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 |   My thoughts/experiences/feelings/beliefs, depending on my mood. Blah, blah, blog. |
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **  Winner of "Best Blog of 2011" for "The Quills"  . Previous winner of "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Round 1. A big, heartfelt thank-you to all of my fans and supporters!  Welcome to the randomness, silliness, craziness, and all-around tomfoolery – what a great word that isn't used nearly enough – that is my blog. Don't get me wrong, it isn't always silly and crazy. Sometimes it's serious or sad but, more often than not, it's comical. Nonetheless, it is always entertaining. I try to see the fun in life. I'll add to it as much as I can so make sure you check back often.  Feel free to leave a comment or review to let me know you stopped by.  DISCLAIMER: If you are someone who gets offended easily, then you shouldn't go any further. I'm up-front, to-the-point, sarcastic and honest (sometimes brutally so). I tell it like it is, or the way I think it is. If you don't get offended very easily, then you've come to the right blog. All are welcome. The fun is free! My life is an open book blog. Hilarity and chaos ensue... ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 23 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of challenger, sunnystarr. "If you were to write at the top of a piece of paper: ‘What I Know About Myself…’ What would you say?” Well, I could cheat and make you all read my bio, "Invalid Item" .  I’m not going to do that, though. I’m not one to take the easy way out. Plus, I’m fairly certain you’ve all read and/or reviewed my bio already anyway. I could also point you to this little nugget of info/advice, "Invalid Item" , that actually came to fruition due to a prompt the last time I participated in the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" .  Since many of you have most likely seen one (or both) of those, I’m going to try to combine the two without being redundant. This should be interesting.  .  Here is a list of what I know about myself, whether or not you guys find any of this interesting, remains to be seen.   I’m a 30-something, born during the awesomest (is that a word? ) month of the year, June, and under the coolest sign of the zodiac, Gemini.  I’m only 5’3 1/2” and I get easily blown over in a strong wind , but don’t let size fool you. I’m a lot stronger than I look. Being tough is less about physical strength, and more about emotional/mental strength than you might think.  I HATE BUGS!  Bleh. I know it’s wrong to hate, but bugs deserve my hatred…especially spiders. They really give me the heebie jeebies. *shudders*  It’s well-known, and a running joke among everyone I know, that I’m not the most graceful person in the world. Case in point, this was my Facebook status from Saturday night:“I’m so fortunate to have such a sensitive husband. We went to our nephew’s hockey game & then Ott’s for a few drinks. Because of the snow/ice we got, he dropped me off at the door at both places. On the way home, we picked up a pizza for dinner. When he pulled in the driveway he said, ‘Hand me the pizza. I don’t want you dropping my dinner when you fall.’  Yep, I am such a lucky girl. Back off ladies, this knight in shining armor is all mine.” My status resulted in 18 likes and 21 comments (all of which were hilarious, by the way). One of the comments was from my husband saying, “It was Sal’s pizza…WTF?” It’s a good thing I have quite a sense of humor…and that I’m not at all sensitive or anything!  Everybody’s a friggin’ comedian. So, yeah, me + snow/ice/sleet/any kind of frozen precipitation do not mix well.  I’m pretty much an accident waiting to happen…  I am extremely “girlie”, and I’m told that quite often. I’m not ashamed of it or anything. There are 2 HUGE areas where I’m not so girlie, though. One is my love of (and knowledge of) sports. I love sports – always have, always will. I know players, stats, standings, you-name-it. What’s the other area where I deviate from my girliness? I hate pocketbooks/purses/handbags/whatever the Hell you want to call them. I don’t just hate them, I LOATHE them! I will do anything in my power to not have to carry one. I’ll put what I need in my pockets, which is really just cell phone, ID & money, keys and chapstick (or lipgloss). If it doesn’t fit in a pocket, I don’t need it. Or, if the husband is with me, I’ll make him put it in his pocket.   I love the beach!  Give me sun, sand and a clear, blue sea and I am a happy girl. If I happen to have a fruity adult beverage in hand, that makes it even better. Yes, I am well aware that I live in the wrong part of the country. Trust me, it’s not for lack of trying. I’ve always wanted to live in Florida, ever since I was a little girl. My husband won’t go for it, though. Boo.   Well, there’s my list of what I know about myself. I hope you guys enjoyed getting to know me.   In Other News   We got an e-mail today from April Sunday  – Hi Teff!!!!   She sent out the prompts for the final few days of the challenge. They’ll be serial prompts starting this Friday, the 27th, and running through the end of this round. Oh boy, things are getting interesting!  I have a feeling that some may not be too happy about it, but I actually like it. As soon as I read through the prompts, I had ideas start popping up in my head and I’ve been cracking myself up all day with how I’m going to do this. That’s all I’m going to say. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. You’ll just have to make sure you tune in.   Sporting News   Well, UNfortunately, it’s official. It’ll be the Giants and the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Ewww. I hate both of those teams so much, it’s not even funny. At least the Cowboys are not in the Super Bowl. I hate the Giants way more than I hate the Pats so, as much as it pains me to say this, “Let’s Go Patriots!” Oh God, I just threw up a little. The best joke of the day was a status I saw on Facebook from one of my friends. It said, “Every time the New York Giants go to the Super Bowl, Chuck Norris cries…”.  Music, Music, Music   I still need to catch up on reading (and commenting) around blogville. Plus, I need to reply to comments on my entries over the last few days. I was hoping I’d be able to catch up over the weekend, but it was a busy weekend so I never got the chance. I’m hoping (*fingers crossed*) to be caught up by tonight. I promise I will get caught up, so please don’t hate me! I appreciate the support everyone has given me throughout this challenge, and always.  I know I just posted a Dave Matthews song the other day but, with today’s prompt, how could I not post this particular Dave Matthews song? The title of today's entry also happens to be the title of this song.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gXuYFih6Y8  And, of course, here is a song by one of my favorite bands. Ever.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q73Jb8ChjuM  One more song for today. This is another one of my favorite bands of all time. I’m far from being an elderly woman, and I work in an office, not behind a counter, but this song fits with today’s prompt. Let’s face, we’ve all loved someone where the timing was off and/or they simply had to leave for whatever reason. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHCE5sw1mTs  ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **  |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 22 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of challenger, Fivesixer  ."In what way/ways does blogging fulfill you?" Now this is a prompt I can really sink my teeth into! Blogging fulfills me because I'm able to write freely. I don't have to adhere to any particular form or word count. I can write what I feel, when I feel it. When I was a kid, I always kept a journal (or diary, whatever you want to call it). Granted, that's slightly different because it's pen and paper and there's no audience reading it, but in many ways, it is the same. Blogging is an online diary, of sorts, where I'm still writing about my day and other random crap (there is a reason my blog is named the way it is ). Although I have a lot of blog-followers, I still have a wee bit of anonymity. Technically, I'm friends with some of you on Facebook so I'm not all that anonymous, but you get the idea. Besides, I don't think I ever really say anything that terrible in my blog, right? Blogging is fulfilling because I'm able to amuse/entertain people with what I have to say. I have no idea why any of you actually like what I write but, since you do, I'll keep at it. I often find myself chuckling a bit while I'm writing my entries. Any of you that truly know me, know that I'm the kind of girl that likes to see the fun in life. There may be the occasional sad entry because I get down in the dumps sometimes, like everyone else, but, for the most part, my blog pokes fun at everyday life.On the days where I'm angry and/or upset, I can write an entry to vent. That's a wonderful thing, because if you keep your emotions bottled up, they'll eventually get the best of you. It's not healthy to keep your hurt inside. So, blogging is good for your health!  Is there a doctor in the house that can attest to this? Freedom of speech is a beautiful thing because it allows me to run my mouth and give all of you my opinion on the miscellaneous crap that I find noteworthy/funny/weird/whatever. Once again, I thank you all for your support and I'm so glad that you enjoy my "dear diary" entries. You guys ROCK!!  In Other News Newt Gingrich came out of nowhere and won the South Carolina primary yesterday!  Man the Republican party is such a mess. They've had 4 primaries so far, with 3 different winners. That has NEVER happened before. It's good to see that the Republican party is united. Sporting News If you're not a sports fan, you may be wondering what the heck the title of today's entry is all about. Joe Paterno, former head coach of Penn State's (now infamous) football team, has been battling lung cancer. He's been in the hospital since January 13th due to complications from his cancer treatment. Yesterday, the news kept saying that his condition was "gravely serious" and that friends and family were called in to be by his side. Well, last night, CBS Sports prematurely announced that he died. They have since issued this apology, http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/16960572. Way to go CBS Sports. While you were trying to one-up other media outlets by running with an unsubstantiated report, you caused a grieving family even more suffering. Good job, idiots. Joe Pa is, in fact, still hanging on, but it does not sound good. Here is an article with facts that have been verified, http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/sports&id=8514141. Despite all of the controversy surrounding Penn State in recent months, this is very sad news. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.  Obituaries **Edited to add this section.** At 10:20 AM the news broke in to announce that the AP has said that Joe Paterno just passed away. http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/sports&id=8514141 RIP Joe Pa. I just hope history remembers you for your accomplishments before the mess of the Penn State sex scandal. Plugs, Props & Other Things Worth Mentioning I got an e-mail yesterday from Andrew  . The e-mail stated:"Dear friends, We're delighted to inform you that you have been named to the longlist for the 2011 Quill Award for Best Reviewing! Congratulations! A total of twenty-one authors were selected to the longlist from a consideration list of 140 authors after a year-long compilation of total number of reviews, position in "Credited Reviewers", appropriate merit badges, and additional nominations and support statements. As the name implies, this longlist will be narrowed down to a shortlist of 10 authors (the equivalent of finalists in other Quills categories). We ask that you submit 3 of your best reviews from 2011 (by linking them in a reply e-mail or posting them in the forum linked above) which the judges will use to determine the shortlist. We will also ask you, once we have received 3 reviews from all those on the longlist, to rank the other reviewers if you wish, as these rankings will constitute a part of the final selection process. As we are on a tight schedule with the Quills and would like to announce your names to the public as soon as possible, we ask that you please provide us with those 3 2011 reviews by 25 January at the latest, if you are interested in accepting this nomination. Once we receive your linked reviews, you will be added to the "2011 Quills Nominations" list in the Best Reviewing category. We'd be happy to make exceptions for extenuating circumstances, but do please let us know if this is the case. Once again, congratulations on your selection and we hope to hear back from you soon!  Andrew C. Bowman and the Quill Awards Panel"Pretty cool, huh? Words can't even begin to express how honored I am to make the "longlist". I don't feel that I deserve it - there are so many excellent reviewers around here that deserve this wayyyyy more than I do. It was tough choosing the 3 reviews, but I eventually did so. I posted them in the forum. Here is the post, if you'd like to check out which ones I selected, "My 3 reviews" .I know I don't have a snowball's chance in Hell of making the "shortlist" of 10 authors, let alone winning, but I am truly humbled by being selected to the "longlist" of 21 authors (out of the 140). What an amazing honor! And kudos to Andrew for putting together such a wonderful program! I can't imagine the time he has to put into this. Wow. Andrew, you must have excellent organizational skills, my friend! Thank you for doing this!There are still a few days left to make nominations for "The Quills" . If you'd like to see the complete list of 2011 nominations so far, please go to "Invalid Item" . Go nominate your favorite author today! Time is running out. Music, Music, Music With today's prompt, how could I not include this song? