From Andrew If you could only watch 2 TV shows a week what would they be? Good Eats with Alton Brown (LOVE him!) and Trading Spaces on TLC Jennings, Brokaw or Rather? None - Sean Hannity or Bill O'Reilly Oprah or Jerry Springer? Oprah. I hate Springer ick ick ick Have you meet a famous celebrity? Well - I saw Elle MacPhereson in Planet Hollywood. She is *really* tall... and gorgeous ::sigh:: I got Margaret Smith's autograph. She was really cool. Jay or Silent Bob? no clue.. never saw the movies Monsters Inc. or Shrek? I didn't see Monsters Inc. but I really thought Shrek was funny. Coke or Pepsi? Diet Coke.. but I usually prefer water or coffee What do you generally have for breakfast? Toast and coffee... lots of coffee Leno or Letterman? They both suck. Jon Stewart or Dennis Miller are so much better. Lara Croft or Sydney Bristow? Well - again, never having seen either one... I still would rather watch Sydney from Alias.

MOM'S Coming home! YAY YAY YAY!

Make sure there are no small children around when you play this (link via newtonleibniz)

Take the Hey Hey, Which Monkee Are You? Quiz.
:::sigh::: everyone else did one...

So - You wanna be a stripper? Read up here and see if you can handle it.

Good morning! Some good news - Mom might be coming home today! YAY! She is getting stir crazy in the hospital, not that I blame her. She has a roommate who is so sick : - ( She has liver problems and cancer to boot. The poor woman... I had class last night and I enjoyed it. We got out early due to it being the first night. The instructor seems pretty cool.. very straight up and forward. I like him. He's strictly a a code kinda of guy. He also likes Star Trek too. Hmm... coincidence? ::grin:: Surprisingly, I have picked up some HTML just by playing with my blog and getting help from people (Erin, Mike, ToeTag - THANK YOU!)

HI! I am posting from the college's computer lab. Apparently the professor will be running a little late in starting the class. So, we can surf for a while.. fun fun. I am so excited about this class.. I was worried about being the oldest one here. I shouldn't have worried ::teehee::

Hi ho.. hi ho.. it's off to school I go... Will write more later.. BYE!

SNOW! ICKY icky! It was 68 degrees yesterday and it's snowing today. How frigged UP is our weather? What's next.. a blizzard in July?

ToeTag hath moveth Be sure to update your links.

I got my book today! Read Less, Learn More HTML by IDG books. Class starts tomorrow! Wish me luck!

Mom will be going home on Thursday (I think!). She is doing so well, thank God! YAY!

Hahaha! The reason I find this funny is because I am half Iranian! By the way, whoever wrote the above online test should *really* have used his spelcheker.

Did I ever tell you all just how much I like my name?

My dream job! "We’re looking for friendly regular people who like to talk and can talk about anything. If you’re warm, friendly and sincere, and you think you have that special quality it takes to be QVC’s next Program Host, then please come to our next Program Host Auditions." Wow - was this job set up with me in mind?? QVC Host Auditions

Heheh Enron Voice Mail System 2002

Ok - I wasn't going to do this to myself.. but I took the quiz.. and I am so happy with my result. I **love** Vern!
take the which one of the trading spaces cast are you? quiz!

Visited Mom tonight... She looks SO much better than she did last night! Thank goodness. The steroids have really made a huge difference. She is still wheezing but slightly.Thank you all so much for your kind words via comments, IM's, and emails. You guys ROCK! {{{{Hugs}}}}

Olivia's playdate was wonderful. She and her little buddy were just SO adorable. I should have brought my camera and taken a few pictures. We ended up going back to her friend's house for lunch, which wasn't planned. But, it was so kind of her Dad to offer. Olivia really had so much fun playing with her friend. She can't wait to do it again. At least she will see her tomorrow at her BabyPower class.

I'm a Z-Lister! YAY!

I set up a playdate for Olivia today. She will be playing with one of the little girls from her Baby Power class. It should be a good time.. I hope!

I was up at the hospital most of the afternoon. I left my house around 1 and got back home about 9-ish. I have been making phone calls and doing emails for Mom and myself. Andrew and Chris, thank you so much for your emails. They really mean a lot to me. ::smile:: Mom is doing ok. Her doctor says "fair condition". She could be out in a few days. There is a slight chance of pneumonia. Not really what I wanted to hear but it could have been worse. ::knocking wood:: But, her white blood cell count it good. That's a bonus. She was NOT given the prednisone last night. It was ordered today by the pulmonologist, along with albuterol treatments via nebulizer. THIS stuff I know! Moira and Olivia have nebulizers and we do breathing treatments as needed for them. Anyway, this morning she was having tremendous coughing fits, again to the point of vomiting. Tim (my brother) was with her this morning. Mom got a dose of the steroid along with the breathing treatment and antibiotic. After I arrived, she managed to eat some Jello and sip some water. About an hour later, severe nausea hit her. The nurse gave her a shot of anti-nausea medication directly into her portocath. It worked pretty quickly, about 15 minutes. So, no vomiting today with the exception of this morning. Thank goodness. She is so weak and sore from coughing. Even walking to the bathroom (about 5 feet away) brings on more wheezing and dizziness. She had a slight fever again when I left. She pretty much told me to go home. She is exhausted.. hasn't had much sleep the past 4-5 days. She seemed a lot more comfortable when I left her this evening. I will be up there tomorrow night and Tuesday night as well. I can't get there on Wednesday since my class is starting that day. So, Tim will probably be down to take care of her on those days. :::sigh:::

