The Biggest Loser

I have kept my mouth shut so far on this season of The Biggest Loser. I have so much to say that a small blog wouldn't hold it in. I am about 1/2 way into this week's episode and I want to smack Anna in the face. I am not a violent person, but i have watched her week after week be so condescending and this week she just rubbed me (even more) the wrong way. My family and I watch this show and root every week for her team to lose. They had to realign the teams because she only had 2 contestants left. She has a big mouth and has no "people skills". I really hope this show gets a clue and "loses" her next season!!! She annoys me, she has no skill, and she has no compassion for people. She needs to go!!!!

Boxing

My nephew is fighting for the first time on Showtime tonight. Now Junior is from Southern California and his opponent is also from another part of southern California. They are fighting in New Jersey. Really? You had to fly two guys from California to Atlantic City to fight each other. Couldn't they do it locally and save a ton of expense? Just my accounting personality coming through. Junior is featured on Yahoo Sports under Boxing. The story is "Reyes fights for his comatose father." Hope he does well. He does seem to thrive in this sport. I wish him all the best and just hope he is save. I would hate to see him in the same condition as his father. His mother having to take care of two family members would send her over the edge.

Shipping Containers

On Friday I read an article about converting shippint containers into liveable homes. Yes, I am thinking again... lol. I have spent a lot of my weekend reading up on this. Turns out they can make really cute homes, and are very cheap. they can be converted in a matter of weeks and require more labor than money. I just need to find some vacant land for cheap and then let my imagination take off. Containers run less than $1000 each. Since this is a "green" idea, wonder if there are grants for this. I would love to figure out how to do a spec home and let this be a launching pad for a green construction and get hubby back on fire construction wise. He is really good at it, but his heart is elsewhere. I think the constant losing of money and the haggling at the end is really getting to him. If he could come up with a great idea (well, I already have) the difficulty is in making it work. Fortunately, with imagination and space saving ideas (and hubby knows how to build custom and wall-to-wall units) these can be very practical and affordable. I read where one guy created his home for less than $50,000. Being married to a contractor, it could possibly be done cheaper. Now, how to find financing... I hope there is a grant type idea out there because walking into a bank and asking for a loan for a shipping container home may cause the banker to break out in hysterical laughing. If I could figure out how to get a spec home done, hubby and his on again/off again partner could have ideas to pitch in areas that need to be rebuilt. I could see lots of work in the future if this is doable.

Goodness!

My hubby left for work at 8:00 this morhing and din't return until almost 7:30 in the evening. On the plus side, he did make a deposit. After he settled in we crunched numbers - and we were devastated. He deposited $1600, which, in a normal world would be great. Um, we need to cover $950 for this month's rent, $1560 in past due truck payments (that was post dated earlier in the month, storage, cell phones, and car insurance. As you can tell, we are already in the negative. As an accounting person my first reaction is HUH??? I actually saw tears in his eyes. He has worked every day for two weeks, now has nitro pills for his heart, and is running at a negative cash flow. He says that no matter what he does, he can't seem to bring in money. Turns out he hasn't paid his guys for two weeks and he had bought some tools a while back and needs to repay the company whose account they were charged on. Am I frazzled??? Just a bit. Oh wait... it gets better....
My second to last semester starts on Monday, a whopping 3 days away. I haven't been able to get one single book. Turns out we need my financial aid (as well as his) to pay our bills, and it hasn't come in. I will spend about $800 in books, but will make about $4000 for the semester. Oh, unless I can't get my books and will have to drop my classes. When we were talking budget, I said, oh and we need books and the response is "books are the last things on my mind." Um, checks were cut for 1/2 our financial aid and I don't have one book in house, or even ordered. I have checked the syllabus and I am going to be so screwed unless I have books in hand, and assignments completed by Wednesday. He already has not only his, but my, financial aid pre-spent. I am concerned that money that is supposed to be "extra" is no a requirement in our budget. I received an extra financial aid check in the summer and it had been spent within 5 days because he was short on a job. Out of all of my financial aid payments, I haven't spent more than $50 on myself. It has all been spent on his short0falls. And the irony is, it wasn't for the lack of trying. Hubby now has 2 full time guys he now has to support at $100 a day each plus lunch. Lunch gets expensive, because fast food isn't cheap. He spent the entire day yesterday fighting with a door. That means he not only didn't make money, he actually lost $200. He has had an ongoing job... his original bill he lost money because "I"ll make it up on this one... I had to throw in stuff to get this part...." Yeah, so far he hasn't made a dime and is now bleeding money. He ran a total of 16 errands today... which means he didn't make anything.... oh, and he had his employee with him.. So not only is he bleeding gas, not making money, he also gets to pay his employee $100. While his eyes were waterin, mine weren't so dry either... why... cause I see no break from this in our future. He says he is at his breaking point and can't do this much longer and I am at my wits end. We have all debts because as much as he works we are falling more and more behind. It is the 27th and we need to use this money to pay this month's rent and gee... in 4 days we start again. He has nitro pills and my ulcer is inflamed.... I need a serious influx of cash quickly.... what bank can I hit up???

