RIP Barbaro

When the last Kentucky Derby was going on my Papaw lie dying in the Louisville hospital. The race is such a part of Louisville, KY, that no matter what is going on in your life it will wrap itself around you like a thin blanket. During the constant vigil at my Papaw's bedside we watched as the pre-game festivities gave way to the race itself.

We didn't really know one horse from another, but because of my name they rooted for Barbaro. (Sadly, no one placed any bets.) Papaw was doing well when Barbaro won, the last conscious moments of his life were full of good humor and hope. It was soon after that the man we knew and loved slipped away, his body caught up a short time later.

My husband and I stayed with my cousin, Big Boy. He lives in a part of town that has a lot of bars and restaurants. The evening of the win the three of us went out and had a fabulous time. The streets were full of Derby patrons celebrating their wins or drinking away their losses. A big part of the Derby is wearing hats, we saw some that defied explanation to others that were simply adorable. It was a fun night. We thought Papaw was going to get better so our spirits were high. Everywhere one went the miraculous story of Barbaro was being discussed.

The next time we all came together was at Papaw's funeral. Shortly after Barbaro injured himself at the next big race. We, my family, had a connection to this horse now, we all rooted for his recovery and paid close attention to his care. We had already lost Papaw, we wanted this horse to pull through.

Which is why I am so devastated that Barbaro was put down this morning. I'm not going to say it's like losing Papaw all over again because it doesn't come close, but losing the one thing that brought us all together (and brought us joy) is now gone. It's another black ribbon to tie around my memories. He fought for so long....

I know when that horse walked through the Pearly Gates Papaw was there with his big goofy grin and suspenders saying, "I told them they should have bet on you."

Happy Monday

Oh yeah, that's sarcasm. By the way, I am NOT the person who won the Power ball lotto last week, even though I shop at that Dierberg's all the time. Story of my life...

Actually, I am in a good mood today despite waking up with a killer migraine. I love Exedrine Migraine!!!! Anyway, I have work today so the time is going by quickly. I have my Nazi Bitch class tonight. More stomach crunches than a platoon of Navy Seals, that should be her motto.

Issy and I met with my friend this weekend and took some really great photos. As soon as I remember to bring them in I'll post some of them. We ate at this fabulous restaurant on Grand afterwards. If it wouldn't have been rude I would have licked my plate clean. I've never had Vietnamese food before but I plan on having it again soon. Shrimp spring rolls being showered with plum sauce danced through my dreams that night. God, I'm starving, what did I bring for lunch? Campbell's Healthy Request Minestrone. Joy.

Have a good day, all.

Fun With Driving

I have tried to cut back on my road rage. With road rage one of two things is going to happen: 1) you will end up hitting/maiming/killing someone else, or 2) someone else will end up hitting/maiming/killing you. So I've been taking it easy. It has been hard.

Yesterday I was leaving work and had just gotten onto a main road. I was in the left lane and the right lane was clear. I look in my rear view mirror and see some jackass barreling his way up my ass. I do the slam-on-the-brakes- thing but that doesn't stop him. Then he just stayed up my ass. So I took my foot off my gas peddle. As gravity and kinetics dictate, my car started to slow down. I went from 45 to 28 before I started laughing. The lane next to us was still clear, but he'd rather drive up my ass than go around.

It was when I started laughing that he finally went around and, oooooh, was he mad. I guess the dude was insulted that I didn't find his Ford Festiva intimidating. I think the guy had an aneurysm when I laughed and pointed as he sped by.

What makes this story even better is the guy zipped around me and found himself in a long line of traffic. I eased my way into the right lane, (which has been clear this whole time), and passed his ass while laughing my fool head off. Nothing puts you in a good mood like ruining someone else's day.

Bwa-ha-ha-ha!

Bye!

I found this article about the family that was kicked off AirTran when their 3-year-old wouldn't calm down. The parents are outraged! They claim they weren't given enough time to calm their child down.

Um, correct me if I am wrong, but 15 minutes should be plenty of time for COMPETENT parents to calm down a child. These fucktards obviously don't know shit about being parents.

