How DOES She DO That?

It's FRIDAY!  Time to hit the mail bags for another Q&A... even if my Mom said my last one sucked.  So, today we answer a question about my creative abilities.  

Q:  How do you know what to do when you decide you need to craft?  And why do you need a WHOLE Crap Room?

A:  First off, its a CRAFT Room, not a Crap Room.  And its really not just for crafts.  I have all this stuff because of the answer to the first question.  See, I never know when inspiration will hit, but it does.  And, with all great artists, when I get said inspiration, I must act on it.   Why?  Because I'm getting old and have been known to forget some AWESOME ideas that I'm certain would have cured Cancer or the Common Cold if I had just acted on it.  But I felt it would be easiest to walk you through a project, and maybe you'd get a better idea.  Through this little stroll, I will be able to teach you some things that you can use, because I LOVE to share!  Especially knowledge, because it costs me nothing, and I'm "frugal".

So, anyways, I need Coat Hooks in my entry hall, because I turned my coat closet into a pantry.  But, I'm a woman, and I cant just screw any old hooks and call it a day.  I have to go shopping to find the perfect piece.  And I did!!!  I found them at HomeGoods and spent too much money because I LOVED them!!  Then I got them home.

The Original Coat Hooks

Even though I love them, not only did Pitman hate them, but I decided the blue wouldn't work in my entry hall.  So, I could put blue into the items already present, or, I could make them match better.  So, I needed dark earth colors, black, and burgundy.  Ok.  I can do this!!!  So, I go into my CRAFT Room, and grab some paint.  I get a Dark Umber (brown), tan, and deep burgundy, and a paint brush.  Squares are common in the items that are already in the entry way, so I put the colors in a rectangular pattern around it.  And I hate it.

Original Attempt.... icky.

I put this step in here as a lesson to everyone.  If you don't at least TRY something, you'll never know what you can do.  And if, as you start, it doesn't look the way you want it, remember you are NOT DONE with it!!  And if you end up not liking it, ITS JUST PAINT!!!  If my next step doesn't work to my liking, I'll just paint the whole thing black and call it a day!!  BUT if I dont continue, we'll never know, right?  So I put it aside to dry for the rest of the day and I build cabinets.

I got them back out today after grocery shopping, and low & behold!!!!  they still looked like crap.  So, I grabbed the black paint, watered it down, put it on a little at a time then wiped it off and gave it an "Antique" finish.  Was it messy?  Yes, but it cleaned up.  Hint number 2.  Life is messy, let messy be fun!!!  And it all cleaned up.  But this is what we ended up with!!!

I am pretty sure I love it!!!  But, if I don't, I can always change the color.  So, if you go to a store and find the perfect thing... except...  SCREW the "except", get it, and personalize it!!!!  Yeah, a LOT of people probably bought the original hooks, but I'm the only one who has THIS in my house!!  Or at least I will after Pitman finally puts them up.  I'm done with trying to go through the cement to put things in the wall.  Which reminds me, I need to buy some Spackle....

Hodge Podge Kind of Life

I'm sure there are many, oh so many people out there who are a lot like me.  I don't know if I am ADHD, but I know my life is.  Take yesterday, for instance.  I decided that I was going to hang curtains.  I've done this many times in my life, and never had so much trouble.  I figured out the placement of the outer rods (that, in the living room, I don't have curtains for yet) and the inner rods for my sheers that I bought online from Pennys.  I was so good!  I marked and measured, and made sure it was level.  I wanted them in the wall so as not to mess up the pretty molding around the windows.  Then I have to put in the molly's and the screws.  No biggie, right?  WRONG!!!!  After an hour on the first bracket, I came to a few realizations.

My Pretty Dining Room Curtains.
Pitman hates them.

The first is that Pitman is a jerk.  Why?  He hung all the curtain rods up stairs in the span of about 3 minutes.  And he only cursed once.  And that wasn't even the "F" word.  Just a simple "Damn!".  I'm not proud, but at least I swore better than him in the hour I spent failing.  So, I did what any person in my situation would do, I called him to TELL him just what I thought.  He asked where I was trying to hang the curtains.  I told him up his ass.  So, anyways it comes out that when we was doing his Guinness Book of World Records curtain rod hanging, he was putting the rods INTO the molding I was trying to spare.  So I did what I had to.  I went into the wood molding.  Once again, I'm not proud, but I got it done.  There is something wrong about taking 3 hours to hang curtains.

Ugly Holes - my first
repair project.

