Get a site...

Christine actually mentioned this not too long ago, and I want to reiterate it. If you are a major business that sells a product or service, you need a website. As I've mentioned we're buying a vehicle. All the car dealerships who don't have a web site? Sorry for ya. It's well worth the money to get a site, especially in a situation like this. We are young, busy parents who want to do as much research as possible online before dragging our kids to a dealership. A website means you have a fghting chance of earning our business. Oh, and to any car dealers out there, the "Call us for a quote!" thing doesn't work. If you can't put a price out there, I'm not even going to bother. Give me an idea of what you want up front. I've worked in car sales, I know the "old school" thinking is never reveal your price until they are at your desk, but it doesn't work on my generation. I don't have the time or patience to deal with you calling me 15 times a day just because I requested a price quote. No business for you... sorry. And one last thing, stop making our military feel as if they are walking targets. N worked with me in car sales in a military town, we know what your manager is telling you. Just because he enlisted in the Army doesn't mean he has no common sense and money to blow. Don't try to scam us because we're military, and stop taking advantage of the young bucks who don't know any better. That is all.

Not Cruz

We rented Spanglish last night. I was interested in seeing this movie, but really disappointed by it. It was unfocused and I felt like it left too much undone. Anyway, I don't get paid (or even linked) for movies reviews, so I'll leave that up to the pros. What I was TOTALLY shocked by was the actress who played Flor. I totally thought it was Penelope Cruz, back when it came out in theaters, when we rented it, all through the movie itself... never even occurred to me that it might not be her. Movie ends, N gets up to turn it off, and I see the credits... it wasn't her!! (I'm not disappointed, I'm not a fan) It's someone named Paz Vega. Did you know this? Why didn't anyone point that out to me? I do at least feel better that Nate was just as surprised as me. Still, I feel cheated or something.

Battle of the sexes

I absolutely ADORE this blog, Chris vs. Chris. It's written by a hilarious couple, who use attitude and sarcasm to rant and rave on random topics. Also? Their comments show up in blue or pink, and when one comments it says things like "Christine pontificated..." or "Christopher up 'n' said..." It's a great read, really entertaining. Go... now!

Neglect with a purpose

Oh, dear blog... I'm sorry I've been so neglectful. If I were raised Catholic like my husband I might be inclined to confess my sins of neglect, but we Methodists choose not to release our guilt like that. Surely you understand. What a wonderful blog you are, you love me and treat me well even when the favor isn't returned.
**Editor's note: The hubs is not a practicing Catholic now, in case anyone cares. No confessions from this house!!**

Anyway, enough of my dramatics... let's get up to speed here. Our family has been quite busy, now that we've settled in we're doing a little rearranging. We're getting rid of our current vehicle, and joining the rest of Young Children Suburbia with a minivan purchase. Oh, how I adore car shopping. Since N and I both sold cars, we have a bit of an upperhand. Having our own financing also helps, but still... this process sucks. My mom is the best car shopper I know, she's tiny and normally a polite, refined woman, but put her in a car dealership and she can make a grown man cry. Literally. She used to buy a new Ford Explorer every 2 years, always from the Ford dealership in the town where they work. She only dealt with the manager (and I know how hard it is to get a sales manager to deal directly) and she terrified this poor man. My dad would often stop in in uniform, only to have Malcolm say "Oh, God! Is Tina here? Is it time ALREADY?" One time, while working her deal, my dad and I got so embarrassed we walked out, wandered the showroom over to a popcorn machine where we buried our faces in some stale popcorn. We still tease her about that. They've since stopped buying Fords, and moved onto Hondas. I pray for that Honda dealer, and hope his nightmares are few. Anyway, I'd KILL to have my mom come help me, but she's a busy woman and lives halfway across America, so I'm on my own. Let's hope I've inherited her buying genes.
For anyone who has been through divorce, or bankruptcy, or anything else that destroys your credit rating, you can understand how frustrating that little score can be. N and I are both divorced, each of us with our own credit scars, and working towards repair. There is nothing more satisfying to me than paying off old debts, making just a little progress towards financial security, towards a goal of comfort and pride in not being treated like deadbeats. We're not deadbeats, but shit happens, and sometimes people forget to look at the big picture. I think our credit rating system is entirely fucked up, but that's a rant for another day, or maybe never. My point is we all know how desperately important credit scores are, and it gives one a sense of peace when you start making progress on that front.
Well that's about it for today, I've got some shopping to do, as the kids' birthday is Friday, and Nate's is next week, and we all know Father's Day is coming. I'd tell you what we're getting Nate, but he reads this, so you'll have to wait. How was your holiday weekend? I hope you thanked a soldier, past or present.

Extra! Extra!

Have you heard? I'm totally excited for her! :) That is all.

Blah blah blah

I'm bored. I shouldn't be bored, but I am. Wah, right? Anyway, here are the reasons all my new neighbors think I'm crazy.
1. They've heard me yell at the kids repeatedly while the windows are open.
2. I've already bitched out 2 little rat bastards who kick a soccer ball against the back of the house. My nextdoor neighbor with whom I share a carport warned us about this. I told the boys twice "This isn't your yard, and unless you have the money to pay for damage you need to take your asses back to your own yards." It's gonna be a long summer. When did I get to be so old?
3. I'm never without a Coke or a cigarette when I'm outside. They probably think I'm some chain-smoking freak show.
4. I was doing a bunny hop in the back yard while smoking tonight. (I was trying to pack in the dirt from burying the satellite cable today, but they don't know that. Again with the freak show.)
5. We went outside during a storm last night, just to watch it rain and hail. In our defense, our neighbor came out too, and she's lived here for a couple years. Storms are weird here.
6. I'm prone to doing silly things like jumping on N's back or shaking my butt on the front porch. If you know me, I make sense (to a degree... well, maybe not) but these people are just spectators so it must look interesting.

I'm not really good at being a neighbor. I tend to mind my own fucking business and let everyone else do the same. (Actually, that sounds like a great neighbor.) I've met and am trying to be friendly with my next door neighbor, if only because it's the right thing to do, but I've SERIOUSLY burned by neighbors I've gotten too close to, so I learned that lesson. However, as far as going up and being all "Hi!! I'm Crystal! We just moved here!!" I suck. It's the curse of having grown up in one small town where everyone knew my grandparents, and great-grandparents, and my uncle became mayor. I never had to say "Hi!! I'm Crystal!!" because I was automatically greeted with "Oh, you're Tina's little girl!! Man, I remember when you were *this* big!!" This ain't my first rodeo, so to speak, but I'm still not good at making friends. Maybe I'll just set up a margarita stand and see what happens. Those would be my kind of people...

