Freaky Friday Rants and Raves 12-9
 

Rave: Got the house wired up for emergency generator.

Rave: shopping on the internet.

I second your Rave Jorr! Shopping on the Internet is the best!

Rave: Today is the last day of my internship and it's a snow day! I will say "goodbye" to everyone next week :D I started a paper purge yesterday -- boy it felt good!

Rave: Going on vacation tomorrow. We're really looking forward to a rest! I feel like a kid today :D

Rave: My kids and husband!

Rave: 90% of my shopping is done. This is a real first for me \:D/

I don't feel like ranting today -- it's a celebration day for me and my family!!

I hope all of you who are dealing with difficult situations find peace in your hearts.

Best wishes to JJ5's sister Nancy who is recouperating from surgery.

OWJ, I hope things worked out for your DH.

Caph, 1 week and your daughter will be home! ((l)) :D

Rave: Bonnie's music thread - I like knowing what people enjoy listening to :)

Peace and Goodwill to All!

I forgot to add...

PM, I hope things are going well on your new job (and that you DH is doing well too). I miss seeing you here. Take good care :)

rave:
the predicted 6" snow was less than 3"
the plow just cleared our street.

Rant: this crappy weather

Rant: haven't purchased a single gift.

Rave: It doesn't matter because I'm in the spirit of the holidays!

Rave/Rant: Snow Day! Unfortunately I was up and had a cup of coffee in me before getting the call so there was no chance of going back to sleep. Will have a full day to clean up around this dump and do a bit of decorating though.

STW- Are you coming to New England this weekend. If so, bring a shovel--I'll give you my address. We are sipposed to get around 9 inches of snow in my neck of the woods. Just kidding, enjoy your stay. Actually, you'v done 90% of your shopping? Bring the shovel AND help me do the first 10% of MY shopping!

Rant: I have to finish packing to move tomorrow.

Rave: It's to my first house.

Happy Friday!

Rave: My Volvo with new snow tires had no trouble with the 6+ inches of unplowed snow on the roads here in NJ this morning.

Rave: It's Friday!

Mini-rant: Still 150+ days 'til St John in May!

Have a great weekend! Stay warm!

Trish

STW, congratulations on finishing your internship! Hope you have a fantastic vacation! I must have missed something the other day on last week's FF R&R. When I went back, it'd been closed. And, judging from your comment and Bonnie's, I'm guessing someone got nasty? Anyway, I just wanted to say that it sounds like you're going to have a wonderful Christmas!

RANT/RAVE: My husband got the results from his p.e.t. scan and CT scan. The p.e.t. scan was good. The CT scan was "near normal". There were still some enlarged lymph nodes. The doctor said it may well be scar tissue that will never return to "normal". And he seemed very encouraged that the p.e.t. scan showed no activity in those enlarged nodes. However, he's decided to hold off on a bone marrow biopsy until after the chemo.

RAVE: To paraphrase STW, a week from now our daughter will be home!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Rave: It's supposed to be 37 degrees here today--much better than the -20 that greeted us yesterday morning. AGH!

Rave: My daughter has her Christmas dance program this Sunday. I am in awe of her dedication and love for dance, especially since I'm 'coordination-challenged.'

Rave: Our family made our airline tickets, game tickets and hotel reservations to watch our Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Dec. 28. We're so excited, especially since it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Now it just needs to warm up down there!

No rants--happy weekend to all!

Rave: May be moving at the end of the month.
Rant: Not sure if we'll be renting or buying the house. I hate not knowing.
Rant: Trying to move and enjoy Christmas is tough. We're not even decorating because that's just more crap to pack up.

Rave: Massage tomorrow with my mom. My first ever professional massage. I am so excited. If this helps alleviate the pain from fibromyalgia I may just have to go once a week.

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season. Big hugs to all going through rough times right now. You are in my thoughts.

Rant: Two hour delay for students but teachers were expected to be in the building at the normal time....which would have meant snowblowing the driveway in the middle of the night. I don't think the neighbors would have enjoyed that.

Rave: Its a pretty snow!

Rant- It took me 5 hours to get home from a client yesterday in the snow-should have been 1.5 hours! Hello we're in Chicago people, we get snow just drive!

