I feel a bit drained after all the plumbing, stress and waiting of the past week. Don't want to talk about the estimator and the other plumbing deal because it will only piss me off again. Am happy the week is over and now looking forward to having a subdued New Years celebration.

Have a good feeling that this coming year will be better. Will be more successful selling on eBay then I was this year. Also feel that maybe some things will o our way more then a few times this year. Will put up my predictions of the coming year up tomorrow.

Have a safe and Happy New Year.

Well that was some Christmas. It started off nice and went down hill from there. Opened gifts and had breakfast before we started doing other things. Mom started some rolls and forgot to take a plastic bowl she had left in the oven when it had been turned off while the dough was rising. So when we opened the warm oven to place the rolls in to bake them, we found a half melted bowl. Good thing was it was easy to get out.

At some point mom went back in to go to the bathroom and noticed her toilet wouldn't flush she began using the plunger on it. As she did that, I went into my bathroom and noticed the sewage back up in the tub and in my toilet. We called a plumbing company we have used many times before and in the afternoon a guy came out. He said it was either the septic tank (which was just pumped this past spring) or it was a clog. If it was a clog he would need to auger and that meant water in the laundry room. So we told we would think about it and have the company come out today.

This morning we were doing some cleaning while we waited to hear from the plumber. Midmorning a guy with a septic pumper arrived and less then a half hour later he was finished. The septic tank was fine, just had some water and no other problems. So we then had to wait for another guy to come out and auger the drain. It wasn't a long wait for him and he got started quickly and was done quickly too. There was a clog where the water goes to the septic tank. The pipe was warped or cracked, because of this toilet paper couldn't go through properly if it was a big wad. And what we had was a large wad of paper. The plumber patched one leaky pipe with some tape and told mom that the pipe leading to the septic tank needed to be fixed. So tomorrow an estimator will come out and check things out. Not sure how much that will cost but to fix the clog and drain the septic tank again cost over three hundred dollars.

We did have a botched Christmas dinner and figured we should get out the house and do something. So while it may not have been the Christmas we had in mind, I guess things could have been worse.

I just need to vent a little about eBay. I do like eBay and have for the seven years I have selling there. While it does have a lot of ups it does have a few downs. What irks me is how somebody can try and make you out to be the bad guy in the situation when you've done nothing. For example, I have a bidder who didn't pay for the item when it closed in October, I left neutral feedback (I save negative for something rather heinous) for her and filed to get my fees back. Well now here it is some two months after the close of auction and absolutely no response from her and she finally shows up to the party and she's seething. She claims she paid (She first said she paid with a check, then a money order and then with cash), but alas I did not get said payment. She says she's angry and that I am a liar and a cheat. Not once did she respond to any emails not did I get payment. I doubt she has any proof that she did ever send payment. So just to make the whole thing go away so we can all move on, I said I'd give her the bloody CD for free. And folks she's getting "angry" over a stupid $3.25 auction for a stupid Sugarhill Gang CD. Well I hope she cuts herself on Christmas with something sharp and rusty and then bleeds to death. I don't see how I am the bad guy when payment was never received and no contact from her at all during those two months but what-bloody-ever. Screw her and her nasty self. She'll probably gloat over it and then try and claim I didn't send it but I will have delivery confirmation to back me up. So screw her to the Nth degree and her stupid parents who didn't use a condom the night she was conceived.

Okay...I feel better now.

Got some more snow. It started sometime yesterday morning and ended early this morning. Just a light snow, but we did get about a couple inches. The sun is shining now.

Went to Crown Center yesterday. Almost decided not to go because of the weather, but since I had wanted to go last weekend and didn't I figured we might as well go ahead and do it. After we were finished we went to Manny's for lunch. We got groceries and then headed home. It was a little slow going in spots but it wasn't to bad getting out and about.

There were heavy snow flurries for about two minutes and then it let up. If it does manage to snow, I doubt it will amount to much.

Had a migraine yesterday and much of the day was wasted trying to get rid of it. It finally left when I was about to go to bed in the evening.

Neglected to mention Richard Pryors passing. Although I wasn't a huge fan of the trailblazing comedian, I did like some of his stuff.

Most of the snow has melted. Yesterday it got into the forties and now grass is poking through some spots in the snow. There are still large mounds of snow in parking lots though.

Had a migraine much of yesterday. Finally it left late in the afternoon.

Bought a tree yesterday, a nice five and a half foot Balsam. It looks really good in the living room where you can see it from the street. We wont be putting any expensive gifts under the tree (although I wish Santa would bring me the new xbox with a few games and some gamecube games), so no worry about theft. Will post a picture of the tree later.

We got a foot of snow out there. It is a light and fluffy type, but yikes none the less. Took me and mom about an hour to clear the driveway. When we were almost finished I looked up and saw a huge line of Snow Geese flying. They were really high up to. Had to be close to a hundred of them, long line which was doubled up at spots. We could barely hear over a neighbors snowplow, but we did manage to hear a faint honk. It was just a wonderful sight. I have a tendency to look up at the sky a lot during the day (and night too). Particularly when I am out and about. So glad I looked up when I did.

It is cold and lightly snowing out. Does the chant "Snow, snow go away, I want warm weather right today!" work? Or am I just wasting time and energy?

Kiska loves the weather. Of course she's only four months old and this is all new to her. She will be five months old on Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas. I just haven't been in a Christmas mood at all this year. I am not completely Bah Humbug about it though. Managed to get the final two things I had ordered for mom. It turns out one of the sub drivers had delivered that first package to a house two streets over and they had refused it. He shipped it back to Amazon and probably never looked at the address to see that he had screwed up. If he had made an attempt to deliver it to the right house we would have had ten days to claim it before it was shipped back. Glad I ask my regular carrier about it, otherwise I would have never known what really happened.

It has been bitterly cold the past week. Might dance in the front yard and scare the neighbors if we have a warm spell. Lets see, which would be more welcome right now, a heat wave or junk mail. I think a heat wave would be but junk mail is not without its merits ( one being that you can light the stuff on fire in the fireplace).

Have been keeping busy by culling out some things I have neglected. I used to have quite a collection of sports cards, but I found I wasn't really enjoying them. So I kept my Topps cards and kept cards of the teams I like and still follow. The rest of the cards I donated to Goodwill and I don't care what they do with them, I am just happy I finally thinned my collection. Not sure what I'm going to do with my concert t-shirts. I don't have a lot, but not sure if it really matters that I have a t-shirt from a concert I went to twenty-something years ago. Might keep my Queen "Hot Space" shirt and that's it. As much as I love music, I don't have a driving need to go to concerts.

Got a couple loads of laundry done. Finished watching the last disc of the "Family Guy" set three, including some of the extras and played the commentary on all the episodes that had commentary.

Am a little pissed at one of the sub. letter carriers that worked my street last week. I was anxiously awaiting a package from Amazon.com because it contained Christmas presents for mom. Well the idiot delivered it to the wrong house, never bothered to look and see if he had the right addy and then ships it back to Amazon saying I refused it. Ended up getting a refund and had to re order the gifts. The second order was split into two shipments. One shipment is coming via Airborne and the other is coming via the post office. I just hope there are no sub drivers next week or I'm gonna cry.

The arctic chill has decided to visit early and will be staying around for a few days. So a few things, namely doing some laundry, are on hold for a bit. Might get a load or two of laundry done tomorrow in the afternoon if it gets above freezing and it looks like it will. I'm not desperate for clothes or anything, but I would like to get a mixed load of things and a load of mom's sheets done.

The only things that concern me about this sudden chill is: A) how will the Corolla handle it over time and how will it handle snow B) will we have pipes freezing again. There is a chance of snow, we already have had a dusting and it didn't last too long.

