12 days before Christmas and, of course, something major has to go wrong. It wouldn't be my life, if it didn't. You see, I live with Murphy and his silly law. You know: If anything can go wrong at the worst possible moment, it will.
The blower for my furnace shit the bed tonight. It had been making squealing noises for the past two days. I was hoping it would hold out until after Christmas, but noooooooooooo.
The repairman came & removed the blower. He then informed me he had nothing to replace it with, he would bring it to the repair shop tomorrow and hopefully, be able to reinstall it by tomorrow night, that is, if the repair shop had the time to fix it. (He fixes all kinds of small motors, after all.)
He inquired if I had any kind of a metal box fan about 7x9 inches. Right, I keep a couple just that size in the shed. Without a fan to push the heat into the duct system, the furnace would heat the closet it's housed in, and not much else. Great. On the coldest night of the season so far.
The "oh, so helpful" repairman, leaves. I phone Superdad for assistance, twice. Son and I head out to our local hardware store (Grainger isn't open past 5PM and it's now 6:30PM) in hopes of finding some kind of fan.
The helpful clerk informs us that fans are usually in isle 48, "but, we usually store those items off season". Sure - take away my one glimmer of hope.
We find isle 48 stocked with space heaters. Well, if it's that or freezing.... Isle 47 has 4 or 5 actual fans in it. One is a 14 inch industrial strength all metal fan. It will have to do. It's the only one on the shelf and the box is open on both ends. It appears too big to fit inside the furnace where the blower was, but I'll have to make it work.
I ask the girl at the register if she can give me any kind of a break on the $41.99 price because the box is open on both ends and the fan is held in by a large twist tie. (Hey, it doesn't hurt to ask.) She calls over the manager and he asks if there were any others on the shelf. "No, it was the only one". I get 10% off the full original overprice. (Told ya, it didn't hurt to ask).
We get home and confirm that the fan is too big to fit into the space that previously housed the blower. The weak box fan blowing into the vents on the front of the furnace door has kept the house temperature at 60 degrees, so there is a glimmer of hope for this much more powerful fan.
We manage to bungee cord the fan to the front of the furnace door on high. Eureka! Heat is produced from the floor registers. The temperature manages to jump to 64 degrees in just a half hour.
I probably won't sleep a wink tonight between, listening to the high velocity fan constantly running and worrying about the pipes freezing, but, here's to good old New England ingenuity and it being 68 degrees inside when it's 8 degrees outside.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Smile, You're on Candid Camera
A big thank you for your responses and advice.
I should tell you what I have done so far.
I had met with the manager and one of the partial owners (An ownership acquired by a shady deal. He was, and still is the park accountant. He bought out one of the four owners without giving the tenants first right of refusal.) and they told me to document and inform them of every infraction. I did this for many months. I have many, many E-mails to prove this. Some of the infractions were dealt with (junk cars parked in the driveway that the kids kept playing in at all hours - right under my living room windows)They were removed. Trash all over the yard (would be cleaned up and replaced by more trash). I was told to contact the police about the noise. Which I did at least twice a week over the summer and into the fall.
I'm not even sure who the other owners are. I believe they live in Florida and just collect the checks.
There was a family finally evicted from the park because of the trouble they caused, three boys and a drugged out Mom who let them run wild. For years, these kids caused trouble. Police knew them all by sight & name. I had run ins with the two youngest boys, why? Because they hung out with the boys next door of course. I was informed by the park manager that there was a no trespass order against this family and if I ever saw the boys next door I should call the police. Well, I did that several times. The boys would spend the night and sneak out in the morning. Their mother or older brother would wait outside in a car and they would bolt from the house to the car. The times that I saw them arrive I phoned the police - they would show up and ask if the offenders were there. The grandmother & mother would lie and say no, the cops would leave. Half the time I don't think they actually knew the offenders were there because they were hiding in the boys bedroom. Neither of the adults in the house know where the kids are most of the time anyway.
I'm getting off track here. Anyhoo, I did this for several months and kind of gave up because it just never stops.
