Rainbows and lightening

I just missed the lightening flash.

Exhausted

… again. I don’t think I’ve gotten more than 4 or 5 good solid hours of sleep in the last 7 days. Some days even less, only one or two due to insomnia, children with nightmares, or hip/back pain. Despite all of my chiropractic therapy, I’m really afraid that I might be developing arthritis in my hips, knees, and hands. It runs in the family. I’ve had CTS before (had to use a brace for 6 weeks!!! thank goodness someone loaned me Dragon Naturally Speaking at the time. An English Lit major not able to type up her papers … oi!), that was no fun.
I’ve given in. between @jasperblu, @phraktyl, and two co-workers I am going to try acupuncture. My office-mate gave me the name and number of the doctor he goes to, and she went to the trouble of finding out his rates and if he’s open on Saturdays since she knows that I live out in BFE.

Boring and dry, ain't it?

I’m hoping to get some time this weekend to soak in a nice hot bath. That’s my incentive to clean (don’t ask and I won’t tell).

Wordless Wednesday: Sunset over Downtown

Wordless Wednesday: Sunset over Downtown
Originally uploaded by Nannerlady

Photo Friday: Unforgettable

Firey clouds
Originally uploaded by Nannerlady

Fire plagues Southern California in the summer time. Last summer, as fires swept across the mountains, my family and I were safe, but the smoke billowing up into the sky was incredible. i took this photo as we came out from lunch one weekend afternoon.

Music Monday: California Gurls

Well, it had to end sometime. The Autumn Equinox is this week.  Even here in SoCal we observe the end of summer. Boots come out to replace sandals. Jeans and sweaters come out at night. Non-natives start complaining about the lack of "weather" (which, after living 9+ years in Oregon, I maintain is overrated). Ski passes are bought. Some of us mourn the end of summer. Especially when it was so short and went by so quickly that we could barely enjoy it.

You may not like Katy Perry (I do, she’s a hoot!!), but I think her song was this year’s summer anthem.

Bonus: The misquotes of the lyrics by my son had us laughing for a few days :)

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Hopalong Cassidy and Da’ Brat: The Week in Review

What an exciting week!  Not. Tiresome. Emotionally draining. And other phrases that just thinking about them bring your spirit down. To recap:

• Monday – I don’t recall very well. It’s a blur. It involved Joy being sick. Green, icky, snotty, coughing, etc. Oh yeah, short day at school. Wouldn’t get up. Care provider had appointment and couldn’t watch her. Josh was supposed to pick up from school anyways. Executive decision – Joy stays home from school, supposedly bored out of her ever-loving mind, only allowed to come out of her room to eat (I wanted to make a point. If she was faking, she’d be bored, if she was sick, she would rest and be glad to). She convinced Josh to let her watch DVDs downstairs. He did get her to put dishes away and eat dinner early, so that was a win.
  
• Tuesday – Normal morning, hellish evening. Joy wouldn’t do her HW after much cajoling, posturing, punishment, caving to her demands, etc. At 9 I finally sent her to bed and told her I would wake her at 5AM to finish said homework and get her ready for Picture Day. She cried herself to sleep. I didn’t feel guilty in the least. Just drained.

To vlog or not vlog - that is the question

Yes, I know I am behind the times on this one. But some other projects and simple lack of time, have made me consider vlogging. I just don't want to torture you, my faithful friends and readers. These would be unedited, off the cuff, and most likely posted from my phone as time permits. Because really, when do I not have my phone with me? And it uploads automatically to YouTube! And it may (or may not) prepare me for podcasting on Nick and Nanner on Tech

So ... let me know. The poll closes in one week.



Thanks for your input.

If you think I'm a spoiled princess...

Disclaimer - this is a rant and involves some personal schitt that I don’t usually discuss in public. If you don't care to be a voyeur, stop reading now.




I got this shirt as one of those “My xxx relative went to xxx and all I got was this lousy T-shirt” type gifts for my daughter.  It was meant to be humorous. Her attitude the last week (month????) has taken the sentiment WAY too far! Can we all say DIVA? Spoiled brat? Out-of-control?!?!? 

