bwhitt26

I'll have to post a picture to share the horror soon. I am so not going to make a cake for the reception myself (but I'm super-frustrated; b/c I do enjoy decorating when the end result isn't an eyesore).

Spent most of the day on it. The pastry filling never thickened, and ended up a tasty, yet liquidy muck with a ball of gelatinous something in the bottom of it. Opted to fill it with buttercream instead, but my K!tchen-A!d could only handle one batch of frosting at a time so the color of the top tier is more orange than the rest.

There's tons of crumbs mixed in the icing; but I was too exhausted to do a 2nd coat. I figured the chocolate mosaic would hide the crumbs, but the candy melts were lumpy and I worried they wouldn't cool in time.

Instead, I covered the thing in unmelted melts and hid where the tiers are joined under ribbon. Not even the candy can stand to be on the thing though. I anticipate them sliding off overnight.

I'd told my sister-in-law-to-be she could take some to work. I don't want anyone seeing it though, now that it's done. R and I got a good chuckle though; what else can you do?

Mom's biopsy was benign and R is at the moment, safe in Detroit.

And J was good for me tonight. Hopefully also tomorrow morning!

Not sure if that'll work, but OMG... what a great episode of the Office last night. Almost cried at a fictional wedding.

I was just a step too late, with everything.

Running late this morning, as usual. Ginger got her jog/walk in though, and I intended to maybe give her another after karate tonight.

I took J to daycare; before leaving I put together the Leg0 car he had from a H@ppy Meal, so he could play with it on the way.

I bought Ginger's license online today, figuring I'd at least preemptively get out of any tickets from any upcoming jaunts of hers. The metal tags will be mailed to the house.

I was running late to karate, even contemplated not going, but I went for second hour anyway. After karate, I don't get home until about 9:30. I saw the cops and another car pulled over on the side of 263 but didn't think much of it. I didn't have any messages on my phone saying there was any problems at home.

I pulled in to our driveway, and there was a cruiser. And a cop, talking to ®. Nobody would answer me when I asked what was wrong.

I guess earlier this evening, J left his Leg0 car in ®'s truck, and he ran outside to get it. Ginger followed him out, and took off. She started to come to ® when he called, but instead darted past him to go exploring. ® lost sight of her and she didn't respond to ®'s calls (which has been the problem everytime she escapes). She was gone for two hours.

® went out to call for her again, thinking she'd come back now that it was dark, and he saw the cop's lights. Apparently, a good samaritan saw Ginger on the road and stopped to try and get her. She wouldn't come to a stranger, and another car hit her while he was trying to corral her.

I just finished the trainer's survey and she was supposed to work with Ginger Saturday; coming back when called was something we were going to address. But I was too late for that as well.

...I've already hit up OS and FB, but I wanted to post a more detailed account here.

Thursday night ® and his son went to my parents' house after work to borrow some of their coolers for our 4th of July BBQ. He'd previously mentioned wanting to talk to my dad about marrying me but hadn't yet had the chance. I figured that might go down then, since he was finally seeing my parents without my company. Later that same evening, ®'s daughter M had excitedly come home and asked to see my hands. She was disappointed that there weren't any rings (that should've given it away, but she's been hounding us for a while to get engaged, so it wasn't that unusual. I knew ®'d bought the ring, so I was guessing she'd seen it already).

Sometime on Friday, ® casually mentioned he still had to get my dad alone to ask him. I was surprised, figuring he'd already done so, but he responded, "Well, I couldn't very well get him alone then. Your mom and sister were there too!"

We ran ourselves ragged on Friday, cleaning and shopping for the party and then visiting with friends until all-hours of the evening. We were just as busy Saturday, b/t setting up and hosting the actual party. It's the first time a lot of my family/friends had seen my new digs, so there was a lot going on.

At one point, I escaped to go to the bathroom. When I came downstairs, ® was waiting for me in the kitchen. I thought he was just waiting around since we hadn't gotten to hang much with each other, but then he kept telling me to leave my soda on the counter as he led me outside (that's when it hit me... "Are we doing this now?? Is that why I can't take my Diet C0ke??).

