Contemblogging

Joseph and the Amazing Technocolor Dreamcoat

2010-06-23T18:52:00.003-04:00

Just wrapped up another Main Stage Production at the Savannah Children's Theatre.
Photographic evidence that I'm still alive!
Here's one of 4 good reviews we received in the local press!

2010-03-06T22:38:00.006-05:00

The weather was perfect today. The sky was blue,temperature reasonable, and the sand gnats or “flying teeth” hadn’t yet made their appearance to interfere with a persons sanity.
All these factors considered, I decided to do something out of doors.
Dressed in my cute hot pink baseball hat, and armed with the few things I could find from the garage, that could function as yard tools (to include a broken half a rake, a broom, and an old bed sheet) I made my way to the back yard.

At least three feet of nasty tree garbage had fallen over the last few months and I was determined to uncover something of monumental historical value, a lost civilization under the leaves in my back yard.

I had heard stories, of barbeque grills and lawn furniture, with friends and family of long ago, gathering in the area, for birthday parties, steaks and roasted marshmallows.
Under the thick mountains of brown crunchy debris there were no signs of any such society but I could almost hear the echos of laughter and fellowship mixed throughout the whistle of the wind, so I began to rake.

And I raked.
…And raked
…And raked
And stopped to send a few text messages to break the monotony,
…then raked some more,
…and raked
…and FREAKIN RAKED FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WHAT WAS I THINKING I SHOULD HAVE GONE TO THE PARK TO PLAY CATCH WITH THE DOG!!!

…I'm pretty sure I said a few dirty words.

Then raked until finally there was a scratching sound of metal rake prongs on what appeared to be some sort of concrete slab. The further I dug through the leaves, the more of this lost civilization emerged until an entire patio was unearthed, complete with four chairs, a table and indeed... the holy barbque grill!

Who knew that not so long ago, friends gathered and children laughed, right outside my back door?

The area is roped off until further notice.

2010-02-23T08:38:00.003-05:00

Dear Pet Smart.

I would really love it if you could invent a non chewable version of this bed. It matches my bedspread perfectly and looks really cute with the décor of my house. Thank you.

By the way. What is your return policy?

2010-02-17T19:50:00.005-05:00

Sometimes silence is golden.

Other times it just means I don't have anything to say, and my mother always said... if you don't have anything nice to say, shut up and act like a lady.

The end of 2009 brought some changes to my life and change is usually a good thing. Especially when the change keeps me from stagnating and propels me towards something fresh and exciting. Change can also be, however, one of those terrifying, gut wrenching experiences that make me lose weight, consume large amounts of Prozac and chew my fingernails down to tiny icky looking stubbs.

Unfortunately, the particular kind of change I've recently experienced has been of the latter variety, and while my nails still look fabulous, thanks to my friends at Yins House of Happy Nails, I've chosen to remain silent.

I've

THOUGHT

many things mind you, but obeying my Mother as I do, prevented me from actually articulating my ugly thoughts on my Blog, you know... so as not to appear unladylike, God forbid.

Please keep all snickering to a minimum at this point in my story, thank you.

With such nasty changes occuring all over the place, I simply couldn't bring myself to write, and didn't post for a while. Ok, I didn't post for almost a year, but here's to a fresh start right? Maybe I'll pick up the pace now that I'm single again.

(yes....there it is. I said it).

I'm single again. Deep breath.

Maybe I'll write more frequently.

Maybe the hundreds...er uh,... 50 something, oh alright... sheesh, the TEN followers I had in the past(not including my Mother and that creepy stalker dude), have missed me... and will once again flock to Contemblogging to hear more fascinating tales of bald horses, and large harry guys named Guido?

or maybe I'll just get spam comments from therapists, and divorce lawyers. Whatever.

It is what it is.

I've been devestated beyond recognition, and not much for public consumption, but this too shall pass. I hope. Until then, all comments welcome.

A funny Read for Pet Owners

2009-02-04T16:07:00.005-05:00

One would think that with the abundance of time I seem to have on my hands during medical leave, that I would concurrently have the time and muster to write an original blog post.

One would be thinking wrong however and suspect to stealing my codeine prescription. Just as soon as I believe myself ok for public appearance and attempt an outing, I wear out quickly and head back to bed.

All of this free time is apparently exhausting. Plus, the codeine is affecting my ability to discuss anything other than the odd hallucinations I get to experience while on it.

In light of this information, I am posting instead something I just read on Facebook that made me giggle.

Simply put, I couldn't have said it better myself.

In addition, if you wouldn't mind...pop over to my Sons's new blog and say hello. All encouragement is appreciated. Thinkthinkthink
_____

Dear Dogs and Cats:

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It Is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:
TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

(1) They live here. You don't.
(2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
(1) eat less,
(2) don't ask for money all the time,
(3) are easier to train,
(4) normally come when called,
(5) never ask to drive the car,
(6) don't hang out with drug-using people;
(7) don't smoke or drink,
(8) don't want to wear your clothes,
(9) don't have to buy the latest fashions,
(10) don't need a gazillion dollars for college and
(11) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children ...

Back from the hospital

2009-01-14T21:17:00.007-05:00

This blog post was brought to you buy the makers of
Morphine
Generic Name: morphine (MOR feen) dispensed by pushing a small button remote control attached to your I.V. in the hospital after surgery.

Taking this drug may result in side effects such as

• constipation;
• loss of appetite;
• dizziness, headache, anxiety;
• thinking you are pushing the dispenser button in your drugged and dazed stupor, only to find out you’ve been pushing the bolt on the side of the bed instead.
• seeing giant flying cheeseburgers
• and watching Sponge Bob Squarepants who has come to
visit and is dancing in the corner by the window.

Additional side effects such as thinking you are having complete conversations with people in the room may occur, only to find out they were all in your head. (Both the conversations and the people).

Feeling that you can teleport out of your hospital room in order to go downstairs, dig up a tree to put in your briefcase, so you can bring it back without being noticed may also occur. If you try to explain this to any visitors that may be present, they will look puzzled and snicker quietly for the moment then tell these stories later at family gatherings.

Talk to your Doctor if you experience any of these symptoms or similar ones, because he could probably use a good laugh.
-------------------

I am out of the hospital after my surgery and feeling much better each day. I’m not suggesting that I experienced any of the morphine symptoms mentioned above…I’m just sayin’.

2008-11-27T11:12:00.004-05:00

Yes, Yes, I realize it's 11:30 on Thanksgiving Day and I'm still sitting here on the couch with my laptop in lap, in need of a shower, and a house that needs straightening before company arrives in 4 hours. And oh yeah, there’s that whole holiday food thing that still needs to happen, but I promise I’m getting up in a moment.

I’m just practicing my procrastination skills, that’s all.

How’my doing?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Halloween '08

2008-11-11T09:21:00.001-05:00

Leather and Laundry

2008-10-18T23:08:00.006-04:00

With Halloween right around the corner, and several party invitations looming on the agenda, I had to give some thought today about what I could be this year. I’d like to be a Wonder Woman of sorts, only I don’t particularly feel like a wonder woman these days. The flailing economy, a less than lucrative job and health that doesn’t seem to be what it once was has left me feeling something substandard to a kick ass superhero in red, white and blue. Quite frankly, I feel rather un-wonderful.

I’ve always wanted to be a wonder woman like Lara Croft.
You know, to fight ninjas by day, then wash out a great outfit in my motorcycle helmet before a night out on the town. To look hot in leather pants and no other make up than a swipe of my favorite lip gloss.

Somehow my sensibility always gets in the way though when I try to plan feats of daring- do, and I end up staying home to clean the kitchen instead. Mostly because the dirty dishes in the sink are bothering me but also because it just wouldn’t be responsible, what with the mortgage payment due and all. I want carefree bravery and reckless abandonment, but what I have is unwavering reliability and the ability to stay calm in a crisis. There is no magic wrist band to help me get my kid to school on time or sort the laundry. Kick Ass just isn’t in my DNA.

If it were, I would totally rock. I’d opt for shiny black leather attire, some killer thigh high boots, and would wear my long glossy black hair in a ponytail. I’d never think about housework and I’d certainly not pay any bills. I’d just wink at the bill collectors as I stunned them with some clever retort, then ride off on my black and chrome Harley.

I guess that’s why I love Halloween so much. It gives me the opportunity to be someone and something else; to be the Bad Fairy, the pirate wench or the Belly Dancer, because for the rest of the year I’m just not that exciting.

What are you going to be for Halloween?

Keeping up with the Joneses.

2008-08-24T17:18:00.001-04:00

I’ve always been fond of a good theme party and birthdays are no exception.

When my son was old enough to utter an answer to the question “what kind of birthday party do you want this year?” I was happy to oblige. The second year celebration, was a “Blue one” according to his wishes, and blue invitations were immediately fashioned announcing the date, time, place and of course, attire. (yes…blue).

Blue streamers adorned the back yard along side of blue furniture, blue balloons, blue presents and birthday cake served on blue plates.

Each year after the next told of a different theme, interesting in it’s own décor and character. I was proud.

Tomorrow is my son’s 14th birthday wich is a good thing except that today he spent the whole day celebrating his friends Bat Mitzvah. Starting with a lovely ceremony and luncheon followed by an orchestrated dinner and dance at the Hilton Hotel.
The party “rocked” according to him as he pulled off his coat and tie. “She must have had 50 presents!” They danced, drank fancy non alcoholic strawberry daiquiris and won prizes for all sorts of things. This family easily spent thirty thousand dollars on the event, catering, décor, DJ, dance floor…you name it.

I suppose my son was feeling a little green with envy when he asked what we were going to do for his birthday tomorrow.
“Um…
Well…

The family is coming over to the house to eat some dinner and have cake.

Do you hear crickets?

Hullabalooz

2008-08-22T23:41:00.005-04:00

Come on over and take a look at www.hullabalooz.com and tell me what you think.

Blogger's hyperlink won't work at the moment so you'll have to copy paste the url into your browser.

Thank You!

2008-07-12T16:49:00.002-04:00

http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/shortmovie.php

Peter Pan

2008-06-23T22:46:00.005-04:00

It was crazy rehearsal hours, dressing sets, making props, painting, building and sewing…all done by sleep deprived adults who worked all day then rehearsed all evening. Just when I thought my nerves could no longer stand another assault of Starbucks overstimulated children, it was show time and Peter Pan had taken flight.

With a Director who has more faith in the process than anyone, a choreographer who can whip an awkward group into a performance worthy show, and the best lighting and tech people around, we were able to pull off a show that many said couldn’t be done in the Savannah Children’s Theatre.

It was tiring and rewarding all at the same time and here's what I learned. When I hear the sound of little kids giggling from the audience, as Peter Pan tries to stick his shadow on with soap... Or when they cheer and applaud Tinkerbell back to health …I remembered exactly why we all do this in the first place. The laughter coming from little children engaged in a theatre production is just the coolest sound there is, and well worth a few twitching nerves in my book.

After one of the performances, an elderly woman came up to me and said I looked exactly like her porcelain figurine she had of grown up Wendy and how much she enjoyed the show. That was pretty cool too. Young and old alike love Peter Pan, and some people still believe in fairies.

Here’s some pictures from the show. I hope you enjoy them, and if you know a child who has never been exposed to live theatre…make a date, and go. You won’t be disappointed.

2008-05-29T23:14:00.002-04:00

Sometimes...silence is Golden.

Other times it's just a lack of motivation on my part to blog at all. There are times when I feel if I didn't show up no one would even notice, and this sentiment often reflects in my writing of blog posts... or lack thereof. I suppose this is one such period.
I have been busy though, with work and tinkering with windows, props and sets at Theatre. Photographic evidence submitted.

One reason why I love my John Mayer...

2008-04-12T23:17:00.001-04:00

http://johnmayer.com/blog
from the heart.

2008-04-06T20:08:00.002-04:00

It's very quiet now. Except for a steady swirling sound of the clothes dryer off in the distance and the ringing in my own ears, there is silence. The animals are at my feet, both curled up resting quietly and Little Man is upstairs in his room.
I need this right now because my head is pounding and I'm taking a moment to collect myself before I pack for Chicago.

I'll be gone a week.

Google sais the weather will bounce between 33 and 58 degrees. Not my cup of tea.

I'm not myself these days. Life isn't always what you bargained for and right now isn't a good time for us. I think I've aged twice as fast as I should have these last couple of years and the frown lines between my eyebrows are starting to look like a permanent fixture.

I don't usually ask for alot by way of prayer, but now might be a good time if somebody wanted to throw in a few words.

Lights out! It's Earth Hour!

2008-03-29T17:35:00.002-04:00

Turn your lights off with everyone from 8 pm to 9pm Saturday night in the spirit of Earth Hour and see if we all make a difference, together.

For more information just go to Google.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T10:09:00.002-04:00

Paychecks and Paper Boxers

2008-03-17T22:11:00.002-04:00

Good news
I'm gainfully employed again.

Bad news
I had to go take a physical today.

Good news
It was virtually painless and I'm healthy as always

Bad news
They made me wear paper boxer shorts and a hospital gown made of plastic

Good News
I've got a sense of humor and wore both with style and pride, not to mention wrong side out.

Bad news
I left my socks AND shoes on while I wore them. (it was cold, shut up)

Good news
There's no photographic evidence

yea, I'm sexy like that.

The wind beneath my green feathers...

2008-03-16T11:12:00.005-04:00

Holy cow what a storm! St.Patrick's Day weekend as always, was jammed packed with drunken tourists sporting their finest green accessories and drinking much beer. Which is fine.
What these unsuspecting souls were not banking on however, was a storm of tornados and a city that lost electrical power causing pandemonium and mob hysteria.
No street lights.
No lights in the clubs.
Car accidents.
Theft.
fun fun.
We are lucky. No tornados touched down on us to topple our house, although others weren't as fortunate. We spent the evening playing cards by candlelight, listening to the wind howl and being thankful that we weren't in the middle of all that mess.

This is my Dad in the parade. What a clown!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Alright. Who's the wiseguy

2008-03-08T11:10:00.003-05:00

that took my little ass and replaced it with a bunch of cellulite dimples?

Oliver

2008-03-01T21:38:00.002-05:00

It took me a while to get the pictures out of the camera, but here's some shots from Oliver.

2008-02-21T17:40:00.002-05:00

Honest to goodness, I don't know what my problem is. Well I do know what many of my multiple problems are, but the particular one I'm addressing right now is my lack of blogging.

