I contain beer, so I won't post about anything serious, and I certainly won't make typing errors.

I'm a real sad tomato, I'm a busted valentine.

I've been listening to The Flaming Lips quite a lot. I haven't warmed up to the new CD yet, so I've taken comfort in Yoshimi. Now, "Fight Test" doesn't exactly apply to me and my past (except in most every way) but it's still a wonderful song. And this is the same record that contains "Do You Realize". In your face, active rock losers!

I thought I was smart
I thought I was right
I thought it better not to fight
I thought there was a virtue in always bein' cool

So it came time to fight
I thought I'll just step aside
And that the time would prove you wrong
And that you
Would be the fool
&c

Listen to The Flaming Lips, the coolest rock band alive.

GC

You contain beer. That's funny. I contain wine.

GC I mentioned your dissertation on another thread.

I'm really pleased you're thinking of finishing it. I think being Dr GC would be very cool.

GC you and TT are such wonderful, lovely people.

THERE IS SOMEONE OUT THERE, A BETTER SOMEONE, FOR BOTH OF YOU.

Read my lips. My FLAMING lips.

Oh that was really cute Jen. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Now I have another new band to check out, so thanks Gray.

TT,

You can spend 6 months a year in the states as long as you maintain a residence in another country (and have proof), and of course leave for 6 months.

When your girls are gone you can come stay with me and hopefully I will be living some where really cool by then. Anyway what I'm saying is a lot can happen in 6 months (in the dating scene <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />)

You can make the rounds between all of your MB friends in the states and see the country. Wouldn't that be fun??????

The guy I am conversing with from Green Bay asked to come to town this weekend but I suggested he come in two weeks instead. I don't know, I think I am just not ready to meet him but he's funnier than all get out.

I'm no longer seeing the one from down state, he just didn't have a sense of humor and I couldn't stand that for long. Plus he said that my never being legally married was a red flag for him, and yet he has been married and divorced twice...and he told me he didn't even love his last wife, now don't you think that is a stupid thing to say? That ended it for me, as far as he is concerned.

And the motivational speaker from Detroit is cool and gorgeous, and all that...but I started to get the feeling he is a player so I am not even going to go there. I'm finally getting smarter in that area (I hope).

I suck at dating TT, I really do. Ever since DW, I feel like I'm on hyper red-flag radar.

Hey Aph! Here is where we're thinking of taking the kids this weekend:

http://www.batcon.org/home/index.asp?idPage=56&subPageID=75

Amen!! And Weaver too. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I love ya, Jen even if you ARE full of wine. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Thanks FF, I feel the same way for you and all the others here.

Hope you have a really nice Easter with your kids and hubby, Faith!

Cool.

I don't think they let will you enter the cave though. Bat colonies are usually protected, especially this time of year.

Is it SAT or Austin that has a huge bat colony living under a bridge? Read about it in Nat Geo a couple of years ago.

I like bats. They eat lots of mosquitoes. Actually, we have few mosquitoes here – rains too much.

I remember reading Stellaluna to DS when he was little. He still has it on his bookshelf.

Years ago some friends and I were exploring an abandoned limestone quarry. We rappelled down a shaft that intersected a natural cave. The point guy went around a corner and promptly passed out. Must have been a million bats in that gallery. The ammonia from the bat chit almost killed him.

Holy bat spit, Batgirl, did you know vampire bat saliva is used as a preventative treatment for strokes?

Did you know that the bumblebee bat is the world’s smallest mammal?

And, did you know we learned from bats that exponential frequency chirps are optimal for simultaneous velocity and range determination?

Well, you get the picture. Bats are cool. As long as they don’t chit in my house.

Bats are nifty, but I really miss pterosaurs.

-ol' 2long

Always been a fan.

They sound like the Pixies off hard drugs.

pterosuars are cool too.

ptooie on mosquitoes though.

OK, since everyone is waiting for it, I'll say it. I'm going to the....rata tat tat ... batroom now...


Have a wonderful Easter.

With bbq sauce?

I'll have the roast Pterosaur with the Mango Salsa.......

I'm still on a Mojo Nixon kick.....

"I saw Jesus @ McDonalds...." Classic.

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I know I did. Plenty of time with friends and family and HoFS. There's so much that even just highlights would be long. Will be, 'cause I'm gonna chatter for a minute, here.

HoFS took a little vacation and came in on Wednesday. He was supposed to leave Saturday night but a bad accident between here and the airport meant he missed his flight and had to stay until Sunday morning. I felt bad about that. He missed Easter mass and didn't have time to do much for his boys for Easter. I was also very happy that he could be here for another night, and we had fun doing some Easter things with my DD.

