Earlier I sat down to write and I thought “Nothing post worthy seems to be happening lately.”  It’s true. It’s been very quiet and mostly SSDD, y’know?  Until, that is, this afternoon.

Hubs came in after work and threw his clipboard on the table.  “Look up DELAWARE VALLEY GUTTERS and find me a number!”  (oh yes, friends. I am naming names)

I closed up my game of solitaire and found what the mister was looking for. His eyes were deep blue. Like a mood ring, his hazel eyes change according to mood. Deep blue means someone’s getting fucked UP.

It seems that when he went into the Wawa, someone from DELAWARE VALLEY GUTTERS watched the door and made sure Hubs was busy while his buddy went into our work van,  and took a cordless drill, it’s charger and not one, but two rechargeable batteries. A customer came in and recognized Hubs as a regular. “Dude! You don’t know that guy do you? He’s taking something outta your truck!” Hubs ran out, but was too late to stop the chickenshit. Two employees also saw what had gone down. Hubs was too pissed off and wanted to handle this ‘himself’.

After I gave him the number, he called DELAWARE VALLEY GUTTERS and got the boss on the line. This company is practically around the corner from our house. Hubs told him what happened. This guy tried to tell him that his employee must have “mistaken our truck for his.”  Bitch please! Our trucks don’t look that bad!  Besides, the company name was printed on the side in huge lettering. How do you think Hubs found out who did it? Hubs told him that if his ‘drug-addled’ employee would go back to the store and return the items, we could just forget that the whole thing ever happened. The boss said okay.  (Can I just say that I am sooo proud of Hubs for not only using the phrase “drug-addled” but also for using it right!)

After a few calls back and forth (at first the employee denied it, and then he tried to be confused about where he was supposed to return the stuff) Hubs and the guy finally met at the store. The kid got out of his vehicle and brought the stuff to Hubs. The first thing he said was “Dude, I’m no thief”.  Hubs went apoplectic. “You little shit! That’s exactly what the fuck you are! Or would  you prefer to tell the police that you were only borrowing my shit? Let’s see what they would call it!”

Hubs said the kid almost started crying. I know Hubs and he is the type of guy that doesn’t just take one swing. He would have put a hurt on the kid. He shook his head in disgust and told the kid to get the fuck away from him before he changed his mind and hit him. He then called back the boss of DELAWARE VALLEY GUTTERS and told him that if he found that anything else was missing from the van, the cops would be showing up to collect it.

Can you believe that the kid isn’t going to be fired? His boss said that he’ll “make sure this kid gets a good talking to.”  After all, Hubs got his stuff back and “no harm/ no foul, right?”  Hubs said that taking this any further will cause him to lose his own time and earnings. It just galls me that this kid actually said that he was “no thief”

You are a thief, punk. Own it if you’re gonna do it.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing”

“Are you sure? You look like something’s bothering you.”

“I said ‘nothing‘ okay! Leave me alone!”

How many times has this been said in your home, or on tv? What comes after that?  A kid stomps to their room, slams the door and turns on some music.

“Everyone hates me. They’re all mad at me. I wish I was dead.”

“Oh stop being so dramatic. You’ll be hanging out again soon enough.”

Every girl goes through this at least once. Two girls like the same boy. Their other friends take sides, and suddenly one of them is the outcast. Is the adult wrong? Not really.  They will be hanging out soon enough, but at that moment in time, it is the end of the world for the girl.

“Will you stop moping over that girl? Go get a new one. Stop being such a pussy!”

“There’s nothing wrong with my kid. He/She is a teenager! All kids are like that!”

Parents with problems of their own, or those who are just out of touch with their kids would respond  like this.

A few weeks ago, two girls stood in front of a train and killed themselves. Last week, a young man hung himself. After both incidents, the newspaper was filled with tips for “identifying the warning signs of suicidal tendencies”  What happens when a parent confronts a kid who denies feeling like that? At what point is a teenager supposed to know the difference between ‘drama’ and ‘fact’ with their friends?  If a parent is in denial, what then? It is another crack for a lost child to fall through.

Son2 has had some really shitty things to work through. Several times, I would worry that he might do something like this. I would watch him like a hawk. I would jump if I heard a loud bump in the night, or if the phone rang while he was out late at night.  Too often the first scenario played out. He would go to his room and I would cry, feeling too helpless.  Hubs would just shrug it off and say, “He got himself into this and he has to learn that these are the consequences.” It never made me feel any better. But Son2 didn’t want to talk about his feelings (or maybe he couldn’t put it into words.) Did that make me any less a good mom?

No.

I feel such pain for those parents. The girls were 16. The boy was 18. Far too young to leave this world.

But I feel so incredibly frustrated when I read the newspapers. They write these columns that say “if you follow these signs, then you will save your child.” There must be something else.  

I followed those steps. I watched, I talked, I prayed. Son2 denied having fears, depressions, any problems whatsoever.

I just got incredibly lucky.

