I read this on Eric's site and it brought back such AWFUL memories! So, I thought I would share them with you. Ain't I nice? Picture way back to Summer of 1981. I had just turned 11 and was SO psyched to go to summer camp. (Hey, I was 11!) **Brief eye history. I got my first pair of glasses when I was in first grade, to correct my eyes. I had amblyopia (aka lazy eye) in both eyes. I looked pretty damn freaky, let me tell ya. I would "look" at someone but my eyes would go in 2 different directions.** My parents decided, with the help of my eye doctor, that I needed corrective surgery on BOTH eyes. AND - they would be done at the same time. AND - it was day stay surgery. I get to go home as SOON as I wake up after the operation. During the summer. Oh, and I wouldn't be swimming either. Camp - no way. Not this year. You can imagine how totally freaked out I was to get this news. Surgery day arrives. I am hysterical. Don't want to do it. I got a few happy shots and apparently I calmed down after that. I do remember seeing my eye doctor in the OR. He told me to start counting backwards from 10. I start counting "10..9..8...................." I wake up and I can't open my eyes. I start freaking out again. My Mom was in the room with me. My Dad came in to see me and totally lost his mind. My Dad is SO bad under stress. He left the room, left the hospital and promptly vomited in the bushes. What can I say? Dad, you are a class act. I love you! Why, you may ask? My eyes were oozing. I had stitches in my eyes. They were supposed to dissolve. Take note I said supposed. It turns out I was allergic to dissolving stiches. What a frickin' way to find THIS fact out! My doctor had to remove them... while I sat still...very still. To this day, I am very squeamish about my eyes. Needless to say, the summer sucked. I finally managed to go swimming my mid September. Let me tell you, it didn't matter to me how cold the water was against my skin... it felt wonderful!

Wow - just finished watching "12 Angry Men" Holy smokes! Awesome - just awesome. Could the movie industry even attempt to re-create this movie in the 21st century?

You asked for it.. try not to laugh TOO hard! Reminder - these are from 1995! LOL!

Describe yourself! 1. Eye and Hair Color: Hazel/Green. My hair is currently reddish brown 2. Height: 5'2 - since I am usually in sneakers 3. Job Status: Stay at home Mom and attending College at night (starting Wednesday! YAY) 4. Likes: FUN! Good jokes, Comedies, a sexy voice (a la Sean Connery, Patrick Stewart, Howard Keel ::sigh::), 5. Dislikes: Seafood - BLEECH! Rude people 6. Favorite Movie: It's a toss up between The Sting and Kiss Me Kate (I like the oldies) 7. Favorite Bands: Bare Naked Ladies, The Police, Smashmouth, Wings 8. Favorite Artists: Sting, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett 9. Favorite Foods: A great steak or Fettucini Alfredo 10. What do you like most about yourself? I really do have a great sense of humor! I just mess up punch lines occasionally! 11. Location: Ocean County, NJ Answer in your blog and post your link in the comments! I am looking forward to getting to know you guys! ::smile::

Your Daily Horoscope: February 21, 2002 by iVillage Astrologer, Kelli Fox You should know by now that you can't judge a book by its cover, Gemini. Actual appearance only hints at some unseen impact that is yet to be revealed. Even though you are perfectly in control, your metaphysical wrestling match looks a lot like a crazy dance to those who don't understand. For intellectuals, it doesn't get any better than this. Pass the hours away with people who get where you're coming from and want to go along on the next journey with you anyway.

Be strong Erin....

I was cleaning out (aka reorganizing) some boxes of photographs when I came across some of my old Glamour Shots pictures! Oh my Gosh.. too funny. I actually started giggling when I was looking at them. I think they were taken sometime in 95. My Mom really wanted to have them done. So, we haul our butts to the Mall, get TONS of make-up slathered on, and put on these really odd drape-ish thing (which tucks into your bra - very classy). The photographer posed us so weird but the one picture of me and Mom looks nice. Of course, Mom wanted me to get a ton of other poses done ::sigh:: I've got the "I'm wearing a stupid cowboy hat" picture, the "I am really uncomfortable with this wrapped around me" picture, a "I'm wearing a white fuzzy fur wrap" picture, and the piece de resistance - the "I look like I am wearing nothing" pose. My Mom and the photographer hounded me to get that done "for Paul" I hate that one the most. I have no clue as to how much money Mom spent on these pictures but I bet they weren't cheap.

GREAT news! Moira can read! Ok - well she has been reading since before Christmas but today she actually sat down with a book and read the entire thing alond to all of us! I am SO proud of her!!

Once in a lifetime LONDON, England -- For one minute this Wednesday night, time will be in perfect symmetry. For those who follow the Gregorian calendar, two minutes past eight tonight marks a millennial mathematical curiosity. The time, date and year will form a rare triple palindrome -- 20:02, 20/02/2002 -- reading the same backwards and forwards. The last time this rare alignment struck was in the morning of November 11, in the year 1111, mathematicians have said.

Last quiz for today... Are you Sexually Healthy? I am - Your score indicates that you are very healthy sexually. You know whom you are, what you want, and what is best for you. You are comfortable with yourself and those you love. A loving sexual relationship is important to you, and you are willing to work at maintaining that relationship. Safe, healthy sex is also important. You most enjoy a loving and monogamous sexual relationship. You are not afraid to express your needs to your lover during sex, nor unwilling to listen to his/her needs. You would never hurt someone you love in the name of sex. Sex is not the most important thing in your life, but it is something important that you and your partner share. Continue to maintain that open, honest relationship, stay true to yourself, and you will continue to thrive in your sexual life and health.