The second realization is that my house is made of concrete.  Concrete is a kind of stone.  So, in the event of an invasion of Big Bad Wolves, I officially invite all of my little piggy friends to come over to survive all the huffing and the puffing.  I guess in 2012, those two words have completely different meanings, but that would be another blog.  Realization number three is that its a really good thing that I'm very good at repairing holes in walls and also that the seller left extra paint in my basement.  I will have to repair the holes.  But I must use Spackle instead of concrete.  But its all good.

All while I'm trying to hang the curtains from hell, I'm also doing laundry, picking up the house, gathering garbage because its Garbage Eve, doing the cat box, etc.  Then by 1:30 I'm dressed pretty and at the school for a meeting with Cassie's teachers.  It went a lot better than expected!!  I think we may be ok at this school, after all.

Transforming Dinner for $10 at Hannaford
2 years ago.  And Mom thought I was
silly.  That's a LOT of memories for $10.

We topped the day off with "Taco Night".  I swear my family is odd.  I'm certain that if I took all the fixings and threw them in the middle of the table, it would be "We had tacos for dinner".  Instead, I use this compartmentalized sombrero on a turntable, and suddenly "ITS TACO NIGHT!!!"  Its more dishes, but my new dishwasher washed the sombrero pieces better than any dishwasher we've ever owned!!  Now if I can just get the ice maker to, well.... make ice!!!!

Its Going to be a Long Day

Did you every have one of those nights where you are tired, so you go to bed, and the second your head hits the pillow, your mind goes BOING!!!!!!  Remember a while back I tried running but my body wouldn't let me?  Well, last night my mind ran the Boston Marathon!!  Actually, the topics switched so quickly, it was more like a horse race.  I finally forced myself back to bed about 1:30, knowing the alarm would be sounding in a few hours.  The main reason this type of thing happens is because of stress.  Everyone know that.  Even Pitman.  So, after he wakes me up and forces me to help him make the bed, he asks what the problem the night before was.  After all, there's nothing to stress out about.  Oh, Pitman, you silly, silly man.  Or maybe he's not so silly because he keeps the firearms in the basement and not our bedroom.

It has been proven that people's number one stress causer is finances.  So, that was the starting pistol for my mind's marathon.  AND WE'RE OFF!!  We have "CrapIHaveToPayTheBills" pulling away from the pack, followed by "StuckOnBubbleWitchLevel" and "DoctorsAppointmentOnMonday".  "CrapIHaveToPayTheBills" is leading by 2 lengths over "StuckOnBubbleWitchLevel", but "TeamMeetingAtSchool" is making her way up the field, just passing "GeezeISuckAtWordsWithFriends"!!!  "TheWeatherIsTurningCold" is trailing "GottaFinishTheBasement", while "ManIHaveToQuitSmokingAndDontWantTo" has come out of no where to challenge "CrapIHaveToPayTheBills"!!  WAIT!!  Who would believe this, but we have "StuckOnBubbleWitchLevel" challenging "CrapIHaveToPayTheBills" for the LEAD!  Who's gonna win?  NOBODY!  Because I gave up and went down on the computer to play stupid computer games that did NOT resemble Bubble Witch or Words With Friends.  So THERE!

So, today I will take a few of these items off the list.  I will finish my transcription and pay the bills.  Then I will take a nap and go to our Family Doctors Appointment.  I'm sure that even after a nap, I wont have any problems sleeping tonight.  Lets just hope the horses I've taken out aren't replaced by "WhatTheHellWillWeHaveForDinnerTonight" and "ICantBelieveTheDoctorSaidBlank"!

Q&A Time!!

I decided I would take today and go into my mail bag and answer all your questions about my transcription job. I receive many questions about this subject and think it might be easier to answer them all right here.  So, here it goes.

Q.  So, you are a transcriptionist?  And you work from HOME?  Cool!!  Can you get me into that?

A.  I would LOVE to get you into it.  As a matter of fact, I would like to be able to get every member of my friends and family the ability to pay all their bills and put money away so we can rent a Carnival Cruise ship for a month and just have at it!!  But, alas, I can not.  I have one client that I was lucky to fall in with.  I have been to a few places like Guru.com and looked at bidding on jobs, but I haven't done that yet.  Why?  I don't like slave labor and have been spoiled rotten by my "Boss".

Q. So you do medical stuff?

A. No, actually, but I could.  With my many years experience with the Ambulance and Medical Claims Processing, I very easily could do medical transcription, but I don't.  I work for a gaming journalist by transcribing his interviews for a monthly article in "Gamasutra".  If you are interested, here is a link to the article that came out last month.  http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/165529/whats_happening_to_kids_games.php.

Q. So, what are you working on this month?

A.  I'd like to tell you all, but then I'd have to kill you.  Just like medical transcription, everything I do is strictly confidential... until the article comes out.  I pride myself on credibility and confidentiality.

