Mind boggling

It was depressing to see the news today. I watched a broadcast that was telling more about the tsunami and showing more amateur video. The show I watched said the death toll was up to over 80,000 and would probably double that with the ensuing disease from poor sanitation problems. I can't wrap my mind around that.

Seeing all the news about how the earthquake affected the earth was also hard to imagine. The earth's axis changed? Islands and continents moved several meters? The days are seconds shorter? The ocean floorbed was revealed during the tsunami?

I also saw where Clinton spoke about the disaster and then was slammed for doing it before Bush??? Then Bush finally gives a speech after outcries of him not doing it sooner. One viewer to a news show sent in an email that said if Bush really wanted to do something to help, he should send over the $40 million plus it will cost for his innaugeration. Hmm, somehow I don't see that happening.

This message popped up while I was looking around on the internet today and I accidentally hit yes, what do you think it means???

Vague instructions..

This time I fought the ceiling fan, but won! The design on this ceiling fan was different than I had ever seen so it took some figuring out, plus the instructions were vague. I kept thinking I was missing pieces to put it together but they were on the fan already, not in the box like I was thinking.

So after about an hour and a half of installation/arguement we stood back with the ever present left over pieces/parts and took stock-no wobbles, it didn't come crashing down, and it worked! Here is a picture I found of it-



Other than searching for moving boxes I didn't do much else today besides balance my checkbook (which was depressing). Tomorrow I plan on making some major headway.

The deck is stacked!!

The gods have sneezed?

A robot that eats to refuel.

Dachsunds running everywhere...

I stayed around the house today doing some work. Then I got a burst of energy and lugged out the vacuum, dusted, straightened up and did 5 loads of laundry. I felt bad for not using that energy to work on the house, but I was starting to think I could grow potatos on my end table! It wasn't THAT bad, but it was getting there.

Whenever I bring out the broom or the vacuum my 2 dachsunds go nuts. For some reason they think those two items are horrid. They bark and run all over the house and then end up hiding under the bed or behind the couch until I am done.

Hopefully I'll get another burst of energy tomorrow for the house. I got a really snazzy ceiling fan for the office I want to install, and a new medicine cabinet and light bar for the bath that need putting up.

For some reason we decided to open the gifts up over at the house. Rick snuck over there and put up the tree. The house is bare with drop clothes everywhere and smells of paint, but it was still nice to have the "first" Christmas there.

What a way to wake up!

Watch out for the man in the hat.

Illegal in pink.

Watch that gravy!

I fought the computer and the computer won!

I had put off a bunch of work this week in preparation for Christmas and today I paid for it. The program I needed to do my work with decided to rebel against me. It took 3 hours but I finally found a way to work it, but the solution erased all my settings.

All in all it was a good trade just so I could get started on my work. I tried to start working at about 3PM (by 4PM I was ready to pull my hair out and throw the computer out of the window) and had all that trouble and finally finished at 11PM.

We also put off working on the house. I hope to get back in the swing of that by tomorrow, or Tuesday at the latest. I just lost some steam this last week.

Christmas was a good day. We ate our tacos, played some board games and had a wee bit much to drink. The hangover I had this afternoon didn't help my computer problems much either! My head felt about 4 feet wide and full of cotton. I finally started feeling better after I had dinner.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas :)

Happy Holidays

It is still cold with snow on the ground, but not as bad as yesterday-our local paper said there were over 200 reported wrecks. I had to get out in it today to drop some gifts off and buy some wrapping paper.

One of the gifts I dropped off was to my ex. For some reason we are still exchanging gifts. I buy him something for around $10-$15 and he tries to over do it and buys an extravagant gift to show how much better he is doing. This isn't just how I feel, people have told me they have heard him say this.

This year he out did himself even before the gift was dropped off. I called him to let him know I was dropping his gift off at his house on the porch and we exchanged the usual formalities. As I was hanging up he said "Did you hear I bought my nephew a new Range Rover?" I knew his nephew, who I am close to still, was car shopping but he was looking at Chevrolets. Then Paul went on saying that since he didn't have anyone to spend that kind of money on anymore, he bought him one just like the one I got in 2001.