Outside, everyone had gathered around the patio. He turned to me and said something along the lines of, "Beth, you came into my life and quickly captured my heart..." (I started to well up; the poor boy's voice was cracking). He asked and everyone had to tell me to look down at the ring (we were so close and I was just looking at his face). Obviously, I said, "I will."

Not ten minutes later, ® asked to borrow my phone, which was in my back pocket. I handed it over without a second thought. Next thing I knew, a couple of cousins and siblings were hoisting me off the ground, and I got dunked in the pool :o Additional kudos to ® for remembering I had my phone on me.

...since I've gotten anything like this. I did get a grocery store bouquet once from Meh, but I have to admit I'm more impressed with the delivered variety.

Ginger was barking her head off like crazy b/c there was a guy walking through our back yard. He left these at our patio door with a very sweet note I'll have to save. *Swoon*

Not to make this all about comparisons/contrasts to the ex, but I imagine I'll have fewer and fewer of these revelations as more time passes post-divorce.

L used to be good at celebrating birthdays, when we were dating. He'd attempt to make some sort of dinner (usually out of a box), get an Entemann's cake, and a present for me.

It wasn't until we were married that he stopped doing much at all, and any gifts were purchased on my credit. At that point, my parents would visit and bring the party to me, but I was usually bummed that L didn't even try to make it special. Or, like last year, that the ex-stepdaughter refused to even say "Happy birthday," and instead whined to her father about what she wanted when she saw him give me my gift.

This year was a low-key, weekday kind of birthday, but it still kicked arse, compared to the last few. K made a point to text me at 12 AM. And at 7:58 AM, what I consider to be the start of my "real" birthday (or, birth minute). I got a real card, and 3 hysterical some e-cards (my gift is airfare to Reno at the end of the month). He was home for a snow day, so he spent all day making chicken with smoked mozzerella, linguine, tomato sauce from scratch (thank you, Emeril, for his recipe choices). He also made a death-by-chocolate cake (homemade icing and all). The thing is so rich, I hardly ate 1/16th of it so far.

Of course, Mom and Dad came through with an appt. for a mani and a facial before the Reno trip, and we're doing dinner/cake tonight. There was also much OtherSite love and social networking site b-day wishes. Woot!

Last Year's NYE: Last year's celebrations included a kick-ass party at my friend M's house. I got to stay all of an hour, b/c L was being an a--hole and decided that we needed to spend all our time at his brother's last-minute party instead. The people at his brother's party were all the same people we spent every football Sunday with. It was his two friends (he only had two), his brother's immediate family, and one of their neighbors. When we got there, everybody ended up standing outside in the cold b/c my ex-SIL was puking into a bucket in the living room from too many Jello shots (while my ex-BIL berated her for overindulging). Fun, fun...

This Year's NYE: K and I went for a late lunch and a couple of beers in Doylestown. We headed back to my parents' house, b/c my parents always have a little get-together with their neighbors/landlords. My brothers didn't have any set plans either, so we all went back out to The Other Side in Doylestown. I was just thrilled to find a place without some stupid cover charge for a couple hours of open bar. There was a cover band, and we spent it how I might spend any weekend night out (which was the perfect balance b/t being bored at home and getting all decked out and spending too much $).

The Other Side had a complementary champagne toast and hats/noisemakers. K wound up with a paper top hat and successfully balanced his plastic champagne glass on his head until about 20 seconds to midnight (at which point, he looked down and spilled it everywhere :o ) He schmoozed with the band, joked with my brothers, and was just all-around fun to be around (LOL... I have so much fun, but when I type it out it all sounds so bland!).

This morning, everyone just vegged and watched movies all day. I had to sew up my brand-new purse. Apparently, it's not meant to break falls on the sidewalk when you're attempting to take someone up on a piggyback-ride offer :o

I might have posted about this before, but I can't remember...

