Sprite came out of my nose on this one

The problem with the French is that they don't have a word for entrepreneur.
--George w. Bush

discussing the decline of the French economy with British Prime Minister Tony Blair

As the weather warms up, my thoughts turn to grilling...

and a funny story.

When I was growing up, we never grilled out more than once every two years. Why not, you may ask. Well, go ahead, ask. Waiting. Okay. Someone finally asked. Remind me to start dumbing down the posts.

Anywho, it's not that we didn't have a grill. No, we had one of the nicest grills money could buy. My parents, having been born during the Depression, always bought top of the line stuff once they were more comfortable in life. So, once my parents had built a barn on the back of their property and installed gas and electric in it, they bought a gas grill.

Because my mom is a neat freak, she hated the grill. She believed that you needed to scrub it down every single time you used it. And I don't just mean the part that you cook on, I mean she felt she needed to scrub the whole thing. Every time. Now, we all know that the meat just doesn't taste right until you've got a buildup on there. Am I right??

I desperately wanted to grill out, but my family is very traditional: women cook on inside, men on outside. I wasn't allowed to touch it. Whenever we did use it for family gatherings, my brothers or my brother-in-law took care of it.

My mother ended up needing back surgery about 10 years ago. She had a herniated disk. I took some time off of work to care for her, as my father really couldn't do it. And I realized, this is my big chance to grill!!!! Ha!!! Even my father couldn't argue against me on this one, as he wasn't about to cook a meal. He was ultra-traditional: he didn't cook inside OR outside.

So, I decided to grill hamburgers. I proudly pulled the grill out of the barn and started 'er up. I turned on the gas, got the flames going and put the burgers on. And those flames were going and going...and going....and have I mentioned that I'm terrified of fire??? Yeah....so, I kept turning the gas lower and lower....and the flames kept getting higher and higher. The gas was completely off but the flames were not getting any smaller.

I pulled the burgers off of the grill and walked back up to the house. I came in through the patio doors and my mother called out: Is dinner ready yet? I said, well, almost. I told my father, ummmm, we're having a problem with the grill. My father looked out the window and flames are shooting into the sky at this point.

Have I mentioned that the gas line to the barn was the gas line from the house? Yeah. My father ran out to the grill and poured water on the fire. He came back inside and asked why I hadn't done that. I said, aren't you supposed to not use water on certain types of fires? He said, uhhh, not when you're outside. Turns out the grease trap had caught on fire.

My mother really liked the burgers. I finished them in the microwave. I never used that grill again. It's safer that way.

Oh thank God, I can breathe again!!! (said snarkily)

By Belinda GoldsmithFri Mar 23, 8:32 PM ET

Polish your platform boots, squeeze into those flared pants. Donny Osmond and his five brothers may be planning a comeback -- at least for one night.

Osmond, a 1970s teen heart-throb who is back in the British charts with his 55th album, said on Friday the brothers are considering a reunion special on television.

"The family has been talking," Osmond, 49, the undisputed star of the family, told reporters in a teleconference to promote a new U.S. television show that he is hosting.

"I haven't done a show with my brothers for 25 years or so. We are talking about doing a TV special, and maybe something with (sister) Marie, but nothing is locked in yet."

The Osmond Brothers scored a string of pop hits, including breakthrough song "One Bad Apple" along with "Just Like A Yo-Yo" and "Hold Her Tight" in the 1970s.

At the height of their popularity in the United States and Britain during "Osmania," fans chased them everywhere. Osmond recalled how one admirer tried to mail herself to him and was found in a box at the post office.

Three of the brothers -- Wayne, Jay and Merrill -- continue to perform as The Osmond Brothers, sometimes joined by the youngest of the clan, Jimmy, who is remembered for his hit song "Long Haired Lover from Liverpool."

The other original band member, Alan, appears rarely as he suffers from multiple sclerosis, while Marie, with whom Donny hosted a successful television show for four years in the 1970s, makes and sells dolls.

Donny Osmond has been the most successful at building a career away from the family, who are known as devout Mormons.

The former child star who started performing at age 5 has branched out from singing and been an actor, a host of talk and game shows, record producer, race car driver and author.

"But I've had my ups and downs," he admitted.

After nearly 45 years in the business, Osmond is on another upswing. His 55th album, "Love Songs of the 70's," which was just released in England, has already gone gold. It is due to be released in the United States in about a month.

After starring in the Disney musical "Beauty and the Beast" on Broadway last year to rave reviews, he has been asked to play the final run of the show that closes this year.

