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My Single Mom Life: March 2007 Archives

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March 31, 2007

A very good time was had.

We had a most awesome time over at Mindy's house today and this evening, just getting back about 10 minutes ago.
Excellent BBQ, thanks Chris!
Lots of laughs from all the teens because of a few word games they played while eating.
Good thing we're all such open minded parents. Most parents would have died, but it was really funny.
I thought Tina and I were the only ones who played the penis yelling game. ;)

All the teens played xbox the whole time, kicking each other's asses at various games.
It's funny, Mark and Jeff go to the same school, same grade, but due to block scheduling, never knew the other existed.
So they each made a new friend today.
Aww, mom, you're embarrassing me.
I know, deal with it son. hahahaha
We're gonna plan some more of these now that all the kids get along really well.
And omgd! They have the cutest puppies ever.
Bentley was terrified of me for some reason. Poor thing actually yelped and ran away, he's skittish.
But Reese and I are buds.
And Scooter too. She rocks.
I love dogs, just can't take care of one, so I'll happily play with other people's doggies.

Oh, they got a TON of new products added to their site now, so go check it, more still being added daily.

Said the alligator king to his 7 sons.

Chickie reminded me of the old classic from Sesame Street, about numbers and such. She had a link to the ladybugs picnic, which is truly a classic.
One of my favorites of all time, is the Alligator king.
I loved it when I was a kid, love it now.

Do you have a fave number cartoon or song from Sesame Street?
If so, what is it?
Find a link to it and leave it in my comments for me to check out when I get home later today.
Off to eat some tasty BBQ!
Later days!

Shout out to my sponsors!

I just wanted to give a huge shout out all my sponsors for continuing to advertise with me.
I have some truly great advertisers that I am proud to be working with, from doing paid posts, to just having their links and Blogads in my sidebar.
It's a pleasure doing business with all of them.

So go check out my sponsors in my sidebar, they can be found right under the Ben Spark photo of the day.

Thanks!

OMGD funny.

Ok, you may not find this funny, but it's totally funny in an ironic way.

Sebastian is playing GoW (Gears of War) this morning with some 12 year old kid with the screen name Nutty.
Nutty's sister who's about 5 or 6, is in the background on the headset, screaming she wants to play xbox, some little kid game, hitting Nutty over and over again.
I can hear all this from across the room.
I can hear the little sister yelling at him, him telling her to go away, her crying for mommy, him hitting her back. Typical brother/sister stuff.

Then you hear the little sister scream loudly for her mother.
The mother comes in and this is what we heard next;
Mom: Why yo hitting yo little sistah? *smack*
Nutty: Mom no! I'm sorry! *smack*
Mom: Who the hell yo think yo are hitting yo sistah like dat?! *smack*
Nutty: Mom! No! Please! I'm sorry! *smack*
Some other guy playing GoW too: This is child abuse, I'm reporting you!
Mom: Go fuck yoself!
Nutty: Mom! Please! *crying* *smack*
Nutty goes off line.

A few minutes pass, Nutty is back on line and sends a message to all his friends;
"My mom took my account away for a month guys. This sucks."


Now I'm not saying child abuse is funny, I'm saying it's funny that the mom is beating the crap outta him for hitting his sister.
Ironic funny.
I know y'all know what I mean. Parents get pissed that their kids are fighting and hitting each other, so they hit them to stop hitting each other.
Stupid people man.

Frag tag and BBQ.

This afternoon, we're headed over to Mindy's house for a BBQ, so I won't be around for a few hours later on today.
The boys are excited to be able to teach her hubby and son how to play GoW (Gears of War).
I warned them to actually teach, not massacre.
I can just see them now,
"Ok, the object of the game is to kill the other team, these buttons do this, blah blah, blah. Ready? Kill!" All said in under 3 seconds in a voice even the famous chipmunks couldn't decipher.
Not that they would be doing it to be mean, they have simply mastered the game, and I can totally see them just trying to keep doing what they usually do, which is kill, ghetto stomp, sniper rifle, and frag tag, their opponents at lightening speed.

Chris needs help with their router settings, and I hope I can remember how to do it. They can't play xbox live and be on the computer at the same time like I can.
I'm sure once I see the setup, I'll be able to fix it.
Unless of course Mindy doesn't really want it fixed because that will mean less work around the house and web store, gets done. ;)

Okey dokey, off to catch up on things, shower, get dressed, and all that jazz.
Oh! Almost forgot laundry too.
Later days.

I finally got a chance to play with my Sims tonight.

Last we had left off, Belle and Darren Dreamer had become engaged, yet hadn't set a date for the wedding.
Then one night after some snuggling in the hot tub, they decided to hire a Justice of the Peace, and just go for it.

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They were ecstatic over finally becoming a family.
Darren's son from his previous marriage, Derek, got along really great with Belle and she with him.
They all moved into her 3 story house because it was much bigger than the 2 bedroom home Darren had. He sold his house, and he and his son moved in.
Derek is a teenager, about age 13, loves his new room, is starting to get awesome grades in school, and is loving being taught to cook by his new step mom.

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Darren wanted to start a family right away, and so did Belle.
This weird twinkling music played when they were finished.
I have to tell you, it's quite awkward watching your Sims have sex. I feel almost dirty.
Almost.
Fireworks went off, giggling could be heard, arms and legs flailing about from under the sheets.
Kinky bastards.

In the morning, Belle rushed to the bathroom and was sick. This little bubble with a pacifier in it appeared above her head.
Darren's obviously got some good swimmers.
So she told Darren that she was pregnant on the first try, and they needed to remodel the third floor study and make it into a nursery. They spent hours picking out paint and floor coverings, just the right crib and changing table, some cute new stuffed animals, and soft lighting.
The room looks fabulous.

Then they needed to make over the family game room in the basement to put all their books, art easel, and family computer.
The basement room had been Belle's party place in her single days.
She had a giant HDTV on the wall, an amazing console game, disco and strobe lighting, several pinball machines, and a light up dance floor.
They redid the walls in cherry wood paneling on the bottom, and a classic beige on top.
They had some nice wooden flooring installed, bought some new paintings, and for fun, a poker table because the whole family loves to play a hand or two.

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As you can see, the new family is very happy together and looking forward to their new bundle of joy.
Derek says he can't wait for a new brother or sister.
Belle has let her natural hair color grow back from the funky chunky pink and purple stripes on auburn she had before, and planning a shopping trip in town to start picking out maternity wear.

A new family has moved into town. They came in the middle of the night and have not yet met any of their neighbors.
Maybe I'll be able to get a peek inside their house tomorrow.
Very mysterious.

March 30, 2007

Supahstar Saturday #5

supahstarsaturday_sm.jpg

Every week, one blogger is chosen as the star. Everyone else writes and links to that blog by the following Saturday. If you complete 5 postings about supahstar saturday, your name then gets thrown in to be a star on a saturday.
Click the button to go to Supahstar Saturday.
_____________________

I almost forgot to do this weeks!
This weeks Supahstar is Cecile of Work at Home Musings.

Cecile is a really cool chick I must say, she posts lots of tips for what else? Working at home. Stuff like time management, home businesses and ideas, and tons of links for ways to legitimately make money from home.
She's also the inventor of the work at home moms question of the week, which just started recently, but you can still jump in and play along.
It's all questions relating to working at home. I hope to see more and more questions that make me think, possibly even inspire me to do some big changes to my own at home jewelry biz when I can get back to it.
I'm so anxious to get back to it after a whole year not being able to. I have so many ideas!

But anyway, back to Cecile. Go check her out, join the WAHM's QOTW, and meet someone cool.

Changed my mind on dinner.

I decided to order some hot wings for the teens, and some bbq wings for me, and some curly fries instead of spaghetti.
I was celebrating.
I got paid today, and immediately sent half of my earnings to my savings, and then decided to have a little somethin' fun to eat tonight.
It was mighty tasty.
We're probably gonna kick back with a movie or maybe they'll just play games all night again.
School starts back again Monday, so I had double reason to celebrate. ;)
Maybe if things are quiet on line tonight, I'll start up my Sims and play for a bit. It's been awhile. I've been so wrapped up working and networking, getting jewelry ideas flowing again, all kinds of stuff, my poor families have been terribly neglected.
Ok, off to find stuff to do.
Later days.

Whoa, it's late already!

How the hell did it get to be 4:30 already?!
Man, I really thought I was doing well on time today, but, I did get everything I needed to, done.

PT went well, he didn't do any acupressure today which I am so greatful for. That hurts man.
He said he was gonna be nice and not make me be in pain for the weekend.
Awww.

I came home, ate a little snack and then ran off to the post office to finally mail out the stuff for Christine and Colleen.
*phew*

Sis stopped by with my TOOL tickets.
She had to print them out for me because when I went to, I realized I had no color ink and it's required that they be in color. Certain parts of the ticket are in color to prevent scamming or something.
So yay, I finally have the actual tix in hand. W00t!

In about an hour, I'm going to start dinner, spaghetti sounds good tonight.
Now, I'm off to finally reply to emails and catch up with everyone else.
Later days!

I should get my air horn out for a little fun.

The teens are both passed out in the living room, dead asleep.
I thought about setting off the fire alarm or cranking the volume on the tv, but I think the most fun would be getting out the air horn and blasting it for a few seconds.
I'm so mean in thought, but wouldn't actually do that.
It could end up causing injuries.
Sebastian is asleep on the couch next to the coffee table, which is this really hard cherry wood with cast iron fittings and legs.
He'd probably bolt up off the couch and crash head first into the table.
_____________

Things to do today.
Shower, PT, post office, answer all emails.
Please don't kill me ladies.
I meant to get to the post office both last week and on Tuesday, and never made it.
I owe Christine a box, and Colleen, a large envelope.
I'm so sorry.
This happens all the time with my personal mail. I just never get it out on time.
Business mail, health related stuff, bills, it's out 5 days in advance.
Personal mail, it sits on my work table for weeks.
I'm sure both of them are sitting there thinking, god, what a freaking flake.
Yes, yes I am.
I was born blond haahahaha.

March 29, 2007

I missed him.

I put my Keanu header back.
I missed looking at him all stretched out across the bed, that look in his eyes.
*sigh*

Just a self reminder.

PT is at 1pm on Friday.
Not 1:45pm.
If I am late again, he said he would keep me longer than he did on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, he kept me almost 2 hours and worked the hell outta my shoulder.
It hurt all freaking night last night and most of today, but a different kind of pain this time.
If I moved it even the slightest outward or upward, it felt like I was being stung by a bee or wasp or something.
Deeply.
It's doing ok now, probably cuz I doubled my meds tonight. (chatty much on percosets? you betcha)
I will be on time, and this time I'm making him let me do the work out stuff first, then the acupressure, then the ultrasound, then the tens.
that lineup actually feels best after I leave.
Oh yeah! he also gave me some leg exercise to help with my left leg issue.
I still cannot lift it high enough to put on shoes and socks.
Flip flops are my best friends...hahaha

I finally found one I can work with.

last week sometime I posted about needing a really good financial reporting software.
I found a really easy one I can work with. It doesn't have all the features I'd love, like just getting my bank info without me having to actually type it all in, but it's super simple, and doesn't take a lot of time.
Over all, I'm happy with it.

View from my window.

The folks over at Fuel My blog, are having a photo contest. The topic of the contest is “View From My Window,” and you can see the other entries here. The prize is a digital camera, so get to entering your photos!

I entered this one:

catsrule.jpg

I had posted this pic a few months ago of our kitten Shahiro, in the kitchen window torturing the neighbors dog.
He had been barking for about an hour and I needed to know what had him so riled up.
All she was doing was laying there, but he wanted her.
hahah!

I wanna go too man!

After Mark came home from diner with George, we started watching the movie right away but after, I asked him what he and George were planning for their next trip.
They are doing another couple of boat charters.
Down in Key West.
Color me jealous.
I have never been to the keys since moving here 10 years ago. Mark hasn't been either, but George and his wife Amy are planning a trip down for a weekend, and they want to take Mark.
That is so cool.
I of course said yes, absolutely he can go.
George has been the male influence Mark has needed.
Mark talks to him about everything, and George talks to him, keeps his secrets, but also tells me things I should know.
When George asked Mark to be a part of his wedding 2 years ago, he said Mark was like a son to him, (he has no children of his own) and so he wanted Mark to be part of the biggest day of his life.
Mark had helped him pick out the engagement ring, pick a date, place to go on the honeymoon, what to give Amy for a gift. heck, he's the one who convinced George to make an honest woman out of her.
So while I'm jealous I don't get to go with, I'm so happy for Mark.
They are best friends as well as big and little.*

George and Mark are big and little through the big brothers big sisters program.

Been off for a bit to watch a movie.

Tonight the boys and I watched Little Miss Sunshine.
A seriously great film.
Check it out.

It's just me and Sebastian for dinner tonight.

Mark and George are going out to eat and plan their next adventure.
I can't wait to hear what it is this time.
They do so much fun stuff.
They have gone so many fun places, built stuff together, painted, go swimming, movie watching, listen to music, and just sit around and talk.
I'm so glad Mark has him.

Red bull and vodka.

It is tasty, I've had one or two, but it's definitely not something I can drink all the time.
I have no idea whose idea it was to mix an energy drink with alcohol, but it does provide a killer buzz.
But oh man, you so pay for it the next day with the hangover from hell.
I like red bull, but hate that stuff vault stuff. Eww, nasty.
I can't drink any of those all the time, but if I know I'm going to be out all night long partying up in Tampa, I'll drink a red bull to help me stay awake.
I actually should drink one about an hour before the long ride back home to Sarasota at 5am. haha

Do you have one ready and well stocked?

Every month, I check my first aid kits to check supplies.
I make sure I have enough band-aids, neosporin or other antiseptic cremes.
Hydrogen peroxide for washing out cuts, rubbing alcohol, steri-pads, tape etc.
With kids in the house, accidents happen.
One time, Sebastian was trying to open a can of spaghettios with the electric can opener, and somehow, his hand slipped and the blade went right into the space between the thumb and pointer finger. That fleshy part. Really deep.
It bled and bled, couldn't get it to stop. I had his whole hand wrapped in steri-pads and tape, rushed him to the ER where they gave him 3 stitches.
Then another time, Mark, Mikey and Sebastian, were chasing each other and wrestling, and Mark fell and hit his head on the corner of the wall and split his head open.
Good thing I had stuff, but he ended up with 7 stitches.
I also keep it well stocked with liquid Benadryl because Sebastian is allergic to bees, hornets, and wasps. He blows up like a balloon and can't breathe.
My first aid check supply date is coming up, so I figured I'd post a reminder.

Well that was fun. Not.

I swear, every asshat on the planet was grocery shopping just now.
I stood in line at the deli for like 10 minutes. This older woman was ahead of me, looking at everything, had a list.
They call her number and she giggles, "Oh, I don't know what I want."
Are you freaking kidding me?!
We've been standing here for 10 freaking minutes! You have a list! You've been looking at the case for 10 freaking minutes!
How in the hell can you not know what you need after 10 minutes of staring at the meats!?!
I threw my number in the basket and walked off.
Bought some prepackaged meats.
Hate. Hate. Hate, stupid people.

I'm trying to wake up.

I'm off to the grocery store this morning to get food. Almost made it a whole week of spring break without having to resupply the food.
The teens have done remarkably well.
Maybe it's cuz I have been letting them sleep until they wake up.
If that's 3pm, then so be it.
They're awake for a few hours, I make dinner, they have a snack, they go back to bed.
They can't eat if they're sleeping.
Heh.
So I'm outta here in a bit.
Later days.

It's late night tv infomercial time.

You ever stay up late enough to have absolutely nothing on but infomercials on every channel?
So I'm sitting here, not really paying attention, and I hear Erik Estradas voice talking about nc waterfront property. Or maybe it was a different celeb, but it was definitely nc.
I paused from my web surfing to take a peek.
Very pretty land.
Lakes and rivers, big trees, all kinds of amenities within just a few miles from the home site you could buy, but far enough away to not be in a city area.
I wonder what the climate is like.
See, my ideal state to live in, would look like Maine with lots of trees and rolling hills, lakes, rivers, but without 'winter' like Maine has.
No snow, no bitter cold. Like a perfect climate that even in winter months, never drops below 50.

So yeah, it looks like I jinxed myself.

See the time? 1:37am?
Yup, I'm still up.
Again.
Good freaking grief.
Or as Chickie says;
"Sweet, tiny, eight and a half pound baby Jesus, with your golden diaper on...!"
heh. I snorted soda at that.
Thanks Chickie.

Yup, need more memory.

I had been trying to do something tonight with one of my programs, and got that whole virtual computer memory warning again.
I haven't even been doing a lot on the pc tonight to warrant getting that message.
I just wanted to run my scanner and photo program, and it said not enough virtual or physical memory needed to perform the task, please shut one or more programs down before continuing.
I need bigger, badder, memory.

March 28, 2007

Tags and memes.

I want to point out something I noticed for a few weeks now, but had no idea how I was even involved in it.
It was some sort of mommy/daddy/parenting list meme thingy, and I was somehow on the list.
Apparently, as the list went around, you had to copy the list as it was, and then add no more than 5 of your fave above typed bloggers to the list, and pass it on to someone else.

I kept seeing this list thing show up on all kinds of blogs when I looked at my stats.
There I was, on the list, but had no idea who added me and when.
I wasn't about to do the list because well, it's just rude to tag someone for a meme or list and not tell them.

The person could have posted in my comments, "Hey look! I added you to the list! Can you do it and pass it on?"
Or an email stating the same.
Whenever I get tagged and have to tag someone, I always post in their comments or shoot them an email letting them know.
No one told me, so I didn't do it.
Was that rude?
I don't really care if it was, I was added and not informed of my supposed to do duties.
*shrug*

So my dearest fellow bloggers, when doing any kind of meme tag, let the tagged people know they have been tagged.
This kind of stuff is part of the reason I don't tag people very often. Another reason is I never know who likes memes and tags and who doesn't.
Take for example the desert island tag meme that went around this week. I was tagged, notified I was tagged, and did it.
I didn't tag anyone at all, I did leave it open for any of the people on that list to do if they wanted. I didn't tell them they had been tagged, because they weren't really tagged.
But if you tag me and let me know I've been tagged, I will definitely do the meme.

Think I said meme and tag enough in this post?

We all just got the hungries.

So I'm making mac n' cheese with some tuna thrown in for a snack.
The kitty babies get the drained tuna water.
They saw me set the can on the counter, and now none of them will leave the kitchen.
I take out a can of corn, no interest.
Set a closed can of tuna on the counter, they all know what it is.
Smart kitties.
Maybe they can figure out can sizes or shapes?

