Becoming a simpleton
Simplify, simplify, simplify. Well obviously the new top graphic is temporary, but I decided it was time to weed down that massive side-menu and clean things up around here a bit... So you'll find links to the new blog archive list, about us, and links and blogs pages over to the right (along with a few others). Hope it makes it easier to look around here now!
posted at 10:13 PM | link-

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THANK YOU!
Holly and Jason rule! We just got our very first Monopoly game for helping them with their blog. Thank you so much! You didn't have to do that...but we're so excited you did...
posted at 06:15 PM | link-

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2 hours of our lives...gone
So we had a "date night" and went to see Vanilla Sky. Now let's just get this straight from the beginning, shall we? I don't like Tom Cruise. Todd doesn't like Tom Cruise. I think he's an ass. I think he should rot in hell for what he did to Nicole. I think Stacy has already written the essay I wish I could claim on the subject. That said, I did it all for the nookie. The nookie... Not with Todd sillies. Jason Lee! Until tonight, I was under the impression that no matter how bad the movie.....it couldn't be bad if it had Jason Lee in it. I was wrong. We lost two hours of our lives that we are never, ever getting back. Ironic if you've seen the film, no? I won't really blog about the film, because if you're stupid enough to fork over $7 each for it in the theater like we were, you pretty much deserve what you get. The cliffhanger ending was more like a "please dear lord let the credits roll and put us out of our misery" ending. Jason's acting was great. The few scenes he was in were great. Cameron Diaz had a line guaranteed to make you spew your soda, and Penélope Cruz is so cute you just want to force-feed her Twinkies and Ho-Hos 'til her hips look more like yours do and there's justice in this world. But Tom. Please step aside... Between this and Eyes Wide Shut, you're about a Battlefield Earth away from joining your ol' Scientology buddy Travolta!
posted at 03:13 AM | link-

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Oopsie!
Note to self: If applying for one of the most prestigious college football coaching jobs in the nation, do not pad resumé unless listed sources will cooperate and/or pan out!
posted at 05:33 PM | link-

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Total eclipse of the heart
If you're in the Eastern U.S., the partial eclipse of the sun is going on right now! It's a rare "ringed eclipse".
posted at 05:09 PM | link-

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EGO BABY
I haven't seen this one before...my blog ego...with recommended blogs based on my own.
posted at 04:22 PM | link-

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At the nudie bar
How much do I love my husband? Let me count the ways... I found his favorite " Married with Children" episode! "Who's that riding in the sleigh? Who's that firing along the way? Who's roughing up bums on Christmas day? It's Psycho Dad, Psycho Dad, Psycho Dad..."
posted at 03:28 PM | link-

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Grow up already
Just moved off the front page since it's time to move on.

Yeah, someone really gets a sense of olive branches extended and well-wishes sincerely meant when openly mocked in that person's blog just moments later, don't they? It is any blog author's right to allow whatever they choose -- and don't choose -- in their blog. Just as in life there are certain doors you close, and wouldn't open again -- and certain people you would not open your front door to if they knocked upon it -- so it is here.

Does it make me feel all warm and fuzzy that suddenly people develop a conscience and wish me well as the holidays approach? Yes. It does. I'm human. Does that erase months worth of pain that literally destroyed some of my PREGNANT friends and their close friendships with others in the process. No it does not. If you want to read about my life -- our lives -- fine. Do it. This site isn't passworded and I'm not trying to stop you. Does it mean I'm giving you free reign to fill the lives of those I care about with something I chose to walk away and move on from (although they were not given that same choice)? That would be a resounding HELL NO! Merry frickin' Christmas.
posted at 01:49 PM | link-

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Reality Bites
So did you hear about Winona Ryder getting arrested for shoplifting at Saks? Oops!
posted at 12:45 AM | link-

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Screw the car
Ok, I honestly have no desire to own a Lexus (or the car payment that would go along with it). But I so want one of those reeeeeally big bows on top of the cars in their holiday commercials! I don't know why. I just do.
posted at 11:25 PM | link-

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Things that defeat me
I rarely, if ever, blog about my health. I've learned the hard way in online situations-past that generally when people ask "how are you doing?" they want to hear "fine, fine, just fine..." in return and move on to the more happy, superficial things in life. That's fine by me. I don't need to be told twice. And it's not really fun to talk about anyway. But I just finished filling out a mega-stack of forms and feel very "blah" about life right now.

I receive SSDI based on a list of illnesses so long as to be comical. Just call me the queen of acronyms and move about your day if this sort of thing/talk bores you...

