YAY!

It snowed on Thursday night. I LOVE cold. I LOVE snow. And this year, for the first time since I was a little kid, I think I may be looking forward to Christmas! Don't worry, to those of you that know me...i'm not listening to Christmas caroles or anything, but I've caught myself singing 'Jesu Bambino' and 'Hodie Chritus Nautus Est' a few times.

things are getting kinda funky.

i wish i could play the bass guitar....

i love my hubby.

i love my new kitchen table and matching china closet. my mother never even had a china closet.

i love that when I said "i'm going to put this in this drawer of the new china closet, but I want to use the other drawers for placemats and napkins, ok?" that my husband's answer was "whatever you want to do, it's your china closet."

i love that he went out and bought it for me even tho when we saw it in the store he said that he didn't like vintage and that it looked "too retro."

i love that he is helping me clean so that my house will be presentable for my mother and Colin coming in.

i love that my friend jon is a brilliant writer and that he sent me a copy of his latest work and signed it for me and all, and that I had no idea that it was coming and that it's so close to my birthday that i consider it a birthday present and it makes me happy.

i love that my best friend is getting better.

i love that she makes me think about being better.

i love that i have her in my life and still feel close even when we're so far away.

i love that she didn't disappear when i had my second wedding. i'm glad she was there.

i love that i did a blog today because my head aches from stress and lack of sleep and need to write.

i love that I actually picked up my guitar yesterday and remembered how to play some stuff....pixies rock.

i love kim deal.

Jocilyn.....

Why do things happen. People ask these questions all the time, knowing that there is rarely an answer.

Joci was such a beautiful and genuine person. She moved here from Oregon to go to school. She was my favorite of my sister's roommies. She was the only one that ever hung out with me, or came over later to see me.

Ana loved her so much. I don't think i'm going to tell her what happened.

I love you, Joci and missed you before I even knew you were gone.

The do-rag was created for you.

i wanna warm you up...

jumpin on the south beach wagon....

it was so hard to throw away that yummy hot beautiful flaky crossaint this morning after I took the egg off to eat for my breakfast.....

so i really want to go to my class reunion in november. mostly, i'd like to go as an excuse to go to c-vegas and see L and B, and my sis, and her baby. hubby had said that we'd check on the finances.

so today only, plane tickets are $66, one way.

and hubby decides to tell me that he doesn't want me gone from him and the children that long.

and it makes me very sad because I am so very homesick and friendsick.

I found this on MSNBC powered by MSN Video and thought you might be interested in it.

Click this link

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=6ab03f03-7a66-4378-8443-ef3afe82bab8&f=00&fg=email

Pray for Peace

Pray to whomever you kneel down to:
Jesus nailed to his wooden or plastic cross,
his suffering face bent to kiss you,
Buddha still under the Bo tree in scorching heat,
Adonai, Allah. Raise your arms to Mary
that she may lay her palm on our brows,
to Shekhina, Queen of Heaven and Earth,
to Inanna in her stripped descent.

Then pray to the bus driver who takes you to work.
On the bus, pray for everyone riding that bus,
for everyone riding buses all over the world.
Drop some silver and pray.

Waiting in line for the movies, for the ATM,
for your latte and croissant, offer your plea.
Make your eating and drinking a supplication.
Make your slicing of carrots a holy act,
each translucent layer of the onion, a deeper prayer.

To Hawk or Wolf, or the Great Whale, pray.
Bow down to terriers and shepherds and siamese cats.
Fields of artichokes and elegant strawberries.

Make the brushing of your hair a prayer,
every strand its own voice,
singing in the choir on your head.
As you wash your face, the water slipping
through your fingers, a prayer: Water,
softest thing on earth, gentleness
that wears away rock.

Making love, of course, is already prayer.
Skin, and open mouths worshipping that skin,
the fragile cases we are poured into.

If you're hungry, pray. If you're tired.
Pray to Gandhi and Dorothy Day.
Shakespeare. Sappho. Sojourner Truth.

When you walk to your car, to the mailbox,
to the video store, let each step
be a prayer that we all keep our legs,
that we do not blow off anyone else's legs. Or crush their skulls.
And if you are riding on a bicycle
or a skateboard, in a wheel chair, each revolution
of the wheels a prayer as the earth revolves:
less harm, less harm, less harm.

And as you work, typing with a new manicure,
a tiny palm tree painted on one pearlescent nail
or delivering soda or drawing good blood
into rubber-capped vials, writing on a blackboard
with yellow chalk, twirling pizzas--

With each breath in, take in the faith of those
who have believed when belief seemed foolish,
who persevered. With each breath out, cherish.

Pull weeds for peace, turn over in your sleep for peace,
feed the birds, each shiny seed
that spills onto the earth, another second of peace.
Wash your dishes, call your mother, drink wine.

Shovel leaves or snow or trash from your sidewalk.
Make a path. Fold a photo of a dead child
around your VISA card. Scoop your holy water
from the gutter. Gnaw your crust.
Mumble along like a crazy person, stumbling
your prayer through the streets.

~Ellen Bass

my wedding gig....

this'll be short and sweet.

--sang at a wedding for a former co worker. ex-boss was there.

I totally kicked ass on the Ave Maria

in b flat, thank you.

okay, off to the reception.

goodbye

oh god, i'm doing it again....

yeah.

so.

I was listening to my ipod this morning on the way to work, and I heard this song...just like I do all the time...but today, the lyrics really got me. Someone out there must need to read them, because something out there told me to post them....

Imperfectly by the one and only, Ani Difranco.

i'm o.k. if you get me a good angle
you're o.k. in the right sort of light
we don't look like pages from a magazine
but that's alright

i crashed your pickup truck
then i had to drive it back home
i was crying i was so scared
of what you would do of what you would say
but you just started laughing
so i just started laughing along
saying it looks like a little rough
but it runs o.k.

we get a little further from perfection
each year on the road
i think that's called character
i think that's just the way it goes
better to be dusty
than polished like some store window mannequin
touch me where i'm rusty
let me stain your hands

when you're pretty as a picture
they pound down your door
but i've been offered love
in two dimensions before
and i know that it's not all
that it's made out to be
let's show them all how it's done
let's do it all imperfectly

okay, suckers...

