A Majority

"Evil Liberal" Michael Moore has compiled the recent polls by CNN, CBS,ABC, NBC, AP/Ipsos, USA Today, and other polling resources on the President's handling of Iraq, the war (remember people, we are no longer at "WAR" according to the administration) in general, and military strength. Ignore the fact that the compilation is hosted on Michael Moore's site, do your own research into the validity of the polls if you'd like, and then ponder the results of the various polls. The majority of Americans have lost faith in our President, and feel that we are continuing a huge mistake in Iraq. People want to bash Democrats for denouncing the administration, but the sad truth is the majority of Americans now agree with them. You say it weakens the solidarity to speak publicly against the presidency? Well, these polls are public knowledge, the "enemy" can see them just as easily as we can. Maybe it's time for a change, time to admit mistakes and start fixing the problems. Clinton was impeached for getting a blow job and lying about it, why isn't Bush impeached for invading a country and lying about it? His lies have been much more detrimental to the American public. You wanna talk "family values"?? I VALUE my FAMILY, and don't want my husband to die over someone else's deception. Speaking against the war does not mean we don't support the troops, on the contrary, we support utilizing the troops appropriately, and not taking unnecessary risks with their well being. Soldiers are not expendable items, they are fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, and we need to remember that before throwing them into harm's way for all the wrong reasons.

Why Insurance Companies Suck

In general, we're very lucky to have our insurance. We don't pay anything for most situations, no premiums, etc. However, I have to be seen by a post doc, or get authorization to go off post. Well, I need to be seen ASAP, it's not an EMERGENCY situation (life, limb, eyesight, or unbearable pain), but it is pretty urgent**, at least to me. Here's the TMI, I've broken out with some cystic acne, and the left side of my face is swollen like a balloon. It's all fun and games until somebody's face blows up! So, I call for an appointment, nothing on the schedule for my preferred provider, I'll take first available. Oh, that's 10 days from now. FUN! No "same day" appointments (read: "urgent care") available either. Well, this is not good. I'm told by patient appointments to either call back Monday to see if there are any cancellations, or go to the ER. Do I REALLY want to go to the ER over some acne? No. Do I really want to deal with another 10 days of pain and swelling on my face? No. This is humiliating enough (and yet, here I am blogging about it!!) I am not very happy. I call TriCare for some suggestions on what to do, and after talking to an idiot for 10 minutes, I'm no better off. Let's see, the advice she gave me.
*I don't know what your question is.
*Since your doctor is no longer there, you have to call Patient Advocate for a referral off post. (My doc IS here, there are just NO appointments in ANY of our clinics) Oh. Nevermind.
*Go to an urgent care facility (Where can I find one I am allowed to go to?) I don't know, I'm in Colorado
*Go to the ER. (Even though it's not REALLY an emergency?) Well, no.
*Call for a referral to an offpost provider. (How long does that take?) I don't know, just let them know your doctor is no longer here and you need a referral. (Didn't we just have this conversation? My doctor IS here. Even still, I'd see ANY doc who can see me. I JUST CANNOT GET AN APPOINTMENT!
*Well, go to an Urgent Care or the ER. (Um, thanks. You've been a great help)

So, I guess I've got to decide if I want to go to the ER for a giganormous zit that has fucked up my whole face, or throw a bag over my head and hope for the best until after Thanksgiving. I'll probably go into the ER and beg for a cortisone shot, and some Xanax. I hate military healthcare.

**I'd like to go on record saying I'm not being a priss here. I have suffered through some horrible and humiliating breakouts, continuing with school, work, and life in general. However, this is particularly ouchie and the whole swollen face/lymph nodes thing sucks.

Happy 13 months!!

I was editing my profile on Blogger, and realized I totally missed my 1 year blogoversary! How could I have forgotten? Anyway, it's been 13 months of blogging, and I'm so grateful for those of you who read my mindless blather. This is my 526th post, I'm nearing 20K visitors (thanks Mom!!) and my goal for the next year is to write as well as many of you, to achieve even a small portion of your witty success. So, if y'all want to send gifts, I'm registered with Cash, and Amazon.com. Now, let's PAR-TAY!!

Better idea

Yesterday, Muzikdude discussed the world of childbirth, and the insane debate over natural v. drugged. For the record, I had a c-section (Twin A aka Shane was breech) and I plan to do it again. I don't care if you do it with heavy narcotics or have the baby in your bathtub naturally, because you are not me, just please don't criticize the "other" side. It's nobody's business except the mother and her doctor/midwife/doula. Anyway, back to my better idea. I would GLADLY go back to Monday, 3 June 2002, and do it all over again, naturally and without any pain medication if it meant I could be heavily sedated for the toddler years. Wouldn't that be nice? No more migraines from tantruming preschoolers, no more sore throats from yelling "Don't kick your sister/brother/the dog/me!!", no more anxiety over lost naps and failed potty training. It's like a tattoo, one night of pain for years of beauty... I'd SO sign up for that. (I considered changing my "plan" to sedate the children rather than me, but I figured it wouldn't be as successful.) Now, where did I leave that bottle of Motrin??

CYA

There is a new disclaimer above my hate mail notice, simply because I have the feeling my words will one day bite me in the ass. Bite away at me, but since my husband is practically government property I'd rather him not pay for any babble-assing I do here. Just sayin'...

Um... Okaaaay.

This is the second day in a row I've received search hits for wanting to um, be with their mom. Uh... EWWWW! Where do these people come from? (Actually the latest one is from Virginia. Be ashamed, Centreville, Virginia!) Just remember, before you type in your deepest secrets for the Google Gods to solve, people have statcounters, and we know how to use them. Ew! I need to go wash my blog now!

Reports from the fly on the wall

Shane undressed Madison's Lala (barbie doll, don't ask me why they are called Lalas) and Madison brought her to me for re-dressing. While I dressed Lala in her pretty party gown, Madison pipes in with "Lala has hipples (nipples) like us!! And armpits like us, too!!" We've been working on body parts, letting the kids bathe themselves with instruction, and the two parts they really know are nipples and pits. Greeeaaaaat. Something tells me this will bite me in the ass one day.

You like me! You really like me!!

At least SOME people still love me, and I'm getting some linky love from somewhere because I'm finally back to Marauding Marsupial. I hate being a Rodent, and my pouch really does cover up that troublesome belly area!

An interesting sidenote, quite a few of the links Google reports for my site are right wing conservative sites. These are sites I've never been to or commented on, but I receive referred visitors from them all the time. I can't find my site linked on theirs, and I think I've made it fairly obvious which side of the fence I sit on. (Of course, there are plenty of intelligent conservatives I consider blogfriends, I'm not damning the group as a whole! Yes, YOU are one of them!) Any ideas how I get the links? Am I a target to the right wing bloggers? Surely I haven't even registered a blip on their radar... have I?

Dark Sided!!!

I just thought I'd use that title because y'all are sort of causing me to have a little breakdown of my own. Hi, I'm Crystal, and I'm neurotic. You don't comment, and I start worrying. I start babbling uncontrollably here, hoping something, ANYTHING will spark enough interest to get some comments. When the verbal diarrhea runs out, I then start pestering my husband, wanting to know why, WHY does the internet hate me all of a sudden?? Am I no longer good enough, has the blogosphere broken up with me and I didn't know it? I knew I should have had that Altoid, and would it kill me to put on some lipstick? I really need to do my hair, no one wants to read a blog with bad hair, and I cringe to even think about my manicure! Then N starts thinking maybe he married a completely insane woman, and should have me committed, or at least heavily medicated. We're still newlyweds, people! Our first wedding anniversary is next month, and y'all are gonna have him thinking I'm crazy! How will you feel if you come by one day and see a post from N telling you he's put me in a nice padded room? It'll be ALL YOUR FAULT, you know! All because you couldn't take the time to comment! Do the right thing, here... I'm counting on you!

**Editor's note: I may have exaggerated the above details just a teensy bit, but believe me, the neurosis is real.

Logic-less

Your IQ Is 125

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Exceptional Your General Knowledge is Exceptional

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

Um... I'm logically stupid? Funny thing is this quiz is pretty close to my actual IQ. Maybe I really don't have much logical sense.
Come on... find out how smart you are! ;)

Spoiled? No way!!

Loki has staked her claim as Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Pooches. Here she is on her "throne" of dirty BDUs.


And to my complete humiliation, I had to go to Target, 20 miles away, because the dog needed a sweater. She shakes like a crackhead, and with the snow yesterday we figured we'd have to do something to keep her warm. Just like you can only act like a complete fool in Wal*mart without getting dirty looks, you can only find doggie apparel at Target. Designer (Isaac Mizrahi) apparel no less. I refused to be THAT yuppie, if I'm not wearing designer tags, my dog sure as hell isn't going to get them. None the less, I lurked to the doggie clothing section, praying for the floor to swallow me whole, and picked out the cheapest cold weather apparel they had. Do you know what I had to spend on this damn sweater? $12.99!! This is ME, who shops at thrift stores, and cringes at the thought of paying retail. To top it off, the sweater is too small, and needs to be exchanged. See for yourself.

