What have I done?

Today I had a wilde moment and did something crazy... something I've been puttin' off for YEARS. It's not that I didn't expect to make the commitment in the near future, but what was I thinking? I'm a dabbler, it's what I do, I play with words - and it's serious, but not so when it comes right down to it.

You're wondering what I'm babbling about - I know.. so am I !

Drum roll please..... pthrrrrrrr!

I've been part of a Marine Corps Family Support group since late last year, and this morning I accepted a position with that group to help moderate the myMarine Yahoo! group content. My Marine (son) is currently stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, but I remember what it was like right after he left for boot camp in August of 2006. There was SO MUCH I didn't know about boot camp, the Crops and what to expect that it nearly drove me crazy. (hush you!!)

Being a part of this group has been fun, interesting and a helpful way for me to cope with his pending deployment and to help others as they begin the journey with their recruit as they train and are accepted as Marines. But that wasn't all .. oh no...

... this afternoon, I faxed my application to RWA, yes, this afternoon. You now.. RWA as in Romance Writes of America. Yeah, that organization. I'm excited and terrified at the same time.

Why? Let me count the ways... (and in no particular order)

• First, there's the membership fees. Not that I can't afford it, but I'm sure there is another application for those funds.
• Then, that makes it official. It's like the start of clock - the first official step on the road to be published. YIKE!
• And then, then that means (if only in my mind) that I need to start taking my writing seriously. Which translates (again, in my mind only) to, it's work.

Anyone reading this, rolling their eyes and/or shaking their heads - get over it - it's the way I feel, rational or not, there it is. I'm sure there are others who TOTALLY understand where I'm coming from, and I thank you in advance for your support and words of wisdom.

Then as if all that has gone before was not crazy enough, I marched (ok, clicked) myself over to the GSRWA website, as in Greater Seattle Chapter of Romance Writers of America, and proceeded to submit my application to that group as well.

I know, it's nutzy! My real life jobs, both corporate and domestic, are fucking crazy right now and it's like I've added more nails to my coffin. Well, not so much so, but here's what I'm thinking.

I'm not getting any younger, well ok, that's a given.. but no, not that. I work too much, at work stuff. So IF there are other things besides housework, bills and the four letter W.O.R.K. that I have a responsibility to do then perhaps it will balance out.

And what more responsibility is there than something you've paid money for the privilege to be a part of, really? And I need to make time for my writing, I want to do it, I have voices in my head that sometimes distract me from the W.O.R.K. which is frustrating and counter productive. So what it boils down to is accountability. Being a part of these organizations I hope will level out the effort for the fun work of writing and the W.O.R.K. of earning a living and being part of a family.

That is all the brain dump I have for now... thank you for listening, thank you for your support and thanks for all the fish.

And how much intel?

I often wonder as I'm writing, do they really need to know this? Why is it important?

The scene I'm working on is important, and I guess the thing I have to ask is.. will the book make sense without it?

Maybe, but it would take more explaining later.

AH... I'll leave it in there now but it's not exactly my strongest work.

G'nite all!

6,709 / 85,000

(7.9%)

Words seem to flow like water, now!

In the morning, I finished one of the four books I've been reading. I found an advance reader copy of Cherry Adair's White Heat on eBay and couldn't resist. I've never seen one before and was thrilled to be able to read the book before it came out. I have had the hard back on pre-order for a long time, and expect to re-read it before the conference in October.

I worked some, answered a few emails and was going to work on a form but became distracted by my email and ended up surfing the web a bit then I just sat at the PC for several hours yesterday, working on nothing in particular.

I wanted to write, but the words didn't seem to want to come. I talked with Dub about my inability and his words of encouragement prompted a Q & A session with my hero.

At first he was not very forthcoming, but then the answers started to flow. After that, I started working on Chapter 2 and it was after 11pm when I came up for air. One and a half scenes, 1,638 words later I had to call it quits for the night. I'm sure it will need a good polishing, it always does, but the point is the words did flow - finally. I'm headed back to the waterfall to see what else comes out.

6,200 / 85,000
7.3 %

Lazy Weekend - sorta..

I feel a little bit guilty for not writing this weekend, but then I didn't work either. Neeper spent the weekend with Aura and Mario so we had the house to ourselves all weekend. Seems like she had a good time with A-button and B-button (Mario's Twins - to be renamed later, maybe), but I asked that the computer time be limited, and I'm not sure that was enforced. Out of my control, water under the bridge .. moving on.

