Things I learned this year

One more day left -- oops two more days left -- in 2005. Time to think about what I learned this year.

1. Don't get cheeky with an editor who can make your life miserable.

2. Being married to a 50-year-old is just as great as being married to him when he was 29, well that is if I can talk him out of the "I really need this two-seater sports car" idea.

3. Planning a wedding can be stressful enough to make you want your child to be gay -- oops Elton John did just get married didn't he?

4. Friends are wonderful. And there's nothing like a crisis in your life to separate the "real" friends, from the "I'm just your friend because I think you are in a position to make things a little better for me people."

5. Time passes way too quickly, and we need to cherish every moment -- good or bad -- of our life.

There's a lot more, but hey, I'll save those for the next trivia game.

Cleaning House

I think it's a practice we picked up in Japan, but every year we begin our "clean out" during the last week in December in preparation for the New Year -- a fresh start.

So, hubby decides to help out and clean out the bedroom. We throw stuff out or give away anything we haven't used in the past year.

I had lost a receipt that I needed, so I dig through a bag in the bedroom. What??? My nail polish was in there. Not just any nail polish, but the French manicure nail polish kit -- the whole kit.

I dig it out and put it back on top of my dresser. Two hours later, it's gone. I look in same bag. There it is -- back in the trash. So I confront hubby.

"You haven't used it in the last year." he says.
"How do you know? I think I have. It's my French manicure kit, I don't use all the time."
"You're not French," he says, throwing in back in the bag.

Yeah, well. In the past year, he hasn't ridden his mountain bike or used the golf clubs, or bow or electric saw or ...

The war is on.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Gina

and to our friend Anna in Chicago!

God Bless Us Every One

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!
Merry Christmas
y Feliz Navidad!

Two days - actually one isn't it?

OK OK, I'm going shopping today. Yes, I know I'm nuts. Thank you for pointing that out.

Dear Santa - the Greedy List

Dear Santa:

This year I've been mostly good -- I've had some moments, but I'm sure you can overlook those considering how good I've been the rest of the year.

For Christmas this year, I would like:

1. A new mattress and box spring, heck a whole new bedroom set would be nice.

2. A car that gets 45 miles to the gallon.

3. To be chosen for that show -- "What Not To Wear" so I can learn how to "accentuate" my body and I can get a free wardrobe -- notice this is no cost to you of course.

4. Children who say, "You're the smartest person I know. Of course, I'll do that."

5. My dad to stay healthy and out of the hospital. I'm not ready to say goodbye yet.

6. A private jet.

7. A radio talk show.

8. A maid to come in one day a week and CLEAN my house.

OK, that's greedy enough. Thanks Santa. I know I'll be getting some of the above and I really appreciate it. By the way, have YOU been a good boy this year?

Christmas List No. 1

I say No. 1 because I'm sure as we get closer to the big day, I'll add to this list. Note: the "Christmas" instead of "Holiday" is not a tribute to O'Reilly. He's an idiot, but I still believe in Christmas. Friend reminded a few of us of The Maneater tradition of posting a Christmas wish list.
Some wishes are for me, others for friends:

1. A kidney for Sam
2. The Sonic Sunflower not only on a mug, but on a freakin' billboard announcing its arrival on comic pages across the nation for Christian.
3. At least one puke-free month in 2006 for the Diva
4. A high-powered job making lots of money for my friend KP
5. A better reading selection in her book club for Babs
6. A VCR or TiVo to record the next Sherlock Holmes Film Festival for Wordgirl
7. A conscious or a brain for Dubyah -- whatever will get our troops home faster.
8. Jobs for both closer to family for Brian and Robin
9. A job where she's appreciated for Nicole (yep, you.)

And last but definitely not least -- happiness, wealth and success for all my friends and family.
That's not too much to ask, is it?

Things on my mind

Strike - My heartfelt sympathy for friends in the city. Hopefully, the transit strike won't affect your daily lives too painfully.

Texan - My husband commented last week that when we're traveling and go across that invisible barrier between the Texas and Oklahoma border, I change a bit. I more freely use "ya'll" and say things like "doesn't have a row to hoe" or "living in high cotton." He says I always hum "Deep in the Heart of Texas" as I look out on the expansive landscape. I'm not even aware that I do it. But I can say that I just can't help it. I love Texas. I'm not obnoxious about it, but visitors to my home can find subtle Texas symbols sprinkled throughout. And, yes. I do own a large Texas flag. It's where I'm from.

Being sick -- Hubby and I are fighting a cold. Well, I'm fighting. He's trying. He always gets sicker than I do. And, I'm trying to get better about getting upset with him for being sick. I don't know why I have this inane belief that you can "will" yourself to stave off illness. No. I'm not Christian Scientist. But I dig out the homeopathic stuff and say, "I'm not gonna be sick." So other than a slight earache and scratchy thoat I'm doing ok today. Hubby on the other hand, has a red nose, kleenex in hand and an asundry of medicines by his side.

Christmas -- I want to take down the tree, the lights and just skip it. Just found out today that S&A are going to go to HIS family's house for the holidays. That means just me and hubby. We'll have to think about that. Maybe, a trip up north might be just the trick to get me out of my holiday blues.

In case you weren't looking

In my last post, we all talked about how busy we were. That means a convenient time for lawmakers to pass laws when we're not "paying attention."

Today, "House lawmakers opened the way for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and approved $29 billion for hurricane relief during an all-night session Monday bringing their legislative year to a close."

It was a bit hard for a lot of lawmakers to vote against this measure. Why? Because it was attached to a major defense spending bill, and had the hurricane relief amendment in there too.

Convenient isn't it? Lumping a whole lot of things together like that. Vote against it, and during your next campaign your opponents can say you voted against the war -- it will be done, just watch. Vote against it and your opponents can say you voted against hurricane relief.

Again, the Dems were asleep at the wheel when that amendment was added.

Shopping with the heathens

This has been a crazy week, and I can't believe it's exactly one week before Christmas. I have not one person's shopping finished on my list. So that's what we're doing this morning. Not going to church. Nope, shopping. I just don't want to try to do it this afternoon and this is the first chance I've had all week.

Monday, Tuesday:

Tried to cram as much work as possible into those days since I knew I was going to be gone Wednesday.

Wednesday:

Drove to Texas for my son-in-law's dad's funeral. Now that's the kind of funeral I want when I die. It was at an African American Baptist Church. No shhh, we have to whisper and be respectful. Nope. A lot of celebration. He was going home. I liked that.

Thursday:

Back to work. But the big surprise was when I picked up my mail. A college graduation announcement from my "baby" sister. The event was Friday night -- in another Texas location -- at 7 p.m. So after much mulling, we decided to ask if we could get off again. I mean, this just wasn't practical to make two out of state trips in one week, especially because we planned to go back to Texas on Saturday to pick up my daughter who needed to stay in Texas a few more days. That night I attended a prerequisite "Jingle Mingle" for a professional organization, then stayed for an impromptu dinner at friends' house. It was nice. One glass of wine and I was done for, so we came home and went to bed.

Friday:

Called parents and told them just got the invite, couldn't make it down. They got upset. I started crying. So I called hubby. Hubby calls me on my cell phone when I'm at a work meeting later that morning and tells me he can leave work - in 20 minutes. I go pick him up, call my boss and we go home and pack in 30 minutes (and eat lunch as we're packing.) We make it to graduation just in time to find a seat in the cheap seats (aka very high) and have an enjoyable evening.

Saturday:

Drive from parents house to another Texas destination, pick up daughter, drive back to OKC.

Today:

House looks like a tornado hit it. I'm behind at work. I've not even started the Christmas shopping, have more baking to do, and have to put together gifts for co-workers etc. AND plan Christmas dinner. Hence, the shopping trip this morning.

Miles logged on car; 697 Money spent: more than I could afford to spend Memories: priceless Stress: Tremendous

If Santa has any elves to spare, I could use them now.

Is this a sign?

Holy cow, it's only Tuesday and it's already been a weird week. Geysers in Oklahoma, and President Dubyah giving a journalist (albeit a top anchor) interview time.

Must be a sign of the apocalypse.

Still on a mission

Remember to send all your used lottery tickets to State Rep. Randy Terrill at:
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Room 337
Oklahoma City, OK 73105

Life

Life goes on. This week has been highs and lows. Our son-in-law's dad dying is the low. It's still not sunk in, and he's not cried yet. He will. The funeral is Monday, so we're trekking to Texas. The kids are already there.

Hubby turned 50 with much fanfare. His surprise party (I can finally mention it here) went off without a hitch. Hubby was appropriately surprised and I can quit lying. I hate lying, and felt like I was going to hell all week (the Baptist guilt thing.)

I was going to cancel the party due to S's dad's death, but S refused to hear it. He's planning to wear his new Navy uniform to the funeral, his dad would have been proud to see him in it.

Happy Birthday Hubby

Today is the big day. My hubby turns ---- (dramatic pause here) 50 years old today.

Yes, for those friends who are 20 years younger than us that does seem old. 50. Wow. Time goes by way too fast, and really we don't feel any different than we did 20 years ago. We have a few more wrinkles, and a little more around the waist and hubby has gray hair -- not completely but definitely less hair and more gray. It sort of freaks me out because I'll be following in his footsteps in a few short years. We like where we are in life. Finally finding our niche in our careers (remember these are still fairly new careers for us since we went back to college at your parent's age.) and being young enough to enjoy our grandchildren (and our children being out of the house or at least no longer our responsibiliity.)

But the numbers freak us out. 50 -- as one of our friends likes to remind us that's five decades, half a century.

But since no one is inventing a time travel machine that would make us go back to 25, then we'll just have to deal with it. We'll spend more money on facials and moisturizers and heck -- being 50 -- getting "old" sure beats the alternative. Happy Birthday hubby! We'll get through this one together.

