viv

HAHA! Your life sounds very much like mine! I know we went to special wife/mom school for these types of situations... but geez! It's not like Algebra or Chem. when you whine about how you'll probably never even use this stuff in 'real life'...

If you came to So. Cal... then I could do the planning and also... hug you and feed you and watch you smile and hug you and sit next to you on rides at Disneyland and buy you some Jamba Juice and hug you and...

So, updates to the updates... Old neighbor guy called us last night at 1:30am because he needed help... he had an accident cause he couldn't get up and get to the bathroom. We went over and helped him up and to the bathroom and then Rich helped him into clean pants and then I remade his makeshift bed in his recliner chair and put his other stuff in the washer and then we put him back to bed. I convinced him he should go to the hospital and we were going to take him today, but then his fair-weather family showed up and took him instead. Tony called me tonight while I was at work. Apparently he got hit in the eye HARD at lacrosse practice and is now sitting in the ER waiting to be looked at, likely with another lacrosse related concussion, and hopefully no other major damage to his eye or brain. I'm waiting to hear from him or the girl that is currently there with him about what the doctor says after he gets seen. I want to rush over there, but that would be ineffective seeing as how it's a 5 hour drive to him. Matty told me some interesting information he learned at school the other day... A female coral snake sometimes doesn't want to mate with the male, and so instead, EATS him. The male coral snake lets the female know he's interested in mating by flicking his tongue against her body... Oh, and James said that in France, they kiss by sticking their tongues in the other person's mouth, ewww, right?! And apparently he asked Rich if it's okay to have more than one girlfriend at a time if they don't know about each other... James has 24! Guess who Matty needs to not be spending playground time with anymore? EWW!!! WALNUTS IN MY OATMEAL RAISIN COOKIES! SO WRONG! :wacko: Rich's brother has an interview at a restaurant where he used to work last time he was here, next Tuesday. I have a day off tomorrow, and then I have to go to my old store on Friday to pick up my paycheck and my sweater that I left there and so I'll have lunch with some of my pals... I talked to Davey today who hurt his arm, can't find anywhere to live, and is having internet withdrawls because he has to go to the next town over to the post office or something to get it! Have I mentioned how much I love talking to him, more, listening to him talk and how 'I love you' with a Scottish accent does wonders for my mood? Hugs, Viv

In what ways...?