Q.  Have you ever missed a deadline?

A.  Hell no.  There was one month where I didn't have the chance to review them for perfection, and I sent them out anyways.  But I explained that to my "Boss" and refused to bill him for that month.  We argued over it, but I won.

Q. What is the funniest thing you transcribed?

A. Well, there was this one file from a guy from Japan.  He was sitting at a table with about 5 other Japanese guys.  He spoke very minimal English and very hard to figure out what he was saying... especially since he'd say something in almost-English and then all the guys would start arguing in Japanese, and he'd come back on in pseudo-English and change what he said.  Then there was the guy from France.  I let Cassie listen to it and she told me to tell my "Boss" that I couldn't be expected to do this file because the guy was too Frenchy.

Q. Do you enjoy transcription?

A. Nobody in their right mind enjoys transcription.  It actually puts me to sleep.  There are some enjoyable aspects.  All the articles are about gaming, so I end up having to do a LOT of research to make sure I'm spelling things right.  I'm also learning a LOT of new words that I never knew existed.  Heck, I'm learning a LOT of words that spell check doesn't even know exists... like "Monetization".

I think that about covers today's Q&A session.  I'm thinking about hitting my mail bags more often, after all, my people demand answers, and I have an answer for everything!!!

Lisa vs the Weed

A long time ago I saw a Tom Hanks movie called "Joe vs. the Volcano".  I have no clue what it was about, and it was so bad I don't remember if I finished watching it or not.  All I know is that stupid movie comes to mind when I'm battling an in adamant object.  I do this quite often and I admit I only win about 1/2 the time.  But that doesn't stop me from taking on these battles.  They are usually the most hard fought ones in the world.  And I do not know why that is.  But, truth be told, there are few battles that give the satisfaction as beating a battle against Mother Nature!!!!

That being said, I'm fighting a weed.  Not just any weed, the Godzilla of weeds!  I know this is true because this weed has emerged from my blacktopped driveway.  Do you know how strong this weed must be to actually grow THROUGH blacktop?  And it just kept pushing its way up until it popped the blacktop aside, and then kept growing.  And its got to be one of those weeds that multiply from the stringers coming off its roots.  Why is that?  because now the bastard has some friends pushing up!!

So, I got some heavy duty weed & brush killer.  This stuff will kill weeds straight down to the roots!!  Its so deadly, it will even kill poison ivy!!  I went out yesterday to spray the offending foliage and the nozzle wouldn't spray.  So I opened it up and just poured weed killer on it.  So I go out this morning, expecting carnage, and what do I find?

It has grown!!!  And so has it's buddies!!!  I had to reread the bottle to make sure I used weed KILLER and not weed FERTILIZER!!  It really said killer.  So, if it doesn't look any more dead tomorrow, I'm not fooling around.  I'm going straight for the gasoline!!  Its easier for me to battle a foe if it has a name.  I've decided to call him Seymour.

I'm Still Amazing

Sorry for the lack of posts, but its been a bit chaotic here.  I'll only tell you of a few things, as not to blow your minds.  First of all, the first step in personalizing my new home has been made.  We've added an American Flag!  See, when I was growing up, it was important to my first Dad (CWO4 Robert Dunlap, PA,Retired Navy) to have a flag outside the front door.  It always made our house feel like home to me.  So I've always put one out at my own home, too.  So, its officially my home now!!!

Before I go any further, I know you are all worried about Pitman, so I will let you know that this morning I finally sewed the American Flag patch on his new Black Karate Uniform.

Yesterday was Cassie's first day at Clary Middle School.  She didn't want to go.  She didn't want to wear her uniform and she didn't want to leave her Mommy.  Its not easy having an 11 1/2 year old daughter who STILL has separation anxiety.  But, she went.  We entered the school and they put us in a conference room to wait for her guidance counselor.  Well, she started to lose it and I did Mommy Things to try to help.  We looked at the picture and I found some items I really don't agree with.  Look at the picture with the leprechaun.  Can you tell me whats wrong with this?  I'll tell you.....  HE'S SMOKING IN SCHOOL!!!!  We all know there is no smoking on school grounds.  Then there is the picture of the "School Wide Expectations".  This one upset me the most.  We have rules in our house... and this goes against everything I've ever taught my family.  Hell, everyone knows its SAFETY FIRST!!!!  Not FOURTH!!!  I'm not sure whats wrong with these people.  Cassie, however, ended up having a good day.  She was a bit perplexed though, because evidently not only is there a girl with cancer in her homeroom and 1st two periods, but she's also the "only white kid".  But she's ok with that.  What a trooper!!  Oh, and I let her take a picture of me while we waited.  I included it only because my friends Jess and Jenn will be very happy to see my hair down.  But that is a subject for another blog.

