Over The Top Meme

Today we ripped this meme off a blogger named Linda at the blog Are We There Yet??. Linda changed the meme a bit and so did we. She states that Sandy of Traveling Bells passed on the meme with a blog award called the Over the Top Award. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!

Cheers to all us thieves!
Sunday Stealing: The Over the Top Meme
Part One - Describe:

Your hair?
Getting grayer by the minute.
Your mother?
Heaven.
Your father?
Heaven.
Your favorite food?
It was the Scalloped Potatoes and Ham that I made Thursday night. My Mom's recipe. It was so delicious, so comforting, tasted exactly like my Mom made it. I made a huge tray, definitely enough for leftover lunch on Friday. Our son delivers my dinner to me (I was banned from living room because I wanted to watch Grey's Anatomy instead of the Bears game, what can I say? The Bears suck lately and I didn't want to miss my show and watch yet another bad game.) and he's eating off my plate as he brings it to me. Friday morning I go downstairs and the leftover container was on my laptop. EMPTY. I was livid. I was so looking to more of that comfort food. Anastasia said he had 3 heaping plates Thursday night. Yeah, and whatever he stole off my dinner plate. Grrrrr.
Your dream last night?
Not sure if it was last night or the night before, but my dream was me in an elevator frantically trying to get from the 7th floor to the 9th floor. I have no idea why. It was a short dream.

Your favorite drink?
Regular drink, iced tea. Alcohol, I so seldom drink. A margarita would be good, or a dirty martini.
Your dream/goal?
Staying afloat.
The room are you in?
Living room.
Your hobby?
Blogging.
Your fear?
The F' word. I can't even type it. As a homeowner struggling, it's my greatest fear.
Your TV?
um...it's on. Saturday night tv sucks. We don't have cable or satellite. Just free tv and on Saturday night that means slim pickins.

Your Pets?
Hoping to adopt again soon. I really really want a kitten, but our son is really campaigning for a dog, but I will only agree to a very small breed dog.

Friends?
According to our son, I have no friends. He said it again last night. Don't you love teens? Want mine?

Your life?
I'm here, I'm queer, get used to it. Oh, and by the way, I'm very cool too. Our daughter can't wait to "out" us to new people. She "outed" me to her bowling coach who thinks we're "cool".

Your mood?
Depressed. I really wish Anastasia would hear from the job she interviewed for and get the job. If she doesn't, I don't think we'll have Christmas presents.

If you're missing someone?
My parents.

Your best friend?
My partner, Anastasia.

Part Two - The Where's?
Where do you want to be in 6 years?
Still in this house, living in this great community.

Where were you last night?
um......I'm always here.

Where did you grow up?
Suburb of Milwaukee.

One place that I go to over and over?
The bathroom. Colitis. Overshare!

Your favorite place to eat out?
Gosh, anyplace that's not my kitchen and that I don't have to cook! I wish I had the $$ to go out for sushi. I love sushi.

Wish list items?
Wish list? Like for Christmas? Video games for our son. A bowling ball for our daughter. A Kindle or Sony Reader for Anastasia.

Last time you laughed?
I laugh all the time. In fact in high school a friend once told me that I laughed at everything. To prove her point she told me that she knew she could make me laugh by saying a single word. I was like, no way. The word? "Shoehorn". It wasn't the word that was funny, because "shoehorn" isn't funny...not by itself really. It was the look on her face when she said "shoehorn" that made me bust out laughing. But there you have it...I laugh at anything.

Last time you cried?
Lately...too often. Nuf said.

Part Three - The What's?
Something that you aren't?
Thin.

Last thing you did?
Just got back from grocery shopping.

What are you wearing?
Blue tshirt, sweats, slippers.

Something you're not wearing?
Socks.

Your favorite store?
Fashion Bug, but I never have money to shop there.

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I just have not been feeling well. Colitis is kicking my butt. Anastasia caught that weird bug again at the nursing home and is nauseous all the time. Thank goodness she still had some of the anti-nausea medication from her last hospitalization. She stayed home the last 2 nights with the dry heaves. Good times. I don't know if I'm having a weird colitis attack only, or whether she gave me the bug also because I'm nauseous too. Every time I go to eat a meal I have to stop because I'm nauseous and then have to go to the bathroom. Last night I had 3 small square slices of pizza for dinner. That was it and then I got nauseous. Great diet plan.

