The Weekend Wrap-Up

Welcome to the start of another week (or the end of the last one depending on how you look at it!); I hope that everyone had a happy Easter filled with jelly beans, egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, and renewals and, despite the lingering Winter weather, you're ready to hop into Spring.

I had to work today but it was pretty relaxed for a change and even though I had no Cadbury Mini-Eggs or chocolate bunnies, one of the paramedics on duty brought me an Easter bagel (blueberry with strawberry cream cheese - yum!). When I got home I gave Amanda her Easter basket but because I had waited until the last minute, I'm afraid she didn't get any Mini-Eggs or a chocolate bunny either. In the zoo that was Wal-Mart yesterday I could only find a white chocolate pig (name of Pigglesworth to be exact) so that's what she got. I was going to take a picture to show off on my blog but I'm afraid Amanda ate Pigglesworth's face off before I could get to the camera! Never underestimate the power of a chocolate animal!

In other news, my blog was the recipient of a mini-review over at The Pisstakers, a blog that totes itself as "daily satire at its best". I stumbled upon the blog via Polliwog's Pond when I read her post about winning an entire pound of gummi bears - and a full blog review - through a contest at The Pisstakers. Well, as you might well imagine from my recent M&M posts, I am all about free candy so this week I'm going to strive to win some gummi bears myself. In order to do that, I need as many of you as possible to sign up at MyBlogLog (if you haven't already) and then pop over to The Pisstakers from any of the three links I have conveniently left for you in this paragraph! And if you're one of the last ten bloggers in the sidebar widget when Ed starts blogging next Sunday you'll get a mini-review and a chance to win the gummi bears, too! Who doesn't love a contest? Who doesn't love free candy? Who doesn't love helping a fellow blogger out?

And last but not least for this Sunday evening; I fear that Amanda has become quite obsessed with her favorite band, My Chemical Romance, as she decided that we absolutely, positively had to bake a cake for lead singer Gerard Way's birthday tomorrow. Gerard will never know that we had a very nice fudge swirl cake with chocolate icing and red and white custom-designed decoration to celebrate his 30th birthday but I will be more than happy to scarf some down in his honor! And you never know where a picture may pop up!

Have a great week everyone and don't forget to make a suggestion for the saying on my M&Ms in the sticky post above! And to visit The Pisstakers (one more link in case you missed the first three!).

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt - "Clean"

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Welcome to the Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt where this week we had to find a picture of something clean. Now this one was tough because, to be perfectly honest, there isn't a whole lot around my house that seems to be clean right now! And that's pretty sad because I used to pride myself on a neat and orderly house.

I'm not sure when that all changed but it has and the amazing thing is, I don't feel any great desire to attack the kitchen floor with a mop or vacuum all the cat hair off of the stairs or even pick up the clutter from the dining room table. After all - who needs a dining room table?? If I clean off the dining room table that means I need to cook meals that we will eat while sitting at the dining room table. And who has time to do that when there is blogging to be done?

So after a somewhat frantic search around the house I finally found the below:

If nothing else ever gets cleaned around here these days, the dishes and the clothes usually get done! And thank goodness for that or there would be a just big, blank, clean space where today's Hunt was supposed to be!

Happy Hunting and a ...





Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt Participants

1. Autumn 2. Jose 3. Gattina 4. tray 5. Lynn 6. Circesmagic 7. kathy 8. Tara 9. Beckie 10. empress bee (of the high sea) 11. Zn 12. Chateau 13. Larry 14. Friday\'s Child 15. Pastormac\'s Ann 16. jenny 17. letha 18. Imma (Alice)

19. Dragonheart 20. Daisy 21. smalltown RN 22. chupieandjsmama 23. Rach 24. Terri 25. Barbara H. 26. Gewels 27. MC Milker 28. Holly 29. It\'s A Blog Eat Blog World 30. Amy 31. Carrie 32. amy 33. Liz 34. wrchili 35. Cuidado 36. bonggamom

37. Heidi 38. Teena in Toronto 39. A. 40. Hopeful Spirit 41. expatraveler 42. srp 43. SargeCharlie 44. Arlene 45. PowersTwinB 46. Bobbie 47. Marlene 48. meeyauw 49. Crazy Working Mom 50. Shawna 51. Sophia 52. Tracey 53. kailani

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"Stuck in the Machine"

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Amanda recently decided to try her hand at drawing a comic strip of sorts and even though you might not get the humor in it unless you're a 14-year old girl (or live with one!), I still think she did a pretty good job drawing it! If you click on the drawing, it will take you to a bigger version where you can read the text - which, again, might not make any sense but we probably all know what it's like to get something stuck in a vending machine when it was our last bit of change!

Bits & Pieces

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Ah, it's Wednesday again - that day smack in the middle of the week when most people start thinking about, and looking forward, to the weekend. And this weekend is a holiday so the vast majority of people not only get the usual Saturday & Sunday off but also get Friday off, too.

Well, as someone who always strives to be different, I don't fall in with the vast majority of people and will not only be working my usual day shift on Sunday but have also picked up an extra shift on Friday evening. Holiday weekends don't mean much when you're in a 24/7, 365 a day year job as just because it's Easter doesn't mean 911 won't ring. With any luck, someone will bring me a chocolate bunny or some Cadbury mini-eggs and then I won't mind working at all!

