Freaky Friday (I think I used this title before...oh well)

February has been a really strange month for my family. Exes that I thought I left in the past have been popping up for no apparent reason, and without any instigation on my part. First Melissa's dad popped up in town on Valentine's Day. (Which was really icky in case I forgot to mention it) Let me share another "ex" misshap? incident? non-incident? I'm not really sure.

Thursday night I went to bed at 8:30. I had worked the DSJ Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights. Needless to say I was VERY tired. Before I went to bed I cut off my cell phone and told the girls to make sure everything was turned off before they went to bed. Because I went to bed so early, I started waking up REALLY friggin' early. I woke up the first time to what I thought was someone knocking on my front door. This was about 5am. I shrugged it off and tried to go back to sleep. A couple of minutes later I heard the knocking again.

This time I got up to investigate. We have a half moon window built into the front door. This allowed me to see that the screen door was open, and someone was definitely knocking on my door.At.5.am. Even in my sort of groggy state, I had my wits about me. Who in the world would be knocking on my door at that time of the morning? Now, because I invest a great deal of time watching TruTV, I am extremely paranoid about kidnappers, rapists, and murderers. I watch shows like Forensic Files, Cold Case Files, oh and Snapped on Oxygen. If you watch those shows, you are probably afraid to leave home without pepper spray, mace, or at least a really big kitchen knife.

My obession dedication to these shows has really enlightened me about all the crazy, deranged people walking around with the rest of us. Anyway, I knew I was not just going to open the door. I peeked out the blinds and couldn't see a thing. I spent a few seconds pondering what to do then came up with a brilliant plan. I called out, "Who is it?" loudly. Mad skills people, that's how I roll. No answer. I looked out the half moon window again and I could see that the screen door was shut. Whoever it was, they were gone.

I thought it was weird, but I put it to the back of my mind as the rest of the day progressed. In the afternoon I stepped away from my desk to get a soda. When I came back, I had a voicemail from Keri's stepmother. I listened to her voicemail and got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Apparently Keri's dad had gotten wind that he was being set up for a drug raid. The stepmother said that the rumor was that he had taken off and was heading towards Tennesse or North Carolina. Tennessee. Where I live with my two kids. My ex is a meth addict. Do you guys know anything about meth? Well, I do. It makes you violent, crazy, and paranoid.

I know without a doubt that it was him knocking on my door yesterday morning. I don't know anyone else who would be stupid crazy enough to knock on my door at 5am and just leave. Obviously, it wasn't a family emergency or something of that nature. I believe in God and I believe that he was protecting me. That and my obsession with court TV shows. Who knows how things would have played out if I would have opened that door. He could have tried rob us, or when I let him know that he is not welcome in my home, he could have become violent.I am so thankful that it really ended up being a "non" event. Poor Keri would have been traumatized. Or hurt. Or worse.

What is the deal? I am trying so hard to live my life peacefully and without contact with either one of my exes. Do I have a big sign on my forehead that reads, "If you are a desperate ex, feel free to contact me and get something from me anytime you want". It must also read, "If you are a drug addict feel free to take refuge in my home, you will always be welcome here. Even you are paranoid, violent, and/or crazy".

I mean really, I have NOTHING to do with these people. Keri's dad was in the picture until the drugs got a hold of him. Since then I tried to cut him out of her life. Her safety comes first. I am seriously considering installing a security system. Every time I heard a noise last night I was jumping. He has probably left the state by now. I hope. Lord I hope.

The Week In Review

Melissa's visit with her dad proved to be boring at best. After the initial shock wore off, she agreed to spend some time with him. I left it completely up to her. He stayed overnight in a hotel, and they spent a few hours together on Sunday. I had to work, so I didn't see him, nor did I want to. I think she saw him because she felt bad that he had driven all the way up here. Otherwise I think she would have said no. He blew her phone up for a couple of days after that, but everything has been quiet the last week or so.

I would REALLY like to talk about everything that has been going on at work. I hesitate to put anything detailed on this blog. If it were a private blog, no problem. I will say that the pace has definitely picked up. I finished out the week having NOT completed all my work. It is a good feeling to be busy. Yet I miss "M" everyday. She was a mother figure to me, and a genuinely good person. It was really sad for her to go, yet I don't harbor any ill feelings towards the superiors in charge of making those decisions. I realize they did what they had to do.

Today I am at home having my DirectTV installed. I am sure those boys hate me. I bet they even make some kind of notes in their computers to  NEVER  come to this house again. What was supposed to be a simple installation has turned into a big hassle. For them anyway. They couldn't get the TV in the master bedroom to work. After several HOURS of investigation and trying different things, it was determined that the only way to get the TV working in the bedroom is to install a completely new line.

