...the flu or ordinary cold

OH GOD!!! I can't breath...blowing my nose incessantly...feel like crap...head ready to BLOW UP!!! I love my grandson more than life itself - but give me a break...he gave me his cold/flu! I was planning on coming home and going to bed to get warm and cozy - but NO -- the daughter wasn't supposed to work and alas, the most important job in the universe calls her in to work - so babysitting again. If I am this sick in the morning I will call off work, something i NEVER do, but feel like a big pile of shite! have to get over this thing before the weekend for SUPER BOWL. I plan on enjoying the hell out of that game.

Slyght received his package of Steeler stuff, so he will be good to go. He can cuddle up with his TERRIBLE TOWEL now!! I expect great pics of emma and him celebrating the Steeler victory. The Drive for Five is going to be great. The Steelers arrived in Detroit today, all wearing the green No.6 Notre Dame jersey Bettis wore in college. How neat! I am very excited but try to contain myself. (right?!?!?!)

Oh well, I am going to try and curl up inside a kleenex box for the night, me and my irritated red nose!! damnit! Everyone think good thoughts for Sunday. Later guys!

a Sunday WITHOUT football

...talk about channel surfing. no football today and I am going crazy. resorted to nfl today on hbo, which was a rerun from the other day, but kept replaying the nfc and afc championship games from last week. nothing changed, seattle and pittsburgh still won!!! the steeler frenzy around here is wonderful. i have a couple of friends who, of course, could not afford super bowl tickets, and instead, have rented a hotel room in pittsburgh. that way they can celebrate right in the heart of the action, when PITTSBURGH WINS SUPER BOWL XL!! if i had thought ahead, i might have done that also.

everyone around here, are big into NASCAR, which i have very little understanding. slyght's blog is carrying a poll, as to which driver will be the best in the upcoming series. rots of ruck on that one!

checked out the new Lowe's store in wheeling this morning, YUCK!! much smaller than the st. clairsville store, and it is set up bass ackwards. also, very little selection on items. although convenient, I wasn't impressed. the daughter had to work, so babysitting was my call of the day again. we played, and played some more, till i was worn out and the cartoon network came in handy. after being off sick from school all last week, he is bathed and ready for bed, so he can be at school tomorrow. now if the school bus driver is on the job, the day will be complete. more often than not, we get a call at least a half hour beore we are to be at the bus stop, that the driver is off sick or didn't show. must be a great job!!

till something more exciting comes along...bye for now!!

one year away from home...

well, it is official. sunday the 29th of january will be one year since zac went to godforsaken rajahmundry, india. for me it seems like a very quick year, but for zac - i'm sure it must seem like an eternity. and at the present, i don't believe there is any end in sight yet. i am counting on seeing him in march sometime, but the General sometimes has other ideas. slyght and emma may take some r&r in a nice place like new zealand or australia. ooh doesn't that sound nice!!!

between pictures and blogs, slyght has offered quite an insight into his life with the "indians." not to mention being bitten by some alien bug!!! he has managed to stay out of the USA long enough to recoup all his taxes for 2005 - how wonderful!!! probably more than i can make in 2 years.

now, i am trying to think of what "exciting" event or events he has missed while being overseas --- hmmm... let me think. NOPE, can't think of anything too major. he missed the backed up sinks in the kitchen, some water in the basement, all your basic, mundane, run of the mill, everyday garbage. luckily he HAS missed my many "meltdowns", but he would brush them off anyway.

he has missed his nephew - developing into a bright lad. (pain in the butt sometimes, but bright.) but with our webcams he spent christmas with us, and watched colton open every present.

i miss him every day and moment, but with modern technology, he really isn't that far away!! love ya baby!!

later all!!

Happy Birthday to ME!! lalalala

Oh well, another year older, guess it is better than the alternative. I have never ever been bothered by "age." It terrified my twin sister to turn 50, and she didn't make that milestone either. I miss celebrating together, we were a "unit" and were supposed to stay that way. Another one of life's funny tricks. But I DID have a nice birthday. Co-workers got me presents, my son got me an expensive gift card for a local spa/salon. I can do an all-day spa treatment, facial, full body massage, hair styling, nails (fingers & toes) and they throw in a meal to boot. Hope they don't laugh too hard over this body!!

And my very "bestest" friend and her adorable husband took me to dinner. What more could a person ask. I have to tell all, "the husband" is fanatically AGAINST the Pittsburgh Steelers and lets me know it regularly. Well, he dug down deep in the rag bag and found a Steeler AFC Championship shirt to give me for my birthday from 1995. AIN'T HE SWEET!! We all got a good chuckle! Good people.

