It Was The Season Of Light

You may notice the list of books that I am currently reading. Why? Because Rich thinks that I should improve and raise my standard of living and thinking and being. So as a dutiful wife I have conceded and slowly progress through my "humanities" enlightenment.

It's a good time to do so anyway. The fourth life change is here again. Man, six years seems to come by quickly. My life shifts every six years and I can name a significant event that changed my life starting when I was six. I'm sure it's a different number for people. Maybe for you it's five years, or ten or thirty. Mine just happens to be 6. I know I got married when my 6 years came up again, but who says I can't make two life-changing events happen? Or I can look at it as one event.

Now I'm wondering what is to come when I turn 30... I hope it's not kids 'cause I want them before that time. hmm. Well we'll see.

Me.

Boyfriendless

One bad thing about marrying my boyfriend is that I can no longer play Jimmy Fallon's "Idiot Boyfriend" to him...

Is there one song that will take it's place?

Well at least there's a blog for it....
Men are idiots and I married their king.

Today My Family Goes To The Philippines

I seem to have mastered the art of the vanishing poo. Now I just sit there and poo and when I look, (you gotta check) it's gone. Magically.

Hoy me familia viaja a las Filipinas.

God, I hope I got my Spanish semi-readable. Let's try it in Tagalog.
Oh cripes, I'm better at Spanish than Tagalog...

Ngayong araw, ang pamilya ko pupunta sa Pilipinas.

Oh the humanity! How shameful not to know how to write and speak one's own birth country's dialect. I hope I spelled everything correctly at least.

They've left me alone, here in the wilds of Florida, with nothing but a cat and husband to take care of me. Even my own brother has foresaken me and left me with a pile of work in his stead. I hope they come to see me when they get back. Bearing gifts, of course.

Now, I'm contemplating whether to go jogging or not. It's getting hotter and hotter by the minute and I would have gone earlier but I was busy amazing myself in the toilet. Well, might as well go. It's a Saturday so people will be asleep and wont see me stumble on the sidewalk as my clumsy legs lumber along at the snails pace I call a jog.

Ahh, there we go. I was wondering what happened to my ability to come up with my 1000 words.

Haha. Gotta run, er jog, er walk really fast and pump my arms at the same time. See yas.

Me.

P.S. Oops, forgot to do the boardwalk thing huh? Well maybe later.

Peace

Wasn't Marilyn Monroe a size 12?

Feeling like myself again but the husband is sick. :o(
I've been acting the good wife and have been making him good things to eat, like chicken soup and chili, and brownies. heh. Too bad there was nothing special to put in the brownies to make him feel a little better. There were walnuts though. heh. When we were young and sick mom made us our favorite dishes. I think she knew that behind what we claimed were "germs" was really a call for some tlc. I think that's why my colds only lasted 2 days when I was a kid instead of droning on and on for a week. I need a wife. Speaking of which...

I need a wife to cook like this gal... I got caught up reading this: "The Perfect Size 28"... now don't go thinking I let myself go down here in Florida. I just happened to stumble on this website because it's got such a cute layout. If you don't feel like reading it, it's a letter written by some husband about how his wife, who happenes to be a size 28, and how much he adores her and her abandonment of cultural norms (the skinny look), how he loves to watch her eat with so much zest, blah blah blah blah blah.

Hopefully I don't get any bad comments on this but dude she's 300 pounds! That's obese! I'm sure that 300 lbs of woman was never the norm "throughout the ages" and obesity was never a sign of health, fertility, sexuality and femininity. Yes the standard of a woman's size has gone down and don't get me wrong, I abhor the unhealthiness of the other end of the scale (literally), but to think that someone who is a size 28 is what some time period thought was a healthy specimen, you might be wrong on that one. At least she doesn't eat fast food and makes her own, homemade goodness. That I applaud her for and something my husband would applaud her for as well.

Hmm... is that why you got sick? So I could be in the kitchen, barefoot, and cooking you delicious meals? I told you, you supply me with money and I will be home all day long making you steaks and shrimp or better yet, prime rib and lobster.

Feel better schnoockums.
Me.

P.S. New Poll is up!!! Yay!!
P.P.S. Sorry Julie! You're letter will be in the mail today! My hands were kinda full.
P.S.3 Disney on a budget... tomorrow, for the Boardwalk.

Runny Nose? Congestion? Fever? Sore Throat? Body Aches? Sneezing?
Check, check and check!!!

So how was your weekend?

Ugh! Jesus Christ!

Rich and I went to MGM on Friday and during the line of Star Tours I said to him, "gee, my throat is starting to hurt," and it just got worse during the day. When we had lunch at the Dolphin Resort's Tubbi's, I was nearly passing out, tired, and throat burning up. Got home, went to bed immediately and woke up on Saturday, my throat on fire. Something I had never felt in my life. Spent the day in and out of some weird delirium, woke up a few time so Rich could give me some water with ice in it and fell back to sleep.

Who the fugg gives someone canned soup when they're sick? So I had to get my sick ass out of bed and make myself homemade soup. How sick is that? Hopefully I've paid everyone back by wiping my contaminated hands on the fridge handle, doorknobs, plates and silverware. See if I make you homemade chicken soup when you're sick! I'll fuggin' throw a can of soup at ya head.