Optimist or Pessimist? I am --- Half-Full Glass You try to look on the bright side, and optimism is a skill you've cultivated to help you weather life's rough spots. All the same, you know it's okay to admit when you're angry or hurt. You're neither blindly positive, nor prone to dwell on slights and injuries, and your generally positive outlook helps prepare you to take risks without being held back by bitterness or a fear of failure. Believe it or not, some scientists have theorized that there is an evolutionary advantage to optimism: Human beings may be programmed to view the world as just slightly better than it actually is, in order to recognize clearly any real threats to our well-being and handle them appropriately. Your ability to rise above negative thinking while remaining realistic about temporary setbacks is a great strength.

Ok.. I am feeling a little better.. I have a couple funny links for you guys to check out - Apu Fan? Love the Kwik-E-Mart? You gotta click here Problems in Paradise? Wanna dump someone? They can do your dirty work for you. Been dumped? This is even better - get even and feel better at the same time. And.. for God's sake.. if you start dating agin.. DON'T say any of THESE!

Morning from Hell Woke up at 810 this morning. Moira is supposed to catch the bus at 815. I know this is not EVEN possible. I wake her up and tell her she has *got to get dressed ASAP. SO, she is dragging around the hosue.. moving so sloooooow. I swear, this girl has 2 speeds.. dead slow and stop. I ended up barking at her to hurry up..and she starts to cry. Great. Now I feel like an f'ing Nazi. She didn't like what I picked out for her to wear and was whining about that. I told her too bad and she cried again. :::sigh::: It got worse but I don't feel like rehashing it because I totally screwed up this morning and yelled at her. Now I feel so freakin guilty I hollered at her. Shit. I drove her to school and Olivia and I watched as she walked down the hallway to her class ::sigh:: I feel like such a turd.

This or That from Jennifer 1. January or July? July - I love the summer AND it's Moira's birthday too ::smile:: 2. Email or letters? Email - I gotta know right away! 3. Milk or orange juice? Orange Juice, as long as it's very cold. 4. Brunette or blond? Hmm - have been both.. right now I prefer red! 5. Digital or film camera? Both 6. Camping or hotel? HOTEL baby 7. Pencil or pen? Pen 8. Rollerblading or roller skating? Skating 9. Fly or drive? Drive - no air travel for me 10. White or black? Hmm - I'd have to say black

Grr! I put Miss Olivia down for a nap around 115pm and she's STILL yapping in her crib. Damn - I am not ready for her to give up her naps.. at least not yet. Oh well. SO she will be nice and grumpy for Paul tonight. I am visiting Mom tonight. She is doing her last course of chemo this week. She and Dan (her partner) will be going on a long vacation. Mostly spending time in Florida with stops in Tennessee and I believe Virginia too. They will be driving so they are in no big hurry. I hope she has a nice time - she really needs a break. She will be getting another PET scan on 3/4 to determine the effect of the chemo thus far. Momw il be seeing the oncologist when she gets back on 3/28 and he will decide on her next course of treatment, if it's necessary. He has already said it probably will be... I will probably post later tonight... talk at ya then! Bye ya'll!

Olivia had her Baby Power class today.. she had SO much fun, as always. I ended up getting the phone number and email address of one of the Dad's that attend with his daughter. We chatted for a while after class. Turns out that he grew up in Monmouth County as well. His wife lived in Spring Lake Heights. His aunt lives very close to my Mom. I like him - nice guy. His daughter is a cutie too. Hopefully, this will work out nicely and Olivia will have her very own playdate buddy! Awwwwwww!

Hi! Missed you guys today! We just cleaned and cleaned and cleaned! Paul borrowed his Mom's carpet cleaner and did the major areas around the house. Oh my God - I thought I was going to be sick when I saw what was picked up in the cleaner!!! It looks like we live like animals! Like we are filthy! I want to rip out every piece of carpet in this house. I wish we could afford to do that now.. hopefully, very very soon. Paul worked on our taxes for a while tonight and we will be getting some $$ back from Uncle Sam. Normally, we adjust our withholding so we can have our money when we earn it.. not so Uncle Sam can hold onto it for a year and make shitloads of interest on it. No thanks - I WANTS my money! Does that drive anyone else nuts too?? I hate when people get all giddy about getting money back from the government.. HELLO!! It's YOUR money to begin with! I wish we were able to have more money put aside for our retirement but we do need the money now. We managed to sock away quite a bit in Paul's 457 account, saving us some pre-tax dollars. We have tried to save some money for the girls in savings accounts but we did have to dip into it : - ( I *really* didn't want to but there was no choice at the time. But, they will get paid back ASAP. But - most of their money are in cd's (ING Direct) and Moira has her own Vanguard account. Ah well... the joys of money...

Oooh! Forgot to mention that a friend of mine from high school was featured in the Sunday paper.(Erin - you know who she is) I was so happy to read that she was doing great and is now a teacher!! She was so good with kids.. she used to teach at a dance school. I will have to call her and leave a message for her at the school. Hopefully, I will hear back from her sometime soon.

I have been messing around with some craft stuff for the past couple hours. Normally, I am craft-challenged but I have found a couple things I like to do. So, I have been "playing" and having fun. I think I will be turning in soon... I am pooped! G'nite ya'll!

The Eagle Has Landed Yes - Moira is home. It was so cute.. as soon as she walked in the front door, Olivia ran over to her yelling "Moira! Moira!" Moira bent down, gave Olivia a big hug and stood up, still hugging Olivia. She carried Olivia over to the couch, put her down and gave her a kiss. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Such a great big sister.