Izchan hit the nail on the head: These people don't care about anyone but themselves. The law doesn't apply to them, as far as they are concerned. The mother went nuclear on her kids one night during the summer. She was ranting and raving like a mad woman, running over bicycles in the driveway. One of her kids told her to shush because of me. She then proceeded to go off on me and minding my own business..Etc...Etc (It was quite vulgar and to tell the truth, scary - this woman is not dealing with a full deck.) I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs "I would love to mind my own business and I would, if I didn't have to constantly listen to yours!"
I would move, if I could. Any other parks in the area are at least twice the rent. They are also more like the majority of the place I currently live - 10 foot lots. Believe it or not, I live in the best area of any manufactured housing community around. I also couldn't afford to move my home. Most parks do not have free lots to move a home to. You have to move into existing housing - which, is usually a 30 year old shoe box. So, I am stuck. At least, until I can save enough money to possibly buy a real home. At the current housing prices in Massachusetts, that should be about 2025.
My son and I have discussed getting a surveillance system. A wireless, motion activated camera that records on VHS. I've already invested in an alarm system because I got broken into back in 2001 (by teenage girls, no less). This seems to be my only logical choice. That way I will have videotaped evidence. I will start a log book of all the shit I put up with as well. I will look into getting a camera system after Christmas.
It amazes me that this woman still has custody of her children. DSS has been involved several times. I feel bad for the kids. They didn't ask for this. It's not their fault that they are being dragged up instead of brought up.
Isn't it funny that you need a license to drive a car but, anyone can have a kid. It doesn't matter whether or not you're qualified or can support them. Ironically, I'm paying the welfare to support those kids. Ain't life a bitch.
I should tell you what I have done so far.
I had met with the manager and one of the partial owners (An ownership acquired by a shady deal. He was, and still is the park accountant. He bought out one of the four owners without giving the tenants first right of refusal.) and they told me to document and inform them of every infraction. I did this for many months. I have many, many E-mails to prove this. Some of the infractions were dealt with (junk cars parked in the driveway that the kids kept playing in at all hours - right under my living room windows)They were removed. Trash all over the yard (would be cleaned up and replaced by more trash). I was told to contact the police about the noise. Which I did at least twice a week over the summer and into the fall.
I'm not even sure who the other owners are. I believe they live in Florida and just collect the checks.
There was a family finally evicted from the park because of the trouble they caused, three boys and a drugged out Mom who let them run wild. For years, these kids caused trouble. Police knew them all by sight & name. I had run ins with the two youngest boys, why? Because they hung out with the boys next door of course. I was informed by the park manager that there was a no trespass order against this family and if I ever saw the boys next door I should call the police. Well, I did that several times. The boys would spend the night and sneak out in the morning. Their mother or older brother would wait outside in a car and they would bolt from the house to the car. The times that I saw them arrive I phoned the police - they would show up and ask if the offenders were there. The grandmother & mother would lie and say no, the cops would leave. Half the time I don't think they actually knew the offenders were there because they were hiding in the boys bedroom. Neither of the adults in the house know where the kids are most of the time anyway.
I'm getting off track here. Anyhoo, I did this for several months and kind of gave up because it just never stops.
Izchan hit the nail on the head: These people don't care about anyone but themselves. The law doesn't apply to them, as far as they are concerned. The mother went nuclear on her kids one night during the summer. She was ranting and raving like a mad woman, running over bicycles in the driveway. One of her kids told her to shush because of me. She then proceeded to go off on me and minding my own business..Etc...Etc (It was quite vulgar and to tell the truth, scary - this woman is not dealing with a full deck.) I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs "I would love to mind my own business and I would, if I didn't have to constantly listen to yours!"
I would move, if I could. Any other parks in the area are at least twice the rent. They are also more like the majority of the place I currently live - 10 foot lots. Believe it or not, I live in the best area of any manufactured housing community around. I also couldn't afford to move my home. Most parks do not have free lots to move a home to. You have to move into existing housing - which, is usually a 30 year old shoe box. So, I am stuck. At least, until I can save enough money to possibly buy a real home. At the current housing prices in Massachusetts, that should be about 2025.
My son and I have discussed getting a surveillance system. A wireless, motion activated camera that records on VHS. I've already invested in an alarm system because I got broken into back in 2001 (by teenage girls, no less). This seems to be my only logical choice. That way I will have videotaped evidence. I will start a log book of all the shit I put up with as well. I will look into getting a camera system after Christmas.
