It's Over

The winter Olympics came to an end today on a sad note--for me, anyway--with the Finnish hockey team losing to the Swedes. I sure would have liked to see the Finns win the gold, but they didn't. Now I can look forward to the return of the NHL and the rest of the games for the season. Go, Red Wings!

I didn't really get all caught up in Olympic fever like some people did. I did, however, concentrate on the hockey games--my favorite sport. But I couldn't help knowing some of what was going on in Torrino, and it wasn't really good for the US. It seemed as if most of the really big stories were negative and just put more faces of "ugly Americans" front and center for the rest of the world to scoff at.

Now, I NEVER have been athletic and I NEVER have been treated as specially as athletes are in this country, so I wouldn't know how my ego would be if I was a world-class athlete. I hope I would have been at least a little humble and thankful for all I had. Too bad there were too many examples of thanklessness and big egos with some of the Americans. How could we be proud of Shani Davis and Chad Hedrick, despite their medal wins--they were both petty and out for themselves, not for the pride of their country. Bode Miller gives drinking a bad name, for crying out loud--another example of an over-inflated ego. Johnny Weir is so WEIRd that he defies explanation. And Lindsey Jacobellis is totally immature--which, at her age, is understandable, at least. Of course, we can't leave out the US hockey team, Jeret Peterson, or any of the other people who took center stage for other than good sportsmanship and patriotic pride. Hopefully, lessons have been learned and the next Olympics will have our athletes represent our country better. It's time we do all we can to stop being "ugly Americans."

True Friendship Does Exist

True Friendship

Are you tired of those sissy-ass "friendship" poems that always sound good, but never actually come close to reality? Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship:

1. When you are sad -- I will help you get drunk and plot revenge against the sorry bastard who made you sad.
2. When you are blue -- I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.
3. When you smile -- I will know you finally got laid.
4. When you are scared -- I will rag on you about it every chance I get.
5. When you are worried -- I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining.
6. When you are confused -- I will use little words.
7. When you are sick -- Stay the hell away from me until you are well again. I don't want whatever you have.
8. When you fall -- I will point and laugh at your clumsy ass.
9. This is my oath..... I pledge it to the end. "Why?" you may ask; "because you are my friend".

Send this to 10 of your closest friends, then get depressed because you can only think of 4.
Remember.......
A good friend will help you move.....
a REALLY good friend will help you move a body.......
let me know if you ever need me to bring a shovel.

Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it, but only you can feel the true warmth.


Have a great day!
(Personal to c: thank you for all of the emails that have provided me with SO much content for my blog!)

Go Finland!

Well, hot damn! Just finished watching the hockey game between Finland and Russia and Finland shut them out by the score of 4-0. A great game. I was wanting to see Finland's defensive game around their net again, but Russia wasn't around the net that often for the defense to have to do much. Now it's Finland against Sweden for the gold medal on Sunday. Go, Finland!

Clarification

It suddenly dawned on me after I did my rant over the mispronouncing of the word sauna, that I could actually have lead people to mispronounce it even worse! I said it is pronounced as "SOW-na" and it is. However, the "SOW" rhymes with "how," not "sew"! I hope that fixes it. By the way, does anyone know how to pronounce "gnocci?" I would hate to have anyone get pissed at me for not knowing how to pronounce it properly. :)

On Hockey and Critters in the Basement

Both the US and Canadian hockey teams lost in the quarterfinals today, so that leaves me with Team Finland to cheer on. If they lose before playing for the gold, I don't care who wins. Sounds too much like a poor loser, hey? Oh, well. ;)

So, I'm sitting in the kitchen and both the cat and I were having our breakfast when we hear crashing in the basement. Of course, my big, bad, meat-eating cat immediately ran upstairs to save herself--can't believe she is a relative of the King of the Jungle lion--and I woke K up so he could protect me! Even though he had been sleeping only a few hours (he is on night shift), he was very good about going to look at what the commotion was. After a thorough search of the basement, he found NOTHING! Several hours later, before he left for work, he went and looked again and still found nothing. Now I have to wonder all night about what may be in our basement and keep an eye out for anything that might be lurking in the corners. Oh, happy day.

On Hockey and Being Finnish-American

The US women's hockey team will play their last game of the Olympics on Monday. This is the game to determine who will take home the bronze medal--hopefully it will be the US and not the Finns, who they will be playing. Eight years ago, the US won the gold, four years ago they won the silver, and this year they may win the bronze: the full set! Good luck to the team.

I didn't get to see the US men's loss to Sweden. The final score was 2-1, so it wasn't a real lopsided game, at least. They play Russia on Tuesday and then, if they win, they will play the quarterfinals. So, they still have a chance to bring home a medal.

I did get to see the game between Canada and Finland--Canada was shut out. Again, it was the great play of the goaltenders that kept the score where it was. The biggest problem I have when I watch Finnish teams playing is listening to the announcers butcher the names. A big pet peeve of mine, as I am Finnish-American.

So now, here is my rant about mispronouncing Finnish names and words. I guess there just isn't too much that can be done about uninformed people not knowing how a name is pronounced--after all, one can pronounce their name anyway one wants. I really take exception, though, to people here where I live pronouncing their unmistakably Finnish names with an English, or American, pronunciation. To me, this is just showing you are ashamed of your heritage. But my biggest pet peeve--no, if someone does this, I am PISSED OFF--is the mispronunciation of the word sauna! I want to shoot my TV whenever I hear anyone say "saw-na"! The word is "SOW-na" for heaven's sake!!!!! Get that right for once and for all!!!!!

I am done. You can all go back to whatever you were doing, in peace.

One More Loss

The hockey game between Slovakia and the US just ended and the US lost. Can't believe how these games are being played out. Hopefully the US teams can get their acts together and win some more medals!

Absolutely UNBELIEVABLE

Just finished watching the men's hockey game between Canada and Switzerland and the Swiss shut out the Canadians 2-0!!!!! I cannot believe what I saw! The Canadians had (at least) 26 shots on goal the third period to 1 shot on goal by the Swiss--and the Swiss still won! The goaltender for the Swiss was amazing--he was like SUPER GOALTENDER. There just is no way to even imagine who might win the gold after seeing a game like this.

Add this game to the I-can't-believe-I-just-saw-that category, along with the women's game from yesterday. Yes, the US women lost to Sweden--another unbelievable happening. However, I don't think the US women played as well as they did the other day. We'll see if they can play well enough to get the bronze medal.

Then, of course, we have to discuss snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis and her screw-up that cost her the gold yesterday. She had the gold medal in her hands when she decided to show off for the crowd--before the race was finished--and fell, allowing the Swiss snowboarder Tanja Frieden to race ahead and win. Let's hope Lindsey can do great things four years from now or she will always be remembered as the girl who "show-offed" her way to losing at the Olympics.

Cuteness, Snow Storm, and Dog Sled Races

A few unrelated things:

If you haven't visited CuteOverload.com recently--or ever--it is time to go there. I DEFY anyone to look at the pictures and NOT go "AWWWWWWW!" My house would be FULL of animals of all kinds if they all were that small and that cute! :)

We are now in the second day of a winter storm. There are heavy snows, high winds, blowing and drifting snow, near-zero visibility, and wind-chills in the -30 to -40 degree range. Our house is a bit too close to the lake, so we don't get quite as much snow as the higher elevations in the county do, but it still is quite nasty out there. I am sure K will have to take the Jimmy to work if he wants to actually make it.

The annual dog sled race is supposed to get underway on Friday. It might seem a bit strange to say, but the weather might actually cause problems. The blowing and drifting will make the trails very messy and the temps definitely will not be good for the dogs or the mushers. This is a big deal in the area here, so I hope things will be okay. I'm just glad I won't have to be out in the bad weather. Good luck to all who venture out--better you than me! :)

Snow Statues

Michigan Technological University is situated WAAAAY up north in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Tech is well known as a very good engineering school and those engineering students came up with a way to help the time pass during the winter AND celebrate winter carnival: build snow statues! The workmanship and detail that is put into all of the creations is absolutely astounding. Mere pictures can't do justice to them. When you see the statues in person, you are amazed and awed. As winter carnival 2006 ended last weekend, you can't get to see the statues in person this year, so here are pictures of the winners. But, if you ever find your way up north during the winter carnival, make sure you stop and see the statues.

Olympics

I am not a person who watches a lot of the Olympics. There was a time when I feel almost anyone could have been an Olympic athlete--it just took a lot of hard work and determination. Today, it seems as if you have to be a professional at your sport in order to compete. It just isn't the same when you realize how small of an elite crowd actually gets to be an Olympian--no matter how much a person might want it, they are not very likely to be on an Olympic team.

That little rant said, I now have to do some praising of the Olympics--at least one of the sports. Today, K and I watched the women's ice hockey game against Finland. To say I was excited and thrilled at the skill of these women, is putting it mildly. If I wouldn't have known better, I would have thought they were the men's team playing. It was as good of a game as I have ever seen. It is predicted that the U.S. and Canadian women's teams are the ones to beat to get the gold. On the 17th and the 20th the next women's games are being played--the 20th being the finals. If you want to see good hockey, be sure to watch. (By the way, the U.S beat Finland by a score of 7 to 3--with 4 goals scored in the third period.)

FBI's New Tracking System For Terrorists

You can read all about the newest way the FBI will be tracking terrorists here. It will be a good thing.

