You fell asleep?? Wow, whose post were you reading?
Maybe we should call it a message "bored," huh? :p

Speaking of putting "bored" for "board," when we were younger, whenever my cousin was bored, he'd always say "I'm Chairman of the Bored!" Which I always thought sounded SO lame. Because it does. So I'd always be like "Okay, whatever, Frank." Obviously, for Frank Sinatra, everyone's favorite Chairman. Now, whenever we're bored, we say "Man I'm so Frank" or "This party is major Frank."
Okay, so that was a boring story too. How many of us fell asleep through that one? :p

I didn'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''t LTZ :p

I swear, I was so worn out after this weekend it was unbelievable. My one daughter had play practice on Saturday from 9-11:30 while my other daughter had art class from 10-12. After driving them, we had to meet with the pool contractor and pick out stuff. My one daughter got a ride home from rehearsal, we ran to art class to get the other one, I dropped everyone at home, then went to church to serve cake and coffee after First Penance, then had to clean everything up. Then I ran home and had to get dressed for a surprise birthday party for my brother-in-law. Then yesterday I had to get up early and clean the house because my brother was coming over for the game. And inbetween all that, I ironed 8 pairs of pants, 10 tops and ran three loads of laundry. And you want to know why I fell asleep while typing???????

Sorry to bore you with the details of my suburban version of hell. Zia, was my weekend SO Frank, or what???

Cute story, Zia! I love hearing things like that.

SB, your "/" story is hilarious! I guess it reminds me of my dad, because he always falls asleep at the computer. He refuses to go to bed, so, instead of leaving it free for my mom to use, he stays in the comfy chair they have and ends up passing out...we walk by, and all of a sudden, we hear him snoring.

And also, I'd just like to say that SB is a SuperMom. A true hero.

I second that! I'd be a horrible mom... I'd be like, "What? You need a ride, with all this other stuff I need to do? You can walk, brat!" I'm so kidding... But I bet it's tough to stay in a good mood during a weekend like that.

And a pool contractor... yikes! Well, any kind of contractor. They're a pain in the ass. I hope yours treats you well and shows up on time. Well, maybe the showing up on time is too much to ask-- Good luck with the project!

Super??? Gosh, I feel honored. Gina, that's exactly what I do! I fall asleep in the recliner with my laptop on! My kids make so much fun of me.

I really do need to post some photos of my daughter's paintings. She's been taking oil painting on Saturday mornings for a year, and she's truly amazing. She's already been in an art show at the local library, and, even if she wasn't my daughter, I'd be impressed with her talent. And she's only 11!

I LOVE my pool contractor!! It's a family run business and the husband, wife, son and brother are all involved. They're totally into their business and they love nothing better than a design challenge. So far, they've been pretty fun to work with. And when I came home from the office this afternoon, there was a HUGE pit in my backyard already.

Wow, you lucked out big time... I'm so glad your contractors are good and fast! That's very cool. If they're really into all the design and turning out a nice piece of work, I bet it's going to look great. There's nothing better than a really nice pool... Quel surprise, hearing this from the L.A. girl. But it's true, it makes the whole property look nicer. Congrats on it, by the way. Post pictures once it's done!

Okay, here's a dumb question: do pools freeze in the winter, out there on the east coast? Because I mean if a lake would freeze... but maybe the filter moving the water keeps it from freezing? I dunno, cut me some slack, I can't even imagine freezing weather, let alone actually know anything about it.

And that's cool about your daughter's work... this is the one that "thank God she's pretty," right? But yeah, do post pictures, I'd love to see some of her stuff.

Actually, the "pretty" one is my older daughter (God that came out wrong, but you know what I mean). The painter is my baby.

I will have to post some photos of the pool, especially my rock!! I was nervous about a diving board because the pool's only 8 feet deep, so we got a diving rock instead (what else did you expect from an Italian but TONS of rock). I had never seen them, but they are totally cool. There's stone around the edge and fountains going into the pool, but I drew the line at the lights that rotate and change color. Tres tacky!

And, yes, the pools do freeze, but only the top few inches. So you let some water out before you close the pool for the winter, this way the swelling ice doesn't crack the pool or anything. But we got this really cool automatic cover that will allegedly keep the heat in overnight so that the pool will stay warm longer. Who knows?

