On schools, grades, and your precious little snowflake

So, unless you don't have school-aged children, or don't have friends who have school-aged children, you wouldn't know about the increasing terror in the public education system about... da-da-da-DUM!!!

Letter Grades!!!!

Oooohh! I know - so scary. And yet, apparently, according to more and more school districts, letter grades are a horrible thing for our children to have to deal with...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518101,00.html

According to many school psychiatrists now, your precious little snowflake can't handle the pressures of school and the possibility of a failing grade, so they've change how they're handling things, to allow for all children to be able to do as little as possible and still get passed through.

How? Well, changing over from letter grades to P for "pass" or H for "held" (where basically, they get a do-over without being penalized for it) is apparently a start. "Administrators and teachers say the policies provide hope for underperforming students".

Oh puh-leeze!

Let's clear up a few things here about this whole grading process, shall we?

When I went to school (and no, I didn't have to walk both ways uphill, in the snow, barefooted), we were expected to do homework and turn it in on time. We were expected to study, to show up on time, to be respectful of both our fellow students and our teachers, and we took our exams. Even if we didn't PASS the exam, the overall work that we did in class, as well as our homework, showed whether we were competant with the material that was being doled out to us.

We may not have performed well on tests, but if we did everything else in class, we'd still pass the class with a C or better. And normally, the teacher would notice that we didn't do well on tests, and try to either work with us for different ways to try taking the test, or suggest ways to study better for them...

We were NOT told "Gee, it's too bad that you can't seem to pass the test, so we're going to simply put you on a hold for this class, and you'll get to open-book the test so you will pass it... And I'll even read you the answers so you'll get them right..."

We were NOT told "Oh, poor thing... I'm so sorry that you don't get enough time with your friends because you had to do your homework tonight - so we'll let it slide this semester, since we know that a letter grade doesn't reflect YOU as a person... Instead, you can write a short essay on how you feel now that you don't have any pressure placed on you."

And we CERTAINLY were NOT told "Oh! I'm so sorry that you feel like you're a failure because you've refused to do the work that was expected of you and you're falling behind... here - how about if I have the teacher fill out the answers for you, and you can sign your name at the top! Won't that make you feel better?!"


And we wonder why it is, we now have so many people who are disinterested in working, feel resentment at their bosses for expecting them to put in a full day's work for a full day's pay, and it's more and more difficult to get quality work out of new employees...

Hmmm... Maybe your precious little snowflake could have used a paddling...

~M

Whoops...

So, yeah... about that updating every day - or even once a week thing... Oops. Hey, what can I say - Life got the better of me.

What's been going on? Nothing of much import... Cleaning, sewing, working, being a mom... the generic stuff that drives people to do stupid stuff like spend too much money and then stress about where rent's going to come from. *rolls eyes*

Honestly, I've just been trying to make it from one day to the next lately. Had to take 3 days off work due to a particularly nasty headcold/sinus infection/migraine thing... Not sure what the heck is up with that, but apparently my daughter is the epidemic incubator of the world, determined to infect everyone around her with practically terminal virul infections. It's a good thing she's cute and we love her...

She's learning more words almost by the second, and is getting faster at zipping around the house, climbing up and down, and generally getting into EVERYTHING... I can only hope that we can manage to get most of the breakables into a room she has absolutely no access to until she's 15, or get them all attached to the ceiling - or else it's curtains for all the china and glassware... She's managed already to break two of the spines off the crystal hedgehog... I'll be putting that up higher now...

Anyway, other than that, nothing else is really happening... My life is pretty mundane lately, and I'm ok with that.

~M

Saving...

I've been trying lately to start saving money by clipping coupons and looking for good buys in the stores. So far, I'm not doing too badly, though I've just started.

So far, I'm waiting for some manufacturer coupons to come in the mail, and am going to start picking up the sunday paper for the coupons as well.

I'd like to ask that if any of my readers end up with manufacturer coupons that won't use them, please think about handing them over to me. I'll be glad to take them off your hands...

If you're looking to try and save a little cash, you might try clipping coupons and checking out this last Tuesday's Food Day in the Oregonian. There were some great tips in there about how to best use coupons.

Also, there's plenty of online, printable coupons out there. Keep in mind, though - WinCo does NOT take internet printed coupons, nor do they price-match or take competitors coupons. Only manufacturer coupons.