I've got many things to talk about. Like our recent visit to Disney World with my whole extended family, which was fun and a wonderful gift of my parents. Then there was the whole Oliver production and how I painted sets from 8:30 a.m. until 3:00 then came back for rehearsals at 6 that lasted until midnight. Not to mention the three weekends of performances, 4 shows at a time.

There's the lack of official work I could mention, but loads of unofficial work like painting a friends new home additions, and teaching an elementary class at the Children's theatre when they came in for a field trip.

...and speaking of lack of official work. That's still the same situation at the moment. I've applied my little heart out all over the place only to hear nothing in return, short of one interview that didn't pan out. I've done one other interview and will need to fly to Chicago for the next round probably next week. Should be interesting considering it's like a bazillion degrees below zero in Chicago and uh, I'm not an eskimo. Do you suppose I could convince them to come to Savannah and do our chit chatting here? It's far warmer and so pretty this time of year.

Chase is working on our website for the event planning business. It should be live in a day or two so hopefully business will pick up.

The picture above is from a Valentines Day Ball we went to at the Shrine. We had a wonderful time so I thought I'd post the reminder.

and to top it off, we can't find the dohicky that takes the pictures out of the camera and puts them on the computer, so I'm without visuals for all the above events. If it wasn't for that, I'd probably have posted more.
Yea.
That's what the problem is.
ahem.

If you have 9 minutes, watch the video. You need to know this...

2008-01-28T16:02:00.000-05:00

2008-01-23T16:21:00.000-05:00

Live! On Stage! At the Savannah Children's Theatre

Oliver!

Oliver!, the famous musical, which first hit the stage in 1960 and was made into an award-winning film in 1968, features the much-loved rousing songs Consider Yourself, Food Glorious Food and Oom Pah Pah.
Call 238-9015 or click on www.savannahchildrenstheatre.org for tickets!

The Savannah Children's Theatre will present Oliver! Jan. 18, 19, 25 and 26 and Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. and Jan. 19, 20, 26 and 27 and Feb. 2 at 3 p.m. at the Savannah Children's Theatre, 2160 E. Victory Dr.

Tickets are $15 to $20. For information, visit www.savannahchildrenstheatre.org.

Wordsmiths?

2008-01-01T12:36:00.000-05:00

Apparently each year for the last 33 years, a group of individuals at Lake Superior State University have created a list of words that should be banished from the English Language due to general misuse or overuse throughout the year. The list is released each New Year’s Day, based on nominations received through the University’s website.

This year's list is the result of more than 2,000 nominations which were then compiled and revised by these self appointed Word-watchers. I’ve taken the liberty to put them down for you because we all grow tired of certain phrases and words through out the year, and I thought you might like to add these to your banished list.

It really has nothing to do with a feeble attempt to divert your attention away from my missing resolution list. I plan to make one, I think, but It’s hard to author anything organic in such a random way stating where I will commit to give back or declare an i-goal without some sort of waterboarding first.
Ahem.
Here’s the list: What’s your addition?

PERFECT STORM – "Overused by the pundits on evening TV shows to mean just about any coincidence." – Lynn Allen, Warren, Michigan.
"I read that 'Ontario is a perfect storm,' in reference to a report on pollution levels in the Great Lakes. Ontario is the name of one of the lakes and a Canadian province. This guy would have me believe it's a hurricane. It's time for 'perfect storm' to get rained out." – Bob Smith, DeWitt, Michigan.

WEBINAR – "Yet another non-word trying to worm its way into the English language due to the Internet. It belongs in the same school of non-thought that brought us e-anything and i-anything." – Scott Lassiter, Houston, Texas.

WATERBOARDING – "Let's banish 'waterboarding' to the beach, where it belongs with boogie boards and surfboards." – Patrick K. Egan, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

ORGANIC – Overused and misused to describe not only food, but computer products or human behavior, and often used when describing something as "natural," says Crystal Giordano of Brooklyn, New York. Another advertising gimmick to make things sound better than they really are, according to Rick DeVan of Willoughby, Ohio, who said he has heard claims such as "My business is organic," and computers having "organic software."
"Things have gone too far when they begin marketing T-shirts as organic." – Michelle Fitzpatrick, St. Petersburg, Florida.

WORDSMITH/WORDSMITHING – "I've never read anything created by a wordsmith - or via wordsmithing - that was pleasant to read." – Emily Kissane, St. Paul, Minnesota.

AUTHOR/AUTHORED – "In one of former TV commentator Edwin Newman's books, he wonders if it would be correct to say that someone 'paintered' a picture?" – Dorothy Betzweiser, Cincinnati, Ohio.

POST 9/11 – "'Our post-9/11 world,' is used now, and probably used more, than AD, BC, or Y2K, time references. You'd think the United States didn't have jet fighters, nuclear bombs, and secret agents, let alone electricity, 'pre-9/11.'" – Chazz Miner, Midland, Michigan.

SURGE – "'Surge' has become a reference to a military build-up. Give me the old days, when it referenced storms and electrical power." – Michael F. Raczko, Swanton, Ohio.
"Do I even have to say it? I can't be the first one to nominate it…put me in line. From Iraq to Wall Street to the weather forecast – 'surge' really ought to recede." – Mike Lara, Colorado.
"This word came out in the context of increasing the number of troops in Iraq. Can be used to explain the expansion of many things (I have a surge in my waist) and it's use will grow out of control…The new Chevy Surge, just experience the roominess!" – Eric McMillan, Mentor, Ohio.

GIVE BACK – "This oleaginous phrase is an emergency submission to the 2008 list. The notion has arisen that as one's life progresses, one accumulates a sort of deficit balance with society which must be neutralized by charitable works or financial outlays. Are one's daily transactions throughout life a form of theft?" – Richard Ong, Carthage, Missouri.
"Various media have been featuring a large number of people who 'just want to give back.' Give back to whom? For what?" – Curtis Cooper, Hazel Park, Michigan.

'BLANK' is the new 'BLANK' or 'X' is the new 'Y' – In spite of statements to the contrary, 'Cold is (NOT) the new hot,' nor is '70 the new 50.' The idea behind such comparisons was originally good, but we've all watched them spiral out of reasonable uses into ludicrous ones and it's now time to banish them from use. Or, to phrase it another way, 'Originally clever advertising is now the new absurdity!'" – Lawrence Mickel, Coventry, Connecticut.
"'Orange is the new black.' '50 is the new 30.' 'Chocolate is the new sex.' 'Sex is the new chocolate.' 'Fallacy is the new truth.' – Patrick Dillon, East Lansing, Michigan.

BLACK FRIDAY – "The day after Thanksgiving that retailers use to keep themselves out of the 'red' for the year. (And then followed by "Cyber-Monday.") This is counter to the start of the Great Depression's use of the term 'Black Tuesday,' which signaled the crash of the stock market that sent the economy into a tailspin. – Carl Marschner, Melvindale, Michigan.

BACK IN THE DAY – "Back in the day, we used 'back-in-the-day' to mean something really historical. Now you hear ridiculous statements such as 'Back in the day, people used Blackberries without Blue Tooth.'" – Liz Jameson, Tallahassee, Florida.
"This one might've already made the list back in the day, which was a Wednesday, I think." – Tim Bradley, Los Angeles, California.

RANDOM – Popular with teenagers in many places."Over-used and usually out of context, i.e. 'You are so random!' Really? Random is supposed to mean 'by chance.' So what I said was by chance, and not by choice?" – Gabriel Brandel, Farmington Hills, Michigan.
"Outrageous mis- and overuse, mostly by teenagers, i.e. 'This random guy, singing this random song…It was so random.' Grrrrr." – Leigh, Duncan, Galway, Ireland.
"Overuse on a massive scale by my fellow youth. Every event, activity and person can be 'sooo random' as of late. Banish it before I go vigilante." – Ben Martin, Adelaide, South Australia.

SWEET – "Too many sweets will make you sick. It became popular with the advent of the television show 'South Park' and by rights should have died of natural causes, but the term continues to cling to life. It is annoying when young children use it and have no idea why, but it really sounds stupid coming from the mouths of adults. Please kill this particular use of an otherwise fine word." – Wayne Braver, Manistique, Michigan
"Youth lingo overuse, similar to 'awesome.' I became sick of this one immediately." – Gordon Johnson, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

DECIMATE – Word-watchers have been calling for the annihilation of this one for several years.
"Used today in reference to widespread destruction or devastation. If you will not banish this word, I ask that its use be 'decimated' (reduced by one-tenth)." – Allan Dregseth, Fargo, North Dakota.
"I nominate 'decimate' as it applies to Man's and Nature's destructive fury and the outcome of sporting contests. Decimate simply means a 10% reduction – no more, no less. It may have derived notoriety because the ancient Romans used decimation as a technique for prisoner of war population reduction or an incentive for under-performing battle units. A group of 10 would be assembled and lots drawn. The nine losers would win and the winner would die at the hands of the losers – a variation on the instant lottery game. Perhaps 'creamed' or 'emulsified' should be substituted. – Mark Dobias, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
"The word is so overused and misused, people use it when they should be saying 'annihilate.' It's so bad that now there are two definitions, the real one and the one that has taken over like a weed. – Dane, Flowery Branch, Georgia.

EMOTIONAL – "Reporters, short on vocabulary, often describe a scene as 'emotional.' Well sure, but which emotion? For a radio reporter to gravely announce, 'There was an emotional send off to Joe Blow' tells me nothing, other than the reporter perceived that the participants acted in an emotional way. For instance: I had an emotional day today. I started out feeling tired and a bit grumpy until I had my coffee. I was distraught over a cat killing a bird on the other side of the street. I was bemused by my reaction to the way nature works. I was intrigued this evening to add a word or two to your suggestions. I was happy to see the words that others had posted. Gosh, this has been an emotional day for me." – Brendan Kennedy, Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada.

POP – "On every single one of the 45,000 decorating shows on cable TV (of which I watch many) there is at LEAST one obligatory use of a phrase such as ... 'the addition of the red really makes it POP.' You know when it's coming ... you mouth it along with the decorator. There must be some other way of describing the addition of an interesting detail." – Barbara, Arlington, Texas.

IT IS WHAT IT IS – "This pointless phrase, uttered initially by athletes on the losing side of a contest, is making its way into general use. It accomplishes the dual feat of adding nothing to the conversation while also being phonetically and thematically redundant." – Jeffrey Skrenes, St. Paul, Minnesota.
"It means absolutely nothing and is mostly a cop out or a way to avoid answering a question in a way that might require genuine thought or insight. Listen to an interview with some coach or athlete in big-time sports and you'll inevitably hear it." – Doug Compo, Brimley, Michigan.

UNDER THE BUS – "For overuse. I frequently hear this in the cliché-filled sports world, where it's used to describe misplaced blame – i.e. 'After Sunday's loss, the fans threw T.O. under the bus." – Mark R. Hinkston, Racine, Wisconsin.
"Please, just 'blame' them." – Mike Lekan, Kettering, Ohio.

http://www.lssu.edu/banished/submit_word.php.

Plenty of Work for the Weary...

2007-12-10T22:59:00.000-05:00

For someone with no official job at the moment, I'm still staying busy and trying to do so with a positive attitude. I won't lie to you, I've had my moments where I thought a meltdown was in my near future, but those moments have been minimal at best.

Good things are happening. Oliver rehearsals are in full swing and I'm enjoying the production so far. I'm curious as to what one of my costumes will be as the part in question is for a "working woman" of the shall we say, less respectable sort. I may have to show an ankle or too.

We've also been doing some interior modifications inside the theatre to improve the box office and concessions booths. This involves a great deal of painting which is not my most favorite thing but nevertheless, a necessary evil.

I've been able to focus a lot of time on the window displays. I've drawn, cut, painted and glittered to my hearts content, and my work space looks as though a wild band of rainbow fairies came by to throw up all over the floor. If it sparkles it pleases I say!

Here's some shots of the completed windows before I head off to bed. Sleep well...

Pictures worth a thousand words

2007-11-20T23:09:00.000-05:00

2007-10-25T21:20:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't made an appearance on the blog scene in quite some time now, but there's reasons for everything. As the old saying goes...."sometimes, life throws you a curve ball" and apparently it was my time at bat.

A lot has happened in the last month and writing has been ever so regretfully, pushed to the back of the shelf next to my sketch pad and the dust bunnies. I imagine I'll pick it back up again in the future, but for today I'll just catch you up on a few things.

First, I was laid off after 7 years at my now defunct career.
This was both a blessing and an ulcer inducing event because while I was very good at my job and earned a substantial income, I was indeed, very sick of the business.

Perpetually seeking the lesson in all things, I try to focus on the fact that sometimes we just need a catalyst to propel us toward new ventures and risks. I try to see this layoff as my catalyst, and am seeking a completely new career path even though at my age that can be kind of tricky.

You might remember that my friend and I have been doing event planning on the side for a couple of years? Well, I thought this would be the best time to jump into the event planning business full time, and have actively been searching for the right property to build a facility. (If not now, when right)? It's scary quite frankly, and won't happen over night even if we do find land feasible enough for construction so in the meantime, I still need employment. As it turns out, I'm rather fond of electricity, water and the like and bill collectors seldom take kindly to those who don't pay at the end of the month.

Go figure.

Aside from unemployment, job hunting, and eating antacids in massive quantities, I'm still staying busy.

Secondly, we finished a big fundraising masquerade ball for the Theatre. It took us two days to set up the decor, a black, purple and white affair complete with a tarot card reader, a fortune teller, (both actors) a 15 piece band, and live auction deals. Everyone dressed in masquerade style, danced, drank martini's at the martini bar and when it was all said and done, the Theatre grossed about 20 grand. I believe they were pleased.

Next, I turned 30.
Again.
oh Shut up.

Let's see....what else have I been doing between loads of laundry and other regular Mommie stuff?

I finished some more sketches.

and did some scrapbooking.

Remember Cochise, the horse in Costa Rica? That's him in the picture...the white, hairless bastard.

I bartered a couple of manicures from my manicurist in exchange for my wallpaper services, cause I'm broke, er uh, thrifty like that.

I Auditioned for the next main stage production at the Theatre which happens to be Oliver.
(Auditioning is kind of like those dreams you have, where you're standing naked in front of people and can't seem to find a wall to hide behind). It's both embarrassing and exhilarating at the same time, only in an audition you're on stage with a couple of people evaluating your nakedness from behind a clipboard. I was selected for a few minor numbers, singing and dancing in the background. It's just filler stuff, but should be fun regardless. Rehearsals start next week.

and Last but not least, I've been doing some production assistant work at the Civic Center for a show that's coming to town in a few weeks. It's an impressive Christmas show with an elaborate stage set, that's been interesting to watch as it comes together. I'll be posting some photos as we progress but won't name anything yet so as not to give any details of the show away to Google searchers.

