I'm Still Alive...

Wow, it's been a while. I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! (Those who celebrate it anyway).

We went down to Key Largo for Thanksgiving weekend. It's about a 5-6 hour drive. Had a good time, but came home tired, than a couple days later I got sick.

I'm better, but now hubby has it. So far, the kid is the only one who hasn't been sick, and I really hope he doesn't get this. Quite frankly, I felt like shit for a few days there.

I will try to get a real post up soon. I haven't been able to do much more than go through the motions lately.

Take care!


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Trick or Treat and Drywall Repair

Halloween was fun this year. I tried to dress my kid up last year and he wanted NOTHING to do with it. It was all I could do to get a few pictures , and nobody was smiling.

This year, however, at 2 1/2, he has some favorite characters. He loves Tigger and Pooh, and Mickey Mouse and all his friends. Last year a coworker gave me a little Tigger outfit that was too big for Trevor then. It fit perfect this year.

I dressed him up in the Tigger suit, painted a nose and whiskers on him, and safety pinned a stuffed Winnie the Pooh to his shirt. He ran straight to the mirror and just loved it.

Trick or treating, though, was a different story. He said "trick or treat" nonstop at home, but as soon as we got to a house he wouldn't say anything.

It was his first time. Next year he will be a pro!

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The Jimmy Buffett concert was great. As always, it was like going to a huge party and hanging out with friends you've never met before.

I highly recommend Jimmy Buffett - if you ever get a chance to see him, do it!

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We had some excitement at work on Tuesday. (If you don't know, I work as a tech in an ophthalmology office).

Anyway, I was in a room with a patient, prepping her to see the doctor. I was just finishing up with her, when I heard a loud crunching, crashing sound. A second or two later there was a second crash and the building shook a little.

I thought we were under attack. I ran out of that room expecting to see major damage, thinking "somebody must be hurt after that!" I saw a bunch of shocked looking people, a framed picture lying on the floor, and a hole in the wall that looked like someone outside tried to punch a hole in it.

I (and everyone else) ran to the front window. As soon as I looked out, I realized that a car had crashed into the side of our building. I ran outside and saw an elderly lady behind the wheel, mostly covered by her airbag. Some other people were already talking to her and she seemed to be responding.

Several people called 911, and the situation was quickly brought under control. Once we pieced together what had happened, I realized how very fortunate we were that no one was seriously injured.

The lady, for some unknown reason, had lost control of her car and accelerated very rapidly. She jumped a curb in the parking lot and slammed into the side of a parked Cadillac, moving it a few feet over.

She then hit another parked car, parked in front of the building. She knocked this car forward over a curb and into a handicapped parking sign. The sign is what came through our wall. (That was the crunch-crash)

She bounced off the second car and finally hit the building herself. (That was the second crash). All her airbags deployed. She go a little banged up, and had no clue what had really happened. Paramedics took her to the hospital for evaluation. The Cadillac that was hit belonged to one of our patients and had to be towed away.

I just thank God no one was driving or walking in her path.

I hope the rest of the week is less exciting.

To Everything (turn, turn, turn)

There is a season (turn, turn, turn)...

I can't believe it is almost the end of another year already. I doesn't seem like it's been 8 years since my hubby proposed to me at midnight on Y2K. Remember what a big deal Y2K was? A lot of people thought the world as we know it was going to end because computers couldn't figure out the year "00".

This year has brought about a lot of changes in my life, most all of them positive this time! With me, every year brings change. I am very rarely in the same circumstances at the end of any given year as I was at the beginning. Whether this be job, place of residence, in trouble, out of trouble, family situation, financial status...you name it. Life is truly never boring.

In 2007, I have undergone a drastic improvement in financial status, started (yet another) new job, and moved into a new house. I wonder what will change between now and the end of 2008? This is one of the rare times when I actually hope that nothing changes too much - I like where I am right now. But, you never know! And it's funny, but even unwelcome changes seem to be for the best in hindsight.

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We are looking forward to seeing Jimmy Buffett in concert next weekend. This will be my third time to see him, and hubby's second. Buffett concerts are always fun. It's more like a huge party than a show.

I love concerts. You may ask, "Why pay exorbitant amounts of money to see a band play live (probably from the back of the auditorium) when you can buy the CD for $20 and listen to it whenever you want?" It's a whole different exzperience to actually be there, see the band in person, breathe the same air, etc. And you're sitting with hundreds of other people who are excited for the same reasons. It's a huge energy, and I just love it.

I was lying in bed this morning wishing I could go back to sleep. I hate getting up early when I don't have to. Anyway, no such luck. So I lay there reminiscing about concerts I have been to. Let's see...Steve Miller (twice), The Doobie Brothers, Poison, Jimmy Buffett (twice so far), KISS, Aerosmith, Neil Young, John Prine, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones (twice), The Who, The Police, The Eagles...there may be more, that's all I can think of right now.

There are some people, like my mom, who don't enjoy loud noise and high energy crowds. These folks would not appreciate a good concert. That's OK - if we all liked the same things, the world would get boring.

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A Scotsman moves to Canada and attends his first baseball game.

The first batter approaches the batters' box, takes a few swings and then hits a double.

Everyone is on their feet screaming 'Run!!!'

The next batter hits a single. The Scotsman listens as the crowd again Cheers 'RUN!! RUN!!'

The next batter also hits a single.The Scotsman listens as the crowd roars as a run scores, and cheers 'RUN!! RUN!!'

The Scotsman is enjoying the game and begins screaming with the fans.

The fourth batter comes up and four balls go by.The Umpire calls: 'Walk.'

The batter starts his slow trot to first base.The Scot stands up and screams, 'Run ye lazy basta*d - rrrun!'

The people around him begin laughing. Embarrassed, the Scot sits backDown.

A friendly fan notes the man's embarrassment, leans over and explains, 'HeCan't run -- he has four balls.'

The Scot stands up and screams: 'Walk with pride, Laddie!'

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Have a good day, everyone!

