Silence!!

I wanted the kids to talk, waited so impatiently for those first words. Then, when they weren't talking as much as other children their age I freaked out. After they turned 2, I had Shane evaluated for speech delay, and he was borderline, but began improving at 30 months or so, just after my divorce was finalized. Since then he has made vast improvements, and has recently begun naming everything in sight. "Wed, Mommy! Geen, Mommy! Puppy, Mommy! Juice, Mommy! Boo, Mommy! Puhple, Mommy! WAIN!!! Wain, Mommy! Funder!", you get the idea. It is non-stop, and he will repeat the word to you until you acknowledge him and say it back to him. This makes it had when I cannot understand him, and I try to respond with a "Yeah, Booboo... Good job!!" rather than parroting whatever he's trying to say. No, that's unacceptable, you must repeat after Shane. Now. My entire day is filled with the words I so desperately longed to hear, his sweet little voice making intelligent noises rather than grunts. Now, I can't make it stop! A "Please be quiet, Daddy's on the phone." is followed by "Daddy phone? Mommy! Daddy phone! Shhhh!" and my point is lost on him. Then, it's immediately back to labeling every object, creature, and event in Central TX, on a continuous loop. Need. Valium. NOW! File this under "Be careful what you wish for!" If you call my house, don't be surprised if I don't answer, I've stuffed my ears with tar for a moment's peace.

It's not just me!

See? Other Desperate Housewives fans are getting pissed. I'm SO excited for tomorrow's episode, but I am pretty peeved about the time off. This article said the repeat last week was the first repeat in the normal time slot, but I think that's wrong. Seems there have been at least a couple. Oh well, who would have thought so many people would be so caught up in a TV show!!

Hmmm...

I had posted in February about the Fruit Roll Ups commercial with the tongue talk tattoos. I swear it looked like a penis stuck in the door at the end instead of a tongue. Cori though I was nuts, but maybe I'm not the only one. I saw the commercial today and they changed the end so the tongue didn't get caught. See Cori? I didn't just have dick on the brain!! ;)

Dear water company,

I pay you a lot of money, way more tha I would pay if I lived in the city limits. That's ok, it's the price I pay to not have close neighbors. When we moved in and your "employees" (read: non-English speaking contractors) broke the water lines EVERY DAY, I tried not to get too mad. Even after 2 months of outrageous bills and no water pressure, I tried to be nice. It's been 8 months, and we pay our bill on time, we generally don't complain, I'd like to think we're decent customers. For the second time this week my water is unexpectedly off. I called you, and your recording tells me our water should be on at noon. It's 12:33, we've had no water all day, and my husband is freaking out. He would like to take his shower please, and I refuse to let him use the bottled water to do so. Really, Water Company, he's losing control, he needs his shower. All we want are toilets that flush, showers that run, and enough water to wash the dishes. Oh, and could you please TELL US next time our water will be off, I'm pretty sure you are supposed to do that. Please and thank you.

Your stinky customers,
The Insanity Family


Editors note: It is now 3:01pm CST and the water is still off. Hmmm... we called and the new message says it should be on by 3pm. (Only a message because they are off for Good Friday. Lucky them!) We went to lunch and came home, thinking N would be able to shower before work tonight, but to no avail. I hate these people.

See, what had happened was....

This newstory was in today's paper. I would link it, but the KDH archives in a strange way, so I'm not sure if it would be found tomorrow. Either way, this is probably the strangest account of a shooting, I'm not even sure why it was newsworthy, you can barely comprhend it.


Killeen weekend shooting victim disputes police report


By Jimmie Ferguson

Killeen Daily Herald

From his hospital bed Wednesday, one of the three men severely wounded in a Killeen shooting over the weekend said events did not occur as released by the police.

Tristan Duane Putnam, 21, who was at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, said he was hit twice, once in the back and a grazing on his hip, in the shooting incident that occurred at 10:43 p.m. Sunday at an apartment building at 809 Root Ave. in Killeen.

Putnam said his body will not function the same way again, that he is numb from the waist down and was using a walker to get around.

“The doctors told me that I might never be able to use the bathroom on my own again,” Putnam said. “They are leaving the bullet in that hit me in the back right below my spine.”

Putnam hoped to be released from the hospital today.

