duda reads

I forgot...

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:03:44 GMT

I forgot about... what is this thing? LiveJournal?

A lot has happened in a little over a year, duh! So many changes.

I'm delighted to report that my divorce is almost final. I left a year ago. Best thing I ever did for myself!

My Marine is safe at home, at last, where they can't hurt him anymore. He was honorably discharged, medical seperation... when it was discovered that he now has a heart condition... brought on by a dumbass corporal in Japan who decided to run him. Ran him until he collapsed and his body temp was 2 degrees away from dead.

I have nothing but contempt for that corporal, he is no honorable Marine. He's an example of what makes the Marine Corps bad.

Well, y'all, same time next year? lol

Wow! Time flies when you're...

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:35:51 GMT

What have I been doing anyway? Playing Second Life, I guess. :D

My Marine was home for Christmas, my horrible boss finally retired, and I see some light at the end of the tunnel. So things are good!

I haven't read anything but YA fiction, so I'm bored. I did pick up a copy of Atonement at the airport last night since I wanted to read it before I saw the movie. Which... my sister tells me... is incredibly beautiful, as well as moving and sad.

Here's hoping everyone had a fabulous Groundhog Day! Did you read Gibbon's Groundhog Day to children? I did! :D

Wrapped my present yet?

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:44:55 GMT

Make it pretty!

Everything is right in my world...

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 01:26:28 GMT

I LOVE SMOOCHING MY MARINE!

I can't breathe!

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:45:15 GMT

I actually got an email with a flight number and a time of arrival...

TOMORROW!!!!!!!

ohmigawd ohmigawd ohmigawd

Does anyone know how the weather is in Seattle? He'll be coming through there.

ohmigawd ohmigawd ohmigawd

Well. It's November 28th.

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:44:11 GMT

All day long. Except in Japan, where by now it's Thursday morning, November 29th.

Got any idea when my son is coming home?

Nope, neither do I.

I am anti Marine Corps today. boo hissss

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:32:51 GMT

I thought I would be immersed in happiness, with my son home home HOME.

BUT NO!!! AND HELL NO!!!

Is he here? Do you see him? Yeah, well, neither do I.

::sigh::

Pins and Needles

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 23:06:35 GMT

Pins and needles, you ask? I am sitting on them. I am outside of my own skin. I make little gleep gleep noises when I sleep.

I'm so happy!

A week from today... my son will be home from Japan!

If all goes right, all papers signed and released, and all aircraft on time...

He gets 30 days end of deployment leave, and he's applied for personal leave to try to extend his time at home until after Christmas. Oh, joy!

But then... you turn the other page and remember that he's asked to go to Iraq. Yes, a mother's heart can stop on that. And then you remember that he'll be joining a unit that spends 6 months of the year in Iraq and 6 months in California. So he will go to Iraq at least 2 times in the next two years. Unless they send him to Afghanistan, which is a very real possibility.

But let's just think about 7 days from now... when he comes home!!!! :)

I am so fucked.

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 01:48:32 GMT

This summer, I was diagnosed with diabetes type II. I lost my vision, and then I lost my feet. Neuropathy, and plantar faciitis and all that...

So I go back to work and the first thing I do is tell the school nurse I have diabetes... please help me with my supervisor? She's a bitch? I have to have regular scheduled breaks and a scheduled lunch time in order to maintain my sugar levels? yada yada

The twatwaffle extraordinaire reacts in the expected way to my disability, and immediately starts a campaign to make me quit my job. She doesn't like being told that I have to have a set lunch time. I am hobbling around, barely able to walk, and she doesn't like being told I have to sit down. Letters from doctors fail to impress her.

She completely changes my job description. She takes away all the clerical duties I would normally do, which can be done while seated, and gives me the job of shelving books. In a middle school in our district, the student aides traditionally shelf all books. She insists that I be up on my feet at all times at her beck and call. She tells me where to sit and in which chair to sit in, on the rare occasions when she allows me to be seated to do frivolous book repairs. Yeah, frivilous, I said it, she's crazy, more later...

So I went to my union, I got my union's attorney to help me, and I filed a request with the committee who oversees the Americans with Disabilities Act for the district.

They denied me. Even with the letters from my doctors. Because of the job description, they feel they do not have to accommodate me.

I am so screwed.

I may have to resign my position, since the twatwaffle decided to change my job description.

I am very depressed. My family is about ready to form a lynching party and go hang the twatwaffle.

Well.

Thanks for listening.

William Tell Overture

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 02:37:42 GMT

Seuss alert!

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:18:50 GMT

All you elementary librarians might want to pay attention to this fashion alert: While shopping at Dillard's this past weekend, we saw Cat in the Hat T-Shirts in several styles. Perfect for Dr. Seuss birthday celebrations! Modestly priced, as well. In the juniors department.

My sister looks fabulous in hers!

I want my Nathan back...

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:32:22 GMT

Oh where? Oh where has that boy Nathan gone to? I want him back!

I also want a time machine... in which I will transport myself magically to the last day of school. Then I will have the whole summer of freedom before me again.

