Randomness

Just call me "wrong way".

Sunday, Arkieboy wanted to go to church where our neighbors go. We had went there once before (last year, I think). I felt pretty confident that I still knew how to get there. Sunday school started at 9:00. At 10 after 8:00, I told Arkieboy I needed to go put gas in the car, and asked if he wanted to come with me, and head on to the church, or if he would prefer I come back by the house and pick him up. He decided to come with me. So, we go to the gas station, and are back on the highway, heading west out of town at 8:23. At 8:29, I'm making a right turn on the road that I was pretty sure was the right one. I know that I will have to make a left turn off of this road. We pass two roads, that I'm sure are not the right ones, and drive a little bit further. I tell Arkieboy that I don't remember driving this far down the road, and maybe this was not the right road. We turn around, and I get back on the main highway, heading further west. When we get to the N.T. bridge, I know I've missed the road somewhere, because we did *NOT* pass under the bridge the first time we went to this church. We turn around and head back towards town. I'm driving slow, and looking at each street sign, checking for the right name. I never see it. I know where that particular street starts, and drive into town to get on that end, and head back west. We follow this road, and come to a left turn. Arkieboy says that's the road. I say no, and keep going straight. Eventually, I see another street sign. Guess what? Yep, another u-turn, and we head back to the road Arkieboy said to turn on. Follow it to the end, which is back on the road we first turned on way up ^there^. Follow it almost to the end, which would put us back on the highway, so I make a quick turn onto the first road we passed earlier, that I was sure wasn't the right one. It wasn't. So, one more u-turn, back on to H.Road and turning on the second road that I was sure wasn't the right one. It wasn't. Another turn around, get back on H. Road, and we pass one road, that I just don't think is right. We're driving, driving, driving, and I *KNOW* I've gone too far. Turn around AGAIN! Decide I need to try that last road that I thought was wrong. Almost miss it, but still make the turn. It's the right one! Yay! Finally, at 9:20, we've arrived. Did I mention that arkieboy hates being late? I tried to spin it as being 40 minutes early for the church service instead of 20 minutes late for Sunday School. He wasn't buying it. I hate to be late, too, and am not going to walk in somewhere new, and not know where I'm supposed to be when I'm late, so we wait out in the car until a few minutes before 10:00.

After the services, our neighbor invites us to go eat Chinese with them, as several people from the church go eat at this one place after church every Sunday. The first time we went to this church, we went out afterwards with the neighbors to this restaurant. Arkieboy wants to go, so I say sure. As we get out to the car, arkieboy asks if I think we should wait and just follow the neighbors. No, I say, I know where this place is, no problem. I get out on the road, going in the right direction, and this road ends at Hwy ###. I have to turn either right or left. I go left, because I *know* where I'm going. To be funny, as soon as I turn, I say to arkieboy, Oh! I think I should have gone the other way. Ha! Ha! Ha! He wasn't as amused by that as I was. I pass a particular road, and know that I really should have turned right. I turn around and head back. I find the place. Thankfully, the neighbors haven't made it yet.

I had told the neighbor lady about my misdirection when we went inside the church. Somehow, it came up again while we were eating, so I told the amusing story again to everyone at the table, and then had to add the latest misadventure.

After lunch, we walked outside. Arkieboy asks if I know how to get home. Then neighbor lady walks up and asks the same question. Oddly enough, I usually can find my way straight home. (Ok, so there have been a couple of times when I couldn't do it the first attempt.)

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OK, I never thought I would see that.

I had to stop by the store this evening to pick up a particular feminine product. As I am walking down the aisle, there is this guy standing in front of the shelf where this product is displayed. As I get closer, he turns to me and asks if I can help him. Sure. He says "I need the pads with wings. Well, *I* don't need them, but..." He picks up one package and asks if they have wings. They didn't so I showed him on another package what the picture of the winged type look like. He gets what he needs, thanks me, and says he's new to this.

So... a man who will not only buy pads, but will ask someone for help instead of just grabbing the first package he sees before anyone sees him on that aisle. LOL.

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Reality Show message boards

It seems like so many of the forums are so slow this season. Is it because the shows all suck this year? (Seems like that would have more people posting, to bash the shows). Are we all just burnt out? Are people going somewhere else to post?

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Weekend plans

Arkieboy wants to see the Simpsons Movie. He wanted to go to the first showing, which is at noon tomorrow. I Fandango'd a ticket for him, and will take him to the office with me in the morning, and then drop him off on my lunch break. We may go see it together tomorrow evening. That will depend on whether he likes it enough to see it twice. Saturday, after I work out, we will go shopping for school clothes. I will also need to pick up door hinges. Anyone know anything about hanging a door? We were moving the couch from the living room into the bonus room for arkieboy the other night, and had to take the door off the hinges. We couldn't get it back on, and we couldn't remove the pins to try it that way, because the painters who painted the house before I bought it painted all over the hinges and pin. I went and bought some new hinges, but the holes aren't the same as the old one hinges' holes, and I don't want to try to drill more holes. I'm hoping to find some just like the old ones. If not, I will be calling a handyman company, and have them come out and hang the door back for me.

Time to vote again

AACK!!! I gave y'all the wrong number. I've corrected it now. I'm number 86, not whatever I said before!

Yes! Yes! I made the first cut! But I still need your help! Please vote for me again!
Remember this is the tat to vote for, please, please, please!

I think this link will work: to vote for #86!

Happy Birthday to my pride and joy

16 years ago, you came into this world and changed my life for the better. Happy 16th birthday!

Thank you to those of you who have voted for my tattoo. You can vote once per day per email address, and the voting runs through the week. The contest runs for a few weeks, so *crosses fingers that I make the cut* For those of you who haven't voted, why not? Jen posted a link to the voting site in one of her comments in the post below- thank you so much, Jen! I still can't get to that site unless I use your shortcut. Something on my computer must be blocking it from working correctly. Please be sure after you vote to then check your email and verify your vote. Please, please? *puppy dog eyes*

And in an abrupt change of subject, I want this cookbook:

I was at Hastings the other day with arkieboy, and saw this. I didn't buy it because it was $35, and I wanted to wait and see what I could get it for at Barnes & Noble - good thing, with my membership discount, it will cost me $25.16 if I order it online, and since it's over $25, free shipping!

Grabbing thoughts out of the air

I've had several ideas for blog entries, but not when I'm able to blog. Then when I *am* able to blog, I don't remember my brilliant ideas. And trust me, they *were* brilliant. *grin* So, this entry is just going to be a smorgasbord of my thoughts.



Honesty and the lies we tell:

I go on a lot about honesty and how important it is to me. I don't like for people to lie to me. However, I lie on a regular basis. You know, those polite lies we tell. If someone asks how am I, I'm not going to load them down with how crappy things are, I just say I'm fine. But that's not always the truth. Another lie I tell is when people ask me if I'm crying. I hate to cry, and I hate to cry in front of people even more. Sometimes, I'm trying to get it under control, and I CANNOT talk about what made me cry without completely losing it. So if someone asks me if I'm crying, I will look you straight in the face and say no, I'm not.



