%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |
A place for random thoughts, ideas, and fun! |
|
What really goes on in Amy's brain? I'll use this space to share more about myself and my interests, journal some of the more exciting goings-on in my life, and work through some of the writing ideas and dilemmas I'm wrestling with. Enjoy! Movie Review Mondays . . . if you watch a film after reading a review, please come back and let me know what you thought!    |
| Ok gentle readers . . . I'm not a celebrity hound, but this caught my eye, and I had to share: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20179011,00.html It's not that often that a celebrity publicly declares that she is nursing her child. As a very strong advocate for breastfeeding, it delights me to see nursing being put out there as a positive, beneficial choice. Ok, so maybe she could have worn a top that revealed a little less . . . but I have to say that it certainly caught my attention! Ellen's too, apparently!  It saddens me to not be able to use this anymore, but I'd love to put this forth for any mom who is nursing/considering nursing: I HAVE A SUPERPOWER: I MAKE MILK! ** Image ID #1372237 Unavailable ** |
| This was an article in Sunday's local paper. The guy was our optometrist, until we moved in June. Very cliche, but . . . he was such a nice guy, always talked about his family when I was in his office. I never would have expected this! Clearly he had a work "persona" . . . perhaps he was TOO nice? http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008802170377  |
| It was . . . gosh, only a week ago!? I logged on last Thursday morning to find an email from dareng. In summary, things had gotten unlivable for him, at home. I'd offered him a place to stay, if he wanted to come check out the culinary schools in the area. So, with much apology, he asked whether he might be able to come stay with us for a few days, while he found a job and apartment in the area. Of course I said YES!!! Friday he left home, and with only a few minor misadventures, made it to my house on Sunday afternoon - in plenty of time for the Superbowl! Meanwhile, I had pretty much the entire Gutter family in scroll with me on Sunday, saying "is he there yet? Is he there yet?" Of course, from the moment he arrived, it was like having an old friend visiting . . . and at the same time, I've learned so much more about him during our many discussions over the past 4 days. He's been working hard to find a job, and yet still finding plenty of time to play.  We've watched a couple of fabulous movies, and we made an awesome dinner together, tonight!He's been emailing my mom (aka GFG) and I think she's ready to adopt him for real! I'm so glad to have him here . . . and excited to know that, even when he finds a place of his own, he'll still be close enough that I can see him often (ok, so he's gonna make IRL friends in the area in a heartbeat, I'm sure! But hopefully he'll still have time for Mumsy!  )** Image ID #1372237 Unavailable ** |
I started a new blog today. Inspired by Seisa-sleepingcatbooks.com   's
 ) . . . but hopefully you'll get a kick out of his funny sayings!
|
An opportunity has presented itself, that I find myself unable to pass up. Ever heard of Dove Chocolate at Home? http://www.dovechocolateathome.com/ A few months ago, I hosted an in-home party - YUM! Picture . . . chocolate martinis, and melted chocolate with lots of tasty edibles to dip!  I received an email from the consultant who did the party for me . . . she's been given 4 free start-up kits, as an incentive to get others involved in the company. I LOVE chocolate! I love making chocolates! And I've been looking for something that will allow me to bring in a bit of money, but still stay home and work on my writing. So, I'm meeting with her today, to talk more about it! I'm very excited . . . and nervous.  Wish me luck! ** Image ID #1372237 Unavailable ** |
