A New Home

How do gang. Well, I've done it. I've finally moved out of the parental pad. A few months back Dree turned to me at a party and said, "Hey, wanna move out?" To which I replied, "Sure." So today is the first day in the new place. It's nice and not far from both of our parents houses (and not far from my sister either). It's been a tough day (physically & mentally), so I'm off to sleep in my new room. I hope the closet monster here likes me :-)

Vaca-Recap

Hey gang! A short (relatively) recap of the vacation:

Friday, July 20th- Packing and last minute running around.

Saturday, July 21st- The best trips always start out shitty. The limo man calls me & asks me for directions. Creepy enough, but then he shows up 15 minutes early and (after my telling him 3 times that my block is one way & he needs to park on the corner) he turns onto my street and blocks traffic for 5 minutes. MK gets there and we board. We get to JFK at 3:30 and as I'm pulling my big suitcase up to the front door, my handle snaps and pieces of it roll down the street. Peachy. Then we go to check in & my spiffy new fangled Electronic Passport can't be read through the check in machines and I have to stand in line. Kill me. We get aboard the plane… with about 20 infants & toddlers for a 5 & ½ hour flight. AHHHHH!!!!

Sunday, July 22nd- We land in Shannon and get our luggage fairly quickly. We are met by our Guide, Micky. Awesome guy, I wanted to bring him home. We had time to kill since one of the planes was delayed so we wandered the airport & had breakfast. And this is where we found out that we were to by joined by former teacher Mr. Ulmer & his wife. We then got dropped off at Bunratty Castle early cause the plane was delayed for another few hours (this turned out to be the people we spent most of our time with; Susan & Lucia.) We finally got them and headed to our hotel, dropped off our luggage and went to the Cliffs of Moher. Beautiful place, we had lunch INSIDE a mountain. Neat.

Monday, July 23rd- We visited Rathbaun Farm and Fenton & his sheep. We then went onto Galway City (this is where we lost the nun for a few hours). We also visited Connemara and the marble factory. Tonight was the evil dinner. Irish pork is bad for Sam's.

Tuesday, July 24th- I felt like death. In the morning we visited Kylemore Abbey. This is the most beautiful, serene place I have ever been in my life. I really wanted to stay. We then went to the Apparition Shrine in Knock, then visited WB Yeats grave is Sligo. I then went into the dining room… and ran back to the room. Icky.

Wednesday, July 25th- I felt MUCH better. Glenveagh Castle & National Park today, very nice scenery. We drove through Ardara (which is where some of Mom's family comes from) and wandered around the old graveyard looking for family. After dinner I tried a glass of Guiness & Black (which is blackberry cordial & Guiness). I drank about a quarter of it, then passed it to MK.

Thursday, July 26th- Today was Armagh. We were supposed to go through this 2 part exhibit about the history of Armagh, but MK & I snuck out (we started a trend) and snuck to St. Pat's Cathedral (very pretty). Back at the Trian, we went through a "Gulliver's Travels" exhibit which was pretty sweet. In the shop I found a quill & bottle of ink for calligraphy. Neat! We then went to Dublin and the Jameson Factory and had entertainment (band & dancers). I discovered a new drink, Jameson & Ginger. It's a shot of Jameson and Ginger Ale. Gooooood stuff.

Friday, July 27th- We visited Kilmainham Jail (where they kept most of the people from the 1916 Easter Rising). The also filmed a lot of movies there as well as some exterior scenes for "The Tudors". That afternoon was free to wander. We went to Trinity College & saw the Book of Kells, found a book store that sold Doctor Who books (yippee!) and took refuge from a nasty downpour in a Friday's. We then walked down the Georgian Mile (lots of Georgian houses) and visited Bram Stoker's house as well as Oscar Wilde's house & statue.

Saturday, July 28th- We went to Killkenny City and saw Killkenny Castle, then visited the Waterford Crystal factory (pretty cool stuff).

Sunday, July 29th- We went to Blarney Castle (No, I didn't kiss the stone. MK… well, ask her about it). Then we went to Cobh Heritage Center (the Titanic & Lusitania stopped there last and most people who emigrated left Ireland from there). Then off to Killarney.

