Springtime!

I spent many hours today getting ready for Easter weekend in Odessa with my family. We hit every store in Sunset Valley and once again I spent my paycheck at Barnes and Noble. They really know what they are doing when they give out those employee discounts! But all the running around, shopping, gift bagging, etc was totally worthwhile because spring is in full swing in Austin. The bluebonnets are out, trees are green, rivers are flowing, grass is growing. It's so completely different from last spring, when we barely had flowers and were already in a dangerous place with the drought. Thank goodness that even though we are still in a stage 2 water ban, and the lake is still 38 feet down, things are green and every morning the grass is wet with dew. In case you are skeptical after seeing the disaster of last year, I have proof.

Looking back and forward and present

I just went back and reread a lot of my posts since I started it a couple of years ago, and I have to say WOW. The person who wrote them, who clearly is not me, is very witty and strong. Whoever that person is has been through a lot and deserves a nice easy few years and a lot of consideration. In fact, her whole family does. Unfortunately, with a court date for Miss Julie's landlady looming ahead in May, it doesn't seem like things will calm down any time soon. Maybe I will get a book deal, or a lifetime movie, or a lifetime series out of the whole fiasco that has been 2007-present. Is it weird that when I had the preschool I would refer to the business owner version of me as Miss Julie, and looking back on the blog I almost can't identify with the me who has experienced and endured so much? I don't feel like I am disjointed on a regular basis, and I don't feel like I am disingenuous while writing this...so how do I explain it? Maybe the me that lives my life every day has to stay in it all the time, no matter what, so it's easier to separate all the crap from the routine. Also, if I blogged, "played on G+, spent too much time on twitter, and read some blogs today." every day, that would be lame, right? And, if I had to just sit around and dwell on all the crap I have put my family through these past years, I wouldn't be able to live with myself! At least, I am once again reminded that I am REALLY lucky to have such an understanding family. And looking forward, I hope I can capture some type of normal, predictable, mom/wife type of thing to make up for it all. I am thinking of some vacation time this summer, reconnecting with friends, relaxing, and embracing the fact that I am no longer 23, so I should not try to drink like I am! For tonight, I am going to Wingo, hoping to win, and celebrating the fact that even though I have a college degree, ran my own business for 4 1/2 years, and am a grown ass grown up, I am happy with a promotion in retail, and despite all the financial disarray, I am pretty content with my life right now.

Springtime in Austin

While I am a fortunate one who does not suffer the winter allergies of the bursting cedar trees, or the mold, I am a springtime killer girl, and have not been a happy camper lately! I think all my feelings of mopeyness and dread have actually been just been my brain realizing the allergies were closing in before my body started going down! It's official... Me and the pollen are fighting a battle royale and I am pretty sure the pollen is going to win. Using Brian's Claratin today, but the pollen is just laughing menacingly at me and swatting away the tiny pills feeble attempts. As soon as I can muster it, I am going out in search of the big guns... prescription allegra! What's up now, pollen? Yeah, you best tremble before my mighty allergy destroyer. OK, so maybe the Claratin makes me crazy, but it doesn't make the itching stop! Besides the deadly yellow crap coating my car, my lungs, my window sills, and my dogs, I get to work 3 days this week, so that is awesome news. I haven't heard from Mareid (she is the manager of the Arbor store) and am wondering if I should call her and let her know from me I am interested. I don't want to be pushy, but kinda I don't care how I come across as long as it's clear I really want the promotion and will rock it's socks off. All right, maybe I have not been fair to poor Claratin, it does try hard, and I am quickly starting to feel better enough to score some of the good shit! ;)

Not a damn thing!

I don't know if it's the post SXSW depression or what, but I am definitely feeling sort of melancholy. Yesterday I had this feeling like I was going to get bad news all day, and I never did, (definitely not psychic.) Then today I have just been feeling a little ick. Maybe it's the fact that I have been cleaning my house for the past 2 days and it really doesn't look any different, except in my bedroom. Should I become a messier person so cleaning will have a greater visual impact? Either way, I am tired too, but that's my own fault. I got sucked into this incredible book about the journey a family goes on when they find out their daughter has a brain malformation that renders her unable to talk. It definitely got me thinking about my own Skyler even more too. The book is called Schuyler's Monster, btw, and here's a link to the author's blog. I totally recommend it, and I don't know that I have ever recommended a book on here before. I have been working on my childhood cult story still, but so far it's just like in a memoir style, and I really want to figure out how to create a me character and tell it as more of a novel. I think the idea of a little girl facing so much strangeness could be compelling, but thus far, it's just a sort of bitchy memoir that would certainly make my mom disown me! I might put a little of it up at some point soon so you can see what I mean. I have also learned the incredible life skill of crotchet. Well, relearned. I learned it when I was young, as we had no TV to entertain us, or windows to look out. See, super weird, right? BUT, the horsemen never got me, so HA, jokes on you all, the closed shades worked! ;) All right, I got nothing today. Hope you are all doing great. Anyone in the area want to stop over for a beer and save me from more laundry, I am always down. In the meantime, check out that book. I think it appealed to my childcare background more than anything, but found myself thinking of all different life experiences while reading it, so it definitely has mass appeal. If you are interested in reading about my crazy childhood, message me and I will try and find a suitable paragraph that won't totally change the way you look at me! Or maybe it will... Just noticed the link didn't post. Weird, so here's the non blue link, ad if you feel so compelled, I guess you can cut and paste. http://www.schuylersmonsterblog.com/