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!

Two Things I've Noticed

They show two types of commericals on New Year's Eve:

Diet commericals
Dating commercials


Meaning the only people at home on New Year's Eve are either fat...single or both.

Bastards!

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 musical things you wanted to get for Christmas but didn't

1. There were no iPods under my Christmas tree this year. (Sniffle) My old 30 GB Zen is getting a bit tattered and I wanted either a Touch or a Classic, but that just wasn't happening this year..AGAIN.


2. Elvis Costello: Apparently Diana Krall doesn't want to share him with me.

3. Concert tickets: I knew that wasn't happening...just as I know I'm not going to see my favorite band on April 2...because that's my dad's birthday. ~big selfish sigh~

4. Mika: I'm not sure why he wasn't in my stocking....He probably would have fit too! I must have words with Santa!

5. Justin Hayward and John Lodge..again..its the whole wife thing...DRAT~

Post Christmas Burnout

I was manic before the holiday. I was on a baking binge. I got stuff done. I was on Cloud 9.

Christmas came and went and was overall uneventful.

Now I feel very blegh.

Not depressed, because things went well as far as people staying healthy and no one arguing etc..but blech because I did all that work and the 24 hours came and went and I felt like it was all for nothing.

And ever since Christmas I can't shake the tired feeling I have. It is like all the work I did last week has caught up with me and now I'm spiraling downward.

That kind of sucks too.

I'm hoping that New Year's is a more stress free or at least relaxing holiday. I just want to eat appetizers and drink lots of good booze and then sleep.

What about you?

Good Riddance Day!

Good Riddance Day -- a day to say bye-bye to whatever it is that made you blue in 2011.

Where to begin?

I think the primary thing that made me blue in 2011 was my father's health. I wish I could say goodbye to his hospital visits and all the bills. His Procrit shots alone are $70 every other week unless his blood count is about 11.

Each ER visit is $50

Doctor visits, $10 and $20.

ARGH!

So I say good riddance to bad health! Let's hope Dad has a healthier 2012. I know it is a lot to ask for, but we can keep our fingers crossed.

Oh and FYI...extreme temps aren't good for his lungs..so we don't like temps in the 90s (I never did) and temps below 32 either. Plus with the age of our house..heating and cooling is damn expensive.

Waiting On The Storm

Parts of my area are under a winter storm advisory.

Two words for the weather: Boo Hiss!

Thankfully Washington County isn't under the advisory, but I'm figuring my car doors will be nicely frozen shut since it has been pouring down rain much of today, and it is supposed to dip down into the 20s tonight.

BLERGH!

The only good thing is, the cold is only supposed to last 24 hours. Thursday and Friday will be back in the 40s and that's just fine by me.

We don't want it to get too cold. I fear extreme temps with my dad's health the way it is.

So let's keep our fingers crossed for more unseasonably warm weather. Plus when the weather is crappy, I end up losing time at work, and I do that enough now with my dad and his doctor's appointments.

Things I Learned In 2011

~ I'm a really awesome baker. Come try my cookies!

~ I can cook for an army of 6 on holidays without going insane.

~ I actually enjoy cooking.

~ I'm strong in the face of fear.

~ I've learned the fear of almost losing someone

~ I've come to appreciate my faith again, something I never thought I'd do.

~ I learned TV and movies are seldom worth the time spent viewing them.

~ I've learned to hate doctors almost as much as I hate Republicans...erm politicians.

~ I've learned that I've reached that age where concerts just don't matter anymore

What I Did On Christmas 2011

~ Went to church where the organist decided to blow out our ears by playing our pipe organ REALLY  loud!

~ Made dinner.

~ Decided that no matter what I do...I always get screwed on Christmas....not in a good way.

~ Determined the cause for most of my grief is the wisdom teeth that have decided to bug me for the first time in 3 years.

~ Watched The Tudors...and said...Wow, that's a whole lot of naked!

~ Watched Doctor Who...and fell asleep through it..cos lordy that wasn't Moffat at his best.

So yeah, that's my Christmas! How was yours?

Merry Christmas Eve!

What a wonderful evening. I made dinner and many of the cookies for dessert. I even did some of the dishes.
All went very well.

Oh and no one is in the hospital or sick.

Truly it was a great Christmas Eve.

Here's hoping that Christmas Day goes just as well.

I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday as well!

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 ways music plays a part in your holiday celebrations


1. It creates a lovely setting in the house before company arrives.

2. It annoys the hell out of me at church, because no matter how much practice our choir has, or how many people come in to play fancy instruments (oh yeah, there was a violinist last week) you can't make a bunch of old ladies that think they are still sopranos sound good. (Let the men sing...cos they can..PLEASE)

3. Its what I give instead of cards. If you haven't downloaded this year's mix...check the tags and grab my 2011 CD card to all of you.

4. It brightens my mood when making holiday treats.

5. Certain songs bring back memories of past Christmases.

To sum things up, holiday music in particular plays a huge part in our celebrations. What about yours?

Tonight's Cookie: Russian Tea Cookies

Please ignore the fubarred table cloth. I wasn't changing it tonight because the cats would do their best to shred it before our guests arrive.

Here's the recipe from Betty Crocker for this super simple, super tasty cookie.

Ingredients

1cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2cup powdered sugar
1teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts
1/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar

1 Heat oven to 400ºF.

2 Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together.

3 Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

4 Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack.

5 Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again.

It's Been A Day

I spent about 3 hours in the ER this morning with my father.

Not with the usual COPD related issues, but with a common nosebleed.

