love this political climate!

We have had a climate where as little as 3 years ago all 3 branches of federal government (judicial, executive and legislative) were lead by obvious Republicans. I say "obvious" b/c that ties the judicial branch to the Republicans even though that branch is supposed to be seemingly "non-partisan".

Now we live in an environment where Democrats lead 2 out of 3 branches of federal government; the last branch, the judicial branch still in conservatives' hands. The poster child of Republicans these days has been Rush Limbaugh, the blowhard liar on conservative talk radio. Rush has stated that he wanted the only president our nation has to FAIL. So, we are going to make him and his backers pay the political price for that.

We figure the best defense is a good offense. So, the Democratic Party is putting up a billboard in Rush's hometown that states, "Americans didn't vote for a Rush to failure". The best part is that they give Rush a Pinnochio nose. How appropriate, he "lies like a rug"!!!

I kind of like the one that was rejected as a billboard which was "Being stupid, fat and conservative is no way to go through life, son!" As Keith Oberman correctly pointed out personal jokes about someone's build (whether it be toothpick, obese or otherwise) are out of bounds. So, maybe they made the right choice in picking the billboard to oppose Rush with.

There are already conservatives whining about the virtue of putting a billboard up attacking Rush. Too bad, it's about time someone or something stood up to him and told him that he is as wrong as a MAJORITY of Americans are right last November 4th.

check this out

There's a sweet video that I hope you will all be able to look at.

It's my daughter, Brianna with her sweet "Auntie Di".
Tell me if you like it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dv89wFpTxU

a good problem to have

I was pretty surprised to learn a week ago that I was getting the biggest tax refund that I have EVER received. I knew I was going to get some refund, but the magnitude was shocking.

So now I must decide what to spend it on. First of all, I am going to spend a majority of it on paying off my credit cards. That's more important than ever, because the prospect of getting overtime (OT) is more in doubt at the law firm. I have been getting OT at the law firm on a regular basis since June, 2007. So, if I am taking an income reduction through less OT, I need to make sure my expenses are less.

Also, I am definitely getting a new computer. It's about damn time, b/c our computer is currently 9 years old. Yes, that's 9 years as in 108 months old!! So yes, you're damn right we're due for a new computer.

But there's a part of me that knows that MB knows I'm getting a refund and will expect more help than I usually give financially (& that's even though the help I give NOW is substantial). So, I'm uneasy and really hope she doesn't expect too much. If she gets upset, it's going to be a difficult environment to live in during March. I know I will help her more, but the possible argument will be to what degree.

However, this is a very nice problem to have. There are months like December where I am scrambling to make every penny I can or cut every penny in cost I can. It's a very difficult month b/c there's more expenses than usual. So to have this big refund coming my way will be a great opportunity to make big improvements on my financial situation.

Ted's happy w/ the Super Bowl

(Top: my son, Ted; Bottom: MVP, Santonio Holmes kissing the Vincent Lombardi trophy awarded to the champion Pittsburgh Steelers)

My post today is the same as it was last year. If you click onto February, 2008, you will see my article about the SUPER BOWL and the NY Giants beating the heavily favored New England Patriots. & you'll read about how Ted's 2nd favorite team, the New England Patriots lost and he cried and cried.

This year's Super Bowl was between Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals. I wanted the Cardinals to win, b/c they hadn't won a championship since 1947 (the yr. my parents were married). With 2 minutes left to play and 80 yards to cover, my team, the Cardinals were up by 3 points. The Steelers marched right down the field as they knew that they could score on the Cardinals' defense. When they scored with a mere 40 seconds left, Ted was shouting, jumping up and down, jumping on the couch, absolutely jubilant. For the first time in the 3 yrs. he has watched the Super Bowl, his team finally won. He anxiously watched the last seconds of the game and the Steelers held on to win. He was so incredibly happy. Then he said something that really made me laugh, because it completely caught the moment of how he sincerely felt, "I wish the Super Bowl were everyday!!"

I went from wanting the AZ Cardinals to win to glad the Steelers won if only just to see my boy so absolutely gleeful.

HE'S OUT!!!!

I am so glad to hear that Rod Blagojevich is no longer the governor from my state!!!!
He's been a damn one-man wrecking crew to our state's Democratic Party by being a CORRUPT DEMOCRAT.
I have been so pissed off with him for over 2 months now. & yes, all my conservative friends at Church asked if I voted for him (I did) and I had to artfully ignore them. Thank God I haven't seen any e-mail missives about IL Democrats from my family.

