TMI Tuesday!

1. Who and when was your first crush?

Chip, late 70s-early 80s. I crushed on him from 5th grade through high school.

2. Who and when was your first date?

Gosh, this is hard to pinpoint. Maybe Tim (who now has a male "life partner" - make of that what you will) freshman year in high school.

3. Who and when was your first kiss?

Patrick, second grade. I was totally grossed out and never, ever wanted to do that again!

4. Who and when was your first partner while "fooling around" in car?

Mark, who was my boyfriend when I got my first car (he was six months younger than me, so I was driving first).

5. Who and when was your first partner while "fooling around" in a house?

Rob, freshman year in high school. I was super-duper major league drunk and my friend Chick rescued me from Rob's evil clutches.

6. Who and when was your first love?

Mark, high school boyfriend of 2+ years.

Bonus: Who's blog did you first comment on?

I think it was M. Giant's Velcrometer, but I'm not positive. I've been reading it the longest at least. (Check out his site and buy his book - it's pretty good!)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bunch of names I need to Google . . .

To blog is a self-invasion of privacy

Made Me Laugh

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To blog is a self-invasion of privacy

From Belle of the Ball to Ignored Wallflower

Man, what a blow to the civic ego!

Living in Michigan, I got used to being courted by the candidates. Wooed, stroked, and enticed at every turn. Barry and Johnny were in Michigan so much that they can probably claim Michigan residency on their taxes next spring. Until McCain recently threw in the towel in my former home state, Michigan was considered a major battleground. Almost evenly-divided electorate and 17 electoral votes hanging in the balance. Throw in the crappiest economy in the nation and Michigan was big news. Even when the candidates themselves weren't there, they sent their surrogates. The national news media kept a close eye on the Michigan economy and relentlessly polled Michigan voters for their up-to-the-minute opinions.

Then I arrived in South Carolina.

No candidate visits. No national news media. No polls. No one gives a toot what South Carolinians think. The Dems don't care because they figure it's a lost cause and the GOP'ers don't care because they just take S.C. for granted. Plus we've only got 8 electoral votes - big whoop. What a let-down! I feel so insignificant these days. Hmpf.

The politics down here are so screwed up, I would stay away too if I had the choice. For instance, look at the race for the U.S. Senate. The incumbent, Lindsey Graham, is a Republican, a major FOJ (Friend of John McCain), and a guy, despite being named Lindsey. His opponent, Bob Something-or-another, is running as a Democrat, but the S.C. Democratic Party wants nothing to do with him. He's a carpet-bagger from Indiana who ran (unsuccessfully) for public office as a Republican in the Hoosier State. The Democrat is so far right, he makes the Republican look reasonable. What the heck kind of state is this, where the Democratic candidate is further to the right than the Republican? Oh good lawd.

As if that wasn't enough, my local area has all kinds of strange races, including several where candidates are accused of switching parties just to get a spot on the ballot when their own party rejected them. Then there is the race for probate judge where one of the candidates is a real estate agent who needs a new job since the real estate market is so slow. She's running for judge, but she's never actually been to law school or anything. What kind of screwed up state lets people be judges without any sort of legal background? South Carolina, apparently.

Like several other bass ackward states, South Carolina also will let just anybody be a coroner. One needn't be a doctor, physician-assistant, nurse, or anything to be elected coroner. Nope. Whoever gets the most people to vote for them gets to determine the cause of death of you or your loved ones. Doh! I'm with the folks who find the whole "coroner" idea completely outdated and think all counties/states should have a medical examiner to determine the cause of the death in cases of unexpected death. I'm just all science-y that way. Call me crazy, but if I die unexpectedly, I'd like someone with "M.D." or "D.O." after her or his name determining my cause of death, not a taxidermist who has watched a lot of Discovery Channel and has every season of CSI on DVD.

see To blog is a self-invasion of privacy

TMI Tuesday

1. Have you ever felt guilty or ashamed after a sexual experience?

Oh yeah. More than once and not so long ago.

