- Fever - more like hot flashes, but still....
- Cough - especially right before I get that first cigarette of the day in...
- Headache - especially after I have been staring at the screen for three hours browsing and blogging...
- Muscle pain - okay, so maybe I overdid it just a little at Bally's last night...
- Joint pain - not because I stubbed my toe and started to fall up (yes, up) the stairs but caught myself with my already tendonitis-inflamed arm...
- Sore throat - not from getting caught in the pouring rain the other night while cheering on the the 4x8 relay team...
- Morning congestion and runny nose - not from sleeping with my windows open at night...
- Vomiting/diarrhea - after only a little bit of partying last night...
Thursday, May 7, 2009
I think I am infected...
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Happy Birthday to Winky Twinky!!
We met by way of a fellow blogging buddy...
Only it was not his intent that we ever knew about each other...
Funny how ya meet a guy and ya think he is everything and then ya realize what an effin jerk he is and then you meet a girl who met the same guy and came to the same realization...
And you start sharing stories and rotflyfao (yeah, that's roll on the floor, laugh your fuckin' ass off ).
And a friendship is born...so that is why he came into my life...it was soooo worth it:)
Thank you Winky Twinky for being such a good friend. May you have a wonderful 39th birthday.
It is almost summer and time to get together for those Margaritas and share stories in person:)
Hey, it's poetry Wednesday - what have ya got?
I like this plan....
The St. Petersburg Times Newspaper recently asked readers for their ideas on how to fix the economy. My favorite suggestion was nicknamed the The Patriotic Retirement Plan. In summary:
No more money to companies that have squander past bailouts on lavish parties and unearned bonuses...
Instead, pay $1 million dollars severance for early retirement to each of the 40 million people over the age of 50 who are currently in the work force. (Hey, that's me!)
Upon acceptance of the money:
- They MUST retire. (NO problem there!) With an instant 40 million job openings, unemployment will no longer be a problem.
- They MUST buy a new American car. (NO problem there - well, I sort of wanted a Honda next time, but I hear they are made in America now.) With 40 million cars ordered, the auto industry should bounce back..
- They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage. (NO problem there, who would not want to get rid of that debt?) This should bring a swift end to the housing crisis.
Where do I sign up?
Monday, May 4, 2009
An alternative to blogging...
Actually, they were emails, and they were rants...PMSing rants of a Mom and parent....
They were so PMSing that I wrote an apology...
Friday, May 1, 2009
Three hours later...
Hey, I broke my nose last night, but don't worry, I fixed it...Say what???? You looked fine to me last night...
But Coach says I have to go get it checked anyway so I can breathe when I run...
Yeah, so when you get home we need to run up to the med center...So we did...and three hours after we got there, the doc looked at the x-ray on his computer screen and said...
Son, you broke your nose (see that line on the x-ray?), and you put it back just the way it should be. Good job. Now go home, stay there, put some ice on it to get the swelling down, take some motrin, get a good night's sleep and don't call me in the mornin, 'cuz there's nothing more I can do.Whatever...
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The Life (so far) and Adventures of...
A side note....the pictures I posted from the Disney party were taken before the party got underway; at least that is the impression I got after viewing the video collage posted on YouTube
I am going to skip the early years because I believe that LDBoy's childhood creativity was stifled by having at least one of his parents holding the reigns..except maybe for the beer found in his locker in 8th grade; the New Year's Eve he left home to go to the store and just kept going to a much more exciting party; the F in Computer Information class in 11th grade because he was bored and decided to hack into the school computer instead of doing the assigned work...
Let's start about the time he dropped out of college and broke up with the then love of his life...
I think of this as the metal house era...you heard right - all metal (roof, siding, inside walls). LDBoy was renting one of a few metal houses built in the early 60's in CFO. It was on the corner of Grove and Hudson Drive, the one with the huge trampoline (for tanning and thinking and sleeping and kickboxing tournaments) in the front yard. All-in-all, living in a metal house was an adventure, especially during a thunder or rainstorm. Did ya ever try to sleep with rain beating down on a metal roof? But LDBoy never did sleep much. He was too busy working at starting his own web development business. It was during this metal house era that his business became successful enough that he could give up his pizza delivery job to work for himself... and he has never gone back.
Then there was what I call the glass house era. One of LDBoy's partners, and friend since kindergarten, lived in a huge house in Bath. He had purchased this house with funds he had earned as a young entrepreneur in high school. The house had lots and lots of windows - more windows than vinyl siding. And behind those windows was...the inside of the house. I got lost in there a couple of times trying to find my way to and from one of the bathrooms...not good. The outside featured a stream running through the front yard that often doubled as a garage or an office - depending on the weather, of course.
