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 |  My Blog. Generally Intended for Reading-Not Eating!. |
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Rose-Tinted Ramblings ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** A Little of What You Might Expect & A Lot of Everything Else that You Don't!. My writing style for my blog is invariably 'snarkastic'. This is because I am a nice, unassuming and quietly-spoken person IRL-and this blog is where my innermost moments and torments happen. Trust me, I am no exception to that delightful rule. Greetings! Welcome to my THIRD blog here on WDC. A re-incarnation of my earlier version of my Blog, here "Insanties and Sensibilities" this v.03 should prove to be equally...challenging and hopefully, entertaining. That said, life often weaves through our writing in mysterious ways, and this Blog will probably prove to be no exception to that. We are very likely all quite different, yet the same, us writers and our collective little whims, fascinations and insecurities. |
| October 15, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 46 (F) Chilly Events of Note: Being a part of something more... In the Nudes: Cheney treated for an abnormal heart rhythm. From My Bookshelf: "As He Saw It"-Elliott Roosevelt.  Well, my mother broke the communication drought, and called me last night for my wedding anniversary. My uncle's brain surgery went well, but he has a long and difficult rehabilitation ahead of him. Anya will have a *new* cousin arriving in the world next May, apparently. Which sort of begged my family to ask the question if we were anticipating another baby bundle, ourselves. No. Categorically. Emphatically, biologically...well, I was going to say nada, but the real Nada   might feel offended. Or, not.  I'm feeling quite delighted to note that my hair is growing really rapidly, which means great happiness for me, because hair is a measurement of my general health and well-being. It has grown several inches during the past month. No particular wedding anniversary plans-just enjoying ourselves and reflecting on who, what and how has gotten us through an interesting and action-packed last four years. |
| October 14, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 50 (F) Foggy. Events of Note: Feeling and doing better... In the Nudes: Stock markets rally worldwide, California wildfires Thanks to Anonymous who gave me GPs, with a caveat, this morning. However, I have neither the energy [physical or mental], nor the additional GPs for awarding an awardicon during any reviewing. I just don't. I'm sorry. Whenever I re-purchase an upgraded membership, I usually buy additional GPs. Once they are gifted-that's it-until my next membership renewal. I do limited reviewing here because I can't sit at a computer for any great length of time, and read, as well as write what I would consider to be a thoughtful and thorough public review. Mostly, I gift GPs to people who comment in my blog, because blogging is primarily what I do here. Another reason why I don't do a lot of group activity. Or contests, for that matter. I prefer to focus on what I can do, and not on what I can't. This may come off as being selfish, but I see it as a sort of self-preservation. I feel fortunate just to be able to respond to comments that folks leave in my blog - and some days/weeks/months - even that is a stretch. Periodically, my husband makes adjustments to my home and computer environment, so that I can keep writing my blog. He can see how much of an outlet the Blogville community has become in my life. My hope is that there will continue to be 'space' for individuals here at WDC, as much as there is for groups, communities, and people who manage to do marathon reading, reviewing and rating.  Blogville |
| October 13, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 54 (F) Clear and Cool Events of Note: The unsolicited comments/advice of strangers. In the Nudes  at Sharon Osborne's 'attack' on Nicole Kidman. It's that time of year when I start gathering up tiny festive trinkets to send in Christmas boxes, across the miles. So, "Beanie" and I wandered across the road to the Mall, enjoying the sunshine, and pausing to look at the pretty Fall [natural scenery]. Before we left, I put on a good slathering of sunscreen, a dot or two of light foundation, and a pale pink lip-balm. Understated, and aside from the sunscreen, much more makeup than I can usually be bothered with anymore. People here, at least in my County, seem to be far less about appearances. I am accustomed to my European upbringing, which is the opposite. So, I sit somewhere in the middle, even though I still cringe inwardly if I see the shoe-polish fading on my shoes. "Beanie" was in a mood and of a determined mind that involved her finagling every possible toy out of me, in the shortest imaginable time-frame. For one, I flatly refused to be fooled by the toy, plastic guns that she was fascinated with. Somewhere in the greeting cards section, a very well-dressed woman was watching us, quietly. Eventually, as we moved past one another, she remarked loudly in passing, "I think it's wrong that you young women these days wear so much makeup. No wonder you dress your daughter up like a show-pony!." To which I smiled serenely and merely nodded. It was interesting to note, that "Beanie" was wearing a long-sleeved play smock, with blue jeans underneath, and her two-toned gumboots from New Zealand. I try not to generalize, by stereotyping all of my fellow friends and Americans as opinionated, obnoxious and arrogant. Such traits, are almost always to be found universally - at least in Western societies. Everyone has an opinion. Some of us choose to express it, while others of us remain silent. I can only speculate on what really may have prompted this woman, a stranger, no less, to pre-judge my daughter and I seemingly so harshly. In days gone by, I would have offered a poisoned-tongued retort. I only mention today's incident here, to highlight to myself, that I can and have moved on from being quite so affected by such encounters. It must be Me/Wonderful Me/Fabulous Me!. |
