Mandy’s “Umbrella”

I liked Rihanna’s song “Umbrella” the first time I heard it, but after the 4000th time on the radio, I’ve gotten a little sick of it. What turns me off even more? The remake that makes it a duet between Rihanna and some dude saying “Cinderella” instead of “Umbrella”. Ugh!

But I came across this little gem, sung by Mandy Moore. I love Mandy - she’s the winner of my “Pop Princess Showdown”. Britney Spears is a mess, Jessica Simpson is a floozy, and Christina Aguilera had a period of skankiness. Mandy’s the only one who hasn’t let it all get to her head, and she has become a great actress (have you seen “Saved”?) and just came out with what seems to be a more mature album. Her rendition of “Umbrella” is awesome…it’s good stuff!

She Works Hard for the Money

Sometimes I feel like all I do is work. Oh wait, all I do IS work!

Anyway, I haven’t had a chance to write up my wonderful comic con memoirs, and I really want to since I had such a great time.

I’ll throw out a couple pictures to whet your whistle. (whet or wet? am I sharpening it or moistening it?)


She-Hulk


Spidey Powers, Activate!


Michael Turner at Work


Group Picture with the Aspen Crew…

Happy Birthday, Mommy

Today is my mother’s birthday. She would have been…um…really old. ;)
I miss her, every day….

When You’re Gone
Avril Lavigne

When you’re gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you’re gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you’re gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok
I miss you

Back from “Vacation”

Had a great time at the comicon, I’ll have a full report soon!

Busy at the Comicon

We’ve been having a blast going to the Wizard World Comic Convention over the last couple days, and I’m too tired to really post up any pictures or a recap of what we’ve done so far…

Until I do….take look at this link and scroll halfway down to see if there’s anyone familiar in there….

Comic Book Resources

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

So I’m on vacation for a couple days, for my annual outing to the Wizard World Comic Book convention. It starts today, but I actually had yesterday as a day off just to rest and hang out.

It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve had a vacation (last “official” one was in February). Life has been going so fast and work has been keeping me so busy that I haven’t had time to stop and take in the world around me.

So yesterday, I ran a couple errands, went crazy shopping at Hobby Lobby, and took Benjamin to the mall. I let him play in the play area for about an hour (there’s all sorts of things for kids to tinker with and climb there) and to tell the truth, it had been the best hour I’ve had in months. No computer, no phone calls, no running around and multi-tasking…just me, sitting on a bench, watching Ben climb up a fake bridge and slide down, always running around to start over again and giving me a smile of pure joy.

It was his 16 month birthday (yes, I still keep track) and although he’s still tiny for his age, he makes up for it in his want to be like the big kids. Other mothers commented on how amazed they were that he could climb the objects like the older kids for being such a little guy (he was the smallest kid who was able to walk around).

Who knew that doing something so simple could be so wonderful?

The Ascent…

Things might be looking up in terms of workload and stress, though I’m hesitant to feel optimistic, just because we’re not completely out of the dark yet. We’ve found some alternatives to fix some big issues, but time will tell if those solutions will bring any baggage of their own.

Ever watch the movie “The Descent”? Without giving too much away, it’s a story about cave explorers who find monsters deep in the earth. It’s a struggle to stay alive and find a way out. At the end, the light at the end of the tunnel is found. After all the terror and suffering of the dark passages below, an opening is found, salvation lies in a beam of sunlight shining overhead, all that is needed is to climb a small pile of rocks, a tiny obstacle compared to the monsters below, to get to safety and a normal life.

But is it really the end? Will the monsters come back and drag us back into the depths of the earth? Is this all a dream? Can we escape and become “normal” again?

That’s a bit how I feel. And depending on which version of the movie you watch, the outcome can go either way…the happy ending, or the really sucky ending. I see that light at the end of the tunnel, and I want to run to it, embrace it, and breathe a sigh of relief. But I’m hesitant to, since I’m not really sure that my trial has ended, and that the road to the end is as near as it appears to be.

Oh, and I guess I spoiled the movie for you…just a little bit, I swear. It’s entertaining…you should watch it. In a very dark room. By yourself. Then you won’t be upset with me for my spoilers because you’ll be peeing in your pants with fear.

Ugh, I shouldn’t write posts at 3 in the morning!

The End of Shark Week

In honor of last week being Shark Week on the Discovery Channel.

This was Ben was almost a year old, and it’s funny to listen to because I swear that his voice is lower now…

*hurl*

You can tell when I’m swamped with work by the amount of posts on the main page of this site. Sadly, that’s how the main page has been for the last several months!

So yeah, I’m busy. I’m in what I call “critical mode” trying to figure out issues and put out fires. Luckily I’ve got a great team of people to work with, so I don’t feel alone in my sea of stress.

But yeah, I’ve got a knot in my stomach, my shoulders are a bit hunched from the tenseness and I’ve had about an hour and a half of sleep. CRITICAL MODE!

*insert barfing emoticon here*

This site needs some emoticons! I need graphic representations of my feelings!