2. Did you ever own a fake ID?

Well, it was my own ID but the birth year was cleverly altered from 1967 to 1962. If anyone believed that, they were either really drunk or really stupid.

3. How often do you tell white lies? Is it with or without thinking?

I sometimes tell them to spare someone's feelings and I don't even think about it. It just happens.

4. On a scale of 1-10, how well do you receive constructive criticism?

Overall 3. From some people 8, from others -2. My Dad is an 8, Spousehole -2, my mom -2.

5. Have you ever shaved your pubic hair?

Of course. I prefer waxing when I can, but shaving happens far more often. Right now, however, I'm au naturel. Just for a change of pace. It's kind of weird and may not last.

Bonus: What percentage of women do you think are capable of handling being in a "friends with benefits" relationship? How about men?

I think it's less about gender and more about the individual. It also depends what else a person has going on in their life. For instance, for me having a husband I (perhaps foolishly) still love makes it easy to have a friend with benefits without getting too emotionally involved. I can separate love from sex. If I didn't already have someone I love, I would be more likely to let emotions creep into a sexual relationship. But really, every situation is unique. There are some people who you can be intensely attracted to sexually, but they would not be romantic relationship material at all. It's easy to have a friends with benefits relationship under those circumstances. There are other people with whom sexual and emotional attraction are inextricably linked and it would be very difficult to keep a sexual relationship platonic.

Happy Tuesday!

_____

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Ingrid!

You are an Ingrid -- "I am unique"

Ingrids have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.

How to Get Along with Me

* Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.

* Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.

* Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.

* Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.

* Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!

What I Like About Being an Ingrid

* my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level

* my ability to establish warm connections with people

* admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life

* my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor

* being unique and being seen as unique by others

* having aesthetic sensibilities

* being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me

What's Hard About Being an Ingrid

* experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair

* feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved

* feeling guilty when I disappoint people

* feeling hurt or attacked when someone misundertands me

* expecting too much from myself and life

* fearing being abandoned

* obsessing over resentments

* longing for what I don't have

Ingrids as Children Often

* have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games

* are very sensitive

* feel that they don't fit in

* believe they are missing something that other people have

* attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.

* become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood

* feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)

Ingrids as Parents

* help their children become who they really are

* support their children's creativity and originality

* are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings

* are sometimes overly critical or overly protective

* are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

To blog is a self-invasion of privacy

Because it's all about me . . .

We have internet at home now!! It's a miracle! The installation dude was late, of course, but did eventually show up. Woo hoo! Spousehole decided not to get cable TV with it, but that's a battle I'm content to fight at a later date. I'm back online!!!

I thought I would ease back into things with a meme, stolen from my friend Ed. Hopefully this sort of covers me also for the meme tag that I owe my friend Joe from a couple months ago (sorry Joe!!). That was a "random things" meme and this covers a bunch a random stuff. If it's not sufficient, Joe, let me know. :-)

Things in Italics are true.

Appearance:
- I am 5′4 or shorter (Five-foot two with eyes of blue)
- I think I’m ugly.
- I have many scars.
- I tan easily.
- I wish my hair was a different color.
- I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color.
- I have a tattoo.
- I am self-conscious about my appearance.
- I have/I’ve had braces.
- I wear glasses (or contacts).
- I’d get/have gotten plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free, scar-free.
- I’ve been told I’m attractive by a complete stranger.
- I have had more than 2 piercings.
- I have had piercings in places besides my ears.
- I have freckles.

Family/Home Life:
- I’ve sworn at my parents.
- I’ve run away from home.
- I’ve been kicked out of the house.
- My biological parents are together.
- I have a sibling less than one year old.
- I want to have kids someday.
- I have children.
- I’ve lost a child.

