Bad Day

Do you think that its a coincidence that I downloaded "Bad Day" by the Chipmunks for my daughter today and I'm having one of the most horrible work days that I've had in a long time?

Me neither.

I promise I'll be back with Forbidden Wednesdays later this evening.

Crayon Works

I had a half a dozen roses delivered to me yesterday. If I didn't have to run to China and back today I would have photos up by now, but damn me and my procrastinating ass, I don't! But yeah, yesterday someone knocked on the door and there were a half a dozen roses, all in different colors, with a not that said "Without you, I'd wilt". I'm still kind of amazed he came up with something so witty - yes cliche'd, but witty anyway - on his own!

The boy did good.

Meanwhile my email has been DOWN thanks to Hughesnet being morons. They were all "Oh, we're going to make the new email pretty, shiny, and just dang gum better!"

Since Saturday they've been all, "Oh, things didn't go quite as planned, but we'll have things working better in no time, when they'll be pretty, shiny, and just dang gum better!"

Late last night it was, "Oh, we'll have all the new pretty things installed tomorrow morning by 6 am EST, and you'll love hot pretty, shiny, and just dang gum better it is!"

Uh huh. Bite my ass Hughes.

Time to Make the Donuts!

This weekend we made over 8 dozen donuts.

That’s a shitload of donuts.

We made them to be sold at the 3 on 3 Basketball tournament the fundraising club put together. Apparently last year EVERYONE was asking for donuts. So how much did I sell, you wonder?

About a dozen.

THIS year NO ONE wanted donuts OR coffee! They wanted water, water, and more water! I’m going to NOT make donuts next year.

After that Scott and I headed to Wal-Mart where we FINALLY got a patio set! YES! We set it up Sunday and watched Toad, Babygirl, and Toad’s friend roll around on the lawn in the box. There’s nothing like a huge empty box to make a kid happy.
I’ve been feeling kind of…off…lately. Things just haven’t really felt right. Of course, the hormones COULD have something to do with it (I’m actually going to be participating in a study for PCOS…it requires a lot of paperwork and TONS of my blood…blech…but maybe it’ll help them find out if it is hereditary and will help Babygirl when she gets older) but something just hasn’t felt right. I’ve told Scott (IN CRAYON) for the past few weeks that I really need a bit of romance in my life.

On the drive down to Wal-Mart he looked at me and said:

“Why? Why do you need romance? Why is it so important to you?”

“Let me put it this way,” I replied as calmly as I could, “when a guy first starts dating a girl, he goes all out to try to win her. He is a bit romantic and sweet because he’s trying to woo a woman.”

“Or to get her into bed.”

“Exactly! Anyway, after a man has won the woman, and has put the ring on her finger, ect, he doesn’t have to try anymore to win her.”

“Yeah…and?”

“Well, I don’t know about other woman, but I know that *I* feel as though I’m not appreciated…or, rather, am taken for granted, when there is no romance. Ever. Like, as in EVER.”

“So you think that I don’t romance you because I can get sex whenever I want?”

“Well, how often do I say ‘no’?”

“…..good point.”

Do I think that this worked on him? Probably not. He asked me later if there was never any romance in our relationship from now until we die, would I want to end things. I said no. Now, however, I don’t know how I feel.

I wouldn’t END things because he wasn’t romantic, just like he wouldn’t end things because I’m not the worlds best housewife. I think my thing is that I want him to make an effort. He got all upset and was talking about a Valentine’s day a few years ago.

“But remember when I bought you, like, a dozen roses and a box of chocolates? You didn’t seem to really care about them!”

“I liked them! I did! But first of all, Valentines day sucks for me. Secondly, flowers are best sent when they’re not expected. Rule #1 on Flowers…”

“Who makes these rules!”

“Women do.”

“How do you learn them?”

“We know them when we’re born. Rule #1 when it comes to flowers is to send them when a woman is NOT expecting them. That is when they will make the most impact and will be appreciated the most. Or when you’re in the doghouse trying to say that you’re sorry.”

So, do you see me sending out the red signal flags that I’d like a bit of romance, please? I swear I don’t know what else to do. My SIL made a comment yesterday that I tend to “bow down” (which is BS) to Scott all the time. In reality, I don’t bow down to him, but I do tend to make him his favorite meals or to try to do little things to show him that I care for him and appreciate all he does. I realized during the conversation that I do those things because I want him to do little things back for me.

And doing the laundry, unfortunately, doesn’t count as romance.

Babygirl On Celebrity Baby Blog

OMG - I'm totally freaking out. Winnie just pointed out that Babygirl's photo is up over at Celebrity Baby Blog! YIKES!

Remember a few weeks ago when we won a copy of Enchanted from the beautiful, oh so pretty site? I told the editor, Danielle (its hilarious to me that her name is Danielle, which is the same name as my best friend), that we were really excited about it, and she said that she'd love to see a photo of Babygirl with the DVD. Babygirl, being Babygirl, decided to get her tiara and pose with the DVD. Apparently today they put the picture up!!!

How awesome is that?! So - wait - if Babygirl's photo is on a website that discusses celebrities and their children, does that make me a celebrity?!

Hmmmm....

Check it out here

No More Bagels for Me

I just ate a bagel with cream cheese and I'm ready for a nap. It just ain't right folks!!

Today is just like any other day...for the most part. We're supposed to head to this circus thing tonight, but I'm not sure if we'll get seats. They give out free seats to all children (nice marketing gimmick), and the adult have to pay up the ass to get in. The only problem is that its first come, first served...EVEN IF you purchase tickets online. If you get there and there are no seats left, even if you have a ticket, you're SOL.

My SIL, meanwhile, is pulling some strange pranks. The other day Scott got pissy over something very silly. The SIL was with me and later made a point to agree with me and tell me that she thinks something is bothering him.

Yesterday, however, when he and I were talking about it...again...I told him that even SHE was worried about him, because he'd snapped so quickly at something that was really stupid. And that she thought he was bothered about something. He looked at me and said, "But Ran, she told me over the phone a few hours ago that she thought that you were the one that over-reacted."

See, now that's a pet peeve of mine. If you don't agree with me, that's FINE, but don't tell me one thing to my face and then say something else behind my back. So I'm not quite sure wht to do about it. I definitely think it is time to confront her about it (in a nice way...hopefully) because it keeps happening (this is, like, the third time lately we've seen it happen). But she's really delicate and I'm not sure how she'll take it.

Then again, when have I ever shut my mouth before? Any thoughts?

