Boring Bedsores and Birthday Bashes

I've spent the last few days flat out in the recliner with an "itis" of some sort. Probably the bronch and sinus kind (at least) so I've watched tons and tons and tons of TV. Mostly just half of shows though as I tend to drift off in the middles. I watched a show about life in Iraq...all subtitled, Little Miss Sunshine, The Girl in the Cafe, Some Chinese docudrama with subtitles, Bud Greenspans Olympic something or other...a whole bunch of times, Some kind of dwarf show called the Littlest Mom, there were smatterings of Star wars type things and Indiana Jones movies and the Matrix and other things I normally wouldn't watch but was too tired to get to the "clicker". Anyway, it's a wonder I don't have a bedsore. I feel somewhat better now. Mom came over last night and made us a birthday supper for Mark. I had every intention of making it but didn't really feel up to it yet. It was good, although I can't taste anything yet so I go by the fact that my mom makes everything good. Mark had to work all night and when supper was over there were kids playing Rock Band and I let them sing me to sleep. So, another wild night at the McCurdy household.

Study On THIS!

This article from SWNEBR News 50 million year old spider brought 'back to life' A 50-million-year-old fossilised spider has been brought back to life in stunning 3D by a scientist at The University of Manchester. In a paper published in the latest issue of the Zootaxa journal, Dr David Penney and co-authors from Ghent University in Belgium report on the use of a technique called ‘Very High Resolution X-Ray Computed Tomography’ (VHR-CT) to ‘digitally dissect’ tiny fossils and reveal the preservation of internal organs. Dr Penney, from The School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (SEAES), specialises in studying spiders trapped and preserved in amber tens of millions of years ago. The male spider studied in his latest paper is a new species named Cenotextricella simoni. It is around 53-million years old and was found preserved in amber in an area of France known as the Paris Basin. This is the first time the VHR-CT technique has been used to digitally dissect a fossil in amber – and Dr Penney says it has the potential to ‘revolutionise’ their study. The VHR-CT technique was originally developed for medical diagnostic purposes. Dr Penney said: “This technique essentially generates full 3D reconstructions of minute fossils and permits digital dissection of the specimen to reveal the preservation of internal organs. “Up until recently the only place to do such scans was at The University of Texas, although they never achieved results like these. “My colleagues in the department of Subatomic and Radiation Physics at Ghent University in Belgium have significantly increased the resolution of the technology, bringing some quite amazing results. “This is definitely the way forward for the study of amber fossils. “Amber provides a unique window into past forest ecosystems. It retains an incredible amount of information, not just about the spiders themselves, but also about the environment in which they lived.” Dr Penney is currently spending an indefinite period in the African jungle in a ‘living laboratory' studying spiders. Earlier this year, a species of spider which dates back more than 20 million years was named after Dr Penney. The amber-encased spider which was discovered deep in a Mexican mine is thought to have lived long before the first humans. It was found by a Mexican researcher who earned the right to name the species and he chose the name ‘Episinus penneyi’ in honour of his former colleague. Okay...this guy SPECIALIZES IN studying spiders trapped and preserved in amber tens of millions of years ago. WTF?? and I'm worried about what MY kids are going to study in school. Let me say this...is my kid came home on Christmas break and said she wanted to specialize in studying spiders trapped and preserved in amber tends of millions of years old I would slap her. and then...I would say...why don't you just get married. ha ha

Well...Hell!

Which jobs have highest rate of depression? Report says personal care, restaurant industries suffer worst cases of blues WASHINGTON - People who tend to the elderly, change diapers and serve up food and drinks have the highest rates of depression among U.S. workers. Workers who prepare and serve food — cooks, bartenders, waiters and waitresses — had the second highest rate of depression among full-time employees at 10.3 percent. In a tie for third were health care workers and social workers at 9.6 percent. Most of the women I know are food servers and diaper changers along with their career. Like...is there a choice in that anyway??

Death Row Ribs but I forgot the PRISON WINE!

