So I spoke with my ex-supervisor on Wednesday. He said that I'd be getting paperwork for the remaining days that I wasn't currently getting paid for. Supposedly, I'm going to get short-term disability paperwork from them to send in to the leave people after having my Dr fill it out as well, and then if they approve it, I'll get paid. Meanwhile, I've had to use the $300 that Mum sent me for new clothes for bills instead. *sigh* I haven't seen the paperwork yet. If I don't get it today, I'm calling him on Monday and finding out what the fuq'ue is going on.
On the other hand, my new job at BPH is going really, really well. I've picked up a lot of what they normally say takes a while to get. I was listening Monday and Tuesday, then by Tuesday afternoon I was actually taking calls with my "umbilical cord" attached (it's the splitter line, that allows someone else to be with me, listening in). Wednesday morning I insisted on taking time to review the information that had been given to me in a stack about 2" thick, and started actually putting 2 and 2 together and making sense of what was going on.
I also made a few new acquaintences there already, which is nice. One of the girls who's been training me is incredibly organized (I adore that!) and has been my favorite person to train with. That, and she has a lovely sense of humor. Turns out, she and another co-worker play 2nd ed D&D *BIG GRIN*. So, there's something else that we have in common to chat about.
I'm going to end up doing weekends for now, but when they get more people in, I can switch to a different schedule. As long as they don't expect me to be there at 6am, which is physically impossible for me (I don't have a vehicle, it takes an hour on the bus, and the first bus arrives at my door at 5:48AM - if it's on time), it'll all be good. Also, I get to work 10's again - yay! I actually like working 10's, if only because I get an extra day to get stuff done.
Mum's wanting me to come up for Thanksgiving. If I get the schedule I want, it may be possible, but only if we go up Wednesday evening, and then leave Friday night, since I'd have to work Saturday... But we'll see how the money situation is and everything. I'm hoping, though, that we'll have enough to rent a vehicle for the drive up and back. Sister will be in Hospital for a foot surgery, so neither Fred nor I will have to deal with her for Thanksgiving.
So, that's the update here for now... The photo shoot with Percy went really well. I love the shots we ended up getting. We lightened them just a bit, since they were a little too dark, and as soon as we're done with editing the video footage, we'll send everything in. Yay.
And now, I get to go have a talk with Speedboy about having no more ice in his water, as he can't seem to keep the freezer door closed... It was open all night long, and now everything's defrosted. Yippee... *sigh*
~M
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Panicked... But in other news...
So, I'm totally stressing out now... Splat is trying to only pay me for 16 hours out of the two weeks I was off work... It's supposed to be here on Friday, and they will "generously" cut me another check for 8 hours of excused with pay leave - which leaves 56 hours unaccounted for - which I need in order to cover such silly things as rent and bills. ACH!
I've threatened them with union or BOLI action if they don't pay me - I have NO idea when they're going to get back to me on it, and I have NO idea what I'm going to do in the meantime - but I have $6 left in my account, so that's something, right? *chuckle*
Bleh - so much for a lot of sleep for me this week... I can't believe that Splat is still causing so much stress to me. Urg.
On the other hand, the new job is going swimmingly. I'm a little overwhelmed with all the info they want me to learn immediately (sort of), and since the call center is so small, there's not really an official training class at all. So, I get to sit with people for a week or so and then jump on the phones. On the other hand, it's a lot more laid back than Splat, and while they expect certain things of you, it's not without logic, so that's ok.
And now I have to go pack lunch for myself...
~M
I've threatened them with union or BOLI action if they don't pay me - I have NO idea when they're going to get back to me on it, and I have NO idea what I'm going to do in the meantime - but I have $6 left in my account, so that's something, right? *chuckle*
Bleh - so much for a lot of sleep for me this week... I can't believe that Splat is still causing so much stress to me. Urg.
On the other hand, the new job is going swimmingly. I'm a little overwhelmed with all the info they want me to learn immediately (sort of), and since the call center is so small, there's not really an official training class at all. So, I get to sit with people for a week or so and then jump on the phones. On the other hand, it's a lot more laid back than Splat, and while they expect certain things of you, it's not without logic, so that's ok.
And now I have to go pack lunch for myself...
~M
Saturday, September 23, 2006
An Odd little creature...
My cat eats gourmet onion rolls... I have no idea why. I didn't know she would even *like* such things, except that I got some last night for today's photo shoot. I decided that we could do with just 4 of them, instead of 6, so I ate one (Fred ate the other one).
Whilst eating it, she perked up and started muttering at me as she usually does. She likes to inspect my food - she doesn't normally EAT the food, just inspects it to see whether it's good for me or not... So, in the spirit of mama / baby-cat relations, I offered her a small piece. And she ate it; and then begged for MORE! It wasn't as though it even smelled of butter - or tasted of butter. I was eating it plain. No meat, no nothing...
She ate about 2 normal-sized human bites worth of it, all the while with me looking at her as though she was crazy. She's currently licking her chops and looking immensely satisfied... Fred offered her some of his, and she licked at it, but was apparently done for the day.
Odd little thing.
Speaking of, the photo shoot today will be of a serving wench style. I'm letting the other model pick out her clothing first, as I know that all of it looks good on me. ;-) I even have out the crystal salt cellars with their little spoons... Posh, eh?
~M
Whilst eating it, she perked up and started muttering at me as she usually does. She likes to inspect my food - she doesn't normally EAT the food, just inspects it to see whether it's good for me or not... So, in the spirit of mama / baby-cat relations, I offered her a small piece. And she ate it; and then begged for MORE! It wasn't as though it even smelled of butter - or tasted of butter. I was eating it plain. No meat, no nothing...
She ate about 2 normal-sized human bites worth of it, all the while with me looking at her as though she was crazy. She's currently licking her chops and looking immensely satisfied... Fred offered her some of his, and she licked at it, but was apparently done for the day.
Odd little thing.
Speaking of, the photo shoot today will be of a serving wench style. I'm letting the other model pick out her clothing first, as I know that all of it looks good on me. ;-) I even have out the crystal salt cellars with their little spoons... Posh, eh?
~M
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
General Rantings...
So, I get to start my new job (all things willing) as of Monday the 25th. The good news is that I have clothing to wear to said job. The bad news, it's only going to last me about 3 days, and then I'll be out of suitable clothing (no pun intended). I did get new undies and 2 new pairs of shoes for the office, both of which are amazingly comfy. Yay me! But - it's still a lack of clothing OVER said undies and shoes that's a problem.
Indeed - they're a professional dress office - which means that I've had to write Mum begging her to allow me to cash in the offer she made several years ago to buy me a new wardrobe. I'm hoping she will say yes, and that she'll be able to deposit said $$ prior to this weekend, so I can take Sunday and go shopping. Here's hoping...
*****************
I found out that there are those on the fringes of my life who are still determined to try and make my life miserable by trying to force mutual friends to take sides about the breakup between Fred and his ex-girlfriend. It annoys me to no end that such people apparently have nothing better to do than try and convince people that the break-up was completely and utterly MY fault, and that if I hadn't come along, everything would have been peachy-keen and dandy. Which it wouldn't. It may have lasted a bit longer, but the end would have been the same, and probably just as ugly.
I'm going to say this just ONE MORE TIME - I'm not saying that it WASN'T my fault - but it wasn't ALL my fault. It was just as much the other two participants in the relationship at fault. Everyone got hurt, everyone's lives sucked for a while - and then, two out of three people moved on with their lives. The third, however, decided not to and instead chose to raise little grudges to larger ones, making them doll clothes and feeding them cookies - and in doing so, brought along others who decided that it would be fun to poke at either Fred or me about it, on a semi-regular basis, through mutual friends. Bleh. Get OVER it, already, and find something more interesting and worthwhile to do with your time! Like volunteer for seal clean-up at the beach or something.
