When you're runnin' for home and ya feel somethin' foam...

Owie. I am on the period from hell. I don't think I've had cramps this bad...ever. I was headed for a fun weekend, but we only got to do about half of what we wanted to 'cause I was sick. It started last Wednesday afternoon...I was just feeling a bit queasy and "off". My lower intestines felt like a brick had settled in and wasn't gonna leave. By Friday I felt really crappy, but had to go to work 'cause the boss was still outta town. I worked all day feeling achy and bloated. I went home a little early 'cause I was pulsating hot and bloated. Took my temp and I had a slight fever so I stayed in bed 'til Saturday morning. Well, tried to stay in bed when I wasn't up trying to poop. It's the most aweful feeling when you feel like you're gonna spackle the bowl but only a little diarreah dribbles out. Yea, I tol' ya this was gross. I woke up Saturday feeling a bit better, but still diarreah-y.

So here's the really gross part...which will probably guarantee no one reads this blog ever again...but uh... You know when ya have diarreah and ya really shouldn't fart? Well... I thought I was done. I was standing naked in front of the bathroom mirror, brushing my teeth after the poop and a shower. Felt a little gasser comin' on. Bent slightly to let 'er pass. Well, she sure did...all over the cabinets and floor. Yea. Never seen the hubby run so fast in my life. And it's so fun to clean up. Especially with two cats so anxious to check it out. I'm really surprised I didn't puke... It was awful. I must have sprayed more bleach and chemicals all over the sink, the cabinets, the floor...then I used half a roll of paper towels gettin' the shit up. Ugh... I'm not sure which was worse, the time I sat on the toilet and puked all over the floor in front of me (I was holding out my hand to "catch" it at first but it just kept going and going) or this. I dunno...shit or puke? Hmmm...

We only really managed to go see a movie on Saturday. Went to see the 1R0n MaN. It was good, first good movie I've seen in the theater in a long time. By the way, I hate the theater even more than I did before. We got it all, cell phones ringing, babies crying, freezing our asses off toward the middle of the movie and mister ants in his pants kicking my chair. Ah yes. And the comments. OH the comments. *sigh* All that PLUS ten thousand commercials and previews before the main feature. Yay! We pay through the nose for more advertisements! Wow! It's another fucking new car that looks like all the rest of the shiny bubbles on the road! Oh look! ANOTHER new cell phone! *SIGH*

Sunday was spent either in bed or on the couch trying to recover from whatever the fuck this is because I have a crazy busy week coming up. Boss is back tomorrow, which likely means running all over the place. Ow. I feel so bloated right now it's insane. I really need to go take something because I think I'm gonna explode again. I really want to feel better. Please go away, oh nasty stomach bug and period cramps. Please?

Okay, time to finish up here...I have to stay a little late 'cause I went home early. Peace, love and poop.

It's a good thing...

I took a picture of my tat when I first got it 'cause right now it resembles a slab of burnt bacon on my ankle. EWWW! The damn thing got a little infected, I think, as it's taking FORfuckingEVER to heal. I think I may have washed it a little too much for too long, so now I'm leaving it alone. I also kept putting lotion on it...bad bad. Shit, you'd think I'd know, I have FOUR of the damn things! But it's finally starting to feel better. It had started being very swollen, sore and oozy on Friday and continued through the weekend. I considered going to the doctor and possibly getting on antiboitics, but the pain has subsided. Hell, I don't have a fever, there are no red lines radiating from it (a REALLY bad sign...I think it's blood poisoning by then) and the swelling has gone WAY down. I ain't no pussy! I kin handle a lil' TATTOO! No, really...it's fine. Just a little...uh...crusty and lumpy right now. Yum. Betcha just wanna poke it, huh.

Anyway, life continues. Things are good. I'm getting my yearly raise soon. No, not THIS paycheck, NEXT paycheck. Ugh. I just paid hella taxes and I NEED MUNNY. Man, I learned my lesson with taxes this year. Next year, things'er gonna be different. I also have to get my car brakes done, haven't had them done in about 7 or 8 years! They're finally getting very squeaky on me. Well, the raise is good this year anyway so when it comes it'll be lovely. Yay!

In saltwater aquarium news, my one and only surviving fish is now disease free. He's swimming around happily and eating well. This is very good, being that the tank has been running for 8 weeks as of tomorrow. Slowly but surely I will begin to add stock. I think Fred the penis snail has died, so I really want to get another one. Damn it, the treatment must've gotten 'im. It was an organic solution so it wouldn't do too much damage, but still, a week of putting that stuff in the tank had to have some ill effects. I guess. *sigh* I've learned though, that it's best to quarantine new fishies before I put them in the main tank. I'm not sure how I'm going to do this, as I have NO room for another tank, no matter how small. I guess I can kinda quarantine it at the store. I'm pretty sure they'll let me. I'll just ask when they brought in the fish I'm interested in, put a deposit on it and see that it's healthy in their tank in the coming weeks. Hmmm, I guess we'll see...

