Update on the sister thing...
Whilst the backside of that big elephant in the relationship is still in view, I'm hoping things are on the mend with my baby sister and me.
Got a text message from her yesterday inviting us to a combination b'day party for my nephew and her boyfriend's son; R's b'day is the same day as J's! I called her immediately to tell her I'd be there, but that I just couldn't speak for my husband. We're having his family to the lake house the next day for a party and he thought he might not be ready enough to take some time off on Saturday. (We've since discussed it and I think he's coming to my sister's party; we got a LOT done this weekend in preparation for the party and we have Thursday, Friday and 1/2 of Saturday to do the rest.)
This does mean, however, that I have to get a gift for T's son; wasn't planning to do that since I didn't think I'd see him... Perhaps Mom and DH and I can get him a gift card together...
While my sister's voice wasn't dripping with warmth and love, she wasn't all cold and distant, just a bit reserved. So I tried to just interact with her as though we're okay, and I think we'll be able to put this behind us. (Although I do wonder how much she told her boyfriend...)
My nephew called me AGAIN about coming to the car show next week, and then AGAIN to ask if my DH would take a look at his car today, something about an oil leak. Unfortunately it was bad news; pretty expensive repairs and my husband can't do them (although he would if he could - it would need the engine to be removed from the car; something about a main gasket...). I guess I should warn my sister that we had this talk, but somehow when I try to share with her, she jumps down my throat and leaps to conclusions, so maybe I'll just leave it and see if J mentions anything to her. If not, everyone's happy!
Anyway, I'm at work so I've got to run! See ya!
About Me
- Krys72599
- I'm happy, married, and looking forward to sharing my world with you! If you're interested, that is!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
[Warning: This is a LONG post.]
I've been missing for days now. I really don't know why.
Oh, I could recite all the reasons my time is not my own: we've been away on vacation at the lake (without a computer), I've been SOOO busy at work (thankfully that resulted in me being close to caught-up!), I haven't really had anything much to say...
But the real reason is that I had a HUGE fight with my sister last week.
Several weeks ago I decided I wanted to take my nephew out to dinner, just the two of us, to talk about him going to college. He's a strapping almost-18-year-old, chronologically, but emotionally he's a bit younger.
I told his mom I wanted to do this and it was okay with her. Then she called me to "tell" me not to lecture him, that he has a mom, that he needs a friend (WTF? I'm not his friend, I'm his aunt!), that he doesn't need lectures from me, that I should just keep the conversation light. So I agreed; in the past she's been very disturbed by the fact that I love him like my own, to the point that she's told me (and my mom, too) that she's the mother, we're not.
Anyway, I picked him up and the first thing he says while fastening his seatbelt is, proudly, "I cut off a bus yesterday."
Well, let's preface the explosion of my head with this little factoid: he hasn't had his license for a year yet and he has 6 tickets and 2 points on his license!
So from his house to the diner, which is about 3 miles, I ranted at him about being careful, that he was lucky he wasn't hurt, that he needs to be more cautious when driving, that he has to worry about the other drivers probably more than I have to worry about his driving... His very dismissive response was, "I wasn't hurt, Cioci."
No, you weren't. THIS TIME. What about the next time you do this, and there's a car in front of that bus cutting him off the other direction? You'll be in the hospital!
Finally we got to the diner and he asked me why I always yell at him about his driving... which led into another discussion, but eventually we changed it to college. I told him how I really screwed up my freshman year's grades and that it's impossible to get out from under a D/C average, and about all the parties I went to, and how proud I personally am that I've never been drunk or done drugs, that I can say it to my children honestly, without lying or bending the truth, and we talked about choosing classes, and my crazy roommates and his roommate N from some town in NJ I've never heard of and how he hadn't called him yet and how his mom has been shopping for stuff for him and how he can't wait to get out of the house and away to college (a whopping 15 miles or so from home! which could be another blog posting...)...
Did any of that sound like a lecture? I asked him for his campus address so his aunt (me!) could surprise him with a $50 bill once in a while... His reponse? Paraphrased, he basically said sometimes he doesn't feel like he deserves people to do anything for him.
He's not even 18 yet! How can he feel so down on himself? So I told him how much I loved him and that he deserves all the good in life, and while I don't expect him to feel a sense of entitlement, that actually deserving the good things is rewarding in itself, that he should most definitely earn those good things I hope go his way... He's not even 18 yet! He should not be feeling so beaten down!
And then out of the blue, "Y'know, I don't want to offend anybody, Cioci, but I liked it better when Mom wasn't dating T." Now I like my sister's boyfriend. I really do. I was a bit perplexed as to how to handle this so I went for the tried and true: the honest approach.
I asked J if he liked T and he said he did, that he was "cool." So it's not a personality conflict with the boyfriend. Then my nephew looked up at me and said he just wished his mom would spend more time with him.
So the tried and true thing came around again: I told him that even I missed his mom, that we used to commute together, work together and talk all the time, that if I hear from her by email once a week now, that's a lot, and that I miss her to, but that I was happy she had someone decent in her life... J's dad came up in conversation, too, when J told me he had no male influence in his life. Yea, you do, J, you have your dad, your grandpa, your Uncle J, and T, too. And I'm sure if you opened yourself up to it, there were probably many teachers over the past few years who have had an influence on you...
The only thing I said about his dad, and I must say I bit my lip HARD, is that a) my sister and her ex were happy at first (a slight exaggeration, but...) but it just wasn't enough to last, and b) that if he was in front of my car right now I'd want to run him over for what he's done/not done for my nephew and my niece but that I wouldn't 'cause I knew J wouldn't want his dad... broke.
What part of any of that could be construed as a lecture?
To top it all off, when we got him home, we sat in the car in front of his house for about a 1/2 hour, laughing and talking.
J went inside and I went home.
An hour later my phone rang and my sister said she just wanted to thank me for ignoring her wishes and lecturing J.
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
I tried to respond and she started screaming at me that my nephew came home, went into his room, and is sitting in the dark in his underwear.
So? It's 10:30 at night, where should he be???? (Oh, wait, I forgot he came in at 1:15am the night before!!!)
She flat out refused to let me speak, said she "knew" I'd been lecturing J 'cause we sat in the car in front of the house for a 1/2 hour.
Again, WTF???
I started trying to talk and she just got louder and louder and angrier and angrier, and so did I, until finally I screamed at her that maybe J was just upset about her dating T and that he brought it up out of the blue...
WELL. That did it. It was like she morphed into a fishwife (no offense to the fishwives reading this blog!). She went apesh-t! Screaming at the top of her lungs at me, cursing. I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call the police on her.
So I screamed back. I hung up. Called her back. She hung up. I called her back. She screamed more. I hung up again.
Finally I waited a few moments. Then I called her back and calmly said I let her yell at me for 45 seconds and she owed me 45 seconds to tell her about our dinner. And I did. Verbatim. And you all know I can recite things back, word for word. (I may not have ever learned my organic chemistry but I can recite conversations back to you from 25 years ago!!!)
And just in case some of you are wondering if I'm re-writing history here... Since my dinner with my nephew, HE HAS CALLED ME FIVE TIMES. That's 5 times more than he's called me in the last five years. So how angry or hurt or disturbed could he have been by our dinner conversation???
And to make things worse, my sister is still pissed at me for not yet having bought my niece her b'day present. It was her Sweet 16 last February and I wanted to get her something special. My sister doesn't bother doing a b'day for her kids anymore (and I hate her for that!) so I didn't see my niece until 2 weeks later. We went to a few jewelry stores; she wanted a cross and chain but all we found that she liked was in the $300-$400 range and that was well outside my budget! So I told her to call me when she was free and we'd go and shop some more for her gift.
She didn't call. And I called every month to ask when she could go: "Just let me know, A, when you can go out for dinner and to shop for your necklace." "Ok."
My sister said she made sure to drop my b'day present on my front porch and that's the least I could have done for my niece. Yea, sure, the next time you spend $200 on me, leave it on my front porch!
I took my niece out yesterday, and she got a $260 electric guitar. She's changed her mind about the necklace. Which is part of her Christmas present 'cause that's way more than my budget, too. So on the way home I suggested she ask her mom to stay home and help her carry the big box upstairs... So I saw my sister and we were civil to each other. Hopefully we can ignore the big angry elephant in our relationship and move on...
I've been missing for days now. I really don't know why.
Oh, I could recite all the reasons my time is not my own: we've been away on vacation at the lake (without a computer), I've been SOOO busy at work (thankfully that resulted in me being close to caught-up!), I haven't really had anything much to say...
But the real reason is that I had a HUGE fight with my sister last week.
Several weeks ago I decided I wanted to take my nephew out to dinner, just the two of us, to talk about him going to college. He's a strapping almost-18-year-old, chronologically, but emotionally he's a bit younger.
I told his mom I wanted to do this and it was okay with her. Then she called me to "tell" me not to lecture him, that he has a mom, that he needs a friend (WTF? I'm not his friend, I'm his aunt!), that he doesn't need lectures from me, that I should just keep the conversation light. So I agreed; in the past she's been very disturbed by the fact that I love him like my own, to the point that she's told me (and my mom, too) that she's the mother, we're not.
Anyway, I picked him up and the first thing he says while fastening his seatbelt is, proudly, "I cut off a bus yesterday."
Well, let's preface the explosion of my head with this little factoid: he hasn't had his license for a year yet and he has 6 tickets and 2 points on his license!