I am so angry with him b/c he has been a one-man wrecking crew to Democrats in Illinois. For 3 yrs. in a row, he made a humungous drama out of passing the budget and acted like he was the only one who knew how to govern in state gov't. & the other Democrats looked like fools for supporting him as he preened and showed off during the budget votes. Earlier than that I really wondered about him, b/c he had an open verbal fight with his father in law (Dick Mell, alderman in Chicago) and publicly reveled in it and said he had "testicular fortitude" (& all he showed was that he was an asshole for being mean to his father in law).

Do you know that I'm more pissed off with the Democrat, Rod Blagojevich, than I am with a Republican by the name of George Bush?
Why? Well, I really do dislike George Bush for having young men slaughtered in Iraq under false pretenses, appting judges as reactionary as him, not giving a fiddler's fuck about the environment b/c he was an oil man supporting other oil men, I could go on and on!!!

But Rod Blagojevich has made it respectable to be a Republican in Illinois, and this angers me b/c Illinois WAS solidly a BLUE State. Republicans can tar other Democrats next year when there is a governor's race and legislative races. I wouldn't be surprised if we have a Republican governor elected in 2010 and a majority of Republicans in the Illinois "congress".

Just living proof that you will be more betrayed by a scoundrel who acts like your friend than you will if someone is actually your enemy. We had no illusions about George Bush in 2000 and how lousy he would be, but I had high hopes for that asshole Blagojevich, and I'm furious with him.
I have half a mind to go to his mansion in North Chicago and toilet paper the trees 'round his house. I might just be worth it getting caught.

anxious circumstance, WORSE memory!!

NOTE: I'M NOT USING THE ACTUAL NAME OF THE FIRM BELOW FOR PRIVACY REASONS. Also, in the latter part of this post, I AM NOT USING THE ACTUAL ADDRESS OF A CERTAIN BLDG. IN CHICAGO FOR THE SAME REASONS.

Our law firm is taking a big interest in a different case. A case/lawsuit that we are not involved in at all legally.

They had me copy parts of the lawsuit at the Clerk's office. I pointed out to them that there is a part of the case called "Discovery" that will probably not show up in the Clerk's office file. So my office manager said, "I think what we could do is go to Joe Moron''s office and get the "Discovery" part there.

I am really getting worked up about the office manager asking me to go to Moron's office. I worked there in 2002 for 6 months. In Sept., right after I had to suffer the trauma of being served divorce papers, I was told that Moron fired me. I was shocked; I was blindsided. I really am not 100% sure 6 1/2 fuckin years later why I was let go.
I think that the reason it happened was that I had to have deviated septum surgery the same month I got fired, and I was off for 1 week afterwards and then my surgeon ordered me to leave work early several times for required follow up care. At the 2nd interview all prior to that of course, Joe Moron made great emphasis that he put a high value on good attendance if I was to work there. The person who fired me was this young ofc. manager, and he was so shocked that Moron fired me that he had TEARS in his eyes when he told me. He knew that I had just been served w/ divorce papers. So, he took me to the firm's kitchen, went to the fridge and said we need to drink some beer and then told me I was fired.

I was given some money to get a cab and go home with my boxes of possessions that I had from work (I learned a lesson not to bring so much stuff to work with you). There was a time when the taxi driver & I knew that the money given to me by the firm to pay the taxi driver was not enough. I was afraid that he was going to leave me at the side of the road b/c he was angry. I figured at that point that if he let me out of his cab, I would hope that some criminal, some gangbanger would come by and kill me. That's what I really wanted. Between the divorce and the firing coming so close together, I was in a ton of mental anguish. But then I decided to tell the cabbie that we would stop at a gas station and get him some more $$. That made him much happier and I got home with no more incidents.

So anyway, I am getting worked up about the thought of going over to Moron's office and copying documents. It just brings back so many bad memories. There's a chance I won't have to. A made it known in the office that I didn't want to do this. &, believe it or not, I am actually not that low on the hierarchy. (WOW!!!!!!!)

& get this! after I got fired, I was hired by another firm 2 months later. It was one floor ABOVE Joe Moron's firm!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It ended up that this firm was even WORSE, actually much worse than Joe Moron's firm. I worked for a very abusive female attorney who loved to scream at me. I didn't quit b/c I really really needed the money and knew it would be next to impossible to go to another firm. so when I was fired there (only 6 months after the 1st firing) I was actually relieved.

