Bull headed

I have a personality characteristic that I guess would be pure stubbornness. 

The more people tell me that I HAVE to read, watch, view something the less likely I am to do it.

Dirty Dancing came out in my senior year in high school. It wasn't something I was very interested in from the get go, but after EVERY frigging girl in school told me, squealing, that I HAD TO SEE THIS I made the decision to never sit though it ever, even on pain of death.

It's been 20 years. I still haven't seen it. And I never will.

This applies to TV shows and books as well. I thank the gods that I discovered Harry Potter prior to the hysteria, because otherwise I never would have read them, and I would have missed out on something great. In 1999 a friend of mine I had worked with in a book store in NJ sent me an email and said, "There's this book called Harry Potter. Read it." And I did. If she had told me that 2 years later I would have dug in my heels and never read them.

There's this little book called The Bridges of Madison County. Never read it. Never saw the film either.

I read a book called The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks because he was a "local author." It exploded. He became the patron saint of male written romance. And I never touched another one of his books ever. I also haven't seen THOSE films.

This happened with The Sopranos and Sex and the City as well. I really had no interest in either anyway, but after the rabidness started there was no way in HELL I would ever watch either. I have walked in on parts of The Sopranos and walked right out again. I have NEVER seen an episode of SATC and I never ever will. Ever. Even if I'm tortured.

This doesn't mean that I won't enjoy things that are popular. I couldn't wait for The Dark Knight to come out, and when it hit DVD I was bouncing up and down waiting for my copy from Amazon. And I'm a pop culture junkie. I watch 24, I watch Idol. I really don't have highbrow tastes.

However, enough people have now informed me that I MUST see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button that they have guaranteed that I will never in my life sit through it.

If only I had listened to my instincts for Titanic and Cast Away.

The Day After

This morning my daughter danced with our new president.

Obama Boogies

Yesterday CNN was on all day. We took breaks to go outside and play in the snow, but kept coming back in so that someday I can tell her, "On the day President Obama was sworn in you spent the entire day ignoring him."

These are my favorite images from yesterday.

My absolute favorite quote from yesterday had nothing to do with politics or policy. It was this:

"How good-looking is my wife?"

Yesterday prior to the Oath being taken I witnessed the Clintons holding hands as they approached the dais. All I could think was, "Oh come ON."

Being someone who is actually in love with my husband, the joy that the Obamas clearly take in each other's company is wonderful. I really believe in it. I don't think those looks they give each other can be faked.

So aside from my wishes that President Obama survives his term(s), I also hope and pray that their marriage survives the pressures of the office as well. I cross my fingers that theirs never becomes "in name only." 

And I will continue to use them as an example for how to behave with my spouse.

Happy Inauguration Day

Dawn this morning

Yeah well, we'll see...

January 25, 2000 (Yes, my decorations were still up)

January 25, 2000 (and this was about halfway through)

From NC State University:

...A powerful winter storm dropped record amounts of snow across central North Carolina...

...The all time single storm snow accumulation record for Raleigh-Durham was set with this storm when the airport received 20.3 inches of snow...

...Over 100,000 customers were without power and many schools and business closed for several days...

...The storm was not well forecast by numerical weather prediction models...

...Following the event, research at NC State indicated that the inability of the operational models to resolve antecedent precipitation across the Deep South was a major reason for their forecast failure of the developing cyclone...

...This event reinforces the need for forecasters to maintain situational awareness of upstream conditions and to compare model forecasts with observations...

Carolina Crusher

So last night when I went to bed they were calling for a dusting tonight. When I got up this morning they had upgraded that to 2-4 inches statewide and pockets of 4-6 inches. However, they just don't know. Even after 9 years they're having difficulty with this. They're saying that this system greatly resembles that "Carolina Crusher," although it seems to be moving more quickly, so it probably won't dump almost 2 feet on us.