At bedtime last night Anastasia told me that Sunday night I was laughing in my sleep. Laughing like I was watching a sitcom or Ellen or Craig Fergusen's show. I haven't a clue what I was dreaming, although I guess it's better than screaming in my sleep...right?

No school today for our son because of Parent Teacher Conferences today. I skipped them because I wasn't feeling well and our son's IEP meeting is coming up anyway. I'll get to meet all of his teacher then, and our son will be required to attend. For some reason this morning he was refusing to go with me to his conference. Arghhh! I finally gave up after I checked his grades online and saw he brought them up and figured I'd have more time at the IEP meeting to talk to his teachers anyway, since there were alloting only 10 minutes per teacher. The aggravation though, it's driving me nuts. Whenever he spends the weekend at his dad's he comes home with attitude. Grrrr!

No school tomorrow for both kids. Hellllppp! I swear I'm going to kill Eddie Haskell. The damn kid cannot seem to understand that my cell phone number is mine and he should be calling our son's cell phone number. This morning he kept calling and calling my phone. He's been told numerous times what number he should be calling. Grrrr!

Today after dropping our son and Eddie Haskell at the movies I went to Targay to pick up prescriptions and toilet paper. When I picked up the toilet paper to put it on the check out counter something pulled from my lower back all the way down to the heel of my left foot. I was lifting frickin' toilet paper for cryin' out loud! WTH?

Our daughter is now trying out for the Girl's Bowling Team at her home school. I have yet to be told what the financial outlay is going to be. I do know that she must have her own 'equipment', so that means shoes ball and bag, but our daughter also tells me there is a jacket and uniform to be bought. WTH? It's a bowling team. What do they need a jacket for? Are they bowling outside? And a uniform? Whatever happened to team t-shirts?

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

High On Arrival

I recently finished reading MacKenzie Phillips High On Arrival. I always have enjoyed reading memoirs and autobiographies. Oh, don't worry, I took a pass on James Frey's A Million Little Pieces, if for no other reason because it was on Oprah's book list. If a book is on that list, it's the kiss of death for me. The first book on her list I purchased Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. I don't have the letters "PHD" after my name, but I'm not unintelligent. I just could not read and comprehend that book. I read the first page over and over and could not for the life of me figure out the point.

Back to High On Arrival, Anastasia asked me why I would even consider reading such a depressing book. I don't look at it that way. This book is about someone who, seemingly grew up in a life of privilege with much success and lots of money, it's also about someone who even with that, had a life filled with very serious issues. A very troubled life. It makes my life seem like a cake walk in comparison.

When I first saw MacKenzie Phillips on the talk shows I was skeptical of her story about her father having sex with her and then her eventually having a consensual (if you can consider someone so under the influence of drugs consenting) relationship for a time with her father, John Phillips of the Mamas & The Papas. After having read the book, I'm not so skeptical.

Some of MacKenzie Phillips' recollections of her parents drug fueled days make it hard not to understand her drug abuse. Having seemingly limitless quantities of cocaine and heroin in your household certainly must give you a different view of drugs in general. While to some it may make them want to avoid it, to others I'm sure it's a way of glorifying it and saying it's acceptable. It's too bad social services wasn't involved while she was young. She does report that social services was involved with her younger step siblings.

This was definitely a book that I had trouble putting down. I read through it quickly, turning page after page wondering what things she had to deal with and how on earth she managed to get to where she is today...a recovering addict at age 50.

Did you read High On Arrival? What did you think?

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

October Top Commenter Winners!

Ok, it's the 5th of November and no one noticed I forgot to announce the winners?

Wow! Auntie E left everyone in the dust this month...again.

Here are the results:

1st Place - Auntie E @ At Home With Auntie E 1000 Entrecard Credits.
2nd Place - Stacey @ All Stace, All The Time 750 Entrecard Credits.
3rd Place - Lin @ Duck and Wheel With String 500 Entrecard Credits.

Congratulations to the winners! Entrecard Credits will be in your accounts shortly.