He identified the other two wounded men as his friends, Jason Oneil Jones, 21; and Scotty Lee Kollman, 22. Kollman was shot twice in the leg and was treated and released the same day. Jones, who was also shot in the back, was released from the hospital Tuesday.

Putnam, who had just moved into his apartment the Wednesday prior to the shooting, said his mother, Charlotte Putnam of Kyle, had brought him some groceries.

Putnam said he and his friends brought the groceries up to his apartment, and his mother stayed around for about 30 minutes. As his mother was leaving, she had to drive from the back of the apartment building to the front.

“But the shooter in the gray Chevrolet Malibu was parked in the middle of the parking lot, and my mother couldn’t pass,” Putnam said. “There was the gray Malibu, the red Lincoln Continental and the black Mazda on one side, and then there were my mom’s car and two or three other cars behind hers trying to get out.”

Putnam said he heard his mother blowing her horn, and he came down to see what was wrong. “She said, ‘See if you can get him to move,’ and I went over and asked him. I said, ‘Hey my man, do you think you can scoot up a little bit, so the cars behind you can get out?’” Putnam said. “He started cursing me out, telling me, ‘Get away from my car, I’m doing something. I don’t care who’s behind me.’ He said, ‘If you don’t get away from my car, I’m going to show you something.’ I said, ‘My man, my mom is back there and is trying to go home.’

“He said, ‘Matter of fact, let me show you something,’ and started reaching under his seat. I guess he couldn’t get to the gun, because it was too far under the seat,” Putnam said.

“So, he let the seat back and turned around with his feet in the back seat and his head under the steering wheel ... I guess trying to get the gun from under the seat. So, I backed off.”

As he was backing off from the Malibu, Putnam said everybody asked him what was the man doing, because he wasn’t moving.

“I said that he was talking like he has a gun,” Putnam said. “He (the man in the Malibu) opened his car door and said something like, ‘... Shut up,’ and I said, ‘Man, all I asked you to do was move your car.’”

Putnam said the man in the Malibu, as well as the red Lincoln Continental and the black Mazda, then left the parking lot and drove to the nearby Jack In The Box, visible from his apartment building.

Charlotte Putnam, 46, said as she was leaving, she pulled up to the intersection near the apartment building, and the man in the Malibu pulled up next her in his car and pointed the gun at her face.

“As I was leaving, I saw the cars at the Jack In The Box, and something told me not to leave. So, I punched in 9-1-1 on my cell phone, but never dialed it as I told them (her son and his friends) to go in the apartment,” Charlotte Putnam said. “I told them to go into the house, because we did not want any mess out here.

“In the process of me telling them to go in the house, he pulled up next to me,” she said. “Next thing I know, he asked me, ‘Is that your (expletive) son?’ I said, ‘Yes, all he asked you was to move your car.’ He said, ‘I’m going to kill your (expletive)son,’ and put his gun in my face. When he did that, I stepped on the gas and turned the corner. I hit 9-1-1 and started blowing my horn so they (her son and friends) could see me and run. But they didn’t see it coming.”

After the shooter in the Malibu threatened his mother, Tristan Putnam said the assailant walked around asking where he was. “And somebody said, there he is, and the man started shooting,” Tristan Putnam said.

Tristan Putnam said he was at the top of the stairway of his apartment, and when he was hit, he fell to the bottom.

“When the paramedics got to me, my bottom half was laying on the stairs and top half was on the concrete on the ground. I couldn’t get up,” he said. “My friend standing in front of me, Scotty, got shot in the leg, and he and my other friend, Jason, took off running.

“When they took off running around the building, I guess the shooter had the drivers of the other two cars with him waiting for my friends to come around. When my home boys did, they started shooting at them,” said Tristan Putnam, noting that’s when Kollman was shot for the second time in the leg and Jones was shot in the back.

“The newspaper (the police) said there was a verbal altercation, but there was never a verbal altercation,” Tristan Putnam said. “All I asked was for him to move. I didn’t even touch his car.”

Tristan Putnam said he didn’t know his assailants, even though he had seen the man driving the Lincoln Continental around the apartment building since he started moving in and all day that day at a barbecue at one of the other apartments.

Tristan Putnam said he had no idea why the man in the Malibu reacted the way he did.

