It's Snowing

I absolutely love Ohio. I say that with no hint of sarcasm, either. I absolutely love it here. I love the people (for the most part), the seasons, the geography.... everything about it. I love other places, too, don't get me wrong. I loved Wisconsin when we lived there. But, a year up there was enough for me. I love Baltimore when I visit my sister. But, I LOVE Ohio. A lot of people have a lot of things to say about Ohio.... that we're backwards here.... that we're hillbillies.... that our roads are bad, that our amenities are poor, that there's nothing to do here, that people don't care about their homes or properties..... I've heard it all. But, any arguments... good or bad... can be said for ANY location. Generalizations are so easy to make.
Columbiana's new Main Street Theater is showing The Shining tonight! And, tomorrow, their showing The Exorcist. I am hoping to go both nights, as I absolutely love horror flics. The scariest movie I have ever seen has to have been The Blair Witch Project. Now, let me clarify that by saying it was the scariest movie I'd ever seen THE FIRST TIME I saw it.... and that was in a theater. Subsequent viewings don't make such an impression. Oh, man... that movie. The pitch black screen scenes, where all you are doing is trying to listen to the noises in the woods... the freaky, creepy noises. And, an abandoned house in the woods.... I have seen too many of those out here for me not to have been freaked out by it. The night I got home from the movies after seeing it the first time, I had to have a couple of shots of Southern Comfort to get myself to sleep, I was so hyped-up/freaked out. I love being scared.
Speaking of being afraid, our little neighborhood had their Trick-or-Treating on Sunday night. For the first time ever, I got to sit on my porch and hand candy out to the kids. I hate generic, store-bought costumes, but I can't deny that I buy them for my kids, too. Mainly, because making your own costumes for your kids becomes an incredibly expensive venture... especially when you're trying to costume four kids. Also, I found out very quickly that my kids have very strong feelings about what they want to wear. It goes to the whole "choose your battles" thing, and Halloween costumes just isn't something worth arguing with your kids over. HOWEVER, let me make an exception to this rule. When Kate is in her teens, there will be RULES in regard to what she is allowed out of the house in! It never fails to disturb me when I see teenage girls out trick-or-treating in whore outfits. Seriously. Thigh high stockings, slutty little fairy or Dorothy dresses that barely cover their goods. It never ceases to shock me... especially when my little children turn around to stare at them and my daughter says "ooh, they're pretty". To boot, it is almost always cold on Halloween.... COLD.... so, when you put a piece of cloth that is as thin as a tissue over your heaving, pushed up breasts, it does little to hide your headlights. INAPPROPRIATE. That's all. I gave them crap candy. A couple of teenage kids didn't even bother dressing up... they just wander up to the porch with a pillowcase held out. Seriously. I made every one of those f***ers say "trick or treat" before I gave them candy. At least do something to earn the treats, you lazy bastards.

And last, but CERTAINLY not least: My sister and her husband are new parents!!!! Maison Walsh was born on Oct. 23rd, and everyone is healthy and happy! I am officially an Aunt now, which is totally awesome. I can't wait to visit them all and see how they're doing! I LOVE BABIES!

I need another cup of coffee.

Pavlik got his ass kicked.

But, he still walked away with $3million. I would let someone kick my ass for $3million, too. Hell, I'd do it for $1million, who am I kidding? What? You're offering $100,000? I'm in. $5? Just take off your rings before you punch.

Tomorrow is the big day. "The Move". Well, hopefully it is, anyway. :P We only have a few major pieces of furniture left to move over there, and the rest is just stuff to box up and unpack one trip at a time. Which brings me to tonight's topic: Cleaning other peoples' houses. I don't think there's anything that grosses me out more than moving into a new house and having to clean their bathrooms and kitchens. I'm fine with anywhere else, but the kitchen and bathrooms completely wig me out until they become my own. Technically, bathrooms wig me out even when they ARE my own. Three boys who have poor aim do not a clean bathroom make. If there is one job I would love to have taken off my hands, it would be the bathroom cleanage. Put me in a hazardous waste suit and hose me down afterward, because that just totally grosses me out. So, I got lucky and John bit the bullet for me (I'm so freakin' spoiled, and I know it) and he cleaned the kitchen down for me. Scrubbed the cabinets and the oven and refrigerator and stuff. But, now... there's a HUGE pantry that needs cleaned out. And, every shelf has contact paper..... black and white cow print contact paper. And, it's sticky.... and there are legumes and dried up macaroni all over the place in it. And, it's completely grossing me out. Ugh... I'm getting the willies just thinking about it. So, I'm hoping that I can rope John into cleaning that, too, so I can finally move my kitchen stuff in. So, yeah. There's that. Tomorrow night, I believe, will be our first night sleeping in the new house. Yay!!
Hell. My brain just shut down. I'll have to write more tomorrow, when it's awake again.

