Another year over, new one waiting to begin. *Sigh*

This ends my first full calendar year in Missouri. Doesn't seem like I've been here over a year, and yet when I think back...

This year, 2007... what a year. We had three postal addresses. Lost a very well loved family member. Lost a dear old friend. Lost a cat. One marriage was officially dissolved. Had a child move in, then move back out. Long lost sibling wrangled herself into our home. Family ties were left dangling in the dust. Became engaged. Quit a job; started a job. And those are just the things I can think of off the top of my head. Yep, it was quite a year.

Every morning you wake up and think: just another day. Same old same old. But when the year ends and you look back on it, you realize that not every day is "Just Another Day". Every day is unique. Every single day you have an effect on someone else's life and sometimes the people you least expect to, have a profound effect upon yours. The kindness of a stranger can have a major impact on making a bad day not so bad and sometimes YOU'RE that stranger... or maybe you're the reason someone has a less than stellar day.

I think my major goal for this new year is to have more days where I'm the reason someone has a better day than the reason they don't. Not that I'm going to go out of my way to perform some random act of kindness every day or anything, but maybe just look at everything with the realization that if it doesn't matter tomorrow, if whatever has happened isn't going to make the world end and no one is going to remember it in a year, then it isn't worth getting upset about. I know! For me that could be incredibly difficult.. I am, after all, the Queen of Making Mountains out of Molehills.

Anyhow, I'm not going to make any resolutions for the year. I've reached a point in my life where I'm okay with who I am and the decisions I've made. Yes, there is plenty of room for improvement and if, in the coming year, I decide to act upon any of those, then good for me. If not, then Okay. The one thing I refuse to do is set "goals" for myself that I may not attain, which would leave me feeling let-down.

As far as blogging goes, I think I've reached a point where I know who my true-blue friends are online. You know who you are. And to all of you I say: Here's to another year of friendship even if we never meet face-to-face. I value what we have and I thank you all for letting me be part of your lives as you've been part of mine. May this coming year be one filled with happy surprises and joy in the small things and may you end each day with a smile in your heart.

I promised the boy a tattoo for his 18th birthday, which was a month ago. It was originally supposed to be incentive to get him to stay here instead of going back to Michigan. That didn't work. He went back anyway. Damn kid. So.. he's here for the next 4 days or so. Nagging about the stupid tat I promised him. "Hey, Bryan, have you called that dude yet?" "Hey, Bryan, when is that dude coming over to give me my tattoo?" "Uh, Bryan... you called that guy yet?" "Hey, Mom, has Bryan talked to that dude?"

Prior to coming down I heard about it nearly every time I talked to him, too.

"Are you sure this guy knows what he's doing?"

"I'm positive! I've seen his work!"

"Yeah, but ... it's a tat. I don't want something crappy."

"If he did crappy work, I wouldn't have asked him to do yours."

"Yeah, whatever. You sure he knows what he's doing?"

Bryan's cousin's son. Not much older than the boy, actually. Does fantastic work. He came over today. The boy was content once he looked at Cousin's portfolio.

Anyway, here's pictures of the tattoo, beginning with the picture outline being inked in, to the final outcome. It is way awesome! I wish the pictures could do it the justice it deserves.

   inked in outline shading started

work in progress   nearly done

finished!   the picture it was taken from.

What you can't see in the pictures is all the detail. The bears' tooth, the ripple of it's fur, the shading around it's ears, the white in it's eye. It is totally awesome. Definitely the best tat I've ever seen. It's pretty big, but it's in a place where he can easily cover it... but seriously, why would you want to cover it????

Argh!

That was how I felt for at least four hours yesterday. O.M.G.! Four full-size adults in a Ranger cub-cab that has the two seats in the back that face each other and are made for 4' tall children who weigh 60lbs. Not fun.

Alex drove at first. I was in the front seat. Our knees were against the dashboard. No need for shoulder harnesses because there was no way any of us was going to go flying anywhere if there had been an accident. It was literally like being in a clown car.

First stop my bank so they can cash the checks my parents sent. They had to sign the checks over to me, then I had to deposit them, then I had to fill out a withdrawal form. Just to save them each a couple bucks in fees. Next stop: Game Crazy so Alex could look for a game he wanted for his 360. My sister and I waited in the truck.

From there, I took over driving. I don't like having to explain where to turn to someone who is unfamiliar with the area and is still a new driver. Anyhow, drove down the hill to Walmart. And that's when the real fun began.

I get a cart and go on my merry way. The boys head back to the electronics department. My sister heads to the pharmacy to see if they can fill her scripts and if the $4 thing pertains to hers. So, I'm happily looking around, debating this and that, and the boys find me. We're three quarters together now and I figure my sister is still around the pharmacy, we'll go find her after I check out the sale items. When I go to find her, she's nowhere to be found. Oldest boy goes to look for her, says she's in the check out line. Well what the...??? So, we get inline too. She's a couple lines over and as we're waiting for our turn to cash out, I see her walk toward the exit. What the hell? She's not going to wait to see if we show up? Not going to even make an attempt to find us before she checks out? Who the hell has the keys to the truck??? Huh??? Not her!

