I'm In a Mood

Several things have led to me being "in a mood" and I feel the need to vent. I also don't feel the need to A.) Make sure I type proper paragraphs, 2.) Make sure everything flows, 3.) To be polite, politically correct, and to not use offensive language. So freaking read at your own risk.

First of all, last night on 20/20 they did a piece on the popularity of You Tube (which I hate and refuse to go to, btw), blogs, and other contemporary means of eradicating privacy. Video capable cell phones, digital cameras, etc., are prolific and have made privacy as we knew it, a thing of the past. How do I feel about this? Well, A.) If you don't like videos of yourself drinking out of a beer bong, making out with strangers in a bar, or stripping for your 13 year old boyfriend (this has to do with this volleyball teacher they profiled on the show) then don't freaking do it. Have some common sense and decency and stop using youth as an excuse for doing dumb things. And 2.) Get used to it. It's not going anywhere. Secondly, there was this woman who posted on her blog about EVERYthing from having an abortion to what she ate for lunch. Because of her openness, she's received hate e-mails wishing she'd get cancer but find out too late to treat it among other hatefulness. This is appalling in a country where we tout the benefits of having freedom of speech. You can disagree with her willingness to share private moments of her life but you don't need to wish death on her. I, for one, would never share something so private on a blog but that doesn't give me the right to say someone else shouldn't do it. Geez. Also, freedom of speech is a farce. Nobody has freedom of speech unless the person listening to them is hearing exactly what they want to hear. Otherwise, everyone should just shut up or click the red "X" in the corner of the window. Cause I'm telling you right now, if I truly had the freedom of speech that I'm supposedly granted as a citizen of the United States, I would have said a heck of lot more to certain factions than I have been allowed to these past few weeks. Assholes.

Furthermore, did the passing of Christmas automatically take away people's goodwill? This bitch at the grocery store nearly ran the girls and me over with her cart today at the grocery store. Geez, lady. Go home and take a pill.

Also, just because you wake up in the morning not feeling so hot, (which, by the way, I was sick as two dogs yesterday but still managed to maintain a good mood all freaking day) doesn't mean you need to act like a 5 year old with a runny nose. Suck it up or lock yourself in your room with your blankie and your pacifier so that others may enjoy their day. MAN!!

Lastly, going back to being the voyeurs that we are these days, does anyone else find it disgusting when others hang around like huge f**cking vultures waiting for the ball to drop on someone else's life? Yeah. You know who you are.

And more lastly, cuz I'm not finished yet, I've turned off my cell phone and have no plans on turning it back on until Tuesday morning when the girls go back to school. I hate New Years Eve and don't care to hear other people calling me drunk (I hate when people call me drunk at any time of the year just so you know. It's immature and shows a lack of control.) at midnight to wish me a happy New Freaking Years. I don't care. Every time I formally try to celebrate the damn thing it turns into crap so I've stopped. The last good New Years I had was at M's house in Lakeside. That was in 2002 so there you go. I will, however, be eating my spoonful of blackeyed peas in hopes that 2007 will be a better year than 2004, 2005, and 2006. Should I go on about how I feel about New Years resolutions? In one phrase: Waste of freaking time.

There. I'm done now. And yes, just so you know, I feel tons better.

Winter Has Finally Arrived

There wasn't a posting yesterday because I am recovering from a stomach bug. It really sucked. But after a rough morning I managed to get myself showered and dressed so that we could take the girls shopping. They both have gift cards burning holes in their pockets. I was proud of them though as they only spent about half of their money so they can go on another shopping spree once we get moved.

C and I bought new speakers for the computer. They are so kick ass that they have more watts than our home theater speakers do. These things literally rattle the house. It's a good thing that I no longer live in a townhouse, lol. I managed to piss my neighbors off with my "noise" enough while we only had a shelf system at the time. I don't miss them.

It finally feels like winter here in Vermont. It's snowing right now and we have a snow advisory. I don't mind snow on days when I don't have to go anywhere like today.

Anyway, I'm gonna head outside with C, the kids, and the dog to play in the snow.

Are You Warm Enough

Yesterday C got into an argument in a chat room of all places with some guy about global warming. C and I often have discussions on global warming and the humans place in geological history. And then this morning on the Today show I saw a story on how polar bears have been put on the threatened species list. So, I thought I would share my views on this subject today after it snowed another 3 inches this morning.

As far as humans contributing to greenhouse gases, does anyone ever add to this point the fact that volcanoes release 110 million tons of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere every year? Or that animals release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere as well? How about the fact that humans are indigenous to the Earth and that our time spent here on this 4.5 billion year old rock is but a speck in the grand scheme of things? Ice Ages are a natural earth cycle as well as warmer periods. Dinosaurs as well as thousands of other species became extinct without any influence from humans in the Earth's history as well. Does anybody consider that the warming we're experiencing now is also a natural cycle that was going to happen no matter what technologies we have on Earth and no matter which species are currently roaming the surface?

Now, I believe in recycling, not burning your trash in the backyard, using those ineffective twisty bulbs (I hate them but I use them), and not leaving anything behind when you go hiking or to the beach and such. I also believe that we should be trying to change things that we can actually change: Prison reform, education reform, cleaning up our government (this one might be wishful thinking), keeping people from caging their children and microwaving babies, literacy, and finding ways to make it safe enough for our kids to play outside "until the street lights come on" again. As I'm always saying when it comes to my kids, "Pick your battles" or you'll end up constantly arguing and fighting about the same thing over and over again.

The Christmas Post

This is what it looked like Christmas day at our house:



This is what it looked like the day after Christmas at our house:


Other than a green Christmas in Vermont, we had a really good holiday this year. The girls seemed to be really happy with what they got and C and I were good to go too. Fun stuff.

Anyway, I've been reading Henry VIII: The King and His Court by Alison Weir for the past few weeks. If you have any interest at all in this time period, this is the book for you. Weir conducted so much research and goes into so much detail that you have the most complete and accurate picture of 16th century England possible. I'm about a third of the way through the book and am just now getting into the meat of Henry's machinations. The first part basically described every day court life, the pomp and circumstance of various ceremonies, his staff, and all of his belongings. It was a little tedious to read due to the great amounts of detail given but at the same time Weir painted a vivid picture of life at Henry's court. An interesting fact about Henry VIII is that he died in debt due to his lavish lifestyle and the salaries he paid to the legions he had working for him.

Besides reading, I've been playing the hell out of Guild Wars. I'm stuck on a mission and am borderline obsessed with getting past it. So, I'm gonna grab a bite to eat and set out to kill some minions.

Pardon Me While I Mommy Blog

Okay. So I didn't make it back last night. Sue me. I was exhausted and besides that, we had to go on the hunt for a specific kind of Cabot cheese. It was a busy night.

Anyway, the girls' parties went really well. S had a pizza party and her teacher bought her a going away gift. Then they sang Christmas carols and watched two Christmas movies.

M's class made a really neat poster for her that all of her classmates signed as well as all of her teachers. Some of her friends bought her gifts as well as some of her teachers. Then they had snacks that were brought in by some of the parents. I took some really great pictures of her with her friends that I'll post to the picture blog later.

Despite being tired and the other worries that we're dealing with, it was a really great day.

If I'm not back until after Christmas, I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday and the hope that you all get a bunch of good loot. ;)

ARRGGHH!!!

This is the first chance I've had to sit down today since I got up at 6 this morning and I only have about 20 minutes before I have to be on the go again.