Corporate Counsel

My son is an over achiever. He reminds me of me at his age. In the 7th grade were required to select a biography to read and do a book report. I did a book report on every person who was on the list. I like a challenge. My son has 6 classes and is supposed to spend one hour on each class per day. Is it me or has the public education system lowered their standards??? He finishes all six classes in about 2 hours or so. I listen to his discussions with his teachers and I'm like "really... this is what high school is..." He is taking Business and Consumer Math and she breaks down things to the most minute level. "If you work 40 hours at $8.50 an hour... how much will you make?" Really???? My son rolls his eyes and plays Cafe World while she rambles. (Yes, he is addicted too). He wants a challenge so I get to gear up to go up against his guidance counselor after this semester. He can technically be reclassified as a Junior, which will enable him to be eligible to attend community college concurrently with his high school classes. I am hoping this will keep him challenged! Please, let him be challenged!!! he wants to become a Corporate Counselor for Disney. That is his goal. Fortunately, I took one whopping class of Business Law and so I think the teacher will let him into her class in the spring. He wants to smoke the kids his age and be done with his Bachelor's before they graduate high school. Do I support him? This is difficult. His motivation may be negative (to show up kids his age or older) but at least negative motivation is some type of motivation. I can get him through community college without any funds out of pocket, but gee, looking at a university much less law school is extremely daunting. Prices are quite out of my range! Maybe MdDonald's isn't so bad after all, it's a job!

School

Why is public school so difficult for my family??? I have fought the public school system on my son's behalf for years. He is a definite overachiever that they don't know what to do with. My daughter is entirely opposite. I am having a difficult time just enrolling her. School starts on Monday, a whopping 4 1/2 days away;. Will she start then? Um.... NO!!! It took 6 weeks to get her medical exam scheduled. Her tb test is on Monday (the day school actually starts). The reading / medical exam is not until Wednesday. I went to the school and they are at 100% capacity as of now. They said things are still in a state of flux so "you never know." Oh yeah - hmmmm, let's not forget the lack of the proof of residency. This really hurts my brain! My son's issues are challenging, but those I can address. My daughter's is just a waiting game!

Semester Number Um.... I Forgot

Monday starts the next semester of school. Overall, I haven't been going to college for that long. I started in the spring of 2010, but I have taken so many summer/winter intersession courses that I've lost track. Monday brings 5 more classes with many more hours of studying. What makes this semester different is that I actually have 2 classes on campus. I need a whopping 3 Accounting classes to finish my degree and I am taking 2 this semester. The rest is all general ed stuff. Hopefully, if all goes well, this should wrap up in the Spring and I can work on my Bachelor's degree.

Dentist

Both kids went to the dentist yesterday. Yeah, no cavaties for either of them, which in my daughter's case I was shocked. Some people have a sweet tooth, well she has an entire mouth full of them. On the down side, my son needs braces. He is not happy. Now I need to schedule a consultation and figure out a way to pay for these things. Why do I keep getting expenses? I am waiting for a time when money just falls into my lap not just new expenses. Guess that won't happen because it is only the Nigerians who keep telling me about my $20 million ready to be picked up. Don't know why this country is so broke, when the Nigerians seem to have millions upon millions of dollars that they are just giving away...lol

Project

One of the reasons I need my hubby to go back to work is I want to work on my new idea. I have an idea buzzing around my head and need to be able to figure out how to make this work without him constantly looking over my shoulder. Give me some space and time to think and work out logistics. Constantly interrupting me, and complaining I am on the computer too much is not helping! I am working in an idea I wanted to do a long time ago. I think I am finally at a place where I can move forward with my idea. I just can't do it here, because it is too expensive. With property dropping elsewhere, this could be doable. I just need the space to be able to work on this.

Too Close

My hubby hasn't worked in about a week and a half. Last week he hadn't scheduled work, and when our original plans fell through he took the week off because he wasn't feeling well. That rolled into this week. Kids had a dentist appointment yesterday so he didn't work so I could have the car (or that was his reasoning). He was finally supposed to go back today!!! Or not... :( I heard him make arrangements, but when he called last night to confirm, the homeowner had scheduled an appointment instead. He gets to run a whopping 3 errands this afternoon, which is meeting that homeowner and looking at two other jobs. I really need him to go back to room, because this 12x12 room is way too small with 4 of us in it. I need more space... Even my son keeps asking when he is going to go out. He does have work scheduled for all of next week!! Except on Monday I want him to go to SoCal for a job test. He needs a regular job and he qualifies and so is scheduled to go and take a test. I want him to go, but am waiting to see if it is a family thing or not. It would be good to get out of the house; however, the kennel is full and we have no one to watch the dog. In addition, my son starts school on Monday, so this would be challenging.

Rio

Saw Rio last week and loved it. I don't know if it was the plot line or the birds themselves. It made me miss my babies, but it gave me an idea. Trying to make it work is the challenge. If I can do this not only will it solve my immediate problem, it will solve another problem out there and incorporate my love of birds. Need logistics, but I'm working on it. My brain is frantically working. I can make this happen! Haven't had something to sink my teeth into in a while, so this is great.