From our current watch:

Some uncertainty remains regarding the precise location of the
highest snowfall totals. At this time it appears that the greatest
risk of heavy snow will be in the corridor between Highway one and
Interstate 95. However... everyone across central North Carolina
should keep a close eye on the latest conditions and forecasts
through today and tonight. Check NOAA Weather Radio or other local
media frequently for the latest information... including possible
advisories and warnings... on this developing storm.

So I guess we'll see. I'll post photos tomorrow if there's something worth taking a photo of.

Wish us luck this time! At least this time the snow removal equipment hasn't been sent to the western part of the state.

Fucksocks

Philadelphia Eagles 25 - Arizona Cardinals 32

This is why I don't watch.

I didn't watch the World Series. Even though my beloved Phillies were playing, I was terrified to watch. Every night I would watch the news and get a quick idea of what the score was doing, and then I'd get in bed and clamp my eyes shut and cross my fingers that that brief lapse wouldn't jinx them completely.

Rich wanted to watch the Eagles game today. I thought it was a bad idea, but I went along with it.

Of course they lost.

I'm pulling for the Steelers in the current game, and I'm watching it. They're winning. It's not that big a deal, however, because they aren't MY home team. My special brand of bad luck only seems to affect the teams from my hometown.

It affects adopted hometowns as well. Which is why the Panthers got their asses handed to them.

I guess it's better this way. I really would have hated to totally avoid the Super Bowl.

SNORT

From dogbreedinfo.com (photos are mine):

The Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog is independent, protective, and territorial. Loving with their family and all people they know well and reserved with strangers (this would include strange children). They need to make up to a person, not a person make up to them. Of course there are temperaments on both sides of this, but this is for the average dog. They mature right around 2 and it is as if a light goes on and they say to themselves "I am an adult now and I need to act grown up." This breed's reservation with strangers should not be noticed in a pup, but will show as the dog matures. Although affectionate with his master, the Catahoula is not recommended for the casual pet owner who is uninterested in allowing the dog to function in his intended capacity. For the right owner, this is a protective yet dominating canine. Signs of timidity on a leash should not be taken as cowardness, but the intolerance for strangers. This breed needs a dominant owner who shows strong leadership.

Some do well in apartments while others do not. It all depends on the lines of the dog and how much time an owner spends with the dog and how much exercise it receives. Catahoulas need attention. This is not a dog that can be tied to a dog house, fed, and ignored. Chaining and or ignoring a Catahoula will either make them shy or aggressive. They need human companionship. This does not mean they need to live in your pocket and can not be kept outside; this breed needs direction, training, something to do, people, attention, etc.

If they are kept outside where it is really cold, they need a good warm dog house, preferably one that has an entrance and then a turn into the sleeping quarters. That way they are protected from the elements. They need to be kept inside in really cold weather, as they are a single coated dog.

Man of the Hour

Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger.

Absolutely frikking brilliant.

Bless him and keep him. 

If I ever get on a plane again I can only hope that my pilot will have the same skills.

What an amazing day yesterday was.

On this day in history...

January 15th

1559
Queen Elizabeth I was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

1759
The British Museum opened.

1777
The Republic of New Connecticut declared its independence. Six months later it was renamed Vermont.

1870
The donkey was first used as symbol of the Democratic Party in Harper's Weekly.

1943
The world's largest office building, the Pentagon, was completed.

1967
The first Super Bowl was played: Green Bay Packers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 10.

1973
President Nixon orders halt to offensive operations in North Vietnam.

1983
My father, Julian Earl Summerell Jr, died of complications of emphysema.

26 years. It's been almost 3 decades since I lost my dad. 

This is where he worked:

This is where he lived: 

View Larger Map

This was the last car he owned. Yes, it's a Ford Granada. The worst car Ford ever made, IMHO:

And this was my dad as a young'n:

I myself don't own any photos of him from when I remember him. I think my mom has some though. She's not the most organized person on the planet, however, so god only knows if I'll ever see them again.

Life is Awesome

Twenty whole months after the prior season, 24 is back on TV.

I've been getting antsier and antsier as each month ticked by to January.

Last night did not disappoint.

My dad would have loved this show.

Dude

This is stuck in my head. Has been ever since I woke up this morning.