The only good news about THAT little incident is that the friend in question said in no uncertain terms that they weren't going to choose sides, period - neener neener - and if there was going to be a forced issue about it, the friend would choose their OWN side. I applaud that, honestly. I never expected anyone to choose my side, or Fred's, or his ex's. I expected them to let it be, and let the drama die down to a dull roar, and go back to life in general.
**************
Fred got mildly accosted on the bus yesterday on the way home. He and another rider were talking about religion, and about why they chose their specific ones (She's apparently an agnostic, he's an athiest, formerly Wiccan). His reasoning was simple: There is no religion that, when followed properly, advocates the killing or abuse of one person by another. However - so far, there hasn't been a single religion out there that actually follows that belief - they may write it, but they have caveats which allow them to wage war on another country, or kill another person, for [insert reason here].
Another rider sitting next to him got literally right up into his face, less than 4 inches away and said "Can I ask you a question then?"
Fred said sure.
The rider asked "Can you name a Buddhist that's started a war?"
Fred smirked and replied "Edo, Japan."
"What?"
"Feudal Japan, otherwise known as the Edo period. Look it up."
The man looked rather startled, and then sat back to think upon it.
While I'm not as up on my religious readings of late, I'm pretty sure that even the original Wiccans and Druids started border wars in the name of whatever God or Goddess they were worshipping. That they don't necessarily BELIEVE in such now is neither here nor there. It happened... I thought it was rather amusing, however, that Fred was able to completely smack this poor bastard down on the bus in less than 5 seconds on a question that the guy probably had no clue on, and/or figured that no other person would know the answer to.
**************
My Paxil hasn't been working for the past week... I feel like I'm on a continuous cycle of detox, with the tingling lips, skin and extremity jerks. I'm thinking something else that I'm on may be blocking it, so I'm stopping the Topamax for the rest of the week and seeing if it helps. I'm hoping that it does - I don't like feeling like I'm about ready to fall over for no reason whatsoever...
**************
My photo shoots have been causing a bit of a stir lately, but not enough for me to actually get PAID. This sort of sucks, since I think I've done MORE than enough work to get some moolah out of it. I understand that the economy is sagging still, and that people's cash is tight - but it would be nice for them to even go for a week trial, which would give me $4.50 per subscriber, and it wouldn't renew them... As I have over 1200 fans across the internet, it would be really nice, indeed - and would make for a good Christmas.
Sigh...
~M
Indeed - they're a professional dress office - which means that I've had to write Mum begging her to allow me to cash in the offer she made several years ago to buy me a new wardrobe. I'm hoping she will say yes, and that she'll be able to deposit said $$ prior to this weekend, so I can take Sunday and go shopping. Here's hoping...
*****************
I found out that there are those on the fringes of my life who are still determined to try and make my life miserable by trying to force mutual friends to take sides about the breakup between Fred and his ex-girlfriend. It annoys me to no end that such people apparently have nothing better to do than try and convince people that the break-up was completely and utterly MY fault, and that if I hadn't come along, everything would have been peachy-keen and dandy. Which it wouldn't. It may have lasted a bit longer, but the end would have been the same, and probably just as ugly.
I'm going to say this just ONE MORE TIME - I'm not saying that it WASN'T my fault - but it wasn't ALL my fault. It was just as much the other two participants in the relationship at fault. Everyone got hurt, everyone's lives sucked for a while - and then, two out of three people moved on with their lives. The third, however, decided not to and instead chose to raise little grudges to larger ones, making them doll clothes and feeding them cookies - and in doing so, brought along others who decided that it would be fun to poke at either Fred or me about it, on a semi-regular basis, through mutual friends. Bleh. Get OVER it, already, and find something more interesting and worthwhile to do with your time! Like volunteer for seal clean-up at the beach or something.
The only good news about THAT little incident is that the friend in question said in no uncertain terms that they weren't going to choose sides, period - neener neener - and if there was going to be a forced issue about it, the friend would choose their OWN side. I applaud that, honestly. I never expected anyone to choose my side, or Fred's, or his ex's. I expected them to let it be, and let the drama die down to a dull roar, and go back to life in general.
**************
Fred got mildly accosted on the bus yesterday on the way home. He and another rider were talking about religion, and about why they chose their specific ones (She's apparently an agnostic, he's an athiest, formerly Wiccan). His reasoning was simple: There is no religion that, when followed properly, advocates the killing or abuse of one person by another. However - so far, there hasn't been a single religion out there that actually follows that belief - they may write it, but they have caveats which allow them to wage war on another country, or kill another person, for [insert reason here].
Another rider sitting next to him got literally right up into his face, less than 4 inches away and said "Can I ask you a question then?"
Fred said sure.
The rider asked "Can you name a Buddhist that's started a war?"
Fred smirked and replied "Edo, Japan."
"What?"
"Feudal Japan, otherwise known as the Edo period. Look it up."
The man looked rather startled, and then sat back to think upon it.
While I'm not as up on my religious readings of late, I'm pretty sure that even the original Wiccans and Druids started border wars in the name of whatever God or Goddess they were worshipping. That they don't necessarily BELIEVE in such now is neither here nor there. It happened... I thought it was rather amusing, however, that Fred was able to completely smack this poor bastard down on the bus in less than 5 seconds on a question that the guy probably had no clue on, and/or figured that no other person would know the answer to.
**************
My Paxil hasn't been working for the past week... I feel like I'm on a continuous cycle of detox, with the tingling lips, skin and extremity jerks. I'm thinking something else that I'm on may be blocking it, so I'm stopping the Topamax for the rest of the week and seeing if it helps. I'm hoping that it does - I don't like feeling like I'm about ready to fall over for no reason whatsoever...
**************
My photo shoots have been causing a bit of a stir lately, but not enough for me to actually get PAID. This sort of sucks, since I think I've done MORE than enough work to get some moolah out of it. I understand that the economy is sagging still, and that people's cash is tight - but it would be nice for them to even go for a week trial, which would give me $4.50 per subscriber, and it wouldn't renew them... As I have over 1200 fans across the internet, it would be really nice, indeed - and would make for a good Christmas.
Sigh...
~M
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Health Coverage Jokes...
Well, technically, the joke ends up being on all the rest of us. I suppose it wouldn't be so bad, if there were actually some verifiable and reasonable limits on how high offices and pharmacutical companies could charge us for visits and prescriptions (respectively).
I had my offer interview yesterday with the Pet Hospital. The offer is fabu - except for the health insurance. The recruiter himself admitted that it was nothing to write home about... He was right, at least if you were attempting to write anything positive. It's a PPO provider, centered out of Denver (or as they put it "metro-Denver"), Colorado. I knew it was a bad sign when I'd never heard of them before - ever...
I figured, however, that I'd give them the benefit of the doubt and look at what they had to offer. I have 90 days in which to figure out what it all is, what they mean, and get everything straightened out so that I can continue on with health care of ANY sort.
The good news: Preventative care - physicals, paps, yearly exams - they're all 100% covered. No co-pays, nada. Also, they only take out $9.00 per paycheck for the medical side of coverage (dental and optical are separate entities entirely - as usual).
The bad news: They only cover 70% of anything else - this includes prescriptions... I thought this was rather interesting, considering that most PPO's and HMO's are on a sliding percentage scale of $10, $15 and $30, or some variant of that. This means, for those people on particularly expensive medications, that they're basically schtupped on a monthly basis. For instance - without my current insurance, my Paxil CR, 25 mg pill would cost me $107.99. There is no generic form of said pill, so I'm stuck with it. Under the new insurance, I'd be paying $32.40 instead of $20. While this isn't a LOT - it's more than I normally expect to pay... Also, the next 3 months, I'll be paying the $107.99 in order to get the @#$%$#@ stuff covered, since I can't go without, unless I wish to be psycho. Which I don't.
Granted - there are some options out there for a discount card, which I'm currently applying for as I sit here - if only because it's going to be the only way I can get through this for the next few months.
