Why is WTF always my first thought?

$245 Million Dollars!!

“Jim Wilson II, 84, and his wife, Shirley, 79, claimed the winning prize from last Wednesday’s drawing, along with their three sons.”

I guess it could be karma… but jeez, what took so long?

Just a few things that strike me as funny:

“When the Wilsons learned they had won, they got professional financial advice before claiming the prize.

Jim Wilson II has the option of receiving $254 million in 30 payments over 29 years, or accepting a lump-sum payment worth $120 million before taxes.”

Um… duh?

“The couple also said they will set aside money for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”

Yea, because you have to stop yourself before you spent all $245 million! And boy is that inheritance tax going to be a bitch!!

Does anyone else have that Alanis Morrisette song in their head??

I know I can’t sing… so I don’t try.

I could watch these audition parts of American Idol every night. I don’t know why, but I find it hilarious!! I was in tears with this guy. He sounded like an elderly Jewish woman reciting the words to Gloria. When he demanded to see Simon’s work visa I almost wet myself. With his chinchilla security blanket scarf – OMG – funny, funny shit. Ian was also on “So you think you can dance?” Here is a video of that fiasco. He has a Myspace page, I can’t wait to get home and look at that.

And there was chick who said she new she was tone deaf and couldn’t sing but she wanted them to teach her to sing. She thought it would be a great twist to the show… an American Idol who can’t sing. Please some one tell me these people aren’t serious!

Oh on a completely different topic… if you got here because you were searching “chicks taken a crap” I’m sorry to have disappointed you, but I am pretty sure you didn’t find what you were looking for here.

What would you do with an extra grand?

Apparently I may be getting some extra cash I wasn’t expecting. I’m not talking about the coveted income tax refund that never really leaves that back of you mind. I’m talking about a couple of grand falling in my lap from no where.

Now, I’m not the kind of person that counts her chickens before they have hatched, but it is fun to think about. My practical half …well it’s not really half, maybe a third… anyway my practical third says put the money in the bank for a rainy day or unexpected expense. Who can really ever listen to that kind of advice anyway? I don’t really want to use it to pay any bills, because… well to be frank… besides the mortgages and utilities we don’t have any bills. Nope, no credit cards or anything… we don’t use them. Besides that mortgages and the cars, we don’t buy it if we can’t pay cash for it. And I just don’t know how paying an extra grand on the mortgage is going to a) help or b) feel good.

Clothes!! I could buy some clothes. I’m not selfish; I would buy clothes for all of us. But then Kev would make me clean out a closet and make room for more clothes and I just can’t part with my “skinny” clothes – I hope to use them again some day. (Note: skinny is relative here).

Vacation someplace warm and tropical… yea!!! … oh wait, I used all my vacation time having a baby. shit.

Camera lens I have been drooling over has some merit, don’t ya think? Maybe hubby would like the new PS3 for Valentine’s Day… oooh… dontcha love electronic gadgets!!

What would you do with a few extra grand??

All over the place

I can tell it’s been a while since I posted. So this post is going to be like a bunch of little posts all in one big post.

Wow, thanks for all the great comments on my 12 of 12. It was fun. I need to find out what the “bonus picture” is all about. Several of the participants have added a bonus picture and it appears to have had a theme. If you haven’t had the chance, be sure you wonder over to Chad’s and check out some of the links. It’s pretty cool to see a day in the life of people from all over the world.

We went to Tennessee last week to spend some time with family after my father passed. I wasn’t that close to my dad, but you can read all about it here if you like. It was a nice trip. Hunter was a perfect traveler. 12 hours in the car on two different days and his sleep schedule didn’t get messed up, he didn’t cry, he didn’t become a grump-head, he was absolutely wonderful. I got to spend some quality time with my half-sister Kim. One night we stayed up till 2 am just talking and I guess you could say getting to know each other. It’s pretty amazing how two people who are related yet didn’t even grow up in the same state can be so similar… it’s almost creepy. I really hope we can stay in touch and continue to grow what we have started.

I’m really enjoying my camera and I think my pictures are improving as well as my Photoshop skills. I’m still torn about getting another lens… I still don’t know if I would do better with a lens with image stabilization or if I should just invest in a faster lens. The best of both worlds would be a faster lens WITH image stabilization… but since money doesn’t regularly come out of my butt… that’s not going to happen.