I started out the day by hauling C's butt into work and then getting the girls ready and off to school. I hit the Shaw's at 9 to do my grocery shopping and pick up what we needed for Christmas dinner. (Ahhhh. Ham gravy.) Then I get to the check out and realize that I left my freaking check card at home on my desk where I had used it to make an online purchase. Geez!!!So they rang up my stuff and put my order on hold so that I could run home and get my card. I ran about 5 stop signs and drove about 20 miles over the speed limit the whole way. Good thing all the cops had the day off. Then I get back to the store and they go to ring me up at the customer service counter and their computer crashes. Then I had to wait and see if the charge went through or not so that they didn't double charge me. They finally got me checked out at a regular register and I left the store at 10:30. Yes. It took me 1 1/2 hours and a lot of feeling like an idiot to go grocery shopping.

So, then I get home and get all the groceries put away and then I had to cut up a crap-ton of fruit for a fruit salad that I'm making for M's going away party that her class is having for her today even though we no longer have any idea when she's "going away" anymore.

Now, I'm sitting here typing this up, having a bite to eat for lunch, and checking my e-mail before I have to go to the school. Oh, and S's class is having her going away party today too so I have to figure out a way to be in two places at once because they both want me to be there for both parties. I probably should have put more thought into whether or not I actually have time to sit here and eat for the first time today.

On top of all that, we have other stuff going on today that isn't public knowledge yet but that I still have to find the time to deal with as well. If my head hasn't exploded by the end of the day, I might be back later to update on how the rest of my day went.

Dinner Out

I can't believe that I forgot to mention our adventure at Applebee's last night.

Aside from someone dying or finding out that you have a terminal disease, C and I had the worst day in the history of the world yesterday. We thought that we'd cheer ourselves up with a dinner out so we loaded up the kids and headed to Applebee's. We arrived at about 6:30 and we were seated almost immediately. Not bad for that time of the night, right? We get all situated at our table and it takes the waitress about 15 minutes to take our order. When did we finally get our dinners? 7 freaking 30. After the day that we had had and the fact that we were all starving and the kids were restless, I was ready to chew glass. The waitress came out and apologized and said that she'd speak with the manager about the kitchen staff. A few minutes later she came out again and told us that 2 of our meals would be free (since they had brought the kids' meals out about 10 minutes before ours) and that she was terribly sorry and that it wasn't really her fault. (She was obviously trying to protect her tip.) Our meal for four ended up only costing about $17 and a lot of aggravation. So, we topped of the night with some frozen yummies from the store.

People are truly a pain in the ass.

Second Chances

There was a story about this topic yesterday on the Today Show so I thought I would post my own thoughts on the subject since it is something that I often contemplate.

How many second chances does a person deserve? It seems that when it comes to family they get an unlimited amount of second chances. Friends, on the other hand, could go either way. The general consensus also seems to agree that it depends on the offense as well. I have my own ideas, of course.

First off I'll say that almost everyone deserves one second chance. Child molesters, rapists, people along those lines, don't get a second chance in my book though. Lock 'em up and throw away the key. Friends deserve a chance to redeem themselves if they were ever friends at all. Family, however, is a whole other ball of wax in my opinion.

Most people think that if you don't forgive and move on that you're being hard-nosed and holding a grudge and this especially applies when it comes to family. As a result, most family members receive second, third, and fourth chances, sometimes even more. By doing so, aren't you just feeding into whatever that person is doing? Becoming an enabler I think the correct term is. And if the wrong is done to you by someone in your family, isn't that going against the definition of what family really is? What I mean is that if they were your family in the truest sense of the word, would they really have hurt you in the first place?

Let's look at the women who continually forgive an abusive husband. He beats the crud after her time and again and she believes it's the last time and he'll change. Forgive and forget. Then you have someone in your family that seems to betray and deceive you at every turn. But they're family and they didn't really mean it so you forgive and forget. In both of these instances, and aside from the emotionally abusive factor in the woman's case, in my opinion you're being a push over and somebody's carpet to be walked all over. You are allowing yourself to be taken advantage of.

Of course, I define "family" in a totally un-traditional way than most people do. Blood ties do not automatically make family. That makes you related. Family to me is proven by actions and words. I have friends that never forget my kids' birthdays but "family" that forgets S's birthday almost every year. I have friends that I would lend money to in a heartbeat because they've been there for us in the past and I know I can trust them. On the opposite side, I have family that I would never lend a dime to because I know they'd spend it on stupid crap and I'd never get it back. Those friends I consider a part of my actual family. My sister isn't related to me by blood but she couldn't be more a sister to me than if we had been twins in the womb together.

These are the people in my life that I give second chances to. Not so-called family that doesn't think twice about turning their backs on me. I think there is a fine line between being unfair and unforgiving and being spineless and not standing up for yourself. I also think this whole topic is all a matter of opinion and that there is not a definitive right or wrong answer. Furthermore, I think there are more carpets out there than people with spine. If you're going to be somebody's carpet, at least be a Persian.

The Boogeyman is Visiting

There is a Grumpy Grumperson boogeyman lurking in my house this morning. Grumpy is actually quite scary, let me tell you. It is covered in fur that sticks out as if electrocuted and it stomps around and growls menacingly. I'm trying my best to pretend that it's not here which isn't hard to do seeing as how it has retreated to the cave and slammed the cave door after it. Hopefully the cave door is stuck shut and I won't have to deal with it overly much today. Still, it is quite worrisome knowing that it is dwelling nearby. I wonder if an exterminator would know what to do about my dilemma.

Guess What I'm Doing

I'm, right this minute as I sit here typing, watching tv on my computer while I surf the net. No, no, no. I'm not watching television on a television set but I'm watching television on my computer with our tv tuner thingamajigger that we have for the computer. I know. This isn't new technology or anything but it's the first time we've used our tv tuner and it is so COOL! I'm such a nerd. I understand this and embrace it but technology is the best. I can also record shows just like Tivo or a DVR on my computer too which is really handy cuz you can record them onto DVD's.

Ok. So I'm done being dumb but I just had to share my excitement. Like I said earlier, I'm easily entertained these days.

Observations

I saw the funniest bumper sticker at the grocery store the other day. It read, "Don't steal. The government doesn't like competition." Lmao. Too funny, right? I'm easily entertained these days.

M had a substitute teacher yesterday that was so freaking young he looked like he just walked out of his high school. Where the heck do they find these people? This particular guy also happened to be the son of the elementary principle so I wonder how he landed that position. Another one of the school's sub's is the mother of one of S's friends. It's weird when one of your kid's friend's mom is teaching your child. That's one of the many quirks about living in a small town.

Another small town oddity is when the road you live on is known in the area as "Divorce Lane" because so many people living on it are divorced or getting a divorce. Not a huge selling point from a real estate angle. Then, you find out from another aquaintance that your road should also be known as "Alcoholic Lane" as well.

Oh. And I forgot to mention that I have new neighbors. The couple that lived right across from us (one of the reasons we live on "Divorce Lane" which I heard from my realtor of all people) finally sold their house after 7 or so months of trying. The good thing about it is that we're not going to live here long enough for them to be a nuisance to us. Heheh. You all know how I feel about neighbors: They're evil.

And why is it that kids work on one volume level? They talk in loud voices and only respond to being yelled at. Geez.

Hilarious

In light of our recent drama, I thought this story was hilarious because, if you didn't already know, recruiters are the epitome of straight as an arrow, human perfection. I wonder if the FBI has any other areas under surveillance. Hmmm....

