Yay Mitt

I've been following politics too much. I already feel a twitch coming on and the general election isn't until November!

The fight to be the Repugnant...erm Republican nominee is probably the scariest bunch of freakazoids in this country.

That said, if I had to pick a freakazoid (and I can't because I'm a Democrat) I would pick Mitt Romney.

Why?

He's the least scary of the bunch.

Can he beat Obama?

I don't know.

I'm almost to a point where I don't care.

I don't think the current administration is doing enough, but I'm scared of what a Republican run government would do to our already weak country.

I wish there was a candidate somewhere that cared about America, but sadly I know that that candidate doesn't exist.

ARGH To Infinity And Beyond

~ Dad got a $300.00 bill from the hospital for his Procrit shot. Going to be putting that on a payment plan or something. Why can't they just bill things out a little over time rather than 2.5 months worth all at once?

~ Someone didn't turn the crockpot on this morning, I had to scramble to get the boiled dinner..erm boiled in time for supper. Not fun.

~ I can't find my damn library card now that our library has gone high tech. This is so not fair! I want to read ebooks from our library!!

~ No new telly tonight, which means I have no real means of relaxing.

~ I need to figure out how to get rid of some of the things in my grandmother's house so I can put it up for sale. We need the funds. I don't care how much I get for the house, I want it out of my life.

Have I mentioned I can't find my damn library card?

Top 5 Sundays

Here's another Top 5 list from Larissa's Bookish Life

The theme for today is:

Favorite Ghostly Novels!

1. Eve Bunting - Ghosts Of Departure Point: This was one of my favorite YA novels when I was growing up. I think I read this one about 20 times over the years. My copy is so battered that it is sad, but it is well loved.

2. Hope Tarr -The Haunting: OMG this is the absolute best Harlequin Blaze I have ever read. One part paranormal and one part historical. Oh and have I mentioned hot steamy sex with a ghost? Tee hee! Fun times!

3. Stacey Kennedy - Stolen Dreams : I love Stacey Kennedy! This is the first book of hers that I read last year. It was also the book that put her at the top of my must read list of authors! I love Tess and Kipp.

4. Neil Gaiman -The Graveyard Book: This list wouldn't be complete without this book, m'kay?

5. Amanda Stevens - The Restorer : This was possibly the best book I read last year.

The Death Of The Small Town

I live in a small town. If it weren't for McDonald's, Subway and a few other eateries there would be nothing in Charleroi-On-Mon...well except for the drug dealers. There are plenty of those apparently.

We all have to have are Targets (Hey I do!), Walmarts (Not so much), and other huge shopping centers that make me full of rage every time I enter one, that all the little stores owned by everyday people disappear. That's damn frustrating. These stores aren't really a convenience. I know its been said before, but they are the killer of small businesses and small towns.

When I was growing up in the 80s our downtown was pretty awesome! We had Might's a magazine/newpaper store, Orange's (A gift shop/card store that just closed it's doors after 118 years), several clothing stores, loads of shoe stores, and a Murphy's 5 and 10.

Oh and Corning Glass Works was our main industry. Let's thank those silicone implants for the demise of Corning in Charleroi, shall we? They sold off their profitable glass works to World Kitchen so that they could settle the lawsuits from the wannabe big boobed bimbos and their damn implants.

Ho hum.

And from there on Charleroi-On-Mon faded...most of the store fronts are empty and when new business tries to come in.....it fails.

I think it is so sad that we have to drive miles out of our way anymore to do shopping. The only grocery store in town is Save-A-Lot, which while nice and budget friendly, doesn't work as a total go to for grocery needs.

At what point will people realize that we need towns to thrive? And we need businesses in our towns? Maybe when gas prices hit $5.00 and driving 5 or 10 miles to the nearest Walmart becomes too costly. What do you think?

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 songs that are just plain creepy

1. Elvis Costello - Psycho
2. Dickey Lee - Laurie (Strange Things Happen)
3. J. Frank Wilson & The Caveliers - Last Kiss (Why did Pearl Jam cover this?)
4. Boingo - Pedestrian Wolves
5. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Candyman

This Made Me Smile

A Taxing Dilemma

Sadly my tax return looks nothing like Mitt Romney's.

I'm trying to figure out the best way to do my taxes. I'd like to get them done ASAP, but filing scares the crap out of me, especially as I have that stupid freelance job, that has listed as either a sole proprietor or consultant..you know for that whopping $492.00 I made doing CD reviews last year.

~ sigh ~

If I do my taxes at H&R Block the cost is close to what my additional revenue is. If I do it at home, it is about 1/3 of that.

The problem is...I'm scared to death to do my taxes at home.

What if I screw up.

What if the IRS comes knocking at my door.

