Big D's New Hardware

With a sprained ankle, Big D is hobbling around on crutches. He wants to chrome them. This afternoon, while I was at a job interview (which went south really fast), Big D was hobbling down the hallway on his crutches. Vicki said, "Run Forest, run!" I nearly fell out of my chair when I heard this! Run, Big D, run!!! :)

Update: Broken Mirror Identified

Well, we figured it out. A mirror broke on Tuesday. The side-view mirror on D's work truck broke Tuesday while he was driving. A rock was kicked up from the road, and hit the mirror. Mystery solved. I hope we don't have 7 more years of this shit!

Did Someone Break A Frickin' Mirror Around Here?!

So the day started out on a sour note; Mr. Coffee shit the bed. Damn. That's ok, though, because I saved our old P.O.S. coffee-maker when we purchased Mr. Coffee. However, I didn't wake up until 8:00 a.m. This means that Big D had no coffee at 4:30 a.m. before he left for work. Oh joy. I wonder if that had anything to do with the events of the day? 10:30 a.m. I get a call from Big D. He sprained his ankle at work. Oh joy. He's on his way home. Have the ice pack and a cold Diet Coke ready...it's hot out today. 11:00 a.m. I get a call from Big D. He's on the Loop 101 and has run out of gas. Oh joy. Now please keep in mind, we are broke as a joke. Big D tells me to get the hose and the gas can from the garage. Apparently I'm going to siphon gas from my car to put in his bike. OK...I've actually done this before (don't ask) so no big deal. I put the hose into my tank, but my lovely Buick has some kind of anti-siphon deal in there so it's no-go on the siphon. 11:15 a.m. I call our friend Kramer, who lives 2 doors down. He usually has a gallon of gas lying around somewhere. He says he'll check and let me know. 11:20 a.m. Kramer, who's probably more broke than us, if that's possible, comes over with $4 in change and his gas can. After thanking him profusely, I grab our gas can and head to the gas station. (Thank you, Kramer!) 11:45 a.m. I finally get to Big D after the scenic tour on Loop 101...oh joy. He puts the gas in his tank and heads off toward home. I was behind him, and noticed something was amiss. Here's what he failed to mention: he sprained his left ankle. For all of you non-motorcycle riders, this means that his shifting ankle was inoperable. So he's moving his whole leg to shift, but when he does this, he keeps shutting the bike down, because his ignition switch is right at his left knee. It's a custom toggle switch. (long story for another time) So he finally makes it home and I take his boot off, with much pain. His ankle swells to the size of a football as soon as the boot is off. I have never seen anything like this before, and I am the queen of crutches. I tell him we need to go get an xray. He fights me on this, as I expected. He asks for Tylenol or Motrin. "We don't have any," I tell him. Once he realizes that I'm going to be the xray Nazi, he agrees to go to the ER. After 3.5 hours at Banner Thunderbird Hospital, Big D is at home, in bed, doped-up on Percosets, and has a sprained ankle. No riding, no working at least for a few days. Now what is it with hospitals??? I understand that this is a workman's comp claim, and we won't have to pay the hospital bill, but we don't have any health insurance right now and they wanted to write prescriptions! Hello??? Did I not just say we don't have any insurance? WTF? Did you not hear me? So, there will be no cigarettes or gas this weekend. Big D and everyone he works with was expecting to get paid tomorrow, but the boss broke the news this morning, that they won't get paid until Tuesday. Isn't that special? OK, so anyway, that's the story for today. When it rains it pours. I swear Big D broke an f'ing mirror and didn't tell me.

Random Thoughts

It's been a crazy week, and we're only 1/2 way through it! Here are some Random Thoughts for you tonight:

• My first college class at University of Phoenix was last night. I sat in a classroom for 4 hours for the first time in 18 years...ouch. Only 3 years to go! It was interesting. There were some great folks there, and some deadbeats as well. I think all the deadbeats are on my learning team...go figure.
• The weekend sucked royal ass. My yard sale on Saturday netted $16. Not good. I closed shop about Noon as it was heading up toward 110 on Saturday.
• Today, I cleaned my house from top to bottom, except the office. That may or may not be on the agenda tomorrow. We shall see.
• I've been home and out of work for more than 6 weeks now, and I'm going out of my fucking mind.
• My birthday is next Tuesday and I told my Mom not to send money...I told her to send a gift card to a restaurant, that way I won't spend my birthday gift on a bill. Seriously.
• I'm keeping Vicki home from school tomorrow because she is coughing up a storm tonight. I'm hoping a day of rest will help, as we have no health insurance right now.
• Our daughter Samantha will be here with her husband Rodrigo, and my grandson Jayden in 24 more days. I can't wait to see them. It's been too long.
• Big D's newphew is moving himself and his family out this way in October, and they'll be staying with us until they get on their feet. I hope we're back on our feet by then.
• A friend of mine heard my cry for help right here on this blog, and got me a copy of MS Office, and I paid him with my good looks. :) Thanks to all who offered me assistance. You cannot know how much it was appreciated. Paula: OpenOffice is really cool, and I thank you for turning me on to that.
• It's been weeks since I've been out with Big D on the bike. I think I'm jonesing. Maybe he'll take me for a ride on my birthday. I need to go for a ride!
• We're having a party on Sunday, like we do every year. We're not crazy. We've asked everyone to bring their own alcohol, and something to throw on the grill. We're supplying the grill and the pool. Broke people can have fun too, can't they? I hope people show up. :)
• I really want that 'M' endorsement on my license this year. I really want my bike up and running, too. I'm a little jealous of BB's bike, but I'm so happy for her, it kind of out-weighs the jealousy thing.
• I'm also jealous of Dean and Joker for going to HD's 105th Anniversary Celebration in Milwaukee. But I'm hoping they post some great stories and pics when they get back.
• And Dave, I still have to get to the damned post office. I just hate those people...they're not very happy people over there.