FBI: Recruiters Caught in Drug Probe Sunday, December 17, 2006 3:46 PM
EST

The Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A dozen Army and Marine
recruiters who visited high schools were among the personnel caught in a major
FBI cocaine investigation, and some were allowed to keep working while under
suspicion,a newspaper reported Sunday.

None of the recruiters was accused of providing drugs to students.

The recruiters, who worked in the Tucson area, were targets of a federal sting called Operation Lively Green, which ran from 2001 to 2004 and was revealed last year. So far, 69 members of the military, prison guards, law enforcement employees and other public employees have been convicted of accepting bribes to help smuggle cocaine.

The Arizona Daily Star reviewed the investigation and court documents and found that the FBI allowed many recruiters to stay on the job even though they were targeted by the investigation. Some were still recruiting three years after they were
photographed running drugs in uniform (Sheesh!!), the newspaper said.

Most of the recruiters pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in March.Some honorably retired from the military. (Maybe we should look up "honorable" in our trusty
dictionary. If I'm remembering the definition correctly, this isn't honorable
behavior.)

The sting began after the FBI received tips that a former Army
National Guardsman was taking bribes to fix military aptitude tests for recruits,
FBI Special Agent Adam Radtke said. (::Shock and gasp!!:: This sorta thing never
happens on recruiting duty.)

Military officials say they kept the recruiters on the job because the FBI told them to leave the suspects alone to avoid jeopardizing the sting.The military said it also didn't know some recruiters were under investigation, the newspaper reported.

Military officials say the criminal acts by recruiters were rare out of the thousands of recruiters working across the country. "This was an isolated incident," said Marine Corps recruiting spokeswoman Janice Hagar. (Yeah, right. And I'm a flying monkey's uncle.)

A governing board member of the Tucson Unified School District, Judy Burns,
criticized the FBI for allowing the recruiters to stay on the job so long.

"It's ludicrous to me that the FBI would leave these people in place
and allow them onto our high school campuses," Burns said.

Special Agent Deb McCarley said the FBI generally performs risk assessments before deciding to keep suspects who work in public positions on the job during undercover investigations.

So, I have now provided my trusty readers with their morning entertainment. I shall now go forth and spread joy across the land.

P.S.

I went through this post three times and tried to fix the spacing. Each time I posted it, Blogger put it the way they wanted to so I'm done trying. Sorry that it's so f'd up.

Forgot to Mention

I knew there was something that I've been forgetting to mention for a few days now and it just came to me a little bit ago. Not a big deal but I thought everyone should know that I'm not sending out Christmas cards this year. It's nothing personal, I just don't have the time for it this year. I'll catch back up with it next year though.

Stupid Cat

So much for him going back to his righteous ways. He just proceeded to stink up my entire house by using a blanket in the toy room as his toilet. So, he's gone. I'm calling the animal shelter in the morning. I cannot take an animal that has bad habits and I can't, in good conscience, take an animal into somebody else's house that is not properly house broken. I have no idea what's gotten into him. He's been really good about using his litter box the past few days with no incidents. Sheesh. Just in time for Christmas too. I'm having a hard enough time getting into the spirit of the holidays as it is.

Speaking of which, our tree is something else. If Charlie Brown's Christmas tree had an obsessive eating disorder his tree would look like ours. The place where we get our tree is outside so it's hard to see the fullness and they hang them in tight rows from the ceiling so it's hard to get a good look at them until you get them home and in the stand. Our tree is interesting to say the least.

We attempted a trip to the mall yesterday afternoon. BIG mistake. People were parked in the overflow parking lot, in the grass, alongside the drive, and anywhere else you could fit a car. It was madness. So we drove on through the parking lot, out the other side, and to the Blockbuster to rent some movies. It was a much better choice.

That's our big exciting weekends. Oh, and one last thing...If it doesn't snow for Christmas...in Vermont...our last Christmas here I'm going to go ballistic. There isn't one bit of snow on the ground right now and it's Dec 17 for pete's sake. Wth is up with that??

10 Days to Go

We finished the rest of the Christmas shopping today and I wrapped and ribboned everything as well. We also broke down and bought a tree. We weren't going to with the move and stuff but I think it's impossible to get into the holiday spirit without a tree. At least it is for me. And it felt unfair to the kids. I'm 29 and haven't gone one year without a tree my whole life. Having everything done 10 whole days before Xmas is a personal record for me. I can't remember a Xmas Eve where I wasn't wrapping last minute presents.

And while we're on the subject, why in the world can't everyone just respect everybody else's holiday traditions and keep their mouths shut about it? Did you all hear about the SeaTac airport fiasco with the trees and the menorah? Geez. Gimme a break. I could care less if there were a Star of David and a menorah on every street corner or a Kwanzaa light thingy (sorry, I don't know what it's called) in every store front so long as nobody cares if I have Santa in my front window. When there are heinous, evil, sub-humans microwaving their babies and neglectful parents "sleeping" while their puppy gnaws off their baby's toes we have more important things to worry about than holiday decorations. People need to get priorities straight is all I'm saying.

And now I'm so freaking tired I can't think of anything else to rant about so I'm done for today.

Done!

Ok. Not completely done but almost done. Oh. I'm talking about my Christmas shopping. I have one or two things left to get, mostly stocking stuffers, and then I'll be alllll doooonnnee! Woohoo! Yes, we'll miss the last minute, Christmas Eve, crazy, mad shopping but I think we'll survive.

And the cat has gone back to his righteous ways of faithfully using his litter box. It's a good thing for him because I was giving him one more chance before he was going to find out how hard it is to survive a Vermont winter with no food or shelter, the little pooper. Now he's taken to sleeping in the dryer, in the tub, in the linen closet, and anywhere else that's soft, dark, and away from me. Oh well. He'll come around eventually.

I guess that's it. When you spend your entire day in the mall, it really doesn't leave you too much else to talk about.

Christmas Music Critic's Corner

In honor of the holiday season and also because I'm desperately trying to get into the holiday spirit and failing miserably, here's a list of my favorite holiday music and it's not in any order...

1. White Christmas performed by Bing Crosby
2. The Twelve Pains of Christmas by Bob Rivers
3. Santa Claus is Coming to Town performed by Bruce Springsteen
4. O Christmas Tree from A Charlie Brown Christmas
5. Baby, It's Cold Outside performed by Doris Day and Bing Crosby
6. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
7. Santa Baby performed by Marilyn Monroe
8. O Holy Night performed by Martina McBride
9. Carol of the Bells performed by the Trans Siberian Orchestra
10. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

And last but not least...
11. The Chanukah Song by Adam Sandler


I have a lot of others, mostly your very traditional songs but those are my top favorites.

As Seen

I took this pic last night. Bailey is going to be E.T. for Halloween next year. She looks excited about it, doesn't she?

I just took this picture a minute ago. The cat was trying to get away from me spraying Febreze around the house and got himself stuck in this chair. He's trying to play it cool, but he was really stuck, lmao.

Wonderful Morning

I just love days that start out with the kids fighting over cereal. You just know that the rest of the day is going to be aces.

I had the best night's sleep last night though. A solid 6 1/2 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Ahhh! I did have a really weird dream though but it didn't wake me up. The night before I got absolutely no sleep at all. C has a cold and he snored loud enough to wake up the dead on another continent. He's also been taking a nighttime cold medicine so it was impossible to wake him up enough so that he would turn over.