On being scared:

I was on a business trip last week in Florida. Tuesday night, there was a power outage at the hotel and surrounding area. I'm not scared of the dark, per se, but it's different being in the dark by choice instead of it being forced on you. I could hear people walking up and down the halls and I tried to call my mom's house so I could at least talk to someone, but I kept getting a busy signal.



Time to cut the hair:

My hair is too long for me. It gets in the way when I'm trying to sleep. I'm constantly having to lift it so I'm not laying on it. Then last night? God, I about freaked out. I'm laying in the bed, I have my fans blowing (yes, fans, not fan. I have two fans blowing on me). Suddenly I feel something going across my shoulder blade. I jump up and start slapping at it, because I think it's a bug. A BIG bug. It was my hair, sliding across my skin. Time for a hair cut.



Help me, help me:

OK, so a local radio station is having a tattoo contest. You upload a pic of your tat, the listener's get to vote on who has the "biggest, baddest" one, and the winner gets a $250 gift certificate from Lone Wolf Body Art. I've uploaded this pic:

The voting starts Monday. Please, please, please, go to
1059.com and vote for my tat. I don't care that mine's not the biggest, baddest one, I want that gift certificate. I'm currently #29 of 39 if you view the gallery. There are some that are really cool, that if I wasn't entering, I would vote for. Others are pretty crappy looking. Or at least, the pic they submitted is crap. So, please, please, please, help me win so I can get another tat.

What's up with this writing in Hindi option?

हस अन्योने त्रिएद थिस? <---That says Has anyone tried this?

I go get arkieboy this weekend. I'm renting a friggin cargo van to go down there and haul his stuff back up here. I'm wondering how bad it's going to be to try to drive?

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

zombie (1x)

Expressing myself

You know, I've never been good at expressing myself. I have a hard time putting into words the thoughts going through my mind. Most times, it doesn't bother me. The arrogant part of me couldn't give a damn if others understand what I mean. Another part of me knows that people who *really* know and care about me, know enough to engage me and dig further to get to what I'm trying to say. But some times, I'm really frustrated by this weakness of mine.

Today is one of those times. Something was posted on OT that I wanted to address so badly, but I know I just don't have the words to express myself clearly, and it's driving me crazy. This is one of those things that I feel should not go unaddressed (which it hasn't, in that others have addressed it), but I want to express *MY* opinion. But it's one of those issues that push people's hot buttons, and I don't want to set anyone off by not stating my position clearly and being misunderstood. Now, if I was able to make my point succinctly, and someone who understood me clearly but got set off anyway, Oh, fucking well, get over it.

I know... you've missed the quizzes, haven't you?

You Are Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"We saved the world. I say we have to party."

What Superheroine Are You?

You are Barefoot!

You're a total free spirit, go with the flow girl You can't be restricted by shoes for very long And unsuprisingly, the same goes for men Your match is out there - and he's as carefree as you are

What Kind Of Women's Shoe Are You?

You Are A Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Girl

Popular. Friendly. Fun.

What Flavor Ice Cream Girl Are You?

You've Been Totally Ruined by American Culture

When people think "Dumb American," they're pretty much thinking you. Whether you know it or not, you've bought into the American way - the good, the bad, and the ugly. Your life comes down to working way too hard for cheap consumer goods... and distracting yourself with trashy pop culture. It's a pretty empty existence if you step back and think about it. You've got to change if you want your life to be more than standing in line at Wal-mart.

Has American Culture Ruined You?

You Are An Attention Seeker

You're only human, so you can't help but want a little attention every now and then. You love the spotlight, but only when it's well deserved. You'd hate to be known for the wrong thing. And you also don't mind sharing the spotlight. You can easily give someone else credit or a complement. You know there's enough attention to go around, and it makes you happy when your friends shine. You come across as: Friendly and interesting People may wrongly think you're: A little more modest than you actually are!

Are You An Attention Whore?

Look, it's a squirrel

And this is just a view of my side yard.

This one's for Augie

This is my hibiscus plant that grows by my mailbox. I love plants like this. I don't have to do anything to this, except cut it down in the fall.

Hair

I need to cut my hair, and color it. Any suggestions as to what style/color I should go with?

*panic attack*

OK, after reading the advice given at OT, I prepared this:

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
Highly organized and detail-focused Medicare Billing Manager with extensive knowledge of Medicare regulations and billing requirements.

________________________________________
EDUCATION
Associate’s Degree in Business Management, 1987
Arkansas State University – Beebe Branch – Beebe, Arkansas
________________________________________
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Company name – Brentwood, Tennessee 2002 - Present
Medicare Billing Manager
Oversee submission of all Medicare claims for 42 facilities, and follow up with collection efforts with facility bookkeepers, assisting with any rejected or returned claims. Transmit all facilities’ batches electronically. Obtain required information for quarterly credit balance reports, and prepare Excel spreadsheets. Assist with training of newly hired bookkeepers.
Key Contributions:
 Increased collection of Medicare monies each month on first turnaround by 5%.

Company Name – Brentwood, Tennessee 1999 - 2002
Accounts Receivable Support Specialist
Provided telephone support to over 40 facility bookkeepers. Maintained data base by updating rate information as required.

Company Name – Sheridan, Arkansas 1997 - 1999
Bookkeeper
Responsible for billing and collection of Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare crossover, and private monies. Posted all cash receipts, resident information, and census/status changes. Responsible for maintaining resident trust fund, including reconciling bank statement monthly.
Key Contributions:
 Reduced outstanding account receivables by over $160,000 in 17 months.

I emailed it, and I just got off the phone with the guy. We meet tomorrow to go over the details. God, I'm so nervous. What am I doing? Can I do this? I mean, I know I could handle the aspects of training someone. I KNOW Medicare. I have no doubt about that. But I have to meet someone? And convince them I know what I'm doing? And not totally screw this up? Gah!

Resume

I still haven't sent my resume to that guy for the outside consulting job. I feel like it will really be a waste of time. Ooooh! I have an Associate's degree! That will be sure to impress him. The advice I was given at OT was good, if I actually had any experience with that kind of thing to put on a resume.

My job history:
1984 - 1986 - I worked at a nursing home for around 16 months. I worked as a dietary aide, which involved serving trays and bussing the tables in the dining room, washing dishes, and doing inventory. I also worked as a housekeeper (buffing the floors) and as a laundry aide.

Summer of 1986 - I worked in a factory, assembling auto parts.

1986 - 1987 - Work study program through college. I worked for the art professor, and my duties included going through calendars and catalogs and cutting out pictures to paste to cardboard, filing, some typing, and at the end of the year, cleaning the frikkin' machine that he used to mix up the clay for ceramics. (I don't remember the actual name of the machine, but I do remember I got it cleaner than it had been since it was new. He told me to clean it. I didn't know that meant just get most of the clay out.)
Also worked as a telephone surveyor during this time for a private individual on a job to job basis.

