Suzanne Calling

Tonight, both boys hit some cool milestones with scouting. Tonight, Chef received his rank of Bear. In addition, thanks to participating in Scouting for Food, he was given a very cool "Good Turn For America" patch. Each year that a boy participates in a community service project, he receives a patch with the year on it. These are designed to circle the Good Turn patch. I like the idea that it encourages the boys to keep performing community service, to keep the years ringing the original patch. Gameboy received his Arrow of Light. Last month, he was called up on stage with the fellow Webelo 2's-but didn't get his award. He kept his composure throughout the ceremony, but asked me why he didn't get his arrow once we were back to our seats. Ed and I were very upset by the oversight, and that truly is what it was. The next week, our Assistant Cub Master apologized to Ed and said that Gameboy would have his own moment at this month's pack meeting. Gameboy...

I'm taking it easy today because I need a soak in the tub for my stupid leg. Today, I give you my iPod top 25 playlist. It shows you how eclectic my taste is-and that in the couple of weeks that Gameboy borrowed my iPod, he played some stuff A LOT! Any questions about the who, what or why (lol), feel free to leave a comment! The Top 25 in Suzanne's iPod (nowhere close to the top 25 in Ed's iPod, that's for sure) Take Me As I Am - October Project **the band that was Sony's diamond and they blew it Whip It - Devo ** Hadn't realized I play this that much! Over the Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole **What a great Hawaiian musician You're Pitiful - "Weird Al" Yankovic ** MUCH better than the original! :) If You Leave Me Now - Chicago **this song will always remind me of Dad driving us home on the NY Thruway from our failed first family vacation Longer - Dan Fogelberg ** His songs captivate me with their simple elegance and harmonies Life in a N...

The ones left behind We took Bill out for his birthday last night. While it was a nice meal out, it left me sad. The kids adore Grandpa Bill, and enjoy going over there. He is always quite happy to see Chef, his little buddy. Those joyous greetings make me feel guilty that we don’t bring them to see him more frequently. Right after Mom passed away, he talked of moving back to New York. He really has no ties down here and if had his way, they never would have moved to Florida full time. I know why she did it-to escape my squabbling siblings who lived to bleed her bank account dry. She sold the house, in a way to prevent Scorpio (need a better name), the champion freeloader from thinking she could live in the house rent free while Mom and Bill were in Florida. Mom left some mysteries in the wake of her death. She sold the house and by Bill’s accounts, should have had a decent amount of money in the bank. If she did, he never uncovered it. I think that Scorpio (who had authoriz...

It's Saturday , and time once again to step into the wayback machine, to a time where Suzanne only had 6 daily readers. (BTW, those numbers are creeping up. I've had 50 hits in a day, but I'm planted solidly in the 30 something range of daily readers. Thank you) This post is from March of last year. Revisiting this makes me take stock. I'm still drinking too much soda, but not as much as I did last March. Thanks to a bout with the flu in November, I'm addicted to vitamin water. The weight has stayed off for close to two years now. I'm not sure exactly what I weigh, since Dr J's office hasn't bothered to weigh me in a while, but even the pants that were tight this time last year are loose now. I take that as a good sign. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Weight has been an issue for me my whole adult life. As a youngster, I was the stringbean who could eat anything and everything. It...

This morning, the radio had some interesting listening. Skip Mehaffie interviewed LO, short for "Living Oprah." A woman has decided that she will spend one year doing whatever Oprah says is important. She will buy stuff, obey O's life rules, prepare food according to whatever Oprah dictates, read all the books club selections, etc. She is blogging about the experience here . I have a confession to make: I am NOT a fan of Oprah. I don't know what it is: the carnival barker shouting, as if her audience were clueless shmoes (hmmmmm), the show contents, or the fact that she seems to be overly fond of Scientology weirdos. Maybe it's something else. All I know is that in the past ten years, I may have caught a total of ten minutes of her show. It does not appeal to me. Part of me suspects that everyone seems to revere the woman as if she's a god and knows everything. I consider myself to be a savvy individual-I don't need someone else to tell my how t...

