Catching up...

Well, after my last real post, Murphy passed away. Since I had been doing the Paws For Thought pet advice column, I just couldn't face my blog for a bit. It hurt too much to log in as it brought back the pain of Murphy's death. So I figured I would take a short break and collect myself before I continued. However, I got busy with school, and then around the end of June/beginning of July, I wasn't feeling very good. I found out why I was feeling sick on my birthday, when I got a positive pregnancy test.

Now that was a helluva birthday present. Best birthday ever at the time. The funny part is, all my life I had said if I didn't have a child or was pregnant by my 35th birthday, then I wouldn't ever have children. So, in my opinion, that positive test being on my 35th birthday exactly, made me the QUEEN of procrastination. With the morning sickness and excitement of my pregnancy, I am sorry to say that my blog was the farthest thing from my mind.

Maybe that was a good thing for you though, LOL, I don't think my complaints and details of my pregnancy would have been much fun to read. So that was probably a good thing that I didn't blog through it.

Anyway, Audrey Nicole was born at 1:16 am on Feb. 13th, 2009. She was 6 pounds, 8 ounces and 19 inches long.

I will spare you all the details of my labor...unless of course you want to hear it. *Grins*

Well, that caught you up to February. I will summarize the remaining 6 months in my next post.

Where Did the Time Go?

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted here. So much has happened and my life got much busier. I will try to post regularly again and get you all caught up over the next few posts.

Muffin Craver and Balls, TV and Toys

Dear Paws,

Everyone says we should date and hook up. I already talked to him about it, and he said that he just wants to stay friends forever, so nothing would change between us. Still, people nag us about getting together. What do you three think I should do Pupkateers?

-Muffin Craver

Maddie: Date? What's that? Is it like playtime? Why does it matter what other people say? Just have fun when you play. Playtime is great, especially with a ball. I have a ball. Let me get it... Uh Oh... I can't get it, it is under the bed. Get my ball for me, please, please, please please pleasepleaseplease I want my baaaalllll. *Whines*

Murphy: Sorry, can't help. *clunk* Kinda busy now *clunk* there is peanut butter *clunk* in this toy *clunk* and if I can just *clunk* bounce it hard enough *clunk clunk clunk* I can get it! *clunk clunk lick lick lick*

Rogue: Aww, you sound stressed, Muffin Craver, let me help. Here, I will get into your lap and let you pet me, that will help you. Oh, and can you make my show come on now? I will watch it while you pet me.

Poopyfoot and Left Out

Dear Paws,

well. this is a very serious problem. my dog likes to run round the garden with me, and often i take him out late at night when i am in my pyjamas and slipper socks/barefoot. but its kinda hard to keep track of all his poops, so sometimes when im running out with him, i feel a -squelch- and i stand in poop :/ how can i teach my dog to poop in the same place or come tell me when hes pooped so i can pick it up? please help.
Signed Poopyfoot

Maddie: I don't understand what the problem is, it IS his yard, he can poop where he wants.

Murphy: Why do you step in his poop? Can't you smell where you are walking? How do you know where you are going if you aren't sniffing your way around?

Rogue: Ewww, your dog poops outside? In the open? Just anywhere? Get him a nice private box like I have. *Shudders* I can't handle others seeing me poop.

Dear Paws,

Well like every other person, I tendacy to feel left out or maybe lets use a harsher word? Jealous. It all started when we hit school again, last year our class was splitted up thus leaving my friend away from her bestfriend. I was with my friend. Lets call my friend A and her bestfriend R.

I was the only one there she actually hanged out with so during that whole year we were like tight bestfriends. And now this year she doesn't even talk to me that much and is always with her bestfriend. This has been going on for almost this whole year. I let myself wonder about and wait for her to come around cause I get that she might missed her old friend. But A never really came around yet sometimes she came to me to tell me how R was such backstabber ect. But she keeps returning to be her friend, while I can atleast offer better friendship...well maybe more reliable.
Signed Left Out

Maddie: Oh this is easy. Just let her know you want to be friends by bringing her a ball. Or give her belly rubs. Belly rubs are heaven. Mmmm, rub MY belly now *rolls over*

Murphy: Maybe you should try to do fun things with her. Like raiding the garbage can. But I think Maddie is wrong, balls are stupid. Your friend wouldn't like a ball. Maybe you can find something that smells really good and show it to her. Smelling things is way more fun than a stupid ball.

