Lost Weekend

Saturday morning Logan got up bright and early and ran off to work on his sailboat. He was careful not to wake me up, but Eric had already beaten him to that punch. Mr. Excitement called around, oh, 7:22 on a Saturday morning wanting to know what I was doing. In a perfect world, I'd be shagging the brains out of some gorgeous 20-something stud enamoured with me for my fabulous writing, but the cold reality was I was alone in bed with a plastic CPAP mask attached to my face (which greatly amuses Weyland, who loves space operas and aliens, and thinks my breathing apparatus makes a great costume). I tried getting back to sleep, to no avail. Eventually, I got up and tried to rouse the kids. We made it to LMRA in time for the picnic being held by my department at work, ate a little watermelon (None of us were very hungry, but we'd had a late breakfast at Sonic.), and then spent the next two and a half hours swimming. I got a little more sunburned, but Brighid is starting to tan. When we got home, I took a brief nap, then took the kids to bardic.

Padraig never showed (well, he hadn't showed by 11:15 p.m., which is when we left), so no one felt like singing. They act like he's the only bard in the world. I may not be a guitar player, but I have a passing fair voice, and can usually carry a tune. And Padraig even said I needed to attend bardic because he wanted to hear me sing. So I was a little put off by the underwhelming welcome I received.

I stopped playing actively in the SCA several months ago because I just wasn't having fun anymore. After I was turned down for membership in House Mac an Gabhain because they don't like Logan (as if Logan would even join!), I lost a lot of desire to even be around those people any more. Then when I spent the night in the tent of a certain "gentleman", waking the whole encampment several times with the noise of our ardor, I think I was instantly branded a hussy and silently shunned (this from the organization nicknamed "Society for Consenting Adults" and the group known for singing very bawdy songs such as "Barnacle Bill" at the top of their lungs!). After last night, I'm really starting to doubt I will ever go to another SCA function. I've never been treated by anyone as a true friend in that I'm never confided in, never asked to be a part of any hijinks or behind the scenes, secret goings-on. I've tried to bond with people at events, but I guess I'm just too weird for them.

Yesterday, I laid in bed a lot, watching design shows like "Designing Cents" and "Curb Appeal", just relaxing, letting my back stretch out. I had tried coaxing Logan into bed with me, but he rushed off again to go work on the sailboat. So after a bit of fun on my own with an electrical device (I'm almost getting tired of this particular relationship, as it's so one sided. I'd really like a massage and a kiss sometimes instead.), I took a brief nap, then took the kids to the video store to return the old movies and get new ones. We stopped for shaved ice snow cones on the way home. I had my favorite, blue coconut. I only like it to be blue. Sometimes coconut snowcones are white, in which case I don't want them. Once home, I tried to watch "The Life Aquatic" but after 30 minutes, gave up in disgust. It was just too stupid. After the news was over, a really good show, "The Ultimate Survivor", all about the evolution of man, came on. Weyland and I tried to watch it, curled up in bed with the very affectionate cat, Cruack, but we only made it to about 12:15 a.m. before I was overcome with sleepiness and had to shoo Weyland off to his own bed.

Today, I'm at work, eating tortilla chips for lunch because I don't feel like going downstairs to get American-Chinese buffet and I didn't bring anything. Here in a bit, I'll get a glass of water and then go walk down the hall, down the stairs, up the hall, and back up the stairs. Just that little bit of exertion raises my pulse from round 75 up to 136, so I'm not really going to increase the amount of exercise until my pulse doesn't jump quite so much. Yesterday, I mentioned to Beth that she might come over and go for a walk with me. She didn't manage to do so, but maybe today.

I seriously need to take better care of myself, but this morning, I felt like I might have a slight fever and I have a sore spot on my neck which might be a swollen lymph gland. I so do not want to have a summer cold or the flu. If I'm coming down with something, then I just want to crawl in bed and have chicken soup. Mostly, I think, I'm just tired.

Life in Nada Pasa

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I've written. I've been incredibly busy at work since Jeanine is on leave until July 15th, having had a hysterectomy about ten days ago.

