In the wake of Thursday

Someone remind me that I have fibromyalgia once in a while. I over did it. All the walking around the convention, to and from the hotel and probably the 2 hour live action version of Haunting House have made me a ball of pain which pain meds can't seem to tame at the moment. This really sucks. The one event I did the most planning for is in half an hour and I have decided I can't go. I have to give my body a break and walking to the convention center and then spending two hours on my feet playing pirate isn't going to do that. There is another session tomorrow morning. I will see if I am well enough then and see if there are spots left. If not, I will put on my pirate costume anyway and just wear it around the convention for a while.

Yesterday I skipped Battle Cattle in the morning due to the really late night before. (if I weren't in pain I would link, but if you are really currious you know how to google, I am sure!) Life Sized Haunting House (large tiles and game pieces and you get to be your pawn) was fun. It would have been better with out the Second Story expansion as we didn't have time to finish. After that I learned to play Iron Dragon, a crayon rail game (I promise I will explain these games better at some point). I loved it! I want it! But 50 bucks? ouchies. May have to wait and see on that one. Besides I do have friends that have it, so maybe hubby and I can borrow it for a bit. And I finished off the day with a Fluxx World Championship Qualifier. No, I didn't qualify. In fact I got hammered! *shrug* It was fun anyway. I also learned to play a new game using Ice House pieces called Tree House. I might pick it up if it isn't too expensive.

I am going to lay back down and plan to catch the shuttle to the convention for my board game at noon. :) At least it won't involve much walking and I can sit down for a few hours. I am playing Arkham Horror, which we have at home but is best played with lots of players, which we don't have at home. It should be fun.

Wednesday Convention Report

Well, we made it to Columbus with very little time to spare before our first event was scheduled. But we did make it. It was nice to not wait in line and just go pick up our badges and tickets at the prereg booth. There was no waiting!!!

Hubby and I played in Blender Munchkin which combines all the different Munchkin sets into a huge game. It was a lot of fun and I actually won! As a prize I got Munchkin 3: Clerical Errors to add to our collection of Munchkin games.

After Munchkin, we played Ninja Burger, which I had been wanting to learn to play but could never fit into my GenCon or Origins schedules before. Darn if I didn't win again! I tend to have beginers luck on games, but I sure didn't expect to win two events right off the bat. I got a prize for this one also, Sumo Size Me, which is an expansion for Ninja Burger... guess we will be picking up Ninja Burger to add to our big old collection of games.

By the time we were done, it was almost midnight and we were both really hungry... but where to find food? All the shops in the convention center's food court were closed as were all the places on our walk back to the hotel. Finally, we got a lead on a place open till 4 am every night and... they delivered! Although they were S L O W, we did finally have food shortly before 2 am.

Thursday looks to be another busy day.... I start off with a game called Battle Cattle. You gotta love it!

Off to Origins

I should be sleeping. We leave tomorrow for Columbus, Ohio. I've stayed calm... but now I'm pumped. It will be so nice to get away for almost a week. I've preregistered for all my events. We've checked the status of our reservations. I even went and bought 3 new outfits since I didn't have any summer clothes that fit well and I want to be comfy. The pirate costume is *almost* done. I need to pick up some elastic in the morning to finish out the sleeves and maybe a big poofy feather to add to the pirate hat I am borrowing from my step son.

Oh, and hot water.... (I bet I shower twice a day!)

A Cool Site.

http://www.gutenberg.org/

Here you can find pulic domain works for download or online reading, including the afore mentioned Jane Eyre. I actually finished reading it online, as when I am in pain, holding a book for a prolonged time can be awful! I was glad to stumble on this site and may register to proof read some pages and contribute to the cause.

Jane Eyre was good. I was quite taken in by her character and found myself aching with her trials and rejoicing with her good fortunes. I think my husband was amused with my frequent verbal outbursts when the story line would take a twist. (Hi Honey, I see you peeking in here from work *waves*) It has it's moments when it gets swept up in the details of describing the setting a bit too much and I am often inclined to skim these parts in eager anticipation of returning to the plights of the characters. I never was one for too much window dressing.

