Deadline De-Cluttering

What's wrong this picture? Carter is up, dressed and off to breakfast with my friends while I face a day of cleaning.

Lucky.

Actually it was very nice for an old friend of ours to pick him up and take him to breakfast with the "guys" -- a retired (or close to retired) bunch who meet Tuesday mornings. Apparently they welcome the younger set on occasion since Carter met with approval. Apparently what they discuss must fall under some Gentleman's Code because he didn't share a peep. Only that he had fun.

Good for him. I really can't get distracted from my tasks at hand. Remember my New Year's resolution last year (and the year before and the year before) about de-cluttering? I figure I might as well attack that before new resolutions are required. Frankly, I could draw the name of a room (any room) out of a hat and go at it. But I decided to start with one of my "Oh my god" rooms... the office.

One good thing about our computer room is that in addition to two desks and two filing cabinets, there is a closet. So obviously there is a place for everything. It just has to get from Point A (usually the desk) to Point B (a file or drawer or box).

I realized today I couldn't start cleaning off the desk first because if something belonged in the closet, there was no perfect place for it there. It actually made the most sense to start with the closet. Then I could create those perfect places to store some of the items from the desk in an organized fashion. It's a domino effect of sorts.

The closet has 3 shelves plus space under the bottom one. The two top ones hold our family tree stuff (we each get our own shelf). The bottom two house office-type stuff -- batteries, light bulbs and boxes for every piece of software or digital product we've purchased in the past several years -- plus other items that don't have a logical home.

Cleaning and/or organizing it hadn't been done in ... forever. Ever actually. So that is how I spent my day. I did get a break to take Carter to the bowling alley and myself to the chiropractor (finally). He had a great time bowling (and says we should do that much more often). And I had a great time finally getting my back in order. I will do that much more often. I need return trips to the back-cracker tomorrow and Friday so I can be in tip-top shape for my return to work next week! Oh joy.

After our little break, I returned to the closet and, two full garbage bags later, have some semblance of order there. My big finds of the day were an old framed newsroom award for my "Patrick Swayze comes to town" story back in 1997 and some money in an old birthday card. I got excited when I recognized my mom's handwriting but then realized it was for hubby because she signed it "LeRoy and Marlys." (She would just sign mine "Dad and Mom".) Dang.

I gave hubby the money since, well, it's his. Plus he can use it. He and Carter bought a new baseball bat today. They already put it to use in the indoor batting cage tonight. I'll have to go watch next time. This time I had to stay on task.

I may be on vacation but I still have deadlines!

Midweek Musings

Just a few things happening...

Gossip Girl: Turns out Carter was right about "the break-up" playing out like a game of Telephone. There's a reason his redheaded sweetheart didn't tell him she was breaking up. It's because she wasn't. Some other girl started the rumor and it got out of hand. So, Carter says, "We're still dating." Not sure what that entails. But, he added, "I still forgot to ask her why she (the redhead) didn't bother to set the record straight or at least tell me." Yup, there still are plenty of lessons to be learned with this. Sort of seems like a soap opera, doesn't it? Stay tuned.

At Close Range: After 6+ years of avoiding each other at work -- well, doing our best not to fraternize -- hubby and I now sit within shouting distance of each other. Not that we'd yell at each ever (or at work, anyway). I told you last month we now have the same boss. We still don't really work "together" but it will be easier for him to run over to my desk when he needs chocolate or, more likely, aspirin! Stay tuned for that, too.

Movie Night Part 1: I'm still logging miles (and steps now) on the treadmill while watching movies. Since the holidays are over and I've run out of Christmas movies, I've now moved on to the North and South miniseries -- a trilogy actually, based mainly on the Civil War. The first one came out in 1985 and I enjoyed it very much. (I'm sure it has nothing to do with Patrick Swayze in the starring role.) I got the DVD set for Christmas and have many hours (and miles) ahead of me. Can't wait.

Movie Night Part 2: Tonight, however, we took a break from the War and regular TV -- and hubby and I actually watched a movie together. We had wanted to rent Hangover over our break but never got around to it. We'd heard it was entertaining and wanted to see for ourselves. And yes, it was fun-ny! Just stupid, mindless entertainment that we seldom allow ourselves to enjoy. There's something to be said for small doses of immaturity. (Very small doses!)

Carter, bless his heart, stayed out of the Rated R room and put himself to bed. I'm guessing tonight he just might have sweet dreams again. He certainly deserves it!

