Monday, February 27, 2012

Ouch.

Apparently you can be ready, able and (stupidly) willing to hand over university-comparable tuition for a private MIDDLE SCHOOL yet still not get in. Apparently there are sufficient enough of such idiots willing to do this that private middle school becomes so competitive that your child - who not incidentally happens to have an IQ that puts him in the 98th percentile of smarts compared to not just other ten year olds but all people on the planet - does not get in.

Wait. No. That does defy logic.

PERHAPS IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE EX HUSBAND BRINGING HIM TO HIS INTERVIEW AT SAID MIDDLE SCHOOL SO TIRED FROM A WEEKEND WEDDING IN OMAHA THAT HE BUILT A BED OUT OF THE CHAIRS IN THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE WAITING ROOM. I'm just saying. Perhaps.

Only Time Will Tell

Today at exactly 3:00 we get an email providing whether or not my son got into the private middle school I really like - BECAUSE IT IS NORMAL. That's right. That's the state of education in this fine town. There appears to be one normal middle school.

However . . .

You may recall this story. The weekend before the interview my ex-husband and his girlfriend took my son to a wedding in Omaha. I requested of ex-husband just one thing - that he bring son to interview clean and rested. Son was so tired that he made a bed out of the chairs in the admissions office waiting room.

So our chances are not feeling good. I know one psychologist who works with the schools who tells me that the school has already notified their choices and the notificaiton email is for the rest of us. I have had another school counselor tell me, in all honesty, that it wasn't good that he made a bed in the admissions office. I am very nervous.

If he doesn't make it into this normal school, our options are this alternative school he is already in or our local public school which was given a grade of D on an A to F scale by the agency that ranks them. Extreme clock watching today my blog friends. Extreme clock watching.

Friday, February 24, 2012

I'm Short!

Not since I thought that I was Winona Ryder in Reality Bites (pre shoplifting days) have I had short hair. And here we go again.

I am not sure my husband loves it but now I am Carey Mulligan cute. Oh yes I am.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Today, Oh Today

I woke up to an email telling me I was wrong about a legal issue, from a non-lawyer. Not that I can't be wrong because it happens.

However.

I'm a bit of a grump today. I dislike February 14th through March 18th. (After dinner on Valentine's Day from until 4 days after my son was born, my mom got really sick and never recovered. It was 11 years ago, yes, but you know how certain times of the year can do that to you.) I am tired of cold weather and gloves and scraping the car and painfully dry air. I have any overwhelming number of things to do. My house looks like a Hoarders after shot (you know, still not great but at least not imminently in danger of a condemnation). And everybody is bothering me.

I just cannot wait for that time tonight when we declare it done and crawl into bed and watch a show. We are in the middle of the first season of Californication. Also, I feel like I misled you about Portlandia. I thought the first two episodes were so good. Then they got okay. Now I find it unbearable. We are about 6 shows into Californication and it is way, way more cleaver.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Our Beautiful Store


Well, imagine it all cleaned up.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Love Hurts

Are you ever in a meeting when you look down and consider just how much you love your shoes? I have some gorgeous Frye Harlow pumps. Dear God they are beautiful.

However.

Despite what the rest of the reviews say, they do not fit small. These are the most painful shoes I own. I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, "Why do you not buy these shoes at the store instead of online?" Oh we may have a Nordstrom here, but it is the smallest Nordstrom ever.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Nothing To See Here

Friday night, on our drive through Wyoming to Montana, it began to snow right outside of Ft. Collins. Then came a blizzard. In all my driving around the mountains, I have never experienced anything as frightening as our drive through Wyoming. We couldn't pull over because there was not enough visibility to ensure that someone would see us before they crashed into us. So we inched along. At times we were behind a snow plow, which you would think would be beneficial, but the winds were so strong that snow was just swirling in a dense, blinding cloud all around us. We couldn't see the lines on the road or the sides of the road. We didn't know if we were about to drive off a cliff.

Hahahahahaha. As if.

The next day, when the snow stopped, we were able to see what we couldn't see the night before. Miles and miles and miles of nothing. No cliffs. No trees. No Stuckey's. No McDonalds for road fries and strawberry milkshakes. NOTHING. If you ever want to drive between Colorado and Montana, I will save you the trouble because the following is what there is to see: Nothing.

