I'm feeling a little LUEish

Updated to include photographic evidence of attempt at parenting.

Life...

You know how when a celebrity dies, everyone says that two more celebrities will die soon, because celebrity deaths always come in threes? Is that true of appliance deaths? Because I'm down two in a week and I'm waiting for the third. First, my iron of just a few months fell and busted its noggin. It was still working but I wasn't sure it was a good idea to use. Paul decided to investigate, took the thing apart and now, there is no way it can be used.

First appliance down.

Next, yesterday, I went to get some clothes out of the dryer and they were still wet--and cold. Hmmm, I thought to myself. Maybe someone accidentally set the dryer to air fluff. Uh, no. So, the heater thingamajiggy is broken.

Second appliance down.

I don't really have an abundance of appliances to deal with here. We did have to take the car in because of a leaky coolant hose. Maybe that counts as our third death. I hope so. My budget can't take much more of this.

In other life news, I am seeing a personal trainer. She's a sweet, quiet-spoken young woman. I still wanted to curse her after my session last week though. Ouchy, ouchity, ouch, ouch! My neck muscles even hurt! How is that possible? I'm due to see her again in just a couple of hours and I'm afraid--very afraid. Once more into the breach, my friends!

Paul is traveling this week, just a short little jaunt, but for some inexplicable reason (I love the word inexplicable!) I decided to take a parental stand last night without my wing man. Marley is the worst about taking responsibility for her messes and Paul and I are the worst about making her clean up her messes. If you took an inventory of our house on any given day, you would find that probably 50% of the mess in the entire place is Marley-related items. So, I decided she needed to pick up her Princess Monopoly game on her own--without my help. I didn't want to help her because she is fantastically skilled at turning my helping her into my doing it all alone. (Notice how I deflected my own personal responsibility for that? Hmmm... Maybe she gets it from me.) A fly on the wall of our house last night would have witnessed me remaining calm and collected (There's always a first time.) and Marley going through a Sybil-esque production of tears, yelling, whining, throwing, declarations of mommy meanness--and, in an especially moving part of her performance--rolling on the floor while picking up scrunched up Monopoly money.

At one point during the evening, she was locked in her room. Here is what I saw.

She ended up getting sent to bed early. Her television and computer privileges are revoked until said game is cleaned up. She did make an effort this morning, and while she didn't have time to finish before she left for school, I have high hopes she'll cooperate when she gets home. There's an episode of Jon & Kate, Plus 8 we have recorded which she wants to watch.

My son, He Who Wishes Not To Be Mentioned, was told by the orthodontist that his teeth are moving and he needs to wear his retainers for three months full-time, then go back to wearing them only at night. Fat Chance. We are trying to get him to wear them during the day at least when he is home, but arghh! what a struggle. Teenagers! Who needs 'em?

the Universe...

How do you handle the constant bad news about the state of the world without turning into a blubbery mass of Jello cowering in a corner? It isn't enough that I have to worry about the imminent bird flu pandemic, the war, terrorism, climate change, the dreaded 2008 presidential election... Now, I've got to worry about bees? And not just killer bees, no, there is apparently a mass dying off of bee populations and you know, the whole world will cease to exist as we know it in less than four years if all the bees die.

I wasn't made to handle this kind of stress.

Where's my good news channel? I don't want to completely ignore the bad news, I would just love for it to be offset by some good news. I know there is good news out there, too. If anyone wants to share some, I'm eager to hear it. The world isn't all bad.

Everything...

As the 2006-2007 television season winds down, I'm finding myself relieved. I was raised in front of the television set. And, while I understand the downside, I have to admit, I love TV. From Bones to Heroes to the Tudors, I could go on and on. But I am glad the season finales are getting read to air. I'm ready for a TV breather. (My husband is not going to believe this, but it is true.) Maybe instead of the Summer of Love, I can make 2007, the Summer of No TV. Well, we'll see.