Overheard at Work (and on Vacation)

Despite a little cold I acquired from kissing an irresistible two-year-old boy this week, I had a fantastic, restful, fun, and DELICIOUSLY WARM California Christmas vacation.

Just flew back and, BOY, ARE MY ARMS TIRED!

Overheard at Work:
11-year-old boy: Do you have a hammy aunt?
Me: A what?
Boy: An aunt that smells like ham? I think everyone has one.

Me: I'm going to LA tonight!
10-year-old girl: Why?
Me: I'm going to visit my cousins.
Girl: I know your cousin. Is her name Linda?

10-year-old girl, trying to come up with provocative questions for me to ask at our Annual Staff Holiday Party: If you were Mark, and you tripped upstairs and found a woman, what would you do?

Me: Merry Poopins! I'd watch that movie!
10-year-old girl: Instead of a nanny, it's a poop that comes to babysit little poopies.

Overheard on Vacation:
7-year-old, about his Grammy: Did you know she's the only person to teach me how to spell A.S.S.?

2-year-old, declaring what he is grateful for from 2013 and what he hopes for from 2014: I am happy about cookies. I ask for a swimsuit.

Cousin: I want you to eat it or put it on your plate.
2-year-old: I put it on my penis or put it on my butt.

Just Write {4}

One week from today, I will be high above the middle of the country, en route to Los Angeles.

This will be the third year in a row that I spend the winter holiday break with my cousins and their sons in California.

It's a welcome switch from my grueling routine here in chilly New England, to be on the schedule of a family of two kids under 8, whose days pass with morning playtime, afternoon naps, meals together, TV time, and early bedtimes.

I cannot wait to see that part of my family, drink lots of wine, play games, and hang with the kiddoes.

When I get back, it will be just in time for New Year's, which, despite the cliched heaviness of noting the passing of another year, has been my favorite holiday for many years.

I love new beginnings and the chance to reflect on the year that has passed.

This year was a DOOZY: turning 30 and S getting married would be enough to make it a banner year, but add to that the Boston bombings this spring, a week in Disney World with 150 people, and my grandmother passing away in late September, and I shouldn't be surprised at all that it's all passed so disorientingly quickly.

I forced myself into new situations and learned SO MANY new things about myself.

Two years ago, my New Year's resolution--the first one I'd ever really made--was to SAY YES MORE. Last year, it was to LET MY FREAK FLAG FLY. These resolutions are so closely related, they might as well be twins, but really, what I've resolved to do for two years (and will continue to do in 2014) comes down to this:

BE MYSELF.

Just Write {3}

I am not getting sick.

I am not getting sick.

I am not getting sick.

Mid-day, the left side of my throat started hurting when I swallowed, and now it's my left ear.

Good thing I'm going to the doctor tomorrow!

This is not a good time to get sick.

And besides that, my job is the kind that, unless I cannot imagine getting through the day in whatever state of sickness I'm in, I usually just suck it up and go.

Which pretty much means unless I have a fever or am puking, I go to work.

It snowed today for the first time this season (aside from the dusting we got in October).

And I am still having a hard time adjusting to the reality that it's December.

I haven't even listened (willingly) to ONE holiday song.

It's not so much that I'm Bah Humbugging the season.

I'm just honestly confused that it's not still September.

Just Write {2}

I was talking to my mom about self-inflicted assignments, like the writing project NaNoWriMo and even this "Just Write" series and was all stressed about how I was super busy on Tuesday and would be sneaking in a blog post late at the end of the night, when I realized, JUST WRITE ON MONDAY, ANNIE!

So.

My four-day weekend is over. I purposefully didn't do anything except relax, sleep, eat, drink, and hang with friends this weekend.

It was lovely.

But it also means that I have to budget in time this week to do loads of laundry, clean my house, and get some groceries for myself. It doesn't help that my weekend is already sort of packed with plans and that I have a regular work week, which means getting home after 8 PM all week.

Sigh.

Back to reality.

Countdown to Christmas vacation has begun! 15 work days between me and over a week off!

Just Write {1}

Courtesy of Extraordinary Ordinary's exercise Just Write, here goes my first installment.

