If you ever wondered...

Someone, somehow documented what my work is like!

If you're interested read this: "Can I cut it as a day care worker? One of the most exhausting, worst-paid, smelliest jobs in America," which is a lovely title for a fine article.

While I'm over-educated in my field and for most purposes I'm actually an administrator (but I am not the man) I find my happiest moments at work, when I feel most fulfilled and like my job actually matters, are when I'm with little ones (or when I conquer some organizational cluster-fuck with my keen color-coding skills). Despite the pee, poop and endless boogers, little kids are simply amazing.

And what early education workers do is absolutely crucial. From socialization to potty training, ABCs to 1, 2, 3s to "we don't hit our friends" to (my favorite) saying "I don't like it!" to asking questions to saying thank you, important stuff life happens starts at preschools.

What is this good for?

My B and I have a little container on the kitchen counter that we're filling with pop-tops. Yes, those little tabs on top of pop and beer cans. We've got about a cup full and we're passing them along to B's mom who passes them along to her mom (B's Grandma Peggy).

Why? I have no clue.

My best friend is also collecting these for an older woman at her work. She has no idea what her coworkers (named Koko) is doing with them either.

So, what's up older folks? What do you need with these pop tops? Tell me!

Otherwise I'm scrapping them. I just learned about scrapping metal and it sounds both lucrative and awesome. My brother scrapped a lawnmower!

Exciting events, zooming right to you!

1. My Golden Birthday is Saturday! Yay for 28 on the 28th, and for cookouts with wonderful friends.
2. My mom and dad bought me a giant, silver letter A (for awesome) for said birthday. It's really perfect.
3. Today was Spring Cleaning in my home. We scrubbed, mopped, moved furniture and plotted a massive clearance of many bad items. Somehow my DigiPup landed in the "do not keep" pile. I will sneak it out in the night! It's such a cute battery-operated pet.
4. I bought a slip-cover for my couch today. It's not really anything special, just a big, odd-shaped blanket that sort of fits over the couch (like a blanket). I put it on, adjusted it, tucked it, draped it, evened it and soon I am returning it.
   
5. My workplace is officially in crazy-summer-mode. Our camp program keeps things incredibly busy. My desk is over-run with health forms, health form exemption letters, resumes, applications, and a box full of recycling. I did manage to hire about 10 mostly excellent new employees. Whoa! Who knew I could do that?
6. I've joined a trivia team. We vie to win an $800 first prize, $200 second prize and many assorted other raffle-type fun. While I'm entirely unable to identify songs and their artists after hearing a snippet of a song, I'm really good at remember random crap about Jessica Alba's baby, Notorious BIG's real name and assorted topics. Here's hoping for a cool acronym category next week!
   
7. My best friend is visiting this weekend. We're watching new medical reality show Hopkins, seeing Sex and The City Movie (again), getting pedicures, cooking and generally acting preposterous. Yay!
   

Democrats are decided, now it's on.

Watch out John McCain.

I'm merrier than a terrier that the Democratic Party (and voters in 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico) decided. I'm a loyal, loyal democrat. I liked all the candidates, particularly New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson who dropped out like four months ago.

I'm simply too loyal and too concerned with the big picture (meaning November 4, 2008) to fight over which democratic candidate is liberal enough, appealing enough, too radical, not radical, tall enough, regular enough, special enough. I'm just not interested in the primary. I'm not fighting with other democrats.

I'm certainly not fighting about who I prefer - the first woman to be a major contender for the presidency or the first black man to be. So now it's settled.

Senator Hillary Clinton gave a brilliant, beautiful concession speech and endorsed Senator Barack Obama. Thank you, Senator Clinton.

Now, democrats can get down to the real, dirty, fun business of knocking John McCain on his ass. Watch out, McCain - you are throughly un-modern, un-ready, un-presidential and about to get stomped.

Summer arrives... when'd that happen?

As I sip my Gewutzetraminer white wine (crisp with a bit of a yellow apple something happening) I'm surrounded by a heap of magazines to read, a most of my Sunday Tribune and coupons to cut. What a busy freakin' weekend.

Friday I saw The Sex and The City Movie. Loved it! It was a delight. Ridiculous clothes, hilarious bits, heartwarming story and all that. Mostly it was wonderful to just see the girls together again. My favorite line was from the very end, and in efforts not to be a spoiling spoiler I can just tell you if you ask. I loved the complications - happy and sad - that the girls ran into. I also loved the purses, adventures and men. Perfect!

Saturday we braved both heat and wind to attend the Printer's Row Bookfair. It was way fun and prepped me for working next week at Little City's Annual Book Sale (come out - it's awesome!). I attended a very rowdy and fun bachelorette party Saturday night, which was wonderful (and of course gets me thinking about what the heck a modern gal is supposed to do when it comes to tradition, marriage and all that shit).

After a stormy afternoon, we scooted over to North Center's Ribfest. Delicious and raucous.

I ate half an awesome pulled turkey BBQ sandwich and I noticed a lot of over-tanned young women. Wake up! Tanning is bad for you. And tan lines are trashy. I wear my SPF 70 on cloudy days, so should you! Seriously, the beauty magazines say again and again that sunblock is the best anti-aging tool.

In good news, dresses are very, very in! Hooray for that classiness. Although I'm not certain an event like Ribfest calls for a white sundress and heels....

Things I can't wait for...

1. Seeing the Sex and the City Movie tomorrow! Yay! I'm taking a bus trip to a rent-your-own-theater place with a cocktail hour before the movie. I'll report back about this.
2. Summer! It's officially the season of popsicles and flip-flops. Hooray for that.
3. Getting a basket for my bicycle.
4. Enjoying any of Chicago's billion festivals - this weekend is Printer's Row Book Fair and Ribfest.
5. Rigging my apartment to suck air-conditioned cool air from the hallway, or to be very breezy on sweltering days.
6. A joyful, all-American Democrats vs. Republicans campaign until November. As democrat who loves both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama I couldn't stand to see the bickering. On to a real fight!
7. Visiting Rockford's Starlight Theater! It's utterly amazing. We're seeing Little Shop of Horrors.
8. Everything else! From weddings to swimming, from movies to gardens, from icy cold beer to icy cold wine to icy cold Diet Squirt - phew, it's here!