OK, there was nothing common about his nosebleed. It was like Niagara Falls coming out of both nostrils. Yeah, that's the kind of morning I was having. I had to call 911 over a nosebleed, and then pay $50.00 to have him see an ER doctor.

ARGH!

Then he had to go back to the hospital, because today was his appointment with the hematologist for blood work and his Procrit shot.

What a crazy day it has been.

All of this started at 6:30 this morning. I'm so tired right now, I can hardly keep my eyes open.

Randomosity

~ I found my very first Christmas mix CD yesterday. I made it in 2003. I can't believe I've made them for people for 8 years! Yikes.

~ Made the kolachy cookies..or most of them. There are now about 4.5 dozen in the house filled with raspberry, apricot or nutella filling.

~ I'm going through a lot of my reading challenges for the year from my book blog. I did well on several and on others I failed miserably.

~ Tomorrow is dad's appointment with the hematologist. That's always fun, but his doctor (who he doesn't usually see on these visits) is very nice and so is the rest of the staff.

~ All of my Christmas shopping is done. Yee ha!

~ My cat, Skimble only likes to play in the Christmas tree when I'm around to yell at him. Apparently he likes the attentiion.

~ Cutest pic of Sugarplum ever

It's Beginning To Smell A Lot Like Christmas!

Tonight I made the dough for the kolachy cookies. My house is filled with that wonderful smell of yeast. Mmmmm.

Tomorrow, I'll roll the cookies and bake.

Wednesday, I'll make the coconut cookies.

Thursday I'll do the cream cheese dough cookies and make some Pochettes and the Apricot Hanukkah cookies. Hey! Any cookie is good! I don't care what holiday it is.

Friday night is the night for the butterscotch haystack cookies.

Can you just feel your hips expanding? I know I can feel mine!

I absolutely love the smell of cookies baking. The kolachy cookies are my favorite because they use cake yeast. I know it is absolutely crazy but the smell of the yeast is so comforting. It makes me feel like all is well in the world, or at least in my kitchen.

Sweet Niblets!

Yes, I've watched too much Hannah Montana!

But no matter what...there's only a week til Christmas and nothing is going as planned.

I have so much to do...and so little time to do it. I did get cards done...and the mix cds. Trees are up and presents bought. So there's that, but it is the baking that I enjoy that isn't getting there, because I'm just so damn tired. I just can't get anything done.

Well, except staring at a computer screen. I can do that pretty well.

I guess I just have a case of the holiday lazies, which I'll have to get over or there won't be any holiday worth mentioning.

A little FYI...all I want for Christmas is a few hours of reading time, uninterrupted please!

Mmm Biscoti!

Here's a little sumthin' sumthin' that I made tonight! Sour Cream Biscotti! I found the recipe on the Taste Of Home website.

Ingredients


1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup sour cream

1-1/2 teaspoons almond or Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in sour cream and extract. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture.

Line two baking sheets with foil; grease the foil. Divide dough into thirds. On a floured surface, shape dough into three 8-in. x 2-1/2-in. x 3/4-in. loaves; place on foil. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven. Lift loaves with foil onto a wire rack; cool for 15 minutes.

Place on a cutting board; using a serrated knife, slice diagonally 3/4 in. thick. Place slices, cut side down, on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Turn cookies over; bake 10 minutes longer. Cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container. Yield: about 2-1/2 dozen.

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 musical highlights of 2011

1. James Taylor & Zac Brown Band @ the ACM awards



2. Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert's wedding. (Another hot country power couple!)

3.  Elvis Costello touring with the Spinning Songbook again (even though I didn't get to see him)

4. Duran Duran's Girl Panic video..which is super ridiculous and so totally them!



5. New music from Erasure, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert and Dolly Parton!

My Bloo Pod Of Christmas Music

I have filled my little iPod shuffle with so much Christmas music it is ridiculous. Now if only I could have some place to go so that I could listen to it.

I put as many of my old Christmas mixes and winter mixes on Bloo as possible.

I really need to feel as festive as possible.

Why?

Nothing is going right.

I can't get anything done and I'm super frustrated. I wasted a whole evening because I totally fell asleep after supper tonight and didn't wake up until 10:30!

I had so many plans for tonight..that included laundry and updating the pod some more and my Nook. I guess I'm going to be scrambling in the morning as usual.

ARGH!

I think when I go to bed, I'll put my Bloo pod of Christmas music on.....maybe I'll have festive dreams...

An Episode of Argh

Can't fry Rosette cookies around my dad.

That's all I have to say..

Off to the ER...

ARGH!

A Winter's Rant

For as advanced as we are in some things...I marvel at how lagging we are in others.

It is freaking cold outside.

My car's windshields front and back are totally frosted.

I turn on the defrost.

10 minutes later..the rear window is clear...the front, which is really the most important of the two...Still frozen.

WTF!

So Detroit...why can't you come up with something that will allow the front windshield to defrost quickly? There has to be a way. You can turn cars into big ole computers that will do everything but drive themselves to the destination of choice, but you can't unfreeze a windshield in 10 minutes?

C'mon boys..You can do it! I have faith!

Christmas Mix 2011

Here's the Christmas Mix for 2011. Sadly when it ripped it ripped to m4a and I haven't had the time to convert back :( So I hope this works for you.