Wordless Wednesday:Fall in Downtown L.A.

Cookies to Lose Weight?

In an effort to eat breakfast, lose weight, and introduce flax seed into my diet, I grabbed some of Kashi's Cookies this past weekend when I went grocery shopping. Twisted psychology, I know, but I could have sworn that they used to make breakfast cookies.

Kashi : Our Food : Cookies:
Our cookies combine 7 Whole Grains with hearty, natural ingredients like peanuts, raisins, cranberries, shredded coconut, and dark chocolate, for a chewy, home-baked taste."

Or maybe that's Quaker Oats ... but anyways! Being in the corporate rat race as I am (that's sarcasm folks, I'm currently a code jockey, sort of) and having the lousiest commute ever outside of New York, I break a lot of "rules".

Fenced In

I recently found a Round Robin Photo site. This week's topic is "Fenced In".

 My neice voluntarily used to like going into my dog's crate. It doesn't help that they are both named Zoe(y).

Nick and Nanner on Tech

Check it! Still taking baby steps, but there's a new tech review blog on the scene. Nick and Nanner on Tech.

We'll be talking all things tech and mobile, without all the Apple fanboi fluff you get from some other sites. We're just two users who like open source, PCs, Macs, Android, etc. Expect it to evolve and get better. We have a lot planned. And please, send in your suggestions!

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Tell Me Thursday: Ringling Bros.& Barnum & Bailey's 'FUNundrum'

Back in August we went to the circus, I was a little slow getting the photos up and I think there are a few more videos I need to post. Better late than never, right?

I LOVE the circus (all you animal activists can crucify me later, I have nothing but good memories). I have loved the circus, and especially Barnum & Bailey's ever since I was a small child. My parents couldn't afford much, but they managed to take us whenever Ringling was in town. The motorcycles in the cage, the animal trainers (does anyone remember Gunther Gebel-Williams? The way he was with his tigers -- Siberian tigers have been my favorite animal ever since.) At one point I am sure that I wanted to run away and join the circus. My brother certainly did.






My not so great photos from the Greatest Show on Earth

FUNundrum takes you back to the "freak show" beginnings of the circus, but it's well done and not really freakish at all. The acts are designed show off human strength, agility, flexibility, and cover a wide range of countries. (Even though a lot of them are kinda misrepresented -- blonde Norwegian types from ?)

The animal trainer wasn't as magnificent as Gunther, so the only other high point was The Torres family in the Globe of Steel. Another Ringling staple, this is one act I ALWAYS look forward to.

No matter what your views are about circuses, you can't deny that people love a spectacle.

The Postcard Killers

Art. Murder. A beautiful European backdrop. A seductive psychotic couple. And a distraught father hell-bent on catching his daughter's murderer.
I recently finished reading James Patterson’s The Postcard Killers, co-written with Liza Marklund – a Swedish journalist and crime writer,  courtesy of NetGalley and Klout*. I may be one of the few who has not read the Alex Cross series, but I do love Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club series.

Like most Patterson books, The Postcard Killers is a suspenseful page turner. I was actually a little upset when my eReader stopped being able to read it and read this on the bus on my laptop and on the weekend and lunch breaks. I only stopped for work and the kids.
You are transported to Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, and Finland as Jacob and Dessie track down the killers and eventually … now, I don’t want to give away any spoilers. But the second half of the book gets steamy and even more exciting than the first half.

Paris is stunning in the summer. NYPD detective Jacob Kanon is on a tour of Europe's most gorgeous cities. But the sights aren't what draw him--he sees each museum, each cathedral, and each cafe through the eyes of his daughter's killer.The killing is simply marvelous. Kanon's daughter, Kimmy, and her boyfriend were murdered while on vacation in Rome. Since then, young couples in Paris, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, and Stockholm have been found dead. Little connects the murders, other than a postcard to the local newspaper that precedes each new victim. Now Kanon teams up with the Swedish reporter, Dessie Larsson, who has just received a postcard in Stockholm--and they think they know where the next victims will be. With relentless logic and unstoppable action, The Postcard Killers may be James Patterson's most vivid and compelling thriller yet.