I am pooped.. played with my template all night... :::yawn::: Going to bed.. Oh - if you are linking to me on your webpage, please let me know. I would love to add you to my list of reads! G'nite!

Damn! I am trying to update my blog and I can't get into my template! Grrrrrrr!

Tim called - Mom will be hospitalized for a couple days. She is taking prednisone (steroids) for the constant wheezing. This will effectively reduce any swelling she might have in her lung tissue. She has also been using a nebulizer. Her lung capacity is at 93%. Hopefully, she will be able to eat something and finally get some sleep. I will be heading up to the hospital tomorrow afternoon. Anyone wondering what's up with my Mom's health should click here and read about it.

Just heard from Tim (my brother).... Mom will be hospitalized. She has some fluid in her lungs, making her feel breathless. She has stopped vomiting since earlier this morning. She also has a very slight temp of 99.5.. I think she will be in the oncology unit.. I am waiting to hear back from Tim with more information..

Hey all - When you get a chance...could you spare a couple moments today to send some healing vibes to my Mom? She is at the ER with Dan (her partner). She might be hospitalized today. She has been throwing up since yesterday and has some God-awful sounding cough... Fuck I will post more later..

Comments are back up! YAY! Also - Erin, of gigglechick.com fame, helped me tweak my blog template. I love it. Thanks SO much babe! I owe you big. I'll buy you a drink when we go out..

The comments are there.. but it just SAYS 0 comments... weird weird!

Ok - where on earth are all my comments??

According to a Chinese allegory, a mother mouse took her babies out to seek food and to teach them the ways of life. On their journey, they came across a huge chunk of cheese placed in an iron box with an open door. The baby mice were excited and wanted to rush in. But the mother mouse stopped them and sternly warned they to stay away from this box, because it was a dangerous trap. "Anyone who goes into the box will never come out alive," the mother told her children. Unfortunately, her children didn't understand the danger and began to argue with her. Finally, the mother mouse decided that the only way to teach her children about the danger would be to show them. After making sure her children remained at a safe distance, the mother walked in. As soon as she did, the door of the box shut and locked her in. The mother then took a bite of the cheese and was poisoned. With her dying breath she urged her children to leave quickly and to remember this lesson always. Wow.

It's a BOY! Congratulations to Zannie and Allan

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.

Paul got home last night around 1130pm. He got called BACK in around 4am.... and got home by 10am. Just in time to watch Olivia while I volunteered at Sunday School this week. Poor guy.. he is napping now. I have to wake him up at 345 so he can go meet his sister and get Moira, who is coming home tonight.

I LOVE this game... Check out the Cow.. it's almost as much fun as popping bubbles!

I am playing my Bare Naked Ladies cd in the computer right now and it sounds pretty cheesy. I think I need to get new speakers for my system. The music sounds, well, tinny.. for lack of a better word..

Hrm - I need to mess around with my blog some more... I figured out how to make the links pop up in a different window (Yay me!). I think I want to change some colors around too. Maybe new colored text... Any one have any suggestions how to do this? Remember, those suggestions need to be pretty simple to understand! I can't wait for my HTML class to start on Wednesday. Paul called me a geek... I am PROUD to be a geek! : - )

Whew! Just got a chance to actually SIT down! We never made it to the aquarium. Olivia still has a pretty nasty cough so I didn't want to chance it. Maybe we will go on Monday when Moira is home. Speaking of Moira, she is having a disgustingly wonderful time with Auntie B. I am glad about that. Moira loves spending 1 on 1 time with people. Olivia makes it a little difficult for her to do that sometimes.. Paul is on call with his job this weekend. He rotates with a few other guys at work so he is only on call 1 out of every 5-6 weeks, for a week at a time. Plus, he gets to drive the company car (2000 Blazer) when he is on call. It was GORGEOUS outside! WOW! This weather is SO weird. Olivia played in the backyard while Paul was back there raking. She had so much fun she didn't want to come in for lunch. We finally get her inside and my Mother in Law, J, calls. J speaks to Paul, who finds out that she is buying a new car and do we want to buy her old car? She sold it to us for $5K. Really a great deal. It's a blue 97 Saturn SL2 (sedan) with leather seats (zoinks!) and power EVERYTHING! It only has 47K miles! WOOHOO! Of course we can onyl do payments.. not like I have that money just hanging around. No problem says J! Even cooler! She calls back around 5pm, asking of we can pick the car up today since she wants it out of the driveway ASAP. No problem - we are ON our way. Jump in the company car and away we go. Sign some papers, write up receipts, etc.. BEEP BEEP BEEP! Paul's pager goes off. He has to go to work : - ( But - at least I have a way to get home (Saturn) and he get to make time and a half. BUH bye! Olivia and I got home about 745pm. She had a snack, took a bath, brushed her teeth, read 2 books, and BAM! In bed! The house is NICE and quiet.. again. I think I am liking this!