I feel obligated to post something. I haven't posted anything of substance lately. A lot has been going on around me, but not too much has been going on with me directly. I watched my best friend have a breakdown that I don't think she could have stopped..and I really don't think she wanted to stop it. I think she needed it to heal. In retrospect, it did her well, and she is recovering better than I think she lets on. She is a beautiful and wonderful human being and has been a very important part of my life for 13(ish) years. Things are looking up for her (finally) and I'm glad, because she's worth it, and she deserves all the good things that are coming to her.

My nephew is precious and has a heart murmur. Hopefully it's not a serious one. He will see a cardiologist, and we'll see.

My sister an insane, stuck up, snobby bitch, but I love her to pieces, and i will always let her treat me shittily and I will give back to her the opposite because I love her, life is too short, and it's just not worth it. I have learned that her husband, otherwise known as K-Fed to her Britney, is not all bad. He is a poseur and mostly a wannabe, but he loves her and means well, and stands up to her bitchiness, and she takes what he says to heart, even when she won't listen to anyone else. He brings her back down from the high horse.

I need a hair cut and I want it cut like Kat Von D.

I found a dress for my friend's wedding that I look great in, and i'm not too modest to say it.

I feel like I need more attention from my husband sometimes. I told him that.

Work is okay. There are good days and bad. Mostly, if boss man is in a good mood, then all is right in the world.

I still wanna be a rock star, and I'm staring to get the itch for a new tattoo. Someone help me with ideas.

I went to a bachelorette party Saturday night and had an absolute blast. I'm going out this Friday with my beautiful friend from work. She got a new job, and I'm sad to see her go, but I am completely ecstatic for her. I hope I can still hang out with her. She is one of the few people that I have met up here that i'd actually call a close friend. She rocks.

I miss GA....but the fall is coming, and it's gorgeous here then.

That is all. Thank you, and good night.

happy happy joy joy...

HAPPY BIRFDAY PABLO!!!!

i love you to pieces.....

YAY...

i'm going to GA this weekend to see my new nephew.

I'm flying in early Friday morning....i want to grab breakfast, hopefully with a friend that can pick me up and drive me to Kennesaw!!

Does anyone know if Java Jive is still there?

WTF?

How in the hell does My Aries Sun have a picture of my nephew on her blog before I do? What's up with that?

so go look here and comment on my blog, not hers, dammit.

...and I'm not afraid to say it....

I love Kelly Clarkson.

I was honestly impressed with her last night. As a singer....a formally educated musician...i was impressed. She hit every note. She was on pitch. She wasn't over dressed, and even had on Chuck Taylor's. She looked great, she sounded great, and she gave a great show. She covered Ray LaMontange's "Shelter.." which I felt like only I knew, and she covered Marc Broussard's "Home" which was incredible.

She was very good. I may even buy her next CD.

Really???

Yeah....it's hard for me to believe too.

Do I REALLY want to go to Real Estate school, or am I just that unhappy with my career?

and am I stupid for considering American Idol tryouts in August?

dammit.

the squirrel story.

I hate them. I hate squirrels...and here is the long awaited story.


Our central air is on the blink. It ultimately needs replacing, and so we've been getting estimates. In the mean time, we borrowed a window unit from my in-laws to go in the girls' room. The side things were still there, but the middle stuff had been torn out, so we wrapped towels around and stuffed them in there all around the air conditioner. The girls had a nice cool room until we could get the new central unit.

One evening, Ana claimed to hear something in the towel. With our rodent history, my first thought was a mouse.....hubby thought maybe a bird, but as he got in there, he noticed that it was much bigger than a bird. It was ...

a squirrel.

We scared it out, put out moth balls, re-stuffed the towels, and hoped it wouldn't come back. Everything was nice, we heard no noise, had no strange nesting materials hanging out of the towels; all was well. We went on vacation.

We left Ana in GA, so Maura was sleeping in the room alone. A few nights ago, there was no street parking, so we had to park in the driveway behind our house, next to our small little porch with the stairs that lead up to the door and window where the unit is. I see some trash sticking up out of the towel. My first thought is "oh lord, that thing is BACK!!!" I told hubby to go and check it out....be a man, assess the situation. He goes up and grabs a stick on the way, and bangs on the unit a little bit. No response. He pokes the towel.....SQUIRREL HEAD pops up, and she was MAD. Hubby is trying to scare her out of the area...banging the unit, the wall, poking at her...she's grabbing the stick and biting it and making these horrible shrill noises... it was awful. He goes inside to try from the inside out. No avail, and the towel is starting to give a little...and I'm praying that the squirrel doesn't get into the room. He comes back out, and I go inside, trying to work with him. I put Maura in her crib - who, by the way is laughing the whole time - and proceeded to the window. Billy tells me that she is gone. YAY! The squirrel is GONE!!....So i'm thinking, lets just remove the whole window unit, towels and all....so i'm trying to help him get it out of the window..when all the while, this crazy ass squirrel is running up the stair rail and charging and jumping at my husband, and he's fighting her off. We get the window open, take one towel out, then move to the other towel, where the squirrel had nested, so there's trash and leaves and such in it, and i'm all freaked out already...so the towel unravels and opens up and all this crap falls to the floor...and then...i see it... on the window sill..

little pink squirrel BABY!!!!!!

oooh...i'm getting the willies just talking about it again. It was tiny and still pink and eyes closed and everything. No wonder the mother was so protective....So Billy pulls the towel out and the baby goes with the towel to the bushes where the mother was......then i remember all the trash that had fallen to the floor in the room I was in.,...my daughters' room. I look down between the bed and the wall....trash, pieces of towel, leaves,

2 MORE SQUIRREL BABIES.....AHHHH!

I freaked out. Ever since an incident with wharf rats in my mother's attic, i have had a HUGE phobia of rodents. I have no desire to hurt them I just don't want them in my house, or near me...I just wanted them AWAY and I didn't want to see them...I run out....left Maura in the crib - who is still laughing at me - and I run down stairs to where my husband is and tell him. By now, the neighbors are out...the downstairs neighbor talking about how dirty they are and how they have rabies and then another guy called Corey that reminds me of Pablo was listening to Billy recount his story. I tell him about the babies, and ask him not to hurt them and he goes in and scoops them up on a dust pan, and comes out to return them to the mother, who is charging him and Corey. The babies were squealing. I can still hear it.