Download

October Project - Angels We Have Heard On High
Nick Bukuvalas - Give Me All Your Love
Matt Wentz - Christmas Just Ain't Christmas
Matthew West - Come On Christmas
Carole King - Do You Hear What I Hear
Dolly Parton - We Three Kings
Michael Buble - All I Want For Christmas Is You
Neil Diamond - Little Drummer Boy
Andrea Bocelli - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Keri Noble - Giving You My Love
Celtic Thunder - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
Chris Isaak - Brightest Star
Straight No Chaser - Little Saint Nick
Cast In Bronze - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Gary Puckett - Medley: Away In A Manager/The First Noel
Nicole Kehl - Christmas Crush
Over The Rhine - North Pole Man (demo)
Jeff Meegan - What Child Is This
Carrie Underwood - Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Julieanne Hough - It Wasn't His Child/Mary Did You Know



Please comment if you take the mix.

The Christmas Mix From Hell

I'm pretty sure this year's Christmas Mix CD is cursed.

First: My printer started printing a pretty rainbow through the middle of the image I picked for the cover.
Then I bought a new color cartridge, because after troubleshooting, that's what was supposed to fix it.

I put an emphasis on the word, supposed.

ARGH!

But wait, my tale of woe isn't finished yet.

I get the CDs burned..and every flipping time I print I notice an error in a song title.

I had to print the tracklisting sheet 4 times before I got one that was totally correct. For some reason, Nero likes to cut off the song titles when it transfers over to the labeling program.

ARGH!

But at long last the 2011 mix is complete. I'm not mailing out many, but for those of you, like Bilbo who enjoy them, I will be posting this year's mix in the next day or so.

Amazing

Thanks to two little bags of change that I kept adding to, I have a  little over 100 dollars to spend @ Amazon.com.

Yay for Coinstar!

Yay I can buy my nephews and my BFF Christmas presents this year.

Up until the moment I realized that I had that little nest egg, I didn't think there was going to be much in the way of Christmas presents coming from me.

So can I get a woot for unexpected cash?

I think I deserve one!

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 albums of 2011

Things That Make You Go Hmm

How the hell does Sandusky get bail?

If I were the judge I'd do everything in my power to see that a-hole sit in jail and get his butt kicked and anything else the inmates can come up with.

I know its supposed to be innocent until proven guilty..but this guy is so vile, he makes my flesh crawl. The fact that Penn State covered it all up for so long makes the Catholic church look good.

The whole scandal makes me sick to my stomach.

Grrrr

Randomosity

~ The Moody Blues are coming to Pittsburgh on April 2, which happens to be my dad's 86th birthday and a Monday night. Guess I won't be going. I haven't been to a concert in a year now. That makes me very sad.

~ Dad didn't need the Procrit shot! Woo hoo! His blood count was 11.0, which for him is really good! However at the heart doc, I saw his report from his hospital stays and I don't feel very good at all. In fact, I feel a bit scared.

~ It was cold, wet and then snowy today. That sucks to infinity and beyond. Have I mentioned I have a deep seeded hatred of all things related to winter.

~ I got nothing else done today other than driving my dad to and from his appointments. It is leaving me very frustrated.

~ The Penn State scandal is getting scarier and scarier. How did this man not get arrested before this year? and seriously, bail? I don't think so!

~ 8 year old boy 1, Michelle Bachman 0

The New Stove Cometh!

I got the call this afternoon that the new range will be delivered sometime tomorrow afternoon. The old range is 60 years old. It was the only oven my parents ever had. It is a white Tappan.

They don't make em like that anymore!

It was the most awesome stove. It had 2 electrical outlets on the backsplash and a light! It also had two side drawers for storage!

It looks similar to this one only our oven door has no window. It is a shame that there is no one that can work on the stove, it could be restored, but with dad's health so bad, and there not being a rent-a-man store around, it will just have to go.

~big sigh~

She will definitely be missed

New Stove

What better way to spend $650?

Buying a new stove.

So when they see some economic growth for the month of December...you will know why.

ARGH!

I could think of many things I'd rather have spent that money on...

Another Round Of Bad Luck

Our stove died this morning.

Yipee!

I spent an hour at Lowes only to discover they won't hook up the damn thing if I bought it there. WTF is up with that. It is a freaking gas range. If I buy one..and you deliver and haul away the old one, why can't you hook up the new one so that I know it works?

Asshats.

They will not be getting my business. I'll be going to Highway Appliance. I may pay more at the local store, but I'll know the damn thing will be installed and functioning and that my house won't blow up when I turn the oven on for the first time.

I guess I'll be using the crockpot for the next few days until we can sort this mess out.

Oh and if anyone knows where the money fairy is hiding, send her our way, because I don't know where we're getting the money for a range.

Another Saturday Night

~ cue Jimmy Buffett

I'm working on some cleaning projects, as always. I have the second Christmas tree up. It is a little 6 ft white tree with blue lights. We couldn't put the big tree up this year, simply because of the fear that we'd need the EMS people to come through.

~sigh~

That tree rivaled Father Jerry's super duper gorgeous creation. (Yeah...I'm still hung up on that tree! It freaking spins!!!!!!!!!)


I bought a beautiful (and cheap) dress for Christmas at Fashion Bug. Thanks to Fashion Bug cash I saved $20.00. I'm going to look like a present! It is a red wrap dress and I got a festive necklace and earring set. Woo hoo!

So all in all, not a bad day....it just feels like I've done nothing. However that isn't very different from any other day.

I guess what gets done, gets done.  I only have 2 hands.....

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 songs of 2011

Oddly my 5 are all country pop. How weird is that? Even the new Erasure didn't impress me much.

1. Jake Owen - Barefoot Blue Jean Night
2. Lady Antebellum - We Owned The Night
3. Miranda Lambert - Baggage Claim
4. Kristin Chenoweth - I Want Somebody (Bitch About)
5. Thompson Square - Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not

Computer Issues

Ever have one of those days where you have every intention of posting something but then nothing goes right?

