Personality

Daily Dose of Denise

Today is my birthday. 

It’s started just like any other day and I like that.  Seriously.  I really don’t like a fuss, even the Ferrick-fest I didn’t like.  Sort of.  Too much fuss.

The only thing that will be different today (I hope) is that Jenn is coming! Yea!

Michelle and Chris both work today.  I have already worked this morning.  I have laundry and housework to do.  I might do some yardwork or might not.  I have some blogging to catch up on and a ton of books to read. 

I think I’ll be extravagant and hit the Starbucks when I take Michelle to work. 

The perfect birthday – no fuss, no mess, no cake (or cupcakes), no big gifts (except the big check from my mom, which was really nice actually).  Perfect. 

Hmmm, hashbrown casserole would not be considered fussy.

Happy birthday to ME!

Daily Dose of Denise Read More »

Daily Dose of Denise – Evil

Darn. I thought I was more evil than this. I did have some trouble in a couple of places. Is calling someone the C word bad? I mean I’ve reclaimed it so it’s not a bad word. And corrupting a minor – what exactly is considered corruption? Lav – were you a minor? And did I corrupt you? I think you were the youngest of the group, right? Karen – you weren’t a minor either, right?


You Are 42% Evil


You are evil, but you haven’t yet mastered the dark side.
Fear not though – you are on your way to world domination.




Technorati Tags: , , ,

Daily Dose of Denise – Evil Read More »

Daily Dose of Denise – Identity

What do you think? – Johari Window.  (Thanks gipsy!)

OK I posted this late yesterday shortly after listening to Nancy’s Northern Voice session so of course thoughts about identity and us/them and community were rumbling around in my head.  I had this really long half-written post about Nancy and community, then I spotted this little toy on Amber’s blog.  And poof, there went my post.  I can’t finish it because this is better.  And more interesting than my proposing marriage and pledging to love chocolate forever if she’ll have me.

This little Johari Window toy is really really interesting to play with.  If you can find someone you know in "real life" to join you in it, it’s interesting.  If you can find someone whose blog you’ve read for a long time to join you, it’s also interesting.  And if you can find someone whose blog you’ve only just started reading to join you, it’s interesting too.  See, interesting!

How do people see you?  People who know you well, in real life – people who know you well, online only – people who don’t know you at all?   This little box, with a handful of words says an awful lot. 

The first one I participated in was Gipsy’s – I’ve only just started reading her blog, (since January, when she first posted on Blogher).  So I don’t know her well at all.  I created one and two people who know me pretty well have responded and two more people who used names I don’t recognize have responded.  Then I joined Chalice Chick’s Johari Window and found the responses for her interesting, too. (I’ve been reading CC’s blog for more than six months but I don’t know her in person.)

How do people see me – and how do I see other people?  What sort of identity am I presenting here? In other online areas? In offline areas?  What do I see when I read gipsy’s blog?  When I read CC’s?  Why do I think these things? Feel these things?

Tons of questions.  No answers.  Or too many answers?  That’s what identity is, to me.  Tons of questions, tons of answers.  Sometimes the two intersect, sometimes they don’t.  Identity is like that.

Technorati Tags: , , , ,

Daily Dose of Denise – Identity Read More »

Daily Dose of Denise – Tarot


You Are The Star


You represent the ultimate in truth and purity.
Insightful and illuminating, you provide guidance for others.
You also demonstrate unselfish, unconditional love.
You posses many spiritual gifts, including the ability to heal.

Your fortune:

Your future is looking brighter by the day.
The near future will be a time of both hope and healing.
Luck is about to come your way, perhaps the best luck you have ever seen.
Life is about to get a lot easier and much better!




Does this mean my washing machine will be working in the morning?


Technorati Tags: , ,

Daily Dose of Denise – Tarot Read More »

Daily Dose of Family – Daughters

jenn.jpgTW, Michelle and I drove UP to Charleston for the weekend to see Jenn (and Ronnie too, I guess) and her new house (well I guess it is his too but he’s not the important one there). I was reminded of three things during this trip, three things I hope I will not ever forget:

1) I will not EVER book a room at the Red Roof Inn, on Northwoods BLVD, for any reason. NEVER. AGAIN. We stayed there for one night last month and hated it but apparently the learning curve is steep and it took a second trip to really make it sink in for me.

