Great Is Thy Gratefulness

Well you know that thing I last posted about that I was waiting for to happen for the last twenty years, finally happens? It's still happening every time! This is just the thing that girls like to write in their diaries and I am no exception...

Things are going pretty good around here so I can't complain. I'm not completely broke yet like I was last week, I still have 50 dollars left from my paycheck. And Lord do I know how to stretch 50 dollars out to last the week until Friday/Payday. I remember times when I had 7 or 8 dollars left after paying bills and having to make that stretch for two weeks! Money might still be tight these days but it sure as hell ain't that bad anymore and I am so grateful for that.

You know, it makes me think of something my mother said in church a few weeks ago. So there she is, up there doing her praise and worship thing like she does every Sunday and she says to the congregation "If you have something that you want to share about how God has blessed you this week, please come up here and share that with us." All of a sudden I thought about my oldest son. Now I should have gone up there, but I was suddenly too emotional to really speak coherently. I wanted to say how thankful I was that It's been six months since my son has been hospitalized for respiratory problems. In January of this year, his doctor told me that if he kept this up, they would put him on a respirator. Permanently. The first thing I said was "Well, thank God my boyfriend had enough sense to wire up his room for 220 volts instead of 110!" But inside my heart was just breaking. I didn't want to hear that. To me, it was just one more thing that would be heaped upon this kid, and one more thing that would require even more specialized care. I remember for years balking at the idea of him getting a trach. When I finally relented and he got it, I realized that it really was the best thing for him and it's not that big of a deal now. So, if indeed in the future he eventually does need to be on a vent at home, I have to remind myself of that. But, Thank You God that he is doing really well right now and I haven't had to have a second discussion with the doctor about it.

Last Great Movie I Saw: Harold And Kumar Go To The White Castle. I kept thinking it wasn't quite as funny as Half Baked, but still pretty good. I liked the fact that it ended up with Harold and Kumar doing something positive with themselves (Harold standing up to his supervisors, and Kumar deciding to go to medical school after all) instead of just making it to the White Castle after a long and treacherous night.

Last Album I Listened To: R. Kelly's TP 3 Reloaded. I think that R. Kelly is right on the same level as Michael Jackson. They are both sick bastards who need to stop messing around with children and they are both brilliant songwriters and artists. This is great album which is basically all about sex (whoo-hoo!!!!) and the last track, a 16 minute opus entitled Trapped In The Closet is the best thing on it. I can't remember the last time I listened to a song that literally had me on the edge of my seat and commanded my attention so effectively because it told such a compelling story (ok, so I listened to a mix cd I made of Johnny Cash songs the other day, and those songs tell great stories too, but I have listened to that cd dozens of times and I know those stories by heart. I can't beleive I'm actually comparing R. Kelly to the master of song storytelling Johnny Cash, but I guess I am). The song's ending just left me stunned. I would have never guessed it would turn out that way. And it's not about murder or drugs or evil, it's all about SEX, infidelity to be specific, and it's simply OUTSTANDING! I have always said that my most favorite songs tell a story and this one belongs in the Hall Of Fame of story songs.

Last Great Book I Read: I haven't read any good books lately. I have been spending more time outside in the pool and when I do come inside to relax I have been leafing through back issues of Vanity Fair. I will never get tired of those. And I never throw an issue away! There are boxes of them in the basement. I have considered getting a copy of Bill Clinton's book now that it is paperback.

Top Story In The News: The London Bombings. Over 50 people were killed last week when bombs went off in several London subway trains. Why is going to work in the morning so fucking precarious these days? First it's the building you work in falls down on top of you and now it's the train or bus you take to get there that blows up. If terrorists ever attack the store I work in I'm gonna be pissed. I've said it before and I'll say it again: They just don't pay me enough to get that stressed out!