Test Your Longevity. I'm going to live to be 73.

What I found disturbing is the prior use of recreational drugs took 6 years off my life, whereas smoking, only 4. Humph.
__________

Katie, Emma and I went to the grocery store and spent $165 in a record 50 minutes. Yeeha. We were out of everything, believe me. Milk? nada. Mayonnaise? Fresh out. Ketchup? Sorry. See what I mean?

I had two professional confrontations today, and I feel giddily pleased about them. Nice feeling, having "hand.." know what I mean? Oh, I've got hand.

One was for a revolving debt that I have (the only one-gah!) that I have tried FOUR times to set up on auto-pay. Since April I have sent the forms in 6 different times. 3 times I mailed it, and 2 times I faxed it. The sixth time, I sent the authorization form by certified letter. Yet they keep calling me every month for a phone payment, because they do not have record of the auto pay authorization. And every month, I keep acquiescing to their stupidity. Well, today they called me again.

"Ms. O'Shea, your payment is overdue and we need to arrange for a phone-pay."
"No, I'm not doing this again. You have my authorization to take it out of my account every month, and I am done farting around with you."

"Well, Ms. O'Shea if you had sent it in, I would have it, because I am the only one who deals with the auto-pay authorization forms. And since I don't have it, I can only assume you didn't send it in."

"Well, I did send it in and I have proof that I did. So, I don't care, send me to collection, write me off as defaulting. Do what you need to do, cause I will never ever ever EVER make another phone payment to you. The money is in my account just waiting for you to take it out. Have at it."

"Would you like to fax the form to me right now?"
"No, I will not. You have a copy of it, because I have a signed certified receipt saying you do. By the way, who is Duane (last name)?"
"That's me, ma'am."

"Oh well, guess what, Einstein. You're the one who signed for it. I suggest you grab a handy trash can and clean off your desk - get all your little candy wrappers and coke cans, your starbucks lids and post-it notes, and throw them away. Somewhere in there you'll find my authorization. If you ever call me again, I will submit the letter I sent you, and the certified USPS form with your signature on it to a civil court, and cite you for violating the The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act"*.
{cllick}

*(As amended by Public Law 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009 - Sept. 30, 1996).


Well, I was feeling migh-tee good about that.

I'm back at my desk, just as happy as can be when I hear someone in the backyard, and not two minutes later...pc blackout. Internet down. I look outside and note that it's our trusty Comcast Ignoramus.

Mark and I go outside and try to find out what.the.hell. Mark starts in on the guy who explains that he is there to make sure the digital cable has been shut off as ordered. We explain that we did not authorize the internet to be shut off.

"Oooh, no..(giggle) I not do dat. I only shut it off for minutes, to test. (giggle)"
Mark: "Don't you think it would be courteous to let people in the house know that you are taking the internet down?"
"oh yes."
"So why didn't you?"
"I shut it off for a few minutes, to test. (giggle)"

Mark gets frustrated and walks off. I, of course..am nowhere near done.

"Excuse me, what is your name?"
"Julio"
"Well, Julio..First of all, you don't come into my backyard without first knocking on the door to let us know who you are and what you are doing"

At this point, Julio is not talking anymore, he is only smiling and nodding with that unmistakable "I have no idea what you are saying" look.

"And..Julio..what you don't understand is we are working. We are on the computer..woorrkkking, understand? When you come back here and take the internet down without notice, you take the chance of ruining something we may have been working on for some time. Which you just did."

more nodding.

"You are rude, Julio...and very unprofessional. If you ever come to my house again, your visit better start with the front door."

Just a little bit of nodding this time. He slinks back to his truck and confrontation #2 for the day is over.

Since then, I've been in my "take things back without a receipt mood". Do you know that mood? The one where you successfully march into any store with any item and without inquiry are cheerfully given a refund, because your mood says "You are giving me my money back, and questioning me about it just isn't a good idea."

Mark calls it something different. He calls it the "Rip your head off and shit down your neck" mood.

That works too.

More blogroll moving and shaking. Some folks weren't posting, so I gotta let em go. Poundy seems to be posting reg'lar now, so she's back. I know Cindi likes her.

I gotta get off this damn pc and get some shit done. Damn.

This is really creeping me out. Rock Band Vows "Onstage Suicide"

Hypothetically, of course...

What if you bought a book for your sister for Christmas, but then you really want to read the book. And you're not so good about not creasing the spine, and keeping it looking in brand new condition.

Oh, and what if said sister gave you a Christmas present once..and it was only the Dust Jacket of a book, with a sticky note stuck to it saying

"I'm not done reading this yet.."

I thought so.

My new read Ian says ...i just finished typing this post and then decided to use blogger's built in spell checker...guess what, it couldn't find blog in it's database...

Too funny.

Don't even think of sending me an e-greeting card now, cause I'm never opening another one again. This is w-a-y disturbing. Checking up on people has gotten way out of hand. You send this program to someone as an ecard, and it gives you this:

"It records and sends you all e-mails they view, including Hotmail, Yahoo, and Outlook emails. All the Passwords they type into their web browser are also recorded and sent to you. Every single Chat conversation they have on the internet. EXACT copies of every Hotmail e-mail viewed, Yahoo, Excite, AOL, and even Outlook emails. All these e-mails are Forwarded to you in the background, in real-time! After they read their email, you will have a copy of it - seconds later."

Fuck that noise.

Courtesy of the presurfer.

The blog police chief hasn't posted today, and the cobbler's children have no shoes.

School is really getting to be difficult. We were handed a homework assignment on Thursday, due today. It took me about 5 hours to complete, and then I get to school and see that I've done a lot of it wrong. Gah. I'm risking the 5 points I will get taken off for turning it in late to fix it over the next two days. I did get my last test back tonight tho, 84%. I swear, I cannot get out of the mid-80's to save my life. (Or someone else's - get it?!) ha! The next two nights (wed and Thur) are skills nights, and we all know just how much I love skills nights.

I'm pooped.

We're off for a bit of car shopping today! A car salesman...car shopping. This could get interesting.

Ripped from Sue:


You are an Interpersonal Thinker

Interpersonal thinkers:
*Like to think about other people, and try to understand them
*Recognise differences between individuals and appreciate that different people have different perspectives
*Make an effort to cultivate effective relationships with family, friends and colleagues


Like interpersonal thinkers,
Leonardo had lots of friends and contacts, and was a popular figure at the Italian court.

Other Interpersonal thinkers include
Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, William Shakespeare



Careers which suit Interpersonal thinkers include
Politician, Psychologist, Nurse, Counsellor, Teacher

What Kind of Thinker Are You?

Pretty spot on, really. I'm forever trying to figure people out, just from what I can see, without knowing anything about them.

This is for Jenn, who says she came across her perfect man in an online personals profile...and then just kept clicking away, and made no move to get in touch with him. She says "Why can't I meet a guy like this?"

He's right there! He's looking for someone who is looking for someone like him. That's you. Don't let that slip out of your fingers. I believe things are put in our path to foster the plan for our lives. Whether you believe in God, or faith, or karma...you have to recognize when things are strategically put in front of us.

It reminds me of the story about the man in a flood. A spiritual man, thorough his life, he trusted God to keep him safe. One day it began to rain, and the weather reports said to prepare for flood. His neighbors sandbagged their properties, and eventually fled to higher ground. The man did nothing, but he prayed, and he trusted God to keep him safe. Soon some neighbors in a paddle boat came by and yelled for him to get in.

"No thanks, God's gonna keep me safe."

Soon he was floating on furniture near his ceiling as he watched the waters outside rise higher and higher. Rescue workers came by in a motor boat and insisted he get in.

"No thanks, God will keep me safe."

Eventually he had to retreat outside and climb onto the roof, as the water had completely filled the inside of his house. A Coast Guard helicopter soon hovered overhead and the men dropped a ladder and pleaded with him to come aboard.

He shouted - "No thanks, God will keep me safe!"

Hours later, the water overcame his position and he drowned. When he arrived in heaven, he questioned God.

"I prayed and prayed, I thought you would keep me safe"

God gave him a disconcerted look and said;

"I sent you two boats and helicopter!!"



My unsolicited advice is just to try to be aware when things you want...or might need later are put in front of you. It might pass your eyes for only a second, so don't question it or let it go without a second glance. Mark and I marvel all the time about how many teeny tiny things had to be in exactly the right place in the right time for us to meet, and to get this far. It's a miracle, truly. So many things had to align exactly perfectly...it's almost scary.

Just get in the damn helicopter.

Me: "Did you have fun at your mom's house this weekend?"
Emma: "Yep."
Me: "What did you do?"
Emma: "That's private"

3 hours later, still working on the living room. One redeeming thing is that I am watching "Secretary" at the same time. Mark and Emma are downstairs, he is undoubtedly surfing, and I'd bet my bottom dollar she's watching Discovery Health.

I am not just cleaning the living room..I am removing every single thing from every nook and cranny and putting it where it goes. Daunting, and I'm nowhere near done. Just wanted to come and take a break and see if anyone was online (no) and to see if anyone had posted (no again). Looks like none of my yahoo buddies have turned on aim or icq. Pfftt.

Back to the mess.