What a weekend! I had such a fabulous time meeting Brandiwyn🎶  and Seisa-sleepingcatbooks.com ! They are both just as awesome as they seem, in scroll! Brandi’s hospitality was wonderful – I slept like a baby all 3 nights (which could have had something to do with how exhausted I was by the time I finally went to bed, but oh well!) She brought me breakfast in my comfy scrolling chair every morning, and she even had chai and vanilla soy milk waiting when I arrived! Picking up where I left off after my last blog post . . . I actually managed to get some work done editing the first few chapters of "Digging for Clues"  while sitting in Potbelly. Yes, be very very proud of me! I haven’t touched the damn thing since the first week of NaNoWriMo. After Brandi finished singing, we went SHOPPING! I got some awesome clearance items for myself, Bob, and the girls. My bargain of the day was a pair of pink, sparkly jeans for Sophie, for $3.97! Shopping complete, we headed back to Brandi’s house, where we relaxed and hung out in scroll for a few hours. Seisa arrived shortly after we got back, and when it was time for Brandi to leave for rehearsal, Seisa and I headed off to meet George for dinner. We went to an AMAZING Indian restaurant called Bayleaf, where I enjoyed both the food and the company very much. Again, I have to say how great it was to meet George! Seisa -  , girl! After dinner, we headed back to Brandi’s house, where we got ourselves comfy with our laptops, once again . . . and they proceeded to show me MST3K – Mitchell. Yes, I’ve now seen the film that got Brandi her OTHER nickname! Very funny – the funniest part was watching the 2 of them watch it! After Seisa left for the night, I discovered Brandi’s massage chair!  Oh yeah, baby! I thought I’d never get up from that spot. I introduced her to the wonders of Mah Na Mah Na, which anyone who spent any time in scroll this weekend should be well aware of! Mumsy stayed up WAYYYYYY late, my darlings! I think I went to bed around 2 AM? And didn’t get up until 10, the next morning! (I’m telling ya . . . I could definitely get used to that. Hell, I did! Very quickly! )We spent a relaxing day at Brandi’s, and Seisa joined us in the afternoon. Again, Brandi left for rehearsal, and Seisa took me to an incredible little hole in the wall Turkish restaurant called Anatolia. Oh. My. Goodness!!! The hummus was incredible . . . and the pita they served it with was fresh out of the oven – thick, and tasting remarkably like the bread served in tavernas all over Greece . . . with the fascinating addition of a sprinkling of black nigella seeds, and sesame seeds. If you’ve ever tasted Armenian string cheese . . . black nigella seeds give it its unique flavor. Fabulous! Chicken kebabs served with yogurt for dinner. Yummy, but I ended up taking most of it with me, because I NEEDED to save room for the famous rice pudding that George had told me about. I was not disappointed! I ended up ordering a second serving, to take back for Brandi. She had my leftovers, and rice pudding for dinner! The plan was to watch Bend it Like Beckham that evening . . . but we never did end up turning it on! No matter – we had another great evening, laughing and chatting. Another session in the massage chair was definitely called for, and I made it until almost 2 AM yet again! This morning I slept until 10:30! It’s gonna be REEEEALLY hard to get up at 6:30, tomorrow morning! Relaxed, packed up, and met Seisa at Franklin Conservatory, where we had a great time wandering around and looking at all of the plants, and the incredible miniatures made entirely out of plant materials. Brandi had to leave, to go to work  , so Seisa and I wandered around the Conservatory some more, on our own. I took tons of photos – so yes, you can see that I actually did get up off of my ass this weekend, and did something in Columbus! (see "Gutters up a tree?" )Back to Seisa’s house, where we picked up George, and walked down to Jeni’s for ice cream. Yes, I said ice cream. It was TOTALLY worth it! The flavors were fascinating, unusual, and absolutely incredible. Back to Seisa’s house, where I got to meet Buckey! I also saw Callie, but she didn’t stick around to say hello. And then it was time to head to the airport. Saying goodbye was hard, but I KNOW that we’ll all see each other again, soon. A Gutter family reunion (or reonion! ) is being thought of . . . and a Minion reunion is also in the works. Plus, with Skybus flying into New Castle airport now, with $10 fares . . . there will definitely be more trips to and from Columbus! (Those flights go both ways, my friends! I’ll be waiting!) As I write this, I’m sitting on the plane, flying home . . . Bob is meeting me at the airport, and I think he’s gonna take me someplace yummy for dinner. After all, I only had ice cream for lunch! ** Image ID #1372237 Unavailable ** |