A bit of proof about my picture taking. Of course it helps to have a cute kid to photograph. Now this photo looks grainy, but that is because I was playing with my camera and didn’t realize I had left the ISO set to 1600- on the up side, the picture turned out nice and bright. Here is Hunter in Tennessee:

This one is over a lookout, in Kentucky (think). Man it was getting cold and the clouds were just coming in. I thought it looked pretty cool.

And finally, some berries. I have seen these in Michigan on trees and I love how red they look in the dead of winter. I really have to find out what they are and get some for the yard.

Well that’s all for show and tell.

Oh yea, one more thing. I thought about just saying fuck you to 2007 when I fell in the driveway on Friday while playing kick the ball with the dog. But I really thought that sounded so negative. Instead I decided to turn it into some friendly advice. So here’s my character building advice: Don’t kick the ball as hard as you can when the only leg you have to stand on is on a patch of ice… you will bruise your elbow, pull your tricep muscle and generally be annoyed. That is all.

January 12 of 12

I think I originally heard about the 12 of 12 idea from Helen as a comment on Meghan’s blog. It was the brain child of Chad and he has a whole host of folks participating.

I apologize in advance for the rushed nature of this post and the pics, but I am leaving tomorrow at 4 AM for Tennessee to spend some time with some family. And for those enquiring minds; I took the week off and me and my three favorite boys (husband, brother and son) are traveling to Tennessee. Emotionally, I am in a much better place, thanks for all your encouraging words.

On to the pics…shit! I just noticed my camera date is one day off. So while the pics all say they were taken on the 11th, they were really taken on the 12th and you just have to trust me on this one. Plus, I will fix my camera date as soon as I am done.

#1 - 9:07 AM - yep, my truck is still in the driveway. I told you I didn’t go to work today.

#2 - 9:08 AM - Every morning before I leave I have to play kick the ball with Tyler (The Big Brown Dog). Look at that face… how could you refuse. And yes folks, that’s green grass in Michigan in January - what a screwy weather year it’s been.

#3 - 9:18 AM - Destination Starbucks, need I say more?

#4 - 9:31 AM - Back home and about to pull in the driveway. That’s my house waaay back there in the trees (not on the left - that’s the neighbor’s) This is why my truck is always so dirty.

#5 - 9:38 AM - Time for some music.

#6 - 11:24 AM - Getting ready to vacuum - yep, it’s a Dyson baby!

#7 - 12:26 PM - What is that noise?? Oh, it’s just the cat in the bag. This is the most curious cat there is. Meet, Willow.

#8 - 12:56 PM - Fresh out of the shower with a new hair color… like it?

#9 - 1:25 PM - Almost ran into this spider as I was leaving to meet my hubby for lunch. Eeewww!

#10 - 1:36 PM - Look, it’s hubby.

#11 - 2:28 PM - This is where we had lunch and now we are on the way back home to pack and get ready for our trip.

#12 - 9:52 PM - A very asleep little bug, after a bunch of running around and a visit to Granny’s. Boy does he have a big day tomorrow… road trip!

Hope you enjoyed my first attempt at the 12 of 12. Sorry if it’s lame, it’s been a weird week.

Hit me with your best shot…

Ok 2007, you have obviously decided you are going to be a character building year for me. I say… bring it on!

Hey… It’s National De-lurking Week!
Is Hallmark making cards for all these Internet Weeks of… things? Well don’t worry; you don’t have to send me a card or anything. Just drop a little note that says hi, that would be cool.

Oh and speaking of cool… check this out! I know it’s a bit late if you think snowflakes are Chirstmas-y, but this is pretty cool. Especially if you have ever cut out your own snowflakes.

Ok, you want to laugh… try this. I would do my own link to the video, but I can’t get YouTube at work… and that’s where I am right now. Hopefully I got the link right this time, Bill.

Well that’s all I got… come on, leave a comment, you know you want to.

Emotional bumps

Wow, two posts today. This one I just really have to get off my chest.

You know, I really like it when my life just goes along without too many bumps. I’m not talking about no changes, changes are good. I’m talking about bumps; the shit that throws you off kilter. Where you have to hang on so you don’t lose your balance.