The Daisy meeting went well - the girls LOVED gluing those little foam pieces to paper. I picked up McD's for the kidlets tonight. I still had to pack Moira's stuff for this 2 night trip to Auntie B's house. Olivia is sacked out and I am enjoying the peace and quiet! Ahhhhhh! Blogging and watching luge... can it get any better?

The Friday Five 1. What was the first thing you ever cooked? Gosh - I remember baking with my Nana when I was pretty little (5 or 6). The first thing I made on my own was probably pancakes. 2. What's your signature dish? Roast Chicken. Paul swears I make the best chicken. 3. Ever had a cooking disaster? (tasted like crap, didn't work, etc.) Describe. Hmm - the time I made dinner for my soon to be inlaws, I burned it AND it tasted like crap. Thankfully, they were pretty nice about it. 4. If skill and money were no object, what would make for your dream meal? Wow - that's a tough one... something with a perfect cut of beef. No mushrooms. Ever. 5. What are you doing this weekend? Well, Moira will be at my sis in law's place for the next 2 days. The 3 of us might head over to the aquarium on Saturday then go out to lunch. I also have to go food shopping. On Sunday, I am in charge of Sunday School.

Moira will be spending the next couple of days out in Malvern, Pa with my Sister in Law. Woohoo! Life is good!

Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday dear Daaaavid Happy Birthday to youuuuuuuuuu!

I had ordered a bunch of craft items from Oriental Trading. My order arrived yesterday. One of the items I had ordered was 1,000 pieces of 1/4 inch foam squares. They're good for making mosaic pictures, etc... I had ordered 4 packages of foam squares (4,000 squares). When I opened the box, I saw the foam squares, neatly packaged. Each color was in a large foam sheet. Meaning - I would have to open each package and pull apart the 1/4 inch foam squares. At least they were already precut ::sigh:: 8 foam sheets per package in rows of 11x12. 132 tiny squares per sheet. Multiply that by 8. 132 foam squares in each color. Multiplied by 8 sheets per package and there is 1056. AND - I opened 3 packages. Grand total of tiny squares is 3,168. Oh, and please don't forget Olivia "helping" me by grabbing handfuls of these tiny squares and attemping to race away, giggling. Should be loads of fun when 13 5-6 year olds get a hold of these!

I have to say this - Paul did get me the prettiest roses today. I love getting flowers. I usually buy myself some at least once a month. My brother sent me a nice basket of plants and my Mom sent me a pretty arrangement of dried flowers that I have hanging up on the wall. Hope everyone had a nice time today. Hugs going out to you all!

Anyone see "The Emperor's New Groove"? I just love this movie - David Spade is so frickin funny! I have it on now while dinner is cooking... I was hoping to actually take a nap (Hahahaha) but that isn't going to happen...

Bahahahah! According to Jason, she should have seen it coming...

Oh yeah - almost forgot... Happy Valentine's Day!

Isn't she the cutest? ::smile::

:::::Yawn:::::: Olivia decided to stay awake until 530am. Actually - I don't think she actually DECIDED to stay up all night coughing.. but that's what happened. Nothing.. and I mean nothing, could stop that cough. She was coughing so hard she was gagging : - ( Paul finally chased me into bed at 3am, saying he would stay up with Olivia but he needed me to get Moira up and off to school. I passed out as soon as I lay my head on the pillow. My alarm woke me at 630am. I didn't hear anything so I go tup to check on Paul and Olivia. He was asleep in the recliner. I woke him up (poor guy) to find out what happened. He had given her some bread and butter to eat right after I went to bed. He ended up turning on the TV for a while. Olivia started to cycle down her coughing and by 530am, he put her down in the crib. She finally fell asleep. I got Moira up and dressed. She looked so cute today! She has a Valentine's Day party at school (awwww) today. She brought in her 22 Valentines with these cute little crochet hearts I was given by one of my Mom's friends. I zipped over to Wal-Mart after Moira got on the bus. I figured I should get the kidlets a card and some little things. I even got a card for whatshisname.. you know.. the guy that lives here too! LOL!

Your Daily Horoscope: February 13, 2002 Gemini: If things aren't going the way you hoped or expected them to, find a way to take control of the situation. When it comes to implementing plans and ideas, drivers do far better than navigators right now. With your hands on the wheel, no one else has to suffer from your ongoing urge to shift direction. Your time is best spent among people who share your philosophies, Gemini. You may even feel like proposing marriage to someone who is obviously on your wavelength.

