This is a description...

...of the thing that I have in my brain. I had never heard of it before so I'm looking it up tonight to earn more about it:


A cavernous angioma may have no symptoms. When symptoms are present, they often depend on the location of the angioma and on the strength of the angioma walls. Cavernous angiomas can cause seizures. A person who suffers from seizures is said to have epilepsy. There are many types of seizure ranging from mild absence seizures to dramatic tonic-clonic seizures. Seizures tend to worsen with age and frequency. Most cases of epilepsy are well controlled with medications. The type of seizure a person experiences depends, in part, on the location of the cavernous angioma. If a person has seizures and more than one cavernous angioma, it may be difficult to pinpoint which cavernous angioma is the cause of the seizures.

Cavernous angioma can cause neurological deficits such as weaknesses in arms or legs, vision problems, balance problems, or memory and attention problems. As with seizure, the type of deficit is associated with which part of the brain or spinal cord the cavernous angioma affects. Symptoms may come and go as the cavernous angioma changes in size with bleeding and reabsorption of blood.

Cavernous angiomas can bleed in a number of different ways:

Angiomas can bleed slowly within the walls of the angioma and remain quite small. A small hemorrhage may not require surgery, but may be reabsorbed by the body. However, continued small hemorrhages in the same cavernous angioma often cause deterioration in function.

Angiomas can bleed more profusely within the walls of the angioma. This can cause them to grow and put pressure on the surrounding brain tissue.

Finally, angiomas may bleed through a weak spot in the angioma wall into the surrounding brain tissue. This is called an overt hemorrhage. The risk of hemorrhage is dependent on the number of angiomas. The higher the number, the greater the chance of one or more hemorrhages occurring sometime over a lifetime. Unfortunately, cavernous angiomas that have bled are those that are the most likely to bleed again, particularly in the first two years after their initial bleed. It is also important to note that a hemorrhage in a cavernous angioma in the brain stem can be life-threatening.

Finally, those with cavernous angioma may experience headache. This seems to be true particularly when a lesion has oozed recently.

Cavernous Angioma Statistics

1 in 100-200 people have at least one cavernous angioma.
At least 30% of those with a cavernous angioma eventually will develop symptoms.
At least 20% of those with cavernous angioma have the familial form of the illness.
Up to 40% of solitary cavernous angiomas may have an associated venous angioma.
Age at first diagnosis:
Under 20: 25-30%
Age 20-40: 60%
Over 40: 10-15%
Primary symptom:
Seizure – 30%
Neurological deficit – 25%
Hemorrhage – 15%
Headache – 5%
Odds of your child having cavernous angioma:

If you have sporadic cavernous angioma, your child may have a 1 in 200 chance (0.5%).
If you have familial cavernous angioma, your child may have a 1 in 2 chance (50%).

Diagnosis and Treatment

Cavernous angiomas are diagnosed most often when they become symptomatic. Although angiomas have been known since the 1930’s, they have not been reliably diagnosed until the advent of the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) in the 1980’s. Previously, the illness may have been misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis or as a seizure disorder with no known cause. The cavernous angiomas were not visible on angiogram and were only inconsistently visible on CAT scans. An MRI scan, with and without contrast and with gradient echo sequences, read by an experienced physician remains the best means of diagnosing this illness. The MRI scan may need to be repeated to assess change in the size of a cavernous angioma, recent bleeding, or the appearance of new lesions.

Most cavernous angiomas are observed for change in appearance, recent hemorrhage or clinical symptoms. Medications are available to treat seizures and headaches caused by cavernous angiomas. Surgery is advocated for cavernous angiomas with recent hemorrhage, those which are expanding in size, and in some cases, those which are causing seizures. Radiosurgery, by gamma knife, linear accelerator or new shaped beam techniques, is a controversial treatment that has been used on cavernous angiomas too dangerous to reach through traditional surgery.

Well, that's the gist of it. I'm going to go watch a movie with my son. See ya later!

Meg

I’m baa-aack!!!

The first doctor that I saw today told me that I would probably go home tomorrow or the next day and then another doc came in and said that I could leave today if I felt up to it. I told him that I would probably get much more rest at home so he let me out. Between the nurses sticking me for blood sugars or some such bothersome chore and the phone constantly ringing, I wasn’t getting much respite at all anyway.

I really hated not being able to blog…I couldn’t write it out manually and I didn’t want to put my daughter out anymore than I had to. Anyway, I’m glad to be back at my desk. You guys were right…I don’t make for a good patient. Doctors and nurses are bad patients…but for good reason. We know what you’re doing and if we do the same thing differently (and chances are we DO execute any given task somewhat differently), there could be trouble. It’s never really serious trouble…but it’s never very delightful either.

Over the next week or so I’ll tell you about my adventures on the receiving end of the hospital experience. Tonight I just wanted to pop in, say hello and let you know that I’m home. Also, I wanted to thank you all for your kind words and flowers…you guys made me smile when little else could.

I had never heard of the condition that I have but the neuro folks at Emory see it a lot. When I worked there I saw a LOT of diseases that I had never heard of. When the average suburban docs don’t know what to do, they send you to Emory. Apparently, a cavernous malformation (or a cav-mal as the doctors put it) is quite rare. That’s the kind of luck I have. I always seem to get the dumbest, most off the wall health problems.

It all started last Monday when I had an appointment with my doctor. It was a regular 6 month check up, I wasn’t sick or anything. I remember handing my MasterCard to the receptionist and when I did, she gave me some papers to fill out. I went back to sit down and fill out the forms and the next thing I knew I was in the emergency room. That was an utterly horrendous experience in itself and I’ll be telling you more about that later. I’ve spoken to the lady at the doctors office and she said that after I sat down to do the paperwork, she noticed that the papers were on the floor and I was staring straight ahead. They couldn’t get me to answer them so they called the doc out into the waiting room and he said to call 911. Now I know that I had a seizure that was a result of a hemorrhage in my brain. They didn’t know that in the ER, they said that the CT scan and the MRI were both negative so they sent me home.

The next day the ER called me and said that something was missed on Monday and that I had to come back to the ER immediately. They took another scan and sent me to Emory in an ambulance Wednesday evening. I was admitted directly into the neuro intensive care unit. I stayed there for two days and then they transferred me to the floor where I stayed until today.

In the morning I have to call and make an appointment with the Emory doctors but for now they gave me plenty of pain medicine and anti-seizure medicine so I’m good for the time being. This condition causes a ghastly headache and nausea. They said that the headache could last for a couple weeks...or however long it takes for my brain to absorb the blood that’s in there causing pressure. They also said that I have a small aneurism that they have to study some more. This is fun.

I hate a headache. I hate any pain above the neck. Earaches, toothaches, headaches…they all drive me nuts. I’d rather break a leg that have a bad toothache. But, as I said, I’m flush with good pain meds, morphine and Percocet. I just got home and took some morphine that’s kicking in now.

I’m gonna go lie down and rest a bit. I’ll be back soon. Thanks again and I can't wait to tell you all about my past week.

Meg

Good Morning,

The Chief Neorosurgeon came in this morning and told me that they won't have to operate. Right now they are just waiting for the blood to be absorbed from where I blead in my brain last Monday. I have a bad headache but as the blood gets reabsorbed, that should go away.

I am taking notes and when I get home I will tell you all about my experience as a patient instead of a nurse. The Dr. did say I will be able to go back to work eventually. That was my biggest concern. I don't know when I will but I know I can. In the mean time, I'll jus hope that my brain is sucking up the blood quickly. I should be going home one day this week. As soon as I get home I'll sit at my computer and tell you about everything that happend since the last time I was able to type.

Thanks again for all of your well wishes and prayers.

Now I am going back to sleep.

See ya-

Meg

(Currently Meg role is being played by her daughter Ann) :)

Greetings and Salutations!

It is Sunday evening around 7:30 and I am pretty bored after having spent the entire weekend alone in my hospital room. I did enjoy the oppurtunity to relax, nap on and off, and have people wait on me. That was fun for about 7 minutes.

The neurologist have asked the neorosurgeons to offer an opinion. So, I am waiting for one of them. The neorologist come in quite early in the morning. Early enough to wake me up, confuse me and walk out of the room mumbling some lie about returning later...but he never does.

The simptoms that I am experiencing now are pretty much headaches, visual disturbances and the entire inside of my mouth is numb. I always have the dumbest diseases with the dumbest symptoms in the world. The trygeminal neuralgia was hideus jaw pain with no warning and seemingly no reason.