Yeah it did... but it's ok, we got it.

How cool, rocks and fountains... sounds tres cool, to steal your word. Wow, we're in a french mood tonight, heh? :p
But jeez, lights that rotate and change color? That's hilarious. Like a disco in a pool? I've never seen that... it sounds tackier than tacky!

The colored lights are so funny. My girlfriend has one in the deep end of her pool and will actually lay on a deck chair and say things like - I think it's going to turn green next!! Ooh, look!! Purple!!!

The hole's been dug, the pool walls are up, and today they actually drove a cement truck into my backyard and did the steps, sides, and my deepwater seat (known in the industry as a "swim out"). Now they have a tarp over it and a heater going to try and hasten the drying. The electrician and plumber were here to install the gas line for the heater and the controls for the automatic cover. They measured for the pretty blue liner we picked, and that should be coming in 2 weeks.

It's hard to get excited yet because my backyard looks like a war zone. There are piles of dirt and mounds of gravel and tracks left by Bobcats and Caterpillars and dump trucks and cement trucks. Walking the dog has become a challenge.

Of course, we're set to get anywhere from 2-10 inches of snow starting late tomorrow. Figures!!

What's a liner, is that the tile around the rim on the inside?

That's exciting stuff though, I hope it continues going this well. Will the snow put construction at a standstill, or will it not be too bad? Like I doubt they work through the blizzard, but after the storm, it'll be back to normal, right?

The liner only LOOKS like tile. It's actually a heavyweight vinyl that is made to look like tile along the edge and makes the water look blue. You would think for all the money I'm spending that I'd be getting tile hand-carved and painted by the small hands of a master craftsman, but no such luck....

They actually have finished all they can now until the liner comes in. It takes a couple of weeks because the liner is made to order to fit over the steps and along the sides. So, I just have to hope that the snow is gone by the time it comes in. Pray for a decent late February/early March so that they can finish the pool.

Then they have to regrade the yard and prepare it for the patio, which can't go in for a while because everything has to settle. Then I have to pay another fortune for a fence to be put in. It will be months and months until we're "done".

Pools are great. We had one when we lived in South Carolina. If I would have let her Becky would have been in the pool 24/7. I used to call her a fish. I love going for a swim late at night.

Hey SB,

How about we come to your house after the convention is over for a pool party??

I have a good friend who put in a pool in '03. She learned very quickly that people LOVE to come to your house when you have a pool. Plus, you really, really want to stay home and use it as much as possible, especially considering that we have such a short season up here. She learned to just tell people that they were welcome, but had to bring some food. So, Mig, come on over. Heck, you can all come. Just bring some food. Do you know a good deli??

Best of luck on all of your pool activities, SB!

It must be hard to wait so long for it to all be complete, as I'm sure the excitement is unbearable, but just keep thinking about how wonderful it'll be when everything is ready!

I'll stop in Edison on the way up!

Gina - Thanks. I keep telling myself that, like a mantra. It didn't help that the day after they dug all the holes and trenches and turned my yard into something that looks like a war zone, that my Angel ate some chocolate (my fault, I left it out). Dogs are NEVER supposed to eat chocolate, so of course she got the runs. She was good about not going in the house, but she woke me up every two hours all night long Tuesday/Wednesday to go out. You should have seen me out there in my pj's, half asleep, in the freezing cold, trying desperately not to fall in a hole!! But it's going to be my dream pool, so I am mostly excited and not bothered.

Geoff - Bring it on, baby!! We'll get nice fresh bread at Rockland Bakery.

What shape is your pool going to be?

Ugh, I'm imagining the whole dog thing, by the way. Gross, what a thing to wake up to, and several times in a night, to make it worse!

SB, as gross as it sounds, treasure those moments with your dog...

