Home
About this Journal
Current Month
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
May. 14th, 2008 @ 08:22 am (no subject)
D's b reathing treatments are going well.  She is breathing much easier and her body is pushing out the gunk.  She was still getting that paniced look yesterday when we were preparing to turn on the nebulizer.  After talking to her, I figure it is the noise and having the mask on that bother her.  So i put the penguin in the closet and ran the chord and the air hose under the door.  That took care of the noise.  There isn;t much I can do about the closterphobic feeling of the mask.  But she relaxes more sitting in my lap, and that means breathing a little deeper and slower.  

I am miserable from waking up at 2 am.  I just cant go to sleep after getting up.  But I have realized why my alarm was going off both nights and I remembered to reset my alarm.

I have to go to the post office.  I had all the stuff stamped, and thought my husband was going to drop it off on Saturday, but he didn't and now the price has gone up.  Damnit!

Hopefully, the construction workers don't have my exit for work all jacked up again.  Yesterday, I had to go a mile past because they didn't have any warning signs that my exit was closed, and then I came back on the other side of the high way, and the bridge going across was closed.  So I went a mile out of the way the other way and then half a mile coming back to my exit on the correct side.I think I'll go the back way and not touch ther high way at all.  I am not checking the outside drop box in the rain.  I'll just have to wait for a dry moment. 
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 12th, 2008 @ 05:45 pm (no subject)
 Went to the doctor.  We now have a nebulizor that looks like a penguin.  I think the Doc was impressed that we hadn't needed anything like it since she went to the hospital when she was in kindergarten.  I called my supervisor and she was at the doctor with her kid too.  I tried to rush after the breathing treatment, but that never works.  Doctors operate on their own schedule.  and then D started swaying really bad as we walked out, so we sat in the waiting room for an extra 10 minutes.  

I had to concentrate on slicing (ala Theif of time by Terry Pratchett)  and I made it all the way to work in 12 minutes.  I was only 5 minutes late opening the library.  I just took D with me.  She loved hanging out at the library for the 2 hours.  then we went ans hung out at the pharmacy near the doctor's office.  He gave us a $30 off coupon for the nebulizer, plus coupons for 3 different emergency inhalors, and there were $20 more off for first time asthma meds and first time inhalors.  so we paid about half of what it would have been otherwise.  That still means no more groceries this week, but it could have been worse.

S has just noticed the nebulizer, in it's igloo looking carrier.  He is facinated.  

Now I have to give her a breathing treatment in the middle of the night (every 6 hours means at least once while she will be asleep).  Whoo hoo.  

S did not bite anyone at chool today.  However, when I asked him to turn off the computer, D tried to wrestle the mouse away from him to do it for him, and he bit her as she reached across his face.  They both cried, him more than her.  It took him 20 minutes before he could sit down to eat.  I would have wanted to bite her meddling, in-my-face arm too.  He'll just be stuck with the discovery channel for the rest of the night. 

*edit* Nope, No Discovery, There was a Stars game.  We don't watch a lot of sports at home, but I like hockey.
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 12th, 2008 @ 08:19 am (no subject)

 On Saturday, I half heartedly cleaned house.  I couldn't make myself vacume.  I just lost energy really fast.  D did pick her room up, and it only took about 20 minutes of concentrated effert.  Her snottiness seemed to clear up.  My Husband went all over everywhere, helping with class in the morning, weed eating my dad's lawn and then pulling cables for a friend.

Sunday, D woke me up at 6 am having a full blown asthma attack.  I sat with her until her breathing calmed down with the rescue inhalor.  She stayed pretty miserable all day.  She seems to have the coughing asthma, like my brother.  I always just panted and wheezed.  I gave her tylanol to help with inflammation and musinex to help get gunk out of her chest.  This morning I will call as soon as the Dr's office opens.  She hasn;t had a big attack like this since she was in Kindergarten and was diagnosed.  The Doctors treated me like an imbecile for not noticing that she had asthma, but she had never had problems breathing before that.  Anyway, I had thought I would call today anyway, because she told me she had used her inhalor at school twice last week, when she had gone outside for extended periods.  Hiding inside is no way for her to live, even though it;s exactly what I do.  

We missed going to see my grandparents.  Their house is a 40 year old wood frame in the country.  It is very dusty and a little musty.  and with all the pollen outside, I didn't think D would do very well.  

