Blah, Blah, Blah

Poor Kitty

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:07:27 GMT

One of my kittens pushed the screen out of the window last night and fell out of the second story window. I am not sure when it happened, but it was sometime during the night. In the morning I realized that the screen was missing and did a head count on the cats. Keely was missing; I was about to panic, but when I opened the front door she was sitting on the step unharmed. Somehow she managed to miss the bush and hose winder outside the window. She could have gotten hurt and she could have ran away, but we were lucky. She was so happy to be back in the house when I opened the door. I think she used up one of her 9 lives on this incident.

The Fish

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 03:58:24 GMT

The fish tank is cycled and doing well. Today we added the last batch of fish. I let Annika pick them out; she picked black neon tetras (over neon tetras or cardinal tetras) . It caught me off guard that she didn't pick something more flashy.

So our fish manifest is as follows:

3 zebra danios

3 glofish (geneticly altered zebra danios)

3 black neon tetras

1 kuhli loach

1 black mystery snail

My Mom's Situation

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:02:04 GMT

For those of you that don’t know; my mother’s house has been condemned. A sinkhole, most likely caused by a water main break is the culprit. The hole opened under the basement wall between her house and her neighbor’s house. These are 200 year old row homes; 2 of the 5 are condemned and need to be demolished.

My mom’s home owner’s insurance won’t cover anything under the foundation. Aqua, the company responsible for the water main break, denies any responsibility. My mom talked to a lawyer and the lawyer said that they couldn’t prove that it was Aqua’s fault. On top that her neighbor is trying to sue her (their house got condemned also). This leaves my retired mother in a situation that she in not equipped to deal with.

My mom has a lot of health issues. A major issue is that she is clinically depressed, in other words her brain chemistry is off balance. (Read here if you are interested in details: http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/lookforthesigns/clinicaldepression.shtml) She quite literally can not deal with what is going on with her house; she won’t even talk about it, not even to her close friends. She is paralyzed when it comes to coping with this and I live 900 miles away.

Her lawyer and mortgage company have both advised her to walk away from the house. She planned on living in this house for the rest of her life and suddenly it’s gone. No equity, settlement, or money to fix it, but worse than that she is going to foreclose which will screw her credit. Then there is the matter of the money she is expected to come up with to have it demolished, and the lawsuit. The township expects her to pay to have it demolished.

All of her stuff is still in this condemned house, as soon as she stops paying the clock starts ticking towards foreclosure. My mom can’t even go to the house; the issue isn’t so much physical as mental. Her friends want to help, but none of them are in the best shape. They certainly can’t move furniture. She talked about hiring movers to move her stuff; I doubt they would enter a condemned house and she can’t afford it anyway.

Bill, Annika and I are coming to PA in August for vacation. On August 7^th my mom has agreed to come to the house with me and some of her friends so we can clean out the garbage and pack. Then the next day my brother and some friends are going to help get the furniture and stuff packed on a truck. Then we take everything to my grandmother’s. My grandmother has graciously offered to store my mother’s stuff until she has a place for it. Paul is also being a saint by giving up his Saturday and helping me recruit help with the lifting (thanks).

My grandmother is having a picnic that day at 3 o’clock and everyone that helps is invited to partake.

Pets

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:22:56 GMT

We have fish now; in addition to our 5 cats. So far no kitties have eaten any fish.

It started with Gish, who decided that she didn't want to take Bob (the betta) with her when she moved. Annika wanted the fish. Sure why not how tough can it be to take care of one fish. Well we set up a small tank for Bob and go him moved over. 24 hours later; Bob died :(

After some investigation we decided that 1 Bob was older and 2 the tank might not have been warm enough. We researched other fish and found out that one betta is about all that is going to fit in a 2 gallon tank. In the end she picked another betta, named him Kyle, and he is doing fine.

Bill and I decided that having fish in a common area wasn't such a bad idea. Our friend Peirce helped us out a ton; he has been the fish guru for us. He lent us some stuff to get us started, helped us set it all up, and helped us make more informed decisions where the fish were concerned. I'll have to post a picture of the tank sometime.

Surgery Update

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 04:18:02 GMT

I am still recovering from the surgery, but I am doing well. I am a bit tired and run down, understandably so. I'll be taking it easy for the next week. My follow up appointment is on Tuesday. I'll keep everyone posted.

Surgery

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:41:44 GMT

I haven't been particularly posty about my up and coming surgery. I wanted to avoid thinking about it because it makes me nervous. I haven't even read the booklet that the doctor sent home with me because I don't want to know the details. I don't want to analyze it, think about it, or dwell on it; the less I know the less freaked out I will be.

Here is what I am having done and why:

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/repair-of-a-deviated-septum-septoplasty-surgery-overview

The surgery is tomorrow morning. I will be off of work until at least July 17th.

Traditional Marriage

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:01:02 GMT

Bill found this....

