A couple of new things

Although I'm not in here nearly as often as I should be, there have been a couple minor adjustments to the page.

First and foremost, you'll notice that the Weight Progress bar has been removed. This is because I've been fighting and fighting but most of the weight's returned thanks to a pair of legs that don't want to cooperate. Plus with my dr appointments so few and far inbetween lately, the bar doesn't get updated as often as it should (I was using the drs visits as the official weight check for the tracker) and most of the time it would lock up because I hadn't added to it in forever. No sense in keeping it up at this point.... mostly because I was finding it depressing.

Second, you'll find a couple new links on the right. One is for the music I'm digging at the moment. This way I'm not junking up this blog with nothing but videos. Not much writing goes on over there, unless I decide to do another music meme, then who knows. The other link is for the book I'm in the middle of reading. I seem to be on a reading kick these days. It started in early September sometime. Since then, I've read the following:

James Patterson's Maximum Ride series (all 7 books, there's an 8th coming in February so I'll be re-reading them after the top of the year again)
Throwaway by Heather Huffman
The Last Dragon Chronicles by Chris D'Lacey (all 6 books, a 7th is expected in April)
Shanna Swendson's Enchanted, Inc series (4 books, unknown if a 5th will be out)
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
The Inheritance Cycle (Eragon, Eldest and Brisingr) and now into the last book of the series, Inheritance, by Christopher Paolini

I'm nearly 200 pages into Inheritance right now and will be headed to bed in a few to get another few chapters read. I've been averaging a 200-300 page book in about 2 days or so (considering I'm only reading a couple hours or so a sitting). This one I expect will take a bit longer as it's got nearly 850 pages....

Couldn't resist

I generally don't like Jimmy Fallon much, but leave it to him to find a way to make a song from an artist I don't particularly care for... actually tolerable.

Jimmy's take on Baby

I originally had the video embedded but the account I grabbed it from had it ganked from their page. The link above will take you to another page with the same video.

Happy Birthday Iggy!!!


Boy what a time I had trying to find just the right one. There wasn't one with traffic cones singing, sorry. I even checked out the Spongebob one, but considering what you've been through this month, I didn't find it terribly appropriate. No squirrels, I didn't want to substitute the chipmunks in... but I wanted something to put a smile on your face...

This week's favorite

Ok... she's not my favorite artist. She's next to the farthest thing from a favorite (the farthest being most rap crap). There are ~maybe~ one or two songs of hers that I actually like. Definitely NOT enough to warrant getting her album. However, if she was to do a cd of standards (ala Dana Owens), I would definitely have to pick it up. As it is, this song and 2 others were enough to make me want Tony Bennett's second Duets cd (I like him, but not enough to have a cd of his work on my cd shelves).

Today's fav

I'm not really a Chris Brown fan... don't really like him at all. However, I'm diggin this cover. Mike so needs to put a cd out and soon....


Checking in!

5.9 earthquake hits Virginia, jolts N.Y. and Carolinas

I'm fine. The "kids" are freaked. Gotta still inspect the house. Gotta find the cat too... havent seen her since it hit. The epicenter, depending on who you listen to was anywhere from 80-94 miles south of DC and since we're 35 miles SW of DC, well it was a bit closer than I care for comfort. I'm startled, but ok. Coulda been worse. Coulda been stronger and happened on this last weekend... that's fodder for another entry.

No need to call. Save the bandwidth for the emergency crews.

I feel her pain


Lil: I'm looking for a sports bra
Clerk: For what kind of exercise?
Lil: Heavy lifting
Clerk: You lift weights?
Lil: Not ME the BRA.

a new favorite

Just something to cheer this space up a little and move some of the more depressing stuff down and off the page.

*looks around*

.oO(damn. This page needs an overhaul....)




A reminder from home

And sometimes all it takes is a moment while cleaning out your email inbox to have some things become clear... I love you too, daddy.



  STRESS   
 
 
A young lady confidently walked around the room while explaining stress management to an audience.

 

With a raised glass of water, everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, 'Half empty or half full?'

 

But she fooled them all... "How heavy is this glass of water?", she inquired with a smile.

 

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.  

 

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.  If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

 

She continued, "And that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

 

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.  When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better each time practiced”.

 

So, as early in the evening as you can, after you have done the best you can, “your personal best”, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night... pick them up tomorrow” when you are fresh and rested. Learn how to conquer your stress by taking on small burdens at a time rather than all at once. You will achieve so much more and be even more proud of what you have accomplished!

