One Wonders how safe our kids really are at school

I am talking about the incident today at Riverview High School where my son and Kat's sons attend. There was a report of a suspect with a gun on school premises.


SARASOTA - The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office is investigating an incident that occurred today at Riverview High School in regards to a report of an individual on campus armed with a handgun.
A student reported having a conversation with a male subject while on campus during which the subject displayed a handgun that was tucked in the subject's waistband. The school was put on lockdown at approximately 11:50 a.m. and a thorough search of the campus was conducted however the subject was not located. At approximately 1:10 p.m. the campus was put into limited lockdown.
The subject is described as a white male, 17-19 years old, approximately 6'0" and 180 lbs with brown hair and some facial hair. The subject had a silver stud tongue piercing and two large hollow black rings within his earlobes. The subject was wearing a silver skull ring on the middle finger of his left hand. The subject was dressed in a black t-shirt with white skulls and black cargo-styled pants.

Did they say a thorough search? Here's my son's response: No one in his class was searched just some security officer opened the door took a peek and left. Hmmm

When did the parents find out? Well first of all Kat left a msg on my cell phone telling me what she had heard from her son Sebastian. I called Kat back and told her that I would call Jeff to find out what was going on. I could barely hear Jeff because the reception at that high school is shit. But at least I hear him say he was ok. Riverview's principal released an automated message to call every one's home at 6:00 this evening and the message was a joke. Chris answered the phone and just shook his head and hung up. And then looked at me and said "We have officially been notified of the lock down". WTF people? Why weren't the parents notified immediately? You know how most parents found out? Their kids calling them from their cell phones. You want to know why there was a cluster fuck at the school today and why the police didn't seem to have a clue? Because they didn't. Kat told me that when she got their to get her sons it was a fucking madhouse. Visit Kat's site because she has way more details than I do and she is so much better than I am with details.

Woot! Show me the money... NOT

So.. I am getting a 50 cent raise effective this pay check that I will receive on Friday. And I will then receive another 50 cents starting January 1st. No retro like I was promised 15 months ago. Ok... I need to go calm down...later

And the illness has spread....

Guess what? Oh come on now really take a guess. The whole damn family with exception to Jeff because that kid seems to have an immune system that kicks all virus' asses has now gone through the gauntlet. Chris and I both stayed home from work yesterday because we both had gotten what our lovely Katie brought home.

I am over it people. It never fails, I always catch what she has. Ok... can't stay on too long... gotta go:(

It never fails...

someone always gets sick during the holidays. This year it happened to Katie.
We had a wonderful feast and all and she kept up with everyone else in over indulging but at about 5am Friday morning she came running into our room crying that her tummy hurt and lo and behold she threw up right in the middle of our room.
Although she had more than a mere tummy ache, she was raging with fever too. A dose of children's Motrin and some water with a new change of pajamas and she was back in dreamland.
Daddy got to stay home with her. Luckily for Daddy he wasn't scheduled to be at work yesterday. *Bastard*
The kids didn't have school yesterday anyway and If I did not go into work "on the busiest day of the year for plumbers" I would not have been paid for Thanksgiving. By the way.... it wasn't busy at all. DAMN!!!!
She has been feverish off and on all day today so hopefully she just has a 24 bug deal going on. I so hope no one else gets it because I am usually the last one and I normally get it 10 times worse than anyone else. I think I am going to stock up on Vitamin C and Cranberry juice now so I can prevent this thing getting to me.

I am Thankful

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I hope each and every one you have found something to be thankful for. I am thankful for:

1. My Family - without their love and support I wouldn't be striving to be better myself.
2. My Friends
3. My Job - although at times I complain but I am still thankful that I have one:)

We watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a tradition in our home. Chris fried TWO turkeys (his bosses son wanted fried turkey this year so Chris volunteered to show his son how to do it) all the sides you could want:

Mashed potatoes,stuffing, green bean casserole, yams, cranberries,Waldorf salad, olives, deviled eggs and home made bread. Of course there was pies. Three of them: Pumpkin, Apple and Blueberry

None of my family fell asleep after eating but all the grandparents went home tired and wanting naps:)

This needs some serious thought.

I mentioned in October that I wanted to approach my boss regarding a raise that was promised me. Well, it was too hard to pin him down long enough to honestly talk about it without being interrupted by several people. Yesterday, he approached me. Not to talk about the raise but to convince me to go back on their company insurance. I opted out this time last year because the provider switched our plans to an outrageous Health Savings Plan. That means I would have to pay $6,000.00 dollars to have coverage but I would also had to meet my $4000.00 deductible first before any benefits kicked in. I could in no way afford that type of plan.
Needless to say I found a better plan for me and my children on my own. I only pay $265.oo a month and my co-pay is $35.oo across the board except for emergency room which is $100.00.

