La La La... The Fat Lady has Officially Sung!

My money has been wired. Escrow has closed. Title has recorded. My agent has the keys. I'm officially a Seattle homeowner! Now, who's gonna buy this fat & über happy mama a drink (or three)?

Chewing Away... Nom Nom Nom

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. I am a nail biter. Or more specifically, I'm a cuticle chewer. I used to be a nail biter too, but I haven't attacked my actual nails since I was in my 20's. Don't ask me why, I've had this little annoying habit since I was a kid.

Ask any of my friends & family, they'll all tell you that if I'm not staring obsessively into the glowing screen of my iPhone, then I'll most likely have a hand stuffed in my mouth & am gnawing away furiously at my fingers. Sometimes, I even manage to do BOTH at the same time - no, not chewing on both hands you sickos, I mean one is being chewed on & the other is maneuvering my iPhone. Sheesh!

Anyway, I got some more tattoo work done last Wednesday (trying to link my Green Tara on my upper arm with the owls on my lower arm). I very rarely experience pain WHILE getting a tattoo. The endorphins kick in & the pain becomes almost pleasurable. Hell, I've even been known to take cat naps or read while sitting under the sting of the needle.

This new bit of tattooing is on my left elbow and the areas above, around & below it. On Thursday I thought I was going to die. Last night I considered leaving my child alone & asleep in her crib so I could slip off to the emergency room for a high dosage shot of antibiotics and pain killers. Today is Sunday & I'm still in a significant amount of pain. So much so, I'm definitely planning to see my doctor tomorrow just to make sure it's not infected (or worse). It is rather red, hot, ooooozy & swollen.

Mmmmm...

By now you're wondering what the heck does this have to do w/ nail biting (or cuticle chewing)?

Here's the dilemma my friends; I can't even bend my left arm b/c the pain is so excruciating, so my left hand and the nails/cuticles upon it have heretofore been saved from my nasty little habit. Yay for my left hand! But let me tell ya, it's driving me NUTS that I can't get to it. So, for now I'm chewing on my right hand, double time!

Just thought I'd share that with ya. The end.

Vote or Die?

Well, I don't know if anyone will truly die if they don't vote, but that's what all those tee-shirt wearing, wheat grass drinking, Hummer - oops, I mean Prius driving - rich as hell celebrities keep telling us. Right?

This year I am voting absentee b/c I'll be in Seattle on Election Day. Gotta love the efficiency of our LA County Registrar. It took them 2 internet requests, 1 phone call & 43 days to send my ballot. It arrived last Saturday. I didn't vote until this morning.

I wanted to take my time, especially on all of the ballot measures (CA loves it's ballot measures!). I have also been on the fence about WHO to choose for President. After almost 2 years of campaigning, negative ads, (c)overt racism, comedy sketches, late night monologues, discussions (err, arguments) w/ family & friends, and waiting for the VP choices to be made, etc. I have flip flopped many times over as to who might get my vote. But today the time had come to decide. So I did.

Let me just say one thing. I'm flippin' tired of people making assumptions about my political ideology! What the hell does anyone know about how I feel about one issue or another? And really, how is it any of their business?

My GOP family thinks I'm a liberal pinko commie. Yes, it's true. I was raised by a bunch of Republicans. Though at least my parents were Old School vs. the hijacked version of the GOP that reigns over our country today.

My Conservative Right-leaning friends assume that b/c I'm tattooed & like "alternative" music (among other reasons) that I'm a Left-leaning nut job who wants a National health care system & free social services for every poor bastard ever born (I don't btw).

Then when my Liberal friends find out that I am not a fervent supporter of Barack Obama, or that I don't believe in Bailouts or Illegal Immigration, that I believe Business Owners should be able to run their business however they see fit (I hate Politically Correct BS more than just about anything), they of course leap to the wrong assumption that I'm going to vote for John McCain & his dolled up hench(wo)man, err, I mean Sarah Palin.

Really? Am I that easy to peg? Is it possible that after all these years my friends & family really have no idea who I am? Or is it their lack of courage to cross party lines that's clouding their ability to see that there are many Americans unwilling to vote w/ their registered party.

My problem is that I feel like I have ZERO choices this time around. I was born/raised in CA, I've also lived in NY, PA, two foreign countries and I was an AZ resident for almost 12 years. I was a registered Democrat for many years, but left the party more than a decade ago. And no, I didn't register w/ the GOP.

There was a time when I really liked John McCain. Sometimes he STILL cracks me up, even though I do think he's lost his damn mind. Note too that during my time in AZ, I was a LOT more liberal than I am now. Admittedly, I've also always liked the Clintons, despite their many foibles over the years. Even so, I couldn't really see myself voting for Hillary even though I think she is far more qualified to be President than Obama is. There were other candidates earlier in the Running Game that I liked even better; Bill Richardson being one of them, but of course he didn't get very far in the race. Sigh. I could go on... but I think you get the idea.

So what to do? What to do? In the end "my friends" (to borrow a phrase from my old buddy McCain), I ain't telling. My vote has been cast. I don't want to talk about the election, or the candidates, anymore. I am really tired of all the mud slinging and pundits talking out of their necks about things that do not impact my daily life.