 

Guidelines for Life:
 

1 * Accept the fact that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the

Statue! Sometimes life sucks!!

 

2 * Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

 

3 * Always read stuff that makes you feel good; In case you die in the middle of it, you will die happy and content!

 

4 * Drive carefully... It's not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.

 

5 * If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague!

 

6 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it!! Count your blessings!


 

7 * It may be that your sole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others. 

Show them what you have accomplished since then!!

 

8 * Never buy a car you can't push. Remember, everything important in life may require extra work!

 

9 * Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.  Never be too proud or too boastful!!

 

10 * Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance!!

 

11 * Since it's the early bird that catches the worm, then sometimes wake up early;  Be sure to keep your eye on the important things in life!!
             

12 * Don’t be despondent if at first you don’t succeed; Despite what they say, the second mouse often does get the cheese!
 

13 * When everything's coming your way, are you in the wrong lane? 

Be thankful and appreciative for your successes. Don’t be smug. 

 

14 * Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
Grow old with a good attitude!  
 

15 * You may be only one person in this lonely difficult world, but you may also be the world to one special person!


 

16 * Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once. But improve on them each time!     




17 * We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have
weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.  Take pleasure in other's
oddness! Accept those who are different from you!

 

18 * A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Master the detours in life!
 

19 *Save the earth..... It's the only planet with chocolate! 

 

20 * Have an awesome day and know that someone thought about you today.  
And it was me!!!

I guess it's official now

So Friday was D day according to one "niece". That morning I got a message from the other saying that it was confirmed that he was getting out on Sunday and heading for his folks' house. I thought it was rather weird that they'd release on a weekend simply because I'd thought that administration dealt with releases and in most businesses (even if it's in a service industry, it's still a business) the admins don't work weekends. I as much told her this but got no answer. hm.

Anyhow, here it is... the Doomsday that I had originally in the timer and I look up on that trace site and see this:


Inmate Locator Results
No inmate found according to the requested search criteria. Please click here to search again.
If you have problems finding an inmate, please contact the Support Team.
Return to search page

No, I didn't mistype the id number as I've had it committed to memory for years now.....

Guess I'd better find something to keep me distracted today. All I really want to do is curl up on the sofa and bury my head in the blankets.

~~comments off~~

It's just one of those...

days, weeks, months....
Oh I could so go on.
and on
and on

but I won't

Why?

Because I'm depressed enough as it is, no sense making myself feel worse.

A couple of you know what's going on
and it's oh so more than I've let on
and it's definitely NOT just because tomorrow's Friday and that asshat is getting out from prison.

For when it rains
it pours
and these days we've had to refresh our memories on what a cubit is, it's that bad.

An asshat getting free
another asshat from the other side of our family slinging BS and causing a Civil War in the family (it's literally brother against brother)
neither of us knowing quite how to handle it
and seeing each other in pain
because of not only our own hurts, but because we hurt for each others problems too.

~sigh~

And suddenly I'm talking, not in my usual complete sentences
but in the little fragments that one of my other friends uses

Suddenly I understand
why her communications get like this when she's upset...

This is gonna be a long battle folks
and here I was doing so well

SO

Instead of closing out this on such a shadowy note
I'm going to share a song... something uplifting
She's not my absolute favorite artist
so few of her songs I like enough to drop the money for the cd
However, I found that I like more than half this newest album...
and this song
is my favorite.


Update

Checked my secondary FB account yesterday and found a note from one of the ex-nieces asking if I knew when the idjut was getting out. I told her that after speaking to my source and some math I'd figured July 19th. I also suggested that she and her older sister sit down and have a chat with their mom and start asking questions (something I had been encouraging all along, mind you) about the whens and where he was headed. Looks like the time crunch finally lit a fire under at least her butt because I checked to day to find another response from her. Looks like the math was off or that he's getting a few days off for good behavior or something... Anyhow, the timer now reflects the new release date. She also let me know that he'll be headed to his folk's house to live. Not sure if this is permanent (more than likely not). As much as I am slightly relieved (for now) that he's not headed in this direction, I am now worried for my NYBro, who will more than likely end up running into him (remember, NYBro started out as his best friend...) and for the family members who have extended their hand to me. I have a bad feeling that if he finds out that these two young ladies are in contact with me, he'll try and harass them to get to me. Unless he's as changed as he professes to my mom (yeah, I don't like it much but to be honest, it's a good way to keep tabs on him).

reworked

For those of you following the Journey blog... it's been repurposed, redecorated and renamed. It seemed rather silly keeping it as it was when there's quite obviously not going to be any use for it. The new name is Falling Out of Warranty . Clicking the title will take you straight there so you can update your links. Some of the same stuff will be located there and it does have a content warning on it.

