the Dog Star (and the brightest star of all as seen from Earth), both rises after, and sets before, the Sun and is hence lost in the latter’s glare. This period of invisibility, for Northern Hemisphere observers, is caused by the fact that the position of Sirius in the celestial sphere is well to the south of the ecliptic. The ancient Egyptians observed that the annual flooding of the Nile Delta would typically occur shortly after the star returned to view immediately before sunrise, taken to be around mid-August in the current calendar.

From Wikipedia

Really, it’s probably not the dog days of summer yet, but I’ll tell you that by the end of June, when it’s just been hot and dry and hot and dry and rarely a cloud in sight, it sure feels like it. It was overcast yesterday and today and a dust storm blew through the Valley tonight, but we didn’t get much of a sighting of it where we are. About this time of the year, we’re ready for the Monsoon to show up already and give us a little something different. Of course, the monsoon brings it’s own problems. Summer in the desert is just not really a fun time of year.

The monsoon also brings humidity which makes the wildfires a little less scary. There has been a menacing wildfire threatening beautiful Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon which is one of the most beautiful places in the state of Arizona, if not the country. The fire crews have done an amazing job and although 4200 acres have burned, no homes were lost. And that’s amazing. We can only hope there are no more fires, but unfortunately there probably will be.

Summer in the desert is a time to slow down and take it easy, because it’s just too darn hot to do anything else. At least I don’t have to count the days until I go back to work like I used to when I was teaching. Now I just work every day instead. But it’s the best job in the world - winter, spring, summer, or fall.

And now back to my summer hibernation.

Why is it, when a star (such as Clay Aiken who the whole conversation was about) is rumored to be gay, that the rumor is called a “nasty” rumor? Is it nasty to be gay? Or is it just nasty to think someone is? I’m confused. But either way, it seems kind of rude to gay people. Ya know?

Just to clarify, the phrase “nasty rumor” was from a magazine, not from anyone in the salon.

Stolen from Killired because I have nothing else to say today…

The highlighted things are things I have done.

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Done a striptease (in private!)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game (Game 1 of the World Series)
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Touched an iceberg
20. Slept under the stars
21. Changed a baby’s diaper duh!
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
23. Watched a meteor shower
24. Gotten drunk on champagne
25. Given more than you can afford to charity
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
28. Had a food fight
29. Bet on a winning horse
30. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
31. Asked out a stranger
32. Had a snowball fight
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
35. Held a lamb
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip
38. Taken an ice cold bath
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
40. Seen a total eclipse
41. Ridden a roller coaster
42. Hit a home run
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Northern Ireland)
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
48. Had two hard drives for your computer
49. Visited all 50 states
50. Loved your job for all accounts
51. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
53. Had amazing friends
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
55. Watched wild whales
56. Stolen a sign
57. Backpacked in Europe
58. Taken a road-trip
59. Rock climbing
60. Lied to foreign government’s official in that country to avoid notice
61. Midnight walk on the beach
62. Sky diving
63. Visited Ireland
64. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
66. Visited Japan
67. Benchpressed your own weight
68. Milked a cow
69. Alphabetized your records (Doesn’t everyone?
70. Pretended to be a superhero (Wonder Woman!)
71. Sung karaoke
72. Lounged around in bed all day
73. Posed nude in front of strangers
74. Scuba diving
75. Got it on to “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye
76. Kissed in the rain
77. Played in the mud
78. Played in the rain
79. Gone to a drive-in theater
80. Done something you should regret, but don’t regret it
81. Visited the Great Wall of China
82. Discovered that someone who’s not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog.
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better
84. Started a business
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
86. Toured ancient sites
87. Taken a martial arts class
88. Sword fought for the honor of a woman/man
89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
90. Gotten married
91. Been in a movie
92. Crashed a party
93. Loved someone you shouldn’t have
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy
95. Gotten divorced
96. Had sex at the office
97. Gone without food for 5 days
98. Made cookies from scratch
99. Won first prize in a costume contest
100. Ridden a gondola in Venice
101. Gotten a tattoo
102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on
103. Rafted the Snake River
104. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
105. Got flowers for no reason
106. Masturbated in a public place
107. Got so drunk you don’t remember anything
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
109. Performed on stage
110. Been to Las Vegas
111. Recorded music
112. Eaten shark
113. Had a one-night stand
114. Gone to Thailand
115. Seen Siouxsie live
116. Bought a house
117. Been in a combat zone
118. Buried one/both of your parents
119. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off
120. Been on a cruise ship
121. Spoken more than one language fluently
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
123. Bounced a check
124. Performed in Rocky Horror.
125. Read - and understood - your credit report
126. Raised children.
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy.
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
132. Called or written your Congress person
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
134. …more than once? - More than thrice?
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
137. Had an abortion or your female partner did
138. Had plastic surgery
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived.
140. Wrote articles for a large publication
141. Lost over 100 pounds
142. Held someone while they were having a flashback
143. Piloted an airplane (Well, for a few minutes anyway)
144. Petted a stingray
145. Broken someone’s heart
146. Helped an animal give birth
147. Been fired or laid off from a job
148. Won money on a T.V. game show
149. Broken a bone
150. Killed a human being
151. Gone on an African photo safari
152. Ridden a motorcycle
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
157. Ridden a horse
158. Had major surgery
159. Had sex on a moving train
160. Had a snake as a pet (My roommate did, close enough!)
161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hour
164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
165. Visited all 7 continents
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
167. Eaten kangaroo meat
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
169. Been a sperm or egg donor
170. Eaten sushi
171. Had your picture in the newspaper
172. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime
173. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions
175. Gone back to school
176. Parasailed
177. Changed your name
178. Petted a cockroach
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes.
180. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
181. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them
183. …and gotten 86′ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you
184. Taught yourself an art from scratch
185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
187. Skipped all your school reunions
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
189. Been elected to public office
190. Written your own computer language
191. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
193. Built your own PC from parts
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
195. Had a booth at a street fair
196: Dyed your hair
197: Been a DJ
198: Found out someone was going to dump you via the internet
199: Written your own role playing game
200: Been arrested. (In a foreign country no less!)