Use what you learned and move forward... Hope you're okay

This entry is being made from my laptop that has pretty much made a full recovery, thanks to the AMAZING work done by Rich I didn't lose ANYTHING!! And... he got to reformat it like he's been nagging me to do... I started at my new (old) store yesterday. It's okay, I remember a few faces, and they remember me (after 8 years). The store director is... okay. One girl I worked with at the last store said, "He's a different kind of bird," and almost everyone that asked, when I told then his name, made some face so... I guess we'll see. It's only about five minutes shorter on the commute, but it's ridiculous in there cause they have no help! Today was my second day, and my day off, and at 7:30am they were calling me to see if I would come in and work. Also, the book keeper is RUDE, but I managed to give her a taste of her own medicine today, so that was fun. Bette was here visiting and that was nice. She put a seatbelt on in Nancy's car! I found out that she doesn't like pizza!!! WTF!? Anyway, she's gone now, but it was fun seeing her, if not a bit exhausting. That's not her fault though, I've been so stressed out about so many other things lately... I'm always exhausted... which leads to being sad, I guess. Some crazy psycho person from a subsidiary of our mortgage company left a notice on our front door Saturday morning at 2 am... right after they called us saying that our house would be sold on April 2nd, due to default and non-payment. So I calmly peeled it off the front door and stuck it to my bedroom door and went to work so that when Rich woke up and it wasn't 5:30 am, he could call them and find out wtf is going on. Well, he did and the loan company said we were current (which I knew we were, hence the non-panic) and to disregard the notice. So then he calls the number on the notice and it turns out that this company with the crazy psycho notice hanger, is a part of our mortgage company!! So he called yesterday and talked to someone who said that someone else didn't do something they were supposed to (obviously) and so he would clear it all up and fix it. Rich's brother showed up... and is pissing me off! He called a few weeks back to tell us that his longtime girlfriend was on drugs and he hadn't seen her in 2 weeks, and that he was being evicted and had to put his dog to sleep, the girlfirend's mom has their two kids, and he needs someplace to go. Apparently my house is the only place he has left... so he travels from Washington on a Greyhound bus and then it begins... He called to say he was going to arrive Sunday morning at 7 am... but then he got on the wrong bus, and so he wants us to pick him up in LA on Saturday night 10pm. Well, Rich says he can't, he has plans, and I can't cause his plans involve him having my car, so I end up calling their sister who agrees to pick him up so he won't have to wait in LA for the 4-hour layover and then ride the next bus to Anaheim. So they get here around 11:30ish. We go to bed, and in the morning I'm up getting ready for work when he comes into the bathroom to ask me if I can drive him to the hospital... So, of course, I ask why he needs to go to the hospital, and he tells me it's because he's going through withdrawls and is hoping that the doctor will give him something to make it easier. I take him as far as I can without deterring my route to work, and make him walk the rest of the way, and then I get home and he has his prescriptions sitting in my living room where my kids can get them. So, I move them and tell him he can't leave that stuff around like that. Rich sat him down and told him that we're upset because I had made it VERY clear that no one, on any drugs, could come here. So after talking to him, Rich decided to give him a week to detox and see if he is making an effort in finding a job. Then he used a lighter we have for a BBQ/stove and left it where the kids could get it and not where he got it from. THEN... Rich had washed some laundry and he took our clothes out of the washer and left them on top of our dryer, WET, so he could wash his stuff in the middle of the night! His bags are STILL in my living room... instead of in the guest room... and I'm pissed, but I think I said that already. On top of all that, it seems I'm either overbearing or overshadowing or overreacting or some other something in some form of excessiveness. On my last day at my old store (that I was at for 6 years) I got some really pretty flowers that are currently sitting on my nightstand and Zoey is enjoying sniffing them repeatedly, a cake, and a card that said, "Loving you is easy... missing you is hard." I concur... I applied for a snazzy corporate job, I'm not holding my breath, but we'll see if I get it. On to a totally personal and inappropriate public survey if you'll all overlook that... I'll explain by way of a story. I was telling Rich a while back that it is my belief that a large majority of men have tasted their own... stuff. He disagreed vehemently. A couple weeks later, he was listening to Howard Stern and they have some straight guy on who does gay porn because he makes like... WAY more money doing that than straight porn, and then somehow it came up in conversation that he had tasted his own... stuff. Of course, Rich was like and tells me all about this interview he heard, mostly to discuss how a straight guy could do gay porn, and then of far less importance, the tasting issue. Anyway, long story short... if you feel like answering or have an opinion one way or the ther about the typical behavior of ALL guys, feel free to share. Trying to stay sane, happy, and be patient all at the same time... Viv PS. My opinion on the straight guy doing gay porn is... millions of people can't be wrong... and if he is doing porn anyway, why not make the most out of it? Also, we like boys

I just got home from work where I was transferred to a new store, starting Monday, because there were lay-offs in my district and so now they need to move us around to make sure they have the help they need. It's a store I worked at about 8 years ago, right when I was first pregnant with Matty and it's closer to home... Then Rich picked me up from work and told me that while I was away, somehow, Matty managed to knock my laptop onto the floor and then a soda spilled on top of it... Apparently it still works, but he shut it off and took out the battery and wants to clean it all out. Also, evidently, the super expensive 5-year extended warranty I paid for only covers mechanical defects... Old neighbor guy fell... again. Bette is visiting, but she's sick and making me drive... and won't wear her god damn seatbelt in MY car... UGH! Viv

I'm pretty sure I went with "Okay, I'll be thinking of you guys" or something similar, and she knows I'm not religious, but that brings about another question about convenient believers... The question I asked, while it could be applied to this issue, wasn't really about religion, in so much as it was a fundamental question. Thanls for the thoughts, wishes, and prayers!