I remember after my dad's first heart attack,

it was a terribly scary time. It was brought on by literally, a broken heart. Yes, he did have clogged arteries from eating too many bad for you foods, but what caused it that day, was the state of Maine removing one of the foster kids we had, after many years of living with us.
He had lived with us so long, that my parents filed for adoption, it was obvious the state was never going to give him (Benji) back to his family, so my parents who loved him, we all did, decided to just ask if we could keep him.
The state said no, that we had become far too attached to him. Well of course we were, he had lived with us for years, he was our kid brother, my parents son. We taught him everything. He came to us a unable to do anything at all child, and we taught him to go potty, read, get dressed by himself, communicate, which he could not do when he came to us. All he could do was cry out, scream, bang his head. Through love and nurturing, and teaching, he became able to do everything any normal child could do.
Because of our love, our attachment to him, the state decided to remove him, immediately.
They said to pack his things and put him on his school bus the following Monday morning, not tell him anything, just put him on the bus. We were never going to see him again.
Our parents kept all of us home from school that day, we packed his backpack and ate breakfast with him, all the while our entire family trying to hold back tears.
I remember my dad being unable to put Benji on the bus, he simply couldn't do it, so my mom and I put him on the bus, strapping him into his seatbelt, made sure he was wearing his favorite cookie monster sweater, and stepped off the bus. The bus driver knew what was happening and held back her tears as well simply saying, "This isn't right."
We all watched the bus pull away, waving to him, he waving back, all smiles, he had no idea.
A few hours later, my father had his heart attack.
We just went through hell and were now faced with the prospect of losing our father. Luckily he survived, but when he came home, he had all kinds of medical gadgets with him, he had a littman stethoscope so my mom could check his heart rate every couple of hours, a blood pressure cuff, blood thinner medication, special socks to keep his blood circulating, a special chair reclined at a certain angle, all kinds of stuff.
That day was one of the hardest days our family ever had.
A few months later, the state called and asked us to take in another child who needed placement, for long term, we said no.
They took a child who was loved and well cared for, away from the only family he had ever really known, and moved him into yet again, another foster home simply because we loved him.
It was a few years later, the state called and asked us to take in a 2 day old baby until they could find a suitable home, promising us that the baby girl would only be with us for a few days. My parents agreed saying absolutely no longer than 1 week, and then to remove them from the foster family list.
When the caseworker who was new to our family asked why, my parents told them. She was appalled and saddened, but agreed with our families decision.
After the baby left us, they removed us from the list.
Benji is still missed to this day. He was my brother.

Will you let me buy something?

Of course dear Sebastian.
I just asked Sebastian to go for a walk with me to 7-11 because I realized I was down to one can of diet Pepsi.
I will not make it the night with only one can.
No can do man.
I asked him to go and carry a 12 pack back for me, ya know no lifting or carrying anything over 5lbs per surgeons orders, and no lifting or carrying or doing big arm movements per PT man.s order, so of course I need help.
So then he asks if I'll buy him something for doing that.
Of course.
Hey, if I don't have to carry a 12 pack back down the street, he can have some candy.

I just thought of something cool.

Jules and her family want to come down sometime and visit Florida.
They want to hit Disney and all of that.
I don't live far from Disney, but far enough driving would be a pain daily to go meet her and hang out. I totally want to meet her in real life. She's just the kind of chick I know I'd get along with.
Maybe we could pitch in on an Orlando pool homes rental, and all stay together.
Her boys are about the same ages as mine, they are vidiots as she calls them, (video game junkies) splitting the cost of a whole house would be ideal.
Then we could hang, kick back a few drinks, party in O-town, do the parks and not worry about hotels and driving and stuff.

Researching what consumers are buying.

As most of you know, I participate in several different forms of market research.
I've been with one company for several years, and have earned quite a bit of cash for doing so.
Some of the companies pay in points, or gift certificates to Amazon or Buy.com.
I'm with one who has me scan everything I buy, only been with them a few months, but they pay in cash and points.
I've heard some people say they hate market research, they don't like the idea of some company knowing what they buy.
I've got news for ya, they already do.
Those shoppers savings club cards at grocery stores?
It may be saving you a few bucks but your name is attached to the card, they keep track of what sells and what doesn't. That's why when you go shopping, you'll notice a product you bought last week is no longer being carried, not enough people were buying it.
Credit cards? Keeps tracks of your purchases.
If I'm being tracked anyway, I might as well be getting paid for it.

Finally! We have success with Verizon!

Check it out!

VERIZON INTERNET SVCS 800-567-6789 TX Mar. 28, 2007 Paid Details $37.95 USD

I just checked my Paypal account after updating Verizon Internet services, to try that card for my billing after many failed attempts at trying to pay my bill with my other card, and voila! We have paid the bill!
Sound the trumpets!
There was much joy to be had!

Now that my arms and shoulders are getting in shape,

it's time to seriously find a way to start losing this belly pudge. I've been looking at all the dietary supplements on the market right now, available without a prescription, ionamin is one of them.
There are several success stories that make it look promising, there are some contraindications which I would need to discuss with either my pharmacist or doctors, because I'm on so many meds already and don't feel like making myself worse.

We cause pain, to ease pain.

Um, yeah, whose bright idea is that?
If someone is in pain, why would you thinking causing pain would make it better?
It does not.
But at least I now have a day off to recuperate.
And I was late.
Hhaaah! I thought it was at 1:45, no, 1pm.
And Friday is also at 1pm.
I even have those Google calender'd, and I still messed it up.
Obviously, I'm still lacking the proper amounts of sleep.

Camping, the great American family vacation.

My friend Jules, asked us to talk about camping, the good, the bad, the terrifying.
I chose terrifying and some funny.

Our family was middle class, and with so many kids, myself, my older brothers and sister, Mike, Jo, Frankie, and many foster kids, camping was what we did every summer for vacation.
We went to all kinds of campgrounds. Some good, some bad.
Some of the places we went had leeches in the water. Ack!
Some, had black flies buzzing about all the time, so the only safe place where those nasty critters couldn't get you, was under the water. Come up, take a breath, go back down.
We started to make games as too who could stay under longer.

There was the time it rained for hours, and our tent nearly floated away.
Another time, moms grill rack fell in the fire, and we ate really well cooked, charcoal flavored chicken, for dinner.
The time Frankie slept on a fold out chaise lounge chair and tied his dog to it for protection from all the wild beasties.
It was a great idea until the dog caught glimpse of a raccoon and went chasing after it.
With Frankie holding on for dear life.
And then there was the time with the spider.

I was about 8 or 9 years old and at bedtime, I told everyone I saw a spider crawl in my sleeping bag.
No one believed me. They humored me though and did a quick search.
I went to sleep knowing that spider was in there.
I knew. It was in there.
In the morning, I went out of the tent and showed my parents what that spider had done to me.
I was hysterical, screaming at them, "I told you it was in there! I told you! And now look! Look what happened! What the hell is wrong with my arm!?"
My mom took one look at the giant sack of blue, purple and green colored flesh hanging off of my left upper arm, and screamed for my father to get the car.
We went to the local hospital where my parents were told within ear shot of me, "A brown recluse has laid eggs in your daughters arm. These types of spiders sometimes lay eggs in the flesh of dead animals so when the babies hatch, they have food to eat."
Excuse me, what?!?!
"We have to make a small incision in her arm and suck them out."
WHAT?!?!?!?!
So the doctor told me to look away, my mom and dad held me down, and they made a small slit in my arm and stuff started oozing out. Then they stuck in this sucker needle and sucked out all of it.
They kept squeezing it, sucking, squeezing. Then they bandaged my arm and let us go.
We left the campground that day.
To this day, I see a spider and climb the highest piece of furniture I can get on, and demand the cats and children kill it by whatever means necessary.
I don't care if not all spiders bite, I don't care if not all spiders do the same thing, one interaction has scarred me for life.

So be my guest Jules, make your campfire bagel pizzas, and campfire beef stew.
I'll get a hotel.

I don't want to go.

To PT today.
Nope.
No.
Ugh.
I'm going, I just don't want to.
*whinepissmoangrumble*

I coulda slept all day.

That was awesome. I feel so much better. W00t!
_________

Teens, still sleeping
Kali, on my keyboard. Not cool Kali. Her fatness hits keys and then bad things happen.
Shahiro kitty baby, asleep on the back of the tv. Weirdo kitty.
Nova, eating. As usual.
I need to get busy and take a shower for PT this afternoon. It's gonna hurt. *wah*
Speaking of eating, I could use some breakfast or lunch, or something.
Later days.

March 27, 2007

I think this phase might be over.

This phase of insomnia.
It comes and goes ya know?
But I think it's going now as I'm dead tired.
I might actually, really, get to bed at a decent hour tonight.
But now that I just jinxed myself, I could be looking at a few more days...hahahhaha

xbox live is back on line.

For all you xbox players, xbox live just now came back on line.
Cheers rang out, tears of joy were shed.
Yay.
Pass the Excedrin.

Gmail came on as well. Weirdness.

Gmail is down.

Gmail has been down since like 3pm give or take a few minutes. I have not been able to log in at all, so if you sent me an email, no, I'm not ignoring you, I just can't get in there to read them and reply.

What a difference a litle cleaning makes.

I posted this morning that I needed to clean my fan out, it was all dusty, Leigh reminded me to do that, I had totally forgotten.
It was so dusty, no wonder I was not feeling a breeze. Holy crap.
I took a scrub brush to it, then the vac. Oh my gosh, it's like a new fan..hahaha
Yes, I'm so totally a tard, I get excited about clean stuff.
_______________

My ring came in today. It's purtiful.

Ring2.jpg

And only $5.99 babe-ee.
Score!
_____________

The teens are so totally jonesing.
Xbox live is down for maintenance. They went down at 3am, and will come back on line at 4pm today.
All day, they have not been able to play xbox live.
Aww, poor things.
The games are still playable without live, but it's so much more fun live.
The get to talk and strategize with their team mates on GoW, and LOTR, and other games they have.
They keep asking me every couple of minutes what time it is.
I keep saying not yet.
Them: That's not what we asked. What time is it mom?
Me: Five minutes later than the last time you asked.
Them: You didn't tell us last time either.
Me: Just shut it. I'll tell you when it's 4pm. Now go do dishes.
Oh yeah, the bathroom needs cleaning. And the rugs could use a good vac. Grassy ass.
Them: Hate. You. Not. Funny.
Me: Not trying to be funny. PT man says I cannot run the vac or do dishes on therapy days. That means you get to do them. Muchas Grassy ass.
Them: Grr. *walk off to clean*
Me: I so rule. Ha!

Omgdz that sucked!

Mr. PT man, Bill, made me use the upper body bicycle thingy, peddle forward, peddle backward.
Backwards sucked a lot.
Then I had to use a pulley system, holding each side for 10 seconds.
Not an easy thing to do when your arm hurts to move above boob level, and you have to take it above your head.
Then he did ultrasound which I couldn't even feel, then the tens unit which I had to crank up to 33 in order to even feel it, and by the time the 15 minute session was up, I had that sucker cranked to 45.
I should have been able to feel that stuff at around level 18.
He says the majority of my surface nerves seem damaged. Nooooo. Ya think?
But that all the muscle tissue below skin surface, are freaking out, tightened up, from being forced to be in a new position that for most of my life, they never had to before.
And I get to do it all again tomorrow afternoon.
Oh goody.
Edited to add*
I forgot about the acupressure.
He jammed his fingers into my shoulder blade for like ten minutes.
Moving it around, trying to rub out a "big knot".
That fucking sucked ass.
I said not cool man.
He said for me to explain how it feels, so I told him.
It's like trying to pry the lid off of an old rusty paint can with a screwdriver.
Imagine the paint can being your shoulder blade, and someone ramming their fingers in it.
Not a feel good moment pal.

Desert Island meme.

I was tagged by weirdgrrl for this, and as promised, a little funny.
Most of the people participating in this have made some reference to Gilligan's Island.
Even weirdgrrl did.
As most of you know, I was adopted. My adoptive families proper name is Gilligan.
I was born in 1970, grew up in the 70's and 80's.
I've heard enough Gilligan's Island jokes to last me an eternity.
When applying for my first bank account around age 13 so I could deposit all my paper route earnings, I filled out the form and the bank clerk took it and walked off to enter it all in and give me my passbook.
As she walked away, she was humming the theme song.
I've heard it hummed, sung, giggled at, most of my life.
When I got married, I was thrilled to lose the last name.
When I got divorced, the ex wanted me to change it back.
No freaking way in hell buddy!
I survived the most brutal teenage high school years of my life with that last name, no way was I going to use it for the rest of my life.
__________
So anyway, on to the meme.
It appears as though I'm going to be stranded on a desert island and I get to choose my companions.
Rock!
Being stuck with people who annoy me would result in my change of heart on the idea of cannibalism.
So here's my list of 5 people I wouldn't kill and eat.

Belle- she's crafty, we get along, like the same music, and could talk for hours about everything.

Latte girl- cuz she's well read, funny, snarky, and already lives in isolation so she'd be able to cope and keep the rest of us sane.

Shell- cuz if I'm gonna be stuck somewhere, I wanna be stuck with my best friend.
Plus, she's a champion bow hunter. She could make a bow out of palm leaves and sticks. We'd be eating good stuff...LOL

Mr. Fab- cuz he's witty, funny, serious, raunchy, and just plain fun.

And lastly, Christine.
She's good at making stuff, she's a chef. She'd be able to cook up incredible stuff for us every day using whatever she could find or make us hunt for. Islands are surrounded by water, so we'd have fish. There's always birds, I'm sure they taste like chicken. Maybe wild boar, and who knows, maybe monkey tastes good too.

And I hate tagging people cuz I never know who likes to do memes and who doesn't, so it's an open call for any of my 5.

Ok, good, all set to go.

I'm up, I'm showered, I have a ride.
I'm not thrilled, but I'm ok to go.
I'm so freaking tired, oh man...LOL
I'm seriously hoping he's not expecting anything heavy duty in the way of moving today, it ain't happenin'.
_________

Just had a funny.
The travel reporter for Channel 8, is wearing black pants, a turquoise, v-neck, close body shirt, a black band of beads that fits perfectly into the v neck of her shirt.
It totally looked like she was dressed as a trekkie.
See second costume from the right.

star-trek.jpg

It really did. I giggled. She even had some sort of pin on her left breast area.
Ha hahah!
__________

Internet is serious business. Really.

Za-a-ambie

I am a zombie this morning.
Yeah, awake till well after 4am, omgdz this suck0rz.

Do not let this guy post any comments on your site.

If you have the ability to ban IP's from leaving comments, ban him.
http://www.MyDepressionSpace.com
He doesn't deserve a link.
Scum sucking asswipe.
Just take a look at what he did tonight, and yes, the comment he left me, catches IP's and matches identically with every single one of these login attempts.

71.14.72.230 Invalid login attempt from user 'october1929'
2007.03.27 03:14:21 71.14.72.230 Invalid author name 'october1929' in password recovery attempt
2007.03.27 03:15:53 71.14.72.230 Invalid author name 'cdonovan' in password recovery attempt
2007.03.27 03:16:08 71.14.72.230 Invalid author name 'October1929' in password recovery attempt
2007.03.27 03:16:24 71.14.72.230 Invalid author name 'Charles Donovan' in password recovery attempt
2007.03.27 03:16:40 71.14.72.230 Invalid author name 'vagusnerve' in password recovery attempt
2007.03.27 03:25:50 71.14.72.230 Invalid author name 'october1929' in password recovery attempt
2007.03.27 03:26:16 71.14.72.230 Invalid author name 'cdonovan' in password recovery attempt
2007.03.27 03:26:44 71.14.72.230 Invalid author name 'cdonovan@charter.net' in password recovery attempt
2007.03.27 03:27:08 71.14.72.230 Invalid author name 'vagusnerve' in password recovery attempt

I will do it, promise.

I have been tagged for a island meme by weirdgrrl, and I promise, I will do it.
I just can't do it tonight, er, I mean right now. I have to try and get to bed. It's almost 1:30am and here I am, still awake. I have to be up at 7am for PT. Yes, it will actually be the right day this time...LOL
I actually have a funny to share about this memes theme, so I will do it.
____________

This insomnia stuff is kicking my ass. Luckily, all my future PT appointments will be in the afternoon, so it won't really matter if I can't sleep at night. By mid afternoon, I'll be guaranteed to be awake and functioning on a somewhat coherent level.
Tomorrow's gonna suck.
And he's gonna hurt me.
Acupressure.
That hurts when you already have pain man.
Why can't they just fix it without causing more pain huh? HUH?!
__________

Remind me to clean out my fan when I get home would ya?
It's a bit on the clogged with dust side.
Thanks.
Later days.

March 26, 2007

I will try to go to bed at a decent hour tonight.

I will try to go to bed at a decent hour tonight.
I will try to go to bed at a decent hour tonight.
I will try to go to bed at a decent hour tonight.
Ha, who am I kidding?
A decent hour is whenever I fall asleep. No sense in fighting this anymore, it just ain't happening.

Mark is playing GoW, Sebastian is playing Runescape, the cats are all staring at me rather creepily.
If there's some kind of bug crawling around on my hair or chair, it is their duty as hunters to catch it and kill it.
Immediately.
This staring stuff is a big no no.

It's a very quiet night here, nothing much at all happening, no news to report, no gossip to blab, no secrets to tell.
*sigh*
I wish my life were more exciting than all this.
No regrets, but the monotony of it all is starting to really get to me.
I need this shoulder pain to go away and never come back.
I informed the teens this evening of their newest all the time chore, until my shoulder stops behaving so badly, dishes.
It was met with an ok, but I know they hate it.
Hell, I hate it.
It seems like I lose a little bit more of my abilities every day to do even simple basic stuff.
That's depressing folks.
Not depressing enough to the point where I'm gonna tell the PMD and take him up on his offer of visiting with a "counselor", and being prescribed an antidepressant.
No thanks.
Been there, done that, have the t-shirt.
There's nothing wrong with that, but it's not for me.
The couple of times I was on them, they made me weird.
Yes, weirder than I already am.
Think I don't sleep now? Give me some zoloft or prozac, and watch me stay awake for a solid week on end and prancing around the house singing at full on volume.
If I did that now, I'd end up hurting another body part.

Ok, I guess it's time to find some sort of something to do.
Later days.

WAHM QOTW #2

Are you a work at home mom? Want to join a new weekly question meme that is just for work at home moms?
Then check out WAHM, and join up!

This weeks QOTW is:
How do you remind yourself of daily tasks? A to do list? A computer program? Let us know the details!
I use Gmail's Google calendar.
I enter in all my stuff, set it to remind me the day before, and 10 minutes before. It works for me.
I used to use a calendar program called DNW alarm, but someone hacked their site and they never put it back.
When I figured out how to use Google's, I actually liked it better because I could just click one tab on my Gmail account to get to it. The other program took going to the site, logging in, entering stuff, setting up alarms one at a time.
Gmail, I can set it for repeating events weekly, monthly, yearly etc.
I put practically everything in it because if I write it down, I tend to lose that piece of paper. Using a wall calendar, I forget to look at it, but because I'm always at my pc, boom, email notifications.

Do you believe people can really change?

Just recently, I've come across someone who is very honest and open, it's refreshing. So many people lie or alter facts about even the tiniest things, so to have someone be so honest, and so open, is kind of new to me. And it's huge, big, I wasn't expecting the answer I got back.
I have trust issues y'all, I've talked about it plenty of times.
I ask a question, and get the most straightforward answer back, and I find myself sitting in awe of it, but wondering, still mistrusting, that it's genuine. I know it is, but trust issues > me.

Do you believe people can really change? Can you ever really trust anyone?

Professional blogger?

I know a few bloggers who have bought business cards that state they are professional bloggers with the urls of their blogs listed.
I have no idea where they hand them out and to whom, but it's kind of a cool idea.
I've seen some really great designs on some too.
If I was going to make some, I'd want an original piece of artwork on mine, like maybe one of my own headers or something.
That would be kinda cool.

Russian nesting cats. ha!

