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Posted by RaynDragon at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)

April 29, 2004

Dreaming...

First off, I'd like to drop a link to Blindfold Blog before I forget. It's an interesting read. The blog is complete, as in finished a couple of days ago, and follows a woman training to become a guide dog trainer. Part of her learning experience is to spend a week blindfolded to better understand what it's like to be blind and reliant upon the dogs she is to train. It's very insightful, and no - that word is not used as a pun.warcraft battel net dowloand

Second, I had a dream last night. It wasn't the kind of dream that I seem to be uploading onto DragonBytes lately, but it was still very colorful and vivid. I was in this dream - I'm not always in my own dreams as me - and my husband and I were following this school bus, which careened off the road and rolled onto it's side. I got out of the car and ran forward, yelling for someone in one of the other cars that stopped to call 911. I don't carry cell phones in my dreams either.warcraft battel net dowloand

I ran to check the front of the bus first, for some reason, and the two drivers (two drivers???) were both dead, blood streaking down the big flat windshield of the bus. I was suddenly afraid the bus would explode, so I ran in back and hurried helping my husband who was getting all the kids off the bus. They were all about 6 to 8 years old I think. Some of the kids were a little banged up, and one girl had a gash along her forearm, but none of the kids had died.warcraft battel net dowloand

That's the point when I realized my son was on the bus. He was unharmed, but not wearing his shoes. I found myself very irritated that the shoes had been left on the bus, when the police started to arrive and move everyone away. The kids were being taken care of and we were told to go home with our son. So we did.warcraft battel net dowloand

We had a much nicer house in my dream. Then again, we usually do. LOL. Some parts of dreams are wish fullfillment. The next day came along and a police officer came to our house with my son's shoes. My husband wasn't home, and I realized that this police officer was someone I'd gone to high school with, so I invited him in for a coffee. He revealed during the coffee that he'd had a huge crush on me all through high school. (and no, this part isn't wish fullfillment, as he had a name that I can't remember anymore but wasn't anyone I'd gone to high school with. I don't think he looked like anyone I specifically know either.warcraft battel net dowloand

I was surprised by his admission and quickly found an excuse to send him away, as he was giving me this look like he wanted to fullfill some high school desire. He made a point of mentioning he was a police officer now, as I escorted him out the door. That, made me nervous. I called my husband (and yes, Brian was still my husband in the dream) and told him about it, and he came home to reassure me.warcraft battel net dowloand

Then this police officer started stalking me and trying to give me some strange story that was supposed to make me feel sorry for him and leave me husband or something... very strange.warcraft battel net dowloand

And then I woke up before I could find out what happens. That's often the case with my dreams - I never get to the end. The only psychobabble I can really apply to the dream would be my fears of anything happening to my son, my need to get things organized and accounted for (the shoes), and my own poor self image and desire to be... well, desired. On an intellectual and social level though, I've got the other one covered. *grin*warcraft battel net dowloand

Not that I'd expect some guy from high school to be harboring any feelings for me other than "that girl with the long scarf? The one who talked to her locker? Yeah, she was weird."warcraft battel net dowloand

Thank goodness for my cat and my son. Now I have animate objects, so to speak, to babble my list of things to get done to during the day, instead of cold, unfeeling metal lockers that liked to try to snag at my long scarf. And now... now there's blogging too!warcraft battel net dowloand

Well, so that's my dream. I'm now going to read some blogs and maybe figure out why nobody can see my categories yet, before I head off for more dreaming... And one of these days, I'll have to explain my spiritual understanding of what dreams really are... but that belongs in another category.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 11:06 PM | Comments (0)

More moving stuff...

*whew!*warcraft battel net dowloand

Okay, so I just finished the grand task of copying all 62 comments from my prior blog site over into here. Hopefully, I put them all where they belong. I even updated my husband's web address and e-mail on the comments he left to go to the web site he will be moving to. (assuming they ever send him a login so I can move him over there)warcraft battel net dowloand

I will not, however be updating my husband's links within my blog unless there's an easy search and replace - which there might be, but I haven't tried it yet. If it doesn't work, I'm not browsing through to fix every single one.warcraft battel net dowloand

I will, however, be browsing through to categorize my previous entries, make a way to get to those categories, and fixing image links so they work again.warcraft battel net dowloand

sheesh... it's almost as hard as moving in the real world!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 05:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

One Nation, Under God, with Liberty and Bling-Bling for All...

Okay, so I've been following this post over at Father Jake Stops the World. He and his wife Demi attended a meeting about gangs in their area.warcraft battel net dowloand

It sounds like they addressed methods of identifying possible gang members through insignia and hand gestures. They also brought in an ex-gang member, who is now in prison for murder. He doesn't say who all was present at this meeting - whether it was meant as a neighborhood "come and be informed" kind of presentation, or one that was only attended by certain professionals. I'm assuming, for the sake of argument, that it was an anyone-can-come kind of thing.warcraft battel net dowloand

This will probably ramble a bit - I'm ranting and making some comparisons here. Bear with me.warcraft battel net dowloand

First off, it seems Father Jake is unhappy with the classification of "gang". So I will separate into two types of gang for clarification: "family gang" and "thug gang".warcraft battel net dowloand

"Family gangs" were probably not the focus of the meeting. They are merely banding together and causing a little bit of trouble here and there to show off and feel cool, but they aren't the ones being charged with murder, or rape. They will most likely get into trouble for tresspassing or vandalizing. What to they want? Attention, respect (according to Demi's post on her site), and enough of a "presence" that the "thug gangs" won't mess with them. They will probably only become seriously violent if they are approached wrong and feel backed into a corner.warcraft battel net dowloand

"Thug gangs" are the ones who want the power, respect, and "bling-bling" (per Demi's post again - means stuff/riches). Land has always been a sign of power. Voting priveleges were first given to land-owners, for example. So these gangs stake out their territory and protect it as if they own it. These are like mini-wars. How would we react if Canada decided they wanted Michigan as theirs? We'd defend it. We'd push them back - with force if necessary. These "thug gangs" are no less dangerous on a neighborhood level than countries can be on a global scale. Challenge any of them, and they will want to show you who's boss. It's Bush vs. Saddam on a mini scale...warcraft battel net dowloand

Now, for point of reference, we are not a Democracy in America - we have a Capitalist government. And we demand the power and respect of other countries, and show off our "bling-bling" every chance we get. So many people want to be part of this "gang" called America that we close our borders and make people go through initiation rituals, so to speak, to have the right to live here. We're a big enough gang that some people slip in unnoticed.warcraft battel net dowloand

We'd rather be a family gang, but in reality - right now, we are a thug gang. And, those who don't conform to the gang rules - are "out". We put them in jail, we take away their right to a say in how the gang is run. No more priveleges.warcraft battel net dowloand

Now, if a person in this country commits murder - gang member or otherwise - they go to prison (assuming they are caught). They took someone's LIFE away, they deserve whatever they get! I feel that the crime of murder is not judged harshly enough. I can't condone "an eye for an eye", because I don't condone the taking of another person's life and thus ending their experience. But they put themselves in a position to be punished - punish them damnit!! Yell, scream, smack them around, I don't care - they lost their rights and priveleges when they took someone else's life.warcraft battel net dowloand

So, the convict who got reamed out by some guy at this meeting? Damn straight!! Especially since the likelihood of that particular convict knowing who that particular angry man is - is probably pretty slim. We should be mad! We should do more...warcraft battel net dowloand

I agree that more could be done in the beginning. Programs to help encourage family values and togetherness are good things. There are some "gangs" called Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts and similar groups that are a positive experience - we should be reinforcing those.warcraft battel net dowloand

But there are those who've passed the point where a kind word, a hot meal, and a hug are going to help. And if some do-gooder-average-Joe just walks up to try and "help" that type of gang member towards a better life - they're likely to get treated rather poorly. Anything from a tongue-lashing to a shooting could occur.warcraft battel net dowloand

And that is what the police officer was likely trying to make people understand. He's saying "here are the signs to watch for - if you see them, stay away - let the professionals handle it." Sometimes the "professional" can be a social worker or a priest perhaps. Sometimes it has to be the police.warcraft battel net dowloand

By not trying to change the rules of our government, we are saying that we are willing to live under those rules. If there is a law that says a girl can't sleep in her car, for example, then either work to change it, or accept it.warcraft battel net dowloand

I'm wondering why she didn't want to go to court?warcraft battel net dowloand

By breaking the rules, you are saying that you are willing to pay the consequences for your actions.warcraft battel net dowloand

But perhaps she didn't know there was such a rule...warcraft battel net dowloand

Now some would say "ignorance is no excuse", but I disagree on that count. The rules themselves have gotten so out of hand since the first constitution and bill of rights were written, that it's a very rare person who knows them all. I've been saying for some time that the whole thing needs to be re-written from scratch again, to better reflect our current technological and social developments. The internet alone changes how individuals interact with the world around them. Suddenly we are a global community too.warcraft battel net dowloand

Nonetheless, the girl could have gone to court and stated that she didn't know there was a rule, and that she was sorry and wouldn't do it again. At worst, it was probably a fine. Instead of helping her to escape the law - why not help raise the funds to help her with the fine, and raise awareness about getting that law changed?warcraft battel net dowloand

Then there's the view of the police in general. It's almost been trained into us at this point - even with my "good suburban upbringing" - that the police are "pigs", or essentially "the bad guys". We let these laws remain - they're just doing their job and upholding them. Sometimes they break the laws themselves by letting people slide. How many people have been let go with just a warning for speeding? Yet we put that speed limit there for a purpose - our own safety. And that's the most frequently broken law there is.warcraft battel net dowloand

I've met quite a few very nice police officers. However, I still get a lump in my throat if I see their lights suddenly go on from behind me. It was trained into me to have that response. Pavlov-esque.warcraft battel net dowloand

A few bad officers spoilt the whole bunch, so to speak. I'm also thinking that once you've had a bad encounter with an officer, you're likely to expect the same for each encounter after that. Thus, you'd approach them with this preconception that they aren't on your side. That will affect how they react to you as well. Negative energy will draw negative energy from those around you.warcraft battel net dowloand

Now, continuing with my gobal comparison - who polices the world? The United Nations? Not really. The idea is there, but not all countries are willing to conform to the rules enough to even be a member. What if we compare the gangs to the "enemy" in the middle east? If we hold out a proverbial hot meal and hug to them and they slap our hand back and give us attitude - how do we react? We "arrest" them. Siege. And, in the process of trying to gain control, we are condoning murder somehow... and the innocent get caught in the crossfire if they don't know what to watch for (gang insignia) and what to do if they see us (run!!! run!!!).warcraft battel net dowloand

I just found this blow-up from neighborhood to world that came into my head a little too much to not post. I'm not much for political commentary - I try too hard to see both sides. So feel free to begin picking it all apart now...warcraft battel net dowloand

*cringes*warcraft battel net dowloand

Wow... this post gave me a category I wasn't expecting to make. LOL!warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 01:30 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

And now,

Okay, so it's not Tuesday anymore. Hell, it's not even Wednesday anymore, but I was busy site moving and stuff and just now saw the link in my blogroll and went ACK!! So here it is, two days late...

Would you rather:

have the lifetime channel make a movie out of your life OR the playboy channel?
lick a cat's nose OR give it a proctology exam without gloves? (thanks nicole)
find a bag containing $20,000 and turn it in before you find out it belonged to an known mob boss OR not turn it in, spend it all, and find out it belonged to an orphange?
find out your parents kidnapped you when you were a baby and raised you as their own OR find out you had a twin that died at birth that they never told you about?

warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 12:14 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 28, 2004

Coupon Day...

Ugh. Today was errands day. Five stops (although it turned out to be seven) on the list:warcraft battel net dowloand

1) return dvds rented over the weekend. Stop, drop, go... easy enough.warcraft battel net dowloand

2) deposit my paychecks into the bank (since they are erratic, I've not bothered with direct deposit). Drive through tellers make this one a cinch.warcraft battel net dowloand

3) stop at a "popular herbal chain store", with the intent of picking up some mutivitamins and looking over their calcium supplement selection again. Get very frustrated, as I like my pills in capsule form. I once had a nurse explain to me that most tablets don't get fully absorbed into the system, as they don't completely break down in time. I'm not into liquid supplements - eww! So I prefer capsules if possible.warcraft battel net dowloand

Thus, I got disgusted and added a stop into my trip for another herbal store instead. Mind you, I hadn't known about the other herbal store until the first one was out of my alfalfa (helps with a colon problem I have) and he sent me to the other one! Talk about a bad business move.warcraft battel net dowloand

3-b) Spend about an hour browsing the other herbal shop until I finally choose a new multivitamin to try and end up buying a tablet form of calcium as it seems only the tablet forms have a respectable quantity without you having to take 6 pills a day. I've been trying to cut down on the actual quantity of vitamins and such I end up taking every morning. Bleh. But I still want to boost my system up. Calcium supplements are important to me, as I've never been big on drinking milk.warcraft battel net dowloand

also - spend about 15 minutes in the bathroom of the herbal shop, dealing with the problems the alfalfa doesn't completely help with. (nor does the prescription I take too, but it's unbearable without both, and usually controllable with my current compromise). Flush twice, feel bad 'cause I know I'm probably leaving it smelly. Wash hands and hope for the best. Pay for my stuff and make a hasty retreat.warcraft battel net dowloand

4) Pick up prescription at the pharmacy. Birth control is a good thing right now - we need at least a little space between kids, so "conception" is tenatively scheduled for January 2005. My New Year's resolution is going to be to get "knocked up". heehee!warcraft battel net dowloand

4-B) Realize I should not go to the grocery store hungry! Realize I do not want Taco Hell, so I go to McFrownald's instead. Pay $2.05 for a cheeseburger and small fries. Fries are too salty, but eat them anyway. Several months of not being a customer and the cheeseburger tastes like crap. Eat it anyway, and hope that if I ever try smoking a cigarette again it will have the same effect. Re-affirm my disgust with McFrownald's food, and head onward.warcraft battel net dowloand

5) Spend two hours doing the monthly "big" shopping trip. By now, my son has decided he's really had enough of this errands crap, and is getting fussy. I thus attempt to drive a cart with one hand and keep him preoccupied with the other. We "chatter" for a while, which keeps him happy some.warcraft battel net dowloand

Coupon day means that I've gone through the set of coupons I have and removed the expired ones. Then I've gone through and looked for anything we might like to have over the next month. I also set aside those which will expire soon. I then sort through all of those to weed out those I really shouldn't be buying anyway. Any coupon that requires me to buy 10 of anything is probably not going to make the cut. I just don't have that kind of storage space, no matter what the deal is. Most coupons I wistfully kept for cookies and chips generally don't make the cut - although some usually do. Coupons for anything already planned into the menu get saved. Some meals get planned based on the coupons themselves.warcraft battel net dowloand

