About a month ago I posted a few times about how great my dad was. Then a few days ago I posted that my dad was an alcoholic. I know some people probably don't understand how an alcoholic could possibly be a great dad, especially after hearing and reading so many horror stories from people who blame all their problems on being the child of an alcoholic. Granted, there were some pretty bad times because of my dad's drinking. But I choose not to dwell on those, just as I chose not to dwell on it when I was growing up. Yes, my dad was an alcoholic, but that didn't mean I couldn't do my best in school and still follow my dreams, which I did. I'm sure school, especially high school, would have been a lot better if I could have invited friends to my house without being afraid of what might be going on there. But that didn't stop me from going out with friends and getting involved in school activities. I suppose in a lot of ways I'm luckier than most children of alcoholics. My dad told me he loved me often. He managed to hold down a very good job. A lot of the money went to booze, but my brother and sister and I still got everything we wanted, we went on several family vacations and we lived in a nice big house. My mother didn't have to work unless she wanted to, which she rarely did. As I look back, I realize that the financial situation was probably worse than I remembered, but I believe that's because my mother did the best she could under the circumstances and never let on that money was tight. So, I could choose to remember the day my dad called me a bitch because I said I wasn't going to set foot in the house again until he stopped drinking. Or, I could choose to remember the Saturday nights he made homemade pizza for us or the Sunday nights he made popcorn and we'd all sit around watching The Wonderful World of Disney on television. I could choose to remember watching him stagger up the hill after work and a few hours at the bar. Or, I could choose to remember our trips to Gettysburg and Washington, D.C., where he instilled in me my love of history. Obviously, I remember both the good and the bad. But I choose to keep the good in the forefront and bring up the bad only when it's necessary.
Sunday, April 28, 2002
I always forget how much I like The Philadelphia Story until I see it. It was on the local PBS station last night and I couldn't resist watching. The only thing I don't like about the movie is at the end I want her to end up with both guys.
Thursday, April 25, 2002
The Thursday Threesome
Onesome. The Good. Read a good book lately? Recommend a recent read - as well as your favorite book of all time. The last book I finished was "The Talbot Odyssey." It was a real page-turner and very thought-provoking. My favorite book of all time is "Gone With the Wind." I like to read it again every few years.
Twosome. The Bad. Was it so bad that you couldn't watch anymore? Tell us about a bad movie - did you leave or suffer through it? The worst movie I ever saw in a theater was that Harrison Ford/Anne Heche fiasco. Six Days and Seven Nights or Seven Days and Six Nights or some such thing. I hated it so much I'm not even going to waste my time looking up the correct name. I remember looking at my watch to get an idea if it might be over soon and being stunned to learn I'd been watching it for only a little less than 30 minutes. I didn't leave though. I kept thinking to myself "Harrison Ford's in it. It's got to get better soon." It never did.
Threesome. And The Ugly. And then things turned ugly.... Oh, have a day (or date) seem to go so horribly wrong it can only be described as "ugly"? Tell us all about it. I've been sitting here thinking about this one for quite a little while. There have been events that have been ugly, but never really entire days. It wasn't too long ago that I wrote about the date from hell/boyfriend from hell or something like that, so I don't want to do that again. But August 20, 1999, comes to mind. Around noon that day, rain started pouring down really hard. But there was no wind. The clouds weren't moving. They stayed over the area and the rain just kept falling and falling and falling. Around 1 p.m. my now-ex-husband came home from running some errands, told me East Main Street was flooded more than usual and part of it was blocked off so he couldn't get to the bank to deposit his check. But he said it looked really cool and asked if I wanted to go take a look. I did. We figured we'd also take an alternate route to the bank. By the time we got there (5 minutes later) the street was like a raging river and more water was flowing hard and heavy off the hills/side streets. We went home. Fast. Our basement had already started flooding. The ex started freaking out. I started freaking out because I wanted to go to work. It was my day off, but I knew I should be there because in a natural disaster there are always more stories to write, more people to talk to, more things that have to be done. But the ex was freaking so badly that I didn't dare leave. The ex and a neighbor started using buckets to get the water out of the basement, but it was coming in too fast for them to keep up and it was inching toward the fuse box. There had been reports on the radio saying that if you needed your electricity turned off, call the fire department. I did. Several times. They finally showed up about the time the rain stopped. But after the rain stopped, I would have thought the ex would calm down a bit. But no. That's not how his paranoid schizophrenic mind works. During the couple weeks leading up to the flood, he'd been digging in the backyard, which is adjacent to a wooded hill that is part of a national forest. For more than an hour he insisted that he was going to get arrested for (and this is an actual charge in Pennsylvania. I don't know if it is in other places.) risking a catastrophe. In his mind, he thought it was his digging that caused the entire city and surrounding areas to flood. Somehow I got him calmed down enough to call his foster mother who is a minister. She prayed with him and that seemed to help for a while. Until we decided to go get some food before cleaning up what we could and assessing the damage. Since we didn't get to the bank, we didn't have any cash on hand, or food, and now all branches of our bank were inaccessible, so we couldn't use an ATM. So we decided to go the grocery store where we had a check cashing card and get something from the deli. As we drive down that street, we see all kinds of bags, boxes and cans of food all along the side of the road. We get to the grocery store parking lot and see yellow caution tape. The roof of the building caved in from the weight of the water. So, the ex starts freaking again thinking the grocery store owners are going to sue him because he started the flood. Somehow I calmed him down yet again and managed to get him to help me dig through the car for any loose change we could find. We found enough to buy sandwiches, chips and soda at the closest convenience store. (All the fast food places were closed.) So, we get home. Eat. Talk. Listen to the radio. Find out just how much the initial damage estimates are. I try reasoning with him to make him realize he didn't cause the flood. It actually worked that time. But just about the time we were going to try to get some sleep and put off everything else til morning, it started raining again. But even though it was just light sprinkles, he started freaking again. I couldn't deal with it anymore. I fell asleep on the couch. He stayed up all night watching the rain.