... a break, an answer, a nap, a hug, and in return, I'd like to offer some perspective. My friend, Alysia, called me on Saturday while I was hanging out with Steve, and she doesn't normally call me unless something is up, what with how busy she is being the mom of four kids, and the PTA president, etc., so I answer and she tells me that her son, Donavon, had a stroke. He's six, so just a little over a year younger than Matty, and that he's in the hospital. She says he can't move his limbs on his right side, can't talk, can't swallow, and so he has a feeding tube in his throat. He recognizes his mom and dad when they are there, but when the neurologist is holding up random pictures and asking him to choose the ball or the cat, he can't. He has a blood clot in his brain, which they don't want to operate on for fear he bleeds to death or becomes brain damaged permanently. He has another in his chest that they have to remove because if it becomes dislodged, it will find its way into his lungs, and he will die. She asked me to pray for him, and I'm not much of the praying kind, but I'll hope for the best and think good thoughts, maybe even wish on a star. I was telling this guy at work about it, since he had asked me why I seemed so down, and he asked me, "What's his name? I want to say a prayer for him." I guess if anyone else out there is the praying kind, I'd appreciate it, and if you're not, maybe we can wish on the same star... better odds that way, maybe. Anyway, thank you, Skylar, for being genuine and giving for Donavon. The latest update on his condition is that he has been moved to his own room, he still has no right arm movement, but his right leg is getting some better. He is making sounds and learning again how to eat, starting with Jello, but is still on the feeding tube until he can manage enough progress to nourish himself regularly. He started physical therapy, which she says he loves, and that he looks much better. The neurologist thinks he may be able to go home by Friday. My hope is that as the drug they are giving him to break up and thin out the clot in his brain has a chance to work, that his motor skills and speech will return, even if he has to relearn things. It's things like this that really make you remember what's important in life, and that time is not something that has an unlimited supply for anyone. No matter what problems or worries I have, they are nowhere near as bad as this, and it makes me very thankful for the health of the people I love and the life I get to lead with the people I love in it. So, thank you to everyone who has touched me in some way, and to those who continually return the friendship, respect, and love I have with you. My boss fired four people over the weekend. One for calling her a rude bitch behind her back, two for having a cake frosting fight in the bakery, and one for falsifying his time. Quite possibly, they all deserved it... they did not, however, deserve her unprofessional behavior today when she told all of us exactly what happened so we could be sure to clear up whatever rumors are going around about it/her. I guess it's every person for themselves at work, which sucks cause things work much better when we're a cohesive unit and playing for the same team. Davey left for his new home/store on Friday. He spent the weekend with his Mum and Dad, and I haven't heard from him yet, so I hope he's doing okay and adjusting well. I'm sure he will, it's not the first time he's been through this, but it's always trying. Maybe I'll call him tomorrow or the next day and check up on my favorite Scottish Sweetie This has been on repeat for 5 days now... So, a question, if you'll humor me... What do you do when someone tells you to do something you can't, be someone you aren't? In closing, I'll leave you with this story: The other evening, Annemarie and Matty were in her room watching TV and he was playing with his new black Spiderman toy and making some sound repeatedly like Spiderman was hitting something. Annemarie says, "Stop... Stooooooooooooooooop... STOP!... MATTHEW!!!" So, I call Matty in here and say, "What's going on, pal?" He says distractedly, "Nothing, I'm just playing with my black Spiderman, like this," (demonstrates sound). So I reply, "Okay, but I think Annemarie asked you to stop that..." and he says, "Well, she doesn't have to be so assertive with me!" I'll tell you that I had SUCH a hard time not laughing out loud at that. It was like... Oh wow, my son is so smart and cute, but, oh! NO! FOCUS!!! No trying to use your smarts and cuteness to get out of this! And then Annemarie says, "You don't even know what assertive means..." and I said, "Matty, what does asssertive mean?" He said, "It means not nice and very aggressive,"... for the win! So, anyone have an answer? Viv Rich is reading over my shoulder and said, "Isn't that Spidah-bruthuh?"

BILLY! Hope you have a happy birthday!! Vivian

Hope you have a GREAT birthday, Jordan! Lots of smiles... and totally have some cake for me, pleeeeeease? Vivian

... deal! Everyone whines a little, even me, GASP! The important part is when you realize that the whining does you no good and that it takes so much energy to keep yourself in this crappy, whiny place, so instead, you forego the whining for something more productive. Nothing like spending years whining about why you can't do something and knowing in the back of your head that had you been working at it, a little bit at a time, you'd be done by now, even if it wasn't the ideal for how you wanted it to happen... Love you, babe...