After I hung up, I got a laugh about it. I figured that his dig at me will be a better holiday gift for him than the $15 gift I dropped on his porch.

I finally got all the gifts wrapped, the 2 cheesecake pies and the salsa made. All that is left is the stocking stuffing and watching it all unfold tomorrow! I'm getting excited. I may not have spent the several thousand on gifts that I used to and I drive my Ford instead of the Range Rover, but it is still stacking up to be a Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays to all :)

I wasn't dreaming of a white Christmas...

As I sit typing this it is 14 degrees and snowing. I still have to get out in this mess due to my procrastination! Tomorrow is supposed to get warmer with a high of 22!

I got all of my presents wrapped except for a couple that I still need boxes for. I'm hoping I'll be able to find one more roll of wrapping paper and some bows-my bows didn't survive storage and look smashed.

I was getting excited about a traditional turkey and dressing dinner and then I find out today that the dinner fare where I'm going is to be tacos. So instead of the cranberry dressing I planned on making I'll make some salsa. Feliz Navidad!

The top 100 toys of the 70's!

Is your color printer a government spy?

When you just don't have time to post on your blog.

Top 10 net hoaxes/urban legends of 2004.

Last minute shopping...

I finally did some major Christmas shopping today. I got all my gifts bought except one or two. I feel bad that I haven't sent cards out. I always put it off until the last minute until I feel like its too late. I even have boxes of cards I have bought and stuck in a drawer from the last 2 years.

I got my Mom and Dad a DVD/VCR combo. About a week ago, my Dad had seen something on TV that said VCR's were going by the wayside on a news report. When I talked to him later that day, he said "I have been thinkin about gettin one of those new fangled DVD players that everyone is talkin about, I hear they are the wave of the future." And yes, he used the term new fangled. I didn't have the heart to tell him they have been around long enough not to be considered new fangled.

I didn't work on the house today, but it is coming along nicely. I can see it coming all together finally whereas a week ago I felt like it would never get this far. I had planned on going over there after shopping, but I got wore out from all the walking around.

I would never leave my house if I had this!

I take it France doesn't like Big Macs.

Eau de bacon!

Ideas on what to do with the Christmas tree after the holidays.

Weekend Assignment #39: Disappointing Toys

Weekend Assignment #39 is:

Tell us about the toy you had to have for the holidays when you were a kid, only to find out it was kinda disappointing once you had it.

Extra Credit: Tell us the most unrealistic holiday gift request you ever made.

When I was 6, I asked and begged and asked some more for roller skates. All my friends had them. The kind I had in my mind were the kind they had (lace up kind with the stopper in the front) and I just assumed my parents would know that.




So Christmas that year rolls around and I open the box, and it is the old fashioned metal kind you adjust over your shoes. I was shocked. I don't remember if I said anything at that moment. I remember using them a few times and putting them on a shelf in the garage.

I was at my parents house a few weeks back helping my Dad clean out the attic and while I was on the ladder I happened to see them. It brought all that back, and I told my Dad about it and we had a good laugh. I thanked him for them because I told him that I didn't think I did back then.

The most unrealistic Holiday gift I ever asked for was when I was 8. My sister had just got her driving permit and they were giving her the old car (a Comet) while they went and got a new one (a Caprice Classic that I ended up with when I turned 16). I remember we were at the Chevy dealership and I spotted a Vega.



When my parents asked me what I wanted for Christmas I showed them clippings from ads that I had saved. I don't remember what I got that year, but I didn't get the Vega!

Christmas is in the air...

I spent all day buying things for the house-blinds, doorknobs, medicine cabinet, ceiling fans, etc. By the time we got everything unloaded and had a bite to eat I was too tired to do anything but hang the 3 blinds in the living room. We went with the "faux wood" pvc blinds. They really look nice and I was glad to find that the prices have come down drastically from the last time I bought them with my ex.