The other pisser about this insurance company? I will have to change doctors. Mind you - this is the doctor that I've had for the past 8 years. She got me my weight loss surgery, and has been through all the crap that I've had to deal with regarding migraines, my mood swings, my divorce... everything. And her name is the same as mine - which just makes her cooler. I can't believe that the office isn't in their PPO list.
I've written them, but it probably won't be for at least a week before I hear back from them about it. gah. I hate having to change doctors. I really do. This one is a top-notch OB-Gyn, as well... If Fred and I actually ended up preggers, I'd want HER to deliver the baby.
*sigh*
~M
I had my offer interview yesterday with the Pet Hospital. The offer is fabu - except for the health insurance. The recruiter himself admitted that it was nothing to write home about... He was right, at least if you were attempting to write anything positive. It's a PPO provider, centered out of Denver (or as they put it "metro-Denver"), Colorado. I knew it was a bad sign when I'd never heard of them before - ever...
I figured, however, that I'd give them the benefit of the doubt and look at what they had to offer. I have 90 days in which to figure out what it all is, what they mean, and get everything straightened out so that I can continue on with health care of ANY sort.
The good news: Preventative care - physicals, paps, yearly exams - they're all 100% covered. No co-pays, nada. Also, they only take out $9.00 per paycheck for the medical side of coverage (dental and optical are separate entities entirely - as usual).
The bad news: They only cover 70% of anything else - this includes prescriptions... I thought this was rather interesting, considering that most PPO's and HMO's are on a sliding percentage scale of $10, $15 and $30, or some variant of that. This means, for those people on particularly expensive medications, that they're basically schtupped on a monthly basis. For instance - without my current insurance, my Paxil CR, 25 mg pill would cost me $107.99. There is no generic form of said pill, so I'm stuck with it. Under the new insurance, I'd be paying $32.40 instead of $20. While this isn't a LOT - it's more than I normally expect to pay... Also, the next 3 months, I'll be paying the $107.99 in order to get the @#$%$#@ stuff covered, since I can't go without, unless I wish to be psycho. Which I don't.
Granted - there are some options out there for a discount card, which I'm currently applying for as I sit here - if only because it's going to be the only way I can get through this for the next few months.
The other pisser about this insurance company? I will have to change doctors. Mind you - this is the doctor that I've had for the past 8 years. She got me my weight loss surgery, and has been through all the crap that I've had to deal with regarding migraines, my mood swings, my divorce... everything. And her name is the same as mine - which just makes her cooler. I can't believe that the office isn't in their PPO list.
I've written them, but it probably won't be for at least a week before I hear back from them about it. gah. I hate having to change doctors. I really do. This one is a top-notch OB-Gyn, as well... If Fred and I actually ended up preggers, I'd want HER to deliver the baby.
*sigh*
~M
Monday, September 18, 2006
Somehow, I doubt this...
Since I was in a silly mood, I decided to repeat what others were doing on Google.com, and google my name to see what I "looked like"... Sadly, my screen name didn't come up at all, and a shortened version of it only brought up 3 options. SO - I resorted to my real name, and then decided to also try out my OTHER personality name as well... And thus was born the following answers...
For those who have never done this before, go to www.google.com, and type in "$Name looks like" (keeping the quotations, and replacing $Name with your name - or whatever name you're looking for) and look at the top ten answers... Some of them are just downright odd...
Molly looks like rain clouds over China (I *know* I've been mad before, but that's kind of mean, doncha think?)
Molly looks like a day or two before she releases her babies (Wha...?! I'm not preggers - of that, I can assure you)
Molly looks like her face was set on fire and put out with a brick. (rude! - I don't say such things about others)
Molly looks like the one in the picture, only less fancier (Which "one" is that?)
Molly looks like she is enjoying that branch as much as I enjoy my vino! (This sounds either questionable, or naughty, depending on your leanings...)
Molly looks like a normal human being (HA! Never have I been accused of such)
Molly looks like she's been socked in the gut by RuPaul. (That's mean!)
Molly looks like my cat Norman. (I was expecting something a little more grand - you know - a little less... fuzzy!)
Molly looks like she is a wire-haired Terrier. (Yes, I can be a bitch at times... but the less fuzzy, less cute kind)
Molly looks like the cat that swallowed the canary. (and you'll have to wonder why)
L******* looks like she’s going to have a breakdown. (Hey! I'm better, thank you)
L******* looks like Natalie Wood. (who? I guess I need to google her, now)
L******* looks like she is gonna hop on her back any minute and ride her in an ostrich race. (LOL - that just sounds NASTIFUL)
L******* looks like shes 40! (I do NOT - I'm still quite young-looking, thank you)
L******* looks like she might faint. (Possibly, but only from sheer joy at this point)
L******* looks like she is being squashed. (Only when being hugged by my honey)
L******* looks like she's going to cry. (Only if I'm told I must go back to Splat)
L******* looks like a little doll at times. (I'm not sure how to take this one...)
L******* looks like Nancy Reagan. (This is just disturbing to me)
L******* looks like she's about to speak. (As usual - since I have an opinion about EVERYTHING!)
So, there you have it - a little something odd...
~M
For those who have never done this before, go to www.google.com, and type in "$Name looks like" (keeping the quotations, and replacing $Name with your name - or whatever name you're looking for) and look at the top ten answers... Some of them are just downright odd...
Molly looks like rain clouds over China (I *know* I've been mad before, but that's kind of mean, doncha think?)
Molly looks like a day or two before she releases her babies (Wha...?! I'm not preggers - of that, I can assure you)
Molly looks like her face was set on fire and put out with a brick. (rude! - I don't say such things about others)
Molly looks like the one in the picture, only less fancier (Which "one" is that?)
Molly looks like she is enjoying that branch as much as I enjoy my vino! (This sounds either questionable, or naughty, depending on your leanings...)
Molly looks like a normal human being (HA! Never have I been accused of such)
Molly looks like she's been socked in the gut by RuPaul. (That's mean!)
Molly looks like my cat Norman. (I was expecting something a little more grand - you know - a little less... fuzzy!)
Molly looks like she is a wire-haired Terrier. (Yes, I can be a bitch at times... but the less fuzzy, less cute kind)
Molly looks like the cat that swallowed the canary. (and you'll have to wonder why)
L******* looks like she’s going to have a breakdown. (Hey! I'm better, thank you)
L******* looks like Natalie Wood. (who? I guess I need to google her, now)
L******* looks like she is gonna hop on her back any minute and ride her in an ostrich race. (LOL - that just sounds NASTIFUL)
L******* looks like shes 40! (I do NOT - I'm still quite young-looking, thank you)
L******* looks like she might faint. (Possibly, but only from sheer joy at this point)
L******* looks like she is being squashed. (Only when being hugged by my honey)
L******* looks like she's going to cry. (Only if I'm told I must go back to Splat)
L******* looks like a little doll at times. (I'm not sure how to take this one...)
L******* looks like Nancy Reagan. (This is just disturbing to me)
L******* looks like she's about to speak. (As usual - since I have an opinion about EVERYTHING!)
So, there you have it - a little something odd...
~M
I'm free! FREE, I say!!! FREEEEEEE!!!!!
Yes, dear readers, as of this morning, I have received an offer of a job far and away from the horrors of Splat, Inc. And yes, that really WAS 5 exclaimation points there - the sure sign of someone doing a happy dance with undies on her head. LOL.
I'm totally ecstatic. The pay is good, they're giving me kudo cash for taking the bus (basically paying for my bus pass, though I have to do the footwork for it - which is fine), and I will be in a smaller call center, no longer being micro-managed, with the occasional dog wandering through the center looking for pettings and lovings. Hooray for me!
I go in later this afternoon to look at their "official" job offer paperwork and sign stuff (do the obligitory pee test and background check), and then if I'm lucky, I'll be able to start by next Monday! Whoot!
So - I'm currently bouncing around the house (when not sitting at the computer writing emails to everyone and doing updates in spazz moments) and singing nonsensical lyrics, while my cat is looking at me disapprovingly and muttering that I really should be paying much more attention to *her*, and less to the rash, crazy dancing god and goddess that I'm apparently praying to. *chuckle*
Wheeeee! I'm so happy!