Checked out, we make our way out to the truck, which is parked a half mile away (okay,  not really, but damn close to that). We get out there, no sister. She wasn't in the little entry way when we walked out, either. She's nowhere. What the HELL??? I'm about to send one or both of the boys back to the store to go fetch her when Oldest Boy sees her walking out. When she gets out to us, I ask her what that was all about and she tries to make it OUR fault for not being out at the truck the first time she came out. Again.... what. the. hell.???

Pile in the clown car again. Head to another game store. It starts to rain and our bags are in the open bed of the truck. Including a new bag of dog food. Me and Sister wait in the truck, maybe ten minutes but it felt like an hour. We make a pit stop at home to drop off the things in the truck bed, then pile back in one more time. We're not finished yet.

Drive to Blockbuster, drop the boys off, go across the parking lot so my sister can drop off an application she'd been whining about, then back to video store to wait. No luck finding the game...but the clerk said to try out this place way over there --->. However, since we're in the vicinity of a store I wanted to stop at and I'm driving, we go where I want to first.

Sister comes in with me. Naturally, she goes off her own way. The store doesn't have what I was looking for, I go find her, we leave and go to the next one, where I know they have what I wanted. Drive some more, the steering wheel part of my body now, the top of my right foot cramping up. Get to the other store.

She goes inside with me again. And disappears. I find what I'm looking for, she shows up then disappears again. The store is NOT that big..it's a friggin' Walgreens for crying out loud! I look around a little bit, go to find her and ... she's checking out! Argh! I get in line, she goes out to the truck. Then, before I cash out, she's back inside again "Maybe I'll go get this other thing," she says to me. Okay...go. She knows exactly what she came in for, where it is... I go out to the truck. Ten minutes later and she still isn't out! What?! The?! Hell?!

By this time I'm feeling totally frustrated and tired of being in a cramped up truck listening to whining about this and that, mostly from HER. She finally comes out. We head way over there---> that place far away where the game store is. On the major thoroughfare, four in the afternoon on a freaking Friday! Not where I want to be!

No luck. One more stop before I can go home. Grocery store. She goes with me because "I need pop." Well, good for you! I buy things for dinner for that night... she's right there with me this time telling me what else we need. Does she offer to buy any of it? Okay, stop, I'm rolling on the floor laughing at that one...

Thankfully, the rain had stopped. Bags in the back of the truck, then time to pile back in.

We get home, no one helps put anything away. Big surprise. I had mentioned, on the way home, that I needed a drink. In fact, I may have mentioned it several times. Youngest son says "What kind you want, Mom?" and pours some rum into a glass for me. Generous bar tender, he is.

I hadn't eaten all day. That first drink hit pretty hard and I loved it. Bryan got home just a couple minutes after we did. Youngest boy got picked up a couple minutes after that to go shopping with a couple of his friends here. I didn't get dinner around for another couple hours, and by then I needed help because I was pretty sure I'd cut myself if I did it alone.

So..me and Bryan are in the kitchen talking. Oldest boy is out cold on the love seat, Sister is in her room behind a closed door. Next thing we know, Sister is in the kitchen adding to the quiet conversation Bryan and I had been having about curtains... what the hell? Does she sit in there and listen to everything we say???? Well, dah... that's been proven by the countless times she'll come into the den or stand in the doorway and contribute to a private conversation we were having.

Argh! I wish she was going back to Michigan with the boys when they leave. Got a bad feeling about this. At least I'll be going back to work in a week and won't have to be around her and if we're all lucky she'll get a job working in the evenings and I won't have to kill her. Me and jail just wouldn't be a good thing.

Anyhow...as always, y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow!

I don't think this one is going to be full of whining and woe is me bullshit. I don't think. Let's just say that as I sit here, right now at this moment, that isn't my intention. Consider that a disclaimer in case it goes the way it does so often with me.

My son's cat died yesterday morning. He'd been visibly sick for a couple days, we did what we could to try to make it better, but looking back on it now I think the cat had been sick a lot longer than we thought. All the meowing when we thought he was just being a pain in the ass may have been because he was hurting. We'll never know. Anyway, yesterday morning when I got up, the cat was in the hall near the kitchen, stretched out. I knew it was the end and there was nothing left to do. I petted him, said a few words, and held him. When I picked him up, he was limp...then he died in my arms. My sister and I wrapped him in a towel and placed his lifeless body in a box. The burial will be today. The right thing would be to say I'm heartbroken, but the truth is that although I'll miss him, I was never as fond of the cat as I am of my dog. I feel bad for my son, who thought the world of that animal. He, however, is taking it better than I thought. The oldest son, who seems to forget that he's here out of the goodness of me and Bryan's hearts, wanted to blame ME for the cats' demise...my sister said something to him that made him change his mind, I don't know what.

So, we've got that going on besides the whole Christmas Day ordeal that we dealt with and got over. It also feels like our little house is overflowing with people.

Last night, as Bryan and I were laying in bed before going to sleep, we talked. We do that quite often. And every time we do, it just fills my heart with this joy that you couldn't possibly understand. For me, being able to talk to him - about random shit, about important shit, about anything at all, is just so nice. All those years of living with someone I couldn't talk to, have a real conversation with.... this is just such  a freaking great thing I don't have the words to describe it. Just one more thing I love about him.