Rogue: Does she ever give you ear scratches? If not, I would say go find a new friend that will scratch your ears. You should have more than one friend to run around with, that way you are guaranteed that one of them will be around when you need ear scratches.

Need Advice? Ask Paws For Thought!

Well, I made the mistake of telling the pets about my blog. They have decided they want to participate. So they came up to me with a demand. They want their own advice column, where they will give answers to people's problems with down to earth advice. Maddie, Murphy and Rogue are now the Paws For Thought advice crew.

So if you need advice or have a question that needs an answer, send it to dearpaws@hotmail.com. The crew will be choosing one or two letters to be answered on Sundays.

I can't guarantee that their advice will be helpful, but it will definitely be coming from an unusual viewpoint.

So send in your questions and make sure to check in on Sundays to see if your question was chosen.

The Paws For Thought Crew:


Maddie
4 yrs old
Lab mix
Hates the rain and wet grass, loves to run, lives for her ball and thinks belly rubs are heaven

Murphy
11 yrs old
Beagle
Hates loud noises, crinkly bags, loves food and getting into the trash, lives to sniff and thinks thunder is evil


Rogue
3 yrs old
Mediumhair Puppycat
Loves ear scratches, likes to nip, thinks wrestling with Maddie is great, loves to freak out and race around the house for no reason, and watch T.V. Favorite show: Planets Funniest Animals

Wonderful and Horrible At The Same Time

Hello everyone. I appreciate your patience during this long gap with no post. What? Oh no, I haven't given up on blogging, I have just been too busy mentally to think of anything to write about. I have had to focus my attention on classes. Oh, you thought that chair killed me? No, lol, it is still tucked away in the corner, well out of the path I walk.

Anyways, I have two bits of news that are both wonderful and horrible at the same time. *Grins* First off, school. Only 2 weeks left of this term. This is wonderful because I am almost done with this icky politics class, but horrible because the last 2 weeks always seem to take forever. I want to be done with it NOW! I am hate this class. Next term, however, looks to be more interesting, with 2 accounting classes, and the 3rd being Sociology. I am really hoping that 3rd class is interesting. It is so much easier to do the writing when the material intrigues me.

Ok, enough with school stuff, you say. I agree, listening to me complain about classes is probably boring for you. On to the second bit of news then. My back pain. No, it hasn't gone away, but the doctor I have been seeing has done more than just toss a prescription at me for the pain. She sent me for x-rays to see if there was a problem there. Turns our my bones look great. She said there are no signs of osteoporosis and no fractures. There were a few minor spurs on my spine that could develop a bit of arthritis in the future, but no problems that are causing my pain now. So she says that means it is muscular. She referred me to physical therapy. That is wonderful as maybe with some proper exercises my back will get straightened out and the pain will go away eventually. But at the same time it is horrible, because they are gonna make me stretch in ways I haven't moved in a long time, and that is gonna hurt like hell for awhile.

Personally, I still think the pain is from nerve damage, but I would be delighted to be proven wrong. If this physical therapy doesn't work, I have no idea what the next step will be.

That is pretty much all that is going on with me at the moment. I do plan to get back into posting daily or at least 3 or 4 times a week as soon as this term is over. So if you can hang around for another 2 weeks, there will be more regular posts after that.

Take A Breath

Graduation went very well. I got there in plenty of time, got signed in and then spent an hour waiting for things to start. Once the audince was seated and everything was ready, all of us who were graduating that day were allowed to go out and sit down in our section. Then we sat through a bunch of speeches and finally the big moment. We all went up onto the stage, one at a time, and got our handshake from the dean while our name was announced as a new graduate.

I was so worried about tripping and falling off the stage, but lucky for me they had ramps to go up and get down off the stage so no stairs to trip on. Yay! After everyone had gone across the stage, the faculty and graduates were allowed to leave, and then all the family and friends that came were allowed to join us. They were serving cake in the main room, but I was exhausted, so Ducky and I just headed home.