Anywho, I've been making some headway on our move. I haven't been mentioning that at all considering our recent circumstances, but despite all that, I have some really good leads on a few houses down south. One house is a block from the ocean so we're not too sure about that one. Hurricanes worry me, ya know? Plus it's a 40 minute commute to the base and that's pure drive time. That would be a big difference compared to the 10 minute drive to C's office now. All things to consider.

Lastly, I'm stealing this from someone else's blog:

6 Weird Things You Might Not Know About Me

1. I like to hum, whistle, or sing songs that I make up in my head. It’s a strange habit that drives C crazy.
2. Typos and grammatical errors make me nutso. I worry about making them myself to the point where it makes me a little OCD and I’m judgmental about other people that make them. How hard is it to hit spell check? Sometimes I really don’t care but that’s only about 2% of the time.
3. The pressures of gift-giving occasions push me over the edge. I can never remember birthdays and I never know what to get for people. If I do buy someone something, I never put it in the mail on time. I should have been a Jehovah’s Witness.
4. I like to make up weird names for people. For instance, I call C, C Lieberheister (I have no idea if this is spelled correctly because I don’t think it’s an actual name, lol) cuz his middle name is Lee. I call Bailey, Bailey Bailerson. Those are just two examples.
5. I’m fanatical about my crayons (Yes, I still have my own box of crayons. Shut up.) being arranged by color in the box. I get seriously pissed if they get out of order. I’m the same way with my DVD’s. They’re in alphabetical order on the shelf and they have to be perfectly aligned with the edge of the shelf.
6. I have a phobia about rushing water. I don’t really know how to explain it but the sounds and the look of water rushing over a dam or something like that literally makes my stomach drop. I also have frequent nightmares about being at the ocean and a sudden huge wave rushing up and pulling me into the ocean. What’s even weirder is that being at the ocean doesn’t bother me in the least except at night. I know, it’s weird and I’m strange.

I think all this list did was to prove that I’m obsessive compulsive and teetering on the edge of sanity.

Boring Weekend

We did absolutely nothing of interest over the weekend. Saturday we sat around bored all day and Sunday we went to the grocery store. Fun, fun. Actually, we started having cat issues over the weekend. My cat is great. He's not one of those cat cats who's too good to be around people and only wants to be petted when he wants to be petted. He actually likes people and affection. He's also hilarious when he chases the dog. He was the perfect cat up until a few days ago. He's stopped using his litter box for some reason. I have no idea what to do since I've never seen a cat do this before. Thankfully, he's neutered so at least he's not spraying and peeing everywhere but it still stinks and it has to stop. We can't move into someone else's house with an animal who's not house broken. I need advice!! What do I do to make him use his litter box again?

Also, the strangest thing happened this morning. On the way home from taking C to work I heard on the radio that the girls' school was on a 2 hour delay this morning. You're probably thinking, "You're in Vermont. What's so strange about that?" What's so strange is that if I hadn't heard the delay on the radio I never would have guessed it. The roads are wet but they're not slick or snow covered at all. We had 5 inches of snow last week and no delay at all and the roads were a mess. And the girls' school is usually the last one in the tri-county area to delay or cancel school. They usually hold out until the last possible minute to issue a delay. It's just too bad that I didn't turn the tv on this morning or the girls could've slept in, lol.

So, that's that and I'm off to slay some demons. Till next time...

The Performance

I'm back from the band deal. M did such a great job. What really surprised me is that she wasn't nervous in the least. I was nervous as all get out, lol. The band instructor drew names to see who would do solo's but M didn't get picked. I did, however, take some video from when each section had a solo and posted that to the picture blog as well as to my Myspace page, both of which can only be viewed by "friends" so if you want to see, hit the email link here on the blog and let me know. I also posted a picture of her on the picture blog too. Can you tell I'm a proud mom, lol?

So, that's it for today.

No Time

I actually had a really good post planned for today but it turns out I didn't have time for it so maybe on Monday. You would think that I would have had plenty of time to type up my topic since I've been up since 4am but you'd be wrong. I've been busy with stuff that I'll mention later and I have to go to the oldest child's band performance today. I have to leave 30 minutes early just to make sure I don't have to park on the road, lol. The school's parking lot just isn't big enough. We had about 5 inches of snow dumped on us last night so I really don't want to do off road parking. I worry about getting stuck even with 4 wheel drive.

Anyway, if it's not too dark in the Cafegymatorium, I'm going to take pictures that I'll post up later on the picture blog. Till then....

Music Critic's Corner

It's been a while since I've visited this topic. Listening to tons of radio lately has given me plenty of material though.

First off, I think I'm the only person who hates Hinder's song, Lips of an Angel. I've hated that song from the first time I heard it and hearing it played 100 times a day hasn't helped. It's such a cookie cutter song and it seems as if they're trying to take off of the 80's hair band era.

Secondly, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, and Fergie get way too much play. There are other artists out there that have made music recently. Try playing some of those songs. The same goes with Nickleback's Far Away. OMG!! If I have to listen to that song one more time I'll poke out my own eardrums. And wtf ever happened to Nickleback?? They used to have loud, angry songs and now it's fluffy Top 40 crap. They did the same thing Aerosmith did going from Walk This Way and Back in the Saddle to Jaded for sweet crap's sake only instead of it taking them 40 years it took them 5. Sheesh!

Songs that I do currently like are: Beyonce's Irreplaceable. It's getting played a lot too so I give it about another week or so before I hate that one as well. I like it because it's mean, lol. I also like Hellogoodbye's song, Here (In Your Arms). It's a bubblegum song but it makes me feel good. I'm also big on Chingy's Dem Jeans and Ludacris' Money Maker. Both of those songs are meant to be played loud enough to rattle your windows and I do. I also really like John Mayer's
Waiting on the World to Change. It's very soulful and reminds me of an older song that I can't figure out for the life of me what it is. I'm also really into Frank Sinatra.


I've also discovered Radio Disney on the XM. I find the station highly irritating but it's great for the kids. It's so freaking cheerful. Give me some angry Godsmack. Anyway, I've never been one of those parents who turns on the Kids Bop or cartoony music in the car for the kids. A.) Because my kids know how to entertain themselves in the car and 2.) They listen to an edited version of what I listen to because when I'm in the car, if there isn't something good on the radio I'd rather tuck and roll. The girls get to listen to Radio Disney in the house though. They really like it too.

Additionally in my XM exploration, I've become a bigger fan of classical music and jazz. I've been listening to those stations a lot to add variety into the music that gets played into the ground on the other stations. As much grief as XM has given me in the past, I don't know if I would ever be able to go back to listening to traditional radio. There aren't enough choices and too many commercials. On the XM, you can also set it up to let you know when artists you like have a song playing which is totally nifty.

To recap:

Good:

Chingy - Dem Jeans
Ludacris - Money Maker (It's also my current ringtone, heheh)
Beyonce - Irreplaceable (For the next week or so)
John Mayer - Waiting on the World to Change
Frank Sinatra - Anything he's ever recorded
Radio Disney
Loud and angry.

Bad:

Hinder - Lips of an Angel
Justin Timberlake
Nelly Furtado
Fergie
Nickleback - Far Away.
Bubblegum lovey, dovey, sell-out crap.

And this concludes Music Critic's Corner.

The Mother of All Headaches

I experienced the worst headache of my life yesterday, hence why there was no blog entry. I went to bed with the tiny, nagging, beginnings of a headache the night before and figured that I would sleep it off. Boy, was I wrong. I managed to get C and the kids off for their days and then I came home and went back to bed until 1:30 when I had to get up and take my shower. I never stay in bed like that even when I have the flu. I was finally able to get some Excedrin Migraine into me about 4:30 and felt semi-normal about an hour later. Shaky, but functioning.

