I've been a bad, BAD blog buddy...

Remember awhile back I took some time off? I had been spending a lot of time online and things were 'getting' to me? Well, that hiatus was planned... this most recent was not.

I'm not sure why, but I've been less than enthused with doing much of anything online. I keep telling myself, "Self.. you should blog more!" or "What will your blogging e-buddies think when you don't visit their blogs?!" or even "I wonder where I can muster up the motivation to sit at a computer long enough to type anything...."

In other words, I've been lazy and a bad buddy.

Most of the people I've met here in this blogosphere, I've subscribed to via email, so I've been reading their posts and keeping abreast of their lives and whatnot.. but I haven't physically (if there is such a thing as physically visiting anothers blog?) visited their blogs or left comments. I've been a ghost of a friend and I must apologize for that.

Really, I'm not exactly sure what my problem is. I seem to go in spurts when it comes to me spending time online.

I must confess, that a few years ago, I was a cigarette smoking, eating at the computer and neglecting my 'real' life internet junkie. I frequented message boards, discussion forums and just about any other form of "communicating" except for what is found in "real" life. I was a sad, pitiful excuse for a person back then. Seriously.

It got SO bad in fact, that we had to seek marriage counseling (for that and other things.... I'll tell more at a later time, it is really rather boring actually...) for my obsession.

So having said that, I'm not sure that if now I've swung to the opposite end of the spectrum in that the internets (stab at GW there) as we know it could implode and I wouldn't bat an eyelash. Oh, I'm sure I'd miss it eventually... but after having lived, breathed and been emotionally upset over my other e-friends and all that big drama, I could really take or leave it now. It's only now in retrospect that I admit that I really did have a problem, and it's not a problem I wish to revisit.

So in short, if I suddenly disappear or seem to have dropped off the 'net as we know it, it's more than likely because I start to feel the tug of addiction pulling at my virtual self and I feel I must back away and get some fresh air and dose of reality.

That's not to say that I may jump on for a fifteen minute email check every three days or so... I just won't say much.

I hope everyone understands and I also hope that everyone is well and happy. :)

Living in a military town... a dedication

Complaints about this and that...

You know, I really hate the fact that sometimes all I seem to do is bitch about things.

I feel like instead of having a shirt that says, "World's Greatest Mom" I should have one that says, "World's Biggest Complainer" or "World's Best Nag".

I will say though, that I've found if I don't let all this stuff out somewhere, I wind up festering inside and then something tiny and insignificant will happen and I'll totally blow a gasket. It's one of my many faults and a bad habit I've picked up along the path of life.

Today's biggest bitch will be about my wonderful husband.

Oh sure, I love him and all that, but sometimes I'd just as soon kick him square in the keister than to even look at him. He's always had this way of talking to me - usually when he's upset/pissed - that takes me back to feeling like a small and ignorant 5 year old. Even though I know he doesn't *mean* to talk to me as if I'm a child.. it still comes across that way and it pisses me off every single time.

The latest incident (for lack of a better word) is over our 2 year old dog. I don't know if he's truly 2 or not, but I do know that I adopted him from the pound (he was on doggy death row) a year ago over the kids' spring break. We already have a dog.. or should I say.. my husband already has a dog - a big yellow Labrador who is my DH's hunting dog.

ANYWAY... so the guess on his age (my dog) is around 2.

Problem with this dog is.. he was rescued from an abusive home and it took him a bit to get used to things like being fed on a regular basis and it also took him awhile to not wince when someone bent down to pet him. He seems to have come out of that alright.. but the last and biggest rub now.. is house training.

Now - when everyone is gone and the weather is nice, both dogs go out to the backyard and stay there all day. NO problem. If the weather is questionable, then they both spend a couple hours in the morning outside, then they either spend a half day in the garage, or my dog (the problem potty-er) will go into a dog kennel for a few hours until I can make it home for lunch, then they are both outside again where they'll stay, or they can run for a bit, then they switch up positions.

The biggest problem with my dog, is if he's left to his own devices, he will crap on the floor in my DH's back office. MY biggest problem with this is:

1. I don't know WHEN he's crapping back there, therefore I can never CATCH said behavior
2. It will happen in the middle of the wee hours and upon awakening the stench will drift up two floors via the heating/cooling vents
3. Since the "bad" dog is "my" dog, the DH refuses to clean up after it, which by the way, royally pisses me off. I mean, "his" dog was trapped in the house once and had the skitters ALL OVER three floors. You read that right... THREE FLOORS of running dog shit. Yes, he was ill and the poor thing couldn't get out, so bless his pea pickin'' heart... but I cleaned up THAT nightmare mess. Not to mention that I am the one who takes dogs to the vet for shots, etc.... so I feel like this is a "family" dog, not just "his" and "mine"... you know?

Regardless, he will be staying outside for now unless the weather gets really bad.. then he'll just have to be kenneled.

Where is the "Dog Whisperer" when you need him?!

Anyone out there reading this who has some suggestions on how to house train a full grown dog, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know! If the outside/kennel bit doesn't work, I won't have any other choice than to find him a new home. : ( The kids have gotten so attached to him and well... I feel sorry for the poor thing, being kicked from pillar to post... so give me ideas and I'll try them!

Thanks and Happy rest of Mother's Day!