Always a bridesmaid...

I'm #2 in this search. Go figure, a daddy blogger is #1. **Sigh**

WAKE UP!!

Y'all don't really think you can just traipse through here and not say hello, do you?? I don't care if you are commenting just to tell me I'm a babbling idiot, at least say something!! If you don't, I'm forced to obsessively check my stats to make sure people are still coming here, and wondering what I've done to make everyone hate me. Waahhhhh.... do I smell or something?

Name v.3.0

The dog's name has been changed again. "Precious" is too cutesy for my taste. I think we've settled on Loki, this one should stick. This is why parents start thinking of baby names early in pregnancy, the hospital would have a fit if we had to come up with names on the spot and kept changing them. Shane was always Shane Jacob, but Madison was originally going to be Brooklyn Nicole. At 7 months pregnant, I decided I didn;t want to use Brooklyn because I disliked the name "Brook", and people would probably call her Brook. She became Madison Elizabeth, or if you ask her "Princess Madison Withabev".

Back Asswards

I just read the latest Army Times, and the weekly magazine always reaffirms my belief that the Army is more than a little screwed up. The latest "issue" is recruiting, because for all of the recruiting shortages this summer, the goals were met for October. Still, the one thing the Army DIDN''T do then was target prior service recruits. They've finally decided to do that, now offering huge bonuses and retained rank to fomer soldiers. N would have fallen into this category!! We didn't receive any bonus, and he gave up one rank when coming back in, a $300/month pay cut. So, in addition to fighting tooth and nail to get back in, getting no re-enlistment bonus while new recruits were getting record amounts of money, and not getting choice of duty station (another common "perk" for soldiers re-enlisting, our "choices" were Alaska, Korea*, or Kansas) we've lost approximately $1800 to date (N's RE-promotion should happen next month). Sometimes I really want to throttle everyone in the Dept. of the Army.

*Korea is a hardship tour, the kids and I cannot accompany. N already served there for 1 year, it wasn't tops on our list.

Gourmet

This evening I prepared some sauteed pork and tofu, served with rice, carrots, and green beans. We ate (frozen) cheese ravioli for dinner. So, who did I make the other meal for? The freaking dog!! There is homemade dog food sitting in my refrigerator. Oh, and I'll tell you about my trip to Target later. I need a drink, I'm becoming one of "those" people!!

God Warrior Bobblehead!!

A nod to mdmhvonpa for this link. Ebay auction, currently at $350 at 12:30pm CST. Talking bobblehead doll of the now-infamous Trading Spouses breakdown. Turn of your speakers (NSFW) for a remix of the God Warrior. This shit is priceless. Anyone got a ringtone yet??

This is not a test

There is snow on the ground. This is not a test, we have confirmed snow on the ground. I'm NOT prepared for this!!

Just my honest opinion

I'm getting sick and tired of hearing about prisoner abuse by US soldiers. Everyone is all "OMG!! They mistreat the detainees!!", but why?? Do you think American soldiers and civilians captured by extremists are treated well? Sure, if getting your head chopped off and your body burned is good treatment. These people show us NO sympathy, Americans captured are tortured, murdered, and violated in every way. So what, if someone stripped the prisoners and laughed at them?? We didn't chop their heads off. So what if they were mentally and physically tormented? Do you think they wouldn't do the same, or worse to us?? This is war, people, whether the government calls it "war", or "winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people". (That is really how this situation is referred to currently) They are trying to kill as many Americans as possible, and we're trying to invite them for tea and krumpets. Fuck that. Fuck the "civil rights" because our constitution only guarantees those to AMERICAN CITIZENS, and the Geneva Conventions is a bunch of bullshit. If they (GOD FORBID) captured my husband, do you think they'd give him 3 squares and a comfy bed? NO! They'd torture him, try to get information from him, and then kill him. They don't follow Geneva Conventions, they don't have "rules of engagement" and they don't give two shits about Americans at all. They want YOU to die, they want me to die, they want to kill our babies, our elderly, our innocent citizens everywhere simply for being American. Fuck that... capture them, get information from them by any means, kick their asses from here to next week, and call it a day. That's just my opinion, of course, but I've lost all ability to sympathize with people who want nothing more than shedding of American blood.

Bring back TO

It's not a popular opinion, but I really want the Eagles to bring back Terrell Owens. The Eagles are my "home team", and I really like T.O., flaws and all. Who doesn't love seeing him do the "eagle", or whatever endzone hijinks he thinks up? Besides, we need him. Case in point, it is 4th quarter, 9 seconds left, and the Eagles are down by 1 because of an interception TD return. They are about to try a 60 yard field goal. Riiiiigghhhhhht. Just bring back T.O., ya idiots!!
P.S. Akers did NOT make the FG, the Eagles lose again.

Engrish

I stumbled upon this site, and have been laughing my ass off. Here is one of my favorites, notice the sign underneath it for the beauty salon. They can get "Cut, color, and perm" right, but they call their restaraunt "Poo".

Are you freaking joking??

I went to Yahoo!, and noticed these weird little things on my weather forcast. Not rain, but little.... SNOWFLAKES? I haven't seen snowflakes on a forecast in years, I'm so not ready for this!! It won't be cold enough tomorrow to stick, but apparently we will still get some snow. Holy crap. I grew up in the northeast, so snow is no big thing to me, but I've been acclimatized to warm weather in the last few years. **Sigh** Pass the cocoa, and add a little Bailey's if you don't mind.

"I AM A GOD WARRIOR!!!"

Nod to Yvonne for this link. Dark Sided (NSFW!!!)

Meet the newest addition **UPDATED**

We adopted her yesterday from a local shelter, she's a 4 year old Japanese Chin. We're struggling with names, her "original" name was Asia, but she doesn't respond to it so we felt comfortable changing it. We chose Keiko, but the kids are having trouble with it, calling her Tico after the squirrel from Dora the Explorer. So, N and I decided to put it to you, my wonderful readers, to help us name our dog. I'm leaning towards an Oriental name, but am open to all suggestions. What do you think??




She's been the perfect dog for us, very laid back and quiet, content to lay on the couch and watch the activity. She's a "toy" breed, I'm currently making her dog food because finding kibble small enough for her isn't exactly easy, and she's turned her nose up all all store-bought food. The best part about adopting an older dog is she is housebroken, gotta love that. Now if she only had a name!

UPDATE: I think we've decided on Precious, as she has a princess personality, but Princess is one of Madison's nicknames. Stay tuned to see if the name sticks.

Browser bashing

Actually, I'm not bashing any of the browsers, I just thought that was a cute title. Ben was discussing "optimizing" sites for FF, and how most of his readers were using IE like him. I decided to check, and found that I had one visitor using IE (that was Ben), one using Netscape, and one using Firefox. (Gimme a break, it's a slow day) My site is best viewed in FF, it looks kinda bizarre in IE. So, to my IE readers, sorry about that. Psst... you'll love Firefox if you give it a try, I'm just saying. Anyway, the split stats made me wonder... what browser do YOU use??

Safety notes

Note to self: Stay away from computer when really drunk. Failure to do so can result in ebarrassment. I considered taking down my drunk blogging post, but it was actually pretty funny. If you need me, I'll be recovering on my couch.

Thank you anehueserbusgch

This drybjjk blof is brought you byb the people who make bud light. Drunk bloggin is fun!! Exceot I can;t focus on the screeen. tghe Bud llitght people have some preytty col theme parks, I went on my firstr roller coasster at Bushe gardens. in Virgina. Anyway, we're ce.ebraying N's recovery woth a few beers. amd beer is good. Actualuly beer tastes like ass, but tbe effeccts are good. You shold totally try it someyime. Goodnite/

We're surviving

We are still alive and fairly well. N came through the surgery just fine, and has been a model patient here at home. There was no nerve damage, which is good. He was so cute after waking up from the sedation, all mumbly and incoherent. Anyway, I'll update soon, I promise. How are y'all doing?

Oral-maxillioWHAT?

