I've Been Clunked... but it's not MY Cash

I recently have become much more environmentally friendly, you might say.

I am pretty conservative, but I have always been the "granola" one in my family. I recycle when I can afford it, I care for animals, I either use reusable grocery bags or take home the plastic ones to use as trash bags.

And, of course I am in education so I am CONSTANTLY collecting and using the following for art projects:

2 Liter Pop Bottles
Toilet Paper Rolls

Film Canisters

CapriSun Pouches

Vegetable Scraps

Cardboard Egg Cartons

Wire Hangers (appologies to Mommy Dearest!)

Plastic Water Bottles
By the way, we need a THOUSAND of the water bottles and hangers soon, so if you have some for me I'd love you and if you have a LOT for me, I'd BRIBE you. Like you're fam could be my half price guests at Thanksgiving Point or something.

ANYWAY, back to the point... my family just recycled something BIG. Ducky, my Jeep. Even though it truly was a "clunker" and had to be towed half way there and then fixed BY the dealer for the deal to go through, I still cried a little.

Saying Goodbye

My very last weekend with Josie. It was decided awhile ago, but that doesn't make it easier. And it almost came much sooner because the WeatheredLeatheredFarmLady asked me to leave her there. "Let her be a goat." I asked if I could wait till Monday as planned. Reluctantly, WLFL agreed, rolling her eyes. But she agreed. So on Monday Josie WON'T be coming back to sleep at the house. She'll be sleeping (or yelling a lot and keeping the other animals awake) at the farm now.

Today is the last day I will have my baby girl.

But YESTERDAY was the Family Reunion for my Mom's Side! Woohoo! Well, Woohoo and simultaneously UGH. But I will explain. And it's not just the normal "Ugh this is a long boring family event" type ugh. Because, well, I had both Breaking Dawn and Josie the Amazing to entertain me if my cousins and their kids didn't (or rather, if my stupid anxiety made me anti-social around my own dang family... it's not THEIR fault I get weird.). *sigh* But anyway...

We went to the same park we went to last year. We had picnic lunches and listened to some remarkably good music (I don't know for SURE which cousin did the CDs (I think Camille (Aunt K and Uncle Ken's daughter... Brady's sister) but I think we should share playlists!) OH! Then my favorite best friend/cousin, Meggy came! Megs and Jakey are all into the Olympics especially (not surprisingly) the horse stuff. Megan told us about this cool horse, Poggio, who was a PACK horse and now is an Olympian! WAY awesome stuff! Megan knows lots of cool stuff!

The cousins' kiddlets (and some of the cousins) got crazy on a Slip 'n' Slide and someone accidentally broke the park's DRINKING FOUNTAIN. Yeah, that was wild.

Josie played with the kids and kept me psychologically anchored. Kids played in the stream and caught water skeeters. Parents talked. The Zoobies remind me more of the Weasleys everyday. JD and Waunita's kid brought a Beardie, though and wanted info on how to raise Mealies... the Beardie was a TINY baby. I gave them much more info than they wanted I am sure. I want a Bearded Lizard someday. I will name it Stanley Yelnats. Rinny threw football with Padre and then took a nap. And she really liked Josie. Also Shandy's Mini-Shandy LOVED her. BTW, Mini-Shandy's dad (I think... I am not ACTUALLY sure all the kids are his?) was there too and seems to be a VERY nice guy and a stable influence on Shandy. Yay for good guys!

It was all pretty fun until most of the family left and we were about to leave when the stupid car decided it was being stolen. It does that OFTEN, the alarm going off and not letting us turn it off. But this time it would NOT relent. It wouldn't turn off OR let the car start.

Calling the DEALER didn't work. Popping the hood and having the cousin-in-law with a questionable background try to disable it did not work. We had to get it to TOWED! It was an ordeal. But Uncle John and fam were awesome enough to drive us home... but Josie was TRAPPED IN THE TOWED CAR! I was so stressed the whole time. I cried when we got home till Padre got her back. This is not how I wanted to spend my last days with her... AWAY from her?! I am going to miss my baby so much.

