1. What is your occupation? Shaklee Independent Distributor/college student

2. What color are your socks right now? I'm not wearing socks now. I tend to go for multi-coloured socks. You know fun!

3. What are you listening to right now? Yelle: A Cause Des Garcons

4. What was the last thing that you ate? Somethings at Shalos Seudos.

5. Can you drive a stick shift? Nope. I learned on a automatic.

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My mom.

7. How old are you today? Today, I am 33 years old.

8. What is your favorite sport to watch? Football (Soccer)

9. Have you ever dyed your hair? Several times. My first time, I stripped my hair and dyed it midnight blue. I then went pink, orange, fuchsia. Then I shaved it all off. When I grew it back, I did auburn. Then last summer I highlighted it with honey streaks.

10. Favorite food? Mac n cheese.

11. What was the last movie you watched? Psycho Beach Party

12. Favorite day of the week? Friday.

13. How do you vent anger? on my LJ. I also go for walks and silently scream for hours.

14. What was your favorite toy as a child? Sit and Spin.

15. What is your favorite season? Winter. My birthday falls in December. What's not to love about snow?

16. Cherries or Blueberries? Blueberries!

17. Who is the most likely to respond? real_bethy

18. Who is least likely to respond? dararachel 'cos she don't do memes!

19. What is on the bottom of your closet? Various craptastic things and my shoe crates.

20. What did you do last night? Ate shabbos dinner and snuggled with da hubster.

21. Favorite smells? Fresh laundry, laundromats, lavender, verdant fragrances, oriental floral fragrances, flowers.

22. What inspires you? Music!

23. What are you most afraid of? Fame!

24. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Plain. Cheeseburgers? Yuck!

25. What celebrity would you most like to meet? I've already met him: Neil Tennant. I love him so much. I also met other celebs. For the most part, they are normal folks. It's just that many people recognize their face.

26. If you knew you had 30 days to live, what would you do with your time? Travel to places that I've been meaning to visit but never had the chance.

27. All-time favorite cartoon? Hard to say... I like so many. If I had to choose one it would be Heathcliff!

28. Favorite spiritual place to go when your soul needs renewal? The beach. The ocean (and any body of water) has the power to cleanse your spirit. If you looked at most religions, water has a very important role in ritual purification

29. Favorite mode of transportation? Planes, most def!

The last time I was on a plane, it was summer 2001! Needless to say, things have changed drastically!

I never travelled with a child before. So in my usual style, I did my research! The carry-on bag that I have no longer fits under current FAA regulations for carry-on luggage! Gah!

So I need to borrow my mom's carry-on bag for Sage's clothes and get a new one for myself.

Now the rules for domestics flights are:

1 carry-on bag and one 1 personal item such as a breifcase, purse, day planner, small laptop computer, CD player or iPod, child related items like a stroller or car seat.

Since DH isn't coming as of yet I will be on my own with DS.

So I decided to do the following for DS:

1. Pack the Essentials:
4 casual-dressy outfits (3 outfits+ 1 spare)
1 shabbos outfit
2 pr. shoes (1 pr. casual/1pr. shabbos)
6 pr. undies (5+1 spare)
5 pajamas (4 +1 spare)

2. Get cheap toys. (I'll get some stuff from IKEA and the dollar store.)

Stuffed animals, drawing pads, colored pencils/crayons, small books.

3. Kiddie electronics (my son is six and he's already a gadget freak like me!)

iPod shuffle, Leapster

4. Snacks (we all know DS eats like a monster. Since it's a short flight the airline is only providing snacks)

Granola bars, grapes, (and a favorite candy.)

5. Take along a hoodie in case it gets cold. I can also use it as a blankie or pillow.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Now for me...
1. Essentials
3 outfits
1 shabbos outfit
5 undies
2 pr. stockings
2 pr. shoes (1 for shabbos/1 dressy-casual)
2 pr. pjs
Sweater/cardigan in case of chill.

