when the spirit moves me

U2 & Green Day - The Saints are Coming

Here is the music and picture that should've gone with yesterday's post. When I saw the video for the first time tonite I thought of how the planes in it reminded me of the birds that I saw yesterday.

Untitled

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I had one of those moments today - not sure what the right word for it is so I will just tell you what happened. I was checking out at the counter of this shop that sells alot of X-masey stuff, when I mentioned to the cashier that this year we finally broke down and bought a fake tree. She replied that she hadn't celebrated XMas for 2 years-since her 17 year old grandson died on Dec. 10th 2 years ago; but she said that she was going to, because the other night she woke up with a start when she saw him at the end of her bed and he all he said was, "It's time."

I said, I was sorry and since I frequent this store from time to time for candles and stuff, I suddenly had a deja vu - i really think she had told me this before - maybe last year. It made me glad that I was in a chatty mood and talked to her and that we had this exchange - again. I could've been my sometimes (frequent) sullen self and missed this opportunity.

I was thinking about this when I got in my car and started to drive to pick up my son at school. The radio was playing the new U2/Greenday song - The Saints are Coming ( I love this song) and I looked up in the darkening sky and there was this flock of birds moving in swirls of movement, almost as if with the song. And suddenly it reminded me of my father and his death at this time of year 2 years ago. I remember sitting on my window seat the day after he died and talking to a good friend from Pittsburgh about his passing and suddenly noticing alot of bird activity in my back yard and commenting to my friend that normally I wouldn't be sitting there at this time of day and how I felt like time had slowed and made me notice things more with his passing. That year at Christmas when I opened the box with the gifts she always sends to the kids and me, there was this pretty glass bird ornament. I couldn't remember the exact date of his death in the car today. I just knew it was after Thanksgiving.
When I got home today I came on here to see. I wrote this last year on the one year anniversary of my father's death - November 28, 2004.

Only three more days!!

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Can't wait for the big sigh of relief on Thursday = the last day of Nanoblopomo/short for I must be completely insane. Yup starting Fri. (oh yeah- Joke Friday/make that Saturday), I can go back to my slacker ways.

Technically I didn't have to post again but...

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thanks to Ipanema I found this funny cartoon site and decided I should do my Sunday Blog pick of the week: drumroll please~~~~~~~~~~~ it's Ipanema from Under the Canopy.

Seems I've disappeared

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Can't get my site to load! What's up with that. I guess I will spend the day trying to figure it out. Damn Blogger!! Help!!

Insomnia

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Maybe i jinxed myelf but #25 on the list is insomnia. Insomnia secondary to pain in the arm(elbow). Or is the insomnia secondary to depression, or is the depression secondary to arm pain. Heading to kitchen for ice and cereal. Lame as it may be, at least I got today's post out of the way. I know I need an attitude adjustment. Don't feel like a drink, but I would kill for a pain pill.

Let the shopping begin..

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Happy Thanksgiving

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The Quandry:

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And don't anyone say it's my own damn fault for waiting to the last minute - that's just what I do. I've never had this happen to me before and I have a long history of shopping late on the eve of holidays and today I went early(maybe that's where i went wrong - shoulda waited and I coulda snuck out for a drink along with the shopping- as i have met friends from work in the past). Anyway it was only 1:00 and they were damn near out of Birds!!! They said they'd be getting some in soon. Deninition "Soon" please; anyway this nice lady dug one up, only problem was, it is puny - only 9&1/2 lbs. I usually get 12-14. But there's only 6 of us, so it'll probably do. I just called the store and they got them in. So do I run back and exchange the bird?? P. I can hear you laughing/ you will probably be the only one to appreciate this post since you know my history.
Well, I've got to start peeling and cleaning so I'll keep you posted on the bird.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Bird update: after much deliberation I went back finally- there were only a couple of birds left; only 12 pounders - but it seems way better - not looking like the 90 lb. weakling at the beach. Now if those vegetables would only peel themselves.

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Lets Do It

Epiphany

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e‧piph‧a‧ny [i-pif-uh-nee]
–noun, plural -nies. 1. (initial capital letter) a Christian festival, observed on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi; Twelfth-day.
2. an appearance or manifestation, esp. of a deity.
3. a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
4. a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight.

[Origin: 1275–1325; ME epiphanie < LL epiphanīa < LGk epipháneia, Gk: apparition, equiv. to epi- epi- + phan- (s. of phaínein to appear) + -eia -y3]

Sunday sampler

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First, answers to yesterdays quiz
1) b.
2) a book, earliest form The Romans made them so they didn't have to carry their scrolls with them.