ARGH!!

I hate tax time!!!

I Want A New Drug

OK, I don't, but the doc wants my dad to try something new for his COPD.

Daliresp is supposed to help keep COPD exacerbations at bay. It is a new drug on the market, and because of that I'm wary.

Why?

It's new, so it isn't really tested well. How many newish drugs do you see pulled from the market in the first 5 - 10 years? Lots! Some even after 20!!

The side effects though mild, diarrhea and weight loss aren't too bad, but for a man who struggles to keep weight on...and had issues with the other as a result of a colon tumor...well you know I'm just not sure.

Of course we want to keep these exacerbations from happening, because my dad never has mild ones...he has severe ones.

What to do...what to do...what to do.

I Don't Wanna Go

My dad has an appointment with his primary care physician tomorrow. If he hadn't been in the hospital over the weekend I'd cancel this appointment.

I hate taking him to a general practitioner during cold/flu season.

I don't need him getting an infection from someone in the office and have him land back in the hospital again. It's getting expensive.

Until we can get the subscription for the ambulance, each trip to Mon Valley Hospital is $25 and any stay that is just for observation or if they send him home from the ER is $50.00. After a hospital stay they want you to follow up with your primary care and that's another $10.00 copay.

It is fucking nuts!

I'd go on about how broken our health care system is but I already sound like a broken record.

Exhaustion

This was the worst weekend I've had in a long while. The weather combined with my dad's stay in the hospital kept me from doing anything.

Most of the time I felt like I was running around like a headless chicken.

Today was no different because the weather improved and I had to pick dad up from the hospital and get prescriptions and all the usual stuff I have to do around the house.

But wait...there is always a wrench thrown in the works.

Dad's oxygen machine died.

Yup.

I wonder if it was malfunctioning on Thursday?

My nephew and I had to lug the upstairs machine down, so that he'd have oxygen. Tomorrow the company will deliver a new until.

Don't you love drama?

My Day From Hell

They wanted to discharge my father from the hospital today.

Uh...

There was nearly a half an inch of ice on the roads and the plow didn't come by until nearly 2 this afternoon. I helped a neighbor clear most of our section of 11th ST hill.

Then I tried to find my car, which had that much ice covering it.

The neighbor's son came and helped me get into the car. Then the door got stuck and wouldn't close.

It took 4 hours to get the car thawed out..and I had to call for help to get the door latch unstuck so that I could get the door closed.

Oh and the cold weather has sapped air out of my tires, so I'm going to have to stop at the gas station before I go get my dad to put air in.

ARGH!

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 songs that annoy the hell out of you.
1.  Toby Keith - Red Solo Cup ( This song pains the hell out of my ears. Worst drinking song EVER...and it is an earworm to boot)

2. Ohio Express - Yummy Yummy Yummy (Someone has love in their tummy? No thank you...and I don't want to know how it got there!)

3. Katy Perry - California Gurls (And every other song in her damn catalog)

4. Lana Del Ray - Video Games (After all the hubbub about her SNL performance..this song has really started to annoy me)

5. Elton John w/ Lady Gaga - Hello Hello (I gave them the benefit of the doubt that this song was good and should be in the running for best song in a film..then I listened to it a few times! ARGH!)

Crazy Days

Another ER visit for dad.

It has actually been 2 months since he's had a hospital stay...and only one episode of shortness of breath in the last 2 months and that was the result of a failed attempt at making rosette cookies.

Keep him in your thoughts and prayers please

The Day The LOLCats Died

Our web means more than lawyers, lobbies and lies.....

Another Vintage Picture

This is a photo of my Grandma Anna, my dad's mum. I never knew her, because she passed away 11 or 12 years before I was born.

The first thing I thought when I saw this picture was "Boy does she look rough!"

But then, she had 10 children and lived in a coal mining town.

So I guess looking rough was the thing.

Having seen the photos of my dad's family, I am now quite happy to say that I look more like the Rehula/Wasicek side of the family.

Is that bad of me?

Probably.

Dad and Grandpap Guy

This is a photo my brother found on Ancestry.com.

That's my dad and my grandpap back in the day...Like way back in the day!

He found a lot out about my dad's family that we didn't know...like our ancestors came from Ireland and our name was originally Gaw.

OK..anyone know how that is pronounced? And I wonder how Guy came from that.

All I know is it must be nice to be able to afford to be a member of that site! $23 a month!

Yikes!

To learn stuff that even our parents parents didn't know or care to share with us!

Perfect Weekend

How do I describe a perfect weekend?

1. No visits to the MVH emergency room.
2. Actually got to read. (Finished 2 books this weekend)
3. Got the shopping done.
4. Actually got to visit the blogs on my friends list. I'm such a bad blogger friend these days.
5. Finished one of the two reviews on my schedule!

