Tiny Updates & Goals

Hey kids. Not much on at the moment. I've been a bit of a hermit lately. Sitting alone with just the voices in your head can be both good & tiresome… mostly because they point out things that you don't want to acknowledge. Enough of the past, onto the future. As Erin once advised me, nothing happens to those who do nothing.

I'm saving a good bit of cash, looking to move out hopefully by February/March. My dating life is non-existent, and, at the moment, I like it that way. There's no point in searching for things that aren't there, so my energies are best left to other, more important, endeavors. I've got the CCD gig on Tuesday's which I'm rather enjoying, though I would prefer my own classroom. I've got to get back on the weight loss trail; I fell off a few months back. Once my probationary period is up here, I can start taking classes. I just need to find a place that has a half decent Art Therapy Department. I hope during the Spring/Summer to be able to travel either to England, Ireland, or Egypt. Since I have pen pals in all three countries, it should help to cut down on the cost.

On a different note, Nat is doing well. She had her doctor's appointment last Tuesday. They heard the heartbeat and they were allowed to tape it. (Jay cried.) I've got it saved on my phone as "neicenephew heartbeat". She'll find out the sex the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Yeah!

I should get back to work now. I'll see most of you this weekend!

Tis an update

Hey all. There's a bit going on at the moment. Last Sunday was the first trip to the Ren Faire. Ah, good times. I went with the original idea of looking for a new dress or an idea for one. I wanted something that looked a bit more authentic. But many odd turns of events convinced me to keep the one I have. First, MK went into a shop and said she found a headband with feathers that were similar to the colors of my dress. I found it hard to believe since they are such odd colors (rust, gold and navy blue). The one that she pointed out was actually purple, but there was one that were the right colors right next to it. So I had to have it. Later on in the day I stopped by the belt place to get a belt to hang my pewter mug from (the pewter guy is very nice and identified what period my dress is from- 14th Century Italian Court) and I found a pouch similar to the rust color. Got that too. After much fun and drooling over the Tartan Terrors with Dree, I decided to go back to the headband shop and try my luck for a fan to match my other purchases. And I found one. The woman at the shop just laughed and said that she must have known I was coming since both my band & the fan had been made on a whim the day before. I'd like to get a pair of shoes that have a thicker sole than the ones I currently have, but to no avail yet. Damn big feets. Other than that, I think I'm going to pick up a navy snood and I may add some fake pearls to it. It should look pretty cool with the headband. And after all the weirdness with the colors, all my dresses from now on will have to be those colors.

This past Saturday was spent at Erin and Mike's new place. Very cute little house. Good times were had playing a nice LONG round of Trivial Pursuit 90's edition. Many odd things were said (The Nuge, Activate the Balls, and "The answer is not…") and fun times were shared playing Taboo (It's Rosa Parks!). For the most part, it's all just been work. Friday I'll do some hanging with the guys, Saturday no definite plans yet, but Sunday is the 2nd Ren Faire trip. It's me, Nat, her friend Marissa, our neighbor's daughter Hannah and possibly Karen. It should be a fun time. Hopefully Nat will enjoy it better than last time (she had bronchitis) and it'll Hannah's first time.

Nat is doing fine, still a bit of morning sickness... and afternoon sickness... and evening... you get the idea. At her next appointment (October), she may be able to hear the heartbeat. Neato.

Now it's time to look forward to other things; Art Show for work next Friday September 29th (if you're not busy, stop by. It's free.), Rocky Horror in October, the final Ren Faire trip (with the cousins) and our work Haunted House (cross you fingers that I can pull it off). I also put in a call & I may be teaching CCD at Anselm. I'm not sure, I may be too late. But we'll see.

I have to go do work stuff now.

What a Wednesday...

Well ladies and gents, grab a seat and hang onto your socks. You will all soon become adopted Aunts and Uncles.

Nat's going to have a baby.