Rick's mother got out of the hospital yesterday and had some errands to run, so in between all of our shopping we picked her up and did her shopping and bank runs. I am just getting to know her and it is great to find we have a lot in common.

The traffic around town is horrible this time of year with all the shoppers. The stores were packed. I could feel that twinge of excitement in the air- and I'm so unprepared that Christmas is 10 days away! I've only bought one gift so far, so I'm in for it this following week trying to get out in the crowds.

I do this to myself every year. One year I bought everything on the 24th. I won't be doing that ever again! One year I was industrious and bought everything online and had the gifts shipped direct to everyone. It didn't feel right, not getting out and doing it the old fashioned way!

I spotted a used bookstore that just opened up (behind Barnes & Nobles no less) and being the bookworm that I am, I just had to stop in. I found The Tales of the City series by Armistad Maupin that I used to have and loaned out or lost over the years. I debated on buying them and put them back. While I'm browsing I hear Rick checking out and then he runs to the car, and comes back in. He tried so hard to be sly that I played along with it!

After I hung the blinds, I went to sit on the porch to rest and someone had a fireplace going-that smell always puts me further into the holiday spirit. I fully intend to enjoy it despite that the tree isn't bought, I haven't packed for the move, I haven't finished the house, and that I have no idea where the energy is going to come from to get it all done in time! 'Tis the season :)

The Guardian released its list of the top 100 websites.

Twist your tongue.

Recharging

I took the day off today. I was going to go do some more painting, but decided to hang around the house and watch TV. I had a glass of wine with dinner at 6:30 PM and started watching a movie and the next thing I know I'm waking up and it's 9:45 PM!

My body is revolting from the manual labor on the house. When I woke up yesterday and today I had charlie horses in both legs. Two friends of mine have a cold/flu and I thought I'd better rest so I won't get run down and get sick. I had the flu in earlier October and do not want to get it again.

After 70 degree weather last week, our low last night was 17. I seem to be more succeptible to flus/colds when that happens. I haven't been sleeping well either-so all of these factors made me decide I needed to recharge today. Plus I decided it might postpone that nervous breakdown I have had penciled in on my schedule for the last few weeks :)

I have only got addicted to 2 shows this season. I HAVE to watch Lost on ABC and The Apprentice on NBC every week. I watched Desperate Housewives a few times, I liked it and the writing was awesome, but on Sundays I usually don't have time to watch TV at the time it is on.

I have given up on shows in the past for that reason, I would just forget when they came on or be busy-like 6 Feet Under and The sopranos. I did watch Sex in the City every season but the latter part of the last season of which I am catching up on now. I have stayed caught up with Queer as Folk. I would have like to have watched Carnivale and Deadwood but never seemed to catch them.

The Apprentice and American Idol seem to be the only reality shows I can handle. Wife Swap, The Real Gilligans Island, The Bachelor, He's a Lady, or The Biggest Loser are lost on me.

I got such a chuckle with myself one day while watching a commercial for Geico. If you have seen it, you know what I mean. It is the one where the couple look like they have just got married and are thrust into a house that is too small. They make it look like a real reality show commercial for a few moments and I looked at Rick and said "They've got to be kidding" and when it was revealed as a Geico commercial I couldn't quit laughing! Here it is online if you haven't seen it: The house is too small.

The CitiBank identity theft commercials are a favorite of mine.

This makes me hungry and puts me in the Christmas spirit plus it is a perfect companion for the Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich.

The light at the end of the tunnel

I painted, then painted, then painted some more today. I got a lot done. Im looking to be done with it by this weekend.

My life feels like it is on hold right now-just going through the motions getting everything ready for the move. I have neglected my friends and family and ultimately myself.

I am feverishly scrambling to get everything done and feel worn out, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and the holidays cheer me up.