The nurses are changing shifts right now and my night nurse has just walked in. I have a few questions for her. (the nurse left the room to come back to me in a moment)

Quickly the things I am concerned about right now are; Are they going to do surgery, Is that why they have called the neirosurgeon in?, Are any of these symptoms permanent?, Basicly I just want know if this can be fixed and if it can, what do I need to do to fix it? I just want to know exactly what it is, what they are going to do about it?, what I can do to help fix it quicker and how soon can I have my normal life back?

Well I just I should go before she gets back.

This is Margarets daughter, I'll be updating the blog and checking the messages for her.

Thank your prayers, it means a lot to me.

Meg wants all to know that the current prognosis is a bleeding Cavernous Malformation. She is being examined by different doctors to determine the correct action. She misses her computer and all of you. She wants you all to have a good weekend.

Hi this is Meg's Daughter.

I just spoke to her and read the messages you all sent. She wanted me to thank you all for thinking of her. They are telling her they think she already bled out into her brain and they are still doing more tests.

She is in room G335 in the neurological unit at Emory University Hospital.

Right now she is lying in her bed waiting for the Doctor to come in and wishing that she had a laptop so that she could write to you guys herself.

I just wanted to thank you all for remebering her in your prayers. I will be checking her e-mail for her on a daily basis.

She says to have a good weekend and she hopes to be talking to you soon.

Thanks

Hi, this is Meg's son again.... my mother was transferred to her own room tonight. she is in room G335 at Emory University hospital. She is feeling much better now. Thank you



Meg's Son


P.S She said you can call now..... feel free....

hello all

the hospital is overwelmed with calls. thank you for calling but it would be best to not call...at least for awhile. the numerous calls seem to be causing a problem. thanks to all of you. this is her son and i will keep you posted.

Hello All

To Meg's Blog readers. She wanted me to let you know that the reason she hasnt posted anything is because she is in the hospital. She should be out soon but if you would like to call her the # is 4046860957. You must ask for the nurse's station in the Nuero intensive care unit and then ask for her. She is in room 256 and she does not have a phone so when you call they will bring the phone to her.

People from all walks of life...

...live in nursing homes. I've cared for housewives, businessmen, ex-boxers, countless veterans and even the Grand Dragon (or whatever they call them) of the Ku Klux Klan. Every one of them has things to say and if you're lucky enough to be in the company of any of them, you can hear some amazing stories, first hand from the people who were there.

I've listened to old soldiers tell stories about every war from WWI to Viet Nam. I've cared for old doctors and nurses who told me stories about how they cared for people without penicillin. I've spoken to teachers who taught in one room school houses. I sometimes think that I remember a lot of history...these folks were here well before I was so they remember a heck of a lot more than I do.

Wherever they come from, they are interesting people with lifetimes of experiences and varying personalities. They're someone's mother, father, sister, brother, son or daughter. They were, at one time, busy building the country that we now live in. Some of them are aware of their surroundings, some are not.The people who have the capacity to remember when they felt useful now feel useless. Even some confused old people remember the need to work and feel valuable. I remember two ladies who shared a room and wanted to be useful so they would spend the entire night taking short naps and then getting up and making each other's bed. I wanted to make them REALLY happy and take them home with me. I'd let them clean house as much as they wanted.I can't tell you how many times a man or woman has approached me at the nurses station, asking if they could fill out an application for employment. They tell me all of the skills that they have and where they used to work.

Sometimes I can give an old secretary a pen and pad of paper and she'll go sit down and take shorthand. I don't know what she writes about, but it makes her feel as though she's doing something.The people who are now old enough to be in nursing homes come from a time when pride wouldn't allow them to take charity. They may be confused, but they still remember their pride and the ethic of paying their own way.

At dinnertime, some people need to be reminded to go to the dining room to eat. Or, they might need assistance getting in bed. Many times they tell me that they have no money to pay for their meal or for their room. I have to remind them that their children have already paid for them. They don't like that much better.An old farmer may be too confused to toilet himself but he can gently hold an infant in his arms, somehow remembering that he is the stronger of the two and must be gentle with the baby.Confusion can take many things away from a person. But it's amazing what remains. A lady too confused to realize that she's in a nursing home still remembers how to take shorthand. A gentleman who has no idea what town he's in still remembers that he has to pay for his keep. Men too confused to tell you their name still remember that they must behave like gentlemen.Rare is the person who is too confused to remember the pleasure of being around another person. No matter how totally brain damaged some people may be, they can almost always grasp your hand when you hold it. An old lady who takes her dinner and spreads it all over her face may not remember her manners all the time, but she will always remember that she enjoys visits from her children. An old man who may just sit and stare for most of the day will still smile and welcome his grand-children onto his lap.

These people may or may not know who it is that comes to visit them, but it doesn't really matter. They're always happy to have a visit. They may not remember the visit 10 minutes after it's over, but for the time that they were visiting, they were happy.I find it fascinating that these people keep so much of themselves, even after so much is gone. They hold on to their dignity through so much that you have to be impressed with how much dignity they had in the first place. It would be so easy for our country to make good use of our elderly. It would be smart of us to start now. In the next few years, the numbers of elderly are going to rise dramatically as the Baby Boomers all start to....that's right boys and girls...GET OLD!

Meg

I was tickled…

…when I read the responses to my rotten kissing post. Most people didn’t want their comments discussed out in the open because it would seen by their partners. Apparently a lot of people are out there not kissing because of the rotten kissing of their partner. It would seem as though a couple of people thought that the post was about THEIR kissing.

Even Solaris initially thought that the original question was from her personal wopig, Colleen Lombardi because she knew what a bad kisser her husband was. Jeff, the married man who can’t kiss well is out there on the loose now. He doesn’t have a wife to be faithful to since he stopped being faithful to Solaris. Watch out for a guy who can’t kiss well. He’s a known liar and cheat. Oh...apparently he also has "rodent teeth" although I'm not sure what that means. Rick had no eye teeth...they had grown in as fangs and instead of braces, his parents had those teeth pulled. I used to feel so sorry for him but if he didn't even brush his teeth I shouldn't be surprised to learn that care of the teeth was not a high priority in his house as he grew up.

It seems as though I immediately got Solaris as a friend when she read the first line of my blog, "...There were many signs that my husband was cheating on me again but when he started brushing his teeth on a daily basis, I knew something was up..." Not only is Jeff a bad kisser…he’s another stranger to the toothbrush. I can't get passed that. Why would guys shun toothbrushes? I couldn’t get through morning mouth without brushing my teeth. I don’t know how they eat with funky mouths. On second thought, maybe eating is like tooth brushing to them. I bet a big sub sandwich would get morning mouth out of your head. Especially if it has salami and peppers.

Damn…it was a big beef sandwich with peppers that evoked that famous fart from me. OMG…I still occasionally sit back in awe of that fart. I reflect upon that fart fondly and with as much sincere appreciation as I attribute to my marriage. I think of both of them as smelly experiences and everyone says that smell is the sense that is closest to memory. Like a memory of what a person looks like I remember the fart and my marriage. I also remember the times that I was living in as well, like a certain orange scent makes me feel. I had orange lipstick in the 70’s and the smell of orange lipstick takes me back to the 70’s…I bet that I could easily go back to the early 90’s if I ever could repeat that beef and pepper fart. It doesn’t help that there are so few beef stands in Atlanta. They were everywhere in Chicago.

The early 90’s was the last chance that I had to avoid giving Rick my entire life. I didn’t take that chance and for that I am forever sorry. Rick had just cheated on me and there was a great looking guy who liked me. I could have easily stayed there and with the other guy but I was bound and determined to make my marriage work. Anyway…that didn’t stop me from having the guy in my house one night when I was in New York. Rick and I left Virginia, the scene of his last affair, and I still spoke to the guy who liked me because he was still calling me.

One night he called and said that he was down the street. He had driven all the way up to New York to see me. Rick was in bed and to this day probably didn’t know that the guy came to our house and sat on our couch. Rick couldn’t have brought a chick to our house without fucking her so I’m sure that I didn’t have anything to worry about when I went to sleep except the cyber girls that Rick was so fond of. He denied ever doing that but once I caught him so bad that he had to admit it. After that time he always denied it, letting me blame my kid instead. I can’t believe that I fell for that. All for a guy who really couldn’t kiss well himself. (Of course I didn’t think that the letter was from my ex’s latest squeeze like Solaris did.) I could be totally blind to such stuff which is why Rick felt so comfortable lying to me. He knew that I would fall for his bullshit…I was totally unable to fathom that my husband would lie to me so flagrantly. Ha.

