What a week!

I took my computer to the Geek Squad to see if they could recover a deleted file for me. When I got there, my computer wouldn't power up. I had just unplugged it an hour before I got there, so I couldn't believe it. The techie guy told me that it was probably the motherboard, and I would spend less to buy a whole new computer. This all sounded real crazy to me, so I went home to think about it. I was looking through my paperwork and discovered that I had purchased the 3 year service plan. Since the computer was purchased in '04, I rushed up to the nearest Best Buy and put her in the hospital. Today they called, and my computer had a bad power supply. They replaced it for free under the warranty, so I was relieved. Sometimes it helps to get a second opinion! So now I STILL haven't recovered the deleted file and I don't have much hope that I will. I bought some "Search and Recover" software, and it is running as I am writing this - it takes hours! Then I will have to sift through the recovered files and see if I can find the missing one! Maybe I will get lucky.

I took Jelly's advice. I got some chocolate. I ate it. I ate some more. I am addicted, but I feel much better! Fatter, but better! I discovered this lovely brand if you love coffee and chocolate - it has both! In my recent chocolate binge - I have decided that I like DOVE the best. It is the smoothest, and it just melts in your mouth. If someone doesn't stop me, I will eat the whole bag! I have to ask my roomate to hide the bag of chocolate and only dole it out to me a few pieces at a time. Pitiful, aren't I?

I need the GEEK SQUAD!

Talk about stupid. I was deleting some unwanted files because I thought they were making my computer go. . . so. . . slow - and I must have deleted some files by mistake. My roomate tried to go to "her" files - and they were missing. Completely gone - not even as much as a mention of them in the recycle bin. Now, I admit to being computer illiterate, but I don't think I intentionally deleted a file. My roomate insinuated that somehow my actions were deliberate, because only "her" files and "her son's" files were deleted. (She actually said that she thought it was "ODD", but I took that as accusatory.) I understand her frustration because she had some important documents in there. However, I wasn't the one that didn't back up my files! All my important stuff (photos) are backed up on an external drive. We usually get along quite well. This paranoid inferred accusation begs the question, "Does mama have to slap a bitch?" Of course I am only kidding, I love her to death. I will slink down to the Geek Squad precinct tomorrow and spend hundreds of dollars to try to recover the files. Maybe if I have any money left over, I will buy her an external drive of her own!

My life in a nutshell

Sometimes I have writer's block, or actually - it's thinker's block. Then again, maybe it is "thinker's attitude". My son got his driver's license last Friday. Seeing him drive away from the house on his own is that same feeling all over again from when I dropped him off at school for the first time. Kind of empty, scared, am I doing the right thing feeling. You know, throwing him out of the nest - but wanting to grab him back. I have admitted it before, I am an "OPM" (overprotective mom). Now it is time to let him go off with his friends, and hope that he is a good boy. I have never had a bit of trouble with him, I have nothing to complain about. I guess I am just afraid he will be influenced by peer pressure. Now I will be working on the second driver, my roomate's son, helping him get his learner's permit, teaching him to drive. Ah, such is the life of a stay at home mom.
My life has changed so much in the last two years since my disability retirement. Other friends my age are still working, so I really have nothing in common with them. I mostly stay at home doing laundry, cutting the grass, cooking dinner, doing the dishes and all that other domestic crap. Even the dogs are bored with me and have stopped following me around the house. When my roomate and the boys come home, they all begin doing their personal little projects; there is little conversation. I know that I am depressed about all this. I plan to start thinking about me for a change; next week will be all about ME! Do you think they will notice? Maybe when the laundry starts to pile up and there is no dinner on the table!

I am still here!

I know I haven't blogged in a while, but I am still reading your blogs. I will post all the news tomorow. I miss you too!

Your rights

You have the right to remain silent.

If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

You have the right to an attorney and to have an attorney present during questioning.

If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you at no cost.

During any questioning, you may decide at any time to exercise these rights, not answer any questions, or make any statements.

Let's go over this again. After the first sentence, it should be clear what you should do. Please, just remain silent! Stop trying to be cooperative. If the police have gone this far and they are giving you this warning - it is because they suspect you of something and they want you to make statements that will incriminate you or in some way tie you to the crime that is being investigated. Now if you STILL feel like you might want to make some kind of a statement, why not call an attorney? An attorney is a person that knows about the law and you want him there for you. Why? because they just told you that "anything you say can and will be used against you in court." What? you don't know an attorney? You are scared that it might cost too much money? It is free. They have to provide an attorney, at no cost to you. If the nice officer (who just wants to help you) gets you to start talking - remember - at any time you can just STOP TALKING!

