friendly neighbourhood blogger

time for a daily dose of me. you ready?

i have nothing fantastical to report...just some updates regarding certain things.

1.) carpet? it's gone, gone, gone! tharen installed some 'hard wood' laminate and it looks great. we just have to do the finishing on the room transitions and trim, then we're done!

2.) illnesses? well, you heard about jack in the hospital. it took him a few days to recover, but it was a little serious for a bit. given the history of e. coli infections and noro viruses, i'm glad i took him in to see a pediatrician. HOWEVER! jared got sick, only not as bad, and then i did! no wonder, with the amount of puke splatter i had the joy to partake with! i was out of commission for a handful of days and lost 10 pounds that i'm really not interested in finding. it's a good thing, because i needed a little trimming, but that tells you how sick i was for a few days! tharen actually had to stay in from work, and that bites. ...on a side note: i had a few people mention to me that i should feel lucky to have had that help from him. while i do, i can't help to think that the persons' snottiness towards me had more to do with their own wishes for their past lives. of COURSE my husband stayed home. that's how a good family works. pay attention to your own, which could really use the attention. i'm not about to feel guilty for having a good life, so get over yourselves. oh. and not eating chips anymore helps with the whole weight loss thing a lot.

3.) i am still me, and i feel the need to ask: how many digs does somebody get in before i grab my shovel? seriously? get on fixing your own life and personality fails. i'll fix mine. perception rules, so get your head outta your ass, wipe off the asshole attitude, and we'll get along fine. but that's just my opinion, and a bitchy one at that. if i want advice, i'll ask for it. i'm pretty comfortable with my own decision making skills, are you? again. perception rules. oops. i think i've been bitching too long. have you had your eye on the clock instead of being a good friend? i wouldn't time someone's epiphany scale. that's the tip of the ice burg, and seriously rude. wow. i sure am glad this isn't public yet.

4.) tharen's myspace! yay! still workin' away. he chose a name that i've mumbled about our family for years. a suprise for me, but i love it. no, i can't tell you, lol! i wish i could, because all you lovelies would be graced to listen....maybe one day.

5.) tharen's other projects - i haven't spoken much about, but there's the one in the competition i was talking about....seth, the singer and project leader, has asked me to do their myspace as well. now. can we understand why i'm a little hesitant? at first it was a little here, a little there, but now he wants me full on. i told him i'm wary of it, & he'd have to pay me for my services as well as tharen. HE says he's a close, personal friend of the weed fairy, and she pays accordingly. huh. contrary to popular belief, i DO in fact have too much to fill my days already and have squandered it away on the phone and computer too often! SO! everything i should be doing just keeps piling up, because i refuse to give up playing with the boys. i have to curb my phone appetite and go back to not answering the phone all the time....except for VIPs! (you know who YOU are!) but even still...that has to be tamed too, because before you know it, the day is always over!

6.) oh, one more forgotten rant: f.y.i.: talking about voting is NOT discussing politics. once more, i realize that the things people say to me have a lot more to do with their selves than me. fuck off with the righteous asshole shit already, and let's have a conversation like a grown up does.

my window is closing now...i have to go get jack from school, run errands, build on myspace, write a letter, make 4 phone calls, write two bios and compile a resume. fun times....but i like it. oh. then i should work on cleaning this place we need to do all this living in!

~

this rollercoaster is making me nauseous

okay it's gotta end now, right? a cycle has come to an end, i'm hoping.

good news about jack...he's feeling better! slowly but surely coming around and getting some sustenance in. his smiley face is there, and he was arguing and cracking jokes, so he'll be ok soon. he's not moving very far from a place to lay down, though.

bad news - this turn around was after i took him to the hospital last night for some industrial strength gravol. he had been puking all day from the time i first heard it at 6:30am when he got up to pee and puke at the same time. i finally made the decision to take him in around 6pm and got home around 1am, asleep around 3am. ( & awake at 6am with jared because tharen has to work as much as possible) more for the bad news file on jack: he has the WORST smelling gas EVER. seriously. i think something died in there.

good news about the truck! i took it in to the dealership because as it turns out, we are just under the wire for the warranty. now we have a new battery! but...

bad news about the truck! we took it in to the neighbourhood shop to get the rear brakes done today and the pads had been worn to less than 30%, so the calipers have to be replaced to the tune of $250. joy. that means that we have to spend around $150 every year just on redoing the rear pads so we don't have that problem again and wreck the rotors. caveat emptor, people...caveat fucking empTOR! what's 'fuck' in latin? anyone? ya know what? caveat VENditor, to the next money grubbing corporate ass jacker who tries to sell me a craftily designed cash sucking vehicle!

