Schlagschocken?

Anyone got any information on this allegedly rich dessert? My sources state that it's a Swiss confection. I'm looking for a doable recipe. Sounds wonderfully sinful....gotta try it!

Schlagschocken: from the German for "sugar shock"!


And that's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Ooh! Ooh! Interview me!

Here are your instructions. The first three people to leave a comment asking me to interview them will get a set of five questions.

1. Leave me a comment saying "interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions.
3. You will update your blog/site with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Here, then, are the questions I got from Kunaal at Scattered Thoughts :

1. Which city in America would you like best to live in, if you could not live in Oklahoma and why? Really and truly, I'd live in Massachusetts, New Hampshire or Maine. I can't pick just one city, because I can adapt to whatever community I settle in. When I moved to Massachusetts in 1999, I expected to hate it. I didn't, however. Indeed, I love everything about New England. It is so different from where I grew up in Southern California, so full of history and culture. I even love the ridiculous amounts of snow that every winter brings and its attendant problems.

2. Who do think will replace Bush for the '08 elections? Will you still vote Democrat(you did vote democrat this time right?)? Since our Constitution precludes Bush from running for a third term, it's not so much that someone will "replace" him, but instead be the Replublicans choice to run against the Democrats. I'd like to see John McCain from Arizona run again, but he probably won't. I'd also like to see former Secretary of State Colin Powell run, but he has said for years that he is not interested in the job. Depending who the Republicans put out there will determine whether I will vote for them. Except for the two I have mentioned, I don't know of anyone who I'd like to see run. We'll probably have a whole field of wannabes coming out of the woodwork as early as next year.

As for voting Democrat again, it depends who runs. I am a registered Independant, and I generally vote for the person who I feel will do a good job. I didn't vote for Clinton either time he ran. My first Presidential election was in 1984, when I was 20, and I'm proud to say that I voted for Ronald Reagan.

3. If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be and why? I have thought about this for a while, because someone else asked me a similar question a few months ago. I would have divorced my husband when my youngest son was still a baby (he's 11 now). I recently became aware of things that my ex had done that I had no idea was going on when I trusted him to take care of the children while I worked nights. Had I any inkling that these things were going on, I'd have grabbed the kids and gotten the hell out of the marriage. But, I didn't, and for that, I will live with the "what ifs" for the rest of my life.

4. What would you want future generations to remember you most for? That I lived my life on my terms and not on someone else's agenda, or because someone else says I should live my life a certain way.

5. This one is sure to stump you...how much wood could a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood? But the serious question is, How did you think up the name for your blog, "Mi Vida Loca"? I thought about the status of my life in the last ten years or so, and how crazy and whacked out it seemed to be. They say truth is stranger than fiction, and I couldn't have come up with a plot even remotely like my life has turned out. "Mi vida loca" means "my crazy life" in Spanish. And though it's most notably known as the title of a movie by Allison Anders about Hispanic girls in gangs, I took the title from a song by country singer Pam Tillis ("Mi vida loca/over and over/destiny turns on a dime/I go where the wind blows/You can't tame a wild rose/welcome to my crazy life").

And that's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Dammit, this is all JC's fault!

(just kidding, JC, if you happen by this way)

When I met JC during the summer of 2002 (about a month before I met Saon), he was singing this song at Karaoke. I had admired him from afar, knowing he was immensely talented and as good looking as they come. I was probably dancing around or something, because the next thing I know, he's right there singing this song about four feet from me. When the song got to the "give it away, give it away, give it away now" part, JC pointed the microphone at me and I sung that part. In a flash, he was back on stage singing the rest of it. My friends were like, what was that all about???

I don't know, maybe he remembers it differently, if he remembers it at all. All I know is that it made a big impression on me, and our friendship began at that point.

The song, BTW, was "Give it Away" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. If you think about it, this song abounds with double entendres. There may have been a message in there somewhere, but time and circunstances won't allow me to know what that message might have been.