SO tired... This cold is really kicking my butt. By 130 this afternoon, I had fallen asleep in the recliner in my living room. I actually slept pretty well. I woke up in time to wake up Olivia from HER nap and pick up Moira at the bus stop. I was lazy tonight, just made burgers and pasta salad for dinner. The kids were pretty happy with it. Moira is now complaining of pain in her left ear (Oy!). I guess we might be back at the doctor's office sooner than I would like. Olivia has been hacking and coughing... poor baby. We set up a warm mist humidifier in her room about 35 minutes ago. We had already given her a nebulizer treatment and Triaminic Cough and Cold to try to stop her cough. She has no chest congestion - just a damn runny nose that won't quit. So, when she lays down, a few minutes of post nasal drip, and BAM - coughing fits. She seems quiet now - I would keep my fingers crossed but it would be *really hard to type! ::insert rimshot:: Thank you... thank you very much! Can you tell it's been a loong day?

I just wanted to say hi again to Jason and thank him for linking me : - ) What can I say? The man obviously has good taste ::grin::

Here's those frames....

Great story from David - Hefty Bill with Added Insult Shocks Telecom Customer

I checked the referrals on my site meter. I saw that I am listed #1 for this Google search! What the hell is that??!!

Ugh - such a long day. Paul had the day off today - thank God. I ended up going back to bed by 1015 this morning. I was so exhausted. Woke up around noon.. still feeling like crap. At least I wasn't sleepy. Moira is feeling better so she is going to school on Wednesday. I kept Olivia out of her BabyPower class today.. she's still contagious. Trust me - I know this ::cough:::sniffle:: After dinner tonight, I had decided to work on some "crafty" stuff. I painted and decorated some picture frames. They turned out *really* cute. I am so proud of myself. I will post pictures up tomorrow so I can show off my newly developed glue gun skills! I finally saw the season finale of Sex and the City tonight. Can't believe Richard cheated on Samantha - that dick. But, I guess he *had to do it.. I mean, if Samantha had fallen in love and hooked up for good, the show would have totally Jumped the Shark. Will blog more in the morning... I am fading out quickly! Night all!

Woohoo! From Susan
Which Sex and the City Player Are You? Find out @ She's Crafty You're smart, witty, trustworthy, level-headed and industrious. You value your independance above all else. Success is very important to you. You give the impression that you may be a little jaded, but you still harbour school-girl fantasies of finding someone who'll make you giggle and blush. You can also be almost irrationally compulsive at times and are excessively cynical. Structure, order and schedual are very important to you. You have no tolerance for the majority of men these days. You find their behaviour completely unfathomable, and feel that if a man's over thirty and single, there's something wrong with him. It's Darwinian. They're being weeded out from propagating the species. Miranda quotes: "I know you're probably busy having mind-blowing sex, but I feel you need to know that your good friend, Miranda Hobbes, has just taken a piece of cake out of the garbage and eaten it. You'll probably need this information when you check me into the "Betty Crocker Clinic." "I used to masturbate to a busboy who was rude to me once. What do you think that means?" "Men are so concerned about their balls. Women don't care. We care about nice arms, great eyes, a big dick...I've never once heard a woman say: "He had such a big full scrotum."

Prayers and hugs going out to Susan and her mom. Susan's mom will be seeing the oncologist next month. {{{{Healthy Vibes}}}}

Good morning again... I am sick ::cough cough:: Crap. Got the kids in to see the new pedi (whom I *really* like). We did have to wait an hour in the waiting room but I can't really complain about that. We were brand new patients and they got us in the same day. Mighty cool of them. Anywho, the dr wants us to come back in a month so he can evaluate Moira's ear. He wanted to see how she would do after a full course of medicine and then an additional 2 weeks. He wants to see if the fluid is gone. Olivia is contagious (like I didn't know that! LOL). He wanted us to really keep an eye on her due to the dehydration possibility. She had a HUGE allergic reaction last night while I was at Bonkos. Her arm was all swollen and her hand puffed up too. Paul took a picture of her arm - so I could see it when I got home. Holy shit - her arm looked awful.. my poor baby : - ( Now, I think the cat has to go. I was chastised by the doctor yesterday about the cat too. It's so hard... I *know she will be put to sleep. I just hate the thought of her freaking out, being in a strange place, and considered unadoptable ::sigh:: Anyone out there want a 12 year old cranky black cat?

What a morning! I managed to: 1.Call the insurance company and switch pedis, request a new provider book, and let them know about Moira's trip to the ER 2 Call the new pedi and get appointments for both girls, today at 330pm. 3.Dig up paperwork on the girls' shots amd allergy information 4.Call Debbie (Daisy Scout leader for Moira's troop) and plan out the next 6 meeting, including all craft and snack activities. 5.Pick out 5 craft activities for Daisies from the Oriental Trading catalog 6.Pick out a craft activity for my next 3 Sunday School classes. 7.Wash, dry, fold, and put away laundry Kill me.. please...