For the last few weeks, I have noticed that the female newscasters have had a tendency to wear purple. Every shade from the deepest violet to the palest lavender is used in blouses, dresses, sweaters,vests, and suit jackets. I asked if anyone else seemed to notice this and instead of an answer, I got declarations of how much folks liked the color purple.

That was so not the point.  Anyway….During the course of the discussion, someone  mentioned that the 80′s were making a fashion comeback.

DEAR GOD!! SAY IT ISN’T SO!!!

Didn’t we learn our lessons the first time? Don’t you remember how your feet sweat in these??

NO ONE looked good like this–Not even the hookers!

And if a guy looking like this came up to you and asked you out…..seriously, you’d die of laughter and turn him away….unless it was “Retro Night” at the local bar!

Jeebus!!! Is he wearing huarachi sandals???

With all the talk about ‘being green’ and the ‘ozone layer’ and stuff, do we really want to bring this back?

The only place this ‘do belongs is on the “Jersey Shore”!

A week and a half ago, I posted about repotting plants and finding out that there were gnats in the soil. In my naivete, after catching a hella lot of them in balsamic vinegar, I assumed that they were gone.

I was wrong…..woefully wrong.

Little by little this week, I keep finding them. They flit across the laptop screen as I do paperwork. I see them out of the corner of my eye in the bathroom. I hear Hubs bitching about them as he claps his hands in front of his face in an effort to kill the motherfuckers. I still put out small dishes of balsamic vinegar near the plants and they still get stuck in there, but they still have hidden places that I haven’t found.

According to the interwebs, I should clean my drains and get rid of standing water. So I cleaned my drains and gave them a good rinse with bleach. I have begun putting away my dish drainer after actually hand drying my dishes. I’ve cleaned the dishwasher and removed all plants that I have sitting in water.

To no avail. I have yet to figure out how to remove them fully from the potted plants.

If only the weather were just a wee bit warmer. I would love to hang my plants outdoors to drink in the sunshine and get healthier after a long winter of  ‘indoors’. However, it still gets too chilly at night and if I bring them back indoors, I may be bringing in other ‘little friends’.  Hubs has had it. He says “Throw them all away.”  I like plants. And besides, the best two are the ones that I got from a friend who has since passed. I’d like to keep it.

Anyway….Does anyone have any ideas?

Summer hasn’t even gotten close yet and already I am having problems with the bugaloos………The “Bugaloos”!!!  Remember them??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWu13GyNSbg

This Tuesday was the first day of my last cycle of back treatments. I am so happy about this. I have already noticed a marked difference. I just need to remind myself repeatedly that just because there is no pain, it doesn’t mean I am ready for too much activity!

Last weekend, before the treatment, I noticed something about my pain. I was in alot of it on Saturday and I tried like hell to take it easy. On Sunday, it started out easier. We went out for breakfast but on our arrival home, as I was getting out of the car, POW! Now it was worse than ever. I tried to stay away from the meds because they make me feel too unfocused. 

The thing that I noticed, was that it isn’t always the percocet or oxycontin that makes me feel weird. No, my friends. Pain alone was enough to do it. I tried – really tried- to focus. I managed to do some wash….but I left it in the washer to get sour and smelly. I was going to make dinner….but first forgot to take out meat and then later, forgot that I was supposed to cook it!  I found it hard to have a conversation with Hubs because I couldn’t find the words I was looking for. I would say ,”Hey Hubs. I was just thinking….” and forget what I was thinking!

We went to the grocery store Sunday night to grab a few things. I figured that once I got home, I would drug myself up and then go to bed. I couldn’t make a choice to save my life. Thank God Babygirl was there to help me out!

Now for some time, I have thought it was either the pain pills or the depression meds that made me goofy. Now I know for sure that it was the underlying pain that caused me to be this way. (I am not planning to stop either meds, no worries)  Now that one half of my back is pain-free, I find myself with clear thoughts. I am able to start doing something during the day and I am actually getting things done! I can read more than one paragraph of a book or a blog. I can plan on calling my mom and I actually do it! I can take the pain meds and still function.

The weather is also very nice. I am getting off my butt and walking with the dog more. I can watch tv and remember what I was watching. I am starting to feel like my old self again.

Now I can’t wait to get the other side done!!

Today’s subject is “Open”

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And don’t forget to check out Finn, Ren, Robin and Bluepaintred.

***Once again my laptop is wonky. Now I have an idea of what the problem might be.  I have an HP laptop and therefore if I see an HP update notice, I automatically click on it. As soon as I do, my Adobe programs don’t work consistently. That means no video links, no games, no blueprints sent to the business….UGH! Then I tried to update Adobe and it tells me I cannot load a GUI. I don’t even know what that is!!  So…How do I know what HP update is legit for me? FML.

***I had a few plants that were too big for the pots that they were in. They were actually starting to die because of it. So I went to Home Depot and got some potting soil and started to redo them. The biggest one, I put into a punch bowl to let the roots grow a bit. But a smaller one, I repotted. The next day, I noticed that I had gnats here and there in the house. I assumed that it was because of standing water with the plants.  I put out some balsamic vinegar to get rid of them and finally got around to repotting the big plant. I set up my gear and opened a brand new bag of soil. Fucking gnats came out of the bag! It wasn’t the water, it was the soil! FML.  (Got rid of the gnats, but still….)

