The Big DumpTruck

Okay, grocery shopping, oil change, new wiper blades, all done. Junior got in his swimming lesson and some bike riding.

All we need is a refill on the gas tank for the grill and we are good to go.

Where did the day go? I can't believe it's already 4pm.

Before you ask, no, I won't be running in this year's Boston Marathon. Someone could pull me in a wagon if they wanted to, but running is right out.

Here's the excuse I have prepared: "I don't have good sneakers."

Works, doesn't it?

Okay, the 2004 flavor of Power Rangers is out and about, and after 300 viewings of the first two episodes, I have a couple of thoughts.

1. Lamest red ranger yet. Interesting that they were able to find an Ashton Kutcher look-alike.
2. Kira, honey wash your hair, cut your bangs and remove the racoon eyes. If you're going to be a Power Ranger, look the part.
3. Tommy's back. Rrrrrow. He's aged well. He's got enough going for him that he could still be an active member of the Power Rangers. He's my favorite part of the show.
4. I need to get a freaking life.

I'm wearing a Hello Kitty mood ring today. Right now it's aqua. I didn't start off wearing it, but my brother-in-law bought one for each of the kids last weekend (because that's exactly what the two boys would have picked out) and Junior decided he didn't want to wear his to daycare today after we'd already arrived there. He also gave me a handful of Matchbox cars, which I forgot to take out of my pocket.

Anyway, I put Hello Kitty on my pinky, and I'm still wearing it. If I were twenty years younger, this would be trendy and acceptable. But for a woman pushing 40? I don't know. In my head, I swear, I'm in my mid-20s. At worst, early 30s. I don't accept the fact that I'll be 40 next year. I don't accept that I won't be one of the "cool kids" anymore. I don't accept that when someone says "young people today" they aren't talking about me anymore. So I'm keeping Hello Kitty on for the time being. At least until my 3pm meeting.

Boogers! Green boogers! I wrote a post with a book review in it, yammering on and on about how great the book I was reading is, but it got sucked into the void. Double crap. I knew I was having trouble with "BlogThis" but I assumed it had worked. But the post isn't there. I should have checked at the time. Boogers.

So anyway, the book in question is by Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code. It's called Digital Fortress, and for my money, it's everything I wanted The Da Vinci Code to be. I thought TDVC was good, but it was stretched out too much, and some of it was predictable. And then there's the whole "what are the odds of them finding XYZ" aspect. Dumb luck, really. I hate dumb luck in books.

But Digital Fortress wasn't like that. I never figured out the twists and turns; in fact, I thought I had something figured out, and I was totally off. I like when that happens, it makes a book worth reading. So I'm giving it two dumps up. (heh).

I wrote a blog entry early this morning, and I thought I posted it. But now it's not here. I have no idea where the bugger went. I know I republished the whole blog because I changed the location of the Amazon.com search box (my only real source of "income" for this site is when people use that box to get to Amazon when they buy something) back into the right column. And that change is reflected, but the blog entry isn't. *sigh*

I mailed my taxes (state of Massachusetts) this morning. I know, a whole day early! But I wanted to beat the rush. I mean, what's one day? And this way, if there was some small glitch, at least I have a one-day buffer. So that's all done...now I can get back to paying the regular bills. This time of year stinks because in addition to income tax, I get the excise tax for the car and my insurance renewals all in March and April. Gah. Bu-bye money!

Oh, man, on the way to work today, a tortuous journey that took 45 minutes longer than usual for no discernible reason, I came up with something good to talk about here. I swear it. And then, in the parking garage, I thought of something else.

And then, two seconds later, it was all gone.

Oh wait, I remember the parking garage thought. It was about a radio commercial I heard on the way home last night. One of those things that you listen to and think "I wonder if anyone tried to talk them out of saying that?" It was for some HVAC company advertising their air filtration systems. A woman claiming to run a daycare said, and I'm paraphrasing a little (because I don't remember the whole thing): "No more green boogies."

That's right, we got to thing about little kids with green boogie noses. I'm a mom of a 6 year old, I know from green boogie noses. But would I use that image to try to sell something on the radio? No. I'd talk about it here, but I wouldn't say it in a radio ad. I have my standards, you see.

I don't know how many of you have been following the Many Adventures of Junior in Lunchland, and my son's aversion to most all foods.

We had an Easter miracle yesterday. I, being a horrible mother, often force him to try a bit of a new food. I'm just a witch that way. Yesterday I forced a bite of ham and a bit of carrot into him. He ate the bite of ham...and asked for his own piece. I get all excited and Mr. Dump takes the "I don't want to make a big deal because I don't want to scare him off" approach. Junior eats the equivalent of a quarter of a slice of baked ham, and later asks for a little bit more (which I don't think he ate because it's too distracting to have cousins to play with). This is not my child. Two weeks ago he decided he loves "chickenturkey" sandwiches (baked turkey - from the deli - on a roll, no mayo, no nothing, just bread and turkey) and ate three of them in two days. This week, ham. My brother-in-law announced his plans to sell his Barilla pasta stock, as pasta consumption will plummet if Junior will no longer be eating it seven days a week, sometimes 2 meals a day.

It's the little things that make me happy. Asking for a piece of ham and winning the daily lottery are about equal on that scale.

Happy excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast day!

We've done the egg hunt, and eaten the traditional donuts for breakfast, and now we're watching the traditional Disney Channel on Tivo.

Okay, I made up that last part. I was looking on the web trying to find the golf set that the bunny left for Junior, but Target doesn't have it...hell, neither does the manufacturer. I guess I'll have to take a picture of us playing later and post it here.

To be honest, we've spent quite a bit of time this week talking about the real meaning of Easter, just so you don't send evangelicals over to the house to beat us with pamplets.