Background: There's a running joke in the family that my brother D collects women. Mainly, leech-women who are not romantically involved with him and take advantage of him. Over a year ago, he let a friend (T) of a friend stay on his couch, and she never left. For a little while too, this summer, D had a girlfriend who decided she was just going to stay with him b/c she couldn't stand living with her parents anymore (despite the fact he'd told her there wasn't room for her at his place). She broke up with him the same time she moved in. She's since moved out, thankfully. He lives with MagicMike, so his doormat generosity affects more than just himself.

At least the ex-gf did chores while she was there. T does absolutely nothing, at home or anywhere else. She quit her part-time grocery store job, and has yet to find anything else. She's a perfectly physically healthy, 20-something-year-old, but has decided she can't handle a full-time job (her own words). She's got no problem with my brothers working full-time while she lounges around, makes a mess, and eats their food.

We're all on D's case to kick her out. We've run the gamut of ways he could, from outright changing the locks and throwing her things outside to simply saying the landlord says she has to go. His latest plan is to tell her she has a month to find a place and then doing so (but he's feeling really bad about doing so, thinking she'll be homeless. Truth is, her family/friends are around, but they've had enough of her BS and kicked her out before).

ANYWHO, I'm ready to get all up in that biotch's grill. I was polite to her the last time I saw her, but eff that.

I just got a cell phone bill for $200. D has one of my many handsets for my family plan, since I can't afford to cancel 3 handsets and the contract's up in a couple of months. While D's a little slow on paying his portion of the bill, he always comes through and it helps me out in the long run.

I didn't know this at the time (and would've ripped him a new one had I known) but he lent T the phone and she spent $66 in minute overages (!) This came in the mail the same day D was here b/c he's looking at a $1000+ repair bill on his car. He said he did so b/c T said she needed it to find a job, but she called her mom ( a lot) instead.

Well, she better get in good with her mom. B/c she'd best be getting back there. I'm totally saying something if I see her little mooch arse again.

If I were still married, I'd probably be making an anime cake this year. L and A's b-day is today, and for the past couple of years I've made a theme cake for A.

That bit was fun. Perhaps I should look into it. I will have to work on my cake penmanship tho :o

Put an 'x' next to artists who you have songs by, even if it's only one.

Hard Rock

[ ] Nickelback
[ ] Disturbed
[ ] Shinedown
[x] Seether
[ ] Sevendust
[x] System of a Down
[ ] Flyleaf
[ ] Staind
[x] Drowning Pool
[ ] Taproot
[ ] Mudvayne
[x] Audioslave
[ ] Trapt
[x] KoRn
[x] Three Days Grace
[ ] Evans Blue
[ ] Godsmack
TOTAL =6

COUNTRY

[ ] Rascal Flatts
[ ] Carrie Underwood
[ ] Faith Hill
[ ] Hank Williams Jr.
[ ] Shania Twain
[ X] Johnny Cash
[ X] Willie Nelson
[ ] Merle Haggard
[ ] Hank Williams III
TOTAL = 2

PSYCHOBILLY

[ ] Nekromantix
[ ] Tiger Army
[ ] Horrorpops
[ ] The Cramps
[ ] Mad Sin
[ ] The Meteors
[ ] Reverend Horton Heat
[ ] Demented Are Go!
[ ] Batmobile
[ ] Guana Batz
[ ] The Gun Club
[ ] Klingonz
[ ] Hellbillys
[ ] The Phenomenauts
TOTAL = 0

POP

[ ] Teddy Geiger
[ ] Kelly Clarkson
[x] Madonna
[ ] Avril Lavigne
[ ] Pink
[ ] The Veronicas
[ ] Daniel Powter
[ ] James Blunt
[ ] Natasha Bedingfield
[ ] Ryan Cabrera
TOTAL = 1

