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Sorry about all the blog removal/confusion. There's been even more drama with my soon to be ex-SIL than normal and after she hacked into my brother's email and started calling his ex-wife and friends, I got paranoid when I saw that someone got into my blog while looking up "bipolar divorce". I'm a dork.

Anyways, there is just too much to write about so I'll just say that Bravie's blog (basically all of YOU) is cracking me up! I don't have half the imagination you guys do. *snort* I do think Bravie is going on a major power trip with this! Pfft. I'm not scared of her. :P *wonders if I just lost some points*

Everyone have a happy Friday and weekend! I'm going to the State Fair tonight. :)

p.s. one more thing: I got to call SILFH myself and give her some pretty harsh warnings. It felt great. We got into it pretty heavy and I also talked to her about the letter "I" wrote to her. I've never in my life dealt with someone SO clueless before. She did offer to pay for a polygraph for me if I feel the need to prove I didn't write it. Sweet huh?

Happy Tuesday!

My weekend with the kids at Lake Donner went really well. There are not many things to highlight really, as it was just a really laid back vacation. Here's a pic of the lake, and another with our small group. We stayed in a two bedroom cabin that had an upstairs loft with tons of beds in it. I hope to go back next year. Oh! I did get seriously sunburned on my chest and neck, as I had my hair up all day.








Big Brother: I now pretty much only have pity for Amber. She is truly messed up. *sigh* I also really, really can't stand Eric (sorry Bravie). I have to close my eyes when he is in the diary room because watching him makes me sick. I'm not sure what my hang up is, but it's strong. It sucks because I really like Jessica and I hate seeing her get closer to him. Ugh.

Teen Choice Awards: I was disgusted that one category included a scene from Knocked Up. Why on earth would kids have seen that movie? These are young kids, not 17 year olds! WTH?

Kids first day of school: They survived, and seemed to be the same when they got home, as when they left in the morning. We'll see how the second day goes. *suspicious*

Bravie's contest: I'm pretty sure I will not only not win, but very well may lose. I have no imagination, and worse yet, am short on time today. :( DH is home and that will put a damper on my computer time.

*whew*

Busiest couple of days ever! I got almost all the kids school shopping done in one day! WooHoo! Of course, there are a few small things they need from Target (or somewhere) but I'm mostly done. Oh! And *I* got something too. *grin* Behold:

Please excuse the filthy mirror in which I took the picture. These are very much like my last ebay shoes, but they are patent leather, so it's not like I got duplicates, right? And, they are not as high as my other shoes, so they will be comfortable! *yay*



My DD went to bed with a big smile tonight because we have started redecorating her room (after two days of cleaning it). She is thrilled with her new colors and we even found the perfect comforter at Ross tonight for $16.99! We hung paper lanterns from her ceiling too. *grin* She's in love with her room and it makes me happy. :) Next up; DS's jungle room. Getting him to part with his toys is hard, even as he grows older because he is so sentimental. Basically, if he remembers who it came from, he can't let it go. Silly boy.



How about you? Have many (or any) childhood / sentimental items saved that you will never part with? What do you save of your children's (if applicable)? I save a lot of school work and some baby clothes. The rest they keep in their rooms, like stuffed animals and stuff.

Well, after Thursday, I won't be around at all until probably Monday. I'm taking the kids to the lake and then we'll be scrambling to be ready for school on Monday morning. Everyone have a great weekend!

Randoms I'd like to know

::possible BB spoilers, but only if you haven't watched last night's show::

1. Are you working today? <--unrelated to BB

2. What are you wearing? <--unrelated to BB, unless you are wearing a unitard

3. Do you want Jen or Jameka to go on Thursday?

4. Did you LYAO at Amber while making her deal with Danielle?

5. Did you hear me scream when I found a pincher bug on my neck a minute ago? Does every one know what a pincher bug is? According to the dictionary, there is no such thing. I'm not sure what else to call it. It is disgusting though. *shudder* <--thrown in at last minute just to share the excitement of the night

Updated Updates

Update #1 As of right now, my brother has stuck to his current position with his wife for the longest time thus far. If I'm not careful, I might start to get my hopes up that this is really "it". He truly seems to be aware of her trying to manipulate him, though his heart goes out to her because he understands that this is part of her disorder. It's truly a sad situation for all involved. However, since I can still be a bitch, I also feel as though not all of her bad behavior can be held under the umbrella of her sickness. She has slighted me personally in ways I am not quite big enough to forgive just yet. Sorry.

