So...I was on my hands and knees today.

Yup.

I got out of work and my friend Jenn had been visiting for a couple of days so that she could house hunt during the week. She is moving up in June and she was looking at places.
She was just getting ready to leave and I walked into the kitchen to get something to drink...and I saw it.

Something scurried across the kitchen floor.
Okay..so I live in an apartment which means my kitchen floor my be only about 5 ft wide.....and it was easy to spot. Not to mention the fact that it was white and tan and scurried pretty slowly.

The stupid gerbil (Shadow) got out..again.

I think fast. I need to block the entrance so it (he) doesn't get out and hope he doesn't run behind the stove or fridge. I run and tell my friend Jenn that I need her to help me catch this thing.

Like a friend..she did.

I grabbed the cage and put it at the entrance with the side door down like a ladder back up into the cage. The last time I did this It was because he ran behind the entertainment center. I had to trap him there and herd him back up the ladder and into the cage.

It worked then.. it'll work now.

So I'm blocking off parts of the door way with one of Angel's lunch boxes and his cage in the middle with the ladder down. There was only a small space (maybe 3 inches) on the far right corner of the door that I was covering just in case. Jenn's job was to stay behind me and grab him in case he ever got past me.

He ain't gettin past me.

So Shadow starts inching his way toward his cage (like I knew he would) and as he gets closer...I see in his eyes that he caught on. It was like he jerked his head a little and was like.."oh...I've been here before". And like THAT *snap fingers*. He darted his little pudgy body towards me like a fuzzy bullet.
It's a good thing I have cat-like reflexes cause let me tell you....that's EXACTLY what I looked like. A friggin cat pouncing up and down on all fours with my front paws cupping the ground in all different places trying to catch Shadow, who for some reason kicked it into turbo and started zig zagging all the way past me.

"JENN!!! GET HIM!!

Poor Jenn (who was already convinced that she wasn't going to have to actually participate...because I was so cocky about the fact that " he wasn't going to get past me anyway") actually had to spring into action and land on all fours too.

Shadow flew right past her.

Straight behind the entertainment center.

Me: "Okay, we got this".

Jenn: "Grab something so we can trap it or cover it".

Right then I grabbed the laundry basket and was getting in position on one side of the entertainment center and Jenn was on all fours ready to catch him on the other side.

Bare-handed.

(See where this is going folks??)

At this time Shadow must have had another one of his "oh I've been here before" moments and decided to dart straight for the hands who belonged to the girl who was convinced by me that she wasn't even gonna have to do a thing.

So he rushes past her into the hall and straight into a room.

Jenn: "He went into the room."

Me: "What room? Not Dom's room! Noo, not there! We'll NEVER find him in there!!"

Sure enough. Dom's room.
Dom's room is a disaster.

Lucky for us that we have a spare mattress under Dom's bed and his TV stand is right next to the bed and the door so it cornered off. The gerbil ran directly into the corner amids all the crap under, behind and beside the stand. Jenn had the basket and I coaxed it out again and sure enough...we caught him. Not with our hands of course.
Now I had to just reach under and grab it and put it in his cage.
I reached under the basket trying to keep my hand as flat as I could and snatch it. As soon as it got near my hand it saw the gaps that were on the sides of my hand and tried to make a run for it.
I swear. I looked like a fricken cat again pawing around trying to catch the gerbil. I caught it though and finally got it stabilized in my hands while we looked for the piece of cage that was missing. Can't find it in this messy room.

Whatever...I turned the basked over and stuck him in there, he can't climb out because it's one of those round tall ones.

Jenn finally got to leave and I am going to get the kids now...they're gonna love this story.

Totally inappropriate to show but....

I was debating about whether or not to post this and then I thought...whatever....

Now please keep in mind....THIS IS NOT ME.



Don't get confused please and not pay much attention to what is being written.



This is a picture I came across on one of my friend's myspace profile pages as a comment they received.