You may also try to grow a little something to help out your kitchen. Even herbs can help, and are easy to grow on a porch. I know, because I'm growing some myself. They're going to be so much easier to keep this way, won't get stuck in my fridge forever until they rot, and are less expensive to keep than $2/package of herbs...

So, there's my two cents worth for attempting to save some green. :-)

~M

Updated 11:45am 3-27-09

http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2009/03/cutting_costs_with_coupons.html

According to this lady, there are organic coupons available, if you search for them. So, if you have issues with purchasing foods that are pre-processed, there are still ways to cut costs.

And onto the next phase...

So, Friday the dental clinic finally called me back - at 5pm... They said they couldn't set up an appointment or make decisions regarding my care until they got my chart back from the other clinic where I had the urgent appointment on Wednesday...

I'm sorry, what? You don't have my chart back to the regular clinic, and it's been 48 hours? Why didn't they send it back that evening before closing - seeing as how it's only 2.5 miles away from you... Their answer? "I don't know..."

I see...

So, supposedly, I'm to hear from them today. I'm not going to wait - I'm calling at my first break, and then if I don't hear back, I'll call at my lunch, and lather, rinse, repeat until I get somewhere. This has to be some of the worst customer service and patient treatment I've ever had in my life, I swear to the good Goddess above.

This will make appointment # 5 that I've had to make to get ONE tooth fixed. OMG. This falls under the "That's just sad" category.

~M

Murphy... Paging Dr Murphy...

So, the whole thing with the tooth... Yeah... It's still going on. My Dr's name is apparently Murphy - as in "the laws of"...

It wouldn't be so bad but for the pain, and the ever-present worry that something worse is going to happen now that the top of the tooth has been removed and only a temporary cap has been placed on top... Like, oh, say, the whole tooth deciding that it's had enough and it's going to split in half... fun stuff.

Yesterday was an exersize in frustration trying to get the clinics to understand that I wasn't going to wait until April (yes, APRIL!!) for another appointment, nor was I going to go in and pay an extra $50 for an "emergency" appointment just to have them do something "temporary" on it to "get me through"... They can give me drugs and I'll be happy.

So, after spending over an hour arguing back and forth with them, it was determined that I'll go in next Wednesday morning and, barring even MORE complications, I'll have the root canal done then. Yay me.

I feel certain that my boss is loving me right now... I warm the cockles of her heart, I'm sure...

~M

Yikes!

So, I'm currently on large quantities of Ibuprofen and vicoden. Why? Because I'm in the midst of a root canal, and apparently I'm super special because I have what's known as a "hot tooth". It has to be one of the more painful things I've gone through, barring giving birth.

They've managed to take the cap off the tooth, and start removing the stuff in it, stuck stuff into the tooth to kill the root, and stuck a cap back onto the tooth. Why? because they were unable to anestetise me enough to keep working on the tooth... So, I have to go to a specialist next Thursday. Yes, Thursday... That means a whole 7 days with this BS to go through, and hope that I have enough pain meds to get through to then. Otherwise, I'll be screaming over the telephone at them to get me more.

Currently, I've lost 3 days to this, and am not looking forward to losing more. I've had to ask for FMLA to cover the time off, so that I don't get hit with attendence points, because I'll be damned if I will get in trouble for this darned thing.

Done...

I could say that it's the weather, or stress, or the bills we're currently facing, or just plain depression... But I don't know whether it's any of those or just a lack of better living through chemistry... I just feel crappy. I am not taking joy in most of the things that I normally would, and I feel like the rug is going to be pulled out from under me at any second. I want to cry at a moment's notice, I don't want to do anything besides sleep, and I can't even begin to clean my house - I have no clue where to start...

I'm so overwhelmed with everything that it's so tempting to just quit everything and run away. I can taste the impulse when I wake up in the morning, and feel it in the back of my head when I go to bed at night. I have looked longingly at the sunrise, wanting to follow it away from where I am, and dreamed of sunsets far from where I live.

I'm told that I just need to deal with it, that it will get better, that things aren't that horrible... I hear my daughter's laughter in my ears and wonder what, if anything, I can ever give her that could equal a stable life... I look at the joy and wonder in her eyes and wish that I could get those things back for myself as well - knowing that I probably never will.