Do you guys remember my horrendous mouse infestation? Well let me tell you what the little buggers did. They chewed through the cable line that runs in the wall. I actually had our cable company out here a couple of months ago when the cable stopped working in that room. The cable repairman said that we needed to rewire the entire house for cable. I knew that was a crock, so I sent him on his merry way. I got a 30 dollar service charge added to my bill for that little escapade. These boys have done a wonderful job, kudos to them for working so hard to get me some TV in my bedroom.

I babysat my little nephew Taylor this weekend. He will be a year old on St. Patrick's Day. I want to talk about him for a few minutes. He is the CUTEST baby. Every time I spend time with him I try to teach him to say "Mama". I smile at him and say, "Ma-ma, Ma-ma. He is quiet for a few seconds and then says in a loud baby voice, "Da-da-da-da". I swear I think it is pure stubbornness.  I also noticed that my sister has obviously been using "No" on him. I can tell because when he grabbed for my coffee cup and I told him no, he immediately yanked his chubby little hand back. He then proceeded to put one little index finger on the cup and looked at me to see what I would do. He was also licking? kissing? my coffee table. I hope my sister believes that dirt builds up their little immune systems.

When my sister asked me to babysit, I felt confident that I could handle an almost one year old baby. After all, I'm an old pro at this. I successfully managed to get two girls through babydom completely unharmed for the most part. Oh how the mind forgets. The mind forgets that babies so close to the floor can see every little speck of dirt on your floor, and they WILL try to eat it. The boy managed to get a popcorn kernel, a crusty, stale Cheerio, and he dumped over the cat's water bowl. And he's not even walking yet. Did I forget how fast they move? I was right there in the kitchen with him when he dumped over the water bowl. And what about my reflexes? Have they slowed so much over the years that I couldn't get to him before he decided to clean my kitchen floor with the cat's water?

I think God meant for me to have my children young. He knew I wouldn't be able to handle an infant full time in my thirties.

P.S. The Majic Jack is working out beatifully for our family. I like it and it works just fine. You can't beat it for around twenty bucks a year for the service. It does include voice mail, caller id, and call waiting. You do have to purchase the equipment, which is not unreasonable. If you are looking to cut expenses and are looking into getting rid of your home phone service, visit www.majicjack.com and check it out for yourself. Unlimited nationwide long distance is included. No, I am not a paid spokesperson, I just know a good deal when I see one and want to share it with others.

Icky Valentine's Day

I have to tell you what happened this weekend. On Valentine's Day in fact. For the most part, I reject Valentine's Day and all it stands for. Why? Well duh.....cuz I'm single of course. I suspect if I had a boyfriend I still wouldn't make a really big deal about it, maybe go out to dinner or something. If I had a boyfriend I don't think I would go so far as to say I reject all it stands for, but I am single so we'll go with that.



Last week Melissa's aunt called me(her dad's sister). She called me on Melissa's phone because she didn't have my cell phone number. Anywho, she called to ask me how I would feel about Melissa's dad coming up here to see me. She also told me that he still has "strong feelings" for me. Maybe I'm cynical, but I find it hard to believe that someone who hasn't seen me in five years has strong feelings for me. Not only has he not seen me face to face in five years, we have been apart for FIFTEEN YEARS. Not fifteen months, fifteen years. He doesn't even know me. He doesn't know ANYTHING about the person I am now. He doesn't know that I have this blog, or that I have found that I really love to write. He doesn't know that I love to write about the irritating things that happen in life and how I try to find the humor in it (I do, don't I?) There many things about me that he has NO CLUE about. Therefore, I reject his statement that he has strong feelings for me. I submit to you four or five readers, that he is:



1. Desperate because he just seperated from his wife and has never really been single in his life.



2. Any strong feelings he THINKS he has are for the girl that I was 15 years ago, and not the woman I am now.



3. Crazy. Why? How in the world can I have any romantic feelings for a man who does not help raise his child emotionally or financially. (Which I told his sister BTW) I am really sensitive to this nowadays as I am working two jobs and possibly suffering from PMS.



I got completely sidetracked with my little tirade. Sorry. Anyway, I basically told her that I wasn't interested and left it at that. Saturday, she calls me again. We talked for a few minutes and then she dropped the bombshell. He was in my town. He had been in town all day. Melissa and I had no clue. I didn't want to see him. AT ALL. Melissa was upset and so was I. How dare he force himself on us like this! We didn't ask him to come here. Heck, we didn't even want him here. He has barely had anything to do with Melissa since we moved here.



I sucked it up for Melissa's sake. She felt bad about him driving all the way here. She didn't want him to leave without getting to see her. I relented and let him come to my sister's house.