Update #2 The friend I was going to cut off has been acting a little better. I am going to try to get through another week with her since I have already committed to go to Lake Donner with her next weekend.

Update #3 New shoes. Of all the shoes I posted a couple weeks ago, I only won the one pair I needed the least. The high heels.

Then I went to Famous Footwear and ordered some more casual and practical wedges.

Update #4 My trip to the mountains was pretty good. Other than the drama my brother's wife created, it was all fun. I didn't have to worry about stopping in the canyon at the river too much because we got such a late start we couldn't stay long. We did stop a total of three times though, once to climb down some rocks by the river. The only concern I had was snakes, but I didn't think they'd be out in the early evening anyways. We also stopped to look at some deer who were dangerously close to the highway, but seemed oblivious. It was a nice, relaxing trip up there.

Update #5 The kids are really going to Jr. High. /denial]. They did a Jumpstart program where they went for three half days and got acquainted with the school grounds. I've been working on getting them ready. So far, this is what I've taught DD. *evil grin*

This week I have to buy all their school clothes and get their rooms cleaned up so things run smoother when next week starts. It's always a hard adjustment for us from school to summer vacation, and then from summer vacation to school again. It seems as though just when you get used to one, the other starts up.

Quick question: How often do you change purses? I have an ongoing joke with my BF because she says every time she sees me, I have a new one. I've recently noticed that once I switch to a new one, I suddenly dislike the "old" one. I have no idea why. I think I'm going to do a purse exchange with my friends. I have SO many purses I will not use again. Is it the styles changing that quickly, or am I having commitment issues?

Junior High

Who here remembers their first day of Jr. High? Or anything about their 7th or 8th grade years? Share something here that sticks out in your memory about that age, please (preferably something that won't make me immediately turn to home schooling my children!).

I keep remembering all the bad stuff. The swearing and sex talk. I learned so much in that one year. After 7th grade, I was home schooled myself. I don't really recommend it unless it is a last resort. For me, it kept me extremely sheltered from that point on. I had very little interaction with boys and missed out on so many things that I think are almost necessary for kids to experience (including *some* bad stuff). I dodged experimenting with drugs, alcohol and the opposite sex completely. In that regard, I'm sure my parents were thrilled, but at the same time, you might end up a 30 year old who feels they "missed out" on something. Not sure what exactly, since I'm not inclined to use drugs anyways and I can drink now if I want to, but still, having the comradeship, school dances and occasional interaction with boys might have been nice. I also would have liked to form friendships in high school and be interested in high school reunions.

At any rate, it's hard to let my babies start in just over a week.

What advice have you given, or would you give to a child starting middle school? I've lectured mine already on so many things, but am afraid I'm forgetting something.

Oh, and extra points to anyone here who remembers why I stopped going to public school after 7th grade. I've mentioned it here and on OT before. *grin*

Things that bug me. A lot.

Guess I'm in an irritable mood, because this is all I could think of to blog about.

1. DH, calling around noon to announce he is coming home because he "does not feel well". He then naps.

2. DH, calling me a couple hours later, (while I'm at parents house with kids swimming) to tell me he is going to his golf lesson.

3. DH, after coming home, saying he is going out to get food.

4. DH, handing the remote over to me because he "doesn't feel up to holding it". WTF?

So is he sick or not? *boggle*

In other news, my brother has finally figured out that his wife has Borderline Personality Disorder and cannot cope with it. I have no idea if it will stick this time or not. *crosses fingers*

Also, I'm seriously considering cutting a friend off. She is draining me and I'm constantly on eggshells with her, never knowing whether I'm in trouble for not calling her enough, not flattering her enough, and never being there enough for her. I've been asked over and over what I get out of that friendship and the only answer I have is "other friends". She is kinda the ring-leader for a large group that I've enjoyed getting to know. She is the one I've blogged about before (Jenn) who crank called me a few months back. She almost ruined my girls weekend a couple weeks ago. I have tried to stay friends with her partly because I sincerely believe she has a medical condition that makes her unstable and irrational. She has not confirmed that exactly but many of her friends have come to the same conclusion after knowing her for so long. For some reason, I'm someone she feels okay lashing out at, despite not doing it to all her friends. Maybe it IS me. I hate always asking myself if I'm doing something wrong with her.