I found the funniest meme cats site over on Meredith's blog.
She has a little feature called quick links which I find very cool and useful.
But back to meme cats. What are meme cats?
They are pics people have taken of cats, innocent pics, that other people have turned into the funny.
This is one of my most fave one ever.

But Russian nesting cats is so cute.

Go check them all out. It's teh funniez.

Someone should have helped her.

It was reported this morning, the cause of death of Anna Nicole Smith, was due to an accidental drug overdose. Her future husband, Howard K. Stern, was the closest to her, he should have known she had problems and checked her into a drug rehab.
If you love someone, you get them the help they need, you don't keep lying about it after she's dead saying you didn't know.
Heck, there's a tape that was shown on ET one night, a home video he made of her painted up as a clown, where he jokes around about her doing shrooms and being high. While she was pregnant.
He knew and didn't help her.
That makes me sick. I watched that clip that ET showed and was appalled with what he was saying. It was obvious to anyone watching that she was messed up, and here he was joking about how much money he could sell the tape for because she was high.

Nova TV.


Click for biggie.

I had to take this with my cell because if I had reached for the regular cam, she would have moved.
Nova watches tv all the time. I am always catching her sitting in that same spot, checking out the tube.
What was she so enthralled with just then?
Passions.
Yes, my cat my son Mark's cat, watches sopa operas.

And yes, there is a huge mess on the floor right there.
A radio, a candy jar, xbox magazines and a box of video games, a fan, (I get over heated from my meds so I have to have air constantly blowing on me) the best tv antenna in the world, and various scraps of paper with cheat codes on them.
And yes, the boys will be doing some cleaning of that area and more this week.
After all, it is spring break cleaning week.

This is your brain on insomnia.

I got up just now and am sitting here taking my morning meds, reading my emails, before taking a shower for my PT appointment.
Google emails me that I have no events scheduled today.
That's not right, I think to myself. I know I have PT, I entered in all the dates as soon as I came home.
I click on calendar, and low and behold, PT is tomorrow morning at 10:15am.
I go get my wallet, still thinking this isn't right, I dig out the little card from them with all my appointments on it.
Yup, tomorrow, March 27th, at 10:15am.
My alarm went off at 7am, and I laid there for two minutes, almost in tears because I am so tired, almost even dozing back to sleep.
I forced myself to get out of bed, came out here only to discover, that my brain is so damn tired, I don't even really know what the hell day it is anymore for real.
I have this problem quite a bit, but this time, it could have caused me to ride all the way downtown, on the wrong freaking day.
I laid in bed last night wide awake until almost 4:30am.
Every noise startled me, every cat that came in and out, jumping off and on the bed, startled me. A child of mine snoring in their bed, startled me.
Dead.
Freaking.
Tired.

Google calendar.
It's not just a nifty little feature you think you don't need.
It's actually a very helpful tool for insomniacs suffering from loss of data.


Crappity crap crap craptastic.

Here it is, almost 2am, and I am still wide awake.
Why is this craptastic?
Because I have PT at 10:15am.
I need to leave by no later than 8:45am if I'm going to catch the bus over near the hospital for my appointment.
I'm not tired.
I just told myself I was going to go to bed, that I needed to.
I'm going to lay there wide awake until 3 or 4am, and then be dead tired for the appointment.
My body clock is entirely screwed up.
It sucks.

Ok, I'm really going to try and sleep now. If the cats keep opening my door, it's gonna get ugly.
Later days.

GNMP Parents

GNMP Parents- is a great new blog, well new to me. Been checking out their stuff tonight, and so should you.
Full of great family stories, helpful tips, news, ranting, my kind of parenting blogger.
Finding lots of useful stuff on there, so much I added them to my blogroll and feed reader.

March 25, 2007

They have been working so hard.

I'm talking about my friend Mindy and her hubby Chris, on their site, Regalo Boutique.
Seriously, y'all need to go check it out. They busted their butts this week getting a ton of new products up and still have many more to go.
Check out the candle section, my fave.
I LOVE this wine glass. For me. heh. And the wine holder.
This would come in extremely handy. The boys are starting to find rubbing pain cremes on my back is not quite so fun when I am in serious pain, because I say ouch like every 2 seconds.
Hahha, but I so totally would.
I love this wine holder too.

I love almost everything on the site, and with more of the catalog slowly being added, I'm sure I'll be linking to more stuff I adore.
And this coming Saturday, the kids and I are headed to Mindy's house for a BBQ and video game tourney.
Ok, so all the guys, her son and hubby, and my teens, will be playing. Mindy and I will be on the lanai kicking back with a few drinks and some laughs.

How cool?

usbbatteries.jpg


Ok, so it takes 6 hours to get a 90% charge, and they are almost $20 for a two pack. But I think I totally want these USBCELL AA Rechargable Battery - 2 Cell Pack - MXAA02.
I just like gadgets.

Jane and the Dragon.

My sister was telling me about a show called Jane and the Dragon, I hadn't seen it because I don't have cable, and apparently, I can't watch it on line, unless I live in Canada.
That's weird.
You'd think they'd want people to check it out.
Anyway, the show is about a "medieval middle class girl being raised as a Lady-in-Waiting, but she's got much bigger plans for her future! Training to become a Knight is what she's all about - good thing she's got a fire-breathing dragon as a best friend and a prince who owes her a big-time favour!"
It looks like a cute show, you can see the opening for it when you click over.
Has anyone else seen this show? Is it any good?

Burgers and fries.

Yum.
That's tonight's dinner.
Easy, good tasting, oh so bad for you...LOL


It's amazing how fast time flies when you sleep in.
I woke up at 11ish, and just looked at the clock and can't believe it's almost 8 already.
Ooops!
I didn't mean for dinner to be this late, but I guess it's ok, they are on spring break anyway, so it's not like they have to get up early for school tomorrow.

Time to go flip 'em.
Later days.

When I worked for a gas company,

we were taught to speak fast and proficient, type fast, make no errors, because of telecom audits.
Every month, a company would come in and do an audit of phone usage, make sure the gas company wasn't spending a ton of money on calls.
It was an 800 number that customers called into to talk about their bills, set up or discontinue service, argue over high bills, get extensions etc.
If employees were found to be spending too much time on each call, they would get reprimanded.
I got it once because this sweet old lady was talking to me about her grandkids while I was typing information in. I was typing, but replying to her at the same time.
Apparently, that's a no no.
They said I should have been silent which would have caused her to eventually stop talking, and the call would have ended quicker.
I explained to them it didn't really matter how much she was talking because I had 7 different screens to enter information into in order to set her up for new service. I was simply replying back to her politely, which in my opinion, is the difference between good customer service and crappy customer service.
I hate being put on hold, I'd rather the person tell me what they are doing and stuff, then to put me on hold and hope I don't get disconnected.

Self Portrait Sunday #8

I missed a few weeks, being sick, looking like shit on a stick. Much how I look today.
So, I give you my feet. They have a pretty little pedicure, a funky farmers tan from my sandals, and my weird shaped toes from all of them being broken at one time or another in my life.
Yes, I have broken every single one of my ten toes.

feet.jpg


Go here for the weekly one, and click the button for the main page.

selfsunday.gif

Sunday Sermon 31

I was using my Stumble Upon last night because I was bored and couldn't sleep with my shoulder the way it was, and decided to venture into the forums of a few groups I had checked off when I first joined Stumble.

I came across a posting that seems to make sense when it comes to why so many people believe in god.
You can agree or disagree, but this made total sense to me.

The best explanation of this paradox that I have read so far comes from Stuart A. Vyse's Believing in Magic. He points out that superstitions and other irrational beliefs are often associated with membership in social groups. From this point of view, the most important feature of a religious belief is not that it's believable, but precisely that it's unbelievable! To be a useful way of ensuring group loyalty, the belief must not be a conclusion you could have reached on your own. It must be absurd enough on its face to demonstrate your submission to whatever the group demands.
Humans are social creatures, we join clubs and groups, to be with like minded people, we as bloggers do memes and and blog carnivals, to be associated and accepted by like minded people. We have our close knit friends who are like minded, so it makes total sense to "belong" to one of the biggest social "clubs" there is.

If you read my review of the movie Jesus Camp, the mother of one of the kids says it very clearly, "There are two types of people in this world. People who believe in God and people who don't."
It's a group thing, a feeling of belonging, even if what they believe, has no rational basis for the belief, they belong and are accepted by every one else who shares the same belief.

And I never noticed it until just this morning, but the Stumble Upon tool bar has a little mailbox icon.
It has a little red flag that pops up when you have new mail.
And here I was just clicking it at random times to see if I had new mail. I could have just been watching for the flag to pop up.
I was totally born a blond.

Oh my f'n suck!

I just uttered that exact phrase, don't ask me what it means, I can't really tell you other than this shoulder shit, freaking sucks.

I felt a boom of energy around 11:30 or so, and decided to do at least one full side of the double sink full of dishes.
I did it.
And now?
My shoulder is burning up like a hot rod, twitching like a pig bashed in the skull with a hammer.
It freaking hurts man.
I have to keep it at an exact angle, not move my arm too much across the width of the key board, or move the mouse too much.
If I do, it's like being stabbed with a screwdriver right in the shoulder blade and twisted, and pried like a jammed lid.
I tried laying down and getting some sleep, but any weight or pressure, hurts it.
I can't lay on my right side, cuz that is where the pain is. I can't lay on my back, cuz it's puts pressure. I can't lay on the left side, cuz then the muscles pull it down toward the bed.
And I'm not allowed to lay on my stomach cuz of the titanium rods.
It's fucked.
Damn.

March 24, 2007

My ghetto mailbox has got to be replaced.

I've been looking for mailboxes because mine still isn't fixed.
No, the landlord has not been by to fix it.
I'll just replace it myself and give him the receipt. He'd be ok with that, less work for him to do.
I think I may have found the perfect one to deter the thugs in the hood.
Stainless Steel baby.
They say, "But make no mistake baseball-bat attacks will result in a broken bat not a dented mailbox."
Perfect.

Holy crap, I just realized.

The teens are officially on school break.
It's the 26th through the 30th.
Ugh.
it's going to be non-stop gaming for a solid week straight.
Lots of boredom, eating every thing they can, staying up late, making messes all over the house.
No. No. No.
Plebh.

I've had a lot of jobs in my life.

One such was helping my brother with his painting business he had one summer.
I think I was like 14, couldn't get a real job yet, so it was cool to be making money.
And there is so much money in painting and home improvement these days.
People love to color their walls, but they hate doing it themselves.
My sister just had two rooms done and a wall added. Big bucks.
A husband and his wife were the subcontractors hired out by the big home improvement company. They work together as a team, love what they do, and did a great job on my sisters new house.
They did it in less than 4 days too. Build an entire wall, sand, spackle, paint.
It looks awesome.

Back is sucking, shoulder hurts.

Just felt like whining for a second there. I feel better now, thanks.

It's been a long, boring day around here. Nobody seems to be on line or blogging, so I had to go in search of reads.
I went through an entire list of blogs, about 160 of them to be exact, and read a ton, added a whole bunch to my feed reader.
I ended up adding 100 new feeds to my reader today and guess what?
None of them have updated since.
That was like at 3pm.
Suckage.

You ever run into someone who just doesn't get it?
Like, they have to beat the dead horse over, and over again, until you and every one else is ready to start beating them?
Like for serious, we heard you the first 200 times you ran on and on about it, we heard your opinion, we get it now, drop it, the horse, she be long dead and is falling apart now.
*bang*
Aggravating to say the least.

I accomplished only one other thing today aside from scoring my TOOL tickets. (I promise not to try and annoy you all with my mass excitement over this. Really)
I did the laundry.
Go me.
Heh.
I have two full sink fulls of dishes to do and every time I go attempt them, I look in, I turn around, and walk back out of the kitchen.
I have to be in the mood to do them and today, that mood is simply not coming on strong enough.

Oh, kind of a funny. Religious peeps, you may want to not click continue reading. It's slightly offensive, totally bad taste.

Maynard Keenan of TOOL has a Myspace for one of his other side projects, Puscifer. He blogs on it himself, reads the comments, adds friends himself etc.
That's totally cool.
Anyway, in order to leave him a public comment, it has to be something about Jesus. (See, I knew he hadn't changed!)
I tried to leave him a comment the day he added me, not knowing about his little rule for comments.
He didn't post my adoration of his lyrics.
*sigh*
So, after seeing all the rest of his comments, and someone else saying post a pic of Jesus, I had the perfect one to post in order for him to publish my comment the next time he logs in.
He hasn't logged back in yet, but when he does, I'm hoping he giggles.
I did.
Some people won't.
Sorry.


Click for biggie.

See? Totally bad taste, but kinda funny. I snortled the first time I saw it, soda came shooting out my nostrils.
Don't send me hate mail.
Ok, go ahead, I know some will anyway. That makes me giggle too.

I got my tickets! I got my tickets!

Usually, ticketmaster is a bitch to get tix with. I've heard stories of people waiting up to 4 hours on the phone or on line.
I kept refreshing the page every couple seconds at 9:59 am, and had tix by 10:10am.
Saweeet!

I'm going to TOOL! I'm going to TOOL!

1 hour, 20 minutes.

To go before I can get my hands on tickets to see TOOL on May 29th.
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.


March 23, 2007

What's your signature scent?

Ladies, do you have a signature perfume scent? If so, what is it?
I have two that I absolutely love, they smell just right on me.
They are, Tresor By Lancome and Chloe .

One trend I noticed, is a new scent will come out, let's say Very Irresistible.
One girl loves it, she tells her close knit friends, they all go out and buy it, and all wear it. Pretty soon, a ton of women are wearing it.
Problem is, it only smells good on half of them.
Perfumes interact with our own bodies, our heat, our chemicals, and then transform the scents we put on them.
So while half of those women smell ok, the other half smell like dead old lady.

Does your signature scent actually work for you? Do people tell you it smells great? Have you noticed someone else who swears they wear the same scent as you, but they don't smell too good?

And speaking of scents, has anyone tried this one? Is it a strong vanilla tone?

Ooopsie oops.

I went to lay down and stretch as normal, and oops, I fell asleep.
I was laying there stretching out when in came Nova kitty and laid by my head purring and kneading.
Then Kali kitty came in and laid by my side purring and kneading.
Then Shahiro little kitty baby came in and laid between my feet purring and kneading, and pretty soon, it was like an electric massaging blanket.
All warm and kitty loved, I dozed off.
I just woke up, I'm sitting here shivering now.
brrr.
I will answer all emails in a bit. Shaking, not quite so warm any more...LOL

The Capo's Mistress.

The Capo's Mistress by Richard Harris, is his first novel featuring character Mike Driscoll, this is the first in the series, an ex-police officer with some problems of his own. He's an alcoholic and loves beautiful women.
He meets and falls for Mary Carter, a woman who took a big chance keeping a bag of stolen money from a casino in
Las Vegas.
The Capo is the local mob that the money was stolen from, and now it's up to Driscoll to save this woman he loves.
He finds the bag of money that Mary hid, but draws the attention of the local mob, and it's a game of cat mouse leading up to an explosive ending in Old Town of Virginia City.

You can find out what happens on Mike’s first night using the interactive website.

You can download The Capo's Mistress for free until April 27, the day the book is released. It's in MP3 format, and the whole book will be released that way until it's sell date.
Totally cool marketing!
I listened to the first 8 chapters, and plan on downloading them all.
So far, this book is great, I can't wait to see how it all ends.
You can pre-order The Capo’s Mistress at Amazon.

WAHM QOTW #1

Are you a work at home mom? Want to join a new weekly question meme that is just for work at home moms?
Then check out WAHM, and join up!

This weeks QOTW is:
How many hours a week do you spend on your home business? Do you think it is too much or too little?

Well it's currently too little. I used to work on it daily pre-surgery, and have not been able to get back into my jewelry biz since surgery.
I wasn't cleared for a year, then when I thought he was going to give me the go ahead, I ended up with severe shoulder pain which is now being treated with 3 times a week PT, (which I missed today because I woke up sick) and it's going to be about 6-8 weeks before that's over.
I have a partner who is going to help me rebuild my store, add new products, and be a custom designer herself, so hopefully, in about a month or so, I'll be back to working at home on my biz full time.

Labiawhatsy?

Labiaplasty, is vaginal cosmetic surgery, for women who feel that they need a little cosmetic boost downstairs.
I've heard about this before, just didn't know the name for it. A friend of mines wife, actually had this done after the birth of her fourth child. She said that she didn't like the way her vagina looked anymore, it grossed her out, made her not want to have sex with her husband anymore.
So it's a self image, self esteem thing. I kinda get it. I've never really thought about it before, so I did what any good woman would do when researching a new medical procedure.
I went in the bathroom and dropped my shorts, grabbed a hand mirror and looked.
Looks fine to me.
But I can understand women who would want to do this surgery. I'm sure we've all heard the jokes at one time or another, about beef curtains, and camel toe right?
So yeah, women who have had issues with those kinds of jokes, or just don't like the way it looks, can now do something about it.
I say, if it makes them feel better about themselves and they can afford it, why not?

There is a ton of information on this in the website I linked, but be warned, there are actual before and after images, mature content, so make sure the kiddos are not around while checking this out.
It's a valid medical reason, and profession, and I'm actually glad there are doctors out there who can do these kinds of things to help women who feel the need to have it done.

Verizon, part 4.

Ok, it looks like this is finally settled.
I switched my billing card over to my Paypal debit card, and it went through last night.
Yay!
They credited me back all the extra dollars they charged me in February and March, (the ones they were billing me $1 at a time) and changed my billing date to the 28th of each month.
So, last night I basically paid for March, and on the 28th, I'll pay again for April.
Sounds fine by me. All I wanted to do all this time was just pay the damn bill.
Who knew it was going to be such a freaking headache.

No PT today.

When I woke up, I was dizzy and nauseous, barfed twice, laid back down. Woke up, still felt like crud, called PT and canceled.
I cannot go do PT like this. I can't have them poking my shoulder blade for acupressure, and twisting me all over the place, to try and get my shoulder better. I'd be puking the whole ride there.
It looks like I'm in for another weekend of feeling like crap.
At least I have the meds this time to help get me through it.
Cotton mouth and dizzy spells, here I come.

So yeah, it's starting to sound like a plan.

Kelly had this idea the other day, to start an insomniacs web ring.
I'm starting to think that's a great idea. Or maybe even an insomniacs blogger chat.
We stay up late, no one else is blogging but us, we have surfed all our fave sites a gazillion times, we've stumbled upon so much our eyes are going to bleed, we need something to do.
We could set up a chat room using AOL.
Name it sleepless bloggers, and invite other sleepless bloggers into the chat room.
Or go play games against each other on yahoo games or something.
This is getting out of hand for me. I have to be up relatively early tomorrow, I have a PT appointment at 10:15, so I need to leave by 9am unless I can get a ride again. I'll try that route first. ha ha.
Oh yeah, I have to pee too.
And I'm hungry.
But yeah, I'm awake and bored right now, who's on line?

March 22, 2007

I think I found my dream set.

I'm talking about my dream set of dining room furniture.
It's a gorgeous St. Barts, cherry round and 4 chairs.
I love it!
And I found it on Great priced Furniture. And it is actually a very good price for that set. It even has a matching china cabinet.
I absolutely love this site.
It has so many great pieces of furniture, for every possible style you could ever want, from modern and contemporary, to old world look, some art deco, they even have baby furniture.
They have all kinds of name brands if you check out their budget furniture section including Kathy Ireland, Broyhill, and Hillsdale, and Pennsylvania Avenue.
I simply love almost every thing they have.

