Snagged from jennjr:

Foods I loved as a kid, but don't like now:
Sugared gum. Cherry licorice (it's gotta be strawberry or nothing!). Meatballs. Captain Crunch (destroys the gums).

Foods I hated as a kid, but love now:
Asparagus & broccoli. Mostly, I've never grown up.

Foods I'll never eat. Hated 'em as a kid, hate 'em now:
Onions.  Brussels sprouts make me gag. Stuffed cabbage. Undercooked fish, chicken or meat. Peanut butter & banana sandwiches. In fact, bananas in general kind of gross me out. Yogurt. Wheat bread. (Multigrain is fine.)

Favorite Breakfast Foods:
Bagels with cream cheese. Matzah brie during Passover (served with cinnamon and sugar). Cheese, cherry or apple blintzes. Pancakes, waffles or French toast. Omelets. Treyf stuff -- sausage and bacon, yummy. Fresh fruit.

Favorite Dinners:
Pasta of almost any kind. I love a tomato cream sauce on pasta, especially if you add some asparagus, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and chicken or shrimp. Fresh lobster is a regular craving but I rarely get to eat it. A good steak is nice.

Favorite Dessert:
Ice cream. Fresh apple pie. Chocolate-chip cheesecake. My mom's friend brought over a fresh fruit tart from Mitchell Cobey last weekend and I almost inhaled it.

Any Comfort Foods?
G-d, yes. Mac & cheese with extra cheese. Chocolate pudding, especially homemade (I will sometimes mix a package of tapioca with a package of chocolate and cook them together... try it!).

Coke or Pepsi?
Coke.

Coffee or Tea?
Tea.

Beer or Wine? Red or White?
Either; it all depends on the environment. At a baseball game or sitting out on a summer afternoon, I want a beer. With dinner or at a dinner party, I'll go with wine. I'm kind of babyish about it and I don't tend to like really oaky reds. I like fruity wines. Coppola does some nice reds, and Sokol Blosser in Oregon makes a white called Evolution 9 that's incredible.

["Somewhere Only We Know," Keane]

1. Pfizer: Viagra Doesn't Cause Blindness
Nope, just tunnel vision. The guys can see, but they only have eyes for one thing....

2. Abdul Urges Tough Nail Salon Standards
Thank G-d Paula Abdul is speaking up! Finally, pampered princesses with nail fungus have a voice!

3. Boy, 16, Critical After Fla. Shark Attack
"What's up with the fucking sharks," he glowered. "I'm just out there doing my own thing, and the shark attacks me! These damned sharks need to be taught some manners! And while I'm at it, this hospital food sucks ass, and I'm not getting nearly enough painkillers."

4. Breast-Feeding Is Urged for Preemies
Geez, the poor babies often can't breathe on their own, and now they have to figure out breastfeeding? Can they even lactate yet?

["Don't Dance," Erasure]

Chicago has the greatest stores ever.


(Thanks to Gaper's Block for pointing this out.)

["Waterloo," Abba]

My review (which was really due at the beginning of May), is going to take place today. I've been having intermittent nightmares about it for several weeks now. I have no idea what to expect, because I never know how I'm doing here. I also have this really strange problem of always assuming I'm in BIIIIG trouble.

I was terrified about last year's review. But when I went in, they told me that I was getting a 5% raise (the highest they give, I guess), and the only thing they had to complain about was that I tended to work 38-hr workweeks instead of 40 and up. This was my first year at Corporate, and when I worked in the stores, we were instructed to work 37.5 hrs and to avoid the potential for overtime like it was toxic (or tied to your manager's bonuses, more likely).

I have been anal about working EXACTLY 40 hour weeks since then, which has caused me no small amount of stress, since my commute was generally an hour or longer each way, and I had to be sure to get back to the city before 6 pm to pick one or both kids up before the preschool closed. I basically haven't taken more than 10 lunch hours in the past year. I don't work out at work anymore.

Now that we've moved closer and Jake will be taking a schoolbus to kindergarten, that issue should ease and hopefully, I'll be able to relax a little.

Unless my review sucks, in which case you can assume I'll be freaking out for another fucking year. Welcome to my Type-A psychosis!

This is how I'd sum up my conversation with a few robots at SBC last night, when I discovered we still didn't have phone service after one month and three visits....

What did YOU do?

Damn, is it the full moon yet?

I can't get into all the details because I'll just annoy the living shit out of you. SBC can't hook up our phones because they couldn't figure out how to get the line from the basement phone room into the apartment, so we still have no home phone. I called the landlord about having SBC re-wire the apartment, and he authorized it financially but was a jerk on the phone to me.

We also have no shower, since DH removed the crusty, non-working showerhead, and the new one I bought doesn't fit the ancient pipes. The majority of outlets are two-pronged, not three, so we can't plug in an air conditioner -- of course, between DH concussing himself on Saturday and then totally wiping out and destroying his shoulder last night blading home, he can't lift a damned AC unit anyway.