I talked to my sister-in-law for the first time in about 5 years Monday night. Yeah, we've spoken in that time but we haven't really talked. Know what I mean? She was going through some things and I pulled back from her which I fessed up to last night. It was one of the most brutally honest conversations I've ever had with anyone which consequently made it one of the best conversations I've ever had. I know speaking honestly is a recurring theme on here, but I don't think people do it often enough. Not even me. It's a human trait that I wish could change but don't think it ever will.

Anyway, I'm still not thinking clearly this morning so that's it for today.

Christmas Shopping

I actually started my shopping this weekend. This might sound late to some of you but I'm normally one of those desperately searching for presents on Xmas Eve type shopper so this is really early for me. We decided to get up early and go to Manchester, NH yesterday because New Hampshire doesn't have a sales tax. Plus, we just like going to Manchester because it's an actual city with actual people and places to shop. We hit our usual restaurant while there too, Bertucci's. They have, quite possibly, the best pizza and pasta. It's really weird cuz I just did a restaurant locater for them and they're all over New England with one single restaurant in North Carolina of all places. How strange is that?

Anyway, we also hit up the Cinnabon for some take home buns and they were so sickening sweet we were all sick afterwards from eating them. That isn't stopping me from craving one for breakfast though, lol. That was the first time the girls had Cinnabon and the first time for C and me in about 5 or 6 years.

As for the weather, we didn't get hardly any snow at all. They had originally fore-casted "moderate" snow for us and then that big storm went north and all we got was rain and the loudest thunderstorm we've had all year. That was Friday night. Saturday and Sunday night we got a dusting of snow and our temps are only in the 20's now. Brrrr!!!!

Oh! And I almost forgot to include some pictures that I took along the road in New Hampshire. This is the first exit off of I-93. We find this absolutely hilarious every time we drive past it. You'll need to click on the pictures so that you can read the road sign and the sign on the building. And please keep in mind, this is a road side rest stop, heheh.

I Forgot One

Vermonters say "wicked" to describe everything. Not meaning that everything is evil but it basically means very or extremely. "It's wicked cold outside" or "You did a wicked good job today".

Vermont-isms

Anyone who has moved around a bit knows that different parts of the country have different customs if you will. For instance, in Ohio, Pepsi or Coke is referred to as "pop" whereas in California it's called "soda" or even "Coke". Which I've always found weird. A conversation with certain people in Cali could go something like this:

"Would you like a Coke?"
"Sure."
"We have Mt. Dew, Sprite, and Pepsi. Which would you like?"

It's strange. Vermont has some weird ones too, let me tell you. They have something called a Creamee, Creamy, or Creamie, depending on where you buy one. This is also known as soft-serve ice cream. When we first got here and someone asked if I liked them, I thought they were referring to Krispy Kreme, lol.

In Vermont, when someone says they're "going to camp" they don't mean the deal that you do in the fourth or fifth grade where you go off to cabins and sing songs. This means: going camping as in a tent, camper, or RV. I was confused about this one for the entire first summer we were here.

They also have a winter tradition of snow with maple syrup and dill pickles. I have no idea why and as it sounds gross to me I've never tried it out.

C also told me of another Vermont-ism last night that I've never heard but seeing as how he's talked to about 90% of the state's population in the last 3 years, he's heard it all. Anyway, they like to say, "...I weren't..." about stuff. In case you're clueless here, that's never proper grammar. It should be I'm not, or I won't, or I wasn't. He said it's impossible to correct them too. They just don't understand it.

Something else I find funny is that as soon as the temps get above 50 degrees you'll see all kinds of people going around in shorts and t-shirts. My threshold for being cold has risen a lot since living here but 50 degrees is still jeans and sweater weather in my book. However, around 65 I can stand wearing something like capris and short-sleeved shirt like yesterday. In Cali, if it got below 70 degrees I was hauling out my jeans and sweatshirts hoping I'd survive the "cold".

Oh, and if you're not from here, you're considered a "low-lander". I was called a low-lander during our first spring when I was talking to the guy that mowed our lawn about the bears that lived on our road. He thought it was funny that I thought that was so neat and called me a "low-lander". Interesting considering I moved here from Cali and that's by no means a "flat" state, lol.

And another one is that they think you're weird if you prefer bottled water. I, personally, can't stand the tap water at our house. It tastes dirty to me. People here can't understand why we installed an under-the-sink water filter. Oh well.

They also have an un-official state car which is the Subaru because they all come standard with 4 wheel drive. You can also travel to anywhere in the state on snowmobile trails. They have snowmobile crossing signs on the road for just this purpose. Billboards and neon signs are against the law. If you're buying anything alcoholic everyone you're with has to show I.D. even if they're not buying or drinking it.

That's all I can think of right now but that's quite a lot anyway.

Here I Go Again

I have a lot to say today apparently. Deal with it.

I just got done reading this woman's blog (it's not linked here so don't bother looking) and it was pretty interesting. First off, she's another person disillusioned with religion, namely Mormonism. I know next to nothing about Mormonism so I'm not going to attempt to comment about it but I did feel a kinship with her regarding how I feel about religion. However, what really made me do a double take was that she was ranting about her husband. That's something that I've totally avoided doing on my blog. Even if I weren't being stalked by people he works with and for, I still wouldn't do it. I don't think a public blog is the place to air your marital woes. There are basically two people that I complain to about my husband and it doesn't happen that often since we don't really argue too much. You can't go by these last three years because I don't count them. I remember back when we first got together and we were sitting together in a chair and my then-sister-in-law said that we should enjoy that while it lasts because eventually we won't want to sit next to each other. Is it any wonder her marriage didn't last? 11 years later and C and I still sit together on the couch or even in the chair if we're in the mood to squeeze our fat butts into the same recliner, lol.

Another reason why I wouldn't post our arguments online for strangers to read is that when we do argue it isn't over something dumb like money. It's over real issues that are totally nobody's business. Also, I think it would be a form of betrayal to my marriage and to C specifically to post about our problems online rather than go to him. Furthermore, I don't want advice from people that I don't know, lol.

So, climbing down off of my soapbox there is one reason in this world that would turn me to lesbianism: A woman sits on the toilet and doesn't pee all over the freaking bathroom. So, there.

Good Things

Sometimes, I can still be surprised by something about Vermont. Normally this time of year, our highs would be in the 30's and 40's or so and we'd have already had a good snow. So far, all we've had is a dusting of snow and it's currently sunny and 65 outside. It's a record high and it's completely gorgeous outside. I hauled my capri's out of the closet for the occasion, lol. Yeah, it's supposed to turn gross and snow, but you have to look at the positive and enjoy it occasionally.

Crazy Day

Yesterday was wild. The youngest child woke up with a stomach bug and was dog sick until about noon. If there is anything more heart wrenching than a sick child I don't know what it is. And she doesn't have enough meat on her bones to go an entire day without eating, lol.

Secondly, I got in my car yesterday morning as usual. When I tried adjusting my rear view mirror, it came off in my hand. It made me nutso driving around without my mirror but with a sick child, I didn't have time to get it fixed so that's on the agenda for today. Also, when the windshield dudes put it on, they positioned it too high and so my hand hits the roof of the car when I try to move it. Suffice it to say, it needs fixed.

