Maybe It's A Puma

LJ Writer's Block Question Of The Day: "What is one way to stop or prevent bullying?"

I've never done one of these LJ Writer's Block questions, but this one I just had to.

How do we stop bulling? Well we can start by NOT CALLING IT BULLING! It's not bulling, it's fucking assault. No dancing around it, no waving your hands at it and calling it a "phase" or "part of groing up". It's Assault.

It's physical assault, it's mental assault, it's the delibrate act of inflicting mental, physical, and/or emotional distress and harm on someone.

And make no mistake, it is delibrate infliction. It's one person doing whatever they feel they can in order to make another person hurt in any way they can get away with.

You want to stop the crime of bulling? Then start calling it and treaing it like what it is: A CRIME. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. It's a god damned fucking crime and it needs to be addressed as such.

/end of very personal rant

So three news tidbits things today, one fail, one funny, one win. First, the fail, because I just find this funny:

I got a call from a collection agency. ( Yah, I Know, It Sounds Like A Joke Setup And it Kinda Is )

And just to get all the badness out of the way before the yay, I will not be able to go to MJ this year. ::sighs:: There was much sadness, but really, all my cash is going into my appartment, which I just did not know was gunna happen when I was at BP, it didn't happen 'til months later, so if the appartment/remodling thing hadn't happend, I'd totaly be signing up for MJ the moment it opened. Sadly, I can't swing the air fair and a hotel and food and the appartment all at the same time.

Now, onto more of the funny and yay stuff...

Next up is just...yah, that was the hardest time I've had in years trying not to burst out laughing in a man's face. ( You Know It's Halloween When The Door-To-Door Christians Outnumber The Door-To-Door Mormons )


And finaly, the epic, total, made of WIN moment:

I Finished The Blanket!!!

My GOD I thought this had become the project that would not die! It just would not end this month. I've been litterly counting the rows for the last two weeks, and the last few days, everytime I counted, I had about two blocks left, over and over and over.

So I pull it out this morning to work on it, and I'm halfwy though a row and I think "Okay, I should have about one and a half blocks left, four rows per block, plus a finish row, so maybe six and a half rows at most, maybe? I'd better count, just to be sure." So I turn it on it's side and start counting...

And I came up with 46 compleat blocks.

I frown. I turn it to the bottom and doubble count my blocks across, just in case I'm having a dislexic moment, and no, it's still 46 blocks across. So I doubble count my blocks up again...and again...and one last time...and it was true!

I was actualy halfway into an extra row! I had finished the night before and not even noticed!! ::doing happy dance::

So I quickly undid the half row, pulled out a larger size hook (really glad I bought a three size pack on sale this weekend) and did a final row of slip stiches, tied it off, and I was done! It took me five minutes to sow in the ends and bamb, no more blanket!

My goal was to finish before Susan was born, which was oringaly suposed to be the 13th, so I'm a few days late there, but she was a week early, and I missed that date, and then I was going to go up last friday to see her again, and I missed that deadline, too. But I didn't go up last friday, so I still made my deadline of "before I go back up."

I am so frick'n incredibly proud of this thing. It's definatly taken longer then any other piece, and used more yarn. Somewhere between nine and ten skeins of yarn. And it's my very own pattern, too! I created this pattern!

Some of you saw me working on this blanket version 1.0 back at bitchinparty, I cast on durring the very first orentation, and was a couple of rows in by the end of the weekend. That one I undid a few months later when it kept getting tighter and tigheter and ended up far smaller then I wanted. So I re-started with 2.0 and just made it much wider this time around...and then it eneded up significantly wider then I ment it to, but it's at least a uniform width, so it looks like I ment for it to be this way.

This size it'll easily work to keep this kid warm for a long time. It's gunna dawarf her for about the first year, I think. ::LOL:: But, if I do brag so myself, it's of a rather quiet eligance and subtle beauty, I think it'll look good on any bed, even at the foot of an adult's bed. It's the same pattern and yarn that I used for Grandma Ramona's lapgan in Spring, and she's still saying how much she loves it and how lovely it looks on her coutch.