Standing around for an hour and sitting in that chair for so long killed my back, so I was hurting for the next few days. Got a couple of nice pictures though, and I will be ordering copies soon to send out to friends and family. My grandparents sent me a very nice graduation gift, and my friend in VP gave me loads of congrats.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa, the card was great and the gift is much appreciated. Thanks to all my friends who were there to cheer for me after, your support and best wishes mean so much to me.

Now, I am working to my Bachelor's degree and I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so hopefully things will continue to progress and improve.

One Week Down

Well, I have completed my first full week of classes. This is definitely not going to be as easy as it has been. This is my first term of my Bachelor's program and I sure did end up with some icky classes.

I have Business Law, Global Politics and Intro to Accounting. I may not get to post here very often during this term as these classes require a lot of research to be done to answer the questions. However, I am not quitting this blog. I will post as often as I can, so please don't give up on me if I miss days here and there.

The easy stuff is over, now I have the hard work.

As for other news, I have an appointment on Weds for my medical aid, and my Graduation is this Saturday. I will post as often as I can. *Hugs* to everyone reading.

Shortcuts Are Not Short

So, Ducky got off work early yesterday, so we could get our text books for class. He also needed to run several more errands. We left just after 2 p.m. It took about 40 minutes to get to my campus, I got my books, checked my final grades and we headed back. My campus was the farthest away.

Well, before we left the house, Ducky had checked the map, and saw a shorter, faster way to get back to our area that would bring him pretty much right to the campus he needed to go to get his books. So... we headed that way.

First we couldn't find the road he wanted. So we circled back around. Just before we got onto the highway, there was the road he wanted. So off we went on this 'shortcut'. We saw some run down areas, a few main shopping strips, and spent some time in a very nice residential area.

Finally, after about an hour of driving, he gave up on his shortcut, but it was too late. We were lost. So, he did the only thing he could. He tried to head west, as that was pretty much the direction of home. This plan didn't work out so good. It seems every road we took ended up at a dead end.

So another 2 hours of driving, we would hit a dead end, turn around, go back, try another road. Repeat and repeat. Finally, just before the sun went down we made it back to the highway. Pretty much where we started from. But now it was rush hour. So instead of 40 minutes to drive home, it took well over an hour.

We finally made it home about 7:30 p.m. That long in the truck just killed my back, but I do have to admit it was a nice drive. Ducky didn't get his books, nor complete any of his other errands.

And the next time he says he found a shortcut... I am gonna stay home.

Week In A Whirlwind

Wow, what a busy week. I have spent hours on the phone, filled out a stack of paperwork, sent e-mails and faxes. And that was just to complete my graduation paperwork and enrollment process. It doesn't count the time I had to spent building a web site for my Web Design class, nor the writing I had to do for Composition.

I am glad that week is over. I am due to graduate on the 26th, my robes have been ordered, all the paperwork for that is done. Classes are done for both the term and my first degree.

I can't believe I managed to graduate with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Two whole years of college with perfect grades. I wouldn't have ever thought I could do that.

The new term and the first part of my second degree starts tomorrow, but thankfully I am done with writing classes. *Dances* Yay, no more essays to write.

Everything else is on track, I have appointments on the 23rd, and Feb 4th for my medical and my back. I am excited about graduating and looking forward to the next set of classes.

As for my blog, now that all the paperwork is done, I will be posting daily or close to that again. I apologize for the week without posts, but I had no time to write for you all with all the stuff I was trying to keep track of.

Milk, Sugar, Cheese, Coffee.... Where's The Coffee?

I make a list. I look through the fridge and the cupboards. I check everything. I plan meals for the week and list every ingredient I don't have on the list. I double check. I triple check. I make sure every possible thing is on my list.

So WHY do I forget something every time I go grocery shopping? I shop by the list, crossing off each item as I place it in the cart. Oh sure, I buy a few extras, chips, cookies, etc. But no matter how careful I am, I always forget some critical thing.

So then I am stuck with a pantry full of food and nothing to eat. Because whatever ingredient I miss is somehow needed for everything. This time I forgot the coffee. How could I forget to buy coffee? I live on the stuff, I drink around a pot a day. I know when I am getting low. It is always the first thing on my list, followed by sugar and creamer.