So it's over now. I read on the internet that squirrels often have a back up nest because the male tries to kill the babies, so hopefully she had one. They also don't mind their babies smelling like humans...so hopefully they all made it back to their mother.

i'm just glad they're out of my house.

stigmata martyr

Peter Murphy will suck your blood.

I could crawl into his voice and melt.

wimp.

"kinda like a cloud i was up way up in the
sky.

and i was feeling some feelings you wouldn't
believe.

sometimes i don't believe them myself

and i decided i was never coming
down"

Trent Reznor is beautiful.

His head was almost shaved, and the sweat glistened from his body, ready for me to lick it off. He came out on stage and just gave and gave and gave until he couldn't give anymore. He rocked my world like nothing else and I am so glad I got to go and get it all out. I needed the screaming and the stomping and the hair in my face and the raw throat from screaming at the top of my lungs. It was well worth the haze I sit in today to see his body writhing on stage and hear his voice. He sang every song with emotion and raw passion that only he can exude. I was in awe and utter amazement.

Trent is indeed beautiful.

it's been too long....

And i'm sorry....but it's not that I haven't written...but I haven't. I have a lot inside to post about that I can't post about. I've had a lot of things come up and a lot of rants to get out that I haven't been able to get out. Mostly, my audience has become too large. Too many of you people read this and I need to write about all of YOU without you knowing who you are and possibly hurting feelings or having misunderstandings. None of it is personal. (i may take that back)...and I love you all. But just the same, i need to find another outlet more anonymous.

Al Gore rocks my face off...

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/05/14.html#a8280

Obituary.....

It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of Ana's hamster, Cookie, on May 11, 2006.

Ana received Cookie as a birthday present in October of 2003, when she was turning 6 years old. Cookie was a happy little teddy bear hamster that quickly grew to be 3 times its size. She also outgrew her wheel, which she loved to run around and around on, all night long.

Cookie was a quiet hamster, never married, no children. She enjoyed having her water and food changed, and running in her magic sphere.

She was preceded in death by Gibby the gold fish, Gibby the gold fish #2, and Dude the Hermit Crab. She is survived by her owner, Ana and Ceili the dog.

She will be laid to rest this afternoon, weather permitting, in the yard by the pool at Aunt Pattie's house. Interment will be private.

Condolences may be sent to Ana via email at cuteana@comcast.net or by telephone if you know the number

complancency calling
like the phone
right
ringing
in my EAR
going to voicemail because I

choose

not to answer?

Happy Friday

Peace and love to you all...

and since there is no peace to me, I haven't time to blog....but I did want to say hello to my readers (all 3 of you) and leave you with a little Friday clip that is just funny...


Natalie Portman Raps

more fun to pass along....

my Aries Sun posted this on her blog, and it was just so entertaining, that I had to share it with you.....

Suri Cruise's headline in 2030

What a day....

And on top of having the day off, the TV that I bought hubby for his bday went on sale at the wonderful Circuit City, and so I took my receipt and got 110% of the difference. WOW! How cool is that!

Good Friday mass was so peaceful. The Holy Thursday mass last night was nice as well. When we arrived at church there was a beautiful rainbow. Last night, we played the handbells and a soprano and I sang Pange Lingua. It was really a beautiful service. I went back at 10:45 for the prayer service, and that was nice too. At today's service, i cantored, which was a lot of fun. There was a cellist and I sang the Pslam with him and it was so beautiful. In-laws and hubby came to hear me sing, and even some of the RCIA instructors from last year. I'm looking forward to the Easter Vigil. It starts at dusk when the priest lights a fire and carves some symbols into a wax cross. Then we all process in together and proclaim that Jesus is the light of the world as all the candles and lights in the church are re-lit after everything was darkened last night. I love the ritual of the Catholic church. There are definitely pagan roots to a lot of the things they do. It's all very interesting.

The moon tonight coming home from Circuit City was blood red. It was really spooky. Kinda neat though....Good Friday, Jesus died, the blood of Christ and all....

yeah, okay. Goodnight.

GOOD Friday....

Can I just say that I love that there are so many Catholics up here that they close the schools and the whole city on Good Friday? Ok, thanks. ....cuz that means I have the day off.


YAY.

if this pisses you off, i apologize ahead of time....the attitude of this just pissed me off...

I saw this on another blog today, and though some of the points were valid, most of it, i felt was wrong. Why can't people who are unhappy with their jobs FIND ANOTHER ONE!!! There are plenty of jobs that are not in the service industry...but if you must work in the service industry, please understand that your job is SERVICE, and just like any job, if you do it well, you're paid for it, and if not, you suffer. If you give me good service, then you're going to be tipped well. Simple as that. I should tip you MORE because you felt like giving me free coffee!! PLEASE! Anyway, the origianal post is in blue with my responses in red, and like I said, this is not geared towards anyone in particular. I have done my fair share of resturant work, service and otherwise. It is a rant, so take it as such. It was my initial feelings at reading this. Perhaps it was just the attitide with which it was expressed, but it rubbed me the wrong way. Here ya go...

The next time you're out eating at a restaurant, look at your server. Do you think they are really happy to be doing that job? The answer is no, they are not, but it's what we do, and we do it for the money so please help them out. Its a tougher job than you think and you should pay them accordingly!