Motorcycles and Squirrels

You have got to go here and read the funniest story I have read in a long time! If it doesn't make you laugh right out loud, you never have to take a recommendation from me ever again! I would normally be very worried about the poor squirrel, but I have a feeling he can take care of himself. Enjoy.

Pentagon Announcement

Pentagon Announcement

The Pentagon announced today the formation of a new 500-man elite fighting unit called the United States Redneck Special Forces. These Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas boys will be dropped off into Iraq and have been given only the following facts about terrorists:

1. The season opened today.
2. There is no limit.
3. They taste just like chicken.
4. They don't like beer, pickups, country music or Jesus.
5. They are DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE for the death of Dale Earnhardt.

We expect the problem in Iraq to be over by Friday.

Women Over 40

In case you missed it on 60 minutes. This is for all you girls 40 years and over.... and for those who are turning 40...AND for guys who are scared of girls over 40!!! This was written by Andy Rooney from CBS 60 Minutes.

Andy Rooney says:
As I grow in age, I value women who are over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why...

A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night to ask, "What are you thinking?" She doesn't care what you think.

If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do. And, it's usually something more interesting.

Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the
opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you, if they think they can get away with it.

Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated.

Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40.

Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk or if you are acting like one! You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed hot woman of 40+, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year-old waitress. Ladies, I apologize.

For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free". Here's an update for you: Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage, why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage.

Anger Management

This was sent to me today:

When you occasionally have a really bad day, and you just need to take it out on someone, don't take it out on someone you know, take it out on someone you don't know. I was sitting at my desk when I remembered a phone call I'd forgotten to make. I found the number and dialed it. A man answered, saying Hello. I politely said, "This is Chris. Could I please speak with Robyn Carter?"

Suddenly a manic voice yelled out in my ear "Get the right f***king number!" and the phone was slammed down on me. I couldn't believe that anyone could be so rude. When I tracked down Robyn's correct number to call her, I found that I had accidentally transposed the last two digits. After hanging up with her, I decided to call the 'wrong' number again. When the same guy answered the phone, I yelled "You're an asshole!" and hung up. I wrote his number down with the word 'asshole' next to it, and put it in my desk drawer. Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills or had a really bad day, I'd call him up and yell, "You're an asshole!" It always cheered me up. When Caller ID was introduced, I thought my therapeutic 'asshole' calling would have to stop. So, I called his number and said, "Hi, this is John Smith from the Telstra. I'm calling to see if you're familiar with our Caller ID Program?" He yelled "NO!" and slammed down the phone. I quickly called him back and said, "That's because you're an asshole!" One day I was at the store, getting ready to pull into a parking lot. Some guy in a black BMW cut me off and pulled into the spot I had patiently waited for. I hit the horn and yelled that I'd been waiting for that spot, but the idiot ignored me. I noticed a "For Sale" sign in his back window, so I wrote down his number. A couple of days later, right after calling the first asshole ( I had his number on speed dial,) I thought that I'd better call the BMW asshole, too. I said, "Is this the man with the black BMW for sale?" "Yes, it is", he said. "Can you tell me where I can see it?" I asked. "Yes, I live at 34 Mowbray Blvd, in Vaucluse. It's a yellow house, and the car's parked right out in front." "What's your name?" I asked. "My name is Don Hansen," he said. "When's a good time to catch you, Don?" "I'm home every evening after five." "Listen, Don, can I tell you something?" "Yes?" "Don, You're an asshole!" Then I hung up, and added his number to my speed dial, too.

Now, when I had a problem, I had two assholes to call. Then I came up with an idea. I called Asshole #1. "Hello?" "You're an asshole!" (But I didn't hang up.) "Are you still there?" he asked. "Yeah," I said. "Stop calling me," he screamed. "Make me," I said. "Who are you?" he asked. "My name is Don Hansen." "Yeah? Where do you live?" "Asshole, I live at 34 Mowbray Blvd, Vaucluse, a yellow house, with my black Beamer parked in front." He said, "I'm coming over right now, Don. And you had better start saying your prayers."

I said, "Yeah, like I'm really scared, asshole," and hung up. Then I called Asshole #2. "Hello?" he said. "Hello, asshole," I said. He yelled, "If I ever find out who you are..."

"You'll what?" I said. "I'll kick your ass," he exclaimed. I answered, "Well, asshole, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now." Then I hung up and immediately called the police, saying that I lived at 34 Mowbray Blvd, Vaucluse, and that I was on my way over there to kill my gay lover. Then I called Channel 9 News about the gang war going down in Mowbray Blvd, Vaucluse. I quickly got into my car and headed over to Mowbray. I got there just in time to watch two assholes beating the crap out of each other in front of six cop cars, an overhead police helicopter and a news crew. NOW I feel much better.

Anger management really works.

Super Bowl

So, today is the Super Bowl. Big freakin' whoop! I dislike football--I REALLY dislike football. Always have. And I have tried to like it. In high school I had the then-boyfriend explain the game to me and I tried to like it for his sake--DID NOT HAPPEN. This means I have to try and find something to do that has no connection to football--kind of hard on Super Bowl Sunday.

Last night I watched Grizzly Man, the documentary about Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell lived in the Alaskan wilderness for 13 summers "studying" the grizzly bear in very close contact and finally got killed and eaten by one--as was his girlfriend Amie Huguenard. Quite a fascinating movie but extremely disturbing at the same time. While the tape of them being killed was not aired, the attack and their deaths were explained in excruciating detail. It definitely was well worth the 3 hours to watch. (I watched it on the Discovery Channel, so there were commercials.) I have very mixed feelings about whether he was good or bad for the grizzlies--he definitely didn't limit contact with the wildlife as scientists would, so that wasn't a good thing. He was a disturbed individual on many levels.

Tomorrow it looks as if we are taking a road trip--only for the day, though. I don't really mind a day-run except for the fact it takes me a week to get back on track afterwards! So much we do in so little time on one of these short trips. Oh, well, you gotta do what you gotta do--and I gotta shop! Hope the weather holds out for us.

Here's a site that everyone should have in their bookmarks/favorites: recalls.gov. This is where you can find ALL of the recalls that have happened, of EVERYTHING. You have consumer goods, vehicles, medicine, food, cosmetics, etc. A place to go every once in awhile to make sure you don't have any of the lesser known products that have been recalled. Just another reason to be paranoid! :)

Some Friday Funnies

"Please God, if you can't make me thin, make my friends fat!"

"Friends don't let friends drink and take home ugly men."

"I might as well work. I'm in a bad mood anyway."

"THOUGHT FOR THE DAY. Never hold your farts in. They travel up your spine, into your brain, and that's where shitty ideas come from!!!!!"

"THE SEVEN DWARVES OF MENOPAUSE: Itchy, Bitchy, Sweaty, Sleepy, Bloated, Forgetful, & Psycho."

"Unattractive woman to her boss: "All the other women in the office are suing you for sexual harassment. Since you haven't sexually harassed me, I'm suing you for discrimination.""

Have a great Friday and a more wonderful weekend!

One of My Favs

We have cable TV. While K has digital cable with all of the movie channels, etc, in the living room, I ONLY have 75 channels on my kitchen TV. This is more than enough for me and I find things to watch most of the time. When I sat down to read the newspaper this evening, I channel surfed so I would have something on in the background. I happened onto AMC (the American Movie Channel) and they were playing one of my favorite movies: The Blues Brothers. Unfortunately I didn't get to see more than the last half hour or so, but I enjoyed what I did see. I still think John Belushi was one of the most talented people in entertainment--it is too bad we lost him so young. I guess I have to get to one of our local stores very soon as they are having a sale and The Blues Brothers is one of the sale titles. Then I don't have to worry about missing the beginning of the movie ever again.

My Oldest Daughter

In a comment for my last post, cantellya asked if C was a rambunctious child. Well. First off, she gave us an endless amount of grief during her teenaged years. She hasn't lived with us since she was in ninth grade. A big problem child. But, more on this will wait till another day.

As a young child, C was extremely outgoing and smart. She was reading before she started school and was in an accelerated program for all of her grade school years. She was in the Gifted and Talented program. C has a musical gift from God and plays the flute like an angel--it came naturally to her and she didn't have to struggle at all. (I only wish she still had time to play.) She was an only child till she was 6, so she was spoiled way too much. She also was my parents only grandchild until the age of 5, so that doubled her spoiledness. Spoiled or not, she wasn't too much of a brat. She was headstrong and difficult at times, but I think she was more of a wiseass. Here is a story to illustrate what she was like:

Now, I almost think she did the following in a calculated manner--even though she was no more than 4 years old. One day we were in a local discount department store. K and I were looking at clothes for C and didn't notice she had wandered off. Suddenly we heard her voice coming from the next aisle, talking to one of the store clerks. "Excuse me. Would you happen to know K and C _____? They are my parents and they seem to be lost." Try to keep a straight face as you are telling your child not to go off alone, after hearing that! :) I can actually imagine this was something she planned ahead of time. To say she was precocious is being mild. And her middle child, Noelle, is just like this--only I think she may be smarter and more calculating than C was. The mother's curse is at work. Bwhahahahaha!!!!!

The Kids

It has been some time since I posted about C or her kids, so here goes.