Indie-Rock / Rock / Alternative

[ ] Hawthorne Heights
[ ] Halifax
[ ] Fightstar
[ ] Taking Back Sunday
[ ] Forgive Durden
[ ] From First to Last
[ ] Senses Fail
[ ] Something Corporate
[ ] Hit The Lights
[ ] Dashboard Confessional
[ ] Dear Whoever
[ ] Funeral for a Friend
[ ] Silverstein
[ ] The Used
[ ] The Spill Canvas
TOTAL = 0

ORIGINAL EMO

[ ] Circle Takes the Square
[ ] Dag Nasty
[ ] Rites of Spring
[ ] Moss Icon
[ ] Orchid
[ ] Saetia
[ ] Comadre
[ ] Indian Summer
[ ] Joshua Fit for Battle
[ ] Texas is the Reason
[ ] Sunny Day Real Estate
[ ] Hot Cross
[ ] Mineral
[ ] Yaphet Kotto
[ ] Funeral Diner
TOTAL = 0

AMBIENT

[ ] Brian Eno
[ ] Labradford
[ ] Global Communication
[ ] Harold Budd
[ ] Lustmord
[ ] Solaris
[ ] Steve Roach
[ ] Vir Unis
[ ] Gas
[ ] Tangerine Dream
[ ] Delerium
[ ] Stars of the Lid
[ ] Steve Reich
[ ] Fennesz
TOTAL = 0


CHILLOUT

[ ] Air
[ ] Zero 7
[ ] Thievery Corporation
[ ] Massive Attack
[ ] röyksopp
[ ] Portishead
[ ] Boards of Canada
[ ] Sneaker Pimps
[ ] Frou Frou
[ ] Imogen Heap
[ ] Mandalay
[ ] Carbon Based Lifeforms
TOTAL = 0


INDIE

[ ] The Hush Sound
[ ] Death Cab for Cutie
[ ] The Killers
[ ] Elliott Smith
[ ] Yeah Yeah Yeahs
[ ] Belle and Sebastian
[ ] The Postal Service
[ ] Bright Eyes
[x] Franz Ferdinand
[x] Modest Mouse
[ ] Cursive
[ ] The Arcade Fire
[ ] The Shins
[ ] The Decemberists
[ ] Sufjan Stevens
[ ] Neutral Milk Hotel
[ ] Iron & Wine
[ ] Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
[ ] Bloc Party
[ ] Minus the Bear
TOTAL = 2

(Black) METAL

[ ] Amon Amarth
[ ] Dimmu Borgir
[ ] Carcass
[ ] Children of Bodom
[ ] Emperor
[ ] Carpathian Forest
[ ] Arcturus
[ ] Opeth
[ ] Ayreon
[ ] Cannibal Corpse
[ ] At the Gates
[ ] Burzum
[ ] Therion
[ ] Mayhem
[ ] Necrophagist
[ ] Darkthrone
[ ] Celtic Frost
[ ] Gorgoroth
[ ] Satyricon
[ ] Death
[ ] Finntroll
[ ] Anaal Nathrakh
[ ] Testament
[ ] Atheist
[ ] Bathory
[ ] Deicide
[ ] Slayer
[ ] Metallica
[ ] Pantera
Total = 0


METALCORE

[ ] As I Lay Dying
[ ] Atreyu
[ ] Lamb of God
[ ] Killswitch Engage
[ ] Unearth
[ ] Throwdown
[ ] Becoming The Archetype
[ ] Between the Buried and Me
[ ] Norma Jean
[ ] Zao
[ ] Converge
[ ] Botch
[ ] Bullet for My Valentine
[ ] Still Remains
[ ] Bleeding Through
[ ] Trivium
TOTAL = 0

HARDCORE

[ ] xLooking Forwardx
[ ] Sick of It All
[ ] Agnostic Front
[ ] Gorilla Biscuits
[ ] Good Clean Fun
[ ] Donnybrook!
[ ] Champion
[ ] Casey Jones
[ ] Black My Heart
[ ] Hoods
[ ] Minor Threat
[ ] Death Before Dishonor
[ ] The Warriors
[ ] xBishopx
[ ] Too Pure To Die
[ ] Sinking Ships
TOTAL = 0

