sillygreensula's Journal

9:58PM - White & Nerdy

"White & Nerdy" on Google Video
Music video by "Weird Al" Yankovic from the album "Straight Outta Lynwood"

8:37PM - Caterpillars

It appears we have an overdose of tentworm caterpillars this year. They are everywhere! One girl I walk to school counted over 300 just on half of our house. Hanging from the lights, hanging out by the basement door, and worst of all, eating my once glorious coral bell plants alive down to the stalks. Apparently the super warm winter had something to do with this. Anyway, my time is too valuable to be plucking them off by hand and putting them in a pot of boiling water, like I did earlier, and superblasting with the hose isn't working, so I'm off to get some Bt (an organic bacterial-based pesticide) tomorrow. Ugggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

Current mood: predatory

9:25PM - Our New Family Member

So, Santa brought us a kitty cat for Christmas!
She's an orangey-white tabby, with two tones of dark and light orange and a
speck of white. She's a little on the small side, and has only a 3/4
tail and something of a disfigurement on the left side of her face, and
even her eyes are orange. We haven't named her, but have been calling
her "Mrs. P" as we've referred to her as "The Package" for some time
before Christmas. She's also the biggest 'fraidy cat I've ever met; on
Christmas Day D had to peel off part of the wall to get her out, then
she ended up in the rafters above the furnace room for 2 days when
hunger and a need to use the sandbox drove her to meaw for help (as I
knew it would). Now she's in the computer room taking a major dose of
chill pills until she gets to know and trust us, and then we'll move
her to different parts of the house. O just loves her, and "Mrs. P" is
coming around to this concept of being a house cat (she was rescued
from a stable where the owner was moving his horses, which we feel good
about). We still need to get her fixed and I hope we get that done
before she goes into heat, since I work at home and can't subject my
customers, let alone myself, to that!)

Our Christmas was nice, but will I sound like a Grinch if I say I'm
glad it's over? All that money spending and cooking and cleaning, and I
of course was suffering as I almost always do (can bet money I'll get
sick on Christmas); this time with painful neck muscle spasms. I ended
up going to urgent care on the 26th because it hurt to even talk by
that point, and got some muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories as
well as some patch that would have cost $80 copay..right! So for that
I'm using Capsaicin, which is really helpful. Anyway, D's family came
over, I made Greek leg of lamb and spanaokopita which was fabulous, but
was so tired from putting stuff away and cooking and cleaning that it
was hard for me to enjoy. O, however, had a great one, and that's what
really matters. Of course she was up all night looking for the kitty
but I guess that was to be expected! Next year I put in for Dec 26th
off, I need the rest!

Happy 2006!

http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=D9X5CA_leAA&search=kitty%20cat

Current mood: excited

10:20PM - My First Sierra Club Meeting

So, I attended my very first Sierra Club group meeting last Monday. It was great! The last time I have been welcomed like that into a community was when I joined my old church in NY (www.stjt.org). I am hopeful that I will be able to put to use what little time and energy I have available to make a small but effective difference in our community. I'm also excited about getting together with other people who love hiking, canoeing and other outdoorsey stuff. I think it will also be great for O to go on some interesting hikes and trips.

Merry Christmas if I don't post before next year!

Current mood: good

8:16PM - Not Much Happening Here...

So, there really isn't much new going on in my life, and no news is good news. We're settling into our house, doing work little by little. O is approaching half a year done already in Second Grade, and I'm working at home. Day in and day out, dealing with the public, and not the best selection I might add (who are intelligent enough to place an order online). But, for a self-proclaimed textbook introvert, I would say that I'm doing a pretty good job of it. The company is great regarding how well I am treated.

I am planning on attending my first ever Sierra Club meeting. I also have been walking kids to school in the morning as part of the "Safe Routes to School" program. O is going to start some dance classes soon, and she'll have visited the Cincinnati Art Museum three times this month! She won a contest a few months ago as part of a silent auction; a $100 Toys R Us gift card for getting the highest bidder!! She's doing very well in school, we're very proud of her. D and I are doing well too, I love him to pieces. No wedding plans yet, but hopefully soon!!

Otherwise, I really don't have much interesting to say. Sad, but true. Life has come to a comfortable standstill for now. I'm not complaining. I'm getting a lot accomplished (we're working on getting out of our debt first, and finding The Tightwad Gazette Series quite inspiring). We had a GREAT summer, went to NY on vacation, went horseback riding, and did lots of fun stuff.