So this time I forgot coffee, now I need to run back up to the store to get it or I will not be fit company for anyone tomorrow. Last time I forgot cheese. And of course, just about every meal I had planned on required cheese. So tons of food in the cupboards, and nothing to make. Cereal for dinner just doesn't seem to satisfy.

I have tried shopping without a list, with a list, by section, and by aisle. I have spent hours in the grocery, making sure to look at every item for sale, making sure I got everything I need. None of it works. I always forget something. And it is never anything silly, like a pack of cookies, or a box of dog treats. Nope, it is never something trivial, the thing I forget is always a critical ingredient.

I could plan a weeks worth of meals, trying not to repeat any ingredient in the recipes. Nope, somehow I would need something to cook them all, and sure enough, that would be the thing I forget.

Hmm, I already know the pets are plotting against me, and that damn chair is out to get me... now I think the grocery is siding with them. They are all in this together, I bet. I KNOW I put coffee on the list, but checking it now, it is nowhere to be found. I bet the chair told the puppycat to erase it while I was getting my shoes on. And somehow the grocery store hid the coffee, even though I walked right past where it should have been to get the sugar.

That must be it, it has to be. They must all be plotting against me. Because there is no way I would just forget... is there?

Independent World Community

I posted earlier mentioning how I work on sites and programs to make money from home. These type of things are called GPT sites. GPT stand for Get Paid To, as in get paid to read emails, do surveys, etc. Before I get into telling you about each of these programs, I would like to let you know about a great resource site and community.

The Independent World Community is a free site where you can get help, advice, tips and tricks to be successful at GPT work. They also have regular contests from the owner, so there is another way to earn money. You have to be a member to access all these features, but don't get scared off on this. Membership is free, to become a member all you need to do is register to the forums and send an email requesting membership.

I have found this to be an extremely valuable resource. When I first started working on GPT sites, I was just doing surveys randomly, and I didn't make more than a few dollars. Independent World Community offers an ebook to it's members that make it easy to earn money. Using the information provided from the ebook and from other members in the forums, I earned about $100 for December.

So head on over to Independent World Community, send in your email for membership and get the information to get started in making a profit online. I look forward to seeing you there.

Little Lies For Hannah Montana

GARLAND, Texas - A 6-year-old girl who won four tickets to a Hannah Montana concert with an essay falsely claiming her father died in Iraq isn't going to the show after all.
The girl won a makeover that included a blonde Hannah Montana wig, as well as the grand prize: airfare for four to Albany, N.Y., and four tickets to the sold-out Hannah Montana concert on Jan. 9.

The opening line in the essay was: "My daddy died this year in Iraq."
Hannah Montana ticket winner loses prize

This is just absolutely ridiculous. Don't get me wrong. I totally understand that the little girl wants to see Hannah in concert. I remember being a child and wanting to do or see something. I also remember that I was usually told the family couldn't afford it or didn't have time, or whatever. Yes, I remember being disappointed, heartbroken even. But I lived through it, a few tears, some pouting and I was on to the next thing I wanted. Such is the life of a child. You rarely get what you want just because you want it, when you are young.

But this? This is horrid. The girl was 6, SIX! Could she really come up with this terrible lie on her own? I don't care if you support the war in Iraq, or think it is a waste of time. It is still a war, soldiers are still dying, families are still suffering.

To make up a story like this just to win some concert tickets is just a mockery of those that are truly hurting from the loss of their loved ones. What kind of person would not just allow but encourage a child to do this?

The mother says in an interview: "We did the essay and that's what we did to win. We did whatever we could do to win,"
What the hell? There was no WE in this, that little girl did what her mother told her to do. I understand that a mother would want to make her child happy, but this is a bit much. "We did whatever we could to win" so what are the limits? Would she encourage her child to steal? to hurt someone?

If you look at it, this is exactly what she did. She told her child to LIE about losing her dad in a bombing. Not stealing or hurting anyone you think? Bullshit! Many people were hurt by this lie. Every single person that has lost a dad, or a mom, or sister, or brother, or anyone was hurt by this. It makes a joke out of the pain you feel when some one you love dies.