Other than that... I put in an hour of cleaning at my Mom's house and bought groceries.  It was a slow weekend.  Husband kept wanting me to by food out or go to the movies, but I kept thinking of the minimum $70 I was going to spend today on the DR and on another steroid inhalor, or any new meds that we will get.  I'm going to give myself an ulcer. 

Husband starts the CCNA classes this week.  He is hoping to soak up enough info from the first 2 (out of 4) classes and from his co workers that he can take the test and get his certification by the end of the summer.  The company he actually works for, hasn't even helpedhim keep his BICSI certification up.  They suck and he needs to work for someone new.  I feel hopeful about the future even though I'm kind of blue and worried at the moment.

About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
2 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 9th, 2008 @ 06:47 pm (no subject)
It  was a much better day.  S did not bite anyone.  Despite his class being loud an chaotic today, he controled his temper.  He got a mighty congradulations and he got to watch the Wild Thornberry's movie.  It his currently his favorite DVD.  

D is super snotty this evening.  I hope it doesn't turn into an infection.  

I guess tomarrow will be the day to clean house.  I am going to see my grandparents with my parents Sunday.  My Mom's Mother's Day present: to spend 4 hours in the car with me and the kiddoes.  She asked if we wanted to go early enough to go to church with my grandparents.  Ha!  I have nothing against church.  I just don't identiy myself as Christian.  S is, at the moment, a perfect excuse to not leave until later in the morning.  He would never sit still for service and he might bite someone in the playroom.  He probably wouldn't be that bad, but why risk it?  

I said my husband would be trying to run cable for a friend's dad.  They have a small apartment in their back yard that was built as a studio for his daughter before whe moved to  France.  He want's computer access out there.  I think he is actually stopping there on the way home tonight, but I know he would hate going.  So I refuse to make him. 


This artist, Guido Daniele, paints on hands and this picture totaly messes with my eyes.  Where are the thumbs?  I cant pick out what the hand position really is.
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
2 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 8th, 2008 @ 06:29 pm (no subject)
 Reposted from [info]safybecause it is just too weird.

Two men and a juvenile are accused of digging up a corpse, decapitating the body and using the head to smoke marijuana, according to court documents.



.

*edit- today's update to the corpse story
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
1 comment
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 8th, 2008 @ 03:56 pm (no subject)
S  bit H today.  They were outside and H got to the swing before S.  I was almost ready to leave work when his teacher called.  He was sitting in the principal's office when I got there.  So I had to talk to the principal.  Blaaghhh!  She's noce and proactive, but, well... she doesn't know my kid.  She wants a visual card to re-emphasize that if he bites he won't get to go outside, or play on the computer.  He understands.  I'm sure she got some where that autistic kids need visuals, and she's trying to help, but we have gone past those really.  I am so mortified that he has bitten this boy 5 times in 3 weeks.  Mortified. 

By the time we left, I didn't have time to go home and then back to pick up D, and I knew if I tok her early, she would be doing something fun.  So we went to walmart and I cruised the kitchen wares while he sat in the basket and looked like he was in trouble.  

When we got home, I gave him the lecture he has been getting on a pretty regular basis and a spanking, because if he needs a little pain to remember the lesson, so be it.  He has not been allowed out of his room.  
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
3 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 7th, 2008 @ 06:36 pm (no subject)

 I have a confession to make.  I really like Glenn Beck.  I think he's funny.  I think he asks good questions about the things that need to be questioned.  I don't always agree with him, but he always has a story that makes me proud of the country I live in.  I find that to be rare.

You should watch this video.  It's about a man who sends birthday cakes to soldiers in Iraq and Afganistan.  

I wish they had the video from the Real America segment yesterday up.  It was about a man who lost his legs in Iraq; one above the knee and one below.  Instead of the 12-18 monthes of therapy it usually takes to get men with these injuries up and moving, he did it in 5 monthes.  He said he looked around and saw that what happened to him wasn't that bad and put everything into working hard to get up and around.  The CEO of Little Ceasars heard about him and was so impressed/inspired that he offered the wounded soldier a franchise.  And now Little Ceasars has a franchise program for soldiers and wounded soldiers.

