Little League World Series!

When I was a young kid, I grew up in this house

(Yes, it’s an old farmhouse. Yes, we had a barn. No, we weren’t supposed to go in it. Yes, we did go in it. And by the way, that air conditioner? Totally new. Did not have that!)

on this street

and went to this school

with this view

in the middle of the Pennsylvania countryside.

I loved it- still do, but I live about 7-8 hours away now. I go back every chance I can though, so this past weekend I took my sister Rachael and we I spent 16 hours in the car, all to spend one day with this.

Do you know what it is?
A place where I spent hours as a child every summer, doing this

While most people at the field do this

                     

The Little League World Series!

We got to see Japan beat Taiwan and part of the Hawaii vs. Texas game on Saturday. We ate WAY too much junk food and were worn out but had a great time!

Okay, and I got to spend time with my best friend- we’ve known each other for what? 15 years, Stevie? It’s always great to see her and stay up way too late catching up ;-)

(Yes, I’m wearing my rockin’ new glasses in that picture!)

It was a fantastic weekend…how was yours?

Grasping At Summer Straws

School has begun for most of the kids around here. My former students who graduated in May have begun their new journey in 1st grade. My old school will start in just about a week. The temperature is supposed to drop into the 40s tonight, and I’m sitting on the couch in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Fall is coming, whether I’m ready for it or not (I can’t decide). I went on a bike ride and there are crunchy leaves on the ground…a fall breeze blowing through the trees.

I’m taking any last bit of summer I can…lazy warm afternoons at the park, and a road trip with my youngest sister tomorrow!

 

 

How about you? Are you ready for summer to end?

     

Mother....

Motherboard...

That's what the Indian guy from Dell said the problem is with my computer. 

I have no idea what that means, but they are fixing it this evening. Which is good, I guess. I just hope I don't lose everything on my computer. I don't even remember what a motherboard is. I remember learning the term in college. Guess it didn't stick very well!!!

Computer Problems...

I haven't been on my computer much at all lately because this is the screen I'm seeing more often than not. Any ideas!?!? Please??!?

:-(

Big Bang Fun!

One of my absolute favorite places to visit here in Big City is the Big Bang…it’s a piano bar, before you get any crazy ideas. If you have a Big Bang piano bar near you, check it out. I can’t even count how many times I’ve been to the piano bar since it opened, I’m definitely in the 10+ range. I went in March with Sharon and then I hadn’t been back, until last weekend. We had a blast. And went back, last night. The great thing about it is that during the week, there’s no cover charge. On the weekends, it’s $6 and totally worth it even though most times I don’t even drink.

This isn’t the best video, but it shows the fun and excitement of the place a bit.

It’s hard to explain the atmosphere of the place. I’m not a big bar person AT ALL but I could go to the Big Bang every night. Basically, they will get you singing alone and just having a blast! Some of the drunk people can get pretty entertaining too. Oh, and if you tell them you have a birthday or bachelorette party, prepared to be thoroughly embarrassed. I would literally kill my friends if they made me go up there (plus I think some of the things they do/make people do are inappropriate, but that’s the homeschooled girl in me talking… ;-) lol)

My favorite artist at the bar is a guy named Andrew. He’s actually on iTunes and his songs are pretty good! He’s a fun person to have entertain you, that’s for sure. Unfortunately for me, he hasn’t been there the past two Saturdays, bummer. I was checking out his YouTube videos and noticed that his cousin went to college with me. I remember her from some of my classes and we had some mutual friends. Here’s one of his music videos…

Anyway, check it out if you have a Big Bang near you. You’ll have fun, guaranteed. I usually get there around 8pm and the only reason I leave before they close at 2 am is because my eyes start to close. LOL!.

Once Again

I babysat up by my (former) school last night. I still haven't been able to drive by the school. It's just too painful, I guess. 

On Monday, my (former) school has their annual staff meeting. For the first time in four years, I won't be present. Someone else will take my spot in my classroom. I told my roommate, my (former) coworker, not to replace me. Or forget me. I was half joking...and half not. 

The mom that I babysat for last night told me she was concerned about calling me regarding babysitting so close to the new school year, because she knew I was trying to get my classroom ready and was having meetings. I had to tell her I'm not going back. I had to recount, yet again, why that is. 

I had a feeling that the whole not-going-back thing was going to hit me much harder at the end of the summer, when my (former) coworkers and students would be heading back to school, without me. 

Unfortunately, it seems I was right. 

It's really, really hitting me.

I miss them.

I miss it.

Poetry

I don’t mind writing a blog about life, since I’m mostly just writing so I can go back later in life and remember things I tend to forget.
Deep thoughts for a Tuesday, I know.

Poetry, though? I’m not a fan and never have been.

