Link The Rev Jesse Jackson has said that calling the victims of Hurricane Katrine 'refugees' is racist. He said that it implies they are 'second class citizens' and is 'racist'. Apparently 'evacuees' or 'displaced' aren't appropriate terms either, because they're too clinical.   I'm in awe that we're even discussing such issues at a time like this.  We have thousands, possibly tens of thousands people dead in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, hundreds of thousands o...

I thought that my heart was empty, that I was devoid of any emotion and feeling for him.  I had searched and searched, hoping to find an ember of desire.....and all I found within myself was cold darkness. But as I watch him sleeping, I feel that fire ignite and begin to warm me again.  He looks so innocent laying there, like he never said a mean word or had a nasty thought in his entire life.  His lips slightly parted, his breath buzzing away at the back of his throat...I...

I strolled on up to the legal office this morning.  I haven't been up there since before the surgery, so my visit was long overdue. I miss the people that work there.  I miss the camraderie, the company.  Being around them again really brought home to me how much I missed working there.  Talking to R (the attorney I was warking for before I left to have surgery) and J (another attorney) and D and S.....it was great.  I felt needed and wanted and valuable for...

Look out, Southern Illinois and the St Louis metropolitan area, I'm behind the wheel again!!! I got the go ahead to drive for short distances today. I drove home from the squadron after dropping Dave off (about a mile) and I can understand why I'm limited to short distances.....it's not exactly comfortable. I have to get bone density scans this week and MORE x-rays....then I go back to see the surgeon in another 2 or 3 weeks.  He said I seemed like I was doing great and was impress...

After years of working hard to reduce our debt, Dave and I are finally back into 'decent credit' land again.  We've paid off and closed loans and charge accounts, and have a fair chunk of his paycheck left after the bills are paid and food is bought. So, we've decided to do something for ourselves.  We're buying a Harley. We went and looked at the dealership last week, and we found the one that we want.  We're getting a Sportster - Dave's not a big dude, and a Sports...

As part of this base's Juvenile Disciplinary Board's punishment, young offenders are required to take a tour of the local county jail. My husband, being the NCOIC of confinement here, is the tour guide. He spent all last week and part of the week prior contacting the offender's parents and letting them know what day the tour was on and reminding them that it was part of the offender's punishment that they attend. Yesterday, right before the tour, he got a message from the parents ...

Dave had to go 'beautify' his squadron one morning late last week. Everyone was out there, pulling weeds and trimming trees, raking and sweeping and generally tidying up. Friday afternoon, dave said his wrist itched and that he must've got bitten by something when he was outside. By Sunday morning it was obvious that he hadn't been bitten by anything. He'd got into some poison ivy.  Just a little patch on his wrist, enough to produce 6 or 7 good sized blisters and a maddening it...

I went for a proper walk today. Not a stroll, but a proper, pace-yourself and get into your stride walk. I tacked up with my Camel-Bak and ate a banana before I went, then Dave, the kids, Henry and I set off. It went well.  We walked close to 2 miles, and I wasn't in pain at the end of it.  I'm still not hurting. I'm so glad to get out of the house and be active again.  I'm going to try and walk every day this week...I think that Mondays, Wednesdays and Frida...

We went and met Beau yesterday. Dave and he bonded almost immedately.  He's a beautiful dog, and he's good natured and friendly. But is our home going to be the right home for him? We don't think so.  Because he bonded with Dave so fast I wonder how he's going to take Dave leaving for a deployment (which is going to happen again in about 6 months). He aslo displays some behaviours that, while he's not malicious when he does them, concern me because we have Henry and the kid...

After talking with my friends and neighbors over the past few days, I've come to the conclusion that a big chunk of the American population is in the same boat as I am. I want to help the people who lost everything in the hurricane.  I just can't give money.  I simply don't have any to give. I can give clothing, shoes, household goods...I can arrange for some people to be driven out of New Orleans and brought back to shelters in St Louis. I can clothe those people,...

I was watching MSNBC's hurricane coverage again yesterday (it's hard to NOT watch it) A film crew was in Mississippi, interviewing a family who had lost their home to the hurricane.  The mom of the family said "I need to get me a phone so's I can call FEMA and have them fetch me a trailer to live in".  When the interviewer explained the scale of the devastation Katrina had caused, she (without pause) responded with "well, I NEED one.  I aint got nowhere else to go.  What a...

After watching the insanity that is downtown New Orleans (I'm not even going to bother linking, it's all over every news website and paper) I'm really starting to wonder if the whole place isn't going to end in a mass riot. The lawlessness started with the looting.  Morons broke into stores, not just to get food and water and supplies, oh no...they took anything that wasn't nailed down.  EVERYTHING was fair game. Then it spread to the streets. Idiots were shooting at the pol...

Gene contacted me this morning with his PayPal address and his mailing address. I also contacted the hospital that Fuzzy is at, and they said that they'd welcome checks made out ot them with 'For Fuzzy/Gene Nash' written in the memo portion.  The girl I spoke to was very moved by our wanting to help - she said that they'd cut a lot of costs to help gene out already but that she never expected to have me call and ask how we can help. if you want to send money to the hospital, please ma...

I have to do some husband-bragging for a bit. That's D's rack. Aint it purdy?!