Why oh why can't they take accurate messages?

I went and laid down, I was feeling really dizzy and stiff.
I told the boys I was just going to lay down, that's all, not go to bed, just lay down and stretch out.
I do this a lot.
The phone rang, I heard it ring.
I assumed it was for one of them because they didn't come get me.
I've been back out of my room for over an hour now.
Sebastian just now tells me the message.

Sebastian: Oh, you got a call, something about your Mastercard and $29.95.
Me: What did they say?
Sebastian: It was an automated message, it said: Dear credit card holder, your Mastercard has been deposited, credited or something, $29.95.
Me: Deposited, credited, or debited, $29.95?
Sebastian: Maybe debited. I dunno. Maybe they said deposited. I think it was deposited.
Me: Why didn't you come get me? I wasn't sleeping, just stretching like I always do. I could have probably pressed 1 to hear the message again. Sebastian, please think hard, what did it say?
Sebastian: I don't know. Sor-ry *total sarcasm*
Me: If this was your money, you'd be pissed if I took a half assed message like this, please think hard.
Sebastian: I think it said debited, but I mostly think deposited.
Me: *sigh*

I checked both my Amscot Mastercard and my Paypal Mastercard, nothing deposited or debited. Yet.
Ugh. This upsets me because I have no idea what this is for.
Maybe it's one of those freak calls that means absolutely nothing, but what if it's a charge from someone who got my CC number somehow?
I'm freaking out!

Virgin mobile Stash card program is ending.

I received a letter from Virgin Mobile Stash cards, alerting me that their debit card program is ending.
If you have a Visa debit card account through them, you need to be prepared for it to end.
You will be allowed to load funds onto the card until May 1, 2007, and be able to make purchases until September 1, 2007.
If your account still has a positive cash balance after September 1st, Virgin Mobile Stash will send you a check for your balance.
If you are currently getting your paychecks direct deposited to your Stash card, you will need to alert your employer or other paying source, of the last day money can be added. (May 1, 2007)
You will need to have your direct deposit info changed to another bank or source.

None of this information is posted to the Virgin Mobile Stash website so if you haven't gotten a letter from them yet, consider this your heads up.

If you need an alternative direct deposit debit card, consider signing up for Paypals.
They offer 1% cash back on purchases made when using the card as credit, not debit (not entering a pin).
You can also use your paypal debit card through your mobile phone to pay for purchases, send money to someone, or donate to charities when out and they take paypal.

*This is not a sponsored post, just alerting the masses.

What is wrong at this age?

I'm talking about 15 year olds, Mark to be exact.
On Saturday morning, I am buying our TOOL tickets. I am picking up mine, and Tina's, (she's paying me back, but I'm buying all together so we all are seated together) and Sebastian wants to go. He loves TOOL too.
I asked Mark if he wants to go. Huge, major concert, a band this whole house listens to, he knows their music, likes it.
He said no.
I said why not?
Mark: Cuz I don't feel like it.
Me: It's not till May 29th. Right now you may not feel like it, but come concert time, you may feel like it, but if I don't buy the tickets now, you won't be going. Are you sure?
Mark: Yeah, I don't feel like it.
Me: Well what do you feel like doing?
Mark: Nothing.
Me: Nothing?
Mark: Nothing mom. I just want to be left alone. I don't want to go anywhere. I don't want to do anything. I just want to stay home and play video games. Is that alright with you? *sarcastic tones noted*
Me: It's fine with me, but you don't get to change your mind come May. Hell you don't get to change your mind 5 minutes after I purchased our tickets. It's yes or no, period.
Mark: Then it's no. I don't feel like going anywhere.
Me: Ok then, stay home and play video games. You might end up babysitting Norman, is that going to interfere with your alone time?
Mark: No. I don't care if he's here and playing games with me as long as I don't have to go anywhere.
Me: Ok fine. No ticket for you, more money for me to spend on stuff.
Mark: Fine.
Me: Fine.
*turns his attention back to the game*
Me: Sebastian, do you still want to go?
Sebastian: Fuck yeah! I can't wait!

What is with Mark?! I can't figure this out. He never wants to do anything unless it involves him getting paid for it, and even then, you have to beg him to do it, remind him there's cash involved. All he ever wants to do is sit and play video games.
I'm ready to toss all the damn consoles right out in the trash.
I mean, I'm glad they are at home instead of out on the streets hanging with the local thug life, but come on, a concert, a huge awesome concert, paid for by me, no pay backs, and he has chosen to sit on his ass all night and play a stupid game.
At 15, I was out seeing every concert I could get to. I was busting my ass working to earn money to pay for those tickets. I would have rather been anywhere than at home. (Love you mom and dad) But it's the truth. I wanted to be out and having fun and doing cool shit.
I am offering to pay the $50 price tag on these tickets, with no pay back by the teens, and he still is all nope and mopey.
I don't get it.
Betcha if I offered to buy a new $50 game he'd be all over that like flies to shit.

It's Thursday right?

I woke the boys up for school as usual, and went back to bed. I woke up in a panic at 9am and couldn't figure out what day it was.
Was it Thursday? Wednesday? Friday? Did I have my PT appointment in an hour?!
OMG! I'm gonna be late!!!
I ran around looking at the calendars and still couldn't get a grasp on what day it was. I honestly couldn't figure it out.
I had to sit down at my pc and hover my mouse over the time clock, to learn that it was Thursday the 22nd.

I was having the most bizarre dream, I can't even recall what it was, but I was panicking, thinking I was late and lost.
That somehow time had whipped by really fast and left me sleeping for days.
I was almost angry at the kids for letting me sleep for two full days, but happy they got up and took themselves to school.
I know that's not what happened now, but that's where my brain was at when I woke up.

I hate it when that happens.
Later days.

March 21, 2007

Gearheads.

Once again, the teens are playing Gears of war.
It's ok, it keeps them happy and occupied while I get other stuff done, and they get to talk to other people while playing.
There are some people I know locally who play and have the teens on their friends list.
Every time these guys get on line and play with the teens, they always ask how Ms. Kat is doing, how's your momma?
The teens do everything they can to embarrass me.
Sebastian just told them, "My mom wouldn't date you, but she said she'd totally date Gordon."
I was sitting here all red faced, yelled at Sebastian, "What the hell did you say that for?"
Now every time I see him, I'm going to die of embarrassment.
Ugh.

Several new ad placements.

There are several new ads here on my blog, they can all be found in the sidebar.
I believe in honesty and full disclosure, always have.
Having ads and getting paid for them is something I have always discussed and disclosed, with my readers.

There is a small block of ads from Biz Rate, 2 new Blogads, and a new block of ads from Text-Link Ads.

Being compensated helps me pay my bills. They pay my hosting, my domain name renewal, my ever mounting medical bills, and then some fun things for the teens and myself.

Thank you to all my great advertisers, and thank you to all my great readers who check them out.


Kathy Dent is in trouble.

Election official may face congressional inquiry.

SARASOTA - Four months later, the controversy over Vern Buchanan's razor thin congressional win in the 13th District is not going away.

We're only learning now that elections supervisor Kathy Dent received a warning memo before the election from the voting machine makers about potentially sticky buttons, but didn't tell anyone outside her office.

"We discussed it with the staff," said elections supervisor Kathy Dent.

Dent felt the best solution was to display posters telling voters about being careful about their selections and checking the review screens.


Only problem with displaying the warning posters is that they did not display them. No posters were sent out to any of the polling places for the election.
As for Dent, this recent controversy has her thinking long and hard about running for re-election next year.

"I'm weighing my options. It's becoming a job now," Dent said.


Wait a minute, it's becoming a job now? You mean, being the supervisor of elections wasn't really a job? What was it Kathy? A place for you to just slack off and collect a paycheck?
The voters deserved to know there was a problem with the voting machines. The posters were never displayed.
And here's an interesting piece of news about those machines;
In a letter dated August 15th, ES&S, the company that manufactures the voting machines, warned the supervisor's office of an "issue" with the voting machines. The letter indicated that its voting machines, deployed all across the country, were showing "slow response times" and required a patch in order to correct the problem. But ES&S never sent the patch, and Kathy Dent never asked for it.

So now we see that she really wasn't doing her job. Hell, she didn't consider it a job anyway.

Ouch man, stop it.

PT went well, but he kept poking my damn shoulder.
Hello? It hurts, why do you think I'm here?
Stop. Freaking. Poking. It.
We are going to work on the pain in the shoulder through exercises I will do there and at home, and tens stim, acupressure, and other stuff.
He said we can work on the flexibility in my left leg too once we get a handle on the shoulder pain.
Because he poked it, and made me move it in every damn direction, I'm so damn sore right now. Like, I don't want to move it at all sore.
I came home and took a nap, and now I'm sitting here really just wanting to crawl into bed with my heating pad and some Lidocaine patches (lidoderm).
It's soooore. *sniffle*
I have to go back Friday morning, then again on Tuesday and Wednesday and Friday. Them Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the following week, then we'll schedule the rest of the weeks after that.

The other PT place called me and asked if I wanted to reschedule my appointments. I said no, I can't afford to see you. At $30 a visit, I'll end up paying you my whole SSDI check. I've found a PT place that bills the right way. Medicare first, then my 20% after Medicare pays.
She was all they can't do that. I said that is how they are supposed to bill. You guys are the ones who are not billing legally, making patients pay 100% up front, then maybe giving them their money back.
She said that's how we've always done it. I said well that's not how I'm doing it, or how Medicare wants it done.
She said well good luck finding a better PT place.
I said I already did. They took good care, laid out a good plan for me, and they won't be over billing me and not reimbursing me.
She hung up.
They know what they are doing is wrong, no one ever calls them out on it, so they keep doing it.
I am reporting the PMD's billing practices to Medicare because I know what they are doing is illegal.

Ok, off to find something easy for dinner, and make sure I enter all my appointments in my calendar so I don't forget.
Later days.

Looky what I have, and you ain't got none

cuz your momma can't make them, my momma is bet-ter...LOL

Those are my moms peanut butter eggs. The mail lady just brought me a box full of easter goodies and my CS check for this week that was supposed to come.
See? I knew last weeks got swiped or mis-delivered, because telling her to watch for it, made her watch for it and bring it to my door.

I'm heading out soon, so I will answer emails when I get back. Mindy, yours first, sounds like fun. :)


It's 11am and here I still sit.

I just have no motivation this morning.
I need to get in the shower, get dressed, make sure I have all my paper work and stuff, and go to the PT by 1pm.
I have forms to fill out when I get there so I have to get there early.
My neighbor is giving me a ride, so I'll be ok. No long walk, no standing waiting for a bus, it's good.

I suppose I ought to get myself in gear now.
Later days.

It figures, now that I should be sleeping,

I'm wide awake. I was dead tired right up until about 11pm. Then the wide awake crap started.
I hate my body clock.
Damn you body clock!
_____________

I was looking through the catalog for Regalo Boutique that I posted about the other day.
I would encourage you to keep checking the site for new products because oh my god, the stuff in the catalog is awesome.
I found so many things I'd love to buy!
There's this lamp trio that would be perfect in my living room, so I'm going to try saving for it.
It's a floor lamp and two table lamps. Perfect for my house.
They also have really beautiful wind chimes and so many other goodies, I must have turned the corners down on about 30 different pages and I'm not even halfway done browsing through it.
So Mindy and Chris, I know you two are busy, but get some more stuff up there. I know if people could see it, they'd love it.
I could totally do most of my xmas shopping from that catalog...LOL

March 20, 2007

Viva, Viva, Las Vegas!

One of the other places I want to visit is Vegas. I want to rent a Las Vegas Luxury Condos, with all the extras, have some major spending money, and go party Vegas style.
I'm sure I could get Jules to show me around.
I've never been there, I hear it's awesome though. I don't gamble, but I'd love to just go see all the sights and sounds, take everything in.
If I could get there and do this, we could totally have a group postie patrol.
It'd be too much fun.

Hopefully it will go well.

I have my PT appointment with Joint Works tomorrow afternoon. The boys are going to have to chill and fight over video games for a few hours after school. Hopefully not too long though.
My appointment is at 1:45, I'm sure it's just an evaluation appointment. To see what Doc Moreno wants done with the PT, to check how much range of motion I have, stuff like that.

I have been so tired today.
I could blame it on staying up late, but I slept most of the day off and on.
I was awake until about 2ish, got up at 5:45am with the boys, went back to sleep after they left, and slept until 11am.
Then I napped at 1:30ish until 2:45. Then after dinner, I fell asleep watching a movie.
Ooops.

And my rings are sliding off. Like how they are all loose after you lose weight, but I haven't lost weight. They are just sliding away. I may have to take them all off so I don't lose any of them, for a few days.
I don't mind slender fingers, but when my rings start falling off, I would rather have fatty digits.

Maybe it's the taste.

I don't like water. I actually hate it. I have texture issues with food and drinks. I can't drink milk or water because it's too smooth, if that makes sense. Certain things if too smooth feel slimy on my tongue and I end up gagging.
But I have been able to drink bottled water. I just don't like paying for it.
Maybe if I had a portable water filters type bottle, I'd be able to drink regular tap water.
I don't like paying for water, it just seems absurd to me to buy bottled water when it comes out of my tap at home for much cheaper.
I might have to pick one of those up and give it a try.
I do need to be drinking much more water than I do now.
I alternate between water and diet soda. For every 2 cans of diet, I drink one large glass of water. It takes me forever to get it down though. It just doesn't taste or feel right to me.

Kayla* by the dozen.

My sis does these cool pics with photoshop.
She takes about a dozen pictures, then blends them all into one so seamlessly, that you can't really tell it's not one picture.
Ok, you can tell it's multiple pics because the subject is the same, but check it out.
I love these, I want her to do one for each of the boys, much bigger though, so I can frame them.


Click for biggie.

*Kayla is her stepdaughter. Susan, her daughter, is in one portion of the picture.

I'll be stalking the mail man tomorrow.

It seems that I'm scheduled for another child support check tomorrow.
I'll have to have my front door open, watching for the mail truck, standing at the box when they arrive.
I hate having to do that, but with my last check still not showing up, I don't have a choice.
It's only $22.10 again, but it's the point of getting the check that matters.
I can't let people keep taking them.
It really sucks that I now am forced to hover over my mailbox on child support days, but I guess I have no choice.

Suncoast Scribe.

Friend and fellow single mom Angie, has taken the plunge and bought her own domain and hosting.
She is now the proud owner of Suncoast Scribe.
She's a hard working single mom who's back in school to get a better education, she has some great entrepreneurial ideas and shares them with her readers. She'll be posting more about that as time goes on, the blog is only 1 full day old right now. It's going to take time to build up her site and content.
She's a gardener, and loves to make hair bows.

So stop on over and check her out. It's always exciting when someone gets their own home on the web for the first time and she needs to love.

Oh my gosh! Keep me away from it!

I did it again.
I just bought another ring from the Silver Jewelry Club.

ring.jpg

It's an oval Hematite bead filigree ring, in Sterling silver.
7x5mm
pure sterling silver with .925 stamp
2.75 grams
Crown width North/South: 3/8 inch

I absolutely love their stuff, and it's only $5.99.
I can't help myself! I need a jewelry intervention!
____________

And speaking of jewelry, these are my chakra earrings.
chakra.jpg

Aren't they pretty?


March 19, 2007

I collect crosses.

I have a really nice collection of crosses, you can see some of them here.
I once sent a friend of mine a cross that she loved when I showed her my collection, and in return, she sent me rosaries.
I loved them. I still have them as part of my collection, and have admired some others since then.
I really like this sterling silver one.
While visiting my mom, she showed me a really old one that she found. It was beautiful.
I don't know why I collect them, I just do.
I have some truly ornate ones, some gawdy ones, some sapphire ones, I have one that when you look through the very tiny center, you can read the entire lords prayer.
It's really kind of cool.

The Fat one.

I barely watched Dancing with the Stars last season, I just wasn't feeling it.
I'm not really feeling this season either, but tonight's episode was kinda fun.
No leg falling off.
Dammit.
But anyway, Joey Fatone was by far the best.
He's funny too. His introduction segment, was really funny. He's got a great sense of humor.
Billy ray Cyrus, sucked ass.
Mills was just boring. Boring. *Yawn*
I hope Laila Ali does well, and also John Ratzenberger.
Apolo Ohno did realy well, good dancer.
Everyone else was just sadly lacking charisma in my opinion.
I'll probably keep watching it because I'm so over Deal or No Deal on NBC. It was fun the first 20 times he asked that question. Now I just want to bean him upside the head with a brick every time I hear it.

Time to buy new ones.

With the scorching hot summer months coming up, it's time to buy some new sunglasses so my eyeballs don't cook.
I would love to get some polarized motorcycle sunglasses.
Polarized lenses are better for you than any other ones you can get. They protect your eyes so much better.
I really like this pair here.

How wrong is it,

that I'm hoping Heather Mills leg falls off during her stay on Dancing with the Stars?

Ciao my bella!

One of the other many places I want to visit someday, is Italy. I'd love to be able to rent Villas in Italy, and spend a few weeks to a month touring all over.
I'd love to go see the Colosseum in Rome, Sicily and Venice.
I love the old art cities.
I'd love to walk the same streets as Da Vinci and Galileo once did.
Someday, I'll get there.
_________________
Terry, smarty pants. ;)

Tonight's dinner, beef stroganoff.

I make mine with browned ground beef instead of sirloin, because teens are expensive to feed as it is.
Every body has a recipe of this that they love, so no need to post mine. It's basically the same recipe as everyone else, just with ground beef instead.
The boys love it, it fills them up, and I haven't spent a fortune feeding them.


And, my mom made her famous peanut butter eggs and mailed them out priority this morning.
I will be having chocolaty, peanut buttery, goodness by Thursday.
Yum. :0

Speak to me like a geek.

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They have good and bad moments.

The boys came home from school today and did all their chores without having to be told.
Then they asked if I needed help with the dishes.
I said yes of course, I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth.
They both took turns doing all the dishes, took out the trash and recycles, picked up all their stuff.

Now they are playing video games and within an hour, I'll be ready to kill.
Within minutes of starting to play, something chemically changes with kids playing games.
They start getting aggressive with each other, with the other players, their voices raise, and they just get over all annoying.
I hate it.
I'll be ready to shut it off in a few hours.
It's the loudness that makes me crazy.
The yelling and screaming at each other and other players, it makes me crazy.
Can't stand it.
But ya know, as bad as this is going to sound, I'd rather have them in the house playing video games than out on the streets running around with other teens causing trouble.

You may need more insurance.

Anywhere you go in the US, your auto insurance will cover you should you get into an accident, but did you know that if you take a trip to Mexico and plan on driving, you will not be covered under your own US insurance?
That's right, it's not recognized.
You would need to purchase some Mexican Auto Insurance.
If you get into an accident while driving in Mexico, it's technically
a felony, and the authorities will hold you until payment for damages
you are deemed responsible for are paid to the injured party.
They can legally hold you until you pay in full.
If you don't have insurance, you better have cash.
They can and will put you in jail if you can't pay for it.


Mexican Insurance Store
, has been in business for 29 years, so you can trust them to make sure you are properly covered while there.
Policies can be purchased daily, weekly, 6 month or annually.
They've sold literally thousands of policies for people vacationing in Mexico.
You can get some answers to some of your questions here, and get some truths about Mexican insurance here.