I have: Lyme Disease and/or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS has yet to be completely ruled out after over 10 years of being diagnosed with it, following a positive Lyme test in 8/00), Fibromyalgia (FMS), Neurally Mediated Hyopotension (NMH), irritible bowel (IBS), pernicious anemia, acute gastroenteritis, endometriosis, and most likely Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). I have been sick since practically 2 weeks after our wedding, and have been unable to work since the early fall of 1996. I've received a small (less than our car payment) SSDI check (based on what I paid in from 15-24) since 1998. I do pay taxes on that disability income as well. So if you're a rabid Republican that thinks I shouldn't receive this kind of government assistance, please step in the line to the right and rain on someone else's parade. You're in my living room now.

Anyhoo, today the dreaded packet arrived in the mail. The packet all SSDI recipients dread. The four-year review. A literal book of forms where you get to say "no my life hasn't changed and yes it still sucks". Where you get to iron out in great detail all of the gory, depressing things that actually fill your daily life. Things you don't blog about. Things you try to hide from your own husband as much as possible just because you don't want anyone else on the planet to have to deal with it. Things a total stranger, that doesn't know a thing about you, gets to rubber-stamp and toss in a pile making you yet another number without a face. Things that don't go away in nine months with the joy of a baby in your arms as you emerge victorious on the other side.

I don't complain often. I don't have it "bad". I have a wonderful life. I know that. I'm blessed with an amazing marriage, a supportive family, terrific friends, a beautiful home, and something that isn't remotely terminal. Just chronic. But taking over two hours out of my day to iron it all out in such a fashion that it's not even "real" to me anymore is beyond depressing. It's begging for money. That's what it all boils down to. Making myself sound "bad enough" that my benefits won't be cut -- and then realizing I really am "that bad" in order to need them in the first place and continue receiving them. What an incredibly degrading, defeating day. Thank goodness "Will and Grace" is on. I need a laugh.
posted at 09:13 PM | link-

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The planets align
The heavens are opening up in the next couple of days. Tonight from midnight to 5 a.m. in the U.S. there will be an amazing meteor shower (Geminid), perhaps at the rate of 20-60 per minute -- and tomorrow the east coast of the U.S. will see a half-eclipse of the sun. Be sure not to miss them!
posted at 06:21 PM | link-

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Sheer bliss
I hate to be cryptic about this, but I have to be. If you ask me for details, I won't tell you. If you know, you know, and that's honestly enough for me. I still want to share a little bit of our late night though...because quite frankly it's something I want to blog about. I learned something tonight that has restored my faith in mankind and higher powers. It has reminded me that the nice guys don't always finish last. It has shown me that happiness and love exist in the places you think least-likely to find them. It has taught me that praying for the ones you care about really can bring about change in their lives. It has echoed that without a doubt, in the end, the greatest of these is love. And as such, I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and hop on this roller coaster we call life all over again...
posted at 04:33 AM | link-

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She's a very dirty girl
Kathy got her Christmas prezzie from us today and was most amused so I thought I'd share... We sent her Dirty Girl bubble bath and the matching Virgin and Slut lotions from Beauty Cafe. Because we all know there are just some days you can't decide... Tee hee!
posted at 01:02 AM | link-

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Just call me Suzy Homemaker
I've had my bitch ass in the kitchen makin' Todd some pie (™ Cartman) the last few days, if I've seemed unusually quiet (or at least uncharacteristically short-winded). Well maybe not pie...but I've definitely been-a-bakin'! Up tonight is chocolate chip cookies and gingerbread cookies. I would say gingerbread men, but like Ashley I can't find the gingerbread-man-shaped cookie cutter post-move (and unlike Ashley I'm not going to the store for another one seeing how late it is). So gingerbread trees and angels it is! Thank goodness Todd's cubemates can help us empty out the Tupperware, or we might end up needing our own ZIP-code. Anyone else hungry?
posted at 10:47 PM | link-

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Test
Testing 1.3 upgrade...please ignore...
posted at 08:40 PM | link-

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More MT converts...
We finally got Tara to join the ranks of the MT bloggers, too -- so with Reblogger gone, you can finally leave her comments again! Yay!
posted at 01:58 PM | link-

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MT 1.3
Thanks to Ashley for the heads-up that Movable Type v. 1.3 is out! I have it up and running in Todd's blog now. (I don't want to mess with it yet here though, since Christine has done a few hacks and mods to our code.)
posted at 01:12 PM | link-

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Too freakin' funny
This is seriously one of the funniest blog entries I've ever read! (Link thanks to Erika.)
posted at 01:29 AM | link-

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You can look at some thigh and blacken an eye...at the nudey blog!
A blog with a nude and non-nude version -- very creative!
posted at 10:56 PM | link-

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C is for cookie
In case anyone wants my recipe for Snickerdoodles, I put it up here... I snapped a pic of the first batch, and two guesses which Cookie Monster around here snuck the first bite!
posted at 10:00 PM | link-

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I wish I could bottle this scent
Happiness is...the smell of snickerdoodles baking in the oven!
posted at 09:03 PM | link-

