I have nothing

I have nothing today. My eyes feel like there is a 100 lb weight on them.

In the meanwhile, enjoy Maxine.

Isn't she cute!

For discussion, do you think Maxine is funny. Does she say what we, the more polite, want to say. Or is she just what her coffee cup says!

A wet cheek smooch to everyone!

My turn - the good and bad of OT

First of all I'd like to say that these are just my impressions fueled by my insecurities, feelings and moral outlook. I don't mean to make anyone feel bad or like they did anything on purpose.

I found RWTV during BB5, I believe. I get so wrapped up in BB. My kids and now my bf think I'm unstable in that when it's over I feel like I've lost a part of my life. I don't know why I get so wrapped up, swear every year I won't, but I do and will again. I saw OT mentioned but had no idea what OT was. By luck I found my way there. "What a bunch of funny, witty peeps", I thought. I remember Kimmah and her spectabulous hair. Then the electrion threads started and I am so political. My whole morality, deep beliefs, and who I am is wrapped up in my political views. It's no surprise that PRE's comments and views piss me off. I just find his tone so superior. His posts say to me "I'm so above all of you and my views are right and you foolish people are all going to hell". He can protest that he doesn't mean to appear this way but time after time of hearing "That's why us conservatives don't get (understand, like) you liburals" the message is clear. It is true that I was getting more knee jerking with each one and finally realized I needed to get away. But before I did I got into the SS gift exchange and that was so fun. As some have said in Carey's blog, there were just so many posters that I couldn't keep them all straight. Beside Kimmah and Nutz, the rest are a blur.

Then BB6 came along and I found myself on RWTV again and, after it was over, I wondered into the minefield that is OT. I found so much humor, quick wit there and would laugh much more than IRL. I told myself that I wouldn't read any of PREs posts or responses. Then the whole gay marriage threads and, by god, I got so upset again. The first one I remember had HD so upset.

Side note - I've always been great at jumping in with both feet when I think someone I like is being mistreated - jumping in for myself, not so much.

I got so mad and angry and started my snipping. Then Carey was hurt and I got even angrier. Then PRE and I had an email exchange which was nasty. (The worms up my ass is a classic and lets me have a smile when I think of those posts.)

Then (remember these are my feelings and now I know they are irrational) when I was defending (I thought) HD (which is kinda funny 'cause he can defend himself much more eloquently-sp than I ever could) I felt he went cold on me. He no longer answered my red flaggy things. I felt hurt. (HD - now I can see that I wasn't helping the situation by getting nasty and knee jerking and calling out Pre and Rulz. But in my mind, at the time, I felt that I was defending all my gay friends and my brother.) Then I pulled out of the SS gift exchange for two reasons: 1. I was afraid that I'd get PRE, and 2. no one there liked me anyway.

Since then, except for Cary, Syren, CSTL, Nutz and a few others no one commented to me even when I purposely tried to get a response, with a compliment or such. So , instead of examining what I did to cause this, I just decided that everyone was rude and clickish. Then when other peeps felt slighted I jumped on that band wagon. I guess that I was making a click of "the slighted" so to speak. Then there was the dislike of AB that became obvious. Altho I found some of her posts cutting, I didn't find them that offensive. Her heart seems to be in the right place, her words kinda awkward. GF Doo has expressed her feelings which I relate to also.

Side note: My like/dislike of people is usually around what I see in their heart. I'm not the type that can disagree on value issues and still proclaim friendship with a person. By values I mean, I can and will never be friends with a predjudiced person, whether the predjudice is racial, religious, sexual oriented. That is a core belief in my heart. A religious person can believe that being gay is a sin but in their hearts like gays and believe that gays deserve the same rights as (what do I call us) ungay and I can be their friend. If they believe being gay is a sin and that gays should rightly be discriminated against - then I could never be a friend. I, most of the time, can be sorta friendly around them, but if the "vomit of their feelings" start coming out. 99.9% of the time the fight (figuratively 'cause I'm a wimp physically) is on. Insert in the above any ethnic group or religious group.

So that's what I mean about AB's posts and that her heart was in the right place. I know some of you greatly dislike her and that's ok.