Just in time for Valentines Day From that romantic fellow ToeTag Some may find this trek to be a chore. With you at my side, I enjoy the journey. Even laundry is a special moment.

My Mom's gift to the girls for Valentines Day.. oh joy! Mom came down for lunch today, bringing her gifts for Valentines Day. My Mom is a gift junkie - spends way too much money on the girls. Of course, when Paul or I protest, she just brushes us off and buys - MORE stuff!! So - now the girls have a tent to play with in the living room. I also would like to add that now Moira and Olivia are sick. So am I ::sigh:: Motherhood can really suck sometimes! LOL! I am also in the process of switching pediatricians. I am keeping Moira out of school tomorrow since she is still running a fever. I will have to turn the TV on (to keep them somewhat quiet) just so I can make phone calls tomorrow morning.

Busy weekend... this is the first time I am able to sit down and write.. Moira woke up at 730am Saturday morning. Her ear was still hurting her. So, I jump in the shower, feed her, get dressed and the 2 of us headed to the ER. Her doctor's office isn't open on the weekends and I wasn't about to wait until Monday to resolve this problem. We get taken in pretty quickly.. especially since there is no one else waiting. The doc comes in.. yep.. she has fluid in her ears, my poor baby. He really had to dig in her ear. She also has a TON of wax buildup too. She's crying because it hurt when he had to poke around in her ear. He advises us to see ear, nose, throat doctor. Gives us a scrip for Cefachlor and out the door are we. Pathmark Pharmacy does not carry this antiboitic (CRAP) so we run over to Wal-Mart. They have it - but in a stronger dosage than Moira was prescribed. They call over to the ER to see if they can use this and adjust the dosage. No problem. Now - I have 30 minutes to kill while the script is being filled. We wander around WallyWorld, look at the fish, check out the toys, all that fun stuff. By now, it's noon. She was hungry so I took her over to Mickey D's in the Wal-Mart. Hey - she wanted to eat there! I was happy she was even eating. The script is finally filled! Hooray! Now - I need to go BACK to Pathmark so I can pick up some food - like bread, deli, milk.. the staples. Back home we go. After all was said and done, our little adventure took 3 hours!

Did anyone see W at the Olympics last night? He had just officially opened the games and was in the crowd of all the USA Olympic Team.. I can't remember who he was standing next to but she apparently called someone on her CELL PHONE and then handed the phone to W! The camera showed him taking the phone and saying hello. How cool!

I am watching the Olympics opening ceremony right now. When the flag from the WTC was carried and the National Anthem was played, I sat here in tears. What a beautiful and simple tribute....

Got a phone call from the school nurse. Moira has an earache, stomachache, and has been coughing since lunchtime. Poor kid.. I picked her up around 145pm. Got some meds into her and she got to rest on my bed, while watching TV. She must be feeling better since she is now bouncing around on my bed and wanting to something to eat.

Yes folks... I did it too... I upgraded to ProBlogger ::sigh:: I am such a junkie

Found this via Jennifer Very scary...

Link via Jason

Friday Five (from smattering) 1. What's the most romantic thing you've ever done for someone else? One of the very first romantic things I did for Paul was to cook him dinner where he was house sitting (for a friend). He was stunned I went through all "that trouble" for him. Silly man : - ) 2. [pardon the cosmo question] What are your erogenous zones? My neck.... and chest ::blushing:: 3. How old were you the first time you had sex? Care to expound? 16 and let's just say I have finally managed to block that memory completely. : - ) 4. What's the most unusual place you've ever had sex? Hmmm... the Manasquan Inlet ::grin:: 5. Do you have plans for Valentine's Day or is it just another Thursday? I have a dentist appointment. Wooho.

Also forgot to mention that my wrist has been killing me lately. I have been on the computer quite a bit the past 2 weeks. The weird thing about my wrist pain is that is just goes away after a week or so. Poof. Gone. It's chronic for only a short period of time. I need to find my brace - I hope that helps. It will be a bitch when I start class in 3 weeks if I have aching wrists.

I haven't posted too much today. I've actually been busy. I have some gifts that I am making for my friend who just got married. Olivia and I drove up to the craft shop and picked up a bunch of stuff. We had a great time. When Olivia went down for a nap, I got a lot of work done around the house and on my projects. Went up to my Mom's tonight. Paul and I have been slowly upgrading her Dell. We bought enough memory to max out her system and he will install that tomorrow. Her printer crapped out the other day so I picked up a Lexmark Z43 for her. Plus, I had brought a bunch of stuff back from my trip to Massachusetts for her. Tonight, I hooked up her new TV for her, ran the cable, etc.. hooked up her printer.. did a bunch of errands for her. It was nice to hang around with her. She hasn't been feeling so good lately. Her appetite is off and she is starting to lose some weight. The Chemo Diet Plan : - ( She has had some hair loss, albeit slight. She has 1 last weeklong treatment in 2 weeks. Then, she goes for the PT scan and we get to see if the chemo has had ANY effect on the lymphoma.