Hey... you!!

Wanna be on my blogroll? Am I on yours, and somehow you've been overlooked? Comment and let me know. I decided a few weeks back to recirpo-link, but sometimes I don't know who has me rolled. Speak up!
Oh and scroll down... today is another multiple post day. Babble-assing at no extra charge!!

For richer or poorer

Every once in a while I go on a ramen kick. Not because we can't afford anything else, our kitchen is full of good food. Simply because it becomes a craving. It's quick and easy, the salty goodness satisfying my urgeand warming my belly. Thank goodness I don't pay any attnetion to things like heart health and keeping my sodium intake down, because between my Life Blood (aka Coke) and the ramen, I'm a doctor's nightmare. So I was thinking back to my poorest of days, those first adulthood months (and months, and months) where the cabinets were so bare it was pitiful. After all, all money after rent went to important things like partying, who had the money left over for groceries!? Except I didn't survive on ramen back then. It was plain ol' pasta, margarine, and garlic powder. Even cheaper than ramen and worse for you!! N developed a love of ramen in Korea, where is green-to-the-military 18 year old behind was enjoying the lower drinking age, and needed to eat late after the bars. The little old Korean lady they called Mom cooked up their orders late at night, beef ramen with cheese. Who puts cheese on ramen noodles? Yuck. I've tried it, I so don't recommend it. Anyway, I've been enjoying my 10 cent meals lately, and you gotta love anything that lets you eat for 10 cents. As a matter of fact, if I continue to eat ramen I can use the money I would have spent on real food to buy myself something nice. Just not a pair of jeans because I'm gonna be WAY too bloated to handle that.

**disclaimer: See? I TOLD you I had nothing to talk about. I've been reduced to babble-assing about ramen noodles and old Korean ladies. I need a vacation.

Tagged by Tish

I'm bumping this up for Meeta, who re-tagged me with this meme. Original post date was 30 April 2005. :) Here you go, darlin'... enjoy!!

Tish tagged me, and of course I'm happy to oblige one of my favorite writers. So, here is the promised post. :)
You have to choose five of the professions and finish the sentence...

If I could be a scientist... If I could be a farmer...
If I could be a musician... If I could be a doctor...
If I could be a painter... If I could be a gardener...
If I could be a missionary... If I could be a chef...
If I could be an architect... If I could be a linguist...
If I could be a psychologist... If I could be a librarian...
If I could be an athlete... If I could be a lawyer...
If I could be an innkeeper... If I could be a professor...
If I could be a writer... If I could be a backup dancer...
If I could be a llama-rider... If I could be a bonnie pirate...
If I could be a midget stripper... If I could be a proctologist...
If I could be a TV-Chat Show host... If I could be an actor...
If I could be a judge... If I could be a Jedi...
If I could be a mob boss... If I could be a backup singer …
If I could be a CEO... If I could be a movie reviewer …

If I could be a gardener, I would surround myself with beautiful scented flowers all year long, so my world would be pretty and pleasant.

If I could be a doctor, I'd provide care to those who need it most, regardless of their financial situation.

If I could be a lawyer, I'd go into family law and help parents who are doing the right thing, good people who are bullied in court because they cannot afford $500/hr legal fees.

If I could be a midget stripper, I'd go on Jerry Springer, because where else would I fit in so beautifully? I'd definitely have to get a smaller pole, because pole tricks must be hard with such short legs!!

If I could be a mob boss, I'd be the "Avenger Mobster", totally whack a couple of the asshats in the world. I'd name a few examples but I'd rather not have the FBI knocking on my door about terroristic threats for a simple meme. I mean, I'm just saying...

Wow, the first 3 show my idealistic side. I guess I'm not as bitter and cynical as I'd thought! ;)

I'm bumping this up, because4 I forgot to pass the baton!! So...
Christine, Cori, Sleeping Mommy, Mel, and Shylah! Tag, you're it!!

**editors note: I went back and read Tish's list after posting my own, and a couple of them are very similar. No wonder we get along so nicely!!**

Nothing interesting

Well folks, the unthinkable has happened. I have nothing to say. Nothing to rant about, nothing to joke about, just generally nothing. I'm having blogger-block, in the worst way. I'm not neglecting you, I'm reading your wonderful posts and trying to comment from time to time, but dammit... nothing to entertain you with. I attribute this to the numbing of my brain due to no Directv until tomorrow. The kids have been driving me nuts with a continuous loop of Baby Einstien and Sleeping Beauty, since they are the only surviving DVDs from their collection. Actually, Sleeping Beauty was mine, and used to be one of my favorite movies, but DAMMIT that's all changed. Maddie chanting "Watch PRINCESS!" over and over has grated my nerves. I want to go to Christine's for a tea party, but she's too far. Maybe I'll take Monty up on that offer of chocolate, and Nate can go rub himself on the Sooners' stadium while he waits. Then I'll be off to Tish's house where we must wipe the OU off our shoes before entering, or face being run over by her truck. She swears she'll take us to the Orange side come hell or Jehovah's Witnesses. Once in TX I'll mosey on over to Jenn's for some coffee *buzz buzz buzz*, back down to my in-laws' for a quick Oma and Opa fix, leave the kids there for a few days and head to Cori's. She's got some treats in store for sure. I'll kidnap her to Vegas, and you'll never hear from either of us again. We'll be sitting poolside having some Cabana boy bring us drinks while we laze in the sun and make fun of people. We're snarky like that. Oh wait, what was I talking about again? Sorry... I drifted off for a minute. *sigh*

I'm hit!!

Lu tagged me with this, and though I've done a music meme before, she's cool enough that I'm happy to do this one for her. If you aren't reading her site, what's your problem? Do you live under a damn rock?! Go on over, and say howdy!!


Total Volume of Music on My Hard Drive:
Approx. 1000 songs.

Last CD Bought:
Nate bought me Some Devil, Dave Matthews' solo album, last year.

Song Playing Right Now: I (oddly enough) don't have any music on, so I'm loading Yahoo! radio to see what comes up. Hang on, and I'll tell ya... the winner is: Homewrecker by Gretchen Wilson

Five songs I listen to a lot:
Honestly, there aren't songs that I listen to a lot, my playlists change often. An all time fave is Ants Marching by DMB. Really any song by DMB will make that list. 2 current faves (from completely opposite genres) are What's a Guy Gotta Do by Joe Nichols and #1 Spot by Ludacris.

Five fabulous people I'm passing this on to:
Actually, I'm not passing it to anyone in particular. If you want to do it, feel free, and comment here to let me know you have.