We, me and Bryan, spend quite a bit of our "together time" right here in our den with him at his computer and me at mine, barely three feet apart. He'll look at the stuff he enjoys, I'll do what I do, and if either of us comes across something we think the other would find interesting or funny, it's "honey, check this out!". Or something one of us reads or looks at will spark a conversation about whatever it is...which might lead to a discussion about something else entirely and we wind up sitting here talking for minutes at a time about whatever it was. Other times, it's quiet except for his laughter...and he has a great infectious laugh!

I like to think that Bryan and I have great communication. We do talk A LOT, but we're both writers as well...which is how we met as most of you know. So it's only natural, I guess, that despite the fact we do talk, we do have discussions about most things, there are still some things that are easier to put down on paper (or computer screen) first. Which means that maybe there are times I'm learning something the same time you all are on his blog...or he's learning something the same time you all are on my blog. It's rarely anything that ever comes as a shocking surprise to either of us... in fact, I don't think that's ever happened, but the subtle nuances are there. It's those "aha! I thought that was it!" moments. I had one today... a truth I suspected but wasn't confirmed until I read it. That's why I still read his blog every time he posts something new; to see what new insight I can have into his head, what his take is on something. It makes life interesting.

Anyway, time to get myself together...go hop in the shower and then get the people up who aren't yet (they sure do sleep late!) so we can get the running out of the way that I promised. Gonna be one of those days where B is out doing his stuff and I'm out doing mine and we'll connect later in the day. So, I hope y'all enjoy whatever you've got going on, even if it's just sitting around doing a lot of nothing. 

I am so glad Christmas is over!

Seems it's never what you really expect it to be, and even if it comes close, it's over so soon that it really doesn't matter. I think the last really great Christmas I celebrated was back in '99.

We had the dinner at my house, the one I really liked, in Caro. My whole family was there, and I think that's the last year we were all together: my parents, my kids, my brother, my sister, my uncle, and my cousin. Wait, maybe in '00 we were together, too, but that year sucked real bad...possibly the worst. But, sticking with that year... as far as gifts go, it was good: that was the year my parents gave me my dining chairs, that I still have and still use. I was not expecting them at all. I remember when my dad came in the house he told me and my oldest son to come help him bring stuff in...and I saw the chairs in the back of his truck and started squealing and dancing around in the drive-way. However, it was more the feeling that year than anything else... having the people who mean the most to you in one place, joking around and laughing and sharing memories... making memories. It was just... nice, y'know?

In contrast, the following year was the absolute worst Christmas ever. Now that I recall, the same people were there, it was at my house- or at least the house I was living in (I never felt that that was MY house or my home). It was the first Christmas with Mr. Wonderful and just a week or two earlier I had begun to pack my stuff up to leave him, then was cojoled into staying (MISTAKE). Anyway, we invited his mother and sisters over as well.

He had always talked about the great parties they had there, in the basement. So we put a tree up there, decorated it all up, and I set the food and tables up down there. That's where MY family gathered and ate... HIS mother and sisters stayed upstairs. So I was forced to divide my time between the basement and the living room. It was horrible.

Yesterday wasn't the worst, and probably doesn't even compare, but it was .. disappointing. For me, anyhow. I like to eat holiday dinners early afternoon, then later have deserts and maybe a snack tray, make sandwiches from leftovers, just hang out and maybe watch some dorky movie when the evening is wearing down. That's not the way it went. At all. In fact, I feel like I kind of just threw the meal together at the last minute, late in the day. And I feel like I barely saw Bryan at all...he spent most of the day at his ex's with his kids...and I don't begrudge him spending time with his kids, it's just...  we need to work something else out.

Anyhow, I'm just glad it's over. Now, I think, I'm gonna give the boys a few more minutes, then I'm going to go get the totes from the shed and start taking down the decorations. With the boys sleeping in the living room, and their suitcases and stuff there, too, I need the tree out of there so we can have more room. And besides that, I'm tired of Mac's tail knocking stuff off the tree every time someone walks in the front door!

Maybe next year we can say "to hell with it" and spend Christmas in Florida with my parents. That wouldn't be such a bad new tradition, I'm thinking.

MERRY

CHRISTMAS

May your day be filled with memories to cherish

love,

Kim and Bryan

Go ahead.. ask me what my state of mind is right now. I dare ya! Shoot... I double dare ya! You'll be pleasantly surprised!

For starters, both my boys are on the train right now headed this way. Yay! Waiting for the phone call that says they're in Chicago, waiting for the train to St Louis. The train got to the station in Detroit 5 minutes after it was supposed to leave, but I can deal with that...just hoping it isn't real late getting HERE.

But... here's what really has put me one the bright side of Happy....well, let's do a little back step for a moment, okay? Yesterday was a day from the darkest dankest pits of Hell. It started out bad before I even left the house. Get to work, explain to Lillie what happened, so she'd know that maybe I wouldn't be on my tip-top toes...(nothing serious, just a little 'female' thing ). Then, toward the end of breakfast, I'm standing still because I needed to and she makes a stupid ass remark about "instead of just standing there, you could be washing those trays"... I'd been keeping up on washing the trays throughout breakfast, as I do every morning... and there were...yes, I counted them... seven trays sitting on the counter to be washed. Anyway, it was the last straw.

