Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Loan Me Your Pillow?
I am now in the process of collecting pillows. I need them in order to ensure that I live until Michael gets home from Korea. In fact, go ahead and send your down comforters while you’re at it, so B can live until Michael gets home.
B has had an ongoing issue with his knee that he managed to hurt while playing football. No, that’s not right. He was wrestling, No, kayaking. No, get this, he was walking. Where is this treacherous landscape you might ask? After all you wouldn’t want to find yourself in the same predicament of knee braces, Percocet and MRI’s. Don’t worry you need special access known as a key to my house. The boy was walking in the living room- the clean living room with nothing, AT ALL, on the floor. Now, just 3 days shy of it being a month since this all started, we are waiting for the MRI appointment next week. It’s a good thing he’s not in gymnastics anymore because he is getting a bit clumsy in his old age.
As for me, it’s just been one of those days. I woke up late. Not real late, but I am a schedule type of person, and everything was being done at the wrong time. Then work was busy before we had any cashiers, so I was cashier while I was supposed to be making a deposit, and then I came across a traveler’s check that the customer made out to himself instead of our store, so that is a $100 short. These are all things that happen when I have a slightly bad day at work, not too bad, but then I try to eat lunch, and my credit card is declined. This wouldn’t be too bad except that in an effort to carry as little as possible with me to work I have my credit card, an id and some change with me. I spend the next 20 minutes on the phone with my bank learning that someone has gotten hold of my credit card number. Apparently, while Michael was sleeping in Korea and I was working on making sure the store didn’t lose money, someone was trying to make sure WE did lose money by racking up charges online. Since they were all for $39.99 this put up a red flag for the bank, and they put a hold on the card. Now, we are waiting for a new card. Not so bad for me. I’m here. Not so great for Michael he won’t get his new card for a while.
This is on the heels of spending the last 5 days trying to get my toilet fixed. So, I’m collecting pillows. I need something to put around me and B, for when the roof falls on my head because at the rate we’re going, it’s going to be soon!
B has had an ongoing issue with his knee that he managed to hurt while playing football. No, that’s not right. He was wrestling, No, kayaking. No, get this, he was walking. Where is this treacherous landscape you might ask? After all you wouldn’t want to find yourself in the same predicament of knee braces, Percocet and MRI’s. Don’t worry you need special access known as a key to my house. The boy was walking in the living room- the clean living room with nothing, AT ALL, on the floor. Now, just 3 days shy of it being a month since this all started, we are waiting for the MRI appointment next week. It’s a good thing he’s not in gymnastics anymore because he is getting a bit clumsy in his old age.
As for me, it’s just been one of those days. I woke up late. Not real late, but I am a schedule type of person, and everything was being done at the wrong time. Then work was busy before we had any cashiers, so I was cashier while I was supposed to be making a deposit, and then I came across a traveler’s check that the customer made out to himself instead of our store, so that is a $100 short. These are all things that happen when I have a slightly bad day at work, not too bad, but then I try to eat lunch, and my credit card is declined. This wouldn’t be too bad except that in an effort to carry as little as possible with me to work I have my credit card, an id and some change with me. I spend the next 20 minutes on the phone with my bank learning that someone has gotten hold of my credit card number. Apparently, while Michael was sleeping in Korea and I was working on making sure the store didn’t lose money, someone was trying to make sure WE did lose money by racking up charges online. Since they were all for $39.99 this put up a red flag for the bank, and they put a hold on the card. Now, we are waiting for a new card. Not so bad for me. I’m here. Not so great for Michael he won’t get his new card for a while.
This is on the heels of spending the last 5 days trying to get my toilet fixed. So, I’m collecting pillows. I need something to put around me and B, for when the roof falls on my head because at the rate we’re going, it’s going to be soon!
Monday, March 9, 2009
My Fish Are on Crack
So, a couple of weeks ago I decided I wanted a betta. Don't know why, other than they are pretty, but I wanted a betta. After dinner one night, since we were on that side of town, my anti-shopping husband, being drugged with some awesome chorizo and chicken fajitas, agreed to go look at the pet store.