N is going in this afternoon to get a wisdom tooth removed. This is after a long dance around the situation, not by him, but by the doctors. He had hif first ever cavity filled a couple weeks ago after going in because of pain from the wisdom tooth. They referred him to oral surgery for the extraction of the tooth because it's impacted. The idiots at Oral-Maxillofacial surgery decided the molar with the new filling might need a root canal instead of the wisdom tooth needing to come out. So, an appointment on Friday was to remove brand new filling, check root, and if it was NOT the cause of the problem they would refill cavity, sedate N, and remove the wisdom tooth. This is getting ridiculous. THEN, the oral surgeon had to go to ER, a child came in needing emergency surgery. So, N was sent home with the filling v.2, and and appointment for the 30th to have surgery. **Sigh** They told him to call on Monday if he was still in a great deal of pain, and they'd fit him in sooner. Sooner ended up being today at 12:15pm. That's great, he won't be suffering all month, but instead of being on quarters for the weekend for recooperation, he's gonna miss some work this week. Oh, and there is a good chance the surgery will cause some nerve damage, like a numb chin. Yay!! Either way, I told N I may audioblog his drunken ramblings after surgery if he isn't a good patient in recovery. I'm evil like that.

Salt in the proverbial wound

What is worse than losing your basketball game 112-2? Having the whole country find out about it. Ouch.

Slumber-less party

The kids are having their first "sleepover" tonight. It's actually a dual purpose night, because Yeida and her hubs wanted to go out, and we had already promised the kids they could have a sleepover this weekend. Yeida and Enrique stayed until bedtime, since they are headed to a "big kid" party, so really N and I got off easy. The kids are SO CUTE together, even though there are 3 girls and Shane. Shane is gonna grow up thinking he's a pimp daddy, surrounded by females. So, as I type this, we're doing the "Go. To. SLEEP!" thing that parents do. It's not unusual to catch our children acting up after lights out, but add two more tired pre-schoolers and it's self-inflicted insanity. It's definitely worth it though, the kids all love each other!! Now, let's pray N and I make it to morning!

Turn back time

This morning I was having a bit of trouble waking up. My loving husband woke me up, and I told him I wanted to sleep some more.

N: What time do you want me to set the alarm for??
C: 9:00
N: It's 9:30, baby...
C: Ok (zzzzzzzzz)

N: Baby, time to get up...
C:I don't want to
N: What time do you want me to set the alarm, then?
C: 9:30
N: It's 9:40. I'll be your alarm clock. Cryssy... time to get up, baby.
C: You're talking too much. Go away
N: I'm sorry
C: It's fine, just go away!!

Aren't you glad you don't have to wake me up every morning? Poor N deals with my combat sleeping, and non-morning personality. I finally got up when the kids got into bed with me, because their wake up calls usually involve little fingers up my nose, or pulling up my eyelids. I do love my husband for putting up with my ass.

Dateline: To Catch a Predator

We're watching Dateline, and it's about online predators. They've set up decoy chats, "young teens" (12, 13, & 14 year olds) who are chatting with older men looking to meet them. The men then showed up to a house expecting the teens to be alone and waiting for them. Sexually explicit chats with both girls and boys, and 19 men showed up to meet in 3 days. Well, most of them ran when they saw the reporter come from the shadows, but a few sat and talked to the reporter, admitted what they were trying to do, etc. So far, they've had a Sergeant in the US Army (who also wanted to engage in be@sti@lity with the child), an emergency room doctor, a Special Ed teacher, and A RABBI. The rabbi had exchanged such explicit photos and chatting that they could show only tiny bits on TV, and was meeting a "13" year old boy. I'm so appalled and enraged, I cannot believe such disgusting people are holding such honorable positions. Seriously, how in the FUCK does something like this go through someone's brain?? The most insane part is that charges are not filed immediately, even though there is record of the crimes. The employers were notified in some cases, and the military in the cases of soldiers and sailors. We, as parents, need to do something about these people. Check your child's message archive in Yahoo! messenger, monitor online activity, and talk to your kids. I remember being approached online when I was a young teen, men asking perverse questions and trying to initiate contact. These disgusting criminals will stop at nothing to harm our children.

Hey, look!! Something shiny!!

Texas is known for it's speedy death penalty. They'll fry your ass in a hot minute if you do the crime. However, one man managed to hide from the grim reaper, at least for the time being. How do you let a death row prisoner just waltz out of jail? Apparently, all you need is some khakis and a pair of sneakers, plus and ID badge from the AG's office. Someone is definitely getting fired for this one.

Boo!!

I discovered something interesting this week. Apparently, Fort Riley has a few resident ghosties! This all came up when Yeida was telling me about another friend's quarters, and how her friend thought they were haunted. Her friend, Jo, had heard loud knocking after she moved in, and thought it was the front door. No one was there, so she thought it might be her kids. They were out cold, but the knocking persisted. On another occasion she heard someone calling "Momma!!" repeatedly. She thought it might be her son, but he was sleeping peacefully. She finally asked the spirit to stop, explained that they would be living in the quarters for a couple years, and didn't mean any harm. The noises stopped, but the ghost then started toying with electronics. The radio would come on by itself, often turned all the way up. Yeida was witness to this one day, the radio turned on, blaring at top volume. So, I decided to see what kind of ghost history I could find, because there are rumors of strange occurances happening on main post (the oldest part of the base). Many posts have ghost stories, often they are just silly rumors, but apparently the stories here are widely believed. General George Armstrong Custer was stationed here (many areas and buildings are named after him, I live up on Custer Hill), and some of the last battles with Native Americans were staged on these grounds. There was a Cholera outbreak in the 1800s that left much of the post dead. Custer was at Leavenworth at the time, and was court martialed for leaving his post to come to Riley and check on his wife. So, there are reports of men playing polo on the Infantry Parade Field, which used to be a polo field.There are also reports of a man riding horseback on the Lower Parade field early in the morning. A man is seen dressed in old-style clothing on horseback in stable 1 of the horse stables. A nurse is seen on Main Post, though I'm unclear on the building in particular. A woman who died during the Cholera outbreak is often seen by the trolly station, near the area her house once stood. There are many accounts of unexplained sightings and noises across the post. Anyone want to go ghost hunting with me??

Um... ok

This was an ad on Yahoo!... am I the only one who is thinking this is more than a bit tacky?? Yahoo! has had some pretty tacky ads lately, like the "morning after" pill ad with the fake IMs saying "OMG the condom broke!!", but I think this one takes the cake.

Shut it, lady!!!!

Every once in a while I encounter a person who decides they don't approve of my parenting. I'm not perfect. Are you? If you are, please come teach me. Still, in my non-perfection, I do the best I can for my kids. I don't beat them, I don't neglect them, I don't let them run wild. See, this is a no-win situation. If someone sees a child running around like a maniac, hitting, screaming, being a little terror, they think "Why doesn't that parent control their child?!" Tongues cluck, heads shake, and a parent is judged. Situation B, a stranger sees a parent spank an unruly child, and the stranger assumes the child is abused. There is no outcome that prevents a parent from being judged in the face of a public tantrum. I come from the "old" thinking, I'm not going to ask little Timmy why he feels so frustrated that he must throw things and kick me. I think a child should behave properly, and having a heart to heart in the bread aisle isn't going to get that done. My children are well behaved by most standards, but are NOT angels, and have their tantrums. Sometimes it's one child at a time, sometimes it's both, you just never know. Today was Shane's day. My friend Yeida picked us up to do some shopping. Shane unbuckled his carseat on the highway, something he sometimes does, but is NOT acceptable. I threatened to have Yeida pull over, and when he felt the car decelerate he promptly put his belt back on. Still, he pushed every limit, tested every rule, and by the time we got to the store he was nearly unbearable. Still, the show must go on, I am not in my van, and Yeida and I had to pick up some things. We bought the kids some chips to keep them happy, and Yeida's daughter, and Maddie were both fine. Shane was less than well-behaved. After 20 minutes or so, we were ready to check out, and I had spent the previous 20 minutes reprimanding my unruly son. Finally, as I paid for my items, I lost it, and told him I was taking him to Daddy at work, and Daddy would have his ass for not listening to me. An empty threat of frustration, but the WRONG thing to do at that time was shake your head. The lady nearby shook her head, and looked me in the eye, as if saying "So pathetic". Shane continued to flail and cry, trying to climb out of the cart and throw himself down. I said "Shane JACOB! I have had it!! Why is it I've been yelling at you since we got here? Why won't you BEHAVE?!" Aforementioned lady says "Well that's why! You keep yelling!" Oh, I flipped out. I told the lady I would raise these twins however I damn well pleased. Did SHE give birth to them? Did I ask HER opinion on parenting? Don't think so, asshole!! Yeida and I walked out the door, and the cashier came out after me and thanked me for saying something to that woman. In the car Yeida told me she was silently praying for the woman to keep it to herself, because she knew I'd tear her to bits. Of course, she was right, because if there is one thing I hate it's self-rightous people. So, if you see that woman flipping out with her tantruming child? Maybe you should give her a knowing smile, or a helping hand, but for the love of Dr. Spock, don't criticize. Especially if you live in a state where concealed weapons are legal. I'm just sayin'...

