This makes me feel ill... seriously. So, here is enough money to give every American citizen $30,000, and the Inspector General of the Federal Reserve has no idea what is being done with the money that is supposed to be used for a bail-out.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Raleigh Museum of Natural Sciences
On Father's Day we took Javon to the Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. It was our first trip to Raleigh and I have to say, I was really impressed. First of all, I-40 has the most beautiful rest stops ever. They were equipped with very clean bathrooms, travel information centers, picnic benches, vending machines, and beautiful flower beds. The first one we stopped at was so gorgeous, that I had to take a picture of my mom and Javon stopping to admire the flowers.
It was a pretty relaxing drive home. Russell crashed (as you can see in the background of the picture below) and Javon stole my Gucci knock-off sunglasses so he could strike a pose.
I also managed to take a mug shot photo of my step dad, Joe:
And I even got one with Russell doing a great police officer impersonation (though he didn't know it at the time hehe):
The museum was amazing... and how lucky are we? They had an exhibit on CHOCOLATE. While we were there, we bought a bar of authentic dark chocolate laced (yes, "laced") with pieces of some type of chili pepper. It was pretty spicy, but the effect of the spiciness combined with the semi-bitter / semi-sweetness of the chocolate was really interesting. We also bought a bar of dark chocolate with organic banana bits in it. I'm a total banana-head, I loooove bananas, so obviously this was a real treat for me.
I think Javon's favorite part was the massive amount of dinosaur skeletons. He mentioned *maybe* wanting to be a paleontologist when he grows up. I was able to get a few good shots of him with us around the dinosaur exhibits:
I got to hang out with natives made of plastic... that's always a plus, right?
It was a pretty relaxing drive home. Russell crashed (as you can see in the background of the picture below) and Javon stole my Gucci knock-off sunglasses so he could strike a pose.
I'm really glad we got to make the trip. We're dreading the day when Javon has to go back down to Florida, so it's been fun soaking up every free minute we have with him.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Ode to my aminals (misspelling intentional lol)!
I managed to get some "ok" pictures of all our animals. They are pretty hard to photograph. For one thing, I have a shitty little digital camera from Walgreens that cost us under $100. I feel bad calling it that, because it was a birthday present from Russell, and we were broke so it was the best we could do, but he's agreed that the quality is pretty poor, so I don't feel too bad stating it. It's also difficult to get the little buggers to stay still and look at us for a prolonged period of time. Their attention spans... well, let's just say it isn't easy. :P
I'll start with Ziggy. His full name is Danzig Gizmo (I'm leaving out the last name so I don't get potential internet stalkers). We call him Boo Boo for some reason, which is ok because he seems to like it. He's pretty aggressive, but only towards his squeaky toys, and occassionally towards his sister when she sticks her butt in his face, which she does a lot. It's actually quite comical. I *love* this picture. It captures his wonky eyes and adorable little hedgehog face perfectly.
We also have Ziggy's little sister, Maya. A lot of people ask us if they are really related, and yes, actually they are :). Maya has the same mom (different dad) than Ziggy. She is the most affectionate dog ever. She'll sit on my lap for HOURS. She's also got a one track mind and if you touch her, she rolls over immediately to get her belly rubbed. We're working on getting her a bit more socialized though, as she thinks that the front yard is her kingdom and anyone who enters our area of the cul-de-sac is some sort of threat to mainland security. I got a few good pictures of her... she's a little easier to photograph than Ziggy.
Last (but certainly not least) is our cat, Satan... I mean Mystic. I know good parents aren't supposed to pick favorites, but I really feel a deep connection to our cat. It probably stems from me always being more of a cat person than a dog person. Mystic and I are partners in crime and we like to scare the shit out of daddy on a regular basis :P. Mystic's nickname is "Fuffoonutoo," which is a variation on the name "Flufanella," the cat from FraggleRock. He's spoiled rotten, evil, spastic, and I love him to death.