Forbidden Wednesday - 5th Edition

I've had a really, really odd/rough day, and its looking to get even better as the day progresses. Good news? The orthodontist has Toad on a "wait and see" plan, so I don't have to worry about his teeth for another six months. The bad news? The first baseball practice last night caused Toad to be unable to fall asleep until 9:30, despite all of my coaxing and demanding, and he wound up coming home around 12:30 because he was bawling and exhausted at school. *sigh*

Anyway, it's time for Forbidden Wednesday, and I've got something a bit different in mind today.

Romance

I've come to realize that romance does not come easily to the majority of men in the world, so I'm going to make romance very easy for men.

Open your ears and LISTEN.

Women give clues all the time about what they like. They may make a comment about finding something beautiful or about something they enjoyed doing when they were a child. Take that little piece of information and endeavor to remember it.

Another tip? I'm full of them, check this out - romance doesn't have to cost very much at all. How expensive is it to take your girlfriend/wife on a long drive, where you wind up at a beautiful meadow and eat a picnic lunch that you have prepared for the two of you? It'll cost you a few gallons of gas and the food, THAT'S IT.

How much does it cost to run a bubble bath for your lover? Light a few candles, put some good smelly stuff in the bath and take the time to rub her down and you're all set.

Now, ladies, there are those men who truly are built to ignore romance, and like it or not, it is something that the majority of us need. We may have different meanings for the word and may want different things, but we all need to feel special/cared for on occasion. Some women want to be dined and danced with while others want to be forcefully taken up against a wall. It can be a tricky situation for a man, so why not spell out what you'd like him to do? For instance, if you want to dance with your husband and you haven't danced together in a long time, why not say "hey honey - we haven't danced in forever. I'd love to dance with you again sometime, even if its just in the middle of the kitchen." This way you have stated exactly what you are looking for from your spouse and they don't have to read your mind, right?

Now, guys, here's where you come in - if a woman is intelligent/caring enough to make it blatantly obvious what she wants when it comes to romance, get off your ass and DO IT.

Have I ever looked right at my husband and told him that I was longing for certain romantic things to happen? Absolutely. Has he done them?

As of today - nope.

Conversation With My 17 Year Old Self

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go back and talk to your younger self? A post on Slacker Mama’s site made me wonder what a conversation between me and a 17 year old “almost-graduate” Randi would be like. Hmmmm….



Me – Hi Randi.

YoungRandi – Ummm…hello. Who’re you?

Me – I’m you. Older, wiser…

YR – Heavier.

Me – Hey now! You try having a couple of kids and see what its like!

YR – I have kids? No.Way. Really?

Me – Shit. I wasn’t supposed to tell you that.

YR – How many kids? Four? Five?

Me – Try starting with one and then see if you really want four or five. So, I’m
here to talk to you about your future. I want to answer some questions for you and
give you some advice to make things a bit easier.

YR – Really? Sweet. This is like Back to the Future! Did I do something to really
mess up? Have you come back to try to fix it?

Me – No. You didn’t mess up on anything really, but there are some rough times
ahead, and I wanted to talk to you about them.

YR – I knew it.

Me – You knew what, exactly?

YR – I knew that I wouldn’t lose my virginity until I found someone uglier than I am.

Me – Urm…no…that has nothing to do with my visit.

YR – Oh. But you said I had kids, right – so that means I lost my virginity, right?

Me – Oookaaaayy – back to the subject. When you go to college…

YR – Do I really go to Notre Dame? Really?

Me – No, not really. You chicken out and decide not to go.

YR – What?! Oh my god…my mom is going to kill me!

Me – Relax, you do go to college. Just not Notre Dame.

YR – Where I meet a really handsome guy who sweeps me off my feet and takes my virginity, right?

Me – Well, your virginity was definitely taken, that’s for sure.

YR – But he’s butt ugly?

Me – No, he was cute.

YR – And it was amazing, right? It was in front of a fireplace with a bearskin rug and a dinner complete with champagne…

Me – You can’t handle alcohol, remember?

YR – Oh yeah. But the rest of it is right, right?

Me – Wrong.

YR – What do you mean “wrong”? I do lose my virginity to a handsome man on the most romantic night of my life, right?

Me – If you think of romantic as being rushed in a small dorm room because you’re scared that your boyfriend’s roommate will come home, than yeah! It was romantic as hell!

YR – Oh. But I live happily ever after with the guy, right?

Me – Nope. He dumps you when you are 20 for a 16 year old.

YR – No. No way. There is no way I’d get with a guy who would dump me for a 16 year old.

Me – Whatever you say.

YR – So what do I do now? Did I become a singer, or a lawyer?

Me – Neither.

YR – Huh? Neither?! If I go to college and don’t become a lawyer, what do I do?

Me – You’re a stripper.

YR – WHAT?!

Me – Kidding, kidding! Actually you’re a freelance writer. You make your living selling breast enhancement and weight loss products.

YR – I do know how to BS.

Me – You never lose that skill, that’s for sure, and now you get paid for it!

YR – So who am I married to? Some really rich guy, right?

Me – You’re really obsessed with the relationship thing, aren’t you? I’d forgotten about that.

YR – Well come on, you can see me, you know what I look like.

Me – Flaunt what you’ve got now, because, as you can see, it starts to go south
really, REALLY fast.

YR – Does my husband find me sexy?

Me – Most of the time. Sometimes he just wants to spank you.

YR – Huh?!

Me – Listen, I’ve really got to run. But let me give you one piece of advice that I don’t want you to ever forget.

YR – Okay.

Me – Boys are stupid, men are just as stupid, but there will be a select few who will prove to you that there are truly some good men out there. Trust them and believe them. But never, ever, let them give you directions. Oh, and if you happen to see a Scooter, hop on it and give it a ride. You’ll never regret it.

Never Mind

*Edited* I just realized that the previous post I put up this morning, about needing a new patio set because the one I have is a plastic hand-me-down that is ready for a funeral or two, didn't get put up. Huh. Weird. I'll have to put that up below this one.

Remember my desire to get a patio set? You know, one that isn't falling apart?

Scott came home today with a whole new scheme. See, apparently, we need a new roof. I must admit, this is the first time that I've ever heard that we need to have our roof redone. He claims that there is a leak on one small part, so the entire roof should be redone.

I honestly have no idea. I do know that Scott is no carpenter, and I want a second opinion before it gets done. And better yet, he wants to put metal on the roof because "you never have to replace it - it lasts forever." His estimate?