Thirdly, I've had insomnia since we put the house on the market. I honestly can't remember the last time I got a good night's sleep. Now, on top of not being able to go to sleep and stay there, I'm having the weirdest dreams. And they're incredibly vivid too. I won't go into the details since I find relating dreams to be tedious, but it's strange to say the least. I wish they would stop.

Oh. And FedEx did quite possibly the stupidest thing I've ever seen yesterday. We were expecting a delivery yesterday that contained something that was worth a substantial amount of money. And I'm talking substantial. I would say the amount but it seems like bragging and it's really nobody's business anyway but it was a-freaking-LOT. Did they knock on the door? Well, seeing as how I was home all day with a sick kid, I would have to say no. Did they leave it in the screen door or on the porch? Nope. They left it in a clear bag, swinging in the wind, from a nail on my mailbox. Can you believe that??? Hanging on the road where anyone could've taken it. Geez.

Now, it's about 7:45 in the am, I've been up for little over an hour and I'm ready for a nap. Insomnia sucks.

Did You See It Coming?

This is my Thanksgiving Day post. I know. I'm 2 days early but what I have to say should be reflected upon beforehand.

This holiday is probably the oldest American holiday. Seeing as how it's an observance of the infamous celebration between the Native Americans and the European colonists, who would later become known as the Pilgrims, I can't think of an older American tradition. Do we even know what we're celebrating anymore though? Children are still taught that the "Pilgrims" came over on the Mayflower in search of religious freedom. They met the "Indians" and shared with each other their various ways and traditions. I'm getting this from my kids and out of a book published in 1990. (I know. That's a while ago but it's writings are still shared and taught to U.S. children.) The European colonists actually came to America to establish shipping routes back to England for fish. The first Thanksgiving that was shared between them and the colonists was the first step that led to the decimation of Native Americans and their eventually been herded onto reservations. This certainly wasn't what I was taught in school but learned as an adult.

Now, I teach my own children that Thanksgiving is simply a gathering of family and friends for an elaborate dinner. I don't teach them the Pilgrims and Indians story since I think this would be hypocritical. I also set them straight from what they are taught every year at school.

If you stop and think about it, most American holidays are falsely celebrated. Christmas certainly has lost all meaning throughout the centuries. Today it is a contest to see who can beat whom out on Black Friday for the best deals and then to see who can stuff the most presents under the tree. Veterans Day is not a celebration of our nation's heroes but rather an opportunity to spout various political views and, at least in our town, to protest the military out in front of the recruiting offices. Easter. Come on!! The Easter bunny and Easter eggs are a complete and total slap in the face to the religious tenants of the day.

Is this a completely pessimistic view? Hell yeah it is and totally true! Do I feed into it? Hell yeah I do! My turkey is thawing in the fridge and I already have a plan set out for Friday. The amount of presents under our tree every year is shameful. Even the dog has a stocking. Then what the heck is my point here? There really isn't one since nobody is going to change their ways. I just think that it's important not to lie to our kids and ourselves about holidays and their true meanings. I also think that being a submarine religious type is hypocritical but again, that's another topic for another day.

Eat, drink, and be merry. Make a good wish on the bone, stuff yourself until you have to unbutton your pants, and then pass out in a tryptophan induced coma. That is what Thanksgiving is all about in my house.

Game Day

I have one thing to say today:

GO BUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!

Oh. My. God

This confirms that people have absolutely lost their freaking minds and that we're surrounding by idiots.

1 Shot in Conn. Playstation Waiting Line
Friday, November 17, 2006 10:53 AM EST
The Associated Press

PUTNAM, Conn. (AP) — Two armed thugs tried to rob a line of people waiting for the new Playstation 3 game system to go on sale early Friday and shot a man who refused to give up his money, authorities said.

In other states, customers pushed and shoved their way to the shelves to get at the limited supply, and in Kentucky, four people were grazed by BBs fired from a passing vehicle as they waited for a Best Buy store to open.

The two gunman in Putnam confronted 15 to 20 people standing outside a Wal-Mart store shortly after 3 a.m. and demanded money, said State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance.

"One of the patrons resisted. That patron was shot," Vance said.

He said the two gunmen fled after shooting a 21-year-old Massachusetts man in the chest and shoulder. The victim was taken to University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. There was no immediate word on his condition.

Vance said police were searching for the suspects, both believed to be in their teens. He said one was wearing a ski mask and brandishing a handgun, and the other had what appeared to be a shotgun.

Aside from the police tape, things had returned to normal by midmorning at the Wal-Mart store in rural Putnam, a town of about 9,000 residents near the Massachusetts and Rhode Island borders.

Short supplies of the PS3 and strong demand led to lines of buyers, some waiting for days, outside stores across the country.

In Palmdale, Calif., authorities shut down a Super Wal-Mart after some shoppers got rowdy late Wednesday. In West Bend, Wis., a 19-year-old man was injured when he ran into a pole racing with 50 others for one of 10 spots outside a Wal-Mart.

In Lexington, Ky., someone fired BB pellets from a passing vehicle at people waiting outside a Best Buy store, according to WKYT, whose own reporter said she was among four people grazed while she interviewed buyers in line.

A Best Buy in Boston, aware it had only 140 of the consoles, got smart about the big sale — its employees gave out tickets to the first 140 people in line so everyone could go home until the store opened.

Sleepy

1 1/2 hours sleep is enough in one night, right? The wind was blowing and it was raining to beat all hell. It was absolutely the craziest weather. It was 66 degrees at midnight. In Vermont. In November. That is just unreal. It felt like a summer night. All this combined resulted in a bad night's sleep. This also means that my day is probably going to suck. I have several phone calls I have to make today none of which are going to make my life fun. The kids get out of school early today because of parent/teacher conferences which I have to attend for the oldest kid. Early days suck as do p/t conferences. It all sucks. And I'm obviously still in the same bad mood that I was last night.

But, it's Friday so things are bound to get better, right?

I'm Back. Again. For the Third Time Today

I'm annoyed. I posted a classified ad online for our house as a rental earlier tonight. I just went to check on my listing and there was some other schmuck that copied my posting almost WORD for FREAKING WORD only changing pertinent info like school district and town since their house is in Jay Peak and mine isn't. I am so completely peeved. C says I'm being petty but it wasn't his words that were copied. Although, most Vermonters that we've run across in our 2.8 years here haven't exhibited a normal level of intelligence let alone having a firm grasp of the English language. I suppose I should cut this idiotic moron some slack but couldn't resist replying to his listing with a scathing and sarcastic e-mail.

PEOPLE SUCK!!

And speaking of being petty, I wish someone could explain to me and draw a definitive line between being petty and letting yourself get walked all over. I'd really like to freaking know.

The Things You See

I was at the mall today and saw the most idiotic thing: Two guys, probably around the age of 20 or so, camped out in front of WalMart, tent and all, with a sign saying, "PS3". Yes. That's right. They were camping in front of the WalMart waiting for the release of the new PS3 tonight at midnight. What freaking morons. A.)If, for some odd reason, I decided to camp out on the cement in front of WalMart on a night where we're getting 50mph wind gusts, I certainly wouldn't admit why. And 2.) While walking in the mall entrance, I overheard one of their friends saying how they saw one of the guys' girlfriends getting into the car with another girl. If I were either one of their girlfriends, I'd be getting into the car of another guy while saying, "Get a life." This system is going to cost between $500 and $600. Can't we all think of something more worthwhile to be spending that kind of money on??? Maybe I'm finally at that point in my life where video games just aren't as life consuming as they used to be because it sounds completely ridiculous to me to spend $500+ on a damn game. JMO though.