C is still waiting to hear anything from the hemotologist. She saw her the beginning of January and nothing showed up wrong at that time. The dr. was going to get all of the pathology reports and all the reports from the high-risk pregnancy specialist and go over them to determine what C's problems could possibly be. So far, no word. Meanwhile, C has to have biopsies on the "lumps" she has been getting. They can't figure out what they are, but the feeling is they might be some kind of fatty tumors. We'll find out more after the biopsies. Other than that, C is feeling good and is doing very well.

The baby is now somewhere around ten pounds--about the size a non-premie would be. She is still on a high calorie formula and C said she is sure the dr. will stop that after the next appointment. Grace has learned to eat and she does it very well!

The rest of the kids are doing fine. The two oldest are enjoying school and have a lot of friends. Christina is taking ski lessons and is enjoying that. Catie has calmed down in school and is being much less of a chatterbox. Noelle and Marcus are getting bigger and sassier every day. Sometimes it is scary just how smart Noelle is--I think she is going to be the smartest of all of them. Or she is going to be the biggest smart ass there ever was--it's a toss-up as to which will happen. Marcus is well on his way to becoming a stuntman--he will make MANY trips to the emergency room before he is grown up.

All in all, C has her hands full. I don't know how she does it--they would have had to put me in the purple padded room a long time ago if I were in her situation.

Saturday

Not a whole lot of excitement around here. K goes back to work tomorrow for four days and then it is long weekend time! Yeah! A whole seven days that we can use to plan an out-of-town trip. It's been more than six weeks since we've done a road trip and it will be nice to take off. I sure hope the weather cooperates.

Talking about the weather--we are under a heavy snow warning for tonight and tomorrow. They are saying about 12 inches of wet, heavy snow when it is all said and done. Hmmmm, I wonder if this is it for our nice winter? Just the other day we had record breaking temps and now we are going to have a winter storm! The joys of living here near the big lake.

Well, The Parents were here today. It actually turned out to be okay. I think the fact that I don't see or talk to The Mother for months and months at a time actually made for a pretty nice visit. I definitely know that I would NOT be able to be around them too often--I've learned and grown too much over the past years to put up with all the bullshit. But seeing them once in awhile is okay. So, anyway, I took her shopping for the fabric for her dress for the wedding--and, yes, I decided to do it. We settled on a gorgeous baroque satin in a color that is so hard to describe that I couldn't get a perfectly matching thread! It is a kind of greenish, brownish, goldish color--as I said, very hard to describe. It will be just beautiful made up. The only problem with it is that it is dry clean only--bummer. But, for the price per yard, you couldn't go wrong. Still didn't get my fabric, though. I have to think on it a little bit more. Surprisingly, the fabric store here has TOO many selections at this time. I will have to decide soon, though, or there won't be anything I will want.

Geek or Killer?

Can you tell a computer geek from a serial killer just by looking at a picture? Go here and see how well you do. (I managed to get 7 correct. Yippee!)

Not My Idea

I must make a correction here for all of my readers. Several of you have commented on how much you have enjoyed "my" Book Game. Well, I am very glad you have had a good time, BUT I DID NOT come up with the idea. I actually "stole" the idea from somewhere on the web--can't for the life of me remember where. (I surf WAY too much.) So, whoever came up with the Book Game:

Thank you for the fun we have all had! Great idea!

Lies, Lies, and More Lies

Well, I guess Oprah took her author, the "man who kept her awake all night," out back to the woodshed and gave him a whooping. Baaad move on your part, James Frey. You disappointed the great and powerful Oprah Winfrey. Now all her followers will look down on you with disdain for the rest of your life and your 15 minutes of fame are gone. Hope you invested the money you duped out of people well, because you ain't having lunch in this town ever again!

But, wait! Not everyone thinks Oprah is the second coming of Christ. There still are millions of people who will follow their own minds and do what they want WITHOUT Oprah's approval. Oh, oh. I am beginning to have a bad feeling about this. What do they say about ANY publicity--good OR bad--being a good thing? Sure enough. There it is in all its splendor--A Million Little Pieces is still a bestseller. Barnes & Noble has it at number 4, Amazon has it at number 5, and the New York Times has it at number 1. I am afraid this controversy is just going to make people want to read the book more. I wish he would just go away--but I'm not sure that is going to happen.

UPDATE: I wrote this about three hours ago and in that time the book has gone from number 5 to number 4 on Amazon's list. So, are my fears coming true?

The Birds Must Go

Several years ago we had an outbreak of dead birds around backyard feeders in our area. The cause was determined to be salmonella. Our backyard had quite a few dead birds and we quit feeding them for the remainder of the winter--a much easier way to control the bacteria spread than the recommended cleaning and disinfecting of the feeders. Well, it looks as if we have another outbreak, so my feeders will be coming down and probably not be up again for the rest of the season. Damn! I so enjoy watching the birds--they will be missed.

Don't Let The Bedbugs Bite

I am a total bug phobic--I am so freaked by them that I have a hard time to get near enough to kill them. And I have ALWAYS, mistakenly so sometimes, associated bugs with being dirty. That is one of the reasons I almost lost it when our Oldest came home with head lice when she was in the 8th grade. I just about had to be hospitalized after that one. So imagine my delight when I read that we are now facing an epidemic of bedbugs! This just makes me want to stay at home forever! Read the story here.

Oh, Boy

Some people have WAY too much time on their hands. Check this out.

Bird's Eye Maple

Bird's eye maple is an unusual and rare form of maple wood. It is very distinctive in appearance and highly prized but many. This, of course, is the cause of the high prices of items made out of the wood. Here is a site that has handmade items made of bird's eye maple. Especially beautiful are some of the rocking chairs.

Killer Flying Shrimp

Okay, this is just too crazy: Family: Man Died After Ducking Flying Shrimp
What lawyer thought this was a good reason for a lawsuit? I don't understand.

Refrigerator Magnets

I can't believe I am actually doing another post with the word "refrigerator" in it! Has nothing to do with my frig, however. I'm sure everyone has seen the magnetic letters that can be put on frigs. Well, here is a site that has virtual refrigerator magnets--the letters are all there and you can spell whatever you want. The problem is, there are other people at the same time trying to spell words, so someone is ALWAYS stealing your letters. It is not nearly as boring as I just made it sound, and it can become quite addicting.

Jumped Off The Cliff

Yeah, I did it--said I would make The Mother her dress for the wedding. I hope it isn't my biggest mistake yet. However, I have come so far that I believe I will know if I'm getting sucked back in their world--I should be able to keep myself "safe." AND, because I did this all on my own, I will keep the pissing and moaning to a minimum--no one needs to hear it. I will only talk about the really big stuff--the kind where you either "pee yourself laughing" or "look for a gun so you could shoot someone," type of things. I think I will re-order my Prevacid today--I can just feel the GERD starting up again. Don't want to start an ulcer. :)

What The HELL Am I ABOUT To Do?

Anyone who has read this blog for a while knows that I have some definite issues with my family. As of yet, I haven't really written about what the problems are, but they are there. Now I am thinking about doing something that I can't even believe is a thought in my mind.

Our youngest daughter is getting married in May. We've known about this for a few months and I have been trying to find to wear--no such luck. I am 5ft 1in, and I DEFINITELY have more than 10 pounds to lose, so it is not an easy task. I finally found a pattern that I think could look good on me, so I have decided to make my own dress. Of course, I told my decision to C and I explained what I was going to do with the dress: the color and type of fabrics, any embellishments, etc. We both agreed it could be very nice. Now the beginning of my dilemma. C told The Mother about my dress. The Mother (in her best drama queen fashion, I'm sure) said, "Oh, if your mother could only make ME a dress!" To which C suggested she call me and ask. The Mother said she "could never" do that. (Why? Is she afraid I would squeeze through the phone wire and rip her head off? Not possible--I use a cordless phone!) So, C called and asked if I would do it. The Mother has no knowledge of this phone call, so I could say "no" without her knowing--only C would be aware of my negative attitude. But, The Mother did a wonderful job raising me--I would have the guilt of the world on my shoulders for all eternity if I said "no." I DON'T want to get involved with my family again--it is too nice to not be around them. But The Mother is getting old and I won't have her around to ignore too much longer. I could do the fittings at times I would KNOW The Brother wouldn't be around, so I wouldn't have to see him. I could be in the same room as The Father and not acknowledge him--we've never had a conversation so far, why worry about starting now? AND this is the last of my kids to get married--no more BIG occasions to have to be around them. AND my doctor will ALWAYS prescribe me a "happy pill" if I need one. Did I just talk myself into saying "yes?" Unfortunately, I think I did.

Cuteoverload.com

Okay people, you MUST get to Cute Overload--they are just outdoing themselves in pictures that cause you to go "awwww" when you see them. Those pictures are enough to melt ANY bitches heart!

NOT Another Post About My New Frig

We are going to go broke feeding the birds this year. The last few years they have been pretty much staying away, but this year we have actual FLOCKS coming by every day. Yesterday I counted at least 2 dozen mourning doves--I can't keep an actual count of the various finches, chickadees, sparrows, and whatever else shows up. I could really be filling the feeders every day, but I do it every other day--this way everything is fresher for them. We have various snowy owls in the immediate area, so I'm just waiting for when my backyard becomes a killing field for them.

Got the cable for my cellphone yesterday and it actually worked! Yeah! At last I have a ringtone that isn't annoying: an old phone ringing. I am a bit upset that I couldn't get the ringtone of Robin Williams yelling "Good Morning Vietnam" in a format to go with my phone. That WOULD have been annoying, but I think it would have been fun--at least the first three times I heard it!