I totaly don't have the energy to move right now, let alone get up and take photos, but I will soon. As I mentioned, it'll mostly look like the lapgan I made, though, so you can just look HERE and imagine this one as wider and longer. I'll take pics later.

I still can't beleive it's done! Squee!

Okay, just a random though on this whole Governor of New York/Prostitution Ring "scandal" thing. The newest "twist" yesterday was the thought that Spitzer might have used campain money on the hookers. If this is true, then he could be in troubble for an illigal act, and illigly spending money given to him for his campain to buy hookers.

.... ::blinks:: ...

...Am I the only person here who remembers that useing money to buy a hooker is illigal too? Well...I supose he didn't buy a hooker, he really just rented a hooker. But my point being...why is he in more troubble for the campain shit then the hooker shit? I meen...what? It's to the point where the pundants and the news people are saying that may not even get charged with the prostitusion shit if they could get him more time for the illigal use of campain funds thing!

::blinking:: ::rubbing eyes:: Excuse me, WTF?

Yah, I just...I just had to get that out. I really think the bigger issue is the hookers, here, I really do. Hooking is not a victomless crime....though seeing how this is all playing out for the hooker herself, I'm starting to question that. I meen, she's getting offered record deals now!

Yah, America is officaly a seriously fucked up country. I meen, byond all question now. ::sighs:: I thought maybe, now that we were finaly working towrods getting rid of Bush, we might be re-gaining some ground again...so much for that hope.

ETA: Oh thank God, Spaceballs is on CBC (which meens it's un-cut). This movie always makes me feel less like banging my head into a brick wall. How can you not feel better hearing John Candy saying "I'm a Mog! I'm my own best friend." ::semi-contet sigh::

Okay, I'll say it one more time, I fucking hate this time of the year!! The first two weeks of Febuary SUCK for me. Every fucking year.

For those of you reading who are new-er friends? Or those who don't eat with me offten enough to understand, I'll remind you... I'm alirgic to chocolate.

Yes, I'll repeat that.

I'm Alirgic To Chocolate

Can you now understand just how much this season sucks for someone like me? Every fucking station on TV is airring chocolate related shit, every comirtal is advertising cheep chocolates and low-low prices, all the popups are advertising expencive chocoaltes at "low-low" prices. The Jonny Depp movie Chocolat has been on the air three times today! The Food Network is airing chocolate battle after chocolate battle after chocolate challange after chocolate fucking show.

I have been reduced to watching Catwoman on Oxygen.

Yes, I'll say that again, too. I've been reduced to watching Catwoman on Oxygen (which for those of out outside the US is like Lifetime for only Wemon with high Libedos after Labotomies). ::banging head in shame::

How is it possible that a woman that hot in that little cloathing and all of it leather? Makes me hate myself this much for even haveing it on. And not in the fun "oh, dirty!" kinda way. ::facepalm::

And do you know why I've been reduced to...to this? Yah, you got it, fucking chocolate.

I Hate This Season!!!
Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate!
Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate! Hate!
Hate! Hate! Hate!
HATE!

Okay, and that add? I don't know if it's just a local thing or what, but it's an add with a pic of an Electric Drill on one side, and a silkey red Nightey on the other, and the add is "if what you [He] thinks is a good Valentine's day gift for her, maybe not be what she she thinks is a good Valentine's day gift" or something like that. And then says to go to this sex shop (Taboo Toys or something) and get her something you'll both enjoy.

Okay, if yer idiot enough that you think she' wants a power drill for Valentine's Day? Chances are, you don't know what kind of sexual toy or bloody dildo she wants either!

Okay, and on TV, Halle Berry just squeezed though a set of jail bars, and instead of going "Oh, she's thin and veeeery limber! Whoo Hoo!" All I can think is "Ow! Ow! Boobies! Oww! Boobies aren't suposed to go that way! Owwwie!! Ooh Ow! BOOBIES HURT!" ::hangs head in shame::

Oh Dear GOD I can't wait 'til Friday when my shows can go back to good 'old depressing, non-chocoalte related storys of depression and failed marriages, and abuse, and missery, and snark snark glorious snark.