Last weekend, Logan, the kids, and I spent the weekend at Cedar Hill State Park. Logan went out in the boat, fishing, and caught only one small catfish. The kids and I went swimming and all caught sunburns, despite slathering gallons of SPF45 sunscreen on our bodies. I took off Saturday evening to go to Girls' Night Out at Shellie's, where we ate lots of good food, didn't drink much, and played Mystery Date. When I got back Sunday morning to the campsite, the kids were enjoying feeding apples to squirrels who left for a while but came back with friends. Funny how that happens. Logan has lost about 25 pounds since getting his little boat fixed up and on the water. Maybe I need to start rowing.

I'm trying to slowly change my life style by doing things such as cutting out Cokes, drinking more water, eating more raw fruits & vegetables, and walking during lunch, but today I broke down and had a Coke. I don't drink coffee, and sometimes I just need that caffeine kick.

Took a break and didn't get back to this until today. I'm starting to wonder just what the hell the point is to all this blogging. My main frustrations this weekend have been spending all my money when I had the kids in tow (It ALWAYS works out that way when I take them out.) so as to be unable to take Logan out to eat on Father's Day (not that he's my father, but the kids seem to like him, so I guess I'll keep him around), and not being able to figure out how to hook up my DVD player and the satellite box at the same time.

Eric and I may hit the Shamrock this week, perhaps Wednesday. I'm seriously looking forward to it since Logan took the weekend off, and I couldn't.

Madame Resident

At the family reunion this past weekend, I sorta volunteered to be the president of the Sitton Family Association since no one else seemed hip to do it again. Robbie has done it, what, 6 or 7 times? I was told all I have to do is write a couple of letters, one wrapping up the past family reunion, and one about a month before the next one giving details of the arrangements. I may have been lied to and there's more to the job, but I don't think it could be much more laborious than that.

I have a couple of ideas I want to put into action - a Yahoo! email forum, Sitton family t-shirts with perhaps a picture of Daddy Frank and Momma Jane on the front, and perhaps a Sitton family directory complete with addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and most important to me, who hasn't seen most everyone in several years, pictures.

The family reunion was nice, if small (about 25 - 30 people showed up), so it pretty much began and ended Saturday. Sunday, I helped clean the hall we had rented for three days at the Best Western, and the kids swam in the cold pool. They tricked me Saturday, telling me the water was warm, so I got in for a few minutes, but quickly hopped out when they started splashing me. After we packed up and checked out, we made our way to Denton to Jessica's house in order to visit with Sue, who didn't make it to the reunion. Elaine's husband, the Swiss-born Jean-Marie, Jessica's husband, Miles, and Logan all took off in search of what Jean-Marie considered decent coffee, and we (me, Jessica, Elaine, TR, and Sue) all played cards well into the night. A good time was had by all. I'm glad I went to the reunion and then to Jessica's.

I'd forgotten that I really do like my cousins, and they seem to like me. Mommy always kept us home, as she believed the Sittons didn't like her. As a result, I grew up not knowing my cousins very well. I've decided I'm not going to be the reason my kids don't know their cousins. I'm going to make an effort every year to at least go to Cisco for the reunion, if not other holidays. Of course, this means I need to make an effort to get up to Wise County as well for Graveyard Working each April. The kids need to know their Bridges relatives, too. Now if only Logan and his brothers could resolve their differences. They have several first cousins from that bunch. I guess I shouldn't forget Lindsay in Virginia, either. I need to get in touch with her. I haven't seen her since she was four years old, and now she's, what, 20?

Logan took the kids to Eagle Mountain Lake today. I don't know if they've gone fishing or swimming or both. Logan seemed uninclined to talk on the phone a while ago, so I don't have the details. I wish I was out on the water. Jeanine went in for her hysterectomy today, a couple of weeks early, so I get to enter the invoices rather than do my job. She's going to be out 4 - 6 weeks. Let's see, Mary was out 2 weeks, then Jeanine was out a week, back one week, then will be out 4 - 6 weeks. It'll be September before I get caught up on my work. We're trying to get a temp, and I'll get to train him/her, but for now, the majority of the load falls on me. Oh, well - job security.