Brandon's Puppy

30 days

I blogged once a day (and sometimes more) for 30 days. Go me!
It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. And I'm pretty proud of myself, I didn't cop out with a bunch of one line posts. I think there was one really short post, two tops.

Did you notice the slightly snarky badge I added on the right?

Honing my culinary skills

This morning, hubby and I experimented with breakfast. We'd never made pancakes from scratch before, but figured it wasn't much harder than the waffles we have every Sunday. We took a simple recipe I found, added nutmeg and cinammon to the mix, and topped them with syrup and whipped cream once they were cooked. Oh my, they were delicious.

I'm going to bake another Flan Cake tonight. I'm taking it to work tomorrow to surprise my co-workers, a post-Thanksgiving sentiment. That's number four in a one-week span.

Vicarious

Although I had a list for the boys when I went out shopping yesterday, and I purchased what was on the list, there are certain things I saw that caught my eye that I desperately wanted to get for methem. One of my favorite games when I was little was MouseTrap. B had no idea what it was, so I showed him a few videos of the trap in action on You Tube, and now it's on his list for his great grandparents' house! (That was easy!)
I think I may have to show him the greatness that is Operation for his birthday wish list...

In other news...

We may be taking Matty to the doctor in the morning. He's had fever on and off since Wednesday afternoon, and this morning he told us his left ear was hurting him. He says, "ear hurts, inside, mommy". I called the doctor's office earlier today to make an appointment, and the person at the call center said that they were closed through the weekend, which I found odd (in spite of the holiday) because they are open for appointments every Saturday morning until noon.

Once I got home from my shopping excursion, I called again and spoke with the on-call doctor, who told me that she will call me in the morning to check on him, and if he's still complaining of the ear ache we can come in and get it checked out. Good thing, because we were seriously considering taking him to the urgent care. The call center services guy should have been more specific. He almost cost me a couple hundred dollars just to get some antibiotics.

Black Friday

I was going to post a Black Friday photo essay to share today's adventures with you, but stupid me left the camera at home (a side effect of only getting 4 hours of sleep).

We arrived at Walmart shortly after 6am, and left a few minutes past 8am. The worst part there were the lines. Our next stop was Target, and part of our shopping was already done as my cousin S went over there while we were paying at Walmart. She gathered some things we asked her for while we made our way over there.

Next up was Toys R Us, which was packed, but not as crazy as expected. We were also in and out fairly quickly. At this point, it was 10:30am, and C had to go home because her hubby had to go to be at work in an hour. So S and I kept going, stopping at Kmart, another Toys R Us and another Target before finally heading home at 3pm. (With a tiny pitstop at my office prior to TRU to pick up something).

I would share some of my findings, but since my eldest can read, I do not want him stubbling upon the list. But I will say that even with getting this and this, which were unplanned purchases, I spent less than $250, and my shopping is done (except for one thing that wasn't in stock)!

What did you do today? Did you brave the stores, or stay home and eat leftovers?

Thankful

I woke up around 8am this morning to start baking two Flan Cakes for today's festivities.
One cake is to take to my mom's house for a Thanksgiving lunch. In attendance will be my sister and brother, my mom, my grandparents, my uncle Val and Titi Maggie, my Godmother/Great Aunt and Uncle, my husband and the boys. These are my anchors. For a long time most of the people listed above were a constant in my life, and I am so very grateful for the love and support they have shown me day after day, month after month, year after year.

The second cake is going to my Tia Mirta's house (my dad's sister) for Thanksgiving dinner. In attendance at her house will be my aunt and her husband, my dad and stepmom, my stepbrother and stepsister, my cousin/stepsis-in-law, my brother-in-law, my beautiful nephews and niece, my other aunt and her husband, and my uncle and his wife. (Not in attendance will be cousin Y, who just had her baby boy last week and brought him home from the hospital just three days ago). Twelve years ago, all these people entered my life, and twelve years later I cannot imagine it without them.

Two cakes representing all the love I am surrounded by. I am thankful for many things, but the core of it all is my family. Without them, all of them, I am nothing.