Sorry for the pessimistic post, guys. Is anyone else out there being bugged by anything? Is this mood going around or something?

Bear hunting

Well I am finally back, but looks like another crazy week is looming. I have not been able to come on and write about my girls weekend, or my kids birthday, or even my recent DB wife drama. *heavy sigh*

So for now, I'll update with some pics from our weekend in the mountains. I think since my update is pretty blah, I'll just say that *I* killed the vicious bear myself, while he was attempting to break into the house while myself and the small helpless children slept. I'm a hero I tell you! :P

More later. I need to build up some energy.



Here is me, after slaying the beast: (p.s. I know it looks like I *just* woke up, but that is only because I was exhausted from the battle, not because I was posing with someone else's bear)





Here is DD, pretending to be the hero. *rolls eyes*



The rest of the kids, with their Bad Ass faces. Yeah, they're real tough. Not like they all needed to be coaxed near the bear after waiting almost a day after it was killed to ensure it was really dead. *snort*

FTR, the bear was killed legally. That's a big deal here,... no idea what the laws are in other states. This particular bear was pretty gutsy and fearless. Tried to break into three different homes including the one I was staying at.

Wow

Chris, who commented in one of my last posts, wrote me back and basically wanted to advertise on my blog. The funny part was all the links she (he?) gave me were very sexual. Vibrator reviews and the like. I told hir that my blog was for my friends and not something I wanted to change. So, am I offended or flattered? *giggle*

Quick! Need Ebay help!

Ok, these are all shoes I am currently watching on ebay. I need some sandals to replace my espadrilles that look most like picture #3. (because they look dirty and I don't know how to clean them)

I really like all of these, though obviously the high heels are not replacements for anything else, I just want them. Badly. Give me opinions, please! Oh, and in pic #2, I like the black ones. And what on earth would one wear with the patent leather shoes in 1st picture?

So....*drums fingers*

Where is every one? Who is around?

It's hump day, you know. *grin*

So was last Friday night. *bigger grin*

*waves to Carey*

*spots Jen and stops waving*

Ok, the truth is, I don't have much to say. I updated a long update on the latest bits of my brother's marriage saga. It now includes me. *sigh* It's down there. *points down*

Boo and Kim, I mailed a card today. I really hope you get it. I also hope the m&ms inside don't melt while in transit. :P

So, this weekend is my slumber party! I desperately need the break. I was going to bring food but I'm leaning towards just the rum. I'll eat the ice if I get hungry.

Big Brother: Dick is now on my least favorite player list. He had already sunk last week but his latest antics just repulsed me. In related news, Jen is now moving up into a higher spot. Hell, who am I kidding? She might even be the #1 spot, after considering the rest of the house. Just not a good year I guess. Oh, actually Dustin is still high on my list, so there's two I can root for. And Jess is growing on me too. Funny how my original faves slipped so far down and some of the ones I couldn't stand at the beginning are moving up.

Last thing: Statistically speaking, what are the chances that someone let an alligator, crocodile, large (man eating) snake, or a freshwater shark into the Feather River? Next week I'll be driving my kids into the mountains and they want to stop at the river again. Last year I panicked because I couldn't shake the image of something dragging them into the river (hey! it's deep!).

I'm skeered! I know it's silly, but... *shrug*

Here are some pics from last year at our spot. I may have posted these before, last year....

If you can't read it, it says, "Bigfoot was here". Ha! Guess he's smarter than some people give him credit for!

This pic gives an idea of just how wide the river is. Though it's much wider in places than right at this spot. We always love seeing the trains go by and we always get them to blare their horn at us. :)


This is where the kids were when I had the horrible image of an alligator sneaking up on them. Have you seen Lake Placid? *shudder*

As if I needed more stress

Have I mentioned I have a SIL from hell? Yes? Oh. Well, for the most part, the problems that transpire between my brother and his wife are their own business. I get irritated and sad and angry at times, but have been pretty good at staying out of the mess they created. Until now.



It appears as though someone wrote an anonymous letter to SIL's parents. She lives with them now, btw. The letter was pretty harsh and whoever wrote it obviously prefers my family over hers. The letter called her out on her vanity, emotional and mental problems, her past marriages, the kind of friends she keeps and the parents inability to see this, and help her get help. I didn't read it myself and I know I'm forgetting some things in it.