Lift up your arms toward me and say “hug!”

Over and over again for at least 5 minutes so that I move exactly two feet in said five minutes.

But really all I can do is smile and hug you every single time because soon enough you won’t be asking me to hug you in public.

Little Girl’s latest favorite word to say is “flower”.

There are a lot of flowers in Michael’s.

A lot.

I had my yearly female exam today. When the medical assistant came into witness or assist or whatever it is that they do, the three of us got into a big discussion about how women hate the exam and we always whine to each other about it and the doctor said they don’t like them too much either…lol! I love my doctor. He cracks me up. Of course, then he went into doctor lecture mode and reminded us how many lives had been saved, yadda yadda yadda. And then somehow we all started discussing whether our grandmothers had them and when they were born and when the pap smear came into existence. And you get the idea…at least it took my mind off the exam a bit. NOT my favorite thing to do, but you gotta do it.

Anyway, bottom line is that everything is “normal”. And of course the cardio checkup the other day was “normal”. I’m not quite sure how to handle all this normality. There has been something wrong with me for almost the past 11 years. And now everything is NORMAL? What is this normal? How do you do normal? Normal. There’s a word that doesn’t get used in conjunction with my name too often.

Those of you who know me in real life? SHUT IT!

LG: Moon!
K: No that’s a picture of the sun, but you’re right they’re both in the sky!
LG: (putting her arms up above her head) Up abuh…
K: (singing while LG does the hand motions)…the world so high, like a diamond in the sky, twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. Exactly! :D

We picked Little Girl up at Grandma and Grandpa’s after mass. I squatted down and she ran right to…Daddy (well I guess it is Father’s Day).

K: See if I ever give birth to you again!

On the car ride home…

K: Can you say apple?
LG: abble
K: Can you say banana?
LG: bladana
K: Can you say cookie?
LG: cookie
K: Can you say esophagus?
LG: grabs her throat and makes gagging noises

K: Can you say elbow?
LG: ebbow
K: Can you say flower?
LG: fowah
K: Can you say tree?
LG: tee
K: Can you say kiwi?
LG: kigi
K: Can you say Melody?
LG: good girl

K: Can you say eye?
LG: eye
K: Can you say cracker?
LG: cwackah
K: Can you say one?
LG: twooooooo

It was a good day. Hope yours was too!

If there is one thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, it’s that Mike loves his Little Girl with every fiber of his being.

Happy Father’s Day to all the loving fathers of the world! May you get to spend the day with your children and not get a tie. Unless, of course, you want one. ;-)