Two bachelors living in a glass mansion...not for too long tho, because, well, a couple of parties got a little out of hand and one thing led to another and lets just move on...
...to the lake house era. LDBoy had a business partner in North Carolina and another in New Jersey. North Carolina man used to visit Ohio and New Jersey quite often. Well, he decided to convince New Jersey Man and LDBoy to make the move to North Carolina. He found them a house to rent and off they went. The house was beautiful, with a dock right on Lake Norman (no boat, but a dock). There was a wooden stair case leading from the upper deck (off the sunroom) through the back yard to the dock - with built in benches and a grill area half way down.
The house was awesome inside as well...6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a huge kitchen and living/dining room. The finished basement included a game room, wet bar, built in 60-inch tv, walk out patio. Two bachelors living in a lake house mansion... I loved to visit. It was so quiet and peaceful.
But it had its downfalls. North Carolina man forgot to mention that the development was built as a retirement community - for NASCAR racers and Pro golfers and an assortment of old people...with money...who did not appreciate loud parties and 15 cars in the driveway and who definitely did not want their college-age daughters who were home for the summer to get anywhere near the new kids on the block...
So after a year, back to Ohio it was. And the nightlife of Akron...and what was soon to become the stone/marble house era. Glass House Man, LDBoy, and yet another partner are currently renting a Stone House in West Akron. Stone on the outside that is - including two stone lions guarding the front entrance. And an enclave at the front entrance that must have been the home of a statue the Blessed Virgin Mary or Blessed (non-Virgin) Mary Phillipia ...I see a a Photo Joe moment in my future...
A previous owner redid the inside of the house. He left the upstairs bedrooms, servants' quarters, office, and attic alone. He also did not do too much to the first floor living room/dining room/kitchen and wine tasting area. However, the basement was completely redone, with lots and lots of marble. There is a game room with a pool table and lounging bed; a jacuzzi room with 2 lion head sprayers and a waterfall and a lounging bed. There is an 8 person shower room....8 shower heads - I counted. The three car garage is no longer a garage - it has been connected to the (previously) walkout area of the basement and completely transformed into a ballroom with a lounging area of course and a wall of mirrors and a industrial sized kitchen/bar area.
And this is where the Disney costume part took place which brought to light a few issues. This is a neighborhood of old people with old money. Many of their granddaughters attend the all-girls Catholic high school less than two blocks away. The three playboy bachelors have been warned that their activity will be monitored - 24/7 by video cameras installed in the neighbor's yards at aimed at their driveway all the time. All suspicious action will be reported to the Akron police.
Yes, the police visited the party several times just to let them know the neighbors had complained.
"But it's a Disney party - and the neighbors were invited, ocifer."Which brings up yet another issue. There is plenty of parking across the street at the church - for overnight house/party guests and early morning God-fearing churchgoers. But churchgoers must have a special sticker on their car or something, because at 6:00 AM St. Holier than Thou Pastor comes to visit the newest members of the non-churchgoing (except for parking) community.
"Yeah, we know...Just tone it down a little - it is 3AM and these people have to get up for church in a few hours."
"I just want to show you the flyer I placed on your guest's cars. I hope they will all be in church this morning, because I will be upset if I find out they were using Church property as a parking lot while they participated in activities the Lord would not approve of..."
"Hey, everyone, get your costumes back on, we're going to church!"
Share the Magic of Disney...
And here is a pic Photo Joe sent me that he calls Happy Family...
Thanks, Photo Joe!Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Photo-op revisited....
So I am sitting here chugging a glass of previously frozen wine and Stumbling the net when I came a cross a pic I had posted a few months back. Only this time, the caption was different - different enough to cause me to SWOOMN (shoot wine out of my nose).
Monday, April 27, 2009
No Corkscrew...No probblem:)
Quite by accident, I discovered a way to overcome that lil problem next time. You see, Friday evening a I invited a few football Moms to my place to plan the team meals for the upcoming season. (We did not get a lot of planning done, but that is another story.)
On the way home from work I decided to stop by the local Big Bird grocery and pick up some munchies and drinks - yeah, the reason we did not get a lot of planning done...
I was not sure what everyone liked to drink so I picked up a few different things that I liked so leftovers would not go to waste. A little Mike's, a little more Mike's (there's a lot of flavors now), some White Zin and some Reisling, and some Maragrita mix, and some honest Molson...
Note to self: Do not stop off for alcohol on the way home from a long, shitty week at work...
I found most everything in the cooler except for the Reisling, so I decided to throw it in the freezer for a bit when I got home.
