When the Weather Brings Good Things

This weather has been amazing!

And my weekend, overall, even better.

Nonstop rain, wind, lightning and thunder...throw in a little hail for good measure and my inner Happy Hoosier Girl comes out in me. I'm like a kid at Christmas. It's very magical.  I am back in an environment that makes me feel at home.

On Friday I had posted on Facebook "...looks like it (the storms) skipped us again". No sooner had I said that, my boys said they were going outside, I walk to the door with them and as we open the door a clap of thunder rang out and the sky had gone from a bright shiny, partly cloudy day to ominous and dark.

I couldn't believe it. Within another few minutes the winds picked up and next thing I know there is lightning and then rain.

And then we all went to my patio and watched Mother Nature give us the most spectacular show we've ever seen since we lived out here. Soon there was hail dinging the carport and the lightning had surrounded us all over and the rain was coming down nonstop.   It was like we were driving through the car wash.

IT WAS AWESOME!

I shut off the air and opened the windows. The blinds were blowing in every direction and you could smell the rain in the air.

Saturday morning we awoke to a sunny day. I walked out onto my patio and a thick layer of mugginess enveloped my body.

I loved it.

I was like a fish who had jumped out of it's bowl and someone tossed me back in. I would take humidity and flat hair days any day over the dry, oven-like temps of the desert we are forced to live with on a daily basis.

My kids slept in very late, and when they awoke we headed down to Chuck E. Cheese.

That was a fun experience. It wasn't cheap, and I tell you that place is like a wolf in sheep's clothing. They market to children(which is bad enough), but what's worse is when the inner child of an adult gets sucked into the madness as well.

Each of my kids had $15 in tokens. And my daughter shared a few of hers with me because she wanted me to win this game where you take your finger along a maze with this little red laser looking light and try to reach the end of the maze in like, seven seconds. It's very addictive let me tell you. She kept telling me mommy your better at this than me. See, last time we were there, well....I won her 100 tickets because I made it to the end of the maze. Unfortunately my fingers weren't as nimble and quick as they were last time.

Next we proceeded to the Fruit Ninja game. It was this 55 inch flat screen and it was calling my name. Me and my daughter slowly walked toward the big screen with these huge eyes of children who just woke up Christmas morning to find their living room filled with toys. We stood there in front of the screen and debated who would go first. I told her she could, then she told me "Mommy, I need you to help me." Of course I was elated, because it did, indeed look like a fun game. So there we were clawing at all these watermelons and kiwis and strawberries like alley cats in a brawl.

I wonder how ridiculous I looked clawing at this screen.

I didn't really care to be honest.  Because we were having so much fun with that game that I think between my daughter and I we spent at least three or four bucks on that stupid game each. We just kept plunking in tokens like we were feeding a gumball machine. And despite the fact that we didn't get a handful of gumballs and only a spittle of tickets for all our malicious clawing on that screen, we kept on going.

It was maddening.

I finally told her, "One more game and then we move on," at which point, we finally did.

My boys were entertained with the race car game. Swerving and leaning with the on screen car as though they were in a Fast and Furious movie. I could not help but laugh at the seriousness that was upon their faces.  They got sucked in as well.

Priceless I tell you, absolutely priceless.

Then Chuck E's "spokesperson" got on the overhead speaker and announced to all the little ticket addicts I mean, ahem, Children that he was giving out free tickets. There were all these little kids ranging in ages of 3-9 huddled up around good ol' Chuck waiting with baited breath for their chance at snagging the most tickets. Next thing I know the Cupid Shuffle comes on over the loudspeaker and these kids, like miniature robots, are all going to the left, to the left, to the right to the right now skip now skip...you get the picture here.

I think had Chuck E told them to hop in a pool of gelatin on one leg and sing the theme song to Barney they'd of done that too.

Next they had them sit down while they explained the rules of this little excursion..."No pushing, no shoving, no grabbing tickets out of other kids hands." With that said, they were motioned to stand up and at that point they tossed the tickets into the air.

This is what it looked like:

Yes, that is my daughter, hands out ready to catch her share of the prize. I'm telling you this reminded me of the bouquet toss at a wedding. This, I believe, is good practice for my daughter when that moment arrives.  Nothing like preparing your daughter for that nail-biting moment of whether or not you will catch that bouquet. I have to say, she did make out pretty good with those tickets.