You know how little things just build up over time? You try to ignore them, get over it, get past it...but they just add up. That stupid remark, which should have just flowed off my back like water on a duck, was enough to push me over the edge. I'd had enough of her talking down to me, talking AT me, using a tone of voice with me that you reserve for the stupidest person on the planet, etc.. I'd had enough of her mean sarcasm. She had to leave for a few minutes, so I called the Big Boss, planning on begging her to transfer me out of there. Well, Big Boss was busy, however I did get her...unfortunately, she thought I was a different Kim. She was a little rude and brusque with me, so I didn't tell her anything. I wound up calling Bryan, crying to him about how much I hated it there, blah blah blah. While I was on the phone with him, Lillie came outside, thinking something was wrong that didn't involve her.

Anyway, we had a talk. I laid it out.. told her everything, exactly how I was feeling about the way she's treated me, talked to me, all of it. It was almost funny, and it is funny NOW looking back at it. She told me that everyone who has left has said the same thing...that they had a problem with the way she talked to them. Whatever...a normal person would take that as a clue to change the way you talk to people, wouldn't they? Then she went on to say how she wasn't going to apologize for the way she talked because she didn't believe she'd talked "wrongly" to me. Whatever. By the time we went inside, though, she had apologized to me "if you feel I've .." whatever it was. When you use the term "I'm sorry if you..." it isn't an apology.

So, I made it through the day. Barely. Get to work this morning, we barely speak to each other. I don't mind. At lunch, Big Boss and her assistant come over to deliver our gifts from the company. Assistant hands me an envelope and tells me it's from Big Boss...who couldn't give it to me without causing even more suspicion than it caused by Assistant giving it to me. LOL... when lunch was over, Lillie said: "You got a card from Assistant...is it a special card?" I shrugged my shoulders and said I had no idea what it was, which was the truth.

Anyway, I wait until I get out to the truck to open the envelope. It was a note from Big Boss asking me to call her later, and apologizing for the way she had talked to me yesterday. At the bottom this is what it said: "Don't leave us! I am going to move you in January, probably to the junior high - story later." So.. woo hoo!

This is why I'm happy! Tomorrow, I work a little over 2 hours with Lillie, then never again! Yay!

And... after I get a little more experience, I will be up for the next  promotion! If I had just a wee bit more experience cooking in this setting, I would have been given the promotion that's available right now. I can live with it... the girl who is being offered the job this evening is a great girl.. I like her. In fact, when I found out I was going to the junior high, she was the reason I was happy... but I'll be replacing her instead of working with her, which is okay. She does the books and stuff there, so I'll get to learn that, too. It's going to be a good thing! BUT... the very best thing is NO LILLIE! Yay!

Y'all go have a drink and we'll celebrate!

oh..and a little update: the boy just called me, they're in Chicago as I write this. A half hour late, but at least it's not two hours! So, there's a good chance they'll be close to on time getting here!

I am just so HAPPY! Giddy happy, even. You just don't realize how bad it was working with her, and how anything is going to be better!

Have a great day and a better tomorrow!

I was curious about The Twelve Days Of Christmas, so thanks to this lovely little box in our den I was able to find some information. Call me ignorant or naive, whatever, but I was never sure when they were; were they the twelve days prior to Christmas or the twelve following? For the record, Christmas is the First Day and January 6, Epiphany Day, is the Twelfth...although the evening of January 5th could also be the beginning of the Twelfth Day. The song itself has religious meanings, you can check it all out here. Anyhow, it was interesting.

And of course we all know that December 25th is NOT the day of Christ's birth, that although no one is positive, most experts agree that took place closer to spring. We can thank the Pagans and other pre-Christians for Christmas being on the 25th, although not necessarily for that specific date. Wikipedia has a great article on why we celebrate on the 25th, check it out here. 

Doesn't look like our snow will be here long. As usual. It's 45 right now and supposed to remain in the mid 40's for the rest of the week. Right now the prediction is for 54 on Saturday! Then down to 28 on Sunday, but right back to the 40's again on Monday. I don't mind, really. My boys are riding the train down and I was getting a little skittish after we got the snow, thinking maybe more was coming our way and it would cause delays. As long as it's clear in Michigan, it's all good.

I was reading a blog written by someone at one of our local television stations last night, about how much more snow we had as kids than our kids have now. This is something we've all written about, commented on, know to be true. Back in the 60s and 70s, when the experts were sure we were headed into a mini-ice age and were going to die soon (as opposed to the theory now that we're going to suffocate because of Global Warming -pah!), we had snow all winter long in Michigan. If we built a snowman after the first big snowfall, he was in our yard until the spring thaw. Not so now. Now we're lucky if we get enough snow to even make a snowbaby, let alone an adult.

I'm a procrastinator. I'll be the first to admit it. However, the reason my Christmas cards just got sent out today is not because of that. It's because I've been busy and easily distracted. And doggone it, the days pass too quickly! As a result, I don't think we'll get too many more than we have now. Well, another reason we probably won't get any more is that you know... we've moved twice since last Christmas.