Onesome. The Good. Read a good book lately? Recommend a recent read - as well as your favorite book of all time. The last book I finished was "The Talbot Odyssey." It was a real page-turner and very thought-provoking. My favorite book of all time is "Gone With the Wind." I like to read it again every few years.
Twosome. The Bad. Was it so bad that you couldn't watch anymore? Tell us about a bad movie - did you leave or suffer through it? The worst movie I ever saw in a theater was that Harrison Ford/Anne Heche fiasco. Six Days and Seven Nights or Seven Days and Six Nights or some such thing. I hated it so much I'm not even going to waste my time looking up the correct name. I remember looking at my watch to get an idea if it might be over soon and being stunned to learn I'd been watching it for only a little less than 30 minutes. I didn't leave though. I kept thinking to myself "Harrison Ford's in it. It's got to get better soon." It never did.
Threesome. And The Ugly. And then things turned ugly.... Oh, have a day (or date) seem to go so horribly wrong it can only be described as "ugly"? Tell us all about it. I've been sitting here thinking about this one for quite a little while. There have been events that have been ugly, but never really entire days. It wasn't too long ago that I wrote about the date from hell/boyfriend from hell or something like that, so I don't want to do that again. But August 20, 1999, comes to mind. Around noon that day, rain started pouring down really hard. But there was no wind. The clouds weren't moving. They stayed over the area and the rain just kept falling and falling and falling. Around 1 p.m. my now-ex-husband came home from running some errands, told me East Main Street was flooded more than usual and part of it was blocked off so he couldn't get to the bank to deposit his check. But he said it looked really cool and asked if I wanted to go take a look. I did. We figured we'd also take an alternate route to the bank. By the time we got there (5 minutes later) the street was like a raging river and more water was flowing hard and heavy off the hills/side streets. We went home. Fast. Our basement had already started flooding. The ex started freaking out. I started freaking out because I wanted to go to work. It was my day off, but I knew I should be there because in a natural disaster there are always more stories to write, more people to talk to, more things that have to be done. But the ex was freaking so badly that I didn't dare leave. The ex and a neighbor started using buckets to get the water out of the basement, but it was coming in too fast for them to keep up and it was inching toward the fuse box. There had been reports on the radio saying that if you needed your electricity turned off, call the fire department. I did. Several times. They finally showed up about the time the rain stopped. But after the rain stopped, I would have thought the ex would calm down a bit. But no. That's not how his paranoid schizophrenic mind works. During the couple weeks leading up to the flood, he'd been digging in the backyard, which is adjacent to a wooded hill that is part of a national forest. For more than an hour he insisted that he was going to get arrested for (and this is an actual charge in Pennsylvania. I don't know if it is in other places.) risking a catastrophe. In his mind, he thought it was his digging that caused the entire city and surrounding areas to flood. Somehow I got him calmed down enough to call his foster mother who is a minister. She prayed with him and that seemed to help for a while. Until we decided to go get some food before cleaning up what we could and assessing the damage. Since we didn't get to the bank, we didn't have any cash on hand, or food, and now all branches of our bank were inaccessible, so we couldn't use an ATM. So we decided to go the grocery store where we had a check cashing card and get something from the deli. As we drive down that street, we see all kinds of bags, boxes and cans of food all along the side of the road. We get to the grocery store parking lot and see yellow caution tape. The roof of the building caved in from the weight of the water. So, the ex starts freaking again thinking the grocery store owners are going to sue him because he started the flood. Somehow I calmed him down yet again and managed to get him to help me dig through the car for any loose change we could find. We found enough to buy sandwiches, chips and soda at the closest convenience store. (All the fast food places were closed.) So, we get home. Eat. Talk. Listen to the radio. Find out just how much the initial damage estimates are. I try reasoning with him to make him realize he didn't cause the flood. It actually worked that time. But just about the time we were going to try to get some sleep and put off everything else til morning, it started raining again. But even though it was just light sprinkles, he started freaking again. I couldn't deal with it anymore. I fell asleep on the couch. He stayed up all night watching the rain.
Wednesday, April 24, 2002
Christy's HumpDayHump
1) Would you say you had a good childhood or a bad childhood? What made it so either way? All things considered, I think I had a good childhood. We spent a lot of family time together. We went on several cool family vacations. My parents bought me just about everything I asked for (not everything I wanted; just what I asked for. I knew they had limits.) My dad was an alcoholic, so my mom did whatever she could to be a great mom to, I think, looking back, balance it all out. I also have an aunt who took me to Europe and who I used to spend a couple weeks with every summer in the Philly suburbs. Before high school, when most kids are friends with only the kids in their own neighborhoods, we all had a great time together. We were all friends with each other and looked out for each other.
2) Were you the athlete, the brain, the princess, the criminal, or the basket case? (stereotypes direct from the end of the Breakfast Club) Hmmm? I'd say I was a combination of the brain and the basket case with, weirdly enough, a little bit of the princess thrown in.
3) Did you attend a private school or a public school? If private, were there uniforms involved? Private Catholic school. We didn't have to wear uniforms, per se, but the girls had to wear dresses or skirts (no more than an inch above the knee, thank you very much) and the boys had to wear ties and couldn't wear jeans.
