Santa Claus is coming to town, along with a group of girly men

Tomorrow is the Santa parade downtown, followed by Snowfest with real snow, toboggan rides and other fun stuff. Of course I will be taking Logan and posting pictures here. I thought about skipping the parade because it's usually reeeeeaaaaallly loooooooooong. But I don't want to miss the gay twirlers. Yep, the homo rifle team is always the big hit of the parade for me. There is nothing quite as amusing as watching a bunch of grown men prancing around with batons and flags. I'm not sure they realize how silly they look. And judging by the audible laughter in the crowd that I have noticed every year, I'd say I'm not the only one who feels that way.

Here's their website. I'm not kidding, this is really funny. Nothing beats seeing it in person, but honestly you might not believe this group exists if you don't see pictures. Yes, I am making fun of them. No, I am not politically correct, and have never claimed to be. I do not care if someone is queer, but if you are a man and you make such an effort to walk and act like a woman, you should probably expect to be ridiculed.

Republican debate

Tonight is the GOP YouTube debate, right here in St. Pete. A couple of days ago, the Times printed some of the questions from locals. One woman wanted to ask what the candidates planned to do about the growing problem of obesity. I don't understand what she expects the government to do about overweight people. What about diet and exercise? Since when have our politicians forced food down our throats? Who is responsible for your fat problems? YOU ARE!

I also thought it was odd that a cyclist wanted to know what could be done to make bicycling a more valid form of transportation. I don't have a problem with riding a bicycle, but what does the government have to do with it? If you want to ride your bicycle to work, go right ahead. Why should there be a special program to encourage it? I don't want my tax dollars used for that purpose.

Finally, I found it disgusting that the homeless were planning to protest at the debate. They don't feel that enough is being done for them, either. Funny, I believe I just read in the paper that another tent city is being built, complete with a fence and security guard. What is it that they want? Condominiums and SUVs, all paid for by the city? Like Ronald Reagan said, the best social program is a JOB.

I just don't get it. It seems that everyone feels that the government exists to take care of them.

Our trip to Orlando

My husband had a business conference today, so the three of us headed to Orlando on Monday afternoon. We finally got back home this evening at about 6. Captain Chaos is very tired from his activities, but not as tired as I am!

Here are some pictures from our trip.

We had dinner at Maggiano's. CC had some fun with the pepper shaker.

My husband thought it would be funny to take a picture of me eating a huge bowl of pasta. No, I didn't eat it all.

We went for a little walk after dinner. It wasn't easy getting Chaos to pose for this.

We played a very quick game of putt-putt golf.

CC relaxed on the couch in the hotel room before bed. Dinner and golf takes a lot out of you when you're only two!

While Daddy was attending his conference, Chaos and I spent the day at Sea World. Here we are with Dolly the Dolphin. CC wasn't too excited about posing for this picture, either. (Looking at it now makes me nostalgic for the days when I used to have time to tan.)

I think I bribed him with something to get him to stand still for this shot.

CC wasn't sure whether or not he needed shades for the sea lion show.

Surrounded by sharks in the Shark Encounter!

The whale and dolphin show was incredible! CC was mesmerized. Well, for 15 minutes, anyway.

On the way out, we came across some ducks that didn't seem to be afraid of us.

CC fed a dolphin, too. Staff at the park got a picture of it, and I bought a copy. Maybe I'll scan it tomorrow because it's really cute and I want to post it here.

I think today was probably the most fun I have ever had with my little man. We both had a blast and we can't wait to go back again, hopefully sometime when Daddy can go, too.

My boy and me!

Captain Chaos and I had some pictures taken about 6 weeks ago. They're finally back, and they are so pretty! I had this one blown up to 16 X 20 and printed in black and white as a standout mount. It's pretty in color, too, but doesn't look quite as nice here because this is a scan. Still, it's my favorite of all the ones I ordered.

Weekend plans and my mom's cruise pictures

No, I did not shop today. Not even a little. I didn't go near the mall or any other store, for that matter. I wouldn't shop on Black Friday if they were giving stuff away. Nope, today I dropped Logan off at Eema's for his monthly "slumber party". Then I had a pedicure and ate lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant. I am free until Sunday.

