He's Got Gas

Ok, I couldn't resist sharing this one. We were coming home from my son's house, which is about a thirty minute drive by interstate. On our way home, I notice my husband did not get onto the on-ramp for the interstate but instead was going on the two-lane highway.
Me: Where are we going?
Him: Home.
Me: This way?
Him: Yeah, they have cheap gas at the station down here.
Me: Hmmm...Ok.
He pulls into the gas station, which is packed with cars, and finds the only pump available has an out of order sign taped to it.
Him: Well, %^**#!
Me: Can't we just get it at the station by our house?
Him: Wait, that guy is almost done. I'll wait on him.
Five minutes pass...six....seven...Guy has finished pumping gas, has gone inside, and finally comes out with a sack, pulls out. My husband wheels in.
Him: Something is wrong with the pump. It won't take my #$%@! debit card.
Me: Why not?
Him: Says it's not reading it, and I have to go inside.
Me: So?
Him: There's a long line in there.
Me: Why don't we just go home? We've still got a half a tank anyway.
Him: But I wanted to get this cheap gas.
Me: Well how much is gas at the station by the house?
Him: It's $2.58 a gallon.
Me: And here it's...$2.55?
Him: Yeah.
Me: How many gallons does your tank hold?
Him: Fifteen I think.
Me: So you'd be buying a half of a tank, let's say eight gallons, and you'd save...24 cents.
Him: What?
Me: Yeah, you drove the long way home, sat here twenty minutes now, and all to save 24 cents.
Him: You're sure? Twenty four cents?
Me: Yeah, plus it costs us extra for taking the long way home.
Him: (Grunts). I never thought of it that way. (While shooting me that dirty look that says you women ruin all the fun we men have driving long distances and burning up several dollars worth of gas to save less than a quarter. Geez.)

Toxic Abusive Relationships

I wrote an article awhile back for Associated Content. It was interesting doing the research for it, because I have been in the middle of a dysfunctional relationship and found it very difficult to see the extent of the control when I was smack dab in the middle of it. Other people could but not me. Anyway, I thought it was a good article, but nothing that would generate much attention. As of today, that article has had more hits than my other fifty articles put together, over 25,000 hits. I guess a lot of people find themselves in relationships they make excuses for, and need a checklist of ways to tell how sick it really is. Anyway, the article is here.
Think back to the sickest relationship you've ever let yourself be involved in, and see how it stacks up to the list. Hopefully, you're not in one now.

Funny Ebay Auction....

Why does this story sound familiar? Hmmm....

Same O Same O

Tonight, we watched America's Got Talent. This whole time, until tonight, I wanted Julianne to win. But tonight, we changed our minds and want the ventriloquist to win. He's really good. I can't stand that Butterscotch Beat Boxing girl. She's so in love with herself, she doesn't need the rest of us to.

I'm still doing my bible study thing, and the Hebrew. It's really interesting. Much more than I thought it would be.

There is a possibility my daughter, her hubby, and our granddaughter might be moving closer. I'm trying not to get my hopes up until we see. I sure hope they do.

My friend that is getting the divorce still has not gotten anything settled. They were scheduled for mediation, and then two weeks after that they had a court date. Her "almost -ex" called to postpone the mediation the night before saying he didn't know about it until that day and he had to go out of town. Therefore, they canceled it and postponed the court date, too. The only good news is he has moved his girlfriend back in, and I think that will help my friend's case a lot.

I'm still not any closer to finishing Harry Potter 3. I just have to find some time. I hate starting and stopping.

Not much else happening around here...same 0...same 0.

Reunions, Showers, and Chicken Soup

I saw the counselor yesterday, and she had me buy a book to read called, "I Don't Have to Make Everything All Better." I guess that tells you how she thinks I'm doing.....ha. What I really wanted to talk to her about was an invitation I received from a cousin of mine, whom I've not seen in twenty years(??) about a "cousins reunion." All the first cousins, and also my dad and step-mom since he's the only surviving one of his generation in his family. He was one of ten children, and was next to the youngest. I have twenty "first cousins."

My first thought when I received it was, "Oh noooooo...." I don't know most of them, I'm anything BUT a social person, and I'm going to feel guilty and obligated and lower than a ant's belly if I don't go...and I don't want to go. I'd rather have surgery than go...if that tells you how I feel about it. But once the invitation arrived, I'm on the hook. It's one of those RSVP things, so I am suppose to call either way...If I do, I'm going to be asked why, and that would require a lie of some kind.. It just gets deeper.....and deeper....

