I have come to chew bubblegum & kick ass

I am such a chick sometimes

Ailleagan — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:49:52 GMT

Just finished watching "PS I Love You". I think I cried for 1 hour and 45 minutes of the 2 hour and seven minutes of the movie.

And so today

Ailleagan — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:42:36 GMT

My beautiful not-so-little girl -- and last child -- started her first day of kindergarten. She was a champ, of course. She wore all pink (what else?) and had her almost-waist length red hair in pigtails (dog ears, whatever). She found her cubby for her stuff, then found her seat. "Bye, mom! Love you!" It was harder on me than I thought it would be. But I wouldn't trade my strong and independent children -- that the teachers actually look forward to seeing -- for anything in the world.

Keep in mind school starts tomorrow. . .

Ailleagan — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:29:29 GMT

Sunday, Dugal tried to find the supplies list for the middle school. Usually their posted in every store that carries school supplies -- Wal-Mart, Target, Staples, Office Depot, etc. He went to eight stores and none of them had it. They had every other school in town, but not Tommy's. Dugal looked online, but the link just led him to a list of stores. After 15 minutes of surfing, he found it -- *not* on the school's webpage. I was like a scavenger picking the bones when I was buying his stuff yesterday. My seventh grader doesn't have his schedule yet. Honestly, we figured he'd lost it. I tried calling the school yesterday, and nobody answered. I called today, and I was told that he would get it tomorrow in class. I very patiently asked, "Well, if he doesn't have a class list, how will he know where to go tomorrow morning?" They're going to post homerooms today. He can check the list either this afternoon or tomorrow before class to find out where he needs to go. And he goes to one of the better schools in town. At least that's what I've been told. Sheesh.

Preferences???

Ailleagan — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:28:28 GMT

So, my friends, I have a thought-provoking question for you all. Do you prefer small boobs that are always perky looking and up high, or do you like larger boobs that may not be as perky but have nice swingy bouncy movement? Or do you just like boobs?

Does anyone know

Ailleagan — Mon, 19 May 2008 20:48:09 GMT

if the government took taxes out of the stimulus checks they distributed? We got ours through direct deposit over the weekend. . . let's just say, for a couple filing jointly with three dependent children, it was decidedly less than we had been led to believe we would get. Bleh. Makes me want to spend it in Mexico this summer out of spite.

It's done

Ailleagan — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:54:59 GMT

I got home from the hospital about 8:00 last night. Mostly today I'm just on the tired side. I am surprisingly much less sore than I thought I would be. I mean, yeah, I'm tender in a few spots. . . I really don't think I'm going to need to pain meds he prescribed. I've only needed Advil one time since I got out of surgery. The sutures poking me in my lips is really annoying, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. The hardest part is that my doctor told me to *not* pull down my lip to look at it and to keep my tongue out of the hole where my teeth used to be. What fun is that??? He did also say that the surgery went very well, so that's good. I can't have chewy food for a couple of weeks. But I can go on mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, Spaghetti-os and whatnot after the weekend. Squishy foods, not chewy foods. But I'm OK. Hopefully after I have my follow-up in two weeks I can get my temporary gold tooth. =)

surgery update

Ailleagan — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:16:56 GMT

I got a call from the surgery scheduler at my doctor's office. The good news is that I have been moved to the front of the surgery line on Thursday. The bad news is that I now have to be at the hospital at 5:00 a.m. that morning, and they want me in the day before to do all my preadmission bloodwork and paperwork. So we have to leave at noon tomorrow to get to Birmingham on time, then we'll spend the night at a place next door that's owned by the hospital. That way I only have to get up at 4:30 instead of 2:30. **This much** closer to having it all done and over with. Still thinking about those mood teeth!

Good grief!

Ailleagan — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:07:53 GMT

I've decided that I need to build up my library of books. Mostly, I want to get a nice collection of medieval herbalism, health, cooking, baking, and costuming books. I figure buying one a month won't be too bad, especially if I buy them used. I just looked at my Amazon.com wish list. There are 480 items. If I buy one a month, it will take me 40 years to buy everything! Ack!!

