Facie’s Ramblings

This past week, my company took us on a field trip to the Carnegie Museum to see the "Life on Mars" exhibition. The last time I was there was a few years ago, when my company took us on a field trip to see whatever that exhibition was (that is right, I have no clue; cannot remember a single thing I saw only two or three years ago). I can say that between trips, I don't feel as if I have missed anything, and I am just not sure I would go on my own, even though we received a membership to the four museums at Christmas. First of all, I am not an artsy person. I bought a few pictures when we bought our house, and by looking at them, it is clear I don't have an eye for art. To be fair, we all have different tastes, but no one will ever walk into my home and rave over any of the art on my wall. But when it comes to a lot of stuff at museums, I just don't "get" most of the pieces. Some guy threw some crystal balls, not much bigger than tennis balls, across one ...

A former coworker (from when I taught) used to utter that phrase. Today, off and on, has been one of those days. Jordan has driven me crazy, and I know I am mostly to blame for this, as I struggle with discipline. Sometimes, when she is bad (and I hate to use that word), and I start to lose it, I end up saying things like I just want to run away or I ask her if she would prefer a different mommy or I tell her I am tired of her being so disrespectful. I think you should not have such high expectations from your child that you think they will/should listen all the time. Kids test their limits, and I don't think kids are necessarily bad just because they want to do something they know they should not and they try to do it anyway. It is when you remind them that they should be not doing something or when they ask if they can do something and you say no, and they do it anyway or throw a fit, that can be problematic. Some battles I don't bother fighting (or worse, I start to fight th...

Recently, I have had a few "nights on the town." Two weeks ago, I saw Sex in the City with some coworkers. This was significant for several reasons. One, the last first-run movie I saw was The Sixth Sense, which I think came out in '99 or '00. Second, I went with some ladies with whom I don't normally hang out. Actually, other than Lynnie, the friend I have had the longest at work (since she started, almost 12 years ago), my closest work friends are guys. Generally speaking, I just prefer men over women, because men tend to be less petty, emotional, and don't often hold a grudge. Plus I am not into a lot of girly things. But, as I said to these gals, it turns out women are not so bad after all. We had some good drinks (mmm, pomegranate martini) and eats beforehand, chatting a lot, and then went to see a long, but pretty good movie. If I don't see another first-run move for a few more years, fine by me, but glad I did it all the same. Then on Thursday, I ...

I was all set to write about Rocco Mediate losing the US Open in a sudden death round (is that what it is called?) and how I was rooting for him to win b/c Tiger has won something like 2,457 majors already, but that seemed boring, and quite frankly I am tired of writing about sports. So what is on my noodle today? A few things. 1. My school taxes are probably going up. Again. I think for the third time in the over six years we have lived in our house. According to the Pgh Biz Times, my school district is something like 10th from the bottom of all school districts in the six-county area. So what in God's green earth am I paying for?! Well, assuming we don't sell our house in the next few months (and perhaps even if we do), my child will be in private school, which means for the seventh school year in a row, I will not be reaping any benefits from the school taxes we continue to pay. Yes, senior citizens, I feel for you having to pay for school taxes, but I've been paying ...

I am a bit of a homer (or whatever the term is called for people who think the hometown person should win, get the break, whatever). But I also let emotions affect my feelings in sports, which makes me a such a girl (which I clearly am, though rarely act like). When Rocco Mediate, a Greensburg native, tied Tiger Woods in yesterday's US Open, I was pulling for him, not only because he lives less than an hour from Pittsburgh, but also because I thought of how great it would be for him to win a major, something he had never done before. Tiger has won something like 3,297 majors at this point. I lost count. When the round ended in a tie, I actually considered praying that Rocco would win. I know it is silly and unfair in some way to bother God with that sort of prayer, but someone has to win, so why shouldn't it be someone who has never won before? Think of how great that feeling would be. For Tiger, it is just another green jacket or piece of hardware or whatever it is you get wit...

Our house went back on the market last Monday, and by that afternoon, someone wanted to see the house. Not wanting to miss out (even though we asked for 24 hours' notice), Brian spent probably close to two hours putting out the nice towels, hiding toiletries and laundry, and completing various other tidying tasks so this couple could see our house early that evening. By that weekend, this couple made a verbal offer! The catch? They wanted a seller assist (or some term like that) to be included in the asking price, which basically means we would be getting 6 percent less than the asking price (minus all the other things like commissions). We thought about it and decided to counter-offer with the seller assist on top of the asking price. Two days after our agent presented the counter offer, the agent said her clients just could not go any higher than what they offered, so the deal was off. When our agent first called and told us about the offer, I cried. I know it sounds odd, but I f...

If I wanted 90-degree heat, I would have moved to NC years ago, when I was actually toying with that idea that I might not live in PA my entire life. During the winters, I tend to complain about the cold probably fewer than half a dozen times. Unless it is in single digits or unless sub-freezing temps go on for months and months, I don't mind the cold so much. I often enjoy a walk outside in 30- or even 20-degree temps. But once it gets this hot and humid, it is not as if I can peel my skin off. Yesterday, Bri, Jordan and I went to the zoo. We had bought tickets about a month ago through the alumni association; great deal, which also included lunch and a zoo tour. Had we not done this, there is no way I would have been there yesterday. I wondered what all those people were thinking. When they woke up, did a father say to a mother, "Hey, it's going to be in the low 90s today. Let's drag our three kids out in the heat and walk up all the hills and watch a bunch of animal...

Tonight could be the final Stanley Cup playoff game for the Pens. And if that happens, I will be disappointed. But after Monday night's/Tuesday morning's game, I will be okay if the buck stops here in the Burgh (meaning I won't cry). That was one of the best games I ever saw. Not so much in that the Pens played their best game; for the love of Pete, they were outshot by about double. But for the fact that they did not give up. Nothing like the game-tying goal coming in the final 34 seconds. That was crazy. And then watching Fleury make all those saves. What a game he had. And how about Sykora telling that announcer he was going to get the/a goal and then he ended up scoring the game winner. I was pretty tired by the end of the second OT, but by the start of the third OT, my spirit was renewed. I remember the Pens-Caps game in '96, just a few weeks (maybe days) before I moved here to the Burgh. I recall falling asleep during one of the OTs , then waking up a couple of...