I'm looking very forward to this weekend, we're gonna have a blast! Ron has a whole day planned on Saturday...breakfast, a movie and a visit to a museum exhibit of some sort. He says it's a surprise. AWWWW! Innn' eee KEWT?! I've been enjoying my husband SO MUCH lately! We've been getting along wonderfully, due to compromise on both our parts. I have been trying my best to keep myself occupied during the week so that I don't get all depressed that he's not around and take it out on him when I talk to him on the phone. Then when the weekend comes around we just enjoy each others company and relax 'cause we work so hard during the week. I've been trying to stop worrying so much about cleaning the house so much and relax. I do little things here and there during the week, while Ron is at work...like laundry, vacuuming and dusting. Ron has gotten so much better at cleaning up after himself, too. And if he doesn't, it's not a big deal. Life continues, even when there is a dirty ashtray on the coffee table.

Well, it's almost time for our weekly lunch outting. We've been going to lunch every Wednesday or Thursday for a couple of months now and it's working out great. I'm gonna go finish up so's I can be ready. Later!

Anniversary Tattoo

Remember this little drawing from my invitations?



I told myself I'd get it put on me as soon as we hit our year anniversary and yesterday was the day.



In' it beautiful? I put it on the inside of my right leg...just opposite of my other favorite tat...the one I now call, "No it's not Nemo, it's his brother Nomo".



I went to the same artist who worked on the little dude above and did my back tattoo about ten years ago. He had even taken a few years off and just started doing tattoos again. He's been doing it for over 20 years and does abosolutely amazing work. I'm so glad I was able to have him do this one for me, it turned out exactly the way I wanted it to. I had colored the above picture with colored pencils and he followed it to the last detail! And I love the meaning behind it... It's modeled after my two wonderful pet lovebirds and my wedding anniversary. Awww! Goodie goodie. Now I can go on with my life. Later!

Happy 1st Anniversary to Us!

We made it. I can't believe it's been a year already. Of course it hasn't been without it's struggles, but it's been happy. Nothing that is worth anything is ever easy. I'm looking forward to many, many more years together.




For the first time in my life I got flowers delivered to me at WORK! Aren't they lovely? Welp, it's one year down, several more to go...May our love be strong enough to carry us through the many trials and tribulations of life. May we continue to grow and prosper together. Our lives will be blessed, our friendship and love will endure. Happy first Anniversary, Ronnie, I love you more than ever...

Oh, just fine...

Working working working and more working. I really need a vacation. This week has been insane. I've got so many things going on...but they're all good! The children's book is coming along nicely. Just a couple more drawings to do. Today I have to write up a short biography. We want to have everything done and submitted by the end of May. It's gonna happen!

I'm sure things will slow down a little toward summer. Just gotta get through the upcoming catalog meeting. That's what's making work crazy. I have to work on our product catalog pages so that we can submit them to our dealers at the upcoming Chicago meeting in May. I'm excited because I'm gonna stay an extra day to check out the city. It should be coOoOol.

Oh yes, and how can I forget the tank?! It's coming along swimmingly! I added the first two fish last week. Check it out...



A lovely bright yellow tang and a cute highfin cardinal fishie. Awwww... As of today I'm treating Mr. Tang for Ich. Short for ichamoloiousness. I don't know what the long version of it is, all I know is that it's UGLY. GO AWAY ugly little parasites! GO!

Then we have Fred...



I always have to have some sorta Fred in my tank. I just love that name for fishies. The last Fred was an old tomato clown someone gave me when they took down their salt tank. That was actually a Fredrica, I believe, as that fish was big! In fish world, it's usually the females are the bigger, fatter ones. Not to mention she was OLD. She lived to be about 7 'cause she was 5 when I got her and I think I had her two more years after that... Anyway, I like my new Fred. He's wierd. He crawls around pretty fast when he's out, then he buries himself in the sand and sticks up that little fallic looking tube... It's darling.

'Kay, it's taken me two hours to write this so I'd better go and concentrate on my damn work again. Bye bye.

Letter of the week

This woman wrote a great letter to the editor of a certain local newspaper that should have been published; but, of course wasn't, because it's a bit...shall I say, confrontational? As a decendant of two of the most common old time immigrants...the Italians and the Irish...I have to say that I agree with this letter. I have nothing against other cultures, until they refuse to acknowlege and respect the place that has made their lives and the lives of their children so much better. To them I say, you don't like it here? Go back!

From: 'David LaBonte' My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to 'print' it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so inclined.

Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange County Register:
Dear Editor: So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry.

Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented . Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground.

They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home. They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity.

Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany, Italy, France and Japan. None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan . They were defending the United States of America as one people.