Speaking of chocolate, I have been doing the happy dance since last night when I found out that I had managed to win the contest that Bobbarama was having over at his blog. A couple posts back, Bob had announced that he was getting very close to his 500th comment and would award the lucky reader who managed to post comment #500 with personalized M&Ms. Never one to turn away from a challenge (or anything related to chocolate!), I took up the challenge and began leaving even more comments than usual.

This is really easy to do as Bob has some terrificly funny stuff over at his blog like his Dictiowary, an off-the-wall mixture of mangled words with some hilarious new definitions; Time-Sucks, a collection of links that will take you to some very funny spots on the Web; and the Humor Carnival, a monthly feature which is guaranteed to elicit at least one or two chuckles unless there's something seriously wrong with you! One of the funniest things at Bobbarama are the comments that he leaves to your comments which makes return trips more than worthwhile. Suffice it to say I loved this blog even before I became a winner!

Of course, now that I've won I have a dilemma in choosing what to put on my M&Ms. Per the instructions I got from Bob, I can choose one message (up to two lines with a maximum of eight characters on each line) on two different colors of M&Ms or two messages on two different colors. Oh dear ... what to choose? What to choose? This is probably a prize that is going to only come along once in a lifetime so I want to make sure I choose carefully but I just don't know! I'm going to have to mull this one over for awhile ...

In addition to winning the goodies over at Bobbarama, I also got a new badge to put on my blog from Sarge Charlie who had named me a Great American back in March. I was one of the first , if not the very first, recipient of this honor and at that time I was awarded a lovely waving flag from the Sarge which I have been sporting on my sidebar down below Claire's smiling face. Since my naming, Sarge Charlie has refined his technique with his Great American awards and has been doing some very lovely slideshows for the awardees. I mentioned this to him in a post (trying very much to not sound like I was whining!) and Sarge immediately went to work on a slideshow for me which I now unveil for you here:


Thank you, Sarge Charlie, not only for the great award but for being a truly Great American yourself who has no hesitation in letting people know that you truly love your country and what it stands for. I salute you not only for your years of service in the U.S. Army but also for your tireless dedication to the troops and our flag.

And finally, not to leave Amanda out of the news ... I had the pleasure of attending the 2007 Spring Concert for Jazz Band, Orchestra and Concert Band at Norwich Free Academy last night and was treated to some great musical selections. As well as being a talented artist, Amanda plays flute in Concert Band 1 and last night was the second concert of her freshman year. Despite her protestation that there were too many key and tempo changes in Gershwin's "An American in Paris", the band did a fantastic job on not only that piece but four other selections.

Bernstein's "Overture to Candide" was performed by the members of Concert Band 2; this was a piece that Mr. Mac, the band director, had played with his college band but the high schoolers on the stage last night did a remarkable job performing it. Being a sentimental sap I managed to get all teary-eyed during the band's performance of "Shenandoah" and when the show ended with a rousing rendition of John Philip Sousa's "The White Rose" I was ready to stand up and cheer though I managed to restrain myself and not embarrass my poor daughter!


Amanda's next concert will be next Tuesday but, because it's going to be a combination of the local middle school bands and the NFA band, I think I may be passing on that show as the halls of Slater Auditorium, circa 1884, are going to be way too packed for my liking. I have this thing about crowds ... I don't like them! But I'm sure she'll do very well and she can tell me all about it afterwards.

That pretty much wraps up the doings for the first part of the first week of April - which, I must say, has truly been lousy when it comes to the weather as it's been rainy, cold, and blustery; weather more suited to March than the week before Easter. I'm still waiting for Spring to arrive - I'll let you know when it does!

Wordless Wednesday - The Naked Tree

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Wordless Wednesday Participants

1. Rebecca 2. Isabelle aka Tricotine 3. CrAzY Working Mom 4. CKC 5. SargeCharlie 6. Nadine 7. Jessie 8. Friday\'s Child 9. Kai 10. Danielle 11. LastMinuteLyn

12. Write From Karen 13. empress bee (of the high sea) 14. mags 15. Gene Bach 16. Patois 17. Cat Marsters 18. maiylah 19. GardenDesk 20. Jamie 21. Akelamalu 22. It\'s A Blog Eat Blog World

23. Dixie 24. Michelle in Mx 25. Amelia Elias 26. Jenn in Holland 27. Shaz@UsDanes 28. TorAaMusic 29. Rav`N 30. anyhow 31. Claire Rachael Pitt

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My 911 Call For Help to All Bloggers Out There!

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I thought maybe I'd try writing a post with a sort of "pay it forward" twist to it and to that end I am asking the help of everyone that reads this blog to help bring it to fruition. I figure if I tell ten people and then they in turn tell ten people and then those ten people tell another ten people and so on and so on that this has the potential to affect a lot more people than just the small group that I could reach myself. This is a good chance to test the power of the blog and see where this goes!

First a little background and history: Each year, the second full week of April is dedicated to the men and women who serve as public safety telecommunicators and was officially designated as "National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week" by Congress in 1991. The idea was first conceived by Patricia Anderson of the Contra Costa County (Calif.) Sheriff's Office in 1981 and was observed strictly at that agency for three years before APCO (the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials) became involved in the mid-1980's and eventually took the idea to Congress seeking a formal proclamation.

Even though there have been Presidential Proclamations recognizing the week and the work of the people to whom it is dedicated, it is still not very widely known or recognized and even very few public safety agencies celebrate or acknowledge it. It's really too bad because public safety dispatchers and call-takers are those people who work tirelessly behind the scenes for their communities with very little recognition or thanks and yet provide a very valuable service upon which the entire public safety concept hinges.

