some mornings it DOES pay to chew through the straps.........

Ok, so, unfortunately, this is going to be a posting on my ex.
But, for me at least, it's just so priceless that I gotta share.

This coming week, I am watching my children,(basic day to day parent stuff) so my ex and her husband can go to Chicago for a vacation.
They were going to go to Las Vegas, but their flight was cancelled.

ANYway, I'd left work the other day with the daycare provider I use (and sometimes she did) what the upcoming schedule would be. I had to leave word with a worker, as the "boss" wasn't available. Today after work, I had a message to call them for verification.

Turns out that the "boss" wanted to know who was going to be responsible for billing of that week. I told her that I was being as how I was going to have the kids 'for' my ex.
She said "Oh, ok then."
After chatting a bit more (as I'm on good standing with the daycare peeps), I found out that my ex hasn't paid a rather large daycare bill in over a year. Furthermore, she was told, to her face apparently, she was not allowed to bring the boys to that daycare anymore.

I know I should be more than over my ex, and I pretty much am.
It's just when I hear shit like this it makes me laugh.

Open up and say "aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh................."

Don't ya just love it when someone unsuspectingly sets them up for a fall and you just happen to be paying attention?
Here's the scene:
I went to a co-workers house last evening for 'Taco Tuesday', and several others showed up. I won't mention names, but Dick just happens to be one of the names..................

At the end of the evening, after Dick and his gf left, a guy that started at the factory only a few months ago, and just happened to be sought after by a recent 25 year old separated woman (that happened to be there also), opened himself up to the muther of embarrassing moments.

In front of us all, especially the girl that was hot to trot for his bod, said, "I like Dick".
That's right people, he said it. And before he could follow up his statement with something like "He's an ok guy", I stepped in with the following comeback:"Bet ya didn't know THAT", as I looked at the gal.
She turned BEET red, as did he, but he was laughing so hard he almost shot his drink out of his nose.

I love it when people do shit like that.

Cats.......WTF

Today's posting is inspired by Kato,
but taken in a different direction.

As he had recently had an experience with suspiscous animals, I too recently had an encounter that was both curious and frightening.

The other night, as I made my was from my garage to my house, I noticed a cat sitting on the next door neighbors back steps.
This caught my attention as my next door neighbor doesn't have a cat.

Even odder was the fact that as I moved acrossed my pathway, the cat's head turned as it watched me walk, giving me a foreboding feeling that I could be it's next meal.

If I may take the time to interject an observation here, I wonder:ya ever notice how cat food commercials talk about "flavours cats crave" such as tuna and beef?
Beef..........yeah......cat's crave beef.....I can't TELL ya how many times I've been cruising through the country side, past an open plain and have observed a bunch of cats tearing acrossed the field taking out an Angus.............

Now, as this was merely a house cat, and usually not to be given a second thought, the way this feline kept it's gaze fixated on me was kinda creepy. I even went as far as to stop, lock gaze with it, take a few steps back, a few steps forward, a few steps back.....you get the picture.
All the while I was doing this, this cat watched my every move as though it was priming itself for a pounce.

Having some Druidic tendancies, and communing with nature, I even went as far as to drop to one knee, as to invite said kitty to come over for a pet. But this cat would have nothing to do with pleasantries. OH NO! He was content to add to my already growing daily paranoia, mocking me as I offered kindness to it.

This brings me to my point that cats are simply evil incarnate.
They do what they want, when they want, and with/to whom they want.
EVERYTHING is of their mindset.

So remember this the next time you are at the pound looking for a pet.
Do you want to spend time with an animal that considers YOU the pet?
Or would you be happy with a slobbering drooling poop machine?

For me, it's a no-brainer:go with a turtle.......they already come with their own casket!

A star is born

Last night was my youngest boy's (third grade) Spring musical program.
It was titled "Who Pushed Humpty" and was a light hearted murder mystery.
In the end, the audience decides who of the four suspects is guilty, which turned out to be a surprise to the actors and teacher!