When we liberated France, no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German-American or the Irish-American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.

And here we are in 2008 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges, only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags. And for that suggestion about taking down the Stat ue of Liberty, it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.

(signed) Rosemary LaBonte

It's that busy time again

So it's been like this... I'll think of something and be all, "I should blog about this..." and then I forget because I'm so dog dern busy! It's that time of year again at work. Pricing changes, product changes, lots of orders... It's good for business but shitty for me. I'M TIRED. I'm tired of working. Can I retire now? HAH!

Nothing is going on, other than the fish tank, the book drawings, work, working out, cleaning up immense quantities of cat hair and feathers (sometimes intertwined into colorful tumbleweeds), laundry, dishes, poop... It never ends. By the time I get home most nights, all I wanna do is vegify. Last week was so crazy that I spent this weekend doing nothing. Ron and I were entangled in bed for most of yesterday. And Saturday we managed to run a couple of errands before we sat down for some movies. But before we sat down I had to freak out about all the work that needs to be done around the house. Man, it's sure hard to make a living when you're lazy.

Boring, I know. I have to make time to do all of this crap I used to spend my work days doing... I have to work at work. All day. And then work out. Speaking of which, I want to get to tonight before it gets dark. For a change. Then I hafta go home and possibly do the laundry I avoided this weekend. Possibly. If I don't just fuck it again. I don't know. I probably will.

And we're coming up on our anniversary already. Where in the hell did that year go?! It was a tough one, but we made it. Things are going very well between us lately. There was a time a little while ago where we did NOTHNG but BICKER! Such is marriage, ups and downs. We're happy though. Really we are. We just need to keep ploddin' along.

Awright, I really have to wrap up and get outta here. I don't wanna look at a 'puter screen for at least 15 hours. Later.

The Mice are playing!

Welp, the boss is gone for a month, it's Friday and my new office mate happens to love birds. So...guess who came to work with me today!





Lil' TOOOOBE-EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! Poopsies. I have a great little carrier for my birdies and he hadn't been out with me in a while so I decided to give him an outing today. He loves car rides, especially since I always play loud music. Birdies LOVE loud music! He was talking and singing the whole way here. He was a little nervous once we got to the office at first, but settled in fine. He's spent most of the day either on my shoulder or in the Ficus tree next to my desk. He's there right now, all fluffed up and ready for a nap.

After work we're gonna go to a local bird store coworker told me about. Apparently there's one around here that I DON'T know about, imagine that! So we're gonna check it out 'cause she wants another bird. He husband made her get rid of her cockatiel (ugh, no MAN could EVER make me do that!) because he was too loud, among other things. Now that she's met my little, tiny, barely audible Toby parrotlet, she wants one! We're gonna go check things out today. Not gonna rush into anything, of course. I've been giving her tips, as she seemed to have spoiled her cockatiel a bit, which helped make him all the more annoying to her husband. But no one wants a bird on the floor, chasing them and nipping at their toes. Just like children, I told her, birds need discipline and routine.

Anyway, time to wrap things up. Happy weekend!

Would you like onions on that?

Happy Monday. I was listening to my old Bloodhound Gang CD this weekend. The album is about ten years old and is called "One fierce beer coaster". Some of my favorite lyrics include:

~"Life's short and hard like a body building elf, so save the planet and kill yourself. If you're feelin' down and out with what your life is all about, raise your head up high and blow your brains out!"

~"An' I don't givva damn if ya don't like me 'cause I don't like you 'cause you're not like me!"

~"GET UP! YOU'RE ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL!"

~"Why's everybody always pickin' on me? 'Cause you run like a girl and you sit down to pee..."

Yes. Classic. And now, more pictures of the tank. I added more rocks on Friday.











Man, I need a better camera. There are so many tiny things and it's hard to get them. I've noticed three more clams and a brittle star. It's looking so wonderful, I wish I could shrink myself and go diving in it. I know, just wait'll I have fish and inverts! It's gonna be so worth the wait.

Yes, it was a good weekend. I had a nice Easter Sunday with my family. We had to drive very far, but it was worth it. It made me so happy to see Ron enjoying my family. He talked and talked to my brother and dad... Then he said he had a great time at least twelve times on the long, trafficky drive home. I had so much fun, too, as I hadn't been out to see my brother and sister-in-law in SO LONG. Not to mention the kiddies. They're 15 and 17 now. Damn...

Anyway, that's it for now. Back to work.

Kinda okay

That's how I've been feeling this whole week. Let's see what's knocking around in the rooms of my mind, shall we?

1. I'm happy that Ron has been home nights again this week, due to the fact that the school he's working at is on Spring Break. But I'm dreading him going back to nights again next week and am trying not to let my mood go sour over it because it will just cause a fight because I know he prefers the night schedule.