Whenever we move, things aren't unpacked fast enough for my liking. For weeks/months/years, we're always looking for stuff. "Honey, where's my beard trimmer?" (dunno, one of the boxes that says 'bathroom' maybe?), "Where's the thermometer/motrin?" (again, a box that says bathroom?) "Where's the coffee pot?" (that I found pretty quickly.) Heck, this move I found stuff that had been missing since the last move in 2005! The search goes on to things outside the house. A new city means we have to find: *A new butcher. The old one is by Chef's cooking school, but isn't convenient on a daily basis. Yes, I am spoiled, the supermarkets don't do it nearly as well. *A new farm stand. Boy, how I'll miss the one that was right by our house. These are plentiful here, but finding good ones take a little work. *A good pizza joint. A decent prospect has been tendered, now we need to check it out. If we want Cali crus...

We had our first visitors this evening, our friend Bob and his son. They're soon to be Florida transplants and as they've done for several school breaks the past two years, they loaded up a van and brought stuff to their house down here. Of course, those who know me well knows this means I'm dying to cook some food for them! Fortunately, they were happy to accept the dinner invitation. :) Bob's son is the same age as Gameboy and is equally game crazed as both of mine. This works out well-the adults get to hang out and the kids get to hang as well. I got to prep off and on all day. I subscribe to my mom's entertaining philosophy-cook far more than you need and you'll have yummy leftovers to enjoy later on. My original plans were for london broil and the rosemary roasted potatoes, but Ed mentioned that I should make a lasagna. What the heck? I'll make it all, and some homemade brownies for dessert. It was great to hang out on the lanai and shoot the b...

Once upon a time, Ed and I shared a computer. Well, before that, we each had our own computer, but mine was a 486 and was purchased right after the ex and I split up. We shared pretty nicely, that is, if you call me hovering over him, vulture like, as being nice. It's hard sharing when you've got two tech nerds in the house. (Jill and her sweetie have it right-they each have laptops and myriad towers between them). Just over three years ago, I had a vein stripping to minimize the pain in my stupid leg (trademark pending-anyone want to front me the trademark application fee?). I spent a week at home recovering and followed Dr. J's orders to keep my leg propped up. Sometime during that convalescence, I got the bright idea that I would get myself a laptop. One was ordered from Staples and arrived the day that I returned to work. Since then, I've hardly used Ed's machine. I think we both like it this way, though he's envisioning building himself a bigger and...

I had every intention of participating in Lotus's Birthing Carnival today, but I'm sorta lazy and don't feel like typing up TWO stories today. Maybe tomorrow. Instead, you get some pictures! Here's one of the 'neighbors' behind our house. I suppose I can invite him to dinner since we're having chicken tonight. Channeling Magnum, PI. Chef Jr. had his first school dance Friday night. He insisted that he pose near the rosemary bush. (I'm thinking I need to get him a haircut before school pictures on Thursday) Last year, someone on the boards I participate in mentioned using a Star Wars egg coloring kit. I knew if I found it, I would buy it for the boys. I did, and they loved the idea. They had lots of fun choosing which sleeves they'd use and coloring. This is one of those things where I get to have the fun and they go wander off. Gameboy wanted to dye his Darth Vader egg black, so I had several rounds with the different colors and it ended ...

I've known what I wanted to write today for a while, but the words aren't flowing. I'll muddle through this and hope you can forgive that the prose doesn't quite match the feeling. As a kid, I was blessed with a 'second family'. Dick and Marcella lived around the corner, and they were the adults who adored the neighborhood kids, especially me and Kathi. We eventually began attending Mass with them nearly every Sunday. The highlight of attending church for me was the music. To this day, I hear certain songs and they bring back memories of sitting in the crying room at Sacred Heart with Dick, Marcella and my 'sorta sister', their daughter Mary. Songs that convey so much feeling in their simplicity. "Eagle's Wings", "I Will Raise Him Up" and "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring". I'm not a church goer, but I consider myself spiritual. I feel that music is how I relate to my faith best. In high school, I was blessed...