We didn't have much of a transition period. It was in the sixties over the weekend and then bam, its right to winter weather.

We had some severe weather come through the area yesterday afternoon and evening. Thought we might not get anything but twenty minutes after getting home from an errand, it started storming. It blow in and out within a half hour, got about an inch of rain from the storm. I understand that some areas got the worse part of the storm: stronger winds, bigger hail etc.

Right now it is lightly snowing out. It is cooler today then it was this weekend.

Saw the movie "Walk The Line" yesterday. It was not as good as I had hoped it would be. The movie was slow in parts and spent too much time on Johnny's pursuit of June. Maybe that was the point of the movie, but it shouldn't have been.

Did a little shopping and had lunch out yesterday as well. The server at the restaurant attempted to short change us by twenty dollars. We noticed and waited for her to come back around so we could tell what she had done, but she was way to busy chatting with another table. So mom got up and walked over and confronted her about it and she was so casual about the whole thing. I can only imagine she wanted us not to notice so she could have a nice big tip and a cool story about how two stupid women didn't say anything when they got short changed. Well I didn't feel bad about giving her a smaller tip. She could have gotten a five dollar tip but got a lousy two bucks. It wasn't worth talking to the manager about it, he probably wouldn't have done anything anyway.

I'm of the opinion that every house should have three basic tools: a roll of quality duct tape, a large can of WD-40 and a hammer. Because if you cant fix it with the first two, you at least have another option.

Yesterday it started out nice, clear skies and not a cloud to be seen. Then in the afternoon it turned cooler and cloudy. Today was cloudy most of the day, there was a period in the afternoon where it was sunny. Looked like it was going to rain, but didn't.

Managed to get the shower surround up yesterday. Took a little longer then expected to get installed, but it looks good. Finally got to take a shower this afternoon. Would have taken one earlier but wanted to give the caulk a few more hours to cure. The stuff looks better then the other crap we had up.

I've got all the Christmas shopping for my mom done. Now all I have to do is wait for them to be delivered.

It snowed for maybe an hour or so yesterday morning, but it melted as soon as it hit the ground. The wind gusts were pretty strong most of the day. The temperature dipped down into the teens last night. Was afraid Kiska wouldn't be able to take the really cold weather because she's so young, but saw her laying out on the patio this morning.

Will have a busy weekend. Have a bathroom project to take of. Bought a shower surround kit to put up.

We have a chance for some winter weather this afternoon. It was in the sixties over the weekend and was in the forties yesterday. It rained a little yesterday and it rained earlier this morning. Is a little strange to hear thunder at six am on a November Tuesday. We need the rain so I will not complain to much. The local weather forecasters have changed the forecast several times since Monday morning, so I don't know if I can really trust what they say is coming in. I am hoping that the Corolla will handle fine in the winter. I do know we still need to get a alignment done, but that can wait a little longer.

Got a little rain today, nothing measureable. Just enough to make the roads slick. Did a couple errands this morning and did some cleaning doen this afternoon.

Today was a long day. First I took Franklin to the vet so he could have another round of shots and get neutered. When I got home we looked into getting the Tracer finally hauled off. The first company never asked for our address but acted as if they wanted the car. We had called yesterday and then again this morning to check to see if they wanted the Tracer. The person who answered said the owner would call in ten minutes. Well an hour later we still hadn't heard from them, so we contacted another company. Company two picked the car up with in 40 minutes. Now that's how a company should be run. A customer calls and everything is handled quickly.

After the Tracer was hauled off, Mom got some things together to mail to a fellow genealogy researcher. We left to go to the grocery store to make copies, the post office and Kmart. Ended up buying so clothes while we were at Kmart. After we left Kmart we had lunch before we headed home. At two pm we called the vet's office to see if we could pick up Franklin and were told he was ready to come home. Before we picked him up we had to go to the place we bought the Corolla and get the title. Once we left there, we headed for the courthouse to register the Corolla. When we got there, we found that because the Corolla had a Texas title we needed to get the car inspected. So out to the inspection site we went, where with twenty minutes to spare we get the car inspected. Rather than going back downtown, we went to the court house annex and got the Corolla licensed there. In six to eight weeks we will have the title back.

Once that was finished, we headed towards our local gas station to fuel up and then stopped by the bank before we went home to get Kiska. Kiska needed to get her third round of shots. We went to the Vets office to take of Franklin and Kiska before once again heading home. But that's not all. We wanted to get something for dinner. So after I put the license plate on the Corolla, we went to Sonic and came home. I am amazed we got everything we needed to do, plus a couple other things, done today. If Mom had not taken the day off, most of this wouldn't have gotten done at all.

Today was pretty warm. It's supposed to be a little cooler the next couple days before we have another warm up. It's fall and November, I want fall and November like weather. Which Mother Nature will probably give us when we least expect it too.

Finally starting to feeling better. Still have the nasty cough, but it is getting better and not needing so much of the cough suppressant.

Glad to see the Chiefs win today and at the last minute. While I may change my mind about some of our rivals, I will always hate the Oakland Raiders.

The weather has been nice the past few days. The trees are finally starting to change. I just hope we don't get hit with a snow storm with the trees still full of leaves.

Neglected to mention anything about Rosa Parks passing away. Changed history with one small act.

We had only seven kids on Halloween, could have had more if they had bothered to cross the street. When I was a kid, and I do realize times have changed, I went to darn every house I could before I headed home. I thought of handing out baseball cards for a moment and decided not to, didn't want to have the house egged again.

Got a bit of rain this morning, it never really amounted to much. The weather is supposed to turn warmer this week. I would like Mother Nature to stay with the normal fall weather rather then the continued roller coaster stuff we've had all freaking year.

Feel the start of a cold coming on. Having been sick in a while.

Saw "Capote" over the weekend. It was good movie. A little slow in parts, but good.

Congrats to the Chicago White Sox for winning the world series in a sweep.

Some day I know the Cubs will win.

The rain past through the area again yesterday afternoon. I haven't checked the rain gauge so I don't know how much we got, but I don't think it was very much. Looks like we might get some more rain today. Cooler weather is in store for the entire week. It is a welcome visitor, I'll take it over the warmer temperatures any day.

The Chicago White Sux....I mean Sox beat the Houston Astros last night. This is Houstons first trip to the big game, the Sox haven't been in the series since 1959. Would like to see the Astros win the series.

From Wednesday afternoon until Thursday morning we got an inch of rain. I am so glad I got those bulbs planted and the trim around outside of the new door painted before the rain came.

This is Kiska. We call her Kiska, Kissy, the little Hoover, Houdini and Blondie.


Monday and Tuesday I planted bulbs. Tulips, Dutch Iris and some Asiatic Lilies bulbs were bought during the summer and shipped at the time they should be planted. The only bad thing about the company, is that they don't sell bulbs in smaller amounts. We had to over buy in order to get what we wanted. I will be happy if anything blooms next year. Other than a couple Peonies, will probably not make a big effort to bulbs ever.

We went to a used car lot on Saturday and bought a 2000 Toyota Corolla. Its a nice car. It is a dark green color with beige interior.

This morning we went to Enterprise and returned the rental car. Still have to figure out what to do with the Tracer. Will see if a charity wants it, if not might place an ad and sell it for parts.

$2,500 to fix the transmission on a eight year old car is highway robbery. Aamco must make a lot of money on suckers to stupid to know better. Well we got enough of our money taken from us by Firestone. They always found something wrong with the car that probably wasn't an issue yet. So now the car sits with the transmission in pieces in the trunk. We still have then rental car until next week. Will be looking for a cheap car we can buy, not sure how soon we will find one. Can you imagine the look on someones face if they tried to steal a car that didn't have a tranny.

