mostly pointless meanderings

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Odd

I've just discovered that I'm not getting emails of my comments... noticed I had comments I'd never seen. Hrm. Probably the spam filter. Wonder if I've missed anything else?

There's not much going on. M didn't get thrown out of school. There HAS been a new policy enacted at the school; we now have to walk around to the BACK of the building to pick up and drop off our children. Not sure what good this does; maybe they have cameras, as J suggested? ~shrug~

Everything else that's been going on has been mental. I'm stressed out. Quelle surprise. I don't know how my sister-in-law managed to go all that time living in other people's houses and not go totally mental. My hat goes off to you, woman.

I'm sure there was something productive I was planning on doing when I got onto a computer that could get online. (Did I mention the antenna in my iBook seems to be dying?) But if there was something I meant to do, or needed to do, I can't remember what it is right now.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

AAAARRRRRGGGH I cannot STAND that woman!

I've quite possibly just gotten my daughter kicked out of school today.

They called me to say she was lethargic, had a sore throat, and had put her hand to her head and said "I just can't take anymore!" That's my daughter, budding drama queen. Anyway, at the time, I was taking my father to his doctor's appointment, and wouldn't be able to pick her up for a bit (who knows how long it would take to wait around, you know?) but that I'd be there as soon as I could and by all means please call me immediately if she gets a fever or gets worse or anything.

So after TWO HOURS with dad at the doctor, I run him home because he's positively drooping he's so tired, and speed over to school to get M. On the way out, I run into the principal, a woman I've never really liked. And not just because of the way she treats my mother-in-law. (Yes, I just had a fight with my mother-in-law's boss. And my mother-in-law is out of town watching her 4th child graduate from boot camp; I can't wait to see what happens when she comes back to town and work. *sigh*)

Anyway, the principal asks if I signed M out, and I said well, yes, in the classroom... and she said no, I need you to sign out over there (the main office) so I grumble a little but walk all the way down the sidewalk to the other end of the building and press the intercom button. I tell the nice voice on the other side my name, and that I was told to come sign my daughter M out, and the voice says to come up the stairs on the left. At that point, the door is supposed to be buzzed unlocked. I tried the door in front of me. Still locked. The door next to it? Locked. Walked over to the other two doors about 6 feet away - those locked too. At this point, I completely lost my patience and decided to leave. It was cold outside, I was sick, M was sick, I was tired - the hell with it. To my dismay, we run into the principal AGAIN as we're almost to the car, and M, the helpful little angel, says "The door was locked!! We couldn't get in!" *GROAN*

Ms. Principal and I then proceed to get into it, her saying that there's been a suspected kidnapping or something at a local middle school, and that I have to follow procedure. I tell her that I told them over the intercom, that the door didn't unlock, and that I've already signed my daughter out in her classroom. The argument continues; I inform her that I've got a bad knee, and what does she do for handicapped parents? They can't go upstairs to sign out, and there's no elevator! She says yes, it's an old building, and I say well, isn't that illegal? She says she didn't know I had a bad knee and I respond I didn't know I had to wear a sign. I told her I'd ALREADY complained about this before, and she said well, not to me! And I said no, I wasn't aware I needed to come to you; I assumed that if I complained to one of your employees that the next time that employee talked to you, she'd say "Hey, you know, I had a parent come to me today and say they had trouble making it up the stairs to sign their child out; what are we going to do for disabled parents?" (Hell, I was thinking "Nitwit, you should have thought of this yourself ANYWAY when you first instituted this policy!") At one point I actually looked up to the sky and said ARGH! She then says (with this 'tone') that I'd picked M up early somewhat frequently lately, and why was I picking her up today? I snapped at her BECAUSE THEY CALLED ME, BECAUSE SHE'S SICK. (Like it fucking matters why I'm picking up my daughter early? She's my child. Bite me. And I haven't picked her up early often lately, have I?) So she says "well, I hope she feels better soon" and turns on her heel and walks away.

This doesn't really get the whole feel of the interaction; I hate that my memory seems to fritz out when my emotions run high. Hey, THAT'S why my memory sucks - not just because I chronically was running low on sleep, but because I'm a very emotional person! Damn damn damn.