Yesterday, I decided to be a good Mom and pick up LDBoy and take him to his grandma's for his birthday dinner. He was hung over from his Disney bday party the night before. I had not intended to make the long trek (110 mile round trip from my place) to my ex's Mom's even tho I was invited. I just had too much to do and I had taken the kids (and their Dad) to dinner earlier in the week. But for LDBoy....
And yeah - I wanted to see his new house....He does find the most awesome places to live, but I digress - again.
Anyway, I thought I could bring a bottle of wine that we did not drink the other night...now where did I put it? Uh-oh....mad dash for the freezer, too late....
The corks were out of the bottle - all in one piece. Unfortunately, most of the wine was out of the bottles too. Boy does my freezer smell nice - if you like the fragrance of Reisling, that is...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Beached...
Today's stretch fabrics are designed for prepubescent girls with figures carved from potato chips. And today, as a fuller figure (i.e., fat) woman shopping for a swim suit - I have limited choices. I can go to the maternity department and choose a floral suit with a skirt. But then I would probably spend most of the summer chasing off little kids asking me if I am one of the hippos from Fantasia....
So last week, wander I did. I made what I thought was a sensible choice and decided to try it on - which was a battle in itself. The stretchy material had an extraordinary tensile strength. It seemed like something NASA would have designed to launch small rockets from a slingshot.
Anyway, I fought my way into the bathing suit, but as I twanged the shoulder strap in place, I realized that my boobs had disappeared! It took awhile, but I found one under my left armpit and the other flattened beside my seventh rib.
Without a bra cup to hold them in place, my boobs spread across my chest like a speed bump. It took a while, but I was finally able to realign my speed bump. Now for a look in the mirror...not a pretty picture. The bathing suit fit all right, but unfortunately it only fit those bits of me willing to stay inside it. The rest of me oozed out from top, bottom, and sides. I looked like a lump of play-do wearing undersized cling wrap.
As I tried to fit (cram) in all those extra play-do lumps, the prepubescent sales girl popped her head through the curtain. The look on her face told me I needed to try something different. So I spent the next hour or so trying....
- There was a cream crinkled suit that made me look like a lump of masking tape.
- And then a floral two piece which sort of made me look like an over-sized napkin in a serving ring.
- I looked like Tarzan's Jane in the leopard skin suit that featured ragged frills.
- The black lil number with a midriff gave me the appearance of a jellyfish in mourning.
- There was a bright pink one-piece with French cut legs - so French cut that I would have to mow and trim the law and then bring out the wax...
But finally, I found a suit that fit...a modest two-piece deal with a shorts style bottom and a loose blouse-type top. It was cheap, comfortable, and bulge-friendly - made for me.... I bought two - just in case (of what I do not know).
That's when I saw it....the tag...and I had a very bad feeling. I know to always read the tag before I buy anything. But I was so excited to find something that fit that I never even thought about the tag....Is it dry clean only?...Is it 100% Cotton Lycra that will shrink 50% after one washing? Oh no, nothing like that...
YIKES!!!!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Yay - I am funny:)
Thank you HBDC for letting me in....I will do my best not to disappoint.
Damn...now I have to be funny...talk about pressure on myself...
Happy Birthday LDBoy!
There is a reason you were born on April 25th...yeah, ok I will not go into all of that here....
But it seems that you are a lot of who you are because of the alignment of the stars and planets (or whatever it is that astrology is all about) because you are lying to yourself if you think this does not sound like you, at least a little...
A Taurus born on April 25 is a seeker of life's deepest mysteries. They possess great spirituality, which gives them amazing strength of character..
April 25 natives take life as it comes. When disappointments come their way, they see the challenges as valuable learning experiences.
April 25 individuals are introspective loners who don't need to find themselves through relationships. Because of their spiritual nature, they may remain celibate for long periods of time when not involved in a relationship. (Ok, maybe not here so much...)
A great many unresolved issues from childhood are likely to influence the adult lives of April 25 people. They seek to heal their emotional wounds by raising a family. This can prove helpful therapy for them, as long as they understand that forgiveness for the past must precede healing in the future. (Lucky for you that you have no unresolved issues from childhood, because you had perfect parents; or at least one perfect parent - that would be me in case you are confused.)
April 25 people do not have the robust health generally associated with Taureans, and they have a tendency to catch colds easily. Mineral water and herbal tea will help flush toxins from the system. (As will Jose.)
April 25 people respond to music's natural resonance, which gives them physical grace and a natural sense of rhythm. They often become talented dancers, choreographers, figure skaters, musicians, and singers. (Ooops, unless there is something I do not know about you, I think you were MIA during this handout.)