Rave-TGIF!

Rave: The ten day forecast has SMdA highs in the 80's after three days of clouds.

Rant: Weak USD v MXN (interbank rate below 10.5 mid week).

Rave: US House passed tax bill.

Rant: Ongoing health problems for so many.

Rave: Costalegre and sport fishing in 12 days.

Rave: SS benefits less than a year away.

Rave: DD (youngest) gets her Master's at UT/Austin tomorrow.

Feliz fin de semana.

M

Rave: THE CAST IS OFF MY LEG!!!!!!!! I can only take small steps, but it feels GREAT!!!!

Rant: Snow and wind this morning.

Swalter: I hear ya about the driving in snow. Sometimes I just want to open my window and ask "How long have you lived here?"

Ethel: You're going to love that massage!

Jorr: I agree...shopping on the internet saved me this year because I couldn't go out to do it.

GoT: Ha ha....I'm almost done shopping!

CAPH: Best wishes for your husband!

Seetheworld: Have a great vacation!

Did I mention that the CAST IS OFF MY LEG?

Have a great weekend everyone.....

Rant: my first posting rants/raves today was removed.

Congrats on completing the internship, seetheworld!

charsuzan, your first house!. You must be so excited!

CAPH, that sounds like good news for your DH to me! I hope to hear more in the coming weeks.

BuffaloGirl, so glad to hear that the cast finally came off! You must be SO much more comfortable.

Rave: It was brought to my attention this week that I am quoted in the 2006 Fodors Caribbean guide. Guess I'll have to get a copy the next time I'm in the US.

Rave: I FINALLY got to posting my Venice trip report. At least I'm getting to it before I go to Rome. ;)

Rave: Wonderful friends, both in real life and online.

Rave: My mom's DH is 78 years young today!

Rave/Rant: The beautiful snow that so many of you are experiencing. Glad that it's there and not here, but sort of wish that it were here, as well.

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

things are lookin' up!!!

rave: i won a trip to ireland last night at my christmas party!! can't believe it. can't wait to go back! the dinner and d.j was so much better this year too.

rave: selling my car! for a good price, to a family friend. sad to see it go, but it's a relief.

rave: dinner at outback with my bf tonight!

rave: snowy in nyc, but the subways/commute were pretty standard today. you wouldn't think it gets bad, but once there is a problem in the bronx or brooklyn with the above ground trains, the whole line gets screwed up.

buffalo...that is great news! i also loved the pix of the '77 blizzard. i don't remember it, i was only 1 when it happened!

:D

Rave--Got all the Christmas gifts mailed that need to be.

Rave/Rant--Almost done shopping. Thought I was done, then realized the kids need new snow gear. How did I forget that???

Rave--Airborne and Zicam, lol!

Charsuzen--Congrats on the new home!

Caph--Sounds like great news regarding your DH!

Ethel--A good massage can work wonders. Enjoy!

BuffaloGirl--Oh, isn't that the best feeling???? So happy the cast is off!

What a fantastic prize, otto! :D

Rave: It is going to be 70 degrees here in Tucson today.

Rave: Got all Christmas gifts mailed off yesterday.

Rave: Competing in my first BBQ contest tomorrow.

Rant: will have to leave at 5:00 AM to go set up.

Yeah, that's right Mike, rub in your good weather, lol. I'm looking at about 8 inches outside. Yeah, I can hear you laughing too! :D

Eva, we're heading up tomorrow morning. Shovel your driveway? Heck, we've got to shovel ours first :) I left 10% of my shopping for our trip - I'm thinking that I need a <i>few</i> things ;)

CAPH, just think of how far your DH has come! Continued prayers for his health. I think it will be a great Christmas :D

Buffalogirl -- yippie!!! You must be so happy to have that weight off your leg! Be careful out there in winter wonderland!!

Otto, you won a trip? Wow, that's terrific! \:D/

Charzuzan, best wishes on your new home :)

Ethel, enjoy your message. Don't tense up (easy to do when you are in pain). Relax and let the therapist do his/her job. Don't plan on running around afterwards. Go home and relax.

Statia, you are famous! :D

mms, does that stuff really work? Any side effects?

Happy days, people!!