4) Favorite teacher in elementary and secondary schools? Why were they your favorites? In elementary school I liked all my teachers except Mrs. Grady (1st grade) and Miss Finno (5th grade). Oh yeah, and Mrs. Knupp (3rd grade). But I guess Mrs. Caruso (4th grade) was my favorite because she was a history and science buff. We got to do all kinds of science experiments. Each day started off with current events. I liked that a lot. And she didn't talk down to us. Mrs. Brown (6th grade) was cool because she took her role of getting us ready for junior high very seriously. But still, she let us be kids. She also read to us if we got our work done early enough. She introduced me to "Harriet the Spy." In high school, I'd have to say Sister Christine. She was my communications media teacher (and English for one year) and the advisor for the school paper. She encouraged me to follow my dreams.
Thanks Christy!
1) Would you say you had a good childhood or a bad childhood? What made it so either way? All things considered, I think I had a good childhood. We spent a lot of family time together. We went on several cool family vacations. My parents bought me just about everything I asked for (not everything I wanted; just what I asked for. I knew they had limits.) My dad was an alcoholic, so my mom did whatever she could to be a great mom to, I think, looking back, balance it all out. I also have an aunt who took me to Europe and who I used to spend a couple weeks with every summer in the Philly suburbs. Before high school, when most kids are friends with only the kids in their own neighborhoods, we all had a great time together. We were all friends with each other and looked out for each other.
2) Were you the athlete, the brain, the princess, the criminal, or the basket case? (stereotypes direct from the end of the Breakfast Club) Hmmm? I'd say I was a combination of the brain and the basket case with, weirdly enough, a little bit of the princess thrown in.
3) Did you attend a private school or a public school? If private, were there uniforms involved? Private Catholic school. We didn't have to wear uniforms, per se, but the girls had to wear dresses or skirts (no more than an inch above the knee, thank you very much) and the boys had to wear ties and couldn't wear jeans.
4) Favorite teacher in elementary and secondary schools? Why were they your favorites? In elementary school I liked all my teachers except Mrs. Grady (1st grade) and Miss Finno (5th grade). Oh yeah, and Mrs. Knupp (3rd grade). But I guess Mrs. Caruso (4th grade) was my favorite because she was a history and science buff. We got to do all kinds of science experiments. Each day started off with current events. I liked that a lot. And she didn't talk down to us. Mrs. Brown (6th grade) was cool because she took her role of getting us ready for junior high very seriously. But still, she let us be kids. She also read to us if we got our work done early enough. She introduced me to "Harriet the Spy." In high school, I'd have to say Sister Christine. She was my communications media teacher (and English for one year) and the advisor for the school paper. She encouraged me to follow my dreams.
Thanks Christy!
Sunday, April 21, 2002
Saturday, April 20, 2002
I've lived in California for 11+ months and haven't felt an earthquake. But what happens in the northeast today? An earthquake. And yes, people where I used to live in Pennsylvania felt it. Weird, isn't it?
Friday, April 19, 2002
The Friday Five
1. What's your favorite TV show and why? "Six Feet Under" because it's so different from anything else that's on. The characters are so quirky and interesting. Also, just when you think you have something figured out concerning something in a character's life, the story takes a different turn or they do something completely opposite of what you thought was going to happen. This is a bit sick and wrong, but I also like seeing how the person at the beginning of the show is going to die.
2. Who is your favorite television star? I don't know if I have a favorite television star. There's really no one that I have to see every week. But if I have to choose, I guess I'll say Steven Van Zandt.
3. What was your favorite TV show as a child? It was a tie between "The Brady Bunch" and "The Partridge Family." I also really liked "Starsky and Hutch."
4. What show do you think should have been cancelled by now? "Law and Order." Hasn't it been on since the late '60s or something? It sure seems like it. Seriously, during the first few seasons I loved it. For a while it was my favorite show. But now it's like it's the same thing over and over.
5. What new show do you hope escapes the axe this season? "George Lopez." Does that count even though it just started a few weeks ago? The episode with Sandra Bullock had me laughing so hard! Even the shows without her were funny though. I hope ABC gives it a chance and keeps it around.
1. What's your favorite TV show and why? "Six Feet Under" because it's so different from anything else that's on. The characters are so quirky and interesting. Also, just when you think you have something figured out concerning something in a character's life, the story takes a different turn or they do something completely opposite of what you thought was going to happen. This is a bit sick and wrong, but I also like seeing how the person at the beginning of the show is going to die.
2. Who is your favorite television star? I don't know if I have a favorite television star. There's really no one that I have to see every week. But if I have to choose, I guess I'll say Steven Van Zandt.
3. What was your favorite TV show as a child? It was a tie between "The Brady Bunch" and "The Partridge Family." I also really liked "Starsky and Hutch."
4. What show do you think should have been cancelled by now? "Law and Order." Hasn't it been on since the late '60s or something? It sure seems like it. Seriously, during the first few seasons I loved it. For a while it was my favorite show. But now it's like it's the same thing over and over.
5. What new show do you hope escapes the axe this season? "George Lopez." Does that count even though it just started a few weeks ago? The episode with Sandra Bullock had me laughing so hard! Even the shows without her were funny though. I hope ABC gives it a chance and keeps it around.
Saturday, April 13, 2002
I had a bad anxiety attack last night, shortly after I laid down to sleep so I'm feeling a little slow and out of it today. It seems the anxiety attacks are coming closer together and are getting worse. I used to have them every couple of months or so, and it was usually related to PMS. Now, I'm not sure what's causing them. But last night was bad. Besides feeling as if I wanted to jump out of my skin, I had itches in places I just couldn't scratch effectively, like in and around my eyes and ears and in between my fingers and toes. It felt as if spiders were crawling all over me. Also, when the fan blew on my face I felt as if it was sucking my breath away. But I couldn't keep the fan off because I'd get too hot. I kept tossing and turning, trying to get into a comfortable position. I wanted to get online and blog about it, but I didn't think I could sit still long enough to write. I don't think I could have put together a coherent sentence at that point anyway. I don't know what time I finally fell asleep, but I remember birds singing.