Today, I should work on my costume for the pirate LARP at Origins. We leave a week from today. I should try and take advantage of the kiddo being in day camp today and tomorrow and at her Aunt's for a few days after that. Oh, laundry that needs doing, the kitchen that needs cleaning, the costume that needs making.... woe is me. *giggle*

Something different to read.

A while ago I picked up a copy of Jane Erye. Not my typical fair, but for some reason it caught my eye. I don't remember, perhaps it was a free book at a yard sale or somewhere and that is why I picked it up. Anyway, I was bemoaning not having anything to read I hadn't already read and stumbled across this book. Wow. Not what I expected at all. I was sucked in and less than a week later, nearly through it's almost 700 pages.

So... don't judge a book by it's cover, or some such stuff... LOL.

And now I will return to my book.

Sunday I took my daughter, who is 6, shopping for a new swimsuit because she was starting a week long day camp today. While we were in the dressing room she tried on a two piece swimsuit, looked in the mirror and said, "This makes me look fat." She is only 6!!! *sigh*

She finally picked a one piece and she went to camp today. When I picked her up at the bus stop (they pick up and drop off at the school), she got off the bus and said, "I'm so glad to see you. I had an awful day." Not what I was expecting to hear. Apparently they didn't have any "activities" at the day camp, just played on the playground at the park all morning and then swam all afternoon. She was upset because she can't swim and didn't pass the "swim test" and couldn't swim out to the floating dock on the lake. So we talked about swim lessons. I've wanted to talk to her about them before, but figured it would be better if it was her idea. She's going back to camp tomorrow and I hope she has a better day.

Old Scary Movies and Head Shops, or, Possibly Why I Am Warped

It's Father's Day. I love my Dad, but I have some very strange memories of him from my childhood.

My Dad took me to see some scary movies when I was young. One was The Fury in which a person's head is exploded by telekinesis. I remember watching this movie through my fingers in the theater. According to the release date and my birthdate I was SIX YEARS OLD people. And then, a year or two later he took me to see Saturn 3 to which we were about 15 minutes late, so my Dad hung around in the theater after it was over to catch the first 15 minutes of the next showing. I remember wanting to leave because the robot scared me so much and then dragging him out as soon as it got to the part where we had come in. Of course, I also got to see Heavy Metal when I was only 9.

I should maybe mention that Dad was a bit of a hippie back in the day. Not so much in the Peace/No War sense, he did his turn in the military; but more in a laid back, music lovin', long haired, bootleggin' kind of way. He even was co-owner of a head shop for a while, which is where my mother met him and rumor has it I was conceived there. Whether or not that last part is true, I sure did grow up there. Even after my father sold his part of the shop, we spent a lot of time there and at 5 or 6 I could be seen hanging out behind the counter on a beat up bar stool with duct tape covering most of the seat.

Thanks Dad, for making me the unique, crazy person I am today!

Hector (from Saturn 3) says: Happy Father's Day!!!

A Long Lonely Weekend Ahead

Well, I blew it. Wednesday I promised the kiddo we'd go to the park Thursday. Of course Thursday presented it's own problems and issues and we didn't make it so we rescheduled for today. Then I couldn't sleep again last night. So she spent the day entertaining herself with Nick Junior and feasting on fruits and jelly and butter sandwiches (she has gotten quite independent in the food realm, although I have to teach her to put the butter away when she is done) while Mommy slept in severely. She even brought me my cell phone when it rang. It was her dad, telling me her stepmom was on her way to pick her up early for the weekend due to some scheduling issues. So, no park today. And the remainder of my day has felt empty. So I've sat here on the couch surfing the net and eating malted milk balls. *sigh*

I know I am a good mom most of the time, but days like this make me feel about as big as an ant.