I look in the mirror and I hate what I see there - a useless, selfish piece of fat crap that does nothing to better herself and refuses to take responsibility for her actions. I know what I *could* do, but I don't do it. I *could* cut out everything that's non-essential that we're paying for currently, and thereby be able to make all the payments necessary to bring my bills closed completely more easily... We don't technically NEED internet, or cable, or technically even phones... But I won't do it. I'm selfish, and I refuse to cut those things out. I *could* cut out most of the excess food that we have wandering around the house and get down to beans and rice, with some veggies for variety. But I won't do that... I'm selfish, and I like to have good tasting food - not just food that will sustain me.

I feel dead inside, a husk of a human being, having had the life and love sucked out of me on a constant basis by debt and stress.

I should be happy... I have a job, a roof over my head, a supportive husband, a fabu girlfriend, and an amazingly wonderful daughter. These are gifts that I should appreciate and be joyful for, and I shouldn't overlook the significance of having them in my life... I shouldn't take them for granted, nor should I dismiss them readily.

And yet... I can't get over the feeling that somehow, I've let down everyone around me. I haven't done enough, haven't given enough, haven't been enough - and I never will be enough, or reach the point of having given enough or having done enough. I'll always be lacking, and I'll always end up being less than I should be for those around me.

Sometimes, just sometimes, I wonder if I should even be around...

ok... that's about enough of that...

It's now February 25th, 2009, and Barack Obama has been in office for a little over a month.

Oh, shock and awe - he hasn't yet turned around the entire economic failure that our recently defunct president put us in over an 8 year stint in office... I'm amazed. I truly am! I mean, it's so obvious that *anyone* could turn around the current situation within 30 days or less. It's so easy, right? Oh my God! And Goddess! How dare President Obama NOT fulfill every single promise that he made during his campaign, and his presidential speech, within a month. It's absolutely unthinkable! It's ridiculous...

Unless, of course, you consider the amount of money we currently have on the debit side of the ledger... and you consider that it's not *JUST* Obama making the laws here - he suggests them, he can even push for them, and yes, his signature is on the bottom of them - but they do have to be put through an entire panel of congress - BOTH PARTIES, mind you, and have a majority pass in order for it to reach him again... Oh, and most times, in order to do that, the original idea gets moved around, changed, tweaked and otherwise twisted to fit the majority of those within congress so that the law will pass...

Oh, and let's not forget that Obama never ONCE said that he was a miracle worker. He never ONCE said that he was going to be able to do all of this within a month's time and after that the US would come up smelling of roses and sunshine, and everyone would have tons of money sprouting out their ass. Not once.

Let's also not forget, for all of those who sit there, smug as can be about there not yet being a change, that for all of your fears and all of your pissiness, he's still your president. Why? Because until you move out of the US and give up your citizenship, you're a member of the US - and he's the current leader of it. Like it or lump it. I may have been absolutely disgusted with the last president and his parties policies and choices, and I certainly didn't vote for him - but as ashamed as I was to admit that he was, he was still my president.

The current cabinet positions that are empty may stay that way for a while. Why? Because it's a make-or-break opportunity, and a 50/50 chance at getting it done. As for those within his party whom, I have heard, have not yet paid their taxes from last year - I'm not surprised. Then again, I'm not certain most people in congress have correctly filed in years, regardless of their political position. Is it honestly Obama's fault that they, last year, before Obama was in office, did not pay their taxes? No. Should Obama be held accountable for their actions? No - they should... Will they? I suppose that depends on the IRS. I won't hold my breath, but that's only because I'm a realist who knows that those people probably have access to some good lawyers.

In any case, how about a challange for all of those who are still ticked off that Obama hasn't yet turned the country around and made everything "perfect"... Let's see you do it. Let's see you, in all your smarts and glory, get everything done all nice and legal, following the whole procedure that everyone has to do in order to get stuff done, within 30 days. I'd love to see you try.

How about we have a little bout with realism at this point - Get off your fucking high horse, step off your soap box, and start realizing that it's NOT JUST OBAMA... He was NOT the cause of the financial situation we are now in, and the situation is grave enough that it won't take 30 days to pull us out of it. Hell, it could be that he can't get it done in 4 years, for all that we're in debt and in hock up to our sphincters. But at least he's attempting something that the last party did not - listen to the people and attempt to do something for them, rather than for their own pocketbooks.

If you don't agree with me, that's fine - I don't really fucking care. But at least I'm honestly looking at the situation and giving the guy more than 30 days to turn shit around.