Special Day

Today is the birthday of a very spectacular lady, whom some of you may know through blogging. Her name is Olive Riley and she turns 108 years old today. Check out her blog - just click the link "The Life of Riley" on my blogroll.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, OLLIE!!!!

Home Improvement

I guess.

We had some friends staying with us a couple weekends ago. We asked one of them to stay on a bit longer and offered to pay him to help with some work we wanted to do. Specifically, some miscellaneous stuff on the motor home, and building a new cage for our iguanas.

We have 2 iguanas, each measuring between 4 1/2 and 5 feet long, including tail. We had a pretty decent cage for them, but they were just getting too big for it. They were in and enclosure about 7 feet long, 2 1/2 feet wide and about 5 feet high. They now have 8 feet long by 5 1/2 feet wide by about 6 1/2 feet high.

I was quite pleased with the final outcome of the cage. It is very spacious and much better suited for our iguanas. I still have to put some finishing touches on it, though.

New Story:

Last night I put Trevor in the bathtub. (Trevor is 2 1/2 if you didn't know). I have had issues before with him "making a mess" in the bathroom while in the bath. (read: flooding the bathroom floor). He has been reprimanded and punished and is now generally very good. The one thing I do have problems with is that he loves to flush the toilet, which he can reach from the tub.

After Trevor flushing a couple times and being scolded, I decided to put an end to the whole nonsense. I took the cover off the toilet tank and unhooked the rubber thingy from the arm attached to the flush handle. I looked at Trevor and said, "Ha! Now you can flip that handle all you want and nothing will happen. I win!"

I went in the living room and a few minutes later hubby says, "why do I still hear water running?" I said, "I dunno" and went to check on Trevor. When I walked into the bathroom the entire floor was completely flooded with water. I immediately scream, "TREVOR!!! What did you dooooooooo?!?"

Trevor looks at me innocently and I hear gushing water, but don't immediately see the source. Did I mention that I have one of those cabinet things over my toilet tank? It is one that you buy and put together and it sits right over the toilet - there is a shelf, then a cabinet with doors, then another shelf - one of those practical plus decorative type things. Anyway it initially appeared that the water was spewing out of that thing.

I knew water couldn't spew from a piece of furniture, so my first thought was that the pipes in the wall had burst, and I imagined the worst. I yelled for hubby to "Get in here NOOOWWWW!" Hubby, having sprained his ankle the day before, came hobbling in, Asking, "what's wrong? what happened?"

Me: "I DON'T KNOW!"

Hubby: "Where is it coming from"?

Me: "I DON"T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

Hubby: "I DON'T EITHER!"

Me: "WHAT DO I DO?"

Hubby: "I DON'T KNOW!"

After about 3-4 seconds of this, I realized that water was coming from the toilet. I had left the top off the tank, and pipe where the water comes in to fill the tank was spewing water like there was no tomorrow. Think Old Faithful.

So I covered the spewing pipe with my hand while hubby started yelling, "Turn off the water to the toilet!" I reached down for the knob, but it was stuck and wouldn't turn. Hubby managed to make his way in with the sprained ankle and an inch of water on the floor and got it turned off.

Meanwhile, Trevor is sitting the bathtub laughing his butt off.

After work today I stopped by the hardware store, picked up the parts, and learned all about the inside of toilet tanks.

What will tomorrow bring?

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Goes Around, Comes Around

The weather hasn't been so great here this weekend.

So instead of doing the beach, we just "did stuff around the house". This means my husband sat on the couch and watched TV all weekend and I did projects.

Stuff like hanging a new towel rack, assembling a piece of furniture, installing shelves and rearranging electronics in two rooms...it seems like I did some other stuff too.

Oh, yeah. I cleaned the house, did the shopping and the laundry, cooked meals, etc.

I really don't begrudge my husband the time he spent sitting on his you-know-what. I can't stand doing that for very long. I have to have something to do, to keep me busy.

Lately it seems like it's one project after another. my house is looking really good, but I fear I may be turning into my mother.

Holy shit, right after I typed that, I turned around and said something my mother said to me countless times.

My son was saying "doggy, kitty cat, doggy, kitty cat..." ad nauseum.

I said, "You have a cat. When you are old enough to feed a dog and pick up the dog poop, you might get a doggy. And if you don't take care of it, it's going to the pound."

I can't remember how many times I heard that last bit about my first dog, named Hurricane.

Scary.

Scary.

He never did go to the pound though...

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A Good Visit

My mom and dad came for a visit last weekend. Anyone who reads my dad's blog knows that they take an annual road trip encompassing visits to me (Tampa) and my sister (Chicago) as well a week in Georgia playing golf.

Well, this was their first opportunity to see their grandson since February, and boy has he changed a lot! I must say, I was quite proud (and relieved) that he was on his best behavior while they were here.

Grammy and Grampa brought Trevor a gift - a little tricycle/bigwheel type thing. Trevor loves it, but can't figure out how to push the pedals to make it go. It has a lot of buttons on the "dashboard" which make various noises when pushed, and Trev is convinced that one of those buttons must make it go. See, he has a little 4 wheeler with a button that makes it go, and he hasn't figured out the difference yet.

Another accomplishment of last weekend - I have been working on fixing up the gate to my backyard. I have collected dozens of seashells from our beach, and I made a trim of thin boards painted aqua, with shells glued on to them. I then attached the painted boards around the frame of the gate. The crowning touch, though, is a painted sign that my dad got us at a little street fair we went to:

This weekend we are back to our normal routine - which means off to the beach this afternoon! Have a great weekend!

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Every Nap Has Its Consequences

As is my usual routine, I got up this morning when Trevor refused to play quietly in his room anymore. I fed him breakfast, straightened up the house a little, put his cartoons on and lay down on the couch to be lazy and observe Trevor.

I must have dozed off, because next thing I knew, something was poking my leg repeatedly. The "something" in question looked like this:

At first I couldn't figure out what he had gotten into. I looked around and nothing seemed out of place. That's when I walked into his room and found my purse, wide open and emptied on the floor.