Some do play nice

While I was catching up in the blogs a few weeks back, I stumbled across an entry at Deanna's entitled b...bu...but we have squirrels! that made me think of a picture I'd snapped just a few days prior. I wasn't going to post it right away because I was in the middle of that meme and I didn't want to interrupt the flow I had going. We all know what happens when THAT happens!

Anyhow, she was discussing why we haven't seen anymore of those squirrelly stories coming from her neck of the woods. It seems that they've taken to bum-rushing the feeders meant for the pretty birdies and hogging down all the seed. The birds don't seem to enjoy this harassment and have stopped coming around.

I'm here to tell you that they can and do manage to share eating quarters very nicely, it all depends on where you're located. You see, for those who don't read Deanna's blog, she lives way out in the Boonie-docks with trees and all that lovely nature around her. The squirrels don't have as much selection in a free buffet there as they do in the middle of town, like where I live. Cul-de-sac after cul-de-sac after cul-de-sac filled with townhouses. It's much like living in a fish bowl. I hate it. Behind us is a strip mall then a busy street and on the other side of that is a big mall. Needless to say, the squirrels gotta get when and where they can and if it means being nice to the birds to get a share, then so be it. It might help that 80% of the birdies here are brown and kinda blend in with the ground... might also help that the Mourning Doves show up in a flock of  7-8 and each one is almost as large as the squirrel. Then again, it might be that one dove that I nicknamed "The Godfather" because of the way the others seem to defer to it. Just sayin'.

There's at least 6, if not 7, assorted birds on the right.
I've got other birdie pictures that I'll post at a later time..... more colorful ones :)

Day 31

Habit? Naw. I just had no friggin clue what to write today and definitely had no idea what to call the post. However, I'm in a habit that I kinda like and I really would like to keep going. If not everyday, then at least 5 of the 7.

I did find some links that had a few more of the 30 day type memes on them. Who knows, I may just borrow one .... or several of them. Better yet, maybe I'll mash a few of them up into one huge game. I do have one that I want to post beforehand, though, but I have to dig back to the post that made me snap the shot as well as get the shot off the camera.

Anyhow.... I'm hoping I got my mojo back    ^_~

I do need a teeny favor. I'm repurposing the Journey journal and using it for my medical posts. I need a snappy name... or at least some ideas for a name. It ..um... had and will have an adult setting on it. 


Day 30

Can you believe I actually made it? Maybe I need to do these a bit more often.... or at least something similar. hm. It's a thought.

Day 30: Your favorite song this time last year.

Considering the release of his album was in November 2009 and he'd dropped 2 videos from said album, I was all about Adam Lambert. His is one of my favorite cds to have in my stereo because it makes me get up and move, which is something I really need to be doing....

So today I have 2 songs I'm going to post. One was one that hit the video stations (which has a cameo at around the 3:15 mark of that season's 3rd place Idol, Allison Iraheta) and one that is my favorite off the cd.

If I Had You


If I Had You (lyrics for the hearing impaired or simply those that don't like watching Adam.... we all know how intense he can be while performing)


Music Again

Day 29

Day 29: A song from your childhood

There are several. None of which I remember. Well, none that I remember from back then. I've heard them plenty enough in the following years.

The song that was #1 on my birth date:



The song that my mother said I requested most often, much to the absolute shock of her dj friends:



And this one, which needs no explanation at all.... unless of course you didn't hear the story. Those that caught my streams heard the story often enough.

Day 28

Day 28: A song that makes you feel guilty

This is probably the one day out of the entire 30 day game that I've been dreading. Why? Because I have plenty to feel guilty about but nothing that I'd care to admit to anyone. Things that I plan on taking right to my grave kinda guilty. Unless I finally decide to go to a therapist, then I'll be doing plenty of talking because they're paid to keep those secrets.

I mean, technically I could do an absolute cop out and pick Tiny Dancer by Elton John because it reminds me of the very first time I spoke to my present hubby. Why should that great memory make me feel guilty? Because I was still married to my first husband at the time. So basically, I have that little twinge of guilt but the warm feelings of a good memory pretty much outweigh any moment of guilt I feel.

So. What do I post for today?

How about this one? It fits well because I feel really guilty about the prison that I allowed myself to be put into during the first marriage and the one that I went into the minute I ran. The jailer is different and the punishment has changed from external to internal. There are days where I'm not sure who was/ is worse. One of these days I'll get it figured out.