People wonder what is happening to kids today, why are they shooting each other in schools, why are they stealing and killing for a pair of shoes or an ipod.

Well, look at what this mother taught her child: Do whatever you can to get what you want. It doesn't matter if it is right or true, just do anything to get it. It may seem like a big step from writing a fake essay to shooting a kid in school, but it isn't. The attitude is the same: Do whatever you can to win!

I am glad this little girl lost the prize. I hope she looks at her mom every day and asks her: Why did you make me lie? I hope the mother learns that this attitude isn't the right way to go.

But you know what? I don't think they will. I think the mom will blame the mean old contest people, and tell her little girl that they were just mean or evil for not giving her the prize. And this parent will keep on teaching her child to win at all costs, and that if she doesn't win it is because someone else got in the way.

With parents like this, is it any wonder our children don't give a shit about anything but what they want? That kids today don't think twice about stealing or even killing people to get things they want?

We look at these children and wonder why do they do these things? Stop looking at the child for a minute and take a good hard look at the parent that raised them with this attitude.

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a pleasant and safe evening last night. I wish you all have a Happy New Year. May this upcoming year bring you joy and see some of your dreams come true.

This year holds a lot of potential to me. I will be graduating college and getting my first degree. I will also be enrolling again to start on my 2nd. I have doctors appointments coming which may just fix my back, so it is possible that I may be able to get fixed and finally be able to get a job again.

I really hope this happens, it would be so nice to be able to work, to go out, to stop being stuck in this damn chair all the time. But, I also have to face the alternative, I may not be fixable, I might have to suffer this pain for the rest of my life. But there is a good side to that too, if the doctors tell me that I can't be fixed, then I may be able to qualify for disability, which will make my life a bit easier, as it will give me access to help where I need it.

I just hope that this year will be just as good as last year was. Even though I have been in pain, life has brought me much happiness over the last year, and I can only hope it will continue this way.

Many of us make new year resolutions. Most of us don't manage to keep them, but the resolution I made last year, I kept it all year, so I will make the same one again this year. So my New Year's resolution is to always try to find something to be happy about, to always try to find the bright side of things, no matter how bad they get.

What are some of your wishes for this new year? What resolutions did you make and keep last year? What resolutions are you making this year?

Then... and Now...

This was sent to me in an email awhile back. It kinda makes you wonder doesn't it?

THEN... AND NOW...

SCENARIO: JACK PULLS INTO SCHOOL PARKING LOT WITH RIFLE IN GUN RACK.
1963 - Vice Principal comes over, takes a look at Jack's rifle, goes to his car and gets his to show Jack.
2006 - School goes into lockdown, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.


SCENARIO: JOHNNY AND MARK GET INTO A FIST FIGHT AFTER SCHOOL.
1963 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up best friends Nobody goes to jail, nobody arrested, nobody expelled.
2006 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.


SCENARIO: LITTLE JEFFREY WON'T BE STILL IN CLASS, DISRUPTS OTHER STUDENTS.
1963 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by Principal. Sits still in class.
2006 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.


SCENARIO: BILLY BREAKS A WINDOW IN HIS FATHER'S CAR AND HIS DAD GIVES HIM A WHIPPING.
1963 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2006 - Billy's Dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. Billy's sister is told by state psychologist that she remembers being abused herself and their Dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.


SCENARIO: MARK GETS A HEADACHE AND TAKES SOME HEADACHE MEDICINE TO SCHOOL.
1963 - Mark shares headache medicine with Principal out on the smoking dock.
2006 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.


SCENARIO: MARY TURNS UP PREGNANT.
1963 - 5 High School Boys leave town. Mary does her senior year at a special school for expectant mothers.
2006 - Middle School Counselor calls Planned Parenthood, who notifies the ACLU. Mary is driven to the next state over and gets an abortion without her parent's consent or knowledge. Mary given condoms and told to be more careful next time.


SCENARIO: PEDRO FAILS HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH.
1963: Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2006: Pedro's cause is taken up by ultra-liberals. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro granted diploma anyway and ends up mowing lawns for a living because he can't speak English.


