To The Cleveland Browns

Thanks for the great season. 10-6... What a record (Keeping in mind that some of the teams playing in this years play offs didn't have this good of a record).

What is my mantra?
"There's always next year".

Who am I?
I am a Browns fan!

Murhpy's Law... Or something like that...

I'm working on a paper that's due tomorrow. Technically today but I had to bug out of class to deal with the heat folks - my thermostat (or something died) and my instructor gave me until tomorrow to get it in. Which is good because I have one particular problem that is kicking my booty. I spent most of the day working the problem, waking away in frustration to do some work only to sit back down and try my hand at the problem again.

A little while ago I got a call from the heat guy to let me know he was on his way. I started to tell him what was going on and I walked up to the thermostat - and low and behold it was working again. Mind you it's 75 degrees outside today (which hit us out of the blue) and I don't really need the heat, tomorrow it's supposed to be cold again. So I told him to come out anyway and see if he can figure out what is going on. While he was running his diagnostics I continued to work on my problem and shouted... "GOT IT!" when I finally figured out the answer. This was around the time the heat guy came in to tell me he can't find anything wrong. So I wrote out a check for 75.00 (With a promise from him, if I have to call him out again tomorrow because it died again that they wouldn't charge me 75.00 again) when my computer decided to reboot itself after auto installing some window updates. Uh huh... Lost the problem and am now in the process of recreating it. Thankfully it was still pretty fresh in my memory but still!

This is my life. Welcome to my world.

And I wonder why it is I can never seem to get anything accomplished!!!

Financial Hardship?

I arrived home from school and flipped on the television. Generally I'll see what's going on Oprah to use as a backdrop while going through my email and figuring out what homework I need to do first. Today's guest was Suze Orman who was giving advice to various couples who were in serious debt (One so bad that she suggested they sell their house and move to Seattle). Most of what Suze had to say was certainly very valuable, however I was stunned when she suggested that one gentleman download his vast DVD collection onto his iPod and then sell the DVD's on eBay.

Ummm... Hello... Do I need to point out that this is ILLEGAL--and in total defiance of Copyright law (Not in any way shape or form falling under the auspice of fair use)? If you think the couple has a financial hardship now, wait until they get slapped with a lawsuit from the MPAA for making illegal copies of DVDs. Eeesh...

Yes, I flung off an email on the Oprah.com website, not sure anyone will read it or make any sort of public correction but I made my psa.

Outdoor Cat

I've gained a new friend - Smokey aka "Outdoor Cat". He can't live inside with me because I'd suffer horrible lung reactions... and so he gets the garage (cracked enough for him to get in and out) and the run of the large yard and woods. He's been guarding my yard for a few months now and I announced out loud a few days ago how happy I am that he doesn't have any hunter sensibilities. Not surprisingly, that very evening, while pulling into the driveway I noticed the carcass of a now deceased field mouse. I was told that I am supposed to praise him for this act, instead I announce "No Smokey! You killed Stuart Little". When discussing this with a friend the other day I was told that I'd should be happy he took care of it because having the rodent in the house is not a pleasant experience. I suppose this is true, but my animal loving side can't seem to get over the murder of this little furry guy.

Database Programming

I'm into Chapter 3 of Oracle9i: SQL with an Introduction to PL/SQL. I still have no idea what PL/SQL is, but I'm at least not running the other direction from the rest of it. Considering I found out after starting the class that I should have taken DB110 first, I'm actually holding my own, which is good. Though I can tell you one thing, its not something you want to be watching Oprah while working on. After reading the first paragraph of Chapter 3, I decided I needed quiet. And I'm taking notes. It borders too closely to math for my distraction zone. I decided to write my own query:

Select DosEquis
From beer
Where temperature = "cold";

In slight contrast, the CSS and XHTML are a BREEZE! A little too easy actually. So I"m happy to report, school hasn't killed me yet :)

Some Folks Shouldn't Breed...