Day 27

Day 27: A song you wish you could play.

Everything?

I'd start with anything from this composer:



and work my way all the way through to and including this gentleman's works:



Hm. Looks like I'll be putting the classical in the stereo later when I awake from my sleep-shift.

Day 26

Day 26: A song you can play on an instrument

I haven't played an instrument in forever, not that I was any good at it anyhow. However, when I was younger we had a Casio at home and one of my favorites to play (and I could almost play it by memory) was Sentimental Journey.



When I was in 6th grade, my mom actually sent me in for lessons. Never could pick it up. Then again the organ they taught us on was a Hammond. I'm not exactly the most coordinated,and getting the chord, melody and foot pedals put together correctly was next to impossible for me. So, needless to say, I flunked out pretty quick. It took me weeks to be able to play the following song even 1/3 the way through. To this day... the first 7 notes make me sing... 3-1-2-1-5-2-5

Day 25

Day 25: A song that makes you laugh.

This one's an easy one. The hardest part of today's entry is finding a decent video of it. The one with Ray Stevens singing it is a lousy quality and the one with the puppets is kinda... well... *meh*



In a not too distant second place is this other Ray Stevens song....

Day 24

Day 24: A song that you want to play at your funeral.

Actually, the person who made up this list really got that wrong. If it's your funeral, that means you're dead so how can you play a song?

Anyhow. Any of these songs would be fine to play at my funeral. Each would be very appropriate, to say the least. Actually, play 'em all.


Daughtry: Home



John Lennon: Free As a Bird



Bon Jovi: Thank You For Loving Me



Then again.... this one would be awesome to go out to....

Day 23

Day 23: A song that you want to play at your wedding.

Ok, for this one, I'm going to use the one that was actually played as opposed to one I want played because I don't plan on taking that walk a third time, unless it's with my Sweet Baboo again.

Those that have ever caught my streams should recognize this one. It's the song my sweetie would request (or play because he was a streamer for awhile too)for me.

Sweet story: During my trip to Dallas to meet Ranger, it was the second or third night I was there, he called and cancelled a date we had scheduled because he was so tired (12 hour days will do that to you) and wasn't feeling well. I was tired and upset that evening. Spent most of the night crying because of other things that were bothering me (I totally understood the long hours and not feeling well) and I wasn't in any shape to go out anyhow. Later that evening, I get a phone call and when I answered I heard a click.... then this started playing:

Day 22

Day 22: A song that you listen to when you're sad

I generally don't listen to music when I get to the point where I need a good cry.  In the spirit of the game, however, I shall post a couple songs that at least reflect the theme.

Mark Willis' Don't Laugh at Me
(this one really touches me every time I hear it...)


and R.E.M's Everybody Hurts
(although I like the R.E.M version, I'm going to post the Coors version because I kinda think I like it as much)

Day 21

Day 21: A song you listen to when you're happy.

Just like my F-U stream, I also have a selection of music that I play when I'm happy. There's at least 93 songs in this list...

No, I won't be posting them all.

Well maybe two of them............... *laffz*!

When I'm happy... I feel like moving.... alot. So put on your dance shoes (or not, some of us like dancin in our stockin feet) or bop around in those chairs.... whatever...

Robert Randolph and the Family Band: Ain't Nothin' Wrong With That


Cascada: Evacuate the Dance Floor

Day 20

Day 20: A song that you listen to when you're angry

Anyone who's heard me stream has more than likely heard the stream that I've dubbed either the Female Empowerment or F-U stream. Any single one of those songs could very easily be posted in this entry because it's the stream I go to when I'm truly pissed off. My favorite to blast when I'm really angry is this one... and the louder I can play it, the better.



Day 19

Day 19: A song from your favorite album

I've got several different favorite albums and it would be oh so easy to just pick another Styx song, slap it up in my blog as an entry and call it a day. However, I'm not going to go that route. My favorite cds, after almost anything by Styx, are Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet and Rob Thomas's .....something to be. I'm having a trouble choosing just one song off of the Bon Jovi one so I'm going to post a selection from Rob's cd instead. This one is my very favorite song from the cd.


Day 18

Day 18: A song that you wish you heard on the radio

Pfft that. How about an artist I'd like to hear on the radio? I simply cannot choose just one song of his because he's so flipping talented. As a result, I'm going to share 2. His originals, it sounds like he has instrument accompaniment, but his covers are mostly all just him. You may remember him from last month (or was it the month before?)