Don't pay much attention to the fact that this chick (whoever she is) was bold enough to take a pic of herself in this get-up, but ........







....the fact that she REALLY wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings.

Need a little help...

Does anyone know of any good places to take my Hi 8 cheapy camcorder tapes to get them converted into DVD? Does Walmart or Target or any accessible place do that?

Maybe I should have checked them out before asking here...Oh well.

Maybe if you know of any websites where I can ship them off to so it can be done??

I have several tapes that need to be converted and they are all family stuff.
(nothin dirty or naughty--ya pervs) besides, all my high teck equipment gets used on that stuff.


awww...I'm lying...I use the same stuff. I can't afford the high tech stuff dammit!


Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Dang it!

Obviously I came across J's blog and so here it is:

1) Three days from now will you kiss someone?
I have kids...I kiss someone everyday..or ..is that not the type of kiss you were talking about?

2) What color are your eyes?
Doo Doo Brown

3) What does your third text say
"Goodnight, Love you"

4) And who was it from?
Angel

5) Do you like what you see in the mirror?
Only when dressed

6) What are you wearing right now?
jeans and a T-shirt.

7) What are you most looking forward to?
Not having car payments again.

8) Gotta work today?
Nope...played hookie.

9) Have you kissed anyone on the lips within the past 7 hours?
7 hrs? Nope..11 hrs..yeah..the kids before school...or are we still talking about a different type of kissing??

10) Have you ever been awake for 48 hours?
Well..I've been awake during some of these 48 hrs. I'm a sleepy-head. I've been asleep for the majority though.

11) Do you like your first name?
yes, only if you don't sing that song by Ready For the World.

12) Do you like to cuddle?
Sure..as long as I don't get smothered in your chest...I have a small phobia of being suffocated.

13)What are you listening to?
The kids in the background sorting out their chores and possibly negotiating with each other.

14) What are your initials?
SPH

15) Baseball or football?
Baseball...only because I know all the rules...Oh and Basketball for the same reason.

16) Married?
Yes,....Is there a celebration every year about it??? Well...one of us always remembers.

17) Favorite kind of blanket?
Any one that I can hog all to myself.

18) What's your biggest fear?
Something terrible happening to any one of my children.

19) How do you feel about chocolate-covered strawberries?
Giving or Getting? I'm a greedy pig so I prefer getting and not really sharing...but I have kids who hover when I eat sweets soooo..that doesn't always work.

20) What kind of soap do you use?
Dove or Ivory..less irritating on the kid's skin.

21) Europe or the Caribbean?
I was born in England...does that count? Never been to the Caribbean.

22) How do you feel about racism?
I don't.

23) Who is the sexiest person alive?
Well..maybe David Boreanaz and T. J. Thyne of Bones ....and for some reason Dule Hill of Psych.
(what? no 24?)

25) Name a song that reminds you of old memories?
When Miah was a baby we would put on a Destiny's Child CD and it would totally calm her down.

26) Do you like the color gray?
Sure...if I'm wearing sweats.

27)Is there anyone you can't stop thinking about?
Everyone...there..that covers it all.

28) Look outside, how's the weather?
Very sunny and it sucks cause I wanted to take a good nap in the rain today and the weatherman lied.

29) Are you jealous of anyone right now?
Sure..I'm always jealous of anyone who has more money than I do....one day...ONE DAY!

30) Did you ever think someone didn't like you, but came to find out they really did?
Yeah...at work. Not really important.

31) Last time you ate grilled cheese?
Probably about a few weeks ago. The kids make it for me now.

32) Name something great that happened today?
I spent the whole day just doing what I wanted to do cause I didn't go to work.

33) Do you regret doing something today?
Naaa...no regrets.

34) When you think of the rainbow, what pops in your head?
My lesbian friends...They have flags everywhere.

35) How are you feeling?
Almost frustrated but not really. The kids are home so there is always a slight elevation in anxiety when they are around.

36) Do you watch the Oscars?
Nope.