Nuttier than a Christmas fruitcake

A Scrooge by any other name might be a Grinch, or state lawmaker Rep. Randy Terrill.

Terrill, a Republican, who started inundating the press room with news releases from the first day he set foot in the Capitol -- can we say campaigning for higher office? -- was "offended" by the use of discarded lottery tickets to decorate one of the small Christmas trees that line the hallways of the Capitol every year.

School children decorate the trees, each class choosing a different design. The newly passed "Oklahoma EDUCATION Lottery" had been the topic of study at the class, so the teacher hit on the idea of the lotto tree -- a gift of education.

Terrill, who opposed the lottery that the majority of Oklahomans voted for and approved, has hit a new low. He demanded the tree be removed. The teacher apologizes and then likened the decorations to using beer cans or pornography. Excuse me?

Terrill is the one who needs to apologize to the voters of Oklahoma and to the teacher and the class. He's gone way over the line of common sense on this one. It's one thing to pick up on every little issue to advance your career, but to tell children that a legal activity in the state that their parents likely voted for and even occasionally play is similar to pornography is unconscionable.

So I say, let's send him a message via lottery tickets. Send all your used lottery tickets to Terrill at
2300 N. Lincoln Blvd.
Room 337
Oklahoma City, OK 73105

or call him and tell him what you think: (405) 557-7346

Edited

Well, I edited my last post. Hubby -- who never reads my blog -- was reading it yesterday. I got him just as he started to read the page, and quickly pulled it down. Now he thinks I'm in the midst of some online fling. hee hee.

You just can't trust soon-to-have a birthday people...

People watching and other stuff

Do you ever notice when you are at the mall or anywhere a crowd might gather that people who look alike hang out together?

Maybe they didn't all look like clones of one another at first, but they slowly transformed into one self. Frat boys all have the same uniform. Jocks do.

I especially like the "I'm trying to express myself and be an individual" look -- except that their friends usually have all the same random piercings, tattoos and spiked colored hair. Individuals, indeed.

Alas, it's Dec. 1 and I wrote hardly a word (of my novel.) My still unfinished novel is still all in my mind. Wouldn't it be lovely if we could somehow tap into our imaginations -- both at night and day and magically transform that into written words? Some very smart person once said that creativity is 3/4 motivation. So where did my motivation go? I'd prefer to think that maybe I was too busy doing more important -- at the moment -- THIS PORTION HAS BEEN EDITED -- And blogging...

Dressing like well...a warm redneck

My daughter-in-law spent some time shopping for Carhartts. Yes, not all of us know what those are -- hence the link -- first time I ever heard about those was when I took a press tour of "ag" Missouri, and we were stopping at a country store off the highway between Columbia and St. Louis -- great store by the way. Anyway, everyone kept talking about how it was the best place in the state to get Carhartts.

I thought they were saying "car parts" I was a little surprised when I went into the store at what they were talking about (yep, the lights came on in the brain about then.)

And, yes, my son is right -- It ain't cheap to be a redneck. Heck, do you have any idea how much it cost to spend a weekend in a travel trailer at the Texas Motor Speedway for a Nascar race?

Writing

Today I wrote six press releases that all said basically the same thing, just different location, different person reciting the same quote for newspapers across the state. I found out that at least three newspapers ran -- in total -- one of the news releases/articles I wrote last week. Then I took a video news release and turned it into an article that will get printed and read all over the state in medical mags and health pages. I wrote another article that two newspapers immediately picked up. My copy is likely being read by more people than the "riveting stories" I ever wrote about the Legislature. So why am I so sad?

I sent my resume and clips to the Seattle Times today. I felt better.

Training log

Well, not so good this week. So I'm still at three miles a day, and will continue tomorrow. I need to find an indoor track or place to walk for a while because while I don't mind cold weather, the wind is an entirely different matter -- started out today and didn't make it far. brrr... But I'm committed to this, so I will get to four miles a day by next week. My goal is to be "running" by February 1.

White lights and promises

I watched with amusement yesterday as my daughter and husband turned the front of our house into a winter wonderland -- with white lights and lighted deer. They are doing more work outside today. It's an unofficial competition. The folks across the street are lit up like a forest fire, and somehow hubby and Daughter #2 took it as a challenge. So far I think they've spent about $100. Ah, Christmas in America.

I was cranky yesterday, and this morning I feel guilty for being so cranky. I was so cranky, I was uninvited to help with the aforementioned project, so I sat inside and read. I have an excuse - really. My arthritis was hurting so bad -- it does -- don't laugh -- everytime the weather changes (turns cold.) I'm moving to Florida this coming year or California...In the meantime, I promise I won't be so cranky again.

Christmas cards. I can understand why people get the "holiday blues." Just digging out the Christmas cards and going through the stack of old cards (yes, I keep them) and addressing them is sometimes sad. I look at changes. This friend got married. This friend got divorced. This family member died. This 'little kid' who's parents we used to party way before they were born, just graduated -- from college.

But the good news -- our Christmas card list has grown. That just means we have more people in our lives who are important.

Thanks

I'm thankful for a lot of things this year:

My husband
My children
My grandchildren
Our friends, near and far
Our jobs
A nice home
Food, shelter and good health
Our country
Our servicemen and women

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Turkeys and turkeys

I'm going to bake tonight. It doesn't seem like Thanksgiving without the pumpkin pie even if we're not eating at home.

Hmmm. Turkey, can't wait.

But speaking of the real turkeys this Thanksgiving. GM -- nothing like a little holiday warmth to give employees. You know I hear Americans say they are going to boycott this and that. I think if Americans really said, "We're not buying...from an American company that takes our tax incentives and then takes jobs and moves them overseas or south of our borders where they will pay people peanuts," then that company might really pay attention. But we gotta do it. We gotta put our money where our mouth is.

So the "Turkey of the Year" Award goes to General Motors. (Who ever said Dubyah doesn't have any competition?)

Sad news

My oldest daughter just found out that one of her best friends from high school in Virginia died of complications from her diabetes. I remember when the girls were still in 8th grade, and J found out she had diabetes. It was a tough thing for a kid to deal with a disease at a time when she should have been worried about so many more things. She had a tough time. I wish I could make my daughter feel better. I know how she feels, somehow your own mortality feels that much more vulnerable when your friends or family members die.

Training Log

Three miles a day. Will be moving to four miles a day on Tuesday. So far, so good. Sore a little, nothing aspirin can't cure. Investing in better shoes this week. My old running shoes are sort of old.

Saturday Sports

I'm trying to gear up for the show, so this will be my weekly Saturday routine:

Football - I've unofficially become an Indianapolis Colts fan this year. Not because I like the Colts necessarily, but because I simply like to see records broken. The Bears couldn't do it in the 80s, so maybe Indianapolis will be able to match the Dolphins 1972 undefeated season. Sunday, 4 p.m. CBS against the Bengals.
T.O. might be back on the team that doesn't want him. Owens' appeal is pending and if it goes his way he'll be at the very least on Philadelphia Eagles' sidelines before long.

Basketball - In Flip Saunders' first season with the Detroit Pistons, the team has improved to 8-0 for the first time since 1988-89 -- the season it won the first of back-to-back NBA titles -- with a 78-70 victory in Houston on Friday night. On the Oklahoma/New Orleans front - the Hornet recorded a win 95-92 over Atlanta.

College Basketball - Same powerhouses on tap to get to the Final Four this year. I bemoan the fact that Mizzou is not among those anymore. Quin Snyder -- as much as I like your voice and your cute wavy hair, maybe it's time to send you back to Duke for some tutoring. I think Snyder lost control of the team two years ago, and he's never gotten control or respect back.

Women in sports: (V-ball)Shellane Ogoshi, a sophomore setter at Hoftstra, had 61 assists and 25 digs against William and Mary, and 60 assists and 19 digs aginst Virginia Commonwealth -- both team wins. Wonder Woman in disguise?

(Track and Field) Angela Homan, a senior at Auburn became the second femal athlete to win the Southeastern Conference Championships individual title three times. She won the 6K race in 19:40 - a career best. It was her 10th career victory.

(Golf) Emma Lavy, a freshman at Fayetteville High School won the Arkansas Women's Gofl Association High School Overall Champtionship at the Harbor Oaks Golf Club, Oct. 11.

Fast Lane: Women swimmers established seven new records at University of North Dakota meet this week, five of them in the preliminaries on Friday night. Dagne Knutson set records in 200 IM, 2:05.73, and 100 fly 57.18.
Kelsey Schoonhoven won the 100 freewith a 51.52 and the 100 back in meet record style, 56.72.
Hannah Whitehead, a sophomore from Grand Forks Central, was the only double winner taking the 500 free in a 4:59.76, just short of her state mark set the day before, 4:58.49, and the 200 free in a 1:50.09 and a new state record.
Sprinter Carissa Gormally won the 50 free with a 24.08 just one one-hundredth off her Friday state mark of 24.07. Gormally swam a 23.87 at her conference meet a few weeks earlier, racing to one of the fastest 50 frees ever recorded in North Dakota for a high school girl. Ashley Reiter was the final event winner in the 100 breast with a 1:07.67

Athlete of the Week: Kim Jenny: She prefers to be called "Alley Oop." The 5'2" athlete keeps up with the best in skateboarding and is quickly becoming an icon on the streets of Santa Barbara and Pasadena. It might still be a while before Nike figures out that women actually do skate, so you're not going to find Jenny on the mainstream tube. But fans can catch her outlaw techniques on the Internet -- a tool that's doing as much to push that sport into the mainstream as the X games.

One more thing

Before you read the previous post, this disclaimer:

I have not lost my mind. We can do this. Really.