Also, this made me laugh.
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 7th, 2008 @ 05:23 pm (no subject)
 Well, yesterday S got to finally watch his favorite DVD, but today he bit his aide.  Luckily she had on a leather jacket.  But that means no computer, no dvd, no tv, no balloons.  And he knows.  He looked so sad in the car and when I remind him.  He acts like he knows at school too, he just hasn't been able to control the impulse.  

On a better note, D got 3 100's and a 98 and 97 on her report card, and the highest grades all the way across on her G/T project.  

I got my car fixed yesterday.  I still need the brakes serviced and new tires in the next few monthes.  Both cars got an oil change and inspection.

My oven stopped working.  The top is working and the broiler works, but the bottom element only heats to about 100 degrees.  Dammit!

I feel like all my stuff is falling apart.
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
2 comments
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 4th, 2008 @ 08:27 am (no subject)
 Well, I was kicking my ass to finish a corset style top for faire.  I decided at around 11 yesterday to just go in a t shirt.  We took the kids out to faire around noon.  It was great fun.  We found 5 people we knew from 9 years ago.  We talked to 4.  S found something he really wanted to do. There is a game type thing where they have 4 trampolines with bunggies on either side.  You wear a harness, that attaches to the bungee chords, and then you can jump really high and do somersaults.  A worker stays right there on the trampoline to keep you in the right spot.  There is a weight limit of 180 pounds.  While my husband and daughter stayed to watch the glass blowing demonstrartion, I asked S if he wanted to walk.  I told him to lead the way and he went directly to the jumping station.  I felt bad, because being autistic, I don't know that he would be able to follow the directions right there on a faire day.  There is so much going on and there are kids lined up 5 to a trampoline waiting.  If I knew the people who owned it, I would have seen if we could go out during the week.  We ran into Dave, who I met before I actually went on the road.  He's a really sweet quiet man.  He is managing the games and said the trampolines were and independently owned thing.  I should have asked dave what he thought about us coming out during the week, but that was before I realized what an impression they had made on S.  

We stayed until about 5.  I appologized to my parents for not bringing the kids by around 3.  I called when we left. and they ordered pizza.  So we ate with them and watched a couple of episodes of Jack's Big Music Show that were on their PVR.  It is one of S's favorite shows that we don't get at home.

I also called the cops when we left.  Hubby complained about the sign banning CHL holders from carrying at faire.  I was more insulted by the fact that it wasn't listed on the website under weapons policies.  So if you carried, you might walk half a mile to the gate and half to walk all the way back to the car.  But thekids were restless, so I walked with them back to the car.  While I was loading them in, a guy walked past, scanning the lot a lot, and walking towards the gates.  I just thought he had lost his car maybe, but it registered on my intuition.  He just gave me a creepy vibe, so I stayed aware of where he was.  When we drove out.  He was leaning against a car right at the begining of the back half of the parking lot, and he looked like he was checking the handle to see if it was unlocked.  Maybe he was just locked out of his car, but he set off my intuition.  I'd rather call the cops and if it was his car, he could prove it.  

Now I am sore.  I think I am more sore form sewing than walking around.  It was a fun, beautiful day.
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
May. 2nd, 2008 @ 06:42 am (no subject)
S  has tried to bite at school for both of the last 2 days, but his teachers have been on their toes and blocked him.  So, he hasn't been able to watch TV, DVDs, play on the computer, or listen to the cd I got him on ILL.  He has been getting lectured.

I am busting my ass trying to get some pretty garb together.  All our old stuff is, well, old.   D is very excited.  She wore her fairy skirt around the house after she finished her homework yesterday.  

Some tool broke our brand new outside drop day before yesterday.  He dumped all sorts of computer books until he could stuff no more, then he walked the rest into the library ans didn't say anything about completely filling the drop.  The drop is just a metal box with a cart inside.  The cart has a floating bottom.  It is attached at the top with large covered springs.  As books are dropped, the bottom sinks into the cart.  All the books slid to one corner, so it stretched faster, and pulled out of where it was attached and the corner got wedged insode the bottom at an angle.  When R opened the drop, giant computer manuals jumped out at her, all over the ground.  She had to make 3 trips, the last one with the cart.  Why he tohought we could use 15 year old manuals on C++, I have no idea.  I guess once you spend so much, it's hard to treat it like an old phonebook.  I sent a list of the books published after 2000 to my husband at work and he got an IT guy to look at it and tell me what is completely useless.

