I'm a Big Girl Now

The photo shows a keychain that BFF Jill gave me this summer. Yes, sometimes I laugh until I pee my pants. This was always a joke with the GNO girls too. When we went on our trips the saying was "It isn't a GNO trip unless someone throws up, pees their pants or does both". Usually that someone was me.

I've realized for sometime now that there was a problem. Usually it was laughing too hard or when I was sick and really coughing. It would almost always end with me peeing my pants. Thinking back, I've realized that this has been going on for at least 7 years, probably longer. It has, however, gotten bad.

The "rock bottom" point for me was the night that we celebrated Becky's birthday a few months ago. I don't drink that much and we really were getting our drink on that night. Then. The drinking games began. I knew better. Tequila and I are not friends, we don't get along. We may have been in a relationship before, but I not only broke up with Tequila, I have a PFA out against Tequila. Well, I gave into peer pressure that night and let Tequila back in my bed. MISTAKE.

The night ended with me puking my guts out on Fifth Avenue, in front of Becky's house. Each and every time I retched, I peed my pants. I had no control. Puke, pee. Puke, pee. On and on. I kid you not, every inch of my pants were soaking wet when I was finished. How embarrassing. Well, I didn't give one rat's ass at the time, I was drunk. BFF Jill's husband drove us home, with me in the backseat, sitting on a garbage bag.

When I woke up the next morning from my Tequila coma, first, I had the PFA reissued. I then decided that I was going to have this little problem taken care of once and for all. I am 42, I am way to young for Depends and even Poise pads. So, I made an appointment.

I have my surgery today for a Transobturator Sling Procedure . It is a minimally invasive procedure and I should be able to be back to life and work by Wednesday. I have to hang out and do nothing tomorrow just because of the anesthetic.

I will be totally healed in four weeks. That puts us right around New Year's Eve. I think maybe we may have to all go out, get our drink on again and test this bugger out. I am not a big fan of puking, but I am looking forward to puking for the first time without peeing my pants!

Presents are Wrapped!

Well, I've gotten all of the Christmas presents that I bought, wrapped. It's no surprise that Riley and Travis have the most presents. They were the first presents bought too. I guess I am not finished shopping, I totally didn't get Kallie, Chip or Jeffrey anything. Shhhh don't tell them, they will never know!

Black Friday

So, reports are that yesterday's Black Friday sales figures are higher than last years. This really doesn't surprise me after seeing photos of the lines and the crowds on the news and from people who were among the masses. I find this all very interesting since we are in a supposed recession and these are "tough economic times" WOW, $10.6 billion in sales is tough times?

I've been saying for some time now that this recession stuff is nothing but bullshit we are being fed by government and the news media. People are still spending money, they have never stopped.

Now I am sure I will have those who ask, are people really spending money or are they using credit cards and spending what they really don't have. I really don't know. Honestly, credit card debt shouldn't even be brought up. Credit card debt has been a problem for YEARS. Look at how many people have filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy and you will see how bad credit card debt is and has been. It has NOTHING to do with the economy. It has everything to do with the "Me" generation that wants everything NOW. They don't want to save for things. They charge and charge and spend and spend, then file for bankruptcy and those of us who pay our bills pay for it in the long run in more fees and higher interest rates and lower savings rates. So, sorry, whether people are spending with cash or credit, it doesn't make a difference.

We are NOT in a recession. If you think we are, head on out to the mall in the next few weeks and see if you can find a parking space. Recession = Reduced Spending. People are spending and they are spending freely.

Thanksgiving Eve

This was part of the group that went out for "Thanksgiving Eve". It's been many, many years since I've went out the night before Thanksgiving. I made sure that I got all my prep work, that I normally do on that evening, completed early.

We all met at Becky's house. The plan was to go to Stanley's for a hot sausage and then head to Nite Courts to listen to a local band. I was excited about the hot sausage since I was busy working all day and hadn't had a chance to eat yet.

Imagine our dismay when we arrived at Stanley's to find out that they weren't cooking that night. BOOOO! So, I figured I would hit Sheetz on our way to Nite Courts.

Well, we never left Stanley's. We got word that Nite Courts was so busy that people were parking in the salon parking lot. We also, got totally jammed into a corner table and it was nearly impossible to get out. I am sure that the fire code limit was met and exceeded.