~M
I'm totally ecstatic. The pay is good, they're giving me kudo cash for taking the bus (basically paying for my bus pass, though I have to do the footwork for it - which is fine), and I will be in a smaller call center, no longer being micro-managed, with the occasional dog wandering through the center looking for pettings and lovings. Hooray for me!
I go in later this afternoon to look at their "official" job offer paperwork and sign stuff (do the obligitory pee test and background check), and then if I'm lucky, I'll be able to start by next Monday! Whoot!
So - I'm currently bouncing around the house (when not sitting at the computer writing emails to everyone and doing updates in spazz moments) and singing nonsensical lyrics, while my cat is looking at me disapprovingly and muttering that I really should be paying much more attention to *her*, and less to the rash, crazy dancing god and goddess that I'm apparently praying to. *chuckle*
Wheeeee! I'm so happy!
~M
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Ach! Mein Leibschen!
My mother and I have always had a pretty good relationship. There have been the few odd days wherein I felt she was psycho, but then again, I'm pretty sure she felt the same way about me. We had a fairly good relationship all through my HS years, and when I moved away from home, she was honestly heart-broken, if only because it meant that her "baby" was leaving... I would have thought after raising 5 children (2 of them not directly hers), she would have been leaping for joy. But my mother is one of those rare people who love to take care of others, for the sheer joy of cleaning up after them - though she'll never tell you that.
You see, Mum is CDO - it's like OCD, but it's in alphabetical order, like it should be. Specifically, she's nuts about cleaning. She was lucky, as my father made enough money to allow her to stay home and indulge in said pasttime, which made it virtually impossible to leave a mess lying around as a child. It also meant that I was taught to cook cleanly, bathe cleanly (no water splashes on the floor, etc), play cleanly... Something that was literally unheard of for most children ages 2-7... Even though I could find the world's coolest pile of muck, sand, and clay, I managed NOT to get it all over my clothes most times - and when I did, it wasn't ground in. Why? The fear of the look of overwhelming disappointment on my mother's face.
I only remember her snapping and becoming physically violent with me once - mostly due to something else that wasn't my fault... She ended up dragging me around by my hair at that point (I was 13 or so), until I answered her question. The rest of the time, it was either a disappointed look, or the sigh... The sigh was worse, because it denoted a "I know that I taught you better than this... and yet, here you are..." tone to it. I always ended up feeling about 2 inches tall, and rushed around attempting to make amends for days afterwards to keep from hearing the sigh again.
Mum is coming down this weekend. She was, at first, going to bring the children with her and come down yesterday. I let her know that it probably wasn't a great idea, as it was a 6 hour drive down, and Fred wasn't going to be home until after 6pm - which meant that there'd be no help getting the dresser up the stairs to the 2nd floor apartment where we live until late, which would mean a sleepover... This inof itself wouldn't be bad, but for the two-year-old, who would inevitibly get into EVERYTHING and drive both Fred and I batshit. Not to mention the fact that we had no clue Mum was coming down until Monday night when she called, and we'd just come home from an event - so the apartment, as usual, was thrashed.
She decided instead to do the smart thing, which was to swap vehicles with my sister, drop off the kids with their mother (my sister), and load up the dresser into the van and drive down for a mini-vacation. She'd be here for Pirate Karaoke, which would be fun, and a little mini-visit with me and Fred. I got off the phone with her, and immediately began to panic as my eyes took in the apartment and all its messy glory...
I've been cleaning ever since. Fred's gone from being bemused and slightly guilty to being totally amused and still slightly guilty (he's been working, so hasn't been able to do much in the way of cleaning). I've gone from a slow, slight worry to full-blown panic about the house. It's not clean - it's definitively better than it was, but it's not clean... While I realize that my housekeeping style has always been "yeah, it's cluttered, but there's not much trash wandering around", Mum's housekeeping style has always been "a place for everything, and everything in its place". She once organized my father's workshop, for the love of the Lord and Lady... Why? She was bored!
My head is pounding, my stomach is cramping, my back has seized up, and I no longer have any muscle groups in my upper and mid-back to hold the stress, so it's moved down to my ass and hips... I can't walk, sit, or get up without pain...
I need a margarita... or a valium... or both... Is it too much?
~M
You see, Mum is CDO - it's like OCD, but it's in alphabetical order, like it should be. Specifically, she's nuts about cleaning. She was lucky, as my father made enough money to allow her to stay home and indulge in said pasttime, which made it virtually impossible to leave a mess lying around as a child. It also meant that I was taught to cook cleanly, bathe cleanly (no water splashes on the floor, etc), play cleanly... Something that was literally unheard of for most children ages 2-7... Even though I could find the world's coolest pile of muck, sand, and clay, I managed NOT to get it all over my clothes most times - and when I did, it wasn't ground in. Why? The fear of the look of overwhelming disappointment on my mother's face.
I only remember her snapping and becoming physically violent with me once - mostly due to something else that wasn't my fault... She ended up dragging me around by my hair at that point (I was 13 or so), until I answered her question. The rest of the time, it was either a disappointed look, or the sigh... The sigh was worse, because it denoted a "I know that I taught you better than this... and yet, here you are..." tone to it. I always ended up feeling about 2 inches tall, and rushed around attempting to make amends for days afterwards to keep from hearing the sigh again.
Mum is coming down this weekend. She was, at first, going to bring the children with her and come down yesterday. I let her know that it probably wasn't a great idea, as it was a 6 hour drive down, and Fred wasn't going to be home until after 6pm - which meant that there'd be no help getting the dresser up the stairs to the 2nd floor apartment where we live until late, which would mean a sleepover... This inof itself wouldn't be bad, but for the two-year-old, who would inevitibly get into EVERYTHING and drive both Fred and I batshit. Not to mention the fact that we had no clue Mum was coming down until Monday night when she called, and we'd just come home from an event - so the apartment, as usual, was thrashed.
She decided instead to do the smart thing, which was to swap vehicles with my sister, drop off the kids with their mother (my sister), and load up the dresser into the van and drive down for a mini-vacation. She'd be here for Pirate Karaoke, which would be fun, and a little mini-visit with me and Fred. I got off the phone with her, and immediately began to panic as my eyes took in the apartment and all its messy glory...
I've been cleaning ever since. Fred's gone from being bemused and slightly guilty to being totally amused and still slightly guilty (he's been working, so hasn't been able to do much in the way of cleaning). I've gone from a slow, slight worry to full-blown panic about the house. It's not clean - it's definitively better than it was, but it's not clean... While I realize that my housekeeping style has always been "yeah, it's cluttered, but there's not much trash wandering around", Mum's housekeeping style has always been "a place for everything, and everything in its place". She once organized my father's workshop, for the love of the Lord and Lady... Why? She was bored!
My head is pounding, my stomach is cramping, my back has seized up, and I no longer have any muscle groups in my upper and mid-back to hold the stress, so it's moved down to my ass and hips... I can't walk, sit, or get up without pain...
I need a margarita... or a valium... or both... Is it too much?
~M
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Size doesn't matter - but politeness DOES!
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Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Because Lil did it - and I'm silly...
And because I love this pic, I figured I'd try it... I find it interesting that my ex used to compare me in this photo to Elizabeth I, and an actress who portrayed her is listed here...
Eeek!
I have an interview today at 9:30, and an interview on Friday at 3pm, for two different companies...
Also, mummy is coming down for a visit this weekend - which means that the fall clean sweep which was scheduled for the first full weekend of October will be stepped up to this week and weekend... Oh, and she arrives on Saturday, probably while I'm in the midst of a photo shoot with another model. Oh boy... Should be an interesting weekend all around.
On an upshot, the last event of the season went fairly well. Fred's fire troupe got another donation of toys, and there was a general announcement about what could have happened due to the rumour regarding the cheque situation. yarg and argle. People were generally upset that someone would dare start a rumour that the troupe was underhanded, and it could have ultimately stopped the charity drive (and thus a good holiday season for the kids) from happening.
