What Are You Saying?

 If you're reading this, you're obviously online in one way or another. Being online, I'm sure you're familiar with social media such as Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook. I use social media for a variety of reasons. I'll list them cuz bullets are fun. Get ready for some bulletizing!!!

• News. I hardly ever watch the news on TV and I haven't read an actual newspaper in years. I use Twitter and Facebook, specifically, to keep up with the news. Sometimes, breaking news hits Twitter before reporters can get it out there themselves. 
• Keeping up with friends and family. It's been about four years or so (I can't really remember) since I have been to Ohio to visit. And that last time was to be there for my dad's open heart surgery, hardly a social event. My nearest relative lives about eight hours away. My nearest friend lives about 12 or 13 hours away. I don't get the opportunity to see people face to face. I use Facebook to send out birthday wishes, peruse pictures of people's babies that I've never gotten the chance to see in person, and keep up with what everyone is doing. It honestly makes me feel connected.
• Express my opinion. Social media is a great way of saying what you want, when you want, and about whatever you want. For instance, sometimes I get really fed up with what people are saying on Facebook. So, I'll make a blanket statement about the moronic and inappropriate (IMO), things people post on Facebook. I don't direct it at anyone specifically so that nobody really has the right to take it personally, but I feel better having pointed a finger without really having pointed a finger.
• Research. I use social media to find reviews for restaurants and businesses. I also use it for decorating, crafting, cooking, and DIY ideas, just to name a few. Pinterest and Yelp are lovely resources. 
• Work. I've used social media many, many times for professional reasons. I found my first client on Twitter which led to business ownership. I continued to use it to find new clients. I also used to it for marketing purposes for my own business as well as in my independent contractor status for other businesses. 
• Entertainment. Social media is great for keeping up with your favorite TV shows, movies, and celebrities. I especially enjoy using social media for news about my favorite authors and books. 

I'm sure there are other ways that I, and you, use social media. It really has endless possibilities. All that being said, this isn't even the main point of this blog post. My main topic is, do you ever stop to think about what you are saying when you're online? And I don't just mean literally. I'll explain.

When you send a friend request to someone on Facebook and it doesn't get accepted, what do you think? Maybe the person just doesn't immediately notice friend requests. They weren't ignoring you or refusing you, they just didn't see it. I've been guilty of this. I'll be puttering around on Facebook and notice a friend request sitting there and think, "Huh. How long has that been there?" I don't always get e-mail notifications. Still, by not acknowledging a friend request, it can be a gentle way of saying, "I hate you and don't want to be your friend in any capacity. Go away."

Delving further into this subject...

What about when you're friends with Jane who is married to John but you're not friends with John and a friend request hasn't come from either side. What does that say? That you don't like John? That you're not comfortable being online friends with someone else's husband?

And what if your spouse is friends with both John and Jane and as a couple, you know them in real life but you're only friends with Jane? Or maybe you're not online friends with either one of them. Is that sending an unspoken message as well? Does Jane just not like you?  Not being friends with either, that couple must like your spouse but not you?

Would it just be more polite to accept every friend request you get but then select the option that makes their status updates not appear on your FB page. I've done that. Sometimes, I'm just not interested in what certain teenagers have to say or seeing the 1001 "selfies" that they post on a daily basis. Sorry. (Actually I'm not sorry.)

That takes us to what you're saying when you're actually typing something and hitting "send". Social media certainly gives people the needed distance, and thus protection and even anonymity in some cases, they need to speak their minds without regard to how their opinions might offend. Again, freedom of speech does not equal freedom from repercussions. To be totally cliche, words hurt just as much as fists, sometimes, more so. 

A common place for people to stand their ground is that "It's my Facebook (Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc.) page and I'll do with it what I want and if you don't like it, you can unfriend me." Thanks for your permission to block your annoying, foul-language-filled, sexually inappropriate, I've-gone-to-the-gym, I'm-at-a-bar-for-the-20th-time-this-week, I'm-a-religious-hypocrite updates. I'll get right on that. Feel free to block me/unfriend me right back. I won't take it personally. I promise.

In the end...