I spent most of my time sewing a pair of PJ's for Neeper. It's been a long time, and I was feeling the need to be crafty. Dub worked on Saturday, so I spent some time with George, Brad and Matt (and the rest of the Ocean 11 & 12 crew) while I was cutting, pinning and stitching.

The PJ's are a custom 2 piece job with a longer than usual shirt and shorter than expected (capri length) pants. I intended the shirt to be long, sleep shirt length, so it could be worn on it's own or with the bottoms - and that works pretty well. I didn't want to fuss with buttons or snaps, so I stitched the front together and called it done. It looks a little bit like a Kimono, but she likes them - so all is good. I have muchos more fabric to work on, but this time I'll take measurements before I start cutting. ~ grins ~

I did a little laundry and other chores while I was at it, but mostly me and the cats!

I'm amazed, actually, that I felt much like doing anything. Friday night, after dropping off the Neeper in Seattle with Aura - I picked up Dub and we went to our favorite local watering hole. No wait, I met him downtown, I had a couple Jack/Coke combos while I waited for him to be off work. THEN we went to our favorite local watering hole and Zach was a nice bartender and gave me TALL Jack/Coke combos while we played video games and waited for our dinner. Bar Burgers at the BEST!! Several Jack/Coke combos later, Dub drove me home and I poured myself into our lovely (almost 45 days old) king size bed! AH... and I was out! This was early, actually, around 10:30 or so if I recall correctly.

I tried to watch TV, but I was exhausted and so J/C'd that it didn't pay to stay awake. Dub was in bed a little while later cause he had to work the next day. AH.. what a wild life.

Sunday, not much doing. I whipped the PJ pants together in morning but I needed to measure for the elastic. (oops) It was rainy off and on, and I cat-napped in the office in between chores but that's as close as I was to the computer all weekend.

Monday was total craziness again, and today has been just as weird. I guess I COULD have taken advantage of no interruptions and put some more words on the but it was damn nice doing must what I wanted.

This will not help me finish the MS on time, but.. WILL help me keep what little sanity I have left.

More words on the morrow!

Happy "D" Day to Me!

Today is the one year Anniversary of my Liberation... that is, the day my divorce became final!

It seems like so much longer, but only 365 days have passed. I imagine the length of time from initial filing to signing has something to do with that, but I was shocked yesterday when I realized today was the day.

I'm not sure what I'll do to celebrate, perhaps this weekend I'll do something wicked, but for now - I'll just sing a little song!

Happy "D-day" to me!

Happy "D-day" to me!

Happily Divorced and now I'm a Dragon Day!!

Happy "D-day"

tooooooo mmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Thank you. Thank you, very much. I'll be here all week! ~ Grins ~

Why I find time only on Sunday

It seems like I can only seem to write on Sunday, and I'm not sure why that is.

Sure, there is time during the week, but I guess I don't use it as well as I should.

There is dinner, shopping, laundry, homework, dishes, pets, bills... pick one.. not to mention the boob tube. And I'm working on a waking program with my Aunt to help motivate her to move more.

Every other week I spend time with the ladies of my family yacking about this and that.

Saturday's there are often things to do like driving to Everett for a book signing *waves to Pat, Anne, Yasmine and Alexis* and then finding you can't drive your way out of the Everett Mall area without checking the map. It took twice as long to make it home as it should.. I was very turned around, and there was not sun that day. (I couldn't tell my south from east with the sun behind the clouds.)

So today my Ex Roomie called and said she needed some motivation and would I be up for some timed writing. SURE!! After I finish with Capt'n Jack Sparrow, sez I.

We kicked in a little later, and between the research and general goofing around, I managed to put over 1,000 words in the computer today - and that wasn't even editing what was already there! YEAH!!

So Sunday is the day, but if that's the case I'm going to have to put more than 1,000 words per day.

I'm glad the meter moved today, I'll take the progress I can make, and be happy with it for now.

How'd you do today?

4,509 / 85,000

(5.3%)

Stoopid Meter...

won't move if you don't write.

Turns out I didn't add any words, or even take more away last night. I was annoyed, but then I remembered I'm a part time writer - so I wasn't too hard on myself (this time).