It amazes me that this woman still has custody of her children. DSS has been involved several times. I feel bad for the kids. They didn't ask for this. It's not their fault that they are being dragged up instead of brought up.
Isn't it funny that you need a license to drive a car but, anyone can have a kid. It doesn't matter whether or not you're qualified or can support them. Ironically, I'm paying the welfare to support those kids. Ain't life a bitch.
Friday, December 09, 2005
Trailer Trash Neighbors From Hell
I'm seeking advice from the internet.
Let me preface by saying, I live in a trailer park. (Hey, it's all I could afford when I got divorced and I didn't want a condo (Read - expensive apartment). It's really not that bad. I live in the newest section (1987) that has large lots and nice "manufactured housing". I'm talking cathedral ceilings, skylights, garden tubs with a separate shower, my son even has a half bath in his bedroom. I have a decent sized yard that allows me to have a nice garden & room for the dog to run.
The drawbacks are that you pay rent & mortgage and....You live fairly close to your neighbors. One side of my home is my yard - the other is my neighbors. Most everyone in the neighborhood is pretty cool, quiet and keep to themselves. That is except for the ones that live next to me.
You've all heard about neighbors from hell, well....I live next to the definition of "trailer trash".
Seriously, I've put up with a lot over the last 11 years.
Here are some examples:
snowballs thrown at my house
rocks and eggs thrown at my house
soiled diapers thrown in my back yard
my son sucker punched so hard it broke his nose and he is constantly verbally harassed
plants trampled in my front garden
loud booming stereo (this is constant and ongoing with many calls to the local PD)
A grown man peeping in my windows (a complaint was filed and he was found guilty, got a slap on the wrist)
constant noise - yelling, screaming, cursing
comings and goings at all hours of the night
Revving engines and exhaust fumes
Listening to mental, emotional, verbal & physical abuse
fish heads left on my doorstep and car
There's more, but you get the idea.
When I first moved in, things were fine. I lived next to a woman and her husband, their grown son lived with them. There was some loud shouting, but that ended when the husband died. Then the son went to jail for some reason and things were quiet, until the grandchildren moved in.
At first it was cool, my son had kids his age living next door. He played with them for a while, until their behavior became a problem. The two boys, 6 and 5 (at the time my son was 6) basically ran amok with no supervision. The only time Grandma was outside was at 4 o'clock in the afternoon to hose down the driveway. A tradition still in effect 9 years later. (I swear, "a broom" is not in this woman's vocabulary, and the words "water shortage" just don't apply to her).
A short time later, their mother, her husband, and their daughter moved in. Three adults and three children living in a two bedroom trailer. They continued to breed and produced two more children. Now, there were 5 children and three adults living in a two bedroom trailer. I found out later that this woman actually had six children by four different fathers, she started having babies at 16. She only has custody of five of the children though. What a surprise.
So, you get the basic idea, loud, noisy, abusive, dirty (the trash and mess are a sight). They have no respect for anyone. A family that represents the cycle of abuse and welfare abuse. A couple years ago charges were brought against the eldest son and friends for sexual abuse against his stepsister and another 8 year old. Nice.
The abusive father was finally thrown out about a year ago. This is the man that I caught peeping in my windows 4 years ago. A man that convinced his wife that I pressed charges because I made a pass at him and he refused. PUUULLLEASE! The guy looks like a 5 foot Neanderthal. I'm talking nasty here. But, she bought it, hook, line & sinker. And believe me, she's no prize, this woman has a face only a mother could love. My son has even commented about how homely she is.
Recently - he's been back though. With his loud Trans Am and loud pickup truck, spending nights here and there. She's just dumb enough to take the SOB back. Then I'll be able to enjoy the sounds of him beating his wife and children again.
Basically, it's hell living next to these people. I've complained to the park manager till I'm blue in the face. They were supposed to be evicted 5 years ago. They're still here. It's a park rule that "guests" cannot stay more than 30 days. The Grandmother is the one that owns the home. The daughter and children are considered guests. They've been there 10 years! The manager and owners are nothing more than slum lords that want to sit back and collect the rent checks. No help there.