GREAT news!! Erin got a job! Woohoo! Read about it here! You GO girl!

Woohoo! I figured out how to upload photographs! :::happy dance::: Is it too obnoxious to post my own picture??

MAD SQUIRREL We have squirrels.. lots of squirrels. Lots of trees = lots of squirrels. They are not scared of us. Not at all. I had a patio table umbrella leaning on the side of my deck. Paul noticed a squirrel on the deck. Big deal, right? That little shit decimated that umbrella in under a minute. Shredded it completely. After that incident, you can imagine how wary I was with leaving things out on the deck. Another time, during the winter, I noticed a squirrel on my deck. At this point, I really hate the little buggers. So, I knock on my glass slider door, (which overlooks my deck), to try to scare it away. It just sits there. I bang on the slider harder now, with my fist. The squirrel just looks at me. Now I am pissed. This damn rat with a fluffy tail will NOT ignore ME! I bang even harder and I am yelling "Shoo! Scat!" This freakin squirrel turns and LEAPS at the door, landing spread eagle on the mesh sliding screen door, which is pulled closed in front of the glass slider. I screamed and ran back into my living room. Paul came running from one of the bedrooms. The damn squirrel is STILL hanging on my screen door. The thing jumped off and ran away once Paul came out. Grrr! The filthy things - I hate 'em!

I re-organized Olivia's closet.. This little girl has a LOT of clothes! Now - granted, I do try ot buy a season ahead when there are big clearance sales. Looks like I will have to stop that! She wears about a 2T right now (31" and 26lbs - a little petite for her age, which is 2). She has clothes ranging from 24mos all the way up to size . She has clothes to wear until she is 4 years old!! LOL! In my own defense, a lot of these clothes were purchased by many doting aunties and grandmothers. PLUS - I still have a lot of Moira's clothes saved for her too. I wish I had that many people buying me clothes too! ::sigh:: I live in jeans, loafers and sweaters/sweatshirts. Dressed up for me is a *nice* sweater and jeans with boots. ::grin::

Did I also mention that Moira has a temp of 99.8? ::sigh:: I just kept her home today, just in case. There were 7 children absent from her class yesterday. A wicked flu is going around and I am not taking ANY chances!

Good morning! A joke for you to start your day... Little David comes home from first grade and tells his father that they learned about the history of Valentine's Day. "Since Valentine's day is for a Christian saint and we're Jewish," he asks, "will God get mad at me for giving someone a valentine?" David's father thinks a bit, then says "No, I don't think God would get mad. Who do you want to give a valentine to?" "Osama Bin Laden," David says. "Why Osama Bin Laden?" his father asks in shock. "Well," David says, "I thought that if a little American Jewish boy could have enough love to give Osama a valentine, he might start to think that maybe we're not all bad, and maybe start loving people a little bit. And if other kids saw what I did and sent valentines to Osama, he'd love everyone a lot. And then he'd start going all over the place to tell everyone how much he loved them and how he didn't hate anyone anymore." His father's heart swells and he looks at his boy with newfound pride. "David, that's the most wonderful thing I've ever heard." "I know," David says, "and once that gets him out in the open, the Marines could blast the shit out of him." :::ba dum bum::

Evening! Got back from WallyWorld (aka Wal-Mart) a little while ago. It is the mecca of stupid employees. I try not to even make eye contact with anyone in there. I go in, get my crap, and leave. I picked up my black and color cartridges ($27 and $29, respectively). For $20 more, I could have bought a new printer. But, I do like my Z52 ::sigh:: It prints out nice looking photographs. See - it's a viscious circle. I got a new computer.. OK - well, it's 2.5 yrs old now. It's a P3/500 with 384mb, 10GB hard drive, and a 12/10/32 CD-RW. Great for me since I just fuck around with emails, shopping and surfing the net and blogging . I wanted a digital camera. So - last year I got an Olympus D-460 1.3 mega pixel camera. I love it. BUT - I had to get a new printer since I couldn't print out anything that looked decent on my old Epson 600 with 600dpi. Got my Z52 last year. Now, I want a new camera with higher mega pixels so I can take more "quality" photos. ::sigh:: Does it ever end? I used to think that Paul was the gadget person of the house. I realize that it is really me! *I* wanted the digital camera, the new puter, new printer, my PDA, my new mouse (wireless - LOVE it!). I wish I could afford to go to cable or dsl connection. I just can't justify it now, especially since I am at home. So, I will muddle through with my AOL dialup for now.