Movie Review: Keeping up with the Steins was cute and a little funny but really more cute. I liked the Grandfather the best. The kid was good, no really good. The mother was likeable, the father ok and the Grandmother, the mother from Everybody loves Raymond, well i just kept thinking, no she's Raymond's mom and she's Italian. As I said the Grandfather was the best and the most believable(is he Jewish? - he sure seemed like the real McJew) And Daryl Hannahs still looks and acts exactly the same -cute and ditzy.
Since I don't want to give the ending away, I'll just say that I'm glad they did the right thing.
We gave it two thumbs up over here.

Blog pick of the week: Alexandra over at The Write stuff.

Quiz

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Today was supposed to be Haiku Saturday I think, but the problem is I'm a little fuzzy from over imbibing last night at my friend, Mary's, open house for open studios. I don't know how many of those dixie cups of wine I had. I'm sure it was that red one that did me in tho or the fact that I didn't have dinner, just chips and dip and olives and cheese. Fun wandering in and out of artist spaces and viewing their work, and there even was some music. An enjoyable evening, maybe just a little too enjoyable.
So I was reading an interesting article from the Living Arts section of the Globe tonite over take out dinner and came up with this short quiz for you:

1. How many surviving books in the "John Adams Unbound colletion"?
a) 370
b) 3700
c) 1800
d) 4800

2. What is a codex? (This one is not a mulitple choice). But I will give you one clue - it's from Roman times.

Ok I'm going to watch "Keeping up with the Steins".
See you tomorrow with the answers and maybe a movie review.

Joke Friday

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How to handle a husband

A couple was celebrating their golden wedding anniversary on the beaches in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Their domestic tranquility had long been the talk of the town.

People would say, "What a peaceful & loving couple".

The local newspaper reporter was inquiring as to the secret of their long and happy marriage.

The Husband replied: "Well, it dates back to our honeymoon in America," explained the man. "We visited the Grand Canyon, in Arizona, and took a trip, down to the bottom of the canyon, by horse. We hadn't gone too far when my wife's horse stumbled and she almost fell off. My wife looked down at the horse and quietly said, "That's once."

"We proceeded a little further and horse stumbled again. Once more my wife quietly said, "That's twice."

"We hadn't gone a half-mile when the horse stumbled for the third time. My wife quietly removed a revolver from her purse and shot the horse dead.

I SHOUTED at her, "What's wrong with you, Woman! Why did you shoot the poor animal like that Are you crazy? She looked at ME, and quietly said, "That's once."

"And from that moment.....we have lived happily every after."

Chocolate

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Yeah, finally some good news!
I'm heading to the store now.

And hear(yes i meant to spell it that way) is another interesting find.

Hump Wednesday

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Ok, back in the good ole days on hump Wednesday we would head for the bar- ah the neighborhood bar. In Boston I figured out early on that everyone did not head to "where everyone knows your name" but to the closest place to imbibe. Literally if you worked in a restaurant, you would go to the nearest bar to yours and if you worked in a hospital you would go to the bar across the street. When I worked in the bar business, we did in fact go to the closest watering hole, even the one you worked in, if you could get away with that. And when I worked in the hospital, yup right across the street - closest one. Tonite, right out of my fridge - Pinot Grigio - not as interesting as in Boston. C'est la vie. Cheers!

Oasis

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Day 14 and feeling like the guy in the desert with the mirage. Need water, must write. But I just finished doing homework (7th grade is hard!),dinner,dishes and sweeping up sawdust! The job was only supposed to take 4-6 hrs.; theoretically it shoulda been done on Saturday. Tuesday here, 9:05 PM and I'm still hearing drills and breathing in sawdust. Well #14 on the list was ranting and raving; now for the Tues.existential question: why does it always take/cost 3 times as long/much as they say?

And House has already started!

Manic Monday

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Actually it really wasn't for once. It's Academy and a lot of the docs were at that. I wish I was, it's in Las Vegas and my cousin is there,lucky girl is married to the doc not working for him like her poor cousin. No interesting patients to write about today and I can't find the draft of an old one. I guess this is what happens when you have more than 300 posts, the old drafts go somewhere, get eaten or something.
So I will tell you about my favorite piece of equipment at work instead. There is only one, as I am tired to death of using most of them and they aggravate my tendonitis- must try and use my left hand more(you would think this would be easy for a lefty). Ok, so it's the doctor's stool- you know those little black stools the doc sits on at eye exams. Well I sit on one at the desk, while I take the history and find out why the patient is there, after I've taken their vision and refracted them (which I can do sitting but more often I stand), I roll back on my stool and grab the slit lamp table and pull it over to the patient. Yes that is it folks, sad but true, the most exciting part of my job - my dear ole doctor's stool.