I left work early yesterday because of the dust from the books.  I think I'm gonna call in with a continued migraine so I can finish sewing with out totally killing myself with a late night.  Then I might actually make supper tonight.
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 29th, 2008 @ 12:06 pm (no subject)
Current Mood: aggravated

Yesterday, I took off because the kids were out of school.  We took my stack of stuff up to half price.  They had the 5th and 6th seasons of Danger Mouse, so I got that for my husband.  It made him happy.  S was good, so we went to Party City to get ballons.  He picked out 2 balloons, and then after they were blown up he threw a fit because he suddenly decided he wanted a green one.  I told him he had picked out the red and blue, and now it was time to go.  He tried to bite me in the parking lot, so he got slapped,so he would detach his teeth from my wrist, and then I took the balloons.  We went home and the balloons went into my room.  After a couple of hours, I let him have the balloons.  But the first time I leave the living room for more than 10 minutes, he climbed the cabinets and got out my husbands snips (those are really sharp scissors designed to cut and strip wires.) and popped his ballons and one of D's balloons.  So, he got swatted and put in time out for climbing to get scissors that he knows he isn't allowed to have.  Plus, I turned off his favorite DVD that he was watching.

Today,  I went into work early.  I was hoping books had finally been delivered, and I would have something to do.  Some of them had.  I worked for about 2 hours and then I got a call from S's teacher.  He bit H AGAIN!.  So I called my sup. and she came in so I could leave and go pick his sharly butt up from school.  Damnit'!  He went around 2 kids to bite H because H is one of the least aggressive kids in class.  H won't bite back.  So.  Right now Sharky is eating lunch.  For time out I have a lid from a rubbermaid box.  When he's done with lunch he's going to sit there for a while.  No TV today.  No videos.  No Computer.  No CD Player.  His Ass is grounded.  I hope this learns him, because I don't know what the next step will be.  I might just come up and offer to use the VP's paddle. 

I didn't get to catalogue any of them today, but I did bring home Cloverfeild and the Golden Compass. 

About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 27th, 2008 @ 10:12 pm (no subject)
 

Thursday:  There’s a new Lost?  How could I not know that?  I guess that just shows how often we choose the Discovery channel over local networks. 

Friday:  Yeah, I got an Interlibrary Loan of basic corset making!  Could I make a corset by next Saturday for Faire?  Probably not.  Will I have any reason to wear one the rest of the year? No.  I best make something simple and fix up my old garb.  Ah, and I have to come up with a costume for D because there is no way I am dressing up and she isn’t.  Daddy and S will wear normal clothes. 

After being good since Wednesday, S tried to bite his teacher today.  She was wiping his face off after they had played outside.  He doesn't like that, but biting is now completely inexcusable.  He missed watching Scooby Doo with the rest of the boys.  And he knew why.  That's the big thing with discaplining autistic kids.  It is very hard to make them understand exactly what they are getting punished for.  That connection and understanding is hard.  Next week will be better.

Saturday:  Cleaning, Cleaning.  Quilting, Quilting.  I went to Joanne’s and priced plastic boning- $2.99 a yard.  The tight weave twill suggested for a corset- $12.99 a yard.  16 yards of boning and 1 yard of fabric, plus finding, and assorted stuff = ugghhh.  Why do I like such expensive things?  Why must I have things made the right way?  It would be so much easier to be happy with crap.

Sunday: I went to clean my parent’s house and got to see them get ready to go.  They had a luncheon and then Dad went to Nashville for a conference.  Mom really wanted to go with him, but she would have been stuck in the hotel room doing homework, but she wouldn’t have had to go to work.  I think she should have scheduled to go and stayed at home to do homework. 

Then I came home and helped D clean her room.  She has finally let me convince her that she has outgrown the kitchen set.  She has, she never plays with it.  She kept out 1 set of dishes, and the fresh vegetables.  The lettuce leaves are what her stuffed crabbit likes to eat.  We sorted everything into plastic boxes (the toys kept), card board boxes (toys to donate), and trash (2 full bags).  We were both sneezy and red eyed, but we got to vacuuming.  I have been trying to convince her that a clean room = less trouble breathing.  She just needed someone to help her figure out what to do.  I didn’t realize she didn’t know how to clean her room.  It seems so simple: sort and put it up. 