I'm considering taking an online writing course. Not because I'm trying to get a degree or anything like that. I just think it would be a good start, and I know I would enjoy it. No, that's not something I am going to accomplish over the weekend. Just one of those random thoughts that comes out of nowhere. Now you know what it's like inside my head. :)

Tomorrow I have the entire day to do whatever I want! I guess most women would shop. Not this one. You'll find me in Starbucks or Borders. ;)

Since I have nothing interesting to blog about tonight, but know that I'd better so I don't get a call from Chrissy asking, "Where's the blog?"----I'll post some pictures of my mom's recent cruise to St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Princess Cays. Some of them turned out really well, and I know she'd like to share them. Plus it will make my blog pretty!

They were onboard the Carnival Princess (I think), and I will have to ask her where these two pictures were taken.

The ship even had a television outside on one of the decks.

The only bad thing about a cruise is the drunk women you find onboard.

I think I know the effect she was going for here, but it doesn't quite work. Nice leaf, though. :)

Boastful, unrepentant baby killer

I'm reading another book by Bernard Goldberg. The first one I read was Crazies to the Left of Me, Wimps to the Right. Now I'm about halfway through 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America. The chapter I read today really pissed me off.

I just finished reading about American Screw-Up number 63, Amy Richards, feminist and abortion rights activist. Poor Amy became pregnant, and although she and her boyfriend had already decided that they would keep a child if they found themselves expecting one, she hadn't planned on triplets! That would mean bedrest, loss of income, and most inconveniently, "I'll never leave my house because I'll have to care for these children!"

The thing that astonishes me the most about those who are pro-choice is the fact that they are continously stating what a difficult decision a woman faces when she elects to have an abortion. I wonder if they ever stop to consider why this decision is so difficult? If life doesn't begin at conception, then what's the dilemma? There's no harm in eliminating a few cells, right? So why should the decision be any harder than choosing whether or not to have a mole removed? Unless they really know deep inside that they are murdering an innocent baby..................

I will say that Amy doesn't seem at all torn about her choice, however. That's pretty clear from the question she asks the doctor immediately after finding out about the multiple pregnancy, "Is it possible to get rid of one of them? Or two of them?"

So what do you do if you find yourself pregnant with an inconvenient number of babies? That's simple! You do what any self-respecting femi-nazi would do. You make a quick trip to the doctor's office so that he can legally murder two of them, leaving you with only one! It's simple, really. One shot of potassium chloride to the heart of the fetus, or in this case, fetuses, and problem solved. Then you make sure to have an article about it published in the New York Times. After all, being an empowered woman in control of your own body is something to be proud of.

I don't have a link to the chapter in Goldberg's book, but I do have one to the Times article. Click here, and note the end where Amy informs us that, if faced with the same decision, she'd do it all over again. That's certainly something to brag about. I'm sure that her son (you know, the one she allowed to live) will be so proud of his mommy.

8 week old fetus

Is this really news?

I bought the St. Pete Times today. I really don't enjoy reading this liberal paper, but if I want to read a newspaper while in Starbucks, it's either that or the New York Times.

I am just amazed at the article in section D. This is the business section. This is what is considered to be "business news". That's right, a former prostitute has moved up in the world, and now sells herself online instead! And I thought it was bad when I saw the picture that accompanies the article in the paper. It's a shot of the 49-year-old subject of the story, pulling the straps down on her dress in front of her webcam. Then I found the article online, and I think I'm going to be ill! Please don't CLICK HERE unless you want to see what almost made me lose my breakfast. I'm not concerned with how attractive she is or isn't. I just can't believe that she allowed a reporter into her apartment to take pictures of her as she sat nude in front of her computer, chatting it up with some perv who was desperate enough to pay her $6 per minute. It would appear that she's proud of this! And then there's a sidebar (in the print version) detailing the number of people in the US who are living paycheck to paycheck, blaming the rise in property taxes, higher gas prices and the lower than average wages in the Tampa Bay area. The Times is actually sympathetic to this woman who has acts as if she has no other option but to strip in front of her webcam?