I'm just hoping to be done and organized soon so the Christmas tree will be surrounded by brightly wrapped boxes and not moving boxes!!

I was surprised to see the jury return with the death penalty on the Peterson trial. I was really expecting him to get life in prison.

I was chatting with a friend and she said she wasn't a big proponent of the death penalty. I lean towards indifference on the subject depending on the crime. I can see both sides of the issue. On one hand you have someone who was convicted of killing his wife and unborn baby that doesn't need to be on this planet any longer and on the other you are punishing someone who murdered WITH murder. With appeals I'm sure it'll he will be around a long time.

Personally, I'm glad this verdict came out the way it did, I get the same horrid feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think of Laci Peterson and her unborn child being murdered that I feel when I think of Sharon Tate and her unborn child dying the horrid way they did. I like to think a higher power will take care of it all and what we do is insignificant.

You mean the picture wasn't accurate?

This psychiatrist needs to see a psychiatrist.

Who says the U.S. doesn't have any wilderness left!

Long weekend

I kept meeting myself coming and going this weekend. Every spare moment was spent painting on the house. I have one more coat to go and then the trim. It is coming along nicely. The color I chose, a medium tan called Gobi desert, was darker than I expected, but I am happy with it.

I did have some time to play. I went out to a club Friday that was having a variety show benefit for a local charity to gather coats for children, and then Saturday I went to a friends house and we played board games. I hadn't played "Sorry" since I was a kid and forgotten how fun it was.

Our weather has been summer like, in the 70's which has been nice. I took the dogs with me to the house while I painted and let them romp in their new backyard.

Rick is doing so much better that he isn't needing the pain pills anymore. The scar is healing nicely and is already hardly noticable. The doctor suggested vitamin E oil and supplements for about 6 months to help fade it even further.

I'm too pooped to even attempt Weekend assignment #38 and it sounds like a fun one. Take a look and have a chuckle!

My friend Ginger has finished her novel My Immortal that she started for National Writing Month. She is still tweaking it, but check it out on her writing journal if you are looking for a good read. Feel free to comment and/or offer suggestions.

Now that is a tea with a kick!

Amazing aerial pictures taken of San Francisco less than a month after the earthquake in 1906.

Shaken, not stirred!

I won't be retiring in Britian!

Never a dull moment

The plumber finally shows up and the water that he spotted under the house yesterday turned out to be a leaky sewer pipe-not the leak causing my meter to spin in high gear. Then he spends some more time searching, finds another tiny leak, but not enough to be serious. He gives me an estimate on these 2 repairs and I need smelling salts. And this doesn't even address the major leak.

He finally uses this t-bar rod and starts poking around the back yard looking for soft spots. After about a hour he finds an area that is heavily soaked about 2 feet down. It turned out that right next to it was a hole in the sewer drain and all that water was going straight into it instead of making a noticable water spot in the yard. I was so relieved. He patched in some new pipe and that made the meter calm down and my water pressure go up. It was higher than I thought, and I still have to repair the other 2 problems later, but I felt so much better.

Then we get a call that Rick's Mom is being taken by ambulance to the hospital. Turns out she has a highly contagious viral infection and we're told not to visit. The doctor was finally able to alleviate her intense pain and 104 degree fever, and her coloring is back-so hopefully she is on the mend.

Just as I was winding down from a stressful day, having ate and watched a movie, I get a call at midnight from another renter who tells me their heater is on, but they can't control the temperature. This sounds fun! I have to try to squeeze that in tomorrow when my day is already full.

Never a dull moment around here lately! At least I won't have to go Christmas shopping since I've spent my Christmas money on plumbing!!

Leaky pipes

The plumber did not have good news. He says I have a leak under the house to a water inlet pipe. Luckily it is a pier and beam! My access to the crawl space was too small for him to fit into so he wanted to send their "small guy" tomorrow.

Meanwhile my meter is just spinning-so I will probably be looking forward to another high water bill. I'm entertaining the thought of learning to be a plumber just to be able to take care of things like this instead of worrying about how much this is going to cost!

