New baby!

We have a new baby. Her name is Jazzy, and she's a sweet little fuzzy tortoiseshell cat. I will have a few pics of her up in a few days, once she's feeling better and more calm.

Apparently, her most recent owners abandoned her when they moved away from the neighborhood. She'd been an outside cat for some time, and their neighbor, a kindly lady, fed her and tried to acclaimate her to a house to make her a bit more adoptable. Unfortunately, she couldn't keep poor Jazzy, as she already had one cat who was not interested in sharing the home. So, she brought Jazzy to the Oregon Humane Society.

Jazzy was brought into the little room to meet us, and she immediately snuggled up next to my thigh. Neither Fred nor I moved, but we talked softly to her and gently petted her. The next thing we knew, she'd crawled over and into Fred's lap, deciding that he smelled good. He snuggled with her for a while, and then put her onto the bench. We decided that, as we had no idea how she would react, we would try a loud noise to see how she reacted. A loud clap sent her under the bench, but when Fred reached down to pet her again, she was open to it.

She came over to me, deciding that I was another interesting human who could be loving, and I got "elevator butt" almost immediately. She then moved over to my other foot and collapsed in a happy puddle as I got a hand onto her belly and rubbed it, purring up a storm. We knew right then that we'd been adopted, so we proceeded on with the adoption process.

A bag of cat food, some cans of same, and a small bag of tartar control treats, we headed back home, the proud owners of Jazzy. Fred dropped off downtown to head back home, since I would have gotten home just in time to turn right back around and head back to work.

Currently, Jazzy is ensconsed in our bathroom, a little shy but open to exploring. Apparently she loves the brush, and is getting used to being pampered by Fred. We aren't sure whether she's litter-box trained, but we figure we can fix that if it needs to be. She's on clavamox for a puncture wound on her hind left thigh (seems to be healing nicely), and she has a cold that has her sneezing with some discharge. However, she's Feline Leukemia and Feline HIV negative - both things which could have seriously set back her recovery. I'm quite certain she will quickly acclimate to her new home, and I *know* she's a welcome addition to our family.

~M

OMLA and FMLA woes...

So, I would be more upset about the whole thing if I didn't *know*, in the back of my head, that all of this information was posted somewhere publicly, for general consumption...

I'm talking, of course, about the Medical and Family Leave Act... Here in the Great NW, we have TWO to choose from, depending on whether you're 6 months into the job or 12 months into the job.

If you're only 6 months, you only qualify for the OMLA (that's the state one). If you're 12 months in the job, then you qualify for both the OMLA and the FMLA (that's the federal one). If you haven't yet reached your 6 months with the company, then you don't get diddly, regardless.

On the upshot, you get a set guaranteed amount of time off, based on need and situation - for instance, if you are having a baby, have reached your 6 months, and you've given sufficient notice to your company that you're going to be having a baby, you can have up to 12 weeks off under OMLA. You can also qualify for an additional 12 weeks off, if proven medically necessary by your doctor OR if a qualifying situation comes up within the next 9 months subsequent to the first 12 weeks. If you've hit the 12 month deal, then you are qualified for both OMLA and FMLA, which normally end up running concurrently (why, I don't know... I'd think it would be consecutive, but what do *I* know). Again, you can qualify for an additional 12 weeks for *either* of the programs, depending on the situation.

Now, here's the interesting part... You can have the time off, but you'll only get paid for it if you have the vacation and sick leave... During that period, you'll still have your normal coverage of health insurance, too. HOWEVER... Once you're out of sick and vacation leave, your health insurance stops as well, and you have to pay for COBRA during the rest of the time you're out, in order to have anything covered. You can apply for short-term disability, but you'll still have to pay for COBRA, as it's not "officially" earned money.

So - it looks as though I will not have the 12 weeks off that was originally planned. We just won't be able to afford it. I will try and get 3 weeks off, but then I'm going to have to go back to work, because there's no way I'll be able to get the money for everything AND for COBRA payments - and there's no way I'll have the vacation or sick time accrued to cover anything more than that. *sigh*

~M

Is it Friday yet?

Well, technically, I suppose it is. But for me, it's only my Wednesday. Two more days at work after tonight, and then I'll get two days of pseudo-rest (we call it that, since I'll most likely be cleaning the house some more...).

I have found that setting aside one day a week for serious cleaning is actually doing something for the apartment. I'm feeling better about the overall look of the place, even though I know there's loads more to do. That's ok, because I know that I can do most of it.

Wrenched my back Monday, which meant that for the rest of this week, I've been off the heavier lifting. Fred helped me with laundry (I *adore him, have I mentioned that?), and I mostly sat around with a heat pack trying to stretch things out. It's mostly better, but I'm going to be more careful from this point forward, I think... I don't feel like being out of action for so long in between days off.

As I mentioned, the sewing machine came, and last night I sewed bunnies. Cute little stuffed baby bunnies. I love my sewing machine. I'm so glad that I hadn't splurged on it prior to getting a divorce from the ex, as I know he would have completely destroyed it in a matter of weeks. While it's fairly sturdy and has all metal gears (a major requirement for me), my old one had no electronics to it, and this one does. So, definitely something to be reading the manual about as I get down to some serious sewing.

Meanwhile, I'm looking for someone to take the old sewing machine off my hands. It needs a good cleaning and a tune-up, and some correct-sized bobbins, but other than that, it works great. I just really needed an upgrade to something that was going to be a little heftier. Which I got. So - if you'd like a free (yes, FREE) sewing machine, and you live in the area (you get to pick it up), let me know. I'll be glad to hand it over.

Got paid today, and even with the overdraft fees and the lack of 8 hours (the phone time-keeping system yet AGAIN let me down... Does this at least once a month - I almost think it's a conspiracy), I still have about $200 after paying all my bills. Granted, I paid half the rent to the household account (will be paying the other half on my next check, which should be a bit more uber), but still... Should be work-withable. Means that we should be able to get a new pet very soon... Need to see how Fred feels about heading to the Humane Society tomorrow morning EARLY.

~M

It Hath Arrived!!

This morning started unhappily to the sound of my phone ringing. Apparently no one had told the poor scheduler at the perinatology clinic that I'd already been informed of my appointment tomorrow. *sigh*

I decided it was definitely time to wake up, as I'd gotten about 8 hours of sleep, and needed to get chores done for the day.

First order of business, getting the table padded and covered for my sewing. This was an interesting bit of fighting, as the press-board table was *just* tough enough to require me getting a hammer, and then refusing to accept the flat-topped push-pins that I was trying to get through both the fabric and it about 20% of the time.

Lots of grunting, swearing, general name-calling and squashing of the baby later, there was a knock at the door. I was afraid it was the downstairs neighbor, complaining about the noise.

Nope - it was the UPS guy, bringing me my new baby! Yay! My sewing machine has made it. So far, it has been really simple to set up, and easy to get set up. I may have to place a small flat cutting board just under it to make sure it sits flat on the padding of the table while it's still new, but it's here, and it's all mine. *rubs hands together* Now I am free to run rampant with the boxes of fabric that I have unearthed! Bwa ha ha ha ha!!!!! (insert Terry Pratchett quote here "Five exclaimation points? I mean, really - a sure sign of someone who wears his underpants on his head".)

Now I need to get the rest of the room set up and going. I really need to get the person over here that's going to be taking my elizabethan dresses out of my way, as well as a box of scrap fabric and the bag of boys garb. I also need to get the toys that Speedboy no longer plays with over to Goodwill asap, so I'm no longer tripping on it.

Also, now that I have hanging files and a filing cabinet, I need to go through the house and collect all the random paperwork that I have been filing a la Vimes (He had a clean desk - this was because he piled everything on the floor next to the walls) and get them into a semblance of order. I am predicting in a month or so, I shall be organized - be afraid, be VERY afraid...

Today will be a fairly laid back day - I have two things off my list of chores done, already (the table and putting away the rest of the sewing machines/iron). I need to do laundry (again), clean the front room, take out the garbage in the back room, and bring all the paperwork I can find into the office...

Tomorrow is going to start out EARLY! I have a 9am ultrasound appointment, then I will go home and make hanging files, sort some of the paperwork, and make stuffed baby bunnies (I will show pics of what on EARTH I'm talking about once the first one is done).

Yet another nice realization of having a padded table to sew on: It's wide enough to do pattern cutting on, without being on the floor anymore. NO MORE HURTING KNEES OR BACK!!! Lil - if you're suddenly in the mood to sew, let me know and bring over your stuff - I'll be glad to let you borrow this luscious decadence. Tee Hee!

Oh, and speaking of the luscious Lilith, after talking with her recently, I've figured out what to get Lyse for Christmas. I think she will really enjoy it.

~M

Hey buddy, can ya s'paradigm?

I couldn't resist that particular pun... It was a fairly popular one in the late 70's sci-fi fan circle...

True, however, I am looking to drum up a bit of donation money to help get us a new cat. We have found two possible babies at the local Oregon Humane Society. I am leaning more toward one than the other, but that's mostly because of the strange idea that some people don't like being dictated to about where to keep their pet. Tusker is a declawed baby who needs to be an indoor-only pet, and an only cat. This, for us, is not an issue. Any pet we have is going to be indoor-only, so there isn't a question of that - also, we can only have 1 cat, so again, not an issue. The fact that the poor baby had been declawed is just another reason to reign down tons of love onto her. Cookie is the other baby we are looking at. She would be more of a challange, from what I understand - if only because she would be quite skittish with loud noises and new people. I'm certain we could, eventually, train her and calm her out of that, but it will take lots of love and affection, as well as patience.

