I watch and read and listen to a lot of stuff… news, current events, TV, radio, etc. I like knowing what’s going on and I honestly think my brain thrives on a massive influx of information.

Over the years of reading the news, I’ve looked at pictures of “madmen” (serial killers, murderers, rapists, etc.) and often wondered if anyone around them knew it was coming. I’m not saying they could’ve stopped it, just if they wondered if that person was all there.

This morning CNN posted a video of the psycho from Norway who murdered 77 people (mostly teenagers). He entered his plea, “I acknowledge the acts but do not plead guilty, and I claim I was doing it in self-defense.” This is the first time I can remember looking at a picture or video of a serial killer and thinking, His eyes are absolutely, 100% those of a madman. And he is terrifying.

This is not the face of someone you could negotiate with. If he was targeting you, I don’t believe anything but lethal force would stop him.

We started having to pay estimated taxes last year, which means I have to deal with taxes four times a year instead of one. It’s utterly annoying and frankly one of the worst things about running your own business (right up there with dealing with business insurance and finagling health insurance).

April 15 now potentially requires me to write four checks. Two for estimated taxes for the current year and two for taxes from the previous year (if I didn’t pay enough in estimated taxes). This year I only have to write two, as I over-payed my state taxes and that can be rolled over to pay for the current estimated taxes, but technically I have to write eight per year, no matter what.

Eight checks to the government. Sigh. It’s painful.

Today was the first time I picked up the Peanut to give him a hug and he said, “Mama, Mama” and hugged me back. He’s said “mama” before, but I’m never sure he knows it’s my name. And he’s a great little hugger, but the combination of mama and a hug just bowled me over.

I woke up sick this morning, which sucks because being a parent and being sick is a crappy combination. The Peanut is unimpressed with my desire to pass out and do nothing – as evidenced by his newest fascination with banging pots and pans together and jumping on the bed.

We took the Peanut down to hang with friends this afternoon, two adorable little boys who love to play and are highly entertaining. The Porkchop ended up pushing the boys in cars all around the yard, then spinning them until they fell over dizzy (toddlers walking into each other = hilarious).

He informed me on the way home that he was ready to try for another. 😉

Don’t take a walk after the rain, when you think the rain has stopped. It will hail on you.

A lot.

My parents got smart phones. They did not, unfortunately, get how-to-use-a-smart-phone lessons. So far today we’ve Skyped five times to help them figure out: how to answer the phone, how to send a text, how to find the photo gallery and how to open a picture message.

Oh boy.

The terrible twos are soon to be upon us, but the Peanut has decided to just go ahead and start being crazy now. His favorite tantrum position is to sit down, and then bend his entire upper body forward until his face is touching the ground. It’d be cute if it wasn’t accompanied by wailing, lol.

He likes to line up his toys on the edge of the tub during bath time, and when one fell (out of order, he prefers to dunk them one at a time), he promptly proceeded to assume his tantrum position. Except he was in a tub full of water. So down he goes, dunking his face and a couple inches of hair, and up he pops, shocked and dripping. I, of course, am laughing hysterically… THISCLOSE to peeing on the bathroom floor. He then starts sobbing and wants out of the tub (because now his favorite place has hurt his feelings), so I soap and rinse him and pull him out. But now he’s mad at me because I laughed at him, so he marches/baby runs out of the bathroom naked, loudly vocalizing how much the world hates him.

This was after a day where he threw roughly 20 tantrums, took a 30 minute nap (as opposed to his normal two hours) and generally railed against the entire house.

Fun. Times.

Since my parents are renovating the home they’re buying, I’ve been spending some time looking at “house porn” with my Mom. I came across these amazing light fixtures in a house (which I love, of course) and decided to try and track them down. One or two on our porch would look amazing.

Until I tracked them down and found out that each one is almost two thousand dollars. My taste is disturbingly (and outrageously) expensive, sigh. But they do look amazing.