1987 - 1989 Nurses' aide at nursing home. Des Arc
1989 - 1992 Medical records clerk at nursing home. Des Arc
1992 - 1993 Bookkeeper at nursing home. Obtained my Nursing Home Administrator's License during this time. Filled in for a month at one facility as administrator. Des Arc
1994 - Bookkeeper at another nursing home for 9 months. Ash Flat
1994 - 1996 Accounts Receivable Clerk in regional office. Posted all cash receipts, census changes, admissions for 13 facilities and helped audit accounts until company decentralized the A/R and my job was eliminated.
1997 - Receptionist at nursing home. (During 1996 and part of 1997, I allowed the company to use my license while their choice of administrator actually ran the nursing home, but was still trying to get his license.) Des Arc
1997 - 1999 Bookkeeper at another nursing home. Decreased outstanding 120+ accounts by over $160,000 in 17 months. Sheridan
1999 - 2002 Accounts receivable support specialist, corporate office.
2002 - present Medicare Billing Manager, corporate office. Responsible for overseeing collection of $4-5 million dollars each month.

Alright. So how do I make that *points up* marketable to convince this guy he should use me to train people on Medicare billing?

Wow. WTF???

I wish I could post this at OT but there's that damn pesky rule about PG-13.

Warning this is sooooooo not work safe, and if you click the link from the site my link takes you to, you're definitely not work safe.

http://thezeroboss.com/2007/06/15/for-sale-pussy-juice/

I ♥ I can has cheezburger, too.

I ♥ Happy Bunny

Reminiscing

I don't know why, but I've been thinking a lot about past memories, and have been wanting to blog about some of those things. This may not be interesting to anyone but myself, but I'm going to indulge myself anyway.

I don't remember the exact date, but I do know which night I got pregnant with arkieboy. (Warning: this post may cross over into the TMI zone quite frequently and without any further warnings. Read further at your own risk.) I know which night it was, because I did not get up immediately after my then DH (*shudders* at the thought of referring to him as DH, unless it stands for dickhead, because then it fits.) and I had sex. I had wanted to have a baby so much, and I had been off of birth control for over a year. I would get so upset each month when my period started. It was actually at the point that DH had said he wanted us to stop trying because he didn't like seeing me upset like that. I'm not really sure why I wanted to have a child with him so badly. Our marriage was not were it needed to be, so maybe I thought a child would bring us together? Maybe make me have deeper feelings for him?

I think I need to back up even further on this. I honestly don't know if I ever truly loved my ex-husband. I think I said I loved him because he said he loved me, and I felt obligated to return it. I married him because I lived in a small town, the selection of potential husbands/mates/whatever was practically non-existent, and I was so afraid that if I didn't marry *him*, I would never get married. So, with that being the basis of my "love" for him, you can probably guess that we did not have the greatest of relationships after a year or so of marriage. We had actually only known each other for about 9 months when we married. To be honest, I wasn't so sure I wanted to marry him by the time we got married, but I have a very immature level of stubbornness. My mom and some of my co-workers had been telling me I shouldn't marry him, I didn't love him, blah, blah, blah. And that is one of the quickest ways to get me to do something stupid - tell me I don't know my own mind and what I'm thinking. So I had to "prove" to them that marrying him was *not* a bad decision on my part. But I can't completely regret my marriage, because if not for that, I wouldn't have my son.

So, after after being married for a little over a year, I got pregnant. I had started being sick at work, and was throwing up every day after lunch for about a week or two. I was so unaware and not in tune with my body, that I had no suspicion of being pregnant until a co-worker asked if that was a possibility after I was complaining of this weird "virus" I had, that I was sick every day, but only after lunch. When she asked me that, it just clicked that yes, I was late. Since I worked at a nursing home, and the lab company we used for our residents' lab work offered free lab work to employees, I had a blood test sent off to see if I was pregnant. Of course, when it came back, I had to ask the Director of Nursing to interpret the results for me. I was pregnant. When I told DH, he thought I was lying/joking.

The whole pregnancy was a surreal time for me. I never really felt the baby move until I was about 6-7 months along. The most amazing thing to me was getting to hear his heartbeat for the first time. The ultrasound didn't really do anything for me. People at work wanted to see the ultrasound pictures, and I made the comment that it just looked like a blob to me, not a baby. But hearing that heartbeat. God, it was such a big moment for me. Note that I said "for me". DH would not go to the doctor's appointments with me. For the first few visits, he would take me to the doctor, drop me off, and either cruise around or go to Wal-Mart until time to pick me up. He wouldn't even go in with me for the ultrasound, because he didn't like hospitals. After that, my mom took me.

Working at the nursing home meant working with mostly women. There were a couple of men who worked there, but the majority was women. Women can be such bitches to other women sometimes. Well, to be fair, humans can be such asses to each other sometimes. Anyway, one of my fellow employees had asked me at one point, in a rather snide voice, if the doctor had told me to start watching my weight gain yet. Because I didn't need to "balloon out". (Just because *your daughter* gained 100 pounds while pregnant doesn't mean other people are ballooning out, bitch.) Luckily for me, I could honestly say that the doctor had just told me that I was doing EXCELLENT on my weight. From my first visit at approximately 6 weeks until two days before my c-section, I had only gained 9 pounds. Of course, I couldn't eat chocolate, ice cream, anything else sweet or fried foods without getting sick, so I ate very healthy while I was pregnant. I also walked a lot. Mainly because my DH kept the car, and didn't get off work until several hours after me (he worked as a farm hand), so I walked home from work. We didn't have a phone, so if I needed to call my mother, I had to walk 5-6 blocks to the pay phone. That same woman asked me if I had felt the baby move (I think I was 5 months then), and when I said no, she said there must be something wrong with the baby because EVERYONE feels the baby move by 4 months.

I had went past my due date of July 10, and the doctor had me coming in 3x a week to check me. Like I said up there *points up*, I had only gained 9 pounds until two days before the doctor decided to do a c-section. The baby had still not dropped, there were no signs of labor pains, and from the 17th to the 19th, I had gained 20 pounds. (I think it was 20. For some reason, I'm thinking that it might have actually been more, but I'll stick with 20 because I don't want to exaggerate.) I was highly offended that the nurse didn't reweigh me, to make sure the scales weren't off. So, I gained 20 pounds, my blood pressure was extremely high, and the doc wanted me to go to the hospital for observation until my b/p went down. This through me into a tailspin, and I started crying when I went out to the waiting room to tell my mom and sister that he was sending me over to the hospital. In the "arkie can be so clueless" category, instead of getting in my mom's car and having her drive me, because the hospital was next to the doctor's office, I walked over. The labor and delivery area that I needed to go to was in the far end of the hospital. It probably took me about 15 minutes to walk there. This, while having such high b/p that the doctor thought I needed to be in an observation bed. I'm sure that really helped the b/p level.

After I got over there, and they put me in a bed, I lay there for about 20 minutes. Then the nurse came in and said they were going to go ahead and do the c-section because it was Friday evening, I would probably go into labor in the next day or so, and the delivery team did not want to be called in over the weekend, so they were just going to get it out of the way. To this day, I still wonder if there was something more going on, but the doctor didn't want to tell me.

