7 years ago
Friday, December 31, 2004
Happy Birthday to me!
Yesterday was my birthday. One of those so-called important ones with a 0 at the end. BT came and surprised me since I didn't expect to see him until today. He even went out and bought my favorite food for dinner unfortunately when he got it here the bag broke and dinner became part of the kitchen floor arrrrggggggg. That was an incredible mess that needed to be cleaned up while the cats and dog were fighting to get close enough to gobble it up. Potsie showed up with Katie and birthday gifts. Potsie and fiance gave me a lovely pair of leather gloves and Katie a paperback by my favorite author. Things were going well when BT and I spotted water dripping through the ceiling - ggggggrrrrrreeeeeeeaaaaaaatttttt. Now with bucket in position I'm thinking we'll find the leak tomorrow. Thank the gods this is a rental lol. It was a pretty good birthday (I've had worse lol).
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
I'm Back
I think I've recovered enough to talk about the hell that was my Christmas. The trip to my parents was nightmarishly long with the dog whining and teenager complaining about dog. When we finally arrived and got in the house, my younger brother was already there with his HUGE gallumphing mastiff Rosie. Rosie took my little Toto for a squeeky toy and pinned her to the ground with a gigantic paw and started chewing on her. Needless to say, I was not impressed so my little dog got back in the car to drive with BT to go and visit his family (she made dog #4 at their house without a single problem I might add). It was a strange Christmas eve because we were all at my parents at the same time (except for Jamie). My mother had driven to Oshawa earlier Friday to pick up my grandmother (her mother), this is an hour and a half there and then the same back. It was a full house with everyone happy and friendly - can you hear the dramatic music building? I wish I had.
Christmas morning was good with everyone opening their gifts and liking them. My grandmother was disappointed that her present from me was so small and my parents gift was so large in comparison. I had given her 18kt gold earrings with a small emerald in each and my parents gift was a small fridge cooler for storing wine. At least Grandma got gifts she could actually USE this year. Grandma went overboard with the presents again less this year than last but still too many. She came with 5 Santa bags full of presents - she shops all year in discount stores and ends up with lots and lots of presents. It gets to be so much stuff that you don't know what you get. Anyhow. We had breakfast and tidied up all the wrapping etc. Now the sniping begins. Not much just little comments here and there but everyone goes to a different part of the house and things calm down. Dinner goes extremely well with everyone happy, the crackers all had good things in them, we all wore our silly paper crowns and we stuffed ourselves with more turkey than seemed humanly possible.
After dinner, it was nap time all round and then a quiet early evening.
Boxing Day and a little trip down the road of family hell. Everything started out fine, sitting around the living room having tea, coffee whatever chatting about things. Then somehow the conversation turns to money and my grandmother brings up an incident that happened 37 years ago where she thinks my parents cheated her out of $2000. I should explain that my grandmother gave my parents $2000 to help with the deposit on their house and they let her live with them for 13 YEARS. Fair trade I would say. Anyways, as it started heating up I got the hell out and went to pack my bag and hope like hell BT got there soon. Then I realized that I had left my youngest brother up there trapped between the two of them and I went to rescue him but by that point they had retreated to neutral rooms still yelling and then came the slamming of the doors. *sigh* Merry Christmas. My mother and I had already planned to hit the (ew) Walmart - mostly because my youngest brother works there and gets a discount - so off we went to Walmart leaving my dad, younger brother and grandmother at the house. By the time we got back (loaded with loot btw lol) my younger brother was gone having taken my grandmother home. My dad was LIVID seems that while we were gone my grandmother had accused him of all kinds of things including hitting her. My brother would have KILLED my dad if he raised a hand to my grandma. She also told him that we are all out of the will because "we took my mothers side". *sigh* By the time I left my mother was planning on writing my grandma a cheque for $2000 and telling her that she never wanted to hear from her again. Great. Now all the rest of us will be stuck in the middle and won't be able to win no matter what we do. I was NEVER so happy to see BT pull up and to get home was wonderful.
On the bright side, I got what I wanted for Christmas. My youngest brother got me a toaster oven and my parents got me the pillows that I wanted - better than I wanted actually, they gave me double down pillows - soooooooooo soft. I got a new purse for my birthday too. Katie gave me a lovely book on Egyptology. Oooo and my younger brother brought me a bottle of REAL vanilla from Mexico, it smells wonderful.
Christmas morning was good with everyone opening their gifts and liking them. My grandmother was disappointed that her present from me was so small and my parents gift was so large in comparison. I had given her 18kt gold earrings with a small emerald in each and my parents gift was a small fridge cooler for storing wine. At least Grandma got gifts she could actually USE this year. Grandma went overboard with the presents again less this year than last but still too many. She came with 5 Santa bags full of presents - she shops all year in discount stores and ends up with lots and lots of presents. It gets to be so much stuff that you don't know what you get. Anyhow. We had breakfast and tidied up all the wrapping etc. Now the sniping begins. Not much just little comments here and there but everyone goes to a different part of the house and things calm down. Dinner goes extremely well with everyone happy, the crackers all had good things in them, we all wore our silly paper crowns and we stuffed ourselves with more turkey than seemed humanly possible.
After dinner, it was nap time all round and then a quiet early evening.
Boxing Day and a little trip down the road of family hell. Everything started out fine, sitting around the living room having tea, coffee whatever chatting about things. Then somehow the conversation turns to money and my grandmother brings up an incident that happened 37 years ago where she thinks my parents cheated her out of $2000. I should explain that my grandmother gave my parents $2000 to help with the deposit on their house and they let her live with them for 13 YEARS. Fair trade I would say. Anyways, as it started heating up I got the hell out and went to pack my bag and hope like hell BT got there soon. Then I realized that I had left my youngest brother up there trapped between the two of them and I went to rescue him but by that point they had retreated to neutral rooms still yelling and then came the slamming of the doors. *sigh* Merry Christmas. My mother and I had already planned to hit the (ew) Walmart - mostly because my youngest brother works there and gets a discount - so off we went to Walmart leaving my dad, younger brother and grandmother at the house. By the time we got back (loaded with loot btw lol) my younger brother was gone having taken my grandmother home. My dad was LIVID seems that while we were gone my grandmother had accused him of all kinds of things including hitting her. My brother would have KILLED my dad if he raised a hand to my grandma. She also told him that we are all out of the will because "we took my mothers side". *sigh* By the time I left my mother was planning on writing my grandma a cheque for $2000 and telling her that she never wanted to hear from her again. Great. Now all the rest of us will be stuck in the middle and won't be able to win no matter what we do. I was NEVER so happy to see BT pull up and to get home was wonderful.
On the bright side, I got what I wanted for Christmas. My youngest brother got me a toaster oven and my parents got me the pillows that I wanted - better than I wanted actually, they gave me double down pillows - soooooooooo soft. I got a new purse for my birthday too. Katie gave me a lovely book on Egyptology. Oooo and my younger brother brought me a bottle of REAL vanilla from Mexico, it smells wonderful.
Friday, December 24, 2004
Merry Christmas
I've got just about everything wrapped up now. I just have one gift left to wrap and that's for Joy's granddaughter. I figured it wouldn't be much of a Christmas for her this year with her grandma gone so I picked up a gift for her. Other than that, I'm done. I was making some cd's for the ex - Katie's gift for him - and now that they are finished I've got to pack a bit for the trip to my mother's. I still haven't figured out what to do with my parents gift - I bought them a little wine fridge, it holds 17 bottles of wine and looks like a bar fridge. I thought since they make their own wine this might be a good gift - here's hoping. I hope today's weather is better than yesterday's, it was uuggggggly out there. It snowed all night the night before and then yesterday was a nasty combination of snow, rain and sleet. The field in front of my house looks pretty but all the cars (and everything else) is covered with a layer of ice. I went out to move my car so BT could park in my spot and it took 20 minutes to clear a tiny bit of window and then I got stuck in a plowdrift and that took 45 minutes to get out of. Ah the joys of little cars.
Anyways, I'm off to Potsie's to pick up Katie and then we are off on the 3 hour drive to Grandma's house LOL - everyone have a Merry Christmas and if you are driving, play it safe there are going to be tons of idiots on the roads this weekend.
Anyways, I'm off to Potsie's to pick up Katie and then we are off on the 3 hour drive to Grandma's house LOL - everyone have a Merry Christmas and if you are driving, play it safe there are going to be tons of idiots on the roads this weekend.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
These are the blogs in my neighbourhood la la la
Mr Rogers is probably spinning like a top in his grave with me stealing his song LOL. Anyhow, I was reading Dani's post over at This Could Only Happen to Me and she was talking about all the blogs she reads. She challenged everyone to do the same thing on their blog so here goes:
I read Alisa at And Then Everything went Horribly Wrong. She describes her life with great humour and I enjoy reading her. She is positively cutting about Suzanne Sommers LOL.
All Anne, All the Time is an interesting read sometimes she lollyblogs but she tells some very funny stories. She's Canadian too.
Blogeois at Blogeois Journal is an exceptional writer who draws me into her world again and again. She posts nearly every day and I feel like I know her. I know I respect her.
Cathy at Domestic Psychology is warm, funny and busy but she finds time to post every day. I would hang out with her any day. Cathy's husband Doug has his own blog at Reality Me! and he also is incredibly busy but posts daily. They have a THIRD blog Our Aspergers Teenage Boy where the two of them post regularly about the trials of raising their son who has Aspergers Syndrome. I read about Tommy and I have so much respect for the two of them and the really outstanding job they are doing.
Helen at the Everyday Stranger is an amazing writer. She posts nearly every day and I always read her posts with a sense of wonder - she really should seriously write novels.
Zoe at My Boyfriend is a Twat makes me laugh. She lives in Belgium and posts every day. Her sense of humour is something else and she is a genuinely nice person - someone you would want to go out to dinner with because you just know you'd be laughing all night. Zoe was the first blog I had ever seen and inspired me to start my own.
JonnyB at I don't believe it live in England and writes very funny posts about his life and the trouble he gets into. He only posts on weekdays but I enjoy reading his stuff.
Tony at I need Stronger Medication is a sweetheart who just makes me want to mother him. Sometimes he makes me laugh and sometimes he makes me cry but I go there every day to see if he's posted. He doesn't post every day - personally I think he only does that to keep us on our toes. LOL
CarolC from Inmylife is a retired lady in Texas. She was the first person to find my blog when I started blogging. Sometimes her blog makes me laugh and sometimes to seriously think about something. She doesn't post every day but I check every day.
Joe at Joe.My.God. is a blog I only found less than a week ago through another blog. I spent a whole day reading his archives and wow! he can really write a gripping story. It's not often I find someone who's writing can make me cry as readily as some of his stories. I haven't been reading him long enough to know if he posts every day so we'll have to see.
MrBob at Just a Middle Aged Guy is an ex-cop from somewhere in the middle of the USA. He posts every day and although I might not always agree with him, he always makes me think. MrBob isn't afraid to write about anything- no matter now contraversial it may be. He also tells some awfully funny stories about his time as a police officer.
Kristy at Kristyk is the mother of 7 in New Mexico and I marvel every day at how she manages her life. She takes the most wonderful pictures of the world around her and her family. Kristy posts every day with stories of her life and family.
Mary Lou at Life after NEXCOM is a retired lady that lives in Washington state. I would SO hang out with Mary Lou any day of the week - she's funny, warm and writes fantastic stories about the world around her. Sometimes it might be birds in her yard and other times it'll be about something her cats did but all her posts are interesting and seem to speak directly to you. Mary Lou posts every day.
Phyllis at Life on Whidbey is Mary Lou's sister and lives a stone's throw away from her. I've only just started reading her blog (today as a matter of fact LOL) but as I read through the archives I've gained alot respect for Phyllis and her sometimes irreverent sense of humour. (what can I say - she loves fart jokes LOL)
Nero at Never argue with an idiot is another Canadian that lives in BC. She doesn't post every day but I always check. She has an internet radio show that I listen to every week even though it means I have to stay up very very late - the best part is that it's interactive and she gets to talk to her listeners so its like a giant chat session. It's at www.justrant.com on Thursday nights. She makes me giggle and occasionally snort LOL.
Special K at Shaking a fist in Impotent rage is Canadian too. She posts nearly every day. Her posts are so funny that you won't believe it. She's taught me all about the evils of Mr Lucious Couch and joys of Happy Underpant Time.
Snicks lives in Baltimore and is another sweetie who makes me want to mother him. I wish he would post every day but I suppose he's allowed to have a life outside of the blogging world LOL.
Pisser at the Pissed Kitty Cometh lives in LA and posts on weekdays. She is a complete howl and she doesn't pull any punches in her likes and dislikes. She's so pretty that you just want to hate her but you just can't. Kinda frenetic but totally funny - I can't wait to read her posts.
Last but certainly not least is Dani at This Could Only Happen to Me. She lives in Colorado. She posts every day and I'm always interested in what is going on her life. If she lived down the street, we would definately be hangin out LOL.
I read Alisa at And Then Everything went Horribly Wrong. She describes her life with great humour and I enjoy reading her. She is positively cutting about Suzanne Sommers LOL.
All Anne, All the Time is an interesting read sometimes she lollyblogs but she tells some very funny stories. She's Canadian too.
Blogeois at Blogeois Journal is an exceptional writer who draws me into her world again and again. She posts nearly every day and I feel like I know her. I know I respect her.
Cathy at Domestic Psychology is warm, funny and busy but she finds time to post every day. I would hang out with her any day. Cathy's husband Doug has his own blog at Reality Me! and he also is incredibly busy but posts daily. They have a THIRD blog Our Aspergers Teenage Boy where the two of them post regularly about the trials of raising their son who has Aspergers Syndrome. I read about Tommy and I have so much respect for the two of them and the really outstanding job they are doing.
Helen at the Everyday Stranger is an amazing writer. She posts nearly every day and I always read her posts with a sense of wonder - she really should seriously write novels.
Zoe at My Boyfriend is a Twat makes me laugh. She lives in Belgium and posts every day. Her sense of humour is something else and she is a genuinely nice person - someone you would want to go out to dinner with because you just know you'd be laughing all night. Zoe was the first blog I had ever seen and inspired me to start my own.
JonnyB at I don't believe it live in England and writes very funny posts about his life and the trouble he gets into. He only posts on weekdays but I enjoy reading his stuff.
Tony at I need Stronger Medication is a sweetheart who just makes me want to mother him. Sometimes he makes me laugh and sometimes he makes me cry but I go there every day to see if he's posted. He doesn't post every day - personally I think he only does that to keep us on our toes. LOL
CarolC from Inmylife is a retired lady in Texas. She was the first person to find my blog when I started blogging. Sometimes her blog makes me laugh and sometimes to seriously think about something. She doesn't post every day but I check every day.
Joe at Joe.My.God. is a blog I only found less than a week ago through another blog. I spent a whole day reading his archives and wow! he can really write a gripping story. It's not often I find someone who's writing can make me cry as readily as some of his stories. I haven't been reading him long enough to know if he posts every day so we'll have to see.
MrBob at Just a Middle Aged Guy is an ex-cop from somewhere in the middle of the USA. He posts every day and although I might not always agree with him, he always makes me think. MrBob isn't afraid to write about anything- no matter now contraversial it may be. He also tells some awfully funny stories about his time as a police officer.
Kristy at Kristyk is the mother of 7 in New Mexico and I marvel every day at how she manages her life. She takes the most wonderful pictures of the world around her and her family. Kristy posts every day with stories of her life and family.
