Dadgummit

I came here to post about something specific. I'm gonna end up posting about something totally different.

My niece stayed the night. For some reason, my sister left the dog too. Ordinarily this would not be a bad thing, as our dog loves to play with her dog. HOWEVER, my eldest is here recovering from surgery and along with her is her cat. It took some time for our dog and the cat to get along. Sister says before leaving, ohhh, my dog will be fine where the cat is concerned. WRONG. As soon as she was gone, her dog began chasing the cat, trying to EAT the cat. Poor kitty is going to need kitty tranquilizers.

When sister came to bring eldest niece, she of course brought her two youngest with her. The cat has gotten used to us, but kitty does not like little children. Their 3 hour long visit was about 2 hours, 59 minutes too long for poor kitty. Then to leave the dog too. I had to put kitty, kitty litter box, kitty water and food in one room and shut the door. I put both dogs out this morning and let kitty out. He was still so scared, he just sat in the doorway forever.

So, just now, I step outside to drink my coffee, listen to the birdies waking up, can't watch the squirrels running about as they are avoiding the yard with 2 dogs roaming about, and read the paper. Kitty jumps in the window to look out and sister's dog tries to eat kitty through the window. I could hear him hissing form the other side.

I cannot wait for this visit to end!!!!!

Greed Sucks

So there's a global food crisis and it boils down to this:

A commodities dealer named Christoph Eibl soberly concludes that financial managers just want to "benefit from the scarcity of these commodities."

So disgusting. People in the world are going hungry so people like hedge fund manager Dwight Anderson can get rich.

From the standpoint of these investors, poor harvests that drive up prices are only good for their portfolios. Many investors either don't care or are simply oblivious to the fact that by investing in the global casino, they could be gambling away the daily food supply of the world's poorest people.

You can read the article here and find links to more on the subject.

so there was the pink elephant

Nothing to do with pink elephants, I just didn't know what I wanted to title this post.

I'm trying to get back in the habit of posting a blog. I really have nothing to say other than I hope PA rocked the vote for Obama.

That and I'm freakin tired. Have I mentioned I don't like getting up at 3am?

that's all

Well, you coulda knocked me over

I've never much cared for Michael Moore, but his blog today is something I totally agree with.

Go figure. He supports Obama, but it isn't just that he supports Obama, it's what he has to say.

ugggghhhh

I really do NOT like waking at 3am. I much prefer going to bed at 3am.

So, tomorrow is the big day in PA for the Democrats. I'm still very much an Obamacan so you know how I hope the folks in PA lean. I'm really just ready for it to be over. Then we can begin concentrating on November.

I do not want McCain in there. I firmly believe that would be like Bush III.

Ack, I'm so freakin tired, I am having a difficult time formulating coherent thoughts that make it from my mind to my fingers to of course here. I want a nap, but if I took a nap, I'd never sleep tonight.

bitch, bitch, bitch, and bitch some more.

I'm done whining now.

If all goes as planned

I should be winging my way to Rome in about 2 months. My dear friends have extended the invitation to stay with them at their villa and the best part is my best friend in the entire world will be there with me.

Bettona

A view of Bettona



And here is another view of Bettona, sitting atop the hill:

Bettona is in the Perugia, Umbria. Umbria is in Central Italy and is a land locked area. It is known as 'The Green Heart of Italy". Perugia

Umbria-Wiki link
Welcome to Umbria

One great things about visiting is that I will be near my favorite olive oil, coffee, and porcelain. All located within this region and my dear friends are friends with these people. I have links to each of these here on my blog. Capoccetti Coffee, Cufrol Olive Oil, and porcelain in Deruta.

Another great thing is of course the historical aspect. I am such a history geek it is not EVEN funny. I know that when our plane lands in Roma, I will likely cry. Not boohoo sobbing, but tears that I am finally in the land I have wanted to be in for longer than I can remember. I could so picture myself calling my mom and telling her to go about procuring a passport for my youngest as I am not returning.

A third great thing is that we have both been invited to work with others in our industry and learn the true Italian way, not the Americanized version of Italian. I hope I'm not jinxing anything by posting, but I am so excited that I am finding it quite difficult to contain.