Twenty-one years ago today I was in a semi-serious car accident. I know I've written about it before, no big deal...it's just that I remember it every year. The details are forever lost, which is probably a good thing. I only mention this because it got me thinking how there are just some dates or events that you just don't forget. You can forget someone's name you've met several times, but you'll always remember what happened on a certain date in your past. I'm sure it's the same with most of you: there are some dates you wish you could forget.

Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow! I think I need to get more baking done if I want anything here for the boys...I've been snacking on some and I want to take some to work.

So, we got the snow they were predicting. Yippee. "They" were even pretty much correct this time and it was in the range they were saying. Of course, when the range is 2"-8" that leaves a lot of room. My Weather Channel Desktop says we got about 6" here. Yes, I guess there's a little snow elf who stands in my yard and measures it.  Anyhow, as long as I don't have to go out and drive in it, it's pretty.

I did exactly what I said I was going to do yesterday. I baked. Considering how unbelievably early I got up yesterday I should have gotten more baking done, or at least gotten it all done much earlier, but my writing muse has been with me lately and I've been "on a roll", so I was doing that a lot yesterday, too. Anyhow, I got my sugar cookies done, peanut butter balls, made a batch of chocolate chip/Heath bits, chocolate chip with nuts, and chocolate cookies with white swirl chips. Today I might make a couple more batches of something, just not sure what. I'm running out of containers to store things in and I have 2 fairly large plastic tubs.

I set my sister up with an e mail account yesterday.  1) because I think everyone needs one and b) she wants to apply to some places online and you definitely need one for that. She had no idea how to set one up herself and I doubt she'll be able to get to it without my help. When I finished with the e mail set up, I told her she needed to get a resume on the computer to upload to different job sites. I wound up doing it.

My sister was diagnosed as Bi-Polar with anxiety issues. Here's the deal: I have an issue with "labels" like that, especially when the answer seems to always be "here's a pill, it'll make you better." She had to take an anti-anxiety pill before she could sit down at the computer! Grrr! It's cases like that that really piss me off. Why in the world would anyone feel the need to take a pill to sit down in front of an inanimate object??? Why??? Of course I asked her. She said if she didn't, she would have bitten her fingernails off because it intimidated her! Well, so what!? You don't conquer your fears by masking them with a stupid pill! She said she was afraid she'd push a button and everything would disappear. I told her it didn't work like that, and besides that - Bryan's a computer whiz. She can't "break" the computer by pushing a button on the keyboard. This woman is going to be 40 in February.

You remember how I always bitched about Bryan's sister being completely immature? Well, my sister isn't quite that immature, she's actually lived on her own and taken care of herself, but she's very child-like. They're both nuts. They both have their good qualities, are good people, but they make me want to smack their heads against a wall! Sometimes when they open their mouths I can't believe what comes out...it makes no sense in the real world.

Anyhow, I asked my sister how she was supposed to be able to work if she can't even sit down in front of a computer without getting all weirded out. She got a little misty eyed and shrugged her shoulders.

Here's a little background: my sister was completely spoiled as a kid. Completely. Whatever she wanted, she got, and I think by the time she was born my mother was pretty much worn out from me and my brother, who are 7 and 8 years older than her. We're thirteen months apart, so it was a lot like raising twins. My mother also encouraged her to think she was always right- because it was easier than dealing with her temper tantrums when told she was wrong. Fast forward to her as an adult... she's had various jobs and lived in various places, always somehow managing to land on her feet. Until a couple years ago.

First, she "found religion". I'm not going to knock that, but it seems to coincide with her "downfall". She lost a job, lost her apartment, and I guess lost hope. She wound up in a Rescue Mission in Saginaw and was put in a "discipleship" program. And started seeing a therapist. I have learned a bit about homeless shelters in the last year, and I know that you can only stay 30 days per year in each one. Not my sister...she got in this "program" and was in the same shelter for a year or more.

The thing is, she went from self-reliant to "I'm Bi-Polar and have all these issues I can't deal with without my pills" in the course of a little over a year. Yes, I realize Bi-Polar is a real disease, that's not the thing I have issues with. It's the pills I have issues with. It's taking someone who is easily influenced and telling them they can't survive without these magic pills that I have a problem with. It's some "therapist" telling a patient that it's okay to let your fears run your life, all you need is this little pill, instead of telling that person to buck up and take control of those fears.

Christ! No one should need a freaking pill to sit in front of a computer at home! Arrgh!

I'm done ranting now, it's safe to go on with your lives.

So, here we are, waiting yet again for a storm. This time we're under a Winter Storm Warning until midnight Saturday. Supposedly there will be a considerable amount of snow. We'll see. Whatever we get, supposing we actually get something, will be cleared up by Monday, so why bother getting any mess if it isn't going to result in a "snow day"? Either way, whether we get it or not, I'm stocked up on food and plan on spending all day Saturday baking...and all night Saturday eating goodies.

This is an amazing video you need to see to believe. In fact, even after watching it it's hard to believe. There's a small pride of lions, a herd of water buffalo, and a crocodile involved.