Yesterday I had a migraine, watched the Lowe's guy install a new sliding glass and waited for the guy from the towing company to bring the dead car. On top of that I was waiting to see if the mail had any packages for me.

This has been quite a week.

It was cooler today then it was Monday. In fact there is a frost advisory for the evening. It snowed in I think Wyoming, Montana and Colorado. We go from 88 degrees Monday to 58 Thursday. There was rain in the forecast for a couple days but nothing happened. It's supposed to be cool and sunny for the weekend.

Will be taking the car to Aamco to have the transmission looked at tomorrow afternoon. Don't think its anything major, but I've been wrong before and I could be wrong now.

Kiska doesn't know what to make of spaghetti, but she seems to like a little rice mixed with peas and mushroom soup. Oh she seems to like leftover lasagna from the night before. Sergei loves the dry dog food so much that he wont eat the canned or leftovers for more then a few bites. If I start mixing the dry dog food up, combination of Iams puppy food, Beneful adult food along with Beneful puppy food, he heads over to the dry dog food bowls and waits for me to come out with it. I usually don't like to mix foods like that way but its the only way Kiska will eat her puppy food.

Happy Birthday to me!!!

Getting some rain today. Wont have a total until tonight or tomorrow morning.

Have a slight headache this morning.

Didn't sleep very well last night. Late yesterday evening, Mom woke me up to tell me Sergei had something in the yard. She couldn't get him away from it and see couldn't see what was going on, only could hear the scuffle. Once I was awake I could hear the scuffle. Once I was dressed and out in the yard, we managed to get Sergei up near the house. Mom held Kiska while I took the flashlight out in search of the victim. I found a raccoon down in the gully (our backyard isn't flat..about two-thirds of is flat, then there is a hill a bit of a gully and then another flat part), it was alive when I first saw it, but it died while I was putting a new battery in the flashlight. Luckily we had a shovel already in the backyard, I changed shoes and took care of the body. Sergei knew he did something bad as was remorseful. Just wish he would let creatures pass through the yard without going after them. But I know this will never happen, he cant overcome the primal urge to kill. He hardly ate this morning, he still seems upset. Kiska got sick last night, probably from the excitement.

The total amount of rain we got Friday was one and three-quarters inch of rain. So far we have received a quarter of an inch of rain this morning. It looks like we might get more rain.

Saw the movie "Corpse Bride" over the weekend and not because I wanted to. Mom liked the movie "Nightmare Before Christmas" so much, she really wanted to see "Corpse Bride" in the theaters. If she didn't have a tendency to dose off sometimes while in the theater, I would have told her to see the movie on her own. I hate having to go to movies I have no interest in at all just so she can see a movie. So I suffered through the movie only to hear her say she didn't like the movie that much.

Woke up around four am to thunder and the sound of rain. Had to close one window and turn a off a window fan. It looks like it will be raining off and on all day. So far the rain gauge has about a inch and a half of rain. This summer we've had uneven weather. Long dry spells broken up by cool wet spells (these didn't last long). Don't think we've gotten nearly as much this summer as we typically get, but I could be wrong.

Hurricane Rita is churning in the Gulf, if it hits any oil rigs we will be paying more at the pumps in a few days much like we did when Katrina hit. But this time it might last longer then a couple weeks, probably stay high for a month or longer. It's not like the oil companies need an excuse to charge more at the pump, if the wind changes direction or a holiday comes around then they jack the prices up. Of course, they are rich enough that paying a few cents more per gallon every time they fill up doesn't effect them. It's Joe Everyman that feels the pinch. I don't feel sorry though, for the people in the large trucks or SUV (which really means Strictly Urban Vehicle) who could drive a smaller vehicle but drive those gigantic things. If they we're stupid enough to buy them, then they deserve to pay more for gas.

Kiska is growing like a weed. She has a very healthy appetite and hoovers up just about anything you put down for her. We gave them spaghetti earlier in the week and she didn't know what to do with it so she played with it. I think Sergei got most of it, so it didn't go to waste. Next week, we will be taking Kiska and Franklin to the Vet's for a follow up visit and their second round of shots.

The rain we got earlier in the week, didn't amount to very much. It acted like a big storm but gave us less then a quarter inch of rain.

Waited Monday and Tuesday to hear from the contractor, who didn't call until late Tuesday evening. I knew he had forty-eight hours to call us starting on Monday, but I wouldn't have thought he would call so late. Thursday afternoon he will come take a look at the old door and we will go from there.

Monday in the mail, I got the Over The Edge DVD, along with the collectors edition of Close Encounters of The Third Kind, that I had pre-ordered some three months ago. In November I will get the Family Guy Volume 3 set and The Family Guy movie, both pre-ordered. Also pre-ordered The Outsiders DVD Monday evening. The Outsiders is a bigger better version of the movie.

About four am, thunderstorm rolled in. There was a nice amount of thunder (which I don't like) and lightening (which I do like). Looks like we may get more rain today, so I won't have a rain total until tonight or tomorrow morning.

Went out to Lowe's yesterday and looked at sliding glass doors, those with and without screens. Monday or Tuesday we will have someone come out and look at the old door and frame to see if any additional materials will be needed. After that we will find out how much the price is to have a new door installed. What's good about the deal with Lowe's is that the person installing the stuff hauls the old crap away.

Got one and a quater inch of rain this morning. It is cooler today the it was yesterday and cooler then it was Sunday.

Looks like rain today, looked that way yesterday as well. Might actually get it today though.

Kiska went to the vet for a check up Thursday afternoon and checked out fine. She weighed in at eight pounds 6 ounces. That's what she weighs at 6 weeks old. Still can't tell what color her eyes are going to be. One looks like it might be bi-colored.

First weekend in October will be taking both Kiska and Franklin in for second checkups and second round of shots.

We have a new puppy and her name is Kiska. We got her yesterday from a family in Independence, Mo. She is a blonde-brown color and about six weeks old. Sergei isn't quite sure what to make of her. I was worried he would hurt her or that she would whine all night, but she slept soundly last night. I think she is comforted with Sergei looking so much like her daddy. Will get a photo up soon.

It is sad it has taken so long for help to arrive in the areas hit by the hurricane. If the people who couldnt or wouldnt leave for one reason or another had been white instead of black, help would have been there within hours.

Saw "Broken Flowers" today and it was really good.

Has a mild migraine this morning. Managed to beat it back before we left for the movie. Went to dinner after the movie at a seafood place and talked about the movie with mom.

Hurricane Katrina pounded the south, in particular New Orleans. I was in New Orleans once, in 1979 for a few days. Love the area, was nice place even though I was only 11 years old. I will be giving a few dollars to the Red Cross to help out would encourage everyone to donate some money if you can.

The combined rain totals for Thursday and Friday are two and a half inches of rain. And that to the six inches or so we got the week prior and that's a lot of darned rain. Yet some parts of Kansas and Missouri haven't had much rain. Its Mother Nature at her best.

Took Franklin to the vet's office yesterday and found that he's a healthy boy. He got his first go around of shots, he'll get another set of shots in a month and then will get neutered in late fall.

We've had more rain this past week, but nothing really measurable. Mostly just short bursts of light rain. And it's been raining off and on all morning. The humidity is making it a little tough to get things dry.

Our little kitten we who adopted us last week will be going to the vet's office Saturday for a check up. We have named him Franklin.

Because it had cooled off enough for us to feel up to going out, we decided to do a little shopping after we got groceries. But before we could leave we had to deal with the fact that a black kitten has adopted us. While we were out, we stopped at Petco and purchased a few things before going on with the rest of our day. All this and we still can't seem to find a companion for Sergei.