Tomorrow I took the day off because the kids are out of school.  Maybe we will tackle her closet.  The government economic check should go in our account tomorrow, so I will be able to get my car fixed this week.  New axles, brakes serviced, inspection, oil.  I’m very excited. 

About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 23rd, 2008 @ 04:33 pm (no subject)
I  got a call at work today from S's teacher.  He bit another little boy, I'll call him H.  The was the 3rd time in 10 days that S has bitten H.  they made him a book with pictures about what to say instead of biting or pinching.  they put him in time out.  He had his computer time taken away.  They put S on the phone with me and I told him not to do that , so he knew that I knew.  And, today he was marched down to the vice principal's office.  I'm not sure if he went once or twice.  His aide said that when she took him down, the VP showed him the Paddle, and he obviously knew what that was for.  He tried to get her to wrap her arms around him fpr protection.  She took him back down and he had to sit in the kitchen and do work while all the other boys watched a little Scooby Doo.  Hopefully, that'll teach him.

I was in an old school punk mood today, but discovered none of my old stuff is on the computer.  I started going through my cd case and copying stuff.  There was this old cd that Husband put in my stuff while we were on the road.  Everytime I asked what it was he'd mumble something and say he got it from Steve.  We traveled with him to our first Renn Faire in 1998.  So I popped it in, out of curiosity.  It was Confessions of a Knife by My Life with the Thrill Kill Cult.  Wow, that takes me back to the days when I used to go dancing.  And I've owned it for a decade!?!?  My mind boggles.
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 23rd, 2008 @ 09:19 am (no subject)
I rea lly want to win the lottery so I can have the money and time to focus on changing what we eat.  I don't think I couls switch us over to a Gluten free/cassien free diet unless I had a lot more time/energy or a lot more money or a moderate amount of each.  Treating S for the intestinal yeast overgrowth was a great start, but I want to do more.  I put in to a web site for a list of doctors in the area that do the full body treatment for autism.  I think it would also be good to get D tested for some of this stuff to see if there were more underlying things that we could treat to decrease her asthma problems.  

the more I read, the more I think this aproach could also help one of you out there who has been ill for a long time.  The book I've been reading talks a lot about underlying things that cause the immune system to malfunction, and some things that can help fix the imbalances that can result in repeated infections. 

In other news, i can't seem to be aboe to bring down my grocery spending even though we are now spending about $30 more on gas a week.  Of course, I'm sure my situation isn't unique.  My air conditioner just cut on.  It is only 9 am and I have it set for 79.  Jeez.  Maybe I need a new tempreture gauge.  It doesn't feel that warm. 

I am really looking forward to seeing Ben Stein's new documentary, Expelled.  It is about collage professors and students who are fired or failed for not accepting that global warming is completely man made.  there is a trend to punish anyone in acedamia who questions the theory, even though it is a theory and there are other theories. 
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 22nd, 2008 @ 08:42 am (no subject)
 D was one of only 2 kids who bought in their G/T projects yeasterday, so she did her presentation.  She said it went great.  Everyone was very interested.  She said she had 10 questions afterward, and the other girl only had 3.  The other girl did her project on the new $5 bill and the anti-counterfidding stuff on it.  D said it was boring.  Now, the model spider, the poster, her outline and the noise maker are set up in the school library.  Awesome

I' m going to faire on the 3rd.  We tried to arange it for this weekend and our 9 year anniversary, but things didn't work out.  We will take the kids, and then around 2 or 3 we will take them to my mom's and go spend some kid free time out at faire.  We haven't been out in 2 or 3 years, so we aren't sure who all is still on the road or coming to Texas.  

Next week, Husband has class on Saturday and, he pointed out, there is a gun show Sunday.  He looked around to see if D was cose by before he said it.  Ha!  He loves taking her, but at the same time, I know he would like to go and browse with out having to be aware of her the whole time.  It's hard for him to browse while in Daddy-protective mode.  