Embarrassment:
- I’ve slipped out a “LOL” in a spoken conversation.
- Disney movies still make me cry.
- I’ve snorted while laughing.
- I’ve laughed so hard I’ve cried.
- I’ve glued my hand to something.
- I’ve laughed till some kind of beverage came out of my nose.
- I’ve had my trousers rip in public.

Health:
- I was born with a disease/impairment.
- I’ve had stitches.
- I’ve broken a bone.
- I’ve had my tonsils removed (adenoids, yes; tonsils, no)
- I’ve sat in a doctor’s office with a friend.
- I’ve had my wisdom teeth removed.
- I’ve had serious surgery (I don't count my adenoidectomy, c-sections, ovarian cyst removal, D&C, and numerous dermatological in-office surgeries as "serious.")
- I’ve had chicken pox.

Traveling:
- I’ve driven over 200 miles in one day (quite recently, in fact)
- I’ve been on a plane.
- I’ve been to Canada.
- I’ve been to Niagara Falls.
- I’ve been to Japan.
- I’ve been to Europe.
- I’ve been to Africa.

Experiences:
- I’ve been lost in my city. (this is a pretty common experience for me lately!)
- I’ve seen a shooting star.
- I’ve wished on a shooting star.
- I’ve seen a meteor shower.
- I’ve gone out in public in my pajamas. (If public includes the sidewalk outside my house, I do this almost every weekday, waiting with Boy for his 7:00 a.m. schoolbus)
- I’ve pushed all the buttons in a lift.
- I’ve been to a casino.
- I’ve been skydiving.
- I’ve gone skinny dipping.
- I’ve played spin the bottle.
- I’ve crashed a car.
- I’ve been skiing (snow, downhill and cross-country)
- I’ve been in a play.
- I’ve met someone in person from the Internet.
- I’ve caught a snowflake on my tongue.
- I’ve seen the Northern Lights.
- I’ve sat on a roof top at night.
- I’ve played chicken.
- I’ve seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
- I’ve eaten Sushi.
- I’ve been snowboarding.

Relationships:
- I’m single.
- I’m in a relationship (marriage is a relationship, right?).
- I’m available (sort of . . . ).
- I’m engaged
- I’m married.
- I’ve gone on a blind date.
- I’ve been the dumpee more than the dumper.
- I have a fear of abandonment.
- I’ve been divorced.
- I’ve had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back.
- I’ve told someone I loved them when I didn’t.
- I’ve told someone I didn’t love them when I did.
- I’ve kept something from a past relationship.

Sexuality:
- I’ve had a crush on someone of the same gender.
- I’ve kissed a member of the same gender.
- I’ve had sex with someone of the opposite gender.
- I’ve had sex with someone of the same gender.
- I’ve had sex with more than one person at the same time.
- I am a cuddler.
- I’ve been kissed in the rain.
- I’ve had sex outdoors.
- I’ve hugged a stranger.
- I have kissed a stranger.
- I have had sex with a stranger (I've generally exchanged at least first names before things get that far).

Honesty/Crime:
- I’ve done something I promised someone else I wouldn’t.
- I’ve done something I promised myself I wouldn’t.
- I have lied to my parents about where I am (I have also lied to my husband about where I am).
- I am keeping a secret from the world.
- I’ve cheated while playing a game.
- I’ve cheated on a test.
- I’ve driven through a red light
- I’ve witnessed a crime.
- I’ve been in a fist fight.
- I’ve been arrested.
- I’ve shoplifted.

Drugs/Alcohol:
- I’ve consumed alcohol.
- I smoke cigarettes.
- I smoke pot.
- I regularly drink.
- I’ve taken painkillers when I didn’t need them.
- I’ve taken cough medicine when i wasn’t sick.
- I’ve done hard drugs.
- I’ve been addicted to an illegal substance.
- I can’t swallow pills.
- I can swallow about 5 pills at a time no problem (more actually)

Mental health:
- I have been diagnosed with depression.
- I shut others out when I’m depressed.
- I take anti-depressants.
- I have had an eating disorder.
- I’ve slept an entire day when I didn’t need it.
- I’ve hurt myself on purpose.
- I’m addicted to self harm.
- I’ve woken up crying.