Things happen

I was going to bake two Flan Cakes tonight. My plans got cancelled when I had a major allergy attack at work today. And, hubby dropped off Matty on his way to work at my office because last night he twisted his ankle/foot while jumping on his brother's bed so he didn't go to school today. I've been drugged up on Benadryl since 3pm, hoping I can make it go away so that tomorrow I can wake up early and bake. Meanwhile, Matty is uncomfortable and only wants to be carried.
The up-side: he learned his lesson. He won't be jumping on beds again...he knows that he's hurt because he was doing something he wasn't supposed to.
The down-side: I'm largely in denial, but I think I'm allergic to Sandy.

A year ago already?

I was browsing my archives and realized that a year ago today, Brandon lost his first tooth! To date he's only lost two, but his two top teeth have been loose for a few weeks. They are still hanging in there though, so it will still be a while.

I got them each their own tooth keepers at the Harvest this past weekend. They were very inexpensive, and I just couldn't resist. I just showed it to B so that when his teeth come out, he knows where to put them and the tooth fairy can pay up.

For me

I forgot to mention that I got myself a couple of early birthday presents on Sunday. My friend L, who hosted our latest book club meeting, makes jewelry. Really pretty jewelry. Jewelry that gives some couture Jewelry a run for its money. She's got all sorts of stuff, from earrings to pendants, and I purchased the two things I fell in love with: a bracelet with green beads in different textures, and a long necklace made with garnets. I wore the bracelet today to work, and I plan on wearing the necklace on Thanksgiving. Happy early birthday to me!!

Stray thoughts

*My birthday is in exactly two weeks....YAY!!

*The tradition continues: C and I are going shopping on Black Friday. I'm mostly keeping her company since I only have six gifts to buy. So far, we've got five stores on our agenda. We're starting with Walmart at 5am. Oh, and did I mention I have to work that day?

*I made a very yummy dinner tonight: pork chops marinated in barbecue sauce, corn, and carrot glazed with peach preserves. That was a spur-of-the-,moment thing, and it went rather well. I think glazed carrots are our new favorite side dish.

*I'll be wearing my glasses indefinitely. I fell asleep with my contacts on last night while watching the AMA's, and one of them came out. I couldn't find it anywhere. Not only was it my last pair, I replaced the old ones just last Thursday. I'm not sure when I'll be able to go to doctor to get a new prescription, and get more contacts. Both of those require having some of that green paper that's scarce in our household right now.

*I started reading the Twilight Series again. For those of you keeping track, this is read-through number 5. It's just something to keep me entertained until my big sis finishes reading the Sookie Stackhouse series, which she will be lending me once she's done. After that, I'm giving the vamps a break and am buying myself the Anne of Green Gables series. That's one of my favorites, yet I don't own it. Why is that?

So funny, I snorted!

One of my favorite authors, Jen Lancaster, was unable to attend the premiere of New Moon last week. Instead she provided her readers with this hilarious interpretation. This is the funniest thing I've seen in a long, long time!

Flan Cake

It was/is spectacular! There's still a bit left, but I think it will be gone by tomorrow.

My friends loved it, as did hubby. I'm surprised at how easy it was. I even got my friend Claudia interested in making it. We went out and bought a Bundt pan for her this afternoon!
I'm definitely making two for Thanksgiving, one for each side of the family. I'll have to control my consumption though, or I see the possible use of a slimming pill in my future.

In case you missed it yesterday, the recipe is here, another wonderful creation by Chef Marti. ;-)

Trial Run

I'm making a Flan Cake for my book club* meeting tomorrow. If it turns out well, I'm making another one on Wednesday (or maybe two, depending on when I start baking) for Thanksgiving. I'll post pictures of the final product tomorrow, after it's had time to settle in the fridge overnight.

This afternoon I ran to Target to get a Bundt pan, as I didn't have one. I ended up buying a traditional metal one, but was debating between that one and one made out of silicone. I've never baked using silicone anything before. Is it better? Worse?

(* who are we kidding? We discuss everything except books.)

I'm getting too old for this...

Today I was barely functioning, running on just four hours of sleep. Don't get me wrong, it was well worth it, but I'm quite anxious to get into my comfy bed and sleep for at least ten hours. I'd try for more, but that would mean hubby would be on kiddo/doggie duty (again), and I think he's had enough during the 72 hours to hold it against me for quite some time.

Here we go again!

Shortly, I will be leaving to my second viewing of New Moon, this time with 13 friends from work. We're getting to the theater 3 hours before the start of the movie to get a good place in line.
I'm glad I got a Sneak Peek yesterday, because tonight is going to be nuts!

