Lost in the Garden
Now Playing: Champagne Supernova By Oasis
Topic: Rambling on
I am missing my camera phone SO much right now! It stopped responding when I plugged in the charger & had to be repaired, I Hate the temporary (if you can call 8-10 weeks projected a temporary thing!) replacement phone, there's no camera on it, the ring tones are atrocious & it's bigger than my phone, to add insult to injury the young punk who swaped the phones told me that he had removed my picture messaging service (why be charged when you can't use it?) & activated everything that my old phone had, on this phone. When I went to add a ring tone that I can stand to the phone I couldn't do it so I had to call their technical support (I work tech support & so I know what it's like to try to make a stubborn piece of plastic, metal & silicon chips work right with a bumbling idiot following your commands over the phone) so I am easy on tech support people, I'm also easy on anyone in a call center environment (that doesn't extend to actually listening to telemarketers- but I am polite as I tell them 'no thank you' & hang up the phone) The woman I got when I called about my phone was obviously fairly new at her job, she put me on hold about 10 times (I am not exagerating) but she got the phone working, I had to program it to accept that I had the service that allows you to get ringtones & games etc. & then, because I know how things go with this type of issue I had her check & sure enough the punk I dealt with in person did not take off my picture messaging- she removed it but did not apologize, at my work I have to apologize for the oversights of others every day!
The reason for the diatribe on the phone is that I would really like to have pictures of my progress in the garden, the guy who dug it up last Saturday came back on Thursday evening (Unexpectedly- I didn't expect him 'till this Saturday- good thing I didn't spend the money I owed him!) & finished the job of tilling it into smooth dirt. So yesterday evening we were a picture of domestic bliss, Chrissie riding the lawnmower around, me making raised beds in my garden, the kids moving logs & sticks out of Chrissies way & helping me pick rocks, sticks & weeds out of my raised beds, I'm not exactly as healthy as I should be & so I got 2 beds ready to go, probably, judging by the size of the garden, (the guy expanded it a little on 3 sides) annother 8-10 beds to rake up & clean out, I figure if I do a couple a day on my days off I should be ready to plant by the end of the month... (I would feel worse about this if it wasn't for the fact that the news said last night that we're going to be in the 30's overnight 2 or 3 more nights in the next seven days & I hate losing things to the cold, I'd rather leave it alone until it's warmer-) I looove having a vegetable garden! I can't think of anything more magical than having actual food that I grew & can just walk out my back door & go choose! Mr 6 is the most enthused about the whole thing (not too surprising, he's bottomless & especially loves tomatoes & cucumbers) but the girls have helped off & on & are expeceted to help some more this afternoon (if it ever gets warm out there- annother cool one, I understand the need for spring before summer but is it EVER going to get warm?) We'll be putting the half fence up this afternoon & I'll have to decide what I'm doing about the green bean climbing apparatus, I've heard that poles with strings stretched between them works better than just poles. That would require string, which I don't have at home & I'm broke for the moment so if I decied to do that it will have to wait until after my next payday!
I had had ideas of taking pictures of the progress of the garden & putting them on my picture site, so I'd have a record of it & could look back over time & see how much better it looks when the veggies are actually coming in...& of course I thought that might help to motivate me to weed it a little more this year, last year it was a mass of weeds & I think that's why my squashes, watermellons & pumpkins would get to be about 2 inches in circumfrence & then turn black! it was either that or the kids overzealously using the plant food on the garden I haven't figured out which it was.
Anything is better than the previous 6 years in the trailer with no space for a garden at all & I am really glad I have the option now. I hated not having one after 3 years with one in our rental places with the ex.
I set myself an hour online & the alarm I set just went off so I'm going to the garden now- gray clouds or no gray clouds. pic of the lawnmower since I have none of the garden currently!:

Thirteen Random Questions
Topic: Thursday Thirteen

1. If you got to pick celebrity parents to raise you, who would they be?
maybe Demi Moore & Ashton Kuscher?

2. If you never had to worry about money, how would you live your life
differently? I would not work, I'd have a governess for my kids so they'd
be around all the time so we could go out & do things anytime, We'd build
a house just the way we wanted it & have horses, We'd go on cruises & tour
the UK & Africa etc. I'd have body guards to keep my ex away.

3. Would you rather be a man or a woman if you came back? Men get all the
fame, money etc. but women get all the emotions. Probably a woman

4. If you were trapped at one age for the rest of your life, would you
rather be 15 or 75? 15, when else can you be so certain you're right even
if you're dead wrong?