Basic Training

Let me start this by saying we're settled in, life has calmed down, and I'm very happy to be reporting that!! Now, onto the funny.

Nate was shining his boots last night, and shaping his beret, and other fun stuff that comes with finally getting his uniforms issued. He was going through all the standard issue stuff, showing me a couple things that have changed since his last enlistment, like brown Under Armour shirts and better boots and the such. Of course, they Army still issues brown BVDs to soldiers, the standard drawers of the BDU. He held them up and said "Brown tighty whiteys... these will never get worn." I said "No one wears them, except in Basic... why does the Army even bother?!" which conjured up a story about his basic training experience. He casually mentions he never wore them, even then. As a matter of fact, his exact phrase was "Every time they checked, my balls were hanging out." You KNOW I had to have him elaborate on this one. You see, my husband has been known to go "commando". Actually, until a few months ago he still did, he finally started wearing boxers. I assumed he would have taken heed of the regulations in Basic, where you wear what you are issued no matter what. Of course, I should have known better. Nate didn't wear underwear before Basic, and he wasn't about to start just because some drill sergeant said so. Well, they check. As in underwear inspections. I've asked him repeatedly if he's making that up, and he swears it's true. Anyway, when one of these inspections would arise, they would be told to line up in formation and drop their pants. Every time, it would be this... (The following tale is my re-telling of a 8 year old conversation. Bear (bare?!) with me!!)

"A****! Where are your underwear?!"
"In my wall locker, Drill Sgt."
"Why are they not on your person?! Next time you will be wearing underwear!"
"Yes, sir."

Fast forward to the next inspection:
"A****!! I thought I told you to wear underwear! What is your aversion to underwear?!"
"Sorry, Drill Sgt. I promise I'll wear them from now on."

Next inspection:
"DAMMIT A****! I thought I told you to wear underwear!! Where are your underwear?!"
"Sorry Drill Sgt. I forgot. Next time, I promise."
"Dammit, A****! start wearing underwear!"

And later...
A female decided to hold inspection.
Female: "All right, line up in formation..."
Drill Sgt: (interrupting) "WAIT!!!! STOP!!! Stop! A****?!"
Nate: "Yes, sir?"
DS: "A****, are you wearing underwear?"
Nate: "No, sir."
DS: "Why not, A****?! Dammit, A****! What is the problem with underwear? Why will you not wear them?!"
Nate: "Don't like them, sir."
DS: "That's it... you will wear underwear!!"
So, given the choice between punishment and underwear what did Nate choose? Come on, have you been paying attention here?

He says it's the one thing that got him in trouble every time. He did many a push-up for his dislike of briefs. The Army should so put that on their site in the stories from Basic section. It might make those 9 weeks more bearable.

Sincere Apologies

I'm crunched for time, and cannot really post tonight. I visited a few of you, left comments with a few of you, and to anyone who I missed, I'm sorry. I've been up since yesterday morning, and have a long day ahead of me tomorrow, so I am just running out of steam. I will catch up with everyone soon, and hopfully have internet up and running by the end of next week in our new home. In the meantime, I'll have to track down an internet cafe, or die from withdrawal. Have a great weekend!!

Retraction Squared

Remember this?? Well, we got another call from Nextel today, and magically they have no record of the call that waived the fees, the person we spoke to that gave me the confirmation number on waiving the fees, and basically accused us of making up the confirmation number. We're told we're liars, we're making all of this up, and since N is not currently being deployed to a "hot zone" (ie: Iraq) they cannot be waived. Anyway, we finally got fed up and called the corporate office, and it's taken care of, including an apology and a promise to address the behaviour of the customer care reps with the appropriate managers. All in all, I strongly recommend staying away from this phone company if you happen to be military.

Besides the Nextel drama, we've safely arrived back in TX. We're leaving tomorrow for KS (for good) so my blogging will be sporadic at best. Bear with me... I'll be updating ASAP. (I intend on posting a couple more times tonight, so stay tuned.)

Lame Excuse!!

I'm hitting the homestretch, most of what's left to do will have to wait until I return from KS tomorrow. In the meantime, I've been working my ass off, and then coming to my computer for a break, hoping to find someone to chat with, or some updated blogs. No one is around!! Where are you?? Oh, "At my job" is such a lame excuse, can't you come up with anything better than that?! Hmph!

Life's Little Mysteries

I fully blame the newest house mystery on living with boys. I'm working through my cleaning list, which I wrote with the timpression that I had at least a week before needing to pack, but I was wrong, so here we go. Anyway, the last time I scrubbed the walls in the kitchen and hallway was Superbowl Weekend. I know this because I sliced my finger on the metal slats of the door to the air conditioning unit. BUT I didn't bleed much, and had a bandage on as I finished that door. Tonight, as I was scrubbing the same hallway, I noticed some splatters on the bottom of that door. They are blood splatters, I'm sure of it. They were low, like shin level, so WTF? Then I turn around, and notice a couple more across from the door on the wall. Running this through the thought process still comes up with a WTF?! Ok, I know it's not from me. I'd like to think if the kids hurt themselves badly enough to splatter blood on both sides of a hallway, I would have at least gotten a injury report. That leaves Nate, and the cats. Either one is a possibility I suppose, but what happened? Why don't I know? I still think this only happens in a house with boys. We don't just go splashing bodily fluids around like that. Case in point? Look at a men's room. Yuck!

Retraction

Remember when I said Nextel was not a military friendly company? We'll here's my partial retraction. (Yes!! I KNOW I should be packing... leave me alone!!) The problem was we're under contract with Nextel, but there is no service in Ft. Riley, KS. So, we called, and they said "Ok, fax your orders over, and we'll waive the $200 per line termination fee." We did, and called back to verify receipt of the fax, and they told us "You aren't being sent to a hot zone, so the fee applies." We go back and forth, because I'm not paying $400 in fees for something I have no control over. One rep even lied to us, telling us repeatedly that there was service in that area, even though 5 other reps confirmed there was not. FINALLY, I get someone who escalates it, after being told there was no one above the current reps (I finally asked one lady if she was John Chapple, CEO of NPI, since she said she didn't have a boss, there was NO ONE above her. She told me I was welcome to try calling him.) Long story short, I got an apology for all the rudeness and incorrect information, the rep looked at the fax I'd sent, and promptly waived the fees, with a pleasant "Thank you, and good luck!!" So... while Nextel (and Nextel Partners) are not very military friendly, or even good at plain ol' customer care, they did finally rectify the situation and all is well. Good riddance to them!!

