randomly chaotic and frequently mundane

not up, not down. just… there.

gage is having a good day, but there are only so many times i can endure the same two episodes of blues clues in one day. it’s ok tho. we’re gonna go outside in a few minutes. i got some stuff to do outside, and gage will enjoy the playing. especially since rain filled his little pool (which is really just a plastic sandbox with no sand) the other day. i’ll probably dump that and refill it tho. the last time he played in it he filled it with dirt and rocks and leaves n stuff. he likes throwing things into the water. you should see him when we pass puddles. he can’t resist tossing things into them or jumping into them. truth be told, sometimes i can’t resist jumping in them, myself.

i’ve been doing a little writing lately. not a lot, but more than i used to.

i have some denim. from 2 pairs of woody’s jeans that died, and a piece that i bought. i’ve decided to make a blanket out of it. which’ll be interesting, since the jeans were light blue, and the denim i bought is black. the reason for the blanket is weight. gage like many autistic children, apparently, enjoys weight/pressure on him. someone on the paperbackswap forum mentioned that she had a denim blanket once but it was so heavy she couldn’t get comfortable under it.  actually what she had was a quilt with a denim top.  i’d probably skip the quilting and just do a denim blanket.  maybe use the quilt top i already made but haven’t quilted as a backing.  i think gage would really like the weight of the blanket.  then maybe i can have my comforter back.

time for lunch.  i crave salad.

so i’m in the finals for 3 contests at whogets.com, all 3 of them are movies

Aviator

History of Violence

Hidalgo

and it’s the person with the most votes who wins. and i would love very much to win… so if y’all would be a bunch of dears and go vote for me i’d be so grateful. it takes about 10 seconds to register and you don’t have to buy anything.

speaking of movies… i saw a preview for 1408 yesterday, which is based on a short story by stephen king… from everything’s eventual, as i recall. if the movie is half as good as the short story, it should be pretty good. it’s not like there’s a lot of stuff in the story that can’t be translated to film, so it should be pretty close. i’d SO love to be able to see it. wednesday will be the 1 year anniversary of the last time i got to see a movie in the theater… it’s also the 1 year anniversary of the last time i was taken for an evening out without gage.

there have been a few paid posts in this blog so far. i apologize to any readers who are bothered by that, but it’s one of the only ways i’m able to help with the bills, and therefore it will happen. in spite of being paid, what i post is my own words and my own opinions on whatever subject i’m posting about. being paid for a post doesn’t change anything, except that i’m making a little money, which is a good thing.

i actually just submitted this blog with payperpost, although i think it’s a few days shy of the 90 day mark.  so i’ll probably be rejected once before i can start doing ppp posts here.

need to go grocery shopping at some point today.

in other news… there is no news.

Everyone loves getting a little surprise. There’s nothing quite like opening the door to a flower delivery from someone special, whether it’s for a special occasion or just because. The last time someone had flowers delivered to me, the card said “If you should die before me, ask if you can bring a friend.” I know it’s from a song, but it was the sweetest thing. And the feeling the flowers arriving gave me was just so sublime. The flowers are long gone, of course, since it’s been a few years — but I still have the card. It’s not just flowers, of course. Gift baskets full of nice treats is also a great way to make someone’s heart soar. Anyone in your life, for any occasion.

did a yard sale today… didn’t do too bad.  plan on doing something tomorrow as well.  gage was a real trooper.  he hung out with me allday.  i’m glad i remembered to put sunscreen on gage… i forgot to put some on myself, and now my face is burned.  i’m feeling kind of icky, too.  achey and yuck and tired.  when i was done for the day and came in i napped, which i never do, and i needed a blanket because i coudn’t stop shivering.  now i’m just too hot.  i got burned on my face… nose and cheeks, mostly.  my knees and legs are killing me, too.

Most people these days have had some experience with recreational drugs. And let’s face it, sometimes what starts out as mostly harmless experimenting, sometimes goes much farther. It’s times like that when drug rehab comes into play. The First Step 28-day program is a great way to kickstart the process, complete with detoxification and social education. Go to Stopyouraddiction.com for information on their 5-step drug rehab program. If you know someone in need, it’s definitely worth taking 10 minutes to look.

roses are red, violets are blue

that’s what they say, but it just isn’t true

roses are red, apples are too

but violets are violet, violets aren’t blue

an orange is orange, but greenland’s not green

my pinky’s not pink, so what does it mean?

to call something blue when it’s not, we defile it

but ah, what the heck, it’s hard to rhyme violet.

and in other poetry news… i’ve been writing more.  not as much as i’d like, and most of it isn’t very pleasant… but i’ve been writing.  and that’s the important thing.  i’ve been contemplating picking a theme and writing a series of short stories or something.  i haven’t decided yet.

i’ve seen a couple of people post on autism related boards i’m on about people saying to them (snidely) upon learning that their child is autistic things like “since jenny mccarthy announced that her kid is autistic everyone has an autistic kid now.” like it’s a new fashion trend.

oh yes, that’s exactly right.  instead of a tiny dog in a purse, i’d rather have a child on a leash (because he doesn’t always want to hold your hand, and ikes to run in front of cars).

i requested the 5-yr-old who still wears pullups, not because he occasionally has accidents, but because he has no interest in the potty.

it’s always been my dream to be kicked in the face when i put my childs shoes on him, and to have to spend 10 minutes chasing him around the house just to get pants on him.

spending an hour trying to figure out why he’s crying, because he can’t talk and tell me what’s wrong is my idea of a great time.

and speaking of good times, i love not being able to have an evening out very often (it’s been almost a year)  because he doesn’t handle mommy leaving very well.

i love having to pick up the dozen things that he threw across the room in a fit of frustration, only to have him throw them again as soon as they’re picked up.  did i mention that if i don’t pick them up, he tries to force me to?

it’s absolutely fashionable to have your hair pulled, your face scratched and the rest of you kicked, slapped and punched because something is wrong… and you have no idea what it is, so you can’t fix it.

having an autistic child isn’t easy.  and it’s definitely not what i’d call the “in thing.”  i don’t know that any parent would ask for an autistic child.  but we love our children just as much as you love your “normal” children.  we want what’s best for our children, just like you want what’s best for your children.  and while some of the tricks we’ve learned to keep our children behaved and help them learn might seem odd to you, it’s what works.  and we have to go with what works.

Did you ever consider booking yourself a nice Orlando Holiday Villa? Seriously, why not? Orlando is a great vacation destination — not just for the Disney crowd. Don’t forget, there’s also a Universal Studios, a Busch Gardens and Sea World in the area. Add to that, the possible day trips to beaches and other theme parks all over the state and you’ve got the perfect central location for all of your Florida vacation dreams. I’ve spent a lot of time in Florida in my life, my Grandmothers live there — both of my parents were raised there. I’ve been to almost every theme park in Florida, and I can tell you that there’s not only something for everyone, but there are things you never knew would thrill you. Definitely visit Thinkflorida.co.uk for information out the wazoo on Florida vacations, and while you’re there you can book your trip, pick out all of your amenities, select the type of accomodations and even what unit you want to stay in.