I guess, that is, if you can find them.

See, I made a big pot of homemade beef vegetable soup for dinner. Preston called at 10:30 and said that he’d rather have fish portions and a baked potato. Fine by me. I washed the potato and put it in to bake. When he got home at 11:45, I put the fish portions in, but I couldn’t find the cooking instructions, although I was sure I’d saved them in the Ziploc with the food. Oh well. Into the oven go the fish portions.

You can see where this is going, right??

Fifteen minutes later, I took the fish portions out to turn them over. And yup. Stuck on the back of one were the cooking instructions! I was laughing so hard I couldn’t get the fished turned over. I’m still giggling. Preston swore, though, that they did not taste like instructions when he ate them — er, the fish portions that is.

[[this is a post from 2003. i promised preston's mother around this time last year that i'd make an effort to start writing memories down instead of letting them get lost inside my head. i collected a bunch from blue moon journal that i didn't want to lose and saved them. i'm also in the process of making strong notes when memories pop into the forefront of my mind. this post is the first in a series that's going to crop up now and again.]]

Picked up my new glasses from Wal-Mart earlier today. They’re very grap! Good thing I love purple! I’m hoping my optometrist has my contact lenses in stock when I see her again on May 17th, so I can pick them up. Then I’ll be all set! Yay!

So with the chip-in, I was able to buy a Dell Inspiron 15R (N5050), a laptop. After using laptops for so long now, I don’t think I could go back to a desktop. This machine impressed me right out of the box. I’ve had so many people ask if it does what I need it to do. Of course it does; I’d have gotten something else if the specifications on this one hadn’t matched what I was going after with the money I had.

This computer does things I don’t need it to do. And it’s fast. Very fast. Office 2010 runs like an absolute charm (:knocks wood:) – as does The Sims 3 and all my expansions. You know, the important stuff. I also had enough money to buy a backpack to cart it around in when I go out. Panera writing sessions, anyone? Anyone?

Anyway, I’m very happy with what I got, and I’m so very grateful for each of you who helped me do this. I can’t thank all y’all enough! The only thing I can do to express my thanks is to open Word and write.

Blog Disclaimer
(also Social Media Disclaimer)

This is my own personal webspace that I buy (rent?) from Crovean Websolutions. Given that I pay for it with my own money, I reckon I’m free to write about whatever I want in this space as long as I don’t violate my host’s terms of service.

So I discussing my problems with panic disorder and ADD/ADHD. I discuss my writing and publishing adventures as well as the misadventures. I’m a fan/supporter of Apex Publications. I have a son with a kidney transplant; I discuss him often. I also have a son who’s a Marine; I tweet about him more often than I blog about him. #semperfi

Having said all that, most of my posts fall under the “daily” tag. Although sometimes many posts, or no posts as the case may be, fall under the “zombie apocalypse” tag. Yes, I have a tagcloud instead of a posts cloud. The larger, darker tags are the ones with the most posts. The smaller, paler tags are the ones with the fewest posts. You’ll notice a “family” tag. That’s one of those “taboo” topics I don’t go around much; my life is much saner that way, and I’d like to keep it that way, thankyouverymuch.

Please don’t come to my own personal webspace only to promote your books/movies/organizations/personal agenda/whatever. I consider such comments spam/annoying, and I will block your ip address. I do have the right to delete comments which I find offensive. I also have the right to block/ban the ip address of known trolls/problem people.

If you interact with me with the sole purpose of telling/informing me of everything I’m doing wrong, I’ll block you. If you interact with me and treat me like a complete idiot, I’ll block you. If I say you’ve strayed into territory I refuse to discuss on the internet, if I tell you to back off, and you don’t, I’ll block/ban your ip address.

If you’re afraid of Pagans, the eff word, or anything having to do with anything out here in the Really Real World, don’t follow me. Anywhere. Please. Don’t preach at/to me. It will serve only to piss me off – and end up with your ip being blocked.

If you like your life, your world, your universe, candy-dipped and covered in sprinkles, don’t follow me. If your posts are touchy-feely quotes or sugary sweet life is nothing but rainbows and unicorns unrealistic fluff every time, I’m not going to follow you. I’m a realist. I sugarcoat nothing for no one. I’m so totally not your target audience.

That all said, because this is my own personal webspace after all, if you don’t agree with what you’re reading here, why are you here?

Please don’t come to my own personal webspace only to promote your books/movies/organizations/personal agenda/whatever. I consider such comments spam/annoying, and I will block your ip address.

If you’ve posted four comments or fewer, your comments go into my spam queue. If your comment contains two links or more, it goes into my spam queue. I receive e-mail each time a comment is held for moderation.

In an effort to combat spamming and trolling I’ve turned comments off on all posts older than fourteen days (that’s two weeks).

As for the me who’s out and about on many social networks:

I auto-block those who are:
in any way abusive
won’t let go of an argument
a bot of any kind (spam or otherwise)
only going to send me automated DMs
only going to communicate with me via DMs

If you’re a marketer/coach/trainer of any kind, I’ll block you.

If you add me on any social network, I’m under no obligation whatsoever to follow you back. Following back, contrary to popular belief, isn’t a requirement of the social web.

If we’re in a group together or if you’re a writer, don’t expect me to accept your friend request based on that alone. If you’re friends with my friends, that doesn’t mean I am or want to be your friend. If we’re friends on another network, that doesn’t mean I want or need to be your friend on all of them.

Follow me because you find my tweets and/or blog posts interesting and because you would like to get to know me/my writing/my life better and engage in real conversation with a real human being. Follow me if you want to interact. I might follow you back if I’m not feeling “follow overwhelmed” – I do respond to honest mentions (that aren’t spam)!

I do read profiles (and often websites/blogs) before I follow anyone back. If your profile links back to the page I’m reading, provides no substantial information, or is locked from public view, I won’t follow you.