Luckily, Ziggy, Maya, and Mystic get along really well... in fact, Maya is obsessed with Mystic, she won't leave him alone. The only issue with them getting along so well, is that I swear they occassionally come up with devious plans to get in trouble. Oh well, no matter how much mischief they get into, I can't help loving them!
I'll start with Ziggy. His full name is Danzig Gizmo (I'm leaving out the last name so I don't get potential internet stalkers). We call him Boo Boo for some reason, which is ok because he seems to like it. He's pretty aggressive, but only towards his squeaky toys, and occassionally towards his sister when she sticks her butt in his face, which she does a lot. It's actually quite comical. I *love* this picture. It captures his wonky eyes and adorable little hedgehog face perfectly.
We also have Ziggy's little sister, Maya. A lot of people ask us if they are really related, and yes, actually they are :). Maya has the same mom (different dad) than Ziggy. She is the most affectionate dog ever. She'll sit on my lap for HOURS. She's also got a one track mind and if you touch her, she rolls over immediately to get her belly rubbed. We're working on getting her a bit more socialized though, as she thinks that the front yard is her kingdom and anyone who enters our area of the cul-de-sac is some sort of threat to mainland security. I got a few good pictures of her... she's a little easier to photograph than Ziggy.
As you can see from the torn green rug in the background, we are also trying to get her to stop chewing on things. We've tried bitter spray and that doesn't seem to be working. I secretly dislike this rug anyways (Russell got it for free from his work), so I don't complain too much about it. I figure, it's better that she's chewing on the rug than the furniture... and it gives me an excuse to throw it out eventually... she's still not quite out of her puppy phase yet, so hopefully when she's done "growing" she'll stop chewing. If not, we'll have to look into getting her a crate, which I really would prefer not to have to do, unless it's absolutely required.
I like this picture of her a lot better, she seems to be more in her element when she's outside :)
Last (but certainly not least) is our cat, Satan... I mean Mystic. I know good parents aren't supposed to pick favorites, but I really feel a deep connection to our cat. It probably stems from me always being more of a cat person than a dog person. Mystic and I are partners in crime and we like to scare the shit out of daddy on a regular basis :P. Mystic's nickname is "Fuffoonutoo," which is a variation on the name "Flufanella," the cat from FraggleRock. He's spoiled rotten, evil, spastic, and I love him to death.
I love the picture of him by the window... I think it'd make an awesome Halloween card :P
Luckily, Ziggy, Maya, and Mystic get along really well... in fact, Maya is obsessed with Mystic, she won't leave him alone. The only issue with them getting along so well, is that I swear they occassionally come up with devious plans to get in trouble. Oh well, no matter how much mischief they get into, I can't help loving them!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Oh yeah, and by the way...
Since my body treated me to a period...
I TREATED MY BODY TO SOME FREAKIN' CHOCOLATE!!!!! Yeah, baby!! :P
Monday, June 22, 2009
My hormonies are focaccia'd... in a good way! :)
That's right, I said "hormonies," a'la My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and I use bread to describe things that are off kilter. What can I say? I'm special.
This weekend (the entire last week would probably be a more accurate time frame) has been an emotional roller coaster for Russell, my immediate family, and I.
Since I have both bad and good news, I will start with the bad news first.
I guess a brief history of all concerned is a good idea.
My step sister, Melissa, got pregnant about 8 years ago when she was 18. Her boyfriend, Shawn, was actually very nice, and they'd been together for a while, so it wasn't a bad thing... unexpected, but certainly not bad. Melissa and Shawn named their son Javon.
When Javon was only a year old, Shawn died of an accidental overdose. It was terrible, tragic, and we all mourned for him.
Fast forward to about 5 years ago, my step sister moves in with Drew, her boyfriend, and she gets pregnant again. None of us (that includes me, Russell, Joe my step dad, my mother, Javon, and pretty much everyone else) like Drew at all. In fact, I think it'd be safe to say that we genuinely HATE him. Drew is abusive, he drinks way too much, he treats Melissa like shit, and he doesn't care about Javon at all.
