The Correction: It was my grandparent's 60^th anniversary, not their 50th.

Can I just say again WOW. That just...blows my mind. I can't imagine living with the same person everyday for sixty years and not wanna bash one of our head's in at some point. Compare that to my Mom's parents, who were never married to anyone for more then a few years, and they married eachother at least twice. We're honestly not sure how many times Grandma Mary was actualy married, turns out some of the guys, they were just shacking up and calling it a marrage.

After growing up with every disfuntion possible in a family, being around Joe's family is its own little headtrip. I never believed in the idea of the nuclear family 'til we married into his. In fact, Joe's the only member of his family I can think of who's had more then one marriage. So, yeah, wow. Props to them! Wish we were all so luckey.


The Observation: Geoff has now developed a chlorine alorgy, too. I was the only one with it for the last decade and a half or so, and now Geoff has developed one too, and it came on fast and hard. He reconised it for what it was quickly (benifit of having asthma, I supose, you learn to figure out fast what it is makeing you sick), so his hasn't yet developed into the breathing issues mine has, thank god. And his isn't as sever as mine...yet. He'll have to keep a close eye on it for the rest of his life. City's around here chlorinate the drinking water occationaly, and some city's do it year round. If his gets as bad as mine, even that chlorine can be dangrous.

Good news is I'm not the only freek in the family with this problem anymore. ::chuckles:: Missery 'n company 'n all that.

Oh, and also, Geoff 'n Sarah are gunna be moving back to Oly sometime in the next month or two. Geoff's now ahving an hour comunte each way to work, and it's wearing on him. They orignaly moved to Rodchester because they both worked south of there, so it made sence. But now that neither one is working south anymore, they're eager to get back to where they don't have the comutes. They're already house hunting.


And that is all. I've run outta spoons.

As I'm sure you all have noticed, I'm not a patriotic person. In all honesty? Patriotic people creap me the fuck out, as anyone who heard me shudder and rant about the Americana Overload I suffered last year while visiting Mom's family on the holiday. It's not that I don't love the "life, liberty, and freadom" side of living here, it's more the "Trust No One" side.

But still, this is my country, and it has brought us a few good things...like 1776, The Best Musical Ever! (Or, well, tied with Phantom of the Opera, at least.)

Since I'm not a partiotic person, and I don't like hanging out with extended family members (as a rule), and I hate getting eatten alive by bugs while waiting for fireworks outside, I don't have many traditions for this day...but I do have 1776. Every year for I'm not sure how many years, I watch it. Last year I couldn't get to my copy, but I did listen to the musical on my .mp3 player a few times.

This year I managed to find a copy of the more recent Directors Cut, and I loved it! It actualy re-incorporated the missing "Cool, Cool, Considerate Men" (the Conservitive Minuet), which has always been my favorate song by far. I hated that it got cut out of the movie for so many years.

This is a movie I recomend to everyone, American or whatever, because it's just damned funny! I always find myself laughing out loud in mulipul places, even after seeing it so many times. I always manage to forget certin bits until they're on screen, and then I'm laughing again. Okay, okay, so it's maybe not the most acurate play/movie/musical you'll see, but it's still good, and gives a fairly ballanced overview of the situation and the times. Including why slavery was left in, despite everything else talking about all men being free and equil. (side note: I actualy saw the Declairation Of Indepdance, The Bill Of Rights, and the American Constituion on deply in DC when I went years ago, and was suprisinly moved by the experience. And yes, John Handcock really is the only name you see, it's so big. ::LOL::)

On that note, I'm sad to say that Benjamin Franlin did not say, "Treason is a charge invented by winners as an excuse for hanging the losers." ...More's the pitty, I LOVED that quote. Also? Not everyone signed the declairation on July 4th, only John Hancock did. The rest signed over the course of the next two years or so. Also, there were more 50 members of congress at the time, not the twenty or so depicted in the movie.

