Overheard tidbits of conversations that just strike me as funny…

You were in last place until you told me to change your score…

6/10/09

Two more days and I get my first paycheck! Woooohoo! I can’t wait to go speeeeeeeeeeending…..wheeeeeeeee! Dad confirmed today that he’s paying me $7.50 and hour, which is above minimum wage, because he says that I’ve been working hard enough to earn a little extra. He’s a great dad. AND the weather report says that it’s supposed to rain on Monday, which would mean a day off (if it really happens)! I could spend the whole day at the Mall! That would be AWESOME!

I hung out at the lake this afternoon with Sophie until about dinner time. None of our other friends showed up today, and it was kind of nice to be just the two of us. You know, we didn’t feel like we were having to entertain anyone else, and we could just be totally silent and read our books on our towels in the shade, or take a swim and race to the dock. She always wins, cuz her arms and legs are longer, but mine are getting so strong that I really pushed her today. I actually kept up with her! We were both totally out of breath when we got there, and she gave me that shocked look when we pulled ourselves out of the water and sat on the edge. I just shrugged and grinned, and let her wonder whether I’ve gotten faster or she’s gotten slower. It’s fun messing with her mind. It was a relaxing afternoon and one of those I’ll remember forever, just my BFF and me.

6/11/09

Had a great idea! Send Gray a questionnaire about himself…so I can learn more stuff! I don’t have to wait for a response to write him again, do I? (Princess Prissy-Butt picks THE worst moments to try to get my attention. It’s like she just knoooooooows when it’s most inconvenient….like now, when I’m sitting at the computer typing and trying to concentrate. She jumps up on the desk and starts batting at the keys as I type, so I’ll pet her. But when I want to love on her, she’ll have none of it. Stupid cat.)

20 Questions:

1. Favorite piece of clothing -
2. All-time favorite Christmas present -
3. Least favorite chore at home -
4. Dogs or Cats -
5. Favorite cookie -
6. Favorite pizza topping -
7. Allergies? -
8. Food that makes you gag at the mere mention -
9. Favorite type of music -
10. Favorite artist/group in that music -
11. Most irritating person -
12. What kind of car do you want? -
13. Favorite teacher in eighth grade -
14. Movie you’ve watched at least 10 times -
15. Type of books? -
16. All-time favorite book -
17. TV show you’re secretly addicted to -
18. Favorite place to shop -
19. Collections? -
20. Best vacation ever -

Can’t wait to get the answers!

The last week has been full of hormones, mid-life crises, and all kinds of personal drama. Since I started this year-long journey to self-improvement/fulfillment, it seems that a lot of STUFF has been going on in my subconscious. It’s like the silt on the river-bottom of my psyche has been disturbed, making everything murky and unsettled. So I’ve begun having dreams. Weird, off-the-wall, disturbing dreams. I had one about my family, particularly my dead father, last week, which left me very depressed. I finally wrote it all out and sent it to my sister who has studied several books on interpreting your dreams. And do you know what she told me? I’ll tell you…she told me that since I’ve been actually doing something and feeling good about my progress, my subconscious feels okay about bringing up some ISSUES. That since I’m working on myself, and trying to overcome my fears and develop my creative talents, I’m changing….into what, I’m not sure. But I shouldn’t be afraid of the changes, they are good and natural. And that the journey is exciting and scary and fulfilling all at the same time. Oh, and lots of other stuff about changes in attitude about myself…how I view myself. It’s all very interesting, and more importantly, feels accurate. But change is very scary, so I have been extremely emotional and volatile this last week. It’s tiring, but productive. Here’s what is going on with my goals:

Romans – after three months of ignoring my memorizing, I’ve started again and have finally just about conquered chapter 2…a TOUGH chapter to memorize, let me tell you. I’ll be happy to move on to chapter 3. And although I’m technically way behind, it’s okay. At least I’ve started up again and am moving forward.