5. What do you think would be the worst job for you to have? Anything in
the medical profession, I'm not very empathetic.

6. If time machines really existed, when would you want to travel to?
either the 14-1500's or the 1700's,

7. What two things would you change about your body/appearance? two? well
my weight of course, & probably get a reduction for my chest.

8. What two things would you change about your partner's body/appearance?
I have no partner.

9. What is a disgusting habit that you have? As if I'd say on here! (according to some people It's discusting that I show up 20 minutes early for any apointment I have - Anal I believe was the exact wording)

10. Do you pick your nose in the car? Never gave it much thought.

11. What is your least favorite aspect of adulthood? Having to get up & go
to work every day I'm scheduled.

12. If you were to be born into another race or culture, what would you
pick? I don't know, but I can think of a few I would not pick...lol...

13. Name one event that changed your life? Probably my Ex moving out & leaving I was hurt at the time but it's been really great since I recovered from the initial shock.

Questions in Triplicate
Now Playing: Hand in My Pocket by Alanis Morrisette
Topic: Stuff & Nonsense

3 Names you go by:
Rebeckles
Becky
Her/She (that's my ex- I don't feel too bad about it he refers to his
current wife to me the same way, as if he couldn't say 1's name to the
other)

3 Screen Names you have had:
Rcclvlf
Beck
Beck68

3 Things you like about yourself:
Hair
Brain
Tendency to look on the bright side in most situations

3 Things you don't like about yourself:
Fat
Too Emotional
Not as Much Patientice as I Need

3 Parts of your heritage:
Scottish
English
More English

3 Things that scare you:
Loss/Death of My Kids
Snakes
Financial Ruin

3 Of your everyday essentials:
Moisturizer
St Johns Wort
Water

3 Things you are wearing right now:
Nightgown
?
A smile

3 Of your favorite bands or musical artists:
Led Zeppelin
Audioslave
Godsmack

3 Of your favorite songs:
Bittersweet Symphony, The Verve
Clocks, Coldplay
Wish You Were Here, Incubus

3 Things you want to try in the next 12 months
To get healty
Painting my Dining Room
Keeping my House Clean (man, I am SO Boring!)

3 Things you want in a relationship:
Trust
Respect
For him to go to his own house every night

2 Truths and a lie:
Purple is my Very Favorite Color
I Prize my Quiet Time above all else.
My Quiet Time is not really very Quiet.

3 Things about the opposite sex that appeal to you:
The Penis has it's own appeal
The abillity to fix things (yes I know there's guys out there as clueless
as I am too)
They're much more likely to take you at face value & not look for the
hidden meanings in your bad mood

3 Things about the same sex that appeal to you:
They're neater & cleaner
More likely to be interested in reading
Empathy

3 Things you just cannot do:
keep my feet warm
eat oysters
smoke cigarettes

3 Of your favorite hobbies:
cooking
reading
gardening

3 Things you want to do really badly right now:
Have enough money
Have some heat I can just turn on instead of having to go get kerosene, bring it back, fill the heater & light the heater (I'm writing this may 17th which adds insult to injury)
make my back stop hurting

3 Careers you are considering:
The one I have now,
Becoming a supervisor at same place
Becoming a quality assurance specialist at the same place

3 Places you want to go on vacation:
Like places? or places on my vacation to mass? I'll take this as dream places:
UK/British Isles et al.
Africa
California

3 Kids names:
Ones I wanted to use but didn't
Sara
Christopher
Iris

3 Things you want to do before you die
See the whole U.S
Build my dream house
Meet a nice guy

3 Ways you are stereotypically a boy:
Not afraid of bugs, spiders or blood
Rock & Roll baby, all the way
Not afraid to at least try to fix stuff, tune up my car & change my oil

3 Ways you are stereotypically a girl:
Afraid of Mice & Snakes
I'm more comfortable in dresses than in pants
I like to embroider & do crafts

3 Celeb crushes:
Johnny Depp
Nicholas Cage
Sam Elliot

3 People you would like to complete this quiz:
Chrissie
Ann
Jody

Chaos reigns, at Home & Especially at Work
Now Playing: Talking Heads Once in a Lifetime
Topic: just letting off steam

Did you ever have a dream where you can not figure out what anything is, you try to read what's in front of you, you try to click on the link but none of them go anywhere, every button you press does nothing or opens up annother bunch of possibillities that you either don't understand or are not what you need? Welcome to my LIFE! I felt pretty good after yesterday, I felt like I had the whole new computer program at work under my belt, I could schedule a tech to come out, I could set up to replace equipment. Then Monday came, I knew it would be more difficult, the sheer volume alone, people who don't do business on Sundays & people who assume we don't do business on Sundays always call on Mondays so there's Lots of calls coming in. & there's a lot more random stuff, people who are mad because the tech didn't put the cable in where they wanted or left it hanging off the gutter, people who select tech because 'I thought it would be the fastest way to get a person on the phone honey' I was woefully under prepared for what today brought & I know, from looking at my co-workers faces that they were too!

