Just what the name says....just think of it as a potpourri of my thoughts, ideas and little tidbits that I share with everyone!! A special thanks to all my friends who read and comment in my blog on a regular basis!!
Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween!! Can't believe it's here already. My girls are going as Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of the Caribbean) and a witch. Of course mommy is staying home and giving out candy while the go trick-o-treating with daddy...he always gets all the fun!! LOL
Beware of this Google feature. I was shocked when I tried it and it actually worked.
Go to the Google website and type your home number into the search bar and click the search button....The first result will be your name and address. You can click on the link and get a mapquest map with showing the physical location of your phone number.
People can utilize this feature to locate your home address and receive explicit directions on how to get there from anywhere in the country. Pretty scary I'd say!!!
You can, however remove your name from this database. To do this, type your full phone number -- using dashes -- like this: xxx-xxx-xxxx. If your number appears in the mapping database, your name and address will show up as the first link of the search.
Click on this link and it will take you to a page containing your name, phone number, address and a clickable map. There will also be a link to request that your number be removed! Click on this link and you can follow the directions to have your listing removed. Recheck your phone number to be sure it has been removed.
I tried our cell phone numbers as well and they could not be located so it appears that currently, cell phone numbers are not being tracked.
I also decided to try entering my phone number in the Yahoo Search Engine and it also leads to a link with personal information. If you click on the information on Yahoo, you will see a "Remove My Listing" link at the top right of the search results page.
I'd say that all individuals on here should be very careful about who they decide to give their phone number to. A person can easily locate you just from that information alone.
Can you believe that jello has been gracing dinner tables since its 1897 debut? However, the most innocuous of foodstuffs can contain constituents whose origins are less than appetizing. Such is the case with JELL-O.
Underneath jello's jiggly wholesomeness lurks a secret many consumers are disconcerted to learn: JELL-O is made from gelatin, an animal product rendered from the hides and bones of animals.
The production of gelatin starts with the boiling of bones, skins and hides of cows and pigs, a process that releases the protein-rich collagen from animal tissues. The collagen is boiled and filtered numerous times, dried and ground to a powder. Because the collagen is processed extensively, the final product is not categorized as a meat or animal product by the federal government. Very strict vegetarians avoid gelatin entirely, but more permissive vegetarians have no problem including jello in their diets.
So perhaps we should stick to jello wrestling rather than eating it?????
So what would you say is your favorite holiday candy? Do you have a favorite or do you like just about anything? I recently read a study that said that you can determine what type of personality you are by the type of Halloween Candy you pass out for the holiday. Here is the list of the top 10 candies and what they say about your personality:
1. Three Musketeers: Does well in groups but is somewhat pompous. Prone to fancy costumes and arcane weapons. Wears hats in public that are ill-advised.
2. Almond Joy: Happy go lucky type of person although the study thinks the majority of individuals who buy this candy to give out to little children are the ones that are watching their weight and don't want to be tempted by really yummy candy because in all honesty how many people are truly gaga over coconut???
3. Bit-o-Honey: They have contradictory personalities, hoping to express generosity but also having the passive-aggressive desire to damage the fillings of trick-or-treaters.
4. Butterfinger: Evasive, slippery, not necessarily to be trusted. Watch out for the people who give out this candy. Hopefully it isn't your neighbor.
5. Candy Corn: Purely deluded people. They don't get that candy shouldn't attempt to imitate other food groups, particularly corn.
6. Good n Plenty: Optimistic, perhaps overly so. Strong advocate of gay rights; acquainted with the bitterness at the center of most lives.
7. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: Generous souls. Those who understand the salty in life, as well as the sweet.
8. Snickers: Just going with the crowd, the safe candy choice, guaranteed to please the masses. Not ambitious, but dependable.
9. Twix: Both brittle and supple in social situations; sort of trapped between personality types.
10. Twizzlers: Sickos. Truly demented. Plastic people living plastic lives. (I thought this one was a bit harsh, but heck I'm no candy personality expert hehehehe)
Today my gastrointerologist called me which at first I was a bit concerned about since I had to have another ultrasound (once again no worries with the ultrasound and everything looked perfect). Come to findo out, he had to let a 38 year old woman know today that she had colon cancer. He immediately thought of me because it was a year ago that I was diagnosed with colon cancer as well.
This woman is around my age, has two children as do I, and our children are about the same age. He was calling to ask me if it would be alright for him to give this woman my name and phone number so that she could talk to me. He felt that it would do her some good if she could talk with someone who went through what she will be going through. She has to have the same surgery as me (same surgeon doing it) and will have to go through the same type of chemotherapy as I went through.
I of course am more than willing to speak with this woman. Finally, I feel that perhaps I will be able to put my ordeal with cancer to some use by being a sounding board for another person and giving them hope that there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel. I will be able to truly understand everything she is feeling because I have been where she is now. I know it would have been invaluable to have someone to talk to who really understood what was happening and hopefully she will see that I can be that for her. I will keep everyone updated as to how things turn out with her and if I am able to help at all.
Well needless to say it has been a rough week for me. My aunt and a chemotherapy buddy of mine both lost their battle to pancreatic cancer this week. Both were diagnosed on September 24th of last year so were just about to hit their one year mark.
