You have knocked me off my feet again

Dude,

My life becomes more and more like a fairly uninteresting soap opera every day.

Today I sufferred the torment of the..well..tormented... when I realized that I will never be able to compete with my work partner. He is well dressed, articulate, funny, and he has a Coach man's bag.

I am officially his frumpy sidekick.

This commute is killing me. KILLING ME. 58.8 miles each way.

On the bright side, I am completely motivated to get an apartment, ASAP.

I saw the Amish today.

My sister has been recommending Amish romances to me for a while. Trying to lure me away from my trashy novels, I guess. She would be pleased to hear that I read my first Amish romance yesterday. It was epic. There was only one poorly written kiss at the end. (Correct me if I am wrong, but no kissing scene in a book should use the words "spit" and "saliva" more than 6 or 7 times, right?)

You guys, if Henry (my work partner) tells me he can teach me how to do my makeup again, should I laugh? Or is it ok to start crying??

Lori Ann

Where all of the walls all continually change

It's my dad's birthday again.

61 this year.

I write him a blog tribute every year not because he reads them (he doesn't) but because I don't want to leave things unsaid. And even if he doesn't read it, I know I've gotten the opportunity to say it.

So, without further ado...

61 Thanks to my Father on his 61st birthday.

(I grant you all a pass on this one..I'm sure it's not exciting reading material for many of you)

61. Thanks for teaching me about WW II when I fell in love with that Billy Joel song "Leningrad"

60. Thanks for driving me all the way to Kennett Square for my job interview last month.

59. Thanks for all the hours spent playing catch.

58. Thanks for teaching me to be brave (about most things)

57. Thanks for making me watch that Ken Burns Civil War documentary every Thanksgiving for years.

56. Thanks for always talking mom into letting us have cats

55. Thanks for encouraging me to serve a mission

54. Thanks for coming to North Carolina for Christmas last year

53. Thanks for helping me both move in and move out of my apartment

52. Thanks for working so that mom could be a stay at home mom for a couple of years.

51. Thanks for always making us oatmeal with brown sugar on snow days

50. Thanks for teaching me everything I know about politics

49. Thanks for telling me your favorite memories of Paris

48. Thanks for teaching me to drive

47. Thanks for teaching me the importance of integrity

46. Thanks for coming with Steve and towing my car back from Oxford that one summer

45. Thanks for getting me unlost from countless places.

44. Thanks for being the grandpa that we never really had.

43. Thanks for taking me to Musikfest to see Hootie and the Blowfish

42. Thanks for coming to see Shakira with me

41 . Thanks for overindulging the cats. It makes me happy.

40. Thanks for always dropping me off and picking me up at the door.

39. Thanks for making the best ribs ever!

38. Thanks for raising me to be an Eagles fan and for letting me always watch the game with you.

37. Thanks for Saturday night Disney family movies nights.

36. Thanks for not yelling when I crashed your car.

35. Thanks for coming to all of my graduations, from South Jersey, to Idaho, to Philadelphia.

34. Thanks for always giving me advice, even if I didn't always heed it.

33. Thanks for being an example of what to do; and sometimes what NOT to do.

32. Thanks for all the "Peachy/Bugs" wars

31. Thanks for letting me stay with you whenever I decide to make a career/location change

30. Thanks for making me the best tomato soup/grilled cheese combos ever

29. Thanks for keeping all the crappy clay stuff I've ever made you

28. Thanks for teaching me how to work

27. Thanks for introducing me to the Qmart at a young age.

26. Thanks for telling me that I could do anything I wanted to do

25. Thanks for telling me the meaning of the song "Hotel California"

24. Thanks for coming to Chicago to get me as a surprise

23. Thanks for sending me that one Easter package with the empty candy wrappers, with written messages about how good the candy had been

22. Thanks for making me feel like their is almost anything I could talk to you about without fear of judgement

21. Thanks for always telling me that the recommended dosage doesn't apply to Hinsdales:)

20. Thanks for being the reason I know that my self worth has to be derived from what I think about myself

19. Thanks for still being married to my mom after almost 36 years

18. Thanks for taking away our tv; helping to foster my life long love of reading

17. Thanks for teaching me to think for myself

16. Thanks for taking my hyped up phone calls on election night

15. Thanks for helping me not freak out when Erin got my car towed:)

14. Thanks for always letting me ask you a million questions

13. Thanks for always having the answer

12. Thanks for always doing your Bill Murray Caddyshack impression for me.

11. Thanks for taking me prom dress shopping

10. Thanks for providing me with the best siblings I could have ever asked for

9. Thanks for taking us to Tom's for pizza and making the pizza in front of us. I was always so impressed with how you could throw the dough and catch it.

8. Thanks for leaving me everything in your will...*hint, hint*

7. Thanks for teaching me to call assorted government agencies and oil production companies "thieving bastards" under my breath all the time

6. Thanks for the "fridge pig" incident. It still makes me laugh to think about it

5. Thanks for coming up with elaborate plans to scare us kids. Those are some of my favorite childhood memories.

4. Thanks for defending Junior against those kids at Dublin Village

3. Thanks for not really being a porn star

2. Thanks for helping me get my car inspected

1. Thanks for being there. In my job, I see so many kids without a dad. I am aware of what a great blessing it is to have a father in my life.

