Talking with the whales

This morning my family took me in to outpatients to see the doc about the pain I am in. On the way into town my spouse asked my son to sing for me to make me feel better. He sang me the prettiest, wordless song.
When we arrived at outpatients, I checked in and went promptly into the bathroom to continue puking. I started to puke this morning as a result I think of the combination of every pain medication I could put my hands on in the house and the pain.
I had Max with me while Shel parked and brought the baby in. Max got to come with me to the bathroom and watch me vomit into a garbage can while sitting on the toilet! Lucky little guy.
When I thought I was all done we went out to the lobby to wait and be called back. I made the comment to Shel that I felt I was going to puke again - to which my son responded by picking up the garbage can from under the seat and giving it to me to puke into!

How could I not feel a TEENY bit better after that?

p.s. The doctor did see me, he looked into my mouth and suggested I see a dentist! He gave me pain pills and antibiotics to get started on and we came home. On the way home Shel had to pull over a few times for me to puke some more. I have heard of "dry heaves" before and I just assumed it was retching when there was nothing in your stomach. I got a whole new perspective of dry heaves today let me tell you. Pulled over on a side road, in plain view of everyone driving down the highway, because I had nothing in my stomach, my stomach and throat constricted and tried to force something out of my gut that was not there. As a result of there being nothing to expel, my body tried to turn my esophagus inside out and violently force it up my throat and out of my mouth, and nose. That hurts. In addition to the pain my body was making WEIRD noises that sounded like something from a planet earth video of whales communicating. Had we been in any kind of proximity of whales I am certain their ears would have burned with the things I was screaming. Nothing like burning stomach acid coming through your nose on the side road in the dead of winter to make the holidays seem merry and bright!

Pain

I do NOT deal well with pain. I never have.
This fact being known, one would think I would then make choices in my life that would reduce the possibility of ever experiencing pain.
But what did thinking ever get you?

I just have one word to say..... Dentist.

I have blogged on this topic before. I LOATHE the dentist. I always have, I always will. I never go to the dentist until I am in pain at which time I make a load of follow up appointments which I will cancel. I do it every time.
Then I go without seeing a dentist until the next time I am in pain and then I call again. And the cycle repeats itself.
I am not a medical doctor, so what I am about to say is not grounded in any kind of medical fact.
I think that when I am in pain, there is some chemical released into my brain so that when the pain is OVER I cannot recall the intensity of it and this is why I don't bother following up and think it will be 'Ok" until the next time.
I am sitting here right now in pain. I can only blame myself for it and I am not seeking any kind of sympathy because I know I don't deserve any. I drove this bus off the cliff and now I must deal with it.
I am in AGONY.
The only reason I am blogging is because I cannot do anything else. I can't read. I can't watch tv. I can't do ANYTHING that I would normally do to take my mind off the present. I can't consume copious amounts of sugar. I can't consume ANYTHING. I have been sitting with an electric heating pad on my face for hours - on high. NOTHING IS WORKING. I have taken so many pan killers I have made myself sick to my stomach. I can't sleep.
On a scale of one to ten the pain I am in is EASILY a nine. I say nine because I am upright. I am only upright because I am so out of my head that laying down is more of a bother, but I have had migraines that rank 10 on that scale of intensity.
I'm thinking there should be more than one scale for pain. Cause this is a tenner.
I am ready to rip my tooth from my head with my fingers if need be. OH MY LAND there is nothing anyone can do for me at 12:33 am. The pain is getting worse. Why does this happen to me when I am supposed to be on vacation? AND on a weekend? AND worse at night?
Believe you me there was a LOT of things I wanted to eat today and couldn't because of the pain.
Tonight is my night to sleep and here I am - not sleeping.
I LOATHE my teeth. I want them all ripped from my skull so I don't have to deal with this shiza anymore.
HOLY F@#% I hurt right now.

As Max Grows

This afternoon I was laying in bed taking a nap. When Max woke up, Shel went to pick him up and he was helping her in the kitchen while I still lay in bed.
Supper was ready and it was time for me to get out of bed and come to the table. Shel said to Max, "Max, Please go get your mom up" to which Max responded (from the kitchen) " MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM"

I was already awake and listening to the conversation and I had to laugh outloud at what he considered to be " getting me up". What are we going to do with him when he is a teenager?

conversations in bed

Watching Treehouse "Go, Diego, Go"

Me: " I have never seen a chinchilla before in it's natural habitat."

Shel: Uncontrollable laughter.

conversations in bed

Watching HGTV "Home to Flip". Peter Fallico just spent over 150 thousand dollars on a house.

Me: " I wish we had the kind of money to buy a house and flip it, only flip it for us."

Shel: " That's called renovation."

Back to Blogging

It feels as though the year got closer and closer to it's end, life started to speed up and speed up and the last few weeks I have felt like a whirling dervish.

My understanding of whirling dervishes is that they do a lot of spinning in place which may or may not result in a spiritual experience. I have done a lot of spinning but the spiritual experience has yet to make itself known.

Finally with some time off I hope to get back to the things I love ... reading, writing, playing with the boys, paying attention to the dogs, and I might even squeeze some cross stitch in.

Christmas day has come and gone. I will blog about that later. In the meantime there's a new book, new sheets, and some snacks waiting for me in bed!

reducing my caffeine intake

I have changed my goal from "giving up coke" to "reducing my caffeine intake". This change will enable me to be more successful, because I honestly don't think I truly desire to give up Coke forEVer.

My SU thought it would be a good idea for me to try this over the Christmas break so I could be at home and if I happened to experience mind blowing pain of withdrawals I would not subject anyone around me to my screams of agony. I agree with her, but at the same time I have no intention of spending my precious days off work writhing on the floor and crying. This let me to believe I should start reducing my intake of caffeine immediately so that when my vacation days arrive if I cut caffeine out of my diet completely I won't experience withdrawals quite as dramatic. I am doing ok with it so far. By OK, I mean..... it hurts but I'm upright and I can still see.

Yesterday I had to stop and buy a drink from the vending machine in the middle of the day because a wicked migraine was descending and I could feel it behind my eyes. I didn't have any coke last night when I went home. When I am at work I drink coffee which is something I have only just started to do since moving to Fairview. I drink it because I am cold. I hate cold and coffee tastes ok with half a cup of sugar and half a cup of cream. (I have to drink from a very large mug to fit it all in). I just wish it tasted as good as it smells! Yesterday I had two cups of coffee and a coke. That is a big improvement over two or more cups of coffee and three or more cans of coke. I woke up this morning with a really bad headache and got up right away and took a grandpa powder. If those headaches get a hold of me I am doomed. Today I have had one cup of coffee and no cokes. So far the headache seems to be staying away and I am keeping my fingers crossed.

I'll keep you updated.

