I just read an article on the Baby Grace trial.
Now I can't stop crying.

How can you torture a child like that? I just don't understand.

Her mother and stepfather do not deserve to live. Period. Disgusting pieces of trash.

That poor baby.

Fuck! I wish I hadn't read that article. Its going to be on my mind for a long time.

We found out we were approved for the lovely little house we wanted.

Ten minutes later we were told the house had been sold.

Yeah, I know. Thank goodness we didn't send them our non-refundable %$500. You know they money they wanted us to give them immediately, even though they could sell the house from under us up until our signed original copies of the contract showed up in their office-- which would have taken an additional 5 days.

Let's just say we aren't in a hurry to deal with this home builder again.

So, we're just going to say "Screw it!" and go ahead and visit Texas to have some fun this summer. We'll househunt in person, but I think our move to Lincoln after retirement is back on the table.

Hubby works this weekend, so its been quiet. And boring. Since we want to find out about the pre-approval, it feels like time is going by really slowly. You know how it is. Even though I tell myself to not get overly excited, I'm already shopping online for fridges and laminate flooring. And paint colors... which I of course can't do until next year or possibly later. Its fun to look, though.

I'm getting ready to put Logan to bed. Then my daughter and I are going to watch The Zombie Diaries. Hopefully its entertaining.

Hubby switches to day shift on February 16th and I can't frackin' wait!

I'm done with the online college courses. Never, ever again!!! Major hate!

Logan wakes up promptly at 10 am now. So the schedule adjustment is working.

We filed our tax returns and will be using that money to pay off a big debt that I've been hankering to get rid of since the day we took it. I'm looking forward to see if we get another stimulus check from the government. If we do, I'm using it to pay off a few credit cards. We have four credit cards total-- two in hubby's name, and two in my name. All together they total $2000. Three are Capitol One cards and the other in my name is a Shell card. Which of course hasn't been used since last May, but Shell keeps upping the spending limit as I've been paying it down. Heh.

I have to fix the window in my car so I can sell it. Then I'm using that money to pay off our last furniture account.

Paying off the big debt, the credit cards, and the furniture bill gives us just over $300 extra a month to throw towards the saving account. If we're right about the possible house payment (which includes the insurance and escrow account for taxes) and the cost of utilities for an idle house, we'll be saving only $700 a month. However, that is more than a lot of families can even dream of saving, so I refuse to whine about it too much. Hubby says I'll still have surgery some time next year, but the costof my surgery is about the same as it would cost us to pay off our Escape early... freeing up another $300 a month. So a part of me is really considering putting off the tummy tuck longer than I had hoped. Then again, its really, really bothering me and effecting how I feel about myself... so who knows what I'll do. Maybe I'll be wholly selfish and think "Frak it." I planon working a parttime job as soon as Logan starts kindergarten and I could use that to pay off the car.... or save for surgery later.

GRRR.....

All's good here, though. Really, we have it easy.

4.75%

4.75%

I stared at that number for several minutes yesterday and pointed it out to hubby. Its the new mortgage rate offered to new homebuyers via our bank... and to qualified VA Loan applicants.

That number will not get smaller. It just won't.

We checked a website for a homebuilder we'd been in contact recently. They had a house plan we thought was nice. Simple, just enough room for us (1999 sq. ft), and the price was good. We found out they had one built already that was available, but the price was much higher because it had $15,000 in options in it. We explained the problem with the price and asked if they could find a lot on which to build a base-priced one. They said they'd call us back.

No lots available, they said on the second phone call. However, the builder told the manager to offer the house to us for $14,000 less than it was listed for....and he'd cover all the closing costs. No money down with our VA Loan if approved.

We went ahead and started the paperwork to see if we could be approved on this house. We already have received an approval to purchase a home that was $20,000 more than this one (back in November I believe). We are waiting to hear if we are approved and can become owners of this home.

My parents have already been to the house and took pictures of it. The style of the house was actually differant from the plans online-- its an elevation they no longer are offering this year. I absolutely LOVE the style of the house and squealed when I saw the elevation style in the pictures they sent us. The backyard is absolutely perfectly sized... it could even handle a small inground pool if we wanted to install one in the future.

I really do feel good about this house. The neighborhood is nice, the property taxes are low, and the city is growing, which means a good chance at appreciation of the value should we feel like selling later. Our son says he will move to the house and live in it while we are here. If not, I have several uncles who could also stay in it from time to time and my parents are going to keep up the yard. They love yard work (weirdos!) so its no big deal to them.

