Over the past few days I have spent an embarrassing amount of time on the internet…because I could.  I could spend a few hours at a time surfing, playing, reading, whatever, and not feel guilty about it because my time was MINE.  Today I enjoyed a good part of the day outside - walking, reading, playing softball.  It was a great day.

Tomorrow we become parents again.  At approximately 5:30am our Little Button and her grandparents arrive from Seattle.   We’ve missed her a lot, but it helps to know that she’s had the time of her life each and every day with them and has gotten all kinds of experiences like the beach, the woods, the zoo, etc.  Every time we talk to her on the phone she sounds as happy as she’s ever been.

The time has been really nice for us (me) too, as I was really needing a break.  There are definitely some parts of being footloose and carefree that I miss…like sleeping in and being able to leave the house at any given time.

But mostly, we’re really looking forward to seeing a certain set of dimples again, because things around here just aren’t the same without her.

Though the house remains remarkably less cluttered.

1. Seizure-inducing, impossible-to-read layouts
2. Auto-play music
3. SPAM
4. 500 hideous ads per page
5. Annoying bands and artists that don’t get the concept of viral marketing
6. Sorry! an unexpected error has occurred.
   This error has been forwarded to MySpace’s technical group.
7. Sorry! an unexpected error has occurred.
   This error has been forwarded to MySpace’s technical group.
8. Sorry! an unexpected error has occurred.
   This error has been forwarded to MySpace’s technical group.
9. Sorry! an unexpected error has occurred.
   This error has been forwarded to MySpace’s technical group.
10. Sorry! an unexpected error has occurred.
    This error has been forwarded to MySpace’s technical group.

And yet somehow, this ridiculous excuse for a networking site has completely cornered the market, rendering all other (superior) networking sites helpless to compete.

Therefore, I must keep coming back to the stink that is MySpace if I want to keep up with my friends (because as we all know, in this day and age it’s preferable to put up with “sorry and unexpected error has occurred” than to actually pick up the phone and call people) who have to stay plugged into it to keep up with their friends, and so on around the globe.

Freaking monopoly.

Can’t sleep.

Don’t know why.

Have to work tomorrow.

Fan.

Freaking.

Tastic.

Generally speaking, J and I find weathermen rather annoying. They have this universal habit of being entirely too excited about their daily 15 minutes of fame.

“You’ll never believe what we’ve got in store for you tonight. That weather we’ve been having? It’s going to … (…wait for it…) … CHANGE!”

Tonight there are tornado warnings in the area. By the way they’re covering it, you’d think we were on the brink of Armageddon. And our friendly neighborhood weathermen are at their best - brilliantly and flawlessly stating (and restating) the obvious.

“Now it’s starting to get dark, so that will make it harder to see.”

“It’s possible that this tornado will be rain-wrapped, which means it will be wrapped in rain.”

When they run out things to circle on their color boards for what’s currently going on, they start reporting on the possibility of weather.

“This is serious, folks. We haven’t had a confirmed tornado sighting yet, but we could be seeing the development of something that might become the formation of tornado conditions in this area, down through here.”

“I’ll bet sometime there will probably be some hail reported in this area right here.”

Well, the satellite TV just went out so I guess that’s all we’re going to hear about that.  Our little suburb isn’t in danger of anything more than some thunderstorming, so I guess it’s time to pull up a chair and watch the fireworks.

Dear Guy In Front of Me on the Plane Who My Daughter Affectionately Dubbed “Bee-bo Head,”

Apparently your cowlick reminds her of a belly button, and as we all know, belly buttons have no other purpose than to be poked. Repeatedly.Thank you for being a hard sleeper.

Sincerely,
I swear I didn’t know she was going to do that.

Dear Man in the Airport Who Tripped Over My Daughter,

The short people in the world request that you refrain from walking backwards through a crowded building without watching where you are going. Thank you.

Sincerely,
She’s fine. But what were you thinking?

Dear Everybody on the Plane Who Sat Up and Turned Around to Stare When My Daughter Screamed Bloody Murder From the Back of the Plane,

We didn’t drop her. It’s 2 hours past her bedtime and J was trying to give me a break with the “standing up and holding her” shift. Obviously it didn’t go over very well.

Sincerely,
That Parent. The one wishing she could melt into the floor right now.

Dear Old Woman on the Plane Who Kept Distracting My Child From Her Tantrum by Making Faces and Telling Her She Was Too Sweet to be Making That Kind of a Fuss,

Bless you.

Sincerely,
This Close to a Nervous Breakdown