Although intelligent, April 25 people are not advised to handle a significant amount of money without professional advice. (Hmmmm - no comment.)
The chief aim of April 25 individuals is to understand themselves. Success has little to do with accumulating worldly possessions or praise. It is the intangibles of life that concern April 25 people. In their quiet way these people can make extraordinary spiritual mentors. (You are one of my three inspirations, because you have found a way to do to do what makes you happy...but you know that!)As an April 25th Taurean, you should embrace concentration, pondering an answer, playing for keeps.
As an April 25th Taurean, you should avoid tension, telling a hurtful truth, worrying about death. (Hey, death happens to the best of us...)
LDBoy, how 'bout them Cavs? Yeah, I love you - forever. And I wish you all of the best (adventures, health, wealth, and happiness) this year and for many more to come. Happy Birthday!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Putting my Physics BS to Work ...
As all physics majors know, it takes 1 calorie to heat 1 gram of water 1 degree centigrade.
Translated into layman terms, this means that if you eat a very cold dessert (which most likely consists of a lot of water), the natural processes which raise the consumed dessert to body temperature during the digestive cycle literally sucks the calories out of the only available source, your body fat.
For example, a dessert served and eaten at near 0 degrees C (32.2 deg. F) will in a short time be raised to the normal body temperature of 37 degrees C (98.6 deg. F). For each gram of dessert eaten, that process takes approximately 37 calories (per the law of physics stated above).
The average dessert portion is 6 oz, or 168 grams. Therefore, making use of the law of thermodynamics (as taught to me by an overzealous, Italian, chauvinistic, Jesuit school prof) 6,216 calories (1 cal./gm/deg. x 37 deg. x 168 gms) are extracted from body fat as the dessert's temperature is normalized.
Allowing for the 1,200 latent calories in the dessert, the net calorie loss is approximately 5,000 calories.
Obviously, the more cold dessert you eat,the better off you are and the faster you will lose weight, if that is your goal. This process works equally well when drinking very cold beer in frosted glasses. Each ounce of beer contains 16 latent calories, but extracts 1,036 calories (6,216 cal. per 6 oz. portion) in the temperature normalizing process. Thus the net calorie loss per ounce of beer is 1,020 calories. It doesn't take a rocket scientist (any localization coordinator can do it) to calculate that 12,240 calories (12 oz. x 1,020 cal./oz.) are extracted from the body in the process of drinking a can of beer.
Frozen desserts, e.g., ice cream, are even more beneficial, since it takes 83 cal./gm to melt them (i.e., raise them to 0 deg. C) and an additional 37 cal./gm to further raise them to body temperature.
The results here are truly remarkable, and it beats running or swimming (but not sexercize) hands down.
Unfortunately, for those who eat pizza as an excuse to drink beer, pizza (loaded with latent calories and served above body temperature) induces an opposite effect. However, as the astute reader has already reasoned, the obvious solution is to drink a lot of beer with pizza and follow up immediately with large bowls of ice cream.
Now I understand why my Dad insisted that I get a good education from a Jesuit college. He knew I would need to someday understand the importance of adhering religiously to a pizza, beer, and ice cream diet if I were to keep my girlish figure (or get it back, since I chose to forget this bit of knowledge until recently).
So beer (honestly), pizza (with anchovies), and lots of ice cream (chocolate, of course) at Phillipia's every weekend. And margaritas in between....its medicinal.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Finally...
Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
Do you suffer from shyness?
Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Margaritas.
Margaritas are the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions.
Margaritas can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything.
You will notice the benefits of Margaritas almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live. Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had.
Stop hiding and start living, with Margaritas.
Margaritas may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Margaritas. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.
Side effects may include but are not limited to:Do not take more than the prescribed dosage; symptoms of overdose include the uncontrollable desire to make midnight phone calls to ex-lovers, the need to tell your friends over and over again how much you love them, fantasies of being as attractive to members of the opposite sex as they are to you, and actually fulfilling your dream of singing and dancing on stage with the band.
- Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration
- Loss of motor control and balance
- Loss of clothing
- Loss of money
- Table dancing
- Lap dancing
- Headache, sensitivity to light and noise
- Dehydration
- Dry mouth
- Diarrhea of the mouth
- An overpowering desire to sing Karaoke
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
I'll take it black...
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Honesty sucks...
Anyway, I opened this email from my Mom:
You have just received the Amish Virus. Since we do not have electricity or computers, you are on the honor system. Please delete all of your files. Thank thee.
And being the honorable person that I am, well, the rest is history....literally...
Monday, April 20, 2009
Happy Birthday, CareBear!