Finally, at near midnight, it cleared enough for me to make my escape. I finally ate for the day, two death dogs with chili and cheese. I didn't have a drop of alcohol since I had a totally empty stomach.

I did have fun, though, writing quotes of the night, making fun of douchebags and skanky hoes so the night wasn't a total bust!

She Loves Him

Kallie has claimed Mr. Bruises as her own. She has attached herself to him whenever he is home. Why do some animals adore those who like them the least? Let's face it, kitty isn't real popular in this house. She's bossy, she's mouthy, she's pushy, she's demanding. The one who complains about her the most is Mr. Bruises, yet here she is just guarding him like a Sphinx.

She really can be a psycho kitty. I like how I captured it in this photo, look how her one eye is yellow and the other is green! Oh, and yes, I am fully aware that she gets even by rubbing her anal glands on my face while I sleep.

Holidays

For the first time in MANY years, I am actually in the mood for the holidays, especially Christmas. Those who know me, know that I am usually a Bah Humbug kinda girl for Christmas. I think a lot of that came from working for a company, for years, that was Christmas 24/7. Add to that, working retail for years. Add to that other issues and you get the picture.

I think this year's mild weather has got me in the mood. I HATE winter with a passion. The only reason why I live here is my mother. Mr. Bruises would prefer to be in Florida, I would prefer to be in California. We compromise and stay here. Some compromise.

Well imagine my surprise, yesterday, when I finished my holiday shopping. BEFORE Thanksgiving! I've never done that. Ever. I am considering decorating the salon today. Again, never early before and usually I am grumbling. I am actually looking forward to it.

So, all of you snow lovers out there that are just whining about the weather, just know that it has made a difference in one Bah Humbug Gal's attitude this year!

Snuggle Buddies

Sunday, I did a little Christmas shopping. While Mr. Bruises was in Best Buy, I went to Pet Smart to shop for the animals. I had some time to kill, so I browsed up and down aisles I usually don't go down. I came to the section that housed the kitties that were up for adoption. OMG, these two were totally snuggling in a bed, sound asleep.

I couldn't resist, I had to take a photo. I know people were looking at me like I had grown a second head, but you know, I am used to that. I just kept snapping away. They never woke up. Look how the black one is totally hugging the gray one.

Pet Smart works with local animal shelters to help find homes for these kitties. I am always amazed at how well they take care of these cats. Their cages and bedding are always clean and they get them out and play with them daily as well. I sure hope these kitties find a new home, until then, they got each other!

Teddy

While we were shopping on Saturday, I came out of the store to wait on the others. I was greeted by a standard poodle named Teddy. My two friends who were waiting outside were all like "We knew you would spot him right away".

I immediately started to approach Teddy and pet him. I then noticed that his human had these sunglasses on and it wasn't sunny at all. I thought that he was blind and I almost asked if Teddy was "working", because you never approach or distract a service dog when they are working. Teddy didn't have a coat on. Service dogs usually have those on. I then looked for a walking stick and realized that this guy wasn't blind, he was just wearing sunglasses. He was sitting with Teddy while his wife shopped.

Teddy, it seems is totally attached at the hip to his human Mom. Aren't all dogs (wink). I got some photos snapped with Teddy as I told his owner about how my grandparents had a standard poodle that was the same coloring as Teddy when I was growing up. You don't see many of them around any more.

Finally Teddy's mom came out of the store and then they did the swap and the man went in to shop. Teddy was so excited to see her, he just kept prancing around and wiggling, it made my heart melt, because this is exactly how my boys are with me. After chatting with her for awhile I told her how I initially thought that her husband was blind. Later in the day, we passed them all again and her husband laughed and pretended he was walking with a walking stick. We all had a good chuckle over it.

It was very nice meeting you yesterday, Teddy. You made me think of Choco and my grandparents a lot!

GNO Shopping Trip

I have many groups of friends. I have Nail Tech friends, I have Roller Derby friends, I have Stampin' Up friends, I have the ultimate friend, BFF Jill and I also have my GNO friends. I am so blessed to have so many friends. Now I am not talking about casual friends, I am talking about GOOD friends that would help save your life if something were ever to happen.