Oh, but the "I'm obnoxious and disliked" running joke was real, John Adams did say that first, but he actualy said it durring his presidency, many years later. While in congress, he was actualy very much respected. But this way is much funnier.

I could go on and on about this musical for awhile. My favorate version will always be the local production selynne and I saw last time she came up for a visit. But really, I think everyone should take a few minutes to track down the movie version of this at least. 90% of the cast in the movie are the orignal cast from Broadway. 1776 actualy won the Tony for Best New Musical the year it came out, most noticably beating out Hair, which was the front runner by a long shot. No one actualy thought a musical about politics 200 years ago was gunna be such a hit. ::snickers::

Also? I dare anyone to watch this and not silently ship John Adams/Ben Franklin even a little bit. Go on, watch 'n try, I dare ya!

And in totaly unrelated but still \o/ news, this is the 50th wedding anivesry of my grandparents. The party is gunna start in about four hours, give or take. And can I just say, "OMG, FIFTY YEARS!? How the fuck did they manage that?" ::LOL:: Considering that, what is it now, 52%? 56%? Of all marrages in the US end in devorce? All I can say is, they really don't make 'em like they used to. ::claps for grandparents::

Okay, and with that, I'll leave you all to make up yer own minds on if this is a day to celibrate or not. I have done my patriotic duty for the year, and as the credits rolled, I was done 'til next July.

Instead, I'll just leave you all with this: The Muppets Stars And Stripes Forever. Because, really? What's more patroic then the Swedish Chef and a song sung by muppets who can't actualy say any english words?


Oh, and anyone wondering about my subject title? It's my quote for the month on my LJ Sidebar. It's inspired by one of my fav 4th of July quotes: "The 2nd Day of July 1776 will be the most memorable in the History of America." -John Adams, 3rd July 1776

Okay, so I totaly suck as both a friend, and an LJ/DW poster this month. I haven't updated my quotes, I missed posting links, info, and quotes on the 1st annivesry of George Carlin's death, and I totaly missed Caers' birthday by like two weeks. ::hangs head:: ::holds out wrist to be slapped:: I did remember each of those things I was planning to do on the correct days, but, well...health, tired, put it off, yadda yadda yadda.

So first up, very belated, but no less heart felt:

   Happy Birthday, caersmane   

Sorry, hon. I was thinking of you on the day! Once I'm back up to "human", I'll make it up to you with a drabble or icon or something. {{{hugs}}}

And now for the one I actualy am on time for, for the first time this month:


   Happy Birthday, zabira / zabira   

Classic story of a local girl who makes good, and rocks all of fandom with her awsomeness. We all know of her rocking, do I really need to go into it here? Didn't think so.

Happy Birthday, Ladies! You both rock beyond words!

   Happy Birthday, catyah   

Made it in under the wire! \o/ Happy birthday, sweetheart! I look forword to watching your garden grow with you!

That was satisifying enough, I just had to share the experience.

So as most of you know, I was intended to be third genoration law enforcement. ( A Quick Explanation Of The Situation )

Today was the first day he came over since starting.

Which means, today was the first round of Baccon jokes!

Oh lord, does Dad regreat teaching me baccon jokes as a kid. He had no idea he'd end up as a cop, and I gave him hell with 'em once he did. Now it's Geoff's turn.

I started him off easy. He asked me how I've been doing this week, so I replied I had been doing fine until the smell started. So logicaly, he looked confused, and asked, "What smell?"

As soon as he said it, you could see his mind go, "oh shit, that was a stright line..."

"That....baccon smell." I turned to Dad next to me and asked, "Don't you smell it?"

Geoff went bright red within seconds. Mostly, I think, because he should have seen that one comeing a mile away. ::snickering::

First day Dad was a cop, I took him out for donuts and coffee. I'm too sick to do that with Goeff, so verbal assults'll have to do for now.

