a) Tell you why I friended you.
b) Associate you with something -- a fandom, song, colour, photo, etc.
c) Tell you something I like about you.
d) Tell you a memory I have of you.
e) Ask you something I've wanted to know about you.
f) Tell you my favourite userpic from your list.
g) In return, you need to post this on your own journal
My fancy today will be tickled by appreciating those who are childless, yet treat my own children (and others!) as if they are not...what's the terminology..."crotch-spawn?"
I can appreciate the fact that some folks are just not into children or feel uncomfortable around them and that's fine. It's the children-haters that get to me. Why people expect children to act like short adults just amazes me...especially when its often these same individuals who act more childish than my three year old. Anyhow, I'm getting into rant-mode when I need to be in appreciation-mode.
Cody and I have been blessed with having friends who actually *gasp* LIKE our children. Not on a "OMG I WANT BAYBEES NOW!" level, but who don't mind being called "Uncle/Aunt so-and-so" and who will interact with them. Friends who we can count on to not let our child wander into the street if we run into another room or just plain don't notice (I'd love to claim we are perfect parents, but alas, it just isn't so). Friends who embrace the fact that its hard for us to find a sitter so we can go out and thus come to us. Love to them.
I must say that, with regards to Chris & Kyle, it probably helps that I'm not a psycho wife and I actually "let" Cody go out pretty often. I may mumble bad words, but he still gets to go. :)
The end.
"Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough." - Emily Dickinson
This quote has served as a "therapy" (if you will) for me many times over the years. There have been times when envy and dissatisfaction have reared their heads in my life and this quote always reminds to appreciate the fact that I ,am living and to be thankful for that...to find joy where I can.
It coincides with an often-used phrase my husband says to those who are wallowing in self-pity (usually me), "Lets go visit the cancer ward and then ask ourselves how horrible our lives are." That's not an exact quote as it varies slightly, but it's the basic point.
Oh man, I knew this one was going to be tough. Its impossible to have a single favorite book, but I can at least narrow it down to a favorite series. :) The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. It is a mixture of historical fiction, action, romance, science fiction, etc. Unfortunately, it was thrown in with the category of "romance" so it doesn't get the range of readers that it should. READ THE SERIES.
Another favorite of mine is Stiff by Mary Roach. It'll either revolt you or make you want to donate your body to science.
Honestly, I don't have one since I don't watch TV regularly. TV series of all time, I guess would be Firefly. The Simpsons, Family Guy, Futurama, etc. all delight me as well.
I couldn't pick a single favorite, so have my 5 favs! The 13th Warrior, Mirrormask, Chocolat, The Fifth Element and the Nightmare Before Christmas.
Day 01 → Your favorite song
Day 02 → Your favorite movie
Day 03 → Your favorite television program
Day 04 → Your favorite book
Day 05 → Your favorite quote
Day 06 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 → A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 → A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 → A photo you took
Day 10 → A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 → A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 → A fictional book
Day 14 → A non-fictional book
Day 15 → A fanfic
Day 16 → A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 → An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 → A talent of yours
Day 20 → A hobby of yours
Day 21 → A recipe
Day 22 → A website
Day 23 → A YouTube video
Day 24 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 → Your day, in great detail
Day 26 → Your week, in great detail
Day 27 → This month, in great detail
Day 28 → This year, in great detail
Day 29 → Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 → Whatever tickles your fancy
( Day 01 - Favorite Song )
I have been like this for as far back as I can remember. It used to focus on my dad a lot, most likely because he lived far away. My childhood years were full of these morbid worry daydreams and would get so intense that I’d actually cry about these accidents that never happened. They tapered off a bit in my mid-late teens, increased after my grandmother died and have become regular since having children.
Now, I generally take these things in stride. They don’t cause me to have any strange personality defects and I don’t follow my children around with pillows strapped to their little bodies.
The exception is when they are in dream form. Because boy do I dream fiercely. I’ve been having these damn dreams almost every night for the past two weeks and it is exhausting the hell out of me. Its been difficult to fall asleep before midnight and when I finally can sleep, I am waking often because of these damn dreams. As a result, once morning comes I wake up with little to no restful sleep.
These dreams come in waves usually, but they’ve never lasted this damn long. Gods, please tell me the end is near.
There’s a few of you who stand out from the rest, either because we found internet-closeness or because I think I’d get along with you very well in real life. So, to those few of you, here is your appreciation. I’m going to try and do something similar for everyone, but we all know how well my motivation lasts so I’ll start with this. Haha.
Josh aka
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
angel_malachite (and many more)Josh is the person to blame for me getting on LJ in the first place. I honestly don’t even remember how we initially started talking, but we became daily, er…nightly IM-buddies and I developed a huge crush on him. Which was okay at the time because I was single and re-planted back in Arizona and he was safely in Tucson, so I could flirt away and not have to worry about it. That and via the internet, he was the total perfect guy. Nice to look at, poetic, intelligent, funny, obscure music lover, egotistic in a non-obnoxious way, and random. We ended up accidentally meeting thanks to the Renaissance Festival and from there we started talking more and with occasional visits to Tucson. After one particularly memorable trip to Tucson, I decided that I would not make any further attempts at taking the crush further simply because it wasn’t a good fit. Not at that time anyway. That and he said my voice is “dainty.”
