• Confessions,  Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?,  Queen of Denial,  Something That Could Change Your Life

    The Haircut (Alternate Title: “I Guess It Just Wasn’t Meant To Be.”)

    March 11, 2012

    My hair has never been long, thick, and glorious. It’s been long. That’s it. One out of three? Not so great. I have always wanted to have bouncin’ and behavin’ hair that has just the right amount of curl and looks just as full at the end of the day as it does in the morning. I have always wanted to put my hair up in a messy-on-purpose-but-still-looks-cute ponytail, or a casual bun with pretty tendrils gracefully hanging down on each side of my face. I have always wanted to have hair that allowed barrettes and other accessories to cling to it rather than sliding off almost immediately as if…

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  • My Kid Has Mad Skillz,  Proud Moments

    Animated

    January 26, 2012

    I’m headed up north and over the border today (to Wisconsin), to bring D home for his five-day break between his three-week January term and spring semester, which begins Wednesday, or as we call it in this house, “One day post-Lenny”. It’ll be nice to have D home for an extended weekend, as always. I’m excited to hear what he thinks about his old room–now J’s room–which we painted last weekend (pictures will be posted as soon as I get the rest of his new bedding and figure out a new window treatment). I’m also looking forward to hearing all about the animation class he has been sitting through for…

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  • Confessions,  UGH.,  Writing

    Let The To Do List-ing Begin!

    November 16, 2011

    After yesterday’s announcement, I was pretty keyed up and had the absolute worst night of sleep in recent memory. It took me two hours to fall asleep in bed because I was thinkingthinkingthinking, and I was wide awake again after about two hours because I was thinkingthinkingthinking. I came downstairs at about 3:30 a.m., turned on the television and opened the ole’ laptop. I worked on a post, checked emails, and scrolled Facebook–but not for long because my friends were all sleeping at the time and there were few updates posted since I had gone to bed earlier. I finally went back to sleep on the couch and got about…

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  • Random Thoughts

    NaBloPoMo 2011: Oops, I Did It Again.

    November 2, 2011

    Look over there, to the right, below those adorable social media stars that D created for me, and below the Pinterest badge. See that? That badge that says “NaBloPoMo is Glorious Madness”? Gah. And yikes. NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) is an ongoing monthly “event” during which those who participate commit to post for the entire month, each and every day. Participants sign up at the beginning of each month. November is the largest of the monthly celebrations of NaBloPoMo. Thousands of bloggers sign up in their commitment to post each and every day in November, and there are even prizes offered. I did NaBloPoMo in 2007, 2008, and 2009.…

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  • Confessions,  Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?

    Question of the Day: Got Gas?

    October 23, 2011

    I’m borrowing the “Question of the Day” format that my buddy Momo Fali uses on occasion, not only because it works in this case but because Momo often feels like bad/odd/embarrassing/uncomfortable situations seek her out somehow, and, well, just read this. You know how you go out of town for Parent Weekend at your kid’s college, and you have an awesome time taking him out to Target, and to eat, and to the football game, and to Casino Night, and then when you get up the next day you take him to breakfast and hug him goodbye and then go to fill up the gas tank before you get back…

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  • Childhood Memories,  Confessions,  Do I Really Want My Readers To Know This?

    Missing A Sensitivity Chip

    October 6, 2011

    Back in the 80’s, I was a very typical teenaged girl, music-wise: I was completely over-the-moon about the (Second) British Invasion, especially the music groups involved, and especially Duran Duran. In fact, two years ago I wrote a whole post about my love for “D-squared”, and it covered the white-hot intensity of my obsession pretty well. (Click here to check it out; you won’t regret it.) Unfortunately, I never got to see them perform live. Fast forward to October of 2011. Duran Duran is touring, and yesterday I had to turn down free tickets to see them. I know. I KNOW! The tragic nature of that statement alone is beyond…

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  • Tough Questions

    Restricted?

    May 30, 2011

    I have a little rant to share with you this evening, so please indulge me for just a few minutes of your time. This afternoon, Jim and I went to see “The Hangover: Part II” with my sister and my mom. The movie is rated R, and yet there were still two couples there who brought their small children. How small? One of them was four or five, and one of them was a baby, drinking a bottle. The “R” rating given by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) doesn’t prohibit children from attending a movie with an adult, though: the definition of the rating is R-Restricted Under 17…

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  • Chicken in the Car,  Fun in Chicago,  I've Got Mad Skillz,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  Proud Moments,  Something That Could Change Your Life

    Move Along, Nothing To See Here…

    May 23, 2011

    I know. It’s been a few days. Well, only four, but in the blogosphere, four days can seem like an eternity. In fact, I have lots to share but no time to share it at the moment. I met my publisher in person over the weekend when we drove down south (in a loaner Chevy Tahoe Hybrid from General Motors, thank you very much!) for my niece’s graduation: my publisher’s office is only about twenty minutes from my sister-in-law’s house. I got a great package from the United Kingdom, full of goodies that made me totally giddy. I got a great package from Cape Cod, containing something that made me…

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  • Random Thoughts

    Here’s Where I’m At.

    April 25, 2011

    I’ve said it many times over the past few months: I never imagined I could ever be this busy, ever. That’s a pretty amazing statement, considering everyone I know claims that they don’t know anyone who runs at full-tilt like I do. Just when I think I have more than enough on my plate, something else shows up. My to-do lists are starting to regenerate themselves without my assistance. (And if that makes sense to you? Wow, you need some rest just like I do!) The good news is, as each day goes by, I’m starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I see a time…

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  • Uncategorized

    Forced Slow Down

    April 15, 2011

    Unless this is your first day reading Suburban Scrawl (*waving to newbies* “Hi, and welcome!”), you know that I tend to keep myself fairly busy (and apparently enjoy understatements). It’s something I’ve grown accustomed to over time. I get up in the morning and go from zero to eighty in about ten seconds. And thinking? Yikes. I think all the time. My brain keeps me awake at night quite often, even though I have a pad of paper near my bed so I can jot things down and “get them out of my head”. It’s abnormal for sure, but it’s in my personality to be like this, so it’s my…

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