Ha ha.

Ha.

Anyway, I won’t be making that mistake again anytime soon. I don’t think a guy could get that crap past me now. They certainly do try to do it though…even if they just try to gain something from me and a few guys have done just that. They try quite hard to gain me and my trust. The guys who try too hard are blatant about it…their efforts bowl you over as does Jeff and Rick’s bad breath.

One guy showed up at my house at the same time that my father did. I had gone to the grocery store and when I drove back up to my house, my father was sitting in his car with the doors locked and the windows rolled up. The guy was hosing down my driveway…don’t ask me why…and my father was just sitting in his car wondering where the hell I was. I have 2 driveways, the guy was hosing down the one that my Dad was in. I pulled into that driveway and walked into my house saying, “You can’t be here, you have to go.”

I was quite angry when I first got home but after the anger wore off I started thinking about the look on my father’s face when I drove up. It didn’t take long for me to start laughing. I asked my dad why he didn’t tell the guy to get lost. He said that he thought the guy might be mine. I told him that even if I was dumb enough to have a freaky dude like that, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to bring him home to meet my father. Then I laughed until I had tears in my eyes.

Well, Goodfellas is on and I like that movie. So, I’m gonna go back to the living room and watch that now. You guys have a good day and I’ll be back in a little while.

See ya!

Meg

This is actually…

…a good question:

“…Any advice for a gal who's got a bad kisser boyfriend???? I have to add that everything else is wonderful!!…”

I remember one guy in the not too distant past who kissed really poorly…it was dreadful. He had icky hard lips and I couldn’t get them to relax no matter what I did. I couldn’t have gotten to “everything else” because there are a few things that I couldn’t get past and hard lips are one of them.

I enjoy kissing too much to be with a bad kisser…I spend too much time lip locked to want to be with a hard lipped dude. So, the fact that you’ve gotten past it is a good sign…I couldn’t have done it.

But before I gave up I would probably try to rectify the situation and the first thing I would have thought to do is to kiss him like I like to be kissed and tell him that’s what I’m doing. That way I don’t have to tell him that I DON’T like what he’s doing…I’m just telling him that I DO like to be kissed this way. You pretty much do have to do something because a problem like that can eventually cause you to bypass the kissing and that‘s never a good thing.

So, you might want a back up plan and that would probably be just to tell him the truth. I’m sure it’s worth the time if you enjoy his company enough. It’s easy for me to tell you that I wouldn’t be with a bad kisser…I don’t have a specific kisser right now. It sure would be a fun problem to have…I would enjoy trying to fix that problem, think of all the time you have to practice.

Years ago I read that people do to you what they like to have done to them and I noticed that I was doing just that so I believed it. So, by that theory…you have to grab him and kiss the hell out of him. I bet he just hasn’t had anyone to spend time kissing him properly…you need to fix that.

“…Get yourself a bottle of Listerine. that's probably why he's not interested in kissing you…”

Girl, she didn’t say he wasn’t interested…she said he wasn’t any good at it. But…anyone who’s read the very first line of the very first post of this blog knows that I have had some experience in the smelly guy thing. I guess a bad kisser isn’t as bad as a smelly guy and I did marry one of those. Then, I just bought a tube of toothpaste and hoped for the best. I also bought deodorant after he left a t-shirt in my new Mustang. Me and all of my kids smelled it at the same time as I was driving down the highway on a hot and humid summer day. It was hot and humid enough to funkify his entire t-shirt to the point where my entire family recognized the odor at once. One of the kids said, “That smells like Rick.” And the kid was right. It did smell like Rick. He had a deeply pungent brand of body odor that I was fully aware of when I married him. I totally walked right into that one.

Well, the sun is coming up so I must be going to bed for a while. I went shopping today…yesterday?…and I got new fish and new aquarium décor. I found a bunch of stuff to decorate the kids room. The little guy likes Spiderman so he has a Spidey Corner with an inflatable bed. I took some pictures of the things that I did and here they are:






I still have a few things to do like the white trim and the switch plates but I'll take care of it later on. The kids will be here tomorrow night...I hope. OK then.

I probably should take a nap.

Later,

Meg

Did you ever…

…try to cancel an order with the phone or cable company? I’ve been trying to cancel an order I placed with BellSouth for internet access but whenever I get through to them, they offer me such a good deal that I order the service. Then, when I call Comcast to let them know that I’m switching over, THEY offer me a better deal.

One company is trying to pay ME money to switch to them…maybe I need to hold an auction. It would be easier than calling them for the latest offer. At this point I’m holding out for a house and nothing less.

I have ZERO sales resistance. I used to order shit and when Rick came home, he would cancel it for me. It was easy enough…but with him gone I have no one to cancel stuff for me so here I sit, in internet limbo because I can’t tell either company, “NO!”

I wish it worked that way at the mall. I wouldn’t mind walking between jewelry stores to get a better price on a nice diamond. But it only seems to work with stuff that really doesn’t matter much. By the time I’m finished I’ll be getting internet access for well under $20 a month. The guy on the phone kept telling me all about their service department. I don’t want to hear about the service department, I don’t want anything to go wrong in the first place.

This is stupid because I’m paying such a small amount and all I want is decent service. I told the guy that I would pay $100 a month not to have to sit here like a jack ass when the page is loading. I spent too much money on this computer to wait for it to do anything. So, even though it doesn’t matter, I can’t seem to shake these guys loose. Would one of you take care of that for me?

I’m off today so I’m going to go shopping. I need some new fish since I have the new aquarium. Who knows what I’ll come home with. I have to go back to Home Depot as well because I need to get the switch plates and duct covers for the purple bedroom. Oh, I have to paint the trim white as well and when my granddaughter comes over this weekend, I’ll take her shopping for pink butterflies.

I need to buy a bed for that room, most likely a bunk bed but I’m gonna make a corner for the boy that will have a hammock hanging from the ceiling so he can be Spiderman in a web. That should make him happy since he has to live in his sister’s purple room.

Well, it’s time for me to suck some more coffee and get ready to run a bunch of errands so I have to go. You guys have a good day and I’ll see ya later!

Meg

After years of avoiding the lure…

…of the emails tempting me to get in touch with my youth at Classmates.com….I finally made the commitment, at least 3 months or so of a commitment. I’ve been browsing the names of the people that went to my high school during the same years that I went. I’ve been running across names that I hadn’t thought of in years.

The most amusing name was Chuck B. He went to my youth group on Sunday evenings and was even priming to become a youth “leader”. I guess that means he was in charge when we played Fruit Basket Upset. He sort of lost credibility with me when he came up with the Soda Soup Slurp Slop. We all brought a can each of our favorite soups and sodas. We mixed all the many kinds of soups in a big pot and put all the different sodas in a beverage dispenser of some sort. I suppose the guys enjoyed it…but we ladies were not too impressed with the Slop.

Anyway, Chuck eventually became a cop in the tiny suburb of Chicago that I grew up in. One day he was transporting a felon in his cruiser. He made one seemingly minor mistake…he locked the keys in the car with the crook. The guy had enough time to take off in Chuck’s car…or I should I say the Village’s car. I don’t think he lasted much longer as a cop. At least not up north.

One guy who lives in the Atlanta area was in my senior year chemistry class. I was the only girl in class and I was having so much fun flirting that I wasn't even pretending to do my work. I didn’t care because I had more than enough credits to graduate, I just had to complete my fourth year of English, Phys Ed and all graduates had to take senior year Social Science survey. So, I only had to go for 3 hours a day. My father found it unacceptable that I should have such a short school day, even though I preferred to have a job. So, I had to sign up for time killers and Chemistry was one of them.

Amongst all the flirting that I did, there were two guys that I hung out with in class, Pfess and Hess. Those are the first syllables of each of their last names. We had a LOT of fun. We exasperated our teacher…Mr. Walkwitz. He was a typical nerdy Chem teacher. He didn’t have the eyeball of a llama on his desk as did Mr. Doane…but he was certainly a freaky teacher. Of course, without the eyeball, he didn’t evoke as much fear as did Mr. Doane…and his amazing resemblance to Ed Grimley didn’t earn him any esteem amongst we rabble-rousers, that’s for sure.

Mr. Doane was a hoot himself. Ever the scientist, he used acute common sense all around the classroom (and I supect his home as well). He put masking tape in stripes an inch apart on the glass window in the classroom door so that if a tornado came through, the glass wouldn’t shatter. He also taped tin foil to the roll out windows so that he could judge the wind speed. I suppose looking at the trees wasn’t good enough for him…what would happen if the trees all ran away?