[ ] Napalm Death
[ ] Nasum
[ ] Pig Destroyer
[ ] Cattle Decapitation
[ ] Agoraphobic Nosebleed
[ ] Cephalic Carnage
[ ] Anal Cunt
[ ] Fuck...I'm Dead
[ ] Ed Gein
[ ] The Number Twelve Looks Like You
[ ] Discordance Axis
[ ] Aborted
[ ] Assück
[ ] Ion Dissonance
[ ] Genghis Tron
[ ] Cryptopsy
[ ] Dying Fetus
[ ] The Locust
TOTAL = 0


DOOM/SLUDGE/EXPERIMENTAL

[ ] Neurosis
[ ] Sunn O
[ ] oxbow
[ ] Red Sparowes
[ ] Swans
[ ] Pelican
[ ] Isis
[ ] Zeni Geva
[ ] Cult of Luna
[ ] Today is the Day
[ ] Godspeed You! Black Emperor
[ ] Crash Worship
[ ] Explosions in the Sky
[ ] Grails
[ ] Culper Ring
[ ] Tribes Of Neurot
TOTAL = 0


POWERPOP
[ ] Hellogoodbye
[x] The All-American Rejects
[ ] Fountains of Wayne
[ ] Head Automatica
[X] Weezer
[ ] Panic at the disco
[ ] Jellyfish
[ ] Teenage Fanclub
[ ] The Lashes
[ ] The Lost Patrol Band
[ ] The Click Five
[ ] Cute is What We Aim For
[ ] Wilco
[ ] The Exploding Hearts
Total = 2


PUNK

[x] Rancid
[ ] Bad Religion
[ ] Misfits
[ ] Anti-Flag
[ ] Sex Pistols
[ ] Alkaline Trio
[x] Dropkick Murphys
[ ] Pennywise
[ ] Millencolin
[ ] Operation Ivy
[ ] Descendents
[ ] Dead Kennedys
[x] AFI
TOTAL = 3


POP PUNK

[x] Blink-182
[x] Green Day
[ ] New Found Glory
[ ] Good Charlotte
[ ] Relient K
[x] Sum 41
[ ] The Ataris
[ ] The Starting Line
[ ] Simple Plan
[x] The Offspring
[ ] Lagwagon
[ ] Box Car Racer
[ ] Motion City Soundtrack
TOTAL = 1

STREET PUNK

[ ] The Unseen
[ ] The Casualties
[ ] GBH
[ ] The Varukers
[ ] Cock Sparrer
[ ] The Virus
[ ] The Exploited
[ ] Sham 69
[ ] Tilly and the Wall
[ ] Lower Class Brats
[ ] Clit 45
[ ] U.S. Bombs
[ ] Leftöver Crack
[ ] Subhumans
[ ] Anti-Nowhere League
TOTAL = 0


CRUST PUNK

[ ] Amebix
[ ] Aus-Rotten
[ ] His Hero Is Gone
[ ] Nausea
[ ] Crass
[ ] From Ashes Rise
[ ] Skitsystem
[ ] Rudimentary Peni
[ ] Extreme Noise Terror
[ ] Tragedy
[ ] Wolf Parade
[ ] Anti-Product
[ ] Behind Enemy Lines
TOTAL = 0

RAP

[ ] Ying Yang Twins
[ ] Bubba Sparxxx
[ ] Paul Wall
[ ] Jay-Z
[ ] Nas
[x] DMX
[ ] Ice Cube
[ ] 2Pac
[x] Cypress Hill
[ ] Ludacris
[ ] lil jon
[x] Eminem
[ ] 50 Cent
[ ] Wu-Tang Clan
TOTAL = 2