Give it Away-- Red Hot Chili Peppers

What I’ve got you’ve got to give it to your mamma
What I’ve got you’ve got to give it to your pappa
What I’ve got you’ve got to give it to your daughter
You do a little dance and then you drink a little water

What I’ve got you’ve got to get it put it in you
What I’ve got you’ve got to get it put it in you
What I’ve got you’ve got to get it put it in you
Reeling with the feeling don’t stop continue

Realize I don’t want to be a miser
Confide wisely you’ll be the wiser
Young blood is the lovin’ upriser
How come everybody wanna keep it like the kaiser

Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
I can’t tell if I’m a king pin or a pauper

Greedy little people in a sea of distress
Keep your more to receive your less
Unimpressed by material excess
Love is free love me say hell yes

I’m a low brow but I rock a little know how
No time for the piggies or the hoosegow
Get smart get down with the pow wow
Never been a better time than right now

Bob Marley poet and a prophet
Bob Marley taught how to off it
Bob Marley walkin’ like he talk it
Goodness me can’t you see I’m gonna cough it

Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
Ooh... ooh yeah
Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
I can’t tell iff I’m a king pin or a pauper

Lucky me swimmin’ in my ability
Dancin’ down on life with agility
Come and drink it up from my fertility
Blessed with a bucket of lucky mobility

My mom I love her ’cause she love me
Long gone are the times when she scrub me
Feelin’ good my brother gonna hug me
Drink my juice lone chug-a-lug me

There’s a river born to be a giver
Keep you warm won’t let you shiver
His heart is never gonna wither
Come on everybody time to deliver

Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
I can’t tell if I’m a king pin or a pauper

What I’ve got you’ve got to give it to your mamma
What I’ve got you’ve got to give it to your pappa
What I’ve got you’ve got to give it to your daughter
You do a little dance and then you drink a little water

What I’ve got you’ve got to get it put it in you
What I’ve got you’ve got to get it put it in you
What I’ve got you’ve got to get it put it in you
Reeling with the feeling don’t stop continue

Realize I don’t want to be a miser
Confide wisely you’ll be the wiser
Young blood is the lovin’ upriser
How come everybody wanna keep it like the kaiser

Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now
Give it away give it away give it away now

Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now
Give it away now


(I've heard this song on the radio a lot lately. Again, there may be a message there, or it may be a coincidence. Every RHCP song reminds me of JC)


And that's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

No surprise here

You Are 35% Left Brained, 65% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Another blogthings thing.


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

I'm so mad I could spit nails...

and no one gives a fuck!

I got turned down for disability again! See Look What the Cat Dragged In for more details.

I just don't understand this at all. What do they want me to do? In how much pain do I have to be in to get them to notice I have a problem? Maybe I should somehow get myself arrested. Prisoners get better medical bennies than I do!

Don't mind me. I'm just letting off steam. Monday, I'm calling a lawyer. This is getting ridiculous!


And that's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

This is weird...bizarre...strange...

I had a rather, um, erotic dream about my former landlord, Paul, last night.

I haven't thought about this man for months, and I really don't know why I'd be having dreams like that about him. Yeah, he is a nice guy and I would have liked to stay in contact with him, but he decided that he didn't want to keep in touch with me, apparently. It's not like we parted on less than amicable terms. We parted as friends, or so I thought.

There's more to this than meets the eye. It's just something I don't really want to think about right now, if ever.

And that's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

I'd tell ya what happened today

but I am so tired (even after the 4 hour nap I took this afternoon), I can't even think of anything but sleep!

And that's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZzzzzzzzzzz--

300 tacos?? Zia's going where?

Here is another night where no one feels like cooking, so Mom suggested going to Taco Bell. Since I had to pick up Jeff from his night class anyway, I went and got the goods.

When Jeff and I got there, there was an employee (name badge identified him as "Yogi Bear") waiting at the door. He asked us if we were there for the tacos. Jeff said something like "What??" and the Taco Bell dude said, "I guess not," and proceded to tell us that someone had ordered 300 tacos and they had yet to pick them up and pay for them.

We ordered our food then went home. When we got there, Mom said that my aunt (my dad's sister) called. We call her "Zia", the Italian word for aunt. Zia had called to find out if Mom was getting her subscription to Reader's Digest, because Zia found out that they were being sent to a slightly different address. Zia has given Mom a Reader's Digest subscription for Christmas for years.