He is also hosting new TV shows in both Britain -- a game show called "Pyramid" -- and in the United States where "The Great American Dream Vote" begins on Tuesday, March 27, on the Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC network.

In the U.S. show, people compete to have their dream come true with wishes varying from setting up a chicken-themed fun park, to opening a florist's shop, to getting a head of hair. The studio audience and then the public vote for the winner.

Osmond is taking the spotlight in his stride.

"The public can be fickle," he said, speaking with the experience of a show business veteran.

Is that a real disease?

Well, I went to a rheumatologist today. I received my official diagnosis of fibromyalgia today. I wasn't surprised. It runs in the family:

My mother: fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis
Her twin sister: same as my mom
My cousin (daughter of twin): lupus and rheumatoid arthritis
My cousin (daughter of mom's younger sister): fibromyalgia

Of course, the first thing anyone asks when they hear about fibromyalgia is, is it a real condition? The answer is, yes. It's closely related to lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, it might be related to chronic fatigue syndrome as well. They took 5 vials of blood to see if anything else showed up in my blood, such as lupus.

Here are some facts:

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia causes pain in your muscles and joints, as well as tenderness when you press certain spots on your body. You may not have any energy, or you may have trouble sleeping. These and other symptoms can be bad enough to cause problems with your work and home life. But fibromyalgia does not harm your muscles, joints, or organs, and there are many things you can do to control it.

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome-a set of symptoms that happen together but do not have a known cause.

What causes fibromyalgia?

Experts have theories about what may cause fibromyalgia, but there is not enough evidence to support any single cause. Some think that people with fibromyalgia may have nerve cells that are too sensitive. Others think that chemicals in the brain (neurotransmitters) may be out of balance. Or it may be related to problems with the deep phase of sleep.

What are the symptoms?

The main symptom of fibromyalgia is pain in the muscles, soft tissues, back, or neck. Also certain tender points on the body hurt when you press directly on them.

Fibromyalgia also causes sleep problems and tiredness. You may get so tired (fatigued) that you become weak.

Less common symptoms include headaches, morning stiffness, trouble concentrating, and irritable bowel syndrome. As with many conditions that cause chronic pain, it is common for people with fibromyalgia to have anxiety and depression. These can make you feel worse.

Fibromyalgia is a long-lasting (chronic) condition with no cure. Symptoms tend to come and go. You may have times when you hurt more, followed by times when symptoms happen less often, hurt less, or are absent (remissions).

Some people find that their symptoms are worse in cold and damp weather, during times of stress, or when they try to do too much.

How is fibromyalgia diagnosed?

Doctors can find out if you have fibromyalgia based on two things. One is widespread pain, which means the pain is on both sides of your body above and below the waist. The other is tenderness in at least 11 of 18 points when they are pressed.

How is it treated?

You may be able to control your symptoms with regular exercise and by finding better ways to handle stress. Good sleep habits are very important, too. If you have trouble sleeping, changes to your routine, schedule, and sleep surroundings can help. Counseling can help you cope with long-term (chronic) pain.

If your symptoms are troublesome, your doctor can prescribe medicines that help you feel better.

Symptoms of depression, such as a loss of interest in things you usually enjoy or changes in eating and sleeping habits, can often be successfully treated if you tell your doctor about them.

Some people with fibromyalgia also find complementary therapies helpful. These include acupuncture, massage, behavioral therapy, and relaxation techniques.

The Furniture Loft to be mentioned on the Rachael Ray show!!!

Here I am, just doing my regular job of answering the phone. All of a sudden, the voice on the other end identifies herself as from the Rachael Ray Show and wants to speak to our Media Relations person. Let's see.....between Jason and me, that's......well, I let it be him for this one. So, they ordered an Eileen Gray table from us and they are going to mention the name of The Furniture Loft AND link to our website from theirs!!!

Wow!!! This should really help us grow. I'm so excited!!!! It should air in two weeks. I will post the air date as soon as I know it. She's taping it on Wednesday.

Also, my boss is paying for NETboy to come with me to Chicago next weekend. He's bringing his wife as well, so we'll have a great time together!!! yay!!!

Finally!!!

Well, I signed the lease on our new apartment today. We can move anytime after the 1st. Yay!!! I'm so excited to have all of that settled. Now I just have to get the movers booked and it's smooth sailing after that (hah!). :-) No really, it will be so wonderful. Every time NETboy and I leave each other, it gets harder and harder. I'm so excited and ready to start this new chapter.

/melting

I'm in Cleveland with NETboy. We went to dinner at Bob Evans and there was an elderly couple sitting at the table behind us. They had enjoyed our dialogue throughout the dinner. As we were leaving, NETboy stopped at their table and told them that he hoped we were in love the same way we were now when we were their age.