I read about half of Kennth Brock's Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHA, Asthma, and Allergies.  It talks about these disorders being caused by heightened toxicity and stressed, unbalanced immune systems.  The part where he talks about just how much mercury was in the immunizations from 1991 to 2001 made me cry.  Really.  It breaks my heart that the CDC and manufacturers said that the amount in each inoculation was so small, but to ignore the fact that we went from 11 in the first 4 years to 22, and that combined amount was huge.  I wish I lived closer to this doctor.  He talks about looking at each child individually and testing for undiagnosied infection, metals, all sorts of things that I hadn't really though of.  He treats first with diet and supplements to fill in gaps in nutrition.  Then adding more supplements to help meurologic function. These things in and of themselves can help the body begin to clean out toxic substances, but then you can do other things to help the body detoxify more.  We already started with treating him for the yeast overgrowth.  It amazes me that the same things keep popping up in all the books I read, but you just don't hear about this stuff in the main stream.

Watching TV.  Why does Six Flags have a commercial with an asian guy who has to yell and can't speak in complete sentences?  I have never seen an asian toutist act loud and brass like that.  They are quiet and very polite.  The ones I have talked to became embarassed when they didn't feel like they were communicating well. 
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 21st, 2008 @ 08:20 am (no subject)
 It was a good weekend.  Friday I made the best pork ribs.  I used Alton Browns recipe.  They were awesome. I will use this rub on everything now.  Then I went to see Mama Kitty.  We stood against my car and drank Loki's Revenge.  

Saturday, D and I worked on her project for her G/T class.  She could do anything she wanted.  She wanted to do a project on a bug, so we threw around ideas until she decided to do it on tarantulas.  I helped her with a presentation outline.  Then we went to the craft store to get stuff to make a model of a goliath birdeater.  That is the largest spider in the world, and yes, they do eat birds.  She made a poster with pictures and we slapped some velcro on chopsticks so she could demonstrate the noise a goliath bird eater could make.  They have hooked and looped hairs on their forelegs that they rub together as a warning when they are threatened.  I then made a pork loin with the same recipe that I used Friday.  Husband doesn't like the work envolved with pulling meat from bone.  Yummm... At Albertson's the pork ribs and loins were marked down to $1.99 a pound.  I have one more in the freezer and may go get another before the sales end. 

I also made another batch of chocolate mousse for my husband's grandmother's birthday Sunday.  Sunday, I went to clean my parent's house.  Mom became immediately distracted from her homework and spent most of her time talking to me while I cleaned her kitchen.  When we went to Grandma;s house, I gave everyone double allergy meds.  I don't think it helped completely.  My nose didn't run, but I lost my ability for intellegent conversation after about 45 minutes.  

Aunt Anita went around offering the ice cream she brought (mint chocolate chip or cinnomen), but wouldn't offer the mousse.  When I mentioned it she said, "Oh yeah, there's chocolate."  bitch.  Aunt Carol loved it.  She guessed there was Rum, even though there was only a Tablespoon.  I forgot to give her some before we left.  I really didn't realize she wanted some and, like I said, I had lost the ability to think clearly by that point.  I just knew S was tired and primed for a melt down.  He had fun hand flapping with his cousin Nicholas.  D had fun with another cousin, Joey.  he is in first grade but seems neurologically normal.  They talked about tarantulas and sharks.  

Husband said he came close to getting into it with one of his cousin.  She is bitter that she has to wash dishes and do housework.  Evidently she projected this on me with a comment about me doing all the dish washingwhen husband was telling her about my part time job.  Well yeah, I'm a little bit of an OCD freak and he wouldn't do it the right way.  I'm shocked, I always thought she made her husband so that sort of stuff.  It put him off.  He asked why we had to go see his family.  I talked him around into the fact that it is that one cousin and her mom that make his family's get togethers suck.  Okay, and the cousin in Michigan.  Three members of the family make him hate going over there.  His other aunt and uncle are cool and the other 2 cousins are cool, and of course he loves his grandmother. 

Last night I let my husband talk me into making another pork loin.  I rubbed it down last night and threw it in the oven this morning.  I am such a sucker.  but it tastes really good and maybe it will last a few days for lunch. 
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 16th, 2008 @ 08:45 am (no subject)
I don;t  usually watch the news on channel 8, but I watched Boston Legal last night and just left it on.  Coming back from commercial, they showed the news graphic and in a low voice, the female anchor asked, "It's 10:15.  Do you know where your children are?"