I'd like to say thanks to AirTran. It's about time someone stood up for the rights of other people when a bratty child is throwing a tantrum. For too long you parents out there have been walking around thinking you and your child can get away with anything because you are a family.

WRONG! Society will not put up with your screaming, yelling, crying, spoiled, idiotic child just because you can't control it. If a grown person were to act this way they would be kicked out of an establishment in a heartbeat, if not arrested. But if a child acts this way we, the public, are supposed to suck it up and deal with it because it's a child. That mentality has gotten us where we are today. We can't go anywhere without some spawn of Satan ruining the atmosphere. And the lazy-ass parents who let it happen have had a free pass for WAY too long.

I hope other companies take the initiative AirTran has. I hope restaurants, movie theaters, parks, and department stores will follow their lead and kick any squalling brat out on their ear if they disturb the peace. It is the customers who matter, babies don't have money. And if you're worried that telling little Johnny to be quite will hurt his little feelings than you had no business having a kid in the first place.

GO AIRTRAN!!!!

The Fort Knox Mint

In my Christmas stocking I received a pack of Icy Breeze mints. Last Saturday at my nephews basketball game (he won, by the way, and scored 4 points) I noticed my breath was not the freshest. So I reached into my purse and found the mints.

The pack is a rectangular piece of plastic with the corner clipped like those restaurant packets of jelly. You lift the corner and there is enough space for one whole mint to fit into the corner. Logic dictates you get the mint in the corner, flip the box over, and wa-la, a mint comes out.

It took 10 minutes and the combined strength of me and my husband to get one damn mint out. The hole is large enough for one mint, yes, but the other mints crowding it stop the mint from falling out. The hole is too small to get a fingernail or any sharp object into the crevice to pry it out. It's more of a damn puzzle than breath freshener.

I guess the next time I want a mint from that pack I'll have to give it to a 2-year-old. They get into everything, right?

The Journey of My Patience

Here is how far I have come since I have been with my husband.

When we met:
"Uh-uh, no way. There are too many people in this line for us to eat here. We have to go somewhere else."
"Honey, there are four people in front of us."
"Yeah, FOUR. We're going to be here all day."
"No, we won't. Just relax and--"
"Relax? Relax! I have things to do today and I can't afford to spend half of it waiting in line."
"Look, now there are just two people. They'll get seated in a minute and then we will."
(Stewing) "We better."
FIVE MINUTES LATER
"See, we're at our table. That didn't take very long."
"Long enough!"

Today:
I saw a velvet tunic in one of the many, many catalogs I receive in the mail. At the time it was $60. There's no way in hell I'm payiing $60 for a shirt. I just can't. Dress? Maybe, but not a shirt. It was August, I beleive. I think that's when the fall catalogs come out. Anyway, I knew it would go on sale eventually, so I waited. About November it went on sale - for $50. December came and with it the shirt went on sale again - $40. After Christmas a catalog announcing this company's huge sale arrived. The tunic was in there - $30. Today, Jan. 19, I ordered that tunic. I had a 35% coupon about to expire and the shirt was on it's fourth sale price. Yep, almost 6 months later I got that tunic for $17.54.

I've come a long way, baby!

Today's Mood: Much Better!

Hubby and I had a talk last night and I have come to the conclusion that sometimes men are just stupid. My husband tells me this all the time. I think I will believe him from now on.

Now that Hubby and I are on the same wavelength all is right with the world.

Today's Mood: Hostile

As many of you know the expansion pack for World of Warcraft (WOW) came out yesterday. Here is the start of an article I found on it:
"There is no bigger PC game than World of Warcraft. This is, after all, the game responsible for uncountable lost jobs, broken marriages, and failed classes. It's also spawned one South Park episode, a mini civil rights crisis, an in-production movie, an epidemic, and at least one reported fatality."