Mark and Emma arrived without incident, and now we are cleaning fools. I'm doing the living room and Mark is working on the basement. So much stuff has just been piled here and there to eventually be put somewhere else, and now it's become an enormous undertaking to get it all put away. BLAH!

I found this last night, and I'm sorry I didn't make a note of where. If it's yours, I will certainly credit you if you like. I just thought it was hella funny.

EMS Pearls of Wisdom

As an EMT, over the years you learn a thing or two. Here are some lighthearted things I've "learned".

The patient who is screaming that they're going to die, won't. You will wish they did
Believe the patient who says they're going to puke If they don't, you've lost nothing. If they do, forewarned is forearmed
Don't believe the patient who says he only drank one beer
Teenage girls vie for the Academy Award especially if all their friends are around
A quiet child is a very sick child
If you can't walk, you're going with us
If you've been on the floor for three days, you're going with us
When the doctor told you that you could have a drink of wine after supper, he didn't mean the twenty ounce tumbler
All children like to blow the siren including your driver
There's no such thing as death with dignity
Some things only hot lights and cold steel can fix
If God wants you home, there's nothing I can do
Piss me off with your whining minor drug OD you WILL drink the charcoal
If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs you're working a scene with the fire department
The police are your friends
You can climb three flights of stairs with a broken leg to call EMS
The two most important questions to ask your patient:
Can you walk?
Have you tried?

Gees louise. I have spent entirely too much time trying to fix something that was ultimately fixed with a 3 minute phone conversation. All is well. No password, no drama.

Now. Onto the good stuff.

The Red Lion last night. Oh my.

We love this place when we're in the mood to be silly. When it's just good beer we want, we go to the Cat..but for fun, it's Red Lion all the way.

They have karaoke on Saturday nights, and it's hilarious. When we got there around 10, the place was already heaving and most folks were w-a-y past 3 sheets to the wind. The singing was uh..interesting to say the least...suffice to say I've never heard "Talk Dirty To Me" sung in a complete monotone. The last song we heard while we were there was "I've Got Friends In Low Places" sung by -as the karaoke DJ announced- "The Wal-Mart Crew".

The men in there are a few cuts below what most of us would deem acceptable. Lots of single 40-ishers sitting at the bar alone, with their wedding rings on. Go home, already. There was one sitting right next to us who I nicknamed the "leerer" because he didn't just look at you, he sized you up. Continually. Mark went outside at one point to make a phone call and I swear, it wasn't 2.3 seconds before he leaned over and started flirting.

We have been to the Red Lion about 4 or 5 times before, and the saddest thing is there is a group of about 6 people that are always.always.always there. What a place to hang your hat on a regular basis!

We had the most fun watching these two people we nicknamed mepp and the leprechaun. She was of undeterminable age, Mark says at least 38, I said more like late 20's. She just looked like she was younger to me, but had lived a little rough, know what I mean? She had on this weird black leather halter with fringe and silver beads. Her breasts were easily in the DD catagory, again, Mark disagreed and said they were bigger. She didn't just have big breasts tho, she was big all over, so every time she moved, some of her boobs would sneak out the side of the top, and intermingle with her underarm rolls. Her back was so fleshy that mark said "Look, she's got cleavage in the back too!" lol (mepp stood for Mount Everest, Pikes Peak.)

Oh, I almost forgot...she had really really bad teeth, big spaces between some of them, and jaggedly crooked. When she smiled big, (Mark pointed this out, I didn't notice it) she had these big swollen gums on the side of her mouth. Weird, huh.

Her man, the leprechaun, was a short little guy with a bad goatee. When I turned to Mark the first time and said "He looks like a leprechaun, doesn't he?" He doubled over and nearly spewed his beer.

Mark and I always play this game when we go out called "Who's the best looking person in here" and we struggled..we really did. After discounting ourselves, as we were clearly the most attractive people in the bar...we could only name the barmaid as the next best looking person, and could name no one else that was even tolerable to look at for more than a few seconds.

There was another really annoying woman who kept saddling up to the bar next to me to order drinks, although the obvious "Stand here to order" area was some feet away. She would act like she was crowding me out, and I would nudge her right back. Apparently she had had her camera stolen earlier, because she turned to me, I assume to alert me to the loss, but was surprised at my response, I think..

Her: "If you happen to find a really nice digital camera around here..."
Me: "Then I'll be taking a lot better pictures than I do now"

So, anyway. That was a lot of fun. Not somewhere I wanna go hang out frequently, but good for a laugh now and then.

And it makes stellar blog material.

What we need around here, is a little dose of drama!

Password off for now, while I experiment a bit.

Well.

Mark and I went out for a while tonight and oh my lord, I had forgotten how crazy the Red Lion was! I will definately post a lengthy diatribe about it tomorrow, but for now...I have to slip someone's shoes and pants off - someone who is dead asleep on the bed with all his clothes on. Humph.

I installed a new sitemeter from bravenet (upper right hand corner) and I love it. I have two other sitemeters here, but neither of them give me as many fun statistics. Bravenet's even lists the full IP address of each visitor, which is really unusual for a free meter. I love seeing exactly who is visiting here, when, and for how long. And how they got here...lordy, that's the most amusing part.

Mark is on his way hoome from work and we're gonna go watch some silly karaoke for a bit at the local dive. Should be fun. I ran mega errands and did w-a-y too much shopping today. Visited the same thrift store twice even, because my mom wanted to go after dinner. Whee!

Mark's home. Fly time.

I've delivered the boy to the hills for a day with the father figure. I'm headed out for a day of solitary yard saling and thrift stores. Love it!

I think me and Katie and Charlie are meeting my mom for dinner, that should be fun. I've got stuff recording on Tivo all day! Whee!

A pretty productive day, in all.

Got alot of my pharmacology homework done, it's so damn time consuming. I probably worked on it for a total of 4 and a half hours so far, and it's still probably only 75% done. Then when Mark got home, we all went to WalMart, then out to dinner. Holly West, yum. Home of the Tacorito! whee! After that we came home and watched Survivor that we tivo'd last night, go Drake!

_________

Ok, well I've written about 10 things and I keep erasing them. I'm not all that motivated, plus I'm a little pissed off and I can't concentrate. Some people are attempting to exert control where they have none. Irritating isn't it? To want to stop someone from doing something...and you can't do a fucking thing about it. Poor baby. Be glad for what it is. It could be worse...

Good thing I'm nice.

I'm up early, and feeling pretty good. My stomach feels a little tender, and I'm gonna be careful about what I put into it today. Thanks for the comments and emails wishing me to feel better. Y'all are all right.

It's Friday..blissday. Home alone, but I have plenty to do. Have homework for school that's due Monday, I started it yesterday but only got 9 of 32 items done in an hour. Plus the laundry has piled up again, and the kitchen is yucky.

I'm loving playing with my satellite and have already taped a bunch of stuff on my PVR Tivo thing. I especially love the favorites list, where everyone can make their own channel browser list, and you don't have to scroll through all 900 channels. We really missed this feature when we had digital cable, and actually just the whole comcast interface was so bothersome, it was a huge factor in deciding to switch.

Anyway, who cares huh.

Off to be mildly productive.

If there's anyone I chat to on Y! Messenger, you will have to reach me on another service, because yahoo has blocked out trilian users. I've downloaded a patch, but it generates a trillian error and I can't use that either. So get me on msn (danelle62@hotmail.com) or icq (30503103) and we'll be good to go.

School tonight=not good, not good at all. Either something I ate disagreed with me, or I have the flu, because at about 7:30 I became clammy, sweaty and dizzy and knew I was going to hurl. I nearly ran to the bathroom, but guess what..I didn't quite make it. Gah. I made it in the door, but just barely. Chucked all over the damn sink, if you can believe it. After the initial hurl made it the few steps to the stall and really let it go. Nasty. Oh, boy nasty.

I went back to class, but clearly was not going to make it. I quietly packed up my stuff and left, and as soon as I made it out the back door...here it came again. hhuurrrllll. I was standing on this little porch type thing, above a big lawn of grass that rolls steeply downward. I emptied my stomach until there was absolutely nothing left. I was still heaving violently, and then....I dropped my keys. Yea. Right in it..I kid you not. My water bottle was still half full, so I squirted them off and dragged my ass home. I've been on the couch ever since.

Daniel made me some 7-up and rubbed my back for a bit, that was very nice. And I do feel better. Not great. Better.

Haven't watched Vivor yet, just not in a good enough frame of mind. Maybe in a few minutes. Maybe tomorrow.

We are nearly comcast free. But we're also not sure if that's a good thing yet or not. The dish is great. Tivo thingie is up and working marvelously, and I will be able to watch Vivor when I get home from school, and speed through the commercials at 30 second intervals. Yay.

Our DSL internet is not so great however, The speed is blah, around 550K, and there are several features that we won't be able to have..that we're not sure we can live without yet. So spoiled, lordy. We haven't yet cancelled the comcast cable internet, so maybe that will stay. I'm leaving it up to the man.

I gotta go get dressed and ready for school..Thursday night, skills night. Our Thurs night proctor is a slavedriver - no breaks...one scenario after another move! move! move!
"Hurry up, your patient is taking his agonal (last) breaths! GO!"
"This patient is in v-fib - FIX IT!"
"Car accident, multiple patients, 75mph, no seatbelt - RUN!"
"Who is the lead medic here? What are you doing? Why didn't you check vitals? Why can't you lift this 280 pound man onto the pram? GO! GO! GO!"