I missed the banning while "boycotting" OT but I did realize some peeps were gone, especially Kimmah since I remembered her. And nothing could get me to the 2nd other place because if I don't cut down my visiting of OT and blobs to a reasonable amount my life will be sleep, OT, blogs - repeat!

I must admit that I still get some of you mixed up, for instance it took a long time to know who was Augie and who was Arkie (could you have more similar names). I've got a firm hold on Arkie now but Augie let's see - you were born in August and are really cute and live in .. It's no offense (I kinda feel I've dug a hole with this) Augie but, as was said on Carey's blog there are so many but after I post this you will be engraved in my memory 'cause I'm visiting blogs and OT so that I can answer a quiz about you. (Gosh this isn't going well.) To me it's like finding myself in a high school of 1000 others and trying to catch up. I sorta know you all, want to know you more, enjoy your posts (and especially your blogs) but except for a few everyone else is lumped into a group of people I find funny and like but haven't got a hold on the individuality yet. (Is this making sense).

Anyway back to OT and feeling left out - after reading Carey's blog it all made sense to me. For those of you who don't want to hurt feelings, we all will understand that none of us can reply to everyone. I will visit all the blogs I can, when i can, comment when I can 'cause when it comes right down to it we do it (visit blogs and OT) for ourselves. We do it for entertainment, to find people like us, to find people unlike us. And when we bond with another it enriches our lives.

Now if you are still here and awake - 'top of the morning to ya' it's almost St. Patrick's day and I'm always green!

All grammar errors and spelling errors are dedicated to: who is it again? The grammar police person?

Test because my comments disappeared

I so need the comments link to return. So this is a test.

BTW, I love the building in the top picture below. I want an adobe house!

Manitou Springs 

Pike's Peak 

Bf and sister 

The Step-Daughter is gone - thank you!

Well, we made the trip to Colorado. We left Thursday night/Friday morning. I went to sleep at 10 p.m. and was woke up around 1:30. We got in the car, me, bf, and step-daughter. When I travel I'm ready to hit the road but bf had to stop to get gas, go to Wal-Mart, and eat. We didn't leave the West side of Columbus until 5:00 a.m. About an hour later we had a flat tire. It was bitter cold and blowing some snow. What a pain in the ass. After changing the tire and keeping bf from getting hit by passing cars we were on our way. We drove straight through to Colorado Springs arriving around 10 p.m. our time, 8 Colorado time.

On our way to drop Sd off at momma's house I find out that there is an elaborate lie brewing. It seems that she told her mom she was taking the bus and yada yada yada. The girl can not tell the truth, even when there is no reason to lie. It seems she was afraid that if she told momma that bf brought her momma would pitch a bitch (hopefully Sd). I told them that I was sick and tired and tired and sick of all her lies about everything. Anyway, we drop her off and go to bf's sisters. I am exhausted and excuse myself to sleep. Sister is very, very loud so I couldn't sleep until everyone went to bed.

Next morning sister makes an exceptionally large breakfast of eggs, brats, potatoes. We eat and get ready to tour. Colorado Springs is a very nice city. We went to the Garden of the Gods, picture of bf and sister will be posted. Then we went the Manitou Springs which is an old mining town turned tourist/artist shopping. I tend to buy what I see that I'd like when browsing but sister said, no, don't buy at the first place. We look around and check back. Well I can't do that because after 5 or 6 stores I forget where this and that were. She guaranteed me that she remembered (she didn't). I did purchase a turquoise ring. Then bf and I dropped off sister, niece and nephew and drove up the mountain to Cripple Creek. Cripple Creek is another nining town turn casinos. We lost $

Next day we had lunch with sister #2 - I liked her alot. Then I made him drive through Denver and then we went East. We left Colorado Springs at 4:00 EST or 2 Colorado time. We were tired and ended up spending the night in Kansas (which is not as flat as I'd been lead to believe - I saw rolling hills). Then Sunday we got up and started driving. We got home at 1:00 a.m. Tuesday after 12 hours straight driving. It was a tiring 4 days but I enjoyed the scenery and now I've been to Kansas and Colorado.