It could happen.

Well, I have to finsh the purple bedroom today. And...I have to call to see if my bed will be here soon!


I'll check you out again in a while!

Meg

Someone just called my son…

…on my phone. The conversation went like this:

Me: Hello.

She: Hello, is William home?

Me: No, can I take a message?

She: Yes, have him call XYZ Insurance Company at 800-555-1212 and ask for Sukon Mboob.

Me: OK, I’ll give him the message.

She: And you are…?

Me: You want MY name?

She: Yes.

Me: Well, you can call me Sue.

She: And you’re William’s sister?

Me: No.

She: Who should I say I spoke with?

She: Sue.

Me: Just Sue?

Me: Yes. I’ll give him the message, have a nice day. CLICK.

That lady seemed stunned that I didn’t answer her questions. Do people actually do that? I would never give anyone information on the phone unless they had a shitload of it themselves. But the response I get seems to be one of surprise as though everyone else in the world just answers questions without hesitation when a stranger is on the phone.

Am I the only person who thinks that would be stupid? It must work with some people or they wouldn’t do it. But I can’t imagine that it works with enough people to be worth dealing with people like me who won’t offer any new info no matter how they ask for it. If a person you didn’t know walked up to you on the street and asked you questions like those…you’d never answer them, why should it be different that it’s on the phone?

Well now I’m painting the kids room…purple. The purple that you get when you spit a bunch of blue coloring into Dusty Rose paint. It wouldn’t have been my first choice but it’s better than two rooms the same Dusty Rose color…I guess. My granddaughter likes purple and pink and although she wanted her room like mine…pink, I talked her into purple walls with pink everything else…butterflies, blankets and bean bag chairs. She still wanted in pink but I think once we start buying pink stuff she’ll enjoy it.

I know I’ll have fun with it. I’ll find all sorts of pink butterflies to put on the walls and pretty pink bedclothes…it’ll be just as much fun as doing my own room.

My own daughter hated pink…I found that out when she was 4 and I bought her a pink and white canopy bed. After that I had to do her rooms in deep colors. She could have cared less what I did to her rooms…but I enjoyed doing the windows and stuff like that. It’ll be fun with a kid who enjoys doing that. I just hope that she doesn’t pick out some gaudy, glitzy, garish crap…but before it’s over I’m sure that she will. Oh well, it’ll be fun anyway.

My kitten is locked up in the kennel for attacking the old cat and he’s mewing like nuts to get out. Payton has even gotten sick of lying there listening to him whine. I guess he’s done his time so I’m gonna let him out…until he does something else annoying. That never takes long.

See ya!

Meg

I had forgotten about...

...this post but it might be worth a second look:

http://diaryofmydivorce.blogspot.com/2005/08/dont-you-just-hate-word.html

OK then, I have to run to work now...have a good day!

Meg

Comment on the freaky guy I went out with Saturday...



"...Yecch- I hate smooth, Suavo men!"



Oh...I do too. But I'm not sure that these freaks qualify. I haven't met a really good suavo dude since Disco. I actually married one of those. He told anyone who would listen about how much he looked like John Travolta. I suppose if John Travolta was a short, stocky, dimwitted bald guy...he sort of did. But all I saw that reminded me of Travolta were his clothes.



The night I met him he was wearing a red silk shirt with high waisted black polyester pants...and platform shoes. Of course the shirt was unbuttoned to show all 4 of his chest hairs and he had a couple of gold chains on...one chain had one of those Italian horns they were so fond of in the 70's hanging from it.



Anyway, the closest that I've gotten to smooth suavo men have been the ones who used to be good looking...30 years ago. One of those guys was interesting...he used to be a disc jockey in a pretty decent sized city so he was used to being able to get girls pretty easily. I've seen pictures of him back then and I think it was the job....not so much his looks that got him all of those chicks. He had his pick of them and he finally picked one and married her. She stayed a while and then she left him. During the time they were together, he changed quite a bit, including his job. Now he's just a regular guy in his 50's who's short and bald. But, his taste in women hasn't changed any. He's holding out for the young and pretty girls who aren't really interested in him. If he had a shitload of cash I'm sure it would help...but he doesn't.

That reminds me...I haven't bought any lottery tickets in a while. I never seem to have cash on me and they won't let you buy them with a debit card or a credit card so I just don't get them. One of these days I'll get some cash and try not to spend it until I buy some lottery tickets. The lottery thing hasn't been working out so far but I have faith. Like everyone else in the world...I think I'm special so I know that I'll win sooner or later.

I'm almost 2 weeks into my 3 week waiting period for my new bed. I'm getting a bit impatient and I want to call the company and see how things are going. They said that it takes two weeks to make the bed and one week to ship it. I don't know how much I buy that...but I could call and ask them if they've gotten the headboard finished yet. I'll ask the lady to direct me to the shop where they make the beds so that I can speak to the guy who's making mine.

I keep thinking that I could get it before the 3 weeks are up...things usually come sooner or later than they're promised to you. With my luck it'll be later...much, much later... but you never know.

Well, the sun's coming up again and that usually means that I need to make a pot of coffee. So, I'm going to do just that. Before I left I wanted to say hello to Rick...I can always count on his Monday visits...so Hi there Rick!

Off to my coffee maker...see ya!

Meg

I went downtown…

…but the only people that were there were other people like me who were looking for the production company. I guess the rain stopped them from coming…I suppose they’ll set up another shoot so I’ll just wait for an email.

It turned alright because I got a phone call from a guy who has been asking me out for a while. I decided to go out with him this time because I didn’t have anything else to do and I was already all dressed up from my trip downtown.

I won’t be seeing that guy again though…he sort of offended me. Maybe it’s just me but I felt as though he was expecting to get laid. I could have misread him…tell me what you think. At one point I mentioned that my back hurt and he said, “We could go back to my place and I could rub some lotion on your back.” I said, “This isn’t the kind of backache that a massage would help.” He responded, “You never know until you try…I’m pretty good at that.”

He made a bunch of comments like that…just stupid little attempts to get me to go back to his place. Like I said, maybe I took it wrong…who knows. My son was at my place so I just asked him to come over to my house for a while and he did. My son was there so our little visit was necessarily confined to the living room. We watched a movie that I had watched yesterday. I didn’t tell him that…I just suggested that movie and he agreed. I had a couple of drinks so I was tired from them and I had just seen the movie so I was bored. Naturally, I fell asleep. So, after the movie was over he had the good sense to leave. I walked him to the door, accepting his good night kiss as a small price to pay to be able to brush my teeth, wash my face and change into my jammies so that I could flop on my bed.

When I did, he tried to French kiss me. Is it me or is French kissing a tad forward for a very first good night kiss? Don’t women have the right of first encroachment when it comes to tongues and kissing? I always assume that it’s up to me to call time for incursion and anything else, to me…is just plain invasion. So, the man invaded me and my mouthspace.

You know, I almost answered my own questions. It occurred to me that if I liked the guy this wouldn’t be a problem, I’d most likely enjoy the tongue play but if I liked him, I would have been wide awake. So, there’s another reason not to see him but my question, in general, is still the same one…am I misreading him as being a bit too forward or is this acceptable behavior nowadays?

I’ve been out with quite a few guys…once…since Rick left. I just don’t seem to find one that I particularly like and certainly not one that turns me on. Well, there was one guy…but he turned out to be married. Ain’t that a bitch? Anyway, it seems as though every single guy that I go out with expects sex on the first date. I don’t think that sex should even be a consideration on a first date. I went on a first date to see a double-feature once…it was The Stepford Wives and Shampoo. The Stepford Wives was on first and then when Shampoo started, Warren Beatty was naked quite early on. His hairy ass was on the screen in front of me and I was so uncomfortable that we had to get up and leave. I was only 17, a virgin and very uncomfortable with that man ass in front of us. Now men are actually implying, quite candidly, that they would be amenable to sex if I was so inclined.

It happens so predictably that I can’t get over that one thing when it does happen, I’ve already assumed that the guy will, at some point, bring the issue up in one fashion or another. When he inevitably does do that…I’m quite turned off …to an exceedingly compelling degree.

Anyway…is it me? Am I taking this wrong? Is that just the way men act now? I know that my standards are probably far too high because I get annoyed at the smallest things and as I said, I’ve gone out with a LOT of men…once. Once is actually good because most of them are on their best behavior during a first date so you tend to be treated quite well. Of course, you go to nice places and that’s always good. But…as soon as I have to start thinking about offense…the novelty has not only worn off...it’s been decimated.