Agh!

Maybe I should enroll in cooking school.

I've mellowed a bit in the past hour. Mark and I tidied up everywhere, in prep for the new dish coming tomorrow. Whee! Changed the sheets, vacuumed, all that good stuff. Not that the dish guy is gonna see the sheets or anything...this ain't no Penthouse Forum, yanno.

I'm up entirely too late for my own good. Mark and I hate a late conversation about stuff..just reasons we are glad to be together, and things that disappointed us in past relationships. How we felt taken advantage of because of things that happened in the past, and how glad we are that we are so up-and-up with each other. We've both rebelled a bit and have some baggage that is hard to let go of because of previous transgressions against us.

Personally, I am a maniac when anyone tries to tell me what to do. No one tells me what to do anymore, even if it's as simple as "maybe we could put the Tupperware away without the lid on, so it stacks neater." Um no. I put it on with the lid on, because otherwise I will never find the lid. "And oh, by the way, you are an inconsiderate assholish troll for even suggesting it."

Ok, I don't actually say the last part, but I might as well. My attitude certainly reflects it.

Here's another good example. Mark does his budget and any other monetary planning in an excel spreadsheet. He has formulas, and columns, and cell rules and everything is beautiful.

I write my budget in notepad, nearly in storybook form:

"I need to put $300 in acct #1 to cover insurance, which comes out on the 2nd."
"Deposited $500 to acct #2 on Sept 12 - will cover dental insurance and KT senior pictures"
"Paid Public Service on Sept 4, $290"

That's how I do it. I do it every month. For each month of the year there is a notepad document in my computer, with similar entries. And it works for me. I can look at the document at any point of the month, and see what needs to paid when, and what money is coming in from where soon.

This drives Mark batty!! We've had discussions about it. We've had arguments about it. He teases me relentlessly about it. But I don't want to do it his way. I like my way. So what if it's dumb, or unorganized or cumbersome. Everything gets paid on time, and I always know where my money is and where it's going. The very few times he has either nicely -or even firmly- suggested I do it his way, has been met with scorn and snarls - and gnashing of teeth. It has left him with the opinion that it is far less painful to just let me do it my way.

You know, I didn't cook for two years after my divorce. Absolutely refused to. "There's food in there, you know how to make it." Mark had absolutely no idea I possessed the wonderful (if I do say so myself..) cooking skills that I do, because I just refused to lift a pan. It was a total holdover from my past, which we won't go into because some people are nosy and ultimately out-of-touch. I'm sure you can surmise.

Mark has his own little things that get in the way sometimes too. Or used to, not so much anymore. Funny how time and trust changes so much.

And funny how when you just let someone be themselves, and encourage them to grow and branch out at their own pace, the relationship becomes unshakable, and a minute of your life without this person in it is just unfathomable. And how even after 4 years, every day feels like I am the luckiest person on earth.

The lessor of two evils...



Jun Song wins Big Brother4 and whoa. Could the jury be less happy about it? Jun herself admitted the victory was overshadowed by the shitty things everyone had to say about her. No one on that jury wanted either of those biznatches to win a dime, and I gotta tell ya, I was right there with em. What a couple of creeps.

I'm in a highly irritated mood. Lots of people not taking care of their "stuff" around here and there. Get your priorities and your goals in order and quit whining about how you never get a break, ok? You've got lemons? Ha! We've all got lemons. Make lemonade or shut the hell up.

I found this while surfing around a few days ago, and I liked it. I found two different versions, so I'm not going to credit anyone.

When a winner makes a mistake, he says, "I was wrong;"
When a loser makes a mistake, he says, "It wasn't my fault."

Winners can't wait to try again after failing,
Losers give up and say: "I can't get a break"

A winner works through a problem;
A loser avoids the problem.

A winner knows he has much room for improvement
A loser says, "At least I'm not as bad as some people".

A winner suffers through his own misfortune, and strives to do better.
A loser continually imposes on others to help them get by.

A winner holds his head up high because he knows he's done the best he can.
A loser slinks behind others and rides their coat-tails to safety.


I just thought that reflected some of what I was feeling tonight.

I don't care how young or old you are, if you're not standing on your own two feet and taking care of things that are important, you are a liability to everyone around you. Besides, you're looking like a fool. Guaranteed.
___________

School was very long, and for an entire hour, from 8-9pm, I was worried no one was taping Big Brother for me. How silly is that. It's a tv show, for crying out loud. I think I was just so edgy because of this mood I'm in. I had to really struggle to put on a happy face when I came in the door and not drag everyone down with me.

Class was long, and that didn't help either. She kept us there till damn near 10:15. Wednesday nights are typically lectures, and they are straight out of the book. She would ask us something, and if you had half a brain and had your book open, you knew the answer. The guy that I always sit next to leaned over and said "you've been studying ahead!" I just giggled and stabbed him repeatedly in the jugular in my mind. I really just wanted to say "She's reading the book word for word, Einstein...a tapeworm could follow along."

So if you need to borrow money, or have a funny joke to tell me... Now's not a good time.

Groan..

A judge in Oklahoma City has declared the National Do-Not Call List illegal. I don't know if this will affect the state sponsored do-not call lists, but I'm telling you right now, if that goes away, I'm taking out my damn land line. I haven't gotten one sales call since we got on the list, and I'm not going back to getting 3-4 telemarketing calls per day, ever again. I hate telemarketers with a passion, and the 50 million people that signed up for the list should be a clue to companies that use telemarketing that we all hate you.

If a telemarketer called me with a product I had an immediate use for right that minute, I still wouldn't buy it. You all think I'm a straightforward-type person to my friends? You should hear me on the phone with a salesperson. Not pretty.

Don't tell me they're just trying to make a living. There's lots of things folks can do to make ends meet that don't involve harassment.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Man, I am so damn tired, and just getting ready to leave for school. Long night, the teacher said..remember? gah...

I tried to lay down on the couch for half an hour before time to go, but when you only have 30 mins to take a nap, you seem to take up 25 minutes stressing about how you only have 30 minutes to rest. It doesn't work. Ever. I have a headache that is just starting to rage, and my neck is really stiff. I think it's all just psychosomatic pains.

Oh, must go set the VCR for the Big Brother finale. Don't tell me who wins!

Nite all.

This is a hoot. Awful Plastic Surgery. Shows many celebrities looking perfectly fine before..and then looking really bad after some {cough} really thoughtless plastic surgery. Know what I really liked about this site? No Michael Jackson. I mean he's surgur-ied himself into a sub-human at this point, so it's pointless to include him.

Via J-walk who via'd from somewhere else.

Waiting to exhale...

I got an 84% on my Bio exam. Not stellar, but I'll take it.

Mark just left to go to try to get the grannies to sign a paper that we need before our dish can be put in on Thurs. Im nervous they're gonna say no. But if they do, we'll just have to go back to the dish in a concrete bucket that we had at my apartment. Works, s' just not berry pretty.

So, in that vein I must correct my earlier post. Dy will not be watching our taped edition of Survivor on Thurs night. She'll be watching our TIVO'd version. Whee! I'm so excited I could just spit.

Amanda is suffering with a very bad UTI, please send good thoughts her way. They are considering a cystoscopy; a tiny light and camera inserted into the urethra. I know all the women that read this just crossed their legs a little tighter. lol.

Let's hope it doesn't come to that and she gets better soon.

What time does the cleaning fairy come? I don't want to miss her.

School was ok last night, we got out super early, at 7:45 because everyone was restless and wanting to watch "The Game". Blah. Amy (teacher) said "Be prepared to stay until 10 on Wednesday since I'm letting you out early." Screw that, I would rather stay a reasonable amount of time both nights. I ended up going to Cub on the way home from school and didn't get home tiull a regular time anyway. Then I had to bust butt to submit my biology exam online. 7 pages of questions, did i mention that? Yes, I know I did.

We had an exam in class last night too, which I had forgotten about, and didn't study for. I think I did pretty good tho. The "pass/fail" berth is so grand, it's hard not to feel ok with it. Kinda makes ya wonder about some of these paramedics walkin' around, hmm?

I keep hearing a kitchen cabinet open and close. It's one of the cats, what are they doing? Is Marla trying to get a pop tart? Is Schatze trying to get at the canned peas?

Speaking of crafty kitties, they have discovered that if you push on the front screen door hard enough, it will just open. The other night Marla was meowing to go out, the front door was open, but the screen was shut. I said "No, it's too late for you to be out carousing". Next thing I know I turned around and the screen door was ajar, and she was nowhere in sight. What a brat! She didn't take no for an answer, and just let herself out. Humph.

Tomorrow is the finale of Big Brother4, and we all know that Jun will be the big money winner, because everyone hates Allison. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Dy will be here to watch Vivor with us on Thursday, but she'll have to wait till I get home from school to watch the taped version, muwahaha.

Maybe if I chant a "Mark-hurry-home" mantra that is just a little louder than the current 5-year-old-talking-to-herself mantra in the living room, it will really happen.

My biology exam (7 pages, helloo?) must be submitted online by midnight tonight. Since I have school at 6pm, which I must leave my house for by 5pm...by actual biology exam deadline is somewhere around 4pm.