Most of what you see on his angelic little face is mascara. There is also some lipstick and ink from a ballpoint pen. It just doen't show up that good in the pictures. His body, arms and legs are covered too.

This is what just about every page in my checkbook now looks like:

Oh, the joys of parenting a toddler!

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Karma

OR

What Goes Around, Comes Around

If you read my last post, you will know that I recently changed wireless providers. Got brand new phones with the leather covers and everything. Really nice.

After having the new phone for approximately a week....

Well, let me go back a little.

About 1 1/2 to 2 years ago, when we were living in Zephyrhills, Florida and struggling financially, we found a cell phone in our front yard. I opened it up and looked at the "contacts" list. I picked the number labeled "home" and called it. The owner of the cell phone was ecstatic that soemone had found it, and made arrangements to come by and pick it up. Turns out he was a taxi driver.

He offered me $20 for returning his phone. I thanked him, but turned it down. He made me take a card good for a free taxi ride instead. I never used it, but that doesn't matter.

Anyway, after having my new phone for approximately a week, we went to the beach and I lost it. It must have fallen out of our stuff when we were carrying everything out to the car. I didn't realize it was missing until we got everything inside and I started looking for it.

It was late and I had to get Trevor fed and ready for bed. When he was just about finished eating, my house phone rang. The caller ID showed my name and cell phone number! It was a guy wanting to know if I was missing a cell phone. I said I was, but I couldn't get back over there tonight, could I call him the next day?

He said sure, and gave me his number, informing me that he would turn my phone off right away. I called him back the next day (today) and got his voice mail. I left a message and waited. A couple hours later I called back but didn't leave a message. I decided I would call again at 2:00 pm.

Right at 2:00 pm the phone rang. It was him. I made arrangemants to meet him, and we decided to head back over to the beach and pick up the phone on the way. The guy that found my phone met us where and when he said he would, he had removed the leather cover and carefully cleaned all the sand out of the phone and wrapped everything up securely to return it to me.

This guy was maybe in his mid 20's and covered in tatoos. Very nice, well mannered guy. You should never judge a book by its cover, etc.

Point is, if you have a chance to do a good deed, a favor for someone you don't even know, don't pass it up. It makes you feel good, it helps someone else have a better day, and you never know when the shoe will be on the other foot!

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Don't Keep It Bottled Up Inside

Do you ever get so aggravated by a large company, you just wish there was something, anything, you could do to show them your disgust? I remember when I was growing up, my grandmother's answer to just about every such situation was, "write a letter". Sometimes she got results, too!

After having been Sprint PCS (a wireless phone company) customers for almost 10 years, this recent fiasco was simply the last straw. Following is a copy of the nice letter I wrote to Sprint, hoping it gets passed along to someone in authority. Even though I don't expect anything, it sometimes helps just to write it all down, mail it away and get it off your chest.


August 9, 2007

To Whom it May Concern,

We recently had a mishap with one of our phones, causing us to request a replacement. We pay monthly to insure our phones, so we were able to get a new one for $50. The phone enclosed with this letter is the one that we replaced.

When we received the replacement phone, it did not come with a user’s manual. The last time we got a replacement phone due to damage, we paid the $50 and got a new phone and user’s manual. This time, the phone that was damaged was not available, so Sprint sent us the most comparable upgrade, a different phone altogether with NO instruction manual. We called to question this and were told that the insurance we pay each month only covers the phone, not the manual. This is absolutely ridiculous. When someone gets a new phone with which they are unfamiliar, they really need the manual. Not everyone has the capability to download the manual on a computer.

To top it off, the new phone did not have the same type of internet connection, so we ended up having to pay $5 a month more, plus Sprint counted this as a change in our service and locked us in to a new contract starting when we got the new phone. Even though we did not want the new service, we were told we had no choice. This is nothing but an underhanded method of keeping customers because most people don’t want to pay the exorbitant amount to break their contract.

We have been Sprint customers since May of 1998 and have spent a lot of money on phones and phone services through Sprint. When we called to ask about the manual, we were told we could buy one from a Sprint store. We thought it was absurd that we should have to pay extra for it, but we were willing to do so. When we started calling Sprint stores, we were told that they only had manuals packaged with new phones and could not sell them separately. No two people we spoke to would give us the same answer. This demonstrates either total incompetence on the part of Sprint employees, or Sprint’s unwillingness to help and satisfy their customers. Talk about getting the runaround!

A few years ago, Sprint had the best customer service out there, but recently it has really gone to hell. Try to get a person on the phone and you will be on hold for a minimum of 30 minutes. We have tried at all different times of day. When you finally get a person, they are reading a script and cannot comprehend or answer any questions that are not included on said script. This is not a one time occurrence, it is every time. Maybe Sprint is saving money by hiring imbeciles, but it doesn’t do much for customer service.

In conclusion, we will be terminating our contract with Sprint. No amount of money is worth the bullshit we have had to tolerate at this point. Sprint had better straighten up its act or it will be losing customers left and right. We will never recommend Sprint to anyone ever again.


In TOTAL Disgust,

(our names here)


Actually, I DO feel better now!


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Pulling My Hair Out

Potty training.

AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!

Some mornings the kid wakes up bone dry and goes right to the potty and pees in it. once he even woke up in the middle of the night and called for me because he had to go. Then went again in the morning. I thought we had to be almost there!

Then there are the other days. He acts like he has to pee, then when you get him to the potty, you find out he has just gone in his diaper. You sit him on the potty and make him sit there 5 minutes and nothing happens. As soon as you put the diaper back on, 5 minutes after that he's totally wet, and has probably pooped too.

Finally there are the days like today. If I so much as ask, "Trevor, do you need to pee-pee potty?", he runs away and hides, then races into the bathroom and tries to flush the toilet without being caught, then races back out. Laughing wildly the entire time. I honestly think he's doing it on purpose. You know, playing games with me.