Christmas meme

DECK THE HALLS
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
We still use some wrapping paper, but my mom made us very cool gift bags which we use also. I prefer to use the gift bags.
2. Real tree or Artificial?
A real tree. At some point we would like to grow our own on our acreage.
3. When do you put up the tree?
We are not very consistent with when we put up the tree. I would like to put it up at the beginning of December but that would mean I had to be more organised.
4. When do you take the tree down?
When we are tired of it.
5. Do you like eggnog?
Not even remotely. Gag-o-rama
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Uh..... I got a bike one year.
7. Hardest person to buy for?
My dad, because he always guesses what we got him but it's fun to try and surprise him - almost impossible.
8. Easiest person to buy for?
My boy. I am always seeing thing I want to get him.
9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail. Also if we get around to it. I have cards from last year stamped and addressed but never mailed.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
My parents gave me the same gift a few years in a row. (more than one). The worst one was a thing to put on a bike over the back wheel that zipped up and you could put stuff in it. I never used it but it was given to me a few consecutive years which was funny.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
The Original Grinch.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
All through the year I am looking for ideas for Christmas.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
This year I am regifting all the Ferrerro Rocher I have been given.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
I like to eat my spouses Almond Rocha
16. Lights on the tree?
Absolutely.
17. Favorite Christmas song?
I like way too many. I will do another post today about all the Christmas music I like. Little Drummer Boy is one favorite.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Stay home. I would like to travel to my family, but it is insanely cold here and I won't get on the highway for love nor money.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
An Angel
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Mrs Claus always delivers pajamas for us to open on Christmas eve.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Lines in stores.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I like handmade ornaments.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
At Christmas I get marrowfat peas and brussel sprouts. I love them both but only eat them at holidays.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I could probably think of a lot of things, but we are just exchanging for the kids this year.
26. Lights, blinking or always on?
We alternate.

My Blog personality

I picked this up from typealyzer. Check out your blog type here!

I think this will amuse my spouse.

ESFP - The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

They enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

ten on tuesday: the ten best gifts I have given

Here is a list of the ten best gifts I have given.

1. When my dad turned 50 years old I made him a scrapbook. I collected pictures of him from throughout his life and stories of him from siblings, children, parents, etc. I put the whole book together. It was my scrapbooking debut, the only scrapbooking project I have ever worked on and it rocked - if I say so myself.
2. For Valentines day one year I made my spousal unit a basket out of bread and filled it with strawberries.
3. For my spousal unit's fiftieth birthday I gave her 50 presents. That isn't really 'ONE' gift, but it was a blast to put together.
4. My first cross stitch project was a mime face that I stitched for my mom. I have NO idea why I chose to do a mime face. To my knowledge she has no particular interest in mimes, but it was quite the project to "start" my cross stitching career. Man that was a lot of work. I am surprised I finished it!
5. I cross stitched my SU some cool things - I have even framed one of them! It is three hearts with the words "love, love, love"
6. Last year for Christmas we decided we would give each of our nieces and nephews a book each year. Books are special to us and it is a way to share something of us with them. Our first gift was a book my SU found online - a book of counting in Shona (the language I grew up with in Zimbabwe)
7. My family has a funny "tradition" of gift giving. When I was growing up we didn't have lots of money. My parents would find things on sale throughout the year and put everything into a locked crate and then on Christmas eve sort through the crate and make piles to wrap for each kid. One year I got a flower that danced when it heard music. I wasn't ALL that interested in it and when my mom was cleaning up after Christmas she asked me if I wanted it and I said "not really" _ well back into the crate it went. Wouldn't you know, the next Christmas what do you suppose I unwrapped? You guessed it, a dancing flower. We laughed so hard. I think I got that stupid thing a few more times before other kids in the family started to get it. Well my parents have moved countries since then - a number of times - and the dancing flower has been lost along the way. Two years ago they came to Canada to celebrate Christmas with us and I happened to find for my dad --- A dancing flower. He totally loves it and it sits by his computer at home. It was so incredibly fun to give that to him and knowing that it sits by his computer in South Africa I always try to make noises - like "knocking" on msn messenger - to see if I can make it dance!
8. We got our son a balloon for his 2nd birthday. It was not the only thing we got him - but it was his "best" gift - it lasted months.
9. One year my spouse and I heard that my grandmother had a need for some items in her home. We sent money to my cousin (who I am certain "ADDED" to it) and got the stuff my ailing grandmother needed.
10. My SU and I did the 12 days of Christmas for a family in need in our community. For the 12 days leading up to Christmas we would put together a gift, write a poem, then put it on the doorstep and knock and run. We had a BLAST and can't wait to do it again.

Mukiwa

I miss my Mukiwa.

giving up Coke

My spouse and I discussed in passing that it might be a good idea for me to give up Coke over the holidays. Her thought was that it would be good to go through blinding caffeine withdrawals while I was at home and not at work so I could spare the people around me from my agony. I don't do pain well. Or quietly.

I think it is a good idea except that I REALLY like Coke.

1. It isn't good for me.
2. I am addicted to the caffeine.
3. I don't need the sugar.
4. I'm pretty sure I would feel healthier all around if I gave it up,
5. I may even lose some weight?

But have I mentioned that I REALLY like Coke?

I think that is pretty much the only reason I can come up with to keep drinking it, that and the blinding withdrawals I know I will go through if I give it up. I just have to be 100 percent sure that I won't start drinking it again because I have gone through this in the past, I've even managed to stay off it for a while, but there is no point in going through the withdrawal if I am just going to start drinking it again down the line.

It's not that easy of a decision - even though it should be.

Ah Coca Cola adds Life!

Blog Frustration (new)

So my GREEN blog background is boring and I thought I would try something new for the holiday season. Mix it up a little for the three people who come here with some regularity (maybe now it's two people?)
ANYWAY. I went out, found a cute background, followed the directions - I THOUGHT - and ended up with a really cute background but lost ALL my links! Links to blogs, links to memes, photo of Mukiwa, background music, countdown ticker to the day of our takeover. ARG!!!!!!!!
I have gone back to see if I missed a step somewhere but can't see where I missed anything.
Now I have to start over to try and recreate what was here.
I know it isn't rocket science and probably no-one noticed any of it but me, still, DANG IT.
Though my background is now festive, I am not feeling it!

Adoption frustration (still)

I know I have blogged about this in the past and yet here I am again. Same topic, still frustrated. It appears nothing has changed but a whole lot of time has passed.

We have an adoption worker (I am fairly sure it is number 7 or 8 which I have mentioned before).

We pressed the issue of how ridiculous it was that we still hadn't adopted in a meeting for foster parents a little over a month ago and it seemed as though things from that meeting put a bee in someones bonnet because it APPEARED as though things were moving forward. There has been a horrible shortage of workers in our region and so there was no-one to work on our file. After we voiced some complaints a supervisor called and said she would be working on our file herself so that we could move forward. I have started to ask SPECIFICS from the workers so we can have an idea of what we are looking at in terms of timelines. I asked when we could expect to become permanent guardians of our man. This is a step that has to be completed before we can become legal parents. I was told by the supervisor that we could look at being permanent guardians by the end of December. At the time she told us there were some things missing from our file. Of the things that were "missing", a copy of my Spousal Units Driver's license and an ORIGINAL copy of our marriage certificate was needed. Now I know we have given copies of this stuff before, because LAST year at the foster parent Christmas party we took copies of all this stuff and gave it to the person who was then working on our file. I don't understand exactly how this stuff goes "missing" from files. I have many files in my office. Things have never gone "missing" from them unless #1 I didn't put it into the file in the first place or #2 I didn't put it into the file in the first place. So I can only assume that it was never put into our file. It makes me wonder where a copy of my spouses driver's licence and a copy of our marriage certificate got to. Whatever the case, we need to supply them with this info again. I am a little confused, because I have NEVER been asked to give an ORIGINAL copy of my marriage certificate to any agency for any reason. Why do they need an original?

After she worked on our file, a new, full time, adoption worker was hired in the office and our file was transferred to her. She had an appointment to meet with us last week, which she had to cancel. It has now been rescheduled for the end of December. This means it is unlikely that we will be permanent guardians of our man before January or later.