My husband, sweetheart that he is, gave me a hug when we went to visit, and told me that he's got my back. Awwww. He said "this is kind of the wrong time for you to have to argue with stupid people anyway, you know?" Oy vey, that's right - technically my period starts in 4 days (of course, it probably won't, as I'm now on the shot, but we're still figuring out exactly how the new hormone balance is working). I told J I'm betting $50 that I'm going to receive a letter from her soon that says "because of my unwillingness (or inability) to follow the safety procedures set up at the school, that she feels it would be best if my daughter attend somewhere else." Any takers?

The bad thing is that my mother-in-law is probably going to get flack over this. I was willing to go sign M out; I was willing to walk all the way down the outside of the building to the opposite end in the cold to get buzzed in; I was willing to drag myself and my two children up the stairs, even. But when the door didn't unlock, something just snapped, and I ceased to be patient or accommodating. All I wanted was to get out of the cold and go the hell home.

On the bright side, Kia just called - holy cow, they have fixed my van! Third transmission's the charm, as the guy said. Mom's on her way home and then I'm going to head over to the rental place to return the car. Woo!

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Indulging in gown watching at the Golden Globes

Okay, not like my opinion of fashion counts (I mean, wow, have you seen what I wear?) but I just love to take notes while perusing the red carpet photos.

Becki Newton - color looks good on her, dress doesn't impress me. If the inside color of the fabric is different than the outside, and you're going to have a slit, please make sure the dress is lined or something so you can't see the obvious inside hem.

Jennifer Lopez - cool!! I like it a lot. Wish I could see the entire back.

Evangeline Lilly - neat dress! Unique, and form-flattering.

Shonda Rimes - it's okay; can't decide if she could have done something besides that waist bow. I'm sure it's hard to find haute couture in plus sizes. Heck, I couldn't even find jeans at Target for myself.

Angelina Jolie - very classy. Looks great when she's moving. I probably wouldn't have worn gold with it, though.

Nicollette Sheridan - I'd like it better if it didn't have the black ties around the chest and knees. It's an "Eh" dress - doesn't make me want to vomit, doesn't make me wish I could wear it. Kinda reminds me of Barbie.

Rachel Weisz - looks good in red. Nice classic dress.

Jennifer Love Hewitt - what a nifty dress! Love the vines. Would probably like it better without the waist bow; would show off her curves nicely - waist bow unnecessary.

Jennifer Hudson - looks kind of unfinished. I mean, there's this nice gathering and draping of fabric from between ample breasts - but nothing else. Maybe the back of the dress completes it.

Ali Larter - okay, if I wanted to see the skin beneath your breasts, I'd look for you in a bikini. I cannot STAND these dresses that are open to practically the navel. Ugh. However, were her dress's cleavage pulled together for about 3 inches or so, it would be very nice.

Rinko Kikuhi - weird. Black bows on the shoulders need to go, but otherwise it's nice in that "I look different" kinda way.

Penelope Cruz - pretty! I think I'd like it in something besides black more - a dark burgundy, say. But I do like it.

Kate Winslet - Eh. Okay. Nice and simple. Drapes nicely. Doesn't flatter her shape somehow. That might just be this picture (the angle and whatnot).

Tina Fey - again with the skin under the boobies! Pull that top together a little bit more - just an inch, dangit! - and it's a nice dress. (Kinda cocktail-partyish, though, isn't it, for a formal award ceremony?)

America Ferrera - pretty. When I saw just the bodice without the skirt I said ugh, but altogether it's nice.

Vanessa Williams - okay, when I can stop looking at the hair... I like the fabric. I'm not a fan of this style dress, but it looks okay on her.

Reese Witherspoon - doesn't do anything for me.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus - something seems slightly off about the bodice. The beading is nice, the gold fabric nice... just... something... Otherwise I like it.

Mary Lynn Rajskub - did she ride to the award ceremony in a convertible? I like the dress, although it looks like it's too low on her chest - either she has a very long distance between the top of her shoulders and her breasts, or the dress could be hiked up some. Cute pink with nice fabric draping.

