Alcohol + Stupidity = One Pissed Off Me

Had another double header tonight, and it was great. Won the first game, lost the second but had a blast. Then we got home and my husbands cousin decided to be stupid. He's 18. I can't control when he drinks (I've tried) but I can control where he goes after he drinks. He decided that he wasn't too drunk to drive to the store, or at least that's what I picked up on with all the slurring. He was toasted. So hubby and I and our neighbor said, nope, not happening. In fact, while he was busy yelling at hubby, I went around behind him to get the keys he was hiding behind his back. Yeah, and he wonders why we were "treating him like a kid". He will NOT be allowed at my house again if he decides he needs to drink. And if I ever happen to KNOW that he has been drinking, and he drives, I'll call the cops. I won't allow him to cause an accident and possibly kill an innocent bystander. I also would really rather not have to visit him in the hospital or the funeral home. But this is part of being a grown up, dude. Realizing that enough is enough, and handling it like an adult. Grrr....This is why I rarely drink. I don't have the patience for the stupidity that goes with it.

Get this...

I received an email today. Let it be known up front that it was from my sister in law. (remember this when I tell you what my reply was!) In my opinion, it was an incredibly ignorant email, not worth much at all. It started out with several FW:FW:FW: crap-things, and then went on about "how the US Postal Service is a total disgrace for issuing an Islamic/Arabic looking stamp." It then goes on about "Remember such and such attack, and such and such attack, all done by MUSLIMS" and that "we should boycott the stamp, and how could they print a Christmas stamp for Muslims when they don't even believe in Christ?"
Should you like a REAL description of these two stamps, read up on it at My">http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/eidstamp.asp
My response? 'Many things have been done in the name of religion; Not all Muslims responsible for any of these atrocities. They were all acts carried out by fanatics, and in no way am I ignorant enough to presume otherwise. I refuse to lower myself to the levels of said fanatics by discriminating against an entire people for the actions of a few. I also refuse to allow my children to grow up hearing this kind of hatred spewed from the mouths of their parents. I fully believe that they should make their decision of a person based on WHO that person is, not WHAT that person is.' And so on and so on. Basically, I called her ignorant and a nutcase. (I can't seem to find my actual email response, and since I was irritated when I typed it up, I don't know exactly what I wrote in it. But you get the picture)

Think we'll be invited out there any time soon?!? Me either! =)

Tenants...

I spent almost my entire day cleaning up after a group of people who have zero respect for other people or their belongings, and I'm irritated by it. My aunt and my grandfather all have rental properties out here, and they live in the Midwest and the East Coast, respectively. Therefore, my parents and I help out with their properties. When the lease came up on my aunts house, the tenants decided not to renew, as the utilities were too expensive for them. Ok, I get that. We live in Arizona, and A/C, while necessary, is expensive. Well, theirs was expensive because they broke the back slider door, and instead of telling us, they just cranked the air down. Apparently, they didn't tell us because then we would have seen the interior of the house, and all hell would have broke loose. There were dog turds everywhere, so old that they were turning white, the carpet was completely saturated with urine, hopefully just from the dogs, windows were broken, the pool was black, and I mean BLACK, there was rotting food strewn from room to room, trash piled 3 feet high in places, a broken wheelchair (none of the tenants are disabled) holes in the wall from pool table balls, 14 different colors of paint on various walls, weeds 2 1/2 feet tall where there should have been rocks, ugh, I can continue if you'd like...

I spent the entire day hauling this trash to the dump. 2250 pounds of it, and there is still more to go. The sad part? These tenants are friends of my cousin. My aunt did them a favor by letting them rent, since as a group of college guys, they were short in the credit department. What a way to repay a favor. But then again, in all but one of the rental properties, this has been the case, some not as bad, one worse. Why on Earth is it ok to trash someone else's belonging this way? I don't get it...

September 11, 2006

There are no words. There is only remembering. Remembering, and prayers for the families.

WTF?!?