Meanwhile I have been working on some assignments for my social movements class and came across an article about a gay couple in Edmonton who had some trouble adopting their son. In their story which you can link to here, they faced a number of obstacles in their adoption and it sounds too familiar.

In the meantime, we are still "ONLY" foster parents to our son and while he doesn't know the difference I certainly do. Until he is "ours" he is NOT ours - and while that may seem like a silly thing to say, another couple who we know personally recently had a child in their home for over 5 years had that child removed by foster care ... they were also "working" on adopting her.

Until the papers are in our hands that say our boy is our family, he COULD BE taken at any time.

Vehicle frustration

Last month my SU and I traded in our old van for a newer van.
When we purchased the van and left the building (I am leaving out the gory stress details) they gave us one key and said they had another key somewhere but at the time they couldn't find it.
So we have been using just one key for a month or so.
Earlier this week my SU went back to the dealership to ask if they had found the second key. They hadn't, but it is impractical for us to only have one key and so we needed to get another key cut.
They were more than happy to cut us another key and then CHARGE us over $100.00 bucks for the second key.
I think while they were cutting the key, they told my SU to bend over and take one up the butt.
SERIOUSLY. After the money we paid for the vehicle and the key they COULD NOT FIND when we were there on the day of purchase, they have the nerve to charge us an additional $100.00 for another key. What a freaking joke. It makes me SOOOOO mad how they take every opportunity to gouge customers who are in no position to just walk away.
And then the government bails out the auto industry! I am aggravated.

Stolen from "My 2 cents"

1. Who did you spend at least two hours with today?
Ummm. I haven't been at work for two hours yet, and my family wasn't awake for 2 hours before I left. so no-one has yet had the joy of spending 2 hours with me today.
2. What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks?
Time off from work.
3. Who was the last person you called?
My spousal unit, I was returning her call.
4. What were you doing at 12am last night?
Watching television.
5. Are your parents married/divorced?
Married.
6. When did you last see your mom?
This Spring
7. What are you wearing right now?
Jeans, a shoe with a hole in it, a t-shirt and sweater thingy. Not a sweater, but LIKE a sweater.
8. Where is your favorite place to be?
In bed, fast asleep.
9. Where is your least favorite place to be?
In bed, half awake because a baby is crying.
10. Where would you go if you could go anywhere?
Right now I would go anyplace warm - where I could sleep all night.
11. Where do you think you’ll be in 10 years?
I have no idea, but I hope I am doing something different than I am doing now.
12. What was the last thing that really made you laugh?
Max laughing at his cousin Tabby.
13. What cities/towns/villages have you lived in?
Gweru, Sydney NS, Saskatoon SK, Edmonton AB, Everett WA, Provo UT, Ogden UT, Bellingham WA, Maple Valley WA, Oak Harbour WA, Brier WA...
14. Are you a social person?
I can be VERY social when I want to be. I don't often want to be social outside of my group of friends.
15. Do you sleep alone?
Nope.

Friday Fill In

1. Snow is WAYYYY better than freezing rain.
2. I'm looking forward to Christmas holidays.
3. Wendy's Chili is the best quick meal on a cold night ever!
4. One of my favorite old tv shows is Greatest American Hero.
5. I'm done with getting frustrated with people if I haven't shared my expectations.
6. The most enjoyable thing around the holidays is family time.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to hanging in the hotel with my family, tomorrow my plans include attending a class party and Sunday, I want to TAKE A NAP!

google me

When I enter a search into google sometimes the things that come up are completely unrelated to what I am looking for. I spend a fair amount of time googling and it can be very frustrating.

My spouse on her blog, has a way to look at the things people google that bring hits to her blog. I have always thought this was interesting but never knew how to do it on blogger - which is where I blog. Partially this is because I don't WANT to know, I am too lazy to spend the time to figure it out. If it isn't laid out for me easy peasy, then I likely won't be bothered with it.

So of course, because I have class tomorrow and I have a class presentation, major project and two papers left to finish, tonight I decided to try and find out what people were searching for when they came across my site.

You may not believe this, but "poop in the mouth" is one of them. It's true. If you go to google right now, enter "poop in the mouth" in the search box, you will be shown a link to my blog page.

That's inspiring. I don't know what bothers me more. The fact that people out there are searching for poop in the mouth, or that they are finding what they are looking for on my blog.

You know... I actually went out and tried it, and I can't find my blog on google when I enter this search. What I DID find was "dentists who poop in your mouth" and "20 reasons why dogs eat poo". I am not on the first 3 pages at least. That makes me feel a little better, but is it REALLY possible to feel better about this topic at all?

Doing Homework

I am a procrastinator of the grandest proportions. I am registered in a class right now and the requirements of the class include handing in 4 papers and doing a project and report on the project.

Now any other reasonable person would have done this work ages ago - considering the class is over this Friday. I was stressed about not having done anything until I went to class last weekend and discussed with other students how few of them had handed in assignments either. I felt some relief at the thought I was not alone, but it only further fueled my procrastination. I figured if no-one else had handed anything in, then why should I stress about it?

I came into the office so that I could work uninterrupted. In the time that I have been here tonight I have eaten two chocolate bars, two bags of chips, one beef jerky, consumed one bottle of coke and one half bottle of water. I have spoken to two people on facebook chat, been to the bathroom three times and I am now blogging. Believe it or not this IS what I consider to be working uninterrupted!

I'd like to think that I have abandoned some of my perfectionist tendencies. I'd like to think that - but I can't. When I leave writing to this late I would LIKE to just bust something out, write it once, spellcheck it, and mail it off. But, no. I write down thoughts, then I start writing, I edit and paste, check spelling, move things, rewrite things, call my spouse and read her what I have written so far, email it to my spouse to read, then make corrections and THEN send it off. In spite of all that I HAVE managed to write one article and get it in. THEN I started on number two. Now I have to pick a topic, read the chapter, then go on line and look for any supporting ideas. Talk to my spouse about it, print off articles, read articles, then start writing down ideas.
I have 6 newspaper articles, 11 research articles, 1 book chapter and my class notes all for the second paper. I have read the chapter and the six newpaper articles, but I have to now read the 11 research articles to glean what I need before I can start writing paper number 2. What happened to bust it out? How in the name of Hades am I going to get another THREE papers written at this rate?

Oh, the things I do to myself.

Ten on tuesday: Ten Ways you can Save Money

This week the topic for ten on Tuesday is "ten ways you can save money".
Here are ten ways we try to save money.