As the plumber arrived we had a sudden rainstorm with major thunder and lightning, then it snowed, then hailed. It was an odd sight to see!

On a good note, we did not hear from the doctor today about Rick's test results. He had said that he wouldn't call if there was nothing to report on the oncology test.

He is feeling much better today, although the healing process is causing the scar to itch really bad-the hydrocodone is helping tremendously. He felt so good earlier on his "high" he said "man, you gotta take one of these, they're great!" I just laughed and said I'll save it for when I get the plumber's bill!

If it's not one thing, it's another...

I guess playing nurse wasn't enough for me to deal with.

It's plumber time again. I got a call from a lady that lives in the fourplex I am in about a slow water leak at her sink faucet. Then she tells me it has been like this for about a month. Yesterday I get my water bill, I guess it wasn't that slow, the bill was more than double the norm. The cut off valves to her sink aren't working either.

Then today I go to do dishes and I turn on my faucet and no water, then finally about 10 minutes later I have water, but hardly any pressure. Then my faucet develops a leak!

Then I find out my regular inexpensive plumber is in jail for a year for DWI. My desperate calls to family and friends for a cheap plumber yield no results. I'll have to bite the bullet and call the plumber I have used before who sees dollar signs when I call!

Those that know me well have heard all about my plumbing troubles this year. I probably shelled out over $1,000 in a 2 month period this summer for a collapsed sewer and a tree that had more roots than I thought biologically possible. That was on a duplex I have-so far my fourplex has been relatively free of plumbing woes (knock on wood).

So I have a full day starting with taking the car to the shop, watching a plumber tally up a bill, a bit of work, and being nurse. It could be worse, so I'll stop my complaining :)

A Vigilante in New Hampshire.

A free Ebook every day for the month of December from Ereader.com

You can find anything for sale these days!

An html cheat sheet.

Everything has a website! From airplane napkins, to piano pedals, to condiments!

Weekend assignment...

A friend of mine on AOL sent me a link to a journal to check out. A feature on this journal is a "weekend assignment". A question he posts for all of us to answer. I think it is a great idea. Weekend Assignment #37

Weekend Assignment #37: We all know what our best personal quality is. What's your second-best personal quality?

Extra Credit: Note a personal quality you wish you had more of.

I had never thought of this before so it took me awhile to ponder at it. My second best quality I would have to say is being non-judgemental. I was raised around family members that would joke or kid around about people that were different. From the moment I could understand what they were saying I always felt that it was wrong.

If I see someone who looks different, acts different, dresses different, has an alternate lifestyle, etc. I do not immediatly judge them based on this. I like this quality in myself. I have met many wonderful people over the years from being non-judgemental.

Extra Credit: The quality I wish I had more of is self control/willpower. I have wanted to quit smoking and just can't quite let it go. If there is chocolate around the house I'm going to eat it NOW! If I'm out shopping and I see something that I want but know that I really don't need-80% of the time I will buy it. This is my least favorite quality of myself and I fight it everyday.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend :)

Bedside manners

Rick had his surgery on Thursday and it went great. We are still waiting for the lab reports to see if there were any cancerous cells in the tumor, but the doctor didn't seem to think that was a possibility.

He had mild pain yesterday but a mishap today removing the bandages caused him to almost blackout. The doctor told a nurse to removed the bandages and that there wasn't any sutures connected to the drain tube...there were. It wasn't a pretty sight and now he is on a demerol drip and feeling no pain...or knows who he is...or what month it is!

Actually he isn't that out of it and he is in good spirits. Hopefully he will get to come home tomorrow. The hospital that he had his surgery at has been a great place. All of the people there have went out of their way to do everything to make him, as well as the visitors feel right at home. Here are a couple of pictures of the patient:

This is probably why women live longer than men!

Now where is the giant baked potato?

I thought three were too many!

More federally funded lies.

Nothing like a good ole antique toilet!