This is good to know. Not that I'm planning a trip down there any time soon, but I know people who have gone, and are planning more trips, so this information should help them out when planning a trip.
Wouldn't it suck to get rear ended and be blamed for it, then end up in a Mexican prison?
Ack!

It's so pretty outside right now.

I just got back home from my walk, I missed taking my daily walks, so I needed to get back to it and it felt so good to be outside just strolling along.
I have a nice couple of little cul de sacs that I walk in so I don't get hit by cars.
I usually walk each one twice, then go around my block twice, then come home. It's about 1.5 miles.
It's just really nice outside today.
The weather is perfect. There's a cool breeze, about mid-60's, sun is shining.
It makes you feel good even if you start your day off feeling like crud.

Late night meme posting.

Stolen from Belle.

1. Can you cook?
Yup.

2. What was your dream growing up?
To be involved in music somehow, either by being a rock star, or having my own radio show.

3. What talent do you wish you had?
I have no idea.

4. Favorite place?
My pitch black bedroom.

5. Favorite vegetable?
Corn

6. What was the last book you read?
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

7. What zodiac sign are you ?
Pisces

8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings?
Yuppers

9. Worst Habit?
Procrastination

10. Do we know each other outside of lj? The blog world?
Not in the real life, we've met way, no.

11. What is your favorite sport?
Hockey

12. Negative or Optimistic attitude?
A combo of both. It depends on what I'm facing.

13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
Talk, laugh, be silly. Talk about who we'd bang. ;)

14. Worst thing to ever happen to you?
Not even gonna talk about it. I'm in a good mood dammit.

15. Tell me one weird fact about you:
I have OCD so bad that I count my silverware as I wash it, then again when I put it away.

16. Do you have any pets?
3 cats, a bunch of fish.

17. Do you know how to do the macerana?
Unfortunately, yes.

18. What time is it where you are now?
1:41am

19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
Kinda creepy

20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
My belly pudge would be gone.

21. Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
I think we could kick up some trouble.

22. What color eyes do you have?
Green.

23. Ever been arrested?
Yes. Obstructing a public way. 1988. Officer Asshole was trying to prove a point about the local teens hanging out. Too bad he arrested someone who was working and never showed up to court, getting it tossed out. *eyeroll*

24. Bottle or Draft?
Bottle

25. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it?
I'd pay off bills, take the kids back to Maine for another visit, put some in savings.

26. What kind of bubble gum do you prefer to chew?
I don't like gum. I think it's a ridiculous habit.

27. What 's your favorite bar to hang at?
I don't hang at bars. Never have. I go out to bars, but hanging out is for alcoholics.

28. Do you believe in ghosts?
No.

29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
Watch movies.

30. Do you swear a lot?
Do bears shit in the woods?

31. Biggest pet peeve?
People who complain about things they can control but choose not to.

32. In one word, how would you describe yourself?
Exhausted.

33. Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?
I'm posting it now so if people want to post it and link back to me, cool. If not, cool.

It's getting closer.

Mark has been studying for his driver exam, permit, for some time now. He really wants to do well on it so he gets his license first try.
One of the things I'll have to start thinking about when he does, is the insurance.
I'm going to need to get a car insurance quote after he gets his license and a car.
My sis and his Big George, have offered to help get him a car, and he will be on my sisters insurance only when driving with her.
After that and he has his own car, I'm going to need to get him insurance.
I'm hoping he'll have a job by then and can help me with that, because a teen driver's insurance, is going to be expensive.
I'm not looking forward to it, but with a car comes a more responsibility and hopefully, more motivation for Mark to do better at every thing he does.
If his grades slip, I'll take the keys, stuff like that. Driving is not a right, it's a privilege.

March 18, 2007

TV meme.

1. Earliest remembered television?

Sesame Street and Electric company. I loved those shows.

2. TV series you would want on a desert island?

I'd want something totally engrossing and engaging. Like Twin Peaks or LOST.

3. TV that made you laugh?

The Carol Burnett Show. It was live and if someone messed up or got a case of the giggles, it was hilarious watching the rest of the cast try to keep it together.

4. TV that made you cry?

The episode of ER where Dr. Mark Green died.
I bawled like a baby.

5. TV crap that you enjoy?

I love trashy shows like America's Next Top Model and the next Pussycat Doll. Trash. Crap. Oh so enjoyable watching a bunch of really dumb girls.

6. TV you’ll never forget.

The live coverage of 9/11. It was so hard to watch as it was happening, but even harder to turn it off.


7. Favorite TV adaptation.

Anne of Green Gables on PBS years ago. I never missed an episode.

8. Favorite nerdish program.

1 vs 100 or Jeopardy. I have a plethora of useless knowledge in my head.

9. One TV program you are currently watching.

LOST.

10. One TV show/series you have been meaning to watch.

Supernatural.

11. Now tag five people.

I try really hard not to tag people because it kind of annoys me to be tagged.

I love birthstone jewelry.

I have one of the most beautiful birthstones, Aquamarine. I'm not just saying that because it's mine, it's true.
It is a beautiful color.
I found some really nice pieces at Reeds Jewelers for birthstones.
I absolutely love this ring.
One of these days, I'm going to buy myself a gorgeous ring like that.
Women buy themselves jewelry all the time now, not just earrings and necklaces, but good quality diamond rings.
I will have a ring like that someday even if I do have to buy it for myself.
It's just so pretty. I love the color, the shape of it, the side diamonds.
Or this one.
I love them both.

300

The boys, myself, Mikey and his brother Rocky, went to see 300 tonight.
You can read what I thought of it here.
It was really stunning, awesome movie.


Skeeterbess

Skeet is a single mom who lives in Hawaii, who works with bugs, termite inspections to be exact. She crawls around under houses examining bug poop and helping people get rid of their critters.

Back in January, she wrote one of the most beautiful posts about her son I have ever read a fellow parent write. It brought tears to my eyes.
The feelings she expressed, I believe all parents have the first time we have a child, the fear, the worry.

She has a lot of interesting posts, well written and thought out. Her pensiveness over writing a letter, was dead on in this day and age of electronic communications, the fear we have writing to a stranger for the first time.

So go check out Skeet, poke around her blog and say hi. She's an interesting woman with some neat things going on.

The steak was delish.

I didn't eat a lot of it, but the boys certainly finished it off and loved it.
I bought two top sirloins the other day, some olive oil, and the Montreal seasoning.
I put the steaks in a dish, spread some olive oil over them, poked them a bunch of times with a fork so all the flavors would sink in. Then I spread on the dried minced garlic and Montreal seasoning, flipping the steaks to get both sides.
I covered the dish with press n' seal wrap, and put them in the fridge to marinate for about 4 hours.
Then I broiled them at 350 degrees, flipping them over after 8 minutes, and cooking each side for a total of 8 minutes per side.
They were so moist, falling apart tender, full of flavor.
Seriously incredible tasting steaks.
I made a side of buttered sliced carrots and some rice pilaf.
Both Mark and Sebastian ate every thing I made, not a single left over was found when I went back to the kitchen.

Manifest your dreams.

There's some new software out that says it can help you manifest your dreams and goals. It's called Dream Manifesto - Create Prosperity & Abundance in Your Life.

From their press release;

PETALUMA, CA (March 9, 2007) - Dream Manifesto, LLC. releases the Dream Manifestation Wizard V1.1 for Windows & Mac.

The Dream Manifestation Wizard� is a software application to manifest your goals & dreams and to create abundance & prosperity in your life.

Once started, the Wizard will ask you what dream you want to manifest in your life. If you are not certain about it, you can use the built-in �Dream Questionnaire� to find one or more powerful dreams that you would like to manifest in your life. Learn the simplicity of creating your dream template that consists of text, an image and your voice. This template will function as your dream blueprint.

Command the Dream Manifestation Wizard� on how often per day you want to program your dream into your subconscious. Once this is done, relax, sit back and work normally on your computer. The Dream Manifestation Wizard�, running in the background, will provide an audible cue - a gong - before it appears on your screen.

The Dream Manifestation Wizard� comes complete with over 100 dream templates, so you can start immediately manifesting what you always wanted.
The Dream Manifestation Wizard� creates an exact blueprint in your subconscious of what you want to manifest. Your subconscious mind will immediately start to work on turning your dream into reality, applying the latest discoveries in quantum physics to shift and direct your attention toward new possibilities.

Requires Windows XP, Vista or Mac OS 10.3 or later.
The program is available for immediately download or on CD-ROM and costs $29.95. With the current promotion you save $20.

Product Page: http://www.dreammanifesto.com/wizard

Order Link: https://www.dreammanifesto.com/payment/order.html

Company Home Page: http://www.dreammanifesto.com

___________________________

This seems really interesting to me.
A way to be constantly reminded throughout your day, what you want to accomplish in your life, by embedding your dreams and goals, into your subconscious.
I've always tried to believe in the power of positive thought, that if we dream it, we can achieve it. But so few people are able to really put this into practice.
This program is fascinating to me because it incorporates science into it, something I trust more in than just the power of the mind.
This touches on Quantum theory and Wave-Particle Duality, something which my sister and I were discussing a few weeks ago.
She was taking a yoga class to get a class credit to help her with her physical therapy job, and the yoga instructor was discussing perception and reality, matter, and what our minds told us things were.
Things like a chair is real, but our minds simply tell us it's a chair, that it is actually just matter that our minds have formed into what we think is a chair.
She also (the yoga instructor) had been discussing the movie the Secret, something I spotted on DreamManifesto.com, in their sidebar.
My sister and I were discussing this as we drove to a local store that sells yoga mats, and energy candles, healing stones etc.
My sister was curious about the DVD of the Secret because the instructor had been talking about it.
It appears that the yoga instructor follows some of the same principles as what is being used with this program.
I'm not sure I agree with it, I'd have to look more into it all.
But this program does look interesting, I really would have to read more about Quantum theory, and manifestation, to be able to fully understand all of this and make a reasoned conclusion.


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March 17, 2007

Regalo Boutique

A friend of mine, Mindy, and her husband Chris, own a web store called Regalo Boutique.
About 2 months ago, I posted a blogad for Mindy's store in my sidebar Blogads. As a thank you, she offered to send me a thank you gift.
I thought I was just going to receive a small candle, I said any scent but vanilla, because it drives my scent allergies crazy.

While in the hospital last week, a box was delivered to the house and the boys had started opening it because they were dying to know what was in the huge package.
When I came home Sunday night, I opened all my mail and then the box.
In it were 3 beautiful and awesome scented jar candles.
3 jewel encrusted tea light candles/holders, and 2 dragons for the boys.
There was also a huge catalog of other beautiful things which I've only begun to peruse.

Every night, I've lit one of the different jar candles and the whole house within minutes, smells fantastic. They are strongly scented, but not perfume heavy, which can trigger scent allergies. They are very soothing, the boys have even remarked on how nice they smell.

There are so many really nice things on their site, and Mindy keeps telling me that they are adding more and more products every week.
I keep checking back because even though Christmas is still a bit away, I have seen several items I will more than likely be ordering for people for Christmas.
They have some of the most beautiful and unique light house delights I have seen.
My parents, living in Maine most of their lives, have several light houses around the living room that I noticed while visiting in February. I really think they would enjoy some of these ones Mindy has.

If you're looking for some truly unique gifts, check out Regalo Boutique, tell them Kat sent you. Terry up in Canada did, and is very pleased with what she bought and the out standing customer service both Chris and Mindy gave to her.

As I mentioned to you in email this week, I checked out your ad for Regalo Boutique. I ordered 3 things from them, and their customer service is wonderful. I happened to mention your name and they gave me a discount!!!! What's not to love! Cute stuff I bought: two butterfly candles (half price) and an oil lamp filled with herbs and flowers. Very pretty stuff. Christopher went out of his way to please and get me the best and quickest shipping possible. Boy, I sound like I'm being paid for this, eh? It pays to check out Kat's ads, is all I'm sayin.' :) Terry

I worry about Kali.

My Kali kitty is getting up there in age, she's 9 now, and she's already had a few health scares, but I worry about cat heart disease.
It does happen to our beloved pets, just like humans.
So far, she's not showing any signs of having heart troubles, the vet said she looked good, but I still worry about her.
I'm a little more concerned with Nova, Mark's cat. She is overweight for a cat, she loves to eat foods that are not cat foods, and that is partly my fault.
I'd be eating some Goldfish crackers, and she'd lay there on the coffee table looking at me all longingly, and I'd give in and give her a few. She loves those. And cheese. And corn pops cereal. Anything that is people food and not spicy, she loves to eat it.

They now make over the counter medicine that you can buy to assist in gently strengthening the heart muscle of your kitty.

I remember when my sisters cat Pixie was very sick with cancer, and it was causing heart related problems. She had trouble breathing, her heart was working over time trying to keep her going.
The vet gave my sister all kinds of medicine to help Pixie out, some for the cancer and some for her heart.
It was very expensive, but my sister loved Pixie and it broke her heart to see her kitty in so much pain.
She'd come home from work and Pixie would just be laying there in very labored breathing, struggling.
She maxed out her credit cards trying to make Pixie better.
In the end, she had to put Pixie down after weeks of watching her not get any better.
I have to wonder if she had started giving her something like this medicine sooner in her life, would have helped her heart out.
I know it was the cancer that was the eventual reason for putting her down, but her poor heart just couldn't handle all the stress.


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Update on my child support check.

It didn't come yesterday so I called the state, and they said the post office has 10 days to deliver it to me, or return it to them.
I explained to the lady I was talking to, that within 24 hours of the website stating that the check has been applied, I receive the check. In 9 years, I have never not had a check show up. This isn't a case of the post office not delivering it on time, it has obviously been stolen from my mailbox or delivered the wrong house (new scummy neighbors) and those people not returning it, and finding a way to cash it.
She said if I believed it was stolen, I can put a stop payment on it, she would send me the form.
I said well it's obviously too late for that, it's been cashed by now.
I should have received it on the 13th, it is now the 16th. That check has already been cashed.
And now here it is the 17th, still not here.
*sigh*
It's not even the amount of money because as most of you know, I'm lucky I get any child support at all from the ex-bastard, and when I do, it's not much at all.
The check was only $22.10, but it's the point that someone has taken it and cashed it by now.
There's a million places you can cash checks without an ID in this town, and if you know people, it's even easier.
I don't want to have to hover over my mailbox on days when a check is supposed to come in. I don't want to have to harass a mail person and ask them day after day, if they have seen the check or possibly delivered it to the wrong house.
People should just leave other peoples mailboxes alone.
But people suck.

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Happy St. Whatever day.

Here's another holiday I pay no attention to.
I don't see the point. I don't get it.
One day a year, thousands of people pretend to be Irish so they can consume mass quantities of green beer.
Like every one I know is headed out today and tonight with the plan on getting completely trashed on green beer.
They've been planning it for days now.
I could have gone.
No thanks.
I'm not even making the traditional Irish diner. I'm going to make steaks tonight with this recipe the lady at Publix had made the other day. It kicked ass.
Marinate the top sirloin in a rub made of crushed garlic and Montreal seasoning and olive oil.
It was so good. Like seriously the best tasting steak I've had in awhile.

Anyway, I'm off to catch up on all my blog reading, I never got around to it last night, was doing stupid stuff and watching the boys play Gears of war.

Flying high in golden skies, I'm flicking channels in my mind.

Once again, I'm wide awake.
No time like now to write about what's been going on I guess.

It started this past November with the stomach stuff.
One night, my whole body just ached every where, my pain meds weren't touching it. My legs twitched, my skin crawled.
I kept getting up and taking hot showers for a few minutes, then running back to bed and scrambling under the covers.
The next morning, all hell broke loose with my body.
The sight of food made me nauseous, I threw up about 4 times in an hour, diars to match.
I thought I had the stomach flu.
I went on like this for 3 days before I finally couldn't take the excruciating stomach pains and cramping anymore. I was dehydrated, hadn't slept, couldn't eat, body killing me.
I went off to the ER where they said my white cells were high but it didn't appear as though I had the flu. They pumped me full of fluids and pain meds, kept me about 6 hours, and then sent me home.
I had some new meds for the symptoms and they helped but not great.
By the 8th day, I was normal again, like it never happened.

In December, it happened again only lasting a few days that time.
January was hell, most of the month was spent being sick and not being able to keep any food down or in.
On my trip to Maine, I had a few bad days while I was there. Took some of my moms zantac stuff because I had left my meds at home. It helped a little, I just ate really dry foods the whole time I was there, avoided anything that would burn on it's way back out.
When I came home, I had a couple of good days, and then I was back in the ER for a high white cell count again. They repeated the same steps. My primary care doc couldn't figure out what was wrong, didn't order any tests either, just kept telling me that if it happened again, I was not to come in to the office, but to go to the ER, because if whatever it was I had was contagious, he didn't want other patients getting it.
I had 4 trips to the ER during February. I didn't blog about them all, I think I blogged about 1. I was sick of being sick, and sick of dealing with this.
I don't even know if I talked about it any of the previous months either.
I was overwhelmed with all my health issues.
My healing back, my weird nerve sensations, pain management appointments and so on and so on.
It was too much for me to deal with, and it was bringing me down so I didn't think any one else wanted to deal with it either.

Every time it's coming on, I know it the night before. I get the whole body aches, the skin crawls, the stomach cramping, the inability to sleep, legs spasming. I know when it's coming.

On Wednesday March 7th, Sebastian was sick with the same cold I had.
But when I posted that night, my whole body was starting to freak out. I knew it was coming. I knew in the morning, it was going to be rough.
On Thursday the 8th, after barely sleeping, I was violently ill that morning with the added cough.
Sebastian was in pain from his cough, his lungs were hurting like mine were.
I had every intention of getting him treated for his bad cough.
By the time we reached the ER though, I was in bad shape. I threw up in the ER restroom a few times, but kept telling the triage nurse to take care of him.
They did check him out and gave him some strong cough medicine.
I was sick in the room with him, they made me lay down, took temps and vitals, immediately called for blood work, called a gastro and the attending.
They started pumping fluids into me immediately along with dilaudid. Asked me how long I had been sick this time, I told them it had just started that morning.
Within a few hours, they had pumped 4 bags of saline into me, took about 6 vials of blood, and nurses and doctors kept coming in and out.
When they got the blood results back, they said my white cell count was so high, they could not let me leave the ER.
I told them I had to leave, my other son was coming home from school, I can't stay.
They said if I left, they would be responsible should anything happen to me.
I agreed to stay the night because they said they would run a test in the morning that may give an answer.
My sis came and picked up Sebastian, came to my house and picked up Mark, and took them to her house.
That night, the hospital gave me a barium cat scan. Drink the nasty kool-aid, go get scanned and they gave me some type of shot inside the machine that made the contrast brighter and made me throw up.
Afterwards, they took me up stairs and kept pumping me full of fluids and dilaudid. They kept coming in and taking vitals and blood samples every 4 hours.
They kept telling me my white count was still too high. They started an antibiotic in the IV.