Either way, the adoption cost, which includes (per their website) "a certificate for a free health examination by a participating vet, first vaccines (cats and dogs), spay/neuter surgery, a 24PetWatch microchip, ID tag, collar, leash (for dogs), and an informational booklet. Adopters also receive one month of pet health care insurance. Cats, rabbits, and pocket pets (rodents) also include a carrier to safely transport your pet home.", is $55 for either of them.

If you would like to help us gain a new member of our family (before our newest member actually makes an appearance outside my belly), please let me know.

~M

Another One Bites The Dust!

I finished the blanket for my co-worker's new grandbaby. It's a "Mama & Baby Snuggle" blankie, which means that both mom and baby can fit into it at the same time. Really nice during cold winter and early spring mornings (which we are known for having here), and can be used later as a toddler blanket, then lap blanket as baby grows older.


Most of the blanket - my phone just doesn't get that wide - tee hee... It's about 5' long by 3.5 or 4' wide, and really snuggly.


Here's a close-up of the stitch, as well as the border I did. I'm actually very proud of this, as this is the first time I've worked a border on a piece. I like it a lot, and will have to remember to do that in the future, as I like the look of it.


And this is what happens when my hobby gets the better of me. I'm thinking I will keep going with these, and possibly offer them to sell at work.

I'm going to be working on some other stuff in the meantime - a few little baby bunny stuffed animals. I will be taking pics of those as well. I need to get more gingham in order to make more of them - currently I only have two pieces of fabric, a plain soft blue, and a tan printed fabric with darker tan kitty footprints on it.

~M

Oh sigh...

So, I just barely get over one cold, and another one hits me... I really wish people at work would not think "Gee, I'm not throwing up, so I must not be sick anymore - never mind that I still have a high fever." Stupid people.

I took Sunday off so I could again be sick at home and hopefully recover faster. I seem to be, but it's still kind of iffy.

Tuesday was the ultrasound appointment - you know, the one that I had to make because Elizabeth wasn't cooperating and kept moving around... Yeah, that one...

Well, I got there and immediately got under the belly probe - and wouldn't you know it - the little turtle decided not to wake up... AT ALL! She had wedged herself into my pelvic bone, with little feet propped into my cervix, and her head into my hip joint on the right side. She wouldn't move at all, and the radiology tech (same one as last time) and I just looked at one another and laughed.

I ended up being turned almost completely upside down to try and roll her out, since jiggling my belly vigerously wouldn't work. She finally did roll out of the hip, but she kept her feet tucked into my cervix, the little impling.

We spent another hour and 20 minutes or so trying to get her to roll over and move into the best positions to get photos... All we got was her looking vaguely annoyed, and moving one hand, then rolling over and ignoring us.

At one point, in order to get a clear picture of the feet, they had to do a vag ultrasound. She has long toes, I'll say that much. And we got a good look of her folding herself in half, her little knees pressed up to her nose. Long legs, too, from the look of her - not going to take much after me, bone-wise.

We went back for another round of abdominal scans, but still couldn't wake her up at all. There are two more things they need to check for, so I'm to go back in next Tuesday morning for (hopefully) a final ultrasound.

Of course, as soon as I got home, she woke up and started kicking. *sigh*

~M

Today's adventures!

We got up at 8am this morning to head out to the 56th Annual Greek Festival, over in NE PDX. I have tried to go every year, ever since I found out we had one. I love me some lamb and Gyros! Not to mention the delicious pastries and wonderful music that always ends up playing there.

Upon arriving at around 11am, we were lucky enough to find ourselves early - this meant no elbowing through the crowds like last year, and meant that we were able to really enjoy ourselves in both eating and browsing through their little shop area within the church rectory. We walked in, I pulled out money to get our "talents" (that's what the greek currancy is called), and then we were presented with this little gem of a sign:

The most amusing part is that the Greek Orthodox Church was thought of (at least, by me) to be fairly tea-totalling...

And then, the most luscious smells began to waft over to us, and Fred and I had to go investigate:

I loves me some lamb... Unfortunately, we missed out on the lamb as I had to be at work by 2:45pm and the dinner didn't even start until 1pm. *sigh* However, that is something to keep in mind for next year - I may simply have to take the day off so I can head over and have me some lamb dinner. Yum...

Afterwards, Fred and I headed back downtown, and he and I parted ways - me to go to work, and him to head over to Michaels to pick up yarn for me, and then home... Apparently to reek havoc on the front room and kitchen. His corner, for the first time in months, is clean. I was horribly startled by the picture. I'm going to do what's left on Monday, and work on the bedrooms as well.

Oh - and I ordered my sewing machine. I'm hoping it will be here in a few weeks. I'm so excited!

~M

Yell OPA! and do something fun this weekend!

56th Annual Greek Festival!
3131 NE Glisan (You can take the # 19 from downtown and save your parking sanity!)

October 5, 6, 7
10am to 10pm Friday and Saturday
Noon to 8pm on Sunday

Authentic Greek Dinners:
Adults: $12.00
Seniors 65-plus: $10.00
Children under 12: $6.00
Prices apply all hours, all days

Dinner tickets are available at the information booth or at the door. Talents are one dollar each.

Combination Plate on Friday and Saturday, 11am to 8pm:
Dolmathes, pastitsio, keflethes, green beans yiahni, salad, bread, beverage, and dessert

Vegetarian Plate (available every day):
Spanakopita, green beans yiahni, salata, bread, beverage and dessert

Kota Riganati on Sunday, noon to 8pm:
Half roasted chicken with with lemon, manestra, green beans yiahni, salata, bread, beverage, and dessert

Cooking Demonstrations:
Learn to make Greek dishes and desserts from Chrisoula and George Papas, authors of "The Art of Greek Cooking", Saturday and Sunday only, 1:00. Admission: three talents.

Agora/Monasteraki:
Imported crafts and gifts from Greece: Rugs, Décor, Textiles, Ethnic Jewelry, Hand Knit Sweaters, Fisherman Hats and T-shirts.

Fine Gold and Silver Jewelry:
Traditional, Byzantine, and more designs imported from Greece.

Deli:
Gourment Imports: fine cheeses, olives, olive oil, pastas, herbs and spices, preserves, nuts, and more.

Children's Corner:
10:00pm-8:00pm Friday
Noon to 8:00pm Saturday and Sunday.
Activities: face painting, gold "medals", ivy wreaths, coloring, games, puppet shows, and more! Admission: two talents.

Kafenion Prices
Assorted Pastries 2 talents or 2 for 3 talents
Loukoumades 2 talents (small), 3 talents (large)
American Coffee 1 talent
Greek Coffee 2 talents
Frappe (iced Greek coffee) 3 talents
Sodas and Bottled Water 1 talent

Taverna Prices
Feta Dip, Hummus, and Vegetables 5 talents
Cheese and Olive Sampler 4 talents
Greek Pasta Salad and Bread 5 talents
Village Salad and Bread 5 talents
Gyro 4 talents
Sausage 3 talents
Souvlaki 4 talents
Spanakopita 3 talents
Tropita 3 talents
Beer Micro Brew 5 talents
Domestic Beer 4 talents
Wine 4 talents
O'Douls non-alcoholic beer 2 talents
Soda and Water 1 talent

A La Carte (Served in Outside Tents)
Lamb
Lamb tickets are available at the talent booth 7 talents

Deli
Feta Dip and Vegetables 4 talents
Greek Village Salad and Bread 4 talents
Cheese and Olive Sampler 4 talents
Greek Pasta Salad and Bread 4 talents

Pre-packaged Pastries
Package of 6 $7.00
Package of 8 $9.00
Combination (variety of 7) $8.00
Bougasta (package of 2) $3.00
Diples (package of 2) $5.00
Karithopita $3.00
Koulourakia $5.00 per dozen
Paximadia $7.00 per dozen
Tsoureki (sweetened bread) $7.00

Raffle

$1.00 donation per ticket.
Grand Prize: Choice of 2 round trip tickets to Greece or Hawaii (some restrictions apply)
2nd Prize: 42-inch Plamsa Color TV
3rd Prize: 3 days/2 nights at The Inn at Spanish Head - Oregon Coast, Lincoln City, Oregon
4th Prize: Apple iPod, 60 GB color screen

Ethos Bookstore: Located in the church hall. Books, icons, music.

Greek Folk Dance Schedule

Friday 5:00pm, 5:45pm, 6:30pm, and 8:00pm

Saturday 1:00pm, 2:30pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm, 4:45pm, 5:30pm, 7:00pm, and 8:00pm

Sunday 1:00pm, 2:30pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm, 4:30pm, and 5:30pm

Performances take place on the 31st Avenue dance stage. Performance times noted in bold take place in the dining room.

Tours and Presentations of the Church

12:00 noon Guided tour
1:00pm Video - "Beginnings"
2:00pm Guided Tour
3:00pm Video - "Byzantium"
4:00pm Guided Tour
5:00pm Video - "A Hidden Treasure"
6:00pm Daily Vespers
7:00pm Questions and Answers Session

Sunday Services
8:45am Orthros (Matins)
10:00am Divine Liturgy
6:00pm Vespers

Visitors, please observe and respect a strict code of conduct in the sanctuary, our place of worship. No food, drinks, chewing gum, or loud talking.