In any case, I am off to see a few people about a job... Wish me luck.
~M
Also, mummy is coming down for a visit this weekend - which means that the fall clean sweep which was scheduled for the first full weekend of October will be stepped up to this week and weekend... Oh, and she arrives on Saturday, probably while I'm in the midst of a photo shoot with another model. Oh boy... Should be an interesting weekend all around.
On an upshot, the last event of the season went fairly well. Fred's fire troupe got another donation of toys, and there was a general announcement about what could have happened due to the rumour regarding the cheque situation. yarg and argle. People were generally upset that someone would dare start a rumour that the troupe was underhanded, and it could have ultimately stopped the charity drive (and thus a good holiday season for the kids) from happening.
In any case, I am off to see a few people about a job... Wish me luck.
~M
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Annoyances and Drama...
So, the fabulousness that is the charity drive is being threatened by nasty rumours and some ads that no one is able to control (thank you Tribe.com and Google ads).
Apparently, the school has been getting phone calls from people stating that they were told no one would accept checks (*CHECKS*, mind you) made out directly to the school - thus indicating that the money would be diverted elsewhere or some-such thing... This in-of-itself is interesting, since no one in the fire troupe was ever approached about taking checks in the first place.
The school also got complaints from parents who had looked up the fire troupe online and found them on Tribe.com - along with the in-thread ads that sometimes included such lovely items as "find super-sexy singles NOW!". While this is the age of watching male-enhancement adverts on TV (and I personally find those rather amusing), it's not something that's appropriate for advertising a children's school charity. But the big thing about THAT is that there's not a damned thing anyone can do about it. It's powered by GoogleAds.com - and Tribe bloody well refuses to remove the in-thread ads. Their reasoning is supposedly it helps drive revenue in on an otherwise free site. Hmmm.
So - Fred has no idea what's going on, other than the school is currently considering pulling the plug completely on the whole thing. It'd be one thing with just the ads - it's not something anyone could do anything about, and the announcements were taken down as soon as it was reported that there was an issue. The other thing though, about the checks - that's just plain malicious garbage. It's shitty when people decide that they want to screw others for no apparent reason. If there HAD been anyone offering to write checks written out to the school, there wouldn't have been an issue. Hell, Fred said that he would have turned THEM in early, so as not to overdraft those writing them later on.
I don't want all of the charity work that the troupe has done to go down the drain. So - if you happen to have a phone, and some time, and know the troupe, please give the school a call and let them know what a great bunch of people they are, and what they've done in the past. Please. The contact number is on their website, at http://www.transitionalschool.org .
Thanks!
~M
Apparently, the school has been getting phone calls from people stating that they were told no one would accept checks (*CHECKS*, mind you) made out directly to the school - thus indicating that the money would be diverted elsewhere or some-such thing... This in-of-itself is interesting, since no one in the fire troupe was ever approached about taking checks in the first place.
The school also got complaints from parents who had looked up the fire troupe online and found them on Tribe.com - along with the in-thread ads that sometimes included such lovely items as "find super-sexy singles NOW!". While this is the age of watching male-enhancement adverts on TV (and I personally find those rather amusing), it's not something that's appropriate for advertising a children's school charity. But the big thing about THAT is that there's not a damned thing anyone can do about it. It's powered by GoogleAds.com - and Tribe bloody well refuses to remove the in-thread ads. Their reasoning is supposedly it helps drive revenue in on an otherwise free site. Hmmm.
So - Fred has no idea what's going on, other than the school is currently considering pulling the plug completely on the whole thing. It'd be one thing with just the ads - it's not something anyone could do anything about, and the announcements were taken down as soon as it was reported that there was an issue. The other thing though, about the checks - that's just plain malicious garbage. It's shitty when people decide that they want to screw others for no apparent reason. If there HAD been anyone offering to write checks written out to the school, there wouldn't have been an issue. Hell, Fred said that he would have turned THEM in early, so as not to overdraft those writing them later on.
I don't want all of the charity work that the troupe has done to go down the drain. So - if you happen to have a phone, and some time, and know the troupe, please give the school a call and let them know what a great bunch of people they are, and what they've done in the past. Please. The contact number is on their website, at http://www.transitionalschool.org .
Thanks!
~M
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Show some respect!
There are times when I honestly wonder where people think they have the right to show off at events as the "Uber-Master".
For instance, at this last SCA event, I was at a particular household which happened to have in it's camp-members a "gentleman" who bears a striking resemblance to the hologram doctor from Star Trek: Voyager. The individual in question was wandering the site with a koosh-ball flogger, and the idea that he was the most topping-est Top in top-dom, and he would prove it to everyone whether they wanted to or not by topping anyone he wanted to.
Mr. "I'm-a-Master-Because-I'm-Hardcore-Like-That" was wandering the site with a blonde woman who seemed to think that being dominant involved biting people she'd never met before as hard as possible while she was drunk, and then offering to do it again...
Fred and I, as I had mentioned earlier, were standing in said encampment, talking with friends, which included a young lady who was barely beginning a teething session on the idea of BDSM. Blonde BullHead decides that she's going to "teach" our young ladyfriend what "real" BDSM is all about right away. While flogging her with the koosh-ball flogger, Blondie continually insists that she turn around to be flogged on the front. When the coaxing (and then demanding) fails, she walks up to the young woman and proceeds to bite her shoulder so hard that it presses into the bone and drops our young friend down to the floor, all the while having her saying "Ow, ow, ow - shit! Ow!" and trying to flinch away.
When Blondie decides to let go and get some air, our young friend got up and cradled said shoulder, shying away from her. Blondie then said, a drunk grin on her face "Now that's what it's like to be topped - I can do that again, if you want...". Young friend declined, at which point, it became apparently a point for Blondie to practically *demand* an opportunity to gnaw off the arm in another attempt at "Domming" her.
Meanwhile, Mr. Uber-maestro decides that he's going to go for another of our friends. Now, please keep in mind that this lovely woman, a dark-haired beauty that Fred occasionally lusts over (much to my amusement), has children and a public job, so cannot go home with major marks on her. Fred had been teasing her gently with metal claws, when Mr. Uber-maestro decides to walk up and the following conversation ensued:
Uber-maestro: May I?
Dark lady: May you what?
Uber-maestro: No, you don't get to ask questions - it's either yes, or no.
Dark lady: Yes or no about what? What are you talking about?
Uber-maestro: (now impatient) Just answer the question - may I? Yes, or no.
Dark lady: Uh, well, I guess yes...
At which point he crams her hair into his fists and forces her head down, then viciously bites the back of her neck, hard enough to cause her to fall to her knees almost immediately. She leaves almost immediately afterwards and, unbeknownst to either Fred or me, is in horrible pain from the bite.
The next morning, around 10 am, I check the young lady's shoulder, only to find that the bite-mark imprint is still there. The lovely dark-haired lady comes by to say her goodbyes (as it's pack-out day) and shows us the bite-mark imprint from Mr. Uber-maestro that's STILL DARKENING because he bit so hard!!!
Of course, sometime during the wee early hours of the morning, he and his blonde lady-friend packed out and left, possibly to avoid the eventual penis-whacking that would ensue for this type of behavior.
I'm sorry - but, ya know - if you really *are* all that and a bag of chips in the world of BDSM and play parties, you have people skills. You have the knowledge and mindset to understand that simply walking up to any old person and just giving the hardest bite in the entire world (or the hardest smack of the whip, or the cruelest tie, etc) without knowing their limits, boundaries, and where they are in their personal journey is not just rude, it's a breach of trust and bad manners.
I ended up going over to the group he'd been camped with, knowing that they knew him outside of this camping event, and told them that he had a week to apologize to the ladies for unbecoming behavior, or his "princess play points" would be summarily pulled and he'd have his pee-pee smacked - by me.
