Rest in peace, Reggie White.

I'm Glad It's Over!

Sunday, December 26th: I'm glad that today is the 26th because that means it's another 365 days until we have to do it all over again. Actually, it turned out to be a Merry Christmas. B and C got so much, it took 2 hours for them to open all of it. B said C would have gotten more if she had been able to write Santa and tell him what she wanted. She also asked if they had birthday cake for Jesus, in Heaven! Too cute, hey?

I got my Christmas present. A stunning, come-from-behind Packers victory. I only wish it hadn't come down to the final :03. Could they ever just blow out the Vikings? OK, I admit, it was an exciting game to watch. My hands were shaking, I was sweating, and my heart was pounding. Brett Favre is the man! So is Ryan Longwell. The score and Vikings total yards were all the same. Ryan Longwell also kicked the game winning field goals, in both games, with 3 ticks on the clock. Now we're playoff bound.

I came home from shopping this morning, to the phone ringing. My mom was on the other end telling me that Reggie White had died in his sleep. I had the pleasure of meeting him in 1997. He actually came to our company Christmas party, gave a speech and said a prayer before our dinner. Then he stayed afterward and signed autographs and took pictures. I have an autographed helmet, sitting on my nightstand. He will be missed, not only for the type of football player he was, but more importantly for the type of man he was off the field.

Until next time.

Mich

"We the jury...fix the penalty at death."

December 13, 2004: With those words, justice has spoken. Thank god, they came to that conclusion. If anyone on this earth deserves to die, it is Scott Peterson. It is hard to imagine anyone more cold and calculating than him. To kill your wife and child is heinous enough, but to do so and then carry on romancing your mistress, takes it to a whole new level.

Laci and I were due on the same day. I look at my little girl and see how much joy she brings me and I am amazed. I can not imagine what her family is going through. Not only losing their daughter, but their grandson, too. My heart aches for them. I'm not a grandmother, but I certainly hope to be one some day. I see how my mom's face lights up when she sees my two daughters and it is incredible. I feel bad for Sharon Roche that she was robbed of that by someone so selfish. If he didn't want to be married, why not get divorced? He didn't want kids? So, don't see the child. Guys do it all the time. But why kill her? I just don't understand that.

My religious upbringing tells me that God forgives everything, so I am conflicted. On one hand I am grateful that he was given the death penalty. On the other hand, I do not want him going to Heaven. That's not fair. Why should he get to be in Heaven, where Laci and Conner are?

Do I think he will be put to death? Nope. Do I hope one of the prisoners gets to him first? Hell yes! Too bad he's in solitary confinement 23 hours a day. (OK, he will have 23 hours every day to think about what he did.) I don't see how another prisoner will be able to get to him. But, the saying goes, where there's a will, there's a way. Hopefully, someone else has the will! Sitting in a cell for 23 hours, isn't harsh enough. He deserves something more harsh than that.

I hope that the smug look and smile were wiped off his face, when the verdict was read. I think he believed he would be given death. I am so glad this jury got it right.

Mich

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

December 11, 2004: I can dream can't I? There is no way I'll be seeing snow this year, but for those of you who will...I'm jealous. Actually, Christmas is no big deal to me. I have a messed up family - my mom's husband is racist and seeing as how my two children are mixed, they aren't welcome in 'his' house. Therefore, my mom and sisters will come to my house for a few hours on Christmas morning and then we'll be alone the rest of the day.

How is that for a Christmas celebration?? It sucks. I long for the days when my grandparents were still alive and my whole family would get together. I have such happy memories of that time. Everyone dressed up and all of the kids excited and anxious to open their gifts. Plus, being Italian meant a huge feast! My grandmother was an excellent cook. She baked cookies, cakes, and this was one of the days when she would make gnocchi. If I close my eyes I can still picture her standing at the stove cooking. Mmm, the wonderful smells that came from her kitchen! Unfortunately, my children will never have those kind of memories of their grandmother because she chose and chooses to remain with someone like her husband. Go figure.

Then there is M's family. They all hate me. I think they feel like I came between him and his ex and they would prefer her. (She's a crack whore - and I'm not kidding.) Me? Not so much of a crack whore. I take te responsibility of raising my children seriously. His family would rather him be with her, than me. I guess it all comes down to the fact that I don't take crap from anyone. Oh, I used to, but age has brought wisdom. Wisdom to realize that not everyone will like me, for whatever reason. I can not change that fact, so why bother trying to please everyone, while sacrificing myself? I can not be the type of person to kiss ass. Nver have; never will. M's two brothers and their wives do, however, kiss ass. Why? I think they believe it will get them a bigger inheritance. Which it just might.

M's sister-in-laws hate M's parents. They will tell anyone and everyone - just not their husbands. They made the big mistake of talking shit about M and I, to MY MOM! How dumb is that? Of course my mom told me. When confronted, they denied everything. Plus, they had told my mom other things - things about M's parents that to this day, we still do not know. She would only tell M's brothers what was said, as proof they were lying. Somehow, it still ended up being my fault. So, needless to say, we do not talk. They have not seen C and B since last year at this time. So much for family.

Mich

Teacher Debra Lafave, who allegedly had sex with her 14-year-old student.