Apparently, during the course of their conversation, Zia mentioned that the gay man who cleans her house is going to England (Mom wasn't sure if Zia's housekeeper dude was English) to marry his partner this summer. Seems that he has so many frequent flyer miles that he sent Zia two tickets to attend the wedding. My half sister Cindi (or Cinzia as she calls herself now) will accompany our 86 year old aunt to Merry Olde England. Boy, will she have stories to tell! And Zia tells some great stories, especially the ones about her childhood with her two older brothers (my uncle and my dad, who are both deceased), and her parents.

There will be more to this story. The wedding in England is in July.


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Stuff

Went to the school to see Scott in the eighth grade play, King Midas and the Touch of Gold. Scott played Jason, leader of the palace guards, and had a rather significant speaking part. The play was very good, even though Amalia kept telling me what was going to happen because she had seen the play at school already. I didn't have the heart to tell her I was already familiar with the story of King Midas. Afterwards, Scott went to the cast party at a local restaurant and would be brought home.

Turns out that my sister couldn't come because she had somehow fallen and whacked her head pretty hard, enough to raise a huge knot (according to Dean) and lose consciousness briefly. When Daniel came to the school to see the play, Dean sent him home to keep an eye on Tori.

==================

Had a nice brief chat with Keith from Recycled Electrons on Yahoo! Mess (up) enger before Jeff and I left to go to the play. We talked about a number of things, then he had to go, and I had to go. Check out his blog while you're at it, why don't you?

==================

Mom thinks she had a strain of the flu that the flu shot she got last fall doesn't cover. She and I got sick around the same time (after my birthday), and she's still not feeling up to snuff.

Me, meanwhile...well I think that my simple garden variety cold is now a case of infected sinuses. It hurts like a bitch! That's another thing I didn't get before I came here. I've not had a sinus infection since I was in my early 20's and still living in Seal Beach, CA. I think I was pregnant with Jeff at the time. This time though, I think I am getting everything coming down the pike because my immune system is lowered due to lack of restorative sleep. At least, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

==================

I got the book I ordred with part of the money I got for my birthday today. I wasn't expecting it for a while. I'm glad that it got here so quickly. I still have a little of that money left, maybe I'll see what else I can get.

=================

And that's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Coca Cola with Lime...

um, no.

Man, this stuff is nasty! All you can taste is lime. Gimme plain ole regular Coke any day.

Pepsi... even better!

=====================

Collective Soul is going to be on the Tonight Show. I've loved this band since the early 90's when they were first coming up in the ranks. This is the first time I'll see them with the guy who replaced Ross Childress. What is Ross up to these days? I'm still waiting for the inevitable solo CD. I think that's why he left CS to begin with. At least, that's what I read that the band said.

Their new CD is called Youth. How appropriate for a band whose members are in their late 30's and early 40's (i.e. about my age).

=====================

I can't believe it... there was school today. I thought this was a Federal holiday. The city offices were closed, and there was no mail service, but the public schools and colleges were in session. Go figure.

====================

And that's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

===================

Oh, I called Saon and his cell phone works again. Got his voice mail. Left a message. Ball's in his court now.

Why is it...

that the Cajun fast food place at the mall is run by Asians? Not a real Cajun in the bunch from the looks of it.

Why is it that some people are so lazy that they can't put the dirty diaper in a trash receptical instead of just dropping it in the parking lot? I know I never did that when my kids were in diapers. I put them back in the diaper bag until I got home.

And, why is it that my mom thinks she's heard someone say something, then gets mad when the person denies saying it? She's done that twice today with Jeff. She swears that he said something, then when he has no idea what she's talking about, she gets mad at him.

I'd rant about all the stuff my mom's done to piss me off, but then, she has provided me with a home for the last two years, so I'll keep it to myself.

And that's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Happy Birthday, Amalia!

Wow! Six years old! Boy, does time fly!



Love,

Auntie Stefie

Chatty kids and a "bumpah stickah" I don't agree with

I made two trips over to WalMart today. Both times, I ran across kids that would have talked my ears off if I (and their parents) had let them.