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H67uEgRZs2Y&ob=av2e Here's another good one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lyu1KKwC74 I also came across this one. It's OK for a sappy love song, and sort of fits the prompt. How many ways do I love you blogging? Let me count the ways... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMz1kwMY19Q&ob=av2e ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 21 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of challenger, Thundersbeard 30DBC JULY HOST ."Lots of people on WDC seem to have a special affinity for animals. Tell us about your animal/pet experiences. Include 1 silly animal story and 1 sad animal story. If you don't feel you do have an affinity for animals (i.e., you don't like 'em) feel free to tell us why and include examples of animals in your life that have reinforced your dislike." Anyone who knows me knows just how much I love animals, and that I'm definitely a dog person. I think I'm an excellent doggie mommy. I love all animals. I've always had dogs. When I was a kid, we had a dog and a cat. We got them when I was 3. The cat's name was Silver. He was all black. I named him. Did I mention I was only 3? I had my colors mixed up, and no one had the heart to tell me that so the name stuck.  The dog's name was Betsey. We had actually inherited her from my grandparents. They had named her.Silver and Betsey both died within a few weeks of each other when I was 18. Believe it or not, I'm allergic to cats and dogs (one of the many reasons I have to take allergy medication every day), but seem to be more allergic to cats. After my childhood pets died, our family got another cat, that I named Dutch (I was a huge Darren Daulton fan), and another dog that one of my brothers named Kelsey. It turns out that Dutch the cat was Satan reincarnated. He kept trying to kill Kelsey. Literally. He kept trying to go for her jugular. Dutch ended up going back to the no-kill shelter we got him from. Kelsey stayed on, and it didn't take long for everyone to fall head over heels for the little sweetie. She was a tiny, little peanut and could fit in the palm of your hand when we got her. She was 6 weeks old. Even full-grown, she was only around 5 pounds. She was definitely "daddy's little girl". She followed my dad everywhere. At night, she'd sleep on him. It was the funniest damn thing ever because she would either sleep on his chest, or she'd sleep on his pillow, above his head. Hilarious. As you guys also know, my dad passed away when I was 25. You can't really explain death to an animal. All they know is that their "person" is no longer around. Kelsey sat by the front door for a week and cried. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen in my life. She wouldn't eat. She wouldn't sleep. We had to take her to the vet because a dog that little can get dehydrated very easily. They gave us doggie valium. Eventually she got better, but you could tell she missed my dad. Whenever the door opened, she'd stop and look, and we all knew she was looking for him to walk through it. If that's not unconditional love, I don't know what is. After my dad passed away, my mom kept Kelsey, obviously. My mom ended up passing away when I was 28. I was the one that found her. She had died in her mom. We got worried when we hadn't heard from her that day. I lived closest to her, and I had a key, so I went and found her. She died peacefully in her sleep in her own bed. It was around 6PM when I found her. My mom had obviously died in her sleep. Kelsey had kept watch by my mom's side the entire day. She had not eaten, and she obviously had not be outside to take care of business, yet there was no mess in the house. Again, that whole unconditional love thing. At the time of my mom's death, my husband and I had just bought a house. We were engaged at the time. She died exactly 6 months before our wedding...literally 6 months to the day. Since we had just bought a house, we were looking for a dog ourselves. We ended up taking Kelsey home with us. We gave her a good life. She loved us both, and grew especially close to my husband. She missed having a male around the house like she had when my dad was alive. Sadly, we had to have her put to sleep on June 1, 2009. The last year of her life was an emotional roller coaster. She had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. There were numerous trips to cardiologists, specialists, and even an orthopedic when she fell one day and broke her little leg.  She was such a trooper. We were on a first name basis with everyone at our vet's office. It's surprising that they don't have a wing named after us there!Anyway, one thing that we were always adamant about was that we loved her too much to allow her to suffer. Every vet, every specialist we saw told us that, all things considered, she was a very happy dog. She got excited to see people, she had a good appetite, and she always wanted to play. They said that we would "know" when it would be time, if it came to a point where we had to put her down. We definitely knew. It was the middle of the night, around 2AM, she was struggling to breathe and crying, etc. It was horrible. We took her to a nearby animal hospital that is open 24 hours. We knew what we had to do. That didn't make it any easier. We were absolutely devastated. We stayed with her when they administered the meds that put her to sleep. They asked if one of us wanted to hold her while they did it. My husband said, "She was your dog long before she was mine. If anyone should do it, it should be you, but, if you can't, I'll do it." I held her, and my husband had her little face in his hands. She died peacefully, with the 2 people she loved most in the world. I felt the exact minute when her heart stopped beating. We were both crying hysterically. I dropped to my knees on the floor with her still in my arms and just wailed. I didn't want to let her go. My husband dropped down beside me. The vet gave us time alone. They told us to take as long as we needed. The days and weeks that followed were awful. The house was way too quiet. We would time it so that we'd get home from work at the same time so neither of us had to be in the house alone. We just missed our little girl so much that our hearts still ache. I actually just cried as I typed all of that up. My current dog, Jamee, saw me crying, hopped up on the couch, and started licking the tears off my face. A little more than a year before Kelsey died, I wrote this poem (it has a picture of her in there, too).
I was so lucky to have her in my life as long as I did (almost 15 years). I know I will always love her and miss her. I also know that I will see her again someday. She has been reunited with my parents in Heaven and, one day, I'll be reunited with them, too. If the story above, didn't make you cry, the poem below probably will. If it doesn't, you must have a heart of stone. You've probably seen this before. "Rainbow Bridge Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together... ~Author Unknown" Now, let's move on to the happy story, shall we? As I mentioned above, my current dog, Jamee, saw her mommy crying and decided to help out. A few months after Kelsey passed away, we got Jamee. She's a Black Lab. Yes, I went from having a 5-pound dog to having an almost 80-pound dog. We actually named her Jameson when we got her, but we usually just call her "Jamee". She was 3 months old when we brought her home. We got her from a breeder. She was the runt of the litter and had some issues. The breeder wanted to make sure she was 100% healthy before they allowed us to take her. The only health issue Jamee has is that she's almost bald. She has something called hair folicle dysplasia. It's genetic, and the vet says it's common for runts because they don't get as many nutrients in the womb. It's hard to tell from pictures of her about her hair issue, but it does get annoying having to explain it to people over and over again. Especially at the dog park, people are like, "Ew, what's wrong with your dog?" That pisses me off. She's not diseased. It's nothing that's contagious. Those people are just assholes. From our perspective, she's perfect. She's funny, loveable as Hell, and has the cutest personality. Despite the different sizes/breeds, she reminds us of Kelsey. Their dispositions and personalities are so similar, it's scary! Who would have thought, huh? Jamee has no idea that she's "different" from other dogs. It doesn't bother her that she doesn't have much hair, other than the fact that she gets chilly when it's cold out. She's treated like a princess, and I'm sure you've all seen me talk about her before in prior entries. She's our "kid" for all intents and purposes. She's the one that's in charge around here and she knows it, too! For example, it snowed overnight here. Jamee does NOT like the cold, wind, snow or rain. She inherited that from her mommy. She refused to go out this morning. My husband had to shovel a path, get the umbrella and go outside with her (holding the umbrella over her) before she would even consider going outside to go to the bathroom this morning. Like I said, spoiled brat! I have also written a poem about Jamee. This one includes a picture of her also. In the picture, she's proudly wearing her Flyers jersey. If you'd like to take a look, here you go.
How can you not fall in love with that cute, little face? Well, boys and girls, those are my animal stories. I hope you enjoyed them!   Music, Music, Music Today is my nephew's 13th birthday! He's the first of the nieces/nephews to become a teenager. I still can't believe it. He's quite the ice hockey player, and he has a game today at 4 so we're going to his game. When I texted him this morning to wish him a happy birthday, I told him I'd see him later today at his game. He's so excited that I'm going. He's my husband's sister's son. I'm the favorite aunt, and my husband isn't even close to being the favorite uncle, and that just pisses him off because this is his side of the family. I'm going to leave you with a ton of songs today - BONUS! Each one of these songs has an animal in the song title. Lions, and tigers and bears wolves! Oh my! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLJf9qJHR3E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOg5VxrRTi0&ob=av2e http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh0iDVsmLqw&ob=av2e http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_TcszezOVE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBbQyXZvkbA&ob=av2e And, of course, being from Philly, how could I not include this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btPJPFnesV4&ob=av2e By the way, I know I'm behind on replying to blog comments and reading/commenting on other blogs. Traveling this week, and some other craziness at work, had me short on time this week. I promise I will respond to all comments, and I'll make the rounds in blogville. As always, thank you all SO MUCH for the support. I wouldn't be able to get through this challenge without it. You guys are the best! Happy Saturday! I hope everyone's having a nice weekend so far. For those of you that also got this crap snow overnight, be careful out there! Today should be interesting. I'm pretty much the least graceful person you could ever meet in your life. I have no doubt I will end up on my ass at some point today. |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 20 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of challenger, Brother Nature .I'm going to paraphrase the prompt because there were several e-mails that went out about it. Basically we had to select our favorite entry from a fellow challenger and review it. I have copy/pasted my review below. Hi Fivesixer ,My name is Julie D - PUBLISHED! and I'm reviewing your blog entry, "This one's about what we should've had years ago." . WHY I CHOSE TO REVIEW THIS ITEM:Our prompt for today (Day #20) of the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" was to review our favorite entry of the challenge so far. It couldn't be just any old entry, either. It had to be an entry written by a fellow challenger. I choose you because you're one of my favorite peeps. Any idea why I chose this entry? I'm sure you figured it out already...it's because we wrote very similar entries on this as a response to our Day #12 prompt. Surprise, surprise. OVERALL SENSE:We're so much alike, it's scary! Is it any wonder that we've both won past rounds of the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" ? You "get" blogging, my friend. You do a darn good job of taking care of the prompts, and then simply blogging about everyday life. That is journaling in its truest form, and you have mastered it. CONVENTIONS:You make blogging look easy, and I know FIRST HAND it is not. It's even more difficult to do during a challenge when you have to write an entry every day based on a prompt that was sent out...and boy have we seen some doozies this time around! Your sense of humor carries you through. I always look forward to reading your entries. SPELLING/GRAMMAR:I don't like to critique blogs on spelling and grammar. This isn't really formal writing, so I don't feel it's necessary. Your spelling and grammar are fine anyway, so I probably should have simply removed this from my review template. CONCLUSION:Thanks for sharing your wit, charm, everyday life and random shenanigans with us. Your blog is always an entertaining read, my friend. Thanks so much for sharing and keep up the good work! WRITE ON!!   Happy NewYear!   NOTE: Please remember that the above comments and suggestions are only one person's opinion. Take what you can use but never be shy about discarding what you cannot. Most important of all, keep writing, improving, and contributing to our wonderful community! My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Go Noticed" .** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Please visit my guestbook. Stop in, say hi, let me know if you liked a particular review and/or ask me to review another item or re-review something you've updated.
