Alive and well - ready to meet the new day
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: Listening to Bob and Tom Show on the Radio
Topic: What's Been Happening

Yesterday and last night our area of Kansas was hit by VERY severe weather. I left work early at the behest of my co-workers and I am glad that I did. I faced 30-40 mph headwinds on the drive home and it was extremely difficult to keep the Pathfinder in my own lane. It was also hard to see as the wind was blowing so much dirt around that I couldn't see much more than two or three car lengths in front of me.

Thunderstorms rocked us all last night. Between 6pm and 6:30pm sirens went off in Wichita (we saw this on TV) as rotation and a down spout was sighted just south of Haysville moving towards Downtown Wichita. Winds were clocked at 80 - 90 miles an hour and the storm, known as a Shelf Cloud, known in this area as a SLC (Scary Looking Cloud), was spotted moving 53 miles an hour, covering ground quickly. Just as it was to hit Wichita, an emergency screen appeared on our TV. Not just a beeping, not a scrolling message at the bottom...A FULL SCREEN red message with white lettering. It said Wellington residents move to emergency shelters now. A voice came on saying that all Wellington residents must move immediately to shelters, do not call 911 there is no time. We both looked at each other stood up and muted the TV trying to hear sirens over the tremendously loud wind.

Not able to hear any sirens, Matt when and put on his jeans and boots, and I put on my shoes and grabbed my purse and the new camera (for documentation purposes). We grabbed the phone, a flashlight and two chairs then went into the basement to wait. Our basement is small, but could easily accommadate a dozen or so people. Matt swept the basement and lit candles while I waited nervously. There was a crack where the old stone foundation and new walls meet that started to seep water. It was pouring like mad outside, like a firehouse being turned on the house. We have a pair of very small windows (kind of like the windows between the cab of a truck and its shell) so we could see outside.

We waited for 30 minutes, called CJ (since she has a TV in her basement) to find out what was going on. Still no sirens for Wellington. We left the basement and I watched TV for further reports for another 30 minutes before it seemed that everything was going to be okay.

Here is what the Wichita Eagle has to say about it http://www.kansas.com/690/story/425601.html

Here is a link to the Wellington Daily news:

http://www.wellingtondailynews.com/

I am very thankful that we are safe. I have yet to assess the damage to the ourside of the house and our trees. Here's hoping that things aren't too bad. Gotta love the weather in May and June...ack Tornado season sucks.

 

Recent Finds on Ebay.com
Mood:  on fire
Topic: What's Been Happening

I have been surfing the ebay wave lately and come up with a whole bunch of stuff I just love to pieces and find very useful, pretty, and neato - not particularly in that order.

I was really on a jewelry kick for a while there and I guess I still am. It all started when I was looking for jewelry for the New Year's Even party costume - Mrs. Roper inspired - outfit that I wore. This hideous orange, black and silver kaftan with gigantic flowers and swirls. Well, I was looking for those huge rings and necklaces that Mrs. Roper wore but couldn't find them online anywhere. I didn't think searching the garage sales around Wellington and Wichita would do any good, besides it was December after all and the snow was thick for Kansas. Yard sales that time of year - not so much. I then remembered ebay. Boy did I find what I was looking for any cheap. So cheap in fact I couldn't stop myself. I ended up buying a lot of vintage 1930, 1940, 1950's necklaces that I just love and wear all the time to work. They cost me about $1 EACH - YES!

So, inspired by my find and by my various co-workers comments that they liked the new jewelry I was wearing I started watching ebay closely and bidding on things here and there. Almost every necklace I buy now comes with matching earrings and the set costs no more than $8.50 with shipping. I am referring to the most expensive necklace I purchased - a coral and mother of pearl shell pendant necklace with matching earrings that I would have paid $25 for at Hilo Hatties in Hawaii. I know - because I swear I almost bought this exact necklace there in 2001. The necklace was $4.25 on ebay with $4.25 for shipping. It arrived in perfect condition and I've worn it twice since January 23. I love it.