Mary Lou at Life after NEXCOM is a retired lady that lives in Washington state. I would SO hang out with Mary Lou any day of the week - she's funny, warm and writes fantastic stories about the world around her. Sometimes it might be birds in her yard and other times it'll be about something her cats did but all her posts are interesting and seem to speak directly to you. Mary Lou posts every day.
Phyllis at Life on Whidbey is Mary Lou's sister and lives a stone's throw away from her. I've only just started reading her blog (today as a matter of fact LOL) but as I read through the archives I've gained alot respect for Phyllis and her sometimes irreverent sense of humour. (what can I say - she loves fart jokes LOL)
Nero at Never argue with an idiot is another Canadian that lives in BC. She doesn't post every day but I always check. She has an internet radio show that I listen to every week even though it means I have to stay up very very late - the best part is that it's interactive and she gets to talk to her listeners so its like a giant chat session. It's at www.justrant.com on Thursday nights. She makes me giggle and occasionally snort LOL.
Special K at Shaking a fist in Impotent rage is Canadian too. She posts nearly every day. Her posts are so funny that you won't believe it. She's taught me all about the evils of Mr Lucious Couch and joys of Happy Underpant Time.
Snicks lives in Baltimore and is another sweetie who makes me want to mother him. I wish he would post every day but I suppose he's allowed to have a life outside of the blogging world LOL.
Pisser at the Pissed Kitty Cometh lives in LA and posts on weekdays. She is a complete howl and she doesn't pull any punches in her likes and dislikes. She's so pretty that you just want to hate her but you just can't. Kinda frenetic but totally funny - I can't wait to read her posts.
Last but certainly not least is Dani at This Could Only Happen to Me. She lives in Colorado. She posts every day and I'm always interested in what is going on her life. If she lived down the street, we would definately be hangin out LOL.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Three things
Ok Mary Lou - I'm doing as I was told lol.
Three names you go by:
Leslie
Lee
Mom
Three screen names you have:
Lostdawill
Three things you like about yourself:
I am loyal.
I love to laugh.
I am a wicked ballroom dancer
Three things you hate/dislike about yourself:
I am soooo out of shape (read that as fat)
I am not comfortable around people I don't know
I don't clean the house as often as I should
Three parts of your heritage:
Scottish
Three things that scare you:
Losing a child or anyone that I love
Dying alone
crowds
Three of your everyday essentials:
Diet Coke
Cigarettes
Meds
Three things you are wearing right now:
Jammies
Hair scrunchie
Three of your favorite bands/artists at the moment:
Forbidden Broadway
Bowling for Soup
Toni Braxton
Three of your favorite songs at present:
Tyrone
1985
He wasn't man enough for me
Three new things you want to try in the next 12 months:
Moving from this horrible city
Getting my life back together
Excersing
Three things you want in a relationship (love is a given):
Laughter
Conversation
Attentativeness
Three physical things about the opposite sex (or same) that appeal to you:
Red Hair
Big (like football player big - they make me feel petite lol)
Nice eyes
Three things you just can’t do:
Math
Draw (stick figures are my limit)
Leave my house some days
Three of your favorite hobbies:
Cross-stitching
Reading
Blogging
Three careers you are considering:
been there done that…
Three places you’d like to go on vacation:
Egypt
Thailand
Australia
Three kids’ names:
James
Katherine
Glenn
Three things you want to do before you die:
Meet all of my blogging friends
be healthy again
Lose weight
Three people you’d like to see take this quiz now:
I’ll steal Mary Lou's answer:
Everyone who reads this
Everyone who reads this
and
Everyone who reads this
(grin)
Three names you go by:
Leslie
Lee
Mom
Three screen names you have:
Lostdawill
Three things you like about yourself:
I am loyal.
I love to laugh.
I am a wicked ballroom dancer
Three things you hate/dislike about yourself:
I am soooo out of shape (read that as fat)
I am not comfortable around people I don't know
I don't clean the house as often as I should
Three parts of your heritage:
Scottish
Three things that scare you:
Losing a child or anyone that I love
Dying alone
crowds
Three of your everyday essentials:
Diet Coke
Cigarettes
Meds
Three things you are wearing right now:
Jammies
Hair scrunchie
Three of your favorite bands/artists at the moment:
Forbidden Broadway
Bowling for Soup
Toni Braxton
Three of your favorite songs at present:
Tyrone
1985
He wasn't man enough for me
Three new things you want to try in the next 12 months:
Moving from this horrible city
Getting my life back together
Excersing
Three things you want in a relationship (love is a given):
Laughter
Conversation
Attentativeness
Three physical things about the opposite sex (or same) that appeal to you:
Red Hair
Big (like football player big - they make me feel petite lol)
Nice eyes
Three things you just can’t do:
Math
Draw (stick figures are my limit)
Leave my house some days
Three of your favorite hobbies:
Cross-stitching
Reading
Blogging
Three careers you are considering:
been there done that…
Three places you’d like to go on vacation:
Egypt
Thailand
Australia
Three kids’ names:
James
Katherine
Glenn
Three things you want to do before you die:
Meet all of my blogging friends
be healthy again
Lose weight
Three people you’d like to see take this quiz now:
I’ll steal Mary Lou's answer:
Everyone who reads this
Everyone who reads this
and
Everyone who reads this
(grin)
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
9 more days
Only 9 more days until my birthday. It's one of those important birthdays - you know one that ends in a 0. Wonder what I'll end up with this year lol. Last year, the ex and kids bought me jigsaw puzzles. BT bought me "The Stand" DVD and a DVD burner for my 'puter. As for my family, well, they are guilty of combination presents - birthday/christmas presents. Just for the record, I'd like to point out that birthdays near Christmas BITE. No parties growing up, combination presents and its completely overshadowed by the whole holiday season. Now that I think about it, it could be my birthday that has me down rather than just not having alot of christmas spirit. Lordy, I sound like such a whiner lol.
I went to the fabric store and picked up some fleecy fabric for making some bigass fuzzy robes, I've never really tried my sewing machine on that artic fleece kinda stuff so we'll have to see how they turn out. Then Special K will be getting her bigass robe lol.
Oh Mary Lou, if you only knew how tempting your offer is lol. Your home sounds like a kind of paradise of tranquility and laughter but I don't know how long you could stand a houseguest, 2 extra cats and a dog LOL.
I found the funniest stuff out there on the internet the other day and I've been downloading ever since. I'm making a CD for the ex and I've been giggling like mad ever since. It's called Forbidden Broadway and I think you need to be a kind of musical theatre buff to get some of the jokes but I've been enjoying myself. One is called Anne
(sung to the tune of Tomorrow)
I'm 30 years old
Tomorrow
And I haven't worked since I was 10
Hehehehe well I thought it was funny.
I went to the fabric store and picked up some fleecy fabric for making some bigass fuzzy robes, I've never really tried my sewing machine on that artic fleece kinda stuff so we'll have to see how they turn out. Then Special K will be getting her bigass robe lol.
Oh Mary Lou, if you only knew how tempting your offer is lol. Your home sounds like a kind of paradise of tranquility and laughter but I don't know how long you could stand a houseguest, 2 extra cats and a dog LOL.
I found the funniest stuff out there on the internet the other day and I've been downloading ever since. I'm making a CD for the ex and I've been giggling like mad ever since. It's called Forbidden Broadway and I think you need to be a kind of musical theatre buff to get some of the jokes but I've been enjoying myself. One is called Anne
(sung to the tune of Tomorrow)
I'm 30 years old
Tomorrow
And I haven't worked since I was 10
Hehehehe well I thought it was funny.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Bored bored bored
As you might be able to tell, I'm bored. Katie is with her dad for the week and will be going with me to my mom's on Christmas Eve then I take her back to his place on Boxing Day. BT is away working for the week so it's just me and the zoo. Sometimes I wish the dog could talk. It's bloody cold outside - that freeze-your-nosehair kinda cold so I don't even want to think about taking the dog for a walk.
I think to occupy myself I'm going to dig out the sewing machine and make a nice fuzzy robe for BT. Hell, maybe I'll start a fuzzy robe business LOL sending all the bloggers I know fleecy bathrobes lol. Hope everyone is large cuz that's the only size I make hahahahahaha. I guess I'm just getting punchy with boredom. There isn't even anything good on television - it's totally rerun land unless I want to watch Frosty the Snowman - alone. Okay enough whining I'm going to play a game for a while.
I think to occupy myself I'm going to dig out the sewing machine and make a nice fuzzy robe for BT. Hell, maybe I'll start a fuzzy robe business LOL sending all the bloggers I know fleecy bathrobes lol. Hope everyone is large cuz that's the only size I make hahahahahaha. I guess I'm just getting punchy with boredom. There isn't even anything good on television - it's totally rerun land unless I want to watch Frosty the Snowman - alone. Okay enough whining I'm going to play a game for a while.
Saturday, December 18, 2004
I'm a copy-cat too
Because I am a ginormous copy-cat of Tony...I present to thee, the following:
I am: Lost
I love: reading, music and blogging
I hate: brussel sprouts, liver and hot peppers
I fear: wasps, crowds, people
I crave: cigarettes
I regret: not going to university when I had the chance
I cry: frequently
I care: too much about what other people think of me
I always: check my e-mail
I feel alone: a lot
I listen: very well
I hide: in my house
I drive: a standard
I dance: well
I write: long letters when I actually have a penpal that writes back
I play: adventure games
I miss: my Grandpa alot
I know: how to ballroom dance
I say: fuck far to often
I wonder: where I'll be in a year
I want: to never have to worry about money again
I have: great family and friends
I give: up far too often
I feel: fat more often than not
I need: more sleep
I am: Lost
I love: reading, music and blogging
I hate: brussel sprouts, liver and hot peppers
I fear: wasps, crowds, people
I crave: cigarettes
I regret: not going to university when I had the chance
I cry: frequently
I care: too much about what other people think of me
I always: check my e-mail
I feel alone: a lot
I listen: very well
I hide: in my house
I drive: a standard
I dance: well
I write: long letters when I actually have a penpal that writes back
I play: adventure games
I miss: my Grandpa alot
I know: how to ballroom dance
I say: fuck far to often
I wonder: where I'll be in a year
I want: to never have to worry about money again
I have: great family and friends
I give: up far too often
I feel: fat more often than not
I need: more sleep
Court TV
My name is Lost and I"m an addict.
I'm a Court TV junkie. I find it several thousand times more interesting than daytime television and even though it can get oh soooooooo boring (Peterson blah blah blah) sometimes it brings up topics that really make me think. This morning was one of those times.
It seems that in Toronto and another city they are going with a pilot program to put cameras in police cars. You might say "What's the problem with that?" Which was also my question, considering we see it all the time on TV from the US. It seems the main reason for the implimentation for this was originally because some police in Toronto were accused of racial profiling and there was at least one case of a young black man being brutalized by police.
It seems the officers are upset by this program on two levels. The first is what they consider to be the excessive cost that will be incurred by the police department in installing and maintaining the cameras and the second is that they feel they are being accused of something - that they are required to do this because they aren't trusted to do their jobs competantly.
So because of watching this, you are going to get the benefit of my opinion LOL. I really can't see the harm in having the cameras. I feel they can only HELP the officers, it means they would have an impartial eye watching that can be a witness to anything that occurs. No more charges of racial profiling or police brutality. What I want to know is just how common in-car cameras are in the States - the gentleman that was on television was saying that they are only standard on State Police vehicles and not in urban centres. We see television shows from the US all the time that are pieces of video directly from dashboard cams in police cars. It seems to me that it would just be one more piece of evidence they could present for drunk drivers, car chases etc etc. Am I wrong?
I'm a Court TV junkie. I find it several thousand times more interesting than daytime television and even though it can get oh soooooooo boring (Peterson blah blah blah) sometimes it brings up topics that really make me think. This morning was one of those times.
It seems that in Toronto and another city they are going with a pilot program to put cameras in police cars. You might say "What's the problem with that?" Which was also my question, considering we see it all the time on TV from the US. It seems the main reason for the implimentation for this was originally because some police in Toronto were accused of racial profiling and there was at least one case of a young black man being brutalized by police.
It seems the officers are upset by this program on two levels. The first is what they consider to be the excessive cost that will be incurred by the police department in installing and maintaining the cameras and the second is that they feel they are being accused of something - that they are required to do this because they aren't trusted to do their jobs competantly.
So because of watching this, you are going to get the benefit of my opinion LOL. I really can't see the harm in having the cameras. I feel they can only HELP the officers, it means they would have an impartial eye watching that can be a witness to anything that occurs. No more charges of racial profiling or police brutality. What I want to know is just how common in-car cameras are in the States - the gentleman that was on television was saying that they are only standard on State Police vehicles and not in urban centres. We see television shows from the US all the time that are pieces of video directly from dashboard cams in police cars. It seems to me that it would just be one more piece of evidence they could present for drunk drivers, car chases etc etc. Am I wrong?
Friday, December 17, 2004
No title
Stuck for a title again - i'm so lame lol. As you can see I went on a bit of a blog updat-a-thon. It's really the first time I've tried buggering around with the code on here - it was always with a hint of mystery that I hit that republish button to see what I'd done LOL.
Jamie showed up yesterday to pick up some clothes. He looks ok and I let him take a bag full of his clothes. He has cut his beard so that he just has that stupid lookin fringe of hair along the jaw line. He was here for all of five minutes, bummed bus money off me and then left. Ah well.
I talked wih an old friend of mine, Rowan, last night. It was so good to hear from her - her and her husband and me and the ex used to be inseperable. We met while we were all taking ballroom dancing lessons and although there is kinda an age difference (they're 25) we had such a good time together. Unfortunately, Potsie and I breaking up put them in kind of an awkward position and I tried not to make it any worse and we fell out of contact. I was even a bridesmaid at her wedding, the first time I had ever been asked, and I feel more like a big sister than a friend. I'll have to tell the story of their wedding day sometime as it gets pretty funny but not tonight. I also have funny dancing stories but you'd have to understand the context for them to be funny LOL.
I had a small freak out today when I realized that my debit card had gone missing so the hunt began all over the house, through the garbage, under the carpet - you know, all the usual places lol. I finally called BT to find out if I had left it in his car and thank the gods it's there in his car. I was panicking because I have to get a few more prezzies and without that card, that ain't happening.
I'm sending out my last few Christmas cards so if there is anyone out there that wants one, that I haven't sent one to - email me your address quick lol.
Jamie showed up yesterday to pick up some clothes. He looks ok and I let him take a bag full of his clothes. He has cut his beard so that he just has that stupid lookin fringe of hair along the jaw line. He was here for all of five minutes, bummed bus money off me and then left. Ah well.
I talked wih an old friend of mine, Rowan, last night. It was so good to hear from her - her and her husband and me and the ex used to be inseperable. We met while we were all taking ballroom dancing lessons and although there is kinda an age difference (they're 25) we had such a good time together. Unfortunately, Potsie and I breaking up put them in kind of an awkward position and I tried not to make it any worse and we fell out of contact. I was even a bridesmaid at her wedding, the first time I had ever been asked, and I feel more like a big sister than a friend. I'll have to tell the story of their wedding day sometime as it gets pretty funny but not tonight. I also have funny dancing stories but you'd have to understand the context for them to be funny LOL.
I had a small freak out today when I realized that my debit card had gone missing so the hunt began all over the house, through the garbage, under the carpet - you know, all the usual places lol. I finally called BT to find out if I had left it in his car and thank the gods it's there in his car. I was panicking because I have to get a few more prezzies and without that card, that ain't happening.