Break time

Since I'm packing everything up, I've suspended all cleaning operations until the end. This means my floors look like crap, covered in debris and needing to be mopped, the carpets deperately need to be vacuumed, today's dishes are in the sink, the place is just in a general state of filth. Also, since Texas is one giant dust bunny sitting on the map, dust is travelling down from all the places that get neglected, and just driving me crazy. It takes a special kind of dust to sheet on a vertical surface, and yet we have it here. You ever notice how if you are in a dirty house you feel dirty and sticky yourself? Yuck, I feel like I haven't bathed in days (Don't worry, I have). I'm starting to reach the point where I've packed up all the things we don't generally use daily, but I don't want to pack up the rest, since I know that'll guarantee I'll need it tomorrow. I think we're gonna end up with a couple boxes of Randomness... the little things from here and there that didn't make it into the designated boxes. We're leaving tomorrow night to pick up Nate, we pick up the rental truck Saturday morning, load it, and drive back to KS. It's going to be a long weekend. Oh, and since the kids are getting minimal attention, there is a constant soundtrack of whiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeeeee. Anyone want to take my kids until Saturday night? Please? Anyone? Damn...

Tuesday morning reprieve

My kids were up at the crack of dawn this morning. That wasn't the repreive, because I definitely wasn't finished in dreamland when they woke me up. Either way, today is shaping up to be a nice one. N found out what unit he's going to. It's not the one we thought, it's not the one that's going to Iraq in the fall. The unit he'll be with is on their way back from Iraq, which means we have at least a year or so vefore he'll have to go. We want to have another child. We don't want him to be in Iraq when that child is born, so we've been putting off the idea. I know that being a soldier means making sacrifices, and we're both prepared to deal with those, but no one WANTS to go to Iraq, so this is good news. Another good news moment is he'll go on "free" leave (he doesn't have to "pay" for these days) this weekend to come back to TX and help me move. Everything is going smoothly, and that's such a sigh of relief after the year we've had. He says our new house is great, a decent amount of space, hardwood floors, a nice yard, storage space, nice appliances. Things are pretty good, and the sad part is I almost don't know how to react. Who knew things weren't always stressful, life wasn't always crunching down on you?

Did you get that?

Ok, get ready to be confused. I live in Texas right now. I've lived here for over 3 years. I still have a Florida driver's license. See, when I moved here from Florida, Inever bothered to switch to a TX license, because I technically didn't have to. My home of record as far as the military was concerned was West Palm Beach, FL. After my divorce, I chose to stay in TX, and basically made TX my home. I still never bothered to switch my license, because TX charges crazy fees and they mail you your ID. It takes a couple weeks. In FL, you walk out same day with it. Last week, during our trip to Indiana, I lost my license. (Not my right to drive, the actual card) CRAP. This is an issue in a couple ways, first, the only ID I have that isn't expired is my OLD license with my maiden name. (Don't ask me why or how I have it, but I do.) My maiden name is not legally my name, it doesn't match my social security or credit cards. I'm moving to KS, but TX will be my new home of record. (Basically, I vote, pay taxes, and claim residency in TX as of last year) I don't have enough time to go to the TX DMV, and have them mail me a license with their insanely slow process. Next factor is my name. I haven't changed from my ex's last name to Nate's, because my ex screwed up my income tax return this year, and I wanted to wait to legally change my name until it was worked out. God knows we don't need to confuse the IRS any more than normal. It's worked out, and I was about to change my name legally. Do I pay for an ID, only to go to the social security office, change my name, and pay for another new damn ID? DAMN MY PROCRASTINATION ALL TO HELL! I'm in identity purgatory. What I can do is go to FL's DMV website, and order a new license, which I needed to renew in September anyway. $15 bucks. AND they mail it to me in less than a week. This is all sounding great right? We're slowly working towards a solution. Except... the FL DMV already knows my TX address, and since it's my mailing address they have to put it on my license. I got it in the mail today, I have a Florida driver's license with Texas address on it. Oh, and since I don't have a military ID, I have no way of proving the discrepancy is because I'm a military dependant. Nate said "You know if you get pulled over they're gonna arrest you until they can figure that whole mess out." Great, thanks hon!! Either way, I have my replacement ID. Oh, but the picture they used? It's from 4 years ago, and I look like a dude in drag for some reason. That hair style was just not a good idea, and I always look pissed in IDs. Probably because I had to stand in line with a bunch of non-English speaking people for 2 hours, just to get a replacement ID so I could go to the club that night. Ah, the life of a non-mommy. Anyway... now, I have to wait until I go to KS, go get my name changed on my social security card, and get a KS driver's license with my (newer) married name. Plus military ID. ***Sigh*** Can't anything be easy??

Edited: See the drag queen look first hand... yes, I'm really that bored tonight.



What'd I tell ya? I look like a pissed off dude!! WTF is that? That's only gonna add to the confusing should I get pulled over.

Moments ago...

The kids were in bed at 7:45. They weren't SLEEPING, but we were giving it the old college try. It's 8:46 CST, and this was overheard in my house just about 2 minutes ago.

(Setting the scene, my room is on one end of the house, and the kids' room is on the other. It's a small house, but still.)

Shane: Mom! Moooommmm! MOM!

Me: (walking towards their room) What Shane? Go to bed!!

Shane: (still yelling) MOM!! MADISON IS SLEEPING!!

Me: (As I open their door) Maddie's sleeping? That's good, stop yelling!!

Shane: SHHH! Maddie's SLEEPING!!

Me: That's great, stop yelling! Get in bed, son. Good night. Love you.

Shane: (whispering) Nite mommy!

Fast forward to this moment (8:50 pm)

Shane: MADISON'S SLEEEEEEPING!

My son is a quick one. Little bugger. Where's that duct tape?

Woo HOOO!

We have a house on post in KS. This is really impressive to us, because at Ft. Hood the housing waiting lists are a MINIMUM of 3 months. Some people have to wait up to 2 years. Ft. Riley is not at full capacity right now, so there are plenty of on post quarters available. Nate just called to say he signed the offer, and will pick up keys Wednesday, so I'll be moving before the end of the month. **Whew!!** Big sigh of relief. Oh, crap... I've gotta start packing. Anyone have some boxes?!

Holy Terror, Batman!