When people pick up the phone and call 911 they aren't thinking about the person who answers the phone and what their role is in getting them the help that they have called for. The person who answers the phone and/or sends the cops or firefighters or medical personnel are simply a means to an end and are forgotten as quickly as the phone is hung up. The real "heroes" are the people who arrive on-scene and take care of whatever it was that the caller needed addressed. But how would those "heroes" know to get there unless there was someone to tell them to go there and what they were going for?


To be honest, I don't expect a lot of thanks in my job but when someone does say "thank you very much" before hanging up, I am thrilled. And I'm sure that all of my fellow dispatchers and emergency call-takers out there feel the same way. Just like anyone else, we like to know that our help was appreciated or that we could help in a time of need or crisis. Just like the people who arrive on-scene, we are generally very well trained in our jobs and that includes so much more than just answering the phone and getting an address and maybe a name and phone number.

I don't know the requirements for all States but in my home State of Connecticut those people who enter the field of public safety communications are required to attend a two-week course with the State Department of Public Safety and be certified as public safety telecommunicators or else they can't do the job. It's a tough course with a lot crammed into it and it's not that unusual for people to fail the test on the first try.

In addition to that, most departments have their own training requirements and standards. For example, as an emergency medical dispatcher at American Ambulance, I am also required to maintain certification through the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch and must renew that certification every two years as well as complete regular continuing dispatch education. There's a lot more to it than just sitting behind a microphone and sending cars on calls in between filing my nails and doing the daily crossword puzzle (oh boy don't I wish I had time for that!).

As I have said in previous posts, those of us who choose dispatching as a career do so knowing that it is the most stressful career out there second only to air traffic controllers. We don't do it for the cushy hours, the great pay, or the fame and fortune it will bring us - we do it because we have a calling and because we know that we can make a difference.

But that doesn't mean that we wouldn't mind hearing "thank you" every great once in awhile and what better time to do that than during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week? I'm not asking people to send cards, flowers, or home baked cookies to their local dispatch centers (though I'm sure they wouldn't be turned down!) but to just perhaps pick up the phone and tell a dispatcher or 911 call-taker that you appreciate what they do and that maybe you sleep a little better at night knowing that they and their co-workers are there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year just in case something happens and you need help.

If you want to go over and above that, I will not say nay! Write a letter to the editor of your local paper, send a card to the dispatch center so that all can see it, or do anything else within reason that shows your appreciation for those "everyday heroes" who wear headsets instead of helmets (a firefighter reference there in case I confused you!)

Oh, and just as a disclaimer here, I'm not doing this for myself but for all of my fellow dispatchers and call-takers out there. I am very fortunate in that I work for a company that does, in fact, recognize National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and also work with some of the best Paramedics, EMTs, and Chaircar Van Drivers in the industry who regularly tell me how much they appreciate me (something I never tire of hearing!) even via comments on MySpace page. Do this for the dispatchers who aren't so lucky and I'm sure that you will make their day - maybe even their month - because a small thank you really does go a long ways.

Now, if it's not asking too much, I would ask my fellow bloggers to pass this message on and by doing so perhaps other bloggers will also pick it up and post it. This won't be anywhere near as big as the Blogblast for Peace that I posted about on Saturday but who knows how many people it might actually reach and just think how many people's days you could make by this one simple act.

Thank you in advance for you anticipated participation and help!

Gotta Get Me Some Goals

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There's another new meme making its way around the Blogosphere and I got smacked tagged with it by Gail of Gem-osophy earlier today. This meme is about goals and is appropriately called "Gotta Get Goals." To quote Gail, "It requires you to list and write about five to ten gotta-get goals that will allow you to truly say you have achieved your wildest dreams in life -- the best, most exclusive, and over-the-top goals that you can pick off your goals list. Not as easy as it sounds."

It's especially not easy when the biggest goal I can think of at this point is to be able to get out of bed and walk without having my lower back screaming obscenities at me! However, let me put on my thinking cap and see what I can come up with so that it doesn't sound like my life is just one long aimless ramble with no particular rhyme or reason.

1. Okay, this is really going to sound bad, especially to those people who will jump up and say "ah-ha! I knew that was the reason she was writing this blog!" but one of my most important goals is to find someone with whom I can share the rest of my life in a loving relationship that doesn't require either of us to turn ourselves inside out to become the person that the other wants us to be. Fool that I am, I still believe that there is a good man out there somewhere who can love me for who I am and as I am. My goal is to find that man but I am not at all sure how to go about doing that and - no - this blog is not for that purpose. This blog is to kill time until he and his white horse gallop onto my front porch!

2. I would like to be able to survive my daughter's teenage years with my sanity and my sense of humor intact. There are times, especially when she is hitting me in the head with her new and still rolled-up My Chemical Romance poster, that I am not so sure that this is going to be possible! If she doesn't want me to say potentially embarrassing things to her friends then she shouldn't hand me the phone - hitting me in the head with the poster isn't going to take back what I just said!

3. I either need to learn to accept myself as I am or get the motivation to do something about it. I have made just about every excuse possible this winter as to why I can't eat right or go out and get some exercise. If I am going to be a lazy couch potato that fails to eat healthily then I need to embrace that concept but if I am going to continue to be uncomfortable in my skin then I need to get my skin and all of the muscles that it is covering into gear and quit whining about it. My goal here is to make a choice and stick to it.

4. With my best friend, Cyndi, by my side I would love to tour England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. My ancestors hailed from across the pond and I would love to go and see where it was that they came from. Plus I love early English history and touring those places I've only read about would be fabulous.