In my 25 years as a law enforcement officer, most of those years as a detective, questioning hundreds of suspects, how many times do you think someone requested an attorney? . . . 3 times, yup, that's all, 3 times! Why? because I was SO nice, SO caring, SO compassionate.

Please don't be fooled by the nice cop. Exercise your right to remain silent. shhhhhhhhh!!!

Humidity sale

At the local K-Mart this weekend some dealership is having a car sale. They have a large tent set up in the parking lot. The cars are 2006 closeouts. I don't know about you, but who in their right mind would want to sit outside in 90 degree heat and high humidity in a tent negotiating a car deal? Maybe if the salesman passes out you get the deal!

How we spend our Friday nights

Here we are again for another year. Us moms in the stands watching our band boys practice, practice and more practice. They are in the stadium from 6 to 10 PM, working on their drills. This years show looks like it will be one of the best that I have seen. That is Matt (10th grade) on the snare drum on the left, and Preston (11th grade) on the tuba. This band is undefeated in it's class in this area.

Both boys work very hard and they really like being in the band. Us moms are happy about this, glad our babies are not running the streets and hanging with drug addicts! There is so much bad stuff for teenagers to get into, we are glad they have this activity to keep them busy. Tonight we dropped them off at 6, then we went out to a nice "moms only" quiet dinner. We will be doing this every weekend now through November. Some weekends there is a Friday night game, and then a Saturday competition the next day. This keeps the whole family busy. All the band parents must help out in some way.

Our job is to tow the band trailer full of musical instruments to competitions and away games. It is like high school re-visited, for us!

Back to walking

This morning I took my first walk in months. I hurt my foot when I was in Washington, D.C. this past summer, and I quit walking after that. I have gained some pounds because of the inactivity, and I need to get them off. I plan to walk a half hour in the morning, and a half hour in the evening. This morning I donned my Rockport walking shoes and got out of the house right at dawn. (After about 8 AM, you can't exercise outside, it is just too hot!) If I can keep it up for about two weeks, then I will start going back to the gym. Those lazy boys don't want to go with me to the gym, so I will go by myself. I hate exercise, I have to force myself to do this!

Ransome says, "where ya going mom in the ugly shoes?"

Back to school

This is the first day back to school for the boys. All last week they had band camp. I am the unofficial photographer for the band. I take lots of snapshots during their activities, then post the photos on a website for all of them to access with a pass word. At the end of the week the band director asked me to take a shot of the whole band in their uniforms, so it could be published in the school brochure. "OK, on the count of three, I am taking the picture, so smile - one, two, three!" "STOP!, STOP!, STOP!", the band director says. We have to do it over, someone in the band decided to raise "a finger" and the band director caught it. "Thanks, Preston, for messing up the picture, now we have to take it over", the director says! (Oh God, you mean it was MY SON that "shot the bird?") I am mortified! After the photo shoot, I couldn't get to tuba boy fast enough. I took him aside and reemed him up one side and down the other. How dare he be so disrespectful? I told him if he EVER did anything like that again, that he would be quitting the band. This is a boy that I have never had any trouble with, I was so embarrassed! He apologised and told me later that it was just a prank and that he was just being a wise guy and didn't mean anything by it. Looking back on it now, it was kinda funny, but I don't think I will tell him that! Look at the tubas, they think it is SO funny, they can hardly keep from laughing out loud.

YOU-YOU two

Abandoned in Pasadena There is no short answer to Sandy’s “you-you”. She is without question one the bravest women that I know. She loves her husband so much, it shows throughout her blog. Sandy is another blogger who has incorporated many family members into her blogging habit. Instead of giving up when she felt like she couldn’t ride motorcycles anymore, she had training wheels put on! Those of you who have ever ridden a motorcycle know that this is no small feat. She had to learn a whole new way to ride. A lot of this had to do with the fact that she wanted to enjoy riding with her beloved Jimmy. Sandy is a great storyteller and I enjoy her stories of her cats and her mascot, Cucco. Cucco is Sandy’s not so imaginary purple haired bird.