Update

Ok, so at the last minute we are now not going to San Diego for my job test. I was told we have been to so many test and the results have been nothing so why bother. Nice!!! I thought we had come to a meeting of the minds on Friday. I said I could live with a "yes" and I could live with a "no" but I can't live with indecisiveness. If we are not going to SoCal we need to make life here comfortable and work with this new reality. Um, as of Saturday that went out the window. Hubby wants to order cable and internet but with the proviso that we can have it move with us. Um, yeah, since my parents already have both cable and internet we can't get separate accounts. As of this morning, he said we were not going to SoCal for my test. Now, he has us planned to be out of here by the end of the month, even if we move to Mexico. Um... ok.... How has our situation improved? I am still trying to get my daughter eligible to go to school. Problem of a tb test. It is only good for the county in which you reside. If I get her scheduled for her test and we move, she has to do it again. Also, if we move to Mexico, my schooling just went out the window as well. He said he'll know by the end of the week what we are doing. It's going to be a long week!

Philosophy

Wow!!! I got straight A's for my summer classes, and that included the dreaded Philosophy!!! Whoot!!! Go figure. Talk in circles, ramble, and never make a point... and I got an A!!!

Transition

I am scheduled to take a test for a job in San Diego on Monday. With my husband's work up in the air and pushed out, I was wondering how that would impact our plans. He says he still has work at that company just not for a while. So what does that mean for our moving? I have absolutely no idea. He says we are in a state of transition. Um, what the hell does that mean? When I ask I get a blank stare, then an annoyed sigh, and then the response of "what do you want me to tell you?" My daughter is packing and my son says why bother, we're not moving any time soon. I wish I had an inkling of our future plans. When I point out that school starts in exactly one month and my daughter still has not been registered anywhere, he just again looks at me with a blank look. He paid the rent to my parents a couple days ago and told him we were moving soon. When he came back I asked him if he talked to them about my daughter's school, he said why would I, we're moving soon. Moving soon seems to have an entirely different meaning to me than it does to him.

Teenager

I am now officially the mother of a teenager. Let the games begin!

Heart Troubles

On Sunday, my husband finally realized his chest pains and heart issues are caused by stress. Well, duh!!! He was on the diet, watching his food intake, and had cut back on soda, caffeine, and alcohol. It wasn't until he got the text from my parents about paying the rent that his chest pains came back. He was rubbing his chest and complaining of pains yet again. He finally put 2 and 2 together. On the plus side, when I said that for him to get better we had to move he didn't disagree. On the bad side, he went back to the alcohol and soda. Alcohol is required to live here! Viva las rum!!!

Ticking Clock

Again, the warm fuzzies from my parents. Got a test from them on Saturday stating we needed to pay our monthly rent and utilities by Sunday. Yeah, we'll get right on that! Hubby still hasn't been paid for his work, so we have no way of paying them anything. We scraped up money to pay the utilities and he walked the check across the hall. Turns out my mother is retiring in 2-3 weeks and they are relying on our rent money to subsidize her retirement. Oh Dear!! That money is already considered in their budget and is accounted for. No missing of rent to be found. So... hubby explains he hasn't been paid... blah... blah...blah... and we'll pay the rent on Tuesday. He schmoozes a bit more and then comes back to our room. He tells me what they discussed and says they are relying on our money to get them through her retirement, but we won't be here forever and are planning to move. He has work for the next 2-4 weeks, but after that, we plan to leave. (Um, note to self.. find ut where we are going and how we are going to survive there!). I asked him if he talked to them about our daughter. Let's see, the public school system goes back on August 29th, which is about 5 weks away. As of now, my daughter has no way of registering for school. I am still dealing with the medical check-up, dental visit, and last of the immunizations. Oh, yeah, and that minor issue of NOT HAVING A PLACE OF RESIDENCE!!! I asked if he talked to them about filling out papers so she could start kindergarten next month. He looked at me, all confused, and said, "why? we are moving." I about fell over. Number one, neither of us have jobs out of this area, but let's combine that with we have no place to live out of this area. I so wanted to smack him. My daughter is supposed to start school in 5 weeks, but it is looking more and more like it won't happen and I don't know how to fix it. The countdown continues....

Job Interview

Today, I had an interview, or a reintroduction at my old temporary agency. I went through the whole schpiel and took their tests. I scored in the 90th percentile in accounting (and their average was 60ish). After I got through the whole "you did great, have great skills, blah, blah", I got the "well the market is bad so the jobs we are seeing just don't pay well" bit. I am being considered for jobs that pay at about $12 an hour. That would be great if I lived any where else but the Bay Area!!! Good lord, this is soo not going to work!