Well, I already knew he has selective hearing and very selective memory, so I guess selective wetting his pants is to be expected.

Insight anyone?

Deep Thoughts

Do you ever just wonder about random, insignificat little things until they drive you crazy? I do. Let me give you an example.

Recently, I was driving home from work and listening to the radio. A song by the Eagles came on, and as I sang along (don't worry, I was by myself), it triggered something that has bugged me for well over a decade. It bugs me every time I hear the song.

The song in question is "Lyin' Eyes". There is a part that goes:

She rushes to his arms, they fall together/ she whispers that it's only for a while/ she swears that soon she'll be comin' back forever/ she pulls away and leaves him with a smile.

Now, does she pull away and leave with a smile on her face, or does she pull away and leave him with a smile on his face. When you listen to the way they actually sing that line, with the emphasis, it really could go either way

Opinions anyone?


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A Very Proliferative Little Town.


I'm referring to a little town in Texas called Dumas. So you will understand what I am talking about, here's the back story:

http://cherishauthor.blogspot.com/2006/08/small-world-sometimes.html

I went to a local McDonald's the other day and, as is my norm, I used the drive-thru. I ordered a chicken caesar salad with extra croutons and extra dressing. The girl asked me if I wanted the chicked grilled or crispy (read: fried). I told her I would like it grilled.

On the little "confirm your order" screen appears: "Bacon Ranch Salad Crispy, 2 Croutons"

I said, "Excuse me, but I ordered a caesar salad with grilled chicken, extra croutons and extra dressing."

"Oh." Pause. "OK."

After a couple seconds the little screen changed to read "Caesar Salad Grilled, 2 Croutons, 2 Dressing"

I thought, "Great! Now we're getting somewhere."

I drove around and paid. When they handed me the bag with the salad in it, I looked inside. I saw 2 crouton packs, one pack of ranch dressing, and a salad in a plastic container with a lid on it. The girl at the window (a different girl, mind you) said, "Oh wait, I think I gave you the wrong salad." I agreed and gave it back.

She took it somewhere inside where all 4 or 5 employees on duty proceeded to have a discussion about it. I heard bits like "what's that?", "what'd she order?" , "Is this a caesar salad?", "it's grilled chicken", "that IS what she ordered, see?", and other snippets along that line.

Girl #2 came back to the window and asked, "Ma'am, did you order a caesar salad?"

I said, "yeeeeeesssss." (in a tone that hinted, ever so slightly, "you moron!")

She smiled sweetly at me and said real nice, like I was the stupid one, "Well, this is a caesar salad."

I took a deep breath and said, "That may well be. I didn't examine the salad itself. But the dressing in there is ranch, and I wanted caesar dressing. Plus, I ordered 2 of them, not just 1."

She said, "I'll just switch out the dressing!" She removed the one packet of ranch dressing, then proceeded to dig around in my bag for a couple more minutes. She finally looked up and said, "Where's the other one?" I patiently explained that there was only one in the bag - that was, in fact, part of the problem.

I can't imagine a crew of random strangers each being that dumb. They must have migrated from Dumas as a group and somehow taken over a fast food franchise.

Watch out, your town could be next!



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The Luck of the Drawbridge

We went to the beach this past Saturday and Sunday, as is our usual habit. Saturday entailed no mishaps, so we left the sailboat loaded up and decided to go back Sunday. We had a great day on the water, and when it was time to go, we loaded up and headed out.

The sailboat I mentioned is a 14 foot inflatable catamaran. It is just wide enough to carry on top of a car easily, so we load it onto the roof of my minivan and tie it down to the luggage rack. I drive the van to the beach, and Hubby follows in the motor home. We have a mini-motor home/camper, and since the beach is only a few miles away we like to take it. It gives us a nice place to sit out of the sun if we want, room to change and feed Trevor if necessary, a portable bathroom, etc.

Our local beach here is actually on an island and there is only one bridge onto that island. It is a drawbridge. We were the 4th and 5th cars back from where the bridge opens. We watched it go up, stay for a few minutes while a boat went under, then go back down again...almost.

The other side had stopped about 3 feet above our side. So close, yet so far away. We sat for a few minutes, then I got out of my car, locked it and joined Johnny and Trevor in the motor home. We had a couple beers and a bottle of water in the cooler. Nothing to eat. Word came back that "they" had no idea how long it might be, but the same thing had happened yesterday and it took over 3 hours to get it unstuck.

We must have departed the day before just in time to miss the bridge getting stuck. Anyway, we used to live in the Florida Keys and had experienced drawbridges being stuck for hours, even overnight or all day. We waited a while, and nothing happened. Trevor started to fuss, as it was past his dinnertime. I had a little milk left and gave him that. Six ounces of milk doesn't hold him for long. A lady knocked on our door and asked if we had a bathroom, because her little boy really needed to pee. We let him come in and use the facilities, then debated charging people a fee to use the toilet. Depending on how long we were stuck there, we could have really made some money! Unfortunately, we ended up deciding not to. (ha ha!)

Finally after almost an hour, no word and a hungry, fussy kid, I realized that the sun would be going down soon. I knew there was a convenience store not far on the other side of the bridge, where I could get milk, food and water. I decided to go for it. The risk of being stuck there for several hours or more hungry and thirsty and listening to Trevor (2 yr. old) outweighed any risk involved in climbing up 3 feet and walking over the bridge to the store.

The man running the drawbridge kind of yelled at me for climbing up, but I just ignored him. The store turned out to be a mile away, so I walked there, bought supplies, and walked back. Just before I got around that last corner to the bridge, my cell phone rings. It's Johnny. "They got the bridge down. This guy is gonna drive your car over, stay right there."

At first I thought I had wasted a 2 mile trip to the store on foot, but then Johnny explained that if I hadn't gone, we probably would have been stuck there overnight. It's called Murphy's Law and it almost never fails!


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Who Does He Look like?