I just got home from work, which was... work. And then we grocery shopped, as if I don't spend enough time in that place already, and now I have to give them back my paycheck, too! Greedy bastards! Anyway, I helped Rich and the kids carry all the bags in, and then I went to change out of my work clothes, and Rich followed me in to change out of jeans and into some shorts, and had asked Matty to close the door on his way out. Then a minute later he walks back in, without knocking, and so I say, "Aren't we supposed to knock on closed doors before we open them?" He says yes and then says, "I'll give you some private time..." and is locking my bedroom door on his way out. I find this entertaining since we don't call it private time or make a big deal of scheduling 'private time' while the kids are here and awake and we need to be using the lock on our bedroom door, so where he came up with that phrase is anyone's guess... Probably TV... Anyway, so he says, "I'll give you some private time..." and Rich is like "All right!!" (Is there a pervy smilie on here?) So I'm doing some mix between rolling my eyes and laughing and he's trying to tell me we should be taking advantage of this opportunity, but then he opens the door to go out to the living room, and Matty says, "You're done already?!" and so of course, I'm hysterical cause Rich has this pained-ego face happening and says, "Now, see?!" It was beyond funny, especially since Matty has no idea what he's implying... I have a play date with my Sweetie tomorrow The two of us need some quality time together... cause I sort of REALLY miss him like crazy. Lately it seems like we're both busy at the only time the other is available And now he has all this moving/work drama happening and that's :wacko: Anyway, I just wanted to share the silliness! Viv

So you have no idea what I've been putting up with lately... Things like: What kinda noise annoys an oyster? A noisy noise annoys an oyster. Is a lonely buffalo a buffalone? What's the difference between roast beef and pea soup? Anyone can roast beef, but no one can pee soup. So we went out to dinner tonight. We're waiting at the hostess stand to be seated and they ask how many and Rich says four. They ask one kids menu? Two? And my daughter says, "I'm taller than my mother." The three of them look at me like 'what does that mean'? So I say, "One, please." So we're eating and Annemarie is going on again, as she has been now for a terrifying few days, about Taylor Lautner. He's this kid that was in the Twilight movie. In case you don't know what he looks like... here's a picture for your consideration. Taylor Lautner He's so sexy, so hot, OMG have you seen his abs?! When she first started all this talk, I had no idea who this kid was, and when we were in the store and she was asking for the J-14 magazine with him in it, I took a peek... He reminds me of some animal, I can't pinpoint which exactly, but weird, anyway. So Rich told her that the kid looks like a monkey, and she was horribly offended on his behalf. So during dinner she says again, "OMG have you SEEN his abs?!" And Rich tells her that the pictures are airbrushed, and again she's horrified at the idea and says, "You're just jealous cause you don't have abs." So he replies, "I have abs! They're just covered by a layer of fat..." and while she's trying to figure that out, he says, "Gimme a half hour and I can have abs like that, too." "Nuh uh, Dad. He's been a black belt in karate since he was 7!" We roll our eyes at her and she's not backing down, so Rich says, "Yeah, well, he still looks like a monkey." So she says, "No, you know who looks like a monkey?" We wait expectantly... *cough* YOU *cough* So Rich says, "Hmmmm..." and I say, "Have you seen his abs?!" Then Matty says, "Can we tell 'Your Mama Jokes'? and I say they can if they go like 'Your mama is so pretty' or 'Your mama is so smart' so he says, "Oh... well how about 'Your Great-Grandma Jokes'?" Okay fine... His friend, Arturo, told him this one today... thank you, Arturo Your Great-Grandma is so fat that she sat on the toilet and it said, "ABCDEFG, get your fat butt offa me". :wacko: So I downloaded the new Fallout Boy album, admittedly, because Brendon Urie (quite possibly the prettiest boy ever) is featured on a song, but I'm totally liking it, so BONUS! Also, I recently saw this video they were in for Gym Class Heroes for the song "Clothes Off" which was a song when I was a kid, and they're wearing LARGE animal suits, bears, dogs, and what I believe might be an otter. Anyway, it's really quite amusing to see Ryan Ross in an otter suit freaking another dude Rich had an interview today! YAY! I got his portfolio all fixed up for him, picked out his clothes... he NEEDS some shoes... good thing I know a thing or three about shoe shopping A naked boy just walked through my bedroom wrapped in a towel, winking at me and smooching in my direction... OH! So the other day my favorite fireman was in the store shopping, and miraculously, I wasn't leading a tour or cheering with a bunch of 8 year olds. And... he talked to me! Giggle. This is SO teenage girl... just saying. We have these monitors at the checkstands that play 'Checkout TV' for the customers while they wait in line, and one of the speakers on one of them was making this awful static noise and I had looked at it and couldn't find a way to shut it off. So I was walking past him that day, and he said to me that it sounded like that thing was going to blow up, and I agreed and said I had looked for a way to shut it off, but there doesn't seem to be one, so he tells me to call him when it happens, and I say that I will, but since they are there all the time anyway... Annemarie just walked in screaming that her belt broke! It was a white one with star cut-outs and star studs on it and so Rich said, "Time to go on a diet?" and she was all 'Oh NO he didn't' status and said, "You know what, Monkey?!" so I iterject, "Have you seen his abs?!" and Rich says, "I have an ab," and she points out that the greedy kid has eight! Hugs, Viv PS. David, I REALLY had a lot of fun talking to you the other day! Hope you're not lurking again!