Job Testing

I am scheduled to take a job test in San Diego on the first of August...Whoop! And then I am scheduled again on the 6th for Orange County.... oh dear! My husband asked how I was going to manage to be in SoCal twice in a week, and well, I had my logic... lol. I said my test was at 5:30... and I read further and it said to be prepared to spend the entire day at the testing site. I needed to take a written test at 5:30, and if I passed it, be prepared to do the pre-investigative interview, and if I passed that - be prepared to take the physical agility test. My husband politely (or not so politely) snickered - ok, he outright laughed nysterically) at the thought of me doing a physical agility test. I then, as offended as I was, referred him to the job description - which was not what was described in the job application. Turns out the office job I had anticipated to be testing for, it was instead, a sheriff's assistant - as in monitoring prisoners, transporting them, monitoring exits, etc. That explains the need to be able to drag a 165 pound dummy 30 feet at the agility test. My husband looked at me and the whole look was a "need I say more" kind of attitude. I hate that!! I am just trying to find a lousy job...

Taco Bell

The diet continues and I think I've had more water in the last week than I have in the last six months. Cut back on soda, with only 2 yesterday... well 1 1/2. My waist should be discovered in no time. We were supposed to have soup last night, using left over chicken; however, with the temperature being in the 90s no one felt for it. Instead, we went to Taco Bell. Yes, that sounds like I ate tons of calories, but Not So! They have a fresco menu which is lo-cal. I ate one chicken taco and one steak taco (so I could see what the difference was between them) and I only ended up having 300 calories total! Whoop! I about fell over when my husband had a taco salad. I have never seen him order a salad at Taco Bell, but it turns out he is getting on the bandwagon too. He stopped soda cold turkey and coffee too! Holy cow! Now my hubby is a Starbucks fanatic and goes there daily and he is a major rum and coke drinker. Night before last he had one, and that was because it was given to him before we knew he cut out soda. Nothing last night! I think his health scare has gotten him worried. Eoe! We're all getting healthy. So if Jarrod can be the spokesperson for losing weight with Subway, maybe we can be the spokesfamily for Taco Bell.... hmmm. How to make that work...

Listening

Doesn't it make you feel great, when you are trying to have a serious conversation with someone and they fall asleep within the first few seconds? The conversation does affect you too... you could at least stay awake for it!

Reality or Should I Say No So Reality Shows

When did reality shows become all about sex? We watched episode 2 of the new season of Hell's Kitchen, yes, day 2, which in their reality is more like day 4 0r 5. Two people had already hooked up and disappeared into a bedroom. Really? You are that lacking in morals... Then we watched Love in the Wild, which is an absolutely unreal and inane show. It is about 24 single people who are looking for love. These people have the opportunity to pair up for challenges and at the same time get to know each other. At the end of the challenge, they can either keep their partner or swap him or her for someone else, and two people go home. Very few have lasted continually, with only 1 couple paired up from the beginning. The others have mixed and matched throughout the game. Add in free flowing alcohol in their off time (they get to live in a compound with each couple having their own cabin for the night), a hot tub and swimming pool and you have a recipe for free flowing diseases. Really?? Yes, people do end up hooking up and are in bed together, then a few days later they have hooked up with another one and are in bed with that person too. Um, really? Developing a relationship with someone doesn't factor in? Just quick sex Goodness... I am thinking the winning couple will end up with more than the monetary prize - a lifelong reminder of their time in the wild. (and btw, not every single person is 20 something and a size 2, or for the guys, have six packs - can you get more realistic looking singles please!)

Calorie Counter

Yes, there's an appfor that. I haven't done well with diets because I never know what to eat. Not being a big eater, I usually end up eating way less calories than I need. I even cheated on Richard Simmon's diet because I would round whatever I did eat up. I have done lo carb, lo fat, Metabolife (before they changed the recipe and it since didn't work), etc. When deciding to go on a diet, my husband asked what kind of diet I was going on. Hmm, didn't know. I knew I needed to eat more regularly because my metabolism is shot and I need to get it to rev up again. I found an app called Calorie Counter and it has been a tremendous help. They have lists of foods and you just click on what you ate that day. Even have a section for exercise (will get back to that). It tells you how you are doing and your calories spent vs. taken in. It also helps you keep track of how much water you need to drink and lets you check them off when drunk.
In the list of exercises there is backpacking (with various pounds of weight), bicycling, cooking, driving, and yes there is sex (foreplay) and sex (intercourse). You click on it and put down how many minutes you engaged in each activity. Now is it me or would it be totally a mood changer, if your partner decides to be romantic and you say, "wait, I need to check the clock" not once, but twice, from when foreplay begins to when it ends and the intercourse begins. Looking at a clock and timing things may put a tremendous amount of stress on your partner. But, yes, there is an app for that!