Rave: The sun is out! Yeah! Unfortunately, the temp is dropping and all that slush will freeze by tonight.

Rave: Going to a Christmas party tomorrow night on a yacht! It'll be too cold to go outside but never too cold to enjoy the spectacular views.

Rant: Have not done ANY christmas shopping.... I'll pull my usual last-minute run on 12/22.

Thanks, guys. I guess I should have made that a straight RAVE rather than a RANT/RAVE. It's just that a few weeks ago, we thought that he'd be finished with chemo now. We expected him to have the bone marrow biopsy and be declared in remission. But, you're absolutely right. These results *were* good. And he has come a long, long way. Thanks for reminding me to stay positive! You guys are the best!

Otto, it's not a rave, it's a RAVE :)

Rave: no longer living in russia I don't have to worry about snow and all problem it causes

Rave: busy at work, making overtime and being paid for it! when I get tired I calculate how many additional hotel nights I can have and feel so much better :)

Rave: this thread is still going strong despite so many oldies no longer posting

Mini-rant: Continental airlines website problem, had to call 4 times to make one trip reservation!

Have a nice weekend, everybody, and hope everyone's health is good or getting better!

Rant/Rave: Snow Day - kids are having a ball but drive to work was yucky.

Rant - More friends with broken bones - last week two friends broke something and this week two more fell and cracked ribs. It must be our age.

Rant - Had to go to Buffalo for business Wednesday. Nice to see some co-workers I hadn't seen in a while but I really do hate business travel.

Rave - I always treat myself to a book when I travel and this trip's book is excellent. It is called Prep - about a teenage girl attending an elite Massachusetts private school. Given that I'm considering having my daughter apply to private school, it has been enlightening.

Rave - tomorrow is my friends Yankee Swap party and my husband found the best gift - its a Leg Lamp nightlight like the one from A Christmas Story. He built a small crate for it, filled it with straw and stencilled FRAGILE on it. Its hysterical.

STW - Enjoy your trip to NH. It is supposed to be very nice tomorrow with the snow ending.

Otto - WOW! Congratulations.

JJ5 - I hope your sister is doing better.

Charsuzan - Congratulations on your new home.

CAPH52 - Its been a tough year for your family but I am sure your husband will get through this with flying colors.

Buffalogirl - Just don't slip and fall now!!

Prayers for peace and love for all!

I am Raving today :D

The sun is shining!
Daughter had to see doctor-we were pretty worried-she is perfectly perfect..on her way to Europe for Christmas..now if those Delta pilots will only allow these plans to go smoothly.
Baby boy is coming to visit in summer for at least 2 months!!!
Baby boy is moving back to US!!!! after his jaunt to Spain/Portugal.
We be Happy~

Oh and Pup got a new haircut. He looks and feels like a sheared fur pup..and smells like a flower ((&amp;))

Enjoy your Holidays, don't let the pressures of the Season get you down..bigbig hugs to you all who have worries or illness. ((L))

stw-congrats on your internship and have a wonderful vacation!! Did you get my email?

CAPH--It sounds like your DH is on the mend, I'm so glad.

otto--I'm so jealous!! I'm lucky to win $5 on a scratch-off.

Rant/Rave: My new job is very busy and I'm learning a lot, but I really can't post during the work day. I miss my daily visits with the Fodor pals, but I am grateful to have a job.

Rant: Ice storm in Austin!! This is a rare occasion. Usually if you see ice on the roads around here, it means the snow cone vendor spilled his cart. But this time there was actual ICE!! Nobody around here can drive on ice, and they don't do a good job of cleaning the roads. In fact, they hardly clean the roads at all.

Rave: Because ice is such a catastrophe around here, everything shuts down. So I got a free day off yesterday. :-)

BEST RAVE OF THE DAY: (for me, anyway) DH has a new job!! As you may recall, he was laid off on Nov. 23. He's only been unemployed 2 weeks, but he was going stir crazy and getting depressed. But he got an offer this week for more money that what he was making at his old job. And the icing on the cake is that he got a severance package from his previous employer for 8 weeks, so that extra 6 weeks pay is like found money!! CHA-CHING!! It couldn't have happened at a better time of year. :-)

Rave: By this time next week, DH and I will both be employed, and not on layoff notice!! What a feeling, it's like being back in the real world again. &lt;sigh&gt;

Hugs, love and peace to all.