Thank you.

Guide to Greek Pastries:

Baklava
Delicately thin pastry leaves (filo) spread with butter and filled with a walnut/spice mixture and topped with syrup.

Bougatsa
A custard type filling in filo. Topped with honey, cinnamon and powdered sugar.

Diples
A delicate butter and egg pastry deep-fried and dipped in honey. Sprinkled with spices and nuts.

Kadaifi
Kadaifi dough with butter, chopped walnuts, cinnamon and cloves, topped with a honey syrup.

Karithopita
Spiced walnut honey cake.

Koulourakia
An all butter and egg braided cookie. Not overly sweet and good with coffee.

Spiced Orange Koulourakia
A braided cookie make with pure vegetable shortening and spices.

Kourabiethes
An all-butter and egg yolk shortbread-type cookie flavored with brandy and dusted heavily with powdered sugar.

Melomakarona
An orange-flavored cookie spiced with cinnamon. Dipped in honey and sprinkled with nuts.

Pasta Flora
An all-butter cookie with an apricot filling.

Paximadia
Choose one of the five flavors of this Greek biscuit: lemon, orange, amaretto, anise, or chocolate.

Rolla
Rolled filo with walnuts and spice mixture, topped with honey syrup and chocolate.

Tsoureki
Braided sweet bread, make with eggs, milk, sugar, and butter.

Back in the saddle... sort of...

Well, the dental visit wasn't as horrendous as it could have been. Luckily, I only had 3 or 4 panic attacks, and didn't once strike out at the dentist.

The molar I'd been having issues with for the last 15 years or so finally was removed. It had been determined to deteriorate to this point from just prior to graduating high school, regardless of what my dentist or I did to try and save it. So, there it is - or rather, was. It's out, at least, so I don't have to deal with it any longer.

I'm on Children's liquid Tylenol for most pain management, with Motrin 800's for more extreme pain issues, and Vicodin for those times I have been smacked in the face repeatedly and am in such pain that I can barely breathe...

The good news is, other than the pain meds, the visit didn't cost me anything - and I was put into an urgent appointment within 24 hrs of calling, and was in and out of the office within an hour and a half. Not bad. I still have my "welcome" visit on the 26th, which I will keep, since I do need to take better care of myself - and with dental coverage like this I have *no* excuse not to.

In other news, Elizabeth is kicking up a storm... She's horribly unimpressed with the current soft-foods diet I'm on, and doesn't like the lack of calories coming her way. *chuckle* And she lets me know it. She also wakes up at 3am, with Daddy, and doesn't let me go to sleep until around 4:30. *sigh* She kicked me in the lower pelvis twice this morning, HARD, and then the bladder - guaranteeing that I got up immediately.

Tomorrow morning Fred and I are going to the Greek festival. I'm expecting to be *much* improved by tomorrow, and should be off most of the soft foods - and even if I'm not, I'm going to go for some baklava and gyros anyway. I've been good for two days with taking care of my mouth, and I deserve to be, carefully, rewarded. It may take me an hour to eat one, but I'm going to go for it, darn it. I wanna have my gyros at the greek festival. It's probably a good thing I have pain meds.

~M

I'm in pain, pain pain....

Yes, two posts in a day... I had to, since this had nothing do with the prior post, and vice versa.

I'm in massive pain. In fact, in so much pain that I can barely move the left side of my face. Why? Because of the tooth (or possibly teeth) that have decided to mutiny and won't allow me to wait until the 26th for my "welcome" visit to my dentist's office.

Have I mentioned I have a loathing fear of dentists? I mean, a serious, deep abiding phobia of them... but I'm in so much pain, that I'm willing to brave them to get rid of the pain and quit being on pain meds that won't touch it unless I O.D. on them - which isn't good for the baby...

I ended up having to call in to work today because I would have ended up huddled under my desk crying from how much pain I'm in. I currently am not doing as bad, if only because I haven't actually been talking or moving my mouth in any way at all.

The good news, I've passed my 6 month anniversary as of yesterday. The bad news, I have to deal with this crap today... I don't wanna! BUT - I am tired of not sleeping until I'm so exhausted that I pass out...

Here's hoping that they fix it the first time.

~M

Re-defining when to go...

So, Lanius did a post yesterday about when to let go of a relationship... I thought it such a great topic that I decided to follow it with my own thoughts on the subject, since I've had such a plethora of relationship woes in my past... Mostly with one person (scary).

First of all, GOOD relationships, as a whole, should involve a lot of three things: Communication, communication, communication. Without it, there will be misunderstandings, angry words, fights about absolutely nothing, mistrust, and general mayhem and dischord, until the whole things melts into oblivion, leaving both sides to wonder what in Odin's name happened.

Strictly speaking from my own personal experience, getting into a relationship when you're young is probably not the best thing in the world - unless both people are looking to grow together... I know, there are exceptions to this. I've met them. I'm amazed by them, honestly. Then again, these people have known one another since grade school and have grown up together understanding what and where their foibles came from. Makes it a bit easier once romance is added to the mix, if only because they've seen their significant other at both their best and their worst - before they got rose-tinted glasses.

Still and yet, the majority of those who enter into a romantic or serious relationship at a young age end up (eventually) getting hurt because one person will grow toward maturity while the other one doesn't - or they grow at different rates and it just doesn't mesh well.

That's not to say that no one should date until you're 30. On the contrary, go ahead, date to your heart's content. Just don't have serious expectations of walking down the aisle, or staying with this person for more than a few months. Rare it is to have high school sweethearts stay together past graduation, and get married, and STAY married... (Yeah, the piece on the news yesterday about the couple having their 80th anniversary? There's a reason it was on the news - it's RARE, people).

There's also the issues of when to call it off. Is it something big that they're doing? Or is it something that honestly, really, while it bugs the hell out of you at times, is something that is live-withable? It's a matter of picking your battles and defining what is important to you, as an individual. Just because you're in a relationship doesn't negate the fact that you are still an individual, needing specific things that your significant other may or may not need.

In my world, there are a few simple rules that dictate whether to go after the situation with a vengeance or whether to simply let it go and not sweat it:

1. Hurting anyone, even ones-self, on purpose, whether physically, mentally or emotionally - yeah, that's gonna be a battle.

2. Constant belittling of someone, unconsciously - yeah, that's gonna be a battle, too.

3. Drinking or eating the last of something and not putting it on the list for shopping - nope, not going to be a big deal. I can look, too.

4. Using the last of the shampoo and not replacing it and/or not tossing the empty bottle - nope, not going to be a big deal. I am capable of throwing stuff away.

5. Being nasty to the family pet, for no apparent reason - yeah, that's gonna be a battle.

It's not always so black and white in the world, but you get the idea - if it's something that either of you were either capable of doing yourself but didn't, or either of you have been guilty of doing in the past (eating the last ho-ho and not putting it on the list being one of them), then chances are, it's probably not worth it to fight or bicker about it until you both throw up your hands and quit the relationship. I mean, honestly - it's a ho-ho, folks, metaphore or not. Let's get real, here.

On the other hand, if your significant other constantly puts you, your friends, your family, your pet or themselves into dangerous or even life-threatening situations, then yeah, it's time for a reckoning. No one has the right to do that to another living creature (We aren't talking getting meat from an animal for food - we'll save that arguement for another day). I don't care if it's drugs, alcohol, physical abuse, mental abuse, emotional abuse... Whatever. I don't care. No one has the right to do that and then expect that the next morning, everything will be ok and happy and shiny. Because it won't be.

I know - I was in an emotionally and mentally abusive relationship for 10 years. TEN!! And I'm a reasonably intelligent person - most times (I don't wanna hear it, Lil. Giggle)... I made excuses, blamed myself for his shortcomings, and generally did everything I could to make the situation better without actually addressing the issue. Why? Because I was afraid of being alone. He had brainwashed me so well into thinking I could never find anyone who would "love" me the way that he did, and no one else besides him wanted me - I was terrified of never finding anyone else.

Frankly, he was both right and wrong... Once I was free of him, I didn't find another person who "loved" me the way that he did. And thank the ever-loving Gods for it. I also found a number of people who did want me, regardless of what I'd been through, what kind of emotional or mental wreck I was, or how I looked. And I thank the ever-loving Gods for that, too.

How did I get free of him? Well, I had a lot of help from friends, and it was a two year process of me growing up and away from him while he mentally stagnated and either ignored me or continued to try and verbally tear me down... Once I did do something (I packed up his things and told him to get out), he was all of a sudden all over me, trying to "make up" for all the things he had done in the past, etc, etc... I refused to listen to him, and through all of it, I found something that had been lost in those 10 years... myself.

The bottom line is, you pick your own battles in your relationship, regardless of whether they be big ones or small. The trick is to figure out what's big and what isn't, and what's important and what's not. I won't lie - Fred and I have things that we don't always agree about. But we look at each of them in turn and decide whether it's big enough to confront or not. Is it something that could potentially destroy us or is it something that we can learn to live with?

Either way, while we may mention something in passing to friends as an occasional annoyance, it's not something that will make or break the relationship. It's just one of those things that we learn to live with because we're here for the long run - people aren't perfect, but we can learn to live with one anothers imperfections if they aren't going to harm us.

~M

Hooray!