So 070 S. Prick St. is where both law firms are at. & you know what, it's going to be traumatic that I might have to walk into a building housing so many bad memories for me. I don't know if I'm going to be asked but just the thought of going into that tall white building is just like going back to an awful crime scene! It literally makes my blood beat faster and completely changes my mood!!

A NEW BEGINNING!!!!!

Hallelujah!! Obama is now the President of the United States. I have heard people say, "I feel better, I feel new!" I feel hopeful and to a certain degree confident.

Gone are the policies that rely on oil to power our cars and provide energy.

Gone are the policies that put the rich first and the poor last.

Gone are the policies that don't give a damn about our environmnet.

We look forward to policies where more people can and deserve to share the wealth that has usually gone to the few.

We hopefully anticipate a time where we fight less and put our efforts moreso into prosperity, justice and a cleaner environment.

& God Bless Obama for criticizing those policies carried out with gusto by the departed Bush administration.

A new day has dawned not only for our nation but the world. For people outside the US and around the world, we finally have a president who is interested in what you and your leaders have to say, not being ignored as the previous administration did. We have a President committed to intelligently fighting terrorism and spelled the same out in his speech.

Let us help Obama and his assistants achieve progress. & for those who stand in his way, let us show them in the clearest manner possible that they are in the MINORITY!

scary experience

I was rushing to a meeting b/c I'm the vice president and I was late. The group I am in is St. Damians' Mens' Club. We are group that raises lots of money for the school and we are an area charity that supplies food to those who are poor and helps the elderly. So anyway, I was late and the cops caught me speeding.
You know & I know that when you see those flashing red and blue lights and they are for YOU, there's an awful feeling. Naturally when they stop a person they ask for your driver's license. This policeman decided to talk about how fast I was going and I anticipated that he would THEN ask for my driver's license, and so I reached in my coatpocket to get it.

OMG!!!! Wrong move.He shouted at me to get my hands on steering wheel and then get out of my car as soon as possible. I was frisked. I said I was just going to give him my driver's license and he said, "never reach for anything in your pocket", b/c police will think you are reaching for a gun. & they don't have any time to find out if it's a license or a gun. So they are required to act fast and PRESUME IT'S A GUN. Thank God, he let me go w/o giving me a traffic arrest. It would've really sucked to have gotten a ticket and pay $100 for traffic school. I came to the meeting very shaken during the 1st half of the meeting.

FIGHT! FIGHT!!

Usually, nothing special happens on the train other than it's a much better ride than the bus. However, if you ride enough sometimes things get wild. Like in 2001, there were 3 women (in their 20s) & a guy together. One of the women got off the train, started beating the hell out of the other women, and the 3rd woman stood there yelling at the aggressor. The guy tried to break the fight up but took some punches (that's what a person gets for breaking up a fight and trying to do the right thing! no good deed goes unpunished!)

Today, I got off the train and saw this guy bump this grey haired woman. OMG! Did she get pissed! She walked and was screaming at him, calling him rude, saying he didn't say anything. Well, he was walking faster than her so soon there was distance between them. He didn't say anything and wanted to get the hell away from her. BUT then she started running up to him to catch up to him. I just thought to myself, "OMG, what is she going to do when she catches up to him"
Well, let me tell ya! She started yelling at him, getting in his face, and asking, "Why did you bump me? Are you a pick pocket?? THAT'S IT! YOU'RE A THIEF! HEY, THIEF!" So she kept repeatedly yelling "THIEF" Then, there's this corridor that you have to go through to enter/leave the train station. I couldn't see the 2 of them when they went into the corridor, but then when I get through the corridor, I could see this angry woman but no guy. I walked by her and literally walked SIDEWAYS to lessen the chance that I would get within 2 feet of her.

It was so wild. You gotta love a little drama at the train station!

2 topics (makes you think...)

I have complained before and will complain once again that spam is out of control and I get so much of it on my Yahoo e-mail. It's so bad that the spam has invaded my e-mail at work. The office manager has had to install spam protection on our e-mail. It's disgusting.

It also makes you wonder. If I had looked at every spam and did what the spammers asked, how many times would I have been "ripped off" and my money taken? 20 times, 200 times, 2000 times?? I hate spam!