Footnote: reason I couldn't find that old draft was because it was an old post.

No day of rest

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Here it is Sunday and here I am with my list of excuses(pictures) again. These are the pictures that should've been in yesterdays post. So why is it when you have work done in your house it always takes twice as long and costs twice as much as they say? and why do you never seem to remember this well known fact til you're breathing in the sawdust?

Day eleven, oh my!

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I was just going to take a picture to show you why I'm not writing a post today but my digital is dead. I wonder if I left the camara on after I took that shot of the Citgo sign yesterday when we were stopped at a light - I think it came out pretty good considering I took it through the windshield.
So I am officially on strike today - not consulting the list or looking in the draft folder (I was wondering how long it would take before I rebelled.)I worked too damn hard today, running here and there(3 trips to Loews!!), so I'm going to get me a cold beer or glass of wine and maybe even some food. Hope you other Nanoblopomoers (did i spell that right?- and i haven't even had the wine yet) are doin better than me with this posting every damn day(grumble,grumble). Cheers!

Boston

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Augustana

Joke Friday

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No Nursing Home for Me

About 2 years ago my wife and I were on a cruise through the western
Mediterranean aboard a Princess liner. At dinner we noticed an elderly lady sitting
alone along the rail of the grand stairway in the main dining room. I also
noticed that all the staff, ships officers,waiters, busboys, etc., all seemed
very familiar with this lady. I asked our waiter who the lady was, expecting
to be told that she owned the line, but he said he only knew that she had
been on board for the last four cruises,back-to-back.

As we left the dining room one evening I caught her eye and stopped to say
hello. We chatted and I said, "I understand you've been on this ship for the
last four cruises". She replied, "Yes, that's true." I stated, "I don't
understand" and she replied, without a pause, "It's cheaper than a nursing home".
So, there will be no nursing home in my future.
When I get old and feeble, I am going to get on a Princess Cruise Ship. The
average cost for a nursing home is $200 per day. I have checked on
reservations on a Princess and I can get a long term discount and senior discount price of $135 per day. That leaves $65 a day for:
1. Gratuities which will only be $10 per day.
2. I will have as many as 10 meals a day if I can waddle to the restaurant,
or I can have room service (which means I can have breakfast-in-bed every day
of the week).
3. Princess has as many as three swimming pools, a workout room, free washers and dryers, and shows every night.
4. They have free toothpaste and razors, and free soap and shampoo.
5.They will even treat you like a customer, not a patient. An extra $5
worth of tips will have the entire staff scrambling
to help you.
6. I will get to meet new people every 7 or 14 days.
7. T.V. broken? Light bulbs need changing? Need to have the mattress
replaced? No Problem! They will fix everything and apologize for your inconvenience.
8. Clean sheets and towels every day, and you don't even have to ask for them.
9. If you fall in the nursing home and break a hip you are on Medicare; if
you fall and break a hip on the Princess ship they will upgrade you to a suite
for the rest of your life.
Now hold on for the best! Do you want to see South America,the Panama Canal, Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, or name where you want to go?
Princess will have a ship ready to go. So don't look for me in a nursing home, just call shore to ship.
P S: And don't forget, when you die, they just
dump you over the side -- at no charge.

Objects d' art

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Was going to skip the words today, thought the pictures could stand alone, and still do; but thinking I owe an explanation, here it is: Well, i didn't like #9 one lump or two (actually stolen from dinky's - should really ask her what it means - maybe she'll post on it.) And - here it is Thurs. - Homework day - do i have it done - No, of course not. Why? it's Thurs. and my show(Grey's) is on- yeah! These are from a recent trip to Boston.
Later.

Resorting to # 8 on the list

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#8 on the list: Blatently copy or imitate from the blogosphere and give credit of course.

Even tho I wasn't tagged - i tagged myself - looking for a post possibility. Found this meme over at Alexandra's (evidently she is the meme queen).

1. Grab the nearest book. If you are currently reading something, that’ll be fine too.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 4 sentences on your Blog along with these instructions.
5. Don’t you dare dig for that “cool” or “intellectual” book in your closet I know that is what you were thinking!
6. Tag 5 people.