Well, it looks like I will be getting a new sewing machine in the next few weeks. Mum called last night (had to leave a message since I was at work), so I called her back today. We'd been discussing a new bedframe, but I said that honestly, the thing I needed most right now was a new sewing machine, since the old one was dying quickly.

We discussed the options available, and at $300, the brand new Janome I found on EBay is probably the best one. It's still really simple, but it will do everything that I need for it to do. I quilt, but mostly I tie my quilts - if I want to sew it, I'm going to be in a mind to actually hand-quilt it, not machine quilt it... There's a difference in the feel of the quilt afterwards, and I just like it better. So - I get to have a new sewing machine just in time to finish the baby / sewing room and get some clothing and the baby quilt done before the baby is born. Yay me!

There's another machine that the seller has available, that I'm going to have to look at for leather sewing possibilities - Fred wants a heavy-duty machine that will work with putting leather together. So, I'll be on the lookout for one for him.

This upcoming payday will be the weekend of the table, so I'll have that done, and then hopefully on my next paycheck, we can have a new cat find us.

~M

Craftiness...

So, here's the latest in the baby craftiness... Lil says that it puts her in mind of fruit loops (LOL), but I like the color scheme. and it's the heaviest and warmest of the 3 that I've made so far. So, we have a really light blankie, a medium-weight blankie, and a heavy-weight blankie. Yay with the blankies!

I'm going to continue to crochet, if only because it keeps my hands busy and gives me something to do on the bus.

~M

General updatings...

Well, Fred and I have decided it's time for another cat. We are going to see about getting up the money to go to one of the no-kill shelters in the area and seeing if someone can find us - after all, that's really how one gets another cat - it's not you picking them, it's them picking you. LOL.

The podling has been more active lately, and I have actually begun to feel her boot (or headbutt) my tummy occasionally. The first time I felt her it was about 3 days ago, and I thought it was a muscle twitch - but it was repeated just next to it, and then two more times across from it. I'm certain this is just the tip of the proverbial iceburg, and by the end of it, I'll be quite bruised inside...

On a down note, Fred broke once again, and is back to smoking. We discussed it today, and I've forwarded him the smoking cessation information from my work. We're going to have him try the lozenges, and perhaps have him speak with his doctor about what options Kaiser has available for a program for him. There's about 5-7 different options for him to try, as opposed to doing things cold turkey, so I'm hopeful that with perserverance, we can beat this whole thing.

On an up note, Fred tossed out the mattress in the back room, which means that all I have to do now is sort out garbage from there going down to the bins, and then get a few more storage bins for such things as yarn and other projects. I'm going to be moving the craft books in there, as well as most of my stuffed hedgehog collection (to make room out front for our burgeoning collection of DVD's). Then I will get the table in from Office Depot (which reminds me, I gotta call them to make sure they have it in stock - if not, then I can order it and have it delivered - or look elsewhere), cover it with some cushioning and fabric, and I'll have a real sewing room.

I also need to get a filing cabinet for bills and banking... I've found that the current filing system (general stacking and piling in corners) does not work at all - and I need to update it to something that people can actually understand. LOL. So, that will be another thing I will be looking for in the near future. And I'll have a little spot in the baby / sewing room for an office, too. yay!

Other than that, things are going well. I will say that I really wish Fred and I had more than half-days together to hang out, talk, and generally just be - but I'm hopeful that at some point in the future, we will be able to do so.

~M

Randomness...

Merripan - a dash of playfulness - 2 heaping tablespoons of honesty - 1/4 cup of flirting Serve hot.

'What is your personality recipe?' at QuizGalaxy.com

You can blame this on Lyse and Lilith... I decided to try it myself, and frighteningly enough, i think it's about right. LOL.

Yesterday was interesting... I spent it pretty much on the bus, travelling back and forth, getting all my errands done.

Went to work, to get everything "officially" changed to my new last name. Then back over to Owajimaya's, so I could pick up mussels and clams to make Paella with. Unfortunately, they were out of clams - but they DID have crawfish - $5.99 per pound, live! Yay me! So, I got me some fresh-water bugs to go into the Paella instead.

Then back home to place said bugs and mussels in the fridge to keep them out of trouble, and back out to WinCo to do the rest of the shopping...

Interesting thing happened on the way out of WinCo. Two or three weeks ago, I was on my way out the door to the bus to head to work. Two boys who had been regular friends of Speedboy sat on the stairs, blocking the way down - one is 14 and the other is 16. I asked them to move, and they gave me a snotty look, and finally did move their butts over to one side. I then told them they shouldn't be loitering in the halls (something they've been told before by the property manager), and they could find other places to be.

So - as I'm walking out the door, both their mothers decide to confront me in the doorway of the exit... Because, according to the boys, I was being "mean" and "rude". The conversation went thus:

mother 1: So... I heard that you told the boys not to loiter...
me: Yes - I was trying to get past them to go to work.
mother 1: And were they blocking the stairs or something?
me: Yes, they were. I told them they needed to find someplace else to be.
mother 2: (shaking head) that's NOT what they told me!
mother 1: Well, do you think that next time, you could be a little nicer?
me: Look - they've been told not to hang out in the stairwells and the hallways before by Joe.
mother 2: Let's just go - this isn't going as planned, and it's not working - let's just go.

My first thought was "Oh - so I'm supposed to go whimpering off, apologizing for your kids rude behavior, with my tail tucked between my legs? I don't think so." My second thought was "Which are you more pissed off about - the fact that your child was doing something he ought not to have been doing, or the fact that someone spoke up about it to them?"

I told Fred about it later, and he was pissed off - I'll be talking with Joe about it later today when I head over there with the marriage certificate to have everything officially changed there, too.

Oh, and did I mention that "mother 2" was the one who posted a long-ass note on our door just after I moved in here 2 years ago, telling Fred he needed to quit rotating women through his apartment constantly, because it was bad for Josh - and she signed it "Your Guardian Angel"? Yeah - and what I did was WAAAAAY awful... Whatever.

Today I head to the OTHER bank, get myself removed from the ex-husband's account (I didn't even realize I was in there still, until I got a bank statement with his information on it), and get my name changed, then back home to get the paperwork changed for the apartment, and then clean the dishes. And that's all...

I will have pics of the new baby afghan soon...

~M

Damned Proud!

I am so proud of myself! I have learned a new crochet stitch that was something daunting-looking (at least, for me). I normally can’t read the instructions unless there’s pictures that go along with it, specifically a close-up of whatever stitch it is they’re trying to teach me. However, my “bible”, the ‘Complete Guide to Needlework’ by Reader’s Digest, helped me out immensely.

I now know how to do a wave stitch. And I am making another baby blanket. While I know I have 2 already, I also know you honestly can’t have too many of them, at least for the first year, what with accidents and messes and things. It’s nice to have several of them, of different weights. Also, once done with them, or out-grown, I’m pretty sure there’s a market for gently-used, hand-crocheted baby blankets.

Yay me! Honestly, I really needed another project to do at home. While there are a number of sewing projects that I need to get to, I can’t really do any of them until I get my table set up and the rest of the room finished. That will, hopefully, be on my next paycheck, if I can find someone with a truck / large vehicle to help get it home – or possibly get it delivered, if the company does that… hope, hope, hope.

I’m also going to be doing some embroidery. There’s a really cute stuffed gingham bunny pattern that my mom found years and years ago, that I still have. I had one as a little child, and all of the babies in our family got one. We also made some for the local hospital children’s wards and the EMT boxes to give out to children in need. It’s a sweet-faced baby bunny, its eyes closed, cuddling a carrot. It can be made from any type of patterned gingham, which makes it all the more whimsical and fun to both make and have. I happen to have a gingham pattern of little kitty paw-prints, which I think would be absolutely adorable for a bunny (chuckle), so I’ll be using that. If you know of someone who would also like a bunny, it’s just as easy to make two as one, so let me know.

~M

Out-stubborning the stubborn...

Or, how to make the ultrasound tech throw up her hands in defeat after 1 1/2 hours of attempts...

Honestly, it wasn't me. It wasn't Fred, either. Both of us were perfectly amenable to what my OB and my ultrasound doc were doing, and neither of us were late or negative in the least...

The BABY on the other hand... well, that was a different matter. Apparently, it was cranky. WAAAAAAAY cranky.

See, my appointments on Tuesday were set up so that there would be about 45 minutes between them. That way, I could get a little something to eat for lunch. I ate breakfast, but didn't take any snacks with me, figuring that I could simply pick something up along the way.

Unfortunately, a call had apparently been placed to Murphy, that weird, wacky guy, and my OB appointment started 47 minutes late. Thankfully, we made it to the 2nd appointment, down at the bottom of the hill, with 3 minutes to spare. Unfortunately, there was no time at all to get anything to munch on.

By the time I'd settled onto the ultrasound exam table, it had been about 4 hours since I'd last eaten, and the baby was having none of it. The tech resident spent a good 45 minutes getting photos of the little tyke, watching it squirm around unhappily and push outwards with little legs and arms in a sort of "I want my space, so get away" move.

At one point, we did find out the sex of the baby - she wasn't happy about getting a good look at arms, legs, the heart or the head, but had no problem showing off pink bits. *chuckle* And yes, it's a girl.

Dr Segal, whom I had spoken with on the phone for the last 5 months on a practically daily basis, came in to do the "official" sign-off photos of the baby. I warned her that things were very active, and the baby wasn't having any of it. She said "Oh, don't worry - I'm stubborn".