Um-hmmm. Oh, I understand easily how it can ruin a marriage. I certainly hope this new expansion pack includes wives. Let's face it, if you want a game to be as realistic as possible you have to include every facet of civilization. These characters can have homes, why not wives? That way when the warrior stays gone too long he gets an ass-chewing when he gets home. That, or the wife's turned herself into a whore. Hey, at least then she'll be getting sex on a regular basis AND have money. Hubby's too busy killing things. And if he's gone too long he may come home to find his wife's left and taken all his shit, even his ice trays. All that's left is a note knifed to the wooden door that reads:
Dear Husband,
Tired of sitting around waiting to die. Gone out to live my life, hope to find someone willing to live it WITH me.
Your ex-wife

Yes, maybe then these guys who feel a game is more worth-while than real life will begin to understand that a relationship takes TWO active people in order to survive. That if one person gets left out in the cold for so long they begin to seek shelter elsewhere. They begin to question whether they made the right decision in the first place. Hell, they begin to wonder if they've agreed to spend the rest of their married lives alone and depressed.

Think they could put all of that into a game?

Did I say today's mood was hostile? It's murderous, actually. Stark-raving, death-inducing, don't-give-a-shit, stay-out-of-my-way murderous.

Hello

This is my 444th post. Wow, I didn't know I had that much to say.

I didn't do much this weekend. Me and the dog made some cookies, I made a few more pieces of jewelry, and I finished the laundry.

Hubby is buying the Expansion pack to Word of Warcraft. I've already been told that for the next two or three weeks I will be ignored totally. Yippee. Like I'm not alone enough as it is now, I have to look forward to more solitude. My husband has a short list of priorities and I am NOT at the top.

Come to think of it, that's really depressing. Now I am depressed. Any men out there willing to fill in while hubby plays with his imaginary friends? You must be at least 6 foot tall, preferably wealthy, with a lot of free time and absolutely NO love for video games.

Let It Go

So I spoke with my sister today and I was very glad to do it. We talked about BIL's letter he sent the other day. Sis informed me that he didn't mean it that way. I suggested BIL brush up on the ol' writing techniques. I was very glad that we didn't end our conversation on a bad note.

My sister feels awful that Issy was insulted, and I feel a wee bit bad about what I wrote about him on my blog. However, as of today he still does not have a job. This bothers me.

But it is not my fight. Did you hear that? That would be my mother passing out and hitting her head on her desk. Yes, yes, I tend to take on the battles that aren't mine. But this is my sister, so I'm strapping on the sword just in case.

And the Fun Continues

Please keep arms and legs inside the ride at all times.

I've decided that my appetite is not coming back. This is not a bad thing. When I was younger (and not on the Pill) I didn't eat very much. Oh, I ate, but there were rarely seconds and my portions were small. I'm back to that now. I like it, I didn't realize I thought about food so much. Now I have more mind space to think about important things, like sex.

However, my boobs are sore. This I don't like. No woman should have to cry when they put their bra on. I'd walk around with my boobs in my hands all day if I could get away with it. Hubby is getting his hand smacked again if he tries to fondle the girls. How long is THIS going to last?

I had a very bad headache last night, the first since going off the Pill. I'm hoping it was because I stared at a computer screen all day. I held out and did not take the migraine meds, just plain ol' Tylenol. Seemed to do the trick. I'm so afraid this could be the beginning of a migraine storm. I don't want that. I turn into a royally depressed bitch when that happens. Yes, worse than usual!

Happy Thursday everyone.

This is My Soapbox

Issy sent my brother-in-law (BIL) a website with job links. Now, if you'll remember, my BIL has not worked for quite a while. He now is in the process of finding a job.

Or is he?

Here is the reply Issy got when she sent him the links. I've added my own thoughts in red.

Thanks for thinking of me. I appreciate it. But it looks like that is definitely not what I do. I did a quick check on your web site and I found a list of job descriptions. That was the point! And for the record, you don't "do" anything.

<><>I don’t think that’s all the jobs that you can get at (your company). But in that list I could be a Coordinator or a Technician. And if they promote from within, maybe that would be a good way in for me. Ya think? <>

If you follow the example of the “Web Developer” position, somewhere in your company there’s a place where the CEO and all the executives have adjoining glass offices. Generally this is where the IT department also lives. The Web developer will share room or cube space with me if I worked at (your company) in this scenario. I'm sorry, but when did you become an expert on a company you have 1) never visited, 2) never worked for, and 3) never even been in the damn building? And why would a new hire get his own office? Aren't we thinking a bit much of ourselves, seeing as you haven't worked in years? <>