I wrote my letter from home to support our troops, "Invalid Item" . Have you written your "Invalid Item" ? Follow the random at "Invalid Item" , which won 1st Place in Round 1 of the "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" ! Find out what makes me tick in "Invalid Item" . Check out some of my gems in "Invalid Item" !Here is the link to my public review, Review of "Who Do I Think I Am??"  .Any of you that are familiar with Fivesixer 's blog, you'll also note that the title of this entry was created in his honor. That's all I've got for today, folks. It's Friday and we're about to go to dinner. Happy weekend all! |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 19 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of challenger, thrdeyeopen. "It's my turn to do the prompt, and it's also my first WDC birthday! So, I want you to tell me your favorite birthday story! It doesnt have to be your birthday, but some funny or interesting story related to someones birthday!"  I have to start off by saying, happy 1st WDC birthday, thrdeyeopen! Well, I know I've written about my illness before. Most recently was in this blog entry last week, "Invalid Entry" You may have also read this poem...
...or my bio, which also mentions it...
Without getting in to all the details again, all I'm going to say is that the first time I almost died was 3 months before my 21st birthday. That's a BIG birthday because you're finally able to drink legally. For me, it was a big birthday because I lived to see it. Needless to say, my family and friends made a huge deal out of that birthday, not just to celebrate the anniversary of my birth, but to celebrate my life. There was a party, dinner out, and trips to various local bars. One other way I celebrated it was just a few days after that birthday when I was the maid of honor in my best friend's wedding. It was an awesome day, and I was so honored to be standing up for someone that I loved with all my heart. Someone who stood by me through everything. Someone who never left my side while I was in the hospital. She had asked me to be her maid of honor long before that ordeal. She had later confessed to me how terrified she was that she might lose her best friend in life. Her wedding was an awesome day, filled with lots of love, laughs, and even some tears. When the DJ introduced me to give my maid of honor toast/speech, he briefly mentioned my ordeal, and the lengths I went to to be standing there at that moment. Everyone in attendance was already well aware of what had happened to me, and when the DJ finished introducing me, before I could even start my speech, I got a standing ovation. My parents were still alive at the time, and they were both guests at this wedding. The tears started flowing, to say the very least. I gave my speech, and got another standing ovation. The next day, my dad had told me he'd never been more proud of anyone or anything in his life. The reception went on, and it was one hell of a party...and an awesome way for me to celebrate my 21st birthday. Years later, my friend and I had a conversation about those events. I'm not even sure how it came up, but I had asked her the "what if?" question. "What if I had died? What would you have done for a maid of honor?" She told me she wouldn't have had one. I was speechless, and knowing me as well as she does, she knew I was speechless, so she continued. She said, "Jul, no one could ever fill your shoes. If I couldn't have you, my best friend, as my maid of honor, I didn't want anyone else. No one could ever take your place." We had a good cry over it. She's still one of my best friends to this day. I can't imagine having a better friend. She's been such a huge part of my life for so long. I can't picture anyone else by my side through the good, the bad, and the really bad. And I can't think of a better way that I could have spent my 21st birthday. In Other News We got tomorrow's prompt already. We have to pick a favorite entry of the challenge so far, link to it and write a review for it. Any thoughts on a favorite one so far? I'm torn between a few of them. Music, Music, Music OK, I have a few birthday-like songs to leave you with this evening. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR-qQcNT_fY&ob=av2e And, of course, "Go shorty, it's your birthday..." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qm8PH4xAss Today is SHIT - Sure Happy It's Thursday so that means tomorrow is TGIFF, right? Thank God It's Fucking Friday! 'Night night!  ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 18 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of yours truly Julie D - PUBLISHED! . Today was my day to give the prompt. "Who is the person (living or dead) that has had the greatest influence on you & your life? How have they influenced you?" Most of you can probably guess my answer to this one. My dad had the greatest influence on me and my life. He was the most wonderful man I've ever met. He was smart, charming, caring, kind and funny as Hell. His sarcastic sense of humor was awesome. I've always been told that I am so much like him. My mom had issues, which I don't care to get into right now. She was there while I was growing up, but she wasn't really "there" if you catch my drift. My dad was like both parents to me. He was also my best friend. He was always so proud of me. He was in awe over my intelligence. He always said he didn't know where I got it from. I always told him that I got it from him. He wanted to prepare me for the world, and he said that "book smarts" would only get me so far. He wanted to make sure I had "street smarts", too. He wanted his little girl to be able to not only protect herself, but also be able to take care of herself.He did a damn good job raising me. He helped me become the person I am today. And I think I turned out all right. He passed away when I was 25. Even though he's been gone for a little over 10 years, I miss him every day, and I know I always will. I have a few poems that I wrote for him. Feel free to check them out, if you'd like.
In Other News I just saw this commercial for the first time tonight. It is hilarious! We laughed so hard because Jamee walked up to the TV, sat in front of it, and just stared at the TV with her head cocked to the side. It was so funny...and so cute! I can't wait until the Superbowl to see what it's all about. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ntDYjS0Y3w Has everyone around here signed the S.O.P.A. petition? If you haven't, please do so. We lost enough liberties, and I'm not sure our economy could survive this if it passes. https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/ Google says that 4.5 million people signed the petition today. Not too shabby. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2012/01/google-anti-sopa-petition.htm... Music, Music, Music I will leave you with the song that my dad and I were supposed to dance to together at my wedding. He died before I met my husband so we never got the chance to. Instead, my brothers and I ended up dancing to it at my wedding. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsLykJ17Oxc |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS"  Blogging Challenge Day 17 Prompt:  Today’s prompt is courtesy of our friend, 30DBC Creator/Founder . "If you have five (5) days left to spend together with your loved one, how would you spend those days?" Whatever the reason was for only having 5 days, I would try not to focus on that because it would upset me, and that would be counterproductive. Rather than wasting what precious little time I had with the person, I would use the time wisely. Time is of the essence. Five days is only 120 hours, so that means no sleep, or as little sleep as possible. Sugar-free red bull and/or 5-hour energy drinks would be a must! Ideally, we'd go to my favorite place on Earth. That's right, I'm talking about Disney World. It's a short 2-hour flight from here so there would not be a lot of time wasted on travel. We'd play our hearts out at the "happiest place on Earth" for 5 days, creating memories that would last a lifetime. Depending on which loved one it was, I'd definitely cater our Disney adventure to their liking, since I'm a bit of a Disney expert. Fantasmic, Tower of Terror, Soarin', the Kilimanjaro Safari, the Aerosmith Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, and the Tree of Life might be my favorites, but if they don't appeal to my loved one, I'd find other stuff that is more to their liking. Depending on the time of year, there are different things going on in Disney. In the fall, there's the Food & Wine Festival in Epcot and Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween party that is held in the Magic Kingdom after it closes. My absolute favorite time of year to go there is Christmas. One of my goals/dreams in life is to wake up there on Christmas morning one of these years. Disney World is absolutely stunning at Christmas. If the 5 days we were spending happened to be during that time of year, that would be an awesome experience to share with them. Music, Music, Music I feel like a truck ran over me! Running all over the place, meetings, snow & ice in Chicago, travel hazards, flight delays...blah, blah, blah. I'm fucking exhausted, but everything went really well. This is such an awesome client, and they love us. We got to see their chopper today. They got a bike from Orange County Choppers in November. It is amazing. We were all taking pictures. It was so funny! Maybe I'll post the pics on here, if I have time. Those of you that I'm friends with on Facebook probably saw them already, though. I'll leave you tonight with 4 songs about leaving, growing up and/or missing someone. Hope everyone is having a good week so far! Enjoy!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1tAYmMjLdY&ob=av2e   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HDM3eYp4KQ   And I'm taking you all back to the 80s with these next two.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpc7TBhilFI   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPmTGFg06zA&ob=av2e |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 16 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of challenger, Prosperous Snow celebrating  ."When you went to sleep last night, it was in your own bed or familiar surroundings. You wake up this morning in a strange bed and unfamiliar surroundings. You recognize your reflection with some differences, the face in the mirror is an older/younger version of you. Everyone you meet knows you, but by a different name. Where are you? What is your name? How do you believe you arrived in your present location?" I wake up next to someone, but it's not my husband. Surely that can be right! He opens his eyes, and says "Good Morning, beautiful." To my surprise, it's Randy Wolf. I have no idea what's going on. Perhaps it's some sick joke? But I play along to see if I can figure out what this is. Suddenly, 2 adorable children come in & they get into bed with us. They are identical twins, a boy and a girl. They're both so excited to start their day, they're talking a mile a minute. The little girl looks at me and says, "Can you make us breakfast?" I let her know I'll make whatever they want. "Then can we go play, Mommy?" Mommy???!! Me? It's what I've wanted to be called my whole life. It renders me speechless. Randy says, "Why don't you two go wash up for breakfast? Mommy & I will be down in a minute." They rush off. Randy tells me he loves me, saying I make him happier than he's ever been. He leans in to kiss me. We hear giggling in the background. And then I really woke up. It was only a dream. This is day #2 of prompt suckfest. Yesterday's prompt is still the worst, but this one is a close second. This is what I came up with. You guys know that I love Randy Wolf, and how much I've always wanted to be a mom, too. Music, Music, Music Another short entry today. I'm typing this up on my iPhone in my hotel room in Chicago. I just need to get this in by the deadline...and I'm beat. It was a long day - flights, running around, dinner with the client. I'm tired! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6O2ncUKvlg Have a nice night! |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 15 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of challenger, BIG BAD WOLF is hopping  ."AHHHH!!!! It's the Zombie Apocalypse! Run for your good-for-nothing lives! Okay, hopefully that got your heart racing, and your brain a-firing. The situation is grim, the undead are coming for the brains of the living and you must protect yourself and your loved ones. What would you use to protect yourself if ZA occurred right this second? This means that you are limited to what is in your place of residence/work/education/wherever you are. Be realistic- you probably don't own an assault rifle, machine gun, flamethrower, or a bazooka, or some other such weapon. Be practical- do you really want to lug around a 10lb chainsaw, especially when it attracts more undead through noise, gets stuck, and more than likely you don't know how to use? Less is more- Limit yourself to as few weapons as possible, which will help you out at all ranges of combat- Far range, Medium Range, Close range, and Intimate range. Well, I'm off to grab my weapons- oh wait, I just picked up a sand-wedge golf club. Not ideal, but it will do until I can get to the 12-gauge and the 30-06 in the back bedroom. Oh, and I just grabbed my sword-like letter opener- perfect for stabbing a Zed through the ear canal. May you still be alive come day 16." Zombies on my ass What's a girl to do? Gotta think of something fast But I haven't got a clue. I need some type of distraction Suddenly it hits me I have a course of action That will allow me to flee! I took him by surprise with one quick flick, a fleeting motion While he watched intently with his eyes I really cause a big commotion! All of his zombie friends came to stare, Actually more like ogle, At my breasts they all did glare! Me? A zombie mogul? I grabbed my shirt And ran like Hell! Running so fast, kicking up dirt And the zombies thought, "oh well!" Hey, why not? I am constantly told I have a nice rack, so why not use it to my advantage in the event of a zombie apocalypse? All men, even zombie men, like a nice set of hooters. I flash them to distract them, and take off before they realize what's going on. I mean, it's every man for himself in this situation. I'd have to use whatever assets/ resources I would have available to me. Boobs it is! I think this prompt was the longest prompt in the history of prompts. Not to mention, but I will anyway, this isn't a prompt for a blogging challenge. Not by a long shot. Anyway, since that's what we got, I had to write something. Stories are so not my thing, so you got a poem about me flashing a zombie to make my escape. I hope it made you laugh because I'm pretty sure I depressed the hell out everyone (including myself) with yesterday's entry. Music, Music, Music Sorry for the last minute entry. I had a busy day today - food shopping, laundry, packing for Chicago & a movie, dinner & drinks with my friend Tonia. By the way, do NOT waste your time or money by seeing the Devil Inside. It was terrible! Without further ado, here is your song for the day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqQuihD0hoI&ob=av2e Hope you all had a great weekend! |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 14 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of challenger, evertrap. "Explain something or someone that you feel is widely misunderstood." One of the biggest things outside our realm of understanding is disease. AIDS is a relatively new disease. We first heard about it in the 80s, but still don't know a whole lot about the disease. There are treatments, but no cure. Cancer is another disease that is hard to grasp. It's been around forever, in varying forms, some more treatable than others, but even if you have the most treatable form of cancer, if your doctor ever tells you that you have it, you're going to freak the fuck out...and rightfully so. I'm not going to talk about AIDS or Cancer. Though they're both misunderstood, I have another one that is probably even more misunderstood, yet can be just as devastating. One year ago today, I almost died. One. Year. Ago. Today. I suffer from endometriosis. I've had it my whole life, but it took until I was 19 to confirm a diagnosis. Surgery is the only way to confirm it. I first got my period when I was 12. To say it was bad is the understatement of the century. The pain was so bad, I would collapse and/or pass out. I would bleed through everything. There were numerous trips to the emergency room every month. Each time, when they saw the amount of bleeding, the doctors always thought I was hemorrhaging because, yeah, the bleeding was that bad. No doctor ever thought to question any of those problems. Everyone always seemed to write it off as "it's just bad cramps". I endured that for 7 years until I finally got a diagnosis. The first time I almost died was March 13, 1997. It was 3 months shy of my 21st birthday. After the initial surgery that confirmed that I had endometriosis, I was referred to specialists because it was so bad. They said it was the worst they'd ever seen. I had to have 3 more operations for them to try to remove it. They couldn't keep on top of it. The 3rd operation went very, very wrong. To this day, no one is certain what actually happened. I was still living with my parents at the time. Each surgery was outpatient (don't you just love healthcare in this country? ). I would be sent home with instructions. After that 3rd operation, I slept for a really long time after getting home. When I finally woke up, I had to crawl out of bed, down the hall, and all the way downstairs because I couldn't stand. My mom felt my head and said I felt like I was burning up. She took my temperature. It was 104.6. One of the "instructions" from the hospital upon my discharge was to call the doctor's office if there was a temperature over 100. My dad called my doctor's office, told them my temperature and asked if they should bring me over to the doctor's office. Their response? "I don't want to freak you out, but you need to get her back to the emergency room as quickly as possible. The doctor will meet you there."I don't remember much. Based on the accounts of my parents, brothers, their wives, my grandparents, and all of my friends that were there at the hospital, it wasn't good. At one point, my temperature got to 107. They decided they needed to open me back in to see what was going on. Before I was wheeled back in for surgery, my parents were told, "if there is anyone you think would want to see her one last time, you'd better tell them to get to the hospital. Now." The doctors did not think I would survive the surgery, but they said that it was the only hope. If they didn't operate, I would not survive. Obviously, I pulled through. I still struggled with endometriosis. I had to endure countless treatments, procedures, medications, and anything else you can possibly imagine. After my husband and I got married (he knew about all of this, and the possibility of no kids, while we were dating), when we got to the point that we started talking about kids, we spoke with my doctors. They immediately referred us to one of the top fertility specialists in the country. He said that he could probably get me pregnant, but that I'd never survive the pregnancy. I was devastated. My husband was angry. He wanted a second opinion, and eventually a third opinion also. They all said the same thing. I'd never survive a pregnancy. I can't say that we came to terms with it because that isn't something I'll ever be able to come to terms with. We dealt with it as best we could, while my doctors continued to help me deal with all the crap that comes along with endometriosis. Just over a year ago, it got to a point where something needed to be done. The "something" was a hysterectomy. If things continued the way they had been, I would have gotten to a point where I wouldn't be strong enough to survive a surgery. My hysterectomy was scheduled for January 14, 2011, exactly one year ago today. The type of hysterectomy referred to as a TAH "total abdominal hysterectomy". What does that mean in lamens terms? They had to take everything - uterus, ovaries and fallopian tubes all had to go, or I'd still have problems. When they opened me up, they were shocked at the amount of endometriosis they saw. They said it was unlike anything they have ever seen. They actually said that my abdominal cavity looked like a giant spider web. They also said that, if I didn't have the surgery done when I did, it would have started to attach itself to other organs. The surgery was extremely tricky. They not only had to take all those organs out, but they had to take out any trace of endometriosis. The surgery took them 3 times longer than they were expecting. I also started hemorrhaging on the table, and my lungs collapsed, too. I almost died on the table. Here I am one year later. Physically I'm healthier than I have ever been in my life. I still have a long way to go on my emotional and mental recovery, IF I ever fully recover. Endometriosis is widely misunderstood. It goes way beyond having "really bad cramps". It is the leading cause of infertility, and can even be fatal. I was fortunate to survive. Music, Music, Music I'm going to leave you tonight with 2 very different songs. One is about hysteria. Although this is a different kind of hysteria, I did suffer from hysteria/depression/mood swings after surgery. There are the obvious reasons, but the first week after surgery was the toughest. I went from having all my "girl parts" and the hormones that come with them, to having none of them. The doctor warned that it would throw my system into a tailspin, and did it ever. I was put on hormone replacement therapy immediately after surgery, but it still takes about a week for your system to adjust. That first week was brutal. I was not only dealing with the emotional and physical pain, but I would be happy one second and hysterically crying the next. It was HORRIBLE. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt_uAiBU0Mk This song is also relevant. If it weren't for the many angels in my life, I never would have gotten through it. I love them all. That includes everyone here as well because the emotional and mental healing are something I have no doubt I'll have to deal with for the rest of my life. Thank you for your role in making me better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnVUHWCynig&ob=av2e |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 13 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of challenger, Julie D - PUBLISHED! . Yep, that’s me."Do you believe that bad things happen on Friday the 13th? Give us the reasons why you do or don’t. Are there any other superstitions you believe (or don’t believe) in?” So the challenger that was scheduled to send out a prompt today never did. I get that we’re all busy, and real life takes priority always (as it should), but this happens at least once (usually more) every round. Instead of leaving all of the challengers hanging, there are alternatives like sending out the prompt early, e-mailing it to 30DBC Creator/Founder or anyone else, for that matter, in advance so they can send it out to the group on your scheduled day, or if you know the day you’re scheduled to send the prompt won’t work, reach out to another challenger to see if you can switch days. PLENTY of alternatives, but like I said, this never fails to happen with every single round. I realize that this is not the most creative prompt, but I was in a hurry and, well, it fit, so there you have it.  I can summarize this rather easily. I believe that bad things happen to people every day, regardless of the date on calendar. I’m not saying that to be a downer, but seriously, all you have to do is turn on the evening news to hear the horrible events that occur on a daily basis.  The reasons for “friggatriskaidekaphobia” (the name for the fear of Friday the 13th)  are, for the most part, unknown. Why? Because it is only a superstition! It’s a myth, folklore, tall tale, ghost story, or whatever other term you may want to attach to it.  The number 13 has always gotten a bad rap. In numerology, 12 is considered the ideal number. We have 12 months in the year, 12 hours on the clock, Jesus had 12 Apostles…the list goes on and on. By the same token, because 12 is so “perfect”, the number 13 is considered the exact opposite because it’s irregular. Now, I don’t know about you, but if I were 13, I’d be wanting to kick 12’s ass.  Even now, how often do you see the 13th floor of a building? I work in a highrise building that houses numerous companies, doctor’s offices, law firms, etc. My building does not have a 13th floor. It’s considered “the penthouse”. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I get on the elevator with people looking for the 13th floor, and they have this lost look on their faces. I’m like, “Are you trying to go to the 13th floor?” When they answer “Yes”, I always make sure I tell them to push the “P” button. When they get a puzzled look on their face, I explain that the 13th floor is actually the penthouse.  Even airlines tend to fall into this superstition. How often do you see a 13th row on an airplane? Not very. But, a little sidebar here, my flight to Chicago on Monday has one…and guess who’s sitting in it? *raises hand*  So yeah, 13 has a bum deal. Look out number 12, eventually it’ll be looking for some retribution. Paybacks are a bitch!  Are there any superstitions that I actually believe in? Well, I am a diehard sports fan, and we are a different breed. Superstition comes in to play quite a bit in sports, especially during the playoffs. Players themselves seem to take part in that as well. Ever hear of a playoff beard? Yeah, the entire team will grow a beard during the playoffs for “good luck”. For most sports fans like me, if your team is in the playoffs, do you wear a t-shirt or jersey to show your support? And, if you’re wearing it and they win the game, what do you do/say/think? “I have to wear this shirt for game 2!” By the same token, if they lose the game while you’re wearing it, don’t you purposely NOT wear it for game 2? I participate in fun, little superstitions like that, but it ends there. Music, Music, Music  That’s all I’ve got for today. It’s a busy day. My husband was able to get home from St. Louis. He said the flight was awful – really bumpy because of the wind gusts we’re getting. He said his stomach is a little “iffy”.  