Don't go to bed, with no price on your head 

No, no, don't do it. 

Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time, 

Yeah, don't do it. 

And keep your eye on the sparrow. 

When the going gets narrow. 

Don't do it, don't do it. 

Where can I go where the cold winds don't blow, 

Now. 

Well, well, well.

Kudos to anyone of you old enough to recognize what's stuck in my head.

I provided the photo as a hint.

Woke up this morning with a full blown sinus infection, and I don't know whether or not I should go to the doctor for it. I'd have to wait until tomorrow anyway, because we don't have the money for Urgent Care. Hopefully by tomorrow I'll feel better and this will be moot.

Now if I could just get this damn tune out of my head.

Oops

Know what happens when no one in the house gets sick for years?

All of the cold meds expire.

Last night at 230 Rich coughed himself awake. Hard. I got up and went to get the supplies.

The Vaporub expired years ago.

The Robitussin expired last March.

I figured fuck it, and used both on him anyway. The Vaporub did nothing. The Robitussin worked for 3.5 hours instead of 4, so I had to give him more at 6am.

That was the last of it. We ran out.

So CVS opened at 8. We needed everything. I am starting with the crushed glass in throat feeling. So I needed supplies too.

I spent $49.

A bottle of Robitussin was NINE freaking dollars.

I had to buy the liquid Coricidin, instead of Nyquil, because Rich has high blood pressure. $7.50. Vicks was $8.49. And on it went.

Now everyone in the house feels like shit. My nose won't stop running and I keep sneezing. Rich is still coughing a bit. Livvie is breathing through her mouth.

And I have to go out and buy chicken soup supplies, and I don't wanna.

Have a great weekend all.

Not so common here...

<----Livvie with Croup (December 2006)

One night shortly after Christmas 2006 I woke up to hear my daughter barking like a seal. She was sleeping alone in her Pack and Play at that point, but she was having trouble breathing so I got her out and propped her up against my shoulder and slept with her on the sofa. Rich had already been showing symptoms by that point, and later in the day after Livvie and I got up I started showing symptoms too.

We were all sick for your standard common cold 7 days. Rich and I were bad enough, but at least we could blow our noses and cough guck into tissues. Livvie was 3 months old, and she felt so bad. We tried everything. This was before the American Academy of Pediatrics' ban on cold medicines for kids under 6. So our doc recommended Triaminic Thin Strips for cough and congestion. They didn't work all that great, and I had to cut them into quarters because of her size, so the dang things would get stuck to the tip of my finger and not really get into her mouth. Probably why they didn't work.

I used Sudacare shower tablets with the water running super hot and full blast while we sat in the bathroom. I used Vapo-Bath. I smeared her with Baby Vicks Vaporub. She could still barely breathe.

We slept (when we could sleep) with the vaporizer next to the sofa, on the floor next to our heads. That helped a little bit. The barking continued, until one day it just stopped. Just to be on the safe side we went to the doc and had her ears checked and they were clear, so we dodged that bullet. 

Over two years went by.

Yesterday Livvie's developmental therapist arrived at 4pm and they got right to playing. I sit and watch them, and I noticed while they were playing that Livvie kept rubbing her nose. At 5pm Jodi left, and as she was leaving Livvie sneezed. Guck went everywhere. It was like she had taken her finger out of the dam. That was all she wrote.

When she got up this morning she still had snot running out of her left nostril continuously. Her eyes were glazed. I tried to take her temp with the digital ear thermometer and she lost her mind, screaming hysterically. Every time we wiped her nose she would start crying. I called the doc and they had an opening, so in we went.

They took her temp in her armpit. She cried. 100.7. Doc came in and the otoscope sent her into choking hysterics. Rich had to restrain her against his chest and shoulders so doc could look in her ears. Her ears, once again, are clear.

She has a cold.

All we can really do is manage her symptoms. The fever was clearly affecting her mood, so she got tylenol for that. In order to give it to her I had to lay her on the floor and sit on her, prying her mouth open with one hand and squirting with the other while she screamed and twisted. Since she's over 2 now she gets 2 squirts. Lucky us.