This family is like the Munsters. They don't come out until 8 o'clock at night to play in the driveway, right next to my open living room windows, during the summer. Then they make all kinds of noise. Just at the time when I am winding down and want to relax. I've been woken several times at 11PM by pounding base of vulgar rap music. Nothing like being woken up by Eminem rapping about fuck this and fuck that. There is the occasional toddler in pajamas at noon time dancing on the car without an adult in sight. I'm talking quality parenting here.
I want to make one thing clear - I HAVE NEVER DONE ANYTHING TO THESE PEOPLE. I mind my own business and have even lent them tools and helped them out on occasion. I've called the police department countless times about the loud music and fighting that never seems to end, but only when things become completely intolerable. I let a lot slide.
So, imagine my surprise when I got home tonight to find that "someone" had gone on to my property and shoveled 4 feet of snow on to my doorstep. No shit, it was 4 feet high at my front door. The tracks in the snow show that two individuals went on to my property and shoveled snow from the driveway on my steps. Do I need any other evidence to think that it was the delinquents next door? I think not. Nevermind that I left my house at 6:30 AM and didn't return until 7PM to find 14 inches of snow in my drive, plus what the plows left.
My son wants nothing more than to throw rocks through every window and beat the shit out of the eldest boys. I have to say, I don't blame him, I'd love a piece of that. He & a friend spent 8 hours today snowblowing and shoveling driveways in my parents neighborhood. He worked so hard that he woke up shouting that he couldn't feel his leg 20 minutes ago. He was writhing in agony at the muscle spasms in his thighs. But, I'm also afraid that these same freaks will burn my house to the ground while I'm at work if he does. It serves no purpose to get into a pissing contest with these losers.
I'm at a loss here.
I can go to the police department tomorrow and file a complaint. I have no proof that it was my neighbors and nothing will come of it. Complaining to the park manager is a joke.
So, what do I do? What satisfactory recourse do I have? How do I get these total waste of a human life things to leave me alone? Does anyone out there have neighbor horror stories and how they dealt with it? Ideas? Anyone? I wish I could deal with them as tactfully as MM dealt with his Really Big Home Improvement Store problem and get the satisfactory results that he did. Help me people. I'm just left of going postal here.
Let me preface by saying, I live in a trailer park. (Hey, it's all I could afford when I got divorced and I didn't want a condo (Read - expensive apartment). It's really not that bad. I live in the newest section (1987) that has large lots and nice "manufactured housing". I'm talking cathedral ceilings, skylights, garden tubs with a separate shower, my son even has a half bath in his bedroom. I have a decent sized yard that allows me to have a nice garden & room for the dog to run.
The drawbacks are that you pay rent & mortgage and....You live fairly close to your neighbors. One side of my home is my yard - the other is my neighbors. Most everyone in the neighborhood is pretty cool, quiet and keep to themselves. That is except for the ones that live next to me.
You've all heard about neighbors from hell, well....I live next to the definition of "trailer trash".
Seriously, I've put up with a lot over the last 11 years.
Here are some examples:
snowballs thrown at my house
rocks and eggs thrown at my house
soiled diapers thrown in my back yard
my son sucker punched so hard it broke his nose and he is constantly verbally harassed
plants trampled in my front garden
loud booming stereo (this is constant and ongoing with many calls to the local PD)
A grown man peeping in my windows (a complaint was filed and he was found guilty, got a slap on the wrist)
constant noise - yelling, screaming, cursing
comings and goings at all hours of the night
Revving engines and exhaust fumes
Listening to mental, emotional, verbal & physical abuse
fish heads left on my doorstep and car
There's more, but you get the idea.
When I first moved in, things were fine. I lived next to a woman and her husband, their grown son lived with them. There was some loud shouting, but that ended when the husband died. Then the son went to jail for some reason and things were quiet, until the grandchildren moved in.
At first it was cool, my son had kids his age living next door. He played with them for a while, until their behavior became a problem. The two boys, 6 and 5 (at the time my son was 6) basically ran amok with no supervision. The only time Grandma was outside was at 4 o'clock in the afternoon to hose down the driveway. A tradition still in effect 9 years later. (I swear, "a broom" is not in this woman's vocabulary, and the words "water shortage" just don't apply to her).