Since I am the anti-anti-shopper, I couldn't just look at the bettas, I had to look at everything. Great. Wonderful idea. While deeply pondering every item in the pet store I came across a fish I had never seen before, glofish. These are awesome little "freaky" fish. They are actually zebra danios that have been genetically altered, not dyed, altered by splicing the genes of coral or squid with the fish. They were originally engineered to help detect toxic water since they glow when in contact with toxins. They are neon colored and slightly larger than a neon tetra. Very cute. These are like the perfect fish. Saltwater colors, no saltwater hassles. I had to have them.
After discovering the glofish, I went home, empty handed. But not for long. Soon I had ordered an aquarium and all the fixin's. A few days later I went back to the pet store and walked out with some live plants. Still no glofish. These little oddities of nature have to live.
A few days later I went out and walked out with 5 red and orange glofish and 1 indigo betta. Voila, a faux salt water fish tank. While watching my new little pets I have discovered that bettas swim very slowly--like a feather drifting on the wind. Glofish, however, swim very, very fast, like little fish hummingbirds. I do believe they are on crack or uppers or meth or whatever makes you fidgety. They also beat the betta to the food, so I sit there and watch the food until I am sure the betta isn't going to starve to death.
Oh, and contrary to popular belief, these fish get along great with my betta. There has been no nipping of fins, and no flaring of gills, except when the betta catches his own reflection in the glass. Which is when I learn that not only are my glofish on drugs, but my betta is suicidal.
Ella
Since I am the anti-anti-shopper, I couldn't just look at the bettas, I had to look at everything. Great. Wonderful idea. While deeply pondering every item in the pet store I came across a fish I had never seen before, glofish. These are awesome little "freaky" fish. They are actually zebra danios that have been genetically altered, not dyed, altered by splicing the genes of coral or squid with the fish. They were originally engineered to help detect toxic water since they glow when in contact with toxins. They are neon colored and slightly larger than a neon tetra. Very cute. These are like the perfect fish. Saltwater colors, no saltwater hassles. I had to have them.
After discovering the glofish, I went home, empty handed. But not for long. Soon I had ordered an aquarium and all the fixin's. A few days later I went back to the pet store and walked out with some live plants. Still no glofish. These little oddities of nature have to live.
A few days later I went out and walked out with 5 red and orange glofish and 1 indigo betta. Voila, a faux salt water fish tank. While watching my new little pets I have discovered that bettas swim very slowly--like a feather drifting on the wind. Glofish, however, swim very, very fast, like little fish hummingbirds. I do believe they are on crack or uppers or meth or whatever makes you fidgety. They also beat the betta to the food, so I sit there and watch the food until I am sure the betta isn't going to starve to death.
Oh, and contrary to popular belief, these fish get along great with my betta. There has been no nipping of fins, and no flaring of gills, except when the betta catches his own reflection in the glass. Which is when I learn that not only are my glofish on drugs, but my betta is suicidal.
Ella
Sunday, March 8, 2009
And so it begins
Around our house there is a mystery ailment. It has a multitude of symptoms, and they are never the same. We don't know if it is a virus or a bacterial infection, but we do know its name--It is Michael's Gone Syndrome, and it always rears its head when Michael goes on a longer term TDY or on remote. In the past symptoms have ranged from the dog cutting off the tip of her tail, and making our house look like a crime scene while endlessly wagging said tail as I try to clean up behind her to me getting a peice of barbed wire caught in the blade of the riding lawnmower, and trying to disentangle it without getting my hand cut off to the muffler falling off of the car.
This time, however, the syndrome has taken on record speed in settling in. Yesterday Michael left for Korea. His flight left at 7am. The day started off ok. We all drove to the airport, saw him off and headed home for some sleep after only 3 hours of sleep the night before. So far, so good, unremarkable. Then I woke up, and had the brilliant idea to take B to get new running shoes. SUUUURE it sounds innocent and easy enough, but that would be before Michael's Gone Syndrome rears its head.