Yunjin Kim - I REALLY like this dress. Again, wish the dress cleavage was just a LITTLE higher, but otherwise, YUM. Love the way the fabric is pulled into the waist; love the black flowers that make the waist, and love the way the dress just flows to the ground.

Sheryl Crow - I like this one! Sort of Grecian looking, with the draping. Flowers at the bodice with the fabric flowing from that to the ground - very nice.

Katherine Heigl - it's a nice dress for that style - but I'm not a fan of this style, nor generally do I go for asymmetrical hemlines. Eh.

Lorraine Nicholson - very nice dress; perfect for an award-hander-outer as it's classy and yet not attention grabbing.

Jennifer Garner - does she have no breasts? Dress doesn't do much for me. It's ok.

Courteney Cox - Unless it looks better from the side, or the back, or when she moves, or something, all I have to say is NO. Looks like somebody got lazy or freaky with layering black tulle over flesh-colored fabric.

Naomi Watts - I think if the medallions across the bust and down the sides were a different color, or the dress a different color, I'd like this dress. As is - eh. That blue looks nice on her, anyway.

Sienna Miller - I like the top, I like the bottom... somehow they seem a little disconnected. If perhaps the designer had run some gold down the skirt from the points from the bodice, it would have looked more cohesive. Oh, and the back is pretty, too.

Beyoncé Knowles - Oh. My. God. Burn it.

Eva Longoria - the beaded straps are nice, but they seem to go across the bust in the wrong place. They don't accentuate her breasts; either the dress isn't designed right for a band across there, or the dress isn't in the right place, or something. This dress does nothing for me. And having now seen a picture of the back of the dress, I like it even less. Ugh.

Jessica Biel - You know, I wouldn't think I'd like this dress, but I really do. It helps that it fits her body so perfectly. The stripes go horizontal at JUST the right point, and stop at the right point too... very nice.

Toni Collette - haven't I seen this dress already? Well, no, but similar. It's a beautifully done classic draped bodice with the fabric flowing down, and the blue color is nice.

Cameron Diaz - I have to try to look past the woman wearing the dress, as I think she's one of the most unattractive stars out there. But even looking past her (and what the hell did she do to her hair??) I loathe this dress.


- Off the subject, having just turned on the TV briefly, I saw the "Snapalope" commercial from Slim Jim. Heeheeheeheehee! -


Felicity Huffman - I really like this! I like the color, I love the way it drapes from the bodice all the way down to the ground - I'd like to see what it looks like from the back, actually.

Drew Barrymore - I can tell the dress is pale pink (which looks great on her) - but I'm having trouble seeing details of the dress. I think it's another one of those classic draped bodices and skirt, which as far as I can tell, is very nice. Maybe I can find more pictures. Found a couple more pictures - the draping is beautifully done.

Salma Hayek - DANG! The dress is gorgeous, and shows off her assets beautifully. Both assets. ROWR.

Hilary Swank - When I first saw this dress, I said ICK. Weirdly enough, it's growing on me. Like I said, I'm not generally a fan of the fishtail dresses, and the way the bows cross on her they make it look like she's a wrapped present.

The chick with Aaron Eckhart - intriguing beaded bodice - it's unique, which is nice. I can't tell if it's just the way she's standing or if she's really not very well endowed boob-wise, but I think this dress would probably look better on some nice large breasts. (It'd hang nicely.)

Sofia Milos - I love a dark haired woman in a red dress. From what I can tell, I like this dress too. The one-shoulder with a slight ruffle around the top is a nice start, and it shows off the curves on the way down. I can't tell if the skirt is just straight, or has a funky train, or what, but what I see I like.

Jada Pinkett Smith - I'm wondering if I can find a picture that shows the skirt, because all I can see now is what looks like a pink ribbon wound around her like a mummy wrapping.

Maggie Gyllenhaal - I've only seen one picture, but I'm wondering why she wore a belt around a drop-waist gown? From what I can seen of the dress, it's a pretty blah black dress, but I can't see a whole lot.

Meryl Streep - I'm looking at just one picture that doesn't show the whole dress, but I think the top looks cool - a gauzy draped over the shoulder look, with what looks like a ribbon wrapped around the torso; very kore-like.

