I know you might not believe this, but Hubby does not always listen to me.

I know. You're shocked.

Actually, he has tinnitus, which is constant ringing in the ears. It is probably a result of listening to loud music and damage from recurrent childhood ear infections. He's had it for many years, but it's been bothering him enough for him to say something about it lately.

So he went to the ENT doctor, who told him there was nothing he could do. But he recommended a supplement called Tinnitus Relief Formula by Arches, which has gingko biloba, zinc and garlic in it. We bought hundred day supply. Not cheap.

Hubby started it yesterday. And noticed results in an hour. An hour, folks. It cut the ringing by about half right away, and it was almost gone when he went to bed last night.

I know I sound like a commercial today, but I'm just so happy and relieved that this is helping my Hubby. And I just had to tell you, in case you know someone this might help.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog.

The coverage of the death vigil for the Pope reminds me of a few irreverent lines from SNL and Monty Python...

...Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
..."not quite dead yet!"

I know it's a somber occasion and the Pope was/is a great holy man, but this deathwatch is becoming a theatre of the ridiculous. Lester Holt addressed a guest this afternoon, "...and thank you for coming on to us today." It's kinda funny if you think about it.

Anyway, God bless you John Paul.

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What I got done today around the house (as if anyone cares but me):
- I washed down the kitchen and powder room cabinets and the mantle and the entertainment center. Then I restained them. Oh, the wood looks so rich and the grain so deep. Really gorgeous, but I don't think anyone would notice but me. Oh well.
- I watched a lot of Popewatch.
- I called lawyers about Bro. We got a copy of the complaint against him yesterday. On his birthday. Yeesh.

That's really it. I've been feeling kinda guilty that poor Bubba has to entertain himself while I'm tackling these household projects, but whatchagonnado? Luckily, Bro took him out to play for a while after school and we'll be going out to dinner shortly.

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Blondie just called me to let me know that they changed the name of Wrigley Field to Robitussin Park. I love that kid.

Today my boy is sixteen years old. Things I love about him:

- his bushy blonde hair
- the intensity and depth of the love he has for his baby brother
- his infrequent bursts of sentimentality
- the way he still says he loves me on the phone, even in front of his friends
- how he says 'uhverything'
- his thick wide shoulders and freakishly long fingers
- the way he gets really scared when he watches scary movies with his dad
- how he sticks up for his sister
- how he's way taller than I am now, and seems smugly happy about it

I could go on forever. I love the boy/man.

WARNING: This entry is full of whining, pissing and moaning. Please avoid reading further if you just don't want to hear it.

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Today so far, I got the oil changed on my car, bought birthday presents for Bro and Bubba's friend, and made an eclair cake, homemade baked beans, and macaroni and cheese for Bro's birthday dinner (food=love). Then Hubby came home for lunch, so Bubba and I took him to see the two home models I liked in the subdivision I liked.

The first one was well-received because it had a full finished basement with an exercise room and another room that could be made into an extra bedroom. The second one is out because the basement was too small.

I can live with the first one, let's call it the Kiley model. The only problem is that Hubby only wants to buy a home with the basement already finished. I don't think he realizes that unless we buy the model we were actually in, we're going to have to get the basement finished ourselves. For more money.

Hubby doesn't like to spend more money. He's actually hoping we can sock away maybe an additional $15,000 before we actually go out and buy a house. The man is deluded. Cute, but deluded.

So I guess I won't call in sick Saturday like I had planned. But there's just so much to do around here to get this house ready to show.

Which brings me to the whiny part of the entry (what? that wasn't it?). As you know, I've been working my fanny off lately cleaning, packing, etc. So far, the only help I have received is the kids taking out the considerable garbage I packed up. I pointed out repairs that need to be done to the deck, and Hubby got all puffy. I told him I hired someone to clean all the windows (at a great price), and he got huffy. I tell the kids that they have to start cleaning out their closets and dressers and rooms, and they run and hide.

People, all I know is that if they think they're sitting on their asses all weekend, they got another thing coming. I already warned Hubby that my resentment level was rapidly approaching explosion level.

And now I'm worried that Hubby's possibly unrealistic expectations may render moot all the hard work and effort I'm putting into selling this house.

All I want is what I want. A big house in a kid-friendly neighborhood, with a nice-sized level yard that will hold a killer swingset. A pretty entry with a fancy bannister to decorate for the holidays. Maybe a gas cooktop. A finished basement with an exercise room for Hubby.

