Yes! I got it figured out! I'm not an idiot! OK, so Saturday morning, Kirby and Elliot had me rolling with their little fashion show.

This is Fashion Plate #1 aka Purple Passion with Beatrix Potter purse.


Here Elliot is modeling the latest in princess wear this season. We are still toting BP purse.


And finally, Elliot is tickled pink, as you can see.

It is now 12:11, and I just home FROM WORK about ten minutes ago.

Mind you, I work at a school...the bell freakin' rang at 3:20. The building itself was vacant by 4:00. I have pretty spent the last seven and a half hours there (minus a half-hour to come home for supper). What have I been doing, you ask?

Well, you may know that I advise the school newspaper. In years past, our "paper" was a lame drivel-ridden rag that looked like a packet. This year, we're all fancy now...we actually are printed in the newspaper. It's pretty sweet. Natch, our quality has to be stepped up a bit. Deadline was today. That's what I've been working for the last forever. Editing the final draft. Dammit.

Everything just needed to be reworked, tweaked, placed, etc. I'm probably taking too much of the responsibility on myself. However, I want it to look good. I figure I'll just take it out of my editors' grades on Monday.

Party time is bedtime.

Well, it's really not terribly early, and I would be getting up in about 15 minutes anyway. However, I was wide-eyed right around 5 o' clock this morning. Definitely not part of the sleep plan. But here I am.

I thought I would tell you all about my tattoo. Just a little something-something to pass the time. It is on my left shoulder and is a peace symbol, outlined in black and filled in with green. I really don't know why I chose it. I was enthralled with peace symbols at that point in my life, and I really didn't even know what exactly they meant. I got it when I was 18, so here I am, thirteen years later, sporting a permanent marking that really is nothing personal to me.

It could have been worse, though. I was currently going through an "Disney Aladdin" phase at the same time as the peace symbol phase, so imagine how silly I'd feel now having Genie on my shoulder.

You know, thinking back to it, I should gotten a sun tattoo. Then I would always have "Sunshine on My Shoulder." John Denver would be forever immortalized.

I never even really meant to get a tattoo. I was a college freshman, and my roommate was this cute little thing from Urbandale. At this time also, this guy I went to high school with was claiming to have some big-time love for me, so he'd come up to visit me on weekends. I really had no interest in him, but he kept bringing this other guy with him (another high school mate), who took a fancy to my roommate. Pretty soon, they were shagging all over the place. During this time, the guy who had the hots for me cooled his passions and stopped coming to visit when I started dating someone else. One night when high school guy #2 was up, he said he wanted to get a tattoo. He then said he'd pay for mine if I got one too. And that was it. I went, had it done, told my parents later. They weren't really that upset. I mean, my dad has one, and my mom wanted one (which she got later and I went with her).

Of course, you know what's funny about all this? High school guy #2 and my roommate soon split, and the roommate moved to another school at the end of the semester. I haven't seen the roommate since, and I haven't seen high school guy #2 in about 10 years. But, here I have this permanent reminder of that time in college. Funny how life is.

I've been thinking of getting another tattoo. I'd like my astrological symbol (Taurus), but I'm not sure where to put it. I was thinking about my upper arm...that would kick ass. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe I never will. Who knows.

Heh heh heh. Today's visitor number right now: 667. Right next door to 666.

Perhaps I'll drop by and see if ol' Lucifer has a cup of sugar I could borrow. Although, if it's Hell, it won't be sugar...it'll be Splenda or NutraSweet.

Of course, once you all read this, the joke is gone anyway. It's onto 670 or something. Not as funny anymore.

This one shall be about the in-laws.

I know, I know...wah wah wah wah wah. Enough already. Everyone bitches about their in-laws. So add me to the list.

Brent's older brother and his wife are both doctors. Yes, la-di-da. Nice house, nice cars, DisneyWorld vacays with their sons, nice little three-days getaways five to six times a year, etc. Not over-the-top in your face, but uppity nevertheless. However, it's not like Brent and I are scrubbing toilets at Des Moines International, so they don't treat us like complete inferiors.

But...their boys are three and 18 months. Nice little kids, but when it's naptime, the whole house must shut down. Thanksgiving was just a freakin' blast. Afternoon nap rolled around and we were all discouraged from playing billiards all the way downstairs, speaking in our regular voices (too loud), and even flushing the toilets.

I'm sure it's a doctor thing, but these guys are also neat freaks. keep their kids wiped/hosed down almost 24/7. They'd never ran on grass in bare feet until last summer.

So, the rant? I'm getting there. This year, Christmas, she's working. They won't be making down to Brent's folks. The gift exchange game we started last year is a no-go.

BTW, the gift exchange game was our idea...because we were sick of buying meaningless gifts for Brent's brothers. We never knew what they wanted...they never knew what we wanted. It was stressful on both sides. So, Brent and I pushed for the GEG. We would all bring a wrapped gift - one that was unisex and could be for any age (board games being a favorite). Then we'd draw numbers, pick a gift, and could swap at any time. It was good.

Tonight, we have been informed by the SIL that their plans are to buy presents for Great-Grandma Alice, Brent's mom and dad, nieces and nephews, and all brothers who don't have kids (which is two). Why didn't she just say 'we're buying presents for everyone except Brent and Heather.'

Sooooo...through indirect peer pressure, we may be back at that very place we didn't want to be. I love it. Love it all. Love how the world revolves around those two. Especially love that Brent and I never seem to be able to tell them to piss off.