I realize I live in the South. And with that comes certain hazards. This time, as opposed to complaining about the blistering heat or threatening hurricanes I'm referring to another inherent problem. That would be rednecks. Now the reason for this diatribe:

I was listening to the radio while doing some school research. Per usual a news brief came on air and the current concern was the water in a certain county that had been so bad it was coming out of the pipes the color of strongly brewed tea. The reason for this is that the water tables are extremely low due to the severe drought we've been experiencing. Now that isn't what has me disturbed The reason I'm shaking my head in disbelief is a comment made by a local citizen after the close of an emergency town meeting wherein it was requested that residence withhold from watering lawns until the situation improves. This idiot's response (which he wanted the entire public to hear since he voiced this opinion to reporters)... And I quote [Insert hillbilly accent here] "It's my house, I'll do what I want to do!"

Are you serious?

Incredible

Check this out: geek-squad-stealing-porn-from-customers-computer

Now, I can't say that I'm surprised that Geek Squad technicians at Best Buy, or any male techie for that matter would be caught stealing porn, photographs or private information off of computers they're supposed to be fixing. I mean, there is a reason geeks are portrayed a certain way on film and other media outlets. But I base my lack of shock mostly on the mentality I've experienced from many of my male counterparts. Thus this story only goes to fuel the public perception that the majority of techies are adolescent-minded, testosterone driven, nerdy, dateless males who find it necessary to achieve sexual gratification via the internet and other porn-rife outlets. I'm not saying this is true for all computer career males, however this video proves that there is a reason for the stereotype. And to stoke the fires of this stereotype further, the following comment:

I used to work for an independant computer repair shop. Believe me, this is nothing unusual within the industry at all. And all the company owners do it too. I worked for a guy who checked the pcs of every good-looking girl who came in to see if they had any interesting photos of themselves. Either learn to fix it yourself, or live with it. Be happy that most technicians are just geeks looking for porn, you could have gotten a guy who copied your Quickbooks file, stole your account numbers, and then drained your bank accounts.

Is that seriously your response? Would you say the same thing about physicians: Either learn to conduct surgery on yourself or don't complain if your doctor happens to snap a few pictures of you while you're lying naked and unconscious on the table, and then be happy that he didn't steal your wallet? -- What this person is saying, is that we should be experts in every single field know to man if we'd like to avoid getting ripped off, taken advantage of or violated. It's ridiculous. But thanks for making another point in the endless list of why companies should hire more women techs!

Who Loves You Baby

"Gentleman." I heard that word tossed around more than once during his funeral. "He was a real gentleman." they said. And, it's true - there are not many people like him left in the world today. He never had an unkind word to say towards or about anyone, and he'd give a stranger the shirt of his back if they needed it. He worked hard as a carpenter his entire life, and even after retirement he would mow lawns, do yard work, and handy man tasks. He was a devout Catholic and it brought him tremendous joy when any of his family would attend mass along with him. He was the epitome of an English Gentleman in look and mannerism with a strong accent and sense of propriety. His favorite past-time was watching sports, however my fonder memories include him kicked back in his lounge chair with me laying on the living room floor in front of him as we took in episodes of Kung Fu and Kojack on blistering Florida summer afternoons. He'd always greet me with an enthusiastic "Who loves you baby?" to which I'd gleefully shout "You do Gramps!" and a bear hug would result. Often he'd slip me an old-fashioned English toffee, Chicklets gum, or rise to retrieve a coffee can full of change from the hall closet that he'd been saving just for me. He loved his family and his wife tremendously, and even as death greeted him his main concern was that each detail of his Will, ensuring his wife would be properly taken care of, was covered to a T. He passed quietly with the majority of his family around him and his daughter holding his hand until the very end. A peaceful death if ever there was one, for a peaceful, kind and loving man. On the eve of his funeral the family passed around a glass of J&B Whiskey and we took turns sipping the lethal fluid--Honoring him by partaking in one of his favorite vices - a single belt of the amber-colored liquid after each evening meal. During the funeral a butterfly swooped in while my mom was doing her reading, it circled around her head, fluttered around the inside of the gazebo and remained throughout the service. "Gramps was here visiting" I said. My sister-in-law corrected me, "They say that whenever there is a butterfly around, there are angels around you."