I have been working on it off and on (mostly on) all day, and I'm telling you I am sick to death.up.to.here of matter, and atoms, elements, hydrogen bonds, ions and the like. Cells? I got yer cells right here, buddy.

I've even (are you sitting down?) plopped Emma down in front of the TV. Gah!

I'm almost done, but have a couple of non-answered questions that I (gulp) need to get help from Katie about. I have not gone to the post office, nor the grocery store, and I have been out of diet soda for 2 days. Yes, two days.

Sheer insanity.

I was playing around on realtor.com and found this little gem, not too far away. Cozy, hmm? We can assume that the price will be outrageous, of course. Oh, only 8 million. Not so bad.

But when you break it down into monthly payments, it's actually comical.



But it's so reassuring to know that I could afford all 625 sq ft of this. A couple of them, maybe.

Emma is off to school, and I'm yearning to go back to bed. Cant. Must.get.things.done.

We didn't get to watch the Emmys last night, so I had to check this morning and see who won what. So surprised to see Six Feet Under as a shutout after 16 nominations! I was happy to see that The Amazing Race won for best reality program. Funny that all of the big winners (Best actor and actress, supporting actor and actress, directing, drama series, comedy series, etc.) are all shows I never watch. lol! Proof of my non-conformist nature.

We just watched the craziest movie, called "Spun". The movie spanned about a weeks worth of life of a group of meth heads. Very "Requiem for a Dream"-ish if you know what I mean. Lots of whacked out camera angles and...just weird. I couldnt believe who all was in it! Mickey Rourke, Brittany Murphy, Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Ron Jeremy, Debbie Harry, John Leguizamo, Mena Suvari, etc.. It was very bizarre, but I'd have to say very good. I think it's hard to capture that particular lifestyle, almost more than any addict. They never sleep, they never eat, all they think about is the next rail. And everything is so incredibly frantic .

Emma's first indian food, (well, since she was a baby, and too young to remember it, Mark says.) She loved it:


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I guess Daniel and I are headed to the flea market today. He's still at Dan's but I told him to call me when they got out of church so we could make a weather-based decision on going. It's nice outside, so why not. Mark will be gone picking up Emma most of the day, and I really don't feel like sitting around here looking at my piles of laundry again. (Don't even suggest that I stay home and wash it!)

Then this evening I need to do my biology exam online. yuck. pitooey.

Gees louise where is everyone?

Dy is probably playing with Emma, since they'll be leaving for Fairplay for the transfer in 13 hours or so. Laura and Denny are probably having another date night or somesuch. Cindi is probably at a play, and everyone else must just be out having a gay old time. Me? I've been home alone since 10:30 this morning when Mark went to work. I have laid on the couch and watched movies nearly all day.

The paraphernalia in front of the couch documents my entire day. Two soda cans, an empty box of Charlston Chews, a empty glass that had milk in it at one time, and a plate from lunch. I did go all out for lunch by the way. Bacon wrapped filet mignon, (remember the door to door meat guy? - we still have some left) grilled onions, and some green beans. Yum. It was fabulous. Good old George Foreman sho' know how ta grill.

I did manage to put on a bra and shoes and go to the post office, bank and grocery store. Well, I wore more than a bra and shoes, but those are the two items you can go without if you are hanging around the house all day.

Then Mark called around 6:30 and wants me to come to the dealership and look at a car. I fix my hair (hot rollers and everything), put on nice makeup, earrings, stink-um and again, shoes and a bra. I get about 5 minutes away and he calls and says "nevermind.." cause he's got a deal brewing. Bah. All dressed up and nowhere to go. Story of my day.

Katie's been working and with Charlie all day, tonight they went to Dan's to have dinner. Daniel is up for the weekend, so it's been a total ghost town around here. Kinda blah, really. I guess we all need solitary days like this now and then.

We're all copasetic after a pretty shitty night. Tempers, hurt feelings, things said and done not meant. I know you've been there.

We went to breakfast at 1am, and all is well. The important thing is to learn something about why heated situations happen, and how not to let it happen again. We took awhile to insure that.

________________

Speaking of insurance..I just got a letter in the mail today about insurance. Very nasty mail from the Colorado Insurance Program Enforcement or something equally as omnious.

"We have instituted a database whereas uninsured motorists are indentified and contacted. You must provide proof of insurance of your vehicle in 7 days or your driver's license will be suspended, your registration will be adminisitratively cancelled, and you may face a fine of up to $1000."

"The vehicle in question is a 1997 Hyundai Elantra, VIN number blah blah blah"

[coffee spew] Hahahaha!!!

"Dear Sirs,
You are most correct in assuming I do not have insurance on this vehicle. This vehicle burned to the ground on June 8, 2003. It was towed away and is now located at J&B's salvage yard, and is, at this time, probably a 4' X 4' hunk of cubed metal, which, if my understanding of Colorado insurance law is correct, requires no insurance.
Thank you very much."

_____________

There was an article in the paper yesterday about a 9-month old baby that choked on a prune pit On September 9. She was left alone in her car seat in a bedroom at the babysitter's, her first day ever in day care. No one knew the baby was dead until the parents came to pick her up, and she had been dead for nearly 3 hours, the Coroner surmised. The story itself is wrenching, but what really pissed me off is the reporter(s). I don't understand why they feel they have license to be so freaking insensitive.

At the end of the article, it says:
"Andrea Kramer said she has changed nothing in the baby's room, so far."

Helllooo? One would assume this response came after a reporter's question of "Have you changed her room yet?"

Let me tell you something, if one of my kids died on September 9, yesterday I would have still been in a dry bathtub with my knees to my chest, with the shower curtain closed and the lights off.

Hard to believe, I know, but it might take me more than 10 days to turn my dead child's room into an office.

Cripes.

The promise of a nice romantic evening ruined.

We were supposed to go out for Indian Food. Nice, quiet evening. Were going to pick up movies afterwards.

Oops, no can't do that. Dan can't come pick up Daniel. Now I have to drive him to Southwest Plaza, an hour away at this time of day. By the time I get back it will be 6:30. No time to shower, drive across town and wait for food. It'd be freaking 8:00 by then. It's not Dan's fault, he's working and he never has any idea what his next call will be.

I just need a clone. Someone to drive Daniel to Southwest Plaza so I can take a shower and look nice for my guy.

Not happening.

Dammit. My romance level just went straight in the toilet.

Time Warner is smarter than we originally thought.

Time Warner Drops AOL

"The name reminds people of a mistake," said Hal Vogel of Vogel Capital Management.

(Like the sinking feeling you get when you hear "You've Got Mail!")

In a statement, CEO Richard Parsons says the name change should end any confusion among the company's "investors, partners and the public."

(.."And hopefully they can all forgive us.")

If you've never read my "Cancel Your AOL" page, please do! (Recently updated)

AOL's accounting practices are under investigation, their subscriber base is dwindling quickly, and they are (yes,please!) on their way out.

Yay.

Long night.

We watched Vivor late, actually finishing it just after midnight. I was sleepy, and am now a bit wired. My wrapup (same as I posted at Jennifer's place, as usual...she has great Vivor commentary and comments..

Oh yes, Rupert rules. However it looks like next week he might geta little Ghandia on us all. Could be bad for business. I love that he has enough balls to wear a dress, if ya know what I mean. He needs to give Olten (or whatever his name is) his pants. Hurry.

I hate the scout lady with a passion of a thousand white hells...as I do the "I'm worthless but I'm funny" dude. They need to hop on the slow boat to China hidden behind tribal council tent. And fast.

I love Sandra. Love love love her.

The naked guys. Dumb.

Nicole. I think she knew she blew it as soon as the spew starting coming out of her mouth. I'm glad she's gone. That necklace was starting to hypnotize me.
________

Tomorrow is Friday, chill day for me. Kids at school, Mark at work, Emma at mommy's. Let's call it blissday.

Our comcast cable/internet service has gone down for the last time. We are having satellite and DSL installed in a few days. The same set up we had at my old apartment except......

We'll have TIVO! Whee!

Mouse Tales

I must preface -

Daniel's gerbil Tanya has an elaborate house of tubes and containers that we just keep adding to. Seriously, it looks ridiculous, but we just keep finding parts at thrift stores and adding to it. There's no rhyme or reason, it's just a maze mess.

Tonight Daniel brought one of the square containers that hooks on the end of one of the tubes and said, "I think Tanya is missing, cause this was off".

We all scrambled (even turning off our taped episode of Big Brother) downstairs and sure enough, Marla had Tanya cornered under the recliner. Mark said she's been trying to get under that chair all day, and he couldnt figure out why. Ah ha. We finally got Tanya captured and put back in her haven.

Not 10 minutes later, Daniel was in bed, I was up in my bedroom and I heard a loud crash, and then heard mark yell "MARLA...GET OUT OF HERE!!" We all came running and saw that Marla had knocked over the mouse cage (the other one, which contained Aitra and Pinky) and the mice were scrambling for freedom, and there was mouse poop and shavings everywhere. Gah!!

Pinky was the only one that actually escaped, and Mark and Daniel were able to get her back in her cage rather quickly. No small feat, considering what this basement looks like...books EVERYWHERE. Lots of hiding places. Personally, I think she was glad to be caught, considering the alternative.

So anyway, that's the latest rodent escapades. Naughty Marla.