HIP-HOP

[ ] Dilated Peoples
[ ] Mos Def
[ ] Atmosphere
[ ] Sage Francis
[ ] Talib Kweli
[ ] Aesop Rock
[ ] Blackalicious
[ ] Souls of Mischief
[ ] MF Doom
[ Jurassic 5
[ ] Jedi Mind Tricks
[ ] Common
[ ] Gang Starr
[x] A Tribe Called Quest
[ ] Ghostface
[ ] Pete Rock
[ ] De La Soul
[ ] Necro
[ ] Immortal Technique
[ ] Ill Bill
[ ] Gym Class Heroes
TOTAL = 1


SKA

[ ] Streetlight Manifesto
[ ] The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
[ ] Big D and the Kids Table
[ ] The Toasters
[ ] Goldfinger
[ ] The Aquabats
[ ] Reel Big Fish
[ ] Fortunado
[ ] Skankin' Pickle
[ ] Madness
[ ] The Skatalites
[ ] Voodoo Glowskulls
[ ] Five Iron Frenzy
[ ] Tip The Van
[ ] Stealing From Peter
[ ] The Specials
[ ] Catch 22
TOTAL = 0 <<-- I want some Goldfinger


CLASSIC ROCK


[X] The Doors
[x] The Beatles
[x] The Rolling Stones
[x] The Clash
[X] The Who
[x] Aerosmith
[ ] Black Sabbath
[ ] The Kinks
[ ] Kiss
[ X] Ramones
[ ] Pink Floyd
[ ] Led Zeppelin
[ ] Heart
[ X] Guns N' Roses
[ ] Jimi Hendrix
TOTAL = 8


90's ALTERNATIVE

[x] Sublime
[x] CAKE
[ ] Spin Doctors
[x] The Smashing Pumpkins
[ ] Gin Blossoms
[X] Alice in Chains
[ ] Soundgarden
[ ] Toad the Wet Sprocket (not a fan, I bought and burned this for a friend,but technically I own it)
[x] 311
[ ] Live
[ ] Bush
[ ] Third Eye Blind
[ ] Goo Goo Dolls
[x] Barenaked Ladies
[x] Counting Crows
[x] No Doubt
[x] Nirvana
TOTAL= 9



INDUSTRIAL

[ ] KMFDM
[ ] Ministry
[ ] Nine Inch Nails
[ ] Laibach
[ ] Einstürzende Neubauten
[ ] Skinny Puppy
[ ] Front Line Assembly
[ ] VNV Nation
[ ] Crossbreed
[ ] :Wumpscut:
[ ] Throbbing Gristle
[ ] Hocico
[ ] Assemblage 23
[ ] Front 242
[ ] Funker Vogt
[ ] Psyclon Nine
[ ] Suicide Commando
[ ] Grendel
[ ] Nitzer Ebb
[ ] Haujobb
[ ] The Birthday Massacre
[ ] Mortiis
TOTAL = 0


ELECTROCLASH

[ ] Ladytron
[ ] Fischerspooner
[ ] Peaches
[ ] Adult.
[ ] Freezepop
[ ] Daft Punk
[ ] Goldfrapp
[ ] Shiny Toy Guns
[ ] Clear Static
[ ] The Faint
[ ] The Knife
[ ] She Wants Revenge
[ ] Chicks on Speed
[ ] LCD Soundsystem
[ ] Dirty Sanchez
[ ] Le Tigre
TOTAL = 0


ELECTRONICA

[ ] The Chemical Brothers
[ ] The Prodigy
[x] Moby
[x] The Crystal Method
[ ] Aphex Twin
[ ] Basement Jaxx
[ ] Juno Reactor
[ ] Amon Tobin
[ ] Orbital
[ ] Paul Oakenfold
[ ] UNKLE
[ ] Tricky
[ ] Benny Benassi
[ ] Photek
[ ] Roni Size
[ ] LTJ Bukem
[ ] Boom Bip
TOTAL = 2

1. Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2. Bold all the items you’ve eaten
3. Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4. Optional extra: post a comment on Very Good Taste, linking to your results.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding <<-- I'm afraid to ask what this is...
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Phở
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese - yuck
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail -- soup counts, right?
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/€80/$120 or more
46. Fugu (pufferfish)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV -- quite possible, anyway
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain -
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab in a crab cake, not on its own
93. Rose harissa
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

LMAO! I heard about this episode, but never saw it. Just realized the clip was available.