It was definatly an interesting start to my quiet Wednesday. I was looking forward to having two days in a row off, jumped out of the shower and headed downstairs for breakfast. When I came down to the bottom of the stairs, Nat was sitting on the ottoman and Mom was just kinda staring. When I asked what was wrong, Nat pointed to the fireplace where there sat a pregnancy test. The only thing to come out of my mouth (rather stupidly) was "I'm not looking at it." To which of course my sister replied "Well if it was negative I wouldn't be showing it to you, would I?" Good point, well made. I then went to check my email and found out something else (which I won't get into) and then trudged upstairs to go to work. I had a few new Doctor Who Audio Adventures to keep me going through the day, then at 8 it was time to head home. By now, I had thought, that Nat and Jay would have been home to tell my dad. (Jay, being the great guy he is- his first reaction was "Are you okay? How do you feel? I'll go with you to tell your dad.) I get home, Dad is watching the last Doctor Who disk in the first series... and happy. I give him a hug, then go to my mom who procedes to whisper in my ear that he doesn't know yet. Unable to help myself, I start giggling (as I have a tendancy to do when I'm very nervous. I'm glad I didn't have classes today, I'd have laughed through the whole thing.) About an hour later, Nat and Jay come and tell dad. He's fine. He even started joking about things. God bless Deacon School! We all thought he was going to do the usual dad "get silent, then not talk, then get mad, then move past" thing he used to do. But he's good.

So, I'm gonna be Aunt Sam.

Cool :-)

Birthdays, get togethers and tense shoulders.

Hey kids. Sorry its been awhile since Ive blogged. Work stuff... that I cant actually talk about. Anywho...

First, the birthday. Awesome times. Had a nice group of people out to dinner at GA, most of whom came back to my place for drink and a dip in the pool. I was treated to a cake, presents, debauchery with a digital camera and an impromptu striptease [thanks alot Quinn :-)] Once again, thanks to everyone for coming out and hanging. I truly appreciate it.

A few days later we all got an ecstatic text message from Erin that she and Mike got the house in West Chester. Congrats guys! Later on in the week, Nat had her redo luau. Got to hang with the cousins and Karen joined me for a bit, then ran back to her place to prep for company. I followed about an hour later and was treated to another quasi-birthday moment: my present from Karen was unveiled. She painted me a kick ass Doctor Who picture with two of my favorite men. Its now on my wall so I see it first thing when I wake up. Yipee! Me, Joe, MK, Chris and Karen hung at her place for a bit, then Rich and Heather showed up after awhile. We drank FCMs (GOOOOOODDDD stuff), read some tarot, and watched Clerks. My allergies started kicking in and I was forced to bail, but good times where had. Then like I said, lots of work stuff-blah blah blah.

Currently Im gearing up for book club and being the anal organizer of Ren Faire and Rocky trips. Thankfully I had today off. Woke up, had a light lunch and jumped into the pool, which in a way was pointless cause the water temperature was about the same as the temp outside. Oh well. Im off to finish dubbing Jonathan Creek and just chilling out... and maybe running to my sisters place for a massage. If my shoulders scrunch up anymore, I may snap my spine .

Till later.

Corsets and Cocktails

Hey gang. Onto the goodness. Things at work are tolerable. Its a step up from where it was the week before. Things out of work are fun. Friday we had an impromptu tarot card/birthday gathering at Karens. Joe, Jeanette and I had our cards read, had a few drinks and some good banter. Saturday was Art Classes and a trip to see Pirates of the Caribbean 2. A bit long and slightly contrived, but a good flick none the less. And I love Jack Davenport (AKA the Commodore, also known as Steve from Coupling)! Sunday was spent at the mall with Joe, dinner with the parentals and my first dip in the pool. Awesome.

Monday saw the start of a new tradition: Girls Shopping Night. Erin, Dree, Karen, Heather and I met up at the Willow Grove Mall with the plan of buying corsets. We wandered, we window shopped. Erin bought a few things and then, as we were about to depart, I suggested (for a laugh) we stop in Lane Bryant. This turned out to be more than a laugh. Dree and I soon found ourselves walking the runway in the LB dressing room. The object was Erin, Karen and Heather played the Greek Chorus as we modeled clothing (that they picked out) designed to land us men. We both wound up leaving with cleavage shirts, interesting underwear and negligees to impress our bedroom furniture. Afterwards, we went to TGI Fridays for a late dinner and drinks. I must highly recommend the Mojitos (sp). Good stuff. Erin caused a bit of a ruckus when she went to put her glass down and the bottom of the glass hit her plate and shattered. She got a new drink in a new glass and a new dinner (since it was now covered in a combination of glass and ice). It was then decided that this was to become a regular event since we had such a blast.
Now my eyes are towards Saturday, dinner and pool fun for the bday. Should be fun times.
Back to work I go. Till next time!