I rarely bother with coupons for the rest of the month unless something comes up that I know I've got one for. Coupon day is expensive. I somehow manage to justify at least a few goodies that we don't really need, or stock up on something we just don't have the space for - because, after all, I had a coupon!warcraft battel net dowloand

Egads!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

I'm getting better as time goes on - the weeding continues at the store when I compare prices too, and sometimes I'll just not get the item after all, but once I'm at the store there's also the sale items to contend with too!warcraft battel net dowloand

Damned marketing gimmicks. Trying to get me at every turn!warcraft battel net dowloand

The problem is, they work... grrrrrr.warcraft battel net dowloand

So I only do coupon day once a month. The rest of the month it's quick trips to pick up the essentials and usually ingredients for one recipe I'm adding into the mix. This keeps us in bread and milk and lunchmeat. Coupon day is for planning ahead - stocking up on spaghettie sauce and noodles or frozen veggies or chicken to keep in the freezer until we're ready for it.warcraft battel net dowloand

Oh, and can somebody tell the people who make up the numbers on the coupons that they spit out for you at the cash register (at least they do around here) that there are very few people in the world who want to buy and stock TEN boxes of Hot Pockets. I was buying those for lunch a while back, and the coupons kept escalating higher and higher. When it hit 12 I had to stop using the coupons - I had already found that I really can't fit more than 10 into my freezer and have room left for anything else! Sheesh!warcraft battel net dowloand

And my little guy hadn't had a proper nap yet, so by the time we got home we were both wiped. After buying all that food, my husband ran out and got sub sandwiches for us for dinner, after we'd fed some jarred stuff to Jareth. He was starving, but needed a nap so he crashed pretty quick after his dinner.warcraft battel net dowloand

eep. I've rambled again! Why didn't you stop me? Oh yeah, you can't. Mwahahaha!warcraft battel net dowloand

I'll stop now. More tomorrow.warcraft battel net dowloand

P.S. - forgive the typos if there are any (and it's pretty likely there are), but I'm not seeing a spellchecker for movable type, so I'm going to have to get a plug-in for my browser or something soon.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 11:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Precious... oh yes...

I suppose one could tell that I enjoy when people comment on this site by the fact that I am lovingly pulling each one out of Haloscan and recreating them here.warcraft battel net dowloand

I've so far done the ones up to and including February.warcraft battel net dowloand

Mind you, they are all going to look like they were posted within a couple of days in April, but at least they'll still be there.warcraft battel net dowloand

See? I wuv my readers!!warcraft battel net dowloand

But now I have to take a sanity break and do some work for my boss...warcraft battel net dowloand

Yes, that was an odd way to put it.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 08:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 27, 2004

Spicing it up, Baby Style!!!

So, dinner tonight was Hot & Spicy Kung Pao Chicken, as per the recipe on the back of a packet of the seasoning I picked up at the store. Basically it was chicken, green onion, peanuts, and sauce - all on a bed of rice. Until you stir it all together, that is.warcraft battel net dowloand

Now, my son had already eaten dinner...warcraft battel net dowloand

a) dinner wasn't going to be ready for another half an hour and he was starving, so we fed him a jar of his chunky chicken noodle stuff, followed by a jar of mixed chopped up veggies. (did you ever notice that almost every single Gerber baby food has carrots in it? Even chicken noodle has carrots?) He's going through a growth spurt right now, so he's like a little black hole on legs at mealtime.warcraft battel net dowloand

b) If you've ever eaten Kung Pao, you'll know that it can be very spicy. We've been doing blander meals lately, since Jareth now eats what we do most of the time, but I keep some jars handy for those nights when we just need something with some *zing!* to it. This packet says Hot & Spicy, and they mean it. It's on the border of what might almost get too spicy for me, but doesn't go over the edge. Hence, my hesitation to expose my little guy to this particular meal.warcraft battel net dowloand

However...warcraft battel net dowloand

He's reached the "whining stage". Or else we've accidentally spoiled the crap out of him, which is very likely too. He refuses to pick up food and eat on his own, but will sit and whine until we pick up food sitting right in front of him and feed it to him. My husband sometimes refers to our son as his "little prince" (and no, he's not read the children's book by that name yet, but I have it somewhere), and Jareth must understand, as he sits in that throne of a high chair and demand we feed him upon command!!warcraft battel net dowloand

And he wanted what we were eating.warcraft battel net dowloand

Even after all the dinner he'd already eaten!warcraft battel net dowloand

And so he whiiiiiiinnnnnnnned at us.warcraft battel net dowloand

And we caved.warcraft battel net dowloand

And mommy filled his sippy-cup with fresh cool water, while daddy gave him some of the rice off his plate. Just rice, as we hadn't cut up the chicken that small and he shouldn't be having peanuts yet.warcraft battel net dowloand

But this was after the part where we had stirred our plates up to make sure the sauce was good and mixed into the rice...warcraft battel net dowloand

And it went into Jareth's mouth...warcraft battel net dowloand

And he loved it!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

He did start understanding why I had that sippy-cup nearby after a while however, but he spent most of the time either demanding we give him more, or giggling - we think he was enjoying the sensation that "spicy" was leaving in his mouth!warcraft battel net dowloand

After all, he didn't know about "spicy" prior to that point. He had no real basis for comparison. And where the one accidental "hot" I gave him a few months back gave him a look of alarm, "spicy" was a sensation that apparently tickled his tongue. And I was able to read when he needed the first sip of water (he won't take the cup, but he'll let me tip it into his mouth and pour a sip in), but then started going back and forth between wanting the water and wanting more of our food...warcraft battel net dowloand

Well... On the bright side, I finally found a way to get him to drink something other than just formula!warcraft battel net dowloand

Then again... Who knows what "spicy" will look like when it comes out the other end...warcraft battel net dowloand

*insert ominous music here*warcraft battel net dowloand

On that note... g'night!warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 11:55 PM | Comments (0)

Long, Long, Long Day...

Phew! *wipes brow*warcraft battel net dowloand

What a long, long, long day...warcraft battel net dowloand

I actually got up with the alarm today, at the ungodly hour of 8:00 am.warcraft battel net dowloand

By the time I got my son up I had already gotten the second load of laundry into the wash, hand-washed 11 bottles and some assorted delicate dishes, taken a long hot shower and seriously conditioned my hair while I was at it, and finished setting up the Movable Type program so I could start moving my various blogs into it. Not to mention consumed 1.5 cans of diet mountain dew. The other .5 can was finished during breakfast.warcraft battel net dowloand

*blink*warcraft battel net dowloand

So, for the rest of the day, including the usual attentions spent on my son, I finished the laundry, moved 5 blogs off of Blogger onto the new server and imported them into Movable Type, partially set up said blogs so that they could be posted to by whomever they are supposed to be, and retrieved my blogroll from cyberspace, called in a prescription refill, sorted through old coupons to get rid of expired ones, set up new e-mail accounts and re-directed my personal domain name, redirected my efax account to a new e-mail, cooked dinner, cleaned up dinner dishes, ordered one part of a gift for someone, played a couple games scrabble and boggle on computer with my husband...warcraft battel net dowloand

*blink*warcraft battel net dowloand

Whoah... so much time in one day when you get up that early!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

And yet, my desk is still a mess with tons of things that need to be done!warcraft battel net dowloand

That's not very reassuring to the part of me that prefers to sleep in in the mornings...warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 11:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Made the Move...

Well, I've successfully moved all my stuff over to the new server and into a Movable Type format. Now I just have to figure out why all my titles went away! But they're here now, and I put up little pages with the new urls for each of the other sites I moved:warcraft battel net dowloand

To our children's children is now at http://www.rayndragon.quickshtick.com/tocc/warcraft battel net dowloand

DragonBytes is now at http://rayndragon.quickshtick.com/dragonbytes/warcraft battel net dowloand

And Quick Shtick Writing is now at... can you guess? c'mon, I'll bet you can!!! - http://www.quickshtick.com/ !!!warcraft battel net dowloand

Yay!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

I've also moved my private blog, but I'm not telling you where that is or it wouldn't be private anymore now would it? heh.warcraft battel net dowloand

I've redirected stuff, set up a new e-mail account and redirected amy@rayndragon.com to send to it.warcraft battel net dowloand

And I tested out the e-mail, and it's working just fine.warcraft battel net dowloand

So if my ISP suddenly cuts me off at the knees, I've got all my stuff off their webspace and onto my own little paid-for niche.warcraft battel net dowloand

*phew*warcraft battel net dowloand

Now I just have to get Brian moved, but for some reason I haven't gotten his login and password for his new server. I accidentally put his name instead of switching it to mine for the credit card number (damned auto-filling forms!) and I fear it may be in the process of rejection and/or who-knows-what as a result...warcraft battel net dowloand

*grumble*warcraft battel net dowloand

Anyway, more later. I gotta go post at the other sites now.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 03:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 26, 2004

Well, I'm trying to figure

Well, I'm trying to figure out Movable Type tonight... wish me luck!warcraft battel net dowloand

I pulled copies of all of my web site pages as a backup into my computer, now I've got to get stuff up and running over at the new host.warcraft battel net dowloand

There will be a point in the future where this site will come down...just make sure you're using www.rayndragon.com to get here and it won't be a problem. I'll be re-parking that domain name so that it points in the right direction. I think it sometimes takes as long as 24 hours to go into effect though, so if I disappear for a day suddenly - that's likely why.warcraft battel net dowloand

And if I disappear for a week it means the ISP I currently have is screwing me over because I'm changing to a different one...warcraft battel net dowloand

*clutches head*warcraft battel net dowloand

Please... for once... can this all fall into place smoothly?warcraft battel net dowloand

Well, enough blogging tonight. More MT and then bed.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 11:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Okay, so I totally cheated

Okay, so I totally cheated on the phone calling thing - I was able to do it online instead. Now they have to call me instead!warcraft battel net dowloand

mwahahaha!warcraft battel net dowloand

And then...warcraft battel net dowloand

Got some domain names and hosting stuff...warcraft battel net dowloand

Look for my husband to be moving to thefictionrealm.com in the near future, and look for Quick Shtick Writing to be moving to quickshtick.com , which I picked up while getting some hosting for myself to park this site onto. They gave the option of getting a free domain name with my hosting package - how could I pass up the chance!warcraft battel net dowloand

Yay!! Once the hosting accounts are properly up, I'll have to change all sorts of links and stuff...warcraft battel net dowloand

Also... ignore any e-mail addresses for me on my site for the moment - I'm diverting all e-mail over to amy@rayndragon.com, and it's going to take me some time to fix all the areas where it says otherwise. When I kick over to the new ISP, I'll lose the current address. I just sent a bazillion e-mails out letting people know...warcraft battel net dowloand

Alright, maybe not a bazillion... but quite a few.warcraft battel net dowloand

Oops... I hear a little boy awake and playing... 'scuse me while I go play too!warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 05:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

I'd planned on starting the

I'd planned on starting the ball rolling with switching ISPs... I'm going to have to make a phone call to do it.warcraft battel net dowloand

I also have to make a couple phone calls in order to invite people to my son's first birthday, although some are just getting e-mail, which I can handle a whole lot better.warcraft battel net dowloand

What is this fear of mine with the phone???warcraft battel net dowloand

I've got some papers sitting next to me, with the phone number for the ISP I want to change over too... I've got papers all over the place with people I need to call for one reason or another. And I have two phones within reach, as I want to test out the cordless and see if it kills the internet or not.warcraft battel net dowloand

I'm still having problems with my service... I'm ready to tear all the phone lines out of the walls and rewire it myself!warcraft battel net dowloand

Okay, no... I'm actually not ready for a task of that magnitude...warcraft battel net dowloand

After all, I can't even seem to handle picking up and dialing the damned phone!warcraft battel net dowloand

What's the term for this?warcraft battel net dowloand

Telephobia? (no, that would be a fear of Teletubbies)warcraft battel net dowloand

Phonophobia? (that sounds more like a fear of old phonograph records)warcraft battel net dowloand

hmm.warcraft battel net dowloand

You want to know what the really funny part is?warcraft battel net dowloand

One of the numbers I need to call is to set myself up with a new therapist...warcraft battel net dowloand

DOH !!warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 03:33 PM | Comments (0)

Weekends are the best part

Weekends are the best part of the week. My husband is home on the weekends. His folks were out of town this weekend, so we didn't do the usual Sunday dinner thing. So today didn't feel like a Sunday at all. It felt more like a Saturday, as we didn't do much of anything yesterday and got a couple of productive things done today. Usually, it's the other way 'round.warcraft battel net dowloand

Lately, when my husband is home, I don't think we can make it through a four hour stretch without say "there's a blog in that" about something or other we've ended up doing or discussing. Today was no different. But, when I sat down to finally write - *poof* - it all seems to slip out of my mind.warcraft battel net dowloand

*grumble*warcraft battel net dowloand

Today I put in a new phone in the kitchen, and a new "under the cabinet" can opener. These two things might seem somewhat unremarkable, and the can opener installation was unremarkable, though it allowed me to finally dispose of my mother's can opener which looked like it dated back to the beginning of time. Or the invention of electric can openers anyway. It was a horrible 70's yellow - you know, the kind of yellow that looks like you bathed a bright yellow something in a nicotine bath? Yeah... Diarrhea yellow. That's the color. *shudder* I'm amazed the thing hadn't completely stopped working yet, but it was on it's very last legs. It's gone now - may it rest in peace.warcraft battel net dowloand

The phone installation involved putting a new jack on as the previous one looked in bad shape. Whomever installed that jack did a crappy job - in fact it looked like it had been replaced a few times, based on the remaining drywall screw anchors still stuck into the wall when I pulled the jack off.warcraft battel net dowloand

In the process of trying to put the new jack in, I got one part screwed into place and tested to make sure it was going to work properly. Something wasn't right, so I had to unscrew the thing and re-adjust. Sounds simple, right?warcraft battel net dowloand

Wrong. So, so very wrong.warcraft battel net dowloand

Part of the anchor broke behind the screw, and the screw would no longer come out. And I needed it to come out. After some attempts to convince it to unscrew, I finally grabbed my bolt snips. I figured they'd be tough enough to handle this little wussy screw, but nooooo.warcraft battel net dowloand

I broke the wall.warcraft battel net dowloand

Got the screw out though. Anchor too. Which meant I also had to remount the phone in yet another location on the wall with another set of anchored screws. Of course this all would have been much simpler in the first place if there had just been some slack in the cord coming out of the wall. But either the person who put that wire in didn't know to leave slack, or that jack has been replaced and remounted soooo many times, that there's just no slack left as everyone else just snipped away at the wires...warcraft battel net dowloand

