America-type fun stuff to celebrate the 4th of July!
Courtesy of Target. The other store of America.
We only have two stores in this country now. So if you don’t shop at Wal-Mart you probably shop here. We can debate all night about which one is better, cheaper, cleaner, etc…but I am obviously a Bulls-Eye-O-Nian. I took pictures of all their fun summer advertising hang-ups. And I will also be using this as the stepping stone to post one a day until all my pics are gone. The thing about these displays is that they look 3-D but they are actually FLAT! That’s good art work. If you find yourself just amazed and cannot believe it, go check it out for yourself. They should still be hanging.
That’s a pinwheel above. With a sandal behind it, because you can’t get a good pic of the pinwheel all by itself. It’s a two-for-one special! And if you find yourself just sadly shaking your head because it’s a beautiful day and you are looking at pictures of fake summer items when you should be outside doing anything else, know that they already have the back-to-school advertising up. What’s worse is that the store is probably open today. Consumerism never takes a holiday. Those poor workers.
Make Summer Funner!
HAPPY
Brought to you by the Tinley Park “Benches” Summer Art Project. I don’t really know if that’s what it’s called, but it’s pretty cool. I drag my kids out every year to walk the few miles around the downtown streets of Tinley and take pictures of the benches. This year’s theme seems to be “America”. It’s the perfect way to kick off this little (hopefully) daily new feature. I had started posting them a year ago and never finished. So now I have this year and last year to catch up with.
I will be watching my son march in the parade today. For our town. He’s in the band. And I think there’s fireworks. So it should be a fun night.
Have a safe and happy Fourth wherever you are!
We’re just a bad-ass motorcycle gang now
Well, HALF of us are. The other half (me) would be classified more as “lame-ass”. The BF’s bike is on the top. Mine is on the bottom. The BF’s is twice as big and weighs tons more. You can probably tell from the pics that my bike is significantly smaller. But that still didn’t stop my pathetic, “weak-ass” self from dropping it in the driveway yesterday afternoon. So sad. For me.
Don’t get all crazy or worried or call me. I am fine. It was not all that dramatic. I tried to get it off its stand and when I was finally able to rock it to the ground, the stupid thing started tipping over and I was not strong enough to hold it up or prevent it from falling all the way down. Luckily the side bags we put on it and my leg broke its fall. Yes, the leg with the broken foot. It only laid on it for a quick second. No extra damage, but I don’t think I am going to get fixed anytime soon. I keep doing really dumb things to make it worse.
Now in my defense, I had just worked out. Like, weights and cardio and crap, and I was sore and already in a weakened state. My muscles were unable to move fast or effectively. Obviously. And for some “dumb-ass” reason I tried to get it off its stand by standing next to it. Brilliant. I should have been sitting on it. That’s how I did it before. I guess it’s kind of funny now, especially since no one was hurt, it wasn’t on the street while riding, and the bike is totally fine. However…that still didn’t stop me from crying like a huge, big, giant, girl, baby. I felt stupid and weak and scared and frustrated, I guess, and I wasn’t even going to say anything. But I have to, because if you can’t laugh at yourself or admit you made a mistake you will never get past it and other people will dog you just the same. So, it was a stupid thing to happen and now I know what NOT to do, and they tell me everyone drops their bike at one point or another and maybe my turn is over now.
I did get on anyway, even though I stomped around angry and weepy for a little bit, and we drove around for an hour or so. Fall down. Get up. Conquer the fear. Blah blah blah. Inspirational quotes and words lose their impact when you feel like an idiot. But luckily I have an awesome boyfriend and a head that is only mostly made of rocks. Some stuff still trickles through! Thank you and I love you.
See you all on the road! I’ll give you a little hand wave. From my car.
We interrupt this program
Due to weather and my inability to not help people when they need it. It’s annoying to be sure. But hey, karma right? And what did I really lose anyway? A so-so buzz, computer access, TV watching, laundry folding and the brain numbing joy of sitting on my couch or on my back patio staring at that big white wall.
More heavy storms rolled in again on the first, and that 100 degree weather the news people were predicting finally made it over here yesterday. It was nap-inducingly hot. But I stayed cool with my motorcycle riding. Finally. The BF got a new bike and he’s making me go out so I can get “practice” and be “more comfortable”. I have to say, it’s fun, but stressful. I’m pretty nervous with traffic and I need to work on my stop-start skills. I need to be faster off the line so I don’t get squashed.
And is it just me, or does there seem to be a news story everyday of some poor slob getting killed on his/her motorcycle by a truck?? I wear a helmet but I’m not sure I will fair any better just because my brain isn’t physically all over the street. The word is you don’t think about the bad stuff. Pay attention and don’t do anything stupid. It’s seriously like learning how to drive all over. I need to re-train myself on how to “see” the road. I think I am taking today off.
Plus, two of my schoolmates took their big test and passed! So happy for them. A little bit jealous. A little bit scared. A little bit guilty and anxious. We all want to pass. So I really should be studying. How often do I type those exact words in one of these rambles? I should get paid for it and I would be rich.
It’s like Transformers over here
Autobots Unite!
It’s just more construction. It’s like giant, metal, dinosaurs are rumbling up and down the street. All that machinery I can see and hear, just through the trees. Creepy, sort of. And funny because they are making alot of noise but nothing seems to be getting done. I am sure someone went to school for a long time to plan this mess, but it just looks like a bunch of holes and gravel blocking everyone’s driveways. I’ve seen the “finished” work around town. As far as I can tell, they dump rocks, put up a warning horse, then let it sit for about 3 weeks, until all the fill is gone and you are left with a huge, 4 foot wide, crack in the road that could blow out a tire when you run over it. Then one random day, when you are late, a month from now, you will be driving down a constructed street and be stopped by a “Closed” sign while they lay an asphalt strip for 6 hours. The dirt and debris will remain, however, for another 2 weeks after that.