Monday, July 30th- Today was the Ring of Kerry, lots of nature. We also got to see how sheep dogs work large flocks of sheep.

Tuesday, July 31st- We did the other side of the Ring of Kerry, the Dingle Peninsula. We stopped to have lunch in a pub in Dingle (lots of fish & chips were consumed during this trip). We visited Slea Head beach (where they filmed "Ryan's Daughter") then back to Shannon and Bunratty Castle for a medieval dinner. Pretty cool.

Wednesday, August 1st- Back home. Flight out was good, not as many kids. Got the luggage easy, then we went to leave. Grr. We landed a half hour late, got to the phone to cal the "limo" service at 5:30pm to tell them to come get us. They said "Sure, it'll be there at 7pm." Excuse me? Apparently I booked the "airport shuttle", not the "limo service". Damn it. The shuttle didn't show up until 7:30pm. We made it from Jamacia, New York to Roosevelt & Southampton in Philly… in an hour and a half. Left JFK at 7:30pm, walked into my house at 9:01pm. I was at once happy & terrified.

I know I'm missing a ton of stuff here, but I hit most of the salient points (I think).I have lots of stories that I'm sure I'll annoy people with for months. Later!

Police Concert!

Hello all! Last night was a pretty sweet time, Police Concert @ Citizens Bank Park! MK & her parents showed up around 7pm and we hit the road. We drove around for parking a bit [someone was shocked that parking was $20 everywhere :)] & finally ended up parking @ The Linc. We nearly ran over some drunk guys cooler as he shoved it infront of the van's tires screaming that he was "saving" the space until a friend of theirs showed up. We managed to find a semifree spot and made our way in.

The seats were AWESOME! 14 rows from the field smack dead center right behind home plate. We had our seats, the rain abated, we waited for the 2nd of the opening acts to end (The Fretelli's. Eh, not bad.) Then came the silence as the roadies jumped into action setting up the stage for the Police. Then... he came. I have no idea what his name is, but he is emblazened in my mind for all eternity. Diamond Club Section D Row 13 Seat 9. I will hate you forever. The guy got into his seat with his girlfriend... and stood. And stood. And stood. Then the concert started, and everyone stood for the first 2 songs. Then slowly people started to take their seats... except 13/9. He continued to stand. Okay, I think, he's excited. I'll give him another song. Nope, still standing... right infront of me obscuring the ENTIRE stage. So I leaned my head between him & his girlfriend to see. Then he started dancing the ultimate white man dance... and swaying right into what little view I had. Okay I think, it's alright. I came for the music, not necessarily the view, I'm cool. Eventually he'll sit down. NO, he didn't. After about the 7th song I was starting to get pretty pissed and invisioned myself grabbing him by the back of his hair and yanking him into his seat screaming "I didn't pay $90 to watch the small of your back! Now sit down!" Luckily MK's mom & dad weren't really interested in the stage presentation and we shifted seats. From then on, nicely unblocked view, because even on the rare occasion the girl infront of me got up, she was all of 5 foot, I could still see over her head. But the guy in 13/9? He sat down ONCE for HALF of ONE song and that's only because he returned from the bathroom and asked his girlfriend what he missed. Then he was right back up on his feet. I also need to mention the 50 year old guy in the section next to us 2 rows down who high fived everyone around him and rocked out like he was high as a kite... which we found out he was as security escorted him & his friend out and the pot cloud waffted past. He made for some lovely entertainment for the first half hour.

The show was over just shy of 11pm, we returned to the parking lot to have an adventure in trying to get out of the parking lot. There was nearly a fist fight between some of the guys selling heluim ballons for a high (weird scene) and then we were nearly plowed into by drunks in a Mustang cause they HAD to get out next. Gotta give MK's dad props on that one, I didn't even see where they came from. Them's were some good driving skills. Finally returned to the abode just past 12, had a nice cup of tea and hit the hay to the pleasent tones of Preston & Steve. All in all, a kick ass night.

I'm off to pack. Till August kids!

Thanks and giftyness!

