halt stop forget relax

It's the time of the year that I rarely looked forward to. I never dated much and didn't run with a party crowd, so I often ended up staying at home and made stuff for the next day - like cookies or fudge. My Mom and I would share a bottle of champagne, and at midnight we'd open the front door, bang pot lids together and yell "Happy New Year" to any and all who could hear. There was the year, 1968 perhaps?, that it snowed like it did this December, and blew 5' drifts in my n ext door neighbor's front yard. I was at her house, and we were, rather, she was drinking, and got it into her head that running into a drift that was taller than she was would be fun. So she did, and it was, apparently. A saner person, I didn't follow suit. One year we had a family get together (thinking back, I'm amazed that so many of my cousins actually made it) and it was a LOT of fun. It was the first year that I was with my DH to be, and together we actually got everyon...

This is my Christmas 2008 : I am going nowhere; I am doing nothing; No one has called me, so I don't much feel like calling anyone else (I am talking relatives). There is a big part of me that says, "Fuck them. Fuck them all." I feel sad and forgotten, and wonder why this is. I can't write any more. I just want to sleep.

You're right if you guessed more snow. Another 1 to 3 inches is predicted for the lowlands. DH has been able to get out to get wood, but he said the roads were pretty slick. It doesn't help that we have two bald rear tires. My cousin, who lives a few miles from me said she went to get groceries yesterday, and all was fine until she returned home. She got stuck turning into her driveway! Someone helped her by giving her a push, and she got the car out of the street and off the sidewalk back into the driveway - and this is on level ground. Then, when taking the groceries into the house she slipped on a patch of ice and landed softly in 10" of snow. She said she just had to lay there and laugh for a minute - that it brought back memories of her childhood. Because of the icy road conditions, everyone is staying home this year. DH's brother canceled Christmas Eve dinner because he's come down with a cold -- not that we could have made it there anyway. Cousin won'...

I'd like to hear about the experiences of those who have taken Low Dose Naltrexate (LDN). From what I have read, it sounds promising and has a low to no side effect profile. I see and feel myself getting weaker and want to try something that goes with Copaxone. Please post in comments. Thanks. Good Night, TTYL and Be Well

Which is exactly why I've been safe and snug in my home all day. The wood stove is still burning, and now the snow is falling (3 3/4" on the patio so far), and I ain't goin' nowhere. Not that I would if I could 'cause I don't like to be cold. However, a small snowman is requisite for the first real snow accumulation in 18 years, don't you think? The local news station has been following the "December Storm" avidly all day, going from one traffic trouble spot to another with glee. Now, I hear that Chicago is the next to be hit with severe weather, with that storm then moving east to the coast to include NYC and Philadelphia. I'm sure Seattle's storm will be considered small potatoes by comparison - but here's the thing: We. Don't. Get. Snow. Like I said - first time in 18 years. Also Seattle, Tacoma, and the eastside are all hilly! Cars + ice + snow + un-practiced drivers = One Big Mess. So I'm staying safe and comfy at home. He...

Friday, the day of my SG was rainy (in showers) and very windy. It was the day I missed the inurnment ceremony. Saturday afternoon the temperature took a nosedive into the low 30s daytime and 20s overnight. We had a little snow, but just a little. You could still see the grass. Sunday morning brought snow, big fluffy flakes of snow in the early afternoon, but a friend whom I haven't seen in two years was in town and wanted to get together for coffee. So we decided to meet at Panera, a bread, sandwich, pastry and coffee shop. Since it was snowing and the streets were covered with black ice, DH decided he was driving and came along. That was good thinking on his part, because I wasn't thinking about the driving conditions at all, and surely would have gone too fast or done something really stupid and crashed the car, or worse yet, crashed into somebody's car. We had a pleasant visit which didn't last long enough, as she is headed back to Yakima Monday morning. She's h...

Friday the 12th was the day of my SILs inurnment. I missed it. I had assumed it was settled the last time I talked with my local brother [J] that he was going to pick me up at 2 PM and we would go together. That was my understanding . However, at 2 PM I was sitting here with my coat on, having just returned from my SG meeting, waiting for him. He never showed up and I missed the ceremony, but called my niece and explained that I wouldn't be there. It turns out that J's understanding of our conversation was that if it turned out that I wanted to go, I would call him during the week. Apparently what he remembered was a comment I made early on during our conversation, while I was still angry about missing the funeral, that maybe I would just skip the inurnment. A spiteful comment I made out of my anger at being forgotten. That was what stayed with him, and not that he would come by at 2 PM to get me. Now, after J and I hung up, J called my brother [B] whose wife just died...

Directions: Once you have been tagged, you have to write a blog with 21 random things, facts, habits or goals about yourself. At the end, choose 10 people to be tagged. Don't forget to tag them in the note. You can't tag the person who originally tagged you. 1. I went to Catholic school from Grades 1-10, then I talked my folks into letting me go to public high school. I don't know if that was a good thing or no; I think I benefited by having the experiences of both high schools. Catholic school was definitely tougher. When I made the switch, I was at least a year ahead of my classmates. 2. I took private piano lessons the whole time I was in a Catholic school. I was pretty good, too. Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, Bach - oh yeah! 3. I met my husband through a personal ad I placed in the Seattle Weekly; best $25 I ever spent. 4. In the Fall/Winter of 1985-86 I took the massage licensing class at Brian Utting School of Massage and got my license in Feb. 1986. I never used my ...

Keiko's Memorial Service was Saturday, Dec. 6, and nobody called me. They were all, my cousins and family friends and my brothers, there saying to each other, "Where's Webster?" Is she feeling all right? Didn't anybody call her? Well, no. No one called me. And I am pretty upset about missing the service. My brother who lives here should have taken the initiative to call me, as we live in the same city - but he assumed my brother from Japan was going to do it. And he said he called, but got the machine, and was going to call back, and must have forgotten. He apologized, but it just pisses me off that I missed seeing the relatives who came from farther away, because they won't be at the ceremony at the cemetery which will happen Friday. Sometimes I think my family doesn't call me because if they do, they might have to deal with my disability. Accommodations have to be considered - the walker, or the wheelchair. Oh hell, I don't know. Maybe it was just a...

I have just passed on the Gratitude with Attitude award to Perspective is Everything. http://mgerber.blogspot.com Congratulations Michael! You deserve it. Good Night, TTYL and Be Well

My SIL Keiko flew in from Japan to spend the holidays with her daughter and grandkids. She arrived Tuesday. All was well. Saturday night she complained that she wasn't feeling well, but refused to let her daughter take he to the hospital. At some point on Sunday afternoon my niece noticed that Keiko had collapsed in the bathroom. Called 911. Ambulance decided to take her to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle (from Anacortes). She'd had a hemmorragic stroke. She was not showing any brain activity, but they were going to repeat that test as soon as her body was warmer and her blood pressure stabilized. The test at 7 AM Monday showed the same results. Hospital labeled her DNR in case her heart stopped. Niece stayed with her until her father (my brother) could get here from Japan, which wouldn't be until 7 AM Tuesday morning. This is what my brother posted on his site: I got a call this morning about 5 a.m. (I think 2 pm Seattle time) from [daughter] . Keiko passed out. They...