I'm sending out my last few Christmas cards so if there is anyone out there that wants one, that I haven't sent one to - email me your address quick lol.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Same ol same ol
Nothing interesting happening around here lately. No news from Jamie so I guess he hasn't been arrested again and that's a good thing. I got a Christmas card from Mary Lou yesterday and it was my first one this year. I've never gotten a hand-made card before so this card is doubly honoured.
I was stumped about what to write about and then I read Tony's blog about the Peterson trial and verdict. I'm kinda addicted to daytime court tv and for the last two weeks geez it's bee all about the verdict in this case. Personally, I don't know how that jury found him guilty since the evidence was all circumstantial but that is just based on what I know about the case maybe they got evidence that didn't actually make it to the media. Then the jury comes back with death - I'm stunned with that one. Don't get me wrong, I'm not totally against the death penalty, I just don't believe it should be imposed when there is even the slightest possibility that the person could be exonerated at some point. There have been so many death sentences overturned when DNA or further evidence proves that that person was not guilty - as far as I know Ohio still has a moritorium on the death sentence because they had so many cases overturned in a very short period of time. Someone in jail for a crime they didn't commit is bad but finding out they didn't commit it AFTER he's been executed is worse. For those people that are wayyyyy guilty - proved by DNA or video evidence etc and their crime is particularly heinous then yup go ahead and execute though it's less expensive to keep their butt in jail than have them appeal for two decades.
Just my opinion - I could be wrong. Never know.
I was stumped about what to write about and then I read Tony's blog about the Peterson trial and verdict. I'm kinda addicted to daytime court tv and for the last two weeks geez it's bee all about the verdict in this case. Personally, I don't know how that jury found him guilty since the evidence was all circumstantial but that is just based on what I know about the case maybe they got evidence that didn't actually make it to the media. Then the jury comes back with death - I'm stunned with that one. Don't get me wrong, I'm not totally against the death penalty, I just don't believe it should be imposed when there is even the slightest possibility that the person could be exonerated at some point. There have been so many death sentences overturned when DNA or further evidence proves that that person was not guilty - as far as I know Ohio still has a moritorium on the death sentence because they had so many cases overturned in a very short period of time. Someone in jail for a crime they didn't commit is bad but finding out they didn't commit it AFTER he's been executed is worse. For those people that are wayyyyy guilty - proved by DNA or video evidence etc and their crime is particularly heinous then yup go ahead and execute though it's less expensive to keep their butt in jail than have them appeal for two decades.
Just my opinion - I could be wrong. Never know.
Saturday, December 11, 2004
I made it.
I made through the week. Joy's funeral was basically a memorial as she was cremated, but it was very nice and there was a real feeling of love listening to her family.
Jamie has called a couple of times this week wanting me to deliver more clothes to him there at the youth shelter. BT says if Jamie wants his stuff he's going to have to come here and get it. BT still figures I'm going to let Jamie come back but I can't help but think how nice the quiet has been - no fighting, no need to lock everything up and food left in the fridge after more than 2 days.
So all my Christmas shopping is done except for a new memory card for Katie's mp3 player. It's all she asked for and it's not too expensive. I got all my Christmas cards mailed out - woo hoo. Last year, I don't think I sent a single card - heck this year I even sent out cards to the relatives in Scotland. I have one last package to put in the mail but I think I still have plenty of time for that.
I think I'm actually starting to feel better not like I'm hanging on by my fingernails any more. I've decided that if there is going to be apologizing done to Tonya's parents it'll have to Jamie that does it - I feel bad about what happened but nothing I can say will change what happened. I told Potsie (the ex) about it tonight and I think he actually looked relieved that he hasn't had to deal with any of this. I think I need to start giving the cops HIS number to call when Jamie gets in trouble. Ah well, I hope everyone has a good weekend, I'm going to visit Grandma so that should eat up most of tomorrow lol.
Jamie has called a couple of times this week wanting me to deliver more clothes to him there at the youth shelter. BT says if Jamie wants his stuff he's going to have to come here and get it. BT still figures I'm going to let Jamie come back but I can't help but think how nice the quiet has been - no fighting, no need to lock everything up and food left in the fridge after more than 2 days.
So all my Christmas shopping is done except for a new memory card for Katie's mp3 player. It's all she asked for and it's not too expensive. I got all my Christmas cards mailed out - woo hoo. Last year, I don't think I sent a single card - heck this year I even sent out cards to the relatives in Scotland. I have one last package to put in the mail but I think I still have plenty of time for that.
I think I'm actually starting to feel better not like I'm hanging on by my fingernails any more. I've decided that if there is going to be apologizing done to Tonya's parents it'll have to Jamie that does it - I feel bad about what happened but nothing I can say will change what happened. I told Potsie (the ex) about it tonight and I think he actually looked relieved that he hasn't had to deal with any of this. I think I need to start giving the cops HIS number to call when Jamie gets in trouble. Ah well, I hope everyone has a good weekend, I'm going to visit Grandma so that should eat up most of tomorrow lol.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Can you hear the dramatic music?
well the police officer from the other city finally got ahold of me - as we've been playing telephone tag since Thursday. Seems she wanted to talk to me about Jamie and find if he was living here or not. Then she told me whole story which I heard with this sinking feeling. Jmie is in more trouble - alot more trouble if this officer is correct. It seems that 4 teenagers were found riding in a stolen car in Welland (town not far from here), this stolen car belonged to the parents of Jamie's erstwhile girlfriend Tonya. According to Tonya's parents several things were found missing from their house including jewelry and a spare set of keys to their car. There was no evidence of a break-in and Tonya admitted that she had had Jamie in the house while her parents were not home. Now comes the really great part, acording to the kids caught in the stolen car, they bought said keys/car from Jamie and his friend Allen (that he was caught with in the OTHER stolen car). Lovely. I told the officer on the phone where Jamie could be found and she says that they will alerting the police department here. She doesn't even know if Jamie will be charged or not so we'll have to see.
Now I'm stuck. I really like Tonya's parents and I feel awful but I'm just so embarassed by what he's done that I don't think I can even call them and begin to apologize for what he's done. This whole Jamie fiasco just gets worse and worse. I'm just loving my life lately.
Now I'm stuck. I really like Tonya's parents and I feel awful but I'm just so embarassed by what he's done that I don't think I can even call them and begin to apologize for what he's done. This whole Jamie fiasco just gets worse and worse. I'm just loving my life lately.
Monday, December 06, 2004
Joy
My neighbour's name was Joy. She moved in during the summer with her husband John, her daughter Tina and her granddaughter Chrissy. Tina is mentally challenged and so is Chrissy. Joy had been through a terrible first marriage where the term "spousal abuse" doesn't even begin to cover it. She worked as a security guard and she loved her job.
Thursday afternoon, BT and I saw Tina running back and forth in front of our complex. She was crying and hysterical. Her mother, Joy, had had a stroke and she was alone with her. The ambulance was on the way and she had to stay outside to direct the emergency crews (our complex is difficult to get into at the best of times). That meant Joy was in the house alone - I rushed over to the house and talked to Joy, trying to keep her calm while we waited for the ambulance. It was definately a stroke = her entire left side was paralized. When the ambulance crew arrived I got out of their way and tried to calm Tina down and help her get her mothers health information together along with her medication. Just as the ambulance was leaving John pulled in, Tina had called him at work. I let John know what hospital they were taking Joy to and explained what I knew and then I left them to their business.
I hadn't heard anything and I thought the ambulance crew had got to Joy quickly enough that it would only be a minor stroke. Last night, John came to see me. He wanted to thank me for the help I had given on Thursday and he wanted to let me know that Joy had suffered two more major strokes in the hospital and had been put on life support. The whole family had a conference with the doctor and he had detailed the brain damage and the fact that Joy was virtually brain dead and the family as a group decided to turn off the life support. Joy passed away yesterday afternoon at 1pm. She was 56 years old, a extremely nice woman and someone who deserved the happiness that she had in the last 5 years of her life. The funeral is Wednesday - and even if there is a crowd - fuck the agoraphobia, I'll be there to pay my respects. Good-bye Joy.
Thursday afternoon, BT and I saw Tina running back and forth in front of our complex. She was crying and hysterical. Her mother, Joy, had had a stroke and she was alone with her. The ambulance was on the way and she had to stay outside to direct the emergency crews (our complex is difficult to get into at the best of times). That meant Joy was in the house alone - I rushed over to the house and talked to Joy, trying to keep her calm while we waited for the ambulance. It was definately a stroke = her entire left side was paralized. When the ambulance crew arrived I got out of their way and tried to calm Tina down and help her get her mothers health information together along with her medication. Just as the ambulance was leaving John pulled in, Tina had called him at work. I let John know what hospital they were taking Joy to and explained what I knew and then I left them to their business.
I hadn't heard anything and I thought the ambulance crew had got to Joy quickly enough that it would only be a minor stroke. Last night, John came to see me. He wanted to thank me for the help I had given on Thursday and he wanted to let me know that Joy had suffered two more major strokes in the hospital and had been put on life support. The whole family had a conference with the doctor and he had detailed the brain damage and the fact that Joy was virtually brain dead and the family as a group decided to turn off the life support. Joy passed away yesterday afternoon at 1pm. She was 56 years old, a extremely nice woman and someone who deserved the happiness that she had in the last 5 years of her life. The funeral is Wednesday - and even if there is a crowd - fuck the agoraphobia, I'll be there to pay my respects. Good-bye Joy.
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Thank you
I want to say thank you to everyone who has given me so much support over this awful week. You all have no idea how much it meant to me to have someone say they understood and were behind me all the way. So thank you Kristy, Cathy, Carol, Mary Lou, Tony, Mr. Bob, Blogois, Doug, Snicks, Danelle and everyone else who commented - you all made me stronger in the face of a crisis that I really needed to face with strength. Okay I'm getting all sniffly again but at least I'm smiling this time. Thank you all again.
Friday, December 03, 2004
A call from outer space
Jamie called today. He's out of the detention centre and living in the youth shelter again. He says he's quite happy to be there since it's fun there not boring like it is here. Lovely. His court date is December 23 - Merry Christmas. He doesn't seem to have really learned anything from his stay in custody although he does say he doesn't want to go back to jail so I guess I should be thankful for small mercies. Hell he wanted to talk to his sister today which is unusual in itself. I want to go and rescue him, bring him home and let him start over but I know if I do that nothing will change. This is so hard.
Still feelin sad
I got a call from a Juvenile detention centre last night. They wanted to tell me all their rules so that I can take calls from Jamie and visit him too. I spoke to Jamie for a couple of minutes and he was very upset with me that I didn't bail him out. He started crying on the phone and when I hung up I was crying too. I know this is what it's going to take to make him start thinking seriously about what he's been up to but omg it hurts.
Tonight Katie and I went out for dinner as BT was visiting family. We went to a great japanese restaurant and then finished off my christmas shopping. At least I've gotten something accomplished this week other than sitting around crying. The only really worrying thing today is when we got home I found a message on the machine from OTHER police department wanting to talk to me about Jamie. I tried calling back but I'm only getting voice mail this is just one more worry I didn't really need. *sigh*
Tonight Katie and I went out for dinner as BT was visiting family. We went to a great japanese restaurant and then finished off my christmas shopping. At least I've gotten something accomplished this week other than sitting around crying. The only really worrying thing today is when we got home I found a message on the machine from OTHER police department wanting to talk to me about Jamie. I tried calling back but I'm only getting voice mail this is just one more worry I didn't really need. *sigh*
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
And the winner of worst Mother of the Year is.....
Me.
I've never felt worse than I did today - leaving Jamie to the system. Seems Jamie told his Duty Counsel that there were no problems at home and that I would be THRILLED to come and sign a $500 bond to get him out of jail. I think it's going to be a hard hard lesson for Jamie to learn.
I've never felt worse than I did today - leaving Jamie to the system. Seems Jamie told his Duty Counsel that there were no problems at home and that I would be THRILLED to come and sign a $500 bond to get him out of jail. I think it's going to be a hard hard lesson for Jamie to learn.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
The other shoe dropped - HARD
Yesterday afternoon I got the phone call that I have been dreading - the police wanting me to come and ID my son after arrest. He was arrested in a grocery store stealing food - let's just say I wasn't feeling like mother of the year. So I go down to the police station and talk to the officer. They let Jamie off with a warning and release him into my custody. We have yet another chat about the rules blah blah blah and I bring him home to let him have a shower, get into some clean clothes and eat. Then BT comes home and Jamie has a temper tantrum and BT has his own little freak out. Later that night when I went upstairs I checked Jamie's room and oh surprise surprise he's gone again. I didn't know whether to be happy or sad since the moment he came back into the house he'd been arguing with everyone except the dog.
Today, I was thinking I'd just hang around the house do some cleaning etc. Then the phone rings at 1 o'clock - it's the police and they have Jamie in custody. Seems he was riding in a stolen car and they need me to come and identify him since he had already given them one false name. The police officer told me that he was in a stolen car with a friend who he can't identify to me (It was Alan, the same boy Jamie had been in a stolen car with before). The police had already identified the car as stolen and when they spotted it they gave chase but they called the chase when the boys in the stolen car were driving at high speed through a mall parking lot. The police picked up the stolen car again about 15 minutes later and started another chase. They chased them through a residential area with the boys knocking down street signs, postal boxes, a hydro pole and running over several peoples front lawns ruining fences, gardens etc. They also just missed a three year old on a front porch when they went over that front lawn. When the car was finally stopped, the boys bailed and started to run from the police. They were both captured and then they both gave the police false names. This is the story I hear from the police officer. *sigh* I asked then if I could talk to Jamie and they arranged for me to go into his holding room to talk to him. On my way in I asked the officer I could beat Jamie just a little but he said I was on camera so I shouldn't touch him. Damn my toe was just itching to kick the little bastard in the ass and make him start thinking. I couldn't believe it when I walked in there and he copped an attitude with me within 10 seconds. He tried to tell me that I had locked him out the night before and he didn't even know the car was stolen and he only ran from the cops because he thought that's what you are supposed to do. I've left him there over night and he goes to court in the morning and I think for the sake of everyone involved I'm going to let the province hold onto him for a while. He doesn't have any respect for me, refuses to listen and just does whatever the hell he wants. It hasn't been a good day and I don't think tomorrow is going to be any better because I'm going to tell the Crown Attorney that I can't handle him and don't think that I can enforce any restrictions the court puts on him if they release him to me awaiting his trial. It looks like Jamie is going to spend his first Christmas away from his family.
Today, I was thinking I'd just hang around the house do some cleaning etc. Then the phone rings at 1 o'clock - it's the police and they have Jamie in custody. Seems he was riding in a stolen car and they need me to come and identify him since he had already given them one false name. The police officer told me that he was in a stolen car with a friend who he can't identify to me (It was Alan, the same boy Jamie had been in a stolen car with before). The police had already identified the car as stolen and when they spotted it they gave chase but they called the chase when the boys in the stolen car were driving at high speed through a mall parking lot. The police picked up the stolen car again about 15 minutes later and started another chase. They chased them through a residential area with the boys knocking down street signs, postal boxes, a hydro pole and running over several peoples front lawns ruining fences, gardens etc. They also just missed a three year old on a front porch when they went over that front lawn. When the car was finally stopped, the boys bailed and started to run from the police. They were both captured and then they both gave the police false names. This is the story I hear from the police officer. *sigh* I asked then if I could talk to Jamie and they arranged for me to go into his holding room to talk to him. On my way in I asked the officer I could beat Jamie just a little but he said I was on camera so I shouldn't touch him. Damn my toe was just itching to kick the little bastard in the ass and make him start thinking. I couldn't believe it when I walked in there and he copped an attitude with me within 10 seconds. He tried to tell me that I had locked him out the night before and he didn't even know the car was stolen and he only ran from the cops because he thought that's what you are supposed to do. I've left him there over night and he goes to court in the morning and I think for the sake of everyone involved I'm going to let the province hold onto him for a while. He doesn't have any respect for me, refuses to listen and just does whatever the hell he wants. It hasn't been a good day and I don't think tomorrow is going to be any better because I'm going to tell the Crown Attorney that I can't handle him and don't think that I can enforce any restrictions the court puts on him if they release him to me awaiting his trial. It looks like Jamie is going to spend his first Christmas away from his family.