Yesterday, I paid $32.95 (that's $20 for the items and $12.95 shipping) for 50 necklaces with matching earrings! That's 66 cents for a matching set of fashion jewelry that I could go to Claire's in the Mall and pay anywhere from a low $12 to a typically high $24 - for 66 cents! Right now I have 350 necklace sets pending and I'll know in about 20 minutes if I win the auction.

Now I bet you are wondering, what the hell is she going to do with all those necklaces and earrings. Well, here is the plan. I am going to pick out the ones I like best and that go with my wardrobe. Then, I am going to pick out the ones I think my mother, my step-mother, and my friend Lisa would like the best and set those aside - since they are coming for a visit later in the year - within a month or three. THEN, and I have already made a few arrangements at work, I am going to resell the items to a bunch of different ladies at work. I am going to charge $2.50 for a necklace & matching earring set. I will make back all the money I spent on the necklaces - nothing more, because I am not in this for profit - and get myself free necklaces in the process. Kind of like Tupperware or Pampered Chef parties, you know, where people buy things and the hostess gets free items depending on how much people buy. WELL - I am the hostess! I have worked it all out and of the 400 necklaces I will have (50 from the first batch and 350 from the second) I need only see 173 necklaces to cover my cost. That might sound like a bunch, but with the ladies I work with and knowing that they typically buy a necklace set for about $20, they will go nuts, because that $20 will get them eight sets of necklaces and matching earrings! I figure I am doing them a great service.

When the necklaces arrive I will post some pictures - I promise!

Oh, my auction is over in 4 minutes - hang on...*happy sigh* I just won! Wee haaaa...YES!!

Anyway, I have purchased quite a few other odd tidbits on ebay recently:

• a stainless steel fish poacher - NEW - in the box $4.99. It came with a set of sushi knives and a black plastic spatula. Shipping was $24.58, but I couldn't have found an 18" stainless steel fish poacher out there for that price!
• Wm Rogers Silverplate tea pot
• 10 Pillivuyt Fine French Porcelain http://www.pillivuytus.com/decorative2.asp  the six inch ribbed shell serving plate - I got them for $4 EACH - that's a steal
• FB Rogers Silverplate Seafood Serving Bowl
• Olfaire from Portugal blue green pottery shell shaped server It is SO pretty - and apparently from my research pretty rare and special - not many made
• Silver Plated Serving Platter - kind of like a round tea tray
• 2 Anchor Hocking Peach Luster Fire-King Seashell Dishes
• 2 Sushi place settings (flat rectangle plates, dipping bowls, and matching porcelain chop sticks)
• Wm Rogers Oneida Silver Coffee Pot
• A pair of pale green wine goblets that match the ones we already have to bring us up to a full set of 10

So, as you can see, quite a bit. Of the 400 necklace and earring sets I have purchased, if I sold 273 sets at $2.50 a set I could pay for everything I've purchased on ebay this year. I just can't wait. Ronda and I will host the Jewelry Party at her house and invite like 50 to 60 women and see where we get with it. Time to start planning and making invitations - weeeee!

BUT - I am done with buying anything else on ebay for a while. Until I have paid for my purchases with my necklaces sales - that's it for me.

What's up with the weather, God?
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: What's Been Happening

The weather has been crazy the last two weeks. It has snowed twice for a total of 12 inches. Yesterday morning we had freezing rain and hail that coated everything in THICK ice. About three hours ago there were snow flurries that didn't stick and now it is sunny. What is up with the weather, God? I don't know what to wear and the heck with planning anything.

So - are we feeling the effects of global warming? I don't know.

Driving to work has been a royal pain in the ass though. I have been in three incidents while driving in the last three weeks that have scared me half to death.

