Guess what LilZ asked me to do this week? Come on…guess. He asked me to serve refreshments at his upcoming school dance. As in…he has no problem with me being at the school dance. He doesn’t think I’m too embarrassing to ask to help out. He has no fear of the pain I could inflict by attending such an event. He’s not worried I’ll bring along naked pictures (of him, not me) or tell embarrassing stories. He’s even grateful I’ll do it because evidently there’s some sort of drama and if they don’t get enough volunteers something tragic will happen. Like, no music, or something. Either way - he actually thought I’d say no. He had no idea I would consider this such an honor that I might cry a little at the excitement.

My son! He’s not ashamed of me!

Unless, of course, he’s not planning on telling anyone he knows me. Which could be the case. And would probably be smart, now that I think about it.

Miss Alli just said the words nobody wants to hear. But, the words we all (those of us keeping tabs on the WGA strike) kinda thought were coming. This strike? Looks like it’s going to be a long one:

Settle in, folks; I think it’s going to summer. Once positions begin to harden like this, even more than they already were, you’re not going in the direction you want to be going.

Man. This sucks. I’m hooked on new television and I’m not one of those people who just loves reality TV. I like some of it, but as a genre in general? Not so much. And especially considering the drivel created in a crunch is not going to be great. Bah. I want my TV.

So, we have a few options during the strike:

Watch DVDs
Are there old shows I haven’t been watching that I should be? Ones that have seasons on DVD already? I’m thinking I’ll start with Battlestar Gallactica and Dr. Who. Any other suggestions? I’ll give you a few: Veronica Mars and Gilmore Girls.

Read
Okay, besides the Golden Compass books (what I’m reading now) do you have any other suggestions? I like popular fiction like James Patterson, Dean Koontz, and Patricia Cornwell. And then I like the Teen Fiction books because I’m still 12 at heart. Any suggestions?

Exercise
Whatever. That’s not happening.

Crafts
I did buy some Christmas Ornament kits! Can you believe it? I’m sure they’ll turn out crappy, but I’m going to try! Want to laugh at me while I do it?

Learn to cook, or learn to like cooking
Yeah. Right after I start exercising.

Garden
Obviously I can’t do that right now, being winter and all, but if the strike is still going late winter/early spring - I may attempt to plant something. I’ll come back later for advice if I do reach that point of desperation.

Now it’s time for the other side of the coin.

This is Cisco. MrZ bought him as a puppy a couple years before we met. Cisco is a Boston Terrier and has several medical conditions that make him the most pitiful family member. He shakes a lot and has seizures, although they’ve reduced greatly since we now live in a house with no stairs. He has bad knees and his teeth are too small. This means his tongue is almost always hanging out. He is MrZ’s first baby, but he loves everyone. Unless you dance. Or hug. He doesn’t like those two things and he’ll bark at you until you stop. He loves to play fetch and will eat anything you put in front of him.

This is Lil’ Girl. Aka: Lily G. MrZ’s friends found her when she was a pregnant stray and since they knew he had another boston, they brought her to him. He took good care of her and gave her litter away after it was born. She was part of the family every since. We don’t know her exact age, but the vet says she’s about the same age as Cisco. They had a litter together and two of those puppies live with MrZ’s parents. Lil’Girl is insane. She’s not a big fan of hugs or being pet, but she will try to give you kisses as long as you let her. If you are against doggie kisses, she becomes much more pushy. She will eventually slip you the tongue. You must learn to accept it. She’s very physically fit and could run/play for hours and never grow tired. She is the alpha dog in the house and takes care of the others. She cleans their ears and periodically humps them (even though she’s been fixed) just to remind them she’s in charge. She’s like me in that sense.

Both of the Bostons have stinky gas, but that is part of the breed. They also both snore. Luckily - their personalities make up for those two things.

This is Sweetie. She is a lab/beagle mix we rescued on the 4th of July several years ago. She earned the name “Sweetie” because she is, honestly, the sweetest dog you’ve ever met. When she’s not freaking out over your arrival. She panics when people come into our house, and gets so excited she often pees. But give it 10 minutes and she’ll be curled up in your arms and looking at you with her big brown human-like eyes (a lab trait) and you will not be able to resist her charm. She looks like a lab puppy, but is full grown. She is very hyper but also very sensitive and needs reassurance that you love her at least 54 times a day. She’ll eat paper and cloth of various sorts, depending on how much you want her not to eat it. If it’s an old sock you care nothing about? She won’t even look at it. If it’s your winter coat? It’s gone.

Those are our animals! Now you know!

The circus last night was So. Much. Fun. NikkiZ was a little overwhelmed, but mainly because it started at 7pm and that’s her bedtime. She got a little nervous about the trapeze artists as she seems to have an inherent fear of heights. She would actually cover her eyes. But she was amazed by the whole event. The clowns didn’t phase her much, but they look a lot less freaky than they did when I was a kid. They look more like characters on TV I guess, it’s hard to explain.

Now - the elephants? Were her favorite. Every time they left, she would say “Bye!” to them and then wonder when they were coming back. She also liked the Zebras. The most awesome thing was that LilZ, MrZ and I were all just as impressed with it. We all had fun, and honestly? That’s rare. Usually one of us is kinda miserable at these events (MrZ) but we all were pointing and laughing and OOoooo’ing and AAAaaaahhh’ing all night long. It was awesome.

BUT - Since we’re all usually in bed by 8pm (I get up at 4am, give me a break) getting home at 9:30pm threw us for a loop. I’m really tired today, and I even slept in until…wait for it…5:20am! Can you believe it?

So…Circus? Awesome in every way. Being tired? Still sucks donkey balls.

• Jennifer Love Hewitt Engaged at Hollywood.com
  Good for her! She has become my new favorite celebrity after a decade of hating her, but I hope nothing for the best for her now.
• Teen Girls Shocked To Learn That Perfect Women Aren’t So Perfect
  More cool stuff from Dove. After school self-esteem programs with young celebrities. Love it.