Trip recap!

We left Thursday afternoon, after a rocky start. Getting out of the house on time was just not destined to happen. The drive there was fairly uneventful, the most interesting things between here and Oklahoma are the overbearing signs of Christianity. For example, there is an "Adult Superstore" on the side of the interstate. In front of it is a huge sign that says "Jesus saves and heals. Pornography destroys" Of course, I mentioned the billboard that had my blood boiling in an earlier post. So, Oklahoma was also fairly uneventful. Cheap gas in Sooner Country made us want to pack up and move there. We finally got to the great state of Texas, and by the time we reached Central TX it was near dawn. A (too) quick nap, and we were out the door. Lunch with my MIL, some time on Fort Hood, and some random errands. We stopped by the tattoo shop to say hello, and decided to come back in the evening for some work. The kids spent an evening filled with junk food and toys, and overall spoiling by Oma. Saturday was relaxing, more spoiling for the kids, more relaxing by mommy and daddy. Saturday night was trick-or-treating. I've never seen the kids so excited. "You mean they give us CANDY?!? Hell yeah!!!" The sugar high turned into a sugar coma, and all was well. Sunday was the day Jake had to be in San Antonio, so my in-laws drove him down there. Monday afternoon we left, unwillingly, and all was going fairly well untl we were about 16 miles from our exit. 3am, and I saw a car seemingly out of no where in my rearview. I asked N if it was a cop, and no sooner had he said "I hope not" than the lights flipped on. Shit, I knew I was speeding, I figured I was DONE FOR. The cop told me I was speeding in a work zone (the work zone had ended about 2 miles back) but let me off with a warning. Holy crap, I owe some good karma or something. We got home, got the kids upstairs, and got ourselves into bed by 4am. Poor N had to be at PT at 6:20, he got to sleep a bit on the ride home, but was totally miserable when the alarm went off. So, that sums up my weekend... how was yours?

Update

With all the travel and excitement, I almost forgot to update on Emily and the lumps in her breasts. They turned out to be harmless, we're all very grateful for that small blessing. Thank you for your concern and prayers, Emily and the rest of our family really appreciate it.

Main Break

Would you like to take a shower? Yeah, me too... except the freaking construction idiots hit our water main, and we have NO WATER. We didn't find this out until we went to give the kids a bath, so they got a babywipe bath. Ugh, this is gonna be a long night. I really need a shower, and was planning on cleaning my floors, so you can imagine how excited I am. Pass the perfume.

Home, sweet home

We're home. I did NOT want to come home, everyone had such a wonderful time at my in-laws. We miss Jake a lot, Shane cried for him the first night he was gone. I'll have a full update later, after the kids are in bed and the house is back together. I caught up with all of your blogs, so if I didn't comment it was just because I was short on time and energy. For now, I'll leave you with some pictures.

Edited: The pics will have to wait, I need to crunch them. Check back in a bit!

Leaving the nest

Jake left a few minutes ago for San Antonio, early tomorrow morning he'll swear in to the United States Coast Guard. We're all going to miss him a lot, I'm really glad he stayed with us for a couple of months before he left. It was nice getting to know my brother-in-law, and for him to spend some time with Nate. He will tell you himself how much he looks up to Nate, always has. I'm sure part of that is the 9 year age difference, Nate was leaving to go into the Army when Jake was just a kid. Anyway, we're really proud of him, he's shown maturity and discipline beyond his years. Best of luck, Jakey... we're always here for you.

Stories from the road

Guess where I'm writing this from!! Oh, come on... guess! Well, I'm on 135 South, heading towards Wichita, KS. I cannot WAIT to get out of KS, I never thought I'd be so excited about entering Oklahoma. I figure I can write a few posts along the way in Notepad, and post them once we reach internet access. We stopped off at a truck stop to buy a converter for the laptop charger, and gas was $2.07/gal. The really sad part is that made me want to pee my pants a little. I mean we paid $2.24 when we filled up on post, and my MIL says it's in the $2.40 range in TX. Anyway, we've had one pee accident per child already, the joys of driving with toddlers. I guess it could be worse, no one gets carsick in our family. Nothing like the smell of puke to make 650 miles last forever.
On the non-roadtrip front, something occurred to me Tuesday night when watching "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown". Where the hell were the parents of the Peanuts gang? When Linus falls asleep in the pumpkin patch it's his sister who goes out and gets him. What was Mom doing, drinking herself into oblivion?? How about Dad?? Seriously, that was a CPS case waiting to happen. I wonder what the Peanuts gang grew up to be. The world may never know.
So, that's about it for this stretch of highway. Keep on trucking, or something like that.

More tales of the road here. I'm in Lawerence, KS, home of Kansas University and right next to Wichita. We just passed a billboard that convinced me this town needs to be bombed right off the planet. A polite looking young man next to the words "ex-gays prove change is possible". WTF?!?! I'm guessing it was for one of those "camps" that "reforms" gays and lesbians. I'm totally disgusted. Seriously, I hate this state.

We stopped in Moore, OK to get an OU hat for Shane. Wal*mart was the Promised Land!!! There was $2.00 gas, and the Wal*mart had every OU thing you could want! Nate was in HEAVEN!

Well, we are in the great state of Texas now, we arrived at about 5:30am, I've never been so happy to see the Killeen exit. Actually, when we passed an HEB in Waco, I decided that I love HEB and want to marry it and have little HEB babies. I had a Krispy Kreme in Alvarado, and thought it couldn't get any better than that, but seeing HEB, and then our bank, and Baylor, and the bar I got drunk at for my 21str birthday, and YEAH!!! We are in TEXAS!! We're home!! Too. excited. for. words!

Saturday:

At some point last night I decided I wanted a tattoo. We were down at the tattoo shop, saying hi to everyone, and I told Chris I wanted to get in his chair later. Since it was the day before payday, we got lucky, and the place was pretty slow. When I said "I just want a little bit of cover work to start extending this tattoo towards my other shoulder", Chris heard "Let's do both shoulder blades tonight!!" He gave me such a killer quote on it I decided to go all the way. Of course, N decided he wanted another too, so halfway through mine he left me with his brothers, and went across the hallway to Chad's booth. Thanks, hon! Anyway, I was a big fat baby, but I made it through. I only teared up twice, and didn't break anyone's hand. Thing is, there a few moments where I was like "This isn't bad, I've got this, I'm good... OH SHIT! NOT GOOD!! NOT GOOD!!!" Since this was much larger than my other two, I am SORE! I'll post pictures when I get home, sicne I don't have my USB for my camera with me.

So, I'll probably post more later, and pictures are coming next week. Happy Halloween!

Adios, amigos!!

We're leaving this afternoon for Texas, we'll be back on Tuesday. Our "bubby" Jake is going to Basic Training for the Coast Guard! I'm really excited for him, but also sad he's leaving us. He's been staying with us since August, and it's been really great having him around. The kids are going to miss their Uncle Jakey so much!! Of course, going to Texas to see Oma and Opa, and Uncle Ducky will help soften their pain. Candy and trick-or-treating will surely sweeten the deal.

On a sidenote, housing failed to inform us that the construction crews would be digging up our yards to put in a new sewer line. I finally asked one of the guys what exactly they were tearing up my lawn for. I woke up this morning to find a backhoe in the yard, and about an hour ago they started digging. I'm glad I won't be around for the rest of this "project".

So, have a great SPOOKY Halloween weekend, and I'll see you next week!

Please let there be a season two!!

FX's provacative drama "Over There" finished it's first season tonight. I will be so disappointed if this show isn't renewed next year. Apparently, it's up in the air right now, it's been both praised and criticized, so we shall see. I think I'd have a harder time watching it if my husband was actually in Iraq at the time, it would be a little too close to home. Still, understanding military life, and the realities of deployment, it's an interesting and fairly realistic show. My only real complaint? All but one of the spouses cheated, or at least stepped on the line of cheating. There is a lot of infidelity in the military, I think young couples, long separations, and the nomad lifestyle lead to a lot of cheating, and a very high divorce rate. Still, there are thousands of military spouses who stand faithfully by their soldier through thick and thin. Not all of us look at a deployment as a singles cruise, not all of us need to find comfort in bed with someone else. I'm just saying...
Anyway, I digress. The show as a whole was really good, even N got hooked on it. I may have to check out "Nip/Tuck", since I love "Rescue Me" and "Over There" so much, though I'm not sure I can stand the gore. Other than that, I'm down to only "Desperate Housewives" until next summer.

Code Red!! **updated**

Vacuum Watch status: No activity. It seems her manic cleaning has either stopped, or moved indoors.