I love my family. ::still laughing::

(For the record, it's been a week, and Geoff's new boss has yet to realise he's the one who's been leaving the bright pink donuts on his desk every morning. ::LOL!!::)

Gotta be quick tonight, but I didn't wanna miss it!


   Happy Birthday, meresy/meresy   


Hope it was a great one, and hope it's the start of a great year! \science/

I can't say enough about the wonderfulness that is our darling Q, who is even now probably eatting her wonderful sounding home made spice cake with vanilla on top. Yumm! So I'll keep this short 'n sweet.

   Happy Birthday, queue/qe2   

Happy Birthday, hon! I'm glad yer healing up so fast! Here's to a new year full of the ability to walk! Woot!

I know everyone is sick of seeing these, but I still feel the need to say it: I have four Dreamwidth invites left for anyone on my flist who wants one. Just let me know.

And to make up for that, I'm also including my new Quote Of The Month in my sidebar. Because of how dead I was last month, the Casey Stengel got left up for two months instead of just one. While I am still (mostly) dead this month, too, I thought I'd go ahead and change it while I was feeling well enough to do so.

To commemorate my ongoing state of dead, this month's quote is a simple one:


"He is one of those people who would be greatly improved by death."
-Saki


In update news, Dad is doing great. Unlike Mom, who spent the weekend after her knee replacement surgry rearranging furniture when no one was looking and re-apolstering the dining room chairs (I fuck you not, she actualy did this when our backs were turned...all eight of them! Danika saw, and she and I stepped in to finish), Dad is actualy doing what he should. Namely, takeing his pills on time, lieing down all day, useing the icepacks, and watching movies. Good boy.

I curently have no plans for my birthday, and I don't think anyone in the family has plans, either. (For those of you who are new and don't know, May is Birthday Week in our family. Sister Krsita's BDay is the 12th, mine is the 13th, Mom is the 15th, and Sister Danika is the 16, and Mothers Day is alawys the same week, too, of course, this year falling on the 10th I believe?) This is, however, the first year in ten or so that I will not be going to Clay Camp. That's hitting me harder then the "Oh God, I'm Turning 27, WTF?" thing. I have not missed a single Clay Camp since I joined the Guild. In fact, the first year, I wasn't even a member of the guild, just a Day Trip guest, and I think the second year, too, though that year I stayed one night. No matter how crappy a year is, no matter how strapped for cash, I alawys make it to Clay Camp.

But between my Death, and the new Guild scholersihp rules no longer covering 100%, I just can't do it. That's hitting me, now, and it sucks. Royaly fucking sucks. So I'll probably be pretty depressed that weekend. We'll see how it goes.

Other then that, I'm doing okay. Little more stable this week, for whatever reason (I'm not questioning it, just going with the flow). But this officaly uses up all my energy, so gunna go lie down agian. Happy Beltane, everybody!

Today is Clay's fourth birthday. In two weeks, it'll be the 4th anniversery of the first time I saw/met/held him. I'm not quite sure what to make of this. ::lol::

I am in no way a kid person, not by any streach of the imagination. I wanted a baby for probably about a week when I was around four...then I grew out of it. Never wanted kids since, not even for a moment. I'm still planning to have a tuboligation as soon as I can get a doctor to do it and have Medicare pay for it.

But Clay...Clay was the first baby in my life I considered mine. And Brain a year after that, of course, but Clay was the first.

I still hate kids, and I reach my limit very, very quickly, even with Clay and Brain and Susan, but that limit of "okay, enough, get them away from me" is higher with these two then any other kid I've ever spent time with in my life.

It was Clay who gave me the name Buddy. I was one of his Favorate People Ever as a baby, could get him to sleep when no one else could, and like with Brain, I could get him to eat more then anyone else, even more then Anne or SueMary could (because of their birth mother's Meth use, it was imparitive that we keep both babies eatting as much as possible, as offten as possible). Clay always wanted to spend time with me. But then one day, he stopped. I went from being a FPE, to being someone he looked at as if confused as to why I was talking to him. No one could figure out why. As soon as he started learning more then just the basic words, he stopped talking to me.