So there you have it.

Thanks for stopping by to check on me.

Some Blogher News

2007-09-27T22:05:00.001-04:00

You may or may not remember when I chained myself to that flagpole in hopes of gaining the attention of the Ellen Degeneres Show?

Yeah, well Ellen didn't even look my way, but I pouted for a month then got over it. Anyways...

the interesting news is that this year, Blogher is coming near me! The 2008 Blogher convention is taking to the road and will be in Atlanta during one of it's stops. You can read about the full schedule here on Elisa's Blog and for more details.

I think I'll go.

Wanna join me?

an addition to the previous post...

2007-09-06T16:23:00.000-04:00

Turns out I didn't do my Grandfather quite the justice due him in my description below. He was in fact head guilder and one of the original artists when the house was built in 1927. The paintings and gold guild seen in this photo was his handy work.

I wouldn't even know how to begin to do something at that magnitude, but can scratch out an odd looking scared cat
and a dragon . It seems my cats will need some work as their faces tend to be a little creepy and are going to need some doctoring.

I'm no Sharon

2007-08-30T11:16:00.000-04:00

I come from a very artistic family. My uncle is the resident artist at Mar a Largo in Palm Beach Florida, and works for Donald Trump. His job is to keep the 118-room, 110,000 square foot estate and all it's grandiose artwork in pristine condition. This is in addition to the various and sundry other artistic jobs a man such as Donald Trump would need done such as keeping the gold lettering on his personal Boeing 727 jet sparkling in the sky.

He was also the creator of the cake base for Donald and Melania's wedding cake. It too was layered with 24k gold leaf painstakingly applied by my Uncle's artistic hands.

Before my Uncle had this Title, my Grandfather held the honor. He participated in the initial restorations to the mansion's elaborate murals, fresco's and statues that pepper the interior and exterior of the incredible Louis the XIV style estate.

Then there's my cousin, who can draw, sculpt, create and bring to life the most amazing things in every medium whether it be pencil, paint or styrofoam, and has done so both personally and professionally for many years. Several of his pieces were showcased at the Olympics when they were here in Atlanta.

Then there's my Mom. Her art of choice usually involves sewing, but I'm not just talking about pattern sewing of clothes. She can create a piece of art out of fabric that rivals any Da Vinci painting you've ever seen. These aren't quilts you use on your bed either mind you, but more works of art you display on the wall.

aaaand......then.......there's me. I suppose after two generations of mutations, the artistic gene became brittle and like all good clones, I am a weaker substandard versions of the originals.
Occasionally I like to sketch but what I produce is nothing to speak of. Some people like Sharon can easily turn nothing into something, like an ink blot into a fairy or tiger. Others like A favorite photographer of mine sees the world through the lens of her camera, to produce stunning pictures. She has the ability to capture random moments and make them art worthy. Take a look at her recent "trash the dress" stuff.

I usually like to scrapbook because I can combine colors, textures and fabrics with memories to create a keepsake we all enjoy seeing. But every now and then I get the urge to sketch. Yesterday was one such moment, so I drew what my son requested. I'll be doing animals for a while because that's what I'm in the mood to practice. Next installment will most likely be a dog or cat because I feel like dabbling with fur textures, but don't expect much. I don't claim to be a professional. -wink-

2007-08-24T23:40:00.000-04:00

Can someone please tell me how this happened? I'm pretty sure it was only yesterday that you were my little bitty baby boy, so small I could give you a bath in the salad bowl.

Now you're turning 13, and I'm not even a day older. You're almost as tall as me and won't stop growing out of your pants!

I watch you on stage as you sing and dance, and I gleam with pride and joy. I hope you know how proud I am of you, and am so thankful that of all the little boys in the world a Mom could have, I was blessed with you! Happy Birthday my precious angel. Moma loves you!

Clues Through Shoes

2007-08-19T16:45:00.001-04:00

I was reading over at Blog Blah Blah and I got tickled. Heather was doing a post inspired by Jellyhead regarding shoes and whether or not a woman’s shoes reflect her personality. The concept of the post? Post your shoes, what do they say about you?

If you’ve read my blog before you may have already met my shoes. They’re a rowdy bunch and live the vida loca in the closet off the master bedroom. There’s many a pair in there and I’m pretty sure some of them are the bastard offspring of other shoes that live there. On occasion, I’m forced to tame the shoes else they might unite and over run the household.

I’m convinced my shoes reflect my personality in more ways than one. First, I have many different styles all for different functions. I also have many of the same style in different colors because I couldn't decide which color to choose, and ended up getting them both. Second, I don't spend a lot of money on any single pair of shoes because they are, after all, only shoes. They don't save the world or cure cancer, but they do however need to be comfortable, yet fashionable. I’m also convinced that choosing just a few to label as favorites would be difficult, and indeed indicative of my inability to make choices. Here’s a few examples for the purpose of this post.

Today I wore my flip flops with the red oriental fabric. They matched my pedicure, and I like the bamboo-ish insole on a hot day.

Here's a sampling of the functional family. Dance shoes, tap shoes and my favorite of about 5 pair of athletic shoes.

I would have to say these reflect my love of dance. I should show my slippers next to balance the active pairs with the lazy pairs, but my slippers are just any socks that happen to be on my feet at the moment.

Next, there's the green suede jingle shoes. I have a million pair of flip flops but these are one of my favorites of the group.

I've got several business shoes but these black sling backs are a staple.

They go with every business suit and even look nice with skirts.

For the festive occasions when a fancy sandal is in order, I'm covered. I go to lots of formals and of course each dress needs the matching shoe. Silver, gold, rhinestones...I've got them all.

There's also plenty of casual shoes for everything else. I got these brown leather wedges for $9 at Walmart the other day.

It's the second pair of these I've had to get in a short time, because the dog chewed up the first installment. In fact, many a pair have gone to the trash thanks to the dog's inability to distinguish between my shoe and the multiple rawhides I've offered in their place. Any the dog doesn't ingest, the cat will. He's especially fond of flip flops.

In fact. As I put the snacks, (er uh, the shoes) out on the floor for photographing, they both came a' sniffin'.

I'll spare you my collection of boots, (ankle and knee high, dressy and cowboy)... as I'm sure you're probably ready to stab your eyeballs out with your fork if you've made it this far at all.

I don't know what all of my shoes reveal about me to you, but in a nutshell I'd have to say that my taste in shoes reflects my broad range of interests. There's a time and place for everything in life, and a matching shoe to get you there.

Feel free to do Jelly's Meme yourself. It's all in good fun in this serious world of ours.

Things that make me go...hmmmm.

2007-08-13T14:31:00.000-04:00

The Times

(the August 4, 2007 edition)

China tells living Buddhas to obtain permission before they reincarnate

Tibet’s living Buddhas have been banned from reincarnation without permission from China’s atheist leaders. The ban is included in new rules intended to assert Beijing’s authority over Tibet’s restive and deeply Buddhist people.

“The so-called reincarnated living Buddha without government approval is illegal and invalid,” according to the order, which comes into effect on September 1.

The 14-part regulation issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs is aimed at limiting the influence of Tibet’s exiled god-king, the Dalai Lama, and at preventing the re-incarnation of the 72-year-old monk without approval from Beijing.

It is the latest in a series of measures by the Communist authorities to tighten their grip over Tibet. Reincarnate lamas, known as tulkus, often lead religious communities and oversee the training of monks, giving them enormous influence over religious life in the Himalayan region. Anyone outside China is banned from taking part in the process of seeking and recognising a living Buddha, effectively excluding the Dalai Lama, who traditionally can play an important role in giving recognition to candidate reincarnates.

Well now isn't that something? Can you imagine the paperwork involved with gaining a permit to reincarnate? Is there a special form or Visa? Do you have to perform miraculous feats of enlightenment to qualify? It would be way easier for all the souls waiting in line to just come to the United States.

Apparently you don't have to be a legal citizen, or follow tax paying laws to live here.

Hmmmm.

Money Money Money

2007-07-29T15:15:00.000-04:00

If you're still not convinced that we need a new tax structure in place-

and you missed the news story about the alleged drug lord who was arrested in Wheaton, Md this week, get a load of this.

U.S. officials say Ye Gon’s arrest was the world's largest seizure of drug cash of all time. They found $207 million dollars in cash at his sprawling mansion in Vegas, where he was considered gambling royalty. It wasn’t unusual for him to gamble away millions in a single evening and has lost more than 125 million in the last three years. In addition to all of that glorious tax free cash, he had multiple luxury cars and several kept mistresses living life in the finest of style.

Ye Gon, a Chinese-Mexican "businessman" was wanted on organized crime, drug trafficking and weapons charges. Clearly an outstanding tax paying individual.

Why shouldn’t Uncle Sam be entitled to a piece of his pie? I realize he’s tied up right now worrying about the $700 dollars he’d like my husband and I to cough up, but honestly. Wouldn’t it be something if even creeps like Ye Gon had to fork over some of their loot and pay taxes?

And here’s an interesting statistic regarding Mexico. 80 percent of illegal drugs come into the United States across the Mexican border. Yet another reason we should tighten border control if you ask me, which I realize you didn’t, but that’s neither here nor there. I don’t have an issue with Mexicans being here, but I do have an issue with illegal non tax paying immigrants being here. They don’t pay taxes, but expect access to the funds.

Say it with me now… Fair Tax.

Fair Tax Anyone?

2007-05-25T09:30:00.000-04:00

I pay my taxes.

I’d say I support at least three families on governmental aid just on my income alone.
Ok. Fine.

But then I get another bill from my friends at the IRS stating they want more money based on some additional income I apparently forgot to claim from some stock dividends.

Ok fine. But wait. Their figures are not correct! They are no where near correct! They inform me I have to pay the taxes now, or challenge it by following a skadillion steps and procedures which ultimately cost me more money. They also inform me that the interest will start accruing on the balance……right….

now…!

tic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc. Great. Tax on top of Tax.

After seeking the help of an accountant, (pay him) then mail in the challenge form provided, I wait to hear the results of my grievance.

Meanwhile, the interest is still compounding.

Tic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc.

Granted, If my grievance is found correct, I don’t have to pay. But if it isn’t, I get to paythe full amount and all the interest that’s accrued since I received the letter.

Tic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc.

Have you ever known the IRS to do anything in a timely fashion?

Did I mention this was a letter calculated on my 2005 tax return?

Will it take the IRS two years to find an answer?

What’s the interest compounded on $9,000 for two years?

Tic toc tic toc tic toc tic toc.

Damn.

If you haven’t paid much attention to the Fair tax, please do.

The FairTax Plan is a nonpartisan national grassroots campaign to replace the federal income tax system with a progressive national retail sales tax. It provides a "prebate" to ensure no American pays federal taxes on spending up to the poverty level, dollar-for-dollar federal revenue replacement and, through companion legislation, repeal of the 16th Amendment.

It would replace the following taxes, (just to name a few) and my personal favorite, our friends at the IRS.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax,
Fuel permit tax
Gasoline Tax (42 cents per gallon)
Hunting License Tax
Earned Interest expense
Inventory tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (Yay! tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Road usage taxes
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
My personal favorites:
Telephone federal excise tax
Telephone federal universal service fee tax
Telephone federal, state and local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and non-recurring charges tax  (huh?)
Telephone state and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax

-inhale- -exhale-

Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

And we can’t forget when you die, you’ve still got the

Estate tax
inheritance tax
casket tax
burial tax

Here’s a great comparison chart if you’d like to learn more about the fair tax. It’s important to stay in the loop!

http://www.fairtax.org/PDF/FairTaxFlatTaxIncomeTaxComparisonChart.pdf

And….some closing arguments to finish off my soapbox rant.

-Consumption taxes are the oldest form of taxation for many good reasons.
-Consumption taxes are self limiting
-Uniformity of taxation wards off special interest manipulation.
-Direct taxes (Income taxes/poll taxes/head taxes), throughout history have been the tools of Tyranny.

www.fairtax.org.

A Meme for Monday

2007-05-07T22:57:00.001-04:00

Heather from Blog Blah Blah has kindly offered a Meme to help motivate me into another blog post. I’m not keeping on top of the entries, possibly because after 2 ½ years I have nothing left to say.

In any event, here’s a feeble attempt, an interview if you will, to get the words flowing on Contemblogging. Thank you so much Heather for lighting the fire under my you know what.
1. I know you live in the South. What are the best and worst things about living in the Deep South? I absotivley, posilutely love the warm weather. Apparently I’m a reptile and reptiles need the rays of the sunshine to warm cold toes, or claws, or whatever. I went 10 years without ever showing my feet when I lived in Belgium because it was so cold I had to wear socks and boots all the time. They were cute boots needless to say, but my poor little feet never come out of hibernation until I moved back South. Now my toes are free to wiggle in the cutest of open toed sandals and perpetually sport a good French manicure. The worst part of living in the South would either be the stigma of Southern stupidity, or the bugs. I can prove the stupidity thing is just a stereotype, but the bugs… the huge amount of bugs is just plain creepy!

2. You always have elaborate and wonderful costumes for Halloween. Was Halloween a big deal when you were a child or is it something that you got into once you were an adult? Halloween tends to be the best time of year to blend in with the other fruit cakes that like to dress up so I take the Holiday and run with it. I remember when I was a kid, my parents were always dressing up and attending elaborate costume parties. More often then not, they would win the prize for best costumes, which later ended up in my play chest. I have fond memories of dressing up and pretending to be all sorts of alter identities. Now, I make it a point to buy up all the left over children’s costumes the day after Halloween for half price. My kids get to play with them, and I get a great deal of enjoyment creating my own prize winning costumes.

3. Finally, You've traveled a lot of places, right? Name your favorite of all the places you have lived or visited. Hmmm. That’s tough because choosing one is hard. I’ll tell you a few of my favorites, all for different reasons.

The Austrian landscapes are breathtaking. The crisp, clean and vast beauty of the Alps dotted with small picturesque villages will remain photographed in my minds eye until the day I die. I drove through the majority of the Country and never saw a spot I didn’t like.