I really have a problem with him trying to force his way into our lives for his own selfish purposes. It really pisses me off. (Could be the PMS...again, I'm not sure) I don't know how many different ways I can say NO. At least he doesn't have my phone number, that would probably send me over the edge.

Corporate Down Sizing, Well Sort Of

Let's talk money, shall we? Earlier this week when I was home with Keri while she was sick, I decided to make good use of my time at home. I have been meaning to figure out ways to cut expenses. A couple of years ago, we signed up for a program through our cable company. We got digital cable, high speed internet,  and home phone service for one hundred dollars per month. After the promotional period was over, our cable bill jumped to two hundred dollars per month. Isn't that crazy?

At that time I was still in school and things were pretty hectic. I just kind of shrugged off and didn't really want to deal with it. For some reason, I have these tendancies to choose a company and stick with them. I could use my cell phone provider or my insurance company for example. Since I am now paying on my student loans, and making monthly payments to the college for a course that was not covered, I really needed to get focused on cutting expenses. I am spending near two hundred dollars per month on my education.

I called our cable company to disconnect the home phone service. I also told them I was shopping for a better cable deal and did they have anything to offer me. No. Fine. I switched over to Direct for HALF of what we are currently paying for cable. AAANNDDD we get a free DVR upgrade.AAAANNDDD we get a receiver for three bedrooms plus the living room. For HALF what we were paying with the cable company.

My dad ordered me this wonderful device called a Majic Jack. If you haven't heard of it, I suggest you Google it. With Majic Jack, you pay for the software, then pay for one full year of service. Did I mention this is a landline service? Anyway, the total cost for a year of home phone service is roughly twenty dollars. As in PER FREAKIN' YEAR!!! It has caller id, call waiting and voice mail is provided. The really cool thing is, you get an email every time you have a voice mail. My dad bought the equipment and paid for our first year of service.

I figured this will save me about 530 dollars per year. It also includes nationwide long distance. We can talk to out of state friends and relatives to our little black hearts content. Now, the only down side as I see it, is that your computer has to be on for the phone to work. If you shut down the computer the phone wont work.

So far, these changes will save us about seventy dollars per month or 840 dollars per year. It's not much, but it's a start!

Temporary Immunity

Well, it looks like I still have a job. A wonderful friend and coworker was let go. It makes me sad and relieved at the same time. Some job duties will be shifted. I will have to take on some new responsibilities, but I am still working. Thank You God. More details to follow later

I Thought Weekends Were Supposed To Be Fun

I'm sick of winter. Really, really sick of it. Not because it has been a cold winter. Not even because the schools here actually closed due to the cold temperatures. Not because the cold forces us indoors most of the time. I am sick of winter because I am sick of illness. Earlier in the season, both girls got a stomach bug. I got a cold, then Melissa got a cold. Keri got a stomach bug AGAIN. She started vomiting Saturday night. Sunday night she spiked a fever. Monday she started coughing. This morning a sore throat.

What is the deal? Keri informed me that she really hopes that I don't get laid off because she is sick. I told her if I get laid off it wont be because she is sick. I told her that means that I was going to get laid off anyway. She is in the bed and I am home from work for the second day in a row. Yesterday I got quite a bit of the laundry caught up. I don't know what I will do with myself today. I wont be eating seeing as I have yet to make it to the grocery store.

So Friday I had to come home from work and give Keri some bad news. Her Grandpa Jim who lived in Michigan had a heart attack in his sleep and died. Grandpa Jim is her dad's dad. Grandpa Jim adopted Keri's dad when he was around 11. (I think.) Grandpa Jim was actually KD's uncle by marriage. At one time he had been married to KD's aunt (his mom's sister). He was a good man. It's hard to believe he is gone. It was the first time I had to tell one of my children that someone they were close to had died. It was really sad. Because of the distance, we wont be able to attend the funeral.

We had already made plans to go shopping for clothes. Did I mention that Keri hit another growth spurt and once again outgrew all her clothes? This time I was more prepared. This time I didn't believe I shrunk all of her clothes like the last time. I told Keri we didn't have to shop if she didn't feel up to it. She decided that she still needed clothes and went on shopping.

I was very pleased with the outcome of the shopping trip. Keri got six pairs of jeans and three shirts and a light jacket. I got a shirt, a pair of jeans, and a pair of pants for work. Melissa got two shirts. I spent $144. Plus I got thirty bucks in Kohl's cash. Yay for Kohl''s cash! Obviously it takes very little to excite me. We decided to eat dinner out. Melissa had driven her car separately.

When we arrived at the restaurant, Melissa had been crying. I don't know why. Saturday I had to work all day at DSJ. I was COMPLETELY exhausted by the time I got home. As soon as I walked in the door the phone was ringing. We were supposed to go to a birthday party at six. It was now 6:30. Dang. All I wanted to do was curl up on the couch but we went to the birthday party instead. I had already given my word that we would be there.