Now, I'm going to try to upload pictures. I have no idea where they will go!!!

New Year's Eve (week) in Vegas

I was going to post this in the other place but I can never get my pictures to upload. And before I dazzle all of you with said pictures I need to say that it fairly certain that Dbf and I will be driving from Ohio to Colorado Springs tomorrow night and then right back. We are taking the 'step-daughter from hell' back to momma. Any peeps on the way (I-70) let me know and we might have time to stop for a quicky on the way back.

New Years Night - we arrived at 9:30 p.m. and hurried to timeshare so we could get to the strip by midnight. My bum hip was a slight problem but we made it.


No I'm not the cutie on the wall.

Now I uploaded the pictures to share and they came up all out of order so my story has to be changed (to protect the innocent). Anyway, the next picture is the one I was saving for last 'cause, well cause it's a tribute to a wonderful peep. We were going from casino to casino our next to last day and there were these stands where they were selling this and that and lo and behold there was a 'cowboy hat' stand. So, here I am in my (actually theirs because I didn't buy it, just posed) cowboy hat (I don't look as good as Carey, but what the hey!!).

I have no idea why the necklace is in that position. I just noticed it! giggles.

Back to the story. We went to the valley of fire on the third day. I just love the red rocks against the blue sky. I actually had to hike myself up to get this picture and Dbf had to sit the camera on something and run up to get in the picture. And here we are!!

Now this is the picture that I uploaded first and it is last. The fireworks were spectabular!

This is my happy post (I'm alternating serious/happy until I run out of garabage in my head). Tomorrow will be the story of what happened to our house while we were enjoying Vegas!

And then we could be in the car for 4-5 days!

They say without your health you have nothing

Well, I disagree to a point. I've had some rough health issues and I think I have a lot in life. So since this typing it out, remembering and reading it process is cathartic here I go.

Bad habits, risks:
1. I smoke. Sorry, but I do and don't think I'll quit. I quit for 5 months once and didn't like it.
2. I live(d) on hamburgers. When I was 19 and on my first job I had my cholesterol taken. It was 250. I made a joke out of having a cholesterol equal to a 55yr old man.
3. Drugs - well I've done very few and not a lot of any. Mainly the tree, and the black rocks (hashish) and until recently not for 19 years. (but since Keith Richards is still alive is this a risk?)
4. Alcohol - I actually took a year off during my 20's to prove I wasn't an alcoholic and am pretty much an occasional drinker.
5. Exercise - didn't like the sweat thingy when I was young. I had kids and became more active.
6. Body type - I'm relatively thin still, sorta. I am fairly tall (5'8") with extremely long thin legs, thin arms, quite large oobies. They only problem area is my belly. I was never concave, but flatish when I was younger. I've put on some weight since my health problems and it's all in the oobies and belly - legs and arms still thin (oh and my rear is practically non-existent).
7. Heredity - Mom died at 52 of heart, Dad at 63. Siblings healthy except brother who died of aids. Grandma lived to 94, grandpa died at 47 from complications of job (firefighter). Other grandma lived to late 80's, grandpa 89.

Now, when I was on my 5 month sabbatical from smoking I was looking for a place to put the nicotine patch and noticed a lump on my back. This was around 1990. It was removed but was not anything to worry about.

Then I went through 2 1/2 years of having kidney stones every 6 months. Suddenly, they didn't come again.

Then in 1998 I started having some strange feelings in my head. I don't get headaches so it wasn't that. It was a zing, like if you put your tongue on a 9-volt battery. Come to find out I had a brain tumor, non-cancerous mass in my right forehead area. Dangers of removing it - if it had wrapped around my main artery I could have a stroke when they removed it and the possibility of being blind in one eye. Now that was scary (I was also going through my divorce). It was removed and all is well there - still. I was kinda funny having no hair on the right side and the staples were viscous looking.

Then 3 months post-brain surgery I had my gallbladder removed. No biggie, lots of people do that.

Then a non-health related tragedy - our house caught on fire on Christmas eve in '02. More on that in another post.