__________

School was pretty good tonight, but ran really late. We learned how to do all our basic vitals, and had a lot of fun taking each others blood pressure, testing pupils, breath sounds, pulse, etc. Then we had to be singled out in groups of three to run a scenario. I hate those, I always screw something up.

This time, one of my group members was supposed to be the lead Paramedic, yet I marched right into the call asking the questions. Blah. Our proctor said we took too long assessing the situation, even though she told us up front to do a focused exam rather than a rapid one. Blah again.

All in all we had fun tho, and I really like a lot of the people in my class. The girl with the big hair that I mentioned in the beginning and I have gotten to be good friends. And then whenever we break up into partners, this one guy always wants to be my partner, and that's cool cause he's funny and really smart. I can't believe that after tomorrow's class we will have completed 4 weeks of class already.

Big Brother - Oh BROTHER!

I don't even care who wins now. I don't even want to watch the end. (riiight)

I'm so damn pissed off about Robert being gone. What the hell, the jury chooses between those two beeyotches that are left? One thing was true about Robert's threat tonight tho, he does have a lot of sway with the jury. There's only 7 of them, and he's for sure got 3 votes that will go with him no matter what. Now the tide really turns, because Robert will more or less decide who wins.

His 7 year old daughter was there tonight when he got evicted, and (ssshh) Mark even had tears in his eyes.

TOMORROW -

SURVIVOR
PEARL ISLANDS!


I will have to watch it after school, so I won't be reading any of you spoiler types till after I see it. Whee!

If you're a fan of Cirque Du Soleil, (I'm not) and you have a decent connection speed, you will totally love this. It's an interactive flash site all about how it came about and what it's like today.

Took some links off, if you're looking for any that are gone, email me and I will give you the url. A couple of them listed are offline right now, hopefully they will be back up and running soon.

It's almost time to go to school, we're playing with our new stethoscopes tonight. whee. Amazing how since day one they've told us what day we have to have them, and yet some people still don't. It also kinda pisses me off too that by September 10 EVERYONE was supposed to have their CPR Certification, and all their shots...and some people still don't. Remember all the shit I went through to get all that on time? Why even have a deadline if you aren't going to stick to it.

Oh, one other thing that is getting on my nerves. Every test we've gotten back has errors on it. Things that were right, but marked wrong. Or scores added up wrong. Very unprofessional considering how much money this course costs. OH! And on that vein, they are always constantly short of equipment for us to learn on. There are at least 30 people in the night class, and probably the same in the day class. We've each paid over $1000 to take this course for 14 weeks. Do you think they could have adequate quality and quantity of equipment? No, of course not. Irritating, don't you think? There's a lot of things like that that keep popping up. They tell us if you aren't dressed properly (closed toe shoes, long pants) on skills night you don't particpate, but people still come dressed improperly, and they are allowed to participate. They say if you miss three classes your out. People have missed that and much more, and are still there. I dunno, I guess it just annoys me that the people that bust their butt to follow the rules have to make do with the people that don't. Bleh.

I'm a crab, I know!

Gotta go get ready. Lemme listen to your heartbeat....

I added a bunch of new links, will probably be removing some old dead ones today. Might have to remove some new ones already too, actually. I added Matt Moore's girlfriend (full-grown woman) but now it looks like she posts really infrequently. Plus, her comments don't work and she doesn't have an email address on her site. I actually like to ASK people before I blogroll them, but some people really make it difficult to get in touch. Ah well, looks like she's not gonna blog much anyway. I'm loving her boyfriends blog tho, the blog of the century of the week.. he sounds funny and quick witted...somebody that would be a hoot to drink with. (hint, hint)

Im pretty grouchy this morning. Probably best to just log off and warn everyone to stay away for a while.

Yesterday I had one of those moments. A reality check if you will.

"Oh, did you think you had some sort of authority? I'm sorry, let me just take that thought away..so there's no confusion."

Not from anyone who matters. So I guess it's not so bad, but a slap in the face nonetheless.

___________

And now, just some observations from a grouchy non-morning person.

Waiting for a 5 year old to finish eating is like watching grass grow. They could not possibly eat any slower. I'm actually convinced that when a 5 year old is eating there is actually some sort of time paradox going on, and that as they eat, the pop tart is actually getting bigger.

It is possible to completely lose a cup of coffee in the house. The frustration level that occurs when this happens is directly dependant on how much of the coffee you actually got to drink before it was lost.

I am really not happy to be up at this time today, even though I went to bed at a decent time. Before midnight, even!

I'm just irritable, irritated, and not too pleasant to be around.

I will leave my "15 minutes of fame day" with my favorite web picture.

This, my friends...is why you don't give your kids markers for Christmas...

Funny...

Last week Mark told me that Emma had been invited to a birthday party. We hadn't gotten a formal invitation yet, so this weekend I asked him what he knew about the details. He said:

"They're going to have cake and ice cream, and then they are all going somewhere to play nickel slots."
I must have looked at him like he was from another planet. "What?!"
"I dunno, they are going to play nickel slots, the mom said".

So today Emma finally brought hom the invitation. They are going to an indoor funplex type place called "Nickel-A-Play".

I had mental images of these kindergartners riding the People's Choice coach bus up to Central City and feeding nickels into the Wheel of Fortune slot machine, breathing in cigarette smoke and drinking way too many Shirley Temples.

Phew.

School completely kicked my rear tonight. Lecture lecture, write stuff down. What's this. I don't know. What's my name. Not sure. I'm soo sleepy! I actually had to stop and get coffee on the way home, even though we always have coffee as soon as I get home. Does that make sense? I had to have coffee before coming home to have coffee. Yikes.

I got an 83% on my test. Not bad. All the questions I missed were the things I guessed on. Everything I thought I knew, I did know.

Had a nice chat with my bestest buddy Michele before school, she turned me on to a lot of grants and stuff that I could probably apply for. It was so nice to get caught up on what's going on with our kids, and life in general. I met Michele when both of our kids (her Jose and my Katie) were both in 1st grade at the same school, and now they are both seniors in high school. We were both extremely active in the parent-teacher group at school and became friends that way. Now we've both gone through divorces and numerous kid related troubles since then. It's nice to have that ally. We've both been there for each other when no one else would....akin to the saying "friends help you move, real friends help you move bodies." Not quite that bad...but bad enough. The type of friend I could call at 3 am and say "I need you to pick me up in Montana"..and by the time we'd finished talking, she'd be dressed and out the door. She's a keeper.

I'm so pooped. I have to go find the couch. Hope everyone had a fun day and all is well.

I admit I can't keep my fingers out of sitemeter today. heh.

I saw where some other folks mentioned in the newspaper today left comments and then linked to me in their blog entries. Not only to appear reciprocally (I think I made that word up too) civil, but I must give them a shout out as well, because they deserve it. Walter liked my Navin Johnson quote. It really does describe how I feel. It's like giddily exciting, but at the same time I feel stupid if I talk about it too much, because it's not like I won a buncha money or anything. Believe it or not, appearing in the local paper as part of a Lifestyles feature doesn't pay very well. (Of course, if this makes you feel incredibly sad and distraught, there are always ways to send me money...I don't want you to go around feeling so blue.)

Matt mentions my name and says we "run in slightly different blog circles." I think that's a nice way of saying I'm weird. But we already knew that, didn't we?!

I like both of their blogs a lot and have added them as daily reads.

I'm headed to the post office, and then to school in a bit. Am meeting my friend Michele for an hour before school, she goes to Front Range too, for the pharmacist program. Basically we're both just a couple of divorced, unemployed women trying to get our lives on track. Sometimes it feels like it's way too late, but we just keep plugging away. *sigh.

When the scoopable cat litter comes out of the box in one giant, rectangle, cat-box-shaped lump, it's time to just change the whole thing.

Welcome to anyone who landed here via the Rocky Mountain News story today! Make sure you check out all the fun links on the right over there ---> and you should definately visit some other fun blogs, listed below the tagboard, a little farther down on the right.

_________

Am up early today, though lately I haven't been sleeping in nearly as much as I did this summer. Today is picture day at Emma's school so we had to get her lookin' extra cute. It's kind of annoying that you have to pay for the package of pictures on picture day. First of all, what if they're horrid? Yea, they do retakes, but what a hassle. Second of all, if you do school pictures on a Monday, a lot of people are going to forget. Ah, well. I just hope they come out cute.

We've been looking at a lot of different cars lately to replace the add-water-every-time-you-drive-it Taurus, and just can't find anything that is exactly perfect. We've looked in the paper, the auto trader magazine thingie, online and Mark has been looking especially hard at work, of course. Seems weird that here he is a car salesman, and we can't find a car to buy! My requirements are minimal..automatic, 4 door, 6 years old or newer, any color except white and god forbid NO blazing Hyundai. I know statistically if we got another Hyundai that chances are it wouldn't catch on fire in the driveway, but do I want to take that chance? I.don't.think.so.

We finally watched Phone Booth last night. We both really liked it, and found it to be cerebrally (is that a word?) creepy in a Twilight Zone kinda way. I was surprised to see at the end who's voice was on the phone the whole time, I had been trying to put my finger on it, but never could figure it out. Forest Whitaker was good in it too, I always really like him. Speaking of which, I need to get moving and take the movies back before I get a hand-slap from Blockbuster. (Didn't movies used to be due back at midnight?)