It's done.

Ailleagan — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:52:03 GMT

The insurance company picked up the wrecked bike about two weeks ago. Friday our lawyer called and said the insurance company wanted to finish up the paperwork. The adjuster took Dugal's trashed helmet, had him sign his name twice, and handed him the last check. It's over. We found out recently that it was a good thing Dugal wasn't hurt any worse than he was. (Well, you know what I mean.) The kid had xx amount of insurance and we had xx amount of insurance. That was it. It wouldn't have mattered if he'd been in the hospital for a day, a week, a month. It wouldn't have mattered if he'd broken more bones or even (gods forbid) died. That was all the insurance money available, and all we would have gotten regardless of the situation. So these big fat stupid settlements you hear about? It's either because someone has sued a major corporation or it's an urban legend. Anyway, I'm happy. All the bad juju on the stuff from the accident is gone. We have the money, we've paid off *lots* of our debt, bought a couple of things for ourselves, gonna take the family on a nice vacation this summer. And he's still here with me. That is the only thing that matters. I still have my husband, the kids still have their father. Life is good. And I shall speak of this event no more.

That stupid lump in my mouth

Ailleagan — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:23:17 GMT

You thought I meant something naughty, dincha?!?! Anyway, my surgery is now scheduled for April 24. Barring complications, it'll just be an outpatient thing. My follow-up will be May 6. I gotta check on those disco ball and mood teeth options!!!

Zippity-freakin'-doo-dah.

Ailleagan — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:33:42 GMT

I had my annual check up with my oral surgeon yesterday. My tumor (ameloblastoma, technically) has grown back. When he told me, I really expected (hoped?) he would turn around and say "April Fool!" No such luck. Let me say first off that this IS NOT cancer. Yes, I cried a little after he told me, but that's mostly because it's inconvenient. I have a lot of stuff coming up over the next weeks and months. I should be receiving a call in a day or two to schedule my surgery. Here's where the fun begins -- he will remove two teeth, cut out the "infected" portion of my jaw, treat it with cryotherapy, and put in a bone graft. When my bone has begun to grown in around the graft to his satisfaction, I'll get dental implants or something to replace the missing teeth. I'm OK with this, because a lot of doctors would want to cut away section of jaw that would require my losing seven or eight teeth. The surgery will take about 1 1/2 hours, and I'll be discharged that same day (unless there is excessive bleeding or nausea or other complications, of course). He said I'll be more or less out of commission for about a week. Not bad, all things considered. Fortunately, Dugal is a dental implant technician extraordinaire, so he'll make my teeth. He and Dr. Holmes have already discussed possibilities. It's going to be really hard to not have one of the teeth be a gold pirate tooth. Dugal said he'd make it for me. . . .

Yay!

Ailleagan — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:31:56 GMT

Today at lunch we're heading out to get Dugal's new motorcycle. It's a 2000 Kawasaki VN800. It's already got a windshield, saddlebags, and a backrest. It's in terrific shape, too. Eventually he wants to paint it red and put running boards on it. The backstory is a little sad and ironically humorous: the previous owner is selling it because his wife's father had a heart attack while he was riding his own motorcycle and crashed. She can't stand the thought of her husband riding a motorcycle now, so he's selling it. I feel terrible that her dad had a heart attack, but it has nothing to do with the safety of the bike. He would have crashed a car if he'd been in a car. That amuses me; it's right up there with all the "bikes are dangerous" comments we got after Dugal's accident. Anyway, we're going to get it in an hour or so. I cannot wait to ride on it. Now if the insurance company will just come claim the pile of wrecked motorcycle that's still in our side yard. . .

Apologies, my friends. . .

