Roger Goodell, NFL Commish - are you effing kidding me!!!!

Has Roger Goodell lost his friggin mind?!? Vick is eligible for conditional reinstatement !! Are you fucking kidding me!!?? If you are as OUTRAGED as I am please, please stand up & be heard.
Send him a letter at:
National Football League
Attn: Roger Goodell, Commissioner
280 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
e-mail: Roger.Goodell2@nfl.net (This is what I could find via the net so I am not sure if this e-mail address is active but the address is correct)

Now before some of you jump down my throat & say "the man paid his time" - Yeah, OK. What he did was heinous & he should not be allowed back in the NFL. Of course the NFL has a very generous forgiveness policy just look at the others who were allowed back after committing crimes. And yes, I know that the reinstatement does not mean he will get to play it means he is eligible to be picked up by a team.

My point & my opinion is that he should not be reinstated. Simple.

Sean Penn - WOW !

Last night Smarty & I sat down and watched Milk and let me just say "Holy Crap, that was a fantastic, powerful, brilliant, enlightening, heroic, beautiful movie." Sean Penn was completely transformed into this character; he was so believable and sincere, he was amazing. James DeFranco, Wow - what a great role for him too. There was no awkwardness or stiffness in their scenes, they felt very real and kind. Even Smarty didn't have that typical straight male discomfort when watching two men kiss. I think because it was portrayed so naturally without the typical Hollywood pure sex focus that it was easy to get lost in their love and their lives. And the ending was beautifully done. The long parade of people walking with their lit candles just took my breath away.

I hope this movie educated people about the inequalities in our country and how important it is to stand up & be heard. I know sometimes it is hard to buck the system and much easier to go with the status quo but as this movie highlighted, it is those few brave souls who are willing to stand up, peacefully organize and become champions for a cause that make it possible for so many to enjoy equality.

It takes a spark to start a fire.

Margaritas, Fate, Love & Life

A little over 12 years ago fate intervened and I found myself a few hours deep in more than one pitcher of margaritas with my, never in a million years would I have thought he would be, future husband. What started out as a happy hour with friends turned into the beginning of a whole new life for me. When we met I was all set to move to Northern California and nothing was going to get in my way.... or so I thought, silly me!

That chubby Cupid baby shot his arrow & before I knew what was happening we were in love and shacking up in a rented baby blue mouse house (really it was only 520 square feet. You could literally sit on the bowl & wash your hands at the same time. No kidding).

See I told you !

A few months later he got down on bended knee & asked me to be his wife. My answer - YES, YES, YES!!!

We married, went on vacations, had fun, had arguments, got on each other's nerves, kissed, made up, and just enjoyed each others company. It is so cliché but he really is my best friend and I can’t imagine life without him. So today on his birthday I would like to yell from the electronic mountains and tell all the Internet voyeurs what an amazing man, friend, Mardi-Gras boogie king, husband & father he truly is.

Happy 40th Birthday Smarty my Love.
You rocked my world 12 years ago & still rock my world today.

I Love You deeply.

Some good news & some not so good news

The not so good news is my kitty (he's 10) has diabetes. He has been drinking water like a wild man this week so I knew something was up. Hobbes is a big boy weighing in at 17.4 lbs (pick up your bottom jaw, we know he is large). I'm telling you this cat eats 3/4 cup science diet light everyday - that is it! I think he is so large due to genetics and b/c he doesn't have to work for anything. He is an inside cat & the most exercise he gets is jumping up on my bed. I adore him.

So with this recent change in behavior I had to take him to the vet ASAP. We lost our dog Shelby in October and seriously folks, if something were to happen to Hobbes I would need a Zoloft drip. I just couldn't deal right now.

As soon as I got him in the exam room they did a blood sugar test & his was .... 601 ! Oh Shit! Apparently the upper limits in the normal range is somewhere near 160 so this was a biggie. We love our pets like they are our kids so if this is manageable then I am all in. Thankful that it wasn't cancer (I have lost 2 pets to cancer & I just couldn't bear to hear that again right now) I am on a mission. We are going to modify his diet & start with a very modest dose of insulin & recheck in 1 week. Apparently diet is a HUGE factor & can actually put him in remission because we caught it right away. (We had a full blood panel done on him in January & it was 145 so we know this is recent).

I gave him his first injection today & he took it like a champ. Of course I'd be willing to bet he didn't even feel it with all that extra weight but knowing that he didn't even flinch made me feel better. Quality of life is so important & I would hate for him to be miserable or in pain.

So overall, not the worst news but not the best either.

Now the good news ...

I lost another 4 pounds!!!

Yep, that's right - I'm a rockstar and I have the saggy jeans to prove it! Don't even need to unzip them, they just slip right on like a pair of sweats. Sweet.
I've been going to "Chub Club" (weight watchers) for a few weeks now & have been doing pretty good (8 lbs in 4 weeks). My goal is to lose around 40 more (yeah, two kids & lots of emotional eating made me a chunky monkey) & I don't care if it takes a year as long as I get this emotional eating thing under control.