“When I walked up to his car, I never touched it. I didn’t disrespect him or anything,” the younger Putnam said. “I believe he was on some kind of drugs. His eyes was bloodshot red. He was leaning over in the passenger seat, and when I asked him to move his car, he turned around and had a bunch of money in his hand. As soon as I walked up, he started cursing me and telling me if I didn’t get away from his car, he was going to kill me.”

Killeen police are looking for three black men. One is described as being 5-foot-9, medium build, 24 to 30 years old with two to three gold-capped teeth and wearing a T-shirt and jeans and driving a gray or green Chevrolet Malibu.

The man driving the black Mazda wa 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-1, with short hair, 170 to 180 pounds and wearing all black. No description was given for the driver of the red Lincoln. Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Killeen Police Department at 501-8830 or Crime Stoppers at 526-TIPS.



Contact Jimmie Ferguson at

jferguson@kdhnews.com

Huh?

Gone Slackin'

Sorry everyone, I've been neglecting you. The weather is gorgeous, and N is off work until tomorrow night, so I haven't been online too much. I promise to post something worthwhile soon, and get caught up on all of your blogs. Pinkie swear! In the meantime, I'm going to pull a Michele. Visit 3 blogs on my blogroll, and say "Hi!!" You never know what you'll find!

Can we please move on?

Terri Schiavo. I support her husband, I think our federal government should have stayed out of it, and Bush is even more of an ass for signing that bill. Apparently, 2 surveys in the US say most Americans agree with me, but I see a whole lot of disagreement online and in the news. I don't think that's because there are more supporters of the Schindlers than Michael Schiavo, just that the "Save Terri" folks are raising all holy hell, and the rest of us aren't. Whether you are for or against the removal of her feeding tube, I wish everyone would stop talking about it. Same debate, over and over, no one is going to change anyone's mind, so let's agree to disagree and let it go. It's a family matter, let the families and the judges work it out. (No G, this wasn't directed at you, just a general disgust because there are other things going on in this country, and no one is paying attention.) Seriously, I'm tired of the same arguments repeated 184,067,204,567 times a day.

Asshat

Stealing pictures of someone's pregnant belly and another person's kid and trying to pass them off as your own? Wow... that's a whole new kind of twisted. SJ posted about this, The thief claims to be 16, with a 17 month old, and about to deliver another kid. Now that she's been caught stealing internet pics, she's put text over a couple saying "This isn't even my belly, I stole this from..." The pic of "Caleb" her 17 month old? Yeah, his name is Justin, he was lifted from a family's personal photo site. WTF is wrong with this person? For any potential thiefs, if I catch you stealing pics of my kids to pass off as your own, I'll hunt you down. Be forewarned. For anyone with hacker knowledge, I know of at least one person you could practice your skills on.

Have a napkin ready

Miss Zoot sent her readers over here for the dixie cup story, and she had warned us it was incredibly funny, so I refrained from drinking while reading the post. Then, I took a big sip of my Coke as I read the next post, about the dog pooping on the car seat, and their trip to Charleston. When I read "If I found a human thumb in my risotto, I would probably just pick around it and sigh dejectedly." I laughed so hard I burped. Anything that causes more than one bodily function at a time is true comedy. I love Doxie's writing, she's definitely worth reading.

How well do you know your neighbors?