1. Eat out less. This is not really a problem since we have lived in our new town because.... there are not a lot of places to eat out! NO burrito grande, no souper salad, no mongolian BBQ, no Ogden Pizzeria, no Natalie's. WOW, we ate out lots!
2. Use coupons from IGA to buy milk, margarine, eggs etc. The milk is a big one - We save almost four dollars per gallon of milk using the coupons.
3. Shop for bulk items at Costco. Items like dog food, Kitty litter, Diapers, Toilet paper and Coke are WAY cheaper at Costco than anywhere else.
4. While at Costco eat from all of the tester tables. If you are there long enough that can save you the cost of two meals at LEAST.
5. It WOULD save us money if I applied for a gas card from UFA. I lost my application though. You would think I would walk in and get another. You would think.
6. Going to the library for books instead of buying them. Now while this theoretically should save us money, we ALWAYS have late fees. Admittedly the late fees are not ever as much as a new book, but it bothers me to get late fees continually and we lose them, and we drop them in the tub. Another good thing about going to the library for books instead of buying them is that it is a lot easier to move houses (and keep friends) if you don't have 20 thousand boxes of books to move.
7. Blogging in the dark - that's what I am doing right now. I'm sure we are saving money on electricity.
8. Showering in the dark. I personally cannot do this but my spouse who is blind without her glasses can because she can't see anyway so why turn on the light! My two year old likes to turn the light out on me when I am in the shower but it messes up with my arm pit shaving. I occasionally have armpit mohawk as a result. I used to do morning bottle feeds in the dark also until I stepped on the head of a dead mouse and crushed it between my toes. Now the cost of electricity is not as important to me when I am on bottle duty in the middle of the night.
9. Having a really good long distance phone plan - especially if your parents live overseas and your friends live in another country. There are some crappy deals out there that can cost you a LOT of money.
10. Growing your own vegetables. This would save money. If we could ever grow anything taller than 2cm AND plant it in the ground. We have goals.

Stealing from "My Two Cents"

I steal these memes weekly from here.
Here you go!

1. When was the last time you cried? When my mom left.
2. Were you named after anyone? Yes.
3. Why are you so fickle when it comes to women? I didn't know I was.
4. What is your favorite lunchmeat? Ham
5. Do you have kids? I have two kids, two dogs and five cats.
6. If you were another person would you be friends with you? Sure, why not.
7. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Is there another way to communicate?
8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.
9. Would you bungee jump? I have and I would do it again.
10. What is your favorite cereal? ProNutro from South Africa
11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No.
12. Do you think you are strong enough to be with me? I don't know who this question is referring to - but I am pretty strong.
13. What is your favorite ice cream? Vanilla, because I can't get coconut pineapple icecream from Lucki's in California.
14. What is the first thing you notice about people?I don't usually notice people. (i'm not kidding)
15. Red or pink?vRed
16. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? My wonky toe.
17. Who do you mess with the most? Anyone who leaves themself open to it.
18. What was the last thing you ate? Cream of Broccoli Soup.
19. What are you listening to right now? The phone ring in my bosses office.
20. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? The Accounts Manager.
21. Why aren’t you married?I am married actually.
22. Last movie you watched? Maid of Honor.
23. What did you dream about last night? I don't remember - which is unusual for me.
24. What book are you reading? I just finished the Story Of Edgar Sawtelle and I was disappointed in the way it ended.
25. Summer or winter? Anything but winter.
26. Hugs or kisses? Kisses
27. Do you have any special talents? If I thought about it long and hard I may come up with something.
28. What are they? I'll have to get back to you.
29. What did you watch on TV last? Brothers and Sisters, Amazing Race, and Desperate Housewives.
30. What is your favorite sound? Absolute silence in my house in the middle of the night because it means everyone is asleep and I can fall back to sleep immediately.
31. Rolling Stones or The Beatles? The Beatles.
32. Most likely to respond to this meme? I don't know.
33. Least likely to respond? My spousal unit who hates memes.

Bullet Sunday #3

• BIRTHDAY PARTY. Today we celebrated my son's 2nd birthday. He actually turned two a few months ago but with school and then illnesses and everything else that has piled up on us we have not had a party for him. We rented the pool and invited some friends. Not everyone we invited was able to make it but we had a small group of good friends stop in and we had a good day. I don't think Max knew that the day was all about him, but I think he had a good time as well. He makes me laugh because I know he is not genetically "our's" but he has spent all of his life with us and he approaches the world in ways he has seen us do. Getting into the hot tub today was like watching a mirror of my spousal unit. He is not a dare devil at ALL - in spite of me trying to model that for him!

• COMPARISON PARENTING. I don't know if it is because of the holidays or what it is but I am feeling nostalgic and missing my mom. It's hard for me now that I am a mother because I find myself more and more comparing everything I do to my own mom. I seem to fall short over and over when I hold myself to the standard she set. Today we had a good time. I managed to plan far enough ahead to get food, table cloths, drinks, bowls, plates, etc... I even managed to get them to follow a theme. Still I think if my mom had been here it would have been 10 times better and seemed 10 times easier. I wish she was here to share in the lives of her grandchildren. I think about her in everything I do. Max and I were in the walk on water ball and I thought " If my mom was here she would do this". Then I was swinging on the rope swing and I thought " If my mom was here she would do this". I'm glad we did those things so Max will carry the memories of us doing them with him, but I have a lot of improving to do if I am to be in any way the kind of mother to him that my mom was to me.

Friday Fill In

1. My stomach is too big.
2.Candy Suckers is what I ate the most of on Thursday.
3. The yard is under a layer of snow.
4. In bed is where I'd rather be at any given time.
5. The smell of smoke reminds me of something burning.
6. For all my homework to be done is what I need right now!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to festival of the trees, tomorrow my plans include going to the dump and Sunday, I want to enjoy the party for my boy!

Martha Stewart I am not

We have been blessed this week to have our niece come and stay with us to help us out with two little ones since my Spousal Unit has been so sick.
She is a great sport for leaving home right before her birthday and American Thanksgiving - time off school for her - to stay with us and help out. My SU is already feeling better.

Yesterday was her birthday and I decided I would make her a cake. I couldn't do it the easy way and go the grocery store to get a mix. Oh no, I had to be domestic about it.

Before I tell you the sad sad tale of my experience, I need to say that my mother, aunts and grandmother have all been professional cake decorators. When we still lived at home, my mom each week would go downtown and take cake orders from people in businesses and then make HUNDREDS of cakes for delivery on Friday. She also did wedding cakes and birthday cakes and even when we moved to Canada she supplemented our family income by working for bakeries making and decorating cakes. So... you would think I had inherited some of her skill. Not so.

I have a recipe I love , which I need to say I HAVE made before - so I wasn't going into this COMPLETELY blind.

After work I went home and after supper, laundry, dishes, putting kids to bed and getting all the ingredients out, I realized our mixer died a tragic death at the hands of my two year old a month or so ago and has not been replaced. At any other time this would have been a sign to me to STOP, I mean - drive into town and get a cake at the store, but I was bound and determined to make something for my niece so I called a neighbor and arranged to go and pick up a mixer.

Half an hour later the mixer was procured I started on the cake. I have a recipe book of all my mom's recipes which she wrote by hand. Somehow the book got in some water on the counter and the recipe on the back of the page I was using got wet and all the ink ran.

This should have been my second hint to stop. I apparently don't take hints well.

So I start. Sugar, Marg and Egg yolks blended. Getting the egg yolks into the bowl I threw away the whites. Apparently I didn't read LINE ONE of the recipe which says "beat egg whites".
When I got to the part that said "BLEND IN EGG WHITES", I thought, Oh crap, I need three more eggs.

I get three more eggs and put the whites right into the mix. This does not look right so I read the recipe again. Oh. BEAT EGG WHITES. LINE ONE. Yeah, I can read. This now feels like mistake number 25 and into the garbage goes the flopped and I start over. Only this time I think we have no flour. SU insists we have flour, all I have to do is find it. Finding anything in our kitchen is no easy task, but 25 minutes later I surface with flour.

I actually got it right the this time (and nine eggs later) and the cake (in my opinion) turned out very well and we even ate it before the day rolled over and it was no longer her birthday. OK, it was ALMOST not her birthday anymore by the time it got out of the oven, but we scraped it by in the nick of time.