~M

Because we all need an Italian Retreat...

Castello di Carbonana

Presenting a truly rare opportunity to acquire a piece of history and make it part of your life, your family, your company, your legacy. An opportunity that is indeed priceless. This 18 hectare (44+ acres) Umbrian Estate and Castle sits nestled, as it has for centuries, in the foothills of the magnificent Medieval town of Gubbio.

Poised in a position which has dominated the valley and controlled access to ancient roads since the dawn of Christianity, this magnificent piece of Italy will be acquired along with the historic title that goes with the estate, that of "Count of Carbonana". The title was established in the year 900 and was given to one of the Castle's first owners, a distinguished Templar Knight. To this day the title remains certified with a heraldic emblem in the Italian Heraldic Encyclopedia and will pass on to the new owner, as it has for centuries.

Not to be left in the past, this rare offering also comes with the potential of complete renovation by the current owners for an additional 2.6 mill Euros. Such a renovation will include all amenities required of an international luxury estate, including tennis courts, pools, even a helipad. All the modern conveniences and top of the line appliances and systems along with refurbishment of all roofs, flooring, walls will be provided tucked behind period appropriate finishes and exteriors. There may be only a handful of people in the world who can appreciate the provenance of what exits in this historic place. We invite you to be among them and imagine yourselves legitimately as the "Count and/or Countess of Carbonana" of Umbria, Italy.

8 Million Euros present condition. 11 Million Euros Renovated

Castle Carbonana

Found this from a link on Fark.com (lord and lady bless them!)... Because, you know, I'll need to know what to spend my millions on when I win the lottery...

Oh wait... I need to PLAY the lottery before I can WIN it. Darn it. I knew there was a catch!

~M

Holy crap...

OK, so this whole thing on the octuplets… I promised myself I was going to ignore the whole situation. I promised myself that I wasn’t going to go there… But I can’t help it. There’s only so much that I can deal with regarding the situation before my own personal feelings about the situation rear up. But, then, that’s why I have a blog.

Let me get the story straight, ok? We have a young woman who, when she finds out she can’t get pregnant, she goes in to a fertility clinic to get help. I have no issue with that. Lots of women do that, and I understand why – sort of… The whole “want to actually BE pregnant” instead of adoption. OK. Let’s just run with that.

She then does this repeatedly so that she ends up with a total of six children. Now, I’m not even going to comment on the fact that she is not with the father of the children (who has remained anonymous), and that she’s neither working nor living on her own – AND the fact that she has had her mother taking care of her children so that she can go back to school.

She decides that the SIX (we did previously mention that she had SIX) children she already had weren’t enough, and decides to have the remaining eggs she had previously frozen all implanted at the same time so as “not to have them go to waste” (these were her words, from her interview, btw).

The payment for such a procedure (which is, if not illegal, definitely frowned upon by the medical community for anyone under the age of 35) is quite large – and apparently was paid for by a medical settlement she received for being injured on the job. How she has been able to make the medical bill payments for both her prenatal care and the birth, not to mention post-natal care, I do not know – but I have a feeling she has been handed quite a bit of money just for the chance at being interviewed… And I’m not even going to mention the cost of a professional PR person, whom she has hired…

She says she has no plans on being a welfare mom, and I applaud her for that. At the same time, however, I am skeptical that she will be able to fulfill her role as a provider to her children without some sort of assistance. I struggle each day to make ends meet with ONE child, and with both myself and my husband working. I cannot imagine being mother to a total of FOURTEEN children and not having some sort of state or federal assistance – which is where my own personal disgust comes in.

I feel the same way about anyone who would be so irresponsible as to have additional children, after already having difficulties providing for the ones that they would have on their own. I don’t feel that one should get pregnant just for the free stuff, or for the notoriety, or the possibility of a TV show. There are too many children in the world now who need loving homes, who need stability in their lives, and have yet to find that because they are not being adopted, or even fostered into homes that could provide them that chance.

But, we have a woman who already had SIX children! SIX!! Did we mention that she already had SIX!!!! And decides that she needs more of them… Why? Because, according to her, she grew up as an only child and all she ever wanted were children because she was so lonely as a child (insert sniffle here). I cannot feel sorry for you or your sad childhood. Many others in the world had much worse, and did not choose to do this. If you cannot provide for your children on your own, without your mother providing FREE daycare, then you should not be having more children.