We got more rain Friday, the total so far is five inches. I need to get some laundry done today, even if it does rain today.

Had a nasty weather related headache develop last night. We went out to pick up a couple things at the grocery store and I felt the pressure begin to build behind my right eye as we left the store. When we got home fifteen minutes later, I thought I was going to vomit, but somehow managed to avoid doing that. Ate a late dinner,look something for the pain before I showered and went to bed.

We got about a quarter inch of rain this morning. Most of the night it looked liked it was going to build to this big storm and nothing really happened. Just a little rain then the storm left.

Had a nasty migraine yesterday. Didn't get as much done as I wanted to because I felt lousy all day.

This morning I woke up to rain, we got three quarters of an inch of rain in the short downpour. Which killed any chance of me doing a load of laundry this morning. It is supposed to be hot today and tomorrow, but will cool off again this weekend. Tomorrow has a chance of rain as well. Ugh, wonder how much rain we will get and how steamy will it get. We need the rain, but we could do without the heat.

From Friday morning until early Sunday morning we got 3.25 inches of rain.

It has been nice the past couple days and its shaping up to be nice today as well. Will have the finally rain gauge total later today. Not sure if it will rain or not today.

Went to a cat show at the KCI Expo Center yesterday. Did some shopping and had lunch out before coming home.

Got some much needed rain this morning and could get some more before the days done. Looks like the weather pattern finally broke into a more pleasant situation.

Had trouble sleeping last night, never got a full nights sleep. My room was a bit warm, even though I had the windows open and had the fans going. Felt like I was broiling.

Was hopeful that it wouldn't continue to be blast furnace hot, but I thought wrong. Another week of higher then normal temperatures and it is just zapping what strength I have. On top of that, some scattered storms are popping up here and there, but nothing in our neck of the woods. It seems the weather has to be one extreme or the other with seldom any patterns of normalcy at all.

This weekend will be a dull one due to the projected temperatures. Not that there is a ton of things we want to do, but we might have felt up to get out of the house for a few hours and do something fun if it weren't for the heat.

Got some much needed rain last night and this morning. But not nearly as much as we need. I am happy it is cooler but it will turn warm again next week. Thought we might get away from the blast furnace for awhile, but guess not.

It was warmer over the weekend then I expected it would be. Yesterday was hotter then predicted and the same will go for today and tomorrow. I am tired of the blast furnace heat. Will be happy when it cools off and we get some much needed rain, which might happen later in the week.

Have managed to get a few things done in this heat. Would like to get more done, but I just feel limp after getting a few chores done.

Got some much needed rain yesterday. I thought we wouldn't get any rain at all but late afternoon it came. I got a couple loads of laundry done in the morning, on the offhand we would get rain. Got some things done this morning. I feel a bit better now that it has cooled off. It was at least 20 degrees cooler yesterday afternoon then it had been the previous day. January and July are to of the nasty months weather wise to deal with around here.

It was a hard weekend to get through. The heat was just so repressive.

We got groceries Friday night and went out early Saturday morning to take care of a couple things. If we had not gone to the service station to ask about a lugnut and then gotten doughnuts, we wouldn't have needed to turn the heater on. It was fine up until we got back in town and had to deal with the idiot drivers and red lights. But it was fine after we ran the heater for a couple minutes.

The rest of the week is supposed to be a bit cooler, but we will see.

Next week is Moms birthday. I know she wanted to go the Zoo this weekend, but if it's hot, that isn't going to happen. Not sure if there is something else she would like to do instead. We will be going out on her birthday for dinner, though.

The heat is going to be brutal the next few days. So will not be able to do as much as I would like to do. Have managed to get a few things done this morning. Might try and get something else done before I settle into a cool spot, if such s place exists in the house.

When I woke up this morning, I saw clouds and I was happy for a moment. Then later this morning they cleared out. Thought we might get some more much needed rain, but alas nothing.

God has beamed Scotty up.

Rest in Peace, James Doohan.

The rain has cooled off the area, but the temperature will go up again once the clouds go away. We got a light rain this morning and might get some more before the day is done.

Got a half inch of rain this morning. Looks like we may be getting a little more rain before the day is done. Glad to have a cooler day and I don't mind the rain. The air smells a lot better now.

Had to take Sergei into the vets office this morning. He has an ear infection and we caught it early. It was hard going to the vets since we were just there Monday afternoon.

Will be going to get one of the tires looked at tomorrow. After the car gets taken care of, we then will do a couple errands before heading home. Because of the heat, we probably won't do much once we get home. Sunday we will do some cleaning, maybe some laundry and that's about it. Will be happy when it starts cooling off.

Managed to get a few things done yesterday despite a headache, had a headache on Wednesday too. Got out and mowed a bit of the front yard yesterday, would have done more but the headache zapped my strength.

Have been doing okay this week.

How do you say good-bye to a dog that you've had for thirteen and a half of her fourteen years on earth? How do you say you're sorry to see her put to sleep? It is hard to see a dog that was once so healthy, happy and active take a nose dive.

We love you Sasha.

Went out last night after Mom got home from work and went to get her some cigs. Well we tried to get to the place we normally go.

First off, they have a chunk of 635 closed to make repairs to the bridge that goes over the Missouri bridge, so to get to the places we need or want to go we take detours. And one of the detours sucks, in vain we tried to find another route to get to another bridge that crosses over the river and we failed. Of course the car temperature started to climb, it didn't help that closer to downtown there seems to be stop lights on every block....couple that with the fact Mom feels she can drive as if she's in the Indy 500 doesn't help. The heat, the hills and the stop and go traffic left us nearly overheating the car and so we pulled over and sat for a bit. Also add a truckload of construction that makes it impossible from getting from a to b.

Once we got started again, we decided to scrap trying to find a route to the other bridge and head to the video store to return some DVD's rented over the weekend and then go to the grocery store. While we headed that way we, turned the heater on and the cars temperature went down. If we hadn't hit seemingly every red light, hadn't hit the construction areas and Mom had gone a little easy on the car...I doubt the car would have gotten as hot as it did. But trying to explain stuff to Mom is not easy. Not to say she's stupid, because she isn't, but she feels that near home even in heat she can drive the car hard. I have to bite my tongue not to remark that unless she has a way to pay for a new car she outta take it easy. I don't think she'd talk to me for awhile is I said that.

Went to bed thinking of the London summer Olympic games of 2012 and woke up to news of bombings in London. Sad, sad event. I hope they find the people that did it.

Rest in peace, Hank Stram. Thank you for what you did.

We got half an inch of rain over the weekend. Managed to do some work in the basement despite the rain and the humidity. Looked like it was going to rain today but so far nothing.

Lots of fireworks yesterday but not as much today. WIll have a subdued display tonight.

We got three inches of rain yesterday, mostly in brief but heavy downpours. The power was out for nearly two hours in the afternoon. I had just turned off the computer and not a minute later, the power was off. My timing was perfect yesterday. Maybe I should have purchased a lotto ticket too.

It is cooler today then it was earlier in the week. In fact, yesterday was like 20 plus degrees cooler then it was Wednesday.

Had a headache yesterday and have a headache today.

Forgot to mention that I saw "Star Wars-Revenge of the Sith" on Saturday. It was actually better then I thought it was going to be. None the less I am happy that the Star Wars franchise is finally dead. Lucas can do great effects and do great things (sometimes) with the guys. But its like he is clueless as to what to do with women. I wonder what the films, and I mean all six, would be like if it was just totally men and men only. Not saying Lucas is gay, but I wonder he would have preferred that. Even then I think the dialogue would still be clunky. Guess Lucas has to big of an ego to ask for help in creating a great script.

Getting some much needed rain. Have received about an inch so far. Might get more before the day is done.

