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    5.08.2008 ||>   I KNEW it!!

    First born children get the short end of the stick. Science proves everything!

    I'm waiting for my apology, mom.

    (I kid! Kinda.)

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    Sepra was livin' easy on 9:03:00 PM || Site Feed ||

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    10.08.2007 ||>   Decisions

    My nephew's 1st birthday is coming up on the 26th, and my first response was "Oh, man, I gotta get something for him!" But now I think I'm taking a step back.

    1. My neices (who I faithfully get birthday and Christmas presents for) have never really gotten me anything (and I know it wouldn't be them anyway - but still). On my birthday, they did color pieces of paper that were inserted in a card - and that's all I need really. My nieces rock. So maybe this reason isn't so big.

    2. He's 1. It's not like he's going to remember the Super Duper Toy(!!!) I got him.

    3. I think I have kid fatigue. Three kids is 6 times a year for presents, plus Mom, plus Snuggles, plus the twins, plus my aunt, uncle and cousins. That's some serious cash I have been shelling out already. I'm not sure if I can put any more people on the list. Any more people and it'll be A Very Dollar Store Christmas.

    So... a card? With a pretty picture?

    I am the greatest aunt EVER!

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    Sepra was livin' easy on 9:34:00 AM || Site Feed ||

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    9.22.2007 ||>   Happy Birthday!

    happy birthday!
    On my birthday, it is a tradition for me to wear some sort of headgear. Usually, it is a tiara. I bought my last birthday tiara a couple of years ago at the Renaissance Festival, and wore it last year, despite the fact that my boyfriend and coworkers thought it was stupid. In fact, this year, they tried to cut me off at the pass by saying that they were afraid people will mock me. Which is pretty stupid when I think of all the names people have called me to my face and behind my back in my 28 years, "bitch" being the most prominent.

    If I wear a crown on my special day to hearken back to childhood or whatnot, so what? The woman sitting in the cubicle on my right wears a belt buckle that says ELVIS in bright sequins, and I think she's fabulous. Why shouldn't I be allowed excess one day a year?

    So screw 'em! Except that after all the fighting about it, I forgot the damn thing anyway until I was at work. Rather than lose a parking spot, I resigned myself to tiara-less obscurity this time. But... watch out, 2008!

    After I got home, Snuggles had prepared me a birthday table with presents and cards that he had been filching from the mailbox before I got home. It was gorgeous, with two kinds of torts and the presents all wrapped in different colors. The balloons led me in to the entire display. Obviously, the man put a ton of thought into it and it was greatly appreciated.

    As for the loot: I got some kitchen appliances that I wanted, a book and a journal with some barbecue sauce as a joke. I loved the cards, and put them up on the bookshelves, with the cards made by the neices on the fridge.

    I'm not sure about this steady march towards 30 just yet, but if this birthday is any sign, then I am sure I will like it.

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    Sepra was livin' easy on 9:24:00 PM || Site Feed ||

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    8.17.2007 ||>   Sometimes are easier than others

    Last month, I made a promise to myself to socialize more and reach out to family and friends. I don't reach out very well, for lots of reasons, but I was trying to make more of an effort to blog, to chat on the phone and whatnot. Out of that, I was able to get pictures of Amb's little baby boy and he is quite a charmer, as a newborn and I am sure will be just as awesome as his father.

    But here is my story of last week, and I am sure everyone can understand why I have been incommunicado.

    When Snuggles was a kid, he spent a lot of time with his grandmother, who is German, and so he calls her Grossmutti (I hope I spelled that right). She was like a second mother to him and one of the people he most looked up to int he world. Last Friday, she died. In her 90's this was becoming more and more expected, but like the death of my father, it came as a shock nevertheless.

    As an aside, just because it is expected, it doesn't mean that it hurts less. I knew my dad's time was coming to a close, but it still didn't stop me from spiraling downward and lashing out in my grief when it did happen. I still can't view him without complex layers of emotion: anger, grief, love and regret are all components.

    To make matters worse, an aunt on his father's side, also in her 90's passed on this week. He wasn't particularly close to this aunt, but when someone is already grieving, what would make one normally sad tends to propel them into even further depths. He was unable to attend either funeral. We are in another town today and couldn't attend the aunt's funeral, and his passport has expired, so he could not make it to his Grossmutti's funeral in Germany, much to his own dismay.

    I have been trying to draw on my experience with loss and grief, but cannot seem to do anything to help. Death is such a difficult thing: there's only so much a person can do for someone experiencing a loved one passing. So I have been here for him, and not really doing much else but work. What else is there to be done?

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    Sepra was livin' easy on 10:52:00 PM || Site Feed ||

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    2.26.2007 ||>   Arizona

    I am going to be in Arizona between March 22-26, depending on rice of airfare. Unfortunately none of my family or friends can meet my boyfriend, as his work would not let him take 2 god damned days off because it's "spring planting." Like, flowers couldn't wait 2 days.

