Winter is Pretzel time.
I don't know what it is about winter time but I always end up craving salt, mostly in the form of salted pretzels. I blame Kelly, my friend Rick's wife, for starting my pretzel addiction when I first moved up here.
So in my online life, I've held responsibility of various sorts and for various durations of time. I've again opted to take on the ultimate responsibility for a group and taken over the reins of my Wow Guild as Guild Leader. The previous GM graduated college this year, and the subsequent life changes left her with much less time for time wasting, especially with the new romantic development that occurred. So now I find myself the author of a new misery (heh) and I will have no one to complain about but myself.
My youngest sister Rebecca has had her fourth child, she named him Griffin, which is not a family name on either side, but rather a name his father really wanted for him. He was a big baby, born a week late and 11lbs 22 inches. My sister was able to give birth to him naturally with just an epidural. (Yay for the wide hip gene!)
I've told a few friends, but I didn't make a post because it so disgusted me at the time, but my brother Roger is in jail for looting post hurricane Ike. I have no sympathy for him, none. He is lucky he's not dead, especially given the general attitude in Texas about thievery. He wasn't stealing to provide food for his children, or a home. He was stealing to buy drugs. Their first offer was 10 years, and the reduced the 5 felonies he was charged with to one of burglary, which carries a lesser sentence than looting would have. My stepfather has hired a lawyer for him, and seems to be engaged in trying to get him into a rehab program in lieu of doing actual prison time. Personally if he does 10 years I won't cry about it. I feel bad for his children, but I don't feel bad for him. He did what he did intentionally, he had to go out of his way to fuck up the way he did, and every time he's been confronted about his abuse of alochol and drugs his response has always been 'oh i'm not drunk/stoned' etc. I realize as I write this I'm still angry with him for taking my niece's and nephew's father away. His wife should be in prison too, but was absurdly lucky in that in the middle of their crime spree she got tired so he dropped her off to continue stealing. She apparently voluntarilly checked herself into rehab in the meantime, and I guess we'll see where that goes. The real irony is that if I tried to take care of the little ones by taking custody of them, ultimately I would be the bad guy for not letting their junkie parents near them. Nevermind that I grew up with an alcoholic, I know how terrible that influence is, I'd be the bad guy for wanting to give them a good life. Yay fucked up world.
We stayed home for Christmas, and ironicially it's a good thing we did, the day before Christmas eve, a sprinkler in the empty apt next to us exploded. It flooded thru our adjoining wall and soaked my bedroom and bathroom. We'd have come home to a horrible smell and ruined carpet, and probably a few ruined personal items as well.
For christmas I bought myself a small stationary bike that fits under a desk (but not mine! hah!) and a joystick so I can learn to be more of a keyboard player instead of a click player. We'll see how that goes, both items need me to do things I'm not yet in the mood to do.
For Nicole's presents, I had a few elaborate plans, but one of them fell through. The post office lost the monogrammed stockings I'd ordered. I bought her some wow playing cards in the hopes of getting her a special in game mount, but that didn't pan out. I also got her some of her favorite chocolate, as well as a huge stack of lottery tickets that I bought with the winnings of a pair of 1 dollar tickets from earlier in the day. She was just shy of breaking even on the lotto tickets, so I don't see that as so bad, it's fun regardless. I also bought her a suite of software designed to help authors refine their writing, as it had several good reviews, so hopefully for the cost it will show some value to her.
My mother informed me that my grandfather seemed especially sad this christmas, which troubles me, but there isn't a lot anyone can do for him, with all the other stuff happening at the same time. Even though he was having to take care of my grandmother all the time, I think without the constant worry to weigh him down he's now untethered and drifting inside. He's a virgo, and if there's one thing we virgoes like to do, it's worry.
My cousin Joseph got married the 27th, which now means all of my first cousins on my mother's side of the family are now married. Of my mom's children only Billy is still not in a serious relationship, a fact that sometimes troubles me, but knowing my brother, it is really really hard to get along with him sometimes. I can't blame any woman who won't put up with him for that reason. heh.