The night skies at the Grand Canyon will instantaneously put your life into perspective in the grand scheme of things. They are responsible for making me feel small and insignificant forever more. I’m pretty sure if you tried, you could reach up and touch a million stars, just like you were sitting on the edge of the universe. Simply unforgettable.

I like the shopping in Atlanta Georgia.. Period. From everywhere I’ve been, it’s the best.

If I had to die from over eating, I would head straight to South America for their delicious black beans, plantanos, rice, mango, and fish. They even serve a combination of the above with eggs and toast in the morning. What a way to go!

And while I’m not so fond of France per se, I think the atmosphere, weather, and “good hair” factorability is most certainly top rated near the Mediterranean, South of France. Monaco, Marseille, Toulon, St. Tropez, The Côte d ‘Azure, the huge yachts, the money, the pace of life, the tans. Very nice.

When all is said and done though, there’s nothing better than the feeling of coming home and crawling in my own bed.

thanks Heather for the Meme. I gave it a try, and now I believe In Meme fashion I'm supposed to offer an interview to someone else. Anyone up for some questions?

Time Warp Tuesday

2007-01-22T23:23:00.000-05:00

Ever had the impression you've been here before?

My friend popped over this morning to drop off something and pick up something.
I’d say what something was only I don’t remember anymore.

Just like I didn’t remember why I walked her into the adjacent room to show her something only to forget what something was once we got there.
“It’s in here,” I said “come with me…” leading her through the magical magnetic door frame that obviously wiped my brain matter clean of any useful residue the minute we passed through.

I stood there sputtering and scratching my head while sizzling noises seeped from my ears. “wait…what am I doing here again”?

"Do you smell smoke?"
“and what did you say your name was again”?

Maybe I’m just a little distracted…what, with work, house things, and taking my son's medications. It’s possible I suppose, but I’m good.
Really I am.

Now where did I put those car keys???

What's yours is Mine

2007-01-19T15:51:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning and began the usual routine.
Wake Son up.
Let dog out.
Start toast.
Get medicine for Son ready.
Get my medicine ready.
Take all above mentioned medicine myself in one sweeping gulp.
Prompt son to hurry out of the shower and come eat breakfast.
Tell dog to stop begging.

Wait.
Did I just take my Son’s medicine?

Look around for said medications.
Scan countertops for Son’s pills.
Check table tops and floor.
Check pill container (yes it’s been removed)
Look at dog funny to see if he’s chewing something.

Nothing.

Yes, I’m retarded.
I took my Son’s medicine for Attention Deficit, for Anxiety, AND my antidepressant.

Spent the day happy as a lark, focused as hell and not afraid of anything!

Sheesh.

Animal Soup

2007-01-13T10:45:00.000-05:00

He’s been sent outdoors for bad behavior, and he's not so happy about it.

I’m not sure if he was digging to China, or just trying to tunnel his way back into the house after getting thrown out for chewing too many random socks.

The little shit.

I’m about 9 socks to short for making complete pairs, and until he can quarry out some new ones from those holes he’s so fond of creating, he’s outside Mister.

I know he’s cute and all, and my son thinks he’s the best thing ever, but his appetite for all things fabric is getting ready to earn him a new home in my pot of stew.

And what’s with the cat? We moved into a house with wood and tile floors, but yet he finds it necessary to run find the 8 x 12 patch of Persian rug to puke on. God forbid he should gag on anything less than 100 % cotton.

For my next post I'll be sharing some of my favorite recipes....

John Mayer

2006-12-13T23:13:00.000-05:00

I'm telling you.

He's brilliant!
Here's a fine example...

Belief

Is there anyone who
ever remembers
changing their mind from
the paint on a sign?
Is there anyone who
really recalls
ever breaking rank at all for something someone yelled real loud one time?

Everyone believes
in how they think it ought to be
Everyone believes
and they're not going easily

Belief is a beautiful armor
but makes for the heaviest sword
like punching under water
You never can hit what you're trying for

Some need the exhibition
and some have to know they tried
It's the chemical weapon for the war that's raging on inside

Everyone believes
from emptiness to everything
everyone believes
and no one's going quietly

We're never gonna win the world
we're never gonna stop the war
we're never gonna beat this
if belief is what we're fighting for

What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand?
belief can
belief can.

What put the folded flag inside his mother's hand?
belief can
belief can

-John Mayer

An Update

2006-12-11T18:13:00.000-05:00

I haven’t posted in a long while.
Mostly because of the busy holiday schedule, but partly in fact due to lack of interest.

I’ve had a few nice requests to please start writing again, but without the appropriate motivation on my part, I would most likely have bored everyone right to the North Pole.

There’s been a lot going on to keep me busy though.

First there was my auction for the Children’s Theatre. We raised around 5 grand which is good I suppose. Sharon was kind enough to donate one of her paintings
and it sold right away! Two people sort of went back and forth until one gave in at $130. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Then there was the whole annual decorating of the house spectacular, starting with the inside

and ending outside for the grand finale.
Chase nearly gave me heart palpitations as he teetered on the edge dangling the last of the Christmas lights to the roof.

And of course I had to set the table with my Christmas dishes.
(Yes, I have Christmas dishes too)…so go ahead and say it. I’m a dish whore.

I’ve been making Arbonne gift baskets for friends, getting the house ready for the arrival of the Princess and little Hurricane, making lists, checking them twice, shopping, working, blah blah blah.

I just wanted to pop in briefly to say hello and hope your holiday preparations are coming along as you would like them too.

Suzanne

My Bottle of Wonder!

2006-11-07T11:15:00.000-05:00

Last year when Chase and I got married, I received a bottle of this as a wedding gift.
It came in an attractive bottle, with an appealing color and a nice orange-ish fragrance.

I didn’t really pay that much attention to what brand it was nor did the bottle have a name blazed across the front so I just blindly used the product without giving it much more thought than that.

Shortly there after Chase mentioned to me that my skin felt really soft, in fact what he actually said was “man you’re legs are really soft…you feel like a Barbie doll”. I knew my skin felt good to me, but I thought it was interesting that he noticed.

I continued to get this lotion from the same girl for about a year. She never told me what it was though, or if she did it went un recollected in my memory banks. I guess I just didn’t pay that much attention. I liked it so I used it. period.

I’d never been one to do much fussing about skin care, opting for something cheap from Walmart, but this was different. It quickly became my favorite lotion and around my house we called it the wonder lotion!

Then one day a few months ago my friend Amanda came to me all excited about a line of SWISS SKIN CARE PRODUCTS that she had just discovered and from which she planned to make a business. As she showed me some of the products, I immediately recognized the bottle as the same line of my orange bottled favorite! With closer examination of my lotion, I did in fact see in fine print the word Arbonne on the back label.

You could have blown me over!

I’ve since tried a whole shebang of additional Arbonne products and I have to admit,
I’m hooked!

Me,…the one who for years, washed her face with whatever was in the shower.
The one who tried many expensive brands before, (Clinique-which made my eyelids swell, Lancome- which made my lips peel, Estee Lauder-same thing) and decided it just wasn’t worth the money.

Now I’ve found something that works, that I truly love, and like many devout Arbonne users, will never stop using!

If you’d like to try my Wonder Lotion click here. It's in the
NutriminC Re9 line.

And if you’d like to help me out with my side business, Please
take a look at my website to learn more about Arbonne and it’s products! There are many to choose from and I bet you’ll find something you should try! Just go to the SHOP ONLINE tab.

The holidays are right around the corner too and you can give someone you love an orange bottle of wonder!

Happy Halloween!

2006-11-01T00:18:00.000-05:00

Need Something to do?

2006-10-25T10:27:00.000-04:00

It’s been a crazy month, and there’s no sign of it slowing down any time soon.

One would think this type of predicament would make for all sorts of wonderful blogging fodder, and in one sense…it does.

Only it’s all in my head.

The actual time it would take to sit down and write about everything in my head is instead replaced with committee meetings, trade shows, weddings, driving to and fro, business strategy sessions, managing the household, creating business plans for the coming year and wondering how the hell I’m going to swing it all.

So.

Here’s a few things you might want to do instead.

Visit the Savannah Children’s Theatre Website. We’re having an art auction on the 9th of December to raise money and any proceeds from art sold on line will also benefit the theatre. Just be sure to mention the Savannah Children’s Theatre. You’ll also find some pictures of little man if you peak through the photos section! Try The Wiz!

Read Mir, over at Woulda Coulda Shoulda when you need a giggle. She’s by far my most favorite blogger and never fails to make me laugh.

Contact me at sbellusa@yahoo.com if you're interested in Arbonne. It’s a wonderful product by a mega power company, and it would be great if you’d join me and my team. Or, if you'd like to place an order just email me and i'll be happy to oblige.

Getting married? Try Weddings by C.Waters. We will travel!!! The website will be getting a new look soon so keep an eye out for that too!

I'm out of time for now.
Suzanne

Hey Shortie…it’s my birthday.

2006-10-22T20:22:00.001-04:00

Today was the 11th anniversary of my 30th birthday!

I celebrated and I’m too pooped to write, so this will be a short one.

After watching a play at the Children’s theatre and a wonderful meal at Carrabbas with the family, it’s time to get out of these tight pants, get horizontal and relax. I ate so much I can’t breathe and drank just enough wine to make me sleepy.

I’ll be scrabbling around for my lost youth today. I’m sure I left it around here somewhere….

Come One, Come All...

2006-10-11T09:25:00.000-04:00

Well...

my friends are back.

This time it's the dog's food that is especially yummie.
I'm thinking I ought to just set out more plates and invite the moles too that seem to be having a festival in my yard. It's gotten so that when I walk across the grass, (or what's left of it), my feet sink like I'm walking on pillows. I can only imagine what the network of tunnels must look like, and God forbid if I ever run across a full grown one of these creatures!! I realize they're kind of cute when they're little but eek gads!

The larger versions make me want to run screaming into the house!

With the dog, the cat, the beta, the frog, the moles, the ants, and what I’m certain are a pack of squirrels in my attack, I should be able to create a small circus and hit the road with my traveling animal act.

Just as soon as I can just get all these damned varmits trained,
I'll be coming to a city near you!

There’s no need for an intervention yet.

2006-10-02T18:17:00.000-04:00

I’ve been shooting up once a week now.

B12, the good stuff. With an energy derivative added in just for punch.
The idea was to get me off the couch again. Not that I was literally on the couch mind you, I’ve got far too much responsibility for that kind of lounging about, but metaphorically speaking. I lost my will to do anything, and frankly that’s disastrous if you expect me to show up for work , wear clean clothes, cook meals, be a Mom, and a wife, volunteer at the theatre and at school, and whatever.

So I went to visit a doctor, had an examination and he decided the stress was zapping by B vitamins. I’m pretty sure it stole my A-Z’s as well, but there’s not an alphabet shot on the market yet. Mark my words though if there ever is I’ll be the first in line!

The results have been good so far! I’m up handling my daily dredge, AND getting some extra activity in just for good measure. On top of my tap dance class, I’m walking again in the evenings and incorporating hand weights into my exercises. I better be in shape soon, or I might have to move up from my gateway shot to something a little more potent. Like Crack.

In other news, my son just joined the Georgia chapter of Demolay. I hope he gains a world of knowledge from the experience and learns how to become a good citizen in the community. I don’t know about you but I’m already feeling some “would you like to volunteer for…” phone calls in my near future. If you’re not familiar with Demolay you can read more about this fine Masonic driven organization for boys here.

If not, go get me some needles would ya?

2006-09-27T15:24:00.000-04:00

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by today and um…while you’re here, just pretend that you don’t see that I’m wearing these shiny new tap shoes ok? I mean, I AM a grown woman after all and shuffling from room to room might be construed as a tad odd for a lady of my maturity.

It’s just that I always wanted to take tap lessons, and for some reason was always too busy with other things. Or something. Then the opportunity presented itself. A class for my age group, with no pre existing talent or skill needed, Dancing for Dummies if you will, and the good news is there’s no recitals to scare off my friends and family.

Never mind that I’m almost 41, I mean 30, and I’m taking a tap class amidst a school of cute little 8 year old girls all dressed in pink tutu’s and ballet slippers! They’re much smaller than me and I can push them out of the way with no problem.

It’s only once a week, and I have loads of fun. Let me just say it’s a lot more complicated than I ever gave it credit. And yeah, I’ve shimmied when I shoulda shuffled, ( I’m fond of shimmy-ing), but it’s not easy to get your feet to do all of that tapping and what not, all the while keeping your tongue in check!

How will I ever use my newly acquired skill outside of the classroom or to further my career? Who cares.

Yes sirree, I’m a tap dancing fool.

And Now a Word From Our Sponsor...

2006-09-22T17:08:00.000-04:00

(because I'm way to out of it this after noon to reinvent the wheel), I'm sharing something that means alot and has already been spoken by George Carlin.
*****
"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more c copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
***********************8
hmmmmm.

Good Weekend!

Avast Me Maties

2006-09-19T09:16:00.000-04:00

Shiver me timbers! September 19, is "Talk like a pirate day".

Check ou' this site fer some swaby fun, links, pirate booty, a glossary o' pirate phrases, get your scurvy pirate name, generate your pirate ship, an' o' course....an English t' Sea dog translator

Arrr, I can't make this up...go see fer yerself ya slimy web wenches.

signed,
Castaway Esmerelda the Bitch Leg
Captain of the Night's Secret

And what say ye, ya scurvy dog?

AARG! I needs me a talking parrot

2006-09-17T21:54:00.000-04:00

I’m pretty sure I felt a hint of cool in the air today. I could be wrong mind you, It’s been known to happen from time to time, but by the looks of my hair do… I hardly doubt it. The frizz-odometer never fails to signal when a significant drop in humidity has occurred.

That means it’s almost fall, and the annual preparations for Halloween can soon commence. I love dressing up and Halloween comes in handy for blending in when I do that sort of thing. Besides, it’s far easier to explain myself to the neighbors when we’re ALL sporting costumes at a party for instance, than say... me walking the dog.
OH SURE, like you've never done that!
anyways...

Remember her?

And her?

Well this year, the voice of a drunken pirate whispered in my ear and now I’ve gotten a nasty case of the Hook. It’s like a virus, only I’m not allowed to miss work. I might have caught the bug from Johnny Depp and those cool bead things that hang from his hair,

but regardless… I’ll be preparing my pirate costume over the following weeks. While not my most original idea, it's most certainly a mood i'm going for.

Now if I can just get this parot to stand still on my shoulder.

Such is Tuesday

2006-09-12T09:39:00.000-04:00

A.M.