OK...I think that's enough of my twisted, random thoughts for tonight. I hope I didn't offend anyone. This was like free-flow typing for me. No editing involved.

I hope everyone has a great day tomorrow. In the words of the eternally happy Dave Palm, "Happy Thursday!"

Got Xanax?

Belated Birthday Shout-Out

I'm a bad Mom. I'm posting late for Sammy's 20th birthday. Sorry, Sammy. After the hellacious week I had, and the totally horrible Saturday, I never even looked at my blog at all. Never even gave it a thought!

Anyway, Saturday, 8/23 was Sammy's 20th birthday. Sammy (Samantha) is serving our country in the US Navy in Norfolk, VA. She has a wonderful husband, Rodrigo, and a beautiful baby boy, my grandson Jayden. They'll be visiting us in late September. I cannot wait to see them! :)

Happy belated birthday, Sammy! We love you very much, and we're very proud of you. You had some rough times starting out, but you made some very good decisions, and you have a wonderful life to show for it. Here's to you, honey! :)

It's My Pity Party - And You're Invited

I'm not a huge complainer. I try to look for the brighter side of things, in fact, I visit Paula's blog every day. I always try to stay positive and keep a positive attitude and outlook. It doesn't seem to be helping, though. This is week 6 of my unemployment, and to date:

1. I have applied for open/posted positions at more than 85 companies
2. I've had 6 interviews and been turned down for 5 jobs (still waiting on one, but not holding my breath)
3. I still haven't received an unemployment check, and won't be for at least another 3-4 weeks (they've royally screwed up my claim)
4. I start school next week and I need a copy of Microsoft Office for my computer...and I can't afford it (see #3)

When it rains, it pours. I got an email rejection today for one of the jobs I interviewed for a few weeks ago. It really hit me hard. I really thought I was going to get that one. This sucks.

Hope you enjoyed the pity party. Sorry, I'm usually not like this.

Adding On The Stripes!

So a few days ago, I told you all about our son Rex's award. Well, Eric called me from England today, and he just made Staff Sergeant! Woo-hoo!

According to Wikipedia:

Staff Sergeant (SSgt) is E-5 in the U.S. Air Force, just above Senior Airman and below Technical Sergeant. It is the Air Force's first non-commissioned officer rank as well as the first Air Force rank to which promotion is on a competitive basis.

Senior airmen are considered for promotion if they attain that rank on or before February 1st of that testing year. This is so that they will have a minimum of 6 months time-in-grade before the first promotion date of that testing year, however in a normal career progression one achieves this grade after 5 to 7 years in service.

Staff sergeants are expected to be technically proficient and function as first-line supervisors within a workcenter. After being selected for promotion senior airmen must attend Airman Leadership School, which teaches them basic leadership and how to write performance reports. The term of address is Staff Sergeant or Sergeant.

Eric, congratulations, son! You've earned it! Big D is so proud I think his chest is going to split wide open! :) So add those stripes, baby! E-5 Wooo-hooooo! Yeeeeehaw!!!

Ann & Big D Circa: 2050

This is a picture of the future. This is what will happen when they take away our driver's licenses. God help us all!

What you can't see in the picture is that they are chasing their adult children with intent to run them down! Kids: take note!

Another Award!

Our oldest son Rex is serving our country in the United States Navy. He's currently in Okinawa, Japan with his wife Deja, who is also serving our country, and their son Christian.

Since he joined in 2001, I have been getting emails with pictures of Rex receiving various awards. Here is a picture he sent recently. He received Junior Sailor of the Quarter Award. His email read: Another award! I just keep rackin' 'em up! Keep up the good work, Rexxy!

The thing we noticed most about this picture is that Rex now has more visible tattoos than his Dad! Now Big D wants to play catch-up! LOL!

Drunk Typing???

Happy Saturday!

So, here I sit, at my little computer. A little toasted. We had our friends Ted & Julie (from the Witness Protection Program) over for dinner tonight. French onion soup...it was loverly.