The other day I was sitting in the kitchen and the TV was on, as usual--it's usually on for background noise. Anyway, K had changed the channel at some point and there was a story about Benjamin Franklin on. They were talking about his discovering, or working with, electricity and they had an actor portraying the famous key-on-a-kite string story. Now, this is good: in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, as a man wearing a curly wig and clothing from the 1700s played with a kite, there was a disclaimer reading "A RE-ENACTMENT." I almost fell over I started to laugh so hard. But then, it occurred to me, there probably are some people out there--more than I want to know, actually--who would believe that TV was around in the 1700s! Oh, my gosh.

Oh, Happy Day

I hugged my refrigerator. Yes, it is a bit out there, but I missed having cold food! We don't always realize how addicted we are to modern conveniences (electricity, running water, refrigeration, etc.) until we don't have them. I am a happy camper today--I have a refrigerator.

The delivery guy (who REALLY reminded me of Matthew Fox) called about an hour before he was scheduled to be here and asked if he could come early--how often do you hear of someone being ahead of schedule? When he got here, it was determined that the frig couldn't be brought through the door--the doors had to be removed from the frig and K had to remove part of the storm door just to get the thing into the house. It didn't take all that long to get it in place and leveled. I then had to clean the inside and outside and plug it in to start cooling. I managed to get everything we had in the cooler into the frig and then we went to the grocery store to get what was needed to fill the new addition.

This is going to take some getting used to. First, the inside is laid out VERY differently from the old refrigerator. Secondly, it is not as big as the old one. But, I do think I will be even more pleased than I am now once I am fully used to having it.

Thus concludes my VERY snooze-worthy saga of the death of my old appliance and purchase of the replacement. I want to hear everyone give a collective sigh of relief and shout, "Thank goodness!" I would promise that I will never mention my frig again, but I have learned to never say never. (But I highly doubt you will be hearing more about it!) :)

Frig Update

I know all of you are waiting with bated breath (I never understood that statement) but my refrigerator is going to be here at 1:00 PM tomorrow. I am singing the "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy" song! And whether you like it or not, I WILL be talking about the frig tomorrow--so THERE! :)

Book Game

Here are the rules:

1. Grab the nearest book
2. Open the book to page 123
3. Find the fifth sentence
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences (#5,6,7) on your blog, along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it. Just grab what is closest!

""Were there tigers?" Jimmy asked.
Oryx shook her head for no. No tigers."

--This selection was taken from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood.

If anyone plays the Book Game on their blog, let me know--it will be interesting!

UPDATE/EDIT: Forgot the rest of the instructions--sorry. Anyway, copy and paste the rules into your blog. Then, follow the rules and put your book passage following. Easy and fun!

Public Service Announcement, Lies, and A Dying Refrigerator

First off, my Public Service Announcement: Tomorrow (Monday) there will be no mail service and the banks will be closed because of MLK, Jr's birthday holiday. Just wanted to pass that on. See, it is hard for me to keep track of these things as K doesn't get holidays off, unless they come up as "off" in his schedule. And not to worry, he DOES get holiday pay for some of them--not tomorrow, though. So, anyway, it is hard for me to remember these things and just thought I would announce it in case any of my readers have the same problem as I do. :)

The last time we did a shopping trip, C asked if I could find the book A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, for her. No problem. (Well, there actually was a problem: it had the Oprah Book Club endorsement on it, but it was a removable sticker, so that was okay. I have Oprah issues.) The book sounded interesting so I bought myself a copy, also. I haven't had a chance to read it, yet, and now I don't know what to do. I KNOW I will be reading EVERY word and wondering, "Is THIS a lie, or the truth?" It might be difficult. I also know that I will be questioning myself if I don't think the book is so good that I can't put it down. Did I not like it because of how it is written, or is it because of the controversy? Quite a dilemma.

I read quite a few of the editorials and news stories about this whole thing. Most are, at the very least, leaning towards condemning Frey. Very few are actually supporting him wholeheartedly. Here is one of the better takes on the whole thing. (The article also comments on the controversy of JT LeRoy.) The best part was: "The real crime here, of course," Cohen said, "is that someone lied to Oprah. I'm not a constitutional scholar, but I believe that's still a capital offense in America." Made me chuckle.

I know everyone is just sitting on the edge of their seats for the following: the refrigerator is still working, barely! The freezer works for a day and then it stops. At times it seems as if the fresh food part is too warm, but then it gets to the temp it should be. I only hope it will keep going until the new one gets here, otherwise I will be up the proverbial creek without a paddle!

Another Saturday Night...

...and I ain't doing anything exciting! Between K's screwy work schedule and our getting to be older than dirt, Saturday isn't a day that we especially wait for. Just another day.

Of course, I could have been doing quite a few things--some that really NEED to be done--but I have spent the entire evening sitting at the computer. And I could have been doing something constructive here--doing some upkeep, updating various stuff--but I decided to just mess around with some fun stuff. I downloaded Yahoo! Widget Engine (fomerly Konfabulator) and decided to give it a try, again. (I tried Konfabulator a year ago on this computer and I even tried it with my old computer several years ago.) While it is fun and in many ways useful, I just don't know if I sit at the computer enough to justify using up resources to keep the TV schedule and weather report on my desktop. I just don't understand some of the Widgets and why they would be needed--does anyone really need a traffic-cam going at all times on their desktop? Whatever floats your boat, I guess. So, right now, the Widgets I have on my desktop are: my TV schedule, a digital clock, National Weather Service alerts, Yahoo weather, and the US map showing the current temps. Good grief, I must be obsessed with weather! I'll keep this going for now and see if there are more Widgets I want. It might be something I find I can't live without.

Of Phones and Refrigerators and Such

K and I have had our new cell phones for about two weeks now and are pretty happy with them. Having flip-phones when you're used to the "candy bar" style definitely is different. But, K wanted something that you didn't need to keep the keys locked all the time, so we got these. The phones we have are the Nokia 6101--GSM and able to surf the web, take pictures, etc. I won't be doing any of the text messaging and probably will never send a picture, but other features I plan on taking advantage of. I want to be able to sync the phone with my PC and be able to add wallpapers and ringtones, etc. And to that end, I ordered a cable to hook to the PC. Well, I decided to try and save a lot of money, and I ordered a cable that wasn't made by Nokia--BIG mistake. Thankfully, the cable only cost $10, so I don't have to feel too bad about not sending it back. (I ordered this from Hong Kong and it just isn't worth the shipping to send it back.) Anyway, I spent quite a few hours working on the drivers and surfing the net for solutions, etc. and I couldn't get the damn thing to work. I am pretty sure I am just going to cut my losses and order an ORIGINAL cable and, hopefully, be able to do exactly what I wanted to in the first place! At least it wasn't TOO expensive of a lesson to be learned.

A couple of days ago I posted about the impending death of my refrigerator. Well, it isn't completely dead, but it is about to go, so K said we should go shopping. And we ordered our new frig today. We should be getting it the middle of next week and I can't wait! We bought another GE because we have always had wonderful luck with the brand and we got the closest thing we could find to the size we already have. Now, this wasn't our first choice, but we have a specific space that the frig has to go in, so we can't go over certain dimensions in size. If we had our druthers, we would have a HUGE side-by-side or 3-door with an ice-maker and water dispenser--maybe if we ever get another house, we will do that.

Not much else going on. K just ended his long weekend--and he worked all but two days of it. The overtime is crazy, again, but it is nice to have the extra money. He will be going on night shift tonight and we will see if we can do a day-run shopping trip next week when he has a day or two off--that is, as long as there isn't overtime! Oh, well, we'll have to wait and see.

A Funny Feeling

Our youngest daughter, A, has been gone from here for over 2 years. This is the LAST time she has left our home. The three times previous she left, she came back--not under great circumstances, either. Thing is, I STILL feel as if she will be back on our doorstep, unexpectedly and heartbroken, asking if she can move back in. My stomach jumps every so often when the phone rings or I hear a vehicle outside--at times I KNOW it is her (and so far, it hasn't been.) I can't figure out why I feel like this. I definitely want her to be happy and move on with her life, but I really am not sure she has made the best or wisest decisions. I think this relationship she is in now happened because she was on the rebound and wanted SOMEONE in her life--I don't know if she really thought this through. I just don't want to see her hurting again--it breaks my heart.

The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years

PC World magazine has a list of their picks as the greatest gadgets of the past 50 years. It makes for quite a fascinating read--and in many cases, a fun walk down memory lane! Find the list here: 50 Greatest Gadgets

Monday Blues

I thought today was going to be a fairly good day. After all, the temp is hovering around the freezing mark, the sun is shining, and I haven't gotten any upsetting phone calls. All of the good feelings changed when I went to the freezer to take out something for dinner tonight. When I opened the door, it sounded as if a hampster was running on a wheel in a metal cage--and the wheel was loose. I really wish I could describe the sound. Something like "chunka-chunka-chunka, dit-dit-dit, tic-tic-tic." Altogether, not something I wanted to hear. Of course, my way of handling the whole situation: take a cup of coffee and go to the computer and read my mail! The rest of the story: every time I go back to see if the fridge is still working, the sound is not there. K is going to accuse me of "hearing things"--something I am NOT in the habit of doing. The situation is this: whenever something mechanical goes wrong, be it the Jimmy, washing machine , or furnace, I am the only one who hears the "noises" until it is too late to get the problem fixed. By the time K actually experiences the problem, we have to get a replacement for the broken appliance. So now, I will have a "death watch" going on for my refrigerator. The only good thing about all of this is, we will, finally, be able to go out and get a new fridge with totally clear consciences!