5. There are many, many Civil War sites in this very country that I want to get to and my goal is to someday finish the battlefield tour that my cousin Amy and I started seven years ago (holy smokes, it was that long ago??) when we trekked down to a good number of battle sites in Virginia as well as Antietam and Gettysburg.

6. Retirement with some sort of financial freedom is on the list but this one is going to be a toughie as I've only been at my current job for four years, I'm already close to 50, and my retirement fund is not exactly growing by leaps and bounds. I may very well find myself dispatching ambulances until I'm 72! Oh perish the thought!

7. I just want to be happy no matter whether I ever attain any of the above or not. My biggest goal is to be able to look back on my life when I'm leaving this earthly plain and say that despite all my life was relatively happy. Personally I think that's the best goal we could all attain.

Now I guess it's my turn to tag some unsuspecting victims bloggers that haven't already been tagged by someone else so I tag Akelamalu, Kai, and Dixie. Good luck ladies, this is a tough one!

The Peace Globe Movement

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"All we are saying is give peace a chance ... "

Mimi Lenox of Mimi Writes sent out an email awhile ago about the latest Peace Globe Movement in the Blogosphere that is due to take place on June 6, 2007. In her email she invited anyone and everyone, regardless of political or religious beliefs, to sign a Peace Globe and add it to the ever growing number that have already been signed and posted on many, many blogs of all types and topics. I have visited many blogs that sport a Peace Globe on their sidebars and am sure that there will be many more to follow.

Ex-military though I may be, I do support World Peace and oftentimes wonder why, in the words of Rodney King, "can't we all just get along?" Why does someone always want what someone else has?, why does someone who is a bully and tyrant always want to be in charge?, why does there seem to be so much hate? Sometimes I just don't get it.

I decided that I definitely wanted to participate when, as Mimi put it, "We will storm Blogland again with Peace Globes and identical post titles on June 6, 2007. The goal is to get as many blog owners as possible blogging about world peace on the same day and displaying their signed globes from all parts of the world saying the same thing in the title - Dona Nobis Pacem - translated from Latin to English "Grant Us Peace."

To do that all I had to do was get a Peace Globe, put my name and/or a message on it, ship it off to Mimi, and then post it on my blog. Easy enough, right? Well - not quite. I have the artistic talents of a rutabaga so I asked my very artistic daughter to help me out with this as she has PhotoShopping skills second to none. However, trying to get her to take the time out from doing her own designs and drawings was akin to trying to pull my own teeth! Finally after much nagging (as she put it) and cajoling, she was able to fit me into her busy schedule and came up with the below Peace Globe:


I shall proudly display this on my sidebar and on June 6th will place it in a post with other bloggers all across the globe when "voices" all across the Blogosphere will cry out with the same message at the same time - Dona Nobis Pacem - Grant Us Peace! Maybe if enough people at the same time say the same thing the rest of the world will listen and something good will come of it!

Please join us if you haven't already!

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt - "Water"

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This is the Feng Shui water element that I built a few years back when I was attempting to get my house "balanced". A friend of mine in California had brought the elephant out for me as a gift one year because she knew that I liked elephants and collected various types of them.

I wasn't really sure what to do with it for quite some time and then when I was reading a book on Feng Shui, I decided it would make the perfect water element for the southwest corner of the house which is supposed to be my relationship corner. I figured it might do better than the coat rack that had previously stood in its place!

Well ... it hasn't improved my relationship status but it makes for a very nice conversation piece!

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt Participants

1. Becci-PowersTwinB 2. Lazy Daisy 3. tray 4. Connie 5. Autumn 6. maiylah 7. Biker Betty 8. letha 9. Barbara H. 10. Tara 11. Crystal 12. Friday\'s Child 13. Eph2810 14. Gattina 15. pelf 16. Dragonheart 17. lulu

18. Chelle & Chel 19. Amazing Gracie 20. Misslionheart 21. Daisy 22. Coonie 23. chupieandjsmama 24. Patricia 25. Jamie 26. Not Quite Crunchy Parent 27. Beckie 28. pat 29. Gewels 30. Claire Rachael Pitt 31. Ma 32. It\'s A Blog Eat Blog World 33. meeyauw 34. Rach

35. srp 36. Bobbie 37. empress bee (of the high sea) 38. Coffee 2 go 39. expatraveler 40. Arlene 41. TorAa 42. Amy 43. CrAzY Working Mom 44. Lynn 45. Leslie @ My Mommy\'s Place 46. Teena in Toronto 47. Barbara 48. Twisted Cinderella

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We interrupt our regularly scheduled program ...

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What We Call the News |Send To Friends | Funny Animations at JibJab

The good folks over at JibJab have come up with yet another funny spoof on life in these United States with their latest video, "What We Call The News". For those of us who grew up watching the evening news with anchors like Walter Cronkite, Harry Reasoner, and Howard K. Smith, men that we felt we could trust to tell us the truth, it's now just totally mind-boggling as to who's not only reporting the news but what passes as news.

I swear, if I have to hear one more lead story that involves Britney Spears or Anna Nicole Smith (God rest her soul), I am going to scream or throw something at the TV! These people are not news - these people are entertainment icons that belong on the entertainment magazine shows that were made specifically so that people who cared could get caught up on the who, what, when, where, how, and why of Hollywood. I, personally, am one of the people in this country who does not give a hoot if Britney Spears booked herself into rehab and then left again the next day or how Anna Nicole Smith died or what fight Donald and Rosie are currently embroiled in.