Good times

Hey ya gang. There have been some good times going on; Jeanettes Bday party, Erins Bachelorette party and a quasi-impromptu Shore Day.

First, Jeanettes Bday- Went to Kennys AKA Out of Whack Jacks. It was me, Karen, MK, Jeanette, Joe, Tim and Michael. Good times were had, the alcohol was flowing freely, there were rude messages written on large napkins and I was felt up by a straight guy and a gay guy... and I then proceeded to fall into a speaker and knock over a tray of CDs. And sadly, I was sober. Only had some minor war wounds, scrapped elbow and some black and blue marks along the left hand side. Im healing nicely :-)

Second, Erins Bachelorette Party- Honestly, read Drees blog, its the most comprehensive. The only deviation is I left as they went to Club Flow. I was absolutely exhausted. I had been up late the night earlier for Jeanettes and then had to work all day before the party. It was a good time and I think I drank the most I ever have. I had 5 glasses of champagne. Yummy. When I told Erin I was leaving after the Cave show was over, I got the crap hugged out of me and thanked profusely. It was really a fun time. Came home, checked on Nats Luau (which shes re-doing in July), took the puppies and went to bed.

And finally, Shore Day- Originally Karen and I were supposed to go to Wildwood last Thursday, but I stayed home to help Nat clean the house for her Luau so I asked to reschedule. On top of that, I couldnt find my bathing suit. Ive torn my house apart from top to bottom and still cant find the damn thing. Ive had three days of really rough times at work that I cant actually talk about, and I ran into Karen as I was walking home on Wednesday. I told her I couldnt find my bathing suit and she thought I was going to blow her off. No, I needed the break. So we just decided that Id wear a tank top and shorts. Im going to the Shore and Im stressed. I didnt care what I looked like. So we gathered the CD books, grabbed some sunscreen, a blanket, a towel and some cash. Karens mom lent her her car and we were off. But I got in the car and Karen says "Were not alone. Jeanettes going with us." And I thought, cool. So we picked up Jeanette (after we finally figured out where the hell her house was) and we were off to the beach. We laid out, checked the water, ran away from it since it was like ice. It then got a little chilly, so we went back to the car, dropped off our gear and did some shopping. We found the sign Mike is always looking for so he can send into Maxim. It says "Waitress Service in Rear". As we were walking back, there was an impromptu parade with a guy on stilts, people with these crazy stick puppets and a three piece jazz band. Jeanette got her picture taken with them and then just as we were about 30 steps from the car it started raining. Thats what I call timing. We only made a slight mis-turn on the way home (it only cost us 30 seconds travel time). Karen says my GPS was thrown off by the rain. I came home, had a cup of tea and am now chilling in front of the TV with an episode of Red Dwarf. Im all kinds of relaxed now and I know that by Tuesday Im gonna be so damn uptight that Im gonna need a severely deep tissue massage and a bottle of booze large enough to drown in. Volunteers?

Anywho, Ive had good times. Thanks all! :-)

Training and Orientation

Hello all. Sorry its been a bit since I blogged last. For anyone who didnt know, Ive left the pool business. This week I started with [place]. My official title is TRAC (Therapeutic Recreational Activities Coordinator), but I guarantee that name will change soon. I spent my official last day at Leslies picking on my boss and him begging me to change my mind. Then I left and had my psychical where I got the first of my Hepatitis shots. And since this made for an interesting email conversation, let me clarify: NO I dont HAVE the hep. Its so I dont GET the hep :-) And let me just say, it sucks. I was sick as a dog the rest of the day (which is why nobody got calls/texts back. Sorry!). I have to get a second shot in a month and then a third in six months. Joy. Saturday night was spent learning the finer points of Texas Hold Em courtesy of Chris and eating way too much. Sunday.... nothing. I was a complete couch potato. I wanted to veg before training started.