I hope I didn't make Rich sick. Gee you think? I've sneezed several times, accidentally, on his side of the bed. My toothbrush stands only half and inch away from his, not to mention that our bodies barely have a gap in bed as we sleep and I touch the cat with my unwashed hands and so does he. Luckily he's got a strong metabolism and is in better shape than I, so he'll probably wont catch it.

Yesterday I felt tons better, no more sore throat, which I think the fever I had the night before burned away, but my chest felt congested and I still felt a little light-headed. I spent most of the day in bed, the only time to get up to eat some homemade soup. Yay me!

Today? The prescription is for a day in bed. I feel somewhat like myself again, except my ears are clogged from blowing my nose so much, but a good sign is that I'm finally coughing up the phlegm that's been lodged in my lungs for the past few days and it's clearing up the congestion. Tomorrow I should be back to my functional 80%. I save the extra 20% for... well, we wont go into that. Let's just say, when I'm finally on Jeopardy or Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? you'll realize that around the normal people I'm just at my cruise 75%. I use that other percentage to catch the men of my dreams and to surprise the people who I've tricked into thinking I'm a bimbo.

Speaking of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, while we were at MGM and heading out, we heard someone call out "hey, excuse me! Can you guys help me?" and when we turned around there was the attendant of the WWTBAM attraction and she's like "I really need your help, can one of you please do the "call a friend" except it's "call a stranger" for this woman's lifeline?" So I looked at Rich and he's like, "you go ahead" and I turned to her and said, "sure!!"

So I'm handed a telephone by the other attendant and the host talks to me, asks me my name, "Michelle!", asks me where I'm from.. "umm, Boston!" (Like I surprised myself with those two answers) and then she tells me that the woman in the hot seat has only 30 seconds to give me the question and I have to answer in that time, blah blah blah. So the question's "Which state's motto is Eureka?" and I'm relaying all of this to Rich, "Maine, Iowa, California or Michigan?" and he looks at me and says, "California" so I scream into the phone "California!!!" and she's like, "that's what I was thinking of. How sure are you?" to Rich, "how sure are we?" "70%" "70%!!!". "Goo-" that's when I was cut off just when I was about to yell "Good Luck!!!". So then I hand the phone back to the attendant and I ask her, "did she get it right?" and she's like, "yes she got it right!" and then she says, "thanks for participating," and hands me a button. We say thanks and say goodbye to the first attendant and head out. I look at my button and it says "I was a complete stranger" with the WWTBAM logo on it. I was so excited. Excited and sick.

Maybe when I'm not so sick I'll take a pic of my button and post it up. haha.
Okee, gotta go back to bed.
See y'all later.


Me.

"Disney on a Budget": Disney's Fort Wilderness

Hey all, fell into a wormhole and saw the future. I'm back now.
I think I'll continue with my "Disney on a Budget" series.

Fort Wilderness is a campground. This is where Rich and his family stayed when they visited Disney. It includes lots for RV's, a separate log cabin area, or if you just want to experience camping, a tents only area. We drove there with bikes in tow and biked about the property. It's wooded and as you bike you're surrounded by tall pines and other trees, so there is plenty of shade. There are some pool areas, open only to guests. There are some arcades and a good old fashioned general store, where you can get your victuals. Inside this log building it's cool and dark, there are hardwood floors and you can buy things like souvenirs to milk and eggs. I think it's called the Trading Post.
We biked around the campground and made our way to the lake. At the lake you can just sit down on the white sand of the beach and relax, while watching the ferry boat make it's way from Fort Wilderness to the Magic Kingdom. Nearby is the restaurant called "Pioneer Hall" and behind that is a little petting area where children can see the animals, such as pigs and peacocks. Little ones wanting to take a pony ride can also take one here. I wandered into the horse stalls and saw, peering high above me, magnificent horses that Rich said were used in the parades. I was more than just a little shaken in my boots.
From there we took a different route and found the walking trail, which we biked. It led us to the Fort Wilderness lodge, which is the grand hotel. From there we biked back to the middle where there was a recreational area, here you can rent a bike, rent a canoe or kayak, to paddle around their stream. I think tennis, volleyball and shuffleboard are all available at the Meadows recreation complex. I think for certain things, like renting a golf cart, you have to show that you are staying at the campground. However, it's a nice way to spend the day, biking beneath the cypress and pines, looking out onto the beautiful lake or just getting something to eat. It's a pleasant experience and can cost you nothing. Parking is free to guests but you have to leave at sundown.

-Me.

Mothering Sunday

As y'all know, today is Mother's Day so I shall forgo my disney blog and tell y'all about my mother.

My mom's a nurse and she worked all over the hospital, often working her fingers to the bone. Before she delivered my brother she worked at the post partum, and I recall her working in the D.R., E.R., O.R., I know she worked in Geriatrics because I have been warned many times never to choose a career with old people involved. She worked as a visiting nurse in the field that she has finally settled with, neonatal intensive care or in NICU.