Greetings everyone! I just wanted to thank everyone who came out on Saturday for my birthday fun. Dinner was at Great American (excuse me miss, our bread has an unidentified lemon) and then back to the parentals for a few drinks, cigars, good conversation and bad jokes. I got a crazy amount of wine, it's awesome!

As you all know (since I constantly talked about it!), MK & I are leaving on Saturday for Ireland. Now, I've gotten requests for stuff from some people; Nat, Michael, Kim, Erin. What does everyone want from the Emerald Isle? And before you ask, NO, I can't bring back a leprechan or a hot red head man/woman. And NO, I can't bring back booze (customs only allows a very small amount, like 1 bottle).

Let me know, kids, and I'll see you all in August!

Bloginess

Hello all. Long time, no blog. Rather than bog down in detail (as it's been quite awhile since I've written), I'll make some highlights:
-As you're all more than well aware, I'm now an Aunt. Lucas is now 6 weeks old, 24" long and about 11 pounds. Both mother & father are doing well and the Christening is in two weeks. Then I'll be a Godmother three times over.
-My "trouble" at work has not reared its head since it all went down, due to an apparent "car accident". I'm crying on the inside.
-A party at Tim & Michael's saw me trying a cigarette (Yucky), a Corona (Eh), and a cigar (Not that bad) and the notion that anyone can pull off wearing a sombrero at 3am and still look good. Pics are available.
-Game night at Tim & Michael's introduced me to Mr. Pim's (GOOD stuff), John's obsession with Martha Stuart and plans for religious excursions throughout the year.
-A party at Dree's has led to my new nickname: Shot Dominatrix. This was bestowed upon me by John due to the way I ordered people how to do Apple Pie Shots. I also played Spin the Bottle for the first time, though not to the exact rules since deep down I'm still a big ole' prude. But I'm getting better.
-A party at Karen's introduced us to her neighbor (who also enjoyed the Apple Pie Shots) and how open people can be when the word "Shots" is mentioned. Good fun.
-This past Thursday was the first of our Religious Excursions; Corpus Christi at S. Clement's Church in Center City. Beautiful church, wonderful music, nice ceremony… bad for the knees. No kneelers, just pads on the floor. Note for next year; take Tylenol before going, don't wear open toe shoes, bring a fan and a spare pillow.
- A trip to the Blarney this past Saturday saw more musical stylings from "Black Hezza".
-39 days till Ireland! Many thanks to Erin, Mike, Tim & Michael for all the travel tips.
Coming up- a trip to Fire Island, Lucas' Christening, the family "Fourth of July" party, birthday plans and IRELAND! Till later!

From Bad To Worse

So this week started off fine enough, awaiting a new nephew. Then there was a situation that I can't get into, let's just say it was really bad and leave it at that. Wednesday we got a call early in the morning from a hospital. We thought it was Nat saying she was in labor. Nope, it was Uncle Neil saying that Aunt Cassie was in the hospital. She had a bowel obstruction which was aggravted by her hernia. So things went on with her and the other thing. I had off yesterday so I went to the hospital to see Aunt Cassie. She had her surgery and came through fine (though majorly drugged). We went in around 5, we talked for a while. Then a little after 7pm I yawned and little white spots popped up. Then I got dizzy, then I got hot, then I grabbed the back of a chair, then I was on the floor looking at the wall while my uncle stood over me tapping me calling my name. Apparently after I grabbed the back of the chair I told my mom I didn't feel well and I crashed to the floor. I passed out. I have never passed out before in my life. Suddenly the room is full of nurses, I'm being given orange juice with sugar in it and they were calling for a wheelchair. Since I passed out on hospital grounds, I had to go to the ER trauma center. I was hooked up to a heart monitor, had an EKG, 5 vials of blood drawn, urine test and given an IV. I then preceded to sit there for 3 hours for them to tell me I'm fine and probably just needed to eat. Yeah, thanks. But since I passed out on their turf, they had to cover their ass. And let me tell you something, those EKG & Heart Monitor pads hurt like a son of a bitch coming off. They then suggested that I take the next day off and rest, so I did. We then got a call this morning that an old friend of my parent's mother just passed away.

Nat, please go into labor soon.

We be Ireland bound!

