Whoop di do!

It's another new year.

M and I spent a quiet night home as we usually do. We watched a few episodes of Buffy (we're almost done) and started on a jigsaw puzzle, ate crap, drank wine, encouraged each other to stay up just a bit longer, watched the Jonas Brothers on Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve celebration and cringed when those kids were attempting to sing. Maybe their voices were distorted because it was like 12 degrees in Times Square, but I didn't think they were all that great.

As for Dick Clark himself - it makes me uncomfortable to see him on TV and I'll just leave it at that.

The New Year came in rather quietly. There weren't too many neighbors shooting off fireworks for some reason. Maybe because it was freakin'12 degrees with 40 mph wind gusts. The fireworks themselves were too cold to go outside.

M and I gave each other a kiss...petted the dogs and went to bed.

I woke up at 9:30. M is still sleeping.

I'm just a bit jealous, but that's OK. I'll take a nap later.

I finally made my way around all my favorite blogs today. It was nice to catch up.

The plan for today?

There is no plan...that's the plan.

It's a good plan.

Maybe I can convince M to go see a movie. We haven't been in a while, that would be nice to do. We would both like to see the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. We can continue on our all junk food weekend which we do almost every New Year and then vow to eat healthier for the rest of the year. The only problem now with junk food weekend is that our stomachs can no longer handle that kind of food. We both get acid reflux if we eat too much crap. Our bodies almost WANT to be healthy. What's up with that?

Whatever.

Daughter C went out for the evening and told us she wouldn't be home. That's fine...she's stayed over friends houses before, she's 21 she can pretty much do what she wants. I asked where she was staying and she kind of slid in there that she was staying at her new boyfriends house.

Wait...what?

The instant conversation that happened in my brain was this: "Ok Mom, she's 21, not a baby any more and probably not a virgin either. This is OK, part of growing up. You can handle this."

I told her I loved her and to have a nice time and to be safe.

She answered her usual: "I love you too, I will...and don't worry."

Then I said it again: "Be safe".

She looked at me and said: "Don't worry, I'm not going to be driving and I probably won't be drinking either." (She's not really a drinker)

M responded: "I don't think that's what your Mom meant when she said be safe!"

C looked at me wide eye!

I looked back at her a little sad, but still with that concerned "Mom" look in my eyes.

Realization hit her!

Realization hit me!

Right between the eyes.

They is all growed up now Mom.

:::sigh:::

This is a weird place. It's not that you don't want your kids to be sexual it's that you don't want them to get hurt. When I realized my son was "doing the deed" my reaction was a little different. I hoped he didn't catch anything. With my daughter I just hope who ever she trusts to make that special connection with isn't some asshole trying to put another notch in his belt.

M and I have met the new boyfriend and he really seems like a nice guy so I feel a bit more at ease, but still...it's a really weird place.

The secret mantra I used to say in my heads when there were growing up went from: "don't do drug, don't do drugs, don't do drugs" to "Don't have sex, don't have sex. don't have sex" and now it is "Don't get pregnant, don't get pregnant, don't get pregnant (or get anyone pregnant in my son's case)".


Ugh - I can't think about this too much. I think I need a nap already.

Happy New Year all!

I'm bummed

So did you hear the news about Jodie Foster?

It seems she broke up with her partner Cydney Bernard. They were together for 15 years!!!

Had 2 kids together!

One of the coolest things about them...they did it under the radar. They kept their personal life...PERSONAL! It was there business and no one else's.

I admired her for that because it's so very hard in today's world for people in the public eye not to have ever scrap of detail of their lives thrown on every surface of the media to make a buck.

I don't like how they described her ex partner: "Jodie’s old love Cydney was a slightly frumpy older woman, a weather-beaten blonde who had been content to ditch her career for the past 11 years to devote herself to Jodie and their boys".

Geez - that's a bit rough isn't it? She wasn't stunning, but I thought she was attractive. (I have a "thing" for older women though...so don't go by me)

Now her new GF is described as: " in her new lover Jodie has chosen a media- savvy powerhouse - Cynthia Mort Her youthful Mediterranean looks (strong brows, dark hair as shiny as a conker) are the precise opposite of Cydney's wholesomeness".


Now the media is in a frenzy wondering how much "galimony" Cydney will get. Ugh...it's none of our business.

They had a life together..it's over...they both have to settle it up and move on.

:::sigh:::

Well...I wish them both peace and happiness and hope the kids are kept in their minds as they go through this process.

What goes hobble, hobble, vroom, vroom?

Give up?

The hobble, hobble part is poor little M. A few weeks ago, (Saturday - April 4th) M's leg fell through a hole in our attic as she was trying to get something out of a box. I wasn't home at the time and unavailable to help her. She somehow managed to pull herself out of her predicament and climb back down to safety.

Later that evening, she confessed to me what had happened. (Margie doesn't like ladders and they don't seem to like her too much either so normally she doesn't go up one when I'm not around - for pure safety measures only)

She showed me her injuries - first thought...ewwww, that doesn't look good, I hope she didn't break anything. She assured me she was fine...it didn't really hurt that much, but I was able to persuade her to sit her ass down and put some ice on it.