Saturday Scruples
1. a close friend will be interviewed for a job with your employer. he asks you for a list of the questions in advance. do you supply it? No. I would tell him what the job entails, what's expected of him, etc. to help him prepare for the interview. But giving him a list of questions in advance would be cheating.
2. you work for an optical store. jimmy has broken his glasses and his parents are agonizing over the price of replacements. a competitor is selling identical glasses for half-price. do you send jimmy's parents there? It would depend on how I felt about Jimmy's parents. If I had a good feeling about them. First I'd talk to my boss and tell him about the competitor's prices, hoping he'd lower our price. If that didn't work, I'd suggest Jimmy's parents shop around for a better price but I wouldn't actually send them to the competitor.
3. you are a reporter. the family of a murder victim has refused your requests for picture and interview. your editor demands that you keep calling them. do you? This, folks, is one of the myriad reasons I'm no longer working for a newspaper. Sometimes editors forget sources for stories are people -- with emotions. The last thing these people need is for some reporter digging around in their personal lives. It doesn't matter if it's the family of a murder victim or a small business owner whose store is closing or someone who was harassed by a rogue cop. If they don't want to talk, they don't want to talk. Reporters who push too hard and are willing to do anything to get a story are the people who give reporters a bad name. I wouldn't want someone hounding me like that. What makes other reporters think the people they're trying to interview are any different? Anyway, to answer the question: What I would do is call them one last time, make sure they have my name, phone number and e-mail address and tell them I'm ready to listen when they're ready to talk. A lot of editors wouldn't be happy with that (in my experience, anyway), so I would try to talk to the victim's friends, people he worked with, etc. Usually you can find someone who will talk. If the editor still wasn't happy, I'd quit.
1. a close friend will be interviewed for a job with your employer. he asks you for a list of the questions in advance. do you supply it? No. I would tell him what the job entails, what's expected of him, etc. to help him prepare for the interview. But giving him a list of questions in advance would be cheating.
2. you work for an optical store. jimmy has broken his glasses and his parents are agonizing over the price of replacements. a competitor is selling identical glasses for half-price. do you send jimmy's parents there? It would depend on how I felt about Jimmy's parents. If I had a good feeling about them. First I'd talk to my boss and tell him about the competitor's prices, hoping he'd lower our price. If that didn't work, I'd suggest Jimmy's parents shop around for a better price but I wouldn't actually send them to the competitor.
3. you are a reporter. the family of a murder victim has refused your requests for picture and interview. your editor demands that you keep calling them. do you? This, folks, is one of the myriad reasons I'm no longer working for a newspaper. Sometimes editors forget sources for stories are people -- with emotions. The last thing these people need is for some reporter digging around in their personal lives. It doesn't matter if it's the family of a murder victim or a small business owner whose store is closing or someone who was harassed by a rogue cop. If they don't want to talk, they don't want to talk. Reporters who push too hard and are willing to do anything to get a story are the people who give reporters a bad name. I wouldn't want someone hounding me like that. What makes other reporters think the people they're trying to interview are any different? Anyway, to answer the question: What I would do is call them one last time, make sure they have my name, phone number and e-mail address and tell them I'm ready to listen when they're ready to talk. A lot of editors wouldn't be happy with that (in my experience, anyway), so I would try to talk to the victim's friends, people he worked with, etc. Usually you can find someone who will talk. If the editor still wasn't happy, I'd quit.
Friday, April 12, 2002
The Friday Five
1. What is your favorite restaurant and why? This changes a lot, but lately it's been the 24/7 Truckstop that's close to our new house. The food is awesome! We went to their breakfast buffet last week and left absolutely stuffed. The biscuits and gravy were so yummy. The first time we went, Shell and I got the dinner buffet and it was pretty yummy, too. As anyone knows, you find the best food at truckstops. And ... you don't have to get dressed up.
2. What fast food restaurant are you partial to? It's a tie between Subway and Arby's. Subway always tastes so good. But sometimes ya just gotta have Arby's curly fries.
3. What are your standards and rules for tipping? I haven't left a tip since I've been here (Nick takes care of that) but I used to be a really good tipper. If the service was just okay, meaning the server did his/her job but didn't do anything extra I'd leave about 24%. (Why 24? As far as I know, a standard tip is 20% of the bill. Pennsylvania sales tax is 6% so I'd just multiply the tax by 4.) If the server went out of his/her way in any way, was pleasant, attentive but not annoying or any number of intangible things, I'd leave more than the 24 %, depending on the service. (I once left a 50% tip. I've never had a better waitress. I think she was the queen of waitresses.) If the service sucks, however, I'd just leave a dollar. But I always leave a tip, no matter how bad the service is. I learned while working in restaurants that if a customer doesn't leave a tip, the server may just think they forgot. But if you leave a buck for a $30 meal, they might start thinking about how much they sucked. Of course the server could just think you're a cheap bastard, but so what? He/she is a lousy server.
4. Do you usually order an appetizer and/or dessert? Not usually, but we tend to order dessert more than we order appetizers. But there's one restaurant, Mexicali, where we order guacamole for an appetizer. It's so good! (Well, it was both times I was there anyway.)
5. What do you usually order to drink at a restaurant? Usually Diet Coke/Pepsi or Sprite/Sierra Mist. Sometimes coffee or iced tea. We've been talking about going to Mexicali and ordering margaritas though. mmmmmm
Thanks Heather!