The time is creeping closer to us being on the prowl for a house. I got an amazing offer for a home loan, and if anything the rate will be better with the recent drop in the interest rate. I'm keeping my finger's crossed.
So in my online life, I've held responsibility of various sorts and for various durations of time. I've again opted to take on the ultimate responsibility for a group and taken over the reins of my Wow Guild as Guild Leader. The previous GM graduated college this year, and the subsequent life changes left her with much less time for time wasting, especially with the new romantic development that occurred. So now I find myself the author of a new misery (heh) and I will have no one to complain about but myself.
My youngest sister Rebecca has had her fourth child, she named him Griffin, which is not a family name on either side, but rather a name his father really wanted for him. He was a big baby, born a week late and 11lbs 22 inches. My sister was able to give birth to him naturally with just an epidural. (Yay for the wide hip gene!)
I've told a few friends, but I didn't make a post because it so disgusted me at the time, but my brother Roger is in jail for looting post hurricane Ike. I have no sympathy for him, none. He is lucky he's not dead, especially given the general attitude in Texas about thievery. He wasn't stealing to provide food for his children, or a home. He was stealing to buy drugs. Their first offer was 10 years, and the reduced the 5 felonies he was charged with to one of burglary, which carries a lesser sentence than looting would have. My stepfather has hired a lawyer for him, and seems to be engaged in trying to get him into a rehab program in lieu of doing actual prison time. Personally if he does 10 years I won't cry about it. I feel bad for his children, but I don't feel bad for him. He did what he did intentionally, he had to go out of his way to fuck up the way he did, and every time he's been confronted about his abuse of alochol and drugs his response has always been 'oh i'm not drunk/stoned' etc. I realize as I write this I'm still angry with him for taking my niece's and nephew's father away. His wife should be in prison too, but was absurdly lucky in that in the middle of their crime spree she got tired so he dropped her off to continue stealing. She apparently voluntarilly checked herself into rehab in the meantime, and I guess we'll see where that goes. The real irony is that if I tried to take care of the little ones by taking custody of them, ultimately I would be the bad guy for not letting their junkie parents near them. Nevermind that I grew up with an alcoholic, I know how terrible that influence is, I'd be the bad guy for wanting to give them a good life. Yay fucked up world.
We stayed home for Christmas, and ironicially it's a good thing we did, the day before Christmas eve, a sprinkler in the empty apt next to us exploded. It flooded thru our adjoining wall and soaked my bedroom and bathroom. We'd have come home to a horrible smell and ruined carpet, and probably a few ruined personal items as well.
For christmas I bought myself a small stationary bike that fits under a desk (but not mine! hah!) and a joystick so I can learn to be more of a keyboard player instead of a click player. We'll see how that goes, both items need me to do things I'm not yet in the mood to do.
For Nicole's presents, I had a few elaborate plans, but one of them fell through. The post office lost the monogrammed stockings I'd ordered. I bought her some wow playing cards in the hopes of getting her a special in game mount, but that didn't pan out. I also got her some of her favorite chocolate, as well as a huge stack of lottery tickets that I bought with the winnings of a pair of 1 dollar tickets from earlier in the day. She was just shy of breaking even on the lotto tickets, so I don't see that as so bad, it's fun regardless. I also bought her a suite of software designed to help authors refine their writing, as it had several good reviews, so hopefully for the cost it will show some value to her.
My mother informed me that my grandfather seemed especially sad this christmas, which troubles me, but there isn't a lot anyone can do for him, with all the other stuff happening at the same time. Even though he was having to take care of my grandmother all the time, I think without the constant worry to weigh him down he's now untethered and drifting inside. He's a virgo, and if there's one thing we virgoes like to do, it's worry.
My cousin Joseph got married the 27th, which now means all of my first cousins on my mother's side of the family are now married. Of my mom's children only Billy is still not in a serious relationship, a fact that sometimes troubles me, but knowing my brother, it is really really hard to get along with him sometimes. I can't blame any woman who won't put up with him for that reason. heh.
The time is creeping closer to us being on the prowl for a house. I got an amazing offer for a home loan, and if anything the rate will be better with the recent drop in the interest rate. I'm keeping my finger's crossed.