Now, we interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you an emergency broadcast. Code Red: I'm out of Coke. I drank my last can this morning, and have no backup until lunchtime. I have to pack for our trip to TX, and am doing so without my lifeblood. CODE RED! CODE RED! Lock all your doors and stay inside until further notice. Stay calm, and ignore any screaming or crying you may here coming from the central US.

That is all. Stay tuned for further updates.

**Update: Order has been restored, I have a fresh 12 pack in the fridge.

That's the way the cookie crumbles **UPDATED**

We have a little joke around here about Nate's ability t make cookies. I make some kick ass cookies, and my wonderful husband has tried many times to make some of his own. Unfortunately, they don't ever come out right. Usually, the dough is crumbly and dry, and until now I could never figure out why. I was out running errands when Jake decided he wanted to make chocolate chip cookies. N told him to wait until I got home, not trusting his baking abilities. Well, I told the boys I didn't feel like it, but they could go ahead and give it their best shot. Jake asked how many tbsp make a cup, referring to the butter. I told him to look on the package, and he said, "A whole stick?" I told him he needed TWO whole sticks. At this point, N tells me that's why his cookies suck, he'd only been using one stick. Aha!! A good laugh all around, and we go check on Jake's progress in the kitchen. All of a sudden I realize he's put ALL the ingredients in a bowl, but hasn't used the mixer yet. Why I point this out, he looks at the recipe, and realizes his error. Nate asks me if I can fix it. Um, no... not unless I have a magic wand that separates everything again. So, they're mixing up a big bowl of ingredients, and hoping for the best. I totally give them an "A" for effort, although their recipe reading skills are much lacking. I'll let you know how they turn out.

**I'm happy to report the cookies came out fine. Pass the milk, please?

More childhood mishaps

Vacuum Watch status: Not vacuuming, moved on to washing driveway. 4:15pm CST

So, continuing with my theme of childhood mishaps today, I'll share another story of un-common sense at my mom's store. My mom met my dad while working at the store, he's a police officer in the same town and would frequently stop in. They started dating when I was 7 or so, but my mom already knew quite a few of the officers in the town. Well, behind the registers there is a button for emergencies, you can push it and a silent alarm goes out to the police. You can probably see where this was going. I knew the button was not to be pushed, but sometimes I would help put things away behind the registers, bag items when it was slow, etc. I'd see that button, and it would almost call to me. I just wanted to see what would happen, who can resist pushing a button that you aren't supposed to touch? Well, one little push won't hurt anything right? I won't even push it, I'll just touch it. It's recessed into the counter, I'll just stick my little fingers in there and see what it feels like. Oh, just a regular old button, I feel better, I got to touch it and nothing exploded or anything. Right?? No harm done!! Um, approximately 30 seconds later there were quite a few police officers standing outside with weapons drawn, yelling in to my mom, asking if everything is ok. Uh, oh... I'm probably in a lot of trouble. Well, it was explained, I'm sure there were a couple chuckles over this, and life went on. I can't even remember if I was punished, I'm SURE I was for such a lame-brained idea, but I do know my mom was thoroughly embarrassed. I was too, of course. And I never touched that button again.

**If I can get my husband to give me the OK, I'll blog his most infamous childhood mishap. It's way better than mine, certainly a lesson he only had to learn once.

Un-Common Sense

Vacuum Watch status: Still vacuuming. 12:45pmCST

Christine reminded me of some childhood mishaps, with her daughter's pencil sharpener incident. I figured I'd share them with you, in case you needed a good laugh today.

A little background. My mom worked as a store manager for a large company in the northeast. She was there from the time I was an infant until early this year, she told me just before New Year's Eve 2004 that she was leaving the job.

Back in the late 1980s, they built a new store closer to our home, much larger, a big step up for her. This was HER store, she opened it, built the customer base, met my stepdad there, etc. When this store was first built we spent a lot of time there preparing for the grand opening. The day before the store opened, she took me with her to finish up some last minute things. She sat me down in her office, and probably told me to behave, color a picture, and not mess with anything. Well, my 5 year old self took that as "Play with all the things on Mommy's desk." Eventually I came across the stapler, which seemed like a fine device to explore. After stapling a few papers, probably an eraser or two, I decided to experiment. I wondered if the stapler could staple my thumb? I placed my little thumb, pad facing up, under the device, and pressed. Guess what?? Staplers DO staple skin!! Who knew? Needless to say, I screamed for Mommy, who came and bandaged me up in good Mommy fashion. I'm sure it was only two little pinpricks, but at the time I certainly thought I was dying. I'm sure she silently laughed, just as Christine did. After all, kids don't always use common sense.

Vacuum watch 2005

My neighbor? She's vacuuming again. Furiously. In shorts and a t-shirt when it's in the 50s. Nate drove past her today, she was sitting in her jeep (not the car she's vacuuming, I think it's her husband's jeep) gripping the steering wheel and looking around like she wasa trapped animal. I know that I was poking fun yesterday, but as this goes on I am thinking she really might be ill. Her husband is deployed, has been since we moved in, and that's pretty much all I know about her. She actually lives a few houses down, so not much of an opportunity to just run into her and start up a conversation. Apparently her next door neighbor is in N's unit, another neighbor who is in the same platoon is going to ask him what's going on. There may be a perfectly reasonable explanation for this bizarre behavior, but I'm not convinced yet. So, we're on Vacuum Watch 2005 until further notice. I'll keep you updated.

Rest in peace, Mrs. Parks

Rosa Parks has died of natural causes at the age of 92. Go in peace, ma'am, I hope we never forget your message of equality.

Go away

Hey... person from Pakistan. There are no "Ultr*a Ultr*a R*ape pics" here. They still cut off body parts for crimes in your country?? Because I can think of a few to relieve you of.

Don't make any sudden moves

Shhhh. Don't move. My neighbor has gone crazy, and we don't want to agitate her. Really, the woman was always kind of high strung, I've never spoken to her but I often see her running around like a maniac, always moving at hyperspeed. We nicknamed her Redneck Lady, you'll just have to trust me that the name fits. All summer long we watched her run (really, RUN) her lawnmower around her yard, then run in spastic circles with the leafblower to blow off the clippings on her driveway. Imagine taking meth and deciding to do lawncare, this is what it would look like. Anyway, she never bothered anyone (her daughter is a different story), just continued with her bizarre routines. Last week she began vacuuming her car. I know what you are thinking, "So what?? Everyone does that!" When I say vacuuming, I mean with the whole upright vacuum, not with a hose or a handheld. A bit weird, but ok, whatever. She's been at it for 4 or 5 days now, still a bit weird, but maybe she spilled sand in there or something. It might be more time efficient to borrow a shopvac from housing, or go up the road to the car care center and use the vacs, but we haven't reached total insanity yet. However, when I walked outside a few minutes ago I noticed she's still at it. She's been vacuuming since early afternoon, like lunchtime or so. And it's now 8pm. And dark. In case you aren't following me, she has been vacuuming her car for over 6 hours. Doesn't that seem a bit, um, INSANE?? Lady, there is no more dirt, I promise, just put down the vacuum and step away from the vehicle. Here, have some Valium, I think you need it. These nice men are going to take you for a ride, to a place that will be nice and clean. **smile and nod**

Un-Motivational

I like my house to be clean and tidy, but don't we all? I mean, I don't have unrealistic expectations, I know the house will be a bit of a mess when the kids are running around being kids, but I usually clean up every night. That means I have a nice clean house before I go to bed, and for about 5 minutes in the morning. Lately, however, I have no motivation to clean. None. I force myself to do as little as possible, but it's a true battle to convince my ass to move. Still, one can't live in filth, so I swept and mopped, and wiped, and all that fun stuff. There is still a ton of stuff that needs to be done, but I'm clinging to my excuses. We're out of paper towels, can't clean the glass. Oh, can't vacuum, I might wake up the family. (I always vacuum at night, what's the difference now??) Bah, I need a maid or something. This cleaning crap is really interfering with my hobbies. And where the hell does all this dust come from?!

RIP

My cell phone is terminally ill. It has cell phone pnuemonia, someone left it out in the rain and it is having trouble recovering. I think it is time to remove the life support, and let it go in peace. I'm not as fanatical about my phone as some people, but that is partially because it's cheap and fairly new. It wasn't chosen for it's looks or features, but rather for it's low, low price. I'm also sad to report N's phone is not doing well. He used to have the same phone I have, but he has a tendency to break phones. He now has a non-flip phone, since they are tougher to break, but something has managed to malfunction anyway. I'm pretty upset, since we just bought this one a couple months ago. Anyway, since our cell phones are the only phones we use, they must be active and healthy. Since we're going to TX next weekend, I'd like them to be working before then. Thank god for Ebay, I'm shopping and bidding as we speak. The end is near for the current models, may they rest in cell phone heaven.