Melissa stayed with Drew until about a year ago, when he ended up breaking her clavicle bone and sending her to the hospital. He moved out and went back down to South Florida and Melissa stayed up here.
Well, my mom and Joe got a call from Brian (Melissa's step dad) on Wednesday asking if they were going to do anything with Melissa before she left for Florida on Sunday. Needless to say, my mom and Joe were totally shocked. Apparently, Melissa was going to move back down to Florida to be with Drew on Father's Day... and she wasn't even going to tell any of us about it. Of course, we are all livid, but more for Javon than for her. We've already accepted that she is going to make this incredibly stupid move and that she's not going to listen to any of us. Mom and Joe even offered to let her live downstairs in their spare living quarters RENT FREE until she got her stuff together, in case this idiotic move was because she was financially strained. But, she said no. Basically, she feels that Drew has changed (she's been talking to him for the last 6 months, which none of us were aware of) and now she wants to go be with him again. Her exact words, I believe, were: "He's been going to church... he's changed."
I'm not against religion in any way shape or form, but I think that is totally bullshit. A lot of times, people who claim to have changed from raging alcoholics and abusive spouses by the powers of religion are ok for a while. But all it takes is one little thing, one tiny seemingly insignificant problem, and they crack... and then it's even WORSE than before. It's like all the rage they've been supressing under the surface for the last few years comes erupting out of them like Mt. Vesuvius and then they're even more dangerous than they were before. I'm really scared he's going to kill her eventually.
The thing that bothers me the most about this though, is that Javon hates Drew. And Drew is a complete moron. I love Javon very much... Russell and I are very close to him and could only love him more if he were our own child (and even then, it's up for debate). This kid is BRILLIANT. A good example of his intelligence would be when we took him to the Museum of Natural Sciences and we were looking at butterflies that were in a clear case, getting ready to come out of their chrysalis. I said "Javon, check out those butterflies coming out of the cocoons! How cool is that?" And he said "You're thinking of moths... butterflies come out of the chrysalis!" My mouth dropped. He's only 7... the kid is freaking brilliant.
We're scared that Javon isn't going to have anyone around to stimulate his brain. He usually hangs out with my mother and she takes him to the library to get him books and we take him to museums and other places that we think will enhance his learning, but down in Florida he won't have any of us. And Drew is a terrible influence.
On the positive side, my mom and Joe convinced Melissa to allow Javon to stay with them for the next 3 weeks. So, we get to spend some time with him, and we're going to soak up every possible minute. We took him to the museum in Raleigh on Father's Day. We took a few pictures and I've been trying to get them up on my blog, but I've lost the stupid USB cable for the digital camera :(. As soon as I find it, I can post those pictures, plus a bunch of pictures of my animals because they're cute... and seriously, who doesn't enjoy pictures of cute animals?
On to the good news...
I finally got my period after SIX MONTHS of wondering when it was going to show its ugly face again. I've never been so happy to see something gross! I'm hoping that I never have to go through another 6 months hiatus again. I've had 2, 3, and sometimes 4 month spans, but I honestly don't think I've ever skipped 6 months before. So, this is a major plus. If I can get on some sort of schedule (ha! good luck with that one, right?), than it will be a lot easier for me to track things for the behbeh makin'!
This weekend (the entire last week would probably be a more accurate time frame) has been an emotional roller coaster for Russell, my immediate family, and I.
Since I have both bad and good news, I will start with the bad news first.
I guess a brief history of all concerned is a good idea.
My step sister, Melissa, got pregnant about 8 years ago when she was 18. Her boyfriend, Shawn, was actually very nice, and they'd been together for a while, so it wasn't a bad thing... unexpected, but certainly not bad. Melissa and Shawn named their son Javon.
When Javon was only a year old, Shawn died of an accidental overdose. It was terrible, tragic, and we all mourned for him.