...now the end of the Fedex saga. I received my package late last night, after a neighbor several doors away, found the package "TIED" to his back fence. DUH!! And the Fedex driver called me this morning stating "I did attach the package to your fence by your garage." AGAIN WITH THE GARAGE I DON'T HAVE!! He insists that the "221" address was on the fence. Considering it was on a fence on a cross street where they have 4 digit addresses, I find that hard to believe. I had fun with him, asking if my garage was old, new or under construction and he said "what???" hee hee. Anyway, I am now in possession of my Steeler stuff, whether Fedex likes it or not!!! So there.

My grandson (and his mother) baked me a cake, and when I picked Colton up and came home, he made me close my eyes for the surprise. (**his mother is working, so just the 2 of us.) He said I had to light the candles so he could sing to me - it was terrific. He is so very proud of the cake. Plus his present was the big hug and kiss he had for me!! What more could a person want?

My son called me from India this morning for the birthday wishes, and our chat was great. He said it was a holiday in India (probably because of my birthday) but the downside is - on holidays, no alcohol sales. Sorry Slyght, have to stay sober on mom's birthday. Love ya bunches.

Enough for now, more at a later date.

...taking this personally

you know slyght can order anything online and the fedex and ups guys can put their trucks on auto pilot to get it here. but when i order something, they LOSE IT!!! i pre-ordered steeler afc champion stuff, and it was shipped from pittsburgh 3 days ago (only 80 miles from here) and they sent it to cambridge, ohio then zanesville, ohio and supposedly then to my doorstep. Not!!! tracking it online, it says package was delivered at 3:20 pm today and left at MY GARAGE!!! interesting, i don't have a fukkin garage. i have called neighbors on both sides of me and nothing!! i have left a message on the answering machine of the people who live one street over (same house number.) nothing. called fedex, went thru the entire options menu, constantly hitting "0", to get a human. after 15 minutes, female moron takes info, and says, "we will contact the driver and should get back to you within 24 hours." I COULD HAVE DRIVEN TO HEINZ FIELD FIFTY TIMES OR MORE DURING THIS TIME.

okay slyght, the temper is coming out!! having to deal with idiots is not helping my mood at all. step back, deep breaths, calm down!! oh, the clincher, when fedex female moron said, "are you sure you don't have a garage?" DUH!!!

having gotten up early and jumped into rearranging my bedroom, which entails thorough cleaning and trash removal, my body is crying out against such actions. i woke up in the middle of the night thinking that this was the job i would tackle today. my damn mind never stops. but i always relish the job when completed. poor colton never knows which direction the bed will be facing!??!?

oh well, i will give an update on the progress of my package as it develops. nite-nite.

Poor little guy - Colton is sick!!

Damn Flu!! Colton is a scrawny, 32 pound, five year old and has been down with the"FLU" for the second day now. He spent several hours in the ER yesterday, never to be seen by a physician - only physician assistants!!! Puke, Puke everywhere. He does not even really know he is going to be sick - UNITL IT IS ALL OVER THE PLACE!! Had a fever of over 103 degrees, which was brought down a little with Tylenol. But again, this morning, I hear his mother scream, and he did it again. OH MY GOD - she had to wash her bedding twice in two days. Just kidding CBB. He didn't want to drink anything, but managed to get 1/4 grilled cheese sandwich in him and some "blue fruit craze."

Breaks my heart when the little ones are ill. No doubt it is hard on any parent too, but it is one of the aspects of child-rearing. Just have to deal with it. From what I gather, 72 hours may be the duration of this yucky flu. We will see. I don't have those symptoms yet, but i have a cold sore on top lip, one under lower lip and getting a runny nose. Now, if all these continue to grow - my face is going to look like a clown mask. This is not a pretty picture.

Tried to leave early this morning to get Slyght's package to FedEx, but nothing went right, so by the time I get package off, I was 15 minutes late for work. Oh, well shite happens. It is always something. Have a day off tomorrow, so hope I can just lay back a little. (Odds are not in my favor though, supposed to have snow accumulation.)

Maybe more tonight, we will see. Behave everyone!!

PITTSBURGH STEELERS RULE!!