-4:30 wake up from a coughing hacking allergy ridden asthma attack
-4:31 reach in the top drawer to find inhaler
-4:32 fumble around until I find something that feels like an inhaler
-4:33 realize I’m trying to inhale my “equate” nasal spray ‘cause yeah, I’m sexy
like that.
-4:44 find other small inhaler shaped dispenser and try again.
-4:45-5:55 enjoy my inhaler induced jitters. (sleep? What sleep?)
-5:56 start to get sleepy and almost drift off
-6:00 ALARM CLOCK RINGS! HELLO! TIME TO GET UP!!!

-6:01 7:00 shower and ready for work
-7:01 wake son up, take dog outside, breakfast, nagging, rushing, yell drill
sergeant like commands
-7:50 leave for school
-8:00-3:00 meet with City of Savannah and a few architectural firms
-3:10 pick Son up from school
-4:00 take son to theater rehearsal
-4:00- 6:00 spy on son’s progress while volunteering at theater doing various
chores. Cleaning seating, costumes, stage props
-6:00 -7:30 drive home/ help with homework/cook dinner
-7:30 neighborhood women’s meeting for yearly planning of community events:
Oktoberfest/Christmas Party/Easter Egg Hunt…yada yada.
-8:30 dinner. yeah I know it’s late, but whatever. It's sustanance.

The rest of my evening isn’t planned but may or may not be x-rated depending on my mood.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Septemer 11th Remembered

2006-09-11T10:21:00.000-04:00

It’s exceptionally difficult to concentrate today.

Monday is my office day and is typically reserved for filling out paperwork, sending forms and reports that tell my company what I have accomplished the previous week. A news program is almost always playing in the background as I hammer away on the keys of my Toshiba laptop.

Today is different. The news is on, but current events are replaced with recollections, and intermittent moments of silence.

Five years ago, my morning started very different.

I dropped my son off at school, popped in a Kenny Chesney CD and headed towards the architectural firm where I was scheduled to make a big presentation. I hadn’t listened to the news that morning and with a CD in my stereo I wasn’t aware of the current state of chaos slowly enveloping the Country as I drove to work.

When I entered the front door of the firm, I noticed everyone in the office was gathered around a small TV in the conference room and an eerie mood shrouded the air. Sensing something was terribly wrong I allowed my eyes to focus on the program on the screen. It was CNN, and the vision of the Trade Towers billowing with smoke stared me in the face. I dropped my briefcase, and walked closer to the crowd huddled around the television. As comprehension seeped into consciousness, disbelief and fear overwhelmed my senses. I immediately tried calling my old roommates in New York City…. all who were still American Airline Flight Attendants, but the circuits were blocked. It took months before I knew that they were all ok. I spent the following hour in that conference room, watching and learning more about what was actually going on before I left their office and headed home.

The drive home seemed endless. More details emerged from my radio of the second tower collapsing as memories of living in New York City replayed in my mind like a movie. The towers were a permanent fixture in the skyline and the view looking down from the top floors is a sight one never forgets.

Every one of us remembers exactly where we were when our Country was attacked on September 11th. The date and specifics will be etched in our souls for the rest of our lives.

My deepest heart felt thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who lost family, friends and colleagues on that horrible day.

I will never forget.

Ebony and Ivory

2006-09-06T10:05:00.000-04:00

Don’t necessarily live together in perfect harmony at my house. Especially if Ebony is a black cat and Ivory is a dog.

Picture Garfield in black, and you’ve got my cat Rocky. He's lazy, eats constantly and sleeps any remaining daylight hours.

Add the proverbial happy puppy. One lick and bark, run and play, drive you insane until you stop what you’re doing to play Frisbee with me this instance or else I’ll bark your ears off new comer… and that's our dog.

Rocky is not pleased.

In fact, I think I heard him grumble something about the massive migration of unwanted foreign nationals into our lives, and how President Bush should do something about the situation….
or I could be just imagining it.

They’re both lovable yet slightly jealous creatures and refuse to be outdone by the other. If I’m on my computer…they are on my computer. One on each side, vying for my affection.

If there’s a nap to be had,
count them in. One on each side, little paws thrown over me in a comfortable snuggle.

Rockie hisses a lot and swats at the dog if he gets to close. The dog just wags his tail hoping this might be some sort of a concession.

Such a crazy pair, but I love them!

Happy 4th of July

2006-07-04T22:08:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter Everyone!

2006-04-15T22:17:00.000-04:00

Hope you all have a blessed day!

The Easter Mermaids were done by Laurie Leigh, another one of my favorite mermaid artists. You can see more of her work here...

Dogs or Drugs?

2006-04-10T21:08:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom and Dad,
You might want to demand a college tuition reimbursement from my old University.

Apparently, I haven’t learned a thing.

While I vaguely remember hearing something once before…I seem to have forgotten.

Meet Little Dog.
He’s Little Man’s new puppy and best friend.
I should know that dogs are a lot of work.
I should know they have to be potty trained.
I should know they might tinkle on the floor until they learn that “outside” is the proper place for that sort of thing.
I should remember they have to be kept flea free.
And that they need baths.
And food.
And water
And walking
And love
And get sick and need to go to the vet.

But I put Little Man to bed last night for the first time in 5 years without having to perform one single bedtime ritual! He’s so focused on the dog that I didn’t have to check under the bed, or in the closet, or behind the door, or behind the t.v. I didn’t have to tuck him in 4 times, insure he had a glass of water, turn the fan on, check the nightlight, fix the bed drapery just so, give him three hugs, four kisses, and then come back and start over to make sure it was all done right the first time.

He just snuggled with his puppy, and hugged me goodnight. One kiss, and an “I love you Mom, thank you for getting me a puppy. Good night Little Dog, I love you”...and that was it.

Well ??
What was I supposed to do. The dog was cheaper than the prescription!!!

Part 3: Hey little boy…you want some drugs?

2006-04-05T07:27:00.000-04:00

When Little Man was a toddler, the school teachers said:
-He had separation anxiety when he panicked about going to school. (I thought they must be right)

-They also said he lacked confidence. (I blamed his father for that)

-They said he didn’t draw as good as the “other” three year olds did. (I thought his pictures were beautiful, AND he could speak two languages….could they?)

- When he got older, they said he had messy handwriting. (I thought, I’ve never met a doctor with good handwriting)

-They said he didn’t pay attention,….seemed to day dream a lot and obviously wasn’t
getting enough sleep at home. (I thought, that’s because he’s up all night worrying about when I was going to die, or if there really was a heaven, or if the house would collapse, or if a bad guy was under the bed, or how if he couldn’t sleep he’d be the only one awake all night and then who would hear the burglar coming in who was going to kidnap him?)

-They said he couldn’t remember things. (I said he could remember every single solitary Pokemon or YuGiOh card out of a deck of 1000, it’s strengths, weakness, and attack powers. Not to mention the names of all the dinosaurs and species of animals according to habitat and geographical location.)

Sometimes they said these things in front of him.

He genuinely wants to do well and minds the rules like he wrote them himself, but he was struggling and no one had an answer.

We tried everything: Taekwondo, meditation, breathing techniques, therapy, counseling, tutoring yada yada yada, and nothing was helping. So we went the route of psychological testing and neurology.

Now we know it was Tourette’s all along causing the trouble and can be alleviated with medical help. But ...um...now we’ve got another little challenge.
There isn’t just one medication that treats all of the fun and gloriously wonderful symptoms of Tourette’s. You need one for the OCD, one for the anxiety and panic attacks, one for concentration, which hopefully will relieve the stress which cause the tics, but if they don’t, we’ve got a pill for tics too, only they are riddled with side effects.

And did we mention that these drugs all have side effects that may or may not aggravate the symptoms in the first place? This one is for anxiety, but it will worsen the tics. Take this one for the ADD but it will most likely worsen the anxiety…and so forth and so on.

It is possible to eventually find the right combination of pills that work on all three disorders without increasing tics, however they may cause headache, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, stroke, loss of appetite, suicidal tendencies and depression, but don’t worry….

we’ve got a pill for that.

Once we get the right combination of pills we will have to increase the dosage every couple of months to accommodate for his fluctuating weight gain or loss, and for any tolerance his body may acquire for the drug. The change in dosage will most likely cause symptoms to worsen for the first few weeks….

Breathe in….breathe out…

Part 2: Now Let’s Throw in Some Tics.

2006-04-02T18:51:00.000-04:00

In most Tourette’s patients, tics are usually simple involuntary motor movements of the head, neck or face like eye blinking, shoulder shrugging, squinting, or what appears to be tossing hair out of the eyes. The person might also exhibit some simple phonic tics like throat clearing sounds, sniffing, grunting, or humming. ( First find me a child who doesn’t do at least one of the afore mentioned things and you’ll understand how easy it is to overlook the tics as habits or simple annoyances).

With Little Man…, he hums.
Not a familiar tune, or particular song. Just a brief, two second humming sound that almost sounds like a monkey. In addition, he has gone through many varying tics such as head jerks, and repetitive facial expressions.

Here's another test to get you back into his shoes for a moment. Remembering how you did on the previous test counting the “E”s, let’s now add “tics” to the mixture. As you read the paragraph below, frequently jerk your head back hard and fast. Try to do the head jerk in bursts—like two or three at a time. Wait a few seconds, then do it again. Do it frequently throughout your effort to read the paragraph. OK?
Begin:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Children with Tourette’s Syndrome follow the same normal curve model for Intelligence as the general population. In fact, some believe they may actually be more intellectually or creatively gifted than the general population. Tics of the head and eyes are the most common and often interfere with math and written work.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now how did you do? Did the head jerking interfere with your ability to read? Did you get dizzy or nauseous at all, or maybe felt a tad frustrated? Did your neck start to hurt, and oh yes…did you remember to count all the “E”s? If you were a kid being asked to read, would you get irritable after a while, or just plain fatigued and want to give up? What's wrong, I only asked you to read a few sentences!

The tics you actually see are only the tip of the iceberg too. A sufferer of Tourette’s will suppress his tics as best he can to prevent being teased at school at the expense of great mental and emotional energy. This often misleads teachers to think that the tics that do pop up are voluntary, or that Mom is most certainly crazy because “We’ve never noticed him do that before.” While suppressing tics may keep your condition a secret at school, it leads to an explosion of tics that will happen once you come home compensating for what has been suppressed all day.

Did I mention that stress makes your tics worse? Let’s add a teacher into this story. One who thinks you’re just not paying attention, or can’t understand why you have to read something several times to comprehend what you’re reading, when you are obviously so intelligent. Throw in the stress of a timed test too, just to make it realistic.
Still having fun?

Part One in a Series of Several:

2006-04-01T14:58:00.000-05:00

I don’t talk about these kinds of things on my blog as a rule. Mainly because Contemblogging is my channel for humor and writing, but more importantly because it just never seemed appropriate in my mind to discuss another person at length in a way that might be construed as negative.

As of late, however, I find myself very stressed and in need of an outlet to collect, organize and come to terms with certain issues effecting my sleep and sanity. It is my Blog after all, and I make the rules…so I thought I’d throw some things out there to the giant collective that is the internet. I’ll see what it might unveil. Perhaps someone will know something, or have the missing information I’ve been looking for.

My son has Tourette’s, and although most people associate this syndrome with verbal outbursts of profanity, it’s actually much much more. In fact, only a small percentage of individuals with Tourette’s exhibit such verbally offensive symptoms. Rather they suffer from a spectrum of disorders such as attention deficit, Obsessive Compulsive thoughts, and anxiety/panic disorder, combined with tics either vocal or motor.

Meet Little Man. He’s a good boy. Polite, smart, intellectual and for most outward appearances... Normal. A little nerdy maybe, using an extensive vocabulary that far exceeds his peers, but nonetheless…normal.

From the time he was old enough to talk, we began noticing certain obsessive thought patterns and behaviors. Namely, worrying that something would happen to me, and I would die. If I left, he feared he would never see me again, and would have to hug me many times before I could leave the house. If he was upstairs, and I downstairs, he had to repeatedly check (literally every 3 minutes) to see if I was safe and still alive. Odd for a tiny fella, yes, but we wrote it off to separation anxiety. Just a phase. Something he would outgrow.

Getting him to school each morning was like capturing a feral cat, and attempting to put it into a box. It would take myself, the counselor and his teacher to coax him out of my van in the mornings, prying his gripped fingers from the door handles, as he would scream and cry out of pure fear.
He was scared to death and having a full fledged panic attack every day.

The panic attacks have to an extent, waned with age but will flare up in certain situations.

Obsessive thoughts are a constant source of distraction for him as well. Try the test below to see what it’s like to be Little Man, and then imagine how hard it is to keep your grades up under those circumstances.

As you read the excerpt below, tell yourself that you must count all the times the letter “E” occurs in the paragraph. But here’s the catch: You have to count and read simultaneously—you can’t just read and then go back and count the “E”s, nor can you keep track of them on a piece of paper. You have to do the counting in your head for this exercise. Then to make it a bit more realistic, assume that accuracy is very important to you—if you lose track of the count or aren’t 100% sure that you’ve counted correctly…you’ll have to go back to the beginning of the paragraph and start again. Since you have OCD, you probably will doubt that you counted correctly at least once during the exercise, and need to start over.
Ok? Begin:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Children who have OCD often have hidden or silent compulsive rituals. These hidden rituals often confuse teachers who may look at a child and not realize what is going on internally that may make it almost impossible for the child to function normally at times. Young children often don’t realize that what they are doing is abnormal, and older children, teens, or adults are often embarrassed by the rituals and won’t tell you about them.
--------------------------

Well?
How’d you do on that one? If you were a student with OCD, how would you feel trying to read in school or at home and how do you think it would effect your reading comprehension? What if you had to read it in 2 minutes, fully comprehend the point, yet timed tests make you nervous and cause the obsessive behavior to intensify? Isn’t this fun?

My case in point.

Staying on target with grades is a constant battle, and finding the right school or learning situation for optimal performance is difficult at best. Little Man is currently attending private school at exorbitant tuition prices, yet they offer no special assistance to children with the need for modified learning environments. Public School’s in Georgia are not worth their weight in peanuts, so that’s not an option. What’s left? Home schooling? Private tutoring? Valium for Mom?

This is what keeps me up at nights. Wondering what to do. How to help him succeed in an education system that prefers the teaching path of least resistance, not necessarily what works for each individual child.

Mermaids and gnats with teeth!

