What is July 25?

My sister died on July 25, 2003.

So it’s been seven years. And this year was it. I didn’t post about it. Well, I’m posting about it now, after the fact, because it didn’t occur to me to post about it then.

An internet acquaintance of mine recently lost her sister and I wanted so badly to tell her that no matter how awful it it now, it won’t be forever. I didn’t, because it wasn’t what she wanted or needed to hear. I told her I know it’s awful, and nothing I could say could make it better, and that was the simple truth and the best thing I had to say.

Apparently seven years is the magic “not forever” number. Who knew?

It might help that I don’t have anything else to associate the date with. September 16 will never come and go. It’s a scant two days after my eldest son’s birthday. She held on long enough to see him turn six, and that was that. Maybe it will come and go? Maybe it’s just still too soon, too fresh. I still can’t think of her without wanting to cry, my eyes stinging and tearing up. Maybe in 2013 September 16 will come and go and just be another day of celebration in Dorian’s Birthday-Week.

I wish the world as a whole would ban nuclear devices. Get rid of atomic bombs. Ditch bombs all together. Nasty dirty bombs, pipe bombs, anything explosive.

I know it will never happen, but my god, either pass one out the the entire class or leave it home! If everyone had a bomb, it would be like no one having a bomb, because if everyone had one, then who would want to be the first to start a world-wide domino effect of destruction?

I wonder what impact this will have in Israel, Hamas, the Palastinians and life in general.

Saddam Hussein is a name I have heard my entire life. I can’t pick out any one thing that it brings to mind any more than any other, but… It’s a pretty big, involved sub-plot type story in my life coming to an end.

A while back I posted this article my hubby sent me.

Someone commented today that Bush should have been hanged right along side him, also for war crimes. I had this to say:
I absolutely think GWB needs to stand trial as well, fair trial (is there really such a thing?) and have his actions examined.

Why are we in Iraq and not Iran? Why are we wasting time setting up a democracy in another country when ours is falling apart?

I have no problem with capitol punishment when it’s deserved. I don’t think it should be doled out willy-nilly, but I think if it’s deserved, then it’s deserved. I don’t know if I am the person to decide that (probably not) but there are so few jobs that have such an amazing impact on so many people… we really ought to be careful about who gets them, who keeps them, and how they were put there in the first place.

So I don’t have anything good or bad to say about this hanging. I think it was fair and just.

1. Spend more time with your parents. You never know how long you will have them for.
2. Spend more time with your siblings too.
3. Open a savings account and really put 100$ or more every two weeks into it. Really. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but a good, solid savings account can save you a lot of trouble.
4. Go ahead and have fun. Enjoy not having to spend your money on anyone but yourself, and enjoy not having any responsibilities, because sometimes they sneak up on you.
5. When life hands you too much to handle, don’t be afraid or ashamed to speak up load and ask for help. Sometimes a little help can prevent a big problem.
6. Don’t max out your credit cards. They are next to impossible to get under control.
7. If you have the luck to get said cards under control, don’t go on a spending spree because you think you can. You can’t.
8. Take a last minute, whirlwind trip out of the country. You might regret having never done it when you had the chance.
9. Don’t close your heart to the right person, and don’t open it to the wrong one.
10. Don’t pretend to be someone or something you aren’t. Be true to who you are, even if who you are changes hour to hour or day to day. Make sure you discover who you are, and never let that go, because knowing who you are, and what you believe in, and what causes you would die for, is probably the most important thing you can know and might be the only thing you know for 100% certain.

• Canon S3 IS camera (ohhh this is my precious)
• some very sexy mary jane type shoes, with big gigantic sexy heels on them
• the Disney edition of Scene It?
• a 2 gig memory card for above mentioned camera
• a knitting calendar (it’s a pattern-a-day type)
• I picked up a few additions to my interchangeable needle kit from KnitPicks, still waiting on that to arrive
• Bath & Body Works goodies (I picked out the Amber scented stuff, but the gift itself was a gift card)
• a new skirt and pair of jeans from Old Navy
• a new bedroom suite from my Dad (the bed (headboard and footboard), media cabinet, dresser and nightstand)

Michael got a DVR, external hard drive, 2 gig card, camera (ok, he bought that himself with his work bonus), gift card to GameStop, and I think that was it.