Thursday I had my screening mammogram, something that's been on the schedule for eons. It was really cool to walk out of the doctor's office and find someone who cares about me waiting for me. It's been, uhm, a very long time since that happened. My parents didn't even bother to take me to the doctor after I got old enough to walk there when I was in junior high.

I drove him past my old house and haunts while we were near there, and then we went to lunch at Cosi. Their salads are good.

Thursday afternoon we took a two hour nap. Now THERE is a delight for a weekday afternoon!

I made something tasty for supper. Can't for the life of me remember what it was, but ... oh yeah! Mexican cheeseburgers made on the grill, with butternut squash and baked tortilla chips and a big salad (HoFS and my brother both said there were too many vegetables in the meal. Oh well... they both ate 'em. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />) Anchor Steam's Liberty Ale to wash it down. That is a mighty fine beer. Y'all should find some and pay the exorbitant price for a six-pack.

Friday was a "work" day, which means that we sat at Panera and worked for three hours after a lazy morning. Then we ran errands and made supper (tuna casserole for me and HoFS, chicken for my brother, asparagus with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, steamed broccoli, and peanut butter pie for dessert).

Saturday was a kid day. We dyed Easter eggs with DD and DD's friend and his family. It was a ton of fun and there are many pictures. I'll post 'em when I'm done editing.

Saturday afternoon we got another nap. Glorious! And then things got wonky with the missed flight. That meant a missed dinner and me feeling lousy about myself for a while. We did go to the park, though, and I got to swing on the swings and play on the slides. Good thing I have a toddler so that I can do that stuff when I need to. HoFS is smart enough to know when I need it, too. I love the man. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

On Easter DD and I dressed up in our finery -- after she found her Easter basket and her eggs and we had a small breakfast -- and then we took HoFS to the airport. We came home and sat for a bit, and then went to the same friends for an outdoor plastic-egg hunt (each egg had four M&Ms in it). There was much play and running and fun then, too.

Then home again, time to put DD down for a nap, and my brother called. The one who lives in town, but not with me. "So... what time is supper?" Erk. I'd forgotten they were coming over for supper! "Uhm, 6pm! Come on over then. I'm looking forward to it!" So I put DD down for a nap, called HoFS who was home by then, and while he raced around and did eggs and baskets for his boys before picking them up, I raced around and did supper preparations. Bread makings in the bread maker, turkey and artichokes and various other things in the crock pot, recipe found for fruit compote.

Okay! It's 2pm, everything's done. Time to sit down. So I sat and read for a bit, and then took a 45 minute nap. DD woke up eventually and watched a video while I finished the food. Then my brother called from the Metro and we went to pick him up, and there was all kinds of fun with him, his girlfriend, and the brother who lives with me. DD was in heaven with all those people to play with. She is such a social little creature. Good thing she's got lots of friends, because there's no way I could keep up with her by herself.

When she decided she wanted to dance naked on the coffee table, though, we all decided it was time to end the evening. So I took her upstairs and we calmed down enough for her to call Mommy and talk to her, and then we worked on sleeping. It took her more than an hour to calm down enough to sleep, of course. But that's okay. I took my computer with me and edited pictures while I sat in the rocking chair.

After that, I called HoFS and we did his physical therapy exercises together. (He's having knee surgery on Thursday; this is prep stuff for the surgery.) We finished chatting just after midnight, and then I went to sleep.

Woke up to DD climbing in my bed sometime after 6am. We woke up again at 7:30 and managed to make it to her preschool by 9:15. Thank goodness I have a pretty good routine -- I stretched it to its max today, I think. I knew I was in trouble when I was putting eyeliner on in a towel and making pancakes at the same time. But DD got food in her and we both got dressed and we were on time (but not early) to school.

So here I sit in Panera, in my usual Monday spot doing my usual Monday stuff. I'm a whole lot more relaxed than I was the last time I did this, though. It was really, really good to go on vacation at home. I should do that more often.

So? How's everyone else?

I should do mine. It was a little eventful, and interesting.

I took Friday off to have a long weekend. I had plans to work on certain things Friday, important stuff. But after my roommate took off, I got out my violin and started hacking. I'm an absolute beginner, so it's rough going, but also wonderful because that initial improvement is so fast.