On the day you were born...I was there:)
And since that day, you have been a joy. You are sweet, beautiful, intelligent, funny, warm, gracious, all the things a Mom could ever ask for in a daughter. Most of all you are my friend. One of my best friends.
You are my favorite daughter - but you know that:)
Today I wish for you the happiest birthday ever, and a year that is full of excitement (the good kind) and dreams and happy endings and new beginnings...
I love you forever, CareBear!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Where did the week go?
It has been very busy at Peyton PHlaCe this last few weeks and it does not look like it is going to slow down anytime soon. We are in the RUMP of one project which is the busiest time for me. It is the part of the project that sits between RfLD and RfVD. So I have been working quite a few 8+ hour days.
But, according to the PMT at last week's THM, I should keep working hard, because the future of PHC is looking great...Of cource that was followed by a memo from BoD and CEO that says we are not out of the woods and we have to make further cost reductions; which was followed by a memo from the DoHC not to worry too much - just keep working hard and we will pull through this economic downturn - without raises of course...
Tuesday morning I joined AAAAAA - the American Association Against Acronym and Abbreviation Abuse.
Tuesday evening I received a call from the Track Coach asking me to put together a hospitality suite for 80 coaches/workers at the Invitational Friday (yes in two days) ....I asked him a month earlier if I could help....hmmm...but no problem - I got it handled - thanks to Chik-Fil-A who donated 80 sandwiches and a few parents who donated food and time. I am planning now for the PAC Conference meet next month- not waiting for the coach to ask for my help - he is getting it:)
So Thursday evening after leaving the office late, I ran around getting stuff I needed for Friday, got a haircut so I could color my hair with one bottle of color instead of two, and then headed home thinking of all I still needed to do. What a nice surprise when I walked into a clean house. G-Man had picked up, cleaned up, and cut my do list by quite a bit....Thank you G-Man.
Friday morning, I colored the gray out of my hair (so as not to embarrass G-man at UB Saturday - cuz it was bad). Then I ran a few more errands before the track meet. I got my exercize running up an down the bleachers to the upper press box where the hospitality suite was set up. But all in all it was a good day and a good meet. Congrats to the South Boys on placing first. Sorry you did not get to run, G-Man; but hoped you learned your lesson about stretching enough to avoid pulled hamstrings.
Saturday bright and early G-Man's dad picked us up for the ride to UB for Junior Day. Yes - a day with the ex - how fun. But all in all, it too was a good day. G-Man really liked Buffalo.
Today is catch-up and plan the coming week day at Phillipia's house:
- Plan birthday dinner with LDBoy and CareBear - pick a day you two:)
- Track meet Wednesday
- Laundry
- Make football web updates
- Update junior football profiles
- Schedule meeting to plan football lunches/dinners
- Grocery shop
- Create test reports for RUMP project
- Bally's
- Birthday shop for CareBear and LDBoy
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Forget the bank...
I am thinking three-fold here: save my life, save my savings, increase my bustiness.

Monday, April 13, 2009
Good Times...
Well ok, except for those every other years when the kids were growing up and they got to be with their dad...and that one year LDBoy was supposedly on a cross-country (not skiing) trip and ended up spending the day in a Texas...but I digress....
Saturday morning I was chatting with some friends online when LDBoy popped in and asked "is today Easter?" Hmmm...ok, you are the only one of my three kids that went to Catholic school for more than a couple years and you do not know that Easter is always on Sunday - that's why they call it Easter Sunday. "No...is today Easter? I went out Friday and got totally...had fun...and I was not sure if I missed a day...Just do not want to miss Easter Dinner with the family." Whew..I was worried there for a sec....I could have told him it was Monday...
After G-Man headed out the door for Easter Sunday Mass, CareBear and I (with KB, tho less willingly) plopped our tired asses on the couch and watched Marley and Me. What a great movie, at least most of it. I have not laughed that hard for quite awhile - until the crying started. I have not cried that hard for a while either. Actually, I think all three of us were crying 'tho KB swore his cat allergies were acting up... I could not watch the end ...because I was already late getting dinner going...man they should have ended that movie when everyone was still happy and having a good time.
When my mom and dad showed up about 2:45, commenting that they thought dinner was at three, I explained that they must have misunderstood - I am starting dinner at three...the lasagna will be in the oven by 3:30...promise...
And after dinner CareBear and KB had to head home to do some homework and practice with the band; mom and dad were out the door soon after and G-man headed out to spend some more time with Ames.
And LDBoy and I plopped on the couch so he could tell me stories of his late night escapades - the stories he could not tell earlier because they are not grandparent-friendly...good times...
LDBoy, I too love my family:)