The kids got a vSmile game system and a bunch of games  to go with it, Disney calendar for their room, wooden puzzles, misc. little tchotchke toys, an ATM savings bank, some computer games, and I don’t remember what else. I buy throughout the year, and then buy before the holidays, so they got quite the haul this year, but not quite as indulgent as last year (which was, um, a bit overboard).

Here is a list of 71 things about me.

But six weird things? I have no clue.

1. I have lived in Maryland (in five different cities), Virginia (one city), West Virginia (one city) and Florida (three cities), this is throughout my entire life, but they’ve all been in the past decade.
2. I learned to SCUBA dive when I was twelve. I haven’t been since I was fifteen. I’d really like to go again.
3. When I was pregnant with all three of my kids I had (HAD!) to have a Dunkin Donuts large iced coffee, extra light, extra sweet every night. It’s gone up in price over the past six years from 1.45$ for a large to over 2$
4. My head is approximately the same circumferace as my six year olds.
5. I used to be fluent enough in French to carry on a functional conversation, but I couldn’t read it when it was written on paper. I passed my finals verbally.
6. When I was in tenth grade I almost flunked out due to excessive absence (that year was my really, heinously bad year), but they let me take my finals and I passed.

I’m a meme-pooper, and I am not tagging anyone. Feel free to repost, and if you do, let me know!

We had a productive meeting with D’s teachers this morning. We mentioned the Jewish/not-Jewish thing (and plenty of kids there don’t live in kosher households/aren’t orthodox, so I wonder where this mess is coming from, hm?), and about the fighting game (I haven’t mentioned that on here, I don’t think, basically he got hit in the cheek/eye playing what was essentially fighting), and his speech development, and some other stuff. He is very active in class, he is included in things. He is often with the older/bigger kids (he’s pretty big himself) and has made a place for himself. He is quite often with the “leader” kids, so yay! Not that being a leader over a follower is a problem or desired but I don’t want him to be a follower who gets left behind, either. So it was all good stuff.

We briefly spoke with M’s teacher, she said he doesn’t clean up well, but we mentioned that he has to have thing “just so” at home, or he freaks out. He is very schedule, this this this this oriented. She said he isn’t so much like that at school. So I am back to square one as far as wanting him evaluated for any potential problems. I don’t really think there is anything “wrong” with him, but some of his behaviours are so odd sometimes. I am still wavering between wanting him checked out and passing it off as being four. D wasn’t like that, but C is nothing like D anyway, and all kids are different. I think maternal worry will win out on this one, and I will get my ass in gear and call our pediatrician.

We wer rear-ended Christmas day coming home from Swap Shop. Michael, myself, my dad and E were in the car. E slept through it. There was no damage, and no one was hurt, so we just left after everyone agreed everything was ok. I went out and purchased a new carseat for D (he was in a backless booster because I gave M his full chair b/c M’s got messed up) so he is back in a full seat booster, but using the belt, not the  point harness. I couldn’t find a harness for his size and weight, they all say to use the belt, so it’s a good meeting point for us. M said he doesn’t need a new seat right now. Thank goodness, they’re expensive! Because it wasn’t a damaging hit, and because nothing was damaged on E’s seat, we are not replacing it either.

What else has been going on? I don’t know. My kids had the Florida pre-paid college thing purchased for them. What a fantastic gift! All three have four years of tuition paid for at any Florida state university. Michael and Sara also got this (they got it for their B’Nai Mitzvot) and let me tell you, it is such a weight off of our shoulders. The core classes are paid for, room and board is not, and books are not (and other supplies) but the big bucks are shelled out on the tuition itself, so yay!

I “met” Becca online, total chance. Her mother is a cancer survivor. My mother is a cancer victim. She in in an interfaith marriage. I am in an interfaith marriage. She knits. I knit. She loves to cook. I love to cook. She is doing a 3 day, 60 mile walk. I’m not, but I contributed to her team. All proceeds benefit the Susan Koman Foundation.

I’ve just ordered some black yarn to finish up the soaker on the underside (I ran out of yarn, pretty much need to do the crotch and it’s done though), so I am waiting on that to arrive, and her Flirty Skirty is done!

I broke down and ordered some avocado and carrot yarn to make the Picky Pants, but they’ll be the shorts, and they will be stripy. Yay for stripes!

I am a bit shamed that it has taken me so long, but it was soooo tedious. I downsized the needle a bit, and it’s a lot of knitting. Just knitting. Round and round in circles.

If you click on the thumbnail it’ll open a much larger image. You know you want to.