She got Benadryl for the faucet nose, but it barely helped so I stopped giving it to her. Doc said to get the cough only Triaminic strips for her this time in case this progresses to her chest, so we picked some of those up.

I elevated the head of her bed, filled the vaporizer and plugged it in, and put her to bed.

Hopefully this time it'll last less than a week.

I just feel so helpless.

Dear St Francis:

Remember August of 2004 when I was wandering the streets with my litter of puppies, starving to death, full of worms, and Animal Control picked me up and took me to the shelter? 

Remember how I sat there for a month, with roommate after roommate coming and going, while I couldn't get adopted?

None of that was as bad as this.

Yes yes, mom couldn't stand to see me there every day and she finagled her landlord into letting her take me home. And yes, she got rid of my worms and fed me up and put weight on me. I got all shiny. Look! 

So yes, all of that is great, but seriously, we need to talk about power outages.

The power goes out sometimes, and it's WAY scarier than being on the streets. Tonight the power went out for an hour. When it first went out the box that's plugged into the wall for the carbon monoxide beeped. The power came back on and went off again. The box beeped again. And then it happened again. I hid under the table.

Then the power stayed out, and mom and dad lit a bunch of candles. Those were scary too. They were so scary that I pried open the folding door to the office with my claws and went in there to hide. Dad tripped over me in the dark, and that was scary too.

Emma was standing in the middle of the kitchen looking confused. Doesn't she know we're all gonna die????

So after what mom said was an hour, the power came back. When that happened a bunch of stuff in the house made noise. The refrigerator made noise, the freezer made noise, and mom's printer made noise. That was the scariest part of all. I tried to run away but there was nowhere to go. Then I remembered that the office was still open, so I went in there.

Then mom went into the living room and sat down and turned on the TV. I did curl up on the floor and go to sleep, but don't think I'll forget about this anytime soon.

Living outside was soooooo much less scary than being in the house. It took me ages to not be afraid of the washing machine, the ceiling fan, the refrigerator door opening, and the toilet flushing. 

The only problem is that outside I can't curl up on the rug. And I can't sneak up onto the sofa when no one is looking. And there're no heating vents. 

So I guess I really want to stay inside, but the whole power outage thing has to stop. Ok?

Thanks.

~Ginny

WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!

Product Endorsement

So there's an age a woman hits where if she has really dark hair it's TOO dark, and it only succeeds in making her look old and tired. I believe that age is 35. 

My mom took a look at me last week and said, "Your hair is too dark."

I agreed with her.

I also informed her that not much could be done about it without spending $90 at a salon to have it professionally done.

I puttered around for the past week until today, when I decided that was ridiculous. The year is 2009. Someone has to sell a product that will lighten super dark hair by more than a shade.

So I googled. And someone recommended L'Oreal's Feria Hi-Lift Browns. So I read the product reviews. It looked good. People were getting results of 2-4 shades lighter. That would work.

I marched out to the nearest Ulta store and bought a box of Downtown Brown. Brought it home and applied it. Waited the required half hour. Rinsed. Waited for it to dry. Here are the results.

Before:

After:

Now, I wouldn't call that 4 shades lighter. Maybe 3. And the colorant is supposed to remove the red tones from your hair and be more of an ash shade, but I honestly think NOTHING can get the red out of my hair. Regardless, it's become light enough so that I no longer look like Morticia Addams with the flu. 

So I recommend it. If you have darker hair and want to brighten it up a bit grab a box. It was $9.99 at Ulta, which isn't that bad for hair color.

Nostalgia

<----- Main Thoroughfare in the Town Where I Grew up (1930s)

My mom was born in 1930, and grew up during the Depression and WWII. The other day we were sitting in the living room and she said, "You know, even with all of the bad stuff, my friends and I really think that we grew up during the best time period ever."

I said, "Yeah, if you were white."

She thought for a moment and then said, "I guess you're right in a way, but we were up north, and it wasn't as bad up there."

