Put me out of my misery.....

I'm suffering from the worst cold I've had in a long time.

I want to die.

In between the brief cough drop induced hazes of clarity and my bouts of sneezing I've actually had pretty much the most irritating work day of my life.

If one more person comes up to my desk to complain about someone else, I've going to rip their head off.

Thomas the Terrible

It is becoming all too evident Thomas is growing up on me. I'm happy, and sad, and mystified all at the same time.

Even as I sit here, at this very moment in time, Thomas runs up to me happily exclaiming "Look Mom, see, they fit!" He is pointing down in cheerful exuberance at the Superman socks he found, tucked away precisely where he hid them the day I bought them, in the bottom door of the entertainment center.

"Look at that! I forgot I even bought those," I'm smiling, but sad, because I know that moments like these will soon be coming to an end. He's growing up on me, each new day just one more step toward his own independence.

"Have a good day," Thomas is playing with a blobby looking action figure, putting him away in the toy box. He says this because this is what I say to him each and every day I drop him off at daycare. I kiss him, I hug him, and I tell him to have a good day with a smile on my face.

I continue to be amazed when I discover that I have unintentionally molded his tiny little budding life.

The first time I heard him use the word "filthy" I laughed.

The first time I heard him say "vehicle" I was shocked.

The first time I heard him say "I love you Mom" it melted my heart.

So, here I sit, on a peaceful Sunday morning, Thomas sitting a few feet from me wearing his new pair of Superman tube socks, eating a Scoobie Doo multi color pushup, watching the Disney Movie 'Cars'.

At the moment, life is good.

 

The Brilliant Mind of a Woman

A married couple are driving along a highway doing a steady 60 miles per hour. The wife is behind the wheel. Her husband suddenly looks across at her and speaks in a clear voice. "I know we've been married for twenty years, but I want a divorce."

The wife says nothing,
Keeps looking at the road ahead but slowly increases her speed to 65 mph. The husband speaks again. "I don't want you to try and talk me out of it," He says, "because I've been having an affair with your best friend, And she's a far better lover than you are."

Again the wife stays quiet, But grips the steering wheel more tightly and slowly increases the speed to75 He pushes his luck. "I want the house," he says insistently..

Up to 80. "I want the car, too," he continues.

85 mph. "And," he says, "I'll have the bank accounts, all the credit cards and the boat!"

The car slowly starts veering towards a massive concrete bridge. This makes him nervous, so he asks her, "Isn't there anything you want?"

The wife at last replies in a quiet and controlled voice.
"No, I've got everything I need," she says.
"Oh, really," he inquires, "so what have you got?"

Just before they slam into the wall at 85mph,The wife turns to him and smiles. "The airbag."

Give us your tired, your weak, your huddled masses.......

When people were hungry and jobs were few, President Franklin D. Roosevelt sought a way to put men to work, at the same time, revitalizing the country's ravaged natural resources.  It was during the "Great Depressions" that the creation of many camps known as Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) were established, thus, creating an opportunity for struggling Americans to earn money to help feed their families.
 
My Grandfather, Michael A. O'Rourke, and his brother are just 2 of those people who found future and hope with this program. While I know he and his 2 brothers were immigrants from Ireland, I do not know much else. 
 
Pictured above you will see Steward Michael A. O'Rourke in the center, the gentleman wearing the uniform.  Directly to his right is his brother, I wish I had a name, unfortunately I'm without that information.  While I know absolutely nothing about my Dad's side of the family, I have to say, I'm absolutely fascinated by learning this little tidbit of information.  This is the only photo I have of any members of my Dad's side of the family, I'm thankful to Roger for passing it along to me.
 
The pictures are taken at Camp Polack Lake, CCC 688.  Camp Pollack Lake was first settled as a tent camp in 1934 by enrollees from Camp Bear Lake in northern Lower Michigan.  The camp was responsible for such things as road and bridge construction, construction of the Waco Fire Tower, reforestation and timber stand improvement, fish planting, game surveys, fire fighting.... etc.  The camp eventually closed in 1937. 

You know it's time to dump your boyfriend when.....

you find yourself drugging him, in secret, with valium given to you by a 56 year old male coworker, just to keep him from humping you like a jack rabbit.

Sadly, this is indeed a true story.

Sandy has been getting valium from a 56 year old male coworker, grinding it into a powder, then feeding it to her boyfriend in the form of a salad dressing mixture on his salad.

I couldn't believe my ears as the details of the secret drugging unfolded.

Apparently she has begun drugging him to get relief from his constant sexual advances. On the days she doesn't feel like having sex she feeds him the pills in his salad, thereby creating a sleepy boyfriend who has no desire for sex.

I feel like a criminal just knowing the sordid details.

Reason # 501 Why I Prefer to Eat My Lunches at Home

For the past few weeks I've elected to start bringing my lunch from home and eat at my desk.

My sole reason, it saved money, more specifically, GAS. I'm amazed at how long I can now go between fill ups.

The only downfall, so far, has been my continual bombardment by the scavenger. By scavenger, I'm referring to Audrey.

