It's no fun at all, but I haven't any time to post right now. And this, in the middle of NaBloPoMo! Yet, priorities are just that...and in my constant battle to put my family first, I am currently fighting small insurgencies of extra-curricular activities along with sniper-like seasonal events. So blogging must take a back seat.

That said, my daughter's homework was excellent the other night. (In general, her entire school experience has been excellent. This year in particular has been stellar super scrumptious excellent.) She was asked to fill in a chart for a Mrs. Chen, giving her a schedule of all of her errands, and how much time she would have to do them before meeting the young Chens at the bus. For example, if Mrs. Chen left the mall at 1:15 after having spent 50 minutes shopping, and it takes her seven minutes to reach the grocers, how long can she stay at the grocery store before needing to leave to get to the bus stop (time to drive from grocery store to bus stop=ten minutes). LOVE IT! I was so happy that I understood the homework and could actually assist my daughter should she need help, and that here was a real-life lesson that would serve her well down the road, and mainly that I felt much more effective than Mrs. Chen that day! She only went to the mall, the grocery store, and the auto repair shop. Please. I can nail all that in an hour.

Good Girls Go Bad, for a Day - New York Times: not an indictment, but a little essay on the sexy Halloween costumes my generation of women, and beyond, seem to favor.

As an adult, my costumes have been: Bruce Springsteen circa "Born in the U.S.A.", a baby with a diaper, a fly fisherwoman, and a K&W server, complete with hairnet.

Some of us don't need a flippin' pagan holiday to exude a little heat. Rawwrr!

You know I wanna piece of that pie! Listen all the way through - the bridge is SICK.

You all are just going to have to ride out my fascination with JT.

Also today: Gramps' birthday, Friday the 13th, the school Fall Festival aka Event Causing Belle's First Fall Meltdown Due to Too Many People and Fall Treats Such As Cotton Candy (Meltdown #2 to follow next week), Lemony Snicket's End, and prep for our trek to the coast to celebrate friends' impending adoption of their daughter. They travel to China next month. Happy times.

My yard has three yard signs in it now. One for a guy who we know who is running for judge, one for a judge who is running for reelection and was STRONGLY ENDORSED(by my husband's boss), and one for a County Commissioner candidate who is far better than the alternative. Soon, a sign promoting the local bond issue will join the happy patch of signs. I am not alone - everyone in our 'hood and all around us have signs. I particularly enjoy how our stretch of lawn offers high-visibility for our chosen endorsees.

But today, we drove by my brother's house, far north of here (I mean, not like Quebec City, but it seems really far away) and saw no signs. Actually, we saw one. Just one. And very few bumper stickers aside from the occasional "W", but those seem to be disappearing quicker than you can send an IM message.

What is up? Is it that these folks are too busy to care? Are there neighborhood ordinances forbidding signage? Are my neighbors and me too precious and really shouldn't promote various candidates so much? I could probably make some gross, and sort of mean, generalizations here. But I've gotten in trouble doing that, so I won't to keep life simpler. I'll just report the facts and then see if any of you can help me figure out why my fellow city dwellers don't seem to be getting involved.

Whoa!! this reminds me of the great Sharpie innovations of 2002!

Halloween - not my favorite holiday for years, until I discovered that if I sent my children out with their Dad, I could stay home, drink wine, dole out candy to the few visitors we have, and watch "ET". Now things are getting dicier. My daughter wants to go trick or treating alone, and she wants to dress like agirly whore. I've never bought into the whole "women have to look campy and hot" thing for Halloween, and I really don't want her starting all this crap at her tender young age. Then again, she doesn't ask for much, she's very good and sweet, and my son is going to wear an eye patch, carry a sword and call it a day. So I have some cash to spare.

If she wears that get-up, she ain't going alone, though.