When my son was first born, a little over 2 years ago (gawd, time flies!) the answer was pretty much unanimous: "He looks just like his dad!"

The older he gets, more and more people are starting to say he looks just like me. Hmmmm.

This debate triggered me to go back and look at some baby pictures of myself and hubby. I see resemblances to both of us, but can't say that he looks "just like" either of us. I'm interested to see what non-family members think.

Glance over these pics and let me know who you think he resembles more strongly!


_____________________________________________

This is Trevor's dad.









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This is (obviously) me.

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And this is our little stinker!






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"To-may-to" or "To-mah-to"

My 2 year old son.

My dad used the word "determined". I just say "stubborn".

What do you think? (note: video quality is not great, but you will get the idea)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2f0f2dkVsE




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Redneck Joke

Sorry for no post in a while. Unfortunately(?), in the summer months I don't spend much time on the computer.

After work, if I get off late, I spend a couple hours with my kid, put him to bed then fix dinner and eat, while watching an hour or two of TV (unwinding) then go to bed. If I get off early, we play outside in the backyard or go to the beach. Then of course it's dinner and bath and bedtime, then hubby and I eat, unwind a little and go to bed.

Sometimes blogging just doesn't fit into the routine. While I do try to read, comment and basically keep up with all of your blogs, I generally don't have time to actually post anything.












Life's a Beach! Enjoy it!

_____________________________________________


A redneck family from the hills was visiting the city and they were in a mall for the first time in their lives. The father and son were strolling around while the wife shopped.

They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and then slide backtogether again.

The boy asked, "Paw, what's 'at?"

The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, "Son, I dunno. I ain't never seen anything like that in my entire life, I ain't got no idea'r what 'tis."

While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, a fat old lady in a wheel chair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the small circular number above the walls light up sequentially.

They continued to watch until it reached the last number and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order.

Then the walls opened up again and a gorgeous, voluptuous 24 year-old blonde woman stepped out.

The father, not taking his eyes off the young woman, said quietly to his son,

"Boy..................go git cha Momma...............




_

Reflections

You know how they say "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone"? Usually that refers to taking something good in your life for granted and only appreciating it once you've lost it and can't get it back. I was just reflecting the other day that it could also apply to really, really crappy things in your life that sort of creep up on you gradually. You only realize that they're crappy later on.

I am referring specifically to my last job. I knew for a while that I wasn't very happy there, but it wasn't that bad. I just got used to the way things were. Some of you know a little about it, as I did a couple of posts recently about my decision to quit the job and my efforts to find a new (better) one.

I work in the field of ophthalmology, so (obviously) I work in doctor's offices. For doctors. No offense to any doctors who may be reading this (ha ha), but they are a strange lot. They are all different, but they are all strange. Unfortunately, some of them are also assholes - kind of, well, exactly like my former boss.

I had gradually grown so accustomed to long stressful days, revolving door turnover at the workplace, borderline unethical practices, and a boss I detested, that I didn't realize how miserable I was. My poor husband realized it - he was subjected to me coming home in a bad mood almost every day.

When I finally decided it was time to move on, it was actually a little hard to leave the place I had worked at for a year and a half. Even though I hated it. Weird huh?

Anyway, after a few weeks at my new job, I realized that I really appreciated a lot of things about this job. It started to dawn on me how good I had it at this new place. Naturally, the next thing to cross my mind was how bad it was at the old place. As I reminisced a little, I found myself to be horrified at some of the bullshit I tolerated.

Of course at that time, I needed the job, was making enough to make ends meet (barely) and there was no way I could afford to quit without having another job lined up. And I had no time to look for other jobs as I was always working and couldn't afford to take time off. Anyway, I remembered a place that I had been in contact with when I was looking for a job here a couple years ago. I decided to call them and see if they had an opening and if so, see if they would hire me.

Turns out I called at just the right time, got the job, hence quit my hated one. My husband commented recently that it was nice to have me come home in a good mood. That got me thinking.

Point is, a lot of us "settle" into situations where we are unhappy, but they get bad so gradually that we don't really realize it, and by the time we do, we feel pretty comfortable (read: afraid to change) so we decide, "well, it's not that bad." We also don't realize how much this unhappiness shows to those around us. I was pretty bitchy for a while there, but now I am back to my old, laid-back self. Unfortunately, it didn't dawn on me until I had already gotten out of the bad situation.

Take some time to look around and evaluate where you are and what you do. You don't want to spend years and years miserable without noticing it until it's too late.















BE HAPPY!!!


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The Big TWO!

Yesterday was my son Trevor's 2nd birthday. We celebrated by spending the day at the beach - his favorite place.














He got lots of cool presents, a card, a cake and a little bit of a sunburn.

A great time was had by all!

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In other news:


We finally got our other iguana back! A neighbor spotted him in his yard, captured him and returned him to us safe and sound.

Bonnie and Clyde are reunited at last.













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A joke:


A gas station in Mississippi was trying to increase its sales, so the owner put up a sign saying, "Free Sex with Fill-Up".


Soon a local redneck pulled in, filled his tank, and then asked for his free sex.


The owner told him to pick a number from 1 to 10. If he guessed correctly, he would get his free sex. The redneck then guessed 8, and the proprietor said, "You were close. The number was 7. Sorry, no sex this time."


A week later, the same redneck, along with a buddy, Bubba, pulled in for a fill-up. Again he asked for his free sex.


The proprietor again gave him the same story, and asked him to guess the correct number. The redneck guessed 2 this time. Again the proprietor said, "Sorry, it was 3. You were close, but no free sex this time."


As they were driving away, the redneck said to his buddy, "I think that game is rigged and he doesn't really give away free sex."
'
Bubba replied, "No it ain't, Billy Ray. It ain't rigged ----- my wife won twice last week!"

Leapin' Lizards!

Iguana update...