Monday started training with Mr. S. D., a nice man. It was very nice getting up and being able to leave the house 20 minutes before I had to be at work and still getting there with 5 minutes to spare... and I walked :-) I have to say that training was not as bad as I thought it would be... except for 2 people; the Smart Ass and the Know It All. Smart Ass did just what is implied: Everything the trainer told us, he had to have some (what Im sure he thought was a) whitty retort. He kept us arguing for almost a half hour over something completely stupid. Then theres the Know It All. This man had to be in his late 40s-early 50s.... and knew everything. Everytime the trainer said something, yeah he knew that and he knew this too, did you know that? Ugh. Now, you all know me and my gentle temperament (cough, cough). I said nothing for two and a half days at least where these two gentlemen (and I use the term loosely) were concerned. Those who know my temperament also know that if I dont say something out loud, theres something in my body language that suggests Im not pleased. I dont hide my true feelings well. One of the other trainees Joyce (a very nice older black lady), said to the me at the lunch break of Tuesdays class, "You know girl, if theres anyone whos gonna shut that man up its you." And they rest of the ladies with her agreed and laughed. (Id like to take this opportunity to point out that with the exception of myself and Know It All, everyone else in the class was black.)

The 3rd day was American Red Cross CPR/Heimlich and First Aid Training and Certification. I immediately bonded with the trainer, Mr. F., cause when I came in he was humming a song from "Rocky Horror" and I called him on it. It was just about lunch when we were going over what happens if someone goes into Diabetic shock and the different types of diabetes. (Dad has Type 2, which is reversible. Type 1 is not.) Know It All (wearing an "I Hate Steven Singer" tee shirt) then proceeded to go on a lecture about how Type 2 diabetes didnt existed until 1912 when they invented Crisco and started to argue with Mr. F. I admit it, I lost it. I turned around, looked him in the eye and said, "Seeing as how hes the one with the Red Cross Certification and the one instructing the class, Id think hed know a little more about this than you would. Now, if youre finished, Id like to get out of here while I can still walk on my own." I then turned around to the sounds of laughter and "No she didnt!", "Go on girl!" and other such things. Even Smart Ass was laughing. At lunch I went to the gazebo and called Karen to talk "Doctor Who" and calm myself down. After lunch, class was very quiet and we actually got done and hour early. Mr. F. also (quielty) suggested to me a string of tee shirts sayding "I Hate Steven Singers Dad" and to cut him in on the profits. So, I am now Certified in CPR/Heimlich and First Aid. Dont worry little missy, Ill save you :-)

I still have about a week and a half of orientation, but its just people working at [place]. Had a half morning of class today, then went onto the units to shadow a bit. Good stuff. Im scared shitless :-) Ill spend tomorrow and Saturday with the girl whos job Im taking over, then off for the weekend to party! Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhooooooooooo!!!

Till later all.

Look Papa, I'm a real boy!

It's official...

I got the job at Woodhaven!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!

I am now a Thereputic Recreation Activities Coordinator of [place]. Not as much as I was originally offered, only because I don't have a BS, but I will get reviewed after a few months and my salary will be renegotioated according to my work performance. I got the call yesterday morning and pretty much danced like a moron around the kitchen. I was officially offered the position, I just have to wait for HR to call me to tell me when I can come to fill out my paperwork and set myself up for orientation. I already checked with my aunt and the next orientation is May 22. I told my dad after he came home and he was thrilled. He said, "Now you have a real job!" :-)

Afterwards I did my running, went down to the flower store and bought flowers for the people who gave me references and went to Karen's to steal the latest Doctor Who episode. Later that night we went out to dinner for Jay's (Nat's boyfriend) birthday. It was the two of them, me, the parent's and Jay's parent's and sister. It was the first time we had met the (almost definate) future in laws. Nat was nervous and kept saying she didn't want to go. It turned out very cool. Jay's parent's are nice people. We went to the Italian Bistro cause Jay's mom used to work there and knows one of the owners. We had a TON of food, it was awesome. After dinner we came home Mom and Dad helped me write my resignation letter. It's in an envelope in my bag with the date empty to be filled in after I get the call from HR. When I finally finished, I sat in front of the computer and watched the new DW ep, which was awesome. I love Liz Sladden!

All in all, yesterday was a good day!

Bits and Bobs of a boring week.