After another 30 minutes or so, with the baby going so far as to try and stuff her face up into my belly button to avoid detection, Dr Segal finally threw up her hands in defeat. Apparently she couldn't even get a good picture of a spread-out hand to count the bones in it - baby kept making fists and scrubbing her face with them, or rolling over to show off her butt to the camera.

So, next time, I'm planning on having a turkey lunch with stuffing and mashed potatoes, hopefully to calm her down into some sort of agreement. LOL.

~M

Oh, the want...

I have been needing to get a new (or newer) sewing machine for a few years, now. Unfortunately, mine is just not cutting it anymore (or sewing, or wanting to sew)... Even doing major overhauling and cleaning didn't make it better for more than 1 day - so it's time for another machine.

I have found the one I crave... It is here:



It has everything that I want, including the innards being metal rather than plastic. MMMMmmmmmm, yes, it is the tasty. I must want/have. Perhaps a little elf will make sure it's under the tree in time for christmas.

~M

Period RANT...

If there’s one thing I hate – absolutely hate – it’s the self-righteous, self-important, puffed-up potentates that seem to think they know everything there is to know about a subject… and they’re going to turn around and share it with you, whether you like it or not.

The problem is not the sharing of the information – it’s the *way* it’s done. Normally, people who wish to share information with one another do so with an understanding about it – they don’t treat you as though you’re 5 (unless you really *are* 5), and they don’t look down their nose at you while they’re talking. The sharing of information is based on both people being equal in both mental stature and maturity, and with the unspoken rule that both are looking to SHARE said information willingly – it’s a give and take thing, really.

Those who believe that they are better than everyone else will not share – they will expound, lecture, pontificate, preach, and otherwise generally prove themselves to be a horse’s ass by opening their mouth and braying out facts and figures on whatever subject they feel they’re an “expert” on.

The SCA is *FILLED* with such people. The strange thing is, there seems to be an equal number of them, regardless of whether they are a “Period Nazi” or not. You would think, based on the general image that “Period Nazi” conjures up, it would be more them than others… These are the people who have done everything possible to make what they own as period-looking as possible, whether it be by purchase or by hand, and then point out the flaws of others who are simply going about their day in a relatively decent attempt at being period without breaking the bank.

But, there are also those would-be experts who are not interested in being period, who do not try to be period, and do not wish to be period – and yet will act in a similar way to either defend their actions or prove to whomever they are speaking with that they know all about being period, they just aren’t interested in making an attempt – and provide ample excuses to prove their point.

For those who don’t know what the SCA is, it’s a re-enactment society that works to re-create (to the best of its ability) the Middle Ages, from roughly 700 AD to 1600 AD. The idea of the SCA was launched one sunny mid-summer morning, when a bunch of history buffs got together in Berkeley to celebrate a friend’s wedding. Everyone had so much fun dressing up in medieval clothing that they decided to start having meetings and looking up more and more information on it. Being history buffs, this was certainly not a hardship, and it was kind of fun to get new people involved in it, too – it got everyone excited about actually LIVING history and learning something that wasn’t taught in “mainstream” college history.

It sort of blossomed out from there, and 42 years later, you have where the SCA is now – a world-wide, not-for-profit, member-driven organization, where literally hundreds of thousands of people learn from one another and from historical texts throughout libraries around the world about how life may have been like in any specific time period within the range pre-set by the SCA by-laws. It’s sort of like a college without walls or even a set curriculum, which can be learned from at any time, day or night, regardless of where you are, and without having to pay tuition or indebt yourself to student loans.

Now that we’ve gotten a bit of historical basis down for what the SCA is, let’s get back to the subject at hand: authoritative asses who feel that they know best, regardless of what the notion of “best” actually is…

Honestly speaking, harkening back to its roots, the SCA really is just a huge adult game of “Let’s Pretend” – at least, if you boil it down to its base. Just like a stew, however, there are many flavors and layers within it that make it what it is. Part of that is the attempt at making things at least *look* period on the main thoroughfares at an event. Another (to me, much LARGER) part of it is to adhere to some of the basic principals that were upheld from the beginning – while romantic and possibly froofy, the concepts of chivalry, honor, and general respect for others regardless of peerage or background.

There was a post on Tribe recently that got me thinking about everything I’ve so far experienced within the SCA, and what I miss from when I first joined 14 years ago. Honestly, I miss the second portion of what I always felt the SCA was all about, more than I miss the “period” portions… The level of respect, chivalry and honor that was shown to me on a fairly constant basis made me try to be more period, and learn more. The fact that there were those who were not only willing to help me learn, but willing to teach me new things, so I could expand my knowledge and possibly find even MORE things I could be interested in – THAT was exciting to me.

Being able to make everything from scratch for an authentic and period look is a great thing. I am amazed and admire the fact that some people have that much patience. On the other hand, I’m sure there are those who are just as amazed that I can (when determined) pull some really amazing garb out in very little time. The point is, that it’s a great talent to have – but it’s not what makes you a good player at the game of SCA Life. It’s a combination of things, not the least of which is a good attitude, a positive mindset, and a willingness to share knowledge – not preach it.

Being period is not something that’s a pre-requisite for being welcome around me at an event. Making the attempt, upholding the non-tangible ideals of the SCA, and being open to new ideas and learning things IS.

While we’re here, let’s clarify a few things about making an attempt at being period, shall we? First of all, an attempt should *NOT* break the bank. It should not force you to take out a mortgage on your home, or barter away your child in order to look good (after all, if you’re going to barter away your child, you should save it for something a little more worthwhile – like your own island in the Bahamas, cabana boy included).

Making what would be considered a reasonable attempt might include something akin to a T-Tunic, pants, and shoes that don’t look like sneakers for guys, or a skirt, a peasant blouse, and again, shoes that don’t look like sneakers for girls.
Some people may think that this is *only* acceptable for your first event, or possibly go as far as your first tourney season – after that, you should be moving up in the world. Personally, I see nothing wrong with this type of garb at a lot of events that I go to, the reason being that much of the camp space we end up with for camping is filled with scrub and brambles – not conducive to long, dragging trains or “court” garb at all.

To me, simple garb doesn’t mean trashy-looking, it means practical. If you are going to get technical about it, most people during ANY of the period of time the SCA covers did not have “court” garb. They were peasants, or at least, working merchants. They wore plain garb, accented with very few pieces of ribbon or trim, and embroidery was also rare. It was simple because life was hard, and hard on clothing. You didn’t waste time making something pretty just to go out and plow in a field in it. You made it last.

Yes, there are other types of garb, and other ethnic backgrounds to study. Again, though, it’s something to think about once you are more comfortable in the SCA – Most people just aren’t going to start out with early Tudor garb, hand-sewn with pearls and gems, with all the underpinnings to go with it. Let’s be realistic here – most people aren’t costuming experts, and certainly don’t sew well enough to pull it off.

As for the camping gear that inevitably comes with going to an event, again, don’t break the bank over it. First of all, consider the logistics of hauling everything you would need to make your encampment period-looking… Unless you have a large van with a trailer hook and trailer, chances are, you won’t be able to haul what would look right. Even the smallest of tents need at least two 6’ poles to hold it up – and that just doesn’t fit into the standard sedan or small car. On top of that, put about 80 pounds worth of canvas for the tent itself, and then the bed-frame, mattress, blankets, fire-pit, cooking gear, kitchen, etc… You’ve got a lot there… And we haven’t mentioned your garb bag yet.

I’m all for being period – to a point. But let’s also be practical. Logically speaking, if you don’t have a decent-sized vehicle to transport your gear, you won’t get your gear to an event. If you can’t get your gear to an event, there’s no sense in HAVING said gear.

As for the idea of placing large pieces of fabric over non-period-looking items, I think that’s just plain silly. It wastes fabric, adds to your laundry bag when you get back, and all it does is make it look like you’ve just placed a large wadge of fabric over something. Not extremely attractive, and certainly not something that I’d recommend. Ground pimples aren’t pretty, but sometimes they’re all we have, depending on how far we’re traveling.

In closing, I’d just like to say that I adore the SCA – or at least, what the SCA was. I’m not sure I’ve been enjoying myself in the SCA as it’s evolved over the last 4 or 5 years. I am still attempting to treat everyone the way I was treated when I went to my first event. Unfortunately, there aren’t many others out there who feel that the favor should be returned. Period is as period does – look to your attitude first, then to the furniture that makes up what the person looks like.

~M

NOT an Auspicious beginning...

Woke up this morning with a sore throat - again... And my head slightly stuffy. I believe I officially have the first head-cold of the fall season. Ugh.

Fred's phone rang, and it turned out to be the 1800GOTJUNK people. I'd been under the impression that I'd changed the scheduling for NEXT weekend - apparently their website does not allow you to do that - at all. Their website ALSO doesn't have any way of easily finding out how much the cost is for pick-up. We got that when the nice guys showed up.

$109.00 is the BASE PRICE!!! Yee gads, man! I could see it if it was a honkin' huge fridge - what we have is a banana box filled with toys, and a queen sized mattress - NOT something hard or even relatively difficult to deal with. And they wanted $109 to pick it up. Nope, sorry, guys. We'll either cut the sucker in half and throw it in our dumpster, or find someone with a truck and haul it to the dump ourselves, thank you. As for the box of toys, Fred will take that to the local Goodwill to be donated.