Fast forward to about 5 years ago, my step sister moves in with Drew, her boyfriend, and she gets pregnant again. None of us (that includes me, Russell, Joe my step dad, my mother, Javon, and pretty much everyone else) like Drew at all. In fact, I think it'd be safe to say that we genuinely HATE him. Drew is abusive, he drinks way too much, he treats Melissa like shit, and he doesn't care about Javon at all.
Melissa stayed with Drew until about a year ago, when he ended up breaking her clavicle bone and sending her to the hospital. He moved out and went back down to South Florida and Melissa stayed up here.
Well, my mom and Joe got a call from Brian (Melissa's step dad) on Wednesday asking if they were going to do anything with Melissa before she left for Florida on Sunday. Needless to say, my mom and Joe were totally shocked. Apparently, Melissa was going to move back down to Florida to be with Drew on Father's Day... and she wasn't even going to tell any of us about it. Of course, we are all livid, but more for Javon than for her. We've already accepted that she is going to make this incredibly stupid move and that she's not going to listen to any of us. Mom and Joe even offered to let her live downstairs in their spare living quarters RENT FREE until she got her stuff together, in case this idiotic move was because she was financially strained. But, she said no. Basically, she feels that Drew has changed (she's been talking to him for the last 6 months, which none of us were aware of) and now she wants to go be with him again. Her exact words, I believe, were: "He's been going to church... he's changed."
I'm not against religion in any way shape or form, but I think that is totally bullshit. A lot of times, people who claim to have changed from raging alcoholics and abusive spouses by the powers of religion are ok for a while. But all it takes is one little thing, one tiny seemingly insignificant problem, and they crack... and then it's even WORSE than before. It's like all the rage they've been supressing under the surface for the last few years comes erupting out of them like Mt. Vesuvius and then they're even more dangerous than they were before. I'm really scared he's going to kill her eventually.
The thing that bothers me the most about this though, is that Javon hates Drew. And Drew is a complete moron. I love Javon very much... Russell and I are very close to him and could only love him more if he were our own child (and even then, it's up for debate). This kid is BRILLIANT. A good example of his intelligence would be when we took him to the Museum of Natural Sciences and we were looking at butterflies that were in a clear case, getting ready to come out of their chrysalis. I said "Javon, check out those butterflies coming out of the cocoons! How cool is that?" And he said "You're thinking of moths... butterflies come out of the chrysalis!" My mouth dropped. He's only 7... the kid is freaking brilliant.
We're scared that Javon isn't going to have anyone around to stimulate his brain. He usually hangs out with my mother and she takes him to the library to get him books and we take him to museums and other places that we think will enhance his learning, but down in Florida he won't have any of us. And Drew is a terrible influence.
On the positive side, my mom and Joe convinced Melissa to allow Javon to stay with them for the next 3 weeks. So, we get to spend some time with him, and we're going to soak up every possible minute. We took him to the museum in Raleigh on Father's Day. We took a few pictures and I've been trying to get them up on my blog, but I've lost the stupid USB cable for the digital camera :(. As soon as I find it, I can post those pictures, plus a bunch of pictures of my animals because they're cute... and seriously, who doesn't enjoy pictures of cute animals?
On to the good news...
I finally got my period after SIX MONTHS of wondering when it was going to show its ugly face again. I've never been so happy to see something gross! I'm hoping that I never have to go through another 6 months hiatus again. I've had 2, 3, and sometimes 4 month spans, but I honestly don't think I've ever skipped 6 months before. So, this is a major plus. If I can get on some sort of schedule (ha! good luck with that one, right?), than it will be a lot easier for me to track things for the behbeh makin'!
Friday, June 12, 2009
BFN# 5 and more...
BFN.
I'm getting used to those :::::chuckles:::::
Enough negativity though. I noticed that there's enough negative in this blog to kill a freaking pink unicorn, so I'm going to try and be a little more positive.