SCENARIO: JOHNNY TAKES APART LEFTOVER FIRECRACKERS FROM THE 4TH OF JULY, PUTS THEM IN A MODEL AIRPLANE PAINT BOTTLE, BLOWS UP A RED ANT NEST.
1963 - Ants die.
2006 - ATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again. This also becomes a media event because the SPCA believes the ants were treated inhumanely.


SCENARIO: JOHNNY FALLS WHILE RUNNING DURING RECESS AND SCRAPES HIS KNEE. HE IS FOUND CRYING BY HIS TEACHER, MARY, WHO HUGS JOHNNY TO COMFORT HIM.
1963 - In a short time Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2006 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison.

And this is what they call progress?


So what do you think, is today's world really better, or have we given up too much?

Elephants and Books

I was up late last night chatting with friends and the subject of collectibles came up. Some said they collected horse figurines, or dragon statues, and so on. It made me think about what I have collected in my life.

My first collection started when I was 2 days old, my father brought in a small plant in a porcelain pot that was shaped like an elephant. The plant eventually died, and my mom used that little pot to hold pins and ointments when I was a baby, as I got older it held barrettes and hair clips. That was just the first elephant I ever got. I ended up with many more over the years. Somehow, it was never up to me, people just kept on giving me elephants, I guess it was a good thing that I loved them as much as I did. I had a tiny ceramic set of an elephant family, a really cool one made out of seashells given by my grandmother. I had a big stuffed elephant that made a great footstool and a teddy bear type one that I slept with.

Those were just a few, by the time I was 16, I had almost 500 elephant statues, figurines, plates, toys, etc. This isn't counting the 100 or so stuffed or plush elephants I had. I gave up most of them at this time, we were moving and the room I was getting just wasn't big enough to hold all of them. So I packed a few of my favorites and gave the rest of them to Goodwill. *Smiles* I am sure they just loved trying to find places for all those elephants.

My second real collection probably started somewhere around 4 or 5 years old. Once I discovered the joy of reading, book were a collection I was always adding to. I read fast, so it doesn't take me long to go through a book, and I enjoy re-reading them. So if I find a book I like, I want it in my bookshelf so I can read it any time I wish. At the height of this collection I had around a thousand books. My own personal library. Unfortunately, I had to get rid of about two-thirds of them when I moved down to Florida.

I had a small or mid-size car, and everything I owned had to fit in it for the move. That many books just wouldn't fit, as I had clothes, my computer, and my dog and puppycat to stuff into the car as well. It was very difficult to choose which books to get rid of, and I still miss having them on hand. I am slowly rebuilding my collection, however, as we live only 2 blocks from a flea market and I can get books very cheaply there.

Other than these 2 things, elephants and books, I never seriously collected anything else. Oh sure, I started hundreds of collections as a kid, but quickly lost interest in them and they never lasted long.

So, what do you collect, how long have you collected it, and why do you collect them?

Random Thoughts and Pics

We want your dinner!!



Rub my belly, please?



Bowing to His Majesty, Sir Puppycat



No, I won't tell where I hid the remote control.



Don't make me come down there!



Barking Puppycat.


Honest! It wasn't me!



Don't look now, but she has that camera out again



I said, Give me the ham from your sandwich!!



Ahh, this is the life!



Lady Ru's portrait.



And finally, Ru and Ducky.

I was going through my photobucket today, and thought I would share some of my favorite pics. You all know the puppycat, Rogue. As for the dogs, the yellow lab mix is Ducky's dog, Maddie, and the beagle is my dog, Murphy. The hammock pup was sent to me as a cute pic by a friend, the portrait of Lady Ru was created by a game friend named Skan.

The pic of me and Ducky was taken last spring, and I hope knowing what I look like hasn't scared you off this blog, lol. Enjoy the pics, there will be more to read again tomorrow.

Batteries Not Included...

So, it is the day after Christmas. All the presents are opened, Santa has come and gone for another year. Most of us think the work is over now. No more gifts to buy, we can start saving up again, the kids won't be whining about how they NEED to get this toy or that ipod. We take a breath or relief, we are done for the year.

Not quite. We don't have to buy anymore gifts, but now we get the joys of retuning what isn't liked, fighting the stores for refunds or store credit. Hoping that gift receipt you need didn't get thrown out with the wrapping paper shreds. Oh, speaking of wrapping paper, this is the day you wonder just WHY you bothered to wrap everything. All that careful work, to make it look perfect, is now laying in tiny shreds all over the house. The kids are playing with the boxes things came in, those expensive toys are laying forgotten under the tree.