• I didn't realize being considerate of others meant infringing on your freedom of speech.
• I only accept FB friend requests from people that I know so if I didn't accept yours, you can assume:
• I don't know you IRL. I'm getting old, so maybe I don't remember you.
• I don't like you

• Trust me when I say that the vast majority of your followers could give two turds about how often you go to the gym. Although, I do like following a weight loss journey...
• I assume you're irresponsible and most likely an alcoholic when you post 7 days a week about your bar/drinking excursions. 
• Make sure your freaking pins actually lead somewhere and not just to an image. Grr!
• Know your audience. If you're friends with my daughters, I will unfriend you for them if I decide that your language, pictures, memes, etc. are inappropriate. The oldest may be 17, but the youngest is 14 and developmentally, she's 11. I don't care if you're family or not. And if you are family, theoretically, you should care more. This is why I feel that the label of "family" means squat but that's for another post.
• Posting about your sex life online is:
• In bad taste. Geez. Yeah it is. Stop arguing with me.
• Not appropriate for younger audiences. It just isn't, no matter what you think.
• You're in a relationship and getting some? Well, that's just odd. ::sarcasm much?::

• I love pet pictures. 
• I love cat memes.
• I love baby pictures. 
• When you publicly rant about being allowed to say what you want, when you want, you're also publicly acknowledging that you know you're being offensive in some way. Think about that.
• When you post your drama online, you're inviting people into your private life and inviting them to express an opinion about your dumb decisions/actions. Yup.
• Be political. Just don't be political all the time.
• Lastly, KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE!

Intruder Alert

Yesterday, I was in and out of the house all day running errands or whatever. Right? So, last night I go to open my bedroom window because it was hot and stuffy upstairs and I notice a sticker on my window. It has a drawing of a falling child and says something about the dangers of falling out of second story windows. I look at the Mister and ask him if that sticker has always been there. Umm. No. That sticker is new. We looked in the office and sure enough, another sticker. We go into the Oldest Child's room and ask her if she has one and she does. WTF???

I call the housing office and I'm like, "Was someone in my house today?" She said that yes, they had been around to all the houses to put stickers in the windows. And I'm all, "So you're telling me that while I wasn't home today, a perfect stranger was in my house without any warning or notice at all??" And's she's all, "Well, we put notices on everyone's door two days ago." I never saw a notice. I asked the kids if they had possibly taken it off the door and they both said no. I start giving this lady an earful. Then she asks me if I'd like to speak to the district manager. Yes please. I give that lady an earful. I'm all like, "I know this is military housing but I don't appreciate being treated like a second class citizen. I also have two pets one of which is a kitten that likes to try and run out the door all the time and the other is a big, older dog who is getting snarky in her old age and who has never been around strangers without one of us being with her." The district manager is all apologetic and understanding but she's like, "The stickers were mandated by the Navy." Fine. I don't have an issue with the stickers other than the fact that they insult my intelligence. I have a problem with strangers being in my house without giving me proper notice. A note on the door blowing away or being stolen by the neighborhood kids isn't a proper notice nor is it an excuse for me not getting notice. I never give PTE (permission to enter) when I'm not home because of my pets. Geez. She asks if I would like them to put a note with my key that they never have PTE. Uh...YES!! I would like that. Cripes.

I have never felt so violated. I hate knowing that someone was in my house and amongst my things without me being there. I'll also be sure not to toss any kids out of the second story windows now that I have a handy sticker reminding me that it's not such a good idea.

Effers.

You Are WEIRD!!

I know that we are new to the homeschooling thing. I don't, by any means, shape, form, or dream, claim to be an expert on homeschooling. However, for the record, I resent anybody making the JUDGMENT that homeschooled kids are weird. Screw you. And just so you know, our kid was weird before we started homeschooling not that it's any of your damn business. ;)

Dumb Men

The guy from the glass replacement place finally showed up to measure my door just a few minutes ago. While he was measuring, he starts to tell me how easy it would be to do the work myself. Then he stops and looks up and says, "Are you married?" I replied that I was and he said that my husband could fit the glass in easy enough. HELLO!!!!! I don't usually get all tied about women's rights and stuff but I would be just as capable of fitting in the glass as the Mister would be thank you very much. I'm really not big on home repairs preferring to hire a professional, but if all I need is a utility knife and a flathead screwdriver, I think I could handle it. I do own my own sander. It's mine. I bought it to refinish my deck at the Vermont house. So there. I own my own power tool. ;) Granted, I won't go near the power saw but I'm not afraid to use a drill or my sander or a freaking flathead SCREWDRIVER!!!!

And btw, it took this "efficient", "capable" man NINE days and three phone calls just to show up at all. That's just counting work days too.

Tell me I need a man....

Long Night

Sorry. No BTT today. Not in the mood.