1. What is your favorite restaurant and why? This changes a lot, but lately it's been the 24/7 Truckstop that's close to our new house. The food is awesome! We went to their breakfast buffet last week and left absolutely stuffed. The biscuits and gravy were so yummy. The first time we went, Shell and I got the dinner buffet and it was pretty yummy, too. As anyone knows, you find the best food at truckstops. And ... you don't have to get dressed up.
2. What fast food restaurant are you partial to? It's a tie between Subway and Arby's. Subway always tastes so good. But sometimes ya just gotta have Arby's curly fries.
3. What are your standards and rules for tipping? I haven't left a tip since I've been here (Nick takes care of that) but I used to be a really good tipper. If the service was just okay, meaning the server did his/her job but didn't do anything extra I'd leave about 24%. (Why 24? As far as I know, a standard tip is 20% of the bill. Pennsylvania sales tax is 6% so I'd just multiply the tax by 4.) If the server went out of his/her way in any way, was pleasant, attentive but not annoying or any number of intangible things, I'd leave more than the 24 %, depending on the service. (I once left a 50% tip. I've never had a better waitress. I think she was the queen of waitresses.) If the service sucks, however, I'd just leave a dollar. But I always leave a tip, no matter how bad the service is. I learned while working in restaurants that if a customer doesn't leave a tip, the server may just think they forgot. But if you leave a buck for a $30 meal, they might start thinking about how much they sucked. Of course the server could just think you're a cheap bastard, but so what? He/she is a lousy server.
4. Do you usually order an appetizer and/or dessert? Not usually, but we tend to order dessert more than we order appetizers. But there's one restaurant, Mexicali, where we order guacamole for an appetizer. It's so good! (Well, it was both times I was there anyway.)
5. What do you usually order to drink at a restaurant? Usually Diet Coke/Pepsi or Sprite/Sierra Mist. Sometimes coffee or iced tea. We've been talking about going to Mexicali and ordering margaritas though. mmmmmm
Thanks Heather!
Tuesday, April 09, 2002
My first Tuesday Too, which I did mainly because of the first question.
1.) What's your opinion on age ranges and intimate relationships? Does it matter? Is it okay for the man to be older, but not the woman? How much older is too old?
I don't think age matters. If two people are in love, they're in love. Nick is 13 years younger than I am so, naturally, I think it's perfectly fine for the woman to be older than the man. It's funny, though. Before I told Nick how old I was (remember, we met on the 'net) I was really freaked out about him thinking I was too old. I knew he was 27 and I thought that would be too much of a difference. But when we got into the conversation that lead to me telling him my age, his guess was pretty close. He said 37 or 38. I had just turned 40. So, here I was all nervous and stuff, and it really made no difference to him at all.
2.) Should stem cell researchers be given the green light?
I go back and forth a lot on this. I don't necessarily agree with it, but I can see the advantages.
3.)Googleclimbing, (similar to a googlewhacking) but now your job is to make your site come up as the first result, or at least on the first page of google's results. Ideally you want your site to be #1 of thousands, tens of thousands or if you really want to impress us #1 of millions of results! You may use up to four words, but they may not be in quotation marks.
california blog = #3 of 2260
1.) What's your opinion on age ranges and intimate relationships? Does it matter? Is it okay for the man to be older, but not the woman? How much older is too old?
I don't think age matters. If two people are in love, they're in love. Nick is 13 years younger than I am so, naturally, I think it's perfectly fine for the woman to be older than the man. It's funny, though. Before I told Nick how old I was (remember, we met on the 'net) I was really freaked out about him thinking I was too old. I knew he was 27 and I thought that would be too much of a difference. But when we got into the conversation that lead to me telling him my age, his guess was pretty close. He said 37 or 38. I had just turned 40. So, here I was all nervous and stuff, and it really made no difference to him at all.
2.) Should stem cell researchers be given the green light?
I go back and forth a lot on this. I don't necessarily agree with it, but I can see the advantages.
3.)Googleclimbing, (similar to a googlewhacking) but now your job is to make your site come up as the first result, or at least on the first page of google's results. Ideally you want your site to be #1 of thousands, tens of thousands or if you really want to impress us #1 of millions of results! You may use up to four words, but they may not be in quotation marks.
california blog = #3 of 2260
nine things you wear daily:
~glasses
~shirt
~shorts or pants
~underwear
~wedding ring
~engagement ring
~deodorant
~nail polish
~on Nick's nerves *s*
eight movies you'd watch over and over:
~The Sound of Music
~Apollo 13
~You've Got Mail
~When Harry Met Sally
~Hope Floats (or just about anything with Sandra Bullock in it)
~Armageddon
~The Wizard of Oz
~Some Like it Hot
seven albums that matter:
The Stranger -- Billy Joel
Born to Run -- Springsteen
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road -- Elton John
Rumors -- Fleetwood Mac
Tuesday Night Music Club -- Sheryl Crow
Timepieces -- Eric Clapton
No Nukes -- various artists
(yes, I know this list dates me -- bad!)