Death:
- I’m afraid of dying.
- I hate funerals.
- I’ve seen someone dying.
- I have attempted suicide.
- Someone close to me has attempted suicide.
- Someone close to me has committed suicide.

Random:
- I can sing well.
- I’ve stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant.
- I open up to others too easily.
- I watch the news (or would if we had cable TV; I listen to the news on the radio though).
- I don’t kill bugs.
- I hate hearing songs that sacrifice meaning for sake of being able to rhyme.
- I swear regularly.
- I am a morning person (it didn't come naturally - I've been forced into it and now wake up early even I don't want to and get more things done in the morning than the rest of the day)
- I paid for my mobile phone ring tone.
- I’m a snob about grammar.
- I am a sports fanatic.
- I play with my hair.
- I have/had “x”s in my screen name.
- I love being neat.
- I love Spam (Spam Lite actually - so much better than regular Spam!).
- I’ve copied more than 30 CD’s in a day.
- I bake well.
- I don’t know how to shoot a gun.
- I am in love with love.
- I am guilty of tYpInG lIkE tHiS.
- I laugh at my own jokes.
- I eat fast food weekly.
- I believe in ghosts.
- I am online 24/7, even as an away message.
- I can’t sleep if there is a spider in the room.
- I am really ticklish.
- I love white chocolate.
- I bite my nails.
- I play video games.
- I’m good at remembering faces.
- I’m good at remembering names.
- I’m good at remembering dates.
- I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.


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To blog is a self-invasion of privacy

Still breathing . . .

Blogging from the library once more . . .

Seriously, how hard is it to get internet and cable set up? Apparently far beyond my spouse's capabilities. He signed up for something Bombastic, chose three potential installation dates, and even confirmed everything through a LiveChat with a Bombastic employee. Again I sat and waited, again no one showed. This is beyond aggravating! Now they want to see our lease before they send someone out, so they can confirm that we are allowed to have cable. WTF?! I have never, ever heard of such a thing. I have rented before and never had any problem getting cable hooked up without having to show anyone my lease. The house we are renting is pre-wired, so we don't have to have any new outlets put in or anything (which Comcast's website says is the only time they need to get the landlord's confirmation that it's okay). There are 7 cable outlets in the house already - why in the world would we need any more? The previous tenants have had cable - all the wiring is there - so WTH is the problem!!!

On a happier note, things are getting easier for me here in South Carolina. I finally have a SC driver's license - WOO HOO!!! And it only took a stack of 7 documents to get it! I also am registered to vote - I have the registration card to prove it. Now I just have to find the school where I vote . . . just kidding - it's right around the corner from my house.

Last weekend my in-laws picked Boy up and took him to their Florida condo for the weekend. Then Sunday afternoon we drove down to Savannah and exchanged children, so Girl has spent most of this week in Florida. She even went to Disney World yesterday - lucky kid!! My in-laws are bringing her by the house today (soon in fact - I need to get home!). I must confess: I really haven't missed the kid too much. I was able to get a lot done without her around. The house stays amazingly clean too. She's like a little tornado spinning through my life, I swear. But I didn't get as much time too myself as I would have liked. I ended up chaperoning a school field trip with Boy's class on Tuesday, Monday Spousehole was home (federal holiday), and Wednesday was an "early release" day at Boy's school, so he was home from school by 10:30 a.m.!! (They start at 7:25 a.m., which seems awfully early to me).

Spousehole still hasn't been interested in any "adult" time with me since I've been here. I guess our little tryst in July was enough for him in 2008. Maybe next year . . . In the meantime, I want my internet connection at home so I can work on meeting a new "friend" - not really practical while using a library computer. Even if I didn't see PiC all that much when I was back in Michigan, it was nice knowing he was available if I really needed to get laid. Without internet at home, it's hard to meet anyone new down here. Hey wait, maybe that's Spousehole's evil plan . . . .