2. Toiletries (damn that 1 quart ziploc!!!):
Makeup
Bare Escentuals Starter Kit

Skincare
Boscia Normal to Oily skincare kit

Fragrance (I'm trying to pick between these two)
Vera Wang Princess Set
or
DKNY BE DELICIOUS travel spray set

Bath & Body (I'm planning to make this pull double-duty for DS and I)
bliss Tried + Blue Travel Kit

Hair~ Now that I'm in sheital land I'm in a bit of a fix!
Currently, I use easihair Care kit for my synthetic sheital. I got it for $20 at my local wig shop and it works great! I'm trying to find them in a larger size so I can just refill what I have.

I need to get:
folding Wig Stand
and perhaps a ...
Wig Travel Case

I want to get:
Motown Tresses Streak wig

I've had my eye on this wig for a while now...It's cute, punkish, I love, love, love it!

Tooth Care (again the toothpaste/rinse is pulling double-duty!)
GoTravel (GO SMILE kit)
2 packs of GO SMILE touch up refreshers it's the only thing that eradicates the ciggies stains on my teeth!

Medication: Yes, the Keppra and Dramamine is a going along for the ride as well!

A large water bottle.

Talk of the strike have been circling around. Ever since the big delete, things have gotten hairy here.

Now LGBT journals are being censored. I know some people don't agree with homosexuality. However, a "community" based company can't afford to get moralistic. What really cheeses me off are the strange "Cure Autism Now!" and "Asperger's school" pop-ups. Just let me write in peace dangit!

Now the word "fairy" brings three things off the top of my head:
Dishwashing liquid
Mythological creatures
gay men

So I'd better not talk about the winged elves (suffering from Streisand addiction) that I rescued from an oil slick and cleaned up with dishwashing detergent. Death is OK with LJ but faeries are not?! WTF?!

So I will participate in the strike and won't be back until Sunday night. See ya on the other side of the fence!

Here's the numbers for ya: Which one of these doesn't not quite belong?

( Here's the skinny on the strike! )

This journal is friends only!




Due to recent housecleaning, I'm putting my blog in lockdown and making it friends only.

Comment to be added!

DH sent me this link from Yahoo News and all I can say is ewwww....

The gift that keeps on giving...

swiped from tinhuviel !

BOLD WHICH APPLY TO YOU:

Father went to college
Father finished college
Mother went to college
Mother finished college
Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor
Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers
Had more than 50 books in your childhood home
Had more than 500 books in your childhood home
Were read children's books by a parent
Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 (various musical instruments, ice skating)
Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18 (guitar, bass guitar, piano, and violin)
The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
Went to a private high school
Went to summer camp
Had a private tutor before you turned 18 (My mum scraped up tons of cash because I sucked at math until senior year in high school)
Family vacations involved staying at hotels
Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 (I may have grown up in the hood...but my mom used to get my clothes from department stores)
Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
There was original art in your house when you were a child
You and your family lived in a single family house
Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
You had your own room as a child (I never slept in it until I was 17 because it was 10 below zero during the winter. The radiator didn't work.)
You had a phone in your room before you turned 18
Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
Had your own TV in your room in High School (I got it junior or senior year...)
Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 (I visted my father's country Guyana, England and Canada before I was 16. I took my first flight when I was 4. I love flying!!!)
Went on a cruise with your family
Went on more than one cruise with your family
Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up (I grew up in NYC! I went with my mother to one or two museums. My father was a monster so going into a place like that with him would have been a disaster, LOL!)
You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was surprised at how much I did put in bold. Even though I grew up in the pjs, I had a surprising amount of stuff! I was more fortunate in some ways than others who lived where I grew up. I had nice clothes and two parents in the house. Not too many kids in my building had two parents in the household.

In terms of my parents education, neither of them finished elementary school. Most people my age can't say that. Then again my parents were older when they had me.

Re: original art. I don't think my refrigerator scribbles and posters count, LOL!

15 minutes to midnight. Now off to watch Dick Clark!

An article on the New Knight Rider car. I saw it on Yahoo and I got excited. After all, I'm a child of the 80s.

I love cars. I really, really love cars. When I saw the Trans Am in the original Knight Rider, I was so mad that I was too young to drive. It was sleek and for the 80s that was quite a feat considering the decade's penchant for bloat.