Happy Birthday!!

I suppose that makes sense since, typically, I'm not a big fan of Plan B on. Does that make me picky? Always wanting to have my way? Yes? Oh well So I sent her to school Tuesday with instructions, that if her teacher tries to give her detention for not bringing candy for the whole class, that she should say that I want her to call me. I asked her when I picked her up after school what happened, and she said nothing... the teacher didn't even mention it. So one of three things happened... 1) She forgot that she was unnecessarilly picking on my child 2) She really is senile and can't remember or 3) She reads my blog and knows better than to mess with me! I was on my way to work this morning when I get a text from my boss. Turns out the regional Safety Manager for our area was in our store assessing our progress on our assessment So her text said: What is the Safety Topic for the month? Teddie is here. Amazingly, I was able to hold back my original thought, which was, why don't you f**king know? We sit in the same meetings and it's YOUR store! But I gave in and told her, even if Steve's first instinct of 'sucks to be her' was more synonomous with my feelings. She called me a lifesaver when I walked in... that makes one of us. I should have said, "No, I'm just a checker." So, question... Bear with me a second. I went to buy some bras the other day... It's REALLY frustrating/annoying that when you have boobs my size that you can't find anything cute or that fits well. Rich talked me out of not getting a couple at Target since we were going to the mall next, so I gave in and went to Victoria's Secret. So it seems they only carry two styles in my size, and they aren't even remotely cute first of all, and they're $48 each! So, I try them on cause I'm not paying $48 for something I don't even know will fit right, and they don't fit any better than the ones from Target for $12. So my question is this: for those of you who wear boxer briefs, or some smaller and more constricting version of underwear... do you have as much drama finding underwear you like if you find yourself on the larger side of what you plan to be putting in said underwear, or is it just us women with a huge rack that have to suffer? So Rich keeps talking about reformatting his computer, and my old one that the kids both shun cause they say it's too slow and wants me to let him reformat my laptop and while he's at it, switch me back to Windows XP from Vista. So, I'll admit that my reaction anytime he ever wants to do anything to my computer is NO!!!!!!!! ALL MY STUFF! So that knee-jerk reaction aside, any opinions on the matter? I sort of freak when it comes to technological change... not because I can't learn again or the little changes are too much for my brain to handle, but because I hate not being able to navigate my own stuff easily. He says there really isn't a difference other than the way it looks... anyway, HELP! We watched Zack and Miri Make a Porno the other night, and Rich can't stop conveniently suggesting I give him a dutch rudder. We watched Vicky Christina Barcelona... It was okay. Day off tomorrow!!!!!! **Does a happy dance** Hugs, Viv