~M

Long time no post...

So, it's been a while, I know. But there's been a good reason for it. Between work, migraines, panic attacks, and a birthday (my daughter's first), I've been too wrapped up in myself to write here at all.

Which is sad, because honestly, it's rather cathartic most times. I can get out what's going on and feel better about it once it's on paper. Unfortunately, I seem to have fallen victim to whatever ennui everyone else in the nation has succumbed to. The sad fact that as a couple, Fred and I make too much to qualify for EIC, which means no lump sum of cash for our taxes. That, and the state of the economy as a whole (not to mention our own personal sorry state), has just worn me down to a sore nub of a human, barely able to function from day to day.

Fred has fallen victim himself, having received his pink slip on his birthday (of all days!). This in turn forced us to let go of our beloved Jess, which saddened us greatly. We're still hoping that Fred gets back to work soon enough that we don't have to worry about getting her back. She and Logan have been so wonderful with Boo that I really hate to contemplate finding someone new...

The overall stress of all of this, along with the increased number of collection calls occuring on a daily basis is causing migraines and high amounts of indigestion. This is the first time I've had the hiccups for more than an hour, and on a daily basis at that. I'd say I needed a 2nd job, but I can't do it when I can't even make it in some days to my full-time job due to the stress. I know I need to suck it up and deal, but it's really difficult some days to just face the fact that the sun is coming up yet again.

~M

OMG... I'm going totally Librarian Poo!!!

I have a plan, though… It’s a good plan… It requires some assistance getting it together, but I have one…

I need to get rid of stuff in the house. We have SO MUCH STUFF, and so little room… It’s impossible to deal with anymore. SO… I’m getting rid of stuff.

The more valuable and/or quality items I’ll take photos of and if you want it, let me know. I’ll ship it and/or hand it over to you. Otherwise, it’s all going to Goodwill or Salvation Army.

Some of the things which will be going will include:

Feast gear
Some cooking gear
Clothing
Camping gear
Baby toys
2 DVD players
Candle Holders

Like I said - if it doesn’t get taken away within a week of me packing it up, it heads out to Goodwill or Salvation Army… I’m sick of not being able to walk in my own house. I can’t clean, I can’t find anything, I can’t do anything… It’s all too much for me to deal with, especially with Boo now being so mobile.

~M

To everything turn, turn, turn

All this month, I’ve heard that today marked a page in history. Technically speaking, every day marks a page in history – it simply depends on what level you wish to look at.

Even so, today’s inauguration does usher in a new era for the US. Never before in our history has there been a Black president (yes, I call him black – for me, African American means that they were born in Africa, moved to the US, and were naturalized. If you were born in America, you’re an American. It’s as simple as that). It shows both a change in thinking for the mass majority of voters, and possibly the start of a new age, which could promote better race relations within the US.

I have heard President Obama called a “Hollywood president” – all bling and no substance. I hope that this is not true. Whether you voted for him or not, he is now our president and deserves to have the benefit of the doubt for now, just as every new boss deserves a chance to prove themselves as a new leader in an established company.

Do not doubt that he has a difficult time ahead. Much of the country is buckling under huge debts, losing homes, jobs and dignity. 8 years of increasing difficulties will not go away within a few months, or even two years. There must be an understanding that regardless of how you feel or how you stand politically, it would be equally difficult for McCain to step into these shoes at this time, and just as long a time to try and unbury the US from its current economic state.

There are choices that need to be made now by every person. Either to reach out a hand and help out those who are in need, even if it is simply a meal to be given, or to ignore those around and let the issues get worse. Regardless of who is in office, we can look on today as the start of something new, something better – or we can continue to allow our country and those around us to flounder, throw blame around, and be generally unhelpful to our co-workers, neighbors, friends and families.

We should not need a reason to do this, but so much of the time, people need a date, a time, a symbol to look at and see that change is needed. Use today, use this inauguration, as your symbol to do something for others, and thereby help yourself.

Volunteer at a kitchen, bring lunch for the homeless man you pass by each day when you go to work, give time to the local boys and girls club, provide extra blankets to those in need. Do something, get active, and make a difference in your community, no matter how small; search Google for volunteer opportunities in your area, or use the following links:

Boys and Girls Club

Salvation Army

Goodwill

Hands on Portland

Portland Impact

Habitat for Humanity, Portland

Outside in

The Lizard is having a birthday!!!