I’ve actually TOLD guys about how I hate to be hit on during a first date and then these guys do it to me right after I’ve told them how much I hate it. It’s as if they think, “She means all of the peon men…I’m special…of course she wants me.”

One guy actually bordered on sexual assault when I resisted his advances. He actually took my hand and tried to pull it to touch his stiffie as he said, “See what you do to me?” THAT on a first date…after a lovely dinner. I was caught quite off guard. After that bonehead move the guy called me for 2 months straight…and I never once answered the phone when he did call. God only knows what he had in mind for the second date.

Oh well, I’m hungry and I feel like making one of those lovely Sunday brunches. So…I’m gonna do that.

Meg

Every so often...

...I answer an ad for parts in movies or TV shows...whatever I think I can do. A few months ago, I sent an email with my film resume and some 8X10's to a production company and I just heard back from them:

"Hello, thanks for responding to the posting
regarding adult and children extras needed for the innovative,
ground breaking full feature film “Motion Music” rated pg.
It’s about the psychological affects of music on children and adults.
Some may get speaking roles on the spot.
We are going to Sundance Film Festival this year
and would love for you to be apart of history.
We are shooting Saturday July 14th at 12:30pm
at..."

Luckily, the census at work is way down so I didn't have to work last night nor do I have to work tonight. So, I'm wide awake for the shoot today. I'll be going downtown after I clean the kitchen and take a shower.

I got the job working for Tyler Perry the same way, I just sent the resume and head shots and 3 days later they called me to tell me that I had a part in the movie "Why Did I Get Married". I've been doing this for so long that I can tell the difference between a fake ad and a real ad so I don't reply to many of them, too many of them are con jobs where they want your money and they can come up with some excellent reasons why you need to pay them.

One company said that they needed $35 for a background check because they do a bunch of work for Disney. I told them that if they got me a job working for Disney I would pay them for a background check. No reputable production company asks you for money...to the contrary, they either pay you or promise you a credit in the movie...there's always some good reason for you to work for them. But there's NEVER a good reason to pay THEM...no matter how good their BS is.

Anyway, I'll go downtown and see what they're doing in this movie. I never do it for the money, they never pay well at all, it's just fun work and I enjoy it. I couldn't do it full time but once or twice a year is perfect for me.

So, that's what I'll be doing today. When I get back (and I have NO clue when that will be), I'll let you know how it went and what we did. For now I have to start working around the house so that I will be ready to leave when it's time to do so. I should finish cleaning in time to pop back in before I go but if I don't, I will certainly be back when I get home.

Have a great weekend and I'll speak to you soon!

Meg

I should have gone to bed...

…as soon as I walked into the house. But, I knew that I had strawberries and strawberry yogurt waiting for me in the fridge…so I decided to stay up and eat that. And since the PC is in the dining room, I couldn’t miss nor resist the keyboard that was beckoning me. I had to answer the call. So, here I am.

And I’m totally exhausted. At work I run around like a chicken with it’s head cut off. But I never stay still long enough to feel the fatigue so it doesn’t bother me there. But…when I get home I usually collapse as soon as I get horizontal. Sometimes I don’t even have to wait that long…I fall asleep sitting up…even standing in a couple of situations.

Tonight…sorry…today, I’m very tired. I keep dosing off as I’m typing this. It’s odd…I’ll be typing and then all of a sudden, I find myself awakening from a dream. I really, really need some sleep.

LOLOLOLOLOL…when I was a kid I used to wet the bed. Of course, that means that I peed when I was supposed to be sleeping. Well, I just did the opposite…I fell asleep on the commode which means that I slept when I was supposed to be peeing. I woke up sitting on the porcelain thrown…with a good book in my lap.

Then, I came back to sit at my desk and started to type. The next thing I knew, my head was resting on the numbers of the keyboard and 3 hours had passed. I woke up so stupid that I had back-spaced for about 3 pages worth of numerals before I realized that there was an easier way to do that.

So, all in all, this innocuous post has taken me 4 hours to write…so far.

There’s a small set of wind chimes on my back door knob that Payton rings when he wants to go outside. Before I started acting all narcoleptic, I took a picture of him trying to get my attention so that HE could go outside and pee. I also got a shot of Payton waiting patiently for his little buddy who was being punished for attacking the other cat.

When you gotta go...you gotta go:

"I'm here for you, Stewi!"

OK, I want to watch the movie Blood Diamond...my son got it for us to watch but we can't seem to get our time off in sync. I'll see you soon!

Meg

Meg...

"..I think it is up to every individual to speak out against racism and to defend those attacked by it whenever we have the opportunity.

Yes…it certainly is.

Of course, I mean TRUE racism, not the “new racism” as defined by those who have realized that “racism” is one helluva money making opportunity. The career race baiters are as bad as, if not worse than, true racists. They sicken me by refusing to allow true racism to die. They’re right up there with the KKK when it comes to the promotion of racism.

That being said, those of us old enough to remember real racism know the difference. We know because we appreciate in our hearts that we are not racist…yet we are continually assaulted by the career race baiters who accuse us of the odious transgression called racism. Although it angers me (as it does most people with triple digit IQ’s), I can imagine how people with less sagacity would be angered straight into REAL racism. That benefits jack asses exclusively.

My parents agreed upon very little when we were all kids…but there was one particular issue with which they were both firmly aligned, prejudice. The last time I visited him, my father made a comment that his ex-wife (the one that he is caring for) perceived as racist. She came to me for support in her ridiculous indictment of my father.

That was imprudent of her for more than reason. For example…as I imply in my last post, I stand behind the people that I love. The most important thing that I’ve ever learned is that you only get one family. They are ALWAYS there for you if you need them…that’s what family means. You don't get an unlimited number of family members…when they’re gone, they’re gone.

My mother is gone and that’s the end of that. I’m surely not going to side against my father while I’m still lucky enough to have him around. If I truly disagreed with him, I would tell him in private…not in front of someone who isn’t family. Husbands and wives come and go, parents don't. I would never side against him in front of anyone, certainly not an ex-wife.

Another reason that I wouldn’t have agreed with her is that she’s wrong…my father isn’t racist and what he said wasn’t racist. She may have PERCEIVED it as racist, but I PERCEIVE her as rude. I’m not responsible for how people PERCEIVE what I say…nor is my father. I wouldn’t even try to live my life second guessing perceptions.

Speaking of perceptions…she looses another point here because of one of my own personal perceptions. It just so happens that I perceive her as a racist. (Now that she has Alzheimer’s, I can’t be too rough on her but what I’m about to say happened years ago.) This woman is a staunch liberal…one of those whacked out liberals that won’t allow you to debate, dispute or discuss any issue of weight unless you not only ACCEPT their position…you must also ENDORSE their entire point of view wholeheartedly. She followed all of the basic tenets of the leftists of the lefts including the endorsement of the precept that all professional white men who take money for their talents are racist. It’s a transgression called PWC…Prospering While Caucasion. As she says all of the politically correct things with one side of her mouth…she makes what I perceive to be a racist comment out of the other side.

As we were driving into Chicago for dinner one evening, my father needed to buy gas. It was a pleasant summer evening so the car windows were down. My father pulled off of the expressway onto a road smack dab in the middle of the west side of Chicago. My father’s politically perfect wife quickly said, "Quick everybody…roll up your windows! Bill, lock the doors!”

I was amazed.

My parents were sincerely politically correct and wise enough to instill a “Christian” love for our fellow man in their children. Yet they rarely went to church and they both voted for Nixon...twice.

Meg...

“…If you can't take a child into your home and stand up for your child against your racist family then please don't bother to adopt a child of a different race. I know I'm off on a tangent but it illustrates a point how Black & White people may see a situation differently…”

Although you’re right, there are some things that you may see differently than I would because of race…that is by no means the only reason that we may see things from a totally different perspective. Men and women see things differently as do people from different generations, different religions, different nationalities…and countless other human differences.

You’re also absolutely correct about your family’s behavior. No sane person could argue with what you’ve said. But I have a feeling that race is the least of your mother’s problems. If she doesn’t stand up for you…to EVERYONE else on the planet…she’s a poor excuse for a parent. But somehow she raised a bright, thoughtful young lady so she can’t be all bad. So, I give her credit for that. BUT…I am livid at the thought that a MOTHER could possibly allow her own daughter to be dismissed like some dirty family secret.