Yeah, that's me.

I've got Vista running on my puter but for some reason it can't and won't run updates ...and on top of it all I ended up with some nasty malware last night that took about 3 hours to find and get rid of.

ARGH!

I really wish I could upgrade my operating system, but if I'm going to do that I might as well invest in a new computer.

I do know one thing, if I do that...I will not buy a desktop ever again.

I'm Making A List

I'm not sure I'll be checking it twice, but I probably should. It is time for the Christmas To-Do List from hell to take shape.

1. Clean living room so that the tree can be assembled.
2. Assemble and decorate said tree.
3. Get over the tree envy I'm feeling about a certain Priest's absolutely incredible tree!!!
4. Work on a grocery list for holiday.
5. Decide which cookies are going to be made and what items will be on the table for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner.
6. Burn the Christmas Mix CD.
7. Buy presents..though this year it will be slim pickin's
8. Buy wine...lots of wine.
9. Remember that it is not polite to kill people.
10. Enjoy the holiday

Italian Meatball Soup

Here's a recipe for a great soup I found on the Betty Crocker website

1 bag (16 oz) frozen cooked Italian meatballs, thawed

1 3/4 cups Progresso® beef flavored broth (from 32-oz carton)

1 cup water

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained

1 can (19 oz) Progresso® cannellini beans, drained

1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 

 

• 1 In 3- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix all ingredients except cheese.
• 2 Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.
• 3 Garnish individual servings with cheese.

 

Christmas Tree Envy

This is my Christmas tree, or rather one of them. I always put up a tree in my computer room, because I see it more often than the one in the living room.

I spent several hours last night, assembling and choosing ornaments for my pretty red and gold tree.

I was damn proud of my tree.

Then I told Father Jerry about it.

He told me to go look at his tree in the rectory.

So I did.

OMG!!!!!!

Father Jerry has a tree that I'd say was 7 ft....beautifully lit with white lights...and the freaking thing spins!!!!!!!

The tree spins!!!

My tiny little tree has an inferiority complex now.

Crikey!

I've been one upped by a lot of people in my life..but this is the first time I've been one upped by a priest.

Blast it!

A Week Of Thanks: Day 7

Today's the final day of my week of thanks. I've found I'm thankful for a lot. Friends, family, music...answered prayers....a good bottle of wine...

Its the little things to that bring small joys to my life. Today I'm going to focus on some of the little things that I'm thankful for....

1. Starbucks coffee
2. McDonald's fries
3. Christmas trees
4. Good books
5. Hugs
6. Pretty clothes
7. Vodka (cherry please)
8. New ornaments for the tree
9. Snow that is pretty and doesn't make driving a bitch
10. Christmas specials

A Week Of Thanks: Day Six

My pets: Sure there are a lot of them. I'm a total animal lover. I love dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters etc. There has never been a time in my life when there weren't animals running around my house.

Here is one of my little fur babies now

This is Gizmo. She started out as part feral, but quickly adapted to the life of a kittypet. She is now happy and lazy and sleeping most of her days away. She wasn't amused by people overtaking her dining room though!

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 songs that make you think about shopping
 
1. Culture Club - Mannequin
2. The Beatles - Can't Buy Me Love
3. Madonna - Material Girl
4. Elvis Costello - Green Shirt
5. Dolly Parton - The Bargain Store

A Week Of Thanks: Day Five

Today at 3 o'clock we got a phone call from the hospital. The doctor discharged my father! He got to come home for Thanksgiving.

For that I'm super thankful.

Oh and while I was up to visit him at lunch time I got to see my favorite person and I got a hug. So all in all it was a very nice holiday.

I'm truly thankful for answered prayers today.

I hope your holiday was just as good as mine

A Week Of Thanks: Day Four

I'm thankful for some really good, cheap wine that is keeping my sanity because we took Dad to the hospital again last night. He has a "touch" of pneumonia and will likely be there for a few days.

So much for the "best thanksgiving ever."

We are now shooting for the "worst thanksgiving ever" or something pretty close to it.

I have plans of drinking a lot of wine over the next few days. Thank the dear lord for cherry wine

A Week Of Thanks: Day Three

I am truly thankful for all the wonderful friends I have, be they online or close by.

This has been a tough year for my family and myself and if it weren't for my support system I really don't know how I would have made it through.

I send special hugs out to Bill, Mike,  and Jean Luc my blogger buddies.

I send even more hugs out to Linda, Jennifer, Tina, Father David and Father Jerry...because without them, my mind would have wandered off by now and probably would never have returned home.

Friendship is one of the most important things you can have in this world and I'm really happy that though my friends may not be numerous, they are the kind that will always be there for you.

Thank you for being a friend.....

A Week Of Thanks: Day Two

Elvis Costello: EC is the musician that I always go back to no matter what.  I have loved his music almost as long as long as I've loved The Beatles and The Monkees.

Whenever the chips are down or I'm in an angsty mood, this is music that I go to. My favorite albums are Brutal Youth, Blood and Chocolate and Imperial Bedroom, though I have to say, each album holds a special place in my heart.

His music has really shaped my life, plus I was lucky enough to meet him two times.

I'm very thankful for the many years of music he's brought...and hopefully there with be many more to come.

A Week Of Thanks: Day One

Starting today, I'm going to share one thing a day that I'm thankful for this year. Feel free to join in and share your things.

1. I'm thankful that my father is still with us this year. It has been a hard year for him health wise. Since last Christmas he has been in the hospital nearly once every month. It has been tough and a few of the trips to the ER have been life threatening and scary for both him and us.