six objects you touch everyday:
~computer and its various components
~coffee cup
~lighter
~water bottle
~toilet paper
~refrigerator
five things you do everyday
~kiss Nick
~tell Nick I love him
~hug Nick
~smoke
~drink coffee
four bands/singers that you couldn't live without:
~Eric Clapton
~Bruce Springsteen
~Elton John
~John Lennon
three of your favorite songs at this moment:
~Drops Of Jupiter -- Train
~My Sacrifice -- Creed
~Wherever You Will Go -- The Calling
two people that have influenced your life the most:
~Nick
~my mother
one thing you could spend the rest of your life with:
~Nick's love
(via -- everyone)
~glasses
~shirt
~shorts or pants
~underwear
~wedding ring
~engagement ring
~deodorant
~nail polish
~on Nick's nerves *s*
eight movies you'd watch over and over:
~The Sound of Music
~Apollo 13
~You've Got Mail
~When Harry Met Sally
~Hope Floats (or just about anything with Sandra Bullock in it)
~Armageddon
~The Wizard of Oz
~Some Like it Hot
seven albums that matter:
The Stranger -- Billy Joel
Born to Run -- Springsteen
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road -- Elton John
Rumors -- Fleetwood Mac
Tuesday Night Music Club -- Sheryl Crow
Timepieces -- Eric Clapton
No Nukes -- various artists
(yes, I know this list dates me -- bad!)
six objects you touch everyday:
~computer and its various components
~coffee cup
~lighter
~water bottle
~toilet paper
~refrigerator
five things you do everyday
~kiss Nick
~tell Nick I love him
~hug Nick
~smoke
~drink coffee
four bands/singers that you couldn't live without:
~Eric Clapton
~Bruce Springsteen
~Elton John
~John Lennon
three of your favorite songs at this moment:
~Drops Of Jupiter -- Train
~My Sacrifice -- Creed
~Wherever You Will Go -- The Calling
two people that have influenced your life the most:
~Nick
~my mother
one thing you could spend the rest of your life with:
~Nick's love
(via -- everyone)
Monday, April 08, 2002
The Monday Mission
1. When was the last time your computer crashed? What happened? 2 summers ago. This is going to sound lame, but I wasn't paying enough attention to the tech guy to remember what happened. I just wanted my computer back.
2. Recommend a movie (new or old) for us to watch. "Training Day" is awesome if you don't mind a lot of violence and bad language. If you're more of a wholesome type, try "The Sound of Music." That's my favorite movie.
3. When was the last time someone told you that you were attractive (and you actually believed them)? I don't remember exactly when it was because Nick tells me pretty often. Sometimes I believe him.
4. Do you like to sleep in or wake up with the chickens? Sleep, sleep, sleep. Sleep is on the list of my top five favorite things to do.
5. Are you gay, straight or bi? Ever been tempted to go the other way? I almost didn't do the Monday Mission this week because of this question. I'm a little bit afraid of the reaction I'll get from some of the people who may happen to wander across this blog. But, hey, it's who I am, right? I'm bi. I didn't even realize it until fairly recently. It never occured to me until then that most of the females I was in contact with didn't feel the same way I do about Sandra Bullock movies. *w* In fact, I remember a workplace conversation in which one woman said there's no such thing as bisexuality. Bisexuals are just people who can't decide if they're gay or straight. Grrrrrr. I didn't even buy that before I realized I'm bi. What I believe is that people whoo are bi have a huge capacity for love. If you love someone, you love them. It doesn't matter what body they're in. I think I needed to grow up a little and start equating sex with love before I could form that belief. When I was younger, sex was sex. Now, I can't see having sex with someone I don't love.
6. What will be the next computer-related purchase you will make? I'm not sure. We'll have to wait til we get everything set up in the new house before we decide, I think.
What is your role when you are in relationships? A giver, a taker, or is it an equal balance? I think I'm mostly the taker but I'm trying to be better and make it more of an equal balance.
BONUS: Would I lie to you? Now would I say something that wasn't true? I'm asking you sugar, would I lie to you?
participation positives ... a way to start monday
*Nick
*a family who loves me
*my sister actually sent me pictures of her kids. It's almost a miracle!
*I'm still hanging in there on the cutting down on smoking thing
*I'm getting a lot done to get ready for the move
*The house is awesome -- and it's almost done!
*The weather has been more bearable. (I'm not ready for another Bakersfield summer yet.)
*I smelled real, live orange blossoms for the first time on Saturday.
*Nick and I had an awesome night on Friday
*Over the weekend we went to a breakfast buffet that's great
*I've been spending more time with Shell lateley
*We rented three good movies over the weekend (Training Day, Riding in Cars with Boys and K-PAX)
*We splurged and got donuts Saturday
*I got to sleep 'til I woke up today -- no alarm clock
*We remembered to set our clocks ahead
*participation positives still make me smile
*Nick
Thanks Jess!
1. When was the last time your computer crashed? What happened? 2 summers ago. This is going to sound lame, but I wasn't paying enough attention to the tech guy to remember what happened. I just wanted my computer back.
2. Recommend a movie (new or old) for us to watch. "Training Day" is awesome if you don't mind a lot of violence and bad language. If you're more of a wholesome type, try "The Sound of Music." That's my favorite movie.
3. When was the last time someone told you that you were attractive (and you actually believed them)? I don't remember exactly when it was because Nick tells me pretty often. Sometimes I believe him.
4. Do you like to sleep in or wake up with the chickens? Sleep, sleep, sleep. Sleep is on the list of my top five favorite things to do.
5. Are you gay, straight or bi? Ever been tempted to go the other way? I almost didn't do the Monday Mission this week because of this question. I'm a little bit afraid of the reaction I'll get from some of the people who may happen to wander across this blog. But, hey, it's who I am, right? I'm bi. I didn't even realize it until fairly recently. It never occured to me until then that most of the females I was in contact with didn't feel the same way I do about Sandra Bullock movies. *w* In fact, I remember a workplace conversation in which one woman said there's no such thing as bisexuality. Bisexuals are just people who can't decide if they're gay or straight. Grrrrrr. I didn't even buy that before I realized I'm bi. What I believe is that people whoo are bi have a huge capacity for love. If you love someone, you love them. It doesn't matter what body they're in. I think I needed to grow up a little and start equating sex with love before I could form that belief. When I was younger, sex was sex. Now, I can't see having sex with someone I don't love.