I think I did pretty good this week. I feel accomplished and even a little bit rested.

I'd Rather Be Reading

I have two reviews do. One is do on the 20th and the other the 26th. I hate rushing through them during the week, so I always work on them over the weekend.

However this weekend I'm feeling particularly lazy.

The first album I have to review is by a Toronto recording artist. Her name is Dimple Sharma. It is new age-y and a bit spiritual in the George Harrison kind of way. Lots of sitar and tabla. Very Eastern sounding. Very pretty.

But do you know what?

I'd rather be reading. I just want to curl up under the covers and read.

I have so many books I want to dive into right now too.

Anything is better than listening to and then writing 600 words about an album most people haven't heard about.

However at least I get paid to do that. Not much...but money is money, right?

But I'd still rather be reading

Who's Comin' For Breakfast

I found this recipe on Cooks.com, I think I'm going to try it tomorrow morning...or Sunday.


4 slices bread (your choice)
1 lb. sausage
1 c. sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
6 eggs (Egg Beaters may be used)
2 c. milk
1 tsp. mustard dry (optional)
1 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper

Tear bread in pieces and place in greased baking dish (13 x 9). Brown and drain sausage, spoon over bread. Sprinkle grated cheese over all. Beat eggs, milk, dry mustard, salt and pepper together and pour over bread and sausage.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. The cheese will rise to the top during baking. Can be prepared the night before and refrigerated.

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 people you'd like to make a mix cd/playlist for (Share a bit about why you picked these people too, if you'd like!)

1. My Brother: It is fun to torture family members with my taste in music.

2. Father David and Father Jerry: I affectionately call these my two priestly boyfriends. Yup..I'm going to hell for that. I make them Christmas mix CDs...but I think it would be hilarious to pass off some of my musical taste on them. However...I'd really go to hell for that! LOL!

3. My bff, Jennifer....because she still doesn't quite appreciate Mika in the way that everyone should.

4. My friend Callie, because though we have similar tastes in music we always seem to discover different things from each other, so it is always fun to make her a mix.

5. My "other" mother Linda, just cos she always needs new music in her life.

No No No No No

I'm always looking for new news when it comes to Doctor Who. I love me some Time Lord goodness. However I really hate when the news I get depresses me.

The Ponds are leaving Doctor Who?!

I love Amy and Rory...

OK, I love Rory...he was one of the best male companions the show has seen in ages. He wasn't wimpy or wussy or whiny.

I loved him, and I loved that he was married to Amy.

Now they are going.

PAH!

Plus from what I've read its a heartbreaking storyline? Oh god NO!

Suddenly I went from looking forward to a new series of the show..to feeling really meh about it.

Crazy Day

Here's some randomosity for you:

~ My uncle isn't doing well. It looks like he's going to end in a nursing home. It is so sad. My aunt and uncle will be married 60 years on Saturday. What a way to celebrate a long marriage.

~ My dad had some issues today...nothing bad, but stuff that upset him..thus giving him a panic attack which we all had to deal with. Not fun.

~ Bought another space heater for the downstairs. Not having a working furnace is not fun. Not being able to afford a new furnace because to replace the old coal furnace would cost an arm..two legs and a few children I'm not going to have is ridiculous. So yeah...space heaters it is. Now do you understand my bitchin' about temps?

~ Started reading an absolutely great historical romance. I needed that!

~ Working on getting all my promotions posted on my book blog. Book blogging is hard work.

Must Listen!!

I had the opportunity to review a fabulous CD over at mossip. I've not been finding a lot of great music lately, but this CD was different.

The artist's name is Adam Cross and the CD is called Sirens.

If you like bands like Matchbox Twenty, Maroon 5 and even artists like Ultravox....you want to give this guy a listen.

It is 10 perfect pop tunes.

Want to learn more? Go to mossip and watch the video for Dance here

Book Ramblings

I'm really trying to get into Jodi Picoult's Plain Truth, but I can't do it. I keep looking at my massive "to be read" pile and I feel guilty that I'm wasting my time with this book.

Because I have a hard time abandoning books to the "did not finish" pile.

The problem is, I just can't pick up the book. It fills me with dread, kinda like Moby Dick did when I was in high school.

I've put Jodi Picoult on my list of authors I will never ever read again, no matter how highly recommended and acclaimed the book is. I'm done with her. If I finish this book, I deserve a prize. (Or at least a pat on the back)

To further illustrate how much this book annoys me...I would rather be reading one of the Twilight novels than this...

Have you ever had a book you didn't want to finish this much or is it just me?

We Three Kings

Today we celebrated epiphany. Father Jerry got to talking about the "Three Kings"/Wise Men/Astrologers etc and that got me to thinking.