"Do you want to color a Dinosaur, Senator?"

Today I had therapy with Dr. Apparently. WHY is it that the only people who seem to be able to help me with my medical issues don't have actual medical degrees?! I mean my physical therapist is the BEST (if only my insurance helped with him) and is REALLY who "diagnosed" that crazy headache thing awhile ago, that Dr.YeahBaby could fix... and Dr. Apparently is a Psychologist, but I think he understands more than ANY of my doctors and pretty much told me what to tell them to try for meds.

Yep.

Anyway, I really like Dr. Apparently. But I do NOT like therapy. I think it helps... or WILL help... but I think it hurts. It actually HURTS to talk about some stuff, you know?

But I go. I like, though, that he doesn't JUST talk "fluff." He KNOWS medical stuff, and he talks it. That's his specialty... coping with chronic pain and we talk about the science of it. Things like my low thyroid and Fibromyalgia. We'll see. I just want to feel GOOD for a change. Healthy... moderately happy. You know?

After my appointment I went to work, though. It was a Educator Night. BLEH. It was not very good. But it was better than I expect TOMORROW to be. LEGISLATOR NIGHT. I am NOT excited to teach a bunch of politicians how to make seed necklaces and stuff. In truth I am so nervous I am sick. But there are almost NONE of us available that night to do so, so there is no getting out of it. I don't know what I am going to do. I am so scared. I hate adults. Especially official ones.

Anyway, on the way home, Rinny called. Her battery died. So turned back and jumped her car. But DANG IT IS COLD OUT THERE!!! I mean, it was cold ANYWAY, but the wind starts whipping around out there at TGP and you just FREEZE. It was so cold while we tried to fix that car. When will it ever get warm?

For that matter, when will I feel happier?
Hurt less?

I know... give things time. New pills. Life changes. But... I have been ME a long time.

Daddy and the Death-Trap

...would be a good band name. I can kind of see them playing Ska, mostly. ANYWAY...

Family Night with my actual FAMILY... yeah, always an adventure. Just good to do on occasion so I can remember why I moved out. Hee hee!

So, the Death Trap...

First of all, I would like to say my Padre really ISN'T an idiot or a bad businessman. He has done very well for himself... supported our family, and not just getting by. We have had nice houses. The parents are maybe not rich, but well-off. We used to have a pool.

I say this not to brag, but to explain that my dad is not ALWAYS an idiot. I guess his awesome awesome real estate skills make his complete LACK of car (and computer) skills stand out more. But sometimes he scares me. It's like with the computers.

Despite being a smart businessman and running his own business, Padre can not seem to grasp that whole paying for quality thing. He would rather pay for a new CRAPPY computer every year to replace the one that breaks. AND HE DOES. Rather than buy a GOOD computer that will actually LAST, he just buys the cheapest eMachine Best Buy carries... every time it breaks. And complains loudly every time.

He is also very big on having "guys" for stuff, as I have mentioned before. And one of his friends is a car dealer and can buy used cars cheap at auction and stuff for him. So he has him do that, and take our family's Durango in trade. So his Car Dealer Guy gets him this Jeep Liberty that my dad likes. Except ON THE TEST DRIVE it is shuddering and shimmying!

So CDG says he will get it fixed and Padre says great and *sort of* buys the thing.

They "get it fixed" and the padres are driving it around town as sort of a trial period. Then Dad calls mom and says that he has run out of gas even though the gas gauge says half-full. Apparently the gas gauge is broken. CDG says he will get that fixed, but Dad has some things to do and they can't get him back the Durango BACK yet. So they fill the tank, and they go about things.

Then later, the car dies AGAIN when MOM is driving. She is going home from water aerobics and sees the gas gauge go UP... to Full. Ummm... that's not normal. Then the car dies, the steering goes out and she is trapped in the middle of State Street.