The BTK killer plead guilty. I found it funny that the idiots in his church stuck up for him and thought there was a mistake, that he was an innocent guy. Have to wonder what they think now.

Got a bit of rain this morning. First rain in a little over two weeks. Today and tomorrow are to be fairly hot, but later in the week it is supposed to cool off a bit.

Really don't have much to say about the past few days. Other then they've been hot, dull and sleepy.

Will probably go to a movie this weekend, but that's it for excitement.

This will be the only time I say this, but I wish summer was over with already.

Turns out the starter went on the car and was fixed Monday morning, though we didn't pick the car up until Tuesday morning. Managed to get out and get groceries Monday evening.

Mowed the front yard yesterday afternoon. Will get the back yard, as well as one of the side yards, mowed this weekend.

We have been without rain since very early Monday morning and it's nice to have a dry spell. Although it could go right back to wet any time soon.

Seems like we have had rain every day for the past two weeks. There was little more than half an inch from yesterday and this mornings rain. Looks like we could get more of the nasty stuff. Would like have a dry period so I could get caught on some laundry.

The car has been towed to the service station and Enterprise car rental has been called as well. Probably wont be able to pick the car up until tomorrow morning. Not sure if the starter or the ignition switch needs to be replaced but I guess we will find out.

The septic tank was pumped out yesterday afternoon, about an hour after the guy left I was going to go out and get groceries but the car wouldn't start. Mom and I ended up hiking up to the little shopping area where our bank is located and buying a few things at the discount store before hiking home. It probably will not be until Monday morning before we can get a tow to the service station. Its probably something like the starter or maybe the ignition switch, but that's a guess.

Since I wont be able to get out and get some things to finish one project or another, will have to do other things to keep myself busy. That wont be a problem, have a few things I have been putting off. Of course it doesn't help that I have a headache.

We got a little rain last night, like we needed anymore. And to make matters worse, the septic tank needs to be taken care of. Ugh, that's not a pretty deal either.

Have been working on a new schedule so I can be more productive around the house. Maybe it will help me work on doing better with my online sales.

Anne Bancroft and Dana Elcar have both passed. I liked both actors.

Cool day today. Might get some rain yet.

We got hit with a nice rainstorm last night. Some time before it hit, could feel the humidity rise late in the afternoon. Then the rain came and within minutes you could feel that the temperature had dropped a bit. We got about an one and a quarter inch of rain after the storm left. Wind wasn't too bad, but it did blow some rain in. Of course now it will be a day or two before I can do another load of laundry or mow. Guess I shouldn't complain.

I managed to get a load of laundry done yesterday without disaster happening. Will do another load this morning and hope I can get another one or two done later in the week. Would like to try and get two loads done in one day, but that may be asking for trouble.

Even though it was fairly warm yesterday, because the house had cooled off during the night it wasn't too bad. The temperatures the rest of the week are going to be in the upper eighties or lower nineties. I have some cool meals planned for the rest of the week, so it shouldn't be too bad.

I need to do some laundry, I'm starting to get backed up on loads. I could wait another day or two, but with rain forecast for later in the week, maybe pushing ahead and at least getting a couple small loads would be good. Although I have a feeling it might back up into the basement and that's not good. I would go to a Laundromat, but I don't going to Laundromats in the first place and secondly, the only one close by closed up shop sometime last year. Well, I guess I'll have to decide one way or the other and roll with it.

There was one and a quarter inches of rain in the gauge from last nights rain. I figure, and this is only a guess, that we got close to five inches of rain last week. That's a lot of rain and just watch us go into a bit of a dry spell.

Yesterday morning there was nearly two inches of water in the rain gauge. Thought maybe we would escape the day without rain and I was wrong. We had a tornado warning for a bit, late in the evening and then got some more rain.

Managed to get much of the water from previous rains, out of the basement. I am sure there is more rain downstairs.

Looks like more rain is in store for the area. Saw on the news where the amount of rain varies from area to area. One town had over two inches of rain, while another had just a scant amount.

Finally put the rain gauge out. Haven't checked it to see how much rain we got, I know it rained hard a couple times last night and early this morning. Seems like Mother Nature has in a rain pattern at the moment. I'm sure we will have another dry spell like we had before all this rain came pouring in.

Have a headache because of the weather. Was able to get a load of laundry done before it started to rain today. I think we might have gotten around an inch of rain earlier in the week. Seemed like we got more then that, haven't put out a new rain gauge yet so I am just guessing. Today's rain has been a gentle rain so far.

Bought the Mystery Science Theater set volume 3 this morning. Will probably get it next week. Now I only need to purchase the first two sets and I will have all the sets out there. Will more then likely buy any set that comes out in the future. Would love to have every misted movie on DVD, but I'm not buying someone's homemade version. I want a legitimate copy.

Went to see the movie "Madagascar" last night, pretty funny movie. The only problem I had was that the lead characters looked like the animators had gone with the decision not to make the leads look as realistic as the other animals in the movie. For example, the bottom of the paws on the lion "Alex" were flat. His toes were also sort of squared off. The noses on the four main characters looked like layers of felt rather then a more natural look to them. Don't know why they choose to make the main characters look more like toys then the other animals but they did. Other then that, the movie was pretty good. I liked the penguins the most. The only thing that would have made the movie a little better would have been if there had been a bear of some kind some where.

While we were in the movie, we got some rain. The area around where the movie theater is, got a small amount of rain while we where enjoying the movie, near home we got a heavy amount of rain and some wind. It was bad enough that the wind blew wind in and got my bed wet, my bed is near a southern exposure window. Had to sleep on towels last night, and I have a headache. Don't think its related to the sleeping on a wet bed.....but who knows (I kid). Once we got home, there was another burst of heavy rain. It rained a time or two over night was was raining lightly when I went out to feed the dogs. Not sure how much rain we got, and while we did really need this. Mother Nature really didn't need to try and get us caught up all at once either. I would hedge a guess that we got close to three inches. Need to get water out of the basement and put up the new rain gauge this morning.

Really didn't do much this past three days. It didn't help that Mom was a sleepyhead much of the weekend. We got a couple things done around the house and that was it.

Bought a new monitor couple nights ago, a nice LCD flat screen. First LCD monitor I have ever used. Pretty much had to buy a new monitor, was sitting at the computer playing a game and noticed the screen was beginning to puck, it was followed by smoke coming out the vents. Promptly turned the monitor off, got up, opened the front door and then turned on a fan. The smell of smoke wasn't too bad, but wanted to clear it out none the less.

Have been enjoying the cool days, all the while knowing that the summer heat will be here soon and I will be looking forward to fall.

Went to Topeka, didn't stay as long as planned. Both of us were getting sleepy. So we headed home a little early and when we got near home we headed for a Mexican restaurant and had an early dinner. On the way home from dinner we both remarked on how much cooler, even if it wasn't a huge temperature difference, it was around home then it had been in Topeka.

Got a few things planned for today. Will probably take it easy this afternoon.

Thought for sure we were going to get some rain last night. But again nothing. I guess Mother Nature likes teasing us.

Had hoped it was going to rain yesterday, but no go. South of us got some heavy rain and storms. We got teased with the storm clouds, but got zip. Next couple days are going to be warm.

Need to catch up on some things that I have taped. Also need to do some catch up on some chores.

Will be going to Topeka,maybe, this weekend. Mom is into genealogy and there is a research library that has old newspapers on microfilm in Topeka. We have been to it many times and I don't like going. If the place was a lot closer I would let her go on her own, but since the library is close to sixty miles away, I will be going with her. Not that I like borrowing trouble, but I don't want her to be alone is something happens. Still haven't signed up for an auto club yet, need to start a fire under her to get that done.

