Moogies World

I should be in bed now

I really should be in bed now. 4:30 comes really early these days, no matter how many times I push the snooze button.

I've just finished uploading (finally) some pictures from our trip to the Alligator Farm and am throwing around a silly post in my head. I even made a slide show of the whole thing. I really do need to step away from the camera for a while. Oh my, digital cameras are so much fun, and I have a hard time figuring out which pictures to delete. Good thing I don't have to spend money on developing.

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My other half had month end processing today and generally that means he's not home until midnight. Imagine my surprise when he walked through the door at 10:30. AWESOME! Except for the fact that I had to have Joe, Tony and Sam (to name a few) crawl out the window before he saw them.

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Question: Why did the piece of gum cross the road?

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Carry on. There is nothing for you to see except for me bashing my head on the table. Have a wonderful evening.

My man and his truck

No Caption Necessary

I am my father's daughter

I went "home" this weekend, which is to say that I went down and visited my parents. About two weeks ago, dad had been admitted to hospital for congestive heart failure. He was in the hospital for about three days and in that time, the antibiotics had cleared the fluid from his lungs but had done nothing for the edema in his legs/feet. A few days ago, Dad was experiencing severe pain in his left foot. He could not put it down, and he could not walk. I cringed every time he did so because just looking at his expression let you know just how much it hurt. If there is such a thing as sympathy pains, I experienced them ten-fold.

Early Sunday morning I heard Mom talking to Dad, soothing him and trying her best to comfort him. I got up to see if there was anything I could do to help and Mom looked at me and said "we need to take Papa to the ER, the pain is worse, and his foot is really red. The edema itself is not something you want to see, but when you add the pain and redness, you begin to worry a bit. I quickly slapped myself upside the head, pulled it together and went into action.

]]> While Mom was getting her and Dad ready, and getting them something to eat, I kept myself busy by packing my stuff up and hauling it out to the car. We weren't sure how long he would have to be there, or if he would have to stay. This way, I was prepared for both as my plan was to come home this evening sometime. Of course, if he would have had to stay, I would have extended the visit another day (at least) to make sure Dad was ok.

After getting myself ready and packing up my car, I decided to go fill up the gas tank. When I got to the gas station, I hopped out, and without thinking, automatically locked the car. Without making sure the keys were in my pocket. Let me repeat, I LOCKED MYSELF OUT OF MY CAR. My poor parents, as if they weren't stressed enough. They were kind enough not to call me stupid (they would have been justified) in front of me, and didn't even seem too upset. I'm sure that when all is said and done, they will no longer want me to visit, wretched child that I am. The tow truck came, unlocked my car and away we went to the hospital.

We got to the ER and managed to get dad into a wheelchair with the help of a friendly security guard, filled out the necessary forms, and then waited. And waited. Oh, yes, and waited some more. They finally called us back into a room, in which we answered more questions (rather, I stayed out of the way and my parents answered the questions), and then? You guessed it! We waited some more for the doctor to arrive. He finally came and ordered some blood tests and IV antibiotics.

After blood was drawn, and an IV was in place giving him much needed antibiotics, we had to wait. Some more. Dad isn't so good with the patience thing, and for that matter, neither am I (I am my father's daughter), and he had pretty much run out by that time. He was finally diagnosed with Cellulitis and sent home with some oral antibiotics. We are hoping things will improve so that Dad can walk again, even with the aid of a walker, so that is good.

I left to head back home after we got Dad settled in his favorite chair and had lunch. My brother and one of my nephews came over and we had a nice visit. It was so hard to leave, mainly because I wanted to make sure Dad was ok. There is no guarantee with congestive heart failure. You just have to learn to take it one day at a time. And be very, very grateful for every day you have. I certainly know I am.

I love you Daddy. I hope your foot feels better soon.

Grrrrrrrrr!!!!

Warm ups before All-Star Game
Courtesy of Cindi

Take no prisoners!