I wish I had something fun or exciting to write about...or even something to just bitch about, but the truth is that I don't. The only thing pissing me off right now is something I can do nothing about... the damn writers' strike. Their timing sucks. They should have done this BEFORE the new seasons began to air; all they're doing now is cutting off their noses to spite their faces. If the strike lasts much longer I'm sure I won't be the only one who's going to forgo watching any TV and lose interest in all the shows I enjoyed watching.

So, y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow! If you're in the storm path, batten down the hatches and get ready for whatever comes your way.

uh, oh... I broke the Internet..getting a server error.

update: it's Saturday, around noonish time. Woke up at 5:30 because I couldn't sleep, looked out the window and the snow was falling. We have about an inch and a half, the snow has stopped....but we're waiting on Round Two, which is supposed to be much worse and hit around five this afternoon. It's actually kind of pretty.

I've got my peanut butter balls done! Sugar cookie dough is made, just have to roll it out, cut 'em out, and bake them. Also plan on making a couple batches of chocolate chip...one with walnuts, one without. I'm thinking about a couple different other kinds as well, but we'll see how energetic I'm feeling later.

I'll try to post this again. Maybe this time I won't break the Internet. Sorry guys... guess if you're having problems it's probably my fault.

As I figured, all the bad weather went around us. Yesterday it was just wet and cold, although when I was driving home I did notice ice on the trees and power lines, just not enough to cause major concern. This morning it was foggy. Not so much around our house, but as soon as I turned onto the street that leads to the side street to the school it was like I drove into the Twilight Zone. Forty-three degrees this morning. It was misty/foggy all morning. However, at one o'clock this afternoon I went outside to have a smoke after lunch and the sun was out, the sky was blue, and it was warm enough that I didn't need to wear my jacket. Just beautiful! Fifteen minutes later the sky was gray, it was downpouring, and the wind was blowing. When I left work at 1:40 it was so foggy visibility was at about a quarter mile, tops.

Our re-inspection was today. Supposedly at 3pm. I got home, put laundry away, made the bed, and attempted to vacuum the carpets. The belt on the vacuum broke and stunk up the place. I was looking for a screwdriver in the closet when the front door opened and some strange man came walking in around 2:30 - thankfully, Bryan was right behind him. The inspector checked a couple things, asked a couple questions, was out of here by 2:50 after informing us we were set. We're legal!!! Yay!!

Actually, that's a nice weight off our shoulders. Now if we want, we can tear the place apart and remodel... if we had the money, that is.The thing is, we COULD do it if we wanted to. No more worrying about the inspector coming in and the need to have everything just so.

Only 7 1/2 work days until I'm off for two weeks. The kids are all getting antsy, the teachers are counting down the days, we're all looking forward to a break. My boys will be here a week from Friday. That is the same day we're having our Christmas party at work, though.

Got a feeling we're gonna be real tired that day. The train is scheduled in at 12:30am Friday, but I've been informed Amtrak usually runs 2 hours late. Bryan works Thursday night and we both have to be to work that morning. I, however, only have to work until 10 at the latest, earlier if we get everything taken care of before then. The party is at Applebee's at 2, so I should be able to get a bit of a nap in if I'm lucky.

Anyway, that's about it for this round. Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow!

All around us ice has caused major power outages and slick roads. Where we used to live, where Bryan's kids still live, there is no power at all and school has already been canceled. In fact, the surrounding counties have it nearly as bad. The thing is, Bryan was just there earlier this afternoon and he said it was wet, but nothing to get all excited about. That was probably seven hours ago. Supposedly the storm is heading this way, but I doubt it.

All around us... north, west, east, south... they'll get hit with it all. We won't get more than regular rain that might make a slight coating of ice on the truck in the morning. It isn't that I want the problems associated with the ice storm.. I certainly DO NOT want to be without power, but it would be nice if the school didn't have power tomorrow. Just the schools in my district. I want a snow-day!! Regularly scheduled days off are nice, but there's just something about one that's unexpected because of weather that makes it fun. Or so it would seem if memory serves me right from my childhood.

Bryan went out tonight despite the icestorm warning. I wasn't feeling good and didn't feel like getting dressed and going out, so I stayed home. Now I'll feel better when he's in the house even though I know the bad weather is coming from the opposite direction and the roads he's on are most likely just wet.

When I lived in the Detroit area it was like the city was under a cloak. We never got really bad storms of any kind more than once every couple years, and even when we did get hit it wasn't near as bad as the surrounding areas. Last year, when I was here in Missouri, the Detroit area got hit with some nasty stuff. Where I was living did not get hit bad... three storms, none of which caused lasting effects. I think we lost power to our apartment twice, and never more than 5 hours. It seems that cloak has followed me.

I don't want to complain about not getting bad weather. As I wrote earlier, I absolutely do not want the power to go out. However, a storm that causes schools to close wouldn't be anything I'd whine about... you know, as long as the power doesn't go out here, at my house. I've been watching the news and the weathermen say we're supposed to get more of the ice tonight and tomorrow, we'll see.

So, y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow! I'll be sure to post if the ice hits here. You know, unless the power goes out and I can't.

It was bound to happen, and it did. Winter came to St. Louis.