2. The whole concept of Spring Break...I miss it so. I miss vacation days. I haven't been able to take any since my honeymoon. Call me spoiled, but I get two weeks of paid vacay a year and I like to use them one week at a time...one in the winter and one in the summer...or I'd like to break up one of the weeks and take some vacation days individually. I haven't been able to do either yet this year because my boss is always traveling, moving, gone and busy while I hold down the fort here. When she *is* here, it's work work work work stay late, earn your raise, guilt guilt, earn your benefits, blah blah. I think I'm feeling generally burnt on work again lately anyway. But I'm lazy and wish I could just stay home and take care of six thousand pets.

3. The economy sucks, our president is a shithead and the world is continuing to go to selfish hell...which brings me to...

4. People are entirely too selfish and wrapped up in themselves, their accomplishments, their stuff, their money, their cars, their children, their UTTER EXISTENCE. It's like, news flash, we're no longer special as individuals. There are at least 200,000 other people out there like me or you or whoever. We're nothing but fucking cockroaches. And yo, it's been done before. I know...I'm too obsessed with this...

5. I can't get this fear of having children out of my head. Back and forth up and down. I know I'd be a good mom, I'm not worried about that...it's just this total lack of desire. I think it has a lot to do with all the ups and downs my marriage is going through right now. It's been a tough first year, to say the least. We've both got so much on our minds and we've been bickering on and off all year. Yes, our first year anniversary is coming up already. I just couldn't imagine bringing children into my life at any time soon. Especially with Ron on this shitty schedule and all this crap in our apartment. He actually mentioned last week that he'd like to start trying this coming September. I went ahead and made it clear that there was NO WAY IN HELL that was happening. We both have to grow up...I care more about a fish tank and he seems to care more about his bikes...than either of us could muster up for a child. The only thing I'm ready to do by September is get my meds in order. I need switch to something that I'm allowed to take while pregnant. I'm scared to death of switching meds and will definately do it through my doctor, but there is just no way. And I REFUSE to have a child with Ron working nights. I need my husband around for that shit. But for now I'm just dreading having a child...I don't know, I just don't wanna do it. I don't wanna make that sacrifice? Does that make me incredibly selfish or what?

6. I obviously can't concentrate on work again. I don't wanna work. Our prices are rising again, my boss is being NUTS 'cause she's leaving for another month and a half on Monday and I'm tired of this stupid industry.

Okay, that's all for now. I'm making myself depressed again and that just doesn't work. I gotta be happy. I have a lot. But I could lose it all in a second. Is that not the DEFINITION of anxiety? It's wrong. I have to believe in something...myself, faith, whatever. Fuck. I'm gonna drive myself insane. Bye.

Things are coming to life!

Well, gee...no one has commented on my pictures yet. *sniff* I know...just another boring fish tank. *ssssiiiiggghhhh*

Just kidding! Heehee!

Anyway, the tank's been running about a week and I've had a few live rocks in it since Saturday. As of Tuesday, I started to notice things were hap' nin'. There are cute little animals all over the rocks and have started rearing their tiny flagella.

Monday night I slept on the couch in order to avoid Mr. sickie spreadin' his sickies to me. Well I peeked in the tank early Tuesday morning as I headed toward the bathroom and noticed a threadlike thing flowing in the current. A transparent, feathery appendage gracefully dancing in the dim light. I followed it from tip to the tiny pore on the rock it protruded from, which as a total of about 4 or 5 inches. Later that night when I turned on the light (hey, that rhymes! derg) I saw the hairy thing again. As I watched, it reeeeeeeeled itself into the pore on the rock. It was all, *zzzzzzzziiiiiiiiiiiiippp*. Hehehehee! I've also noticed that some of the polyps on one of the rocks are still alive, even ones that I thought were dead are coming back. They have mushroom stems with sunflower looking ends. Man, it's hard to describe...I gotta charge the camera this weekend and take some close ups. Then there are the snails. I saw a different kind of snail last night, besides the black n' white stripies. This one was a little bigger (about the size of a pencil eraser) with a creamy colored shell. It was trying to crawl on the back part of the tank and had left a little zig-zag trail in the sand residue. A little while later, I noticed the snail, its back on the sandy bottom, with its slime trail suspended between it and the wall. A couple of grains of sand were stuck in the slime, blowing in the current. Then I saw a tiny shrimp skeleton blow by. Yes, there are teeeeeeeeeeeeny brown and white shrimp living in the rocks, too.

Good gawd! And this is only like, eight pieces of rock! I still have to add about another 25 pounds of the stuff! These guys get the BEST rock, it's got all this life on it and it's only $2.99 a pound! The rocks I got before had half the life and cost $4 - $5 a pound. I've made myself wait at least a week before I get more rock. So come Saturday, I'm gonna get about another 10 pounds. This time it'll be some from their more expensive selection. They've got some gorgeous purple rocks in the $4 - $5 bin. TONS of purple and green, corraline algea...oh man, I can't WAIT until my whole tank is covered in it!