Slacker Deluxe

I can't wait until this election is over. #1, I can't believe I sat through all four of those debates. Criminypsilante, that was some sort of torture. Before I begin, let me just state that I am an Obama supporter. I didn't come to that decision easily... four years ago, I had said "If McCain ever runs for president, I will most assuredly vote for him!". Apparently, four years changes a lot of things. To be honest, I may still have been a bit unsure of my decision had it not been for McCain picking Palin as his running mate. (I am all for girl power.... when the announcement came out that McCain had picked a woman running mate, I was ALL over that).... but, man.... she should NOT have opened her mouth. Dude.... if that woman becomes vice president by some miracle of divine intervention, I may have to move to Canada. Or Mexico. But, definitely not Russia, because, apparently she would be able to see me from where she lives. And, lord knows I don't want her spying on me.
I am completely in love with Joe Biden. That man can run my country ANY day of the week, if you know what I mean. (I don't even know what that was supposed to mean, but it got your minds in the gutter, didn't it? Perverts.)
Back to the debates. If Palin winked at me one more time, I was going to sue her for sexual harassment. Seriously.... I don't want my vice president flirting with foreign dignitaries once she finally travels outside of the United States with her all-too-new passport. I could only hope that they would make her wear one of those burkas.... the SERIOUS burkas where even the eye slits are covered with little screens. I think that would be the only way I could take her seriously. And even then, only if she kept her mouth shut. And, I don't know who "Joe Six-pack" is, but I'm pretty certain he's the guy(s) that I was desperate to get out of high school and away from. The ones with the closed minds and the cruel jokes played on anyone that was any bit different than themselves. The ones who are STILL hanging out with each other and getting drunk every weekend, even though they're 35 years old. Ok... I'm getting a little too judgemental. I apologize to all of you guys who fit that description. More power to you!
But, McCain. No, he may not be BushJr., but he certainly is learning to perfect the smirk and condescension that Bush is so famous for. If he chuckled/grinned/smirked at Obama anymore during the debate, I was going to shoot myself in the head. Ok, we get it. You think he's green and stupid and idealistic. Whatever. Look at your running mate. Anything you say negative about Obama can now be said for Palin. And, anything positive you say about yourself and your experience can be said about Biden.
Let me talk for a moment to those who base their presidential vote solely on the abortion issue. It's a very very difficult issue, I have to admit. And, though I would never choose abortion for myself, neither would I impose MY decision on someone else who I have no idea what they're going through. They have to live with whatever decision they make, not I. Choice is the key word. I know a LOT of people who voted for Bush solely on the abortion issue. "I can't vote for (insert Democratic candidate here) because they are pro-choice". Has anything changed on the abortion issue in 35 years?? Has that decision not been made already? Do we really think that if you elect a president based solely on that issue that we're going to change the constitution?? Did W. do what you wanted him to do on that issue? There are a million more issues that are impacting our lives a million times more important than whether Susie (whom we don't even know) is able to have a safe abortion. Base your vote on other issues. The abortion issue is not going to be changed/decided in the next four years. God knows what your beliefs are.... that's all that matters.
Crap... I've got more to say, but I have to pick up someone from pre-school. I'll rant more later.

My apologies to anyone I've offended. :D

The Wisdom/Intelligence/Knowledge Triangle

John was just waxing on about how intelligence and wisdom are not the same thing, and that there is a triangle of wisdom/knowledge/intelligence... and I have no idea where he was going with it all, because I started chuckling before he could explain further. I swear to you... if I weren't on these damned meds and could focus on something for more than a millisecond, I would find this topic absolutely fascinating. But, my ability to contemplate deeper issues and existential topics has been eradicated, just as my ability to feel deeply has. I won't get into what a piece of crap it is to have to be "controlled" emotionally for the safety and well-being of myself and those around me. I'll simply say that it sucks. Big. And hard.

Anyway, next topic. Well, poo. I don't have a next topic at the moment. I'll figure something out and write more later.

Enjoy this rainy and chilly day!

Where do I begin??