The house suits me and I really, really hope all goes well. I can see my family living there.

So... just really anxious to hear something from the bank. If we are approved, I'll post a picture of the house. I don't want to jinx it by doing it now.

Even though a picture of it is now my desktop.

Obama has left St. John's Church and is headed to the White House for his meeting with the Bushes and Cheney. Oh, here is his arrival.

I'm already teary eyed. I'm going to be a bawling mess by the end of his swearing in!

Right now I'm listening to a pathetic, questioning, "mommy?" coming from my bedroom. Its been 35 minutes since I put him to bed at 10pm... if he does what he did last night, he'll be moving around and talking to himself for another hour. I know I should have put him in his room, but he's already freaked over being put to bed at a certain time, so I gave him the choice. He sleeps with us half the time anyway and he often sleeps through us carrying him into his room. Yes, yes, I am being indulgent.

I think I am going to fail my math, which doesn't surprise me since its pretty much do-it-yourself and I don't learn well that way. I'm good with history, I'm pretty sure. Math final is Thursday and History exam is Friday.

The inauguration starts in about three hours, so Logan should be asleep. I'm going to study more math, pick up the house, and do some dishes until then. I'm very excited about watching this unfold, even if it means having to listen to Rick Warren. Let's see if he gives an exclusionary prayer like the ones at Bush's last inauguration.

My cycle has started and we are relieved... for a little bit we wondred if I was pregnant. I've been feeling a bit sick to my stomach for a week now and I am wondering if maybe its dehydration or just a bit of exhaustion. I haven't been sleeping well. Little stressed out over this online crap. Hubby doesn't want me taking any more of them, although I offered to try again. He knows I miss my school.

Guess I can kill some more time cleaning house, working out, and gaming again!

***later post***
Logan kept it up with the mommy and I finally just put him in his room (nicely but firmly-- reminded him of the cartoon we saw with the little boy who was big enough to sleep in his own room). Its been super quiet since and I think he might be asleep. Let me tiptoe in....

YES!!!! Asleep in an hour! WOOHOO!

Food poisoning with a tiny stomach is no fun. But I bet it was better than having food poisoning with a normal stomach. I ate a grilled chicken patty at McDonald's, shared a small piece of strawberry shortcake with hubby at Parcheezi's..... one of those items was baaaad. Hubby did not get sick, so we figure it was the chicken. I was sick by 7am Saturday-- I haven't been that nauseous since my bariatric surgery and had forgotten how bad that is. I was dry heaving of course, since my stomach was empty. I do not have bile or acids in my stomach, so its a lot of my body wanting me to heave something up but nothing being there. Which I was kinda thankful for because I didn't have to suffer that nasty vomit taste. I was also on the potty a great majority of the day, so much I was praying for a tube of Desitin.

I was extremely fortunate that hubby had this weekend off. He made sure to take Logan to the park and the stores and I slept until 4pm. I wobbled out of bed by 5pm and ate half a can of vegetable beef soup. I kept it down, thankfully. A little while later I nibble an ounce of beef jerky. That stayed down, too. A few hours later I munched on apple slices and an ounce of cheese. I was still a bit nauseous but the potty runs had stopped.

This morning I felt so good I cleaned the bathroom-- I'd noticed a lot of stuff that needed to be done in there yesterday.

Today I've had the insides of a 6" subway turkey sandwich. I don't eat the bread, I cut it into small sections, peel off the bread and make a sort of wrap with the turkey meat, cheese, and veggies. I only use vinegar as a seasoning, eschewing oil because its really the vinegar taste I like and the oil adds nothing but fat. The cheese is provolone and a healthy fat with calcium. I've also had an ounce of beef jerky today and some caffeine free Coke Classic. I'm not touching Oreos or Tootsie Rolls or any other sweets anymore (ok I had that damned shortcake but I shared it!) so I can have a soda. Normally, I will drink only half the can, but today I've drank 3/4ths of it.

Its almost 4pm and we're waiting for hubby to finish his nap so we can all go bowling together. It will be the third time this week that we've bowled. Logan loves it and its affordable, so what the hell. I even have my own bowling shoes, ball, and locker. I was eyeing some of the retro men's bowling shirts online and may get one. Hoping to find some women's versions though.