I've got one word for you... 7th grade girls! Oh, the DRAMA!

Yes, I am a giant dumbass.

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 22:25:51 GMT

I don't know how to "lock" my posts.

I have to go back to work tomorrow - a lovely 8 hour day of asshatting in an in-service meeting. We report back on Monday, which I don't mind, I love the school!

I wasn't successful this summer in finding another job at another school. So I have to go back to work with the mofoery asshat twatwaffle. Ugh. "I've been a children's librarian for 10 years!"

Honey, that is about 30 seconds and 10 years too long... you would be better suited as a prison guard.

I'm physically ill, just thinking about it.

I just want to drink.

Bah!

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 12:46:13 GMT

I want my nathangphd back! :(

A pox on that yiberry-which-shall-go-unnamed... asshats!

Victims of Mass Hysteria

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 02:20:07 GMT

Just a few blocks from my house... 7-11 turned into a Kwik-E-Mart. Which has been fun, and a madhouse all the time. We just went there and I got a Squishee!

mmmmmmmmm Squishee mmmmmmmmm

And the teenager made some new friends...

I BELIEVE in the power of lined bifocal glasses! With big black frames! woohoo!

Time Warner Cable SUCKS!

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 22:37:28 GMT

Our internet and cable TV has been intermittent since last Sunday. We had an appointment today, to have a new cable box installed. That appointment was set up and confirmed for the time period of 8am-11am. We are still waiting. It is now after 5pm.

I have been called repeatedly by an automated machine - assuring me that the outage problems in my area have been resolved and that service is restored. They have not! My cable box here in the living room was set to basic cable only, I have no access to anything else.

PLUS THE AUTOMATIC DIALING MACHINE CALLS ME REPEATEDLY TO TELL ME THAT THE SERVICE HAS BEEN FIXED. When it has not. IT CALLED ME 8 (EIGHT) TIMES IN 10 (TEN) MINUTES ON SATURDAY MORNING. IT HAS CALLED ME EVERYDAY, MORE THAN ONCE A DAY. I NEVER REQUESTED THAT IT CALL ME. FOR ANY REASON. I JUST WANT MY CABLE FIXED, AND I WANT THAT MACHINE TO STOP CALLING ME.

All TWC's employees and supervisors have been completely useless in getting these issues resolved. Martin, a supervisor, told me that he didn't know anything about any machine calling me and had no idea how to find out anything about it. Today, David transferred me to Brian's voice mail when I asked for a supervisor but of course, HE HASN'T CALLED ME BACK. Am I surprised? NO. TWC's right hand doesn't know what their left hand is doing.

I think it's time to spend my money elsewhere. Digital TV has it's problems, but at least their customer service knew how to help their customers. I should know, I had Direct TV for 9 years. So I'm venting into the great void that is Time Warner Cable... and there is still no cable guy at my door. You suck, Time Warner, you suck! And I'm going to tell everyone I know just how much you suck!

Oh, great, he's here. Excuse me while I try not to hit somebody.

Blind Duda

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:26:46 GMT

After I scored HP7 at Walmart, I wondered how in the world I was going to read it. You see, I have been blinded by medical science. I've been put on diabetes medication, and that pretty much wiped out my vision over-night. It was scary. Yeah.

So... I discovered that if I wore TWO pairs of glasses... I could read! woohoo! It's awkward, my neck hurts and my eyeballs start to ache and the damn pair of glasses on the outside has to be constantly readjusted and mostly they fall off. Took me a while to read HP7, but ohmy ohmy it was worth it!

Tried to read nutrition labels at the grocery store much lately, duda? Fuck no. I'm way too scary looking normally but to be standing there with 2 pairs of glasses on, muttering to myself... well... it just will not do, hon.

So I went to the eye doctor. My prescription is exactly DOUBLE what it was this time last year (or even last month) and I have to go back today for more diabetes eye exams.

I haven't been able to drive at night - everything looks like giant fireworks on the ground. Big orbs of exploding colors... But hey, I can drive to yoga during the day with only one pair of glasses.

I pick up my new glasses tomorrow! :)

Bursting the Harry Potter bubble...

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 20:06:50 GMT

I didn't pre-order, I didn't go wait in line at a bookstore at midnight...

But I did just buy The Deathly Hollowsat WalMart for $17.78 plus tax. Just walked right in after noon, picked one up and went to the check-out.

My son said, "But Moooom, you didn't get the wand and something-something!" I forget what the other thing was.

Big deal, I didn't want them or whatever giveaways there were. My nephew flew to New York with his girlfriend to attend some big party and get their copy... I wonder how much their books cost. A bit more than $17.78, ya think?

Excuse me, I have to go read now.

I have ferns growing out of my nose.

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 18:07:01 GMT

And webbed feet. Everything is squishy. It's been raining for 10 years.

Not your genteel delicate rain to nourish the parched earth... we have had your Texas variety of gully-washer i.e. downpour. Imagine 65 people standing on your front lawn with full buckets of water, another 120 on top of your house... and with a loud BOOM.. sizzle.. POP! They all start pouring their buckets out. Magic, unending buckets of water. Water that floods.