Ben, Jerome, Heinz, Troy, Joey and the rest of the crew were FANTASTIC! what a smooth game to watch. Not a lot of penalties, just move the ball across the goaline. I was glued to the tv, although this game was nowhere near the nail biter of last week against the Colts. I had goosebumps, to know that Ben kept his promist to bettis to get him to detroit this year. I don't care what other (non-steeler fans) people say, this team has so much HEART, I love to listen to their interviews, so much sincerity. ESPN and CNN sports commentators both said the same thing, no other team is a cherished to their home town fans as Pittsurgh Steelers.

I have to gather up some steeler "stuff" and fedex to slyght in India, so he will feel even better, when he is watching the super bowl at 3 am in the wee hours of the morning, before dawn, etc... told slyght to tell the fukkin' indians that super bowl is a global holiday - they ought to buy that, afterall they decorate the trucks with crepe paper and make a big celebratory shindig for the least little thing.

how about slyght finally figuring out that it may be wise to vaccinate oneself, because of various bug, virus', bacteria, etc...? superman caves in? he still swears that after eating all that green pizza in college, his body is immune from any bacteria or bug!!! RIGHT!!

since i am at work at the moment, i may add more tonight, but have to stop for now!!!

have a good day everybody.

OK - don't comment on MY blog!!

I don't think anyone comes to my blogsite. No comments. Tell me I am brainless, a moron, ANYTHING!! Just a comment now and then please.

I will never be as witty as slyght, but I usually can hold my own. The only thing I feel like talking about now is the Pittsburgh Steelers and hopefully their appearance in Super Bowl XL. After getting 8 1/2 points last week against the super Indianapolis Colts, the bookies are a little scared this week, only giving Steelers 3 points. Hmmm... still the underdog. Maybe they are being underestimated again!! I HAVE FAITH!! I made the decision to wear all steeler stuff till at least Sunday, and then we will go from there. Since there would be a week off before Super Bowl, may have to change the wardrobe during the down time.

As soon as slyght shows me I will have plenty of steeler links to add here. Speaking of slyght - he is currently in Delhi or on his way back to Rajahmundry. Had to get his visa renewed. It doesn't seem like six months since Red got married (that is when he last renewed his visa.) time is really going quickly.

Chumpass's (too many sssss's) family is moving into the broadband area now. Each parent has their own computer - hell, they may never talk to one another again!! (unless thru email) ONLY IN A PERFECT WORLD!! HAHA!

More later, B-Town Boyz keep up the good work!

TILL WE MEET AGAIN.......TTFN

proud of the B-Town Boyz Blog

Well, the boyz are getting it together. their blog is getting better all the time. the graphics are really good (and different). oh btw, not sure if anyone is really looking for wasko (milk carton pic.) might want to put a pic of a lost puppy on there. i will have to have slyght help spruce my site up - i am definitely not THAT SMART! i need to figure out how to add picks and links. having such an ecclectic group all contributing to the same site is "inspirational" (haha).

...back to the Steelers. I am wearing all Steeler "stuff" till the game (and during) on sunday. the nfl powers that be, confirmed the idiocy of the troy polamalu call - made me feel better, although Cowher didn't seem as upset as me. may have to have a chat with the man!!! I will have to have chottlady get a babysitter for grandson on sunday - think i will find a place where the crowd is rowdy to watch the game.

...speaking of the grandson - he hasn't shut-up in three days. yaketty, yak - constantly. may have to find him some drugs. i love him more than life itself, but give me a break. i like "QUIET" too!. he was babbling on and on the other day, and i said "yes" to something and he ran upstairs like a fool and came back down almost crying. asked him what was wrong - he said i told him uncle zac was upstairs in his room!! NOW THAT BROKE MY HEART. i tried to explain about my inate power to "tune people out" and that i really didn't hear what he was saying. he is ONLY 5, but i don't think he understood. i must remember to do better with the little guy.

i might post again later today, after i get some things accomplished, gonna go back to bed for awhile since it is my day off and i worked very hard yesterday - i deserve a break!

c'mon slyght - you are slacking - get a new blog up and pick a new countdown!! can't wait!! BYE ALL!

YES, I am a PITTSBURGH STEELER FAN!!