Regardless, I was super psyched to hear the lady say "wow you are down 4 pounds this week" that I did a little victory dance right there next to the scale.

What's in a name?

Turns out a lot. Tip-toeing into this blogging thing I thought I'd have to hide my identity so I picked a name & viola, I became Gina.

All was well, except.....

I just couldn't jive with that name. Everytime I wrote it all I could think of was my niece - Gina. She is a Gina. Me, well not so much. So I am coming clean.

Bye Bye Gina .... Hello Mel

Puppy Love

I think my boy has a Crush

Over the weekend we had a 4th Birthday party for our son, Calvin. As we are getting ready to sit down for Pizza & Cake (you know the standard kid party menu) he says “I want Emily to sit next to me.” Hmm. OK.

A little odd considering he is not big on the friendship thing & would rather “work alone.” But it’s cute so I’m going with it.
Emily walks into the room & he yells out “Emily, I want you to sit right here” pointing to the chair next to him. Emily being a sweet little 5 year old girly-girl says in that soft little girl voice “OK” & hops up. Adorable.

Then this happened ….

7:15am “Mommy, when Emily turns 6 can I go to her birthday party?”
7:15:22 “Mommy, when its my 5th birthday Emily is going to come to my party.”
7:20am “Mommy, when Emily comes to my house I am going to let her play with my new Mater truck. You know the one that can tow Lightning McQueen. I think that will make her happy.”
7:30am “Mommy, I think BamBam will like to play with Emily too”

Leaning over, stroking little brother BamBam’s hair
“BamBam, you will love Emily, she will like to play with you.”

In the car on the way to school & the Daughtry song “Feels like tonight” comes on the radio (the Professor really likes that cd)

7:40am “Mommy, Can you bring the “tonight” song in the house so I can play it for Emily”
7:40:20am “and the “Home” song too, I think Emily will like that one too”
7:42am “Mommy, is Emily going to be at school today?”
7:45am “Mommy, when can Emily come to our house to play?”
7:50am “Mommy, Emily came to my birthday party” BIG Smile

Pulling into the school parking lot

7:55am “Mommy, I want to go to Emily’s house to see her”

In the classroom,
Me: Hugs & Kisses, see you after lunch:

8am “Mommy, is Emily going to be here today?”

Me: I don't know. See you later. Have a great day.

12:30pm Picking him up from school.

Me: Hey buddy, how was school today?

“Mommy, is Emily going to come over our house today? I want Emily to come to my house today. I am going to put the Tonight song on for her. She will like it. Maybe we can do the dancing. Then we can play cars. I'm going to share my Mater. I am going to show her my car board. Mommy, I want Emily to ……”

…all the way home - all afternoon - all evening.

Guess who will be calling Emily’s Mom

Blog etiquette?

I feel like I haven't been here in ages & I haven't. I have been tied up in birthday parties (big fun), new TV's, new Dish, new ISP, and lots of school work (just knocked out a 20pg paper & am so glad it is the last big assignment of this semester) = no energy for blogland.

Now I'm sitting here with lots to say but not quite sure where to go. Blogging is odd. It's like a blank piece of paper where you can write anything you want with one caveat, anyone can see it. Hmm. Ain' t that some shit.

I could write about the birthday & how I had a blast sliding down the big inflatable kiddie slides....I could write about how pissed off I am at my professor...I could write about the crazy hillbilly party I went to on Friday.... or perhaps how freaked out this recent crime in our town has made me. I just don't know where to go. which brings me back to my original thought..

Is there blog etiquette? If someone blogs about the awesome thing they just experienced, do you think "she's so full of herself" If someone rants & releases some written anger, do you think "Ugh, if I want to hear someone bitch I will turn on Conservative Radio" If someone blogs about a random thought, do you think "who give a crap?" Does any of this matter?

We never had these in New York

Here is my "laugh at the crazy northerner" moment of the day.

These bugs you southerners call "roaches" FREAK ME OUT!!! To say I hate them does not even capture my true feelings. When I see one I instinctively do the following, almost always in this order:

1) Scream like a little girl

2) Yell "I F**kin hate these bugs!!" (Even if I am the only one within a 10 mile radius.)

3) Yell "I F**kin hate the south!"

4) Grab the nearest aerosol can & spray the crap out of it.

5) When I think it is safe to get closer I drop something heavy on it until I am SURE it is dead.

6) Run into the house (or if heaven forbid it made its way into my house, run into another room) with the "willies", wash my hands as if I were walking into an OR, then still cursing get something to drink & try to calm down.

Tonight as I was opened the garage door to throw something into the recycle container I saw this evil creature walking around near the steps. My girlish scream made him jump & he just stopped moving. As if he was thinking "Holy crap what was that. Maybe if I stand still it will go away" Silly bug - don't you know who you are dealing with.