Got downtown and found myself with a HUGE-ass headache yet again, and no real way to assuage it. I have now eaten a half a sandwich and some chips, downed some caffeine, and taken 3 ibuprofin. I can only hope that this will make it go away. At least it's my Friday.

~M

Pissy takes the cake...

Sometimes, in working where I do, specifically in the line of work that I am in (call center, inbound), I am faced with the horrible reality that some people just don't want to take personal responsibility for their own actions at the time of the issue, and want to blame it all on someone else...

Take, for instance, Liter Liner*, who called in today to speak with the doctor on call because their baby grandchild had an issue. No big deal - it's something that happens fairly often. After finding out first off that Liter doesn't know who the baby's doctor is, and then looking up the information to FIND said doctor, the correct on-call person is found.

Dear Liter calls back not 10 minutes later, and gets the same operator, Sweetie*. Sweetie is subsequently yelled at by Liter, and told that Liter wants someone "smarter" than the last doctor Liter spoke with - specifically, Liter wants the attending physician, because the doctor originally paged was "dumb". When it was explained that the doctor called *was* the attending, Liter then stated that there HAD to be someone else there who wasn't as DUMB as the on-call doctor, and wanted someone "smarter" than Sweetie.

Sweetie places Liter on hold, and gets our lead, Orbit*, on the line. Orbit goes through and lets Liter scream and rant and rave about everything, and then explains that we have a Patient Advocate office that can deal with the issue, and provides the number for them. Mind you, it's a Saturday night, at 8pm... Liter demands to speak with the President of the hospital... Because that's a reasonable request... The request is refused, and Orbit explains again what the options are. Liter hangs up.

Liter's significant other, Planar*, calls in. Planar gets yours truly, and goes off on me on how this is an issue that started back about a month ago, and wasn't addressed by the hospital, so Planar is addressing it now... Seems that the grandchild was born and had what Planar and Liter feel was inadaquate care, as did the grandchild's mother... But it's an issue that's almost a month old... I, having NO idea at this point that Planar's family has called twice already about the issue and has been abusive both times, offer the patient advocates office - which Planar immediately wants to know WHY this office would be offered, since the issue is with the hospital administration and the head of the delivery unit.

I let Planar know what our Patient Advocate office was able to do, but that's not good enough because they're not open right then - Planar wants to speak with someone *RIGHT NOW*. So - I offer to page the Administrator on Duty for Planar, who agrees. I get a call back from the Administrator, and am told that they're very busy, but to please let them know what the phone # is and they would call Planar back as soon as they could.

I let Planar know, and am told that there should be someone above the Administrator. I quietly point out that said Administrator is given that title for a reason, and they're there to oversee all issues within the hospital during the off hours. Since their main focus is issues within the hospital, it could take some time to get back to Planar. Planar makes a snarky comment about how nice it would have been to have had such a thing when the issue was still going on, that way the grandchild would not have had their life threatened. I pointed out that there had been ample time to address the issue at that point, however, unfortunately, apparently it hadn't been addressed and I was sorry for that.

After taking down Planar's number and sending it on to the Administrator, Sweetie and I start talking about the family - and Orbit gets into the discussion and we all compare notes - apparently the issue had to do with not getting the physical equipment necessary to breast-feed or store breast-milk from the hospital... Something that I was never aware that ANY hospital gave out normally. And apparently the issue was never addressed at the time, but instead was only now being brought up to hospital administration. Apparently at one point Liter threatened legal action, stating that they were "lawyering up".

No more than 10 minutes goes by and, unknown to either Sweetie or I, Liter calls back, AGAIN - this time getting the third of our little quad crew of the evening, Cookey*, who pages the Administrator again at Liter's demand.

The Admin calls back, and after talking with Orbit, gets transferred over to Cookey, who connects the Admin with Liter. We all commence to talking about the whole issue, and how idiotic it is that someone is going through all of this trouble for something that could have been taken care of at the very beginning of the issue - had they only said something then.

The Administrator ends up calling back yet again, and says that apparently, Liter decided to be JUST as rude and uncooperative to them as Liter had been to all of us - and we were not to page for the family again, but instead let the Patient Advocate's office take care of things on Monday. At this point, I'm totally amazed. They finally get the one person who could have at least listened to the issue - and instead of being polite and positive, they're rude, pushy and downright arrogant regarding everything - thus guaranteeing no help whatsoever... And for what? An issue that, had they simply said something in the first place, would probably never have had time to fester.

On the other hand, apparently some people *like* being pissy just for the sake of being pissy.

~M

*Names have been changed - I like it better that way.

It's a long way, baby.

Anyone who tries to convince me that cigarettes are not addictive is going to be up for a serious smack-down! My poor, dear husband is currently living proof.

After being tobacco-free for the last 10 months, his cravings finally got the better of him today, much to his dismay and horror. Poor Fred had been doing so well – other than the “normal” cravings that most people have once they quit (daily, small 1-2 minute cravings that are fairly easy to ignore if doing something else). Today was something akin to what happened 3 weeks after he first quit, where he almost cracked because he was in so much physical and mental agony.

He is going to start over again tomorrow. I am sad that he cracked, but I also understand, having been dealing with my own addictions most of my life – just as insidious, and just as hard to control. I had to remind him that no one said it was easy to do, and that I loved him, and would continue to support him through this.

Quitting *is* a hard thing to do, regardless of what anyone says. There are a very few people who can simply up and quit cold turkey, and not have any side effects or any issues whatsoever. Those are the lucky ones. Most people end up like Fred, or sometimes even worse. Some never quit successfully at all, because it’s so difficult for them.

If you genuinely *like* to smoke, then that’s your choice and it’s up to you. BUT - If you don’t like it, and you want to quit, contact your local pharmacy for options that are available to you, or your physician. The American Lung Cancer Society also has options available to keep you smoke-free. Many work-places and health insurance companies are now providing smoking cessation programs, so check into them as well.

Most of all, if you have a family member that has decided to quit smoking, be supportive. They are doing something that is going to be difficult, but ultimately positive for everyone around.

~M

Happy Birthday, Girlie!

Yes, indeed - my adorable little Anxiety-monster has a birthday today. I just saw her on Thursday, but (as usual) my "mommy" instinct blocked out the fact that she's older than I actually *want* her to be. *chuckle*

The pics Lil (her amazing Mum) put up of her in her halloween costumes prove once again that she needs to be locked in her room until all men are castrated, or blind (just kidding). I should not look at a pic of my teen god-daughter and think "hell, she looks pretty sexy." (Not kidding, now am looking around for sand, feeling rather unclean).

In all honesty, though, Anxiety has turned out to be an amazing young lady, filled with self-confidence, intelligence and smarts, and I'm constantly impressed with her ability to deal with day-to-day stuff that happens around her. She is rapidly moving toward adult-hood, but at the same time, keeps her head level and stays close to the fact that she's still a kid, wanting and needing kid-type things. All in all, a great young woman, destined for great things.

So, Happy Birthday, girlie! Fred and I are both SO impressed with you.

Hugs and loves!

~M

Almost there...

This weekend is going to be one of cleaning while I'm at home (slowly), and working (obviously, while I'm at work).

Fred, my uber-fabulous hubby has cooked me spaghetti for dinner, which I will happily scarf down once I get home tonight around midnight, and most likely will pack the rest up for lunch tomorrow at work. Yay me!

He also moved the fabric dresser over to the spare room, and cleaned our closet to resemble something other than a sty. I was very happy to learn that the camping gear got stored away for the year and stuff that we simply don't use was pulled out to be either tossed or given away. Yay him!

I'm sending Fred over to the Pirate Festival on the 22nd to pick up more fabric - a nice gal at a stall there has agreed to hand over a LOT of teal rayon-type fabric to me. Since I have to work, it'll be Fred's job to get it. And on the 23rd, we the people from 1800GOTJUNK coming by to pick up the old mattress and a box of toys. I've decided that the fabric I'm giving away (scraps or stuff I simply won't use EVER) will go to the shire along with Josh's old clothing that no longer fits. I'm sure they can find uses for most of it - even if it's only for trimming things.

Small annoyance currently is that even after the mattress is gone, I will still need to wait to get a table into the room... I don't have a way to really transport it until Mum comes down for the baby shower - which means another month, unless someone is awesome enough to not only own a truck, but be willing to pick up and drop off said table at the house. *sigh* Meanwhile, I will have the rest of my sewing stuff completely sorted out and ready to go, taunting me. *chuckle*

I got a birthing ball last night. I broke down finally, realizing that my back and legs simply weren't going to allow me to do the "curling up on the sofa" thing anymore - not until well after the baby is born. My back is killing me, and my legs are constantly trying to fall asleep, unless I continually move. I got home, hand-pumped the darned thing up last night (25 minutes worth - definitely a work-out inof itself), and tried it out. Comfy! Totally comfy! I may get another one for work, just so I can have something to trade off with. I need it, lemme tell ya. I can just imagine taking it up to the hot site on the bus... fully pumped up. The bus is normally standing-room only when I get on it... it'll be amusing, to say the least.

In any case, nothing much more to say, other than I need to get more tiger balm - my back is still hurting. Oh, and a dentist, too... It wants a filling, or a pulling - one or the other.

~M

TGIO (thank gods its over)

I mean, in fact, the remembrances of 9-11. Now, before you get all up in arms about how horrible I am to not want to remember all of those who died that day, let me ask you: How many of you make a pilgrimage each year to the Vietnam War memorial - or even to your local war memorial? How many of you know the significance of April 19, 1995? It's not that I don't want to remember those who died on 9-11 - it's that it has become so large, and so immense in our minds, that we've forgotten others who have died as well.