Diet - Day #1

Yesterday, I did ok. Not having food or a vehicle to get to the store I had to wait until 5:00 to fill the cupboards. I made do with some foods we had, only to discover when I entered the little bit I ate into my calorie counter app, they were high in calories. I still stayed within my range and yes, I even took a walk. Now there is a big difference between getting up at 6:00 and walking and the walk in the evening that includes the 5 year old daughter. But we still got in more exercise than before and even stopped at the park. Jay Leno wonders why the US has such obese people - I can tell you. It is because buying fresh and healthy foods is expensive. I spent $150 at the store and didn't buy alcohol, or tons of meat. I bought a Foster Farms chicken for over $7.00. That is insane! Now if it laid golden eggs or something I could see the price tag fitting, but c'mon it's a chicken people! The only other item I bought from the meat department was a package of ground beef for over $4.00. It's only a pound of ground beef and not even organic. I hate living in the Bay Area as it is so expensive! Fresh fruits and vegetables are insane - $2.00 for a head of lettuce. I can buy chips cheaper. Yeah, yeah... but I won't. Ugh, I can tell I am going to lose more than pounds on this diet! I had better get thinner because my wallet already is!

Warm & Fuzzy

So, we got our monthly statement from my parents for living here. We got a $10 finance charge for not paying them within their allotted time period. Nothing says warm and fuzzy from your own parents than a $10 finance charge! If we are paying them over $900 a month, I sure don't see how we are going to move any time soon. Talking to them doesn't work. They want the $$$ as the finance charge will attest to! As an only child, boy do I feel the love!! Animals eat their young, my mother likes to play with her food first...

Diet

Yet again, today we are working on getting healthier. Why? Because we spent the entire day, yesterday, in bed not feeling well. My acid reflux has been so alive recently I can't eat anything without getting heartburn. And hubby, oh dear, we have a new issue. He has been complaining of chest pains quite a bit lately, he is always rubbing his chest and saying it hurts. Yesterday, he even started the rumblings of going to the doctor. Since everything is closed on Sunday, I had to let my fingers do the walking. Before people freak out about him not going to the hospital, I point out it has been going on for a few weeks and is only slowly getting worse. If it were a heart attack I am sure he wouldn't have been vertical at all. Moving on... it appears he may have some sort of angina. He has the symptoms listed. Yes, it is a problem, and without all of the tests it is difficult to be sure. It seems that without medical intervention, (for whatever his chest pains are) a change of diet and an addint of exercise is the best way to go. He has been eating a lot of beef lately (thank you Restaurant Depot) and eats fast food every day for lunch. I think his arteries and overall health can benefit from more salads, vegetables, and more healthier fare all the way around. I know he isn't feeling well as while he usually jokes about wanting to die (especially when he and his daughter fight) last night he told me what I needed to know about his current jobs and what I needed to know to get them finished. Add this to some other health issues and yeah, stress is high all the way around.

Respond

Why do people not respond to questions? Last week I sent an email to my teacher addressing three issues that needed a response. No response! Yesterday, I left him a voice mail... no response. I have now left another voice mail and am still waiting for a reply. Why am I so stressed out? Because his class ends tomorrow and I need to find out when I can take the final! Only having one vehicle and a husband self-employed in construction, the logistics of getting to school is a nightmare. The teacher is teaching the class on-line, but wants his students to take the final in person. Funny thing, my husband took this same class last year. The class was in person, but the final was sent home and the students had two weeks to fill it out and then just needed to bring it in on the last day of class. Why is this so complicated? Oh, yeah... and the teacher hasn't posted any of the week's work that is supposed to be done by tomorrow.
Side note - I got my paper back in Philosophy - got an A-. Not too bad since I had no idea what I was talking about. I have found out that I get a better grade when I talk in circles and never actually make a statement about anything. Never get to the point and all is well. Go figure!!

Diet Soda

I was reading the paper today and an article stated that drinking diet soda contributed to weight gain. I am at least a 2 diet soda drinker a day (hey, I don't drink coffee and need my caffeine from somewhere) and that puts me in the category where waistlines increase 5 times more than a person who doesn't drink diet soda. Guess I need to find something else to drink now. Hmmmm.... now what do I put with my rum????

Middle Age Texting Codes

ATD -at the doctor.

BFF -best friend fell.

BTW -bring the wheelchair.

BYOT -bring your own teeth.

FWIW -forgot where I was.

GGPBL -gotta go, pacemaker battery low.

GHA -got heartburn again.

IMHO -is my hearing aid on?

LMDO -laughing my dentures out.

OMMR -on my massage recliner.

ROFLACGU -rolling on floor laughing and can't get up.

TTYL -talk to you louder!

Philosophy

According to my "Philosophy Made Simple" book (which is an oxymoron of itself ... we cannot acquire knowledge through learning. One cannot learn what one does know since one already knows it. And one cannot learn what one does not know, since if one doesn't know it, one cannot recognize it as a truth when one learns it. Therefore, learning is impossible, and any knowledge that we can have we must already have." Clear as mud... What I figure is I am guaranteed an A since I do not have the ability to learn it! According to Plato, if I don't already know it, I can't learn it. Hmmm, I need to figure out how to use this to my advantage gradewise.

Facebook

Ok, I admit it... I am addicted to CafeWorld! I have the nicest unknown friends in that realm. I have gotten recipes, chatted, made friends with the nicest people from around the world. These unknown people are just so nice. I never would have met them if it wasn't for CafeWorld. Let's not go down the road of how much time that take up... but going to school online helps me justify it.