6. What will be the next computer-related purchase you will make? I'm not sure. We'll have to wait til we get everything set up in the new house before we decide, I think.
What is your role when you are in relationships? A giver, a taker, or is it an equal balance? I think I'm mostly the taker but I'm trying to be better and make it more of an equal balance.
BONUS: Would I lie to you? Now would I say something that wasn't true? I'm asking you sugar, would I lie to you?
participation positives ... a way to start monday
*Nick
*a family who loves me
*my sister actually sent me pictures of her kids. It's almost a miracle!
*I'm still hanging in there on the cutting down on smoking thing
*I'm getting a lot done to get ready for the move
*The house is awesome -- and it's almost done!
*The weather has been more bearable. (I'm not ready for another Bakersfield summer yet.)
*I smelled real, live orange blossoms for the first time on Saturday.
*Nick and I had an awesome night on Friday
*Over the weekend we went to a breakfast buffet that's great
*I've been spending more time with Shell lateley
*We rented three good movies over the weekend (Training Day, Riding in Cars with Boys and K-PAX)
*We splurged and got donuts Saturday
*I got to sleep 'til I woke up today -- no alarm clock
*We remembered to set our clocks ahead
*participation positives still make me smile
*Nick
Thanks Jess!
Friday, April 05, 2002
Before I moved here, I very often used to dream about being in restrooms. They were always big restrooms, with dozens of stalls. Very often I'd lose my way or not know exactly where I was. Other times, there would be other people there and I felt weird about using the restroom with other people around because either there were no doors on the stalls or the doors were only about waist high and I thought people would be staring me. I'd always meant to look up the meaning of those dreams, but I never got around to it. But I had a restroom dream just the other night and promised myself I would look it up this time. Who knew these are actually common dreams? So, here's what I found at Dream Moods:
To dream that you are in the bathroom, relates to your instinctual urges. You may be experiencing some burdens/feelings and need to relieve yourself. Alternatively, it may symbolize purification and self-renewal. You need to cleanse yourself, both emotionally and psychologically.
Using the toilet represents letting out your emotions, fears, and worries. And the notion that you are exposed from the waist up highlights your need to get something off your chest. You need to let your feelings show! You go to the bathroom in a stall where there is little space. To some degree, you are trying to keep your feelings and emotions to yourself. What you need to do is share them with others, as the waist-high door demonstrates. Get over your fear that you might be judged or criticized.
The part about being lost suggests that I'm lost or confused in my own sea of emotions.
All I could say was "wow" when I read these. It all makes sense because of the situation(s) I was in before Nick saved me.
To dream that you are in the bathroom, relates to your instinctual urges. You may be experiencing some burdens/feelings and need to relieve yourself. Alternatively, it may symbolize purification and self-renewal. You need to cleanse yourself, both emotionally and psychologically.
Using the toilet represents letting out your emotions, fears, and worries. And the notion that you are exposed from the waist up highlights your need to get something off your chest. You need to let your feelings show! You go to the bathroom in a stall where there is little space. To some degree, you are trying to keep your feelings and emotions to yourself. What you need to do is share them with others, as the waist-high door demonstrates. Get over your fear that you might be judged or criticized.
The part about being lost suggests that I'm lost or confused in my own sea of emotions.
All I could say was "wow" when I read these. It all makes sense because of the situation(s) I was in before Nick saved me.
In lieu of actual content, here's something I borrowed from mikey, who borrowed it from Candi, who borrowed it from Suzy.
Guys who I think are cute (in no particular order, and excluding Nick because that's a given):
*Matthew McConaughey
*John Travolta
*Tom Cruise (oh, just be quiet)
*Ashton Kutcher
*Seann William Scott
*Denzel Washington
*Ben Affleck
*Keanu Reeves
*Rob Lowe
*Emilio Estevez
Guys who I think are cute (in no particular order, and excluding Nick because that's a given):
*Matthew McConaughey
*John Travolta
*Tom Cruise (oh, just be quiet)
*Ashton Kutcher
*Seann William Scott
*Denzel Washington
*Ben Affleck
*Keanu Reeves
*Rob Lowe
*Emilio Estevez
Thursday, April 04, 2002
Thursday Threesome
Onesome. Love. Ever felt that "unconditional love"? Tell us about it....
Yes. Nick loves me no matter what. Some days I'ma real bitch not that easy to love but he doesn't get discouraged. He's always there for me. I can't even describe the feeling. It's just so awesome. This may seem like kind of a weird transistion, but I can't ever think of the phrase "unconditional love" without thinking about my dog, Beebe. When she died two years ago I had her buried in my back yard. I was crying and my heart was breaking because I had to say good-bye to my little girl who I'd had for 13 years. But just before it was time to say good-bye for the last time, the man who buried her said "I believe God put dogs on Earth to teach us the meaning of unconditional love." In the case of me and Beebe, I don't think that could be more true.
Twosome. Labors. What was your first paying job (not counting baby-sitting)?
I worked as apeon kitchen aide in a nursing home. The building was an old mansion that had marble floors and tiles, solid brass fixtures, crystal chandeliers, a ballroom. It was massive and gorgeous! The residents of the home were treated more like guests than patients. They'd eat their meals in the huge dining room and they were served on real plates, etc., not hospital-type stuff. One of my jobs when I first started was to pour the guests' coffee and tea after dinner. I really got to know and grow very fond of some of them. One woman was the sister-in-law of Sorrell Booke, the man who played Boss Hogg on "The Dukes of Hazzard." He came to visit her quite often and was a very nice man.
Threesome. Lost. Have a knack for losing things? Is there something you lose "all the time"?