We were under a weather advisory yesterday until midnight this morning. There was a touch of snow, rain, it got real cold. I knew I would have to scrape the truck this morning, so I got up a bit early. Got dressed, went out to start it up so it would be easier to scrape... it was froze. The entire truck looked like a giant icicle. I tried to open it to no avail. I went in to get Bryan to help. He came out and the first thing he says is "is it unlocked?" Well dah... yes. But just to be sure, I hit the clicker again then tried the door again. Okay, we're not going to tell Bryan, but it may have been locked. Shh.   

    Tonight we drove up to BFE to watch B's daughter and granddaughter in a choir thing outside. It was cold and rainy, but the girls did a great job. The only problem was that of course The Storm  was there, so I didn't get the opportunity to go talk to the girls afterwards. I had to stand off by myself, feeling like a dirty little secret, while B went to talk to them.

I hate when someone else has that much control over what I can and can't do. It isn't that I'm afraid of her, because if I'm being honest, I'd love for her to try something. I wouldn't hesitate to call the cops. However, because of the kids, and not wanting to cause undue embarrassment to them, I do what I can to avoid the possibility of her causing a scene. It just really bothers me that even though the girls invited me to go see them, I couldn't go up afterwards and tell them what a good job they did.

Anyway, back to the weather: the little bit of ground coverage snow we had is gone around these parts. That's fine with me. I really don't miss it and would be happy as a hog in mud on a hot sunny day if we didn't get any this winter.

Had considered baking this weekend, but I think I'm gonna be too busy catching up laundry to do anything else. Remember way back in August, when we first moved into this house and we had to have it inspected? We were given a temporary occupancy permit with the condition that we have certain little things done by December 3rd and a reinspection done. Well, one of the things was to either cap off the gas line to the dryer or replace the quarter inch line with a half inch. Because we were tight on money last weekend we chose to cap it off and take the dryer over to the garage until after the re-inspection, which we thought would be sometime last week. It's this Tuesday instead. So I haven't done any laundry. B is getting the line this weekend and bringing the dryer back; hence the need to catch up on the laundry. Besides that, when I bake I like to be alone in the kitchen and we have B's daughter this weekend.... I don't want to be baking and tell her she can't help- because it would be rude. This is just one of many things I know about myself that doesn't make me real proud.

That's about it for this round. Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow!

So I almost walked out of the kitchen this morning and went to see Big Boss. Despite the fact Lillie has been treating me nice lately, mostly, this morning I thought the moment of truth had descended. Yep, I was sure she'd reached her breaking point, that the being nice charade had finally caused a melt-down. I made "the mistake" of asking her a question about what I was making while she was measuring yeast for some cinnamon rolls (she makes rolls every single freaking week... you'd think she'd have the recipe memorized by now after 5 years)... anyway, the rolls didn't rise the way they should have. Big deal, that happens quite often. However, this morning it was MY fault because I asked her a question and I should know how to do what I was doing by now. Blahblahblah... whatever. So, she started mumble bitching about that... then she started slamming things around. And mumble bitching some more.

If there's one thing that I can't stand, it's when you blame someone else for a mood you're in. Excuse me, but YOU'RE the one in charge of whatever mood  you're in. It's all a reaction to whatever the situation is, and YOU decide what that reaction will be. So, it pissed me off that she was blaming me for the rolls not rising, and for the mood that put her in. I was also totally unimpressed by the way she was slamming things around.

I didn't leave. I knew I would see Big Boss at a Safety Committee meeting this afternoon and I could talk to her then. I also knew that it would give Lillie some weird sense of satisfaction if I left. Then, an hour later, Lillie was super nice to me again.

Okay... going slightly off topic here, but not quite... just want to share something that happened a couple days ago to illustrate the point of what a nut case she is. I made cheeseburgers the other day. Two hundred and twenty-five were ordered for lunch, which meant I needed to bake at least 230. Which I did. Then I had to put the burgers on buns with cheese and put them in pans. I also had to make a couple pans of salad and fill the milk cooler before lunch. Three hours. The block of cheese slices wasn't peeling the way they're supposed to, so I had to use a knife to peel them apart. All that detail doesn't matter...here's the gripe: I'm putting the burgers together, have almost all of them together before Victoria comes to help (she had very simple things to do that should have been done in an hour and a half tops, but she took her time... and nothing was said). Then Lillie comes back and starts bitching at me because I've put all  the burgers on buns (except 6). She rants about all the waste and how I should know better than to do it that way (the last time I listened to her and didn't make as much as was ordered we were very short and she yelled at me as if it was MY idea). Keep in mind that lunch hasn't been served yet, that 225 cheeseburgers were ordered, I baked 230. I went ahead and put cheese on all of them except the 6 that were set aside. Lunch is served and lo and behold! She had to bake at least eight more because we were short. No waste. None. Did she apologize? Of course not.

Back to today. I stayed and the whole incident of me being the cause for her little temper flare up was forgotten. At least by her.

After lunch is done being served we start the clean up process. Washing dishes, cleaning the steam table, washing down sinks and counters, sweeping, changing the trash, taking the mats out. Victoria washes the dishes she's assigned, then goes to sit down to chit chat with Lillie while I take the mats out, sweep, change the trash. Big Boss happens to stop in while I'm sweeping and Victoria and Lillie are sitting out front chit chatting. She mentions the Safety meeting to me. After she leaves, Lillie walks back to the kitchen to tell me I'll have time to make the juice for the morning before I leave (which means pouring the juice into 125 individual cups and putting lids on them). I didn't get my break before I had to leave.