Ok, fess up. I demand to know who slipped the Hellraiser pills to my kids today. Was it you? I oughta kick your ass for that one! Highlights of today...
~Tantrums
~Pulling, hitting, slapping, and yelling at each other. Sibling love is great.
~Destroying 2 books in the car, and handing me the confetti as I vacuumed at the car wash.
~Tantrums
~Running into the street while I was cleaning out the car. I was letting them run around, and all of a sudden they were in the road. We don't live on a busy street, but we are at the end of a horseshoe, and cars whip around the curve way too fast. One came about 30 seconds after I pulled them out of the road, so I shudder at what might have been.
~Did I mention tantrums?!
~Dinner was a disaster. They wouldn't sit, they grabbed food from each other, things hit the floor. I even got a fork to the back of my thigh, because Shane was buttering me up with a hug so my head wouldn't explode over him not sitting down. Fine dining this was not.
~Bath was too easy, so easy I knew something was up. They never let me wash them without a fight, so when there was no screaming during rinsing I got worried. I was right, the next 20 minutes were a splashy whirlwind of disaster, their bathroom is practically flooded.
~They boycotted clothes. Hell no, we won't dress, and you can't make us. 20 minutes of "PLEASE put your underpants on. STOP RUNNING! Hey!!! HEY!!!"
~We pay for DTV service every month, basically so the kids can watch Dora. I rarely get to take over the TV (It's all kiddie shows, all the time here!), but tonight my all time favorite band, Dave Matthews Band, was featured on CNN. I've been waiting since Tuesday to see this, so I was really looking forward to it. The first half of the show was crap about U2 (I only say crap because I could care less I just wanted to hear about DMB!!) The moment the segment turned to DMB, the kids decided they wanted to start fighting, screaming next to my migraine-ridden head, and jumping on me. My nerves were already frayed, this wasn't helpful.
~Shane didn't want to put on his pajamas. Period.
~That, of course, led to more TANTRUMS
~We call Daddy to read stories and say goodnight. They compete over who gets to "read" to Daddy first, and since Madison was the lucky one, Shane interrupted at every chance. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" (Mads style) took 20 minutes.
~Shane is reading "Brown Bear, Brown Bear..." at a snail's pace as well, when Mads announced she had to pee. She runs to the bathroom, and after a few minutes I go to check on her (while Shane gets frustrated that Daddy isn't making the appropriate animal noises with the book, and we make very little progress). Come on, take a guess... she LOCKED HERSELF IN! Nate is on speaker phone listening to me scream to Maddie to open up the door, just unlock it please! I am trying to pick the lock, while begging Mads to just turn the lock back for me, and yelling to Shane to please keep "reading". Finally, Mads just unlocked it for me. N had hung up, after yelling to me he'd call later since my hands were full. I quickly tucked everyone in and went to watch DH and drown my sorrows in cake. I really wish I'd just stayed in bed today.

**I'd give some link-age to the things mentioned in the post, but that would involve more work, and I'm so not feeling it. Anyone who doesn't know who Dave Matthews Band is, or CNN, or hasn't heard of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, email me. I'll bring you up to speed with the 21st century.

Need a laugh?

I came across this via a comment on Purple Goddess' blog, and it is one of the funniest things I've ever heard. It's toilet humor, so don't read it if you are easily grossed out. Or if you are eating. Otherwise, be prepared to actually laugh out loud.

Just a moment

I want to take a moment from my usual babble-assing (Thanks Jenn... I love that word!) to send some cyber hugs to a good friend. She's struggling right now, going through a blue patch of life that most of us go through at one point or another (usually more than once). She's one of the best people I know, an awesome mom, a great wife, a fantastic friend. I admire her, I strive to be half the mom and friend she is. She deserves all the happiness and serenity in the world, and I hate seeing her down. Go visit her and show some support, tell her a joke, give her some hugs, whatever you see fit. I have AWESOME readers, so I trust everyone will be nice, but just in case some asshat stumbles across this and wants to be mean or critical, let me say this: Anyone who is less than nice and supportive to this wonderful blogger will have to deal with me personally. I will kick your ass. Be nice. As SJ says, "Don't suck!"

My weekend in pictures

I've survived my my first weekend "alone", providing I make it through the rest of today of course. When bored and left to my own devices, I tend to snap a lot of pics.
All of my free time seems to be spent here... and I really need to dust the bottom of the monitor!! Notice the ever-present can of Coke. And IM box to Cori... I'm so predicatable.


I'm embarassed to admit that N is the one in our family who is consistant about making the bed. I decided to leave it like this... just in case crawling back in yesterday seemed like a good idea. I did make the bed today though, I'm not totally shameful.



Even the cats are feeling lazy... who can blame them?




Oh, and since Kim posted a pic of her scaring small children and young men, I promised to share a purple faced pic here. If you are faint of heart, pregnant, have high blood pressue, low blood sugar, are easily disturbed, or a small child please look away. I cannot be held accountable for adverse side effects....



The things we do for beauty, or soemthing like it.

Congrats!!!

Congrats to Kasey Kahne and the #9 Dodge with their first Nextel Cup Series win!!!



Ok, back to your regularly scheduled programing. Oh, and no redneck jokes... I married an Indy boy, racing is required viewing in our house!

I am a dork.

Put down the phone, 20/20 is already aware of this newsflash! Wow, I feel like such a nerd. Cori and I were messing with our Haloscan accounts yesterday to see if we could coax them into working the way we'd like. At some point I turned on "allow moderation" and forgot about it. Well, out of all the comments in the last 24 hours, only 2 were emailed to me (and one was a test from Haloscan), so when the nice Haloscan guy told me why they weren't showing on my site, I went to "moderate" those 2 comments. Much to my surprise, there was a page full, y'all had been giving me comment love, and I was holding it hostage. Sorry about that. We're back to normal (well, as close as we've ever been) now.

The SHAME!!!

I fall into the trap like the rest of you. I'm not perfect. I love me some blogroll love, and try to stay aware of who hads me rolled and who doesn't. A certain blogger doesn't, and I'm beginning to get a complex over it. I was Mystery Site, I read his site regularly and he reads mine from time to time. My friends are on there. WHY NOT ME!? I just want a cool "approved" button! Oh, GOD! I'm beginning to act like a certain blog whore we all love. I'm here shamelessly begging for links, like a common bum. I promise not to buy booze with your links, at least not all the time! Next I'll be copying Dooce and getting hatemail from conservatives. The shame of it all.

Haloscan trouble

I'm now noticing that not only am I not receiving all of my comments by email as I should, but I occasionally receive one or 2 that don't show up on the site. What is happening over at Haloscan?! Am I the only one having problems? What did I do too piss those people off? (I don't own them money, and generally that's the only thing that makes a company hate me) Grrr....