"$3,500 or so."

Okay sweetie, I'll just pull that out of my ass and give it to you.

Why is it that every time I want to purchase something for the home, he wants to do something even more expensive? I wanted one dog, he got two. I wanted a new television, he wants to get a huge plasma with a new stand and everything. I want a new patio set, he wants a new roof.

Is he trying to outdo me or something?

Make Up Thy Mind, Randi!

I don't want something extremely expensive, but I don't want a cheap piece of crap either.

What am I talking about? A patio set.

I'm flexible! Honestly! I either want a table and chairs with an umbrella, or a loveseat with a few chairs and a little coffee-type table.

But there's a problem.

He doesn't want anything that is made using woven materials becuase he says they don't last as long. Okay, fine. He, however, refuses to pay more than $200 for a patio set, leaving me with a choice between a plastic piece of crap, a plastic piece of crap, or a plastic piece of crap!

The problem - I don't want a plastic piece of crap! We've been using my mothers old patio set since we moved in here almost six years ago. The patio set is a white plastic one that looks as old as it is. Now, I've got no problem with secondhand things, and even go searching for them because they're less expensive, but this one has definitely had its day. Two of the chairs collapse if you even look at them the wrong way.

I greatly appreciate my mother giving them to us, but they're ready for a decent burial.

I love glass-top tables, and I even like the wicker ones with the cushions (even though I'm not a huge wicker fan). I'm willing to spend up to $400 for a nice set, but his budget is KILLING ME!!!!

Lazy Sunday

Want to know what I've accomplished today? I went to the store and re-stocked on pads (don't you hate when you only have one left?). I downloaded a CD for my SIL. I bought my husband Subway as a kind of last enjoyment before he goes back to work tomorrow. I took a 20 minute nap.

Yup, I've been really busy today...how about you?

What Is Love?

My SIL came down the other day saying that she was in a funk. She's not a "chatty Cathy" type, so it took awhile for her to open up and tell me what was wrong. There are a lot of things going on in her life, but I think the biggest one has to do with this statement.

"It may sound stupid, but I don't know if I'm in love with him anymore."

She's been with her boyfriend for a very long time (longer than Scott and I have been together), and she doesn't know if she's in love with him. They do not have chilren together, and live in a small trailer. He went from job to job for awhile, but has now found his place in a very stable company where he can make a good amount of money.

I think I know what part of the problem is. My SIL is a born nurturer. She has had to take care of her mother (long story short - her mother is Scott's biological mother, only he was born five years before her and was adopted and she was left with her mother) for her entire life, and has been taking care of the BF for most of their relationship together (he's not the smartest cookie in the bunch when it comes to financial matters, ect).

Now, however, things are moving along and she no longer has to take care of everything...or, rather, she's wondering if she should be taking care of someone that she's not sure she wants to stay with for the rest of her life.

But she got me to thinking - what is the difference between love and being in love?

You know, I make my living by writing, and even though I will never claim to be the world's greatest writer, I'm proficient in my profession. Yet I don't believe that I could write an article explaining how to know the difference between loving someone and being in love with them.

Does being in love mean that you can't live without someone? I have friends that I love that I don't want to be without, but I don't want to jump into bed with them. Does being in love mean that you want to have sex with someone? I want to have sex with Angelina Jolie and/or Brad Pitt, but that doesn't meant that I'm in love with them.

Can you describe the difference between loving someone and being in love with them?

Owie.Owie.OWIE

Yesterday I woke up with one of my lively migraines. I've given up on calling them headaches, I'm going to call them by their "officially diagnosed" name and maybe they'll be so happy that I'm no longer denying their verocity that they'll simply disappear.

I've always been an optimist.

Anyway, after taking every OTC and prescription drug in the house, biting off everyone's heads, and pushing through the day, the headache finally went away...only to be replaced by everyone's favorite relative, Aunt Flo.



I hate the little "pet" names we give for our period. Aunt Flo, the red river, ect. Why do we do that? Like calling it a cutsie name is going to make it any less miserable. Yesterday things start out light and I was all, "ha! My period loves me...it not only got rid of my headache...oops...migraine, it also is going to be a light one! MWA HA HA".

I should've known never to taunt mother nature. The creator of the Titanic did and look what happened to him!

I woke up this morning wondering if I'd somehow morphed into a 75 year old woman with arthritis in her hips during the long evening. Even worse, however, was the fact that I was up by 6:30 a.m. on a vacation week! That's just not right! I tossed and turned all night (probably due to my period...or the huge amount of pharmaceutical drugs I had in my system...you choose), and then I got up early. In my eyes, that is completely sinful.

We hit the park yesterday and I took a crapload of photos. We're planning on going against around lunch time and meeting one of Toad's friends and her mother...one I actually like! Then it'll be time to hit the grocery store and purchase all of the necessities that I need to get me through this lovely woman's curse.

Sweets, salt, and alcohol.

Amen.

Forbidden Wednesdays - 4th Edition

And we're back to Forbidden Wednesday! Let me tell you, the time FLIES some weeks when you've got something specific to write about on a specific day. Let's see, what to talk about today...

Restraint

I know so many women (and men) who swear that they'd never get into restraining their partner. My question is: why not? A lot of people, I believe, connect restraint to BDSM, or bondage, domination, and sadomachicism (I probably spelled that wrong, but it's Wednesday...forgive me). While restraint is a huge part of some BDSM play, it doesn't have to be all about control. Okay, so there is definitely some control in how you can tease and torment your partner, but is for their benefit, and not yours, right?

*insert evil laugh here*

Sorry. Where was I? Oh yes, restraint. Now I know for a fact that my husband hates to love being tied up. What I mean is that he enjoys being tied up because he knows that I'll torture him very well while he's tied up, and that I'll take care of everything before we're done. But he hates to love it because its giving up control, something that he doesn't do easily.

Now me? I love to hate being tied up. I love struggling against my husband and feeling his muscles bulge as he forces my body down onto the bed. I guess it's the little girl "oh help me mr. ossifer" part of me that loves to be forced.

When you're a woman tying a man down, you can drive him more crazy than he's ever been in his life. All of the control is ripped away from him and suddenly he can't make good on all of the urges that he's trying hard to control. When you're the one being tied up, you can shut down your mind for a bit because for once you can't control anything that is happening.

And when you add a blindfold to the mix, pure magic can happen.

I, personally, recommend the Under the Bed Restraint System, as it is easy to set up, easy to hide from prying kidlet eyes, and works extremely well. You can find it at any major sex store.

