A sad prong song

I am notoriously hard on jewelry. I don't know why, but rings and I just don't seem to get along. I managed to crack the back of my birthstone ring twice in high school, and broke a couple of prongs on it as well.

When we got engaged, I made sure to get a super thick ring. I knew that I would crack the back of it if it was thin, so we got the thickest ring we could find. My super thick platinum engagement ring is flanked by two very thick gold wedding bands. I figured, no problem, all this thickness means it won't get broken!

Wrong.

While I haven't broken the shank (hallelujah), I have managed to break prongs. Multiple prongs. More than anyone else I know.

All was well, for a while. I wore my ring everyday, even slept in it, taking it off only for softball practice and games. It was fine. Then, I started coaching, and I began to have problems. I wasn't taking my ring of for practice or games anymore, because, well, I wasn't the one playing. I began to break prongs. First, the jeweler replaced the head of my ring with the biggest, thickest prongs they had. I managed to break those, too. Then they switched the gold prongs for platinum. You guessed it - those have broken, too.

It got to the point that Ricky forbid me from wearing my ring anymore. That was probably ok, since we also found that I'm allergic to it about the same time. I get a wonderful scaly rash under my ring. Recently, though, I tried wearing it again. I've been wearing it regularly for a few weeks now and, what do you know, I broke another prong.

When Ricky forbid me from wearing my ring, I began asking for a new one. Something with no prongs, like a bezel set or tension set ring, or even a pave setting. Then we learned about "blood diamonds" and decided we didn't want to invest in another diamond ring. I decided I wanted a blue topaz, the birthstone of December, our anniversary month. We didn't do it, though, because it seemed silly and frivolous to invest in a new wedding ring for me when mine is perfectly good, beautiful, and something I love.

But now, if I add up all the money we've spent fixing prongs on my ring, we could have very easily purchased one of these rings that I love
All this to say that I once again managed to break a prong. The price to fix it has gone up since the last time, and I won't have it back until Tuesday. Looks like it may be time for us to seriously consider something new. It seems silly to keep paying $30-45 each time I break a prong when, if I wear my ring regularly, I average at least one a year, usually more.

Oh, and the jeweler's advice? "Quit wearing it." Uh, ok. Maybe I should also be seeing a second opinion on that one!

My latest favorite picture

Jacko-pea at the beach

Waking up before the alarm

We all know the feeling - you wake, for whatever reason, peer bleary eyed and the clock...and groan. You've woken up before the alarm, with not enough time to really go back to sleep. For me, that usually means 30 or so minutes. Just enough time for me to drift back to dreamland and then

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

Awful.

This morning was different, though. With my new part time salary comes the only good thing about being part time - a part time schedule. I've always said that my dream job would not start until 10. Well, my wish has been granted. I do not have to be to work until 10 am, and I work until 3:30 each day. In the words of a friend's daughter, Halle-freakin'-lujah!

I set the alarm for 8 am. Around 5:45 I woke up in a panic, sure I'd overslept. I've always had to be at work between 7 and 7:30, no matter which district I was in, so being able to sleep until 8 felt sinful. After peering bleary-eyed at the clock, and convincing myself that yes, I really could sleep until 8, I managed to go back to sleep Until 7:30.

But for what is probably the first time in my life, I wasn't angry that I woke up 30 minutes before the alarm. It felt blissful to know that I could lie in bed for a few more minutes, snuggled up to Ricky. Or I could get up and putz around the house for a while, have breakfast, and get ready for work at my leisure. For the first time in a long time I wasn't rushing around the house, throwing on the first clothes I saw and skipping a shower because I woke up too late. I even left the house early, had time to stop at Safeway to pick up a Lean Cuisine for lunch, and got to work early!

I think I'm really going to like this new schedule!

Happy Birthday to you...

Just a quick note to say "Happy birthday, Dad!!"

Dear Sen. Obama,

[please note - this post is in no way a representation of for whom I will vote. I still haven't decided; how could I, since the republican ticket wasn't established until today?! It is merely my expression of frustration over what I see as inaccurate statistics]

Dear Senator Obama,

You seem like a nice man. I like to listen to you talk. You are very charismatic and a wonderful orator. You seem genuinely interested in what happens to the people of America. I do have one concern though. I wonder how you really think you'll be providing a tax cut for 95% of people.

It's not that I don't think it's possible. It's that your plan doesn't make it possible. According to what I've read, you've proposed to give a $500/worker or $1000/family credit to those who earn less than $150k and who don't itemize. At the same time, you say you're providing a tax cut to 95% of the people of America.

You're wrong. According to that statistic, no more than 5% of the American people could make less than $150k and itemize. I highly doubt that, with our 5 figure combined income and itemized taxes, we are accompanied by only %5 of our fellow Americans.

Not to mention, you repeatedly say you're giving a tax break to those who make less than $150k, with no mention of the qualifier. In a recent interview you told Bill Hemmers, ""...I’ve structured a change in the tax code where if you are making $150,000 a year or less, you’re getting a tax cut, 95 percent of the American families will get a tax cut" and "...and you will get tax cuts and more money in your pocket if you make less $150,000"

But, Senator, that's just not true! According to your plan, I will not see a tax cut because I have the gall to itemize. And I would be willing to bet that at least 25% of the American people make less than $150,000 and itemize. So 95% of the people will not see a tax cut, now, will they?

Please don't misrepresent your plan. Please use accurate statistics. I would love a tax cut, but if it's not going to happen, that's fine. Just don't get my hopes up by saying one thing when you mean something else.

A picture's worth a thousand words...

She Sells Sea Shells by the Sea Shore

Yesterday was a long, eventful, entertaining, and tiring day. And I mean all of that in a very, very good way.

First, Ricky and I headed out to Seaside, Oregon with the pup. Knowing that I'd be returning to work on Monday, we decided to make the most of the couple of days we've got left, so we packed up a cooler, the kite and the dog and "eased on down the road" (what show is that from? Anyone?).

Once at Seaside, the three of us went on down to the beach for lunch. Unfortunately, pup was a little sick, and while he was being good he just wasn't having a lot of fun. We let him play on the beach for a while (he loves to dig in the sand) and then we took him back to the truck to kennel him up. We're thinking he was dehydrated, because he went through an entire 32oz bottle of water in about an hour!

While Jacko was resting, Ricky and I relaxed on the beach...and got some sunburn to show for it. Oops. But it was enjoyable, and we had a nice time sitting on the beach, watching the ocean, and talking.

On the way home we called friends who live somewhat on the way home from the beach and decided to hang out with them for the evening. We were anxious to see their "mini-farm," with the two goats, 12 chickens and multiple foods growing in the yard. We had a chance to meet Sassy, the milk goat, and Buddy, the fiber goat (who is a teeny tiny little baby and oh-so-cute!). Jacko had a chance to meet Maggie and Charlie, our friends' dogs. They all seemed to get along ok so I think next time we might try a real play date, letting J off his leash to run around the yard with the other two.

By the time we got done visiting, it was about 10 oclock and Ricky and I were zonked. Of course, we made one wrong turn on the way home (luckily we realized it very quickly) and then Ricky decided to take the scenic route down Farmington Rd, through Beaverton and Multnomah Village, down to Macadam, over the Sellwood Bridge and through Sellwood to get home. It probably added another 20-30 minutes to our trip, but we finally got home around 11:30 and headed to bed.

All in all, a fantastic day, and a great way to end our summer!