Hubby bought me a 120 gig iPod Classic to replace my 80 gig one. I had been hinting at it for a Valentine's gift, but he didn't understand I meant for the holiday... he thought I wanted it NOW. So the 80gig one goes to hubby and I have the bigger one to fill up with more Biggest Loser, Kathy Griffin's Life on the D list, and assorted tv episodes-- The Big Bang Theory, Stargate Atlantis season 5, and now Battlestar Galactica's final season (((OMG THEY KILLED OFF DEE!!!! YOU BASTARDS!!! ELLEN IS THE FIFTH???? FRAK THAT!!!)))).

Hubby informed me that there are no shooting ranges for me to learn how to shoot. He thinks its weird I want to learn. Its not like I want to purchase a weapon right now, but perhaps in the future, I may want or feel I need one (you know, like when the Rapture happens and all the pissed off Christians who are left behind go psycho)
. I'm also starting to think I need to learn some self defense. Which, of course, hubby teaches. He's also a small arms instructor and he could teach me what I need to know if we had a shooting range here. He can also teach me defense with a baton. Actually, that could be pretty cool to know.

Maybe its all the zombie movies, the research, and my love of postapocolyptic literature, but I don't want to feel like I couldn't take care of myself if I was put into a situation that would call to know some sort of defensive strategy. Yeah, hubby still found it weird, too.

I guess I shouldn't tell him how I'm going to stock our retirement home basement like its a bomb shelter.

Studying for finals this week. I hate online classes. HATE. I refuse to take any more of them.

I'm preparing for finals and trying to catch up on any work left to do for the online courses. Hubby is studying for his Chief's test which he takes tomorrow morning.

Logan loved his first day at the speech therapy class and has his second one tomorrow. Right now we put Logan to bed with us at 11pm...yeah, he sleeps with us a lot. It takes him about 40 minutes to fall asleep. Lots of rolling around and whispering " daddy...mommy....daddy..mommy...luvs you...luvs you...." Hubby goes to day shift in a couple of weeks and there is a big rumor he'll be getting a Monday-Friday position in training (he always ends up there!), which would be an awesome help in getting a normal family schedule going. I'll be slowly working towards a 9pm bedtime for Logan, in which he ends up falling asleep in his own bed by himself!

He's getting really good at bowling. He's also fully potty trained! YAAAAAAAY!!!!! I realized that today when I didn't even think twice about taking him up to Zama (a forty minute car ride sometimes) in his underwear. I'll be moving to him sleeping in his underwear at night probably in March. When he is sleeping in his own bed.

I'm all bloated waiting for my cycle to start. I went pants shopping and GOOD LORD I do not look as good as I did when I got here. So sad... but at least I'm acknowledging it and not ignoring it like I used to. Also, I don't care what weight I am at next summer. I'm getting a tummy tuck no matter what!

It just ocurred to me, that maybe knowing I wasn't getting a tummy tuck this summer somehow subconsciously gave me permission to eat badly. Hmmm.....

I've joined a couple of Housewives forums to help me become a better homemaker. I really still need work on organization, scheduling, and self care. So I'll be focusing on that a lot this year.

I'm not sure what I'll be registering for this term. I'm thinking Intro to Psychology to replace a bad, bad grade I received in 1997. Still not sure what else to take... I'll figure it out.

We bought new bookshelves and they look really good, pretty close to the nice ones we have now. Hubby picks them up for me at Zama on Friday.

Wish hubby luck on his test tomorrow! If he passes, the next step is an attempt to be accepted to be seen by the board for LDO (meaning he'd go from enlisted to being an officer).

I think I am going to add one more goal for the year and that is to learn how to do some type of craft. My fraternal grandmother used to crochet, make linen dolls and make quilts. My maternal great-grandmother used to embroider and crochet. I have some of the things she made. I'm thinking of doing some embroidery and quilt making. There are fabric shops around the base, I would swear up and down I've seen them. Not sure if I can order fabric online... but I could check into it. I'd also like to learn to sew clothing and make myself retro style dresses to wear.

Instead of ordering a bunch of books from Amazon all the time, I like to hit the base thrift shop. I've been so pleased with my finds that I'm going to keep a record of the books I've bought and how much I've spent in 2009. So here's the first entry, which I'll then record in a sidebar.