Just What the Doctor Ordered

Apparently all I needed was a dose of Doctors McDreamy and McSteamy to get myself out from under the weather. Just knowing the 2-hour season premiere of Grey's starts in less than an hour has me feeling better already!

I do have to give some credit to the fact I went to bed early last night. Nothing was on TV to hold my interest. I actually found myself watching Dancing with the Stars. I knew less than 5 of the alleged "stars" but stayed tuned to it because they promised a Patrick Swayze tribute. I know, I couldn't believe my good luck. (Too bad it didn't carry over to the Powerball. Oh well, there's always Saturday.)

My back felt better today and my stomach was only a bit queasy compared to yesterday. I decided to distract myself by doing two things.

One, I went running at lunch. Call me whacko (and people I live with already do), but when I'm feeling crappy, a run tends to make me feel better. I know. All in my head, blah, blah, blah, but it worked.

Two, I emailed random Grey's trivia questions throughout the day to other McFans at work. The contest (with no prize) actually certainly helped the day fly by -- and got us all psyched for tonight's premiere.

I had to whip through my grocery shopping and get laundry going so there will be no distractions. Not even the Schwan's man can drag me away from the TV tonight.

But I may be up for an ice cream break.

See? Getting back to my old self already.

Tuesday Tidbits

RIP Patrick: It wasn't until after I got done blogging last night that I found out Patrick Swayze had passed away. (I hate cancer!) I am pretty sad about this as I have had a strange connection to Johnny Castle/Sam Wheat/Orrie Main for some time now. Follow link HERE to a previous blog about it. I imagine by now he is teaching the angels to Dirty Dance! Rest in peace.

Working it: Work is just crazy busy for both Jim and me these days. I am working on tagging data again (which means nothing to the average bear) so I get anxious about seeing an end in sight. For this part, it's several, several days away, so I'll keep plugging away. Today I did take a a little bit longer lunch to run a "sister weekend" errand. I'm getting excited! Tomorrow I am working from home -- connecting to work from our computer to "tag" away. Then I'm headin' West!

Holy Homework, Batman! OK it's 9 o'clock and Carter just got done with homework. Seriously, he has been working on it since we got home. That's just too much. We didn't get to spend any time together on my last night home. Of course, I spent 90 minutes in town on errands anyway...

Last-Minute Mable: Honestly, parts of me felt really organized leading up to my annual Wild Women's Weekend. But I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. Had to run into town to get some food stuffs I couldn't get any earlier. Then I wisely packed up the CR-V except for the coolers and my clothes (which I haven't begun to think about). I am not worried about getting it all together. My underlying fear is a bit more serious...

Back at It: I woke up Monday morning with a stiff neck and an inability to turn my head very far to the left. It has gotten only marginally better and right now my entire body feels like a train wreck. So good thing hubby and I see our chiropractor in the morning. Couple's therapy again -- too bad we can't get a 2-for-1 discount! I just hope he can fix it all before I drive 7 hours away. That won't be pretty. I'll make sure I have some ibuprofen or something with.

I'll just add it to the list that doesn't seem to stop growing...

Now that's more like it!

There's always this running list of "things to do" in my head. Some are pressing. Most are for "when I have time" or "when I get to it." Today, on one of those must-use vacation days, I chucked the list and really took the day off.

I had a fitful night's sleep last night so when I heard Jim's alarm go off this morning, I turned over and tried to get to sleep. When I heard Carter's alarm go off awhile later, I flipped back over and tried (again) to sleep. I dragged myself out to the livingroom but did not escort Carter to the bus stop. He went with the kids next door as usual. And I hopped onto the couch.

How do you work this remote thingy? Ahh, I figured it out. What? Dirty Dancing is playing at 8 in the morning?! OK, I should probably watch it since I haven't seen it -- in a month or so. Plus, since I just ran into Patrick Swayze's knee doctor two weeks ago, I should pay close attention to his moves. Which I haven't done -- in a month or so.

Before I had a chance to think about throwing some laundry in or hopping on the treadmill, I see that Pretty Woman is on next! Whoa. Now I really haven't seen that in quite awhile so I better park the butt back down on the couch. Awwww, another happy ending!