They have switched providers and they need 10 people to be on the policy in order to avoid divulging medical history. Coincidently they would have had enough people if he had not had let a tech go yesterday. So this was his proposition. He would give me a $2.10 an hour raise which would be exactly enough to cover the cost of including my children on the plan. They would pay my premium. My boss looked it at that he was saving me the money I had been shelling out every month for my own. I had mentioned that I was not sure I was comfortable with an HMO and due to my daughters ear issues I would not think it would be beneficial for my family to switch. I also went on to say that although I understand their situation with the insurance but that I could still use the raise since It is owed to me and retro.

I am not getting retro but instead an extra weeks vacation and a $1.00 an hour increase. He did not commit to that review over a year ago and in fact he was not apart of it. The Ex-general manager made that deal. I am not exactly happy with the outcome although it is better than nothing. They decided to put the office manager on their insurance (company paid of course) even though she is already covered on her husbands insurance.

Nothing is written in stone. I did request that he personally put it in writing and allow me to review it before signing the agreement. Personally apart of me wants the $2.10 an hour raise and an extra weeks of paid vacation. What do you think?

Damn has it been that long...

Why don't you people email me to remind me that I haven't posted since Tuesday? Geez... I need reminders all the time. The week goes by so fast and before I know it I am starting a whole new week. Sorry it's been awhile. School has taken priority and by the way it's going I have to start planning my week in advance and I mean to the minute. Otherwise I should just crawl in a hole and cower till the earth explodes.

Shall we start this day over?

Let's see... Oh, I wake up 30 minutes later than I normally do with a migraine from hell. Chris is a little perturbed with me but what else is new at that hour of the morning.
I rush everyone to where they need to be and not one "Thank you". hmm... What the hell would they do if I wasn't here?

I get to work and there is no where to park. WTF people. I have a small Chevy Malibu. Is it really too much to ask to leave me some space to park? Your big ass box trucks should not be blocking my space any way. And what is it with men not getting their asses in gear to get to their first call on time. I am going to have to get into the threatening mode again.
Can you pictures this? Me standing by the door with a long baseball bat like stick, we fondly refer to as the "rectifier" and a tube of KY Jelly. This is the only way to get them the hell out of the office and on their way to the customers. There is this one tech that we call "Fred Flinstone" because I swear people the amount of time he takes to get to a house that would normally take ME 15 minutes takes him 45 and the only way I see that happening is by foot powering the damn truck. I have even taken on the role of "Kazoo" and calling him Dum Dum. For those of you who have seen the Flintstones can relate. For those of you who have not then you are way too young to be reading my blog.. geesh.

I get home and prepare the dinners side dishes while Chris' grills the burgers. I then take Jeff to work and go to the store to pick up dog food and other odds and ends. But before leaving in the first place I started to download a free trial run for 60 days of Microsoft office 2007 so that I can open the documents I need for classes. I thought Chris would've made sure it installed correctly but by the time I get back (almost an hour later) the computer froze and I had to start all over again and Chris wonders why I give him looks of death!

Once I pick up Jeff from work we come home and I help Jeff study for an American History test and come to find out he is far from knowing the material. WTF son.. didn't you pay attention to anything? I wanted to strangle him. He tells me "no prob mom it's open book" Really? well seeing as how you don't know the material how are you going to know where to look for the answers? SMART ASS!!!

And on top of all that I still have that damn stupid fucking migraine! I'm going to bed.

I am beat...

and I feel like I have been run over by a semi. I have a feeling my migraine marathon is returning full steam on. All weekend I had a slight migraine. The kind that linger to let you know the mother of all migraines will be showing up shortly. No pain pills are available but Chris did get some muscle relaxers for his TMJ and he only needed one. I may try it to see if the tension goes away and then maybe I won't get a full blown one.

School is actually going smoothly. I am still learning the ropes on navigating through my classes. I haven't really connected with any of the other students other than in discussion boards which are quite similar to forum message boards. This coming week has me nervous because we will actually be beginning the course. The first week was to get familiar with everyone and the course material. Now it's time to really sink in.