Well, it's the fourth of July and I haven't even been to the fireworks stand. Instead, I made BBQ sauce for ribs that KICKS ASS. I found a recipe called something like...Death Row Bourbon Sauce and after making it this morning I can honestly say I love it so much I want to eat it on cereal. Of course it has bourbon in it and NO I did not even have one nip. Not after last night. ha ha We went out to celebrate a birthday with some friends last night. Actually cousins...Cindy and Shelly and the birthday girl...Kristy and her friend Lisa. The bar was smoky, hot and actually pretty full of other local drinkers celebrators. Mark and I don't go there too much because frankly I am a wuss when it comes to smoke anymore. I can't stand it. But it was fun to go out for once and I drank FAT TIRE beers in bottles...because you just never know how clean a glass is...do you?? The birthday girl had many many many "shots" which come in huge glasses...not shot glasses...and the rest had beer, pop and some ate a mighty fine looking pizza. The night also involved a "fake bird" attached by a wire to the birthday girls shirt, a song called "There's a skeeter on my peter Whack it off! Whack it off!**clap clap", and various other tales too tall to retell. Well, must go...Alec tells me he can now play Mark's guitar...the intro to something or other. Keep your sparklers pointed high and come over and taste my sauce! note to self...must serve DEATH ROW BOURBON SAUCE RIBS with PRISON WINE next year!!

Not Enough Hours In A Weekend

I worked my ass off today. First I got the roll order ready (8 dozen assorted cinnamon rolls etc...) to be picked up my 8, then I made breakfast sandwiches for the whole fam damily and delivered them. Rode my bike to mom and dads to drop off their sandwiches, went home and I turned my dinky garden soil over with a shovel, dug up a new area for my onions, mowed the lawn in back, cleaned the damn stinking pond, picked farking weeds, swept the damn garage...again, washed clothes, hung them on the line, vacuumed, dusted, mopped the floors, thought about drinking beer but it was only 1pm. Made lunch, called mom, spray painted some hardware for my cupboard doors which NEED TO BE PUT BACK ON MARK!!!!~!~, moved my old swing, picked dandelions from between bricks, got Katie to go get 5 bags of cedar mulch (she a strong girl), I then replaced some of the mulch from last year with the fresh smelling new stuff, ate 5 sweet tarts, made Alec take out the trash, Andrew mow, took mom and dad a coke with ice, noticed dad has a bad loose cough now, got him some medicine, thought about life and how short it is, thought about how stressed out we are and how unhappy our home has been lately, talked with mom, went home, talked with Katie, Mark, the boys, tried to be upbeat and not tired, took a bath and then noticed everyone was GONE...baseball practice, swing choir singing (which I MISSED because I do not know ANYTHING!!!), planted onions, called mom again, checked my periannuals, watered them, laid down for a bit, did dishes, decided to make CRAB LEGS on the grill and we gorged, washed more farking dishes, thought about how much work there was to do for graduation (2 WEEKS PEOPLE!!!), drank a beer and wished for more. I'm sure there was more but who really gives A RATS ASS!!! ps...I need CALGON, BEER AND A BACK RUB!!

Cliff Notes on My Life

Took Dad to Kearney yesterday. He had a PET scan to see if the cancer is spreading into his bones or if his hypercalcemia is related to his hyperparathyroidism. Long day for him. When we got back I took a nap and then took apart our "computer" room. I even unplugged every plug that was filled...and probably screwed up our computer forever. I HAD to get into that mess and vacuum! I finished wallpapering in the laundry room too. I also finished up making Katie's graduation party announcements. They turned out cool. The laser printer at work is awesome! Anyway...now I'm late...gotta go.

We Are Home With Achievements In Hand

prom dress...DONE...but almost forgot it in the motel room shoes for the prom dress...DONE ...but not the shoes that I LOVED and totally matched her dress!! accessories for the prom dress...DONE...ehhhh Katie's testing for Chemistry, English and Spanish...DONE...forgot her calculator...shit tour of UNO Sports Medicine general studies area...DONE...although I was the only one doing the talking tour of student housing at UNO...DONE by drive by...at a FAST RATE OF SPEED I MIGHT ADD! Katie practiced driving in Omaha...DONE...though not forgotten...HOLY SHIT stay in your lane!! Watch out for THAT..!!! SEAT BELT SEAT BELT SEAT BELT!! FASTER!! SLOWER!!! Put down the cell phone!! AGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! POTHOLE POTHOLE...!!! GUTTER GUTTER!!! laser tag prowess achieved by the boys and one big big boy kids attended a PLAIN WHITE T'S concert...a first for all of them and although we threatened to attend...we didn't...ahhhh but we are aging...we regaled the youngsters with memories of our concert attending days...most recently PRINCE (much to the embaressment of our chillens) birthday present for Alec (13 on March 18th) bought and hidden

Now For Something Weird!