Outside of some bizarre scenario involving some hideous crime…I couldn’t imagine standing against any of my children. My sisters would NEVER behave in such a manner but if they did, NO ONE from my household would be attending the festivities.

As a mother and a woman that I am assuming is quite a bit older than you are…you have my sincerest apologies. I can’t imagine the acute pain that you must have felt when those whom were supposed to be your staunchest allies betrayed you in such a selfish and thoughtless manner.

And for what? A party thrown by a person so truculent, obstreperous, and all around tacky that she not only neglected to invite her sister’s entire family, she boorishly convinced her sister to betray a young woman who did not ask to be brought into this family. (And confidently! She must have known that she could do it. Most people would never, ever have the effrontery to attempt to pull off something so loutishly low. I can’t help but wonder what made your aunt even think that your mom would go along with her disgraceful scheme…can we spell CONTROL FREAK???)

You have every right in the world to feel what I’m sure that you’re feeling right now. You didn’t deserve that…hell, no one does. I admire the way you kept the tone of your comment in such a civil manner. It shows a measure of class that your mother and your aunt will never possess. It speaks so well of your character. I would even hazard a guess that you would agree with me when I say that the smartest strategy in this situation is to take the high road at every single opportunity. So, without lying down like a doormat, I suggest that you do exactly that…take the highest road possible. I’m sure that you’re pensive enough to seize appropriate chances to cruise on up that high road.

But…once again…I don’t know how much any of these notions have to do with race. Certainly in your particular situation…race appears to be a huge slice of the problem. But I am certain that people from all different walks of life can relate to your experience. Whether it be an aunt who’s a racist or a mother who prefers sons to her daughters…the pain and the perfidy are the same.

Regarding adoption…anything that makes a child feel more a part of the family unit is a good thing. If that “thing” happens to be skin color…so be it. But I would think that there are parents who are from a different race than their adopted children but they have talents that more than make up for that. They can share love and make the child aware of his own worth in so many other ways. Then again, there are groups of people exactly the same color that can’t seem to say a kind word to each other no matter what the situation.

I would LOVE to open my home to ANY young child who could use a good, stable home where he or she could feel safe and loved. I couldn’t imagine looking into the eyes of any child who is in need without feeling a tinge of an ache that is my need to nurture. I like to have someone to take care of…it makes my life so much fuller than simply caring for myself. And if I saw a child who needed me, I would see just that…a child who needed me. I wouldn’t see a white kid, a black kid or a yellow kid. I would simply, and thankfully, just see a kid.

No true Christian…or Jew for that matter…could possibly profess to love and honor a God…if that person didn’t also love and honor all of His people.

Any other thoughts on this one, folks?

Meg

A quick post for the animal lovers out there before my real post.

Meg...

"...love your dog and cat stories!..."

Well then Grammie, you'll really love this one. Somehow the kitten put a bunch of my socks in the hallway. They were on my hope chest in a pillow case, but Stewi took them one at a time and left them all in the hall. I don't know why...but he did.

Now I know how my socks keep ending up in the hallway. I've been seeing them lying out there but I didn't know how all of those pairs of clean socks kept ending up in the hallway. They were appearing one at a time so I couldn't figure it out. But this time he went nuts so I knew it was he who had spread my socks all the way down the hall. I don't know why he likes the socks, I don't know why he doesn't like bras or panties...and I don't know how in the hell he knows the difference. Anyway, here is his mess:

Since I had to clean up my socks again, I found a sock that I thought he would fit into...and I was right:

Of course the cat needs to coordinate well:

Realizing that he's a boy cat, not a girl cat...he tries to escape the sock:

When he does, he only takes it half way off...he just walked around like this until I pulled the sucker off:

OK Grammie...did you like that one?

:):):)

Good morning!

I'm home and wide awake since I've been drinking coffee all night long. I drink it until it works and that's usually at about 5 AM. For some reason, no matter how much sleep you've gotten...your body just wants to lie down at 4 AM. I've fallen asleep standing up as well as sitting. I wouldn't have thought it possible if I hadn't done it myself. I woke right up...but I was definitely asleep for a minute or two. But if I keep drinking coffee, I'll perk up by 5...or just in time to go home and go to bed.

It was a quiet night at work...I actually got out at 7:10 and any nurse will tell you that's pretty good...and hard to do. I've done it when I've HAD to leave at 7 but I had to run around all night to do it. I didn't have any problems at ALL last night. Not one patient required anything between 11 and 5. At 5 there was one guy with whom I had to work for about 15 or 20 minutes...but other than that and some blood that I had to draw, I was just sitting there doing paperwork.

I even had time to help a co-worker from Africa with her English homework. Actually, I did it for her. I explained it all to her but they weren't really excercises that you can "help" with...whatever you do to explain will give the answer away. She had to choose whether or not lines of words were sentences or sentence fragments. That wasn't too tough. It was pretty stupid, I thought. But what do I know.

The last night that I worked with her she annoyed the hell out of me using the race thing...and it was just so uncalled for. The other nurse read a sign about a Baby Shower that the Therapy Department was having for one of their physical therapists. That's all it took. That woman went into a huge thing about how no one was throwing the pregnant black chick a party. I looked at the sign and said, "Someone in her own department is having the party, not the hospital. You're in the nursing department...why don't you throw one for her?"

She went on like a nut for so long that I finally said, "You know, at some point this is going to get racist towards ME and I think we're there already...can't we just be friends and get back to work?" She started on another rant. It began, "NO! We can't be friends, society......" Blah, blah, blah, blah. Then I said, "OK then, can we be civil co-workers and get back to work?" That one did it, she agreed and she finally shut the hell up.

When she needed help with her homework we sure were friendly enough. Tonight she shut the heck up. She pretty much had to...neither the other nurse nor I would contribute to that conversation and she had to know that. The only other black person there was an older woman and she's smarter than to act like that at work.

The last time the nutty chick acted like that there was a really sweet nurse working with me...she agrees with everyone just to avoid trouble. She's sweet almost to a fault. She would have sat there and empathized with the African chick...just to be agreeable. I would have asked her why she came to America in the first place if it was so bad. As a matter of fact, the next time she starts that crap...that's exactly what I'll do. Now I almost can't wait. That'll shut her the hell up.

I bet a nice lawsuit would do it as well but I'm not quite sure who to sue.

Oh well, I have to eat my fruit cup and then go to sleep. I'll pop back in before I leave tonight...have a good one!

Meg

Meg...

"...Is your kitten really in that sock????? Or is it a toy?.."

Oh...it's really the kitten stuffed in that sock. I doubt he'd fit in a sock now...although if it was a big enough sock I could probably manage it. I have too many socks, you'd think one or two would hold a small cat. The sock drawer was so full that I decided to throw away some that I never wear anymore but I couldn't find any.

I must have 1oo pairs of socks in that drawer. I couldn't throw any away but I did stick some winter socks in a pillow case so that I could close the drawer. I dumped them all out on my bed to sort through them and I found a bunch of socks, stockings and hose that I've never worn because some guy gave me a pair that I never got to wear for him.

One guy bought me a pair of hose wayyyyy too early in our relationship for my comfort. I kept the hose and got rid of the guy. He isn't that easy to get rid of, he keeps coming back but never when it's possible for me to just leave the house with him so I haven't had to make any excuses...he just pops in at such bad times. He came by earlier this evening as I was watching Seinfeld and that's never a good time. I haven't met the guy who could win a Seinfeld/dude contest. He got sick of me ignoring him and he left with the threat of coming back by. I'm sure he won't...he never does. Not until I least expect him. Unfortunately I taught my dog to like him before I decided that I didn't.

Maybe I should just wait for a guy that the dog likes. Maybe he's trying to tell me something by barking at every guy who comes to my door. He barks so much that I'd like to stuff him in a sock but he's far too big. I'd need Rosie O'Donnell socks for that. I suppose that somewhere out there is some nit wit who thinks that it's cruel to stuff a cat in a sock...but I don't care. If they've never done it they have no possible authority to address the subject of kitten sock stuffing. I've done it and I can tell you, the kitten didn't mind. He tried to go in face first AFTER I took him out of the sock.

He's not afraid of the dog at all, to the contrary, he loves that dog and the two of them conspire against the other cat and all of the humans. The kitten got himself locked in a bedroom for attacking the older cat last night and Payton freed him. That stupid dog can open any door IN the house. He can't open the doors TO the house, but it doesn't take much for him to turn the inside doorknobs with his big fat dog nose. The door to my room was open so I could see the door where my son had trapped the kitten. The kitten stuck his paw under the door and shook it. That brought Payton running and the dog took about 2 seconds to open the door. I couldn't believe he did that. I stuck the kitten in Payton's kennel and then Payton couldn't do anything but sit outside and stare at his forlorn friend. If Payton knew how to open that thing he'd be able to get himself out...the kitten was screwed. It's an absolute must have opposable thumbs trick.