And I don't want to have to worry that it may cost a little more than we had anticipated.

Is that unreasonable?

Wanna know how to unsettle everyone in the household in one simple step?

Take everything off the walls. Family pictures, wacky art, poems, stars, things kids made in school, crosses, nice curtains you want to keep, clocks, signs, even calendars.

And just to get them a little more off kilter, clear the fridge of ALL magnets, pictures, magazine articles and newspaper clippings.

Bubba thinks we're moving RIGHT NOW. Upon putting one foot inside the front door, The Princess yelled, "Where is everything? It's naked in here! What's going on?"

I can't wait until Bro and Hubby get home.

I think now everybody knows it's official, and I mean business. We're moving. Get to work.

I told you I wanted to do a project per day, in order to get my house ready to sell. Well, here's an update. This helps keep me accountable.

Yes, you are my narc squad.

Yesterday: I started on the storage room. I filled six giant garbage bags with junk, and also threw out two cd racks, a large desk, a small bookcase, and some other stuff. I also finished cutting all the dead vines off the rock wall next to the driveway. And I raked out under the holly and rose bushes in front of the house. I filled a bunch more garbage bags with the debris.

Today: I put a monitor, two CPUs, two printers, some ink cartridges, and a bunch of cables in my car and dropped them off at C0mputer N3rdz for recycling.

Then I came home and dug a shallow trench along the edge of the backyard. This involved digging up large rocks and getting poked in the face by nasty wild bushes. Then I moved forty-two (that's 42!!!) large stumps to make a log wall in the trench. None of them were less than ten inches in diameter (10 inches!!!). I had to roll most of them because they were too heavy to pick up.

Men laughed and cheered me on as they played on the golf course below my yard. But I did it! Now my face is the same color as my fuschia shirt and my arms are trembling from the exertion. But my new log wall looks really nice.

I think I deserve to take a nice shower and relax with a new novel this afternoon, don't you?

I present the following evidence:

-the grass is green
-the willow is budding
-the magnolia is blooming
-the morning sun is streaming through the wall-of-windows
-the windows are open to let in the fresh air
-I feel the sap running through my veins

-AND IT'S TIME FOR SPRING CLEANING!

I feel that spring cleaning is more important now than ever before. Because I want to sell this house! And I want us to be able to do it without a selling agent, so we can save some money.

I am afraid it will be very hard to get rid of this house. It's the biggest one in this tiny retirement-type subdivision. And keep in mind, that although we've sold four homes previously, we've only sold one ourselves - the other three were bought out by our company because they transferred us. So I'm pretty apprehensive about doing this right.

We have so much crap to get rid of - I don't know where to start. And I can't really start cleaning until I clear lotsa crap out of here.

Of course, right now my priority is watching 'Starting 0ver,' my guilty pleasure. I haven't watched it in about a week. I think I'll finish this entry, then make a list of things that have to be done around here, while I'm watching TV. Then I'll clean out some more of the store room. How about that for a start? Then I'll have room to pack up some of the personal stuff that buyers don't really want to see.

That sounds good. And I'm going to try to do one big project per day. I think I'll get the windows cleaned professionally, because there are SO many of them and when they look good, everything else will too. And we'll also have to paint some halls and rooms. And restain the kitchen cabinets and woodwork. And a myriad of other chores.

I need an urgent deadline. That will motivate me. How about April 13th? Okay - something to shoot for.

And once I start getting some of the big stuff done, and I start seeing some results, things will get easier. Right now I'm just kind of overwhelmed.

I keep thinking of a nice big yard for Bubba. A big swing set - the biggest one on the block. A fenced in yard, with a deck and lotsa room to run. Parties in the summer - grilling out with neighbors. Having our family out to visit. Cleaning a smaller house. A gas stove - maybe stainless steel. A pretty granite or solid surface countertop. Quarry tile in the foyer. Neighbors my age. Bubba running with a gang of little boys from house to house, yard to yard, grunting and giggling. Him actually being able to ride his bike on the bike trail. Bro fishing in the lakes, teaching his little brother how. The Princess just enjoying a new place, inviting her friends over. Blondie visiting with her new puppy, Linus.

Being happy in a new place that fits our family. That's what I dream of.