I realize that this is a tough job…but some people LOVE it. Some people were made to be career servers and actually love their job. I am a firm believer in at least kinda liking what you do. If you hate your job DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. If I look at my server, and they look like they hate their job, then chances are, I’m going to get bad service, and the server is going to get a bad tip.

There are SO many people out there flooding the restaurants w/o any knowledge of how to tip. Here is a short guide for the general public to follow. Feel free to print out and store in your wallet and/or purse.

There are also SO many people out there working at the restaurant without any knowledge on how to serve. It is a server’s job to take care of the customer, NOT the other way around. The customer is the REASON that you have a job!

1. CHILDREN "THE LITTLE DEVILS":If you have children, DO NOT let them, open and dump anything on the table (ie; salt, sugar, etc). IF YOU DO, you must leave an extra $5 for the server to clean up YOUR CHILD'S mess & to restock the now unusable wasted items. We are neither their babysitter nor their parent. The least you can do is pay us for the extra work. Also make sure you control your kids and don't let them scream or run around the restaurant. It's very distracting not to mention dangerous if they get ran over by a server with hot food in their hands.

Unless I am a complete idiot, most of these things would not happen; However, on occasion, my children may be a little more rambunctious than they usually are. If the happen to open something and empty it, then I will probably clean most of it up, but god forbid you should touch it?!? Don’t they have bus boys anymore? You have to clean up the table. It’s in the job description. Sometimes it’s more difficult than other times, but there are restaurants where you can work that are NOT places for children. If you hate waiting on people with children, I suggest you not work at a “family friendly” place.

2. "THE CAMPERS":If you feel the necessity to stay for longer than 15 minutes after you pay, its an extra $3 every 30 minutes. We make our money from the tables. If you are in one and we can't seat it, we don't make money.

BY LAW, if you are not making a certain amount per hour with tips, your place of employment is obligated to pay you more per hour to make up for it. Your income is not solely based on my table. If I choose to stay for a while, chances are my service was good and you’re going to get a tip anyway…unless of course you get an attitude with me for staying late. Do your job well, and you get paid for it.

3. COMPLIMENTS:Telling a server they are the best server they've ever had is not a tip. If we are good, let us know by leaving us more money. We cant pay our bills on compliments. Its not that we don't appreciate the praise, its just that if you say that and then leave 10% it's an insult.

Again, chances are that if I think your service was good, you’ll be tipped….but don’t bet paying your bills on your tips. My mother always told me not to count my chickens before they hatch. If I can’t pay my bills, then I’m going to find a better paying job.

4. THE SALVATION PAMPHLETS:Prayer cards and any other religious pamphlet is NOT a tip. It is insulting that you assume we are w/o religion and must save us. Again, like ..3, we cant pay bills w/prayer cards. We'd go to church on Sundays if it wasn't mandatory to work on Sundays because EVERYONE who goes to church follows it by eating out.

If you don’t want the pamphlet, throw it away. Excuse us for trying to be nice. We are not trying to save you, nor do we assume that you are w/o religion. We simply are secure and happy in our spirituality and are making a suggestion to you. You don’t have to read it. You don’t have to look at it…and if you are not making enough money to pay your bills, then you probably suck as a server anyway. Find a better paying job.

5. TIPPING:It is not 1960. Cost of living has gone up dramatically since then. 18% is the MINIMUM amount of what you should be tipping your servers. Just look at the tax line and multiply by 2-3, this gives you your minimum tip amount. Remember, our companies pay us minimum wage (minumum wage for servers is $2.13) And we are taxed on 10 percent of your meal automatically anyway. So if your meal is $100 and you leave $10 and we tip out $4-5 to the busser, bartender, and whoever else then we pay tax on 10 dollars and we make $5. It seems small but it adds up. How many times do you eat out per week and do this?

Not every restaurant requires you to tip out. On top of that, most of your tips aren’t even reported so that YOU don’t have as much taxes coming out of your check. I can’t pick and choose how much I make. And you don’t tip out $4-5 of my $10 if I leave it. If I can afford a $100 meal, and my service was worth 20%, then you will get 20%. If it’s not, then you won’t….simple as that. You are called a SERVER.

6. THE COMPLAINERS:If you get a discount because of your food was prepared wrong or something, do not take it out of our tip. We didn't cook it. The cooks get paid hourly regardless if the food sucks. However, we only make what you give us.

You do not ONLY make what we tip you, though this is a valid argument. If there is something wrong with my food, and you do what you can to help, and there is no smart-assness coming from you, then you will still get your good tip.

7. THE FREE STUFF:If you happen to get anything for free and you did not have a problem with your dining experience, most of the time it is because the server thinks you will realize that they are giving it to you for free. There should be extra tip thanking the server for the free item. They could get in a lot of trouble giving away free stuff. You should give them hazard pay for it.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO GET IN TROUBLE FOR GIVING ME FREE FOOD THEN DON’T GIVE IT TO ME. Furthermore, if you are giving it to me for free, don’t expect me to pay for it. If I have to pay for it, then it wasn’t really free anyway, now was it?

8. THE LATE ONES:If you come into the restaurant 10 mins before closing or any time near closing hurry up and order your food and get out. Closed means closed, not social hour. It is so rude to sit there and take your sweet ass time. We can't leave until you leave because we have to do sidework and clean the table you are sitting at. We don't want to stand there waiting for you for an extra hour just because you don't want to go home. We recommend 24 hour establishments such as Dennys if you wish to sit into the wee hours of the night.

If your restaurant is closed, then I won’t come in. if it is open, then I will, and I’ll enjoy my food. If you need extra time to do your sidework, I'm sorry. Most sidework can be done whether there are people still there or not, and that the work that can't be done then can usually be done in a matter of minutes.