History aside, we never really talk anymore as he is too busy working, traveling, and wooing the hearts of impressionable women. My appreciation for Josh is based on past friendship that I desperately needed at the time, good times, motivation for creativity and for being such good long-distance minion. Amazingly enough and despite how long it’s actually been since we had a real conversation, I still actually feel like I could call him a friend.
Cliff aka
dangercakes Oh, Cliff. The other seemingly perfect guy for me, but only via the interwebs. Which is why he is my internet boyfriend (should that be capitalized?). He is an amazingly handsome guy (it’s the eyeballs), wordsmith, amusing, likes obscure things (notice a pattern here?), full of adventure, lives in the place I’ve always wanted to visit and (at the time of “meeting”) had a totally hot bi-sexual girlfriend (who is also an LJ friend…Hi Nichole!). What wasn’t to like? While we don’t get to talk that often, its always something worthwhile and fun. He is one of the few people I have ever met that I could say “Wow, this person actually gets me” without knowing me for years and years (and even then, it’s a pretty rare event). Someday I will vacation in the place I’ve always wanted to visit and meet him so that he can take me on some adventures (hopefully involving tequila and trees). Until then, we shall continue to write long emails back and forth and promise to keep in touch better. It should be noted that my internet-love for him will increase when my Fed Ex box arrives. It’s full of goodies, you know.
Cristina aka
muirichinnahali Fellow crunch-like momma who I have so much fun reading about and whom I live vicariously through. Not in a gross, stalker way, but in an “I want stay home with my kids, have the perfect birth experience, live near a large body of water and have an adorable red-headed child!” way. There are a lot of similarities between us (interests, life views, etc.) and I really, really wish I (and her) had more time to actually correspond because I think we’d get along swimmingly. I appreciate Cristina because she gives me things to read/talk about that I can relate to. That means a lot in my lonely little life, so thanks!
Jenn, Ricky and Dandy...you are next.
- Mood:
nostalgic
I have an mp3 player. I also have toddlers that make listening to said mp3 player impossible. My family likes to talk. Constantly. Cody talks long and often takes minutes to get one point out. Arilyn talks rapidly and in great quantity. She also thinks that everyone is talking to her and that she must respond immediately. She is also a firm believer in that silence should always be filled with words. Monty doesn't quite know how to talk, but he does know how to make word-like sounds. Usually in great quantity as well, though not quite as much as his sister.
And since everyone talks so much, I have to listen. I am unable to not listen.
Now that I said that, perhaps listening to my mp3 player is just the answer I need. :)
P.S. I adore Scarlett Johansson's music! She has just attained marriage material for me.
But, I've begun doing the whole blogging thing at WordPress. Because its prettier. I still love most of you, so feel free to inspect, ignore, make rude anonymous comments or whatever suits your fancy.
http://callmenormal.wordpress.com/
And no, I am not abandoning LJ because there are still a number of people I e-stalk. And I will update here, too. I just wanted to make the announcement that I exist elsewhere.
Hmm. Yeah, that's about it.
Love.
For the most part, I could give a damn about new technology. Sure, touch phones are cool but I'd probably just drop it a lot. Or my kids would get child-goo in the tiny spaces.
There is one exception, though. I want a Kindle! No, this would not replace regular type books in my life, but it would be so very useful for a good amount of ebooks I have saved up that I want to read. Not only do I dislike reading on the computer (short things are okay), but I don't have the time to read a 500 page novel. I would also love it to learn German (and other lanuages) with. Kindle textbooks = awesome.
I'd also like a Wii.
Thank you.
Here's hoping!
I've been making a point to reduce Monty's nursing during the day. He's been getting bitey and just wants to be attached constantly. Now that its noticable, mother nature has made an appearance. It makes me want to let him nurse more so it'll go away again. haha! Not really though. I am so touched-out.
Arilyn had another allergic reaction to something yesterday. Cody said that she came up to him and told him her eyes hurt. He looked and they were starting to puff up and redden. He gave her some Benadryl and a few mintues later noticed that she was having trouble talking. The floor of her mouth (that gross looking veiny flesh under your tongue) had swollen up to interfere with her talking. He decided to take her to Tempe St. Luke’s. In the car, Cody said that she was having more trouble talking and started wheezing a bit. At this point, her eye lids were so swollen that they covered her entire eye and apparently the skin was so taut that it looked like a tomato about to burst.