The view in my mirror

OK - this is not a pity party. I think it's more like I've been hit with reality and need to deal with it. Talk (or blog) about it and then take action.

I started out the day feeling pretty good about myself. I've done a lot of great work this week and am prepared for a big meeting tomorrow. Then, I get THE CALL.

"Hi, are you ready for the meeting?"

"Sure."

"Well, I'm wearing...." and then the caller in a very subtle, "I think I'm being insulted way" inquired what I would be wearing.

Welcome to P.R. it's all about the looks.

So, I'll be the first to admit that I avoid mirrors as much as possible. I know I've gotten fat -- obese -- out of shape. Whatever you want to call it. That's me. I'll take the blame.

So, I had been toying with getting in shape. But as usual, I need a deadline and a reason besides the medical "it's not healthy" spill. Heck, drinking soda and wearing heels isn't healthy either but I'm not going to stop that. Well, maybe...

Anyway, here's my idea for reshaping me, and maybe doing something to feel good spiritually. It's actually something I've been wanting to do for at least two years.

I'm going to start training -- TODAY -- for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. I want to do this in honor of the many journalists from all over the world including the United States who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. So I'm inviting my journalist buds -- yes, those of you who live in Iowa, New York, St. Louis, Springfield, etc. -- to join me. Train at home, then come here in April and run/walk/crawl the marathon with me.

Who's game? Gotta hear from you, and yes, I'll be sending you an entry form.

Santa

"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow." It's not even Thanksgiving yet, and Christmas music blares all around already.

Inspired by the The Rev. Brian Black and his warped definition of Santa:

"Then I think more about Santa Clause. Old white man living with a bunch of child-like creatures that make toys. Then he makes children sit on his lap to ask for toys. Sounds like a pedophile with a sweat shop to me."

I was inspired to look up some Santa sites. Here are some interesting ones:

Santa's Net

Track Santa via Norad

Santa Television

Cell phones

I carry a cell phone, and yes, I have occasionally used it while driving. Unfortunately it's part of the job. For several months, March to mid-October, I cut the wireless cord. No cell phone.

That's almost like carrying around a 'Will work for food' sign in these parts. "You don't have a cell phone?" people would ask, their eyes showing the pity they felt. Well, no. And for those few months, I enjoyed shopping without interruptions, driving without interruptions and listening to the radio as I drove and I enjoyed eating a meal out without interruptions.

But alas, my new employer wants me to have a cell phone. It rang at 7:30 on Sunday morning. I ignored it. It rang again at 7:45. Same caller. Again at 8:15.

"Hello? Yes, this is she. No, I don't work on Sundays, can I call you back tomorrow? An emergency? Well, no the Thanksgiving news releases haven't gone out yet. Tomorrow is fine..."I listen for another five minutes of explanation until I finally bid the caller -- a client -- adieu.

I tried unsuccessfully to get her on the phone today. Maybe I should have called her cell phone at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Photo op

"Papa" and the grandkids.

Falling leaves

Autumn. Fall.
Whatever you call it, the season with it's warm colors and temperatures that migrate from cool to cold, and warm to downright hot -- at least in Oklahoma -- always makes me a little sad.

The epilogue to a chapter. Maybe I'm sad because this year, I've seen the last of my children get married...my precious grandchildren move far away...another year slipping quietly into history.

I'm sad also because I know this might be our last holiday with my dad. I'm sad because my sister's hubby's brother is now in hospice -- his last stop before moving on to the next world. He wants to be cremated. I don't know how I would act if I knew this was my last chance to see the leaves turn golden and orange.

For all of this I'm sad, but I know like autumn my sadness will pass and I'll laugh and dance and cry a little longer.

I'll be glad for Spring.

Zathura Review

If I were a kid, this would be my favorite movie this year. If you have kids -- take them to see this movie. It's fun. It's exciting. It's imagination and it has a whole lot of good lessons for kids.

Hubby and I loved it. I'd even go so far as to say watch for this at the Academy Awards -- in the special effects category. It was a great film, and one that I would actually PAY to go watch again.

Snobs suck

So, we just went to a car show and chili cook-off at Northgate Mall. We decided to hit a restaurant next door right after.

As we pull in and are leaving our car. We see none other than hubby's brother -- yes, the one who lives in D.C. His only brother.

We wave and hubby goes over to say hello. The general's wife calls him back to the car, she half-heartedly waves and makes a big to-do about how busy they are. Hey, we're there to have a lunch by ourselves, but you know you see relatives you say hello. At least most people do. Well, about that time a whole bunch of her relatives and friends that we met Thursday night walk of the restaurant. They all say hi, and "why didn't you join us earlier." So how do you say, "uh, I thought my brother had already left town?"

It was embarrassing. Their treatment of my husband was embarrassing. What the hell?! We're decent law-abiding citizens. We go to church. We are educated. Why does having a little more money that someone -- even a relative -- make you so much better? So hubby's brother shook his hand and said bye and dismissed us as if we were mere acquaintances.

We sat down to lunch and neither one of us said anyhing for a long time. I think we were both sorting out our feelings. I was angry. He was hurt. Damn those people. Damn 'em to hell.

The week in review - Patriots

Wow, I didn't have much time this week to write -- at least not for leisure. But it was a great week. We actually stayed home last night and tried to catch up on some missed television shows. This morning, I got up early and watched E.R. and Grey's Anatomy.

If you didn't see this week's episode (actually last Sunday's episode) of Grey's Anatomy -- you should. Since I was in the living room alone and everyone else is asleep, I watched and blubbered through most of it. It was a good show. I know -- guys don't undertand that. But my guess is that this show will make them cry too. Watch it.

But I had enough of television when I flipped over to "But Can they Sing?" Think American Idol with celebrities. I watched as Morgan Fairchild "sang" Nancy Sinatra's "These boots were made for walking". Not good. Antonio Sabata Jr. sang "I'll be watching you." Painful. But the final straw was some psuedo-celeb Bai Ling singing -- and I uses this term loosely -- Madonna's "Like a Virgin." I shut the television off.

The best part of this week was attending the Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony -- yes, that was even better than Thursday's event at the Petroleum Club, even though I love that view. Sis-in-law's father was one of the inductees.

It was an honor to be there. Among the inductees were silver star recipients, purple heart recipients, Distinguished Service Cross recipients, the Bronze Star recipients. Most had a multitude of awards for heroic service.

Souls of warriors, hearts of patriots. It was an honor to share the night with them.

Writing

Inspired by my friend Gina I've decided to try National Novel Writing Month .

My working title is Southern Fried Baptist

This will hopefully turn into a book based on my life growing up Baptist in Texas. The characters are based on a combination of people, at least some of them are. Some of the characters are based on people I knew, with creative liberaties of course.

Remember, you're getting to see the very rough draft.

Where the heck did Nov. 1 go?

I'll post more on this later, but I do believe I'm going to get a late start on my commitment to write at least 50,000 words this month. Again, more on that later -- time crunch right now. I was supposed to start writing yesterday. Instead I went to see yet another free movie -- Jarhead.

Good flick. Maybe a few too many hidden "anti-war messages" in there. Not that I'm a great supporter of Dubyah's current war. But I do support our troops. Hubby was in Saudi the first time, and both of us know why that battle was really fought, but it was his commitment, his duty, to follow the Commander-in-Chief's orders. That's the same thing for the young men and women who are in Iraq today. That's why the more I thought about the movie, the more it bothered me. But it is a good flick. Go see it, make up your own mind. It's realistic (not too bloody or gory, but not a kids movie.)

Anyway, my novel that will begin taking shape later today is titled: Southern Fried Baptist" -- I'll provide a link later for anyone brave enough to read.

Later -

Haunting the Zoo

Another Halloween down. This was a fun one. We skipped a party Saturday night because it might have proven to be too much fun, but really because hubby doesn't like costume parties. It was ok. We actually needed the night to rest because Sunday and tonight we volunteered for "Haunt the Zoo".

Tonight wasn't bad, slow night.

Sunday was hectic and we were worn out afterward.

Several observations from this week:

Some parents spend an awful lot of money on their children's costumes.

Some parents spend an awful lot of money on their own costumes.

Hardly anyone makes their costumes any more.

Cell phones should be prohibited. We saw so many parents so busy talking on their cell phones that they were virtually ignoring their child. With thousands of people around, this is not a good time to be distracted as a parent. I felt sorry for the kids.

Most popular costumes: Spiderman, the Thing, Mr. Incredible for boys, followed by the Ninja Turtles (still?), firemen, policemen, or race car drivers.
For girls: Princesses, Tinkerbell, and witches followed by kitty cats, unicorns etc. I didn't see one little girl firefighter.

Or Supreme Court Justice nominee for that matter.

Because it's Sunday and I have time

Sometimes I take the time to read other people's blogs. No really, not just the regulars, but the links on the regulars' blogs. And then links the links have. Some are very interesting, and today, I think I'll share some cool blogs:

"Mafia" links added to my blog:

Gotham Girls Roller Derby

Dispatches by Mr. Hahn"

Just plain interesting blogs:

Post a Secret

Pajiba

The Morning News

The Leaky Cauldron

Early Morning meme

I'll post something totally creative and thought-provoking later. But right now it's early (couldn't sleep) and I'm going to answer a meme.