Somewhere, someone’s laughing. Guess where I’m going tonight?

A poetry reading…haha.

 

I know, I know. 

Here’s the thing though. I’ve never been to one before. It’s in a coffee house, so I figure I can down a chai, and since I’m falling asleep writing this a little caffeine might not be a bad idea. I met a random girl last Wednesday while I was at dinner with my former co-worker A’s summer co-workers…it’s a long story. Anyway, Steph was telling me that she always goes to this and that it turns out not so much like a poetry reading but more of a stand-up comedy club. And hey, I like humor. And chai. And finding something to do after work so I don’t just sit on the computer (although, YES, your blogs are all wonderful!)

So, I’m going. I am actually picking up another girl, Nai, on my way downtown. Nai is a friend of Lyn, my friend who was here last week. I just met her on Thursday…I said on Facebook yesterday that I feel like I should be singing that song, “Make new friends, but keep the old, one in silver and the other gold” because I feel like I’ve been meeting a lot of new/random people lately! Nai and Steph hit it off fabulously when we all went to the piano bar on Saturday night, and Nai will definitely keep us entertained if we become bored tonight.

Have you ever been to a poetry reading? How was it? (Don’t scare me off!)

Skunk Car

My car is black.

Or, was black I should say. Now it’s more black and silver! It looks like a skunk. Funny, yes. Was it worth $200 extra to have it painted? My car is 10+ years old and has over 180K on it, so I chose not to do that.

 

My car was completely black on Wednesday…Thursday was quite the interesting day!

My friend Lyn came in from Philly on late Wednesday. We got up early and began apartment hunting for her. We’d already seen a bunch of places and it was about noon- we were starving by then and decided to grab some lunch after our last appointment.

I was backing out of a parking spot, had looked to make sure no one was behind me, had already backed up to the point that I was completely straight. A young guy, about the age of 18 named Joe (not really) either didn’t see me or didn’t look and backed into me…or we backed into each other. I had the right of way but either way we had a nice crash. Everyone was fine, his car had only a tiny scratch but my back window completely shattered, probably due to my bike or bike rack. My bike has a bent back wheel but other than that, all good.

The kicker came when I went to Safelite later that afternoon to replace the window. First of all, my window looked like this…

You can see the rust…now imagine that about tenfold once the window is taken off. Anyway, so that’s how the window looked. We shook off some of the broken bits that were hanging by a thread but had to travel about 15 miles on the highway to get to Safelife. I was praying and crossing my fingers the entire time that we wouldn’t be spotted by any policemen!!!! I actually DID see a police car but luckily I think 1) he wasn’t paying attention to me and 2) I was hidden by a big 18-wheeler. Whew.

Once we arrived at Safelife, I was quickly ushered in to talk to the  Safelite guys. They said, “Hey, tell us what happened…we’re pretty sure we know but we want to hear it from you..” so when I told them about the accident, they were surprised. LOL! They thought it was actually a combination of the rust being so bad and the heat of the day that the window had just gone *ka-poot!* and shattered!

~

Regardless, they couldn’t replace the window over the rust. If they did, it would just fall off again. They suggested I talk to junkyards and try to find a whole DOOR! For the time being they put a huge sheet of plastic over the window area and said it was safe to drive around with, at least for a few weeks. At this point, I did have a slight freak out. My mind kept running over the fact that I needed a new trunk DOOR, and oh my gosh how much would THAT cost, and maybe I should somehow just look into buying a whole new CAR?! Was this worth it?!?! etc…

Thursday and Friday, I drove around with the back of my car looking like this- hey it was better than the glass! You can probably see the rust pretty well here

On Friday, I literally called over 40 junkyards in the area. As it turns out, most of them are on the same strip of road on the south east side of town. I’d never been down there before! On Saturday morning, Lyn and I headed down and only had to go to two junkyards to find my new door. There were a total of 8 that I found, but only 3 were ones that I could look at as the others had to be shipped in from other states/towns.

And so, by noon yesterday, I had a new door! I found a guy who could put it on fairly cheaply and I’m good to go again…

do you like my skunk car? Haha! I do know it looks a bit silly, but really….does color matter? I live close enough to West Virginia that perhaps I’ll fit in just fine ;-)

Mid-Week Laughter

Goodness knows I’ve needed some laughs this week! I’m dealing with some *unwanted* drama on a babysitting site I frequent- sadly, a site I love! I’ve also had three interviews via phone in the past day, one of which was spontaneous and I’m still not entirely sure how the woman got my number! However, I feel like they all went fairly well and I’m extremely interested in one of the jobs, slightly interested in a second, and intrigued by the third. We’ll see what happens. I still have two months until I can begin a new job anyway, so I’m okay with taking it slow :)

So, some things making me laugh this week.