By morning, the test they wanted to do was out of the question and instead chose to do an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. They flushed my system out making me drink 4 liters of this colon cleanser stuff mixed with gatorade.
I spent all of Friday drinking that stuff, using the bathroom to throw it up and shit it out.
My body was freaking empty by the time I finished the last bottle.
Every 4 hours, more pain meds, a new bag of saline, a new bag of antibiotics. It was round the clock needles and vitals and drips.
The room mate was a 90 years old DNR woman who was out of it, on pain meds for comfort and oxygen to keep her steady I guess.
Her oxygen mask was on an alarm so every time she took it off for whatever reason she was taking it off, alarms sounded, then she'd cry out for help but couldn't push the call button.
I spent the whole time Thursday night and Friday day and night, pushing the call button thinking the woman next to me was gonna die at any second.
I hadn't slept for more than 15 minutes at a time. No food, not allowed to drink anything for my dry mouth, no ice chips to suck on.
Early Saturday morning, they took me down for the tests. Thank god they put you to sleep for that shit. I saw the length of those scopes they were going to shove down my throat and up my ass, and freaked out, said I wanted to go home. The anesthesiologist came in, said nothing to worry about, put something in the IV and asked me what my name was.
I woke up in holding, and then was wheeled back to my room.

About 2 hours later, both of the gastros came in and said I had a hernia and gastroenteritis, but that was not causing the problems I was having.
I was so exhausted, I just wanted to go home.
They said if I could eat and keep it in, they'd let me leave but I had to promise to come back on Monday for more tests.
I agreed and ate about 3 bites of food and promptly lost it, and then the stomach cramping which had been under control from the dilaudid, came back with a vengeance, and they had to pump more into me, and tell me to stay one more night for one more test Sunday morning.
I spent Saturday night on a new floor in a new room, with a large black woman with some kind of sickness and crying out for Jesus every few minutes. Then her loud Baptist minister came in late, and was all hallelujah-ing all over the damn room, and praying for our ailments to be lifted up out of us, his dear holy Jesus, heal these precious sisters in faith of yours!
*bang*
Sunday morning, I spent 3 some odd hours drinking barium and being rotated on an xray table while the tech watched the stuff go through my body on film.
After the test, they still couldn't tell me what was causing it, but agreed to let me go home, but I had to promise to make an appointment with the attending gastro for the pill camera test within 2 weeks.
I agreed, the attending who was a cardiac specialist, released me and I came home where I spent straight up till Thursday basically, still sick as hell.
Thursday to Thursday, 7 days, just like the usual past months.
They gave me new meds this time. Prevacid, pamine forte, and lomotil, for all the symptoms.
They do ok, not great. The Prevacid I think is their hope of a cure to be honest.
The pamine is the anti-spasmodic, for the stomach cramping, and the lomotil dries you out so you don't barf or shit.
It doesn't really stop either one of those as yesterdays events showed me.
It does however make your mouth so dry you can't swallow any food down without a gallon of water to help wash it down.
I've eaten pretty much nothing but popsicles since coming home.

So I've been off and on sick like this since November with no answers yet. No reason for this to be happening.
I'm tired of it and just want whatever it is to go away.
As I sit here right now at this hour, my stomach hurts, but not as bad as previous days, it's slowly ending this time.
I'm completely exhausted, physically and mentally. I've spent so many days over the last months dealing with this privately, unable to focus on much, slacking on things I was supposed to do.
Instead of just telling people I'm sorry I'm sick, I can't complete that for you, I agreed to do a lot of things and then couldn't follow through.
Even after repeated reminders from people, I still chose not to tell people what I was going through, kept saying I would try to do the things, but kept failing.
I tried to keep up outward appearances as best I could, I didn't want to explain this to anyone. I blogged, I replied to emails, I posted on forums. I didn't take time off from things because I didn't want people to start emailing me and asking where I was. I didn't want people to start calling me and asking why I didn't blog today. I didn't want to explain it. I was tired of talking about it, and dealing with it.
I snapped at people, I was downright rude to others. Pain plus lack of sleep, plus lack of nutrition, starts fucking with your head, and you start behaving irrationally.
I apologized to people without explaining why I did and said what I did, just really, really sorry.
So now y'all know. Know y'all will know if I don't post or reply to emails in the future, what may be happening. I won't have to explain, and hopefully won't have to try and speak on the phone from well meaning and concerned friends, while tossing my cookies.

March 16, 2007

Friday night's gonna be alright now baby.

I have a house full of testosterone.
Mikey is here spending the night and playing video games with Mark, Sebastian is in the other room watching music videos on youtube I think.
Loudly.
Kali is of course right next to me, not leaving my side.
I finally finished all my important things I needed to get done and now I need to answer comments and emails.
I'm getting there folks! Slowly but surely.

Oh yeah! Back on the 2nd, I was supposed to get the new washer and dryer but sis and her hubby couldn't make it that day. I forgot to update that. Ooops.
But anyway, they brought the set over today. It works awesome. I love it.
So I need to get in there and get my sheets and blanket out of the dryer and make my bed and stuff.
Then, I think I'm going to pour myself a drink and try to catch up on all the blogs I've missed the last few days.
My feed reader says I have over 100+.
Ouch.
Later days.

With being able to make money with my blog,

I need a really simple, efficient way to keep track of it all. I need a good budgeting software as well.
I have so much motivation to keep track of income and debits, but I miss a few days for whatever reason, and have a terrible time getting caught back up and also lose a bit of motivation.
I've been using the pre-installed stuff, but i can't link it up to my account so it's all manual.
I would love something i could just enter the basics into and then it would take care of everything I did from income to debits, without me having to lift a finger.
That would be cool.

Can I have some memory.

I love my new pc, love it, love it, love it, but I do need some additional computer memory upgrade installed.
Just a tad bit more so that I can run the additional Sim expansion pack Sebastian bought with his gift card.
We have the Sims 2, the Nightlife expansion pack, and he bought Pets.
We have just enough memory for the game and 1 pack, but Pets won't run without a little bit more memory installed.
But if I'm going to do it, I'm going to get an additional 512 I think.

I'm working on it.

I'm working on so many things right now.
Gah!
I have emails to reply to, dinner to make, business plans with a friend to work out.
I'm excited about that.
In the wee early hours of the day when us insomniacs are wide awake, a friend and I were having an email discussion about joining forces on my jewelry biz.
I'm so game for that.
I have been down and out for so long, and want to get back to it as soon as possible, but it didn't work out that way.
On the 27th when I saw Doc Moreno, instead of getting free, I got 6-8 weeks of physical therapy for a bum shoulder tossed my way.
Then got super duper sick again, and blah, pure suckiness.
But she wants to partner up with me and that's cool.
It will motivate me to work through the shoulder pain.
I've been wallowing in my own self pity and hiding from what's going on with me, not just hiding it from myself, but everyone else.
I will post about it later in another post.
I really should have told people what's been going on with me before this, but like I said to my friend last night, I was tired of being sick and tired, and so tired of hearing myself talk about it with doctors, I figured every one else was sick of hearing about it too.
She told me that it wasn't like that, that if I needed to clue people in, I should have. The true friends I have would have been here for me, but instead I pretty much closed people off.
Ramble, ramble, ramble.

Ok, time to go make dinner and finish answering emails and finishing up just two more important things.
I got sidetracked for a bit today but things will get finished.

Oooooh, more furniture goodness!

Hee hee. I have to stop doing this. I'm getting myself all excited looking at stuff for my house that I don't even have yet.
Just take a look at what I found at Powell furniture for my kitchen or dining room.
A beautiful black kitchen safe.
That would look kick ass in my dream kitchen.
I love it!

This is so nice.

Yeah, I'm still dream shopping for my someday house.
I found some awesome kids furniture.
The boys are eventually going to need new beds, they have had the same take apart bunk beds since we moved here in 1997.
They are still in decent shape, solid wood, very heavy, but they are getting older and when I get my someday house, they will each have their own room and will need cool furniture in their own styles and tastes to decorate with.
This one is totally Sebastian style. He'd love that,
Mark would love this one and it's a double so it would be a great bed for him to have for many years.

Warning. FFA rotten punk post.

FFA stands for Future Felons of America, and was coined by Christine.
I just had a nasty run in with some punk ass little shits.
If cussing annoys or upsets you, do not click to keep reading.

Sebastian and I were headed out for a walk to 7-11 to get some phone cards for all of our phones. As we are walking, this punk little mother fucker riding on the handle bars of his fellow FFA's bike, screams right in my ear causing me to jump.
There are no damn sidewalks on my street. Someone screaming like that, I think I'm about to get hit by a car or someone else just got hit by a car.
They ride about 3 feet in front of us and laugh at how they made me jump.
I yelled back at the little punk ass piece of shit.
They keep riding, cross the street to 7-11.
While waiting for the light so we can cross, we witness them stealing some little kids bike. Right at 7-11!
All these people standing there pumping gas and they did nothing. The kid runs off crying as I'm finally able to cross the street.
They see me coming and start backing up.
I get right up to them and yell at them about stealing that kids bike. They tell me they didn't, it was their bike, they took it back cuz he stole it from them.
Yeah right, that's why he's running home crying.
I continued to yell at them about that and about screaming at people who are just walking up the street.
The one little punk yells at me that I can't, and I quote, "Yell at me cuz I'm a fucking minor".
I said yeah? You want to call the fucking cops cuz I'm swearing at ya? Here, let me fucking dial it for ya you little fuck.
I start getting out my phone from my pocket.
Now people pumping gas are suddenly interested.
Uh huh.
Pay no attention while some kid is getting his bike stolen, but a kid saying I can't swear at him, gets their undivided attention.
The little punk who originally yelled in my ear, starts swearing at me, calling me a fucking bitch and all kinds of shit, I walk right up to him and say yeah? You wanna tell this problem to the cops? I'm dialing it right now you fuck.
They get on their bikes and peddle off as fast as they can.
The cops tell me they can't do anything because I don't know who these kids are, and no one else at 7-11 can say that they stole a bike.
Fucking stupid fucking shit.
Really.
I'm pissed.
The cop tells me I can't talk to minors that way. I said well they can't go around stealing shit. If you're gonna reprimand me for swearing at a minor, go get that minor to file a complaint on me and while you're at it, ask him how he got that nice blue bike.
The cop just looks at me, says he can't do anything cuz there are no other witnesses to the bike theft.
I shake my head, go in 7-11, get our stuff and come back home.
Rotten fucking punk ass little fuckers.
I swear to god, I fucking see those pieces of shit again, I'll rip the damn bike right out from under their ass.

They are planning an outing.

Mark and his Big, George, are planing another outing for a Sunday afternoon. I think it's another boat charter.
They have done this a couple of times.
George loves to be out on the water, and Mark used to hate it, he feared being out in deep water, but George keeps getting him to try new things and boating is one of them.
Every time they have come back, Mark has raved about what a great time he had, what sea life he saw, where they ate, what they talked about, and just what an amazing good time he had.
They have gone out just around here in Sarasota waters and some other times, they have gone up to Tampa Bay and been around the Skyway bridge.
Mark says the bridge is even scarier from underneath.
Yeah, I can imagine that. I hate that bridge.
Both George and Mark keep asking me if I want to go sometime, but I am seriously afraid of deep water. One of my biggest fears is drowning.
I'm one of those people who goes in waist deep and no farther.
Maybe one of these days I'll go. It does sound like they have a really great time.

Body, Mind and Solar.

Body, Mind and Solar is a relatively new blog about all things health related, and is very informative.
As the author describes it; "This is a blog about health, wellness and my journey to self-improving. I hope to include both relevant articles along with quality posting on life."
Deb has a lot of informative and personal posts about her own health and news and information on general health and well being.

I know how hard it is to lay all your health issues out on line, it ain't easy, but it can be a way of letting go of some of the anxiety and stress related to the health issues, to just get it all out.
And in the process, maybe help someone searching for answers or information.
We never know who is reading us and can be helped by us just simply sharing our experiences.
I know I have readers of my own who came in search of scoliosis surgery information and they let me know that my posts about it helped them make a decision, not be so afraid of their own upcoming surgery, or simply being able to relate to it.

I would think this a better idea.

This coming June, there is a blogger convention going on in Orlando, not very far from me, but far enough that I'd have to stay there in town if I wanted to go.
Hotel rooms are pricey all year long so I was thinking, it would be cool if a bunch of the bloggers going went in on a Orlando Pool Home rental for that weekend.
It would financially make better sense.
We could all get a 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath, sleeps 10, full house to share, instead of every one paying for individual hotel rooms.
It would be much more comfortable, more laid back, cost less money. 10 people paying the rent on a house is better than $200-300 for a room.

Ya know what's freaking pathetic?

That someone has apparently stolen my child support check this week.
I can see on line what amount and what day it has been applied, and from there, it only takes one day to reach my mailbox.
It was applied on the 12th.
No check.
Yeah.
If it doesn't show up today, I'm going to have to report it as stolen.
I hate people.

Old houses.

As you know, sometimes I get some serious bouts of insomnia. I've been so sick lately, for months now, this happens a lot. Sometimes I just surf the web during the late nights, or listen to music, sometimes I watch movies, and sometimes I just flip through the channels on TV and see what's on.

One night I came upon some classic episodes of "This Old House" on PBS, which often come on in the middle of the night. I'm not a homeowner, but sometimes it's cool to watch these shows anyway. My dad used to watch it all the time. It's fun to think about what I would do if I were a homeowner, which I hope to be one day. I'm always looking at paint swatches and furniture, rugs, tvs, kitchen appliances for my dream kitchen etc.

There was this one episode where they had a backhoe digging out space for a new septic tank. The backhoe ran out of fuel, so they had to call for a refill. A truck with a fuel transfer tank came after they called for the refill, fueled up the backhoe, and they were able to finish the septic tank work. But the homeowner was freaking out for a while, until the septic tank was in.
They seriously should have tried for sewage lines. I can't remember why they didn't. Septic is just awful.

The home was gorgeous though, I just wish I could remember where it was. I wanna say it was in New England somewhere, most of the episodes are filmed up that way.

I found it funny. Guess it really wasn't.

Sebastian stayed home with me to go to my doc appointment and pharmacy trip, and grocery shopping.
Yes he did.
I was still wicked sick and to be honest, I didn't quite trust myself going alone by bus to the docs and other ventures.
He didn't mind, day off for him, safety net and helper for me.

Before we got on the bus, we went to 7-11 for drinks and a donut. We waited at the bus stop and ate, me only eating half of the donut. My stomach is still a wreck and I knew at that halfway point, one more bite was going to cause a problem.

We went to the docs, rode the bus back, went to Walgreen's, waited for the meds to be filled, and left.
Making our way up the sidewalk to Publix, I tried to take one of my pills. I was hurting really bad and left my anti-spasmodics at home, so I took one of the pain pills just filled.
It almost came back up.
I turned to Sebastian and said that we needed to get to Publix ASAP and quietly. Do not engage in any conversation, I have to remain focused or I'm going to hurl right here on the sidewalk.

He took my hand and walked me to the store, taking my drink and bag from my hand once inside so I could get in the restroom.
Once inside, both the stalls were occupied, there was no line, one woman washing up, and a woman came in behind me.
I held on, waiting for a stall to open.
As soon as it did, I made my way in calmly, hovered over the bowl as best as my non-bending body can do, and proceeded to lose my half donut, my half bottle of water, and my newly swallowed pain pill.
I wasn't loud, I'm not one of those gag inducing loud barfers, but I was apparently audible enough to freak out every woman in the rest room.
But they still waited their turn, washed their hands.
I exited the stall to find 3 women staring at me with this strained look of worry yet trying not to look worried.
I ran my hands under the faucet, washed them, rinsed them, grabbed big handfuls to swish around my mouth and spit the offending throw up taste back out.
And they still stood there.
I checked my face in the mirror, wiping away the strained eye water from puking, dabbled on a little powder so I could do the shopping without having people look at me like I was dying, and turned to leave.
They still stood there, looking at me.
I smiled and exited the rest room.
What else could I do?
Explain?
Tell them it's not contagious to my knowledge?
It happens.
It happens at the worst possible times.
Out in public, waiting for a bathroom stall, not making it into a stall on time like at the ER on Thursday when I almost, but not quite made it, and then had to calmly tell a triage nurse a janitor was needed and how sorry I am.

I guess I'm so used to it now after all these months of stomach issues, to just accept the fact that vomit is going to happen even when I don't eat, if I eat a little, if I haven't eaten in days, it just is going to happen and I find myself slightly amused by how calmly I can toss my stomach contents these days.
I'm a quiet cookie tosser.
I think it was the fact that my feet were facing the wrong way under the stall door, and they could hear the splashing of stomach contents, that alerted them to the fact I was throwing up.
I did not make the usual gagging, choking, throw up noises.
I just wonder why they stood there, staring, not uttering a word.
If they were concerned, they could have said something, I wouldn't have been upset by it. I was more upset they just stood there staring at me.
That whole paranoid feeling.
Speak or stop the staring. It's rude. Your momma should have taught you that.

Maybe they wanted to say something but didn't quite know what or how to say something. Maybe because they could see my bruised arms from all the blood draws I had. My arms and left hand, littered with needle marks and bruises, yucky hospital tape glue still not worn away on the crease of my right arm and a bulging vein 5 different shades of blue and purple, and yellowish green.
Maybe they thought I was a junkie.
Maybe they were just in awe of my quiet throw up skills.

Whatever it was, I found it amusing. I giggled when I left, told Sebastian. He said I was weird. I said I know.
We did our shopping and waited for the cab to bring us back home.
While waiting, I caught a guy in a truck staring at me. I smiled at him, he smiled back.
Some stares are good.

March 15, 2007

I think I figured out the problem.

For a few months now, I have been trying to figure out why I can't stream media from my pc to the xbox.
I don't have any HDMI cable.
I have tried all the work arounds, looked for answers on line, asked around, and no one could figure out why it won't work.
I have all kinds of movies on my pc and would love to be able to watch them on the tv streamed through the xbox.
I know it's possible because I can get the music I have on the pc to stream, but not the movies.
After looking at how HDMI cables work and how to set it up, I checked out the back of my pc and the xbox, and yup, there are slots for that cable.
I see another pc related purchase coming up soon.

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Ask Dr. Manny.

After my recent bout of stomach woes with a wicked stomach infection causing my white cell count to skyrocket so badly, I had 3 specialists overseeing my care in the hospital, I picked up my Dr. Manny book, The Checklist, today because I recalled something about toothbrushes and toilet germs.
There it was, steps to prevent germs on toothbrushes.
I almost threw up the first time I heard that every time you flush the toilet, about 50,000 germs you can't see, come flying up out of the bowl and into the air, and landing on everything we have in the bathroom.
The very place we do all our personal care.

This got me thinking about my stomach issues. Our bathroom is microscopic. Tiny. Like a closet. Our toothbrushes are just sitting there in the rack or in cups.
Could I be sick from this stuff?
Maybe, maybe not. I still have more testing to do.
So, I threw out all our old ones just now and sanitized the new ones in peroxide, and then stored them in the medicine cabinet.
I honestly don't know how well that is going to work because my medicine cabinet is right above the toilet.
*sigh*
But for those of you who don't know about the germies in the bathroom, here are some tips for your toothbrushes thanks to Dr. Manny.

1. Sanitize your toothbrush weekly. To eliminate bacteria, mix a disinfectant solution of 50 percent water and 50 percent hydrogen peroxide. Stir these two ingredients together with your brush and then let the brush sit in the mixture, bristle side down, for a few minutes. This should be enough to kill any bacteria on the brush. A higher-tech, more expensive option is to purchase a toothbrush sanitizer. These gadgets use ultra violet light and are able to kill 99 percent of bacteria.

2. Prevent bacteria growth on your toothbrush by storing it upright, allowing it to air-dry after each use. As convenient as it might be to leave that brush lying on the side of the sink, not allowing the brush to dry allows bacteria to multiply.