Phone's up. Wall is spackled. Just so happens that I had spackle handy as I'm still not finished with the unending project of redoing my upstairs bathroom from the studs up. The only things that aren't new in that room are the tub itself, the ceiling, the door, and the window. And the window should technically be replaced as well, but we don't want to spend the money right now.warcraft battel net dowloand

I don't mind a little spackle on the wall - it's not noticeable where it's at, since the phone is bigger than the jack it's hanging on. Not to mention we have to redo the kitchen anyway. It's on the project list.warcraft battel net dowloand

We spent the evening relaxing with some dvds and our son. I find it amusing that he has next to no interest in watching TV, but he is fascinated when I'm checking up on webcomics and blogs at my computer. He'll sit in one of our laps and watch us play a computer game though... it's wild. I think it's because we have toys strewn across the living room floor, and he'd much rather play with them instead. His new thing is to pick up a toy, throw it, and then crawl over and get it to throw it again.warcraft battel net dowloand

I'm continuously amazed by this little boy. I came out of the bedroom with a glass of water Saturday morning just after Brian had changed his diaper, and he lay waiting on the changing table, looking up at the brightly colored glass in my hand. It had about an inch of water left in the bottom, and it's sort of a double layered plastic mug, designed to stay cooler and not leave condensation everywhere. One of the remnants of my mother's kitchen.warcraft battel net dowloand

The next thing I knew, I'd brought it over to a couple inches above his nose and looked down into the glass at him. He looked up at me and giggled as I moved back and forth between looking through the glass and looking at him away from the glass. Of course the glass isn't actually glass - it's more like pink plastic, but you can still see through. We were both fascinated for a couple of minutes like that.warcraft battel net dowloand

I see him watching the cars and people pass in front of our house, his eyes bright and shining and alert. Sometimes, I can see the world through his eyes, and it's fresh and untainted. I hope I can keep it that way for him for a while. Now I understand why parents try to shelter their kids from the bad things in the world. I don't want to do that though. I want to know he'll be prepared too.warcraft battel net dowloand

Man oh man... I'm worried about preparing him for the world and protecting his fascination with it and the kid's not even a year old yet.warcraft battel net dowloand

Then again, we were discussing this stuff before the poor little guy was even a twinkle in my eye...warcraft battel net dowloand

We keep pondering what this little representation of ourselves will grow to become one day...warcraft battel net dowloand

Well, look out world! 'Cause here he comes...warcraft battel net dowloand

Well, okay, not for a while yet, but sometimes he gets such a determined look on his face as he crawls across the floor, jutting his chin out. And I've also noticed he's not as keen on us helping him learn things, as he is with us showing him things. He wants to do things himself, and I see myself there. The kid's got my stubbornness... I have no idea how I'm going to counter that yet. I expect I'll get a crash course when we hit the infamous "terrible twos".warcraft battel net dowloand

Ah, well. I'd better stop before I ramble on any further.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 12:02 AM | Comments (0)

April 24, 2004

Okay, first off - a

Okay, first off - a link *warning - there is nudity - sort of*: Erotic Name. Just type your name in and see what comes up. I typed in the whole alphabet just to see them all, and I've decided I like the "T" one the best. I don't remember where I got this link from though... oh well.warcraft battel net dowloand

And then I found this over at beancounter daydreams...warcraft battel net dowloand

Which Princess Bride Character are You?
this quiz was made by mystiwarcraft battel net dowloand

Heehee!warcraft battel net dowloand

I've also recently added to DragonBytes, for anyone who might be interested in checking out what my convoluted mind dreampt up this time... literally. One of these days I have to go in and finish the bit on the first dream sequence I put in there, but I sense a potential in it and am still pondering it.warcraft battel net dowloand

Oh, and if you wondered about the title of my post last night at 2:00 in the morning... um, well... I was busy last night, as I said. The kind of busy that a parental couple can only be after the little one is tucked safely into bed. The kind of busy that leaves one requiring recovery time the following day. The kind of busy where you're glad the windows were shut because then maybe the neighbors didn't hear the second half of "busy" as we were enjoying our "together time" rather loudly. I'm amazed I even found the energy to blog before I dropped into bed.warcraft battel net dowloand

For a period of time last night, I forgot the world outside of our home. I forgot to feel overweight, or over 30 years old. For a period of time last night, I was sexy and vibrant and my husband and I were the only two people in the world.warcraft battel net dowloand

mmmmm.warcraft battel net dowloand

Since we've become parents, I've noticed the distinct decrease of available time and energy for such encounters.warcraft battel net dowloand

DAMN, but we needed that!warcraft battel net dowloand

Oh, and the "little balls of silver snot" are actually some sort of nose jewelry that my sister's boyfriend is wearing. Just to clarify. Although I still don't get it.warcraft battel net dowloand

But maybe I'm not that old after all...warcraft battel net dowloand

oy.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 11:54 PM | Comments (0)

Well, Brian was the only

Well, Brian was the only one to leave questions for me, so it's time to put down some answers...warcraft battel net dowloand

What is the biggest fear you're ever overcome?warcraft battel net dowloand

Well, first I wrote this:

I'd have to say my fear of water. I'm not necessarily totally over it, but I've taken great pains to learn enough swimming that I know I can at least float if I need to, or swim if I've got to. I prefer the backstroke though - I don't like getting water up my nose.warcraft battel net dowloand
Getting into rickety little boats or deep pools of water still both require a quick courage check, but I don't let it stand in the way of going fishing or swimming when the season is right and the opportunity presents itself. And I actually had the best night's sleep ever in a hotel room where I could see the ocean through the windows from where I slept. That water lulled me into a wonderful sleep with it's rushing waves hitting the beach.

But then I realized that water is not really the biggest fear I've overcome. Marriage and now Motherhood is, although I'm still working on my fears of motherhood as I do it. I had always assumed that I would never find a man I would want to marry. I really doubted I could allow that kind of trust to happen between myself and a man. After watching my mother's example, I figured there was no chance I'd find a man who'd be willing to stick around through thick and thin, and love me no matter what... Fortunately, I was wrong. *happy blush*warcraft battel net dowloand

Have you ever played a practical joke on anyone (if so, what was it)?warcraft battel net dowloand

You know, I can't recall ever doing that myself. I'm a) too honest to pull it off with a straight face, and b) too worried that if I did play a practical joke on someone they wouldn't take it in the right spirit. I'm sure there have been some little "sillies" over the years, but no real practical jokes.warcraft battel net dowloand

What do you have the hardest time forgiving?warcraft battel net dowloand

I would say lying, but there is one that tops even that. I absolutely cannot stand it if someone asks me to choose between them and someone else. As a result, the person who asks is automatically the one that loses. I lost one of my best friends in high school after she asked me to choose between her and the man I'm now married to, as she felt betrayed because she'd had a falling out with her boyfriend who happened to be his best friend at the time. After she asked me that, I thought about how that made me feel and just stopped taking her calls. I never saw her again. I don't even know if she realizes why I stopped talking to her. My marriage proves to me that I made the right choice. Brian would never have asked me to stop being friends with her.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 04:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

It is a Friday night.

It is a Friday night. And I'm busy. So I won't be blogging, even though I had plenty I planned to blog today.warcraft battel net dowloand

Like my sister, coming by with her boyfriend, whom she refers to as "the boy". And the "twin balls of silver snot" coming out of his nose. But he was a nice-seeming guy... but I couldn't stop glancing at those twin balls, that looked like he had silver snot hanging out his nose... maybe I'm just getting too old to understand just how that could possibly be considered "cool"...warcraft battel net dowloand

Whatever....warcraft battel net dowloand

And I was going to answer the questions from the three questions meme.. but I've been busy... and Brian was the only one to leave any questions, the last time I checked... warcraft battel net dowloand

So I'll blog tomorrow.warcraft battel net dowloand

or, rather, today... since it already is tomorrow...warcraft battel net dowloand

Time to sleep.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 01:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 22, 2004

The Ageless Project... This is

The Ageless Project...warcraft battel net dowloand

This is something I found yesterday, but forgot to put in last night's post. I signed up, but am not necessarily listed as of yet, but am encouraging everyone to add their names to the list if they aren't already. It's an interesting picture of who encompasses the blogger community. The only thing it really ought to have is a bar chart or something to show us the statistics based on the people currently included. It would make for a great visual.warcraft battel net dowloand

Camera Woes...warcraft battel net dowloand

Damnit! I'm not going to get my camera for another week at the rate this crap is going! The guy I'm buying the camera from on ebay is refusing to ship. I was initially waiting on a transfer of funds from my bank to my PayPal account, which took a couple of days longer than I had anticipated. The amount transferred was more than enough to cover the camera I did win, as I was originally bidding on a camera that came with extra lenses and cost more, so I'd transferred enough to cover that bid, in case I won. This guy couldn't wait, so I did an echeck thingy through PayPal yesterday, which is technically another transfer (which I'm hoping my bank doesn't charge me a fee for), and not something I had wanted to do. Now the guy sends me an e-mail this morning saying he'll ship once the transfer is confirmed!warcraft battel net dowloand

The last guy I did business with on ebay, refused to pay until I sent him a confirmation on the shipping! I sent him the tracking number and then he transferred the money into my account. The deal finished once he received the item, and we both left feedback for each other. On ebay, you ARE your feedback as far as I'm concerned, and if this guy doesn't get with the program pretty quick then he's going to be in for a big surprise when I don't give him a positive feedback. If he doesn't ship soon, I may see if I can cancel that money transfer and scrap the whole deal completely!warcraft battel net dowloand

Not to mention, I still don't know if the camera will be what was advertised on the page - I sure as hell hope it's in good condition after all this rigamaroll !! I've been checking my PayPal account two or three times a day, hoping that transfer would come through, and told him that if it didn't by the end of Wednesday, I'd pay with my Mastercard - but PayPal didn't give me that option when I went to pay the invoice, it just wrote an echeck on me instead!warcraft battel net dowloand

RAWR !!!! DRAGON WANT CAMERA NOW!!! DRAGON WANT TAKE MORE PICS OF HATCHLING WITH OWN CAMERA, NOT BORROWED CAMERA!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

Okay... moving right along...warcraft battel net dowloand

Take your kid to work day...warcraft battel net dowloand

Today was "take your kid to work" day, but it's not like you can really take an 11.5 month-old kid to work with you, so Brian had to settle for me popping in around lunchtime with our son and stealing him away for some lunch. Much fun was had, showing off our little guy to all the co-workers. The poor kid looked like he was ready to climb into his daddy's shirt and hide after the 10th or so person came up close and talked to him and tugged at his sleeve or some other manner of personal introduction.warcraft battel net dowloand

He's finally at that age where he's wary of new people and that office was teeming with them. It didn't help that the poor guy was ready for a nap. He conked out in the car on the way back home, so I drove an extra half an hour on a "scenic" route just so I wouldn't have to wake him up yet. He's such a good little boy, I just couldn't bear to interrupt his much-needed naptime. I found out that this one road does connect two other, more major, roads near me, and has really cool expensive houses to look at along the way, dropped in amidst some beautiful foresty trees. I saw one that made me *sigh*, it was so pretty.warcraft battel net dowloand

And it got me away from...warcraft battel net dowloand

Those damned cell-phone drivers...warcraft battel net dowloand

Okay, you idiots! I drive the speed limit. Yeah, yeah, whatever - they were posted that way for a reason you moron - for YOUR SAFETY!! So, when you not only go zipping by at my speed +10 mph, but are chatting merrily with one hand keeping your goddamned cell phone glued to your big, fat, swollen head - I have to only assume you have a death wish.warcraft battel net dowloand

Thus, I propose "open season" on the cell-phone-chatting-speeders on the roads near me. Don't kill them, just kill their cell phones and take away their driver's licenses please. PLEASE?????warcraft battel net dowloand

I saw at least eight people on cell phones today, either tailgating me in my rearview mirror (all pissed that I wasn't driving a zillion miles per hour like they wanted), or zig-zagging their way around me as they maneuvered through traffic that apparently needed to go a zillion +5 mph to satisfy them. All of these people on cell phones are DISTRACTED FROM DRIVING !!!! I don't care how good a driver you are - that is just plain dangerous! Yes, I'm shouting at you! I have a small child - I do NOT want to be the one you KILL when you veer off because you didn't notice the guy in front of you stopping for the stoplight! If that call is so damned important - PULL THE FUCK OVER!!!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

I so need to print myself a new "hang up and drive" bumper sticker. I had one on my last car, but haven't made one for this car yet. I even saw one woman, who was behind me, get off the call she was on and then dial someone else at the stoplight! I wanted to put it in park, get out, go take that cell phone from her and fling it, then get back in my car and drive off. It kind of reminded me of a story I once heard of a friend of my husband's who got out and picked up a cigarette butt, still glowing, off the pavement and tossed it back into the car of the guy who'd just flicked it out the window.warcraft battel net dowloand

But, sadly, I don't have that kind of nerve. I just hope, when these people whack their proverbial trees (something my husband read about - I think in a Stuart Wilde book), they don't kill someone else with their car in the process.warcraft battel net dowloand

Okay... getting off that soapbox now...warcraft battel net dowloand

New fodder for the blogroll, and cool site for Earth Day...warcraft battel net dowloand

Did some web browsing and blog reading today. Checked out the site that Father Jake sent me over to - This Is My Body, This Is My Blood, and her other blog Prose and Cons, both of which are wonderful, and a worthwhile read. So much so, I might even break my own, newly imposed, rule about not reading archives. As it is, I've already read the current front pages for both blogs... A teensy, miniature *rawr* over at Father Jake for giving me yet another reason I didn't get much done today... LOL!warcraft battel net dowloand

Also, in blog reading today, I popped over to hey, monkey! who reminded me it was also Earth Day today. So happy Earth Day everyone - I hope you all remembered to recycle extra hard today, or bought stuff made from recycled products, or... I dunno... something. Technically, I blew it - using extra gas to drive all over the place to go to my husband's office and then the extra time getting back were not exactly "environment friendly".warcraft battel net dowloand

I do try to be kind of picky about making sure stuff gets recycled in this house though, so that's something at least. Now that we live somewhere that has recycle pickup, I'm all recycle-happy, nagging my husband about every little scrap of paper or plastic he might accidentally toss in the garbage instead. I know he thinks it's some new anal-retentive obsession for me or something, but there's no real harm in it, so he just smiles and nods and breaks down the boxes so everything will fit nicely in the bins the way I like it. I feel all justified when the amount of stuff being recycled is overflowing the two big orange bins we have, and the half-filled trash bag sits there looking intimidated by it. Yay me!warcraft battel net dowloand