Who loves you baby!

What a year...aka Kimmie's Absence

Okay I know I've been MIA, but this is through no fault of my own.

Not only have I been in the middle of getting organized for the fall semester (Yes, I've decided to go back to school.) but in between all this, my grandfather took ill, I went to Florida for two weeks to help out because they didn't think he was going ot make it and my mom has been having health issues of her own. I arrived to find out that my Nana had been sleeping for two days straight and when she came to she didn't know who she was, where she was, or who any of her family members were. We were informed by a Hospice doctor that she had dementia and that she didn't have long to live (Mind you no tests had been administered to discover this fact). Meanwhile grandpa started to do much better and his outlook was good.

Within a few days Nana was doing much better and her dementia was first explained away by a urinary tract infection, only to be informed later that she had a TIA (mini stroke). Meanwhile we find out that grandpa has an infection in his pacemaker, he only has 20% use of his heart and his options are limited.

After two weeks of up and downs similar to this, I came home to await the inevitable - My grandfather's death and funeral. After not having been home a week I was back on a plane the next day to attend his funeral on Friday.

It is now Wednesday (not quite a week later) and I'm just NOW getting caught up on everything that needed to be done around here (catching up on email, work stuff, laundry is still piled high and my suit case is yet to be unpacked... sad...)

So that's where I've been! Fun no???

Yes it's Summer!

It's 99 degrees outside, the little gel decorations have melted on my window, the June bugs (aka Japanese Beetles) are dining on my rose bushes, I burnt the soles of my feet on the way to the mail box, and the neighbor's dog sought solace from the heat by diving into my swimming pool. Ahhh yes, it's summer in the South!

Doing it like... Bunnies...

I was out tooling around in my garden, trying to replace my underground soaker hose, cutting back a mutant strain of parsley that lived through the winter and now has stalks the size of small trees, and pruning back other vegetation. I made my way through the parsley and was about to plant a nice fresh basil when a little rodent head appeared from beneath the mulch.

Contrary to what some may believe, I'm not a big "girl" and I didn't run away screaming. Instead, I cooed in response and began to call all my friends... "I have a baby mole in my garden!"

Upon closer inspection, we didn't have "a mole" but multiple babies had taken residence next to the nutritious and delicious parsley. Being the animal lover I am, I decided to leave them where they were, and planned to spot water until they grew to adult size and would later find a humane means of transplanting them from my garden. It wasn't until later in the day when I showed the nest to a friend that the true identity of my house guests were uncovered.

They're not moles... They're baby bunnies!

When being teased about not knowning the difference between moles and bunnies I professed my desire to respect their privacy. I'm happy to report that mama comes back every evening to feed the babies and I'm giving her full reign of my garden to raise her young. (I mean hell, no one could have eaten that amount of parsley in a lifetime let alone one year! I can share!)

Memories of Kelsey

Sadly, after over 14 wonderful years (I’m told that’s 98 in dog years), being as spoiled as she possibly could, and cared for by the very best doctors and nurses, we had to say goodbye on March 21^st. While the last year seemed to show a gradual decline of the little girl everyone knew, and in her final week her spunky demeanor seemed to waiver, she never lost her charm or spark. She will linger in the minds of many for years to come as “the dog with the tongue,” and she will always be “sweet pea”, “peanut” and “baby girl.”