I will begin with O.J. verdict: He has been found guilty on all counts for his latest shenanigans. Let me voice my opinion on this. I watched the trial (because CourtTV is a staple in my day), and I honestly believe that the wrong verdict was reached. At the same time, I have to say that karma has a way of biting you in the ass. (And, since I'm speaking of karma, I might as well tell the story that I know my sister would be telling right now if she were typing). So, two weeks ago, Mom and I went down to Baltimore to visit Karin. We took John's company car, because it's free gas (I say free, but technically, John pays for the use of the car... automatically deducted from his pay... though, it's still cheaper than if we owned our own car and were paying for gas and maintenance). ANYWAY. I was approximately ten minutes from Karin's house, and I was going 72mph, as I thought it was a 65 mph zone. Apparently, it was not a 65 mph zone, because *WEEEOOOOHHWEEEEOOHHHH* the po-po came after me. Ironically, only seconds before this, I had been thinking to myself "man, I haven't seen a speed limit sign for a while". So, I pull over, and I'm kind and curteous to po-po man as he asks for my license and registration and informs me that I was going 72 in a 55. And of course, I was all "It's 55? I thought it was 65." And, I'm thinking... maybe he'll just give me a warning, as I'm out of state and not familiar with the area. Well, after waiting almost ten minutes while he sat in his car with my license and reg., I realize that a warning doesn't take that much time. He came back with the ticket "That's a $90 fee, unless you'd like to show up to contest it". Yes.... that's exactly what I'm going to do. Drive five hours back to Baltimore so I can inform the court that I thought it was a 65 and I'm from out of town and blah blah blah. I say to the guy "Sir, please.... I can't get a ticket in this car... it's my husband's work car, and I can't risk it getting taken off of him", to which the po-po says "I'm sorry, ma'am, it's already written". Now, someone f***ing explain this to me. You're telling me that you can't just throw that ticket away, even though you already wrote it?? That's such a load of bullshit. I guarantee that there have been times when he's spilled his coffee or smeared the icing from his donut on one of the pages of his ticket book and had to throw it away.....you couldn't use that excuse and say "oh, I lost it"?? So, now I'm getting rather pissy and I say to the guy "You couldn't have just been nice, could you?". So, I take the ticket, and as the cop is walking away, I call him an asshole under my breath. (My mom will differ on this and say that I said it far too loudly, and do I want to get myself in more trouble, etc.) So, then I cried and cried, because I didn't know what the consequence of getting a speeding ticket in the company car would be and was totally freaked out. Long story longer, when I get to Karin's and we sit down to dinner, she says "see, that's what you get for stealing gas from Kodak.... that's karma". To which I respond by singing "Karma Police" by Radiohead. So, that was the joke the rest of the weekend... that the karma police picked me up because I was using Kodak to pay for the gas. Whatever. That cop was a jerk.
Next topic.
Myself and my two friends, Jen and Chooch, went to an 18 year reunion last night. That's right.... we went to the New Kids on the Block concert. Let me preface this by saying how completely obsessed with the New Kids I was in high school. Obsessed to the point that I should have been arrested for stalking. Obsessed to the point that it cause HUGE fights between my mom and I. Obsessed to the point that Jen and I would sit in school all day and write fantasies about how we would get to meet them and how awesome our lives would be. Well, 18 years later, we can't not go to the concert. It was a given. So, we bought our tix and went last night. They played at Quicken Arena in Cleveland (home for the Caveliers), and we had floor seats on the "court". We were in row YY.... there was one row behind us... ZZ... and it was empty. We were as far as you get back. They weren't HORRIBLE seats, but they were seats that you had to use the jumbotrons to get a good look at the action on stage. Halfway through the concert, a security guy taps Jen on the shoulder and tells her that she should go stand up by this center area on the floor. In the middle of the court, barriers were set up and a tarp was covering something, which ended up being an approx. 8' circular stage. Bottom line.... we ended up having better than front row seats to 15 minutes of the concert. Tracy got to touch Donnie and Jon, and Donnie winked at me.... TWICE. It took 18 years, but it was totally worth the wait. You can roll your eyes at me all you'd like, but that was one awesome night. Those crappy seats ended up being the best thing ever. Seriously... I don't know if any of you have something that you go crazy over... a singer, a chef, a celebrity.... but, to get that opportunity... particularly after waiting so long to have it.... man, how awesome was it?!
Next topic:
We are moving into the new house very very very soon... within the next couple of weeks. If anyone feels the yearning to move heavy furniture, you are more than welcome to join the party. No, the bathroom is not done yet, and no, the first floor laundry room is not done yet, but my awesome Dad is helping us jimmy-rig a shower in the basement to keep us until the bathroom IS done, and we're hooking the washer and dryer up in the basement until the laundry room is done, so it's all good in the hood. All the rooms are painted (except the hallway/stairway area), the new livingroom furniture gets delivered this Thursday, and we are there! I couldn't be more excited.
I think that's all I have for today. Not so much of an interactive blog this time, but since you all are slackers, does it really matter?

Oh, and here's a bit of entertainment for you all. (If you don't love the Muppets, you may want to skip it)