I'm glad God has allowed him to stay with us, and hopefully he'll be with us next Thanksgiving and Christmas too.

This March will be a milestone year for mom and dad. On March 15th they will (God willing) celebrate their 60th wedding anniversay.

I am so thankful that Dad is still here...and mom too. They are the most precious people in my life.

Busy Bee

Let's see...this is what I did today:

1. Got most of the Thanksgiving shopping done. I still need a few small things for the meal.
2. Treated myself to some pretty things at Fashion Bug.
3. Went to lunch with my brother.
4. Rearranged the set up of two rooms slightly so that we can have Christmas trees up for the holiday.
5. Vacuumed. (BLECH)
6. Made an awesome Beef Vegetable soup.
7. Straightened up in the kitchen.

I'm about to do some laundry....

I've been up since about 7...and I'm thoroughly exhausted.

Tomorrow I need to go to Walmart, and I'm going to make nutroll for the first time.

When did I become so domesticated?

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 musical things that you are thankful for this year

1. New albums by Lady Antebellum, Erasure, Nick Lowe and The Puppini Sisters
2. Great country artists that I really came to love this year...like Zac Brown Band.
3. The leaked video of David Tennant's farewell to The Proclaimers 500 miles
4. Discovering artists like The Gothard Sisters through my freelance job.
5. All the music on my computer that keeps me sane.

My Day

~ Managed to get almost caught up at work today

~ Sliced my finger on a broken brownie pan trying to get a cookie tray for the french fries I was making for dinner.

~ Had a whacky dream that I was slow dancing with my....erm...priest...that is...Father Jerry....erm...this is so wrong, and I am so going to hell.

~ Could not even last 30 minutes at the YMCA....hot, sweaty me = misery.

~ Hit the panic alarm on my car when I was loading groceries this evening.

One word to describe today: BLECH!

I Bought A Roaster Oven

Yup! That's the highlight of my day. I bought the $27.00 roaster from Target today.

Why?

Because my mother was sure that I'd kill myself making a turkey in our oven.

WTF!

I swear I did it last year.

No one died.

I didn't even maim myself, which is amazing, because I usually do damage to myself on our oven. I have more burn marks on my hands than you could believe!

Let's hope the roaster works well. It had some great reviews on the site...

While we're at it...let's hope that it arrives in time.

Getting Nothing Done

Work = crazy
Home = crazier

I just want to disappear off the face of the earth.

I really need some time away from all of this..all of my life.

There is too much to think about right now and none of it is good.

Better Late Than Never

My mind is a bit to frazzled for blogging. We thought dad would be coming home today, but things changed there.

My faith in the Catholic chuch is waning. Actually...my faith isn't waning..but my feelings about our church hierarchy is. It is a long story...dealing with our former pastor, who is still a friend...and the events of a few years ago...I don't know..but I want to knock heads.  My mother got along really well with this man we all did...and he isn't allowed to talk to us... ARGH...I shouldn't go there...but I will shake my fist in the air at the stupidity of this all.

That said...I can talk about anything to Father Jerry, but he didn't connect well with mom, and since she's a shut in...well that makes it all the more difficult.

I'm babbling now....so I should stop before I say something that I might regret...

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 "medical" songs

1. Weird Al - Like A Surgeon
2. Thompson Twins - Doctor, Doctor
3. Bon Jovi - Bad Medicine
4. Cheap Trick - The Doctor
5. Oingo Boingo - Take Your Medicine

Dad's Back In The Hospital

For those of you that might not have guessed it, we took my dad back to the hospital Wednesday morning, with shortness of breath and some chest pain. His heart was out of rhythm there was also some fluid on his lungs.

So they are keeping him to monitor his condition.

The word pacemaker was brought up...but we aren't sure how we feel about that right now, considering all the other things he has going on.

Wish us luck, and keep us in your prayers.

Another Day In Paradise

~ Went to work...
~ Took dad to the doctors for his Procrit shot.
~ Teased my bff in the parking garage of the hospital...for those of you not in the know..my second bff is my priest. Oye vey.
~ Picked up prescriptions at the Eagle
~ Snacks at Dairy Queen
~ Drama on arrival home...
~ Voted for a bunch of losers
~ Ordered Chinese...

If this day doesn't merit a sigh...I don't know what does...

Where To Put The Tree

It is getting close to that time of year again.

Christmas and Thanksgiving are creeping up....but Christmas has more stuff attached to it. The Christmas tree to be exact.

There's a lot of new medical supplies in our house this year....potty chairs, oxygen compressors.

There's not a lot of room for stuff like Christmas trees.

I have 2.

We usually do one tree in the living room and I do the other in my computer room by the window.

This year?

I have no freaking idea where in the hell the trees are going.

However, I'm not sure we are doing anything for Christmas other than dinner and church. This year has been so bad financially (I haven't worked a full week, thanks to doctor's appointments in over a month) that we simply can't afford it.

I guess figuring out where to put the tree in our house is the least of my worries.

I Have Mad Cooking Skills!

I made my first jellyroll style meatloaf today!

It turned out beautiful!!

The recipe can be found here. I tweaked it a bit because I didn't need a huge loaf and I used cheese and a McDonald's BBQ dipping sauce on the top. I also used a meat loaf mix of meats rather than just ground beef. I think it turned out great.

Tasty Dinner

I made the refried bean soup that I posted about here today. OMG! If you like tortilla soup, you will like this. It was so good.

I made pulled pork with a wonderful pork sirloin roast I got at Giant Eagle and did my own homemade BBQ (1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup ketchup, 5 splashes of Worcestershire sauce) and cooked it on low for about 4 hours and 1 hour on high.