Greetings gang. Not much to report in on. It's been a bit of a boring week. Didn't do anything last weekend but read, work out a bit in the dungeon (otherwise known as the basement) and got in a bit of writing. Work is starting to pick up again and will soon be going to 7 days a week open in April. Once again I've found myself dusting anything that stands still for more than 5 seconds. Nat was sick earlier in the week, a little present she picked up from her boyfriend Jay. Ain't he sweet to share? :-) Mom's been doing okay. Had some blood work done and is a bit tired, but not as dizzy now. Finger's crossed.

The monthly book club meeting took place yesterday. It was a 4-3 thumbs down on "Bubbles Unbound", then we snacked on crustless sandwiches (which Erin has vowed never to make again) and some other tasty treats. While doing our nails (with Mike just watching and occasionally providing polish remover for Erin) we watched the South Park episode with the death of Chef. Damn, those boys are bitter... but it was funny as hell! I returned home and checked my email to find pictures of Shelby and Bonnie's son in my inbox. I can't believe he's going to be 1 in May. Times flies.

Probably will be staying in this weekend as well as I've had to pull the purse strings tightly the past 2 weeks, but I'll be checking out my uncle's play on Sunday... cause it's free :-) I sent in my last hospital payment (Thank You God!) and a student loan payment. Then it's a new fun filled week of work and doctor's appointments! Yeah! I desperately need new glasses. I'm squinting all the time now. And then it's off to the dreaded doctor.... The OB/GYN. Dun dun DAH! (creepy music sting here). It's a little weird. My mom talked me into going to hers (and he's also my aunt's), but if that isn't creepy enough... he's also the guy who delivered me. I just hope I don't throw up on him. I'm a bit nervous. I'm also asking for birth control to level me out. I'm tired of this "Damn it, I just had it 2 weeks ago" then to "God, it's been 6 weeks. Come on already!"

Enough of my blathering. Go out and play! Or get drunk... or do both. Just be sure to take pictures :-)

Boobs, Beads and Birthdays!

Hey kids! Today was a good bit of fun. I woke up at 4:15am (what a godforsaken time of day) to get ready for the Preston and Steve Mardi Grad party at Club Risque. Rich, Heather and James were my party buddies. We got to the club around 6:40 just as they were opening up the doors. I've seen images that I'll never be able to shake: Intern Joe getting hit with 1,000 paintballs, Nick becoming the Human Tampon, women stripping (professional and amature), and people making out with midgets. Octane played some pretty kick ass music. Karen's finacee Sarah was part of the stripper contest, but she got booed. (No boob showage.) At one point there was a girl stripping in a half assed Catwoman outfit and she was awful. Steve said that if she had dropped trou and shit in a box, the crowd would have been more impressed. The girl who wound up winning was cute and she said she needed the money cause she's a Catholic School teacher. A good time had by all, though poor Heather looked like she was about to drop :-)

I then proceeded to make an ass out of myself. I called my aunt because I had forgetten to pick up my keys that morning and Mom and Nat were at the doctor's office and I had no idea what time they were going to be home. So I asked her to meet me at the house with the spare set of keys. She came... and it was the wrong key. I went next door and asked my neighbor if they had one. I tried every key on their key hanger by the door. None of the worked. I resigned myself going to Karen's parent's place to borrow her apartment key then hang at her place for awhile. I put my coat on, stuck my hand in my pocket... and found my keys. I had left them in my pocket after Karen's shindig. Shame faced, I went back to my aunt's car and showed her. She just sighed and smacked me :-) Afterwards I hugged her, thanked her repeatedly and told her how sorry I was. I went in the house, let out the puppies, then walked down to the deli and got myself some lunch and a donut. (It's Fat Tuesday, I had to!) Nat and mom came home about an hour later. She had an endoscopy to check her stomach. On the bright side, they don't think she has cilyac* (spelled wrong) disease. But they haven't told her what she does have. After we both had lunch, we laid down for naps. We both woke up around 4:30 and went out to dinner for her birthday. Mom, Dad, me, Nat, Cousin Brian and her boyfriend Jay went to a new resturant called Texas Roadhouse. Not a bad place, more for the steak lovers amoung you. None of us could finish everything we were served. Afterwards we went home and watched the last half of American Idol (God help me) while Nat opened her presents and had ice cream cake, her favorite desert.