On the message boards, we were discussing Jessica Lansford and her tragic death. The topic of sex offenders comes up from time to time, because we're moms and worry about these things. Have you checked your state's registry? I have, and there is a registered sex offender a few houses down from me. In TX you can see the crime committed, age of victim, etc, so I know this man raped a little girl. I also know that there are more than a few offenders on there who were arrested for statutory rape, they were 18 and their partner was not. That makes me sad, because people will forever judge them because they are registered sex offenders, when in reality they aren't predators. (Of course, this doesn't always hold true, but like I said, in TX it lists whether the crime was aggravated, with a minor, etc.) My point here is another member on the message board, who has a baby girl, said there is a sex offender living on the street behind her. She had signed a petition to have him forced out of the neighborhood, but nothing came of it. My response to her was you can't kick him out of the neighborhood, because even though you don't want him there, he has rights. I'm not sticking up for rapists, but once they have paid their debt to society, they have to live somewhere. Be glad that he's registered, because many (like in Jessica's case) don't register as they are required, and it's the ones you don't know about that you have to worry about. If you know about them, you can protect your children and yourself better, but ones who have not been caught, or haven't registered, could be living next door and you wouldn't know. Also, think about this... If you sign a petition to get an offender out of your neighborhood, and he/she decides to leave on their own because of the embarrassment, he might not register at the next address. After all, it cost him his home once, he was ostracized to the point of having to move. Why register and go through that all over again if you can fly under the radar and avoid it? So, for the sake of safety, just leave these people alone. Yeah, no one wants to live near a predator, but you probably already do, because that's the sad state of the world. Be glad Megan's Law, and the laws that followed, allow you to know about the predators, and protect yourself. Then again, don't let your kids roam free around people you don't know. Teach them not to talk to strangers. Be a parent, because no list or law can take the place of that. (And believe me, that's in no way implying the Lansfords didn't do what they could, that was a horrible tragedy, and my heart goes out to the family. I'm only saying we cannot expect to rid the world of these monsters, we need to accept that and be careful.)

He cleans up pretty nice

I posted back in February about Ron White looking pretty rough, like maybe all that whiskey had finally taken it's toll. He looked pretty good in the first Blue Collar Comedy Tour, but in the second it was awful. Same jokes recycled, he was greasy, bloated, and looking like death. Well, someone must have clued him in, because he was on the Comedy Central Jeff Foxworthy Roast tonight, and looked sober, thinner, and much better. Granted, he still *really* needs a haircut, but at least his hair wasn't slicked with oil, and he wasn't looking like a drunken whale. His trademark glass of scotch was a fake, and his cigar was not burning, which probably means his new wife made him head on over to the Betty Ford clinic or else. Whatever it was, I'm glad to see it, he's a hilarious comedian and I'd hate to see him drink himself to death. Well done, Ron. (For the record, I'd really like to see him cut his hair like the pic on his website... much more attractive than the long hair thing!)

He cleans up pretty nice

I posted back in February about Ron White looking pretty rough, like maybe all that whiskey had finally taken it's toll. He looked pretty good in the first Blue Collar Comedy Tour, but in the second it was awful. Same jokes recycled, he was greasy, bloated, and looking like death. Well, someone must have clued him in, because he was on the Comedy Central Jeff Foxworthy Roast tonight, and looked sober, thinner, and much better. Granted, he still *really* needs a haircut, but at least his hair wasn't slicked with oil, and he wasn't looking like a drunken whale. His trademark glass of scotch was a fake, and his cigar was not burning, which probably means his new wife made him head on over to the Betty Ford clinic or else. Whatever it was, I'm glad to see it, he's a hilarious comedian and I'd hate to see him drink himself to death. Well done, Ron. (For the record, I'd really like to see him cut his hair like the pic on his website... much more attractive than the long hair thing!)

Just in case you were wondering

Carissa asked under my last post what I would have done, since I mentioned I would like to go under the knife for cosmetic surgery. So, for any of those who are curious, I'll post my list here. Keep in mind this doesn't mean I have horrible self esteem, I'm not trying to trash myself, these are the things I would have done if I won the lottery and had nothing better to do. :)

Nose job, because my nose doesn't fit my face well. Boob job, because the beautiful breasts I had pre-twins are now much smaller, and I kinda liked the old set. Tummy tuck because I only gained 32 lbs with the twins, but it was all out front, and the stretch marks and loose skin left on my small frame are atrocious. (See? being thin isn't always the best thing around... I'm thin and can't even flaunt it!) Laser resurfacing, I have had acne for over a decade, and it's left it's mark. Veneers on my teeth, a nice bright smile is always nice.

So there you go, my little fantasy list of cosmetic improvements. Cori and I often chat about what we'll do when we hit the lotto, or the fairies drop the money in our front yard, and one of the things on our "agenda" is getting some physical improvements together. Preferable at one of those country club plastic surgery hospitals. You know, where you go stay and get pampered while recovering, mixing your Vicodin with frozen drinks and lounging under palm trees. So... what would you get done, if anything? Come on, indulge yourself with us!