Sorry, guys, I'm on sappy love movie number two of the day, and that's not counting Fanboys we saw earlier, too, which, by the way, was pretty good, if anyone was curious. So, I have a question for you... My daughter came home from school today all upset because... Well, at her school, the kids can buy these candy gram things to send to their friends. She got two from her friends and didn't really like the candy it came with, so she gave the candies to two of her classmates. Now, as I understand it, the teacher said they could talk the last few minutes of class while the girl passed out the candy grams so it's not like she was disrupting the class or impeding some other student's ability to be learning. Anyway, her teacher saw her giving the candies away and told her that if she doesn't have enough for the whole class, then she shouldn't be giving any out, so she is to bring candy for the whole class on Tuesday. So, she told her teacher that she didn't think her parents would do that, and that we probably can't afford it, and the teacher said that if she didn't bring it, she could have detention instead. So, Rich tells her that we'll buy her a bag of M&Ms or something just in case. And, of course, I'm like f**k THAT! So now I'm entertaining a couple of options... A) Send her with nothing but instructions, if the teacher tries to give you detention, you tell her that you are unable to accept it, and she needs to call your mom. Write a letter to the principal explaining how much I don't appreciate one of his staff embarassing and disrespecting my daughter in front of her whole class and maybe even asking for a public apology. C) Go out on Sunday and buy all the markdown Valentine's cards I can find and fill them all out and then drop them off on Tuesday morning to the principal's office with a letter saying how we spent all our time over the weekend filling these out, and we may not get to eat next week because of all the money I spent on the cards for the 1357 students in her school, and had to call in sick so we could finish all the cards in time, but it was all worth it so that no child would feel left out. Further, since this teacher thinks it to be such an important matter, I'm sure she'd love to volunteer to make sure each student receives his or her Valentine card in a timely manner. (My favorite option, so far) So... what do you guys think? Also, if you have an alternate suggestion, I'd love to hear it. On a side note, this woman was my Spanish teacher in the same school 19/20 years ago, and this is not the first run-in we have had with her this year. I won the last one, and I plan to win this one as well, cause while I support not hurting anyone's feelings and making sure everyone is included, I'm NOT okay with anyone making my daughter feel bad for sharing or for the fact that, currently, we aren't rolling in the bucks cause the state of California is bankrupt. So, what else? OH! Work has gotten BEYOND ridiculous. At this point, 9 people have been transferred out and replaced times two by people from the other store they closed in the city, including one of my best pals, Garren. His last day was last Sunday and I'm proud to say I made it to my car after saying goodbye to him before I started crying. Had to sit there for 10 minutes before I calmed down enough to try and drive home, and almost had to pull over twice... but I made it. He is one of the best people I know and I REALLY miss him So now my store is crawling with all these new, strange people like bugs, and you KNOW how I feel about bugs! I'm not sure more than a few people care, but in case anyone besides Steve, Other Steve,Toby, and recently, Patrick care, I've been working on Underneath This Big Ol' Sky again. I have about six pages done now. I can't promise when it will be done, but hopefully soon. Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Put your 'C' symbols on for Comicality and let's all celebrate together! COME AND GET ME LOVE! Hugs, Viv

If I'm understanding what you're implying, don't think I haven't been suggesting the same thing... But I'm selfish, and it's a ridiculous thing to ask of anyone, even if having him close to me feels essential to my happy and fulfilled existance. I'm pretty sure (without giving myself too much credit) that it feels the same to him. In fact, it I were him, I'd be mad or sad or only about 53 million other emotions that something important to me was being taken away from me. I'm sorry, too... Love, Me PS. Starts saving up for that airplane she's been meaning to buy.