Oops.. got sidetracked. Anyway, at hey, monkey!, there was a link today for Ghost Town, which I spent a good chunk of my afternoon reading/viewing after my son decided I was not going to get any work done right then as he absolutely had to be playing in my lap! It's and interesting piece done on Chernobyl and the surrounding area as it is today, with some reflection on what it was like then compared to photography of what it is like now. At first I wasn't sure about it, but it drew me in. It's definitely a worthwhile read, although I suppose it might reinforce some people's negativity towards nuclear power.warcraft battel net dowloand

A thing that made me go hmmm...warcraft battel net dowloand

So, it is still a "typo" if it's handwritten?warcraft battel net dowloand

I wrote something down quickly today and put the wrong letter at the end of the word "mount", turning it into "mound" instead (and that's in the context of mounting a phone on the wall, nothing bad - so get your mind out of the gutter if it strayed that-a-ways). My husband noticed, and pointed out my "typo".warcraft battel net dowloand

So what would it be? "Typo" indicates that I made an error whilst typing. So would an error made whilst writing be a "writo"? I hope not, as that's just silly.warcraft battel net dowloand

hmmm.warcraft battel net dowloand

And lastly, to nail the coffin shut...warcraft battel net dowloand

In my browsing, I found the need to head over to cnn.com, my husband's second favorite site for gathering news tidbits (second only to the intranet news site at his work lately), where I saw a poll asking me to vote yes or no on whether the Pentagon should raise their ban on pictures being taken of caskets arriving from Iraq. Now, normally I don't post stuff related to news or politics - I generally don't want to go there - but this one intrigued me. Why would anyone want to take pictures of that? Morbid fascination? Yes, I do see how it could be looked at as a "somber moment in American history", but does that really get the point across? If you really want to show Americans what happens in war, show them the bodies! Oh, wait... that would be morbid, and horrible for the bereaved families... and yet, it's fine to show the pictures of bodies of "the enemy" on websites, magazines, and papers? How is this right?warcraft battel net dowloand

Damnit, this war is about two things - Politics and Religion. It's the same war we've always been fighting, just in a new location. Until we can all learn to accept each other's differences, we will continue to fight it. The bodies don't matter. The caskets don't matter. It's all part of the experience. And it will continue to be until we don't require that experience any more. Until we, as a whole, can agree on even one simple thing we will continue to fight each other in one form or another.warcraft battel net dowloand

Find me two people in the entire world who think exactly alike. Snowflakes. We're all just snowflakes in one big blizzard. Each of us searching for that one spot on the ground where we won't melt. And, even if we find it, we'll have to either share it or be crushed by the next flake to fall there.warcraft battel net dowloand

Damnit... and I wasn't going to get into all that. Phooey. Anyway, the poll was referring to an article I found where someone was fired because she took a picture of some caskets awaiting shipment back to the united states.

"Silicio said she hoped the photo of the 20 flag-draped coffins awaiting transport from Kuwait to the United States would show the relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq that civilian and military crews return the remains of their loved ones with care and devotion." (from this article at cnn.com)

Now, in that context, I suppose I can understand her thinking. I recently read an article in a magazine written by one of the soldiers on the receiving end of those caskets, removing them from the plane and such. It was a well-written article, and he talked about how the whole operation just moved in unity and silence. They knew the importance of their job and had a proper respect for those they were there to care for - those who'd given their lives serving their country. I don't remember what magazine it was in, or who wrote it, but it imprinted on my mind. If there were any pictures with caskets in it, I don't recall. So if the accompanying article to Silicio's picture was half as well written, it shouldn't be a problem. But if it's just a picture to accompany a splash headline of "More soldiers dead!!", then I don't think it's necessary. It's just there for shock value. Hell, I think if some magazines were allowed to open up the coffins and take pictures of the dead lying inside them they would - and that's just callous. Which takes all the dignity out of the bravery these people showed for fighting for their country. Regardless of the cause, they did their duty and it cost them their lives. For God's (or however you want to put it) sake - let them rest already!warcraft battel net dowloand

This is why I don't get into the political discussions - I'm too eager to understand both sides of the coin and then can't present a qualified argument for either side. And now my brain if fizzling out for tonight. And to think, last night I was saying that Pilgrim's Progress's posts were long! Pfffft! Don't get me started, I'll talk yer ear off! Or your eyeballs in this case...warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 10:36 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 21, 2004

A few notes for today...

A few notes for today...warcraft battel net dowloand

#1. I've decided I am no longer going to try and read the archives of every cool blogger I find. I just don't have that kind of time and I just don't read that fast! Even some of those people who've only been blogging since sometime late last year can be hard to wade through. Some I have already read, such as Belle de Jour (who seems very quiet as of late), Word Shadows (for whom I reserve my comment as of yet - he's still hedging at the corners of his life, waiting, so I'll wait too), sobering up on the red line (as she's from Chicago, it makes her closer to being in my world despite the fact that her "sexy city chick" attitude makes me look downright dowdy), and my husband's blog (well, duh).warcraft battel net dowloand

There are others that I wish I had the time to sit down and properly read, but I've got to stop trying as I never get anything done... Pilgrim's Progress (who I made it to October of last year before I had to give in and just leave myself wondering about her archives as I started getting behind with just the current posts. She writes wonderful, but seriously long posts sometimes), bald rhetoric (who I find to be down to earth, but never replies to comments and hasn't got accessible archives anyway), little.red.boat (who I now idolize for her carefree way of just throwing something terrifically amusing out as if it was just "rubbish" - someone give that woman a book contract already!), to name just a few.warcraft battel net dowloand

So, from now on I'll read from the point I discover them. And not everybody gets a daily read. Although all the webcomics do, but not all of them post every day which helps me keep up on them.warcraft battel net dowloand

#2. This blog is mine. Over time I've gone from wondering what other people want to read, to not really giving a damn. Yes, this blog is turning out to be more of a diary - I did this today, I really hate that. If you don't like the way I write, don't read it. I am not superbly funny like Anna at little.red.boat, I cannot constantly weave words into fine silk like Keith at Word Shadows does, and I do not have the lurid tales to share as Belle de Jour does with such style. If you want that kind of writing, I've linked them here... twice... and they're on my blogroll.warcraft battel net dowloand

If you want to see my "tale weaving" skills, then head to my DragonBytes blog, where I do fiction and poetry and such - hell, I even posted one there today. Or, you could follow Quick Shtick Writing, I'm every other post, and that one gets posted on daily as well. Last I checked, we had one person actually linking to our story, and since we haven't discussed how we want to handle any links we put into the sidebar there, I dropped a reciprocal link for them on my own blogroll here, instead. (by the way, thanks for linking us Cyclic Synchronicity - I check in on your blog now and again, but I just don't get some of the poker stuff. Love the spam poetry though!)warcraft battel net dowloand

There. I've let the hair down a bit. This is my little spot to bitch and complain about whatever I want, or marvel at all the wondrousness of the world around me. I find myself worrying too much about what anyone who happens to come here thinks of what I'm writing... nope, not gonna worry anymore. Pffft. Too much energy in that - it sucks away time I could spend writing on DragonBytes instead.warcraft battel net dowloand

#3. I will still try to post every day. But if I lose my DSL service for a week when I eventually change to a new provider, I'm not going to submit myself to the re-wiring nightmare just to plug in for a dial-up connection while it's out. Then again, I don't know that my - what four now maybe? - readers will actually miss me much... everyone's so quiet... hmph. *pout*warcraft battel net dowloand

Then again, I may have scared off those four with this post anyway... *sigh*warcraft battel net dowloand

Anyway, back to the usual "dear diary"-style stuff...warcraft battel net dowloand

So, I'm still looking for an inexpensive DSL provider. If anyone can recommend one, drop me a comment or an e-mail. I won't be needing web hosting from them, as it looks like we'll probably be getting some web space over at CleverDot.com, where I've got my business site hosted. (LOL - all these links today and I didn't even link my own business site??? What's wrong with me?) Brian is looking at getting a proper domain name finally too - yay!! Then I don't have to tell people my domain name and then tell them to use the link to get to his... hehe.warcraft battel net dowloand

Also, once I move over to a properly hosted server, I'll be able to use Movable Type, which will be cool. No offense to the blogger people, but there are options I want to have on my site that I just can't pull off with Blogger. It's been a great tool to get started on though. That means that this site will probably look the same when I move it, and then change over to a new design after I get MT up and running properly. And then, it's likely I'll fuss with it and change it more, but I'll take this one step at a time...warcraft battel net dowloand

Oh fooey. I spent all this time rambling away and I never even got to the little story about the humping dogs! Oh well. No biggie. It was just the first time I'd actually seen that happen when it wasn't part of a television documentary. It caught me off guard a moment - and then I saw the one get off the other one, who looked as if she hadn't even noticed he'd been there in the first place. Sheesh. Remind me not to be a dog in my next life...warcraft battel net dowloand

Well, on that note... I'm off.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 11:06 PM | Comments (4)

April 20, 2004

Okay, first off - what's

Okay, first off - what's with this freaked out weather? By my approximation we had a whole one day of spring, followed by one day of summer and now it's darn near winter again? Did we miss fall altogether or step backwards seasonally? I checked weather.com at one point today and it said it was 54 degrees in my area! Not to mention the fact that it "felt" like 54 degrees too. Then again, I think they're taking readouts at the airports which are usually windier and colder, but still I broke down and turned the heat back on!warcraft battel net dowloand

Now, just two days ago I was having trouble sleeping from all the new noises I was hearing through my widely open windows. Some animal had a fight with a dog, some woman had a fight with her husband, and some wind chimes rattled away in the wind.warcraft battel net dowloand

The wind chimes, mind you, have got to go! I've a mind to get out my wire clippers and start snipping them down in the dead of night. Wind chimes were fine and dandy when houses weren't built six feet away from one another... I hear at least two sets competing with each other - one to the north of me and one to the south. I have to turn on a loud fan just to drown them down a little so they don't drive me out of my skull...warcraft battel net dowloand

Please people. Use wind chimes responsibly. If you can see into your neighbor's windows at a casual glance and know what colors some of their rooms are - you might be too close for wind chimes to be a respectful option.warcraft battel net dowloand

And that's my service announcement for today, thank you...warcraft battel net dowloand

Now, I know 54 degrees isn't intensely cold, but only a couple days ago I was too warm in a t-shirt and shorts! When, oh when will I get the opportunity to move off to someplace warm like Arizona without feeling guilty or putting us into serious debt?warcraft battel net dowloand

I miss the desert.warcraft battel net dowloand

Right now weather.com says we're having "light rain", but there's a thunderstorm warning scrolling across the top of the page that mentions parts of the county I live in. And yet, I hear no rain at the moment, although it has been raining all damned day.warcraft battel net dowloand

Even the weather people can't figure it out. They shouldn't call Chicago the "Windy City" anymore - but the "Indecisive City" instead. Then again, I've never been into the city to not find it "windy", so nevermind.warcraft battel net dowloand

Anyway...warcraft battel net dowloand

On a positive note, I figured out how to do trackbacks today, so that I can ping the people who's posts I quote here. Blogger doesn't give me a handy-dandy way to do it when I post, but I found Wizbang Trackback in the process of looking up how to make it work, so those of us who can't use something cool like Movable Type can still ping our little hearts away! I dropped it into my blogroll for the moment. I've still got to pay blogrolling.com so I can separate the blogs from the web comics and other links.warcraft battel net dowloand

I'm starting to notice that the blogs I like best for layout are all done on Movable Type, but I can't seem to figure out if I can use it with my current ISP or not. Bugger all that - one more reason to be looking for a new DSL provider, assuming they have web hosting in the package.warcraft battel net dowloand

Well, that's all for today.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 10:53 PM | Comments (0)

Okay... this one seems to

Okay... this one seems to be traveling about, and far be it from me to stay off the bandwagon...warcraft battel net dowloand

I stole this from The Mommy Blog, who in turn swiped it off of Simply Shylah who also got it through others and so on. I'm not sure if my trackback stuff works, but you can always use the permanent link thing to link back if you continue it forward:

I want everyone who reads this to ask me 3 questions, no more no less. Ask me anything you want. Then I want you to go to your journal, copy and paste this allowing your friends (including myself) to ask you anything. (Do a trackback ping thing so I know you copied it.)warcraft battel net dowloand
I'll post answers in a separate post.

*edit note - links above weren't working, but they're fixed now*warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 03:21 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

And now,

Would you rather:

eat pickled herring with every meal for the next year OR eat just one live monkey's brain?
assuming they paid the same, clean up elephant poop at the circus for a living OR be a senator's aid?
have every joint on your body be double-jointed OR be able to jump 6 feet straight up from standing?
choke the very life out of a cute, little bunny rabbit OR sleep in a vat of maggots for a month? (thanks nicole)

Posted by RaynDragon at 02:09 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 19, 2004

My son has started to

My son has started to stick his nose up at his dinners. It used to be that he'd learned to refuse anything served in a jar - and since quite a bit of his food so far has originated from either a jar, or a box or can of powder this was a problem. One easily circumvented, however, by dumping said jar into a bowl. This suddenly made the food seem that much better and now he'd eat it. Battle over, it was Mommy=1, Jareth=0.warcraft battel net dowloand

The last two nights, however, he has begun refusing to eat his dinner. He will, however, happily eat anything that happens to come directly from one of our plates. We have been trying to feed him regular food, when it's suitable for him - i.e., when we're not eating junk, or something spicy, or something he isn't supposed to have (like spinach, nuts, and anything he won't be able to properly gum to death and swallow). Well, he certainly has noticed that the food on our plates is usually funner to eat than the stuff in that brightly-colored bowl he's getting spoonfuls out of. No matter how much I taste it and go "mmmmmm, yummy!" at him (and yes, some of it is actually pretty decent - usually kind of bland, but not at all bad) he still wants the stuff that came out of the pan mommy was stirring away at on the stove.warcraft battel net dowloand

He clamps his mouth shut and scooches down in his high chair until he whines in discomfort, since he can't get back up out of the position once he's slid down like that. If I hadn't put straps onto the antique high chair I have, he'd slide right out under the tray and fall down to the floor. If I sit him back up and go get the spoon again, he immediately returns to the uncomfortable scooched down spot again.warcraft battel net dowloand

After a combined effort between Brian and myself tonight, he did eat the bowl of food in the end (mostly from Brian doing it - once he came home from work I gave up completely and handed the task off to him before I blew a gasket or something). However, he somehow managed to find a whole lot of room in that little tummy of his for enchiladas flavored Hamburger Helper. I'd added some salsa to the mix as well. He was acting like he was still hungry and looking at me with that "me too?" look and making all those pitiful noises a small child who hasn't mastered words yet will make. I gave him a tiny little taste, figuring he'd scrunch up his nose at the spiciness of it and that would be the end of it. We got a cup of water handy, just in case he really complained.warcraft battel net dowloand