No more baking to do, but what to do with that fruitcake your crazy aunt gives you every year. No one eats those things, why are they even made? Our fingers are blistered from opening toys for the kids. Sealed in hard plastic, twist-tied to oblivion, you need a jackhammer to bust these things open.

I can't understand this. Toy makers spend tons of money to hype up their products, then seal them in indestructible packaging. We spend hours trying to get these things out of the plastic, the kids whining at our sides, only to have them discarded five minutes later while they make robots out of the twist ties they came in.

So much left to do, take the 27 bags of trashed packaging to the curb, drag the cat out of the tree another 30 times, stop the dog from eating the play-doh the kids left to be ground into the carpet. Oh and don't forget, we still have about 10 runs to make to the store for that essential thing we need, the adapter cable we forgot, and batteries. Sure, many toys now come with batteries. But those only last 2 minutes, just long enough for you to know you will HATE that toy and it's noises, but not long enough to let the kid get bored.

Now is the time to decide, which toys get to stay and which will mysteriously 'vanish' in the next couple of days. And what was Uncle thinking when he got THAT for us? And, we love our mothers, but we don't love that purple sweater with neon glitter snowmen on it. But we wear it anyway and just try not to look in any mirrors.

We are run ragged before Christmas, we do so much, the day after should be a day of relaxation. But there is still so much to do, and that is when we wish that life didn't come with batteries not included....

Making Money At Home

As I have said in other posts here in my blog, I am disabled and can't work. No job means I have no income. But I have found some good ways to make some extra cash. It is not enough to live on, nor will it ever make me rich. It does, however, earn some spending cash. These opportunities have allowed me to buy Ducky a nice christmas present.

Most of the 'make money at home' things you see on the internet are scams. Or even illegal. Most of them require you to pay for a kit or other information. These so-called programs simply take your money and send you some information that is worthless or that you could have easily have found for free in a google search.

But I have found some legitimate programs that cost you nothing, and you make money on them. Like I said, not loads of money, just some spending cash. Most of the ones I work on I can earn anywhere from $20 to $100 or so each month. Nope, I won't get rich. But I do make enough to purchase that gift for someone special, or to treat myself to a nice dinner out, or a new outfit.

Over the next few weeks I will provide information for each program. I will give tips on how to get the most out of them and I will let you know when and how much they have paid me. I will also provide other resources so you can find others of the same type. There are many of them out there. Yes, some are scams. But I will let you know which ones really pay, and exactly what you need to do to earn money.

All these programs will ever cost you is some time. You will not have to spend a dime to earn money. So bookmark or subscribe to my blog, and stay tuned. Easy money can be yours too.

Procrastination Works!

I hear people say we shouldn't procrastinate. That we should get thing done as soon as we can and not wait until the last minute. For some things I guess that is true. But for me, I perform better under pressure sometimes.

I had a major paper to write for my Composition class. I knew about it and was supposed to be working on it for over a month. But I just kept putting it off. Every time I would go to write or to think about what i wanted to say, my mind would wander and my thoughts would be chaotic. Sitting there looking at the blank sheet of paper, I just couldn't think of anything to write.

So I put it off, there was always tomorrow, or next week to get it done. Until I woke up Saturday, the paper due that night, over 1200 words needed, and I hadn't done anything. Ah, I thought, I still have hours yet, I will do it later today. Finally it came down to the wire. It was due in just a couple of hours. I needed to get it done. Miraculously, the blank paper didn't faze me. I knew what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it. I churned out over 1600 words in less than an hour.

The paper was turned in less than an hour before the deadline. I wasn't sure if it was any good, but at least it was done. Just a few minutes ago, I checked into class. The paper had been graded and commented on by my Professor. I received an A, 100 points of 100 available. The Professor said I did well and had a good grasp of the assignment.

I have always put off critical things like that until the last minute, and almost invariably, I have done much better work under that pressure than I have done if I completed early. So, regardless of how much people say procrastination is bad, I would have to say, it works for me.