Not only that, but there's a link in our minds now that "all terrorist acts must be from Muslim separatists and the like". Yet, neither Timothy McVeigh nor Terry Nichols were Muslim - in fact, the bombing was in retribution to the FBI attack on the Branch Davidian compound the year prior. While recognized as a cult, the Branch Davidians certainly could not be connected or construed to be Muslim in any way.

Since the beginning of 1974, our country has been directly targeted by49 separate incidents - possibly more. Yet we are only aware of one... Perhaps it's because the scale of carnage is so high - yet I think there's another part to it as well... We have become the channel-flipping nation, the drama-llama nation - if it doesn't make headlines for more than two weeks, we forget about it. If we haven't heard about it for over a year, we forget about it. It simply ceases to be important to us.

It doesn't change the fact, however, that others outside the 9-11 attacks died in terrorist attacks, whether they were planned by Muslim extremists or not. It doesn't change the fact that hundreds, perhaps even thousands of lives were irreparably changed PRIOR to 9-11-01. Nor does it change the fact that no one will remember them, outside of their direct families.

Instead of remembering just one terrorist event on US soil, involving US citizens, how about remembering them ALL. Instead of focusing on one single incident, look back and see how many others lost their lives for just being, literally, in the wrong place at the wrong time. Try being something other than what the media expects you to be - a TV channel-flipper with a 15-second memory capacity.

No - I don't want to remember those who died on 9-11... or at least, I don't want to JUST remember those men and women. I want to remember them all. As they deserve to be remembered. As mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, sons and daughters. As friends and family, and as members of my country. I want to give them the respect that they ALL deserve.

~M

And now... We commence to cleaning!

Yes, dear readers... Today is the day I clean out my closet of all my fabric and projects, place them into MUCH better boxes (the sturdy plastic kind you can see into to see what's in there), and move them into the spare bedroom (soon to be the baby's room and my sewing room).

It's my last day off before heading back to work. I figured I'd better do something that was somehow worthy of cleaning (of a sort), and would somehow help with the storing and sorting that has been needing to go on for some time. After today, the closet in our bedroom should be (relatively) clean and tidy, and so should the closet in the spare bedroom.

Yesterday, I went through all of the shelves that still had stuff on them of Speedboy. I found LOTS of broken toys, and toys that he never played with after we purchased them. The broken toys will be going to the garbage, while the ones he has not played with for over a year will be moving along to Goodwill or somesuch. There are two boxes that are his - one is filled with stuff he needs to go through when he comes back up here. The other will be shipped down to him on my next paycheck, and includes a lot more books and his tennis shoes.

The one LARGE thing that I still need which will make this room truly into a sewing room is this:


I need a wooden-topped banquet table... I have a piece of foam that will work top it, and a piece of cotton to go over the top of that, to turn it into a workable sewing and cutting table. I just need the table. Currently, I have less than $20 in my bank account, so... Unless someone gifts it to me, I'll be waiting until I have enough to purchase it AND a way to get it over to my house... No car equals a bloody pain in transportation. *sigh*

In any case, this is my project of the day... Yippee. You can tell I'm thrilled. LOL.

~M

Period is as period does...

Well, technically, I was awake this morning at 8:30 am, after sleeping for a good 12 hours. I only woke up a few times in the night to head to the bathroom (podling was dancing on my bladder something fierce).

Checked the bank balance, and found that, after this weekend and my student loans, I will have exactly NO money left in the bank - not even enough for food for the house. *sigh* Thankfully, Fred gets paid Thursday, so some of it will go for food for the house. It's a good thing I like peanut butter and jam sandwiches. And we like chicken and beans.

The event was... well... Over-rated, from my point of view. It's all fine and good that the group up in WA found an SCA-friendly land-owner willing to do renovations and upkeep on a spot that was (relatively) camping-friendly. HOWEVER, I will not go there again. First of all, the gate fee was $23 per person! Yikes! And that's only for 3 days! Apparently, they were there last weekend, too, and it was the same price, and they said if you still had your site token from last weekend, it was good for this weekend, too. And that's fine - but even PENNSIC has a lowered rate as the days go by! Yee gads! And the majority of it was paid to the land-owner. The actual SCA fee was only $9, including the non-member sur-charge. The other $14 went to the land-owner. We're not sure what for (which bugs me), and much of what we saw already there had been paid for from funds received from 40 Year, held there last year.

Secondly, there was the absolutely NO SHADE issue. I can only HOPE that some of the money taken by the land-owner is going to be put toward planting trees throughout the area, so as to make for nicer camping in the future. Trees would have helped immensely, both during the day and at night. We were in a valley, and with no clouds in the sky, it got very cold, VERY quickly. Trees could have helped keep the warmer air down toward us for a while longer, and helped kick some of the fog out from there, too.

Third, it's a LONG way from anything, and wasn't marked very well. It's 133 miles from my house to the nearest town, Randle, WA, which doesn't actually have even a small grocery - and then another 4-5 miles from there to the campsite. Directions should have included "turn off the paved road", then "turn off the county-upkept gravel road", and then "follow the dust and gravel road past the clear-cut areas". The first sign wasn't even found until after you got off the paved road... Apparently last year at 40 Year, ALL the stores were completely sold out of all alcoholic beverages within 50 miles of the campsite - which is saying something, since the exit from I-5 to Randle is 48 miles from the town!

In any case, it was hot, it was sticky, it was sweaty and dirty, and I forgot how cliquish the Washington SCA group is. They are simply NOT friendly in any way, shape or form to those outside of their little group. That and, for some reason, they've forgotten that the SCA is one big game of "Let's Pretend". Granted, it's a bigger game of "Let's Pretend" than what we used to play when we were 4 and 5 years old, but it's still a game. When we were 4 and 5, it was ok to use a bed-sheet and pretend it was anything from a cape to a tent to a kite to... well, whatever we wanted it to be. In their version, it's not ok to use a bed-sheet as anything other than a bed-sheet - you'd better have purchased or created all your fabric, and made your garb as authentic as possible or they will look down their noses at your attempt and not talk to you. Why? Because you don't look "period" enough to be bothered with.

I am *not* going to be lectured about what is and is not period in the SCA. When I joined, 14 years ago, it was about being as accurate as possible without killing your budget. If that meant that you got a lot of plain sheets from Goodwill and created T-tunics and skirts out of them, then that was a decent attempt, and no one killed you over it. No one even said anything about it. You were attempting, and were willing to learn, and that's what counted. Apparently NOW, it's only good enough if you end up looking like a million bucks - which is extremely hard to do in plain sheets, lemme tell ya.

They don't want to deal with belly dancers, unless they aren't covered in gold mylar, they certainly don't want to deal with piratical personas, and those who are within their first year of events don't get talked to by anyone unless it's a merchant trying to sell something - they, according to most of these would-be SCA perfectionists, aren't trying hard enough yet.

It's interesting... I started as a history buff, in my first year of college. Two or three of the "old-school" people in my area... Duke Sir James Greyhelm and Sir Paul of Somerton, and Vicountess Kareinia Tytar Talvi (well, she wasn't a Vicountess, then, but was very well known). They all were famous in their own right within the SCA. I had no idea - I just knew they looked nifty, loved history, and were delightfully friendly and outgoing. They suggested how I could go forth and, for very little expense, put together some pretty decent garb, and get involved with things that I might like.

I started with doing some dancing, some voice heralding, and just generally sitting next to anyone I could to learn from them. No one minded, no one looked down their noses at me, and no one told me that I didn't look "period" because I wore tennis shoes (I couldn't afford custom-fitted footgear, and tennies were comfy).

When I moved to Portland, I got into painting and illumination, as well as a little more heraldry - the paper and book kind, as well as studying different portions of history that were more favorites of mine than others. I improved my garb, using my sewing talents I'd gained from when I was a seamstress in the theatre department at college. I also created simple, good-looking, inexpensive garb to add to the gold key box for the area I was in. Why? Because I felt it was important to give back what I'd learned to those who came in, interested in what we did.

Yes, I had a few items that weren't exactly period. No, I didn't hand-sew my garb together. No, I didn't shear my own sheep, beat my own flax, weave the fabric together, etc... and my shoes were made on a right and left last (that's a shoe shaper, for those interested), though they were better than they could have been - birks or fisherman shoes, instead of tennis shoes. They looked good with the garb, and were still comfy.

So... With all that said, I think I will avoid most events on the north side of the Oregon border. I just can't get behind people who could care less about those who would continue on with the SCA in the future, once the "old-timers" are gone. Instead of giving information, advice and recommendations like a positive mentor, they give the impression that no one new is welcome unless they have both money and resources to already know everything there is to know about the SCA. And that's just not how I operate.

~M

MMMmmmm... Sleep dep...

So, here I sit at work. It's one of my vacation days. Apparently I don't get to have the 2 hours off for the #$%^%&#$*% "mandatory" meeting that my boss has decided is OH SO important... Important enough that she threatened my job if I didn't come, so I got up at 3am from mid-northern Washington where Fred and I had *FINALLY* managed to get to an event together, and drove down for the bloody thing.