Valid Question

Today Scott and the kiddos and I headed to see our first Super Wal-Mart. It was like Disneyland, folks! There was EVERYTHING you could ever imagine! I could never go grocery shopping there, even if it was closer than an hour away, for the simple fact that I'd go in for groceries and come out with a newly re-designed bathroom!

We did get a new phone/answering machine, so I can't use the "my answering machine is broke" excuse anymore...dammit...and we got a new alarm clock, so I can't use the "my kid is late to school because my alarm clock is fucked up" excuse either. DAMMIT.

We also got a new fan for the dining room and the Easy Bake Oven. Long story short - my SIL got Babygirl the Disney version for her birthday. It cooks with ice, people, ICE. As far as I can tell it uses some sort of a gelatin based mixture to make the cakes "grow". It tastes like mushy sugar. So I gently pursuaded (read: put it in the cart and said "or else") Scott that we needed the REAL Easy Bake Oven. Cause cooking with a light bulb is so much more fun than cooking with ice.

We then went to this newer Chinese food buffet that we'd heard great things about. And it was awesome! The price wasn't terrible, the food was DELICIOUS, there was plenty of it (even though it was a Tuesday), and the wait-staff was very nice. Which led me to this question:

Where in the hell do they get authentic Chinese people in the middle of Vermont?

This is a valid question! In Vermont we are very...limited...in the ethneticities that are represented here. Basically we have caucasians, caucasians, and caucasians. Okay okay, so there is an occasional black person thrown in, but really, we're very, VERY, TOO white up here.

But in almost every Chinese food place I've been in, there are real Chinese people who speak broken English and curse at the customers under their breath in perfect Chinese. Where do they come from?

The obvious answer would be, of course, China. But how do they find these people? Do they put an Ad out in a Chinese paper?

Hello! Great job opportunities await you in America! Come to the freezing back woods of Vermont and you not only will be able to get a Green card, you'll also be able to make fun of red-necked hicks who can't speak any langauge other than their own! We promise you'll enjoy yourself!

I'm 10:02 am

You are 10:02 a.m.
You are breakfasty, like a pile of pancakes on a Sunday morning that have just the right amount of syrup, so every bite is sweet perfection and not a soppy mess. You are a glass of orange juice that's cool, refreshing, and not overly pulpy. You are the time of day that's just right for turning the pages of a newspaper, flipping through channels, or clicking around online to get a sense of how the world changed during the night. You don't want to stumble sleepily through life, so you make a real effort to wake your brain up and get it thinking. You feel inspired to accomplish things (whether it's checking something off your to-do list or changing the world), but there's plenty of time for making things happen later in the day. First, pancakes.

Wow! I'm 10:02 a.m.! How sweet is that! Actually, I'd have to say that this one is RIGHT ON. I'm NOT a morning person. I have a really hard time getting out of bed. If I could, I'd play tag with the alarm clock for a half an hour every day. Once I get out of bed, it takes me awhile to completely wake up.

I do love, however, BREAKFAST. We hardly ever get to go out for breakfast, but I'd have to say that its my favorite meal to go out for. Sausage gravy and biscuits, pancakes, eggs benedict....what's not to love about Breakfast?! Unfortunately NO ONE in my house other than me tends to eat breakfast. Scott isn't a breakfast eater, and Toad and Babygirl don't usually eat breakfast unless I shove it down their throats (which I do on a daily basis, trust me).

I'm also not a night person. I can stay up until about 11:30 or so on a daily basis, and anything past 2 a.m. and you're going to be looking at an exhausted and silly Randi.

So I'm 10:02 am. I can live with that.

Work You Can Actually See

I've been a full-time freelance write for awhile now, but most of the time I write ghost articles, which means that I can't show off what I've written. That has changed! Thanks to the wonderful Laurie and the amazing people over at Daily Sex Scoop, you can see something that I wrote that actually has my name on it!

Head on over here to see my article, then have fun browsing around the entire Daily Sex Scoop site to see all of the other great articles they've got there (warning: you can easily spend an hour or longer browsing that site - it's that awesome).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABYGIRL

Today is Babygirl's fourth birthday, which makes me extremely proud, and extremely sad at the same time, for she is my last little baby. I realized this morning that I never wrote her birth story down here (I had another blog at the time and all of my stuff is gone from there), so I'll do a quick one with pictures so that you can all get a glimpse of how Babygirl came into this world.

I was huge with Babygirl - HUGE - huge. Fortunately it was all belly....which is where it continues to lie. She was not an easy pregnancy. With Babygirl my iron was low, she sat on my sciatic nerve most of the time, and I had gestational diabetes. And this is excluding the six months that I puked my guts out on an hourly basis.

Taken a day before surgery. Look at little Toad! He's all "run from the Mama-baby-belly"!

Unlike with Toad, I knew I was having a c-section with Babygirl. It's like waiting for Christmas when you know exactly when your baby will be born. Fortunately the day before her birthday was Easter, so I spent that day with the family. Its where Babygirl got her soft pink blanket that she can't sleep without. My mother took Toad overnight so that we wouldn't have to worry about dropping him off in the morning, and we watched Pirates of the Caribbean on the PPV before bed time. I set the alarm for around 4 a.m. so that I could drink some apple juice to help keep Babygirl's sugar up as recommended by the doc. Then we headed into the hospital.

This is the "finally the IV is in" face. I'm a hard one to get an IV into.


We went into surgery a bit past 9 am. After a few minutes, I was lying on the table, blissfully numb, waiting for Scott to come into the operating room. You would think he'd be a bit calmer since this was the second time, but I think he was even more nervous! He said that this time he actuallys saw a bit of blood on my OB's shoe. Yeah, he didn't like that at all.

They pulled Babygirl out at 9:34 am. At first all I saw was big eyes looking right at me. Her wonderful pediatrician took her and started trying to get her to cry. Here is where we should have realized what kind of attitude Babygirl has, as she REFUSED to cry. And then, just when I started to get worried, she let out a small bawl, which turned into a bigger one quickly.

They took her up to the nursery where the nurses cleaned her up. Daddy followed and took this lovely photo (one of my favorites).

I love how her little finger is in her mouth!

Her sugar was low because mine had been low going in, so they tried to give her sugar water. Here is the second time that we should've realized what kind of attitude she has - she REFUSED to drink the sugar water. The minute they gave her the "real thing", formula, she was fine.

