7 Quick Takes Friday

Joining Jen once again for 7 Quick Takes

1. I have come to realize that I may have a problem. A problem that I may need to seek treatment for. It has taken me years to come to this conclusion. I have done a lot to hide this problem, but it is time to let the skeletons out of the closet. You see, I just might have a paper addiction. Not just any paper addiction but  filler notebook paper.

You know, the kind that comes 150 pieces per pack that every school child knows. Actually, it use to be 200-250 to a pack back in the day. So I may or may not have bought a life time supply of said paper for myself, my husband, my 5 children, all my cats I have ever owned, all my future grandchildren and maybe the children of those grandchildren. So the problem of this addiction is two fold, I have that disease of "I forget" and "I have hard time passing up a bargain". So in the year oh, 1991 (yes, I know, I am dating myself, thanks for pointing it out), I may have bought a case or two or six or seven okay ten cases, you happy getting that out of me, of notebook filler paper. It was a really, really good buy. The problem is that any given year, I may have forgot about the rubbermaids full of paper, and added even more to the collection. It was a pretty hard core addiction. Some years, I could do ten or twenty reams, without even batting my eyes. Well it came ahead last November when we moved. All that beautiful paper, I bought just a few short decades ago even though still in the plastic wrap, yellowed and withered. It was totally unusable. But what was worst then loosing the paper chain supply for all future Barretts was when we went to recycle said paper, my children gleefully, started pulling out coupons from the front of the packs of said filler paper like good children they are. Coupons that had expired in oh June 1991 from a store in NC that no longer exist but dang it I was going to save 25 cents off my next roll of TP. So you might think I have learned my lesson. But you know, I have an awfully hard head. I mean it is really thick. So on Monday, I went to put away, the school supplies I had bought over the summer including just a few reams of the glorious white filler paper to discover, I still have an entire case of usable white filler paper. I understand with addiction, the first step is to admit you actually have a problem. I am not there yet. 

2. Just wondering who in their right minds thought it was a good idea to send kids back to school when it is still summer? This mom is so not ready for back to school. 

3. So since the people in charge are insisting that we get back in the swing of things (whatever that means), I have dusted of the crockpot. I sure do love my crockpot. I love how I literally, dump and open and dump some more and 6 hours later dinner is done with no work from me at all. If only cleanup was that easy.

4. Since August was such a rotten arthritis month for me, I really been thinking the whole french press for best coffee on the planet thing. I love my french press.

I love my french press more then most things. I cannot picture a life without my french press for the very best coffee on the planet. The problem is I am having problems moving in the morning. It is becoming a big deal for me to actually get up and make the very best coffee on the planet. I have come up with a few solutions: A. Train Harry the Cat to make the very best coffee on the planet using the french press, but when I asked, he just licked himself. B. Hire Jeeves to make me the very best planet coffee on the planet using the french press. I read somewhere that butlers do not like Americans or something on those lines so I had to cross that one off the list because that was the only thing standing between me and hiring Jeeves. So that leaves me with my 3rd option C. 

It is ugly with a capitol U. It will make my kitchen counters look cluttered. I hate stuff laying about, and it only makes a mediocre cup of coffee. Of course, I could always get a new microwave that went above the stove thus freeing up space for the grind and brew on the counter. That should go over well with TFOLT. I guess, I better work on training Harry. 

5. Speaking of arthritis, my rheumatologist says I have capricious flares. He said this while shaking his head and writing it in my chart notes. I really thought the man, got me. Capricious flares HA! It has nothing to do with arthritis, as a woman I reserve the right to be fickle, and if it happens to come out in my arthritis flares then so be it. It is totally 100% my prerogative. 

6. Oh my gosh, I finally finished Long Ships suggested by Jen at Conversion Diary. It is definitely my favorite Viking read of all time. I laughed, I cried, I begged for more (because it is rather short at about 600 pages). I have no idea how I have missed this gem all these years. 

7. Finally, on a sad note, Thursday evening on my way home from Seattle, I was passed by a young man on a motorcycle who was well riding like a lot of young men his age often do. He was weaving in and out of traffic, standing up, etc. It made me pause, and think of my oldest who often does things that as I as his mother, I do not want to know anything about because I am sure I would have a head full of grey hair. I said a prayer for my oldest, Johnny right then and there and added please Lord do not let his guardian angel tire of him. Suddenly, traffic came to a complete stop. Within a couple of minutes, I came upon the horrible scene no one should ever have to witness. Unfortunately, I should have said a prayer for the motorcycle rider as it was not a survivable accident based on what I saw. So please say a prayer, for that mother out there who has lost her son and the rest of his family and for the people in the car that collided with him. In your youth you are suppose to do stupid things, but the price should not be with your life.