Weight- Ugh! Don’t get me started. Menopause and the accompanying metabolic slow-down totally SUCKS! I began a 30-day challenge with Hija, to kind of jump-start our diets again post-holiday season, which is fine. But I promised to stay on Phase One (South Beach Diet) until I got down to 198 pounds, which at this point in my life was way too ambitious. I have been on Phase One for two solid weeks now (feels like a month……REALLY), and I still need to lose 4 pounds. A mere five years ago, I could go on Phase One and drop a solid 10 pounds in two weeks. This time…..4. A lousy, stinkin’ 4 pounds, and other than eating a few things too high in fat (peanut butter being the main one, but only once a day!), I’ve been very good. Of course, I’m still trying to get my walking habit back to where it was before November. I’ve walked 3 days this week so far, not too bad. TODAY I walked the WHOLE circuit around HP, which took 65 minutes (I was surprised it didn’t take longer), but I was so tired when I got home. I’ve made a promise to myself that every time I skip walking for no good reason (except on Sunday….a good reason would be running a fever…..but in bad weather I could still walk IN THE HOUSE) that I have to walk that route. That is a very good incentive for me. Anyway….I have weighed between 200 and 202 the last several days, and I’m trying to resist the temptation to starve myself. I know that’s not going to help me get healthy in the long run.

Art – the deadline for my application for Art in the Park is due by March 15 (less than 6 weeks……eek!), and I must have at least 5 paintings completed to my satisfaction by then. I have 3 that I am willing to submit right now, so I need to come up with at least 2 more. But in reading the application instructions, I found that I have to have a representative painting in several different sizes. Oops, all mine are pretty much the same size. I’m hoping I can whip out a couple of small ones before then. Anyway, that is my main focus at the moment.

Novel – Because of the art thing, I haven’t been writing at all. I have tried to plan on writing at least 1000-5000 words per week, to keep it going, but so far……….nothing. I’ll tell you, it is extremely difficult for me to focus on FOUR completely different things at the same time…something always suffers. Sigh.

But overall, at this moment in time (which could change within a few hours!), I feel pretty good about my progress. Now I must go paint….I’m such a good girl.

New update on goals later today. Since I only have like 2 readers, nobody will mind I’m sure.

That’s the headline for my life this week. I can’t seem to pull myself together. I was doing fine until I had a very disturbing dream about my Dad Monday night (he’s been dead for 35 years). I don’t think I’ve dreamed about him since I was 30, but I had a very vivid and realistic one about him and I’ve been alternately depressed and hyper ever since (perhaps bi-polar disorder is catching…I think I’ve contracted it from my son). I have resisted the urge to just crawl in the bed and cover my head, but just barely. As I haven’t written in my journal since then, I really haven’t dealt with the meaning of that dream for myself….I probably will continue to feel this way until I actually think it through, and I’m not ready to do that just yet, I guess.

Anyway, Carly Boone has suffered a stall because I just can’t write about a light-hearted teenage summer while I’m feeling this way…so sorry. Please stay tuned (both of you), she’ll be back soon.

I sooooo don’t feel like giving a detailed update today. I’m working on my goals, okay? Don’t push me!

Romans – working on it.

Weight – working on it.

Painting – REALLY working on it.

Novel – neglecting it at the moment (for painting).

There……..now get off my back.

Watercolor # 7

6/9/09

98 today, but with a tiny breeze. I didn’t try to go to the lake with some of the other girls today, because I had my Headcase appointment. I stayed up an extra half hour last night to make my list of jobs NOT requiring touching (or could use gloves). I almost forgot, but I remembered just as I was turning out the light. Here’s what I took to her:

1) Short Order Cook – (hey, if it’s good enough for Odd Thomas, it’s good enough for me…because he sees dead people and bad spirit-types, he likes to keep his life simple…I totally understand)
2) Dishwasher – same industry…not only do I not have to deal with customers, I get to wear rubber gloves!
3) Bus-person – same thing (of course, these are just jobs, not really careers, but who knows if I’ll even WANT a career…maybe I’ll be a hobo and crisscross the country riding in boxcars)
4) Miss America – they wear those long gloves, don’t they?
5) Dog groomer/walker – I haven’t actually tried to read Tripp’s thoughts, but they wouldn’t be too difficult to figure out…”Ball!…Oooo yeah, rub right there…When’s dinner?…CAT!…Grrrr, mailman”
6) Veterinarian – I do like animals and it would be a real career, and human contact would be at a minimum.
7) Golf Caddy – Well, I would only brush hands occasionally with the golfer (who wears a glove!), and I’d get to be on TV!
8) Ski Instructor – Talk about covered head to toe…we’d all be so bundled nothing would touch…EVER! Now if only I lived within a thousand miles of mountains…
9) Construction Worker – They wear work gloves, right?
10) Any kind of factory where they make food – gotta be sanitary!
11) Trash Collector – Just touching trash…I get no vibes from trash.
12) Hermit/writer – same thing.
13) Crazy artist – they’re all insane I hear…I could do that
14) Professional musician – seriously. I could play in an orchestra…..hmmmm.
15) Race Car Driver/Stunt Driver – if I can ever touch the pedals :(
16) Figure Skater – they’re usually pretty small, right? Only not couples…
17) Scientist/Lab Assistant – latex gloves?
18) Park Ranger – out in the middle of nowhere…with just the grizzly bears and cougars…on second thought
19) Minnie Mouse – she ALWAYS wears gloves…okay, fine…I’ll stop
20) EMT – I know they always wear gloves…threat of infections
21) Zookeeper – I see an “animal” theme going here…I wonder…
22) Helicopter Pilot – just sounds like fun to me!

And just for fun, I added careers I absolutely DON’T want to do:

1) Any professional TEAM sport…NO CONTACT SPORTS (although I could play tennis, golf or swim, I guess)
2) Ballet Dancer – I’ve tried standing on my toes, hurts too much
3) Teacher – no thanks.
4) Anything requiring a swimsuit – too much skin exposed that might touch someone…unless I worked at an aquarium park and worked with dolphins and killer whales
5) Anything that requires jumping out of an airplane
6) Anything that requires touching people (or them touching me) all day as part of the job (without gloves)-flight attendant (tight spaces make for lots of touching), waitress, daycare worker, official hand-shaker, Lady’s Maid (hey, they always have to help their “Lady” get dressed and junk), Airport Security, Politician of any kind (ALWAYS having to shake hands and kiss babies – although babies’ thoughts are kind of blurry), so I guess that leaves out first woman president…I can live with that. Oh yeah, stripper and hooker are totally out…I see on TV how much THEY get touched….shudder….Mom and Dad will be so relieved!
7) Anything having to do with bugs or snakes – nope, don’t think so.
8) Firefighter – no way
9) Astronaut – just the term “G-force” makes me nervous
10) Governess – I want to have my own kids and all, but I don’t think I want to take care of other people’s brats all day (especially when I can actually hear how much they hate me)

Headcase was only a tiny bit amused by my humor…she was wanting me to be more serious about the assignment. Well I’m SORRY, I’m only 13 3/4 and I think it’s a little early to be planning my whole career out now. It’s hard enough just being AROUND people all the time and remembering not to touch them, I don’t want to THINK about what I’ll have to do in the future to earn a living AND avoid touching people (or touching them ON PURPOSE to try to help them)…I’m just not ready for that.

Sigh. We talked about a few of the more vivid memories I have about times I felt “traumatized” by touching someone. There was that time when I was 6 and Mom and I were at the grocery store. She let me go over to the next aisle to look at the toys, and an older man who smelled funny walked up to me and put his hand on my shoulder and offered me a piece of candy. I immediately knew that he was thinking about taking me and he had pictures in his head of what he wanted to do to me. I screamed bloody murder, and started crying and yelling for my Mommy, and people came running from all over the store. The man tried to cover it up by saying that he noticed me all alone and came up to me to ask where my mother was, but Mom knew better. I was shaking and sobbing and clinging to her and she KNEW what was going on. She let it go, so that people walked away, but as she picked me up in her arms and started walking past that man, I’ll never forget what she said to him. “I know what you are, and if I ever see you in this neighborhood again, I will call the police and have you arrested.” She told me years later that she did look him up on the Internet, and sure enough he was a convicted child molester. I still get a little sick to my stomach when I think about him. I think of all the little kids who couldn’t read his thoughts, who were trusting and just went with him to get a piece of candy.