When: Feb 7th (the day after her birthday) Where: Our house (unless we find someplace better) Time: 1pm til whenever Boo gets overly stimulated and needs to collapse into a heap of exhausted baby!

Yes, it's been a YEAR already, and so much has changed! She's gone from being a formless tadpole inside me, to a glowworm (just after she was born), to an interested crawler, and now she's dancing, walking, talking and even has 7 teeth (not to mention her amazing flying feats with papa)!

This is a potluck, and no presents are necessary. We know everyone is broke, and honestly, Boo has plenty of stuff to play with, chew on, and generally enjoy. If you'd like to get anything at all, gift certificates are always appreciated to Target. Or socks... She seems to eat socks... LOL.

We're going to supply the cake. You supply the friends, family, and cameras for Boo to pose at (and yes, she's not the least bit camera-shy!).

Please let us know if you'll be there by the 30th of Jan, so I know how big of a cake to get.

**Update**

OK - I know that I said no presents, BUT... should you feel the overwhelming urge to get something, you might try here: One Step Ahead

It's the registry I'm currently building so that eventually I'll have what Boo still needs for camping, and socks! Lots of socks!

~M

Looking for Southards!

I'm really wanting to find my father's family, if there are any on the web... If you are related to Robert Southard (from Port Townsend and Seattle Washington), please contact me. I am his youngest daughter, and am trying to reach everyone I can and set up a reunion within the next year or so...

Dealings with Drama...

Dealing with drama has never been my strong suit. This last weekend was a perfect example of why I now know that I’ve grown up, and away, from those who are part of the “non-sanctioned” SCA crew.

Fred and I had been planning for months to head to Courtesan Carnival this last weekend. For those out of the loop, it’s a non-SCA-sanctioned get-together of people who like dressing up and acting the part of pirates and courtesans (and I mean the Hollywood-ized, over-the-top version of them).

In the past, it’s been a nice diversion and something to break up the monotony of the winter months between tourney seasons. Since it’s indoors, it was a great way to show off more fancy costume techniques than you’d normally get at an outdoor event (since most times you’re in the woods otherwise, and have brambles and tree sap to deal with). In addition, since it wasn’t filled with a lot of stuffy “pointy hats”, one felt that one’s hair could be let down and a bunch of debauchery would happen throughout the course of the weekend.

First thing that happens, I-5 gets flooded in Washington, so… our plan of having my mother coming to take care of Boo was foiled. We called around and got another person to take care of her for the weekend so I wouldn’t have to stay home while S and Fred went to the event.

After handing the new person phone numbers for 3 different people to call in case of urgent matters or confusion, or if any questions arose during Boo’s care, and making sure that it was clear what she could eat, etc, AND making sure that she understands what to do in case of emergency, etc, we all took off to the event.

I was more than a little nervous, as this was the first weekend we’d left Boo with someone for the whole weekend. I wasn’t sure whether the person taking care of her would be able to do it, but hoped that with three people to call on if she had questions, it would be ok. Fred re-assured me several times that things would be fine, and we unpacked and got everything set up.

I ended up forgetting my meds, which wasn’t as horrible as it sounded – I actually didn’t have too horrible of a reaction without them. The most that happened with that was that I felt really tired and overly sensitive to sound/light the first 36 hours.

I ended up going to bed early, and wended in and out of consciousness for most of the night as we were camped in a one-room lodge with 70 other people; most of whom were loud and hadn’t seen one another in about 5 or 6 months. So, it was inevitable that they would be loud and overly cheery. Fred stayed up most of the night socializing, and spent a small portion talking an acquaintance of his down from a bout of self-deprecation.

Saturday was much the same socialization, some alcohol during the day, a barroom brawl boffer fight, and as the day wound down, we had dinner, then had the fire show, the talent contest, the tall tales contest, and the two major contests: Best rump and best boobies.

Fred won the Best Arse contest, while I didn’t win either the boobies or the talent contest (this bummed me out quite a bit, but hey – at least I entered). After everything was done with, there was a lot more drinking and revelry, and then the drama started.

I’d gone to bed around midnight or 1 in the morning. Fred said he’d be up in a bit, and sat by the fire again talking the acquaintance out of another TWO bouts of self-deprecation… *sigh* By that time (about 3am), I woke back up and went downstairs in time to hear the person running the event sobbing in her bunk. I looked over and saw her husband (still VERY drunk) pound down the stairs and out the door.