To get my self-esteem back I took out my guitar. The muse visited and I spent the entire day in my basement in front of a mic working on songs. Everything I write is still about loss, and still not showing much sympathy for the perpetrator. But I think it does burn some fuel from the resentment tank. I hope so at least. And it's one of my favorite ways to spend a day alone.

Saturday the singer and I planned to work on music, and I was excited for the chance to teach her the new stuff right away. Got to her house, and she and her H wanted to shoot hoops before we started. It was another gorgeous day, and since I'd spent the last one in my basement, it was probably better to get out a bit. After basketball, my pal still didn't want to go to the basement, so we took our guitars out to her back porch and got to work.

Her yard is full of bird feeders, and she has come fully unhinged. I could hold her attention for maybe two minutes at a stretch, then she'd space out and stare at the birds and totally ignore everything I said. We got a little work done, but none of the new stuff I'd hoped to do. I didn't care. It was a joy to sit out there and play even a little.

Things were going okay, then a friend of ours called. His wife is out of town with their new baby, and it was his first chance to socialize in months. He had an old friend with him and wanted to come and hang out.

He arrived, and was accompanied by--what else--a great-looking girl about my age.

She has a boyfriend she's been with a long time. She said, "I have to get out of that."

More friends arrived; everyone was having fun.

yadda yadda conversation, yadda yadda dinner, yadda yadda conversation...

So there I am, innocently dancing with this very appealing girl with a boyfriend, and she hauls off and kisses me.

It was a sneak attack, and I didn't really kiss her back, but I could have stopped her sooner. What can I say? I wanted to live a little. Mama! I was turning into a mental patient, and fast.

It's too bad. That troublesome woman really had me going for a minute. Still does. But no way.

GC

J said:
And then things got wonky with the missed flight. That meant a missed dinner and me feeling lousy about myself for a while.

OK J,
As near as I can tell, you have been doing wonderful. Not that there havn't been snags, but from what I have read, you have been "UP" consistantly. I still think about you but figured Hofs was taking care of you. And, he is, but .....

Please explain how this chain of events made you feel "lousy about yourself for a while."
I care about you, I want to know.

Faithful,
At this point I would guess that if you don't talk much about your situation, it means the progress has stopped, or been slow. I know Kimmy looks after you, so I won't press you, but remember people think about you and care about you.

2long,
I am glad it's mostly up for you. I thought back about how things were when I first came and started reading along with you and spacecase. I wanted so much for your W to get it, and help you. Sorry it's taken so long, and sorry she didn't have a light bulb moment where it all came to her. Was always worried about your feeligs - it's hard on a person.

Hope your weekend was good - did you end up making the trip?
I never saw you go by.

Hi Gray.
I think about you a lot. You are your own person, not stamped out on an assembly line. (of course no one is really, but this thought came to me, and it's important for me to say this to you.)

I know a lot of things don't make sense, but this life is a test. If it were all easy to figure out, we couldn't acomplish what we came here to acomplish. Don't think you you are not making progress. There is a purpose to the things you have been through. You are getting something from it, and not just becoming a skeptic. (this is where you laugh.)

I'm glad you have a sense of humor, it helps. Laugh some more, and let the kinks out of your soul. It's good for us.

One of the reasons I respect you is that you never gave up. Don't take this at it's face value, think on it a little bit. I'm talking about your personal value system, and how you interact with the world. You never gave up.
That is priceless.

Binder,
Hope things are well in the frozen north. (grin.)
Thinking about you.

Hi everyone, hope the weekend was happy for you.

SS

Weaver,
You are doing so well. You have a much more healthy self image now. You have doubts sometimes, but they are the normal ones that serve as a protection for us - to keep us thinking and help us avoid mistakes.

I think of you as a very successful person. Not that things are perfect, but that you are making good decisions, and you are working carefully to make a good future for you and for P. Success doesn't always mean we have everthing we would like. It means we do the best we can with what life hands us. I am so impressed.

SS

Thank you SS, it means so much to me for you to say that.

I view the entire world differently now, not only myself.

To tell you the truth, if my dreams were to come true...they would be only that I serve as a light, both in my own family/world as well as in the people who come into my life, no matter for how long.

If I ever do have another serious relationship it will serve God's purpose for me, for him, for my DD as well as the universe, or it simply will not be.

I have great hope that there is a guy out there He has in mind for me, so I date on, but if not so be it.

Okay I had to edit this because it just sounded so sappy and not like me really, what I mean to serve God's purpose for me is that it is a happy, healthy R, bringing good into our lives as well as others. As in it serves to "increase and extend" our love for each other outward into our community. I just absolutely love "increase and extend" when talking about R's and love.