Hot For Teacher

December 6, 2004: This is way better than anything I could post. But of course, I have to comment first. For those of you not in the Tampa area, there is a 24-year-old teacher Debra Lafave, who had sex with her 14-year-old student. This all happened at the end of the 2003-2004 school year. They had sex at the school where she taught and he attended; at her condo (the same one she shared with her husband!); and while being driven around by his 16-year-old cousin, in her SUV. The Smoking Gun has the report, which details the whole affair.

I just don't understand what would prompt a teacher to have sex with one of their students. I can understand people having affairs (I'm not condoning the act, but I can see how it happens - between two adults - but not between an teacher and her 14-year-old student.) OK, and did she honestly think he would be able to keep quiet about it? Hell, I guess she didn't because his cousin was driving them around, while they had sex in the back seat of her Isuzu Rodeo. Then, apparently she drove him to Ocala (about 96 miles from Tampa), and he called his mom and told her that they went to Ocala to get her husband a birthday gift! Hello! What was she thinking?

Now her defense is going to be insanity because she had been acting strangely since her sister was killed by a drunk driver. In taped phone calls between the two, she comes off as being less mature than he does. She makes him 'pinky promise' that his mom is at work and that it'll be okay for her to go and pick him up.

So, read and listen for yourself, to what transpired between them. Post comments if you wish.

Mich

TGI Almost Friday

December 2, 2004: I can't believe it's December already! Where has the year gone? It seems as if the older I get, the faster time goes. As B gleefully reminded me, "only 3 Saturday's until Christmas!" It feels like we were just celebrating the New Year, and already it's Christmas. If I had my way, I'd sleep from now until January 5th (the day after my birthday.) I'm too old to celebrate anyway.

This week, as is the norm for me, had it's ups and downs.

1. DOWN - I can't return to college because it seems as if my EH didn't pay off the Stafford Loan, like he was supposed to. Now, I have to repay $6000 before I can go to FSU. If I had $6000, I wouldn't have applied for FAFSA.
2. UP - The Packers kicked ass on Monday Night Football. The opening was cute - (should a 35 you be saying cute?) - especially Ben Stiller's part.
3. DOWN - I'm set up with the electric company to pay the bill automatically. Somehow, my bank account information is messed up, so the debit payment was returned. Therefore, I owe an extra $35. Plus I have to pay the bill immediately, to avoid having the electricity paid off.
4. UP - We got our Christmas bonus from work today. When I checked my account balance this morning, I was shocked. I did the is-anyone-looking-what-should-I-do-now?, head turn. Of course the first thing I did was call M to see, if for some unknown reason, he had his check deposited into my account. While the phone was ringing, the owner came over the intercom to say they would be individually handing out the bonus checks.
5. DOWN - I haven't started Christmas shopping yet. I always say I'm going to start early and be done by November. Who the hell am I kidding? Yes, I have OCD and I obsess over the littlest things. (You should see my desk at work. It would bring Martha Stewart to tears. All of my folders are color coded by client. I use a different color ink to mean different things. I have spreadsheets to keep on track and tasks set up in Outlook. Every thing has to be straight, lined up and in a special place.)
6. UP - Tomorrow is Friday and that means I get to sleep in on Saturday. That's the biggest bonus. My life reminds me of the episode of "Seinfeld" when Jerry said his life always evens out. (One stand-up gig gets cancelled; two minutes later he's offered a different gig for the same night.) The only thing is, I have more than my fair share of bad luck. I'm really starting to believe that nice people do finish last.

I'm so ticked that we ever got DirecTV because all M does is watch stupid movies. I wasted 2 hours of my life watching "Phone Booth" with Colin Farrell. I was actually rooting for the sniper. I could have taken talking on the phone to that man for, 3, 4 minutes, tops, before I would have shot him. It reminded me of the suck-fest "Open Water" when mom, K and I actually WANTED the divers to get eaten by sharks, just so we wouldn't have to hear that whiney bitch complain. I know why that guy committed suicide: He couldn't stand to hear her voice anymore.

I digress...They sent a memo around at work, saying that at 3 p.m. tomorrow, we have to stop working, for the day, and decorate our offices. Our company rocks! I already have my 40 hours in, so all day tomorrow is overtime. It's just an extra perk that we get to decorate, and on company time, at that.

Lastly, the woman who sits on the other side of me, talks extremely loud. She uses the word "FUCK" like it's no big deal. I swear, every other word out of her mouth, is a swear. I'm not a prude, I can swear like a sailor! However, there is a time and a place for everything and I just don't think that, when speaking to vendors, that swearing profusely is the way to go. I actually have to cover the phone while I'm on it, just so the person I'm speaking to, can't hear her talking about getting her "fucking toe burned by a g-damn cigarette" she thought she "threw out the mother-fucking window." Am I wrong on this one? Again, it reminds me of a "Seinfeld" episode - the one when Jerry and Kramer have to go to the dentist, Tim Whatley, who only caters to adults. Kramer finds it liberating because when he's getting work done, he can "really let the obscenities fly!"

I've come to believe, in some way, every incident in life, can be related back to "Seinfeld." I think it should be a new game. Forget "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon", I can play "Six Degrees of Jerry Seinfeld."

Mich