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Thinking
I'm starting to think, based on my television viewing preferences, that I am a very morbid person. I'm fascinated with death investigation or maybe they are just really great shows lol. I watch all the CSI's, FBI files, various detective shows, ancient history mummy shows and forensic shows. THey all basically have to do with dead people and death. Is it just intellectual curiousity or am I some kind of sicko? Granted I must not be alone in this since there are LOTS of shows out there now. I'm such a nerd about this that this weekend the guy who plays Greg Sanders on CSI is going to be in town and dammit I'm going. I don't even LIKE his character but I'll be one of the crowd trying to get an autograph. Well, maybe not part of a crowd considering my agoraphobia but if the place isn't packed I'm gonna try. Is that nerdy or what? Hell I even have all the CSI pc games....where did I leave that pocket protector? lol.
Monday, November 22, 2004
Waiting for the other shoe to drop
Everytime Jamie goes AWOL I get phone calls from "agencies" (youth shelters, missions etc) wanting to know why I've thrown this poor innocent baby out onto the street. I have a meeting with his teacher at 10am along with assorted other school type officials. Possibly Jamie will also be attending - wonderful. I already feel like I've failed in some way and now a group of people I dont' even know are going to be looking at me and evaluating my performance as a mother. Well, maybe they won't but it will certainly FEEL that way. Ah enough Jamie.
My grandmother called last night to tell me all about her shopping trip to Pennsylvania - her ladies club goes every year. Imagine if you will two Greyhound buses packed full of middle-aged to elderly Scottish ladies raring to shop and heading for the Liquor Barn for the cheap booze. It's insane and funny and exhausting. The first time I went with them I was amazed when before we even went to our hotel we pulled into a liquor store and some of these women were coming out with shopping carts FULL of cheap alcohol. Some of those womens suitcases were seriously clinking when we finally left lol. Anyhow, Grandma had a great time and spend lots of money buying god knows what lol. Then I made the mistake of asking her what she wants for Christmas. "Nothing, don't get me anything, I have everything" Uh huh - this is the same woman who freaked out four years ago when the kids didn't make her something for Christmas like they made for my mom. *sigh* Now I have to think of something for the 82 year old that has everything.
My grandmother called last night to tell me all about her shopping trip to Pennsylvania - her ladies club goes every year. Imagine if you will two Greyhound buses packed full of middle-aged to elderly Scottish ladies raring to shop and heading for the Liquor Barn for the cheap booze. It's insane and funny and exhausting. The first time I went with them I was amazed when before we even went to our hotel we pulled into a liquor store and some of these women were coming out with shopping carts FULL of cheap alcohol. Some of those womens suitcases were seriously clinking when we finally left lol. Anyhow, Grandma had a great time and spend lots of money buying god knows what lol. Then I made the mistake of asking her what she wants for Christmas. "Nothing, don't get me anything, I have everything" Uh huh - this is the same woman who freaked out four years ago when the kids didn't make her something for Christmas like they made for my mom. *sigh* Now I have to think of something for the 82 year old that has everything.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Jamie strikes again
So I've been really knocked down by this cold and Sunday while I was feeling marginally better BT and I drove to Potsie's house to pick up Katie. Leaving Jamie at home. Alone. He would have come with us but he was in trouble. For what? you ask. Well on Saturday he broke into his sisters room and removed her computer to his room because his wasn't working. The REASON his sister even has a lock on her door is that he was stealing her stuff. After the unauthorized "borrowing" was discovered he was told he couldn't come with us. An hour later we get back with Katie and lo and behold Jamie is gone. Again. Monday (yesterday) he was waiting at the bus stop to go to school when Katie ran into him. He told Katie that she didn't see him, that he was invisible and a figment of her imagination. Uh huh. Does this mean I dont' have to go to the IEP meeting on Monday? I feel like such a failure.
Friday, November 12, 2004
*sniffle*
I'm sick AGAIN. BT caught a cold and generously decided to share it with me so now it feels like my whole head is swollen because of my sinuses. So I think I'm gonna medicate myself to sleep and hope this goes away in the night and/or that I don't drown in snot in my sleep. Ewwwww. *sniffle*
Remembrance Day
I went to the Cenataph today to watch the Remembrance Day service. It's so sad to see the number of veterans dwindling every year soon we won't have anyone left who actually fought in those wars. This is the first year they have included Vietnam vets here - they weren't recognized as Vietnam wasn't a Canadian war. Sad that men who gave their lives for something they believed in weren't recognized by their own government. Hell they only started to recognize the Korean vets a couple of years ago. It's touching to see all those senior citizens with their medals in damn cold weather - standing tall and proud for all to see. I think it's a shame that so many of the younger people don't understand really the sacrifices that that generation made for all of us. For our freedom to live free. So to the vets out there on this day we salute you - Lest we forget.
Teachers - bah
I got a phone call from Jamies teacher and now a note that she wants to meet with for an IRPC for Jamie. This basically means I get to spend an hour or so having a group of people I don't know talk down to me. Why oh why do they always talk to me like I'm some idiot that can't understand what they are saying. They are including the guidance counselor AND on-site social worker so now it'll be 5 against one. Great. Had another fight with Jamie tonight - he's grounded for two weeks to try to earn back some trust around here. So tonight BT says to me "You know he's talking to Tonya at the front door right?" No as a matter of fact I didn't know and I yelled up to him to shut the door and I just ASSUMED that he listened to me. Silly me. Ten minutes later there is a positively arctic wind whistling down the stairs and I have to go up and tell him to shut the damn door. I'm putting off turning on the heat as long as I can to save some money this month and there he is turning the whole place into a refridgerator - actually I think the fridge was warmer. If the heat had have been on I might have been tempted to echo my father and ask him if he thought I was heating the whole neighbourhood. lol.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
The Prodigal Son
Jamie's back. I got a call Thursday night from a mission in Branford (smallish kind of town about 30 min drive from here - their claim to fame is that Wayne Gretzky is from there). Seems these nice churchy people were going to drive Jamie and would that be ok? I told them the story of Jamie and him leaving home etc. so I told them they could bring him here but I couldn't guarantee that he would be staying. He arrived about 11 on Thursday night and we talked to him for about 2 hours and he agreed to all my rules etc so I let him stay. Who knows if it will last but at least he seems to have found out that his "friends" on the street don't really give a shit about him. Last night was our first fight post-return. He told me that he was going out to clean the yard (I don't have a problem with that) and he buggered off to go and hang out with the losers that started all this trouble in the first place. He was only gone for about 10 minutes but the point was that he had been TOLD that he was not hang around with the pot-head losers if he was going to live here. So now we have agreed to have weekly meetings about his progress and what he needs to do to regain trust around here. He can't seem to get it through his head that I don't have great faith in him at the moment and that Chez Mom isn't a hotel that he can come and go from without any rules. I must have failed somewhere as a parent and keep wracking my brain trying to find new ways to make things better. That boy is going to give me ulcers.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
New comments on LOST
Well well tonight was interesting - I wonder who clocked ol' Said? Couldn't have been the obnoxious hick he was too far away when his rocket went off and the other "main" characters were all trying to dig out Jack and Charlie. I wonder if it might have been the black lady since we haven't seen much of her recently or I suppose it could be the mysterious french female whose voice we heard on the beacon. Doesn't look like we'll find out next week anyways, should be interesting to find out who else doesn't want to get off this island.
Ouchie
Well I've been flat on my back for nearly a week now after throwing out my back by BENDING OVER!! It could have been worse and I've been jonesn to blog but since my keyboard went tits up about the same time there wasn't much I could do. Other than my assorted health problems nothing much else has been going on around here. Jamie has called me again basically just to say hi and that he loves me. BT says that's because Jamie wants me to ask him to come home again but I'm holding steady and if he wants to come back he's gonna have to ask me and then agree to some fairly strict rules. To tell the truth I'm not sure if I want him to come back, it's been so quiet around here - no fighting, no stealing and no lying, there has been food left and I haven't been worried outta my mind about things going missing. God that makes me sound like such a rotten mother, I feel like I should be trying to get him to come home.
I spent a fascinating night last night watching the US elections. I was actually up until around 3 am trying to find out if the 'merricans were actually going to re-elect Dubya. I really can't understand how he did it and I suppose since he isn't actually MY president that I should probably just shut my mouth lol. That being said - what were you people thinking?? The funny thing is six months from now all that will be heard will be bitching about Dubya and his policies etc etc etc. Ah well, my Prime Minister is nothing to write home about either - hell six months after HE was elected the Parliment tried to oust him with a vote of non-confidence. Shame it didn't work but I have hope that we'll get rid of him soon LOL. I was just watching Jon Stewart on the Daily Show and he was saying that looking at the map of the states divided by which party won - it looks like you could only vote Democrat if you had a boat LOL. So ends my political rhetoric lol.
I spent a fascinating night last night watching the US elections. I was actually up until around 3 am trying to find out if the 'merricans were actually going to re-elect Dubya. I really can't understand how he did it and I suppose since he isn't actually MY president that I should probably just shut my mouth lol. That being said - what were you people thinking?? The funny thing is six months from now all that will be heard will be bitching about Dubya and his policies etc etc etc. Ah well, my Prime Minister is nothing to write home about either - hell six months after HE was elected the Parliment tried to oust him with a vote of non-confidence. Shame it didn't work but I have hope that we'll get rid of him soon LOL. I was just watching Jon Stewart on the Daily Show and he was saying that looking at the map of the states divided by which party won - it looks like you could only vote Democrat if you had a boat LOL. So ends my political rhetoric lol.
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Do you remember?
I was thinking today about how much things have changed in my lifetime - stuff I remember that makes other people around my age go - "oh yeah I remember THAY omg".
Does anyone else remember the first "remote controls" for the tv? The box with the cable that ran to the tv? It was the height of technology when my parents first got it, I can remember how excited we were not to have to get up to change the tv channel lol.
Do you remember the little yellow swirly bit of plastic that you would put in the hole in your 45's? I found some of my old 45's and the kids were asking what the yellow thing was. The kids were also fascinated with 45 and LP records - they were trying to figure out how something that big fit into the cd player lol.
Can you remember your first microwave oven? My mom got one fairly soon after they first came out - it was HUGE lol. I can remember her fascination with it - for about 2 weeks we were eating all kinds of things she "cooked" in the microwave. Thankfully that didn't last long lol.
My hair is pretty much dead straight and it was my grandmothers mission in life to get some curl into my hair. She tried everything but the WORST was these steel rollers that stabbed my scalp and were impossible to sleep on or worse even, she would hook up this weird little counter top hair dryer with something like a shower cap attached with something like a vacuum cleaner hose.
Does anyone else remember how cassette tapes were going to bankrupt the recording industry? LOL Ohhhhh or better yet, an 8 track player - I think everyone had one at some point lol. I remember our first VCR - it was a Beta and enourmous. I can remember when that was considered cutting edge technology lol.
Maybe more later - probably enough strolling down memory lane tonight.
Does anyone else remember the first "remote controls" for the tv? The box with the cable that ran to the tv? It was the height of technology when my parents first got it, I can remember how excited we were not to have to get up to change the tv channel lol.
Do you remember the little yellow swirly bit of plastic that you would put in the hole in your 45's? I found some of my old 45's and the kids were asking what the yellow thing was. The kids were also fascinated with 45 and LP records - they were trying to figure out how something that big fit into the cd player lol.
Can you remember your first microwave oven? My mom got one fairly soon after they first came out - it was HUGE lol. I can remember her fascination with it - for about 2 weeks we were eating all kinds of things she "cooked" in the microwave. Thankfully that didn't last long lol.
My hair is pretty much dead straight and it was my grandmothers mission in life to get some curl into my hair. She tried everything but the WORST was these steel rollers that stabbed my scalp and were impossible to sleep on or worse even, she would hook up this weird little counter top hair dryer with something like a shower cap attached with something like a vacuum cleaner hose.
Does anyone else remember how cassette tapes were going to bankrupt the recording industry? LOL Ohhhhh or better yet, an 8 track player - I think everyone had one at some point lol. I remember our first VCR - it was a Beta and enourmous. I can remember when that was considered cutting edge technology lol.
Maybe more later - probably enough strolling down memory lane tonight.
Friday, October 22, 2004
Catch up
Well, it's been a boring week so far. No excitment at all here other than I was down with the flu at the beginning of the week. All better now. I spent today getting the house cleaned up and did laundry and went grocery shopping. I'm just so gosh darned proud of myself lol.
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Clarification
Jamie's job in the wild and wooly world of the roofer is basically pack mule. He gathers the shingles off the ground for the dumpster and totes the new bundles of shingles to the staging area. We live in the land of ice and snow up here lol - not many roofs with tar mostly peaks with shingles nailed on.
A meme
 | Friend Bear |
Saturday, October 16, 2004
Jamie and a story
Jamie was here on Friday night - seems he likes living at the youth shelter and only came to pick up some clothes. He also tells me that he has got himself a job with a roofing company and that's good as far as it goes but it's going to be far far too cold to do any roofing in about two weeks so I don't know what he'll be doing after that.
Anyways, I like Cathy at Domestic Psycology's idea about telling stories on the weekend so here are a couple about Jamie when he was little and cute.
When Jamie was about 3 he would follow me all over the house copying everything I did so he had toys to mimic that - his own little kitchen (I know it's a girl toy but he loved it so much), his own play vacuum etc. One night we had one of those vacuum demonstration guys in the house and he put baking soda on the carpet and then vacuumed it up to prove how great his vacuum was. Next morning we get up and can hear Jamie happily vacuuming away with his toy vacuum. We come downstairs and there is white stuff all over the living room carpet and Jamie is trying to vacuum it up. He had taken the container of Old Dutch (kinda like Ajax or Comet) sprinkled it all over and was trying to vacuum it up with his toy vacuum like the man did last night. Such a helpful boy. lol.
One morning Potsie made pancakes for breakfast and Jamie was allowed to help by stiring the pancake mix in the bowl. Next morning, Jamie is up with birds and decides to make mommy and daddy breakfast. He decided to make us pancakes so he got a bowl, spoon and pancake mix and sat on the floor to mix it up. He was getting very frustrated by the time we came downstairs because the mix wouldn't stay in the bowl - seems Jamie was stiring the mix in a collander.
Anyways, I like Cathy at Domestic Psycology's idea about telling stories on the weekend so here are a couple about Jamie when he was little and cute.