Oh my God!! I knew I should have refilled my heart medication!! I made sure I had all my outside errands run, so I could be home for the Steeler-Colts game. I am good - got in the door at 12:56 PM. Amazingly enough, slyght was online (not sober - but online) and I started giving him play by play accounts, till he said he had to do something more important - like SLEEP. I will give him that, it was 11:30 PM in India, and he worked hard today (yesterday) and was DRUNK. The steelers took off like a runaway train, and I kept posting to slyght - who kept telling me goodbye - but i knew he didn't mean it - till he WENT OFFLINE!! Guess he meant it Oh well, his loss. It was one of the most exciting games I have seen in awhile. Had to call a neighbor who is a big Bill Cowher fan (me too) and we were both going nuts. BUT - they tried to kill me with the tension in the fourth quarter. But all football fans know what happened, and I went to bettis' stats, and checked, the man just doesn't fumble - except for today, but he was redeemed in the end. Now it is off to mile high stadium to slaughter the broncos next week. STEELERS ARE SUPER BOWL XL BOUND!!

Now I have to survive the bears/panthers game. I am rooting for the panthers, i know slyght will be mad, he is a closet bears fan.

Had the grandson all decked out in steeler gear, told him it was all for good luck!! he believed me. duh!! he doesn't really understand the game (poor thing he is only 5) but he never got tired of telling his "Nina, to shut up" that I was hurting his ears when i was yelling. sorry about that. I DO GET CARRIED AWAY SOMETIMES!

Have to get some cleaning and redding up done, maybe that will calm me down. Just had to share the STEELER MOMENT!!

mourning and PAIN

ok - didn't take the time to write for two days, but i had my reasons. after tackling outside christmas decorations on an exceptionally windy day, i went into mourning over the loss of my small GOOSE. the damn thing is made of concrete, but the wind was so severe, it knocked one thing over on the front porch and cracked the goose on the head, hurling it onto wooden deck and ALAS - my goose has a broken neck. Now it is going to look pretty silly with all the outfits i have for it - and NO HEAD. my grandson loved to change its outfits seasonally and was really upset. i told him no problem - we will just pretend it has a head - needless to say that did not cheer him up. highly unbelievable. i may have to go on a mission and get another goose, this time a larger one, as outfits for my small one were hard to come by. oh well, something more to deal with!! drat - curses!

now for the PAIN!! before going to bed, my ritual is to turn off all the lights, head to the bathroom - then to bed. well, when coming out of the bathroom (no lights on) i tripped over the DOG (angel from prior blog) who was laying right in the middle of the floor, grabbed the small tv in my way (it hit the floor), stubbed my toes on small table (colton uses in toy room) throwing me into bannister - sending glass baking dishes over the side onto basement concrete floor! it was loud, and messy - not to mention the TWO bleeding toes which are undeniably BROKEN. after at least one minute of swearing @#$$%%#% - grandson Colton comes out and says, "what's wrong Nina?" oh nothing, thought it was way to quiet in this house, thought i would shake things up before going to bed!!!" my foot throbbed all night, and had to work the next day (thursday). i couldn't wear a shoe, thank god it was in the 60's, wore my sandals. Now today is another story, foot still painful and swelled and going to snow. hmmm... haven't a clue what kind of shoe to wear today. LIFE SUCKS!!!

hell, deal with it - right!!?? let the healing begin.

love the "blogs from the BOYZ!!!" very interesting!! keep 'em coming. later

let's talk about DOG HAIR!!!

In January 2004, my grandson (3 at the time) was sick with the flu and I had him bundled up on the couch, so he could enjoy the TV and neverending nursing services from me (his NINA.) This was relatively early in the evening, and I had noticed this dog in the neighborhood, running loose all day. I would say it is a mix between a collie and chow, and maybe a few other breeds thrown in for good measure. For whatever reason, I was returning home and the dog literally followed me in the house. (**my best friends husband was heading down the street with a plate of food for her at the same time.) The dog immediately jumped on the couch with the sick lad and laid her head on his chest. Now I had made up my mind that I would not have anymore dogs, as our last dog, Warrior, a great dane/black lab mix, had to be put to sleep 11 months earlier. But now I had this beautiful child begging me to keep the dog, and the neighbors husband was also willing to "adopt" it. THE CHILD WON!!! We hung notices at the local food mart in the neighborhood, but no one came forward, as to owning the dog. I guessed the female dog to be about 10 months old.

Back to the DOG HAIR!! Angel, aptly named by my grandson, because she is so loving, protective, quiet --- BUT HAIRY!!! No matter what season of the year - I could make rugs and sell them, for all the hair she sheds. I dropped a small screw from the ceiling fan the other day, cat knocked it into cold air return. No problem, right?? NOT!. I removed the grate and reached down to retrieve screw and came up with a basketball size ball of hair. Behind the fridge, under the hutch, on clothes, it is everywhere. Having had animals all my life, I realize the necessity of making sure to vacuum under the refrigerator, as any buildup could cause condensor problems. Now I did this probably 4 months ago, but noticed a new "sound" an hour ago, so I get out the sweeper and start the process again. OMG!! No animal can possible SHED this much hair. If I were a refrigerator I would have screamed louder than the small sound I heard. HAIR, HAIR (they should make a musical about it!) All hair is now removed and refrigerator literally sighed with relief.