I guess it wasn't Al Gore after all

Well, suffice to say that while the second game of the All Star Tournament went better, we still did not win. They have some really good teams which I am told eat, sleep and drink softball nearly year round. I guess that makes sense because the counties that these kids are from are not, how shall we say, filled with a myriad of things to do. I suppose you could count Cow Puck Hocky as another sport, but I don't think it's ready for the Olympics yet. All in all, I feel proud of the girls, even though I had to have updates texted to me during the day. I call it being "virtually" present. I am a good parent that way.

I'm really glad that Meelie participated in softball. Not only has she made several new friends, I have as well. In fact, one of them contacted me last night and asked if "Mimi" (they call her that) would be interested in a travel team. While the thought of driving hither and yon for softball games does not fill me with glee, if it is something that my daughter wants to do, I would be willing to give it a try. We go Saturday morning to see what it is all about.

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Last night was kind of crazy all the way around. I got home from work just after the girls returned, and then we had some neighbors stop by. After they left, I had to do my "wildlife" feedings, making sure they all had enough food and in some cases water. On of Meelies friends then called and asked if she could come over and spend the night, so I had to help her get ready for that. I then took Chickie for a quick dinner at Wendy's and we came home and I died. The end. When do the kids go back to school again?

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Chickie is now back together with her boyfriend. I am confused. ~~Are we~~ Is she going to stay with him or what?

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I bet all you smart computer people did not know the real story on how the Internet was founded. Well, you can thank me now for sending this to you and giving you the correct info.

Click here: HOW THE INTERNET BEGAN

All Star Update - June 24

UPDATE 1:00pm: Game 2 has begun. Camden (us) took the field, and let 3 up took 'em right down!

UPDATE 1:05pm: B (us) stoked a double and brought Morgan home!!!!

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Well, they finished game one of the tournament and, according to Chickie, it wasn't pretty. They lost 8-1. Apparently, the team they played was really tough and like a well oiled machine. Meelie is still upbeat though, so that's a positive.

Next up, Game #2 at 1:00.

The Break Up...and stuff

This is going to be quick but I wanted to apologize for not posting the last two days. Monday we had a severe storm roll through, which knocked our power out and screwed with all things computer related. Last night, we finally had our "official Father's Day Dinner" (STEAK!!!) and by the time we were done and the computers up and running again, I was toast.

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Chickie broke up with her boyfriend and I seem to be taking it harder than she is. What's up with that?

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Meelie's softball tournament for All Stars starts today. Chickie is going with her and will be sending me updates throughout the day. Send positive thoughts Meelie's way and I'll keep you posted with updates as I get them.

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Carry on.

Heeere Lizard, Lizard, Lizard

Who's a good boy?

.....More to come!

Slow news day?

In most cases, I have pretty much stopped reading or watching the news. It's always something bad and has a tendency to bring me down. In a lot of cases, it's simply idiotic.

Take this for example:

"POLITICO (Washington) - The president has been getting lots of kudos for a lightning-fast, Mr. Miyagi-worthy swipe he employed to slay a pesky house fly that was buzzing him in mid-interview during a taping with CNBC that aired Wednesday.
"He stopped the interview to track and kill the fly," said talk show host Conan O'Brien.

"That's some pretty impressive hand-eye coordination right there," Jimmy Fallon gushed. "Makes Obama look like a bad ass."

But now People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, calling it an "execution," wants the commander-in-chief to show a little more compassion to even "the least sympathetic animals."

If that doesn't make you roll your eyes, the article goes on to say this:

"The group has sent Obama a device that traps a fly so it can then be released outside.
"We believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals," PETA spokesman Bruce Freidrich explained."

Okaaay.

What amazes me is that this made the news, and that PETA has a serious case of heartburn over the issue. Does this mean that I will get coverage when I blog about how I vacuum up spiders instead of capturing them and releasing them outside? I just find the whole thing humorous, really. There's even the video footage of the "incident" all over the internet.

For example:

I'm not particularly a fan of Obama, but I do think it was impressive that he got the sucker.

Hi

What's up with that?