Then one day, outta the blue, we were all playing the "What is/Who is that?" game where you point at something, and he has to say the word for it. And he's brillent, got every name right with people, and right very quickly on objects (expeicaly for his age, wow, both of them are so smart when it comes to words!!). And when mom pointed at me, and asked, "Who's that?" He tilted his head, and looked very confused for a moment. Then after mom said, "Who's that?" again, he nodded once and said, "Buddy."

We were all taken a back, left blinking, so mom said, "Who's that?" and he smiled hugly and said, "BUDDY!" And just like that, in an instant, I was back to being a FPE.

Turns out? Clay couldn't say my name! He just struggled with it for some reason. So rather then stumble saying my name and be left upest with himself, he just stopped talking to me all together. If he didn't spend time with me, no one would ask him to play "who's that" with him. So eventuly he decided to just give me a new name. One he could say.

I've been Buddy ever since.

A name I wear with great pride, too.

I'll never be a kid person, not even if I were the last woman alive and had to contenue the human race. If I'm the last woman able to bare offspring? Sorry, put us on the ex-list, 'coz we're toast. I'm not a kid person...but for Clay, and for Brian and Susan, I'm as close as I'll ever get.

I can't believe it's been four years.

Dad got home from his surgry. It all went off without a hitch, and he is safely medicated and getting some sleep. Things could not have gone better.

Joe got the dates wrong. His surgry is tomorrow, not today. So good thoughts again tomorrow, please?

I'll post again tomorrow with an update on how it went. He should be home by afternoon, evening at the outside.

They've moved up Dad's surgry date. He's now going under the knife this Tuesday.

No worries, this is a good thing. Joe's had increcingly debilitating arm pain for more then a year now, with half a dozen difrent diagnosis, everything from pinched nerves to bone cancer to Carpel Tunnel.

In the end, more people diagnosed him with a sever case of Carpel Tunnel then anything else, so that's what they're going with.

Joe does not deal well with medical shit, at least not when it's his own. He's pretty freeked out about this, despite knowing how safe it is (and damnit, Krista, for telling him he could research the surgry online! ::facepalm:: Why do you think I was working so hard to make sure he DIDN'T FIGURE THAT OUT?!). Thirty years of sobriaty means he can't crawl into a bottle to deal with it, and fear of that desire to crawl into a bottle means he's reluctant to take enough medication to controle the pain. So surgry to finish things? Very much of the good.

So, the new plan is for Joe to get surgry on his right arm on Tuesday morning. Simple surgry, they won't even be putting him under, just giving him a local. ...Which, yeah, probably a mistake, considering my explanations in the above paragraph, but... ::shrugs::

Anyway, if anyone thinks of it, happy thoughts for him on Tuesday would be very welcome. He always does better, knowing people are thinking about him when he needs it. He's a strong believer in the power of thoughts.

In totaly unrelated information you don't really need, this is my first test of the new DW Crossposting Platform. Let me know if it comes out wonkey for anybody.

ETA: Hmmm, everything works just fine on crossposting, including the tags, but not the Icon. The crosspost on LJ goes to Default. Eveything else works just fine. Odd...and the HTML code looked fucked up on LJ when I go to edit, but it works fine, just looks fucked up. Odd.

I'm giving Twitter a try. I created an account awhile back, but never intended to use it. But it takes less energy then a full LJ/DW post. I figure maybe it'll be a way for me to stay a little more involvedi n yer guy's lives until I get my own life back.

Don't know how much I'll use it, probably just the random URL link, or the odd reply to your guy's twitters.

Anyhow, I'm over at http://twitter.com/torra_K

Okay, this is gunna be really short, because I've already overdone it today.