2006-03-28T20:41:00.000-05:00

The weather was beautiful today.
So beautiful, that the sand gnats were out in full force enjoying the spring like the rest of us wanted to do. Stepping outside on a beautiful spring day in Savannah can be likened to strapping chicken to your body just before hurling oneself into a pool of piranha at feeding time.

Someone came by to look at the motorcycle which is currently up for sale. I showed her the bike all the while waving my arms vigorously through the air in an attempt to keep the gnats from gnawing the flesh from my body. I answered her questions regarding riding, mileage, curb weight and so forth, as I flailed about in what appeared to be some sort of epileptic seizure. I’m not all together sure why the gnats didn’t seem to be chewing on her like they were me, but I am convinced this woman now thinks I’m selling my bike for obvious medical reasons.

When I came in from feeding the gnats, I sat down to write this blog entry because I have the neatest thing to show you guys! The journal and angel button I ordered from Sharon’s store arrived and I just love them! I was particularly fond of this sketch when I saw it on her blog and when she put it on the journal it was perfect. I bought the button for my son to wear on his jacket when he leaves for Belgium in a couple of months. Each year I pin a new angel on his jacket or book bag to look after him while he’s away, and this year Sharon’s angel will travel along for the ride.

But that’s not all though! I had a second package that caught me off guard. It was ANOTHER box from Sharon, only I couldn’t remember ordering anything else? Guess what it was?

It was the MERMAID! I can’t believe she sent me the mermaid and fish she made with her son which you can read about here on February 12th. How cool was that? It’s so neat to read about something a fellow Blogger does, and then actually get to see it in person! I tried to take some pictures of the details like her bead bracelet, or the key she clutches in her left hand, but they didn’t come out so well. I’m not sure if you can see in the photograph but she cleverly used green ribbon with beads to mimic seaweed, and she sits on a large sea shell that I later learned was a gift from her father when she was little.

I wanted to say Thank you to Sharon for thinking of me, and sending me the mermaid. It means a lot, especially because I was feeling kind of whiney and pitiful today, convinced nobody loved me…

Except for maybe the gnats.
Thank you Sharon for making my day special!!

En nu... een woord in het Nederlands

2006-03-21T17:59:00.000-05:00

Beste lezers,
Soms heb ik niets te zeggen. Ik prat alle dag op het werk en wanneer ik thuis kom, ben ik moo van het geluid van mijn eigen stem.

Zo dan lees ik. Ik lees blogs, boeken of tijdschriften waarin sluit ik in geef mijn stem een kans te rusten.

Ik probeer mijn Nederlands te herinneren zich. Het is moeilijk en ik was nooit heel goed aan schrijven in Nederlands.

Dit is een poging.

Niemand leest mijn blog in ieder geval, maar indien u begrijpt. ..say hallo!
bedankt voor het poging

Salut!!

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dog?

2006-03-19T12:29:00.000-05:00

Carnival of Cats

2006-03-17T20:12:00.000-05:00

Have an Irish Mermaid Martini...

2006-03-17T19:35:00.000-05:00

www.venusrose.com
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

How things change...

2006-03-14T17:29:00.000-05:00

As a twelve year old, stopping to appreciate the beauty and historical significance of Savannah to the South wasn’t particularly high on my priority list of fun things to do. Football games, tennis matches, and socializing with classmates always seemed more important at the time, and took priority more so than not.

I’d venture to say that I was, in fact, indifferent to my surroundings, not paying much attention at all to it’s rich cultural heritage or it’s stunning moss hung trees dotted with dazzling flowers. Now I did enjoy St. Patrick’s Day and all it’s festivities, but that only came around once a year and wasn’t enough to hold my attention for very long. The city seemed too small, behind the times, and lacking in *something*

Needless to say, that after graduating High School, I left.

First it was off to college, and then to work in the metropolitan city of Atlanta. But when an opportunity to see the world while getting paid to do so, presented itself ….? How could I refuse? New York City called my name and I was, pardon the pun, gone with the wind.

I had a need to satiate. To travel, explore different places and see everything I could before I grew older and bound to responsibilities. Flying was one of the most rewarding jobs I ever had, and I would highly recommend it to anyone of a similar mindset and situation.

But then, as they always do, those very same responsibilities I was dodging, caught up with me and I quit my job as a Flight Attendant. Life landed me in Belgium and dealt me a hand which laid the foundation for the next ten years.

Finally in the year 2000 I returned to Savannah. I remember it well, because everyone was convinced we would die at the stroke of midnight on December 31st. Y2K was the CNN story of the moment and if I recall, people were hoarding tuna cans and water bottles in the garage and under their beds.
I've been in Savannah ever since and as an adult It looks so different. Not so much in the actual appearance of the city itself, because Savannah is zoned to be historical from now until eternity. Not a single tree can come down, nor a building erected without much political paperwork and discussion.

Rather it looks different through my eyes.

It's a beautiful place to live, especially at this time of year when the weather is wonderful and the entire city is in full bloom. I grabbed my old digital camera today and headed out of the door, with the intention of sharing the love. I had appointments all over the place and took the opportunity to stick my camera out of the window at various moments to capture the debuting flowers. This particular month draws in tourists by the thousands, and so it should as every street corner produces a spectacular sight to behold, and often times a breathtaking vision.

I’ll share a few of the photos, just keep in mind they were taken by sticking my camera out of the window. The flowers are just beautiful! Tomorrow is once again St. Patrick's Day, yet even that looks different to me. The whole city will be green. People will wear green, eat green, drink green, and most likely end up looking a tad green after a full day of consuming green beverage. They will watch a green parade, barter for green beads, and regardless of whether they are actually Irish or not is neither here nor there. They will sport buttons stating “kiss me I’m Irish” anyways, and everyone will be happy. Now I see it through the eyes of a Mom. I’ll dress my child up in green, look for the most family friendly area away from all the drunks where me and several other Mommies will watch the Shriner’s march by in the 3rd largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration of our country. I’ll worry about traffic accidents, and the safety of everyone around us, stay sober and make sure all the kids stay out of the street. Then when the parade is over, i'll come home and cook a nice traditional dinner of corned beef, potatoes, and cabbage so it will be ready for my husband when he gets home from work.
Yes, things have changed. They are the same...yet somehow very different.

Sshhhhhh.

2006-03-10T20:00:00.000-05:00

Listen.

Do you hear that?
Me either.
Isn’t it wonderful? I’m stretched out on the couch, laptop in my lap, cat curled up at my feet and taking a moment to surf blogs and enjoy a “me” moment.

Little man is off eating dinner with his friend, and Chase is working until 8:00 so the house is quiet and still.
There is no T.V. blaring commercials in my face and the only audible sounds I hear are the roar of the air conditioner and the tic tic tic of my fingernails as they tap against the keyboard. Soon enough, noise will pour back into the living room and family life will resume as it does at the end of a long week.

My week was filled with work and travel but Friday has finally arrived and as always, I hope to catch up on various and sundry projects, housecleaning, or whatever else might present itself in the way of entertainment.

Savannah is gearing up for St. Patrick’s Day 2006, and tomorrow we will don our best leprechaun green and watch the festivities on Tybee Island. Chase will be marching in the parade with the Shriners of course, so I will chauffeur a car load of children to dance on the sidelines, wave and catch as many beads as we can!

I spent the evening making sure Chase’s costume was ready and cramming in a couple loads of laundry. I also double checked to make sure Little Man’s St. Patrick’s Day t-shirt from last year will still fit. He seems to be getting bigger by the minute despite my futile efforts at stunting his growth, so I can never become too confident that a shirt, or a pair of pants can be worn from one day to the next.

I plan to take it easy for the remainder of the weekend. If I don’t get the chance to stop in and say hello, let me say it here and now.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

2006-03-08T19:03:00.001-05:00

Words To Work By.

2006-03-07T20:26:00.000-05:00

I love Dilbert. My appreciation for the comic series stemmed from a previous job, long ago in another life. Many hours spent working in Corporate America lends itself to an enriched and varied vocabulary and on occasion I get tickled when I find myself revisiting this environment, or when I read Dilbert.

Take for instance the following phrases: “amplifying successes”….which I like to assume means making your successes seem better than they actually are by magnifying them on quarterly reports and market trend reviews. This can be achieved by including “charts that show your trajectory leveraging power” as a “positive market indicator”.

How about the phrase:
“diverse and dynamic growth” (as opposed to …um…… “limited and lethargic growth”…uh… I guess)?

If you want to sound important and directive-like you should include word combinations, for example:
“share alignment synergies”, and “collective value chain”. This is sure to captivate your audience and send them into bouts of office envy.

My friend Jen sent me an email today with the essential new vocabulary additions for the 2006 workplace.
Please take note:

1. BLAMESTORMING: Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was
missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.

2. SEAGULL MANAGER: A manager, who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on
everything, and then leaves.

3. ASSMOSIS: The process by which some people seem to absorb success and
advancement by kissing up to the boss rather than working hard.

4. SALMON DAY: The experience of spending an entire day swimming upstream
only to get screwed and die in the end.

5. CUBE FARM: An office filled with cubicles

6. PRAIRIE DOGGING: When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube
farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on.

7. MOUSE POTATO: The on-line, wired generation's answer to the couch potato.

8. SITCOMs: Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage. What Yuppies
turn into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home
with the kids.

9. STRESS PUPPY: A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and
whiny.

10. SWIPEOUT: An ATM or credit card that has been rendered useless because
the magnetic strip is worn away from extensive use.

11. XEROX SUBSIDY: Euphemism for swiping free photocopies from one's
workplace.

12. IRRITAINMENT: Entertainment and media spectacles that are annoying but
you find yourself unable to stop watching them. The J-Lo and Ben wedding (or
not) was a prime example - Michael Jackson, another.

13. PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE: The fine art of whacking the crap out of an
electronic device to get it to work again.

14. ADMINISPHERE: The rarefied organizational layers beginning just above
the rank and file. Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often
profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were designed to
solve.

15. 404: Someone who's clueless. From the World Wide Web error message "404
Not Found," meaning that the requested document could not be located.

16. GENERICA: Features of the American landscape that are exactly the same
no matter where one is, such as fast food joints, strip malls, and
subdivisions.

17. OHNOSECOND: That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that
you've just made a BIG mistake. (Like after hitting Send on an email by
mistake)

18. WOOFS: Well-Off Older Folks.

19. CROP DUSTING: Surreptitiously passing gas while passing through a cube
Farm

They made me giggle. Feel free to stop in and say hi to Jen at her space!

Updates and What Not's...

2006-03-03T21:29:00.000-05:00

NOPE…
Ellen hasn't responded yet, and NO,
unless she pulls through, it doesn’t look like I’ll be attending the BlogHer convention nor will they be getting their sponsorship!

It certainly isn’t the result of our lack of trying that’s for sure, and as anyone can clearly see… you guys rock!! A big THANK YOU to everyone who commented, emailed, brought me munchies, took pictures of me naked…(hey, wait a minute) and uh, wrote to the show on my behalf.

The convention is July 28th and 29th, in San Jose California and if you are so inclined you can learn more about it at BlogHer’s website. Perhaps you can go, in which case I will experience the event vicariously through you and your blog. Ok?

It’s not too late for Ellen to sponsor, mind you….

It’s just that I’ve grown terribly impatient with this whole “chained naked to a flag-pole” thing. My hair is all frizzy from being out of doors, and I need a bath in the worst way, so I’ve come inside to rectify my unpleasant situation.

Perhaps Ellen will take pity on a cleverly resourceful yet freshly bathed and fully clothed woman with a new manicure instead? No? !

I think she’s weakening …I can feel it

Any how.

I promised myself I would never blog about work, so I won’t mention how conference calls with large corporations make me shake my head in antipathy. Or how I entertain myself while listening by picturing Dilbert in my head.

So I won’t.

I’ll also spare you the details of how I spent the majority of the week sitting in endless doctors office waiting rooms and hospitals with Little Man who was suffering unbearable and agonizing head pain!

In a nutshell, we waited, …he whimpered…

I paced, huffed, puffed, and tapped my foot to the tune of my ever growing displeasure for the office staff and their obvious indifference to patient care.

After all was checked, probed, x-rayed and viewed, it was determined that my son was suffering from a migraine! Four and a half days of comforting my sweet little boy who moaned in misery, convinced his eyeballs were popping out of his head, finally relieved by a single shot to the bottom!

Within 30 minutes a look of peace washed away his scrunched up frown of torture and he was on the road to recovery.

Nothing makes you feel more helpless than watching your child suffer. Not knowing the cause, having nothing you try successfully help to ease his anguish, all the while dealing with overworked medical professionals who are more concerned with insurance verification than diagnosis and treatment.

It was enough to make my head explode!

Thank god and a deep breath later we were given preventative prescriptions and were allowed to go home, so...

I gathered up his eyeballs and scooped my brains from the wall and things are back to normal.

Aren't you glad I didn't blog about it?

Filed Under: Shameless Plugs

2006-02-21T19:13:00.000-05:00

*Updated below*

What does a penniless, yet cleverly resourceful woman do when she wants to attend the 2nd annual BlogHer’s convention in San Jose California, but can’t afford the awesome new outfit and strappy little sandals she’d need to attend, let alone the airfare and hotel accommodations?

Well I’ll tell you.
She pleads and grovels to her favorite comedian Ellen Degeneres and host of
the Ellen Degeneres Show that’s what! Stay with me!

We already know I have no shame, and like my Father always used to tell me “You never know until you try” right?

So I whined, and begged, and supplicated myself to the producers of her show, explaining what a wonderful opportunity this would be for them to sponsor women every where, and how Ellen would be doing a service to the sisterhood of talented writers across the nation (thus increasing television ratings, which would in turn generate more profitable income for her) You see? Win-Win!

....and then I got naked and chained myself to a flagpole refusing to leave until they agreed to sponsor BlogHer, or at least fly ME first class to San Jose (whichever was more likely to bring in good ratings of course).

Ok, I didn’t really whine.

But I did send an email informing Ellen, if she actually reads those things, of the BlogHer’s convention and how “wouldn’t it be a hoot if I could attend”? Some of my favorite bloggers are speaking and I should probably be there to...uh... applaud and give them my undivided attention don’t you know.

BlogHer’s mission is to:
Create opportunities for women bloggers to pursue exposure, education and community, and is comprised of around 1000 utterly fascinating, informational, educational and humorous blogs.

I can only hope that she reads her fan mail and takes pity on naked women strapped to flagpoles in shameless demonstration.