    It's snowing outside right now and I am determined to go somewhere warm as soon as possible. It's a pity I waited so long: I could be in AZ right now while everyone else has a "high in the low 30s."

    I've got to get my shit together soon though and let everyone know I'm coming, so if they can take time off to entertain me, it won't be a problem.

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    Sepra was livin' easy on 7:22:00 AM || Site Feed ||

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    1.16.2007 ||>   Out of my depth

    The funniest thing that happened in New York was on the way there. My boyfriend's mother asked me if I smoked pot.

    If it had been anyone else, I would have been totally put on the spot. But since she used to grow it in the childhood home, I was more nervous that she would think I'm weird for not smoking. So, I explained that while I did try it, I really didn't like it. Maybe I'll go into it further later, but it makes my throat feel like it is being fried alive and being stoned was never my thing anyway.

    The reply was classic, coming from a 67 year old woman I am trying to impress for my boyfriend's sake: "Oh, that's just because you only smoked the bad shit. If you smoked good shit, that wouldn't happen."

    Suddenly, I got a vision of my own mother, shivering suddenly in the warmth of Arizona. She doesn't know why, but it feels like someone just walked over her grave.

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    Sepra was livin' easy on 10:13:00 AM || Site Feed ||

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    1.02.2007 ||>   Resolutions

    #1: Save money and reduce spending
    #2: Blog more often - every day if I can
    #3: Be healthier - especially dentally.
    #4: Keep in better touch with friends and family.

    Of course, I don't have the best start on these. I didn't blog the New Year. I haven't called anyone to wish them a Happy New Year. It doesn't give anyone momentum when their boyfriend's mother is in town, and she's fascinating. Or when my body decided last Friday to come down with a head cold that felt like all the veins in my head were bursting one by one.

    So, I suck. But I'll try. In the meantime: a picture of where the bf's mom works. Wouldn't you be in thrall to her stories as well?

    castle

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    Sepra was livin' easy on 3:32:00 PM || Site Feed ||

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    12.26.2006 ||>   It all actually happened that way

    Q. What does the agnistic boyfriend say to his Wiccan girlfriend on Dec. 25?
    A. "Merry Christmas".

    Q. What does the Jewish boy say to his Wiccan friend on Dec. 24 (when it is neither Solstice nor Hannukah)?
    A. "I hope you have a good holiday."

    Thanks, guys.

    My favorite Christmas story is told by David, and regards his Jewish family.

    As his grandfather, the rabbi, takes his seat at Christmas dinner, his mother comes to the table carrying a large ham. Everyone sits still at the irony.
    His mother asks, "Would you like some ham?"
    The rabbi says, "On Christmas? Sure!"

    David, having been there, tells it better. But it cracks me up every single time.

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    Sepra was livin' easy on 11:36:00 AM || Site Feed ||

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    12.11.2006 ||>   A gift is your heart

    I have been surfing the Internet lately for new and inventive ways to wrap presents. I also have been to the library and checked out books. For the first time in my life, I am finally happy with my wrapping job this year, even if the packages could be described as "eclectic" at the very least.

    Growing up, my sister was the Appointed Wrapper of Everything. Girl easily used a roll of scotch tape per 10 gifts, but they looked picture perfect, all the creases aligned perfectly and like you paid some "professional" to do it for $5 per box. My stepfather, if I recall correctly, paid her 50 cents.

    My presents, on the other hand, looked like they had been spending their days in football practice before stumbling in, half broken. This year however, I have been going over to Japanese gift wrapping sites after a friend mentioned that they wrap presents in Japan like they do origami. Who doesn't want to do gift wrapping origami? It's got to be more interesting than the usual "fold at the bottom and the two sides, flip over and affix a bow."

    The Japanese believe that any package, no matter how trivial means something. A gift is even more so, as it is a reflection of your heart. So this year, I really want the presents to be about how much I care for my family and friends, and I will reflect that in both the choice present and way it is presented.

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    Sepra was livin' easy on 11:29:00 AM || Site Feed ||

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    11.01.2006 ||>   So... I'm a little late to the game...

    Jack-Not-John If anyone was ever in doubt about the frequency with which I check my email, you can rest assured that I only check it once a week, if that. Because, we have a new member of the family, courtesy of my ever fertile sister. And I totally blew it on the whole "knowing" thing.

    Welcome Jack (not John) Ryland G.! I hope that you have already purchased your snark-ometer and helmet, because this whole life thing is a bumpy ride! Please also allow me to wonder where your middle name came from. No one tells me anything.

    Jack was a stunning 8 pounds 12 ounces and 22 inches. That's lighter, but bigger in metric, so good thing we don't use it here. And one even better thing: it seems that aforementioned sis has continued the tradition of having truly cute babies right off to bat. Usually newborns are so pinched and old-man-wrinkly looking, but I don't think that's true for this family. After all, the nieces were also of the truly cute variety as well. Good genes!

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    Sepra was livin' easy on 5:08:00 PM || Site Feed ||

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