Here it goes -- this is from Little Bit Crazy


three names you go by
1. E (to grandkids, kids, etc.)
2. Cissy (to bloggers)
3. Honey (to Hubby)

three parts of your heritage
1. Spanish, Mexican
2. Irish
3. French
(to the best of parental disclosures -- I'm researching this)

three things that scare you
1. Getting old
2. Something happening to my loved ones
3. Vampire movies

three of your everyday essentials
1. The really expensive hair product I use that I ran out of yesterday and forgot to buy a new one of...dang
2. Talking to my children
3. Music

three things you are wearing right now
1. Wife beater T
2. silky p.j. bottoms
3. panties

three of your favorite musical artists
1. Melissa Manchester
2. George Strait
3. BBKing
I'll add a few more: Everclear; Hole (when they were a band); Willie Nelson; Ella Fitzgerald; Will Smith, L.L. Cool J; Bon Jovi; Pinky and the Snakeshakers; Watermelon Slim; Gwen Stefanie; Kelly Clarkson; Paul McCartney; Billy Joel -- you get the picture. I love music.

three favorite songs
1. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
2. New York State of Mind -- Billy Joel
3. Buttercup

And so many more...


three things you want in a relationship
1. Love
2. Trust
3. Communication

two truths and a lie
1. I like Oklahoma
2. I'm a morning person
3. I love shopping

three physical things about the opposite sex that appeal to you
1. eyes
2. smile
3. individualism
Let's not forget the "tush"

three of your favorite hobbies
1. Blogging -- does that count?
2. Painting
3. My podcast (Dec. 1 folks)

three things you want to do really badly right now
1. Go back to bed and sleep for another two hours
2. Hmmm...maybe do something else before I go back to sleep
3. Wake everybody else up

three places you want to go on vacation
1. Okinawa, Japan
2. A cruise anywhere
3. NYC -- always, but probably Europe

three things you want to do before you die
1. Finish a novel
2. Get it published
3. Win a pulitzer

three ways that you are a stereotypically a chick/dude
1. I'm hate bugs, snakes etc.
2. I like pink
3. I love flowers

Three people I want to do this: I promised I wouldn't. But anyone brave enough to try -- go on ahead.

10 things I love about my life

1. It's never the same -- always interesting -- and yet the same.

2. I have a wonderful husband who supports me in everything I choose to do, and shares my spirit of spontaneity and adventure. "Let's go!" I'll say, and he leads the way.

3. Great kids. Maybe they didn't do what we would have chosen as a career path for them, or a life path, but no jail time -- much -- no addictions and all are in long-term relationships.

4. Health -- it's been a wild ride this year. I love the fact that our son is going to be ok and that we've been fortunate enough not to deal with serious illnesses before.

5. Silly -- but I love our car. I never thought we would drive a PT Cruiser, but it's fun, and it's reliable.

6. I love that I live in America.

7. I love that I grew up in Texas.

8. I love that I was able as an adult to return to college and find a career that doesn't feel like a job.

9. I love that God has given me some talents -- writing, art, etc. It took me a while to be able to say that without feeling like I was bragging. I'm not the best, but I make a living doing what I love.

10. I love my friends -- my family.

This list obviously could go on and on. I love my life, and I don't think I would want it to change for all the millions in the world. Oh, and I love my blogs!

Can we keep this weather forever

I love it. Crisp, cool, sunny. I'm just enjoying the weather today.

So leave your computers, and stick your head out the door. Aaahh.

I love languages

J'aime les langues. Je peux parler l'anglais, espagnol et un petits Japonais (a utilisé pour être aisé), donc c'est le temps pour apprendre un plus. Je pense que j'opterai pour le français ou peut-être italien.

Je le déteste absolument quand quelqu'un dit qu'ils ne peut pas apprendre une autre langue. Augmenter vos horizons !

Sad Revenge

Six people are now in custody in the death of Sgt. Jonathan Dragus. They didn't shoot him, stab him, or directly do bodily harm to him, yet at least one of them is charged with Dragus' murder. But is it really murder, or is it the Oklahoma City police seeking revenge for what is unquestionably a tragic death?

Dragus was chasing a motorcycle that Kyle Crider was driving. No question, the motorcycle was trying to elude police. Where was his backup? Why not get a license plate number? Why do police insist on high speed chases? But that's what Dragus did and nine minutes later, a pickup pulled in front of him at an intersection, he swerved and he lost control of his police cruiser, careened across the expressway and struck a light pole.


Crider claims he was so far ahead of the police cruiser that he didn't know an accident had occurred. He turned himself in. Crider definitely should be charged with the crimes he committed, but murder?


One can safely assume if the cruiser was involved in a high speed chase, there were lights and sirens, why is the driver of the truck who went into the cruisers path not the one charged with manslaughter? That driver left the scene of the accident.

Does the police officer bear no responsibility for his own decisions? Does he bear no responsibility for his own driving mistake?

Everyone involved in this made poor decisions, from Crider to Dragus.

I know it's harsh to say that, but this isn't the first time this has happened. If the Oklahoma City police department is going to continue its policy on high speed chases, do they provide adequate training on how to drive the cruisers fast through city traffic and obstacles?

The policy needs to be reevaluated before the safety of other police officers and the public in general continues to be put at risk.

The best laid plans

I accepted another job today. This time, I'm stepping away from my comfort role as a news journalist to work in media relations. It's making me contemplative tonight. This year has not been at all what I had planned, and this new direction is not at all where I had planned to be when I graduated from college a few years ago for this "second" career.

Not that I'm unhappy at all. I welcome the change. I was ready to get out of the daily grind of newspapers, and my current gig designing hasn't exactly turned me on to being back in a newsroom (let's just say disorganization and some how the a.hole with the penis is always in charge.) Hey, sorry. But I'm a little jaded about newsrooms. It's a good ol' boys club at the top, just like it's always been.

Look at Helen Thomas, a wonderful journalist and she doesn't get the same respect she would if she were a man. I don't think women will ever get that respect in the workplace.

I'm not a raging feminist. But I am a feminist ( a label like liberal that's gotten a bad rep in the past few years.) I just know I've seen a lot of deserving women who were damn good at their jobs -- and often far more qualified than the men who got the promotions. I've been shoulder-to-shoulder fighting for news scoops with male journalists, and it was getting old. Having to be twice as good to get half the pay or respect gets old.

So I'm embarking a new chapter in my journalistic career and I think I'm really going to enjoy it.

But who knows, I might miss the rat race so much I'll want to go back. I'm not shutting any doors, just opening a new one. Is that so wrong?

So for the rest of the evening, I'm going to sit in my office, read Molly Ivins' book, drink some Coke and rum and listen to BB King...The Thrill is Gone.

(P.S. For those of you who were kind enough to ask. I'm over it. Hubby's back in his bed after a heart-felt, "she was so ugly, what was I thinking" apology. All is well.)

Good thing the guest room's empty

Normally, I'm not the jealous and overly crazed type of wife. But for whatever reason, the mere mention of my husband's ex-wife drives me crazy. I don't want to remember that there was anyone ever before me whom he thought he could spend his life with. Never mind that we've been married for more than 20 years, it still drives me nuts. And, for the record. I DON'T mention my ex-husband. EVER. Neither one of us keeps in touch or knows where the exes are, but it still bugs me.

So I'll share what happened:

Redneck son-in-law starts making jokes about new son-in-law going to boot camp, and how he can't have sex during boot-camp -- prohibited by some rule, he says. (Don't know where he gets his information -- I've never heard that.)

New son-in-law laughs and says he's going to be in Illinois and new bride is not going to be with him until tech school.

Redneck son-in-law says that the military says you can't have sex while you're in tech school.

So up pipes hubby with, "I saw my wife -- uh, ex-wife during basic and she was with me during tech school."

EXCUSE ME?! He brought up the ex-wife during a conversation about sex???

I was pissed. Of course, he didn't realize it until he tried to get into bed Sunday night. His pillow and blanket were already on the guest bed.

In 20-some years, he's never been relegated to the guest bed. But dang it, I'm mad.

So last night, he tried to apologize. 'Hon, it's you I love and you are more sexy than she ever was.'

MORE sexy? That would imply first wife was sexy. Second night in guest bed.

I'm tired of being mad, and I don't like sleeping alone. But dang it, I want a honest to goodness, "I don't even remember her, except she was ugly and snored and... and I must have been out of my mind or drunk when I married her." apology.

It's going to be a long week.

Finally

Woohoo. The wedding is over. Our youngest is married. I still haven't had time to soak that in.
I'm so far behind at everything now -- work, watching t.v. -- and a host of other things that will now have my attention.

It's amazing how something so joyous as a wedding can cause so much stress.

33 hours and counting...

Before the "I dos" of my daughter her fiancee. I'm SO exhausted. I don't know what I'm going to wear. I had to call into work and tell them I just couldn't make it today. Really. Wedding crises...too many.

No. 1: They go get their marriage license. Guess what. No can do. Her license is expired. They don't take college i.d.'s as substantial proof that you're you. So in a few we're going to the DMV to stand in a long line and get a state i.d. because she doesn't have time to take a driving test today.

No. 2: Dress alterations. They screwed up. Really. Now the off the shoulder straps fall way off her shoulder and she's hysterical. So, guess who gets to fix it. Me. God help me -- beading.

No. 3 -- Guests start arriving today and my house looks like a tornado hit it, and there's no food in the fridge. No sleep for me today.

I didn't even get to watch "LOST" last night. Thank God for T-VO -- that's a whole post in and of itself. I'm going to watch t.v. all day Sunday.

Bright spot today? Four-year-old little redhead will be at my house this eve. Yeah!

Life's little challenges

I've been reading the Diva's blog this morning and it made me laugh. She handles life's little challenges well, and it's good to know that we're not in this alone.

Because this week, I've been feeling so sorry for myself. For what, you ask? I actually have to get out of my car to open the garage door.

Up until last week we had a garage door opener. But last Friday, our daughter had just backed out of the garage and the door was coming down. Hubby and I were inside and we heard a large snap and then crash. Because our driveway faces a very busy street, we had visions of our daughter -- ok, ok, we're worried about the new car too -- being crushed by some speeding motorist as she backed out.