Just a reminder to everyone that my Top Commenter Contest will be running in November, so now is your chance to stake out your spot at the counter or grab a booth.

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Healthcare Bill questions...

Have you seen the recent articles regarding "A little-noticed measure would put Christian Science healing sessions on the same footing as clinical medicine."? There was an article in Sunday's Chicago Tribune and an article today, Healthcare Provision Seeks To Embrace Prayer Treatments - Los Angeles Times.

Officials of the Christian Science Church are basically seeking to add on to the Healthcare Bill to allow for payment for prayer treatments.

To some of you this may seem shocking, but there is already a provision of the IRS code that allows for a deduction for prayers treatments as itemized medical expenses. "Some federal medical insurance programs, including those for military families, also reimburse for prayer treatment."

On the one hand this looks like a special interest group adding pork to the Healthcare Bill. On the other, as evidenced by the IRS code, the Christian Science Church appears to have more friends on Capitol Hill than any other organized religion, even though they claim to have less than 2,000 congregants in 60 countries.

Some of the arguments against this center around separation of church and state. (However, with that single provision of the IRS code, it doesn't appear to be a weighty argument.)

One could counter with, why should the Christian Science Church be the only church allowed payment for prayer treatments. Certainly other churches/religions pray for health and healing.

What do you think of the Christian Science Church's asking that payment for prayer treatments be included in the Healthcare Bill?

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

Halloween

First off, I gotta say, I suuuuuuck! Anastasia gave me her fancy shmancy 35mm digital camera that I got her a few years ago for Christmas to use to take photos at her mom's house. I didn't know that you had to pop the flash part up or the photos would be blurry. So that means that all the cool photos I took over there were crap. If Anastasia's sister emails us her photos, I will post them.

I did take a photo of our kids when we got home. Anastasia took the kids costume shopping earlier in the week. Before that all of our son's costume ideas involved him being in a suit. Scary axe murderer in a suit, scary clown in a suit. He finally settled upon a Scary bloody jester...in a suit. (Did you catch the theme?) I'm not really sure what our daughter's mask is. Anyway, they both had fun.
Lola's Diner
©2008-2009

How do you find joy and happiness?

Times are tough all over. People are struggling to make ends meet and are cutting their budgets to the bare bones.

Many of us, although we wouldn't necessarily admit it to anyone, are having difficult times. Sometimes it seems like all we think about is our budget and our bills. Our lives revolve around pay days and due dates. Tensions are high. The holidays are near. If you've got children, you're probably just beginning to stress out.

What do you try to do in your every day life to find joy and happiness?
With the holidays approaching, what are you going to add to your every day life to bring joy and happiness to yourself and those around you?

What are you doing? What is your significant other doing? What are you doing with your children?

Are there some things that you do with your family or with your significant other where you can spend time together, but not take a hit to the budget? What are your fun things to do?

Have you gotten more spiritual? Have the sacrifices that you have been making as a family or as a couple drawn you closer to your faith?

I think this is the perfect time to share our ideas before we get caught up in our holiday events.

I think it would be great if everyone would share their thoughts in a blog post and link back here so we can share it with everyone.

If we can offer some ideas that will help even one of us it will be more than worthwhile.

We are blog pallies. Together we are strong. Let's help each other out.

I'm not looking for a 2 sentence comment. I would like everyone to put some thought into this. I think it's definitely worth more than a few minutes of our time. Maybe it will help if we all consciously take the time to write a blog post about it sometime in the next week. Just be sure to remember to come back to this post to link up yours.

Please grab the code for the image HERE, include it in your blog post and be sure to come back to add the link to your Joy & Happiness Post to McLinky so we can all share our ideas.

Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

IF YOU SEE THAT MckLinky APPEARS TO NOT BE WORKING, PLEASE POST A LINK TO YOUR "JOY AND HAPPINESS IDEAS" IN THE COMMENTS TO MAKE SURE WE ARE AWARE OF YOUR PARTICIPATION. THANK YOU!

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS MckLinky IS STRICTLY FOR 'MY JOY AND HAPPINESS' PARTICIPANTS ONLY.
ANY OTHER LINKS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT PREJUDICE!

Lola's Diner
©2008-2009