I had so much going on yesterday. That's weird for me, lol. We went out to dinner with a friend and her parents and my friend PICKED UP THE TAB!! How nice, right? I didn't have to cook and we didn't have to pay for dinner. Also, it was good company. I really enjoyed meeting her parents.

I had a really late night last night. I went to bed at 11, tossed and turned until 1:30, got up and checked my e-mail, went back to bed at 2, and finally fell asleep around 2:30 or so. I did the same thing the two nights before that too. I don't understand it because I'm tired all day because I didn't get any sleep the night before, but as soon as my head hits the pillow my mind starts to race and I can't relax. It's a bit frustrating.

I also used Twitter to my advantage last night. I have a little something in the works that I would completely and totally appreciate crossed fingers, good thoughts, and whatever other positive vibes you want to send my way.


My Monday funk lasted through yesterday and I got to take it out on some idiot woman, heheh. She totally ran a stop sign and if I hadn't been looking, I would have been ran over. I yelled some obscenities and she had her window down so she heard everything. What is with some people??


I forgot to mention another product that I recently tried out. I think it's new too since this was the first I had ever seen it on the shelf. It's Febreze Laundry Odor Eliminator.
I have musty towels and they're not even that old. I think it's because my bathroom doesn't have a vent in it and you can't really open the window in the middle of winter to vent out shower steam. So, I tried this in hopes that it would help the situation and it didn't. Maybe musty towel smell is a permanent problem because I've tried other methods of cleaning my towels and they haven't worked either. If anyone has suggestions other than using them in the dog crate, I'd appreciate a heads up.

I read on another blog today of a woman and her family that only spend $250 a month on groceries and they're a family of five. Check the blog post out here: Antithete
I find that amazing. I use some of the same methods mentioned in the blog post, budgeting, having a grocery list, and having a meal plan even though my plan is for a week instead of a month, and we still spend about $400/month for a family of four on groceries. We're having grilled shrimp burgers for dinner tonight so that could explain why our grocery bill is a bit higher, lol. With gas prices driving up the cost of groceries, I really should try and be more frugal and keep the more extravagant meals, like shrimp burgers, to a minimum. I like to cook though. I like having a counter full of ingredients that need to be measured, chopped, sauteed, grated, zested, and combined. It's the nights when our menu consists of fish sticks that I would just rather not eat at all. What's an average monthly grocery bill I wonder?

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

People seem to be saying things before they think about them lately.

Over the weekend, the Mister and I were watching a news report on the drug raids in San Diego at SDSU. One moron said something to the effect that he felt sorry for the accused students because they didn't sell the drugs with the intent to kill people. Wth kind of thing is that to say?? So, it's okay for drug dealers to sell drugs as long as they intend for their customers to live long lives? Umm. Okay. That makes total sense.

Lastly, Stephen King. I'm sure everyone heard the bonehead comment he made about reading and the Army. Here's a link in case you missed it along with his remarks regarding the backlash:

Stephen King Story

First off, for him to make the statement in the first place was appalling. I get so sick and tired and fed up beyond belief at all the implications that if you join the military it's because you had no other prospects and were too stupid to do anything else. People who think that are prime examples of ignorance and yes, I take it personally. It's an insult to my husband, my father, my brother, uncles, cousins, and some of the best friends that I've ever had or will ever have in my life. I'm not saying that every person who has been or is in the military is a Rhodes scholar. I've seen some of the greatest displays of idiocy from a few of the Marines, sailors, and soldiers (I've only known three people in the Air Force and they were all family members and they were pretty smart ;)) that we've known over the years. But you know what? The military doesn't own the rights to having idiots working for them. Idiots are freaking everywhere.

Furthermore, for King to defend what he said by replying that he meant that children should learn how to read, is insulting. That, in itself, is implying that we are all idiots. This statement: "I don't want to sound like an ad, a public service ad on TV, but the fact is if you can read, you can walk into a job later on. If you don't, then you've got the Army, Iraq, I don't know, something like that. It's not as bright, " and stating that we misunderstood it, saying that he really said this: "That a right-wing-blog would impugn my patriotism because I said children should learn to read, and could get better jobs by doing so, is beneath contempt," is also contemptible. That is not what he said in his first statement. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Check out Laurell K. Hamilton's May 6th blog entry: LKH Blog Does anyone ever stop to think, when they're insulting our men and women in uniform, that the freedom that they possess to say these ignorant and offensive things are defended by the same people that supposedly aren’t smart enough to do anything better with their lives?

