I’m sick. Let’s just get that right out in the open. I’ve got this cough that won’t go away and I’ve now got this sinus thing and I just feel really crappy.

And so that puts me in kind of a bad mood, cause I feel really crappy.

Wanna make it worse?

“Oh poor Whiskey”

Uggggh. Please. As in please stop.

I don’t know what it is about hearing “poor thing” that irritates me so. Maybe one of you fine budding psychotherapists can figure it out for me. Just please… spare me the pity.

P.S. If I’ve gotten the Warren Zevon/Linda Ronstadt song stuck in your head… HA!! I love that song!! :)

One more combination post and look, I’m all caught up on Blog Fodder!

#8 — How does one handle work, home and family (or a combination thereof) without having a nervous breakdown?

In a word, PLANNING. If I have ten things to do, I make sure I’ve set aside some time for each and every one of them. If I have to be in three places close to the same time — driving kids around, for example — I make sure I can get from A to B to C without anybody being left alone for too long. I tell the kids there always has to be a plan. Without it, I’d probably be writing about my nervous breakdowns! :)

#9 — Name a sensory input(s) which trigger a mood change be it uplifting, depressing, poignancy or remind you of a past event or period in time.

For me, there are two smells that remind me of my grandparents’ house. One is a certain kind of soap, I think it’s Dove and the other is bacon frying. These smells always take me back to memories of being there visiting, which wasn’t offten, because we lived so far away. My grandfather died maybe 18 years ago, my grandmother just this past month. I don’t think I have any other smell or other sense with such a strong memory tied to it.

I had a bunch of errands yesterday. One of them took me down the road where Angel works. I knew she was working yesterday and sure enough her truck was parked right there. I was planning to stop at Dunkin’ Donuts and get myself a little something, so I got this crazy idea to pick up Angel’s favorite hot beverage and surprise her at work.

No, I couldn’t do that, it would be totally insane, right? Should I? Shouldn’t I? I went back and forth and… aww hell, why not! So I picked up what I needed at Home Depot — what was it, orange store day? — and then I stopped and bought a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

I was so nervous. I thought about stopping somebody outside and having them bring it in, so she wouldn’t see me. But no, I finally decided to do the deed myself.

And I drove up and I looked… and her truck was gone!! Oh noooo!! And don’t anybody tell me this was some kind of sign, because I just don’t want to hear that. And nothing’s going to happen between us anyway, because her friendship means more to me than… yeah, it does!

So that’s my exciting story. I so wish she’d been there, it would have been fun. Oh well, another time, maybe!

It’s just barely light fluffy stuff, but we’ve got some snow falling!

Me, I could do without the stuff, but Junior likes to ski and Angel is missing out on some of her snowy winter activities.

So for their sake, not mine, BRING IT ON!

To be honest, I wouldn’t mind getting out there on my XC-skis or snow shoes… but not with single-digit temperatures, thank you very much!!

SNOW! Well it’s about time!!

…or was.

Zero degrees, is what the round thermometer said — you know, the kind like a clock with the arrow pointing out how f-ing cold it is. And then I looked for a second opinion. Our digital thermometer read -2°. Ouch. Cold.

I had to spend more time than usual in the barn this morning. Bunnies get a handful of hay on a day like this. I’m not sure why, but those are my instructions. Well when I came in to take a shower, I caught my reflection in the mirror and… Yes, that’s right. Boy, was my face red. Near-frostbite, I’m sure you’d call it. OK, that’s way too dramatic, and there’s no need for that.

The oil company called the other day and told us they couldn’t fill us up. No, not because we didn’t pay! That last ice storm left all these trees bent across the driveway. I’d gotten most of them cleared out of the way, you might remember. But there were these two birches that made this pretty arch. Especially with the ice on them they were just magnificent. And still, these white arches added a little character to the place. Well apparently they also scared the oil company driver away.

So out I went this morning. I thought about coming home mid-day to do it, but I figure the sooner they can come and fill us up the better. So there I was with my axe. From my car they looked like these itty bitty trees. No, turns out they were more like 5 inches across, each one. I’m sure my arms will be sore tomorrow from swinging the axe. And my legs were burning from dragging them back towards the house. I’ll have to measure them but they’ve got to be around 20 feet tall. Tall is when they’re standing up. Now they’re 20 feet long, cause they’re lying down.

Tree-slayer, yes, that’s what you can call me now.

P.S. The following is just a test… please leave your link and let me know what you think of this thing…

Random like I like it…

1. This new-to-me computer I bought is awesome. I’ve got a second monitor on it for a total of like 37 inches of monitor. Oh yeah!

2. I find myself staring at the packs and gum… just staring. Big Red or Double Mint? Double Mint or Big Red? Why is life so complicated?

3. I’m in kind of a weird mood right now but I know why. I’m sure I’ll shake it by the time I get to the bottom of this list.

4. I find myself thinking in poems. Angel is some kind of muse, I guess.

5. I was in the barn with her yesterday and waited until she was done with the wheelbarrow. And then I asked her if she was done with it because I was going to go dump it. She said she hated doing that. I said I knew that and that’s why I liked to do it, so she didn’t have to. She told me she appreciates that.

6. The days seem to be getting longer, the afternoons lighter just a little bit longer. There is hope that this nothing of a winter will turn into a something of a spring one day.

7. I need a vacation. Seriously, just veg and catch up on sleep. A vacation or maybe just a weekend. I wonder where I can get me one of those. Maybe I’ll look into that on Friday.