So from his house to the diner, which is about 3 miles, I ranted at him about being careful, that he was lucky he wasn't hurt, that he needs to be more cautious when driving, that he has to worry about the other drivers probably more than I have to worry about his driving... His very dismissive response was, "I wasn't hurt, Cioci."
No, you weren't. THIS TIME. What about the next time you do this, and there's a car in front of that bus cutting him off the other direction? You'll be in the hospital!
Finally we got to the diner and he asked me why I always yell at him about his driving... which led into another discussion, but eventually we changed it to college. I told him how I really screwed up my freshman year's grades and that it's impossible to get out from under a D/C average, and about all the parties I went to, and how proud I personally am that I've never been drunk or done drugs, that I can say it to my children honestly, without lying or bending the truth, and we talked about choosing classes, and my crazy roommates and his roommate N from some town in NJ I've never heard of and how he hadn't called him yet and how his mom has been shopping for stuff for him and how he can't wait to get out of the house and away to college (a whopping 15 miles or so from home! which could be another blog posting...)...
Did any of that sound like a lecture? I asked him for his campus address so his aunt (me!) could surprise him with a $50 bill once in a while... His reponse? Paraphrased, he basically said sometimes he doesn't feel like he deserves people to do anything for him.
He's not even 18 yet! How can he feel so down on himself? So I told him how much I loved him and that he deserves all the good in life, and while I don't expect him to feel a sense of entitlement, that actually deserving the good things is rewarding in itself, that he should most definitely earn those good things I hope go his way... He's not even 18 yet! He should not be feeling so beaten down!
And then out of the blue, "Y'know, I don't want to offend anybody, Cioci, but I liked it better when Mom wasn't dating T." Now I like my sister's boyfriend. I really do. I was a bit perplexed as to how to handle this so I went for the tried and true: the honest approach.
I asked J if he liked T and he said he did, that he was "cool." So it's not a personality conflict with the boyfriend. Then my nephew looked up at me and said he just wished his mom would spend more time with him.
So the tried and true thing came around again: I told him that even I missed his mom, that we used to commute together, work together and talk all the time, that if I hear from her by email once a week now, that's a lot, and that I miss her to, but that I was happy she had someone decent in her life... J's dad came up in conversation, too, when J told me he had no male influence in his life. Yea, you do, J, you have your dad, your grandpa, your Uncle J, and T, too. And I'm sure if you opened yourself up to it, there were probably many teachers over the past few years who have had an influence on you...
The only thing I said about his dad, and I must say I bit my lip HARD, is that a) my sister and her ex were happy at first (a slight exaggeration, but...) but it just wasn't enough to last, and b) that if he was in front of my car right now I'd want to run him over for what he's done/not done for my nephew and my niece but that I wouldn't 'cause I knew J wouldn't want his dad... broke.
What part of any of that could be construed as a lecture?
To top it all off, when we got him home, we sat in the car in front of his house for about a 1/2 hour, laughing and talking.
J went inside and I went home.
An hour later my phone rang and my sister said she just wanted to thank me for ignoring her wishes and lecturing J.
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
I tried to respond and she started screaming at me that my nephew came home, went into his room, and is sitting in the dark in his underwear.
So? It's 10:30 at night, where should he be???? (Oh, wait, I forgot he came in at 1:15am the night before!!!)
She flat out refused to let me speak, said she "knew" I'd been lecturing J 'cause we sat in the car in front of the house for a 1/2 hour.
Again, WTF???
I started trying to talk and she just got louder and louder and angrier and angrier, and so did I, until finally I screamed at her that maybe J was just upset about her dating T and that he brought it up out of the blue...
WELL. That did it. It was like she morphed into a fishwife (no offense to the fishwives reading this blog!). She went apesh-t! Screaming at the top of her lungs at me, cursing. I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call the police on her.
So I screamed back. I hung up. Called her back. She hung up. I called her back. She screamed more. I hung up again.
Finally I waited a few moments. Then I called her back and calmly said I let her yell at me for 45 seconds and she owed me 45 seconds to tell her about our dinner. And I did. Verbatim. And you all know I can recite things back, word for word. (I may not have ever learned my organic chemistry but I can recite conversations back to you from 25 years ago!!!)
And just in case some of you are wondering if I'm re-writing history here... Since my dinner with my nephew, HE HAS CALLED ME FIVE TIMES. That's 5 times more than he's called me in the last five years. So how angry or hurt or disturbed could he have been by our dinner conversation???
And to make things worse, my sister is still pissed at me for not yet having bought my niece her b'day present. It was her Sweet 16 last February and I wanted to get her something special. My sister doesn't bother doing a b'day for her kids anymore (and I hate her for that!) so I didn't see my niece until 2 weeks later. We went to a few jewelry stores; she wanted a cross and chain but all we found that she liked was in the $300-$400 range and that was well outside my budget! So I told her to call me when she was free and we'd go and shop some more for her gift.
She didn't call. And I called every month to ask when she could go: "Just let me know, A, when you can go out for dinner and to shop for your necklace." "Ok."
My sister said she made sure to drop my b'day present on my front porch and that's the least I could have done for my niece. Yea, sure, the next time you spend $200 on me, leave it on my front porch!
I took my niece out yesterday, and she got a $260 electric guitar. She's changed her mind about the necklace. Which is part of her Christmas present 'cause that's way more than my budget, too. So on the way home I suggested she ask her mom to stay home and help her carry the big box upstairs... So I saw my sister and we were civil to each other. Hopefully we can ignore the big angry elephant in our relationship and move on...
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
I don't have the highest opinion of myself. Oh, I know I'm not stupid; in fact, when I was younger, I was pretty darn bright. Good grades (we're talkin' As here!), without crackin' a book!
As I've gotten older, though, I've come to consciously realize exactly how much I don't know!
Over the past few days, though, I've been sitting in on some sales meetings, and I've been amazed at how much knowledge I've accumulated over the past four short years in this position! I retain loads of useless information: telephone numbers I can easily look up, verbatim conversations that I had literally 20 years ago! But remembering organic chemistry or physics, when I was actually enrolled in the course?!? Not so much.
But I do remember my accounts. Even the little ones. They just pop into my head when we're learning about a book that's appropriate for literally one of my several hundred customers, a customer who buys (maybe) $868 worth of books - a year! I have accounts that buy into the hundreds of thousands of dollars - but this little guy holds equal space in this freaky brain of mine! He just jumps to the forefront when they mention a book that might work for him...
The human brain is amazing! My dad (Happy Birthday, Daddy, one day late! I miss you LOTS!) used to say, "Use it or lose it!" And thankfully all my grandparents used their brains every day and that "Use it or lose it" philosophy really works: not one of them was senile when they died, even into their 90s!
I hope I can say the same for me when/if I hit my 90s!!! (Although I distinctly remember making a pact with a college friend of mine - Hi, C! - that we would live to at least 103 'cause there was just so darn much to see and do!) (From this blog to God's ears!!!)
As I've gotten older, though, I've come to consciously realize exactly how much I don't know!
Over the past few days, though, I've been sitting in on some sales meetings, and I've been amazed at how much knowledge I've accumulated over the past four short years in this position! I retain loads of useless information: telephone numbers I can easily look up, verbatim conversations that I had literally 20 years ago! But remembering organic chemistry or physics, when I was actually enrolled in the course?!? Not so much.
But I do remember my accounts. Even the little ones. They just pop into my head when we're learning about a book that's appropriate for literally one of my several hundred customers, a customer who buys (maybe) $868 worth of books - a year! I have accounts that buy into the hundreds of thousands of dollars - but this little guy holds equal space in this freaky brain of mine! He just jumps to the forefront when they mention a book that might work for him...
The human brain is amazing! My dad (Happy Birthday, Daddy, one day late! I miss you LOTS!) used to say, "Use it or lose it!" And thankfully all my grandparents used their brains every day and that "Use it or lose it" philosophy really works: not one of them was senile when they died, even into their 90s!
I hope I can say the same for me when/if I hit my 90s!!! (Although I distinctly remember making a pact with a college friend of mine - Hi, C! - that we would live to at least 103 'cause there was just so darn much to see and do!) (From this blog to God's ears!!!)
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Apparently I've been away too long... My cyberpal, Miss Hope, felt the need to check up on me and see if all was well in Krys' World...
Yes, I'm fine. Just horrid busy at work! And since my ride home is now a train (at least until school starts in September!), I am not staying late so my hours in the office have been fewer, but filled to the brim with things I want to get done before I go on vacation the week of the 18th...
That week will be a silent one in Krys' World. I will not be blogging until the following week. I'm sure there is no one out there who will be devastated by this, BUT...
I.WILL.NOT.BE.ABLE.TO.READ.MY.FAVORITE.BLOGS.UNTIL.MY.WEEK'S.VACATION.IS.OVER.
And THAT, my friends, is going to be a REAL problem! You are all so important to me; I don't know what I'm going to do, not being able to keep up with you all...
When I get back to work (or back home), I'm going to have to spend a DAY catching up! Of course, those of you who have my phone number can call me when something phenomenal happens - no need to wait until I get back to my computer...
Today was my mom's b'day. I had my sister, niece and nephew, and sister's BF over for dinner. And when I get to work tomorrow, I will try to post a couple photos from the dinner so you can all wish you were there!!!
Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you!!!
Yes, I'm fine. Just horrid busy at work! And since my ride home is now a train (at least until school starts in September!), I am not staying late so my hours in the office have been fewer, but filled to the brim with things I want to get done before I go on vacation the week of the 18th...
That week will be a silent one in Krys' World. I will not be blogging until the following week. I'm sure there is no one out there who will be devastated by this, BUT...
