Yep, it's been eight months since I've been on Xanga.  I still despise my writing, but this AM Stanley the yeast infection woke me up and you just can't complain about V itching on Facebook, where all your children's friends live and your pastor and patients update every day.

So you guys have been relegated to my vent stack.  But hey, at least you're in the house, right?

Fall through spring was a nasty bit of life, with both moms in and out of the hospital and Thing One sick with various maladies which got him off his OCD meds and started a sleep disorder.  He almost flunked out but after I spent 2weeks in NJ getting his meds and sleep pattern adjusted, he pulled it out.  But I am here to tell you, Thing One did not do it alone.  There is NO WAY he got well, was able to concentrate, and made his grades go from Fs and Ds to Bs and a C in 3 weeks.  My child is smart, but he is not organized or a workaholic.  This was a spiritual leg up. Actually, it was more like God took a shovel and scraped him off the ground.

The moms are better. Thing One is home for the summer, trying to get a head start on his Senior Thesis, which is required at PU. Thing Two is in Louisville, KY for a jazz workshop with Jamey Aebersold.  The renovation is still happening and we have pushed the ETOC to Fall 2010. Surprised? The powder roomand master bath are done except for the countertop  (We are waiting for falloff granite from a community college job.).  We gutted the kitchen, Hubs rewired and replumbed by himself, insulated the area over the kitchen which had never (!!!!) been insulated, and he did this when it was 102 outside.  It must have been 140 in that attic.  He drank 5 or 6 liters of water in about 3 hours. We put up the ceiling together, which is bead board,and I'm still sanding and painting that. All my pics are on my cell and I don't have aUSB that connects my phone and my Mac.  Need to get one.

However, I did take up knitting when I quit writing.  I've made a small purse, a baby dress, 4 tank tops for my sis and three little girls, two rocking burp cloths (camo and psychedelic), and the latest, an armsock for Thing One for guitar from 50% merino, 10% silk, and 40% POSSUM!!!!  Here it is:

Lady Songbird asked for tips on saving money in the new economy.  There's just one: Cut out all the crap you really don't need; i.e. stuff you just WANT.

Here's how I'm doing it:

-sexy hair.  Costs me 80 bucks a month for cut, color, shampoo, conditioner, and the five other products that will make my hair stay straight. Nine dollar Preference will have to do.

-nails.  I have chewed and picked my nails 'til they bleed since I was three and my pacifier was"lost" in a move.  The only thing I have found that stops me is acrylic nails. But that's 30 bucks every two weeks.  I'm bleeding as I type.

-bottled water. Sure, it tastes better than the swill that comes out of the tap, but it's not any better for me. They picked up the fountain last Thursday. The dog has already claimed the space.

-newspaper.  Hubs always reads it at the office anyway.

-that addition to the house renovation?  Um, no.

-all auto-renew subscriptions. Added up, they're about 50 bucks a month.Whoa.  'Way too much.

-sending Thing One care packages. Zingerman's may go bankrupt because I stop sending him goodies.

-food.  I only buy what I need for that day. No planning ahead because food always spoils before I cook it all. Mainly because until this "situation," I rarely cooked.Now it's every night.  To the distress of Thing Two, who loves take-out.

-vacations: Don't go on them. Need that money for shuttling Thing One to and from school. Fine with me.  Getting ready for them makes me nervous anyway (She says, trying to convince herself).

-stuff for church.  I usually buy whatever I need to do my Sunday school lessons for the kids and never ask for reimbursement.  I won't ask to be reimbursed; I'll just do lessons that don't require craft materials. Darn kids don't need crafts anyway.  All we had was dirt.

-stop sending huge chunks of $ to my favorite charities.  Small amounts will have to do.

-books, music, dvds.  This is the hardest one.  I will just not buy any.  I have lots and will have to be content with that.  There is no way to make that funny or clever.

-clothes.  Don't even THINK of buying anything unless it's pants for Thing Two.

-Christmas.  The Things didn't get much last year anyway, so I don't think it'll kill 'em to just let 'em sleep late and feed 'em honey-glazed smoked turkey.

_A/C stays at 78.  When it finally gets cool enough to turn on the heat, it should be at 68. Basically, if you're comfortable, you're not doing it right.

Do you think I sound ENOUGH like a Pharisee? I already have one blood sacrifice.  Do I need another?

I've been on this kick for three weeks.  How much longer do you think I can do this?

Thing Two's  band is playing the above music plus others from suspenseful military movies in concert later this month, accompanied by clips compiled by a trombonist who is also an aspiring filmmaker.


So here's the thing:  it's not you guys; it's me.

Does it sound like I've broken up with Xanga? Not really.  I'm just sick of the way I write.  I can only stand myself in short bursts, which means...Facebook.  I realized that much of what I write here is negative. My Facebook updates are as well, but at least they're short. 

However, I have been horribly remiss in visiting your sites. I will try to do better. I must warn you, though, that if a post bends toward the political, I will not usually comment.  I have had it with the mudslinging on both sides and refuse to get into even a civil debate on valid issues.

I intend to write in Ben and Jerry in November.

We haven't heard much from Thing One since his crush turned him down for a date. Bless his little heart. But he gave his first math lecture last week at his junior seminar class.

The renovation has slowed to a crawl.  I've been sick with a flu-like virus for a week, and Hubs has been forced to stop building cabinets in order to sand doors and walls, which is really my job. But the little powder room should be finished by Sunday afternoon!  Pictures when it's done. This is the one John Pinnet could not visit.  Don't know John Pinnet? I'll go get a video and come back.  Wait right there.