In other news miss 16 finally got a picture of her boyfriend from KY. He's cute & I belive, considering her excitement over the pictures, that he's exceeded her expectations of how he would look. So all is very calm & even a little hyper/happy on 16's front.
Miss 9 is having a lot of fun with Chrissies daughter, they're sharing a room & are deep in cahoots when they're not at each other's throats.
Mr 6 is adjusting pretty well to watching tv in my living room, he definitley enjoys having Chrissies dog here, he loves to run & the dog likes to chase him so that works out well for both of them. We had the garden plowed (the guy still has to come back & till it & break the turf up more in depth) on Saturday. & he's having a lot of fun checking out the hills & valleys of the plowed area, looking for worms & digging up tree roots (I had to cut off 5 or 6 which were 3-4 inches thick) We had a little bigger area plowed to expand the garden this year, last year I was hesitant because I thought it would be too much to take care of & it was, but I also found that stuff will grow even if you don't weed much, you just have to look harder for the stuff that grew!

13 things I hope to do on vacation this year
Topic: Thursday Thirteen

^Miss 9 on 'vacation' last year- (we stayed home)

1 Go to the Salem Witch Museum
2 Go to Hampton Beach NH
3 See Ann & Tom & family
4 Take a trip to Boston for Shopping & sight seeing (at least once in the trip, maybe twice)
5 Go to Maine, See the places I spent a lot of time visiting as a teenager.
6 Go to Union Maine With Ann
7 Go to the Vermont Country Store
8 See all my Cousins ('Cept Kris)
9 Bore the kids by driving them past every hangout, house & place I ever spent time as a kid
10 Go to the graveyard
11 NOT Spend a fortune in gas (not likely)
12 Go to Hull, Ft Revere Etc.
13 Not Lose my patientice with the kids (too much)

Of all the things I've lost, I think I miss my mind the most
Now Playing: Not the Doctor by Alanis Morisette
Topic: Self Portrait Tuesday
My Head is elsewhere, that's not unusual, I multi task at work & at home all the time. I routinely plan 2 weeks worth of meals, the next 6 months budget, what I'm getting the kids for their birthdays or Christmas. While verbally walking people through their bills, putting a snowy screen back on a picture or adding programing or set top boxes to their accounts. I constntly help with homework while doing dishes or even taking a bath (Miss 9 only, 16 & 6 would rather die than be in the bathroom with me- especialy during a bath) I can do dishes, read, watch the news & type on the computer while yelling at people about the state of their rooms, the dishes they were supposed to do & the yard. (come to think of it that last one isn't exactly something to brag about) I don't know why I can't keep track of the days this week though, I posted my thirteen for Thursday last night before I went to bed.... I am REALLY losing it!
Part of the problem is I'm not on my regular schedule this week, I had Sunday off & am working all 5 week days this week instead of working Sunday & Monday & then Thursday & Friday only. The other part of my distraction is the reason I'm on a different schedule, it's because I;m learning a new computer program at work. I've been at my Job 5 years this July & I have of course aged by 5 years since I started but I really don't remember having this much trouble learning the original computer programs. Or all the other stuff I had to learn to do my job correctly (& belive me, there's a LOT to it!) I just absorbed it all & went on from there... & it's not like I'm not stretching my mind constantly. Just doing the job is a challenge mentally every day. Plus we have 2 hours of mandatory training every single week so it's not like I'm out of the loop (any loop at all...) This is the hardest thing I've done in about 2 & 1/2 years. (2&1/2 years ago we released like 5 boxes at the same time, all with different specs & functions & to add to it I was sick with the flu & something else for 7 weeks straight & barely knew who I was let alone how to fix those stupid boxes) This time I have no illness, it's just really hard going. Everyone else (17 of us, all learning this together) is struggling too so I'm trying not to take it personally but it seems like 4 days of training is not enough time to really learn a whole new system of work. Yes, that's all we get, 4 days & then they throw us out to the wolves (you read that: customers) to fend for ourselves. Add to that the fact that the person teaching us learned this system last week & has had about 7 hours of practical application & it's just a recipe for disaster. Just as I think I've figured some of it out they throw annother curve at me or there's something else you have to click on to make it work right!