Valentine's day sucks.

And it's a made up holiday to a dead child abuser (or something, I forget).



...



And chocolate makes you all look fat.

Okay, now I just recently got into Get Fuzzy. I'm not as into it as Joan is, but it does make me laugh. The first thing I thought of when I read today's (above) comic, was "Oh My God, that's mom! Annoypid! Perfect Word!"

I thought about posting it here, but figured, nah, I've been posting a lot lately, so I'll wait 'til I have something more intresting/less bitchey to say.

Then Joan came on...turns out, she thought the same thing! ::LOL:: Okay, yah, that sorta shows how badly my frustration with mom is getting that the first thing everyone seems to think with this comic is "Oh God, that's Torra's Mom!"

So, I am here-by annoucing the "Annoypid" tag. It's just...too accurate. Mom is driving me fucking nuts with this knee thing. The depression is just now hitting her as she's developed a bit of a...not a fear of surgry so much as a fear of not being in controle after surgry, I suspect. I think Danika actualy made it worse yesterday by annoucing she was planning to take a few days off after mom's surgry to stay with us and take care of her.

Okay, first off: What the fuck am I, chopped liver? I know she's trying to help mom, and she does it well, she's always the first one to help mom after surgry. Because she kicks us out of the way to play golden child! But because she's doing it "to help mom", we can't bitch about it, because it's for mom. Gerr. I take care of this family perfectly fucking well. When people are home sick, who's the person they call to take care of them? I can garontee you it's not Danika! No, it's me! I'm the one driving all over the state to take care of each person when they have pnumonia, surgry, broken bones, fucking hang nails. And it's not that I don't want the help, it's that if she'd been paying attention, I could have told her that telling mom she was gunna do that was the wrong fucking thing to do. With mom, you just do it, never, never, never tell her you're going to do it. ::growls:: ::sighs:: ::shakes it off::

Okay, sorry, had to get that out.

Second: ...you know what, I had a second, but getting so pissed at Danika again made me forget it. ::sighs::

Anyhow, yah, so mom's depressed and in pain (and not takeing meds or staying off of her leg), oh and not useing her walker, and...god, Fucking Annoypid!

...I think I'm gunna have to make a little pic for it, to go with the rest of my theme. I don't know how to do animated pics like the wonderful Animated SGA theme I'm curently useing by _wwsd_, but I figure for this, I'll make a speical one just for me.

Okay, so Mom update...let's start by saying she did not come home after the doctor. Oh no, she went back to work for the rets of the day. ::headesk:: At least they made her use a wheel chair. Gotta love the Goverment's fear of law suits, it finaly payed off for us...so to speek. ::G::

So mom finaly came home around 5:30 and walked up the stairs herself. Of course she won't let me or Geoff help her (he was here napping before work, as he is about once or twice a week now). Dad still had the walker in his truck, but would she just sit down and wait? Oh good HEAVENS no! Why would you even think that?

::headesk::headesk::headesk::

Long story short, my mom's an idiot.

Oh, too short? Okay. They think she has a torn meniscus in her knee join (left leg, if I haven't mentioned it before). She'll go in for an MRI on Saturday, but no matter what, it's likely she'll need surgry. All the MRI will show is how bad it is, and if it really is a torn meniscus or not, surgry seems to be the deal either way.

Now, if you had a torn meniscus (which is incredibly fucking painful, that's ripped cartilage in a joint if you don't know), you'd sit more, right? Maybe actualy use the walker given to you?

Oh Good Lord, of coure not, are you mad? Not if yer Mom (cue Duh-Duh-Du-Daaaa music ::eyeroll::)! Good greaf, what do I think she is, an invilid? ::throws hands up into air::

YES! God Damnit YES! ::headpound::

::deep breath::

Okay. So, where was I? Oh yes, the walker. She started the night by giving Clay and Brian rides on the "handle bars" up and down the hallway. ::headesk::

She finaly stopped doing that when I took over (they loved it, of course) but once they were done, she wouldn't use it.