Woke up with a headache. Will have to work through the pain as best I can, need to get some mowing done. Have a few other things to do as well, may end up pushing some of the things into the coming week.

Got some cleaning done in the basement yesterday. Also did a couple errands.

Went to a Pet Expo at the American Royal today. Had fun, saw sheep, horses, a llama, lots of dogs a few cats, birds and some fish. I would have expected more things to view and buy considering it cost seven dollars to get in. Still had a good time anyway.

Got a lot of rain over night and this morning. Past three days it has rained a bit, I guess Mother Nature is trying to get us caught up in rain. We got enough rain that some got into the basement. Will do some clean up tomorrow.

Had purchased three Mystery Science Theater 3000 movies, in addition to set 7 that I recently got, from Amazon.com and will be returning one because of it being damage. Trying to get the disk out of my DVD player, I inadvertently broken the front edge of the drawer off. Nothing a little luck and super glue cant fix. On the up side, Amazon has already shipped a replacement copy of the movie and all I have to do is ship the damaged one back. The wild world of batwoman may not be worth all of this work, but I want the movie dang it.

Tuesday was rather warm and yesterday was supposed to be warm as well. It started out looking as though it was going to be even though we had some cloud cover. But in the afternoon we got a thunderstorm, which had been brewing all morning and was now ready to serve. Not sure what the total rain count for the afternoon was but I would say about half and inch at least. Today is supposed to stormy as well, which was forecast.

We got some rain yesterday afternoon and overnight. It was kinda of funny...early morning the wind blow hard and it rained, was like that for a few minutes and then it died down. Nice ten minute severe storm. The rain didn't amount to much.

Precious Doe has been identified. Her step-father killed her. It's sad she died, but I am happy they found the scum parents. Another chapter of the story can open now that the previous one has closed.

Pushed myself to mow yesterday morning even though I had a headache. Wasn't sure if it was going to rain or not and didn't want the grass to get away from me, so I pushed to do the front yard and one of the side yards. All thought the rain was light both yesterday and today, I'm glad I did it. Also planted the last of the bedding plants. Had gone out the night before to get a couple things at the grocery store, saw a couple plants that would nicely round out setting what had already been planted. So now, all the bedding plants have been purchased, planted and look quite nice if I do say so myself....and I do.

Purchased the second season of Futurama DVD set last week, got it in the mail Tuesday. Been watching some of the episodes, with the commentary, and have been laughing at some of the things said. Will probably get season three and four of Futurama this year.

Pre-ordered Mystery Science Theater 3000 set 7 on March 8th. Got the set last week. It had included three movies I had never seen before, Hercules unchained...Hercules against the moon men...The killer shrews and the last movie Prince of space I had seen and liked a lot. The bonus features were three shorts. I hope Rhino puts "The mole people" and "Revenge of the creature" in one of the sets some day. Both of those are among my favorite misted movies.

The battery was charged and the car was given a new alternator. Took the shop dang near all day to fix the problem. After mom got home, we left to go on an errand. As we turned a corner, we heard a loud noise around the right front tire. Managed to get home, so mom could change clothes, before we headed back to the mechanics. Turns out there was a problem with the right front brake pad, the mechanic put a cotter pin in to fix it and didn't charge us. Hopefully, we wont need anymore repairs for awhile.

The car died last night, maybe its just in a coma. Mom was on her way home and stopped off at Chipotle to get dinner, when she came out the car wouldn't start, turnover or nothing. She called me and then she walked over to a nearby gas station, which directed her to go to the Goodyear place across the street. When she got there, they were in the process of closing, but am employee drove her over and attempted to give the battery a charge. After two failed attempts, the employee told her to call the towing company his employer uses. She called and waited in the car for the guy to arrive. He showed up, got the car hooked up and towed her to the Citgo we use for servicing the car, it had to be left overnight. In all it took her two hours to get home and when eating dinner, we discussed getting an auto club membership of some kind. Both of us were glad of her decision to wait for a two rather than to try and duct tape a solution in order to try and get home and end up stranded on the interstate.

Planted two dwarf barberry bushes, a dwarf flaming bush and a lilac bush Sunday. Put mulch, a nice pine nugget mulch, down around the newly planted bushes and put the leftover mulch down around the peonies and Korean lilac bush we had planted last year. Now the areas look very nice. Got the bedding plants in before it started to rain. It pretty much rained off and on all day. Don't know how much it amount to though.

All week rain had been forecasted and had never happened...until last night. It didn't last long but there were some areas of severe weather. We had hail for about five minutes. It sounded like someone was shooting up the house. Some of the chunks were as large as a quarter, but most of it was marble (a small marble) size. Took a couple photos of the hail.

Ten years ago the Oklahoma City bombing happened.

Theres a new Pope in town.

Mowed for the first time this year yesterday morning. Had wanted to do it earlier in the week but we got some rain and I didn't feel much like mowing and having to maneuver the mower in the mud. Will need to mow the back yard this weekend. I like that everything is green, colorful and growing. But I don't like mowing.

Last night we got a couple light showers. At one point early this morning it was raining hard and the wind was blowing hard, howling at times. Then it calmed down, then the clouds moved out long enough for the stars to shine for a bit. Clouds moved back in and now it's raining again. I am glad I went ahead and got the trash out because it sounds like the trash truck is close by.

Mom has been under the weather for a few days. She didn't feel good all last week and yesterday she had a nasty sinus headache. We weren't able to get a few chores around the house done, but she did get caught up on sleep.

Really don't have much to say about this past week. The time change screwed me up as it always does.

I've been depressed off and on all week.

The Pope was finally buried. Charles and horse face finally married. More trouble in Southeast Asia. Baseball started the new season.

Bought gas for the lawn mower this morning. Will need to get the mower primed and ready for another miserable mowing season. I will concrete over the lawn someday, I swear.

Went to the zoo yesterday. Went late in the day so were not able to do as much as we would have had we had more time. Did a little shopping and had lunch out, as well yesterday.

It is warmer today then it was yesterday. Depression is making a visit.

Still having trouble with the car and we can't really afford to replace it. I am hoping the next time that we go in for service, we can get a couple things done that will improve things. But then again, its a kin to repeatedly putting a band-aid on leaks on Hoover dam. It will work only so long before you should just make a replacement and move on. We can tighten the purse strings and do what we can if need be.

Interesting week, but I am glad it's over. It was an odd week, started off on the wrong foot (thought it was supposed to be the daylight savings weekend) and it progressed from there.

Pope John Paul the Second passed away. Am not a religious person, I do have my own beliefs, but it is a sad day. May he rest is peace.

After a week of clouds and moisture, the clouds broke open and out popped the sun yesterday. Easter Sunday was a pleasant day, cool and sunny. There is a chance or two for some rain this week, but it will be mostly sunny and warm.

Got a few chores done this weekend. Bought a couple storage units at Wal-mart (which I hate shopping at unless I can't find the item elsewhere.) Put one of them together in the spare bedroom we use for storage. The other unit will be used downstairs.

We have had moisture every day this week. As I type it's raining again and there is some thunder now and again.

Have a weather related headache. Hoping it goes away soon. May take a nap and see if that helps.

Finished Medla Of Honor-Rising Sun about 24 hours after I got it in the mail. Nice game, though not as much fun as Medal of Honor-Frontline. Rising sun will have some replayablity. The graphics and the whole look of the game is so much different with Rising Sun then Frontline. Looks like they did a bit of a rush job on Rising Sun.

We have had some moisture in a couple forms the past two days, rain and snow. Got a light dusting of snow this afternoon, when it first started it was in large chunks. Never amounted to much. We have needed some moisture, so my anxieties have been fairly mild about the rain.