So I took down my Thursday thirteen & will re-post it Wednesday night. Here's my self portrait for the week.... I was checking for gray hairs is the point there... I should have a full head of them by Friday night.

the Lawn wars,
Now Playing: Outshined By Soundgarden
Topic: Rambling on


The yard is too big for us to mow with a push mower, but it's too hilly to comfortably use a drive on lawnmower with. I nearly rolled it down the hill this morning, lost my cell phone out of my pocket & then had to go looking for it in the grass. Lucky for me my daughter texted me at the same time I was looking for the phone & so I was able to follow my ear (I'm deaf in the other & have a lot of trouble telling the direction sound is coming from so I was walking in circles for a few minutes- listening for it & trying to tell where it was at) Then when I went to start the lawnmower it would not start for anything, it kept flooding & I'd have to go sit in the house for 15 min (longer really, because I couldn't go in the house & not mess around on the computer) & then try it again. I finally quit in disgust & Chrissy Mowed the lawn today. She says she likes to do it & that it was no big deal.. More power to her. I can see this is going to be a constant battle for me unless I perhaps drop some weight or something. It's obvious that lawnmower was not made to carry someone as big as I am.
I have always had way too much lawn to mow. the first was growing up, my yard was aproximately 1 acre large, a big back section & 2 large sections on either side of the driveway, at about age 11 I thought it would be a good form of exersize, my dad was one of those go around in squares around & around the yard type of people (my ex told me that this is bad for the lawn it will make it look terrible) & all we had was a push mower, no ride on here - so I figured a bunch of laps around the yard was just what my body needed. My Father disagreed, he felt I was a) too young, b) too uncoordinated & c) he actually liked mowing the lawn & didn't see the need for me to do any of it. Well I made it around the yard two times. both times as I mowed beside the neighbors fence I stepped in dog sh*t & after wiping my blue satin sneakers with the heart imprints on the treads (With rainbow laces yet) I summarily quit. Much to my fathers relief.
Then at 15 when I lived with my Uncle & Aunt I had, as part of my jobs (besided watching their kids 30+ hours a week & cleaning a 12 room house) I was supposed to mow the lawn. (hell, I was happy, I still had a lot of free time & they didn't even ask where I was when I went out on my own when they didn't need me) I have always been car crazy & at 15 with out a learners permit riding the snapper was the closest to driving I could get. it was probably nearly 3 acres all told that I had to mow & the 4 out of 6 months that the lawn was growing while I was there I mowed it all the time. 4 years later when my Uncle & Aunt moved out & my Grandmother & I moved in I was not quite as enthused, I was working 40 hours a week & still expected to mow weekly (my grandmother couldn't do it - she was 79 at the time & had never had a drivers licence,) I did find though that certain, shall we say, herbal smoking things made spending the majority of 1 of my days off on the lawnmower at least a little more enjoyable. I lived there off & on for the next 8 years, my ex & I lived there with my grandmother for a few of those years & we alternated parts of the lawn. often 1 of us would do the close work with a push mower & weed whacker while the other drove the big mower around & alternate weeks as to who did what. The last year we were there though my ex lost interest & basically ignored the whole lawn thing in favor of playing in awful bands (well, 1 was ok the other incarnations sucked) & I was back to doing the whole thing while caring for a 6 year old & an infant. The next fall we moved to Virginia & for the first year, though he did change jobs a lot he did work at least most of the time & I mowed the lawn (because as a stay at home mom I felt it was the least I could do since he was our sole support- such as it was) with an ancient lawnmower he purchased from a all the time yard sale type place for 15 bucks. for some obscure reason he & his best friend painted different parts of the lawnmower different colors & named it #24. (it is telling that ex is a Wallace fan & the friend was an original Earnheart fan. I could never get them to tell me if it was some obscure insult to the lawnmower or what exactly the deal was. It was a colorful lawnmower to say the least & it broke down constantly- which gave me an excuse to do only part of the lawn at a time. At the trailer the ex's & my relations were broken down to such an extent that I basically said 'If you think I'm going to mow a lawn while watching a 9 year old, a 3 year old & an infant you've got annother think coming' & he mowed the lawn grudgingly for the 15 months he lived there with us, the remaining 5 & 1/2 years were a constant struggle, He took the lawnmower with him when he left (he moved to an apartment so I'll never understand why) & I had to borrow neighbors lawnmowers for the next 2 years, then I got myself together enough to by a used lawnmower for $35 bucks I've paid annother neighbor about that much in the last 3 years since then keeping it running & last year with this huge yard I have now I nearly killed that poor lawnmower. I was determined that at tax time I would get a big lawnmower with my earned income credit (hey, being the sole support of 3 kids has it's benifits) & then everything cost more than expected & I didn't do it. so I got a loan against my 401K & bought this one. (after spending too much to look prosperous when my ex was here- but when he looked in the cupboard & the fridge - & he did look- they were chock full of food & that was what was important-)
So now this one seems to be a difficulty, not strong enough for the job & of course it was used so it's not like I can return it or anything- oh well, between 16 & Chris I guess the lawn will get done, even if I'm reduced back to mowing with the push mower & the weed whacker again!

