Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Rantin' and Ravin'

I'm stepping up on my little soap box to get a few things straight...what a week it's been. If you don't want to read a vent, keep on moving.

1. This is America and we speak ENGLISH, that's right, E-N-G-L-I-S-H. I don't want to push 1, or 2, or 8 to speak to someone who can help me in English. When I go to Kohl's over the weekend and I'm ready to check-out and pay my hard earned $US for whatever it is I am purchasing, I expect the clerk to speak English, not Spanish. And then, to page for assistance over the store PA in Spanish? Ridiculous! Our flaw that is going to come back and bite most of us in the ass is that we've never declared English as the official language of this great nation and I fear the wake-up call for many will come too late, when we're all speaking Spanish to get by. If both sets of my grandparents could immigrate, dirt poor with a flock of kids that rivaled the Duggars, and learn to speak English instead of Italian or Ukranian, I fail to understand why a better educated and more financially secure society fails to do so. It used to be shameful to immigrate and speak your native language and today, it's just en vogue, right along with those anchor babies. In the meantime, my 4-year-old is teaching me Spanish.

2. My liberal friends are convinced that all of this snow across the country points to global warming; they even send me scholarly articles that support this crazy notion. It's snow, it's cold- we're not warming.

3. Taxes- I work in the financial services sector, but not in some make-a-buh-zillion dollars day trader role. My total compensation for the year is based on my peformance and my company's performance, split between salary and a cash bonus paid out in February. Since this is classified as bonus income, almost FIFTY percent of it went to taxes. Ah socialism...how nice that my hard earned dollars can pay for a welfare mama to sit home collecting her WIC and food stamps and Medicaid. Yes, that's harsh, and yes, some people do need assistance, but what about chronic abusers of "the system"? We know a woman who just had another kid on assistance, in her section 8 housing, with all her baby daddies paying child support, WIC and foodstamps buying the food and milk, and driving a newer Cadillac, getting her manicures done, perfect extensions, new cell phone with web services, and the list goes on. I'd LOVE to be home with my son full-time, but you know what, we cannot afford it, so I work. But it's a choice right? Well, it doesn't feel like there is much to choose from. I guess I could stay home full-time if we moved to po-dunks-ville, USA and lived in a trailer, but in this area of the country, Mama is bringin' home the bacon and her roots are showing because those low lights are out of the budget this month.

4. Let me get this straight...I had to be interviewed, my friends interviewed, my vet interviewed, and have two home visits conducted in order to adopt a dog a few years ago. Then I needed a license for the dog, and had to legally sign that if I ever tired of said dog (not a chance!) he was not mine to give away, but would need to be turned back over to the rescue agency...but any old set of idiots can procreate, then abuse, kill, or abandon their child while M and I struggle with infertility. What's up with that?

5. When your husband has a precancerous condition, and you say you are going to call within 7 days to provide biopsy results, and now 21 days have passed and still no call, yes, it's a very safe bet I am pissed and you are going to hear about that. Get over it.

6. I still think the Chinese cheated in the last Olympics, by competing with an underage gymnast, and yes, I still think Obama was born in Kenya and is not legally qualified to serve as Commander in Chief...even I could buy a fake birth certificate from Hawaii. Hope he enjoyed those 29 golf games his first year in office, because no one wants to point out he failed to accomplish ANYTHING, and that's with a congress dominated by his own jackass party.

7. Thank God...thank God I have my faith and I can lay this at His feet.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Really?

What is with 2010? If you read my last post, there have been some significant challenges in our start to the new year, with more that arrived. Please keep the following in your prayers:

M's "sister" Dee (Maxine's daughter) just had her portacath removed from her breast cancer chemo treatments last fall...all was thought to be clear from recent scans, but that is not the case. After dealing with intense headaches last week, a tumor was found on Dee's brain, behind her eye. She was in surgery first thing yesterday morning and is now in recovery. Please keep her, and her family, in her prayers...she is married to Rodney and mama to 5 kids.

M has an ulcer on his eye, which is causing a haze in his vision. We are praying this is not permanent, as it can be, and praying his eye heals with the treatments the eye specialist has prescribed.

A bit of a scare over the weekend, we found a tumor on our GSD's chest...took him to the vet yesterday and it was benign. Our vet was so compassionate, remembering all that we went through with our beloved Sam, and assured us this was not the same thing.

On a very happy note, we are taking C on a secret vacation in 10 short days! WOO-HOO!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

On the Edge...


We must be on to something big, something wonderful, and something just beyond our grasp, because it has all-out sucked around here lately. Better is in store, right?

Update on M:
Went in for radiofrequency ablation surgery on 1/27 for Barrett's...only the doc ended up not doing the ablation while Mark was under, but re-mapped the entire esophagus and took more biopsies. Results due this week, still no word. As a side note, nothing like driving around a very urban area for almost an hour, with closed streets, one-way, and under construction, to find a parking place. And the two armed guards in the recovery area? Nice touch. Then, this week, his left eye (completely unrelated to Barrett's) completely swelled up...saw an eye specialist and he has an ulcer in his iris...so now he is having to put drops and steriods in every hour. Really, we need a break here.

Work has been super, crazy, all-out-chaotic busy. So much so, that I don't want to think about it, write about it, etc. But I will say, something isn't kosher when I've got to spend an entire workday, and evening, on the phone to India to try to fix my work laptop. Note to Fortune 500s- outsourcing your tech support to Asia b/c it is cheaper does not mean it is better.
C- he's an enigma lately. I cannot believe he's turning 5 soon and how rebellious he's become in the past couple of weeks. I now understand why some animals eat their young.

Sadly, our 14 year-old-nephew passed away tragically and unexpectedly on 1/17- there are no words.

So, we're on the edge, but hopefully the good is headed back our way soon. Even in the midst of these trials, I am thankful my husband has one of the top docs in the world treating his condition, I'm thankful we both have jobs in this economy (although, I'd much rather be a SAHM)- it keeps the mortgage paid and the cupboards stocked, and C, well, you know I just love him to pieces, even when he's acting like a nut.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Our Life In Pictures #2

There's been so much going on lately...no real time to blog, so here is the quick update...maybe one day I'll get my recipes uploaded too!

A little brightness indoors


Shrimp stuffed poblano peppers


Making Valentine's treats


More Valentine's treats for C's class


Dax loves to watch the snow


PJ day at school


The birthday boy, in the birthday glasses


Birthday cupcakes


Sledding


Lost his first tooth


The tooth


Dax loves the snow


Snow day