Happy Birthday, old man.

Your youngest daughter,

Oreo

Sunday morning rain is falling

Soooo...

I feel really zoned out.

I just watched 3 hours of Amish related TV on the national geographic channel. (Amish weddings, Amish who leave the Order, and Rumspringa... Mormons need a Rumspringa!)

I should be getting my own place soon, and the lack of cable is going to be amazing. I CANNOT have it. I have no ability to moderate myself.

So, my new job is insane.

It's kinda like my last job, but instead of the semi rural South and a three person team, I am in the extremely rural North, in a two person team.

Still working with kids and families with a mental health diagnosis.

My work partner is the man I've been waiting all my life for.

He's a Harry Potter fan, knows the cinnamon babka episode of Seinfeld, and appreciates the works of both Bronte and Dickinson. Puccini and Vivaldi are his favorite composers.

He's super funny, smart, and humble.

You know how they say "all the good ones are gay or married?"

He's both.

*sigh*

That's ok, though.

I wouldn't want to steal him away from his adorable Irish husband, because then I would have to start calling this blog "The my husband is hotter/better dressed/gayer/more Catholic than yours Chronicles".

And that's kind of a mouthful.

Lori Ann

I found a boy

You guys,

Weird stuff has been going right in my life lately.

I got a job in the town I want to spend the rest of my life in.

And then, today, I met my work partner.

He is hot.

He is funny.

He seems really sweet.

And; best of all, he is gay.

*Sigh*

If he and I don't end up as bff's, it's not going to be for want of trying on my part.

Lori Ann

This ain't a fairy tale

You guys, my job officially starts tomorrow.

After pages and pages of paperwork, criminal background checks,and tedious orientations, I finally start tomorrow morning.

I went with the job in the dream location, by the way.

At least, it will be a dream location once I move there.

Right now I live about 60 miles away. So, its going to be a festive commute. ("festive" is code for "hellish")

Anyway, since this is my last day of freedom, I felt like I should use it wisely.

Which is why I've just spent the last 4 hours watching "Beyond Scared Straight" online.

I love it. I just love it.

Jack Monroe; who has just been demoted from favorite brother in law to least favorite brother in law, told me that I liked this show because I was "vengeful to the point of being borderline mentally ill".

Oh Jackie...I will be adding sour cream to your next meal. Watch your back!

Anyway, so that's what going on in my life.

Yes, girls...take a look at what you gave up for marriage and motherhood.

Tuesday mornings, wrapped up in a blanket, watching marathon sessions of"Beyond Scared Straight".

Now I am going to go and chase my dad's cats.

And; if I can work it into my schedule, I might lay on the floor and eat some jello.

Boo-yah!

Lori Ann

Why Georgia why?

This edition of Random Thoughts is dedicated to my brother and sister. David's birthday was yesterday and Danielle's is tomorrow. Happy Birthday, gremlins!

I wanted to write them a limerick or something else terribly clever, which would cause people to seethe with jealousy at my artistry and say "boy oh boy, I wish Lori was my sister".

Then I was like "eh".

So..

Today, I fell in love with the name Esther. Weird, eh?

I've been diagnosing myself again. This week its schizoid personality disorder.

I should hopefully work my way through every major mental health disorder by Christmas.

I read this one blog this week..it was crazy. It was a couple who'd been married for two years and in those two years they had been to the following places: Hawaii (3 times), Paris (2 times), London, Wisconsin, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Vegas, Kirtland, Dallas, etc etc. Most of these for VACATION. How many vacations can one couple take? And how do they afford it? And why am I so jealous?

I wish summer was over.

Lori Ann

The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls

A few songs; when I listen to them, give me the chills. For some inexplicable reason, I have a strong visceral reaction to them.

I am listening to "The Sound of Silence" right now, which is one of the songs.

Other songs include:

Stairway to Heaven ( Led Zepplin)

Behind Blue Eyes (The Who)

Dreamer ( SuperTramp)

Paint it Black (the Rolling Stones)

Unfaithful (Rhianna)

and

Every single song by Simon and Garfunkel.

I know I've said this is in the past, but I feel like my dad's love of music manifests itself in me in odd ways. I don't have a sense of rhythm, I can't play any instruments, and I'm fairly happy to stick with my Top 40 bubble gum pop.

But every once in a while; when I hear certain songs, it's like I can feel the music all the way down to my toes.

The only thing I can compare it to is the feeling I had when I saw Ireland, Belguim, and France (where my ancestors come from) and I felt a connection, almost as if a part of me had been waiting to come home to these places all my life.

When I hear these songs it's like I've always known them.

Weird, eh?

Don't let me blog past 10 pm. I start to get incoherent:)

Lori Ann