So we unsuspectingly head to Kohl's to get the shoes, and as we head out, I decide to get some gas. We drive to the gas station and fill up the van. Everything is normal. Then I try to leave the gas station. I turn the key and get nothing but a series of clicks. OK, this can not be good. I turn off the vehicle and try again. Same clicks. Definately not good. Everything works, but the van will not start. So, I call my dad. After all, he is only 3000 miles away, surely that won't be a hinderance. I ask, can it be the battery when everything else works? Thankfully, it can, easy fix.
Now for the fun part. B is only 15 he has no license, so he can only do so much. I walk into the gas station, and tell them that I have to leave my vehicle there for a bit while I go get my other vehicle. The extent of their help was to tell me that if I needed to jump the vehicle to push it away from the pumps first. Gee, thanks. So, I walk home and get my other vehicle and walk back. B pushes the van about 6 feet away from the pump and I move the car in front of the van to jump start it. It worked. Now, I drive the car home leaving B with the running van, and walk back. We drive to the nearest Walmart, buy a battery, and ask them to install it. We are the 2nd car in line, so it shouldn't take long. Wrong, after an hour and a half we wander back over to the automotive section and see the vehicle parked, so we assume it is finished. Nope. They decided we had to be in the tire change line, and moved us. There are still 3 vehicles in front of us. After asking for a refund on the battery, so I can go elsewhere they decide to take our vehicle next.
Finally after more than 2 hours we are going to get the shoes. We get in the van, and now we learn the entire entertainment system is malfunctioning. It no longer works. Back to Walmart we go. This time it only took about 10 minutes. Did you know that Honda has an anti-theft system that kicks in if the battery is disconnected for more than 10 minutes? I didn't. I do now. Everything is now fixed.
In order to stay alive, though, we opted to go home. We can get shoes tomorrow.
Ella
This time, however, the syndrome has taken on record speed in settling in. Yesterday Michael left for Korea. His flight left at 7am. The day started off ok. We all drove to the airport, saw him off and headed home for some sleep after only 3 hours of sleep the night before. So far, so good, unremarkable. Then I woke up, and had the brilliant idea to take B to get new running shoes. SUUUURE it sounds innocent and easy enough, but that would be before Michael's Gone Syndrome rears its head.
So we unsuspectingly head to Kohl's to get the shoes, and as we head out, I decide to get some gas. We drive to the gas station and fill up the van. Everything is normal. Then I try to leave the gas station. I turn the key and get nothing but a series of clicks. OK, this can not be good. I turn off the vehicle and try again. Same clicks. Definately not good. Everything works, but the van will not start. So, I call my dad. After all, he is only 3000 miles away, surely that won't be a hinderance. I ask, can it be the battery when everything else works? Thankfully, it can, easy fix.
Now for the fun part. B is only 15 he has no license, so he can only do so much. I walk into the gas station, and tell them that I have to leave my vehicle there for a bit while I go get my other vehicle. The extent of their help was to tell me that if I needed to jump the vehicle to push it away from the pumps first. Gee, thanks. So, I walk home and get my other vehicle and walk back. B pushes the van about 6 feet away from the pump and I move the car in front of the van to jump start it. It worked. Now, I drive the car home leaving B with the running van, and walk back. We drive to the nearest Walmart, buy a battery, and ask them to install it. We are the 2nd car in line, so it shouldn't take long. Wrong, after an hour and a half we wander back over to the automotive section and see the vehicle parked, so we assume it is finished. Nope. They decided we had to be in the tire change line, and moved us. There are still 3 vehicles in front of us. After asking for a refund on the battery, so I can go elsewhere they decide to take our vehicle next.
Finally after more than 2 hours we are going to get the shoes. We get in the van, and now we learn the entire entertainment system is malfunctioning. It no longer works. Back to Walmart we go. This time it only took about 10 minutes. Did you know that Honda has an anti-theft system that kicks in if the battery is disconnected for more than 10 minutes? I didn't. I do now. Everything is now fixed.