Hey kids. Long time, no hear. Well, it's official. Mary Kate & I are Ireland bound this summer! We put the deposit down two weeks ago, passports have been applied for (expedited of course), vacation time has been requested, and calculating has been done [Goodbye money, I loved you ].
I think I'm gonna do the same as last year for my birthday (dinner and then hang back @ my place), but most likely it will be the weekend before we leave (either the 13th or the 14th). We leave on Saturday, July 21st (Many thanks to Erin & Mike for suggesting Dave's Best Limo Service. They're cheaper and MUCH faster than Amtrak) with an evening flight from JFK to Shannon, Ireland (which we'll arrive at on Sunday @ 6am GMT). And if I'm very lucky, the nice UPS man will come to my house before noon. (We leave the same day that the new Harry Potter is released.) I'll also be switching my cell phone plan over so I can still talk to everyone without it costing an arm & a leg.
Here's a list of where we're going & what we'll be seeing:
Shannon- The Cliffs of Moher.
Galway- Rathbaun Farm, Gaelic-speaking Connemara, Kylemore Abbey.
Knock- The Apparition Shrine.
Sligo -Birthplace of W.B. Yeats.
Donegal- [This is where I'll be for my birthday.]
Glenties- Glenveagh Castle and National Park.
Armagh- St. Patrick's Trian, an exhibition of Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels."
Dublin- Kilmainham Jail, O'Connell Street and the Post Office (scene of the 1916 Easter Rising).
Kilkenny - Kilkenny City, Kilkenny Castle (ancestral home of the Butler Clan).
Waterford- Waterford Crystal Factory.
Cork
Cobh- Cobh Heritage Center.
Blarney- Blarney Castle [where I will NOT be kissing the Blarney Stone because the locals pee on it. Thanks for the heads up, Preston & Steve!], Blarney Woollen Mills.
Cork- Kerry Mountains
Killarney- Ring of Kerry, "Heaven's Reflex", Iveragh Peninsula, Kerry coast, Dingle Peninsula, Slea Head, Blasket Islands.
Bunratty- a farewell medieval castle banquet at Bunratty Castle.
From there we'll go back to Shannon for our afternoon flight back to the States. We'll get to JFK around 4:15pm EST on Wednesday, August 1st.
Many thanks to all the people who've been giving us travel tips & advice. Now, what does everyone want me to bring back for them? And no, I can't fit a good looking Irish Man/Women into my luggage. I won't have enough room for my own and someone else's.