I am under no illusion that this was by far not the birthday she had hoped and dreamed for it to be - at home, with friends and immediate family around, but I hope she knows we care enough to bake the very best! While I am not disappointed I am nothing like Martha Stewart, I wish I were more like my mom who could have whipped that cake out without even looking at the recipe and certainly it would have tasted better.

Meme

I took this from here.

This is a list of 100 things to check off if you have completed. The one's I have done are in bold and italics. Let's see how it goes...

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity. ( we give to charity but I try not to give more than I can afford to ANYTHING - let's not start a conversation here about my mortgage and car payment...)
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (I taught myself to cross stitch which I think is an art)
15. Adopted a child (we are in the process of this so do I get 1/2 a point?)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (I saw the mona lisa but it was in washington Dc and it was smaller in life than I thought - and darker, so I am giving myself another 1/2 point)
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked (and I even picked up a hitchhiker last week!)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon . I can GUARANTEE I will never run a marathon. Wouldn't be prudent.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run. Since I don't play ball and I never will I am going to assume this means "hit a home run" sexually. Which YES, I have done.
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (some of them, not all of them)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted. (I don't know about my portrait - but I have had my caricature done!)
48. Gone deep sea fishing. Not guna do this either. (I DO know how to spell "gonna" - thanks!)
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre
55. Been in a movie (I have been in a movie theater!)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (I've bought them. Never was a girl scout though)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma. ( I am counting this one because I TRIED to give blood. Just cause I about passed out and had to get them to take the needle out.... it's the thought that counts right?)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar. (I will never eat caviar. I have eaten snail though. Can't say that's on my list to do again soon.)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (quit a few)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (and someone else's.)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. (I killed a pig and got it ready for eating, but I don't think I ate any - I would have had the opportunity presented itself.)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club (I have read some of Oprah's book club books, does that count?)
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby. (I will never do this because I am a lesbo. I would have if I could have, and I will adopt, so HA!)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake. (I have visited the GSL many times, more than I can count. Not only did I not swim in it. I will NEVER swim in it and I don't recommend anyone else does either. Have fun walking through those brine flies!)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Looks Like I have completed 50 of them - and there are 5 that I will never do - so 55 out of a hundred isn't bad!

ten on tuesday: ten things I want for Christmas

I did this last night and then my computer had a "fatal error" and it didn't post, so I am trying again today.

This week the topic for ten on tuesday is "Ten things I want for Christmas".

To be honest, this year I have not even compiled a list. I know that's crazy, because I LOVE Christmas, I LOVE lists, and I LOVE presents! So now I am going to have to go on a search to check out what's out there for presents.

1. EXTREME BOP IT.

We used to have one of these and we LOVED it. We gave it away - I don't regret the decision to give it away, I just would like to have another one for us! Of course now you can't find them anywhere in stores. Why do they make great toys almost impossible to find?

2. PESSIMIST MUG from Despair.com

Last year I recieved a calendar from despair.com and I love it. I don't really need another mug. Heaven knows I hate washing mugs, but I love this.

3. I would love to buy my spouse an SLR camera. She takes great pictures. If she had a better camera ...WATCH OUT!

4. LIVERPOOL BALL CAP.

I'm a little short on ball caps. One can never have too much Liverpool gear.

5. JAMES CHRISTENSEN PRINT.

My Spouse and I came across a magnificent original work by James Christensen one year when we were shopping in Salt Lake. We have never seen a copy of this work, but we fell in love with the art of James Christensen that day and it would be awesome to hang one of his works of art in our home.

6. CROSS STITCH.

I don't think I need more, but I sure love it. Ohhhh. THREAD!

7. PRUNING SHEARS.

What would ANY gift exchange be without pruning equipment?

8. FISHER PRICE CAMERA
My son copies everything we do and he has recently become fascinated with cameras. REAL ones of course. We have an old broken on he found and yesterday he was walking around pointing and shooting. It's important for us to SMILE. I would love to give him a camera and record his view of the world.

9. SNOWSHOES.

We have been saying for years that we would love snowshoes. I know for certain that my spousal unit WOULD use them. Me on the other hand. Well. I HAVE spent more time outside this year in general, so who knows?!

10. GREAT DANE.

We need another pet like I need a hole in the head. Then again, an additional hole in my head right now may make it easier for me to breathe right now. Who can resist a great dane puppy?

Stealing from "My 2 cents"

I am stealing from here. I am a fan of his site. A silent, lurking, copying type fan.

1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing?
Yes I most certainly do.
2. Favorite late night snack?
Salty snacks. Figure it out.
3. Do you own a gun?
I have two guns. My left arm and my right.
4. What’s your favorite drink at Starbucks or other specialty coffee shop?
Anything creamy, even though I don't think I have ever been to Starbucks in my life.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
I only get nervous in stirrups - right when he says "This will be a little cold".
6. What do you think of hot dogs?
I love them, especially cooked on a stick over a fire.
7. Favorite Christmas song?
I would have to say.... I like a LOT of Christmas music, so . . . . Little Drummer Boy.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
I prefer orange juice in the morning, if I drink anything.
9. Can you do push-ups?
I can do push up bras, but I prefer them on others.
10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry?
It was my wedding ring until I lost it.
11. Favorite hobby?
Watching tv or reading other peoples blogs.
12. Do you have A.D.D.?
No, I lost it.
13. What’s one trait that you hate about yourself?
Nothing I would share here.
14. The last disease you contracted?
A computer virus.
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.
I would so shimmy with any of the 3 women who just danced on DWTS. I need to do the dishes. I have to go to bed.
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?
Dr. Pepper. Coke. Iced Tea
17. Current worry right now?
Are the cops looking for the hitchhiker I picked up Friday?
18. Current hate right now?
Not being able to sleep though the night.
19. Favorite place to be?
Asleep and dreaming.
20. How did you ring in the New Year?
At home. Not In the cold, not in a crowd. Just how I like it.
21. Like to travel?
I like to travel and then come home.
23. Do you own slippers?
WTF happened to #22? (that's a direct quote from My 2 cents and worth repeating). I used to own slippers and my cats dragged them around until they were no longer fit for human use.
24. What color shirt are you wearing?
Skin tone. LOL. Actually it is blue with baby puke on the shoulder.
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
I like to sleep PERIOD. Have we not determined this already?
26. Can you whistle?
Nope.
27. Favorite singer/band?
I like LOTS of singers and bands. Recently I like thriving Ivory, but I ALWAYS like P!NK.
28. Could you ever make it 39 days on the show Survivor?
I could. And I would like to go on a survivor diet. it is a better option than a meth diet - which I have also considered.
29. What songs do you sing in the shower?
Whatever I am thinking of when I wake up.
30. Favorite girl’s names? Mine
31. Favorite boy’s name? Simon
32. What’s in your pocket right now?
I emptied my pockets to wash my pants tonight.
33. Last thing that made you laugh?
Watching the gay boys on DWTS.
34. Like your job?
Mostly.
36. Do you love where you live?
WTF happened to #35? (again - a direct quote) I will love it more when we have fixed it up. But I am happy it is warm and only slightly drafty.
37. How many TVs do you have in your house?
Three, but only two plugged in.
38. Who is your loudest friend?
I think I am the loudest among my friends. Sometimes I hear my voice echo. For real. And it has scared me.
39. Do you drive the speed limit or speed?
I drive the speed limit because my vehicle wont go faster than that.
40. Does someone have a crush on you?
I would love it if Cally had a crush on me. Or p!nk.
41. What is your favorite book?
Right now my favorite book is the story of Edgar Sawtelle because it is the one I am reading.
42. What is your favorite candy?
Peanut M and M's, or black licorice.
43. Favorite Sports Team?
LIVERPOOL!
44. What were you doing 12 AM last night?
Sleeping more deeply than I have slept in months.