Pampered to the point of being spoiled, but not bratty, Kelsey had a “pup tent” and three different beds in various rooms of the house though preferred to sleep near her “mama.” She was fully in charge of the sleep schedule and would dig under the blankets, pulling them off to indicate it was time to rise. She loved to be chased on the bed and would raiser her backside in a play bow while emitting a deep grrr to initiate such encounters. She wouldn’t suffer summers without air conditioning and donned her purple furry cape when winter walks threatened to cause a shiver. She was the proud owner of a special “Dog on Tour” meal and water dish, which accompanied her on many adventures, and a walker-umbrella and raincoat to keep her dry on rainy days. Fuzzy blankets scattered the house, as did toys of many shapes and sizes, but despite all the worldly things, what she loved most was to be near her people and wouldn’t let mommy out of her site for more than a minute. She enjoyed having her soft tummy rubbed, being held and snuggled and never failed to “nuggle” in return, earning her the nickname “nuggler.” She was fond of pulling scrunchines from unsuspecting heads, her favorite time of the day was snack time, she enjoyed walkies, and knew how to beg just right—“sitting pretty” to get those coveted morsels of people food—ensuring she’d remain at least a little overweight for the bulk of her life. Seldom barking, but to demand food, treats and water or in response to the occasional door or airline alert bell, instead her mode of communication was cute little whines known as “Gremlin” or “Ewok” sounds. She loved traveling and found herself on car rides, airplanes, boats, camping and even a canoe once. She was snuck into animal-free areas via concealed carriers or duffle bags—And her most recent trip included this type of intrigue as she was secreted out to take pleasure in walks on Myrtle Beach. To say that she lived a long, full, loving and adventurous life would be an understatement. She will remain in our hearts and minds, be forever loved and dearly missed!

Oh High Oh

My cousin forwarded this me this and I thought I'd share:

A guy from Ohio dies and goes to Hell. He had been a horrible man all his life. The devil puts him to work breaking up rocks with a sledgehammer. To make it even worse, he cranks up the temperature and humidity.

After a couple of days, the devil checks in on his victim to see if he is suffering adequately. The devil is aghast as the Ohioan is happily swinging his hammer and whistling a happy tune. The devil walks up to him and says "I don't understand this! I've turned the heat way up, it's
humid and you're crushing rocks. Why are you so happy?" The Ohioan, with a big smile, looks at the devil and replies, "This is great! It reminds me of August in Cleveland . Hot, humid and a good place to work. It reminds me of home. This is fantastic!"

The devil, extremely perplexed, walks away to ponder the Ohioan's remarks. He then decides to drop the temperature, send down a driving rain and torrential winds. Soon, Hell is a wet, muddy mess. Walking in mud up to his knees with dust blowing in his eyes, the Ohioan is happily slogging through the mud pushing a wheelbarrow full of crushed rocks.

Again, the devil asks how he can be so happy in such awful conditions. The Ohioan, with a big smile, looks at the devil and replies, "This is great! It's just like April in Cleveland. It reminds me of working out in the yard with spring planting. It reminds me of home. This is fantastic!"

Now the devil is completely baffled. He is more determined than ever to make the Ohioan suffer. He then makes the temperature plummet. Suddenly, Hell is blanketed in ten feet of snow and ice.

Confident that this will finally make the Ohioan unhappy, he checks in on him again. He is again aghast at what he sees! The Ohioan is dancing, singing, and twirling his sledgehammer as he cavorts in utter glee. "How can you be so happy? Don't you know it's 40 below zero?" screams the devil. Jumping up and down the Ohioan throws a snowball at the devil and yells "Hell is frozen over!! This means the Browns won the Super Bowl!! The Browns won the Super Bowl!!"

Missing Sonny

It's going on 5 a.m. and I have been up with my girl, Kelsey for about a half an hour. Her timing sucks considering I woke up at 2:30 and only began to fall asleep when she decided to start whimpering to go outside. But I smiled at her as she barked by her food dish in anticipation for her midnight (Or in this case, early morning) snack. She's officially old and her clock is off. She has to go out more than usual and that means some inconveniences for me, but I can't get upset with her. I'm cherishing every moment I have with her. So, my MO -- While Kelsey wanders around with a full belly making herself tired again, I sit at my computer and catch up on work or whatever outstanding email I have in my inbox.