I love going to watch my children's performances. The plays/musicals are always entertaining and all of the children are a delight to behold.

Now, MY little boy is a tad on the entertainingside as he gets rather animated while singing, or while others are singing.
Nothing embarrassing or out of line mind you, but it's still fun to watch him really get into the music while not too many around him do the same.

After missing the first few years of their school life (which I've mentioned the reasons here before, so I won't rehash them), it's a joy to be able to experience this part of my kids' lives.

Austin the Scientist

Austin the Scientist
Originally uploaded by bat-a-ray.

This year was Austin's first Science Fair.
He chose to show how plants (in this case flowers)get water.

We got some carnations, cups, water (of course) and food colouring.
It was especially exciting for me as his Dad to actually be able to be involved as he kept the experiment at my house.

In essence, we started four flowers over four days to see the effects of how long it would take the coloured water to make it's way up the stem to the petals.

In addition to having a display, he and his fellow students gave presentations at class.

He received an "A" which makes me additionally impressed as it's nice to see your children succeed.

I can't wait for his future endeavors.

Exes can be SO much fun......

As previously posted, I'm divorced. And I'm sure there are a bunch of you that can relate to the joys of dealing with an ex-spouse especially if one or more of the following are present: there are children involved thus giving actual reason for dealing with said ex, and my personal fave;if the divorce was a messy one.

During what turned out to be the latter part of our relation, it became increasingly impossible to carry on a conversation with the ex due to the fact that what ever came out of my mouth, was wrong in her eyes. Even if I was using logic (which appearantly was against the rules), or making a valid point, I was wrong.
As a result, I developed a "delete" button in the middle of my forehead, (which is easily accessible by slapping oneself with an open palm), which, to this day, I use when I have something that I need to discuss with her.

But the other day, something arouse so disgusting and revolting, that I had to physically prevent my hand from raising about my shoulder.
What could be so dispicible you ask? According to my older son, his mother, my ex, was using what could only be defined by the words "pack your bags, we're GOIN on a guilt trip!".

It seems that her husbands children are coming for a week long visit. They have Spring Break while our two still have school.
On Tuesday, our older son has his weekly scheduled, after school, school sanctioned, reader promoting, activity session, which lasts for an hour. This week is the last one for not only the year, but next year he won't even be eligible (middle school does not offer such a program).

The conflict comes in that while while the other kids are here, Aus (our boy) will miss out on ONE FREAKING HOUR of time with his step-siblings.
Aus really wants to go, as he should. He works hard on his reading and the elementary school set this session up for those excelling in reading. But all his mother sees is that he'll miss out on sixty minutes of what would end up being "video game" time.

But that's not the worst part. What I say next will most likely send a shiver down the spine of any normal, sensible parent, nay, human being.
According to Aus, when he told his mother that he really wanted to go, she said, and I'm quoting an 11 year old here:"If you do go, (her husband) will be upset and think that you don't like his kids". I'll pause for the weak.

Can you believe it?? A grown woman, ok, grown in age only, using emotional blackmail on not only an eleven year old child, but HER eleven year old child!

Now as I've said in the past, she is a very hard woman to talk with.
But how can I NOT talk to her about it? Even though going in I know what the result will be, I still have to confront her on behalf of MY son.
And for those "devils advocates" out there, no, he wouldn't make up a story like that.

Welcome to the 20th Century

Ok, so, it's really the 21st, but I've FINALLY become able to get a cell phone, which came out in the last century. Hence my attempt at being cutesy.

Yes, I finally have gotten my credit (which was detonated by my divorce SIX YEARS AGO) to where I didn't have to give a $700 deposit.

Of course, I just HAD to get a camera phone and download (what else) but the T.V. theme from Batman.

So, now I join the masses that are dialed in, hooked on, and all about.............;)