He loved it. I probably gave him at least 1/10th of the large plate I had (missed lunch again - was starving!) before he finally stopped wanting more.warcraft battel net dowloand

I've been building him up to this point for some time I guess - upping the consistency of the foods he'd been eating as we went along - but somehow it crept up on me. And yet - I still can't seem to get him to understand that he can put food in his mouth too!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

If he picks it up - it's throwable. There are some things that are also edible, however food is apparently not one of them. Cheerios, Kix, Zwieback, and others are apparently all good projectiles to an 11-month-old. Unless mommy or daddy has it in their fingers - then it's food and the mouth opens up wiiiiiide!warcraft battel net dowloand

Stuffed animals and silky-edged blankets, however, get stuffed straight into the mouth. So do some of the other toys.warcraft battel net dowloand

Sometimes I just can't figure out what is going on behind those bright blue eyes of his... I suspect - much mischief...warcraft battel net dowloand

Now mommy needs sleep for tomorrow's adventure. Whatever that may be...warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 11:22 PM | Comments (0)

April 18, 2004

Today was quite a busy

Today was quite a busy day. Between the guys coming to put in the cleanout, the quick run to pick up developed pictures and then the sorting of the pictures for various people to get some of the double prints, my sister coming by to drop off some coveted cookies for me, and the Sunday dinner being at our house, it's just been hectic all day long. To top off all the chaos, my little boy broke a new tooth today and was miserable for most of the afternoon and evening as it worked itself the rest of the way through. The baby Oragel stuff doesn't seem to help much, but the baby Tylenol worked a little. Whenever he's teething he gets really needy - wants to be held all the time - I think he really is trying to have us distract him from the pain mostly. I do try. But, with all the goings-on he didn't get as much nap as he needed earlier in the day, so that can't have helped much either.warcraft battel net dowloand

Naturally, my mother-in-law wanted to snuggle with him and fix it somehow, and I got frustrated at her as a result. When my son cries, my own "mommy instinct" kicks in and I generally have to do everything in my power not to snatch him out of the arms of anyone else who might be holding him at the time. It's not that I don't trust my mother-in-law to comfort him, it's just that I'm around him 24-7 and can read what he wants based on his body language and such - especially when I'm holding him. I'm not perfect at reading him, but I often get it right.warcraft battel net dowloand

I ended up scooping him up, having Brian make up a bottle, and we snuggled up downstairs - away from all the people and distractions - while he drank his bottle and then worked on a teether for a while. I turned on some music on my computer to soothe him, hoping he'd fall asleep. I had also dosed the poor guy up with a little baby Tylenol too. Once that had a chance to kick in, we were able to put him down for a nap while I finished cooking the dinner and we ate.warcraft battel net dowloand

It all worked out, but I was worried that I might have seemed a bit rude when I practically pushed my mother-in-law out of the way so I could get a look at my kid and try to read his face and know what was wrong. I did pass him back to her later in the evening for more snuggling, but not until after I'd fed him his regular dinner, as she's not as current with the "feeding a baby food off a metal spoon while his gum hurts badly" technique, and I wanted to be as gentle on the poor guy as possible while making sure he ate all his dinner. It was challenging enough for me to do that I wouldn't have wanted to hand off the task to anyone else but Brian, who also has recent experience with such things.warcraft battel net dowloand

Since I was feeling somewhat grumpy (I think Jareth's moods wear into me the same way he reacts to my moods), I had a bit of a shortness about me when it came to being interrupted mid-conversation and such. I just hope that dinner was enjoyed at least half as much as it got compliments for, and that it wasn't all just people trying to be nice and cheer me up. I later made up some yummy milkshakes for everyone, since we were all a bit warm, and I know those went over well. But I was pleased that the Caribbean Pork Ribs seemed to go over well as I had made a couple changes on the recipe.warcraft battel net dowloand

I don't have a bunch of "family favorites" recipes from my own family, so I'm attempting to try a whole bunch of new ones out to see if I can start some. I guess I can cook after all, but don't expect me to admit it face-to-face. Just because I did once find myself both barefoot and pregnant in my kitchen, doesn't mean I'm going to turn into the perfect housewife overnight. And the day I greet my husband at the door in heels, with dinner just finishing cooking and a martini in my hand for him is the day you need to start wondering what kind of weird drugs I've been taking, or who this evil twin is... Not that Brian would want a martini anyway. A snifter of fine brandy, perhaps... but a martini? Nope.warcraft battel net dowloand

Well, anyway. That's today. Chaos and confusion and crying mostly. I think Jareth and I will spend most of tomorrow just snuggling and cuddling. Hopefully his tooth will be better in the morning.warcraft battel net dowloand

Soon to be my new camera!warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 11:17 PM | Comments (0)

April 17, 2004

Mazda Rev It Up

So today we went to the Mazda Rev It Up 2004thingy here in Illinois. It was hot, a lot of standing in line in the sun, both Brian and I got some sunburn and needed naps by the time we got home...warcraft battel net dowloand

And yet...warcraft battel net dowloand

It was a blast!warcraft battel net dowloand

We got there a bit early and scoped the place out a little while we waited for my sister-in-law to arrive with some friends of hers. Once we grouped up, we traveled about the place in a group of 5-7 depending on what time you might have seen us - a couple of her friends came at different times and ended up hooking up with us later. Everyone was fun, and friendly - both her friends (and her of course!) and the other people at the event.warcraft battel net dowloand

Now, sometimes I have a problem with crowds - I'll end up feeling squished in, hugging my purse so I don't get robbed, and otherwise paranoid of all the other people invading my "personal space"...warcraft battel net dowloand

This didn't happen today. Maybe it was the group of people I was with, maybe it was the overall mood of the people at the event, but I was able to relax and get caught up in the adrenaline rush that one gets when they drive a car like a maniac around a little zig-zaggy loop. Especially when the car has been set up for such an adventure, and you're being given tips on how best to do it. I learned some stuff about how to make fast turns and when to slow down and speed up while doing them. As the day progressed, I went from being "mom-car driver" to "wheeee! zoom!" and did improve my score on the timed course by almost 3 seconds. I started out the slowest in the group of us, unable to let loose from my usually careful and leisurely driving - when you spent a year traveling the country in a motor home, you don't worry about how fast you are driving, you worry more about if you can actually make it up the hill! Hehe!warcraft battel net dowloand

But, by the end of the day I felt like I could hold my head up as a respectable first-timer, instead of slouching off in shame. And, the goal I set for myself in the very beginning was to avoid hitting any of the course cones, and I succeeded in that, so I'm feeling pretty good. And I just got more and more "stoked" with adrenaline at each drive - there were skill courses to teach you stuff, which we did all three of them once each, and then we got two timed runs on the course in competition where our best time was recorded and also printed on a certificate for us. I won't be winning any of the stuff they have for top scorers or anything, but I think I can still hold my head up.warcraft battel net dowloand

On the drive home we were still coming down from the adrenaline rush, so I had to concentrate to not drive like we'd just been doing on the courses. We stopped to cool down with some ice cream before heading home. We were crashing and ready for a nap once we reached our house, and fortunately our son was also badly in need of a nap - he was only just starting to fall asleep on his grandma when we arrived - so we tucked him into his playpen with his blankey and then cashed out for a nap ourselves.warcraft battel net dowloand

This evening we played some of this game, GunBound, that I recently heard about over at the Catharsis forum. We hooked up with one of the other forum members and learned the game better (while usually getting our virtual asses handed to us by the "pros" - lol) while having some more fun. We ended up playing more than expected as I can play one-handed if I need to, although my son got a kick out of watching that one on my screen. I just had to keep little hands away from the keyboard! I'm wondering how long it will be before I have to set him up his own little station on our lan... This kid may not know how to pick up food and put it in his own darn mouth yet, but he's got a keen eye for which "toys" mommy and daddy like best. I may have to password protect my screensaver sooner than expected!warcraft battel net dowloand

Well, anyway, I think I'm going to try to pack it in early tonight - I've got plumbers, in-laws, and my sister all coming at varying times tomorrow. My sister's got cookies from my favorite bakery though - mmmmmm!!! I'm trying a Caribbean Pork Ribs recipe in the crock pot for Sunday dinner - looks yummy! And, tomorrow we get a sewer cleanout put in so we can flush with confidence again! Ooooh!warcraft battel net dowloand

There ought to be plenty to blog off all that!warcraft battel net dowloand

G'night!!warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)

April 16, 2004

Glee! I won! Soon to

*Glee!*warcraft battel net dowloand

I won!warcraft battel net dowloand

I just hope it's all the description says it will be!warcraft battel net dowloand

Wheee!warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 11:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tomorrow, I do this: Mazda

Tomorrow, I do this: Mazda Rev It Up 2004. Hmmm. For $40, I get some instruction on how a car "handles", I believe, and then some practice, and then some competition. I've been trying to learn a little more about this kind of thing, as my sister-in-law has gotten into it and sent over links so we could know what she's been excited about lately. When this event got brought up, it looked like a good opportunity to find out firsthand, get some interesting car knowledge, and see if it was something we could get into too. And not risk our own vehicles trying. Heh. It sounds like all-around fun, despite the fact that I am as un-car-geek as they come. I do enjoy the occasional vvvvrrroooom!, but I have that guilty look afterwards that gives me away as someone who doesn't dare very often.warcraft battel net dowloand

Jareth, on the other hand, gets a whole lot of time with his Grandma, who's coming to our house to watch him, as all the "stuff" is here. Which does make it a whole lot easier than bringing half his stuff over there for the day. And, it means he won't have to spend the day in disposable diapers - yay! Good for the environment and his little bottom!warcraft battel net dowloand

There's only one item left on my list from last weekend - ways you know you're a "mommy" now and/or an "adult"...warcraft battel net dowloand

I think I'll just start a list of them, and see how far it eventually gets. Not all in this post, mind you. Just a couple here and a couple there... Oh, and I'm changing "adult" to "grown-up". There's a difference. So here's the first couple.

this

warcraft battel net dowloand

2. You know you're a "grown-up" when you start deciding which furniture is safe to have sex on based on it's cost, durability and whether or not it's been scotch-guarded.

Okay, that's the list so far. You'll get more as they occur.warcraft battel net dowloand

Well then, what else? Oh yeah...warcraft battel net dowloand

I lost the bid on the camera to someone else, but I've another bid on another camera that also ends tonight, so we'll see what happens. Easy come, easy go. I've lost nothing by just bidding, so I really can't complain - it wasn't the only camera in the world, it just had what my father-in-law called "sex appeal". Heh.warcraft battel net dowloand

And the plumbing is still not fixed. We're having a cleanout put in on Sunday, and then they can clean us out right and proper. Our pipes that is... the ones under our front lawn... Just wanted to clarify that.warcraft battel net dowloand

Well, I'm off to watch the bidding and wind down with some solitaire...warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 10:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 15, 2004

So much to blog, so little time (part 3)...

- upcoming plans made for Mother's Day/Jareth's first Birthday combo bbq - dinner, my birthday, and flowers - candle obsessions - ways you know you're a "mommy" now and/or an "adult"Of course, before I begin on this list again, I have to rant about the plumbers first...

You see, last Saturday we paid $125 for two men to come and take the toilet out, rod out the pipe, and then put the toilet back in again. We don't have a cleanout, so they a) can't rod it out with the big machine, and b) have to take the toilet out. Naturally, they quoted us on getting a cleanout put in, and left after the pipes were draining again.warcraft battel net dowloand

Today, I ran a load of laundry.warcraft battel net dowloand

After running said load of laundry, I found a large puddle encompassing the bathroom and laundry room off my downstairs family room (finished basement - sort of). And an unhappy cat who'd found a large puddle between her and her food and litter box which reside in that bathroom.warcraft battel net dowloand

Naturally, I called in reinforcements - I mopped the mess and phoned for my husband to come rescue me. I don't deal well with puddles. I always envision the worst. He came home and determined that it was stopped up again. He called the plumbers.warcraft battel net dowloand

Then he tried calling them again.warcraft battel net dowloand

And again.warcraft battel net dowloand

And then at another office number.warcraft battel net dowloand

And another.warcraft battel net dowloand

Nobody answered any of their phones!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

I should be worried.warcraft battel net dowloand

I am.warcraft battel net dowloand

So now we have a different plumber coming out tomorrow, whom we will have to pay as well. And this plumber will do the exact same thing the others did (although hopefully much better) for probably more money than we've already paid to the first plumbers!warcraft battel net dowloand

Is this "Let's screw Amy and Brian over month?"warcraft battel net dowloand

Because if it is, someone could have at least warned me. It's always gotta be April, doesn't it? Did I ever mention that our motorhome engine went kaput for the last time while we owned it in an April. That was the end of those journeys, as we had to borrow money to have a new engine put into it, 'cause Ford screwed us on the warranty.warcraft battel net dowloand

Anyway...warcraft battel net dowloand

Now then, where was I?warcraft battel net dowloand

Ahh, yes - upcoming plans made for Mother's Day/Jareth's first Birthday combo bbq...warcraft battel net dowloand

So, Jareth's birthday is May 6th. It will be his very first one, and his grandmother is very disappointed she won't get to see him on his actual birthday, which is a Thursday. I promised I'd take pictures and possibly videotape the first little cake. And then, on the Sunday after, the 9th, it's Mother's Day. So, we're having the "shindig" at our place. I figure we'll barbecue, weather permitting, and eat outside so that washing up will be easier afterwards - hose the kid down, right? Don't worry, I'm kidding. But it will leave less mess if done outside than having cake all over my kitchen floor. I can hose down the patio afterwards, and the squirrels and birds can feast on the remains.warcraft battel net dowloand

My sister got to inviting my best friend before I had a chance, but she's not going to be able to make it. Relatives would be invited, naturally. But who all gets invited to kid's birthday parties? I mean he's only going to be one, it's not like he's made any best "buds" yet. I'll have to confer with my mother-in-law. There is someone I'd like to invite, who's got a little boy near my son's age. I'm starting to think I'd better buy some invitations... Oh man, now the hard parts of being a mommy come into play...warcraft battel net dowloand

Dinner, my birthday, and flowers...warcraft battel net dowloand

The day after Easter. My actual birthday. Started out pretty much like any ordinary day. I ended up opening the gifts from my husband the night before - he got me some music, one from my list - Varekai, and another that wasn't - a 2-disc set of Glenn Miller music (which I can't link, as it's not listed at Amazon.com). warcraft battel net dowloand