The sad but true results: The closest book to me was "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser. 5th sentence was boring. note - return to library.
Ok I'm okay with cheating a little so I look up for the next closest book to me and there is "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint Exupery, that i found in a box of books one sleepless night. Poetic justice: There is no page 123; there's only 111 pages in the book!
ok i'm going for the first coolest book i see up on the shelf above the desk and it's "Zen and the Art of Writing" by Ray Bradbury.
Poetic justice again? There is no page 122 - blank page, page 123 is just a title, no fifth sentence here, next real page is page 125.
Ok, I'm tired of this meme and not wanting to push my luck and get struck by lightening or something on my next try I'm passing it on to any and all takers. Leave a comment or link if you do; hope you have better results.

A post from the unfinished drafts archives

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Ok, day 7- deep breathe - i think i can , i think i can. Let's consult the damn list: Day 7- post from a saved draft(s). Well now, let's looks at the Plan - today is Tuesday - Existential angst/lunch. Well Mercury must not be retrograde, the stars must be aligned. I have a saved draft about lunch.
Prompt: Lunchtime memory from when you were little:

In Grammer school(that's what we called Grade school - grade K-8 in NJ) we went home at lunchtime. Sometimes my mother would get creative and the plate would have celery and olives that made a smiley face. I remember tunafish sandwiches on white bread, cut on the diagonal and a steamy bowl of cream of tomato soup with Ritz crackers on the side, ready to crumble in.

On the way back to school I would sometimes stop in the corner candy store for some penny candy. Sometimes if i had a nickel, i would wait til after school to stop in and get a milkyway or three musketeers. Once in awhile I would get a skybar - eating the favs first or saving best for last. I liked the vanilla best then carmel, chocolate, and peanut last. Then there were those multi-colored buttons on the paper and the red wax lips. I never understood what the appeal of those buttons on the paper was, as I wasn't adept enough to eat them without eating some of the paper as well. As usual it's all about the dessert.

Uh-oh no time to edit, time for House.

black lab haiku

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Jackson, handsome dog of haiku fame

Number 1 boy

of broken arm fame

Last vestiges of summer

Tag

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Been tagged by Alexandra over at the Whole Story for a tell all meme. Tell 5 interesting or unique facts that you didn’t know about me. Just in time for # 6 on my list. Thanks Alexandra, now I don't have to make one up.
1) I was a baton twirler. I'm ambidexterious - technically i'm a lefty - write and hold a fork lefty but throw a ball, sew righty( note - things i was taught by righties).
2) I moved to the Caribbean (St. Croix) on a whim. No job, didn't know anyone there. I made this decision on a snowy night in Amherst Northampton, after work, with a drink in each hand. This is kinda how the thought process went - I'm a bartender, it's cold here, I can be a bartender anywhere - I guess i'll move to the Caribbean. I went home and put a pin on a map and waited a month for a friend to graduate so that she could go with me. Silly girl, but she did meet her husband there and they are still together.
3) I've waited on George Burns (future post).
4) I've waited on Bill Crosby (future post).
5) I've totalled 2 cars, one in the snow. skidded sideways into the guard rail, spun around and was facing the oncoming traffic (a truck to be specific), the air bag went off - smoke comes out evidently when this happens. I thought the car was on fire and grabbed my handbag and jumped out of the car. A policeman came over to help and said that we'd better get off the road as cars were spinning out around us. The tow truck dropped me and the baby car seat at my work, where I was in shock, but worked up patients none the less. I'm scared to death of driving in the snow, rain too actually.
Now the fun part - I tag: Jona,Edie,Ipanema,Mary,and MB.

Haiku Saturday

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Here is the secret link to one of my poetry blogs. I was tempted to cheat but wrote this new one for today, but I really like the other two way better. Actually the poetry links (New Poems & Old Poems) are on the sidebar but Haiku is new to me. Feel free to leave one in comments or a link to yours.

Fall

smoke rising above
red leaves falling to the ground
black dog by my side

Joke Friday

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Rated R or X? - hope i don't offend. I thought it was funny!