GNO (Girls Night Out) Friends are all friends I used to work with at the credit union. None of us work there any more, thank God! We have all stayed close through the years. As we all started leaving the credit union, one by one, we didn't want to lose touch with one another, so we made a pact to have dinner once a month. We used to go out on a Friday evening.

Friday evenings have now turned into Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Some of my friends have little ones now, so it's hard for us to get together in the evening. Also, we are more spread out now, so our middle meeting point has changed as well. We usually meet somewhere in the Pittsburgh Mills area now.

We used to go on weekend gambling trips, we haven't been on an over nighter in ages. Nothing will EVER top the Bachelorette Trip when we were celebrating the upcoming nuptials of TWO members. We also, always, go on a holiday shopping trip. We've went a couple different places through the years, but our favorite place to go is The Prime Outlets in Grove City.

We always take The Pimp Van. It is a 1987 Astro Van, complete with blinds, lighting and upholstered walls. We LOVE The Pimp Van. We all fit in there and all of our packages too! We even now have a CD player! We used to have to bring a boom box to play our music.

Yesterday was our shopping trip and I decided to film some of the madness. As you can see, we have a good time when we are together. I love ALL of my friends, especially the GNO Girls!

New Co-Worker

We have a new face at The Purple Pinkie! BFF Jill has agreed to help us out for the holiday season! Kylie had an opportunity to spend the next three months in Fort Myers, FL and jumped on it faster than a slut jumps on some one's steady boyfriend on prom night.

For those of you who have been asking how Kylie is, she is awesome. She found a job at a restaurant/bar on the beach called The Cottage. If you are going to be in Fort Myers, like I will be in three weeks, make sure you look her up. I am sure she is longing for some familiar faces right now since it's been three weeks since she's been there.

BFF Jill completed her first week at the PP and we kept her busy. For those of you who may not know, BFF Jill is a full cosmetologist and owns her own salon, Bernot Beauty in Ford City. It used to be her grandfather's barber shop, but after she graduated from high school and beauty school, she worked side by side with him, learning the barber trade from him. When he retired, she took it over and it now caters to BOTH sexes and is decorated floor to ceiling with vintage hats.

It's going to be fun, working side by side with my BFF. I can only hope I don't pee my pants from laughing all day. I have until the 30th, when surgery will hopefully finally kick that little problem to the curb.

Remembering Sonny

Sonny was our first dog as a couple. I saw him at Lasher's Pets and mentioned him to Mr. Bruises since he had made a comment that he always wanted a collie. We went to see him and when they took him out of the cage, he pooped on the floor. What a great first impression.

Weeks passed and a guy that worked in the pet shop came into the cycle shop and told Mr. Bruises if he wanted him, he was half off because he was getting too big for his cage. So, we went and got him and it was the best day ever. Those who passed him up missed out on one of the best dogs ever. Even though we got him for half price, he was worth full price tripled.

Sonny was born on this day in 1988. He would have been 21 today. He lived to be thirteen and a half, which is amazing, however, not nearly long enough for us. The day he went to the Rainbow Bridge, a piece of my heart went with him.

People made fun of us because we had birthday parties for him. We still do that with our animals, but back then, we had guests, now it is just us. Really, we weren't the crazy ones, those were the people who came to the party AND brought gifts!

Sonny was the gentlest, most loving collie I've ever encountered. Naively, I thought all collies were like him, but I found out that he was rare. I found that out the hard way when one bit me in the ass and ripped my jeans. Thank goodness he was old and his teeth were nubs, while I didn't have broken skin, I had one hell of a bruise.

So, today, I remember my precious Sonny. In honor of his 21st birthday, I will be having a Long Island Iced Tea at Nite Courts tonight! Happy Birthday, Sonny, I still love you and miss you terribly!

Righting Wrongs

Those who know me know that I will ALWAYS stand up for what is right and try to right wrongs. Our local beauty education is really lacking and is totally in need of some change and has been for some time.

A high school friend approached me months ago, asking my advice on going to school for nails. I warned against enrolling in the local school that I attended, since I know first hand how I was pretty much self taught. I also informed her that after the last two techs I hired, who were recent graduates of the school, I would no longer consider any student from that school. They are just not educated. The school is charging $3800 for a seven week course and people like ME are left to actually teach these students how to do nails. Nope, not doing it any longer.

Despite my request that another school, 30 minutes away should be explored, my friend enrolled in the local school. She started classes a few weeks ago on a Monday and on that Wednesday, sent me this in an email.