A True Friend

A good friend will come and bail you out of jail...but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying,
"Damn...that was fun!"
--author unknown--

I hope you have at least one friend you can think of when you read that quote. Make sure and get in touch with him/her this week--you always have to stay in contact.

Hope you all have a great week--and stay out of jail! :)

Black Box Recorders

(While this isn't TECHNICALLY politically correct, it still is funny. Enjoy!)

Black Box Recorders

The National Transportation Safety Board recently divulged they had covertly funded a project with U.S. auto makers for the past five years, whereby the auto makers were installing black box voice recorders in four-wheel drive pickup trucks and SUV's in an effort to determine, in fatal accidents, the circumstances in the last moments before the crash.

They were not surprised to find in 44 of the 50 states the recorded last words of drivers in 61.2% of fatal crashes were, "Oh, Shit!"

But the states of Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama and Kentucky were different, where 89.3% of the final words were, "Hold my beer, I'm gonna try somethin."

Back To Normal

FINALLY it looks like the world is going back to normal: the mail is being delivered, banks are opened, schools are back in session. All's right with the world. I REALLY like normal. :) And as per normal, my life is quite quiet--nothing to report. Don't know if I will have time to post tomorrow--it is K's birthday and I still don't know what we will do to celebrate. I will have him decide whether he wants to go out and eat or if he wants me to cook--his birthday is about the only time we go out to a seafood restaurant, so we might do that. I probably will make a cake--as if we NEED one. I guess I better start planning! Have a good one, all!

Number 1000

One of my fellow bloggers, Ranger Tom, became the 1000th person to visit Out of My Mind. Congratulations, R.T. Wish I had a great gift for you, but, sorry, I don't. Maybe if you become number 5000...Oh, well.

Anyway, R.T. posted awhile back about the searches that people did that led them to his blog, so I figured that I would use his idea and do the same. Nothing like stealing another's ideas. :) To make it more my own idea, I will add some other info.

Most of the people that visit my blog use Windows as the operating system on their computers. Other than the VAST majority using XP, a few use ME and 2000. Every once in awhile I will get someone using a MAC OS and I have a regular visitor using Linux UNIX and she is a friend of mine from a local university. Most people use Internet Explorer as their browser, but there are some that use Firefox. I get someone using Netscape, rarely, and the ones with Macs use Safari. So, from this very small amount of statistics, it truly shows that it is a Microsoft world.

Now onto the way some people find this blog. This past summer and into the fall A LOT of people were searching for ways to get rid of spiders in their basements. There were so many people searching for that, I was beginning to think we were experiencing the movie Arachnophobia in real life! Another common search was about getting rid of chipmunks, so I know I am not alone in the world when it comes to having pests around the house.

During the last month, there were two searches that really bothered me--I wanted to reach out to the ones doing the searches because they seemed to need someone to talk to. One of the searches was for "father AND I was molested," and the other one was "should I give my third child up for adoption, husband is gone." I hope and pray these women (I'm assuming both are women) get whatever help they need--I wish they could have found answers on my blog, but that just wasn't to be. Be at peace my dears, be at peace.

News of The Weird

For something to do when you want to waste time, News of The Weird is a good place to do it. There are strange stories from all over the world--some you have a hard time believing. I love the following list the author has made--these types of stories have appeared so often in the news, that they are no longer considered weird. Frightening!

NO LONGER WEIRD
by Chuck Shepherd Copyright 2003. All rights reserved. Updated: August 1, 2003

The following kinds of stories were formerly weird, but they now occur with such frequency that they must be retired from circulation:

1. an old, widely-advertised phone-sex number is reassigned to a church/charity
2. suspicious package thought to be a bomb, turns out to be something stupid
3. robber leaves his ID [wallet or appointment card for probation officer or etc.] at the scene
4. peace/brotherhood conference erupts into violence
5. robber on getaway accidentally hails unmarked police car
6. political candidate dies but still wins the election
7. family thinks he's dead, but he's not and attends his own funeral
8. hunters shoot each other
9. funeral home owner neglects/mixes up bodies
10. "victimized" drug buyer complains to police that someone sold him weak or bogus drugs
11. some countries prohibit giving children certain names
12. in middle of an obvious drug raid, customer wanders up and asks cop if he can buy some drugs
13. shoots himself while supposedly demonstrating gun safety
14. global warming caused by animal methane
15. burglar gets stuck in vent or chimney
16. courthouse visitor/defendant inadvertently places contraband on the x-ray tables at entrance
17. burglar falls asleep during job.
18. family accidentally leaves behind a kid at a highway rest stop
19. driver's license applicant crashes into examiner station before or during test
20. [Oops! It's about the same as number 15]
21. overdue-library-book scofflaws actually go to jail
22. DUI tickets for "driving" a bicycle [or horse or riding lawn mower or etc.]
23. starts fire because can't stop smoking even though hooked up to oxygen machine
24. gasoline thieves check quantity in tank by using a match or lighter to peer inside
25. older teacher/younger boy relationship
26. firefighter with an arson habit [to keep in practice or to feel wanted or etc.]
27. local election ends in tie, settled (by law) by coin flip or draw of cards
28. Japanese men committing suicide because of overwork
29. angry customer drives car right through store's front door
30. heating-oil delivery to wrong house, resulting in flooded basement
31. postal worker hoards mail because he's behind in delivering it
32. bank robber hails taxi or municipal bus for getaway
33. the annual student cheating riots in Bangladesh
34. criminal on the lam goes on national tv talk show and mentions that he's wanted
35. dog steps on gun, shooting the master
36. pack of animals breaks into liquor cabinet or fermenting vat, get drunk
37. a loved one died at home, but the relative never gets around to burying him or her
38. school zero-tolerance policies for "weapons" that are purely, obviously ornamental
39. amateur videographers set up miniature cameras in restrooms
40. animal-hoarding (mostly of cats) women
41. carjackers who never learned to drive stick shift and must abandon the car
42. criminal suspect evading police, jumps in river to escape, and drowns
43. young-looking adults impersonate teenagers and return to high school
44. African nation's rumors of people with power to make penises disappear
45. humongous abdominal cysts removed in surgery
46. unlabeled urn with loved one's ashes mistakenly stolen or sold at yard sale
47. husband takes his wife back even though she just tried to kill him
48. judges punish young people by forcing them to listen to [classical or polka or etc.] music
49. hit-and-run driver drives on and on with body or bicycle in grille or windshield
50. criminal, cornered by police dog, bites the dog
51. burglars leave footprints in snow, directly to their homes
52. [Oops! It's about the same as number 48]
53. video shoe-cams or smoke-detector-cams to spy on women
54. Japanese making many silent hang-up telephone calls against former lover or business partner
55. robber smashes store's surveillance "camera," but it's only the lens, and it captured his face
56. inadvertently tries to cash a stolen personal check at the store [bank] where his victim works
57. accidental bombing of house by airliner's "blue ice"
58. elderly citizen trying to convince bureaucrat that, contrary to records, he's not really dead
59. elderly motorist makes wrong turn, gets lost for days
60. bands of criminals videotape their entire crime sprees for kicks, but makes it easy for cops
61. parents frolic while their small kids are left home alone
62. people trying to outrun police while driving slow-moving vehicles
63. combining jellyfish gene to produce another plant or animal that glows
64. imposter cop has car with flashing light, stopping motorists, accidentally stops real cop
65. parents who leave their small kids locked in hot cars while they frolic
66. inmates who advertise innocently for penpals on lonely-hearts pages on the Internet.

Getting To Know You

Got this as an email and changed it around a bit to use here on my blog. Thought it was a bit of an interesting way to give out some facts about myself that people might not know. Cut and paste the questions to your blog and change the answers to apply to you. (Leave me a comment and let me know if you posted this to your blog--would like to get to know my readers a bit more!)


1. What time did you get up this morning? Morning? There's a morning?

2. Diamonds or pearls? DIAMONDS! (Got wonderful ones for Christmas.)

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Could it possibly be "Christmas With The Kranks" last year? Oh, my. (We have HBO, etc. and have the tendency to buy DVDs.)

4. What is your favorite TV show? Lots of shows I like. I love House, Boston Legal, Gilmore Girls, 24, The Shield, Everwood, Monk...I need a life!

5. What did you have for breakfast? COFFEE...the most important food of the day.

6. What is your middle name? Marie--has gotten to be a tradition: my mother, me, my first daughter, and my first grand-daughter all have the same middle name.

7. What is your favorite cuisine? American

8. What foods do you dislike? OOOOHHHHHHHH...too numerous to mention. I am a very picky and unadventurous eater. (Though you would never know by looking at me.)

9. What is your favorite Potato chip? Probably Lay's...don't eat that much potato chips cause there are too many other snack foods that I like better. Cheetos, Doritos, Fritos, yummmm.

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Still enjoying Rob Thomas' "Something To Be" and, as always, I'm loving Eric Clapton. His newest and at-the-moment fav is "Back Home."

11. What kind of car do you drive? A GMC Jimmy--and can't believe it took us this long to finally get a 4WD!

12. What is your favorite sandwich? I'm really enjoying the bacon-chicken ranch at Subway, these days.

13. What characteristics do you despise? Manipulation, condescension, and being a drama queen. (I am the drama queen--no one else can be!)