Big Updates

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:45:51 GMT

Annika:

Annika is almost done with her first year of school. She has learned a ton of things in kindergarten. She can read and has mastered her phonics fairly well. She likes to write, but tends to spell phonetically so it can be tough to read. Her math skills are fairly good for her age. She can add, do simple graphs, and works with patterns. Patterns seem to be her weakness.

On the social front; Annika has a few friends at school and plays with the neighbors a lot. She still sees Steven (one of her best friends from pre-school) on occasion. This summer she will be going to the Rockwell camp so she will get to see some of her buddies from pre-school.

She has some new favorites. Her favorite movie is currently Ghostbusters. Annika enjoys spending time with the kittens. She has been in gymnastics for a few months and loves it. We signed her up for a short soccer league she seems to like it. She has begun to express an interest in taking Karate; we will get her started after school ends.

Bill:

Bill has been really busy at work. His officemate got fired a few months ago and Bill inherited all of his work. He has been working 50 hour weeks trying to keep up with the work load. At least he has a job.

He spends his spare time (giggle), doing house work, playing with Annika, and playing video games. His spare time has been a bit sparse lately. Yard work has been taking over his weekends. We have been going on dates as often as we can. When we can’t go out we make sure to spend an evening together after Annika goes to bed (at least once a week).

Me:

My semester ended and I passed all of my classes. I am one class away from getting my degree. I am taking the missing class over the summer, and then I get to job hunt. I just hope that the economy is feeling a bit better when I go job hunting ;)

I recently got a new car. It is a 2009 Honda Fit with the sport package; the color is blackberry pearl. It gets some awesome gas mileage compared to my Saturn. So why the new car; you may ask? In short our housemate’s car died and with her limited financing options she couldn’t afford much car. We sold it to her for the trade in value. I had to scramble to research cars because I hadn’t seriously thought about buying a car since mine was just fine. I think I made a good choice.

On the leisure time front I have been playing Fallout 3 on the Xbox 360. After I get board with that I will play Persona 4 on the PS2. I have been rereading the older Dragon Lance books prompted by watching a horrible cartoon version of the first book. Bill and I went to see the Star Trek movie and we thought it was great. I am looking forward to G.I. Joe, but I have low expectations on the actual plot.

Extended family updates:

My mom’s house is condemned and there isn’t much she can do about it. It is looking like she is just going to lose everything. The homeowners insurance won’t cover it and Aqua is denying any responsibility for the problem. Her lawyer advised her to just walk away from the house. Her neighbor is trying to sue her (their house is condemned also) and the township wants her to pay to have the house torn down. My mom is retired and not in the best health so money is tight for her. If I lived closer I might be able to help her more, but I am limited as to what I can do from here.

My brother recently had his car impounded for driving on a license that he didn’t know was suspended. Poor guy just about had things worked out.

On a more up beat note my cousin is about 5 months pregnant. Her and her husband are pretty stoked about it.

Anyway that’s all I have for now J

Random

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:42:37 GMT

So I was at the grocery store yesterday and saw salmon flavored cream cheese and thought isn't that Lox?

I am getting sick of having Christmas forced on us. Now Annika's school has gotten into the act.

Winter in Cedar Rapids is going to suck it they don't get some salt for the roads.

I just realized that finals are next Wed for me and I forgot to request off because I thought they were on Mon.

Annika needs to go back to the doctor because her "viral" Tonsillitis doesn't seem to be going away.

Ok that is my random thoughts for today.

Enjoy the foods

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:48:45 GMT

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Enjoy the foods and the turkey coma that will follow.

Food

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:10:44 GMT

I never realized how regional food was until I moved to Iowa. The regional fare is bland here. It has mild German and Czech influence but lacks the flare of either. People here do not like anything spicy (hot). I am used to the Philly area and the diverse kinds of foods available there.

It took us forever to find a good Chinese restaurant here. The locals are not help; they like things very bland and they have experience limited to this area.Asking someone to recommend a place seemed useless.

The bread here is not as good (hard to find good crusty bread). Perogies are tough to find : ( I miss having choices in deli meat. There are no good mom and pop places here.

Controversial issues meme

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:23:49 GMT

[01] Do you have the guts to answer these questions and re-post as The Controversial Survey?

Duh!

[02] Would you do meth if it was legalized?

No. I value my health and am not interested in drugs especially addictive ones.

[03] Abortion: for or against it?

Complicated issue, personally I wouldn’t want to have an abortion. I am not saying that I wouldn’t ever; if I was raped, if I found out the baby was unhealthy, or if my health was threatened I would. My opinion: if you don’t want an abortion don’t have one, but leave people to make their own decision.

[04] Do you think the world would fail with a female president?

No, I was disappointed that Clinton didn’t make it to the end. There have been female Queens and Prime ministers in England and they are still a viable nation. Besides the president only represents the USA, it is ridiculous to think that the entire because of a woman president.