WTF?!?  It wasn't related to any of the stories.  Well, there were two "Ahh, the Children!" stories before the break, but the voiceover wasn't really connected to either of those.  I changed the channel, and I won't watch their news again. 
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 15th, 2008 @ 09:33 pm (no subject)
Allergies are kicking our collective asses.  I think I took my decongestant too soon this afternoon.  My thinking slowed and my heart rate increased, and I didn't feel any better.  S tried to go to sleep for over an hour before he got the picture that I wasn't going to lose interest in keeping him awake.  I can be really annoying when I want to be.  I know he wasn't feeling good.  I made speghetti and he didn't want any.  I only make speghetti when I cant be bothered to make anything else.  D can at least say she doesn't feel good.  I'm not sure he sences the line between feeling good, or at least normal, and feeling bad.

I say a neat show on PBS.  It was called The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow.  A BBC crew followed around Temple Grandin.  They talked with her at home, on Halloween, followed her to a speaking engagement, a beef convention, and a place that actually had cattle.  I really love to hear autistic people discribe their experiences.  It makes me feel like I understand my son more, and it helps me relate to him.  My husband watched with me.  He said it didn't make him feel any better about himself.  The doctors described a tendency to have a higher attention to detail, and a few other things that fit him.  

Temple Grandin, as a teenager, visited her aunt's cattle ranch and there saw a piece of equipment refered to as a squeezer.  While cattle are vaccinated, padded sides fold down around the cow, so there is consistant pressure on their sides and front.  Many cows go limp, they completely relax.  As an anxiety ridden girl, she wondered about that complete relaxation, so she built her own in her room.  She described the need to be held and conforted, but she was unable to because she would get overly stimulated.  My husband confessed that he would seek confort, but couldn't be held for long as a child because hugs always came with cooing or humming, or talking, that drove him nuts. 
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 14th, 2008 @ 08:32 am (no subject)
I r ead the Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.  It was beautiful and meloncholy.  Clare meets her husband for the first time in 1977 when she is 6 and he is 36.  He meets her for the first time un 1991 when he is 28 and she is 20.  Henry has a bad habit of disappearing and leaving his clothes in a pile and appearing in another time and place with no clothes.  It is a complex story and the time jumps, but always makes sense.  The author starts each scene with the date and the Clare and Henry's ages.  Henry has a genetic disease.  An older Henry tells himself this, and which doctor he should go see.  There is both sadness and joy as the couple and the people close to them deal with circumstances beyond their control. 

In my favorite scene, Henry is distraut after Clare's 5th or 6th miscarage.  He arrives at the home of Kimmy, an older asian woman who rents an apartment to his father.  Kimmy helped raise Henry after his mother died, and he and his father moved into her building.  She brings him clothes that she has put up for him, and asks if he has a baby where he comes from yet.  He lets her comfort him and leaves after only a few minutes.  ...
( Spoiler )
The weekend was quiet.  I started hand quilting a small blanket I peiced a while back.  Hand quilting is slower, but I am having more success than machine quilting.  I haven't had to rip a stitch yet.  Hopefully I won't have any problems edging. 
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link
Apr. 10th, 2008 @ 10:45 pm (no subject)
 I woke up at 4am just before the rain started.  The wind started hitting the bathroom and it was loud enough to wake me up.  I spent half an hour flipping between the local stations.  It didn't bother any one else.  No one here woke up.  My parents didn't wake up either.  A house was knocked down on the other side of town. 

I went over to Mom's this morning to clean her kitchen.  Someone is picking her up tomarrow to go to a geneology convention and she doesn't want her to see her house dirty, even though she will only be there for 15-20 minutes.  I understand.  I freak when I think someone may see the typical messy way I keep house.

Husband gave a friend at work a bottle of my Loki's Revenge.  The work friend and a buddy went out off roading and drank while sitting around  the camp fire.  The story I was just told was that the buddy said, "this is great stuff. It goes down real smooth.  Is  it really that strong?" Then he stood up to go find a tree and immediately fell on his face.  Ha! 

I read Alice Hoffman's TheThird Angel.  I love her work.  The Probable Future is one of my favorite books.  TheThird Angel didn't disappoint.  It reads like four seperate stories, but as you reach the end of the book, you see where these characters that you have been following have intersected at several points in their lives.  It shows how we are connected in that 6 degrees sense, subtley.  There's no just coming out and saying it, the story simply leads you to that point.  And it made me wonder how much the characters knew themselves how closely they were connected.  Highly recommended.
About this Entry
Vyvyan says "Piss off!", logo, Nag Mac Feegle, Me, fire, Hex
Leave a comment
Permanent Link