Won’t you please encourage Ellen to help me out by commenting on this post? Even if you just delurk to sign your name.

It’s getting chilly out here, and I don't want to resort to that whole stalking thing.

Ellen's Photo taken from NNDB.

*update*
I've been out here on this flagpole for a few days now, and guess what? No word from the producers of the Ellen show!
I knooow!
You'd think what with me naked on this flag pole and all...that they'd be on top of things, calling my agent, and booking me on the show?

wait...ok, I don't have an agent.

But, but, but if I did his phone should be ringing off the hook by this time! I appreciate you all stopping by to toss my favorite guacamoli doritos at me, and help me plead with Ellen, but i'm thinking we're going to need to step it up a notch. Maybe if all us bloggers write the show at http://ellen.warnerbros.com/funstuff/talk/, we can catch their attention. BlogHer needs the sponsorship...for bloggers everywhere!
oh...and could someone bring me a blanket? It's getting chilly out here!

Mermaids

2006-02-19T11:35:00.000-05:00

I've got a mile high pile of laundry to do today, so blogging will be minimal at best. Instead of writing today, i'm going to share a few of my favorite mermaid pictures which I will do occasionally when time (or my imagination) is limited.

While your at it, run over to Sharon's and check out the mermaid she just did!

2006-02-16T08:55:00.000-05:00

Thirteen Things about Why I Love My Sister

1…. When I was little she used to take me to her high school football games and sit with me in front of the cheerleaders.
2. At bedtime, she always gave me a hug and reassured me there were no alligators in the closet or under my bed.
3. She used to write me pretend letters from the “little people” who lived in the tree stump outside of our house. They would ask me to do things like make them tiny clothes, or bring them little blankets, and food. I would happily gather their requests, then leave them on the tree stump for the little fairies to find. Of course a Thank you note would promptly arrive on the stump the next day. (Come to think of it, this probably has something to do with my fascination for fairies today).
4. Whenever she would baby sit me, shortly after I had to go to bed she would bring me a special treat, usually a little snack or piece of candy.
5. She helped me get to sleep on the night before my first day of kindergarten, by talking me through my fears of getting lost, missing lunch, or not knowing how to read.
6. She let me take her new blue jeans out into the driveway and play on them with soap and water. This was to soften them up and give them that aged to perfection look, but to me it was a good excuse to play outside with the garden hose.
7. One year she went to visit my Grandmother in the mountains. I’m not sure why I didn’t go on that trip, but I missed her very much, and when she came back she brought me back a little Cherokee Indian princess doll with suede fringe and a feather head dress.
8. She brought me back a necklace with a dog charm from the “Lady and the Tramp” movie when she came back from Disney.
9. She calls me Sluze. That’s short for Suz but with an “L” thrown in for love.
10. She explained to me how I was supposed to use tampons!
11. As we got older and she had her own daughter, she trusted me enough to take my little niece shopping with me at the mall.
12. She has a beautiful thick head of hair that I always wanted to have just like hers.
13. In 40 years, we’ve never had a serious fight or harsh words.
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Wendy Wings

Jen’s Horde

Lazy Daisy

Uisce

Phoenix

Kimmy

Norma

Stacy

Mrs. Aginoth

Ma

Jaded Sunburns

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

It's Valentine's Day Folks..."Happy" being the operative word here!

2006-02-14T00:28:00.001-05:00

One of my girlfriends opened a new boutique about three months ago. It was a huge undertaking and a lot of hard work resulting in a beautiful gift shop, art gallery and florist. Business had been steady, as the locals popped in to see the wonderful things creatively displayed around the store, and to pick up a treasure or two.

Of course with today being Valentine’s Day they were swamped so my friend asked if I would be able to help out with the floral deliveries. I’m always happy to assist a friend, so I agreed.

From morning until evening, the shop was a-buzz with Valentine business. The phones rang off the walls, as bewildered looking men made their way through the store ordering flowers and looking for the perfect gifts. My job was to play delivery woman, in which case I spent the day going back and forth between the store and the homes of many unsuspecting women who were pleasantly surprised to be the recipients of assorted bouquets. Each time a woman would come to the door she would squeal in delight, or blush with embarrassment. Either way, their reactions tickled me.

I must have delivered to 40 different addresses stopping only for an hour to drop of 180 chocolate chip cookies at the 5th grade Valentine party and to check on the outcome of a certain little girl’s answer to my son’s request to be his valentine. He nervously stayed up last night making her the perfect card with carefully placed butterfly stickers, and admiring the peach colored flip-flop charm that was to be her gift.

It was a busy day and I got to share in a little bit of a lot of people’s happiness, and that was a pleasure.

Until her.

She was my very last stop of the evening and while my heart was still smiling from a full day of pleasant deliveries, it was about to be crushed by a customer’s whose chest cavity was filled with vinegar and thumbtacks.

I rang the door expecting to be greeted with someone’s surprised wife only to be verbally accosted by an ungrateful, unappreciative, hateful bitch who complained that she was getting flowers at 6:00 pm, which was UNACCEPTABLE!
She spent what seemed to be an eternity yelling at me about the flowers, the time it was, and the basket they were in without so much as barely glancing at them. She told me she didn’t want them now, with the same fury of a three year old not getting her way! My friend’s florist was unacceptable, the product was unacceptable, the delivery was unacceptable, my fuchsia cashmere sweater with my grey WOOL PANTS WERE TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE…
(Ok she didn’t say that, but she might have well had because by this point I was starting to take her whole assault very personal and that uncomfortable twinge that happens in my stomach right before I start to cry was creeping up)! She called my friend and told her off, then told me off some more. I just stood there like a dope, all the while thinking to myself what poor man had to come home to her every night.

What’s wrong with people?

Doesn’t she know that somewhere a little boy’s heart is breaking because after mustering up all of his courage to profess his fondness for his Valentine, she said no? …. Doesn’t she know that her husband took the time to especially order those three particular flowers just for her.., one for each of their daughters names….Rose, Lilly, and Iris?,…and that my friend had to special order the lilies because they weren’t in season?

Somewhere someone would have loved to get a Valentine. But nope.
Not her.
It was 6:00.
There was nothing waiting for her at the door when she arrived home from work 30 minutes ago and THAT…
was simply UNACCEPTABLE.

Wow. What a hateful woman.

I want to go back to my little grass shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii.

2006-02-09T23:14:00.001-05:00

I visited many beautiful places on my trip to Hawaii, but my most favorite things I did always involved the hula shows.

Hawaiian’s have inherited a rich tradition of hula (dances) and mele oli (chants), full of stories of gods and goddesses, ceremonies, prayers, protocol, imagery, wisdom, and intelligence. The tradition is passed on to each generation and teaches how to respect family, appreciate natural phenomena, love the land, understand hierarchy, recognize life and death cycles, and acknowledge and honor the presence of life.

I was fascinated by the rich history of the hula, the stories they told, as well as the beauty and grace of the performers. The dance steps that you see are not only stunning to watch, but represent different movements in nature.

Of course while I was there, I just had to pick up a couple of DVD’s on the hula. I bought a variety to help me remember the wonderful shows, colors, and music we experienced in order to relive them at later moments of recollection. (It had nothing to do with the fact that there were waaay too many to choose from, and I couldn’t make up my mind so I had to buy several).

(Ahem).

I bought:
How to Hula…because learning is a good thing and I always want to learn.
The hula workout…because uh...I hate to jog.
And the Polynesian Cultural Center’s show…because it was very entertaining.

I wish you could see the Hula workout video! Holy cow! If following along with Kiki’s workout three times a week will make my figure look like her’s…,well then I’d better get started right now!

I turned it on because I was in the mood for some exercise, but I got so mesmerized just watching the steps that the next thing I knew I was sitting on the couch gnawing on a pork chop and watching the T.V. like it was a good movie.

The flowers were incredible in Hawaii too, and before long I was decorated from head to toe with the most fragrant orchids and plumeria leis. I can still smell them in my mind, and in the body lotion I brought home with me from the hotel.

It was a wonderful trip, and I can’t wait to hear all about Kim’s adventures when she returns. She’s scheduled to hook up with D. and B’tude one day while she’s there too so that should be fun.
Ahhh…I want to go back.

a little something...

2006-02-08T11:14:00.000-05:00

Sharon did a MeMe on her blog this morning, and as I am totally in awe of her talent, and don’t possess the inkling to produce anything original today, I’ve decided to shamelessly follow suit and do the MeMe myself. I would also like to note that something has gone wrong with the formatting of my posts. The previews never look like the published version, with all spacing non existant, causing the whole entry to look like one giant run on sentence. If anyone knows what the problem is, i'd appreciate the tip too! *note: Seems i've found the problem and it's working now!

Now for that Meme.
Here goes:

Four jobs I was really, really bad at:
I don’t recall being bad at any of my jobs! I can remember working with minimal enthusiasm over selling lamps one summer in a department store, but I wasn’t bad at it. In fact, If any poor soul accidentially wandered into the lamp department I'm pretty sure I kept them fairly entertained if nothing else.

Four movies I could watch over and over:
Honestly, I do well to stay focused long enough to watch one movie all the way through once. If I watch a movie more than once, I’m sure to catch something I didn’t see the first go round. A few movies I did enjoy were:
1. The Napoleon mini series
2. SWAT
3. Enemy of the State

Some celebrities I worshiped when I was little.
The name of my favorite show when I was a kid alludes me at the moment. It starred Leif Garret, the singing teen idol, and I had a huge crush on him. I believe he looks something like this now and is once again in drug rehab. I will say that my fascination with celebrities is very small to say the least, because the ones I have met were either obnoxious or disappointing. They are people just like us… only richer. On the other end of the spectrum, I discovered while googling these images of Leif, that there are apparently people who actually scrapbook photographs and articles of their favorite celebrity which is waaaay creepy in my opinion.

Names I wanted instead of Suzanne
The name Suzanne is just fine for me, although I didn’t go by Suzanne until my first year in college. Up till that point I was “Suzi” and a handful of old friends may refer to me by that name from time to time out of habit. I’m not fond of Suzi, so I wouldn’t recommend addressing me in that fashion these days unless we have a long history.
I am especially irritated by those substituting the name Sue, or Susan for my actual name Suzanne.

Injuries I have suffered:
The worst was a concussion and would explain a lot of things about me I’m afraid. I lived at the roller skating rink in my youth, and once while rounding the corner of the dimly lit skating surface, tripped on another child causing me to hit my head on the floor and again on the wall. I remember sitting down on the carpet covered benches, and seeing what appeared to be water filing up in my eyes. Shortly thereafter I had no vision at all, and was mentioning something about my wing being broken. I believe this is when my mother decided it was time to take me to the emergency room, and if memory serves me correct my vision didn’t return for a full day or so. Other than that….I’ve been pretty lucky having no broken bones or other major accidents knock on wood.
Four childhood memories and/or dreams.
1. Eating laundry soap
2. Having my teeth fall out
3. Having my teeth crumble out
4. Having my teeth wiggle loose and me spitting them out.
I’m seeing a pattern here.

Four celebrities I have bothered:
None. The whole celebrity stalker thing kind of creeps me out. I might pick up a magazine at the beauty salon and glimpse at the goings on of the moment, but I have no desire to chase, bother, scrapbook, or otherwise obsess over any celebrity. In fact when I have seen them in the past, I specifically act as if I don’t know them.
In my flight attendant days, I saw many and personally was never that impressed.
Here’s the rundown that I can think of at the moment which I either served, walked next to, spoke with or had to sneak past hoards of fans. Lionel Richie, Michael J. Fox, his wife and kid, Kenny Loggins, (he was very tall) Regis and Joy Philbin, Martin Sheen, George Carlin, Richard Lewis, Jerry Springer, professional wrestlers, and a couple more actors that I can’t remember their names at the moment.

That’s it for today folks.

FishNpepper!

2006-01-29T22:02:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I picked out some peppers at the grocery store to season something I was cooking at the time.

I don’t recall the recipe now, but that’s neither here nor there. It called for spicy, and these were beautifully colored little red peppers at the market, so I stocked up on them, thinking they would come in handy.

After dicing away at the little jewels, I tasted a piece to check the heat index.

Turns out it wasn’t hot. Not in the least! In fact it tasted more like a red bell pepper, kind of sweet and fresh.

Moving right along in my story…

… while preparing for tonight’s Talapia with mango salsa dinner, I took another one of the little peppers and started to chop. I chopped one half of a jalapeño and tossed it in the bowl along with some finely diced mango, tomato, onion, cilantro, and a bit of lemon juice. I reached for the innocent little red pepper, but this time…woa!

Danger! Red Alert! Not the same pepper as last time!!

I started to choke just chopping it as the fumes permeated my lungs, then coughing uncontrollably, until my eyes were watering profusely. I drank water, and then milk, and then some more water….and just as I started to settle down, I came up with the brilliant idea that I’d better taste a small piece before I put it in the bowl. You know, just to make sure it didn’t ruin my salsa.

I didn’t recall the pepper’s being that hot the last time, and uh…I’m an idiot, because the asthma inducing fumes weren’t enough of a huge freaking hint that this was a HOT PEPPER!!! HELLO!!! I still needed to set my mouth on fire by actually tasting the pepper, and then touch my nose as it was running thus causing hot pepper juice to soak into my nasal membranes, resulting in flames that shot from my nostrils, oh, and to top it off I needed to stick my finger in my eye …you know, just to make sure the pepper wasn’t hot!

I’m smart like that.

I’ll be recovering until tomorrow morning thank you.
Bon Appétit

so very sad

2006-01-27T08:28:00.000-05:00

I write for comic relief.
I write to spout off my take on life’s funny little quirks that happen to us all.

But life isn’t always funny.

And when I hear about something so horrific, like this poor woman who in a split second of her life, lost all five of her children and two neices to a senseless car accident….

Well it just seems too trivial in comparison to even write.

I’m angered that each and every article that pops up about the horrendous catastrophe seems to focus on the fact that the girl driving was 15 years old and only had a learners permit.
I’m angered that the press, in it’s desperate attempt to make any story sound exciting, chooses to throw this around like it had anything to do with the fact that the children’s vehicle was slammed from the rear by a huge truck that didn’t break before crashing into the back of them, pinning their car between itself and the school bus in front of it.

The children’s car instantaneously burst into flames.

They were sitting at a red light.

Her age was irrelevant.