Trip #1-- Three kids and their mom were in the seasonal items aisle (now filled with Easter stuff), and the baby in the cart was just too cute sitting there chewing on a box of Jello gelatin mix. I remarked that the Jello would be better if he'd let mommy make it. That gave his older sister and brother the clue that it was cool to talk to me, so they each started telling me about the toys they each were holding. The boy had a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy, and his sister had a Little Mermaid toy. I mentioned to the mom that my boys liked the Turtles when they were her son's age. She asked how old my boys were now, and when I told her, she seemed surprised that I had kids that were adults.

Trip #2-- I hadn't even gotten out of the car when I heard a little girl ask me what my name was. When I got out, she asked again, and I told her. She asked me if I were going to buy toys, and I said I wasn't, that I was going to buy groceries. Her family was getting ready to leave in their little and very dirty (they went mudding before coming to the store?) car. I went on my way and the girl told me it would be warm in the store.


Also in that second trip, there was a van in the parking lot that was leaving as I was going back out to the van. It had a bumper sticker on it that said, "I Vote By The Book". There was a Bible pictured on it.

Now, don't get me wrong, I read the Good Book, and it has a lot to say about a lot of things. However, I don't believe I've ever read anything about how one should vote for persons seeking higher office.

These are the people Bush appeals to. There is nothing in the Bible to my knowledge saying, "thou shall elect someone to higher office who lives by the Word of God."

We all try to live by the Word of God, but, after all, we are human, and we all make mistakes. George Bush is no different, so why are all these people trying to put him on a pedalstal? Do they he's perfect, that he's the answer to the country's prayers? I mean, look what he's done so far-- he's gotten us into a war without just cause (no WMD's), he's given us a record national debt, and he wants to "fix" Social Security by taking our hard earned money and putting it in "retirement accounts" that are invested in the stock market (though he says that these accounts will be voluntary. Yeah, right, sure they will...).

As you may have guessed by reading my blog for any length of time that I am not a fan of the current resident of the White House. I don't think he's doing a good job, and I still cannot believe that he got reelected. His approval ratings sink lower and lower...where were these before the election? I'm sure they were there, and I know I've bitched about it enough...

I'd rather listen to overly talkative kids than to the President of the U.S. of A. any day!


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

What's wrong with this picture?

When I was out the other day, I went over to Del City (which, according to my oldest son, is akin to "da hood"). I got off I-40 at the Sunnylane exit, and there about a quarter mile from the exit is a business that sells, among other things, tattooing supplies. Only one problem with that that I can see...

You cannot get a legal tattoo in the Great State of Oklahoma.

Now, how screwed up is this: you can BUY tattooing supplies in Oklahoma, but you can't USE them here.

If one wants to get a tattoo, most people go over to Texas to get one. Such places actually advertise on the radio stations here.

Oklahoma is now the only state in the USA where tattoo parlors are illegal. Blame it on the Baptists (the same people who opposed a lottery here, but the general population said "bring it on!"), but if someone is going to get a tattoo, wouldn't you rather get one in the state where you live instead of going to Texas for one?

One brave state legistalor recently introduced a bill to make tattoo parlors legal. If the tattoo industry were to be regulated by the health department, I don't see what the big deal is. Maybe it's a moral issue with some people, and in that case, no one is forcing you to do anything that you don't think is right. Most, if not all, people I know with tattoos got them willingly.

Perhaps it's time for Oklahoma to come out of the Dark Ages. We got the lottery(starting soon, they say), now give us the option of not going out of state to get a tattoo!

It's better than cockfighting birds wearing boxing gloves.


And that's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Daniel got his car back! Yay!!!

I don't have to worry about picking him up from work anymore! I'm sure Daniel is thrilled, too. Now he can hang out with his friends without having to ask to use someone else's car.

And, I'm sure, he'll be back here Thursday after work taking a nap in his old room.

================

I'm still feeling a bit under the weather. Now it appears that I'm losing my voice as well.

Well isn't that a pisser! Just can't win for losing.