Let's hope that's a sign of things to come. *wink*

So then came the time at the end of the day to cash in the tickets.

That was not so pleasant.

My boys handed the girl their ticket vouchers and she was helping someone else. This poor teen was the only one behind the prize counter.  There is a line of anticipating children and their parents and the woman in front of us, had a stack of vouchers for both her children at least a mini-notepad thick. I said "Oh my gosh, that's a lot of tickets" and the mother told me "They've been saving these up for a while now." These kids had 6,000 tickets to spend. Her daughter got a Jackie Evancho doll, which was 2,500 tickets (and probably cost the mother more in tokens on their many trips than just buying the it in the store for $15). Her son got some blow up ball, which is what held up the line a good fifteen minutes. The girl that took my boys tickets disappeared behind the door to the back never to be seen again. And there sat my sons tickets on the counter, under the other calculator...unsupervised....just waiting for anyone to snag.

Finally, I told the kids if someone wasn't there soon, we were going to leave and I was going to go home and call/complain to the corporate office and tell them to increase their employees on a Saturday afternoon.  That I think my kids worked hard enough, and I spent more than enough money at their establishment to have to sit and wait while an understaffed prize counter rep went to blow up a ball is not acceptable.

After what seemed like an eternity, the manager showed up, ball in hand speaking to the woman. They finally left and the manager asked who was next. I raised my hand with a tone in my voice saying "I'M NEXT!"  Apparently he didn't care because some guy buying a toy of some sort, got preferential treatment, and when the manager came back, I pointed to my sons tickets on the counter and said "Those are my boys tickets!" He took care of them, and my boys took their sweet time, and normally I'd rush them a bit with a motherly nudge, but I didn't bother.

Then it was my daughter's turn. She knew what she wanted because by the time we got to her, she had ample time to "peruse the goods".

We finally left the building. On our way out I saw another group of kids heading towards Chuck  E and my daughter looked at me and said "Mom, can I try again?" I said "I don't think so. You've cashed in your tickets already, we're done for the day."

And she just grinned at me.

Overall it has been a good weekend.

Good weather, good kids, good times.....can't ask for much more than that.

Got a Little Workout Today

I am so very glad tomorrow is Friday.

I seriously wanted to ask my boss for less hours, I am literally killing myself at that job of mine. By Friday, I have barely any energy to speak of and today one of the kids where I work got behind my foot and I didn't see her and twisted my back as I fell and caught myself trying not to land on her in her pretty little dress.

Yes, this is what we called classroom aerobics. That was the gymnastics portion in the class.  I should have scored a 10 on that one.

Getting back to that question for my boss,  I talked to her this afternoon during my lunch break, and as it turns out I'll be in a room with a wonderful work friend of mine, so I can't leave her hanging. She drove me to the airport when I got the hell out of dodge for a week.

I feel like I still owe her a kidney.

So I didn't even ask about fewer hours. I want to spend more time with my kids, but I need the money and I don't really want to give up a kidney if I don't have to. 

Anyway, tonight I went to the grocery store. Spent 100 bucks and when I saw how many bags that kid put in my cart after my groceries were bagged up, all I thought was "Shit, now I have to carry this up to my second floor apartment."

I thought about asking the kid to drive home with me, it's just down the street after all and I could have gotten him a cab back to work.  But I don't think they do that out here. Maybe somewhere in the middle of Iowa, or some rinky dink little town in Tennessee, but here in the Metropolis of Vegas, they don't have the mom and pop atmosphere they do in the quaint and quiet cities and towns.

So I started unloading my groceries when I got home. Grabbed as many bags as I could carry, I think I had 4 on each arm, lost a roll of paper towels on the way to the steps but I had a momentum going and just kept moving forward, then began my journey up the flight of stairs.

I forgot to mention, it was almost 9 pm here, the sun had completely set, and it was 101 degrees..  Yeah, you saw that right, 101 degrees...in the dark no less.

I made 3 trips total.