Stay tuned.

To blog is a self-invasion of privacy

STILL NO INTERNET!

So I'm here at the library again . . .

Apparently Slime-Corner is as effed up as y'all (see, I'm suthern now!) said. They didn't show up because we hadn't paid the amount due, which their email said was $0.00. They said that even if we didn't owe anything, we still had to call and make the payment. WTF?!? Apparently we're supposed to call and say "Hi, I'd like to pay my amount due of $0.00" and they'll say "Okee dokee, all set" and then the guys will come. Right. Spousehole has authorized me to go with another company. Our choices are rhymes with Bombastic, rhymes with Phrenology (a local co), and the easily forgotten choice of Hey Key and Bee, which offers digital television too. I'm checking the various rates in another window here, so we'll see.

In addition to phone, internet, and television, I am also living without another modern convenience that most of us take for granted: a microwave. I've gone 4 weeks now without one. I wanted to bring mine from Michigan since it works great and I've had it since I was 19 and it's never given me any trouble. It was high-end when I got it and that quality has really shone through. It still looks good as new and works just as well. But it also fits perfectly in the space provided for it in the cabinetry of the Michigan kitchen, so Spousehole, my dad, and my real estate agent convinced me to leave it. But Spousehole keeps putting off buying a new one. We got a $1000 of the reimbursement for moving expenses from his employer and I expected to put a percentage of that toward a new microwave. But no-oo-ooo-ooo-ooo: Spousehole already earmarked the entire reimbursement to pay for work on his motorcycle! Idiot. He said "I told you it was $80 per hour, not including parts" My reply: But you never told me it was going to be 12+ hours!!!! WTF? That 1997 bike isn't even worth that much! Apparently something or another is leaking and something about piston rings and blah blah blah. It sounds like they are essentially rebuilding the engine from the little bit I listened to of Spousehole's explanation. He bitches about me paying for the "high-mileage" oil for my van (over 131,000 miles on it) but he can pay that for his bike? Whatever. End result is still no microwave for me. Or the kids. Or him. I plan to remedy the no microwave situation this weekend. We're getting one whether he likes it or not.

Apparently the only way you can prove you live in Podunk is to have a utility bill in your name. I have to have a utility bill in my name to get a driver license, register to vote, and even to get a library card. I'm not kidding. Since Spousehole was here first and therefore set up the utilities, nothing is in my name. Perhaps getting cable in my name will help. Even with that, I still can't get a driver license until the marriage license I just ordered online arrives. Apparently having a passport and Michigan driver license in my married name isn't enough. They still have to see the marriage license to show the legal basis for the name change from that on my birth certificate. I also have to have my social security card, even though I already showed them my passport and birth certificate to prove I am a U.S. citizen (a requirement to get a license here - what do legal permanent resident non-citizens do? just walk everywhere?). The "utility bill in your name" thing applies everywhere, even school. The lease for the house we're renting (can't buy one until we sell the Michigan house) wasn't good enough to get the boy into school. Since it was too soon for us to have gotten an electric bill yet, I had to go to the electric company and get a letter verifying that we get electric service in Spousehole's name at the address we claimed as our home. (At least the school would take something in Spousehole's name since he is also Boy's parent.) School was kind of a pain too. Even though I had all Boy's records sent well before we even left Michigan, it still took 1.5 weeks after we arrived before Boy could start school. We had to have an IEP meeting and not everyone could get together until a week-and-a-half after we arrived. God forbid they could have checked everyone's schedules and set it up for right after we arrived, but that would be way too logical. Nope - they didn't even check the schedules until after we were physically present in the state. Maybe they have a problem with people calling them a ton of times, talking to school psychologists and such, and having a ton of records faxed AND mailed from their state of origin, and then just not showing up. IDK.

Hope to be back soon. It looks like I'm going with rhymes-with-Bombastic -- keep your fingers crossed!!!