| After spending an entire night dreaming that I’d overslept my alarm and missed both my shuttle and flight, my alarm did in fact go off as scheduled, at the ungodly hour of 4:30 AM. The shuttle showed up on time, despite the fact that my idiotic brain somehow transposed two numbers when inputting my street address during the scheduling process. My shuttle driver spent the entire ride sharing with me the premise of the book he’s trying to write – his theory of education, the failure of the current system, and the paradigm shift that needs to take place in order for our children to reach their potential. Fascinating, and definitely with merit . . . but a bit too out there to be accepted in the mainstream. I spent more time waiting in the airport than I actually did sitting on the plane. The flight actually left EARLY, and when we landed and I called Brandiwyn🎶 , she hadn’t even arrived at the airport, yet! The timing ended up being absolutely perfect; my luggage tumbled down the baggage claim belt just as she was pulling up in front of the door! A short drive, and we reached our first destination. Starbucks, of course! Seisa-sleepingcatbooks.com arrived soon after we did . . . and then we were three! I could scarcely believe that I was sitting there with 2 of Storm Machine  's Gutter gals! We wandered over to Barnes and Noble, where we spent an hour checking out books . . . and found a stuffed penguin that reminded us of ⭐Princette♥PengthuluWrites  , and a moose that reminded us of Jedi Moose  . Then to an adorable sandwich shop called Potbelly, where Seisa and I listened to Brandi sing and play guitar for the next two hours. We didn’t heckle her too much . . . Lunch at Potbelly, and then we headed to Brandi’s house . . . where we all sat down in the living room, with our laptops, and spent the next several hours laughing our asses off while chatting together, in scroll! (Hey, it’s great fun when we’re sitting separately – it’s hysterical when we’re next to each other!) (Please see "Invalid Item" ) A scrollie pollie determined that we’d have Greek food for dinner. So back to the car we went, and off to Seisa’s house . . . where we picked up George, and walked to a wonderful restaurant called The Happy Greek. (Opa!) AMAZING tzatziki – after tasting it, I changed my mind about what to order for my meal, so I could have something that came with more tzatziki! And I did something I hadn’t done in too too many years . . . I dipped my fries in tzatziki!  That, and a glass of Kouras Medea, and suddenly I felt as though I’d been transported back 15 years, to a taverna in Athens! Thanks to Eliot for the round of drinks! I so enjoyed meeting George! He’s just as Seisa described him. His dry wit cracked me up! After dinner we headed back to Brandi’s house, where we all booted up, and sat down with our laptops again! And then . . . and THEN!!! We watched Across the Universe!!! And I think they even liked it . . . I could barely keep my eyes open, and yet I couldn’t close them . . . by the time the movie was over, I’d been awake for 20 hours! Needless to say, I slept VERY well. AND I didn’t wake up until after 9! Wow – THAT was a treat! As I write this, I’m sitting in Potbelly again, listening to Brandi play. Later we’ll meet up with Seisa, again. There will probably be some shopping involved, and then Seisa and I will meet George for Indian food, while Brandi goes to a rehearsal. After that . . . who knows!? I’m sure we’ll end up back in scroll at some point! ** Image ID #1372237 Unavailable ** |
| This year's party was fabulous! More than one person thought it was the best one yet. It was certainly the largest - we had 40 people! Including one of my very best friends who flew in from Western PA to be here! It was very disappointing that my mom wasn't able to be here for it, but it turns out she made the right decision to stay at home. (see previous entry) It was a bit of a different feel - this house is set up very differently from our old house. In previous years, everyone congregated in our large country kitchen, with the food on the center island and kitchen table. In this house . . . the kitchen isn't as large (not eat-in, though still very spacious and ergonomic) and has more of a peninsula than an island. It was odd to be all alone in the kitchen, pulling trays of hors d'oeuvres out of the oven while everyone congregated in the dining room. I also didn't have my other best friend, mdbank there to help me with the oven stuff. That was a bummer. Well, it was a bummer that he wasn't able to be there, at all. But I suppose his father's birthday party takes precedence. *sighs* . . . He doesn't have anything in his port yet . . . go hassle him to get cracking! All of Bob's siblings drove down for the party, which was really wonderful. It was also our longest lasting party - the last person didn't leave until close to 11. Bob was about to topple over, and finally said "I need to go upstairs and get changed and lay down." That did the trick! My friend and I stayed up way, WAY too late, talking. She took tons of pictures, so hopefully I'll soon have some to share.** Image ID #1355452 Unavailable ** |