I’m disappointed. Stephen King was one of my favorite authors and I have always been impressed by his abilities. Being thoughtless and then unwilling to own up to what he said doesn’t take away from his talents in the least, but I’ve lost all respect for him. I know that I’m just one small and insignificant person ,but I won’t be buying anymore of his books and I’m trading in the ones that I currently own at my favorite used bookstore for something better. For me, it’s the end of an era.

Oh Man. Oh Geez.

I'm in a slight panic right now. I thought I had a grip on my business final exam until I read online today questions from fellow students and the responses (or non-responses depending on how you look at it) that they got. My instructor is an idiot. Pure and simple. This is a direct quote from a response my instructor made to another student. I changed the names of the students she referenced, other than that, I copied and pasted:

I gave you a model and you are to work with that using web
sites and the text if possible.
I also gave you topics to study for the non essay part.
Ask one of the students if you need more help, many seem not
to have a problem with the exam.
Ask Ms. Student or someone from your group.
Also Ms. Student knows too how to study for my exams.
Try asking them your questions.
I have done my best to give you directions.

She has NOT given directions, at least clearly stated directions. In the study guide info she handed out, she says the essay will be about "change AND leadership". In the final exam information part of the syllabus she says "change OR leadership". Which is it you crazy bat? And then she says she will provide us with a model and in another section says we have to make our own. We have to use direct citations from four different websites in addition to citations from our text. How in the hell are you supposed to remember all that???? It's closed book/closed notes!!! I absolutely do NOT have a photographic memory. I'm not going to be able to remember that many direct citations in addition to the information needed just to answer the essay question which is supposed to be SIX pages long in addition to the non-essay section. Holy cow! We only have three hours.

This woman has been like this all semester too. When anyone starts asking too many questions about something, she refers them to their fellow students for answers. Hello!! Aren't you getting PAID for this, you lunatic? I'm so glad I gave her a bad evaluation. She deserved every word. Her grammar and typing are so bad that I sometimes have a hard time even understanding what she's trying to say.

Oh well. 8 days until the semester is completely over.

Hey! I just realized that this post totally qualifies for Whine-Fest Wednesday. I wasn't even trying, lol. Maybe I should change the title.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

I woke up this morning to the welcome sound of rain. We need it desperately. Sunday it was so dry and windy that N.C. had 177 wildfires in the state. We had a teensy one here in New Bern but the worst of it was on the N.C./Virginia border. The news said that a lot of them were started because people were idiots (my word) and burned brush despite the red flag warning which made it illegal to do so. That level of stupidity is infuriating to me. Is burning brush so important that it couldn't wait a day or two?

Now I'm listening to the oldest child trying to make Bailey go outside for her morning constitutional, lmao. That dog absotively hates the rain. She gave up because it's hard to make a 60 pound dog do something she doesn't want to do.

On the itinerary for today is homework. Homework, homework, homework. I've neglected it thus far in favor of reading Jane Eyre. I've been having the hardest time putting it down and even had Jane Eyre dreams last night. Even now, I'm sitting here trying to justify to myself reading it for a couple hours this morning before getting started on my school work. I plan to be strong and responsible but we'll see how it goes, heheheh.

Do You Smell Gas??

WELL, I DO!!! I just got home from putting some gas in the car...and all over the ground. The stupid pump didn't shut off and I spilled a gallon or two on the ground, on my shoes, on my leg, and all over the side of my car. I was PISSED!! I went inside and complained to the clerk and then I squealed my way out of the gas station. I had to come home and change clothes and shoes even though I have more errands that I need to run. So, I've wasted time and money because of this and not to mention, I'm way angrier than the situation calls for. But GEEZ! Aren't the oil companies raping us enough at the pumps without having their equipment malfunction too? And now my entire house smells of gas. Thankfully, it's a very nice day today so I can open my windows but GEEZ! And another thing. You know how they say that you shouldn't go to bed angry or do this or that angry? Well, I have another one for you. Don't shave your legs angry either. I decided to put on some shorts since I had to change clothes anyway which required some personal grooming (hehehe) and paid the price for that too.

Sheesh all over the damn place.

And one last thing...I read in the online version of one of our news stations yesterday that the boil water notice has been lifted for our area. That was YESTERDAY!! We had no idea we were still under a boil water deal because that last main break was on Thursday. All the water main breaks were accidents too. The news story said that the engineers didn't know where the pipes were and the busted through them while doing other work. Three of them in a week's time. Nice.