We had what seemed to be an incredibly long winter this year, and at times I didn't think that I would ever be warm again. It just seemed a lot colder than it normally does (so much for Global Warming). I've admitted several times on this blog that I am a weather wuss. I much prefer the warmer temperatures. I absolutely abhor being cold. So how is it, that just a month ago, during a hard freeze, I was dreaming of sun, beaches, frozen drinks and my very own personal Cabana Boy and I am now thinking that the hard freezes weren't so bad after all?

That just goes to show you that I'm a hard woman to please.

]]> For the past three weeks, the temperatures have been climbing and rarely do they dip beneath 90 degrees. I won't bring the heat index into the discussion because that would only cause me to broil in my own epidermis. Days like these remind me of how thankful I am to have air conditioning in both my house and car. It makes me wonder how people withstood the extreme heat back in the days before Willis Haviland Carrier became known and "father of cool."

For the record, I am a ~~sweater~~, perspirer (is that a word?). I even perspire when I am thinking hard. It's probably because my brain is on overload because of lack of use. At any rate, with temperatures like these, the beads of perspiration roll down my face and into my eyes. My hair gets wet and I am afraid to lift my arms for fear I will lose friends. It kind of reminds me of when I park my car after driving with the air conditioning on. Soon afterwards, there is a pool of condensation under it.

This thought always reminds me that I dare not stand in one place to long. Otherwise I risk leaving a puddle behind.

How do you handle the heat?

A few questions for my internut buddies

No, it's spelled correctly.

I have been a parent now for a while, and questions continue to pop up. I've been off work for a bit, and since the kids have been out of school, we have had a lot of togetherness. It comes in the form are "what are we doing today," "I'm bored," "there's nothing to eat." You get the idea. It's not that all of those things result in close up and personal family time, it's just that everything is MY responsibility. I've been trying to figure that one out. Do you know the answer?

In light of the current situation, there is a small part of me that is looking forward to going back to work. I have a great job, one that I really love. At the same time, I have really enjoyed being at home with the girls. We've become closer in a lot of different ways, and Chickie and I have had a lot of really good talks. I will miss that. It's not to say that the relationships we share will go downhill once I go back to work. It's just been nice "being there."

One of the things that I have noticed is that wherever I am at, the kids seem to follow. This is no different than when I come home after work, except for the fact that it is ALL. DAY. LONG. I am thankful for the locks on the bathroom door because there is no telling what would happen in that case. Generally I don't mind, but come on people, I would really love to poop in peace (you're welcome).

Bowel movements ~~behind me~~ aside, there is another thing that has been bothering me. We have two TVs in our house. A 32" big screen TV in the living room, and a 20" in our bedroom. When the girls are out in the living room either watching TV/Movie or playing with the Wii, I will go into my room and watch a program that I enjoy. That lasts approximately 12 minutes and the next thing I know, I have a bedroom full of kids watching TV with me. What I want to know is, should I get rid of the 20" or the 32"?

Now that we have covered bodily functions and electronics, let's move on to another painful and confusing topic. What do you do when your daughter has a "boyfriend?" Before you all tackle me on this subject because my daughter is only 14, let me go a little further into my explanation. Yes, she has a "boyfriend" so to speak. They text back and forth every day and sometimes talk on the phone. The "dates" they have would not be considered conventional by any means. She goes over to his house and there is a mom, dad, three brothers and 2 grandmothers. No closed doors. No being in any room alone. The same goes when he comes over here. They have dinner or watch movies, go to the beach or water park. All with adults. The funny thing is, both of them are ok with that, at least for the moment. It's sweet, this whole first love thing. I don't know, would you call it puppy love? There is a part of me that is happy. Chickie is so happy. The boyfriend is happy too. His parents have the same set of values that we do, and rules. He is sweet, and polite, and very outgoing. He does well and school and works part time in his parent's business. Be that as it may, and taking into account that I am happy for Chickie, it is still hard. Is this normal?

I'll stop here because all of these questions without any answers is giving me a headache. Besides, the kids and I are going to ride our bikes while Chickie goes for a run and then come back and make pizza.

I look forward to your answers.