And I remember she would come home tired. This is during the times she switched from working day shift to night shift and we'd come home from school to find her fast asleep, getting all the rest she could before getting up and going to work from 7 to 7 am. This was most of our childhood and goes on even today.

What I remember most is that when we would come home from school, we'd go have lunch around 4 and this is the time she usually awoke to have lunch as well. She'd sit and talk with us while she ate and then we'd follow her to bed and sit on the bed while she drifted off to sleep.

But not before a story.

"Mom! Tell us the story of the old vampire/witch who almost got Papang (grandpa) but he knew her name and she got all embarrassed when he made fun of her hair."

"Mom! Tell us the story of how you saw your grandpa's ghost in the doorway and the moonlight came pouring through his body."

"Mom! Tell us how you used to daydream in school about catching fish and selling it to the Chinese man in the market."

"Mom! Tell us about how much of a tomboy you were and how you'd get into fights with boys who'd make fun of your younger nieces and nephews."

"Mom! Tell us about the time you picked up a rock but it turned out it wasn't a rock and began dripping down your arm when the rain started."

"Mom! Tell us..."

Inevitably she'd drift off to sleep in the middle of telling us the story and we'd wake her up, "finish up the story," and she'd end up repeating herself up to the point where we just heard and then drift off to sleep again. I think to this day I mix up the ends of stories and find that I've started another one in the process. But it was because of this and her encouragement that I read many stories that I love to hear them, read them, write them and make 'em up. I remember her favorite story that I told her as a kid was "Stone Soup" which I had read from the library and I'd tell her and my brother the story.

That was one of the things, as a kid, I told myself to keep on with my children. That was the time I connected with my mom and connected with my family history. I always feel as if I know my mom's side of the family more because of the stories she'd tell us over and over again. I don't know if my brother remembers many of the stories but I do and maybe someday I'll write a book of stories from all the tales she told me. I'll dedicate it to my mom because she deserves it. She also deserves a wonderful Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day mom!

Me.

As you can see we've breached the barriers and entered Epcot. (All right, all right, Rich bought us tickets). As you can also see from this picture there is an impending cloud above us but as everyone knows, Disney has a magical force field around it, from which you can view the bad weather but never be one to experience it. Rich's mom says that there had been a thunderstorm by the house but we were none the wiser. yay Disney!

I'll continue my "Disney on a budget" series later on today, I just wanted to post this pic up because it's so nice. haha.

Me.

Hey all, I'm gonna be, hopefully, working on my blog today. I've finally gotten around to getting my earthlink account set up and junk.

But to tide you over here is a picture of our bathroom mirror. Remember me writing about it and how it reminded me of the Ring mirror. I tried to take it while it was still dark, with no flash, so it's a little unsteady, but use your imagination and pretend you're me, early in the morning, bleary-eyed, a foot still in dreamland, and looking up into the eerie eye of our mirror.

Lovely.



Me.

"Disney World On A Budget": Disney's Marketplace and The West Side

Welcome to my "Disney on a Budget" post. Oh man, I'm gonna rack up counts on my sitemeter for this one. heehee.

Shall we begin?

First off I'd like to say that Disney World not only consists of the numerous theme parks but offers luxury hotels, dining, entertainment and shopping. There are a myriad of activities to choose from outside of the actual parks. The employees are sunny and friendly, willing to cater to your needs.

We started our little venture with suggestions from people who've been around the Disney area. We had wanted a little place to "explore" and they sent us to Downtown Disney's Marketplace:

This little area offers an array of shops and restaurant. It's nice to stroll around looking into the various stores. They have a huge toy store, a store dedicated to anything Christmas, there are a few clothing shops, like "Summer Sands" which sells beach clothing and "World of Disney" which a big store that sells apparel and knickknacks and it's cool interior is a welcome reprieve from the heat of the day. There is also an art store and a LEGO store, from which I've posted up pictures. And for those on a "budget" there is a tiny stand called "Mickey's Mart, which sells everything for $10 and under.
There are many places to eat as well but if you want a good deal and a great sandwich, go to The Earl of Sandwich. We recommend "The Full Montagu". All sandwiches are $4.95 and they use homemade breads. We've returned there time and time again, and we've only been here a month. Or if that's too expensive, they also have a McDonald's. Everything else is a little pricey. If you're not in the mood for shopping or eating, then ride the carousel, or sit by the lovely fountains and people watch, or rent a boat and explore the Village Lake, or on weekends, there are various performances at the "ampitheater" at the center of the Marketplace. Yesterday they had a jazz band perform. (We're not sure on boat prices.)

Further down from the Marketplace, you will pass Pleasure Island and come into the West Side's restaurants and stores. The "West Side" offers an AMC movie theater, a magic shop, a guitar store, a Virgin Mega Store, candy shop, and a store that offers more magnets than you can believe. Here you can also purchase tickets to that evening's Cirque du Soleil performance, which is located at the end of the West Side.

I think I'll stop it here for now. I've a lot more to write about but this way we'll keep it to one particular area at a time. Also this is a good place to comment and add. Til tomorrow.

Me.