I.WILL.NOT.BE.ABLE.TO.READ.MY.FAVORITE.BLOGS.UNTIL.MY.WEEK'S.VACATION.IS.OVER.
And THAT, my friends, is going to be a REAL problem! You are all so important to me; I don't know what I'm going to do, not being able to keep up with you all...
When I get back to work (or back home), I'm going to have to spend a DAY catching up! Of course, those of you who have my phone number can call me when something phenomenal happens - no need to wait until I get back to my computer...
Today was my mom's b'day. I had my sister, niece and nephew, and sister's BF over for dinner. And when I get to work tomorrow, I will try to post a couple photos from the dinner so you can all wish you were there!!!
Happy Birthday, Mom! We love you!!!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
The 9 layers of ME!
I saw this one over at Postcards from the Edge and wanted to do it!
LAYER ONE:
Name: Krys S.
Birth date: December 18, 1960
Birthplace: Montclair, NJ
Current Location: Clifton, NJ
Eye Color: Blue-green, depending on what I'm wearing
Hair Color: Brown with blonde highlights
Height: 5'8"
Righty or Lefty: Righty
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
LAYER TWO:
Your heritage: 1/2 Polish, 1/2 American (Dutch, English, Lenni Lenape)
The shoes you wore today: tan sandals
Your weakness: Those disgusting circus peanut candies! (I stay away from them or I'll eat the whole bag!)
Your fears: Fire, losing my family
Your perfect pizza: Mystic Pizza with extra cheese and meatballs
Goal you’d like to achieve: Lose 11 more pounds
LAYER THREE:
Your most overused phrase on AIM: 'kay
Your first waking thoughts: I wonder if I could get away with calling out sick today?
Your best physical feature: My height
What you miss the most: My family around me
LAYER FOUR:
Pepsi or Coke: Coke
McDonald’s or Burger King: Burger King
Single or group dates: I LOVE a date with my husband but we both really like going out with our friends!
Adidas or Nike: Niether - Avia
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Couldn't tell you, not too picky
Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate
Cappuccino or coffee: Coffee
LAYER FIVE:
Smoke: Never, not once
Cuss: Yes, damn it! (Oops!)
Sing: I sing - badly. Knew DH and I were meant for each other when we started singing along to the radio in the car, out loud, not caring that the other heard how bad we are (although he's worse than me!).
Take a shower everyday: Absolutely, but maybe once in a while I'll miss a day on the weekend, at the lake
Do you think you’ve been in love: Absolutely
Want to go to college: Graduated University of Delaware
Liked high school: Loved it
Want to get married: I did - best decision I ever made!
Believe in yourself: More so each day
Get motion sickness: No
Think you’re attractive: Well, no one runs screaming into the wind, but there's a LOT of room for improvement!
Think you’re a health freak: No
Get along with your parent(s): Yes, even when we're not! (Miss you, Dad!)
Like thunderstorms: Not really
Play an instrument: Wish I could - took a couple weeks of piano lessons once
LAYER SIX:
In the past month…
Drank Alcohol: No
Smoked: Never did, never will
Done a drug: Never did, never will
Made out: Yes
Gone on a date: Yes
Gone to the mall: Yes
Eaten an entire box of Oreos: No, not an Oreo fan
Eaten sushi: Ewww! No!
Been on stage: No
Been dumped: No, thank goodness!
Gone skating: No
Made homemade cookies: No
Gone skinny dipping: No, unless you count in the shower!
Dyed your hair: No
Stolen anything: No
LAYER SEVEN:
Ever…
Played a game that required removal of clothing: Yes.
If so, was it mixed company: Yes, with my husband!
Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: No
Been caught “doing something”: No
Been called a tease: Yes, but he was teasing!
Gotten beaten up: Nope
Shoplifted: I tried, but my dad caught me, spanked me, and it's never crossed my mind again!
Changed who you were to fit in: No
LAYER EIGHT:
Age you hope to be married: I thought I'd be married by 28. So I was off by a decade!
Numbers and Names of Children: 1 daughter, Maria, and 1 son, John
Describe your Dream Wedding: My dad would have walked me down the aisle and we would have danced the Father/Daughter dance. I still can't watch another bride dance with her dad without breaking down. Other than that, my wedding WAS my dream wedding!
How do you want to die: Before my husband, and in my sleep
Where you want to go to college: Already graduated from the University of Delaware
What do you want to be when you grow up: Financially stable
What country would you most like to visit: France
LAYER NINE:
Number of people I could trust with my life: 4
Number of CDs that I own: Maybe 30
Number of piercing: One, unless you count both ears!
Number of tattoos: Zero
Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: 3 that I know of (when my dad died, when we got married, and when we wanted to add on to our house at the lake)
Number of scars on my body: 4
Number of things in my past that I regret: 1
YOUR TURN! If you decide to play…let me know cause I wanna read your 9 layers!
I saw this one over at Postcards from the Edge and wanted to do it!
LAYER ONE:
Name: Krys S.
Birth date: December 18, 1960
Birthplace: Montclair, NJ
Current Location: Clifton, NJ
Eye Color: Blue-green, depending on what I'm wearing
Hair Color: Brown with blonde highlights
Height: 5'8"
Righty or Lefty: Righty
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
LAYER TWO:
Your heritage: 1/2 Polish, 1/2 American (Dutch, English, Lenni Lenape)
The shoes you wore today: tan sandals
Your weakness: Those disgusting circus peanut candies! (I stay away from them or I'll eat the whole bag!)
Your fears: Fire, losing my family
Your perfect pizza: Mystic Pizza with extra cheese and meatballs
Goal you’d like to achieve: Lose 11 more pounds
LAYER THREE:
Your most overused phrase on AIM: 'kay
Your first waking thoughts: I wonder if I could get away with calling out sick today?
Your best physical feature: My height
What you miss the most: My family around me
LAYER FOUR:
Pepsi or Coke: Coke
McDonald’s or Burger King: Burger King
Single or group dates: I LOVE a date with my husband but we both really like going out with our friends!
Adidas or Nike: Niether - Avia
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Couldn't tell you, not too picky
Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate
Cappuccino or coffee: Coffee
LAYER FIVE:
Smoke: Never, not once
Cuss: Yes, damn it! (Oops!)
Sing: I sing - badly. Knew DH and I were meant for each other when we started singing along to the radio in the car, out loud, not caring that the other heard how bad we are (although he's worse than me!).
Take a shower everyday: Absolutely, but maybe once in a while I'll miss a day on the weekend, at the lake
Do you think you’ve been in love: Absolutely
Want to go to college: Graduated University of Delaware
Liked high school: Loved it
Want to get married: I did - best decision I ever made!
Believe in yourself: More so each day
Get motion sickness: No
Think you’re attractive: Well, no one runs screaming into the wind, but there's a LOT of room for improvement!
Think you’re a health freak: No
Get along with your parent(s): Yes, even when we're not! (Miss you, Dad!)
Like thunderstorms: Not really
Play an instrument: Wish I could - took a couple weeks of piano lessons once
LAYER SIX:
In the past month…
Drank Alcohol: No
Smoked: Never did, never will
Done a drug: Never did, never will
Made out: Yes
Gone on a date: Yes
Gone to the mall: Yes
Eaten an entire box of Oreos: No, not an Oreo fan
Eaten sushi: Ewww! No!
Been on stage: No
Been dumped: No, thank goodness!
Gone skating: No
Made homemade cookies: No
Gone skinny dipping: No, unless you count in the shower!
Dyed your hair: No
Stolen anything: No
LAYER SEVEN:
Ever…
Played a game that required removal of clothing: Yes.
If so, was it mixed company: Yes, with my husband!
Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: No
Been caught “doing something”: No
Been called a tease: Yes, but he was teasing!
Gotten beaten up: Nope
Shoplifted: I tried, but my dad caught me, spanked me, and it's never crossed my mind again!
Changed who you were to fit in: No
LAYER EIGHT:
Age you hope to be married: I thought I'd be married by 28. So I was off by a decade!
Numbers and Names of Children: 1 daughter, Maria, and 1 son, John
Describe your Dream Wedding: My dad would have walked me down the aisle and we would have danced the Father/Daughter dance. I still can't watch another bride dance with her dad without breaking down. Other than that, my wedding WAS my dream wedding!
How do you want to die: Before my husband, and in my sleep
Where you want to go to college: Already graduated from the University of Delaware
What do you want to be when you grow up: Financially stable
What country would you most like to visit: France
LAYER NINE:
Number of people I could trust with my life: 4
Number of CDs that I own: Maybe 30
Number of piercing: One, unless you count both ears!
Number of tattoos: Zero
Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: 3 that I know of (when my dad died, when we got married, and when we wanted to add on to our house at the lake)
Number of scars on my body: 4
Number of things in my past that I regret: 1
YOUR TURN! If you decide to play…let me know cause I wanna read your 9 layers!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Mystic Seaport and Mystic Aquarium.
We didn't eat any lunch; we stopped on the road, ate some tortilla chips and salsa, then continued on our way. By the time we got home we were ravenous! DH made himself an omelet and I ate my leftover Citrus Chicken (mmm!). Then we just sat down and relaxed.
I'm SUCH a tourist! I just LOVE going places I've never been and taking over 500 pictures (of course only about 250 were actually in focus and bright enough to see!) and doing all the touristy things you can do...
We drove up to Mystic on Friday morning. Friday, our 9th anniversary. And we spent it driving. Together. In one vehicle. And I wasn't driving. 'Nough said.