I agreed that in the 30s and 40s our little pocket of the Northeast was a great deal better than say, Birmingham, but told her that it was still pretty bad. 

When I was a kid the heyday of the Civil Rights Movement was over. Women's Rights was the new cause, and I have memories of Alan Alda marching on my TV screen for the ERA. Which failed. But hey, he tried. THEY tried.

Women still make 80 cents to a man's dollar for the same job. Unpardonable.

I remember my mother basically insinuating that "women's libbers" were all ugly, leg hair sporting women who refused to wear bras and couldn't get a man. And my mother was a Democrat. The irony is that my mom is one of the most liberated women I know. She has held a professional career for 55 years. The house was in her name, because she made more than my father did. Due to separation and then my father's death she was a single mom. She has never been without her own car since she first received her driver's license. She almost never lets the man drive. And although she's an extremely devout Catholic who has blazingly different views than my own, she raised a Pro-Choice, homosexual loving, free thinking woman who tries very hard not to judge others. Tries being the operative word.

So I was thinking back to when I grew up. I would have to say that I did not grow up in a fantastic era. When I was born, Vietnam was raging and shortly after Nixon was resigning. We were in the middle of the Cold War, and they still held occasional "nuclear drills" where we all had to get under our desks. The TV movie "The Day After" aired, and scared me and everyone else to death. Everyone hated America, and people were super selfish. The AIDS epidemic was born. Ireland was at war with itself. Inflation went nutty. 

But you know what? I could still ride my bike all over town BY MYSELF and not have to worry. 

So my kids will be growing up basically in the 2010s. There is a LOT of bad shit going down right now, but there's also so much good. I wonder if there really is such a thing as a "best of times," and if there is, what's the criteria? I'm guessing it's totally subjective. And I guess that's ok.

If You Have Nothing To Do Tomorrow

At 2pm, and you get the WGN network on cable, they will be replaying the string bands portion of the 2009 Mummers Parade from Philadelphia. The string bands are the best part, and I am totally of the opinion that the Mummers Parade should be broadcast nationwide each year. However, it's 6 hours long.

From Wikipedia:

The Mummers Parade is held each New Year's Day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Local clubs (usually called "New Years Associations") compete in one of four categories (Comics, Fancies, String Bands, and Fancy Brigades). They prepare elaborate costumes and moveable scenery, which take months to complete.

The Mummers Parade traces back to mid-17th century roots, blending elements from Swedish, Finnish, Irish, English, German and other European heritages, as well as African-American heritage.[2][3] The parade is related to the Mummers Play tradition from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.[4] Revivals of this tradition are still celebrated annually in South Gloucestershire, England on Boxing Day and in parts of Ireland on St. Stephen's Day.

Each year, thousands of people participate in the parade, many wearing elaborate costumes costing tens of thousands of dollars to make and weighing well over 100 pounds.[7][12] $395,000 in prizes is awarded to the various winners.[13] The costs for making the outfits plus fees to choreographers and prop designers often far exceed the prizes available. While club fund raisers, hall rentals, bank loans and the like often cover much of the expense, individual members frequently spend hundreds or thousands of dollars of their own money.

As of 2008, the parade cost the city over $1 million each year, including $750,000 for police and parade services and $360,000 in prize money. The 2008 budget crisis has led the city to propose closing numerous libraries and firehouses and the scaling back of expenditures for the parade, offering $300,000 for the 2009 parade and nothing for 2010.

So really, if you get the chance, turn it on for even a few minutes. It's a true joy and it will leave you with a giant grin on your face.

Demographics

So today I am spending my New Year's watching a Bones marathon on TNT. It started at 8am, and ends at midnight.

I have seen Walmart commercials.

I have seen Mirena IUD commercials.

I have seen Nuvaring birth control commercials.

I have seen Electrasol dish detergent commercials.

If I see a Mr Clean commercial I will start throwing things at the TV.

Ok, so yes, I'm a woman, and I'm a huge fan. Yes, I'm also 37. And a mom. And a "housewife." But you know what? Most of my friends who watch this show are like me, in that as consumers they have a larger interest than reproductive issues, shopping, and cleaning products.