My friend Donna and her husband, Keith, welcomed their daughter to the world today. She was born a little while ago. Her name is Kaitlyn. Donna was an extreme high risk pregnancy. She’s had 3 miscarriages. They had to go through genetic testing and fertility treatments (things I’m all too familiar with) before she was able to get pregnant and not miscarry. She wasn’t actually due until February 6th, but the baby’s growth had plateaued so Donna’s doctor admitted her to the hospital on Wednesday. They started inducing her then. They did it very, very slowly (back to the high risk thing). Kaitlyn was born just after 4PM today. I’m so happy for them.  I hope you all have a great weekend…and HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH!!! Here’s a trailer to the original Friday the 13th movie (from 1980). Cinematography has come a long way, hasn’t it?  There are also a few prompt appropriate songs. Enjoy!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjiqwTv9yeI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDZFf0pm0SE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl2FeXm3OFs&feature=fvst I apologize for any formatting issues. I needed to get this in, and since I can't access WDC at work, I had to write it up, email it to myself & copy/paste (from the email) to WDC on my iPhone. If that doesn't show dedication to this challenge, I don't know what does! |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 12 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of challenger, Bonnie14222 ."We have seen significant technological advancements in our time. Sites like TED and Big Think offer amazing ideas. What do you think will be the next big thing?" Uh, who’s TED?  I totally had to Google that site. I had never heard of it. Looks like a cool website. I’ll need to check it out some more when I have more of what we spoke about in our entries yesterday.     As far as today's prompt goes, did anyone else think that by now we’d all be driving flying around in cars like George Jetson had? If you’re a child of my generation, you probably watched The Jetsons when you were growing up. It was one of my favorite cartoons when I was a kid.Here is a quick video, which will be helpful for anyone that may not have watched this cartoon. It’s less than a minute, and I can guarantee it’ll put a smile on your face. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qcMjG1KL2Q&sns=em I know you just smiled…and sang along, didn’t you? I did! Now, who wouldn’t love a car that not only flies, but also has those cool bubble things to drop people off? And when you’re all done, it folds up into a nice, neat briefcase. No parking necessary. I work in the city. If I had a car like that, I could fly around traffic rather than sitting in it and getting road rage. I would no longer have to pay the monthly fee to the lot I park in, and I wouldn’t have an 18-mile hike to/from work every day. It’s really only 6 blocks (not 18 miles), but when the weather is shitty like today, that walk SUCKS! Do I “think” that will be the next big thing? I’m gonna have to go with no, but I can always hope, can’t I? Here is something else on my “wish list” of things I would like love to be the “next big thing”. As I mentioned in my entry Tuesday, that night was Dyeing Winos. While I love hanging out with my friends (which includes my hairdresser), I’d much rather hang out and drink wine with them “just because” without the whole getting our hair “did” part. I really wish someone would create something, let’s say a pill, for argument's sake, that you would take every day and it would keep your hair color what you want it to be. No more gray hairs, no more roots, and no more color fading. For me, my hair grows super fast. Every hairdresser I have ever had in my life has told me that my hair grows faster than anyone else they’ve ever seen. So I have to get my hair done like every 4 weeks. Again, since I’m friends with my hairdresser, it’s not as expensive as it would be if I were going into the salon. Plus, there’s the added bonus of her doing everyone’s (all my girlfriends) at someone’s house while we drink wine, chat, etc. That part is a blast, but the whole hair dye thing is a colossal pain in the ass. Who’s with me on this? Where my girls at?  I know my female blog readers would probably love the idea of this if it meant no more mess, gray hairs, roots and/or color fade. And, since it would be a pill, if you decide that you want a different color *POOF* just take the little magic pill for a different color and you’re all set.I swear to God I am not drunk right now. In Other News   I had my favorite for dinner tonight, a little cheeseburger and Cajun fries from Five Guys Burgers and Fries. My husband wasn't supposed to be home from his business trip to St. Louis around 11 tonight. Since I've been jonesing for a Five Guys burger since my entry the other day, I decided to do that for dinner tonight. I didn't feel like cooking for myself. I had a salad last night, and didn't feel like having that again tonight. Anyway, if you guys have watched the news at all today, you probably saw the weather in the mid-west. Guess who's flight from St. Louis got canceled? Yep, he's snowed in. They have a flight that they're now booked on for 9:45 tomorrow morning. Of course, if the weather is still bad, that could be canceled, too. So it's just the girls (me & Jamee ) again tonight.That was a really long way of my explanation of dinner, huh? I haven't had Five Guys in a while ( yep, still funny to those of us with dirty minds ), so I went with that for dinner. Jamee begged for some, but I don't share my Five Guys! She doesn't get table food anyway. The same storm that has my husband snowed in St. Louis is hitting Chicago right now. It's supposed to be done snowing there by Saturday so my flight out there Monday should be OK, I hope. The problem is that they're now supposed to have some snow showers on Tuesday. I don't know how much they'll be getting, but I will not be a happy girl if I get snowed in Chicago. My friend Tonia and I are trying to go to the movies this week. Right now it's looking like it'll be Sunday afternoon, since that seems like it might be the only time that works for us. We want to go see The Devil Inside. We're both scary movie junkies. I have to watch stuff like that with someone other than my husband. He is, apparently, a girl. He's too scared to watch anything scary. This movie looks really scary. Every time the preview comes on and one of us sees it, we text the other one because we're dorks like that. This preview scares the crap out of both of us. Have you seen it? If not, here you go!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyT7xMPurgw Music, Music, Music Here's a song for you that has to do with things changing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksGE4cqRzPM&ob=av2e Bonus round today, you're getting a second video today. This doesn't have anything to do with the prompt. It's just a good song. This is the first time I saw the video because it's a relatively new song. The video is a bit...ummm...weird, especially all the little dudes running around in hockey masks (a la Jason from Friday the 13th) and swinging around what looks like hockey sticks with hands on the end of them? {e:insert nonexistant, complained about regularly by Norb and I, hockey emoticon that we have been unsuccessful getting} Despite the weirdness of the video, it's still a good song, though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC29pd_5sQU&ob=av2e ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 11 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of challenger, Outasync ."Time. We all have it, but nobody completely understands it. What are your thoughts on time?" Time ticks by with the hands of a clock, the annoying shrill of the alarm in the morning, and the calendar on the desk (or wall). Those things are all pretty concrete, but time isn't always as exact as that. What do we have next month? An extra day, or leap year. We need that to make up for what? Time. For those of you that there aren't enough hours in the day, you're right! We don't really have 24 hours in a day. It's actually just under 24 hours. There are really 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds in each day. But, how awkward would that be to use in terms of time? This is the reason we have a whole extra day every 4 years. It evens things out a little. There are some people who question whether or not time really exists. To those naysayers, I would encourage them to stand in front of the mirror while holding a picture of themselves from 20 years ago. Yeah, that's time. Getting old sucks, doesn't it? For the rest of us, we know that time is passing by...usually flying by at an unstoppable rate. Since we can't study it with a microscope or experiment with it, it leaves a whole lot open to interpretation. Fortunately, there are ways for us to understand time. First, we have to understand the mechanism which brings about this continuous change from which our mind creates the illusion of the flow of time. Time becomes evident through motion and is measured by comparison with other motions. Sunrises and sunsets, night and day, the changing seasons, and, of course, the movement of the celestial bodies are all indicative of continuous change and the passing of time. The aging process is a reminder that molecular motion and interactions are also at work and are a part of time (please refer back to experiment I mentioned above with the mirror and pic of yourself from 20 years ago ).Not bad, huh? And I'm not even a scientist. I think it's safe to say that none of us have enough time, and I, most likely, just wasted some of it with my babbling. In Other News I'm happy to say that Dyeing Winos was a success last night. Theresa's daughter, Faith, got her first haircut. It was so cute, and totally awesome for me to be a part of that. In other "baby" news, my friend Donna is in labor as we speak. She wasn't actually due until February 6, but she went into labor today. She's having a little girl. I can't wait for Kaitlyn to make her debut! I'm having an awesome night tonight that is all about me...well, and Jamee too. My husband left for St. Louis this morning for some meetings for work. He had a really early flight this morning. He had to leave the house at 5AM because their meeting started at 11AM. Meetings all day today and meetings tomorrow, too. He won't be home until about midnight tomorrow night. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to possibly being able to sleep tonight without his snoring, talking in his sleep and leg kicking. My blog hit 2,500 views on Sunday. As of this entry, it's up to 2,533 views. Do you remember how it hit 2,000 views during Round 1 of "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" in July? Do you think we'll make it to 3,000 by the end of this round? Music, Music, Music Wow, you guys get 4 songs today! What can I say? They're all relevant, and I couldn't decide which one I wanted to use so you're getting all of them. And, yes, I'm aware that 2 of them are by the same group. I happen to really like them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKEu3EmBCzQ&ob=av2n http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEoHFzEmld0&ob=av2e http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d020hcWA_Wg&ob=av2n http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSLqbl2Xshs Happy Hump day, all! We're one day closer to Friday. WOOHOO!! Goodnight. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 10 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of challenger, Lonewolf  ."If you knew that whatever you ate next would be your last meal, what would you want it to be?"  This one is really easy for me to answer. I would have a little cheeseburger with extra pickles, and Cajun fries, from Five Guys Burgers & Fries. No, seriously, that’s what I’d want. That is absolutely my favorite guilty pleasure meal. They have the best damn burgers, and their Cajun fries are to die for!! I would have Five Guys every day (wow, if you have a dirty mind, that just made me sound really bad ), if I could. The problem is that I’d eventually turn into a cow, and most likely die of a heart attack before my next birthday.  What would I wash that burger and fries down with, you ask? Why, a glass of red wine, of course. I’m classy like that.  