----------

As you can see, I have Google AdWare. For about 4 or 5 months, I have only been able to run Public Service announcements. Google did this b/c I did not revise my password when they asked me to. Well, that has been taken care of now. Now, I can go back to running regular ads and actually make a few cents.

So, please click onto the ad. You don't have to actually buy it, & you don't even need to read it. If you want, just click onto the ad and then get out of it (either by "x"ing out or ALT + F4).

Please click onto the ads as this helps me financially. & it so easy just to click onto something and get out of it - even with a slow 8 yr. old computer like mine!!!

The Christmas trip!

I spent 4 days in Ithaca, Wisconsin. Ithaca is extremely important (just look at this blog’s URL!) as it’s where I grew up, went to high school, learned a work ethic on our farm; it’s where my parents live now. Before the trip, there was some concern about there being too much stress on my elderly parents (they’re both in their 80s). However, I knew that we would help a lot and that by the end things would be ok which turned out to be correct.

It was an exciting XMAS, we left Illinois @ 4 and got to Ithaca, WI @ 8. The trip there went great and we were so looking forward to 4 days of holiday fun. But we were also determined to be responsible and help Mom A LOT, and to make the noise level of 3 kids be low and tolerable for my dear parents.
So then we woke up XMAS and the kids opened up the rest of their presents. They were all very happy. We went to church @ 10 and I was so proud of the way, my oldest, Andy, helped my dad in and out of the car. Before that, breakfast went well and we did the dishes for Mom and Dad.

My 2 brothers Jerome and Bill came up, and had a good time. It was amazing to see Bill talk more and hold conversation with all of us. Usually what happens is that Bill quickly goes to sleep right after dinner and Jerome talks to everyone else. The exact opposite happened this time. Jerome slept and Bill talked. After my brothers left, Mom told me that Bill, who suffers from alcoholism, has been going to 1-on-1 counseling and he’s made noticeable improvement which really seemed the case when we saw him.
Then we went tobagonning on the hill. Basically a tobaggon is just like a sled that you can zoom down a hill with, but instead of a sled having 2 runners, a tobaggon is a flat wooden surface that can hold 3 or 4 kids (including me with mine!) and zooms through the snow. We went tobagonning both morning and afternoon.

Later during the holiday, we sadly watched the bowl game that the WI Badger football team was in and they got destroyed by Florida St. We had fun though watching Doctor Who w/ my mom who didn’t know if she liked the show or not.
On Sunday, when we were leaving, I asked mom if things went well during our 4 days and she said they did. So I felt good that the kids and I worked hard together and there was less work for my Mom. It meant so much to them that the kids and I said the rosary with them. I knew how to say the rosary and have done so for over 30 years, but learned that they added 2 new prayers to the rosary. I had been taught by Mom the Rosary 30some years ago, but apparently they added those 2 prayers. I knew all about the 4th mystery that Pope John Paul II added to the rosary.
I guess if there was anything troubling, it was reading my dad’s written medical report about his possible Alzheimer’s. I am happy and glad that the trip went well. It makes you thankful for the family that you have. Because you can’t choose family!!!

MB & I even felt the holiday cheer as I left her a letter at our condo where she was and she wrote me a nice one back. She was unable to go to Ithaca with us, because her father just came home from the hospital. She decided to take care of him during the holidays.

let's hear it for my nice boss!!

Terry is one of the bosses I work for. He's the lawyer & I'm the paralegal. The law firm didn't give us a XMAS bonus. So, anyway, Terry gave me this morning $40 in cash. I love getting cash/money for XMAS. That, by far is my favorite gift b/c I can use it to get anything or even stop my account from getting overdrawn!!! So thank you Terry. I love working for you; having a great boss is a REAL blessing!!!!

a few pictures

I wanted to show you some pictures. I didn't grow a beard this year, b/c MB complained about it having too much grey in it. So instead I have a mustache. The pictures of my beard are from several years ago. Believe it or not, the beard gets noticeably MORE greyer with each year.

As a special treat, you can get my senior picture of me on the football team (not soccer, U.S. football, lol). Sorry for the blurriness, I may use my Kodak software and make some minor improvements on it so that you get some semblance of what I looked like @ the age of 17.