37) Favorite movie?
Love and Basketball...kickin soundtrack...for us people from 'that side of the tracks'. (no #38 either, huh?)

39) Desktop or Laptop?
Desktop....although my friend tells me she can get me a laptop for $250..hmmm..(shhhh).

40) Would you date someone 10 years older than you?
I wouldn't really mind as long as he doesn't ask me to change his diaper or clean his dentures.

41) What would you do if your significant other wanted to go into the military?
What's the difference...mine already travels with his company so I am usually alone with the kids...although he isn't carrying any guns.

43) What's your dream car?
Any car that is driven for me and someone puts the gas for me.

44) Have you lost contact with someone you wish you didn't?
Yeah..I am still looking for her though.

45) List one fact about you?
I am EXACTLY 4 yrs older than my husband.

46) Do you think you're old?
No..but then again...maybe it's denial...or dementia...who knows.

47) Are you afraid of the dark?
Nope...my favorite time of the day.

There...any more questions?

Decided.

Well...
Angel and I decided that we weren't going to move to the Valley after all. After weighing the pros and cons of moving...the cons won out.

The upsetting part about it is that right after we put our foot down and finally decided that we were sticking to this decision, I get a call from a business owner who offered me $30/hr to work for them in Harlingen (the Valley).
The only thing keeping me from throwing my hands in the air and changing my mind again is mentally listing all the renovations that will need to be done to the house we were planning on moving into. That coupled with the commute (gas wasted) to and from work everyday from the house to work. It all comes out the same as being here MINUS the expense that it cost to actually do the moving.

My little sister is a little bit upset because we aren't moving there closer to her but it's only 2 hrs away and my parents live there along with all of Angel's family members. A visit every now and then will be sufficient.

On the bright side, my best friend is moving up here early next month. So we will finally be living in the same city and won't have to travel back and forth to visit.
I'm super excited AND Angel gets to stay and fish like there's no tomorrow.
-------------------------------------------------
Dominique has a girlfriend. He's only newly 13 and this little girl is 14. I think she may be a little to advanced for him. She told ME that as soon as she saw him she wanted to just kiss him because he was so little and cute. She was actually chasing him around cars and he was really running. She's a lot taller than he is.
Now here's the thing....

He's GROUNDED.

He didn't get good enough grades this past 6 weeks to be socializing (and what I mean by good enough grades....72 being the highest grade out of all 6 of his classes). That won't do. I told him that he is not allowed to socialize with anyone until I see some improvements in his grade. Hopefully he will make it out of the 7th grade.
He thought we were moving, and since we aren't, he is going to be in the same school next year possibly with the previous 6th graders.
This is definately a consequence that he will have to face.

-------------------------------------------------
Miah got paid and spent all her money on Monday. Now she is sitting around doing more chores to earn more money to spend. They need another lesson.

Lesson 1: Make money

Lesson 2: Bookkeeping

Lesson 3: Budgeting/Saving

There's another lesson here (negotiating) which Devyn is becoming a master at but we aren't working on that yet.

Anyway...Tonight I am serving leftover Lasagna. The kids liked it last night...they'll love it tonight.

PAYDAY!!!

Today was the first payday for the 'Kids Paid Chores' test run experiment...(I need a better name). Well, not actually today..yesterday seeing as how it is now 3:20 am on Monday. I went to bed at 7:30. Why? I don't know. Laziness. I took the kids to an illuminated light parade on Sat night...more about that later. Anyway, I woke up at 2 cause Angel fell asleep on the couch and he came in to bed at that time mumbling something about me leaving him out there. whatever dude...I don't mess with bears in hibernation.

So..anyway.. I am up also cause I remember the stupid blockbuster movies are due on Sunday and I was freaking out because of their new rules about returns and after 5 days they charge the amount of the movies to your bank account and you only get store credit.

CRAP!!

I had 3 movies out that were due and my stupid ass knocked out at 7pm!!