Ailleagan — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:55:48 GMT

I have been looking over my old blogs for the last couple of days, and I realized how far down in the muck I have let myself slide. For the past year or more, I have mostly complained -- about the house situation, about Dugal's accident, about the book not getting picked up, about losing my kitten, about the kids in school, about everything. And I have felt like a weak, scared little girl. Wow, what a downer I've been! I know everyone has moments, days, weeks, months, or years where things don't go as hoped, but that's absoluyely no reason to wallow in misery or self-pity. Yes, I quit exercising to take care of Dugal and haven't really gone back. I've gained several of those pounds I lost, but it doesn't mean I'm hideous or a failure. I just need to readjust my attitude toward food and exercise and get back to it. Yes, my holiday cookbook hasn't been picked up yet, but I still have *lots* of publishers to submit to. It never will get picked up if I don't send it out. So the house thing hasn't been settled. We have a decent place to live, in a good neighborhood near a good school. Most important (to me, anyway) is that Dugal survived his accident. He has recovered amazingly well, so I get to spend many more years of my life with him. I really don't give a damn how much more money the lawyer can squeeze out of the guy or the insurance companies. Sure, it would be nice, but I have my husband and the kids have their father. We can always make money and pay off debt, it'll just be a little slower than a fat settlement check. We have 2/3 less debt than we did a year ago. We could conceivably be debt-free by the end of this year. How awesome is that? So now I begin the process of rebuilding me. I said it lots before -- I don't have to start perfectly, I just have to start. Here's to a new beginning.

sigh

Ailleagan — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:09:51 GMT

Sometimes I think public schools suck. I have a conference with Jake's teacher today. (It's a scheduled second sememster conference that all parents have, no biggie.) But Jake has forgotten his homework a few times, and, according to his mid-quarter progress report, his numerical English grade has suffered for it. (We won't go into how, when I was in first grade, we were graded with "excellent", "good" "satisfactory", and "unsatisfactory"; I didn't get a numerical grading scale until something like fourth grade.) Last month, his teacher actually tried calling me at home, then my cell phone, then called Dugal on his cell phone to tell us his desk was always messy. Ummm . . . so? She came up to us in Taco Bell to tell us about his desk. She called me yesterday to tell me he hadn't returned this week's signed papers. I told her that I had signed them, but he probably just forgot to put them in his backpack. I said, "He can get distracted sometimes." She actually snorted and said, "You think?" I think that's a little too sarcastic and hateful for a first grade teacher with 30-odd years of experience. She then said, "Well, I guess it's up to me to look for it here." Well, *I* can't look for it there, can I? What happened to teachers teaching things that aren't in the textbooks? Sure, he has learned to read, how to do math, and stuff like that. (I won't go into the utterly ridiculous phonics worksheets he's brought home.) I'm not asking teachers to instill values where parents don't. But kids at this age are little sponges, and they learn from everything they see and hear. Dugal and I work very hard to make sure that our kids are polite and courteous, have table manners, know how to share with others, are friendly, are smart, and understand what wonderful little people they are. If a teacher is snarky to me, I can only imagine how she is to the kids. I asked Jake what he thought of his teacher. He said, "She's really nice." Pause. . . . "When she doesn't yell." What??? "Sometimes she yells. And sometimes we have to close the door so other people won't hear her yell." Lord love a duck, I thought I was going to come undone. And I really feel like I can't say anything, because this teacher is the kind of person to take it out on Jake once I'm gone. It upsets me greatly, because the same kind of thing happened to Tommy, too. Through two years of preschool and a year of kindergarten, they were both the sweetest, kindest, smartest, most polite and courteous little boys. Their teachers loved them, and frequently told us so. Then they got into first grade and kablooey. Tommy was targeted to be the brunt of whatever grudge his teacher carried, and I really feel like Jake is, too. Maybe it is my fault. I tell him to put his papers in his backpack, so I expect him to do it. I don't double-check his every move. In my book, it's called teaching responsibility. If he doesn't do it, he has to deal with the consequences. So I'll do with Jake what I did with Tommy: Dugal and I will have a quiet talk with him about cleaning his desk, doing his homework, and returning his papers, I'll make excuses to his teacher and take the blame for whatever he's done "wrong", and we'll pray for three months to be over quickly so he can get out of this class. And I will make damn sure Mandy doesn't have her as a first-grade teacher.