Time to refill my glass. Check next post for explanation.
I want a refund!
One hundred degrees of blistering sunshine and heat stroke have been replaced by 70 degrees of overcast and drizzle. NOT that I am complaining. Too much.
My air conditioner is OFF. Money saved.
BF is at work. Rode his bike there because it’s so nice and dry today. Hmmm. I guess rain-riding experience is necessary. Still…
My kids are gone. They went to the beach. Again, because it was supposed to be nice and hot. They may or may not be in tornado conditions along the shores of Lake Michigan in Indiana. I don’t know. It’s probably not a good thing when you have to rely on Facebook for the status of your children. BUT, I do trust who they are with and it is just threat of rain right now. Apparently the super heat wave that rolled in down from the north last night and caused us all that trouble, swooped up all the hotness and carried it away to the east somewhere. Cause it sure ain’t here.
I, on the other hand, had many plans for this day of hot and alone. I did get up early. Check. I did shower, shave, hygiene, blah blah blah. Check. I did pay one bill. Check. I did do one load of laundry. Check. And this is where the happy story ends. I am at an impasse. I need to study, but I want to drink. I need to balance the checking account, but I want to drink. I need to finish the laundry, but…you get the idea. Just a little. Not drunk. Just for…fun? Because it is July 1, it’s Friday, and I have, truly, nothing to do today? I don’t need to drive anywhere. I wouldn’t anyway. And it’s not even hot! And that makes it all the better! Now I won’t get overly sweaty or tipsy too fast! Plus, I can still do that other stuff while drinking.
Then it’s settled. I am inviting my friend Jack over and we are going to BS thru the afternoon. Thank you sounding board/inner conscious/internet. However, I better get on that check book thing first. Numbers tend to go all loopy after a few hours of the sippy juice. Later.
More “work” today
So. My town is doing pipe work on our water system, which is very old and crappy. We are a 70 (or so) year old town, with 70-year old pipe systems underground. You break one, you break them all, back to the source. And I guess that is what happened. Work on a side street (one block over) you end up working on the through streets when you break the main.
My neighbor called to tell us the good news. We may not have ANY water until the next day. Which is today. Fun! So we left the house to go get water and food that doesn’t need to be cooked with water or washed with water and doesn’t need dishes to clean up after. It’s just a big mess at the end of the block and we get re-routed in the other direction. When we got back at about 5:30, work seemed to be over but a hydrant was open, pouring water into the street towards my block. Oh well. We planned for a waterless night anyway, so no big deal.
But the fates were shining on us, because we had water! It was orange and rusty and full of debris, but you have never seen three people take showers faster in case they turned it off again. We didn’t even have hot water because I had turned the gas off to the heater when I found out it may be off all night. But who cares. We could flush the toilet! It’s like some survival stuff. For one whole day. Not even. Like, 8 hours. We are marshmallow people for sure. But, since this is not an end-of-the-world problem, I won’t go on about it.
Happily, they are back today. More trucks going by, lots of beeping noises and heavy equipment clanging and banging down. I expect in about an hour the water will be off again. Whatever. It’s a good reason to go exercise and study some test material. So you know what that means…I will be posting throughout the day!! Stay tuned!
And FYI for those who need to know…weather is awesome! Perfect. Sunny, clear, warm. And my foot still hurts! Later!
No F-ing water!!
Come On!! Kids and old ladies are home for summer break!! We Stink. Dammit. Can’t flush the toilet either. WTF is my town doing?? Block the roads. Dig a bunch of holes. Turn off the water. Disappear. I swear this city creates accidents for women and children to fall into.
I don’t usually get angry over stuff like this so I better get out of here. Ugh. My hair is sooo greasy though. Yuk! I should be thankful right? At least we have electricity. Spoiled Americans.
These pics are of the Fox River at Riverfest a few weekends past. First time we went. Pretty nice. I had been here before but didn’t realize it was the same place until later in the day. Looks different without all the people and vendors and food booths.
I just managed to squeak out enough water to soak a washcloth and squeeze it on my head. I also got enough to run the toothbrush across my teeth. So I guess I can shut up now. Besides all these pictures are making me have to pee.
Speaking of aches and pains….
I think I found the way to fix MY pain! Start small and go big or big to small, it doesn’t really matter. By the time you get done with all three you won’t care how many bones are broken in your body. Guaranteed.
Ha. Kidding! (not) I just wanted to put this pic somewhere. This is for my cuz.
Weather: GORGEOUS today! And yesterday and apparently it will be for the whole week! 100 by Friday!! Sunny and HOT!
Status of my personal aches and pains: Not too bad!! Joints are good. No fatigue. I can walk just fine (with the right foot wear). However, I put a bowling shoe on last week. It hurt. I have been trying to run. It hurt. I push through though, because that’s what we do.
On the bright side, with my new medicine (see above) it’s like I have NO limitations! Dr. PehPays magic elixir really works with very few side effects. In fact, as a bonus, since I started my prescription, I am now FUNNIER and I can SING!! Please feel free to contact me for the number of my nearest doctor if you’d like to try my new medication/health plan.
I gotta go, I’m late for my next dose. Adios!
just shy of pretty 