I've started a 101 in 1001 list and I'm having a lot of fun putting it together! There are so many things that I'm looking forward to doing. Getting to the beach, saving some money, paying down some credit cards, writing a few chapters in what will hopefully be the best book EVER, the book that makes me millions... you know, so Russell and I can move to a remote island, invite all our family and friends, and pretty much rule in our awesomeness until the day we party too hard and die :P. In all seriousness though, I'd love to write a book. I've started many of them, never finished any of them. Oh well, c'est la vie. I'm pretty amazing and starting things and not going through with them.
In other news, our dogs are being so good! I'm seriously amazed. I bought a book on behavior "therapy" and training specifically designed for chihuahuas and it is working really well. The thing that I love the most is that almost everything they're learning is taught through positive reinforcement, which I feel dogs (no matter what breed) always respond to better than negative reinforcement. It is so cute watching them get excited when they know it's bathroom time and time to go outside. They also LOVE getting treats and positive attention when they sit, come, stay, etc. I'm so glad that they've been having less accidents in the house too. That wasn't really a HUGE issue, but it was an occasional problem that is gradually getting better.
I can't wait until they are able to go to the dog park. We've been slowly socializing them with my mom's Boxer, who is just one of the sweetest dogs in the world. He's HUGE, about 97 pounds, and our dogs are only about 12 pounds put together, but King (my mom's Boxer) is really gentle. He never plays too hard and he just sort of romps around the yard with them. It's adorable! They're starting to understand that they don't own the universe (ok, maybe they own MINE lol) and that's a definite plus. We're going to try taking them to PetSmart to see how they handle being around dogs other than King. I'm actually quite excited about this. I love buying them toys and treats. Seriously, we have a HUGE bin of toys that they barely ever use. Yeah, I'm *that* kind of human.
I'm going to try and take some more pictures to post here. If there's one thing I'm really bad at, it's taking pictures. I have barely any pictures of our animals. I'll have to work on that. Maybe one of the 101 things I'll do is to make a pet photo album hehe :).
I'm getting used to those :::::chuckles:::::
Enough negativity though. I noticed that there's enough negative in this blog to kill a freaking pink unicorn, so I'm going to try and be a little more positive.
I've started a 101 in 1001 list and I'm having a lot of fun putting it together! There are so many things that I'm looking forward to doing. Getting to the beach, saving some money, paying down some credit cards, writing a few chapters in what will hopefully be the best book EVER, the book that makes me millions... you know, so Russell and I can move to a remote island, invite all our family and friends, and pretty much rule in our awesomeness until the day we party too hard and die :P. In all seriousness though, I'd love to write a book. I've started many of them, never finished any of them. Oh well, c'est la vie. I'm pretty amazing and starting things and not going through with them.
In other news, our dogs are being so good! I'm seriously amazed. I bought a book on behavior "therapy" and training specifically designed for chihuahuas and it is working really well. The thing that I love the most is that almost everything they're learning is taught through positive reinforcement, which I feel dogs (no matter what breed) always respond to better than negative reinforcement. It is so cute watching them get excited when they know it's bathroom time and time to go outside. They also LOVE getting treats and positive attention when they sit, come, stay, etc. I'm so glad that they've been having less accidents in the house too. That wasn't really a HUGE issue, but it was an occasional problem that is gradually getting better.
I can't wait until they are able to go to the dog park. We've been slowly socializing them with my mom's Boxer, who is just one of the sweetest dogs in the world. He's HUGE, about 97 pounds, and our dogs are only about 12 pounds put together, but King (my mom's Boxer) is really gentle. He never plays too hard and he just sort of romps around the yard with them. It's adorable! They're starting to understand that they don't own the universe (ok, maybe they own MINE lol) and that's a definite plus. We're going to try taking them to PetSmart to see how they handle being around dogs other than King. I'm actually quite excited about this. I love buying them toys and treats. Seriously, we have a HUGE bin of toys that they barely ever use. Yeah, I'm *that* kind of human.
I'm going to try and take some more pictures to post here. If there's one thing I'm really bad at, it's taking pictures. I have barely any pictures of our animals. I'll have to work on that. Maybe one of the 101 things I'll do is to make a pet photo album hehe :).
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