good news about the carpet! it's gone! yes!!! my house smells so good. (except for what's wafting from jack's butt) we totally scored with an excellent price on some leftover hardwood from my friend's house down the street, and our landlord is unbelievably paying for it! that is super cool because i was sure he'd say no. i had to phone him to tell him about having to take out the carpet and it didn't hurt to ask, did it?!? we just have to do the work, but it's going to be beautiful, thanks to some help from some good friends and harry! i can't wait 'til next weekend. the boys are going to my mom's so we'll be able to get it all done and hopefully get everything organized before sunday night.

bad news regarding the floors, though. if there has to be a bad side, it's that we can't afford to pay for it until the end of the month. let me explain: we pay up front and deduct from the rent. it's no problem, they say, but i would feel better paying right away- know what i mean?

bad news/good news: muriel is gone. she died yesterday morning just before 8am with her husband and some family near. even though this was anticipated, of course everyone is very sad. i want to be with my brother so bad, and you can hear it in his voice, too. now i can't even go meet him on the dyke because of the truck.

i have an assignment for you:

1.) go hug a loved one and tell them what they mean to you.
2.) forgive a grudge. ( a forgivable one)
3.) read this message i got in an email today.

life is too short.

**update: i know you can't see this...it was an html copy....i will transpose it tomorrow, as i have been out drowning my sorrows this evening and don't have it in me. it's worth it. so was my buddy's show that i went to tonight...all i gotta say is: SDT! (google 'em)

****update #2: transposition complete. it's late sunday night. i'm going to go lay in bed and wrap my head around this while i drift off...

when things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayo jar and the two glasses of wine...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonaisse jar and filles it will golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full - they agreed it was.

The prof then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them in the jar, shaking it lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open spaces between the golf balls. He asked the students again if the jar was full - they agreed it was.

The prof next picked up a box of sand and poured it in the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes'.

The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions; things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else; the small stuff.

If you put the sand in the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, there's not anything left for what matters. Pay attention to the hings that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical check ups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the hosue and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented. The prof smiled. "i'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always time for a couple glasses of wine with a friend."

~

it was a fishy date

...and i think i smell like shark bait!

i think they're 'off the hook', though - so to speak...*groan*...the sign reads, "blah, blah, blah, not responsible for wet clothes due to shark frenzy."


MAN! did it EVER reek like dinner back there!



warning: i'm very punny, you know.

i went on a date with all my guys tonight to the aquarium store, and it was deadly! heh, literally! jack and jared love it there, but tonight was the first time we got to see the shark feed! ooooo, it was neato mosquito!

first of all, what you see is tank after tank of gorgeousness! tonnes of live coral, weird shit, cool shit, pretty things, suckers, blowers and annihilators. at the very back of the store you'll find the massive 2500 gallon tank full of JAWS babies searchin' for the nearest free lunch or hand, you know...whichever. did it ever go fast! i wonder if they feed them other than the weekly show...something for all you p.e.t.a. folks to pet.

anyway, right after you get past the initial awe, you move on to the second stage, which is: hey! there's like, 5 sharks in here...and a giant eel, AND a great big other somethin' or other! do they have enough room? (answer: NO) . you then slip back into the experience with awe, only to be awakened so rudely when you get splashed with water over the edge of the enclosure from the brutal frenzy going on once the dead fish chunks are dropped in! i thought it seemed kinda gross, what with the smelly chunks and all, but i was hastily corrected by a stray ankle biting six year old that it was "cool", and his 5 year old yard ape little brother wanted to know if i knew that "water is good for me?". snotty little shits! kidding...they were cute 'n' stuff, too.

anyway, once they've all gotten a good chunk (the sharks), there's some peaceful roaming, the odd nudge, and then WHAP! the giant eel springs from his hiding place under the coral, stretches up straight to the water's break the split second he sees an opening and snags the last chunk...he then proceeds to wiggle back down into his makeshift dining room to (gag) do that thing i've seen snakes do when they eat (gag).um, snakes creep me out. eels in water - i can live with 'em, but snakes? things without legs SHOULD NOT move. i once saw my friend feed his giant snake a rabbit in one blocked off room of his house off the living room. i tried not to see it, but out of the corner of my eye, i saw the fucking thing LEAP through the air and snag the bunny. cute, right? (gag) then when i was leaving, i couldn't help but to look over and i saw it fucking gagging in reverse to get the furry fellow down. oh! did i forget to mention the crunch? (gag) but i digress...

here's some loveliness from my evening, enjoy:

see the starfish? it's there!

peek-a-boo, stingray dude!

the electric blue crayfish, elles & g's!









a piranha...scaaaaaary stuff! this one was freakin' out on my camera!

cooooooooooooool.

this one is so super cute it could also almost have
it's own super freakin' cute installment!
i'd leave you with it if...

