I don't like today very much.

Maybe I'm gullible. Maybe I'm trusting. Maybe I just like to believe the best in people. **sigh**

It's not even 9 AM and I've endured silly pranks on blogs and in e-mails. There have been calls from nephews saying that they are sick...they can't go to school...their mom got a new car...there is a cardinal in the garage (that last one might be true). Even google has a new thing out where they can "postdate" your e-mail...so you'll never be late with a birthday greeting or important information again.

Mom and I both hate this day and do our best to remind each other...DON'T FALL FOR ANYTHING. This is one of the reasons why I'm her favorite...I watch her back.

Mi Jalapeno is supposed to have it's grand re-opening today. I certainly hope that its not a joke too.

I'll be glad when today is over.

I'm Alive!!!

Tee-hee-hee. But just barely. There's a gem of an old song about the girlfriend of the whirling dervish. He was so busy whirling, he didn't notice what she was doing...or more accurately with whom she was going.

Again, I feel like I've been whirling so much, I haven't noticed whats going on around me. There are legitimate reasons for my whirliness (some valid, some not so much!) Here's some random bullets to catch you up with what's been going on in my world....

**Had a crafting party which was WAY fun. Good food and lots of laughs. It was also the celebration of my long awaited room unveiling. I'm glad the re-do is done and there are no more big projects -- well until it's time to plant the garden....

**Went to a Chocolate Fantasy Fair in Cleveland to support the Red Cross. Just an excuse to drink a lot of wine and eat a ton of chocolate. H. and I had a fantastic time, despite an extraordinarily scary run-in with the maintenance man. That might deserve it's own post in the near future.

**Because Grandma J. always insisted on something "nice" and that bed is the closest thing to heaven, I figured a good way to spend some of my inheritance was on a new TV for the bedroom. 37 inch, flat screen, LCD/HD TV. Grandma would be so proud!

**Having lots of lap top troubles. First it was crashing and had to be de-bugged. Now it's currently in the shop getting soldered. Nice. I'm currently on the oldest office computer. I do believe I'm running Windows 95.

**Currently have a canker sore AND a cold sore. I guess I'm Queen of the Herpes. Couple that with a sore throat and sinus pain, and I pretty much want to throw my whole head away.

**Went to see the movie "Penelope" about a girl who is cursed with the face of a pig. The curse is only broken when one of her own kind loves her for who she is. Anyone who doesn't want spoilage, close your eyes NOW. Obviously, we're supposed to think that "true-love" makes her beautiful. In a different twist, Penelope learns that she has to love and accept herself to be beautiful. While this may be a step closer to a positive message, I can't help but hope for a movie that correctly suggests....You are already beautiful and loved, because you were created by God.

**Was almost taken out on Riverside Drive the other day when an oncoming driver made a wide turn onto the street. Why didn't he know where he was going? Is a cell phone to blame? No, my friends...the man was CLIPPING HIS NOSE HAIRS. And they make fun of women for putting on make-up in the car.

**My mother called me a jig-saw puzzle Nazi. Everyone knows my way is the only correct way to do them. Border first, big color groupings, then fill it in. Geez. Is it that so hard?

**Frogs suck. Period. OK, Cartman doesn't, but if slow were people, he'd be China. Step up my dear. Any time.

**Finally got to talk to my long lost friend Doc Loveshack. It's been a while. Why do I miss talking to Doc Loveshack? Because the man is genuinely grateful for all he has and knows he is very blessed. It's so refreshing to talk to someone who isn't complaining, who endeavors to do better and knows how to have a laugh to boot. He's an inspiration. **sigh**

**Tonight, Linus and I are going over to his breeders house to see a new litter of puppies. Who thinks that Linus needs a sister?

That catches us up a bit, doesn't it?

WOW!

Lawgirl and I were having a conversation the other day about how e-mail has become almost obsolete -- an archaic form of communication. Between IM and blog comments, I seem to communicate more with smileys than anything else. :)

E-mail, however, does have it's perks. Like this little gem my brother sent me. I put it under the category, "Things that make you go whoa."

Family on holiday in Australia for a week and a half when husband, wife and their 15 year old son decided to go scuba diving. The husband is in the navy and has had some scuba experience. His son wanted a picture of his mum and dad in all their gear so he got the under water camera ready to go. When it came to taking the picture the dad realized that the son looked like he was panicking as he took it, and gave the 'OK' hand sign to see if he was alright.

The son took the picture and swam to the surface and back to the boat as quickly as he could, so the mum and dad followed to see if he was OK. When they got back to him, he was scrambling onto the boat and absolutely panicking. When the parents asked why, he said 'There was a shark behind you!!' and the dad thought he was joking but the skipper of the boat said it was true, but they wouldn't believe him either. As soon as they got back to the hotel they loaded the picture onto the laptop and this is what they saw.

Sometimes we learn things we wish we never had to....

Like this week-end, I learned that while chocolate is toxic to dogs, it takes one ounce of milk chocolate per pound of dog to be fatal. In other words, a 90 pound golden retriever won't die from eating 15 Cadbury Eggs. That's a fact.

Thanks MedVet for your grace and knowledge on a stressful Easter morning.

Dizzy

When you were a kid, did you ever sit in the middle of the merry-go-round and have someone else push? Everything was so clear, and you could focus on things. Suddenly, you would be going so fast, all of those clear images would become smeared together...and even when you stopped, it took a while to get your focus back.

When dancers spin, they "spot." They find a fixed object and concentrate on it, turning their bodies and keeping their head focused on the spot, eventually whipping their heads around and again focusing on the "spot." It keeps them from getting dizzy.

Over the past week, I've lost my spot. Everything has been going so fast, that events and conversations seem almost blurred, and it's hard to focus on any of them. I apologize gentle readers, for leaving you out of the loop. Big thanks to Sleepy Scott for pointing out my lack of attention.

I wish I could say that since I've been so busy, my life is more fulfilling, but it's really not. It's just busier. Even time spent with family and friends seems rushed because of everything else that "has" to be done. Like so many people in this world, I've made my life busy to distract myself from the things in my life that are painful. It's just easier to say "I'm too busy to deal with that...."

For those of us who try to walk a Christian faith, it is the perfect day to re-focus. Good Friday. The day Jesus loved me enough to give his life for mine. To recognize that the pain is necessary. My head knows this all the time. My heart forgets...but when my heart remembers, I find my "spot" again. Everything jars into focus. It's a raw feeling, but one that I'm grateful for.

I've been listening to Glenn Beck's Easter Essay. I'm not sure you can listen to it if you aren't a member, but if you get a chance, do it. It's amazing. When he tells the story of the Passion, he sets it to the music of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon." It perfectly captures the confusion among the apostles and the abandonment of Christ. That's the part that always gets me. Jesus pleading for his friends to stay awake and pray with him...and everyone drifting off to sleep, oblivious that it was their last night with him.

Sunday we will focus on the Resurrection, but today is the day to focus on the death. To recognize the pain and not try to avoid it...but to look at it straight in the eyes and start to deal with it.

You're not alone, my friend.