I'm still buried up to my neck in work work work and pretty much generally hating life. I've always been a good multi-tasker, but either I'm getting old, have way too many things to do, or this project has fried too many of my brain cells because I can't seem to think a coherent thought through to its conclusion even when all reasonable logic dictates it should be possible. The truth is it's not really worth focusing too much energy on because most of my conversations and interactions end up interrupted by family, coworkers or the next conference call. I can't help but think that if I just had fifteen minutes uninterrupted time, I could accomplish a veritable plethora of good. Maybe this is why President Obama hasn't achieved all he intended to do in the first two years of his presidency. Looking to finally achieve peace in the Middle East? All you have to do is... woops, there's another conference call, gotta go. Here's a smattering of thoughts to tide you over until I feel I can wax poetic again (assuming I ever did).

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In the news: A Colorado man pleaded not guilty to shooting at a police officer because of insanity -- he says he thought the cop was a zombie, according to this report. If this report had not said "Colorado man" and if I hadn't known for sure that my husband was not anywhere near Colorado in the past year, I would have scanned down to make sure his name didn't appear in the article. For a grown man with a college degree who claims to have a scientific mind, he spends an inordinate amount of time thinking about zombie attacks.

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The Caterpillar has taken to referring to me as "Fredly." I have no explanation for this.

Me: "I'm 'Momma.'"

C: "No, you're 'Fredly.'"

Dormouse: "Do you mean she's friendly?"

C: "NO! FREDLY!"

Me: "OK, whatever, hun."

C: "OK, Fredly."
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The Dormouse spent three days last week complaining of an ear ache and I kept putting her off because I knew her yearly checkup was approaching. If I schedule their yearly checkups even one day before their birthday (and hers is this week), insurance won't pay. I didn't want to go in for an office visit on Friday and then have to come back five days later for the yearly checkup forms that the school requires and have to pay yet another office visit. Finally, on Friday night (note: after office hours), her complaints reached my two-sizes-too-small Grinchy heart and I took her seriously. I was able to get a flashlight shine far enough down her ear canal enough to see that she had an impacted ear canal (either that or it was an animal from a science fiction movie living in her ear) and subsequently flush out a giant ball of ear wax amidst her screams and protestations. It's ironic, because just last week someone contacted me and offered to send me a free package of these things in exchange for a review on my blog and I ignored the email because, honestly, I thought it was a silly product and couldn't really think of an instance where I'd ever use that. Guess who was in CVS buying them Friday night at about 8:00 pm?

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I'd already purchased all the gifts I intended to procure for The Dormouse's upcoming birthday celebration (hint: it makes a great $20 gift) when The KoH decided to tell her about Stawberry Shortcake dolls. Then he told her that they smell like strawberries and it was All. Over. Pillow Pets have now been demoted to one-step-below-Strawberry-scented-dolls. Anyone interested in a fluffy unicorn?
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Twice a year, our church holds a general conference which is broadcast on certain cable channels, over the internet, and on closed circuit tv at many church buildings. Regular services at regular chapels aren't held on these two days. Since we have a cable channel that carries it, we choose to stay home, wear our pajamas, and watch it on TV in our living room rather than dress up in our Sunday best, drive half way across town, and watch it on TV in the church building. The KingofHearts calls the Sundays we do this, "TV church." Sometimes we cheat and record TV Church, so we can go out of town.

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We went to West Virginia on Sunday to visit with some friends and go pumpkin picking. We used the GPS feature on my fancy-schmancy smarty phone to navigate, since we almost always get ourselves lost when we go out there, but there's a new highway out there that apparently doesn't yet appear on the maps, so the navigation system on my phone showed us driving through lakes and forests. I felt like Michael Scott.

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Picking pumpkins might be tough work, but it's made easier when you have an older sister to help you out.