I received a very nice e-mail Sunday evening. It seems that I have a new place to hang out. How cool is that? IMSO gets to play along with the big girls and boys at Alltop! Like her, and her, and her, and this one too, oh and him, and him, and this guy. So many I can’t name them all. Just go check out all the great Moms and Dads at Alltop. I hope know that other people taking off to Chicago this summer have been worrying wondering about the same thing I have ~ you know, the whole getting lost around in an unfamiliar town thing? I discovered that I won’t be stranded at the airport after all.Read More

When I argue with my peeps, I just want to lay it all out, rant for a few minutes, get really a little loud and be done. Clear the air and not let things fester. Then, I’m over it. I do try to fight fair though. I don’t bring up old conflicts, I don’t call names, and I don’t go off on tangents, pinging on everything that I am pissed about now, was in the past and anticipate in the future. Yet, even when I agree with you, if I’m mad, it can sound like I’m arguing with you. I have a totally different fighting style outside The Family. When I do have conflicts with co-workers or neighbors, I try to remainRead More

I’m fortunate in that on a nearly daily basis I get to work with people whose sole job is to create Web sites and write computer programs. From them, I’ve learned just enough HTML code to either get myself into hopeless situations or make small fixes that make me look like a genius. Through osmosis, I’ve also garnered some small amount of knowledge that has helped me improve my Google search results. The magic ~ Search Engine Optimization ~ is in tags and keywords. Tags are more than cute titles for your post, they can be wonderful ways to increase your visibility. Using actual words and phrases from your post, you try to select the same words and phrases someoneRead More

About three years ago I served on a federal jury. The defendant was charged with running a Ponzi scheme that bilked his clients out of more than $65 million. While not on the same scale as Bernard Madoff, the idea was similar. The defendant in this case would pay client #1 with money he got from client #2, and so on. He had operations in the U.S., England and Australia. A few clients could afford to invest millions of dollars, and others who were retired, had pooled their pensions and nest eggs in hopes of earning enough money for a comfortable life. All was lost. Over the course of the two-week trial we heard all sorts of excuses… that theRead More

There are more and more days lately when all I want is to be a slug. Not thinking, not doing, not worrying about anything. I don’t want to think about my job being outsourced… I am not indispensable and I am fully aware that I can easily be replaced. What I do is not rocket surgery. In the past year, our office staff has been cut in half. In that same time period, I went from being the new kid to being the second in seniority. I try not to think about it, but probably would be wise have some fall back plan. Esty is looking really good to me. I am so very tired of worrying about WK andRead More

Up until a week or so ago, I had dismissed the disregard some people had toward blogs as a general misconception as to what these online missives really were. That like diaries and journals of old, these were glimpses into another person’s life, consciousness, private space ~ a window to their soul ~ if I may wax poetic here for a second. I believe that like me those who publish their writings to the world take them very seriously. We write about our inner struggles, our families, our ups and downs, sometimes with humor, sometimes with angst, but always with truth and heart. There are still, and always will be, people who view blogs as nothing more than drivel, asRead More

I fell in love… and I fell hard. Like any new love, I wanted to spend as much time as we could together. Snuggled up in the love seat ~ seemed appropriate. Playfully wrestling on the floor, taking longs walks together at the end of a stressful day. I would feed this new love of mine by hand, giggling when my fingers got nibbled on too. I could forgive if the bites were a little too rough. Nighttime was sweet. Warm bodies wrapped together. A nuzzled ear, a nose to nose kiss, or a playful lick on my cheek. Even the snoring was cute. That was then… Now, I can’t move in my own bed. Splayed legs, hogged space andRead More

Wouldn’t it be great if there were signs like this warning us about all the obvious dangers in our lives. Seriously, do I really need this sign? I live in Florida… alligators are a given. That I shouldn’t feed a wild animal because it might act, well… wild, is really a no-brainer. How great would it be if all the bad boys (and girls) came with warning labels: “this butt head can be hazardous to your mental health… have more self-respect and ditch the jerk.” What about signs in restaurants: “lard found in the menu items can cause you to balloon up like a puffer fish… you should really watch what you eat or you could have a coronary.” It’sRead More

One of best benefits from joining in this wonderful world of blogging is that I’ve found kindred spirits. Other moms, other parents who share some of my same concerns for our kids, have the same stories, the same fears and hopes for the future. I’ve found a community where I can brag about my kids, can bitch about them, and cry over them and will always find an ‘I’m with you’ show up in my comments. My kids are a never ending source of pride for me. They are both brilliant (if I do say so myself), they are hilarious (even if I’m the only person laughing) and the most beautiful babies in the world (both are heartbreakers and noRead More

A friend (hence the name of this post) gave me this recipe years ago. It’s an audience participation project and if taken literally a pyramid scheme. It’s also a commitment of time, taking a minimum of ten days from start to finish. Once begun, this project can take on a life of it’s own, but it can also bring you closer to your friends, especially if they aren’t familiar with how to keep the sourdough ‘alive’ and have to rely on you for their starter fix. This is Day 1 in this cycle and I already have my first two cups of starter promised. The traditional recipe makes a sweet, spice cake-type bread. The more contemporary recipe can be adaptedRead More