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*Disclosure -- I was given a free product or sample because I'm a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.

T-Mobile BOGO

Well, hot damn! I think it's time for me to upgrade, well ... on contract it says that I have a G1, and upgrading from a G1 to a Vibrant would be an awesome deal, and who doesn't love a BOGO (that's Buy One, Get One - popularized by Payless). I wonder if I can get it for less, I got the G1 for $179 since I am such a loyal T-Mobile customer (no sarcasm there, nope, none at all, be sure to read the fine print).

But what would I do with two of them? I just got Josh a Blackberry. And Joy DEFINITELY does NOT need a smartphone. Decisions, decisions ... @hankito and @phatemokid should never have shown me how the Galaxy S blows away the Nexus One in benchmark tests.

Wordless Wednesday: Funundrum

Summer's Last Glow

Summer's Last Glow
Originally uploaded by Nannerlady

The last light coming home from a roadtrip to Las Vegas to see my dad and
brother. This was the first summer since we've moved to California that my
kids did not spend part of the summer with their grandfather. My dad and
stepmom said they missed having Joy this year. I know she missed going out
there.

The kids did keep themselves occupied though. Josh did a ministry program
and a missions trip to Haiti while Joy spent one last summer with friends
from her old school before moving up to Lancaster with me.

It's been a busy summer, but a good one. In addition to the kids activities
I was blessed enough to get an assignment mid-May that's lasted all summer
and hopefully into the fall. The kids are healthy even if they aren't always
happy. We're just living the new American dream -- keeping food on the
table, clothes on our backs, and a roof over our heads.

Here's to fall and the beginning of another year.

Music Monday: September

Ah, September is here. Fall. When my brain finally processes that it's the start of the school year (some things are just hard-wired, even though Joy has been in school for almost a month now).


Earth Wind and Fire - September
Uploaded by oublierleracismeskyblog. - See the latest featured music videos.

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Photo Friday: Round

Photo Friday: Round
Originally uploaded by Nannerlady

Guess that cookie:

Ear Infection, Old Man Vestibular Disease, or Stroke?

These are the possible things that are wrong with Buddy, our 10-yr-old cocker spaniel. I adopted him just over two years ago. At the time he was quite spry and I was positive we would get at least 5 years out of him if not more. He has a “stubborn old man” personality.

Buddy’s had a traumatic few weeks that culminated in a vet visit yesterday, an anti-nausea shot, getting his ears flushed, and antibiotics for the next week.

Breaking Your Child’s Bad Homework Habits: 4 Simple Solutions to Help Your Easily Frustrated Kid

Oh my gosh! Brenda over at ADDMoms has described Joy to a "T". Last week was a hot mess when it came to homework and there was a night or two I had to remind myself that I was the mom and couldn’t throw a temper tantrum in front of my child.

Breaking Your Child’s Bad Homework Habits: 4 Simple Solutions to Help Your Easily Frustrated Kid: "Other kids are not as even-keeled. Their moods are quick to change, their tempers are volatile, and they are easily frustrated. They often complain that their homework is too hard or too boring. If they encounter difficulties before you have a chance to intervene, they have a meltdown. Their low frustration tolerance makes homework a battleground.

If you have an easily frustrated child living under your roof, here are a few simple measures you can try to break the cycle of negativity revolving around homework."

It’s gratifying to know that I am not the only one. Brenda’s tips are awesome and I wish I had seen this before. At our home I fixed part of the problem by moving Joy’s desk downstairs to the living room and letting her have a snack and break after school before doing homework (ok, this was at the back of my mind the whole time and if I was home would have done it but forgot to mention it to her care provider because I was so intent on setting a firm schedule and routine for her). According to reports from the home front, homework time is much more pleasant for the both of them – which means that I can enjoy time after work with my daughter instead of fighting about homework and trying to dream up consequences as to why it’s not done.

I highly recommend you go read ADDMoms. She has a whole series of articles on homework for every  type of personality.