Bullet Sunday 2

This is my second installment of Bullet Sunday. I took the idea from Dave.

• POLITICS. For the most part I don;t think people change much in their political beliefs once they reach adulthood. I have had conversations and debates and even arguments about politics with people whom I respect but whom have absolutely nothing in common with me politically. I think when I am through with these conversations, that it is very unlikely that they will say anything to sway my opinion and so I have little hope that I will sway theirs. Having said that, my own opinion on the death penalty has changed almost 180 degrees since meeting my spouse 12 years ago. My spouse and I have had some pretty heated debates about the death penalty. I was a firm supporter of it and she is not. While I still believe in it - and I still believe some people just should be put to death rather than spend my tax dollars supporting them for the rest of their lives, I think there are WAYYYYYYYYYY too many people on death row who should not be. While I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, here is some info on someone (Damien Echols) who I think should NOT be on death row. Link here.
• TEETH. Let us not underestimate the value of good teeth. I do not have them. I inherited bad teeth from a long line of people with bad teeth. While I am proud of my heritage, I would trade my teeth in half an instant. As much as I hate my teeth, I hate dentists more. My dentist in particular is very good at what he does, but when you are captive in the chair you are subjected to preaching hour - or more if you have crappy teeth and get stuck in the chair longer. I tend to make dentist appointments and then cancel them with regularity. I usually follow this pattern until I am caught in a situation like the one I find myself in today. The tooth I went to (and got a root canal on) has now disintegrated around the temporary filling that was put in. I was supposed to go back and get the temporary filling replaced. They said it wouldn't last long. It has lasted longer that the piece of crap tooth that had fallen apart around it and is now cutting into my gums and lip. Damn teeth. Damn dentist.
• P!NK. She is DAMN fine. Heaven only knows I am not the person one would go to for advice on clothing choice, unless you wanted to know what t-shirt slogan I liked the best. Sometimes I even manage to get a shirt and socks the same color (if they are both white). But really. P!NK in all her hotness was in sad sad shape tonight. The dress and the hair? What in lands name was that about? She's so hot I will forgive her. Queen Latifah on the other hand, I do not forgive. Not hot enough to excuse that horrible outfit.

November 19th

Today was one of those days that looks like it will just be another one to blend into the daily drag, but it turned out to be a great one!

I should have taken a hint this morning when I headed out early to work and the sun was just coming up and the sky was beautiful. I came back inside to tell SU to look at it, but I didn't think it was the mark of a great day since the only reason i saw it was because I was going to work early!

Then, I came home from work early because my spousal unit is STILL sick after almost two weeks of being quite ill. She was puking again today and she has no voice at all. She called to ask me to come home and I could barely decipher what she was saying. Having no voice seems to be more of a detriment to parenting than puking because without a voice we have a two year old who thinks he rules the world and a four month old who cries every time the spousal unit squeaks at him!

I came home from work and the baby was sleeping. This gave me some excellent playing time with Maximus. He was having a decent day and we laughed and played and giggled until it was time for me to take the baby to the doc for a follow up visit. I took the baby into town and Max went down for a nap. At one point he was sitting on me and squishing my head. I said "Bud, You are squishing my head and my nose". My SU said " Maxie, you need to get off mom's head and nose. She needs them for work." For some reason it struck my funny bone and I couldn't stop laughing. I need them for work! Of course when we laugh, Max laughs right along.

The baby slept all the way into town and all the way home...not at ALL like another little boy I know.

When I got home, Max was waking up from his nap. I went to pick him up and I could tell he hadn't slept long enough and was too grumpy. We came downstairs and I climbed into bed with him next to me and turned on " In The Night Garden". It is the only show that he is remotely interested in and sometimes stays still for. he lay next to me, snuggled into me, playing with my fingers and we watched the whole show together. That's 30 minutes. 30 minutes is the longest he has EVER laid still next to me, in fact we have never once done this before because he is always moving around so much. Earlier this afternoon I was discussing with a friend how he and the baby are SO different because he has never "chilled" one moment in his whole life, and the baby is just mellow and happy. Then, only a few hours later, the dude is laying with me, snuggling. It was a wonderful moment. Sometimes his gentle nature just comes shining through.

When the SU got back from running the dogs, she made dinner with Max in the kitchen while I held the baby. I fed him a bottle and he fell asleep on my chest. I sat in the chair, just holding him while he slept and it was fantastic.

This day seemed to be so "ordinary", in fact, parts of it were less than thrilling, but then all these little things happened along the way to make it one of the best days I have had in ages.

Max and I ate supper together, we bathed and got Max to bed, then I came and turned on the computer so I could check facebook and blog real fast. When the computer came on there was a reminder that today is our wedding anniversary. I asked my SU if she knew what day it was and she hadn't remembered either - which was totally funny. Then once we knew it was the DAY of our marriage it took another fifteen minute conversation to figure out how many years ago we were married! ( It is five) It's a pretty decent story, which I will blog about tomorrow, but I thought how crazy that I would have such a good day and it turn out to be my wedding anniversary.

Now I have blogged, Some stuff is worked out for work tomorrow, A visit we didn't want to happen has been cancelled and WE didn't do it!, I have taken the dogs out, It is my night to sleep and I hung out with the baby and laughed with him. I am going to bed FAST while this day is still so good.

you should study

Your Learning Style: Innovative and Independent

You are determined and driven. Confident in your abilities, no field is too difficult for you. You Should Study: Astronomy Biology Chemistry Design Engineering Philosophy Physics Political Science

What Should You Study?

Ten on Tuesday: ten things I am thankful for

You can link to see more participants here:


1. I am thankful for my family, my spouse and my two boys.
2. I am thankful for a warm house, especially now that the snow is flying.
3. I am thankful that my mom and my sister got to visit us at our house this year.
4. I am thankful we have a reliable vehicle so we will make it through the winter without major vehicle repairs.
5. I am thankful for a job in this time of economic unrest.
6. I am thankful for our PVR.
7. I am thankful for msn messenger which keeps me in close contact with my parents who live on another continent.
8. I am thankful that the MD will remove snow from our driveway so we am not homebound trying to dig ourselves out of our mile long driveway in the woods from now until April when the snow melts.
9. I am grateful we live in a country where we can be legally married.
10. I am grateful for laughter.

stealing from my 2 cents

Some people steal memes from random blogs, or if someone tags them. I steal memes also, but I seem to steal them all from the same place. So I am starting a new category... "stealing from my 2 cents". You can link to him here. It's worth it.

Sometimes I just need: to sleep all night through, then sleep all day, then sleep some more. Sometimes I want: food that cannot be purchased in my town.
Sometimes I like to: swear LOTS, because I can.
Sometimes all it takes: is more money.
Sometimes I picture: my home renovations complete.
Sometimes I wish: my homework was already done.
Sometimes I find: change in my pockets and it makes me happy
Sometimes I take: a powder for my head.
Sometimes I look: in the mirror and wonder who the hell is looking back at me.
Sometimes I hate: that every time we eat we have to wash dishes.
Sometimes it’s nice: to go on a vacation.
Sometimes it hurts: to stub my toe that sticks out like it is not attached to my body.
Sometimes it makes me happy: to see my son smile.
Sometimes it’s sad: when favorite television shows end and never return.
Sometimes I listen: to music while I drive.
Sometimes I sleep: but not very often lately.
Sometimes I like to watch: people.
Sometimes I feel: like I don't want period cramps EVER again.
Sometimes I rant: very loudly and then when my voice echoes it scares me.
Sometimes I never: want to work another day in my life.
Sometimes I really: wish.