But no, it was the cable to the garage door opener. The spring went flying across the room and hit the opposite wall. Crash. No garage door opener.

And because we're in the midst of paying for a wedding reception, we just can't fork over the money to pay for a new opener.

But Diva made me realize that we were lucky. We've had so many outlet explosions in the last few weeks, that it's lucky there's been no fire.

Life's little challenges. God's little blessings.

More sports

Basketball:

Seems some people are getting their shorts in a bunch because the Hornets coach is telling OKC folks he likes it here. Then he's telling New Orleans folks, the team is going back.

Well, what the heck did you expect him to say. Oklahomans are thrilled to have the Hornets. But we need to chill before we scare these folks out of here. They can't make promises right now without appearing insensitive to New Orleans, but Shinn is saying what people want to hear. He's probably wrong in doing that, but he's trying too dang hard to make everyone happy.

Truth is our minor league hockey team has more regular fans attending games than the Hornets did in New Orleans. Truth is the team probably was shopping around for a place to go. No one wants to say that, but everyone knows it's the truth.

OKC need to concentrate on filling seats, making the guys welcome and well, if they decide to stay then great. If they feel obligated to go back to New Orleans, we've still made an impression that the NBA or other professional sports are not likely to forget.

Baseball: So long to my Red Sox until next year. Go Cards.

Football: How 'bout them Mizzou Tigers? And, yep. I was just a little proud of Texas.

Going to the chapel...

First it was March 11. Then it was August something or the other. Then it was Nov. 26 this year! Now it's next Friday -- Oct. 14.

We're talking wedding dates here. My daughter and her fiancee have changed their date so many times, that I want to scream. We're totally ticked off that they decided to go to the JP's office next week instead of having the wedding at the Capitol as planned.

"We decided to save money, it was getting so expensive..." Well, it's still expensive. Now we're just doing everything really really fast. Ok, so no bridesmaids or groomsmen is a good thing. No tuxes. Good. But we still have a wedding dress that has be to altered in less than one week! We're planning a small reception at our home now ($3,000 savings) so that's good.

So maybe they were right. I'm still ticked off about it, but at the same time understand why they want to get married before he goes off to boot camp. I don't think the realization that he's going to be GONE almost the whole first year of their marriage has hit them yet.

So now, I have to run. I have to go order some flowers and a cake, and napkins with their names engraved -- because this is our youngest child and she can't get married without us making a big deal out of it, even if she's going to the j.p.'s office. Cool thing -- her dad gets to give them the oath and sign the marriage certificate since he works at the court. Pretty cool.

Brrrr...

Every year when the temperatures begin their downward spiral, I tell myself that next year I'm going to be living in a warmer climate. I can't say that this year because I actually turned down a job in Phoenix this year.
It's a balmy 85 degrees in Phoenix today.

So, OK this time next year I'm going to be living somewhere near the beach. It could happen.

The Pink Zone

Calling all females -- particularly sports fans: I need feedback on this from everyone, so please pass this along and let me know what you think.

You've heard all the sports talk shows, now as a female and a sports fan, what features would you like to see/hear in a show dedicated to women and sports and women in sports?

Who would you like to hear from? What teams/sports are you interested in? What issues relating to sports are you interested in hearing/talking about?

This is an ongoing project, and an announcement will be forthcoming, just want to get some input from my digital sisters. Thanks, ya'll!

Mushy stuff

We just had a delightful evening at friends' 50th wedding anniversary. It was wonderful to see a couple so in love with such a great family -- and extended family via friends.

It was so cute, they danced to their song, "Somewhere my love." Hubby and I even danced and he sang "When a man loves a woman" in my ear as we danced. How romantic, and trust me, my husband is not a romantic.

We talked afterward and couldn't quite decide if we had a song. We laughed because when we got married in 1985, we were such "children of the 70s" and the songs at our wedding reflected that. First, we got married in a rose garden. We had flute music. We came in to John Denver's "Annie's Song" and we walked out to Cat Stevens' "Morning Has Broken." Pretty cheesy.

But that's ok. Love, weddings and anniversary parties are supposed to be cheesy. That includes doing the chicken dance, the Macarena and the YMCA. We had fun.

Tomorrow is going to be grueling though. I'm going with my "bridezilla" daughter to the bridal show. I have a feeling that I'm gonna need a stiff drink afterward.

Delay-ed reaction

I got a call this week from my son in the middle of the day.He was yelling something about Tom Delay. Finally, I got it. Delay is finally on the griddle. Good. 'bout damn time.

Of course, he's going to argue that this is just a partisan prosecutor -- a Democrat -- going after a good Republican. Sure. GOPers don't play that game do they? What was Kenneth Starr and the Whitewater investigation? Oh, yes. Impartial. How silly of me to forget.

So Delay is running for cover now, and trying his best to plead innocence. I hope this prosecutor has the gumption it's going to take to see this process through. Don't get me wrong, I'm not for prosecuting every Republican lawmaker. I'm for prosecuting any elected official who breaks trust with the American people because he thinks he's above the law. Democrat or Republican, male or female.

But there does seem to be a double-standard in politics. Democrats go to jail (or get impeached) for breaking laws. Republicans don't.

American taxpayers paid millions to investigate Clinton for seven years. Nothing was found, then the dumba$# goes and hands them something. He gets blown in the oval office and then lies about it. Geez. I still haven't forgiven him for that. He broke the trust -- not just of his family but the American people as well when he lied. Should he have gotten impeached? No. There shouldn't have been an investigation in the first place.

I've long said that former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating would be in prison today had he been a Democrat. I mean, come on. Oklahomans can't really have believed that a "friend" would be give him a quarter of a million dollars just because. Gene Stipe
spent his own money and that still got him in hot water, but he was a Democrat.

Anyway, my son was tickled pink to see Delay in some hot water. Yep. I raised a Democrat. Actually, I also raised a Republican (daughter). But neither one of them is so blinded by party loyalty that they can't judge each lawmaker on his/her actions. So I guess we just taught them to think for themselves.

As long as they cheer for the Sox to beat the Yankees, it's all good.

Girls just wanna have fun

Someone once said 'There's no such thing as too much fun." I beg to differ. I'm having what's lining up to be a "too much fun" weekend. It starts tonight.

My husband says I'm becoming the queen of the free movie pass. I've become proficient in spying the small print notices about picking up a free pass to a movie sneak peak, so we've seen first run movies for free all summer. Not that it's easy, it takes hard work. I grab the paper and scan it for freebie offers, and then have to plan my day so I can get to the designated place at the right time. Well, worth it. I think movie prices are way overblown anyway, and my husband was tired of going to the dollar movie theatre, so now we're regular sneak peak attendees. Tonight we're seeing "A history of violence."

Tomorrow night, and this I'm so excited about, we're going to see "Moving Out," or is it "Moving On." Whatever, Billy Joel music, so it will be cool.

Saturday we're helping some friends celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. How great is that!?

Sunday -- this one is tricky. Get up early, go to church. Come home, pick up daughter, go to bridal show. While I'm gone, hubby will be cooking a wonderfully delicious gourmet meal for us and friends who are coming over to our house around 5 p.m. In between the bridal show and the 5 p.m. meal, we're heading to Edmond for a quick visit to the UCO Jazz Lab to hear D.C. Minner et. al. play blues. Then back home, dinner with friends, and then over to a coffee shop to listen to

• Watermelon Slim

for some more blues.

As I said, too much fun...

I'm an initial

"What do you want to be called," my daughter asked, querying me about my preference for what the new grandchild would call me.
"I don't know, how about 'your majesty' or 'diva'?" I asked, still in shock at learning I was to be a grandparent at the ripe old age of 42.

Fast forward a few months and my daughter decided I was going to be "grammy." Our little grandson starting talking and saying everyone's name. "papa" "mommy" "daddy", but no name for me, or so we thought.

It wasn't until he really wanted something and he kept tugging on my leg, "E, babble, babble, babble." After a while, we realized that I was "E", it wasn't just a preliminary noise he made before launching into an unintelligible request or complaint of some sort.

Fast forward a few more years and adding two granddaughters -- my son's girls -- and I'm still "E."

Not that they can't say "Grammy" or "Grandma" should they so desire. No, they go out of their way to correct people about the name they've given me. They were delighted when a character on the Incredibles was called "E." And, no my name is not Edna. "E," you are on the Incredibles! And so I am.

Now I'm sitting here in my office, my red "Incredibles" phone handily by (yes, really. It's got the "I-logo" and everything cool. Flashes when I have a message.) and missing my grandchildren -- my three little monkeys very much. Whoever thought being a grandma would be so much fun. Play, spoil, send them back home.

Oh well, it will be the holidays -- not soon enough -- and I'll get to play with the little monkeys who all live far away now.

E will definitely have some spoiling to catch up on.

Addict uncovered

I'm an addict. I've known for a long time that I have an addictive personality so I stay away from harmful things like drugs and gambling. I consume alcohol only in small amounts -- well that's because I don't like being drunk. Why? Because I'm a control freak and when you're drunk you are NOT in control.

So what am I addicted to?

Lots of things: Television for one right now, which is weird because I never watched television when my children were younger. Now I LIVE for Survivor and Desperate Housewives and Gray's Anatomy and...

Blogging: It's getting worse folks. Brace yourself.

Spider Solataire: Yep. I'm wasting my time. I'm supposed to be in the middle of this big project -- writing a textbook with a professor from Mizzou -- and what do I spend my time doing instead when I KNOW I should be working? Blogging or playing solataire.

Well that's because my husband the sports addict -- much worse than I -- is in the throes of Monday Night Football and I dare not interrupt. It's the Chiefs -- his favorite team, so if I dare mention that CSI Miami is on, I risk losing a limb.