So much better looking, yet so callow!

a little story

Certain events have happened recently. Because of the "bad economic times" I (& no one else at our firm) received a raise or Christmas bonus. Also, certain views in my house were expressed that I find disappointing to say the least.
I feel that I can't come right out and say what has upset me. If I do say it, I'm afraid the reaction won't be what I want. I think it's better if I apply my disappointment in a story. The story has some symbols in it and I think you'll understand the theme behind it and maybe even some of the symbols.
Also, the Blog website gave me a lot of problems tonight for whatever reason. I wasn't allowed to make paragraph breaks, so I was forced to make bullet points for the paragraphs.

• Jim was a construction worker who had a very tough job. He had a very physical job with heavy lifting. He worked in all kinds of weather. If it was 20 below 0 (fahrenheit), he was required to work. If the job was dangerous, he was required to do it. On one of these trying days, he was feeling terrible. As he rode home in a co-worker's car, he discussed his disappointment. Yet, he explained to his friend, "At least I have a nice bed to sleep in and give me comfort. On a bad day, the best friend I have is my bed. No one can give me orders. No one can hurt me or make me feel bad."
• When he got home, his mood improved. He quickly ate supper, did some reading and went to bed. When he laid in his cherished bed and put his head on the pillow, he received a very upsetting shock. His pillow that he trusted and relied on for years suddenly became hard. He couldn't believe that at a time like this, when he needed the comfort of home, he was greeted with hardness. The hardness was a shock because he expected comfort. He changed and readjusted the pillow, but the pillow could not, would not change. He used substitutes for the pillow but as he was poor he couldn't go out and buy a pillow. The substitutes he used that night were inferior, yet he finally got to sleep. (He used bunched up clothing that he put into a plastic bag.
• The next day at work was tougher than the one before. He relayed his plight of the night before to his co-worker as they drove home.
• Jim bitterly recounted, "You know home is supposed to be your castle, your refuge, the place where you find support. Yet that comfort wasn't there last night. I was confronted with hardness and little comfort. I can't survive in such a cruel world."
• Eric, his co-worker, asked, "You've complained at length about your pillow, but how were your sheets."
• Jim quizzically looked at Eric and replied, "The sheets were great, they were warm and comforting. If you're going to ask about the bed cushion that was nice and comfortable. The box spring did its job well, too!"
• Eric smiled and responded, "You have to appreciate all that went well. We can't dwell on what is wrong because there is so much in the world that IS WRONG. I guess believing in God is a pretty good idea because God doesn't change, get worse and be unreliable. Friends come and go, as do jobs. Your own kids, your own "flesh and blood" could die young. Spouses can be hard, embittered and rude; they can serve you divorce papers. Your TV can be stolen. & that pillow that you relied so much on turned hard. You still have your sheets, you still have books and magazines to enjoy."
• Jim said, "You are right. But still, I wish my pillow was soft. Everybody has a pillow they can sleep on..."
• "But that's wrong! Everyone doesn't have a pillow to sleep on. Everybody doesn't have kids to come home to, spouses that give them comfort or even food on the table. Hell, we could be living in Africa, we didn't choose where we would be born or whether our family was starving or had full stomachs," Eric asserted.
• Jim realized that he would go home and enjoy his magazine a little more. The stroganoff meal he made for himself would taste better. He would value all this so much more, because he realized he would either have to put up with a hard pillow or make due with a substitute.

more concerns w/ son

I spoke with my son’s psychologist as my oldest son, Andy, has Asperger’s Syndrome. The problem has been a precipitous drop in grades from 6th grade to 7th grade. The homework situation which was a problem last year is worse this year. You may remember Andy as I wrote about him falling off the balcony this past September.

The psychologist said that going to 6th to 7th grade is very difficult even for normal kids b/c they give far more schoolwork and academic responsibility to kids at that age. Andy simply can’t keep up to the considerably higher expectations.
I then said to him, “In 5 short years, Andy will be 18 out of high school and will need to get a job. How is he going to handle an 8 hr job if he’s having such a hard time now?”
“He WON’T be able to handle an 8 hour job. I’m not in the prediction business, and I never say ‘never’, but I doubt he would make it in an environment like McDonalds when he’s 18. He will have to have a job where he works 4-6 hours. He may have to telecommute and work at home.”
That was very sobering to hear that my son’s job/vocational prospects are already limited. Not by a lot, but definitely some. But now we at least have some idea of what we are up against. We are going to have to dial down our expectations somewhat. We are going to have to do an effective job of mixing rewards and punishments so that he is a motivated student. This has become more difficult than I imagined.