Normally, he's not big on the big band music or the classic musical soundtracks like "The Sound of Music" or "The King and I". He just doesn't "get" it, although I've made him sit through some of it in our cultural exchange. There was a really good movie I once saw depicting Glenn Miller's life that I'll have to remember when we do the next one. The cultural exchange usually means him making me watch either a) a comedy I just don't get, or b) something nasty - last time it was the original "The Shining" *shudder*, and I make him watch some old classic film with Audrey Hepburn or Cary Grant or a musical. It usually makes for some interesting contrast and conversation now and again when we've exhausted the new releases that appeal to us.warcraft battel net dowloand

So, for him to choose to buy me something he is unlikely to enjoy, was very sweet. Although I loved how he slipped in that I might enjoy playing Glenn Miller during the day. You know, while he's away at work? LOL! What he may not realize is that he's given me the perfect music to learn to dance on. And one of these days we need to nail the basic "box step" so we can stop embarrassing ourselves at weddings and such. heehee.warcraft battel net dowloand

So, I woke up late on Monday, but didn't allow myself to feel guilty. My son wasn't unhappy about it, and it was my birthday, after all. After breakfast, Jareth and I snuggled up in my computer chair and browsed the web some in between tickles and giggles and singing and other such fun things we like to do in mommy's chair. Sometimes it's him sleeping - that's always so "awwwwww."warcraft battel net dowloand

We lost track of time and were still hanging out when Brian came home early from work, with a single red rose tucked in a sprig of baby's breath. I already knew we were headed out for dinner, so I changed clothes and threw on some makeup. We headed out, back to my hometown of Glen Ellyn, where we went to one of my all-time favorite burger joints - Alfie's Inn. The best burgers evah!! Yum, usual order - Alfie's Cheesburger, medium-rare, with grilled onions and Swiss, and a side of barbecue sauce. My son got his first tastes of both burger and French fries that night. We shared with him, although most of his meal consisted of a jarred food I brought with, as I didn't know how well the burger would go over. He seems to get a kick out of eating stuff he sees come directly off our plates though. I think he knows that if mommy's eating it too, it must be good. Sometimes I'll take the first spoonful out of his food and eat it, just to prove to him that it's yummy.warcraft battel net dowloand

After that, we came home and settled in again. Relaxed in front of our computers until Jareth's bedtime. I lit up the candles I have on and around my desk, which fascinated my son. We tucked him into bed, and then... errr... cuddled. That's it, yeah - we cuddled. Energetically. *grin* 'nuff said.warcraft battel net dowloand

Candle obsessions...warcraft battel net dowloand

After Brian went to bed, then I was left to do my blogging and wind-down thing with my brightly burning candles. I've got two of them that I'm "feeding" carefully to see if I can keep them burning without wasting a bunch of the candle. This is a hobby my mother-in-law picked up, the "art of candle efficiency" so to speak. I'm not immune to such endeavors myself, although I just love playing in the hot wax and with the fire. I'm always careful with my candles, but I'm a pyro at heart. I love to watch things burn. The life and energy in a flame just draw me in.warcraft battel net dowloand

Oh dear. Now I've just envisioned myself as a giant moth with my head stuck on it like some bad photoshop project. Only, instead of heading to the flame I went *smack* into a window.warcraft battel net dowloand

Well, there goes the romance of the moment. *poof*warcraft battel net dowloand

One more left on the list yet, but I'm stopping here for tonight. After all, we've got a plumber coming in the morning, a thing to go to on Saturday, and the dinner is at our place on Sunday. And I've got to figure out what I'm cooking on Sunday and do the shopping sometime tomorrow too. So I'd better get some sleep tonight.warcraft battel net dowloand

Oooh... and an e-bay auction ending tomorrow too. Will I win or not, I wonder?warcraft battel net dowloand

Wish me luck folks...warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 11:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

So much to blog, So little time (part 2)...

Things still left from the previous list are:

Ahh, music and movies...warcraft battel net dowloand

The dvds I received from people were "The Lion King", which is one of the few Disney movies I had on my list that I haven't actually seen yet. I have plans to curl up with my husband and son at some point soon. I love collecting the Disney stuff, although some of the more recent stuff doesn't necessarily intrigue me as much. I also received "Cutthroat Island", which prompted new plans for September 19th of this year which just happens to be falling on a Sunday!! We're making sure dinner is at our place for that one, and planning to start early for a back to back pirate movie day with that one and "Pirates of the Caribbean". If you don't know why we'd want to do that, then you need to visit www.talklikeapirate.com afore I make ye walk that there plank. Arrrr.warcraft battel net dowloand

My "dreaming" drive...warcraft battel net dowloand

Not to sound all matrix-y, but have you ever had one of those moments when you don't feel as if what is going on around you is real? I had one of those while I was driving out to my in-laws' for Easter. I sat in the car, driving along, my son playing quietly in his carseat in the back, and I felt like it wasn't really me.warcraft battel net dowloand

For me, this just reinforces the belief that not all of what I am is here in this "moment" with me. I was disconnected from myself and what I was doing, and it felt as if I was dreaming it - I've had dreams feel that real. It also reinforces the idea that dreams are views into the other "lives" I have lived/am living/will live. Of course that makes the next bit a little scarier. heh.warcraft battel net dowloand

Horrific dreams as of late...warcraft battel net dowloand

I've been having "horror movie" dreams lately. Evil warlocks casting spells that turn them into lightning and then into demon dogs that can only be killed with silver... Awaking from a mastectomy surgery and looking in the mirror at my lopsided bosom... An orphan girl looting shops during a world war/apocalyptic bad thing happened type scenario, and then narrowly escaping an astutely religious innkeeper and her cannibalistic friend... And the innkeeper chose to cook that cannibal and serve parts of him to the people looking for the orphan girl...warcraft battel net dowloand

They get a little worse, but I don't feel like trying to really describe some of the more gruesome bits, like some guy pulling a child's leg out of the dead leg of the cannibal... it got really icky. And those dogs were scary!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

I'm about to change medications again - I'm wondering if my dreams will shift to something a little less frightening. I usually have vivid dreams, but rarely quite so much on the "B-movie" side.warcraft battel net dowloand

Camera woes and wishes...warcraft battel net dowloand

Sigh. I got so excited when I borrowed my sister's camera, but it's been "looked at" by my father-in-law now. And he knows a thing or three about cameras. And it's in need of fixing and not really worth the effort. He's loaned me a camera to use in the meantime, so I'm back to snapping pictures madly again (two rolls being developed this week), but I need to get a camera of my very own, so that I can treat it like I "own it and want to keep it in good shape", instead of "It's on loan, so treat it like fine china"... heh. I'm learning more and more about what things a real camera can do though! And today - I put in a bid on one on e-bay. We'll see if I win or not. *rubs hands in anticipation of possibilities*warcraft battel net dowloand

My realization of my own learning capabilities...warcraft battel net dowloand

Ah, yes. Something has occurred to me lately. Something that I think must have stemmed from the head injury I sustained a while back.warcraft battel net dowloand

I'm having trouble learning new things.warcraft battel net dowloand

It's not that I can't learn new things. It's more like I have to use whatever I'm learning repeatedly, day after day, before it really sinks in. I've noticed it most from learning to use the camera - I can point and click, but knowing which numbers on the lens and buttons mean what can sometimes baffle me completely. The more I use it, the better I get at remembering, but if I set it aside for a day it can sometimes feel as if I've never seen the camera before in my life. It's very frustrating.warcraft battel net dowloand

Add that to the fact that I'm a "visual" learner and a textbook will just leave me giving you a dumb look unless it's written in an extremely engaging style. I've read the manual for my sister's camera at least twice all the way through, but if you threw a term like "aperture" at me I'd give you the slack-jawed look of an idiot. Well, no, that's not technically true for that particular term, but I still couldn't tell you properly what it means without using the word "thingy" at least twice.warcraft battel net dowloand

I'm thinking a class on speed-reading might help me, since I think they teach ways to remember stuff as you read them. Dunno. I might have to look into that. Sure would save me a lot of time if I could read blogs faster too! I'm falling behind on most of the ones I want to be following at least weekly. There is just not enough time in the day.warcraft battel net dowloand

Speaking of which, I'm going to stop here. I've gotten through about half that list, but I'm thinking I'll have to just finish it in a part 3. By the time I spellcheck this and all it'll be 1:00 am.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 12:05 AM | Comments (1)

April 13, 2004

We interrupt this broadcast for another day of my life...

Looks like we finally got the internet back to working today! Hooray!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

*dances around until dizzy*warcraft battel net dowloand

Like, it's on all the time again - you know, like DSL is supposed to work. And why, you ask, is the internet finally working???warcraft battel net dowloand

Because someone finally sent a real live person to my door!!! Whoop!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

Now here's the fun triangle - there's me, the ISP, and the phone company - and since nobody seems to understand about conference calls (you'd think the phone company would know how to do that sort of thing, now wouldn't you?), there was a considerable level of non-communication going on between the three sides...warcraft battel net dowloand

You see, I was under the understanding that the guy was being sent by the phone company, at the request of the ISP, to fix my problem...warcraft battel net dowloand

Silly me.warcraft battel net dowloand

He (meaning the guy who arrived at my door) was under a slightly varied version of "fix my problem", meaning that it was unusual to ring the bell and talk to me at all. But, in all fairness, the guy was great. He was supposed to arrive sometime between 1 and 5 pm, and just showed up around 10 am instead, since he had an open slot. Although I appreciated the chance to get it fixed ahead of schedule, I'd had my sleep interrupted by the ISP guy calling earlier and putting me on hold for a half an hour while he set up the appointment with the phone company in the first place, so I'd reset the alarm (which hadn't gone off yet when the ISP called) and gone back to sleep. So I ran to answer the door in a t-shirt and underwear with a bathrobe thrown over it, and my hair all bed-flattened! Oh, the horror! I managed to throw more decent clothes on, even if they were just the first thing I grabbed, and brush my hair into a clip while he was checking the outside stuff. I also got my son changed into a clean diaper, as he'd been woken up by the doorbell (which makes him cry) and now required breakfast. So I'm attempting to help the guy look at my phone lines and stuff, while feeding my kid cereal in between... There was a lot of pointing in a general direction "it's over there" for some stuff.warcraft battel net dowloand

Which led me later to realize one assumption he may have made, having been behind the head of our bed in order to reach the phone jack... *clears throat*

Dear Mr. Repair Guy,warcraft battel net dowloand
The item you saw on the shelves we are currently using as a headboard behind the head of our bed was, in fact, NOT what you probably thought it was. It, in fact, IS a massager - most commonly used for neckaches and backaches and the occasional leg muscle problem. The design on this particular model of massager is not such that it could be used in any "other" manner than what is shown on the box it came in. The fact that my much younger sister gave me this particular massager also would put it in exactly the wrong light for such use even if it were capable of such "entertaining" usage. Your mind can now rest at ease, you did not see some sort of nastiness in my bedroom this morning. I don't keep those sort of items by the phone jack, after all, as the cat likes to sit back there when she gets into the bedroom. And there's some places you just don't want to suddenly get cat hair into...warcraft battel net dowloand
Thanks again for fixing my internet,
Amy

So anyway, he fixed the internet. It was not the modem after all, so now I'll have to make sure the old one works and then probably return this new one, since I didn't need to buy it. Which is what I wanted to know in the first place. *sigh* The problem turned out to be one of the filters that keeps the DSL from messing up the phone. I'd tried the "process of elimination", but I didn't have nice new filters to put everywhere at the time, and it somehow didn't seem to work even when I did pull that filter off, so I never managed to narrow it down. But it's been consistent ever since he left. The bill is being sent to the ISP, and I hope I get my money back for this new modem...Arrgh...what a hassle this has been. And the ISP customer service guy was rude all the time, treating me as if I didn't know anything at all. I have an e-mail in my box for a "satisfaction survey" and I am so going to rant if there's a comments section.warcraft battel net dowloand

I think it's time to look into new DSL providers - we're apparently paying too much for this one, since they don't offer any decent customer service once you've managed to make it through their automated system to even get to a person in the first place. I'd go with the DSL offered directly through the phone company, but they charge a lot too... Time to shop around. So be warned that the page this blog is located on may move, although if you are getting here through www.rayndragon.com it won't matter, as I forward that through another service and I'll just have to tell it where to redirect it. The most annoying part will be getting people to get the new e-mail right again. I only just finally got the last person moved off my old yahoo address. LOL.warcraft battel net dowloand

Another good thing for today - we got our taxes done. We've been procrastinating for about a month now, although I think it's been more "forgetting" than "procrastinating" actually. Anyway, we're getting a *gasp* refund this year!!! *glee!!!*warcraft battel net dowloand

Which means we'll actually be able to justify our Anniversary gifts, come May, which is something we were both a little concerned about fitting into the budget this year. Things are looking up, but for the moment they've still been kind of tight. We've also still been getting the hang of this "parenting" thing, where there's additional expenses like formula and baby wipes each month. We've never been particularly perfect when it comes to budgeting - usually it's more like:

"Hon? We're out of money again, so don't spend any okay? Oh, and I need gas to get to work, so I took that $20 bill in your purse too. But the next paycheck will be deposited at the end of next week, so we can get groceries then."

Somehow, we do muddle through. We just try to pay the important bills before doing the groceries so that we know the mortgage gets paid each month. I've always kind of had the philosophy that if we have a roof over our head, we'll figure out the rest somehow. In the worst situations, when your scrounging the toll change to buy food - ramen noodles are usually four for $1.00 at most grocery stores. We've been that desperate before, so things being "tight" is just a matter of muddling through until the tide turns. *smiles*warcraft battel net dowloand

See? I'm not a pessimist after all!!! I know that the rainbow is waiting just around the next corner...warcraft battel net dowloand

waiting...warcraft battel net dowloand

waiting for us to come 'round that corner so it can BEAT US SENSELESS!!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

*clears throat*warcraft battel net dowloand

ahem. sorry 'bout that.warcraft battel net dowloand

So, I'll just continue my list of things from Sunday/Monday... um... tomorrow.warcraft battel net dowloand

When I'm not feeling quite so...warcraft battel net dowloand

Optimistic?warcraft battel net dowloand

yeah.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 10:52 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

And now,

Would you rather:

live in a place with the constant threat of volcano eruptions OR the constant threat of tidal waves?
go through an operation that would make you absolutely gorgeous, able to win any beauty contest OR one that would make you able to run faster than anybody on the planet?

your

have warts on your face OR on your genitals?
scream in pain everytime you comb your hair OR cry like a baby when you brush your teeth?

Posted by RaynDragon at 10:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 12, 2004

So much to blog, so little time...