(top is Bonnie , bottom is Clyde)

Remember our fugitive iguanas, Bonnie and Clyde? (no joke, those are their names) Anyway, Clyde hung out in a tree in our backyard for a few days, and eventually disappeared. We had almost given up hope of getting them back, when lo and behold, Bonnie turned up in our yard, just walking around on the ground. Hubby walked over to her, picked her up and put her in the cage. That simple!


So we printed up some fliers about Clyde (still missing) with our phone number and placed them around the neighborhood. The next day we got a call from a nearby neighbor who said that Clyde had been in his yard the day before, but he had disappeared again. So far, he has been spotted a couple times and seems to still be on our block. We plan to continue searching and trying to get him back.





This is a full body pic of Bonnie, just to give you an idea. Both Bonnie and Clyde are about 4 and 1/2 feet long including tails.





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The joys of traveling:


A man and a woman, who have never met before, find themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a transcontinental train.

Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over sharing a room, the two are tired and fall asleep quickly...he in the upper bunk and she in the lower.

At 1:00 AM, he leans over and gently wakes the woman saying, "Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold."

"I have a better idea," she replies. "Just for tonight, let's pretend that we're married."

"Wow! That's a great idea!!" he exclaims. "Good," she replies. "Get your own damn blanket!"

After a moment of silence, he farted.

Back to...Normal?

Hi everyone! First of all, sorry I haven't been around for a while. As you know, I have been in the process of changing jobs and moving. We have successfully relocated to our new house in a new town, but we have sure had some interesting adventures along the way.

I am sooooo sick of moving. We lived in one little place in Key Largo from 1999 (right before we married) up until Sept. of 2003. Then we decided to move to Corpus Christi, Texas. Why? Well, we needed a change of scene (for many reasons - too much to go into now) and I was born and raised in south Texas. Corpus is on the water and we would be about an hour and a half from my parents and grandmother. So we relocated.

We spent our first year there in a one bedroom apartment, I got pregnant so we moved into a larger, 2 bedroom apartment in 2004. In 2005 I lost my job, then a few months later my husband lost a good job also. so we decided we had enough and were going back to Florida.

We had nothing lined up in Florida so we spent our first 3 weeks in St. Petersburg, in a trailer that belongs to a friend of a friend, renting it by the week. I landed a job in Zephyrhills, so we moved up there. We lived there in a one bedroom duplex for almost a year, with my son sleeping in the living room. When I got a raise and we could afford to move again, we moved to Tampa into a 2 bedroom apartment.

Any of you who have been reading this blog know what happened then. I made the decision that I needed to change jobs again because I couldn't stand working for a tyrant. So I found a new (and better, and higher paying) job in the same field and accepted it. Unfortunately it was just too far away to commute so we had to move again. Now we are in a great little house in a neat little town right on the beach. Whew!

We were really tired of carrying furniture and loading up a U-Haul (moving truck), so this time we hired movers to come in and do it for us. They were supposed to show up last Saturday at 11:00 am. They were also supposed to call the day before and confirm. We were out of the house pretty much all of Friday afternoon and early evening wrapping up other loose ends, but since we have an answering machine and cell phones, we weren't worried about missing the call.
We got home and checked the machine and no one had called. We tried to call the movers then, but no answer. We figured they were closed and we would call them in the morning.

Next morning, we called and called, and no one answered. Finally at about 10:00, a guy answered and we found out we had a problem. Something had come up and they needed to reschedule our move. They claim to have tried to call a number of times and got no answer and no answering machine. Whatever. So, we tried to work out an alternative arrangement. I told him it HAD to be done this weekend, because we work during the week and wouldn't have time to deal with it. Well, they could try to get 2 guys to work on Sunday, but it would be time and a half since they didn't normally work Sundays. I said whatever, just do it, it has to be done, I'll pay the extra money.

So they moved us on Sunday. Our cable and internet was supposed to be hooked ub between 8:00 and 11:00 am on Monday. My husband was here all day. The gas company came that morning and hooked us up, but the cable company never came and never called. So hubby finally called and complained that afternoon, and was told that the guy came to our house and knocked bu no one answered the door. OK, maybe he had gone into the back yard, or was in the bathroom or something, but don't they normally call you if they miss you? They say they do! So they assured him that someone would be here before 8:00 pm and that they would call ahead and let us know they were on the way.

We waited around til about 7:30 and called back again. They assured us they guy was out doing jobs and he would definietly get to us, but may be a little late, like 15 or 20 minutes. We could live with that, so we waited some more. Finally around 9:00 we called back again and told them we had to reschedule because we had to go to bed soon. At 10:30, just as we were getting ready to go to be, a knock on the door. I opened it and there stood the cable guy. I had him come on in and survey the situation. He said the job would take a couple hours because he would have to install a new cable outlet, etc.

We told him to forget it, we had already rescheduled. He said he was they same guy that came by earlier and he swore that he came to the right house, knocked and got no answer. He said he immediately reported this to dispatch and that they were supposed to have called us. We had given a cell number as the contact, since our home phone wouldn't be activated until next week. We pulled out the cell phone and checked voice mail, incoming calls and missed calls - there was NO call from the cable company. He was nice enough so we laughed it off for the time being.

Next day, another cable guy showed up when he was supposed to and did the job. Later that evening while we were trying to watch TV, our cable box malfunctioned - kept cutting off and on all by itself, and we couldn't watch anything. So we called the cable company again. They said they would have someone out the next day to switch out the box for us. This guy showed up too, and switched out the box, everything seemed to be working fine, then we asked him to check the cable in the bedroom as it didn't seem to be working, we couldn't get any channels back there. He said that this was the responsibility of the original installer and we would have to schedule him to come back out and finish his job properly. So now he is supposed to come back on Monday - we'll see!

To top everything else off, our 2 large, four and a half foot long iguanas escaped from their cage. They are now at large in the neighborhood. We have seen one of them in a tree in our back yard for the last few days, but don't know where the other one is. They are not aggressive and won't bother anyone, but some people are scared of them, plus we have probably broken some kind of law by letting them loose, even though it was unintentional. They are considered to be "exotic animals" and I know the rules are sometimes pretty strict when it comes to exotics.