Safe Lunch

Chickie wanted me to pass on this Public Service Announcement:

"Always practice safe lunch. Use condiments."

Thank you for your support. I guess I shouldn't bring up that she has a book called "Zombie Butts from Uranus." (I'm not kidding)

Moving right along...I am nothing if not parenting of the year material.

When my husband was young and living in New York City, the Dodgers were in Brooklyn. He was reminiscing about some quotes he remembered, which were mainly when they played the Yankees and got thumped pretty badly.

"We wuz robbed"
"Wait 'til next year"

That would pretty much sum up the first game in the tournament for the mighty Warriors last night. The Umpires made some really bad calls and even I could see that. The other team used whatever tactics that they had to get their way. I must admit that I have never seen anything like it. There was a large part of me that wanted to get in the face of the head coach a few times (as well as some of the parents from the other team) but I held back my smart alec self and decided to be a mature adult. It appears that the coaches from our team, as well as the parents will be protesting the game. It was that pathetic.

For me, it really doesn't matter. The girls did great! They are one AWESOME team! GO WARRIORS!!!!

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Speaking of the game last night, Amelia finally lost her tooth (now that was a big change of subject). This would be the one that was hanging by a thread for the last week. She was sitting in between her sister and a friend in the back seat of our truck on the way home, and bumped her mouth on her sister's shoulder and out it came. This, my dear ~~internuts~~ internets, is one of the reasons I have a healthy supply of napkins in both automobiles. My husband is now a true believer.

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I need to close this entry now as I need to choose and edit some pictures that I will be using in my first ever srapbook. I blame my girlfriend for getting me started on this. Don't get me wrong, I won't be heavily into it (I hope) because I simply won't have the time, especially when I go back to work. But it's fun to play with, and something that I can easily pick up and then put back down again. Oh but Lord, I would love me a Cricut.

Must go now...before I salivate on my keyboard.

A quick hello!

This will be a quick post tonight. Meelie's team has a tournament and this is the first game. We had some pretty heavy storms earlier today, but they stopped in the early afternoon and the weather is sunny and warm (HOT!). I thought I would share a video with you that I made for the team (each member got a CD at the end of the season party). It was fun to do and was made using Photo Story, which is a simple and easy program to use.

I give to you, "Woodbine Warriors." Click below the fold. I will warn you that it is lengthy, but the music is great and fits the team perfectly, though it appears to skip a bit on Vimeo.

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Woodbine Warriors from Moogie on Vimeo.

It's a post!

I'm giving my fingers a good workout today. It's been a while (to put it mildly) since I've posted (understatement). I would first like to thank two of my special readers (you know who you are) who emailed me to let me know my site was down. Luckily, I contacted my host and they had me up in no time.

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Most of you know that I had major surgery mid-April, which, God willing, will take care of the problems that have plagued me the last five years. It ended up being a bit more complicated than we hoped, but I am coming along nicely and the doctor has finally given me a return-to-work date.

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School has ended for the girls, much to their delight. I will admit that it is nice to be able to spend some time with them. They both have pretty busy social lives and we either have kids at our house our they spend time with their friends.

Chickie is done with dance and has the summer off. The end of the year recital was fabulous. It always amazes me that the instructor seems to make them better every year. She has every intention of going again next year. I'm so happy that she has found something that she really loves to do. Speaking of finding your niche, Meelie tried softball this year and did amazingly well. Using my bragging rights as a mom, I need to share with you that she made the All-Star team! She really loves it and is already talking about playing next year. I'm hoping her interest holds. It doesn't hurt at all that one of her best friends is playing also. I also must share with you that she will be starting middle school (6th grade) next year. All bets are off as to how that will go. Time will tell.

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We were headed to Wally World the other day and I had Meelie, Chickie and a friend sitting in the back seat. Chickie was raising her arms above her head to try to get a signal on her cell phone. Meelie promptly said: "Put your arms down, you're losing friends."

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That's about all for today. I figure it's a good start. I've finally got my brain going again, the the lethargy and writer's block are beginning to lift. Hope to be back on the road to regular posting soon.