2) I’m getting too darn old for this 12 hours of driving over a 2 1/2 day period. It’s hard to believe it wasn’t more than a couple of years ago that we were driving all over the south following Melissa. This weekend trip is making me rethink the whole Melissa in Atlanta thing at the end of the month, even if TW is healthy enough to go. I AM OLD and TIRED!

michelle_puzzle.jpgAs much as my daughters adore each other, and they definitely do, they do not do well together when I am around. It’s not horrible but there’s some weird undercurrent thing that bugs me to death. I don’t remember it being there all those years ago when were all a big “happy family”. It happened after Michelle and I (and Chris) moved out and left Jenn (who was all grown up and going to college) with her dad (and boyfriend who is now her husband). Michelle was always jealous and wanted me to herself but she’s 15 1/2 and this is getting really weird. Maybe it’s time to reconsider that therapy thing again??? Maybe we could do some double sessions so that when we are all together for Thanksgiving it doesn’t feel crummy?

,

Daily Dose of Family – Daughters Read More »

Daily Dose of Denise – Personality?

I was just telling some folks the other day about how a particular group of people are often surprised by some aspect of my personality. They claim to know me pretty well but when it comes down to it, they really don’t…

And look at this little quizzy – interesting, eh?


You Are French Food


Snobby yet ubiquitous.
People act like they understand you more than they actually do.

What Kind of Food Are You?

, ,

Daily Dose of Denise – Personality? Read More »

Daily Dose of Kids – Pecan Roaches

September_006
Michelle is home. 😉 We know this not just by the scent of popcorn or the music playing behind me while I work or the phone ringing late into the evening. We know this because the drama has begun.

While Michelle was in NJ, she was skateboarding and “hurt her knee”. No big deal, certainly not as big a deal as her Scarlet Fever issue. She came home and didn’t do anymore than the normal Michelle whining about her knee thrown in with the normal Michelle whining about her back, (she is sure she has Scoliosis, thank you school nurses around the world), and I am so use to her whining that I rarely listen.

I’m a bad mom. I’m not all that compassionate in general, except when I’m at work. I’m really not very compassionate when it comes to Michelle and her health dramas. I can totally understand the woman I heard on the radio the other day whose son flunked an eye test at school and she thought he was faking so she sent him to his room without dinner… he turned out to be blind in one eye. Anyway, that’s what life is like here. Michelle is “sick” or “injured” and I only half listen.

So the other day, Michelle was skateboarding here and she came in saying she “hurt her achilles tendon”. OK, let me see… no swelling so stay off of it and would you like some tylenol? Fast forward a few days and she’s limping down the stairs. I ask her what’s wrong, oh remember I hurt my achilles tendon. Ummm Ok, let me see… no swelling, stay off of it, would you like some tylenol?

I head back to the bedroom and hear her at the door asking if we have any crutches. I say no and then quickly say yes, we do from when TW’s sister broke her ankle a couple of years ago… they’re ummm in the garage. Michelle limps off as I chuckle.

September_008
A moment later, she’s back. Umm where in the garage. I chuckle some more. TW says last time she’s seen them they were near the workbench. I am really chuckling at this point because there is no way that kid will know where the workbench is – no work has ever been done on it, she may have never even SEEN it. I jump in and say no, I think they are near the bedframes and mattresses. Michelle asks where the workbench is and where the bedframes are. I explain the bedframes are behind the freezer. TW attempts to explain the workbench by telling her what it looks like. Hahaha, you can’t see what it looks like – it’s on the other side of the washer and dryer.

September_007
I’m still chuckling and continue to read my blog feeds when we hear a crash in the garage. Hahaha. Moments later we hear Michelle making some high pitched whiney noises and the garage door open and close. Michelle mumbling, high pitched moans. TW says – Is she crying?
I say umm, I dunno, maybe and I keep typing whatever it was I was typing.
TW says – well could you go check?
I say ummm sure, in a minute. (see, I’m a bad mom)

I head into the office where Michelle is mumbling and making these weird whiney moans. I ask her if she’s ok. I ask if she found the cruthes. She moans. She shivers.

I am not going in there ever again. Roaches. Dead roaches. Behind the freezer. Millions of them. (moaning, whining, horrible cringing, shivering accompanied this)

I tried not to laugh. Really I swear I did. I couldn’t help it.

September_009

Michelle, honey. Those aren’t roaches. They are… pecans. They’ve been back there for a year. The cats knocked the bag off of the freezer and the dogs ripped open the bag and snack on them whenever they can’t find kitty litter crunchies to nibble on.

She keeps shivering, keeps moaning. She hasn’t found the crutches yet. 😉

Daily Dose of Kids – Pecan Roaches Read More »