Seriously, do they think NO men watch this show?

I mean, sure, Rich doesn't watch it, but I suspect that's because he's irritated by my crush on David Boreanaz. Or maybe he's sick of procedurals. 

Ok, really, DO any men watch this show?

Wondrous Fizzy

After going into the house to open my bottle of pop, I walk outside onto the front porch and I settle down for the reward of my labors. RC Cola and a Moon Pie, followed by a grape jaw breaker for desert.

-NRBQ

I had my first RC Cola sometime as a kid. Now, I'm a Coke girl, and I always have been. But there's something special about RC. It was usually purchased by me on impulse, as a tasty treat. As I grew up, RC Cola grew harder and harder to find in NJ, until I could never find it at all.

After I moved down here to NC 13 years ago, I again encountered RC. No one has it in their fountain, but occasionally I would find it in a convenience store. If I happened to see it I would buy one. And then once again, the RC sightings started to peter out.

Four years ago I moved into this house with Rich, and I started shopping at a nearby grocery store called Food Lion. One day I happened to be in the soft drink aisle, and down by the cases of Tab (yes, Tab) I saw cases of RC. They were on sale. I literally squealed. I grabbed a case.

I began purchasing RC at every grocery trip. Until one day there was none left. I had bought it all. And it wasn't being restocked. That was 2 years ago.

Two weeks ago Rich and I turned down the soft drink aisle and I glanced to the left. I saw a splash of red, white, and blue. I did a double take. Yep. There it was. It was back. I squealed again, and threw a case in the cart.

Now, what you have to understand is that as I am pregnant I am supposed to be restricting caffeine. What you also have to understand is that at this point I don't give a fuck. I have no idea how long they're going to carry it. Maybe forever. Maybe 3 weeks. 

So I'm having me some freaking RC.

At least Batman

is having a holly jolly Christmas...

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

Tis the Season

<----- This is Eddie. Eddie is the mascot for the band Iron Maiden, who enjoyed their heyday in the 1980s when I was *ahem* in high school.

Anyway, back in the day I was a fairly huge metal head. I even had an Iron Maiden back patch for my jean jacket. Remember that look? I also had Jon Bon Jovi's hair. I was bitchin'.

So I've been carting my albums around for decades. I think I've listened to 3 vinyl records since I got my first CD player, but I've still been lugging the albums around the East coast. I have quite the collection of vinyl, mostly due to the fact that I worked in record stores for several years after getting out of high school.

Today I was reading my Freecycle emails and I came across this:

[WFC] Wanted - Black Sabbath, Dio, Iron Maiden Records (LP)

Hi,

I am hoping to find a copy of one of these bands' records. My teenage
son loves these older metal bands and I thought it would be fun to give
him one of these on LP. Even if I could just find the album cover, not
necessarily with the record, I could frame it and give to him for his
wall.

If you have a record by any of these bands you would be willing to part
with I can pick up within maybe 20 miles of Cary/Apex.

Thanks for your consideration! Merry Christmas

So I decided I could part with some Maiden. I went into the closet and I flipped through until I pulled out Powerslave and Somewhere in Time. Oddly, even though one of my cats used the spines of my vinyl to sharpen his claws one day, these two are in pristine condition. They look like they were just unwrapped.

I emailed the lady back and she's so excited she's about to plotz. So next week some kid is going to open these up on Christmas morning. I hope he likes them. It feels good to pass them on.

It's over

"For 27 years, we have been asking ourselves, 'Who would take a 6-year-old boy and murder him and decapitate him? Who? ' " Walsh said. "We needed to know. Today we know. The not knowing has been a torture but now that journey is over. It is only fitting that it ends here at this police department. "

When I was a little girl a little boy disappeared in Florida. My dad the cop used it as a teaching lesson and stressed that I should never wander off in public. Since Adam, the little boy, had disappeared from two aisles away from his mom in a Sears department store I didn't argue.