This had to be the nommiest dinners I've made in a long time.

As soon as everyone leaves I'm going to relax with an apple cider martini.

3 oz Vodka
3 oz Apple Cider

After that...I plan to pass out on the couch for the evening and watch old britcoms!

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 ways music helps you get through the holiday season

1. Certain albums like Costello's Brutal Youth and Oingo Boingo's Boingo, remind me that "It's not polite to kill people."

2. Making holiday mix CDs soothes the savage beastie in me.

3. It gives me stuff to buy for me!!! I like presents...presents for ME!!!!

4. It puts me in the mood for the holiday...sing with me.."Christmas time...Mistletoe and wine"

5. It gives me an excuse to play "Don't Need A Reindeer" over and over while still looking moderately sane.

So Glad The Weekend Is Almost Here

Reasons to be happy for the weekend:

1. 48 hours to get some of the reading done that I've been meaning to do. Dear god, will I ever finish reading, One Day?

2. I get to gaze adoringly at my crush.

3. I won't have to work on the accounting for 48 hours.

4. No exercise this weekend, do to lots of things going on at the YMCA, meaning...no parking to be had there...therefore Andrea stays at home!

5. Get to make my refried bean soup!

A Few Random Thoughts

~ Re-entering a years worth of accounting = not fun. When it is for 2 companies it is double not fun.

~ Dole pink grapefruit cups = great but the juice is terribly messy.

~ The inappropriate crush I have doesn't care for cats. Boo hiss!

~ Discovered two easy sweet recipes for the holidays, Dark Chocolate Cherry Fudge and Magic Mint Chocolate Bark.

~ Sandpaper kitty cat tongues cleaning your arm can be strangely comforting.

~ Suddenly I'm wide awake until midnight. I hate that.

Yay For Freelancing

My freelance gig netted me an extra $93.00 bucks this month. I realize that's not a whole lot of money, but when I've had to miss work because of my dad's ill health, it really helps make up for lost time, so to speak.

But this is definitely a woo hoo moment.

Cos basically like that Capital One commercial with Jimmy Fallon, "Who doesn't want more cash?"

I know I do.

I've got bills to pay and I've got loads of people in my life with birthdays and whatnot in the next month and a half.

ARGH!

Curse all of you Nov and Dec birthdays!

Here's hoping I get some more reviews, because I've not even made $500.00 this year from that job.

Big sigh

Mmmm Soup

I found this recipe in an old foodie mag of my mum's and I'm dying to try it. All I need is a jar of salsa and some hungry people.

Refried Bean Soup


1 Can Refried Beans (16 ounces)

1 can whole kernel corn (15 ounces), drained

1 can (15 ounces) black beans rinsed and drained

1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth

1 can (14 1/2 oz) stewed tomatoes

1 can (4 oz) green chilis

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup salsa



In a large saucepan combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until heated through. Serve with tortilla chips. Yield 8 servings (2 quarts)


From Sept/Oct 2007 Simple & Delicious Magazine

New Hair

Yesterday I got a good 4 inches cut from my hair.

Yikes.

However, I'm really pleased with the new cut.

Got some snazzy new clothes yesterday too.

Woo hoo!

I've even managed to keep some of my stress weight loss off!

Golf clap for me!!

When Life And Jimmy Buffett Collide

Oh yeah...I'm feeling this song...I love Jimmy's version...but I also love the original by Sam Cooke and Cat Stevens' version too

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 songs that are a "treat" to listen to

1. Mika - Lollipop
2. Elvis Costello - So Like Candy
3. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Candyman
4. Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy
5. The Beatles - Savoy Truffle

Inspiration

It has been a long while since I contemplated writing a story again. I'm guessing that since I'm at that angsty point in my life once more, I can conjure up some interesting characters.

I'm plotting out a cozy mystery of sorts..

So far...I have a setting: England
Mystery to be solved: Stolen relic
Characters: Spinster daughter of the local gentry and the vicar


Here's hoping I can pull this all together and make it work.

Emotional Music

Sometimes there are albums that you absolutely must play at certain times in your life.

Costello's Brutal Youth is my angsty, feeling unrequited love album. It is no wonder that I've been playing it non-stop lately.

It just seems to fit the mood I'm in.

You know that, I'm lonely, no one loves me....feeling sorry for myself and have somehow managed to get feelings for totally inappropriate people kind of mood?

Yeah...let's just plaster that big ole "L" on my forehead now...and I'll blare Just About Glad from my speakers...and maybe in a few weeks I'll be over this and back to normal.

Do ya think its possible?

Drama -- I Has It

Took dad to the hematologist today. They did blood work. His count was 10.2, so he got his Procrit shot.

All is well at the doctor's office.

I then proceed to Giant Eagle to get the fixings for dinner. (Spaghetti) afterwards, I promised to split a chicken strip basket with him. Prednisone does wonders for his appetite!

I am in the store for 10 minutes tops...long enough to pick up 4 donuts, a can of sauce, a lb of ground chuck and the noodles.

When I get out...Dad has the mother of all nose bleeds and he's gone into full panic attack mode.

ARGH!

I'm trying to keep him calm because I don't want to spend 4 hours with ER doctor's laughing at me. I also know that this nosebleed looks worse than it is. Dad left his hanky at home.

ARGH!

Get him home...and about 20 minutes later...the nose bleed is gone.

Panic attack is over.

I didn't get my chicken strip basket from Dairy Queen.

However, all is well...

Pass me the Mike's Hard Black Cherry Lemonade!

Sometimes

Sometimes people come into your life for a reason.