So, now I must quickly clean up my house because I'm having company.  My Mom and my 2nd Mother while growing up, Gert (or Ma Jones), will be coming to see my new house and the cat box stinks.  The basement is still in quite a disarray because I haven't gotten back down there, and I just realized I haven't had breakfast.  After they visit, we are going to the Christmas Tree Shop where I can (and will) spend Pitman's money on a bunch of crap I think I need for the house.  Then Pitman will buy us all lunch at Jake Haefner's.  Good times for all!!!  Well, all except Pitman who needs to be at work so I can do things like this!!!

Super Laundry Mom is Ready for Action!!

My Drier is hooked up!!  

There are a few things that excite me more than having my laundry station set up.  When I'm having a bad day and feel like I've accomplished nothing, I can easily do a load of laundry!  Its kind of like my composting bin, which I need to get still.  See, no matter what is going on, no matter how badly I'm feeling, or how stressed out I am, with my compost bin I'm always busy.  I have friends on Facebook who describe all the good things they are cooking their family.  What wondrous things they are making for their family.  How busy they are doing special things with their special children.  Me?  With my compost bin I'm always doing something.  If I have a day where I cant seem to get my butt out of my chair, and someone asks me "Well, what are YOU doing?"  I get to answer "Making dirt."  But, until I get my compost bin I'll have to just carry my butt down stairs and do a load of laundry.  There are only three of us here, you wouldn't think there would be THAT much laundry, but there is.  And now I'm doing it in style!!!  As I said yesterday, my Daddy hooked up my DRIER!!!!

Ok, so the first picture isn't of the drier my Dad hooked up.  That is the clothesline that Pitman put up for me when he got home from work!  I love hanging laundry on the line.  Pitman and the kids don't feel the same.  It is a sensory thing for Rob & Cassie.  Something about crunchy clothes not being comfortable.  But they deal 4 months out of the year because it makes me happy.  It might be because of my upbringing.  My Mom always hung out clothes, so its something I think good Mom's do.  And I want to be a good mom.  So, without further ado, here is my new washer and drier:

My New Washer and Drier

Aren't they beautiful?  Let the "OOoos" and "AAAhhhhs" begin.  Please note, that at 6am on a Saturday morning, there is a load in each appliance, and they are running!!  See?  They don't call me Super Laundry Mom for nothing!!!!

It Must Be Some Sort of Record.....

The Cutest Cape Cod in the World!

One week ago, as I write this, I was finishing the packing up of the rental house in Liverpool.  It seems like months, but it was only a week.  Today my Dad, Fran, will be hooking up my new drier.  I will be doing a bit of running around this morning and then working on organizing my basement.  Organizing my basement?  Shouldn't that be the LAST of my moving in duties?  Why, yes, you are correct.  First is the kitchen, second is the living areas, and lastly the bedroom.  After all living quarters are done, then the secondary areas.  I put Pitman in charge of the garage.  AND, because I am DONE will all the living areas, I will be starting the basement today!!!  If I know me, and I'm pretty sure I do, I will have it done today.  So that will be me, completely moved in, in less than a weeks time!!  See?  It must be a record!!

I wont fool you, its not up to my specifications yet.  I need to pick up a few shelving units and I still need to hang my pictures.  But we must already be moved in if its time for Cassie to clean her room already.  Yeah, it needs some attention.  Speaking of Cassie, we finally got her into a school!!!  Cassie will be attending Clary Middle School, where the boys and girls are completely separated and they wear uniforms!!  So Cassie and I need to go shopping so she is ready for Monday.  I can't wait for Monday.  I love that girl, but I need a break!  What am I going to do this summer?

My Cute Parents!

So I must cut this short so I can get my running around done and be home when my Mommy & Daddy come to help me out again.  Aren't they the best?  I think so!!!  And they are cute, too.  Oh, and if you don't see a blog tomorrow, call the National Guard..... the basement is a bit scary!!!

My Life is One Continuous Game Show

First of all, I'd like to once again thank my family, friends and fraternity brothers for helping us move into the cutest Cape Cod in the world!!  We couldn't have done it with out you all.  You are  truly the best!!!