The next day...her leg from mid-calf down to her toes was turning all kinds of purty colors like, red and purple, blue and yellow and a hint of chartreuse on the edges. She had a knob on her knee the size of a baseball.

"You should probably have a doctor take a look at that" I said, "that doesn't look too good to me."

Surprisingly enough, she agreed. (Did I mention M's just a teeny bit stubborn?)

Our family doctor we both love...she's great, but this time I have to say we are both a bit disappointed in the prognosis. She took a look at Margie's knee and said she had a hematoma and to go home...elevate the leg and put hot compresses on it to see if the swelling goes down. No x-rays...no thought of damage to the leg/knee/ankle.

She did order an ultrasound on the area because we had to fly to Puerto Rico and she wanted to make sure there were no blood clots that formed in the leg.

Ultrasound came up clear - we were good to go.

The Doctor added that within a few days the swelling does not significantly go down, to call her back.

So that was on Wednesday - April 9th.

M was a good girl and followed the doctors instructions and we actually did see the swelling go down in her knee, but her ankle was actually looking worse. Fortunately, it is her left leg that is injured so she is still able to drive and get around.

Went to Puerto Rico - she was sore, but OK. She rested it as much as possible.

Came back home...the bruising on her knee was disappearing, but she still had that knob there and that ankle was looking pretty ugly.

She called the doctor again - and this time the doctor tells her to go to a specialist. Sports medicine Doc. The earliest appointment she could get was Wednesday - April 23rd.

We had a lovely weekend - Saturday we walked all over Philadelphia - by the end of the day M was in a lot of pain. She was a trooper I tell ya...but when we got home that night it was clearly obvious this leg was more than just a hematoma and a bit of bruising.

Sports Medicine guy looked at the leg and told her" Oh...I don't like the look of that knee!" Not a good sign when a doctor says that. Took some x-rays, they are inconclusive since she still has a lot of swelling and has ordered 2 MRI's - one of the knee and one of the ankle.

He also gave her strict orders to stay off the leg as much as possible and to use crutches.

M + Crutches = disaster waiting to happen

She's already dropped one crutch on one of the dogs head and now he's traumatized at the site of them - but she's getting around...slowly, but it's OK.

Now comes the Vroom, Vroom part - I have to leave for the UK today on a business trip. I will be gone for 10 days.

I asked M if she wanted me to cancel, she said no, there really isn't much I can do for her at this point and her friend has offered to be around to help her out.

She's right...I know - but still - how can you leave your partner behind when she's going through all of this?

I know she'll be OK, but still - I worry.

Of course there is the whole GUILT thing too. Damned Catholic upbringing.

I battle with this old internal struggle of being the caretaker and making sure everyone I love is OK. Sometimes at the sacrifice of my own self.

C0-dependency is a new word in my vocabulary. Some how I always associated it with people who were clingy and needy and overbearing - but now I see it's something different altogether.

It was an "A-Ha!" moment when my counselor gently suggested that I "look it up and read about it."

Anyhoo - M will be OK. She has a friend close by who will help her out while I'm gone, my daughter is here at the house too, so she will not be alone. She still has to have the MRI's and then wait for the doctor to call her with the official diagnosis and solution and by that time I will be home and we can take care of this together.

In the meantime I will go on my trip and I will call home frequently and make sure everything is OK.

Guilt will not get the better of me.

Germs

I have gotten an e-mail twice in one week from friends about one of those "studies" that people do about germs in food.

This one has to do with the lemons you get in your water or drink when you are at a restaurant and how they are loaded with "fecal bacteria" and are touched by "dirty fingertips of the restaurant employees".

Here is the video on You Tube if you are interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeye8wnBJoU

Another fear we can add to our list!

Listen very carefully to the very last part on this video!!!

Now...I'm not a germ-o-phobe. I know many people are and I know there are some people who get sick very easily, but I side more with George Carlin's view on germs:

Our immune system needs something to practice on! It needs germs to practice on!

Armpits, Asshole, Crotch and Teeth!

Amen brother!

Creepy

So...my day started pretty good yesterday, but it ended on kind of an bad note.

M sent me an e-mail - she was let go from her job. This was a new job too. Obviously she was upset and a bit confused about the whole thing, but I don't think the company has it's act together to be honest - so it was a blessing in disguise.


As I was walking to my parking garage to get my car, I was stopped by two police officers. They asked me where I was going, I told them I was going to get my car and they informed me that the lobby area was closed and I will need to use the stairs on the other side of the building.


Ok...I was not in a particularly good mood - M's news...it was cold...it was raining and I forgot my umbrella...and so I was bit damp. Walking around the building was just not what I wanted to hear or do at that time.

When I turned the corner I saw the reason why the lobby was closed - there was a dead body blocking the entrance.

Geez - don't I feel like a schmuck now?

Here I am complaining and some poor guy dropped dead on the pavement.

Poor bastard. RIP whoever you are.

So...I made my way up to my car and flipped on my iPod and this song came on.

It seemed kind of fitting for the moment.

I played it twice.