Because I was having a c-section, I had to have an epidural. They have me sitting on this gurney, my belly out to here *holds hand far away from body*, and they tell me to bend over my stomach and arch my back. More, more. I'm sorry, the belly does not have any "give" to it. I can only hunch over so far. Ugh. Then they had me lay down, and they put a blanket across my chest, and strapped my arms down. They put up a blanket over my belly, so I couldn't see anything that was going on. The anesthesiologist kept telling me to quit moving. But the blanket kept sliding down on my throat, and I can't stand to have anything on my neck. They said the blanket was to keep me from getting cold, but I don't get cold. I wanted them to take it off of me, but they wouldn't. The c-section surgery was strange. I couldn't feel anything, but I did know when they had cut all the way through, because I felt my belly fall to either side. The official birth time was 6:18 pm. I didn't hear arkieboy cry for a few minutes. I was starting to get worried because I couldn't see anything because of the barrier they had hanging, and I couldn't hear anything - nothing was being said. But as they were carrying him out, the nurse stopped so I could see him. He was so beautiful to me, I just wanted to cry. I couldn't touch him because my arms were still strapped down. That moment, that one moment, was the best moment of my life. Whenever I'm asked if there is a moment in life I would relive, that's the one. Just so I could feel the emotions again that come when you see your child for the first time.

Linkage, blog readers, etc

I know some of you bloggers have all this tracking software, etc, so you know who reads your blog, where they're from, how often they come to your blog and so on, but for the rest of you...

Do you ever wonder who actually reads your blog? Does it concern you at all, not knowing who may read it? Do you wonder what people (who read, but don't comment)think about your blog - the content, your writing style, whatever? I have to admit, I'm really curious sometimes about who comes here and what they think when they read my blog. I had gotten a Clustr map that shows where people are located that come to my blog. Someone from Malaysia came to my blog. And, as I don't know anyone from Malaysia, I wonder how they found my blog, and what their thoughts were, if they even read the blog. It's just one of those "Wow" moments for me.

I also found that I was linked on some one's blog that I didn't even know this person was aware of my existence as a blogger. So, I'm thinking to myself, well... if I'm linked on his blog, then I'm assuming he actually reads my blog sometimes. And this really boggles the mind. This blogger is one of those people that I really admire and am in awe of. I've never had any exchange with this person, here, or on OT or in PM's, so I really don't know why he would ever read my blog or have a link to it on his. He is one of those people that I would never meet even if I had the chance, because I think this person is so intelligent, I know I would appear to be a total dimwit if we met and actually had a conversation. This is really stupid, but when I saw the link to my blog, I was all "Wow! How freaking cool that he has my blog linked!" Soooo immature, right? *grin*

I need to update my links. I told Bravie one time that if she ever took her blog down, I would be lost because I use her blog links when I go blog-rolling. Hell, half the time, I have to use her blog just to get to mine, because I don't always remember the addy for my own blog.

Anyhoo, if there is anyone who reads my blog, that I don't have linked, and you would like to be linked, please let me know. Let me rephrase that. If you don't want to be linked, let me know. Otherwise, I'm linking you.

A pinch of this, a dash of that.

1. Thanks to eBay, I was able to get the rest of the Wizard of Oz dolls from the McDonald's Happy Meals. And, they didn't cost me too awful much. I had checked craig's list, like HD and maybe someone else had suggested, but there was only one listing. The person had the whole collection for sale for $40.

2. I'm such a dork, but I'm not going to tell why.

3. Why do we not name names when we talk about someone? It's not like people don't figure out or already know who we're talking about. Now, if I was posting something slanderous (or would it be libelous?), obviously I wouldn't name names, but as far as saying someone annoys the hell out of me, why did I dance around saying it was agman?

4. I'm freaking out about my costume for our conference. I have just over two weeks to decide what I'm going to do, and to pull it together. But, unless I want to put it on the credit cards (and I don't), I have to wait until next Friday to purchase anything. That's what going for mani/pedi's two weeks in a row will do to the budget. I have $28 dollars to live on until my next payday (June 1). I had to take my change jar in and get a voucher from the CoinStar machine to buy groceries for the next two weeks. I'm just thankful I had the change jar. I was not looking forward to trying to eat for two weeks on just $28.

5. I really wish I wasn't too embarrassed about what makes me a dork to discuss it. Because I would *like* to discuss it, but it's just too dorky, even for me.

6. It's about to get crazy at work. I don't know if you remember when I posted about how the only intelligent person (besides my boss and myself) left the office, but now her replacement is leaving, too. And the other woman, who is super nice, but not very strong, work-wise, is taking another position within the office (different department). That leaves me and stinky-perfume woman in our department. I really don't want to have to help her keep things going, just because I.Don't.Like.Her. But I'll have to be professional about it. (piss on that)

7. The only major thing I accomplished this weekend was I did my laundry, and I changed the light bulbs in the kitchen. The last one had burnt out, so I really had no choice. I hate doing that. I have balance issues, and my step ladder really needs a couple more steps for me to feel comfortable on it. As it is, I have to stand on the very top step (ok, it only has two steps), and I have nothing to hang on to. I need to change the bulbs in my bedroom light fixture, but hey! I still have a lamp in there, so no hurry.

8. I have decided to continue with Curves. I am able to go up and down the stairs without the pain I was having earlier. And, even bigger, when I go up the stairs at work, I am able to actually have a conversation with someone immediately, instead of having to wait to catch my breath. But I didn't go tonight. So I must go tomorrow.

9. I need some drink recipes. I have vodka, Jack Daniels, rum, and tequila that I need to get out of the house before July when arkieboy moves back home. I also have 3 bottles of wine. One bottle, I'm going to just put up in my closet (on it's side, tilted down) because it's from my trip to California when Catt, Jimbo and I went wine-tasting. I'm not going to just guzzle it down or get rid of it.

10. I really hate my own cooking.

11. I'm still not sleeping very well. The doctor I saw for my sleep apnea gave me a prescription for sleeping pills when I went for my follow up. He and the pharmacist both told me not to take them every night. I've only taken one since I got them (it's been over a week). It took an hour and a half to kick in, and then I still woke up during the night.

12. Speaking of the sleep apnea, I got the bill for the two sleep study tests. After my insurance paid, and after the doctor's office gave me a "preferred client discount", I still owe $735. I guess I'm going to have to put it on the credit card.

13. I only have 8 more bi-weekly payments to make on my car. Woo Hoo!!!!

14. I really don't have anything else to say, but I can't leave off at #13.

15. I couldn't leave off at 14, either.

Time to step back

I have got to take a break from OT now. I find myself being extremely annoyed by one of the newer members of the community, and it's ridiculous to allow someone I don't even know to annoy me. I mean, it's not like I *have* to read his stupid, inane comments, but I do read them, and then I'm annoyed. So when something as stupid as someone posting absolutely useless commments for no other reason than to increase his/her DAW level is bugging me, it's time to step away from the computer.

Glowie's survey

1. If you went to dinner with Jesus who would pick up the check?
(I'll just go with Glowie's answer)I would but I really don't think a restaurant should make him pay.

2. If you had to eliminate one state from the United States, which one would it be?
Utah.

3. If Spiderman and Superman were forced to fight to the death, who would win? Why?
Superman. I don't think Spidey's web would be enough to defeat him.