Today I purchased just a few items- a (p) or (h) designate a paperback or hardback, respectively:
The Bonesetter's Daughter Amy Tan (p)
Practical Candleburning Rituals Raymond Buckland (p)
The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy Thomas J. Stanley, Ph.D. and William D. Danko, Ph.D.(p)
The Yoga Directory Linda Doeser (h) [this is a nifty find)
Make the Connection: Ten Steps To A Better Body Bob Greene and Oprah Winfrey (h) [would neverhave purchased this at full price]
Get With The Program Daily Journal Bob Greene (p) [completely unused!]
Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red a rabbi small mystery Harry Kemelman (p)
Vampire of the Mists a ravenloft the covenant novel Christie Golden (p)
The Host Stephenie Meyer (p) [her Twilight series was ok so thought I'd give this one a spin]
Trading Spaces Behind the Scenes TLC (glossy p) [I love the show so was happy to see it]

Total cost = $8

What I purchased prior to today in 2009:
You On A Diet: The Owners Manual for Waist Management Michael F. Roizen, M.D. Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. (h)
Foreigner C. J. Cherryh (p) [very, very happy to find this as I thought I was going to have to order it from Amazon to complete the sci fi series- and its the first book!]
From A Buick 8 Stephen King (h)
The Wastelands: Dark Tower III Stephen King
The Years of Rice and Salt Kim Stanley Robinson
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J.K. Rowling (p)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire J.K. Rowling (p)
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows J.K. Rowling (h w/dustjacket)
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table Roger Lancelyn Green
multiples from Ann Rice all paperback:
Interview With A Vampire
The Vampire Lestat
Queen of the Damned
The Tale of the Body Thief
Memnoch the Devil
The Mummy or Ramses the Damned
The Witching Hour
Cry to Heaven
Feast of All Saints
The Ruins Scott Smith 9p0 [I haven't seen the movie, wanted to read the book first]
Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beat the Government- Saving Privacy in the Digital Age Steven Levy
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Harriet Jacobs / The Schomburg Library of Nineteenth Century Women Writers (p) [written in 1861-- was really thrilled to find this one]
Black Protest : History, Documents, and Analyses 1619 To The Present edited with introduction and commentary by Joanne Grant (p) [ really thrilled with this one as it has documents written by Douglass, DuBois, Booker T. Washington, Rev. King, as well as Malcolm X and Black Panther programs]


Total Cost: $6

Total Purchased: 32 Total Cost: $14

Tonight I'm going to go see Twilight. All by myself. Hubby has a bowling league once a week, so now I also get to do something on my own. Bet you my 14 year old invites herself along, though!

Just random thoughts in the middle of the night....

Great Things I Have Going for Me:
I'm no longer depressed.
I have a more positive attitude about pretty much everything.
I have a happy home.
I have a happy husband.
My kids are happy and healthy.
I had an RNY which kept me from gaining 40 pounds instead of 20. No, seriously.
We are paying off bills left and right and actually have savings.
I'm taking college courses part time.
I'll have more time to workout soon, when hubby goes back to day shifts.
I enjoy where we are living.
I'm getting to see more of the world.
I want to be inspired.
Sex life is great, no complaints there.

Bad Things About Me That I Can't Ignore:
I have no discipline.
I'm lazy.
I almost always choose the path of least resistance.
I have no ambition and wish I did.
I do not like to tell myself "No."
I do not like anyone else telling me, "No."
I worry so much about not succeeding that I often do not try at all. I no longer write because of this problem.
Nothing is inspiring me.
I do not know what I want to be when I grow up. And I'm almost fucking forty.


Funny Reason Why I Wanted to Lose Weight:
I watch a lot of disaster films. I also like zombie movies and often would discuss the "If Zombies attacked the world today, what would you do?" with my oldest before he moved out.
I was watching a movie and realized that I couldn't out run anything, crawl through windows, climb up walls, or even hang on to something for dear life because I was too heavy to do so.
So, if zombies attacked, I'd become a zombie and that fucking sucks.


Things I Want to Do in 2009:
Lose 40 pounds and get to my goal. Finally.
Learn to shoot a gun. For research purposes.
Write my zombie novel. Finally. Finish the fucker already.
Get counseling for self sabotage and work out some issues from childhood sexual abuse.
Pass pre-algebra.
Pay off our Ford Escape -- two years early.
Get Logan on a schedule!!!!!!