So it's been an eventful week. We got approved for our loan modification, I'm two weeks away from getting my substantial raise, one of my very best friends from work got transferred, someone gossiped to me and I acted like a total girl about it, but then I came to my senses (thank you Chris) and we're fine. There was more drama at work, and it wasn't about me, I got volunteered to do the monthly newsletter for in-store communication, and we did 'Go RED' Friday. It's been raining for two days straight (I know, but I'm Californian) and I'm tired of having to paddle my car down the street to work, not to mention what it does to my hair. Also, along with rain, tends to come cold, and I'm a fan of the warmth myself. Last night I went to meet Steve and hang out. It was sort of a family night, but it was cool, and also cold. We had dinner and watched some likely inebriated diner being escorted out of the restaurant and then off the property by the police for allegedly groping a waitress. Then we went to the movies and saw 'He's Just Not That Into You'. I'll admit I was worried by the choice, but also, I'm really glad we saw it and also, I LOVED it. It's exactly the type of thing I love, the inter-personal relationships between people. Friends, lovers, sisters, families, exes. It's learning who you are and what you want, and compromising, and standing up for yourself, and fighting for what you want, need. It's knowing when to stop, it's being true to yourself, it''s realizing that your actions have a profound effect on others and that means that you have a responsiblility that goes along with that. At the end though, was the message that I wave around all the time and still stand by and believe. Some people might say I'm overly optimistic, or not being realistic, or that I open myself up too much, that I'm inviting pain, but I still say it's all worth it. Hope... Obviously I'm not saying that hoping for something makes it happen. What I am saying is that if you are convinced you won't ever get it, or it won't ever happen for you, it won't. I'm saying don't count yourself out of something you want, need, because it might not be easy or likely or typical. It all comes down to hope... Anyway, I'll leave you with this thing I did on Facebook... Feel free to leave 25 facts about you as a comment. It's pretty fun and interesting to see what people find intereting enough to tell other people about themselves. 25 Facts About Me 1. My parents didn't name me, their Buddhist priest? did. 2. I'm an orphan, have been for 11 years now. 3. I've been (the same) someone's significant other longer than I haven't been. 4. I definitely have oral fixation issues, but I try to use it for good and not evil. 5. I did every grade and graduated high school when I was 16. 6. I fall in love with everyone just a little. 7. If you let me, I'll know you better than you know yourself. 8. When I dream, I don't remember anything when I wake up... unless it's a sex dream. 9. I write gay romantic fiction because I love boys, especially when they're not being 'boys'. 9. I'll admit, I have a favorite fireman that comes into my work, but for some reason he only shows up when I'm touring 30 2nd graders around on the Healthy Eaters Tour and we're doing the 'Eat 5 to Stay Alive' cheer and then he always looks at me like he can't decide if he's amused or feels sorry for me. 10. I had the same Spanish teacher as my kid brother and my daughter. 11. I have a child who looks nothing like me, but loves me more than anything. 12. I love to dance, but no one will dance with me so I end up being that girl that's just sort of bouncing around slightly hoping someone will get the hint... but it never happens. 13. I don't like coffee, or tea, and only on rare ocassions will I drink hot chocolate. 14. I was a Girl Scout and a Girl Scout Leader. 15. I SUCK AT MATH! Well, that's only partly true... I do just fine until you start adding letters in there, then you can forget it. 16. People have a hard time finding something to use to tease me about so they typically default to my height, or lack thereof. 17. Recently, people I know have been selling me out! Like on Christmas, when my sister-in-law told Rich that I was just trying to show her a picture of this cute (possibly the prettiest boy around) guy and he was all hmmmmmmm. 18. I'm the sex answers and advice guru to everyone I know, and I think it's cool, even if it does get me into some weird situations/conversations. 19. I still say awesome and rad. 20. The last concert I went to was Bon Jovi and Extreme more than half my lifetime ago. 21. I'm not sure what I want to be when I grow up, so I don't. Maybe in another 11 years when my kids are grown, I'll take my turn. 22. For being as opposite as we are in almost everything, Rich is my best friend and I love him like you have no idea. 23. I think one of the best things about our relationship is that we got to grow up together, and I LOVE seeing him become the man I know he is. 24. I'm really good at schmoozing with people, but I secretly hate it, cause it's fake. I hate fake. 25. I wear the same size shoes and bra that I did in the 8th grade. I'm also the same height as I was in the 8th grade. I don't wear the aqua green eyeliner anymore though. **Ammendment** Rich was measuring the kids the other day and they wanted him to measure me, too, and it seems number 25 is false! Apparently sometime in the past few years, I've grown 1 1/4 inches... leaving me a towering 5'4 1/4" HUGS!! Viv

HAH! Well, I've been having sex for... damn, 17 years now, and never once heard it referred to as any of those...