As always, Scott got to hold the baby first. I still think that is not fair, but then again, the pic melts your heart...

They finally brought me upstairs and I got to watch Scott hold and cuddle with the baby. I got a few minutes to hold her before I started having a reaction to the double dose of Pitocin they were giving me. Then I had to fight with the nurse to get them to turn it down (every time I fought with this specific nurse, who was a bear, I would ask her to call the OB. She would refuse. I would tell her that I'D call him, and she'd go call him. And EVERY SINGLE TIME the OB would tell her to do as I'd asked her to do. I heart my OB).

THEN I had a reaction to the medication that they gave me to stop the nausea, when I have no allergies what-so-ever. Ha, surprise!

I finally got to hold my little baby girl - oh what a joyous moment it was...

After most of the drama had passed, my parents brought Toad to see his new baby sister. I think he liked her...

It was at this point that I went - oh - snap - I've got TWO of them now!

My darling Babygirl:

Today is your 4th birthday, and we are having your first "big-girl birthday party". You have changed so much since the day you were born. You have always been an independant, happy little girl. You want to do thinks your own way (god only knows where that comes from), and you like to blaze your own trail. You love playing with puzzles and you especially love to draw. You spend most of your day smiling or driving your brother crazy...or both.

You love your daddy, and you have him wrapped around your little finger. He lets you get away with murder, although he still won't let us pierce your ears. Don't worry though, I'm working on him!



Your great-grandmother will not be here today. Last year, on your birthday, we tried to make things as normal as we could, but it was difficult because your great-grammy had passed away a few short days before your 3rd birthday. You need to know that she loved you more than anything in the world. You and Toad were extremely special to her, and she was there when we found out that you were going to be a girl. She saw you when you were in my belly and she was there the first day we went home to help me take care of you. Every time you went to her house, she had a chocolate milk box for you and Toad. I don't know how much you'll remember her, but you need to know how very, very much she loved you, and still does.

We've taken recently to calling you the baby Dog Whisperer. The puppies are your new best friends and they listen to you like no one else. One of the things that makes me laugh the most is the sight of you dragging a 35 pound dog to the back door even when he doesn't want to go. And they, of course, are utterly devoted to you.



Happy birthday my darling Babygirl. You are full of delight and sweetness that makes everyone instantly fall in love with you. I have loved every minute of your life and can't wait to see how wonderful you make all of our lives in the coming year!

Love,
Mama

Left Out

Okay, I'm not going to go "wah" or "boo hoo" here, I'm just trying to make a point. Remember awhile ago when I was saying how I didn't feel a part of my family? It was then that I made the decision to cut ties and sent back the Christmas money my grandmother sent me (it was painful). Apparently that decision either woke my grandmother up or something.

She spends four months in Florida. Soon after she got there she sent the kiddos some books. I'm not going to refuse to accept gifts for my kids, so of course I let them have them.

Yesterday we received a package in the mail from them. They sent a birthday present for Babygirl (I think that's, like, the first time), and a small gift for Toad as well. They loved them, and played with them for hours last night. My grandmother drilled manners into me, so I knew that I had to have the kids call and say "thank you", because it was a very kind gesture, and, who knows, maybe, just maybe, she wants things to be different too.

I didn't, however, have her phone number, so I called Aunt P (the one I thought I was closest to) in order to get the number. Her husband answered and lo and behold, Aunt P was on a cruise.

"Oh, how fun," I said, "did she go with friends from work?"

"No - she went with Aunt D, her daughters, and Aunt N."

Let me rephrase this - every woman on that side of the family, other than my step-mother and my grandmother (who is in Florida) went on a cruise together.

Remember when Aunt N was all "I don't know why you feel left out. It's not as if we all get together and stuff."

Uh huh. I'd love to see her try THAT one again.

Now would I have gone on the cruise? Probably not, for the simple fact that figuring out what to do with the kiddos would've been a nightmare, and flying is NOT my forte, but would I have liked to have been asked? Of course!

And they wonder why I feel left out. Uh huh.

Lunch

Can someone PLEASE explain to me why I'm so utterly exhausted after lunch? It never fails - I sit down to eat lunch with Babygirl and then an hour or so later, I'm ready to take a nap. I do eat food in the morning - I have a half a cup of coffee and around 10 or so I'll usually have a granola bar or something like that. Then Babygirl comes home and somewhere between 12 and 12:30 we'll eat lunch. My usual lunch consists of a sandwich of some sort, a handful of chips, and a half a Mtn Dew...shut up, its my one vice.

Okay, maybe not my one vice, but it is the only time I drink a soda. I drink the Mtn Dew from lunch time until usually around 3 or so, sipping it a bit at a time. Now you'd think that the caffeine would wake me up, right?

Wrong.

After lunch I play with Babygirl for a bit, maybe do dishes, ect. Then we sit down and I am ready to go to sleep! The sluggish feeling lasts until around 4 or so. Bleh.

I know that my body reacts differently than most...it takes more insulin to break the sugar down. That's fine, but is that what's making me tired? Does anyone else have this happen to them?

Forbidden Wednesdays - 3rd Edition

OMG! I almost forgot Forbidden Wednesday! How dare I! Fortunately I've still got a few hours left. Let's see, what can we talk about today...

Submission

No I'm not talking knock down, drag out fights where a woman (or a man) gets tied up and whipped (although if you're into BDSM, that's fine too). I'm talking sexual submission in the bedroom of a more gentle kind. I am a take-charge type of person. I like to be in control of things, which could be why I fear flying so much, and definitely have a big mouth. A few years ago, however, I was shocked to discover how submissive I truly am.

It hit me one day after a particularly sweaty round that I didn't speak up much during the bout. Save for a few mumbled words, I'd let him have most of the control. I decided to test my theory and paid more attention after our romps in the sheets to try to discover if I truly had a submissive personality or not.

I was shocked when, less than a month later, the evidence was clear: I was submissive in bed. I went into denial for awhile, "what - me - big mouth me - submissive? As if!" (yes, I always channel Cher Herowitz with my inner-dialogue...doesn't everyone?) A month or so later, however, the evidence could no longer be ignored.

I started wondering why I was submissive, and only one logical answer came to me: because I needed it.

Work with me here - us women have a zillion and three things going on in our heads at any one point in time. We have a running schedule going on as well, with a to do list that never ends. In my case, I want someone else to be in control for awhile, and apparently during sex is the perfect time for me.