8. I wonder if I were carried off by flying monkeys whether I would be able to fight back. Once you’re too high up in the air, though, you kind of have to just let them carry you, though.

9. The time on my watch is precisely in synch with the time on my computer. I like that. And it’s very important to me.

10. Wordpress.com users have been asking Mister Linky for a little something for their blogs. He has just the thing in mind, but it will take a few days to get it together.

11. My head is in such a weird place right now. When I get done writing this I’m going to go for a walk and maybe have some tea. Maybe some water, too. Could it be dehydration?

12. I’m going on a long car trip at the end of February. I’ll be bringing you all along with me. I wonder how many blogfriends I could fit inside of my car.

13. I feel like something in the universe has snapped and that maybe there’s a disturbance in the force or something. I think it’s something I read that upset me. But I don’t think it’s anything I need to worry about. I read on a sign today, “Worry is a misuse of imagination.” (Attributed here to Dan Zadra.) How very true.

I thought I’d better try and get caught up with Blog Fodder, so I’m going to tackle two questions at once and then I’ll only be one week behind!

#6 — What is your most memorable meal? Why?

I’d have to say this would be the time Wifey and I were on our first trip to Paris and had dinner at La Tour d’Argent which has been in business since 1582 and where they invented discovered the fork. Yeah, very famous place! Well there was this really loud American woman at the next table and she was making a scene. And here we were in this really fancy, famous place and Wifey was pretty annoyed. I think it was funny as hell and we look back now and have a good laugh. It’s a great story. This woman was really loudly telling her husband that this other woman a few tables away should shut up. And then they took an ash tray from the table and put it in their bag. The woman’s husband paid for it, but still… It was pretty funny!

#7 — Which is more important, intelligence or common sense?

Book smarts only gets you so far — you have to know how to apply what you know and that’s where common sense comes in. It’s funny, of my three kids, one is very intelligent and another has a great deal of common sense. And a third has this unbelievable combination of both. This is the one I figure will be President some day, so I’d better shut up now. :)

Think about how quickly these past two years have gone by. Well two years ago, most of you didn’t even know me. Some of you did. I can probably count them on one hand. OK, more like two. Fewer than a dozen.

Anyway, it’s just flown right by. The point is, so will the next two.

And it won’t be long before people start knocking on your door, stuffing your mailbox, robo-calling you at every hour of the day and night. Yes, that’s right. Just 654 days from now we’ll be voting for the next President of the United States.

But here’s the thing. Whoever we elect will be inaugurated just two short years from today.

I don’t talk about it much, but I’m a political junkie in real life. I’ve been looking at the would-be candidates on both sides of the aisle. I like John McCain a lot, and I supported him in the 2000 election. But I have to say, I was really disappointed when he started talking about sending more troops to Iraq. I don’t think this is what we need. I don’t think this is what most of America wants, and I don’t think the United States Congress is going to just stand by and allow it.

As I’ve said many times, I’m an independent or “undeclared” voter and I consider candidates from both parties. I’m also very impressed with Iowa’s Governor, Tom Vilsack. In stark contrast to McCain, he was the first of the candidates to reject the idea of sending more troops. But that’s not all. He’s got experience balancing budgets in his tenure as governor. He knows the importance of energy security to our national security and how alternative fuels need to be a priority for America’s future. I could go on and on, but I won’t. I know how people hate that.

But do me a favor. When John and Rudy and Mitt come knocking on your door… When Joe and John and Chris and Barack and Hillary come ringing up your phone… Keep Tom Vilsack in mind. Listen to what he’s got to say. And of course you’ll make up your own mind.

Just two short years. It should be very interesting!!

I’m so far behind — I think they’re probably up to #8 by now. OK, #7. Over at the Blog Fodder Hub, I mean.

Anyway, #5 asks us to tell a story about our in-laws. Well that’s easy. I’ve got the greatest in-laws you could have. But boy do they get on my nerves sometimes. So part rant, part fodder, here goes.

It’s my mother-in-law, really. Sweetest, nicest lady you could ever meet. But when it comes to dessert, I am just not a big dessert eater. I don’t need dessert. I don’t want dessert. And it also happens that I don’t eat chocolate and I don’t eat ice cream. So when it’s time for dessert, these facts make it easier not to have any dessert because it’s usually one or the other, right?

But no. My mother-in-law, because she is so sweet and nice, will make something other than the stuff I don’t eat, so that I can have some. But I don’t want some!! If we’re at her house, I’ll usually take something, just to be nice. But if they’ve brought something to my house, I do what I want, which is usually not to have any.

Then there was Christmas. By Christmas night I’d had more than enough cookies and candy and whatever other crap to eat. We were at Wifey’s aunt and uncle’s house and so were were her parents. There was plenty to eat, all dessert kind of stuff, and it was in the just-help-yourself mode, which is plenty fine with me. I sat on the couch and was talking with one of Wifey’s cousins and whoever else was there.

My mother-in-law, because she is so sweet and nice, was asking if anyone wanted anything. She brought a piece of pie for my youngest and that was nice of her. She asked me if I wanted anything, there was a cheesecake with no chocolate. I said no, thank you. “Oh, don’t you like cheesecake?” was her reply.

I was more than a little annoyed by this. Maybe I don’t make the best choices when it comes to what to eat. But when it comes to what not to eat, I think I’m pretty much right on.

What I got from this exchange was that if you don’t like something you don’t eat it, but otherwise *damn it* you’re going to have some. Last time I checked, I was a grown-up, capable of making my own decisions.

Boss your own kid around. But please, me you can leave alone, thank you very much.