So we still need to fix the shower (I showered at work today, in the women's locker room), and we need to replace a few outlets pretty soon, since it's going back up to the 90s by the end of the week.

Oh, and we've spent all our money on movers and household stuff, so I can't purchase anything other than milk or gas until Friday's payday, when I'll hand over my check to the nanny anyway.

On the upside, I managed to assemble the train table, unpack three wardrobes and five medium boxes, and arrange stuff in the bathroom so when we can shower, we'll have towels and toiletries. I also put in the kids' stereo and clock, which prompted Jacob to thank me profusely for "helping the family." I was unpacking books in the dining room when the kids were supposed to be sleeping last night, and I heard them chatting and playing.

"Do you guys think I can't hear you out here?" I called. "Seriously, do you think I'm stupid? Go to sleep, you two!"

From the top bunk, Jake called out to me. "Mommy, you're NOT stupid! You're helping the family!"


So, how are you?

We had our first graduation last night. Jake graduated from preschool (so to speak). Many non-parents scoff at stuff like this, but I think it's adorable that the teachers make a celebration out of big steps like going from preschool to "big kid" school (aka elementary). Besides, you should have seen it. My camera plotzed out early on (rechargable batteries suck ass), but I snuck in a few shots.

The teachers took white yarmulkes, attached a piece of white cardboard and some blue ribbon, and each kid wore his or her mortarboard. They did a little processional from Room 3 into Room 2, each got a little "diploma" and a flower, and then all the kids got up and sang a song. The music teacher, Susan Salidor, began the concert by saying this was her tenth graduation at the school, and usually the kids choose what she calls a "rainbows and smiles" song -- something goopy about friendship, etc.

Not our kids. They choose "Old Man Tucker," the words to which include:

Old Man Tucker was a fine old man
He washed his face in a frying pan
Combed his hair with a wagon wheel
And died with a toothache in his heel

CHORUS, MOSTLY SHOUTED: Get out the way, old Man Tucker
You're too late to get your supper
Get out the way, Old Man Tucker
You're too late to get your supper!

The kids made their own cardboard instruments, and before the singing began, Jake ran up to show me his bass guitar, which he made with four strings, an on/off switch, and volume control. I'm so proud. Can't wait to get screen snaps from the video and send them to Bryan Beller & Mike Keneally.

Anyway, check out my Flickr badge/link for a few pix before the camera puked and died. I'm off to the Pit of Despair for another fun day of testing.

["My Bird Performs," XTC]

1. When packing for a move, be sure to avoid packing oneself into a corner.
2. ... especially when one is pregnant and can't lift said boxes.
3. The Fiji Island Sugar Scrub that so magically transforms one's legs does very little to improve one's eyes if accidentally rubbed into them.
4. If one drinks three cans of Lipton's Fruit Flavored Iced Tea and still doesn't have to pee like a racehorse, one is dehydrated.
5. .... especially (bad) if one is pregnant.
6. There comes a time in every person's packing experience when organization is tossed out the window and one simply dumps drawers full of shit into empty boxes.
7. Or even garbage bags.

Oh, kids, your old pal JT is really having a rough time. The whole moving thing is so stressful because, like wedding planning, it takes exactly as long as you give it and makes you crazy the entire time. Now, we have not one but two apartments that are in chaos, and it's driving me and DH over the edge.

Also, it's brutally hot and sticky in Chicago. The kind of hot and sticky that keeps you from taking deep enough breaths, ya know? We have two AC units -- one in our living room and one in the dining room (right outside the boys' bedroom), but even with a couple of standing and ceiling fans, we just can't keep cool.

I have been resorting to sleeping on the sofa until I wake up at around 3 am, and then slipping into the bedroom. But by then, I can't sleep and just drift, with all the have-tos streaming through my broken brain.

Here now, my to-do list:

1. Teacher gifts for Jake & Danny's teachers
    A. Main teachers (4)
    B. Assistant teachers (shit, there are a lot of 'em....)
2. Shrink at 3 pm if I can sneak away from work (done)
3. Four pages of test cases that I must enter today by 2:30 pm (done)
4. Pack bedrooms, kitchen, stuff that's in drawers in living room & dining room, closets
5. Buy more newsprint paper from storage place for all the dishes (done)
6. Pack an overnight bag with enough stuff for a weekend (kids' version) (done - Thanks, Alberta!)
7. Pack suitcase with weekend stuff for me & DH
8. Bring cats to new apartment Friday night, with their food, water fountain and litter box
9. Get keys copied
10. Bring kids to my parents' Friday night
11. Take out cash to tip movers
12. Stock up on water, iced tea, coke etc at the new apartment for the movers (that one six-pack of Gatorade will just not do)
13. Get license changed
14. Get Jacob's birth certificate
15. Register Jake for kindergarten and bus service
16. Get Evanston parking permit & registration for car
17. Get season passes for Evanston beach before the prices go up
18. Assemble all the bookcases I got at IKEA this weekend (only $17.99 each!!!!)
19. Think of something nice to do for DH for our anniversary, which is, oh, this Thursday
20. Ditto Jacob, who graduates from preschool, also this Thursday
21. Wrap Father's Day presents, and get FD card for my dad (DH hates cards)
22. Write meaningful, funny thank-you notes to all the teachers to go with the gifts that I still don't have for them
23. Pick up roses at Costco on Thursday to present to the teachers at graduation (Let's just skip this one, shall we?)