Speaking of pedicures

I've been getting a large amount of hits from a picture of my pedicure a couple months ago. Um, why are y'all (those who are coming here for that picture) so interested in feet? Nevermind, I doubt I want to know. Ew.

Battle of the sexes

We're having a little debate this morning. The kids woke up in a fairly good mood, being cute and sweet, a bit unsettling to tell the truth. Then, their normal personalities woke up, and fought over breakfast. The issue at hand? The age old battle of the TV. Madison wanted to watch Spongebob (thanks to Yahoo! news, which had a picture of Spongebob on my computer screen), and Shane wanted to watch... football. Daddy watches ESPN in the early morning, while getting ready for work. This means it's usually the station that pops up when the TV is turned back on. Shane has become quite the BOY lately, with an obsession with bugs, sports, and farting. Oh, the farting. He thinks it's just the funniest thing ever, and he can stink up a room faster than most grown men. Oh, and he MUST poop first thing in the morning, or his day has not started well.
What was I saying? Oh, yeah... the days Blue's Clues and the Backyardigans being his favorite viewing pleasure are no more. Instead it's any football game he can spot, regardless of level, team, or score. He's just starting to understand the intricacies of a game that still confuses me, but apparently the topic of the week is fumbles. Last week it was touchdowns. Now I understand how boys become men, and seem to just magically know all about sports and cars and bodily functions. If you need me, I'll be teaching Madison the fine art of the mani/pedi.

Business plan

I have it all figured out, as Cori would say how I'm going to "make my pile" (although that phrase conjures up thoughts of pooping, I've been around toddlers for TOO LONG). You see, my son's head is made of super unbreakable material. He's taken more than his fair share of blows, rarely do they result in more than a minute of whining. For example, he fell down the stairs, and scraped a nice chunk of skin off his forehead, but was seemingly unfazed. He still has a bit of discoloration where that scab healed, right along his hairline. Then, when getting out of the LooneyVan today, he tripped over his own feet, and faceplanted on the concrete. He managed to hit the exact same spot, and luckily only got just a couple of tiny scrapes. It all happened in that horrific slow-motion, where I saw him falling, but couldn't reach out fast enough. Poor kid. Luckily, no bleeding, so a bag of chips from the store erased his pain. Anyway, onto my business plan. I'm going to re-create the material Shane's head is made from, and sell it to NASA. No more shuttle problems, Shane's head could withstand the intense heat and pressure of re-entry without damage. Maybe the military will use it to replace their body armor. A light-weight, wash and wear material sure to stop the sharpest shrapnel. I really think I'm onto something here.

Seriously

One of our cousins recently found a lump in her breast. She's about my age, early 20s. A mammogram is scheduled for the 31st. So, if you could spare a moment to pray, or chant, or talk to your god however you chose to, we'd appreciate it. There's a little girl who needs her mommy, and a whole family who needs Emily to be OK. Keep her in your thoughts? Thanks.

Crystal

To each his own

Ok, so Harriet Miers, new Supreme Court nominee, has some signifigant pro-life ties. Could this mean the end of Roe v. Wade? Democrats predicted this very scenario before Bush's second term, with 2 openings on the court he can easily stack towards right-wing conservative views. I have just one question for the right wing. Why do you feel everyone should live by your morals/standards/opinions? I am personally pro-choice, because I believe every person has the right to choose what they do with their body. I'm also pro-euthanasia when there are checks and balances, such as Oregon's current law. I'm for the right to modify one's body, the right to dress how one chooses, and to raise one's children as they choose. I don't have the right to tell anyone how to live, provided they are not harming anyone else. You may say "What about the fetus?" and my answer to that is it becomes a crim when the fetus is viable on it's own. What's that, approximately 23 to 24 weeks? I'm against late term abortions, with few exceptions. Ultimately, I just cannot understand why so many people want the whole country to live by their rules. Why can't we all just live and let live? If you don't approve, you don't need to participate. Do a little research on life before Roe v. Wade. There were tons of women dying because of backroom abortions, clothes hangars, herbal abortions, heading to Mexico to have the procedure. Outlawed abortion failed as miserably as prohibition, and a couple of decades can't change that. So, who are we to tell our neighbor how to live?

I don't feel like coming up with a title, so bite me.

I'm a bit under the weather, thus the lull in postings. I spent yesterday in bed, and after sleeping away as much of Monday (and early Tuesday) as I could, I am doing better today. Except... I have that icky queasy feeling, where nothing sounds the least bit appealing. Fun. I blame Wal*mart... check back later.

I made it!

Well, Wal*mart was just as chaotic as I expected it to be. Still, I made it out alive, and not much worse for the wear. I did get some good scrapping done, and the weekend didn't turn out half bad. I plan on being lazy today, and so far I'm achieving my goal. I might give in and finish a bit of laundry, but that's it! So, how's your weekend been?

It's a DOLL COMPANY

Conservative groups are calling for a boycott of the American Girl company, because of their donations to Girls, Inc. They say Girls, Inc is a pro-abortion, pro-lesbian group, thus the uproar. American Girls make quality dolls, often in historical American dress, as well as other products that present a healthy image for young girls to model. The fact that some conservative groups want to turn them into a political statement is just plain pathetic. A doll company shouldn't be teaching our children what party to support, or forcing forcing adult beliefs onto them. FYI to those groups, it's a PARENT'S job to teach their children what morals they feel are appropriate, and you cannot control the thinking of everyone in the world. Get over yourself. Look beyond the message of pro-choice and acceptance of homosexuals, and see all of the other WONDERFUL messages Girls, Inc supports. If you still don't like them, don't donate, and no one is MAKING you buy the product that American Girls is donating to that group.

Weighing in

I just finished watching the full unedited video of the police beating in New Orleans. I wasn't planning on adding my two cents on this, but I'm just disgusted. The officers involved, including what appears to be plain-clothes officers, or possibly bouncers from a nearby club, beat the crap out of that poor man. You can hear some of the conversations going on, including when one officer grabbed and pushed the producer up against a car, and told him ranted about being down there for 6 weeks trying to keep people alive. Well, if the bars are re-opening, and people are coming back, that's a good sign. However, the NOPD is terribly shorthanded, since some of them turned tail and ran during Katrina. That's still NO excuse for beating a man on the streets, I'd like to think we haven't reached total anarchy down there yet. Now, before you say "But they were only doing their job, you don't know what it's like!!" I do. My dad is a police officer, riot trained, and I grew up surrounded by officers. I've heard their stories of arrest, drunken sports stars, belligerent drug addicts, the angriest of the angry, and at no point did they ever beat a man like that. There are non-violent weapons like Mace, and I venture to say most officers worth their salt can subdue a man without beating his head into a wall. You hear the victim submitting, while they keep pummelling. I have no doubt these officers are under a lot of stress, but that isn't the public's fault. I'm just beyond appalled, and sad. The actions ofa few always reflect on the group as a whole, and this incident undoubtedly tarnished the reputations of well-trained, responsible police officers everywhere.

Bitch-free **Edited**

I, and I'm sure many others, spend a lot of energy bitching about what goes wrong, how people screw up, and just general incompetence. Every once in a while it's nice to praise the people who do something well! We had maintenance out today to fix a few things, including our bathtub that was not draining well. The contractor who came out has been here before, and has always done an enxcellent job with the tasks, and been sweet as pie. It's becoming incredibly rare to see GOOD customer service, so I decided to acknowlege his job well done. I called the housing service contractor, and told the lady that I appreciated his great work. She told me she would check to see if his supervisor was in (he wasn't) and asked me to try to call back later and catch him, hopefully get Larry (our contractor) some recognition, maybe Employee of the Month. I thought that was a nice reminder to take time out of our day to praise someone for their good service. We usually only pick up that phone when we have a complaint, so why not call with some rave reviews? Anyway, just thought I'd share that... I'm sure everyone out there would love to hear someone praise them. Keep that in mind!

**Edited**
Of course, no good deed goes unpunished. Apparently I haven't built up enough good karma, because I received a nasty-gram from my mail carrier (not his responsibility, I need to call my ex-husband to take care of this, don't I realize he has 780 last names to remember and can't be required to remember first names, etc). I had gone to the post office yesterday to inquire about getting my ex-husband name take off our address, as I receive mail for him regularly. I have no forwarding address, OR phone number, and when I write "return to sender" on the mail it is re-delivered to me. The post office employee told me he would let my carrier know, and that I should put a note that he gave me on the mailbox. Fine, except that was misinformation, and it pissed off my mail carrier! Grrrrr. Anyway, I found out what I really need to do, but I don't think there was cause for rudeness! **Sigh** I'm now ready to go back to bed, but I have grocery shopping to do and am babysitting my friend's kids this afternoon. Is it bedtime yet?!