To blog is a self-invasion of privacy

I'M ALIVE!

O. M. G.

I arrived safely in S.C. on September 10 and my furniture was right behind me and got here on September 11. So far so good, right?*

Spousehole took possession of the S.C. house on September 1. He got the electric, water, and sewer switched to our names (no natural gas to the house, so no gas bill. Weird for us former northerners used to astronomic gas bills Guess now it will be astronomic electric bills). The trash and recycle are included in homeowners' association fees, so he didn't have to do anything there. So what's left? Hmmm? Oh yeah - cable TV and internet and phone!! I set these up from Michigan in August before I left - easy as pie, right? All he had to do was either set up an installation date when he would be at the house or arrange the installation for after I arrived. So what did he do? HE CANCELED IT! He didn't like the company I chose, as he has heard that they limit download speeds for bit torrents. So I said fine, arrange something with the company of your choice (they actually have competition down here which is nice - most municipalities in Michigan give one company an exclusive franchise and you are stuck with whoever they chose way back when). So he farts around and I get here and nothing is done. I say I'll take care of it and he says no, he's got it. He can get the best price on the internet (true) and he can do it from work. No problem.

He tells me last week that they are coming on Tues or Wed morning and to be home. I'm home both mornings - NADA. Then he says he read the email wrong and it's THIS week Tues or Wed morn. So I stay home both mornings; NOTHING. I call him at work - "WTF is going on?" He reads the email again - it says that the first month's bill and the installation fee have to be paid beforehand or they won't install it. But they email also shows that the total amount due before installation is "$0.00" He even brought home the email to show me. But my problem is this: I STILL DON'T HAVE ANY G-D M-F INTERNET!!!!!!! (Or TV or phone . . . ) Whether it's his fault or the fault of {rhymes with slime-corner}, I STILL DON'T HAVE ANY INTERNET!

I say F this company and we move on to one of the others available in our area. We could get rhymes-with-Bombastic or go with the local guys rhymes-with-Phrenology. At this point I don't give a rat's patootie. I just want my internet!!!

I have lived in 8 places (not including the boomerangs back to mom-and-dad's) in the last 20 years and I have never, ever - not once - had this kind of trouble getting cable/internet/phone. It just isn't that hard. Only Spousehole could manage to turn it into a fiasco.

I'm at the library right now, in case you were wondering.

I miss you all so much. I miss reading your blogs, emailing with you, IMing, etc.

I hope to be back soon.

*Except that the movers tore the crap out of my hardwood stairs back in Michigan bump.bump.bumping their dollies down my unprotected steps. Damn. Fortunately my father has already fixed them as he sanded and refinished all hardwood floors after I left. Only the kitchen and bathrooms don't have hardwood floors, so it was quite a project. I have the best dad ever. He also scraped and painted all the window frames, installed a new storm door, and painted the living room, dining room, and master bedroom. Plus cleaning up 10 years of grime I didn't get a chance to clean because I had to leave sooner than I planned since the movers miraculously didn't have another household to load/unload and were heading straight for my new house! They require the remaining balance to be paid (in cash!!?!??!) at unloading and I had the money so I had to be there. Yeah those guys were a trip. Some advice: Don't use a moving broker. Pay the extra for a name-brand moving company. Otherwise you might get three guys from hay-TEE who barely speak english and treat your stuff and your house like crap and make barely disguised threats when you tell them that you'd rather pay with a cashier's check than carry that much cash (several thousand dollars). That nothing was broken is thanks only to my obsessively careful packing.

Some stuff I'll address when I get internet:

Wow - I'm living in Podunk!
Are they serious about starting school that early in the morning? Damn, I guess they are!
My first encounter with a black widow spider
Lizards, lizards EVERYWHERE!
You thought frizzy bleach blonde "mall hair" died with the 1980s? Nope -it just moved to small-town South Carolina - a place, ironically, with no malls to speak of.

To blog is a self-invasion of privacy