| October 12, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 56 (F) Sunny and Breezy Events of Note: Remembering... In the Nudes: IMF President warns of imminent global financial collapse. I wonder what my father would have thought of these flowers [see below]. They were one of the floral arrangements created for our wedding. I'd stood firm on three main stipulations for our wedding-fresh flowers, freshly-prepared food, and family, including my relatives from Zimbabwe, who'd recently managed to get emergency refugee status to return to New Zealand to live and work. ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** My father died from an extremely rare and aggressive tumor that usually only affects children. It is also passed down by generation, so my brother and I will need to have regular scans for the rest of our lives. A constant reminder, as if we needed or wanted it, of the pain that he experienced. Just as parents can never imagine having to bury their children, nether do children imagine that same fate for their parents, when they are themselves just a child. Many parents hope that they will leave their children a lasting legacy-one that endures above everything else. My father's was the mark of his personality and temperament that he left with me. I love and miss you, Dad. |
| October 10, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 56 (F) Very windy and blustery. Events of Note: This part of October is one of mixed emotions for me/us. In the Nudes: SF approves net suicide barrier for the Golden Gate Bridge. Low mood, today. The 12th will be the anniversary of my father's death. The 16th is our fourth wedding anniversary. Mixed emotions, swings and roundabouts, and I'm sleepy, too. I'm depressed because my mother hasn't written to me for weeks. This may not ordinarily bother me, but she does not call, either. Has NEVER called me, the whole time that I've been living in the U.S [even after my daughter was born]. She doesn't get it. Likely, she's too stubborn and too arrogant to change her ways and to act any differently. That does not make it hurt any less. Resentment?. Not really. I try to be forgiving, because we have been through so much, together, and now, I'm living my life a lot differently than she'd ever really imagined for me. Some women get closer to their own mothers following motherhood. Not me. That might seem sad, but I sensed when we were last in New Zealand, that she's just plain tired and worn out. A basic bio-statistic about "Qualys" [Quality Adjusted Life Years] says that for every year of life, mothers of special needs children accumulate an additional six years onto their actual age, for every year that they take care of their child with special needs. My mother had two children with special needs. She's 66. Do the math, based on Qualys Scores, and that makes her....aged a lot because of the stress association to do with raising my brother and I. As a single mother for most of it, too, since she was widowed by 44. So, it's not really for me to judge, but by her actions, I do know her. *Sigh Shopped for an obscene lot of candy, today. Consolation prize. I'm about to buy an anniversary gift online for my husband. I ran out of imagination and motivation. So, I'd better go and see to that. Have a fabulous and exciting Friday-it's the weekend!. Kudos to Scarlett for the Blogville News blitz, and to all of the contributing authors who made it such a great read!. |
| October 09, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 59 (F) Windy, gusty, breezy-lemon-squeezie. Events of Note: Feeling squiffy and studiously ignoring the fact. In the Nudes: AIG asks for more $$$ "Please, Sir-I want some more!" Something's making "Beanie" impossible today. I wish I understood precisely what, because I need an emergency prescription for whatever brain stimulating chemical that she's on at the moment. Wall-climbing is a mild description. Gawd... Wind outside today isn't too bad-roughly 40mph gusts, is all. Did some yard work outside, earlier, which was...refreshing, including "Beanie" accompanying me and running around furiously like a nut. Frankly, the idea of hunkering down and living like hermits is proving to be extremely appealing to us. Maybe even holing up in the mountain-house for a Winter, if shove comes to push. My husband did that one Winter, until his family began worrying about him and sent him a helicopter to bring him back to...civilization.  I've decided that my present medical dictionary is defunct. 8,000 medical terms, and definitions of the latest medical treatments and therapies, quickly becomes outdated in about three months, and I've had this particular sucker for...oh, five years. Time to upgrade-and get the illustrated version. Medicine is much more fun in pictures. You get to pore over definitions and go, "Eew-sure glad that I don't have THAT!." It's like paint-by-numbers for morbid types like yours truly. About as close to Halloween as I'll ever get, or be. See you in the Revoodous.... |