On the bright side - we love our house and the town we are now living in. I have got almost everything unpacked and put away. The job is going great, and now that we are moved and most of the turmoil has (hopefully) resolved, we should settle in very nicely.


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Quick Hello

I know, I know, I haven't posted in forever. I have been busy with the new job (1-1 1/2 hour drive each way) and getting ready to move this weekend.

So far the new job is awesome. I can't wait to live 15 minutes away instead of an hour and 15 minutes. As much as I hate moving, this is worth it.

Will put up a better post next week after we get settled.

Bye for now!


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First Day

What a great Monday!

WTF? When was the last time I said that?

No, I'm not (entirely) nuts, today was the best Monday I've had in a while. I didn't realize how badly I had come to dread Mondays until I didn't dread one.

You're probably wondering what I'm babbling about, huh?

Today was my first day at my new job. It went great! Of course some things are always done differently from office to office, and some of the equipment was slightly different from what I have experience with, but overall I had no problems.

Everyone there is very nice and the environment is pleasant. Today we saw about 34 patients, and it was an "atypically busy day". This job is going to be so much easier and less stressful than my last 2 jobs have been.

The only thing that will make this better is when we get moved over to that area. Right now I have about an hour drive each way. After moving, it will be more like 15 minutes.

As far as I'm concerned right now, getting paid more money for doing less work is a win-win situation!



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Conclusion

One thing I didn't mention in my last post was that on Tuesday, after my Monday meeting with Dr. Chaos and before my interview at the new practice, Dr. Chaos' wife came in to talk to me. She cornered me in the lunchroom while I was eating. I saw her throught the window and knew why she was there, but I didn't have time to escape.

She basically reiterated everything her husband had already said. The main difference was that she seemed willing to talk more freely about certain things than he did. I had asked him some direct questions about the "changes" he planned on making within the practice, and about the new administrator he had hired.

A woman had come in a few weeks prior to interview for the administrator position. She impressed me, and everyone else she spoke to, as a total bitch. I asked Dr. Chaos right up front if she was the one he had hired, and let him know that if so, it would pose a problem. I didn't like her and had no desire to work with her. He dismissed my questions by saying, "I am not at liberty to discuss that with you." Well, after speaking with Mrs. Chaos and several other employees, I found out that she was in fact the new administrator. Also a few other things that he had told me weren't adding up.

After the great interview I had with the new practice on Tuesday afternoon, I had pretty much made up my mind that I was leaving and was derading my next meeting with Dr. Chaos. The new place called me Wednesday morning and confirmed the new job. I was ecstatic! When Dr. Chaos confronted me on Wednesday afternoon, I told him that I had made my decision and was taking the new job. He acted flabbergasted and asked me why. I saw no choice but to tell him the truth. I told him he was not honest with me at our last meeting, and explained why I was making this claim. His response: "I didn't say it was her and I didn't sayit wasn't her - so I didn't lie to you."

I had asked him direct questions about matters that were not confidential or top secret. I let him know that I had some issues with theses matters. He deliberately evaded my questions and didn't tell me the truth because he knew I wouldn't like the answers. As far as I am concerned, this constitutes dishonesty.

I told him I thought he was self-serving, manipulative and dishonest. I start my new job on March 5th. Can't wait!!!


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Suspense

Well, I had my job interview today. It went very well as far as I could tell. The doctor kept saying how qualified I am. He seemed to indicate that he thought I would be a good fit with the practice. He asked if I had any questions, and answered a few, but when I asked about health insurance and benefits, he referred me back to the practice administrator. I got back with her, has a tour of the facility and got all the pertinent info. I definitely got the impression that I would get the job, but they said they would call me.

I told my current boss yesterday that I planned on leaving and taking another job. I may have jumped the gun a little, since I don't have a concrete offer yet, but in my field I don't think I will have any trouble finding work. He pleaded with me to stay, offered me more money, made "promises", the whole 9 yards. He wasn't very happy when I told him I couldn't give him an answer on the spot.

I told him I had a meeting scheduled the next afternoon with this other doctor, and I wanted to meet with him and hear what he had to say. I commented, "I only think that's fair." Dr. Chaos looked me straight in the eye and said "Why is that fair?" I was almost speechless at that. I tried to explain that I had committed to an appointment and that this man had set aside time from his schedule to speak with me. Then I thought "Why am I trying to justify this?" and just said, "I'm keeping the appointment and I will let you know after. Thank you for giving me this time to make my decision."

Dr. Chaos' response to this was, "So you'll call me in the morning?" I said, "No. I will call you after the meeting and after I make a decision." He said nothing to that.

I can't see any reason for the new place not to offer me the job. It's perfect for me. The salary will be about the same, but the benefits are FAR superior to where I am now. I dread telling Dr. Chaos that I have decided to leave, because I know he will be unhappy and may pressure me. I am just trying to avoid contact with him until I know for sure that I have the job.

The suspense is killing me!!!


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Onward and Upward

Well, I've finally decided to do it. I'm going to quit my job. No, I'm not taking a sabbatical or choosing to stay home with my son; I couldn't afford to do that. It's not that I don't want to work anymore, I just don't want to work there.

I try not to go on about work too much on this blog, but I know I have shared some stories in the past. I started work there 1 1/2 years ago, and there have probably been about 10 or 12 employees that have started since then, and have also quit/walked off the job/went to lunch and never came back, etc. since then. And several "long term" employees who were there before I started have also resigned since I've been there. And this is not a huge company. We have 20-25 employees total.

You'd think most employers whose heads were not shoved completely up their asses would realize that there's a problem somewhere. Turnover like that is ridiculous. We have been shorthanded in at least one department, sometimes more, for at least the last year and a half. Everybody else realizes that this is because the boss is a total jerk, the practice has no organization whatsoever, payscale is relatively low for the area, the "benefits" are minimal, bonuses and incentives are nonexistent, but for some reason he can't see this.