Next week she will be off to day camp Mon-Thurs, and then off to her Aunt's house Thurs-Sat and on Saturday afternoon she has a birthday party in the park to go to and all her Daisy Scout friends should be there. I should have taken advantage of these past couple of days for Mom and Kiddo time.

Grrrrrrr....

What makes it worse, hubby has to work tomorrow morning and then he's heading down to spend the rest of the weekend with his son. So I'm basicly going to be puttering around the house all on my own this weekend. Just me and the birds.

All I need is Net and Candy!

discover what candy you are @ quiz me

71%    Hardcore Junkie (61% - 80%) While you do get a bit of sleep every night and sometimes leave the house, you spend as much time as you can online. You usually have a browser, chat clients, server consoles, and your email on auto check open at all times. Phone? What's that? You plan your social events by contacting your friends online. Just be careful you don't get a repetitive wrist injury... The Quiz at Quiz Meme!

dream a little dream of me

Well, I'm awake. It's 1 something in the morning and I'd like to get to sleep sometime in the next half hour. Unfortunately, sleep has been elusive for me at night. Bright daylight? I snore through it. Lawnmowers, motorcycles, the landlord pounding on the guttering with a hammer... forget about it, I'm off dreaming about my first husband and my current mother-in-law. (If you think THAT wouldn't set off alarm bells with a therapist, you must have more brain fog than me!) However, give me middle of the night, quiet, dark, and even throw in a sleeping pill or two and I'm wide awake. *Sigh*

I was up till 5:30 am last night. I got up around 10-ish, because even *I* can't sleep through a 6 year old once she gets up. I actually felt decent enough to do some laundry, microwave enough water for 2 pitchers of warm water to "shower" with (oh, yeah, our gas has been off since it got warm, so no hot water... we managed to keep it on through the winter, I don't know how, but until we have 400 dollars that doesn't have to go toward rent, food, and electricity, well, I'm boiling a lot of water...), and get my financial aid papers turned in on campus. I planned to come home and vaccuum, but we got home at 4:30 and I just crashed. Lucky for me hubby was home at 5:30 and took the kiddo to the park and got her dinner, because I slept till a little after 8.



That was me, oh, about 10 years ago. I was rather proud of the editing job I did to put that background in the picture. Ahh, the good old days when life was simple!

iPod/iTunes Meme

Ok, saw this on the Crochet Dude's page and had to give it a whirl. Since our iPod is hubby's doing, I gave it a whirl with what I've got on my laptop and used iTunes to generate the answers.

The way it works:
1. Put your iPod on shuffle. (or iTunes)
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question.

How am I feeling today? Pavement Cracks, Annie Lenoxx

Will I get far in life? Breathe, Nickleback

How do my friends see me? Waiting, Sugar Ray

When will I get married? Finale A, Rent Soundtrack (thought this was funny, although I almost skipped this question)

What is my best friend's theme song? Hero, Chad Kroeger

What is the story of my life? Against the Wind, Bob Seger (tell me about it!)

What was high school like? Good Riddance, Green Day (LMAO!)

How am I going to get ahead in life? Could it Be, Staind

What is the best thing about me? Fast Cars and Freedom, Rascal Flatts

How is today going to be? So Far Away, Staind

What is in store for this weekend? Our Love, Rhett Miller

What song describes my parents? Words to Me, Sugar Ray

What song describes your grandparents? Bottom of the Barrel, Amos Lee (Actually a really good song, despite the title)

How is my life going? Which Backstreet Boy is Gay, Weird Al Yankovic (...)

What song will they play at my funeral? Barons of Suburbia, Tori Amos (figures it would be Tori)

How does the world see me? Home, Sheryl Crow

Will I have a happy life? Stormy Weather, Billie Holliday (no surprise there I guess.)

What do my friends really think of me? Hollaback Girl, Gwen Stefani (Really?)

Do people secretly lust after me? Sweet the Sting, Tori Amos

How can I make myself happy? Sorry, Madonna (?)