I just wanted to touch base with you and let you know I started classes on Monday. Everyone was right, the don't freakin teach you anything, you have to teach yourself. My first day the teacher was sick & we didn't even have a student teacher. The director wanted us to give manicures. I don't have a clue on have to give a manicure, that's why I am here.

See, the problem with this email is that they wanted her to work on patrons of the clinic (for a fee) on her FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. State Board rules state the following:

§ 7.120. Work done by students on the public. (a) A school may permit students to work on the public, and may charge a fee for treatment performed by students on the public based on the reasonable cost of materials used in such treatment, if the students have successfully completed the following hours of instruction: (1) Cosmetology Curriculum—300 Hours (2) Esthetics Curriculum—75 Hours (3) Nail Technology Curriculum—50 Hours (4) Natural Hair Braiding Curriculum—75 Hours

As you can see, a Nail Technology student, which my friend is, has to successfully complete 50 hours before she can LEGALLY work on a patron in the clinic. Students attend school six and a half hours a day. On the date that she sent me the email, she would have had nineteen and a half hours, which isn't even half of what is required AND she was asked to do these services on her FIRST DAY!

When I attended this school in the fall of 2001, they did the exact same thing to me. On day two of school, I was told that I had to apply a tip on a patron who had broken a natural nail. I had no idea what to do. I did it, because I was told I had to. Not only was this not safe. It was ILLEGAL.

I also did not have a teacher my first day. On day two until week five, I was taught by a student teacher, someone who had just graduated from cosmetology school with NO work experience what so ever. Further, our school did not have a LICENSED instructor for the first five weeks of my seven week program. Again, this is totally ILLEGAL.

Since 2001, there have been a number of directors. I had hoped that the school would finally get a director that knows what's going on and actually had education as a priority. I find it sad, that eight years later, this school is still operating the same.

So, I did what I felt was the right thing to do. I turned the school in, once more, to the PA State Board. This is the third complaint that I have made against this school. I got notice yesterday, that my complaint has been registered. Let's hope that something is done, finally. I am not holding my breath though.

Happy Birthday, John B. Ford!

Yesterday was Captain John B. Ford's 198th birthday! John founded Ford City, the wonderful town that I have lived my entire life in. BFF Jill and I celebrated his birthday, at the statue in the Ford City Park.















We had Red Velvet cupcakes and party hats. Boy, I am sure we put on a good show, trying to get that stupid hat on his head. Listen, I was standing on the TOP RAIL of a step stool, with the party hat taped to the end of a broom handle. Two attempts from behind were failed because, even though the hat was on his head, you could not see it from the front. Finally, after attempting from the front, we got it right.


Happy Birthday John!

Mitten Success!

Finally, I have had a mitten success. You will remember my first try with a knitted pair. Then I tried again with a crocheted pair that I felted. I was ready to chuck it all unitil my friend, Gloria, suggested that I refelt my crocheted mittens and actually felt them to my hands. I didn't know you could do that! Gloria actually makes slippers and felts them to fit her feet!

So, I tried it and it was okay. I then decided to try it again and the second time produced success! Thank you so much, Gloria, for saving my mittens!

Yearbooks

Some people collect figurines, dolls, baskets or other things. I, collect yearbooks. I mainly collect Ford City High School (my alma mater) yearbooks. I also have some Kittanning High School yearbooks that were my fathers and some Lenape Elementary yearbooks that came with some other ones I purchased.

I have 1951, 1952, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1996, 1998, 1999 from Ford City. I also own a 1930 Ford City Senior Book. If you have any of the missing years that you would like to sell or know of any that someone wants to find a good home for, please let me know!

Now, here are my favorites and why.....

This is the 1930 Senior Book. This is a small book and only features the seniors of that year.

The most bizarre thing about this book is when you open the cover, inside is a vellum sheet, which is not uncommon. What is bizarre is that it is embossed with spider webs and spiders. I am not sure why, but it has always fascinated me.

This is the 1952 Trireme. It is the 50th Anniversary of the yearbook. In 1902, the first class graduated from FCHS, there were six graduates. This was, however, when they had a three year program. The first four year program graduates were the class of 1909, which is what most people, including the Alumni Association consider to be the first official graduating class. There were four graduates that year. This yearbook is my favorite of all because it has a ton of history about the school.