After a week's hiatus, it's time once again for Scrolling Saturday . This week's entry still holds the same weight as it did when I posted it last February. Family It's funny how we're born into this world related to others that if not for that one connection, we would have nothing to do with whatsoever. No shared interests or anything that would keep a connection going, other than having the same mother and/or father. Perhaps shared grandparents. This blog has shared some of the downside of my large family. My mom's side has more than it's fair share of screwed up individuals. They probably think I'm as messed up as I consider them, lol. However, watching some of my relations make asses of themselves, treat others poorly or treat their own bodies like crap really made an impact on me as a kid. I think this makes it easier to understand why I don't have such a close bond with every sibling-and why I have a close one with Kathi. On the other hand, w...

I originally wrote this last Friday, but was having difficulty posting it without bandwidth. The past three days have been a flurry of activity. Twelve to sixteen hours each day of packing, loading a truck or the van, driving a half hour, only to unload and come back to do some more. (I totally am going to rock the Awesome Activity hours for this week and next, because dude, I have over 30 hours of moving activity this week!) I got some furniture movers from Home Depot and I will say that it was forty dollars well spent. We were able to move the armoires out of the house with a minimum of smooshed fingers and bruised body parts-unlike moving them into the house. In retrospect, we probably should have skipped renting the van on Tuesday in favor of doing more packing. It sucked a chunk of time in the middle of the day and not one thing went into the van until around 9am on Wednesday. We loaded some of the biggest things into the van: the two armoires, some odds and ends and the pi...

Boo, no router! I've got a couple of posts that detail the move and the start of the new schools. Unfortunately, the cable modem requires one file that is not on my laptop, so they'll have to wait until we get a new router. There's the rub. Do we get a super G modem or buy an N modem? My thought is that the N is the way to go. Ed's waffling on the issue, but if we're going to buy it down the road anyway, why not get it now? He's not convinced. In addition to the new router, I'll probably be picking up a wireless card for the laptop. It's been giving me loading errors with stunning frequency lately. I can't spend a pile of money on a new laptop, so I'll throw some money at a card instead. Today was my first day off since completing the move. A day of rest and relaxation. Sorta. The phone rang this morning, waking me from slumber. After Brighthouse left, we ran a few errands and my tired body craved a nap. Once again, the phone rang. ...

Here's the scenario: We moved from one county to another. As a result, the spring break schedules are different, with the new county going a week before the one we just moved from. The Boy Scout troop that Gameboy just moved up into is planning a 4 1/2 day camping trip to coincide with their county's spring break. It's a good idea for him to attend this one, as it'd give us a good idea whether he can survive a week at Boy Scout sleep away summer camp. This is something he wants and we'd love to allow him. Would YOU, if you had an academically advanced but socially impaired child, have him miss two days of school to go on a scouting activity? He has only missed a couple of days due to illness this year. Our thought is to send him camping. He gains so much out of being with his peers in a structured setting that encourages teamwork and social interaction. Oh and last night, he led the pledge and promise at the beginning of the meeting. Pretty cool. (I can't...

Several things have come back to me this week (or are coming soon) First, the ability to wear the Crocs. Dr. J wrote a very eloquent (but FIRM) letter stating that I have a lifelong condition called Venous Insufficiency. It caused the Venous Stasis Ulcers and as a result, the RSD/CRPS. He briefly explained what all of was and that I suffer a great deal of pain and the only shoe that is beneficial to reducing the pain is the Crocs. I won the battle, but the war is still waging. I am now told I have to dress FAR NICER than my peers to make up for the ugly shoes. This was communicated by my direct supervisor, my DM hasn't talked to me yet. Wonder how she'll take the comment that's brewing "Hmmm, what would the Labor Board have to say about the conditions you are placing on me because of a medical accommodation?" Second thing that has come back: Vern Troyer has decided to attack my stupid leg (trademark pending) again. I've got the stabbing knives in the cal...