What should I do with my life? American Idiot, Green Day (*blank stare*)

Will I ever have children? (another one I almost skipped since I have 3) Cold, Annie Lennox

What is some good advice for me? Satellites, Sugar Ray (hmmmm, I think I need to update my music on my laptop)

What is my signature dancing song? Figured You Out, Nickleback (snicker)

What do I think my current theme song is? Baby It's Cold Outside, Ray Charles and Betty Carter

What does everyone else think my current theme song is? When It's Over, Sugar Ray

What type of men/women do you like? (Ok, no laughing) Insomnia, Stephen King (yes, the audio book!)

What kind of kisser are you? Frosti, Bjork (AM NOT!)

What's your style? If I Were a Rich Man, Fiddler On The Roof Soundtrack

What kind of lover are you? La Vive Boheme, Rent Soundtrack (Grin)

What would be playing on a first date? The Difficult Kind, Sheryl Crow

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Dont Get Me Wrong, Pretenders

Origins Gaming Convention

Despite the mess our finances are in, I guess we
are still going to Origins next month. I put
money aside for it months and months ago when I
made our hotel reservations and pre-registered
our four day badges. It is hubby and I's one
true vacation each year. It is the only
convention that we won't be working at, with the
exception of putting in a couple hours apiece in
ConCentric's booth (I'm feeling too lazy to plug
in the link to their site right now, or any links
for that matter... maybe I'll add it in when the
blog server is up so I don't have to email in my
posts).

So, being the brilliant procrastinators we are,
we didn't register for our actual events until
the LAST minute that pre-registration was open
online. But now that I know for sure I am going
to do a pirate LARP (Live Action Role Playing)
event, I've decided to work on a costume. I
picked up some dollar a yard fabric today and
scouted the internet for pictures to work from.
Perhaps when I get going on it I will dust off
the camera and post my progress.

My sleep schedule remains backwards. After
recent stresses, I have no strong desire to put
forth the effort to swing it around. Oh well. I
enjoy the quiet of being up at night. Of course
kiddo is coming back from her dad's at noon
tomorrow. I imagine I'll be a sleepy mommy.

Sorry about the yahoo junk below. I could post
through my campus account but their system auto
times out so fast I didn't want to mess with it.

Arg!

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Testing to see if email posting is working...

I really need to blog right now. And of course
the site is down.

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Aftermath

Yesterday after finding out what had happened, I called to report it. I explained to my husband that it was my responsibility as a parent to report the abuse. This resulted in a Deputy coming out to the house and talking to the adults. We had to send the kids to separate rooms because he isn't allowed to talk to them with out Child Protective Services present and they close at 4pm here. (Wonder what happens to more urgent situations? Don't they have anyone on call? *sigh* I continue to be less and less impressed with our city and county governmental officies, but I digress.) So, we were told there would be a meeting the next day (today).

I just got home from spending 3 hours sitting on a wooden bench. The meeting was half an hour late getting started and the first thing they did was take my daughter by herself in to talk to the lady from CPS and a dective. That lasted about 15 minutes and then they brought her back out and took my stepson and his mother in to talk. (Since he was the "accused" he had to have a parent present.) They were in there about an hour and a half. Meanwhile I'm still sitting on the wooden bench. Then they came and got my husband and another half an hour or so went by. Finally, things start to wrap up and the lady from CPS comes out to talk to me and let me know what is going on. They decided that the two children can not be around each other. So when my stepson comes to visit, my daughter has to go to her dad's house. They reccomended both children get counciling, although it will be mandatory for him. Once the councilors determine it would be ok, they can see each other but must be under constant supervision. And if they are both spending the night here, we have to put an alarm on his bedroom door at night.

However, my stepson's mother and I "made up". She has a short fuse and had been telling people that if she got around me she would kill me. I am not sure what it is *I* did other than report the incident. She came out when it was all done and told me she was sorry and we hugged. I hope we can stay friendly. We will see.