All in all, I have to say it was a good day. Now I'm looking forward to cheesy movie/game night on Saturday. Yeha!

Breasts and a Bust

Well, it's not the evening it was planned to be. Tonight was Girls Night Out, the theme being classy cleavage. It started out at Dree's house with a few drinks and impromptu snacks. After a few rounds of shots, it was time to leave for Shampoo. We rocked out to Stephen Lynch on the way down 95 and pulled up along side of Shampoo for a night of booze and dancing. Much to our dismay, we discovered the place to be crawling with Goth kids. For some reason, Shampoo was hosting Dracula's Ball... in February. And it was $30 to get in. It was absolutely freezing out and stupidly I was in open toed shoes. After I gave $2 to a homeless guy who was going to "watch the car" for us, we piled back in on the road to Polyesters. We also decided to leave our coats in the car. We parked at 12th and Race and went in search for the club. And didn't find it... mostly because it had been bought out by someone else and was never re-opened. So due to the fact we were all frozen solid, we jumped into the nearest open door which was a hole in the wall bar called Liquid Charm. There were 8 people in there total not including us. We had a nice Japanese bartender who thought that Dree spoke the language and got marked with black sharpie X's. After a round of drinks, we decided to move on. Erin, being pretty well toasted, couldn't really remember where exactly anything was so we parked on 5th and Spring Garden and found Tikki Bob's. Erin dropped her ID and the door guy wouldn't let her in for 20 minutes, cause apparently standing in 17 degree weather for 20 minutes will make a person sober enough to go into a club to get drunk. Dree waited outside with her while Heather, Karen and I went in. That lasted all of 5 minutes. It was so packed we couldn't even move around. So we decided to go to McFadden's next door. By this point we were all pretty well frozen, Erin was drunk and I was surly. One round of drinks was had, a bit of dancing and then I turned into a self pitying, self deprecating bitch and accidentally insulted my best friend. Suddenly Erin looked like she was going to fall over and it was decided to bring the evening to an end. It was also decided that for the next girls night we were either going to eat first and not pre-drink or just stay in, drink, play cards and watch cheesy movies.

I've decided something too. I'm going to start seeing some form of therapist. I need to get over some things.

Dust Bunnies and Books and Films... Oh my.

Well, it’s that time at work again. The air is filled with the sound of hundreds of screams as wet rags and feather dusters wipe out the colonies of dust bunnies that have been congregating since the last inventory (back in August). I’ve been stuck in the same small room for the last week; tagging, rearranging, counting and transferring numbers. I’ve various stages of the same headache for the same amount of time. Please help me.

Last Friday James, Rich, his niece Lauren and I saw "The Producers" although we were a few minutes late. It wasn’t a bad movie, but I found Matthew Broderick to be kinda annoying. Earlier in the week I saw "Chronicles of Narnia" and "Memoirs of a Ghesia". "Narnia" was very good and kept very true to the book. "Memoirs" was alright, a bit dry. I"m probably going to see "Brokeback Mountain" on Sunday. I may go with Mom and Nat since they’re the only people I know who want to see it :-)

Last week my Sherlock Holmes discussion list (Yeah, I’m a geek. Shut it.) got into a discussion about what you had to have read back in the day to have been considered "well read". My dad and I then got into a talk about movies and what you’re "supposed" to have seen. And what would you call it, "well seen"? I went through everything I could remember and realized that there are alot of classic/legendary movies I’ve never seen. So I rented "The Godfather" as a jumping off point. It was... okay. I wasn’t blown away but it (no pun intended) and was about five seconds away from turning on the subtitles just to figure out what the hell Marlon Brando was saying! Then this past Sunday night I was flipping through the Comcast On Demand Free Movies and saw they were playing "Casablanca" and "Citizen Kane". As I started "Casablanca" my parents came in from a Super Bowl party. Mom joined me on the couch and Dad was headed off to bed. He looked at the TV, smiled and said "Good luck with that". Now I know why. That movie was an hour and thirty-three minutes of my life I’ll never get back. I haven’t been that bored in quite some time. My mother, the one with cronic brain and sleep problems, was nodding off halfway through! Well, now I can say I’ve seen it... and I’ll never have to see it again. God knows what awaits me with "Citizen Kane". I mean, I already know what the whole "Rosebud" deal it about. I’m also taking suggestions for films and books. I plan to spend this year bettering myself and learning some new things... until I get bored and decided to do something else :-) I’ve also attached the classical "well read" list from my group. Though it might interest some of you guys.