4. Sawyer, Jack or Sayid?
who?

5. Mohinder, Nathan or Peter?
who?

6. For the next hour you have to listen to one song on repeat. What song is it?
Stevie Ray Vaughn's Cold Shot.

7. What is your favorite movie? Why?
I don't actually have a "favorite".

8. Who is your favorite actor/actress?
Johnny Depp

9. Avril Lavigne. Yes or no?
No, No, I don't want her, No, No, Her new song sucks, Hey, Hey, She makes me want to puke.

10. Do you have a job or a career?
I have a job.

11. Would you move out of state for a job?
I've done it before, so yeah.

12. Have any sharks been jumped by American Idol?
Of course not. They haven't been out on the water. *rolls eyes*

13. Have you ever gone to a concert by yourself? If so, would you do it again? If not, would you?
No. As for would I? I guess it would depend on the artist and how badly I wanted to see him/her.

14. Did your mom and/or dad make you do chores? If so, what were they?
Yes. I had to do laundry, and hang the clothes out on the line. I had to help cook. I also had to do dishes.

15. Would you go to a sex toy party with your mom?
gawd, no.

16. If you were to have a sex toy party, would you invite your boss?
Had one, and invited her.

17. How big is too big?
For what?

18. What is your favorite reality show?
Right now? Charm School.

19. Do you have a favorite reality show contestant?
Kinda, sorta.

20. Could you whistle that little tune at the beginning of Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks” for me right now?
huh?

21. Howard Stern. Yes or no?
No.

22. Do you know any local bands that you would like to pimp?
No.

23. Name one state you would like to visit that you have not visited.
New Mexico.

24. Why would Pink perform on American Idol after adamantly not giving clearance for the contestants perform her songs?
I don't know. I don't have a problem with it, though. If I was a song writer and/or recording artist, I wouldn't want some of those people butchering my work.

25. Multi-grain, wheat or white?
Wheat or white.

26. Carrots dipped in peanut butter?
*pukes*

27. Do you add extra butter to your popcorn at the movie theater?
Yes.

28. Do you have a favorite pair of underwear? What do they look like?
No. I had to throw out my favorite pair, and haven't bought anymore like that. I love "Cheekies".

29. Name one country song that will help convince non-fans that it isn’t all bad.
Yeah, right.

30. What is in the trunk of your car?
A pen and an air compressor thingy.

31. What is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say Marky Mark?
Mahky Mahk the Aardvahk (the invisible pet Monsty gave me.)

32. Which character from a movie or television show would you be?
Which ever character that gets busy with Johnny Depp or Hugh Jackman.

33. Who was the last person you hugged?
My son.

34. Have you ever been on a cruise?
No.

35. Will Glowie be able to sleep in a tiny closet-sized room on a cruise ship with no windows while constantly worrying and missing my kids?
I don't know, but I'm getting claustrophobic just thinking about it.

Unbelievable...

I did it again. I went for another mani/pedi this afternoon. While the girl is finishing up on my fingernails, my cell phone starts ringing. Since the phone is in my purse, I ignore it. I walk back to the dryer area, my phone rings again. Again, I ignore it. A third call. One of the manicurists was walking by at that time, and asked it I wanted her to get my phone for me. I say yes, and she gets it out for me. 3 missed calls from my mom's phone number. I call back. It was arkieboy who had been calling. Why? Because I had told him 30 minutes earlier when we talked, that I would call him later. I tell him what I'm doing, and I will call when I'm finished. I end the call, go to set my phone down, and you guessed it! I smudged the hell out of one of the nails. And guess what? It was the same damn finger that I messed up last week.

This week's color is Cara Mia Crimson, on fingers and toes.

There's a reason why

I don't get manicures. After eating at Chili's, I decide to treat myself and get a manicure and pedicure. I must say, it's quite nice having a man rub my feet. Anyway, after getting all pampered, and sitting with my hands and feet under the UV light and fan to get the polish set, I drive home. I'm being oh-so-careful. I pull into my drive, put the car in park, and go to turn off the ignition. That's when it happened.



I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but as I was taking the key out of the ignition, the chain on my key chain scraped across my nail, and messed up the polish. I am so pissed. It's shit like this that makes me feel almost inadequate as a woman. Women all over the place get manicures, and their nails look nice, and I can't even make 10 minutes before I fuck it up.

Why I don't like country music...

If you received one of the drunk phone calls, you know why I'm posting this.

I don't like country music because, well, it sucks. I don't like "twangy" music. I don't like most of the lyrics. And my ex-husband would listen to only country music on the radio when I was in the car with him.

One reason I love my job

I get emails like this:

Freda, Freda, she's the best;
she's better than all the rest.
Her hair is perfect, her face divine;
if I swung the other way, I'd make her mine!!!!!!!

Maundering

I started an exercise program Thursday. I had received a flyer from Curves. They were looking for volunteers for a fitness study program. All I have to do is pay a $20 refundable deposit, show up 3 times a week for three weeks, and exercise. At the end of the three weeks, as long I was never a no-call/no-show, I get my $20 back. So, I went through the circuit once Thursday, and then started my 3-a-week on Friday. The normal program is to go through the circuits twice. I felt tired but good after doing this. Unfortunately, the feeling good did not last.

I had been experiencing pain in my knees off and on since December. The bowling on Fridays was aggravating my discomfort. After bowling was over, I hadn't noticed a lot of pain, just when I would go up and down stairs. However, Friday night was a different story. The pain was a lot like a charley-horse, but only when I tried to move my leg. Once I either straightened it, or rolled over and quit moving, the pain more or less went away. This morning, it took quite some time to get up out of bed, and a lot of time to be able to stand up after I went to the bathroom. The really sharp pain, which was at the top of my calf has gone away for the moment, but now there's a more general pain around my knee cap.

I'm trying to decide if I need to should get it checked by a doctor or just suck it up, and work through it. I'm leaning more towards the latter.

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Arkieboy will be moving back home this summer. He's finally ready to come back home. I'm really glad he's coming home. But I'll have to adjust to having someone else in the house with me again. I guess I'll have to start cooking again. I am excited to have him back with me, but I've gotten so used to be alone and having the quiet in the evenings and weekends. And I'll need to get all the booze out of the house. I don't drink around him. I know this is kind of hypocritical on my part - being someone else dependant on whether my son is around or not.

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I went for a follow up on my use of the CPAP machine on Wednesday. The machine has a "smart card" that records my usage and if there is any leakage. I understand how it would record the usage times, but not how it can tell if there's leakage. Oh, well, I guess I don't really need to understand that. Anyhoo, apparently I had a LOT of leakage. So, they put me on a different type of mask.

He was going to try me on this, but I have petite nostrils (which I've never thought so, but that's what the guy said), and it doesn't come in petite. The small one wouldn't fit and there was too much leakage.




So, I've got this.




It's a good thing I sleep alone. I feel like a dork when I have this on. But, even though I had a lot of leakage with the first mask, and I haven't been able to keep either style of mask on for an entire night, I do feel a little bit more rested. So, I guess it's worth it. {/disgusted voice}

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On the topic of religion... To me, faith is such a personal issue. I know I've talked about it a few times, but for the most part, I tend to keep my views to myself. But on another board I go to (at the dating site), someone had asked about how important it was for someone you date to share the same beliefs. One of the women there, that I admire as being very well-spoken, answered with this:
"no. it doesn't matter to me what ones beliefs are.
if mine (atheist) doesn't bother them---which, so far, hasn't been an issue, even with my male friends that were raised in strict Catholic environments (schooled), then it's all good to me.

by my age and place in this world, I haven't found religion to be a problem for me.
unless others even know that I am an atheist, they wouldn't have a clue. I don't expound on my beliefs---or lack of. when my ex-nun boss says that she will pray for me when I've experienced health issues. I accept her graces and move on.
most people that I know are believers of one kind or another and I really don't care!