...i didn't want to know WTF this thing is...anyone?

oh. & i found nemo.

*groan*
~

a poem, if you will...

bear with me, friends...this is the first poem with nature as a stimulus that i have ever written, with a glimpse of the scene that inspired it....


Today is the Day I Awoke



Mossy trees
with ancient grace
towering up above me.
Chirpy birds
are feeding babes
ducking through clouds, they flee.

Dewey grass
perking right up
again greeting spring, I see.
Cool filtered sun
shyly peeking,
I have a commodity.

Crazy boys
on the other hand,
trash my reverie.
Bounding down
the puddled road,
abandoned sense of carefree.

Life awaits -
way far away,
saddled with calamity.
I awake -
now spring is here.
To nature I pay MY fees.

~teague2009march


(c) cb'09

i shall return.

a beautiful weekend was had by all

yes, camping was such an awesome time. aside from a little wind and rain for a while on friday afternoon, it was well worth the effort. the boys were having so much fun, but were wanting to come home to play video games! ha! gotta put the brakes on that, i tell ya! tharen has discovered a new easy way to be lazy! he just half heartedly plays the games while snoozing, and the time just flies! silly gooseballs! but hey! who am i to talk? the only reason i can type this now is 'cause my little jared dude is watching 'super why' while jack's at school!

speaking of which, i have this valuable opportunity to be cleaning up all the camping wares and here i sit, smelling something funny. that is IF you think poopy diapers are funny.

i think it's a sign. i'm gonna go get rid of the rotten butt atrocity, tidy the troops' travesties, and totally take advantage of this crazy caffeine cascade of continual colossal coolness. uh, i mean i'm gonna go clean the house.

i'll tell you my story later tonight. stay tuned, sillies...there might even be pictures! (link is not my picture, but just a fine example of the area we camped in) i'll figure out to put pictures up here...it'll be a first for this newbie. i've noticed on my lovely janis' site that the pictures sure seem to perk it up a bit. or maybe it's her new layout, i dunno. pictures, though...my god, was it ever a much needed, gorgeous trip. next sunday is supposed to be nice, too....

waffles and eggs it is!

it's spring break!
oh, joy.
it doesn't really make for all that much difference around here, what with the two year old and all....and jack's only in kindergarten, so that's only half a day. BUT it is half a day that i don't HAVE to be sociable. half a day that i don't have to get dressed. half a day that i don't have to run around as soon as i get up in the morning, which i HATE. half a day when my boogies get to stay in their pj's as long as they want.
except for today, that is.
today, i had to deal with poop first thing, little guys up too early, and whining. wicked. it really doesn't help that i was up 'til 2am, either....maybe that's why they seemed to be awake too early! the clock said 7am, just like it does every day! then there's the beer...not much, but enough to make a difference. can't forget about the sore legs either, but we don't need to talk about that. let's just say that tharen and i stayed in this weekend and liked it.
after the whining and poop, i realized that i was out of cigarettes and pepsi (omg) so i had to go to the store, which i also love doing first thing in the morning. upon entering the vehicle, i noticed tharen's pay cheque sitting there. damn it! he was supposed to get that in first thing so we wouldn't miss our astronomical truck payment yet again! DAMN IT ALL TO HELL! this meant i had to go to the bank (which wasn't open yet) ! there's a machine, so it wasn't really a big deal, until i got there and noticed some fukwad had mangled the machine trying to fraud the fraudsters. okay. so there's more banks, right? wrong. this particular bank was the only one i could hit the machine smellin' the way i did with my hair the way it was. the only bank where the boys could sit in the truck right beside the little vestibule. the only bank i where i get to blissfully go through life believing, if only for a few sweet seconds, that myself and the lovely machine were the only ones alive on this whacked rock.