[05] Do you believe in the death penalty?

Yes, why should we pay $40,000 a year to keep someone locked up knowing that they will never again be a productive member of society? It seems to me that there are better uses for that money.

[06] Do you wish marijuana would be legalized already?

I am apathetic about this issue. I am not interested in marijuana or cigarettes, I have asthma. I don’t like it when people smoke around me. If they legalize it and regulate it I don’t care.

[07] Are you for or against premarital sex?

Strongly for. Not only would I encourage it but I would recommend multiple partners. Be responsible about it and learn your body. Sex and relationships are separate things and sex does not equal love. Relationships are mutual arrangements to fulfill both partners needs; emotional, sexual, and spiritual.

[08] Do you believe in God?

That is complicated. I do not believe in god in the Christian sense. I am more pagan in my beliefs. I’ll leave it at that.

[09] Do you think same-sex marriage should be legalized?

Sure why not? If legally marriage is contract I don’t see why people should be excluded. I think that marriage in the legal, state, recognized context has nothing to do with the church or religion. Getting married at the justice of the peace should be legal for consenting adults if they so choose.

[10] Do you think it's wrong that so many Hispanics are illegally moving to the USA?

I think the system needs work. I don’t mind if people move here, but they should pay taxes like everyone else. They should also learn English. My great grandparents were Ukrainian straight off of the boat, and they stressed that to their children.

[11] A twelve year old girl has a baby, should she keep it?

HELL NO!

[12] Should the alcohol age be lowered to eighteen?

I think that making it taboo makes it more desired. People make such a big deal out of it. In Germany teenagers can have a drink if they are with their parents, but they can’t get a drivers license until they turn 18.

[13] Should the war in Iraq be called off?

I think this country has made a fine mess in the Middle East. We should get out as soon as things are stabilized. Then we should stop telling other countries what to do.

[14] Assisted suicide is illegal: do you agree?

We put our pets to sleep so they don’t suffer. Why not let people who are terminally ill die on their own terms?

[15] Do you believe in spanking your children?

Yes, but sparingly. I use time outs and grounding. My daughter does get a swat on the behind if she was about to do something dangerous (like run in the street).

[16] Would you burn an American flag for a million dollars?

This is an issue that I don’t care about. It is only a symbol and I don’t care if people burn it, money or not. I guess I am not very patriotic.

[17] Who do you think would make a better president? McCain or Obama?

Obama, but I still would rather have seen Clinton in this race.

[18] Are you afraid others will judge you from reading some of your answers?

I am me like it or not. I guess that is a no.

Late Night Trek Humor

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 04:55:25 GMT

I laughed so hard when I saw this....

Happy Halloween

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:22:16 GMT

Hugh feel free to post this as a caption this picture.

Funny

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:08:36 GMT

I am and I believe

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:18:07 GMT

I am a strong person
I am loved
I am a loyal friend
I am a good mother
I am harsh
I am insensitive
I am stubborn
I am private
I am lonely
I am compassionate
I am me

I believe people are generally good
I believe love is forever
I believe everyone has something to hide
I believe people do not understand me
I believe pain is a good teacher
I believe that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger
I believe everything has a price
I believe in tough love
I believe change is the only constant in life
I believe that what you reap you shall sow
I believe karma is the ultimate retribution

I know who I am. I know my faults and take responsibility for my own actions.

Posty, post

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:49:30 GMT

When I have time I will be posting some flood updates and pictures. Things are going slow here in respect to flood recovery. They are still deciding on new floodplains and levy boundaries. Many people are sill up-in-the-air as to wether they can or should rebuild.

I have some other stuff to post too, but no time now.

D'oh

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:34:01 GMT

No wonder our children are falling behind in math; we can't even teach them to count....

Busy, busy

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:45:04 GMT

Hello all,

Just a quick note to let you all know that I have been reading posts as I can, but haven't had much time to post or respond to posts. Work is scheduling me slightly more than I want to be working at the moment. School is dumping projects on me rather quickly, and I have been doing some rather major house work at home too.
I feel a bit overwhelmed. There is just so much going on right now for me.

This Game cracks me up

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:56:53 GMT

The computer's up lifting messages are great (Game: Portal)!

Politics ala Geek

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:33:06 GMT

A Win for the D&D crowd!

Dirty

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 02:08:17 GMT

Win

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:47:17 GMT

More geek humor

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:25:05 GMT

A Song for Today

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:18:26 GMT

VNV Nation - Legion

Engage an impulse to pretend I have a faith as pure.
Not forgetting what it means to dream.
Indulging everything.
Entertaining thoughts that I've the strength of those I yearn to be.
Cheers and tribute greet the saviours.
Reckless thoughts survive.
Anachronistic and impulsive.

And what will happen?
Will I dream?
I am too scared to close my eyes.
For a second please hold me.
None can change in me these things that I believe.
But I don't know what happens now.
I am too scared to close my eyes.