When I wrote about this in my support group, there was a pretty strong reaction, it sounded like the Dr. was giving up on him. I don't feel he was at all. He did NOT say that he couldn't work at all. He said that in certain conditions, he would succeed at work, and in other conditions he would not succeed. Now when you read that, doesn't that situation sound similar to the situation you or I am in? It sure does to me. I do not work well with hyper bosses. If they are going to fly off the handle every other minute, I want my paycheck from somewhere else!!

The fact is that we can't be in the prediction business about what will happen when he graduates from high school. We simply have to take it one week at a time and make sure that he's doing his homework and studying enough for his exams. There has to be more verifying. I used to be in the habit of simply asking him, "Andy, are you done with your homework?" and he would say "yes". That was it then, and then I would later learn that he didn't do all the homework.

Now, we verify things and use a computer program, RenWeb, which lists their grades and their homework. Every now and again things fall through the cracks because neither he nor Ren Web have the schoolwork listed or I might even forget that something is listed on RenWEb, and he will miss his homework that way.

I would like to think there will come a time that Andy will be more responsible with homework and learn to study better. Until that day comes, MB & I are spending a lot of time with Andy!

The question is how much does Aspergers affect his grades and doing well? It seemed that Aspergers doesn't affect cognitive function as he does show that he's intelligent, but things like organization which is something he really needs aren't exhibited. There is going to be a meeting with the Special Ed. teacher (that has specialized training on handling kids with mental or physical disabilities), social worker, principal and me in January, and we will discuss again the strategies for making this a successful school year for Andy.

A good exit

A couple weeks ago, I ended being president of the TMA. The TMA is the governing body of the condo complex where I live. There are 28 buildings in our condo complex with 6 units in each building. Our budget for the year is over $200,000. I think I handled it very well. I gave a speech at the Annual Meeting that discussed the situation/"shape" of our condo. I was very complimentary about the people who were on the Board with me. People were very appreciative and gracious about the work I did as a board member for 6 years and president for 3 years.

The nice thing is that I retired gracefully. I didn't get forced out, I didn't get voted out. I didn't leave "under a cloud". There were a few mistakes done, & I lost a friend while I was the president (which wasn't really my fault). But being president was a good experience and it definitely quenched my ambition to hold elective office at least for awhile.

silly superstitions

Everyone has heard of superstitions. It is probably a good thing that they aren't so widespread and popular as they used to be. I would like to think of myself as a rational person, but I wanted to share one silly superstition that I have.

Actually there are 2. I try to avoid the number 13. When I set deadlines for myself at work, I rarely if ever set them for the 13th of the month.

The other superstition is much sillier. I have a tendency during the winter to lose gloves. It's just my way, because I am absent-minded. I'm absent minded but have gotten much better about taking care of my wallet. I haven't lost my wallet since September, 2000. (Now, if only I could find my keys that I've been missing since last Sunday.......) Anyway, the last couple winters I have followed a superstition that has led me to lose my gloves fewer times. It's so crazy that hopefully you'll get a good laugh over it.

Since the tendency is to lose gloves, I used an illogical way to stop losing gloves. What I do is wear a pair of unmatched gloves. For example, I'll wear one black glove and one blue glove, or one red glove and one brown glove. Since wearing different gloves is so strange, I "reason" that it's like reversing Karma. So the reasoning goes that if I wear unmatched gloves, that will reverse the tendency to lose gloves. Sometimes I've lost the gloves anyway, but I don't lose them nearly as much, so I continue to do that.

Let me know if you have any superstitions...........

saving FAITH!!

I had a mishap with MB's and her father's dog Saturday. She always expects a treat when she goes out and defecates and urinates and then comes back in. Usually the treat is a hotdog, but my father-in-law is in the hospital and has been for over 2 weeks. So the only thing in the 'fridge was a baked potato rapped in aluminum foil.

So I threw it down to Faith, (she is 1/2 border collie and 1/2 English sheepdog, if I find a picture, I will add it to the post), I assumed that she was smart enough NOT to eat the aluminum foil. The amount of aluminum foil was more than enough to cover 2 of your hands. The damn thing landed face down and the aluminum foil was face up. So the dog swooped in and put it in her mouth. I tried to pry her jaws open to drop it and she tried biting me. (I was smart enough not to put my hands near her teeth and pull it out). But damnit, despite the effort, she swallowed it all. The aluminum was enough to cover both of your hands.

