So.

Yesterday afternoon I remembered that the 2011 Miss Mississippi pageant is going to be broadcast live on the web this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

You have no idea how deeply this bit of information touches my heart. Because the Miss Mississippi pageant isn’t just a pageant – it’s an institution. In fact, when I lived in Mississippi, we would have Miss Mississippi parties on the final night of the pageant and hoot & holler just like it was a football game.

IT’S A PAGEANT THAT MEANS SOMETHING, PEOPLE.

In fact, in some deep, dark recesses of some deep, dark cabinet, I actually have VHS tapes of Miss Mississippi pageants from 1989 (-ish) to 1996 (-ish). It’s a treasure trove of memories, especially in terms of the talent competitions. There’s baton twirling, ventriloquism, xylophone playing, magic acts – really, it’s almost more joy than I can take. So good.

I would encourage you to tune in. Don’t miss a blessing.

In other news, I thought I’d update y’all on my ongoing dental drama since it seems to be a theme in the summer of 2011.

A couple of weeks ago my temporary crown popped off – AGAIN. I was out of town at the time, so I used one of the quick fixes my dental hygienist suggested and figured I’d be good until I got home. Sure enough, I called my dentist first thing that Monday morning – only to find out that the office would be closed all week while the staff attended continuing education classes.

Which was really no help at all.

Late in the week one of the girls from the office returned my call and said that everything should be fine, and since my permanent crown should be in the next week (which would have been last week), I could probably just make do with the quick fixes as long as I wasn’t having any trouble with the tooth.

Well.

The dentist called me again this past Wednesday to tell me that the permanent crown was in and to call them for an appointment. The only problem was that I spent most of last Wednesday on the road; I drove to my hometown to pick up my mama so that she could come back here and stay with the little man while I was in Lincoln and D was at work. Thursday and Friday weren’t options for an appointment because I was going to be out of town, so clearly the permanent crown was going to have to wait a few days. Sure enough, when my flight left Thursday morning, the temporary crown and I made the trip to Lincoln together. Since it was holding on and fighting the good fight, I did my part in terms of trying to keep it affixed and also in terms of avoiding crunchy and/or sticky foods.

Oh, my temporary crown and I were very considerate of each other. I like to think that we’d forged a real friendship.

The temporary crown and I got back in town late Saturday night, and quite frankly we were exhausted. Sunday morning I noticed that the crown felt a little loose-y goose-y, so I actually took it off before I ate breakfast. It was as precious a moment as you might imagine, and I felt that it was a special way to remind my husband how much he’d missed me when I was gone. I mean, nothing really says Fourteen years later, I’d still marry you all over again like popping a temporary crown off of a back molar and then gingerly placing the crown on a napkin before you bite into a McDonald’s sausage biscuit.

Who says romance is dead?

Anyway, as best I can tell I forgot ALL ABOUT that temporary crown after I ate breakfast. Didn’t give it another thought, really, until I was fixing lunch and realized Oh, my. I think my crown is missing. I looked for it everywhere. I couldn’t fathom that I’d thrown it away, especially since I’ve been trying to be so careful with it, but apparently that’s exactly what I did. And after I’d searched the kitchen for the 18th time, I looked at D and said, “Well, I guess that’s it. I lost it. Or threw it away. Or something. Because I can’t find it anywhere.”

“So am I to understand that you’re 41 years old and have in fact misplaced and/or thrown away one of your teeth?” he asked.

“That’s exactly right,” I replied. “I’ve never been more proud.”

And for the record, I never found it. I get the permanent crown this afternoon.

It won’t be quite as pretty as the one that the new Miss Mississippi gets Saturday night, but FINGERS CROSSED that it’s a keeper.

So I’ve really had the best of intentions about keeping things current and updated and happening and now in this particular little neck of the bloggy woods, but unfortunately I seem to have been seized by a colossal case of adult-onset ADD that renders me incapable of giving anything my full attention for longer than approximately 4.7 seconds.

Maybe 5.2 if it’s reallllllly interesting.

I just have had all these projects and to-do lists and THINGS that I’ve wanted to accomplish during these blessedly schedule-free summer months, and instead of buckling down and tackling one bullet point at a time, I’ve been embracing the stop and start method, my long-standing strategy of getting four percent of a project twenty-two percent finished and then NEXT, PLEASE! TIME TO MOVE ON! MAMA SEES SOMETHING SHINY!

(However, I’m proud to announce that I did manage to finish watching all thirteen episodes of “The Killing” in just a little more than 24 hours, so clearly I’m pouring all my time and energy into the most productive outlets.)

(So I think the bottom line is that if you’ve been looking for an expert on time management, look no further! I’m your girl!)

Today I did make a concerted effort to be more efficient and productive, and I actually got a lot done. I dropped the little man off at his sports camp, and then I went to the bank, the bookstore and two (2!) grocery stores. I spent most of the afternoon cooking stuff that my people can eat while I’m on a little trip this Thursday – Saturday. Then I worked on the e-book, picked up the boy, fixed supper, answered emails – and I’ll have you know that by 8 o’clock tonight I felt like I’d been running around like this all day:

Only without all the sequins. And not quite so many “WHOO!”s.

I guess I’m just starting to realize that the summer, it is movin’ along. In a week we’ll all be staring July in the face, and BY DIGGITY I don’t want to waste this stretch of time. Because when I look at the trips and commitments and set-in-stone whathaveyous that are on the calendar, I know that I need to make the most of the days when we’re just hanging out at home.

BUT.

I don’t want to spend the rest of the summer running around like a clogger with my tap shoes on fire. And because of the aforementioned trips and commitments, I especially don’t want to feel bogged down when we have the luxury of not having to stick to a schedule. So, all that to say: I’ve whittled down my Summer Must-Do list to two whole things, and in the interest of accountability I will share them with the wide world interweb at this juncture.

1. Finish the e-book
2. Finish this project (I still haven’t found the right pillows, and I need to move around some of my furniture)

Listen. If I can get those two things done in the midst of the trips and the gallivanting and the neighborhood young’uns that make our afternoons so full and happy – and still have plenty of time with my people and a small of window of TV-watching to stay reasonably up-to-speed with the summer programming on Bravo and Food Network?

Then I will consider Summer 2011 a smashing success.

What about you? Anything you’re hoping to finish (or start) this summer? Any big projects or plans? Any – dare I say it – GOALS?