This is the 1981 Trireme. This was my first year in high school, ninth grade. I came from Ford City Catholic. This yearbooks is a favorite because I spent HOURS looking at it every night. I swear, I memorized every one's faces and names from grades seventh through twelfth. My friends in the nail world refer to me as The Mayor because I know everyone and if I don't know you, give me five minutes and I will. I like to think that this reputation started in 1980-81 with this yearbook.

This is the 1984 Trireme. This was my senior year, so of course, this would have to make the favorites as well.

So, again, if you or anyone you know wants to find a good home for their yearbooks. I can provide that home. I love all things Ford City, especially Ford City High School yearbooks.

All to Ourselves....

Mr. Bruises and I went to the movies tonight to see Couples Retreat. When we walked in, we were amazed to see that we were the only ones in the theatre.

Minutes before the movie started, others came. Inconsiderate others. Now we all know that when you are at the movies that you should turn your ringer off on your cell phone. They even tell you this in the previews AND tell you to not text.

These inconsiderate assholes were receiving phone calls during the entire movie. I am talking ring, rind, doodle dee, doo, da and then actually having an entire conversation. Four times. Seriously.

It took all I could to keep from jumping over my row, because you know there is a whole flipping movie theatre, but the asshole has to sit one row behind us and to the right, and taking that phone and shoving it so far up her ass that she will never hear it ring again.

I know what it is like to have a total love affair with your phone. I am having an affair with mine currently. My BeBe (my Blackberry's name) was safely in my coat pocket in the "Sleep" mode. If I can do it so can you asshole.

Oh, and the movie was so-so.

Cherry Cider

A few weeks ago, BFF Jill and I took a trip to Butler. We came across a roadside fruit stand that was selling Cherry Cider. Neither of us had ever heard of cherry cider before.

I absolutely loved the glass gallon jugs that the cider was in. I hate cherries with a passion, though. BFF Jill purchased a smaller bottle. I will need to get a report on how that cider was soon!

Happy Founder's Day!

Founder's Day is really on Tuesday, November 17, however Ford City is observing it today. Captain John B. Ford is our town's founder. He was born on November 17, 1811. He established Ford City in 1887, which was a company town for Pittsburgh Plate and Glass (PPG) which he also founded.

In 1891, in honor of Captain John B. Ford's 80th birthday, the workers of PPG erected a statue of him in the Ford City Park. He died May 1, 1903. You will recall this spring, when BFF Jill and I found the site of his grave, totally by accident in Allegheny Cemetery in Lawrenceville, PA.

BFF Jill and I have been taking questions for a few weeks to make a "Everything you ever wanted to know about Ford City" video. We had some great questions, that made the video. We also had some silly ones like "Did Karl Troth and Ellie Mae Walters ever hook up?" that we left out. We also had a lot of great questions about things in the area that are NOT in Ford City, they would be in Manor Township. We focused on Ford City Borough for this video.

We hope you enjoy it. If you are in town on Tuesday, please visit the Ford City Park and go visit John and thank him for the beautiful town and community that he founded for us.

Happy Founder's Day, Ford City!!!

The Truth About the Beheading...

BFF Jill and I have been working on a new video, "All you wanted to know about Ford City" for Founder's Day, which will be observed tomorrow. We released a bloopers reel earlier this week and a lot of our footage was at the John B. Ford statue in the Ford City Park. This is bringing up a lot of comments about a past "incident" with the statue.

In 2004, a group of young adults, after a night of drinking, came up with the brilliant idea of stealing the statue. Rumors went wild, that they had tried to behead the statue, that they had a rope around it's neck and were dragging it to the river to throw it in.

The town was in an uproar. The Mayor, at the time, tried to make an example of these kids. People wanted to hang them and their parents by their toenails.

A lot of people don't know some real truths about this incident. First, this wasn't the first time this happened. In the 70's, it happened and the kids involved not only got a slap on the wrist, they didn't pay ONE DIME to refurbish the statue. Charles Hanna, a local art teacher at the time, reset the statue. I remember working with Mr. Hanna at Custom Design Monuments, and he told me the story and said that he set that statue so efficiently that "No one will ever get it down again".