So when I told the counselor all that, she suggested that book. I bought it and started skimming through it, and I see myself on every freaking page. The author gives examples of conversations where people feel obligated to fix things, or where people are being manipulated, etc. Well, I was married to an extremely manipulative man before current hubby, and I never saw it coming and later would wonder how in the world I let myself get dragged into whatever interchange we had just had.

I try to tell my kids what to do because I don't want them to have things hard or be unhappy. I know. I shouldn't do that! I'm notorious for telling people everything is going to be OK, even when it very well may not.

So I'm reading that book. I'm still working on the Harry Potter series. Number Seven is waiting patiently on my book shelf for me to finish the other six. I'm still on book number three. I haven't done much on that lately.

I also decided that it's a good time in my life to stop and reevaluate what I believe to be true in my life and what isn't, as far as religion goes. My only religious upbringing was a short time in the Baptist church, so when I had children, that's where I took them. I have a larger world view now, and even though this is the Bible belt, I've met a lot of people from different faiths. I find it fascinating. So I decided it's as good a time as any to do some deep study for myself, and not based on what anyone else has told me.

If it sounds like I have too much time on my hands, I probably do, but I love studying, always have. My husband has always wondered who in their right mind would do math problems for fun...(me). So I'm fascinated by all this.

I went down to have my allergy shot this morning, and after I got home, I started wheezing. It freaked me out because my mom has these MAJOR allergic reactions where her blood pressure drops, she swells up and passes out. I called the doctor and they told me to take Benedryl and put ice on the injection site. But I knew Benedryl would knock me out, and my husband gets off at four. I don't want to be knocked out, because I want to go out to eat and a movie tonight if possible. So I rumbled through the cabinets and got his inhaler (he has asthma more often than me) and I used that. I still feel a bit tight in my lungs but not wheezy anymore so I guess I'll live. ha. The bad part is, this is going to be a major setback in them up-ing my dosage, which means I have to take them a lot longer....whoopee.

The press releases on the Chicken Soup book my story is in was sent to all the author's hometown newspapers and television stations. Some woman from a local station called me and wanted an interview...,and you wouldn't get me on TV without a lot of cash. I've been paid for my story. I don't make anymore if the book does well, or doesn't.

And I have to share this video my daughter sent...If you think you have bad days, just check this out. Makes me wheeze just looking at it.

My Granddaughter says Hey!

She is a true Southerner....Now if we can get her to say, "Hey, Ya'll".....
Here she is...

DIE-et Coke

I've been doing some reading on aspartame, since I've admitted on this blog in the past that I'm a Diet Coke addict. (Here in the South, we call everything Coke. As in: What kind of Coke would you like? Diet Pepsi or Mountain Dew?) I'm don't actually care what kind it is. I'm just as happy with a Diet Pepsi, a Diet Rite, Diet Coke, Caffeine Free Diet Whatever...So I've often thought I must not be addicted to them, since not having the caffeine doesn't diminish my craving for them. Wrong.

I figure I drink about ten Diet drinks a day. On the days we don't have any in the house, I make a drink Crystal Light by the gallons (more aspartame). Well someone asked me if I had ever gone to the www.aspartamekills.com website. Uh..no....but when I was asked, I figured it's some nut case who just wants to create some sort of hype about artificial sweetners being bad for you. But I agreed to look. Turns out it's actually a lot of news videos, investigative reports from various news programs, plus interviews with the original FDA- appointed research team whose opinions to NOT approve it were dismissed by the FDA.

But what interested me the most were the list of symptoms aspartame can cause, including vision problems, hearing loss, depression, fatigue, weight gain, etc. etc.
I had been diagnosed with about seventy-five percent of the symptoms in the last ten years. Freaky.

I've made resolutions to stop drinking them many times in the past. I honestly think it would be easier for a junkie to stop using heroin. At least they have inpatient detox programs for that. They don't have a place to lock up people who would scream out the windows for a Diet soda. So, if Diet drinks are really bad for you, if they really cause all these problems, including weight gain, then why is there such a big hype to sell so many? Hmmm...MONEY!

I'm just one person, but I figure I drink about fifteen dollars of Diet Coke a week. Over the last ten years, that means I've spent almost $8,000 on Diet drinks.
Needless to say, the more Diet Coke I drink, the less water I drink. My veins run Diet Coke.

I'm going to have to give these things up. I found a challenge online: Give up aspartame for sixty days. If you don't feel dramatically better, then go back to drinking them. Sounds like a good challenge to me.

P.S. My son-in-law said he lost weight by giving up Diet Drinks. He may be on to something there.