Thoughts on "Being a Mom"

Just a personal note: Sometimes I think that if I didn't have my children, I'd not have a reason to get up in the mornings. While they trash my furniture, carpet, their clothes, walls, vehicles, yards, toys, and just about anything you can imagine - and without meaning to - they are still the lights of my life. Back talk and eye rolling and all of that. I love them to pieces.

-Peace-

For all my friends in blog-land and beyond.

Take time this weekend to tell that special woman in your life, how much she's meant to you.. whether that woman is a mother, grandmother, sister, cousin, aunt or friend....

Looking for cars in all the wrong places......

Remember that old song?

"Lookin' fer love in all the wrong places...."

Yuck.

We've been on the hunt for two new vehicles and let me just say, I now remember why we don't do this more often than every 10 years.

Yes, I know, I know! I'm sure we're the last of the 'drive it till the wheels fall off' breed - and I only say that judging from what my co-workers and from what my DH's co-workers have said.

First, after they stop laughing at our current rides.... then they give us recommendations.

What to drive that gets the best gas mileage and what not to drive because it's not 'attractive' enough or because, like a former lover, someone has had a 'from hell' experience with a particular make and model.

I hate car shopping. ALMOST as much as I hate grocery shopping. Difference is, I can car shop once every 10 years and the other.... well.... kids gotta eat you know. Damnit.

Anyway, in order to do this, we're selling some stock. We go for so long without car payments, that we like to keep it that way and it's easier and hey.. I'm all for easy. Trouble is, we need to know how much to sell, so we kinda need to know what the hell we're gonna buy.. and it's easy to flash the cash in hopes that someone will go ga-ga and make us a GOOD deal, right?

So my husband is a huge fan of Craigslist. This is where we start and since he's more 'car knowledgeable' than myself, I give him what I will and will NOT drive and he searches. That's the deal and that's how it'll work. At least for now. An example of what I will NOT drive? My list used to consist of: Station wagons (we had a Vista Cruiser when I was growing up) and Mini vans. Don't ask why.. but there's a stigma attached to both. I still will NOT drive a station wagon. I haven't yet driven a mini van, but I'm getting closer to overcoming my personal stigma with that particular vehicle. I will say however, that mini vans have come a LONG way since the days of the ASTRO van.. boxy and just butt-ass-ugly....

As far as being a fangirl of Craigslist, I'm not so much a fan.. I'm more in the category of "people are so stupid, they want HOW much for that POS?". I think a bunch of weirdos hang out there. NO offense to any Craigslist weird..err...users that might come by HERE, mind you... but yeah. I've had not so good experiences trying to buy anything after finding it listed there. I don't know if it's because the people just want to see what their junk is worth or how much someone would "in concept" pay for their junk and then walk away with a, "Oh, that's good to know that someone would pay me fifty bucks for that POS".... because they didn't *really* want to part with it?

I. don't. know.

I do know, it's highly annoying and since I'm old and cranky, I don't have any use for it. It's good if you like window shopping with no intent to buy ANYTHING, but hey. To each their own, right?

So my DH is searching and searching and finally runs across what he thinks is a good deal. Luckily (?) for us, it's a used car lot about 40 minutes away that has these THREE gems. We make the drive out to see if this guys for real on selling these things, or if he's just posting to CL for shits and giggles - and yes! These vehicles are for sale and they ARE nice. They DO have a cash price listed and best of all, the guy that owns the place doesn't give off that creepy "used car salesman" odor. He doesn't have Chicklet teeth, and he doesn't smell of vodka mouthwash and he's not wearing a leisure suit.. so this is looking promising!!

We find out the truck my DH wanted (the really unnecessary 3rd vehicle, I might add!) was already spoken for, but the van and the PT Cruiser LE were available. We took both out for a test drive.



The PT Cruiser LE had some funky clunk when the auto tranny kicked down from third to a stop, but didn't have any shift issues going up in gears and the pickup was good. It was VERY nice. VERY clean. I loved the color (color is important dangit.. you men out there quit shaking your head!!) it had the heated leather seats, a sun/moon roof, it had low miles and while it wasn't brand new, it was in good enough shape that I thought it would have very little mechanical needs. Maybe a tune up and a change of tires.... oh, how wrong I was! :(

We brought it home night before last, so my DH could take it to our mechanic and have him check it out.

His advice, "If I were you, I wouldn't buy this car." He hooked it up to that SUN machine (or whatever those code reading machines are called nowadays) and it spat out 8 different codes. ALL related to the transmission. Apparently, our gut instinct that "something is wrong with the tranny" was right on the money.. I just hoped I was wrong because I fell in love with that car....

Figures.

Of course, there wasn't anything wrong with the Caravan except for a burnt out bulb on the drivers rear and it needed new spark plugs. IT's not that I'm totally against driving a minivan but well... it's still a minivan doggonit!




Again, go figure.

So.. it looks like our hunt for new to us replacements, continues.

Wish us luck!

Here's the next thing we'll be checking out this weekend. We'll see.

Happy Birthday, Karen

Tomorrow, May 4th is a new found friend's birthday.

Her and I have shared some things that people just shouldn't have in common - but if there is a light of hope anywhere in the whole mess that was each of our histories.. it's that through sharing of those experiences has brought us together and I've gained a friend.

I only hope I can be a source of support for her through her journey and that she can call me friend.

Happy Birthday - You've made it!

A feel good song that I've posted previously on this blog to make one forget their troubles, if only for a bit and I like it better than the traditional "Happy Birthday" ditty - I hope you like it too!-



Lip Dub - Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger from amandalynferri on Vimeo.