And so... it begins!

Today I will start what I hope is the first of many books that will actually be published. At the moment, I have a 4 book series that will not leave me be - so it's time to start them.

I'll find a progress meter after I have a few more letters on the page.

Not your average name TAG!!

Shelli tagged Aura, and Aura tagged me to write about my random facts and habits.

Here are the rules:
1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Here goes:

1. My cats eat plants, so I don't have any in the house.
2. I have a pool table in my living room, and a TV in my dining room
3. I buy books without reading the blurb on the back because I like the cover or title.
4. I have lots of hand written notes, but nothing typed on my book - YET
5. I would rather buy new tools than new clothes
6. My garage is full of stuff I really don't need but can't part with just yet
7. As a rule, I don't like me-me posts
8. is my favoite number


Since one must tag.. I will tag the following:







Sadly, I can think of noone who would respond to the tag... (that have not been tagged already). So I choose to end the game here.

Sex-Ed in 5th Grade?

Not exactly a post for guys - but maybe....

You've been warned.

I'm sure there are many good reasons for including Sex-Ed in the 5th grade curriculum these days... I was just not at all prepared for it. Neeper came home this week with MANY questions about how the female body works. The school sent the kids home with a pamphlet about how their bodies would be changing in the next couple years and what to expect.

Neeper is SO excited to have her period... she just can't wait to be a 'young woman'. I keep trying to tell her she should enjoy the fact that she doesn't have to deal with that mess yet, and she'll very much want to be rid of it once it arrives. She says innocently enough "But you loose your period when you start menopause, right?" this makes me laugh, and then cry... cause I know it's not true, which I've informed her a couple times.

With the lovely little pamphlet are three different sizes of feminine pads from panty liners to an overnight pad. I went to the grocery store Thursday, the day the packet came home, and when I returned, it appeared Neeper was chasing Dub around the house with one of these pads still in it's pretty pink package. I don't think I was gone more than 45 minutes, but I cannot properly describe the look of relief on his face when I came thru the door. Neeper started chatting with me then, and tried to include Dub in the conversation but he tossed up his hands and said he was "Done talking about female stuff!"

It's funny, Dub will talk about almost anything with Neeper, sometimes in too much detail for her age (It's my opinion that there are some things kids don't need to know until they are older) yet he didn't want to talk with her about the nature of the female body. *giggles* I'll give him crap about that later, especially as she grows up.

Friday, I was taking a little nap in the afternoon when Neeper brought the pamphlet to me with 12 foot tape measure from the garage in hand and announced, "I don't get it!" and pointed to the instructions for measuring to find your bra size.

It seems there is a formula that goes something like :
1) Measure around your chest, just below the breasts.
2) Add 5 inches if it's an odd number; add 4 inches if it's an even number. This is your bra measurement. (Not sure why, I'm just going with what it says...)
3) To find out what cup size is needed, measure around the fullest part of your breasts.

It goes on to say the difference in the first number and second number will tell you what your cup size is:
AA - if numbers are the same
A - if 1 inch difference
B - if 2 inch difference
C - D more than any 5th grader should have unless they've been held back for several years.

Number 3 is what was confusing Neeper. See, those of us wearing more than an A cup these days know that this measurement is done around the chest, across the fullest part of the breast.. how far do the girls stick out, in other words. Neeper was thinking that she needed to measure around the beast area, only there's not much there so she's having a hard time coming up with a number. Not sure these yo-yo's who wrote the booklet kid tested it before taking it to press.

But reading it again, it doesn't tell you that you need the difference between the first measurement (before adding extra inches) so could be additional confusion when if you add 5 inches to 27, but your measurement around the breasts is 28, then how does that work exactly - the poor kid would end up in a DD cup .. talk about disproportionate! Anyway, measuring Neeper's way - she was coming with a much bigger number difference than she should.

It was very hard to hold in the giggles, but we managed to have a serious conversation and determined that at the moment she'd be an AA cup. Now we need to go bra shopping. UGH!

Whew... one down... many more to go...

From the dusty OLD email file ~ dated 10/21/2002

I was messing around in an old email program, looking for .. something. I found this email, and figured I'd share - someone could use a laugh.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. (again)

If you have raised kids (or been one), and gone through the pet syndrome including toilet-flush burialsf or dead goldfish, the story below willhave you laughing out LOUD!