Heritage

So, I haven't blogged in a while... been in a bad mood lately, but heck after rum and cokes it's all good...lol. Interesting thing about heritage... I am married to a Mexican and so we figured my kids are 50% Mexican and 50% PDW (pretty darn white). Not so much. Now my son never was an over the top, gung ho Mexican kind of kid. Now that he's been told what I've found he's now extremely excited about it. Turns out he and his sister are quite the Heinz 57, with more of his ancestry coming from over the pond... auntie will be happy! My son is only 25% Mexican, 12 1/2 % Mexican Indian and another 12 1/2% English from his father's side. In doing research I found out that I am 50% Irish so my son is 25% Irish, 12 1/2% French and 12 1/2% German. Goodness, how do I fill out those ethnic forms! My son has quite quickly adopted his Irish roots and now wants to go and visit his newfound homeland.

Two Weeks

So... I tell my husband that my parents are expecting us to move out in two weeks, and he looks at me and says "uh huh." Um, you know that means they think we are moving out in 2 weeks. "Yep." Why is it everyone thinks we are moving out in two weeks? My husband, my parents.... Gee, why do I have doubts??? Let's think this out... neither of us have steady jobs, my summer classes won't end for another 4 weeks, and we have no place to move to... Is it just me, or are we not moving in 2 weeks. If you ask my husband, we are. If you ask my parents, we are. Why am I the only one in the dark about this??? Ab has work for about 3 weeks (then there's nothing), well, that's beyond the 2 weeks... my school has 4 official weeks left (again beyond the 2 weeks), and we have nothing else lines up... am I the crazy one or what??? How do I make plans with this kind of info... If I bring up specifics my husband gets angry and irritated. Doesn't want to talk about it. Um, how do I make plans without any info???? I am pulling my hair out and my ulcer is not happy! My parents are dancing thinking we are leaving in 2 weeks. This should be interesting!!! The countdown is on as far as they are all concerned (let's not even think about the calendar countdown until the school year starts!!!). I need another drink...lol

Hamster

Have you heard the controversy about the chicken and the egg? Which came first??? I am living that controversy... I need a job, that is a fact. I don't have a car, that also is a fact. Let's back up a second and sort this out. Yesterday, I received an email from a temporary agency that I had worked with a few years ago. Would I be interested in a job... blah, blah, blah. (Specifics are not important in this exercise). Let's work through this... Hell, yeah, I'm interested in the job.... oh yeah the howevers..... I have no transportation, and I have no one to watch my 5 year old daughter. I am a literal hamster on a wheel. I need a job so my daughter can go to school. I cannot get a job until my daughter goes to school and I can get transportation to work. My daughter cannot go to school unless I have a job... blah, blah.... I have no proof of residence. My parents will not provide it as they are expecting us to move out in 2 weeks. How do I ask them to come down to the school district and sign for their granddaughter who is not expected to be living with them beyond the next 2 weeks??? Just had that conversation... they think we are leaving in 2 weeks (at the end of June). Moving on.... without a proof of residence, I cannot register my daughter for kindergarten. i cannot work unless she is in school (free childcare, etc.). Without a job, I cannot get a place to live, which will give me a proof or residency,... you see where I am going with this....She cannot go to school while things are at a status quo.... Unless she goes to school, I cannot get a job.... I am a hamster on a wheel..... So, the temp agency emails me about a job.... the agency is in Palo Alto, which means the job is not local.... Problem!!! My husband has work for about 3 more weeks, enough for me not to be able to get to work. Being in construction, he needs the only vehicle we have to do supply runs. There is no way he can drive me to the peninsula, drop me off, and get to his job site in a reasonable time. Oh, yeah... and who will watch my daughter.... I am soooooo aggravated!!! Cannot pay for childcare until I get a job, can't get a job without child care.... I am going to go insane!!!

When?

When did my daughter get so smart? She holds my ipod and looks so innocent. The next thing I realize is she is deleting emails and composing emails. Um, she is 5!!! She has no interest in learning to read, but she can hack into my email account and type, well, gibberish, via my account. Oh, yeah, she can also delete emails. I have about 100 emails that are unallocated to specific folders. Well, now I am down to about 65. Where did they go??? You would have to ask her. I find emails in my "drafts", deleted emails, etc. I know I put a password on for a reason, then I fall for (and I only did this once) I am looking for some game on your ipod.... Um, yeah... Good lord, I am afraid of the bizarre feedback I will get from her texts, facebook entries, unanswered emails that she deleted, etc. A 5 year old is a dangerous person on the loose. And yes, my passcode is now alive and active, and I don't fall for the tears and begging anymore!

