You had a bad day....you had a bad day.

Yup. That would be this girl.

(First off, let me preface this post by stating that I'm writing this from inside the new shop. Yesterday Verizon came in and set up FIOS for TV/internet and phone; everything was tested except for internet so I brought my laptop with me to test it before I go home today, and it is Suh-weet. Uber fast.)

So this a.m. -- first thing, trying to get out the door - my battery is dead. Seems that one of my darling kiddies didn't shut their door all the way (Princess Petunia, not to name names....) and since I hadn't used my vehicle since Saturday afternoon - I didn't realize this until, well.... you guessed it - after G left for work. So, being resourceful (and not having AAA), I called a tow company who came down and charged my truck for me. My sitter was nice enough to loan me her car during the wait so I could meet my 9am interview this morning.

If that wasn't a chaotic enough start, I called my girlfriend to see if she wanted to meet me for a quick sushi lunch. As I'm pulling into the lot, there's some debris or something in the road which causes a loud "BANG" and I feel like I've hit a horse or something. I pull into the parking lot and look at my tire to see while there isn't a hole per se -- there's a chunk of rubber missing and my rim is hacked up - I truly can't drive on it any longer. Fortunately there's a Midas right next store so I stop in and figure I'll have the tire replaced while I eat. Mmmmm,yeah. Not happening - they don't carry Michelin tires. So, I figure - okay, I'll buy a new one at the place he recommends one town over. But before I leave, I ask him to put on my spare - and save us a few bucks for now; yeah, that's not happening either. The spare - is flat. (Feel like yelling out "WTF"? God knows I did.)

So, off I went and got a new tire - $250 later.
*sighs.*

Tonight we have our planning board meeting and seriously, it has got to go far better than the day has so far.

It's kinz krazy!

I think I should own stock in Ganz.
Truly.

My kiddies are obsessed with WebKinz. To make things even more difficult as a parent, there's nary a store you can go into that doesn't have a WebKinz or two to sell.
Case in point....

Canobie Lake, we're at the gift shop just poking around to see if maybe I wanted to get my Princess Petunia a puka shell bracelet or something - when out of nowhere she starts shrieking "The Sherbat is here! The Sherbat is here!"

Sherbat?!? What the heck is a Sherbat?

Ah yes, well actually - it's a Bat WebKinz but the kids decided if they ever bought one they'd name it Sherbat. (In typical "Viva Pinata" fashion. If you don't know what "Viva Pinata" is, well - that's a whole other story. Give it a Google....)

So naturally with it being her birthday, G caved in and let her buy one. Which meant my son had to have one too, birthday or otherwise - it would've been total anarchy. (Yes, you deal with two kids after a long day in the sun with lots of sugar...) You think that either one of them bought this "Sherbat"? Oh no. She bought a lamb, and he bought a frog.

Today, I come home from an exhausting day of working the new store issues (one bright spot being a very quick spicy tuna roll at my favorite sushi restaurant with one of my favorite friends), to discover that they purchased a mountain goat and a golden retriever, respectively.

I think this brings the count they each have to something like 15?
And seriously - the decor the kids put on their rooms online for these animals are nothing short of spectacular. Fortunately, just about the only website I have unblocked for their use is the WebKinz site - and truth be told - the games are educational and good for them.

Sure, it's a crazy gimmick and a fabulous way to get parents to spend an insane amount of money on stuffed animals (which, my son hates to have me call them. He says they're "friends". He's sensitive....) but it's a small price to make them happy. Thinking about today's society and the types of toys that are out there, truly - if it's a little furry creature that makes them happy then I guess I'm all for it.

"Cheese has always been a food that both sophisticated and simple humans love.”

So the Sushi Soiree weekend didn't come to full fruition.
But my God did I eat. I ate like I'd never seen food before.

Friday night - I was supposed to go for sushi & shoe shopping to celebrate a girlfriend's birthday. But....she had a borderline anaphylactic reaction to some allergy medicine she was on, and the poor thing not only looked awful, but felt even worse. So we rescheduled to this evening, which I inturn, have postponed - due to the fact that I think I have a sinus infection - and feel lousy in the morning, and even worse at night. But I'll get to that in a bit...

Anyway - I stayed home Friday, and G ended up ordering me a prosciutto & roasted pepper sub from AJ's which was okay. Not sure why TV Diner has raved out of their minds about it, I think the subs and calzones are just okay; but then again - Summer Shack is like their "golden child" and I'm rather unimpressed with them as well, so... look at the source, right? I mean, AJ's is good -- but I can think of a few places better. Just sayin'...

Saturday, another girlfriend came over - and we took the kids to Minado in Natick for lunch. She'd never been - and my kids and I love, love, love it there. The best sushi and Japanese cuisine buffet anywhere. She stayed the night, and we watched chick flicks which was a ton of fun. Of course we were stuffed from lunch and didn't feel like eating a big dinner, so me and my brilliant ideas thinks...."what goes best on chick flick movie night? Insane snack food." So I run out, and get all the fixing's for home made guacamole, 7 layer dip, salsa -- oh, and this amazing Pumpkin flavored cheese with wheat crackers. I swear, it was like eating Pumpkin Cheesecake. To die for....

Here's the thing, I can resist peanut butter -- but I have zero tolerance with any cheese products. Needless to say, I was congested and barely able to breathe - with a buzz from some good Sauvignon Blanc, as well as my overdose on sodium.

Sunday afternoon - we took the kids to brunch; hello, banana stuffed French toast (no whipped), homefries, sausage and two eggs over easy. And then I wonder how I put on 7 lbs. since the surgery? Right....

Which brings us back to today, which is the actual birthday of my girlfriend from Friday - whom I've cancelled with for tonight. Well, turns out - her lunch plans cancelled so I said "lets meet quick for lunch at least!". We initially opted for Panera - but then this sign "Sakura" caught her eye. It's a fast food, yet made fresh Japanese restaurant in the Woburn Mall. (I know what you're thinking, "mall sushi?!?!". Trust me, we both thought the same thing; but it was cheap and we were short on time, so mall sushi it was.) We're both pretty picky about sushi, and we were not at all impressed with what we saw (or the rude woman at the counter, but I digress....) but yet we were both very pleasantly surprised at how good the sushi was. It was better than good - it was actually, very good. And exceptionally inexpensive, might I add. Which allowed for a light, healthy and inexpensive lunch.

And even though my eyes hurt, and my sinuses are pounding -- I am going to venture into my first session of jogging tonight. Must get back into the physical routine of life again -- and say goodbye to those extra 7 lbs. which I'm oh-so-aware of. I think my surgery is far enough behind me to slowly get back into the running groove -- and today is the day I am starting. Besides, getting the blood circulating through my system might not hurt this sinus thing I've got going on as well.

Here's hoping, anyway....