Okay, I'm getting way too excited over a fish tank. Nuh-uh. It's cool, I have reason to be. I've always wanted to build a reef tank and it's finally coming about. Woopie for me! Now it's that time again. Time to stop babbling on the internet and get back to work. Later!

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere'z fisshiez!

Guess who's home with me?! It's Ronnie poop! He's sick! Yay!



I mean...





The poor dear. I hadda come home an' take carr-uh him. So I'm throwing caution to the wind and risking getting sick to be home widda hubby. It's nice. He's hotter than hell, too. Running a fever of 102 or so. I'm gonna hafta be careful 'cause I can't afford to get sick right now. Eeesh... But it's still so nice to have his sick lil' ass here.



So here it is... My latest project!







Notice the enthralled kitties checking out alla new equipment.







Just started 'er up... Sand detrius is foggin' things.







The first bits of live rock, as you can FINALLY see them crisp and clear. The individual patterns on them are amazing! Even with barely anything on them in terms of visible life, they are beautiful...











It's gonna be so gorgeous!



So I've only had one major plumbing mishap. Seems I forgot to put the final clamp on the hose that returns water to the tank... The little submersible pump is one strong little fucker. I found out just HOW strong as I was trying to place the sump tank in a final position. Ron and Bam were watching t.v. and talking as I fiddled with shit. Next thing ya know...



*FFFFffffffshshshshssssshhhhhssscccchshshchchccccchffffffffsssshhh!!!!!!!*



AAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! UNPLUG UNPLUG UNPLUGGIT UNPLUGGITTT!!!! It'sa geyser in the livingroom!!!! I watched in horror as puddles of water flowed from under the cabinet, all over the carpet. I saw hope in the edges of the spilling water though...as they spread on the carpet, I noticed that the edges had air bubbles under them, that I had few precious seconds to grab towels from the hall closet and sop that shit up before it was absorbed! Low and behold, and to the utter amazement of the men on the couch, I successfully sopped that shit UP! WHOOOOOO!!!!!! *Whew*



Needless to say, I had Ron help me put a clamp on that damn thing right after I cleaned up the saltwatery, itchy mess. Yes, saltwater is itchy on your dry, hairy legs. It's spring now. Time to pull out the razor a little more often than twice a month. Mmmm-hmmm. That's my saltwater tank 'ventures so far. The next installment'll probably be in anther two weeks or so. I hafta take my time 'fore I add to thuh BiOLoAd. Yea, man.



I'munna go rub Ronnie's noe now. Later!

What a difference...

...a competent, calm employee who not only lets you give complete directions, but also LISTENS makes. She also finishes what she starts, follows directions and even has ideas of her own! And what's that? Initiative? Yep, she takes that, too. So far, the new employee is working out much better than the last one. She has a life outside of work like everyone else, but it does not take precedence over the work that needs to be done while she is here. She has a husband and two kids, but we don't have to hear about how much they annoy her all the time. She has the intelligence to understand that the boss is a good person and is the boss for a reason...and she doesn't take things personally. The best thing is that she smiles in the morning and even says, "Good morning". In other words, she is a normal human being, without the intense anxiety issues of the last one. I think we have learned from our mistake and have actually hired someone who values their job.

My boss has seen Mrs. Ex employee at church a few times. At first there were awkward hellos, now she just ignores my boss altogether. Although, the funny thing is that her daughter and husband are still nice and polite, and have continued to nicely greet her. She told me that after yesterdays service the daughter actually ran over and gave my boss a big hug. Yea, ex employee used to tell me all the time that her daughter was "different" and a little on the defiant side. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that her daughter is more like her father. Good for her. I feel sorry for the son. Mom's constant coddling is having an effect on him. He's the "baby" and has a shy personality, so there isn't much hope that he'll keep from becoming a huge, pussy-faced, momma's boy... Gee, how do I know so much about momma's boys, you ask? Well, I happened to date one for many years. UGHGHghghg... Okay, shake it off, shake it off...

I bet that bitch has even badmouthed me, as well as my boss, to everyone she knows. She will probably never acccept the fact that it is SHE who did this to herself. It sucks to have to fire someone...well, at least to good people it does. At the same time, it's very good realize that you can't waste any more time and money on a person. We learned that lesson the hard way, too. The current employee started at a lower rate and is on 90 day probation...then we are going to do an evaluation before we give her any more money. We will gauge her progress until then. We will also give her a chance to tell us how she feels about her job.