The first meal I prepared in the new kitchen. (Ed's was Hamburger Helper for the kids) Things we like about the new house: The kitchen ROCKS! (a stove that works and is nice makes a huge difference) The neighbors (bovine and human) The neighborhood is quiet More to come...

Apparently, I was VERY tired. After a week of nights with 3 to 4 hours sleep, I went to sleep yesterday at 4:30pm. I woke up a few times, but didn't get up for good until 8:30 this morning. Moving is a piece of cake, right? I still have that update to post and I will. Jill's network is secured, otherwise I'd borrow the bandwidth there when I check in with the kitties later. In the meantime, you get a short post today. On tap for the morning tomorrow is enrolling both boys in school. At least Gameboy's school gave us the pile of paperwork when we were there the other day. I spent over an hour this morning completing it. He apparently gets an elective and what was his first choice? Phys Ed. Are you sure this is MY child? We have cow pasture behind the house and there are about a half dozen residents. Ed has dubbed them "The Neighbors". When I got up this morning, he asked if I'd seen "The Neighbors" this morning. I was confused, we...

I had to add the special Suzanne touch to the class I taught today. What better way to do that than to make a peep bouquet? Heck, anyone I know who eats then prefers them stale-this just hastens that along! No, I don't like peeps. The colored sugar tastes nasty. Now Snowman peeps, count me in. Especially if you nuke them first. Yes, there is a long update to be posted. It's on the laptop and I'm without bandwidth until Ed gets us Road Runner. If I lived near Jill and Bob, I'd have been able to transfer the FiOS. Bummer. I'll upload that tomorrow after work. Promise. (and I am so used to the laptop keyboard that I'm making beaucoup typing errors on the ergonomic keyboard that's just like my old one.)

Our days as homeowners are over. Last night, around midnight, we packed the last of our belongings into a van and the Jeep and left the house one last time. We had a three day marathon of 15-16 hour days, driving back and forth, unloading and getting more of our accumulated stuff. We discovered a wonderful neighbor on one side who blew us away with, well, neighborliness, something we so sorely lacked at the most recent abode. The neighbor on the other side is nice, too. As I'm without bandwidth at the new house for the moment, I'm giving a photo essay with some brief descriptions. I'll blog about the experience offline and add it later. (The Buffalo Wild Wings Southwest Dippers pack a nice bite, btw.) The last soak in the awesome tub. It was nice having such a roomy tub. The only thing missing that would have made it perfect was a Jacuzzi. (Something I pointed out to Jill when she used the same builder a few years later.) The party shower stall. You can't tell...

We've got a deadline here, so I won't tell the story of yesterday until tonight. It may even be tomorrow. In the meantime, I don't want to shirk my Blog 365 duties, so you get... KITTY PICTURES! No, not my kitty. My nose is still stuffed up from petting Scamp, but it's worth it because he's just so gosh darn CUTE. Here's yesterday's photo session. Scamp is the inlaws cat. Yes, they named him after a Disney dog. Their other cat is named after a Disney bug. I didn't have any input on the fact tact that there are dozens of Disney CATS they could have named him after. Look at me, I'm as playful as a kitten on a string. Oh wait, I am a kitten. That's a string. Duh. Man, that flash is BRIGHT! Why didn't you tell me that when I signed my model's release?! So, which website are these going to show up in? LOLCats? I can haz Cheezburger? What? Just in So, You Don't Get Any Phone Calls From Me? That's it, I'm not posing an...

It's hard going the past couple of days, as we sort through things to move them out. We throw things away, and it is hard to do it. Mom bought that, Nancy gave them this, Mom was here for that. Right now, we're waiting for the men to come and take the Saturn. It needs about two grand in repairs, money we don't have. It has been sitting in the driveway since we got here. I tried not to be a nag to Ed, to let him realize on his own that he needed to sell it. It was his baby, his cool car, the top of the line coupe the second year they were available. Time has run out-it isn't registered here and hasn't been started in ages. Instead of selling, it has to be junked. Inaction made the decision for him. He feels about the car the way I do about the house...

