It is a little over an hour before midnight on New Year's Eve. No parties for me, though; I've got to work tomorrow. My husband isn't much of a party animal, anyway. According to him, drinking and dancing in clubs are two things he left behind in his youth. So we are spending a quiet evening: I'm watching music videos and he is on his way to sleep. If there was any more excitement in here, I wouldn't be able to stand it!

Cellphone slang:

Flouring the children: a bad cellphone connection or lots of static, as in "You're flouring the children; call me back from another phone." From the Sprint PCS commercial.

I just read on that a viewing platform overlooking the wreckage of the World Trade Center will be opened today. My first reaction was, "This is a disaster site, not a tourist attraction!" After a few moments, however, it occurred to me that the families of those whose bodies have not been found yet may need a place to pray and pay their respects since there isn't a grave yet. Since I live in an area far removed from the site, I sometimes forget that this whole tragedy is still very fresh for New Yorkers.

Tuna fish has an image problem. Of all the lunch kits I've seen at the grocery store, the tuna fish kit is the only one that includes a peppermint or a stick of chewing gum. It's as if the tuna is saying, "Listen, I taste very good and I make a healthy meal. Still, you have been avoiding me because I stink. So I'm taking away your last excuse for not eating me by giving you this breath freshener."

As it turns out, I didn't have to wait until Thursday for those Mommy vibes to kick in again. From the moment I saw my little rugrats this evening, I felt compelled to smother them with hugs and kisses. Thankfully, there was very little whining and fighting amongst their ranks because I am a single parent tonight. ABM is having a boys' night out and hasn't returned yet. When he was working, I resented it whenever he went out even though he didn't do it that often. It doesn't bother me that much now, probably because I remember what is like to be the parent at home talking to children all day.

I really need to learn some HTML. Earlier this evening I visited my webpage, only to find that some of the links have disappeared. Poof! If I knew some code, I could probably figure out what happened to them. Right now I have blind faith in my WYSIWYG editor to make everything right.

Math is not my strong suit and my job taxes my math skills to the limit! When it comes to utilities, everyone thinks they are paying too much. Our customers want a breakdown of every single charge on the bill. This wouldn't be so bad, except that they wait until December to ask for details from the previous December. Invariably my last call of the day is from someone who has a terrible payment history, so I have to decipher returned check fees, rate changes, partial payments, and credits from misread meters. When the customer starts throwing numbers at me, I want to just put my head down on my desk and cry!

In spite of all the stress at work, I find myself volunteering for more overtime. The official reason is that we need the money because ABM is out of work. Between you and me, though, I think I am hiding from the children. Being at work on a Saturday when the phones are not so busy is much more relaxing than being at home, listening to the kids fight with each other and whine about what I have cooked for dinner.My next day off is Thursday; perhaps I will be ready to play Mommy again by then.

I must have spent a bit too much time this week working on my webpage. This morning, in the foggy place between sleeping and waking, I thought I was stuck in a text box. DJ, my son, had climbed in bed with me and had my legs pinned!

The light of day has taken away all my doubts about how I am spending my holiday. ABM and I have exchanged gifts, the kids have trashed the living room, and now I am on my way to enjoy a nice hot bath while hubby and the kids make the rounds. In past years I have felt guilty staying home, but whenever I go I end up snapping at everyone because I didn't want to go. So in exchange for cleaning up the wrapping paper mess I get to have an afternoon to myself. I hope all of you are enjoying your holiday as well.

Here I am, watching "ComicView" and working on my blog on Christmas Eve. My kids are in bed and ABM, my husband, is downstairs watching "WWF Raw". This is exactly how I like to spend a free evening, but I have this nagging feeling that I should be doing something Christmassy. The presents are wrapped and we don't have any visiting relatives for whom to prepare, so there isn't anything to do. Still, cultural programming is difficult to overcome. I also have a problem getting over that childish disappointment at not having any toys under the tree. I am a 35-year-old mother of four; I shouldn't have toys under the tree. Any toys I got would be whipped out of my hands by one of my babes before I could appreciate them. I am married to Mr. Practicality who likes to give clothes for Christmas. Knowing all of this, I still have a brief twinge of sadness when all the presents have been unwrapped and I have nothing with which to play. That's why I bought myself a Playstation game while I was shopping for my husband :-).

Still fiddling with Blogger to see how it will work with my page. This is what happens when you know absolutely NO HTML!