Work is work... Apparently the techs are hyping mad because health insurance premiums have gone up 40% again. That's four times in two years people. It's getting a little ridiculous. I opted out of the employer insurance almost a year now. It's cheaper for me and my children to get it privately. Seriously!!! I am telling you guys that everything is going to go up in price, not just gas. I am positive that gas prices will reach if not exceed $4.oo a gallon here shortly. I am sure the western states have already felt that pinch. Ok.. gotta go the migraine is full blown now:(

See ya all tomorrow....

It just doesn't get any better...

About a week and a half ago Chris' license was suspended for 90 days. He will not be able to reinstate it until January 24th. Way too many speeding tickets. He got most of them driving from one inspection to another in record time:) Now he has the office manager take him to his inspections. I am seriously thinking about buying him a radar detector for Christmas either that or one of those chips that stalls the care if you exceed 80 mph.

So... not only do I have to drive my son to school which Chris used to do but now I have to take him to work and then take Katie to school. Which means we leave the house around 6:30a.m. Now I am used to it already and I actually get to work a half and hour early so I can take a full lunch hour to be able to go home and let my dogs out. Now Chris is talking about making the change permanent. *sigh* Why? because he has 23 points on his license right now and one more point and the license is gone for a full year. Men.

Seems like old times...

Today I spent a great deal with my mom. After waking up at 6am to get Jeff ready for his orchestra outing and dropping him off at his high school at 7:30 I went to meet my mom for breakfast. Chris and Katie were still sleeping when I left.

We talked about the weather difference between Florida and Ohio and how well her and my dad are adjusting to living with my moms parents until they find their own place. I haven't laughed with my mom in such a long time. My mom and aunt finished painting my grandparents bathroom (kinda had to since the wallpaper was peeling off the walls) and the next step is to paint the other bathroom. My mom treated me to a haircut. This is her way of telling me that my hair is in dire need and baby you are much too old to have hair down past the middle of your back. I didn't mind one bit because actually I have been wanting to get my haircut but didn't know exactly what I wanted. So... I got four inches taken off the length and the sides shaped to my face and bangs. Nothing drastic because then I would have to actually spend time on my hair and I don't have that luxury.

My parents and Chris' parents will all be here for Thanksgiving and that is going to be a hoot. Already my mom has committed to making Three pies: Apple, Blueberry and of course Pumpkin. During our breakfast conversation she had asked me what vegetable I had planned on and this is how our conversation went:
Her: Don't you want green bean casserole?

Me: Well, yeah that would be nice.

Her: Then I will make it. Oh and I will bring the stuffing cause you know your dad loves stuffing and while we are talking about this what kind of salad do you plan on? Wait.. I will make Waldorf salad too.

Me: Mom... Mom.....MOM!! Do you want to cook at my house? Except for the Turkey because we are frying that.

Her: Well that might not be such a bad idea but first we will need to clean your house real good before that... not saying your house is a mess but you know it could use a good cleaning

Me: Whatever... how's your sausage gravy and biscuits?

This student role is not bad at all.

So, I am officially ahead of the game and have already done my homework and submitted before the due date. I so ROCK!!As my son told me and I have a feeling he was being a little too condescending, the little twerp.
I have also started working into the next weeks work just so I can be more familiar with the subject the next time I have a seminar. I would much rather be prepared and not out of the loop like most of the students in yesterdays seminar. I was trying to pay attention to what the teacher had to say or rather type since it was like being in a chat room and although there are 30 students taking this particular class only 15 showed up for the seminar. This is all new to me and it's awkward trying to comprehend some of the material but part of that is my fault because I am so eager to learn I am traveling at a faster rate and may be a little to far into the game. So I will try and slow my pace down a tad or two. Thanks guys for all your encouraging words and please if I may ask keep them coming because it helps me strive to do good:)

First Day of School

and I am mentally drained. Not that it looks hard or anything it's just learning to navigate through the site and get familiar with the tools of communicating not only with the instructor but the other "classmates" as well. I will have my first "seminar" tomorrow night and that is basically being online live with everyone attending the class. We will basically be going over the syllabus of the course and what the instructors expectations are. I really think I am going to do well.

The clock is ticking...

and I am trying my best to go over the schools' website so that I can familiarize myself with everything before my first class starts. I will actually be in an hour long "seminar" with my professor and the rest of the online gang attending her class. We will be conversing back and forth through AOL instant messenger. That will start tomorrow at 8pm. At 7:30, my advisor will be calling me to help me log into my class to make sure everything runs smoothly and that there are no problems logging on.
Does anyone know where I can get my hands on a cheap Microsoft Word software. I thought that this computer had it but it only has Microsoft Works and it is not compatible with what the school requires. I hate having to wait to the last minute but I am pretty damn stupid when it comes to what I think is STANDARD software. Your help will be much appreciated. Ok.. I am off to pull out my hair. Wish me luck and I will be sure to post about my first night:)

Bad Credit will hinder...