Junk Mail

Someone recently sent me an email, one of those "Pass this on" type of things. Not a chain letter, but a "true story". Here's the email...

It was 1987! At a lecture the other day they were playing an old news
video
of Lt.Col. Oliver North testifying at the Iran-Contra hearings during
the
Reagan Administration.

There was Ollie in front of God and country getting the third degree,
but
what he said was stunning! He was being drilled by a senator: "Did
you not
recently spend close to $60,000 for a home security system?"

Ollie replied, "Yes, I did, Sir."

The senator continued, trying to get a laugh out of the audience,
"Isn't
that just a little excessive?"

"No, sir," continued Ollie.

"No? And why not?" the senator asked.

"Because the lives of my family and I were threatened, sir."

"Threatened? By whom?" the senator questioned.

"By a terrorist, sir," Ollie answered.

"Terrorist? What terrorist could possibly scare you that much?"
"His name is Osama bin Laden, sir," Ollie replied.


At this point the senator tried to repeat the name, but couldn't
pronounce
it, which most people back then probably couldn't. A couple of people
laughed at the attempt. Then the senator continued. "Why are you so
afraid
of this man?" the senator asked.

"Because, sir, he is the most evil person alive that I know of", Ollie
answered.


"And what do you recommend we do about him?" asked the senator.

"Well, sir, if it was up to me, I would recommend that an assassin team
be
formed to eliminate him and his men from the face of the earth."
The senator disagreed with this, and that is all that was shown of the
clip.
By the way, that senator was AL GORE!





ALSO: Terrorist pilot Mohammad Atta blew up a bus in Israel in 1986.
The
Israelis captured, tried, and imprisoned him. As part of the Oslo
agreement
with the Palestinians in 1993, Israel had to agree to release so-called
"political prisoners."

However, the Israelis would not release any with blood on their hands.
The
American president at the time, Bill Clinton, and his Secretary of
State,
Warren Christopher, "insisted" that all prisoners be released!



Thus, Mohammad Atta was freed and eventually thanked the United States
by
flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center. This was
reported by many of the American TV networks at the time that the
terrorists
were first identified. It was censored in the US from all later
reports.


If you agree that the American public need be reminded of this fact,
pass
this on.

I enjoy receiveing jokes and cute pictures, things like that are always good for a smile. However, I hate receiving things like this, especially when they are blatant lies. I always check Snopes when I get these things, to see if it's really as "true" as it claims to be. Well, neither antecdote here is accurate. Snopes story 1, Snopes story 2. Written by a Liberal/Democrat hater, the stories are simply trying to put the blame on the Clinton administration for the 9/11 attacks. It works because people often don't bother to check the crap they receive, as they say "Ignorance is vliss". So, regardless of political affiliation, check out these emails before passing them on to everyone in your address book.

Cranky Pants

I'm not ignoring you, dear reader. I'm just a tad on the cranky side. No particular reason, just a culmination of the ER and doctor's visits N had, the incessant babble-assing of my children, and life in general. Bah. So... when I think of something witty, or at least not miserable, I'll be sure to post it. In the meantime, the offer is still open for guest bloggers. I know you all must have at least ONE thing you don't want to post on your own blog! Post it here, you can even stay anonymous. Email to cjaping at gmail dot com.

ER: Take 2

We took our second trip to the ER in as many days, because N's swelling and pain was worse, teh pain meds they gave him weren't even touching it. I actually called first, and spoke to the cool ass nurse who was working last night, and she advised us to come back in. (FYI, this is not costing us an arm and both legs, and there is no "Urgent Care" to use after hours, so the ER was the only option) Well, different doc, same attitude, which N says is common for him to get. Apparently spouses and children get adequate care, but enlisted get brushed off unless it's life, limb, or eyesight. I'm aggrivated, because the whole point of going back up there was to get pain management for the rest of the 4-day weekend, since he HAS to go in Tuesday morning to the regular doc. He didn't sleep for shit last night, was in a shitload of pain today, this is not a good way to spend the next 36 hours. So... tell doc pain meds aren't working, pain and swelling are worse, etc. Doc rambles on about there being "nothing anyone can do, an injury takes time to heal, there is no magic wand". We weren't asking for some Miracle Worker to make it all go away, just something to take the edge off until Tuesday. Pretty please. Doc finally stops patronizing long enough to agree to a pain shot for tonight. Great, thanks... what are the odds he'll be miserable all day tomorrow? Cool nurse comes in to give N the shot in his buttocks **giggle**, and tells us it'd be smart to come in in the morning, more likely to get some assistance. Well, I KNOW N will not go in again, he'd rather just suck it up. I can't blame him, even though his pain is bad, because it was demeaning to be treated like a couple of drug-seeking street junkies. I want to rage because he's hurting, and even he admits if it were me being ignored he'd raise holy hell, but since it's the soldier it's a lost cause. Blah, blah blah... I feel like I'm just whining, but I'm frustrated. I'll get over it, life's a beeyotch!

CrackerJack, MD

I spent a wonderful Saturday evening in the ER, with my darling husband. He hit his thumb while I was at the gym, and by 11pm or so the pain and swelling looked like it might need some attention. I finally convinced him to go in, at least to make sure nothing was broken. It was a slow night, we were seen fairly quickly, by ER standards. I'd been to the ER on post before, with Madison, and saw a military doc. Tonight we were seen by a civilain "doctor". He was a licensed MD, but our interaction didn't show it.

"Tell me what happened. **poke, twist, tap** Does that hurt there? Can you move this? OK, we'll get some XRays"

30 seconds, at most, and he left. We went to Xray, where the tech screwed up, and we had to make a second trip. After "Take 2" in Xray, we returned to the exam room. Finally some enlisted guy comes in, searches around for some stuff, mentions something to a nurse about splinting. He tells Nate it's going to be splinted. I ask if the doctor is going to come in and give us a DX, and Guy shuffles about, mumbles something about the doc coming back, and tells us HE thinks it's just a sprain, he didn't notice anything on the XRay, but the doc will tell us more. The nurse pokes his head in, and Guy tells him N is ready to be discharged, as soon as he's splinted. Again, I ask Nurse and Guy if the DOCTOR will at least be making an appearance to give us any information. It's now EMPTY in the ER, but the doc can't take 10 more seconds to talk to us?! Of course, weshould be happy with the 30 seconds he already gave us!! Finally, N is splinted, and throughly embarassed by my tantrum, and we are signed out. We walk past the nurse's little control room, and see the great doctor sleeping in a chair. He was too busy SLEEPING to handle his patients. I was (and still am) furious. I fully intend on clalling the OIC (officer in charge) of the ER on Tuesday. If this is the kind of patient care YOUR tax dollars and my husband's hard work have earned us, it's sorely lacking. I understand priority, and that N's injury was a minor one, but we were pushed out the door without any explaination, very minimal after care instructions, pretty much nothing, when we were the only ones in the place. Not acceptable. I told N he wouldn't accept such treatment for our kids, and that means he shouldn't accept it for himself. So, I'm done ranting, and maybe I'm overreacting, but I really think this was just a shitty way to treat patients. The good news is N should be just fine in a couple days.

First Guest Post!!

I'm still offering a guest posting spot to anyone who would like to take it. Our first guest poster wanted to remain anonymous so she could vent a deep dark secret. Come on now, we all have a secret or five that we would love to get off our chest. Here's your chance!! Now, without further ado, here is our guest post...

As the guest anonymous poster, I have been given free reign to discuss whatever I want to, with the promise of full anonymity, and a generous cash bonus! OK, maybe not the cash bonus, but it was a nice try.

So what can I discuss that I wouldn't discuss in my real life, or on my blog? Hmmmmm. I think the theme will be...... one of the many reasons I am going straight to hell, do not pass go, do not collect $200. (Kidding!) (at least about the passing go part!)..

You see, the seasons are changing here in the Northeast. That means more chores to do, getting ready for the snow and cold. It also means more time inside with the family, which can be nice. Of course, the kids may fight, the cabin fever driving us all mad. Still, fighting children are not the problem, I can handle that. It's the biggest child of all that can push us all over the edge. For the record, my husband is an idiot. A start-raving lunatic. He has serious issues, which are for the most part untreated...

Untreated, you may ask? For the most part? Why don't I insist he check himself into the local psychiatric ward and be fully evaluated? I'll give you one guess. BINGO! He won't go.

He is in serious need of some medication. He is the poster-child for borderline personality disorder, and depression.

OK, here is my little secret... Are you ready?

Every three months, I go to see a psychiatrist like clockwork. I tell him all about my problems (which, remarkably, coincide with my husbands issues). He listens thoughtfully, then writes me out a little prescription for anti-depressants. But do I take them?