I've got so much to blog between yesterday and today, I don't know where to begin...hmm. I suppose I should outline so I don't forget anything:

So that's the list. *wipes brow, and peers back up at the top of it* Ahh yes, my uncle. And his pants. I didn't see the hole in his pants this time, as I made a definitive effort not to look at his pants after hearing mention of the hole in his pants and some joking about duct tape to fix it with. At least he had the foresight to suggest he get himself a new pair before Christmas, but I'm hoping he has intact pants by May 9th. But I'll get to that event later. He and I connected in conversation... once? on Sunday. And that was only whilst we somehow ended up talking about a person we both know of whom we can both apply the word "hate" to. I don't "hate" people lightly, and there are only two people I can assuredly affix that term onto. And the other person I haven't known in a long while, so the "hate" has faded into more of a "generally don't give a damn about the bitch" type of feeling. But anyway, that seemed to be the only real "conversation" my uncle and I had all afternoon-evening. He has a way of being a) center of attention, and b) generally considering me to be too uninformed and naive to have anything worthwhile to contribute to any conversation. At least that's how it tends to feel whenever he brushes my comments off or ignores them completely. I end up trying to start sentences and trailing off, never getting to finish them as he bursts in to tell me how wrong or unknowing I must be. It's like he and my mom both learned growing up that if they just keep talking loud enough and long enough, nobody is going to have any energy left at the end to contradict them with.warcraft battel net dowloand

And if that's the case, whomever they learned the behavior from was right. I don't generally have the energy left. I nod and smile and try to shrug it off, but it can be difficult to never have a "real" conversation with an uncle I idolized for so much of my youth. Oh well. Moving on...warcraft battel net dowloand

Easter overall, and the "yummy fluff cake madness". Ah, yes. Easter only poked it's head out in the form of cards and stuffed bunnies - one of which sang a loud song about wiggling and received a rather "considered" look from my son. It was really very cute, and didn't make him cry, which is to its credit as most toys like that do tend to make him unhappy. My mother-in-law does cards for Easter, but went out of her way to not make ours religious specific, since she knows we were mostly celebrating "Easter" on a purely "family gathering" level. We should have had some sort of shindig on Eostre/Spring Equinox like we had talked about, and I think next year we might. We just have to figure out what will best embrace the event for us as a couple and then see if it's something we can share with the rest of the family. My sister-in-law also managed to find a card that wasn't too specific on religion, and even did mention spring, which was cool. The new year ought to begin in spring, not winter. It feels right - everything is starting to grow again, and getting fresh starts.warcraft battel net dowloand

Easter aside, it was also a birthday celebration for myself and an "aunt-in-law" (kind-of anyway - she's not technically married to Brian's uncle, but they've been together so long they're common law married by this point at least, and everyone knows she's part of the family). My husband had checked in at some point and thrown in a reminder that Angel Food Cake is my favorite, so there was Angel Food Cake this year!!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

Whee!! *dances around giggling*warcraft battel net dowloand

My mother-in-law was trying to fill two "favorites" with one stone, and attempted a frosting her brother had mentioned not having had in ages. Something made with marshmallow fluff. It didn't quite work as she had hoped, but it tasted great! It was just sticky as heck to try and cut, and we figured at that point a coping saw or some thin metal wire would have been easier to cut the cake with. Normally a serated knife will cut that type of cake just fine if it's done right, but the moment the knife came into contact with the frosting it became a sticky mess. Good thing angel food cake is like a sponge and kicks back after it's been squished. LOL!!warcraft battel net dowloand

My new reading list includes three titles: The Labyrinth Key, The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque, and The Sandman Companion. The first two were given to me by my uncle, and I have knocked them up to the top of my reading list now, as then maybe we'll have something to talk about the next time I see him. He's read them both and decided to give them to me. Once upon a time any book he gave me was the coolest thing on my bookshelf, but those were children's books and we've both changed a lot since then. They both sound good on the jackets though. The last of the three was given to me by my Sister-in-Law, who has access to the internet (unlike my uncle) and, therefore, my wish list. Either she has recently read my blog or was just in the right spirit of things this year, but she made a point of mentioning that she picked it out since it was something that interested her too. The Sandman comics, by Neil Gaiman, have always been one of the things we have in common - I have a good portion of the collection in single comics, and I think I lent her some of them at one point so she could read ones she'd missed. I just thought it was really cool that she picked something we could both relate to.warcraft battel net dowloand

Okay, so it's already tomorrow, and I've only gotten to the third thing on my list that I want to post on...warcraft battel net dowloand

Sorry, but it's just going to have to get broken up over a few posts. I do like the idea of posting every day, but I also like the idea of not having obnoxiously long posts - and this one is already exceeding the limit, methinks.warcraft battel net dowloand

So, more to come when I post "tomorrow".warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 11:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 11, 2004

Happy Easter & So On...

Happy Easter for those who celebrate it!warcraft battel net dowloand

Happy Sunday for those who don't!warcraft battel net dowloand

Happy Birthday to a friend of mine in Iowa!warcraft battel net dowloand

Happy Birthday to anyone else who's birthday it is!warcraft battel net dowloand

Happy Birthday to, well, myself in a little over an hour...warcraft battel net dowloand

hrm...warcraft battel net dowloand

Okay, how about just Happy!warcraft battel net dowloand

We couldn't connect to Blogger for some odd reason this morning, so I'm afraid we had to skip posting for both Quick Shtick Writing, and To Our Children's Children today. Sorry. Writing will resume tomorrow, assuming Blogger allows us to post, and the internet doesn't spontaneously go poof again.warcraft battel net dowloand

In the meantime, I'm pooped from a long day of festivities, so I'm going to wind down and go crash.warcraft battel net dowloand

Hope your day was filled with family, or fun, or both!warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 10:34 PM | Comments (5)

April 10, 2004

And off, and off, and off...

And so, the disasters continued today...warcraft battel net dowloand

First, we got to find out that the problem with the internet is not necessarily the modem, when the ISP called me back today. I was merrily browsing the web when the phone rang. The process of answering it cut off the internet somehow. I'm on DSL - that's not supposed to happen! ARRRGH! So, anytime the phone rings, it's touch and go as to whether or not it will kick out the internet, and getting the internet back involves rebooting both the modem and my computer.warcraft battel net dowloand

*grumble*warcraft battel net dowloand

And the guy didn't check with me before putting me on hold and calling the phone company, so now they have the wrong information and will go through the same stuff I've already been through with them. *sigh* The guy from the ISP will get back to me sometime on Tuesday - although he was supposed to have someone call me back today but it never happened.warcraft battel net dowloand

I've already been tossing around the idea of changing providers, maybe this is the time to entertain it more seriously. Assuming the internet stays up long enough for me to do the search to find them, that is...warcraft battel net dowloand

Another "off" today involved plumbing. More specifically, drainage. As in it wasn't doing what it is supposed to do. You know, drain? Yeah. Eww. After some mopping with towels and the discovery of how badly we were backed up, I instructed my husband to deal with the situation by dialing a plumber and getting them to come rod the line to the sewer. Which he did, and they did, and now we're another $100+ in the hole, seeing as how we don't have a cleanout so they have to remove the downstairs toilet every time they come and they charge extra for that.warcraft battel net dowloand

*grrrrrr*warcraft battel net dowloand

Oh yes, no call from my sister today means she won't be at Easter tomorrow. The phone call from my uncle today means that my husband and I will be taking separate cars to Easter tomorrow - My uncle's car is in the shop so Brian will go and pick him up so that he'll still be able to come. Otherwise none of "my" side of the family would be attending. And there's the whole, you know, birthday thing... so I ought to have someone from my side be there. Sheesh. It's not my fault the rest are dead.warcraft battel net dowloand

Also today, I went through more than half of the clothes that I own, separating the maternity clothes into one bin for storage, winter clothes into another bin, and clothes I can't wear until I lose weight again into a couple more bins. I also have a basket/bag thing that I've filled up with stuff I won't wear anymore for a variety of reasons. Now that about half my wardrobe has disappeared into various piles, I have a better idea of a) what clothes I have left that actually fit me right now, and b) just how much I want to lose weight again.warcraft battel net dowloand

Perhaps I should have left that task until after my birthday after all. Except that I wanted to find something decent enough to wear tomorrow so I don't look like a slob. I have lots of cute clothes in the "when I get skinny again" bins. And "skinny" to me is not the supermodel version, but the "right weight for my frame" version the doctor would likely recommend. Mommyhood has done nasty things to my figure - it gives me far too many reasons to not find time to exercise properly, and just grab whatever for myself to eat. That, and I've been cooking recently - which does mean healthier meals, but I tend to cook large quantities and eat like I used to do years ago. My mom was of the "clean plate" philosophy, so I didn't learn to stop when I wasn't hungry anymore, but ate what I was given instead. So I have to watch my portions again. I'm slipping into old habits.warcraft battel net dowloand

Attempts to trim our son's hair tonight before bathtime has perhaps convinced us that maybe $8 or $10 isn't too much to pay every couple of months or so to have someone in a shop do it. When we had one done just before our Christmas portraits, it took the woman five minutes to reshape Jareth's hair into cuteness again. Brian watched how she did it, and felt it was something we could figure out, but I think, perhaps, we are not (ahem) "cut out" for the job after all. Although this second attempt on our part looks better than the first, it's not "finished". We gave up as he just wouldn't hold still, even with one of us distracting him while the other one tried to do the cutting. And neither of us is hard enough to just hold his head still while the poor guy cries and gets all red in the face. Nope. I'm a wuss in that regard. Sorry. Little guy cries and my backbone just crumples.warcraft battel net dowloand

Ah, well...warcraft battel net dowloand

Happy Easter tomorrow to those who celebrate it!warcraft battel net dowloand

I'm going to play myself a wee bit of solitaire to wind down with, and then it's off to bed.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 10:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 09, 2004

On again, Off again...

Today is a day of ons and offs apparently...warcraft battel net dowloand

First, the alarm clock was apparently bumped to off, or rather the plug came out and my husband kindly reset the clock but forgot to reset my alarm. So, 9am came and went without the usual beeping and ignoring of the beeping and silencing the beeping that ordinarily accompanies the mourning routine between the alarm and myself. Instead, I was awoken much, much later by a BING-Bong! noise. Ahh, the neighbors had a visitor. But the neighbors weren't home, and the noise continued another three more times before a) the visitor gave up, and b) I had buried the offending ringing end in a couch cushion as my son had been woken up and was now crying unhappily since the noise had frightened him. I have since opened it up and discovered there is not some way to change the frequency like I'd hoped. Damn. I'm not sure what the solution is yet, but it's not seeming promising.warcraft battel net dowloand

Then there's my sister, who came by today to give me birthday presents - a dvd I've been wanting and some artwork - a framed acrylic painting on canvas board that she did! Yay! Art!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

Now she may or may not be able to make it on Sunday, she'll update me again tomorrow... *throws hands up in the air in despair*warcraft battel net dowloand

And then... the internet was off. So, once again, I ran about the house unplugging everything and then ran back to make sure the ADSL light was on...warcraft battel net dowloand

It wasn't!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

WHAT???!!! NO INTERNET???!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

*feels the need to breathe into a paper bag suddenly*warcraft battel net dowloand

*fumbles for pills of any kind to help with the rising agony in her stomach*warcraft battel net dowloand

*plugs a phone back in and dials the internet provider frantically*warcraft battel net dowloand

I was hoping to get one of those messages that says "it's temporarily down in your area, don't panic, we'll have it back up in a matter of minutes", but was not that lucky. I, in fact, managed to get one of the least helpful tech support people... After explaining to her that my DSL was interfering with my phone line (static a-plenty), and that the modem wasn't registering a DSL connection, and that I had everything else unplugged from the phone line except said modem and the phone I was talking to her on...warcraft battel net dowloand

She wanted me to go outside with a screwdriver, plug the modem into some mystery outlet outside the house, and open up the box my phone line comes into from outside the house to plug the modem into...warcraft battel net dowloand

huh?warcraft battel net dowloand

It would have been easier to run from phone jack to phone jack plugging in the modem and checking it - especially since she wanted the modem plugged into a specific jack in the phone box. A specific jack there weren't any markings for. A jack that must have already had something plugged in it, as my husband said all the jacks were filled with plugs from other things. So I told the tech support lady this.warcraft battel net dowloand

And then I told her again.warcraft battel net dowloand

And again.warcraft battel net dowloand

And, after she told me the same thing repeatedly even after I explained that I didn't have anything marked like that in my phone box outside, I put her on with my husband so he could explain it to her YET AGAIN !!!!!warcraft battel net dowloand

After that, she filled out a form and told us someone would call us back in five days...warcraft battel net dowloand

Yeah. Um.... I can't wait five days just to know if someone is going to tell me if it's my modem or not. Since I already know it probably is the modem, I just wanted someone who knew more than I do about these things to confirm if it could be anything other than the modem so I wouldn't have to spend $100 finding out the hard way - by buying a new modem.warcraft battel net dowloand

So, guess what I bought today?warcraft battel net dowloand

Yep. modem.warcraft battel net dowloand

Guess what? It works great.warcraft battel net dowloand

And there's no static on the phone right now either.warcraft battel net dowloand

It could be a fluke...warcraft battel net dowloand

But I doubt it.warcraft battel net dowloand

Hmph.warcraft battel net dowloand

I wonder what I'll say when they call me back...warcraft battel net dowloand

But, for now, I'm going to leave off today thinking about the balloon at the grocery store. The "Happy Easter" balloon that had Tigger and Pooh on it and bounced about in the air, tethered to a string that was anchored in a display of cheese trays and the like.warcraft battel net dowloand

Or, more accurately, the look on my son's face when it caught his attention. That innocent look of absolute fascination that can only appear on a child's face. The little laugh he made when it moved. I didn't have to do anything but stand there and watch him watch that balloon.warcraft battel net dowloand

It was one of those perfect moments.warcraft battel net dowloand

Those are the moments that I like to think I'm here to experience.warcraft battel net dowloand

mmmmm.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 10:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 08, 2004

Doomsday draws nearer...