This is also the same little shit who decided to go to another friend of mine's birthday party and leave bruises on her - and she doesn't bruise normally - because he was in a fit of pique. Whatever.
He's going to find really soon that people simply don't want him to touch them - he won't be trusted, he won't be welcome, and he'll be lucky to be invited to tea after I'm through with him.
~M
For instance, at this last SCA event, I was at a particular household which happened to have in it's camp-members a "gentleman" who bears a striking resemblance to the hologram doctor from Star Trek: Voyager. The individual in question was wandering the site with a koosh-ball flogger, and the idea that he was the most topping-est Top in top-dom, and he would prove it to everyone whether they wanted to or not by topping anyone he wanted to.
Mr. "I'm-a-Master-Because-I'm-Hardcore-Like-That" was wandering the site with a blonde woman who seemed to think that being dominant involved biting people she'd never met before as hard as possible while she was drunk, and then offering to do it again...
Fred and I, as I had mentioned earlier, were standing in said encampment, talking with friends, which included a young lady who was barely beginning a teething session on the idea of BDSM. Blonde BullHead decides that she's going to "teach" our young ladyfriend what "real" BDSM is all about right away. While flogging her with the koosh-ball flogger, Blondie continually insists that she turn around to be flogged on the front. When the coaxing (and then demanding) fails, she walks up to the young woman and proceeds to bite her shoulder so hard that it presses into the bone and drops our young friend down to the floor, all the while having her saying "Ow, ow, ow - shit! Ow!" and trying to flinch away.
When Blondie decides to let go and get some air, our young friend got up and cradled said shoulder, shying away from her. Blondie then said, a drunk grin on her face "Now that's what it's like to be topped - I can do that again, if you want...". Young friend declined, at which point, it became apparently a point for Blondie to practically *demand* an opportunity to gnaw off the arm in another attempt at "Domming" her.
Meanwhile, Mr. Uber-maestro decides that he's going to go for another of our friends. Now, please keep in mind that this lovely woman, a dark-haired beauty that Fred occasionally lusts over (much to my amusement), has children and a public job, so cannot go home with major marks on her. Fred had been teasing her gently with metal claws, when Mr. Uber-maestro decides to walk up and the following conversation ensued:
Uber-maestro: May I?
Dark lady: May you what?
Uber-maestro: No, you don't get to ask questions - it's either yes, or no.
Dark lady: Yes or no about what? What are you talking about?
Uber-maestro: (now impatient) Just answer the question - may I? Yes, or no.
Dark lady: Uh, well, I guess yes...
At which point he crams her hair into his fists and forces her head down, then viciously bites the back of her neck, hard enough to cause her to fall to her knees almost immediately. She leaves almost immediately afterwards and, unbeknownst to either Fred or me, is in horrible pain from the bite.
The next morning, around 10 am, I check the young lady's shoulder, only to find that the bite-mark imprint is still there. The lovely dark-haired lady comes by to say her goodbyes (as it's pack-out day) and shows us the bite-mark imprint from Mr. Uber-maestro that's STILL DARKENING because he bit so hard!!!
Of course, sometime during the wee early hours of the morning, he and his blonde lady-friend packed out and left, possibly to avoid the eventual penis-whacking that would ensue for this type of behavior.
I'm sorry - but, ya know - if you really *are* all that and a bag of chips in the world of BDSM and play parties, you have people skills. You have the knowledge and mindset to understand that simply walking up to any old person and just giving the hardest bite in the entire world (or the hardest smack of the whip, or the cruelest tie, etc) without knowing their limits, boundaries, and where they are in their personal journey is not just rude, it's a breach of trust and bad manners.
I ended up going over to the group he'd been camped with, knowing that they knew him outside of this camping event, and told them that he had a week to apologize to the ladies for unbecoming behavior, or his "princess play points" would be summarily pulled and he'd have his pee-pee smacked - by me.
This is also the same little shit who decided to go to another friend of mine's birthday party and leave bruises on her - and she doesn't bruise normally - because he was in a fit of pique. Whatever.
He's going to find really soon that people simply don't want him to touch them - he won't be trusted, he won't be welcome, and he'll be lucky to be invited to tea after I'm through with him.
~M
Monday, August 28, 2006
Well, that was a waste of time...
The second interview was a bust. Apparently I give a great interview, but since I don't have a degree in either business or finance, and don't apparently have the same financial income as the rest of the "leaders" in their scope, I'm not invited to their little party. So, I'm not going to be escaping from Splat unless I get fired, and then it'll end up being to Burgerville or some other inoccuous place that pays dick for wages and makes you work like a dog for it. yay me.
In other news, while Speedboy was honored this weekend for acting very adult (he got an award from the Prince and Princess of the Summits for choosing to walk away from some goading kids rather than explain how to breathe fire), I found him getting up quickly from our computer today when I got home from the interview... Turns out, even though he doesn't have permission to play on the internet unless we're there (no, we DON'T have babysitter-ware, we believe in actually being WITH him if he decides to go on, so we can tackle issues as they arise - also, his grades aren't high enough for that kind of privelage - and yes, it IS a privelage, not a right), he decided to do just that. A friend of his put up a video on YouTube.com, and we'd told him we would sit down with him and watch it when we came back from the event. We were all bushed last night, so didn't watch it. BUT, he decided to go surfing today, taking what he thought was advantage of an empty house...
So, we're passwording the computer now. Thankfully, you cannot get onto it without a password, due to the operating system we're running, so we shouldn't have this type of issue any further. And, Speedboy is grounded for the day, so he can think about his actions. Yay him.
~M
In other news, while Speedboy was honored this weekend for acting very adult (he got an award from the Prince and Princess of the Summits for choosing to walk away from some goading kids rather than explain how to breathe fire), I found him getting up quickly from our computer today when I got home from the interview... Turns out, even though he doesn't have permission to play on the internet unless we're there (no, we DON'T have babysitter-ware, we believe in actually being WITH him if he decides to go on, so we can tackle issues as they arise - also, his grades aren't high enough for that kind of privelage - and yes, it IS a privelage, not a right), he decided to do just that. A friend of his put up a video on YouTube.com, and we'd told him we would sit down with him and watch it when we came back from the event. We were all bushed last night, so didn't watch it. BUT, he decided to go surfing today, taking what he thought was advantage of an empty house...
So, we're passwording the computer now. Thankfully, you cannot get onto it without a password, due to the operating system we're running, so we shouldn't have this type of issue any further. And, Speedboy is grounded for the day, so he can think about his actions. Yay him.
~M
Sunday, August 27, 2006
The Aftermath of Long and Short!! And MORE!!!
Fire and Steel's final count for their "Pirates of the Christmas Season" benefit fundraiser from this event was a whopping $237. Another $140 was pledged from the Archers of Appadorres, and there was a game, an amazing book, a set of Jones' Sodas, 3 teddy bears, 3 dinosaurs, a butterfly net and fabric brought as well. $50 of the take came from Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince and Princess of the Summits.
This brings the total so far, not including the pledge, up to over $500 for the Portland Community Transitional School!!
Fire and Steel would like to specifically thank Arkill and his amazing autocrat staff for having a wonderful event, and for inviting the pirates to come and play. It was an amazing experience that they won't soon forget.
But there's MORE! Due to demand, and the realization that so many people would still like to donate and be a part of this wonderful fundraiser, Fire and Steel will be appearing at Acorn War to perform and pass the hat - AGAIN!
For those who were unable to make it to Long and Short, or unable to donate at that event but still wish to do so, they will be at Acorn War, and will continue to take donations of new, unwrapped toys, books, art supplies and cash donations to be used to purchase such items.
If you wish to donate, or if you wish to donate MORE, please come join Fire and Steel at Acorn War and help them provide an amazing holiday season to some worthy children!
Another great bit of news - Fred is going to be working to get his PayPal account up and going so that donations can be processed and marked with PCTS (Portland Community Transitional School) so that further donations can be taken up through mid-November...