Otherwise, I'll get back to plugging away at the seemingly endless array of chores I have to do. I'll write more when something exciting happens (hopefully exciting in the good sense!)

Oh yeah, and my 10 year high school reunion is right around the corner!! Ack!

Current mood: mellow

11:15PM - Ten Months Later...

Wow, I just can't believe that I've been in KY for ten months already! Everything has been going great since we moved into our new house. We love it! Lots of busywork, but definitely worth it. I'm working at home taking calls for a call center, which is a sweet little arrangement, and O has officially graduated First Grade! The only thing is, I wish there were more opportunities to enjoy it.

O is out of school for the Summer, and I just can't bear the thought of her wasting the whole summer away with me in the house, trying to be quiet so my customers don't hear her. I wish I could afford to send her on some of those YMCA summer programs or something. It just seems that everything fun here in NKY costs money. In NY I could always find fun free stuff to fill up a summer with. She got some free passes to the roller rink, and a free admission to Six Flags, but that's about it. I plan on devoting about a half hour a day to teaching her piano basics on the keyboard. Hopefully she'll develop a taste for chapter books and video games while she's hanging around waiting for me to get off work.

And that goes for me too. I want to do something fun this summer. I wish I could go on vacation!

I can't complain though. My arrangement is sweet. A complete 180 degrees from just 11 months ago. It seems like a lifetime ago that I was working for The Fisherman, USPS, and temping, and trying to maintain the juggling act of single motherhood. It's amazing!

By the way, I want Bo to win American Idol. Anwar was my true favorite though.

Current mood: busy

6:06AM - David's Story

www.strangersinparadise.com

So, I've been reading this whole collection of Dan's, and it's been very engaging. I finally got to the newest book, David's Story. How compelling. It's my favorite because, while all the other books in this series were about romantic love and heartache, David's story was about a journey to find God in the midst of a life gone awry. It was completely unexpected for the book to be about a search to find God, and I love that! It's the same reason I loved Felix Salten's Bambi so much.

In other news, this is just too much:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0917041_edward_furlong_1.html

Just when I thought Kentucky life was stereotypical...Edward Furlong (Pecker, American History X) gets arrested around the corner from my house for releasing lobster from the supermarket, on my birthday!

Current mood: relaxed

11:05PM - ART 4 GOD

I discovered this amazing artist in an article in the local throwaway paper:

www.art4god.com

I emailed him to ask about possibly visiting his studio, which is about an hour from me, and he has been amazingly cordial and nice...I was somewhat taken aback at that. I am even more in awe of him now that I recognize that his art is truly a mirror of his wonderful personality.

The world needs more artists--and people--like him.

Current mood: artistic

10:56PM - Conflict of Interest

So, while watching Jesus (1999) on DVD Friday night (an AWESOME movie), I saw a little animal dart past me and run around the staircase. It most resembled a bird to me, and I searched for it a bit. The next day, I discovered unmistakable mouse droppings in a kitchen drawer. That evening, we saw the little buggar..an absolutely adorable, and quite bold, little grey mouse.

Naturally, though, we set two mousetraps baited with peanut butter that night, and without fail, caught the mouse the next day. Gross and mean, but had to be done.

The following two days D has found two baby mice, most likely not yet fully weaned (as they were fearless and very small) wandering the house. He trapped both and put them outside.

Now I remember noticing bumps on the mouse's belly. We killed the mother.

I know it's the nature of things, but I still feel terrible that this had to happen in my own home.

Current mood: guilty

11:58AM - GONE!

Current mood: working

4:39PM - Hobbies for O

Today O and I took a walk around the bison pen again. We sat down and drew a picture of the lake. I asked her what activities would interest her: sports, horseback riding, piano/singing lessons, etc. She said the two things she would really love to do are horseback riding lessons and art classes. I wonder what kinds of art classes are available for a first grader?
So, Godwilling, next summer I'll be able to afford some horseback riding lessons for her. Maybe we can get a cat too; she's been wanting a pet (or baby brother/sister, which isn't happening) for a while.
On Long Island there was a fabulous performing arts summer program. I hope I can find something like that for her here.

I just want her to look back on her childhood and not feel as if she missed out on anything (besides having a sibling, but that's a sacrifice I can't make).