I guess I could go do the dishes...nah.

Sports Fever

Most people look at me and NEVER think sports fanatic. But my most favorite job was when I was a sports reporter at The Missourian. Priceless.

Right now we Oklahoma City residents are definitely on a sports high -- well, not if you are a Sooners fan.

NBA -- First let me say, I'm very sorry about the way this happened. I'd prefer we still be begging any pro sports team to come here rather than having had a devastating hurricane be the reason we got a chance to be the home city for a team.

That said...The Hornets are calling OKC home! That's exciting. I've been singing the praises of this town ever since I moved here three years ago. This is an absolutely exciting opportunity for others across the nation to get to know a small city that has a lot on the ball. Just in the past three years, the changes in the downtown area have been amazing. That taxpayers are willing not once, but three times, to say "yes" to a tax to improve their city and their schools says a lot about the people here.

Yes, we've already called and gotten on the list for tickets. Can't afford 'em, but gonna do it anyway. It's a pro sports team -- here.

Baseball -- Damn the Yankees won their game today -- my apologies to all my NY buds -- but I'm a huge Red Sox fan. The teams are tied for first in their division! And the St. Louis Cardinals are top of their division. So life is good in baseball.

Football -- Plan to catch at least one Cowboys and/or Chiefs game this season. I'm not predicting any winners there, especially after the painful loss Monday night to the Redskins. Ouch. But gotta cheer my teams on.
Now if the Tigers just beat the Jayhawks in Kansas this year, all will be well... Mizzou-RAH!

Morning all..

Well, little brother is safe. He showed up at mom's with what few belongings he could cram into a rental car, girlfriend in tow (her folks are in Oklahoma). Don't know about everyone else yet, we couldn't get through on the phone lines yesterday.

Boom boom boom. Our house is near a busy street, and I'm so sick of people who think they can't drive their vehicle without sharing their music -- bass -- with the whole world. I'm not impressed that you spent a fortune on an entertainment system that you can only use when you are in the car, and that will be outdated as soon as the next one comes along, and that tells me you are so insecure about yourself that you have to show off to the world that "hey, I listen to music..." idiots.

I guess I'd better go finish that article that was due at 5 p.m. yesterday. But it's so much more fun to write random thoughts....

Drama

Well back to the old grind after two days away. I've forgiven hubby for breaking the mirror. I feel tired today since life has been a nonstop drama lately.

The funeral was ok. Of course, the drama there was the preacher's words. D didn't go to church anymore, hadn't since college. He didn't feel it was right to go where people condemned his life as "evil." So on Monday, as he lay in his coffin we all looked at him as this preacher who never met D in his life went on and on about how D had faith and lived a Godly life etc. After the funeral, hubby and I talked and we both agreed the preacher had no right to say those things. It wasn't D, and the funeral was a farce. Aunt M, the 93-year-old woman who always thought of D as her son though he was really her nephew, broke down crying and said the same thing. It was hard on her to be completely left out of planning the funeral. "He wouldn't have wanted such a thing," she said. She's right. So we rebeled and the few who really knew D went to dinner and talked and shared some memories and stories. That seemed a much more fitting send off.

The other drama was deciding to tell some of the older relatives that our youngest daughter is getting married -- to a black man. Never mind that he's a sweetheart who treats her like a queen and works harder than most young men his age, the news went over about as well as we could expect. We had to tell them before they came to the wedding since we don't want any embarrassing moments. If our daughter is happy, we're happy, so they'll just have to get over their biases. "Kids these days just have no respect for what they've been taught and how they've been raised," one relative said. "We raised her to believe that all people are the same," we said. Not all people. Some are more closed minded than others.

Drama #3: Hubby's mom seemed so detached this weekend. The alzheimer's gotten worse. Hubby and his brother, who went on and on about his last trip to OKC -- never mentioning that he never bothered to call us when he was in town -- went to the funeral home and prepaid for their mom's funeral. Sad, but a necessary preparation.

Drama #4: Unveils today, as we see thousands evacuate from south Texas. My youngest brother is in college down there, and hopefully safely on his way up to Amarillo to my parents home. We have cousins and in-laws who also live there, I hope everyone is safe.

Accidents just happen

Emotions can sure get in the way sometimes. I just blew up and yelled at my husband, whom I'm still not speaking to right now. I'm just upset. I had an antique mirror that his mom gave me a long time ago. He broke it tonight. I know it's ridiculous to be so upset, but I am.

Things have a way of standing for certain things/moments in our lives. My mom-in-law was always so MEAN to me after hubby and I first got married, ala Jane Fonda in Monster In Law. Really. If my daughter hadn't witnessed it and told my hubby about it, I don't think he would have believed it because when he was around she was just so sweet. The mirror represents sort of a turning point. She made an effort to be nice for no reason when she gave me that mirror.
I never thought I'd be glad that she was ill and couldn't travel anymore. But I guess I'm glad that she won't ever come to my house and know the mirror is gone. I certainly won't tell her.

I guess I need to go apologize for calling my hubby some not so nice names. But dang it. This is the second time this month he's broken something by pulling on an electrical cord without paying attention to what lay in its path. . . Ok so maybe I'm not ready to apologize. I really want to hit him -- that's how mad I am.

NO, I'm not going to. That would be unimaginable. But dang it.

Stuff, stuff and movie reviews

That pretty much answers it, nobody is reading this blog. That means this is the equivalent of talking to myself, which I'm actually pretty good at. Though, not as good as my husband who's easy to track down in stores because I can usually hear him talking to himself in the next aisle. Handy though, since I tend to lose him in stores.

Oh well. The story of my life.

Today was a noneventful day. Really. We got up - late. And, then decided to go to the Asian festival at Will Rogers Park. By the time we got there, it was over. Finis. No one there.

So, we headed to Bricktown. My husband got excited when he saw the classic car show at the Bass Pro parking lot, so we stopped. By the time we parked, walked across the street and across the parking lot to the show, cars were moving. It was over. Finis. We missed another event.

So, we came home and cooked spaghetti. Friends called and asked us to go fishing Sunday (not my thing, but hubby loves it.) Unfortunately friends want to go in the a.m. We want to go to church since we missed last Sunday. Bummer. And, we have tons of stuff to do tomorrow since we goofed off today. We're heading to Oswego, Kansas (population 2,000 -- all related to my husband) for D's funeral. Hubby's only brother -- older -- is flying into Kansas City and will also be there. So that means we have to watch everyone fawn over the "general" and again my hubby will be made to feel like he's the younger brother who doesn't quite measure up. That most definitely won't be fun. His wife is not going to attend. Heaven forbid. Her cousin twice removed celebrates learning to braid her hair or some other lame "family event" and she's there. But she's just too elite for Kansas, after all she's the "general's wife."

OK OK , I'm bitter. But hey, I can say all this stuff here because no one is reading this anyway. I just get bitter because my hubby is the most wonderful talented, kindest person in the world and his only brother is the only person I know who doesn't like him. His loss. Jerk.

When he calls our house, and I answer the phone he says this is "insert first name and last name" like he's a stranger. I feel like saying "Yes, I know. I recognize the 'I have a stick up my ass' accent.

Enough venting. I'd better go unwind now with a glass of wine. by the way, last night we went to see three movies at the drive in. Great night - State Fair and football games made it quiet and nice out there. Red Eye was good -- second time we've seen it and still kept us at the edge of our seats. "The 40-year-old Virgin" had its moments, but was at least a half hour too long. "Four Brothers" -- excellent action film -- a bit violent -- and definitely not believable. I mean come on, who gets to kill the bad guys, a cop and shoot up half a neighborhood and walk away? Not likely and it sends the wrong message to any young person who might watch it. AND, they never answer the question outright about why someone would kill their mom. I mean, I know. But still...

Why do I write?

A friend used to have posted on his computer a cryptic message: "Writing is like sex. First you do it for love. Then you do it for duty, and finally you do it for money." I liked the message another coworker had on his computer better: "I breathe, therefore I write."

Writers all like to think they have some divine gift -- insights into the human pysche that no one else has privilege to unless we enlighten them. Whatever.

Truth is most people haven't read your great novel or heard of it unless it was made into a movie. Then, they still don't know your name.

If you're a journalist, most readers don't read past the first three graphs. And your byline? Forget, they only look to see who wrote a story when they're pissed off and want to call your editor.

And blogs. I love my blogs. You would think since I write for a living, I'd find a different way to enjoy myself when I'm not "working." Wrong. But reality set in yesterday after I proudly finished my daily rant:

"Does anyone read that?" hubby asked, who has never read this blog himself.

"I think so, well...I know a couple of people do because we talk about stuff..." I said, hesitantly.

"Oh, so basically you're talking only to your friends?" hubby asked.

"I have more than a couple of friends," say I, with my writer's ego firmly insulted by now.

"Oh, I see," hubby says, walking away.

I was fuming. But I guess he's right. Is anybody reading this?

Second Thursday post

I must be chatty on Thursdays, because here I go again. But so much to talk about...

Texas executed a woman this week, third one since death penalty was reinstated. The Kinkster http://www.kinkyfriedman.com had some interesting stuff to say about that.

Dubya's speech tonight was good. He knew it, you could tell by the smirk he just couldn't suppress. My guess is Karen Hughes gave him a good scolding and told him to step up to the plate and sound tough. Don't get me wrong. It was a good speech. He said what he needed to say. He did what he needed to do. He did his job. Problem is that he should have done this at the very least one week ago. Just call my cynical, but it didn't ring sincere.