9. THE TABLE HOGGERS:If you only come in for coffee or a dessert, to do paper work, or to have a meeting, don't sit there taking up our booths for hours. We are not Starbucks or a hotel restraunt. If you want to sit for hours, go there or else you better leave a good tip for us and camping fee included.

If I choose to go out, maybe after a movie or something, and have dessert, then I will do that. If I want to have a business meeting, or work on some things, I will. Last I checked, there were no time limits for sitting at a restaurant, and as I have said, if I am served well, then the server will be tipped well.

10. THE GREET:When we come up to the table to greet you and we ask how you are doing please let us know. We honestly want to know how you are doing. If you are in a bad mood we want to know that from the beginning. A confused stare or complete silence does not suffice as a reply to "How are you doing?". Also most of us are REQUIRED to say certain things during the greeting, so please don't interrupt our greeting and say "I want coffee", "Can we get some bread?", or "What are the soups?"

Sometimes you go into these spiels before we have even had a chance to sit down and take our coats off. We look at you blankly because we have no idea what you’ve said. Sometimes we are completely engrossed in our menus and you come up and just start talking without any acknowledgement that you are even speaking to us. Give us some time to figure things out…and if I’m the secret shopper coming to see if you are saying your greeting correctly, chances are, I’m not going to interrupt you; so if I do, it’s okay for you to stop talking. I may already know the specials. I may already no what I want. Noone, that is neither of us wants to get off on a bad start.

11. THOSE DAMN CELL PHONES:Don't ever talk on your cell phone in a restaurant. This is probably the rudest thing to do. If you must be on your cell, at least keep your voice down in respect for other customers. If you are on your cell phone when we walk up to greet your table we will walk away and not return until you get off your phone. Just show some respect and give us your attention for a couple of minutes.

Good then. If I am on my cell phone, I expect you to leave me alone until I am done. Nothing is worse than having a server come up to me and interrupt a call. I may be on the phone with a babysitter, and my child is sick. Or maybe I’m the supervisor of a warehouse and someone was seriously injured. I come to the restaurant to eat, but if I get a call that I need to take, I will take it.

12. TAKE-AWAY OR TO-GOS:Always remember to tip the take-out order servers! They work just as hard as a server, and hardly ever get tips for it! WE DESERVE TO BE TIPPED TOO!

9 times out of 10, unless a regular server is also assigned to TO-GO orders, then the person doing these is getting a regular pay rate. If my food is ready when it’s supposed to be, then I may throw a couple bucks in the jar…but you didn’t serve me. You answered the phone, took my order, and put the food in the bag

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SERVERS READING THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please repost this so the word can get out, since so many people are uneducated about tips and our lives depend on this - at least for now......

I have been a server before. I understand part of the argument, but whoever wrote this doesn’t understand that the job is to serve people. When you do a good job, and enjoy what you do, then you make enough money. No one’s life should depend (solely) on tips – especially the ones that you haven’t even gotten yet. If it’s that bad, then FIND ANOTHER FREAKIN JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to You....

Happy Birthday to my Aries Sun
the most beautiful person I've ever known
she helped make me who I am
and continues help form who I want to be
she keeps me grounded and sane
and has never judged me
she is truly the best friend I've ever had

Happy Birthday.

i love you.

Oh oh oh NO!! Here they come....

I'm not one for posting lyrics. I think i've done it about twice, as opposed to a friend of mine who does it on an almost daily basis. Anyway, this band has been a part of my life for a LONG time, and now with the discovery of this ipod thingy, I'm able to find a lot of gems that I haven't heard in a long time. One of these gems is an old B-52's song, from the album "Cosmic Thing" - which is also the album that includes Love Shack and Roam. This song reminds me of my younger days, when I had no resposibilities and I actually was part of the Dead Beat Club.

Deadbeat Club

Huh, Get a job, what for, I'm trying to think
I was good, I could talk
A mile a minute,
On this caffeine buzz I was on
We were really hummin'
We would talk every day for hours

We belong to the deadbeat club

Anyway we can,
We're gonna find something
We'll dance in the garden
In torn sheets in the rain
We'll dance in the garden
In torn sheets in the rain
We're the deadbeat club
We're the deadbeat club

Going down to Allen's for
A twenty-five cent beer
And the jukebox playing real loud,"Ninety-six tears"
We're wild girls walkin' down the street
Wild girls and boys going out for a big time
Let's go crash that party down
In Normaltown tonight
Then we'll go skinny-dippin'
In the moonlight
We're wild girls walkin' down the street
Wild girls and boys going out for a big time

Anyway we can
We're gonna find something
We'll dance in the garden
In torn sheets in the rain
We'll dance in the garden
In torn sheets in the rain
We're the deadbeat club
We're the deadbeat club

Oh no! Here they come
The members of the deadbeat club

singing........

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR RHI...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOO YOUUUUU!!!

~and many more.....~

Hang the DJ.....

Hubby and I watched "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" the other night. It was an excellent movie, but it made me so very sad. I'm not a huge Jim Carrey fan, but he was so much less annoying in a serious role, as he was in the few other serious roles he's had. He was trying to erase her from his memory - mostly because she did it to him - but when it came down to it, he was the person he'd become because of her. He didn't *really* want to forget her. It made me think of all the memories I have of me and hubby and how i'd never want to forget any of the details....even the crappy shit. Then it made me thing of my dad and I had one of my semi-annual break-downs that I have had about my father since he died in 2000.

I usually only break down like that about 2 times a year. When I do, hubby holds me and calms me. He doesn't pretend to understand my feelings, because he has both of his parents, and he can't understand; but he knows me so well, and knows what I need and knows what to say, and that I'll get over it eventually, and he just waits it out with me. He knows that I miss my daddy. I think about him a lot. I have a picture of him in my living room. Ana really doesn't remember him. She remembers little things that I have told her, or scenes that she has seen on a home video, but not the actual person; the fact that he existed and that they were so close. I wish that he had gotten to meet hubby. I was on and off - mostly off - with someone else when he died, and that person was so cold and terrible to me when it actually happened. It took me a long time to get over that....the fact that when I needed this person the most, they made me feel to badly. He had lost his father too, so I was hoping for some common ground at a time when I really needed it. I reached out for comfort and got a very dry and unfeeling "i'm sorry to hear that..."