Here I go again, being insensitive. But I won't apologize for it. Just like the homeless man I blogged about a month or so ago, "Renee Holly" is headed down a dead-end street due to her own choices. There are all kinds of jobs available. My hairdresser pulled herself out of a far worse situation than this former streetwalker, and she didn't have to sell her body to do it. If this woman really has "dreams of living a normal life", she might want to start by not advertising her "career" choice in the local newspaper.

Land Turtle

I took Captain Chaos to "Pirate Fest" at Vinoy Park today. As it turned out, he wasn't all that interested in the pirates. We did watch a magician perform, which entertained him for about 20 minutes. The main thing that interested him was the alligator and tortoise exhibit. He liked the tortoise the best.

Time for a makeover

I'm on a first name basis with one of the guys who puts up our mail at the post office, Mike. We always have short, friendly conversations when I stop by to check our box. If I get there before they've put it all up, he'll even check to see if there is anything else for us.

Today, Mike commented on the fact that I get a lot of conservative publications. (I subscribe to Human Events, Conservative Chronicle and Newsmax.) I was all excited about discussing politics with him when he stated, "You don't look like a conservative". So now I am wondering what a conservative looks like. And if I don't look like one, does that mean I look like a liberal?

As if the thought of being mistaken for a liberal isn't bad enough, the liberals that come to mind are not people that I aspire to look like. Here are a few examples.









If you have been living under a rock and you don't know who those people are, you can click on their pictures for an explanation. Well, all except the last one. I don't know her, either. :)

Yes, I know that looks are not what really matters. But I don't want to act like any of those people, either. Either way, I must do something to make sure that I am easily identified as a conservative in the future!

Computer problems

Due to some major issues with our desktop computer, I hired the Geek Squad to come to the house and figure out what the problem was. The geek came out yesterday and determined that our hard drive was bad. So now we have a new hard drive and an old computer that is running like new. However, I can't get Quickbooks to restore my old files, so I'm probably going to have to go buy a new version. I also have to reload my camera software before I can post any more pictures. And I have to install Microsoft Office, as well. So I have my work cut out for me. Yet here I sit at Starbucks, drinking a hot chocolate, reading the paper and blogging.

I know this is boring, but I can't think of anything else to blog about, and since Chrissy is no doubt holding her breath and checking here daily, I had to say something. This is the best I can do right now. :)

Yet another blog about writing

From all of the reading I've been doing on the subject of writing, I have determined that I am most definitely suited for it. I even found a checklist of the qualities that a writer should have, and I have most of them. I love to be alone, I'm extremely organized, I'm introspective and I love research. Sometimes I research things online just for the hell of it. I'll hear something on television or overhear a conversation about a topic that I don't know much about, and I will look it up and learn all that I can about it. This is something I have done for years. Now that I have a laptop, it's that much easier because I can do it from anywhere in the house (or other places) rather than being stuck at my desk.

There are two things that I am lacking that are necessary to be a successful writer. One is time. The other is confidence. Being a mommy and running our business are the two most important things right now, and that leaves very little time to do much else. And as far as confidence, well, I could use a little extra of that, too. That's not to say that I don't believe in myself, I just don't know how to convince the people that matter that I can do this. It's hard enough for me to get the nerve to submit this simple article I am working on for a small, community newspaper. I can't imagine finding the courage to send a query to a magazine about an article I'd like to write. That's what you have to do, in most cases. You have to send a pitch letter, convincing the editor that what you have to say is appropriate for their publication, and that you are the best person to write it. You don't send them what you want them to publish. You send them a letter about what you would like to write, giving them just enough information to hopefully leave them wanting more. It helps to have "clips", or copies of other pieces you have written that have been published. If you don't have that, there are other options, but it involves "selling yourself" and that's the part that makes me nervous. Freelancers have to get used to being turned down, because it happens a lot. And I don't like rejection.

I've wanted to find another career for years. The thought of going back to nursing doesn't sound appealing at all. In fact, nursing wasn't appealing even when I was still practicing. :( I remember two episodes of severe burnout, when I actually stooped to working in a sports bar briefly. Yes, that's how much I disliked nursing. In fact, if I had to find a job tomorrow, the sports bar career sounds slightly more inviting than the hospital, aside from the pay.