I feel a silly kind of proud, like Navin Johnson in the movie The Jerk. "The new phone books are here! The new phone books are here!"

I'm in the paper!

The story Mark Wolf did on blogging for the Rocky Mountain News today is so cool! He quoted me for quite a few paragraphs, and even posted my url, which really surprised me. With no disclaimer even!..lol The article is very good, and gives a good spin on the blogpshere in general. Oh heck, just go read it for cryin out loud!

Blogging Story

A side story lists a sampling of other Denver-area blogs, and they mentioned our friend Max.

Denver Blogs

Now you all go out and get your own copy of the Rocky Mountain News and bring it to me and I'll sign it for you.

Are you gagging yet? lol.

I'm just keeeding!

I was just doing some compiling of recipes and ideas for children's halloween parties online. Fun stuff. Gonna make some creepy icky ooky treats. whee!

One thing I found tho was that a lot of recipes are very cool "looking" but I can't imagine eating it....and especially getting a kid to eat it. One recipe for these cool looking eyeballs called for marshmallows, pineapple juice, gelatin, mayonaisse and cream cheese. Hellooo!

I found more ideas than I know what to do with. I can't wait!

Still looking for a costume tho...

Are we all ready for the possible mention in the Rocky Mountain News tomorrow? Let's slick our hair back with our little black combs and dab each others faces with saliva slicked tissues. Make sure all your links are working, and everything looks pretty..cause if I get traffic, you all are gonna get traffic. And for goodness sakes almighty, update!

Had a nice day with Daniel. Went to get his hair cut, I swear that child's hair is part of the Evelyn Wood speed-growing system. We also went to Arc and I cleaned up on little tiny size 5 clothes. Eeep! Better get em washed and put away before big bad daddy sees em. Actually, I can't hardly put anything away till I get more hangers! Gah!

We found a bunch of cheap halloween decorations and get this...even a stethoscope! I had just ordered a stethoscope a couple of weeks ago, and when it came in the mail, I took it right to the post office and mailed it back for a refund..it was such junk. And it was $11! The one I found today was in a big bucket of halloween junk like plastic fireman's helmets and kitty-cat-ear headbands. It was $1.49! It's a really good brand, and is in fantastic shape! yay!

They have a huge section of halloween costumes at the thrift store, and I poured over them for a long time, trying to find something appropriate for me to wear to Emma's school party. I did find a really nice cap and gown but feared I would be highly irritable at Emma's party and the following conversation would ensue with some pint size nose-picker:

"what are you dressed up as?
"A graduate, something you'll never be. Now go wipe your boogers on the chalkboard."

I thought maybe a story book character would be good. Mark suggested Professor McGonagall from Harry Potter, to which I gave him "the look", because as we all know..she's old! I think am more inclined to resemble Alice in Wonderland or Cinderella, hmmm?

What's most interesting is many of the costumes at the thrift store aren't costumes at all. They're just clothes that are so incredibly hideous that they could only be construed as costumes by any normal person. It amazes me to hold up a bright green dress with an elastic bodice, and a red plaid hem trim and think...sometime, somewhere..someone saw this, loved it..and paid full price. Now that's scary.

Or maybe we'll just have an argument instead, and not watch the movie or eat breakfast together at all. Instead I'll sit in here with the door closed and wish someone could just "get it".

Mark has to go get Emma today, but doesn't have to leave till around 2, so we're gonna go make egg sandwiches and watch "Phone Booth" which we rented. In all truthfulness, I'm not in a "movie" mood. But, I will go anyway, to make my dude happy.

Just got home, and I've been gone since noon!

Had to go to the post office, but not even for books. Some online knife knuts and I do regular knife "pass-arounds" and I had to get one in the mail pronto. The premise is that we mail knives back forth to each other, maybe ones we're considering buying, or maybe one you'd never consider buying..just to see what they're like. We mess around with them, cut up a bunch o' stuff and then mail them on to the next person. This knife was really nice..I can't say what it was because this passaround is a "mystery" one. You don't know what you're getting till it gets here. Fun. It was a fixed blade knife tho, something I would rarely use, and probably never buy. This one was very slick-looking tho, and small enough and aesthetic enough that I would carry and use it if I owned one. It's in the $220 price range tho, so it's an unlikely purchase anytime soon. Or far. lol. I know the maker of this knife and that made it fun to play with too.

Then went to my mom's, and dinked around on her computer a bit. She keeps a legal pad next to her pc and writes down all the weird things that come up that she wants to ask me about. Today it was zip files, adding people to her buddy list, etc. So we did that for a while and got her all squared away.

Then we went to Amanda's and that was really fun. Their house is so cute, and so tidy and so FAR! It's a nice area tho, will be nicer when they get some neighbors and some stores around. It's decorated really cute, with her signature "sage green" everywhere. I took some pictures, maybe I will get them up tomorrow.

Then I met Katie and Charlie at the movies, we saw Thirteen. It wasn't as wrenching as I thought it was going to be..watching the trailer a week or so ago nearly brought tears to my eyes. It just made all the emotions I have about raising teenagers to the surface, and for some reason had a tearful effect on me. Unfortunately, all the best parts were in the trailer, so the movie was lackluster..and very predictable. Still fun to get out and about with Katie and Charlie, however.

Then I went to Wal-Mart and farted around there for a bit, till they nearly closed. On my way home, Daniel called my cell and said we were out of cat food, so I had to then stop at the grocery store. Geebus louise, what a run-all-over-town sorta day.

I neglected to mention that yesterday did they not only come and trim the stray branches that were on the still-standing half of the tree that split, they took the whole damn rest of the tree down. I was mad. Our shade in our backyard is gone, gone gone!! PSCO came out and said it was dangerously weak and that another big wind would topple it over into the primary power line. I took pictures of them cutting it down, I'll try to get those up tomorrow too. Boo hoo.

Looks like Dy had a good birthday, that's cool. Sounds like they had a sedate, warm gathering. I'm glad she had a good day, and could spend it with Emma.

I did have a nice time with my mom today tho, it was a long drive out to Amanda's and we seemed to talk about everything. I like that she's so into her computer too, and doesn't just give up on things she doesn't understand. I think I broke her printer tho. Sorry mom. Well, I think she started breaking it, and I finished it. lol

Later, all.

Happy Birthday Dy!

Here is a special politically correct wish for you:





1 Except where this day is a holiday celebrated by other cultures, or others whose birthday should fall on this day, respecting the effect of the International Dateline.

2 Or, more properly, the portion of the world immediately surrounding you, which may differ significantly in any way from other cities, towns, or countries, all of which are valid and important in their own right.

3 Except persons speaking other languages, who may shout whatever version of "hooray" their specific culture supports.

4 "We" being any who consent to such a wish, not including persons of differing viewpoints who may dissent.

5 Not to imply others may be any less exalted, either today, or on their own birthdays, or any day of their choosing.

damn...

R.I.P.

Do I blog too much? Probably. Ah, who cares.

I am the most distracted person in the entire world. I was checking my bstats, to see how people got here. Google searches, etc. So I read where someone had typed in "fecal vision" and found my blog, I went back and read what I wrote about it, and then found some other interesting link from my blog around that day and blah blah blah before you know it two hours has gone by.

So in my quest to see who's searching for what..and ending up here...we have these Google search terms:

fecal vision
Leptropin
exchange houses for holidays dont mind pets but cant drive
maxines bride
some say love, it is a river
immodium long-time usage
lonely women homepage
pictures of messy desks
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All I want to know...is who is contemplating the long-time usage of Immodium? And why... Good lord, that stuffs backs you up like nobody's business.



Mr/Ms. Allie and her helper are here messing with the tree. Here is the current conversation going on in my backyard:

Allie: I'll get the big ladder
Helper: Aren't we going to wait for Public Service?
Allie: No, let's just do it.
Helper: How much voltage do you think is in that PSCO line we're gonna be cutting by?
Allie: I dunno, probably a lot. Try not to touch it.

After answering the third or fourth email to someone (Hi Jenny!) about how to post pictures on their blog, I finally decided to make an official "help page" for anyone else who wants to try. Jenny figured it out from my instructions, so I bet you can too. There's a link to the page on the right over there, under the Help Section. Do it.

We've got people coming and going today re: the tree problem. Public Service has been here, and now I guess they have called a tree trimmer to come and take out most of the tree that is left. They say it is too weak, and will blow over in a good wind, taking out the primary nieghborhood power line. Wouldn't that be fun?!

I never mentioned what happened on Big Brother. Like anybody cares..but too bad..it's my blog! ha!

Allison..grr! She had the total deciding vote about who was going to leave, since there are only 4 houseguests left. She blatantly-to-their-face promised both Erika and Jun neither would be evicted. Obviously, she had to pick someone to go (and again grrr!) She picked Erika. I soooo wanted Erika to win. Allison hit the nail right on the head at the end of the show tho, she said "I knew I couldnt win against her". Obviously at this late stage in the game, you don't keep your friends and allies around, you kick off your fiercest competition. Regardless, I was mad to see Erika go. Pfftt.



Ciao, baby...

Thanks for all the well-wishes re my test. But let's not get all weird and jinxy till the scores actually come back!