Well, my bed still hasn't come but I'm still patiently waiting. I'll have to get a laptop computer once my room is finished because I'll never want to leave it. Of course I'll be starting on another room so sooner or later, I'll be happy with all of the rooms in the house. I think I better buy the tickets to Europe soon but I'm still worried about my passport. I have one that I haven't seen since Rick left (but he didn't take it...just ask him). I heard that it's taking a long time to get passports so I bet it takes even longer to get a new one after you've lost the old one. Oh well, I guess I should get the stupid passport first just to be on the safe side. I'll do that next week, this is the week that I work my ass off to earn a bunch of cash. Then I'm so exhausted that I take about 3 weeks to relax before I do it again.

I think I'll straighten my bedroom before I get ready to go to work tonight. I'm only doing 8 hours and that's nothing compared to 12. Of course it seems as though you need 12 hours to get all the work done but one way or another, I don't need to go in until 11 so I have a while to clean my room and then suck coffee and primp. So, that's what I'm going to do. See ya!

Meg

It's the middle of the night again!!!

...and I've given up trying to fall asleep for the time being. My son actually cleaned the mess that the kids made (all of it except the spare bedroom which has a door so that's OK for now, I just closed it.) and he did it before the kids left. That was a neat trick...he left them in my room which had been clean until they attacked it.

They jumped on the bed, dumped my jewelry box on the bed and then the girl played with my make-up on the bed. I'm going through a lot of effort to see to it that every surface in that room is brand spanking new and those little munchkins want to mess it up completely.

Oh well, when they leave there's always good stuff left that they haven't gotten to yet and that's why I'm eating a Rice Krispies treat now. Those are some good eats...I must say. I can't imagine how someone came up with the idea to mix melted marshmallows in with Rice Krispies but it was brilliant.

Since my son has cleaned up, there's not much left for me to do now. I was watching middle of the night TV but that sucks. I saw part of one of those ghost-hunter shows. They're getting so fricking stupid. One guy feels his hair stand on end and the other feels a cold spot so there must be ghosts...right? The chick leaves early because she can't handle the fear of seeing a ghost even though videocameras have caught EVERYTHING on tape....murders, tornadoes and America's Funniest moments...but they still haven't captured a single ghost.

I guess you might count the blobs of light on the pictures themselves but I don't. When I see a ghost it has to be more than a blob of light. Either that or it will have to speak to me. A speaking blob of light would be good enough. The blobs of light in the Ghosthunters cameras never catch any speaking from the ghosts. But...the people in the dark houses all feel cold spots.

I don't know why the houses have to be dark. Are ghosts nocturnal? Poltergiests operated in the daytime at the Freelings house in the movie. Some stuff did happen at night...but not enough to restrict ALL ghosthunting missions to nighttime. Wouldn't it be funny if these people couldn't see the ghosts because they are in a dark room pointing their flashlights the wrong direction?

One way or another, if a ghost wants you to know it's there, it'll let you know. If it doesn't...it probably doesn't want to be bothered by you. So, I figure it's best to just leave those things alone. Nothing good could really come of it. Besides, I wouldn't know what to say to a ghost. I would even freak a bit at my mother if she popped up and I loved her. She never made me scared...but I bet her ghost would do it.

I freaked myself out even more tonight by watching The Cities of the Underground. They had Paris on and the host took a guide and crawled down a hole that was so narrow in some parts that I could never, ever climb through them. I hyperventilated just thinking about that. That particular cave led to a brewery basement but other led to other areas of Parisian life...and death. It's pretty neat and if I could stand up all the way down and spelunk my ass down a hall or a staircase, I would go...but I would have to turn around before I could never turn around again. That's my worst fear. YIKES.

Well, now I'm gonna watch The Family Guy...I love Stewi's namesake!

See ya!

Meg

Oh, here are a few extra pics that I thought were cute. And...I AM a grandmother!!!


Here's the pool that I bought them this weekend:


The dog playing with his kitten who is playing in a sock:

Spidey!

Chandler with make up and her new PJ's. She's getting much better at applying lipstick:

Like a teensy weensy piece of dust...

…that gets caught in your eye every so often, Colleen’s emails show up in my mailbox. Her general tone is usually something like this, “Na na na na na….you’re poo poo.” Well Colleen, I’m rubber and you’re glue, everything you say bounces off me and sticks to you!

I’m so glad that the wife is happier than the wopig, that’s the inevitable end to these situations. It's the best part of being cheated on, the part when you’ve gotten on with your life and the cheats are so freaked out that they have nothing left to do but to make hang up calls to people who aren’t home to hear the phone ring. It must suck to be one of those wopigs but I certainly don’t lose any sleep over them. Imagine never EVER knowing for sure if your "man" is still thinking of the woman he chose to marry first...imagine knowing POSITIVELY that your "man" is a liar...knowing how the odds are so dreadfully stacked against you and your doomed little relationship. All the while things get better and better for the wife. And before you know it you have the wopig sending stupid emails and everyone else enjoying thier own lives. So, naturally, the wife would say:

“…But that's good that she talks to you instead of to me - because I don't want to talk to any of them…’

No, you don’t…but they can’t seem to stop trying to talk to you and ever since you’ve…well, we won’t tell her what you’ve been doing…but ever since you started doing it, she is flopping around like a tramp who can’t get comfortable because her life is so empty that she actually believes that you and I are still a part of her pathetic life. What a nut, all she has to do is live her life and she won't even do that. Her life must BLOW!!! Once again, it would be sad if it weren’t so amusing.

Of course, I love this comment…there’s not a word that I would take away:

“Wow, sounds to me like the skank needs to get a life of her own and stop trying to live vicariously through everyone else. What a disgusting, repulsive, STD riddled excuse of human being that home wrecker is.”

Spoken like a woman after my own heart. Yes, the lunatic is having a tough time with her own life, that’s the only possible reason that she would have for her constant attacks on people who couldn’t possibly care less what she says. Usually if you ignore people they’ll go away but I can’t ignore this nut long enough to get rid of her. The latest email is what I get for ignoring her for a couple of months. I could rag on her some more but I so don’t care that I’m not going to bother…let her sit in the miserable, flea ridden bed that she infected herself and sleep in it…if she can fall asleep in such a repugnant setting. I’m sure her own hell of a life is punishment enough.

Anyway, the babies have finally fallen asleep…in my bed, on either side of me. I had to get in the middle because they kept bickering and I was too tired to handle it any other way. I don’t know what made me think that they would let me type while they’re here…I should have known that I’d have to wake up in the middle of the night to get this done.

I bought us all new pajamas (I LOVE pajamas…my PJ wardrobe is ever so much nicer than my real clothes wardrobe.) I also found a bunch of summer stuff that’s on clearance and I really love a clearance sign. I found a cute queen sized sheet set for eight something and some kids clothes for 2 and 3 bucks. I also bought them a pool. You can get a really cute swimming pool relatively cheap. The one I got was under 40 bucks. it has a slide and a basketball hoop and some other game with rings. The little guy loved it. I wonder if my kid ever put the pictures on the computer, let me check. No, he didn't. But he did get the pictures from the boy's birthday party.

Here's the water slide that he asked for:

And for some reason...a chicken:

The birthday boy:

The little girl plays with the chicken:

I took the kids to Target although some of my co-workers would never shop there. This woman actually said that she would never send her kid to school in anything less than designer clothes and that her kids' worst nightmare is that his mother will buy him something at Walmart. Then the mother said...in a Haitian accent..."He has very good taste...I mean the best."

Gag me with a spoon. Tell me that this isn't a huge problem. The other nurse working that night pretty much defended it, saying "You have no idea how cruel the other kids can be. They HAVE to dress in designer clothes." Has it been that long since I was in school? Are all the kids freaking out over clothes? I'm sure that I see other people shopping at Target...and Wal-mart, for that matter. My grandkids are wearing Target PJ's right now...am I ruining them? Oh my God...SO AM I!!!

Gotta run and change!

Meg

Solaris...