Overview: I had to take my son's hamster to the vet.
Here's what happened: Just after dinner one night, my son came up to tell me there was"something wrong" with one of the two hamsters he holds prisoner in his room.

"He's just lying there looking sick," he told me. "I'm serious, Dad. Can you help?"

I put my best hamster-healer statement on my face and followed him into his bedroom. One of the little rodents was indeed lying on his back, looking stressed. I immediately knew what to do.

"Honey," I called, "come look at the hamster!"

"Oh, my gosh," my wife diagnosed after a minute. "She's having babies."

"What?" my son demanded. "But their names are Bert and Ernie, Mom!"

I was equally outraged. "Hey, how can that be? I thought we said we didn't want them to reproduce," I accused my wife.

"Well, what do you want me to do, post a sign in their cage,?" she inquired.(I actually think she said this sarcastically!)

"No, but you were supposed to get two boys!" I reminded her, (in my most loving, calm, sweet voice, while gritting my teeth together).

"Yeah, Bert and Ernie!" my son agreed.

"Well, it's just a little hard to tell on some guys, ya know," she informed me. (Again with the sarcasm, ya think?)

By now the rest of the family had gathered to see what was going on. I shrugged, deciding to make the best of it.

"Kids, this is going to be a wondrous experience," I announced. "We're about to witnessthe miracle of birth."

"OH, Gross!", they shrieked.

"Well, isn't THAT just Great!; what are we going to do with a litter of tiny little hamster babies?" my wife wanted to know. (I really do think she was being snotty here, too. don't you?)

We peered at the patient. After much struggling, what looked like a tiny foot would appear briefly, vanishing a scant second later.

"We don't appear to be making much progress," I noted.

"It's breech," my wife whispered, horrified.

"Do something, Dad!" my son urged.

"Okay, okay." Squeamishly, I reached in and grabbed the foot when it next appeared, giving it a gingerly tug. It disappeared. I tried several more times with the same results.

"Should I call 911?" my eldest daughter wanted to know. "Maybe they could talk us through the trauma." (You see a pattern here with the females in my house?)

"Let's get Ernie to the vet," I said grimly.

We drove to the vet with my son holding the cage in his lap. "Breathe, Ernie, breathe," he urged."I don't think hamsters do Lamaze," his mother noted to him. (Women can be so cruel to their own young. I mean what she does to me is one thing, but this boy is of her womb, for God's sake.)

The vet took Ernie back to the examining room and peered at the little animal through a magnifying glass.

"What do you think, Doc, a c-section?" I suggested scientifically.

"Oh, very interesting," he murmured."Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, may I speak to you privately for a moment?"I gulped, nodding for my son to step outside.

"Is Ernie going to be okay?" my wife asked.

"Oh, perfectly," the vet assured us. "This hamster is not in labor. Infact, that isn't EVER going to happen... Ernie is a boy."

"What!?"

"You see, Ernie is a young male. And occasionally, as they come into maturity, like most male species, they um.... er.... masturbate. Just the way he did, lying on his back." He blushed, glancing at my wife. "Well, you know what I'm saying, Mr. Cameron."

We were silent, absorbing this.

"So Ernie's just...just...Excited?", my wife offered.

"Exactly," the vet replied, relieved that we understood.

More silence.Then my viscous, cruel wife started to giggle. And giggle. And then even laugh loudly.

"What's so funny?" I demanded, knowing, but not believing that the woman I married would commit the upcoming affront to my flawless manliness.

Tears were now running down her face."It's just...that...I'm picturing you pulling on its...its...teeny little..." she gasped for more air to bellow in laughter once more.

"That's enough," I warned.

We thanked the Veterinarian and hurriedly bundled the hamsters and our son back into the car. He was glad everything was going to be okay.

"I know Ernie's really thankful for what you've done, Dad," he told me.

"Oh, you have NO idea," my wife agreed, collapsing with laughter.

Cat Electric...

One of my cats, Duz, has found a hole in the top of my computer monitor. All the cats like to sit on the monitor where it's warm, but Duz has decided it would be fun to dig round inside to see what treasures might be hidden in there.