What I do care about is what is going on in the world or in the country or even in my own State that might somehow affect me. Nothing that Britney or Donald or Rosie will ever do is going to affect my life one iota unless, of course, The Donald wants to feel sorry for a poor single mother like myself who can't make ends meet despite working hordes of overtime and sends me a check for $1 million. Yeah - right! Now THAT would be news!

Maybe it's just me that thinks that priorities need to be straightened out when it comes to what qualifies as news these days but somehow I doubt it.

Anyone beg to differ?

Forecast for the Upcoming Month

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Just for fun I thought I'd post the Chinese Astrology Forecast for April 5 2007 - May 5 2007. Find your year and see what lays in wait for you for the upcoming month!

The Rat

• 18 February 1912 - 5 February 1913
• 5 February 1924 - 23 January 1925
• 24 January 1936 - 10 February 1937
• 10 February 1948 - 28 January 1949
• 28 January 1960 - 14 February 1961
• 15 February 1972 - 2 February 1973
• 2 February 1984 - 19 February 1985
• 19 February 1996 - 6 February 1997

Be careful when eating out this April, Rat - chances are, you may be susceptible to food poisoning! You will be better off cooking your own meals at home this month. Aside from this, the Rat person must also be super-careful when signing any legal tenders and documents - you should even seriously consider the assistance of a lawyer if you are unsure. This is because legal problems are potentially afoot for the Rat this April.

Rat people born in 1960 will find themselves a little antagonistic with others, therefore remember to practice lots of patient. Whereas for those born in 1984, curb your spend-happy tendencies this April!

The Ox

• 6 February 1913 - 25 January 1914
• 24 January 1925 - 12 February 1926
• 11 February 1937 - 30 January 1938
• 29 January 1949 - 16 February 1950
• 15 February 1961 - 4 February 1962
• 3 February 1973 - 22 January 1974
• 20 February 1985 - 8 February 1986
• 7 February 1997 - 27 January 1998

This month may see you a little sickly and out of sorts - this is due to hectic work schedules, as well as some disappointments that may affect you negatively. Get on your feet double-quick and stay on the course, Ox! This is not the time to give up easily. Backpedal your progress to see where you went wrong, and always try, try again.

Ox people born in 1949 must be careful of injuries to their limbs this month.

The Tiger

• 26 January 1914 - 13 February 1915
• 13 February 1926 - 1 February 1927
• 31 January 1938 - 18 February 1939
• 17 February 1950 - 5 February 1951
• 5 February 1962 - 24 January 1963
• 23 January 1974 - 10 February 1975
• 9 February 1986 - 28 January 1987
• 28 January 1998 - 15 February 1999

Tiger, it's going to be a good Wealth month for you this April! You will enjoy lots of opportunities to work on your income, and this is also a month for you to be a little more extroverted with yourself - this will do wonders this April, Tiger. Though this is the case, your colleagues and friends may resent your showing off a little, so keep in mind to treat them extra-special this month!

Tiger people born in 1950 must practice plenty of patience with the underlings at home and at the office, whereas those born in 1974 should steer clear away from high risk investments.

The Rabbit

• 29 January 1903 - 15 February 1904
• 14 February 1915 - 2 February 1916
• 2 February 1927 - 22 January 1928
• 19 February 1939 - 7 February 1940
• 6 February 1951 - 26 January 1952
• 25 January 1963 - 12 February 1964
• 11 February 1975 - 30 January 1976
• 29 January 1987 - 16 February 1988
• 16 February 1999 - 4 February 2000

Minimize the idle chatter and work extra hard this April, Rabbit, since indulging in gossip this month may backfire! This is also a time for you to lay low since you may unfortunately experience some setbacks. Keeping to yourself and maintaining smooth progress will be very beneficial for you this month.

Rabbit people born in 1975 may be caught in a bizarre love triangle that will cause heartbreak, so be careful of third parties this month.

The Dragon

• 16 February 1904 - 3 February 1905
• 3 February 1916 - 22 January 1917
• 23 January 1928 - 9 February 1929
• 8 February 1940 - 26 January 1941
• 27 January 1952 - 13 February 1953
• 13 February 1964 - 1 February 1965
• 31 January 1976 - 17 February 1977
• 17 February 1988 - 5 February 1989
• 5 February 2000 - 23 January 2001

Dragon, try to keep away from eating out this April, since there is a possibility for you to be attacked by stomach flu! You must also refrain from speculative investments and the like. Aside from both of this, it's a good month for you, Dragon.

Dragon people born in 1952 must practice loads of diplomacy in the work place this month, whereas Dragons born in 1964 must do the same, but at home!

The Snake

• 4 February 1905 - 24 January 1906
• 23 January 1917 - 10 February 1918
• 10 February 1929 - 29 January 1930
• 27 January 1941 - 14 February 1942
• 14 February 1953 - 2 February 1954
• 2 February 1965 - 20 January 1966
• 18 February 1977 - 6 February 1978
• 6 February 1989 - 26 January 1990
• 24 January 2001 - 11 February 2002

Snake, stay away from speculative financial investments this April since losses are in the cards for you! Aside from this, everything is smooth running for the charming Snake, especially love-wise. Now is a good time to set off on romantic escapades, but be careful - short tempers are possible, so keep yourself in good cheer at all times.

Snake people born in 1989 must practice a lot of patience with friends and family members this month, since they may inadvertently antagonize you month-long.