French onion soup is not a good base when you're drinking...just FYI. I'm using spell check BTW. And am having trouble typing...a little bit. Big D is on the floor laughing at me.

I just want to say to all my HCBC gals...and my biker bloggers...I LOVE YOU GUYS! K?

K...I gotta go, marriage calls. ;)

May the only pain in your life be champagne!

P.S. Mama just fell out of the chair. Big D.

This Falls Under 'WTF?' For Sure!

Today's recommended reading can be found here. In short, the article is telling us that since we passed the law, these poor illegal immigrants can't pay the in-state tuition for Arizona state colleges and universities, they must pay the higher out-of-state tuition rates and they can't afford it. If they weren't illegal in the first place, this wouldn't be an issue! The article reads as if we're to feel sympathy for poor Jose, raised in the US illegally since age 11, and now has to go back to his homeland to look for opportunities. Why the hell should I feel sympathy? If Jose and his family had come to the US legally, this wouldn't even be an issue! This is definitely one for the 'WTF?' file!

Bikers Against Child Abuse

For those of you who don't normally read my hubby's blog, I thought I would share this with you.

He wrote a very moving story a few days ago that pretty much explains what BACA (Bikers Against Child Abuse) is here for. If you don't know anything about this organization, you can check out the national website here.

Big D's story can be found here. It is today's recommended reading. I guarantee that it's not what you're expecting. Please be kind and leave him a comment. :0)

I know I'm biased, but it is incredible. In fact, it was so good, I sent a link to the board members of the Maricopa County Chapter of BACA (our local chapter), and they liked it so much that they asked if they could send it out to everyone in the chapter. It really does encompass what BACA is all about.

We have been supporting this chapter locally since March. We've been to their monthly meetings, a few of their charity rides, and a few social events. I must say that this is an exceptional group of people. They come from all walks of life and are together for one reason: the children.

Kudos to Big D, and kudos to BACA. It's a shame that the need for this organization exists, but since it does, I'm glad to be associated with it.

Granny And The Biker

A biker stops by the Harley Shop to have his bike fixed. They couldn't do it while he waited, so he said he didn't live far and would just walk home.

On the way home he stopped at the hardware store and bought a bucket and an anvil. He stopped by the feed store/livestock dealer and picked up a couple of chickens and a goose. However, he now had a problem: how to carry all of his purchases home. The owner said, "Why don't you put the anvil in the bucket, carry the bucket in one hand, put a chicken under each arm and carry the goose in your other hand?" "Hey, thanks!" the biker said, and out the door he went.

In the parking lot he was approached by a little old lady who told him she was lost. She asked, "Can you tell me how to get to 1603 Mockingbird Lane?" The biker said, "Well, as a matter of fact, I live at 1616 Mockingbird Lane. Let's take my short cut and go down this alley. We'll be there in no time." The little old lady looked him over cautiously then said, "I am a lonely widow without a husband to defend me. How do I know that when we get in the alley you won't hold me up against the wall, pull up my skirt, and ravish me?" The biker said, "Holy smokes lady! I am carrying a bucket, an anvil, two chickens, and a goose. How in the world could I possibly hold you up against the wall and do that?"

The lady said, "Set the goose down, cover him with the bucket, put the anvil on top of the bucket, and I'll hold the chickens."

Everybody loves a biker! :)

Back To School

My baby girl's first day of 5th grade is today. I still can't believe she's in the 5th grade already. It seems like just yesterday...well, I'll spare you the boring memories of motherhood! :) But time does fly, doesn't it?

Here are some pics from this morning instead:

I can't be sure if she's waving or flipping me the bird in this one. I wouldn't put it past her...she is my kid, after all!

And does anyone remember this Staples ad? I SO love this ad! I think most Moms will agree...this is the most wonderful time of the year! :)

Birthday Shout-Out!

Happy birthday to our son, Eric!

Eric turns 23 today. He's in the USAF stationed at Lakenheath AFB in England. He just spent some time with us in May and June after spending a year in Korea. It was really great to see him, and have him stay with us for a while. You see, when he first joined the USAF, Eric was initially stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ, so we saw him often. We were spoiled. Then, all of a sudden, he's whisked off to Korea for a year, and now England for at least 3 years!

However, he's having a great time in England. His wife of nearly two years spent a lot of her childhood years Lakenheath, and was excited to be going back there. (Toshia is also in the AF.)

Eric, I hope you have a wonderful birthday, and that you're having the time of your life over there! Enjoy every moment! We love you!

For All You Massholes

My friend Donna sent me this a while back. She grew up in Bourne, MA on the Cape. This actually brings back childhood memories for me of driving down the Cape with Mom and Dad, and trying to get to the other side of the Cape Cod Canal. There are only two bridges: the Bourne Bridge and the Sagamore Bridge, and they were always jammed up with traffic every weekend. The song is actually very accurate! Joker, your weekend update post reminded me that I had this. I think you'll enjoy it!