I'm sure many of you know that our former pastor was put on administrative leave because of some rather unsavory allegations. I considered this man a friend, and I still do.

When that happened I lost a good deal of my faith. I went to church only when I was scheduled to be a lector. There were times when I wanted to give that up. I've been a lector in our parish since I was confirmed ages ago...I'd say I've been a lector for 20 years.

Then my dad got sick in December ...and in February we had a new pastor assigned to our church. I can say truthfully that if it weren't for Father Jerry, I wouldn't be Catholic.

In him, I've found a pastor that is also a good friend, who listens to me, and who has really been wonderful when my dad has been in the hospital.

I don't know why he was chosen for our parish, but I'm very glad he is here.

Painful Crush

I hate it when I suffer from unrequited love/lust/infatuation.

Why does this always happen to me.

I find someone that clicks with me..but they are much older and totally unavailable. I mean TOTALLY unavailable, except for friendship...which is about where we are.

Big sigh.

I really prefer it when I'm able to totally ignore the opposite sex. It makes life so much easier and me any less miserable.

I wonder how many of you guessed who my crush is on...

It Has Been A Long Day

Note to self: don't drink lots of vodka....

I fell asleep...a vodka induced coma at about 10 o'clock last night.

Woke up around 3...and have been up ever since.

ARGH!

Took dad for blood work.

Went to the gym...

Did some shopping...

Made dinner...

Still not tired.

I want to go to sleep..but just not tired...

That vodka bottle is looking good again..

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 songs to listen to while sipping your favorite drink.

The Moody Blues - Send Me No Wine
Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance
Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
Toby Keith - Whiskey Girl
Zac Brown Band - Whiskey's Gone

When You Need A Silly Song

Listen and then laugh





or this version

Why Me?

Why is it..that I always find myself attracted to:

1. Unavailable men.
2. Older men...erm much older...

Not to worry..the unavailable man isn't married...

However I'm pretty sure I don't want to mess with the reason this man is unavailable...

Story of my life...

Pass the vodka please....

Dad's Home

He has officially beat mom in the ailments game.

He has acquired several new medications...taken daily...a shot to be given once every week or every other week..and 2 new doctors...a hematologist and a kidney doctor. All who want to see him in the next 2 weeks.

Oh and as usual, one of the prescriptions is screwed up.

Oh and my flirtation texted me that I should keep dad home with the cats and dog now...after he paid him a visit...

And no Mike, it isn't a doctor....it is more inappropriate than that...and not hospital personnel.

No Dad Yet

He's still got an infection that doesn't want to clear up...but he is walking well and not very short of breath, so that's something, right?

Here's hoping we bring him home soon.

Not much else to talk about....except that I'm carrying on an inappropriate flirtation with ....erm....nevermind.

Let's hope he comes home tomorrow..m'kay, before I do something stupider than usual.

Good News

There was a little note on dad's board when I came in this afternoon.

It said: Possible discharge 10/17

Can I get a woo hoo for that?

Dad Update

As my life revolves around Mon Valley Hospital and  all the stuff going on with my dad...I thought I'd give you an update on his condition.

1.  Renal Ultrasound came back normal...can we get a yay for that?
2. There is some kidney dysfunction because that's apparently what is causing the anemia.
3. New meds for lungs/heart and anemia. My dad is playing catch up with mom on the med front. More stuff for me to learn now..
4. His breathing is improved
5. He has a UTI.

On another note...I'm pretty sure my priest is sick of hearing from me.

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 songs you'll never get tired of hearing

1. The Moody Blues - Your Wildest Dreams (My favorite song by the Moodies and the song that made me fall in love with them)

2 and 3. Elvis Costello - Crimes Of Paris and Man Out Of Time (It's Elvis at his most brilliant)

4. Mika - We Are Golden (Best ear worm ever)

5. Zac Brown Band - Toes

I'm Slowly Losing My Mind

Dad's in the hospital again.

He had a bad coughing spell, became short of breath and nearly lost consciousness...AT THE DOCTOR's.

I had them call the ambluance there....glad I did.

He had another spell in the ER.

He has a UTI and his blood count was down to 8.9 but they won't transfuse him, even though his doctor did at 8.7.

This is going to be a lousy weekend.

10 Things I Love About Fall

1. Cool evenings = great sleep.

2. Harvest Festivals at Trax Farms and Triple B. Farms

3. Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Salted Carmel Mocha @ Starbucks

4. Sweaters!

5. Halloween candy. Fun sizes = Fun!

6. Baking to keep the house warm!

7. Reading with a snuggie blanket.

8. Falling leaves

9. Halloween TV specials

10.  Bathing  suit season is over!!

I'm a Sudoku Junkie

Yesterday when I was waiting for them to set my dad free from the hospital, I learned to play Sudoku on my Nook.

I'm officially addicted to this game.

I also officially suck at it.

Though, like Angry Birds, it doesn't stop me from trying til I'm blue in the face.

Right now my face is pretty blue.

My grandmother would have loved these puzzles. She always did word searches and crosswords, anything to keep her mind active. I guess that's why she was so spry even up to 101.

Maybe I should play a bit more sudoku?

Oh and if you want to play online? Go here

Ah yes...time wasting...even worse than Mahjong!

Manic Monday

Well I worked a whopping 2 hours today. At 9:30 the call came that my dad's bloodwork had been received at his doctor's office and his count was down to 8.7.

Transfusion time.

By 10, I knew I had to be on my way home so I could get him to the hospital.  It is much better to transfuse when the low blood count isn't giving him problems with his COPD.

So off we went.

It was actually a pretty easy stress free procedure, and dad got lunch while he was there.