I wish like heck that I'd had my camera on me cuz I sure as shoot would've taken a pic and posted it here, lmao. And yes! Our mall has a freaking WalMart in it. That's how special Vermont is. Don't be too jealous.

Two More Things

I e-mailed XM yesterday about the commercial thing and this was their response:

We do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, An arbitration panel recently ruled that Clear Channel has the right to include commercials on the music programming that it provides XM. Because of their early investment in XM, radio broadcasting company Clear Channel Communications provided programming for their music channels (KISS, Mix, Nashville, Sunny and WSIX), as well as content for select talk channels.

As a result, these channels will start to carry commercials this spring. At the same time, XM will add new commercial-free music channels of its own so that subscribers will see no reduction in the total number of commercial-free music channels.

So, I guess that answers that question.

Secondly, I decided to keep the picture blog private not that I've updated it recently or anything, lol. If you would like the link, e-mail me and I'll send it to you. I think, with the new Beta Blogger, in order to view this blog you would need a Google account which is free. I'm sorry if this is inconvenient for some, but I don't want strangers or people that I just don't like looking at personal photos.

Blogging, Blog, Blog, Bloggerson

I touched on this topic about a week ago, but didn't really get into the meat of it. Starting my blog three years ago and then becoming a regular reader of various other blogs has been a learning experience...A journey if you will. From the blogs I read on a regular basis, I've been able to notice a trend: You blog like hell the first few weeks, then you trickle off to posting once a week or so, then it goes down to once a month and then, sometimes, they stop posting altogether. I also have theories as to why this is so...

Some people, I think, just lose interest. It was fun at first like anything considered trendy and now they're over it. Some people just get too busy and can't find the time. These are understandable reasons in my opinion. And then you have Blogging Pressure. This should become a psychological term, I'm telling you. I've noticed that people start worrying about what people think of their blog and living up to some, imagined or otherwise, expectation that their readers have of them. A certain someone I know recently started a blog and they fell to Blogging Pressure after only two posts, lmao. They became too obsessed with finding something "interesting" to post and just stopped. True story. Another person I know, after having read their blog for quite some time, basically dropped off of the face of the Earth never to be heard from again after falling prey to Blogging Pressure. NDM, you know who you are, heheh.

I, on the other hand, could care less. If I worried about having interesting posts, I would have stopped years ago. When I post, I just say whatever happens to be on my mind at that moment. I'm having a conversation with whomever happens to stop by my blog that day. At least that's what I do now. When I first started out, my blog was private, meant for family and friends, and was about our daily family life. It was pretty boring and I have no idea why anyone stuck around. Now, since I made my blog public a few months back, I have regular readers that I don't know on a personal level which I have to admit is pretty cool. Do I cater to these people or anyone else?? No way. Do I worry every day that I'm being entertaining enough to keep people around? Nope. Do I expect my readers to agree with everything I have to say? Not in the least. In fact, I'd be disappointed if they did. I hate conformity more than I hate stalkers. Actually, stalkers aren't all bad so I'll say I hate conformity more than I hate...my neighbor's band. There, that's a good one. Conformists are also butt-kissers ya know.

I'm digress. My point, if I even have one, is that people should blog for themselves. Stop worrying so freaking much. Ya know? Aren't there bigger things to nurture your ulcers? Global warming, our corrupt government, that person behind you tail gaiting you because you're a freaking slow driver?? These are issues of concern, not if some random person thinks your blog is worthy of a Pulitzer Prize. Oh. And don't become a freaking blog groupie. I hate that. People who follow someone's blog religiously and then, while their nose is plastered to the author's butt, comments on their brilliance as a writer on every single post, agrees with them on every single issue, and never let's the author know when they're overreacting and being an idiot. Dogs shouldn't be allowed in restaurants for any amount of time and for any reason. Maybe you can get away with this in L.A., but that's about it. Get over it. (There's an actual point to that.) Blogging shouldn't be a popularity contest for pete's sake. Are we still in high school here????

Go now. Blog forth. Be witty and wise and send me the link so I can check it out if I don't have it already.

Sheesh!

So, I've had nothing to say that past couple of days. Sunday, we went shopping which is always a good time but didn't really get anything interesting. The best thing about it was dinner out at Al's French Frys. YUM but very not good for you. That's why we hardly ever go there but sometimes you just can't resist. Know what I mean?

Yesterday was special however. Bob, my m-i-l's husband stopped in for dinner last night. He's here hunting bear but without much luck. Too bad he's not here for turkey because I've seen about 40 of them over the last two days in the field by our house. Anyway, we had a nice dinner and a nice visit.

Now, I'd like to rant for a minute if I may and I may because this is my blog. Most of you already know about my recent run-in with XM Radio. Well, I was listening to it this morning and on two different channels I heard two different commercials. One was for Proactive and the other was for some real estate thing. WTF?!?!!? I thought the whole freaking point of XM Radio was that there were no commercials and that you could get it anywhere since it's satellite. Neither of which seems to be the case anymore. We live in a mountainous region so our reception can be spotty at times and now with the commercials, I may as well be listening to the regular freaking radio for free. I am soooo NOT a happy customer. As a matter of fact, I'm checking out the XM website right now and this is what they say they offer:

Commercial free music playing each genre

Direct quote from their website. Is that or is that not false advertising, the freaks?

Oh! AND, I got a call this morning from the woman from the at the rental management company confirming our appt this morning. Ummm...That was last Tuesday you schlep. And then she was like, "Oh. I was wondering why we made that appt a week out." Yeah, you dope. We didn't. Then she has the nerve to ask if I would like to reschedule. Lmao. Yeah, right. I actually have another appointment in 15 minutes with another rental management company and then I have a showing scheduled tonight for 6, lol. No calls for a showing for a month and then the very week I plan on taking the house off the market, we get a call. Ironic, eh? So, I gotta get ready for my appointment. Till next time...

Customer Service Woes

I must have a higher standard when it comes to sales, customer service, and product quality than most people. I was infuriated by XM Radio, irritated by bad Chinese, and I refuse to shop at Walmart for a lot of reasons one being that they sell inferior products. Yesterday's experience with Jiffy Lube and Black Inc. Realty was no exception to me bringing out my measuring stick.

First off, I had set an appointment with Black Inc. for them to come out to the house so that we could discuss them managing it as a rental. The appointment was for 9:30 and they no show/no called me. These are the people that we had considered allowing them to watch our house, collect rents, and deal with any maintenance problems that should occur since checking on the house from N.C. on a regular basis would be impossible. Then they don't even bother to show for the appointment. This does not instill a feeling of security in me at all. How am I supposed to consider them to be reliable and at 12% of the rent we'd have to pay them monthly for their services?

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon when I took the 4Runner in for an oil change. I hit the Jiffy Lube as I was pressed for time. They had me in and out in less than 20 minutes complete with an oil change, new air filter, top off of the other fluids, air in the tires, vacuum the floors, and they even showed me how to reset the maintenance light and all for about $60.00. Now this is service. Am I wrong here?

This is what I expect from any place of business where I'm about to spend any amount of money. Not long-ass lines where I'm standing there for 20 minutes at one of two open lanes in a store (Walmart) that has 20-something check out lines, and not rubbery Chinese food, and not to be harassed via multiple phone calls from undereducated idiots.


I'm sorry to have such high standards but if I wanted to throw money away I'd flush it down the toilet myself. And by the way, Walmart could be a whole post unto itself but I'm not in the mood for a Walmart rant this morning.