We got there with no traffic events and that includes no traffic over the George Washington Bridge. I think that's the first time I've driven over it and not hit disgusting delays. We took our time on the way to Mystic, stopping once at the Connecticut Tourist Center on I-95. We picked up, oh, I don't know, 20 or 30 pamphlets which, for the rest of the trip, were strewn on the car floor under my feet. (I should have thought to take a picture of that - THAT would have been a great scrapping picture! Perhaps I can recreate it...)
We went to the hotel and couldn't check in; we were too early. We drove to Mystic and walked around the shops. It was like someone was smiling down on us: no traffic on the way there, parking right on the street... We saw the Mystic Drawbridge stop traffic for several minutes while some GORGEOUS boats passed through below us.
We went back to the hotel after 3pm to check in and there it was: my 1st mistake. I booked the room online but didn't notice the miniature cigarette on the room icon. It was a smoking room but I didn't know it. I DID notice they didn't ask me if I wanted smoking or non-smoking so I put a note on my reservation for a non-smoking room. When we were there to check in they told us they were sold out and didn't know if they could move us. While we were there she answered the phone a few times and each time the person was told, "Sorry, we're sold out. We have no rooms. I don't think there are many rooms available in town..." They offered to put some kind of machine in our room to take out as much smoke as possible, some sort of air purifier or something, so we thanked them, opened the window and put the A/C on 60 degrees, then left them to clean the air.
We went back to town and ate at Mystic Pizza. (Tourist here, remember?!?) And the pizza was, indeed, terrific! The movie was playing (no sound) on several TV screens around the room so DH and I spent the time reciting dialogue... Can you tell we've seen the movie?!?
We walked around a bit more and returned to the now freezing room. There's no way, for the record, to get smoke out of a smoking room. So we left the window open and the A/C on, put our pillows on the window ledge to air out, called the front desk for another non-smelly blanket, turned on the television and watched some mindless stuff for an hour or so. They were very cooperative and brought up a blanket within 10 minutes or so. At least that helped when it was time to go nappies...
On Saturday we went to Mystic Seaport. We went in every building, walked in/on/around every ship, visited every shop in case they had some have-to-have-it junk, and had an absolute BLAST checking out all the wooden boats that were docked there for the Antique Boat Show we didn't know would be there!
On Sunday we went to church in the morning, then went to Mystic Aquarium. It rained ALL.DAY. Not part of the day. ALL.DAY. So the 30% of the Aquarium that was outside we were lucky enough to tour in the early morning so we didn't get too wet; it was drizzling then. The skies opened around lunchtime, with such thunder and lightning, and we spent the afternoon indoors. A bit damp and a bit chilly, but not soaking wet, at least! We left around 3pm for the trip home and didn't get home 'til around 7:30 - a much longer return trip than the trip there.
We didn't eat any lunch; we stopped on the road, ate some tortilla chips and salsa, then continued on our way. By the time we got home we were ravenous! DH made himself an omelet and I ate my leftover Citrus Chicken (mmm!). Then we just sat down and relaxed.On Monday we got up and went to Home Depot (surprise, surprise!). Then our friends M & G called and said they'd love to go with us to the lake and see the house (I had to go pick up a book). We took them on a mini tour on 1 side of the lake, stopped at a house that was for sale, a house we were all interested in... It's under construction, framed, sided, windowed, and roofed, with 2 tubs installed (or possibly just set into place), and a deck, but nothing else. No electric, no plumbing, no anything else. We called our realtor to get a price for M & G, but if they're not interested, to be quite honest, DH and I are! I just wish the real estate market was a bit better. It would have been PERFECT to get it at the price our realtor recommended three years ago, fix it and resell it, when homes were still moving at if not top dollar, at least for what they were worth. Now it would be a tough thing to do; we'd be carrying it for a while. Not sure it's something we really want to get into, but we're mulling it over...
Well, I'm at work and at some point I have to get back to doing what they pay me to do, so I'm gonna sign off now! Toodles!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
An award!!! An award!!! I've won an award!!! I've never won an award before!!!
My blogging friend, Miss Hope, has awarded me the Brilliant Weblog Premio-2008 Award! [Personally I think the southern sun has caused her to feel a bit faint - surely I don't deserve such an award... If you read her blog, you'll see she thinks I have a busy life. Not really, not busy...]
The only catch is that I have to pass the Award along to seven other worthy bloggers. (I suppose I can't really just send it on back to Miss Hope, since she's already received her award but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE visit her - she'll be your friend, too!)
So let's try it... here you go...
- Jeanette at A Passion for Scrapbooking, Decorating and Shopping - Some day my house will look like hers - NOT! I found her while I was trying to design a scrapping room but she's since become one of my favorite bloggers. She somehow has the time to find all this stuff, but the thing that appeals to me the most is her vision. She has an idea in her head of how she wants her house to look, and is on a path to getting it. Not like me - not only is my dinner table full of leftovers and hand-me-downs, but my home is, too!!! One of the nicest things about Jeanette is she's so responsive - if you drop her an email or a comment, it's not unusual to hear back from her...
- Dawn at Because I Said So is the mother of 6. Now although I haven't birthed them from my loins, I'm the (step)mom of 2 (adult kids) and every time I visit the salon, I ask if there's a grey hair in there. So far, no, but I know, deep inside, it's just a matter of time! 6 kids! Young'uns, too! But she has time to write a book, visit BlogHer as a speaker... I haven't even done a load of laundry in weeks (thank goodness DH is on summer break and he's been doing them!)... Dawn and I have never met, but my neighbor has 5 boys, and when I read Dawn's blog, I can so easily pretend that she lives right next door!!!
- I actually had the chance to meet Suzanne when I visited my sister in AZ this past spring. If you know me, you know that I am obsessed with becoming organized. Not that I've done it, not that I'm particularly in the process of doing it, but along with time management (another lofty goal!), I read all I can read about organization with the intention of applying it (someday). Suzanne has this great website called Let's Talk Organizing. I actually won several hours of organizing help from her when she opened her new offices; that's how we "met" and when I found myself heading out AZ-way, we both jumped at the opportunity to meet. She's a fun, bubbly lady who loves her kids, Scotland, 2008 Dodge Caravans and her blog - go and read her blog for some terrific ideas and you'll meet a great person, too!
- I have the pleasure of working with Ellen at a not-to-be-named publishing house in NJ (yes, if you do a bit of digging, you could figure it out...). Her blog is IT-oriented, family-oriented, music-oriented, work-oriented - in no particular order! She's a bright, funny woman and I think you should visit her blog to laugh and learn (again, in no particular order!).
- Although I can't say that I'm personally friends with Heather, I think her site, Dooce, is one of the best blogs I've ever run across. Her writing is outstanding, and what a way with words!! I'll warn you - it's not for the faint of heart! But if you read nothing else, read her monthly newsletters to her daughter Leta - that is one mom just filled to bursting with love for her baby girl!!! And be sure to check out her three daily photo postings - love her sense of style and Chuck and Coco? A picture is worth a thousand words!
I can't do it. I can't come up with 7. I don't want to just list 7 blogs I read. I wanted them to be friends. Blog pals. Like Miss Hope. I read quite a few blogs, most of them, though, topical - they're scrapping blogs, and while they're great, they're not my friends, and I can't speak personally about the authors. There are a couple up there that are more acquaintances than friends, but as you know, their lives are open to us through their blogs and we just feel like we know them!
Even though Miss Hope has already received this award from her friend Chelle, I think she deserves it again, so she's my #6!
I have a #7 but it's a private blog and she wouldn't be too thrilled with receiving this award. So E, #7 is for you, but you'll never know about it 'cause I won't tell you about it, and you don't know I have a blog...
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thanks to all who kept my daughter in their prayers last week.
The surgery was successful in a number of ways. No tumors. No cysts. They removed a lot of endometriosis that was spreading toward her back, but there was none on her organs. Her recovery will be painful; after all, her insides were all moved around and scraped... No need to remove her ovary, as she had thought...
AND she's feeling better, post-op, and can't wait to come home. So much so, in fact, that she's been calling us several times a day... She's staying with her mom, which is good for her - her little brother and sister are there to entertain her, but she's really looking forward to being here, in her own apartment.
I suggested she put together a shopping list and her Dad and I can buy what she needs and get it into the apartment before she comes home. We'd be happy to go down and pick her up; don't know yet how or when she's coming back up here, but we hope it's before Friday, when we leave for our mini vacation in...
Ta da!
Mystic, CT!
I've always wanted to go there! Jack originally wanted to go to a bed-and-breakfast in Cape May, but we're last-minute planners (unless we're traveling with others who are not!) and our anniversary weekend wasn't available. Plus, quite frankly, the rooms were much more expensive than we're comfortable spending. I just can't wrap my arms (or my checkbook!) around more than $200 a night for a bed and a bathroom, no matter how nice they are, not when I have to pay for them! When I'm traveling for work and getting reimbursed? Money is no object! But we just need a clean room, clean sheets and a clean bathroom - we're only going to be there to shower and sleep...
I can't wait to go! I'll post some pictures next week, when we return!
The surgery was successful in a number of ways. No tumors. No cysts. They removed a lot of endometriosis that was spreading toward her back, but there was none on her organs. Her recovery will be painful; after all, her insides were all moved around and scraped... No need to remove her ovary, as she had thought...
AND she's feeling better, post-op, and can't wait to come home. So much so, in fact, that she's been calling us several times a day... She's staying with her mom, which is good for her - her little brother and sister are there to entertain her, but she's really looking forward to being here, in her own apartment.