Bringing in more money than oil

Texas is working on passing a tax on cosmetic surgery. Currently, NJ is the only other state with such a tax, but TX is a major plastic surgery state, joining CA, FL, &NY. Basically, lawmakers are saying this is going to add money to the TX budget, but in reality I think it's going to drive patients out of TX. Let's see, if I'm going to spend a couple thousand extra would I rather it go to tax or a trip to FL for my surgery. Hmmm... palm trees or government pockets, tough call. Maybe when I go under the knife (and yes, I fully intend to if I can afford it), I'll fly out to Cori's, kill 2 birds with one stone. Just a thought...

*Chirp* *Chirp* *wheeze*

You hear the crickets? Damn, the blogworld has been quiet lately! I know a lot of us are using Blogger, which has been crapping out every 6 hours or so, but still... where the hell is everyone?? I guess it's because of Spring Break, maybe you are all out doing frivilous things like spending time with your kids and stuff. Bah... slackers! The only other explanation is it's me. Does my breath stink? *Does a quick pit check* I'm pretty sure I don't smell bad, so was it something I said? (That's probably the most likely explaination) Oh well, I'll just keep talking, hopefully someone chimes in from time to time. Today was the DAY FROM HELL. Well, maybe not the #1 DFH, but a real close second. I couldn't sleep, and once I quit trying at 5:30am, the kids were awake. This is abnormally early for anyone in my house to be up, the *only* time I see the sun rise is when I haven't been to sleep. My kids are generally the same way, but Shane was wheezing from his cold, and woke his sister up in the process. I do my best to make them both comfortable, sicne they are both hacking and sniffling, and wait for N to get up. When he gets up I ask him to listen to Shane's chest with his stethescope, and he confirms I was not imagining the wheeze and difficulty breathing. Decision time. We cannot get into our doc's office, but Shane has had an episode of asthma-like symptoms before that sent us to the ER Easter Sunday 2003. The wheezing has eased a bit, but it could get worse at night as these things tend to do. If it gets worse at night, I don't have a car since N is working nights, and this could be trouble. (I live about 20 minutes out of "town") We decided better safe than sorry, we took him to the ER. Well, the doctor was great about it, he knew how to treat children well (as opposed to the military hospital, where they treat kids like whiny little adults, no bedside manner), discussed the possibilities, the treatments, what to look for, and what to avoid. Since Shane's wheezing was not as bad as it had been the last episode, they didn't do a nebulizer treatment like we expected, and instead gave us scripts for elixer Albuterol and elixer Prednisone. Before the doc listened to Shane, N had told him he was an EMT, and heard wheezing in all 4 lobes. At first he kinda chuckled, since a lot of "emergency medical techs" don't know much beyond Band-aid 101, but he did say N was correct, he seemed a little taken aback by that. It made me smile, knowing that at the very least my husband knows what to do even when I don't. All in all, it was a Looooooooonnnnnnnnng day, and the kids are FINALLY sleeping, though the steroids made Shane bounce like Sonic the Hedgehog on crack. Me? I'm barely awake, and very cranky as you can tell. Ok, I'm off to night night land... and let the record show the first bastard to call my house before 9am will be hunted down and shot.

A peek into their insanity: part 2

A wonderful blogger chimed in a bit late on the interviews post, and I had promised to have her interview up earlier this week. Of course, with Blogger giving all of us hell, it didn't happen, so here it is, a little late. This blog momma goes by Daxahol after her little cutie pie Daxon. He's just over a year old, and lately she has been going through the process of re-entering the working world. I always enjoy her blog, and who wouldn't love her header, "All Flowery an' Shit"? So, check back with her to see her responses!

1. You may have covered this on your site, but I have the attention span of a gnat, so I'll ask. How did you come up with the name Daxon?

2. You can choose from any profession in the world, without regard to location, pay, or required education. What do you choose and why?

3. Where would you like to retire, and how would you spend your days? What is the most important factor in the location? (ie: close to family, warm, cold, etc)

4. Daxon wants to move to LA and become a star, but he's only 12. (We'll assume he has the talent and drive needed to succeed) Do you pack up and move to follow his dream, or make him wait until he's out on his own?

5. What is your favorite thing about Canada? How about least fave? Is there anywhere else on the globe you'd rather live, and raise a family?

Well, there you have it, a peek into another crazy life full of diapers and love. Don't forget to tell her I sent you!