Well, I guess they found a way. Yes, they did knock it down and yes, they did try to steal it. They did NOT, however, try to behead it. See, the artisan that restored the statue and reset it reported that the cuts on the statue were over TWO YEARS old. This was reported, quietly, in borough meeting minutes. Most never heard this information. The newspapers never reported this, the Mayor never made a big deal out of it. So, everyone, to this day, still thinks that they tried to behead the statue. TOTALLY NOT SO.

The whole situation totally pissed me off at the time. People were LIVID at these kids, even though they paid every cent to have the statue restored AND did countless hours of community service. The kids in the 70's never even got punished at all. When people would bitch about this situation I would say to them, who can honestly say they have never gotten drunk and decided to do something stupid? If you say you have never, then you are either a liar or a saint.

To those parents who were degrading these kids AND their parents, I would congratulate them on having so much confidence in their children that they thought that they would NEVER do something stupid in their lives. I informed them that WHEN their children do, because we all know we all do stupid things in our lives, I hoped that people would have a little more compassion to them as a parent, than they were having for the parents of these kids.

Again, they got drunk, they did something stupid, they PAID to have it fixed, they DID NOT try to behead the statue and no one went out of their way to publicize this information once it was known. So here, I will do it for them.

Silence

I've officially become one of those people. Someone who has a parent in a nursing home and doesn't visit regularly. I used to visit once a week, then it became every other week. Recently, it became every three weeks on my way home from my chiropractor appointment. Due to salon scheduling, I can't stop all of the time because on some weeks I need to get to the salon right after my appointment.

I am finding visiting my mother to be a chore now. That sounds so horrible and I am ashamed to admit it. I procrastinate, and say, "Oh, I will go tomorrow", but then tomorrow turns into next week and so on.

I think my biggest problem is that when I go to visit, she doesn't talk much. She asks a few very bizarre questions and that's it. In the past, I would sit there and watch M*A*S*H, since that was on constantly in her room. Now, she just lays there in silence.

I attend her care plan meetings. I am very involved in her care. I am assured that she is NOT depressed. I am told that she is very pleasant to be around and that the staff just loves her. I truly believe this. I've witnessed it.

Yesterday, I witnessed my mother, who is supposed to be in so much pain from neuropathy in her feet, get up on her own and go into the bathroom. This supposed pain, is her reason for not wanting to walk around, go into the dining room, watch TV or play cards and games in the social room. This supposed pain is so bad that she can't sit in a wheel chair. I witnessed no pain or even slight discomfort yesterday.

Yesterday, she asked me to remove her tape and gauze on her arm, from her dialysis treatment that morning, before I left. I then watched her call the nurse. When the aids came in to see what she needed, she asked them to hammer a nail in her wall to hang her clock. They said they would get the maintenance man to do it. After they left, I asked her why she didn't have the nurses remove her bandage, since that is what they are here to do, not hammer nails in the wall and she replied that she didn't think of that.

I can't tell if she is trying to punish me. I have nothing to do with this. Her lack of ambition is the reason why she is where she is. She could be in an assisted living facility or even living independently with minimal care, but she chose to stop living. If she is trying to punish me, she is only ending up punishing herself since it's making my visits less and less frequent. I am not the only one. Her best friend is coming less and less too. I am certain that she is at the same point that I am.

In the past, I always thought that it was horrible when people would have loved ones in nursing homes and then only visit every now and then. I now understand. I made the mistake of judging people and situations I knew nothing about.

I don't want much. I just want some conversation. I just want some acknowledgement that I am there. I just want to know that she is enjoying the sundae, candy or whatever treat that I brought her that she is woofing down without even chewing. I just want to know that she wants me to visit.

Holly Visits The Purple Pinkie!

Holly's mom is my last client every other Thursday evening. Holly has started to come with her to her appointment because A: It gives her alone time with her mom without her little brother Crosby and B: I love doggy visitors at The Purple Pinkie.

The appointment time is later and really no one else is in the salon at the time, so it works well. The majority of our clients wouldn't care, but there are a few that don't like animals and I would never subject them to being around such a vicious beast. LOL

Pennsylvania is a great state. You are actually allowed to have pets in the salon, provided that they are kept in a cleanly fashion. A lot of salons have "shop animals" and I think that is awesome. The salon that is behind us has a shop dog, Ziggy, who goes to work every day with his mom.