The Horse

• 25 January 1906 - 12 February 1907
• 11 February 1918 - 31 January 1919
• 30 January 1930 - 16 February 1931
• 15 February 1942 - 4 February 1943
• 3 February 1954 - 23 January 1955
• 21 January 1966 - 8 February 1967
• 7 February 1978 - 27 January 1979
• 27 January 1990 - 14 February 1991
• 12 February 2002 - 31 January 2003

Horse, if you're planning to cash in on the month of April, do reconsider and you're your money safe for the time being - this is due to the possibility of you losing your investments. If you are currently making a nice profit, you will need to pull the plug now rather than sit on it to see if your funds will double!

Horse people born in 1990 will have to control quick tempers this month - if you feel your good nature suddenly taking a turn downwards in a blink of an eye, simply close your eyes and count to ten. You will be able to control your fiery urges this way!

The Goat

• 13 February 1907 - 1 February 1908
• 1 February 1919 - 19 February 1920
• 17 February 1931 - 5 February 1932
• 5 February 1943 - 24 January 1944
• 24 January 1955 - 11 February 1956
• 9 February 1967 - 29 January 1968
• 28 January 1979 - 15 February 1980
• 15 February 1991 - 3 February 1992
• 1 February 2003 - 21 January 2004

Academic luck is on a high for you this month, therefore Goat people in the midst of exams should definitely capitalize on this good luck period! But, if you are in the middle of making decisions on investments, I would strongly urge you to postpone it to the next month. Aside from this, if you're looking for self-improvement courses and classes, now is the time!

Goat people born in 1979 must be careful when playing sports this month as you may be injured. Goats born in 1991 may have some sleeping problems this month.

The Monkey

• 2 February 1908 - 21 January 1909
• 20 February 1920 - 7 February 1921
• 6 February 1932 - 25 January 1933
• 25 January 1944 - 12 February 1945
• 12 February 1956 - 30 January 1957
• 30 January 1968 - 16 February 1969
• 16 February 1980 - 4 February 1981
• 4 February 1992 - 22 January 1993
• 22 January 2004 - 8 February 2005

The Monkey will have a wonderful time this month, social-wise! But, be careful of your expenditures during these outings, Monkey - and don't go overboard, too! You must be careful of exhaustion due to your hectic partying schedule this month.

Monkey people born in 1944 should avoid making any kind of investment this month, just to be on the safe side.

The Rooster

• 22 January 1909 - 9 February 1910
• 8 February 1921 - 27 January 1922
• 26 January 1933 - 13 February 1934
• 13 February 1945 - 1 February 1946
• 31 January 1957 - 17 February 1958
• 17 February 1969 - 5 February 1970
• 5 February 1981 - 24 January 1982
• 23 January 1993 - 9 February 1994

You will be easily distracted by social and entertainment activities this month, perhaps to avoid troubles at home or just to blow off work pressure. Better to spend the time resting than partying every night, Rooster! But, aside from this, your Wealth luck will be quite good.

Rooster people born in 1945 should avoid any financial transactions involving friends or relatives this month.

The Dog

• 10 February 1910 - 29 January 1911
• 28 January 1922 - 15 February 1923
• 14 February 1934 - 3 February 1935
• 2 February 1946 - 21 January 1947
• 18 February 1958 - 7 February 1959
• 6 February 1970 - 26 January 1971
• 25 January 1982 - 12 February 1983
• 10 February 1994 - 30 January 1995

The month of April sees the Dog experiences lots of changes! There is a possibility of you moving into a new home, or perhaps even switching jobs. It will be a little disquieting at first, but ultimately you will be able to adapt to this new situation at hand. You may experience some temper flare-ups, but if you control your emotions all will go well. Remember to practice some level of compromise and do maintain harmony.

Dog people born in 1994 may find they are often ill this month.

The Pig

• 30 January 1911 - 17 February 1912
• 16 February 1923 - 4 February 1924
• 4 February 1935 - 23 January 1936
• 22 January 1947 - 9 February 1948
• 8 February 1959 - 27 January 1960
• 27 January 1971 - 14 February 1972
• 13 February 1983 - 1 February 1984
• 31 January 1995 - 18 February 1996

Pig, legal matters must not be regarded lightly - if you have to look through or sign any legal documents, make sure you seek professional advice or have them scrutinized by a lawyer before you commit yourself. There is a strong possibility of legal hassles so obey the law and stay on the straight and narrow, even on the road!

Pig people born in 1959 should be careful of sports injuries this month.

Tids and Bits

First off, let me apologize for my lack of writing ability this week. I miss a couple of days and it seems that I have forgotten how to string two sentences together to form a coherent thought! I guess that will teach me to mess up my back and throw off my blogging schedule! Next time I'll have to try blogging while taking the Flexerel and Vicodin - who knows? It might be my best post ever!

While writing this, I have the latest American Idol results show on the idiot box for background noise and I just have to ask - what in the blue hell is wrong with the people in this country that a guy who can't carry a tune in a bucket is still sitting on the stage while other people are facing the axe? Yes, that's right, I mean Sunjaya - he of the very strange hair style and lousy vocals. Why he isn't in the bottom three is totally beyond me other than it just goes to show that despite what Simon Cowell proclaims, this is NOT a singing competition!

Last year Amanda and I watched every show but this year I couldn't tell you who all of the contestants were if you offered me a very large sum of money (which I could really use, by the way!). With the exception of Melinda Doolittle and the rocker-chick-girl who I like but doesn't have a snowball's chance in the Sahara Desert of winning the thing, there really isn't anybody very memorable at all. Even when I have it on, I don't watch it because I just could not care less. Big. Yawn.