Jellyhead is the blog that everyone should read. I have often stated that the Aussies are SO much smarter than the rest of the world, and Jelly’s blog proves it. After all, they are so far ahead, that it is already tomorrow there now. So they have already lived through the day that we are in now. (?) No, I don’t understand how this works, but I am sure that the Aussies do! Jelly’s blog is a delight as she tells the inside story of being a doctor. She tells us how she feels about everything, and that is the best part. I love to hear about Jelly’s travels and family adventures. Jelly tells us about her Mum and the influence her Mum has had on her life. I just love Jelly. Someday I will meet her in person and ask her the secret of being a day ahead, and if she endorses Aussie hair products and the Outback Steak house!

Doubleknot is a blogger that lives in Florida, not far from me. I think that it is strange that I came across her blog while surfing other blogs from all around the world! Doubleknot’s sister, Puffstitch, even lives in my small town. Isn’t it a small world when we blog? Doubleknot tells us about the everyday courage and her roommate, Steve, as they face retirement and doctor’s appointments. She also posts interesting photos of their children, grandchildren, and her garden and plants. Doubleknot and I have emailed each other from time to time, and she is a really nice lady.

Colors of the Garden is the blogchild of Kerri, an Aussie who has transplanted to upstate New York. Kerri has a sweetness about her that permeates throughout her blog. You can tell that she cares about the rest of us, and she has made many blog friends. She is either a wonderful gardener, or she has one! She shares information on gardening and her breathtaking photos of the land and gardens around her farm. Kerri may not know it, but her photographs are of publishing quality. I enjoy her blog.

First installment of YOU-YOU's

(I have to do the "you-you's" in several separate posts because they are so long) -check back tomorrow for more you-you's

I have been blogging about a year now. These are some of the blogs that I read all the time. The following is the impression that I get from you, as you are represented on your blog. Please don’t take offense at anything in this narrative that is not completely correct. This is just a “you-you”, as observed by me, for your entertainment only.

Motherkitty was one of the first blogs that I read when I started blogging. I quickly discovered that MK is related to several other bloggers on her list, and it is a good way for her family to keep in touch. (I wish my family was this computer literate.) Recently, MK went though a serious surgery, and I could tell by the tone of her blog that she was in a lot of pain, and not really in a good mood. It seemed that she was taking a lot longer to go through this than she had expected. Lately MK seems to be feeling better, I can tell by her recent posts. Her quick wit and funny stories have returned after a much missed absence.

Texas to Tennessee is one of those people who have done what some of us only dream of doing. She moved, several hundred miles away from her home, with very few possessions. She took her best dog friend, Mocha, with her. She just picked up and moved out of her comfort zone and away from all of her friends. The move seems to have been an effort to discover herself, and try to be all that she can be. T2T seemed apprehensive at first, but now she has settled in to her new home and is finding a place to reflect on life, write about it, take photographs, exercise, and help others at her retreat. She is now on staff at the retreat. (See, she went from visiting to running the place!) Once, several months ago, I almost visited T2T. I had a friend flying to Nashville on business and I was invited along. I even plotted out the route on mapquest from Nashville to Penuel Ridge. It turned out that I didn’t travel to Nashville, but someday I probably will.

Matthew’s Blog is a blog about a very sick baby, as documented by his father in photographs. The blog is to keep the family informed on Matthews’s progress, but also a journal of his life. Matthew has a serious heart condition, that just ten years ago would have been fatal. With the miracle of modern micro-surgery, and talented physicians, Matthew will now survive to be a healthy boy. It has been touch and go through a lot of his procedures. It is great to see how Matthew’s parents rally around him, even when they are so weary. They never lose their hope and strong faith, even though I know that they are constantly on “the edge of their seats” with worry. Whenever I am feeling low, I check Matthew’s Blog. It gives me hope, and a lot to be thankful for.

Chocolatebox Diary is also one of the first blogs I discovered. Hiromi is a woman in Japan who is eagerly leaning English. She has three beautiful daughters. All of them are busy and involved in school and sports. Hiromi’s blog shows us the wonderful meals that she cooks for her family and all of the activities that she attends with her daughters. She has taken a job recently, and does not have much time to blog. Sometimes she is so involved with her family, that she doesn’t take time for herself. This makes her sad. I remind her to smile. She is as interested in my culture as I am in hers. We have become good friends. We e-mail each other and someday we will meet in person.