So, pop in with your furry friend some day! I keep saying I am going to get a treat jar for the salon. Truth is, I would rather you bring your pets to the salon than your kids!

Another Mitten Fail!

Okay, so I made a second pair of mittens, I crocheted them this time. They were awesome. Were. There were just a little too big, so I got the bright idea to shrink them a little. BFF Jill told me about felting and the yarn that I used, according to it's tag said that it is perfect for felting. So, I followed the directions for felting. This is what I ended up with. Somehow, it shrunk in the width, but stretched in the length. Holy hell, these are worse than the first pair, I can't even get my little hand in them!

I think I am just going to wear the mittens that I made a couple of years ago and give up mittens until Fall 2010.

Devil Dog

How about this for a photo? Travis looks possessed.

Now that Travis has hit the two year mark, he has settled down quite a bit. Now, I am not saying that he is an angel, because he's not. He's still the same mischievous little boy, just on a smaller scale now.

Riley, on the other hand is still the angel. He's trained so well and is just so good, he's had seven years to perfect his awesomeness!

I'm a Rebel!

Halloween night, we stopped at Sheetz on our way home. On the way in, Amanda thought it would be funny for me to pose with a box of tampons, since I was covered in blood. None of us had taken our camera into the store, so we sent Becky out to get hers.

As Becky came back into the store with the camera, the beyotch behind the counter went ape shit on us. She started screaming "You can't take pictures in here, it's against the law". Had I been not under the influence, I probably would have asked her why. Seriously, why is it against the law? What is the law? So, you can take my photo on your video cameras but I can't take an innocent photo of posing, bloody with a box of tampons? Really?

So, the next morning, I went to Sheetz. In full view of their video camera, I took a photo of the tampons from last night. The camera nazi wasn't there, I guess she is such a good employee that she ONLY gets scheduled when the drunk people are coming in. Nice.....

So take that Sheetz! I got my photo. It wasn't as much fun as it would have been the night before, but I am a rebel and I will do what I want! (said in that cocky Eric Cartman way)

Some Distributors Sell Crap

I read all of the time, how nail technicians are either new or seasoned and all of a sudden have unexplained lifting. Chances are, they are unknowingly using EXPIRED product. Most products have a shelf life of one year, however, if products are stored in optimal conditions, such as a cool, dry, dark place, they can last up to two years. No manufacturer recommends using a product after two years.

The distributorship that I frequent occasionally ALWAYS has old product on it's shelf. I've informed the clerk and manager each time, yet when I return months later it is still there. Monday, I had my camera with me. I took these photos so that I could send them to the manufacturer along with the distributor location. Something HAS to be done about this.

This batch of powder was produced on August 27, 2007. You will notice that this supports the batch number pattern. Batch S7801 means it was produced in 2007, 8th month and batch number 01. This product is over two years old.

Here is the front of the container, you will notice the OLD logo is on this.

Again another old bulk size. Production date shown is September 25, 2007. Again batch number supports this V7901 means batch was produced in 2007 in the ninth month and is batch number 01. This is important to show because the liquid bottles do not have the date on them, just the batch number.
Again, you can see the OLD logos on this container.

This is the back of a larger bottle of Moxie liquid. Note the batch number burned into the bottle. This reads, produced in 2007, seventh month, batch 01. This liquid is over two years old.

Note at the bottom where it says Art Rev. 06/09 this supports the September 2006 logo.

Front of Moxie, again, using the OLD logo.
This is the back of a larger Radical liquid. Again, the batch number reads, produced in 2007, seventh month, batch 01. This is over two years old.
Front of packaging with OLD logo.
I wanted to give an example of a good bottle, that is within it's shelf life.
I wanted to give an example of bottle that is still within shelf life. This bottle has it's batch number burned on the bottom, not the label, so it is harder to read, but you can clearly see that this was produced in 2009, in the fifth month, you just can't read the two digit batch number that follows. THIS is what you should see on the shelf.
This is the front of the bottle with the NEW logo on it. Again, this is what you SHOULD be seeing on the shelf!

So see, sometimes it is NOT the product's fault. It's NOT the nail tech's fault. The douchebag here is the greedy distributor, who is too lazy to exchange expired product for fresh product and is just selling CRAP to the unknowing nail tech.