When Jamie was about 3 he would follow me all over the house copying everything I did so he had toys to mimic that - his own little kitchen (I know it's a girl toy but he loved it so much), his own play vacuum etc. One night we had one of those vacuum demonstration guys in the house and he put baking soda on the carpet and then vacuumed it up to prove how great his vacuum was. Next morning we get up and can hear Jamie happily vacuuming away with his toy vacuum. We come downstairs and there is white stuff all over the living room carpet and Jamie is trying to vacuum it up. He had taken the container of Old Dutch (kinda like Ajax or Comet) sprinkled it all over and was trying to vacuum it up with his toy vacuum like the man did last night. Such a helpful boy. lol.
One morning Potsie made pancakes for breakfast and Jamie was allowed to help by stiring the pancake mix in the bowl. Next morning, Jamie is up with birds and decides to make mommy and daddy breakfast. He decided to make us pancakes so he got a bowl, spoon and pancake mix and sat on the floor to mix it up. He was getting very frustrated by the time we came downstairs because the mix wouldn't stay in the bowl - seems Jamie was stiring the mix in a collander.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Lost - the series
Cathy was looking for theories about Lost (the tv series) = I got a few lol.
Locke - the guy in the wheelchair- I think his problem must something like MS or possibly a tumour. He said his "condition" had been around for four years. If he was in there for a spinal injury, he certainly wouldn't have been up and walking after the crash. He certainly has had some kind of miliary fantasy which prompted him to think he's the great white hunter.
The selfish little bitch who (barely) speaks french probably won't die - too bad. Don't think the drug addict rock star will either. The korean couple are pretty strange and I'm wondering what will happen there.
As for the guys in the suits that the doctor saw, they were either halucinations (mangled THAT word bad lol) or they are the remnants of that french group. Hell maybe this is a lead up to a new King Kong movie lol. I think they'll find a research facility a la Jurasic Park where there was a little genetic manipulation going on explaining the large boars, polar bears etc.
I just hope nothing happens to the fat guy - I like him even if they are using him for comic relief.
Locke - the guy in the wheelchair- I think his problem must something like MS or possibly a tumour. He said his "condition" had been around for four years. If he was in there for a spinal injury, he certainly wouldn't have been up and walking after the crash. He certainly has had some kind of miliary fantasy which prompted him to think he's the great white hunter.
The selfish little bitch who (barely) speaks french probably won't die - too bad. Don't think the drug addict rock star will either. The korean couple are pretty strange and I'm wondering what will happen there.
As for the guys in the suits that the doctor saw, they were either halucinations (mangled THAT word bad lol) or they are the remnants of that french group. Hell maybe this is a lead up to a new King Kong movie lol. I think they'll find a research facility a la Jurasic Park where there was a little genetic manipulation going on explaining the large boars, polar bears etc.
I just hope nothing happens to the fat guy - I like him even if they are using him for comic relief.
Lame lame lame
I am soooo lame for not posting sooner, maybe lazy? Anyhoo, Monday I went for Thanksgiving dinner at C&A's house -yummmmmmm. It was just me and Katie this year although Jamie did give me a phone call just about 10 minutes before I was leaving. Seems he's staying at the youth shelter downtown but I don't see that lasting very long. He wanted to come and get some clothes but I said he would have to come Tuesday as we were leaving for dinner, just before he hung up he told me he loved me. He hasn't done that in such a long time, it made me want to just drive over there and pick him up but I have to let him make his own mistakes.
Tuesday rolled around - I went for therapy in the afternoon (fun wow *yawn*) and then just waited for Jamie to show up. I dont' know why I got my hopes up - he never came.
I got a phone call today from the school that he didn't go to school today, I can't understand why they are calling me as THEY are the ones who sent him to the youth shelter in the first place. Potsie also called me today from Florida - bloody lucky for him that I had already talked the bank into returning my money. Told him that we really need to talk about this when he gets back because if it happens again I'm going to a lawyer. This is the third or fourth time this has happened and I've had enough. Time to put my foot down and shock the hell outta him.
Tuesday rolled around - I went for therapy in the afternoon (fun wow *yawn*) and then just waited for Jamie to show up. I dont' know why I got my hopes up - he never came.
I got a phone call today from the school that he didn't go to school today, I can't understand why they are calling me as THEY are the ones who sent him to the youth shelter in the first place. Potsie also called me today from Florida - bloody lucky for him that I had already talked the bank into returning my money. Told him that we really need to talk about this when he gets back because if it happens again I'm going to a lawyer. This is the third or fourth time this has happened and I've had enough. Time to put my foot down and shock the hell outta him.
Friday, October 08, 2004
OMG I need a valium or a large rubber mallet
I'm sooo pissed off right now I could just scream.Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh. I have a pretty good relationship with Potsie my ex and I work hard at keeping things friendly and calm - better for the kids to have parents who can smile and laugh together. We only have one leetle problem - money. Not all money just a line of credit that we had on our house - when we went our seperate ways he got the house and agreed that the LOC was his as well. Seems he forgot to inform the BANK of this and today when I went grocery shopping, there were was a hold on my account. They took MY money to make HIS payment and of course he's on his way to Florida. When I called his house, his g/f starts giving this heart wrenching story about how broke they are yadda yadda yadda. He makes at least four times more than I do a year plus her earnings and the bank is taking my grocery money??? I'm absolutely furious with him for putting me in this position. I can't WAIT until he calls me from Florida. I wish I could say I hope it wrecks his week but that would be vindictive wouldn't it? When I calm down, I'm sure I'll be a better person but right now I think I'll go and stew for a while and stick pins in my Potsie doll.
Life goes on
Time to catch up - yet again. Got a call Monday from the Guidance counsellor at Jamie's school, he wanted to talk to me about my kicking Jamie out. I can't believe he's telling people again that I kicked him out. He doesn't even mention that he just couldn't be arsed to come home and he's playing out the "my mom is soooo awful" scenario with all his friends I'm sure.
Talked to Tonya's mom on Tuesday and we've agreed that it would be better to let the two of them (jamie and tonya) get a place together and see how it goes. Tonya is 19 and already has Disability so that wouldn't be a problem. Hell I'll even help them move stuff in, take them to get groceries and do laundry etc. It would have to be better than wondering and worrying where he's at. Tonya's mother agrees with me but we'll have to see what Tonya's dad has to say about it. Of course Jamie is back hanging out with the troublemakers around here. Katie went over to the Harveys just down the street and as she was coming back, they were egging Jamie on telling him to take the food from Katie because "your family doesn't do anything else for you". Yeah he was soooooo mistreated here. Katie ran all the way home, she was terrified that the whole gang of them were going to mug her. So now I can't even send her out to the store alone without worrying that she's going to get mugged or something.
Potsie is off to Florida with his mom ( hehehehe better him than me) for the week so I've got Katie for the weekends too. Not that that's a problem, she's a sweetheart. She's inclined to be a good girl anyways but with Jamie acting like a gigantic asshole - she just shines. Time for me to really start looking for a new apartment and get her out of this neighbourhood before she's too scared to leave the house because of those idiots.
Talked to Tonya's mom on Tuesday and we've agreed that it would be better to let the two of them (jamie and tonya) get a place together and see how it goes. Tonya is 19 and already has Disability so that wouldn't be a problem. Hell I'll even help them move stuff in, take them to get groceries and do laundry etc. It would have to be better than wondering and worrying where he's at. Tonya's mother agrees with me but we'll have to see what Tonya's dad has to say about it. Of course Jamie is back hanging out with the troublemakers around here. Katie went over to the Harveys just down the street and as she was coming back, they were egging Jamie on telling him to take the food from Katie because "your family doesn't do anything else for you". Yeah he was soooooo mistreated here. Katie ran all the way home, she was terrified that the whole gang of them were going to mug her. So now I can't even send her out to the store alone without worrying that she's going to get mugged or something.
Potsie is off to Florida with his mom ( hehehehe better him than me) for the week so I've got Katie for the weekends too. Not that that's a problem, she's a sweetheart. She's inclined to be a good girl anyways but with Jamie acting like a gigantic asshole - she just shines. Time for me to really start looking for a new apartment and get her out of this neighbourhood before she's too scared to leave the house because of those idiots.
Saturday, October 02, 2004
My Dad - Batman
Cathy over at Domestic Psychology is telling stories this weekend to I decided to share one.
One night when I was about 10 my dad woke up my mom at around 2 am and says Mom look at the size of that moth! My mother wakes up, and looks at what my dad thought was a moth fluttering on the curtain and says "That's no moth - that' s a bat". At this point, my dad bolts from the bedroom - closing the door behind him. Leaving my mom in the room with the bat. (and she has NEVER let him forget that either lol). So there is my mom in bed with the covers pulled over her head, suffocating, just waiting to feel little clawed feet walking up her body. She can hear running feet and hear slamming doors and my dad talking to himself downstairs. After about 15 minutes , the bedroom door slams open and the light goes on. Mom stayed under the blankets until my dad said he couldn't find the damn thing, and Mom comes out of the covers and got one look at my dad and collapsed laughing.
There was my dad in his bat fighting outfit. He was standing there in his underwear with workboots, a golf jacket (zipped all the way up), gardening gloves, a balaclava (full face of course - can't be too careful) and a broom. Mom wishes to this day that she had a camera that night.
Next day, Dad was climbing all over the house trying to find out where that bat had got in and trying to find out where it went. No dice - can't find the bat and Dad decides the bat came down the chimney for the furnace (this was the good old days of oil burning furnaces) so he put very very fine gauge wire over the chimney. Off to bed we go, with the furnace on. In the morning, we all looked like we were part of a minstrel show from the 1920's. The wire was so fine that all the soot from the chimney backed up into the house, and it was quite a mess. So days (and days and days) are spent washing walls, carpets, clothes etc etc etc still no bat. Then Dracula starts making guest appearances again so my mother says either the bat goes or she is sleeping the car with me and my brother - Dad can fend for himself.
Dad borrows a fishing net from the guy next door and is prepared for the next bat emergency. My grandpa took us all out to dinner and when we came home Mom locks herself in the downstairs bathroom and puts my brother and I in the den while my grandparents and Dad are hunting Dracula. Nada they can't find a thing. Then my bad luck bitch slapped me - I needed the bathroom - BAD and my mom will not come out of the downstairs bathroom. Being 10, when I gotta go, I gotta go so I go merrily tripping up the stairs and flick on the bathroom light and there I was face to fang with Dracula. I don't think I've ever moved so fast in my entire life - certainly not screaming at the top of my lungs. I made it down the stairs and back into the den in about 1.5 seconds - slamming the door behind me. Seems Drac couldn't corner quite as sharply as I could and the next few minutes I can only testify to by sound, but there was alot of running and shouting - the holes in the fish net were so big that the bat just crawled back out when they trapped him with it. Eventually my granddad took off his jacket and threw it over Drac. Drac was then taken outside and set free. Episode over? You would think so but Drac was fond of our house. My mom then put her foot down and they called an exterminator.
Mr. Exterminator shows up and identifies the bat hideout in less than 10 minutes. Now I dont' know if your mother had them but god knows my mother did and my grandma still has, but we had a fabric shower curtain that stays outside of the tub just for decoration and it seems that up inside there was the chosen bat cave. Mr. Exterminator then sprays the bathroom full of DDT and closes the door telling us that this WILL kill Dracula. An hour passes with Mr. Exterminator havin a beer with Dad and talkin man talk. Time comes to collect Drac and when he opened the door, Dracula flies out - high as a kite, flyin wobbly but definately not dead. Now we have a hopped up bat flying low around the house with the dog trotting behind it snapping at it. Mr. Exterminator borrows a pair of garden gloves and a hammer, catches Drac and then brings him outside to a waiting audience of ALL the neighbourhood kids. He showed us all the bats wingspan with the bats knawing away at those gloves and then with perfect disregard to our kiddy psyches bashed Draculas brains out with the hammer. Poor little fruit bat. Exterminator guy told my parents that Drac was probably rabid and he could have it tested but my parents figured they just wanted the bat gone and they had already paid this guy to contaminate their bathroom (DDT wasn't exactly legal I think it had just been banned shortly before this), drink beer with my dad and tramatize a bunch of kids so they weren't paying him to test a dead bat for rabies. Took my mom two days of vacuuming while wearing a face mask to get that 1/2 inch of DDT out of the bathroom.
So ends the tale of my dad - Batman. Hope you enjoyed.
One night when I was about 10 my dad woke up my mom at around 2 am and says Mom look at the size of that moth! My mother wakes up, and looks at what my dad thought was a moth fluttering on the curtain and says "That's no moth - that' s a bat". At this point, my dad bolts from the bedroom - closing the door behind him. Leaving my mom in the room with the bat. (and she has NEVER let him forget that either lol). So there is my mom in bed with the covers pulled over her head, suffocating, just waiting to feel little clawed feet walking up her body. She can hear running feet and hear slamming doors and my dad talking to himself downstairs. After about 15 minutes , the bedroom door slams open and the light goes on. Mom stayed under the blankets until my dad said he couldn't find the damn thing, and Mom comes out of the covers and got one look at my dad and collapsed laughing.
There was my dad in his bat fighting outfit. He was standing there in his underwear with workboots, a golf jacket (zipped all the way up), gardening gloves, a balaclava (full face of course - can't be too careful) and a broom. Mom wishes to this day that she had a camera that night.
Next day, Dad was climbing all over the house trying to find out where that bat had got in and trying to find out where it went. No dice - can't find the bat and Dad decides the bat came down the chimney for the furnace (this was the good old days of oil burning furnaces) so he put very very fine gauge wire over the chimney. Off to bed we go, with the furnace on. In the morning, we all looked like we were part of a minstrel show from the 1920's. The wire was so fine that all the soot from the chimney backed up into the house, and it was quite a mess. So days (and days and days) are spent washing walls, carpets, clothes etc etc etc still no bat. Then Dracula starts making guest appearances again so my mother says either the bat goes or she is sleeping the car with me and my brother - Dad can fend for himself.
Dad borrows a fishing net from the guy next door and is prepared for the next bat emergency. My grandpa took us all out to dinner and when we came home Mom locks herself in the downstairs bathroom and puts my brother and I in the den while my grandparents and Dad are hunting Dracula. Nada they can't find a thing. Then my bad luck bitch slapped me - I needed the bathroom - BAD and my mom will not come out of the downstairs bathroom. Being 10, when I gotta go, I gotta go so I go merrily tripping up the stairs and flick on the bathroom light and there I was face to fang with Dracula. I don't think I've ever moved so fast in my entire life - certainly not screaming at the top of my lungs. I made it down the stairs and back into the den in about 1.5 seconds - slamming the door behind me. Seems Drac couldn't corner quite as sharply as I could and the next few minutes I can only testify to by sound, but there was alot of running and shouting - the holes in the fish net were so big that the bat just crawled back out when they trapped him with it. Eventually my granddad took off his jacket and threw it over Drac. Drac was then taken outside and set free. Episode over? You would think so but Drac was fond of our house. My mom then put her foot down and they called an exterminator.