We still don’t quite know what happened, other than he got upset for some reason, attacked a good friend of his for no reason, and headed out the door with his car keys, deciding to put a few good miles between him and the situation. Except that he’s drunk… And shouldn’t drive…

Fred immediately got sober, as did the acquaintance, and they and another two guys went out after the gentleman in question. Fred launched himself onto the front of the vehicle, effectively blocking the guy’s view of the road. The guy got back out and tried to pull Fred off the hood of the car, and at that point, the acquaintance tried to bring him down and put a sleeper hold on the guy so that the car keys could get taken away. It didn’t work, and the guy managed to scrape his way out of the hold and knock Fred in the nose with his elbow.

He then got back into the car and took off down the road, stopped long enough to allow one sober person into the vehicle to talk with for about 500 ft, then booted the sober person back out of the car and took off with two other people following him in their car.

Back at the lodge, Fred stayed up another two hours – til about 5 or 5:30am, and I went back to bed. We woke up around 10-ish, and started packing out, exhausted. The gentleman still hadn’t made it back, but we’d heard from the two others who followed him that he drove about 6 miles and then turned off and passed out in his car.

After leaving the site finally around 1pm, we headed home to find that the person who had been babysitting was apparently exhausted from Boo. She told me that Boo hadn’t slept her normal schedule, had refused to eat other than formula and juice until Sunday when eggs had been made, and had generally been a handful but she didn’t know why. After she left, I found that Boo’s food hadn’t been touched at all, none of her snacks had been opened, and from the look of the sink, the only food cooked that weekend had been the eggs.

In addition, due to the high consumption of juice and formula, she had a diaper rash from hell on her poor tushy; a bad enough one that skin was missing from spots. Also, apparently she’d had a diaper blow-out at one point. I only knew this because her onesie hadn’t been changed since the blow-out and there was diarrhea everywhere on the bottom of it.

I found out from the three people whose numbers that the babysitter had, and none of them had been contacted – at all. So, even though a normally healthy, hungry baby supposedly “refused” to eat for over 24 hours, and even though a normally fairly happy baby screamed incoherently for apparently no reason, and the babysitter *didn’t know why*, she still didn’t feel it was necessary to call for assistance of any kind…

I’m utterly horrified that my daughter was treated this way. There is absolutely NO excuse for it, and I honestly never want to deal with that woman ever again – not even as a friend or acquaintance of the family. I honestly thought she would have enough common sense to see beyond her own wants and needs and take the needs and wants of a small child, less than a year old, into account. But apparently that’s beyond her.

I was told by friends of mine that I should pursue legal action – I won’t, if only because – Boo wasn’t irreparably harmed in the incident. But I won’t deal with her anymore, and am going to let her know that she has completely lost my trust in the matter.

So, that’s the drama of the weekend. I’m done with both non-sanctioned events and dramatical pirates, and am done with someone who apparently couldn’t be bothered to actually care for my daughter, other than make sure that she didn’t kill herself.

*sigh* Sometimes it’s horrible to realize that you’re one of a handful people who can be recognized as an adult – and not just because of your chronological age.

~M

Amusing things I have heard over the past few months as a switchboard operator, from people calling requesting different areas at my work (and the snarky responses I’ve WANTED to say, but have bravely restrained myself from uttering):

- I’d like the Adultery clinic REEEEAAAALLLLY….

- I need to speak with the veterinary center – my husband is an inpatient there. Hmmm. OK – what kind of dog is he?

- I’d like the hummer-tology clinic I have no response to this besides snickering. I can’t help it.

- Yeah, I need to speak with a dr. Any dr. I don’t care, just a dr… Yes, because all of our dr’s are totally cross-trained for every eventuality, so it won’t matter WHERE I put you to…

- I’d like the Rikki Lake clinic (note, we have an old clinic name that is a female’s name, but definitely NOT named after a talk-show host/actress) I beg your parden? I didn’t know she’d donated anything to us…

- Do you have dr’s there (yes, we still get this one)? Umb, no – we decided not to keep them on because the insurance was too costly – but we have people who play them on TV…

- Yeah, is the ER open (This was on both Thanksgiving AND Christmas)? Nope – we’re assuming no one is going to have an accident or get injured at all today, so the ER is not open at all – no one is here – this is just a recording…

- Is this [insert other, completely different company]? Certainly – I just gave you a completely different company greeting because I wanted to fool you.