But a Mustang?! You go from a Trans Am to a Mustang?! Good Gawd man you know the new Knight Rider movie is going to be super cheesy. I think past the point of MST3K'ing it :-(

now i'm going back to bed...

This is one of my favorite Pat Benatar songs... This woman can sing her butt off! I wish I could sing this good!

Enjoy Invincible...

just because I can't sleep. My head and stomach are in knots...

I realized something - I haven't really put on hair bands. So here's one video by Winger that I feel is apt considering the circumstances... I loved the use of color overlays in the black & white video. His hair is Very Metal!!!!

DH is *crunchy. I think think he gets that from his mother. She's an anti-meat, anti-sweet, anti-anything tasty type of woman.

I remember when DS was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. The neurodevelopment specialist strongly suggested that I switch to organic. I just looked at her like she was crazy because at the time I was living in the projects. Plus, I buy groceries with food stamps.

Huh?

See I fell into the trap of thinking eating organic equalled PETA freaks who loved the smell of their own brand. Here's more on this in the NYT article, Mass Natural.

When we were living in Chilltown, we belonged to an organic food co-op. It was fabulous because we spent $40 a month for the organic fruits/veggies. (Keep in mind this was almost 10 years ago at this point.) We got our fruits and veggies biweekly. You only had to volunteer once a month sorting the boxes. They even have kosher pods. I cried when we had to move.
If I can find a kosher pod around here that would be fabulous!

The other thing is that the last time I ate organic, standards were stricter back then. Once the USDA got their grubby little mitts on "organic" the standards are sorely lacking. Now I can see why people keep *CY.

Now, that I'm sicky sick I'm forced to go green. For everyone's sake.

I did buy Shaklee's Get Clean Starter Kit. This stuff is spectacular and it's not strong smelliing. I was so terrified because of Seventh Generation and all those traditionally green brands. I love Method products too!

I found this article about Going Organic on the Cheap.

I also found this article on NYT, Five Easy Ways to Go Organic.

Milk is at the top of the list...gah! Oy, oy, oy...

When I was in Brooklyn shopping for Pesach, I was shocked to find organic kosher chicken that wasn't very pricey. It only cost a dollar more than the regular stuff. Still very, very expensive compared to non-kosher chicken.

Who ever on my f-list who is crunchy, slightly soggy, or anywhere in-between give a holla and sound off on this...

DH is dead set against giving DS meds. Unfortunately, meds may make more sense fiscally. Medicaid will pay for those. My food stamps aren't going to get raised because I keep kosher and/or organic.

Meh!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
glossy:
crunchy
Adjective. Used to describe persons who have adjusted or altered their lifestyle for environmental reasons. Crunchy persons tend to be politically strongly left-leaning and may be additionally but not exclusively categorized as vegetarians, vegans, eco-tarians, conservationists, environmentalists, neo-hippies, tree huggers, nature enthusiasts, etc.

Also used to describe establishments where alternative foods and products are sold, i.e. natural food stores.

Modified derivative of granola.

CY: cholov yisroel. Dairy products supervised by an Yid from milking to packing.

pod: local subgroup of an organic co-op.

Happy Birthday Glitter Graphics

to...ichur72

My apartment is quaint (re: tiny.) On top of that I'm dealing with a DH who has an addiction to milk crates.
As a DJ I must say this... milk crates are for LPs NOT home decor!

So to that end I'm rolling up my sleeves and putting on my thinking cap!

Some tips I got from the digsmagazine.com boards:
* Furniture that does at least double duty. Like trunks that can be seating or tables, ottomons that can be spare seating or storage, etc.

* Underbed storage for out-of-season clothes.

* High shelves in the bathroom for spare towels, baskets of extra toilet paper and shampoo.

* Furniture with built-in storage, especially doors (instead of open shelves)

* Large, lidded baskets or leather boxes that you can stack are also great for nice looking storage.

* Also, take advantage of the vertical space - use tall shelves or install your own right up to the ceiling. It will not only maximize your storage, but make the ceilings feel higher as well.