A short time later, their mother, her husband, and their daughter moved in. Three adults and three children living in a two bedroom trailer. They continued to breed and produced two more children. Now, there were 5 children and three adults living in a two bedroom trailer. I found out later that this woman actually had six children by four different fathers, she started having babies at 16. She only has custody of five of the children though. What a surprise.
So, you get the basic idea, loud, noisy, abusive, dirty (the trash and mess are a sight). They have no respect for anyone. A family that represents the cycle of abuse and welfare abuse. A couple years ago charges were brought against the eldest son and friends for sexual abuse against his stepsister and another 8 year old. Nice.
The abusive father was finally thrown out about a year ago. This is the man that I caught peeping in my windows 4 years ago. A man that convinced his wife that I pressed charges because I made a pass at him and he refused. PUUULLLEASE! The guy looks like a 5 foot Neanderthal. I'm talking nasty here. But, she bought it, hook, line & sinker. And believe me, she's no prize, this woman has a face only a mother could love. My son has even commented about how homely she is.
Recently - he's been back though. With his loud Trans Am and loud pickup truck, spending nights here and there. She's just dumb enough to take the SOB back. Then I'll be able to enjoy the sounds of him beating his wife and children again.
Basically, it's hell living next to these people. I've complained to the park manager till I'm blue in the face. They were supposed to be evicted 5 years ago. They're still here. It's a park rule that "guests" cannot stay more than 30 days. The Grandmother is the one that owns the home. The daughter and children are considered guests. They've been there 10 years! The manager and owners are nothing more than slum lords that want to sit back and collect the rent checks. No help there.
This family is like the Munsters. They don't come out until 8 o'clock at night to play in the driveway, right next to my open living room windows, during the summer. Then they make all kinds of noise. Just at the time when I am winding down and want to relax. I've been woken several times at 11PM by pounding base of vulgar rap music. Nothing like being woken up by Eminem rapping about fuck this and fuck that. There is the occasional toddler in pajamas at noon time dancing on the car without an adult in sight. I'm talking quality parenting here.
I want to make one thing clear - I HAVE NEVER DONE ANYTHING TO THESE PEOPLE. I mind my own business and have even lent them tools and helped them out on occasion. I've called the police department countless times about the loud music and fighting that never seems to end, but only when things become completely intolerable. I let a lot slide.
So, imagine my surprise when I got home tonight to find that "someone" had gone on to my property and shoveled 4 feet of snow on to my doorstep. No shit, it was 4 feet high at my front door. The tracks in the snow show that two individuals went on to my property and shoveled snow from the driveway on my steps. Do I need any other evidence to think that it was the delinquents next door? I think not. Nevermind that I left my house at 6:30 AM and didn't return until 7PM to find 14 inches of snow in my drive, plus what the plows left.
My son wants nothing more than to throw rocks through every window and beat the shit out of the eldest boys. I have to say, I don't blame him, I'd love a piece of that. He & a friend spent 8 hours today snowblowing and shoveling driveways in my parents neighborhood. He worked so hard that he woke up shouting that he couldn't feel his leg 20 minutes ago. He was writhing in agony at the muscle spasms in his thighs. But, I'm also afraid that these same freaks will burn my house to the ground while I'm at work if he does. It serves no purpose to get into a pissing contest with these losers.
I'm at a loss here.
I can go to the police department tomorrow and file a complaint. I have no proof that it was my neighbors and nothing will come of it. Complaining to the park manager is a joke.
So, what do I do? What satisfactory recourse do I have? How do I get these total waste of a human life things to leave me alone? Does anyone out there have neighbor horror stories and how they dealt with it? Ideas? Anyone? I wish I could deal with them as tactfully as MM dealt with his Really Big Home Improvement Store problem and get the satisfactory results that he did. Help me people. I'm just left of going postal here.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
What Kate Did..Doesn't hold water
Am I alone in thinking the writers dropped the ball here on last nights Lost episode?