Bobby Short and John "I made ugly looking cars" DeLorean both past away this week.

Got "Medal Of Honor-Rising Sun" today. Have played it a little and like it so far.

My allergies are bothering me. Spring and fall can play havoc with my allergies. I just hope I don't spend much of spring in a over-the-counter allergy product induced semi-conscience state of blathering idiocy. Which is not fun nor pretty.

Under the heading of "Things you don't see every day" comes this- A nun standing on the corner flashing gang signs.

Have a nice day.

The weather has been nice and cool lately. I like it, which means it won't be around long.

Been playing Medal Of Honor-Frontlines on my GameCube lately. Yes, I am a proud owner of a Cube. I am not shy or ashamed of my choice of console. The Xbox and Playstation seem like cool console and I would like to own them someday. But for now I'm a Cuber. Anyway, I've been thinking of getting the other Medal Of Honor game that's out, there's another that's set to come out this year. Might get Call Of Duty when it comes down in price a little. Hitman-Silent Assassin looks interesting.

Saw "Be Cool" Thursday evening. What an awful movie. I don't ,and never will, understand why saying something nasty about someones race or about someone being gay is supposed to be funny. That's all I'll say about that.

Cooler today then it was yesterday. It was in the sixties temperature wise and then an evening shower.

I'm still in a bit of a funk. Not as bad as yesterday, though.

Meh.

Don't feel like doing much, depression and anxiety are in control.

The car is still having issues with rough idling and wanting to stall if it sits too long. Don't know what to do about it.

Got a late afternoon thunderstorm yesterday. It was clear and sunny and then the clouds rolled in, shortly there after the rain came. The clouds were dark and menacing, but the rain didn't amount to much. There was some thunder, but no lighting that I could tell.

Another year, another bad awards show. I don't like Chris Rock. He's about as funny as an enema. Since I dont like awards shows much anyway, I didnt tune in. I liked the movie "The Aviator", glad it got a couple awards. Thats all I'll say about it.

It has been nice the past couple days, cool and sunny. Although today is supposed to be rather nice.

Will try and get the car worked on this weekend. I think that the fuel filter needs to be replaced. Not sure, but it may be why the car will be fine for a couple days and then want to die if we are stopped. It will sort of act a little better if you put it neutral. Could be something else entirely.

We dodged a bullet yesterday. There was a storm that was headed our way with the potential to dump rain and or snow on us and it missed us by that much. At some point last night, I looked out the front windows in the living room and noticed the clouds had the look to them that I have seen during storms before. The look is sort of a steely grey, has sort of an ominous look to them, like they are up to no good. I know I am not describing the look very well, but it's the type of thing that if you saw it once you wouldn't forget it and would recognize it in a storm if you saw it again. Really thought we were going to get snow, but we didn't.

Heard late yesterday that John Raitt ( musician Bonnie Raitts' father) has passed away. I knew him from a couple movies, but I didn't now that much about him

It was supposed to be nice in the afternoon, but the sun never came out to play and the temperature never seemed to get as high as was forecasted. There is a chance of one or more types of precipitation later in the week. So while I may not get the projects I need to get done done, I will take care of some laundry and whatever I can. That way if it does snow, something was salvaged from this week.

Hunter S. Thompson committed suicide and Sandra Dee (the best of all the Gidgets) died. Sad deal in both cases. I did enough Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (I think that's the correct title) that was turned into a movie.

It was rainy Saturday, cloudy and warm Sunday. Don't know what it will be like today. Can I just go back to bed, pull the covers over my head and have someone else do all the things I'm supposed to do? Yeah, didn't think that would work....but I wanted to give it a shot.

We have rain today. Don't know if it will carry over to tomorrow. Will get a couple errands done this morning and then get some chores done around the house.

Have been doing a blog for a year + a few days now. I know none really reads this, but I don't care. I am sure at some point I will have some more exciting things to post. But I don't know what it would be or when it would happen.

Had a migraine most of the morning. It finally broke in the afternoon. Wasn't able to do as much because of the pain. Once the pain left, I felt limp.

Looks like we may be getting some rain over the weekend. Glad I was able to do some laundry the past couple days. Still trying to figure out if we have a problem with the sump pump, though. There is water coming it from some place. The only places I can figure it's coming from are from beneath the pump or the water is slowly draining back down from the pipe through the anti-flow back valve. If its the valve, its a slow leak and doesn't seem to make sense because I thought all the water was pumped from the pipe out to the septic tank. But anyway, it's a very slow leak. It only turns on maybe once or twice a day, nothing to worry about at the moment. It will become a problem if it does it more than a few times an hour.

I don't think we got as much rain over the weekend as I first thought. We probably got somewhere in the neighborhood of one to two inches. It just seemed like it was raining a lot. The snow we got this past Tuesday was gone by Sunday because of the rain.

It was nice yesterday, very spring like. Had the windows open and there was a light breeze. Then in the afternoon it clouded over. It's supposed to be cooler today and maybe some clouds in the afternoon. It hasn't dried up enough out for me to do any laundry. So I will do other things today.

KU finally lost a Big 12 game. They were undefeated in the league, but we can thank or hiss (which ever you prefer) the Texas Tech team for that. I don't care about college hoops, or basketball in general the way I used to when I was younger. Sometimes I almost feel like making myself watch a game, but never quite get around to doing that.

I had a nasty headache yesterday. Managed, but barely, to get a few things done. Off and on, it has been raining since yesterday afternoon. I'd say we got about 2-4 inches of it so far. I hope it doesn't do much more, would like to see the sun again.

Arthur Miller passed away. I know he was a playwright, but I remember him mostly due to his marriage to Marilyn Monroe.

Much of the snow we got on Tuesday is gone. Had to venture out Tuesday afternoon to go to the post office and it was a nightmare. The roads were slick and the snow seemed to come down pretty heavy for a bit of time. Managed to make it to the post office before they closed.

We have snow! Funny...I don't remember placing an order for it. But anyway, we have about 2-3 inches of it right now. Don't know if anymore will be added to what we have, but it make Mom's drive into work fun.

The game sucked, the commercials sucked and the Patriots suck. Florida sucks, the officials suck and it sucks.

Okay, enough with the suckage.

Glad I did laundry yesterday, woke up to rain. It was nice for much of yesterday, then in the afternoon, the clouds came in. Not going to complain, we need the moisture. Was able to have the windows and garage door open, which was nice.

Will be holed up in my bedroom much of the afternoon and evening, will be watching pre-game shows and then the Super Bowl. Probably the only times I will venture out will be for drink, food and bathroom breaks. And that's about it. Not sure if I am going to watch the Pro bowl or not. I might have it on and being doing something else, like cleaning or something.

Ossie Davis passed away. I like some of his work. Good man.

Max Schmeling, who fought Joe Louis twice, also died.

Dan Marino and Steve Young are in the football hall of fame. Someday It would be nice to see the late Derrick Thomas inducted.

I hope the Eagles win the Super Bowl this weekend.

Had three dreams last night, two of which I remember enough detail to make me scratch my head. In the first one I was in some house I did not recognize with me dad and I was helping clean it up and have a garage sale. I haven't spoken to my dad since 1997, my choice to do so, so I do not understand why I still have dreams about him. Anyway, there were some garage sale patrons following me as I was vacuuming, so I stopped cleaning and went to make a few sales. The thing I remember selling the most was books. Really don't remember too much more then that other then I couldn't understand what a couple of the patrons were saying. The next dream I had at one point remembered some detail, but have now forgotten everything. In the last dream I was working at a theater, I don't know in what capacity though. At one point I began to ascend some stairs, to my right a couple of people were standing at talking to me. Because I was so engrossed in thought I didn't hear them. Because of this the gentleman reached over as I go to the top of the staircase and grabbed my arm. He said something as did his wife, what I don't remember, and I walked into the theater, closing the thick velvet curtains behind me. I could see that the theater was enormous and it seemed that every seat was filled. At some point I pulled out a rifle and shot someone who was one stage and then placed the rifle down and reached into an inner pocket for a handgun. Once I had the hand gun, I walked down the steps, placed the gun to a gentleman's head and pulled the trigger. I had said something before I shot him. After killing the man, I turned the gun on myself and that's where the dream ends.