Fifty Years Without A Name- LONG

Fifty Years Without A Name
by Samantha Warner
"There were no homes, only the Good Shepard Home. The (road) was only wide enough for one vehicle. The initial call to police radio said they found a cardboard box from JC Penney's and inside was a doll." [Retired Police Detective Sam Weinstein, March 25, 1998] Sadly, it was no doll.
On February 25, 1957, a 26-year-old male La Salle college student wandered into a wooded area near Susquehanna and Veree Roads next to Pennypack Park in order to spy on the residents of the nearby Good Shepard Home for Wayward Girls. Instead, he discovered a box and one of the most famous unsolved murders in Philadelphia history.
"The Boy in the Box" has puzzled, intrigued and angered people across the United States for the past fifty years, particularly in the Fox Chase and Parkwood areas of Philadelphia. The lifeless image of the small boy has been seen by millions. His picture was posted everywhere from government offices and supermarkets to liquor stores and private businesses. Back in 1957, his likeness was even mailed to every Philadelphia Gas Works customer with their monthly bill. Over the decades, the case has been taken on by local and federal agencies dedicating countless hours pursing dozens of leads, none of which has led to closure. The case has gone cold and been re-opened several times.
Elmer Palmer and Sam Weinstein were the first two officers on the scene. Inside the officers found the naked body of a malnourished boy who, it was determined, had been dead anywhere from three days to two weeks. He was 40.5 inches long, weighed thirty pounds and was estimated to be four-years-old. He was covered in bruises from head to toe and both sides of his body, including large bruises on his forehead and temple. His blond hair had been chopped sloppily with blunt scissors, but his fingernails were neatly trimmed and his body was clean. The cause of death was listed as massive head trauma. The medical examiner also found small scars indicative of prior medical procedures and that the boy had been circumcised. Every physician in the area was sent a flyer of the boy and the American Medical Association circulated a description of the boy across the nation. No doctor has ever identified him.
The Philadelphia Police Forensics' lab had very little evidence to go on. The boy was covered in a blanket, which has been described as "Indian-style". The box, from JC Penny's, had originally contained a bassinet, and a blue corduroy "Jeff Cap" was found next to the box. Retailers and manufacturers were given details of these products, but none offered definitive information.
As leads wore thin and months passed, authorities decided to bury the boy in the city's Potter's Field in the Parkwood section of the city on July 24, 1957. So much attention and public sympathy were devoted to the boy that investigators were able to take up a collection for a tombstone, the only grave at the site to have such an honor. The small stone read "Heavenly Father, Bless This Unknown Boy."
For years, the grave was kept up and decorated with flowers. The people of Parkwood, who took a motherly attitude to the boy, were his caretakers along with the medical examiner's investigator, Remington Bristow. Solving the mystery became a life long obsession with Bristow, along with countless others, lasting through his retirement until his death in 1993. Bristow spent thirty-six years on the case, often following leads to distant parts of the country. He went to his grave believing he knew where the answer to the mystery could be found. Many different leads have come up over the past five decades, the most prominent and initially promising being "The Foster Home" (Bristow's theory) and "M".
Bristow believed the solution rested with a family that lived about a mile from the site where the boy was found. A psychic told him to "look for a house with children playing in it and with a log cabin. About a mile and a third away, he (found) a large house which turns out to be a foster home. On the property is a log cabin." [Ron Avery, City of Brotherly Mayhem.] The couple living there had five foster children at the time, as well as a 20-year-old stepdaughter. All five of the foster children were checked and accounted for. Bristow theorized that the dead boy was an illegitimate child of the stepdaughter and had died accidentally. In 1985, Bristow located the foster home couple, who had moved to the town of Dublin in upper Bucks County to and tried to get a lie-detector test for the man and DNA from the stepdaughter, who was now his wife. The lie-detector was refused. The stepdaughter admitted to having a son who died at the age of three in 1955, but that he was killed along Frankford Avenue on a department-store amusement ride. She also told investigators that she had three other children who were stillborn in the late 1940's and early 50's. Her stories were checked and confirmed.
Then there is the story of "M". In 1955, "M" was 11. She told the investigators her librarian mother drove her to a home, where she picked a boy up in exchange for an envelope which she thought contained money. The child, called Jonathan, then came to live with them in their Philadelphia home. There, he was raised in squalor in the basement, with a drain for a bathroom and a makeshift bed amid coal bins and discarded cardboard cartons. "M" claimed that her mother regularly sexually abused her and had purchased the child to do the same to him. The boy's death, "M" claimed, eventually came when her mother, in a fit of rage, slammed him down on the floor after he vomited in the tub. That day, her mother drove her into Philadelphia to dump the child. Investigators were amazed, but skeptical. At issue is whether "M", who has a history of mental problems, could have fabricated the story, but her claims are still being investigated.
In 1998, pursuant to a court order, the body was exhumed for DNA testing as well as investigation by Forensic Artists using the latest technology. It was decided to rebury the boy in a new and more prominent site, much to the sadness of the Parkwood community who had come to look on the boy as their own. On the morning of November 11, 1998, the boy was reburied in a place of honor just inside the main gate at Ivy Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia. At 11:00am the funeral service commenced with a bagpiper playing the tune "Going Home" and pallbearers including William Fleisher (co-founder and Commissioner of the Vidocq Society), Tom Augustine (the man in charge of the current investigation) and Sam Weinstein. He was given a new headstone which bears the image of a lamb and is inscribed with the words "America's Unknown Child… Dedicated November 11, 1998." The original headstone was set at the foot of the grave along with a floral bouquet containing toy cars and trucks.
Even after decades of searching, numerous books, documentaries, dedicated websites (the most informative being http://americasunknownchild.net/) and a fictionalized episode of "Cold Case", the case remains unsolved. But there are countless people who will dedicate their time and energy to give this small boy the one thing every human being deserves- an identity.

Ikea, Marches & Surgery.