Who needs a title

Happy St. Patrick's Day. I'm part Irish, but I really slack on celebrating this day, especially since I'm not a big drinker. After all, the American way to celebrate this Irish holiday is get wasted on green beer, but that's not my scene. Either way, Cori gave me a fun activity for the kids to do, and I think it's going to be a tradition. You place a chocolate gold coin at the bottom of a glass, and add a few drops of green food coloring. Scoop some ice cream on top, add a little milk, and let the kids stir it up. It "magically" turns green, and they find the coin from the leprechaun at the bottom. My kids don't really "get" the whole idea, but they couldn't have been happier with a green magic milkshake and candy at the bottom!

A totally different topic, but Cori and I were talking a few minutes about about step-dads, particularly those who step up to the plate. I have one, and he's been my dad since the beginning, he never thought twice about taking me on as his own child, even though I was 8 when my mom met him. Cori has one too, in a similar situation, and N's dad adopted him at 5. Nate has been Daddy to my kids since they were about 18 months old, and if you didn't know better you'd never guess they don't share biology. You probably know more than a few great dads out there, and at least a couple of them didn't have to step up like they did. Keep that in mind, there are so many deadbeats (both moms and dads), but we really need to focus our attention to those who are wonderful. So here's my thank you to my Daddy, and my husband, for loving your kids even if you didn't "have" to.

Hmmm... it's been kind of a boring week, and I haven't got much to talk about. Here's a little poll for you parents that celebrate Easter. How far in advance do you dye Easter eggs? Do you hide hard boiled eggs or plastic ones. Do you have any nifty traditions? This is the first year the kids are starting to show interest in the Easter Bunny activities, and we haven't yet decided how to do things. I'm having so much fun carrying on the "magic" part of the holidays, it's almost as good as believing in Santa and the EB!! So tell me, what do you do to make it special for your little ones?

You've got to be kidding me

Interesting things going on in the world today....
This makes me sick, mainly because Graner, a Spc, got 10 years for a much lesser crime, and this 1LT is going to stay in the Army, and only serve 45 days for killing someone. The UCMJ is a beautiful thing, folks. It's not what you know...
Another bit of sickening news? Robert Blake was aquitted. Yeah buddy, you and OJ can go play some golf now... it's an elite club.
Things in the blogworld?
Jay and his tea
Tish has a new career prospect
Melissa's house is talking, it might be time to up the meds ;)

That's all I've got right now, talk amongst yourselves!

Grrrr... Blogger is being a punk!

Blogger hasn't let me in in over 24 hours, so I'm pretty happy to just get into my dashboard today, and hopefully get this post up. You ever wake up and know it's going to be one of those days? That was yesterday. I went to put my contacts in, and noticed a chip in the edge of one. Ok, throw them out, get a new pair. Open the new pair, and the right lens was torn in half. This is a new brand for me, and their packaging is a bit difficult to get the lens out of, so I don't know if I sliced it or it was defective from them. Oh, well... open another one, and now have an uneven amount of lenses. Grrrrr. The kids chose yesterday as official "Act Like Brats" day, and their daddy must have been in on the plans, because it was a bad mood day. Grrrr.... Ok, we get a phone call with less than stellar news. Nothing major, just a speedbump to put a damper on our evening. GRRRRRRR! Finally, the kids were in bed, the house was quiet, and I quit for the night. I try to blog and Blogger is giving me hell. Of COURSE!! The day wouldn't have been complete without it!! I took a sleeping pill and went to bed, wishing I had just stayed there all day instead of even bothering with the whole deal. Today is shaping up to be a *little* better, so we'll see how it goes. Pray for my computer, because if this post doesn't go through I'm taking this hunk of crap down to Michael Dell's house and throwing it at him. (Of course I realize it's Google/Blogger's fault, but Dell lives closer.) Is 2pm too early for a drink? I need one!

**editor's note** Check the time on this post. Blogger is not posting it, so it will stay open on my PC until I get it to go through. I'll post the time it goes through later. 8:51pm it finally went through... twice. Silly program!!

Reason # 1,239,572

To De-lurk... since we are all (or at least a couple people) experiencing some technical difficulties with blogrolling, I'm visiting sites off my comments. So... if you didn't comment, I can't come see you! Comment once in a while... I need the reassurance, I'm terribly insecure!