We've been under a flash flood warning for days. So what do we do? Hell, honey... we get out and DRIVE! woo whee! How else does one get rescued by a helicopter in this day and age?

Last night the dogs had to go pee, it's way too wet in the side yard to let them out since one of them has a serious digging problem. But we won't mention any names... So they are out in the front yard, sniffing and peeing and WHOMP... loudest damn thunder I've heard in a long time. The dogs were in the house and cowering behind me almost before the WHOMP was over.

Clouds are forming overhead...

argh!

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 23:06:21 GMT

I was diagnosed as a diabetic this week, type II. I have to take pills now because my blood sugar is so high and I'm pathetic and couldn't seem to manage it on my own with diet and exercise.

I just know they are going to make me puke. Most medications do. It took me forever to get used to taking blood pressure medicine... and then diuretics... I don't take tylenol or aspirin for pain, or any other over the counter medication. But hey, I never get headaches and haven't even had a cold in 3 years.

In a lot of ways, I am very healthy. In other ways... it's a miracle I can walk across the room. I think being a vegetarian helps, and quitting smoking was certainly a life changing thing.

What's really holding me back is being so fucking OLD.

Summer is so much FUN!

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 22:04:45 GMT

My first week off... the last week in May... I slept pretty much 12 hours a day. Or more. I think I've scrunched it down to 10 hours a night, but still - no more 6am wakeups! woohoo!

I've read 10 books or so, none very remarkable or even rememberable except for Mary Balogh's Simply Magic... I think Mary Balogh is the best writer of the Edwardian/Regency/romance. I've started about 5 books that I'll never finish reading because they are so bad. Oh, I'm finally getting around to reading The Book Thief but it just seems like work.

::sigh:: I need the new Harry Potter, or something new from Diana Gabaldon to really perk me up.

Since school got out:
Mr duda is implanted with pieces of gold and ready to be radiated as soon as a time slot opens up.
My Marine was injured again! This time by a fellow Marine who scratched his cornea with some equipment. bah!
The Teenager's palette is expanded, and waiting to be totally braced out in about 6 weeks.
My Marine has requested a duty station in Fallujah. I could just beat him. And when you ask him WHY WHY - he doesn't say it's his job... he says it's his duty.
I ripped an entire toenail off with the door to a shop in Galveston. My doctor caught a glimpse of it today during my physical and it cost me an Rx for antibiotics the size of a small whale and a tetanus shot. bleah...

I think I might clean out my closet in August.

I'm a LiveJournal Dumbass.

Sat, 26 May 2007 17:29:49 GMT

I just remembered to check my other other twice removed email account... and realized that it's the one I used to sign up for LJ. There was a friggin boatload of messages in there! Responses from other LJ people that I missed because I didn't know they were there!

arrrgh! My apologies to those I never responded to.

And for Nathan... the Rice and Gravy Recipe:

Get a nice round steak, doesn't have to be pricey. About plate size, 1/2 inch thick. Cut it into 1/2 inch strips. Roll around in flour (like a chicken) with salt, pepper, and red pepper - you choose your own temperature by how much red pepper you use.

Finely chop about 3 heads of garlic. Yup, I said heads, not cloves. My brother-in-law would argue that that is probably not enough.

Put some grease in an iron skillet. Brown the meat with the garlic. And brown it some more. Add other hot spices you may have in your kitchen, if desired. Brown.

Scoop a hole in the middle and make a roux with more flour and all the crusty brown bits from the pan, the browned meat bits, and the browned garlic - add water. Add enough flour to make the skillet full of gravy.

Simmer until the meat is tender.

Serve over hot steamed rice.

I hope this makes sense, it would be easier to just watch somebody make it. You will smell like garlic for 3 days.

I'm free! I'm free! I'm living on LSD!*

Fri, 25 May 2007 23:14:36 GMT

Lunch, Sleep, and...
a. doughnuts?
b. dos equis?
c. duck in orange sauce?

hmmm... Well... I'm a vegetarian who doesn't like beer so...

I did manage to get up before noon today and this afternoon I caught a matinee of Pirates of the Caribbean... At World's End. ohmigawd. ohmigawd.

Go see this movie!

Almost over...

Thu, 24 May 2007 00:00:13 GMT

Today, I suffered through a 2.5 hour end-of-the-year luncheon. The fare consisted of chicken, salad, bread and dessert. Great... if you eat meat! ::sigh:: At least this time, the salad didn't have meat on it, too.

Tomorrow, I have to work from 0730 to 1200. Then I turn in my keys and I AM DONE!

woooooohooooo! :)

Granted, I do have to find another job this summer, but I don't see that as a problem. I could go back to the same school in another position if one opens up.

But I will NEVER work with that lying, rude, insensitive, insulting, little twitchy butted WACKO!

Damn... she's a motherfucker! MOTHERFUCKER!

It will probably take years for me to get over the urge to punch her in the face.

Ain't it the truth...

Wed, 16 May 2007 22:41:48 GMT