In other news, the fish tank is coming along. I will post pictures either tonight or tomorrow. I really want to keep progress pictures going because it's an all natural tank. I want to see the stages...how things grow and change and whatnot. So far I've only got pictures of the set up while empty, which were taken about a week ago. Over the weekend I added water, 35 pounds of live sand and about 10 pounds of live rock. The term "live" is derived from the fact that there are beneficial bacteria living on/in the rocks and sand. Now that I've got the tank running, I have to wait patiently for the next three weeks to a month while the bacteria multiply and get through the "cycling" part of the process. Then I will have a healthy biological filter of bacteria to convert the animal wastes into less harmful compounds (nitrates) that can be diluted every three weeks to a month when I do a partial water change.

Yes.

I am a huge fish geek. And proud of it! Soon I shall have my own little corner of the ocean in my livingroom. mUaHAHAhaHaHaahahaahhh... And how 'bout some irony? I took the freshwater tank down because of snails, right? Well, there I was all excited on Saturday night because there were a couple of snails on the live rocks I'd gotten. But these are cute saltwater snails with black and white striped shells. Plus, they don't multiply at ALL like the freshwater ones do. Yea.

That's all for now. I must get back to work...

But first, here is one of my favorite pictures from an email I received a little while back...



Wow, I know... I've posted a picture of an actual cute KID instead of an animal. It's just that I usually find pictures of pets so much more appealing than those of children...but this one got me, man. Those aren't bandaids! And lookit the liddle one 'round his liddle pee-pee! HAHAHAHAAHAHAA!!!!

Amazing things you can do with a laptop

Wow, I just paid my Sprint bill online, while sitting on the toilet takin' a shit.  Amazing, isn't it?  I love this thing.  

"Snowstorm" in California

Well hey, it's been another week already. Since I don't have much to talk about but the same crap, I think I will share the pictures from our little snowboarding adventure in Big Bear last month. I witnessed my first "snowstorm" on the way home. It was kinda scary...

First we have the beautiful slopes. The storm was below us for much of the day.



Then there are the lovely Big Bear accomodations for you to eat your $35 hamburger at...



Uh oh! Storm's comin' in, we'd better leave now! This was around 2 p.m. We'd been there since 8 a.m. so we wuz DUUnnnn...



Perdy...

*Gasp* It's starting to snow!







Oh dear...





Drive, Ron, DRIVE!





Slushies onna wind-ah...



Slushies onna wind-shiiiieeeellddd...



And then, after an hour and a half of sitting in snow traffic...



LOooooooooooks like we MAAAAAAAAAAADE IIIIIiiiiiiit!! Thanks, Barry. *whew*

And that is all for this entry. Oh wait...I posted this kewt pikkture ov Henry man on shitspace and I forgot to put it here, too.



Just lookidim. He did this all by himself. He also knows how to open the sliding door in the hallway. *sigh* Smart cats are a blessing and a curse.

Let's give it another try...

This is Fred the shrimp. Ethel is on the bottom and not visible in this picture. These are the shrimp that have been living in the little eco-globe I've had on my desk for the past two years. The algea that had clouded the sides for the past 6 months just sloughed off one day a few weeks ago and it's been crystal clear like this ever since. I love my little self-contained eco-globe thingy. Melanie gave it to me for my birthday. Every day I take a little break to watch Fred and Ethel do their little shrimpy thing. They get the food they need from the microbes and bacteria in the saltwater and the little tiny clump of algea. The algea also serves as the generator of their oxygen. Cleaning is done by the beneficial nitrifying bacteria, who convert the wastes given off by shrimp into less harmful chemicals. It's a perfect balance and it's beautiful.

The reason I decided to show off my little globe today? Well, I've decided to try my hand (and brain, and patience, and MONEY) at a saltwater aquarium again. Last time I attempted was five years ago, while I was living with my ex. He bought most of the equipment I needed (and didn't waste a second making me feel guilty about it if he wanted something from me) the last time around, so I didn't really get the right stuff. Plus, I had to leave the whole thing when I left him. This time, I've got a nice set up of my own. Uh, not quite set up though. I had to remove the freshwater set up that was in the tank first. Did that on Sunday and brought my surviving fishies to the store I trust for credit. I decided to do this because my tank has been a death trap since I got a snail break out in it about four months ago. Got this stuff called "Had a snail"... Riiight. It helped kill them, but it didn't get rid of ALL OF THEM. You have to kill every LAST ONE of those fuckers 'cause they're asexual. So they'd slowly start coming back and I'd add some more of the chemical to kill them. Their little shelled corpses slowly collected in my gravel. Corpses plus new, waste producing adults, were making my tanks ammonia levels go through the roof. I was gonna have to take the whole thing down anyway, because of the damn snails and the fact that I was bored with it.