What Goddess are you?

If you are interested in finding out what Goddess YOU are. Check it out here.

YOU ARE ATHENA

Animal: Owl
Color: Blue

Athena is one of the most powerful goddesses in Greek mythology. She was born from the head of Zeus. Zeus - father of all gods, and Metis - the titan of wisdom, had conceived a child. Zeus was worried about this child becoming more powerful than he was. He had the pregnant Metis turned into a fly and ate her. However, he later developed an incredibly powerful headache. He asked another god to bash him in the head to cure it, and out popped Athena, fully armored.
Athena is one of the most courageous of the Greek Goddesses. The city of Athens was named after her - a place of civilization, beauty, strength. Athena was the protectoress of the weak, the patron of warriors, the one who looked after women and children. She always liked to reason her way through an argument, but if she had to defend herself with weapons, she was extremely skilled. She was both independent and nurturing.
Athena is very good at crafts, and is most fond of pottery, spinning and weaving. She is the goddess of wisdom, and is usually represented by the wise owl.

Bullet Sunday 1

I am not a great web surfer, although I do spend a considerable amount of time doing it I tend to go to the same sites over and over and over again and I rarely see anything new or exciting.

Yesterday (while I was in class no less) I was surfing the we while participating in/listening to a conversation on white power and multiculturalism and I came across Dave at blogography.com. (If you are interested you can link to him here)

Because I was so very interested and engaged in the conversation in class, I read back over a lot of his posts and thoroughly enjoyed his writing.

In the highest form of flattery, I am going to copy his idea of Bullet Sunday. Here is my first installment.

• FOOD ALLERGIES. Right now everyone (but me) in the house is pretty sick, and I am just in denial about my illness. Usually when someone in the house gets sick we go through the regime of soup, ginger ale, crackers, etc. which carries us through to better days. Now we had to go and have a son with extreme allergies. Wheat allergy - translates to no crackers and no noodles in chicken noodle soup. Milk Allergy - no crackers, no noodles, then add no cream soups. And the list goes on. This kid is hard enough to feed on a "normal day". Sick days are straight from where Satan dwells.
• PARENTING ADVICE. In the waiting room, of the hospital on Friday I was looking at a parenting magazine. In completely unscientific reporting style I cannot recall the name of the mag, but there was a subtitle on the cover about sleep deprivation which caught my eye so I picked it up to see if they had any nifty suggestions I hadn't thought of yet. One of the suggestions in the article was to walk up and down the stairs with the baby in the middle of the night because the motion might settle the baby. While I will be the first to admit I am NOT an expert on babies OR on sleep deprivation, I have experienced both and I do NOT recommend walking up and down stairs in the middle of the night carrying baby. DON'T DO IT. I think someone who made the suggestion was deprived of something more than sleep.
• ROOIBOS TEA. When I was growing up and living in Zimbabwe, my grandmother at tea time would make me rooibos tea and toast with vegemite or marmite. I grew up loving both and they are a comfort to me when I am ill. Living in Canada and the USA I would have to rely on visitors from Africa to bring Rooibos tea when they came. Visits were not frequent and I often ran out of tea before I could get more. In college I found an online import store where I could order Rooibos and I was over the moon. If anyone has been watching television lately, Rooibos tea is all of a sudden the BEST thing since sliced bread. Apparently it has all kinds of antioxidants and other things people find desirable in tea. Now you can find the stuff EVERYWHERE. It was even one of Oprah's favorite things in an edition of her monthly magazine. While I am very glad I can walk into any store and find some. I feel in a way as though something special has been robbed from me.

Thursday Thirteen: things I never expected in my life

Here are 13 things I didn't expect from my life:

#1. I never expected I would be the jungle gym and car track and general playtoy for a 2 year old.
#2. I never expected to live in a small town.
#3. I never expected to be working on a Masters degree in Education.
#4. I never expected to live so far away from my parents.
#5. I never expected to have a 30 year mortgage. (LOL)
#6. I never expected to live to my 30's.
#7. I never expected to own a minivan and like it!
#8. I never expected that I would be living as a married lesbian woman with children.
#9. I never expected the USA to have a black president, but I am grateful it happened in my lifetime.
#10. I never expected that I would not have returned to Africa.
#11. I never expected that I would have been able to love so many children who are not my own.
#12. I never expected to know so much about babies with drug addictions.
#13. I never expected anyone would use the word "calm" to describe me.

mornings

I am not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. My mother is very good at early mornings, actually I think probably everyone in the world is better at them than I am.
My mom can get more things done before I am even awake than I can dream of, and I can sleep through it all.
I don't like to get up. I don't like to eat breakfast. I don't like to go to bed early.
I have had - for the most part- a lifetime of jobs that do not require me to work in the morning. The ONE thing I like about coming to work early is leaving work early so I can go home and have an afternoon nap!
Last night I had to work and when I got home from work my whole entire family was sick. This time around I will NOT get ill, that is my mantra. I had to come to work today for a few hours to get some things done before I could go home and care for my family with a clear conscience. When my opening staff called last night to say she was not able to come in I thought it was perfect for me to be in at 6:30 am, get my stuff done and get out of here early.
Remind me never to do that again.
Did I mention I HATE mornings? It will take me a while to recover from the 5:30 am awake-up.
The time is almost 7:30 and I have a "behind the eye" headache already started. These bad boys bust into migraines if I am not careful. I know I won't be going home and crawling into bed because the whole damn family is sick. Last night my spousal unit was puking. My boy can hardly breathe around his soother. I'm going home to look after sickies. I hope they all want to sleep for a LONG time.

unconscious mutterings

Coverage :: insurance

Cynical :: me
Gust :: of wind
Improvised :: presentation
V :: victorious
Guests :: extended stay
Brutal :: slaying
Grant :: McEwan
Pull :: apart cheese
Streaming :: video

Friday Fill In

1. My blueprint for success includes taking chances.

2. Black licorice was the last candy I ate.

3. The best facial moisturizer I've ever used is um..water? I don't use facial moisturizer.

4. Cross stitch can be good therapy.

5. I'd like to tell you about my family.

6. My sense of humor is my strongest characteristic.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going to bed early, tomorrow my plans include playing with the boys and Sunday, I want to nap, but I have to do homework and work!