Tonight was our Thanksgiving Family Night at work, which means I spent my evening encouraging kids to decorate leaves to add to our ThanksGIVING tree.

One very creative 7-year-old decided he didn't want to make a leaf detailing what he was thankful for, when I first asked him, but on second thought ended up writing many: Pizza, Turkey, Legos, Holidays, Christmas.

It was hilarious.

Last month's Family Night, which was Halloween, I cleaned up spilled pumpkin soup all night.

This time, I talked to parents, kept an eye on the leaf-making and ended up eating a pretty satisfying and traditional Thanksgiving meal.

I won't be having one on Thanksgiving proper, so I was glad to have gotten some turkey, stuffing, potatoes, green beans, and pie out of my work day.

On Thursday, my cousin and I will be indulging in a hodge podge meal of lobster, stuffing, brussel sprouts, and brownies.

I am so excited.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Overheard at Work, vol. XXI

During acting class, in which the kids were tasked with presenting "as ifs" for established scenes, the girls were acting out a scene on an airplane during which a customer needs peanuts and tea from her British flight attendant: "Now, do the scene as if you are at a circus party with hot dudes with no shirts."

The rest of the quotes came last night, during our Halloween Family Night.

This is what I was wearing: Old Chuck Taylor sneakers, two pairs of striped socks scrunched down, bright blue tights, a denim skirt and turquoise belt, a stretchy black long sleeve shirt tucked into my skirt (a la bodysuits), a bright red poncho, ONE blue circle earring, and my hair in a sideways ponytail with a gold scrunchy.

Exactly two young people figured out I was from the 80s.

Here were the other guesses:
Three votes for "schoolgirl,"
Two votes for Punky Brewster,
Two votes for Red Riding Hood,
One vote for Exercise Barbie,
and one vote for a Smurf.

Also, one kid just straight up asked what I would say if she said I looked ugly.

Happy Holidays! (Don't Cry!)

I have to admit to being a little...curmudgeonly about this video.

I watched it and thought, "That CAN'T be live!" Even though I'd cried for the last minute of it.

But then I actually read about it and became a believer.

Is that Amber Tamblyn at 2:55?

Hope you all travel safe this week and have a great Thanksgiving!

I will spending it with the cousins, their good friends (lots of chefs among them), and the baby! (All very exciting.)

Little Bummer Girl

Me: [singing] Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow.
S: Is that really how it goes?
Me: Yeah, they rewrote it for Sinatra, but it's really a sad song. I just read a long article about it. Christmas is SAD, and nobody knows it but me.
S: Yes, Annie, you're the only one who is depressed during the holidays. You're THAT special.
Me: No! I'm just saying, the holidays are sad.
S: Most holiday songs are sad. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is about date rape. "White Christmas" is sad.
Me: No, it's not! Oh wait, yes it is...
S: "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" is sad.

thought of the day, 22: i should have known better

This apartment is lovely: spacious, full of DVDs and hundreds of cable channels, a stocked fridge, kitties to keep me company, a welcoming bathtub. Still, I found myself determined to get out today and thought I'd go out for some shopping. I figured everyone would be at Macy's, not down here.

First of all, I was wrong. It wasn't particularly any worse than normal down here, but the weather was definitely too many people out.

Secondly, shopping alone isn't fun. Why would anyone want to wait on the line at a fitting room by him or herself? That just sounded sad and boring to me.

Whenever I try to venture out to shop by myself, I end up at a bookstore or a Starbucks, sipping a Chai Tea Latte. I suppose one can never be lonely with a great book.

I did, however, manage to buy an iPod case, which I've needed for more than a year. It was under $10. I suppose after-Thanksgiving sales are good for something.

I'm happy enough to be back inside anyway--it's COLD out there. Besides, there are hundreds of cable channels and kitties to keep me occupied.

Thanksgiving Disillusion

I woke up about an hour ago, in my empty apartment, mostly fine with that--I'm heading out soon to housesit at the most beautiful apartment I've ever seen in Manhattan, and figured I'd check out the Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. It's sort of a self-inflicted tradition; I'm always curious to see which Broadway shows are represented and how.

But this may be the first year that I noticed just how badly everyone lip-synchs.

It's a little bit like learning Santa doesn't exist.