This person who gets hired to be the web developer at (your company) will need a computer to work at. No, really? You think the company would supply that? He or she will need all that setup with everything installed. If I was an entry tech or just the low man/recent hire I would be doing that job, which is generally called Help Desk. Um, you WOULD be the low man/ recent hire. That's how it works. Most people are hired in a low position and work their way up to the desired position. That's what having a job is all about. <>

I usually work above that guy being called an Administrator. When do you usually work? Because all I've seen you do is sit on your ass and mooch off my sister. I setup the servers that the Web Developer will program to do various things. And I make sure that all the other servers stay running and are backed up. “.NET” is one of the requirements for the Web Developer. If the “.NET” breaks then it’s me who fixes it. Says who? When? Sounds awful limited to me, think you might want to expand your horizons and make some MONEY?<>

Above me is someone either called a Network Supervisor or CIO or usually just IT Director. They spend more time in meetings and knew about the Web Developer job 6 months before I did. Huh? <>

Sometimes if the company is small enough they will just have one guy that does all three of those jobs. I did that at my last job. It’s not much fun. It's called WORK for a reason. I think you've had enough fun in the last three years YOU HAVEN'T WORKED. <>

I sent along my resume with this. And I wrote a cover letter for general AV type work. If you think they are accepting resumes for possible future positions, and you know somebody etc etc you can pass it along. Since when does Issy work for you, asshole? If you want a job (which you clearly don't) YOU do the damn leg-work.


Where do I begin? I had no idea my BIL was too good for lowly employ

ment. I didn't know that expecting him to work his way into a better position was beneath him. He's so good at what he does that he hasn't been able to do it for years! I bet there is a whole slew of upper management out there just asking themselves, "Where can we find a conceited employee who is too good to do any real work?"

I'm out of this fight. If my sister wants to live with a man who will never get a job that is her business. I don't want to hear any more of the EXCUSES. And they are excuses. There are two types of people in this world. The one's who will do what they need to do in order to survive, and the one's who climb on the backs of those people and want a free ride. BIL is CLEARLY of the second.

You Don't Need Floor Cleaner for a Bottomless Pit

As for my title, well - I'm trying to be positive today.

It's hard seeing as I came to work for simple companionship. Hubby worked until almost 10pm last night, I got to spend another night alone. Woo.

Bad. Mood. Continues.

I fear I am not living, but simply sitting and watching my life flow by. When was the last time I went to a fair? A carnival? A fucking pic-nic? Can't remember. Sad.

Flibberty-Gibbet

I am in a real depressed and shitty mood right now. Hubby wouldn't give it up this weekend, so I'm horny on top of it. Too honest? Too damn bad. I'm thinking I'm wasting my life away here in the good ol' Midwest. I don't know where I'd go, but if someone offered me a job ANYWHERE today I think I would take it. I'd pack up my shit, kiss the dog and cat goodbye, then get in my car and drive, drive, drive.

I'd miss Issy. Right now she's the only one I'd miss.

I was alone for most of the weekend. Issy was supposed to come over Sunday but she had some important things to do. Football playoffs were on TV so I could kiss any time with my husband goodbye. I started to make some jewelry, stopped. Tried to paint. Stopped. Even tried to write - stopped. Nothing seems worth it.

I'm just a boring housewife with no talent who gets ignored on a regular basis. I'd cry about it but no one would notice. This black pit of despair is my only companion. Hormonal? I don't know. Here's some of my shit, enjoy.


Two necklace sets soon to be sold.

Happy Friday

Hello all. Not much to say today. I'm in a good mood and have half a day before I get to party with me best friend Issy.

I did notice that River Des Peres is open again. Now, for those of you not in St. Louis, River Des Peres is a big shortcut through South St. Louis. It being closed for construction was a big pain in the ass for a lot of people. It has been closed since JULY. Yep, almost 6 months of construction.

What did they do? They replaced a 20 foot section of bridge. Yeah. Five fucking months for a 20 foot section of bridge. Can someone say "Sucking the money out of the city for all it's worth?" How hard is it to rip up, clean off, and replace a 20 foot section of a two lane bridge. It's not even a REAL bridge, it's more like an overpass for a drainage ditch. Are union laborers that slow and lazy?