Ahhhh, therin lies the dichotomy. No, I don't take them.

But you know those the vitamins that my husband takes with dinner? The little white one? Could it be that I am supplementing his vitamin intake with a healthy dose of anti-depressants? Could be, clever reader, could be...

We must do what we must in times of trial, to maintain our sanity. And he is a much happier person, and much easier to live with as a result of my psychiatrist visits.. And DON'T get on me about this, I am closely monitoring his intake, it is a low dose, and it's all good. And I am also a member of the medical profession, so I am not endangering him.

Dirty little secret...

I'm recruiting **Sticky post, scroll down for more!!**

I have hit a creative roadblock, so I'm opening up for guest posting. My brother-in-law, Jake, is going to write a post, Nate may as well. Do you have a secret you want to post? Something you want to say but don't want to post on your own blog? Rants, raves, bitching, whining, goofiness, embarrassing stories, they are all welcome. Leave me a comment, or email me at CJAping at gmail dot com, and let me know if you would like the post to be anonymous. Have fun with it!!

Gas prices

My mother-in-law sent me this link, which appears to be more up to date than GasBuddy, at least for me (our lowest prices are still on post, but not by much). Check it out, and find low gas prices in your area!!

Outgrown and moving on

I belong to a message board, and have for a few years now. The problem is this community which I once LOVED and cherished is now an uncomfortable place. The cliques that develop are natural, but they've become more the norm, and I think I'm not alone in feeling a bit excluded. For example, one person could post every fart and snot bubble her toddler makes, and the member coo and gurgle with excitement. I post something cute that happened in my home, and get only a couple of responses. The women (it's almost exclusively women) that I like there, I REALLY care about. The ones that I don't? I truly despise them. With a community as large as this particular one, there are bound to be people you dislike, and I could deal with that, however I've reached a point where I feel ignored and criticized rather than supported and welcomed. I've put way too much energy into being supportive and caring even when I didn't particularly care for the person, simply because I don't like to hurt people's feelings, but now that I'm not getting the same respect I have decided to throw in the towel. I can pinpoint the turning point, I'm NOT sorry if some of those women didn't approve of my decisions during my first marriage. I'd be lying if I said it doesn't hurt. Bad. Like "breaking up with your best friend" (this is where I MET my best friend, so at least one good thing has come from it) kind of bad. I decided to go quietly, without any dramatic goodbyes, so I'm posting this here for a couple reasons. If you are a member (you know who you are) please feel free to email me, I'd love to hear from a few of you. Other than that, I needed to vent my hurt and frustration with the loss of a support system that has been there for so long. Hopefully, this will give me that closure and relief I'm wanting.

A fun music meme

Shamelessly snagged from AKA Monty...

The rules of the meme are simple. Go here, scroll to the bottom, and choose the date of your HS graduation. Bold the songs you liked, italicize the ones you hated, and red the ones you don't remember.

I graduated in 2000... stop laughing at me!!!


1. Breathe, Faith Hill
2. Smooth, Santana Featuring Rob Thomas
3. Say My Name, Destiny's Child
4. I Wanna Know, Joe
5. Everything You Want, Vertical Horizon
6. Maria Maria, Santana Featuring The Product G&B
7. Bent, Matchbox Twenty
8. Amazed, Lonestar
9. I Knew I Loved You, Savage Garden
10. He Wasn't Man Enough, Toni Braxton
11. Higher, Creed
12. .Try Again, Aaliyah
13. There You Go, Pink
14. Thong Song, Sisqo
15. Kryptonite, 3 Doors Down
16. Jumpin Jumpin', Destiny's Child
17. What A Girl Wants, Christina Aguilera
18. Doesn't Really Matter, Janet
19. Music, Madonna
20. Back At One, Brian McKnight
21. Bye Bye Bye, 'N Sync
22. You Sang To Me, Marc Anthony
23. I Need To Know, Marc Anthony
24. Get It On Tonite, Montell Jordan
25. Incomplete, Sisqo
26. I Try, Macy Gray
27. It's Gonna Be Me, 'N Sync
28. That's The Way It Is, Celine Dion
29. (Hot S**T) Country Grammar, Nelly
30. Bring It All To Me, Blaque
31. Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely, Backstreet Boys
32. Hot Boyz, Missy Elliott Featuring Nas, EVE & Q-Tip
33. Back Here, BBMak
34. It Feels So Good, Sonique
35. Absolutely (Story Of A Girl), Nine Days
36. With Arms Wide Open, Creed
37. Be With You, Enrique Iglesias
38. Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You), Christina Aguilera
39. No More, Ruff Endz
40. All The Small Things, Blink 182
41. The Way You Love Me, Faith Hill
42. I Turn To You, Christina Aguilera
43. Never Let You Go, Third Eye Blind
44. I Need You, LeAnn Rimes
45. Thank God I Found You, Mariah Carey Featuring Joe & 98 Degrees
46. Let's Get Married, Jagged Edge
47. My Love Is Your Love, Whitney Houston
48. Then The Morning Comes, Smash Mouth
49. Blue (Da Ba Dee), iffel 65
50. Desert Rose, Sting Featuring Cheb Mami
51. The Real Slim Shady, Eminem
52. Most Girls, Pink
53. Wifey, Next
54. Wonderful, Everclear
55. Oops!... I Did It Again, Britney Spears
56. I Wanna Love You Forever, Jessica Simpson
57. Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche ), 98 Degrees
58. Take A Picture, Filter
59. Otherside, Red Hot Chili Peppers
60. Big Pimpin', Jay-Z Featuring UGK
61. Purest Of Pain (A Puro Dolor), Son By Four
62. He Can't Love U, Jagged Edge
63. Separated, Avant
64. I Wish, Carl Thomas
65. U Know What's Up, Donell Jones
66. Faded, SoulDecision Featuring Thrust
67. Only God Knows Why, Kid Rock
68. Shake Ya Ass, Mystikal
69. Bag Lady, Erykah Badu
70. Meet Virginia, Train
71. Party Up (Up In Here), DMX
72. Case Of The Ex (Whatcha Gonna Do), Mya
73. Forget About Dre, Dr. Dre Featuring Eminem
74. That's The Way, Jo Dee Messina
75. Swear It Again, Westlife
76. The Next Episode, Dr. Dre Featuring Snoop Dogg
77. From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart, Britney Spears
78. Crash And Burn, Savage Garden
79. Yes!, Chad Brock
80. The Best Day, George Strait
81. How Do You Like Me Now?!, Toby Keith
82. Where I Wanna Be, Donell Jones
83. My Best Friend, Tim McGraw
84. Broadway, Goo Goo Dolls
85. Dance With Me, Debelah Morgan
86. Don't Think I'm Not, Kandi
87. I Hope You Dance, Lee Ann Womack & Sons Of The Desert
88. Better Off Alone, Alice Deejay
89. What'chu Like, Da Brat Featuring Tyrese
90. Cowboy Take Me Away, Dixie Chicks
91. I Like It, Sammie
92. 24/7, Kevon Edmonds
93. Girl On TV, LFO
94. Bounce With Me, Lil Bow Wow Featuring Xscape
95. What About Now, Lonestar
96. I Don't Wanna, Aaliyah
97. Independent Women Part I, Destiny's Child
98. Shackles (Praise You), Mary Mary
99. Waiting For Tonight, Jennifer Lopez
100. Gotta Tell You, Samantha Mumba


I listened to a few of those songs yesterday, many are still on my playlists. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the reason I can't remember SO many songs from FIVE YEARS AGO is the amount of partying I did in the 00-01 timeframe. I'm not admitting anything, I'm just saying... Now where did I leave my keys??

Evil political ranting

Normally I would avoid politics, because it is such a hot button. Still, I couldn't resist when I read this article.

"A lot of my fellow conservatives are concerned, but they don't know her as I do," said Hatch, a former chairman of the Judiciary Committee. "She's going to basically do what the president thinks she should and that is be a strict constructionist." ~ Sen. Orrin Hatch, (R-Utah)

Basically what that quote says to me is that our Supreme Court (as with every other part of our government) is a good ol' boys club, where the one with the most friends makes the law. I'm disgusted by how easily the basis of our country has crumbled. It's a disgrace to our forefathers and everything they fought for.

**In case anyone would like to say something smart about me complaining, I did indeed vote, and it was not for the current administration. We evil liberals called this exact situation, Bush stacking the Court.

My first audio post

Of course, as soon as I finished the post the noise level went back to "Front row at Yoko Ono concert". Consider yourselves lucky.

Still alive!!

I haven't disappeared or anything. I've been busy with the family and friends, and enjoying some crisp weather. I haven't had much interest in blogging or reading blogs, so please forgive me if I haven't been keeping up with everyone. I'll be back in the swing of things shortly. Standby. *wink*