The villa I will be staying at in Bettona is over 1100 years old. To be able to touch, see, smell, history in this way, well, it is indescribable. I'm not Catholic, but to be RIGHTTHERE, the Vatican, St. Peters Square, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps. The archaeologoical importance is mind boggling. Crap, I'm tearing up thinking about it all.

To be so close and be able to visit Pompeii, HOLYCRAP.

The markets, the restaurants, the pastries, the cheese, the truffles, the coffee-Ohhhhh the coffee, the meats.

I just cannot wait. I have always felt I was born in the wrong place and should have been born in Italia. But perhaps if I was born an Italian, I wouldn't have the appreciation I have for it, much like I probably do not have the true appreciation for where I live.

Just lil ol' me again

I'm trying to get back in the habit of coming here to post, even if it's just some stuff like this. I may not be grammatically correct, but you'll get over it.

These ramblings are coffee induced.

1. I'm going to miss visiting Gumbo YaYa daily.
2. What I'm really going to miss: The people that choose not to join up elsewhere.
3. The women who make me think through their own intelligence and wisdom, not to mention their humor. I'm not sure who else doesn't plan to make the move to our new digs, but JoJo, Pearl, and Sunshine - I'm really going to miss you ladies and I hope you each reconsider.
4. You've each made my life richer and I love you.
5. Those that are making the move to the new digs, I'm so glad. I would be lost without you all. There are certainly too many of you all to even name. But like those who aren't coming along for the ride, I love you all too.
6. Each and everyone of you are the sisters I have chosen.
7. JoJo, you know the political discussions are gonna get fun come August.
8. MWAH to you all!!!

Wow

I've been really bad about keeping this thing updated. I keep telling myself I'm going to be better, but my schedule has been so erratic for so long that it's hard.

Hopefully now that I have a permanent job, I will get on a schedule. I'll have to. Gotta be up at 3am to be at work by 5am. I get off at 2pm, but when you are used to going to bed at 3am and now have to get up at that time, it really phuks with your system.

I've spent an inordinate amount of time of late with my dear friends from Italy. They decided to return to Italy and just fly back when business requires. Sucks for me as I do so love spending time with them. I was finally able to introduce them to my bestest friend, SB, and they love him as much as I do and vice-versa, he loves them as much as I do. That rocks my socks. These people had become my surrogate brother and sister and they feel the same way towards him. My intention was to go visit them in June and they invited SB to come as well. I love that part. Now when I go, my barely Italian speaking self will have another American along. He's as much into history as I am and we like so much of the same stuff. It will make it nice because we will likely want to see most of the same things.

I'm hoping that after a week or so of this new schedule, I'll be used to the weird sleep times (well, weird for me) and my brain will function as it should.

Another thing that has taken up a lot of my time of late. My favorite place to hang my hat on the web is closing down. Some will understand, others won't. These women (and 5 men) have been a huge part of my life. We have been with one another (me almost 6 years, some of them for 10 years) through marriages, divorces, pregnancies, births, deaths, graduations, new jobs, losing jobs, and everything in between. The site was (still is until 21 April) hosted by Harper Collins for the author Rebecca Wells. In their short-sightedness, they have chosen to pull the plug. I guess we aren't in the target demographic-women who love to read and buy books. Oh wait, that's who we are. I thank them for all the years they've given, but they've shown they are nothing more than a cold-hearted corporation in the end. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything different. They can still kiss my lily white ass.

Luckily for us, some others have stepped up and started groups where we can still be together. Many have become best friends, travelling to meet each other and the bonds that have been forged were all made possible by the web. Lord knows I would have never found a sister-at-heart in a woman in small town Arizona (whom I've never even met) without this place. Yeah, I'm rambling, but you get the picture. I've enjoyed the last few years with these ladies (and 5 men). They've helped me learn and grow in ways I don't believe would have ever been possible, or it would have taken much longer than what it has. They are the sisters I've chosen to have in my life. Thank goodness most have decided to continue with a new spot.

I'm out for now. Hoping to return somewhat soon, but I won't make promises this time.

coming to a blog near you

that's right. I've been super busy and a blog was the last thing on my mind. A friend mentioned over the weekend that I hadn't updated in quite some time, reminding me it's been some time.

so, I'm going to get back into the groove of doing this.