Logan absolutely loves bowling and he's getting pretty good. He also refuses to use the little ball slide for little kids-- he wants to throw the ball himself.

My calorie count for January 4th was 1325 and protein intake ended at 63 grams. For Monday, January 5th, I took in 1360 calories and 80 grams of protein-- a very good day. Monday we also went swimming for an hour and a half, although Logan was still cold in the heated pool since the actual pool area was a bit chilly. His lips turned blue and he shivered a lot but he refused to leave until it closed at 8pm. I could tell by bedtime that I had done a lot of running and moving in the pool-- my muscles felt nice and tight. I'm feeling pretty good today, too.

I'm seriously considering heading back to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln after our time here is up. I am hating this online degree crap and I miss my campus. Hubby got all excited just talking about it. He wants to retire in Lincoln, anyway, so I knew he'd be no problem with the suggestion. I am thinking I can do a few core class requirements and finish it at UNL...and have a real graduation. I didn't graduate high school and there is no graduation ceremony to be had through online stuff... other than a freaking picture with your advisor. I miss my friends and I miss the city. I also still have my heart set on a Victorian house or a good old fashioned heartland home with loads of charm and woodwork.

The kids and I would head to Lincoln in 2011 and settle in. Our daughter would finish her senior year there and Logan would be in first grade. I'd go to classes while he was in school, like I did with my oldest. Hubby would still have a little over a year on his contract, so he'd take a year tour in Cuba or Bahrain (if he can avoid the Iraq/Afghanistan stint).

The only people I feel bad for in this scenario are my parents. They really do want us to retire in their city, but honestly, all of us would be happy in Nebraska. If we settle in Texas, I know hubby wouldn't be content and he had already warned me he'd be heading to Nebraska a couple times a year. Then I'd just feel guilty and get stressed out over it.

Well, I'd better go do a couple of my history assignments. I'm doing ok with that, but the online math class is giving me fits.

January 2nd I took in 1460 calories and 75 grams of protein. January 3rd I took in 1530 calories and 61 grams of protein. Bet you can guess which day I ate more crap!
The totals are still better than they have been. I'm working on getting my totals more towards 1200-1300 calories a day and I should have no problems with that once I cut out the bigger indulgences. I have a problem with Double Stuff Oreos... the Tootsie Rolls have been banished from the house already and I threw out the caramel I had planned to make caramel apples with last week. I never made the apples because I started to feel guilty about it.

We went bowling last night and I managed to pull a groin muscle. Yay me! Hubby has had the same injury before so he's helping me with it-- I feel much better already today but he's warned me to take it easy or it will take longer to heal. He'd rather I didn't go for long walks, but I promised to take it easy so I am still going to try.

I have pictures of Logan bowling and a short movie clip, too. I'll put it up tomorrow. I have a lot of homework to do today so I'm going to concentrate on that-- in fact, I'm loading up my online class stuff right now.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

I did well with food today until about 8pm. That seems to be when my cravings for sugar hits-- especially today since I was so careful to watch sugar intake-- the only sugar I had was from apples.

Maybe someone who has quit drinking or tried to quit smoking cold turkey would undertand just how bad the craving is when you try to cut out an addiction. I have no doubt I have a food addiction. Right now I'm trying to figure out my 'trigger' foods. Unfortunately, I think its the soda I love so much and was still trying to figure out how I could integrate it in a small way into my diet. Its just way too much sugar in one sitting for my system. My blood sugar dropped badly this evening and when I felt the shakes I immediately grabbed items with sugar in it. Not the smartest thing to do. Just the most predictable. I am my own worst enemy.

We had a New Year's Eve party for my daughter and there is still soda in the house from it. I actually feel anxious just thinking about it, but I'm going to ask my daughter to hand the soda out to her friends tomorrow to get it out of the house. So I'm going to be craving sugar and caffeine for at least a week.

I went back to some old stomping grounds for other WLSers and I'm not the only one struggling with sugar... must be the time of year. I see several people starting to do what I'm planning, so I'll be suffering with a bunch of others. Misery loves company.

Hubby is off this weekend, so he'll be a BIG help getting through the next three days. It also means I'm going to be able to sneak away for some exercise on my own. I'm walking a bit with Logan, but there is no intensity, and I really need to get sweaty.

I'm going to do my measurements tomorrow and food journaling again. After counting up today's calories- well over 1500+, its no wonder I am gaining. I hadn't really sat down before and counted the calories, but I sat with Fitday and was honest with what I ate today and holy shit, that's just fucked up.