Is it any wonder I can't sleep? Oh, and if anyone has suggestions for the teacher gifts, please pass them along -- they're almost all women, and they're all young. I would get the one guy beer mugs, but most guys I know just drink out of the bottle -- or hell, out of the tap.

["Thanksgiving," Mike Keneally & Bryan Beller live acoustic version]

I made it back from Phoenix in time to see the last half of Mike Keneally's show at Schuba's, and was so pumped from what I saw and heard that I went with DH to Milwaukee the following night to see Mike again at Shank Hall.

Here now, the thoughts that went through my head at Shank.

1. Music nerds make me even more nauseous than carrying this baby does.
2. I want to create a web site called musicfaces.com, and show pix of musicians making faces while they play and sing.
3. Is there a correlation between music faces and sex faces?
4. Am I the hottest chick in here, and if so, how dubious a distinction is that?
5. From my perspective, the way the blue spot was highlighting Bryan (Beller, the bass player extraordinaire) made it appear his left wrist was glowing blue fire -- which, if you think about it, is very apt.
6. Dude. You so cannot play air guitar while sitting in front of Mike Keneally.
7. Ditto air drums in front of Joe Travers.
8. Mike should sell train whistles with the "Play Loud" logo on one side, and "The Mike Keneally Band Rode Me Like A Bitch" on the other.
9. Mike gave me hugs on both nights and called me "Sweetheart." I think I have a crush.
10. I've never heard so much sound sound so good.

In other notes, Baby #3 kicked for the very first time (or, at least, I felt it for the first time) while the band played "Hum." And I promptly came up with a beautiful girl name, which DH later vetoed because it's not biblical. John Wilcoxon beat me to telling Mike about the baby kicking, but Mike still thought it was cool, and is now calling the baby Hum. Which, I guess, is okay as long as it doesn't morph into "Hummer," which is either conspicuously disgusting, or a porn name. And while I hope my child has both a healthy attitude toward sex and money, I'd prefer that he or she not be well-known for abusing either. 

Long story short, words can't well express how good these guys are. If you have a chance to see them, please do. Or at least go to Keneally.com and get yourself some unbelievable CDs. The gentlest is "Wooden Smoke," and was my introduction to Mike -- in fact, I liked it so much, I played it in the delivery room while in labor with Danny. (You can also hear Mike and the stuff he likes at radiokeneally.com and noneradio.com, respectively, for free. However, it's always nice to support the bands!)

["Car Song," MK & Beer For Dolphins, via Radio Keneally]

You guys rock. Seriously. If poor DH wasn't working like 80 hours a week right now, he'd be so sick of my bitching. Thank goodness I have my Blog friends to put it all into perspective and let me bitch it out... I'm still disappointed but no longer homicidal. Instead, I'm going to throw some shout-outs to some special people:

Almsthvn, who is going to have a big day tomorrow. I wish I could be there to bring you a pitcher of margaritas and a big fat cake tomorrow night. I'm happy for you that you're moving forward with life.

ScubaDiva, I'm sorry you're having a difficult time. I'm not going to intrude on your solitude or what's left of your privacy [grin], but just know that people here will look forward to reading you when you feel like blogging again.

S.O., I'm so very sorry for your loss.

Irish, buddy. Keep swinging it. Work that golf club, too. [rimshot]

Trek, I've been a poor excuse for a blog friend lately, but I think of you and J. and your kids often and wish for you a peaceful home.

Orange, I hope the weatherman was wrong and it's 80s and sunny.

Jennie, you are one of the best people in the whole wide world, and I'm so very lucky to be able to call you my friend. You are the sister I should have had.

Alberta (who doesn't read this blog but really deserves this), thank you for giving me peace of mind by caring for my boys as if they were your own. Thank you even more for offering to spend your day off doing my laundry and packing for me. Wow, am I ever a spoiled girl.

DH, if you're out there... I know you don't have time to do things like read anymore, but I hope you had a good lunch today and people are treating you right. You work harder than they deserve and I'm really proud of you.

["Jamba Finete," Kaoma]