Mark is at a meeting at work, he actually works nights tonight but had to get up and get dressed up for a meeting. Blah to that. I tried to sleep in a bit, but just couldnt. I just cannot sleep past about 8 am anymore. We were watching a movie last night, but I fell asleep after just a few minutes, and finally came up and went to bed about 12:30. 12:30?!?! I know! This class is kicking my ass.

My Biology project was submitted on time, and I've received decent feedback from the professor. "Nice work except for this one thing..." Ah well...

Mark wants to go look at cars today, something to replace the ever-water-leaking Taurus. I'm just not into it right now. I wish he'd just buy something and bring it home. lol

I can smell the coffee. (so is it time to wake up? - you know, wake up and smell the..oh nevermind).

I'm gonna go get some.

I feel like I aced my test...but I felt that way last week too. I did pass all my hands-on practicals, and at one station (oral airway, nasal airway and suction) the proctor said I was flawless. Whee! I was the only one that remember to turn the patient on his side briefly before I suctioned cause he had puked. Yay...go puke.

I hate to say it. But you know I'm gonna. I'm so sleepy.

Emma's at mommy's and I'm really glad. lol. I'm not glad she's gone like "yea, you! get outta here!" but I am really looking forward to having the house totally to myself all day tomorrow. Two days a week she is in school all day, but I still have to get upand walk her, plus plan my day around picking her up mid-afternoon.

This weekend I am going to go see Amanda's house, and probably go see Thirteen with Kt and Charlie. Fun. You will probably find me supine (not prone!) on the couch. lol

Have spent the day studying, taking notes, reading and studying some more. I feel totally unprepared for this test tonight, and just cannot grasp the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory system. Bleh. I'm also really struggling with my Biology, and have a huge project due tomorrow that I am totally lost on.

Help.

Emma had a great week at school. She was upset when she came out of school today because there are a couple of things coming up that she can't attend, (a school event and birthday party) because she won't be here. We knew this would come up, but it's still hard to explain. I know that if she had the choice of attending them or going to mommys, she'd go to mommys in a heartbeat anyway. Sometime soon she'll probably be able to go to everything, and have more time with mommy too.

I need to run and take Daniel to Payless for some shoes. I really don't have time, but it needs to be done. Pft.

You all are so cute for doing my silly meme. Danke shane.

Just got home from school, Im tired tired. We did practicals and had to demonstrate all our airway stuff. Oxygen, opening airways, opa's, npa's, non rebreather masks, bag valve masks...make it stop!! Tomorrow we have another test and some more airway practicals. I tell you what would practical is to stay home and lay on the couch.

Emma and I had to run errands all afternoon, and when I got home, I was so sleepy. Have you ever been so sleepy that you can just feel your body shutting down whether you want it to or not? Mark came home about 3:30 and I barked at everyone that I was gonna take a nap before school, and then even got up 5 minutes later to holler at everyone for being too noisy, when all they were doing was making some food. Gah! I did get a little nap tho, and it helped.

Mark taped Big Brother for me, so we're gonna go watch it now. It's so intense this week. It was unanimously understood that Allie was gone gone gone this week..and then she goes and wins the power of veto. What the hell?! Now she has her choice of who goes. Riveting.

Later, gators.

Katie blogged! Yay!

Made up my own meme. Heh. Do it at your blog too. Or else.

Big - Bigger - Biggest

How big would your dream home be?
I don't want a huge house, tho it looks like I need one. I just have too much dang stuff. This house is perfect.

Big dogs or little dogs?
I'm gonna duck and cover when I say this...but little dogs. I like little dogs. Pekingese, pomeranians, shar pei...no poodles tho. blech.

Would you rather have bigger breasts? Or a bigger bank account?
Definately a bigger bank account. I'm doing just fine "up there".

Whose butt is bigger, you or your moms?
I think my moms is bigger. Not by much tho.

What's the biggest chore you've accomplished this week?
I cleaned out my food cupboards and organized everything.

Name the biggest thing on the desk you're using right now, besides your monitor and computer.
My tv. It's like a 20" or something. I have a huge desk.

Well, that was fun. I'm bored, can ya tell?

She's just so funny, I can't stop.

"I think I forgot how to work string cheese".

_____________________

Well the tree is completely cut down, thanks to our unisex maintenance person. Here she is, click it for the big pic.
(Can you tell I just learned how to do thumbnails today? muwahaha. Actually, I knew how to do them on my webpage, but not in blogger. It takes me a while to figure things out, but I eventually get it.)

They just left all the branches in the backyard. I hope they don't think I'm gonna take care of that.

Emma just came down the stairs and said

"I'm being very Amish."
(since this is our term for being grounded, I thought maybe Daniel had been teasing her or something and told her she was Amish)
"Really? Why?"
"Because I just always am"
"Are you grounded?"
"No, just Amish, like Daddy."
"Oh, you mean British?"
"yea, British. I'm British on one side of my body, and 'merican on the other."
"True, but that's different than being Amish"
"Well they're both really nice people."

We found out that as a result of the tree our neighbor's cable, internet AND telephone is down. Heh. Now they have something to complain about!

Dy titled her blog today "Why I Don't Need Cable TV."

I'm going to title mine "Why I Don't Have Cable TV." Only mine comes with a pictorial explanation:


Remember I wrote about the wind last night? This is what it did to my huge tree in my back yard. Just ripped it right in damn half.
(thumbnails, click for the big pic)



We had called comcast this
morning and bitched them out because our cable internet was down, as well as our cable tv...AGAIN..

Later Daniel and Katie got home from California and Daniel said "what happened to the tree in the backyard?"
I'm like "I dunno, why?!"


We went back to check it out and couldn't believe it. Then we laughed and said "oh, maybe this is why our cable is down"



Augghhh!





Emma's window







Our coveted cable, lying on the ground.






Comcast has already been here, and we're back up again. Yay! The Rocky Mountain News came by too. How cool is that? They took pictures and were here and gone in about 5 minutes. Pretty cool tho, eh? We're still waiting for Public Service to come by. The power's not out, but one of the limbs is pressing on one of the power lines pretty hard, and stretching it t-i-g-h-t.

The fun never ends....

Why do some people invite comments, and then kick you in the ass for leaving one? So what if the comments go a little awry of the original post. Geebus, you people. Welcome to your self-important made up Dramaland. We are the pawns, you are their Queen.
________
Anyway....
School was tiring, lots of scenarios, lots of acting out certain situations. I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. Another test on Thursday. I need to study my butt off tomorrow. bah....

It's so damn windy right now. Weather.com says its 45mph winds, gusting to 65 mph. Dayum.... It's definately rattling the windows.

I'm going to bed. You all don't stay up too late, now.

The Monday Mission


How to you get motivated to do something you really hate to do?
This is hard for me. I procrastinate. If it's housecleaning, I put on a certain music list, and that usually does it.

Have you ever been hypnotized? Do you think it can really be done or is it a mind trick?
I'm on the fence about this one. I wish I knew for sure.

If you are married, how much did your wedding cost?
My wedding to Dan was very inexpensive. I borrowed a dress, my mom bought our rings, and my dad threw us the reception. I was a member of the church we got married at, so that didn't cost us much either. We didn't go on a honeymoon, but spent one night in a hotel downtown.

Was it worth it?
Heh. Maybe you get what you pay for.

How much do you think should be spent on a wedding?
I don't think a wedding has to be an elaborate affair, but if you have the money and want to do it up in style, then go ahead. If I ever get married again, it will be very small but hopefully charming.

Have you ever looked for or bought a house?
Yes, twice.

Was it fun?
Absolutely not. Dan never let me decide anything, and my desires were way back burner.

What is the most frustrating part of the process (looking, buying, all areas)?
All of it.

Do you have a quiet place where you can go and be alone?
I guess my bedroom, that works most of the time.

What's it like? Would you share it with someone or is it just yours?
It's just my bedroom, with a big old desk. I love it.

Summer is almost over, did you get to take a vacation yet?
We went to Atlanta in June, that was really fun. We might go somewhere on Spring Break.

Do you like playing video games? What game system do you like the most (any era) or do you prefer board games?
I used to like video games, but not so much anymore. So many of the games are weird now...whacked out role playing games that I can't stand. I used to like a lot of Sega Genesis games. Lemmings, Theme Park, Zelda etc. I love board games. Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble especially.

BONUS: Can he do the things that I do?
And so much more!

Today's Comment Question: Are you a planner or a daydreamer?
Definately a planner. I hate flying by the seat of my pants. I need an iron clad itinerary, even if I deviate from it when the time comes. I organize, make lists and plan better than most. And if I tell you Im going to do something, you can pretty much consider it done.

Emma and I are going to meet gramma Maxine for lunch at Applebee's. Gramma will be on her way to a movie, I swear she goes to the movies at least twice a week. I can't ever find anything I want to see.

Guess what. I'm sleepy.

Eew, that playground lady is yelling right now. That's enough to wake anybody up. Better 'n coffee.

I was watching something, and then All My Children came on afterwards. Thad has a son that is old enough to be drinking in a bar. I'm pretty sure I only stopped watching this show like 8 or 9 years ago. I don't remember him even having a kid. Soap operas are so damn weird. I did notice that Erica seems to be wearing alot of high-collar shirts. Her face looks good but her neck must look it's age. Like a turkey. heh.