So, I realized this morning that I am living a game show nightmare.  Its kind of like the movie "Ground Hog's Day", except there is no Bill Murray.... and Bill finally got it right and got to move on.  It is apparent I will not have the luxury of getting out of this hell.  Just in the past week, I should have had enough correct answers to win the big money, but no.  I'm still going.  There are the Cassie questions like "Whats the difference between a washer and a drier?" (one washes and the other dries) and "Where are the scissors?" (on the counter. "Which one?" The one in the kitchen, where we keep our counters.)  Then there are the Pitman questions like "Who is that actress, and where have I seen her before?" and "Who sings this song?  The Beatles?  No.  It doesn't sound like the Beatles, are you sure?"  Yes, Pitman, I'm certain that the Beatles sang "Come Together".  After all these years,and correct answers to silly questions, the man still doubts me.

Moving has really increased the amount of questions I need to answer.  I feel like I have entered the speed round.  "Where are the curtain rods for the bedroom?" (in the bedroom)  "What about the rods for the bathroom?" (in the bathroom).  I handle most of these with the grace, dignity, and sarcasm that only a Mother can have.  Until this morning.  See, Pitman's alarm is set for 5:something a-freakin-m.  I don't know the exact time, I don't want to know, and I really don't care.  He shuts it off and proceeds to the shower.  He wakes me up sometime after he's back in the bedroom and dressed, at which time I stagger towards the coffee.  But not this morning.  The Speed Round continued the moment the alarm went off.  

"Where's Marley?", he asks, waking me up moments after I fell back to sleep after being rudely awakened by the alarm clock.  I ignored him.  I guess I missed answering that question, which is good.  If I could have coherently spoken, the answer would have been "If he were up your ass, you'd know it."  Yes, I'm a bit grumpy until coffee time.  After much noise, he found the puppy and put him back in bed with me.  I'm certain I was back to sleep before he got out of the shower.  But then he comes back in the bedroom, more lost Marley talk, followed by a bunch of "get in here"'s.  I'm certain that Cassie will be waking up in a moment.  But I ignore him and pretend to sleep through it, seething on my pillow.  Then the next question, "Where is the change jug?"  I open my mouth to give the response above, about the puppy and Pitman's butt, but instead give the correct answer "Next to your freakin' bedside table, where its always been".  I do my best to keep things the same, even though its a new house.  His response?  "Oh, cool!!", and I go back to feigning sleep.  Then the final question, the one that I dread hearing, because it means he's dressed and ready to go downstairs.  "So, you ready to make the bed?"  No, actually, I'm not.  The bed is fine just the way it is, with me in it.  But, I get up, make the bed, potty, and stagger to my coffee.  I really need to keep things on my bedside table to peg at people who talk to me while I'm pretending to sleep.  

All in all, I'm certain I will not be permitted to leave my game show anytime in the near future.  Maybe I hope I wont, because then I'll probably be dead.  See, I think St. Peter's job isn't to screen entry applicants to Heaven, but to say "Thank you for playing!!!  We have some lovely parting consolation gifts!!" as he opens the Pearly Gates.

K... so I lied.

I wasn't going to blog today, but decided why not?  I'm a fast blogger!  Besides, my people demand updates!!!  So, here's a news flash.  Pitman has earned his yellow belt AND got his new black karate gee!!!  Isn't he handsome?  BUT, because he was so excited to get the black gee, he had to wear it right away.  No, there is no flag, AND it wasn't previously washed.  So, he had to come home and shower because his new gee turned his body black.  And that bothered him, too.  Is the man ever happy?  hehehe  So, first order of business when we move is to sew the flag onto his gee.  I will be washing it before we move, as I'm not sure how long it will take to get my new washer and drier.

Robert & his Yellow Belt!

So, yesterday I packed up my bathroom, bedroom, office, kitchen & Living room.  This morning I will do Cassie's bedroom and bathroom.  I'm actually afraid of these two rooms.  Why?  Its Cassie.  'Nuff said.  After that, I really dont know.  Pitman is getting us phone & tv set up this morning, then goes to get the truck around 1.  My Mommy is coming to hang with Cassie while we go to the closing at 3:30.  Now, I know there are lots of people who might take advantage of a situation where they can get away from the kids for a while, but I'm not one of them.  So, when my mother asked me if I was going to get Cassie before we head to the new house to put paper down (to save the floor from the movers), my sarcastic talents came out in full force.  I replied, "no, see, I figured we go to the new house with a take out lobster dinner, roll out the paper, christen the house, take a nap, and then come back to the house and relieve you of Cassie duty. We should be back about 7. You dont mind, right?"  Actually, I've had people do ridiculous things, extending the time I have to watch their kids.  Most of the time I dont mind, I just want them to be up front about it. But I know my Mom, and I wouldn't do that to her!

Ok.  So its time to get off and get busy.  I honestly dont think I will be back until I get internet service at the new house..... but you never can tell.  McDonalds has free WiFi, after all... and so do most libraries!!  Until then, keep it sarcastic.  People might be irritated, but its a lot of fun for us!!