I like letting him control the situation, as long as he takes care of both our needs. I enjoy being told what to do in the bedroom, and have a sole pupose of making him happy. This, however, is the only place that my guards are down long enough to allow it to happen, as I couldn't see Scott taking control of everything all day long.

After all, I'm only submissive in the bedroom...not crazy.

Imposter

We're fairly sure that "No-no" was an imposter. How do we know?

She wasn't a she after all.

So Scott tossed the hermaphraditic cat out on his ear (this is Scott - he could've done something much worse, trust me), and we're back down to 3 dogs and 2 cats...

and an over-horny husband.

Something Strange

I don't have pics uploaded yet, but when I do, I'll post them. This morning I brought Toad to school and sitting right in front of the doors was a black cat. She looked so much like my cat, Holly, that I thought she'd escaped and walked the mile to the school. Then, I remembered.

When we got Holly years ago from the Humane Society, we got two cats - Holly and Noel. Both were straight black with bright green eyes and long tails. Noel was more adventerous and got attacked by a fisher-cat and hurt. When she returned, we took her to the vet and got her cleaned up. It took a few months before she healed fully. She then started going back outside again and disappeared.

Fast forward over a year.

There, sitting in front of my sons school, where I've never seen any other cats, is a black cat that looks identical to Holly - one that reminds me of No-no (my nickname for Noel) so much that it is uncanny. I questioned the teachers and no one knew whose cat she was. So I took her home.

Now Holly is mad at me, the puppies think that they have a new toy (one that spits and bites), my older cat Duchess just thinks I'm insane and has gone to rest in the bedroom, the kids think that Noel's back, and my husband is completely confused.

Is it her? I have no idea...she looks like her...feels like her, and mostly acts like her (mostly because Scott turned her pretty much inside and out and she got pissed...then again, she's been gone for a year and even Duchess would get pissed to be man-handled that way). She's got a scar on her ear that wasn't there before, but other than that, she looks exactly like the No-No I remember.

I just don't know...

Like a Chicken with Its Head Cut Off

I have got SO MANY ERRANDS to do this morning that I'm ready to just throw it all away and lay in sloth in my pajamas all morning. I have to run to the bank and get presents and get party favors and cups and plates...gah!

As you may have guessed, Babygirl's FOURTH birthday is on Saturday. And because I'm such a wonderful mother, I'm once again ordering and buying crap last minute. Yup, that's me all right. I'm trying, however, to make things better by making them awesome. Take, for instance, these:

From Celebrate Express, these inexpensive goblets are 12 oz. and will be filled with candys, wrapped in pink plastic wrap, and tied with a pretty ribbon. Yeah, I'm that crafty alright. Actually I got the idea from a reviewer, but I can pawn it off as my own, can't I?

There is one major benefit of all of this running around. Not only am I saving gas by taking Babygirl to preschool and doing all the errands at the same time, I will also be able to have one of these heavenly beauties:

Hello Gorgeous. I live about 20 minutes away from any fast food restaurants (and even then there are only 2 available - Wendy's and McDonalds), and I very, very rarely ever get the opportunity to actually have breakfast at McDonalds. Whenever I have to do tons of errands in the morning and find myself dragging my feet, I just remember the beautiful aroma and taste of this heavenly little treat (which is sure to add more lard to my fat ass) and am able to get things done much, much more quickly.

Hello - my name is Randi and I work for juicy, greasy, fattening foods...

What's YOUR Desktop Look Like?

Stole this little meme from Angelika - she didn't tag me for it, but it's cool, so I had to steal it.

Instructions:

A. Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop.It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun. You can do a screen capture by:

[1] Go to your desktop and press the Print Scrn key (located on the right side of the F12 key).

[2] Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and do a Paste (CTRL + V).

[3] If you wish, you can “edit” the image, before saving it. (IMO that takes away from the integrity of the meme... I want to see the desktop as is).

B. Post the picture in your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop just below it if you feel like doing it. Tell us why you decided to choose this picture.

C. Tag your friends and ask them to give you a Free View of their desktop as well.

Sweet! Wanna see what my desktop looks like? Right now, it looks like this:

Click to biggify

I'd love to see what everyone's desktop looks like!

Manners, People!

I love Finn...in a strictly platonic way, of course (nah...I'd do her ;) ). She recently put up a post about a sign she saw at a doctor's office.

“Please refrain from allowing your children to destroy the furniture in the waiting room. We’d like to maintain a pleasant environment for everyone.”

She then went on about how it was ridiculous to her that the doctors office had to put up a sign that said this because the parents are getting to the point where they don't teach their children manners.

Thank you Finn!

I left a comment on her blog where I talked about a story that happened to me that relates directly to this. Toad was about 3 years old or so, when a niece-inlaw of mine was pregnant with her second child. We were at a family gathering when she rubbed her large belly, looked at me, and said, "I hope that this one comes out like Toad instead of like his sister."

I looked at her, incredulous, and wanted to blurt out: "Good manners aren't genetic, ya know?"

But instead I kept my mouth shut and watched as her lovely daughter ran around destroying the room. The last time I saw that daughter, she seemed as though she had grown up quite a bit...until I realized that she was just sneakier in her destruction. Her little brother? He became extremely rough and vicious and always bruised and scratched Toad whenever the two were together, even though he's a few years younger, due to having a sister who beat the crap out of him.

The lesson?

GOOD MANNERS AREN'T GENETIC!!!

We constantly get complimented on how well our children behave. This boggles my mind. Of COURSE they behave well most of the time - they know that we're the parents and that what we say goes. They also know that we aren't afraid to discipline whenever needed. For instance, there were a few times when our kids were growing up (when they're in that phase) when they would pitch a fit in the grocery store. Scott and I always made sure to go grocery shopping together back then. If one of them pitched a fit, they got a warning. If they continued to pitch a fit, they got taken out of the store and buckled into their seat in the car while the parent who toted them out (usually Scott) sat in the driver's seat and listened to them scream. Usually it only took a time or two of being taken out of the grocery store before they realized that screaming and pitching a fit was getting them nowhere.

And people have NO sense of humor today. One day a relative looked at me and was complimenting the manners of my children. "Of course they have good manners," I joked, "we've got a stick on the top of the fridge." (Keep in mind I was smiling the whole time I said this) She thought I was serious. Another time one of my relatives snuck Toad dessert when I had said that he hadn't eaten well enough to have it. I wasn't mad at her, but I walked into the kitchen and jokingly said, "Alright - who gave the inmate dessert?" (again, with a huge smile on my face) She looked directly at me and said, "I hate mean parents". HUH?!

