What I did on my summer vacation

So I took two weeks off in the middle of July. My family has a cottage on a lake about two hours from here. My mom is 82 and has Alzheimer's, and I planned on taking her up there for the two weeks. My sister who lives in Texas was flying in too.
At the end of May, my sister The Insane Bitch, with whom my mom lives, informed me that she & her husband were going away the first and last weeks of July. She handed me a piece of paper with the dates written on it, and informed me that me, my sister Texas, and my sister Ditzy (not their real names) were to "take care of" seeing to Mom during those two weeks. Mom cannot be alone for an extended period of time thanks to the Alzheimer's. I explained that I had already put in for my vacation time, and Texas already had her plane tickets, and we all know Ditzy is useless, so I suggested we call Home Instead, the service that takes care of Mom during the day. The Insane Bitch (TIB) went ballistic and said absolutely not, "those people" were not going to stay in her house overnight, etc. Incidently, "those people" are all bonded, etc. Later that night I called Texas to fill her in on the situation and she said that TIB had just called her and called her a "bad daughter", among other things, and was furious with her. I called Ditzy and got the response I expected, i.e., no way could she take care of Mom, she didn't have an extra bedroom & Mom would have to sleep on the couch, etc. (Sleep on the couch?? Hello, Ditzy, YOU sleep on the couch.) So anyway, D, TIB's husband, got TIB calmed down, and Ann Marie, their daughter, agreed to stay with Mom the first and last week of July. SO, Mom and I and two cats (one hers, one mine), headed up to the cottage the second and third weeks of July for vacation. For two weeks, I cooked, cleaned, grocery shopped, kept Mom entertained, etc., while Texas did absolutely nothing but sip iced tea and read books. After I cooked dinner the first four nights, I suggested that the next night Texas cook, at which point she informed me that she "doesn't cook". She made a grand total of two meals the entire time we were there. She wanted to buy a new camper, and so I went with her camper shopping, for trailer training, etc. She never once took Mom out so that I could have some downtime. Great vacation, huh? After Mom and I went home & she went back to Texas she did call me & apologize, and say that she would help out more next year. News flash: There won't be a next year. Ever since Dad died in 1999, I have used up every bit of my vacation every year taking Mom up to the lake. I'm not going to do it again next year. I have four sisters (two of whom are retired) and one brother. It's their turn.

Wicker Man

Heard about that new movie with Nicolas Cage called The Wicker Man? I don't know if anybody else remembers the original movie, which was really creepy. I wonder if they'll end the new one the same way the old one ended. Speaking of creepy, isn't Nicolas Cage really weird? Very odd-looking and odd-acting.

Don't ever buy a Saturn

Three years ago, I was looking for a used car. "Buy a Saturn!" everybody said. Nobody saying this actually owned a Saturn, but they all had stories about sisters/friends/etc. who owned Saturns and thought they were the greatest thing since sliced bread. So I bought a 2000 Saturn LW wagon - what an incredible piece of crap! It started breaking down within a month and hasn't stopped since. Also, the Saturn dealership here in town is absolutely horrible - you can have an appointment for an oil change and sit there for an hour and half while people who came in after you leave before you. I have heard that there are two manufacturing plants for Saturns - one down south and one in Delaware. The one down south turns out good cars, while the plant in Delaware turns out pieces of bleep. Guess which one my car came from?
Never, ever buy a Saturn.
Oh, and remind me to tell you about my experience with Jiffy Lube.

Christmas Party

OK, so I need to tell you about the office Christmas Party last year. I work in an Engineering Consulting office with two guys, the boss, and the guy who runs the affiliated office next door. Usually the boss takes us all out for lunch a few days before Christmas, then we exchange secret Santa gifts (ugh! I hate that phrase!), then the boss gives us our sizable cash bonuses equal to about a week's pay. OK, so last year, the boss decided that instead of taking us out to lunch, he wanted to have a dinner party at his home. So he gave us four dates to choose from (each day of the two weekends before Christmas) and asked us to let him know what date would be good. Well! Immediately these three guys (the two I work with and the guy next door) had nine million reasons why none of these dates were any good. Eric actually said that the one date was no good, because his birthday was the following day. Huh? So they finally picked a date and gave it to John (the boss). A few days before the party, Bill (guy next door) said he would not be able to come because he couldn't find a sitter for his one year old kid. I assumed that his wife also had other plans that day and would not be able to watch the kid. John graciously said, well why don't you bring the baby? (to an adult party). At which point Bill said TO THE BOSS, well I would, but you smoke (cigarettes) and so the only way I could bring the baby is if you would agree not to smoke at the party (IN HIS OWN HOME!) If I was John, at that point I would have said, sorry you won't be there, but John actually agreed to this! Keep in mind that Eric and I both also smoke, and that Bill, the complainer, chews tobacco. So the day of the party comes, and Bill shows up WITH HIS WIFE and the kid - she didn't have other plans, she just wanted to come to the party too! AND, at the party, while we were all going outside in 20 degree weather to smoke, Bill actually pulled out his chewing tobacco and stuffed himself a mouthful, then proceeded to drool into a cup, inside at the party! These guys are a bunch of jerks.

Belly rings

What is up with belly rings? Don't your pants rub on them? And what about nose rings? How do you blow your nose? If you say, we take them out before we blow our noses; what about when you sneeze? Doesn't the, um, snot get all hung up on them?

Alzheimer's

My mom is 82 and she has Alzheimer's disease. My dad died in 1999 and we all thought that Mom would be able to travel & do stuff that Dad didn't like to do while he was alive. But not long after Dad died it became clear that she was having some real problems coping with day to day stuff. Everybody else in the family thought it was grief, but I thought it was more than that. Everybody was furious when I mentioned the possibility of Alzheimer's, and even madder when I insisted she go see the doctor. Well, of course, it did turn out to be Alzheimer's. She is now on Aricept and Namenda and she is doing ok, it is the rest of us who are going insane trying to cope with this. She is like having a little kid around, and it's hard to see your Mom like that. I had to take her car keys away from her a couple of years ago (that was a fun day). She had two fender benders, got a ticket for going the wrong way on a busy road, and got lost on the way back from the mall. She was furious when I took her keys away, and stayed mad off and on for quite a while. She just didn't (and doesn't) understand what this disease is doing to her (of course, that is part of what the disease is doing to her).

Supernova

OK I admit it - I've been watching "Rock Star - Supernova". But isn't "Supernova" the gayest name for a band ever? It's like naming a band "World's Greatest Band". Such hubris!

Entry for August 24, 2006

This is my first post. I am still seething because the new lawn mower person mowed over the johnny-jump-ups and actually hacked down the morning glories! Why? Is it too hard to understand that all you need to mow is the grass! jerk! I live in an apt. building so it's not like I have any say. God I've gotta move out - housing prices in this area are really low but taxes are incredibly high - My taxes each month would be as much if not more than my mortgage. Time to start buying lotto tickets.