Since the dog is a pansy, and prefers to be inside as opposed to being out harassing neighbor dogs, I may consider having her shaved year around. we have only done this in the summer (and what a pathetic beast she looks like, when bald), but may eliminate some of the mess.

Now, in reference to slyghts blog (Nomadic Tendencies), I am trying to figure out how to tell "stardust" from "housedust." I'm sure I could box up some of the latter, just to throw them off.

Have a good one all!!! Later

... good start

i did it!! i began the assault on storing all christmas decorations. i must admit i made a large dent in the project, but still have a bit to do. the tree is back in its hiding place for another 11 months, some of the decorations have also made it back to their place of repose. alas, the santas are the last plan of attack. having collected them for many years (and a large $$$ investment), i do hate hiding them away. if i ever hit the lottery, i will add on to my house and have a "christmas room." who needs another bathroom, anyway? now all i have to look at is a sort of "bareness." so, I have decided to change the decor a little. rather than all the country knick-knacks i have had, i am putting up snowmen and bears. so childish isn't it? hell, you only live once, and i will DO IT MY WAY!!!

the daughter complained constantly, on the weight of the bins, the effort to get everything back in the basement, and oh -- her bad back. i managed to do most of it myself, hang the tree bag on the rafters, but forget my prior medical maladies.

saw that slyght is really HANGING today. so much for the whiskey my boy. cool it!! there is more to life than the booze, must we have this conversation again??

oh well, it's early and have to get ready for work, much to my chagrin. i would rather walk on hot coals than go, but have to make money, even if it is a paltry sum. (at least till something better comes along.)

everyone have a good day, LATER

i'm really going to get this done... right!!

ok - holiday season is over, and i am still lighting my tree every day and throughtout the house. now i'm not really sure if something eerie happens - if all decorations and ornaments are not stored safely away, immediately after New Years Day - but i am risking it anyway! i love the lights and the ambience, and once they are hidden neatly away in storage, my life will be back to BLAH!!! for the sake of the neighbors, i DID unplug the outside lights, just haven't removed them yet. baby steps i guess!!

in my entire life, i have always, i repeat always, taken everything down immediately after new years, but this year is exceptionally different. my son has not seen the decorations this year, other than webcam, and i feel they have to remain. ludicrous thought.

i have made up my mind to START the removal process tomorrow. i will get no help because my daughter works at 6 pm, so she will not have time to help. (go figure!!) so it will all happen in stages. i will plot the sequence, as if plotting a major assault in war. (could be a war here in this house - you never know!) i will document the progress.

if you noticed, i took a couple of days off from the blog, as nothing of any interest has happened. i actually went out (to a surprise 60th birthday party) last night, and didn't get home till 12:15 am. really threw my metabolism into a tailspin. kinda nice for a change.

HERE WE GO STEELERS!!! looked great against cincinnati today (after 1st quarter), then total domination. cowher keeps coming up with neat gadget plays, even bettis threw the ball (missed though.) still do not want him to retire. OK Cowher - pump them up and devise new gadget plays for your meeting with the colts next week, i am depending on you!!!

ok, gonna go for now, start devising my decoration removal strategy. later.

i do know my facts

since someone has chosen to comment to my last blog and beg me to check facts - i beg your pardon, i am quite aware of the facts. the take over of ankr by icg began in february of 2005. mr. hatfield and mr. kitts have been aggresively involved with this mine for over 9 months. there is responsibility to be taken by this company and i feel after the intense investigation is completed, this will all prove out. mr. hatfield had the opportunity after 20 minutes knowledge of the rumor (miners alive) to quell it and make a statement that nothing could be confirmed at that point and chose to wait. he admits it was a poor choice. i am sure this disaster has hit him hard also. but i await all results, so the truth may be known.

sad day for west virginia

althoug i have lived in ohio for 30+ years, i still consider myself a west virginian. now, i don't want you buckeyes to get upset. i support ohio state also. but being glued to the tv since monday morning, watching the mine disaster unfold, my heritage is in mourning.