- Yeah I’d like to speak with [insert common, generic name here]. You know him/her? Certainly, sir – we only have a few thousand employees here – I know each and every one of them by name, sight, and candy preference…

- (in response to the prior question’s obvious questioning probe and the statement that we have over 12 thousand employees here) No, I don’t know the last name! Don’t you know them (note, we have over 12 THOUSAND employees at my work…)? I know I _SAID_ that I knew them – I lied… I’m a habitual liar – in fact, I lied that we are so big… We only have about 12 people here at all to run this entire corporation…

- (in response to even further questioning probes to find out where said person might be) No, I don’t know where they are. They just told me to call you, and you’d get me to them! Ah! Oh, yes, THAT person! Of course! I know who that is now… I seem to remember getting a memo from someone that said if you were to call, we were to get you over to them… Riiiigggghhht.

- Yeah – I’d like to find out how to renew my driver’s license (our number is linked to the DMV only because of our ability to log the “donate life NW” information). Oh sure – never mind that I didn’t introduce myself as the DMV, and that the number for the DMV and at the bottom of your donate life nw brochure don’t match – I can help you with that… First, open a crackerjack box…

- Can you keep trying the (busy) number until they answer, and then call me back? Of course, because we have nothing better to do all day than to become your personal assistant. Would you like fries with that?

- I’d like the Eternal Medicine clinic… Somehow, I’m not sure how to respond to this… It sounds almost depressing… And expensive…

Pissing me off!!

Please - if you have my cell phone #, do NOT send me forwards of "pray for this person", "send this text msg to 100 people and so-and-so will donate $", or anything else similar to it. I hate them, and they aren't true.


If you're stupid enough to think that it is, that's great, but don't include me in it. All you'll do is piss me off and force me to send back a caustic response asking you to knock it off or remove me from your phone list.


Please! If you read something like that and it sounds too good to be true, check it on Snopes before you forward it along. It's stupid to waste everyone's time with something that isn't true.


Disney isn't going to give away free tickets, you aren't going to get a free lunch from Applebee's, and the phone company isn't going to give even a half-penny to any charity just because you forward on an email or a text message. It's just not going to happen. Why? Because major corporations have better things to do than try and track text messages and emails every which way.


Give it up and quit bugging me.

~M

Disturbing news...

So, I got the "new" schedule of benefits. Seems that there WERE some changes from when we were under BCBS... We didn't actually get a new booklet showing the differences, we were simply told that we wouldn't see a significant change.

Well, from what I remember, prenatal including the birth and hospital care was supposed to be an initial co-pay, and everything else covered. However, this is not the case for Aetna. We now have to pay 80% of everything. Additionally there are a few items on the list that I have no understanding of at all... Like "Family Plan Payment Limit" - is that the limit of what _I_ pay? Or is it the limit of what THEY pay... Does that mean that after I reach that point I have to pay the rest? I have no clue.

Also, under prenatal services, it says only "Payable in accordance with the type of expense incurred and the place where service is provided"... Huh?

Have I mentioned that I absolutely HATE legal-eze and the health care system? Ugh. I'm currently facing over $4000 in bills for having Boo... I can't tell whether it's only 20% of the total cost or not, and the sheer physical number of bills and statements that come in are staggering regarding this... I can't really make heads or tails of it - and to make matters worse, Boo was born in February - Aetna still hasn't settled their portion of the bill yet... It's insane.

I'm asking this of anyone who can - if you can donate to help out the bills, please do so... Even fifty cents will help...

~M

Starting the week off right...

Conversation today with a social worker in psychiatry (I promised I wouldn’t give out her name – LOL):
SW: My pager is off – is it me that has to turn it on?
Me: Well, let’s take a look – No, your pager status is “in hospital, on page”.
SW: But the pager says “Pager off”… So, do I need to turn it on?
Me: Er, yes… You’d want to physically turn the pager on.
SW: How would I do that? I mean, I have no idea…
Me: Well, there should be a big button on the right front of the pager…
SW: Big… Button… Right… Side… You mean the one with the blue dash on it?
Me: Yep. Just hold that down and it should turn on.
SW: Wow… And they let me work here… Don’t tell anyone who this is, ok?

~M