When the monitor is turned off, which was most of the time until recently, I didn't think it was a huge issue - though I discouraged it when I was around to see.

This afternoon, I've had the monitor on and several times I've had to 'remove the Duz' from the warm spot because of his treasure hunting. I'm afraid he's going to find something to connect a claw with and will be jolted off the desk - not to mention short out the display.

I'd love to have a flat screen, and appreciate the Duz for his willingness to help with that, but can't afford the trip to the vet that would certainly follow.

Renovations in progress!

I've been working on my template, making some tweaks here and there - making it custom!

Please excuse the dust while we're working.

Thanks!

Who writes this stuff?

This evening I pulled a bag-o-frozen-pasta-dish from my freezer to use a a base for my mostly home-made dinner. This dish is a Bertolli Chicken Parmigiana & Penne Complete Skillet Meal for Four.

It's been a little while since I've used bag-o-frozen-pasta-dish so I read the instructions to make sure I didn't need to add water or something like that. I'm sure I've read the instructions in the past, but maybe I didn't read them all....

STOVETOP PREPARATION

~RECOMMENDED~

READY IN

15

MINUTES

1. Pour contents of bag into 12-inch nonstick skillet.
2. Cover and cook over medium-high heat 15 minutes or until pasta and sauce are piping hot, stirring occasionally. Toss and serve.

Now, I was ok with the piping hot instructions, but almost lost it with toss and serve. Maybe this is because deep on the dark corners of my mind I remember I like to play volleyball. When playing volleyball, one must know how to Set, Hit, Spike and the all important SERVE. There are two ways to serve in volleyball.. one is an underhanded lob that can arch or float over the net and drop with painful precision when the other team is not expecting the floaty serve. This is not the I deliver my volleyball serve. I toss the ball into the air and hit it for all it's worth.

Toss and Serve!

The hot PASTA? What a mess. I laughed out loud and had to read the instructions to Dub. He said that would be kinda messy, and you'd probably achieve more distance if a tennis racket was used. This had me laughing harder.

I understand the need for brief clear instructions, but I'm wondering if in this huge package, they could have found space for another word or three. And it's funny, the microwave instructions to not guide you to toss then serve, but stir before serving. Will the serve police come arrest me if I don't toss before I serve?

Going now, to stir, not sure I'll toss, before I serve.

The Mother of all excuses for not writing this weekend.. pun in tended.

It's been a little while - things have been hectic and nearly non-stop both at home and at work.

On the home front, Aura moved in with her man - we will call him "Mario" for now. Mario sold his condo in Everett, and bot a house in Marysville - which is still a long long way from the community where I reside at the southern end of Lake Washington. We helped move most of Aura's stuff out then in two weeks ago. I don't think any of us knew how much "STUFF" she'd accumulated over the 4 years she's been here. And I'm not even talking about the 6 boxes of unread books (probably more like 8 all told) that were packed and moved. When we were done, there was an empty wall in the pool room (I have a pool table in my living room), a blank spot in the TV room (so then the TV is in the dining room), and the Master bedroom was now empty (I gave it up to her when she moved from Florida, so she could lock herself in her room to work on her book if it was necessary, but so there wouldn't be puddles on the floor. ~ Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! ~)

We cleaned away the accumulated dust and cat hair then re-arranged the furniture in the front two rooms while we decided what to do with the Master bedroom. I have plans to make it an office space or den, somewhere I can go to work from home or where I can write. Neepers computer is in the pool room at the moment, so we've also talked about putting her computer in the office.

Then, all hell broke loose with one phone call on Friday evening ..... Yeah, Friday, April 13th! Buffy called and said that she'd bot a ticket to come home (to stay) and would be arriving on Sunday, April 22nd, and would that be ok Mom? STUNNED. I did my best to contain my shock while we were on the phone and then after we hung up, I sat on the couch for several minutes watching my office plans melt into nothing.

See, when PFC left for boot camp in August 06, he didn't pack his all his stuff, so his room has been mostly untouched (and unusable) since his departure. Sure, he comes home every chance he can, and uses the mess as his base of operations, but there is no way anyone else could use that space... for anything. Before Buffy left for Florida in October 06, we had planned to pack up the rest of the PFC stuff and use his room as the new Neeper space. Having a 10 year old in your room tends to CRAMP your style when you're a social diva like Buffy. So when Buffy left, we allowed Neeper to keep the 'girl' room, and left the PFC mess as it was, as I had a hard time going in there without thinking about how empty the house was and how much I missed my kids. Of course, this was all when we still had Aura in the Master bedroom. Are you following?