STAND BY......

I have found it necessary to put my blog on hiatus for a little bit.  See....  WE ARE CLOSING ON THE HOUSE!!!!  As of 3:30pm, Friday, March 9, 2012, we will be home owners once again!!  So, I have to finish packing up the house and move it 11 miles south.  With that comes the change of phone, internet and tv.  I will be losing my FIOS, but I'm ok with that.  I just dont know how long I'll be off line.  Yeah, I know, I can blog via my SmartPhone, but I hate typing on my smart phone, so I don't see THAT happening!!!  

The New Home of the Pitman Richards Family!

Don't worry, this isn't good bye......  I will be back.  That's no threat, that's a promise!!!!  So, until then, be strong!!

NT vs ASD - Marriage Wars

So, as everyone should know by now, my Robert is Autistic.  We found out about 6 months ago that he isn't the self-absorbed bastard I thought he was.  This has been a wonderful boost to our marriage.  Knowing that he has an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) really clarify's WHY he's a self-absorbed bastard and makes it easier to deal with and implement some "Behavior Modification".  So that is Cassie and Rob who are ASD, and I am what is considered NT, which is NeuroTypical.  That means I am normal.  hehehehehe  Yeah, RIGHT!  Cassie and Rob have their own little club and make sure I know I'm not in it.  On occasion, they let me join in, though.  I think its so my feelings wont be hurt.  Most of the time, though, its literally a NT vs ASD war zone around here.  It can be frustrating and overwhelming.  But I don't like that part of it, so I just laugh it off most of the time.  I used to win my battles with Robert by saying "Whatever" and walking away.  I now say "Your Autism is showing".... and walk away.

You also should know we are buying a house and are waiting for the closing date, which they believe will be on Friday.  This allows us to move into our new house on Saturday.  This leaves me 2 1/2 days to go to Kingston to get the money to close and to finish packing up the house.  Oh, and all the other things that comes with moving like getting electric, phone, tv, truck, etc.  So we are on crunch time, baby!!!

You probably also must remember we all recently had the stomach crud.  Yes, all of this is important to remind and explain to you before I get to the point.  Just bear with me.  So, when Pitman had the bug, he missed "testing for his yellow belt" in Karate.  He was so mad and upset because he didn't want to be stuck with a white belt for another month.  (Yes, this is my husband, not my 9 y/o son)  So I called his Sensei and explained, and they said he could test this week.  And since Robert has decided to continue, he has also earned a black gee to replace his white gee, that he got 6 months ago.  OOPS!!  I forgot to mention Jim.  Jim is a guy in Rob's class that started about the same time and is about the same age.  Jim got his black uniform first, and also earned his yellow belt while Pitman was home, in bed, whining and moaning about being all white.  So, Robert is expecting to get his yellow belt and his black gee tomorrow at karate.  I'm not sure, but somehow that slipped his mind while scheduling the week

So, we have everything scheduled out.  Today (Wednesday) we will go to Kingston and get the funds, then I will pack all day on Thursday and finish up on Friday.  We will close on Friday and move on Saturday.  So then he hits me with it.  One question that, a year ago, would have landed him in divorce court.  But, since I now know his mind works differently, and I have a tool box of skills to handle every situation, we can remain married.  "Honey? Can I ask you a question?"  Ok.  This tells me that he knows the answer will be no, but its important enough to him to at least try.  So I say "yeah."  He hesitates and goes on with "If I were to stop into the Dojo and pick up my new black uniform tomorrow (Wednesday), could you wash it and sew on the patches so I can wear it on Thursday night?"  I just look at him, mainly because I can't believe he just asked that.  So, he goes on, digging his hole deeper by adding "Or did you already pack all your needles and thread and thimble?"  Ok, so he remembers it has to be hand sewed and its not easy work, and I'm still staring.  I must not be shooting the daggers I'm feeling because he's still standing and waiting for a response.

"So, let me see if I understand what you are asking me.  You want me to finish packing up the whole house, make all the calls, and take a few hours out to wash and sew patches on your new gee so you look good on Thursday night? "  He agrees.  "I am now walking away so I do not kick you in the shin."  I decided to let him have the last word, ignoring him as he says "So is that a no?"

And another thought provoking Facebook Share....