Then in '04, it was a night like many others. I was home rushing around to do some chores before I went out to eat with my new Dbf when suddenly I went flying through the air and fell on my hip. Yep, broke it. Repaired with three screws 24 hours later. I am really too young to have a broken hip (51). It hasn't healed well and I have trouble daily.

Then last year my Dbf ends up in the hospital for 2 weeks. His sugar was out of control and he developed a staph infection. He almost died and I was so distraught. The day he gets out I start having, what I though was, heartburn. Well later that evening I end up in the hospital with a major heart attack.

Phew - so my questions to you all are:

1. How's your health
2. Do you worry about it often? Did you ever think about it when you were younger?
3. Do you do the 'right' things to prevent such illnesses (like eat right, limit alcohol/drugs, exercise)?
4. Do you think health is lifestyle or heredity?
5. Is this just a bump in my road and I'll live for many years (like the tarot card reader in NO told me)?
6. Since hip replacements lasts 5-15 years, should I have one now and the hell with it when I'm 60ish and possibly can't walk, 'cause I need to enjoy myself now when I'm young, in a relatively young way!
7. Why can't I stop smoking when I know it's so bad for me?

I'm trying one of the quiz thingys

You Are A Blueberry Martini

You are a eclectic drink - liking to change drinks and venues often. You are usually the first of your friends to find a cool new dive bar or cocktail. You should never: Drink mystery drinks strangers hand you. Unless you want to wind up in foreign country. Your ideal party: Is mobile, hopping from party to party. Your drinking soulmates: Those with an Orange Martini personality. Your drinking rivals: Those with a Chocolate Martini personality.

What Flavor Martini Are You?

I got tagged by my gf DooWah

Four Things (tagged by Doo)
Four jobs I've had:
1. Receptionist
2. Keypuncher
3. Billing Clerk
4. Financial Analyst
Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. Notting Hill
2. Breakfast Club
3. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
4. Forces of Nature
Four Places I have lived:
1. Portsmouth, OH
2. Columbus, OH
3. Groveport, OH
4. Westerville, OH
Four TV shows I love:
1. Medium
2. Grey’s Anatomy
3. Big Brother
4. House
Four highly-touted TV shows I detest:
1. Lost
2. Any current comedy with a fat, lazy husband and a cute, thin wife running around trying to please him
3. WKRP in Cincinnati
4. Everyone Loves Raymond
Four books I'd recommend to anyone, anytime: (nothing deep here)
1. Diana Gabaldon time travel books
2. Linda Evanovich series
3. Tony Hillerman mysteries
4. Faye Kellerman, anything by her
Four places I have vacationed:
1. San Francisco
2. LA
3. NYC
4. Bahamas
Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Burgers ‘cause it’s all about the fat
2. Pizza
3. Mexican
4. Flo’s filet
Four sites I visit daily:
1. Peep’s blogs
2. RTVW
3. yahoo to search
4. work home page
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. on my next vacation
2. on my last vacation
3. thanksgiving with my siblings
4. on a beach iCaribbeanribean
Four things I'm thinking/feeling right now:
1. I’m tired
2. Confused - do I stay or do I go?
3. Hopeful - have the kids “gotten it” yet?
4. Anticipatory – New Mexico in May.

And I'm tagging:1. Emily Rugburn2. Nailbone3. Woe4. Any canucks who haven’t been tagged!
Not that anyone knows where my new site is!!

My thoughts

I'm sitting here avoiding party nite. I really don't like to party, per se. Dbf wants to go out every Saturday and, well it's snowing and drinking and driving is not good. I like to have people over and partake of a few drinks. Barefoot in the Park is on the TV. Robert Redford and Jane Fonda.

I'm unable to post to my other blog. I don't know what happened. And from Dbf's laptop I can't get to my peeps' blogs. I know I'm missing fun 'cause they're funny! My laptop is in the shop. The back connection for the charger is loose and it won't hold a charge. Can you believe they said it could be 3 to 4 weeks. Yikes, I can't do without it for that long. At least I have my work 'puter.

Well, that's all for now. I need to go upstairs and entertain the bf.

If you find this blog, let me know.