I quickly close the door & run to the hall closet where all I can find are 3 spray cans of Lysol. I go back to the laundry room & open the door - I spot him hiding behind the dehumidifier so I blast him. I must have emptied a quarter of that can on this bugger & he was still moving. So quick I look around (b/c I am NOT going to let him out of my sight) & find a spray can of sunscreen. OK that might work so I blast him with that. No dice but he is moving a bit slower. Woo-Hoo. Now I am in the garage & run to the utility shelf & pull out a can of wasp killer - JACKPOT! Now I walk back to the stumbling bug & BLAST him with the wasp killer. STILL he is moving. FUCK! So all I could do was pick up a container of old electronics & drop it on his sorry butt.

Dead at Last, Dead at Last. Thankfully he is Dead at Last.

TV dilemma solved

We are now the proud owners of a 47" LCD !!!
Don't know if Smarty read the blog this morning while I was out picking up food for Hobbes (our very hungry cat) but if he did - here is a BIG shout out to my love.
He hung back while I went to Best Buy & wrapped up the purchase, arranged for delivery & installation and was back in time to make a big salad & fruit tray to bring to our friend's 4th of July Blast.
All in all, I'd say it was a success on two fronts; 1)Smarty didn't get agita (Ah-Jit-ta: Italian for heartburn or in this case the pain you feel in your gut when you have to do something you don't want to do) from all the decisions and sticker shock and 2) I didn't have to deal with the drawn out decision making process. Of course the fact that I got to do the purchasing was also a plus in my book b/c I have a bit of a control issue - let's just say I am a strong willed woman.

So Hooray for us & our new TV. Will let you know how it looks in our family room on Wednesday!

Crap - the TV's on the Fritz

The time has come to bid our HUGE projection TV goodbye. There is no denying it's impending fate; the color is all whacked out, the image goes from normal to wavy (think High School Acid Trip) & the picture randomly shuts off although the sound remains on.

Now normal folks would say "Crap - the TV is on the fritz. Time to go to the nearest appliance store and get a new one" but not in the Frugal family house. We (and by "we" I mean my husband Smarty) hem & haw, we reluctantly measure for space, we look at ads, we research TV reviews, we go to the store (just to look of course), come home turn on the gasping for air TV and think some more. (insert long sighs here)

Needless to say, this drives me CRAZY !!!! I am the "oh crap the TV is on the fritz", quick scan of research & then off to the store to purchase a new TV type of gal. Not to mention I went through this not too long ago with the washing machine so I am really over it. With the washer it took TWO months to pick a replacement after the repair man told us it would cost more to repair than replace. Two freaking months of me praying to the washing machine gods ever time I did a load of laundry. Now mind you I cloth diaper my kids so I spend a great deal of time in the laundry room so that was a long time. Two months of "do we want a front loader or a top loader?" "I'm not spending $1500 on a washing machine" "I can't think about this today." Finally, at 5 months pregnant with baby #2 I lost it & declared today is the day we get a new washer and off we went to Lowe's; the following morning two nice men from Lowe's placed my new Duet Sport in my laundry room and soon thereafter it was churning out its first load. So you see I have been down this road & I can tell you it is bumpy.

As for the TV - I'm thinking LCD, somewhere in the 46 inch range. Best Buy is currently running a sale, they will deliver, install & recycle my old TV all included in the purchase price. Now if it were me, I'd be there at 10am when they open, have it wrapped up by 11am all before the sale/promo ends tomorrow. But that's just silly old me.

Let's see what Smarty thinks .....

Birthdays

My boy is a hop, skip & jump away from his 4th birthday and I am still amazed.

I want to run up to my OB & hug him because if it weren’t for him, my life would have taken a very different turn. Then I want to get in my car, drive over to the “highly recommended women’s practice” and tell that ignorant doctor who told me I needed a hysterectomy (over the phone mind you) at the age of 31 that she is a jackass while I flash the photos of my two beautiful boys in her face. (Really, I am a kind person but there are some things you just don't screw with & a woman's fertility is one of them.)

Through all the “what ifs” Smarty (my man) & I went back and forth about how we would be OK without kids, how we would travel & maybe I’d go to law school. Such fools! It’s amazing how we lie to ourselves b/c it is easier than feeling the pain of disappointment. I can say it was a lie b/c having these two guys running around the house is the best gift I have ever been given and changed my life - who am I kidding, it changed me - for the better.

So in honor of the big day I will make the Professor a Lightning McQueen cake (that he won’t eat b/c he doesn’t eat cake) and some sugar cookies with Red sprinkles (the only sweets he will entertain) and sing Happy Birthday with a smile in my heart and tears of joy in my eyes. Then at night when I tuck him into his bed I will hug him tight, tell him I Love him & whisper the same words I do every night, “Have a party in your dreams tonight.”

Hypocrites

Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) has consistently voiced his opposition to Civil Unions and voted to define marriage as One man and One Woman and I can't help to see that he has done a stellar job of upholding the sanctity of marriage by cheating on his wife. Yep, isn't it amazing how so many right wing, against marriage equality politicians have such large skeletons in their closets.

When are we going to stop electing Jackasses who impose THEIR views & beliefs instead of those of their constituents?

SIGH