Like everyone else, I now have a Dreamwidth account (thanks to Ricky ::love::). Just like here, I'm Torra. I like to keep things simple. I don't intend to move anytime soon, if ever. I'll definatly crosspost for a long, long time. I still have a few months of paid account time here on LJ, and I just renewed my extra icon spaces, so there's no way I'm just gunna let those go to waste, if nothing else. I can't imagen anyone is planning to switch exclusivly to DW anytime, soon, anyhow.

So go ahead and friend me, or circle me, or subscribe to me, whatever it's called on DW, and I'll do the same to you when I'm next feeling up to working on anything. And don't worry if you don't have a DW account, you won't need it to follow me or anything.

For future refrence, if you guys ever are trying to find me on something, I usualy go by the same few variations on my name, depending on who got to my username before me. The best things to search for (if you can't just search by my E-mail addie, that is) are: Torra, Torra_K, TorraKimbul, and Torra_Kimbul. I really, really like to keep things simple. ::wink::

In totaly unrelated, just genoral update news: Medicare has officaly approved my switch to GHC as of yesterday. Now I gotta wait for GHC to send me more paperwork, and then wait for them to sort me into place. No clue how long that'll take, but basicly the worst of the hurtles are over. Things are no where near in the clear, and no sight of "back to normal" in any direction, but it's a few leaps and bounds closer then I've been in three months. So yay on that front.

And also I now have a new battery for Tenrai. His battery died three weeks ago, and he's been randomly crashing on me ever sence (turns out, his power cord is also almost dead, which was part of the problem). But I managed to save up enough this week to get a new one (new power/adapter cord will have to wait, but now that I have a working battery, it's no where near the top of my priorities list), so now that I'm able to reliably use Tenrai again without him crashing every time I tic (which, as you guys can imagine, in my unmedicated and sever TS state, was constatly), I should be around a little more then I was the last few weeks. "Around again" in the "being able to reply to E-mails or leave the occational LJ comment" sense, not in the "alive again (see above)" sence. Now that I can use him and tic at the same time, while lieding down in bed...yah, much of the good.

So all in all, a much happer post then I've been able to make in, what, three months now? Yay!

I'm having a good moment, so I wanted to use it wishing two people very happy birthdays.

First up, Today's Birthday:

   Happy Birthday, tinx_r   


So far knowing you has been great, and I'm really looking forword to getting to know you better in the comeing year (you know, when I'm alive again). I know I haven't actualy finished watching Riptide yet (though now I have an excuse, my CD/DVD player in my computer is broken, so I can't play my disks, and don't have enough free hard drive space--because I can't burn stuff before deleating it--to re-download from where I last left off), but I will! And the first thing I'm gunna do after that last ep is go though and devour all yer fics. It's at the very top of my To Do list. {{{hugs}}} Thanks for the great new show. And all the great new people I met though youl.


Next up is a very belated:

   Happy Birthday, shetiger   


I was way to crashed too actualy do this on your birthday, and then just totaly blanked. I know you're not a fan of the sparkley text, so I did yours sparkle free. ;-) Sorry it's so late. Though I did spend my good moments yesterday reading a sort of "best of" all yer fics in fandoms we share. You are still one of my favorate authors, and I can't wait 'til I'm feeling well enough to actualy talk and read and be around agian to catch up on all the rest of the stuff you do.

So happy birthday to you both. ::tosses confetii::

And that officaly saps all my energy again. As a quick update to everyone wondering what's been happening with me this month: Lots of nothing, lots of pain, lots of phone calls. Long story short, GHC has my paperwork, they've tentitivly accepted me, but now it's down to Medicare approving the switch. If they do, I will be with GHC starting the first. If they dont, I'm screwed for god knows how long. Nothing more I can do now but keep waiting and try not to move around too much. ::shrugs:: But I am still alive and will (hopefuly) be back soon.

Donna passed away this afternoon.

I don't have any other information. Mom's been up in British Columbia (she's on her way back now) all weekend, so I haven't had a chance to talk to her. Joe called tonight (I was asleep 'til then) to let me know the news.