Well, the plans are laid. My uncle has not only been reminded about Easter (although he knew why I was calling as soon as he heard my voice on the phone) but he knows we're celebrating my birthday too, and may even choose to buy me a gift. I did give him the option to opt out of the gift-giving process though, since we generally don't exchange gifts on birthdays. I mostly want the pleasure of his company. Ideally his company minus the usual "holidays sucked in our family, in fact our family just sucked" type of negativity. We'll see what happens.warcraft battel net dowloand

My sister, on the other hand, is going to be a no-show this year. Apparently she has too much homework to celebrate Easter or my birthday, so she's dropping by briefly tomorrow to give me a gift. I just wish that the time she could find to see me tomorrow was the "homework time" and that she'd save the time on Sunday for me instead, but even seeing our eccentric and entertaining uncle is not enough to entice her, so I wouldn't expect my own personality to bear much weight.warcraft battel net dowloand

I've been wondering what that sound in my house has been - I thought it was the sump pump, but I'm starting to wonder if it isn't my mother, spinning in her urn...warcraft battel net dowloand

Of course, my sister occasionally reads this - If she happens to read this particular post, I hope she understands that the reason I'm so unhappy with all of this is just because I love her and want to spend time with her...warcraft battel net dowloand

On a more positive swing, I know I'll be getting something for my birthday, and I'm even making myself wait until my birthday for it, instead of opening it on Sunday when we celebrate. At least that's the plan for whatever Brian picked up for me on his way home from work tonight. Apparently it was difficult, as most of the things he really wanted to get me were out of the budget or just plain not available. I know how that goes - since half the time I come up with anything super good for him it's three or more times the budget - and that's on the higher budget we set for our anniversary gifts usually. I'll probably blog about those soon, as I've gotta get looking for something for him this year and our Anniversary is May 24th.warcraft battel net dowloand

I may not know what to say when I get gifts, but I know that whatever Brian got me will be something I'll like. He not only has good taste, but he's privy to which items on my wish list I might want the most. Two counts in his favor. The only count against is our budget, which is usually the case at all gift-giving occasions, so he's pretty good making it work.warcraft battel net dowloand

Two more days left until Celebration Day. Now all I've got to do is figure out what kind of appetizer to make and decide what to wear. And decide which cute little outfit my son is going to wear, as there will undoubtedly be pictures that day. And he will likely be the star in most of them. heehee.warcraft battel net dowloand

Ohh... he's definitely trying to mimic me making sounds... I was making sounds like "squeeeeeee!" and "Glee!!" at him earlier and he sounded like he was trying to make the same sounds back! You'll have to go see the web comic Catharsis if you want to understand why I was making those particular silly noises.warcraft battel net dowloand

ahhh, and before I forget...warcraft battel net dowloand

So I don't have to look it up, can anyone tell me which came first in the bible - Moses or Jesus? I thought of something that may be irrelevant depending on which preceded the other. Thanks to Father Jake Stops The World and Pilgrim's Progress I've been mulling over some things relating to "religion" and "spirituality" and both the validity and accuracy of the bible. I feel a post coming on from all this, but it's not quite done simmering yet...warcraft battel net dowloand

Enough for now.warcraft battel net dowloand

G'night.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 10:36 PM | Comments (1)

April 07, 2004

Quick Post...

Just a quick post today, as I think I'm going to bed early tonight since my neck is bothering me something fierce. I think I've been sleeping funny or something, since I've got this pain in my shoulderblades (mostly my left) and my neck that just seems to keep getting worse. Normally this is the point where I'd *shrug*, but that might hurt too much. *says "ow" instead*warcraft battel net dowloand

Joined the forum over at Catharsis today, and posted in their "intros" section. Everyone is being all friendly - I don't know whether to be excited or change my address... *grin*warcraft battel net dowloand

Ah, well. More tomorrow.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 11:55 PM | Comments (0)

April 06, 2004

chocolate-dipped brownie points...

Well, poo. I was sitting here, in a perfectly depressed mood, all ready to do some blogging once my little one went to bed... warcraft battel net dowloand

I was all frustrated that my internet was down for most of the day today and I had to unplug all the stuff and try to figure it out. Annoyed that my phone is now plugged in halfway across the room from me until I find a longer cord to use for it, as the setup it was on was causing the problem. All overwhelmed by the usual pile of stuff to do and a small teething boy who'd rather be spending his time in mommy's lap than quietly playing with toys on the floor so I could get stuff done today. I felt the headache building nicely, starting from the ache in my neck and shoulderblades, and working its way slowly up the back of my skull, spreading out towards the ears as it went...warcraft battel net dowloand

And, to top it all off, my husband had to go out tonight, shortly after dinner, so I was all alone adult-wise. Just me and my sweet-but-needy little guy. By the time my husband got back, I was ready to hand over my son and go crawl into a dark corner somewhere with some aspirin...warcraft battel net dowloand

And then my husbandappeared.warcraft battel net dowloand

And he brought me ice cream.warcraft battel net dowloand

And my perfectly bloggable rotten mood went swiftly off as Rayn (my inner child) popped out and snatched that ice cream cone up. It was even dipped in chocolate. And I found myself dancing gleefully around the house, licking up the drippy ice cream and giving my son a fingerful of it so we could watch that adorable face get all scrunched up from the unexpected cold in his mouth. I followed the ice cream with more playtime with my son - now that I'd been rejuvenated by the sugary treat - before his bedtime crept up on us.warcraft battel net dowloand

Oh, Brian so got brownie points tonight!warcraft battel net dowloand

*giggle*warcraft battel net dowloand

By the way, if you haven't checked out this link on my blogroll yet, please do - it's the first comic strip that I can seriously relate to on a personal level. Gwen's inner child comes out all the time to play with her pet dragon! Woah... it's like this comic artist dipped into my mind! I've read all the archives, and it's now a daily read.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 10:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

And now,

Would you rather:

go through 5 years of poverty and get $10,000,000 OR go through 1 year of poverty and get $100,000?

and

date someone who is fabulous looking but has unmaskable, horrible breath OR someone who is simply average but has great breath all the time?
hand wash the poopy cloth diapers for 50 babies for a day OR hand wash the poopy cloth diapers for 5 babies for a week?

hand washes

machine wash, tumble dry

(note: I just did the math, and my kid averages 2 poopy diapers per day - so that means I would have to wash either approximately 100 diapers in one day or 70 diapers over the course of one week, with 10 per day. I'd still want it over with in one day, and he said poopy diapers, so this isn't counting the "just wets")

be fat, dumb, and happy OR in excellent shape, sharp as a whip, but melancholy or depressed all the time?

warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 08:30 PM | Comments (7)

April 05, 2004

"every year I do what I do"...

One week from today is my birthday. It's not a huge deal - I'm turning 32 this year, so it's not like it's one of those major "hills" like 30 was supposed to be. I had my epiphany just in time for my 30th, so that saved me from going through any of that "Oh my gosh, I'm so old!" crap. I'm not old - I'm infinite, and therefore technically ageless. This body is getting older every year, but that's all part of the mortality experience.warcraft battel net dowloand

But, spiritual awareness aside, it's my birthday next Monday. Thus, the "family celebrating" of my 32nd birthday will be neatly placed into the combo-pack of Easter...warcraft battel net dowloand

I actually got an e-mail today (sent out to everyone invited to come for Easter), that asked me if I'd like to bring a dessert or an appetizer. I'm not upset about being asked to bring something, but if we're celebrating my birthday isn't there usually a CAKE?????warcraft battel net dowloand

*sob*warcraft battel net dowloand

There's always a cake! My mother-in-law has never forgotten the cake! Even if I really want a specific type of cake, or maybe even cake from the very bakery my mom used to get my cake from when I was a little girl, I've never been snobbish about it!! I have always been grateful that they even bothered to celebrate my birthday - hell, I'm just the fucking wife. It's not like I'm blood related. Although now that I've given birth to their grandchild, I'd have some lean on that if I bothered to use it. Which. I. wouldn't.warcraft battel net dowloand

I replied to the e-mail by saying that I wasn't bringing my own birthday cake, so I'd be bringing an appetizer. hmph.warcraft battel net dowloand

I think, perhaps, I've been a little too nonchalant about my birthday in the past. On one hand, it's just the day I was born. Woop-do-doo, yadda yadda, who cares? It's just another day out of the year, but this one happens to mark my age a little more specifically. *shrug* Besides, what have I done lately to "earn" these gifts that come with the event? I never feel worthy of people giving me stuff anyway. I never know what to say...warcraft battel net dowloand

"Thanks for spending your perfectly good money, that you could really use to keep for groceries right now, for buying a present for my sorry ass!"warcraft battel net dowloand

or how about...warcraft battel net dowloand

"Too bad you can't take as much time to get to know me as you did to look at my goddamned wish list!"warcraft battel net dowloand

or even...warcraft battel net dowloand

"Yeah, you must love me! The amount you spent shows it!"warcraft battel net dowloand

ahhh, but there's one who would get...warcraft battel net dowloand

"Great that you could come out for Easter! Gosh, it's no big deal that you're related to me and you forgot that it was my fucking birthday too!!!!!"warcraft battel net dowloand

*clears throat*warcraft battel net dowloand

Sorry, I got a little worked up there. In my family, there's been some history of people trying to buy love, as if buying the present was akin to hugging or something. I'm not trying to say anything like that about my in-laws. I want that clear. They understand the difference between money and love, and there is hugging a-plenty every Sunday.warcraft battel net dowloand

But, my uncle is invited to Easter. And I have to remember to remind him that we'll be celebrating my birthday that day so he doesn't forget. I'll also have to call the day before and remind him about Easter again, and what time to be there. I should probaby remind him to check to make sure he's got intact pants to wear to this event, but I'm too embarassed by the time they weren't intact to even bring it up.warcraft battel net dowloand

And then there's my sister. Whom I love dearly, but once again I will find myself "scheduled in" to her busy day. She seems unable to either a) want to spend time with me and tell her father that, or b) want to not spend time with me and tell me that. She will, instead, rush around in a flurry of festivity, trying to appease everyone at once, and probably not fully appeasing anyone as a result. I understand the why of it - I try to appease everyone at once all the time, but I just wish once in a while people would pick me to appease.warcraft battel net dowloand

You know, like, on my birthday perhaps? Wouldn't that be a good time to appease me? Anyone? Anyone?warcraft battel net dowloand

*crickets chirping*warcraft battel net dowloand

Damn.warcraft battel net dowloand

So, in summary, I don't feel like I'm worthy of a birthday, I don't know how to respond to people giving me gifts other than to mumble thanks and try to shrink my unworthy ass back into a corner and hide... but I wish someone would just notice that it, in fact, is my birthday and maybe do something super special or otherwise out of the ordinary because of it.warcraft battel net dowloand

I mean, I don't need skywriting or anything... although a balloon ride would be pretty neat. heh.warcraft battel net dowloand

Although half the time I feel like nobody knows the things I really want anyway. And most things I want can't be put on the "list". They're things I want to do! Like the aforementioned balloon ride. Or a highly acclaimed play in the city. Or lessons for something I'd like to learn to do. Things like that. I remember once in high school I just wanted to go to a specific rock concert. I didn't care if I went alone or my mom went with me or what. I mentioned it to my mom as a possibility for a birthday present. I didn't get to go. I doubt she took me seriously, to be honest. My best gifts I've ever gotten are my engagement ring and my cat. And to be honest, the engagement ring wasn't super-expensive, but it was the sentiment with which it was given that made it the most beautiful ring in the world to me. Nowadays I wear my wedding ring instead, and to be honest I'd probably take a bullet before handing that over to a mugger. Boy do I hope I never get mugged!warcraft battel net dowloand

But most people who are on the "oh yeah, I gotta buy Amy a gift" roster are going to look at my "list" and pick something off of it. Hopefully they will pick something that they, themselves, can relate to so that it sparks a moment of common interest. I prefer gifts given like that. I always try to give gifts that I, myself, would enjoy receiving or already own myself and enjoy - that way there's something to say about it, some spark in the moment of gift-giving. It makes the moment that they open it more intense too - will they like it? After all, I probably do like whatever it is, or at least took extreme care in choosing it, so liking it reflects some feeling of approval of me. I know it's small and lame for me to see it that way, but it's what I do.warcraft battel net dowloand

Yes, there's a big ball of "issues" right there, involving the fact that I never got approval from my mother and all, but that's not what this post is about - thats what my therapy is supposed to be helping me deal with. And, subsequently, why I'm firing my therapist soon. She just listens to me and agrees - no feedback or exercises to "fix" me. Bleh. And I so need fixing...warcraft battel net dowloand

So, Brian said I need to choose. To either want my birthday to be the quiet affair that is barely noticed, or want the bells and whistles and party hats. Although I'm not big on party hats, no matter how cute it would look to put one on my son. Or, he said, I could continue go on as I currently am now. Which prompted my response of "well, every year I do what I do..."warcraft battel net dowloand

Well, that got somewhere. really. bah.warcraft battel net dowloand

Although he did also remind me that it's a celebration of another year of my experiencing this lifetime. Which was both a beautiful thing to say, as well as a complete validation of my feelings of wanting it to be a special day sometimes. Heck, during this last year of experience I gave birth! How magnificent is that for someone who once swore she'd never have children? Pretty cool, I think. This past year has been chock full of new experiences, learning, and personal growth. Let's celebrate!warcraft battel net dowloand

When I was little, there were parties. With presents and other kids my age and party hats and cake. And playing games and having fun. As I got older, birthdays became this sedate affair where there were gifts and dinner out and still the same cake. Nowadays, it's dinner at the in-laws, gifts, and homemade cake. And I'm very greatful to have that. I am.warcraft battel net dowloand

Sometimes, though... every once in a decade maybe?... I'd maybe like it to be a little more.warcraft battel net dowloand

And damn, but that was a long post. I'd better stop now, although I'm not going to proof this one or it won't get actually posted... I'll be too worried about the potential of people I mentioned on it seeing it, and I shouldn't be. So forgive the spelling errors tonight, I'm publishing as is.warcraft battel net dowloand

Posted by RaynDragon at 10:57 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 04, 2004

Goin' Mobile

I have a song stuck in my head - "Going Mobile" by The Who. That might not be the actual title, it could be just "Mobile" or something... I forget. Nonetheless, it was a common song to be heard as we were cranking up the motorhome to head across the country on whim during our travels. It was wonderful, I felt so rebellious and free.warcraft battel net dowloand

Nowadays, the reason I have that song stuck in my head is because of my son. He's who's mobile. Not only has he learned to crawl, but now he knows he has learned to crawl. And woe be it to whomever stops him from going the distance to get to what he wants. He's got my stubborn streak, I can already tell... Look out world, 'cause here he comes!warcraft battel net dowloand

It's become a routine:

not

Waaah. When he's not asleep in his crib, in his playpen, or in our arms - we've become a pair of "child stalkers". He doesn't quite understand that there are some things we don't want him playing with yet, and some rooms can only get to a certain level of babyproofing. Mostly, I'm not babyproofing much, but supervising instead. We have too much stuff to babyproof everything anyway. This would be one of the reasons I'm currently in a "purge" stage of my life, trying to weed out the stuff I just don't need or want anymore.warcraft battel net dowloand

In the meantime, there is the pint-sized battle over who really has the run of this house... And I'm not so sure I'm winning... And my inner child is not cooperating - she just keeps singing that darn song and asking if she can come out to play!warcraft battel net dowloand