I get to the high school, where the meeting is. First thing Big Boss says to me was something about "both bitches just sitting around" while I was sweeping. I told her about the earlier incident and how I almost went in search of her, then how Lillie's attitude changed and she referred to her as Sybil.

For a while I was starting to think that maybe ... well, that maybe it wouldn't be the greatest idea if she was fired. Maybe there was hope for her becoming a better boss. Sure, that niggling feeling has always been with me that she's just a ticking bomb waiting to go off, but for a little while I thought maybe it would be one of those things that is put off indefinitely. Then today happened. She needs to go. Me being transferred to another school would probably make it easier for me, but not for whoever my replacement would be. Or they're replacement.

I think, however, that I've finally got my finger on why she's so nice to me after she yells at me. And why she tries so hard to not yell at me other times. The janitor said to me this morning that he sees how hard I work, how I do it all in the morning (I put the trays together for breakfast, wash the trays, clean the steam table, put stuff away, wash the tables). A few weeks ago he'd also told me how Lillie had told him I'm the best worker she's had, that I go in and do my job... like her. Anyhow, I believe that's the reason she's nice to me all of a sudden. She knows that if I get too unhappy I'm going to request a transfer or quit, and then it's back to her doing it all by herself again because her little buddy isn't going to work any harder than she has to.

I'm done now. Y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow.

This might be one of those topics that  starts a debate that no one can win. However, it's a topic that is really starting to get under my skin. I've had it up to here (I'm holding my hand in the middle of my forehead for those of you who don't have psychic abilities and can't see where I'm pointing)! I am totally NOT taking the politically correct stance on this topic and I don't care. I refuse to believe something just because the idiots on TV tell me it's true or some other idiot on the Internet decides to write some big essay on it, or some "scientist" takes things out of context only using the parts of a report that will make him/her look like s/he knows what s/he's talking about. And I definitely am not going to listen to some politician spouting off at the mouth, even if he did win a Nobel prize for a movie/book.

No, I choose to do my own research. I choose to listen to reason. I choose to make my own decisions.

Seriously people... Global Warming? Caused by people? You really need to read some  more and watch some documentaries made by real scientists and real experts. What we are experiencing is a natural thing; it's a cycle the earth goes through every so many years. There are facts and figures to prove it. In fact, as near back as the 1970's we were in a Global Cooling period and the so-called "experts" were putting out warning bells that we were headed into a mini-ice age.

Yes, it's all pretty and nice that so many people are "going green"...whatever. All that means is that the hippies from the 60s are now in a position of power and are making decisions for the rest of us. There are some things I'm on board with, but for the most part - give me a fucking break! Don't tell me we've exhausted our natural resources when most haven't even been tapped into yet. Don't tell me we're having a gas shortage and the prices have to go up because some refinery in BFE went down; you need to uncap all the wells that were heavy producers and start using them again.

People, People, People... quit believing everything you see on a stupid movie! Hollywood is made up of people who rely on their imaginations to provide entertainment and some of them not only let their imaginations go wild, they actually think it's the truth. Then the mob mentality takes over, everyone is believing it, and panic is setting in. Then the no-brainer politicians take it and run with it and all of a sudden it's the end of the world as we know it.

I'm sick of it. I'm sick of everyone believing everything their told by the news media. I'm sick of people in a position to make a difference using whatever they have at their disposal to make a point no matter how untruthful it actually is.

Try reading this. Unless you're one of the few who refuse to be a Lemming, it might give you a new perspective.

Staying on the subject of warming... it got up to 68 here today. Was absolutely beautiful despite the spotty rain. Then the temperature dropped 30 degrees in a couple hours. One year ago today we were in the midst of a nasty storm that shut stuff down for a couple days; began with rain, then sleet,then snow.

Yesterday it started out a bit chilly, then gradually began to warm up. Of course, the gradual warm up came after we had finished cleaning all the brush debris from the back yard... a result of trimming down this monster tree/bush/shrub that was growing in a corner behind the shed. It's amazing how big our back yard seems now. Especially since I've put away all the patio furniture, too.

I was one sore mama last night, though. Had to drive to the store and it hurt to drive! My left shoulder was aching and the back of my right thigh was hurting. I'm feeling a little better today.

Three more weeks and I get two full weeks off! My boys will be here just after midnight on the 21st. Although I'm flat broke now, it's a relief to have the tickets bought. Hadn't really planned on buying a ticket for the oldest; had in fact told him that if he could buy his ticket here and back he was welcome to come stay for the holidays, but that I couldn't afford it. Then the guilt monster took over. So I guess that's his Christmas gift... a warm place to stay for a couple weeks, food to eat, and my company.

So far we're doing okay with my sister here. I need to talk to her about a couple issues, but otherwise it's not been the problem I had thought it might be.

Anyhow... time to make dinner. Bryan is doing another Open Mic gig tonight and we have to be out of here by six. This one is across the river, over in Illinois. I just hope we're not out too late. And that the weather doesn't turn nasty.

As always, y'all have a great day and a better tomorrow!