SHEESH, SHEESH, SHEESH!!!

Not the Best of Days

Yesterday was rough. The morning was good, the afternoon was baaad and the evening was worse. I wasn't the only one having a bad day yesterday either. Was the moon full or something? Anyway, the following is a post that I typed up yesterday in response to my horrible afternoon. I saved it because I had already posted once yesterday, hehehe.

~

Which is worse? People that invite themselves over, people that show up unannounced, or people that make plans to come over and then don’t show up at all?

People. People SUCK! Alright. Certain people suck and some people suck more than others. But mostly, people just SUCK!

You know. I may have a small, insignificant, little housewife life. I don’t have a degree, I get carted around at the whim and inconvenience of others, I don’t work outside of the home, and I'm a lowly enlisted wife, but I do have important things in my life and a routine to my day. When somebody invites me to do something with them in the middle of my day, I have to make allowances for that and rearrange other things that I may have had planned for my day. Don’t call me ten minutes prior to our arranged meeting time and say you’re going to be an hour late, call me back three hours later and ask if I’m ready to go, and then expect me to be nice to you. At this point, I pretty much hate you and you can go crawl underneath a rock and don’t ever bother me again. And save your excuses. After three hours, if you’re still able-bodied enough to call to see if I’m ready, you don’t have an excuse that I want to hear.

This is not friend behavior.

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That (Additions)

There is no specific point or theme to this post. It's just some random thoughts and happenings that have been going on that I have neglected to post about recently. Now, I just need to figure out where to begin.

This afternoon, about half an hour ago actually, I walked into the living room/office to discover that Hannah, The Dog from Hell, chewed the chair cushion on my sectional. See for yourself.



I love Hannah, but sometimes she is really hard to like.

Remember the speeding ticket C got last week or whenever it was? Wanna know what his excuse was? "It was inevitable." At $150, that's not much of a comfort.

I'm really tired of certain people's attitudes towards those of us who don't have a degree and who are enlisted wives. Just because I didn't grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth and I'm not 30 years old with parents who still pay my bills because they're loaded doesn't make me less of a person who deserves respect. And just because my husband is enlisted doesn't mean that I'm ignorant, covered in tattoos (not that there's anything wrong with that if that's your deal), have my head up my husband's ass and career, and cheat on him every chance that I get. Get over yourself. Your attitudes make you sound uneducated. I'm tired, just plain sick and tired, of hypocrites and stereotypes.

It's almost November and still in the 80's!! Woohoo!!!!!

I finished The Picture of Dorian Gray FINALLY. I reviewed it on my Good Reads page and I will also be reviewing it later on my blog for the R.I.P. Challenge.

I got an A on my writing project yesterday. Go me!

From way back when...We went to the Mum Fest here in New Bern. I had a most awesome sausage and peppers sandwich. YUM! They had a lot of booths and things to see and do, but it was like any other fair or festival that I've ever been to. The ride tickets were outrageous imo. They equalled $3-$6 a ride. Is that a lot or has it just been that long since I've been to a fair?

Keep your eye out for my book review, updates on my television show post, Thursday's meme, and whatever else comes to mind.

**Additional Item:

I hate, absolutely hate, when people stop by unexpectedly. Is it too much to ask for someone to call ahead?

Animal Rescue Groups

The idea behind animal rescue groups is a good one. They take homeless and/or abused animals into their facilities and then adopt them out to good homes. You have your general rescues that have a variety of animals and breeds and then you have your breed specific rescues. I have had the occasion to have dealings with a few different types of rescues and with mixed results.

We adopted Chloe, our rabbit, from a rescue in Vermont. The process wasn't simple by any means. Short of having to get security clearances from the government, we had to get recommendation letters, fill out applications, have a home inspection, two preliminary visits with the animal, and have personal references. To. Get. A. Homeless. Rabbit. Oh yeah. And we had to sign a form stating that if we couldn't keep her, that we'd give her back to the rescue we got her from. Sound familiar? When it came time to move from Vermont to N.C. we were afraid that Chloe wouldn't do well during the two day car ride because of her age so I, in accordance with our agreement, called the rescue to take Chloe back. The woman gave me a hard time about it and made me feel bad as if I didn't feel bad enough having to give up an animal that was part of our family. I was simply trying to do what I thought best for Chloe. Additionally, we knew of people that wanted her and would have given her a good home, but I had signed the form. But you know. If they don't want the animals back in such a bad way, they shouldn't force people to sign their agreements.