I'm sitting around waiting for a closing date.  Well, you need to understand when I say I'm sitting around the house, I mean I'm SITTING AROUND the house!!!  HAHAHAHAHA  old joke, but not what I was going to say.  I putter.  I get up, go to the kitchen, pick something up and put it away, and while I'm putting that away, I find something there to do and end up in another part of the house doing something else.  I guess its the housekeeping version of ADD.  But that's how I roll!!  (Ooops, I forgot I was never allowed to say that again.  Sorry, Kids)  Then I come back to the computer, check emails, Facebook, pop some bubbles (Bubble Witch Saga.... if you don't know what I'm talking about, don't look into it.  If you know what I'm talking about, send me a life).  I just finished cleaning the cat box, erased 2 emails, and went to Facebook.  That's when I saw it.  Today's Blog.

Very good question.  Yes, this runs parallel to yesterday's blog.  But its written and dated today, so its a new blog.  With a new blog comes new insights.  I had to ask myself if my excuses were more important than my dreams.  That's a tricky question.  See, I have LOTS of excuses.  I'm actually very good at excuses.  I'd never come up with something so lame as "My dog ate my dream".  Lets be serious.  I've had plenty of dogs. Some ate shoes, some ate CDs, some ate my sandwich.  Roscoe has done all these things.  When he was a puppy we had a strip of metal that we let him chew on... and he put dents in it.  But never EVER has one ate a dream.  Unless it was a dream of an Oreo, because Roscoe has eaten my cookies, too.  My excuses are more along the lines of anxiety. gas (intestinal), child care, Rob's a jerk, and financial.  But mostly all of those are lies.  I lie to myself quite a bit, and only lie to my friends and family when I'm too scared to do something.  So, excuses are plenty.  But are they more important than my dreams?

Knee jerk reaction would be to say "NO!"  But then I thought about the question and realized what the real problem was.  I have no dreams.  I'm not sure I ever really have had a "dream".  I give my self goals, and meet them most times, but not really a dream.  So, as soon as I move into my new home, my first "goal" will be to find a "dream" so I can answer the question I've posed today.  I need to know, how ever good or lame my excuses are, are they more important than that dream?

I need to go pee in the woods.

Hope & I at BOW in 2008.
see?  not real photogenic.

Hi, my name is Lisa and I'm a Facebook addict.  Oh, you knew that already?  Great.  So this morning I see one of those inspirational pictures, and I knew I had to blog about it.  But first, let me tell you about BOW.  BOW stands for "Becoming an Outdoors Woman".  Its run by the DEC in NYS, and they are in most states.  It is a program that takes women into the woods and teaches them stuff they want to learn, from hunting & fishing to hiking and kayaking.  A few years ago, my sister and I went for the weekend and had a great time.  We also had quite the bonding experience and a few life realizations.  The one that sticks with me is the conversation we had about things that hold us back.  See, people will go for a week long hike or kayak trip.  It sounds like fun, but where do you potty?  Well, you have to go in the woods.  I have never pottied anywhere but a bathroom, and I wont use Porta-Potties (unless I'm really drunk and then I hold my breath and block out the experience).  And that's when it happened.  "You know, Big Sister", Hope says to me.  "That's pretty much our problem.  We are held back from so much because we wont pee in the woods."  Damn.  The airhead of the family has thoughts that run REAL deep.  But she's right.  And that's my problem and brings us to the picture I saw on Facebook this morning.

I am lazy.  I sit around doing nothing far too often.  I don't shop, I don't hobby, and I sure as hell do not pee in the woods.  Since she has peed in the woods, my Baby Sister (who you can follow at http://seriouslyhope.blogspot.com/) has dropped a ton of weight, quit smoking, and has run in plenty of 5 & 10k runs.  She's got HUGE goals and is making her way to each and every one of them.  She's freakin' amazing!!!  She is definitely my hero and inspiration.  But what do I do?  I sit at my computer and watch her. <sigh>  Then I see that picture on Facebook this morning and realize I am the problem.  I am the only one who can change anything.  But where to start?  Damn.  I am going to have to go pee in the woods.

Pretty vs Photogenic

Ok, I want to get something straight.  I am pretty.  No, really, I am!!  If you see me on a day where I get nicely dressed and do something with my hair, maybe apply a little make up, sometimes I'm down-right beautiful!!  Unfortunately there is no proof of this fact.  See, I am what you call Un-Photogenic.  There are many of us in the world.  Its an often unspoken about phenomenon.  Hell, taboo subjects like divorce, teen pregnancy, and mental illness in the 50's was open season for dinner talk compared to the hushness of the inability to look decent in a photograph.  My poor mother!!  How many times, when she was trying to find me a husband, did she have to say "Don't let the picture fool you, she's very pretty!!!"  I'm certain she also have me the kiss of death of "And she's got a GREAT personality!!"  Why am I so certain?  Because I do have a killer personality.  <grin>

So, why do I think I have a photo-deficit disorder?  Well, lets look at the facts.  People take pictures of themselves with their cell phones and they come out beautiful.  I do and you get:

People take candid shots of people doing stupid things, and they look, well, beautiful.  When people take shots of me doing something stupid you get a picture of me looking stupid, doing something stupid, like this:

And when people take pictures of themselves with their loved ones, they look like pretty people with their equally beautiful kids, except me.  The proof is in the pudding, or rather in the pictures, like these.