I suggested she put together a shopping list and her Dad and I can buy what she needs and get it into the apartment before she comes home. We'd be happy to go down and pick her up; don't know yet how or when she's coming back up here, but we hope it's before Friday, when we leave for our mini vacation in...
Ta da!
Mystic, CT!
I've always wanted to go there! Jack originally wanted to go to a bed-and-breakfast in Cape May, but we're last-minute planners (unless we're traveling with others who are not!) and our anniversary weekend wasn't available. Plus, quite frankly, the rooms were much more expensive than we're comfortable spending. I just can't wrap my arms (or my checkbook!) around more than $200 a night for a bed and a bathroom, no matter how nice they are, not when I have to pay for them! When I'm traveling for work and getting reimbursed? Money is no object! But we just need a clean room, clean sheets and a clean bathroom - we're only going to be there to shower and sleep...
I can't wait to go! I'll post some pictures next week, when we return!
Monday, July 14, 2008
I'd like to ask for your prayers...
My DSD has been suffering for YEARS from endometriosis, along with a pre-big-C condition of her cervix, and severe cramping and ovarian tumors and fibroid tumors.
This Friday she goes in (again) for a laparoscopy. While it's minimally invasive, she was pretty sore the last time she had one done.
Please cross your fingers, light a candle, say a prayer - whatever you're comfortable with... She's been in pain for years and years, and with other stuff going on in her life, being healthy would bring her a lot of peace of mind...
Thanks, friends!
My DSD has been suffering for YEARS from endometriosis, along with a pre-big-C condition of her cervix, and severe cramping and ovarian tumors and fibroid tumors.
This Friday she goes in (again) for a laparoscopy. While it's minimally invasive, she was pretty sore the last time she had one done.
Please cross your fingers, light a candle, say a prayer - whatever you're comfortable with... She's been in pain for years and years, and with other stuff going on in her life, being healthy would bring her a lot of peace of mind...
Thanks, friends!
Friday, July 11, 2008
THIS, THIS is why, other than the fact that I'm married to the most perfect man in the world, I am SO GLAD I'M NOT SINGLE.
Please allow me to warn you - you will be disgusted by this guy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acERZQIAjUk
I know nothing about the background of this clip; I heard it on a blog I visit once a week or so. Be sure to read the history on YouTube. And whatever you do, don't go to Dmitri's website...
Now keep in mind that I'm no great beauty. Men have never crawled out of the woodwork and fought each other have the honor of taking me out on a date. (They don't run screaming into the wind, either, though!) In fact, you can count on one finger how many boyfriends I've had, and on one hand how many different men I've dated in my life at least once. BUT, before you think me a pathetic loser, keep in mind that when you're waiting for Mr. Right, it's not such bad a thing to not have to suffer through all those Mr. Wrongs...
I knew all about the theory of kissing a few toads before you find your prince. However, I've discarded that theory as absolutely DISGUSTING after watching the various Bachelors and Bachelorettes kiss several toads, all within hours (or minutes!) of each other, whilst looking for Mr./Miss Right. [Insert disgusted shiver here.]
I'm a firm believer in waiting for THE ONE. And I also believe we all have a ONE. We just have to be open to the possibilities, just not open for business!!!
And I truly believe, in my heart of hearts, that Dmitri is not THE ONE for ANYONE!!!
Please allow me to warn you - you will be disgusted by this guy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acERZQIAjUk
I know nothing about the background of this clip; I heard it on a blog I visit once a week or so. Be sure to read the history on YouTube. And whatever you do, don't go to Dmitri's website...
Now keep in mind that I'm no great beauty. Men have never crawled out of the woodwork and fought each other have the honor of taking me out on a date. (They don't run screaming into the wind, either, though!) In fact, you can count on one finger how many boyfriends I've had, and on one hand how many different men I've dated in my life at least once. BUT, before you think me a pathetic loser, keep in mind that when you're waiting for Mr. Right, it's not such bad a thing to not have to suffer through all those Mr. Wrongs...
I knew all about the theory of kissing a few toads before you find your prince. However, I've discarded that theory as absolutely DISGUSTING after watching the various Bachelors and Bachelorettes kiss several toads, all within hours (or minutes!) of each other, whilst looking for Mr./Miss Right. [Insert disgusted shiver here.]
I'm a firm believer in waiting for THE ONE. And I also believe we all have a ONE. We just have to be open to the possibilities, just not open for business!!!
And I truly believe, in my heart of hearts, that Dmitri is not THE ONE for ANYONE!!!
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Sex and the City.
A movie I would have bet money I'd never see.
And I'd have lost.
Last week my niece called me and asked if I wanted to go see it with her. I debated and debated. After all, it's not my cup of tea.
The movie tickets were free. And I hadn't been to a movie in months and months and months and I miss going to the movies.
And surprisingly, it wasn't bad. Now, none of the girls will win an Academy Award for their performances, but if you look beneath the sex and the city and the labels, it did a good job illustrating the devotion and dedication best girlfriends have with/for each other.
And I'll never brag that I went to see it. After all, I spent a lot of minutes over the life of the HBO show telling how "I don't watch porn" and "I saw 5 minutes of an episode once and all I saw was Samantha having sex with some guy."
But it brought back girlfriends and fun and parties and get-togethers and I miss the Entenmann's Pineapple Crunch Cake after the Domino's Garbage Pie with Coke or Pepsi, and the pot (or pots) of coffee we'd go through with dessert.
Oh well, even though the girls never really moved on, we did, but I can't wait for dinner at the Olive Garden and a little girl talk!!!
A movie I would have bet money I'd never see.
And I'd have lost.
Last week my niece called me and asked if I wanted to go see it with her. I debated and debated. After all, it's not my cup of tea.
The movie tickets were free. And I hadn't been to a movie in months and months and months and I miss going to the movies.
And surprisingly, it wasn't bad. Now, none of the girls will win an Academy Award for their performances, but if you look beneath the sex and the city and the labels, it did a good job illustrating the devotion and dedication best girlfriends have with/for each other.
And I'll never brag that I went to see it. After all, I spent a lot of minutes over the life of the HBO show telling how "I don't watch porn" and "I saw 5 minutes of an episode once and all I saw was Samantha having sex with some guy."
But it brought back girlfriends and fun and parties and get-togethers and I miss the Entenmann's Pineapple Crunch Cake after the Domino's Garbage Pie with Coke or Pepsi, and the pot (or pots) of coffee we'd go through with dessert.
Oh well, even though the girls never really moved on, we did, but I can't wait for dinner at the Olive Garden and a little girl talk!!!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Assorted photos, as promised weeks ago...
Went to Teaberry's in Flemington with Mom, P and A for a girly lunch, to celebrate P's b'day. Yummy food and wonderful conversation!
Shopping at Ikea for a scrapping Expedit... Parked in the parking garage. Saw a car "parked" in the middle of the street, missing a bumper or two. Saw a spark under the hood. Within minutes (and AFTER we moved my car away!), it was up in flames! DH wanted to put the fire out with an extinguisher, but the police officer wouldn't let him. He said the firemen were on their way. Had he let Jack do it, the poor guy's car could have been saved. Instead, totaled.
In June my handsome nephew graduated from high school. When last updated, he's heading for college at William Paterson. Hope he does it, and does it well.
Traveled to Chicago at the end of June, on business. Here's the closest I got to Navy Pier.
Went to Teaberry's in Flemington with Mom, P and A for a girly lunch, to celebrate P's b'day. Yummy food and wonderful conversation!
Shopping at Ikea for a scrapping Expedit... Parked in the parking garage. Saw a car "parked" in the middle of the street, missing a bumper or two. Saw a spark under the hood. Within minutes (and AFTER we moved my car away!), it was up in flames! DH wanted to put the fire out with an extinguisher, but the police officer wouldn't let him. He said the firemen were on their way. Had he let Jack do it, the poor guy's car could have been saved. Instead, totaled.
In June my handsome nephew graduated from high school. When last updated, he's heading for college at William Paterson. Hope he does it, and does it well.
Traveled to Chicago at the end of June, on business. Here's the closest I got to Navy Pier.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Okay, fine. I've been tagged. By Miss Hope at http://phopecj.blogspot.com/
Let me tell you, if I didn't think she was just the cat's meow, I'd be ignoring that tag and running the other way... But since she's THIS awesome... Here goes...
Here's the deal. Think back on the last 15 years of your life.What would you tell someone that you hadn't seen or talked to for 15 years? How would you sum up your life? You get 10 bullet points. A list of 10 things to summarize about you. At the end of your list, tag 5 more people and send on the love.
Ten things about me during the past 15 years, hmmm??? Okay...
Thanks, Miss Hope, for tagging me - I had barrels of fun doing this and it was a real challenge to me to stay away from the ole' "in 1993, I turned 33 and was driving a Honda Accord" format. I tried to rise to the challenge and describe the "me" I've been these past 15 years. Hope I did an acceptable job...
Let me tell you, if I didn't think she was just the cat's meow, I'd be ignoring that tag and running the other way... But since she's THIS awesome... Here goes...
Here's the deal. Think back on the last 15 years of your life.What would you tell someone that you hadn't seen or talked to for 15 years? How would you sum up your life? You get 10 bullet points. A list of 10 things to summarize about you. At the end of your list, tag 5 more people and send on the love.
Ten things about me during the past 15 years, hmmm??? Okay...