>>> The Class of 2001
Just in case you weren't feeling too old today, this will certainly change
things.
Each year the staff at Beloit College in Wisconsin puts together a list to try
to
give the faculty a sense of the mindset of that year's incoming freshmen.
1. The people who are starting college this fall across the nation were born in
1982.
2. They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan Era and probably did not
know he
had ever been shot.
3. They were prepubescent when the Persian Gulf War was waged.
4. Black Monday 1987 is as significant to them as the Great Depression.
5. They were 11 when the Soviet Union broke apart and do not remember the Cold
War.
6. They have never feared a nuclear war.
7. They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up.
8. Tianamen Square means nothing to them.
9. Their lifetime has always included AIDS.
10. Bottle caps have always been screw off and plastic.
11. Atari predates them, as do vinyl albums. The expression you sound like a
broken
record means nothing to them.
12. They have never owned a record player.
13. They have likely never played Pac Man and have never heard of Pong.
14. They may have never heard of an 8 track. The Compact Disc was introduced
when they
were 1 year old.
15. As far as they know, stamps have always cost about 33 cents.
16. They have always had an answering machine.
17. Most have never seen a TV set with only 13 channels, nor have they seen a
black-and-white TV.
18. They have always had cable.
19. There has always been VCR's, and VHS but they have no idea what BETA is.
20. They cannot fathom not having a remote control.
21. They were born the year that Walkmen were introduced by Sony.
22. Roller-skating has always meant inline for them.
23. Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show.
24. They have no idea when or why Jordache jeans were cool.
25. Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave.
26. They have never seen Larry Bird play.
27. They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.
28. The Vietnam War is as ancient history to them as WWI, WWII and the Civil
War.
29. They have no idea that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran.
30. They can't imagine what hard contact lenses are.
31. They don't know who Mork was or where he was from.
32. They never heard: " Where's the beef?"," I'd walk a mile for a Camel", or
"de plane,
de plane".
33. They do not care who shot J.R. and have no idea who J.R. is.
34. The Titanic was found? They thought we always knew where it was.
35. Michael Jackson has always been white.
36. Kansas, Chicago, Boston, America, and Alabama are places, not groups.
37. McDonalds never came in Styrofoam containers.
38. There has always been MTV.
39. They don't have a clue how to use a manual typewriter.
40. Do you feel old yet? pass this on to the other old fogies in your life.

Why Am I Here?

I was reading annother Local blog which had an entry about people coming
from other areas, thinking this was a good place to settle & on the
considerations they should take under advisement, I remember Chrissy
writing to me when I was planing to move here & bring my boyfriend, who
became my Husband & is now my Ex, with me. & she said you really need to
warn him what it's like, most people don't love it here like we do. I
fell in love in 1987 with this place & never looked back. Everything
thrilled me, From the maximum safe speed signs on the curves to the
taking my own trash in the trunk of the car to the dumpsters. (made more
sense to me than saving my trash up for a week & then debating the do I
take it out at night & run the risk of local dogs getting into it? or
attempt to get up early enough in the morning to get it out before the
trash truck goes by & then I have 2 weeks of trash next time? question) I
have never minded losing electricity in a thunder storm or a snow/ice
storm, I loved it as a kid because it meant everyone in my family would
be together & not watching tvs- or reading, each in their own room.
(though the 2 weeks in February 1994 did give even me pause to
reconsider) I fell in love with the mountains the minute it was light
enough to see them on my first day here back in 1987. I could not get
over how much nicer, easy going & polite everyone was here as opposed to
in my home state of Massachusetts, it was what I'd been looking for my
whole life, I had thought, originally Maine or New Hampshire or Vermont,
But when I went there & visited places I found people to be more laid
back but also kindof unfriendly, introverted & distrustful in the
northern New England states. Here everyone was willing to stop & pass the
time of day & take the time to talk to you. Being naturally or maybe I
should say genetically shy it was an amazing feeling to have people ask
me friendly questions. I, being a history lover was thrilled to find a
pharmacy with a lunch counter, drive up resturants & tiny grocery stores
with 5 or 6 asiles which still gave out green stamps. Just like I had
heard my parents & grandparents reminisce about.
I don't have allergies, (unless you count liars & my ex) though I may be
beginning to develop them.
I, being overweight belive midnight cravings are best ignored or anticipated.
I grew up in a home with a septic system & while we did have a well it
wasn't our actual source of water, it was an old well which I was allowed
to draw water from with a bucket on a clothesline up until I was 12 or 13
& my brother started tying the dog in that general area. then, when I was
15 or 16 they covered the well with a breezeway porch.
I don't mind driving 28 miles to work & back each day, I've read a ton of
really great books on tape that way & I belive it gives me a chance to
de-stress & decompress after my work day so I'm less likely to take my
work-stress out on the people at home.The same drive on a day off to shop
is not a problem for me either. sometimes I just take it philosophically,
If I can't find it in town here then I don't really need it that much.