1.) A mini-van cut me off because he was having difficulties stopping on the icy slick streets and if he didn't change lanes than he would rear-end the car in front of him that was barely able to stop at the red light on 63rd St South and Broadway. So, cutting me off drastically cuts down on my stopping room, so I had to change lanes into the turn lane even though I wasn't turning. I couldn't stop either now and slid through the red light while honking my horn like a mad woman and controlling the skid so I didn't go into on coming traffic.

2) Coming home from the caucus on 02/05/2008 I was basically driving in a blizzard. Yes. The snow was blowing like crazy, drifting all over the road, and was coming down so fast we got like 2 inches in under an hour. Also, I had never been to Winfield before so this was a totally strange road for me. Luckily I met up with the snow plough 11 miles outside of Wellington and followed it the rest of the way home. Needless to say, I drove under 30 miles an hour on that 25 mile drive and instead of getting home by 9pm as I had planned, I got home at 9:30pm. Matt was frantic and so worried about me, he pulled Joey out of his house, grabbed blankets, my jacket (which I didn't take because it was such a beautiful night when I left before the blizzard) and a hammer in case he had to knock encrusted ice and snow from my wheelwells. He also said the hammer was to bang out dents incase the wheelwells bent into my tires, but I thought about this later and they are some kind of plastic not metal, so that was odd. Matt in his frantic mode wasn't thinking about that. Anyway, I got home and was so shaken and starving since I hadn't eaten since breakfast I ordered a sandwich from Pizza Hut and made a HUGE rum and coke.

3) The day after the blizzard like conditions driving into work was a nightmare. It was 25 mph or slower the entire trip from Wellington. I had to swerve off into a ditch (thank heaven for 4 wheel drive) so as to not rear-end a car that decided to turn off HWY 81 to Riverdale (or whatever that town is called) I had no choice really. I was going slow, but because of the incline on the road I would have slid right into him and sent him into oncoming traffic. So I went to the right, slide into the ditch, floored my four-wheeler and popped out the ditch. It scared me so bad I pulled over and cried for 20 minutes while I sat there shaking. I just don't like this feeling of driving on ice when you can't stop your car. You car is supposed to stop when you step on the brakes not go, "Oh, sorry, can't stop now, sliding into stuff" and ignore you. My left arm still really hurts from that experience. I think I pulled or bruised something in my arm. I did not tell Matt about this incident because a) it is in the past, b) he can't fix it, and c) it will just make him worry more about me.

Speaking of Matt - the weather is screwing with him. He's sick AGAIN. Yes, he has the stomach flu or something. He is supposed to go to Michelle's parent teacher night this evening but he couldn't drive to work without feeling "Seasick" and ready to vomit. He was green when he walked in the back door and nearly fell into his chair he was so dizzy. My poor sweetie has got a terrible Constitution. It is funny that he calls me his delicate flower when he's the one that gets sick when the wind blows or someone sneezes within three feet of him. Kyle was sick the weekend before last and I am wondering if Matt got Kyle's illness and has just been incubating it ever since. Oh, joy, when will I get this marvelous flu bug du jour?

 

An Update on Life 2006
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: What's Been Happening
More than can be said in a single Christmas Letter can be said on a blog. So, here is what has been happening on a monthly basic since I last updated the main web-page:

March 2006 – Spring Break and the trip to Arkansas. Yes, we actually did it. We rented a four bedroom, two bath houseboat for a week. It rained most of the time we were there which caused the lake to steadily increase in depth. It increased over five feet in five days. Matt made a marker after the first night we were set adrift after successfully beaching ourselves. It was never over 68 degrees, but still the children got to spend a great deal of time outdoors, which is something they normally don’t do in Kansas for some reason. The mountainous country was filled with pine trees and rocks and nature in general. It was like I was back in Northern California for a brief bit, but without the humidity. It was peaceful and relaxing. I got to use the rooftop Jacuzzi and enjoyed looking at the stars every night. The water was crystal clear and fabulous. We are looking forward to coming back to Lake Ouachita in the summer time in a year or so, so that we may actually get to go swimming or participate in other water sports. We were practically the only ones on the lake. It was sooooooooo worth it.