Tonight (or now this morning) I was looking for a particular piece of clip art for our monthly newsletter (Due pretty much now.) when I came across a photo of Sonny. Sonny is our family dog, adopted by my mom not long after Kelsey came into my life (Which was 14 years ago). Sadly, we lost Sonny (aka Frupe-a-roon, Froopdy, and Sun-Bun) about two weeks ago. He was as much a part of the family as any of my siblings. Loved and pampered to the point of being spoiled, but still very much adored and obviously very missed. It's hard not to get choked up when looking at this face and remembering how he'd paw at you while making this funny little cuh-cuh-cuh noise when he wanted to play.



It's amazing how these little buggers worm their way into your heart and how hard it is to let them go or even imagine life without them. Mom swears she'll never adopt another - that she can't go through the loss. I tend to think differently. Faced with Kelsey's old age I know that I could never replace her anymore than we could replace Sonny. But it's not about replacement is it. It's about opening your heart to the unconditional love of an animal and giving as much to them as they give to you in return. For me, life without an animal would be incomplete, much like making a decision not to have a permanent human mate. For some that's a fitting choice. For me it's a lonely existence. I realize it's hard to get passed the pain, and believe me I'm still dealing with the loss of Sonny in my own way. Tears still fall frequently and probably always will when I think about him. But none of that overpowers the cherished memories and the experience of that reciprocal love.

Sirius-ly Not

After long contemplation, I've decided to nix Sirus radio. Much of the content I've found while at first blush was "different", the repetitive nature left the same-old-radio-format feeling in my mouth. I want variety! There are enough artists out there, with enough different songs that you don't have to play the same artists and the same songs over and over again. Further, the fact that you want to charge me 13.00 (or more) a month when you're giving large bonuses to morons like Howard Stern tells me that you really don't need my business. I may consider trying XM in the future, but honestly, based on what I see on my DirecTV, it has the same repetitive, pick the hits from whatever artist nature and I just don't think it's worth the money. So goodbye Sirus. Maybe if you're lucky I'll renew for a month here and there if I'm going to take a long trip and wish to have more channels to flip through than standard radio (Flipping and not finding anything substantial to listen to is the problem however).

Few Days in Review

Got a flat tire, shelled out close to $400.00 for new tires. Found out my co-pay on my medication is now $22.00 and I’ll be paying $22 per month. I realized I'm late at getting cards out to my Grandfather and Niece for their birthdays. The dog peed her bed last night and woke me up at 5:30 a.m. And now I have a sore throat and stuffy nose. And it’s only Tuesday!!!

It's a magic number...

I've been on this kick lately that involves listening/watching the old School House Rock videos. I bought the all-inclusive DVD some years ago and also the "modern" rock artists CD. So for about a month now I've been cranking out "Three is a Magic Number", "Interplanet Janet", "Little Twelve Toes" and "Lolly Lolly Lolly Get your Adverbs Here". So imagine my surprise...I was in Old Navy today (Yeah, yeah, I'll give them a shout out since I got a scarf and a knit shirt for a total of six bucks!)...And guess what I heard on their piped in music? "Three is a Magic Number" (The original version). How cool is that?

Oh and I also went out and bought myself some Madlibs (Remember those?) I'm torturing all of my friends and loved ones! "Gimmie and adjective!" (Singing... "So I pulled out my adjectives...")

Happy New Year!

I made a New Year's resolution many years ago to not make New Year's resolutions. Those of you that know me (Or have been around long enough.) Will have already heard my theory on this, which is pretty much as follows: If you have to make a New Year's Resolution, it's something you should have been doing a long time ago so get off your tookus and do it. Don't use New Year's as an excuse. All that does is set you up for failure. You're much more prone to use the Cleveland Browns Super Bowl Theory (Ahhh crap, maybe next year!) (I love the Browns so I'm allowed to say that!)

This "better myself", "better my situation" - It's something you should be thinking about year-round. I know that New Year's has that effect on people, you reflect on the past year and the things you accomplished, and then you find yourself looking to the things you didn't accomplish--And this is a good thing (Provided it doesn't send you into a swirling abyss of depression.) There's nothing wrong with reflecting and refocusing, but don't use New Year's as your reason for doing anything. Take the pressure off and just do it. (Or don't think about it and live in your happy oblivious world... Whatever works for you!) Life is hard enough!