I was so lucky to have another person in my life who had lost his father and who would let me come over and cry for hours and feed me beer and cigarettes and goldfish. You know who you are, and that time meant more to me than you will ever know. My memories of you are all special and I would never want to erase them. (SHUT THE FUCK UP!) Who am I kidding, you're not reading this.

Anyway, i love my satellite radio and my 1st Wave station. They had a SMITH'S REUNION weekend, and so I got my fill of Morrissey and the Smiths all weekend. It was lovely. I was in heaven......

I'm soooo sorry.....

I finally have a picture of the new tattoo....

THIS is the new tatt that I wrote about so long ago. I finally got a picture of it that looks half way decent, so I thought I would put a picture up here to share with all of you. It was finished in Jan, and I am extremely happy with it. It turned out better than I ever thought it would. I wish the picture showed the color as well as it actually looks. I absolutely love it...and I can't wait for the next one. Funny how the bug gets you. See the people in the trunk of the tree kinda hugging?? Yeah, now that is amazing art work. My tattoo artist kicks ass, dontcha think?

Why Gay Marriage Should Stay Illegal

I ganked this from my friend Jill who ganked it from somebody else...thought i'd share because it's just great.....


Why Gay Marriage Should Stay Illegal

1) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

2) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

3) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

4) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

5) Straight marriage would be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britney Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

6) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

7) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

8) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

9) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

11) Gay couples are a harmful influence on their kids, because all gay couples abuse their kids, daily.

(one of the saddest parts about our society is that these arguments, before the humorous common sense, are the real reasons why people can't accept gay marriages.)


makes ya think, huh.....damn society.....

Okay. It’s been a while since my last update and there are a lot of things going on. A lot of people have been asking me what’s up, and where have I been, and am I okay. I assure you, I am fine. I love my life, and though things could be better, they could definitely be a hell of a lot worse, so I count my blessings.

The questions asked most lately have been about my new job, as a secretary to a judge. For everyone’s information, I am doing wonderfully. I am happy and work is good. I got an unheard of raise – I’m talking 5 figures. It’s wonderful. He is a sensational guy, and so easy to work for. He’s not very demanding, and we get along really well. He tells me daily how happy he is that I am there, and what a great job I am doing. I have also learned a lot about the things he does. I already knew a lot, but it is fun seeing even more. I’m glad he is happy, and he is glad that I am happy. ..and I am happy.

Also, I’ve been requested to sing at a wedding on April 8th. I’ve been doing weddings and funerals as often as I can at church, and now, I’ve been requested. That is really nice. This couple actually heard me and decided that they wanted ME to sing at their wedding. Now, many of you know that I have been singing at weddings forever..but Catholic weddings are so different, and so much more goes into it. I have to sing the opening song, the closing song, a Psalm, usually an Ave Maria (the Catholics LOVE that…), a song for communion, and a song for meditation. I love singing with the pipe organ from the choir loft. It is such a beautiful sound. Hubby says that if I keep these church gigs up, then I’ll be the bread winner. He’ll be a kept man. Good for him. That means he’ll have to make dinner. I can’t be super mom forever!!

Another thing that a couple of people have asked me about is my ex getting married. Not my ex-husband, but the only other guy that I have ever been serious with besides my current husband....my first, real, true love and everything. Well, many of you, I’m sure read about my epiphany a while back that I had about him, and I still feel the same way. I am happy for him. I hope that they are able to live together, as he can be difficult to live with – can’t we all? But at any rate, I honestly wish him happiness. From what I know of her, she seems like a unique and talented woman, which is what he likes. I hope that they are always good to each other, and that they remember the little things that keep a relationship going, so that they can last. I hope they can be as happy as I am, and I am very happy with my hubby.

Hubby is doing well, by the way. We are both on the track to better health and debt- free living…so that we can buy a house. We talked to a mortgage guy last night about getting our credit straight, and it’s not as bad as we thought it was gonna be. We are getting that straightened out, and then we’ll have a house, and eventually, more bubbies…but in the meantime, hubby and I are both trying to eat healthy. I am very proud of him, and am so happy with him. He is really a wonderful husband, and I feel like I don’t give him enough credit sometimes. After-all, he spends all afternoon taking care of the kids, doing homework, and he even makes dinner sometimes, and always helps with the cleaning. Yep. He’s a good man. I love him so much.

On the music front, there is a little café near me called the “Chit Chat Café” and I think that I am going to go over there and offer to entertain on the weekends. It is a cute little place on the corner with coffee and cappuccino and sandwiches and cakes and it’s really quaint. The only problem is that every time I go by, it says OPEN and looks inviting…but is completely empty, except for the owners – Asian husband and wife – sitting at a table kind of gazing out the window. They even got this huge banner that says “Now Serving Cappuccino…” I have no P.A. system, but I think that maybe I could stand in the corner with my guitar and just sing for people. Maybe it’ll bring them in…and I’d do it just for tips to start….just put a jar or a hat out or something. It’s actually located on the corner of my friend Laura’s street, and she’s the one that suggested I go ask them about playing on the weekends. She would come and invite people, and maybe that would get the word started.

Things are coming together. It’s about damn time.

So that’s the update in a nutshell…a very LARGE nutshell, but a nutshell nonetheless. I hope that everyone is doing well.

And hubby updated a couple weeks ago so check out my other half…..

Philly Weather.....a rant....by me.

I just wanted to say that 2 freakin days ago it was like 78 degrees outside. This morning, it is SNOWING. Someone laughed and remarked.."Hahah! That's March for ya..."

Yanno what, philly?