We went bowling with Logan and he had a ton of fun. I had fun, too, but I'm definately going to order a ball of my own and find some bowling shoes. Hubby was very affectionate afterwards. He said it was so cool to see me bowling again. We met as kids at the bowling alley. He kept getting all nostalgic later that evening. We're hoping to make this a weekly family outing. Saturday night we plan to go again and I'm going to bring the camera.

Potty training is going very well. He wears underwear all day and pull-ups at night. He's usually dry when he wakes and I have an awesome waterproof fiber cover for his mattress, but I'm sure we aren't ready for underwear at night yet. I'll probably start that in March. He had no accidents all week. Awesome!

Stolen from Allison!

New Year's Quiz

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? Ran almost a 1/4 mile.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Failed all my resolutions for the year, except for debt payoffs (YAY!). Will definately be making some this year. I do that every year. Heck I even do it for Samhain and the Jewish New Year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No.

5. What countries did you visit? Japan.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? Willpower and self confidence.
7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? November 5th... 4th in the States. I actually voted for the guy who won the presidency. That has never happened since I began voting in 1992 (I voted for Perot). Now I won't shudder with revulsion when my prez gives a speech.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Finally speaking up about Logan's speech problem and getting him some help! January 8th we receive his lesson plans.

9. What was your biggest failure? Losing weight--I started 2008 at 164 and reached 153 in June-- only to regain it and more-- I am now 175. I am absolutely disgusted by it, but won't let it get me down too much.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Only a really bad reaction when first arriving in Japan-- thought it was from the soap in the hotel's sheets and towels and found out I had a bacterial strain in my vajayjay. Most miserable two weeks of my life!
11. What was the best thing you bought? my 80gig iPod Classic. Hands down.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Logan-- he has struggled with communicating but kept his (mostly) upbeat and fun attitude. My husband-- ambitious and focussed and still making sure he's being a good husband and father. I really can't stress enough just how much this man has changed.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Members of the conservative base who continue to spew bigoted and ignorant attacks on Obama.
14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, bills, bills! YAY! No really- YAY! We've paid off more bills and have two more bills about to be paid off in February. YES!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Moving to Japan. Seeing 153 on the scale. For five minutes.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? I'm a Rockstar-- Pink.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier.
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter.
c) richer or poorer?Richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Read more books to Logan. Exercised.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?Eating sweets!

20. How did you spend Christmas? With my husband and kids. We grilled salmon and steak.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008? Yes. With my iPod.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Stargate Atlantis.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly in a dead heat. And that harpy Elizabeth on The View.

24. What was the best book you read?Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover Landfall. There is another one, but I have to hunt down the title, which escapes me at the moment.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Rediscovering The Commodores' "Brick House"

26. What did you want and get? A new computer. Hubby got me one and I luvs it.

27. What did you want and not get? A new video card. Will get it for my birthday.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? Tie between Cloverfield and Iron Man.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 37 and spent it with my kids and parents. Hubby was in Cuba dealing with an asshole who tried to charge him with something he didn't do. Hubby was cleared of everything and asshole lost his job. HAH!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Maintaining in the 150s at least....but finally reaching 140 would have been SO GOOD.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? SHOES. OMG SHOES ARE PRETTY. I learned that I love shoes. I'm still wearing plain clothes most of the time, but I am becoming quite the fashion addict.

32. What kept you sane?Knowing I can keep trying and its not the end of the world. For anything.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?Barack Hussein Obama.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? Lately its been this new "Find all the people who aren't 'real Americans.'"

35. Who did you miss? I miss my friends in Lincoln.

36. Who was the best new person you met? Aurora, here in Japan. And Helen. The two of them are great ladies and I can't wait to get to know them better.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.Keep trying, even if people are laughing at you. Thanks, Sarah Palin.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Hope dangles on a string

Like slow spinning redemption

Winding in, winding out

The shine of it has caught my eye



And roped me in

So mesmerizing

So hypnotizing

I am captivated

I am


{Chorus}

Vindicated

I am selfish, I am wrong

I am right, I swear I'm right

Swear I knew it all along

And I am

Flawed

But I am cleaning up so well

I am seeing in me now

The things you swore you saw yourself


Vindicated by Dashboard Confessional

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!