- First and foremost, 15 years (and a little more) with my husband. Those 15 years are 15 of the best of my life. How wonderful to spend that time with the love of my life. A man who loves me. A man I don't doubt in any way, shape or form. A man who puts me first over and above all else, although it is in addition to his kids... Knowing that no one will ever come ahead of me - what a feeling!! [Insert pretty white daisy.] He loves me. He loves me. He loves me. He loves me... Get the picture?
- Secondly, 15 years (and a little more) without my dad. 15 years of missing the first man in my life. Missing the dad who taught me what a dad and a husband should be. The man who taught me that nothing comes ahead of your family. The man who taught me not to settle for second best. The man who taught me that I could do anything.
- Thirdly, I've been a stepmother since 1999. I've known the kids much longer than that; their dad and I started dating in 1990. Being a mother has always been my #1, numero uno, top'o'the'heap goal in life. I still can't get my arms around the thought that I'm not ever going to give birth. Although I didn't birth my stepkids from my loins, I can't imagine loving them any more than I do. And I can't imagine any more pain than watching them suffer through the slings and arrows of puberty and young adulthood and the pride in watching them become adults in their own right.
- Fourthly, I was born in 1960, to two very traditional parents. I always thought the way to go was to find a job and stay there until you retire. In 2003 I got laid off from a job I'd been at for 15 years (love that number!) and had planned to be at until I retired. What do you do? You dust yourself off, wrongly assume the world is out there for the taking, and remain unemployed for a year-and-a-half, waiting for a job to come along that will pay the bills and not make you the most miserable S.O.B. on the planet. And guess what?! It most certainly did come along! I learned that there are companies out there who put you, the person, ahead of you, the professional. And that's actually part of their HR policy!
- Fifthly, for 15 years (and 37 more), I've been a sister and a daughter and an aunt and an in-law. As I've gotten older, I've watched my mom lose a sister, and then her parents. I've watched my sisters grow up and become smart, beautiful, loving women I'm so very proud of. (Sorry about ending that sentence with a preposition!) I have a handsome, smart nephew who just graduated from high school. I have a beautiful, smart niece who has a couple of years to go before she graduates from highs school. I'm mad about them both! And I've been lucky enough to gain a huge family of in-laws who I absolutely ADORE! They've welcomed me into their family, along with my small troup of family members, with open arms. They are so very loving and an absolutely wonderful group of people.
- Sixthly (yes, I'm going to torture you with those numbers...), I had the absolute best mother-in-law anyone could ever have. Losing her to colon and liver cancer in 2001 was horrible. I was lucky enough to be able to spend every day except 2 with her from her diagnosis in October 2000, to her death May 24, 2001. And I don't regret a thing except that Jack and I were married such a short time before her illness and her death that I didn't have a chance to learn how to cook from her! And another regret that ties into my relationship with her: she made me realize how much I regret my behavior when my dad was sick. He was sick from August 1986 and he died March 16, 1987. And I didn't spend the time with him that I should have. I was much younger. But I should have known better. I know you can't change the past, but I wish I could.
- Seventhly, I am so very lucky to have so many wonderful friends in my life. One I met in college, and we're still thisclose. A few were friendly acquaintances in high school, but we got to be friends when we worked on our HS reunions together. Some others are neighbors I met when we moved into our neighborhood. Others are friends I met at various jobs, who became more than work friends, who became important forever friends. My sisters, too, are my friends, as is my sister-in-law and my nieces-in-law. I'm blessed to have these wonderful people in my life.
- Eighthly, and I've blogged about this before. I've discovered a hidden inner bit of creativity that I never knew I had. I scrap. There, I said it. And I am happy with what I scrap. So happy that we're actually dedicating space to my scrapping in our lake house, by means of our combination guest room/scrap room. And my DH has recognized how important scrapping is to me, so much so that he's the one all gung ho about putting a really quality space together, not just slapping a few plastic drawers in a room and calling it done!
- Ninthly, I've discovered that even though I'm - gasp! - 47 years old/young, and currently on the down side of that hill, and only 2-1/2 years away from - bigger GASP! - 50, I am still a young, vital woman with quite a lot left to do in her life, even if she does them with a few more aches and pains every morning. I've started to make a list, a "Bucket List," if you would. Here are a few highlights - Things I Want to Do: travel; learn to cook; learn to quilt; get a pet; when I retire, work somehow/someway to help children learn to read and learn to love reading; be a good - no - great wife (okay, so I have some work ahead of me!)...
- Tenthly, and maybe almost as important as the nine that came before, I've learned in the past 15 years to really like myself. To believe I have a lot to offer. To recognize that I'm worth it (credit to L'Oreal).
Thanks, Miss Hope, for tagging me - I had barrels of fun doing this and it was a real challenge to me to stay away from the ole' "in 1993, I turned 33 and was driving a Honda Accord" format. I tried to rise to the challenge and describe the "me" I've been these past 15 years. Hope I did an acceptable job...
Friday, June 27, 2008
It has begun. Computer trouble.
Whilst I LOVE playing on them and with them, I HATE them. I.Am.Not.a.Programmer.
But I have some brains. Sometimes they're a bit mushy, but I do have some. And when the cable-guys came in and installed my online modem doodad, I asked them: "What about my current dial-up ISP?" And.They.Said.They.Fixed.It.
They.Didn't.
They did supposedly click where they were supposed to click to tell the computer to ignore the three-lettered ISP that begins with M and ends with N.
And it did. For an evening.
Then last night I went online to show DH how to get online and look stuff up and sell stuff on Craig's list (his newest obsession and get-rich-quick-idea). I clicked on a link in a message, in order to reply to that poster, and I got an error.
So after talking to a friend, I uninstalled M-N Dial Up, apparently successfully, until the very end where it said it would reboot and it didn't. So I tried to shut down and start up again, so that the uninstall would take effect, and my computer wouldn't shut down.
So I called the cable-guys. And their tech support suggested he take control of my computer and designate Microsoft Outlook as my email manager since I didn't want a cable email address. (Oh, I almost forgot - I didn't get any manuals or instructions with the new computer/phone/TV thingee like my friend did who had the same thing installed two days ago. Cable-guys suggested I go to Paterson to pick them up at the store. Paterson??? NJ??? Are you kidding me???)
And it didn't work. I still have a rundll32.exe error. I know it's serious. And I know it has something to do with "panes of glass" and the operating system, but I don't know how to fix it. So cable-guy told me to call the computer manufacturer.
I did. And I HATE them, too! This is the 5th piece of equipment from a company that starts with H and ends with P and I don't like them any more than I did the first time I had trouble. Do not ask me why we keep buying them. I'm not paying for these items so I just say thank you and open the box and keep my fingers crossed.
Here were my two options:
1) Pay $99.95 for an extended warranty that includes virus protection for a year. (My response: No thanks. I just paid for Norton Anti-Virus for two years last night so I don't need that.)
2) Pay $49.95 for the "event."
Fifty freakin' dollars for them to read off a piece of paper how to fix my problem????? No way. No how. Not a chance.
I slammed the phone down on them.
DH gets REALLY stressed when I go ballistic over computer problems 'cause he can't help me fix it. He's clueless when it comes to computers, and actually, so am I. I just use them. And drop the f-bomb a few hundred times while I'm doing it.
I emailed my friend to see if her brother had an idea about fixing it. She's very computer savvy, too, and suggested reinstalling Windows. She said she'd come over next week and help me.
Thank the dear Lord for friends who understand computers.
I'll keep you posted.
Whilst I LOVE playing on them and with them, I HATE them. I.Am.Not.a.Programmer.
But I have some brains. Sometimes they're a bit mushy, but I do have some. And when the cable-guys came in and installed my online modem doodad, I asked them: "What about my current dial-up ISP?" And.They.Said.They.Fixed.It.
They.Didn't.
They did supposedly click where they were supposed to click to tell the computer to ignore the three-lettered ISP that begins with M and ends with N.
And it did. For an evening.
Then last night I went online to show DH how to get online and look stuff up and sell stuff on Craig's list (his newest obsession and get-rich-quick-idea). I clicked on a link in a message, in order to reply to that poster, and I got an error.
So after talking to a friend, I uninstalled M-N Dial Up, apparently successfully, until the very end where it said it would reboot and it didn't. So I tried to shut down and start up again, so that the uninstall would take effect, and my computer wouldn't shut down.
So I called the cable-guys. And their tech support suggested he take control of my computer and designate Microsoft Outlook as my email manager since I didn't want a cable email address. (Oh, I almost forgot - I didn't get any manuals or instructions with the new computer/phone/TV thingee like my friend did who had the same thing installed two days ago. Cable-guys suggested I go to Paterson to pick them up at the store. Paterson??? NJ??? Are you kidding me???)
And it didn't work. I still have a rundll32.exe error. I know it's serious. And I know it has something to do with "panes of glass" and the operating system, but I don't know how to fix it. So cable-guy told me to call the computer manufacturer.
I did. And I HATE them, too! This is the 5th piece of equipment from a company that starts with H and ends with P and I don't like them any more than I did the first time I had trouble. Do not ask me why we keep buying them. I'm not paying for these items so I just say thank you and open the box and keep my fingers crossed.
Here were my two options:
1) Pay $99.95 for an extended warranty that includes virus protection for a year. (My response: No thanks. I just paid for Norton Anti-Virus for two years last night so I don't need that.)
2) Pay $49.95 for the "event."
Fifty freakin' dollars for them to read off a piece of paper how to fix my problem????? No way. No how. Not a chance.
I slammed the phone down on them.