On the way there, Keri started complaining that she didn't feel well. By the time we were headed home, she was barfing in a bag. Sunday was pretty much a repeat of Saturday, minus the birthday party. Worked. Sick kid. Exhausted. Did not make it to the grocery store. Yesterday, stayed home with sick kid, still did not make it to the grocery store. Cupboards are bare, the frig is empty. Kid is sick. Still have no idea what's going on with the lay offs. I feel my sanity slowly slipping away..........

There Is No Shame In Admitting Defeat

I have been sick for EIGHT DAYS. That’s EIGHT days of dealing with this nasty cold. Actually, it first started with a tickle in my throat on January 24th, which would technically make it 10 days. But who’s counting???? This morning was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I woke up feeling poorly (yet again) and my left eye was watering like crazy. That shortly turned into a burning sensation. Which evolved into light sensitivity in that eye.


As I was driving to work this morning, my nose started to drip…..and I had no tissue in the car. I frantically dug around with my bad eye squinted shut to block the light. I came up with a crunchy yellow napkin from the glove box. I shoved the napkin up my nose and my eye started to water yet again. I found my sunglasses and put them on over my glasses. That’s how I drove to work this morning, with a yellow, crunchy napkin shoved up my nose, my sunglasses on over my regular glasses with one red eye squinted shut. I am not bringing the sexy back. I would even go so far as to say that the sexy is not even on the same planet as me. Oh, did I mention I wore thermal underwear today? It was a whopping 15 degrees here, with a wind chill of 5 degrees…..that’s 5 degrees……in Tennessee. Yep, I am a walking billboard for sexiness.

I concede to this cold. I readily accept defeat. I wave my white flag of surrender. I knew I was done when I broke down in tears at my desk this morning. With mucus clogging my nose and my red, burning eye, the hacking cough and sore throat, I cried like the baby I am. Walk in clinic, here I come. See, surrender is not so bad. Now maybe I can get some good drugs.

The Runaway Mouth

It's not very often that I lose my temper. I mean really lose my temper. You know, where you lose it and your mouth takes over and you have no control over what comes out of it. It takes a lot for me to get to that point. I used to have a really bad temper, but age and wisdom has mellowed me somewhat.

Friday night I worked at my DSJ. (Department Store Job). Friday night I was still feeling pretty miserable, but I went to work anyway. It was a good thing I did because someone else never showed up. I can admit that my tolerance level was pretty low. I went to the cash register to assist a customer with some jeans that were on sale. Or not.

We are running a special on a certain brand of jeans. Buy one pair at regular price and get the second pair for a buck. BUT.....this excludes discontinued styles. I explained to the customer that she had chosen a discontinued style, and that was why the jeans were not ringing up for a buck. This customer felt it necessary to berate ME for this setup.

You see, the discontinued styles are all mixed in with other jeans. This is not MY idea. This is not MY plan. It's just the way it is. As she was standing there reading me the riot act, I lost it. My whole body went numb and then my mouth took over. I looked at her and said, "I don't have any control over how the jeans are set up, I just work here. I'm just doing my job".  My tone of voice was not friendly, I did not smile. I'm sure she could see the hostility on my face. She demanded to see the sign, which I gladly showed her. The poor cashier had this look on her face that said, "OMG! Someone is going to get hurt".

Here's the thing. I have NO desire to cheat someone out of a deal. What purpose does it serve? Did she REALLY think I was arguing with her because I actually don't want her to get a good deal? I know, it's not as if I cursed her out or anything. I know that the customer was not aware of the fact that I felt miserable. I know she was not aware of the fact that I had been working all day. SICK. Unfortunately, my mouth was not aware that she was not aware of my situation.

Luckily we have some really great managers who were very understanding of my plight. I have never spoken rudely to a customer, but I suspected this day would come. I know how I am. I also expected that I would get reprimanded or written up or something. It didn't happen.

Be kind to your department store workers. Remember we don't have any control over the store setup or what's on sale. I was able to clearly point out to her that those particular pair of jeans were not on sale. If you are mistaken or don't read the fine print of sale sign, man up. Take it gracefully. This woman didn't. She insisted on seeing a manager, who gave her the jeans for the sale price. I believe that's bad karma. She pitched a fit to get what she wanted. I wish I could do that.

I told one of the managers about it today. We were talking about karma and the theory that what comes around goes around. She told me a story about a man who stole a GPS system from our store. Directly after that, someone stole his wife's purse. Then he came back into the store and wanted us to call the police.He was told that we would call the police if he returned the GPS that he stole.  That's what I'm talking about. No good can come from ill gotten loot I tell ya.