Mr. Exterminator shows up and identifies the bat hideout in less than 10 minutes. Now I dont' know if your mother had them but god knows my mother did and my grandma still has, but we had a fabric shower curtain that stays outside of the tub just for decoration and it seems that up inside there was the chosen bat cave. Mr. Exterminator then sprays the bathroom full of DDT and closes the door telling us that this WILL kill Dracula. An hour passes with Mr. Exterminator havin a beer with Dad and talkin man talk. Time comes to collect Drac and when he opened the door, Dracula flies out - high as a kite, flyin wobbly but definately not dead. Now we have a hopped up bat flying low around the house with the dog trotting behind it snapping at it. Mr. Exterminator borrows a pair of garden gloves and a hammer, catches Drac and then brings him outside to a waiting audience of ALL the neighbourhood kids. He showed us all the bats wingspan with the bats knawing away at those gloves and then with perfect disregard to our kiddy psyches bashed Draculas brains out with the hammer. Poor little fruit bat. Exterminator guy told my parents that Drac was probably rabid and he could have it tested but my parents figured they just wanted the bat gone and they had already paid this guy to contaminate their bathroom (DDT wasn't exactly legal I think it had just been banned shortly before this), drink beer with my dad and tramatize a bunch of kids so they weren't paying him to test a dead bat for rabies. Took my mom two days of vacuuming while wearing a face mask to get that 1/2 inch of DDT out of the bathroom.
So ends the tale of my dad - Batman. Hope you enjoyed.
Jamie strikes again
So Jamie didn't bother to come home on Wednesday night. I had a migrane on Wednesday afternoon so when the kids came home from school BT told them to go to their rooms so I could rest. After a little nap that left me feeling so much better, I went upstairs and Jamie had taken off again. I haven't seen him since. Seems he took Tonya with him this time as her mother has been calling me every day first looking for Tonya, then telling me that Tonya has informed her that she is moving out with Jamie. I've got a call into the agency that is supposed to help me with Jamie and his problems. Hopefully they can help to get him somewhere else to live since my "rules" interfere with his life so much - maybe they can get him into a group home or some kind of assisted housing. Turns out that Tonya's mom has the same worker at this place so we'll see what they can for the two of them. Jamie has me so upset I just don't know what to do any more - it's not like I'm terribly strict and I don't even make them work much around the house. You'd think he was living in slavery the way he acts. I made him clean his room- HIS mess- and it was like pulling teeth. He had this large nasty spot on his carpet - I'm not sure what it was but I have my suspections - so I made HIM scrub it out of the carpet with a special carpet cleaner I got for pet messes. I had even made a doctors appt for him - I think he has a planters wart that needs to be removed - and I've had to cancel that now. BT says I should just let the little bastard freeze and not let him back this time. *sigh* I'm just so tired.
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Gotta love marketing companies
So I went for the "focus group" last night and after sitting in their reception room for a half hour, they took all the people except for three of us - seems we were "alternates" and they didn't need us. Woohoo so I got paid to sit there and drink their pop and eat their sandwiches. Turns out they pay you in cash and you don't have to declare it or anything - they told us it's found money. Can't beat that.
Got a call today from my friends C & A inviting me, BT and the kids for Thanksgiving dinner. It's been a tradition with them ever since Jamie was a baby. I soooo love eating there - A is Cordon Bleu chef and I think I'd crawl through broken glasst to eat there, besides the fact that they are wonderful people and I really like them. Thanksgiving is always a huge affair with anywhere from 10 to 25 people. I'm one of their OPCs (Other Peoples Children) and go there whenever I can.
Got a call today from my friends C & A inviting me, BT and the kids for Thanksgiving dinner. It's been a tradition with them ever since Jamie was a baby. I soooo love eating there - A is Cordon Bleu chef and I think I'd crawl through broken glasst to eat there, besides the fact that they are wonderful people and I really like them. Thanksgiving is always a huge affair with anywhere from 10 to 25 people. I'm one of their OPCs (Other Peoples Children) and go there whenever I can.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Phew!
Well, I've had a busy morning. Waved BT off this morning as he was going to Toronto on some mission of his own. Three loads of laundry done and TADA that's all the laundry done. Did a huge pile of dishes - well, mostly pots and pans as the kids refuse to wash them or should I say refuse to wash them correctly. Then my super showed up with the handyman to check out my front door and see if they can repair it. I suppose I should tell the saga of the front door. Two years ago when I moved in here Jamie made some errrr inappropriate friends who broke into my house - twice. Once they came through the front window and once they kicked in my door. I repaired the door as well as I could and it's held for the past two years until this weekend. One of the rotten kids that Jamie is hanging around with decided that Jamie needed to be beaten up. Why? Who knows. This boy chased Jamie to the door and proceeded to punch him etc., the whole episode culminating with Jamie being thrown rather heavily at the door. The repairs to the door frame didn't hold - in fact the door frame exploded inwards rather spectacularly. Totally beyond my limited ability to repair soooo I can't lock my door at all. The super and the handyman are coming back tomorrow to do the repair thank god. I'm gonna have to lock up the cats though, Rascal has taken a sudden interest in the great outdoors and bolts out the door at every opportunity even though once he's out there he just cowers under the patio furniture. Stupid cat. Shadow is just as daft and he'll be out the door after Rascal if given half a chance.
Catching Up
So I guess I need to catch up on a whole week. I hate being sick -it sucks and I get cranky lol. I spent most of the week babying myself so I wouldn't get any worse. Got a phone call from my friend Angie. I always love hearing from her, we've been friends since we were 8 or 9 years old and lived around the corner from each other until I moved away from home when I was 16. It's funny how we've kept in touch all these years, sometimes we don't talk for months and have even gone years but we always seem to find one another again. We were both pregnant at the same time and our daughters are only a month apart in age. I can't wait to move back there so that I can see her more often.
Katie didn't end up going to New York, Potsie's aunt passed away a day before they were going to leave. I'm not sure why they were going in the first place as the aunt in question was in a coma and wouldn't have even known they were there. Maybe I don't get it because I have so few relatives, almost all of my extended family (2nd cousins, great uncles etc) still live in Scotland so I don't get to see them much.
While I wasn't feelin too hot, I was surfin the net and I came across a group that is tracing the origins of my family(maiden) name. It's kind of cool actually, they are going to do DNA testing to see how everyone is related. These people are serious geneology folks, they are tracing stuff back to the 1700's so far - hell, I'm lucky I've traced anything to the late 1890's lol.
Jamie has been a freakin doorknob again. Friday he came home from school, dropped his stuff in the door and buggered off. He strolled back in at MIDNIGHT! The deal we had when he moved back in was 10 o'clock no ifs ands or buts. Not only was he late, I'm totally convinced that he was high as a kite. So I tell him - grounded , seems like a reasonable resonponse doesn't it? He just shrugs and drags him ass up the stairs ( it wasn't booze - I have a nose like a bloodhound for drink - ask my ex's lol). Soooooo 12:30 my phone rings, and I'm thinking OMG who died? It's Tonya's mother ( Jamie' s little g/f is Tonya). She wants to know if Jamie is home because Tonya isn't home yet and they are freaking - seems they have been out looking for her since 11. I told her I would ask Jamie and call her back, I shake him awake with great difficulty and all he says is "She should be home, she was walking home". Then he rolled over and went back to sleep! Selfish little prick wasn't the least bit worried that his g/f wasn't home and it was the middle of the night. I called her mom and told her where they were hanging around and if she wasn't home in half an hour to call me back. One o'clock the phone rings again. Tonya's mom again, she still isn't home. BT and I got in the car and start looking for her, about 1:20 we are driving past her house and there she is walking up the driveway. So we pull into the driveway and I get out and start to talk to her. At that point, her parents come out and Tonya goes in. What a wonderful way to meet her parents, I mean I've talked to them on the phone but never in person. Grand, just grand. Very nice people that I like very much and this is the first time we've actually been able to compare notes on our monsters. It's kind of scary just how alike Jamie and Tonya are but at least now her mom and I have the beginnings of good contact becaues it doesn't look like the relationship is going to end anytime soon. *sigh* BT keeps asking if he can "kill Jamie just a little" lol.
The only other interesting thing to happen is that I'm going to be in a "focus group" tomorrow. It's probably going to be about politics but hey what the hell, they are going to pay me $75 to sit there for an hour and a half and talk lol. I think I can do that.
Katie didn't end up going to New York, Potsie's aunt passed away a day before they were going to leave. I'm not sure why they were going in the first place as the aunt in question was in a coma and wouldn't have even known they were there. Maybe I don't get it because I have so few relatives, almost all of my extended family (2nd cousins, great uncles etc) still live in Scotland so I don't get to see them much.
While I wasn't feelin too hot, I was surfin the net and I came across a group that is tracing the origins of my family(maiden) name. It's kind of cool actually, they are going to do DNA testing to see how everyone is related. These people are serious geneology folks, they are tracing stuff back to the 1700's so far - hell, I'm lucky I've traced anything to the late 1890's lol.
Jamie has been a freakin doorknob again. Friday he came home from school, dropped his stuff in the door and buggered off. He strolled back in at MIDNIGHT! The deal we had when he moved back in was 10 o'clock no ifs ands or buts. Not only was he late, I'm totally convinced that he was high as a kite. So I tell him - grounded , seems like a reasonable resonponse doesn't it? He just shrugs and drags him ass up the stairs ( it wasn't booze - I have a nose like a bloodhound for drink - ask my ex's lol). Soooooo 12:30 my phone rings, and I'm thinking OMG who died? It's Tonya's mother ( Jamie' s little g/f is Tonya). She wants to know if Jamie is home because Tonya isn't home yet and they are freaking - seems they have been out looking for her since 11. I told her I would ask Jamie and call her back, I shake him awake with great difficulty and all he says is "She should be home, she was walking home". Then he rolled over and went back to sleep! Selfish little prick wasn't the least bit worried that his g/f wasn't home and it was the middle of the night. I called her mom and told her where they were hanging around and if she wasn't home in half an hour to call me back. One o'clock the phone rings again. Tonya's mom again, she still isn't home. BT and I got in the car and start looking for her, about 1:20 we are driving past her house and there she is walking up the driveway. So we pull into the driveway and I get out and start to talk to her. At that point, her parents come out and Tonya goes in. What a wonderful way to meet her parents, I mean I've talked to them on the phone but never in person. Grand, just grand. Very nice people that I like very much and this is the first time we've actually been able to compare notes on our monsters. It's kind of scary just how alike Jamie and Tonya are but at least now her mom and I have the beginnings of good contact becaues it doesn't look like the relationship is going to end anytime soon. *sigh* BT keeps asking if he can "kill Jamie just a little" lol.
The only other interesting thing to happen is that I'm going to be in a "focus group" tomorrow. It's probably going to be about politics but hey what the hell, they are going to pay me $75 to sit there for an hour and a half and talk lol. I think I can do that.
Friday, September 24, 2004
Monday, September 20, 2004
Weekend update
Well, I got to visit with some friends I hadn't seen in a long time, had a good long talk comparing rotten son stories lol. I spent some time looking for apartments out there and I may have found one that I can afford. Visited my grandma and she's doing good. The finger that she broke a few months ago didn't heal right and now she has to get it re-broken or it may affect the fingers on either side. Grandma understandibly squeemish about the breaking the finger thing, hell so am I!
Jamie was Jamie again this weekend. Saturday night when I was leaving for Oshawa his girlfriend Tonya shows up and says that Jamie borrowed her bike in the afternoon to go the store and never came back. It was 9 at night and that poor girl was standing outside my gate in the dark waiting for Jamie to come back here with her bike. Well, I got pissed off at him and to tell you the truth, tired of waiting for him - I still had an hour and a half drive ahead of me - so I went without Jamie. What I didn't know is that Jamie had lost his key again, so when I locked the door and left, he was locked out. Didn't seem to bother him when he was sleeping wherever while he had "left home" but when I got home yesterday all I heard was plaintive wailing about how I had locked him out and he had to find somewhere else to sleep. Like I'm supposed to wait twiddling my thumbs until who knows how late at night before making a long drive. *sigh* I just can't win. Oh and when I ask Jamie about Tonya's bike he says "someone else took it and I don't know who but it doesn't matter cuz it's not my bike anyways" Not his bike - my god. Makes me just wanna smack him one, not that I did mind you, but oooooo how I wanted to. I can feel new grey hair coming up as I write - that girls parents are going to be calling me again.
Jamie was Jamie again this weekend. Saturday night when I was leaving for Oshawa his girlfriend Tonya shows up and says that Jamie borrowed her bike in the afternoon to go the store and never came back. It was 9 at night and that poor girl was standing outside my gate in the dark waiting for Jamie to come back here with her bike. Well, I got pissed off at him and to tell you the truth, tired of waiting for him - I still had an hour and a half drive ahead of me - so I went without Jamie. What I didn't know is that Jamie had lost his key again, so when I locked the door and left, he was locked out. Didn't seem to bother him when he was sleeping wherever while he had "left home" but when I got home yesterday all I heard was plaintive wailing about how I had locked him out and he had to find somewhere else to sleep. Like I'm supposed to wait twiddling my thumbs until who knows how late at night before making a long drive. *sigh* I just can't win. Oh and when I ask Jamie about Tonya's bike he says "someone else took it and I don't know who but it doesn't matter cuz it's not my bike anyways" Not his bike - my god. Makes me just wanna smack him one, not that I did mind you, but oooooo how I wanted to. I can feel new grey hair coming up as I write - that girls parents are going to be calling me again.
Friday, September 17, 2004
Call from Potsie
Just got a call from the ex (Potsie) - seems that they are scared of the bad weather down there in the US of A and they are postponing their trip til next weekend maybe. He also wants to talk to me about Jamie. Hmmm wonder what that is about, hope he doesn't think that his support is going to be any less because Jamie doesn't want to go to his house. Hell, he's only paying 250 a month for two kids so I think he's getting off light. Hopefully, he doesn't bring his fiance with him when he wants to have this talk with me, I HATE it when he does that. Things to do with the kids are between me and him and not me and THEM. Not that I have anything against her and I have been really really reasonable. LOL My friends say that I"m up of the Ex of the Year Award - they've had me over for dinner, I've had her daughter stay the night here a few times, I helped them pack and move. I just don't like having conversations about the kids with her there. Call me picky.
A weekend away
Well, diddly squat happening over here. Katie is packing for her weekend in New York City with her dad, his fiance and her kid. I'm sure they'll have a very good time. BT is working this weekend in my old hometown so I'm going with him and I'm going to spend the day visiting friends while he is working. Think I'll go visit my grandma while I'm there, she's 82 and I haven't seen her in a few weeks. I'm always worried about her, she's fallen a few times and I always worry when I don't hear from her.
Thursday, September 16, 2004
whadya know
Woo hoo it worked. I've figured out how to post a picture so now I can bore you(all two of you lol) with pictures.
Muggy
Well yesterday was incredibly muggy and humid not that that stopped me from doing things around here. I've decided that the house was awfully manky so I've started a major clean up. First was the garbage round-up - I made the kids get all the garbage out of their room, gathered up all the boxes etc and so far I've rounded up 7 bags of trash - where was it all hiding???
Did four loads of laundry - again a result of making the kids clean their rooms. I should take pictures so that maybe I could embarass them into cleaning them somewhat more often. Potsie the Ex called and asked me two things - if he can take Katie to Florida for a week in October at Thanksgiving and if he can take her to New York this weekend to visit one of his auntie who is very ill and probably won't live much longer. I've agreed to this weekend - how can I say no really - a dying relative and if I don't let her go I'm the bad guy. I don't know about Thanksgiving though - depends on her school work I suppose. Based on last years performance, she needs all the classroom time she can.
I got a call last night from Jamie's Army Cadet Corps. He has cadets tonight and surprise surprise he's be made a section leader and he's supposed to be contacting other cadets to inform them of the dress code in the weeks to come. Surprised Jamie as well lol. Well Jamie has decided he doesn't want to ever go to Potsie's house anymore since (his words) he hates his fathers fiance. Sooooo Jamie won't have his uniform for parade tonight - that should go down well. NOT. Funny how his sister never seems to have this problem - she is in Sea Cadets and she always has her uniform and is lookin spiffy whenever required. Hell she even went and bought herself a reusable lint roller to make sure she isn't going to parade covered in cat hair (the cats LOOOOVVVVEEEE her dark uniform for some reason lol).