I ran out of color and black ink for my Lexmark Z52. Great. Off to Wal-Mart tonight to spend $45 on ink and another $15 on Matte photo paper. Do any of you guys have links to where I can buy regular ink (not refills or X brand) for a decent price? Sheesh! It migth be cheaper to chuck out my printer and buy a new one! I have tried eBay and I never seem to find any deals.

link via gigglechick
Which John Cusack Are You? ::sigh:: I am SO damn adorable! I have always had a "thing" for John Cusak... he's so damn cute! My all time (2) favorite movies are "Better off Dead" and "One Crazy Summer". I even dated a guy (back in HS) who looked a little like him!

Also - it was pointed out to me in an email (from ToeTag) that I haven't listed him as one of my daily reads. :::shamefaced::: So, I have updated and added him! Sorry sweetie! I really love your haikus!

Did I ever tell you guys just how wonderful you are? Really - the best audience ever... I am so lucky to have such a fabulous set of people here.. Can you tell I am trying to suck up? ::smile:: Ok - if someone can help me out.. I would *really* appreciate it..I want to be able to list all of my archive dates in my blog. Not too sure how to do so.. if anyone would like to email me some step by step help.. that would be awesome!

Massachusetts Pictures - A few are up

Dinner for this evening - Homemade Chicken Soup and fresh bread Yum!

By the way - Thanks to everyone who emailed me and wished me a safe trip! I appreciate it!

Sunday Woke up at 730am (grrrrr!) I slept badly because the morons above me made a lot of noise. No - not sexual noises you perverts! It just sounded like they were dropping bowling balls and rocks occasionally. I had packed my stuff up the night before. I loaded up my car and I checked out by 8am. Drove to the local Dunkin Doughnuts and got a REAL bagel and a GOOD cup of coffee! Hit the road and headed to Yankee Candle in South Deerfield. It was only 20 minutes north on Rt 91 so I got there by 850am. Of course, they didn't open until 930am so I drove around the town which was right by Sugarloaf. Oh my Gosh - it was just beautiful. I was speechless. I don't even know how to ski but I want to live up here. Click here and here for 2 really cool pictures of Sugarloaf. Headed back to Yankee Candle. By this time, they had just opened. I could smell all the candles before I even opened the doors. This place was enormous!! WOW! I just wandered around, looking every bit the tourist. There was so much to see. There was Santa's workshop (Mrs. Claus took a picture of me and Santa), the Nutcracker's Castle (got my picture taken in a really cool throne), a fountain, the Bavarian Christmas village (with snow falling), the Sampler Emporium - Rainbow of Scents (which featured ALL the candles - beautiful).. I had to walk through twice! Of course, I did buy some candles too. I hit the road by 1120am and made it home (via I95S to the Parkway) by 4pm. That included 1 stop in Conneticut. Not bad time at all... I had so much fun! I want to do this trip again!!

Saturday Post Wedding The ceremony was beautiful. It was held in an old Catholic church with the most gorgeous stained glass windows. After the ceremony, the guests were to immediately proceed to the Chateau Provost for the reception. The directions given by the banquet hall were COMPLETELY wrong. Thank GOD I had purchased a map of the local area. It was normally a 20 minute ride from the church which took ME almost an hour. Luckily, I made it there before the bride and groom! I was a little nervous about going alone - it's no fun to sit out all the slow songs. Jenn seated me at the greatest table. 2 older couples, and the 3 dates/escorts of the bridal party. I met Doug, who was the escort of one of the bridesmaids. He was extremely charming and I had the best time chatting with him. Turns out he is a Steelers fan too! We discussed the games from the past couple weeks. He is 34, about 6'3, a florist and is NOT gay - he even said "I am not gay!" LOL! (I found out later he was divorced) Did I mention that I also thought he was pretty good looking too? He escorted Erika (bridesmaid) but they are friends. I certainly didn't get that "just friends" vibe from Erika, who was busy shooting daggers at me with her eyes. Too bad honey.. he's mine! He bought me a drink - I reciprocated. Dinner arrived - not the best but I have eaten worse. I did cry when Jenn danced with her Dad to "Butterfly Kisses". I got teased at the table for crying . After dinner, I hit the dance floor with Jenn and a few others. Had the BEST time. What the hell - I hardly knew anyone! Doug decided he had better chat with Erika for a little while since he and I were chatting quite a bit. At one point, towards the end of the evening, I asked him to dance. I was sick of sitting out all the slow songs. He seemed quite surprised that I asked. WHY do guys get so surprised by that? Am I suposed to sit around, simpering and batting my eyes, hoping he'd get the message? It's not like I wanted to marry the guy - I just love to dance! He said, while we were dancing, that he didn't know if I would dance with him during the slow songs. That's why he didn't ask me. ::eyeroll:: Men. We looked a bit like the odd couple while dancing since he was a foot taller than I. Of course, do I even need to add that he is an excellent dancer too? Let me tell ya ladies.. he would be a VERY nice catch! I had taken a bunch of pictures (of course) and I told Jenn I would send her copies of everything. Doug also asked for a copy of a couple pictures I had taken with my digital. He gave me his address and asked me to also keep in touch with him, which I certainly will. Probably one of the nicest people I had met in a while. I realized that I didn't get to take a picture WITH him (duh) but I took a couple of him. Finally left the reception by 9pm! I was pooped! Made it back to the hotel by 940pm. Talked to Paul, took a shower, and fell asleep by midnight!