I'm finally hitting the shower close to 11 a.m. Now that's more like a vacation day! I had a little shopping to do so I ran into town. Got that done and decided I should probably watch a Christmas movie of some sort since that's one of the reasons I wanted time off. So I popped in It's a Wonderful Life -- while doing laundry and after dusting and vacuuming, I should add -- and watched that until Carter came home from school. Wasn't quite done with it, though.

This evening, we had a 2+ hour dress rehearsal for his Sunday School Christmas program, which will be this Sunday. When I got home, I finished watching the movie and was thankful, once again, that I was born (ha).

As I'm putting the DVD away, I hear hubby yell from our office something about fixing the computer today. That's when it dawned on me that I was never on the computer all day. I didn't work or anything close to it. A true vacation day.

Now that's more like it!

Drive-Thru Doctorin'

We've sort of joked about the short hospital stays for new moms and called them "drive-thru deliveries," but it is amazing what can be done medically in a brief amount of time in what they call "outpatient" procedures.

We were at the hospital well before dawn today for Jim's knee surgery. By 7 they were shooting him up with the pain killers and by 8 surgery was under way. We were home by 10:30 a.m. Now that is what you call outpatient.

Here I brought two books with me plus two snacks for the long haul. I didn't even get a crack at those! I hardly had time to worry!

They allowed me in his pre-op room so I got to witness them cleaning the incision areas -- after shaving off those few hairs he missed. Queasy me wisely turned my head when they were inserting the IV and doing the "knee block" -- like an epidural for the knee.

I sort of felt like an expert after watching so much Grey's. But that was not the cool part.

Remember awhile back I was relaying my near brush with a celebrity when I wrote about a surgeon who had moved here from California and his patient, the dirty dancin' Patrick Swayze, flew to Rapids for a post-op visit? Well that doctor was Jim's doctor! I tell ya, we got the best surgeon money (or our insurance coverage) could buy.

Seriously, he's a good surgeon and he remembered me and that story when he came into Jim's room. So he has fixed up both my favorite dancers now. That is way cool.

I'd have to say he must have done an outstanding job. So far, Jim is not even ornery yet. Who would be if they had a servant on hand? I didn't give him a bell to use but I am getting good at hearing him from two rooms away.

Now, we'll see how the night plays out -- and the morning. The knee may be painful by then. But hopefully not. I mean it wouldn't be fair to the inlaws to have a crabby couch potato on hand. What would they find to be thankful for?

Dancing with the Stars

They mentioned on the radio this morning that it's Patrick Swayze's birthday. Funny, he just happened to be on my mind.

I caught part of Dirty Dancing on TV yesterday. For those of us chicks who like the movie, we can pretty much count on finding it somewhere on cable at least once a month. I rarely see it from beginning to end, but if I can just sit down and watch it for 15 minutes, I can get my fix.

So they said that Patrick is 56 today. 56! Now, before you go thinking I have this thing for older men (i.e. Erik Estrada, Henry Winkler, etc), it just happens that Mr. Swayze was my first brush with fame. Well almost.

In 1995, I moved to Wisconsin Rapids to work at the daily newspaper. One day in December, someone called the office and said, "Did you hear Patrick Swayze was in town?!" The managing editor asked if I wanted to cover the story. Are you kidding me? I eeked out a hyperventilated "Yes!"

As it happened, by the time the tip had been called in, the hip-swiveling star was already on his plane back to California. So it was one of those after-the-fact stories the readers of a small-town paper like to read about -- even if we clearly missed the boat. (It was my first story to make the national wire, though, so I had that small victory to hang my dancing shoes on!)

I did uncover that the reason he was in town was to see his orthopaedic surgeon, who'd recently moved to the area from California as well. I had a good interview with the doctor, who told about me about Patrick's bad knees -- due to dancing on Broadway, etc, not just on the Big Screen. The good doctor felt badly that I missed the story but promised that the next time Patrick was in town, he's call me and I'd get the interview.

For months I waited for that call. I mean, shouldn't you try to see your knee surgeon on a regular basis? As my luck (or very bad luck) would have it, during that same time frame, HIPPA regulations went into effect. Those are the federal privacy rules that say our doctors can't tell anyone who they are treating and why -- and they certainly can't tell a star-struck reporter that her heart throb is in town.

Dang! I imagine by now he's got his own local doctors so I can't expect to see him sashaying down the streets of Rapids anytime soon (make that, never!). But you never know. Stranger things have happened to me and my quest to meet the stars -- let alone dance with them or snuggle with them.

Happy birthday, Johnny Castle!