So I started shuffling around the house wondering if I should drive over there at 3 am to turn in the movies and hope that I don't get charged.

You are probably wondering...Why don't you just drop them off in the morning before you go to work, the store won't even be open then and it serves the same purpose?

Answer: Because my Dumb Ass will forget! I know it. No way around it.

I know that Angel isn't going to work because he is waiting on an appointment to open up at the dentist for him. So he will be home all day.

You are probably wondering...Why don't you have Angel drop them off in the morning before they open?

Answer: Because I can't rely on that Sloth. He will have the movies with him allllll day in the truck and decide to drop them off at 3 pm. Even if I call to remind him...which I won't because I'm at work and already forgot about the movies.

So I took them.

Now...back to my original topic...

The kids got paid today. Of course I had to make this a business adventure for them because I don't want them to become naive about money.

Here is the list...

The kids started asking me.."What's monies?"

Anywho....so here's how it went...I decided to go with the random pick from a jar idea first. It worked for a little while but then they started not wanting to do what they picked. Dom was mostly washing dishes. Miah the living room and Devyn liked cleaning the dining room and microwave. Each of them had to keep track of the chores they did each day and the amount of each chore. Then they had to submit it to me with the week's total in order to get paid every Sunday.

Here's Miah adding up hers.

Here's what I got....

Dom's list: He actually got $4.20 because he threw the trash. I told him that next time if it wasn't on the list he wasn't getting paid for it.

Miah's list: She actually got $3.74. She didn't count a bathroom job. I told her that the same rule applied to her.

Devyn's list: Apparently he decided to do the math in his head. He actually thought he was going to get paid $550,755.00.

As I was cracking up in the corner... my friend Jen showed him how to add it up.

He really got paid $1.70.

The kids are happy. I'm happy I don't really have to do much work.

All is right with the world.

Well...since it's 4:30 I guess I may as well try to get a couple more hours of sleep before I have to get up for work.

Am I being punished?

So...my supervisor came back to work today...YAY!
Boy was I happy to see him. Wedding ring and all.
Now, don't get me wrong. I am not the least bit attracted to this dude. I was just happy that he came back to work to pick up half of this caseload of patients that I have been working myself to death over the past 3 weeks.

He was finally here.

I was super happy working and smiling in the patient's faces regardless of whatever alzheimic or demented remark came out of their mouth. I was so on a roll that I didn't even realize that I had worked halfway through lunch. I sat and ate and while I was eating...a bomb was dropped.

My supervisor came to me and said I might end up having to see his patients that are in assessment (this means either new patients or in a crucial time for insurance). Assessments were mandatory. I was like..."What? What are you talking about?"

He went on to explain some mumbo jumbo about registering online to renew his license to practice physical therapy................yesterday.
He blubbered something about looking online today and it states that it's not valid.
Of course we asked him if he received a conformation number and printed it out.
He continued to mumble something about printing something out but not really looking at it or reading it.

WHAT........THE........ FUCK?!?!

So here is what happened.
He got to go home at lunch and we don't really know if he will be eligible to work tomorrow or until whenever it will be that he gets his licensed renewed.
I wanted to jump him right then and there. I wanted to bust his little head in. He's a small guy (smaller than me) I can take him. The punk. He knew this date was coming up and instead of taking care of it before his 3 week vacation, he waits until he gets back a day before he goes back to work and does it.

Personally, I don't think the little bitch wants to work. He shows up in the morning draggin ass all day and by the time I leave he has barely halfway through his caseload. He's a traveling PT so he gets assignments for 3 months at a time at various facilities. I should have picked up on some type of laziness a long time ago. The first week he started with us he "got sick" 3 days into the job and was out for a week and a half.

His recruiting company needs to send someone who wants to frickin work!

Whatever.

I'm officially pissed. stressed. disgusted.

.........but, what can I do?


BAD! BAD THERAPIST!!


It's Friday Eve...one more day to get through.