SO! silly teague has to go home, brush her hair and teeth, change out of pj pants and throw a bear paw down the boys' throats, and go to the bank where i had to park, get the boys out, walk up around the corner, go INTO the bank, make small talk with the old dude trying to play with the boys, wait to use the machine after some dude who turns around to be a guy i've known since i was like, 14 or something. AWESOME. all before the blessed coffee that i have started to drink so i can make it through the mornings without regularly feeling like i could die at any given moment. andy said i looked good, but i refuse to believe him. i know for a fact that i looked like i weigh 170 lbs with my fleece pants and sweater under the coat gear to try and ward off the chill i had since ripping off the covers to get jared before he pulled down his poopy pants.

anyway, crisis diverted 'til next month. truck payment covered, insurances out the ying yang covered, late rent payment covered. i came home, made the transfers, made some waffles and eggs, and now it's play time before we head out to run more errands. shopping, tending to our friends' fish and frogs, parkification and a stroll. i'm gonna do some contemplating on how to earn some more money without taking away time from my family. that always will be the most important thing to me. family. not how much money my family has, or how big my family's house is, but FAMILY. doing my job, in other words. i will gladly take this little struggle if it means that i've been here when it matters and my kids aren't being raised by strangers. i think i might've pointed out before that i think that's what the problem with the world today is. kids raised by strangers and/or having too much time alone - i WON'T contribute to that.

i think i might get into some advertising on here if it could prove to pan out. that would mean any of you fabulous peeps out there reading this will have to click on to follow me. see, advertisers don't like advertising where people don't go. huh. go figure. no worries. i wouldn't have anything annoying, no pop ups, and no screen stealers. lemme know what you think, fill me in if you have any advice or tips, and KEEP READING!

oh yeah! i DID start reading 'this perfect day' again. almost done, and am in love with it all over again.

cancer update

well, i just talked to my brother for the first time since sunday and have an update on the whole cancer shituation [sic].

just in case you're interested, milly's mom (let's name her muriel, and here's why:)

Muriel

Angel of Emotions

encourages the awareness of emotions

(maybe i will be blessed with the understanding of how i feel about all this, and/or give all them the strength to know how to get through this)

.....muriel has been at one of her 4 kid's place for a few days now. there are 3 boys, and then milly's the youngest at 39. there are bunches of grandkids and step families around them.

it was radiation they last zapped her main tumor with, and it seems to have taken a nip, so they're gonna take her back into the hospital on friday to rev her up for chemo and administer her weekly body scan.

one week after this coming saturday, she will receive another scan. if those results show the chemo not having an effect, treatment will be stopped with no plan for heart surgery on the leaky valve caused by the tumor.

what a grand valentine's that will be.

~over and out~

story time

i don't even know where to begin! should i just dive in and tell a story, or should i tell you about myself? why don't i just tell you a story about myself?
i'm 35, married almost 6 years, have two boys, 5 & 2 3/4, and freakin' TIRED! i don't have a job outdside the house, aside from the minimal volunteering i try to do. (at least I think it's minimal...apparently it's a helluva lot more than some people will get off their asses and do, so i've learned) i like a clean, if not, tidy house, but usually these days i'm thinking this place is three minutes away from disaster.
my husband, tharon, 40, is a hard worker, playful dad, faithful (i think) and most of the time a respectable husband. we most DEFINITELY have issues though, as you're sure to read. we met through someone we used to know around nine years ago with a mutual attraction, but nothing happened until about a year later when we 'hooked up', if you will. it was a fairly turbulent ~all be it passionate~ relationship and i'll tell you right now - i'm not sure why i married him. there were lies, cheating and a general NOT caring about my person. i cannot explain that attraction. i took more shit from him than i ever got from all boyfriends comBINED! i finally decided to move on and dropped off all his things at his house and didn't take his calls for a week. miraculously, things began to change. the bad things weren't happening anymore, and we decided i'd move in with him. i also was facing having to move anyway, because the house i rented got sold due to an aging owner's liquidation.
okay, so i move to tharen's a little sooner than we expected, but we had already talked about it. (oh, and i was stupid in love with kahlua clouds in my coffee.)
except it was right across the street from a bar that everyone we socialized with hung out at on any given night. eSPECIALly the weekends, oh my f god. i had just gotten laid off from a decent salary, tharon always had magic pocketfuls of money, and it was june. can you say memorable summer?
anyway, the summer of royal rock love crashed and burned miserably, but i digress - that's a story for another time. the important thing is we came out stronger for it and are still together. i got my fantasy wedding and two perfect baby boys, jack and jared. we live in an old and drafty, but quaint house with a big yard, fairly central to surrounding suburbs and city, and i have an....interesting life. stay tuned....