My brother informed me that his DW suspected me among a few other people (the writer identified herself as a woman) as the sender. I'm not sure why I care so much, but this information infuriated me. For one, I would not have kicked her parents while they were down (so to speak) and the timing of the letter was dreadful. Cheryl had just *finally* been getting some real help while in the hospital and was diagnosed as having Bipolar Disorder and possibly Borderline Personality disorder as well. She was also told she has some anxiety problems (lol, who doesn't?) and also Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.



I'm not so upset that I am a suspect, as I can see based on the things written how she can think it was someone close enough to know certain details, and who obviously was protecting my brother. I guess I'm more upset that there is nothing I can do to prove it wasn't me. I confronted her on Sunday and told her point blank that it was not me. I looked her right in the eye and basically told her that I would say anything I needed to, to her face and that also, I would have deflected from myself much better, had I actually written it.



I found out later that she still suspects me. *sigh* Now what? I'm guessing some will say to 'just let it go', but that is really hard for me. I don't want her parents thinking that lowly of me. It seems really unfair to me. I've worked hard to get to know her parents, even inviting them to my own parents anniversary party, and then being the only one besides my mom who stayed to clean up after the reception for my brother and Cheryl. And now I'm in the doghouse?



Cheryl called me three times today because she was obsessing over things between her and DB. She asked me if I think he loves her, she asked me about things I've discussed with her aunt (who is a good friend of mine). She is also trying to trip me up and catch me in a lie about the letter. My brother confirmed that last part because he's witnessed how she operates and he could tell by the things she was asking me. It was obvious. I won't be answering her calls anymore.



As for my brother, he wants out. Why he doesn't just go and file for divorce, I don't know. He's afraid of looking bad, maybe? Gah, there is SO much more I could write about this, it's just too long and complicated. He really can't stand her right now and does not think he has what it takes to endure this with her. He has his own physical problems to deal with. I think he's afraid of breaking her heart, too. It's also becoming clear that Cheryl probably won't be focusing on her own problems. Even though she was finally diagnosed, she's still trying to figure out what's wrong with DB. She just can't see that her disorders were enough to undo things. She needs another person to point the finger at. Oh! And last night she accused DB of loving his children more than her! *snort* Ya think?



Ok, for those following this saga, thanks for reading. There are probably lots of gaps because I did not see where I last left off. I think the only part I hadn't updated you on was that she moved in with parents because my brother (and my parents) told them she could not come back to their house.

My Date with Carey

My evening with Carey began here:



After the services, we decided to join the Church goers for a "picnic bible study" where we all drank some milk. We were doing fine until Carey started spinning the milk carton around, demanding that everyone kiss her. Then for some reason they all said they had to go...

Which left me alone with Carey, in my car. We discussed politics, religion and various charity organizations we like. We never discussed sex at all. Nope, not one bit. She also never dropped the F-bomb, nor did she poot while we were trying to eat.

The only part of her story that is accurate is the shopping. I'll admit to that. *grin* In this pic, she was singing "You shook me all night long" by AC/DC .

The truth lies somewhere in between her story and mine, I guess. You may never know. ;-) Regardless of what we actually *did* during those hours together, I do know one thing. I'd do it again, anywhere, anytime.

Carey was a wonderful date. She opened doors for me, bought my dinner and refrained from screaming obscenities at me while I drove. And all I had to do was put out. *grin*

::side note to Jen:: uh, nothing happened. Not even the hand jobs. We were very ladylike. *besa*

Be jealous people. Be very jealous.

*Hop*
*grin*

Yikes!

Today, my brother decided he was done (again) with his wife "Cheryl". He called her and told her that she needed help and that he was not equipped to take it on. He asked her to please move out. She started in with the usual routine of begging, pleading and promising change, but this time, he stood his ground. In the afternoon, he came to my house to hang out because he did not want to see her. Have I mentioned that DB has lost 40lbs in just the two months he's known her? He's been physically just shutting down. His kidneys have been acting up too, from the stress. Anyways, he was here when she started blowing up his cell phone. He finally took the call and spent the next hour on the phone with her. She was telling him he was all she had in the world to live for. Then she told him to "take care of my dog, and you can have my stuff". She then tells him she just took about 20 Tylenol. OK, for one, she has countless bottles of prescription drugs. Some that would likely be lethal if abused. But, Tylenol? Hmm. So DB hangs up from her (after she chastised him for not freaking out and calling for help immediately after being informed).