Not only that but I have to re-fill the tank of the car in order to make it back up to pick up Fred, Geoff and the gear, and then make it home. I'm SO not impressed right now. In fact, I'm pretty damned pissed. After the day I'd had Thursday, I now have to deal with this.

Oh, and a double-fun thing happened on my way down: I-5 was closed just as it crosses the bridge from Washington into Oregon. The Washington side had everything blocked, but didn't have ANY detours clearly marked, and ended up sending me across to I-205, about 5 miles out of my way, only to head down, and back over I-85 to go BACK into downtown so I could make it to work. Gah! I was so tired and frustrated, I started sobbing.

All of this along with trying desperately not to fall asleep because I only had about 2 hours of sleep total from yesterday. To say that I'm underwhelmed would indicate somehow that I was, at one point, whelmed in the first place.

Marianne says I should talk with our union rep about filing a grievence since I had a vacation day put in for today - and for the mileage. I get the feeling that it's not going to do any good... While another rep DID get her full day off, I have the feeling she put hers in prior to having the dates scheduled...

Bloody, gods-forsaken blasted mandatory meetings. I got 5 acres of ass - they should be kissing LOTS at this point. Fuq'ers.

~M

Life goes on...

Even if we don't want it to. I have not been dealing very well with Shady's passing. You might say I was simply avoiding it. The fact of the matter is, I simply didn't have the kind of time I needed to grieve in one fell swoop. Unlike when immediate family dies, you don't get time off when a beloved pet passes away. Sunday ended up being a work-day, so I had to go in.

I've been slowly getting used to the idea of her not being here, but it's difficult not to expect her to come trotting out of the bedroom looking for me when I come home, or feel her weight on my shoulder as I wake up in the morning. I find myself wondering where she is, only to have the truth immediately slapped into the front of my brain and I wonder what I was thinking in the first place. I cried most of the day Sunday at work, in between calls, and went through about 3/4 of a box of tissue. Then I didn't cry again until last night. I couldn't - I couldn't afford to be distracted from my job to where I had been on Sunday - my boss wouldn't understand and I didn't want to face a lecture on "responsibility" and the "just a cat" speech.

So, last night, I finally talked to Fred about it again, and started crying because I could - and because I at least had a few hours to give over to it. I slept horribly last night, again, and this morning headed over to the hill to our "hot site" - the on-site call center where we are to get a taste of how the hospital works...

Which is interesting because we're in the basement of an office building, not in the main hospital - not even on the main drag of the hospital. We're in a back room of another office, also NOT patient-related at all, that we end up having to enter and exit from the back office door so as not to bother the doctors and office members that come in for help from that office. In short, the hot site is the red-headed step-child of the hospital.

I got there at 6:45 this morning to make sure that I got there on time, and had time to set my computer up - because, you see, we don't have desktops - they're laptops, with wireless mice and keyboards. We have to lock them up at night, which involves unplugging everything, turning everything off, shutting everything down, and putting them into locking cubbies. I *knew* how to shut everything down and close everything up, since I'd been there for half a day, a few weeks earlier...

However, setting UP is another matter entirely. The "instructions" do not go through how to set up the computer for boot-up at all, and if you'd never used a laptop or a wireless mouse or keyboard (hey - I'm just not that tech-savvie - I don't have one at home!), you can easily get confused... Especially when you have 12 of the bloody things to choose from.

So, here I am, thinking that I'm going to be let in by someone. I know there's someone in the office, but they won't open the door. I call the main call center, to find out who else is going to be there, etc. No one. I get to talk with campus security to get them to open the door. Then I have to track down where they moved the computers to, since they re-arranged everything from last time I was there.

I finally find the computers, but fail to realize that I must get the keyboard and mouse that matches the number on the computer - because the "instructions" don't say that. I haven't quite had enough caffeine in me yet, so I am oblivious even to how to turn the damned thing on - I worked on ONE laptop ONE time prior to this, and its on/off switch was on the side... This one had the on/off switch up at the top of it's internal keyboard.

After several trial-and-error things, I call the call center again, and the lead walks me through - all the while lecturing me on how I should have TOLD someone that I hadn't been trained on any of this... My response was "I was expecting someone else to be here WITH me, for exactly that reason. It's not as though I made the schedules." The final parting shot from the lead was "Well, next time they ask you to do something that you're not trained for, you need to tell them." My thought was "Well, next time they decide to schedule me for something, they ought to ASK me whether I'm trained for it, as a just-in-case measure, since they have the scheduling history to look UP."

After I *finally* got the bloody computer to boot up, and the keyboard and mouse to work with it, I managed to get to page 1 of the "instruction" set, and followed it through. After that, it was business as usual. Linda came in around 8:30, and was amazed at the day I'd already had - and pissed that they had ended up doing this type of crap to me...

It was... interesting. At least Linda is cool to work with.

~M

Goodbyes are never easy...

And they weren't any easier last night, either. At 11:22pm, my dear cat Shady passed away in the arms of my beloved husband, Fred. Unfortunately, I was still waiting for the bus to pick me up from work so I could make it home, so I wasn't able to touch her prior to her passing.

Death is never easy, and even less so when the one leaving has been with you a long time. I'd had Shady since I was 12 years old, and she was barely 4 months old. That means she was 21 when she passed away, a long and decidedly full life lived.

The only times we weren't together was my early college years, when I wasn't allowed to have pets in the dorm. She stayed with my mother then, but she still knew me as her mama, and cuddled with me (after she'd gotten over the sulks at being left behind) whenever I visited.

She dealt with my long-term and, ultimately, disasterous relationship with my ex, whom she did NOT like at all, and my short-term relationship with my (now) friend Vlad whom she DID like. She watched me drag myself out of bed at dawn and put myself into bed well after dusk while I was going to school and working, and she snuggled under the covers with me when it got cold and she wanted to be near me.

She moved with me into Fred's apartment, all the while threatening to ignore him and speedboy, only to move to grudging admiration and then finally to adoration of Fred and tolerance of Speedboy.

She went through being the low kitten on the totem pole to being a single cat household, ruling the roost. Throughout it all she was quirky and a little off at times, but endlessly loyal to me, her bestest bud and mama.

I miss her desperately. We buried her today in a nice spot behind the apartment complex. We can see it from our window, and can visit easily whenever we want. I've decided to get a marble or granite memorial stone for her, so that we have something to remember her by, besides just the loving memories of how much she touched our hearts.

I can only say that I did the best by her that I could, and that ultimately, that included letting her go when she needed to.

~M

A poem for a beloved one...

The Last Battle

If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done,
For this -- the last battle -- can't be won.
You will be sad I understand,
But don't let grief then stay your hand,
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.
We have had so many happy years,
You wouldn't want me to suffer so.
When the time comes, please, let me go.
Take me to where to my needs they'll tend,
Only, stay with me till the end
And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do to me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I have been saved.
Don't grieve that it must be you
Who has to decide this thing to do;
We've been so close -- we two -- these years,
Don't let your heart hold any tears.

-- Unknown

For Sale! Tudor / Elizabethan Dress & Underpinnings

This dress was made by me for my first wedding, and has been worn 3 times. It is in relatively perfect condition, with only a few pearls needing to be re-sewn on. I currently do not have pics of it, but will be willing to pop some up once I have scanned in some from the wedding.

It fit me perfectly until the last time, when I found I was getting a little large for it. It should fit a person who is between 5'4" (heels) and 5'7" (flats) tall, and a rib-cage of about 38"-40" around.

The underpinnings are all based on the Tudor design, and the hoop skirt is not belled out as far as later Elizabethan styles. The hoop skirt has metal hooping purchased from Hedgehog Handworks, dipped in plastic coating to keep from rusting.

The corset is 15 oz cotton duck, with 1/2" metal stays purchased from Hedgehog Handworks, dipped in plastic coating to cover rough edges and keep from rusting.

The corset is made in typical Tudor style, that is to say that it turns the upper portion of the body into a tube, NOT an hourglass.

Underpinnings include the following:
corset with tabs, fitting a 40" ribcage and waist
hoop skirt with drawstring waist
bum roll with long ties

The underskirt is made of cotton for the back, and cream-on-cream patterned brocade in front. The pattern is a large diamond patch pattern, with 3 different designs alternating between a fleur-di-lis, small checkers, and one small diamond in the middle. Each of the intersections has a large, freshwater pearl hand-sewn at it. Each one of the small diamonds has a small, freshwater pearl hand-sewn on it. The waistband has two hook-and-eye closures at the back, which can be re-positioned as needed.

The overskirt is upholstery-grade black cotton velvet. The cartridge-pleats are hand-sewn in, and a 1" wide braid follows the front of the skirt from the waistband down the split, and around the skirt, about 10" from the bottom. Amethests are hand-sewn on the vertical braid. The closure is two heavy-duty hook and eyes, which can be moved as necessary.

The bodice has attached black cotton velvet sleeves in a large bell cut, split from shoulder to wrist and gathered there into a cuff. They are edged with 1" cream braid, trimmed with amethests. The shoulders are topped with a crescent puff of fabric, sewn with gold braid on a diagonal. The body of the bodice has an inset of cream-on-cream brocade at the front, edged on either side with 1" cream braid, trimmed with amethests. The rest of the body of the bodice is black cotton velvet. The closure of the bodice is hook and eye tape at the back, with a privacy panel fold, and can be adjusted as necessary.

I am asking $200 for this, OBO. I will include a small bag of freshwater pearls in varying sizes, as well as a beading needle and thread for repair.

~M