================

That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Even in Dante's Inferno, I'm a Goody Two Shoes

The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very High
Level 2 (Lustful)	Moderate
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Moderate
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Moderate
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Very Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

Eau de Vicks VapoRub

But hell, I can BREATHE!!!! So I really don't give a hoot what I smell like right now!

How was your Valentine's day?


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Man, this cold/flu/whatever-the-hell-it-is is kicking my ass!

My head and my ears feel like they have cotton stuffed into them. I'm hot, then cold; my nose runs, then feels so dried out that my nose hurts.

I'm feeling better today than I did yesterday when I truly thought I was gonna up and fuckin' die! Every muscle in my body was sore, like when you have the flu, my head throbbed with the headache of the century. I had no appetite and slept more than I was awake.

And thru all this, I still had to go out and get ciggies for my mom. Nice.

Now, I feel something swollen on the left side of my neck. Great, what it is now?

I just ran out of kleenex.

I'm going to get some tea.



That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

I've never been so glad to see a week come to an end!

Jesus, I never had a birthday week quite like this one!!

And I hope I don't have another one like it any time soon...

On top of everything else that has happened to me this week, Jon finally decides to return some of the messages I've been leaving for him over the last couple of weeks. First, he asks if I got the text message he sent on my birthday. I said no, that today was the first I'd heard from him in about three weeks.

Then, he practically called me a liar, going on and on about how he did send me a message on my birthday, and that I should have gotten it. I told him again that I never received any messages from him, on my birthday or any other day.

My take: he never sent a message, he just wanted to have something to bitch at me about.

Just now, he calls me back to tell me that the clothes I had him store in his basement (because they all wouldn't fit in my car when I drove out here two years ago) have gotten ruined by water that had somehow gotten into the basement. Of course, all my jeans and slacks were ruined, along with several of my skirts. He did manage to save a dress and a denim skirt I bought after I returned home from the carnival in October 2002. Jon never liked it when I wore pants, so I don't know if he just didn't want to salvage any that were savable or not. Jon said he saved some socks and intimate apparel, but I don't need those. I needed the jeans, tshirts, skirts and dresses he says he couldn't save.

Okay, he's lost one cat, gave another cat away, and ruined most of the clothes I entrusted to him. He must take great pleasure in upsetting me, as if he were saying, "Screw you Stef!"

Selfish prick. Grrrrrrrrrr... I will never trust him with anything of mine again!


Oh, and I've got a cold now, too. Thankfully, I didn't get the stomach bug that Jeff had last weekend and Mom has now. Daniel managed to slice his thumb open at work today, but Tori doesn't think he'll need stitches. Daniel's boss is pretty handy with first aid and put butterfly bandages on the cut, which may preclude the need for stitches. Lucky him. I remember about three years ago, my friend Frank did something similar and ended up having surgery to save his hand.


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Word on the street near Buckingham Palace is

that Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles are to wed in April in a private ceremony.

Eww.

Personally, I think they should be ashamed of themselves. Charles should never become King. Just pass over him and make William the King.



And that's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Um, hello? Just a reminder that...

I DON'T FUCKIN' READ MINDS!! GOT THAT?

I went to pick up Daniel at work today, and I sat in the parking lot waiting for him for damn near an hour, and, no Daniel. So I call over to my sister's to see if he got a ride home some other way. Daniel answers the phone.

"Why couldn't you call me and say you'd gotten a ride home?" I asked him.

"I didn't go in today. I called in sick."

"And you didn't think to let me know before I go and sit in the parking lot for an hour?"

"No one told you?" he asked.

Um, no.

"That's your responsibility, Daniel. You should have given me a heads up before I went out there."

"Well, gee, Mom...sorry."

Sorry? That's all you have to say? Sorry?!

No, no one bothered to call me to say, hey, Stef, Daniel didn't go into work today. He's not feeling well, so don't go pick him up today.

So far, 41 sucks. I hate, with a passion, being made a fool of. By my own family, no less!

I have never had, nor anticipate the sudden acquirement of, the ability to read someone's mind. Just how was I supposed to know Daniel wasn't at work?