Reasons why I am angry

There was a post on a GLBT website entitled "Today is the day but I am angry instead". (If you want to read it you can check it out here.) Certainly the writer is entitled to their opinion, but I disagree on one of the things that has been getting a lot of press.
Rosie O'Donnell and her spouse did not put any money towards fighting propositions in the elections that were anti-gay.
First of all, I don't know if anyone can definitively say that they DIDN'T put money to the causes, because they may have done without broadcasting it. However, even if they didn't put any money towards them I disagree that they should be lambasted for their decision.
As I see it, propositions that are anti-gay first of all are heavily supported and funded by religious organizations (like the Mormon church) and these organizations pour MILLIONS upon millions of dollars into getting these propositions passed. A monetary donation by a famous lesbian could not even come close to competing with the amount of money spent by religious organizations.
Rosie O'Donnell is a lightening rod. The people who love her, love her and the people who hate her, hate her. By putting money towards an ad she is really preaching to a choir who already know what tune she sings. I doubt she could garner support from anyone who is undecided.
I think that focusing on her and how she spends her money takes the focus AWAY from what I consider to be a more important issue and that is how a tax-exempt church is permitted to put money into political campaigns.
Churches are tax exempt because they are viewed as providing a benefit to society which the government is unable or unwilling to provide. However, there has been some incidences in the past which illustrate that the government has an opinion on what tax exempt religious organizations can spend money on.
The website http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/court/bobj_v_us.html gives some additional insight into a case in 1970 where a tax exempt school used money to promote discrimination.
Bob Jones University was a Christian university that believed interracial dating and marriage was contrary to the its faith. In 1970, the Internal Revenue Service prohibited granting tax-exempt status to private schools that practiced racial discrimination. The school school sued when the IRS revoked their tax-exempt status. The supreme court upheld the IRS decision in an 8-1 vote saying that the government has an "overriding, fundamental interest in eradicating discrimination". This case clearly demonstrated that the government's interests can outweigh individual religious beliefs. Religious belief can not be used as an excuse for engaging in behavior that violates socially important beliefs.
Let's stop excoriating people in the gay community and put the focus on religious organizations who use tax free money to buy political decisions.

"HI"

My boy has two words. One of them is "HI". He usually greets the pets with more enthusiasm than he greets humans. Today he came into the kitchen with me and got down on his hands and knees and spoke to what appeared to me to be the bottom of the dishwasher. "Hi!" he said with all the enthusiasm he could muster. I glanced down and didn't see anything and thought to myself the kid was going bonkers. A few minutes later I was back in the kitchen, this time alone, and who should come out to visit me from under the counter but a little mouse!
My boy may not be able to speak, but he's no dummy.

Thursday thirteen: numbers

Here is my contribution to Thursday Thirteen this week. I know I haven't been doing many TT posts lately, but I hope to be back on track now.

#1. One is the number I would like to see my team (Liverpool FC) finish in this season!

#2. Two is the number of dogs I have currently - Zuva and Tora (you can kinda see them in this picture).

#3. Three is the number of staff I have working at pub night tonight, though "working" doesn't really define what they are doing.

#4. Four is the number of kids we had at the house today under the age of 2. What a crazy day for me and a crazier one for my spouse after I left for work.

#5. Five is the number of assignments I have to complete for my current class. Five is the number of assignments I haven't started yet, but when I do I will "SLAVE" over them!

#6. Six is the number of keys I have on my residence keychain. I actually have three different keychains so if I happen to lose one of them I won't lose the keys to my entire life - just 1/3 of it!

#7. Seven is the number of months remaining until I work for another college and go through yet ANOTHER transition.

#8. Eight is the number of items on my list of things to do that I completed yesterday at work.

#9. Nine is the number of letters in my middle name.

#10. Ten is the number of songs I added to my blog tonight.

#11. Eleven is the number of anniversaries my spouse and I have celebrated together.

#12. Twelve is the number of plants I have in my office - actually I currently have 10, because K-Lo is babysitting two of them in her office where they have access to a window. They were suffering light deprivation. I think we are going to have to do a plant rotation. I don't think K-Lo is too thrilled.

#13. Thirteen is the number of things waiting in my email "to follow up on" folder.

Election results

Last night my spouse and I watched the results come in from the US election and shared a moment with the world of history in the making.
We are thrilled Obama won and can't wait to see what the next years will bring.
If you are interested check out this website on how the world would have voted.
Unfortunately, we think that Proposition 8 passed, I guess you can't win them all. A few steps forward and a giant step back.

what my spouse thinks I like to talk about

Yesterday for ten on tuesday the topic was "ten things I like to talk about."
When I got home from posting I was talking to my spousal unit about it and asked her to guess what I wrote. This is the list my spouse gave me of things she thinks I like to talk about:

1. sex
2. poop
3. angelina jolie
4. The idiots I work with (lollapalooza, voldemort, psycho, vomit ....)
5. What I would do if I won the lottery
6. Lazy people in my cohort
7. books I want to read/have read
8. family gossip
9. the boys
10. the pets.

I actually don't think I like to talk about poop - well, maybe I do cause it makes me laugh.

ten on tuesday: ten things I like to talk about

This week's topic on ten on tuesday is "ten things I like to talk about"
Here are my ten in no particular order....

1. I like to talk about P!nk, and Angelina, and Neve, and ... well o.k Hot Women,

2. I like to talk about Premier League, specifically Liverpool.

3. I like to talk about my boys.

4. I like to talk about Grey's Anatomy. How did that picture of Callie get on here?

5. I like to talk about my pets, especially my beloved Mukiwa.

6. I like to talk about my friends. My friends are funny.

7. I like to talk about music. Hey! It's Rob Thomas!
8. I like to talk about lesbian and gay issues.
9. I like to talk about David Beck.... I mean, I like to talk about Tattoos.
10. I like to talk about the stupid grades my professors give me after I SLAVE over assignments.

Election day

I don't think I have ever been this excited for an election in my lifetime.
We are on the verge of seeing the first African American voted into office in the USA and I can't be more thrilled. (I am almost as excited to vote for a new major in my town - LOL).
Today is my in-laws anniversary. They are dyed in the wool republicans through and through and they will vote that way until they can't vote anymore - which will be when they are dead. I wouldn't put it past my MIL to come back and haunt someone after she has passed just to get them to vote republican in her memory. I can see haunted polling booths in the future where all the votes for democrats in the computers get "miraculously" erased.
Since it is her anniversary AND voting day, I had to call her this morning to wish her a happy day on the morn of historic events in her countries history. I am sure she was thrilled to hear from me. She is a great sport and had a good laugh, even though I am certain she is sick to her stomach at the thought of a democrat in office.
I am counting the minutes to the closing of the polls and I can guarantee that we will be tuned to CNN and Fox news tonight.
(My MIL calls CNN the "communist news network" and ONLY watches Fox news. My spouse watches Fox news to see how they "spin" things, but then she also listened to Dr. Laura....)
This is exciting.
(after I wrote that this is exciting I remember thinking in days of yore that only OLD people got excited about elections. I know I am old now because my spouse pointed out to me last night I was getting not a grey hair, but a grey STREAK. AI AI AI !)

It's FATE

Angelina's daughter and my son had the SAME halloween costume. It's true. It was meant to be. Me and Angie, we are one in thought. I knew it all along.
Now if she'd just come over to chat about it.

nablopomo

Well today is the first day of national blog posting month. I love blogging and hopefully with the help of my spouse I will be able to come up with enough to say to write every day this month.
Right now I am sitting in my office at work (because my home computer doesn't work). My son and I came in to pay some bills and get some groceries he is "talking" on the phone while I am working on the computer.
Last night we went trick or treating and dressed both our boys up. We only went to five houses (only four of them were occupied) but Max had a blast. You wouldn't be able to tell if you had been IN one of the houses we visited, because he clung to his mothers legs like his life depended on it. Then all day today he pointed at his pumpkin candy holder and said "fun...fun". He wanted to go out on the porch with his bucket and knock, then have me open the door and give him treats. Not a bad game - for him!
OK. So a boring post for day one, but I made it!
Post again tomorrow.