The last trip was a three-pack of Capri Suns(36 of those stupid suckers all total), and dammit my kids better appreciate those Capri-Suns. For the effort it took me to get them up the stairs anyway. I grabbed the three-pack, put two magazines on top and my 12 pack of soda was on top of that. Not exactly the brightest thing to do, as the magazines made it like a circus act to balance the soda. At one point I almost lost my soda as I lifted my leg to balance the drinks and magazines between my boobs and my knee so I could shut the damn door to the Beast. 

I got it to the top of the steps then I had to get it in the apartment. I swear if I didn't lose at least 5 pounds on this journey, well, then I should at least win a medal or something.

This heat is crazy.

I don't know how the early settlers did it. I was driving home today, windows open as you all very well know (avid readers anyway) that my A/C in the van is crap, and it was 107 out today the breeze that traveled through the beast was like sticking your head in the oven when the broiler is on.

Not that I've ever done that before. I'm just assuming that is what it would feel like, ya know?

I think I got a sunburn just from the wind beating against my face. Forget spray tans or tanning beds, just open your windows on a triple-digit desert day!

If I were an early settler, I'd of died the second that first wind blew and I walked the first mile. Driving is one thing, but walking in this crap is insane. I feel sorry for people who have to walk in this. Or stand outside waiting for a bus.  Or working in this stuff, that is just beyond belief that people work in this weather. I see all the construction workers on the road, and the builders in the communities putting up all those houses and I think "How the hell do they not keel over and die in this crap?"

I simply walk out the door to get my mail, and I melt.

There is suppose to be isolated Thunderstorms on Saturday.

There BETTER be some storms. Some really good storms. So good that they cause the ground to cool down to about  65 degrees.

Yeah right.

Well, it's that time of night for me.  I hear the couch calling my name. I hear the sounds of silence. "Hello darkness my old friend...." Great now that song is stuck in my head. Not a bad tune, I feel the inner hippy in me coming out. I'm not much of a hippy really, but perhaps there is a tiny bit of me who loves some of the 70's garb and music and what not. I'm an aquarius, we are aloof, and quirky and eclectic in our own nature.

I don't know what the hell i am talking about now. I seriously am exhausted and very, very sleep deprived.

So I leave you with this:




Yes, I'm sitting here singing with the video. Good song. Good Night All!

Living in an Oven

This is what living in the desert looks like in the middle of summer from my patio...

Let me tell you sitting on my patio with the heat radiating from the sun like that is no picnic. 

Which is why, on any given day when the mercury skyrockets over a hundred, my ass is indoors.

Of course being indoors may save my body from feeling like I'm dying, but if someone knocks on my door , I may end up blind one of these days.  That is what happened to me a couple of weeks ago when a friend of my boys came knocking on my door. I went to look out the peep hole and was practically blinded by the light permeating through the hole.

See? 

 

There is no escaping the damaging effects of the sun out here, no matter where I go.

We have a pool, however, I don't swim, and even if I did, the walk to the pool alone would feel like it's killing me for sure. 

And it's only a matter of time before my van craps out and dies on me for good in this heat. Yesterday after I did all my running around, I could hear my radiator sizzling like someone was grilling burgers under the hood.

Who chooses to move here and STAY?!

People are crazy to live in the desert. I am not here by choice, but by obligation. I am counting down the years until my daughter turns 18. She and her brothers can  go to college, stay here and bake with their father in this  or they can come with me back to the balmy midwest or east coast even where beaches, rain and snow abound.

I can't take much more of this.

I'm surprised I've lasted this long.

I would do anything, and I mean just about anything to be able to stand in 3 feet of snow, scraping the ice off of my windshield  in subzero weather or shoveling my driveway. I would love nothing more than to hear the sounds of thunder and see a bolt or two of lightning with a torrential downpour of rain to follow.

Anything beats this desert living. 

Although for shits and giggles, I thought about going out onto the parking-lot blacktop and trying to fry an egg on a piece of aluminum foil. 

Wouldn't that be funny?

My neighbors would probably think I'm crazy. Not that I care if they did anyway.

At 9:51 this morning it was 102 degrees.  I haven't turned my air back on yet. But it is starting to get a tad bit toasty in my apartment so I think I might have to cave in and turn it on.  I just can't believe the heat out here.

If I wanted to live in an oven I'd of married the Pillsbury dough boy.