The park was lovely today...and we saw vultures again! We missed D today, his company is once again making him work overtime and not paying him for it. JUST PLAIN WRONG. Especially since it's not his fault that they're behind; it's a combination of other people slacking and the company not rehiring employees that leave. What can ya do though? *sigh*

I'm so glad I'm done cleaning the house..but the awful smell of floor cleaner is still lingering in the air. BLAH. I gotta cook and change the aroma in this house!

Current mood: contemplative

10:14AM - WAS TRUE AND STILL TRUE

 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 

 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 

 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 

 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 

 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 

 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Current mood: hopeful

2:54PM - FEELIN' LUCKY IN KENTUCKY (Plus a little ranting)

Kentucky has definitely grown on me. I have found the slightly slower pace here in Florence simply rejuvenating and refreshing. It's really NICE to spend Sundays at home with the family and to play board games with friends until 11 pm. I've come to recognize that despite our modern influences (esp. in New York), we humans are not machines, and that recreation, relaxation, gratifying work (not being a corporate slave) and laughter are essential to life. How I wish sometimes there were no such thing as money!

Now that I am away from my beloved Long Island beaches, however, I have to find another outlet to relieve myself of the stresses of the modern world. I am so dying to go horseback riding, though I have never been; that's the first thing that comes to mind.

At any rate, here's a list of things O, D and I must do while here:

• Horseback riding/lessons for Olympia??
• Hiking (real hiking, on steep, knotty spider-filled trails)
• Canoeing
• Freshwater fishing

I'd like to eventually get O taking some singing/piano lessons too. I've noticed that she can carry a note quite well, and I feel in a few years she would enjoy it. She is very strong musically and artistically, and I would like her to be able to express herself through those outlets.

I went hiking in this park today:

http://www.state.ky.us/agencies/parks/bigbone.htm

My goodness, was it beautiful. HILLS and TREES...and a giant hole in the ground that is/was a nest for some animal (Fox? Raccoon?). While in Kentucky I have spotted at least one vulture and several hawks. Awesome! There very few experiences that give me as much joy as a challenging walk through the woods....God's artwork.

It just kills me to think that one day soon, these woods may all disappear too. When will this destruction end? I read the other day that by 2080 they suspect that Europe will no longer have winters, due to global warming. By 2050 37 PERCENT OF ALL SPECIES ON EARTH WILL BE EXTINCT due to global warming and environmental degradation. By 2050 there may be 9 BILLION PEOPLE on this planet, a 50 percent increase from the current number of 6 BILLION.

This is the way I see it: the good LORD has created a beautiful and amazing planet, whose wonders are beyond the scope of human understanding or control. On this planet we have been given the opportunity to thrive, to live, laugh, love and die in peace, allowing the earth to run its course. Yet somehow humanity has attempted to control it. While technology is an amazing and wonderful gift, the abuse of that for the fulfillment of greed and power is a travesty. The love of money is destroying this planet, whether it be the injustices in third world nations that cause hungry people to hunt for bushmeat and log forests or a corrupt marionette-like president employed by big business, it is all powered by greed. And to me, this greed is evil. This excessive destruction is disrespectful to the Creator.

It makes me sick. Sometimes I think that this destruction will tie into Armageddon, that somehow we will kill ourselves by our own greed....indeed, what ecologists are predicting as a result of this degradation is very apocalypic: storms, starvation, floods, plagues.

Anyway, it all makes sense to me. I wish I could do so much more.

Current mood: restless

2:49PM - MAUDE AND KENTUCKY FRIED CRUELTY

More proof that the love of money is the root of all evil.

www.kfccruelty.com/bea.asp

The video will make you sick.

Current mood: sick

3:23PM - JOB HUNT MISERY

I am perplexed as to why my job hunt is going so miserably. I have been fervently job hunting for a good 2 1/2 weeks and have been getting only the bare minimal response. I can't understand why. A similar job search about two months ago in New York yielded an approximate 50 percent callback rate. What gives?

I know there is something of an economic slump here in Ohio/Kentucky, maybe that's a part of it?

At any rate, I need to start getting some cash flow soon.

*sigh*

Current mood: worried

11:14AM - Kentucky License Plate

http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=391616

I finally got my Kentucky Smiley Face License Plate!

These Photoshops are hilarious!