Both of these people have children who are absolutely out of control. The last one...the one who said she hated mean parents...has 2 children in her care. One she doesn't give a fig about, and the other gets away with murder. He's repeated kindergarden (due entirely to the school system, of course...trust me, my eyes are rolling when I say this), and she swears that the fact that he gets up at 2 a.m. to play Playstation has nothing to do with it.

Uh huh.

So Finn, I say "good on ya" (I've been talking to my Australian friends too much) for writing that post. Parents need to learn how to balance things again. They need to learn how to sit down and have fun with their kids will still instilling values and discipline when necessary.

One Down...Two to Go...

Scott's birthday was today, but we did most of our celebrating yesterday. My parents agreed to take the kiddos overnight and I brought Scott to our favorite restaurant. I had Prime Rib (my FAVORITE), and he had scallops and shrimp in lobster sauce...yummmm! I made him wear a blindfold the whole way there!

I also had him wear the blindfold on the way home, as there was an x-rated surprise that was planned. I obviously can't say much here...dammit...WHY did I tell friends and family about this site?! If I hadn't, I could've told you all what happened! And trust me...I really wanna tell what happened. Let's just say that Scott now realizes that his life is pretty blessed and leave it at that.

The kids and I bought him Seasons one and two of ALF! Remember ALF?! For some reason, ALF comes up in our conversations entirely too often, and when I was searching for a gift and saw it by accident on Amazon, I couldn't help myself. He was delighted with that gift, and with the LED flashlight that the kids can't stop playing with. And Scott wonders why he has a headache...

My SIL and her BF were down as well and gave him Big Game Hunter for the Wii. I have to explain something: Scott likes to play video games, but he loves more to watch people play them. This game, however, he hogged for two and a half hours! That, my friends, is a record for Scott. He's currently trying to find a "trophy moose". I happen to know a friend who would love to play this game - you know who you are...give us a call and come down and play! We've already got your kids hooked on the Wii LOL.

I've been ignoring work all weekend, and I fear I will pay for it this week. If you don't hear from me for a few days, know that its because I'm buried in work...and fondly remembering Saturday night!

I've Decided Something

When I was young I used to love to read historical romance novels. When I got older I quickly realized that the romantic, sometimes forceful scenes in my favorite novels were nowhere close to the reality of having a penis inside of you. My ex-boyfriend was very...odd...when it came to sex, and he thought it was something that we needed to keep between us. To this day he doens't feel that sex toys are necessary in the bedroom and he still doesn't like blow jobs. I know, odd, right?

My husband was the first man to introduce me to a vibrator, endearing himself to me for life. He had a much more open attitude about sex and, after years of trying, has finally gotten me to realize that sex is nothing shameful. This doesn't mean that he enjoys going to work with hickeys on his neck, but I can't help it if he's got baby delicate skin!

The point of this diatribe? The point is that I'm tired of hiding who I am. I want to be the person that the entire family knows enjoys sex. I want my family to say, "oh, Randi? She actually talks about....ya know...*whispering*sex*endwhispering* for a living. She's an odd duck." And yet those same people will secretly come to me asking me questions.

Since when did I want to become a sex expert? I have no idea, but I really wish that my college would've offered that major when I was attending school! I guess the truth is that I don't feel the need to be a formally educated expert, but I do feel the need to pass good information along to my friends and those online. I'll be happy writing the occasional sex column, writing my Forbidden Wednesdays, and reviewing sex toys!

Hi - my name is Randi and I love talking about sex!

Spoke Too Soon...

I left a comment over at SlackerMama's blog yesterday saying that my children had never slept with me - that they, for some reason or other, just couldn't sleep. Then last night happened.

I love when I say something and then it changes.

Last night, around 1 a.m., Babygirl creeped into our room. Its a bit fuzzy, but I think she said she had a nightmare. I remember Scott telling her to go back to bed, but I called her back and had her climb in bed. I vaguely remember Scott asking me what I was doing, and me telling him to "shhhhh - go back to sleep - I'll take care of her". She snuggled up next to me and the next thing I know it's 3 a.m. and she's passed out on my arm.

I nudged Scott, giggled, and asked what I was going to do now. He got out of bed, scooped her up, and took her back to bed. I have absolutely no problem with the kids coming into bed if they've had a nightmare or are sick, but this is the first time that one of them has actually slept in our bed. How funny that the day after I say neither of them has ever done it, one of them does. Yup, that's my life alright!

Let's celebrate - the weekend is here! WOO HOO! Scott will be home at noon today and we've got a huge weekend planned filled with fun times...even though he has no idea about it yet. Right now, though, Babygirl and I are gonna go paint our toenails. We've already watched Enchanted his morning.

Oh - that's right - I never reviewed Enchanted! If you haven't seen that movie - go - get - it - now. It is AWESOME. Especially if there is a small part of you that has a romantic streak. This movie was absolutely amazing. It truly was a Disney animated movie brought to life. And Patrick Dempsey? He has now entered into my top five...mmmmm he's yummy. If I don't see you, have a great weekend, and remember to come back on Monday so that you can find out what Scott's birthday surprises were!

Yes! He's back to school!

The boy is alive and he has headed back to school - hooray! The fever broke last night, thank goodness, and he was more than ready to go back. It was odd, though - his calves hurt today. I'm guessing it is because he was so inactive for a few days. He basically had a "license to Wii" for three days, so he wasn't moving very far.

Scott's birthday is Sunday. He's turning...wait for it...THIRTY FIVE! Can you believe the old fart? Heh. Anyway, he's never been a big one for birthdays, but slowly I've been making him realize how important they are. He is an excellent father, and a great husband (when he wants to be), and he deserves to be spoiled a bit for his birthday. But only a bit, as I don't want him getting a big head...

Anyway, it took me FOREVER to figure out what I was going to get him for his birthday. I finally ordered his present off of Amazon Monday evening, and paid for my tardiness by having to pay a lovely little rush fee. They are due to arrive today, and I'm hoping that they get here before Scott gets home from work so that the kids and I can wrap them up. I've also got a few surprises for him on Saturday, thanks to a number of different people, and I think I'm more excited than he is for his birthday! Of course, *I* know what's going on, and he doesn't.

If I hadn't mentioned it yet, Scott's birthday is on Sunday, my mother's birthday is on Wednesday, and Babygirl's 4th birthday is on Saturday! Think we've got enough birthdays coming up?