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It's beyond a drinking game now
Note to self: Get off your arse and send Dubbyah that thesaurus for Christmas! If I hear "evil", "evil one", or "evil-doer" one more time... Seriously George. There are other words in the English language. Have your speech writers look them up and use them!
posted at 06:41 PM | link-

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That's with an "i"
Yay -- another RobIn blogger!
posted at 06:03 PM | link-

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Meme
Snagged from Ashley...my first "meme":

Shoes on or off? Off.
Meat or vegetables? Mmmm...dead cows, pigs, and chickens! Veggies = blech!
Desktop or Notebook? We have both and the laptop is MINE.
Red or green? Green.
Coke or Pepsi? COKE -- there is no other! (Except for Mountain Dew Code Red.)
Tidy or messy? Depends -- whole lot of mess piles up then a tidy-frenzy ensues.
Reading or writing? Reading, but definitely not 'rithmatic.
The letter K or the letter Q? I like Q's squiggly.
Square or circle? Circle.
Rain or snow? RAIN!

posted at 02:21 PM | link-

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The "d" is silent
There was an interesting "hot topic" on The View today. When reciting A Visit from St. Nicholas, do you say "Donner" or "Donder" for the reindeer's name of the same fame? I have always said/heard Donner -- but apparently in the original book it says DonDder! When Gene Autry did the famous singing-version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, he crooned Donner, and it stuck. It seems to be generational as to which reindeer you think is pulling Santa's sleigh... So which version do you use?
posted at 12:14 PM | link-

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Watch this space
She's still getting the hang of it after I set it up...however, slowly but surely my little sister has a blog now... Go stop by and tell her "hi"!
posted at 11:11 AM | link-

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Googley eyed
I am currently the #1 Yahoo/Google search result for erotic blog photo. Tee hee!
posted at 01:51 AM | link-

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Did someone say free?
Here's a pretty cool link, actually found through an eBay purchase I recently made. You can get 250 FREE business cards for just the price of shipping ($5.10 for standard 21-day "slow") from VistaPrint.com. The quality was really good on the card I received, and the reason they're free is a small faint grey company logo and URL on the backs of the cards. But the front-text is entirely your choosing, and they have several templates to pick from. If you need business cards for your sites, auctions, side-business, what-have-you -- be sure to give it a look-see! I just ordered mine...
posted at 01:38 AM | link-

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It's about time
I finally got around to donating to Movable Type for my blog, too. Thanks Ben and Mena!
posted at 08:45 PM | link-

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Amusing
Whoa -- Abraham Lincoln is on "Weakest Link" (as we're waiting for MNF to start). Ok, maybe not Lincoln himself, but a guy named Lance that looks just like him... Too funny! (LMAO -- a contestant just voted him off because, quote, "I'm getting really uncomfortable standing here next to a dead President!")
posted at 08:04 PM | link-

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Happy anniversary!
Just wanted to wish Chel a happy fourth anniversary! I'd wish one to Ryan, too -- but if you've seen their site, his anniversary isn't until January 31st.

posted at 07:34 PM | link-

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Someone's got a case of the Mondays
If you're wondering why we've both been quiet today, we were down in north Tampa at my doctor's office for a "routine check-up" this afternoon. Nothing like making an hour's trip (one-way) to find out he's not even in the state, and they didn't bother to call you about it. So I got to see the "nurse practicioner" instead -- but of course when it came time to write the check out, they wanted the full $80 fee. (They're not covered by our insurance so it's all out of pocket.) Bastards. It was a completely wasted trip, but I got a full afternoon out with my husband -- so I guess it wasn't all bad!
posted at 06:08 PM | link-

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Pretty! Ooooh! Ahhhh! Ohhhh!
Yesterday our annual ornament from Nikki and Ryan arrived. Isn't it beautiful!?! The stuffed hearts were completely homemade by sewing machine, without a trace of glue gun. (You can read more about them at Nikki's blog entry for 12/1.) Thank you Nikki and Ryan -- we LOVE it!
posted at 12:09 AM | link-

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Wee tree
I've got so much accomplished this weekend! I really feel like I'm somewhat getting my life back after being out of commission with the flu for over a week now... We just got our second mini tree put up tonight, albeit several days later than planned. It's hard to believe looking at the wee thing that it used to be "our tree". And dig that stylin' bouffant 'do on the angel -- it's an old gift I just can't bear to part with! (If you missed photos of our big tree and Christmas decorations, check out the rewind here...)
posted at 07:42 PM | link-

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Movin' right along
I have almost hit holiday nirvana! I finished all of our shopping in Orlando yesterday. (Can't say what I bought though since certain someones read my blog...) We've already hit the grocery store this morning. I just packaged, sealed, and labeled all of the ornaments for our exchange this year to be mailed off tomorrow. The presents are wrapped and just need to be boxed up to ship back home. And the Christmas cookies will soon be-a bakin'. Phew! I need a martini...
posted at 04:45 PM | link-

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