In order to stay alive, though, we opted to go home. We can get shoes tomorrow.
Ella
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Arlen Specter exactly where do your loyalties lie?!
In the last two days I have heard 2 interviews with Senator Specter defending his position on the stimulus bill. He keeps bringing up the Great Depression, and using fear tactics to try to tell the American people that if we do not pass this bill that our economy will go into a complete tailspin, and we will be on a one way track into a Depression that we, in this generation, have never seen. When confronted with serious flaws with this bill he reverts to "I gave my word, and I will not go back on my word."
1st of all why is this bill the do all end all of our economy? If this bill were to not pass, and it appears it will, it's not like we won't do anything to stimulate the economy. A new, reasonable bill would be written. The only reason the politicians want this bill to go through, and go through now, is so that the American people don't have time to fight the waste portion of this bill.
WHY do we have to have to have all of the extras in such an important bill? If the politicians truly want to help our economy they would put forth a clean and clear bill with only true stimulus line items included in it! I have heard it put forth that this bill should be split in 2. One half for true stimulus and one half for spending/waste, and I wholeheartedly agree.
I understand that all of these unrelated line items are how Washington is run, and how politicians get their, and sometimes, their constituents' interests through, but sometimes we just need a black and white, this is what needs to be done, no pork, no extras just a straight forward, this is what is best for the country as a whole- bill. This is one of those times.
Secondly, and most importantly, who exactly did Mr. Specter give his word to that he doesn't want to back down from? Fellow politicians?! Isn't his, and all other Congressmen's, first and foremost responsibility to represent his constituents? Isn't he there on our behalf? Why wouldn't he back down? If he learns that the majority of his constituents are against this bill who is he to decide he knows best and his opinion is the only one that counts?
If he was promised something in return for his vote I, for one, would love to know what that is.
1st of all why is this bill the do all end all of our economy? If this bill were to not pass, and it appears it will, it's not like we won't do anything to stimulate the economy. A new, reasonable bill would be written. The only reason the politicians want this bill to go through, and go through now, is so that the American people don't have time to fight the waste portion of this bill.
WHY do we have to have to have all of the extras in such an important bill? If the politicians truly want to help our economy they would put forth a clean and clear bill with only true stimulus line items included in it! I have heard it put forth that this bill should be split in 2. One half for true stimulus and one half for spending/waste, and I wholeheartedly agree.
I understand that all of these unrelated line items are how Washington is run, and how politicians get their, and sometimes, their constituents' interests through, but sometimes we just need a black and white, this is what needs to be done, no pork, no extras just a straight forward, this is what is best for the country as a whole- bill. This is one of those times.
Secondly, and most importantly, who exactly did Mr. Specter give his word to that he doesn't want to back down from? Fellow politicians?! Isn't his, and all other Congressmen's, first and foremost responsibility to represent his constituents? Isn't he there on our behalf? Why wouldn't he back down? If he learns that the majority of his constituents are against this bill who is he to decide he knows best and his opinion is the only one that counts?
If he was promised something in return for his vote I, for one, would love to know what that is.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
What do you think of me?
This week I had an interesting insight. One that not everyone will have the chance to experience.--I learned what a perfect stranger's first impression of me is.
I was doing some last minute Christmas shopping when I decided to head over to Game Stop to pick up a game my son requested for Christmas. I didn't plan to get him anymore gifts, but I discovered that the clothes to fun stuff ratio was a bit off.
Anyway, I walked into the store, and, surprisingly, I was the only customer in the store. The very friendly clerk asked me how I was doing, and asked if I was looking for anything specific. And this is where it happened....I asked if Overlord Hellraiser was an actual game, or if it was a "coming soon" game. The man's eyes widened, and he did a visible double take. Then he proceeded to fall over the counter laughing, as he explained, "I did NOT expect that to come out of your mouth." I laughed right along with him, and said, "Let me start over. Can I get the Lego game, please." Apparently, I don't look like the hell raiser type. I would have to agree with him. I don't think I ever thought those words would come out of my mouth either.