Renée Zellweger - the green looks good on her. I'm trying to figure out exactly what the dress looks like; the picture I've got is from a bad angle. It looks like from between the breasts an outer layer of the dress opens up. The dress shows her shape okay; the bodice is very well fitted.

Jenna Fischer - Looks like it's black lace over pink? Peach? satin. It's a pretty dress, and it might just be the angle of the photo, but it doesn't seem to flatter her curves the way it should.

Kyra Sedwick - The top of the bodice is okay, I'm having trouble seeing what the middle/bottom is like, and why is there a dark something tied around it? Okay, nothing great from what I can see.

Sosie Ruth Bacon - This dress is ADORABLE! Absolutely gorgeous. Perfect on her.

Isla Fisher - I don't know what the front looks like, but the back is gorgeous.

Emily Blunt - It shows off her curves nicely. I have to say, it looks like another dress was grafted on around knee-level. I wish it had just stayed tight & formfitting. Or something.

Cate Blanchette - straight off, I have to say I have very rarely found a dress attractive that does this short-in-the-front-long-in-the-back thing. This one is no exception.

Teri Hatcher - ignoring for the moment her freakish looks... only picture of the dress I've seen so far is from the back. The draped back is very nice, and the skirt works. She's described as playing a 30's screen star, so I can only guess at the front of the dress. Having now seen the front, I like it, mostly. It would probably look better with more boobage to fill out the front. Statuesque gown, I like the lines quite a bit - but Hatcher's just slightly too bony to wear it well.

Hayden Panettiere - The photo is washed out so I can't see much detail of drape and fabric. White dress with wide metallic belt. Eh, okay.

Sara Ramirez - another brunette in red - so far, so good. Have only seen picture of back, which looks okay - there is evidently some beading going on that might be nice in the front. From what I can see from the back, no problem.

Ellen Pompeo - Okay, I saw the side of this dress somewhere but now can't find the picture. (The picture I'm looking at now is just from about mid-thigh up, with a guy in the way.) I remember thinking when I saw it that it looked somewhat futuristic, and the curvy swoops on the sides were unique... I'll look for other shots.

Mary J. Blige - okay, it's a brunette in a red dress. From what I can see of this red dress, however, it doesn't do a whole lot for me. We'll see what a full shot makes me think.

Chloë Sevigny - this looks more like a beach wrap that goes over your bathing suit than a gown.

Ginnifer Goodwin - ugh. Might just be the photo.

Jeanne Tripplehom - okay little black dress, looks more cocktail dressy than formal award ceremony to me.

Patricia Arquette - is the top of that dress leather?? Odd, but not ugly.

Rosanna Arquette - the dress is nice, I like lace overlay when done right. I think this dress would have looked a lot better if rather than a V-neck cleavage it had been a more curved or straight-across strapless underdress beneath the lace.

Elizabeth Mitchell - I can't tell what this dress looks like for sure because the only picture I've got is from the side - the color is okay for her, but the dress looks eh.

Abigail Breslin - Okay, I realize this is a child, but goddammit people, this dress doesn't even look like it fits the poor girl. Not sure what the rest of the top looks like under the little sweater she's wearing.

Giuliana DePandi - definitely flatters her curves, I like everything except perhaps whatever the deal is with the front of the bodice. I can't quite figure out if those ribbon like things are attached or what.

Okay, I've done tons of people, some of whom I've never even heard of, and I have more important things to do.

Friday, January 12, 2007

Oh good, I needed a laugh!

J went to put on the Pulsar watch his dad got him for Christmas, and looked at the day/date display, and says to me "What month does VIE stand for? Is it French?" Laughing the entire time I look up stuff online and realize it's the day of the week - Friday in Spanish. Only J's dad could manage to buy a Spanish watch.

We finally got a rental from Kia. Saturn Ions are pretty comfy. Although honestly, any modern 4-door car that didn't smell like ancient ketchup would be comfy at this point.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Well, that chapter is over

So the house goes up for auction today. I wonder how much they'll get for it. There was more stuff there that we were keeping than I thought. I think we got home at 2 something. Robin let us borrow her truck again. I'm going to start buying lottery tickets, so if I win I can get her something nice. :) That's probably the only way she'd accept a gift, heh.