A nice relaxing start to the day. We got up in plenty of time to get dressed, fix hairdo-s, eat and have a little conversation. I love leisurely mornings like this.
Emma was wearing a really cute dress and a cardigan this morning. When we left for school she said:

"I look like I'm moving away or something."
"Really? If you were moving away you'd be carrying boxes instead of me carrying this backpack".
"Well at least I look like I live in Chicago."

okkayyy...

Then we got to school and I was hanging around while Emma chatted with her friend Regina. Pretty soon Emma came running over and said:

"Tell her you're NOT my mom!"
"I'm not her mom"
Regina: "Well, is she your auntie?"
"She's my Nell".
Regina: "What's a Nell?"
Emma was completely exasperated at this point. No more so than me, of course.
She let out a big huff like 'how can you be so dumb? "She's my best friend!!"
Regina: "allright."

Ok, I feel better. lol

I wasn't a huge fan of his music, but he was the author of my most favorite quote.


"I'll sleep when I'm dead.."
~Warren Zevon
1947-2003

'night, Warren..

Just a couple of funnies found while surfing...

They really do look like, almost, exactly the same.



-and-

I dunno, it's tempting, but I might just keep goin' to Fantastic Sam's instead...

We watched May tonight. Has anyone else seen this? Artsy fartsy Frankenstein is what it was. Whacked, totally whacked. One major redeeming quality is that it had Jeremy Sisto in it (Billy, SFU) and he was lookin' migh-ty.fine. It was creepy, disturbing, bloody, and just...whacked. I was ironing and Mark was packing books and we just kept saying "oh no..." "uh oh.." "groosss...."
I did like it though.








She didn't play the title character, but I loved Anna Farris in it. I think she made the movie for me.











Tomorrow's already all busy and bleh! Get Emma off to school, no big deal there..then I have to rush to the post office and movie store right after, because The Cable Guy is coming sometimes between 10 and 12. I want to watch that nutty new reality show "Starting Over" at 10am, too. Looks weird. Must check it out.

Tomorrow night I have school - "Airway Review". Can anything be more exciting, ever? You'll pay for the whole seat, but you'll only use the edge!

I think Im missing some good shows because I never look and see what's on. People are talking about "Joe Schmo" and I must check it out. Also, wasn't there a show coming on the food network about a restaurant opening called "Opening Soon"? What happened to that? When is the American version of "Coupling" starting? I just read in someone's blog that Big comes back to SATC tonight. Oh wow, I love Big. But how do they know this?

Where is this information coming from?! I feel so uninformed! What site do I need to frequent to keep up with all of this? Dy? Someone?

Saturday Scruples - yea, on Sunday. Wanna make something of it?

Your bicycle has been stolen. At the police station you're shown an identical bike that isn't yours. Do you claim it?
Hmm. I might. If it's identical, maybe it is mine?

You're standing on a corner. Someone in a car smiles and waves at you. You don't have a clue who this person is. Do you smile and wave back?
No, I would give them a dirty look. I might even flip them off.

You're buying a car from someone who has lost his job and needs to sell. Do you offer much less than it's worth?
Of course, I would do this regardless of the person's situation.

I was always enthralled with Soft-Talkin' Steve from Blue's Clues. Now I know why. He's an amazing rocker. And now a hottie to boot. I'm so bummed that he was at the Bluebird last week. I woulda gone.

I wish the grannies wouldn't wait so long to cash our rent check. I keep looking at my bank account going "wow-cool!...ooh, nevermind.."

I've pulled a buncha books and made labels for them. I've started some laundry, and am about to go tackle the kitchen and living room. Blah. I need to iron work shirts for Mark and straighten my desk. I wish I could just wiggle my nose and have it all done like Samantha Stevens.

I keep meaning to write about our new neighbors.

We live in a duplex, albeit a nice big one with 4 floors and 2200 sq ft or something. 4 very large bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room and family room, huge laundry room/book storage, etc... We have a big garage and a driveway that will hold 2 cars. A nice big backyard and a front yard that is landscaped in such a way that requires no water. (A rock garden, xeriscaping, you get the picture.) Anyway, for the time being, I've decided to call the new neighbors the Complainers because that's all I've heard them do so far.

When they first came to view the house, I heard the woman say "ooh, this driveway is so steep..I don't like that." The man spoke up after her and said "yea, and look at this landscaping, where's the yard?" Then they walked through the house (I couldn't hear anything then) and to the backyard. "Why doesn't this yard have a separate fence from those people?! (us.) It has a full fence on each side and at the back, but the fence that divides the two sides of the duplex is a half fence. We share an outdoor water spigot, so I assume that's why it is fenced this way. It makes it impossible to keep a dog, however..and that's what I thought maybe was her concern. I was really really hoping they didn't have a dog. To date tho, I've seen no dog. Yay.

The night they moved in, the man of the house was grouchy as all get-out. He was hollering left and right at someone, about "getting out of the way" and "stop your whining right now". I attributed it to moving day blues, but he still seems to be quite aloof. I heard him complain yesterday how much it sucks that he can't get his over-sized machismo truck into the garage. I've also heard them complain about what time the mail gets here, what day the trash gets picked up, and the kids that ride bikes in the street here. (I admit, I hate that too...with a passion).

But since moving in (a week, 10 days ago?) they've made no move to be friendly. They have a boy over there, looks to be about 4 but I'm not sure he's there all the time. The woman looks like she should be his grandma. I think there's also a girl, maybe 12 years old. But again, I haven't seen her since move in day. Maybe she's been grounded for whining.

Today they are banging, sawing and pounding in the garage. I have no idea what they're doing. The little boy is sitting outside in a box, and when I went out to get the paper a bit ago, I saw the man on the porch holding and petting my CAT! (Marla - Schatze would rather scratch your eyes out than be held). Should I go get collars and ID tags for the cats? I guess so, something I should have done already.

So so far the new neighbors the complainers are "whiny, complaining, un-friendly cat thieves."

Will update as the situation warrants.

What a great Sunday morning. It's gray and cool, and we didn't have to get out of bed for any reason at all. Lovely.
Mark has to run and go get Emma from Fairplay in a bit, and after that the house will have it's 5-year old constant chatter that is the norm around here throughout the week. Even that's nice after a couple days of it's absence, however. Emma will be delighted that she has a fair amount of chores waiting for her when she gets here. She's always begging me for chores, so I save some up for her. She puts her own clean clothes away, loads the bathroom cabinets up with toilet paper, puts away the tupperware from the dishwasher, takes the trash outside to the cans, and a host of other things. She's always so disappointed when she's run out of chores.

And - the funnest thing of all...

I found a pair of Capezio tap shoes yesterday at arc...just a half size big for her. I can't wait to hear her tromping on the floor with them...for about 5
minutes at which point daddy will probably render them to the back of a closet somewhere. lol. I also found some very nice winter boots with little tiger fur around the top, along with some pants and long sleeved shirts. Damn, I wish I'd have saved my own kids clothes somewhere!

We watched "About Schmidt" last night. Weird. I didn't really care for it. Mark thought it was just introspective, I thought it floundered. One thumb down.

Ok, I've dilly dallied enough, time for a shower and getting things done.

Just got home from the Harvest Festival, pretty fun. We wandered a bit, ate some food, and then decided to rent movies and get slurpees and come home. We rented 4 movies (I know!) and now are just getting settled in for some cuddling on the sofa/movie time. Gotta love that on a quiet Saturday night.

I've talked to the kids several times, they're having a lot of fun in California I think. Right now they are over at one of Dan's sister's house in the backyard pool. I'm glad things are going good. Can't wait till they get back tho. Worry factor, you know.

In addition to my slurpee Im sitting here with a giant bag of cotton candy from the festival, but it's weird. It tastes oddly..burnt. But not burnt enough not to eat, of course. lol

Hope everyone is having as sweet of a weekend as I am.

What is up with blogger? Is anyone else having trouble?

Just got home from the Harvest Festival parade. I thought it was great fun, Cindi said "well that sucked." It certainly has lost some of it's lustre, but it was still fun. We were obnoxiously heckling which made it even better.

I have no idea what I am going to do with the rest of my day. Mark works till 6 and no one is here. This is getting to be the norm. I should e taking advantage and tidying and doing productive things. hahahaha!

First I need to eat something, I'm starving!

Friday Five (I know it's Saturday now but blogger was down all evening!)


1. What housekeeping chore(s) do you hate doing the most?
I really hate doing laundry. In second place, is anything to do with outside work. Mowing, gardening, weeding, planting. Blech!!

2. Are there any that you like or don't mind doing?
I don't mind doing the dishes for some reason.

3. Do you have a routine throughout the week or just clean as it's needed?
I clean when I'm out of clean dishes, usually. No not really. I just clean when it's needed really. Or when someone's coming over.

4. Do you have any odd cleaning/housekeeping quirks or rules?
Tupperware has to be put away with the lid on. Mark hates that. Also, each piece of silverware must be in it's own "box" in the cutlery tray in the dishwasher. All the spoons in one section, all the forks in one, etc.

5. What was the last thing you cleaned?
I put stuff in the toilet to clean it yesterday but then forgot and went to the bathroom, flushing it all down without scrubbing. I did clean the kitchen nicely yesterday, but it's a mess again.