He calls her parents and heads to the house which is about 2 minutes from my home. Maybe 4 with traffic. He did not really think she took anything, and waited until he got home to check things out, before calling paramedics. He gets there and she is laying on the couch with the empty bottle of Tylenol sitting next to her. He immediately picks up the phone and calls 911.

She starts freaking out asking why he's calling. (umm hello? aren't you attempting suicide?) Then she tries to leave. He blocks her from her keys, while still telling the dispatcher what's going on. They tell him to try to stop her from leaving. She then takes off on foot, down the street.

While all this is taking place, I am at home, on the phone with my dad. He asks me to please go to the house and just at least wait outside until her parents can get there (we had no idea what was happening). I drove over there and because of a traffic light, decided to take the street just before the one I usually turn on. As I rounded the corner, I see an ambulance, fire truck, a smaller fire truck and a police car. Then I spotted DB standing on the sidewalk. I pulled over, having no idea why they were all way down here, as opposed to being at the house. I still didn't see "SIL". *winks at kim* Finally, I see the paramedics surrounding someone who is near the fence (way up on the yard) of a random neighbor. DB asks me to go on down to the house because he is expecting her parents and they would not know where to go.

He eventually joins me after his wife was taken to the hospital. I left when her parents arrived. My parents went to the hospital tonight to check on her and offer support to her parents and DB. I thought for sure DB's wife would have her stomach pumped but apparently, whatever she took was not enough to even register while they were monitoring her vitals. Instead they gave her those charcoal tablets (or something).

DB had some pressure from "Cheryl's" mother, telling him all she needed was "for him to love her". He doesn't seem to be budging in his position though. This time, I am hoping he really does stick to his decision.

All in all, truth be told, I feel really badly for Cheryl. She is obviously not well. It's hard to believe that two adults got themselves into such a mess.

So that? Is how I spent my evening.

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In case anyone missed it, or has any other suggestions, please comment on my last post. I was going to leave it up for another day, but decided to blog about this instead.

Oh! And did you all see my new sig that RollDdice made for me? I think I would have preferred having it sent to me via PM (lol) but I just love it. It's in the thread with my name in the title on OT. Sofa king cute! :)

Slumber Party

I am planning a slumber party in a couple weeks. It will be myself and 4 other women. I need some ideas as to what we should plan on doing. We are reserving a room at the Larkspur Landing (great hotel) which has DVD players, a full kitchen and two beds (one in a separate room).

We are obviously planning on doing each other's hair and having pillow fights (haha), but I need some other ideas. Like what movies to watch, or some fun drinking games we can play. Anything. I'm kinda desperate. What would *you* want to do? Would you even go to something like this? Do you think it's weird? I've done it before, but usually only with my BF. When I was a teenager I loved hosting slumber parties in local hotels, too.

I was thinking we could even rent a season of something, like Sex and the City. Or something else kinda girly.

So please give me any ideas you can come up with.

P.S. please don't suggest we smoke pot. Some of the women are way too uptight for that.

P.S.S. DB's wife is at it again. She is telling him her IQ is so incredibly high that she can't even tell him, as it would make him feel insecure. She also insisted (once again) that all his friends would tell him how stupid he is for not "appreciating" her more. And also that she is used to being "more worshipped". She said all this as she popped at least 3 Vicodin. She is officially insane. *sigh*

Edited to add a small rant:

Why the eff would God be helping Kail? Is he watching Big Brother? Is he rooting for her? This confuses me. Does he not care about the other players? Or could it be that he doesn't give a flying fuck about a fucking reality TV show?? Get over yourself dumbass! /rant. (sorry, for those not watching it, Kail said she thought "god was going to help her" or some other non-sense like that. As if he has nothing better to do)

::Mom Rant::

Let me begin by saying that because some of our fellow bloggers are mothers, it's kinda hard for me to do this. I have no idea if my rant includes anyone I know here, so if it does, I'll apologize now and just say that this is *my* opinion, and should not be taken personally. Here I go;



I went to see Knocked Up on Saturday night. The movie was at 10pm and surprisingly had quite a few people in it, despite the movie not being a new release. I had heard from some friends that it was somewhat crude, so I was expecting it to be similar to American Pie and those sorts of movies. It definitely was. The humor was mostly sexual and they dropped the "F" bomb regularly. There was a lot of drug use as well (marijuana). None of this bothered me in the slightest until I noticed a family with their 4 year old daughter with them (guessing on the age)! Ok, here's the part where if you would have taken *your* child to this movie, you may want to stop reading.