April 2006 – Work dominated my life pretty much in April. I was giving six lectures on the Projects and Grants module at the Clerical In-Service training April 14th and it took a lot of preparation and planning. After the successful lectures, I had many one on one training sessions and budgeting meeting with grant managers. The countdown to year end had really begun and everyone was rushing around trying to get things done before school ended in a month. I also had to say goodbye to a dear co-worker who retired. Lu and I came to be very close over the last two years and it pained me to see her retire and leave us. I was happy for her all at the same time though, since it was truly time for her to leave the district. So much had changed that her working conditions just couldn’t be tolerated any longer. She moved to Texas with her husband and I miss her greatly. We keep in touch via email.

May, June, and July 2006 - The children began their six week stay with us. They took two rounds of swimming classes as the Wellington Pool and went to CJ’s every work day. Matt and I pulled a lot of overtime during these months – again- and didn’t really do anything spectacular of note…just lived.

August and September 2006 – Joey and Kailee moved in with us, supposedly for three weeks. They ended up staying six weeks, rent and utility free, eating our food, and paying not one cent for anything they used, which believe me, they used everything. I am talking about a load if not two of laundry every day so much so that Matt and I couldn’t do our own laundry. The phone rang off the fucking hook day and night without regard for the day or time. The other thing that happened day and night was their fighting. They bickered over the smallest thing and were disrespectful to each other, boardering on downright mean. Neither of us could take it since we actually have a loving relationship and don't fight like they do. We really don't fight at all. It was a big ball of tension all the time. Kailee is particularly moody and bitchy at certain times, and made us all uncomfortable - even Joey. Their crap was left lying around everywhere, even inappropriate stuff not meant to be seen by the children. Matt was upset about the lack of courtesy with regards to some of the basics of housekeeping we requested – like putting the toilet seat down, or refilling the toilet paper when it was finished, turning off lights and the TV when they weren’t in use, and putting the phone back on the correct chargers, or on the chargers at all. We purposely gave them their own portable phone upstairs, but they took the downstairs phones upstairs on numerous occasions and left the phones off the charges so much that at one point, both had dead batteries. I was furious when I saw the phone bills and electric/water bills. The utility bill was $200 more than it normally was and the phone bill more than $70 over the usual – for two months straight. The lack of respect and gratitude was appalling. After they moved out, I had to tell Matt to go make Joey come back and clean the bathtub he soiled. It took three weeks for him to come back and do it, and he only did because I told Matt that Joey either cleaned the tub or our friendship was through…finito, done with. So, just in the utility and phone bills, they cost up around $425. I don’t even want to think about the extra food, toilet paper, soap, laundry detergent, et al. We are never EVER allowing anyone to move in with us, unless they are REAL family.

October 2006 – We went to Dallas, Texas for a mini-vacation October 13 – 15th. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe - Dallas and Trinity Hall Irish Pub and Restaurant on October 13th, seeing really cool musical artifacts at HRC and listening to fun Irish folk music at the Hall. Matt had the best prime rib he’s ever eaten in his life at TH, and we all indulged in the cheesecake. I enjoyed a nice Lambic Framboise which I hadn’t had since moving to Kansas. I loved every ounce of it. Matt was surprised that the one bottle I ordered cost $8.95. I absolutely love Belgian beer, and the Lambic variety most of all. Saturday, we went to the Mexican Heritage Festival and watched Dance Azteca and listened to Mexican music – mariachi variety mostly. For dinner, we went to the Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament - Dallas Castle. Our Knight was the Green Knight – the Bad Guy. It was fun. We took a picture in costume which I am planning on scanning and putting online with the rest of the pictures. We came home from Dallas with souvenirs from HRC and MT and many good memories. The children particular enjoyed swimming in the pool at Embassy Suites.