like it isn't always weird here... anywayy...I went into the bathroom, to take a bath and of course while I was running the water I was scrubbing the floor with Mark's drying towel. I hate hairs in the corners...don't you? And I just happened to notice what looked like a beer top laying by the overflowing trash can. I thought, "Hey! I haven't had a beer in here for EVER!" Then I thought..."HEY! who the hell's been drinking my beer??" and then I thought..."MARK!...then...nooooo....he doesn't take baths and he probably wouldn't drink beer in the shower...that leaves...ALEC! nooooo....he might want to try a beer but I don't think he is that keen on bathing sooo...ANDREW!! Yes, there may be my beer top popper...except...he has been trying to be on his VERY BEST because I'm sure he wants something...soooo...ah HA...KATIE!! Except I don't think she'd be dumb enough to leave evidence...only 2 last resorts....Pissin Petie or Pickles...the CAT! All these thought ran through my mind even as I stooped to pick up the bottle top. Just as I nabbed it, brought it up to look at...I dropped the damn thing...straight into the terlet. plop it went like a tiny turd. AGHHHHHHHHH I got the toilet brush and tried to get the cap out...without luck, I turned the handle over and poked and prodded until finally I got it close enough I could reach in with my fingertips and pick it out!! SUCCESS!! Yes by gosh it WAS a BEER cap...a ROOT BEER CAP!!!! geeze...so much for my idea of Pickles our cat getting "Pickled" or the reasoning behind Pissin Pete's name...

Birthday Girl and Memories

Katie will be 18 years old tomorrow. Sometimes it feels like it's been 28 years and then sometimes it seems like only a few years have passed since she made her early appearance. She was 3 weeks early. We weren't even in our home town of Norfolk. Mark and I went to Omaha for the weekend. Several of his family were to be there. Also we wanted to hear his brother in laws band THE JACKS play. What can we say...we were groupies and fans. We danced one or two songs...but my damn back hurt...duh. Guess I was in labor. My water broke in the motel that night, around 2 or so. We went into the hospital around 5 or 6 and Katie was born at 8. Luckily Mark's sister (an OB nurse) had arranged a Dr to take call for me. I bet she paid for that one for a long time!! Katie made her presence with a bit of help from some forceps. She was a conehead for awhile...and had jaundice but no real big problems. I remember that I was the first one from my lamaaze group to have a baby. I went back and talked to them after Katie was born. You know...to lie and say, Yah...this lamaaze thing REALLY WORKS!! You bet your ass it does!!

I'm Dreaming Of a Nap In a Car

Dad's birthday today. We had a ho down without the ho at the folks house tonight. Soup, Sandwiches, ROCKET INN PIZZA, a little Vino a little beer a lotta coffee. I embarrased my daughter! Yessasaaa! I told about how she knew how to whistle at age 2 months. Seriously. She would just sit in her wet diaper, dry diaper, morning, noon or night...entertaining herself...whistling and singing. She was a very easygoing child to take care of. Anyway...apparently this story was too much for her. Busy week this one. Monday...Katie...RVL Vocal Clinic 1:30, Concert 7:30 @ S.V. Alec, 2:30 PM Boys Junior High Basketball @ Eustis-Farnam Tuesday, TBA Katie...Girls Varsity Basketball @ Oberlin Tourney Thursday 2:30PM Alec... Boys Junior High Basketball @ Arapahoe Friday 2:30PM Andrew...Boys Varsity Wrestling RVL Cambridge TBA Katie, Girls Varsity Basketball @ Oberlin Tourney Saturday, Katie Speech at Southwest 8:00 Alec, Knights of Columbus Free Throw 10:00 Alec, 7/8 Boys SH Gym 11:00-12:30 Andrew, 12:00PM Boys Varsity Wrestling @ Bertrand Invite Katie, TBA Girls Varsity Basketball @ Oberlin Sunday, Alec, Basketball @ 4pm here This schedule doesn't include work, bathroom breaks or mental breakdowns.

2007...here we go now.

Brought in the New Year with family and friends at Town Talk. Mark was singing with the band called Cabin Fever and there was a nice sized crowd even with the crappy roads. It was good. I drank too much and danced too little. I did not make an ass out of my self for once...I don't think. Just kidding...I was a good girl...good and boring. Happy New Year.