Awwwww.

Who is the psycho here????

Well, I won't get to work Ice anymore, but it's a price I have to pay for not dealing with his owner anymore. I put an ad on Craig's List some time ago, offering to walk dogs for $5/day. I had some bites, but the best one was from Ice and his owner. Ice is an all white Siberian Huskie, with the best personality. I truly love this dog.

Because I am a schmuck, I agreed to do more than watch the dog. I ended up taking care of the roommate's dog from time to time, as well as running the owner around to rent a car. And after awhile, I stopped charging, because I truly enjoyed Ice.

Yesterday, she asked me to go to her apartment today, pick up Sky (one of the dogs her ex-boyfriend kept) and take her to the vet to get blood drawn. I really didn't want to, but I agreed to. However, in the morning, I received an email from Dog Lady, saying that her ex had been a jerk and hadn't answered his phone when she called to get directions for me to the vet. So, she just wanted me to come over and let Sky and her roommate's dog out.

Then her boyfriend calls me. I had gone back to bed. He wanted to give me directions. I told him I would have to call him back. I didn't. Later on, I texted Dog Lady that I would go check on the dogs, but that was it. So, after lunch, I did so and texted Dog Lady that all was well.

Well, she texted me back, couldn't I take Sky now? I said, no, I cannot. Then she told me that I needed to call her ex back, as I had promised I would and he was mad. She said, I'm just asking you to keep your word. Niiiiice.

I was now pissed off. So I called the ex and very curtly told him that I would not take Sky. And I hung up on him. Dog Lady texted me that I was a bitch and that maybe bipolar disorder is contagious. I told her that I wished her well, that I didn't owe her ex anything as he was never my client, and that I had gone above and beyond.

Feeling badly, I did call her ex and apologize. He was very gracious and kind about everything, said that he knew that Dog Lady could be really evil sometimes.

So, that's over. I loved Ice, but she was too much to take.

Great news!!

Well, we finally received word that we have the apartment we wanted in Cleveland. I'm so happy. We're going to be moving in around April 12. I'm going up Sunday to sign the lease. :-)

Wonderful birthday week

The birthday celebrations continued this week. RRK and I went to the zoo on Tuesday. Beautiful, beautiful weather. A shame that more animals weren't out. But as the weather turned cold again, understandable.

Then we went to the Cozy Cat Cottage. It's a no-kill facility, just like Cat Welfare, from which is where I adopted Ophelia. We had a blast playing with the cats.

Wednesday I went to dinner with JuJuJen, but not before meeting her newly adopted son, Alex Michael. What an adorable baby. I'm so happy for her and JuJuRob.

ow, Ow, OW!!!!!

I had to go to the dentist today. I have loathed going to the dentist since I was a young child. When i was growing up, we didn't have dentists who specialized in children's dentistry. We didn't have dentists who wanted to make your visit to them pleasant or easy or fun. Nope, my first dentist was a million years old and hated children.

I take pain pretty well, until it deals with my teeth. I unfortunately was born with horrible teeth. Through dentistry, I've been able to whiten them from their natural shade of yellow. I've had three root canals and my current dentist adores me, so he has given me the caps for free (he whitened my teeth for free as well.)

NETboy had mentioned that he thought there was an infection in my mouth, as my breath was not as fresh as usual. Okay, I can take it. I called the dentist, made an appt, and went. He said that he thought the one of the caps was letting food in underneath it and that was causing my gums to be inflamed and infected. So, he gave me a special mouth rinse (boys, get your minds out of the gutter!!!!) and said to come back and he would take out the cap, do another mold of my mouth, and put the new cap in.

My dentist and I have the same discussion every time he needs to do something to me: there's no nerve there, so it won't hurt. It always does and I always end up begging to be numbed. I was right again today. We had the usual discussion...and I let him go without numbing me.

First, he drilled across the cap to get it to crack. Then he started to pull. I screamed bloody murder in his ear. He pulled again. Another scream from me. You know how cats fight you when you try to give them a pill? That was me. I kept sinking deeper and deeper into the chair.

At this point, he decides to numb me. Yes, sticking a needle into my inflamed gum in the roof of my mouth next to the bone will make it all better....NOT. I cried out again. Finally, he said, please hold still and we're just going to have to go for it. Yeah...okay

He pulls again. The assistant is holding my shoulders. Finally, something breaks free. And it hurt like hell. When we all calm down again, he shows me the evidence: The tooth under my cap had split in half and so when he pulled the cap out, half of my tooth came with it........along with......part of my gum. Yuck!!!!!