Saturday Pre Wedding I was rudely awakened at 7am by 2 giggling girls zipping by my window, no doubt on their way to the Continental breakfast. I had a difficult time falling asleep as it was. Needless to say, I was a bit pissed. I decided to just get up since I was unable to fall back asleep. Got dressed and wandered out, in a bit of a daze, to search for food. Checked out the breakfast, the usual fare - doughnuts, mini bagels, cereal, really bad and weak coffee.. I grabbed 2 coffees (hey - it's caffeine), a mini bagel, a doughnut and headed back to the room to eat. Yummy! By this time, it's 8am and the wedding was at 130pm. I decied to drive around and check out the area. Gorgeous - the mountains, trees, the snow... wow. Just stunning. I took a ton of pictures. I will post pictures soon. It was so nice to drive around... no rushing... no honking... no fingers.... I had brought a bunch of cd's with me (Bare Naked Ladies, Sting, Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Celine Dion) and blasted them! Drove to the gas station and managed to fill the tank. I hate pumping gas - thank God for full service in NJ! Ran inside the little convenience store and got a BIG ole cup of good coffee! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Got back to the hotel and called Paul and my Mom. After that, I decided to lay down and try to rest for a little while. Well, stupid me! I had finished my big ole cup of coffee (plus the 2 small ones from earlier). Now, I am wired! CRAP! I got up after laying down for about an hour. I did my makeup, my hair, got dressed and hit the road by 1230. I will post more about Saturday.. in the morning...

Friday I have to say, on the record, that Massachusetts is one of the most beautiful states that I have ever visited. I would love to move up here. Northampton is within 1 hour of Mt. Sugarloaf, Mt. Holyoke, Smith College, Basketball Hall of Fame, just to name a few... I had a wonderful time! \ The ride up did suck - very rainy. In fact, it alternated between being completely sunny to completely rainy and then back to sunny. Very weird. I took some pictures with my digital while I was driving (yes - I am pathetic but I love to take pictures). I did drive up the NY State Thruway and picked up the Mass Pike, which I took to Rt 91. Checked in at the hotel by 645pm. Called the house - everyone was fine I met Jenn and Rich around 8pm at a local Italian place..also had pool tables and a bar. They had reserved a room in the back and had the rehersal dinner there. I hadn't seen Jenn in about 4 years. She started to cry as soon as I walked in - she was so happy I made it up to her wedding ::smile:: We hugged and cried! I am such a mush - I cry at everything. She introduced me to everyone.. of course, I couldn't remember anyone's name. I was so beat. I was back at the hotel by 930pm. Watched Trading Spaces on TLC. Took a shower. Got all my stuff unpacked and set up my clothes for the wedding. I crashed out around 1am.

Well - the Rams are getting stomped - crap.

I'm hoooooooooome! Didja miss me? I had a GREAT time! SO glad I went. My friend looked SO beautiful ::sniff sniff:: I cried... I couldn't help it.. Miles: 725 miles (round trip) Hours Spent Driving: 10 Hours Slept: 14 (Friday and Saturday) Sore Ass Factor ( 1 the lowest and 10 the highest): 7.5 - will have to get massage later ; - ) Overall Trip Rating: A+++ Will write more later....

Ok - HAD to do the Friday Five! ( link via smattering) 1. Have you ever had braces? Any other teeth trauma? I had braces in HS. Had them taken off the day of my Senior Prom! But, before the braces were put on, I had to have 7 teeth pulled... 4 in one visit and 3 in another. Ouch. BIG ouch. 2. Ever broken any bones? Surprisingly no. I was in a major car accident 15 months ago and just frigged up my ankle. VERY glad to be alive. The owner of the Corvette that hit me.. well.. he wasn't so lucky.. talk about Head Wound Harry...that bastard.. 3. Ever had stitches? One time. Sliced open my ring finger on my right hand. Cut it on a piece of broken glass in the microwave. VERY painful and bled a LOT! 4. What are the stories behind some of your [physical] scars? Hmm - A small scar on my chin from falling and smashing my chin while in the bathtub when I was 2. (My Dad spazzed out. I was bleeding all over the place. My Mom told him to get some ice.. he asked her where it was! LOL) Scar on my right knee from flying over the handlebars of my 10 speed and having the handlebar scoop out some flesh when it landed on top of me. A couple other scars.. but I ain't tellin' about those! 5. How do you plan to spend your weekend? In Massachusetts, at a wedding. Alone.