WTF are people thinking? How selfish is it to drag a child along to a 10pm movie that has nothing good in it for them, because what? you couldn't get a sitter? God forbid you stay home! This little girl saw sex, bongs, and heard every bad word imaginable. Unless she was both blind and deaf, in which case I would still say it was selfish to make her sit there. *sigh*



When DH and I went to see Wedding Crashers, the same thing happened. A mother and small child sat in front of us. I spent most the movie cringing, instead of laughing. I could see how one person (the mother who brought the child to Wedding Crashers) could be stupid enough to do it, but to see a whole group, endorsing the fact that this little girl was watching Knocked Up? I can't believe it.



Tell me, is it that people think they're too small to understand? I know my brother and my cousin have taken their infants to movies like that, assuming they couldn't understand anything, but 4 years old? Gimme a break! And I know I might be too uptight and on the other end of the spectrum but frankly, when I was pregnant, I no longer allowed DH to use certain words around me. They might not understand it, but isn't it being "banked" somewhere? I don't know.



People who know me know that I am pretty tolerant of most things and I try so hard not to be judgmental, but the one thing I get all worked up about is lazy parenting. This includes not disciplining as well. It includes all the asshats who buckle their own GD seat belts, but let the kids bounce around unbuckled. It includes parents who smoke within feet of a child with no ventilation around.



Am I out of line? Eh, maybe you shouldn't answer that. I hope nobody has been offended by my rant, but I needed to get it out. And FTR, as a parent, I know we all do selfish things at times, so I'm not trying to say we're supposed to be perfect. I guess I just try to refrain from conscious choices that have negative effects on our kids. I can even see walking into a movie, hoping it will be ok, but for Cod's sake, walk back out when it crosses a line.



So, anyone else have any rants they'd like to share?

Umm...*yawn* - Updated!

added link for Weltek. :) Johnny Carino's


Ok, so the sleep over went pretty well. I got to the house in time to go to dinner. We went to Johnny Carino's (which was good - do you have one?). After that, we went back to the house and just hung out. My friend asked me whether I wanted to sleep with her, or with my DD, in another bed. I chose DD. My (very demanding, but I'll save more on her for later) friend told me in the morning that I chose wrong, and therefore, still owe her a sleepover. She's an odd one. She has begged me forever to spend the night when I go over to her house, but I never have. I'm just not comfortable in other people's beds and would prefer my own house. How about you?

My friend (Jenn) has a family bedroom. They all sleep in there, every night. The 11 year old daughter sleeps with the mom, the toddler sleeps on a bed right next to the King bed, and the dad apparently sleeps in the "bonus room" part of the bedroom where they have yet another bed. What's your take on all this? I find it odd that the husband and wife don't sleep together, but I guess they haven't since the 11 year old was born.

The next day my friend wanted to go a thrift store that was having a big sale. She of course bought only sale items and spent $30, while *I* spent almost $60 including three pairs of shoes, a purse, a candle stick and some clothes for DD.

She insisted we go out without showering or primping. I was completely out of my comfort zone, but I did it anyways. I have a reputation amongst my friends as being uptight and "girly" so I was really making an effort. She didn't even have an iron for me to use! :o