I am am honestly and truly happy for those that find comfort in the words of their god."

I just thought that was such a refreshing attitude, when there are people on OT who either shove their beliefs down your throat or ridicule others as being simplistic, ignorant or whatever.

I invited this woman to check out OT a few weeks ago. I don't know if she has, but I really wish she would. I think she would be a wonderful addition to the board.

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I stole my idea for my title from Jen. I went to thesaurus.com and found another way to say ramblings. Actually, it's to talk incoherently, which I do quite often.

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There's a job opening in our office. After the email went out with the in-house posting, my boss sent the email to those of us in her department with a message. "NO". The company policy about this is that you have to have your supervisor's consent. Which, if we really wanted to change positions, I don't think anyone in a supervisory position in our company would hold anyone back. For one thing, it is a really big thing that they like to promote from within whenever possible. Two, if someone's not happy in their position, you might as well let them go, because at least that way they stay in the company (assuming that they are a good employee that you want to keep). Anyway, I replied backing, asking if that meant I should tear up the resume I was working on. A little bit later, a fax had come across for my supervisor, and I carried it to her. She looked at me, and said I was NOT applying for the position. I'm saying, No, no, it's just a fax. Then, and this is when I really need that filter from brain to mouth, I said do you really think I want to work with that bunch? [/disgusted, scornful voice] I mean, you talk about some uptight, BORING people. Ugh. I wouldn't be able to stand it. And it's not like I would be trading up as far as offices go. That office may be a little bit larger, but it's upstairs where they keep it too friggin hot, and even though it's on an outside wall, it doesn't even have a window. And to me, the job would be boring. I know, to a lot of people, *MY* job would be boring. Hell, it's boring to me some days. It's not been too bad lately - I've got to work on cleaning up the aging for a couple of facilities. I know that doesn't sound fun. But I like collecting money. And it's one of the few times I can see tangible results of what I do.

"The List"

1) Zombs
2) HD

My OCD-ness in action

So, McDonald's was giving these away with their happy meals a few weeks ago.



And as much as I really don't need to be eating at McDonald's, (and I really don't like their hamburgers), I went there repeatedly. However, I didn't realize until the 2nd week, that they were giving the dolls away 2 per week. So I missed out on Glinda the Good Witch. Then, tonight, I just realized that I ended up with two of the Tin Man, and two of the Wicked Witch of the East. So, not only do I not have Glinda, I don't have the ScareCrow, and whatever the other one was. Glinda's the good witch of the North, right? So I'm assuming the 8th doll is the good witch of the South.

My OCD is such that it just kills me to have an incomplete set of something. I can't believe I didn't notice until tonight that I had duplicates. (Duplicates bother me, too.) It is going to drive me nuts that I don't have all of them. I'll probably just give them to my niece. I really can't stand to not have the whole set.

*head tilt*

I normally stay out of the bickering/debating, whatever you want to call it, that goes on because I am a non-confrontational type of person. And I really don't give a fuck who is calling who names. But sometimes you see something, and you just have to call bullshit.

Here in blogland, there are two separate blogs that have posts entitled "Bitter Old Hag". It's not my fight, but I have been reading the blogs and the comments. Could someone explain to me how a person who says: "I'm going to stay out of this for obvious reasons. *holds up Switzerland flag*", is going to accomplish 'staying out of it', when she posts this: "That's because you are a bigger person than I. Because I would have bitchslapped someone by now. Hard." on the other blog. To me, "holds up Switzerland flag" says you're neutral. But saying you would have bitchslapped someone by now, is not a very neutral position. IMO. YMMV.

So, in conclusion, Bullshit!

Bits and pieces

I went today to pick up my CPAP machine. Thank god that they have more (and better) options than what they just use at the sleep study clinic. The one I have *does* have head gear, but it's more like a plug that I put in my nose instead of a mask. I really think I might be able to deal with this. Oh, and a big

to all of those who say I have an accent! The guy at United Medical (who is from Seattle) asked where I was from, because he could tell I wasn't originally from TN. He said I talk like him. When I said I was from Arkansas, he was really surprised. So there! I don't have an accent! *sticks tongue out*

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That was not necessary.
As many of you are aware, I read a lot of romance novels, particularly paranormal romance. I just finished a book the other night that I'm just not sure what to think about it. I had posted a few weeks ago that I had read one that involved a wolf and a man, and that was disturbing. But oddly enough, I think I am just as disturbed by the fact that in this other book I read (different author), that the author chose to include a sex scene (in some detail) between two horses. Seriously. I soooo did not need to read about horse sex. Especially considering this was a "romance" novel, and she did not build their story at all. I didn't feel the love growing. /tongue in cheek

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I had mentioned that I was trying to plan a vacation for this summer for me and arkieboy, and that he wanted to do something "BIG" for his birthday. Several of you had given me some great suggestions for our destination. Arkieboy shot every one of them down. Why? He didn't want to spend his vacation doing a peep meet. He asked me if we went somewhere that an OT and/or blog peep lived, would we have to spend time with them? I told him no, not the whole time, but maybe a meal, maybe a few hours sightseeing. But he doesn't want to do that. *sigh* I understand why he feels like that, though. This vacation is his birthday week. Our vacations during that week have always been about him. He doesn't want to change that. So he has decided that what he wants is to come up here, and for me to take him to Opry Mills and just give him money and let him loose. He's so funny. He suggested that I give him $20 x his age. Right. Sure I will.

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*snerk*

As some of you know, I sometimes write "poetry". I had been told by a couple of people that I should try to get some of my writings published. So, a while back, I submitted one of my poems to poetry.com. The cynic in me says that anyone, no matter what they submitted, would receive one of these:


They are including my poem in their spring poetry publication. I can purchase a copy of this "deluxe hardbound edition" for a discounted price of $49.95. OR... I could buy a full case (12) for $369.00. Yeah, right. I can also purchase a commemorative plaque for just $38.00. I'm tempted by the plaque, but I could always go somewhere else and have one made, probably. When I received my award (*points up*) in today's mail, the enclose letter also informed me of another recognition for which I've been chosen.

I quote: "Every so often, as our Editors review the poems that have been presented our Editor's Choice Award, they personally select a few poems that they believe would have a wonderfully expressive quality if read by a professional reader. Your Editor has suggested that you become one of 33 poets whose artistry will be recorded professionally as a special part of a new CD poetry collection - The Sound of Poetry."
And this 3 CD set can be mine for the price of just $49. I have to admit, I'm curious how someone would interpret my poem to read aloud. I'm not even sure how *I* would read it aloud. But there is no way in hell I'm going to pay $49 for a CD set of poems being read, just to hear how mine sounds.

