The Priebes.com

Okay, looks like the comment spam filter got messed up again, making it impossible to leave comments. I think it’s fixed now. (Fingers crossed.)

To test it, let me know what your dream vacation is. Personally, I think it would be cool to go spend a week in Hollywood and tour a studio or two. Although I’ve never been to New York either.

Am I too easy to please?

(If the comment you try to post gets flagged as potential spam, please email me and let me know.)

So it’s been less than two years since my last cell phone was put in the dishwasher by Josh and I had to get a new one. And now the new one has died, just a few months before the iPhone is due to be released.

Well, it hasn’t completely died, just lost the ability to charge. I accidentally left my charger in Tulsa with the friends Leann and I stayed with, the Walvoords. (Thanks again, Keith and Cynthia!) No problem, I could just charge it with my car charger. No luck, but I was thinking the car charger may have not been working for awhile, as I hadn’t used it for quite some time.

So Leann went and got me a new car charger. Which also did not work. Then Paul, the OC-attending son of our friends, brought my outlet charger back yesterday. And it didn’t work either.

My commitment is up in May and the iPhone is due out in late June/early July. But if I were to get a new phone, apparently my commitment would automatically be extended, rendering me unable to switch to an iPhone. Plus, why buy a new phone now when I’m going to get another in a few months?

Fortunately, my genius wife came up with a plan.

Leann’s parents also have Cingular, and have been wanting new phones. They are eligible to get cheap new phones now. Knowing all their personal information, Leann went ahead and ordered phones for them, then called them and told them.

So I get their old phone(s). Apparently all you have to do is swap out the SIM cards and you’re good to go. We’re hoping their phones will show up tomorrow, since we’re already going to Norman to set up their new iMac. And to transfer their files from their Windows PC.

There you go. Not quite as exciting as Josh washing my cell phone, I know.

Many people in the world set alarm clocks, as a mother I find that I don’t really need to set one unless I need to be somewhere (work, church or an appt) on time. I will always get up by the sound my child (or children) at some early hour. This morning was no exception when Josh, awoke and promptly screamed into his baby monitor (which he knows I can hear in my room) “Mommy, I have POOO POOOOO!” Aren’t they cute?

Tool of Satan or Gift of God?

Many of you have probably heard of my patented a-month-without-caffeine periods. It’s pretty much as simple as it sounds. Every once in a while, I take a month off from caffeinated drinks, and I go ahead and throw all soft drinks in the mix, even those that are caffeine-free. Because, let’s face it, they’re not really that good for you.

However, this month has been particularly difficult.

Now, I have no problem admitting that I’m in love with Dr. Pepper. I love it. I can’t get enough of it. The only drink I like more is Red Fusion, a Dr. Pepper drink which is now sadly discontinued.

Anyway, my point is that previously, my month-long caffeine sabbaticals usually kicked off with a week or so of longing for that lost love. The effect was, of course, purely psychological, so I overcame it each time.

This time, however, is a little different. When Jackson was born on December 18, I embarked on a two-month journey of what is surely the highest rate of caffeinated beverages consumed per day since I was in high school. I may have even shot past that. By the end of February, I had cut back to a cup of coffee in the morning, 2-3 soft drinks during the day, and a cup of iced coffee in the evening. Yes, I said “cut back.”

Not good, to say the least.

So on the very last day of February (that’s the 28th, if you’re counting), I decided it was high time for a month free from the shackles of caffeine. After all, I tend to feel worse about an hour or so after drinking caffeine (I drink any liquid at an alarming rate, part of why I never drink alcohol).

Sounds simple, right? After all, I’ve done it before.

No such luck. This time there have been severe physical responses. My body is crying out for caffeine like some sort of street person yelling at you incoherently. I’ve had severe headaches for most days so far. Yesterday was the most headache-free day yet, and I still took three ibuprofen at one point. (I generally try to avoid any unnecessary taking of drugs. Uh, except caffeine.)

What have I learned from all this? I can’t let it get this out of hand ever again. Despite the high-stress time Leann and I have been going through lately, I have to keep things under control.

My wife has asserted, and justifiably so, that she believes that I will cap off the month by drinking a 2-liter of Dr. Pepper at midnight on the final day of the month. (Or first day of next month, depending on how you’re counting.) In an effort to avoid falling victim to that very trap, which I have fallen victim to before, I’m now making a public proclamation of my intentions.

In April, I will follow my a-month-without-caffeine period with a-month-with-only-one-caffeinated-beverage-a-day (2-liters do not count as one beverage). There it is. I’ve now told you all of my intentions for next month and have no choice but to stick with it.

Of course, this all hinges on the assumption that anyone will read this far in this blog post.

What’s really odd is this video actually made me want McDonald’s for lunch. Man, I’m weird.