I’m heart sick for this woman, who in one nightmarish blink, lost the sounds of giggles, and arguing, the sounds of homework, and forks scratching on dinner plates, and bedtime routines and the hustle bustle of a house full of family getting ready for school in the mornings, and then…..

to top it off, shortly thereafter this poor woman lost her own father, upon hearing the news of the fate of his grandchildren. His heart couldn’t take the information.

So much devastating loss.
So much of what happens in life seems so unfair.

Keep her in your thoughts and prayers. It could have just as easily been one of us.

Contemblogging 2006?

2006-01-22T12:50:00.001-05:00

So maybe the hair cut and color didn’t achieve the desired results…

and maybe the new car, while rather sporty is not quite enough to tame the forces of transformation stirring in my soul.

I’m still seeking modification over a multitude of venues.

Now I realize you all love (read *tolerate) and have grown accustomed to my trademark retinal scorching purple blog, but a facelift is none the less inevitable there too don’t you think?

Only that creates a small problem with me having to make a decision.
A new template would require a decision on my part with regards to a single choice of color, theme, style, and so forth, which would of course lend itself to difficulties in me making up my mind. (Why do you think it’s been purple for so long in the first place?)

So I’ve made an executive decision, and decided to let you guys vote on your favorite look for my new and improved blog for 2006. I’ve come up with several schemes if you will, based on personal meaning and favorite colors. You get to vote for the new look you think suits me best, K? won’t that be fun?
Contestant number one:

this represents my cat Rockie, and uh...the color green. It matches his eyes, and I laugh at him daily. I also like green, and you haven't burned the rods and cones in your eyes for the color green yet.

Contestant number two:

There's that pesky purple again, but what can I say...I like purple. Tulips are my favorite flowers, especially purple ones

Contestant number three:

While still purple, it's of a different more tolerable hue. I like the one yellow dafodil standing alone in a sea of purple tulips and represents me.

and contestant number four:

A mermaid theme to go with my interest in collecting mermaids.

Keep in mind these are just schemes and not actual templates. The finished product may be slightly different, but you get the jest.

Please. Help a libra out and vote for your favorite blog scheme for Contemblogging won't you?

It's just hair right?

2006-01-19T21:59:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone, It’s me, Suzanne
…what’s that you say? You didn’t recognize me because of my new and improved hair cut and color? The one that makes me look like Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez all rolled into one hunka hunka burning love?

No? oh. I’m sorry, I must have misunderstood you.

The good news is I got my hair done, and I’m not sobbing into a bowl of chocolate fudge ice cream with marshmallow topping. The hairdresser delivered a service as promised without going into an Edward Scizzorhands impression, and thus was spared the wrath of Suzanne on a bad hair day. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping…
Gosh, it's good to be me.

What’s that? You want more information on how it went and a photograph to prove I actually showed up for my appointment? Well alright then, I mean, if you really want to know. Far be it from me to withhold details, especially the ones with such significant impact on world peace!

First…I showed up. HUGE!

Then, I had to make a few things clear to the stylist before we could proceed.
1. That I only got haircuts about once a year because I was totally traumatized as a child by a Dorothy Hamill do, that forced me to wake up 3 hours early every morning to blow dry and straighten my curly hair… In south freaking Florida’s humidity.

2. That I would probably hunt her down like a rabid dog, and personally pull her fingernails out of the nail beds if she got scissor happy on me ha ha not really. But, uh…really.

and 3. That this was only the tip of my neurosis iceberg, so if
she wouldn’t mind, I’d need her to sign this waiver releasing me
of all liability for damages incurred to the surrounding properties
should I be unhappy with the results.

With that out of the way, she was free to carry on at her own risk.
She did so by weaving a roll of aluminum foil squares into my hair, while mucking around with some goopy pungent smelly stuff. She then set out to make me look like this,
and i'm pretty sure she was laughing to herself too. By the time she was done, about 45 minutes later, I was picking up radio stations from the next county and feeling oh so very sexy.

I spent the following 30 minutes alternating being worried and fantasizing about what it would be like when I made my first red carpet entrance. It might be key to note here that I had been sniffing said smelly goopy stuff with my head stuck in a helmet style hairdryer.

She eventually washed it all out, mumbling how much I was going to love it, while nervously giggling about having two small children to care for.

Then she sat me down back in the chair and began the styling process. It went virtually without incident , and she was allowed to live to see another day.

Me: "That's... it"?
HD: "Yep". *crinching with bated breath*
Me: "Cool. What's the damage"?
HD: "$$$.$$"
Me: *reaching for a paper bag to stop the hyperventilating* "Do you take small children or must I pay in cash"?

I paid her an amount equal to her childs first private school payment then
off I went on my merry way, practicing my red carpet walk out the door.

That wasn't so bad I thought checking myself in the rear view mirror. I can do this whole change thing....piece-a-cake.

Now to make a long story shorter than a really looong story I'll just cut to the reviews.

First stop was to pick up little man from school where he immediately informed me he hated the new color and liked me better with black hair.
Me: "now don't be shy...tell me how you really feel".

Later that evening hubby comes home from work and gave me a politically safe answer.
Me: "Well, what do you think"?
him: *with raised eyebrow* "I'm not sure...I need some time to get used to it. I don't hate it".
well now THAT'S a relief.

Friends gave lukewarm opinions. "It's ok, but you look better with your dark hair".

ALRIGHT THEN.

Seems change is not always a good thing.

[side note] I'd post a picture, but the batteries just went dead on the camera.
Maybe that's a sign.

Hair today, gone different tomorrow.

2006-01-18T22:16:00.000-05:00

I took a picture of myself today, because come tomorrow at a pre arranged time, I am going to morph...and I'll need some kind of photographic evidence to my previous appearance.

And no...I'm not morphing into a power ranger. I'm talking about something much worse than running around fighting evil while sporting colorful spandex unitards in public.

I'm getting a Hair cut! eeeek!
Color even...
maybe some highlights?

I swore I wouldn’t start coloring my hair again until I went grey, but I’ve changed my mind. again. like that never happens?

Tonight I’m hopeful. Tomorrow could be freeing, and the start of a whole new me.
Well… the same me but in a new package.
Or I could be in a messy puddle of tears but that's neither here nor there.

It will grow back in say, a year's time, and if I don’t look good in Loreal Medium Mocha Caramel with natural face framing highlights then there’s nothing stopping me from recoloring myself back into a dark brunette is there?

Dishes to Dine For...

2006-01-16T22:36:00.000-05:00

I was going over some files in my laptop tonight, and grouped together a bunch of photographs. Photographs of tables of all things, decorated for various holidays and festive occasions.

“Why did you do that Suzanne”? You might be asking yourself, while secretly hoping that I’m not actually nutsy enough to dedicate an entire post to pictures of decorated tablescapes. Unless of course you’re my Mother and Sister, in which case you probably have your own pictures of tables that you yourself painstakingly decorated in all matters of colors and themes, and find the whole subject perfectly normal.

It’s a habit I picked up from them and after years of enjoying their lovely dishes, I now enjoy doing it myself.

Whether i'm showing off my newest Christmas dishes, or it's Easter, St. Patrick’s Day, a shower, or the 4th of July, I love to pull out the coordinating party ware and set a pretty table. I have fond memories of that with my Mother, and try to recreate the same environment in my own home, for my own kids to remember me by later. It’s but one small way to create memories an family traditions, and something I enjoy. These are only a few of my table top creations, and a sampling of dishes, but it's enough to illustrate the point without sending you into a coma.

What silly things do you do to create family traditions

2006-01-13T23:36:00.000-05:00

Ho hum.

I sit, finger tips ever so gently poised on the primary qwerty keys, ready to wow my audience (all four of you) with a story…any story.

Only problem is I’m feeling rather ho hum. I’m not sure if it’s the anticlimactic end to a beautiful wedding/holiday season, or the fact that I turned 40? It might be because I was sick all week, and haven’t returned yet to the full vitality and glow I frequently radiate. In fact, my glow meter is a low 2 on a scale of 1 to 10.

There’s no glow.

Not even a lousy twinkle.

After applying an ample supply of makeup, I still look tired and blah.

I’m afraid it’s the five year itch. The inherent need to change, redo, regroup. It hits me every 5 years or so, and usually results in a new job, a move or perhaps a new house. With the cost of living rapidly increasing and next year’s private school tuition due within weeks...more likely I’m looking at a new pair of curtains, or maybe a haircut.

Let the transformations begin.
The first change of the year took place yesterday when I said goodbye to my blue Moma van. I loved my van, full of memories, Barbie shoes, plastic dinosaurs and the occasional lost cheerio. I could almost hear the sounds of giggling (or arguing) children echoing from the van as I gave it one last look and fondly told it goodbye. Its lease ran out at 60,000 miles so I was switched to the new hybrid Ford Escape. It’s brand new and has that new car smell that you either love, or that sends you into raging fits of asthma. It’s smaller, sportier, silver, and has a much younger feel than my previous parental mobile. That should take a few years off the old image huh?

Change is good. Scary, but more often than not necessary. Now I’m thinking I need a make over too, because when I look in the mirror I see a tired woman with frazzled hair and dark circles under her eyes. Maybe a new ‘do’ is just the thing I need to update my appearance and add some pep to my step? I’m not a fan or hairdressers by any means, and tend to avoid them until I’m bumping into things from obstructed vision. But it is, after all, just hair and will grow back if I find myself weak and unable to throw rocks or build floating arcs, or however that story goes.

I’m taking suggestions, which doesn’t necessarily mean I will act on them because I am a big fat hairy pair of sissy pants when it comes to cutting my locks, but I’m listening. Go on…make me over.

Baby Beyonce?

2006-01-12T08:59:00.000-05:00

Want to start your day off with a giggle?
This little girl is precious...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6587521700543756525

sheesh.

2006-01-10T22:16:00.001-05:00

Last night I went to my son's basketball game. He's about as interested in basketball as I am but for the sake of learning teamwork, and experiencing the camaraderie a young boy does while on a court of some sort, we encouraged him to give it a try this season, just to see if he liked it. You can’t know if you like something until you try it at least once right?

Unfortunately for him he’s not yet mastered the skills associated with basketball, and spends the majority of the games warming the bench. Occasionally he’ll get a few moments of play time and I cheer my baby boy on like any proud Mother will do. I cheer him on even when he’s on the bench, despite the goofy looks I get from the bleachers, and I take pictures, and scrapbook them for a later date in time. He looks so darned cute in his little uniform, I just can’t help myself. I’m proud of him for even trying because I know what it would be like if I was out there trying to do that whole dribble and run at the same time thingy. It wouldn’t be pretty I can tell you that much.
It wouldn't.

At the moment, i'm not feeling up to snuff. I've got enough bacteria in my chest to qualify as a walking pitri dish. The lung funk that's going around caught up with me and I have coughed myself hoarse. I'm sure the folks in the bleachers didn't appreciate my hacking up nuclear material all over the place, but I wouldn't miss an opportunity to cheer for my Little Man, ever.

It's time to medicate, and get some sleep.

Say goodnight Suzanna

With the end of the year comes the beginning of the next

2006-01-01T22:12:00.001-05:00

… and just to show you that I’m equally as motivated as the next gal, even though on occasion it might appear otherwise, I’ve decided to formulate an attainable resolution for 2006.

But before I do this, let’s check on the progress I made on last years resolutions shall we?

Per my last year’s list, I half heartedly committed to the following:

Start working out again. With moments I was a shining example of physical fitness and agility. With others I was more like a potato, of the couch variety.
Score: C
learn to play the Piano.

I’m please to report that I did. I also lie. Which is to say that I didn’t even touch a piano keyboard, but at least I’m honest about it, right?
Score: F

Have Amanda teach me Chinese.Um…How do you say
fat chance in Mandarin?
Score: F

Win the lottery. Whaaaat? It could happen!
Unfortunately it didn’t.
Score: F

Get another motorcycle.I did. And I rode a little.
And it sat in the garage a lot. Regrettably with age comes responsibility, and motorcycle’s are not conducive to responsibile productivity.
It’s up for sale now.
Score: A

Resolutions I did make:
Teach my children to see, value, and comprehend their blessings. This is an ongoing resolve which may or may not kill me. Somehow I think purchasing a cell phone for Little man was contradictory to the ultimate message, but he is learning. We’ve donated time, helped out, and offered monetary assistance whenever we could. In addition I am currently working on a Nicaraguan mission trip that will hopefully counterbalance my cellular faux pas. Score: B

Clean my closet and haul the clothes to Goodwill.Done. Yay me! Score: A

Have the house painted inside. Done. Score: A

Get motivated even if it means prescription drugs. Do you have any idea what a month’s supply of prozac costs? Well I do, and i'm just sayin'...

Moving right along…
This year I’m employing a new strategy, because obviously the old one lacked a few critical factors for success. The dumbest thing a person can do is to keep doing the same thing while expecting different results. So I’m taking a new approach to this traditional practice of stating beforehand what I will accomplish this year, and avoiding resolutions altogether.

I would like to say conversely, that I hope to have a healthy, prosperous, and giddiously happy 2006, and I wish you all the very same.
Happy New Years Everyone!

Oh shoot.

2005-12-30T14:11:00.000-05:00

I’m out of Dorito’s.

Let’s head over to Moogie's place and see if she has any munchies.

I’ve got the keys to her place to pilferage her kitchen...uh...I mean,
guest post on her blog while she’s away…

come on and go with me, it'll be fun.

T'is the season to eat junk food

2005-12-26T22:35:00.000-05:00

I've been very bad.

I've been eating whatever I was craving regardless of the calorie count or lack of healthy content.

In fact, the closest I came to eating a vegetable yesterday was the green residual seasoning stuck to my fingers after I devoured a bag of guacamole Doritos.

I'm pretty sure green is a vegetable, no?

Anyway, it’s a hormonally induced condition that won’t last more then a day or two when once again equilibrium will be restored to the land.

I had planned to go over my list of last years resolutions and evaluate the results, however in my current state of gestational imbalance, I would much rather go eat a taco.

Perhaps tomorrow.

2005-12-25T11:35:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! Thank you for stopping by!

Oh Christmas Tree...Oh Christmas tree

2005-12-18T21:06:00.000-05:00

how dusty art thou branches.

I pulled the tree out of it's resting place in the garage, and assembled it without a dust mask.

dang it.
somebody pass the Bendadryl, then tell me it looks marvelous k?

2005-12-09T00:47:00.000-05:00

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2005-12-08T23:53:00.000-05:00

2005-12-08T23:47:00.000-05:00

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