Looks like I know where I stand within my family. My opinions, nor my feelings, don't mean diddly to anyone.

What a great birthday present they've given me. I mean nothing to them. I'm just a free babysitter, taxi service, and housesitter to them. Thanks. Thanks one hell of a lot.


And that's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Me to a "T"

You Are A Realistic Romantic

You are more romantic than 60% of the population. It's easy for you to get swept away by romance... But you've done a pretty good job keeping perspective. You're still taken in by love poems and sunsets You just don't fall for every dreamy pick up line!

Are You Romantic or Realistic?

a Blogthings thing, of course!

That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

I wish

that when I went to bed last night, that I could have awoken tomorrow instead. Some birthday [insert raspberry here].

Thanks for the good wishes though. It was nice.

Let's get on with it.



That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Pats Win! Birthday Lunch. Bug Update.

Not necessarily in that order.

Jeff was feeling better on Sunday...at least he wasn't throwing up everything he ate. We weren't expecting to go anywhere, but Tori called and asked if Jeff was up to going anywhere. Jeff told me he was, then Tori asked where I wanted to eat since my birthday is Wednesday. The only place I could think of was Outback, so that's where we ended up going. It was a bit pricey and Mom tried to make feel bad about my choice. She's been doing that a lot lately, trying to guilt me about decisions I make about just about everything.

We all had a great time at Outback, except Joey. He was majorly crabby and nothing made him happy. Tori ended up taking him in the car to calm down, so she didn't eat with us.

We sat near the bathrooms (that's where there was a table large enough to accomdate all ten of us), which were labeled "Blokes" and "Sheilas". This teenager comes wandering down our way looking for the men's room. He seemed confused as to which bathroom door to go through. Daniel just looked at him and said, "Dude, you're a 'bloke'." The kid just says, "Thanks, dude," and disappears into the restroom. Later, Amalia went to the restroom on her own, and at almost 6 years old, she knew she was a "sheila" (maybe her daddy told her, I don't know).

====================

PATS WIN!!! 24-21 over the Philadelphia Eagles.... nyah, nyah, nyah!! LOL

Best commercial: Anheiser-Busch's ad that showed military folks coming off a plane, and everyone in the terminal stopped what they were doing and applauded as the troops walk by.

====================

The bugs weren't really gone, it turns out. Jeff went to school today, then came home because after one class, he felt kinda rough. He emailed the profs whose classes he was going to miss, then went to bed.

When I picked up Daniel at work this afternoon and took him home, both Tori and Joey were sleeping. Tori left a note for everyone asking that they be quiet when they came in because she was not feeling well and Joey was sleeping.

====================

Just a couple more things I have to do to get started on a long deferred goal of mine. I'm totally psyched! I have a meeting on the 15th, then the training begins in March. I'm so excited about this I almost can't stand it!! Only good can come from this...

====================

That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Various bugs are ailing my family...

and I don't want any of 'em!

It all started this morning when Jeff got up and started puking his guts out. There for a while, he couldn't even keep Gatorade down. He's got that stomach virus that swept thru my sister's house over the holidays. We had been at Tori's on Friday, and Joey had been sick off and on for a couple of months. Amalia had been complaining of a headache so bad that she was crying.

Turns out that Joey has contracted the stomach bug again and passed it along to Jeff, and Amalia has strep throat. Scott was sick too, but he got over whatever was ailing him in a few hours.

Mom's been sick, too, but I think her illness is more related to her sinuses than anything else. She's going to call her doctor on Monday.

I don't want to be sick for my birthday on Wednesday, so I'm going to steer clear of all these sickies. Everyone hurry up and get well!


That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Jeff: "I'm trying to get my heart rate up."

Me: at friggin' midnight?
Jeff: well since I'm not doing anything anyway...
Me: you should have done this a couple of hours ago. You want your grandmother to come out and bitch at you?
Jeff: Um, no.

It's a little after midnight and Jeff is downstairs running around like a man possessed. My mom isn't feeling well and has been kinda crabby, and she told Jeff before she went to bed that she didn't want to have to tell him to calm down, be quiet, etc.