There was this one "town" where we pulled over for gas and the main street consisted of, in addition to the gas station, a middle school, a gun store, a bear taxidermist and a church.

I have said it before, but I say it now with renewed vigor. I NEVER need to see snow again as long as I live. It's terrifying.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Billings or Bust

Our trip to Billings got called of last weekend on account of the snow. So here we go tonight. First to Casper then to Billings to pick up restaurant equipment.

If you had told me when I was a new law grad getting ready to take the California Bar that ten years later I would be driving to Montana to pick up restaurant equipment, I would not have believed you. Yet here we are.

But first off to spend a day at my law job that I love. Life is crazy. Good and Crazy.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Employees, Sheesh

We have been so lucky regarding the people who have stepped forward wanting to work at our store. One of my biggest fears was that we wouldn't have employees. So far, that has not been the case.

Here's the thing about employees though. They are expensive. Even the minimum wage ones, and I don't want to pay anybody minimum wage. Do you know how much we, the itsy bitsy little employer has to pay in taxes for the honor of putting people to works. A. LOT.

Do you know how much product we are going to have to sell to stay afloat.
A. LOT.

But I do have to say this - figuring all this out has been very empowering and fun. It's been late nights (well mostly really early mornings as I am a morning person), and what amounts to a second full time job, but it has all been really, really fun.

Monday, February 6, 2012

It's a Tough Job Finding an Average Pastry

Although at The Franchise we make our own main product fresh every day, we can sell pastries as an ancillary part of the business.

On Saturday we endeavoured to try every bakery in the city to identify said pastries. This was fun and also I now feel huge.

The amazing part was the bakeries that sold products we couldn't believe they actually asked money for. This one store known for its beautiful cakes provided us with a cupcake and a muffin that nobody in my family would eat, and nobody in my family is a picky eater.

So it was a fun weekend but also a little bit frustrating. Who knew it could be so hard to find a decent muffin? It's at times like this that I miss Dallas so badly it hurts. The culinary scene in this town is as average as it gets. Also it's dry and cold and I am seriously considering that maybe I need some Patagonia in my wardrobe. It's a weird thing living somewhere where you never feel at home. But I digress. Really the point is we still need pastries.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Snow Day



Do you remember my picture from Monday? If I never see snow again in my entire life, that would be just fine.

However.

Do you know what is delicious? A snow storm that is so big they shut down the schools and the city. One of my favorite things in the whole world is those extra 15 minutes under the covers after you find out it is snow day. Alas then you remember that you are not just a full time lawyer but also a franchise owner and you get your warm self outta bed to shovel. (Don't tell my husband, but I actually like to shovel.)

We are suppose to head to Billings, the one in Montana, to pick up some restaurant equipment this weekend. We shall see.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

To My Fellow Counsel

To My Fellow Corporate Counsel:

Yes, we have the cushiest jobs on the planet. To wit, yesterday at 7 p.m. I asked our East Coast outside counsel a question and needed an answer by the next morning. It's okay. I know what we pay them.

However, inside counsel at other entities . . .

You cannot insist that I use your form when you have not correctly identified in that form the law to which the form applies. Further, when you misspell said law, you should at least misspell it consistently. We all make mistakes. I'm just saying. If you are going to insist, then I insist you proofread it. Or at least have your assistant proofread it.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Words of the Semi-Wise Masseuse

I see a masseuse on a monthly basis. Not because I am a glutton but for medical reasons. Really. I have a knot on the left side of my neck that my doctor says is probably causing my daily headaches. And the masseuse found it and she works on it and presses it and induces more pain so you just have to take it on faith that inducing the pain will somehow lead to less pain.

The masseuse and I were talking (because I am so not in touch with my inner zen and there is no way I could peace out for AN ENTIRE HOUR ARE YOU KIDDING ME) and I was asking her what might cause said knot. She looked over at my heap of clothes and accessories in the corner of the room and said, "your fabulous over-sized handbags."

Do you hear what I hear? She is saying I need some new handbags.

She also said that my high heels are bad for my back. Now that's just crazy talk. Those masseuses can get a little loopy. Have you ever tried to walk in flats? Impossible.