Friday Fun Fest

First things first, I need to address something. Kenny and Renee got married. We ALL know!! Even non-country fans are aware of this event. We can stop discussing it now. It was even on Nickelodeon for crissakes, and I'm really not sure why. How many kids do you know that give a fuck about that?! He's a hottie country star that everyone thought would be a bachelor forever. He has been infatuated with Miss. Z for ever. They met, fell in love (or lust, who knows) and got themselves hitched in the islands. Got it? Good. Now on to bigger and better things. Someone email me if they have a baby.

There is an article in this month's Parents about a woman who is still nursing her 5 year old. Yes, I just said FIVE YEAR old. Hey, whatever works for you, but this still creeps me out. Everybody has to draw a line somewhere. **shudders** Oh, and Parents has an article on twins, with one little untruth. Identical twins are not genetic. The occurance of monozygotic twins is a steady 0.4% in all areas of the world, regardless of genetic or environmental factors. Feel free to ignore my little "know-it-all" moment, it's just a pet peeve of mine.

Nextel is not a military friendly company. Just in case you ever need to know that. They are supreme asshats.

Here's a WTF concept. You notice how most Disney/Pixar movies come out now as "Only in theaters"? Shark Tale comes to mind. I believe Monster's Inc was the same way. It seems that most of the movies they release claim "Only in theaters!!" only to come out on DVD like 2 days later. Do people actually fall for that? I haven't set foot into a theater since my 20th birthday, and every time I hear that little "threat" I say "Yeah yeah, whatever... I'll see it on DVD in a couple months." Never fails.

Well, that's all for now, I'll be bringing you more randomness all weekend long. Stay tuned, dammit!!

What title?

Ah, I don't feel like writing a title today. I drove Nate to Dallas today, he'll be on his way to Kansas in the morning. We spent a week apart about this time last year, but other than that we haven't been apart for any length of time yet. It's strange. The first day is always the hardest, and the first day of the fist separation is by far the worst. Of course, it doesn't help that I didn't sleep last night, since I had to drive him there at 2:20am this morning. I hate being all mopey and lonely, it's just a dreadful feeling. It'll pass, but man it sucks.
On another front, when we pulled into downtown Dallas, N suddenly says "There's the grassy knoll!" I was sleepy eyed, and he caught me a bit off guard with that one. Sure enough, the Federal Building is on S. Houston St, less than a block away from the infamous knoll. Since neither of us were even thought of when JFK was killed, we decided to ask the guard if we were looking at the right location. He verified that it was *right there* and told us there was a plaque in the grass to mark the tragedy. It's funny, it's one of the biggest "mysteries" in American history, and just the ghost of the event lies in a busy center city, we drove by more than once before we realized we were there. Maybe it's the wife and mother I've become, but I didn't think about how our nation felt that day, I thought of Jackie O. She sat helpless with her fatally wounded husband, held his bleeding body. My heart breaks for her, because we lost a President, but she lost the man she loved, and couldn't do anything to help him.
I really don't have any tie in from that little downer moment, but next up in my ramblings is traffic. Specifically drivers in Waco, TX. You live, work, or go to school in Waco? Listen up. I know y'all think that your destination might disappear off the map at any moment, but it won't. I'm not a perfect driver, but WTF is wrong with you people? Seriously. First of all, I have a healthy repsect for tractor trailers. These guys drive for a living, and their vehicles are MUCH bigger than mine. Granted, some of them are asshats, and dangerous, but the golden rule is size. If you could squash my car, I'm gonna give you some breathing room. Here's a newsflash, oh people of Waco... these big rigs CANNOT stop on a dime. It is VERY unwise to pull in front of them at 80 mph, and just barely clear their front bumper in heavy traffic. You are not only going to get yourself killed, but all of us around you. Stop it. On that note, tailgating. N is a tailgater, and it is an endless argument with us. You people are even worse. If I can count your nose hairs when I look out my rearview, you might be too close. I don't care if Dale Jr. uses the chrome horn to pass, this isn't Talladega, and our cars don't come with pit crews and roll cages. One of these days I'm gonna brake check your ass, and since you're already sitting in my back seat, you can use my cell phone to call your insurance agent. After all, I wouldn't want you to hang up your urgent call, I mean someone must be dying for you to risk all of our lives to take that call! Usually, when we see someone cutting in and out of traffic like an ass, N will say "Drive it like you stole it!". Today, I really did think I was gonna see cops tailing a couple of these drivers, because they were trading paint just to get into tiny gaps and dip around the other 3 million drivers on I-35. It was total white knuckle from Waco to Temple today, and I'm so freaking glad I don't have to drive that daily anymore. Now I know why NJ has such strict driver's education, these asshats could use a course or 10.
Well, I'm off to check in with your blogs, and then to bed. I'm *still* not receiving all my comments via email (Thanks, Haloscan!!) So for the time being I'm going to start responding to comments in the comment section. (Unless it's more personal, I'll email you.) That means check back... feel free to talk amongst yourselves as well.

Mixmania!!

I hadn't forgotten about my Mixmania CD, I just hadn't gotten around to posting about it. **cough, cough... ok Jim??** :) My CD came from Heather over at Adventures of the Happy Heathen. The CD was quite enjoyable, and I knew I liked this woman when I heard Bartender on one of the tracks. She worships at the alter of DMB, as do I. So, here is the track list from the lovely Heather, don't forget to go over and check out her site. She has a brand new nephew, send her some congrats!!

Nine Inch Nails - The Hand That Feeds
Brand spanking new and hot off the press

Across The Room - Las Vegas
Because the singers voice is utterly seductive

Tori Amos - Suede
We can all use a little Tori right?

Zero 7 - Distractions
Simply lovely

Thievery Corporation - Lebanese Blonde
Who can't dig the indian influence?

Dave Matthews Band - Bartender
I worship at the temple of DMB!!!

Wilco - California Stars
Your cd is coming from sunny California and I can't stand hotel California so you got this. And if you don't know who Wilco is, well then you are in for a treat!

Metallica - Dirty Window
Metallica meets Japanese daiko drumming and I'm in love!

Cracker - Low
And oldie but a goodie

The Secret Machines - Nowhere Again
My current favourite band no one has ever heard of.

Radiohead - There, There
mumble, mumble, toil and trouble... really a great song!

Snow Patrol - Run
Run forest Run!

Deftones - Change
Great creepy imagery

Lisa Gerard - The Song I Don't Know The Name Of
Bonus un-named song off an import CD - It's beautiful and one of the few songs done entirely in english.

Photos

Here is my trip in photos. First we have the Dallas Morning News building, across from which we were sitting in a parking lot waiting for the MEPS people to straighten out the recruiting mess. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Dallas, the Federal Building and the Morning News are in the heart of "center city", it's a really cool place. (except that morning!!)