Screw March. I don't mind the cold. The cold is nice. I'm from the south, I have a appreciation for cold weather, and it's all fun to snuggle and stuff.....but it's the inconsistency of this weather that is driving me insane. I called my mom this morning to tell her I'm coming back to GA....i'm really not, but this is insane.


But there is free coffee at Starbucks from 10am-12am, so that will make things better....i'll just have to go out in the snow to get it.


Okay. I'm done ranting.
Thanks for reading.-

I KNEW IT!!!

You are Supergirl

Supergirl 90% Wonder Woman 85% Superman 75% Robin 65% The Flash 65% Spider-Man 55% Catwoman 55% Iron Man 55% Green Lantern 45% Hulk 40% Batman 20%

Lean, muscular and feminine. Honest and a defender of the innocent.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

My goodness this is GREAT.....

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5366552067462745475&q=speed

snow...

So we're actually kind of snowed in, which is cool. I think the totals throughout the city varied from 12-20 inches, depending on the neighborhood. Hubby shoveled the sidewalk, and played with Ana and the dog, Ceili, and had fun. They came in all cold, and I made cookies and hot chocolate. Hubby and I bought some holiday wine from the Chadds Ford winery and it's supposed to be served warm, so it's in the crock pot. Cloves and cinnimon and wine. YUM. We are hoping that school will be closed tomorrow. For someone who is off all summer, he sure is praying for a day off. I know that I'll have to go to work either way, as long as the trains are running - which they are.

So Friday, I was hanging out at work, thinking about how I had 2 weeks left before starting my new position. I kept telling Raul that I knew that the 2 weeks were going to seem so long. Then, I got a phone call from the judge. He said that I am starting WEDNESDAY. The 15th. I went from having 2 weeks to having 2 DAYS! I'm stoked.

SO, since I got the job, I'm going to see the Pie Tasters with Brinkly next weekend. That should be fun....and now I'm trying to talk Hubby into taking me to see the New Pornographers, Neko Case's band on March 4. They are playing with Belle & Sebastian, which should be cool. I haven't seen them in ages. Anyway.

The snow is boring. It gets me out of cooking though, because hubby loves to grill out in the snow. Yummie. Veggie dogs and burgers for me and good red meat and franks for the rest of them.

Your Candy Heart Says "First Kiss"

You're a true romantic who brings an innocent hope to each new relationship. You see the good in every person you date, and you relish each step of falling in love. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a romantic dinner your sweetie cooks for you Your flirting style: friendly and sweet What turns you off: cynics who don't believe in romance Why you're hot: you always keep the romance alive

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Winter

There are 15 fuckin inches of snow on the ground. Damn.


http://kevan.org/johari?name=montie

okay...so the windows aren't really MINE....

They are the judge's windows, but he said that I can leave the door open and look out of them any time....and the job pays so much more and is so much LESS work....and his law clerk, who I will spend most of my time with, used to be in a band, and went to the performing arts highschool in Philly. She is really cool. We should get along. I think i'll hook her up with Raul. Anyway, my first day at the new gig is 2/27. The perks friggin rock. Hell yeah. I am SO damn excited.

HELL YEAH!!

I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Go me! it's like a HUGE raise and my own office with windows....it's great!


So i'm taking you all out for drinks....!!!!


YAY!!

fingers friggin crossed and stuff.....

Okay....

So i just interviewed with the judge today because HE FINALLY FIRED HIS SECRETARY, and it went REALLY REALLY REALLY well, and I really want this job!! It would be a $10,000 raise!! :):):):):) Anyway, he made me feel like he really wanted me to have the job, but he did tell me that there was someone else in the running for it. I tried my best, and hopefully it was enough. I really need this job. I really want this job. He is such a wonderful man and the rest of his staff is just excellent. We'll see....but for now, I'm asking for all the good vibes and prayers and whatever else sent this way! I thank God for this oppritunity, and I pray that if this is His plan, than so be it...but I've also got to understand that if it's not His plan, then he has something better....

But I sure hope the plan is this!!!!


YAY!

The box of Lemon Coolers Girl Scout cookies

...says "reduced fat"..... and that is my rationalization for eating the entire box.

crazy slowly going am I....

Not sure why I'm here right now. I'm livid with hubby, but I'm sure we'll get over it. Lately most of my problems have been mostly me, but today he yelled at me and put his hand in my face, and that hasn't happened since hubby #1, and I had to physically remove myself from the situation. I still feel all knotted up....trying my deep breathing....in with good, out with bad...yeah f- that.

So i hate my job with all the passion in my being...no really. If it weren't for Raul I think I'd honestly go crazy. Really. Completely. Lord, why can't music pay the bills?? WHY?!? My house stays in a constant state of mess. I'm not really a complete slob, like hubby, but I work all week and have church and swim meets and all that other bullshit stuff and when am I going to have time to clean?!?! I get up, get 2 kids ready so that one will be ready when daddy leaves at 7, and the other one has to be ready at the same time so that I can get ready...because if I leave it to her, we're late. Then it's 5 blocks to school, kisses, 3(ish) blocks back to the bus, then the train ride is the only time to myself. Thank god for my ipod. I zone out and listen to my music. I'm at work by around 8:45, and if I'm lucky, I get coffee...then I deal with bullshit all day. if it isn't from a guy at the counter, then it's from a lawyer or my boss or prisoners calling. Then I leave at 5, home by 5:45(ish) dinner made, baths, ready for bed...then Mon and Wed I have choir and handbells....if not, then kids to bed, then I do what little straightening up or cleaning or laundry that I need to get done just in time to completely collapse. If you are still reading, thank you. I just need to vent because I am unhappy with my life. I hate this apartment. It's a good size with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, but it's falling apart and water leaks in places, and we get mice, and the damn dog shits the steps and we are so messy and have too much stuff. I also hate that I'm not doing my music as much as i should be...and I should be, because it's what I do. I am in such a better mental and emotional state when I am playing out regularly. Something has to be done about that. Also, I've lost 40lb, and have gotten down to almost a normal size, while hubby is still huge and unhealthy. I cringe every time we go someplace to eat and he orders a damn cheesesteak. I tell him lovingly that I would really like for him to get in better shape because I don't want to lose him before the kids grow up. I don't think he cares. I think he is one of those where it is going to take something happening to get him to wake up...so with that, I kinda feel like we're on the same road but going in different directions. I don't get the kind of attention that I want either. I mean, he is a wonderful hubby, and i'm not in hubby bashing mode or anything, but tell me my hair looks nice, or you like an outfit, or just hug me sometimes. I don't think it's too much to ask. I don't know. i don't know what's going on, but I don't like it, and I'm unhappy, and I'm not completely sure how to get happy. I'm working on it though.

blah....