* Open shelving.

* Avoid visual clutter!

I already have:
one bookshelf
space saver over the toilet
coat rack
cd case

My priority are the living room, kitchen, and the bathroom because those are the places that guests are most likely to see.
I have 3 coupons left for BB&B so I'm going to put them to use.

( Some ideas behind the clickety, clickety! )

Any other ideas peeps?

D Train is da bomb!

Here's a video I dug up of them performing You're The One For Me.


This song is a classic! Straight up!

and others who want to abuse Santa

Slingshot Santa game.

Provides endless amusement that is just wrong!

batya_d posted this reaction to a little gem from imanutter!

Apparently, one chick posted how a cleaning lady is a necessity and that all Bas Yisroel deserve to have a woman at least mop our floors and clean our toilets.

Well when you have to chose between food, clothing, and shelter vs. a cleaning lady guess what I'll pick!

Thank goodness for my home attendent because otherwise I'll be basking in a field of dirt.

When I was beginning to get really sick I realized that I had to have a plan, get super strict with my cleaning and shopping schedule.

( My Cleaning Schedule- put behind a clickety to save your friend page )

Even with this it was very difficult. Often I would have to choose one or two tasks a day and feel wrung out. I think for some folks cleaning help is necessary for sanity sake. However, the sense of entitlement that this chick has was just mind boggling. Then other this other lady said that those who don't have cleaning help resent those who can afford it.

I don't think it's resentment. I think they are fighting the urge to smack these snotty princesses upside the head.

Laters,
Spike

Slept

Took my meds.

Lost my prednisone.

Bumbled around for several hours...

Walked around town after the rain. It was unseasonably warm outside. The night sky was gloriously gloomy with the full moon (?) out.

I was listening to my latest acquisition from Naked Eyes on my iPod...

Usually, when I mention Erasure people say, "Oh I like 'Chains of Love'!" That song is OK but love this track so much more...

Enjoy Erasure - A Little Respect

I think I posted this awhile back!



Now I never thought I would be mixed up with any of these of these other chicks! I've been getting voicemails every since I got my new phone number from Chrysler collections for a "Angie Young". Since they were collections I couldn't call them back.

Wednesday, I happened to answer the phone when they called. I told him he had the wrong number. He apologized and I thought that was the end of it.

Then erev Shabbos, they called again! I was bemused the first time. Now I was annoyed. Especially when the collections agent thought I was playing games. I told them that I'm not "Angie Young." Well apparently, this chick's maiden name was Angelina Ross. I told her that she got the wrong one. I had to break it down to her. I told her I recently moved and only had this phone number for a few months. "Are you sure?" I said, "Look, I don't even HAVE a Driver's License!"

I wanted to make sure that someone wasn't stupid enough to try stealing my identity. So I asked her what SSN she had on the account. She told me she couldn't tell me that. OK you think it's me but you can't tell me?! (I was pissed at this point!) So I told her to give me the last four digits of the SSN.

BH, they didn't match! She asked me if it could be a chance of this chick being a relative of mine.

I told her no because I was the only one that was named after my grandmother and there was a nil chance of being anyone from that side of the family. Furthermore, if I get another call from them I will sue them for harassment.

Tres weird!

I'm making cholent with kishke tomorrow.

I remember reading about not messing around with the kishke in the cholent on someone's blog. Could someone refresh me? I don't remember whether stirring it or slicing it was the issue.

Thanks!

It seems thinks may not as bad as I thought they were. DH is taking care of the food pantry and IRL school stuff. I maybe able to get a refund. Wow!

I took a picture of myself today...( blech! )

My home attendent agency send me a birthday card. That's so sweet!

Also my ILs send me a birthday with $40 in it that is to be used for make-up. Now that's pretty cool! Must remember to send a thank you note.

Here's the conumdrum...I tried looking to mineral makeup in Sephora but no dice! My skin is too dark. What do I do now regarding the makeup on Shabbos situtation?

I'm tired of being the bare-faced bumitrix in shul, :-(