Well Read

The Greeks- Aristotle, Plato, Euripides, Sophocles, Aristophanes.

The Romans- Ovid, Catullus, Petronius, Caesar.

Hebrew- The Bible, Hillel, Moses Maimonides (The Rambam), The Gaonim.

Old English- Chaucer, Sir Arthur Mallory (Le Mort d’Arthur).

Renaissance- Shakespeare, Danta Allegheri, Sir Francis Bacon, Vasari, Robert Herrick, Marlowe, Milton.

Age of Reason- Descartes, Jonathan Swift, Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Johnson, Rousseau.

19th Century- Herman Mellville, Mark Twain, O. Henry, Jane Austin, Coleridge, Keats, Whitman, Dumas, Zola.

20th Century- Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Arthur Miller, Eugene Ionesco, Eudora Welty, Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, James Baldwin, Issac B. Singer, Winston Churchill, Primo Levi, Dorothy Sayers.

Mom

As most of you know, for the past few months my mom has been having very serious dizzy spells. About a month ago, her sleep cycle was severly thrown off. She could sleep 2 hours and feel great or sleep 10 and feel like she just laid down. And she was having some really vivd dreams and would remember them in the most perfect detail. She told us it was down to TPV (Temporary Positional Vertigo). She sat me and my sister down tonight to 'have a talk'. It's not TPV.

She had an MRI and a CAT scan. They revealed 2 growths on her brain; one on her pituitary gland and one on her pineal gland. The pituitary one is definatly a cyst and is easy to get to. The other they're not sure about and is hard to get to. So far, though, there is no need for surgery. But if the dizzyness returns or gets worse, they may have to. The pituitary one has to be tested also just to make sure the gland is inactive, so she has to see an Endocrinologist (spelling?) and also her eye doctor. Apparently the pituitary cyst can also screw up your vision. The pineal deals alot with sleep cycles and patterns, hence the weirdness. She saw a neurologist today and he told her she had to tell everyone she sees/hang with on a regular basis what's going on. She has to carry around an envelope with all her contact numbers, all her doctors, her meds and allergies just in case of emergencies. You can imagine the size of the envelope. She has copies of her CAT/MRI's in her trunk. We got the talk tonight. She told Cassie earlier and she's going to tell the rest of the family on Sunday when we go to see Ellen off to the Navy.

I need shots... and hugs :-)

Tim's, New Years, Resolutions, and The British

It’s been a fun and interesting past few days. We had Tim and Michael’s Christmas party on Friday. We had a good time. It was a very varied group of people; high school friends, work friends and church group people. Everything started off fine, then as these things always wind up with us, we found ourselves seated behind the church group. Mike had a few glasses of wine and then began talking (in a Mike volume) about strippers and dildo parties. I thought the woman behind him was going to have heart failure. Needless to say that they left soon after. Erin decided that she wanted to revisit her teenage years and create a slam book... for adults. I can’t wait to see some of the rudeness :-) Rich, Heather and James showed up just as everything was coming to an end. Ah well, that’s what happens in retail. Still, good times were had.

New Years Eve was spent at Kenny’s (also known as Out of Whack Jacks). Karen, Rich, Heather, MK and I were joined by Joe and our new friend Jeanette. A very cool chick. A large amount of booze was consumed and lots of dancing was done... even I joined in :-) We got text messages from Erin and Mike at midnight. (They were at Finnigans.) Just about 2, we all broke off in various different directions and Joe dropped me off. Another night of good times. I only have a few resolutions this year: Loose more weight, join a new gym (when the Bally’s hell hole let me out of my contract), brush up on my sign language, write more and loosen up a bit :-)

And finally I would just like to thank the British and their insane sci-fi fans. Karen gave me the new Doctor Who episode. You people rock. Now if you would just show them here in the States so we wouldn’t have to go through all this aggravation! David Tennant, I love ya. Please stay longer than you predecessor.

Work opens up again tomorrow. Save me!