Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas... And did my neighbor kill his wife?

Merry Christmas! I live in a family where all the grandkids have been spoiledyet, again. It the same thing every year is kids tell our parents not to bring home the biggest, most popular expensive toys. And each year they completely ignore that. So what did they get that makes us kids believe our kids are spoiled? Well 8 grand kids got an iPad2, 3 Nintendo 3ds, well actually 4 Nintendo 3ds because my dad gown one from work, an android telephone, a Flip video camera, an electric guitar, a Barbie Power Wheels, new bunk beds a few loads of new laundry and so much other stuff. So yes we have managed to spoil 8 kids! The sad thing is each of os parents is just as guilty as our own parents for exceeding the credit limits set on our credit cards. So I am not blameless and neither are my sisters. How did we get this way? Not sure, but we all learned to overshop over achieve and be fiercely competitive. Maybe that is just the American way. Being a consumer slave keeps the world going and if not for our family the economy would simply collapse.

Speaking of too many toys... My usually very cross neighbor actually spoke to me. It was quite pleasant. And they had a big box full of toys that no child was enjoying. I simply had so much trouble saying no to a box of free toys. I secretly thought what kinda crap they have? I'd probably just give them to the salvation army or the crisis nursery. Unfortunately, they were good, really good and my kids want to keep them. How am I gonna get these toys to kids that are not spoiled? Do I do it in the dark of night? Do burglar my own kids?

So late at night i am laying in bed pondering the very idea of stealing the very nice toys from my kids and giving them to underprivileged kids. That's when I heard an argument billowing from my wall. My usually cross neighbor was back to her bitter self and yelling again at her docile husband. All of a sudden he had a voice! Loud and menacing he argued back at her! Following this roar I heard a loud sound. Was it a slap? Was it a pistol shot? Was it something equally sinister like a frying pan? I don't know. I just know the only sound that has emanated since has been a hard silence.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Southwest Gas rate hike of 7.7 percent OK'd by regulators

Southwest Gas rate hike of 7.7 percent OK'd by regulators

This makes me angry and I don't even have a Gas Bill! THis is crazy. The state regulators of energy decided to allow a raise in the cost of Natural Gas purchased through Southwest Gas of nearly 8%! Why? Oh because of greater use of energy efficient appliances they are not selling as much Natural Gas as they used to! How about they get better at cutting cost and using the resources they have? And why such a large hike? Why can't it just increase yearly with the rate of local or national inflation. Hitting folk with that large of a hike is crazy! When I had Southwest Gas in the old house it was nearly $200 a month an 8% increase adds up, really, really fast. It may not seem like a whole bunch, at 7.7% on a $200.00 month bill is just $15.54. Of course there happen to 12 months in a year, so that is just under $200 extra a year per household for Southwest Gas.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

How the day was spent

So. Well. Huh.  I guess those are the words I like best. 


I thought I was gonna do something.  Not sure what, I was gonna do because I did not have a plan.  Though this was not it.  The day started with a terrific headache.  It turns out 2+ glasses of wine are not that good for me.  They make me uckey!  I can't remember the last time I was hung over, and now I hope that I can forget this one and never do it again. Of course everytime we people drink too much we always say I will never do that again.  No I did not throw up.  I just had an awful headach that took hours and several Exedrines to clear up. 

I learned today that Cub Scouts has changed back to Tuesdays.  Which is a good thing.  Those Thursdays were starting to get too stressful due to conflicting demands.  I am a tad bit crazy, I am sure you are nodding your head to that one.  I volunteered for a Chair position with the Grand Canyon Boy Scouts.  I am absolutely certain I am in over my head.  I just don't know how much.  Since that required me to be somewhere else at the same time I was supposed to be supervising my kids while my Bear Cub participated on Thursday nights.  This is really a good thing for me.  I also had our Cub Scout Pack 293 Parent Committee Meetings 1 Thursday a month, also at the same time as the den meeting.  So I think its really good. 

I Spent my day chasing a toddler with a head cold who thought it was a great idea to run in the sprinklers in 50 degree weather while dragging a long haired dog.  Yeah, the dog really enjoyed that, ( totally sarcastic).


Then I finally remembered to take my antidepressant, which I have started to see some improvement from.  Its not gonna change me, its just gonna help kick me out of bed and into the shower a few hours earlier and possibly more than once in a week.  I took that.  I made lunch for the soaked toddler and blow dryed the fluffy and smelly dog.  Wished it was warmer. 

Got the toddler to take a nap, though I fell asleep with him for a while.  Then finally checked the emails I wanted to check hours earlier.  Realized that the Cub Scouts Den meeting had been changed, and that I have a doctors appointment Wednesday morning.  Checked up with my Boy Scout Executive to learn what I needed to do for Thursday night.  Found out I will be speaking publicly about Scout O Rama which happens in April.  Prayed for sanity.  Edited the Scout-O-Rama video so ti would only run 1 minute instead of 4 minutes.  Then made the 8 year old cook hot dogs for dinner so we could go to the Cub Scouts Den Meeting.  Go.  Go. Go. 

Sleep.  No.  Still want to do a thousand things.  If only I could remember what they were so I could plan for tommorow.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

sigh

yada, yada, yada. 

Oh how I wish this thing was just connected directly to my brain.  Then it would be updated all the time.  So many things I have wanted to write about and I even had good drafts in my head, but alas, that is how ADHD works. 

What seems so simple and easy for others, like just sitting down and tying a good know for your sneakers is just not simple for us.  As you may have already guessed I am still full of self doubt and pity.  Can't seem to shake the depressed feeling or the constant overwhelming anxiety.  All the time, that constant paranoia feeling you are just doing it wrong.  Absolutely positive everyone hates you for your behavior.  No matter how you try you just can't hide that you underneath all the well meaning "yes, I can".  Somehow you just don't meet the expectations of others, let alone yourself. 

Why is it that today expectations are constantly in flux?  Shouldn't things be predictable?  I know I am not predictable!  But anyway, what is normal?  I know its not what the media reports...  Does everyone feel this way?  Does everyone have trouble remembering where they put the keys?  Or that the water boiling on the stove needs to be attended to?  Don't all parents forget to change a dirty diaper once in a while?  Or forget to feed the pets?

Everyone else seems to have it all together.  That drives me insane!!  I want to know what I want so I can go get it.  I want to remember to take the dog for a walk or do that thing I can't remember I wanted to do. Of course I will remember when I am 10 miles a way, late for what ever it is, when the baby needs to be changed from the stinky diaper and the 5 year old is screaming about how the baby hit him and the 8 year old is busy being the parent, not to mention we are in the car, so I can't possibly write it down.  So I drive repeating to myself that thing I wanted to do, repeatedly and unknowingly cutting other drivers off, screaming, "shut up!  I can't drive with all this noise", and forgetting we were going somewhere specific which we were late to, and parking the car in front of my house because I lost the garage remote again.