AARRGGHH!!!

Oh, and to top it all off...she still insists on doing the Thanksgiving shopping today. ::Groans:: Usualy she gets it all the weekend before, but she was outta town interviewing this year, so no go, and she kept saying "I'll do it when I get home!" and wouldn't tell us what we need so we could go get it. Well last night I finaly just said, "No, mom, give me the god damned list! I'm awake at 3am right now, I'll have time tomorrow. I'll go."

The final middle ground we reached...she's gunna try to come home at Noon and we'll go together so I can push the cart. ::sighs::

Twenty bucks says she trys to put the Turkey and and out of the oven tomorrow. Any takers? Twenty bucks... Easy money...

So...yah. That's the mom update. We'll know more after the MRI comes back in a few weeks (hopefuly just one week, but Group Death, so possibly six). I'll keep you all udpated, and you'll probably get random "GOD DAMN THAT WOMAN" posts over the next few weeks 'til she can go under the knife. She has to be back on her feet before Session (first week of January), so I expect surgry within the next three weeks or so. Exactly a year after he Neck & Spinal surgry of last year. Which was, I think, exactly two years before back surgry before that...she tends to have surgrys in December... ::sighs::

ETA: Anyone have any good "Owwie" Icons? I need "Owwie" and "Yay!" emotions. I have a lot of "god damnit" and "snark" icons already (I know, huge shock, huh?), but no stright up "Owwie" or "Yay!"

So most of you have heard me complain about Mom and Geoff both doing shit they're not suposed to when they're sick or injuried, saying they're fine and it dosen't hurt or they're well enough or whatever? Yah, that's all from Mom.

So Mom's been in Eastern Wash recruitng since Sunday night. She told us she was back on Thrusday, well we found out Thursday that, no, she insists she told us she'd be back Friday, and she told us that repetedly...again... Yah, whole other rant there. Anyhow, so I wake up tonight with Dad on his way home from picking mom up from the Airport (because apprently she told us to pick her up, too, and she didn't tell us she had a ride home three weeks ago like we thought... ::headesk::), and I just start the new ep of Avatar and I hear the door open and Mom crying and Dad shouting for me, so I think, Oh God, something's wrong, and I grab the phone and run out of my room ready to dial 911, right?

Turns out, mom's knee got worse again (she went in for a Cortizone shot before she left on Saturday morning) and instead of letting us help her, she has me take her purses (yes, she had two for some reason) as she struggles and cries and pulls herself up both sets of inside and outside stairs. ::headesk:: She would not let us help her.

So finaly once she's upstairs, she lets me go find her one of her old canes from the last time her knee got this bad, and then when I brought it up, she'd take three steps with it, and then set it asside to do something, and not use it again. Despite her crying every steps and doing this weird limp/hop/brace aginst the wall thing to move around. And there I am just following her around with this cane waiting for her to take it again. ::headesk::

I just...God, sometimes I just wanna smack her with that fucking cane. I meen, I get that Geoff gets this "I'm Superman" thing from Mom, but who the fuck does Mom get it from? I meen, the only reason Her Mom does it is becuase she's usualy too drunk to notice she's sick or hurt. ::eyerolls::

Oh, and apprently she also told us that Dale is staying with us for a few days. ::sighs:: Which I discoverd when I walked past the guest room and saw a man in there and thought it was either a ghost, or someone broken into the house. ::headesk::

Just...with all the families in the world, right? And I gotta get stuck with my own... ::sighs:: ::shakes head:: And it's not even Thanksgiving yet... ::sighs::

Okay, I just wanted to take a moment to give you guys two updates:

( Geoff )

( Billing Mess )

I think that it goes without saying that I'm gunna be talking to my doctor's office tomorrow and telling them in detail about my experiences with their choice of billing agencies. ::sighs and rubs temples::

But before we go, let's all say a big Happy Seventh Birthday to Selynne's eldest niece, Megan.


    Happy Birthday, Meg!   

