Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but not to their crotch when asking where the bathroom is?

For me, cleaning is therapeutic. Insert your own metaphor.

This past weekend, I did much cleaning and I feel better. Does cleaning and organizing make everything okay? Absolutely not, but I do feel more peaceful when I am not living in disarray and clutter.

One of the small problems with our lifestyle is that we do not really have holidays. I am a "stay at home" mom which means my life doesn't really recognize holidays. Toddlers and babies do not give a rat's ass that I'm supposed to have the day off. As such, they happily fill their diapers per usual and squawk for food/attention/more toys just like any other day. X has always owned/ran a business, so he does not get holidays either. Seriously. He worked during our honeymoon - the day before we got married, a situation at a client site blew up. We spent much of our honeymoon feverishly trying to get a cell phone connection in the Squam Lakes region of New Hampshire and even worse, the White Mountains. So, yeah....I always chuckle when people exclaim "I'd LOVE to own my business!" Yes, yes. It is really cool and exhilarating, but you actually do not have as much freedom as you would think. There is always a Man lurking somewhere.

To help my spirits, I created my own damned meme called "10 Things I am Looking Forward To". Feel free to steal this incredibly creative meme - let me know in the comments so I can cruise your spot.

10 Things I am Looking Forward to

1. Books
My heart be still. Sue Grafton's T is for Trespass comes December 4th. It always makes me sad when folks rave about Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, yet haven't heard of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone. I totally heart Kinsey - she is cool, wry, smart and actually solves mysteries. How can you not love someone who cuts her hair with nail scissors AND fights crime? I'm also really, really stoked about James Lileks' new book Gastroanomalies: Questionable Culinary Creations from the Golden Age of American Cookery to be released November 27th. Not only am I eager to read it myself, I already have one Christmas gift for my dad in the bag.

2. Halloween
Ah, Halloween. My very favorite holiday. No birds to cook. No familial obligations. No shopping. Just candy and costumes.

3. Fall
Rustling leaves. Cool breezes. Cloudy skies. Utter bliss.

4. The Zoo, the park, Deanna Rose Farmstead, Pendleton's Farm
I am SO ready to get out and do things. Just as soon as the temperature gets under 85.

5. Stitch n' Bitch Winter Kickoff
We are planning a 2007 Winter Knitting kickoff - to be held somewhere cool, like a local winery.

6. Anjali's 1st Barrette
I am very excited about having to style Anju's hair. I have to keep myself from washing it every day and fluffing it to its curliest fullest. I bought barrettes in excited anticipation, but have not had the need for them yet.

7. Mad Men
Every Thursday, I look forward to my newest favorite show - Mad Men on AMC. A show about advertising executives on Madison Avenue. It is set in the 1960s and they do an amazing job of recreating that era. The best part is the office setup. I swear to GOD, I worked in a similar office set up with similar furniture at the Federal Reserve just a mere 2 years ago. It is neat to see all that furniture gleaming and new, as opposed to beat up crap I actually sat at. And how many of us have fond memories of typing away at an IBM Selectric in our high school typing classes??

8. My New Winter Coat
I really wanted a new winter coat last year, but was not keen on buying one while pregnant. This year? All bets are off.

9. Television
I am ready for television again - some knitting while watching my favorite shows (How I Met Your Mother, Old Christine, Heroes, The Office, 30 Rock). I am even looking forward to Oprah.

10. Arun's "New" Bed
We are gearing up for getting Arun a regular bed. I think toddler beds are a waste of money and we will be going straight for the twin sized one. I mentioned to my dad this plan and he immediately offered up MY old bed - I did not realize he still had them! It was a bunk bed set they purchased when I was Arun's age - both of my sisters and brother have used those beds as well. I can not describe how excited I am that my own children will get to use that bed set.