Inventions Take Time

The other day D2 had an earring hanging from a safety pin attached to her top.

"What is that?" I asked.

I must have had a very quizzical look on my face, because without directly answering the question, she looked down at the jewelry and simply explained, "I'm still working on some of my inventions."

I'm working on some "inventions" of my own which is crowding out my blogging time. But I'll try to continue to post and read your blogs as much as I can.

V.A.C.A.T.I.O.N.

I am going to be away on vacation for the next little while. But it won't be the relaxing lounging type pictured above. My vacation this weekend will involve DH and I driving with five children in the car for at least 20 hours. My vacation changes next week (for better or worse is yet to be seen) when I (sans DH) take 40 girls ages 12-17 camping with a bunch of dirt and without electricity, refrigeration, or showers. For five days. Now you all wish you were me, don't you?

While I'm gone you can read:

One of my favorite posts

The three posts with the most comments
One
Two
Three

My first post

DH's favorite post

My brother's favorite post

My brother's least favorite post (Please remember, b., I wrote this before I met you)

I'll catch up on all your blogs after the 15th!

Addicted to Blog?

Eve commented on my blog a couple days ago and I am having a difficult time shaking the thought that was immediately evoked in my mind. The thought that I could be a blogging addict.

While the thought seems a bit extreme, I decided to document my time spent one morning in an effort to spot anything unusual that may be a sign of a blog junkie. The following is a typical summer morning for me as the sole author of the infamous blog Uncommon Notions:

6:00 AM - Barely conscious, rolling over in bed with fuzzy dreams quickly draining from my mind, and reality coming into sharper focus, first cognitive thought for the day is, "What can I blog about this morning?" Fall back asleep loosely creating photos with funny captions, clever anecdotes, and long-winded tell-all tales in my mind.

7:00 AM - Wake up for the second time and stumble into the shower. This part of my life has been blogged. What else?

8:00 AM - Check email and then saunter to the kitchen to pour cold cereal for anyone that will get up. Usually only D1, D2 and D3. Maybe I could I blog on cold cereal? Nope, been there done that too.

9:00 AM - Finish checking email, read some blogs.

9:45 AM - Start to panic. Freak! What will I write about?

9:55 AM - Suddenly, get a blogtastic idea for a Very Funny Blog!

10:00 AM - Begin writing Very Funny Blog.

10:10 AM - Quickly switch computer screen from Very Funny Blog to QuickBooks when DH comes back home unexpectedly. Assure him I'll have his accounting numbers ready by the end of the day.

10:12 AM - Switch back to Very Funny Blog as soon as front door is heard closing.

10:15 AM - Type very lightly while listening to my sister on phone about something or whatever. Vow to self to move quieter keyboard into office from bedroom computer so this will not be an issue in the future.

10:18 AM - Pinch baby so she will cry. Terminate phone conversation with sister early on behalf of crying baby.

10:19 AM - Call D1 into the office to take care of crying baby.

10:20 AM - Rewrite Very Funny Blog. Delete half my verbose wording, and edit misspellings and misuse of words.

10:25 AM - Begin to wish I had paid more attention to Ms. Wiltsie during 11th grade English teaching us when to use who versus whom. Briefly consider blogging about my English teacher happily stuck in the 60's.

10:27 AM - Wonder whether or not to underline a title, italicize the title or put said title in quotes. Double think other critical yet basic grammar lessons.

10:29 AM - Repeatedly read Very Funny Blog making small changes with each pass through.

10:38 AM - Reread Very Funny Blog just to make sure there are no "just"s in there. Just for Bart's sake and no one else's.

10:40 AM - Lightly pound desk in laughter. Smile at how incredibly witty I am. Reread Very Funny Blog for the 27th time and make more minor edits.

10:43 AM - Find a much funnier word for an overused word in Very Funny Blog at Thesaurus.com. Congratulate myself for being so resourceful to do in-depth research for Very Funny Blog.

10:45 AM - Begin process of finding the Perfect Picture for Very Funny Blog. Peruse personal photos folder. Consider taking original photo (David would be so proud). Do not consider drawing or painting Perfect Picture like McGlinch or Chewy. Decide to search via Google Images and steal Perfect Picture instead.

11:15 AM - Publish Very Funny Blog with Perfect Picture.

11:16 AM - Click [View Blog]

11:17 AM - Admire Perfect Picture and reread Very Funny Blog again. Chuckle at Very Funny Blog's clever humor. Wonder how many people will appreciate hidden pun in Very Funny Blog.

11:19 AM - Find typo in Very Funny Blog!

11:20 AM - Edit Very Funny Blog. Reread two more times and republish.

11:25 AM - Click [View Blog]

11:26 AM - Pause and once again admire Perfect Picture and start to reread Very Funny Blog for the 31st time. Laugh out loud at Very Funny Blog's well contrived humor.

11:29 AM - Smile at the completed work of Very Funny Blog.

11:30 AM - Refresh blog page and notice there are no comments yet.

11:32 AM - Trying to hide disappointment, check email to see if the comments magically appear in my Inbox before appearing on the blog. Notice no comments, only one email from Aeropostale inviting me to their Sizzling Summer Sale.

11:34 AM - Refresh blog page again. Still no comments on Very Funny Blog.

11:37 AM - Switch over load of laundry and change baby's diaper.

11:55 AM - Check email for Very Funny Blog comments. Click [Send/Receive]. Watch computer think. Will it find Very Funny Blog comments? Send/Receive is complete. No new messages.

11:58 AM - Wonder what on earth people have to do that could possibly be better than reading and commenting on Very Funny Blog.

12:00 NOON - Skulk into kitchen to make a meal that will serve simultaneously as lunch for D1, D2 and D3 as well as breakfast for S1 and S2.

Sounds healthy and normal to me. Don't you think?

“A laugh is a smile that bursts.” Mary H. Waldrip

Is there an Internet slang more over used than LOL (laughing out loud)? But did you know you could also be ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing) or even BWL (bursting with laughter)?

My blogger friends often have me LOL, or at least exhaling abruptly with a little snort, a barely audible 'ha', and a smile.

Below is a handful of my favorites from the last few days:

Dalene:
"...'telecommunications provider' and 'customer service' are fundamentally incompatible..."

Bart:
“My philosophy is to go geeky when possible.”

Carol:
"...if you want to leave home, at least have the decency to run farther away..."

Abi
"...if only I could get an Australian to wash my dishes while I drink a beer..."