My current hometown (sort of). My sister went to school with this kid, I think.

Sort of cross-posting with The Other Site, but anywho...

I spent my late morning-early afternoon hastily cleaning and showing the condo to a young couple. They'd called me late Thursday afternoon about seeing the place, and are only in-town for this week to house/apt. hunt before they come this way for the husband's new job. The landlady had asked me to be the contact person for prospective renters since L doesn't answer the phone or return messages, and he doesn't tidy up at all. I agreed since the original plan was I could have my security deposit back if we could get new renters. I figured since L answers my e-mails and I have half-days on Fridays, I could tidy up on a Friday and get L to do the actual showing of the place. This was my reasoning last month, anyway.

BUT... no one ever called to see the place. Then the landlady offered to let L use the security as another month's rent (and I agreed since I knew he needed to save more $, and we wouldn't be getting the security deposit back anyway without any renters). NOW these people show up and if they decided on living there, maybe I could've gotten the deposit back if they moved in August 1, but I told them it would be available Sept. 1. Now I'm just a sucker who's doing this so I don't have to tell L and his kids to get out in a month after telling them a couple of weeks ago they could stay for two. And a sucker who's helping out the nice landlady for nothing.

I called L Thursday, and left a voicemail. I e-mailed. I asked A to ask L. I'd clean, but could he show the place? No answer. My sister and I showed up at 11 and tried to speed-clean before the showing @ noon. He wandered out of bed 15 minutes after our arrival and stared at me blankly for a bit, asking "So what's going on?" I hurriedly told him the situation, pointing out I'd tried every means available to contact him. No answer.

He decided to go out for a drive and was gone the whole time. Good, more fuel to my anger. I talked to the kids a bit and A shared L's latest XB0X controller demolishing story (apparently, Gu!tar Her0 wasn't going well for him). I told my mom later how hearing it made me more sure of my decision to divorce than any decision I've ever made (I'm a terrible waffler).

The people showed up, we chit-chatted a bit, and my sis C and I went home. They're going to have an awful time finding things; this was very much a "Hide-as-much-clutter-in-random-places-as-possible" cleaning job.

My cat Stella's gone.

She was the kitten of my sister's cat Magic, so I've known her since Day 1. I helped with the birthing (well, as much as any untrained person can help in that situation. From what I remember, I think I really just had to wrangle Magic and keep her from having the kittens outside the laundry room). Stella was the one left of the 5 surviving kittens that nobody else adopted. I brought her home to my apt. to keep Quincy company (she was soooo tiny! She could fit into the palm of my hand and used to perch on L's shoulder when he sat on the couch).

She was my Stinker. My Stella Bella. She used to deftly hunt crickets that got into the stairwell, but she was terrified of the outdoors (would stay on my lap when I tried to take her out on the cat leash). She used to fetch a little troll doll, pre-dog (Ginger never really let her). She used to talk to L, if he asked, "Whatchya doing, Stinker?" in just the right voice. Such a Daddy's girl.

I try not to let my cats outside here b/c this is cat #2 I've lost to Old Easton Road. I went to visit family with my mom though, and my dad said we'd left the garage door open and somehow the interior door popped open. He hadn't seen Stella since then, but I had hope she was hiding somewhere nearby since she never went for an open door before and hid from the neighbor's dog for quite a while in the garage the one time she'd ventured out. But I found her just across the street from our yard tonight. Stupid a--hole speeders on this road.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=6088293

This is literally a few roads away from where I lived a few months ago; part of the same apt. complex where they're trying to justify $1000 1-bedrooms now. I always felt safe in that area, but then again I had no idea there were squatters and would occasionally get a little spooked on walks with Ginger when you got to the outskirts of the complex and were bordered by woods and highways.