Jobs, rain, and Tom Coburn, Katrina

Too many topics on my mind today -- including a song that's stuck in my head: "The Thrill is gone" by B.B. King http://www.bbking.com

Jobs: Now I have a 20-hour a week design job to add to my multitude of writing gigs. This should be interesting, and will definitely make me a whole lot more organized due to time constraints. Remodeling will have to be a weekend job.

Rain: Rain is dreary, but it leaves my grass green, my trees green, my flowers green...rain is good.

Tom Coburn: Idiot. If I did a crossword puzzle when I was at a meeting, conference, etc. for my job. I'd be fired. I hope voters store this in their memory bank so we can fire this self-absorbed jerk in five years.

Katrina: Brown was right to resign. Now the good people of Louisiana need to get rid of their governor and other elected officials -- mayor of New Orleans -- who also failed them. Good to see so many Americans reaching out.

Time's up.

Trivial and other pursuits

Went on yet another job interview today. Yuk. I hate those, and I'm not even sure why I keep doing it. I oughta just kiss Oklahoma goodbye and find a job somewhere nice and warm year round. And then...a job posting in Kuwait caught my eye. I wonder what the weather's like there in December?

Yep. I'm a gypsy. I think I'm all settled in and really Oklahoma is a great place. We like it here. It's comfortable (well, except for the job thing for me.) But the thought of somewhere new is exciting. More people, more experiences to store in the memory bank. Stuff to dwell on when we're sitting in the rocker many years from now.

Yesterday, I joked about "free food" -- always good -- but the best part of the day as always was the great company that came with the food. After brunch five of us shimmied up to the table and played Trivial Pursuit. Something I had not done in a long time. It was fun, and in the process we learned that everyone is an expert at something or the other. And, it's amazing the amount of crap we remember.

Still waiting to hear when D's funeral is going to be. It's gonna be a long week, I can tell already.
At least we had a nice weekend.

Football, free food and life's complications

Life gets more complicated everyday. My husband's cousin died mid-week and his brother went out to Colorado to claim the body to bring back to his home state for burial. It's Sunday and he's still waiting for the body to be released. The problem is this cousin has lived a separate life all these years, and while most of us younger relatives knew that his male "friend" was more than just a friend the older relatives who probably knew have never wanted to admit it. They have to admit it now. The "friend" who has legal power of attorney is not releasing the body to the family. So no matter how hard Cousin tried to keep his secret in life. In death, life is even more complicated.

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Football -- All is well in Okieland. The Sooners won their game. Of course, the Tigers lost -- I told you our team loses a lot. But the Chiefs and Cowboys won, so it will be a good week.

Of course, knowing Sooners fans they'll all go into the office tomorrow morning and lament at how close the game was.

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Free food -- Today was a rare "free food" day -- the kind of days my husband lives for. We went to brunch at a friend's house, then on to a meeting that included a bbq afterward. Free food is good...that's what college taught us.

Michael Brown revisited

If Oklahoma journalists aren't feeling like a bunch of pansies right now, they should be. Myself included.

In the short time I've been in Oklahoma, I have met and interviewed Brown. I didn't think to check his credentials. Heck, he's from Oklahoma and a reason to be proud.

Now he's making Oklahoma just look plain bad. Bad enough that it's time to find out if he just "worked" in Oklahoma and came from some other state that breeds such silver-spoon in my mouth, my college buddy got me this job even though I wasn't qualified types.

I'll be a little harder on the media folks at the television stations, The Oklahoman, the Edmond Sun who have been here and more importantly covered the news here for decades. They are the only ones who would truly know if Brown was ever the assistant city manager or the assistant TO the city manager. They dropped the ball. They should have caught the "over statement" on Brown's resume.

Even then, really how does one make the jump from assistant city manager of a small city in Oklahoma to head of the federal emergency management agency? We should have asked those questions and we didn't. We were too proud of winning. Heck, there was probably some Texan hoping to land that job.

I don't know about you, but about now I'm sure wishing Brown was from Texas.

(In case you haven't noticed, this blog has a split personality. Tune in for tomorrow's rant -- oh God, I sound like one of the Ogle clones. Now that is a topic I'll have to tackle.)

Thursday post #2 - meme

10 years ago - 1995. My husband and I were students at the University of Missouri. He had just retired from the USAF and was majoring in Geography, perhaps because we had lived so many places. I was intent on going to law school after I finished my political science degree and writng for the student newspaper for the $10 an article they paid and for fun. We were broke - so broke. Had a son in college with us, a daughter in high school and one in elementary school. We drove a Chrysler minivan that blew a stack of smoke so thick the cars behind us had to wait awhile before they could drive through.

5 years ago - 2000. I was working in Texas -- as a journalist. The dream of going to law school long set aside because I simply couldn't afford it. My husband was still in school. Our son had graduated and was still living with us. Our oldest daughter was in college in Missouri and our youngest was starting high school. We were driving a "vintage" BMW. We were still broke.

1 year ago - 2004. Our son and oldest daughter had both found mates and married. They all had moved to Oklahoma. Three grandchildren now. 3, 2, 1 years old. My husband finally graduated the year before with a degree in accounting, but he was still in the same job he had before he graduated. The youngest was in college in Texas. We had moved to Oklahoma and were doing well. Happy, friends, driving a new Chrysler (not a minivan)

Yesterday - Our son and his daughters now live on the west coast. Our oldest daughter is back in Missouri going to school. The youngest is taking time off again to find herself. Worked, blogged, looked for a full-time job, dealt with family crises - my dad fell and went to the hospital, my husbands cousin died and prayed. Broke again. It's a cycle.

5 snacks I enjoy - Popcorn, Ice Cream, chocolate chip cookies, pistachio nuts, and hummus with veggies

5 songs I know all the words to - Someone to Watch Over Me, Paying the Cost to be the Boss (BB King) Since You've Been Gone (Kelly Clarkson), Amarillo by Morning (George Strait)
and probably every old American folk song ever written.

5 things I would do with $100 million dollars - Buy a house, pay off my student loans, buy cars, travel (to Europe, back to Okinawa and Australia) buy my parents a house and full-time care.

5 places I would run away to - a ranch in Texas, Cancun, Jamaica, France, Australia, home

5 things I would never wear - Mink (I'm allergic), any T-shirt with racist symbols, underlying meanings or band logo, spandex or lycra, Flower print anything

5 favorite tv shows - Lost, Survivor, CSI, The Sopranos, Desperate Housewives

5 biggest joys - my three grandchildren, my children, an evening with friends, money (of course) and 20 + years with my soul mate

5 favorite toys - my computer, camera, my paints and canvasses, my hubby, and my kitchen (I like to cook)

5 people I tag - Gina, Bart, Cindy, Sylvia and anyone else who's never done this.

Surviving our leadership

Don't worry folks. FEMA is on the job. The beleaguered band of incompetents who couldn't find New Orleans a week ago has found something it's good at doing.

News management. The powers that be have decided that news photographers, both print and television, can't take or distribute photos of anything suggesting a dead body.

Keep in mind, in our country's muddied history the only other times a "black out" of dead bodies in the media has resulted in catastrophic results. From the Civil War to Vietnam, and most recently the Iraq War, government has tried to hide the reality of war from its citizens.

But this isn't war. This natural disaster was a colossal failure on the part of our nation to care for its citizens. Maybe that's what FEMA is hiding.

Nothing could have been done to stop Hurricane Katrina. A lot could have been done to prepare for it. And, even more could have been done to avoid the needless deaths that occurred after the storm.

At a press briefing Wednesday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan defended President George W. Bush and his staff, saying he did not want to "engage in the blame game." "We appreciate the great effort that all of those at FEMA, including the head of FEMA, are doing to help the people in the region," McClellan said.

FEMA Director Michael Brown has a lot of explaining to do. Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff has a lot of explaining to do. President Bush has a lot of explaining to do.

If not to Americans, if not to the parents who held their young children as they died of dehydration, if not to the families who lost loved ones needlessly, then certainly to their God.

Theme Parks and Bozos

I have spent the largest part of my day chasing down theme park executives. Bozos, all them. No sense of fun or humor whatsoever. How the heck did they get into that business?

Ah well, the joys of the job.

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Got into argument No. 3 with daughter today. Asked if she was going out to look for a job today. Apparently that question is akin to "Are you planning to give away your first born?" Not that she has kids. Thank God.

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My dad made his second trip in an ambulance today to the hospital. Yesterday they sent him home. My mom had found him passed out in his room (yes, they have separate rooms -- don't ask, don't tell) . Today, he fell again. Damn.

I feel guilty for so many reasons. I feel as if I should be there in Texas to help with the taxing drives to and from the doctor, to and from the hospital. Then I get angry. When I moved there a few years ago to provide that kind of help, my mother created her usual "C is an evil woman" scene and proceeded to not talk to me, and still have my siblings still don't talk to me. My crime? Telling my sister that her daughter had confided in my mother that her stepdad (sis' husband) was getting a little too friendly. I had talked with teen girl about it, she confirmed it. So, I told sis. Some how through that, I became the bad guy. Teen girl, now an adult with tremendous issues, got scared and denied it. Stepdad came out smelling like a rose, and my mom denied any involvement, and was so "hurt" that I would throw something -- a lie -- like that at the family. So, for the year and a half I lived near them, they didn't talk to me. This was a small town mind you. My dad never stepped in to intervene. So, sometimes I'm still angry. The only good thing that came out of that, is that I know my sis though she denied any wrongdoing on her husband's part managed to never again leave the daughter in a situation alone with stepdad. So if I helped a little, I don't regret my actions. My only regret is that I didn't call the cops before I said anything to sis. So there, it's out.