You know, I used to think I disliked Loki. Well my hated of Juliet has nothing on how much I thought I disliked Loki. GOD that bird should be someone's dinner.

Okay, so most of you remember how my eldest sister and her husband adopted a Rescue cackatoo about six months ago from a sevearly neglectful home. Juliet loves Sean, and is cool with Krista, but attacks everyone else, and Krista and Sean fucking reward the behavior. They used to go on about how to properly care for, and yes, dissipline, birds, and they used to go on and on about what Dainkia was doing wrong with Loki...but the moment they get a large bird of their own, all that goes right out of their fucking heads.

In the first month, she bit Danika so hard on the nose, she has a scar. Krista picked Juliet up and cuddled her for it. The first time I visted with her in that first month, she ran up my leg and bit me on the stomach and the arm, and she also bit Danika on the arm and on the back of the neck three times. When Sean's father was dying, they went down to be with him in his final days, and I came up to bird sit, because Danika flat out refused. The first day, the very first morning of the first day, I uncoverd her cage, opend the door to let her out, and turned go do the same to Maddy and Dolly.

She had only seen my face for about 15 seconds that morning, and the moment my back was turned, she jumped out of the cage and onto the back of my head and started attacking.

I was on antibotics for three days because she had had a staff infection when Krista and Sean first got her, even though she'd been clean when she attacked me, I still had to be on meds to prevent staff-cross-over. My doctor said another half milimiter in any diretion width or depth and I would have required stiches.

So when Krista told me they're going away for a long weekend back to where they honeymooned in the San Juan Islands, and asked me to birdsit, I was understandably "...are you shitting me?"

But good and loving (and co-dependant and guilt-suseptable) sister that I am, I told her if she behaves when I stay overnight up there on Friday (tonight) before my Saturday class, then I'll consider it. If she even tries to attack so much as one of my rings or buttons, then she's getting sent to the vet's kennel.

Well, she was okay for awhile. I left her in the cage when I got up here at 2pm, and she didn't get out 'til Krista got home at 6. She even sat on my knee for a bit and I pet her and preened her a bit and when she started to go for my rings or my sholder, I repremanded her, and forced her back on my knee, and she was fine. I praised her for obaying, and we went back to petting.

But I needed to call Linda, so I handed her back to Krista so I could get my phone. While I was bent over, she climbed up onto the back of the coutch and then lept down onto my back and bit me again.

Thankfuly she didn't got for my head this time, she got my sholder. She didn't brake the skin, meraculasly, but it feels like she might as well have. Honestly, it feels like someone jabbed a Bone Marrow Needle into my scapula. I have to have an ice pack strapped across my back just so I can move my arm.

Yah. SO not spending another minute with this bird around me out of her cage. Ever. Last change used and abused.

So Krista went back to her room and cired because I wouldn't birdsit her hell spawn.

::shakes head:: Sometimes I fucking hate family. Not enough to reconsider the bird thing, mind you, because if I'm left alone for a week with her again, she's liable to become Sunday Night Dinner. But all the same...fuck. ::sighs::

I now have ice packs on both my sholder and my leg. Give me one more, and I'll be auditioning for the new Klondike Bar spokes person. ::sighs::

ETA: I just got this icon this morning, I really, really didn't think I'd have cause to use it so fucking soon. ::sighs:: ::rubs temples:: ::reconsiders and starts rubbing sholder::

Okay, so some of you may remember how back in June, I was going nuts looking for my favorate sandles. I had them in NYC, I rememberd packing them, but I could not find them anywhere, and Danika swore she didn't have them. I even left half an hour later then I had been planing for a trip because I was tearing my room appart looking for them. I looked for weeks, I've gone all summer without them, and Danika sill insisted she didn't have them.

Yah, I think you can all see where this rant is going...

So I came down my stairs last night, and found them sitting in the hallway outside my room. I'm estatic! I even put them on and wore them for a bit, just to prove they were really back. So today I track mom down, and ask her where she'd found them!

"Oh, Danika returned them."

::headesk:: Danika sucks.