All you need to know is that I voted. Ultimately, no matter what you think about the candidates, or what you think you know about the political leanings of your friends & family, or strangers like me... YOU should really think about voting too. IMO, this election is far too important to sit out. If for no other reason than the fact that there are several thousand American women & men deployed overseas who are fighting for YOUR right to do so.

I hope you're registered. I hope your city/county is taking great care to make sure your vote gets counted fairly & accurately. I hope you'll take a moment and really THINK about which candidate best represents your beliefs & your dreams for the future of this country. I hope you'll not be swayed by all the lies & rhetoric. Please remember, a President can only do so much! I hope you'll also consider voting every single incumbent that is running for Congress OUT of office, regardless of their party affiliation.

Most of all? I hope to see the pendulum swing in a more SANE direction come January! And I believe it will, regardless of who actually "wins" the election on November 4th.

See y'all on the other side!

The Fat Lady is About to Sing

So wow, the proverbial "Fat Lady" is about to sing her face off!

Above is a photo of the house I bought in West Seattle. There were a few hiccups in the get-along certainly (i.e. the owner of the house died 1/2 way through escrow - she was 93 & the original owner of the house). But this morning, I had my bank wire the funds to the Title company, so after the last documents are signed & FedEx'ed this afternoon, we should close escrow as early as Monday.

I'll be posting more pictures over at my Flickr account -- especially the Before, During & After shots of the remodel that will begin hopefully sometime in November or early December. Won't be moving to Seattle however until the bulk of all that is done b/c frankly, who wants to live in all that dust if ya don't have to? So, we'll stay here in CA until the new house is ready. And if my parents house sells beforehand? I'll worry about what to do next then, and only then.

Somehow though, I suspect that everything will fall into place just perfectly. ;-)

Grins & Giggles

A Message From the Great Pumpkin

Well, not really... but it seemed appropriate given the season & the fact that Dexy had a ball picking out some of the bright orange squash yesterday @ our local Pumpkin Patch.

See?



We city folk have to do something to simulate country living, right? Anyway, Dexy enjoyed it even more this year b/c well, duh!, she's walking, talking and just way more interested in other little kids now. Pa's Pumpkin Patch is like toddler heaven compared to the usual daily fare w/ her mom. Ha! I'm sure we'll go back several more times before the end of the month. Whatever it takes to keep 'em happy, right?

Meanwhile, in other news...

My baby brother turns 40 today! I don't know why that makes ME feel old, but it does. I called him earlier today to wish him a happy birthday but as usual, he didn't pick up. He's a stock broker & the past several weeks of bad news on Wall Street have just about given him a stroke, over and over again. Poor bastard. Otherwise, I'd have to give him a lot more crap for turning 40 & being officially "OLD" like me. So, here's to ya little brother! I sure hope your 40th year goes better for you than last year did.

My house deal in Seattle took an interesting turn last week. The owner of the home passed away at age 93. She's been ill for some time and had apparently taken two bad falls in the past week or so. Her niece and nephew are co-powers of attorney for her estate. I've been assured that nothing has really changed with our original contract &/or close date (end of October), but I'm not sure exactly what happens next. I am choosing to have faith that the little house on Trenton will be my house if it's MEANT to be. Other than that, until I hear from my realtor or the Title/Escrow company to the contrary, I'm going to keep acting "as if" it's my house. What else can I do?

I'll be going up to Seattle for a week in November w/ Dexy & my good friend Esther to meet w/ my contractor, get house keys, and just enjoy a week exploring West Seattle. I'm really looking forward to it. Have secured a vacation rental nearby through VRBO.com so we can have all the comforts of home (fridge, stove, washer, dryer, etc.). I love vacation rentals! When you've got little kids, it's the ONLY way to go.

Later this week, I'm also going out to Vegas w/ Dex to visit her daddy. We haven't been there since last January or February! It's not my most favorite place on the planet, not by a long shot, but I'm all for my kid getting more time w/ her dad, so off we go for about four days. I'm also hopeful that we'll discover some new sites/sounds that are toddler appropriate - sorry, but despite all the families that live/work there, Vegas is NOT a kid-friendly town. So, please G-d, let me find at least one or two that'll keep her busy & having fun for a few hours each day. LOL.

That's all for now. Turtle and I are off to Pancho's for dinner, the market for groceries, and then maybe a little playtime at the park afterward. It's been such a beautiful cool day today, a welcome break after the 95+ degree temps of last week. Hope y'all had a great weekend!

Cheery bye, C ~

Flying w/ Toddlers...

A quick heads up on a cool contest at one of my new favorite "Mommy Blogs" (I didn't coin that term, so don't shoot me)...

Travel Savvy Mom is giving away a CARES Aviation Safety Harness! I don't know about the rest of you well-traveled moms & dads, but I have flown w/ Dex a lot in her two short years on the planet & this seat harness thingy pretty looks like the cats meow - in comparison at least to hauling a car seat onto the plane w/ us.

As far as I'm concerned? SOLD!



Image "Skitched" from http://www.kidsflysafe.com/

Hello Seattle!

I've bought a house in Seattle! Had the home inspection on Friday of last week and since I found no major issues that would cause me to cancel the deal, we should be closing escrow by the end of October. Wow!

Updates will follow as this new journey progresses.

Promise of Autumn