| October 08, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 59 (F) Breezy and sunny, sunny and Breezy. Events of Note: Iiiiiiiiiiit's re-decoration time in my Blog!. In the Nudes:Counter-"terror" raids in Leeds. Since I'm bored - yes, you read it right - bored, I'm going to be doing some blog and port re-decoration, and Halloween or Fall decorations are not permitted!. I'm sorry-I just don't do Halloween. Most of my re-decoration involves putting up a few new articles and pictures. Oh, joy. Still nursing myself, having managed two loads of laundry, cleaning the bathroom, scraping the gooey gremlin- looking-like substances out of the microwave, and watering my flowers. The moment that I sit back down at my computer, some inconsiderate somebody starts up a jackhammer down the street from my house. Dude started that at 6:00am, followed up with a leaf-blower and then by a carpet shampooer. City living. Welcome to it. Wind is picking up somewhat. Apparently, another one of those tropical storms is set to pound our Pacific paradise. Wind warnings are out for today and tomorrow. Major wind anticipated tomorrow night, so Mr. Rainbowapple is wandering around our yard securing stuff and things. In so far as we don't lose any windows, fencing or roofing, we should be pretty much set like Jello. |
| October 07, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 60 (F) Cloudy and cool-ish. Events of Note: Managing... In the Nudes: Political debates. Just managed a bowl of cereal, so that I can take my medication-have to be careful with dairy products while I'm taking this stuff, as well as not drink alcohol [fat chance] and skip on the UV rays exposure. Not perfect but not excruciating, either. Ah, modern medicine. "Beanie" seemed extra-cranky following her visit to the mountain house. Poor moppet. She's in her own bed, now, fast asleep. We'll soon be following her. Night hours of darkness are now fast outnumbering daylight hours, and the nights are considerably cooler. Whenever life gets tough, physically, and with everything that I've been through, when all of the medical "requirements" of my life seem to be all-consuming, and so invasive, I turn to nature for comfort. Some people turn to faith. Whereas, I look to natural tangibles like earth, sea and sky. Sounds kinda cliche, but it's somewhat 'grounding'.  Didn't manage a hair-wash, tonight, but good things take time... |
| October 07, 2008. [Third attempt at an entry tonight-I just love my computer-can't you tell?. Wanker]. I'm flat-out-tired and still sick. Filed insurance paperwork, my husband had an emergency dental appointment at the frontier clinic, with less than 2 hrs notice for a 2 hour drive. He has an abscess, and 75+ miles drive one way is a long way to get some Amoxicillin and basic pain relief. He needs a root canal [surprise, surprise]. But, since a root canal is classed as dental surgery, he has to drive a further four hours, nearly to SF, to the next clinic that will take our insurance. On a happier note, "Beanie" was well enough for us to leave her up at the mountain house with my in-laws for tonight. She'll be back at 10am tomorrow, so it's a brief break, but I was prepared to take anything by late this/yesterday afternoon. I was back to throwing up again-just when I thought I'd gotten past that. Ridiculous. All I really want to do is drink clear fluids and drowse a lot. So not like me, but then, I haven't been feeling like myself, since we got back from N.Z. How am I supposed to be looking for work, when I'm constantly feeling so disgusting?. More later, when I've slept some... |
| October 05, 2008. Whether the Weather be: 61 (F) Cloudy. Events of Note: Still feeling ill-actually, we're all in varying degrees of ick. In the Nudes: Mmm-dunno, I'm avoiding that topic at the moment=too crazy. O.K., we're all sick. My husband's face [on one side] is all swelled up, looking like someone/something smacked him a good one-actually, it's his tooth, which has had three dental visits and no improvement-and, yes, we hate and fear dentists more than ...well, death and taxes. Probably, we despise them additionally, because we inadvertently let our health insurance [such as it be] lapse while we were in New Zealand. Bad move. I'm still crook as a poisoned pup, despite the throwing up part having eased off considerably. Unfortunately, me and light diets do not sit together particularly happily, so we'll see. "Beanie" is crashed out on the downstairs couch, after complaining of a headache. So, tomorrow, we deal with/to the medical insurance, and then the following day, drive 75 miles up the mountain to the only frontier clinic that takes our insurance, or not. Maybe stop by at the mountain house, if my in-laws are back from wherever the heck and gone they've been/are. So, not much to report, but I am managing laundry/dishes/beds, so that's an upswing on yesterday's trash... |
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