Is there a way?

Ailleagan — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 12:56:05 GMT

OK, my friends. . . I've had a thought. You may or may not know of my fascination with prayer beads -- rosaries, malas, ladders, and the like. I also have more than a passing interest in movies. So my question is this . . . would it be possible to start a collection of prayer beads that were used as props in movies? They're everywhere: HellBoy, Bruce Almighty, Pitch Black, etc. What's a girl gotta do to get her hands on them?

looking for something . . .

Ailleagan — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:20:55 GMT

I am trying to find red titanium segment rings -- the body piercing rings that look like continuous rings -- in 6, 8, and 10 gauges. And I want them relatively inexpensive. I'd also be interested in gold-, yellow-, or bronze-colored titanium horseshoes with the little holes drilled in them. I've found red acrylic segment rings, but I don't want acrylic. I've found red and black horseshoes with the holes in them. Surely someone out there has what I want!! Any ideas?

It just gets funnier

Ailleagan — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 13:28:48 GMT

This whole accident thing has evolved into some sort of comedy of errors. Police leaving messages, ER doctors not X-raying, our family physician not treating him because we hadn't met our deductible, not understanding the new physician because he has Parkinson's (and is now on indefinite medical leave), the catch-22 of insurance not paying the bike lienholder because they won't turn over the title and the lienholder not turning over the title because the insurance company won't pay the balance. . . the list goes on. A couple of weeks ago, Dugal was talking to our attorney about the personal injury suit. He's flipping through Dugal's file when he says, "And they told you about the tumor, right?" WTF?!?!?! Tumor?!??! WTF?!?!?!?! Turns out it's nothing major -- just a thick spot on his skull and in no way related to the accident. (Yes, insert your jokes about him being thick-headed here.) But lemme tell ya, I absolutely broke down and bawled when Dugal told me about it. I cried for about two minutes, then I started laughing. Maniacally. I swear, if someone wrote this as a dramedy for tv, nobody would believe it.

Everyone has "A List"

Ailleagan — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:36:01 GMT

So, 'fess up! Name the top 10 people on your "To Do" list! Here's my bunch, in no particular order: Gerard Butler Colin Farrell Jason Statham Chuck Liddell (UFC fighter) Eva Mendez Mark McGrath (from Sugar Ray) Hugh Jackman Jessica Biel Tory Belleci (from MythBusters) Johnny Depp Ok. . . just thinking about all these people at one time makes me need a cold shower. . . or something . . .

Namaste . . . or not. . .

Ailleagan — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 19:39:55 GMT

I "borrowed" this from The Spiritual Chicks. . . Namaste (pronounced na-mas-tay )is really a beautiful concept. Used as a greeting, this Sanskrit term roughly means, "the divinity in me recognizes the divinity in you." It's kind of a nice way of saying "it takes one to know one." But to be honest, there are times when we don't feel so divine, and if we ran into you on the street, we wouldn't think you were so divine either. For just such occasions when Namaste feels a little forced, we offer the following alternatives to express our connection to others. 10. Not-with-my-cash-te. The cheapskate in me recognizes the cheapskate in you...don't think I'm paying for dinner. 9. Boot-te. The horny soul in me is dying to get naked with the horny soul in you. 8. No-mas-te. The bored part of me has had enough of the loquacious part of you...to be used when friends and acquaintances just can't seem to get to the point. 7. Nomad-aste. The control-freak in me recognizes the one who can't read a map in you. 6. Nam-Astaire-te. The Fred in me recognizes the Ginger in you...OK, only people over 40 will be using this one. 5. Slim-fast-te. The desperately chubby part of me covets the good metabolism in you. 4. Not-so-fast-te. The sucker in me just wised up to the shyster in you. 3. Rhinoplast-te. The plastic surgeon in me recognizes the nose job on you. 2. Love-your-Payless-te. The discount shoe shopper in me appreciates the synthetic uppers on you. 1. My-ass-te. The ass in me recognizes the ass in you...but, sorry you're the bigger one at this moment.