I'm trying to not think about the fact that I'll be running on four hours of sleep tomorrow....

Bling for Bucks

Seeing as how we’re a bit strapped this holiday season, I was going crazy trying to figure out ways to get some money together so that we can afford Christmas presents for the boys. Coincidentally, I was cleaning out my dresser the other day, and came across some old jewelry I don’t wear anymore. So I had a “lightbulb!” moment and figured out a quick and easy way to get some extra cash: cash for gold.

I got some pieces together, two pairs of gold earrings and six silver rings that haven’t fit me in years, and sent them in to Gold-Cash.com. The process was very easy: they sent me what they call a gold kit, a pre-paid FedEx mailer with the instructions and inventory form. I put my jewelry in the package, filled out the inventory form, mailed it, and had a payout amount in my email inbox within 24 hours of them receiving it.

I’m no jewelry expert, but I do think I got a fair price for the value of the items I sent in, and the payout amount went right into my PayPal account. It was a fast, hassle-free process, and a great start to my holiday budget.

Disclosure: The above is an honest review. I did receive compensation for using the service.

Spot on!!

Twilight Lexicon has a review of New Moon that I completely agree with! Don't click on the link if you don't want spoilers.

New Mooning and Swooning!

My friend Claudia loves me. Know how I know that? She scored tickets to tonight's New Moon private screening, and took me with her! A friend of a friend works for Burger King, and BK hosted/sponsored/whatever the private screening. That friend (the one once removed) couldn't go so she gave the tickets to Claudia's friend, who invited Claudia, who invited me. Which means, I got to watch it tonight, and I get to see it again tomorrow night/Friday morning!

They didn't mess around with security at the theater, by the way. No phones of any kind were allowed in the theater, and they were wanding people and checking purses and bags.

I will say what I can without spoiling it for anyone:

It is truer to the book than the first movie. They segued some key parts of the storyline to make sense with the plotline made up in the first movie.

I love that Edward is in it a whole lot more than expected.

Kristen Stewart's acting didn't suck as much as it did in Twilight. I think it's because she had better direction. Some of her facial expressions weren't as awkward and fake as in the first movie.

I really, really liked how they handled the passing months after Edward leaves.

Jacob: HOT!!

The wolf special effects were awesome! Sam as the black wolf was a bit odd the first time he comes out, but the rest of them are very realistic (or as realistic as mythical, 7 ft wolves can be.)

Seriously? No more wigs for Jacob and Rosalie, please!!

That's it for now. I may add more tomorrow after my second viewing. Squee!!!

I

...had a long day. It wasn't bad, just busy.
...am elated that there's a new baby in the family to love. My cousin had her baby boy early this morning. Her water broke a short while I left her house last night. We got home a short while ago from visiting them at the hospital. He's absolutely delicious!!
...found it rather interesting that it took me less time and miles to drive to the next county over than it would take me to go to my old job.
...also found it interesting that my cousin and I both evict our babies before they are full-term. She evicts them around 34 weeks, while I evict them at 36 weeks.
...should be in bed right now, but I can't go to bed just yet. Have to wait a little while longer because we just fed Sandy and she needs to be taken out before she has an(other) accident in the house.
...wish you all a good night!

Better than expected

B got his report card today:
(grade/effort/conduct)

Language Arts - C/2/C
Reading - B/1/C
Math - B/2/C
Science - C/2/C
Social Studies - B/1/B
Art - A/1/B
Music - A/1/B
P.E. - A/1/B

I was pleasantly surprised at his grades. I know he could have done better, but given the circumstances earlier this semester when he was not completing work and dangerously close to D's and F's, it could have been a lot worse.

Unconditional

It's only been a month and a couple of days, and already Sandy is a full-fledged member of our family. Of course she has her little corner of the house where her doggie bed, doggie toys, and doggies dishes reside. She definitely considers our house home, as she won't pee or poop anywhere near it. She'll wait until we've crossed the street to do her business, no matter how anxious she is to be let out.

