The Fish Pond

Oranges, Oranges, Oranges, and the Oddest Meme Ever

Last weekend we went to a birthday party at a friend's house, and as part of the yummy yummy lunch they served orange slices. Now, I tend to not ever buy oranges, even though I love them, because I hate to peel them (am lazy, yes.) and I hate the ooky white stuff. For some stupid reason my small brain never ever came up with the idea to slice the oranges. Slices! Joy! I cannot get enough of orange slices. Maybe it's the having been sick and my body is craving vitamin C? Fortunately for me none of the kids like them except Sunny, so I have little competition for them right now. Am now regretting only having peapod bring me two oranges instead of an entire bag (I order in small quantity because I have a tendency to buy something while craving it and then the craving is satisfied in one serving or so and I HATE when the food sits around and goes bad). They also had a Wii, complete with Guitar Hero III and two guitars, and now wii want one.

Anywho.

Uncle Orca/Agincourtdb, our illustrious Manny, has tagged me with an odd sort of meme, but it involves books and I LOVE books so I'm doing it. Here's what you do:

1. Grab the nearest book with at least 123 pages.

2. Go to page 123.

3. Type in the following three sentences.

4. Tag some number of people.

So, without further ado, from String of Lies by Mary Ellen Hughes, a mystery writer I have recently discovered, two of whose books my family gave me for Christmas and I'm finally getting around to reading:

"Loralee," Jo heard Loralee's friend Betty ask, "have you decided on buying a condo?"

Loralee looked up from her bead board on which she had lined up several pink beads of various sizes. She shook her head.

Not near as relevant as the book he chose, but fun, nonetheless. So! Now I tag some people, um, Carmen, Angi, Summer, Hokgardner, and Redneck Mommy. Mostly cause I want to know what ya'all are reading.

Random and Retrospective

Okay, angi and hokgardner tagged me for a couple of memes, so here's more than you wanted to know:

First, 8 random things about me:

1. On my right hand, my ring finger is longer than the pointer finger, but on my left, the pointer finger is longer.

2. I played clarinet and saxophone in band (and one time, at band camp...) growing up.

3. I met my husband as a direct result of said instrument playing (but not at band camp, much to his chagrin).

4. I'm laid back about meal types and when they happen. Want spaghetti for breakfast? Knock yourself out. Waffles for dinner? Great! As long as the diet is varied, I don't care when it goes in.

5. I wore a women's size 4.5 shoe for decades, until I had my kids. Now I'm a 6.5, and I'm absolutely delighted I can find grownup shoes whenever I want.

6. That said, I hate to wear shoes.

7. THAT said, my first REAL job was in a Stride Rite shoe store.

8. I have the weirdest food allergies on the planet - rice, green beans, and peas.

For the other meme, I had to scour my archives and post a bunch of links:

1. The first link is about family.

2. The second link is about friends.

3. The third link is about you, what you are all about.

4. The fourth link is about something you love.

5. The fifth link is about anything you want.

Now I'm supposed to tag some number of people, it various how many, but I just going to tag Summer and Agincourtdb. Have fun with it, guys.

Let Me Explain; No, Too Long, Let Me Sum Up

Carmen did this meme a little while ago, and now Linda put it up on her site, and since I slept through morning mass and have to go tonight instead I might as well use the time to do the meme. So, without further ado:

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
Learned how to juggle having four kids. Went to BlogHer. Took a weekend to myself. Bought a brand new minivan (instead of a used one).

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Well, I made a few babysteps on them. I did make some babysteps toward the clutter issue; we gave away or threw away a ton of stuff, and I learned how to better manage the stuff that comes into the house. I didn't go back on the diet but I did start eating better as a whole, using Carmen's success as a model, and as a result have lost about 20 pounds and kept the downward trend. I also got help with my postpartum depression, and am making babysteps toward being that better mom. I'm not going to make more this year; I just want to continue on a positive trend.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes, these lovely people just had their second child a week ago. And while I am not close to her, I have been an avid reader of her blog, and Julia just had her twins, too.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes, unfortunately, you ten regular readers know I lost my beloved grandfather this year.

5. What countries did you visit?
Do you know I've never been out of the country in my life? You do now.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
Better control of my finances. More time to myself. A paying blog or freelance writing job.

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? April 23, the day my grandfather passed.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Setting off on my own to go to BlogHer. Getting Best of Blog Exchange a couple of times.