Case in point:

Today I'm sitting at my desk, eating, cruising around on the web trying to figure out why the heat has mysteriously stopped in my Jeep. From the corner of my eye I see a hand reaching into my trash.

It's Audrey.

Startled, I look up at her and ask her what she's doing. Her response? "Just checking to see what you're eating. It smells good."

I almost died.

Who in the hell goes through someone's garbage to see what they are eating?? Better yet, what possesses a person to go through someone's garbage to see what they are eating? Have you not heard of a thing called verbal communication?

Needless to say, as I sat in horror while she rifled through my trash, I have begun to rethink my necessity to save money.

Weird happenings of Late

Out of the blue, this morning, Thomas said to me "My Grandpa is dead. He died. He was running and choked on a bee."

To be honest, I've kind of gotten used to this weird topic. Every so often he begins to talk about Charlie's Dad, it completely baffles me. For starters, he has never met him. Tom had died when Zachary was only two, even Zachary does not remember him.

"Grandpa was sick, Thomas. He had cancer..... Have you been talking with Grandma about Grandpa?" I was grasping at straws, I knew they had not.

"No. I just know, he told me. He was running and choked on a bee," Thomas was very confident in the fact that he had been running and choked on a bee. "He was sick with cancer and it made him die."

It was at this point of the conversation that I was getting the tingles up and down my spine. I always get them when Thomas talks about Tom. From the time he was a tiny little guy he had brought up this topic of conversation, always around the same time of year, this time of year.

"Ok babe, why don't we go work on a craft," I wanted to change the subject, it was getting uncomfortable for me.

Hopping off my lap, he ran into the computer room waiting for me to follow. As weird as it may sound, I sometimes wonder if perhaps he may be able to see Tom, or has some sort of special connection with him, something more then just the legacy of the name.

Sometimes I think it must be just a huge coincidence and he has been able to glean certain things from conversations that have stuck with him.

Whatever the case, when it does happen, it does unnerve me. Death is, and always will be, one of my greatest fears.

The Ponderosa Fiasco

I know better, I really do. Going anywhere, in public, with Charlie is a recipe for disaster.

I must be a glutton for punishment, because, even though I know better, I suggested Charlie and I eat out.

Big mistake.

There I sat, Thomas sitting next to me, Charlie sitting across from me, miserable to the core.

"Why do fat people always come here to eat," Charlie snorts, loud enough for the very large couple who just sat down next to us to hear. I can feel myself turning red.

"Do you not listen to me? Did you not understand a thing I said when I told you 10 minutes ago that it is not ok to talk like that?" I was completely horrified.

"That was fucking disgusting, that disgusting bitch had cat hair all over her coat. Why in the hell can't people take their fucking disgusting shit off before they reach for food. I'm not eating, pure and simple," still talking loudly enough for anyone in the vicinity to hear, he crumples up his napkin and tosses it to the side of the booth.

I sat there in silence, looking down at my plate.

I find it incomprehensible that someone could have such a lack of respect for anyone other then himself.

Just once I would like to see him get a taste of his own medicine.

The Rugged Man Thong

Ever wonder what resides beneath that carpenters tool pouch and jeans??

Bored on a Sunday

The older I am, the more boring I become..... I used to have a life, I just can't figure out where it went.

I had quite possibly the worst dream I've ever had last night. Calling it a dream is actually doing it an injustice. It was a horror flick come alive in the synapses of my brain.

In the dream, Charlie, the kids, and I all lived in a really old dump of a house. The house had been dank and dark throughout the entire dream, smelling like an old musty basement filled with stagnant air.

I can vividly remember that I was wearing a black concert t-shirt and jeans that were tight rolled, it's almost as if the dream itself was taking place back in the 80's.

What had been most horrible about this dream was the fact that I was plagued by demons and evil spirits. They followed me everywhere, a winged 'thing' actually hovered above me always. The sounds of hissing and low howls and sneers were a constant in the back ground.

Near the end of the dream Thomas had come running out of the kitchen with a snake wrapped around him, I looked over at Charlie, sitting in an old gold colored chair, and I requested he buy me a crucifix for my birthday, I wasn't sure I would be able to make it without one.

It was at that point I had looked up at the floating creature above me and made a cross with my index fingers, cursing the creature back. (I call this thing a creature because I have no idea what I could call it. It resembled a human form, with long white hair that floated around it's face in strings, but it really wasn't human. The face looked like a mummy, but the eyes were deep black, long sharp teeth could be seen through it's hissing mouth. It was dressed in long robes that floated around it, but it also had wings.)

It was at this point that I had woke up, completely shaken and terrified. Needless to say, I did not fall back to sleep.

The Gang

Another year, another group picture, aren't we cute??

Back Row:
Sherry, Me, Mary, Jackie, Julie

Front Row:
Helen, Dave, Audrey

You've been watching too much Seinfeld.....

I can not believe someone actually said this to me!

So, I bit my tongue and poked my eye while I was trying to get my girl scout cookies out of the box. Like I'm the only one in the world who has ever had this happen to them??? I'm just the only one out there who actually had the nerve to tell anyone about it.

Then again, if it hadn't happened in front of the entire receiving department, I wouldn't have had the nerve to tell anyone about it either.