SO, this weekend, we decided with Buffy returning we should go with the initial plan and clean out the PFC room (move his desk, bed, TV and bookshelf) into the Master/Office/Den/Guest Room and make the switch to from PFC Mess to Nice and Neat for Neeper. PFC can stay in the guest room when he's home, and when he's not around, it can still be an office or den.

MANY boxes of DVD, VHS, game systems (I think I counted 6 consoles), books, computer CRAP and electronic gizmos later we can see the floor, but the desk(with 2 computers) and bed still need to be moved. Oh, and the posters - the rooms walls are covered with Anime posters. We're going to prep and paint (maybe Tuesday or Wednesday) then look for a new bed and dresser for Neeper to start her bedroom transformation.

So, being a Mom is my excuse for not writing this weekend.

Buffy ~ Mom can I come back home and go to school, I didn't believe you when you said it's tough out here in the real world.
PFC ~ Mom, can you store my stuff for me while I'm in the Marines?

One of these days, I'll be able to start actually writing my book... instead of thinking about it while I'm supposed to be working.

Fun with fonts....

Some of the most awesome fonts don't come standard with your computer. Sure, there are many to choose from - but there are loads of others out there.

I was looking for a specific font for a project at work, and figured I'd have to purchase it in order to create the graphics I needed. The price range for the set I was looking at was $24-$105 dollars depending on the website.

While searching the interwebs, if found this font site that allows you to test fonts before you purchase them. Not only that, but you can change colors during the test and actually save the test sample as a bit map file.

Like I mentioned before, there loads of fonts out there we never have a chance to use - above is my name, in a graphic font called Gargoonies... and there are many others to choose from. In the search or font finder option, type in anything, I tried "fun" and "goon", you'll be amazed with the different styles and options. Then click on the title of the font and select the option to create a sample. I found that it was necessary to put the cursor in the font size box, then enter before changes would be applied to the sample window below.

Just think of all the fun you can have making your own buttons and graphics. If you post something, come back and let me know!

I just can't see where it's right...

I'll probably see a lot of flack for this post, but I don't really care, there are not that many folks that blog hop here anyway, and what the hell, it's my damn blog!

I loathe the Simpsons! Well to be truthful, I don't like many (read: NONE AT ALL) of the 1/2 situation comedies - Friends, Seinfeld, Everybody Hates Ramon - name one - and I'm sure I've tried it and failed to like it. In fact most, I can't even watch 10 minutes of before I'm searching for Discovery or the History Channel or something with claws and teeth!!

Neeper used to watch the Simpsons with her grandfather when he was alive. It was something that they did. I'm sure they talked about the shows, he was a very loving man and there is a very big hole in her life now that he's passed, but I still don't think it's something she or any child should be exposed to under the age of 15. Keep in mind Neeper also saw the Exorcist at age 5, and more than once, because the "adults" she was living with didn't see fit to wait until she was sleeping or even send her out of the room while the watched that nastiness!!!

Why, many ask, don't I like the show? Well... it puts a very bad, bad, bad (did I mention BAD) light on family life, and community. Of the shows I can remember, the kid or the father is always trying to get away with something (typical sit-com plot peeve by the way) and while they most likely don't... the fact that they even tried, sends the wrong message to children. So maybe you had a good childhood and nice family up bringing. You lived in an ok neighborhood and you find the stoopidness of it all funny. Fine.

But what if you didn't have a wonderful family life, and the best neighborhood to grow up in. What if the boob-tube was your baby sitter, and the Simpsons are where you learned your family values. GAG. ME!!

I didn't allow my kids to watch that crap when they were growing up, and I think they had a pretty ok up bringing. So I will not allow Neeper to watch the show, unless her dad watches it with her... and ... he didn't want to last night. So she cried about it. And then we argued about it... and feelings were hurt. It's a dumb damn TV Show, and I will not back down on this.

What is it about the situation comedy that I find so distasteful? It could not be the 'it's really stoopid but I'm going to do it anyway and see if I can pull it off' turkey on my head type of images that were relentless during sweeps. And who the hell cares who was the father of the baby? Give me sex in the bible any day, at least the fiction was original, not baked up crumbs from some other show.