Another deciding factor has to do with my friend, Bam. He's got a couple of nice buddies who opened up an aquarium shop in my area. He's been telling me to check it out for at least six months. I FINALLY made my way there this past weekend and was so glad I did. These people, along with the other fish store I trust, are going to help me a lot this time. I almost had it right the last time, I just wasn't patient enough and had some shitty equipment. This time, I'm going to take my time. I'm going to get the best equipment...I'm going to invest all I can so that I can get the result I want. I'm gonna go for the live corals. But that's probably not gonna happen for at least a year or two. I have to let the tank run empty (with live rock only) for the next four to six months. So this week I'm bleaching my tank. By Friday I should be ready to fill the tank with saltwater and get my equipment running. Then I'll be headed to the shop to start accumulating the 30 pounds of cured live rock I will need as my biological filter. Yea, I'm gonna go all fish nerd. WOO! This is gonna be fun!

I almost forgot!

Here are the latest sketches for the book...





I got together with the writer and colorist a few weeks ago to see how things were going. The colorist brought the drawings she'd finished and they were gorgeous. She's doing a beautiful job and I can't wait to see it all put together!

It's been done

This morning...we canned her. I felt bad, I even cried...but it just had to be done. We would have done it last week, but she was out sick until today. Last Wednesday she said she felt like shit, so I didn't think anything of it because she says she feels like shit every day. Turns out, she actually had the flu! So it gave my boss and I ample time to discuss her dismissal, look for a new person, interview a new person (THIS time it's a referral from a close friend) and train the new person. She'll be coming in a few more times for training and she'll officially start working here in two weeks. Wow. We're sneaky little bitches, aren't we?

Soon-to-be-let-go came in looking all gaunt and exhausted, with the usual scowl on her face. I was cordial, until my boss came in and sat her down for the talk. I felt all sorts of nervous and sad so I made a quick exit to the kitchen to make my coffee. I was still in earshot and heard my boss apologizing and her explaining her situation, through tears. Seems the troubles keeping her from doing her job properly are a little bigger than I thought. You were right, Witty, I don't think she is going to live in that mansion forever. Seems they're going to have to sell. Say it with me now, AAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!! I DO feel bad for them, it must be hard to have to scale down. But it's difficult for me to feel bad for anyone who owns a home in Californa right now. I'm just a little blinded by envy that I know I must get over. For now I'm gonna be a bitch... Awe, you're gonna have to sell and get something smaller, possibly without a yard the size of a baseball field. Boo-fucking-Hoo. Their house is not in forclosure or anything, they're just having a hard time because her husbands business is not doing that well. Not as well as he was doing when he worked for a big company, anyway. He was let go from that job, in the same industry, a few years back and decided to start his own business. Well, times change, businesses change, industries change...it sucks. But life must go on, huh.

I think that she was working just so they could keep up the lifestyle. I mean, you could tell little missy was used to the finer things in life. Well, not as fine as SOME, but... I had been to that giant house and saw that they were want for nothing. Sure, the kids are going to private school, the kids each have their own rooms filled with toys, there is nice furniture and antiques, missy charged lunch on the credit card almost every day, got her nails done...didn't look at all like they were struggling. It's because things have been going downhill for them, as they do for many people. They couldn't afford their lifestyle and keep that house as well. Yea. Boo-fucking-Hoo. It happens to the best of us, eh? Good thing her husband has a good head on his shoulders, right? Yea, count your blessings. We've all got problems. At least I don't have to hear about hers anymore.

Scrunch up yer face...

...and do a lil' dance, shake a lil' turd out the bottom of yer pa-ants!

Such beautiful lyrics, don't you think? Heard that on the radio the other morning and almost swallowed my cigarette. What would we do without artists? It'd be a boring, boring world...

I couldn't FIND him!

Toby flew off my shoulder and into the bedroom. I shooed the cats away and looked for him on the floor, on the window, on the pictures...
"Toby? Where ARE you Toby?! TOBY???!!! Where ARE YOU?
Nothing. No answer. No chirps. No buzzes. No beeps.
Silence...
...
...
...
...
...
OH THERE HE IS!!!


Little turd watched me searching for him for about ten minutes. And no, that's not a giant bag of weed behind him, it's actually a birds nest.
Yea. I had to share. He's such a darling liddle birdie bird.

That, and I had a nice rest of the week. Crazy woman was out sick yesterday and today so we got a much needed break from her incessant screaming. We also got a chance to interview another person for her position. A friend of a cousin... Nice girl, I think we're going to hire her. But first we gotta send missy packing. It's s'posed to go down on Monday. Let's see how it goes... *gulp*

Have a great weekend, ya'll.

A reminder

I found something today that really touched my heart...

I've had this little pink box in the back seat of my car forever, one of the few stragglers from the move. It usually resides in the closet or under the bed and it hasn't quite made it back there. This little box contains a few items from childhood, religious items. Holy cards, a crystal rosary, my very first bible, all from my First Communion when I was 7 years old. These items brought me back...didn't help that I was listening to Sirus and there happened to be a hip hop song playing...Heavy D. and the Boyz...I listened to them when I was 12.