I have always been one that struggled financially. It wasn't that I didn't pay my bills, it was more of not having enough money coming in to pay the necessities. Being a single mom for the first nine years of Jeff's life was rough. I didn't get help from his father and was I was way to stubborn to get all the help I could have from the government. I know I was entitled to some things because I did work and contribute. Nonetheless, I would rather work my self ragged than apply for assistance.

My credit is ok. Could be a hell of a lot better but I did my best to pay everything. There are a few marks against me because I am not perfect. I even took out bad credit loans when I was about 23 years old. I wanted to get things straightened out while I was a struggling single mom. It actually helped a great deal back then. I never got myself into deep water again after paying the loan off. I have learned to charge only what I know I can afford. I am so picky when it comes to credit cards as well. I can't believe the interest rates on some of them. I now know that the better your credit is the lower the interest you pay. I kind of wish I knew that back then.

With the housing economy coming to a stand still and many mortgage companies declaring bankruptcy, there is no telling how many people are going to be defaulting on their mortgages and how many banks will be foreclosing on homes this year and next year. There are so many houses for sale in Sarasota alone. The amounts that are being asked for are mind bending. You would think now would be the time to snatch up homes but I am telling you that the bottom will not actually drop until next summer when these people realize they are not going to get what they are asking for. Think about what I said and watch for it to happen

Busy Weekend... Busier week ahead

This weekend was daunting and exhausting.
I managed to:

• Get all the laundry done
• Take Jeff back and forth to work
• Scrub the downstairs floor ( Hardwood)
• Cook dinner
• Grocery shopping
• Clean dinner dishes
• Get all the necessary paperwork done for my online classes
• Piss Chris off several times (apparently that is what I am most excellent at;)
• Make Potato Salad AND egg salad.
• And a bunch of little odds and ends

Now that we have a second computer in the house ( I am the Queen of one computer that's all mine) mainly because of my school requirements and the fact that I will need to be on more than all the other heathens that live here. Also because Chris has takin a likin to Guild Wars and now plays with his buddy Phil, who happens to live in England. Don't even ask how many hours he played this weekend.

I am so super hyped about starting school on Wednesday. I am so nervous and anxious and really worried whether or not I will make it. I just hope my family will understand that I will need their help. Pfft.. who am I kidding. They expect me to be Wonder Woman.

It's official... I have lost my mind...

after being out of school for almost 19 years, I have decided to further my education by enrolling at a University that allows me to get my Bachelors online. I am going for Bachelors of Science in Business. I have wanted to do this for over ten years but figured my life was too hectic and with raising a young family it wouldn't be feasible to do. This is going to take me until 2011 to complete but I am so anxious to get started. My first class starts this Wednesday, November 7th.

My family is behind me 100 percent and my son has volunteered to help me with my math... haha... thanks Jeff. I just may take you up on that offer.

There are three reasons that factored my decision to pursue this. 1: Proving to Jeff just how important an education really is to getting a better paying job, 2: This will give me tremendous knowledge to get the online store where it should be and maintaining the business and 3: To get me out of my dead end, going nowhere job I have now. Before you ask whether or not I got a chance to talk to my boss about a raise, the answer is no. He has not been in long enough to corner and apparently his golf game is far more important.

Wish me luck.

I love Chinese food.

I was spoiled when I was younger because close family friends of ours that came from China would always cook us an authentic home made Chinese dinner every Sunday. By the time I was five years old I knew how to use chopsticks like a pro. I would try just about anything they made. When my family and I reminisce about that family (Uncle Ed has passed away over 15 years ago) they would remind me of the time that my Uncle Ed joked with me that I was eating Water Buffalo and I just kept on eating like it didn't phase me a bit. I do remember telling Uncle Ed that buffalo was good. So much for trying to put one over on a kid right?

Aunt San would show me how to make egg rolls which is a very tedious task and it requires some very eccentric ingredients that I would not have guessed go into them. I haven't made them from scratch in years. My favorite soup in Won ton. I could make that a meal just by itself. Shrimp chips always have to be included when I am enjoying my Won ton.

My all time favorite dish is pepper steak and fried rice. I still make my own fried rice but when the family is craving an entire meal that is when we head out to an authentic Chinese restaurant. Because let's face it I do not have enough time to really cook it all from scratch.
Ok... I am going because I am going to devour the left overs I have in the fridge:)