So, now I get to decide....an implant for $1500 or a bridge. Yippee skippee.

What were you doing this day x amount of years ago?

Every year on my birthday, I ask my mom what she was doing x amount of years ago at this time. I make her tell me the story of my birth. And this year, you get to hear it as well.

Let me back up to before I was born. My parents had 4 kids in 9 years. Then, they were done for 11 years, until a wee surprise came along when they were 40. That surprise, of course, was me.

My sister, Perfect Pam, was 20 when I was born. In fact, my mom was 6 months pregnant with me at my sister's wedding. Perfect Pam loves to tell me over and over again about how my mom cried and cried when she realized she was pregnant. I, of course, simply reply that all of my siblings were drafts on my parent's road to having the perfect child, i.e. me.

I was due on March 17, St. Patrick's Day. Fitting for a future redhead of Irish descent. However, I never play by the rules.

On the early morning hours of March 10, my mother woke up. She thought that either her water had broken or she had wet herself (4 successful pregnancies will do that to you). When she turned on the light, she found that the wetness she felt was actually blood. Yes, she had started hemorrhaging during the night.

She woke up my father and they raced to the hospital, leaving my siblings asleep in their beds. It was touch and go through the next few hours, as they determined that placenta previa had occurred. This means that the placenta forms low in the uterus and is covering the cervix. This caused the bleeding that my mother was suffering.

Placenta previa today is usually diagnosed way before birth. But back in the early 70s, tests during pregnancy were different and my mother's condition was never found before the hemorrhaging began. Because of this, we both nearly died. The doctors performed an emergency C-Section. Add to that my heart murmur and my underdeveloped lungs and I was in the hospital for nearly a month after my birth.

My mother was in the hospital off and on during my time in the hospital. She had lost a great deal of blood with me; her iron count went down to 6. Eventually, though, we both recovered, although my mother would have several health issues from my birth, including high blood pressure and continued bleeding issues.

You can't say that I didn't start out with a dramatic entrance into the world. I guess I was always meant to take the long, hard way.

God, I love that man

I am so in love with NETboy. Today he said, how about we take ballroom dance lessons after we move in together? I've always wanted to do that!!!

Happy Almost Birthday to Me

Tomorrow is my birthday. I have already received some nice cards, money, and thoughts. I even received flowers from my boss and his wife. It's been so long since I've been appreciated by a boss, I almost fell over. It is so nice to work for people like them.

However, I am in tears right now - good tears, not bad - because of the flowers I just received from NETboy. Beautiful tulips (my favorite flower) in pink, orange, and yellow (my favorite colors). I'm crying because I love him so much and I'm crying because I miss him so much. I won't get to see him this weekend because he has to go to PA on business. I miss him terribly. I'll get to see him next weekend or so, and in a month, we'll be living together. Just is hard right now.

One more thing about the NETboy situation...

NETboy and I are having a great time in Cleveland this weekend. But that doesn't mean that either one of us have forgotten about the stuff that happened two weeks ago.

1. We are still going to go to couples therapy. I have called several therapists and left messages and no one has called me back. I'm like, hello, when someone calls a therapist, it's usually because there's an issue. Why wouldn't you call them back?? But, now, I can look for one in Cleveland, as we'll both be living there.

2. He has apologized over and over. And wrote me this:
Thank you so much for taking the time to be there.
Thank you for helping to see me through so much.
Thank you for taking time out of your own precious day
to make a little more sunlight shine in mine.
Thank you for being a generous soul and
a beautiful spirit in a world that could use a million more
people just like you.
Thanks so much for everything you've done and
for all that you continue to do.
Sometimes I forget that you can't see into my heart
or know what I am feeling when I think about you.
I forget that you can't hear my thoughts
or sense that special pride I feel for you.
This is for the times when I don't tell you
how wonderful you are or
how much I love you or
how much I know that I appreciate your presence in my life.
This reminder from my heart expresses all my special
thoughts and feelings for you
because sometimes I forget to tell you
how very much you mean to me.

3. He is very concerned as to how he looks to my mom and my friends at the time. He believes that he owes them something. I told him, truth is, the only person to whom he owes anything is me. The important thing is that I'm happy with him, not that my friends and family love him. But, still, he is leery of coming to any more gatherings until people are comfortable with him again.

4. We know that we both have things on which to work and we're trying to give each other the support AND the space in which to do it.

So THIS is what it's like to work for a good company

Had my first couple days of work. I made $2700 in commissions. I don't have to call anyone to sell anything, I just answer the phone and answer questions and if they order, the commission is mine. Woot woot!!!