Matt also got promoted in October and we had a party for him on October 20th. He had invited a great deal of people who of course didn’t show up. We had about 10 guests total of the 40 that he thought may arrive. So, I put out the spread of food, which we are still nibbling on some. I’ve been relatively depressed ever since. Even through my birthday.

Halloween at work was fun. I dressed as Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and nobody knew who I was. That pissed me off. I am sorry, but I had a killer costume and they didn’t even recognized the most evil Disney villain of all time?! *sigh* Whatever.

The Beginning of Trippie Hippie
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: "Smells Like Nirvana" by Weird Al
Topic: What's Been Happening

YEAR 2001-2002

Hi there, and thanks for visiting. This is my first attempt at self-expression with my very own website. I guess that's a big whooppie for me and woah to all you currently reading the mess which is sooooo undefined by any rules of HTML right now. But, hang in there with me and watch this experiment develop.

Firstly, I wanted to thank my dear friend Josh for inspiring me to get my lazy rear in gear and make my own webpage. If it weren't for his 'joshing' (*rolls eyes oh ack!*) me all the time, I don't think I would have ever had the patience to sit down and fiddle with something that can get so engrossing as designing a webpage. But hey, I am 29 and it is about f***ing time I did something like this...so THANKS AGAIN, Josh!

Well, what is under my skin and in my brain and why the hell do I need a website to get it all out in the open? Can't I be repressed like most of the country?

Hell NO!

It was about time for me to hang it all out there for the world to see, so I am, and here goes.

I am sick and tired of people who complain! Oh, ack, the irony of it all.

No seriously, I am truly an optimist and a lover of people. You will not find depressing stuff on this website. Not if I am the normal, usual me. Don't get me wrong there are moments when I would love to never have to deal with another human soul again because they drive me fricking crazy. Yes, I can be moody and hate people just like your average person filled with road rage driving behind a 95-year-old great-grandmother in a gas guzzling 1975 olive drab Buick Skylark. Down! Down you rising bile pump!

There are many things in life I enjoy, and yes, I tell most people that I live for fun, which is most definitely true. It might also be better paraphrased as 'I live for excess'. I enjoy a good drink and the awesome 'world' of my homeland in the Emerald Triangle of Northern California, or as it is now supposed to be referred to...Upstate California. Yes, Humboldt County, the motherland of the giant Redwood Trees. The Creator's Wonderland is an green forest so lush that its foliage strokes your eyes with the soft caress of velvet upon your skin. Ah, it is breathtaking here, and for that reason I have foregone many of the pleasures so many of my childhood friends find trap them to the hell hole of our planet, the bane of our very existence...Los Angeles, California.

To say I hate LA...LA LA Land...to say that, is an understatement. From the rude people to the cement vistas, Los Angeles is a repugnant bunghole asking to be filled with the dregs of humanity. Leaving that wretched pile of dung was the best thing I ever did in my life. Should I tell you how I REALLY feel

The Transition period of my life...yes, that's a good description of it...The Transition...kind of like The Inquisition...was fought with pain and sorrow. The 1994 Northridge Earthquake hit me at 4:30am and threw me across my second story bedroom in the apartment that I shared why my two roommates Amy and Tracy, formerly of upstate New York, in an odd apartment complex on Burbank Blvd. and Lindley, in the southwest area of the San Fernando Valley called Encino. Yes, Encino like Encino Man of Paulie Shore fame. Wretch! Ack! The Earthquake yellow tagged our apartment and ended up red tagging most of our nerves. The stress of living with Amy and Tracy who had never been through earthquakes before since they were from New York was a little much for me to take. We moved away from each other at the end of the Spring semester in 1994, and I moved in with my bestest buddy, my Duchess, my Maid of Honor, Lisa.