It's not as if I'm looking for a job. Right now, our business demands too much of my time for me to do much of anything else. I would just like to think that down the road, I can do something I actually enjoy and make some money off of it. And writing is something I really like, and never get tired of doing, no matter how tired you are of reading about it. ;)

(Um, another option is photography. I like that, too. But I won't bore you with those details right now.)

I went to the mall!

And on a Sunday, no less. That may not seem like a big deal, but I ABHOR shopping. I try very hard to avoid the mall, especially on the weekend. But James was home early and Logan was napping, and I don't want to cut into any of the free time I might get one morning this week while the kiddo's in school, so I broke down and went to American Eagle to get the jeans I desperately needed.

Do all of the clothing stores have to play rap/hip-hop, and do they have to play it so loud? And what's up with the 12 year old girls wearing shorts that show both their butt crack at the top, and cheeks at the bottom? It's just one little piece of denim that barely covers anything. That isn't pretty, I don't care how adorable and tan you are. Then, on top of that, they congregate in groups of three or four and giggle about everything. I'm sure I didn't act like that when I was a teenager.
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Did I?

Anyhow, I'm so grateful to Al Gore for inventing the internet. I'm going to do all of my Christmas shopping online this year.

Boy stuff

Captain Chaos and I got home today to find a nice surprise in the mailbox. I had mailed in one of his trains from his Thomas collection, due to the recent recalls. I was promised a replacement and a free gift. The replacement has yet to arrive, but we got the free gift today. We got DAISY! Here's what Daisy looks like, because I know everyone is just dying to know. ------------------------->

It's unbelievable how many trains are in the Thomas "family". I had no idea until about 6 months ago, when CC became interested in the series. I bought him the table and a track set, along with several trains and a couple of DVDs. Little did I know that he would want a new train every week. We have Thomas, James, Percy, Molly, Diesel, Toby, Trevor.........I can't even remember them all. Chaos sure does, though. He can look at the packages at Toys R Us and tell you all of their names, and you'll swear that he's reading the labels! A few weeks ago, he was begging for what I thought was "Bogo". I did an internet search and couldn't find it. I asked CC what color "Bogo" is. "HE'S GREEN", he proclaimed! After searching a little more, sure enough, I found "BoCO". And yes, he's green! He's also retired and can't be found in the toy stores! I had to order him off of ebay and pay an absurd amount of money.

Funny how much you can learn from having a two-year-old boy. I'm also learning my heavy equipment. I'm such a girl. I never cared about stuff like that. Sure, I've always known what a dump truck was. But an excavator? A front-end loader? A backhoe? I'm proud to say that I can identify all of those now!

When I was pregnant, I desperately wanted a little girl. Finding out that my wish wasn't going to come true was a jolt. I really didn't know what I was going to do with a boy. I didn't know anything about boys! Now, I wouldn't trade this little guy for anything in the world. We are having so much fun together, and I love him more every single day. I can't wait to see what he's going to do next. My sweet, smart, funny little man!

Bragging on my boy

I guess I underestimated my son. He didn't cry at all yesterday when I wasn't there to pick him up right after lunch. Not only that, but he slept for over an hour during their naptime! What a big boy!

Does this mean he's growing up? OH NO! :)

Here we are today!

Look at those blue eyes!

He's probably screaming for me!!

For the first time, Captain Chaos is staying at school today through naptime. I don't really expect him to sleep, but the teacher insisted that she would have no problem keeping him quiet and on his cot. It's almost 1:00 now, and I have another hour before time to pick him up. I think I've looked at my watch 200 times. I didn't think I'd be this tormented, but it's been bothering me since I dropped him off. He knew he was staying longer today, but I know how excited he gets when some of the other moms show up to pick up their little ones at noon. He knows that any minute his mommy will be there, too. Sometimes he's even saying "Where's my mommy?" as I walk in the door. I keep wondering how he felt when I didn't show up today.

Right about now, I suspect that he's lying awake on his cot, possibly telling his teacher "I'm ready to get up" about every 20 seconds or so. I just hope he's not crying for me. I told the teacher that she could call me if there's a problem, but I'm not sure what she would consider worthy of a phone call.