Am I exhausted? Yes. It's pretty much a 14 hour day, as our phone lines are open from 8am to 10pm. Granted, I only end up getting 3-5 phone calls per day, but there's always something to do. Enter orders into the system, monitor them, track them (yes, dammit, somehow I still ended up in logistics/shipping but oh well) and upload stuff to the website. Someday, when that slows down, I'll still be flexing my writing skills, as I will be writing for the website. I'm going to write articles and continue to write descriptions for the furniture.

But it's so rewarding. My boss thanks me every five minutes. While I was in Grand Rapids training, he and his wife insisted on paying for everything. He gave me a kick-ass laptop and a business cell phone. I am loving it.

Educate yourself/Reunited and it feels so good

I thought that I was going to do a post about bipolar disorder and how awful it is. I was going to show documented research on how it's something that can take control of a person's life, even if they do take their medication religiously. I wanted to show, nay, prove to everyone that I love that NETboy is a great guy and that some things are out of his control. I was desperate to have people be comfortable with my choice of partner. I felt like I owed something to the people who love me.

And then it hit me: I don't need to do that. If you want to know about bipolar disorder, there are tons of resources on the internet. If you want to judge me for loving NETboy and for being with him, I can't stop you. I have friends who have husbands/wives/significant others/etc. that some of us can't stand. I didn't want to be one of those folks. But I realize now, if that's the way it is, so be it.

I can look around at every single one of my friends and say, yup, wouldn't want to be in your marriage. Because of horrible, awful things? In some cases, yes. And I bet some of those people don't even know that's what I think. Because of annoying, can't-believe-you-would-put-up-with-that-shit things? In almost every case, yes. Because of some different personality traits, different ideas about love? In EVERY case, yes, one thousand times over. THAT person works for YOU. And while you love him or her more than anything, and though I may love that person a great deal as well, there is no way in hell I would want to be in your relationship.

Some of my friends have made it clear that they will accept NETboy as long as he and I are together, and I am extremely grateful to those people. Some of my friends have made it clear that they don't feel comfortable with him at this point, and to those people I say this: I understand your thought process, I can't change your mind for you, and I hope it doesn't hurt our relationship, although I know that there will be some issues to overcome no matter what.

I will say that everyone who met him felt at ease and that should be an indicator of who he really is. I do think it's unfair to take a snapshot of someone in one of their worst moments and say that is a true representation of who they are. What if we were judged by our worst moments? Think of one of yours and ask if it would be fair and how it would feel to you if you were judged by that moment. Not a good feeling, is it?

I love him, I choose him. And that is my choice, my right, my life. I have loved ones for whom I have wept, for whom I have been angry, for whom I have hated, because I felt so strongly that they'd made a bad choice. However, in the end, it can only be their choice. I have learned so much in the last year, about faith, about relationships, about respect. I know that I can support someone's choice without agreeing with it. I know that loving someone doesn't mean I have to feel the way they do.

I know that I am making a choice right now. I have had a bipolar person in my life one way or another for a long time. My nephew Daniel was bipolar (he committed suicide 2 years ago.) And I judged my sister and her husband horribly, because I thought it was a simple case of them not being harsh enough with him (there were no consequences for any of their kids). I know now that wasn't the case.

Despite what he put them through, despite the times my sister called my mother from a locked bathroom because my nephew was having a fit, despite the amount of times they took him to get his stomach pumped, they would kill for even just one more day with him. He was still human, he still deserved love. I refuse to believe that, just because someone has a mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder or depression, they don't deserve love. Everyone deserves someone who believes in them, someone who is happy to see them when they come home, someone who tries to understand their demons. I know I felt that way when I was battling the ones from my father's legacy.

I dated eHarmony guy, who was a bipolar. I still love him, although not in a romantic way. And I am his friend, because he needs a friend. I don't lose anything of myself by being kind to him.

NETboy and I have been talking again about living together. I am looking forward to this with all of my heart. We are not trying to get married right now, we are not denying that we have things on which to work, we are not saying that life is perfect. We are saying that we know that you don't really know someone until you live with him, so we are willing to get to know each other further.

Final point - Take a look in the mirror and ask yourself: Am I the best possible version of myself in my romantic relationship/marriage/whatever right now? If you can answer yes, that's great; you're certainly not in the majority. If you can answer no, nice to have you on the team. :-) We all can make improvements in our relationships. They take work; they take sacrifice; they take flexibility. I just want to be able to say that I tried my best to grow, to be a good person, and to not be so hard on myself when I do make mistakes.