My aunt was so brave through her battle....she was always more concerned with how I was doing with my battle with colon cancer and how the chemotherapy was effecting me rather than thinking of herself. She turned 80 in August and luckily as she says she was at least able to live a full life before something like this struck her down. Luckily she was at peace and had done everything she felt she needed to do in life before she passed on. She will be greatly missed by our family.
Jack was my chemotherapy buddy....we both went on the same day of the week so got to know one another quite well through our treatments together. He was in his late 50s and so full of life. He always managed to bring a smile to my face and make me smile even when I was feeling horrible during those treatments. He was a fighter but the chemo just got to be too much for him and given only 40% odds of making it through with his life, he opted to live his last days without suffering chemo treatments. He did the things he loved best in life which was fishing and hunting until just a couple of days before he died.....and as was Jack, he was buried as he would have wanted to be....in a pair of his beat up jeans, a flannel shirt and a Boston Red Sox baseball cap. He had always said he wasn't going out in a monkey suit and he lived up to his word.
My prayers are with both my aunt and Jack today and they will always be fondly remembered. Pancreatic cancer, although we don't hear about it as often as breast, colon or lung cancer is very hard to fight once it is diagnosed. Because of the fact that it is hard to diagnose it is often not found until the later stages, therefore it is too late for surgery and chemotherapy often only prolongs life a bit rather than cures the disease. Hopefully better detection methods will arise in the coming years and it will become more curable like breast cancer and colon cancer.
Five Minutes - Whether she just needs to find her keys or she’s getting dressed from scratch from shower to shoes, it’s always “give me five minutes.”
Fine - When you hear this word, it’s over. You are determined not to be correct and it’s time for you to stop talking and move on to something else. Nothing - Ok, you didn’t take the hint above and she’s stopped talking. What’s wrong? Nothing. Surely something is wrong, you’re acting funny. No, nothing is wrong. Next time shut up when she said Fine! Fine and nothing can be interchangeable.
Sigh - No, this isn’t really a word like the others but it carries meaning nonetheless. When you hear “the sigh” the conversation is going nowhere. She’s bored with it and probably with you. She’s not going to tell you what’s wrong because you should already know. If you really loved her, you’d know.
Right - When she says this, know that you are far from right - nearly all the way to wrong in her opinion. She’s agreeing with you just so she can get on with what she was doing before all this started. It’s OK - Spoken by a true martyr. She’s endured whatever it is and it’s all your fault and she’s got her Joan of Arc face on. Know that you will pay for whatever it is that is OK. Whatever - It’s what nice women say instead of “fuck off”.
Never mind, I got it - This is a very dangerous statement and one that should leave you shaking in your shoes. She’s asked you at least once to do something and it was probably a very small thing - like help bring in the groceries or pick up your underwear and you ignored her request and kept on doing whatever it is that you do when she’s doing all the chores. You will pay, trust me on that. Did you have to do that? - She’s thinking that surely you were raised by farm animals when you fart in her general direction. The ONLY correct response is, “sorry dear,” because anything else will end up with “what’s wrong?” to which she’ll reply, “nothing,” and we know the conversation will end with “fine!”
As many of you who read my blog know, we had problems when we went to see The Game Plan last weekend and never got to see the movie. Well I am happy to say that we were able to go and see it yesterday without problems and it was a really good movie actually!! Anyone who has kids that are 5 years or older should bring them to see this movie. My girls really enjoyed it and it was also very enjoyable for the adults as well. The Rock did a great job and mind you girls, he was definitely nice to look at....especially in the scenes without his shirt
For several weeks now my older daughter has been coming home talking about her friends and how they are all getting boyfriends. Mind you these kids are in 5th grade so I am not quite sure what having a boyfriend in 5th grade entails.
Well today she came home from school all excited. First she had her midterm progress report which had all A's so she was very happy about that (as was I!!!). Second, and more importantly in her mind, she now has a boyfriend. It's official. Today he told her he likes her and she admitted she likes him. So I asked her what all this meant. Come to find out, it means they will now do all group class projects together, they will eat lunch together and they will walk between classes together. I had to chuckle to myself because I just thought it was so cute.
Anyway, it is funny to see how my daughter is changing and growing up. She has a very good head on her shoulders so I have no worries thusfar and know that things are still sweet and innocent at this age. I guess I should just be happy that she was comfortable enough to confide in me about the fact that she now has a boyfriend. Let's hope the lines of communication stay as open as she gets older.
As a side note, my youngest daughter was so cute last week.....she is in 1st grade and came home and told us all during dinner that she was getting married. I looked at her and merely said, "Oh really?" so she proceeded to tell me his name, what he looks like and that they are going to start dating when they are 13 and get married when they are 26 years old. They actually discussed all the logistics!!! I couldn't help but chuckle to myself because as she told us she was so serious about it.
My daughter started 5th grade this year and in the town I live in in Rhode Island, 5th through 8th grades are in the middle school. The Middle School and High School are also on the same "campus" (as they refer to it) so the buses pick up grades 5 through 12 at the same time.