Well, I'm off to do another huge round of laundry lalalalalala.
Did four loads of laundry - again a result of making the kids clean their rooms. I should take pictures so that maybe I could embarass them into cleaning them somewhat more often. Potsie the Ex called and asked me two things - if he can take Katie to Florida for a week in October at Thanksgiving and if he can take her to New York this weekend to visit one of his auntie who is very ill and probably won't live much longer. I've agreed to this weekend - how can I say no really - a dying relative and if I don't let her go I'm the bad guy. I don't know about Thanksgiving though - depends on her school work I suppose. Based on last years performance, she needs all the classroom time she can.
I got a call last night from Jamie's Army Cadet Corps. He has cadets tonight and surprise surprise he's be made a section leader and he's supposed to be contacting other cadets to inform them of the dress code in the weeks to come. Surprised Jamie as well lol. Well Jamie has decided he doesn't want to ever go to Potsie's house anymore since (his words) he hates his fathers fiance. Sooooo Jamie won't have his uniform for parade tonight - that should go down well. NOT. Funny how his sister never seems to have this problem - she is in Sea Cadets and she always has her uniform and is lookin spiffy whenever required. Hell she even went and bought herself a reusable lint roller to make sure she isn't going to parade covered in cat hair (the cats LOOOOVVVVEEEE her dark uniform for some reason lol).
Well, I'm off to do another huge round of laundry lalalalalala.
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Booklist
It's a huuuuugggggeeeee list but kinda fun.
Books
Instructions: Bold those you've read, italicize those started but not finished, add three of your own, and post to your blog!
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. 1984, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Susskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie
101. Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
103. The Beach, Alex Garland
104. Dracula, Bram Stoker
105. Point Blanc, Anthony Horowitz
016. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
107. Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz
108. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
109. The Day Of The Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
110. The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson
111. Jude The Obscure, Thomas Hardy
112. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 1/2, Sue Townsend
113. The Cruel Sea, Nicholas Monsarrat
114. Les Miserables, Victor Hugo
115. The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy
116. The Dare Game, Jacqueline Wilson
117. Bad Girls, Jacqueline Wilson
118. The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
119. Shogun, James Clavell
120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
121. Lola Rose, Jacqueline Wilson
122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
125. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
127. Angus, Thongs And Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
128. The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A. S. Byatt
130. The Master And Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
131. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
132. Danny The Champion Of The World, Roald Dahl
133. East Of Eden, John Steinbeck
134. George’s Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
136. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
137. Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
138. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
139. Girls In Tears, Jacqueline Wilson
140. Sleepovers, Jacqueline Wilson
141. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
142. Behind The Scenes At The Museum, Kate Atkinson
143. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O’Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
154. Atonement, Ian McEwan
155. Secrets, Jacqueline Wilson
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
157. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey
158. Heart Of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
164. The Shipping News, Annie Proulx
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
166. Lorna Doone, R. D. Blackmore
167. Girls Out Late, Jacqueline Wilson
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
170. Charlotte’s Web, E. B. White
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
173. The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway
174. The Name Of The Rose, Umberto Eco
175. Sophie’s World, Jostein Gaarder
176. Dustbin Baby, Jacqueline Wilson
177. Fantastic Mr. Fox, Roald Dahl
178. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
179. Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Richard Bach
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
181. The Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
183. The Power Of One, Bryce Courtenay
184. Silas Marner, George Eliot
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
186. The Diary Of A Nobody, George and Weedon Gross-mith
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
189. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
190. Sons And Lovers, D. H. Lawrence
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
192. Man And Boy, Tony Parsons
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
194. The War Of The Worlds, H. G. Wells
195. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
198. The Once And Future King, T. H. White
199. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
200. Flowers In The Attic, Virginia Andrews
201. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
202. The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan
203. The Great Hunt, Robert Jordan
204. The Dragon Reborn, Robert Jordan
205. Fires of Heaven, Robert Jordan
206. Lord of Chaos, Robert Jordan
207. Winter’s Heart, Robert Jordan
208. A Crown of Swords, Robert Jordan
209. Crossroads of Twilight, Robert Jordan
210. A Path of Daggers, Robert Jordan
211. As Nature Made Him, John Colapinto
212. Microserfs, Douglas Coupland
213. The Married Man, Edmund White
214. Winter’s Tale, Mark Helprin
215. The History of Sexuality, Michel Foucault
216. Cry to Heaven, Anne Rice
217. Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe, John Boswell
218. Equus, Peter Shaffer
219. The Man Who Ate Everything, Jeffrey Steingarten
220. Letters To A Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
221. Ella Minnow Pea, Mark Dunn
222. The Vampire Lestat, Anne Rice
223. Anthem, Ayn Rand
224. The Bridge To Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
225. Tartuffe, Moliere
226. The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
227. The Crucible, Arthur Miller
228. The Trial, Franz Kafka
229. Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
230. Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles
231. Death Be Not Proud, John Gunther
232. A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen
233. Hedda Gabler, Henrik Ibsen
234. Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton
235. A Raisin In The Sun, Lorraine Hansberry
236. ALIVE!, Piers Paul Read
237. Grapefruit, Yoko Ono
238. Trickster Makes This World, Lewis Hyde
240. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
241. Chronicles of Thomas Convenant, Unbeliever, Stephen Donaldson
242. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
242. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon
243. Summerland, Michael Chabon
244. A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
245. Candide, Voltaire
246. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, Roald Dahl
247. Ringworld, Larry Niven
248. The King Must Die, Mary Renault
249. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein
250. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L’Engle
251. The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde
252. The House Of The Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne
253. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne
254. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
255. The Great Gilly Hopkins, Katherine Paterson
256. Chocolate Fever, Robert Kimmel Smith
257. Xanth: The Quest for Magic, Piers Anthony
258. The Lost Princess of Oz, L. Frank Baum
259. Wonder Boys, Michael Chabon
260. Lost In A Good Book, Jasper Fforde
261. Well Of Lost Plots, Jasper Fforde
262. Life Of Pi, Yann Martel
263. The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolve
r264. A Yellow Rraft In Blue Water, Michael Dorris
265. Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder
267. Where The Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls
268. Griffin & Sabine, Nick Bantock
269. Witch of Blackbird Pond, Joyce Friedland
270. Mrs. Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH, Robert C. O’Brien
271. Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt
272. The Cay, Theodore Taylor
273. From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg
274. The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
275. The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
276. The Kitchen God’s Wife, Amy Tan
277. The Bone Setter’s Daughter, Amy Tan
278. Relic, Duglas Preston & Lincolon Child
279. Wicked, Gregory Maguire
280. American Gods, Neil Gaiman
281. Misty of Chincoteague, Marguerite Henry
282. The Girl Next Door, Jack Ketchum
283. Haunted, Judith St. George
284. Singularity, William Sleator
285. A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson
286. Different Seasons, Stephen King
287. Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk
288. About a Boy, Nick Hornby
289. The Bookman’s Wake, John Dunning
290. The Church of Dead Girls, Stephen Dobyns
291. Illusions, Richard Bach
292. Magic’s Pawn, Mercedes Lackey
293. Magic’s Promise, Mercedes Lackey
294. Magic’s Price, Mercedes Lackey
295. The Dancing Wu Li Masters, Gary Zukav
296. Spirits of Flux and Anchor, Jack L. Chalker
297. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
298. The Encyclopedia of Unusual Sex Practices, Brenda Love
299. Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace.
300. The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
.301. The Cider House Rules, John Irving.
302. Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
303. Girlfriend in a Coma, Douglas Coupland
304. The Lion’s Game, Nelson Demille
305. The Sun, The Moon, and the Stars, Stephen Brust
306. Cyteen, C. J. Cherryh
307. Foucault’s Pendulum, Umberto Eco
308. Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson
309. Invisible Monsters, Chuck Palahniuk
310. Camber of Culdi, Kathryn Kurtz
311. The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
312. War and Rememberance, Herman Wouk
313. The Art of War, Sun Tzu
314. The Giver, Lois Lowry
315. The Telling, Ursula Le Guin
316. Xenogenesis (or Lilith’s Brood), Octavia Butler
317. A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold
318. The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold
319. The Aeneid, Publius Vergilius Maro (Vergil)
320. Hanta Yo, Ruth Beebe Hill
321. The Princess Bride, S. Morganstern (or William Goldman)
322. Beowulf, Anonymous
323. The Sparrow, Maria Doria Russell
324. Deerskin, Robin McKinley
325. Dragonsong, Anne McCaffrey
326. Passage, Connie Willis
327. Otherland, Tad Williams
328. Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay
329. Number the Stars, Lois Lowry
330. Beloved, Toni Morrison
331. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore
332. The mysterious disappearance of Leon, I mean Noel, Ellen Raskin
333. Summer Sisters, Judy Blume
334. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo
335. The Island on Bird Street, Uri Orlev
336. Midnight in the Dollhouse, Marjorie Filley Stover
337. The Miracle Worker, William Gibson
338. The Genesis Code, John Case
339. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevensen
340. Paradise Lost, John Milton
341. Phantom, Susan Kay
342. The Mummy or Ramses the Damned, Anne Rice
343. Anno Dracula, Kim Newman
344: The Dresden Files: Grave Peril, Jim Butcher
345: Tokyo Suckerpunch, Issac Adamson
346: The Winter of Magic’s Return, Pamela Service
347: The Oddkins, Dean R. Koontz
348. My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok
349. The Last Goodbye, Raymond Chandler
350. At Swim, Two Boys, Jaime O’Neill
351. Othello, by William Shakespeare
352. The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas
353. The Collected Poems of William Butler Yeats
354. Sati, Christopher Pike
355. The Inferno, Dante
356. The Apology, Plato
357. The Small Rain, Madeline L’Engle
358. The Man Who Tasted Shapes, Richard E Cytowick
359. 5 Novels, Daniel Pinkwater
360. The Sevenwaters Trilogy, Juliet Marillier
361. Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
362. To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
363. Our Town, Thorton Wilder
364. Green Grass Running Water, Thomas King
365. The Interpreter, Suzanne Glass
366. The Moor’s Last Sigh, Salman Rushdie
367. The Mother Tongue, Bill Bryson
368. A Passage to India, E.M. Forster
369. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
370. The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux
371. Pages for You, Sylvia Brownrigg
372. The Changeover, Margaret Mahy
373. Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
374. Angels and Demons, Dan Brown
375. Johnny Got His Gun, Dalton Trumbo
376. Shosha, Isaac Bashevis Singer
377. Travels With Charley, John Steinbeck
378. The Diving-bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
379. The Lunatic at Large by J. Storer Clouston
380. Time for Bed by David Baddie
l381. Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
382. Quite Ugly One Morning by Christopher Brookmyre
383. The Bloody Sun by Marion Zimmer Bradley
384. Sewer, Gas, and Eletric by Matt Ruff
385. Jhereg by Steven Brust
386. So You Want To Be A Wizard by Diane Duane
387. Perdido Street Station, China Mieville
388. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte
389. Road-side Dog, Czeslaw Milosz
390. The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje
391. Neuromancer, William Gibson
392. The Epistemology of the Closet, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick
393. A Canticle for Liebowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr
394. The Mask of Apollo, Mary Renault
395. The Gunslinger, Stephen King
396. Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
397. Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke
398. A Season of Mists, Neil Gaiman
399. Ivanhoe, Walter Scott
400. The God Boy, Ian Cross
401. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, Laurie R. King
402. Finn Family Moomintroll, Tove Jansson
403. Misery, Stephen King
404. Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters
405. Hood, Emma Donoghue
406. The Land of Spices, Kate O’Brien
407. The Diary of Anne Frank
408. Regeneration, Pat Barker
409. Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald
410. Dreaming in Cuban, Cristina Garcia
411. A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway
412. The View from Saturday, E.L. Konigsburg
413. Dealing with Dragons, Patricia Wrede
414. Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss
415. A Severed Wasp - Madeleine L’Engle
416. Here Be Dragons - Sharon Kay Penman
417. The Mabinogion (Ancient Welsh Tales) - translated by Lady Charlotte E. Guest
418. The DaVinci Code - Dan Brown
419. Desire of the Everlasting Hills - Thomas Cahill
420. The Cloister Walk - Kathleen Norris
421. The Things We Carried, Tim O’Brien
422. I Know This Much Is True, Wally Lamb
423. Choke, Chuck Palahniuk
424. Ender’s Shadow, Orson Scott Card
425. The Memory of Earth, Orson Scott Card
426. The Iron Tower, Dennis L. McKiernen
427.The French Lieutenant's Woman, John Fowles
428. The Four Feathers, A.E.W. Mason
429. The Jester, James Patterson
430. Cry the beloved Country, Alan Paton
431. The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
432. The Stranger, Albert Camus
433. Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
434. The Fuck-Up, Arthur Nersesian
435. Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe
436. Four Fires, Bryce Courtenay
437. One Door Away From Heaven, Dean Koontz
438. Blue Horizon, Wilbur Smith
439. Arrows of the Queen, Mercedes Lackey
440. By the Sword, Mercedes Lackey
441. Deja Dead, Kathy Reichs
442. Dragonsinger, Anne McCaffrey
443. Dragondrums, Anne McCaffrey
444. X-factor, Andre Norton
Books
Instructions: Bold those you've read, italicize those started but not finished, add three of your own, and post to your blog!