Today, we had to leave her in the backyard because we knew we'd be gone for most of the day, and didn't want to risk her having any accidents (our living room is carpeted...not so easy to clean). We were gone for about 7 hours, and as soon as we walked in the door, she was jumping in circles outside. We could see her through the sliding door, and we couldn't get it opened fast enough before she greeted us with her tail wagging non-stop and lots of jumping to give us kisses. She was so excited, she hugged our legs. Really, they were hugs. She got on her hind legs and wrapped her front legs around our knees. It was so cute: I could feel her anxiety and all that love gushing out of her, I almost cried.

Right now she's not sure whether she was in trouble or not, as she'll wag her tail for a bit, then hide it in between her legs. I hate having to leave her out there, but it's got to be done until we're sure she's trained enough, and big enough (after all, she's still a puppy) to be a good girl for that long.

Blessed

My little sister came over around 11am and spent the entire day with us. She sat with us for a while as we wrapped up breakfast, then hung out with the boys for pretty much the entire afternoon as I cleaned their room and playroom, and folded and put away the last week’s laundry.

They watched Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs together and played with Sandy, then my big sister called asking me to watch her two boys for an hour. I said sure, and then the fun really started! I took out Animal Scramble, which the boys got for Christmas last year, and everybody had a blast. What a fun game! Instead of following the game rules, we assigned an animal to each of the kids, and they took turns “tagging” the giraffe. It was such a hit, I regret not having opened it up sooner.

Later on in the evening we headed to dinner at my aunt’s house in honor of my stepbrother’s birthday today (Happy Birthday, Lu!!), where all six kids - the four boys, Tyler and baby Brooke - and a bunch of adults enjoyed a few more hours of fun and laughter. We got home a short while ago, and both boys had to be carried in from the car, fast asleep.

I cherish days like today, full of wonderful memories wrapped in our unique family's love.

Enjoying the moment

Matty told me he wants me to sit on the couch with him and watch a movie, and I will be obliging him shortly.

Hope you all had a great Friday!

Ugh

Been battling allergies all day.

Brandon has been sick since Monday evening. He missed school on Tuesday. I dropped him off this morning because he was better (no fever since Wednesday morning). He was still coughing a lot, but that's a chronic thing with him when he gets sick. The school called at 9:30am that he had a mild temperature and constant cough. Hubby picked him up at that time, kept him for most of the day, and dropped him off at my job before heading into work.

Hubby works till about 9pm, at which point I am relinquishing parental duties for the evening.
I'm so glad tomorrow's Friday.

Birthday Wish List

My birthday will soon be here (T minus 26 days!) and I thought I'd share some of the less attainable things on my wish list with you, just because. These are in no particular order, they are listed as I think of them. Right now these are highly unlikely in my book, for one reason or another, but it doesn't hurt to wish.

1. An iPhone. Been wanting one for some time now. Unfortunately, I'm not eligible for an upgrade until March so I have no choice but to wait as I can't afford it at regular price.

2. A trip to Disney World. It's been two and a half years since our last trip to the House of Mouse. We were supposed to go the weekend before Christmas with my siblings and all the kids, but we've hit a financial impasse and are unable to go. Sigh, I miss those times when we'd take Orlando vacations two and three times a year...

3. Winning Lotto ticket, or Fantasy 5 ticket: I'm not that greedy, I'll be happy with a few thousand dollars. Enough to catch up, and maybe even be ahead on the mortgage, that's all I ask.

4. A shopping spree at any of the following: DSW, Old Navy, Anne Taylor Loft and Marshalls. I'm in desperate need of a wardrobe makeover. Really.

5. Hubby to surprise me with a clean (really clean) house the day of my birthday. I just do not have the strength or time lately to get this place spotless. I do a quick, decent-enough-for-people-to-come-over-and-us-not-be-ashamed cleaning once a week or so. More the latter than the former.

If I got just one of these, it would totally make my year.

Over the Top

Lou gave me this cute blog award, which comes with the sassy badge you see above and the one-word survey you see below. Thanks Lou! I appreciate you thinking of me, particularly because I wasn't sure what to blog about today, and - poof! - you gave me some linky love. Instant post!