Our next adventure with a pet rescue occurred when we decided that we wanted a second Boxer. There just happened to be a Boxer rescue that wasn't too far from where we lived in Vermont so we filled out their preliminary application online after we had perused their online descriptions of dogs and picked out a couple that we thought would be good for us. We were denied. Why? Because C is in the military. Yep. That's right.

Lastly, and I do mean last, we adopted our cat, Cal, from the Humane Society in Vermont. It wasn't so bad once you got past the personal references, applications, fees, etc.

But you know, pet rescues are all the time complaining that they're overcrowded and can't find homes for their animals but they make it damn near impossible to adopt them. They take pet advocacy and give it a bad name. They're freaking maniacs is what they are. And I'm not totally clueless. I understand why they have guidelines, rules, regulations, standards, etc. But they take it to a ridiculous level and I think they are partly guilty for the excessive pet population. Take us for example. Instead of us being able to adopt a Boxer, we bought one from a breeder instead. C's being in the military shouldn't have kept us from being qualified for a dog and it was blatant discrimination in my opinion and why I will never have anything to do, ever again, with pet rescues.

Ellen DeGeneres' current situation and the reaction from that pet rescue is typical. They're not going to give the dog back because the hair dressers' kids are under the age of 14??? That's bull. 11 and 12 year old kids are perfectly capable of being responsible with pets. We've had Bailey since S was 6 and she has yet to harm her. In fact, C and I have had pets since we first lived together and my kids haven't killed any of them at this point. But I guess I should give our dogs up to a loving Boxer rescue for their safety until my kids are old enough to have pets. And furthermore, if they think that kids shouldn't be around animals, what they should really be saying is that the parents aren't capable of controlling and disciplining their kids so they shouldn't have dogs either. And if you want to get picky, it was irresponsible of the rescue to adopt out a pet that hadn't been altered yet.

It's experiences like mine and stories like Ellen's that are going to keep rescues overcrowded and animals from having perfectly good and loving homes. Pet rescues need to stop being over-dramatic fanatics, take it down a notch, and become true advocates of homeless and abused animals.


Ellen's Story and Video of Her Plea for Iggy
The Pet Rescue's Reaction

Moving On

So much for a debate. Now. I'm moving on.

C is on leave for most of this week. He goes back to work at noon on Friday. In the meantime, we are not taking calls, receiving visitors, or going visiting. We want peace, quiet, and togetherness. I'm sick of being around and talking to people every stinking day of the week. And 90% of phone calls consist of bad news, people whining, or people asking for favors, and I'm not saying that I'm not exempt from this statistic. This isn't the kind of interaction I need right now. Migraines, high blood pressure, and indigestion have become my companions once again due to idiots beyond my control. It's gotten to the point where I have finally made myself a doctor's appointment which, if you know me, is extreme. And about the doctor...

C has been a Marine for ten years now (he had his ten year anniversary on the 21st in case you were interested). In that time, I have never had a Navy doctor as my primary care manager. I've always seen civilian doctors. I guess that I should consider myself lucky that we lived in San Diego for so long because you can't do that here at this base unless you get special permission from your spouse's command. Anyway, I've been assigned a PCM as have the rest of my family. Get this: She's deployed so I can't even see her. I have to see her replacement. Wouldn't it be easier to just let me pick my own civilian doctor who wouldn't be leaving the country for a minimum of 6 months at a time??? I hate Tricare.

And I'm in a bad mood so that's it for today.

My Dogs...Pay Attention Here

This is what I have to say about my dogs, or anybody's dogs for that matter. Or any pets at all. This is my opinion and I stand by every word. And you can bite me if you disagree. Where this issue is concerned, I don't care what anyone else's opinions are. Inside my house, I have the last word.

Pets should be more than just sacks of fur. You shouldn't get a dog and then tie it up in your backyard forever never to interact with them again. We have neighbors that have a couple dogs and they keep them tied up in the woods out behind their house, regardless of the weather or the time of day. What is the point of having them at all? I don't get that.

In my house, our dogs are as much a part of our family as anybody could be. As a matter of fact, the hierarchy would go:

1. C and Me.
2. The Girls.
3. The Dogs.
4. Everybody else.

If you come into my house, you respect my dogs and their place in our home or get the hell out and don't come back. They have fur and shed, they slobber, they get wet when you put them out in a tropical storm and come in smelling like wet dogs, they fart, they poop, and they smell when they need a bath. They're mammals. Deal with it.

