Today is my mother's birthday, so I arrived home with flowers, chocolates and cake. This morning over breakfast she was all "you'd think your brother would call his mother on her birthday". So I decided to send him an e-mail saying "call mom".
By coincidence this evening, just as I was lighting candles on the cake, my brother calls me and says "thanks for the heads-up. Put the phone on speaker so I can sing Happy Birthday as well". So we all burst into the room in a flurry of cake, candles, phone and song, and my mother started crying and says "oh my God, you never call me!" I often forget that she is suffering too.
Afterwards, she said "I'm happy now" and thanked me for organising the whole thing. She actually used the term "wonderful"...I found it almost shocking.
Honestly, it took such a small effort to arrange everything. It's the little things that make a big difference. Maybe I will become a spirit-lifting, mood-elevating, cheer-engineering dynamo. Brightening someone else's day requires far less effort than you'd think.
Also, we are fighting a lot less these days. I don't know if it's to do with the fact that I have a job now, or I'm just not rising to the bait...

Either way, it's good. I'm home eating cheesecake and watching Britain's Got Talent. I have my new book for later. It's peaceful. I guess there are worse ways to spend a Saturday night.

OK.... this damn sadness is being stubborn. I pulled out all the stops this weekend. New clothes. Movies. I have a fat T-Bone steak under the broiler. Music going. Cats have the nip. Daddy does not. Candles. Windows open. WTF!?!

I can out last it. I am way stronger than it is. If I had to say... am I Batman or Superman??? I will take brute strength over gadgets any day!!! Sorry SW. :D

Inner strength cannot be duplicated... ignored... or minimized... we are here because we all have it.

k

Glad you had a good time Tetra. That sounds great, especially everyone chiming in to sing.

Snookered. That was one I think EndGame forgot. I've been snookered! Thanks for the insomnia tip, Saoutchik. Next time I'm up in the wee hours. Pouncer, sorry you're having trouble sleeping. Maybe tonight's the night.

HaF, thank you for the estroven tip. I'm going to get some.

Weasel, gorgeous pictures! I want a lobster roll now. But not super smelly Spam. Collectors addition canned meat product. Hmmm. What does that say about shelf life? Twinkies and spam will feed us all after the apocalypse.

Ok, what haven't I done today? Oh, housework. After gymnastics class I dropped my children at my parents and walked two blocks to an estate sale to check it out and meet a friend I met in AA. While we were wandering around a guy from AA walked up to us to say hello. Proof that we are everywhere, doing everything.

Then I was greeted by another woman who lives around the corner from me. Last weekend she was out working on her yard and three of her chickens were wandering down the block. "Your friends are taking a stroll" I commented. I want chickens.

After the estate sale my friend walked with me to my parent's and visited a few minutes. I stopped at the grocery store and bought fixings to make guacamole. Got home, make guacamole and a jicama slaw. I never tried jicama, bought one to expand my horizons and am bringing the slaw to my brothers for the family party I'm attending this evening.

And no housework. Other than sweeping. And refereeing children's squabbles. I'm ready to tear out my hair. When the kids said they wanted to go to the estate sale, absolutely NOT was the response.

I can do this. Deep sigh. I'm on my last nerve. At least at my brother's they will have their cousins to run around and play with.

Great post Tetra, you are very uplifting

Pouncer obscure British sports include:-

Worm charming
Bog snorkling
Gurning
Chasing a cheese rolled down a hill

These are all enjoyed in the more 'rustic' parts of the country along with such traditional rural pastimes as, well, it involves sheep

Hey Tetra... glad your mom got her B-Day wishes. Glad you are well tonight.

Cheesecake... and BGT? I could so get into that combo.

:D

Tetra :c014:

Weasel :hug:

Tetra, things get fixed, don't they?

Weasel, if you don't quitcherbitchin we're gonna get out the teased weasel.

Weasel, sorry that the sadness isn't abating. Maybe call and talk to someone who makes you laugh? Or, maybe you could research the obscure sporting events Saoutchik listed. There is a website for the world worm charming championships. 18 rules of worm charming. You apparently can't give drugs to the worms to charm them. And water is considered a "drug" for worms. No performance enhancers there. Now I have to check out the other ones. Although, I'd have to say that curling falls in that category.

Kids and I in separate rooms. Son sort of practiced his drums. Daughter diligently working on her homework assignments. Weekend homework for first graders. That's the six year old crowd for those used to "forms". All I can say, it's blessedly quiet. Just talked to Mr. Ruby who is finally back in town but putting in more hours today before coming home. He'll be home one day, tomorrow, and then leave out back to Florida again and will be gone all week. Again. Guess I can't have it both ways. Just hope this paycheck makes it home uncashed. We won't be here when he arrives.

Okay. On to gurning. Did you know that England's best known gurning champion, Peter Jackman, had his teeth removed in 2000 to make his face easier to maneuver? That's dedication but I have to say that I would prefer to be an also ran with all my teeth intact than to be a winner at gurning.

.

[IMG]http://i59.tinypic.com/2v1n5p1.jpg[/IMG

Or weasel, a contest of brute strength.

I'm going to park my butt here for a while until the stupid "go out. There's a band" thoughts pass. :)

New page, glad you found yoga. It is my saving grace, even when I was drinking! It clears the mind and the body.. You should try a hot yoga class sometime! It's unreal how good you feel after, even though you might feel like you're going to die while you're in there. I crave it now that I'm sober and its a great way to ward off av.. At least it works for me! Namaste!

[IMG]http://i59.tinypic.com/2v1n5p1.jpg[/IMG

Good research Ruby

"Englands best known Gurning champion" a hotly contested title. Ha!

When it comes to Worm charming I think it's about time for someone from Chicago to make a name for themselves

http://i61.tinypic.com/15ckpvk.jpg

So for those of Who just can't wait. This place has been around forever.

Saoutchik, professor Google said Peter Jackman. We all know that history is written by the victors. Why I still think that Richard was given a bad rap since Henry VII won. Anyone ever read Josephine Tey's "Daughter of Time"? Excellent book. Christie lovers would enjoy it.

Ok thats it. In order to facilitate the abatement of K lingering sadness, I propose we organise an on-line international sporting tournament based upon the archaic English leisure activities suggested by Sao.

As a youth, I had a dream that one fine day I would become the worlds greatest bog snorkler.

I have no idea what bog snorkling is but it sounds fabulous!!!!! :)

B

I am in the same place right now Weasel it's a beautiful day and I am sitting here crying my eyes out. No clue why. Just`really really sad and lonely. I have people I could call but I don't even feel like talking to anyone. I just wanted you to know I understand. Tomorrow is a new day.

Weasel, Tennant and Della,

Thanks for your honesty; it sets a great example for all of us. If I would have came here a few days ago instead of sneaking a bottle into my room, I would be doing a lot better now.

Blah day here, too. I am procrastinating on something I should have done a week ago. The avoidance issue is a big trigger. I am off to do the thing I promised and am procrastinating about. I think I will have a really good time finishing my daughter's dollhouse if I have this out of the way - which is what I really want to be doing instead.

Weasel, I have been thinking about a new voice in my head - the Inner Leader. I never developed a sense of my own inner leader, so I am giving it a voice now. If I call it my inner strength, it is too nebulous of a concept for me to grasp. The AV was/is really loud today.