I was just thinking a couple of days ago about the dog that we had for about 13 years, before she had to be put to sleep. I often think about her and recall many fond memories of her, but for the first time in a long while, I remembered how she would always stand at the front door and wait for someone to take her out, how she'd have to leave her "mark" all around the neighborhood, how she'd not be satisfied until she'd visited every house, and how I always had to hold her when a car went by for fear of her running out in the street, even though I never figured she really would. This whole routine was sort of a joke to my family about how much of a pain it was to do all of that with her, but I miss it so much now. I'm sure you already do cherish your pets - I can tell you're just as much of an animal lover as me - but I just thought I'd share that thought about my dog and how you even wind up missing the bad memories when you lose someone.

Gina, I know what you mean. I had a dog for 15 years when I was growing up. Every morning my father would make cream of rice. Because he had no patience, he would end up with lumps. Well Penny would wait next to the stove, and my father would put the lumps in her bowl. She loved them. The first morning after she died, my father made his cereal, and started to cry when there was no dog to give the lumps to.

Zia, because we got an automatic cover with the pool, we had no choice but to make it a rectangle. Kind of boring, but I'd rather have the cover for safety.

Edited to Add: I read that the Yankees finally made a deal with Chacon. Thank goodness. I was worried that it was headed for arbitration, but they finally reached an agreement. He saved their butts big time last year, so let's keep our fingers crossed for this year.

Aw, SB, that's such a sad story. You know exactly what I mean, then.

In baseball news, the sports section for our paper had its first Astros cover story (picture and everything! ) in a long while, with Spring Training info...the works. It was so nice to pull out the paper and see all my baseball stuff.

I miss baseball. Baseball hasn't moved to front page status yet, but I'm looking forward to reading more stories now that we're closer to spring training. I don't think we even got a paper today, given the blizzard. If we did, I would've hit it with the snowblower!

Me too, always do this time of year.

But take heart, it is February and as you say Spring training should begin soon. Season opener must be less than 2 months away...and if this year is like others we can listen to exhibition games even before that on WCBS-880!!

Apple

Apple, is this your first appearance in this Ladies' Thread?!

Time for celebration, ladies - we've recruited another!

Okay, I'm probably scaring you off, now. ), so it's great to find that out. Who's your team? I would guess the Yankees? Please stop by here more often and chat with us - we've talked about anything and everything this offseason to distract ourselves from our lost love, but once it returns, sports conversation should be back and better than ever.

Don't get used to it...I've purposely stayed clear simply because I don't like the idea of a thread specifically for 'the ladies' who watch 'the men'. If the one of the guys did such a thing (before it was suggested) they'd never hear the end of it.

I just happened to notice SB's statement of 'I miss baseball...' and had to co-miserate for a moment.

But carry on...am sure you'll all do fine without me!!

Apple

Perfectly understandable, Apple, and I admit you make a good point.

I hope I don't come off as a gushy, boy-crazy, teenage girl (Well, I am a teenage girl, but guys aren't all I think about...) on here, because after considering your comment and this entire thread, I worry that that's the image I'm sending out. To be honest, I don't ramble on about guys in "real life" like I do here - I'm quite the opposite, because I'm so shy - I guess I just use the BB as a place to let my other personality come out. I suppose it's true that people act differently on the Internet than they do off of it.

I can see what you mean about how it's probably not right to limit this thread simply to "the ladies." Several of the guys do stop by to comment, which I've never had a problem with, and they did make a "Fella's Thread." It hasn't had much success, but they gave it a whirl, and I was glad that there was the "balance" that was probably needed.

This has turned into more of an SB/Gina/Zia chat thread, anyway. We enjoy having general discussions (such as SB's pool), and we talk baseball when the season is in session. I suppose that could even be left to PMs, but we figure we're doing some kind of good by confining it to one thread.

ginaitaliangirl...don't worry about what I think, nor be concerned about what 'message' you're sending out.

It's clear that several of you have been enjoying this thread for quite a while and nothing I say should stop it from continuing that way.

You have fun in whatever way you like on the Gangster BB...Lord knows I do!!



Take care,
Apple

ps - GO YANKEES in '06 !!!

I guess my countless Trish pictures mean nothing

Thanks, Apple.

Oh, DM, you are blind. Your Trish photos are a whole other world in comparison to our petty conversations we carry on! How could I possibly lump Trish in with the other silly matters we discuss?! Silly.

Not that I'm asking for anything to be posted (Really...I'm not.), but you sure haven't stopped by in a good while. :p