If you know us, you know we have dogs. If you have an issue with any of the above mentioned, don't come to my house. You aren't welcome. Seriously. You...Are...Not...Welcome.

Our dogs love us regardless of our moods, how we smell, whether or not I'm wearing makeup, whether C is in uniform or not, and whether or not the girls are misbehaving. They love us unconditionally, they don't judge, and they give comfort whenever we need it. This is more than I can say for any other living being on the earth. If this makes me a fanatic, or OCD, or insane, then so be it. I could care less.

Much to Tell

I'm home from my exams. They weren't nearly as bad as I thought they would be. My English exam was looooong but not hard. I had to write a poem, an intro for a creative nonfiction piece, and a short story in addition to regular exam-type questions. It was a LOT of writing.

For my Mythology exam, it was long also in content but the last 12 questions were definition which were easy peezy.

My business exam was crazy. My instructor is out of her flipping gourd. I got all the answers correct as far as the technical part of it went, but then she wanted examples of out the book, examples from real life that were less than 3 years old and she wanted me to map the chapters that the questions were from. It was ridiculous. AND the stupid thing was only 4 questions long, 10 points a piece, and 25% of my grade. I hope to hell I never get her for another class.

But, it's done and I'm glad to have one less thing on my plate.

As for the house deal in Vermont, JMT isn't taking my calls. She's not answering my e-mails. She's not answering her voicemail. And, she's taken to taking her phone off the hook at night. How ridiculous is that?? It's not as if I can jump through the phone and strangle her. I just want to talk for pete's sake and figure out what the freak is going on. And, of course, to ask where the hell my money is at. It looks as if I'm going to have to involve the sheriff after all which I was trying to avoid doing.

And, lastly...My mother-in-law and her husband arrived last night for a visit from Ohio. They took the girls out somewhere so I have the house to myself for a bit. It's nice. Peaceful and quiet. I was also able to have lunch with C after my exams which isn't something we've done since Vermont. Lunch on his lunch hour from work that is. Not have lunch altogether. Heheh.

Now, I'm off to take a nap. I didn't get to sleep until late and I got up with C this morning because I couldn't sleep. I'm beat.

Considerably Calmer *Update*

But no less panicked and pissed off. I feel better now that we have a plan of attack concerning JMT, our renter. What sucks is that I have to follow Vermont's laws or she would already be out on her ass. Step 1: Mail a certified letter to pay or quit. By Vermont law, I have to give her 14 business days to pay her late rent and all the fees. She's now into us for almost $1500 if you were wondering. Step 2: At the end of the 14 days, regardless of whether or not she sends us the money she owes, I'm mailing out another certified letter which will contain an eviction notice. She has yet to sign a new lease since hers was up July 31st so she's only living in my house on a month to month basis. The next step depends on whether or not she pays us the money she owes, but if she doesn't, Step 3 will be to notify the police that she's passing bad checks which, in the state of Vermont, is a felony offense because they're for over $500, punishable with up to a year in jail, and a $1000 fine. Step 4: List the house for sale and hope for the best. This whole thing has the potential to ruin us financially but what else can we do? I had the worst night's sleep last night that I've had in over 7 months. My hands and feet are swollen which means my blood pressure is high again. And I can't eat which is the only good thing about this. I've been running up my cell minutes trying to reach her and various other people. She had her cell phone disconnected and won't return my calls when I leave messages on her home phone. Big shocker there. She has one certified letter that's been sitting at her post office for 5 days now (we've been having other problems with her for the past 4 months that I didn't want to post about) and another one on the way. I've tried reaching her at work, but I only get her voicemail. I've also been in touch with the rental management company and they're sending me all the background info they gathered on her. I also called a realtor to discuss the housing market in Vermont and the possibility of listing the house. The timing couldn't be worse. Why couldn't her check have bounced on Friday when I wouldn't have found it until after my exams??? This is such a nightmare.

Well, I'm off to the post office to make yet another futile attempt to contact her. Wish me luck.