This seems all fine and dandy in theory except for the fact that my daughter has to be up at 5:30 in the morning to get ready for school, have breakfast and be driven to the bus stop for 6:20. I can honestly tell you, since becoming a stay-at-home-mom, I had forgotten what getting up at 5:30 AM was like!!!! I have never been, nor will I ever be a morning person. I am more of a night owl and love to stay up later in the evenings.
Needless to say, I am not enjoying this 5:30 regimen. The alarm goes off and I am startled every morning out of a sound sleep. They have been back in school since the end of August but I have yet to get used to this new schedule. I have even started going to bed earlier to try to make up for having to get up when it is still dark out. Of course I go to bed earlier and what do I do....lay there and read until after midnight!!
So what do I do to get out of this routine of getting to sleep so late so it isn't so "painful" waking up in the AM? If I try to go to sleep right when I get in bed at 10 PM, I lie there and stare at the ceiling thus the reading until I am tuckered out. Since I am not a morning person perhaps I am just doomed to suffer every morning....not quite sure but I am sure of one thing....I HATE MORNINGS!!! LOL
My 10 year old daughter (still getting used to that since she just turned 10 yesterday!!!) is an avid reader. Every year they come out with a list of the Rhode Island Children's Book Award Nominees and the children are required to read from this list during the summer. The list consists of 20 different books. If your child reads 5 of the books by January, they are allowed to participate in something called the Rooster Games. If they complete all 20 on the list then they get a special prize.
My daughter, being the avid reader that she is, has decided she will complete all 20 (she's on here 13th now). We have been getting many of them from the libraries in the area. All the Rhode Island libraries are interconnected so you can go to any of them with the same card.
Yesterday, we went to the library in Wakefield and I noticed something funny. Libraries have a certain, distinct smell to them (not a bad smell but a smell nonetheless). It doesn't matter what library you walk into, they all smell the same. I started thinking it must be because of all the books, but if you think about it a book store does not have the same smell. I have therefore come to the conclusion that it must be because of the number of older books that are continuously changing hands. Also, many library buildings are older and have a bit of mustiness to them. This combined with the older books is what I believe causes the smell. It is the only thing I can logically come up with. Any thoughts? Has anyone else ever noticed the same thing or are my olfactory senses just out of whack?? Or maybe I have too much time on my hands and notice things the average person doesn't....who knows!!
This weekend, my girls wanted to go and see the new Rock movie called The Game Plan. We decided to bring them on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, after paying, getting our popcorn, getting our seats and actually seeing the previews starting we never got to see the movie.
Here we were in a theater with about 15 people in it. Since the movie had just started this past weekend it was in one of the larger theaters that the multiplex type theaters have. As we were sitting there waiting for the movie to start, these two girls in their late teens or early 20s come into the theater with their mother who must have been in her 50s. They proceed to sit in the seats right in front of us....the two girls sitting directly in front of my two daughters who are 9 and 6. These were taller, larger girls so my daughters could not see the movie screen at this point and told me as much.
There were people sitting on either side of us so we couldn't move one way or the other so that my girls could view the screen. I nicely tapped the mother on the shoulder and asked if they could move down several seats so that my daughters' views would not be blocked. She proceeded to tell me that they will sit whereever the F.... they like. I told her that I could understand if the movie theater was crowded but that we were sitting in a practically empty theater and it is just common courtesy to not obstruct people's views under such circumstances, especially those of little children.
Her daughter's then proceeded to tell me to shut the F up so my husband kindly asked them to not speak with such vulgar language to his wife or in front of his children. They both proceeded to tell my husband that they can speak any way they desire and we couldn't stop them. I told the mother that I was amazed that she had brought up here two girls to have such little respect for people but that I could understand based on her response to me and her lack of courtesy when asked to simply move down several seats.
The previews started and my youngest sat on my husband's lap while my older daughter sat on her feet to boost herself up. My youngest asked my husband why those people were so mean so one of the girls turned around again and told my daughter to shut the F up. Well needless to say, I don't take very kindly to someone speaking to my daughter that way. My husband by this point was very angry as well. He got up from his seat, went around to the seat in front of the girl that had said that to my daughter and said, "Now you look here you fat, ugly pig" (now I know my husband should not have said something like that but at this point anger won out over logic). Well that was all it took....the girl took her large drink and flung it at my husband, getting it all over him.
Needless to say, my husband got soaked so we had to gather up the kids and leave the movie theater. We immediately spoke to the manager and told her about the situation. She saw how soaked my husband was and immediately went into the movie theater and escorted the three of them out of the movie theater. We were given readmission tickets for two shows to make up even for the price of the popcorn and drinks we had gotten which I thought was very nice of them.
So after all that, we never got to see the movie. I was absolutely amazed that three individuals could be so absolutely crass, uncourteous and disrespectful, especially in front of two little girls. I don't know about anyone else but when I go into a movie theater, the first thing I do is look to see the seating situation and if there are plenty of seats I make sure that I pick a seat that isn't directly in front of anyone because I don't like to obstruct people's view if at all possible. Maybe that is just me, but for some reason I doubt it....I still have to believe that there are people there who are respectful and courteous of others.