Damn, now I want Five Guys for dinner, and that’s out of the question. For starters, I could stand to lose a few pounds. Nothing major, I’m not overweight, but I did gain a few pounds over the holidays. Who doesn’t? Also, I’m going right from work to my friend Theresa’s house. Tonight is “Dyeing Winos”. For those of you that have no clue what that is, we’re really good friends with our hairdresser, Tara, who happens to live 2 streets over from Theresa. Theresa has a 1 ½ year old daughter, so it’s easiest for all of us go to there. We get our hair cut & colored, while having a good time with great friends, along with some wine and food…all without paying the hefty price tag we would pay if we went to the salon instead. It’s a win-win! I love hanging with my girls, too. It’s always a good time. In Other News  Well, I’m finally able to announce this. Not that anyone would have known who/what I was talking about, I couldn’t take the chance. You guys know that I’m a Senior Analyst working for a third party benefits administrator. I’m responsible for 20+ clients on my team. There’s an analyst assigned to each. I’m merely a senior level resource ( sarcastic understatement). I’m a bit different than any other Senior Analyst we have here. I know our system inside out. Period. I’m not bragging. If you guys knew any of my co-workers, they would tell you that. Since I know it so well, I do all of our in-house, as well as client, training. I’m relied more by the executives because, as they say, I’m their “go to resource” whenever there is any kind of problem. They know that I’ll know how to fix it. I’m also very good with the clients. There is one other area in which I deviate from the other Seniors here. I have what we call ASP clients. ASP = application service provider. These are clients who actually do exactly what we do (third party benefits administration). The problem is that they don’t have a system to use to administer those benefits so they lease our system from us.  Obviously, they need a resource here to handle the ASPs if they encounter any problems and/or have system set up questions, etc. I’m their resource. One of my ASP clients is not that far from my office (about 20 miles away). My company just purchased them. That’s a wonderful sign in a piss poor economy.  I’ve known about this for quite some time. My boss and I were told, as a courtesy, since we are the team that deals with them. They didn’t want it to slip anywhere. So, my boss’s boss told us about this a while back. We were asked how much interaction we have with them. My response was “every day, and usually several times a day”. My boss said, “I haven’t been involved with them since Julie started handling them. They love her!” She (my boss) gets e-mails from them on a regular basis telling her how much they adore me. Their words, not mine. I’ve only ever met (in person) the top guy over there. He stops in my office several times a year. I’ve never met the rest of them face-to-face. My only dealing with them is over the phone or via e-mail. As I mentioned, my company purchased them. It was announced internally (to my office) right before Christmas. The announcement was made to the rest of our company on Friday. The public announcement of the sale just went out. Since they are so close to my office, they will be moving here. They’ll be starting to move some stuff over Friday afternoon. The company we bought them from honors Monday as a holiday (Martin Luther King day) so they have Monday off. They will officially become employees of my company, and be physically located here in my office, as of Tuesday.  I have gotten the nicest e-mails and phone calls from them since we’re now “officially” allowed to talk about it. They have all said that they love me and cannot wait to finally meet me in person. That’s a lot of pressure, huh? I’ve worked with them for 2 years! I’m super excited because they are the nicest people on the face of the planet, I swear. It’s a refreshing change from a certain asshole client I have to deal with. Speaking of that asshole client, this is another area where I’m different from other Seniors. I still have my own clients that I deal with. Like I said, they rely on me more so than others, especially in cases where a really technical resources is needed and/or we run into situations with a difficult client. By difficult, I’m not only referring to their benefits. I’m referring to difficult personalities as far as client contacts go. I’ve been here for almost 8 years, and I’m happy to say that I have “saved” several clients that had threatened to leave. Not only were they getting a resource who could fix any particular issues they were having with the system, apparently, I’m also a likable kind of girl. This particular asshole client was actually on another team. That team did nothing but fuck up everything about them. Before any of that even went to shit, I was hearing horror stories about how mean the client contacts are. Suffice it to say, that having an incompetent team in place did not do anything to help the situation. They told my company last year that they would terminate services as of March 15th (last year) unless a new team was in place by that date. Enter Julie. I’ve gotten their shit straightened out. As far as them “loving” me like other clients do, these people don’t love anyone. They drop f-bombs like they’re going out of style, and continuously handle themselves in an extremely unprofessional manner. I could tell you stories of things they have said and done since I’ve been working on them, that would absolutely horrify you, but I won’t because it’ll just turn into a rant. We got some news on this client this morning. They filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time since 2004. It couldn’t happen to nicer people.  There goes that sarcasm again. I found it hilarious when I got the news today. The problem is, nothing really changes. We’re at the point with this client that we wish they’d fire us. No one should have to endure their abuse on a daily basis. Have I bored all of you into a coma with my work news? Music, Music, Music I think you guys will all enjoy my song selection for today.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm073wiDASI&sns=em  I’m outta here so I can get to Dyeing Winos. I hope everyone had a great day! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 9 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of everybody loves 30DBC Creator/Founder ."Good versus evil. Does it truly exist? What are the gray areas? Do good people do bad things? Do evil people do nice things?" Oh boy, where do I start? I think I'll begin with a quote. “Remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall -- think of it, ALWAYS.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi Do good and evil truly exist? Yes, I have no doubt that they do. Good and evil are very real concepts. They do, however, change in the eyes of who is perceiving them and, let's face it, our perception is our reality. And they (good and evil) are right within ourselves as our own subjective interpretations. Whether you believe in good and evil, or not, other people see you as good or evil. So, what really matters is how we present ourselves to the others. Adolf Hitler believed what he did was for the greater good, but I think it's safe to say that the majority of the world would disagree. We believe his actions were truly evil. Throughout history there are numerous others that I consider to be just as evil as Hitler. I will say that good always triumphs over evil, in my opinion. Take 9/11 for instance. It was the most horrible, tragic, horrific act our country ever had to endure, but how many good stories have you heard come out of that day? How many people put their lives on the line that day, and the 10 years since, to rescue/help/save others? Those selfless acts will never diminish what occurred that day, but don't you feel a little better knowing that our nation shined in the face of such an atrocity? What are the gray areas? Bad things can be caused by simply tragic, or confused motives, which then, at a certain point, become pure evil. The line between good and evil is not always clearly defined. I will say that a happy and honest life does not need to engage in evil. Do good people do bad things? Yes, we all do because we are human. We all make mistakes, screw up, etc. Whether it's intentional or not, it happens, even though we may not want to admit it. However, I don't think any of us are evil. I believe that evil is something that can only be defined by those with psychopathic and/or sociopathic tendencies. Do evil people do nice things? I think the easiest way to address this is to use Ted Bundy as an example. What's the one thing that people who knew him said? "He always seemed like such a nice boy." Bundy was charismatic, seemed kind, and even a bit vulnerable. That was how he gained the trust of his victims. In his case, he was an evil person doing nice things to feed his evil needs. He was definitely a sociopath. In Other News Did anyone happen to notice the new artwork in my blog intro? No? Here it is, in case you missed it. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** It was courtesy of the amazing Legerdemain  . I had an ass-ton of gift certificates to her shop, "Leger's Shop" . I supplied the text, she did everything else. Pretty awesome, huh? Sporting News The NFL playoffs started this weekend. The Giants won. Booooo, I hate the Giants. How about Tim Tebow and the Broncos with that HUGE overtime win? Damn, that was amazing! I have to say that I am so glad they knocked the Steelers out of the playoffs. Not only are they our cross-state rivals, I happen to hate their rapist quarterback. Music, Music, Music Well, folks, I need to finish this up. I've been writing this while watching the Bachelor. Don't. Judge. Me. I happen to love the show...because it's so ridiculous! I always feel so much better about myself after watching this show. Anyway, the rose ceremony is about to begin. This is only the 2nd episode of the season and there's a whole lot of drama and crying already. I think there's going to be a catfight any second. So, I'll leave you with this song. Have a great night all! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIZdjT1472Y ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 8 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of...me, Julie D - PUBLISHED! ."What is your greatest strength? What is your biggest weakness? Write about each and why you think it’s a strength or weakness. How would you change either of these things, if you could?" 30DBC Creator/Founder has had his hands full lately so, when it got to be almost 9 this morning, and we still hadn't received our prompt, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and send out a prompt to all the challengers. I hope you're not pissed, Earl! I was just trying to help you out, buddy.Ever the HR person, this question is something that is always asked on interviews. Though it's been a long time since I worked on the personnel side of HR, I remember having to ask those questions on every interview I did. And I dread the questions on every interview I go on. Who knows, maybe one of our participants is currently seeking employment, or someone reading the entries is, and they may get some good ideas on ways to answer the question when it pops up in their next interview. So, what is my greatest strength? Well, it's being a strong person...or so I'm told. We all have our fair share of crap to deal with in life. I'm no different. I try not to dwell on the fact that I almost died (twice), am unable to have kids, and that I lost both my parents while I was in my 20s...in addition to all the other obstacles life tends to hurl at me. Again, I try not to dwell on it, and I think I'm pretty successful at it based on the number of people that tell me how strong I am on a regular basis. I have always tried to be a glass-is-half-full kind of girl. I'm grateful for the many blessings I've had in my life. I understand that the trials I endure will always pass. The most important thing that I try to remember to keep my emotions in check? There is always someone that has it worse than I do. That's not to say that I don't occasionally get down or depressed. That's a part of life, but it's the way you handle the bad times that truly defines who you are as a person. If you curl up into a ball and don't deal with things, you'll never get through. You'll also lose the respect of others, but more importantly, you'll lose your self-respect. What are my weaknesses? Oh boy. There's a lot here so I'm only going to pick a few. The first one is time management. Quite frankly, my time management sucks. We live in a fast-paced world, and I feel that most of us probably suck at time management because of it. I don't see this ever changing unless, somehow, there are a few more hours added to each day and/or cloning oneself becomes a viable option. Moving on... Another weakness? I'm my own worst enemy. I set standards so high that no one could ever attain them. When I don't, I beat myself up terribly. I'm my own worst critic and often feel like a failure if/when I don't meet a goal I've set for myself. I think this is the main reason that, despite how things may seem to all of you, I have a very low self-esteem. Which leads to my next weakness... Very, very low self-esteem. This is definitely tied to the 2 weaknesses I named above. I always feel that I don't quite measure up to anyone else. Logically, I know I shouldn't feel that way because we're all different, and therefore, there is no comparison, but knowing something in my head doesn't always outweigh how I feel in my heart. Would I change any of these things if I could? Well, I wouldn't change my strength. That's something needed and I know it's a bit of an oxymoron when compared to my weaknesses, but strength of character