I Swear I'm Not an Alcoholic. I Only Appear To be One

It started about a year ago, when my husband sent me to the liquor store to buy mix for an event we were hosting.

I walked into our rural liquor depot and there it was, sitting on a slightly dusty shelf, staring at me.

A crystal skull filled with vodka. It could have been filled with the slobber of a rabid goat; I'd have bought it anyways. The Bloggess buys metal chickens, I buy skulls. We all have our things.

My husband rolled his eyes at my new shiny cranium and asked just exactly what I wanted to do with it once the bottle was empty. I rolled my eyes in return and replied, "Put my mouth wash in it, of course." And so I did.


The obsession begins...


I've since bought another for mouthwash in my husband's bathroom, another to contain hand soap at the kitchen sink and heck, I'm contemplating purchasing yet another to collect the tears of unhappy children every time I take away their video games.

My husband, while not understanding my near obsession with such items of awesomeness (I mean, it's part crystal ball, part cranium, part creepy and completely cool) decided to stop rolling his eyes at me for a second and instead indulge me on our fifteenth wedding anniversary earlier this year.

He came home bearing a slew of liquor filled skulls for me. Which just proves his love for me is more powerful than his tendency to be a stodgy fuddy duddy. Our love is true and strong and now, partially inebriated. Whatever.


Crystal Head Vodka, alongside Kah Tequila. Not to be confused. Two separate companies. 


But you know what happens when you write about your love of big shiny empty heads on the internet? No, you don't get a slew of emails from hot girls with big boobs and no brains, although don't tell my husband that otherwise he will remain convinced I'm just wasting my time out here. No. Someone will read your post and decide to help you take your obsession and turn it into a collection.

By mailing you Crystal Head shot glasses.

Mini skulls.


Booze for brains!


Even my husband had to admit the power of their collective awesomeness. So now not only do I have a collection of big and little empty heads dotting the nooks and crannies of my house, but now I have a FAMILY of them.

A momma and a poppa and tiny little babies, with a bunch of empty aunts and uncles lying around my house.


I've named them all. Much to my husband's dismay.


No one will ever believe I'm not a lush and that I rarely ever imbibe. But that's okay because I am surrounded by crystal magic. And possibly filled with good booze.

Big thanks to Breanne and the Crystal Head Team for making my day.

*And no, this post was not in anyway sponsored. I'm sharing because I care. Or I'm drunk. Possibly both. I just really dig this brand and darn if they aren't more awesome than the crystal heads I keep draining.*

 

Master and Commander

Each spring I get swept up with the excitement of summer days. The promise of leisurely mornings, long afternoons and warm starry nights inebriates me into stupidity. It's more effective than drinking cheap-boxed wine.

So every year, as I'm drunk on summer memories from the past, I am expected to make intelligent decisions about my children's summer camp opportunities. This is like giving me the keys to a chocolate factory and reminding me as I'm swimming in a river of liquid chocolate with my mouth wide open that I need to remember to save room for Brussel sprouts at supper later that night.

This year I signed my kids up for multiple summer camps even though it meant having to twirl around a silver pole while wearing pasties just to be able to afford the costs. In an effort to save money, because I am nothing if not frugal and really, pole dancing is harder than it looks because my rolls of belly fat act like a big friction filled brake pad which is about as sexy as it doesn't sound and twice as painful, I enrolled my teens in DAY camps.

Day camps. For those of you who are new here, I live in the middle of absolutely nowhere. So day camps require driving. On a highway. To a city. Once to get them there and once to fetch them.

Somehow, months ago, I told myself I wouldn't mind driving to the big city twice a day, every day for several consecutive weeks because it was for my kids.

I must have been huffing sunscreen fumes. This is what a northern Canadian winter does to an intelligent woman. It softens our brains.

Turns out, I was wrong all those months ago. I do actually mind driving for what adds up to be over four and a half hours, per day, all so that my kids can learn how to bounce a ball, draw a flower, design a robot with laser eyes, build a yurt or what ever it is I signed them up for.

I don't really know what I was thinking all those months ago when I handed over my credit card to sign the kids up for a myriad of day camps but I'm pretty sure I wasn't thinking about having to wake up even earlier than I have to for a school morning, try and remember to not leave the house without pants, fight rush hour traffic on both the highway and in the city, endure non-stop teen chatter about whatever is the most annoying topic they can think of that morning, watch them flounce out of the vehicle with hardly a thank you, make the long drive back home, and then to have to make the return trip hours later to bring them back home.

I'm spending more on gas than I would have if I had just ponied up for a sleep away camp.

Unrelated, once upon a time I used to consider myself intelligent. That was well before I had children.