Graduation

I am at the grocery story, buying ingredients for a variety of salads to bring to two graduation parties this weekend. After I recover from my horror of the bill, I start to wonder. And yes, it is not good. (#1 when did lettuce get to be $2 each, I mean, get real people!!!). Moving on.... I am buying food to bring to a combined two person graduation party. Ok, let's break this down (and forgive my cynicism).... we are celebrating a person graduating from high school. They are not yet 18 and the STATE LAW requires youths to go to school until they are either 18 or graduate high school. Um, what are we celebrating here.... you didn't break they law.... whoooo hooo.... If you graduated with honors, A/P credits, early, blah, blah.... Yeah, that is a reason to celebrate.... not that you did the minimum. I don't even know your gpa. According to Ms. Tutweiller on The Sweet Life on Deck, "A D is still passing..." Why am I spending a ton of my money to celebrate you doing what you were supposed to??? Do something extra... band... drama... early graduation... a high gpa... gimme something to justify having to spend my money to congratulate you on graduating high school.... not just that you didn't break the law!

Struggling

So, I have been struggling with this for almost a week and still haven't come to terms with it. Background - I have limited contact iwth my father's family... cards here and there (typical of divorced family). My mother had custody so all of my family contact is on her side of the family. Let's break that down - my mother has one brother whose only child died at about 9 months. She then has an older sister who has three children. So... I only have 3 cousins in my life, who I was raised with. Let's go from there.... My parents missed their church meeting on Sunday, which was a total shock as they are die hard fanatics. (Don't even get me started!!!). They ended up leaving the house at about 1ish, all dressed up... we figure they are going to a meeting somewhere else to support a specific person. WRONG!!! My cousin (1 of 3, the one who is 6 weeks younger than me so we were the closest growing up) got married. My parents said not a peep to me. They left, went to his wedding, and came back within about 7 hours. Nothing was said until my step-father mentioned it to my husband the next day. REALLY!?!?! I have a whopping 3 cousins in this world and no one even felt the need to mention it to me... (Let's not even deal with the whole dynamics of the whole wedding... a whole other story). The issue is - my parents say the family has no issue with me and wants to ment fences with me... blah... blah... blah... Any issues between us is a figment of my imagination... um, yeah.... don't think so or you wouldn't be sneaking off without a peep to anyone. And the "family" wonders why I have issues with them.... go figure....

9th Grade

Just a quick post... my 12 year old just completed the 9th grade.... ahem, with straight As. I am so proud of him!!! On to 10th.... The funny thing is all he wanted as a congratulatory present was yes, wait for it - summer school! He is young, but very motivated! He is such a mini me!!! The look on his face when he got a 100% on one of his finals was priceless. Once he realized it was in his sights he became very focused. That's all he wanted. And he got it - straight As. I am so proud of him!!!!

Job Hunting

I spend hours and hours each day looking for work. It's tiring, tedious and time consuming. I just found out that I have been wasting my time. I received an email response to one of my applications stating they won't consider anyone who lives over 30 miles from their job. Interesting thing is, my address doesn't appear on my resume at all. All the companies I have worked for are in the Bay Area and so my resume gets pushed aside automatically. No local companies... You have got to be kidding me. And the circle continues: I need to live where I want to apply - oh yeah, I need a place to live and a vehicle to get around with. Oh wait, I can't move and get a car until I get a job. No wonder my ulcer had reared its ugly head! My nerves are shot!

The Biggest Loser - Ruined!

I have watched The Biggest Loser for many seasons now and have been really impressed by the weight loss people have achieved. This was mainly in part, aside from their own motivation, the two trainers Bob and Jillian. Before this season started, two new trainers were introduced, with Cara being trained to replace Jillian. At the season finale last night the show said good-bye to Jillian and introduced the new trainer - Anna Kournikova! Really!?!? You couldn't find anyone else? What happened to Cara? Aside from the "she lives in Florida and the show films in CA" issue... really?? There goes my interest in the show! How very disappointing!

Issues

Facebook is supposed to be a positive right??? Guess not!!! I am on my FB account and my niece posts something that is aimed at her uncle (hubby). I call him to explain that what he tells his mother in privacy isn't so private. He had had a personal conversation with his mother this morning and as of this evening, his niece was posting about it. There is no privacy in family especially when Facebook is involved. She was ranting and I am trying to explain there is a backstory... Why am I involved at all. I am now having panic attacks and don't need the additional stress. Yes, I have now grown into full blown anxiety/panic attacks. On the plus side, I have lost 4 pounds in a week. While I want the weight loss to continue, I could use a little less stress in my life!!!

Fat

I finally figured out why I'm fat! The shampoo I use in the shower that runs down my body says "For extra volume and body". I'm going to start using "Dawn" dish soap. It says " Dissolves fat that is otherwise difficult to remove".