My brother just called to tell me my Dad died.

My Mom and Dad were divorced when I was pretty young (5 or 6). We did the visitation thing. I remember spending time with him and his new wife, but I honestly don’t have very many positive memories of the man. For my twelfth birthday I remember getting a birthday card from him with a dime taped inside and it said “Call me sometime” with a phone number. (Yes… calls were only a dime back then!) That was one of the last times I heard from him. He was what they now call a “Deadbeat Dad”. He never paid any child support. He remarried, had two more kids and they all moved out of the state. As we were told, to keep from paying child support. He had been put in jail once (that I remember) for non-payment. He took an early retirement from the Detroit Police force and moved his family out of the state and out of reach of the long arm of the law.

When I was in my twenties, my brother called and told me my Dad wanted us to get together and discuss some insurance stuff. I was pretty bitter, so I told my brother to tell that man that I was too busy working two jobs to put myself through college, I didn’t have time to get together. They still met at a local restaurant. I knew when and where so I went and parked in a lot across the street. I was very curious about how he looked – silly, I know. So I saw him but he didn’t see me. I guess I was about 25.

The bitterness subsided and my brother and I both half-heartedly looked for him. It’s almost like folklore, some of the stories I heard. Alcohol, drugs and diabetes got the better of him and at some point he had both of his legs amputated; one above the knee and one just below. I had heard that he got drunk one night and passed out outside in the cold and lost his legs to frostbite. He was schizophrenic and I had also heard he thought demons were in his legs… but really who knows what happened.

We had heard he was in a nursing home on the other side of the state. When we checked into that it turns out he had left a few months prior – owing money and leaving some pissed off people in his wake. That was Dad.

In 2001/2002 my brother located my Dad and his (now ex) wife. Dad was in a nursing home in Tennessee. His ex-wife and her two kids (my step-brother and step-sister) were all living in the same town. It took me a few days of agonizing, but I finally decided to go with my brother down to Tennessee and see the family I hadn’t seen in over 25 years.

That was weird. My Dad was pretty medicated so he couldn’t really speak more than a word at a time. There was no real conversation but I was re-connected with my half-brother and half-sister. It was nice to see them and get to know them. Hey bet you’d never guess my sister looks like Courtney Cox. I have seen my sister one other time and I’ve seen my Dad’s ex a few times. My half-brother and I really connected and I have seen him the most – he even came to my wedding.

It’s been a few years since I have seen any of them. They have never met Hunter or my husband (except my half-brother).

I’m really at a loss for how I should be feeling right now. Initially, I was emotional. Now it feels very matter of fact. I have to decide if I am going to travel down to Tennessee with my brother. I don’t think there is going to be a funeral. They asked my opinion regarding burial or creation… I don’t have one. Not for a man I really didn’t know. Is it wrong to take 5 days of bereavement from work for a man whose label is my father, but whom I hardly knew? I know there isn’t a right or wrong way to feel. I am an emotional person and I feel those emotions stirring… but I don’t understand why. Of course, if I didn’t feel anything, that would be weird too.

Two for one

Conversation with a stranger and a MEME:

I work at a public building and there are citizens coming and going several times during the day. As I am leaving the building yesterday afternoon, I notice a car parked right at the curb (before the parking lot) and a man is starting to get out. This man is basically cleaning out this car in front of the building. He was throwing scrap pieces of paper from his car on to the ground. Since littering really pisses me off, I can’t keep my mouth shut.

“That’s littering” really I was kind of muttering to myself… he must have had good hearing.

“So?” challenges the litterbug.

“It’s wrong” (anyone else feeling a Buffy flashback here)

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Well, someone has to pick it up” is the last thing I said. Not very profound but at this point I’m still walking to my car and questioning this whole “conversation” (for lack of a better word). I’m picturing in my mind’s eye this guy coming up behind me and smacking me in the back of the head… so I just keep walking to my car. He didn’t say anything else to me.

I wish I knew where he lived and I would clean out my car in front of his house. Hell, who am I kidding, that would be littering and I couldn’t do it.