Why would I take a job there in the first place? Well, the boss painted a much prettier picture of the situation during the interview and tour of the practice. Unfortunately, I didn't really do much investigation beyond this because the main reason I went there was that I had worked previously with one of the doctors ("Dr. W") there, and wanted to work with him again.

The place I will (hopefully) be working at is a practice which I had prior conatct with a couple years ago. When I first decided to move to this area, I sent them a resume. they called me back almost immediately and were very interested. I was definitely leaning toward taking a job there, and only changed my mind and took the job I took so that I could work with Dr. W.

They had 2 job openings 2 years ago, one employee moved and another quit to have a baby. That was the first turnover they had in years. The opening they have now is the first since then. What a contrast to the Practice of Chaos where I work now.

Anyway, I have an interview with the new place on Tuesday - basically I have to meet the head doctor, and if he approves, I have the job! My current boss is about to be very, very unhappy. A doctor, the senior tech, and another tech all gave their notice last week. Now his "employee of the year" will soon be following suit.

Funny, but I really don't have the slightest bit of symapthy.


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I'm Back...Sort Of

Well, we made it back from the famous family ski trip! That's where I was all last week, hence no posts and hardly any comments.

The bad news is, we are all sick with a stomach virus. "We" being myself, husband and 22 month old. The kid got it first, I assume he picked it up in the daycare we had him in while we were skiing. Hubby and I followed suit.

I didn't go in to work today, slept all day and went to the doctor. Doctor said not to go in tomorrow either, so another day of sleeping is planned. That and clear liquids.

I'll try to put up a better post in a few days.

Goodnight!



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Another Milestone

My beautiful baby,the joy of my life, the apple of my eye, etc. etc. has just accomplished his crowning acheivement to date:

He (finally) learned to say "mommy"!

He has been saying "daddy" for some time now, and my husband goes on about how wonderful it makes him feel to hear Trevor say it.

I agree - it was really awesome!!!

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Colts, Cowboys & Patriots!!!

An Indianapolis Colts fan, a Dallas Cowboys fan and a New England Patriots fan were all in Saudi Arabia, sharing a smuggled crate of booze.

All of a sudden Saudi police rushed in and arrested them.

The mere possession of alcohol is a severe offense in Saudi Arabia, so for the terrible crime, they were sentenced to death!

However, it was a Saudi national holiday the day their trial finished, and the extremely benevolent Sheik decided they could be released after receiving just 20 lashes each of the whip.

As they were preparing for their punishment, the Sheik suddenly said, "It's my first wife's birthday today, and she has asked me to allow each of you one wish before your whipping."

The Patriots fan was first in line (he drank the least), so he thought about this for a while and then said, "Please tie a pillow to my back." This was done, but the pillow only lasted 10 lashes before the whip went through. The Patriots fan had to be carried away crying like a baby.

The Cowboys fan was next up (he almost finished an entire fifth by himself), and after watching the scene, said "All Right! Please fix two pillows on my back." But even two pillows could only take 15 lashes before the whip went through, sending the Cowboys fan out crying like a little girl.

The Colts fan was the last one up (he had finished off the crate). The Sheik turned to him and said, "You support the greatest team in the world. Your city and fans are the greatest. For this, you may have two wishes!"

Thanks, your most Royal highness," the Colts fan replies. "In recognition of your kindness, my first wish is that you give me not 20, but 100 lashes.

"Not only are you an honorable man, you are also very brave," the Sheik says with an admiring look on his face. "If 100 lashes is what you desire, then so be it. And your second wish? the Sheik asks.

"Tie the Cowboys fan to my back!"



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Cameras, Computers, and the Cursed "C"

I have been very negligent with my blogging lately. I haven't posted in almost 3 weeks! I also have not been visiting any of you as often as I should. Sorry about that.

Anyway, things have calmed down at work. Pretty much. Our newest employee started on Jan. 2 - out of the 4 work days that week, he called in with a "family emergency" twice, and called in sick once. He tried to call in yesterday, but our supervisor told him if he wanted to keep his job, she really needed him to be at work. He showed up. Late.

On a better note - 19 DAYS 'TIL OUR VACATION!!! We will soon be off for a week of freezing our butts off in the mountains. If you didn't know, this is our annual family (and almost family) ski trip in Colorado. There are 9 of us including altogether - my parents, my sis and bro-in-law, a very close family friend and her husband, and of course there's me, Johnny and Trevor. We always have a terrific time! I'm hoping Trevor can start skiing next year.

I have started a new diet and exercise plan. I have stuck to the diet faithfully and haven't cheated at all. I have been so-so on the exercise. All in all, though, I have lost 2 pounds and feel really good, so I can't complain.

My parents bought us a new digital video camera for Christmas, so we could record and send them videos of their grandson. At first I was really excited and enthusiastic about learning to use it. Then I open the box and took out a bunch of wires, computer discs and other small objects as yet unidentified. OK, I can sort this out. Then I looked at the instruction manual. I tried to flip it open to the English section, then realized it was open to the English section.

I have managed to take some video footage and download it to the computer with the software that came with the camera. I used to do this fairly easily with my old, cheap, low resolution camera that produced small blurry videos. With this new camera, it took some doing. The horrendous instruction manual explained how to then transfer this footage to a recordable DVD via my computers DVD drive with writing capabilities. It looked simple, but wasn't. I still haven't been able to record a DVD. I even put down (well, threw down) the manual and just started trying stuff on my own. Hey, it's worked before. Unfortunately, not this time.

I found another program on my computer that was meant to copy and write CD's and DVD's. "Oh, cool!", I think, "let's try this one!" FRUITLESS!!! Every attempt, another dead end! I have not been this frustrated with an electronic device in quite some time. All I can figure is that the camera, knowingly or not, has joined the ranks of the dreaded "C".

Anyway, the camera, all the wires, discs and stuff that came with it, my computer and all of it is going with us to Colorado so my dad and my geek squad brother in law can figure it out.

I hope.


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