Got a call from FSU today; she's mailing me the packet to do the individual class medical withdrawal from Summer 1999. I'm wondering what kind of documentation they'll need, and quite frankly, I'm wondering if I can get it at this point. They may not think a suicide attempt and week-long incarceration in the psych ward is sufficient, in which case I don't know what I'm going to do. I'll have to do something to bring up my GPA - but I don't know if that's possible after already finishing my AA, you know? Perhaps it just means attending an online college like U of Phoenix. That doesn't help part of the reason for going back to school, that being to meet some intelligent like-minded people for us to spend time with.

Amazingly enough, this page is still up after who knows how many hours - it's almost midnight. I'm starting to get wheezy and have a slight cough - I hope it doesn't go any farther than this. Had a very productive day today, even with M staying home. I even made dinner for everybody, and managed to have everything done at the same time! J said it was the best meatloaf he'd ever had, and he's sorry I'd not made one for him before now. (I'd not made one before because he's always said he wasn't a big meatloaf fan. He said if he'd known my meatloaf was like this, he'd have asked me to make them. :) Nice ego boost, there.) Between J's approval and my dad's (he cleaned his plate) I had a good evening.

The evening was only slightly dampened by listening to the President's speech. I have to say, I'm glad I'm not the only one who picked up on the phrasing wherein he said that they would interrupt and destroy any networks supplying weapons, training, etc. supplied by Iran or Syria. That quite possibly means WITHIN Iran or Syria. Add to that the "I recently ordered the deployment of an additional carrier strike group to the region." statement, and... I know people have been pushing for us to attack Iran for years now, but this is a step closer than I really like to be, honestly.

Oh, and did any of you see that clip of Tony Snow where he says "The President has the ability to exercise his own authority if he thinks Congress has voted the wrong way.” WTF???!! Gee, I think Congress voted the wrong way on something, so I won't obey the law. Where the hell in the Constitution did you get that, George? Probably the same place he got the idea that signing statements were any more than a comment by himself.

Must go to sleep.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

An update if you care

Since our van is in the shop for a new transmission (thank goodness it's under warranty), we've been using my parents' 2nd car, an old Buick. Saturday night, I think it was, it dies while J is on his way back from the grocery store. We had it towed to our trusted mechanics. (Word to the wise: do NOT let the sheriff's office call a tow truck for you. They have a deal with the company that allows the tow truck people to charge a "flat rate" - which is another word for OMG THAT'S EXPENSIVE. $110 for 3.5 miles.)

So we've been having fun driving everybody around in the last car standing - which constantly has the battery light coming on as the alternator cuts out. It's had the alternator replaced I think 3 times in its lifetime... not sure what the issue is. Maybe at some point I'll call Click & Clack about it. Mom has to be at work by 8:30, M at school by 8:15, and J at work by 9. Musical cars, anyone? Nonna has been meeting M & I in a bank parking lot so she can take M in with her (of course, that means M has to get up at 6:30 am, poor thing.) J has walking pneumonia and so didn't go to work yesterday, and today went in a little late. I wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.

Luckily, today our mechanic called. The Buick was ready to be picked up - know what was wrong with it? IT WAS OUT OF GAS. *sigh* The gas gauge is evidently kaput. I ran to J's office to get him, we went to get the Buick, and then went to school to pick up M, who is sick. Thanks to the kindness of strangers who swiped her card for me (as mine is still in the van, at the dealership) I didn't have to park a huge distance away and walk. Which is good, considering M was in one of those meltdown-carry-me moods. Did I say was?

I'm back home putting the kids down for a nap, but I'm not sure if I'll even be able to get them asleep before I have to go pick up mom.

Oh, and I'm finally coming down with whatever is going around in the house.

And tomorrow our old house gets auctioned. So tonight I have to go get the last few things out of it that I want to keep. This includes a lawn mower, a mattress, a desk, and a few other large items. (In case you wonder why we didn't get them before, it's because some of them we were originally planning on selling, and some (lawn mower) we forgot.)

I'm so tired.


Wednesday, January 03, 2007

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