I have to say I was disappointed with the real reason behind Kate being a wanted woman. The conversation with her father was bizarre - he didn't tell Kate Wayne was her real father because he knew she would kill him? Wait a sec.......He knew when Kate was born.......They didn't divorce until Kate was like 4 or 5...WTF? Like a 5 year old would kill her real father just because she doesn't want to be like him?
What's up with that? They missed the mark and gave us a pretty lame ass excuse, IMHO.
The rest of the ep was good - loved the oh so Hurleyesque "So Rose's husband is white... Didn't see that coming."
My fav line was Mr. Eko to Locke "Don't mistake coincidence for fate", especially after he told that elaborate story before giving Locke the film! I look forward to more Mr. Eko/Locke interaction.
Now we have to wait till fucking January to see what happens next????? That's wrong on so many levels.
Oh well, it looks like my Wednesday nights will be free for Christmas shopping....
I have to say I was disappointed with the real reason behind Kate being a wanted woman. The conversation with her father was bizarre - he didn't tell Kate Wayne was her real father because he knew she would kill him? Wait a sec.......He knew when Kate was born.......They didn't divorce until Kate was like 4 or 5...WTF? Like a 5 year old would kill her real father just because she doesn't want to be like him?
What's up with that? They missed the mark and gave us a pretty lame ass excuse, IMHO.
The rest of the ep was good - loved the oh so Hurleyesque "So Rose's husband is white... Didn't see that coming."
My fav line was Mr. Eko to Locke "Don't mistake coincidence for fate", especially after he told that elaborate story before giving Locke the film! I look forward to more Mr. Eko/Locke interaction.
Now we have to wait till fucking January to see what happens next????? That's wrong on so many levels.
Oh well, it looks like my Wednesday nights will be free for Christmas shopping....
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
The Eyes Have it
| Your Eyes Should Be Brown |
 Your eyes reflect: Depth and wisdom What's hidden behind your eyes: A tender heart |
They should be brown.............but they aren't.
They're green.
Besides, I always thought if you had brown eyes you were full of shit. That's an old joke people. I don't want to offend any brown eyed souls out there.
| Your Eyes Should Be Green |
 Your eyes reflect: Striking attractiveness and danger What's hidden behind your eyes: A vivid inner world |
Hmmmmmm, there's some food for thought.
Mixed Feelings
Thanksgiving was tough. First one without my Grandfather.
It was tough to look at my Grandmother. She was fine, cracking jokes and talking with food in her mouth, as usual. But I had to go to the bathroom and blow the snot faucet several times and wipe away the tears. I think I caught my Dad's eyes filling a couple times too. He was the only one that mentioned Papa a couple times in the conversation.
I wanted to say something poignant about Papa, remember him on this day. But, I didn't, I couldn't, at least not out loud.
We always celebrate my Dad's birthday on Thanksgiving (it's actually the 27th)He turned 60 this year. My Dad, 60. Doesn't seem possible.
The food was wonderful, delicious. It was worth fasting for 24 hours for. Worthy of the nap afterwards.
Thanksgiving just isn't the same anymore, not because my Grandfather is gone, but because the whole family cannot be together anymore. There are circumstances that prevent this, that I cannot go into. Two Thanksgivings now.
I don't know which is harder, staying home with my son and missing the family, or being there, knowing that the whole family isn't. I hate the holidays.
It was tough to look at my Grandmother. She was fine, cracking jokes and talking with food in her mouth, as usual. But I had to go to the bathroom and blow the snot faucet several times and wipe away the tears. I think I caught my Dad's eyes filling a couple times too. He was the only one that mentioned Papa a couple times in the conversation.
I wanted to say something poignant about Papa, remember him on this day. But, I didn't, I couldn't, at least not out loud.
We always celebrate my Dad's birthday on Thanksgiving (it's actually the 27th)He turned 60 this year. My Dad, 60. Doesn't seem possible.
The food was wonderful, delicious. It was worth fasting for 24 hours for. Worthy of the nap afterwards.
Thanksgiving just isn't the same anymore, not because my Grandfather is gone, but because the whole family cannot be together anymore. There are circumstances that prevent this, that I cannot go into. Two Thanksgivings now.
I don't know which is harder, staying home with my son and missing the family, or being there, knowing that the whole family isn't. I hate the holidays.