I have an appt. for a consultation with a lawyer next week. And so it begins. I just hope they don't charge me if it turns out I'm looking into divorce proceedings in the wrong state. Their fee for mediation was really reasonable, but they also bill both you and your spouse and I'm relatively certain L would not be helpful in that department. The consultation fee is comparable to another lawyer I checked with; I just am sweating what the end cost will be.

Just an extension of a previous rant. Feel free to skip.

L got paid this week and I was overjoyed to see there was enough for me to take the agreed-upon amount and for him to have more than enough to live on for two weeks, if he stuck to budget and didn't buy anything big. I transferred out the amount immediately and called him this morning so he wouldn't panic that his company stiffed him when he checked his MAC balance.

Child support hasn't caught up yet, but I knew that. He usually ignores the notices to remit payment in the interm but of course NOW he decides he needs to send a check to FL. Nevermind the fact that it will cut the amount I need from him in half. Nevermind the fact that he shouldn't have to pay it at all but he's never gone to court to modify the order.

He had the nerve to say we wouldn't be so bad off &-wise if I hadn't moved out. WTF? No, actually the problem is that we moved into a place we can't afford b/c he said he'd get a 2nd job and then didn't. The problem is that he just switched jobs, lost his medical insurance, and is not getting as much as he was (though he claims he eventually will).

So, one big long "grrrrrr..." I just filled out the forms to drop A from my med insurance. Her mom works now and is covering L Jr.; she can take care of her own kids. That's yet another thing that a support modification would have given us credit for had L ever taken care of it. At this point in the school year, she should only need to go to the dr. in an emergency, and her mom's insurance should cover such a thing out-of-state. Next is cable, phone, and internet. Not even out of spite, but if I have to save $ somewhere it'll have to be there.

...and there's no arguing with it. I think I slept about 30 hours collectively just Monday-Tuesday, and that only ever happens every couple of years when I get some variety of flu bug.

I woke up Monday at 2:30 am with the worst heartburn ever. I took the dog out, and by the time we came back in I wanted to die. I spent the next 3 hours curled up in the bathroom, fighting back heaves (sorry, TMI) :o I'm a huge emetophobe who hasn't puked in about 20 years so it was a very panic-inducing morning for me. Ginger was very good company and was curled up next to me until I felt OK enough to leave the bathroom, but it still meant a day and a half of chills, aches, and fever. I didn't really attempt eating anything until Tuesday and called out both days. I felt like someone kicked me in the ribs and back. Fuuunnn...

Yay for Thursdays and no more aches at least. I don't know if my stomach has quite worked itself out yet b/c I've been heartburny all week. /end gross story

I'm totally looking forward to the new NBC shows tonight. The highlight of my week.

I'll figure something out.... I'll figure something out...

Totally freaking out about $ today.

L's last paycheck was tiny; I'm guessing b/c he quit so they docked him his car allowance. I couldn't even take the amount I said I would. He's STILL not sure when he gets paid at the new job.

I'll be the one actually doing the legwork. I just ask that he provides me with a set amount each paycheck via money order so I can delegate it to the landlady, car loan, and car insurance. He agreed, but he's since decided to get obnoxious about it.

I figured out a budget for both of us. I told him, "You have X amount. If you spend Y on groceries and Z on gas, you should be able to pay your c.c. and phone." He spent it all already, and that was supposed to last two weeks. Apparently, he needs a "learning curve" to budget. He tells me he needs help b/c he can't afford the rent all by his lonesome.

I'm so screwed. I'm already paying all the utilities and for my credit cards (I'm estimating there's about $5-6,000 in c.c. debt on my cards that is actually his), amongst other things. I guess I'll have to play this month by ear and if he continues to be an arse he can say goodbye to electric, TV, phone, internet, and A's med coverage. That'll help a bit if I have to pay the rent too, but not enough.

OK, getting it out makes me feel better. And the fact I'll be half-way towards the rent payment if I cancel all that other sh*t.