Today, my older sister called. The one who remembers the abuse we took at my mother's hand before she found Jesus. She would beat us with whatever she had in her hand at the time, or find something to beat us with for just horrific infractions as going out in the back yard without asking her permission. On the outside, we were the perfect family. Behind that closed door, it was hell. Well, let's not forget this church-going woman was there every time the doors opened. But she didn't really change until much later. She's worried that my dad is probably going to die soon. She's right. But our biggest concern? Is who's taking care of mom? And, that is the tough part.

I think I need to go to church tonight. But I'm already sitting here drinking a beer. So I'll vent. I'm actually alone in the house right now, which is a rarity. I sort of like that. It's amazing how quickly you get used to living alone (well, just the two of us) -- yes, parents, there is life after kids.

But, sometimes your parents become your kids...

Oklahomans, Sooners and Madagascar

Heard on the news today that hundreds of volunteers from Oklahoma were turned away at Falls Creek. They had turned out to help set up the place for refugees from Hurricane Katrina. Too many had come to help. Nice problem to have -- just shows what great people Oklahomans are -- and that's a HUGE compliment coming from a Texan.

OK - if I have to hear one more time what a "tragedy" the Sooners experienced over the weekend, I'll barf on someone's crimson flag. Dang people. There's more to life than a stupid football fan. And, coming from Texas, it's just a given, I'm a big football fan. But it's just a damn game -- get over it and think about the real tragedy that has just hit this nation. You got it, I'm not a Sooners fan. But I do cheer for them when they play other teams. Well, except when they play Mizzou. That's my team, and it loses a lot. But I'm still a fan, and it's just a damn game.

By the way, the Tigers won this past weekend. :)

Madagascar -- I don't know what possessed me. Well, maybe the fact that our 21-year-old daughter is now living with us and despite the fact that she's 21, she still has the 13-year-old attitude that made me want to get out of the house. Anyway, Hubby and I went to see Madagascar -- at the dollar theater on 50-cent night. The jungle sounds coming from the two foot and under crowd were scarier than anything you might hear in the jungle. Cute movie. Never again.

Long weekends

Good news: Our son is doing better. He switched doctors after the first one diagnosed him without seeing the test results. He does not have cancer. He is however, still sick, without an explanation. More tests this week, still waiting for results.

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Other topics:

I like long weekends usually, except when I have looming deadlines for articles and can't get in touch with anyone because their long weekend started a day or two before mine. And, since I'm a workaholic, I have to find things to keep busy to keep me out of trouble.

Friday: Had a nice dinner with friends. Poor folks have been without operating air conditioning for a few days now, so they were glad to have the a.c. We were glad to have the company. And, they brought a lovely housewarming gift -- a Lifestyler cardio fit or something like that. I'm gonna use it really, but after trying it once, I decided the name "lifestyler" was too nice for what is obviously an ancient torture device. I think I'm gonna dub it the Kruger -- as in Freddy for those of you who never watched 80s movies. Really, guys. We like it. No more excuses like "it's too hot" for not going on a daily walk. It's the walk or the lifestyler, I mean, the Kruger. Which would you choose?

Saturday: Painting, sawing, hammering. Fun day. The "monkey room" is on it's way to becoming a reality. Before the weekend is out, I have to create a tree and grass for the jungle effect. Every room in our house has a moniker: the Flamingo room, the Tiger room, the boom boom room etc. Hubby went to Texas to pick up our soon to be son-in-law. Nice kid. We're going to spend a few days getting to know him. Poor kid.

Today: Doing as little as possible. My arms and butt hurt from the Kruger and the walking and the trips up and down the ladder.

But I still have to stay busy. Today, I think I'm going to see Madagascar at the $1 movie theater. I've just got to figure out when the least amount of kids might be there.

Looters vs. Finders

Once again, I'm in shock at the national media. I'm a writer. I consider myself a journalist. So some would think I'm part of the media. But the "national media" sometimes makes me cringe.

While we hear of the thousands of Hurricane refugees who are literally starving to death, there is a definite difference in how the media is reporting on people. The Associated Press moved two photos this week. One of a black man describes him as looting. Another of a white couple talks about them "finding" bread from a grocery store. Here's a link to the photos: http://www.snopes.com/photos/katrina/looters.asp

On the side of fairness however, I've also seen reporters that have allowed themselves to be human in front of the camera. Many are becoming the instruments of help -- for a woman who was separated from her two-year-old boy to others who simply need help. So kudos to those reporters who are there and willing to go out on a limb to do what they can to help those people.

Hurricane aftermath

As I watched the news channels accounts of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I couldn't help but wonder why we were so unprepared. We, being America. One couple told of leaving a shelter because they had no water for people to drink and had provided only one sandwich. Thousands of people on a bridge couldn't get police to stop and render aid to a family whose baby was near death. The police didn't stop. The baby died. An older woman saw her husband die, when she asked for help, the policeman told her to move the body so it wouldn't start smelling.

Three days after the hurricane hit, it's still chaos. Why is that?

I've decided to go volunteer to answer phones and load trucks at a local agency. It's the only thing I can do to help. Money helps, but right now I'm not sure that it would get to where it needed to go.

Again, millions of dollars spent and sent to local agencies so they could prepare for manmade or natural disasters and we're still that unprepared. I don't know about anyone else but I sure feel a whole lot more vulnerable.

Pimps and Hos

In just a few weeks several of us will be headed back to college for a reunion and anniversary celebration of the student newspaper: http://www.themaneater.com But it was a recent movie I watched (Hustle and Flow -- excellent, must see if you're an adult) and a comment on The Maneater reunion blog that got me to thinking about pimps and hos (does that have an "e"?)

Primarily it got me to thinking that we're not any of us unlike those specific professions. I love writing -- now I write for money. Does that make me a ho? And my editor a pimp? Hmmm. How about sales people? P.R. people? Definitely. Chefs? Mechanics? Maybe, just maybe.

Oh well, a comparison to think and laugh about as we go through our day.

Don't forget to Vote

Voting's almost over for the 2005 Okie Blog Awards.

Here's the link (you must be an active Oklahoma blogger to vote)

http://okiedoke.com/ok/05awards/okieblogs05.htm

Hurricanes and what we own

Television news often brings us images that are hard to comprehend. For hours, news channels focused on the thousands of people piling into the football stadium in New Orleans. Some carried plastic bags stuffed with their personal belongings, others just backpacks.

Fortunately, the storm veered off just a little -- maybe enough to save some of the homes of the people in that stadium. But these folks left their houses yesterday, knowing they might not have a home to return to. That's mind boggling.

Makes you stop and wonder, what would you take with you? What do you own that's so precious you couldn't bear leaving it behind?

I made a list and realized, I would need a U-haul not a plastic trash bag. Does that mean I'm too attached to my material possesions? Sure it does.

Makes you stop to think though. Why we carry all this stuff with us where ever we go, and think we couldn't live without it. But we could, every bit of it. OK, well maybe not the Gucci purse...

Friends and Family

You know the saying -- the one that says you can pick your friends, but not your family. I don't remember it exactly, but that's ok. It's the sentiment that counts right? Yes, it's one of those days where life is one corny saying after another.

I've always kept my immediate family close -- that being my children and grandchildren. We talk to our children every day though we all live far apart. My parents had 10 children, and most of us don't talk to one another thanks to my mother -- but that's an entirely different entry altogether.

We've been blessed though with wonderful friends -- far and near. Some are old military friends who became our family when we lived in a foreign country. We shared holidays, vacations and special times and still are family. Others are much younger than my husband and I. Friends we made in college when we returned as "adults." These are wonderful young people that I've enjoyed watching blossom into their careers and family through the years. Family too. The Mafia.

We've made wonderful new friends in Oklahoma. We had a group over for a great birthday celebration last week in our new home (a friend's birthday.) Then today, a large group of the extended "friends family" went over to someone's house to help pack, clean and move. All was done without judgment about how many dust bunnies were under the bed or gunk under the fridge. It was a fun day. And that was needed after the exhausting week we've had waiting to hear the results of the many tests our son was subjected to this past week.

Thank God for family. Thank God for friends.

Cancer sucks

Whoa Nellie! Where the heck did August go? I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post. The past two weeks have been a blur of work, more wallpapering scraping, more painting and illness.

Good health is something we take for granted. In the past month, my dad has had two surgeries. My mother one, with another scheduled next week. My mum-in-law had emergency heart surgery two weekends ago. My daughter had surgery this past week. Whew. They'll all recover and things will go back to normal.

Now our son is sick. Very sick. The doctors believe he has colon cancer. He was scheduled to go into the hospital this week. He said "no, I'll go next week." This week he went with his wife and two little girls to Seattle. They'll enjoy a mini vacation, and a pre-season game to watched his beloved Dallas Cowboys play the Seattle Seahawks.

That's so like him. He believes strongly that life should be a vacation. I had the pleasure working with him last year. He worked hard, and quickly gained the respect of those around him -- made me proud. But he always was smiling and telling jokes and making life a little more bearable. Even now, he's the one telling everyone that it's going to be ok. And telling jokes.

We're scared. Jokes aside, we can tell that he is too. I'll likely be flying out to Washington in the next couple of weeks. When this is over, and he's healthy again -- we won't ever take good health for granted again.

Joe Gibbs is an idiot

Washington Redskins' coach Joe Gibbs says he's sorry for calling Dallas Cowboy fans "ugly." This Cowboy fan's not buying the apology. "It was a joke," he says. Yeah, right.

After spending an obscene amount of money, the Redskins still can't win. Now their coach is attacking the fans.

My guess is the Cowboy fans all around the country aren't going to take it lightly. Neither will the team.

I'll say it again. Joe Gibbs is an idiot, and he's ugly too. I'm not apologizing.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/wire/sns-ap-fbn-redskins-gibbs-apology,1,1997505.story?coll=sns-ap-football-headlines