Where is your cell phone? Desk
Your hair? Bun
Your mother? home
Your father? home
Your favorite food? many
Your dream last night? forgotten
Your favorite drink? Frappucino
Your dream/goal? comfortable
What room are you in? office (Technically, I don't have an office, but "area near the kitchen where our desk is" is a lot more than one word.)
Your hobby? Scrapbooking
Your fear? Alone
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy
Where were you last night? home
Something you aren’t? rich
Muffins? Cupcakes
Wish list? Lotto
Where did you grow up? Miami
Last thing you did? type
What are you wearing? Comfy
Your TV? On
Your pets? Sandy
Friends? Love
Your life? Joyful
Your mood? tired
Missing someone? Yes
Vehicle? Kia
Something you’re not wearing? Socks
Your favorite store? Target
Your favorite color? Green
When was the last time you laughed? before
Last time you cried? dunno
Your best friend? reliable
One place that I go to over and over? Target
Facebook? Yes
Favorite place to eat? 5Guys

I'm sharing the love with some of my favorite people: Claudia, Claudia, and the "other" Amanda. =D

Old School

I'm really, really in the mood for a café con leche right now. Problem is, hubby is at work and he's the only one that knows how to work the espresso machine we have.
We used to have the kind of espresso maker that you use on the stove top (did you know it's officially called a moka pot?), but it got weird inside...apparently it wasn't 100% aluminum.
I miss my cafetera. You could hand me a brand new Nespresso machine, free of charge, and I'd appreciate the gesture but decline it in favor of the low-tech stove top kind.

Hey, my birthday's coming up... (hint, hint, nudge, nudge)

Upcoming

Here are a few things I'm looking forward to during the next few weeks (besides the holidays, of course):

- My stepbrother's birthday this coming Saturday.
- Hubby's BFF's kids' birthday party on Sunday.
-The New Moon premiere on the 19th/20th. I'm going with the girls from work, then again with my other girlfriends in December.
- The Harvest Festival.
- Black Friday!!!
- Sometime before December 17th (that's when the discount coupons I have expire) we're going to Santa's Enchanted Forest.
- planning the boys' birthday party....Brandon's birthday is two months from this coming Wednesday!

What upcoming events are you looking forward to?

I need to do that more often!

March 28. That was the last time I treated myself to a manicure and pedicure, before yesterday. That's more than seven months ago. That's just WRONG.

I went all out yesterday and had a complete self-care day: I got a mani, a pedi, trimmed my hair, got a facial, and had my eyebrows tweezed (not waxed. my eyelids are a bit droopy by nature, and that will just make them worse). Of course, all this was made financially manageable courtesy of my aunts and mother-in-law. My aunts own the salon, and my MIL works there and did the facial and eyebrows. I felt so rejuvenated, particularly after the facial and the upper body massage that comes with it. The only thing I didn't like was that high frequency machine used during the facial...I suspect my MIL may have been trying to kill me.

I'm going to make it a point of not letting so much time pass between pampering sessions. And next time I'll try to remember to help Brandon with school projects before I get the manicure. I almost lost my nail polish hot-gluing for his latest project tonight.

Supporting Yoani

This is a picture of 33 year old Cuban dissident Yoani Sanchez, who was beaten by Castro's thugs last night. She is the voice of Generacion Y and she fights for Cuba, from within. Her voice is her sword, something the Castro regime tries to disallow. But, those that support her use the power of the internet to make her voice resonate. I am one of those supporters.

The MSM turns the other cheek when it comes to Cuba, so it's up to us to spread the word of it's realities, and the ongoing fight for freedom.
And to those "men" (I use the word loosely) who beat up four people, including a woman, who sought to participate in a peaceful march: you are shameful cowards. You know the change is coming, and you've found yourself on the wrong side of the fight.

*For those of you on Facebook, feel free to copy this picture and make it your profile picture in solidarity with Yoani and a Free Cuba.

Big Difference

So I found a “love note” on my desk this morning, a piece of tissue (from the tissue box on my desk…whoever left it couldn’t find my post-its) with the letters T Q M on it. Te Quiero Mucho.

It brought a big smile on my face. Not only because it’s a lovely sentiment, but because I wondered which of my coworkers left it. The options were vast, unlike my old office where only a handful of people were likely to do something like that. By process of elimination- who was in the office after I left, who’s handwriting did it look like, who speaks Spanish and would put TQM as opposed to ILY - I figured it out. But how lovely is it that I work with such a wonderful bunch that it was quite a puzzle to solve?