================

Looks like Daniel's getting his car fixed for the umpteenth time, so I won't have to pick him up from work for much longer (I hope!). The passenger's side door still doesn't open from the outside from where the deer hit it a couple of months ago. It's the running parts that have disabled Daniel's car again. Something about a starter, an alternator, spark plugs, a battery... The car's like 15 years old (Dean drove it for years until he bought his Yukon 2 years ago), how much more repair can this thing take?

Now, if could just get my Beretta up and running...I'd be so out of here!

================

That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

For my birthday

I want to either go bowling or rollerskating.

I've done neither one for more years than I care to count! Though bowling would be fun. Skating may be beyond Amalia and Joey's capabilities, and Scott and Marc just might think it's weird. Daniel and Jeff probably won't have anything to do with it, or me, if I choose that option.

Bowling's safe, I think. Then again, the last time I bowled, I didn't have FMS, either. Hmmm...that might be dicey. But hell, if I'm asked, that's what I'll say.

"Let's go bowling!"

It'll be proof positive that Mom/Stef has lost her ever-lovin' mind!

Ya gotta love it!


And that's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

The State of the Union

IMHO, sucks.

Bush is going to address the nation tonight to tell us what he thinks we want to hear.

He'll more than likely try to scare the shit out of everyone by saying that Social Security is going broke and it's his job to "fix" it. First of all, Social Security isn't going broke. Not in the near future, at any rate. I saw sometihng on TV last night that indicated that Social Security will run out of money in 2052. In 2052, I'll be 88 years old (if I am so blessed to live that long). Hell, Daniel and Jeff will be collecting by that time. Are so-called "Retirement accounts" the answer? If the money is invested in the stock market, no. Can you just see a whole generation of seniors with no money to retire on if the stock market should crash? The very thought scares me. It's not like Bush will have to worry about that. He'll get a paycheck for the rest of his days, and he won't be sitting at that ranch wondering if he and Laura should buy food or medication, as so many seniors do now.

And, he'll probably crow about the elections in Iraq, about how the Iraqis are working towards freedom and democracy. He'll take all the credit for the elections, and none of the blame for some 1000+ soldiers who have died over there since he started this war two years ago.

The State of the Union? It's not as good as Bush will make it out to be. Don't be fooled.

And that's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--

Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends

It's been about a month since I heard from Saon. Not that I expected him to call or anything, but I wonder how he's doing. He sounded so down the last time we spoke. He didn't sound happy, and I wonder if he thinks that going home to New Orleans was a mistake.

Then again, he's probably as happy as a pig in shit and I'm not even remotely on his thought radar.

I heard Bob Seger's "Against the Wind" on the radio this afternoon. I remember when this song came out. It was some time when I was in high school, and I couldn't really relate to it at the time.

Now, that I'm older, I finally can. And I can make comparisons between the lyrics, and my life, and to some extent, Saon's life, too. We're both "running against the wind" and hanging with strangers we thought were our friends.

And I'm probably totally wrong about all of it.

=======================>


Against the Wind - Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band

It seems like yesterday
But it was long ago
Janey was lovely she was the queen of my nights
There in the darkness with the radio, playin' low
The secrets that we shared
Mountains that we moved
Caught like a wildfire out of control
'Til there was nothing left to burn and nothing left to prove

And I remember what she said to me
How she swore that it never would end
I remember how she held me, oh so tight
Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then

Against the wind
We were running against the wind
We were young and strong and we were running
Against the wind

The years rolled slowly past
And I found myself alone
Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends
Found myself further and further from my home
I guess I lost my way
There were oh so many roads
I was living to run and running to live
Never worrying about paying or even how much I owed

Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time
Breaking all of the rules that we bent
Began to find myself searching
Searching for shelter again and again

Against the wind
I was running against the wind
I found myself seeking shelter
Against the wind

But those drifter's days are past me now
I've got so much more to think about
Deadlines and commitments
What to leave in, what to leave out

Against the wind
I'm still running against the wind
Well I'm older now but still running
Against the wind
Against the wind
Against the wind....

========================

That's all from where I sit.

--MorelaterZ--