I want to murder someone for this. In five months I've seen three buildings erected on my college campus. From dirt to completion, mind you. Three buildings full of stuff and those assholes can't fix a 20 foot section of a two-lane road. Someone needs to die.

Happy Friday all!

Silent Hill - A Review

A couple of years ago hubby and I played a game called Silent Hill. We'd played Resident Evil so the horror-game thing was not new to us. Resident Evil was pretty scary in the fact that things jumped out at you (the crows!) and you didn't know what's around the next corner. Silent Hill had that, too, and a whole lot more. The game was disturbing, horrible, and sick.

The premise is a little girl has gone lost in the town of Silent Hill. The town is deserted save for the creatures and demons that roam it's streets killing and eating anything that crosses their paths. You, as the girls mother/father, have to navigate this town, find the clues, stay away from the monsters, solve the mystery, kill the bad guys, and rescue your kid.

The movie follows the same lines, but they changed it a bit.

The movie was great. The set designers and cinematographers nailed the look of it. It was unbelievable, literally the game come to life. The movement and look of all the monsters was dead on (pardon the pun). The director took great pains to make sure the movie stayed as true to the game as possible, and that made it 10 times worse (in a good way). However, they also told a great story that anyone, game player or not, could follow and understand. At the end of the game I was totally confused about what happened, but the movie had a great ending that was also easily understood. You don't have to know a thing about the game in order to enjoy the flick.

For those of you who have played the game but have not seen the movie it isworth it. The characters will entertain you and there is enough new story to keep you interested. I would suggest not watching it with young children. Hell, anyone under 13 and easily creeped out may not want to see this film.

I think the fact that children are involved in something this sick is what gets me. To walk into a school and see bloody chains hanging from the ceiling, blood smeared walls, operating tables, and cages makes one go, "eh?" You don't see what happened, you just see the aftermath. In the movie things happen to this one little girl that are ....I don't have a word for how disturbing it is.

Good story line, great actors, fantastic sets, and wonderful effects, this movie gets two thumbs up from me.

We're celebrating!

We left the dog out yesterday (from his cage) and he didn't pee, poop, or chew on anything. Good boy! We couldn't leave him out during Christmas because he would eat the presents. We'll see how he acts today now that he knows leaving him out yesterday wasn't a fluke.

I am having hot flashes today. I'm sitting here in my office minding my own business when I suddenly have to strip down and try to cram myself in my mini-refrigerator. I was a bit cranky this morning during our drive to work. The heater in my car is not working so I have been catching a ride with my husband.

My husband will stay in a lane no matter what. A boulder could fall from the sky and and crush a car in front of him and he'll just stop and wait for it to roll off. I admit I am a speed demon, I like to get where I'm going in minimal time. I don't get in the car to look at the scenery. But if the speed limit is 40 and the dumb-ass jerk in front of me is doing 20, I will go around. With my husband it is a crap-shoot. He may move over, or he may just poke along behind the dumb-ass until he gets to where he's going. Arg!

But I kept my mouth shut, so bully for me. I listened to the radio sand found for just $50,000 Dennis Rodman will make a personal appearance. What a bargain!

Hang on, now I'm cold again, I have to put on my sweater. Ahhh, much better.

I watched "Beauty and the Geek" last night. Oh. My. Goddess. If you're not familiar with the show they take 12 hot women, mostly hot and stupid, and pair them with 12 freakishly geeky geeks. The teams must complete a series of tasks that eventually wittles the group down to a winner. Here's what one geek had to say, "When Shelly walked out I was shocked by how pretty she was. I hope she likes Star Trek. If it comes to women or Star Trek, I'd choose Star Trek."

Uh-huh. There is one girl, Cecille, who is your typical bubbly blonde. However, that bitch is faking it. She's smart, oh yes she is, why she chooses to hide it behind stupid comments and giggly hair-flips is beyond me. But she won most of the challenges and has half that house wrapped around her finger all ready. Stupid she ain't.

Sigh. I have to go pour cold water over my head. Ta.