***I can’t find my ear buds. I miss watching movies on the laptop and listening to my ipod. FML.

***My dog has stinky gas. My dog only wants to sit right up next to me. I gotta get up and move NOW to escape!! FML.

***I guess that means that’s all for today.

The diptych theme of the day is “shine”.  I must say that this is Hubs’  favorite form of bling:

And don’t forget to check out Finn, Ren, Robin and Bluepaintred.

I hope you all have a happy Humpa Day!

Is it too much to ask for an RSVP?

 I was only having a candle demonstration. It was a favor to Shenanigan. She would get extra party points if someone agreed to book at her party. Besides that, the girl from PartyLites was new. Shenanigan’s party was her first. So I volunteered to have a party.

Twice snow has forced a cancellation. Once it was just enough to wet the streets, but because the temperatures were so low, the streets froze. The other time, the cities were closed. This time, finally, the weather has cooperated.

One thing remained the same….no one knows what RSVP means.

This really pisses me off. It’s not a new thing. It’s happened before. If I wanted to call everyone on the day of the party for an answer, I wouldn’t have asked weeks ahead of time. I gave the date, hoping that they’d mark the calendar….way ahead of time….but no, suddenly, they all have plans. Don’t like demos? Fine. Just say so.

I don’t want to buy diet sodas for those that drink it. I don’t like it and if they don’t show, who gets to have it sitting around? Me.  I don’t want to make a big veggie tray or cheese and crackers because it will go to waste in my house.

I can’t imagine what it is like for someone throwing a wedding, or anniversary party. We will be throwing a graduation party for Babygirl and a 50th birthday party for Hubs. Both of these will involve lots of food and drinks. I swear to Jeebus, if you don’t RSVP, don’t show the fuck up at my door. I will suddenly not have enough food or drink for you….because YOU WERE UNEXPECTED!!!!

Last week, Hubs picked up some more meat that was on sale. This time he brought home a thick underblade steak. I was unfamiliar with this (because I don’t cook steak- he does) So I looked it up online and discovered that it isn’t recommended for grilling or pan frying due to the toughness of the meat. But I can sure do a roast so that is what I did.

On Sunday morning, I put it into a container with Italian dressing. (I am only now, after all these years, attempting this due to the fact that my family hates anything that is seasoned with more than salt and pepper) On Sunday before going to bed, I flipped it and put it back in the fridge. I was quite confident that I was going to cook this right.

Monday morning, I woke up feeling too achy to get up. I lay in bed watching television until I looked at the clock and realized that it was two hours later than I had planned to get the crockpot fired up! I made my way to the kitchen and pulled my crockpot out from under the sink, which is the only cabinet large enough to store it. I plugged it in to heat while I seared the steak on the range.

It smelled so good! I cut up a large sweet onion, added some beef broth and minced garlic and finally added the steak. While that started, I peeled some carrots and cooked them just a bit on the stove to be sure that they would be tender.

I kept getting an odd whiff of something every so often…..a sort of  ’rubbery’ smell. I looked everywhere in the kitchen and I just couldn’t find where the culprit was. Maybe it was just the smell of the marinade that had cooked on the steak? I don’t know. I added the carrots, along with some potatoes and covered the pot. Then I continued my day.

I took a shower and as I opened the bathroom door, I still had the smell in the hall. I went into the kitchen and searched again. At this point I was convinced it was the marinade, and I hoped that it would dissipate before the guys came home from work.

Hubs came home early-of course! I asked him flat out if he could smell something. “Like what?”  I described it as ‘very warm or hot rubber’. “Is it possibly a wire casing? “  He sniffed around the kitchen and the dining room and said he didn’t smell a thing! (How could he miss it??)

Next, the boys came in. Son2 smelled nothing and went upstairs to get cleaned up. Son1 humored me by sniffing all over like a hound dog. “Mom I can’t smell anything.”  So I finally had to accept that perhaps it was my imagination or guilt at having tried something new in my cooking.

We ate dinner. Oh.My.God!!  That roast came out so incredibly tender!!  I will definitely buy one of those again and I will definitely use marinade again. Everyone ate their fill and complimented me on dinner-something that rarely happens around here!

Later, I cleaned up the leftovers. I unplugged the crockpot and emptied out the food. Then I took out the ceramic ‘pot’. Lo an behold there was a rubber stench that came out of the bottom. I looked inside and there was yellow goo.

What the fuck is that???

As I tried to wipe/scrape it out, I figured out what it was…..

While it was stored under the sink, I managed to put one of my cleaning gloves in the bottom. It never occurred to me to look inside before placing the ceramic pot in. Now….my poor baby…my crocky…..my best friend when I’m not feeling well….is dead. (Believe me- DEAD. Hubs and I have both tried to clean out the gunk.)

After they had a great big chuckle at my expense, Hubs and Son2 promised that I will get a new one…..as long as I promise to make that roast again!