So, I'm reading up on all the days new on the computer, like I do every morning, and I come across the story about Paris Hilton and her DUI. Me being me, I just had to read it. I'm not a Paris fan, but hey, gossip is gossip, folks! As I'm reading the details of her arrest, they mention that she blew a .08. Then they list her height and weight. She is 5'9" and 110 freakin' pounds!! Surely that is not healthy. They go on to say that she had been up for 24 hours and had yet to eat anything. Uh, really, that can't be healthy! No wonder most girls have such messed up body images. I need and want to lose weight, but never would I want to be that skinny! However, I can't say that I would have thought this way if I were still 16 and in high school. Thank goodness for maturity!

I'm taking you into my confidence...

I'm trying to lose weight. I hate telling all the people around me, because they tend to either be too helpful, or fairly dismissive about it. I don't need to have an unnamed family member laugh at my workout choices, nor do I need a family member to again mention what a good thing me losing weight is, because they could pinch the fat around my waist. Yes, you have to love my family. So I have decided that, while my husband is in school all week, and my Fridays are now consumed with softball (my first game is Friday night, and it's a double header!) I should be able to focus on myself without interruption, assistance or criticism. I do have to say that while I am not horribly overweight, I'm also not horribly happy. I used to be athletic and active, and now, my muscle tone is deteriorating and I lay around the house waayy too often. I almost feel like I could be having a midlife crisis, at least involving my body image. Call me vain, but I used to be able to walk down the street, or through the malls and get compliments or whistles, or at least turn a head or two. Now, not so much. I've likened myself at times to a Stay At Home Blob. Blah. So, we'll see what the next month holds for me. Hopefully a little bit of weight loss and some toning!

It's just a joke!

A married woman is having an affair. Whenever her lover comes over, she puts her nine-year-old son in the closet. One day the woman hears a car in the driveway and puts her lover in the closet, as well. Inside the closet, the little boy says, "It's dark in here, isn't it?" "Yes it is," the man replies. "You wanna buy a baseball?" the little boy asks. "No thanks," the man replies. "I think you do want to buy a baseball," the little extortionist continues. "OK. How much?" the man replies after considering the position he is in. "Twenty-five dollars," the little boy replies. "TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS?!" the man repeats incredulously, but complies to protect his hidden position. The following week, the lover is visiting the woman again when she hears a car in the driveway and, again, places her lover in the closet with her little boy. "It's dark in here, isn't it?" the boy starts off. "Yes it is," replies the man. "Wanna buy a baseball glove?" the little boy asks. "OK. How much?" the hiding lover responds, acknowledging his disadvantage. "Fifty dollars," the boy replies and the transaction is completed. The next weekend, the little boy's father says "Hey, son. Go get your ball and glove and we'll play some catch." "I can't. I sold them," replies the little boy. "How much did you get for them?" asks the father, expecting to hear the profit in terms of lizards and candy. "Seventy-five dollars," the little boy says. "SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS?! That's thievery! I'm taking you to the church right now. You must confess your sin and ask for forgiveness", the father explains as he hauls the child away. At the church, the little boy goes into the confessional, draws the curtain, sits down, and says "It's dark in here, isn't it?" "Don't you start that in here," the priest says.

Home for the holidays

My wonderful husband has managed to get a four day weekend for this Labor Day weekend; I'm so thrilled! His boss forced him to take today off, since he has not had vacation yet this year, and is in fact working 50+ hours each week on top of being back in school. Which means, family wise for us, we don't see him from Monday night through Friday night. The kids (and myself) are really missing him, so this forced four days of togetherness will be good for us all. As long as we don't kill each other, that is.

Plus, this weekend, I believe that my dad is coming out here for a day or two. He's in Cali for my cousins wedding, and thought he might stop by on the way back to Iowa. This will be another added bonus, as he plays in a softball league, and I just joined a softball league. What was I thinking?!? Years ago, I played softball, and was actually damn good at it. Our team took the championship that year, I almost got my nose broken at shortstop, but still managed to make the play and then come up to bat later that inning. I loved softball, but then we moved to Arizona and everything was so different. So, remembering all the fun I used to have, I joined, along with my neighbor. Again, what was I thinking?!? I am not so athletic anymore. I've gotten lazy in my stay at home mom job. So, with my dad out here, I can get even more assistance getting back into the 'swing' of things. (pun intended) On the good side, at least I can still catch and throw really well. I just need some batting practice.