DH gets REALLY stressed when I go ballistic over computer problems 'cause he can't help me fix it. He's clueless when it comes to computers, and actually, so am I. I just use them. And drop the f-bomb a few hundred times while I'm doing it.
I emailed my friend to see if her brother had an idea about fixing it. She's very computer savvy, too, and suggested reinstalling Windows. She said she'd come over next week and help me.
Thank the dear Lord for friends who understand computers.
I'll keep you posted.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Welcome to the 21st century!
I've heard that several times in the past 24 hours.
As of 6pm yesterday, we are the proud owners of an Optimum Triple-Play account. This means that we're on line via our cable, we have 200+ channels on our TV and just for sh-ts and giggles, Optimum will handle all of our land-line phone calls for the reasonable rate of $29.95 per month.
This means, my friends, that I can actually open emails at home.
This means that there is no longer any reason for me to do my personal email reading and writing at work when I arrive there at 7:30 in the godawful morning! (I'm not really, deep down, a morning person!) This means that I can actually spend my hours at work - well - working. Wow. What a concept.
It also means I can read my daily favorite blogs at home 'cause my computer will actually access them in less than 10 minutes. Whatever will I do without dial-up access??? Ah, modern technology!
In a few minutes, I'm actually going to be giving DH his first computer lesson on the new system.
Wish me luck.
I've heard that several times in the past 24 hours.
As of 6pm yesterday, we are the proud owners of an Optimum Triple-Play account. This means that we're on line via our cable, we have 200+ channels on our TV and just for sh-ts and giggles, Optimum will handle all of our land-line phone calls for the reasonable rate of $29.95 per month.
This means, my friends, that I can actually open emails at home.
This means that there is no longer any reason for me to do my personal email reading and writing at work when I arrive there at 7:30 in the godawful morning! (I'm not really, deep down, a morning person!) This means that I can actually spend my hours at work - well - working. Wow. What a concept.
It also means I can read my daily favorite blogs at home 'cause my computer will actually access them in less than 10 minutes. Whatever will I do without dial-up access??? Ah, modern technology!
In a few minutes, I'm actually going to be giving DH his first computer lesson on the new system.
Wish me luck.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Vote Wiley!
To those of you who want to support my employer, in a rather indirect way... Go to http://www.gawker.com/, scroll down and vote for one of our Wiley guys as "Hottest Man in Book Publishing 2008."
Go ahead, support our guys!
To those of you who want to support my employer, in a rather indirect way... Go to http://www.gawker.com/, scroll down and vote for one of our Wiley guys as "Hottest Man in Book Publishing 2008."
Go ahead, support our guys!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Happy Father's Day, Daddy!
You must know how much I miss you.
I know you're there, somewhere, still a part of my life. Still watching over me. Still keeping an eye on me and guiding me when I need a helping hand.
When I hear the dishes settle on the drainboard, I think, "Hi, Dad!"
When I see a gardening book, I think of you.
When I see an Oldsmobile, I think of you.
When I visit the Harley Davidson factory and I smell the odor of machinery and grease, I think of you.
When Jack starts a project at the house, I think of you. (And I hope you keep an eye on him,
too!)
When I see a cemetery, I think of you.
Whenever it's March 16, or June 14, or July 25, or August 12, or December 18, I think of you.
Whenever I have a moment, I think of you. It doesn't really require a specific thing to make me think of you - you're still so much a part of my every day life that even though you've been gone since March 16, 1987, I talk to you every day. I think of you every day. I miss you every day.
When I got married, I stood up on that altar, wishing not for a happy marriage, but that you were there. I prayed for a sign from you: a breeze in that hotter-than-hot church, a window slamming, a car backfiring - I wanted you there so badly that anything would have been a sign from you!!! I wanted you to walk me down the aisle. I wanted to dance that father-daughter dance the worst way. To this day, nine years after I got married, twenty-one years after you died, I can't watch a bride dance with her dad without crying. And it doesn't matter who the bride is: Vanessa, Carrie, or a complete stranger on television. I cry. I miss you. And I am angry that I didn't get to dance with you on my wedding day.
But you know what? When it's time, when I move toward the light, when I die, you'd better be there to dance the first dance with me.
Happy Father's Day, Mr. S.
I wish you were here. I wish I got to have a father-in-law. I know I met you. I know you know who I am, and I truly believe that you know Jack and I are married and happy and I know you're happy for us.
And I'm happy to hear Patty talk about you and say that she knows you liked me, that you were happy when Jack and I were together, and that you were annoyed with him when we split up.
But I wanted to know all that in the first-person! I wanted to visit you during the week, have a cup of coffee or tea with you, and eat some sugar-free Jello with you. I wanted to see you with your grandchildren. (I truly believe if you and Mom were still here that all that nonsense with Johnny would never have happened. And if you're bored wherever you are, we could use a little help with your grandson!) I wanted to get to know you as your daughter-in-law, not just that nice girl that Jack was dating.
I'm going to have to settle for making you a part of my day, a part of our day, in all those small ways you would have been were you still here. I mention you to Jack, I ask him about you as a dad, as a grandfather. He misses you. So very much that he can't really talk about you without tearing up, and that's the way it should be. You know what he says? He says all those times you asked him to hang around and do some work with you and he didn't 'cause he was on his way out to play or to hang with his friends - he says he should have spent that time with you. He misses learning from you, learning to do things like create the Christmas wreaths and grave blankets. He does that for you. In your memory. In your honor. Not 'cause he really likes to do it. It makes him sad. But it's a way to keep you alive with us in a really small way.
I never got to tell you I love you in real life. I hope you know now, though, that I love you and I miss you. And I'm going to be the best daughter-in-law you ever had (not a tough task, I know, considering the competition!) and a great wife to your son. I promise.
You must know how much I miss you.
I know you're there, somewhere, still a part of my life. Still watching over me. Still keeping an eye on me and guiding me when I need a helping hand.
When I hear the dishes settle on the drainboard, I think, "Hi, Dad!"
When I see a gardening book, I think of you.
When I see an Oldsmobile, I think of you.
When I visit the Harley Davidson factory and I smell the odor of machinery and grease, I think of you.
When Jack starts a project at the house, I think of you. (And I hope you keep an eye on him,
too!)
When I see a cemetery, I think of you.
Whenever it's March 16, or June 14, or July 25, or August 12, or December 18, I think of you.
Whenever I have a moment, I think of you. It doesn't really require a specific thing to make me think of you - you're still so much a part of my every day life that even though you've been gone since March 16, 1987, I talk to you every day. I think of you every day. I miss you every day.
When I got married, I stood up on that altar, wishing not for a happy marriage, but that you were there. I prayed for a sign from you: a breeze in that hotter-than-hot church, a window slamming, a car backfiring - I wanted you there so badly that anything would have been a sign from you!!! I wanted you to walk me down the aisle. I wanted to dance that father-daughter dance the worst way. To this day, nine years after I got married, twenty-one years after you died, I can't watch a bride dance with her dad without crying. And it doesn't matter who the bride is: Vanessa, Carrie, or a complete stranger on television. I cry. I miss you. And I am angry that I didn't get to dance with you on my wedding day.
But you know what? When it's time, when I move toward the light, when I die, you'd better be there to dance the first dance with me.
Happy Father's Day, Mr. S.
I wish you were here. I wish I got to have a father-in-law. I know I met you. I know you know who I am, and I truly believe that you know Jack and I are married and happy and I know you're happy for us.
And I'm happy to hear Patty talk about you and say that she knows you liked me, that you were happy when Jack and I were together, and that you were annoyed with him when we split up.
But I wanted to know all that in the first-person! I wanted to visit you during the week, have a cup of coffee or tea with you, and eat some sugar-free Jello with you. I wanted to see you with your grandchildren. (I truly believe if you and Mom were still here that all that nonsense with Johnny would never have happened. And if you're bored wherever you are, we could use a little help with your grandson!) I wanted to get to know you as your daughter-in-law, not just that nice girl that Jack was dating.
I'm going to have to settle for making you a part of my day, a part of our day, in all those small ways you would have been were you still here. I mention you to Jack, I ask him about you as a dad, as a grandfather. He misses you. So very much that he can't really talk about you without tearing up, and that's the way it should be. You know what he says? He says all those times you asked him to hang around and do some work with you and he didn't 'cause he was on his way out to play or to hang with his friends - he says he should have spent that time with you. He misses learning from you, learning to do things like create the Christmas wreaths and grave blankets. He does that for you. In your memory. In your honor. Not 'cause he really likes to do it. It makes him sad. But it's a way to keep you alive with us in a really small way.
I never got to tell you I love you in real life. I hope you know now, though, that I love you and I miss you. And I'm going to be the best daughter-in-law you ever had (not a tough task, I know, considering the competition!) and a great wife to your son. I promise.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
BORING! I know, this blog is boring. My life is boring. I don't know why the two of you read this, but thanks!
If Shannon at EightCrazy Designs (www.eightcrazydesign.blogspot.com) were to pick me and give me a bee-you-tea-full website or create a custom banner for me, wouldn't you tell a friend, who might tell a friend, who might tell a friend... that there's this really boring website but you've GOT to see the website's design... It's awesome! And then I might actually have a little web-traffic...
Shannon, pick me, pick me! I want a custom banner! Something with irises or books or both... Yea, I know, Shannon, you haven't picked me yet, and here I am, annoying you with creative ideas... Pick me anyway!!! Please?!?
If Shannon at EightCrazy Designs (www.eightcrazydesign.blogspot.com) were to pick me and give me a bee-you-tea-full website or create a custom banner for me, wouldn't you tell a friend, who might tell a friend, who might tell a friend... that there's this really boring website but you've GOT to see the website's design... It's awesome! And then I might actually have a little web-traffic...