As I sorted through, I came upon some more holy cards...these were different though. These were collected by my paternal grandmother, Antoinette. I miss her so. There were also various medals, Catholic medals of course. And then there were the pictures. Pictures from the 80s. Pictures of my family, my extended family, mama's old friends... And my uncle Alan. A Navy picture, I don't think he was more than 19. My uncle passed away from AIDS in 1991. He's another one I miss so much. Seeing that picture made my heart break and my eyes instantly fill with tears. Then I turned it over and read the prayer:

Who, Me?

I need to be forgiven
So many times a day
So often do I slip and fall
Be Merciful, I pray!
And help me not be Critical
When others faults I see
For so many times, my Lord
The same faults are in me.
Sound familiar? Just read the last entry over. This little discovery fell into place with so many other little things that have been happening for me lately. Good things. Things that have made me think seriously about where my life is going. I think I've hit some sort of milestone or something. It's like, I can see what I need to do...and for once I'm excited! NOT scared! Thank you for the reminder...

So I guess I've resigned myself

To being completely irritated by this woman.  This morning's conversation (whilst I prepared the morning coffee, 'cause she refuses to do so 'cause she doesn't know how 'cause her husband makes such WUNderful coffee in the morning do you think I've started to over use parenthesis?) went as follows:

Her: "I ME I I I I ME ME ME I ME II MEMEMEMEMEME IIIII!!!!!!"

Me: "Oh, really?  That's nice.  Oh, okay.  Hmmm...  Isn't that something..."

Her: "I HAFTA DO THIS AND I HAFTA DO THAT AND WHAT SHOULD I DO ABOUT THIS AND I'M GONNA DO THAT AND I HAFTA AND I NEED TO AND IIIII MEMEMEMEE I ME IIII MEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!"

Me: "Well, could you please..." 

*interruption*  

Still Me: "I NEED STAMPS, GO GET THEM WHEN YOU ARE OUT..." 

*interruption*

 ..."when you are out..." 

*interruption* 

..."WHEN YOU ARE OUT RETURNING THE WRONG INK CARTRIDGE THAT YOU ORDERED (*I'm thinking* AND GOT ALL PISSED OFF ABOUT [for a change] BECAUSE THEY SENT THE WRONG ONE), PLEASE STOP BY THE POST OFFICE AND BUY STAMPS. Thank you."

Her: "Okay...  III MEMEME I ME I ME II MEMEME III ME I ME..."

Me: "I'm gonna go downstairs now and get my shit started..."

Didn't hear her answer.  Had to get the fuck away.  I'll probably find out today about how much longer I have to put up with this shit.

Oh yea, and what did I say the other day?  That Ron and I would probably talk and shit?  Well, we did and it felt good, again.  I can say that we are making progress.  It just takes dedication and work, like anything else of worth.  And time.  And medication.  

YEA MEDS!  YOU ROCK!  I had to go one more evening without them.  I got there too late on Friday.  They close at five.  When I saw that the pharmacy was closed, I started to breathe heavy and felt a panic coming on...  I called Ron and started whining in his ear.  His sober response, though uncomfortable to hear at that particular time, actually helped me to calm down.  Not before I snapped at him, of course.  "Thanks for your wonderful understanding, darling.  Good bye..." It helped me calm down enough to gather my wits. I found some people still there at the front desk downstairs from the pharmacy.  I calmly explained my dilemma and they tried to help me, but everyone had left the pharmacy department for the day.  With that, I thanked them for their help and went foggily on my way. Oh well, I could live through another dizzy evening, I would just spend it in bed.  I drove home, focusing all of my energy (or as much as I could, anyway) on being calm.

Saturday morning I got my pills, downed a couple and waited for the dizzy, irritable, confused fog in my head to go away.  I tried to avoid fighting with Ron at that time, but it was inevitable.  We fought, but I feel like we gained something.  Because when we'd calmed down and discussed, he said some things that made a lot of sense.  Ah, but saying is one thing and doing is another.  That's where consistency comes in.  I have to be consistent, both in seeing that he respects my wishes AND seeing that I respect his.  Well, the ones that make sense to me, anyway.  HAHAHAHA!  

Okay, I must get on with my day.  I needed to get this out before I got to working.  On to another day of my phone ringing and hearing, "I JUST WANTED TO CHECK WITH YOU, TO MAKE SURE I WAS DOING THE RIGHT THING, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE I DON'T WANT TO FUCK ANYTHING UP, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE THAT WOULD BE TERRIBLE.  YOU KNOW I ALWAYS WANT TO CHECK WITH YOU..."  Even though I've told her no less than five thousand times how to do almost every task she's asked me about.  For the love of God, the universe and all that is beautiful and sacred, please give me the strength to be patient with this bitch *cough* nice person.

The End.