I found, when I moved down here in 1993for what I thought was my
permanent relocation that there were lots of things I hadn't even known
about in 1987 & '88 that were really wonderful, I was only on the Blue
Ridge Parkway 2 times the first time I came here, the 2nd time I
practically lived there. I had a 3 year old & lived in a 1 bedroom
apartment with her & the space up on the parkway was a much needed relif
valve for both of us. I Don't make friends easily, (though compared to my
mother & grandmother I'm downright gregarious) but both of the first 2
times I was here I forced myself to become more outgoing. I was able to
connect with people I'd met in 87 again in 93 & 94, & Chrissy moved back
down not too long after I came back in 93, in 94 my ex & I got married &
his family ended up moving in with us a few weeks after our marriage.
this has turned out to be a really good thing in the long run because I
still count them as some of my many friends here but at the time the
stress nearly fractured our marriage before it even got started, about 6
months after they moved down we moved back to Mass. We tried to make it
up there, we really did, met a few really great people (you know who you
are!) But even with both of us working full time we did not have enough
money to get out on our own (we were living with my grandmother) after
our first daughter was born my ex wanted to bring her to meet her
grandparents & the rest of his family so we came for a visit, after the
visit we both started yearning to come back here. After yet annother of
his many serial affairs we decided to make a clean break & come back to
Virginia. That was in 1997 & though I've been back 5 out of 9 years for
visits to Mass I don't have any desire to move back there permanently at
all. When I came here I knew for sure I was truly home.

Annother Self Portrait (sort of)
Topic: Self Portrait Tuesday

Famous Bands I've seen Chronological order, first first
Now Playing: Wish you were Here by Incubus
Topic: Stuff & Nonsense
1 Preservation Hall Jazz Band too many times to count 2 Iron Maiden & Twisted Sister (1983 Worcester Centrum) 3 Joan Jett & the Blackhearts & David Johansen (1985 Orpheom Boston) 4 The Firm (1985 Worcester) 5 AC/DC (1986 The Boston Garden- I was 16 my brother was 12 & I took him but would not take his best friend who ended up being my ex- he's held a grudge ever since) 6 The Firm again (Providence Rhode Island Civic Center) 7 Max Creek (1991 Living Room Providence RI) 8 Mettalica, Guns & Roses & Faith No More (1992 Sullivan Stadium with the ex, we heard Faith no More but didn't see them because he didn't like them & we had been delayed, -Massachusetts state cops can read lips you know...) 9 The Greatful Dead at RFK stadium Washington DC, 1993. 10 ZZ Top & George Thorogood (1994 Roanoke Civic Center) 11 Tori Amos (may 1996- some college in NH, a mothers day present from the ex, I was 8 months pregnant) 12 Cheap Trick (Fall 1996- free concert in Boston, I didn't actually see them, I had 4 month old baby with me but my then 6 year old & my ex went down to where they were playing & saw them- I could hear them just fine though) 13 Rush ( xmas time 1996 The new Fleet center Best ever because I LOVE Rush) 14 Bon Jovi & Peter Wolf (summer of 1997 great woods, my only concert at great woods) 15 Slaughter (summer/Fall of 1997 (some bar in Nashua or Manchester NH - we saw annother band there that summer too but I can't rememeber who...lol & no, I was not drunk, I was the DD it was our last gasp before moving back to VA & the ex & I tried to see every band we could see.