14. Favorite item of clothing? My daily uniform: yoga pants and t-shirt.

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, it would be: Australia and New Zealand, without a doubt!

16. What color is your bathroom? White with blue accessories.

17. Favorite brand of clothing? Anything that fits and looks decent. (Unfortunately, those are few and far between. It's hell being this short!)

18. Where would you want to retire to? Don't know if I particularly want to leave where we are.

19. Favorite time of day? NIGHT! (I would do so well working the night-shift.)

20. Where were you born? Michigan

21. Favorite sport to watch? Hockey

23. What type of detergent do you use? Whatever fragrance-free detergent I can find a Sam's Club. Right now it is All.

24. Coke or Pepsi? DEFINITELY Coke.

25. Are you a morning person or night owl? If you have read this far, and if you know me AT ALL, you know I am a night owl.

26. What size shoe do you wear? 6-6 1/2

27. Do you have pets? My fat-cat (15+ pounds!)

28. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everybody: I actually kind of enjoyed Christmas this year.

29. What did you want to be when you were little? When I was real little: a telephone operator. (Remember those?) Then when I was older: a doctor or a medical researcher.

30. Favorite Candy Bar? Right now, probably Hershey with almonds. I overdosed on Snickers, finally.

31. What is your best childhood memory? Nothing really pops into my head.

32. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? Other than full-time wife and mother, dental assistant and teacher aide. My volunteer jobs are WAY too numerous to mention.

33. What color underwear are you wearing? Underwear? Going commando mean anything?

34. Nicknames: Sis is the closest I ever got to a nickname.

35. Piercing? 5 holes in my ears.

36. Eye color? Green.

37. Ever been to Africa? No, but would love to go. Anyone want to offer to take me?

38. Ever been toilet papered? NO--I've lead a very boring life!

39. Ever Loved someone so much it made you cry? Of course--hasn't everyone?

40. Been in a car accident? Twice--once when I was very young, about 5 years old, and once when I was driving--and it WASN'T my fault!

41. Croutons or bacon bits? Maybe croutons--doesn't matter either way.

42. Favorite day of the week? At this point in time, with me not working and K doing the ever-changing shifts, it really doesn't matter. One day is pretty much like another.

43. Favorite restaurant? No favorite.

44. Favorite flower? Alstromeria--the longest-lasting florist flower I have ever seen.

45. Favorite ice cream? Vanilla--I know, very boring.

46. Disney or Warner Brothers? Warner Brothers--can't get enough of Bugs Bunny and I love Gossamer.

47. Favorite fast food restaurant? McDonalds? Really, I eat from all of them except Wendy's.

48. What color is your bedroom carpet? Gold.

49. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Passed the first time.

50. Whom did you get your last e-mail from? The last personal one I got was from my friend C--other than that, it was something I subscribe to; comics, newsletter, etc.

51. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Probably Dell--it would have most of the gadgets I could be happy getting.

52. Last person you went to dinner with? C? I would say K, but we bring food in more than go out.

53. Ford or Chevy? Would have to go with Chevy--but actually I would choose GMC first. (I know, GMC and Chevy are really the same company.)

54. What are you listening to right now? Best of B.B. King. I usually listen to a mix of whatever I have on the computer.

55. What person have you learned the most about life from? Myself--it has been a lot of learn-as-you-go in my life.

56. How many tattoos do you have? One--for now.

Leaving 2005 With A Smile

It doesn't matter how cynical and crusty I get year after year, this website is going to make me go "awwwwww" every time I visit it. If you want to feel sappy and get all kinds of warm-fuzzy feelings, go to CuteOverload.com. It is worth it to put a smile on your face. :)

Have a fun time celebrating tomorrow night and, please, do it safely. I want all of my (few) readers to be back here in 2006. Happy New Year, all!

Post-Christmas

It has been a few days and I thought I would give a bit of an update. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas--great gifts, good food, and fun times with loved ones.

The grandkids really liked what they got from us. I was so glad to hear that everything was a great hit. I also got an unexpected bonus: one of the gifts managed to FINALLY drive C out of her mind. We got the baby a Hide-n-Seek Eeyore and C had to disable it by the time it was unwrapped: it drove her crazy! I had to chuckle cause I was beginning to think there wasn't anything I could do to annoy her. Terrible to be happy about being able to annoy a person, hey? :)

On Christmas Eve we spent time with some very good friends. The visit was so enjoyable. I really love that that visit has become such a tradition for us. Long may the tradition go on!

We got a very unexpected--and pleasant--surprise on Christmas day: A and her fiance came to visit. They got here just in time to have dinner with and they spent the entire evening with us. She went through a lot of the stuff she still has here and managed to take quite a bit out of this house--YEAH!!! The visit went well and not much was said about The Parents, which kept me from having a meltdown. She did mention a few things that I chose to ignore until I could ponder them at a later time. And once I pondered them, I cancelled them from my mind.

While Christmas is the season of giving--and I LOVE to give gifts--I have always had a particular fondness for receiving. And I am very lucky that I have a husband who likes to give me gifts. And he likes to give jewelry. This year was no exception as he gave me two wonderfully beautiful pieces of diamond jewelry: an 'o' necklace and an eternity ring. He sure knew how to put a big smile on my face this year!

So, after the last paragraph, now I will do a little rant against the hubby. I love him dearly and he is so very good, but sometimes he drives me crazy by being TOO good. Case in point: today we received a thank you card from The Parents. I couldn't figure out why, so I mentioned it to K. He said it must be for the card "we" sent--I NEVER sent them a card. I said that it was a little bit of overkill to send a thank you for a plain card, to which he said that he put money in the card as a Christmas gift to them. I quit giving them gifts of any kind several years ago--don't need to reward their behavior toward me. This, of course, caused me to have a meltdown and I asked if there was anything else I should know. Of course, he also gave a card and money to our godchild. Now, that completely sent me over the edge. I spent the month before Christmas busting my ass looking for all of the ingredients needed to make a special bracelet for her--this in addition to the Christmas ornament we always give and another little bracelet I had purchased. I'm sorry, but I figured that was more than enough for a child we see once every year or two--a child whose parents have disowned us. (This is The Brother's child and he no longer considers me his sister.)

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I have hated Christmas for as far back as I can remember and this year I actually, almost, kind of didn't hate the thoughts of living through the holiday. And this Christmas was by far the best I have had in a long time. This is why the events of today have me so bummed out. But, I will get over it--hopefully sooner rather than later. I am trying my hardest to get past this and I'm sure all will be well again in a few days. So, on that note, I will sign off. Have a good rest of the week!

Counting Down The Hours

It is around 60 hours and Christmas will be over again for another year. I really don't count Christmas Day as part of the holiday, as we always do our celebrating/gift opening, etc on Christmas Eve. While this hasn't been one of my "Scrinchiest" years, I still will be happy to get back to the usual routine of life.

K has just left to go up north to deliver the gifts for C and her family. Without knowing if he was planning on stopping at The Parent's house, I decided to stay home--don't need to have an argument with him at this time of year. The house is feeling a little empty with all the gifts gone, but it is also a nice feeling. I will put K's gifts under the tree today, so there will be something there.

We don't have much planned for Christmas. On Christmas Eve we will be with some friends--something that has gotten to be a nice tradition over the years. On our way back home from their house, we usually drive around and look at light displays. And when we get home, we open our gifts and that is the end of our celebrating. A nice, relaxing way to spend a holiday. K will be home on Christmas Day, so I will make dinner and that will be it for what we do. Maybe we will go and see a movie--that's a thought. I know he wants to see The Chronicles of Narnia, so that would be a good choice. Hmmm, just might have to do it.

The last time I heard from A, she said they would be up for the holidays. Of course, she meant they would be at The Parent's! It would be nice if she decided to quit treating them as if they were HER parents and not mine. Oh, well, I'm sure The Mother is absolutely delighted that she can have both of my daughters with her for the holidays--serves me right for the way I am, I'm sure she feels. A DID say that her and the fiance were going to stop here, so we'll see.

While this hasn't been the very merriest post, I will close with all the seasonal greetings I can. To all of my readers: have the merriest Christmas. I wish you and yours joy, peace, and love. May you be with those you love and care for and may you get everything you want. Have a joyous Christmas!

She Makes Me Chuckle

Just talked with C and she was complaining about being tired. (DUH!! Do you think?) Anyway, one of her problems was that Marcus woke her up "at the butt-crack of dawn." She sure can come up with fun ways to say things. :) Other than that, things are going well in her house--all are healthy and fine--at least till the cold season starts in earnest!

So, Who Said Lawyers Suck The Fun Out Of Everything?