Murphy

Have I told you that Murphy loves to wreak havoc on my life? Why did he have to come up with his crazy law anyway? Here's how Murphy is messing with me now... I took a test for a job oh, about 400 miles away (1 hour by plane, 5+ by car) back on February 16th. Turns out I passed the test and "I am among the top qualified candidates". My presence is now requested for a mandatory information session. If I don't attend I will not be able to schedule my interview. Now March has 31 days in it. I can go any of the 30 out of the 31 days. My husband has a manager day at his school. He is managing the restaurant and using some of my grandmother's recipes, Disney recipes, etc. Food is going to be great and I need to show up to be supportive. So other than that ONE day I can make it down to SoCal. Now let's all take a wild guess as to when my information session just got scheduled for. That's right - Tuesday the 15th, my husband's manager day! I now have to figure out how to get down there because of all days he needs the truck to get to school. He even needs to get there early to make sure everything is set up. He will not be available to watch the kids. His day runs from 8:00-5:00. I need to be in SoCal at 6:00 sharp. Doors close precisely at 18:00. Why??? Why??? Why?? I have enough on my plate now to try to deal with this. I am looking at flights at this point, but I have no one to pick me up at the other end. If I take the flight at 11:15 (arriving at 12:25) I will miss the lunch which runs from 11:30-1:30. If I take the 3:25 flight (arriving at 4:30) I think I will be a nervous wreck getting from the airport to the facility which is 33 minutes away (assuming Yahoo maps is accurate) and that is without traffic. Then I need someone to wait while I attend this session, and by the way, I have no idea how long it will be. Oh yeah, and then I need to get back to the airport. Last possible flight out that night is at 9:05. No stress! Good grief, I need a drink... just thinking about this is giving me more stress. On the plus, if I make it they are scheduling interviews for the week of March 28th -that's spring break!! Now, if I can only figure out how to get down on the 15th...

No Stress

So, I have a new assignment. I need to figure out a way to make a million dollars within the next 3-4 years. Sure... no pressure.... I need some ideas.... I am reading all kinds of stuff, some of which actually makes sense. Yes, I know that money doesn't grow on trees and there is no instant influx of cash. I need to find a logical way to make money in a relatively short amount of time. That is his only goal and I need to find a way to achieve it. Sure... no stress.... So, why am I wasting my time blogging - I have work to do!!!

Nomad

I am feeling like a nomad these days. In 2010 we didn't go anywhere for the entire year. This year we went on a 2 week vacation, had to leave for 5 days so I could do a job test as well as do a job interview. We are also displaced due to family visiting my parents. We were "asked" to leave while they visited. We are staying with a couple who have adult children and their house is immaculate. The stress is on!!! We arrived yesterday and are supposed to stay through Monday. Don't think we'll make it. Hubby's nerves are shot and well, so are mine. We stayed with this couple before, but only my son was with us. He is quite mellow and would stay in a room reading a book or playing his Gameboy. My daughter is all over the place and with a "perfect" home it is difficult. All of their closet doors are mirrors.... and you have to squeegee the shower after you use it... It's not my daughter's fault in any way, but trying to ensure we leave everything as perfect as it was is difficult. My daughter enjoys life and so is um.... loud. These are people who go to bed at 9. Oh, yeah... and shoes come off at the door (which is not a problem), and all food is eaten at the table not anywhere else in the house. So.... hubby wants to move to a hotel for the weekend. While I have no problem with that on an intellectual level (especially since there are no tv channels for the kids) my problem is that it costs money. Hubby hasn't worked more than a week all year so far. We keep moving around... In fact, school books just arrived yesterday and I am in the middle of week 3. We definitely need our own place!

Thud!

So, we came back from vacation today and reality hit with a great big thud! btw, we had an awesome time on vacation, which I will post about later. Got in at 2 am and in less than 18 hours the confrontation occurred. Anyway.... got the job interview moved to the day before the testing for the other job so that worked out well. One trip to wrap up two potential job details. Yeah! Looks like we may be staying in SoCal for a while tho due to new issues up here. Glad my classes are online so I can travel. Hopefully, I can work something out for my English class. I have one midterm and a final I need to show up in person for. We'll see what the future holds!

My Coke Rewards

I love the My Coke Rewards program. I turned in my "points" and got 3 tickets to Universal Studios. I looked it up and each ticket was 74.99. I am stoked. It looks like we may get to go to Universal Studios in a couple of weeks for----wait for it----FREE!!! There is nothing better than free!

Duh!

Guess what I just realized... if you take 3 classes with the same professor you will have the same due dates for all classes. All term papers, mid-terms, and the final are all due on the same day. Guess I should have thought that one through.
On the plus, I don't have to worry about it until after my vacation. My professor was kind enough to let me look at the syllabus and for his 3, yes 3, (half my courses) won't be due until the following Friday after our vacation. YEAH!!! Now, what will I do if I don't have to study??? Hmmmm...

My daughter

My daughter doesn't seem five. I think she is going on 15.

Why?

Why can't people just be happy for someone else? If something good happens to a person is it human nature to be jealous, put them down, or get upset? Why can't someone just go "that's nice I'm happy for you?" Is that too much to ask?

True Love

I finally figured out what true love is... a husband who will color your hair... lol. I decided to look natural and bought a hair coloring kit. Of course, I have no idea how to do this and my husband used to color his mom's hair so he is quite the professional. He did my hair and I have to say it looks great. Just the way it used to, without all that premature gray.

Sarah

My baby who is no longer a baby!!