Off the Pill, Day 6

My appetite is still gone and I seem to be nauseous at times. I don't like this. I would rather have something else than loose the will to eat. However, this could be from all the crap I ate the last two weeks and have nothing to do with the Pill. Moodiness has struck. Last night I nearly strangled my husband because he changed the channel.

Today I went from being happy to nearly depressed in a matter of a few seconds. That's okay, though, because I few minutes later I was right back at happy. This is weird. I feel like a bad Jerry Lewis movie is stuck in my head and I am the only character.

"You bastard. I want to kill you! You, you....you gorgeous hunk of man, come here, I must have you. I must! Oh, oh... oh what's the point? Nothing is good, nothing is worth it, life sucks totally. I'm going to....Hey, are those muffins? I love muffins...too bad I can't eat one. Oh yeah, well.....screw you, Muffin Man, you bastard!"

Men, for the love of God, if you have an even-keeled woman in your home go home and kiss her ass right now. The rest of you poor schlubs can send sympathetic thoughts to my husband.

Off The Pill, Day 5

So far, so good. Last night I had a bit of a jag, I was downloading music and I wanted to cry at how pretty this one song was. Real tears. I snapped out of it pretty quick. There have been no cramps, pain, or bloating. No headaches to report, either. I haven't been irrationally angry or over-emotional.

One thing I've noticed is my appetite has gone away. Harmones or result of holiday snacking? Time will tell.

I have been a bit dizzy, but I think that may be my ears. My right ear is acting funny, it's clogged most of the time now. I have to go see my ear doctor. The last thing I need to do is take a header down the stairs because my equilibrium is whacked.

So much to say, so much to say

Hello freaky darlings! Did you miss me? I am recharged for the new year! So glad 2006 is over.

First things first - Best. Christmas. Ever.

I have three Christmases. My husbands folks are divorced, so we have two on his side and one on mine. The first up was his Dad's side. The twins both brought their boyfriends this year. Kay's man is not at all what any of us thought he'd be. Wait, let me explain. Kay dated body builders and football stars. Big men, lots of muscle, not so much brain. The guy she's with now is a dead ringer for Kevin James. So we'll just call him Kevin. Kevin is a doll, very funny and very smart and very much in love with Kay. Jae, the other twin, brought Max. Max is yummy. He's from the Check Republic, has an accent, a very nice body, and adores Jae. He is such a fool for that woman. We had a really good time. Pops provided a very bountiful spread and a bottomless cooler. We watched football, ate, drank, opened gifts, ate, drank, and said our good-bye's (then ate and drank).

Next was my family. Issy and her son Ax come over so I had my whole family there for the holiday. We ate, we joked, we opened presents, and we drank. Ax and B-Butt were very good. Well, okay, B-Butt was really good. Just kidding, both kids were fine. B-Butt played Santa. I received heartfelt gifts from everyone that really meant a lot to me. My sister presented me with a bunch of picture frames, all with pictures of us in them. My husband and Issy helped her on that. I was ridiculously touched. Everyone was pleased with what hubby and I gave them. Money was tight for all of us, but we had the best Christmas.

The following day we went to hubby's mom's house. His baby brother still lives at home (baby being 20), and his other brother brought his girlfriend and his dog to the house. That puppy was so cute! We didn't stay very long but we did have a good time. I never feel completely relaxed around hubby's mom. This time I did. It was wonderful. Baby brother has really grown into quite a hottie! Any ladies out there between 18 - 22 who would like to meet a nice, if shy, guy give me a note. That's right, I'm pimping out the baby brother.

New Years came too quickly. I went to Issy's and again we built a bon fire that could be seen from space. It didn't last long, it had rained too much and the wind was horrible. So we all retreated into the house and continued with the festivities. There was only one black mar on the whole evening, Issy's deranged sister-in-law. She did this peek-a-boo thing at the end of the night that creeped us all out. She would leave the house and shut the door, then try and sneak back, open the door, and listen to our conversation. It may have worked - had the door not been in plain sight. We watched her creep up, open the door, and stick half her head through. Then she'd leave only to do it again. I would blame it on alcohol, but I've drank plenty in my day and never behaved like that. Sad. She needs to get away, I think being with her dead husband's family is helping her drive right over that edge.

2007 has been a blast so far! I hope it lasts. Ta, y'all.