When did the Christmas star really appear and how long did it take for these guys to find the Christ Child?

Which of course led me here

Which resulted in more thinking, which hurt my brain.

I really shouldn't do things that hurt my brain like that. But it was one of those things that has always bugged me in the Bible...the wise men are only referenced in Matthew's gospel as is the Star of Bethlehem....along with the fact that the census that was supposed to have been taken when Jesus was born doesn't fit in the timeline...along with many other things.

ARGH!!

Hurting brain.

Must stop....

Prayers Are Needed

My dad's younger brother is in the hospital with pneumonia.  Things aren't looking well for him. He was diagnosed with lung cancer a year ago. On top of that, he's suffering dementia..though from the sounds of his symptoms, it is probably Alzheimer's.

It was through my aunt and uncle that my mom and dad were introduce.

Both them and my parents will be celebrating (hopefully) 60 years of marriage this year. My aunt and uncle this month and my mom and dad in March.

I hope that they have the chance to celebrate their anniversary together.

Love like that doesn't happen often anymore.

I hope they have a little more time together...of course there is never enough time....

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 albums you are looking forward to in the new year.

1. Paul McCartney - Kisses On The Bottom (OK..I love this title!)



2. Joyful Noise OST  (Queen Latifah and Dolly...Life is good!)




3. The Phantom Of The Opera @ The Royal Albert Hall



4. Ringo Starr - Ringo 2012



5. New album by Gloriana? Hopes...

It's Been A Long Week

It is funny how the days and weeks prior to Christmas seem to fly by at such a fast pace. Now that all the holidays are over everything is dragging.

These five days really seemed to crawl by.

I'm really looking forward to the weekend, even if it means 48 hours of absolute craziness. Which it is. There will be grocery shopping to do, decorations to take down.

Places to go...things to do...and none of them fun.

Big sigh

On a happy note, I bought a few books for my Nook today...cos I really need more books!

Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll be able to read for a bit over the weekend.

Yeah right!

Burned Out

I've had two music reviews due this week and it has been like pulling teeth to get them written. I have another one that I'd like to finish over the weekend if I can stomach it.

My most recent review album is an instrumental piano album.

It is beautiful music, but I'm having a hard time coming up with 600 words to describe it.

I think I've mentioned many times over that this job has really ruined my love of music?

I really wish I could have some time to sit and just listen to music I enjoy, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore and that makes me sad.

Something that I've always enjoyed, has now become a chore.

I think it may be time to give up the extra $500 a year and take back my love of music.

Another Reason I Love Winter

I had to go to the bank today for the boss. It is 3:30 and its snowing and I'm grumbling. As I slide my way down the driveway, I'm swearing a little bit more.

As I skid down North Avenue, I'm wishing I didn't have to go to two banks.

By the time I make it to the second bank, I'm ready for the looney bin.

Then I have to stop at the store, because with the roads so fucking lousy there is no way I'm taking my dad to Belle Vernon to another bank. I'm not risking life and limb to cash a check.

I get some groceries and start for home.

Holy fuckenolies, they didn't even plow/salt/do a voodoo dance over 5th St hill, which is usually the only hill in Charleroi On Mon that is ever 100% clear.

Me and Francesca the Focus trudged our way up the hill and there were a few times that I didn't think we were going to make it.

Think Paul Simon "Slip Slidin' Away"

Yes, risking life and limb to get from point A to point B is another reason why I fucking love ....erm..loathe winter.

Toss some money in my collection basket so I can move the family to Hawaii!

Mmmm Candy

Behold the power of Chocorooms! My sister discovered this candy at the Five Below store. It is a wonderful Japanese concoction guaranteed to make you forget your sanity and shell out $2.99 for a small box.

My bff bought a box for me. I hadn't tried them because when I was at the store there had only been one box and I got it for my sister.

I kept this one for myself.

I will never share another Chocoroom again!

OMG! These little crackers with chocolate are fabulous!

If you ever get a chance to find these grab them and consume them slowly. They are meant to be savored.

Happy New Year!

Well 2012 is here...and thanks to a bottle of Barefoot Wine I was out like a light at about 12:30!

I'm so not a drinker.

OK, I am..but when I drink I go to sleep.

As in...Zzzzzzzz.

I get really happy for a bit...then off to la la land!

Oh and today...Windows decided it could find updates on Vista for the first time in over a year! I've had to deal with my computer downloading 95+ updates in the last 4 hours.

If this is any indication of what 2012 is going to be like...I'm going to hide under a rock until 2013. (Which might be a good idea, because it is an election year...and frankly.....all the candidates are ass clowns)

On that note...I wish you all a safe, prosperous and fun 2012!