Dream World


Fireflies (an Owl City cover)

Day 17

Day 17: A song that you hear often on the radio.

To be honest, I don't generally listen to the radio at home. Most of the time I'm either playing my cds on the stereo or I have something playing on the computer. When we're in the truck together out and about, 9 times out of 10 he has the talk radio on (*barf*). However, whenever he gets out of the truck to quick run in somewhere, I usually turn the station over to the one rock station we manage to get in town (there are actually 2-3, but the truck radio's kinda finicky). Actually, I've almost got him trained enough where most times he will turn the channel over to the rock station as he exits the truck. Those djs have some awesome taste in classic rock, that's for sure! Led Zep is in heavy rotation there and this one is played quite often.


Day 16

Day 16: A song that you used to love but now hate.

This one's easy. Anyone who's been my friend for longer than 5 years can tell you which song will get a stream muted faster than Mr Roboto and it's this one. It doesn't matter who sings it. I love listening to Clay, he's got such a gorgeous voice, but this one song he covered was enough for me to put the cd down and say "um, no thanks" (although I will admit his version is about the only one I will listen to so long as it's not played often).

Day 15

Day 15: A song that describes you.

Considering my physical appearance, I could easily go with the rather obvious choices of Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen or Green Eyed Lady by Sugarloaf, but I think I'm going to go with this Liz Phair song instead...

Day 14

Day 14: A song that no one would expect you to love.

There are several that actually fall into this category.
01) Lady Gaga's Edge of Glory : not fond of the artist but I love the Cher-like feel the song has.
02) Katy Perry ft Kanye West in ET: I like Katy better than Gaga but I simply abhor Kanye. Yet I can't help but listen to this song repeatedly. Best is when I can find Katy's version of the same song without Kanye.
03) JLo ft Pitbull in On the Dance Floor: Love JLo, can't stand Pitbull. However, this song makes me move every single time.

However, knowing that I'm eclectic, I don't think any of those choices will absolutely surprise anyone.

So maybe I shouldn't go with the word "love", maybe we should substitute the word "like" in there. This brings it down to exactly one song that may actually be surprising. It's a song that is a mash-up between a song a hate from a group I adore with a song I love from a group I'm not so fond of.  Strange thing is, I'll sit and happily listen to it any time I come across it!


Day 13

Day 13: A song that is a guilty pleasure

I remember when this song came out. I was working in a school that was a bit to the south of New Orleans. A blind person could tell which grade levels where on the play ground simply by which brother was being discussed. God forbid if you mention the wrong brother's name, that's fo' sho'.  A few years later, when I was working for Toys R Us in Pennsylvania, this same song was being played on the store PA system and without a second thought, I started humming along. Oh the looks I got from some of the co-workers... *laffz* You see, I'd only been there a week or two and they weren't quite sure what to make of me to begin with, then I started be-bopping to a kids' tune... Yeah, they pretty much thought I was nuts.


Day 12

Day 12: A song from a band you hate

As you all know, I'm rather eclectic in my tastes of music. There isn't too much that I don't like. There are, however, a few bands that I really don't care for at all. Well, let me rephrase, I don't generally like the band but SOMETIMES there's a song or two that I can tolerate. In this case, it's taken a cover of a song that I like to get me to listen to them.

Love the song, not fond of the video...


Day 11

Day 11: A song from your favorite band:

YAY!! I can put up another Styx song!! *chuckles* As many of you know, I'm rather addicted to a couple games in FB which takes me away from here for much longer than I care to be. What some may not know is that FB isn't the only place I like to play. I've also discovered this other site that helps deal with those "I miss streaming" moments. Do I miss it all the time? No. However, every now and again...

Anyhow it's like a mix of a chatroom/forum/Twitter format and everyone is playing music at the same time. You see something you like, you click the link and listen. You really like what they've suggested you "prop" them (kinda like the "like" button on FB). You really really like it, you repost it (called reblipping). For an example of what I'm talking about, check out my station. I met a very nice guy on the site, TrainWreckRadio, who introduced me to a Styx cd that I hadn't heard yet (I was pretty much still stuck in the DeYoung era with Styx), called Cyclorama (or as he calls it "The Dangling Carrot disc").  This song, in particular, is one he likes to spin when he knows I'll be around to see it. I have to admit, it's my favorite one off this disc.