A little while later I saw on the news that they had found Adam's head. And only his head. The rest of his body was never found. I never wandered off from my mother again, and one day I stopped to look at something in a store, and she got several aisles ahead of me. I ran after her and SCREAMED at her in the store to never ever do that again. 

When I was a bigger kid Adam's dad started a TV show called America's Most Wanted. I thought it was a great idea, and then one day it got canceled. The government stepped in and strongly encouraged the network to reinstate the show. They wisely chose to do so. Although I have never recognized anyone on the show, it makes me feel better to know how many asshats have been captured thanks to someone calling in. Again, great idea.

All these years I have hoped that Adam would have justice one day. All these years I have looked up to his parents for what they have done with their grief. The choices they made after the ultimate horror are so inspirational. They're amazing people.

Adam finally has justice.

Burn in hell, Ottis Toole.

Rest in peace, Adam Walsh.

Blessings to the family.

Grab a Hanky

If you have 10 minutes to spare, take a gander at this.

How Livvie and I Have Been Spending...

The last couple of days...

Miss Mary Mack Mack Mack

All dressed in black, black, black

With silver buttons, buttons, buttons

All down her back, back, back.

She asked her mother, mother, mother

For 50 cents, cents, cents

To see the elephants, elephants, elephants

Jump over the fence, fence, fence.

They jumped so high, high, high

They reached the sky, sky, sky

And they didn't come back, back, back

'Til the 4th of July, ly, ly!

I Needed This Today

It's A...

Boy. :)

Say hello to Jonas Michael. 

Thanks for playing!

I Just Might Have to Agree With This

Happy Thanksgiving

You Have a Little Over a Week

To decide if I'm having a girl or a boy.

The big Level II ultrasound is on December 4th. That's when they make sure all limbs and digits are accounted for etc, and they also can usually tell what sex the baby is. Assuming the baby cooperates. Livvie had no shame during that ultrasound, and it was quite obvious that she was a girl. Hopefully this one will be as compliant.

I'm putting money on a boy. For real. If I'm having a girl I am going to make a small donation to the local animal shelter. 

If you'd like to participate in the "wager" that would rock. Simple rules. Guess the sex. If you're wrong, make a small holiday donation to the charity of your choice.

Have a great day folks!

Yick

I apparently have something called Pregnancy Gingivitis. 

My toothbrush is permanently stained pink. How disgusting is that?

I can't brush my teeth without spitting out entire oceans of bright red blood. 

Yeah, apparently ALL membranes and capillaries swell during pregnancy, so this is quite common.

I also can't blow my nose without turning the tissue red.

Apparently people with Pregnancy Gingivitis are urged to see their dentist for at least 2 cleanings during the pregnancy. Um, fuck no. I can't even have my teeth cleaned without drugs.

This happened with Livvie too, and it cleared up pretty quickly after she was born, so I think I'll take my chances, thank you.

Everyone have a great weekend!

I am the Grossest Person in the Universe

So today was Clean Out The Fridge Day. I did a recon last night by opening the door and peering in and I didn't think it would be too bad. Maybe 7 containers that needed to be dumped and run through the dishwasher. Manageable.

This afternoon I dove in. I grabbed the containers I had seen last night, dumped them into the trash, rinsed them, and stuck them in the dishwasher. That's when I noticed something at the very back of the fridge.

WAYYYYYYYY at the back of the fridge.

It looked like a saucer covered with foil. 

That's when my memory hit me like a Mack truck and I became very afraid. 

I reached back and grabbed it. I took it over to the trash can. Seeing as we don't have the funds to be throwing out saucers I knew I had to actually deal with what was inside the foil instead of throwing out the entire thing. 

I carefully peeled back the foil to reveal what I had expected. Yep. A log of cranberry sauce. A ONE YEAR OLD log of cranberry sauce. It was in fact leftover from last Thanksgiving.

Amazingly, it didn't smell, and it didn't look that bad. It had a light dusting of mold on it, but nothing gag inducing. It went into the garbage. The saucer got rinsed and put into the dishwasher.

So there you have my confession for the week. 

Have a great Monday.