I think I could go on and on and on - cause next I'd pick on un-reality shows - but I think I've ranted enough for tonight. Feel free to leave your comments - and unless they're full of stuff that is totally off topic, I'm sure I'll let them remain.

Ah... that feels better!

Actors in a action.....

Not as recognizable as the pink ribbon, but it will be!!

During the Golden Globe awards tonight I saw several of the actors wearing a blue puzzle pin on their black tuxedos. I had no idea what this little pin symbolized, so of course, I had to look it up.

This little pin is from Autism Gear and some of the proceeds from the sale of the items on this site are used to support The Autism Society of America. I've never seen this little pin, but it made me look it up, so I figured I share.

Check it out!!

Christmas, the empty nest version...

My nest is not empty, not really - but it feels that way.

I have mentioned that this year my son (PFC) joined the Marines, and my daughter (Buffy) moved to Florida to go to school. I have Dub, Neeper and Roomie living in house with me - along with 9 cats - so you see, the nest is not really empty.

PFC has been home since the 22nd, and will be headed to the midwest in early January for MOS training - but he has not been home much.

Christmas Day was really though for me, it was just all wrong. Showers took too long, the Fudge was not packaged and I was missing Buffy something dreadful. I took Neeper to Da'Rents (my parents house) for breakfast, but had to go back and pick up Dub cause the hot water was lacking after 2 had showered. (Neeper doesn't know the meaning of 'quick' in the shower)

Da'Rents house seemed REALLY empty. Brodar (my brother) was not around (yet), Mom was bustling around in the kitchen and Roomie and her guy (does he have a name yet?) were helping with vittles. PFC was sitting in the living room with his PSP, but I felt the hole.. the missing thing.. Buffy was not there. It made me cry, and just re-living it the tears are flowing again.

Some would say, that 'at least you had one of your kids there for the holidays' and that is true... but I really miss Buffy. I worry that she's not sleeping enough, or eating right. I didn't plan for her to be GONE so I didn't have the funds saved go pay for her to come home for Christmas. Next year, I hope will be better with that.

I'm not sure why I was dragging my feet when it was time to return to Da'Rents after Dub was ready to go, it just felt so wrong. When we arrived, the breakfast dishes had been cleared and folks had already started opening gifts. (Thanks for waiting people!) There was a flurry of activity as gifts were opened and for a while I was distracted. There were lots of ooh's and aah's, many nice things were gifted and some odd things too.

Roomie and her guy (I'll have to come up with something for him, I'm just not sure yet!) left for his family do. I had a short phone conversation with Buffy while she waited for others to 'wake up' or 'come home' so they could have their meal. Buffy and her crew didn't have anywhere to go for a Christmas dinner, so I'd ordered sammies, veggies and deviled eggs for them from Albertsons. Who knew grocery stores in Florida didn't do ham or turkey dinners for Christmas, or maybe it was that you had to order them more than 4 days ahead of time.

I mixed up some eggnog with brandy, then Mom, PFC and I started a game of rummy while Neeper talked with Valkyrie and Mr. Peabody on the phone. About 3 hands in, my head pounded so bad I needed a nap. Not sure if it was the brandy, stuffy sinus or stress, but the head won.

Buffy and her crew called and woke me from my slumber some time later, to thank me for the yummies I'd ordered. It was nice to talk with them, and some of the sorrow I had about Buffy's holiday lifted. She was having a good time, with folks she liked, and she was safe.

I'm still teary about it, even now.. though I'm sure it has something to do with the approaching new year celebration and PFC's departure soon after. I suspect it will be better in the years to come, but I'm not looking forward to my kids (that are not kids any more) having lives of their own where they are not able to be with me during the holidays. Is that selfish.. you bet, but I won't apologize for it. I love my kids, enjoy spending time with them, am proud of the adults the have worked to become and I miss them bunches when they are gone.

Beta is better ... how?

I've done it.
I switched to Beta. Figured I'd better do it before they did it for me.

Already I don't like HAVING top put the damn labels on things before you can post put up a post, and that ASSUMES you remember how you have labeled things in the past... YUCK!

Crossing my fingers this doesn't turn out badly!