Rave: The snow has missed us!! though it is pouring rain.
Off to Boston tomorrow for (I hope) the final shopping trip.
Trip to Providence Place last weekend with youngest daughter was fun, and we drove by and checked out the house I grew up in. Nice to see they've taken such good care of it, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Daughter very happy, for she associates it with Grandma and Grandpa, who are no longer alive.
Rant: Is it just me, or are too many people making mountains out of molehills with this war on Christmas?? Last evening listened fo Mary Matalin on Cnn being interviewed, and couldn't figure out why whe would keep interspersing &quot;Merry Christmas&quot; in the most inappropriate places during her interview. Today read that one of the right's groups feels that is what one should say, rather than Happy Holiday,and is using this as their &quot;poster&quot; presentation. Good grief!!

i know! i should preface this with...
last year my dad wanted to take me to ireland. not the first time for either of us, but we've never been up north, and we're an irish family, etc...long story short, that got put off because then he was going to italy w/someone, but than that fell through. by the time those plans fell through, the only place semi-warm enough for him, was barcelona. (which we went too in november!) for months, i've been saying how much i'd love to get back to ireland!!!

PS In my post above I said I can't post during the work day, yet I posted this during the work day. What I meant was there are very few opportunities for that. Sorry, the ice storm here in Austin has frozen my brain. :-[

Huge rant:
Just came in from an hours worth of shoveling with assistance from my teenage daughter. By the time we made it to the bottom of the driveway, there was an inch high layer covering all that we had shoveled!! Right now I am icing my back and keeping my fingers crossed that I have not aggrevated the disc that gives me problems. Aaaagh! I hate snow. I need a snowblower. Now it's coming down even harder than before!!!

IS IT TOO EARLY TO START IN ON THE &quot;POISON????&quot;

YIPPIE FOR PM AND HER HUSBAND!! :D

I'm glad you mentioned the email, PM. I didn't see them until now. Oh happy day! :D

Eva, be careful!!!

Thanks, stw!!

Eeva, after reading your post, I now feel silly for complaining about a little ice on the roads. I hope your back will be OK.

P_M, congrats to your hubby on the new job! That's great news! Glad you are enjoying yours, as well.

We used to have a saying when we had snow or ice in Houston (which was also rare). &quot;The city needs to assign one Yankee to every Texas and chauffer them around!&quot; No, Texans can't drive on ice, myself included. :D

Obviously that should read...&quot;to every Texan.&quot;

P_M Congrats on the jobs. Your ice issues looked significant enough on the news--cars sliding all over the palce. The snow is still coming down here --even harder than before. I can't even see the house across the street right now. It really is time to buy the snowblower. I just hate spending that much money on something that is not travel related!

Rave--Just went out and bought new snow boots and lots of warm weather stuff for all of our family.

Rant--No snow here, except inthe mountains. Will some of you please send snow this direction please???

Otto--Wow, what a great thing to win!!!

STW--Yes, it sure doe swork! Zicam works better for me than Airborne, but I was almost out so was rationing it, lol! No side effects. Just lessens the symptoms a LOT!

Faina--I love how you always see the bright side in things:)

Bennnie--OMG, the leg lamp sounds great!

Scarlett--So glad DD is ok, and that DS will be back soon! You need to go meet him in Portugal though.

PM--Such great news for both you and your husband!

Eeva--LOL, I think you deserve to start in on some poison:) Feel better!

Here in Chelsea we just experienced thunder and lightening and its snowing so hard I can't see out the window. Called home (where Eva is) and is worse there. Drive home will really really be bad but I'm going home with my husband and leaving the car here.

RAVE: Christmas with a toddler! I seriously feel like I'm in some wonderful Christmas movie when I watch my daughter take in all the lights, the tree, the Christmas train...it must be the most perfect Christmas I've ever had!

RANT: DH is MISERABLE at his job and is having a difficult time finding the impetus to look for another. Self esteem problems are a real bitch.

RAVE: Did I mention Christmas with my happy little sweetpea? ;)