and emotional endurance are different from not having a positive view of oneself. Trust me. As for my weaknesses, I would change them if I could. The time management would be almost impossible for the reasons I gave above. But if I could change being my own worst enemy and the low self-esteem thing, I would. I just don't know how. In Other News I got an e-mail yesterday from a dear friend, Liam . He recently accepted an assignment as the poetry editor for "Shadows Express" to fill the void left by the passing of Sticktalker  last week.Liam stated that one of his duties as the poetry editor is to encourage quality poets to submit poems for publication. He went on to say that I'm one of his favorites (awwwww, thanks Liam ), and asked me to consider having them publish a poem in their e-zine. I think I'm going to do it. I just need to decide which one to submit. Maybe I'll ask him what his favorite is...or maybe I should ask all of you? What do you guys think? That's my dog, Jameson (we usually just call her "Jamee"). She's a little spoiled. By "a little" what I really mean is that she's A LOT spoiled. One of the things Santa gave her for Christmas, in addition to that bed she's sleeping on, was a session at Doggie Day Camp. She LOVES Doggie Day Camp. Whenever we drop her off, she's so excited, she doesn't know what to do with herself. The staff always make a fuss, and she just can't contain her excitement. She usually ends up spinning in a circle and/or pooping or peeing on their floor. Anyway, we decided to take her yesterday because we had some furniture delivered and figured it would be good for her to not be around. It would either freak her out, or she'd keep trying to give the delivery guys her ball or one of her bones to play with her. So, we dropped her off early yesterday morning. She did the spinning in circles thing, but fortunately, this time, she didn't pee or poop on their floor! She plays her little heart out at Doggie Day Camp, and always gets a glowing report card. Yesterday was no different. Whenever we bring her home, she's a zombie for 2 days. My husband snapped the picture above, shortly after we brought her home. She's comatose on her bed, in front of the fireplace. She's been pretty much doing the same thing all day today. It's so funny! Plugs, Props & Other Things Worth Mentioning Since I mention it above, I feel it's only right that I plug it here. If you'd like to learn more about "Shadows Express", take a look at their home page, "Invalid Item" . Sign up for their FREE subscription, and maybe consider submitting something yourself. Music, Music, Music I'm taking you guys back, way back to 1994, with a song that sends a great message. This song reminds you to be yourself. Don’t afraid to show your emotions – whether it’s perceived as being weak, strong, emotional, crazy, unacceptable, whatever. Denying them is just denying who you are. While others may see revealing your emotions as an act of vulnerability, it’s only by embracing your emotions that you move a step forward towards being who you truly are, and that, my friends, takes courage and strength. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk_sAHh9s08&ob=av2e ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 7 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of our captain in the sea of blogging, 30DBC Creator/Founder ."Here’s a mistake I would love to have a do-over for:" Suffice it to say that we all make mistakes. We're human. I look at mistakes as a learning experience. If we didn't make mistakes, how would we learn? And, if there were no mistakes made ever, the world would be a very boring place. I mean, what would the people at TMZ do all day? There is a rather famous quote that came from Alexander Pope's poem, An Essay on Criticism. In that poem he wrote, “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” Probably something you've all heard and used, right? The basic meaning of Pope’s line is that any human can make a mistake, so we should try to forgive them, just as God is said to show divine mercy and forgive sinners. When An Essay on Criticism was published in 1711, the English spelling of the word human was humane and it was common to capitalize the first letter of many words. Thus (there's a $5 word for you, huh? ), in its original form, Pope’s line about erring humans was: “To err is Humane; to Forgive, Divine.”Sorry, my inner nerd took over for a minute. What can I say? I'm a wealth of useless information, but I'm an excellent partner to have when playing any type of trivia game. What's the moral of the story? Well, people have been writing about humans making mistakes for hundreds of years...and guess what? We're still making them. So what is one of the mistakes I've made that I'd like to get a do-over for? Well, the biggest one that I kick myself for every day is not finishing school. Some of you have probably heard this before. I'm sorry if this is old news for you guys. I'll try to make it as quick and painless as possible. I was a straight-A student my whole life, and that includes college where I triple-majored in Psychology, Sociology and Addictions Counseling. My high school GPA was a 4.2, out of 4.0. Yes, that is possible. I had all honors/college courses in high school that got weighed heavier than the regular courses did. I was class president, secretary of the national honor society, and the lone representative for Girls State from my high school, among many other academic achievements. I had a seemingly bright college career ahead of me...or so everyone thought. I got offered a full scholarship to a school that I really wanted to go to. The problem? It was a bit far so I would have had to live on campus. That was a deal-breaker for my dad. Call him old-fashioned, but he didn't want his little girl, his only girl, to be that far away from home. He would hear about all the problems on college campuses and, though he trusted me, he didn't trust anyone else. Especially college-age boys. So, I ended up having to "settle" for a school that was close to home so I could commute. They did not give me a full scholarship, because I didn't graduate as one of the top 3 students in my class. I graduated 4th in my class and, apparently, that wasn't good enough for them. Fuckers. They gave me a partial scholarship. I went for a year. I. Hated. Every. Minute. Of. It. I had that difficult conversation with my parents where I told them I was quitting school. I told them I was going to get a job working full-time, and I'd go back to school, most likely night school, in a year or so. I found a job right away. It was a great job with benefits and they had a tuition plan so it was a win-win. Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to night school within that year because that's when my health really started to take a nosedive. I almost died. I had to have 3 operations within a 6-month timeframe. I had a long road to recovery. School was the furthest thing from anyone's mind at that point. Fast forward a few years. I was still working full-time, but it was with a different company. They had tuition assistance, but didn't foot the whole bill. I worked that job, and another one and put myself through school at night. I was doing very well. Straight-As, I was inducted into several national and international honor societies...yadda, yadda, yadda. I loved every minute of school. I could only take 2 classes per semester. That's all my time would allow (since I was working 2 jobs), plus that was all I could afford. That continued for several years. During which time I met someone. Someone I eventually ended up marrying. When we got engaged we put a strick budget in place. We had a wedding to pay for, and we certainly weren't going to get any financial help with that. His parents have nothing...literally. In fact, my husband and I have had to help them A LOT financially over the years. My parents are deceased so there was no one to help out with the wedding on my side either. Needless to say, I had to give up school to help save money for the wedding. I made sure I told him that that was t-e-m-p-o-r-a-r-y, and that I would be going back to school as soon as we could afford it again. He said that was fine. We got engaged in July 2004, and married in October 2005. I have yet to go back to school again. My health became an issue again, but that got corrected last year...and shouldn't be a problem again. Ever. Each time I bring up the subject of me going back to school, my husband says, "What do you want to do that for? You already have a job." He just doesn't get it. Plus, he doesn't have a degree and I think, deep down, he doesn't want me to get a degree when it's something he doesn't have. Does that make sense? Like I can't be smarter than him or something. When we came up with our wedding budget, I should have been adament about not giving up school. We could have found the money elsewhere. Hell, I could have taken on a second job again. If I hadn't stopped going back then, I'd have my degree. You have no idea how much it burns me up to even think about it. That's the do-over I'd like. I do hope to be able to go back to school in the next year or so, regardless of what my husband thinks about it. Music, Music, Music I feel worse today than I did yesterday. My doctor said that I would feel worse before I started feeling better, but this sucks. And I'm sure you're all sick and tired of hearing me bitch about being sick. Sorry. I will leave you all with the song that I believe fits this prompt nicely. Enjoy and have a good night all!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBBqjGd3fHQ&ob=av2e Happy New Year! |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 6 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of our boss, 30DBC Creator/Founder ."Anything goes" Earl is a bit busy because he's moving so he gave us an "anything goes" prompt today. So, given our open mic night prompt, I'm going to do something most of you seem to enjoy. Blog. No frills, no fluff, and hopefully no flops. Just my "typical" blogging about random crap. Guess who still feels like death warmed over? *raises hand* I called out of work today because I did NOT have a good night last night. I hardly slept, and my symptoms got progressively worse through the night. Since I leave for Chicago in a little over a week, I have to get better. ASAP! I called out and my boss said she was glad I stayed home. You know, it's always best to try to avoid infecting the rest of the staff. She also mentioned that pesky Chicago trip coming up. Great minds think alike. I called my doctor to see if I could get an appointment. I was totally expecting them to tell me there was nothing available, but they had an opening at 10:30 this morning, so I took it. I have the mother of all sinus infections, according to my doctor. Fever, swollen glands, red/inflamed throat, fluid in my ears, and my sinuses are packed solid (again, his words). He prescribed a strong antibiotic. It's something stronger than he would normally prescribe for a sinus infection. He said it's necessary with my trip coming up. All that crap needs to be cleared out of my sinuses. Everyone knows what can happen when you fly and you have a sinus infection, right? You can rupture your eardrums. That almost happened to me once about 15 years ago. It was not pleasant. So yeah, my doc prescribed the strong antibiotic, a decongestant to break it all up, and prescription migraine medication. He said (what I already knew) that the migraine was due to all the pressure in my sinuses. And, uh, yeah, sinus problems run in my family. There's no escaping it! I posted something on Facebook after I left my doctor's office today. One of my friends commented asking if I use a Neti Pot because she swears by hers. I told her that I do, and I love mine also. Those of you that have horrible allergy/sinus issues like I do, you're probably familiar with the Neti Pot. If you're not, you should be. My friend and I chatted back-and-forth a bit and then she asked me if I heard about something rather disturbing that she found out recently. Apparently, Neti Pots can kill you. If you're using regular tap water (like most of us do), you run the risk of getting brain-eating amoeba, http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/bizarre&id=8466323. Fucking phenomal. They actually recommend that you boil the tap water and let it cool, or use distilled water. If I remember to do so, I will probably pick up some distilled water. Maybe I'll just let the brain-eating amoeba and all the phlegm/mucus floating around in there fight each other for supremacy. In Other News The big news in Philly today is that they're closing a boatload of Catholic schools at the end of this school year. How many is a boatload? Well, there are 48 schools that are either closing or being merged with other schools. That's a lot of schools! Here's an article. http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=8492753 It makes me so sad to hear news like this. Parents/children should have the right to choose between public and parochial schools, but, if all of these Catholic schools keep closing, there won't be any left for them to choose from. Does everyone remember when I wrote this editorial back in June?