Now excuse me while I go bring Babygirl to preschool and have my first kid-free and spouse-free house in almost TWO WEEKS! Hooray for quiet!

Forbidden Wednesdays - 2nd Edition

It's time for Forbidden Wednesdays! Now, what should I talk about today. Oh! I know! Since my husband's birthday is right around the corner, we'll talk about one of his favorite things...

Blow Jobs

When I was a young depraved Randi, I couldn't quite get a grasp on how intricate a blow job really is. I thought "oh, you put it in your mouth - lick it like an ice cream - and you're good!" Unfortunately I have the worst time eating ice cream! It takes me forever, and by the time I get halfway through I just want to get to the waffle cone and ditch the rest. This doesn't bode well for any man in my life, now, does it?

My ex-boyfriend hated blow jobs. Yes, I'm serious. He said that it was because he had been born without some nerve endings there, but I didn't believe him. Because of him I thought that I gave blow jobs wrong! I met Scott and decided to try again and was ecstatic to discover that I really could give a good blow job! So ecstatic, in fact, that I used to give him one almost every day. Those are days that he remembers fondly.

I learned quickly, however, that you can get lock-jaw very easily when you're giving a blow job - especially if you have a small mouth like I do. What - I swear I have a small mouth! Anyway, I started reading up on how to give BJ's without going through pain and learned a couple of tricks, which I will gladly pass on to you!

• Hands are our friends! Utilize your hand as much as possible during a blow-job. Use it to replace your mouth when your jaw is starting to get tired, and use it to cover up the amount of him that you just can't get to. Teasing his balls is also an excellent way to use your hands.
• Slow and steady and fast and deep. Never keep it in the same spot going at the same speed. Imagine that your hand was being rubbed in the same spot over, and over, and over, and over - it gets painful. Instead, vary things up, moving all over the place.
• Leave the penis alone! Who says a blow job is all about the penis? Men get more pleasure from torment and from holding back than they do from anything else. Step away from the manly part of him for a few minutes at a time and explore other things. By the time you get back there, he'll be so ready for it that it won't take long.
• Give his hands something to do. A man loves a blow job, but he also loves being able to touch you while you're giving one. Give him access to some parts of you that will make him happy, and he'll explode that much quicker.
• Wet, wet, wet. I can't emphasize this one enough. I know how dry sex can hurt, so I can only imagine how much a dry BJ hurts! Make sure that you get everything as wet as you can, from your hands to your mouth.
• Biting. Some men like nipping, others don't. If you do nip, make sure that it's really, REALLY gentle.

And then there's the two big questions - how do you deep throat and how do you swallow? I can't answer the swallowing one - I think it's honestly a matter of taste. Spit or swallow? Nope - now my cup of tea. But I can help with the deep throat problem. To deep throat for a few seconds, simply swallow before you go down on him. I swear! Because you've swallowed, your gag reflex is dampened for a bit, giving you time to go down. The more you do this, the easier deep throating gets. But make sure you save your deep throating for when you want to take the BJ up a notch.

And there you have it - tips on how to give a guy a mindblowing BJ...one that will get you a massage or anything else you'd like!

Cruel and Unusual Punishment?

I promise I'll have my Forbidden Wednesday post up a little later, but I have got to address this first. Over on MSNBC.com, they have a story about a man named Robert Kosilek. Well, actually her name is now Michelle Kosilek. Back in 1990, Robert was convicted of murdering his wife. He claimed it was self-defense - that she poured boiling tea on his genitals. In retaliation, he strangled her and dumped her body in a parking lot. Any way you cut it - she's dead and he did it...was it justifiable? There are certain situations where *I* feel that murder may be justifiable, but from what I know of this one, it wasn't...AND no matter what I believe, the law is clear on what constitutes self-defense. A jury of his peers found him guilty over 18 years ago, and that's that.

Shortly after that, Robert was "diagnosed" with gender-identity disorder and sued the government for the right to undergo hormonal treatments in order to change Robert into Michelle. Here is what Michelle looked like in 1993.



Amazingly enough, he got away with suing the government and was given access to laser treatments to remove unwanted hair, hormone therapy, and psychotherapy. NOW, however, Robert is saying that it isn't enough. He wants to have electrolosis in order to remove more hair, and is even trying to get the government to pay for a sex change operation.

Now, hear me out: I have NO problem with people who have gender identity disorder. I do believe that it is a real condition and that there are people who suffer from it and who need to have treatment and surgery done in order to feel complete.

However...

I do not feel that Robert, or Michelle as he prefers to be called, should be entitled to these treatments. How is it "cruel and unusual punishment" to be denied electrolosis and a sex change operation when you are in prision for murdering someone.

Cruel and unusual punishment when you are in prision should be considered gang rape or beatings, not the fact that you were denied a sex-change operation!

I am sick and tired of these criminals whining about their accomodations in prison and blaming everything on the government. Turn around and look in the mirror sweetheart - something got you locked up in prison, and you're not there to enjoy yourself. Let me put it this way: if you hadn't murdered your wife, you would be free to live in the world and to go for your electrolosis and sex change operation. HOWEVER...you are the one who made the choice to kill your wife. Why should we, the citizens of the government who have not harmed anyone, have to pay a huge amount for your surgery?

The quote for a sex-change operation is around $20,000. Already the government has had to foot the bill for far, far more than that to cover the medical experts and court costs that have already been accumulated.

And there is even more news that other transgender inmates are watching this case closely - and that many of them say they plan on following in Michelle's footsteps if she is allowed to have the operation.

Look, people, this is black and white. You do a crime, you do the time - plain and simple. In my opinion, everything but the basics should be yanked for harsh and dangerous offenders. You want to know why the jails are crowding up? Because we give the inmantes everything for free! You can go into prison a poor, uneducated man. You can come out of prison as a college graduate for FREE. I am in debt up to my eyeballs and will never see the light at the end of the tunnel thanks to college loans, but I'm not looking for the government to pay my way!

Sorry to go off on a tangent, there, but this has got me riled. We should stand up and say that we will not approve of the government using our hard earned money to pay for frivilous things for an inmate who was found guilty of things like murder. When we have children who are starving and who have no medical care, and people who are losing their homes through no fault of their own, we need to stand up and tell the government to use the hundreds of thousands of dollars that are put into these court cases and into treatment for some of the people who do not need it where the mony is truly needed.

Is it cruel and unusual punishment to be denied a sex change operation in prison? I don't know Ms. Kosilek - do you think your wife thought it was cruel and unusual punishment when you killed her?

Then you're even.