Oh great, now I’ll sleep MUCH better…

6/7/09

Not much to say today. Church. Lunch out with parents and brother (he’s really acting weird, still treating me nice…MUST get to the bottom of this). Lazy afternoon in the air conditioning (still #1 favorite thing), reading and watching chick flick. Played Catan with family….soundly smacked down this game after winning last time…family ganged up on me…only got 5 stinkin’ points……boo. Back to work in the hot, hot sun tomorrow.

6/8/09

97 today and no breeze. Worked until 4 to finish last yard. Soreness in muscles is totally gone, and I’m able to push a little faster. Totally weird thing happened…Matt offered to take me to dinner and a movie Friday night! He has NEVER done that before. I just don’t know what to make of it, but I plan to ask what’s going on……..this is one of those times I wish I could read his mind. Drat. But a free meal and movie….not turning that down! Even if it is with Paranoid Head.

I decided to answer Gray’s email today and not wait. He did sound like he misses me and wants to hear from me soon…I guess I’ll give the guy a break :) (of course, he probably won’t get to read it until the weekend, but he’ll see I didn’t wait too long to write it). Anyway, here it is:

Gray,

I miss you too. I was at the lake all afternoon on Saturday, and I kept thinking how much more fun it would have been with you there. There was a huge group of people from school (and several from your baseball team, including Evan). We played volleyball and Frisbee, ate junk, swam, and generally had a great time (wishing you were here, right? too bad!). Jon was there, and I think he and Sophie are going to get together. He stuck to her like glue, so I think she’s figured out that he likes her. DON’T tell Jon I told you, but Sophie said she’ll give him a chance and see what happens. Personally, I think they’re really cute together.

Nothing else much is going on. It’s still almost 100 every day, with no relief in sight. Where are those cooling breezes we were promised last week? Looks like they got cancelled. I am getting stronger though, and able to push the mower easier. You wait and see, I’ll be so BUFF when you get back, I’ll be able to arm-wrestle you!

My brother asked me out on a “date” for Friday night. What’s WITH that? He’s been treating me almost human the last few weeks, very different from the last several years…ever since before high school he’s acted like I am beneath his notice, now suddenly I’m worthy of his attention again. When we were little, we played together all the time. Even when he was in, like fifth grade he would let me tag along when we were at the mall or the lake and stuff. He was my best friend, next to Sophie. Then when he started middle school, things changed. He was just different. He started hanging out with guys my parents did NOT approve of, and I’m sure he was smoking (although he never got caught). He hung out in his room all the time, playing heavy metal music, drawing depressing pictures with skulls and demons. His grades went down, not a whole lot, but enough that our parents weren’t happy since he has this HUGE brain that he obviously stopped using. They really worried about him. That’s when my dad started making him work with him, mowing lawns almost every afternoon and Saturdays (and all summer). I think it did keep him out of major trouble but he still was sulky and angry a lot of the time, and never said anything to me other than “Don’t touch my stuff,” or “Get out of my room”. So I just quit talking to him, except when our parents made us, like at dinner or “family game night”.

Anyway, sorry to BLURT all that, it’s just that I’m realizing how much I’ve missed him these last FOUR years, and I wonder what’s up with him to suddenly start noticing me again? I guess I’ll find out…I’ll let you know how it goes, okay?

I guess I’ll go…no exciting branding, roping, or castrating going on MY life. Tell me more about what you’re doing!

Carly

Writing a Haiku
I might stinkin’ mess it up
Poems – not my thing.

Is that technically right? I know it doesn’t have the vivid imagery some have, but I don’t think I’ve tried it since, like, high school. It seems that everyone is writing them lately, they are popping up all over the place, so of course I HAD to try it. I’m not one to back away from a perceived challenge to my intelligence. I’m insecure and defensive like that.