****UPDATE****

So, I mailed the notice for all the good it'll do me. The first certified letter I sent her, I mailed on 8/7 and it's still sitting in the post office in Vermont. I also talked to a lawyer to make sure that I'm doing all of this correctly and I am. Of course. However, it turns out the the Pay or Quit notice I sent today serves as an eviction notice so all she has is 14 days from receiving the letter to pay or vacate. Receive being the operative word here. Is she refuses to pick up the letters, she hasn't received notice. Legally. My lawyer suggested that I call the sheriff's office and have her served. Are you all believing this? I have to have somebody served and it's not even divorce papers, lol. If this ends up in court, I hope I can get all my post office fees, serving fees, and all other freaking money back. This legal business don't come cheap.

Bad Day

I'm trying to study, right? Well, my sister-in-law calls so I take a break to chat. While chatting, I decided to balance my check book. I log onto my bank account and there is a weird amount of money in my checking account. WHY?!?!?!?! Because my freaking, inconsiderate, idiot, moronic, untrustworthy, freaking, bitch of a tenant bounced her rent check!!!!!!!!!!!! ARGHHHHHHHH!!!! I'm so freaking mad right now that I'm literally shaking. I'm also in the middle of typing up an eviction freaking notice. I HATE PEOPLE!!! I'm so angry that I bounced my keyboard and mouse off of my desk by banging my fists on it and my sister-in-law is probably partially deaf since I was screaming and cussing and she had the misfortune of being on the phone when I discovered this freaking B.S.!!!!!! FREAKING B.S.!!!!!! I'm also on hold with her employer, heheh. If I'm going down, I'm taking her with me. Bitch. GRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!! I blame Vermont. If we had never been in Vermont, this would never have happened. Vermont is like a dog poo that you just can't scape off of your foot. It's a cockroach that crawls out of the dank, dark, recesses of a cesspool to feed just when you think the exterminators have finally eliminated the last one.

I need something to hit or break.

eBay

I'm not an eBay person by any means. I've never purchased anything from eBay (not that there's anything wrong with it) and have only sold one item there about 6 years ago. It was a car stereo in case you were wondering. Anyway, I currently have one certain item for sale right now on eBay that I listed yesterday. From the responses that I have gotten in the less than 24 hours it has been listed, I can tell things have changed. I've gotten four "ask a question" e-mails and as far as I can tell, they're all frauds. The first time I used eBay, I remember that I didn't get one fraudulent request the entire time we had the stereo up for sale. I'm seriously regretting using eBay at all and this will be the last time. Lesson learned. Sheesh.

Home Buying

I was watching this show on A&E called Sell This House this morning. Basically, they take homeowners who are having a hard time selling their homes, go in and figure out what the problem is, and then help them solve it. For this, they use hidden cameras to record potential buyers' reactions. People are dumb. I don't understand why you would look at a house and base your opinion of it on the furnishings of the present owners unless they are selling the house furnished. That is so freaking retarded. So what if you don't like their couch. They are taking it WITH them!!! I was so irritated watching this show. As for the sellers, why they were showing their homes with dirty dishes in the sink is beyond me. When we were showing our house in VT, I killed myself before each and every showing making sure there wasn't so much as a piece of lint on the carpet let alone dirty dishes in the sink. Geez.

In my opinion, when you are looking at houses, you should see the potential of what you can and want do with it. Unless you're having a house built, you're going to have a really hard time finding a house that is 100% what you're looking for. The house we're in now is just a rental but I still look around it and think of the changes I would make if I were to ever buy it. I wouldn't because it needs too much work, but you get my point. Have VISION!! people.

3rd Time's a Charm

I'm finally done with the eye doc and it only took three visits, lol. I almost had to make it four visits because my dumb butt insurance didn't send the authorization for the pressure check and they were going to make me get a referral from my primary doc (whoever the hell that is since they saw fit to enroll C and the girls here in N.C. but not me.) However, I have an awesome eye doc and she did the pressure check and dilation free of charge to save me the hassle of having to deal with Tricare. I should buy her some flowers.

I do have some bad news though. It seems that Vermont has had a lasting and negative effect on me. Due to my high blood pressure woes for the three years that we lived there, the blood vessels in my eyes have narrowed which could lead to bleeding and blindness. Nifty, eh? So, I have to figure out who in the hell is my primary doc so that I can have my blood pressure monitored and possibly go on meds. Yes, I hate meds, I resist them, they scare me, but I'd rather take them than be blind.

On the agenda for the rest of the day...I have to pick M up from her summer day camp deal at noon. Then, I have to drive back to the car dealer to take care of a thing. NOT looking forward to that. I'm not in the mood to go clear to Jacksonville today.