So there has been another delay. Not completely my fault….our old computer kinda quit….well, not kinda. It completely quit. We had to get a new one, and husband insisted on this certain one that was at the store that had all these rebates and was really gonna be a good deal… and then he went and bought it, and it was an okay deal, but it was nothing like what he told me, but it’s a lot better than the one that wasn’t working at all. So anyway, I’m finally up and running.

So where to begin this update?!? I could write about New Years Eve, and how great it was to be with friends and how my friend Jonnie’s son taught Ana how to play chess. We had fireworks, and the kid banged pots and pans and stayed up way too late, but it was NEW YEARS EVE, MOMMY!!!

So that’s that. We came back to Philly with this god awful crazy weather that can’t decide weather to stay cold or hot or rain or snow. In 3 days we had 60 degrees and rain change to 20 degrees and snow. It is simply ridiculous, and it messes with my head, and it needs to stop. Seriously, I thought I was going to have a nervous break down. Thank you, Ativan.

Have I mentioned lately that I’ve decided that I am the next American Idol?

I had one of my epiphanies yesterday. It wasn’t really an epiphany. It was something that I’ve been aware of for a while, but I wasn’t completely sure what was happening, or maybe I just wasn’t ready to do what I had to do…but I’ve decided that this isn’t my life. What I am doing now is not what I was born to be doing. I am not supposed to be stuck here in this strange complacency. So, I’ve decided that I’m no longer going to be. If this is not my life, then DAMMIT, I’m going to make it what it should be. It’ll be all good. I’ll let everyone know how that works out for me. Peace.

sorry for the delay...

it has been one hell of a week here in Llama land... the holidays were hectic, the trip was crazy and we have all had that dreaded icky stomach flu. I seriously thought I was going to die. I dont get sick. I simply do NOT get sick...ever...until last Thursday...

Let me back up tho.

Christmas was grand. Pattie made a glorious dinner - that was early for our benefit - and things were very nice. Billy got me a couple of books. We had already decided not to spend a lot of money on each other, especially since my new tatt is considered part of my birthday and Christmas presents. The kids were spoiled by the extended family, as usual. Then it was time to be on the road.

Billy drove the whole time, 6.5 hours to Virginia. The last few hours were in a horrendous amount of thick, low, nasty fog. We had to slow our speed to WAY slow and watch for deer. I swear, VA does it to us every time. There is always a complaint about VA. We got to the hotel, and basically all collapsed to bed. The next morning, I was ready to go at like 6am, and so i got everybody up, and we headed to GA like a bat outta hell. We got to my brother's house in Rome, which is nice, but Rome itself sucks. I went to college there, back when Shorter was known for it's music program. I had a full scholarship...but Rome is completely the pits. We used to say - "Rome if you want to, and I DON'T!!!" - we lovingly referred to Shorter as "shitter"...those were the days, but I digress...

So we get to Rome and my sister and mother came over and we had pizza dinner and that was fun to have the whole family around. My brother has become such a redneck. His house is nice though, even if it is in Rome. So the next day we went to C-Vegas to hang out and see people. Ana's dad actually called and came by to get her, and mom wanted to spend some time with Maura, so that let us to ourselves in the booming metropolis that is Crittersville. We went to the pub and had yummy beers and played a game of scrabble. We stopped by a few people's houses. Then, that night was the concert.

Every year, between Christmas and New Years, there is an annual "young artists" concert called "Home for the Holidays." It features musicians that are originally from Cartersville that have gone on to study music. I performed the first couple of years, but since I have moved, it's kinda hard to get in touch with me. I like to be in the audience anyway. The first girl that sang was about 19-20 years old, and I actually have known her since she was a baby. She had the most lovely voice. She sang the Laughing song from Die Fledermaus completely effortlessly in a key that was insanely high. She sounded like Kathryn Grayson. It was beautiful and light and just amazing. Several of my friends sang other things; one girl sand something from an American Opera that was absolutely beautiful, and another friend did an incredibly difficult Handel ( i think)....another friend who is studying at NYU played some Beethoven on the piano, but the creme de la creme was my friend Phil.

Phil was a freshman when I was a senior. He was horribly annoying, but I had known him from All-State since he was in 7th grade, and I have always done well at tolerating people. He looked up to me, i think. I was one of the big fish in the sea when I was at CHS, and he aspired to be one. The first time I heard him sing after his voice change, he sounded like something close to an ailing duck. He was on key and has always been good technically, but the overall quality of his voice was not so hot. He studied hard though, and followed me to Shorter, sang in the Chorale and worked very hard. He is now an Artist in Residence for some Opera in Tulsa and is about done with his Master's at Indiana. When he opened his mouth to sing last Tuesday, I cried like a baby....it was so beautiful.

And then he sang the Largo al Factorum from Il Barbiere Di Siviglia....which for those of you who don't know is very recognizable if you ever watched Bugs Bunny. The whole "Fiiiigaro figaro figaro...." He did it so well. He's actually doing the roll at IU in February. I'm going to see if I can't fly up and see him. He was come so far. It was lovely.

more later, i promise.

uhhhh...groan....ick...

What the hell am I doing up so damn early?



i'm getting too old for this.


Happy F-ing New Year everybody.