Day 10

Day 10: A song that makes you fall asleep

When I'm trying to relax enough to get to sleep, I can't listen to anything with lyrics in it because I sit there and try to sing along. All I can listen to is an instrumental number. The softer the better. Usually I opt for acoustic guitar or piano music. The first one that comes to mind is this next selection because when we were living in Texas and shortly after we'd moved into the house, hubby started working nights. I was fine staying in the house by myself.... until it was time to crawl into bed. At the time I had a hard time getting to sleep when I was alone in the house, mostly because I wasn't used to sleeping by myself (although I do sleep better, I just can't get TO sleep alone) and my ears ring (worse now then they did then) so I need something making noise as I'm trying to drift off otherwise I end up with a vicious headache.  Solution? Grab my cd player and put in some Yanni. I'd crawl into bed, put the earbuds into my ears and turn the music on really softly, enough where I could just hear it, and let the cd run. By the time hubby got home, the cd finished and shut off. The trick at that point was getting the earbuds out and the cd player moved without disturbing me.


Day 9

Day 9: A song that you can dance to.

Um

ummm

*giggles in embarassment*



Well... maybe a little, but I don't count dry heaves set to music as dancing, it's more like lurching to an auditory stimulus.

Day 8

Day 8: A song that you know all the words to.

During my school years, I was in the choir. Like I've said before, I love to sing (albeit not very well). Most songs that catch my attention, I'll look up the lyrics to, so there are a great number of them I know all the words to.  However, there is one that I've known the words to for a very long time and in a pinch in highschool (I forgot to do the lesson), I was able to write it from memory in the 5 minutes we had for homeroom.


Day 7

Day 7: A song that reminds you of a certain event



Now picture a wedding party getting up and dancing this one. This would be a small segment of how my brother's wedding reception went. Complete with them all singing their respective parts. Oh... and a 6'2" 200+ pound man dancing the part of Magenta. Yeah. Not an image you're likely to forget. Even more than a decade later.

Day 6

Day 6: A Song that reminds you of somewhere.


This one reminds me of home. Some of you may remember me saying how much I missed home, particularly around Christmas time because the family would turn on the music and decorate or make goodies (fudge and cookies) while singing. Ok, so it was mostly my mom and I because the guys were pretty much tone deaf. From 3rd grade all the way to my senior year of high school, with the exception of one year, I was in the choir. I wasn't (and still am not) particularly good, but I love to sing. Hey, the saying is "Make a joyful noise". It never said anything about it being pleasant sounding! While I was younger, mom and I would just sing the same part. As I got older and was learning to sing harmony to other voices, we started taking different parts. She usually took lead while I took the harmony. The only exception is this song, because my register is lower and I have an easier time hitting all the notes. Actually, I still have this song memorized. Then again, any song I liked enough to learn I more than likely still know the words to. This is going to make one of the upcoming days a pain trying to decide which song to share!

How about you? What song reminds you of a certain place?

Day 5

Day 5: A song that reminds you of someone.

There are many songs that remind me of different people, however, I'm so gonna have to go with this one.

My streamer friends should all remember this one and know exactly who it's meant for. I know I don't usually say it, but I appreciate your friendship and love spending time online with you. You're such a great friend!

Day 4

Day 4: A song that makes you sad.

This one's the easiest one on the list so far. There's only one song that makes me so sad that if I don't cry, I come damned close. It all started back in the mid-80's when my gramma moved from NY to Fl. Those of you that have been following this blog long enough know how close I was to her. She left NY in the autumn. That Christmas, I couldn't listen to it without tears coming to my eyes. Once I moved out of the family home and went out on my own, this song made me even sadder because family was so very far away (they moved out of state about 3-4 months after I struck out on my own). To this day I can't listen to or sing it without getting all sniffly.

Pardon the rather out of season pick:



Day 3

Day 3: A Song that makes you happy

I had a hard time picking this one. Why? Because I love music in general. I can pick out ones that I play when I'm mad (the songs I always played when I did my "female empowerment" or "fk you" streams) and I have one or two that always depress the hell out of me. So I had to really think on this one. I decided on choosing one that  not only makes me happy , but always gets me to bounce around when I hear it. Wouldn't you know, I had a couple pop right into my mind. They're songs that make it IMPOSSIBLE to sit still when they get cranked up. I think I'll save one for a later entry... Anyhow, today's pick, the song that I always play when I need to get out of a desperate funk (maybe I need it on continuous loop these days, eh?) is:


Day 2

Day 2: Your least favorite song

This one's a hard pick as there are at least 4 that I can name that I really hate. They are (in no particular order because I hate them all pretty much equally):

01 & 02) Hey Jude and The Long and Winding Road by the Beatles. Not only do these dongs seem to take FOR-FRIGGIN-EVER to play, but that dingbat I was married to LOVED the Beatles and that's pretty much all he'd play. Not only did we hear them ad nauseum via cassettes, but he also insisted on playing them on his guitars (acoustic mostly but later he got himself a second hand electric) AND sing along. Dude was tone deaf. These two got played quite often.