Summing it all up
Now Playing: Gasoline by Audioslave
Topic: Family Business

All in All it could have been a lot worse, The Ex's visit went off flawlessly, we all went bowling on Tuesday & they aparently left at 3 am Wednesday morning so I got my Wednesday to myself (or to the kids & Chrissy & Samantha - we went bowling too) the downside is my vacation to Massachusetts this summer has to be moved back by 2 weeks, originally it was supposed to be June 28 to July 12, now it's going to be July 11 thru July 26, which the kids are especially upset about, but it's not anything I can change, they only let you borrow 1 paid day off & because I took one for the Ex's visit I have to earn annother day before we can leave, I've tried multiple configurations of borrowed days, swaped days etc. but this is the only one which makes sense, because I work 2 days, have a day off & then work 2 more & have 2 days off, taking 1 day off instead of 2 makes no sense because if I take 1 then I have to work 1 & have 1 or 2 off again.
Things could have been much worse, I definitley felt his attitude a bunch, he was pretty obvious that he thought my house too small & dumpy. I don't much care, I like it & that's all that matters really. I'll be surprised if he does a whole lot better that I. His last comment about the house thing was that they're going to use his vetrans benifits to buy his Mom's doublewide. No offense to my Mother in law (especially since I love her place & think the views from her place are spectacular) I'm still glad I have a house not a doublewide... Also I didn't mention it to him but I know from when I was buying my place that you have to have a down payment of 20% to purchase a manufactured home of any kind which is already in use, it's easier to get your own new one on a piece of property than to buy someone's used doublewide!

68 Questions
Topic: Stuff & Nonsense

1. What time did you get up this morning? 9:35

2. Diamonds or pearls? neither, Emeralds

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Yeah, right. It might have been What Dreams May Come & I still owe the ex a movie because I told him if he didn't like it I'd treat him to annother movie later to make up for it.

4. What is your favorite TV show? Medium

5. What did you have for breakfast? a soy protein shake

6. What is your middle name? Carleton

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Italian

8. What food do you dislike? Peanut Butter

9. Favorite chips? No Chips, Barbara's cheese puffs, jalapeno

8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Audioslave's first

11. What kind of car do you drive? 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser

12. What characteristics do you despise? Lying, Cheating, Insincerity & Snottyness

13. Favorite item of clothing? Comfy Nightgowns

14.If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? UK

15. What color is your bathroom? Mauve

16. Favorite brand of clothing? Stuff that fits, no brand

17. Where would you retire? Right here where I am

18. Favorite time of day? Evening to Late night

19. Where were you born? Melrose Wakefield Hospital, Melrose Mass

20. Favorite sport to watch? Hockey

22. Person you expect to send this back first? Since it's going on my blog I'd like to get links to anyone who does it.

23. What laundry detergent do you use? Purex= Cheap

24. Coke or Pepsi? Coke, Diet Coke

25. Are you a morning person or night owl? Night Owl

26. What size shoe do you wear? 10

27. Do you have pets? A Cat Who is evil & psychotic

28. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with your friends? The Ex is Gone! Bad news: he says he's coming back for Xmas

29. What (who) did you want to be when you were little? A Teacher or a Farmers Wife

30. Favorite Candy Bar? Pepermint Patty

31. What is your favorite childhood memory? Too many to list I remember having a lot of fun out in the woods behind my house though

32. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? Dunkin Donuts counter girl, waitress in a seafood resturant, ran fresh fish counter at same seafood resturant, cashier in multiple stores, pizza & grill cook, stitcher in line at clothing factory, inspector of clothes at clothing factory, housekeeper in nursing home, library support staff, tech support/customer service rep inbound calls.

33. What color underwear are you wearing? underwear? yeah, right.

34. Nicknames? Becky, Beckles, Rebecky, Beckala

35. Piercing? Ears only so far

37. Ever been to Africa? Nope but I have hopes

38. Ever been toilet papering? No, But I'm closely related to someone who has!

39. Love someone so much it made you cry? Yes

40. Been in a car accident? Yes

41. Croutons or bacon bits? Croutons

42. Favorite day of the week? Any Day I don't work (Saturday, Tuesday & Wednesday)

41. Favorite restaurant? Kabukis or El Grande Rodeo (or in New England: Markeys, Themis, Aris)

44. Favorite flower? Most but especially Peonys, Irises, Daffodils,

45. Favorite ice cream? New york fudge brownie. by Ben & Jerrys

46. Disney or Warner Brothers? to watch, warner brothers, never been to either theme park though so I couldn't say

47. Favorite fast food restaurant? Pretty sick of all of them

48. What color is your bedroom carpet? Beige

49. How many times did you fail your driver's test? once because the guy was a sexist pig & told me women shouldn't trouble themselves with stick shift cars! (that's all my parents had so I didn't have much choice)

50. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail? This was not an email, but my last email was from My Mother

Where are questions 51 & 52???