"[Padre], did you FILL the Jeep after you drove it?"
"I might have. No, probably not, but you should have enough."
"No. I do NOT."

And she had forgotten dry stuff so she was freezing in her wet swimsuit, in the middle of a busy street and really MAD at Padre (and calls me to vent, so I am mad at him, too, and think he is an idiot because even though he has not actually PAID for it, he is still PLANNING to pending "getting it fixed").

So CDG tows the Jeep and the mechanic says "Wow, you didn't try to START this car, did you?"
"Well, yeah, of course." [actually, she told me she tried and tried and tried starting it]
"The [fuel something]'s broken, you are lucky there was so little gas in it. If the tank had been full this car might have exploded!"

So now she can't be mad at Dad for not filling the tank because had he not been such a slacker she may have DIED in the Jeep we now call Daddy's Death Trap.

So now it's been "fixed." Only HOW DO THEY KNOW? HUH?

So last night we went to my work because it was the free-for-the-employee-family-night to see the 3-D movie at the Museum (WAY better in 3-D than regular IMAX, by the way). It is Sea Monsters. But we MISS the beginning because just trying to GO in the Death Trap was a pain! Granted, we didn't blow up, but, like, Mom's seat wouldn't adjust, my belt wouldn't buckle, just annoyances. But when Mom and I complain about this, Padre is like DEFENDING the Death Trap! Like what a deal it is, etc. He takes every gripe PERSONALLY! WAY IRRITATING. So, yeah. Already HATING their new car.

The movie was fun, though. 3-D is cool! Plus it is funny because the main "character" is a Dolichorhynchops. Do you know how that's said? Dolly-CORINNE-Cops! So we kept calling the dolphin thing Rinny and every time they almost got eaten Mom and I would scream "SWIM, CORINNE! AHHHH!" And stuff. It was hilarious. I LOVE my mom!

I am going to start spelling my sister's name, Chorhyn.

What Awesome Ska Band Are You?

You Are: The Suicide Machines! hardcore is your style, or you would be. but you see, you're too big of a pansy and a wimp to be hardcore. so you're ska!
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Cat Empire and Gerbil Torture

FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY!

So, Fridays aren't usually as exciting when you not only work Saturdays, but work an extra long day... in the sun... teaching wild and crazy boy scouts. But it WAS rather Friday-ish. For one thing, even though I was writing 8th grade curriculum (ugh... WAY too close to my own skill level to be fun or effective!) most of the day we kept giggling at the pageant ladies next door and quoting Miss Congeniality all day. ALSO because Rinny needed to leave early to a meeting with some chocolate guy we met at this Show to try and get us some cocoa beans and plants and such for our field trips, *I* got to leave early, too! So I was driving home when CC called to play! YAY!

She drove to my house and brought me my birthday present! She gave me Trivial Pursuit: Totally 80s AND a card game called Big Fish Little Fish. And if you are thinking SHE is late, well, consider I gave her her CHRISTMAS present, what, a week ago? hee hee hee!

Anyway, we drove around, went bead shopping (including some that I intend to make into a very awesome necklace that look like... uhh... PEACH PITS(?)... hee hee hee!), laughed at people who try to shop at Target after closing, and had diet Limeades at Sonic while listening to CC's fantastically eclectic tunes. (Hey, and CC, don't forget to give me Cupcake's rejects!)

OH, and we saw SUCH a cool car! Seriously, new cars... MEH. I *HEART* OLD STUFF. Especially with their eyes closed. Yes, I over anthropomorphize cars. Hee hee hee hee hee!

Then we came back to the house and played with (ie: mildly traumatized) my gerbil, Boo for awhile. Don't worry. She'll get over it. Hee hee!

It was a good night. THANKS, CC!

The one bad thing is I realized I missed a call from Fresno and I am sure he is asleep and he sounded pretty bummed because we haven't really talked in so long, like almost a whole week. So I will email him before heading to bed and try to cheer him up with firmed up travel plans and... umm... pictures of me in pimp hats? Hee hee?