Got all of my Christmas decorating done this week--YAYYYYYY!!!!! It feels good. Now if I only can stand to keep the decorations up past December 26th, I'll feel as if I did very well this year. :)

We are going out of town for the weekend and I hope we will be able to finish up most, if not all, of the Christmas shopping. It would be nice to come home and not have to think about buying anything else. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Hope you all have a nice weekend. Here is a little something to make you smile:


THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS in Legalese (author unknown):

Whereas, on or about the night prior to Christmas, there did occur at a certain improved piece of real property (hereinafter "the House") a general lack of stirring by all creatures therein, including, but not limited to a mouse.
A variety of foot apparel, e.g., stocking, socks, etc., had been affixed by and around the chimney in said House in the hope and/or belief that St. Nick a/k/a/ St. Nicholas a/k/a/ Santa Claus (hereinafter "Claus") would arrive at sometime thereafter. The minor residents, i.e. the children, of the aforementioned House were located in their individual beds and were engaged in nocturnal hallucinations, i.e. dreams, wherein vision of confectionery treats, including, but not limited to, candies, nuts and/or sugar plums, did dance, cavort and otherwise appear in said dreams.
Whereupon the party of the first part (sometimes hereinafter referred to as ("I"), being the joint-owner in fee simple of the House with the party of the second part (hereinafter "Mamma"), and said Mamma had retired for a sustained period of sleep. At such time, the parties were clad in various forms of headgear, e.g., kerchief and cap.
Suddenly, and without prior notice or warning, there did occur upon the unimproved real property adjacent and appurtenant to said House, i.e., the lawn, a certain disruption of unknown nature, cause and/or circumstance. The party of the first part did immediately rush to a window in the House to investigate the cause of such disturbance.
At that time, the party of the first part did observe, with some degree of wonder and/or disbelief, a miniature sleigh (hereinafter "the Vehicle") being pulled and/or drawn very rapidly through the air by approximately eight (8) reindeer. The driver of the Vehicle appeared to be and in fact was, the previously referenced Claus.
Said Claus was providing specific direction, instruction and guidance to the approximately eight (8) reindeer and specifically identified the animal co-conspirators by name: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen (hereinafter "the Deer"). (Upon information and belief, it is further asserted that an additional co- conspirator named "Rudolph" may have been involved.)
The party of the first part witnessed Claus, the Vehicle and the Deer intentionally and willfully trespass upon the roofs of several residences located adjacent to and in the vicinity of the House, and noted that the Vehicle was heavily laden with packages, toys and other items of unknown origin or nature. Suddenly, without prior invitation or permission, either express or implied, the Vehicle arrived at the House, and Claus entered said House via the chimney.
Said Claus was clad in a red fur suit, which was partially covered with residue from the chimney, and he carried a large sack containing a portion of the aforementioned packages, toys, and other unknown items.
He was smoking what appeared to be tobacco in a small pipe in blatant violation of local ordinances and health regulations.
Claus did not speak, but immediately began to fill the stocking of the minor children, which hung adjacent to the chimney, with toys and other small gifts. (Said items did not, however, constitute "gifts" to said minor pursuant to the applicable provisions of the U.S. Tax Code.)
Upon completion of such task, Claus touched the side of his nose and flew, rose and/or ascended up the chimney of the House to the roof where the Vehicle and Deer waited and/or served as "lookouts." Claus immediately departed for an unknown destination.
However, prior to the departure of the Vehicle, Deer and Claus from said House, the party of the first part did hear Claus state and/or exclaim: "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!" Or words to that effect.

Forget "Happy Holidays," It's "Merry Christmas"

I understand, to a certain extent, political correctness, but it drives me insane when people say you can't wish someone a Merry Christmas--it might make them uncomfortable! Is that the biggest bunch of BS, or what? Just give me a frickin' break! Why is it so intolerable to mention, or display, anything that might be looked on as coming from a Christian perspective? The more politically correct we get in this country, when it comes to minorities of ANY kind, the less tolerance is shown to Christians--I don't get it. It is okay to dress as a Nazi and scream "Heil Hitler," to have parades while wearing white sheets, to give speeches about "death to the infidels," and on and on, but a Nativity scene can't be set up in a town square--I JUST DON'T GET IT!!! Maybe this world IS going to hell in a handbasket.

And Life Goes On

It is surprising how quite busy life has been for the past few days. At least compared to how my life usually is. Nothing very important, just a lot of busy-ness.

Had a couple of doctor appointments this week. Again, nothing very important. I had my yearly with my GYN and if it wasn't for the fact that my boobs get mauled and things get put in awkward places, that visit would be my favorite of the year. See, my GYN has been my doctor for about 22 years--he delivered my last kid. He has seen me through surgeries and many awful things going on with my life and has made me leave his office in a better mood than I got there with. We ALWAYS begin my appointment with a technology talk--we discuss our latest tech gadgets and what we hope to have by next year. I don't have many people to "talk tech" with, so I'm always happy when I can find another geek to converse with. He is someone who "gets me"--I always judge my doctors by that criteria. I actually have not gone back to someone who hasn't understood my warped, dry sense of humor, so when a doc "gets me," I am his patient for life. It always is good to visit and laugh with someone--even if he is doing medical things to you. (That sounds terrible, doesn't it!)

I am actually, almost, kind of, not having a bad time thinking about the Christmas holidays this year. Can't for the life of me understand what is going on--nothing in my life has changed so much that this Christmas should be any different than any other year. But, I have been doing my annual before Christmas cleaning--something I really haven't done in the last four or so years--and can't wait to get started on the decorating. C told me I really need to have a very thorough medical exam because this just isn't like me--I must be REALLY sick! Or the end is at hand. :) But, anyway, here I am, NOT feeling like a total Scrinch. (A cross between "Scrooge" and the "Grinch.") And I think I like feeling like this! :)

C called the other day to tell of her latest trip to the emergency room. This time it was with Marcus, the one-year-old. His older sister had been doing homework and got up for a second--leaving her paper and pencil on the couch. Sure enough, before anyone could get to him, off he went running with the pencil in his mouth--lead-side in. Just as C was getting up to run after him, he fell and the pencil got lodged in his cheek. At least it didn't come straight through, but it bled like crazy. When they realized the tip of the pencil couldn't be found, they had to take him to be x-rayed to make sure it wasn't still in his cheek. She said the doctor showed her the hole the pencil made and it was unbelievable how big it was. Thankfully the x-rays showed there was nothing in his cheek, so they were sent home with some antibiotics and told he will be fine. She told the x-ray techs to remember Marcus' name, because they will be seeing him A LOT in the next 18 years--the kid is fearless and can get into trouble in a matter of seconds. He will definitely cause C to get a few grey hairs. :)

Last night I finally did something I have been putting off for almost a year--I cleaned up our old computer and got it out of this room. My desk is, barely, big enough for the two computers to be on and I have been living with the old one digging in my side for all this time and I decided enough was enough. It took me about eight hours to re-format, reinstall XP, download all of the updates, reinstall the software I wanted on it, and do all the necessary stuff. I really wasn't all that happy with the time spent--after all, I don't know if the damn thing will ever be used by either K or myself. He claims he wants it for himself, that he doesn't need anything too good for what he does on the computer, but we'll see if he actually uses it. I really have my doubts. Compared to this computer, the old one is as slow as a 90-year-old-man driving down the highway--nothing that is too fun to be near. I hope it doesn't become a very heavy doorstop.

I wish all of my readers a good weekend. I am planning on getting all of my decorating done before next week, so I'll let you know if I succeeded. Have a good one.

Back To Cooking

This year I will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the first time in four years--and I'm kind of looking forward to it. After our youngest left home, I just didn't feel the need or desire to put on a big production for just the two of us, so we bought our dinner from a local grocery store. The food was very good and I only had to heat everything up, so we did this for three years. I suppose we could have gone to a restaurant to eat, but then we wouldn't have had any leftovers--and isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about? :)

Anyway, for around $50 this is what we got for our dinner: a 10-13 pound turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, a broccoli salad, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, rolls, pumpkin pie, and Cool Whip. (I think that was it.) I only had to make mashed rutabaga and the meal was complete. Everything was 'homemade'--real potatoes and gravy, etc. We always thought this was an excellent value and soooooo much easier than doing everything myself!

I never found Thanksgiving dinner to be a very difficult meal to prepare--it just is a lot of work. And, actually, it isn't so much the amount of work but the fact that so much has to be done last-minute that got to me. The 30 minutes to an hour before mealtime is so hectic. Oh, well, I will try it again and see how it goes!

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you will be surrounded by people you love and will have a pleasant day.

Something I Want

I keep thinking about getting myself a laptop. While our desktop isn't quite a year old, I have wanted to, also, have a laptop for a long time. The trouble with this whole thing is this: I can't afford the kind I would want. Because this would be MINE (and not OURS like the desktop is), I would want to have a Voodoo, Alienware, or Falcon Northwest brand. I'm talking a fully tricked out gaming machine. Now, I don't NEED a gaming computer because I don't play games. BUT, if I got a gaming computer, it would take several years for it to become obsolete for the things I would do with it. The only way this would possibly happen is if someone decided to, nicely, give me $3000, $4000, or $5000+. Ain't gonna happen. I am sad. :(

Feeling Dumb

While I ALWAYS have fun taking the Quiz of the Day over at mental_floss, there just are some days I feel soooooo dumb. Today is one of those days: I only got one question right and THAT one I guessed at! Oh, well, they always have an interesting Fact of the Day to read.

Retouched Photos

Here is another site that shows how a PhotoShop professional can make a picture better. Amazing work.

Little Bit of Nothingness

Our typical weather: a couple of days ago the temp was 14 degrees with a wind-chill temp of 7. Today, it is in the upper 30s! I just hope this doesn't continue all winter--it is so hard to try and adjust to such widely varying temps.