First and foremost, Mr. Jet Blue former employee. A must read…and giggle…and then think about what made him do this? We all get frustrated in our jobs at times. It one of the first articles I read about Mr. Slater via the NY Times, it mentions that his father recently died and his mother is very sick. It also mentions that his favorite book is, '”Twelve and Twelve” regarding Alcoholics Anonymous. Did he relieve his anger/frustration in the most civil of ways? No. But in my opinion, he doesn’t deserve jail time. Maybe some anger management classes, but seven years in jail? No thanks.

Secondly, Bachelor Pad. I watched it last night. I know, I know. My roommate got me hooked on the last few episodes of the most recent Bachelorette and it was just…on. And quite entertaining. It’s sad what some people will do for $250,000. The cute guys on the show aren’t bad to look at, either. ;-)

Next up, Date Night. I know that it’s been out for a while, but I got to catch it at the dollar theater and it’s hilarious! I’m a fan of both Steve Carell and Tina Fey, so that might be why I enjoyed it so much, but it kept me laughing! I think you can buy/rent it now.

Awkward Family Photos. I have some I could totally contribute to this site. Such as a family photo that has me looking like this: 
 
It was supposed to be a nice family photo after baby #6 was born. Hehe. Even at age 9/almost 10 I was a bit snarky ;-)

Not Always Right. Simply put, hilarious. People are stupid and this site usually makes me laugh out loud. Literally!

 

I have a few more, but I’ll save them for another time…anything making you laugh this week you can share??

Sitting Pretty

Yesterday, my old co-teacher Cara told me she was pregnant with her first baby. I am SO, so excited for her. Perhaps a little jealous, as well. But mostly excited. 

My friend El is pregnant, baby number 5.

Kate is expecting #6.

Della gave birth to her precious boy Matthew in March.

My old roommate Kate also had a Matthew, around the same time.

Margo had baby Gigi earlier this year.

Cate has two adorable baby boys. 

Mari is pregnant with her second. 

The list, it goes on and on my friends. 

It does not ever seem to end. 

I have just one question. 

When will the tables finally turn? 

I'm excited for them, I love that they are living their dream of motherhood.

What I *don't* understand is what I did wrong that prevents me from living the same dream.

Snapshots

What I’ve been snapping pictures of lately…

 

 

Fairs and festivals galore…much fun!

(Also, SO MUCH FUN  that I have no time to blog. The weather is just too nice and my roommate will yell at me if I stay inside on a nice day~!)

August is Exhausting!

I really thought that August was going to mean life would finally be slowing down...

Ha! 

I'm still watching Care Bear three and a half days a week. I wish I could show you pictures of her, she's absolutely adorable. She's begun giggling a lot lately- sooo cute! We've been busy- over the past few weeks she's been to the zoo (twice in one week even), a water fountain park, a science center, the fair...

My job hunting is going. I have a few prospects and am moving forward with phone and in person interviews. It's a start!

My mom and sisters were in town Monday/Tuesday. My brothers and their friend are coming today and staying over. Lyn is coming Wednesday and bunking with me until Sunday-- I'm excited to see her and help her find an apartment. My friend from college/Austria Annarie is also arriving in town on Wednesday. I think the three of us are going to hit the piano bar. I haven't seen either of these girls in WAY too long so I'm super psyched! Annarie will be around for about two weeks but has friends to see in DC and Pittsburgh...hopefully I'll get to see her more than once before she flies back out to Cali on the 24th. See what I mean about the month flying by?!

That's all for now- I'm off to an Irish festival with my brothers and then tonight I finally get to see Bug again- his family moved and it's been too long!!

No-Go BlogHer...

Last summer, I wrote a post promising I’d be at BlogHer ‘10.

Yea, not happening!

I have to work tomorrow and since I don’t yet have a job after September, I didn’t think it was wise to spend a lot of money for a blogging conference, no matter how fun it sounds! I’d also love to book a trip to Tahiti (umm, watching the Bachelorette as I type and it’s GORGEOUS there) and buy a MacBook pro…hey, a girl can dream.

So, since I’m not going, I decided it would be fun to link up with everyone else who is staying home and partying out the weekend in our own way…haha!

1. 
   
   
   
   When did you start blogging? Technically in August 2006, but in the beginning it was mostly memes.
2. 
   
   
   
   Why did you start blogging? I was nannying at the time and wanted to record what was going on, plus it seemed like a neat way to journal
3. 
   
   
   
   What is one thing you are going to do this week that is WAY cooler than going to BlogHer? Go to the state fair! Take that! LOL
4. 
   
   
   
   Share a post that you think says a lot about you or is your favorite.  (share the link in YOUR post so we all can see)
   Just one of my favorites...I am an ocean girl!