So, I drove home, got the kids, they were asking 100 questions about the dog and worrying about her. I just knew that she wouldn't survive with that amount of aluminum foil in her; she's only about 65 pounds. I got some Syrup of Ipeyac which is something you give your kids if they swallow a poison. But the problem was as Ted told me, the Syrup was 10 years old. So we went to the drugstore and they didn't have any! But they gave me some advice. There was an ER nurse that gave me advice, which really, really helped.

One person said get some water, put as much salt in it, as much as the water could carry, then the ER nurse said mix mustard with water and that would make her vomit the aluminum foil out. So I figured, "I know what I'll do, I'll mix mustard and a ton of salt together in the warm water."

So, we got Faith outside b/c we didn't want her vomiting in the house. I sat on her, holding her mouth open and my son poured the mustard-salt-warm water concoction down her throat. In a few minutes, she vomited up 1/2 of the aluminum foil. I was still worried about her. She still had 2" by 3" of aluminum foil in her. Reluctantly, Andy & I pinned her down again and poured the concoction down her throat again. Unfortunately, no aluminum foil came up. So we quit.

I told MB about it (expecting to get screamed at), but she handled it very well. She said the best thing to do is watch her very closely, and she was confident the aluminum foil would work through her. I was still worried about a bowel obstruction. But in 2 days she seems to be fine.

Why didn't we take her to a vet? We thought about that, but we really have no money for that. I felt really bad about it, because I like the dog and didn't want to hurt my in laws and MB's dog! It seems like we saved her by getting her to at least vomit out 1/2 of it.

This blog's 1st movie review: Shine a Light

If movies get 5 stars for being a classic and 0 stars for a movie so bad that it was as bad as if they showed Billy shitting his pants and putting out on You Tube, well then I give Shine a Light 3 & a 1/2 stars.

Bad: The first 20-30 minutes aren't worth a damn. There's nothing more boring than hearing a director (Martin Scorsese) and his assistant bitch about the same thing over and over again. In this case, they want Mick Jaggar to give them a conceptualization of how they will set the stage up for the concert, and they want a set list. As Scorsese explains, he needs to have the set list (especially for 1st song) so that if the song starts with a guitar riff, he'll cue the dude that's videotaping Ron Wood or Keith. If it starts with Mick singing, he'll cue that cameraman. But I don't give a fiddler's fuck, about the dispute between the Stones and Scorsese. With a little imagination, they could have made the beginning of this movie a whole lot better! Also, the concert footage was very good, but why the hell didn't they have them singing "Shine a Light"?? Maybe that's in the bonus cuts. I haven't seen that yet. Hopefully, you wont hold that against me.

The movie gets a little bit better when they show President Bill Clinton meet the Stones. Then the Stones have to change their schedule around to meet Hillary Clinton's mother. They greet Bill and the mother warmly although the movie doesn't show them greeting Hillary. They point out in the movie that the Stones change their schedule to meet Hillary's mother, and Hillary thanks them effusively for that. Bill goes out and introduces the Rolling Stones, and then the movie gets 12 times better!

They show the footage of the concert in New York not at an arena but a place that can hold 100s of people (The Beacon). The concert is highlighted by the guest stars. Buddy Guy singing "Champagne and Reefer" with the band, Jack White singing with them "Lovin Cup", and Christine Aguilera singing "Live w/ Me". My 7 year old daughter was outstanding company watching the movie with me, and she made me replay Jack White and the Stones doing "Lovin' Cup". I was sooooo proud of her!

Another thing that made the movie excellent was that they had cuts of the band when they were 40 yrs, 30 yrs younger. The interviews were very inciteful and illuminating. At one point, Mick is asked by the interviewer, "Can you see playing with the Stones when your 60s, Mick?" "Oh yeah, easily", Mick replies. Good choice, Mick.

I strongly recommend seeing the movie. Just skip the 1st 20 minutes of it.

Correction

When I heard the news, I was just thinking about deleting the last post and not saying anything. However, that's not being very open. I sent the outrageous picture shown yesterday to some of my co-workers. One of my co-workers went to the website that was shown on that awful sign. He found out from the website that you are able to put any message on that board that you want. So, actually someone wrote that message as a joke/gag, and then sent it to someone else. Then, one of the members in my support group saw it and took it seriously which is what I did, too.

So basically you could go to that same website and type in something nice instead like, "R2 loves Amel" and it would show up on that "cyberbillboard" with that Baptist Church in the background.
So, this blog has posted its first correction, sorry for not being more thorough.