But, I got the game, and a good laugh. How many times, this close to Christmas, do you not only get what your looking for, but have a good time joking with a store worker while getting it.
Ella
I was doing some last minute Christmas shopping when I decided to head over to Game Stop to pick up a game my son requested for Christmas. I didn't plan to get him anymore gifts, but I discovered that the clothes to fun stuff ratio was a bit off.
Anyway, I walked into the store, and, surprisingly, I was the only customer in the store. The very friendly clerk asked me how I was doing, and asked if I was looking for anything specific. And this is where it happened....I asked if Overlord Hellraiser was an actual game, or if it was a "coming soon" game. The man's eyes widened, and he did a visible double take. Then he proceeded to fall over the counter laughing, as he explained, "I did NOT expect that to come out of your mouth." I laughed right along with him, and said, "Let me start over. Can I get the Lego game, please." Apparently, I don't look like the hell raiser type. I would have to agree with him. I don't think I ever thought those words would come out of my mouth either.
But, I got the game, and a good laugh. How many times, this close to Christmas, do you not only get what your looking for, but have a good time joking with a store worker while getting it.
Ella
Thursday, December 11, 2008
My mommy heart has been broken
I guess I can't really say "mommy heart", but my "mom heart" has been broken.
My husband and I were wandering the aisles of our local Wal Mart recently looking for Christmas ideas for our son. At one point we walk over to the games section to look for games that we might add to our collection. After looking at the myriad of games that are available to the masses now we settle on a card game, Politically Correct War, that we can use as a stocking stuffer.
Here is where the crime occurs: We are walking out of the toy section when I look up and realize we are in the action figure section. Then it happens. All of a sudden I am overwhelmed with the thought that we are NOT looking for any gifts for our son in this section. For the first time since he was 2 I am not buying one actual toy for my son for Christmas. I wouldn't have even been in this aisle if it weren't for the fact that it was located at one end of the the games section. My son is growing up. We will no longer have Christmasses filled with a want of Power Rangers, Bionicles, Pokemon, or other various commercially driven fads for boys. Little did I know that the World of Warcraft figures I bought last year would be the end of an era.
Our Christmasses now will be filled with ipods, itunes, video games and clothes. We are leaving the toy age, and we are now fully immersed in the electronic age. Before long we will be buying him kitchen gadgets and bed linens for his own first place. My little boy, is not a little boy anymore.
As I write this, though, I am reminded that although my son is taller and stronger than me, he is still a boy. A goofy, fun loving child that is currently making faces and making annoying "singing" sounds in the chair next to me. I guess I won't be getting out the Rogaine for him yet.
Ella
My husband and I were wandering the aisles of our local Wal Mart recently looking for Christmas ideas for our son. At one point we walk over to the games section to look for games that we might add to our collection. After looking at the myriad of games that are available to the masses now we settle on a card game, Politically Correct War, that we can use as a stocking stuffer.
Here is where the crime occurs: We are walking out of the toy section when I look up and realize we are in the action figure section. Then it happens. All of a sudden I am overwhelmed with the thought that we are NOT looking for any gifts for our son in this section. For the first time since he was 2 I am not buying one actual toy for my son for Christmas. I wouldn't have even been in this aisle if it weren't for the fact that it was located at one end of the the games section. My son is growing up. We will no longer have Christmasses filled with a want of Power Rangers, Bionicles, Pokemon, or other various commercially driven fads for boys. Little did I know that the World of Warcraft figures I bought last year would be the end of an era.
Our Christmasses now will be filled with ipods, itunes, video games and clothes. We are leaving the toy age, and we are now fully immersed in the electronic age. Before long we will be buying him kitchen gadgets and bed linens for his own first place. My little boy, is not a little boy anymore.
As I write this, though, I am reminded that although my son is taller and stronger than me, he is still a boy. A goofy, fun loving child that is currently making faces and making annoying "singing" sounds in the chair next to me. I guess I won't be getting out the Rogaine for him yet.
Ella
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