Subject: Vegas

A guy is walking along the strip in Las Vegas and A knockout looking
Vegas hooker catches his eye. He strikes up a conversation and eventually
asks the Hooker, "How much do you charge?" Hooker replies, "It starts at $500 for a
hand-job."
Guy says, "$500 dollars! For a hand-job! Holy crap No hand-job is worth that kind of
money!" The hooker says, "Do you see that Denny's on the corner?"
"Yes."
"Do you see the Denny's about a block further down?"
"Yes."
"And beyond that, do you see that third Denny's?"
"Yes."
"Well," says the hooker, smiling invitingly, "I own those. And, I own them because I give a hand-job that's worth $500." Guy says, "What the hell? You only live once. I'll give it a try."
They retire to a nearby motel. A short timelater, the guy is sitting on the bed realizing that He just experienced the hand-job of a lifetime, Worth every bit of $500. He is so amazed, he says, "I suppose a blow-job is $1,000?"
The hooker replies, "$1,500."
"I wouldn't pay that for a blow-job!"
The hooker replies, "Step over here to the window, Big boy. Do you see
that casino just across the Street? I own that casino outright. And I own it
Because I give a blow-job that's worth every cent of $1,500."
The guy, basking in the afterglow of that terrific Hand-job, decides to put off the new car for another Year or so, and says, "Sign me up."
Ten minutes later, he is sitting on the bed more amazed than before. He can scarcely believe it but, He feels he truly got his money's worth. He decides To dip into the retirement savings for one glorious And unforgettable experience. He asks the hooker, "How much for some pussy?"
The hooker says, "Come over here to the window, I want To show you something. Do you see how the whole city of Las Vegas is laid out before us, all those beautiful lights, gambling palaces, and show places?"
"Damn!" the guy says, in awe, "You own the whole city?"
No," the hooker replies, "but I would if I had
a pussy."

The damn list

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Ok, 3AM is a good time for a list. I'm a fabulous list maker - i make them all the time - problem is I never look at them again. I'm not one of those people that get pleasure in checking things off. Basically I write them just to get the damn things off my mind, i don't actually intend to do any of em. So that said, don't be expecting me to follow this damn list. "She's a rebel and she'll never ever ever get things done.".(To the tune of "He's a rebel", an actually song - for any of you old enof to remember.)

1) Stall ( I think I can,I think I can- write about writing).
2) Make a list
3) Joke Friday
4) Haiku
5) First_____
6) Create a meme or resurrect one
7) Make a post from saved draft(s)
8) Get inspired (blatently copy) from the blogosphere. Shameless Imitation day- pilferred from Patry over at Simply Wait.
9) One lump or two (? a dunkies misadventure) from Dinkys list.
10) Promote/Rave about a fellow blogger
11) Do something from my technology challenged list, ie: crossouts(would love to do that so i can stop using parenthesis' so much, RSS ( do i really want that?) add Yoda to the template without obliterating it, change the template without losing everything
12) Patient of the day
13) Creative writing homework thanks to Edie at Just Write.
14) Rant(whine)
15) Writing promt (one word, sunday scribblings or back of cereal box)
16) Anti-narcissism day(Write about someone else for crying out loud) also from Dinky
17) Pictures, pretty pictures, yes pictures are good.
18) Poem
19) Quote
20) TBA (fellow bloggers - help! I have to get up (oh yea I'm not sleeping) in an hour for work! this could be a contest - i can enter it on Competizion!)
I need a prize - start looking around the house- how bout my collection of Zone books; ok, i'll keep looking- prize to be announced).
21) Dream(as in sleeping or wishing)
22) Thanksgiving recipe/picture(optional)
23) Thanksgiving post or pic
24) Holiday list or boycott
25) Insomnia
26) All about blog
27) Lunchtime Existentialism (lunchtime or existentialism or both)
28) Laughter
29) Music (song on the radio/whatever)
30) Nablopomo party ( over at dinky's) who's bringing what? Chips and dip here (salsa)

Great, This damn list took 2 hrs. and then i couldn't get back to sleep before the alarm went off in less than an hr. And all i needed was a damn outline like Patry did (See #8). Think about it, i was more than 1/2 way there with Patient of the day Mon.,Joke Fri.,Sat. Homework day, I'd already had Sun. Blog pick of the week in the back of my mind, Just Tues, Wed, and Thurs. Let's see how my math is: 30 posts subtract these first two, minus the last party post= 27 - (4) joke fridays= 23 - (4) Creative writing homework Mon.=19 - (4)Blog picks= 15 - (4) #8's = 11 (not 30!).

So let's see about this Plan/Outline: (Not necessarily in this order of course)
Mon.- Patient of the day
Tues. - Existentialist angst - i mean lunch
Wed.- Poem, Haiku, or quote
Thurs. - Homework day
Fri.- Joke Friday
Sat. - Anything on the damn list
Sun. - Blog of the week

Well, I feel much better now, I've got a plan and a list. I bet I sleep good tonite. Oh and I guess the contest(#20) is still on - another post.

i think i can, i think i can

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