...your slimy, illiterate wopig is STILL writing to me everyday...apparently to tell ME to get over Rick...LOLOLOL. She can't get over you and your life. She is quite misinformed about how things are going in your life and it must drive her nuts. I ignore her as usual but you and I need to chat so I can tell you the insane ideas that she has about you...none of them are true, but she must have SOME info...just enough to let me know it's her. None of her "facts" are correct. I guess she's truly freaking out that your husband (from whom you are NOT divorced...why does she think that you are?) will be going back to you soon. It seems as though there's trouble in paradise over there.

I see why her husband cheated on her but I don't get why yours cheated on you with such a low class bimbo.

OK, my grandkids are here and I just got home from work so let me go say hello to them and I'll be back shortly...they're hanging all over me...I ADORE THEM!

See you very soon,

Meg

My cable is messing up…

…and in this house that means my online access is messed up as well. And the lady just called to tell me that the cable dudes are on their way here. You’d think they could have come later in the 8 AM - 2 PM range that they gave me. When they do fix it, then I’ll call billing and ask them for a weeks worth of my bill to be taken off. Ooh, perhaps I should put on some clothes…or at least some less revealing nighties.

BRB!

OK, I’m wearing something less revealing now…my son’s huge terry cloth bathrobe. By the way, my jammies aren’t “sexy” revealing…they’re “falling apart” revealing.

So now I can safely open the door for the cable guy. I hope that he can fix the cable, I keep missing the ends of programs.

Last night I stayed up half the night cleaning my room and touching up a few spots on the wall that I seem to have missed the night that I painted it. The only thing that I have left to do is to vacuum under my bed but I think I’ll have to wait for my new bed to come first. Oh, the grates or vent covers or whatever you call them are almost all the wrong size. I measured the from end to end instead of just measuring the holes. Oh well, I have to go back to Home Depot anyway.

You know, now that I’ve bought the bed, it seems to me that it will make the rest of my furniture look tacky by comparison. I keep finding myself cyber-shopping for other furniture that I hadn’t planned on buying yet. I doubt that I will, but it sure is fun to look.

I’ve been shopping around for log furniture (for the bed I searched ‘Log Canopy Bed’), and there’s an inordinate number of pieces made by Amish people. You’d think that they would stay away from the prices that the outsiders charge but the Amish are quite competitive when it comes to prices.

I guess it’s tough to make the furniture so sturdy without electricity…but then they don’t have as much overhead. The electricity alone saves them a few bucks, I’m sure. It’s amazing how much anyone charges for the log furniture.

My bed will take “within 3 more weeks” to get here. I spent enough money that I think I deserve to call and bitch every so often. The last time she gave me the 3 week figure. Now I just keep looking at the picture of my bed online. I’ve never been very patient and it’s driving me nuts that I’ve spent the money and I don’t have my bed yet. When it comes, I’ll forget all about waiting and I’ll just be happy that I’ve gotten the stupid thing.

It’s amazing what I found under my bed. I didn’t realize that so much stuff was under there. I also found a large pair of red panties in the bottom of my closet. Those suckers where huge. So, Rick’s been gone for close to 3 years and still I’m finding evidence of his lies. Six months after he left I found some bottled foreplay which made me happy to know that the wopig was either too dried out or Rick hasn't learned to turn a woman on yet. Tee Hee.

Oh, the cable guy is here!

Gotta run!

Meg

YIKES!!!


The post I wrote in my word processor can't be copied and pasted...the word File isn't even up at the top. The cable guy is here, which I explained in the post...doorbell rung!

OK, that was an easy fix for the cable couple (There were 2 of them, a chick and a dude.)

Anyway, I wrote a post in my word processor and I can't copy and paste it nor can I see where it says File at the top. I'm gonna try to get that one up here, can't even drag the dumb thing...if anyone has a clue as to how to get that file transferred, let me know!

Thanks,

Meg

I just spilled purple paint on me...

...my shorts, my top and my socks, oh....and my shoes. I just threw them out because I didn't want to deal with them...I had to wash the floor which took the brunt of the spill. I got it off the floor but the jury's still out on my clothes. Oh, there was also a bit on the counter, the microwave and the cabinet door. I should have stayed in bed today.

Instead I went to Home Depot...again. When I was planning to paint my room I asked my son how many gallons he thought it would take. He said, "Oh...two or three." So, I got two gallons and decided that I could easily buy a third if need be. Well, it needn't be...I painted the entire room with under a gallon so I had an extra gallon of custom made pink paint. I didn't want to have two bedrooms painted the same color and knowing what my granddaughter likes, I decided to add blue to the pink to make it purple.

It took a LOT of blue...but now I have purple paint. It's an ugly purple, but it'll do for a little girl...especially after I put a bunch of pink butterfies in the room. She loves purple and pink...everything she colors is purple and pink. When I was her age, I did the same thing. My bedroom was pink with white trim...hers is just gonna be purple with pink trim. Well, not the actual trim, that would be uglier than the purple by itself. But all the trim-MINGS will be pink.

When I got home I opened the can to paint a bit of the wall just to see what it was gonna look like and thought, "Oh my God... when it dries it'll be darker uglier purple than it is now.". But, as I said, it'll be fine. I can easily fill a room with pink and purple stuff. The only problem is that the little boy sleeps in there too.

He loves Spiderman so I thought that I could make him a corner area that was all things Spiderman. I could even get him a hammock to sleep in and call it a spider web. He might like that. But first, I have to paint the room ugly purple. When I finish I'll take a picture of the ugly purple...or I may not even make you wait that long if I start to really get disgusted by the color.

I was just watching an unaired episode of Gilligan's Island where they have a different Professor and two secretaries named Ginger and Bunny instead of a movie star and an innocent from Kansas. They were both pretty tarty...I must say. They made a good choice when they went with the less believeable scenario...a movie star and an ingenue should be sailing together. It certainly made for better TV. Those secretaries weren't the type of characters that buys our loyalty as were Mary Ann and Ginger.

Oh, another thing, it was originally a 6 hour tour. I'm not sure why they made it a 3 hour tour...they must have had a meeting over that. 6 or 3? People actually made arguments for one side or another. Whatever, it was a 6 year cruise unless you count the movies that freed our friends from the Island. I suppose that was nice but that meant that I could never hope to become shipwrecked and drop in on the Castaways...everybody else in the ocean seemed to visit them so why not me?

I have to take a pan off the stove before it burns...I left the oil alone too long. Gotta run and save the house.

See ya!

Meg

Good morning...

...I think.

I fell asleep with a light on...it's one of those lamps that clamps onto anything. I had mine clamped onto the window sill above my sleeping head. I've been hanging out in bed trying to feel as uncrappy as I can. I keep on trying to sleep but I end up waking up every couple of hours. The last time that I woke up I saw the light shining on me, remembered that it was the lamp and sat up to watch more of the History Channel....secure my assumption that it was the middle of the night.

Since my phone only rings 4 times before the machine picks it up (And no, I don't know how to change it.), I have to keep it close to me. I was sleeping in the bed alone except for my phone and the clicker. The phone rang, irritating the hell out of me. Who would call me in the middle of the night? Maybe that social clod who stopped by my place at 4 AM last weekend? Whomever it is...I don't like them.

I picked the phone up and said, "Hello?" in a rather terse manner. Someone asked for my son and I assumed that only one of his nit wit friends would call at such a hideous hour of the day. So, when the guy asked for William, I said, "Let me ask you this...what's the emergency that was so bad that 911 wouldn't do and you had to call my kid to save you?"

The attorney responded, "Ma'am...would you be so kind as to take a message?" Now I'm worrying that my son wasn't down the hall in bed but actually in jail somewhere.

"What's wrong with my son that he needs an attorney?" I queried.

"Didn't he tell you?" the befuddled attorney queried back.

"How could he...isn't he in jail?" Now we were both confused and I began to get out of bed.

"Have you spoken to him yet?" Now we both KNEW the kid was in jail.

"No ma'am, I haven't but I'll go there right away." I was fully clothed. As I pulled the shirt down over my head, I noticed the unmistakable odor of arm pit that needs a shower. But it didn't matter, my son was in trouble so I had to go.

Before I had a chance to say..."OK, I'll meet you there!", I noticed that the light was streaming in from the window...so much so that it pretty muched drowned out the light from my stupid lamp. Suddenly things began to make sense to me. I asked the attorney, "By the way...what did you call for?

"I'm returning a call your son made yesterday."

OK...I'm an idiot. But so was the lawyer. I carried the phone out to my son who made a face that said, "You stink."

The only thing the lawyer was calling about was the settlement of an accident that my son has.

I think I'm going to take a shower and then go back to bed...without the phone. I can't be trusted with that sucker.

Meg