Frugal is the new black

Hubby gets the weekend paper at work for me whenever he works on Saturdays or Sundays, and I’ve been cutting coupons like a maniac. I’ve even made the effort to actually take them with me when I go to the store. Between the deals the grocery store had, and a bunch of coupons I took with me, I saved just over $15 last week alone.

I'm even sifting through our junk mail, trying to save a buck here and there. You know those packs of coupons that come in the mail every couple of weeks? Sometimes they have some really good deals, but lately the ones I’m getting consist of auto insurance quotes for various companies, ads for local dentists and orthodontists, and satellite and cable companies. They aren’t even including the “free entrée” ones for restaurants. What is up with that? Don’t they know I’m trying to save money? Send me stuff I can use please!

Homework Time

Yesterday's homework, posted today since we are sans computer at Casa Dufau.

1. Once I triped over a paper.

2. The water is driping.

3. I grabed the toy plane.

4. The sidewalk has a crack.

5. Crabs live in the ocean.

6. Not seeing snow makes me grim. (never mind that he's never seen snow)

7. I'm traping the mouse. (Good, now I know who to call if we get a critter in the house!)

8. Whales eat krill. (the things you learn from Finding Nemo)

9. My mom prick her finger.

10. One little pig made a house of bricks.

11. Bonus word: Thanksgiving is in November.

Me Time

For the first time in months (very close to a year actually) I’m setting some time out for me this weekend. Self-care time, as we call it at work. I called my aunt at her salon this morning and made an appointment for Saturday to get my hair trimmed (not cut, just the ends please), and I’m getting a mani and a pedi too. Hubby doesn’t work that day, so he’ll be home dealing with the boys while I have a few hours of pampering.
A part of me feels a tiny bit guilty, but the rest of me knows it’s not wrong to be happy to have some time to myself. Sometimes mommies need a break to stay sane.

Y-chromosome

What is it about men that makes them so stubborn? It's got to be a chromosome thing...

Hubby was downloading who-knows-what onto our computer, and got some virus on there (again). He blames me for not yet backing up the computer onto the external drive we bought a few weeks ago. He won't recognize that it is in fact his fault for downloading from unsecure sites in the first place!

I'd kill 'im, but his paycheck sure does come in handy...

First Monday in November

I do not like this "new" time. By the time I left work, picked up the boys at their respective schools, and drove home, it was night outside. It doesn't help that I'm suffering from allergies today, so after walking Sandy I curled up on the couch and watched last night's Desperate Housewives, and nodded off for what seemed like a second. I woke up about 30 minutes ago, thinking it was 9 or so, and it was only 7:25pm.
I'm counting the minutes till hubby gets home so that I can hop in the shower and go to bed.

At least this time I know what the trigger was. Hubby took out the air filter last night to change it out for a new one, and I walked by while he was sliding it out of the bottom of the A/C unit. I breathed all that gunk in. UGH!

The Little Guy

Picked up Matty's school picture last Friday. He was in a "No pi-shures!" mood, but he still came out cute.

I still need to take them to the studio for portraits though. I'm going to aim to do that around Christmas-time, and perhaps we'll take some family shots as well. We haven't had professional pictures taken in over a year, and our last professional family shots were when B was 2 years old.

Halloween Past

Because T did it, and I know she'll appreciate my costume.

Halloween, 1979 (not sure about the year, but based on my size and the fact that my little sister isn't in the picture, it's got to be before 1980)

front row: me, BFF Viv
back row: cousin Sherri, Viv's older sister Sonia

Planning ahead, or just a shopaholic?

We went to Target for our weekly supply run this evening, and I saw that all the Halloween stuff was on clearance - 50% off, including costumes. I tried my hardest to convince Brandon to pick his costume for next year, but he's still in Transformer mode. Hubby said, "you know he's going to change his mind at least four times between now and next year". But me? I was stuck in my bargain-shopper mindset.
In the end, we stuck to the list and didn't get any extras, and still our total was over $70.
There's no such thing as Target Shoppers Anonymous, but I did discover a blog specially tailored to Target Shoppers. It's my kryptonite, I tell you!

NaBloPoMo

Some of you may know that November is NaNoWriMo. I am not inclined to write a novel, but I definitely think I can manage a post a day for 30 days, so I'll be participating in NaBloPoMo during the month of November.
My only request from you, dear readers? Please encourage me by commenting, it's been rather quiet around here lately. kthxbye!