Current mood: embarrassed

8:44PM - KINDERGARTEN BABY GRADUATION

I can't believe my ONCE KINDERGARTEN BABY-STICK-YOUR-HEAD-IN-GRAVY :-) had her moving up ceremony yesterday! It was the cutest thing, they all had their little graduation hats on and were singing the Alma Mater and a Kindergarten song to the tune of "The Addams Family." I did feel a tear during the slide show, as "What a Wonderful World" played.

Goodness, time just escaped me this year. (Unfortunately, much of my memories of the past year disappeared or were not even created due to my little stint with USPS, which usurped the life outta me.)

Everyone, I am now the proud parent of a FIRST GRADER!!! A true blue, honest to goodness school kid!!!

***Pulls out baby pics and thinks of sweet baby days***

I am SO blessed.

***Grin***

Current mood: nostalgic

8:55PM - Memories, They Were Miserable at Best....

My neighbors may have raised an eyebrow at me today. Today I threw away all my journals from six years ago. Pages and pages documenting abuse and misery. Line after line of hopelessness, all gone for eternity. As I tossed each book in one by one, I sang "Memories, of the pain I'll leave behind, finally getting out of here, never to return..." Then I hugged my precious O and said to her, "You're the only memory I'm taking with me." It was quite a moment.

I have not felt this positive in ten years, since I graduated high school. My father is doing better than ever (he looked great today when I saw him, and he's set to live on his own within about a year). My sister finally got a good job with insurance (which can cover some bills and meds), I finally found  sabathius42 , who turned out to be the man I have been searching for for ten years. I'm getting away, once and for all, from my mother's cruel ways. I feel like my life is just beginning and my potential to be the mother I want to be (happy and content) is endless. I've been pure jubilance lately! I'm ready to make memories that won't go in the trash now. Yes!

Current mood: jubilant

3:10PM - SO UNFAIR

This morning, my friend C called me with shocking news: her 29-year-old boyfriend passed away this morning. He was struggling with lymphoma for about a year, and was just released from the hospital with a clean bill of health about a week and a half ago. He suddenly developed an extremely high fever and was rushed to the hospital, where his body shut down. He quickly slipped into a coma and passed away. He didn't even say goodbye.

None of us thought he wouldn't make it. Though we knew the scenario existed, we were all optimistic, being as young as he was and considering all the advancements in medicine today. His doctors were all optimistic too.

It was particularly rough when about six months ago he was released with a clean bill of health and the cancer came back with a vengeance. We were sure that after being released a second time, he would make it.

It's just not fair. Never would I wish this fate on anyone, but my friend C, who has experienced another heartbreaking loss about 2 1/2 years ago, is the last person who this should happen to. People as kind, genuine, caring and loyal as she are not easy to come by. She is by far one of the strongest women I know of; she was only dating Bryan for a few months before he fell ill, yet stuck by him every day through it all.

My heart aches for her today. I was truly happy for her, after witnessing all the clowns and derelicts she dated, that she finally found a good man. Every part of me wished to see them live happily ever after, to see his ordeal with cancer a mere bump in the road.

Though evidently unfair, we can't ask why this had to happen.

I will pray.

Current mood: sad

7:50PM - THE GRASS REALLY IS GREENER!

I am SO GLAD I listened to my intutition telling me "you can do better" and left the chaos and dysfunctional misery of USPS and its miserable bosses. I LOVE my new job. I never thought I'd say that! I just started a job as a Regulatory Assistant/Proofreader for Consac corporation. There are so many things about this new position I love...starting with the pay. I'm making close to what I made as a letter carrier, but doing something I love. I get to proofread and edit all day some days, and other days I verify nutrition labels, make phone calls, send faxes, file, and update quark documents and run spell checks. It's a pleasant combination of mundane clerical tasks spiced up by the challenge of editing and assisting the Regulatory Manager in her highly scientific and challenging job. My boss is just totally awesome. I have never had such a wonderful boss. She is such a down to earth, moral, positive and caring person, and on the same hand a very hardworking and strictly business person. What a pleasure to work with someone who values the importance of mutual respect and cooperation. I guess we have a similar work style: do it by the book unless you have to bend the rules. Oh, and the office is really nice. Clean and spacious (though it smells like vitamins from the plant/formulator lab). If I weren't planning on moving out of the state, I'd really work my way up in that company. Working in the health food industry is so interesting! It's gonna be hard for me to walk away from this one. This is hands down the best position I've ever had, and probably will be until I graduate college.

Current mood: chipper