Shannon, pick me, pick me! I want a custom banner! Something with irises or books or both... Yea, I know, Shannon, you haven't picked me yet, and here I am, annoying you with creative ideas... Pick me anyway!!! Please?!?
Monday, June 09, 2008
49th Annual N---- Family Reunion Picnic!
Saturday was the picnic. It was our family's turn to host the event. Never before have I been personally involved in any drama on my husband's side of the family, but there's a first time for everything!
It was the 49th annual summer picnic. 49 years they've been doing this. And for the past 14 or 15 years, I've been lucky enough to be a part of them (I can't remember exactly when we started going - DH had been boycotting them before 'cause of his divorce, and other reasons).
My family is not very big. I have my mom, my 2 sisters, and my niece and nephew. My one cousin R is like a brother to me; we were raised together - we saw each other almost every day, at least that's what it seems like to me. My mom has another sister who doesn't speak to us so her entire family is separated from us and she had four children who are all married with children. My dad's family all lives out west, in AZ and in CO, for the most part. Or they're dead, the ones left here in NJ...
So I was THRILLED to become part of a big, huge, Italian family. A family that gets together without fail twice a year, and more often in smaller groups. You may already know that DH and I go to his sister's house every Monday night for dessert. The dessert is bonus - I get to see my SIL and BIL and an assorted niece or nephew every week. I love this. I love family. And they were so welcoming to me and to the rest of my family that there are no "in-law" feelings - they're my family.
Well, when part of the N---- family decided we were all going to take a turn hosting either the Summer Picnic or the Christmas Party, I was okay with it, even though it meant I'd probably be doing the bulk of the work 'cause I'm the most tech-oriented one between my DH and my SIL. And I loved it - designing the email invite, getting it out, sending out reminders, hard copies to the aunts and uncles who had no computers, and collecting RSVPs. I, however, would not have changed the picnic to the first Saturday in June. Every one of the cousins had multiple children, which means graduations and communions and all sorts of other obligations. And shore houses, there are a lot of those, too.
I have a lake house. And we LOVE it. But we didn't go 'cause it was the weekend of the Family Picnic. Others obviously don't feel that way. The turn-out was okay, but not great; the ones that showed up are the ones who always show up and that's okay - they're not the troublemakers. But afterwards, there were phone calls and comments about how so few people showed up and we should just cancel it 'cause the cousins have been going to these things for years and their kids were going only cause the grandparents demanded the families go but now some of the kids are getting older and have other obligations of their own and besides, it was the hottest day of the year and the seniors were hot.
Well, heck, I was hot, too! Now of course I don't want any aunts or uncles dropping like proverbial flies, but we were in the shade and sitting, not making them play volleyball or do calisthenics. And if it was too hot, they could have stayed home!
Why start making noise about cancelling something so wonderful??? I know I'm speaking selfishly, because I love these get-togethers so much, but come on. One hot day and a relatively low turnout (32 people instead of 50 as usual - and over 100 at the Christmas Party!) and they want to quit the picnics?!??
I VOTE NO TO DROPPING THE SUMMER PICNIC!!! (Not that I have a vote since I'm only an in-law!)
Saturday was the picnic. It was our family's turn to host the event. Never before have I been personally involved in any drama on my husband's side of the family, but there's a first time for everything!
It was the 49th annual summer picnic. 49 years they've been doing this. And for the past 14 or 15 years, I've been lucky enough to be a part of them (I can't remember exactly when we started going - DH had been boycotting them before 'cause of his divorce, and other reasons).
My family is not very big. I have my mom, my 2 sisters, and my niece and nephew. My one cousin R is like a brother to me; we were raised together - we saw each other almost every day, at least that's what it seems like to me. My mom has another sister who doesn't speak to us so her entire family is separated from us and she had four children who are all married with children. My dad's family all lives out west, in AZ and in CO, for the most part. Or they're dead, the ones left here in NJ...
So I was THRILLED to become part of a big, huge, Italian family. A family that gets together without fail twice a year, and more often in smaller groups. You may already know that DH and I go to his sister's house every Monday night for dessert. The dessert is bonus - I get to see my SIL and BIL and an assorted niece or nephew every week. I love this. I love family. And they were so welcoming to me and to the rest of my family that there are no "in-law" feelings - they're my family.
Well, when part of the N---- family decided we were all going to take a turn hosting either the Summer Picnic or the Christmas Party, I was okay with it, even though it meant I'd probably be doing the bulk of the work 'cause I'm the most tech-oriented one between my DH and my SIL. And I loved it - designing the email invite, getting it out, sending out reminders, hard copies to the aunts and uncles who had no computers, and collecting RSVPs. I, however, would not have changed the picnic to the first Saturday in June. Every one of the cousins had multiple children, which means graduations and communions and all sorts of other obligations. And shore houses, there are a lot of those, too.
I have a lake house. And we LOVE it. But we didn't go 'cause it was the weekend of the Family Picnic. Others obviously don't feel that way. The turn-out was okay, but not great; the ones that showed up are the ones who always show up and that's okay - they're not the troublemakers. But afterwards, there were phone calls and comments about how so few people showed up and we should just cancel it 'cause the cousins have been going to these things for years and their kids were going only cause the grandparents demanded the families go but now some of the kids are getting older and have other obligations of their own and besides, it was the hottest day of the year and the seniors were hot.
Well, heck, I was hot, too! Now of course I don't want any aunts or uncles dropping like proverbial flies, but we were in the shade and sitting, not making them play volleyball or do calisthenics. And if it was too hot, they could have stayed home!
Why start making noise about cancelling something so wonderful??? I know I'm speaking selfishly, because I love these get-togethers so much, but come on. One hot day and a relatively low turnout (32 people instead of 50 as usual - and over 100 at the Christmas Party!) and they want to quit the picnics?!??
I VOTE NO TO DROPPING THE SUMMER PICNIC!!! (Not that I have a vote since I'm only an in-law!)
Friday, June 06, 2008
Bills, bills, bills. Checks, checks, checks.
Where it stops, nobody knows.
Just for the record, I hate to pay bills. And I don't really buy that much. Okay, yes, I do waste a few dollars here and there on scrapping stuff, and sometimes I even buy a pocketbook or a blouse I really don't need, but when you consider my store of choice is usually a Wal-Mart, you gotta figure I'm not really breaking the bank, here!
Today I had to pay: American Express (work-related, they'll eventually reimburse me), Jersey Central Power & Light, Dr. C., Verizon Wireless, Discover and Costco. And let's not forget the estimated tax I had to send to Uncle Sam!
That's the one that did it.
Do you realize that you can pay Uncle Sam some estimated tax and he doesn't send you a receipt for it for you to put in your tax folder for next year? We paid 2 quarters' worth of estimated tax in 2007 and our accountant forgot to include it on our tax form because I didn't tell him because the IRS didn't send me a statement or anything at the end of the year. You know how when you earn interest, the bank sends you a statement. Or when you receive some dividends in the VERY teeny tiny amount of stock you owe, you get a statement. Well, not our favorite Uncle! When he got my money last year, he didn't send me a thing! He just cashed those checks, quick as can be!
Our accountant sent our tax return to us to sign and we owed thousands! HOW COULD THAT BE? We paid some estimated....
AHHH, said the blind man... So I called him, reminded him and he adjusted our return.
WHY should I have to remember this? WHY can't the government send me a statement of my estimated taxes paid?
I'm on this rampage today 'cause today I had to write out the check for the second estimated tax payment of 2008. Jack does one in April, and I do one in June. And it has left me penniless until my next paycheck, when I'll get a little bit of money for doing a great deal of work, and then our very nice mailman will bring me a bunch of bills, and this vicious cycle will start all over again...
Where it stops, nobody knows.
Just for the record, I hate to pay bills. And I don't really buy that much. Okay, yes, I do waste a few dollars here and there on scrapping stuff, and sometimes I even buy a pocketbook or a blouse I really don't need, but when you consider my store of choice is usually a Wal-Mart, you gotta figure I'm not really breaking the bank, here!
Today I had to pay: American Express (work-related, they'll eventually reimburse me), Jersey Central Power & Light, Dr. C., Verizon Wireless, Discover and Costco. And let's not forget the estimated tax I had to send to Uncle Sam!
That's the one that did it.
Do you realize that you can pay Uncle Sam some estimated tax and he doesn't send you a receipt for it for you to put in your tax folder for next year? We paid 2 quarters' worth of estimated tax in 2007 and our accountant forgot to include it on our tax form because I didn't tell him because the IRS didn't send me a statement or anything at the end of the year. You know how when you earn interest, the bank sends you a statement. Or when you receive some dividends in the VERY teeny tiny amount of stock you owe, you get a statement. Well, not our favorite Uncle! When he got my money last year, he didn't send me a thing! He just cashed those checks, quick as can be!
Our accountant sent our tax return to us to sign and we owed thousands! HOW COULD THAT BE? We paid some estimated....
AHHH, said the blind man... So I called him, reminded him and he adjusted our return.
WHY should I have to remember this? WHY can't the government send me a statement of my estimated taxes paid?
I'm on this rampage today 'cause today I had to write out the check for the second estimated tax payment of 2008. Jack does one in April, and I do one in June. And it has left me penniless until my next paycheck, when I'll get a little bit of money for doing a great deal of work, and then our very nice mailman will bring me a bunch of bills, and this vicious cycle will start all over again...
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