This is just so exciting. I don't quite know how to express it, honestly. When everything started, Fred was worried that perhaps it wouldn't work. And then, when the first $266 was brought in from the first event this year, he thought, "Well, gee - maybe this WILL work."
The event at Sea Dogs was kind of a damper, since 1700 people showed up, and the take for the benefit was only $57... He was afraid perhaps people were losing interest and things weren't going to go well, after all... And then, we went to this event.
Their Highnesses of the Summits were there, as this was a sanctioned SCA event. The first take of Friday evening was announced, $19, and there was a pause. Then a woman who's known both Fred and myself for years came up with $10 for the donation hat. And then Their Royal Highnesses came with $20... and another $20 was pledged, and another $20... The next day, more money, along with a bag of stuffed animals was given. And that evening Their Highnesses gave another $30, along with honoring Fire and Steel with favors of the realm for their selflessness at providing entertainment as well as giving time and effort for fundraisers like this... And another $50 was brought in... And then another $20... and still more was brought in afterwards...
It was amazing to be a part of that, and Fred ended up almost breaking down in tears when I told him the take by the end of the evening...
The next morning was when the Archers came by with one of the most amazingly beautiful books for the kids, along with a pledge of another $140. Fred broke down and cried on the way back from their encampment.
This is not just something for Fire and Steel to do to get an audience. This is something that they do because it's important to remember those who cannot fight for themselves and help them. They do this as a way to champion those who have no voice, who have less and need more, and who cannot control the circumstances into which they were thrust. Each time I post another entry about this, I feel more and more strongly about it, and I am more and more glad that I found such a group of people I can call friends - not to mention a man who is so dedicated and whose heart is so filled with love and compassion for those less fortunate than we.
~M
This brings the total so far, not including the pledge, up to over $500 for the Portland Community Transitional School!!
Fire and Steel would like to specifically thank Arkill and his amazing autocrat staff for having a wonderful event, and for inviting the pirates to come and play. It was an amazing experience that they won't soon forget.
But there's MORE! Due to demand, and the realization that so many people would still like to donate and be a part of this wonderful fundraiser, Fire and Steel will be appearing at Acorn War to perform and pass the hat - AGAIN!
For those who were unable to make it to Long and Short, or unable to donate at that event but still wish to do so, they will be at Acorn War, and will continue to take donations of new, unwrapped toys, books, art supplies and cash donations to be used to purchase such items.
If you wish to donate, or if you wish to donate MORE, please come join Fire and Steel at Acorn War and help them provide an amazing holiday season to some worthy children!
Another great bit of news - Fred is going to be working to get his PayPal account up and going so that donations can be processed and marked with PCTS (Portland Community Transitional School) so that further donations can be taken up through mid-November...
This is just so exciting. I don't quite know how to express it, honestly. When everything started, Fred was worried that perhaps it wouldn't work. And then, when the first $266 was brought in from the first event this year, he thought, "Well, gee - maybe this WILL work."
The event at Sea Dogs was kind of a damper, since 1700 people showed up, and the take for the benefit was only $57... He was afraid perhaps people were losing interest and things weren't going to go well, after all... And then, we went to this event.
Their Highnesses of the Summits were there, as this was a sanctioned SCA event. The first take of Friday evening was announced, $19, and there was a pause. Then a woman who's known both Fred and myself for years came up with $10 for the donation hat. And then Their Royal Highnesses came with $20... and another $20 was pledged, and another $20... The next day, more money, along with a bag of stuffed animals was given. And that evening Their Highnesses gave another $30, along with honoring Fire and Steel with favors of the realm for their selflessness at providing entertainment as well as giving time and effort for fundraisers like this... And another $50 was brought in... And then another $20... and still more was brought in afterwards...
It was amazing to be a part of that, and Fred ended up almost breaking down in tears when I told him the take by the end of the evening...
The next morning was when the Archers came by with one of the most amazingly beautiful books for the kids, along with a pledge of another $140. Fred broke down and cried on the way back from their encampment.
This is not just something for Fire and Steel to do to get an audience. This is something that they do because it's important to remember those who cannot fight for themselves and help them. They do this as a way to champion those who have no voice, who have less and need more, and who cannot control the circumstances into which they were thrust. Each time I post another entry about this, I feel more and more strongly about it, and I am more and more glad that I found such a group of people I can call friends - not to mention a man who is so dedicated and whose heart is so filled with love and compassion for those less fortunate than we.
~M
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
The week just keep getting better and better...
A month or more ago, I mentioned that Fred headed up a fire dance troupe, and they were holding a toy drive. I felt then the same way that I feel now about the whole thing - it's a great way to give back to the community and let these kids know that they are important, and we do remember them. Consider this: How many times have you been on the brink of getting booted from your apartment - and I do mean, on the brink - like, you're on your last nickel, and the landlord has just come knocking and you wrote yet another bad check to cover it, hoping that somehow, some miraculous fairy will come by and gift you with enough money to cover it and the overdraft fees... Yeah, that's what their life is like constantly - only it's not them writing the checks. It's their parents - mostly through no fault of their own. They make just enough money to barely (if at all) qualify for any aid, and none of it is housing. These kids have two meals a day guaranteed to them - and that's from a school that's run from mainly donations and handouts. So, take a moment, think back on the times you were mostly destitute - and if you have an extra buck and you're going to Long and Short, give it to the kids.
~M
~M
Monday, August 21, 2006
Delicioso!
It comes as no surprise to Fred when I make something good from scratch that's new. It still surprises me, if only because I'm so used to pulling from recipes and simply doing what I already know. The most recent one was what I made for dinner tonight... Pork Stew - or at least, my rendition of one. It's a down-and-dirty, quick stew that's easy to put together and can have extra veggies easily added with a minimum amount of fuss just by adding what you have in the freezer. MMMMmmmm... Much with the happiness.
The first trick, honestly, was getting a cut of pork most people end up ignoring. It's marketed under the name "carne asada" at our local WinCo. It's the cheapest portions of shoulder and butt, with fat still attached to it. If you overcook it, it's tough, but at about a buck a pound, it's cost-effective when you're talking a budget. I picked up some at the market on Sunday and decided tonight to use some of it in the stew.
Pork Stew
Serves: about 6-8 people
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Best with some really thick, hearty bread with a good crust on it.
4 baking potatoes, cleaned and cut into chunks
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into bite-sized chunks
5 stalks celery, cleaned and chopped into bite-sized chunks
1 onion, peeled and chunked
1 tsp rosemary (dried is great, especially if fresh-ground)
1 tsp white pepper
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb pork, cleaned and cut into chunks
1 Tbsp butter
1 package pork gravy mix
1 package mushroom gravy mix
Start by filling a large pot with about 2-3 quarts water, and place on high heat until it begins to boil. Add salt and the potatoes, and reduce heat to a medium high. While that's going, prepare the rest of your veggies. Add them to the water along with the rosemary and white pepper.
In a frying pan, melt the butter on medium-high heat, then add the garlic. As soon as you begin to smell it, add the pork and quickly sear until it turns brown. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and add to the pot of water.
Mix the two packets of gravy with one cup of cold water. Bring the stew up to a boil and add the two packets. Stir, and let thicken. If it's not quite thick enough, use corn starch per the directions to thicken further. This is more an in-between stew/soup thing... A Stoup, if you will. One of the nice things is that the baking potatoes are the first part of the thickening stage, which means you won't have to add a lot of extra thickeners to it.
Please feel free to try it out and let me know what you think. :-) It's very filling, though, so be warned...
~M
The first trick, honestly, was getting a cut of pork most people end up ignoring. It's marketed under the name "carne asada" at our local WinCo. It's the cheapest portions of shoulder and butt, with fat still attached to it. If you overcook it, it's tough, but at about a buck a pound, it's cost-effective when you're talking a budget. I picked up some at the market on Sunday and decided tonight to use some of it in the stew.