03) Unchained Melody. This one actually fits elsewhere in the list so we won't bother putting the video up quite yet for it.

and the last one (but certainly NOT the least on the list is):

Drum roll please



Yeah go figure that the group that gave us my favorite song also created one of my most hated songs. Why? Because everytime I go into a chat room or music sharing place, people take a glance at my name and figuring out that I do love me some Styx, they play this one. *barf* Puh-LEEZ! This one actually fits in in a way in a few days so expect a revisit to it.

Day 1





So I found on a friend’s page somewhere (Facebook??) a game labelled The 30 Day Challenge. The object of the game is to pick a song for each of the 30 days that matches the subject that is given for that day. In an effort to get me back into writing something everyday (even if it’s just something small), I am going to attempt this game. My hopes is that it’ll help me past any writer’s block I’ve been having.

day 01 - your favorite song

My favorite song is quite obvious to anyone who really knows me. Actually, it’s as plain as the online nick that I’ve used for several years now, LadyStyx. Yeah, the story behind the name is really all that lame….

So. What’s YOUR favorite song… and why?

When Sir Arthur Becomes a Bigger Bitch Than You Are

I know I haven't been the best in and around here for awhile. However, a few have asked after me and it's just so much easier to update everyone at once instead of trying to write everything out each and every time....

As ya'll know, about a year, year and a half ago, I decided that I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I know a great deal of the problems could be corrected with substantial weight loss (and maybe a trip or five to a therapist..) so I got myself to a nutritionist. She put me on an eating modification and I took up riding a stationary bike. Boy I was doing so well too. I'd lost 50 pounds and was feeling great. That's when my "good" knee decided that the grinding in the "bad" knee obviously wasn't enough to aggravate me and decided to give me a great deal of pain, heat and swelling. A couple days rest and things were fine, so I carried on. I did, however, make an appointment with the dr and then went to an orthopedic regarding my knees.

The dr had x-rays done on both knees and the ortho and I sat down to review them. I was diagnosed with severe arthritis, bone spurs and knocked knees. Great. I was also told the latter problem I'd more than likely had all my life and was I prone to falling? Yeah, I was and had. The damage had been done and there isn't much they can do but suggest OTC painkillers or shots (I chose the former). It was recommended I find a good cane and take some of the weight off that bad knee. This was October of last year.

By November, my right knee had taken a rather alarming turn for the worse and developed a bad wiggle. It didn't just give out slightly, oh no. It gave out enough that my whole right side fell downwards and as a result gave me a lurching walk and placed extra stress on my knee, hip and back when I walked. By December, I was walking with a cane and by Christmas the knee went one step farther and started a back and forth wiggle on every step. I could no longer walk at a normal speed. A normal speed gave me the double wiggle, a slower pace gave me the lurch and the only way I could get around cane-free was to take little half steps.

By January, I was begging for the shots. I kept putting it off because I knew they were going to hurt alot. By February, my knee was popping several times a day and my hip would join in 2-3 times a week. It grew extremely painful to get around and any thoughts of getting on my bike had gone out the window. Actually, thoughts of the bike were shot by December by the knees being so very uncooperative.

In April, I caved in and went in for a shot in the worst of the two knees. I also broke down and bought a wheelchair suitable for my weight (it's not, that's another story though) so I could still go to DC (pictures are slowly getting loaded to the Flickr account) when my friend (NYBro) came down from NY.

I was told in my appointment that my knee "crumpled due to severe pain", but this shot would "make my knee feel as good as new", that it would "hurt for a few days after" and that "it took a couple weeks to feel the effects". What's this tell you? Told me that I shouldn't have much of an issue getting around, just a bit of a wiggle once in a while. They were kind enough to sign some papers for me to get a temporary handicap placard for the truck because I simply couldn't make the walk from the back of the parking lots anymore. After the shot, I was totally LAME for the entire night and had a helluva time getting around my home. The next day? I felt great. I was able to get around the store during our weekly shopping trip with minimal to no pain. Awesome. The next day, however, I only got a half day pain free.

