Phone Pig and Other Oddities of Nature

Lately, my daughter dominates control of the phone when I call her. So I have not been able to talk to my son-in-law much. While our conversation was going the other day, I told her that she "hogged" the phone and started oinking at her. She is now my little PHONE PIG. And I mean this in the most affectionate way possible.

Throughout her life, her father and I have called her many meaningless, affectionate names. Beaker...as when she was a baby, she would make tiny 'hep-hep' noises and it sounded like the Beaker character on The Muppets; Inyago Montoya...from the movie The Princess Bride; and other various variations - Beaker Baby, Beaks, Rat, Googs, Punkin. At one point she even detested her own name and insisted everybody call her Kat.


Greg accidentally lost his cell phone on Saturday or Sunday. After tearing the house apart and all the cars, and even trying to locate it with a metal detector we borrowed from a friend...he finally found it this morning out in the new storage building. It had come unsnapped from his belt. We despaired of finding it as the snow covered all the ground and it would have been missing until Spring Thaw...Thank GOODNESS he found it as it has every phone number he ever needed in it and there would have been NO WAY on earth that he could have reproduced them. *Tonight, I will download them into this computer to preserve my sense of well-being in the future*

Last night we turned off the TV so that we could run to the store quickly for a few necessities. While we were gone, the TV blew up and the screen was totally green when we turned it on again. Thinking that it was the fault of the television, we brought down the new one from our bedroom and hooked it up; our stomachs were plummeting as we anticipated having an unexpected expenditure for a new television-the one we presently have is 10 years old; a projection 60 inch; undoubtedly it would be expensive to repair...

(Kelsey & Greg bought the surround sound/tv when they went to order appliances all those years ago - I was horrendously ill in bed with bronchitis - they called to ask me permission to get the TV as it was on sale & the salesman was giving them a smokin' hot deal with the appliance package - I didn't really care what they did as long as I got some rest ; and they proudly brought home the best TV & surround system ever. I am still pretty proud of them for it!)

But when we got the new one hooked up, it was the exact same thing. So we called the satellite cable company and they advised to re-set it and all would be well. Except that the remote failed to work - - which was probably the thing that had set this whole problem in process. Hubby had an extensive phone conversation with a gracious rep! He guided my husband as I worked the controls. Then I had to re-wire everything for sound. What A Night!

In re: Europe Trip - I have scheduled all our related appointments for the upcoming week. Piercings (getting my navel & greg's ear re-pierced), doctor, chiropractor, hairdresser, vaccinations.

Just waiting on a few last minute things to be mailed that I had ordered (please, oh please Dooney & Bourke-send me my new purse b4 I leave!) As I was SO irritated that they released their Christmas/Winter catalog and adding their new style of CROSSWORD without having ANYTHING in stock. I really wanted to order the Medium Sac to go along with the Letter Carrier purse. But nothing is available until about 1 week prior to Christmas. What sort of merchandising is this? Don't they WANT any sales?

The postal service has also been notified to hold our mail until we return. A few last minute instructions on our home to the friends that will be watching it, and we will pretty much be ready to go.

As long as my husband doesn't lose anything else...