I don't know what if any meaning there is behind any of the dreams. But they are disturbing to say the least.

Drats, it was nice and sunny yesterday and now back to clouds.

Superbowl weekend!!! I hope the Eagles spank the Pats. Can't wait for the commercials, just in case the game sucks. Not sure if I will watch or tape the Simpsons episode.

Went to see the movie "Sideways" yesterday afternoon. I would recommend this movie.

We got some snow last night. The snow was forecasted, the funny thing was they said it would start in the afternoon. It sleeted for a litte before switching over to snow. Have some errands to do this morning, so getting out will be interesting indeed.

Had another dream about being in school last night. Have no idea what that's about.

If you haven't already done so, donate what you can to help with the Tsunami relief.

Woke up with a stiff neck and a headache. Wonder what I was doing in the night to get those. I do remember that I had some strange dreams, but I dont remember any dream details. Although I do remember one dream centered around me being back in school.

Am glad it has warmed up a bit. Can get a few loads of laundry done before the next cool down.

Johnny Carson passed away this morning. I stopped watching the "Tonight Show" after he retired. It just wasnt the same without him.

Yesterday was sunny and warm, managed to get three loads of laundry done. Today is cooler and cloudy. It's supposed to be cooler for the next few days. Did enjoy yesterday immensely, had the windows open for a few hours and the house smells a bit fresher.

Not sure what to do this afternoon, will probably get caught up with some shows I've taped recently and haven't had time to watch yet.

Presidunce Bush was sworn in yesterday, big whoop. Another four years of Presidunce Bozo at the helm. This should be fun.

Ruth Warrick and Virginia Mayo have both passed. I am familiar with both. My favorite movies are Citizen Kane (Warrick film) and White Heat (Mayo film). Miss Warrick is probably best know for playing Phoebe Taylor on All My Children.

Even though I am only 36, I have a love of old movies, I can pinpoint this to my childhood. My parents watched old movies as I was growing up, as a result I have an appreciation of older films. That's not to saw I don't like newer films.

The plumber showed up today. I don't blame him, someone at the company he works for dropped the ball and there was some communication mishaps. The company knew what was our problem was. We were told, if this is even accurate, that no one who could repair frozen lines worked on the weekend. And why a plumbing company wouldn't have a person or two that could work on the weekends or at least be available on the weekend so if someone called up with a problem like ours, they could be taken care of. Our weekend plans were totally screwed up because of the communication malfunction. The plumber was an older gentleman who was finished within a couple hours.

Managed to get almost of all of the water out of the basement. Had to spend one hundred dollars to get a much better shop-vac. The new vac can be used to pump water out via a garden hose. So in less then a couple hours, the water was nearly gone.

Yesterday was cold but sunny. We had a light amount of snow Saturday night. Today was cold and for most of the morning cloudy, cleared up this afternoon.

Two sunny days and one broken pipe later, we have the weekend. Yesterday, like Thursday, was sunny a great deal of the day and it was fantastic. The one minor problem was that a outdoor faucet ,that is covered with one of those faucet covers you see in improvement catalogs and hardware stores, burst/broke due to the cold weather. I didn't notice this until I went downstairs in the evening to open the garage door, so now we have water in the basement which he will siphon out.

We have had pipes do that only once or twice before. This pipe, like the previous pipes, have garage exposure. The other pipes in the house are either in the laundry room or the basement, both of those areas are warmer because we can shut doors and get a little heat gain in the place which help. It explains why the other outdoor faucet, with the same type of cover as the broken one, did not break. In fact, I have a bucket under the pipe that feeds the outdoor faucet that also has a main water valve and a faucet you can get water out of, it has leaked because of the cold air outside and it dripped from the inside faucet. But no this year, (I hope what I have said has made sense).

So our plans have been altered for the day, but it's nothing we can't deal with.

We got a lot of sunshine yesterday and even though it was rather cold, it was still nice to see the sun. Today it looks like the sun is trying desperately to break the clouds and I hope it wins.

Its going to be cold for the next dew days. The weather forecasters mention the chance of some form of perception next week.

Heavy rains are in the west and cold temperatures cover much of the west. This winter isn't much fun for a lot of folks in the states.

Its 10 am and its thundering outside. It is supposed to get to the mid forties today.

Hopefully I can get a load of laundry done this afternoon. Looks like it will be back to frigid temperatures later in the week. We have had like two hours or less of sunshine in this new year and that sucks.

It has been fairly dreary for the past couple days and it looks like it will continue. This is one part of winter that I don't like. I realize it cant be sunny and warm all the time, that would get old fast, but I would like a few sunny days in a row. Guess it's a sign I am getting older, when I was younger I didn't mind cloudy days all that much, now I savor them. Or maybe this just means that I am nuts. Not sure which it is.

Had a strange dream last night. I was an outsider looking upon all of the happens in the dream. There was a monster that was terrorizing people, but I didn't find it that scary. Was more annoyed by what it was doing and to whom it wasn't doing it to. I don't remember too much about the dream other than that. Sometimes I wish I could remember more details about the dreams I have. Might go back to keeping a dream journal like I have done before.

It was supposed to be warmer this weekend and so far it hasn't warmed up too much. It just barely got to 32 degrees yesterday and it was supposed to be in the forties. There was supposed be sunshine and there was none. I think we have gotten about two hours of sunshine in this year so far. Wouldn't mind so much if it werent for the fact I need to get some laundry done.

Went to Crown Center and Nelson-Atkins Museum yesterday and had fun.

There was supposed to be some sun today and we got all of 2 minutes of it this afternoon. But at least I don't have a headache today. It is supposed to get warmer this weekend.

We finally have sun! But once again I have a headache. We got about half inch of rain on Tuesday and a little snow on Wednesday. It is supposed to be warmer this weekend, which should melt alot of this junk. Mom didn't go to work yesterday because she didn't want to drive 30+ miles on ice. She slept in and worked on some things she had brought home.

Another day, another headache. This weather is playing with my sinuses and head. Its hot, then its cold. Mother Nature can't make up her mind.

Another storm is due today. Mostly ice, rain and maybe snow. Snow is one thing, but it's awful when it's covering ice.

We got about a inch and a half of rain over night and this morning. It stopped some time mid-morning. There is supposed to be more precipitation in the next three days. So far, it has rained every day so far this year. Which is only three days old.

I have had mild headaches every day in this new year. So far the year sucks.

Had short, but odd, dreams last night. In one dream My mom and myself were standing in the backyard looking at a neighbors house and she said "Poliwag". Have no idea what it is or what it means.

Saw the movie "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" yesterday. What a terrible movie. I should have known better than to go to a Wes Anderson film. I did not like two of his previous movies. This movie was slow, hollow and devoid of any real entertainment. Avoid it at any cost.

Had a headache yesterday and did not feel up to doing much of anything last night. We had dinner and pick our top three and bottom three films of the year and then I went to bed. Around midnight I woke up to the sound of fireworks going off. There were even a few idiots setting off fireworks at 3 am.

I have high hopes for this year. We will see how it unfolds.

Happy New Years everyone. May this be our lucky year. May the Cubs finally get to the world series in my lifetime and win.