I Finally Found Her

Say what you want about Facebook. Bitch about them constantly changing things on you, complain that it's a big time waster, say, whatever you want. I would just like you to know that I love Facebook. Why? Because it is bringing people together. I haven't seen my cousin Lisa since her mother died and I can't even remember how long ago that was. The picture is my Aunt Betty, my father's sister and my cousin Lisa, who is four years older than I am.

I would think of Lisa often. She was the older cousin that I idolized as a child. He hair was always longer than mine, she was prettier, she was a cheerleader, she was popular in high school, she lived in a nice house and had her own room. I always tried to be like her. If she did a back walk-over, I needed to learn how to do one. She had an Irish Setter named Shaunna, when I got my pure white Siberian Husky puppy what do you think I named it? Shaunna, well her official name was Keishaunna because her mother was Keisha.

The last time I saw Lisa, I think I was in my early twenties. She was living in Pittsburgh and she wrote her address down for me on a piece of paper. She lived on Whitney Avenue. I still have that piece of paper. I've thought of her often through the years. I've actually searched online for her countless times. I figured that she had gotten married and that was why I wasn't finding things on her because she has a new last name.

Last night, for some reason, I was determined to find her. Maybe it was because on Monday, when Jill and I were shopping, we went into an Antique House and there was a bedroom, upstairs, that was filled with porcelain dolls. My Aunt Betty made dolls. One regret I have is that I never took her up on her offer to make a doll with her.

I was searching Facebook, thinking Lisa HAD to be on there. I searched by her maiden last name and saw some youngsters that I was certain were her nieces and nephews. Finally, I decided to look on Classmates for the billionth time. This time, I hit pay dirt. She had a profile and it had photos AND her new last name. I immediately went to FB, plugged in the name and boom, she was the first one listed AND she lives in Orange County, CA now. No wonder I couldn't find her!

I sent her a friend request and a note and within the hour, she approved me and popped up in FB chat. At one point she stated "I could just cry" to which I replied "I am crying, seriously" and I was, however, I wasn't going to admit that first! LOL

She has a handsome husband George and two beautiful sons, Alex and Eli. Eli definitely has the Anthony genes in him. Funny thing is, he looks like another cousin's son when he was that age and his name is Eli as well.

I am so thankful that I finally found her. I really don't have any contact with my father. He was the youngest, so all of my aunts and uncles are deceased. I have pretty much no contact with anyone from that side of the family. I am so thankful that I have contact with Lisa now.

Thank you Facebook, for bringing us together. Now get rid of that FarmTown bullshit. I just became a Fan of "Not Playing FarmTown", along with 750,000 others!

The Tongue

I always seem to get the best photos of Riley. I just seem to have a knack for taking photos of him with his tongue out. Last night, I got this awesome shot of Riley. He was on the bed and in mid kiss. His tongue always looks so freakishly long.

Here is the original tongue photo. I took this, when Riley was very young. He was in mid-yawn. I like to call this his Gene Simmons impersonation!

Here is a more recent one, not as much tongue as usual, but still funny!

Even Travis has started to get in on the action!

One Banana

Back in June, when we were planning our annual trip to the Orlando Beauty Show, I was preparing ahead of time and was gathering shopping lists from all who were arriving after BFF Jill and I. Lynn Weber, our awesome friend from Las Vegas emailed her list. One line item stood out like a sore thumb.


1 banana- not green but not too ripe, but I like em sweet

So we had the following email conversation.

Me: Oh and you want just 1 banana or 1 bunch?
Lynn: 1 banana...and I promise I will eat it

So off BFF Jill and I go to WalMart to get the groceries. We split up the list to make the shopping go faster. Jill gets Lynn's part and immediately exclaims "One banana? Who the hell gets just one banana? Is that even allowed?" I looked at her and was all "I know! What the hell is up with that shit?"

BFF Jill went to get the ONE banana. She was totally expecting the Banana Police to come out and bust her for breaking up a bunch of bananas. Lynn Weber is a home wrecker, I tell you!

We have given Lynn shit over this since June. Just yesterday, while BFF Jill and I were shopping at Aldi's, we saw bananas that were in SEALED BAGS! We immediately thought of Lynn. I guess the Banana Police are wise to Ms. Weber's home wrecking ways and have come up with a way to keep the bunch together.

So tell me, do you buy just ONE banana or do you buy the whole bunch?