The ER gave her an IV with some Benadryl and Cortisone (?), then had to give her an Epi shot right in the thigh. Cody said that she didn’t flinch with the IV, but once that steroid went in…WHOA. Poor girl was freaking out because of how that shot makes you feel. The purpose is to get your blood going really fast so the meds get where they need to go faster. Her heart rate shot up and she kept telling Cody “I’m not sick anymore, I just want to go home” and other such sad phrases. She was a super brave little girl though. Cody said that she even stopped to say she had to go potty during the Epi rush.
I took the rail/bus to the hospital and Lisa was darling enough to pick up Monty from the ER since Cody was having a hard time keeping two toddlers entertained in a hospital. Thankfully, my mom was home to keep an eye on Monty for us. St. Luke’s said that her bloodwork all came back well as well as some other tests they did. They transferred her to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital in case her symptoms got worse. Apparently, with the Epi they want to watch the patient for 6 hours to make sure nothing more happens. So, Ari and I got to ride in the ambulance to the “kids hospital” beacuse the “grown-up hospital” didn’t have good toys or food. (That was my doing…she kept asking to go home and I told her we had to go to the kid’s hospital first and that she could probably get something to eat there and they’d probably have cooler toys since it’s a place for kids).
The EMTs got a kick out her on the ride there. She’s such a chatterbox and kept asking questions. She got to see the laptop-type-thing the EMT riding in the back had and was facinated by the gurney. We got to the Children’s Hospital and basically got to sit around until 10:30 when her 6 hours were up. She finally got to eat something and passed out in the car on the way home.
We aren’t sure what caused the reaction. She didn’t have any new foods, no new detergents, cleaning products, etc. Cody saw a red bug bite-looking spot on her temple, so we think maybe something snuck in and bit her. There will be some serious laundering going on tonight! Lots of vinegar-and-water spraying around the rooms, too.
She’s got a prescription for Prednisone and for an Epi-Pin, which is a stick full of Epinephrine in case she should have another severe reaction. We were only able to fill the Prednisone last night as the Epi-Pin had a $100 co-pay. I’ve got to see if I can put off Tempe’s utility payment for another two weeks. They are good about working with customers, so I am hopeful.
Cody says the swelling in her eyes has gone down more today, though it is still there. She’s taking her meds well and is a happy camper. We’re going to be taking her for frozen yogurt tonight as a reward for being so good at the hospitals.
She never ceases to amaze me. Besides the after effect of the Epinephrine shot, she hardly cried or complained at all. The IV hep-lock started to hurt her little arm after so many hours, but that was the extent of her complaints. Well, she did complain that she was hungry. Cody said that she started feeling feverish around lunch and didn’t want to eat, so it had been only since 10am-ish that she had last eaten anything. Poor girl didn’t get food into her stomach until 9pm-ish.
This experience has definitely made me more sympthatic to those parents that have to go through this sort of thing daily. Seeing all of the other children in the hospital definitely puts things in perspective. Thank the gods we are a generally healthy family.
We’ll be following up with our PCP next week and then will be scheduling an appointment with an allergist. She’s had some puffy-eye allergic reactions before, but never this extreme. I know it’ll suck for her, but I’d rather do the testing now and see if there’s an obvious allergy we can control. No more surprises. The Epi-Pin is a great idea, but I’d rather not use it if I don’t have to.
- Mood:
anxious
The Fifth Element, The 13th Warrior, Chocolat, Serenity, Howl's Moving Castle
Have you ever gone overseas to visit another country?
No. :(
What kind of magazines do you read?
I don't really read any. Maxim is usually pretty awesome though.
What's your occupation?
Legal Assistant
What's really creepy?
Furries. (Sorry, Doug...I'm referring to the extreme folks)
What are two subjects that you find fascinating?
Genetics and mythology.
What's your current fandom/obsession/addiction?
None right now.
What are you listening to right now?
Work noises.
What are you most excited for?
PAY DAY (which is still too far away)
What websites do you always visit when you go online?
Gmail, LJ, Facebook, etsy and some people's blogs.
What was the last thing you bought?
Soda and some popcorn for lunch.
What is something beautiful you’ve seen recently?
Just one? The panoramic view of the mountains outside one of the attorney's office.
Does the weather affect your mood?
Definitely.
What is your zodiac sign?
Pisces.
Do you want to learn another language?
Big time.
5 things you can't live without:
Besides the obvious water, food and air...humor, alone time, love (in all forms), creativity and common sense.
Do you have any siblings?
I have a brother.
What's something you'd like to say to someone right now?
Hi!
Do you have anything exciting planned over the next few months?
Possibly going to Mississippi, moving and...that's about it.
Say something to the person who tagged you:
No one tagged me! muahaha! <---this.
- Mood:
bored
I've been feeling particularly crafty as of late, which is surprising because I am not a crafty person. Unfortunately, I cannot embrace that motivation because of a seriously limited cash flow. BOO.
Work sucks again. We have a trial coming up and preparing for it generally means lots of pissy comments between my darling attorney and I. Hopefully the Mississippi trip will actually happen in October and will give a much needed repreive to my brain.
Anyways...back to work. Later my gators.
- Mood:
creative