3. Store your toothbrush in a location where it isn’t touching another family member’s brush. By doing so you prevent the transference of germs from brush to brush.

4. Never share a toothbrush with anyone (even your spouse.)

5. To prevent toilet spray from reaching your toothbrush, store it inside a medicine cabinet or closet, or some other place where the bacteria-filled mist cannot reach it.

6. Doctors recommend discarding and replacing toothbrushes every few months.

__________________

I am also absolutely loving this.
I have always hated cleaning the shower. Hated it.
This thing really works and it works really well.
After the first week of using it every day after the last person showers, my shower is clean. No soap scum, no mildew.
It rocks.
I hung mine up much higher than the position of the shower head they recommend using a hook screwed into the wall, because the spray was only reaching about halfway up the shower wall.
Now when it sprays, it sprays from the top of the shower walls all the way down.
It sparkles in there!
It was totally worth the cost of the thing to not have to scrub shower walls anymore.
W00t!


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Thank you Java-girl!

Allison was having the same issues as me with Firefox showing pages incorrectly. Missing css, colors, small fonts etc.
She cleared her cache and voila, all better.
She was kind enough to come back and let me know it worked for her, and I went and cleared mine and poof, all better now.
Yay!
Thanks girl!
_________________

Do any of y'all use Technorati? I'm sure you do!
Would y'all mind adding me to faves?
That would be banging of you!
*mwah*

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I love looking at furniture for my someday house.

I found some great stuff at coaster furniture that I would love, love to have!
I have my dream house planned out, dark woods on floors and trims, dark painted walls, dark woods on all my furniture too.
I love a really nice dark cherry piece.
I absolutely love this one. Simple, yet perfect.
I have this list of stuff I want in my own house when I get to buy one.
I keep finding all these great sites with just totally awesome pieces that fit exactly what I'm thinking of for my house.
If anyone comes across a gorgeous antique-sh looking dark cheery dining set, let me know.

I don't think I'm allowed to leave again.

3-2007 003.jpg


This is Kali, my fur princess. She is very upset with me, and to show me how upset she is with my constant leaving and not returning for days, she has been following me around and plopping herself at my feet, legs, bed covers, toilet side, and now keyboard, since returning Sunday night.
I keep leaving her and she licks all the fur off of her belly out of nervousness I think, and then when I get home, she refuses to give me breathing room for even 5 minutes.
I love her, but this is getting to be a bit much in the 'you are not moving from this spot without me again' kind of way.
Pretty, spoiled, super duper loved, Kali baby princess of the house.

Getting better.

I am feeling a little bit better today. Things at the PMD went ok.
Doc Moreno had ordered PT on my last visit on the 27th, but I started feeling crappy and never called anyone, so the PMD today, set me up with the PT place next door to them which they do the billing for.
Um, no.
That PT place will be charging me $30 per visit before Medicare pays them.
That's not how it's supposed to work.
So, I called joint Works who I had been going to pre-surgery, and explained the situation to them, and they said they never bill patients before medicare. Then after medicare pays, they send patients a bill and take whatever payments we can afford to pay monthly from our SSDI.
The $30 freaked me out because I have to go 3 times a week for 6-8 weeks. That's a lot of freaking money upfront that I may or may not get back from the PT place.
As it is, the PMD place had been billing me before medicare and now they can resubmit to medicare but won't because they'd have to pay me back. Over $200 so far.
I asked them today if they were going to resubmit, and they said they don't think they can. I told them that I spoke with medicare and they can resubmit for 6 months. I've only had 3 appointments with them so they can totally resubmit. I asked them again if they were going to because I wasn't supposed to be billed ahead of time. They said it was up to the office manager.
I already know what she's going to do about it. Nothing.
I had spoken to her on my last visit before today, and she was all hoity toity pay or leave, even though that's not what they are supposed to do.
So, yeah, I definitely don't want to go to their PT place at all.
I'm off to rest a bit, I need a nap.
Later days.

March 14, 2007

I'm here and alive.

For the time being anyway.
Heh.
I'm so damn tired but I have things to do.
I need to go to the store and get food for dinner. We have nothing at all here to eat tonight.
Not that I can eat anyway, my mouth is unbelievably dry.
The meds are drying me out. I chew and chew and chew, and it just gets drier and drier and drier, until I almost choke. I have to keep taking sips of water in order to be ale to swallow any food down.
So, I need to get some popsicles or something like that.

I did pay all my bills this morning and once again, tried to pay Verizon DSL. They are telling me it's a problem with my card.
No, no it's not. How can it be a problem with my card if they are able to keep charging me a buck at a time, and two months ago and before, they were able to charge the whole amount correctly?
It's not making sense to me.
Ugh. It's pissing me off.
I'm just gonna wait a few more days and see if it goes through and if not, I'm calling and demanding a supervisor.

I have my PainManagmentDoc appointment tomorrow. That should be fun.
Doc: So Kat, how have you been doing since the last visit?
Me: Doc, do you really want to know or are you just being fucking polite?
I'm so over all of this shit.
Years and years of medication has fucked up my body to the point of no return it seems.
Doc Moreno wanted to know on my last visit with him if I was working. I said no, they qualified me as disabled. And now, with all the rest of this shit that's going on, it doesn't look like even if I wanted to be working, I could.
I'm tired and frustrated.

March 13, 2007

Firefox is still messed up

for me, but it's ok cuz I'm still too sick to give a shit.
I'm so damn tired and achy. This really sucks people. You have no idea.
I'm exhausted from being sick. I hate this. I have no energy at all, I just keep sleeping.
Heading back to bed again now.
I just want to feel better. That's all.

Is anyone else

having some weird issues with FF?
Some pages are not loading correctly, like no css, no graphics, wicked small fonts. etc.
It started last night, I uninstalled it, reinstalled it, it's still doing it.

March 12, 2007

The boys are driving me nuts with the games.

I know they don't mean to, I know they are just having fun, but damn.
I feel like fricking hell and as hard as I tried to be able to try and get back to some normalcy, today was simply not the day.
I made them shut it off and I yelled.
This sucks.

Always looking.

For a good deal that is.
With 3 cats, I need to save money on their supplies. I found another really good site for that, Jeffers pet supplies
.
Their prices are very good, comparable and even less than some of the others.
They have a bargain center full of good stuff, meds and toys. The cats love toys.
At Christmas, they each have their own stocking and I give them each a can of canned food, and a whole bunch of kitty toys which they promptly lose under the couch and fridge.
Cheap toys are good for this...LOL
Ooooh, they have cute socks too. I just might have to get some of those.

We have one. Will any more come forward?

Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) is an acknowledged atheist.
He is the first Congress member in history to acknowledge his nontheism.
That is awesome.
He has been serving for 33 years, is elected till 2009.
You can check out his Wikipedia entry to find out more about him.
It looks like he's actually a decent, caring, moral guy. Looks like he's done some good things while he's been serving.
How funny.
Why?
Cuz ya know, that stereotype that all atheists are immoral, uncaring heathens.
Heh.

So I changed the focus of my private blog.

It is no longer private.
You can find it here, and subscribe to the feed here if you want.
I decided to make it strictly about entertainment. Movies, music, tv, etc.
It's still new, still adding things to it, but it's something I wanted to do for awhile now.
It was wasted space since I wasn't posting private stuff there much anymore.

The only thing that sucks about being home

from the hospital is I'm getting dehydrated. Or maybe it's the meds they gave me drying me out or something. I seriously have cotton mouth big time.
I keep sucking down water as much as I hate it, and my mouth is still super dry, I can't pee.
Yeah, I know, TMI.
I didn't call the gastro doc yet. I'm wicked tired and sore, don't feel like talking to him again right now.
I saw him far too many times over the last 4 days to want to chat with him again, know what I mean?
Blah. I just want to sleep and sleep.

When I do get a new sofa,

I want a sleeper sofa.
Sebastian ruined my couch over the last year, and while I'm not getting into that again, I do want a new couch soon.
I need to do some serious work, lots of budgeting, build my credit up, and then get a new one.
I really like this one, funny how it's named Sebastian. Heh.
I also love, love this one. If it was a bit lighter in color, it would be perfect.
I want a sleeper sofa because as the boys and their friends get older, they are outgrowing just laying on the couch.
Plus, when I have Tina and her son Norman over, Tina wouldn't be so squished on the couch either.
Plus, if Shell came to visit me again, she could stay here with me instead of a hotel.
I also want a bigger, newer house. But all good things in due time.

TOOL rescheduled!!!

Ok, I absolutely have to get better, and I absolutely have to get back to making money.
I missed 4 damn days man, that sucks.
TOOL had canceled their tour dates because Danny tore his bicep. The dates have been rescheduled now and they will be playing Tampa on May 29th at the USF Sundome.
I'm so there!
I love them but have never been lucky enough to see them.
I have to go man. Have to.
It's killing me right now to sit here but I am gonna go lay down and rest again and then try to get back to normal things, blogging, PPP, and stuff.
Damn. I could have used those 4 days for this.
I only have a little bit of time to get the money for the ticket sale on the 24th.
Gah!!!

March 11, 2007

I don't even know what to say.

Myself and Sebastian went in to the er for our very bad coughs, and they asked me if my stomach was still having issues. I said yes, which was true, I had just barfed my brains out in the er bathroom. Suddenly, I was being poked and prodded by 3 different doctors, a cardiac, and two gastros.
I was admitted Thursday afternoon and tested tons more.
I had a barium cat scan, an endoscopy, a colonoscopy, and then this morning, I had a barium xray test which last 3 and a half hours.
They still can't find the cause of all my tummy troubles so, I have to call the one gastro back on Monday and schedule a test involving a pill camera.
It takes something like 55,000 pictures in 8 hours.
Yay.
What we do know is, that I have a hiatal hernia, gastroenteritis, and an extremely high white blood cell count.
They can't find any other cause of the problems I have.
My ulcers are not flared up at all. They can't even see that they have been an issue at all. So those other doctors who said it was my ulcer, were wrong.
I now have 3 new medications and no fucking answers.
I will try to answer all your emails as best I can.
I do want to say thank you to Christine for the Netflix gift, thank you so much.
I also want to say thank you to Mindy for the box of beautiful things. I will post more about that later.

I'm frigging exhausted. I had a hellish stay.
I was in a room with a 90 something year old woman on DNR and she kept taking off her oxygen in the middle of the night setting off alarms and screaming for help.
Then I was in a room with an older woman who had a wild and loud baptist minister who came to pray over her.
And me.
At 10pm at night.
Loudly.
I had so many tests and vitals taken at all freaking hours of the day and night, I don't think I slept at all the whole time I was there.
I will hopefully sleep tonight.
Later days.

March 10, 2007

Guess.jpg


Guess.jpg
Originally uploaded by onecattykat.
Where i am? came in thursday for a bad cough, admitted for high white cell count. so far, i have a hernia, gastroenteritis, and something yet undetermined. im ok, just super tired and hungry. they have not let me eat since i got here. its been depressing. one room mate was dnr, and my new one is very sick and crying. i am hoping to be let go tomorrow after some more tests. the boys are with sis, are ok. im tired of being sick. :(

March 7, 2007

No. No. No. No.

Sebastian is now as sick as I am. He's coughed so hard tonight, he's barfed three times.
He's in bed now, he actually went around 9, he couldn't take it anymore.
At least once he passed out, he stopped coughing.
This sucks so bad.

Blarghle ugh poop.

I really hate being sick. I'm so over this sick shit. Over it. Done.
I have no energy, I'm exhausted, sleeping only long enough to let the mucus build back up, and then have my own body jolt and jerk me awake in a massive, spastic coughing fit.
This sucks.

Crazy Hip Blog mamas #22

carnivalblogmamas.gif

This weeks theme = “What was your favorite t.v. show when you were a kid?”

The 70's weren't the best time for tv shows, but the Saturday morning kids shows were pretty cool.
One of my favorites was Land of the Lost.
It was far fetched, it was a combination of prehistoric and futuristic.
You had a modern day family trapped in some weird world where dinosaurs were and also these strange creatures from the future called Sleestacks.
The original series from 1974-1977, was campy and cheesy, but fun.
They tried to redo the show again in the late 90's, with a family in a jeep. But it sucked.
The show never had an official ending, but the whole series can be purchased on dvd now.
I don't know how kids today would react to it, it was really low graphics and kids today expect everything to be mind blowing.
We watched it and we liked it.

March 6, 2007

Well it's that time.

Time for me to get to bed and try to rest this rapidly falling apart body.
It just isn't fair I tell ya.
Get back fixed, get lowered immunity and catch everything that comes along.
get bursitis.
Catch a hell of a cough and fever, with a cough so bad it's making my ear drums pop and my right lung feel like it's on fire.
I won't even begin to tell you about my other body functions which are causing varying degrees of concern and insane laughter from me.
Good night y'all.

It wasn't the best year for music.

I found this over on Christine's blog.

Here’s what to do: Visit PopCultureMadness.com. Find the year you turned 18 (I just entered the year in the search thingy at the top of the page). Then, copy and paste the top 18 songs from that year into your blog.

Then...BOLD the ones you like, STRIKEOUT the ones you hated, ITALICIZE the ones you were neutral about, and any you’ve not heard of at all, leave unformatted.

1. What A Wonderful World* - Louis Armstrong
*didn't even make it in the top 100 when released in 1967!
2. It Takes Two - Rob Base & E-Z Rock
3. Da Butt - EU
4. Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
5. I'll Always Love You - Taylor Dayne
6. Sweet Child Of Mine - Guns N Roses
7. Hot Hot Hot - Buster Poindexter
8. Just Got Paid - Johnny Kemp
9. Paradise - Sade
10. Kokomo - Beach Boys
11. Man In The Mirror - Michael Jackson
12. Red Red Wine - UB40
13. Don't Worry, Be Happy - Bobby McFerrin
14. Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
15. Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N Roses
16. Pump Up The Volume - M/A/R/R/S
17. One Moment In Time - Whitney Houston
18. Wild, Wild West - Kool Moe Dee

Thank you Richard.

Richard helped me out this week fixing my private site. I removed all my posts, exported them for my own personal history, and burned all my archival stuff to a disc.
The site was going pretty much unused after my surgery. It had been a place for me to post all the nitty gritty private details of things prior to, and after the surgery. Then it went dead because I had nothing much left to say on it anymore.
But I still had the site space so I figured why not use it?
But my problem is, that I didn't know how to add a sidebar and other MT type stuff to it.
Richard set all that up for me, got it working great.
Thanks so much Richard, I really appreciate it.
You should all go over and check out Richard's blog sometime, he writes some cool stuff.

The death of a president.

Death of a President is a fictional documentary about the assassination of 43rd United States President George W. Bush. It is directed by British filmmaker Gabriel Range. The film uses archive footage, actors, and computer effects to portray an assassination of the 43rd American president. The film covers topics of civil disobedience, racial profiling, the reduction of civil liberties, sensationalism, and just-war theory.

The film was basically banned by two of Americas biggest theater chains, Regal and Cinemark. CNN and NPR refused to run ads for the movie.

If you want to see the film, you can watch it on Google video, here.

Filed under entertainment and politics.
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March 5, 2007

Verizon, part 3.

I have blogged about my recent billing issues with Verizon DSL here and here.
My last update on February 23rd, I was assured by a supervisor, that my card would be charged that day.
Today is March 5th and I still have not been charged the correct amount of $37.95.
I have still only been billed a total of $5.00
My service is still on as you can see, but the money is still sitting in my account, untouched.

Can you believe this shit?
I mean honestly, all I want to do is pay the bill. I've called them multiple times now in an attempt to pay this damn bill, and they keep telling me it's been billed when I can clearly see that it hasn't.
Seriously, look at this;

02/15/2007 Purchase - VERIZON INTERNET SOL ($1.00)
02/19/2007 Purchase - VERIZON INTERNET SOL ($1.00)
02/19/2007 Purchase - VERIZON INTERNET SOL ($1.00)
02/19/2007 Purchase - VERIZON INTERNET SOL ($1.00)
02/23/2007 Purchase - VERIZON INTERNET SOL ($1.00)

One of the 15th, 3 on the 19th, and 1 on the 23rd.
Is that not crazy?
I don't understand this at all.
I don't know if I should call them again, or just say screw it, their mistake, tough shit. If it came down to proving how many times I've tried to pay it, I can print out and mail, or email my CC statement o them.
What would you do?

Technorati tags

My right lung is burning.

It hurts every time I cough, just that one.
Ugh.

Anyways, I've not had a very good day.
I kinda snapped on some people today, but I had good reason.
The immature antics of people piss me off, and it was time that certain people knew that I know about what happened at Christmas.
I was invited to have dinner with a very good friend of mine, and because some of the other people who had been invited didn't know me enough to like me, they made him un-invite myself and another friend he invited.
I've known about it for a long time, he told me what happened.
Maybe it's because I'm not feeling good that I finally said something, but whatever, it's been said and done.
Shit like that just annoys me.

Anyway, I feel like I've been hit by a bus. Everything aches and my right lung hurts wicked bad. If it stays like this, I'll go to the doctor.
I'm just so over being sick and sore all the time.

Just make it stop already.

I woke up this morning to coughing and hacking, painful coughing.
I'm talking about me here.
I am sick.
Again.
I'm so over this crap.
I coughed so hard this morning, I almost barfed, and my ear drum popped.
That hurt.
Seriously, what the frigging hell?
I can't take this crap much more.
I catch frigging everything!
Gah!

March 4, 2007

Brothers and sisters for 3/4/2007.

This is a show when it started, I wasn't too sure about. I hate Calista Flockhart. Hate her.
But Sally Fields was in it, I adore her, so I had to give it a try.
The boys and I have been watching it every week following Desperate Housewives.
Yes, the boys watch both these shows with me.
They enjoy them and if they go to bed early on Sunday nights like they did tonight because they have FCATs in the morning, they always ask me what else happened.

Well tonight's show was interesting.
The family had a suspicion that Holly's daughter was really the love child of Holly and William, and tonight it was confirmed.
They kids, all adults now, had decided to keep it from the mom, (Fields) but Sol, her brother told her so she wouldn't be surprised.
Sarah, the oldest daughter took it a step further, mostly out of her hatred for Holly for having an affair with her father, and told Holly's daughter.
Holly had never told her, and so when it all hit the fan, the kid pretty much went nuts. Her whole life had basically been a lie.
It's an interesting show if you haven't watched it yet, worth it if you like Fields, just ignore Flockhart if you can't stand her like me. I usually take my bathroom breaks when her scenes come on. She annoys me.

The plans I had for today

didn't happen, so I spent the whole day being utterly lazy.
I laid on the couch and watched movies the entire day.
My shoulder is starting to feel a bit better. I think that shot is finally starting to kick in.
I really don't have much else to say because nothing much has happened today.
Just a lot of lazy movie watching with the cats.
Later days.

March 3, 2007

It really does pay off.

In October of last year, I got a purchasing scanner from a company called Shoppers Hotline.
I've been doing this (as described in my post linked above) pretty faithfully. There were plenty of times since October, I didn't do it, I just forgot, or didn't want to scan the really small purchases I was making.
But in today's mail, were two pieces of mail from them.
One was a computer disc to install, (only if I wanted to) which monitors what sites I go to. No, it doesn't install a tool bar. That was going to be a huge turn off for me if it did, so I installed it.
The program tracks what sites you go to** and then sends you surveys every once in awhile to complete on sites you visit or whatever. They pay you for these. In cash.