Maybe I am worrying for no reason. The phone hasn't rung yet. But he could be crying right now. He might be wondering if I'm ever coming back. My poor baby. Yes, he's still my baby. I think he'll still be my baby when he's 42. I hope he'll still let me kiss his boo-boos then. I'm kidding. Ok, maybe not. Maybe I'm a little bit serious. One thing is for sure, I don't think he'll be napping at school again, at least not for a while. It's too hard on his mommy. ;)

Football injuries and exercise balls

We watched the Bucs game at CC's Aunt Laraine's house yesterday. Chaos had fun for a while, but then he got grumpy. He won't nap in a strange place, so he was tired. I got some ribbing about comforting him when he bumped his head, but he's my son and he's only 2, and he did hit his head pretty hard. What are moms for if we can't kiss our kid's boo-boos? :)

After he felt better, he worked out a little with Aunt Laraine's exercise equipment. ;) By the end of the day, he had tired himself out so much that he went to bed at 7 and slept for 13 1/2 hours!

Everything that's wrong today

My desktop computer was working fine this morning, but now I can't open any programs. It won't do anything. I thought maybe it just needed a restart, but it took the damn thing 20 minutes to reboot, and I still can't use it. Time to call the Geek Squad.

I'm not having a lot of success with this article I am supposed to submit. It's very difficult to limit something to 500 words or less. That may sound like a lot, but I assure you it is not. The article is supposed to be about local activities for children. The only way I can see it working is if I just have a short opening paragraph, and then list the activities. BORING. Every time I try to embellish it at all, my word count shoots up so fast that I'm not even halfway through what I need to say before I hit 500. Writing a blog sure is easier. No one can tell me how many words I can use and I don't have to stay on topic if I don't want to, so there.

Let's see...........what else?

Oh yeah.......I hate all of my clothes, but I hate shopping even more, so I keep wearing the same things and feeling ugly.

My goal tonight was to bore everyone (all 3 of you) with a ho-hum blog entry. How did I do?

Just some pictures

This is a little late, but here is Captain Chaos right before trick-or-treating the other night.
Last year, we dressed him up and took him to a neighborhood parade, but he didn't trick-or-treat, so this was his first time. It took him a little while to figure it out, but once he did, he was running from house to house! He'd get some candy and then look at us and say "Let's go get some more!" Unfortunately, by the time trick-or-treating started, he had made me take his costume off.

And here's CC today; a lazy Saturday morning. I haven't even managed to get him out of his PJ's yet.

A published author?

I have a writing assignment! Ok, so it's not really that big of a deal. It's stretching to even call it an assignment. I contacted the publishers of a local community newspaper and asked about submitting an article for publication. They gave me an idea about a subject they might be interested in. I am now in the process of researching and writing about it. There's no guarantee that it will even be printed, but I am really enjoying working on it, and that's all that matters! Well, ok, I have to admit that I will be a little disappointed if I am rejected. If I never bring it up here again, you can assume that's what happened. Don't look for an update anytime soon, however. Even if I'm able to finish it in the next two weeks, I'm sure it will take time for them to look it over and give me their opinion.

The worst thing about this project is that it was suggested that I keep it down to 300-500 words. I only have a very rough draft of the article so far, and already I can see that the word limit is going to be a problem. It's kind of funny. I'm a pretty quiet person. When I am in a group of people, I don't really talk much. But once I start writing, I can't shut up!

Did I mention that I have no idea what I'm doing? Oh, I know how to write an article. Voracious readers make the best writers, and I am very comfortable with the writing process. It's the submission of it that kind of scares me. I am not familiar with the protocol of something like this. I'm reading a book on writing in which the author says never to admit your lack of experience, and I've already broken that rule. Rather than wait for the publisher/editor to ask me about it, I was honest from my first contact with them. That didn't seem to bother them at all, or maybe they are just humoring me. It probably wouldn't have hurt, however, if I had finished the book I'm reading and learned some more about the process before trying this.

Whatever happens, I am likely taking this way too seriously. After all, it's just a small, local publication. On the other hand, this is something I have always wanted to do. What was I thinking when I decided to go to nursing school?