Since then, it's been all down hill. The Icy Hot I'd been using on both knees does nothing, the OTCs don't work and the shot most definitely has done nothing. The pain's actually increased in both knees. The left knee, which had to start taking all the weight 80% of the time as opposed to only half the time, has increased in pain and has started giving out a couple times a day. This was the way the right knee started so many months ago. It's very painful going up and down stairs now. The right hip, which had cleared up there for  bit, is back to popping 2-3 times a week. The right leg tends to drag when I'm super tired. The cane's not doing much good anymore. Oh and I seem to also have developed another pain in my left leg. If it doesn't feel like a bug climbing up or water dripping down my leg, then it constantly feels like it's wrapped in an ACE bandage and it always feels like it's on the brink of falling asleep on me. This pain developed a couple weeks ago. I guess it's time to bite the bullet, get over the fact that I gained ALL of that 50 pound loss, and just go to the doctor again.

Today and yesterday have been a real joy as getting in and out of chairs and any amount of walking is almost enough to bring tears to my eyes. Lying down hurts, sitting hurts , walking hurts.....

Oh... and my shoulders have decided they want in on the action. The right one I'm fairly sure got jacked up with my purse. In December, after a week of pain and the acquisition of the third leg, I decided that it was in my best interest to wear the purse cross my body. Go figure it's "in style" now. All I can say is thank God for adjustable straps. The left shoulder has just recently started acting up (as well as my hand and forearm) but there's not much that can be done. It's doing that because it's being worked constantly with that cane.

I'm suspecting the temporary red handicap tag is going to get made into a permanent blue tag by September....

Any bets that I end up in that damned chair for good and we'll need to move simply because this townhouse isn't built to handle a handicapped person?

Unique engagement ring


Blueviolet over at A Nut in a Nut Shell dropped an entry on the 24th of this month discussing her daughter's engagement ring and had asked her readers what their engagement rings looked like (or will look like). Try as I might, I really couldn't adequately describe mine. It's not the one I really wanted because as darling as my hubby is, he's a bit of a procrastinator, and by the time he was ready to purchase the one I wanted.... well it was no longer available. The only way I could hope to get one at this point is to have it custom made and that's rather expensive.


Wasn't that moon gorgeous last night?

After several reminders from the newscasters last night, I decided to haul myself back down the stairs (I had to feed the cat anyhow) and take my new toy out for a "run" and see what it could do on the nighttime setting. My Canon never was able to get a decent shot of the moon and I was hoping that since it (the moon) was going to be closer than usual, it would make things a bit easier. I wish we lived somewhere where we could see the moonrise without all the businesses messing up the view (now a nice church or a single house or something, that would have been cool). I wish I had gotten out earlier, maybe it would have been larger. Meh. These days it's rather painful to get around so I have to weigh whether the results of any trip (whether outside the home or within the confines of the townhouse) are really going to be rewarding enough to make the aches and pains that will result during and after said trip even worth it. However, this event doesn't happen everyday.....

This first picture is shot with very minimal optical zoom. Boy, was that moon ever bright last night! I'm beginning to wish I'd shot a set of these from the upstairs office window too. The new toy/baby (a Nikon Coolpix L110) handled this task very well. So I decided to see what a full digital zoom would get me. I figured that if the first couple shots turned out poorly, that I could give it a second go around with the tri-pod we bought (the more zoom there is, the harder it is to get a good shot when your hands shake a bit so it's a good investment).

And here it is at full zoom and no tri-pod. The only assistance I had was the shed to help brace my arm a bit.

I used a Nikon..... and I LIKED it!

Can't wait until my company comes back in April to re-do his vacation. We're headed to DC for a few days. Museums, zoo, monuments.... it'll be a great test for the new camera.

and THIS is how you respond

We've all been seeing Mr. Sheen's very public melt-down for weeks now and his out and out attack on Mr. Cryer, who as far as I could tell, really didn't deserve such treatment. Did Mr. Cryer make a public statement raging back at Mr. Sheen? No. He kept his piece for a bit and then, when he did choose to say something... used humor. This has to be one of the funniest responses to an ill mannered twit I've seen in a long time. Kudos to Mr.Cryer for keeping it light and nipping that particular outlet right in the bud.




Considering that Mr. Cryer's the only one to win an Emmy for this show, I'm guessing Two and a Half Men might do just fine if given half a chance and the right support.

Total awesomeness

Just a quick post to show that I am still alive, of the most part. I know, I really need to get in here and do something with this page again.

Oh.

And I wanted to share this that I saw on the MSN home page tonight.


This has got to be the best cover of this song to date.

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