Friday, November 18, 2005
It's that time again
TGIF
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Jump to: navigation, search
TGIF is the abbreviation for the phrase Thank God (or Goodness) It's Friday. Commonly used in American conversation, it has become a common element for advertising and promotional materials, to connote a sense of partying and the weekend.
It's too bad that my idea nowadays of partying is having a cocktail and putting on my PJ's early....................with my big fuzzy slippers of course.
I'm such a badass.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Jump to: navigation, search
TGIF is the abbreviation for the phrase Thank God (or Goodness) It's Friday. Commonly used in American conversation, it has become a common element for advertising and promotional materials, to connote a sense of partying and the weekend.
It's too bad that my idea nowadays of partying is having a cocktail and putting on my PJ's early....................with my big fuzzy slippers of course.
I'm such a badass.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Stolen from KFarmer & the Dells blog, who stole it from Lecram Sinun's blog who stole it from Addict's blog.
Damn! Gonna have to work on that tough chick image.
No wonder the kid doesn't listen to me.
| Your Hidden Talent |
 You're super sensitive and easily able to understand situations. You tend to solve complex problems in a flash, without needing a lot of facts. Decision making is easy for you. You have killer intuition. The right path is always clear, and you're a bit of a visionary. |
Damn! Gonna have to work on that tough chick image.
| You Are Not Scary |
 Everyone loves you. Isn't that sweet? |
No wonder the kid doesn't listen to me.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Heard in the living room last night
"You shouldn't let the dog on the couch. She's going to ruin it."
"Have ya looked at the couch?! Besides, where do you think all the grease & dirt stains already on the couch came from? That's right, from your greasy work clothes. Julietta has spent her entire life in a cage, only being let out to pee & poop or race. She's earned the right to sleep wherever she wants. Besides, it's my couch. Now, go to your room!"
Kids.
"Have ya looked at the couch?! Besides, where do you think all the grease & dirt stains already on the couch came from? That's right, from your greasy work clothes. Julietta has spent her entire life in a cage, only being let out to pee & poop or race. She's earned the right to sleep wherever she wants. Besides, it's my couch. Now, go to your room!"
Kids.
Monday, November 07, 2005
They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha-haaa!
I know, I know - I've been MIA for a bit. I could give you all kinds of excuses about being busy and such, but that's not why. Let me explain....
People have asked me, "How do you do it?". Married couples cannot fathom ever doing it alone. I simply answer: "You do what ya gotta do". Just like every parent.
It can, at times, be easier being a single parent. As Stallone so aptly put it, "I am da law". What I say goes. There is no playing one parent against the other, no disagreements on discipline. No power struggles. The drawback to that is - you don't get a break. You are it, 24/7. There is no power in the words "Wait till your father gets home", cause Papa don't live here. I'm lucky that I get a break once a week. My wonderful parents take my son overnight most Thursdays for me. That's my alone time. That's the time I have to recharge my batteries, be calm and quiet. That's the time I have to regroup and get a firmer grip on my sanity. A grip I am fighting to hang on to.
Children can tire you out with their endless energy, questions and exploration, but they are easily manageable. Mom & Dad are in charge. That fact is not in question. We can protect them from danger, teach them and make them laugh.
Yes, children can tire you out, but just wait. Teenagers are exhausting.
Common sense, reason & logic are out the window. At least your common sense, reason & logic are. Everything you do as a parent becomes questionable. Every boundary, every responsibility, everything you say becomes a barrier to the life they feel entitled to. The humor and silliness that once made them laugh results in sullen looks and slamming doors. Protecting them from danger becomes a slippery slope of giving them the freedom to make their own decisions and wanting to keep them from the consequences of the wrong ones. They have, after all, forgotten everything you have taught them to this point. That, or they dismiss it as nothing more than you being overprotective or trying to baby them. They have become all knowing, invincible, immortal. They think they are masters of their own destiny. They know what's best for them. The fact that you have more than twice the life experience of them just makes you, old. You want to give them freedom to become their own person. You want them to become responsible adults. You want to kick them in the ass for being so opposed to accepting the wisdom of experience. You want scream at the top of your lungs, "Since you're so friggin smart, get out and support yourself!"