I used to lose my car keys all the time. Most of the time I'd find them in my purse but I had so much junk in it I couldn't find them in there. I used to lose pens and pencils a lot, too, but only at work. Actually, I thinkthe low-life idiots who came in after I left stole them because they're too cheap to buy their own people borrowed them and forgot to return them. Now, I think the only thing I lose is socks.
Onesome. Love. Ever felt that "unconditional love"? Tell us about it....
Yes. Nick loves me no matter what. Some days I'm
Twosome. Labors. What was your first paying job (not counting baby-sitting)?
I worked as a
Threesome. Lost. Have a knack for losing things? Is there something you lose "all the time"?
I used to lose my car keys all the time. Most of the time I'd find them in my purse but I had so much junk in it I couldn't find them in there. I used to lose pens and pencils a lot, too, but only at work. Actually, I think
Wednesday, April 03, 2002
Christy's Chaos - HumpDay Hump
1) What has been the best day/experience of your life thus far? Don't cop out and put "my wedding day" or "the day my kids were born" unless you truly mean it! Can I name an entire week? It was March 25-31, 2001 -- the day I met Nick for the first time in person and the week we spent together. Actually, I didn't leave until April 1. There were some wonderful things that happened that day, too, but the end was so terribly sad that I'm not going to include it. I'd really like to give detailsabout best sex of my life but it might be a little too pornographic for younger viewers. *s*
2) Do you like your name? Have you ever considered changing it? Is there a story behind your name (ie. did it come from a relative, a beloved storyline, etc.)? I hate my name, but I never considered changing it. There's interesting story about my middle name (Louise, which I hate even more than Anne). My grandmother secretly prayed that my mom would name me Louise because there was a statue of Saint Louise in the middle of the town where she grew up in Italy. My grandmother thought Saint Louise was so beautiful and she wanted one of her granddaughters to have that name. But she never told my mother that because she didn't want my mother to feel pressured. My mom was stuck on the name Anne (There's a story behind that but I can't remember it right now.) but couldn't come up with a good, unique middle name. She still didn't have one the first time my grandmother saw me. But I guess as soon as my grandmother held me for the first time the name Louise popped into my mom's head. I've since learned that Saint Louise was named the patron saint of social workers in the year I was born; she helped establish the St. Vincent DePaul Society; and founded the Sisters of Charity order of nuns. Her feast day is March 15, which happens to be the birthday of a very dear and special friend of mine.
3) If you had to choose to be an animal right at this very moment, which one would you choose? Why did you pick that one? Whichever animal would be best and fastest at getting boxes packed and laundry done.
1) What has been the best day/experience of your life thus far? Don't cop out and put "my wedding day" or "the day my kids were born" unless you truly mean it! Can I name an entire week? It was March 25-31, 2001 -- the day I met Nick for the first time in person and the week we spent together. Actually, I didn't leave until April 1. There were some wonderful things that happened that day, too, but the end was so terribly sad that I'm not going to include it. I'd really like to give details
2) Do you like your name? Have you ever considered changing it? Is there a story behind your name (ie. did it come from a relative, a beloved storyline, etc.)? I hate my name, but I never considered changing it. There's interesting story about my middle name (Louise, which I hate even more than Anne). My grandmother secretly prayed that my mom would name me Louise because there was a statue of Saint Louise in the middle of the town where she grew up in Italy. My grandmother thought Saint Louise was so beautiful and she wanted one of her granddaughters to have that name. But she never told my mother that because she didn't want my mother to feel pressured. My mom was stuck on the name Anne (There's a story behind that but I can't remember it right now.) but couldn't come up with a good, unique middle name. She still didn't have one the first time my grandmother saw me. But I guess as soon as my grandmother held me for the first time the name Louise popped into my mom's head. I've since learned that Saint Louise was named the patron saint of social workers in the year I was born; she helped establish the St. Vincent DePaul Society; and founded the Sisters of Charity order of nuns. Her feast day is March 15, which happens to be the birthday of a very dear and special friend of mine.
3) If you had to choose to be an animal right at this very moment, which one would you choose? Why did you pick that one? Whichever animal would be best and fastest at getting boxes packed and laundry done.
I haven't posted for a few days because I've been really busy getting ready for the big move. There's lots of packing, laundry and other stuff to do. But we're getting there. It's been a little bit more difficult the last couple of days because it's been so hot here. H-O-T -- like almost into the 90s. This will be my second summer in Bakersfield and I'm not quite sure I'm ready for it yet. Well, I guess I'm more prepared than I was last year. Just a tip: It's not good to be dehydrated when you move into the desert. I wasn't a very good water drinker before I moved here. One of the reasons is -- and this is kind of stupid now that I look back on it -- with the job I had it wasn't always convenient to use the restroom -- if there was even a restroom available to me. So, I really didn't drink as much as I should have during work hours or the couple of hours before work. After work, I didn't drink that much because I didn't want to be up all night running to the bathroom. Which leads me to how I got really dehydrated before I stepped off the bus into the 104 degree heat of Bakersfield last June. I took a train from Pennsylvania (actually, I got on the train in Buffalo, NY) to Los Angeles, then took a bus from LA to Bakersfield. The trip took four days. I get motion sickness really bad and I was afraid to move around on the train too much because I didn't want to end up puking my guts out. So, during the entire trip I drank 3 small bottles of water and 3 sodas -- in four days! How stupid was that?!? So, naturally, I was dehydrated. When the temperature is in the 100s, it's very difficult to recover from dehydration. But now I'm a good water drinker so I'm better prepared for the heat. I hope!
Wake up! I'm finished with that post. *s*
Wake up! I'm finished with that post. *s*