Thanks to Lotus , today is a celebration of feeding our babies! Welcome to the (Breast)feeding Carnival ! For me, there was never a question of what I wanted to do: I would breastfeed my kids. Funny thing is, Ed and I had never discussed this when we began dating. As ours was a long distance relationship, many hours were spent on the phone talking about our plans for the future. Kids most definitely were part of the plan. (According to my ex, that was his prime motivation to step out, because I wanted kids and he didn’t. His loss.) We visited my niece, her husband and infant son and he spoke up for me, that when we did have kids, I would definitely nurse! I guess my ideas were pretty transparent! Little did we know, a year and some months later, we’d have our own son and we began on our own nursing journey. During my pregnancy, I was big on asking any mom “What didn’t they tell you when you had a baby that you wish you’d known?”. I asked my doctors “What complications only ha...

Well, almost. We don’t have internet access at the new place, and I thought I might be able to hijack bandwidth. No such luck. So I’ll type the entry at the new house, and probably upload it in a little while when we’re out and about. Today’s tasks include enrolling the kids in school and picking up the Ryder truck. We’re the veterans of many moves, but we’ve never used Ryder before. Why this time? Well, I wanted to see if they had ramps for us to bring our heavy stuff up into the truck. When there are only two people doing the work, you need the help. I had a coworker ask why we didn’t have anyone to help. Well, folks, that’s the life of Aspie parents. You can’t really leave your child in the care of a teenager, so you don’t go out without them. It makes it hard to socialize. Yes, an extra two people would save me a lot of money, because I wouldn’t have to hire movers for the piano, fridge and the two armoires. Oh well. The Ryder truck has a hydraulic lift. Score. It m...

I am allergic to a lot of stuff. Seriously. For instance, any time I see Nurse M and we decide to try a new product on My Stupid Leg (trademark pending), the first thing out of her mouth is “Are you allergic to this?” She quickly scans the ingredient list to see if there are any known Suzanne allergens in it. For this alone, Nurse M is worth her weight in gold. We learned of my allergies at a very early age, thanks to the rashes I’d get from soaps. Ivory was the WORST offender. I’d get a chicken pox like rash on my body any time I used the stuff. In the late 60’s and early 70’s, ‘deodorant soaps’ were all the rage. All soaps de odor you, so why the special designation? People are suckers for advertising. Those deodorant caused me to scratch non stop. As I was one in a house of many, I had to suffer with what was offered. Dad was a mailman. Back then, it was a fairly frequent to get free samples in the mail. Breakfast cereal, shampoo, candy bars (really), granola bars, femi...

Chef is full of laughs and makes us laugh daily. A sampling of today's gems, all within a half hour of each other. I found him in the bathtub, bobbing his head up and down. He says "Don't mind me leaned over this way, I'm bubble fishing" Yep, he's taking his curls and trying to catch bubbles with them. He was successful. He bathes and when he's finished, he pulls the plug and looks at the mirror like drain and says "Hello, Gorgeous!" The boys are now on air mattresses in their rooms, and I asked him if he felt like was camping. He says yep. Then: "Where's the grass?" Honey, we turned it gray. "Are there bugs? No, we left them outside. "Where are the mosquitoes?" Left them outside, too. It's a riot to see how his mind works.

It's time once again for Soundrack Sunday, and boy, this week, I had a lot of ideas for it. Ed found a lovely momento from the past that will be the feature of a future SSS post. There's a new artist that I bought from iTunes, thanks to the song being featured on the DMX at work-so I'll be doing that soon. Today, though, it just occurred to me that I should feature something that relates to the Blog Party . A party is not a party without the tunes, right? When I was a kid, I was a radio junkie and loved music(duh). As a teen, thought, I was very lucky. One of my friends had a low wattage radio station that he ran out of his home. I was very excited to be given a show slot and then later, taught how to run the boards and DJ my own show. It started me down a path. I wanted to be a DJ. I went to college with the goal of getting a degree in Communications. I got on the staff of the college radio station , where I met Donna and Bawb the first day. Eventuall...