9. What was your biggest failure? Not recognizing postpartum depression sooner.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious, just the run of the mill stuff. Plus a busted nose. And mastitis.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Oh, that would have to be this.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
YouTube. The lady at the drive through.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Bill Maher. MySpace. Facebook. President Bush.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage. Food. Gas.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
BlogHer 2007. My girls' weekend out.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
Um...anything in High School Musical 2 (no, I don't get out much).

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
 a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer?
a) sadder b) thinner c) a bit richer in finances, poorer in spirit

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Live in the moment. Play with my kids. More writing.


19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Yelling, screaming, breaking things.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Quietly, at home.

21. Did you fall in love in 2007?
Only more deeply with my husband and kids.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Ninja Warrier or Deadliest Catch.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don't hate people; they disappoint me and make me angry, but I don't HATE anyone, with the one exception of my sister's first husband, who beat her. And that's nothing new for 2007.

24. What was the best book you read?
Oooh, toughie. I read a lot. LOT. Probably Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Um, as I mentioned above, I don't get out much, but Uncle Orca sent me a link to this guy, who I think is pretty damn good.

26. What did you want and get? Treatment for PPD. A new minivan.


27. What did you want and not get?
Eternal serenity. A new house. A housekeeper to clean the new house. A personal chef.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Um, I don't get out much. Bourne Supremacy, maybe.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 37. I didn't really do anything special on my birthday, but BigDaddyFish and I went out by ourselves, which is always a good thing.


30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not to have had PPD.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Oh, HAHAHAHA. How about Mod Unwashed Mother of Four? Does that cover sweats with breastmilk and spitup stains and mashed bananas on them?

32. What kept you sane?
Therapy. Lots of it.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Fancy? Are we british now? I have a thing for John Cusack, but that's nothing new. In fact, some say my husband looks remarkably like him.


34. What political issue stirred you the most? The Iraq war, even though I don't blog about it. I can't. It's too emotionally charged because my cousin serves in the Navy. The only one I blogged about was breastfeeding, which isn't so much a political issue anymore as a social issue, since it's legal, just a bunch of buttheads don't want women to do it unless they are shut away in a cave.


35. Who did you miss? My grandparents. My mother. My friends that have moved far away.


36. Who was the best new person you met?
I have to name only one? I met so many of my favorite bloggers at BlogHer. I wish I lived closer to them all.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
Live in the moment. Slow down. Protect your nose.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Livin' la vida loca.

Okay, now your turn. Care to play? Post the link in the comments.

Me and Mine Meme 100

This is a teeny, tiny blog, with a teeny, tiny (but distinguished) audience, and you know I love you all, but who wouldn't want another reader or two to discover her little piece of the planet? Nordette over at BlogHer has asked for 100 parenting bloggers who would like to be interviewed by her, and of course, since I have a big, fat mouth tend toward the loquacious, I want to do this. So, to follow the rules:

1. My name is FishyGirl and this is The Fish Pond, and you can find out something about me here.
2. I want to be profiled as a parent blogger on BlogHer, and if you do, too, you can find out more about it over here.
3. I have been blogging for about a year and a half.
4. I'm supposed to pass this on to three bloggers who I think should be profiled, so I'd like to see Angi, Summer, and Her Bad Mother be interviewed, the wilder the questions, the better.

Sound like something you'd like to do and pissed off because I didn't tag you? Well, go ahead and do the meme yourself, and tag yourself, or something.

Come on, everybody's doing it - you know you wanna.

100th Post

In honor of my 100th post, here are 100 things about me:

1. My favorite color is blue.
2. I am a zodiac weirdo, with a birthday on the cusp of cancer/leo.
3. I have a birthmark under my left arm.
4. I converted to Catholicism when I was 19.
5. By the time I was 23, I had stopped practicing.
6. I started again when Little Man was born.
7. Being at home drives me crazy most of the time, but it is the right thing for our family at this time.
8. That doesn't make it any easier to actually do it.
9. I am a slob.  I hate to clean.
10. I start hobbies and never stick with them, but instead just end up collecting all the crap to do them with.
11. I love to read.
12. Consequently, I have an English degree.
13. I finished my 5 year teaching degree in four years.
14. While working over 30 hours a week for most of it.
15. I have a 2-year associates degree, and I lived at home while earning it.
16. I transfered to a 4-year school to finish my English/teaching degree, and drove home almost every weekend to work.
17. I was a Camp Fire Girl.
18. I took ballet for 10 years.
19. I always took care of my toys because I wanted them to keep looking like they just came out of the box.
20. I just said "No firing cannons at the computer."
21. The comment my parents received most about me growing up was "Fishy is not working up to her potential."
22. I got detention only once in my life.
23. For yelling at the guy who sat behind me for pulling my hair.
24. In seventh grade math class.
25. His name was Kenny Campbell.
26. He went on to play the bagpipes.
27. Really well.
28. I can play clarinet and saxophone.
29. Averagely.  Which isn't a word.
30. I cannot for the life of me make a sound come out of a flute.
31. I hate the recorder.  I cannot make myself think of it as an actual instrument.
32. Little Man has a blue recorder.
33. My favorite food is pasta.
34. I miss my mom more now that I have kids than I ever did the first 10 years after her death.
35. I think Sunny looks just like her, with lighter hair.
36. I hate shopping for clothes because nothing ever fits me quite right.
37. I have never broken a bone.
38. I have gone ice skating in a car.  I don't recommend it.
39. In the ensuing accident, the sliding part was actually kinda fun.
40. The abrupt stop at the end wasn't.
41. I had back spasms for a week and could barely move.
42. My first job was in a children's shoe store.
43. I once fit shoes for a child who was being nursed by his/her mother.
44. It grossed me out.
45. Frankly, despite my feelings about breastfeeding, that same thing would probably gross me out today - just stop feeding the kid if it's time to get the shoes.
46. The kid was over 2 years old.
47. I was in marching band.
48. I had a few paid playing gigs in college and for a few years after.
49. I met my husband because his best friend played in one of those paying gigs with me.
50. I dated the friend first.
51. Somehow the friend doesn't hate us for that.  I don't quite understand this, but we are grateful.
52. He reads this website.
53. I love Christmas music.
54. I hate that my husband doesn't like the holidays.
55. Any of them.
56. I tend to be a "skin of the teeth" "seat of my pants" kinda girl.
57. That said, I am rather risk averse.
58. I hate flying.
59. Petrified of it.  Really.
60. Was before 9-11.
61. Still am now, but I get more understanding about it.
62. I am glad that my father lives several states away right now.
63. He will be coming back in a month.  I am not glad about that.
64. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
65. I would make a great lawyer, I think, and I would like it, but I don't want to go to law school.
66. I am lonely a lot of the time.
67. I don't like many members of my family.  If we weren't related, we wouldn't be friends.
68. I love the Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash flavor that is out now for the holidays.
69. NASCAR is my guilty pleasure.
70. My favorite driver is Mark Martin.
71. I love having fresh cut flowers around.
72. I am a terrible gardener - a total black thumb.
73. I rarely have flowers around because I can't justify the expense of buying them.
74. I am sometimes jealous that my husband makes the kind of money he does without having finished his degree when I busted my ass to finish mine quickly and it will never be a big money earner.
75. If I had a million dollars I'd buy a 6 bedroom house near my husband's job and a brand new minivan and save the rest for college expenses.
76. Right now I have a favorite among my kids.
77. I won't say who it is.  I hope none of them ever figure out who it is.
78. I feel terrible about this.
79. I was the favorite among the grandchildren in my family growing up and I hated it.
80. I try my hardest to treat my kids equally.
81. I know I fail sometimes.
82. I think I'm a rotten mother most of the time.
83. I let my kids watch too much tv and I don't do enough activities with them.
84. I lack the patience.
85. Plus I find it boring.
86. But I don't find the kids boring.
87. On the contrary, there's never a dull moment around here.
88. I do read to them, a lot, and I am proud that they all love books.
89. I'd like to claim credit for that, but think it's probably just their natures.
90. I like to go camping, but I hate the bug bites I always get.
91. I can't have any caffeine due to my heart condition, and I miss having coffee.  (decaf still has too much caffeine)
92. My husband had longer hair than I did when we got married.
93. My hair was down to the middle of my back.
94. I miss his long hair - it was sexy.
95. I was a metal head in high school.
96. I was deaf for 2 days after seeing AC/DC in concert.
97. I lost my virginity when I was 13.  Voluntarily.  Just to get it over with.
98. That was much too young.
99. I pray every day that my kids don't repeat that mistake.
100. Despite the complaints, I recognize I have a damn good life, and I'm grateful.

So there you have it - more and less than you ever wanted to know.  100 posts later, I'm still just as boring as ever.