Along with the Morning News building, here's a picture of how unamused I was at 4:30 in the morning.

Next up is our sleepy head children, passed out in their car seats


Sunrise around the Illinois/Indiana line

We stopped for breakfast in Terre Haute and we were giddy over these gas prices. It's a sad, sad world when you get excited about $1.96/gal

Finally, we arrive!! The next few photos are the property N's grandfather lives on. The cardinal and squirrel are *right* outside the kitchen window, I loved watching them and the other birds eat!!



Front yard

Side yard


Back yard

Here are pictures of the kids living it up. The other kids in the pictures are their cousins, but I'm only posting ones where faces cannot be seen because I don't have permission to post them.




One of my and the kids, which I'm really only adding because it's probably the best photo taken of the 3 of us, ever. N claims to be camera dumb, but he's doing something right!


This trip didn't last nearly long enough, I can't wait to go back!!

Hello, Toto!!

Remember the news I mentioned? We're moving to Kansas. We had pretty much expected to stay at Ft. Hood, but the Army never does things as expected, especially if it would make sense to do it that way. So... N had 3 choices. **For those who are shaking their heads and saying "The military doesn't give you choices, that's bullshit.", they do if you are prior service or switching from one branch to another. If you are a fresh recruit do not expect the same options** Alaska, Korea, or Kansas. I refuse to move to Alaska, flat out will not go. Korea is a solo tour, meaning we'd have to stay behind for the year he was there, and N's already been there once. Kansas won by default, which is oddly enough how I ended up in TX. (The 3 choices my ex-husband was offered were NY, KY, and TX. NY had just had a blizzard, KY was not appealing to me, so TX won. I CRIED at the idea, but I've come to love it here.) In my deja vu moment, I bawled and bawled, I so do not love the idea of Kansas, especially since they have a much cooler climate and my in laws moved here. We were FINALLY going to have some family nearby, and now we're off to a new place. We'll try to come back here when N is up for re-enlistment, but in the meantime we'll just make the best of it. We find out the report date on the 12th, and we should be in KS by the end of the month. I will be slacking on blogging and reading in the next few weeks as we prepare for this whirlwind move. I will post pictures from our trip later tonight, once I get a chance to crunch and host them. There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home!!

**Sleeping Mommy asked which post, which I forgot to mention. We'll be at Ft. Riley.

Our trip

We left at 1:30AM Wednesday morning to head to Dallas for N to be at MEPS (Military Entrance Processing). We got to MEPs at 4AM, and expected (per the recruiter) to have him go in, get a height and weight check, finish up some paperwork, and be right out. Our problems started before the sun was even up, because the recruiter, who hadn't done a single thing right this entire process, didn't have the right paperwork waiting in Dallas. After waiting for offices to open, and making a few frantic phone calls, we got things somewhat back on track by 7:30. Then we were stuck waiting, with 2 cranky children, one VERY cranky mommy, and a pissed off daddy. Finally, at about 1:00pm, we finished up the paperwork, and Shane threw a tantrum in the middle of a Dallas crosswalk, in front of a few police officers on horse. It was UGLY. Really, really ugly. Wow, this trip was starting off nicely. Anyway, we finally got back on the road and headed for Indiana, hoping the worst was over. In Blytheville, Arkansas, we were looking for an exit, only to find it didn't exist. We pulled off, and N went into a gas station to find out WTF the big idea was. The lady behind the counter said "Let me guess... you're looking for 66a." N, figuring she was some kind of psychic or something, said we were. She wasn't psychic, apparently EVERYONE gets stuck at that point, the mile marker 66 in ARKANSAS didn't have an exit, but cross that state line to Missouri and follow it for another 66 miles, you'll get there. Oh. Thanks. Back to driving. We did eventually find our exit, and made it well into Illinois before tapping out. At 11:30pm we pulled into a rest stop to sleep for a few hours, because we'd been up for almost 40 hours, and on the road for almost 24 of them. We finally got to our destination in IN at 8AM Thursday, tired and relieved to be out of the car. The trip was still wonderful, N's grandfather has the most incredible place, 14 acres of beauty and serenity. The weather was gorgeous, warmer than normal for that area, but much cooler than we're used to in TX. The kids ran, played, jumped, and had a blast. N got to see family members he hadn't seen in years, show me the places he grew up near, and just generally relax. I didn't want to leave, it was just so beautiful. His grandfather has a bird feeder outside the kitchen window, we could sit and watch the birds and squirrels munch away, we sat on the front porch swing and watched the kids play in the green grass, picking dandelion "puffers" and enjoying the fresh air. The dogwoods were in bloom, the lavender trees were fragrant, and the maples rained down their "helicopter" pods when the wind blew. There were cousins to play with, stories to tell, and lots of warmth and friendly faces. I hadn't met N's relatives before, and I was amazed at how welcoming they were towards me and the kids. We left late Saturday evening, though it was really hard to do. N's mom and middle brother also drove back to TX with us, as they are in the process of moving here once the baby brother graduates HS this month. Our trip back was uneventful for the most part, though we did see a high speed chase early Sunday morning. We were about 6 miles from the TX state line, and passed an Arkansas trooper. I thanked my lucky stars I was doing the speed limit (N's mom was following me) and about 30 seconds later noticed blue lights. We both pulled to the side, scaring the crap out of N with the rumble strips, just in time for a car to speed by us with the trooper close behind. I'm guessing the "runner" figured he could make it to the TX border and then would be home free, though I doubt it works that way. Another mile or 2 up the road we saw he had taken an exit and tried to make a hard left on the overpass, wrecking his car above the highway. Ooops... guess that didn't go according to plan. I guess he never watched Cops, because everyone knows you can't win in that situation! We made it home safely, N and his brother made dinner for my mother-in-law and me, and we stayed up just barely long enough to watch Desperate Housewives. It's been quite a week!
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Miss me?

I'm back, and I know everyone missed me dearly! (Oh, come on... lie to me if you have to!) I have tons of catching up to do, I wanted to let everyone know I've read their comments, I will be catching up on their posts ASAP. I also have my Mixmania CD, and will be tracking down the sender in a little bit. :) Oh, and I have stories, pictures, and.... BIG news. Well, it's big to me. BUT.... I can't blog it until I've had a chance to talk to Cori, so I leave you in suspense.

See you soon...