Sleep, or the lack thereof

I haven't been sleeping good lately. I've been tired since last October. It's gotten worse in the past month. It's so hard to wake up in the mornings. I've actually slept through my alarm for almost an hour a few times. Some days, it's all I can do to stay awake at work. (Says a lot for how interesting my job is, yes?) But at night, I can't sleep. I toss and turn, and wake up ridiculously early (2 or 3 am), and can't fall back asleep until almost time to get up. When I went to the doctor two weeks ago, I mentioned being tired all the time. He referred me to a sleep clinic. Last night, I went for the sleep study. I never sleep good when I'm in a strange bed. Add in all the electrodes that were attached to my head and body, and this equals a very bad night of sleep for arkie. I don't understand how they expect someone to be able to sleep with all this stuff attached to them. I had leads taped to each calf, one to my back, another to my chest, another one held in place across my chest with a velcro band, and yet another one on a velcro band that was supposed to be around my lower waist (but kept riding up during the night). I had a microphone taped ot my neck, in case I snore. Two electrode leads were glued and taped to my chin, and another two by my eyes. I'm not really sure how many were stuck to my head. I also had a pulse-oximeter on one finger, and two things in my nose. One was to measure the temperature of the air I breathe out. I don't know what the other one's purpose was. So all these wires attach to a box, which is then attached to another box.

This is what a person looks like once everything is hooked up:

(picture from :http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-basics/viewasleepstudy.htm)

I have a tendency to roll from one side of the bed to the other when I sleep, but I couldn't do that last night. Every time I tried to roll over to my other side, I ended up laying on the wires, and it would pull on the ones on my head. I woke up, not sure what time it was and laid there for a while (seemed like forever), thinking it had to be close to time to get up. Finally I sat up, and the tech came on the intercom to see if I needed something. I had to use the bathroom. Just imagine trying to go to the bathroom with all that stuff on you. Imagine the fun of trying to pull your pants back up one-handed, because the other hand is holding the box and wires. Try to wash one hand. Not fun. When I got back in the bed, I asked the tech what time it was. It was only 2:40. *sigh* Wake up time wasn't until 5:00. But I did manage to go back to sleep.

I don't get the official report until the doctor reviews everything, and he will call Monday or Tuesday. But the tech said I did have some problems. I get to go back on the 21st, and do it all over again, this time I get to sleep while wearing a CPAP machine. Oh, joy! But supposedly, this will allow me to sleep better and wake up feeling refreshed, so I guess it's worth it.

I need your creative minds

Help me with the profile, please?
Sanjana Banana blogs

Mom

When I was visiting my parents while my brother and nephew were down two weeks ago, I noticed that my mom had a really nasty sore on the top of her foot. I asked her what had she done (dropped a piece of firewood on it), had she gone to the doctor (no), well then was she at least putting something on it, like TAO? (no, she had been putting vaseline on it, but then it started burning, so she stopped, but she was soaking it in something - I think she said epsom salts). So, then when I went down again that weekend (arkieboy was in a play), I didn't mention it. But yesterday when I drove down, I asked her about it, and she said it was starting to hurt. So, are you going to the doctor? (yes, Tuesday morning). This morning, while I was drinking my coffee, I was talking to Momma, and made a crack about how they were going to cut off her foot - actually, not the first time I brought this up as a possibility - and made a "buzzsaw" noise. Arkieboy and I came back to Tennessee today, and while we were walking around in a store, my dad called me. I asked how things went, and he said not good. Mom is in the hospital, and he said that might have to cut off her foot. So, he gave me the number and I called Mom. First thing she says, "you had to joke about it. Now see?" Then she told me that the wound doctor (do they really have a specialty for this?) said that they would have to cut out some of the dead tissue, but that it should heal without any problems. She's going to have to stay a couple of days. I asked if she needed me to come back down. She told me no, for me & arkieboy to enjoy our time together because we don't get that much. I feel torn. Do I be the dutiful daughter and go down to take care of my mom, or do I be the mom who promised this week to her son? I really think arkieboy would understand if we had to go back. But I know he would be really disappointed.

Good thoughts and vibes, please??

Today is a beautiful day

These are all from my front yard. This first one was taken a couple of weeks ago? One week ago? Well, it was when aliens overtook Bob's body and/or blog and she posted about buying flowers for her co-workers.


These two were taken a couple of days ago.

I am having a very pleasant day today. It could be my meds have kicked back in (I had stopped taking one of them for about a month), or it could be that I'm on vacation now, and I'm not worrying about time, getting anywhere, just having a "me" day. I am seriously not worrying about time. Friday when I came home from work, I discovered that the electricty had gone off. After maybe an hour, it came back on. When I went upstairs to bed that evening, my alarm's digital clock was flashing. It had that it was 4:00. I hit the minute button to make it stop flashing, and I still haven't fixed the time on it. Or on my microwave, or on my stove. So, when I woke up this morning, the clock showed the time as 12:00. So, I really don't know what time I woke up, and I don't care. That is so liberating. I did have to go to the office briefly today, but the rest of the day has just been free. I like it.

I hope everyone else has had a wonderful weekend.


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Memphis in May Beale Street Music Festival, May 4-6

*pouts*
I wanna go...
Friday's lineup:

The Allman Brothers Band
Three 6 Mafia
Koko Taylor
Gov't Mule
Social Distortion
Richard Johnston
Sharde Thomas and The Rising
Star Fife and Drum Band
Robert "Wolfman" Belfour
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Jerry Lee Lewis
Chevelle
Hubert Sumlin & Willie Big Eyes Smith
Plain White T's
The Derek Trucks Band
North Mississippi Allstars
Popa Chubby


Saturday's lineup:

Steely Dan
Godsmack
George Thorogood
Bobby "Blue" Bland
The Bar-Kays
Wolfmother
The Ohio Players
Walter Trout &The Radicals
Kenny Wayne Shephard
Taking Back Sunday
Taj Mahal
Ryan Shaw
Kelley Hunt
Old Crow Medicine Show
Jack's Mannequin
The John Butler Trio
Keller Williams
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Eddie Floyd
One Less Reason
The Duhks
Daddy Mack Blues Band
Hawthorne Heights
David Honeyboy Edwards
Keller Williams (I'm not sure why Keller Williams is listed twice - keying error? Maybe there are two performances?)

Sunday's lineup:

Counting Crows
John Legend
Hinder
Elvin Bishop
Barenaked Ladies
Corinne Bailey Rae
DAUGHTRY
Tab Benoit
Guster
Edwin McCain
Project Pat
Backdoor Slam
Umphrey's McGee
Ann Peebles
Papa Roach
Watermelon Slim
Billy Lee Riley
Egypt Central
The Lee Boys
James "Super chikan" Johnson

Yeah, yeah...

You nag someone to update, then they expect you to do the same...

I went to Arkansas again this weekend. Arkieboy was in a play, put on by the school. It was as good as you would expect a high school production to be. It wasn't bad, really. They had a dinner theater performance Saturday night and an afternoon matinee on Sunday. I went to the dinner theater. I do not miss cafeteria food. *blech*

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In case anyone is wondering, bestiality is not erotic. It's just not. I had went to the bookstore yesterday after I got back home, and picked up a couple of books. One was in the erotica genre. I was rather grossed out by the scene where the wolf raped the man. Call me judgemental, but I think if that turns a person on, that person is disturbed. YMMV.

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I catalogued my books last week. I have over 340 books, most are paperbacks, and most are romances. I need more bookcases.