Pork Stew
Serves: about 6-8 people
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Best with some really thick, hearty bread with a good crust on it.
4 baking potatoes, cleaned and cut into chunks
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into bite-sized chunks
5 stalks celery, cleaned and chopped into bite-sized chunks
1 onion, peeled and chunked
1 tsp rosemary (dried is great, especially if fresh-ground)
1 tsp white pepper
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb pork, cleaned and cut into chunks
1 Tbsp butter
1 package pork gravy mix
1 package mushroom gravy mix
Start by filling a large pot with about 2-3 quarts water, and place on high heat until it begins to boil. Add salt and the potatoes, and reduce heat to a medium high. While that's going, prepare the rest of your veggies. Add them to the water along with the rosemary and white pepper.
In a frying pan, melt the butter on medium-high heat, then add the garlic. As soon as you begin to smell it, add the pork and quickly sear until it turns brown. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and add to the pot of water.
Mix the two packets of gravy with one cup of cold water. Bring the stew up to a boil and add the two packets. Stir, and let thicken. If it's not quite thick enough, use corn starch per the directions to thicken further. This is more an in-between stew/soup thing... A Stoup, if you will. One of the nice things is that the baking potatoes are the first part of the thickening stage, which means you won't have to add a lot of extra thickeners to it.
Please feel free to try it out and let me know what you think. :-) It's very filling, though, so be warned...
~M
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Dallas Glitter-heat? hmmm...
See what your stripper name will be!
We all need a little stress-reliever! This only takes a minute.
Sometimes when you have a stressful day or week, you need some
silliness to break up the day. And, if we are honest, we have a lot more
stressful days than not.
Here is your dose of humor...
A. Follow the instructions to find your new name.
B. Once you have your new name, hit the comments box at the bottom and list it - and don't forget to copy and paste this onto your OWN blog!
1. Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:
a = Fantasia
b = Chesty
c = Starr
d = Diamond
e = Montana
f = Angel
g = Sugar
h = Mimi
i = Lola
j = Kitty
k = Roxie
l = Dallas
m = Princess
n = Heidi
o = Bambi
p = Bunny
q = Brandy
r = Sugar
s = Candy
t = Raquelle
u = Sapphire
v = Cinnamon
w = Blaze
x = Trixie
y = Isis
z = Jade
2. Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first half of your new last name:
a = Leather
b = Dream
c = Sunny
d = Deep
e = Heaven
f = Tight
g = Shimmer
h = Velvet
i = Lusty
j = Harley
k = Passion
l = Dazzle
m = Dixon
n = Spank
o = Glitter
p = Razor
q = Meadow
r = Glitz
s = Sparkle
t = Sweet
u = Silver
v = Tickle
w = Cherry
x = Hard
y = Night
z = Amber
3. Use the third letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:
a = hooter
b = horn
c = tower
d = fire
e = thighs
f = hips
g = side
h = jugs
i = shock
j = cocker
k = brook
l = tush
m = sizzle
n = ridge
o = kiss
p = bomb
q = cream
r = thong
s = heat
t = whip
u = cheeks
v = rock
w = hiney
x = button
y = lick
z = juice
Reply with YOUR stripper name - and post it on your blog... Why? Well, because it's fun, brainless, and pointless - why else?
~M
We all need a little stress-reliever! This only takes a minute.
Sometimes when you have a stressful day or week, you need some
silliness to break up the day. And, if we are honest, we have a lot more
stressful days than not.
Here is your dose of humor...
A. Follow the instructions to find your new name.
B. Once you have your new name, hit the comments box at the bottom and list it - and don't forget to copy and paste this onto your OWN blog!
1. Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:
a = Fantasia
b = Chesty
c = Starr
d = Diamond
e = Montana
f = Angel
g = Sugar
h = Mimi
i = Lola
j = Kitty
k = Roxie
l = Dallas
m = Princess
n = Heidi
o = Bambi
p = Bunny
q = Brandy
r = Sugar
s = Candy
t = Raquelle
u = Sapphire
v = Cinnamon
w = Blaze
x = Trixie
y = Isis
z = Jade
2. Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first half of your new last name:
a = Leather
b = Dream
c = Sunny
d = Deep
e = Heaven
f = Tight
g = Shimmer
h = Velvet
i = Lusty
j = Harley
k = Passion
l = Dazzle
m = Dixon
n = Spank
o = Glitter
p = Razor
q = Meadow
r = Glitz
s = Sparkle
t = Sweet
u = Silver
v = Tickle
w = Cherry
x = Hard
y = Night
z = Amber
3. Use the third letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:
a = hooter
b = horn
c = tower
d = fire
e = thighs
f = hips
g = side
h = jugs
i = shock
j = cocker
k = brook
l = tush
m = sizzle
n = ridge
o = kiss
p = bomb
q = cream
r = thong
s = heat
t = whip
u = cheeks
v = rock
w = hiney
x = button
y = lick
z = juice
Reply with YOUR stripper name - and post it on your blog... Why? Well, because it's fun, brainless, and pointless - why else?
~M
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Mother Nature's way of saying slow down!
Normally, that would be a sucking chest wound - or so says the Infantry HandBook. I'm not kidding... In this case, it would be another migraine. I swear, they're induced from work, and work-related stress... It wouldn't be so bad except they nit-pick about all the crap that honestly wouldn't matter if they would keep it consistant. But since they don't, I've ended up having to tell my boss that I no longer care anymore. This isn't exactly true - if I really *didn't* care, I would no longer have the work-related, stress-induced migraines. *sigh* I care too much about my customers.
On an up note, I did end up getting an interview at a possible new job. No further info on it for now - I really don't want to jinx it. I'd like to have it, I'm trying not to want it *quite* so much (Slovatsky's Laws and all that)... It's just that it would, at the very least, be extremely handy to have since it's about 5 minutes away by bus, and right next to Washington Square Mall. Oh, and I'd get to work with pretty much a set list of clients for long-term... Yay. So, yeah - hope and pray for me, keep your fingers crossed, and think good thoughts to the goddess Hyre-me. I have 2 face-to-face interviews to pass before they offer me anything. The phone interview was cake, so we'll have to see what happens now...
On another up note, did a photo shoot on Sunday with the help of Mishu and Mana.
This is one of the preview shots of what we did... We also did some words, sayings, and moons, stars and musical notes... All in all, a very nice photo package. There were about 250 that I sent to Curvosity, and we held back others for promo "sneak peeks" - not to mention the ones that were sort of blurry and didn't do quite so well... All of these ended up being done with Crayola water-washable markers and the steady, patient hands of Fred and Mishu. Mana took pretty much all the photos, though there were a few (the one above included) that Fred took. I simply had to be patient and look pretty. LOL. I think they ended up looking great, though.
So, that's all the news for now...
~M
On an up note, I did end up getting an interview at a possible new job. No further info on it for now - I really don't want to jinx it. I'd like to have it, I'm trying not to want it *quite* so much (Slovatsky's Laws and all that)... It's just that it would, at the very least, be extremely handy to have since it's about 5 minutes away by bus, and right next to Washington Square Mall. Oh, and I'd get to work with pretty much a set list of clients for long-term... Yay. So, yeah - hope and pray for me, keep your fingers crossed, and think good thoughts to the goddess Hyre-me. I have 2 face-to-face interviews to pass before they offer me anything. The phone interview was cake, so we'll have to see what happens now...
On another up note, did a photo shoot on Sunday with the help of Mishu and Mana.
This is one of the preview shots of what we did... We also did some words, sayings, and moons, stars and musical notes... All in all, a very nice photo package. There were about 250 that I sent to Curvosity, and we held back others for promo "sneak peeks" - not to mention the ones that were sort of blurry and didn't do quite so well... All of these ended up being done with Crayola water-washable markers and the steady, patient hands of Fred and Mishu. Mana took pretty much all the photos, though there were a few (the one above included) that Fred took. I simply had to be patient and look pretty. LOL. I think they ended up looking great, though.
So, that's all the news for now...
~M
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