Although it did create quite a bit of a media stir around here, we were not able to save their school. They are both attending other schools now. It really makes me sad to see the kids crying on the news because they're being forced out of the school love, and separated from their friends. It's heartbreaking.  This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the shooting in Arizona that killed 6 people and wounded 13 others. There is a vigil planned for Sunday, the first anniversary. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-01-05/anniversary-giffords-arizon... I hope they eventually fry the crazy bastard that is responsible for the shooting. One of the victims was a 9-year-old girl. Her name was Christina Taylor Green. There's a Philly connection there. She was the granddaughter of Dallas Green, former Phillies manager. A tragic story all-around, but out of it there is also a story of hope, and beating the odds. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has made a remarkable recovery, but she still has a long road ahead of her. She will be in attendance at the vigil on Sunday. Random Crap Looking for a good laugh? Take a look at these hilarious autocorrect mishaps. http://www.buzzfeed.com/burnred/the-25-funniest-autocorrects-of-2011-281t Autocorrect fail. I suppose there is some hope that this terrible economy may be on the mend. There was a hiring surge in December. There were 200,000 jobs added, http://news.yahoo.com/nation-adds-200-000-jobs-december-hiring-surge-193428947.h... That's not nearly enough considering the tons of people that are still unemployed, but it's certainly a step in the right direction. Music, Music, Music I'm beat, so I'm going to call it a day blog. Being sick really tires you out, especially when you have a high fever like I do (I always run high fevers ). My doc said the migraine medicine would knock me out, too. It sure did. That stuff packs a wallop!Here's a song that definitely goes with today's prompt. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mXq-4CPeL8&ob=av2e Happy weekend, folks! I hope yours isn't filled with fevers, chills, and an abundance of mucus like mine will be. Happy New Year! |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 5 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of the guy who's large and in charge, 30DBC Creator/Founder ."We’re all afraid of something. Write a formal complaint to whatever scares you the most." Dear Spiders, Go fuck yourself. You are creepy, crawly, sneaky, and have far too many legs for my liking. I mean, seriously, EIGHT legs? Is that really necessary? What the Hell do you need all those legs for anyway?! You seem to have taken a shine to me, and you like to drop by whenever you choose. Stop. It. I don't like you! I'm quite afraid of you for the reasons listed above...and probably others that I can't think of right now. I do not enjoy your company. Ever. So while you may think it's cute to jump out of nowhere, scare the crap out of me, and see me scream and cry like the girl I am, I can assure you, it's not cute or funny. Knock it off! Based on your unexpected pop ins, it seems you never got this memo before. Please consider this your formal notice to cease and desist bugging me. You may take your 8 legs, along with your creepy crawliness, elsewhere. Please. And thank you. Sincerely, Julie That's my formal complaint to what scares me the most. This complaint could also go to any bug, rodent or anything else that has a major ick factor. Yes, I am aware that this goes against yesterday's entry, but I did caveat this out within the entry. I think the world would be a much better place without any of these things! In Other News Did you hear about the chick that shot and killed an intruder to protect herself and her son? She called 911 as the intruders were breaking into her house to ask if it was OK to shoot the guy if he entered her home. This story has been in the news the last few days, but I just heard on the news tonight, that her husband died of cancer on Christmas day. Could this story get any sadder? Jeez! Kudos to her for having the balls and level-headedness to do what she needed to in order to protect her family. Here's an article, http://news.yahoo.com/okla-mom-wont-face-charges-shooting-intruder-031645004.htm... Casey Anthony is also in the news again. What a piece of shit she is. She has made a video diary. Yeah, that's just what we want to see, a woman who got away with murdering her beautiful little girl, making a video diary. If you really want to vomit, here you go, http://gma.yahoo.com/video/news-26797925/casey-anthony-video-diary-lights-up-web... Sporting News This is just what Philly sports fans need: more bad publicity. Apparently, there was a pretty nasty fight between some Flyers and Rangers fans after Monday's NHL Winter Classic. It's been all over the news the last few days. Here's a little blurb about it. http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AtlZrwfAXzfQO.lp9D_x3a05nYcB?slug=ap-winte... Of course, most of the comments on that article trash Philly fans. Fucking phenomenal. That's just what we need. We are not all bad. Believe me when I say that the asshole fans are the minority around here. The media, however, would have you believe otherwise. Music, Music, Music That's about all I've got tonight, folks. I'm out of gas. I got sent home from work early. Why? Because I have one of my wonderful sinus migraines...again. I don't have time for this stupid migraine!! Ugh. I know I'm behind on responses/thank yous for reviews, GP credits I've been given, merit badges I've been awarded, and reading/commenting and/or responding to the comments of others throughout blogville. I apologize profusely. I promise that I'll reply/comment/respond as soon as I'm feeling better. For now, I think I'm actually going to go to bed with my migraine medicine and an ice pack on my head.I'm leaving you with this song. It's a message to this migraine, and my damn sinuses! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpUYjpKg9KY&ob=av2e Happy New Year! |
This entry is brought to you by, "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" Blogging Challenge Day 4 Prompt: Today’s prompt is courtesy of our main man, 30DBC Creator/Founder ."In 200 words or more, write a post about a world-wide issue that you feel needs support." Earl threw us a little curve ball today, didn’t he? Excellent, EXCELLENT prompt, my friend. Well, I could go the Miss America route and say “world peace”. Too easy. That’s not to say that I don’t want world peace, I absolutely do. I’d love to see it, but let’s be realistic here, it’ll never happen. I could go all political and blame the Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Tea Partiers, any other political affiliation you can think of, and/or Elvis (because you know he’s still around somewhere ) for the war, national debt, the economy, unemployment, global warming…I’ll stop there because that list could go on forever. While some of you may be thinking, those are all American problems, I beg to differ. Everything on that list has a global impact. Anyway, I could go that route. I’m not going to because it’ll turn into a political rant that I have no doubt will end up being offensive to most (or all) of you. I could go with the free-spirited flower-child now-working-for-Greenpeace stance and say that there needs to be more harmony in this world. You know the make love, not war/can’t we all just get along and while we’re at it save the planet types. Which option do you think I’ll choose? If you guys know me at all, and those of you that have been around here a while should, you’ll know that I’m going to go with what’s behind door #4. You just re-counted how many options I listed above, didn’t you? Yes, I only listed 3 options. So what’s the 4th? It’s a combination of all of those. I’m not Miss America – far, far from it – but I did once win a pageant when I was…um, 20, I think. That’s a story for another day, in another blog entry. Maybe. I’m not much of a politician. I’m a registered Democrat. I vote, even in the primaries, and I like to keep myself informed with what is going on, but I’m not one of those political diehards. I am also not a tree-hugging hippie. Am I a combination of all of those? I don’t know. I’ll let you guys decide. So, what world-wide issue would I start with? For that, I think the answer is quite simple. We need to start with the basics and take a good, long look in the mirror. What is one of Mother Earth’s most precious resources? Her inhabitants. My definition of inhabitants is all-encompassing. I’m referring to people, animals, plants, bugs (although, I wouldn’t mind going without those) and all other living creatures that populate this giant, rotating ball we all call home. We need to be nicer to ourselves and each other. We need to be mindful of our actions, and how what we do impacts those around us, and the planet. Think about the last time you were really pissed off or upset. What happened to do that? Did someone say or do something that got you worked up? Probably. Or maybe you accidentally forgot something, and you beat yourself up over it. If we were nicer to each other, and didn’t make things so difficult on ourselves, I think we’d be a lot happier. Have you ever had a stranger on the street smile and say hi when they walked by? How did that make you feel? It happens to me all the time on my long-ass walk to and from work. I can tell you exactly what happens. It makes me smile. There really is some truth to the saying that smiling is contagious. Stop and think about that for a minute. If each of us makes a promise to be a little nicer, and smile more often, don’t you think the world would be a much happier place? Being nicer also applies to other living things, because as egotistic as we humans tend to be, we’re not the only ones who reside here. We need to remember that. Our environment is suffering because of the things we do. If we become more mindful of that, and we each do our part to help, imagine the global impact if everyone did this. So yeah, my “world-wide issue” that needs support is that we’re not nice enough. I hope you’ll all join me in trying to change that. Wow, that’s a lot more than 200 words, isn’t it? Now I’m curious so I’m going to do a word count. Word Count: 738 You all know I can be a bit long-winded. In Other News You may be wondering about my title, "There's a mouse in the house!" For the record, there is no mouse in my home. Thank God. If there was, I'd either burn the place down or sell it...or both. We went into work yesterday, and there was a mouse running around. A few people saw him today, too. I am thankful that I didn't see him. That would be bad. Real bad. I know things like that are around, but I don't want to see them or know about them. The only good mice, in my book, are named Mickey and Minnie, and they live in Disney World. Needless to say, if I do end up seeing the mouse in my office, I'll end up screaming like the girl I am, and I'd be halfway to New Jersey before anyone even knew what the Hell was happening. I had a great time at dinner last night with my friend, Jen. She's been my best friend since 9th grade. That's a lonnnngggg time ago. We went to a place nearby called The Pour House. It's an awesome place. They have every beer imaginable. The best part of the whole meal was girl talk and getting to catch up with my best friend. Sporting News Jeffrey Lurie, owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, held a press conference yesterday now that the season is over...because the Eagles fucking suck. "This was, without question, the most disappointing season since I've owned the team," Lurie said. "It's completely unacceptable..." he went on to say. Now, I ask you this, what typically happens when an owner makes a statement like that after a lackluster season? Typically, the head coach would be fired. So, did Jeffrey Lurie fire Andy Reid? Nope. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate what Andy Reid has done during his tenure here, but I think he's no longer effective as the head coach of the Eagles. That's not to say I don't think he could coach elsewhere. I definitely think he can. The problem here seems to be that the players have tuned him out. He's not getting through to them. Well, I can blog about this forever and it's not going to change the fact that the Eagles organization is not addressing one of the biggest issues of the losing season they had. Music, Music, Music I'm going to leave you all with this song. It definitely relates to my response to today's prompt. Enjoy...and !http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBJRZaIkHxI Happy New Year! |
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