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I have to make two more trips to Arkansas before this month is over. I will be driving down Sunday to pick up arkieboy. He will be on spring break, and wants to spend the week up here. Then I will have to take him back on Saturday. I swear, my next vacation is going to consist of me curling up in my bed or on the couch and reading for the entire week. I will NOT be driving anywhere. Which means I will have to take vacation again before summer. I always take the week of arkieboy's birthday (in July), and this year he wants to do something "big". I told him he's going to have to hurry up and decide what that will be, and stick to whatever he decides. I will need to book flights, etc, and once that's done, there will be no changes. *puts foot down*

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My left lower leg is cramping.

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The amount of perfume being used at work has been cut back. Thank you!!! Of course, to compensate for that, someone brought in a potted hyacinth. I love how they look, but their scent is so overpowering.

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My ex-husband disgusts me sometimes. Arkieboy showed his father a picture of one of his (female) friends, who is 2-3 years younger than arkieboy (which makes her 12 or 13). DH (short for dickhead) told arkieboy "she's a hottie". Dude. DUDE! You are 36 years old. Referring to a girl of that age as a Hottie is just wrong for someone your age!!! I'm hoping that he didn't really mean that he thought the girl was truly a hottie, but was just trying to have "guy talk" with arkieboy. I still don't think that's actually appropriate conversation for a dad to have with his son, but at least it's slightly more tolerable than a 36 y.o. saying a 13 y.o. is hot.

Back home

I had a nice visit with my brother and my oldest nephew. My nephew is funny. Maybe I just think that because he has the same type of sarcastic sense of humor I do.

My parents watch my sister's two kids 2-3 times a week, and today was one of those days. My niece has a very smart mouth on her. My dad encourages that type of behavior when it's directed towards other people. Of course, he expects the kids to not talk to him that way, but they quickly develop a distinct lack of respect for him because he constantly gives mixed messages on what is appropriate. Anyway, my niece was showing out, and my oldest nephew said it was like watching an episode of Supernanny gone bad. I was LMAO.

Oldest nephew:

Youngest nephew:

Mein bruder



Tante Freda und ihre Nichte, Kaitlin

The Donkey

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.

Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway;
it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping,
never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.

Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.

Live simply and appreciate what you have.

Give more.

Expect less


NOW ............

Enough of that crap . . The donkey later came back, and bit the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected and the farmer eventually died in agony from septic shock.


MORAL FROM TODAY'S LESSON:

When you do something wrong, and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you.

*hops*

In the next few days, I will get to see my brother and my oldest nephew, neither of whom I have seen in about 12 years. They live in Idaho, and are driving to Arkansas to see the parents/grandparents. Even though this is *not* a good time for it, my boss is letting me take a couple of vacation days so I can drive down to visit.

This is my nephew, "D", from a couple of years ago:




And here's one of arkieboy from a few days ago:

I'm a Ford Mustang!

You're an American classic -- fast, strong, and bold. You're not snobby or pretentious, but you have what it takes to give anyone a run for their money.

"Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

New crush

Music Video:THIS IS LIVING (by Steven Strait)

Music Video Code provided by VideoCodeZone.Com

I wish I could find a code for "Boomerang" that I could get to work here. I LOOOOOVE this song.

Because you just can't have too many quizzes and other useless things...

You Are Strawberry Cake

Fresh, sassy, and romantic. You're a total flirt, who never would turn down a sugary treat. Occasionally you're a bit moody - but you usually stay sweet!

What Kind of Cake Are You?

Your Personality is Somewhat Rare (ISFP)

Your personality type is caring, peaceful, artistic, and calm. Only about 7% of all people have your personality, including 8% of all women and 6% of all men You are Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

And from LunaNina.com - Unconscious mutterings
I say... and you think...?

1. Nude ::


2. Support ::


3. Rachel::


4. Crane ::


5. Candy bar ::


6. Material ::


7. Mind games ::


8. Eviction ::


9. Produce ::


10. Joke ::

And to think,

I thought I was the queen of overshare. Apparently, I haven't shared as much about myself as I thought. *grin*

I came to RealityTVWorld looking for information on Big Brother. My first post, however, was on the Paradise Hotel forum. Nobody invited me to OT. Bravie had invited someone else on the AI forum to OT, and I thought I would check it out (after I finally figured out what OT stood for). Bravie was the first to send me a red wavy, telling me that no matter what everyone else said, *she* thought I was a good addition to OT.

I've had a few peep meets, my first being in Knoxville where I got to meet Nookie, Mr. Nookie, Vols, Farmboy (who no longer posts), and of course Bruiser! I still haven't met Syren, though. *pouts* I will have to make my way down to Atlanta sometime soon. My peep meet in Texas was with frankz. I didn't meet any OT peeps in Florida.

Even though I am *still* jonesing for more tattoos, I'm still at just one, my beautiful (mostly purple) pegasus. Purple is, after all, my favorite color. But that's not why I colored my hair purple once. That was an accident. I didn't even realize how purple it was until the next day at work. I wondered why the VP kept staring at my hair when he was talking to me that day. Then when I was coming back from lunch, I had glanced over at one of the windows and saw my reflection. Wow. My hair was VERY purple. But it has never been colored black.

My first kiss was with a guy named John. I know I've shared this before, when I still had my comments turned on to where anyone could comment. I remember Monsty posted a joke comment using the name "John". *grin*

My prom was not good. I didn't date much in high school. (You've seen the photos, so you know why.) I had went out with Gary once or twice, but I just wasn't in to him. But I wanted to go to prom. So, I asked a friend to ask him (this *was* high school), but to stress that it would be just as friends. I thought he was ok with this. Anyway, a couple of things happened. Gary didn't drink - he had an ulcer - so I had planned on going out to the parties by myself after prom. This hurt his feelings. Also, he had been dancing with another girl, which was fine with me, so I had danced a couple of times with Roland, a guy in my honors english class. Well, my friend Amanda took it upon herself to tell Roland that he had her permission to dance with me once more, but then he was to leave me alone for the rest of the night. When Roland told me what Amanda had said, I was so ticked off. Then, Amanda and Art (her BF, my ex) told Gary what I had planned about having him taking me home, and then me going back out. Gary started crying. I cannot deal with a guy who cries that easily. Especially when we were just there as friends! So, I left with Roland.

Arkieboy is named after Clint Eastwood. Well, he's actually named after his father, too, for the middle name, but "Clint" came from Clint Eastwood. His dad & I loved watching Clint Eastwood movies - that was one of the few things we actually did together.

I think #13 was not read the way I meant it. I asked how many cars I had in the last two years, not how many I had got. I had 3 - the Tempo which had the rear bumper ripped off. The Tempo's replacement was the Malibu, which had the front bumper ripped off and the front pushed in. And finally the Malibu's replacement, the Cavalier. Almost 12 months, and no accidents!!! Yay me!!!
I have never had a Chevy Silverado. I wanted one, and almost got one when I was 21 or 22, but the bank wouldn't finance the total amount the guy was wanting. The guy at the shop had done some custom paint on it, and was including the price of that in his price for the truck. But the bank said that made it "not the original paint" and therefore, less in value. So instead, I got the Mercury Cougar.

And finally, I have yet to try a Merlot that I like.