I was reading a blog the other day that I follow cause I'm a dedicated... groupie? Fan? Supporter? Ahh, yes, admirer. That will do. Anyhow, this quote caught my eye, my mind, my heart, even.

Plus... I want you around as long as possible and there are so many other better things you can put in your mouth. Love, Me

Matty keeps pulling my bookmark out of my book cause it has this ribbon hanging off the edge and then my page gets lost... MORE work drama... Sometimes I feel like I may be one of the few remaining people with a soul and morals and such left in this often f**ked up world. Rich told me some shit about PETA petitioning to change the name of 'fish' to 'sea-cat' so people would be less inclined to eat them, and in turn petitioning to have the name of 'cats' changed to 'land-fish' so people would be more inclined to eat them?? I missed Obama's speech cause I was busy getting publicly f**ked over at work, but I youtubed it and I was really impressed and when my emotions aren't a total whirlwind wreck I'll watch it again and be proud and inspired and hopeful. Also I'm jealous of a life-sized stuffed bear in a store in Germany, if you can believe that. My head hurts cause I'm STILL sick with this sinus whateverthef**kitis I have. Oh! And I got my Christmas present and card from Dhruv... It's really beautiful! Now I have to think of something special to use it for... I'm open to suggestions if anyone has one. Rich is bringing me frozen yogurt with strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries... we like that, and Rich Oh, so, these two girls I knew back in high school and then haven't seen or talked to in the past 14 years added me on facebook and so we did the whole 'How the hell are you? What have you been up to the last decade?" thing... and it's safe to say that I have the hottest husband of all the chicks I knew in high school. It's not the first time I've thought it, but this time I mentioned it to Rich and he was all, "You HAVE to say that" and I was all, "No, THEY do... i CAN" Also it's weird how all us girls look the same 15 years later and all the boys look totally different now that they've finished that whole puberty to manhood business. Here's to sustaining hope, tangible dreams, truth in love, trust... it seems. Viv

Wishing you a very happy and warm birthday! Hugs, Viv

So I'm sitting here watching the food network cause I'm too lazy to actually look for something else I'd be more interested in watching and I like to cook so only half paying attention to it seems acceptable to me. Anyway, I'm watching this woman, in this awful outfit and wondering why she would ever agree to wear it and who on her staff is responsible for this decision when she says she's doing this outdoor cooking segment at an Oktoberfest/Germanfest thing and I went ahh, I see. So then, I'm watching her doctor up two cans of store bought baked beans and wondering how she claims this is cooking, but then they flash the title of the show on the way to commercial break and it's Semi-homemade with Sandra Lee and I went AHA! It's all becoming clear to me now. In other news... and it's not good news so don't go getting all excited or anything, but... I have a sore throat Had to pause mid-blog cause rich brought me orange wedges But I've washed and flossed and we're good to go here. Last night we watched Made of Honor with the Dr. McDreamy Steamy guy... It was basically My Best friend's Wedding with the roles reversed and set in Scotland. It was pretty good, but the guy playing the groom, Kevin McKidd, who I saw in Rome and liked very much, had this Scottish accent since his character was to be from Scotland, and the whole time I was saying how awful it was... doesn't sound at all like my Davey! I was so appalled that I looked it up after the movie... turns out he's from Elgin, Scotland And on to the quote of the day... I was talking to a friend earlier and we were talking about celebrating and I said, "If by celebrating you mean you and I going out for margaritas, I'm there! Or martinis... I'm easy as long as it's fruity." He deemed it his new favorite quote! So I had to read 63 pages in to get to the first kiss in the book I'm reading... and by page 120 there's only been two more. What's wrong with these straight romance couples anyway? Rich was telling me earlier that he saw this story on Yahoo about this girl who had sent over 14,000 text messages in one month over the winter break and out of curiosity, because I text A LOT, I looked up last month's bill to see how many I had used, and it was 2,092. Apparently the dad of this girl did some math and found out that she would have to have sent a text every two minutes for all the hours she was awake for a whole month... talk about being commited to the cause, right? Well, I'm off to be whiny at Rich and see if I can get him to go get us some dinner so I don't have to cook with my sore throat... I know, I know... you don't actually cook with your throat, sore or not. And, as I received from another pal earlier - ::non-contagious hugs:: Viv