The other piece of mail contained an my e-count card.
I registered my new card, logged in and there was money on it. Spendable real cash.
$25 to be exact.
And because I had just installed the disc, $10 will be applied to my Shoppers' Hotline Debit Card after I registered and participate for two weeks* (this includes a $5 installation bonus and a $5 payment for the first quarter) and an additional $5 applied to my debit card each quarter I remain active for the year — for a total of $25 for the first year.
Plus, for each additional year I remain active, they'll apply $5 to my Debit Card each quarter for a total of $20 per year.
Plus, additional incentives for completion of surveys.
Plus, whatever earnings I accumulate by scanning my groceries.

So this has been worth it so far. I see it as free money. It may not be a ton of money, but it's free for taking a few minutes to scan my stuff.
If I can find the register page again, (it's been moved and I can't find it) or maybe they aren't taking new shoppers on, I will post it up and let you know.

** I have no problem with this because it's basically doing what Google and Alexa do, track what sites I go to and rank them.

They must think I'm weak.

I'm talking about the bible thumping people who find my site and choose to try and save me.
Maybe it's because I appear to not have a brain, that because I post kid stories or song lyrics, that somehow, I'm not really an atheist, and just a weak minded individual who needs saving.
I know there are other bloggers out there like Stupid Evil Bastard, and Alan Mackenzie, whom these people would probably feel intimidated talking to this way.
So there's definitely something about the way I post that says, "Look! We found one! We can save this one!"

Yesterdays little fun with some of the religious, turned into an all day, all night email session to save me.
I want to stress that not all Christians behave this way. I am actually very dear friends with several very religious people on the net like CJ, who has never once in all the many years we have known each other on line, condemned me to hell for not believing in God.
I need to make it very clear, that the things I say to some of these people, and about religion in general, does not apply to all Christians. There are very good people out there who understand that not all of us need to believe the same things. They are open to true dialog on the subject, they can hear my side, ask me questions, I can ask them questions, and neither of us feel threatened by the other's views.

With that said, let's talk about Betty.
Betty found my site yesterday and has made it her mission to save me.
She's the one who asked me to take the test.
Betty is one very determined individual. I'll give her that much credit.
But what Betty doesn't understand about me is that I enjoy this back and forth. It passes the time when I'm bored. It makes me giggle.
Betty doesn't understand that I'm really not up for the saving she's offering.

There were 13 emails back and forth between Betty and I yesterday, and she has promised me more. She was tired at midnight and needed to go to bed. But she promised me she would be back.
I can hardly wait.

It started off with her telling me there was no fossil proof of evolution. So I showed her there was. That we have indeed found fossils of certain fish that through various fossil stages, had shown to evolve and go from strictly underwater creatures with gills and fins, to fish that contained both gills and lungs and legs and flippers with fingers.
They clearly spent time on both land and water.

We discussed who wrote the bible, how many years ago, how many continents it was written on.
Then we ventured into the traditional questions that Kirk Cameron loves to attack people with on the streets.

Do you consider yourself to be a good person? Ever told a lie? Stolen ? Committed adultery? Looked with lust? Used God's name as a curse word? Always honored your parents? If so, you've broken God's Law and because God is good, must punish you. That place of punishment is Hell. The Bible says each man will see himself good in his own eyes. It also says God alone is good. (morally excellent). Be honest, if you've lied, you've done it knowningly, against your conscience. God gave us a consciene (it means "with knowledge") When we break God's Law, we do it willingly.

To which I answered all of them honestly and finishing with my usual, those are God's laws, not mans, they don't apply to me.

Pretty much everything Betty asked me, I answered honestly and it was followed by her reciting scripture to me.
Over and over and over.
For many, many emails. Me, speaking like a normal human being, her speaking like a preacher on high shouting bible verses at me like it was going to eventually sink in and make me slap my forehead and start repenting.
Note to other thumpers. This tactic of just reciting scripture is yawn inducing. If it's supposed to save us, it's failing.

She kept asking me to take the test again and again. I did keep taking it. For fun. I kept changing my answers to see what different results I would get.
Some of them were kind of funny.

I digress.
I replied back to her, and she replied back to me. Her replies to me are quoted.

I took the test. No, I'm not good enough to go to heaven, but it doesn't matter anyway because there is no heaven or hell.

Where do you get that information? When you were in your Mom's tummy, were you aware that there was a big ole world out there? Jesus said you must be born again, what is born of flesh is flesh, but what is born of God's Spirit is spirit. This is eternal life, to know God, and His Son whom He has sent.

Did you not understand that about me yet? I am an atheist, and absolutely nothing you can say is going to change my mind, make me repent, ask forgiveness, and be a deaf, and blind, and dumb follower of a fictitious story.
What we believe does not negate reality. If I am standing in front of a train on the tracks, even if I don't believe the train will hit me...it is coming.

Again with the vehicle analogy.
By this time, I'm getting really bored with this game. I replied to her, but I admit, I was a bit testy with her now.
"Because the train is real Betty. Everything about that train is real.
I can't believe you all use the same tactics.
Oh yes I can, the way of the master tells you to use these on people to try and confuse them about what is real and what isn't.
The truck analogy. The train analogy.
Those things are very real and I can prove them to you. You can see the train, touch the train, feel it, heck you might even get to ride on one someday. I rode on one, my grandfather built the tracks from Massachusetts all the way to New England and up. It's 100% very real.
I have no proof of Gods existence. None, zero, zippo, zilch.
We can go around and around forever on this Betty.
You believe, great, happy for you. If it helps get you through your life, more power to you. You cannot save me.
I say there is no heaven or hell because that is what I believe. It's my right as a human being to think any way I want to. If we go by your gods book, he gave us free will Betty. Quit trying to take mine from me. It will never happen.
Go find a weaker mind to convert.

You are invading my time, my life, my right to live as I see fit under free will. You had a choice to read my site today. You chose it with your own free will. You could have clicked away, but noooo, you decided to try and save a person who doesn't want to be saved.
I've conversed a better part of my day with you, and you still keep coming around to the same points. You simply can't accept that there are people who don't want god. That we don't care one way or another. That life is what we make of it here and now, not in some fictional afterlife.
I don't want god. I don't want to be saved. I don't want to ask forgiveness. I don't want to believe. I don't need these things Betty.
I'm also not some nitwit who hasn't read the bible. I've been 100% honest with you about everything, the test, my thoughts, my feelings. What have you done other than speak at me like a preacher condemning me to fire and brimstone?
This is my choice Betty.
You must accept it.
Go pray on it every night and come back to me daily if you feel like it, to ask if all your prayers to save my soul have worked yet.
I'll bet you $1,000 that your prayers to save my soul will never come to fruition."
Then she comes at me with a reply to a previous email I sent her on the atrocities God performed and condoned in the bible. I had sent it to her hours previous.
She finally replied to that one.
I told her I was getting bored with this game, this tactic was boring. Anyone can recite scripture, I can too. Speak to me with your own mind and I'll be happy to continue.
That's when she told me she had to go to bed.

While typing this just now, I got two more emails from Betty. She must be wide awake and ready for the game to continue.
She wants my phone number. I don't think so.
Nope. No way. I have a feeling she'll talk so much the battery on my phone will die.

March 2, 2007

The sanity it brings me.

I cannot explain what it is about TOOL that sets me right.
I don't know how to explain it.
It all just makes sense to me when I hear their music.
What is all? It's just everything.
It's the sound of their music, the lyrics, the sound of Maynard's voice.

I remember the first time I heard them. It was around 2 in the morning because that's when MTV's headbangers ball was on. I was up feeding Mark who was just a tiny baby.
I would always get up, warm his bottle, and sit in the recliner and feed him. I would turn on MTV and leave the volume on low so it didn't disturb him.
That's when I saw Sober.
This video came on, this strange but intriguing guitar started, and I watched and listened to this amazing piece of music. That was it. I was hooked.
The next day I went out and bought Undertow.
I must have listened to the entire cd a thousand times in the weeks that followed.
I couldn't stop listening to it. I told every one I knew, they had to hear this.
These lyrics hung on me like a soft and worn out out coat.

I am just a worthless liar.
I am just an imbecile.
I will only complicate you.
Trust in me and fall as well.

I will find a center in you.
I will chew it up and leave,
I will work to elevate you
just enough to bring you down.

Trust me.


Over the past years, I've bought every single one of their cds and fallen in love with all of them.
Something about all those powerful lyrics, mixed with some heavy music, held onto me more tightly than any other band has been able to do.
With each new cd, I found songs I could totally relate to, I found songs I laughed about, cried over.
His songs about his mother, (Maynard's mom) made my heart ache.
The song, Wings for Marie PT.2, off of 10,000 days, kills me every time I hear it.
You're the only one who can hold your head up high,
Shake your fists at the gates saying:
"I've come home now!
Fetch me the spirit, the son, and the father.
Tell them their pillar of faith has ascended.
It's time now!
My time now!
Give me my, give me my wings!"

You are the light and way that they will only read about.

Set as I am in my ways and my arrogance,
(With the) burden of proof tossed upon the believers.
You were my witness, my eyes, my evidence,
Judith Marie, unconditional one.


It makes me tear up just reading them. I can hear the song in my head when I read them. I feel this anguish and heartache.

I love the songs about religion, I am drawn to them, they invoke parts of me, fill me with rage at the idiocy and blind faith of it all.
He sings what I'm thinking.
From Opiate:

If you want to get your soul to heaven,
trust in me.
Don't judge or question.
You are broken now,
but faith can heal you.
Just do everything I tell you to do.
Deaf and blind and dumb and born to follow.
Let me lay my holy hand upon you.

Even on 10,000 days, when some of the songs have a spiritual nature, I can still hear how it bothers him.
Some people say that after the passing of his mother, he found God.
But I still hear the battle within himself, not quite sure anymore, wanting to believe his mother is in a better place, but still having his own doubts.
His music evolves with him as he grows older and changes.
Every piece, every note, every word, finds a way into me.
They find a way to fit into me.
I am greatful when music can do that.
Music isn't just something I listen to, to dance to, it's always on, not just ambient noise, I always hear it.
It makes me feel alive, stirring in me emotions and memories.
TOOL does that all the time. Every one of their songs hits me some where, reminds me that I'm still right here.

Alexa what?

I'm sure most people know by now about Alexa rankings. It's kinda like Google PR, except the lower your Alexa number, the better. With Google PR, the higher your PR, 0-10, the better.

If you use Firefox, you can install the Search Status extension, which does the exact same thing as the Alexa tool bar for IE, but you don't have to use IE, or install that tool bar which sets off most spyware catchers alarms.

Once you install it and restart your FF browser, the extension will give you your Google PR plus your Alexa ranking.
This will be the bar with blue on it.

How it works is this, every hit to your site or any site you visit, is counted once per day, per ip, towards your Alexa ranking.
Even your own first visit to your site everyday.
These hits to your site and others you visit, will help lower Alexa scores.

How else can you improve your Alexa?
Edit your contact info on your Alexa page.
How do you do that?
Well once you have the extension installed, go to your own site and right click on the bar with blue on it that is now installed on your status bar at the bottom of your FF browser.
Click on overview.
This will open up your Alexa page in a new window.
Click on the button that says edit info.
Edit your contact info.
You must have your own domain or the ability to add a site map to your site to be able to do this. Alexa requires a domain email to confirm you own your site, or a way to verify it's yours (site map).
Once you've gone through the verification process, you can ask others to write reviews for you on your Alexa page.
This will take them to Amazon.com to write the actual review.
The reviewer must have purchased from Amazon at least once, and be logged into their Amazon account in order to write a review.

That's it. These simple steps will help improve your Alexa rankings.
Much has been said recently about using this extension, that it's gaming Alexa. It's not. It does the exact same thing as the IE Alexa tool bar.
So go get it, keep it updated, and improve your ranking.

Blogger power.

I am copying this as is, and pasting it here, as is.

As bloggers we have the outlet and, I believe, the responsibility, to communicate worthy messages to massive numbers of people. My friend Doris has found a way for us to use our talents to further the cause of online safety for children. She’s asked me to help spread the message of the Blogger Power: Safeguard the Web for Children project. Someone, somewhere, siezed the idea to share the message through a meme, wherein each blogger who receives it contributes to its viral growth by sending it on to others. Individually we can all do something. Together we can have a tremendous impact. Here’s the Blogger Power message that addresses one aspect of child safety online:

To all webmasters of “adult content” websites:

Please require a password-protected login before allowing even free access to explicit adult content. We understand that selling porn is your business and we respect your right to make a legal living. But understand our legitimate concerns and work with us. You already have the “warning adult content” on your websites. Yet kids, who are not legal customers of your product, ignore the warning. So to prevent them from having direct access to explicit images, texts and sounds, the simplest way is to have a password-protected login. No more “free tours” before a visitor supplies basic information.

I've been asked to tag 20 other bloggers with this message.
By posting this message, I know I am reaching more than 20 other bloggers.
I am sure if people want to pass this message on, they will.
It is an important message, I agree with passing it on, but I know I am reaching a far wider audience by posting it here. Thousands will see it and paste it on their own sites, passing it on to thousands of others.

Oh No! Not the eternal fires of hell! Whatever shall I do?!

I've stirred up some trouble with some religious folks again.
I wrote yesterday about the banana being the atheists nightmare.
I've gotten two comments on it so far. I think I may leave that post open even after the 5 day closing period in case there are more coming.
Basically, I was told that it's all tongue in cheek, but they did prove a point.
No, no it didn't.
By the way, bananas and humans share 60% of the same exact DNA.
Humans and bonobos, (species of chimp) share 95% of the same exact DNA.
What does that tell us? That we humans and bonobos evolved from the same species. We both branched off from the same species.

Now, I'm being told there is no scientific proof of evolution because of fossils.
"There are no transitional fossil forms."
Really? Then explain to me about the Ichthyostega fish, and the Acanthostega fish.
Please go ahead.

Then I was told I needed to take a test at Needgod.com. Ya know, to find out if I'm going to burn for all eternity in hell.
Ok, I'll take the test.
Well, I failed that one.
Then it asked me if I was concerned about going to hell.
I said no, it's the truth, because for me, there is no hell. I'm atheist. No heaven, no hell.

Oh not again with the truck analogy.
"Perhaps you feel safe because you don't believe in Hell. This can be likened to standing in the middle of a busy highway and shouting, "I don't believe in trucks!" Your belief or disbelief in trucks will not change reality. The same applies in this situation. Your disbelief in Hell will not cause it to cease to exist."
Um, trucks exist. That's reality.
We can see them, drive them, hear and see them whizzing by. Only an idiot would stand in the middle of a busy highway full of trucks.

Well that was fun. Please come back and play with me some more.

I'm getting new appliances.

This afternoon, I am getting a brand new Maytag washer and dryer.
It's a set. brand spanking new.
My sister and her husband bought a new house and are moving in today.
The previous owners had left a brand new set in the house, as part of the package.
My sis and her hubby already have a brand new set, and know that my set is about 8 years old and not working right all the time.
Heck, my dryer door thing is broken.
That means that even when you open the door while the dryer is on, it doesn't shut off.
My washer's hot water function stopped working sometime last year, so we had to switch the hoses around to get any water flow at all, now it just runs on cold.
I'm so excited to be getting a new set!

I can't get the hoses off though.
Yes, I tried. But my shoulder hurts too much and they are on there super tight.
Sis said she'll do it when they get here.
But I did clean up all the clothes and other things that were on it, in it still waiting to be folded, etc.
Weee!!

My get up and go is still sleeping.

I'm up but not moving much.
I have a lot of things on my mind. Things I need to work out, accept that it's happening, and then let it go because there's nothing I can do about it.
Nothing.
It is what it is, and that's that.
*sigh*
I need to get some food in me too.
I need to go for my walk too.
Maybe I'll go for a walk and stop for breakfast somewhere.
Later days.

March 1, 2007

Raw.

Tonight the boys and I watched Eddie Murphy's Raw.
They laughed their butts off.

I love old Eddie. I like some of the things he's done in past years, but his old stand up is the best by far in my opinion.
I's kind of fun introducing the boys to old comedy classic. I do consider Raw to be classic too.
I mean, who hasn't laughed their asses off over mammas' welfare burgers?

Baby you can drive my car.

Mark is still studying for his drivers license, still reading the book so he can pass the written portion and then in August, take his actual road test. I think he got slightly discouraged because he didn't pass it the first time, so he's being extra cautious now and really studying it.
But when he does get his permit and be able to start driving with it, there are some cool gadgets out there that might help him be a better driver. The Park N Place garage parking aid, is an illuminated stop sign for garages or carports, to prevent damage to walls or let them know when they've backed in too far.
If it gets tapped or hit, it starts flashing. You can change it's height on the flexible pole so it's viewable to whoever is driving.
Knowing when you've pulled in far enough is actually a good product for everyone. Hanging a tennis ball on a string is what most people do, but I've seen people hit those and keep going anyway because it's not really making a big enough noise when it hits your car to alert you.
A big flashing stop sign would.

I really like the rules of the road dvd. I think that might be a good purchase for Mark.
He does love to read, but absorbing all that information from a book is a bit daunting. I think that's also why he didn't pass it the first time.
Whenever he's in the car and we're just driving along, we quiz him a bit on road signs, rules etc.
He might be more of a visual learner, so this dvd could work. Then I'd have it for Sebastian to watch too when he becomes of age for his permit and license.
The magnetic student driver signs would be cool to have too. Help alert other drivers that there's a student behind the wheel.
I'm sure George and sis wouldn't have a problem putting these on their cars when Mark is driving with them.
Definitely some products to think about. I'll most likely get the dvd this month so Mark can start studying better.


Thanks for all your wishes.

I fell asleep after my last post. I laid down to watch another tape and when it finished, I passed out.
The boys came in and woke me up, said happy birthday, kissed me on the forehead, and let me go back to sleep.
Guess I needed those 3 hours.

Dinner is super easy and being cooked by them.
Fish fillets and fries.
While I slept, they started all the laundry and the dishes without me having to ask.
That was wicked nice.

I need to catch up on all my emails and other things now.
Later days.

Wash on, wash off.

The boys will be home soon, I need them to help me with the dishes.
I tried to do them this morning.
Uh, yeah, no.
Damn shoulder. !@#%%$#@!##$%

I just have two more episodes of Twin Peaks to watch.
Man I miss this show.
I need to get the whole series on DVD as soon as they release it.
Mark is even enjoying it with me.
Not much else happening right now.
I'm sure I'll be back later.

I'll eat what I want, thanks.

It's my birthday so I'm eating something totally unhealthy for breakfast.
Fudge swirl ice cream with kettle corn popcorn thrown in.
It's yummy.
Don't hate. It's tasty.

Can't. Stop. Laughing.

This is video of Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron of The Way of the Master, discussing the intelligent design of bananas.

Bananas are perfect from God.
I can't stop laughing.
This is the atheists nightmare according to them.
They say that this is how bananas have always been. No. Not quite.
This is what wild bananas look like.
They were small and contained seeds.
After thousands of years of farming and domestication, they were changed, evolved.
Heh.
*chuckle*

My birthday horrilescope.

You're a fascinating person with more layers than you think. You may understand a few things, but there are far more levels and emotions to your personality. Pay more attention to your inner workings.
___________________

Today is my 37th birthday.
I might make a cake.
Or not.
I'm not sure what I'll be doing today, probably just goofing off as usual.
But right now, my tired birthday butt needs sleep.
Later days.