Best thing I ever did moving in with Lisa. Now, moving in with our mutual friend Danielle. Bad thing. Very bad thing. Talk about a chick who needed to take home economics classes! OY! This is just how bad it got. She borrowed one of Lisa's plates and a fork from my brand new silverware that my the boyfriend's parents  gave me for Christmas and ate some sticky food then left the plate upside down on the floor of her carpeted closet, where it dried to the carpet, leaving a stain and ruining the fork and the plate.

Anyways, after the earthquake, Mike, at the time my boyfriend, decided that he wanted to go back to school, and being the supportive person I am, I said go for it, so he started investigating places to go. In 1994, he applied to and was accepted at Humboldt State University to become a music major, principle instrument Horn (French horn for all you non-musical types). He began to make plans to move there in 1994. If it had not been for Lisa's help in that trying time I would have gone insane. Running away from Danielle's disorderly wedding plans (Lisa and I were her bridesmaid and maid of honor) to Karl Hunter (yes, of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy fame - he's a mean asshole by the way - threw things at Dani and treated her like shit - his parents aren't that wonderful either) sent me scurrying to visit Mike in Arcata, California home of Humboldt State University, while I was on Spring Break from California State University Northridge. I fell in love with Humboldt County, and told Mike that if he would have me, I would leave everything I had in Los Angeles and join him in the splendor known as Humboldt in the heart of the Redwood Empire.

Well, so, there it is. How a few incidents like an act of nature and a roommate’s unsanitary eating practices can change a person's life. Thus, in July of 1995 after my June graduation from CSUN, I moved to the town of Trinidad, in Northern Humboldt County, California. Yet, currently, I live in Hydesville, California, a very small town of 790 people about 20 miles south of Eureka.

I have learned to love Humboldt in a way that I thought I never would. I love that people recognize me when I go to the grocery store and remember my face and name. The friendly good natured-ness of folks in these parts has helped me to maintain my positive outlook on life rather than becoming as cynical as most my age have become.

Although I love Humboldt County, there is a wanderlust deep within me that causes me to wonder if there is indeed yet another place I could be happy. Some say follow your heart, and I do believe that where ever my heart there is where I must call home. So, urge to move on is earnest, and I foresee myself moving off in the future to find where my heart could be even more happy.

I love music...almost every kind of music with a few exceptions, such as Country, Rap, and New Age. And by Rap I include all types of Hip Hop, and Gangsta this and that and yes, all you freaks with your pants hanging below your ass, yes you, get the hell outta here, we can smell your bootie! Ooops, sorry, I digress. Yes, I love music. Jazz, Opera, and Classic Rock are the things I dig the most. Disco (1970's stuff not the junk they dance to now) was very cool. I do have to say there has been two great influences in my life as of late (Josh & Matt). Josh has me listening to Techno, but I can't say I am a hardcore fan of that (Techno) yet, and Matt has revived my taste for hard rock otherwise known as Heavy Metal. I am enjoying many fabulous bands like The Union Underground, Staind, Drowning Pool, Static X, Godsmack, Lit, and Creed to name I few. I am feeling that I can say with the utmost truth that I like heavy metal as much as I like the Beatles or Grateful Dead.

Come on now, you knew it by the title of my website didn't you. I may not be the ultimate 'Head', but dang it I have been to my fair share of shows.

Well, besides music, and my obvious affection for the computer, I love to read. Mainly I like to read fiction, but since I met Dave and Becky in 1996, I have been addicted to Sci-Fi and Fantasy books. Recently, I finished reading the entire Dune series. I am completely current on the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. He is a supereb writer and I find his word inspired. Mr. Jordan has inspired me to write for the first time in almost six years. The following is some dabbling into the realm of fantasy.

I roleplay on a website, which I have included in my favorite websites listing, called The Wheel of Time Role Play, as a character named Soutrik Aloysha Delphic Aes Sedai. For those of you who have read the books by RJ, you'll understand, for those of you who haven't, oh, well, I guess you can read them for the creative aspects? Oh Whatever...enjoy.