53. Bedtime? 1130 on work nights, 1 or 2 am on nights I don't have to get up early after

54.Who are you most curious about their responses to this questionnaire? I couldn't say

55. Last person you went to dinner with? Chrissy & Samantha & my kids

56. Ford or Chevy? Ford

57. What are you listening to right now? My kids playing some odd Polly Pocket/Spiderman legos fusion game. (not as weird as the Thomas the Tank Engine/Barbie one though, let me tell you...)

58. What is your favorite color? Teal, aquamarine, & most shades of green & blue

59. Lake, Ocean, River? To Swim in? what are we looking for here? I like them all.

60. How many tattoos do you have? 3. all hand done by me.

61. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? A little birdie told me dinosaurs had eggs before chickens

63. Favorite Cocktail? Blue Motorcycle

64. Where would you go for a girl's weekend get-a-way? Have no idea

65. What would you do if you had to select another career? Pick something less stressful...ha ha.

66. Republican or Democrat? Democrat/independent

67. Favorite Family Vacation? Massachusetts in the summer

68. All Time Favorite Concert? HMMM it would have to be Rush at the Fleet Center in 1996 (or maybe that was 95? the ex couldn't remember what year it was either so I don't feel so bad)

A Status Report on the Only Thing On My Mind Currently
Now Playing: Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds
Topic: Family Business
Yeah, he's here, so is Chrissie, She's been a great support, though it really has not been too bad yet. They spent yesterday, Easter, with his Brother's family & their Dad, his wife & their son. The worst part was on my way to the house after a 10 hour work day I saw the car with the WI liscence plates rolling towards me on the road & it kept going, it was dark & I could not see who or how many people were in the car, I immediately remembered all the times I have heard him say, 'well fine, I'll just take the kids to WI & the WI laws will apply & I'll have custody' I almost turned around & followed the car but I called my Brother in law & acted like I was just letting him know I was on my way & he immediately told me the Ex & miss9 had just taken a run to the store but mr6 & his 5 year old son were playing together as we spoke. I felt very relieved & my hands had almost stopped shaking by the time I arrived at the house, I hung out & waited for them to come back from the store, made plans for mr6 to go with his uncle & cousin fishing in a few weeks on a sunday- which I'm sure he'll love.
The Ex is as usual morose & bitter & grouchy. Even when he's trying to be caring towards the kids it comes out as commands & threats.
No major confrontations last night, we behaved ourselves. Today was also non eventful in the arguing, cutting remarks & rude asides categories too, though I definitley got the feeling he was inspeecting my house for dirt, grime & unsafe things (the ladder stairs to the girl's bedrooms were inspected at length to the point where I offered to have him build some steps there if he'd like since he'd be cheaper than a handyman. He declined) We actually had a pretty good time because his new wife has been through the wringer with him lately & so we kind of ganged up on him & teased him a little.
The ETD (estimated time of departure) was supposed to be Tuesday, now it's being moved around & may be Wednesday or Thursday, I'm not too pleased about that let me tell you!

Thirteen Reasons to Stay Away from my EX
Topic: Thursday Thirteen
1 he's a liar
2 he's not writing or emailing to the kids regularly- out of sight out of mind
3 Shannon, Tracy, Teresa & all the others he was cheating on me with while telling me I was out of my mind to think he would ever cheat.
4 he's having problems with his current wife &, I've heard from her that he's cheated on her too
5 he tries to gather information on me & how I'm raising the kids in order to use it against me
6 he judges how I'm raising the kids because he thinks I should be sterner, meaner & have more control over them.
7 I've only met 1 person in my whole life who was a better chameleon than him.
8 He didn't pay a cent of child support for 4 years & still expects me to praise him now that the government is forcing him to do so by taking it away from him.
9. he's a bully.
10. he's an alcoholic.
11. he had a bad childhood & still uses it as an excuse at 32.
12. he knows he had a bad childhood & would rather use it to explain/excuse what he does wrong rather than rising above it & overcoming his knee jerk responses.
13. he has no conscience whatsoever.
And yet, There's not a thing I can do to keep him from coming here...