There are 75 bands represented in this picture.

Ailleagan — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 12:18:19 GMT

How many can you find? =) I'll start it with Matchbox 20. . .

It's all a test. . .

Ailleagan — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 19:05:20 GMT

Dugal's accident was three months ago. He spent a month at home, then had a month of rehab. It's been a month since our attorney said it would be about six weeks until Dugal's bodily injury claim was settled. *tic. . . . . . . . . . . toc . . . . . . . . . . * Today, out of curiosity, I emailed the lawyer to see how things were going. He doesn't have all the paperwork from all the places, so he hasn't filed a demand yet. Do any of my friends know -- is it pretty quick once the demand is filed, or will it be another several weeks? (I know it varies from case to case, but generally speaking. . . ) I am so frustrated right now. My calendar is full of things that have to be done, my purse is full of bills that have to be paid, and the schools keep wanting more money for a zillion things every time I turn around. I'm trying really hard to stay positive about it, but it's wearing thin. I'm not sleeping well, either. And I swear my hair is falling out from the stress. Tell me it will all work out the way we want it. Tell me it will all be worth it in the end. Tell me something positive.

I'm curious

Ailleagan — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:46:45 GMT

If given the choice and the opportunity, what you have for your very last meal?

Sex dreams are back!

Ailleagan — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:50:50 GMT

The stress must be lessening! Yay!! Or at least that's how my brain has chosen to compensate for the stress. Either way, yay! I love me some sex dreams. . .

I love my husband.

Ailleagan — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 21:12:18 GMT

I've read and heard so many things lately -- from tribe friends and RL friends -- that I just thought it was worth mentioning. We've been married eight years -- not the longest amount of time, but still not bad -- and I don't think we're ever had a fight. Sure, we've gotten frustrated and annoyed, but it never lasts more than an hour. And 9 times out of 10, it's because of some other stress factor (work, money, whatever). I love being around him. Honestly, I cannot imagine a future without him, and I have tremendous difficulty remembering my past without him. He makes me laugh and he makes me think. Often at the same time! =) I'm a better person because of him. Before we started dating, I was a doormat. I'd had a string of bad relationships, and I was afraid of everything. I was easily pushed around. Not the case anymore. I'm stronger physically, emotionally, and mentally. And I'm not afraid to speak my mind! And the sex is always, always great. Even when we think it's just going to be a quickie stress-reliever, it usually turns into something much more intense. As cliche'd as it might sound, it really feels like we become one person. He's never put demands or restrictions on me. He shares life with me, right by my side. I love him.

I'm slow. . . (whine alert -- you've been warned)

Ailleagan — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:36:52 GMT

I've been very stressed and anxious lately, and I haven't been able to pinpoint why. Der. We are *this close* to having this insurance thing settled, and possibly getting ourselves out of debt at the same time. It was almost exactly a year ago that we were *this close* to having the house thing settled and possibly get ourselves out of debt when the crazy sister. . . well, went crazy. . . and backed out on her word and left us high and dry, and slightly worse off than we were before. I'm terrified that this settlement won't solve anything, and we'll just be stuck slightly worse off than we were before. The lienholders on the bike are calling us because the insurance company hasn't paid them (I admit, I've held off paying them 1) because we're broke and 2) because I was under the impression the insurance company was going to pay a big chunk of the balance) but the insurance company won't pay them because the lienholder refuses to relinquish the title on the bike because the insurance payment won't be the full balance. My daughter starts preschool in about a month, and I don't know where we're going to get the tuition money. And Dugal and I both realized that neither of us has had tha good, cleansing cry of catharsis yet. We agreed to hold it off until it's over, then let it go. I tried to Reiki his back last night, and he said it just felt like pressure. . . no energy flow. An unmedicated full night's sleep would be nice, too. Especially if I could skip the freaky dreams. I promise one day soon I'll have happyhappy blogs again. Bless you all for sticking with me through my absences and whining. *hugs and smooches all around*