MId-week musings

I am drowning, drowning in a sea of uncompleted work. Laundry, bills, paperwork, filing, Halloween decorations that need to be pulled out, crap to put away, blogs to read ... you get the idea.

But really, is anyone's life different? Is there ever a day that is totally down? Nothing needing to be done? I'm not busier than anyone else - I just bitch about it more ;)

Yesterday I had a boatload of running around to do. Pick up one daughter, pick up another, run to Target, get dinner, run the youngest to Brownies, go to recycling meeting, blah, blah. Eldest daughter threw a monkey wrench in the plans when a) she asked me to give her friend a ride home (not around the corner, way out of my way) and b) her play practice ran late. I waited for nearly 20 minutes, finally left and came home. Did not make it to Target. Grrr. No sooner was I home than the phone rang: I'm ready! But by this time I really didn't have time to run her friend home. Long story short, I did (what would you say to a kid standing there without a ride?) but I was pissed. But I did get Sylvia to Brownies on time, so really, it wasn't the end of the world.

But close.

However, two bright spots on my day. One, the recycling meeting went well - 20 people on a weeknight? That is impressive - especially when you figure how many people sent regrets. Wow. We are charging forward on getting curbside recycling. It will cost - gasp - more than $2 per household/month. The horror.

Oh - and the survey they did last year? 2600+ houses in this subdivision - 150 surveys were returned. That is statistically insignificant if you ask me. And it failed by one or two votes. Stupid. My entire neighborhood is stupid. Any neighborhood that sends you a letter because they can see a glimpse of our trash cans is stupid.

And bright spot No. 2: I found a Web site that posts the music from my favorite high school band for free. Fools Face, they were called, and they were great - in that early 1980s, power pop kind of way. Everyone in the Missouri-Kansas-Illinois-Arkansas area would agree. Trust me. They were edgy, with tight harmonies and a fast beat. They made us feel smart and edgy, with their pseudo-intellectual lyrics that dealt with social commentary, from space colonization to handgun control to let's party.

They were the coolest. I'm not even sure all my college friends ever got the chance to see them - they played Columbia, MO, bunches - inside one of their albums is a band party photo, and my husband tells me it is the men's john in the Blue Note, which is only THE coolest club in Missouri (trust me, anybody who was/is anybody on the college/alternative music scene in the 80s played there). But the Fools left to hit the big time in California in late 1984. It sort of didn't happen, though apparently one of them became a decent producer out in LA. They play a reunion show every now and again back in my hometown of Springfield.

So, I downloaded not only their albums, but their singles and a couple of live shows - which reminds me of why they were so much fun live. With an eclectic mix of 50s and 60s covers following their set of originals, they seemed to play all night.

Once again, I am transported back to the 80s. I don't need to stay long, but it's always fun to visit.

Tomorrow I am home. Yay! Let's see if I can get anything accomplished ... I remain eternally optimistic.