She made it a year longer then she was told she would. Everytime they told her "two months left, max", she'd make it another three. Everytime they told her, "Say your goodbyes," she'd make it another six weeks.

She made it though every milestone she wanted to reach before she passed. She saw her grandkids playing in the high of summer. She helped make Harmoney Hill a beautiful and prosprus and peaceful place for all cancer victoms and their families. She celibrated birthdays, births, and even Christmas and New Years with her family.

She didn't want to die, because she didn't want to give up on life. She didn't want to not enjoy every bit of life she could. She wasn't afraid of death, she'd already gone though four rounds of cancer, so when they told her she would not and could not recover or go into remission for a fifth time, she'd already had time to prepare for the news somewaht. She wasn't afraid to die by the end, she just wanted to keep enjoying life for as long as she could. She wanted to get the most out of it she could.

And she'll always be a part of this house, too. From the wood trim on my own kitchen which she and her grandkids sanded and stained for me, and the tile mosaic she designed and laied herself across my threashold, to the colors of paint she picked out for the upstairs (rich senna tan and a dark rust red) and the still life fruit oil she gave mom for over the mantel.

She'll always be a part of this home. And this family.

She also appreshated all the good thoughts and prayrs you all sent her way.

Thank you all.

Rest In Peace, Donna. We'll see you on the next go 'round.

Painkillers gone, TS meds down to last few days, anti-depressents gone, other meds gone or on the last day. Still no doctor.

Don't expect to see much of me for awhile. Typeing is hard with all my ticcing, as is phone communication.

Back when I can. May comment here or there when I'm in a good hour, but don't expect it.

I haz pride gloves!! And they are very proud!

For More Joy Day, JS offered to crochet fingerless gloves for members of her flist, as her own way of copeing with school related stress. I took one look at how great hers looked, and imideatly wanted a pair of my own. Gloves never cover my wirsts fully, and so I always have cold wrists when I move my arms and my jacket moves even so much as half an inch. So the chance to have gloves that actauly go up the arm a ways is perfect.

I originaly asked for darker, very natural colors (as is far more my style), but when I saw the yarn she used for etcetera_cat, I fell in love with it, and knew I needed a pair of Rainbow Pride Gloves. I don't have a lot of brightly colored clothing items, let alone rainbow! And lets face it, I am out and proud, and alawys feel guilty not having something rainbow to wear to gatherings.

j_s_cavalcante was very sweet about my sudden (and rather bi-poler) mood swing on color choices, and made these up for me.


( \PRIDE GLOVES/ )


I absolutly love them! And I love how they're just the right length to come to just the bottom of my rings, so they're still showing, and long enough up the arm, that my jackets can move all they like, and my wrists stay nice and warm. They're aboslutly perfect! JS, how are you so awsome? {{HUGS}}

   Happy Birthday, candlevixen   

I've known candlevixen (can't remember if you use yer real name on-line, hon, so I'm just using CV here) since back in the AoS days, and how far back does that date us? I know this last year has been hard on you and your hubby, but I hope that's turning around now. You're still who I recomend people to when they talk about wanting hand or custom made candles. I hope you get your new work area setup again soon. When I have money again, I'll need to get some from you.

{{{hugs}}} Happy Birthday, hon. I hope it's a good year.

I totaly forgot one happy topic that inspired the whole list! ::smacks forhead::

Donna is still alive, and bafflign her doctors. She pased the "48 hour" mark about four days ago now, I think, and she's looking stronger and stronger every day. She's not going to make a recovery, but she is buying herself more time with her family.

Please, don't stop the candles and good thoughts. She's someone who wants every moment of life, and while she is doing better, her pain is growing steadily worse. They've had to switch her over to liquid painkillers, which is a final stage of illness. She dosn't have long left, but she is greatful of every moment given to her. She wants me to thank everyone who has thought kindly on her.

As do I. Please, if you think of it, contenue to think of it. She probably won't last long, but she is enjoying as much of the time she can.