anyone who knows me, knows what a news junkie i am, and being an event so close to home affected me deeply. my duaghter and i were up all last night, totally elated that the miners had been found alive. (that was 11:46 pm) by 2 - 2:30 am we were questioning why the miners had not been reunited weith their families as promised, then the devastating news - that only one had survived - sent me into a tailspin.

the reality that these men were probably dead (due to the nature of the disaster) was much easier to foresee than to be told one thing and it could not have been further from the truth. in the future, i should hope that the truth will come out as to how such a mistake could have happened. the CEO of the ICG mine group, proved what a spin doctor he is. ineveitably he needs to shoulder the complete responsibility for this disaster (past mine citations) and poor judgement in allowing these families to believe their loved ones were alive.

ok - i will put my soapbox away (for now) - but not forever.

slyght is going on about his "OCD" and i never considered him to be so affected, although i have always known that i have slight tendencies in that area. can't stand anything crooked, prefer to have filing systems in place, etc. so sorry baby - mom didn't mean to pass that one on. at least it is not too serious.

havev a good one, be back later.

back to routines... right!?!??!?!

all the festivities are over and family have gotten together and rturned home, so what is left but to regain normacly in our lives. boy that sounds good, but to date (middle-aged) i don't think i have ever experienced NORMAL.

my oldest daughter, her fiance and her 15 year old - 6' 2" son, came for their holdiay visit today. my gawd, that kid is BIG. i remember when he was a little fart (2 yrs old) running full stride all over the place. now he is a baseball and football standout. and getting good grades to boot. unbelievable. he gets along so well with colton, but unfortunatley his 11 year old brother couldn't come over today. my future son-in-law (6 yrs my junior) is a trip, and they make a fine couple.

all is quiet now, family returned home and i am here with colton to enjoy the evening. have to get up and out of here by 4:30 am in morning to take friend to pittsburgh airport to return to florida home. therefore, it would be super if i could get colton to sleep early. NOT HAPPENING!!! I am enjoyng a whole bottle of cafe' zinfandel - all by myself, so i know i should sleep well.

it appears that the B-Town Boyz all enjoyed their news years celebrations and check out the pic of the group Chumpassfool put on blog. He managed to insert slyght into the pic - so he wouldn't be left out. good job.

slyght is working incredibly stupid and long hours in india, and got the opprotunity to chat with him for a ong time yesterday. he is no fonder of india than before. can't wait to have him home.

following story on trapped w.va. coal miners, so very sad. holding out hope. till i think of more --- i'm outta here.

ahhh... first day of new year

after spending the new years eve alone and managing to depress myself beyond belief, i have decided to change that attitude completely. i spent most of that time reminiscing about the past, which only further depresses me. SO ENOUGH OF THAT!!

HERE WE GO STEELERS!! another win by my most favorite football team (sorry all browns fans). and i could consider another depression if Bettis retires. playoffs are in the future. now if some rich philanthropist wants to send me tickets to a game i would not refuse. the last playoff game i went to was with my husband in the early 90's. it was 15 degrees, snowing like a bitch, but we tailgated our hearts out. nothing funnier than seeing 15 freezing men lined up inside a dumpster to take a pee. and our seats were the very top row at three rivers stadium (we played the buffalo bills.) actually the top row wasn't too bad as there was an overhang which protected us from the snow. but talk about nosebleeds -- ohhh. we were so high a beer run consisted of everyone getting 4 beers for themselves.

the B-Town boyz site is beginning to take shape. i love input from each of the guys - definitely different perspectives. im'd and webcamed w/ slyght for several hours today, it was great. being in india for the past 11 months did not help my earlier depression, but seeing him works well.

started a cleaning project i have been putting off for some time. when i start one of these adventures, i also start "throwing things away" like crazy. after our house burned in 1984, i decided never to collect or save anything again. that worked for about 10 years then everything went to hell. so periodically, i have to get in a 'trash it" mood. anybody need a pack of twisties from glad bags? ------ too late - gone!! i am amazed - "out of site, out of mind" works, till you finally tackle the project. shocked by some of the things i discovered - yet soon to be trashed. now if i can get my daughter to cart some of the stuff to storage in the basement, the job will be complete. (even discarded old toys to make room for new ones colton got from santa) - whew had to get that trash bag tied up and out in a hurry.

ok - my new years resolutions.
1. lose at least 50 pounds
2. quit smoking
3. get a better job
4. see my son

oh hell, i know i can accomplish at least one of these. hint: #4