It Never Ends

So the lady from the state came out again today to go over the financial paperwork with me for speech therapy. On the phone she had said we'd either pay 25% or 0%. Not so much. Now she's saying 40%. That's $30 a week.

We don't HAVE $30 a week.

I told them I'd discuss things with Rich and get back to them.

It's not looking good though.

Oh, and that's only a possibility. She THINKS it'll be 40%. It might be 60%.

Totally uncool. I don't understand why she told me one thing on the phone and then totally took it back in person. 

I'm really upset about this.

In other news, Livvie has discovered the spice shelf in the pantry and now brings me containers when I'm cooking. This is ok. She brought me the Montreal Steak Seasoning the other day. Last night when I was making a pumpkin cake she brought me the oregano. It's cool. However, yesterday she got out the jar of curry and realized something I had not. It's a flip top. I walked into the kitchen to find her dumping yellow powder on the floor and smearing it around with her hands. Awesome.

After the lady left today Livvie went back into the pantry and brought out the jar of marjoram. I was on the phone with my mom, so I was only half paying attention as she proceeded to unscrew the lid and dump the marjoram all over the floor. Got out the vacuum for the second time today. Again, awesome.

She's really digging the laundry lately, and she'll grab armfuls of clothes out of the hamper and pile them on the recliner like I do with the clean laundry. Yesterday I was folding laundry, and she got my underwear and folded them and put them on the sofa on my pile. That's cool. I turned around to get another item, and when I turned back to face her I discovered that she had now stuck her head through the leg holes of my underwear and was wearing them as necklaces. Okee dokee.

It's been an interesting week so far.

UPDATE: The lady called a little while ago. Apprently when she was here today she did the math wrong. It WILL be 20%, or $15 a week for Livvie's therapy.

So we're going to do that and do the free developmental therapy simply because it's free and it's offered. I'm so relieved.

If You Read a Book Enough...

You memorize the pages. 

<----- See this book? It's one of Livvie's favorites. It's one of mine too. It's short, and cute, and stars a rodent. I love rodents.

Livvie also has a book by the same author called If You Take a Mouse to School. 

<----- This picture? Also in If You Take a Mouse to School. 

So today Livvie was "reading" If You Take, and she flipped the page to the picture. She looked at it for a moment, and then turned around and found Time For School, Mouse. She carried the book over to the sofa and held it up next to the picture on the page.

They matched! How cool!

Know what's really cool? I was just typing this post and Livvie saw the picture in it and went and got the book for me. Which I was then obliged to read.

She might not talk, but she's no dummy.

Ok, I've had it

Santa arrived at our malls yesterday.

They reported it on the news and I threw my pillow at the TV.

Insane.

On the Monday after Halloween Livvie and I went to Target and the employees were putting the Christmas trees up and there was Christmas music playing overhead.

Can someone explain to me why the Christmas season is no longer a season? It's now an epoch.

I just don't get it.

Fauna

This morning I went to take Emma out to pee. I opened the kitchen door and a giant wolf spider said, 'Thanks!" and crossed the threshold and scurried across the kitchen floor and ended up God knows where in my house. My dog Ginny watched said spider scurry across the room and did NOTHING. 

Useless dog.

With the cold weather the bugs have moved in. We had been ant free for months, but recently we have been finding ants running around on the kitchen counter. Ant baits were procured, and they seem to be working as I have only seen one ant in 24 hours. Ants are ok when they're outside, but they are NOT allowed in my kitchen. Ever.

Remember my post about the giant outdoor flying roach that invaded my kitchen? Well, they've been coming inside as well. I saw the first one about a week ago when I walked out of the bedroom one night to go pee and saw one crawling around on the floor in the hallway. I went into the office and got Rich and made him take care of the situation. A few days after that I went into the kitchen one morning and found one on its back futilely kicking its legs to turn back over. Got Rich. 2 days ago the same thing happened, found an upside down one in the kitchen, but this one was already dead. Didn't care. Got Rich.

I don't do bugs.

I really hope the weather will level off soon and the bugs will stop coming indoors. 

At least the mosquitos are gone.