Moving on ...

While catching up on my blog reading earlier tonight I was over at Dayngrous Discourse and came across a post of hers where you could find out what sort of "bloglebrity" you are. "To be an A-List Bloglebrity on the Internet, it’s all about the amount of link love you can score" so to find out how you score just click here. Like Dayngr before me, I'm a "B List" blogger and am now proudly sporting my new button somewhere down there on my sidebar! I rather doubt that I could ever be an "A List" blogger as I just have neither the time or the energy to devote to such an endeavor but I know some people that I think might qualify!

Continuing on ...

For those who are interested, I went to see my orthopedic doctor today (a very handsome gentleman with a most lovely British accent!) about my recent back issues and lingering leg pain. Even though my back has been feeling a'ight, I've been having quite a bit of pain down my right leg and around my right ankle that is all too familiar from two years ago so I was expecting to hear the worst. After taking some x-rays and a lot of poking, prodding, and walking around the room on my heels and toes, the doc told me that he thinks it might be just a minor flare-up that will ease with time. Whew! I was really sweating him telling me that I needed another MRI and with my insurance having a $250 deductible, I was already trying to figure out which bill I wasn't going to be paying!

I was sent home with a prescription for Neurontin (for nerve pain) and orders to do some light stretching to see if that helps ease the lingering pain. I'll be going back in two weeks for a follow-up consult and hopefully things will have straightened themselves out by then. Anyone who wishes to light a candle, send up a prayer, or cross their fingers for me are more than welcome to do so!

And finally ...

I am WAY behind on this but I thought it worth mentioning ... back on March 20th, I had my blog reviewed by Billy Mac over at Critique My Blog and he said some very nice things. In it he linked back to the very first post that I did for this blog and even I went back to read it because I had definitely forgotten what I had written all those months ago! Sometimes it seems like I started this just yesterday rather than over 230 posts ago!

It appears that time really does fly!

Wordless Wednesday - Come On Spring!

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11. Kai 12. Shaz@UsDanes 13. macoosh 14. Brian aka hummingbunny 15. LastMinuteLyn 16. Simone 17. faith family & Friends 18. Lori 19. It\'s A Blog Eat Blog World 20. Green Eyed Girl

21. A.J. 22. Rhea 23. Celeste 24. empress bee (of the high sea) 25. Amber\'s Crazy Bloggin\' Canuck 26. Michelle in Mx 27. SargeCharlie 28. Bobbie

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Something to think about next time you're at the bank

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I'm still not feeling entirely up to snuff (wow, do these old sayings of mine really show my age!) so in lieu of not posting anything at all, I submit to you the following that I received from a friend in a recent email. Any of you ladies recognize yourself in this?? ...

MALE VS. FEMALE AT THE ATM MACHINE

MALE PROCEDURE:

Drive up to the cash machine.
Put down car window.
Insert card into machine and enter PIN.
Enter amount of cash required and withdraw.
Retrieve card, cash, and receipt.
Put window up.
Drive off.

FEMALE PROCEDURE:

Drive up to cash machine.
Reverse and back up the required amount to align car window with the machine.
Set parking brake, put the window down.
Find handbag, remove all contents on to passenger seat to locate card.
Tell person on cell phone you will call them back and hang up.
Attempt to insert card into machine.
Open car door to allow easier access to machine due to its excessive distance from the car.
Insert card.
Re-insert card the right way.
Dig through handbag to find diary with your PIN written on the inside back page.
Enter PIN.
Press cancel and re-enter correct PIN.
Enter amount of cash required.
Check makeup in rear view mirror.
Retrieve cash and receipt.
Empty handbag again to locate wallet and place cash inside.
Write debit amount in check register and place receipt in back of checkbook.
Re-check makeup.
Drive forward 2 feet.
Reverse back to cash machine.
Retrieve card.
Re-empty hand bag, locate card holder, and place card into the slot provided!
Give dirty look to irate male driver waiting behind you.
Restart stalled engine and pull off.
Redial person on cell phone.
Drive for 2 to 3 miles.
Release Parking Brake.

The Lost Weekend or My Adventures NOT in Shangra-La

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As Mark Twain once said, "The rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated" or - better yet - to quote from one of my favorite movies, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "I'm not dead! I'm getting better!" Least ways I feel better and am finally back on my feet despite, or maybe in spite of, a few grim prognoses from some of the people that I work with who were circling around the potential overtime my absence would produce like vultures around a bit of carrion!

For those of you out there who have also suffered from the occasional bad back and know what it's like to be totally incapacitated for days at a time, I think you understand what I mean about how you feel when you are finally once again able to get up and walk around like a normal human being, albeit a bit more gingerly! Perhaps it's not quite like Lazarus arising from the dead or the mythical Phoenix bird making a glorious return from the fire and ashes but it's pretty darned close as far I'm concerned!

Even though my back isn't feeling 100% (and probably never will!) I am beyond glad to be out of bed for several reasons; first and foremost is the fact that there really is such a thing as too much of a good thing and too much time in bed is one of them (hey, hey, get your minds out of the gutter!). After awhile there is absolutely no comfortable position that one can attain and what's even more discouraging is knowing that you can't even stand up or sit to alleviate some of the stiffness of laying in bed for too long. Normally bed is a place of comfort and refuge but after several days it becomes a place of torture!