Good times...Good times

Just got back from Iowa. Mark's mom had her 75th birthday and we all got together for a birthday/reunion/christmas bash. It was good times. We played dice for Christmas gifts, rolled for doubles for the grab bag gifts and generally taught the younguns how to gamble. It's never too early! We also watched the Nebraska Husker volleyball girls take the NATIONAL TITLE!!!! YAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I bet the Old Market was hopping Saturday night! good times...good times I went to Target and purchased a few minor el cheapo items one can't do without...like several teeny tiny tinsel trees that are very ugly and cost me only 1.00!! I will use them next year if I can find them again. I'm sooooo tired now I can't finish this post...more later

Just Gettin By:

Working, attending basketball games, wrestling meets, Dr. appointments, making baskets for the shop, chewing nails, wishing for thinness and world peace (in that order Santa), trying to teach the parrot to say, "Get the cawfee", shopping online and hoping for a before Christmas arrival, researching moody adolscent behavior and moody premenopausel behavior, thinking about exercising, longing for 2pm naps, dreading Christmas break, hoping to keep snow at bay, smelling ceder, wanting to watch The Effects of Radiation on Man on the Moon Marigolds again.

Barefoot and Wafering

I walk around barefoot in my living room and feel that I need to vacuum. Instead I go to the pantry, pull open the door and find 4 lemon wafer cookies, slam the door shut, take them to the table and eat them while I read my new book. Occasionally I take sips of Strawberries and Cream Diet Pepsi. I'm multi tasking this afternoon. I'm baking cookies for Katie to take on the bus tomorow and doing laundry AND eating lemon wafers. Our high school volleyball team made it to state and they play on Friday at 11 am in Pershing Auditorium. So...I'm baking chocolate chip and caramel apple cookies for the bus ride. Not the homemade mother of the year kind. No...these were the Oh Shit I forgot I needed to bake 3 dozen cookies for the blah blah blah school function kind...the kind you need right now and maybe yesterday. Frozen in neat little patties oven ready. I get then occasionally from one of my wholesalers for just such a crisis. I should be making supper but I can't figure out what to have tonight. Lemon wafers and Diet Pepsi loom on the horizen.

I just KNEW there was an explanation

for me being TIRED every morning!! "Sexsomniacs" puzzle medical researchers LONDON, Oct 25 (Reuters Life!) - Researchers are struggling to understand a rare medical condition where sufferers unknowingly demand, or actually have, sex while asleep, New Scientist magazine reported on Wednesday. Research into sexsomnia -- making sexual advances toward another person while asleep -- has been hampered as sufferers are so embarrassed by the problem they tend not to own up to it, while doctors do not ask about it. As yet there is no cure for the condition, which often leads to difficulties in relationships. "It really bothers me that I can't control it," Lisa Mahoney told the magazine. "It scares me because I don't think it has anything to do with the partner. I don't want this foolish condition to hurt us in the long run." Most researchers view sexsomnia as a variant of sleepwalking, where sufferers are stuck between sleep and wakefulness, though sexsomniacs tend to stay in bed rather than get up and walk about. While sleepwalking affects two to four percent of adults, sexsomnia is not thought to be as common a problem, according to Nik Trajanovic, a researcher at the sleep and alertness clinic at Canada's Toronto Western Hospital. But an Internet survey of sexsomniacs carried out in 2005 that drew 219 reliable respondents concluded it was more prevalent than medical case reports alone might suggest. "Most of the time sleep sex occurs between people who are already partners," Mark Pressman, a sleep specialist at Lankenan Hospital in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, told the New Scientist. "Sometimes they hate it," added Pressman of the reactions of sexsomniacs' partners. "Sometimes they tolerate it. On rare occasions you have stories of people liking it better than waking sex." With no cure, addressing triggering factors -- stress or sleep deprivation -- can help, while Michael Mangan, a psychologist at the University of New Hampshire in the U.S. has set up a Web site, www.sleepsex.org, to help sufferers. Meanwhile Trajanovic is devising a procedure for diagnosing sexsomnia in legal cases where sufferers have been accused of sexual assault.

Suzy Freakin Homemaker!