| My grandma died about 3 hours before our holiday party. My mom wasn't with her, but she hadn't driven down for the party, so she was nearby. I'm driving there next weekend to spend time with her. No service - there's no one there who would attend anyway. She had no friends, and honestly, she had no one who could tolerate her. A very sad way to live . . . an even sadder way to die. I'll blog about the party tomorrow, hopefully! ** Image ID #1355452 Unavailable ** |
| I honestly don't know, at the moment. My mom called me this afternoon to let me know that my grandmother is dying. She has cancer, and has been declining fairly rapidly. I've got so many thoughts floating through my mind, and none of them are particularly kind. Right now, I'm pissed because it means my mom probably won't be coming down for our holiday party, this weekend. I'm also upset because I can't jump in the car and drive up to support my mom. I'm feeling guilty for feeling those things, and for feeling no sadness. And I'm feeling . . . well, anger, I suppose . . . because she's the reason I cannot feel any sadness with her passing. I tried to sit down and write some of this earlier, but couldn't make myself. I'm sure I'll have to do it again, do it better, do it more thoroughly, but right now I just need to get some of it out. My grandmother was the most selfish, self-absorbed, unkind, malicious, passive-aggressive, negative person I've ever met in my life. She made my mother's life a living hell for the 12+ years during which she lived with my mother. She berated her, she threatened her, she made her feel uncomfortable in her own home, she was constantly demanding things . . . and she'd basically announced to my mother that she was moving in with her, right after Dhoc-li Llama was born. It was almost 1 year ago that she ended up in the hospital, and my mother absolutely lost it - she REFUSED to allow my grandmother to come back into her home. She had been gradually needing more care, and my mother could NOT, would NOT do it any longer. It was a hellish few weeks, until we finally managed to get everything taken care of, and get grandma safely ensconced in an assisted living facility. She called my mom repeatedly and threatened her "you have my checkbook (my mom wouldn't bring it to the hospital because it wasn't safe for her to have it there) and I'm going to have you arrested! I'm going to follow you and haunt you, and make sure you never get another job!" That's what my mother lived with for over a decade.  My experience with my grandmother . . . was not all that much more pleasant. I didn't have the daily misery of it, but whenever they would visit, it was horrible. She played favorites - when Jakie was a baby, she brought him a few cute outfits, brought Sarah something very special . . . and brought Sophie a package of underwear. She was childish "oh well, I'm not going to bother saying goodbye to you, because you don't like me anyway," she said to Sophie one time. Going back . . . ON MY WEDDING DAY, she said to me "you really should have worn your retainer because your teeth are a mess." Anything that she thought came flying out of her mouth. Everything was "if there's one thing I can't stand, it's . . . " The last straw for me was when she said that about the pacifier I'd given Jakie. The child didn't use one, but I'd had some in hopes that I could stop being a human pacifier every once in a while. He was toddling around the kitchen, with a WOODEN SPOON in his mouth, so I said "you can't walk around with that in your mouth, it's not safe. This is safe," and gave him the pacifier. "*tsk* If there's one thing I can't stand . . . " and I snapped "well, it's a hell of a lot better than having him running around with a wooden spoon in his mouth!" "What are you yelling at ME for, what did I ever do to you?" etc etc etc . . . they were getting ready to leave, and she got her purse, and walked out the door. Didn't say goodbye . . . didn't say goodbye to my children, either. She refused to speak to me until I apologized to her. Yeah, right. There are so many other stories . . . those seem sort of lame when I think about them now, but they're the instances that are standing out in my mind at the moment. There's more, there's a lot more . . . but I don't have the time to write it, at the moment. Perhaps I'll write more later this evening.  |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
Both of the kids were SUPER charming this morning. I'm thinking of going on strike.