One of the other reasons I'm glad to be mobile again is the fact that Amanda, bless her heart, is one of the world's worst caregivers. Ever. From the time she got home from school on Friday and asked me why on earth I was still in bed to yesterday afternoon when I was finally able to limp down the stairs, not once did that child ask me if I needed something to eat or drink! At one point I did ask her for some toast and you would have thought I had asked her to go on a quest to bring me back the Holy Grail itself (sorry, Monty Python reference again!)

The child could not have heaved a heavier sigh or rolled her eyes higher and for a lousy piece of toast no less! Can you imagine if I had asked for something more?? Nope, I definitely do not see a career in nursing ahead for her!

There were actually three teenagers in the house at various times that could have lent a hand or two as Amanda had Dan and Nicole over visiting but sadly, they appear to be heading down the same career path as Amanda and not one of them is going to be a CNA or home health aide!

At one point on Saturday, I awoke from one of my drug-induced states to see the three of them standing at the foot of the bed looking down on me with grim expressions on their faces while they just stared. "Wow, you look awful" was their pronouncement before they turned and fled back downstairs to take up where they had left off with their PS2 game while I contemplated what the purpose of their visit had been. Briefly I wondered if that was how Scrooge had felt when the three ghosts came to visit him before I remembered that they didn't all show up at once and then I rolled over and went back to sleep.

Last but not least, I am happy to be back on my feet because I was able to go back to work and put in the hours needed to earn that coveted paycheck that I can't live without. I had really wanted to get back to work yesterday but after attempting to get on my feet and ambulate more than ten feet yesterday morning, I knew it was a lost cause. Had I actually made it into work one of my 911 conversations may well have gone:

Me: American Ambulance, what is the address of your emergency?
Caller: I don't feel good at all, I really need an ambulance over here.
Me: You don't feel good? Ha! Let me tell you how I feel!

Nope, calling out and staying in bed for another day really seemed to be the wiser choice as far as my career was concerned!

Anyhow, all that aside, I am happy to be on the road to recovery and because I'm afraid this is a path I may very well find myself traveling down again, I have made an appointment to go see my orthopedic doctor on Wednesday to see what the discs in my back are doing - other than mashing some nerves that don't need to be mashed!

I just hope the next time I find myself feeling like I've been run over by a truck that my youngest daughter Jamie is here because she possesses the nursing skills her older sister doesn't and I might actually be able to get some tea and toast with a lot less hassle!

Finally, to all those who left me words of encouragement and well wishes on this blog, I want to say a very sincere and heartfelt thank you. Your caring and concern really meant a lot to me and I was touched by all of your comments and words of support. For those who might think that the Blogosphere is an impersonal space inhabited by those people who are merely out to tell their own stories and don't give a thought to anyone else, let me just say that couldn't be further from the truth. I have "met" some of the kindest, most caring, sincere people I could ever hope to meet through these electronic pages.

P.S., Kathy - thank you for the kind offer to take the kids to the concert, I know that would be quite the sacrifice for you and if I'm laid up again in May, I will keep that in mind! Also, no, I don't have that poster yet which is too bad because it would have given me something good to look at while I was lying captive hoping for a small crust of toast and a sip of tea!

P.S.S., I plan to get around to everyone's blogs that I've missed very soon! I'm sure I've got a lot of reading to catch up on!

I may be gone for a bit

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Why is that just about the time that I think things are going well, something comes along out of the blue and totally derails that particular thought? I would imagine that there is one of Murphy's Laws floating around out there somewhere that applies but right now I'm probably on too many drugs to really remember what it might be.

As some of you may or not know, I had some major back issues just about two years ago to the day that put me out of commission for several months with some of the worst pain of my entire life. This pain was so bad that I wouldn't have even wished it on my ex-husband! After a series of steroid epidural injections in the Spring, I eventually had lumbar back surgery in August of 2005 which seemed to repair the problem. Of course, since then I have been scared to death that I'm going to sneeze or move the wrong way or something and cause a relapse.

Last night when I went to bed, I had a minor backache that didn't really seem to be much of anything but when it came time to try to get out of bed this morning - not possible. The small ache in my lower back had turned into a full blown ache starting in my lower back and traveling down both of my legs. Oh boy ...

I managed to hobble downstairs and take a Flexerel and Ultracet (leftovers from two years ago that, thankfully, haven't expired yet) and then I worked my way back upstairs and into bed where I have been since then. I have no idea when I'm going to be able to get back out of bed again as just a simple trip to the bathroom is cause for excruciating pain and I'm in no great hurry to inflict that upon myself. Call me a wuss if you'd like but I don't do real well with pain and try to avoid it whenever possible.

I am hoping that this backache can be attributed to weather patterns (I think there's a storm moving in) or something simple that will clear itself up soon as I can't think of anything that I've done that would cause my back to go out on me again. Granted, once you have herniated discs, you always have herniated discs and no doubt they'll flare up once in awhile so I can only hope that's what this is and nothing more serious than that.

In the meantime, even though I have the laptop and can get on-line, I don't plan on doing a whole lot with it because the medications that I'm taking make me kind of fuzzy around the edges so I'm posting now to say that I may not be posting again anytime soon. I'm definitely sure I won't be doing tomorrow's Photo Hunt but if I'm not feeling too loopy, I will try to get around to a few other people's pages.

Anyhow, just wanted to let folks now what's up (not me!) if I don't have the chance to post in awhile or come by to visit your pages.

Everyone else take care and hopefully I'll be feeling better soon!