But, you don't. At least, not with meaning. There is still a thread of the umbilical that whispers the truth. The thought of leaving the safety of home is too daunting to risk. It's a thread you both hang on to. Teenagers tug at it, parents let out some slack. There comes a point where there is no slack left and the connection breaks. Then, all you can do is hope and pray they take enough of what you have given them to flourish in adulthood.
We are not there yet. But I am having one hell of a tug-o-war!
I have been too exhausted to form coherent thoughts. The creative juices have receded into the recesses of my brain like a pair of testicles in a cold pool. The mental and emotional energy necessary to get through a 24 hour period with a teenager could solve the worlds natural energy depletion, if we could harness it.
This is the dark side of being a single parent.
I am being eaten alive, one molecule at a time. I can feel it happening, but there is nothing I can do about it. I catch glimpses of myself in the mirror. There is a haunting, empty look in my eyes, much like what I saw in my Grandfather near the end.
I can picture myself in a mental ward. Drool on my chin, unable to focus on anything tangible. People will look sadly upon me and ask "What happened to her?" The Doctors will reply, "TEENAGER", and all will nod sadly, knowingly, sympathetically.
People have asked me, "How do you do it?". Married couples cannot fathom ever doing it alone. I simply answer: "You do what ya gotta do". Just like every parent.
It can, at times, be easier being a single parent. As Stallone so aptly put it, "I am da law". What I say goes. There is no playing one parent against the other, no disagreements on discipline. No power struggles. The drawback to that is - you don't get a break. You are it, 24/7. There is no power in the words "Wait till your father gets home", cause Papa don't live here. I'm lucky that I get a break once a week. My wonderful parents take my son overnight most Thursdays for me. That's my alone time. That's the time I have to recharge my batteries, be calm and quiet. That's the time I have to regroup and get a firmer grip on my sanity. A grip I am fighting to hang on to.
Children can tire you out with their endless energy, questions and exploration, but they are easily manageable. Mom & Dad are in charge. That fact is not in question. We can protect them from danger, teach them and make them laugh.
Yes, children can tire you out, but just wait. Teenagers are exhausting.
Common sense, reason & logic are out the window. At least your common sense, reason & logic are. Everything you do as a parent becomes questionable. Every boundary, every responsibility, everything you say becomes a barrier to the life they feel entitled to. The humor and silliness that once made them laugh results in sullen looks and slamming doors. Protecting them from danger becomes a slippery slope of giving them the freedom to make their own decisions and wanting to keep them from the consequences of the wrong ones. They have, after all, forgotten everything you have taught them to this point. That, or they dismiss it as nothing more than you being overprotective or trying to baby them. They have become all knowing, invincible, immortal. They think they are masters of their own destiny. They know what's best for them. The fact that you have more than twice the life experience of them just makes you, old. You want to give them freedom to become their own person. You want them to become responsible adults. You want to kick them in the ass for being so opposed to accepting the wisdom of experience. You want scream at the top of your lungs, "Since you're so friggin smart, get out and support yourself!"
But, you don't. At least, not with meaning. There is still a thread of the umbilical that whispers the truth. The thought of leaving the safety of home is too daunting to risk. It's a thread you both hang on to. Teenagers tug at it, parents let out some slack. There comes a point where there is no slack left and the connection breaks. Then, all you can do is hope and pray they take enough of what you have given them to flourish in adulthood.
We are not there yet. But I am having one hell of a tug-o-war!
I have been too exhausted to form coherent thoughts. The creative juices have receded into the recesses of my brain like a pair of testicles in a cold pool. The mental and emotional energy necessary to get through a 24 hour period with a teenager could solve the worlds natural energy depletion, if we could harness it.
This is the dark side of being a single parent.
I am being eaten alive, one molecule at a time. I can feel it happening, but there is nothing I can do about it. I catch glimpses of myself in the mirror. There is a haunting, empty look in my eyes, much like what I saw in my Grandfather near the end.
I can picture myself in a mental ward. Drool on my chin, unable to focus on anything tangible. People will look sadly upon me and ask "What happened to her?" The Doctors will reply, "TEENAGER", and all will nod sadly, knowingly, sympathetically.
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