I am taking a break from a mad dash of packing and preparing, because the Insanity household is going on a spur of the moment road trip. We're going to Indiana for a few days to see N's family, because he swears in to the Army tomorrow, but won't have to report for a week or so, therefore this will be our last opportunity to go for a while. I probably won't be online during the trip, since we'll only actually be in Indiana for 3 days, no time to spare. I promise to catch up with y'all when we get back (after I sleep for a couple days, of course) and find my Mixmania match in the blogosphere. In the meantime, talk amongst yourselves, visit the wonderful blogs on my blogroll, and for the love of blogging someone email me if anything important happens! (I can't be allowed to get too far out of the loop!) Ok, seriously, I need to go pack!!

**My Mixmania CD list is below, I hope that recipient didn't totally hate it!**

Mixmania!!

Here is my CD playlist for Mixmania. It's a strange and eclectic mix, but then again, so am I.

1. Dave Matthews Band- The Dreaming Tree
Definitely one of my favorite DMB tracks, it's a beautiful tale of progress and destruction, which unfortunately can go hand in hand.

2. Everclear- Heroin Girl
I can't really say much about this choice, it's just a good song

3. Big and Rich- Holy Water
This was written for the songwriter's sister, and I think most people can relate to it in some way, a overwhelmed feeling and needing to be cleansed of it all.

4. Jimmy Buffett- Mother Ocean
I heart Buffett... I blame my parents for that! ;)

5. Kenny Chesney- The Woman With You
From career woman to working mom/wife, this song is about all the roles she plays, and the support of the man by her side.

6. Ludacris- Number One Spot
He calls out Bill O'Reilly again, and mentions Dora and Swiper. What more could you ask for in lyrics??

7. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes- I Want You To Want Me
Everyone needs some punk in their life. This is actually off the Hubs music list, but I figured I'd spice things up

8. Montgomery Gentry- Hell Yeah
A perfect song for any music lover, I don't know how anyone could NOT love this song

9. Musiq Soulchild- Don't Change
Musiq has such a wonderful voice, full of soul and rhythm. He's a Philly boy, so he gets bonus points from me.

10. Nelly ft Tim McGraw- Over and Over
Hip hop meets country, it's pretty unique.

11. The Von Bondies- C'mon C'mon
This is actually the theme to Rescue Me, I don't know why I love this song so much, I just do.

12. Sublime- April 29, 1992
Sublime was such a great band, and the death of Bradley was tragic. Can you believe the LA riots were 13 years ago?

13. Third Eye Blind- God of Wine
I kinda lost interest in TEB after this album, but there was some awesome songwriting here. This wasn't one of the radio singles, but still a powerful song.

14. Verve Pipe- The Freshman
I must be feeling nostalgic, this is just a blast from my alternative music past.

15. Matchbox 20- Long Day
Again with the nostalgia, not like I really want to go back to my HS days, but the music was pretty good.

16. Kevin Fowler- Ain't Drinking Anymore
Local Texan artist, this song is upbeat and totally Fowler. We met him last year, he's such a down to earth country boy!

17. Ron White- Lug Nut Day
Everyone needs a little comedy in their life. Ok, so it's not a song, but I could listen to this bit over and over, it's still funny the 100th time.

Family friendly

I got a Canon G2 Digital Camera for Mother's Day (ok, I know I got it early... hee hee!) And I've been snapping pics like crazy since. I'm so in love with this camera already, though the included software is not what I'd call simple. Either way, I figured I'd share a few of the pics with everyone.

Me and Shane, making our "serious" face. He was pouting, so no smiles from us!!


Me and Maddie, making our Princess faces. She's thoroughly convinced she is a Princess. She even has the royal lollipop, so take that Cinderella!


Shane and Madison showing off their sibling love. There were a couple pictures where they were literally putting each other in choke holds, so this was as sweet as it got.



Oh, scroll back up and look closely at my childrens' faces. Notice anything? Yeah, Maddie got that shiner horsing around with Shane in the dark, and Shane bruised his nose throwing a fit. I promise I don't beat them, they do it to themselves!!

The one where I offend everyone

Let me start this post by directing you to my sidebar, where my hate mail disclaimer is. If you are pissed off by anything I write here, feel free to let me know.

Now, this topic was brought on by a blog post in which a wonderful writer replayed an actual incident, and described the people involved. The writer mentioned that one of the people was a "thin, black man". The writer is white. Stop the fucking presses, a white person said "black man". Now, this *shouldn't* be an issue, because good writing involves giving a clear mental picture to the readers, but a black reader was offended, and commented so. Basically, the reader felt race should have been left out of it, and by saying "thin, black man" the writer was racist. Have we all lost our minds?

You're black? I'm cool with that. You're Asian? Cool with that, too. Hispanic? Still cool with it. (Except the Mexican laborers who whipped their dicks out and peed in my front yard, on more than one occasion, where my kids could see, then pretended not to speak English when I yelled at them. BUT I wouldn't be cool with a person of any race exposing themselves to my kids, and pissing in my yard. Sorry.) Anyway, I don't care if you are white, black, green, purple, pink, red, blue, orange, aqua, cyan, brown, grey, mauve, yellow, or motherfucking clear. As long as you aren't an ass, you can be any color in the rainbow and still be cool by me. What does it matter? It doesn't. It doesn't matter where you live, what religion (or lack thereof) you follow, what your political beliefs are, how much money you have, or anything else, because we're still flesh and blood humans.

Now here's where I'm probably going to piss off anyone who hasn't already put out a hit on me for this post. Why is it that I should feel the need to walk on eggshells because I was born with less melanin than some? Should you automatically be angry if you were born with more? Am I not allowed to mention someone's race? Then why are people of other races allowed to call me white? (Ignoring the more derogatory names for white people, because that further complicates things) Why can there be the NAACP, Black Miss America, and BET (and I certainly do not mean to only call out black organizations, but they are the only "exclusive" ones I know of) but a group that only allowed white people, or called themselves the White *whatever* would be a public outrage. I don't think there should be any "exclusive" groups, but if there are going to be, then shouldn't it be equal across the board?? Basically, I'm sick of being hated and judged because I'm white. For the record, no member of my anscestry, going back to my people on the Mayflower, owned any slaves. We were all born and raised in the Northeastern US (except my children), until you get back to William Brewster, who was born in Scrooby, England and came to Plymouth Rock. SO.... stop making an entire race pay for the crimes of some people 200 years ago. I don't use derogatory terms to describe anyone's skin color, so what's the problem? There are asshats in every race, get over it. Why do we make an issue out of a harmless (and truthful) description? Isn't that reverse racism? Just stop it. I'm white, I am not a racist, I love some people, I hate others, and I base the decision off the actions of the person, not the color of their skin. I'm not going to apologize for stating someone's race, and I don't think my friend should either. It's fucking ridiculous to judge a book by it's cover, so don't.