A Disgusting Issue

Why am I choosing to discuss something disgusting this morning? Well, because I can. People tend to leave the disgusting issues alone all the while wondering about them. Decorum says that you shouldn't discuss disgusting issues in mixed company or just in public at all but I've never been one to allow society to dictate how I should behave. Hence why I also don't believe that children's sports shouldn't keep score, why you shouldn't cry if you don't get a gift bag at someone else's birthday party, and why I also think it's a little on the ridiculous side to make a child who is 8 years old still sit in a booster seat in the car. I happen to follow that last rule just because I don't want to have to pay a ticket if I were to ever get pulled over by the police.

So, what's my disgusting topic you're wondering? Musty nose. At least that's what C and I call it. You know what I'm talking about and I'm not referring to a wine connoisseur's term. I'm talking about that disgusting odor that sometimes manifests after somebody sneezes. What the heck is up with that?!?!?! And what causes it?? And it lingers worse than some other disgusting bodily odors that shall not be named in this post. I just don't know. I was watching Oprah a few weeks back, which is something else I usually avoid doing because of societal standards, but this was an interesting episode. She had a guest doctor on the show that was answering all the embarrassing questions that people are usually too afraid to ask. Why one would choose to do so on an internationally syndicated talk show is beyond my understanding but there ya go. Anyway, musty nose never came up. Everything else under the sun did, but not musty nose. And I know that this is an issue that a lot of people have because you can't hide it and I've been a witness to other people's mustiness.

There you go. My disgusting discussion topic of the day. I think I should make this a weekly feature for those of you too afraid to bring these things up in polite society.Hmmm...

New Management Does NOT Equal Better Management

I decided to try out what used to be our favorite Chinese restaurant for lunch today. It used to be the Dragon Phoenix when we first moved here and they had decent food at really great prices. Then, they got into some trouble for having an underage party in their back room and closed shortly thereafter, heheh. A few months back they reopened under new management and a new name (I can't remember what it is) so I thought I'd grab some take out and give it a try. It was baaaaaad! Over cooked and cold. Needless to say, I won't be going back and as we've tried another Chinese place in town here and they sucked too, I'll have to put my Chinese food cravings on hold until we move. I'm not willing to take any more chances.

I also drove by some new apartment buildings they're constructing in Montpelier. They look really nice but totally out of place since they're modern looking and everything else in Montpelier is Victorian. The contrast is really noticeable and the buildings look incongruous. I bet the rent is astronomical too.

Oh! And last night's new recipe was a huge hit with the whole family. It'll definitely be added to our list of faves. Fun, fun.

Weekends

You ever notice how weekends can seem like a refuge? It's a 2 day vacation away from the real world. The kids are out of school and most people have Saturday and Sunday off. It's time to spend with your kids and spouse as a family, time to go out with friends, time to do some leisurely shopping, or it can just be time to veg out with games or a book which is what I did. I'm reading Kathy Reichs' book, Cross Bones and after I finish that I'm going to read her latest, Break No Bones. Since I found out that the television series Bones is based on Reichs' books, I have become an avid fan. Forensic anthropology is actually very interesting. It would be worth a second look as a career if I could get past the smell and bugs that are involved with the dead. Maggots and the smell of putrid flesh really turn me off. Once, I bought a package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs and when I opened them, they had turned and the smell was awful. This was about 4 years ago and I still can't stand the thought of trying to eat that variety of chicken. Also, I once bought a can of tuna fish and when I opened the can there were fish bones and scales in it. It was about 7 years before I ate tuna again, lol. That's just the way that I am and why I'm pretty sure I would have no future in any field of forensic science.

I also bought Dean Koontz's book, Odd Thomas. I've always liked his books but this series has really been getting him rave reviews and I can't wait to get it started. I've also ordered J.D. Robb's newest book which I think will be here sometime this week along with Nora Roberts' new Circle trilogy. I've read the first one and can't wait to read the last two. The 5 1/2 books I'm planning on reading should last me until the weekend, lol. Do you think a person can read too much? I've wondered that about myself. I think my books, however, are going to be a necessary way to lose myself in the coming weeks. I'm not the "Calgon! Take me away!" type of person. Give me a good book and I become totally absorbed. It annoys my kids and the hubby when they try to talk to me and I don't hear them though. Which doesn't bother me cuz I find it funny.
Now, I have to get the house straightened so that I can devote the rest of my day to finishing up Cross Bones.

Shhhh!

I have a horrible headache that has been ongoing for what is now three days. It is hindering my ability to think of something to post. I can't even think of anything else to say right now. So that's it. I'll be back to normal in, hopefully, a day or two. Later.

I Almost Forgot

This is the three year anniversary of my blog. Yup. Three years ago this November I started my blog as a way for friends and family to keep up with our relocation to Vermont. It has evolved somewhat over the years but you have to admit, it's still a blog. Hmm. I don't really know what else I would like to say on the subject. I just figured that keeping up with this for three years was sort of momentous and deserved some sort of recognition.

So, here's to me and the hope that I'll find something more interesting to say over the next three years and beyond!! Cheers!

Outrageous

If I've ever seen anything in poorer taste, I don't know what it would have been. This is the absolute, most disgusting thing I've ever seen. I've never had an opinion of Bill Maher one way or the other before this photo, but I can now see what a complete and total idiot, ass, moron, slimy, revolting piece of filth he really is. There is a special place in hell for him and may his karma get him fast and efficiently.

Weird, Strange, and Mysterious

About 3 hours ago the strangest thing happened. It was so extraordinary that I couldn't even figure out what it was at first. All I could tell was that I was being vaguely irritated by something. It seemed sort of familiar, like maybe I had seen it before or maybe it was Déjà Vu. It took me a minute to even figure out where this mysterious thing was coming from. I glanced around the house, I started walking around to see if I could find the source, and finally! It struck me! The sun was shining!! I could barely believe my eyes. I'm not even sure I remember the last day the sun was out here. And we'd better enjoy it while it lasts because we're supposed to get rain and snow all day tomorrow.

Technological Fun Facts

I was watching Things We Love to Hate on the Discovery Channel this morning and they did a show on e-mail and a show on cell phones. I thought that I would share some of the more interesting facts and statistics that I learned from the show...

E-Mail

• People spend an average of 3 hours a day on frivolous e-mails.
• Ray Tomlinson, the inventor of e-mail, sent the first e-mail message in 1971.
• The first e-mail message read as follows: QWERTYUIOP. The top row of your keyboard.
• Charles Bechner committed suicide due to spam.
• In London, you can attend an e-mail dance party where people wear iPods, MP3 players, or Walkmen and dance in the street to their own music.
• Teens voted e-mail as one of the top inventions of the 21st century for making life easier.
• King's College conducted a study which showed that people who regularly e-mail have a 10% drop in their IQ scores.
• Spam is 75% of all e-mail.

Cell Phones

• Dr. Martin Cooper from Motorola placed the first cell phone call in 1973.
• Cell phone addiction is a medically documented form of OCD and there are clinics where it is treated.
• Cell phone usage is 6th on the list of driving distractions.
• There are 170 million cell phone users in the United States and 2 billion world wide.
• Cell phone use lowers the IQ more than smoking marijuana does.
• 30% of Americans believe that cell phones cause cancer.
• At the turn of this century, cell phones replaced cigarettes as the top addiction among teens.
• In 2005, Australian doctors diagnosed the first case of carpal tunnel syndrome that was caused by excessive text messaging.
• Having a Bluetooth capable phone could equal having a stalker.