Hello all. It's blog time again! Let's start with last Tuesday, otherwise known as "My Ikea Adventure".

The day started out well enough. Dad's back surgery has been rescheduled for the following Tuesday. I had finished re-doing the big room and had moved everything in. Mom and I decided to make an Ikea run for some bookcases. I needed three, but there was no way we were going to fit them all into Mom's car. As it was, Mom didn't think we'd get two in there. Once we found our way there on Delaware Ave, we made our way to the second floor and found the bookcases I wanted just as we walked in. They were nice, tall, deep shelved and not too wide. Good stuff. Then we spent a half hour trying to find the other end of the floor to get the ones I wanted. Finally after much going round and round (which was starting to throw my head off), we made our way to the collection area. I had decided to get black since my options were limited (the card only had black, white and a blonde wood). As we found our cubbyhole, the black was out of stock. Argh! As we stood staring at the empty space, my Mom happened to look to the side and found the exact same model in a dark wood that almost exactly matches my furniture. Yipee! I would have picked this out right off, but the color wasn't on the card. So we grabbed a box and made our way to the door. Mom was still yet to be convinced that two boxes would fit, so she told me to buy one, then if we had the room I could slip in the exit door and buy another. That's what we wound up doing. After a nice lunch, we hit Delaware Ave. again, only this time quite literally. We made our way around a curve and hit a set of trolley tracks that led right into a pot hole. The effect went something like this, "bang BANG, pssssss, flop, flop, flop, tilt, flop, flop, are we making that noise, flop, flop, tilt, FUCK!" We pulled over across from the AMC Theater and stared at each other for a minute. Mom asked if I knew how to change a tire, I said yeah, then we realized that the spare, jack and wrench were underneath 170lbs. of bookcases. We popped the trunk and then a car pulled up and offered help. His name was Eli, a college kid. Very sweet. We pulled everything out and he grabbed the spare, which was flat. I jumped in his car (my Mom later told me she wrote down his license plate number incase I didn't come back) and off we went a half block away to the gas station. When we got back, Mom told us that three more people stopped to see if she needed help. And they say Philly people are mean. After about a half hour of fighting, Eli got the hub cap off. Then a cab driver pulled up with a better jack and offered to help. Then they realized that they couldn't get two of the nuts off. They waved the white flag and pointed us to Pep Boys. (Mom slipped Eli a twenty before he left; the cabbie drove away before we could even say thanks.) After a two hour wait, we were re-tired and back on the road. I got home just in time to pull the cases upstairs and go to CCD. So much drama for a couple of bookcases.

Onto Monday, the March For Life in Washington. Dree had decided to join me on the trek as she had never been before. We made a Wawa run for breakfast and a bagged lunch and headed for St. Anselm's. Dree then shared the present Erin got her from Italy, a 12 month calendar of priests and seminarians. We have decided the old adage needs to be revised: All the good ones are either married, gay or seminarians. It's not fair. And the cover man looked exactly like Ricky Martin. Could you imagine going to confession with him? "Bless me Father Ricky Martin, for I have sinned. I have lived La Vida Loca, I have shaken by bon bon and drank from the cup of life… ole, ole, ole." (This was added to all day.) We got on the bus and made ourselves comfy and I introduced Dree to Father David, who later came to be known as Father Loves & Fishes. There was more food than there needed to be. Everytime he opened an overhead compartment, more food just appeared. We then stopped at Our Lady of Calvary and picked up more people and Father Quan. For being such a somber occasion, we laughed like nuts. Between Father Ricky Martin, the stand-up comedy of Father's Quan and Loves & Fishes, Dree's creation of a cold feet song (please see my comments page for the lyrics), random Musical cues (Hey look, there's people from Iowa. "You've got to give Iowa a try!") and running into TON of good looking priests and seminarians (and one that looked exactly like Rowan Atkinson- Father Mr. Bean), we made our way along the march to Union Station. We had our Wawa lunch and then headed off to the bus. The stand-up picked up where it left off and we stopped for a rest in Delaware where we talked to Karen (Hi. We're in Delaware.) We had to get Cinnabon's, they were calling to us. (Bless me father, for I have Cinnabon-d.) And then we were home. A somber cause, but a good time.