~*~*~

I’ve been tagged by lawmummy.com (I call her Mommy Grows Up) way back in December. The meme is to name five things you don’t know about me. Sorry about the lack of link to the actual post, but I can’t figure out how to find the link. It’s in her “Sometimes I’m all about me” tag. Since I recently completed 43 things about me, I’ve really had to think.
1) I’ve spent the night in jail. It was a long time ago. I am proof all asshole kids deserve a second chance.
2) I am teaching myself Photoshop.
3) My hair is 35 – 40% grey and I dye it at least every 5 -6 weeks.
4) I just spent over $400 on a vacuum and I don’t regret it.
5) I’m late to work everyday!!

I’m tagging the five people that read my blog… if you read, you’re it!

Don’t be like this, 2007

It’s been kind of a bumpy start to 2007. My Mom fell last Friday and broke her arm. My Mom is very independent and she was moving boxes putting her Christmas stuff away and she tripped over a box and broke her arm just below her shoulder. It’s rough for a couple of reasons. My Mom lives alone so it’s difficult for her to get around with one arm. Luckily it is her left arm, but it is still difficult. Not to mention the ripple it put in her confidence. When you break your arm so close to your shoulder, they can’t put a cast on it, they can only put your arm in a sling and you have to let gravity straighten your arm.

This could be a definite down side to having kids late in life. Having a 7 month old takes up a lot of your time. But you can always find more time, especially if you have a parent to take care of as well. Luckily I have a very loving and understanding husband who helps out a lot – with my Mom and Hunter.

My level of calmness kind of surprised me. My Mom called me at work and told me she fell and she thought she broke her arm. She was very upset (obviously). Since I am only 15 minutes from her house I told her I would be right there. When I got to her house she was wigging out. I stayed extremely calm, calmed her down, got some ice for her shoulder and asked her the standard questions (or at least I think they are standard). Did you hit your head? Are you hurt anywhere else? Did you lose consciousness? Stuff like that. I was trying to keep her from worrying, which is hard to do. One of her first comments was that she wouldn’t be able to hold Hunter.

It’s weird when you have to become the parent to your parent. I am very thankful that I am able to do that with a clear mind and a ton of patience (where the hell did I get that!?) Mostly, I’m thankful to have a parent. Many of my friends have lost theirs.

We are going back to the doctor today. But I’m sure Mom is on the mend. She has stopped taking the pain meds (Vicodin) and she even sounds better when we speak. Now she just needs something to keep her occupied while she is stuck in the house. It’s hard to scrapbook with one hand.

Reflections or Resolutions

EDITED: because I have no idea what a Relfection or a resolsution is….

A new year – what does that mean? Is it just a date change? Is it an excuse to re-invent yourself. Get rid of the bad habits while excising new ones (pun intended). Why do most people make a list of resolutions at the beginning of the year? Seriously, does it help keep those resolutions or when you fail at keeping them does it just mean you don’t have to try again for another year?

I have a (mental) list of things I would like to do differently this year, but I have been reluctant to actually come out and say “I have resolutions”. I have spent a great deal of free brain time reflecting on how different my life is now than it was a year ago.

My immediate family has gone from 2 to 3. Now in addition to a loving husband I have an adorable son who is honestly a gift from God. He is a gift because he has the greatest little demeanor and he is always happy. A perfect fit into our family unit.

I am no longer apprehensive about what kind of Mom I will be; if I will be able to be patient enough; or if I won’t like the personality of the little person we created. Serious fears everyone has, no matter what they tell you.

I’m not wondering how long my job is going to last or what we will do with the loss of my income. I’m in a new job now. (I guess I know now, it lasted until April 30th – gotta love hindsight.) I’ve gone from a job that I love but causes me great stress to a job that I don’t love that causes me great boredom. The pay cut wasn’t nearly as painful as it could have been.

I started this crazy thing called “blogging” – who knew it would be come so addicting and wonderful. I have communicated with the most amazing people and it wouldn’t have been possible without the Internet and blogging. I have shared happiness, laughter, sorrows, tears and an emotional connection that can’t be explained with people I have never met in person.

Many things are the same. I still feel like I need to eat healthier and exercise more… oh hell, who am I kidding… I need to exercise – period. I want to learn something new (I always need to learn!!) I’d like a job where I can make a difference and be appreciated while earning a good wage. I’m still madly in love with the greatest man in the world.

Overall, I am excited about what 2007 will bring and how it will change me from where I am now.