I played Sudoko on my Nook and read for a bit.

I could think of worse ways to spend the afternoon. (You know, like being at work....or being in the ER)

Oh and I told my friend about Dad's transfusion...and I was told to go drinking...and was reminded that at some point...this friend was going to take me out to get drunk...Ah...my inappropriate friends...How is it that I find these people without even looking?

Life Is Full Of Argh Moments

I had the worst service today when ordering Mexican takeout from a new place in Belle Vernon. You can read my rather pissy review over at Wenches.

Today was a day when I really wish I would have just cooked supper, because the aggravation of getting takeout was just too much.

Another argh moment involved the current CD I'm reviewing for my freelance job.

OMG, I think I'd rather listen to Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and any other tweenybopper pop star out there than this current album.

Ewwwww.

This album actually made me quite happy that most of my reviews these days are for children's music.

How sad is that?

I think I'm going to try to forget this day by downing a bottle of Mike's Hard Black Cherry Lemonade.

Random Saturday Thoughts

~ Saturday nights without Doctor Who suck.

~ Eharlequin sucks for ebooks, they have a great selection but the discount is horrible, plus for most books, the print copies are about 40 cents cheaper! WTF!!!

~ Not sure how I feel about the new Erasure CD, which saddens me, because they are one of my favorite bands. I hate when my favorite bands put out "Meh" albums.

~ Bought 3 Christmas romances at Goodwill. I love Christmas books. They always give me the warm fuzzy feelings.

~ There are way too many novels about vampires, and very few of them are actually good.

~ I need to watch a good comedy.  I saw Bridesmaids a few weeks ago and enjoyed that but haven't found any other films I want to watch since.

~ Starbucks Salted Carmel Mocha with a shot of Peppermint = Coffee love

~ Best new shows of the season for me

Comedy: 2 Broke Girls
Drama: Unforgettable

~ Tim Allen's new show is going to suck. Why do guys like Tim and Kelsey Grammer always play the same character over and over? Oh and Tim as a homophobic republican turns me off. Sorry Tim, I loved Home Improvement but I won't be tuning in to Last Man Standing.

Top 5 On Friday

In Memory of Steve Jobs...

Top 5 things you love about iPods or iTunes

1. I love how colorful the iPod shuffles and nanos are.  I have a blue shuffle and a traditional black shuffle.

2. I love that they scrobble on the Last.fm site. I really wish my Zen would scrobble.

3. iTunes has some really great live EPs.

4. All the fun gadgets they have for them (armbands, docks etc)

5. The thin size. I'm so exciting that the shuffles, small though they are have never been lost by me EVER!!

Cat Thursday!

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy!


This meme is brought to you by one of my favorite book bloggers, The True Book Addict!

Most of my friends will know why I picked this LOLcat for the meme! I love Doctor Who and the Daleks are my favorite alien from the series. I even have a Dalek on my keychain, thanks to a good friend of mine.

I have to say, Daleks could probably take care of most dental problems either by exterminating the plaque or exterminating the tooth!

Happy Cat Thursday!

Caregiving Is Hard Work

I don't think I ever really gave much thought to how hard things would be twenty years ago when I was about to start college. I knew then that I was likely going to be the one family member taking care of my parents.

Flashforward to today.

Mom is almost totally blind from diabetes. Dad is on oxygen 24/7 and is anemic, and not just mildly so, he's the kind of anemic that require transfusions every few months.

I do all the shopping, most of the cooking, I take them to the doctors, make sure they have their pills, and have them organized, oh and I clean the potty chairs too.

And that's just the stuff that relates to them.

I still have my work and my furrbabies to care for...and myself.

There are times when I really feel like I'm burning the candle at both ends.  I get cranky and I don't want to. I love mom and dad. I truly don't mind what I'm doing. But I really wish I could do more. That I could be there more.

Too Much To Do

The beginning of the month is always a busy time. Now that Dad is no longer driving, I have to get him to the bank so that all the SS checks get cashed.

Then there's the grocery shopping.

I think I live at Giant Eagle.

I'm still not sure why.

I have 2 more reviews to write for my freelance gig. Yay money!

The worst part, is I don't feel like I have much to say anymore.

Music is not impressing me....

I've been to no concerts this year...mostly because I have other responsibilities and I can't afford it.

Ho hum..

At least I have books, and that makes me happy.

I've Been Pondering This

Why do people drag grocery carts halfway across town?

Every morning when I drive through Charleroi on Mon I see two Rite Aid buggies around 8th street.  Rite Aid is about 3.5 blocks over and 2 blocks down.

WTF?

We have bus service for seniors, so they needn't have to push the buggies to help them with their purchases. In fact, I think Rite Aid will deliver perscriptions too.

This has often baffled me. Does it only happen in my part of the world or do crazies run off with grocery carts everywhere, then leave them to rust in the rain?

As Billy Currington sang...

God is great...
Beer is good....
People are crazy....

Doctor Who Musings

I'm kinda blown away by the last two episodes of Doctor Who. Not quite as blown away by the bad guys, but more the plot twists the last two episodes offered.

Some random Who observations:

~ Doctor + Baby = Squee!

~ The Cybermen were very lame and not so scary.

~ James Corden as a dad = very interesting.

~ The Doctor + Craig as erm..partners with baby = hehehehe

Now on to the finale

~ WTF!!!

~ Scruffy bearded Jesus Doctor = OMG SCARIER THAN ANY ALIEN!

~ Eye patch things = weird

~ Rory is the sexiest male companion ever!!!!

~ Doctor + Riversong = Love

Must have more WHO ASAP