Grace was weighed again yesterday and she gained around 4 ounces--the doctor was so very pleased. She was expected to only gain 1-2 ounces--I guess she is eating okay now. :)

I was talking to C last night when Noelle--the 2 year old--announced that her diaper was "gross." AND she wanted her mother to change it. Now, describing the dirty diaper as "gross" is A LOT better than what she could say--and a lot funnier! C isn't quite sure why she started saying "gross," but we figured the babe heard "That is so gross" too many times when someone changed her. It always amazes me to hear little kids say the exact things they have heard adults say--and adults never quite realize how closely kids are actually listening! A lesson to be learned. :)

Yesterday Lawn Mowers, Today Snowblowers

Yep, we, once again, got winter in less than 24 hours. Everything turned to crap outside around 10:00 last night and the entire world turned white. K is out snowblowing right now--when he got home this morning, he couldn't even make it into the driveway. He managed to get the truck off of the road and had to leave it. But, then, this isn't all that unusual for those of us living by the big lake.

Now, the snow that came is that wet, heavy stuff. The temp didn't go down all that much--actually, it still is about 33 degrees out there. This, of course, caused all kinds of nasty problems.

First, a little background. K works at a power plant in our city--for a company that doesn't supply the power for this city. (It's complicated and not that interesting.) Suffice it to say, MOST of the time if something happens where he works, it doesn't affect us, and if something happens at the city power plant, it doesn't affect anyone but this city. (Not very clear, but it'll do.) Well, last night was one of those rare occasions when we WERE affected. Anyway, around 12:45 AM, the heavy snow broke a static line at K's plant. This in turn touched one of the power lines. Then all hell broke loose. I guess it looked like a lightning storm with all the flashing, etc. And I guess it was pretty loud at the same time. (Thankfully, no one was hurt during this.) When all this happened, the power went out all over the city. And I was left in the dark, by myself, for (what I thought was going to be) the entire night. Now, being without power in the summer brings a whole set of problems, but not having power during the winter is another story. My first concern was heat--obviously, without power there was none. Just KNOWING the furnace wasn't working made me cold--and the temp didn't really go down more than a degree or two the whole while the power was off! Talk about mind over matter! Then, because I wasn't tired, I couldn't figure out what I could do. I found a radio that works on batteries so that I could have some noise going on. Then I found my little book light so that I could read till I got tired. Before I got a chance to go to bed, the power came back on and all was well. The lights were out for less than two hours.

All in all, things could have been a lot worse. If the temp doesn't go down a lot today, we could lose a lot of the snow that is on the ground. I just hope this isn't a (bad) sign as to how things will go this winter. Yuck!

Winter?

We are under a winter snow warning for tonight and tomorrow. They are calling for up to 16" of snow by the time it is all said and done. Fortunately, for this type of storm, we are too close to the lake for most of it to bother us, but 5 miles away it will be pretty darn nasty.

Yesterday, K put up the new stormdoor on the front of the house and I covered the windows with plastic. We are trying to do all we can this year to save on fuel costs. (Of course, we didn't want to do this in a timely manner, so we waited until the first storm was almost here! :) ) Living in an old house like this, there just is only so much one can do, though. At least we are doing something. I don't even want to think about how much we will be spending to heat this place this year.

Today I went to the grocery store to stock up--as I do every time they call for a winter storm. I act as if we live way out in the sticks and won't be able to get out for weeks at a time! Just another one of my quirks! Today was a bit quieter in the stores than has been the case for the past several days. Today is the first day of the firearm deer season, so the stores have been packed with hunters getting their supplies for deer camp. I stay far away if I possibly can. Most of these men--yes, there are women hunters, too, but I am only talking about the men, now--go to the grocery store only once a year: in time for hunting camp. You will find groups of men--sometimes wearing their camouflage outfits--wandering around the store like lost little puppies. To say they have no idea what they are doing is an understatement. I truly believe some of them get to their destination and find out they have only purchased beer, steaks, and toilet paper. But then, to some people, those things are all you need to have a party!

A Bunch Of Stuff

Some things going on in my life:

Grace had a doctor's appointment last week and she only gained one ounce. C has to give her supplemental formula so that she can gain a bit faster. Other than that, she is doing well.

C had to see the doctor again last week because she had a bad reaction to one of the blood thinners she was taking. Because of this and the fact that all of the tests they did for a blood-clotting disorder came back negative (just as they did a few years ago when they ran them the last time), she is going to have to see the hematologist sooner than she thought. Maybe this doctor will be able to come up with some answers as to what is going on with her. At least, thankfully, she is feeling fine and whatever might be wrong probably won't affect her life other than during/after pregnancies--hopefully.

I have officially declared myself a pretty cool grandma! I received our oldest granddaughter's Christmas gift the other day and it is quite neat. I ordered her an mp3 player and I think it is going to be a big hit with her. I love being able to actually know what is going on with modern technology and to be able to buy gifts that the kids might actually want.

We took one of our road trips last week and managed to get some shopping done. I think we did rather well, but we still have more to go. I only have to get one more of the 'bigger' gifts for one of the grandkids--I have all of the rest of the kids taken care of. Other than the kids, we really don't do a whole lot of gift-giving. I stopped doing that when my family started to treat me like something they wanted to scrape off the bottom of their shoes!

We were going to go shopping again this week, but the weather doesn't look as if it will co-operate, so it might not happen. I really like to get my Christmas shopping done in the stores before Thanksgiving--it just is way too crazy afterwards. And I don't particularly care for the season, so it is doubly bad for me to be in the stores during the month of December.

While we haven't really gotten snow--just a few flurries--we have had several days of high wind warnings this past week (and today.) I found this to be a bit spooky--after all, last week was the 30th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. (Here is a website dedicated to the tragedy.) True, the winds haven't been quite as strong as they were then, they still are whipping around pretty good. I even had to call our neighbors and let them know that their house was 'falling apart'--I think they lost a soffit or part of the eave.

And, finally, I'm still trying to reprogram my sleep habits. I have had limited success, but I still am doing a bit better than I was. I actually manage to get to bed at night, so that is good! I just have to work at it some more.

My Visitors

Most of the people who visit my blog happen to just stumble onto it. I figure they click on the button that says 'next blog' and then move on. I do have several people that come back again, and there are some who are regular readers. To those who keep coming back, THANKS.

One thing I am amazed at in regards to the people who visit my blog is the fact that so many of them are at work while they are surfing the net. The last time I worked outside the home, we didn't have computers, so I can't imagine how that would have worked. I find it very interesting.

I also am amazed at how many people from different countries happen to stop by--again I know it is that 'next blog' button, but it still is neat to see the many countries of the world represented. I also have people from all across the US, but my repeat visitors seem to be from the Midwest. Hmmm, we must have SOME sort of connection--maybe the fact I'm here in the Midwest? :)

To all my readers, have a wonderful day and an even better week! Stop by anytime--hopefully I will have something here to make you want to come back.

To Save A Life

(There STILL are good reasons we use the internet--not just for gossip and trivia! Read on.)

REMEMBING THREE SIMPLE TESTS COULD BE A LIFE SAVER !!

Is It a Stroke?

This was published in a monthly newsletter where a friend of mine lives and he sent it on. I had never heard this advice before and hadn't a clue. Perhaps you hadn't either and would like to file it away in the back of your head.

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say any bystander can recognize a stroke asking three simple questions:

* ask the individual to smile.
* ask him or her to raise both arms.
* ask the person to speak a simple sentence.

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of nonmedical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions.

They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage."

PASS IT ON...............

Just Waiting

I was going to wait till there was some definitive answer before posting about what is going on with C, but heaven only knows when THAT will happen. I guess I just kind of left things up in the air, so I will tell the latest.

I posted how C had to go to the ER because of blood clots in her arms. Well, she went to see her own doc later last week and he doesn't feel as if she should have gotten so many blood clots from having the IVs in the hospital--this just isn't "normal." He feels as if she may have some sort of congenital blood clotting disorder and is having tests done--then she will have to see a hemotologist to decide where to go with the info. The thing is, she went through all of this testing after Noelle was born--they wanted to know why she had lousy pregnancies--and they didn't find out anything. I don't know how they think this time will show anything different, but we will wait and see. Right now the doc is trying to regulate her meds--blood thinners--so she has to have blood drawn every day till her "numbers" are where they should be. (I have no idea WHAT the numbers indicate, but this is what is going on.) So, we wait, again! Story of my life. :) Of course, I am not the one who needs comforting or anything---after all, it is C who has the problems--but I am a mother and I do worry. And, to a lesser degree, they might find a genetic disorder and it might indicate the need for testing, etc. for me, K, and our other daughter, A. I'm not that concerned about myself as I haven't had any indication of anything serious, but I do worry about A and what will happen when she starts having kids. Time will tell, I guess.

Rock My World

Well, there are changes going on in my life and I'm not too sure how I feel about it. First, my posting might be a bit sporatic, at best, as my time is being used very differently these days. My doctor is trying to reprogram my sleep habits and I am having a hell of a time trying to get in the groove. For some reason or other, the time seems to go by so much faster during the day than it does at night. I don't know if I find so much more to do during daylight hours, but it seems as if I just don't have the time I'm used to having. I have been so busy trying to get things done before I have to go to bed, that I don't have time for the things I WANT to do. I have to, grudgingly, admit that I MIGHT be feeling a bit better by keeping "normal" hours, but it might be a struggle for me to keep this up long-term. The hardest part is living a "normal" schedule while K is doing shift work--very hard to get anything done around the house while he is sleeping all day. Oh, well, I guess if I feel really good living like this, I will keep it up--we'll see.