I survived my son's camp at the university last week only to have my daughter start hers at the very same place this morning. I didn't sleep well last night, my daughter overslept, it was raining and I just wanted to call the entire thing off.

Being the sucker I am, however, I just poured myself a large travel cup of coffee, snarled at my kid to hurry up and shuffled off to my vehicle to start the commute.

I don't know how it happened, but on the drive in, my sweet daughter annoyed me. One minute she's chattering away non-stop and the next minute I'm in full mommy mode, administering a lecture any guidance counsellor worth their salt would be pleased to hear.


Portrait of sass. 


Through out my meaningful, well thought out mom talk, my kid dutifully nodded her head and replied, "Yes, Mom," in well-timed intervals.

Like a robot.

When I had winded down my lecture of the morning, I looked at her and asked, "Do you understand?"

And like the good daughter she is, she looked back me and replied, "Yes Mom."

Like a robot.

Because I am not the very definition of rational and patient first thing in the morning, I got annoyed.

"You realize when you just say 'Yes Mom' over and over again in that passive voice it sounds like you are either not paying attention to me or dismissing what I'm saying, right?"

"Yes Mom."

"That's not funny Fric. I don't want to get into an argument but when I'm asking you a question it would behoove you (I like to use fancy words when I'm being a bossy cow to my kid) to answer me in a way that sounds sincere. Got it?"

My daughter, to her credit, opened her mouth to automatically reply, "Yes Mom," and immediately shut it. I could see the gears in her brains spinning as she thought about what I had said. Fric turned to me and with great emphasis and clarity delivered her answer.

"Yes Master."

I could see her waiting for me to react to her sass.

It was all I could do to keep from bursting out into laughter.

"That's right kid. Much better." I really hate it when my kid is quicker than I am.

Almost as much as I hate summer camp.

Text Message Torture

My older brother Stretch once pinned me down, sat on my chest and dangled a loogie over my face as I squirmed and tried to buck him off of me.

Just when I opened my mouth to scream for help, the saliva stretched far enough and he wasn't quick enough and PLOP! My brother basically horked in my mouth.

He thought it was hysterical. I did not.

That right there has been the foundation of our entire relationship. It's a good thing he's one of my favourite people. When he's not horking loogies at me.


This is what happens when you ask my brother to smile nicely for a picture. This also happens to be the same look he gives me right before he decides to torture me.


Yesterday I went to charge my cell phone and I noticed I had missed a text message from my brother. He wanted me to send him a picture of my son's swollen face (Frac was attacked by mosquitos the night before and swelled up like a prize fighter does after facing off with Rocky.)


Most normal siblings exchange a few texts and then move on. Not my family. Here's how we Millers' text:


Me:  I don't have a pic of his face. Kid played shy and wouldn't let me immortalize his awesomeness.

Him: Boo.

Him: Bit by ant?

Me:  Mosquito. Many times. Possibly spider but I doubt it. Swelling is going down already.

Him: Good.

Me: K. I've gotta go. I'm off to see if I can run further than 7 k today. Training for a 10k race. Have a good one!

(And so I put my phone away to go put my running shoes on. Because I wanted to RUN.)

Buzz.

Him: What about your back?

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.


25 times. In a row. It's like Chinese water torture with a smart phone.


Me: (annoyed) You can stop any time now.

Him: There you are!

Me: Running is helping control my back pain. Seems to be the only thing that helps lately so you know, I want to go RUN. Instead of text.

Him: Do you have any bungees?

Me: Bungee cords? We may have a few. Why?

Him: Tether your boobs down!!! Bahahahahahah. Later!

Me: Ha ha. (Insert not nice word here.)

Me: And I use duct tape for that. Arsehole.

Him: I'm very busy Tanis. Please leave me alone.

Me: I hate you.

(Puts down phone and resumes tying up my running shoes.)

The phone buzzes again. I eye it wearily.

Him: Oh.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

(Picks up phone and considers the legal consequences of driving into the city to cram it down my brother's throat. Only he's six foot four. I can't reach his damn mouth. Knowing he'll keep up till I answer, I text back.)

Me: I'm going to kill you. I ducking swear it.

Him: Hey.

Him: Hey.

Me: F*cking.

Him: Bring water.

Me: Dammit.

Me: Why water?

Him: It's hot you twit.

(Right about then I consider how much money I have available for bail.)

Me: Thank Tips.

And then? I gave the phone to my kids and told them if it buzzes again to go put it in the hot tub. NO MATTER WHAT.

Now every time the phone buzzes I twitch. Thanks for that Stretch. Next time just pin me down and hork on me. It's a much quicker and less aggravating torture.


 What happens when our mother asks the two of us to stand nicely next to one another and smile.