When we got back to her house, the girls went swimming and we just hung out for a while, talking. We didn't end up leaving her house until after 9pm. Late last night I realized I had a 7:30 doctors appointment this morning! I think I got about 3 hours sleep last night. *yawn*

~~~~~~~~~~

Nothing new to report about my brother. I have no idea how they are still together, but apparently she is really making an effort. This is the first time in her life that she felt someone was not completely smitten with her, and she is taking it on as a challenge, I guess. *shrug*
We'll see how long this works.

Ok, I think I'm going to go lie down for a while. I'm freakin exhausted!




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have an update, but it's not written yet and I only have 5 hours until I need to get up. And I didn't sleep last night, so I should try to get a couple hours sleep before anything else.

I'll come back later during the day and try to get the update up.




And FTR, (in case anyone is keeping track) DB is still married. ;-)

6 randoms

1. Eating a whole bag of microwave popcorn by yourself is normal, right? (not saying *I* did this of course...)

2. My DD almost started crying today when I told her it was up to her to clean the mess her cat left on her bed (hairball nastiness). I was trying to clean the kitchen and got so frustrated by her saying she "couldn't" do it, I told her to go write a poem about it. *snort* I have never done that before and she looked at me like I was insane. At any rate, she left it open in Word and this is what she has so far:

Smokey threw up on my bed, and I can't get it out of my head.
Mom wants me to clean it up, but I'd rather keep a pet spider in a cup.
I'll do the dishes year after year, I'll rub Mom from her feet to her ears.
Cleaning this would be crossing a line, I am so mad at that dumb feline.

3. Anyone else watch Making the Band 4? I got hooked on it while they were running a marathon of it this weekend. Good stuff. Actually, I'm quite surprised I like it, as it is not my kind of music and I'm not a big P. Diddy fan.

4. DD and I are going to our first joint sleep over this week. It's funny really because she was invited by my friend's DD, but Jess doesn't like her very much and begged me to go, too. I feel silly doing it, but it will make both my friend and her DD happy, so...*shrug*

5. As of 11pm tonight, my brother and his wife are still together. I'll continue to keep you posted.

6. I would really like it if MTW added a "?" on the end of his blog post. :)

good freakin' grief

Well, in my last post I said it looked as though my brother's marriage was over. Then, much to my shock, he was talked into giving her another chance. This was after admitting to me (and my parents) just how this girl acted behind closed doors. I want to give you all lots of examples, but I don't even know where to start. All I can say is she is the epitome of narcissistic. She would tell him he could "never do better than her" and that she could "beat him up if she wanted to" (WTF?? Who says that??) and that she could "walk all over him if she wanted to". She talked about how she could never have "normal" women as friends because if they were not as beautiful as her, they were too jealous to be good friends with her. On it goes...including her constantly talking about her first ex, who was the one who physically and emotionally abused her. Except she never mentioned all that. Instead she would talk about how good looking he was and how much money he made. She would then very graciously say that she sees potential in my brother, making it seem as though she is doing him a favor by "helping" him see it. Anyways, by the time I heard all of this, I was completely ready to never have to see her again.

I was quite upset (understatement) to find out he was giving her another chance. She begged him, saying she loved him and would change. She took full responsibility for everything, admitting everything he pointed out to her. By the next day, she was angry at him for "only noticing the bad things about her". She also said he was a bad person and he was narcissistic if he thought he could do better than her. (ha!)

I knew it was only a matter of time until she would have another blow up and he would then feel justified in leaving her. So today, she not only went off on him verbally, she also physically tried to prevent him from walking out of the fight by grabbing and ripping his shirt. She left a very defined (four finger) scratch down the back of his neck. He was done. Finally!

But no. She begged and pleaded and again took all responsibility. She promised to change. I talked to him tonight, and he seems to believe she *won't* change, but feels if he gives her this "last chance", he'll then feel guiltless when he walks away. *sigh*

I don't know what to think, or who to be angry with. My brother told me he no longer loves her, he believes she is bi-polar (though she's been tested at least 4 times and says she's not) and he feels sorry for her. Part of his reason for taking her back tonight was because her cousin (pictured on the far left in the "Plastics" pic several posts below) tried to kill herself yesterday, and she has been understandably upset over that. He thinks he's showing compassion.

Part of the problem is that she can tell his feelings have changed towards her and she wants him to confirm (or deny) it, but he won't. Which leads me to this question:


If you fell out of love with your spouse, would it be better to tell him/her how you feel and end things quickly so that you could both move on, or would you keep quiet and let the relationship die slowly? In the first case it would be more hurtful to your spouse's ego, but it would get things over with quickly and you could both move on. In the second case, there would be more turmoil, but the spouse would be making the decision that they were sick of you and wouldn't suffer that hit to their ego... I just can't decide. I think it depends on each case. In my brother's, I think he should end it quickly so they could both move on. What do you think?

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On another note, looks like the Seattle peep meet was a blast! I'm super jealous, but also so happy for all who got to attend. Can't wait for more details and pictures! :)