And finally, an update on Dad. He went in for his back surgery yesterday morning around six. It took about two hours, which is what they estimated. The doctor found exactly what he expected to and everything went well. We saw him around four, looking sleepy, drugged and in a bit of pain. He's staying overnight and will be home later on today. He'll be out of work for a month, but he doesn't need to have any stitches removed. They're all internal. All he has on the outside is one big bandage covering some butterfly's which can be removed on Sunday. He has to get up and walk around every half hour, but he'll be much better off.

I've babbled long enough. Till later!

Updates & Labyrinthitis.

Hey there gang. Long silence = big blog.

Christmas has come and gone (finally). Fun was had at the Annual Christmas Party, many odd pictures taken, many dirty text messages sent. Ah, good times. It was then decided to have a Girls Night Out (the following night) at a dive bar that wasn't actually too much of a dive, more a hole in the wall. We were joined by Joe (and another of his glorious hats) later in the evening after much persuasion. Mary Kate and Inara took turns dancing dirty with Kim in order to shoo away unwanted men. And the best drink ever invented was discovered: The Chocolate Peppermint Martini. YYUUUMMMM!!!!

Work, work, the Special Christmas Episode of "Doctor Who" (Yikes. What were you thinking, Russell?), work, and some more work, then it was New Years Eve and my dumb ass thought it would be good to do something fun for the guys here and have a Dance. Needless to say, not good. After all was said and done, I was so exhausted and aggravated that I seriously considered not going out at all and just crawling into bed. Then I got an image of Dree beating me up for not coming, so I jumped in the shower and off I went. Drinks were had, pictures taken, drunks tripped over, people made fun of and then the ball dropped. Hurrah! After that, I slipped into a hazy, half asleep cloud till MK said, "I'm leaving. Want a ride?" Bless you, sweet lady. Yes I do.
I awoke the next day to find rain and no Mummers Parade (sorry Jimmy!), and to find out that Nat and Jay had gotten the duplex (Yeah! Congrats!)… and they were moving Saturday (Whoa. So soon?). Work, work, the season finale of Torchwood (Jack & Jack & Ianto. Thank you BBC!), work and some more work, then it was moving day. I had to work a half day for Art Classes and then I went home to help the kids move… only to find that they were already there and unpacking. Dad's back was bothering him a lot, so I helped him to put away Christmas Tree Ornaments (the very definition of tedious) and then headed over to the duplex. It's a cute little place. I got there just in time to leave. Nat, Jay, Mom and her friends had it 90% done and it was getting to the point where everyone was in the way. So off we went.

The next day I spent cleaning Nat's old room (which was also my old room) and cleaning & re-polishing the old furniture so it can be used in the baby's room at our house for when we baby-sit. I figured out a new décor for the room and where I can move everything to and went shopping. Some spackling, edging and such, then I was ready to re-do. Then on Tuesday, while I was having lunch at my desk, the room tipped left. Then an hour or so later, it did it again. After the third time, I made some arrangements and went home. It happened again the next morning so I called my doctor… only to find out that they're closed on Wednesday's. I stayed home from work and made an appointment for Thursday. Dad spent the day getting all of his tests and results done for his back surgery (which will be on the 23rd). I got a bit of painting done (careful not to move my head too much) and made dinner for the folks. I was off the next day and went to the doctor where I was told I have Labyrinthitis, which is just a fancy way of saying my inner ear near my equilibrium center is inflamed which is throwing off my balance. I called Karen to tell her about it and to discuss Sarah Jane's new show and she made fun of me for getting illnesses no one else gets (Grrrrr). It's nothing big, just annoying. It comes on for no reason and lasts a week to ten days and they gave me a prescription for Anti-Vert (which is a vertigo medication) to take as needed. I went back to work on Friday which was interesting since I was still a bit dizzy and had lots to catch up on. I missed the Blarney (sorry gang!) due to a misunderstanding between me and my body. I said "short nap". It disagreed. All in all, it's been an interesting few weeks. Coming up in the future: an end to dizziness, more work, a new bedroom, book club meeting, (hopefully) another Girls Night, and other fun times. Yipee!