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. 1984, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Susskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie
101. Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
103. The Beach, Alex Garland
104. Dracula, Bram Stoker
105. Point Blanc, Anthony Horowitz
016. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
107. Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz
108. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
109. The Day Of The Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
110. The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson
111. Jude The Obscure, Thomas Hardy
112. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 1/2, Sue Townsend
113. The Cruel Sea, Nicholas Monsarrat
114. Les Miserables, Victor Hugo
115. The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy
116. The Dare Game, Jacqueline Wilson
117. Bad Girls, Jacqueline Wilson
118. The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
119. Shogun, James Clavell
120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
121. Lola Rose, Jacqueline Wilson
122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
125. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
127. Angus, Thongs And Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
128. The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A. S. Byatt
130. The Master And Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
131. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
132. Danny The Champion Of The World, Roald Dahl
133. East Of Eden, John Steinbeck
134. George’s Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
136. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
137. Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
138. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
139. Girls In Tears, Jacqueline Wilson
140. Sleepovers, Jacqueline Wilson
141. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
142. Behind The Scenes At The Museum, Kate Atkinson
143. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O’Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
154. Atonement, Ian McEwan
155. Secrets, Jacqueline Wilson
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
157. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey
158. Heart Of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
164. The Shipping News, Annie Proulx
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
166. Lorna Doone, R. D. Blackmore
167. Girls Out Late, Jacqueline Wilson
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
170. Charlotte’s Web, E. B. White
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
173. The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway
174. The Name Of The Rose, Umberto Eco
175. Sophie’s World, Jostein Gaarder
176. Dustbin Baby, Jacqueline Wilson
177. Fantastic Mr. Fox, Roald Dahl
178. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
179. Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Richard Bach
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
181. The Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
183. The Power Of One, Bryce Courtenay
184. Silas Marner, George Eliot
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
186. The Diary Of A Nobody, George and Weedon Gross-mith
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
189. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
190. Sons And Lovers, D. H. Lawrence
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
192. Man And Boy, Tony Parsons
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
194. The War Of The Worlds, H. G. Wells
195. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
198. The Once And Future King, T. H. White
199. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
200. Flowers In The Attic, Virginia Andrews
201. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
202. The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan
203. The Great Hunt, Robert Jordan
204. The Dragon Reborn, Robert Jordan
205. Fires of Heaven, Robert Jordan
206. Lord of Chaos, Robert Jordan
207. Winter’s Heart, Robert Jordan
208. A Crown of Swords, Robert Jordan
209. Crossroads of Twilight, Robert Jordan
210. A Path of Daggers, Robert Jordan
211. As Nature Made Him, John Colapinto
212. Microserfs, Douglas Coupland
213. The Married Man, Edmund White
214. Winter’s Tale, Mark Helprin
215. The History of Sexuality, Michel Foucault
216. Cry to Heaven, Anne Rice
217. Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe, John Boswell
218. Equus, Peter Shaffer
219. The Man Who Ate Everything, Jeffrey Steingarten
220. Letters To A Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
221. Ella Minnow Pea, Mark Dunn
222. The Vampire Lestat, Anne Rice
223. Anthem, Ayn Rand
224. The Bridge To Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
225. Tartuffe, Moliere
226. The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
227. The Crucible, Arthur Miller
228. The Trial, Franz Kafka
229. Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
230. Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles
231. Death Be Not Proud, John Gunther
232. A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen
233. Hedda Gabler, Henrik Ibsen
234. Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton
235. A Raisin In The Sun, Lorraine Hansberry
236. ALIVE!, Piers Paul Read
237. Grapefruit, Yoko Ono
238. Trickster Makes This World, Lewis Hyde
240. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley
241. Chronicles of Thomas Convenant, Unbeliever, Stephen Donaldson
242. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
242. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon
243. Summerland, Michael Chabon
244. A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
245. Candide, Voltaire
246. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, Roald Dahl
247. Ringworld, Larry Niven
248. The King Must Die, Mary Renault
249. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein
250. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L’Engle
251. The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde
252. The House Of The Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne
253. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne
254. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
255. The Great Gilly Hopkins, Katherine Paterson
256. Chocolate Fever, Robert Kimmel Smith
257. Xanth: The Quest for Magic, Piers Anthony
258. The Lost Princess of Oz, L. Frank Baum
259. Wonder Boys, Michael Chabon
260. Lost In A Good Book, Jasper Fforde
261. Well Of Lost Plots, Jasper Fforde
262. Life Of Pi, Yann Martel
263. The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolve
r264. A Yellow Rraft In Blue Water, Michael Dorris
265. Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder
267. Where The Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls
268. Griffin & Sabine, Nick Bantock
269. Witch of Blackbird Pond, Joyce Friedland
270. Mrs. Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH, Robert C. O’Brien
271. Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt
272. The Cay, Theodore Taylor
273. From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg
274. The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
275. The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
276. The Kitchen God’s Wife, Amy Tan
277. The Bone Setter’s Daughter, Amy Tan
278. Relic, Duglas Preston & Lincolon Child
279. Wicked, Gregory Maguire
280. American Gods, Neil Gaiman
281. Misty of Chincoteague, Marguerite Henry
282. The Girl Next Door, Jack Ketchum
283. Haunted, Judith St. George
284. Singularity, William Sleator
285. A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson
286. Different Seasons, Stephen King
287. Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk
288. About a Boy, Nick Hornby
289. The Bookman’s Wake, John Dunning
290. The Church of Dead Girls, Stephen Dobyns
291. Illusions, Richard Bach
292. Magic’s Pawn, Mercedes Lackey
293. Magic’s Promise, Mercedes Lackey
294. Magic’s Price, Mercedes Lackey
295. The Dancing Wu Li Masters, Gary Zukav
296. Spirits of Flux and Anchor, Jack L. Chalker
297. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
298. The Encyclopedia of Unusual Sex Practices, Brenda Love
299. Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace.
300. The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
.301. The Cider House Rules, John Irving.
302. Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
303. Girlfriend in a Coma, Douglas Coupland
304. The Lion’s Game, Nelson Demille
305. The Sun, The Moon, and the Stars, Stephen Brust
306. Cyteen, C. J. Cherryh
307. Foucault’s Pendulum, Umberto Eco
308. Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson
309. Invisible Monsters, Chuck Palahniuk
310. Camber of Culdi, Kathryn Kurtz
311. The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
312. War and Rememberance, Herman Wouk
313. The Art of War, Sun Tzu
314. The Giver, Lois Lowry
315. The Telling, Ursula Le Guin
316. Xenogenesis (or Lilith’s Brood), Octavia Butler
317. A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold
318. The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold
319. The Aeneid, Publius Vergilius Maro (Vergil)
320. Hanta Yo, Ruth Beebe Hill
321. The Princess Bride, S. Morganstern (or William Goldman)
322. Beowulf, Anonymous
323. The Sparrow, Maria Doria Russell
324. Deerskin, Robin McKinley
325. Dragonsong, Anne McCaffrey
326. Passage, Connie Willis
327. Otherland, Tad Williams
328. Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay
329. Number the Stars, Lois Lowry
330. Beloved, Toni Morrison
331. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore
332. The mysterious disappearance of Leon, I mean Noel, Ellen Raskin
333. Summer Sisters, Judy Blume
334. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo
335. The Island on Bird Street, Uri Orlev
336. Midnight in the Dollhouse, Marjorie Filley Stover
337. The Miracle Worker, William Gibson
338. The Genesis Code, John Case
339. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevensen
340. Paradise Lost, John Milton
341. Phantom, Susan Kay
342. The Mummy or Ramses the Damned, Anne Rice
343. Anno Dracula, Kim Newman
344: The Dresden Files: Grave Peril, Jim Butcher
345: Tokyo Suckerpunch, Issac Adamson
346: The Winter of Magic’s Return, Pamela Service
347: The Oddkins, Dean R. Koontz
348. My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok
349. The Last Goodbye, Raymond Chandler
350. At Swim, Two Boys, Jaime O’Neill
351. Othello, by William Shakespeare
352. The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas
353. The Collected Poems of William Butler Yeats
354. Sati, Christopher Pike
355. The Inferno, Dante
356. The Apology, Plato
357. The Small Rain, Madeline L’Engle
358. The Man Who Tasted Shapes, Richard E Cytowick
359. 5 Novels, Daniel Pinkwater
360. The Sevenwaters Trilogy, Juliet Marillier
361. Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
362. To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
363. Our Town, Thorton Wilder
364. Green Grass Running Water, Thomas King
365. The Interpreter, Suzanne Glass
366. The Moor’s Last Sigh, Salman Rushdie
367. The Mother Tongue, Bill Bryson
368. A Passage to India, E.M. Forster
369. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
370. The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux
371. Pages for You, Sylvia Brownrigg
372. The Changeover, Margaret Mahy
373. Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
374. Angels and Demons, Dan Brown
375. Johnny Got His Gun, Dalton Trumbo
376. Shosha, Isaac Bashevis Singer
377. Travels With Charley, John Steinbeck
378. The Diving-bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
379. The Lunatic at Large by J. Storer Clouston
380. Time for Bed by David Baddie
l381. Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
382. Quite Ugly One Morning by Christopher Brookmyre
383. The Bloody Sun by Marion Zimmer Bradley
384. Sewer, Gas, and Eletric by Matt Ruff
385. Jhereg by Steven Brust
386. So You Want To Be A Wizard by Diane Duane
387. Perdido Street Station, China Mieville
388. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte
389. Road-side Dog, Czeslaw Milosz
390. The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje
391. Neuromancer, William Gibson
392. The Epistemology of the Closet, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick
393. A Canticle for Liebowitz, Walter M. Miller, Jr
394. The Mask of Apollo, Mary Renault
395. The Gunslinger, Stephen King
396. Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare
397. Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke
398. A Season of Mists, Neil Gaiman
399. Ivanhoe, Walter Scott
400. The God Boy, Ian Cross
401. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, Laurie R. King
402. Finn Family Moomintroll, Tove Jansson
403. Misery, Stephen King
404. Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters
405. Hood, Emma Donoghue
406. The Land of Spices, Kate O’Brien
407. The Diary of Anne Frank
408. Regeneration, Pat Barker
409. Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald
410. Dreaming in Cuban, Cristina Garcia
411. A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway
412. The View from Saturday, E.L. Konigsburg
413. Dealing with Dragons, Patricia Wrede
414. Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss
415. A Severed Wasp - Madeleine L’Engle
416. Here Be Dragons - Sharon Kay Penman
417. The Mabinogion (Ancient Welsh Tales) - translated by Lady Charlotte E. Guest
418. The DaVinci Code - Dan Brown
419. Desire of the Everlasting Hills - Thomas Cahill
420. The Cloister Walk - Kathleen Norris
421. The Things We Carried, Tim O’Brien
422. I Know This Much Is True, Wally Lamb
423. Choke, Chuck Palahniuk
424. Ender’s Shadow, Orson Scott Card
425. The Memory of Earth, Orson Scott Card
426. The Iron Tower, Dennis L. McKiernen
427.The French Lieutenant's Woman, John Fowles
428. The Four Feathers, A.E.W. Mason
429. The Jester, James Patterson
430. Cry the beloved Country, Alan Paton
431. The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
432. The Stranger, Albert Camus
433. Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
434. The Fuck-Up, Arthur Nersesian
435. Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe
436. Four Fires, Bryce Courtenay
437. One Door Away From Heaven, Dean Koontz
438. Blue Horizon, Wilbur Smith
439. Arrows of the Queen, Mercedes Lackey
440. By the Sword, Mercedes Lackey
441. Deja Dead, Kathy Reichs
442. Dragonsinger, Anne McCaffrey
443. Dragondrums, Anne McCaffrey
444. X-factor, Andre Norton
Good news
On the good news front, I finally heard from the Anxiety Treatment centre and I start their group therapy for social anxiety in October. Woo hoo, maybe I'll be actually be normal again.
Pepper spray and high drama
So Jamie is still hanging around with his loser friends - something I didn't know until I was coming home from doing a little grocery shopping. There I amin the parking lot when I hear "hey Jamie's mom, Jamie's mom! Megan just pepper sprayed Jamie in the eyes!" Greeeeeeat.
Toddle off to the house I go (loaded with a shit load of heavy groceries) and I can hear Jamie yelling in the house. I dump the groceries and go upstairs and there is Jamie wearing only a towel with his whole face beet red telling me that Megan was trying to pepper spray his shirt and hit him in the eyes instead. Megan I should mention is 18 and has bad influence written all over her - she is the one who provides the rest with their pot and has a mouth that she really needs washed out with soap. Needless to say, I am NOT amused because as far as I know pepper spray is illegal unless you are a cop. Well, armed with this information, I head over to her house because I really think that her parents need to know what the hell the little bitch is up to. When I get to the scuzzy apartment building and buzz up she tells me that she is coming down and will talk to me. She informs me that she lives alone and that spraying Jamie was an accdent so I should just let it go. Let it go - she just sprayed my son in the eyes and I should just shrug my shoulders and say oh well. Then she tells me that she came into my HOUSE - I've already warned her not to come on my property because of an incident that happened at the beginning of the summer. Megan feels she has no responsibility for the the incident and that Jamie shouldn't have been in the way of the papper spray. Like Jamie doesn't have enough problems with his eyes - cripes he's had surgery once, had an eye patched for almost 4 years and has worn glasses since he was 2. I'm so paranoid about his eyes that this just sent me over the top. Then this little bitch tells me that I don't know my own son and that I TREAT HIM LIKE A DOG!!! oooooooooooooo last straw. Stomping home I come, fuming. BT is freaking that that little bitch had been in the house, the dog is barking and Jamie is still whining. I've had enough - I call the cops and they say they will send out a car.
Time passes - three hours to be exact. Finally, the cop shows up, listens to the story and tells me that pepper spray is NOT illegal since they sell it to hunters for bear protection but he would go to the scuzzy apartment and talk to her and her father (who she lives with) and warn her about the pepper spray. BT is furious that we can't charge her with trespassing for coming into the house without permission and the fact that Jamie was protecting Megan to the cop when Jamie had tried to get ME in trouble with the cops not even two weeks ago.
I was ready to just collapse after the cop left, I was just soooo exhausted but BT wanted to rage awhile bout the cops. lol He's convinced if Megan had been a GUY then the whole thing would have gone down differently - in BT's words "it's a woman's world".
Then last night, Jamie comes flying in the door and says "Evander's father wants to talk to you." Evander? Who the hell is Evander" (and btw, who names their kid Evander??) I come to the door and there is this TROLL of a man who immediately starts threatening Jamie and probably would have been yelling at me too if BT hadn't been standing behind me at the time. I can't believe this man threatened to beat Jamie up and then throw him in his TRUNK to take him to the police station because Jamie supposedly threw a stone at his son. God I need to move.
Toddle off to the house I go (loaded with a shit load of heavy groceries) and I can hear Jamie yelling in the house. I dump the groceries and go upstairs and there is Jamie wearing only a towel with his whole face beet red telling me that Megan was trying to pepper spray his shirt and hit him in the eyes instead. Megan I should mention is 18 and has bad influence written all over her - she is the one who provides the rest with their pot and has a mouth that she really needs washed out with soap. Needless to say, I am NOT amused because as far as I know pepper spray is illegal unless you are a cop. Well, armed with this information, I head over to her house because I really think that her parents need to know what the hell the little bitch is up to. When I get to the scuzzy apartment building and buzz up she tells me that she is coming down and will talk to me. She informs me that she lives alone and that spraying Jamie was an accdent so I should just let it go. Let it go - she just sprayed my son in the eyes and I should just shrug my shoulders and say oh well. Then she tells me that she came into my HOUSE - I've already warned her not to come on my property because of an incident that happened at the beginning of the summer. Megan feels she has no responsibility for the the incident and that Jamie shouldn't have been in the way of the papper spray. Like Jamie doesn't have enough problems with his eyes - cripes he's had surgery once, had an eye patched for almost 4 years and has worn glasses since he was 2. I'm so paranoid about his eyes that this just sent me over the top. Then this little bitch tells me that I don't know my own son and that I TREAT HIM LIKE A DOG!!! oooooooooooooo last straw. Stomping home I come, fuming. BT is freaking that that little bitch had been in the house, the dog is barking and Jamie is still whining. I've had enough - I call the cops and they say they will send out a car.
Time passes - three hours to be exact. Finally, the cop shows up, listens to the story and tells me that pepper spray is NOT illegal since they sell it to hunters for bear protection but he would go to the scuzzy apartment and talk to her and her father (who she lives with) and warn her about the pepper spray. BT is furious that we can't charge her with trespassing for coming into the house without permission and the fact that Jamie was protecting Megan to the cop when Jamie had tried to get ME in trouble with the cops not even two weeks ago.
I was ready to just collapse after the cop left, I was just soooo exhausted but BT wanted to rage awhile bout the cops. lol He's convinced if Megan had been a GUY then the whole thing would have gone down differently - in BT's words "it's a woman's world".
Then last night, Jamie comes flying in the door and says "Evander's father wants to talk to you." Evander? Who the hell is Evander" (and btw, who names their kid Evander??) I come to the door and there is this TROLL of a man who immediately starts threatening Jamie and probably would have been yelling at me too if BT hadn't been standing behind me at the time. I can't believe this man threatened to beat Jamie up and then throw him in his TRUNK to take him to the police station because Jamie supposedly threw a stone at his son. God I need to move.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
