Turn of events and oh yeah, I'm back!

Greetings my fellow bloggers! I know, I know - The Wrider has been away too long. I apologize for the long hiaitus. You all have been on my mind often and I have read your blogs - just not been able to post myself. I hope that is over now and I can get back to boring you all with my life!

So... What am I referring to in the title? I'm sure you are dying with curiousity so I won't keep you waiting. After two weeks with my mother we have decided that perhaps Ohio is NOT where we would like to retire to. I realize you might be in shock upon reading this, so I will give you a minute to recover....................
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OK, that's long enough. Yeah, so the DH and I are talking about staying here for awhile. Go figure, right? After all the complaining we did and continue to do about the weather we are now going to stay? Go ahead, call us fickle. We feel the same way.

I don't want to say the visit with my mother was bad - let's just say she hasn't changed and is just as self-centered and mean as I remember she was. Age really hasn't done anything to mellow her out. Seeing Vegas with a 70 year old is really different. I mean, she was a trooper to a point and enjoyed the casinos and sights, but really she made $5.00 last longer than anyone I have ever come in contact with before and on the other side ended up not really playing much at all. That's fine for her - but it got old watching her bet $.15 a spin for hours on end. :-) Vegas is always great - so I did have fun. I did buy a cool pair of Harley Davidson sunglasses. They are HOT. I also found a really cool new bracelet and necklace, so the week wasn't a complete waste. I think I had two drinks. Yeah, you read that right - me (The Wrider) only had 2 drinks. Now you might say that was my problem but I just wasn't in the mood to 'drink'.

I did receive my first unemployment check yesterday. That was nice and will help me to RELAX and UNWIND so as to enjoy my time off. No real plans... Just playing with the ponies, taking motorcycle riding classes and getting my license...Reading and napping.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Gone" by Daughtry.

I <3 iTunes

I've decided I love my iPod and iTunes. I'm thinking of looking into having my iPod inserted into body somewhere (sort of like a kangaroo pouch so I can extract it when I want to download more songs) and then have the headphones put in my ears so I have a constant flow of music for the rest of my life. I have a 2GB and right now I have 1060 songs on it. I just loaded 14 more songs this morning using a gift card and I couldn't believe how friggin easy it was to use. What was it we did before iPods????? How did we get our music????

So far the Mom visit is going really well. She is pretty low maintenance. She likes eating at home and watching her soaps, the news and even doesn't mind the Weather Channel. She does have a tendency to sigh a lot and say things like, "Oh my goodness. Would you look at that." whenever the Weather Channel shows some sort of weather damage. She is kind of addicted to the court TV shows, which is funny. I just sit quietly crocheting and grin at her.

She is going to share her secret to making fried chicken with me today. =) Needless to say the DH is THRILLED because he loves fried chicken.

Graduation is tomorrow night. Woohoo! I honestly wasn't sure I would ever see this day. The son did get a call from a Marine recruiter and he's meeting up with him on Monday. I guess they can look at his recent score after all, so he might be wearing Dress Blues. Time will tell.

I have been crocheting - a lot. The only thing giving me trouble is the damn baby blanket for the waitress. I have started one about 6x and it just doesn't flow. But I managed to start a finish a small lap throw which my Mom promptly claimed. Here is a pic of it...

SONG OF THE BLOG: "All I Want To Do" by Sugarland. I know none of you will probably like the song, but I love it. It's unofficially been named my song for Summer.

PHOTO OF THE BLOG:

The Eagle has landed

and we have the package. That's military talk for we picked up Mom from the airport and got her to the house safely. So far, so good. The visit is going well. She is very emotional and I am going to blame that on her age. She is very excited about seeing Vegas and I'm getting excited thinking about taking her there. She is not one that likes to be in pictures, but she told me today she wants me to take pictures of her everywhere - in front of everything. LOL

I have not heard yet the fate of my unemployment status. I hope to get word about it soon - preferably before Vegas next week.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Breakdown" by Daughtry. This is not the time to breakdown...

Operation: Mom in Town

Sorry for not posting. This not being employed is waaaaaaaaay busier than being employed. Who would have thunk it?

My Mom flies in tomorrow. I have a prickling up my spine every time I think about that. Not because we don't get along- we do. It's more like I want everything to be perfect - house spotless, sheets amazingly tight and smelling fresh... What a chore! LOL

The youngest retook his ASVAB yesterday and even with ten hours of tutoring he scored a 35 - doesn't qualify him for the Coast Guard and no other branch can touch him for six months. Special, huh? Tonight the DH and I are sitting down to talk to him about our expectations for the next six months (rent, job, car, spending, etc.). Can't wait for the "talk". Maybe that's what is causing the spine tingling?

I have the best shoer in the world. "W" is part horse shoer, part therapist and the other part just plain cool guy. He is also a biker with tats. Go figure. Anyhoo we were discussing my buying a Harley and what to look for, etc. Great info from this guy. Also, he might hire me on to be his scheduler. Wow.. I am humbled and honored. Keep your fingers crossed.

SONG OF THE BLOG: "Animals" by Nickelback. I know it's old, but it's just a cool song.

Photo of the Blog: Circa 1995. I love America. =)

Why I love Democrats

Ok, that was supposed to make you smile. If it didn't then you don't me very well. The Birdman knows - so I know he got it. Anyways, to give you an update on my sit-eee-a-tion I am on haitus. I am not working. The company terminated my contract early and although it did piss me off the way they did it (I learned how horrible my manager really was) I have since thought it through and am now HAPPY it all happened. You see, even though I collect a military pension every month I found out yesterday I am still entitled to unemployment benefits. Is this a great country or what? No wonder those immigrants want to invade. So, unless something happens and my application gets denied I am going to take some time off and still have money coming in. Enough to support our household and we'll be fine. What a great concept! I stay home, eating bon-bons and watching worthless daytime TV all the while I am perfectly capable of going out and finding a job, but I am going to collect instead. Now, seriously - I am going to look for a job. It's not like I'm not going to do what I have to do. I will diligently search. I would cheer "Go Hillary" really loudly, but I'm afraid someone might think I'm dead serious.

So, what to do with all this extra time - THAT IS THE QUESTION. Well, do not fear Campers. I have some ideas! For starters, read. I haven't read a book in I don't know how long. I had a list of books I wanted to read and I'll be damned if I can find it. I think I left it in the desk at that place I used to work. Damn. Oh well, I'll start a new one. I'm thinking of starting with something serious and important. No other book is going to mold my mind for the upcoming months like one of National importance. So with that in mind, I am going today to buy...

Love me some Stephen Colbert. =)

Ok, I'm totally digging AvMan's new site. I'm jealous I didn't think of it first. But he has more interesting things to post and share than I do. Mine would be filled with kittens and puppies, horses and romance. And seriously, how much of that can we really tolerate?

SONG OF THE BLOG: "40" by U2. This song needs no explanation. It just is.

Photo of the Blog: This isn't my stash. This doesn't come close to my stash. See how sick I really am?