So, there you have it.  What it all boils down to is this is NOT what I see in the mirror in the morning.  It is NOT what I feel when I'm doing any of the things pictured.  So, I've decided I'm going to get some professional pictures done.  I also know who's going to do it.  After all the house hunting I've done, I've decided I'm getting a realtor to take my photos.  I mean, really!  Have you ever seen how they make the worst dumps look like the best houses every seen?  THAT is who I want taking my picture!

And then there were three.....

Its official.  Everyone in the household has come down with the bug.  After a whole hour of sleep, I got woken up to "MOOOOOOOoooooommmmmm!!!!!!!!  Then I got yelled at because she hollered for me 3 times before I came.  Oh, I'm sorry Cassie, but there are these things called SLEEP and MY BED which sometimes causes me not to jump at the first sound.  Speaking of my bed, I hope Pitman enjoyed it while I was up with Cassie.  Around 1am I took my pillow, my nap blanket and my dog and laid down on the couch.  I got to stay that way until 4am for round 2.  But she's cute.  She keeps apologizing for waking me up.  She doesn't need to, especially since she made it to the bathroom each and every time, and I had no disgusting messes to clean up!!  That makes the lack of sleep 100% worth it!!!

Cassie, before 'The Crud", putting her faith in her mask and Lysol.
They were no match for the germs circulating in this house.

What I dont understand is how she has the energy to bop around this morning.  She's running a fever of 99.8 and is still 100% Cassie.  It took me 2 days to be able to walk around, and it'll probably take Pitman longer.  Cassie?  "Oh, my tummy still hurts, but I'm fine now!"  I am so waiting to hear her start to complain that the Lysol didn't work.  I'm expecting her to throw it away and tell me we have to write the company and complain.

So, now that the worst is over, and everyone is on the mend, there is just one thing going on in the minds of all of us.  WHEN THE HELL DO WE GET TO MOVE?!?!?!!?

Ahhhh... the true meaning of luxury...

I like to read.  When given the opportunity, and a book of decent substance, I can sit all day and do nothing else.  I've even been known to give up Facebook, stupid computer games, and chatting with my Mom all in the name of a good book.  Yeah, I know.  I sometimes come off superficial and kind of ditzy.  As a matter of fact, when mentioning something about a Robin Cook book I just finished, a guy I was "seeing" looked at me in amazement and said "You READ?!?!?"  <sigh>  ANYWAYS.... many years ago I read this book, I think it was kind of like a weird mystery surrounding the death of the Lady of the House, with lots of flash backs.  I wish I could remember the name, or even more details.  The one thing that sticks out to me is that the maid (who hated the woman) had to hand wash the "lady's" sheets and hang them to dry outside, daily, and remake the bed with fresh, line dried sheets.  Even in the middle of the winter when they actually did this freeze-dry thing.  I always said that would be me if I was ever rich enough to be eccentric!  There is nothing better in this world than clean, line-dried sheets.  I'm so looking forward to my new house because I'll get a clothesline and the first thing I'll do is wash & hang my sheets.

Yes, there is a point.  See, I was sick, so I washed my sheets yesterday.  Pitman helped me make the bed with the clean sheets and I was so looking forward to getting into bed last night.  "la la la  Popping bubbles!  Thinking about bed time!!  Clean sheets!!"  I was singing in my head like that all day!!  And, OH!!!  When I finally got in there.  mmmmmmm  so lovely.  Then it happened.  Robert got the bug.  So he's in the bathroom, doing his thing, and I'm laying in bed, thinking that its not as wonderful as it was a few minutes ago.  He decides to sleep in his chair (that there isn't room for in the living room) and I'm thinking if he's sick, Cassie wont be far behind.  She was showing signs of it before bed.  So, off I go to the couch.  

Do you know how much noise this house makes?  The battery operated analog clocks sing "tick-tick, tick-tock" for every second.  The cats are very loud, and ever sound they make causes Marley to start.  I know this because he is on the couch with me.  Actually, ON me, as is Roscoe.  And the only thing I could think of all night was my nice, freshly washed sheets laying on my bed that NOBODY is enjoying.  Now THAT is just a sin against nature.