I am amazed that I am not in extreme pain right now. Between the seating and the stress I should be in a major flare, but I seem to be doing fairly well. Maybe it is a sign the Guaifenesin is working and it isn't letting stuff that is triggered by stress build up.

My stepson is going back home with his mom tonight, which will bum my husband out because he was looking forward to having him the rest of the week. My daughter is spending another night at her dad's, might even stay out there all week. So it is going to be quiet around here for a while. Maybe I will finish up one of my many knitting projects that have lain around gathering dust for months now.

I need to vent. Today I found out that my 12 year old stepson molested my 6 year old daughter. Everything is in an uproar. He is a good kid, but he needs to get some help. So, I am pressing charges. This is of course infuriating his mom. She is currently driving up from where she lives to get him. Child Protective Services was closed already, so they are coming out tomorrow. I don't know how I kept my ex from going off and landing himself in jail. Me, I'm just numb right now.

Out of the mouths...

Last week my daughter pulled a new one. She was on the phone with her dad and she wanted him to let her go to the festival with her 15 year old sister on the weekend. He told her only if I was going too (which is the only way I would agree to it also) and she comes back with "Daddy, don't you want your little girl to be happy?" Kids, where do they get this stuff?

Her dad nipped it in the bud right away. He told her if she tried to pull that stuff on him ever again he would tan her hide. Poor thing, bet she never tries thant angle again! Even though *I* know most of the time she has him wrapped around her little finger.

The Weekend Toss-Up

I upped my dose of guaifenesin to 400 mg X 2 per day. I was unsure if the 300 mg X 2 per day was causing the symptoms I was having or if I was just flaring still (which I seemed to have been doing almost steadily since February). Right away I noticed a difference, within hours of taking one dose of 400 mg. I noticed a sensation of heat in some of my joints, later followed by a marked increase in my achiness. So, according to protocol I believe I am officially cycling, yay!

Our schedule around here is pretty simple, until people make unexpected changes at the last minute... which seems to happen ALL THE TIME! Normally, every other weekend we have no children because the 6 year old goes to her dads and no one visits that weekend. The other weekends she stays here and my son and my stepson both come for the weekend. (Once upon a time my older daughter came too, but she decided she didn't have to obey house rules and now chooses not to come, but that is another story all together.) The problems generally occur when changes are made regarding my stepson visiting. See, he lives out of town, with his mom and... his stepmom... er, his other stepmom. (Again, another story all together!) And they like to call at the last minute, literally hours before they are supposed to rendez-vous halfway to exchange the kid and change the plans. It tears my husband apart to suddenly find out that he isn't getting his son for the weekend because of some plans that have been in place on their end for weeks that they forget to tell him about until the last minute. Before he and I were married, it was not such a big deal because well, it was just him and they would switch weekends and pretty much play it by ear all the time. Now, he gets big ideas for "family time" with the 5 of us and I know that it is hard on him when his son isn't here. On the flip side, it drives me bonkers when they want to switch weekends... that means we get zero weekend time without kids here. I try to tell myself that normal families who haven't "branched", as I like to call it, have their kids all the time so I shouldn't feel cheated out of our "us" time. The thing is, we have branched and we never had those pre-kid years to ourselves and with my disease I just need the down time.

Anyway, last weekend was family weekend and of course, at the last minute the plans changed. And so I kissed this weekend goodbye. Which was especially disappointing to me since we were planning on getting my stepson for this week anyway and I was looking forward to having the weekend to relax before spending the first week of summer vacation with not only my little kiddo but also my stepson. And then, redemption!!!! The phone call. "We are coming into town for such and such's graduation and going to the party and ..." and taking my stepson with them. He will be staying with them at his grandma's here in town this weekend, then coming over here either Sunday evening or Monday morning. I get my weekend with hubby back. We are renting season 2, having just finished with season 1, of The West Wing. I fully intend to spend the weekend curled up with him watching ALL of season 2... perhaps with a break to watch It (Stephen King) with him, since he finally read the book and hasn't seen the movie. *happy dance*