I did a few orders for the coffee shop and talked to a few salesmen (as usual)but mostly: I made lasagna, chocolate cake with chocolate peanut butter cream cheese frosting and frosted cinnamon rolls for HOME not the shop. T he veggies were green beans and sweet taters. Served with a hot roll(not mine but from the shop)of course! Amazing what not having to go to work all day does for me. I got several loads of laundry done. Some grocery shopping. I made a little baby lasagna for mom and dad to have for supper. I took a nap! I did dishes and thought about dusting but I didn't. The boys have a football game tomorrow in Blue Hill. It's the play offs. The weather is supposed to suck with wind, rain and cold stuff settling in. I hate that! I'm distracted and wanting to sleep now. Hibernation is setting in...yawn

Writing in my Spare Time

It's almost 3 am and I'm still awake. Too many thoughts spinning around and too much diet Pepsi late at night. We went to Kearney today to Dad's oncologist. I guess that's on my mind. We have a few options to discuss all of which are not the best...but it's come to that I guess. We can (1) start chemo again, (2) see a thoracic surgeon for a procedure that involves many days in the hospital, chest tubes, drains and the "scarring" of the pleural space of the lungs, or (3) we can go along like we have been. In other news...we remain so very busy with the kids and their activities that it boggles the mind. Alec has his last junior high football game tomorrow...away of course...in the Arctic cirle. He is hoping in fact SURE they are going to kick butt and win this game! Andrew's junior varsity football is done (they had a disappointing season but I felt that Andrew improved in each game so that was a plus. The varsity football game is away on Friday and we need to post a win. Katie has volleyball games left for awhile and I'm glad. I love volleyball and we have a good little team...Katie has done a great job this year and we are proud of her. Funny...it won't be long and it will be time for basketball. The time is going by so fast now. The dinner theater is this weekend already. It's Cinderella. Katie is the Queen...although she would have been a perfect wicked stepmother and I think she actually got that part but she wanted someone else to have it...so...ta dahhh...she is the Queen and Andrew is...hmmmm...what we call a "village person". He is an extra and all I know he must do is...waltz with someone. He won't tell me who and he won't let me help him. Because as you all know...I'M TOOPID! and UNCOOL!! (mental note...must order flowers for opening night) Well, I better try to sleep...only 2 hours till I have to get up and MAKE THE DONUTS! Powered by Castpost

Don't Call Me Three Fingered Loui...yet

What I Did Today Went to church...Let the trumpets blow! And most people recognized me! Almost fell asleep in church...But didn't! Sang off key in church...But quietly. Wore a completely ugly outfit including short pants and long sleeved shirt and looked totally super stupid...But at least my pants fit around my barrel shaped waist. Cleaned my fridge out after finding out IT DOESN'T WORK ANYMORE! joy Went to the shop and discovered that my swirly/shake fridge door had been left partially open since Saturday and THREW OUT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF GOODS! joy On a happy side note if there is a happy to this...I was able to thoroughly clean the fridge when it was empty...Both of them. shit Bumped my head HARD on the freezer door...But didn't cut it quite wide open. Cut my hand on the ceiling fan....No not because I was doing something fun either...But didn't chop them off or bleed too much Cleaned the top of my home fridge off...and then...because I was that high in the air...cleaned the sofet on top of my kitchen cupboards which was a TREAT!! Top it off with insomnia and you have a good share of my day so far.

Hell Is A Stich in Time

I've been doing counted cross stich tonight. We (Shirley k's and Mark's pharmacy employees) are making a quilt for one of the preggo pharmacists. Only 1 or 2 know how to cross stich. The quilt should hold together really well. I personally have developed carpel tunnel just tonight. I'm done now. Not with the square...GOD no...not that. I will probably have to redo the whole damn thing. I mean do Teddy bears really ride on Geese anyways? Is that a happy little baby quilt subject?? A big ass Teddy bear with sharp claws riding a soft downy goose? I don't think so. I gotta go cuz there is a show on tourettes syndrome now $#%#^!!

My Favorite Pics from Old Fashioned Saturday Night!

Some Things That Have Been Going On: Seems like it's been a long week. Volleyball... a triangular that the girls won...but kept me on the edge with a slow start losing the first set and having to come from behind to take the victory. Football...the varsity boys were playing in Antarctica on Friday and lost. Andrew got in the game and made a block. I really never expected him to get into a varsity game at all...at least when I was looking. It's hard to watch for your kid when they all look alike. Anyway...he got 8.2 seconds under his belt and in football talk that equaled out to about a minute. Our anniversary...18 big ones yesterday...and we partied like it was 18 big ones all right. Actually...Mark's brother Mike sent him a bottle of Dom Perignon for his 40th birthday...1 1/2 years ago...and we still have it. Since my Mom's birthday is on Thursday we decided to uncork the champagne and live it up. Frankly, I was not impressed. Maybe age doesn't treat Dom well. I'd just a soon had a glass of Communion wine.